Haider Ali arrested and granted bail after report of alleged rape

It is understood that Haider was arrested in Beckenham where the Shaheens were playing

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Aug-2025Haider Ali has been arrested by the Greater Manchester Police on suspicion of rape and bailed pending further enquiries. The Pakistan batter, who was with the Shaheens squad, the de facto ‘A’ team on a tour against of England, remains in the UK. A Shaheens squad, which includes a number of players on the England tour, has flown to Australia to take part in a multi-team T20 series. Haider was part of the squad due to go to Australia, and has been replaced by allrounder Mohammad Faiq”After receiving a report on Monday 4 August 2025 of a rape, we have arrested a 24-year-old man,” a statement from Greater Manchester Police confirmed to ESPNcricinfo. “It’s alleged that the incident occurred on Wednesday 23 July 2025 at a premises in Manchester. The man has since been bailed pending further enquiries. The victim is being supported by officers.”It is understood that Haider was arrested in Beckenham where the Shaheens were playing the last of their five games of the tour. Haider played each of the five games, including the first two on 22 and 25 July, between which the incident he was arrested for is alleged to have occurred in Manchester on 23 July. The offence carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment in the UK.Related

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On Thursday, the PCB issued a statement confirming Haider was under criminal investigation in the UK and suspended him pending the results of that investigation. It affirmed that the board “fully respects the legal procedures and processes of the UK” and were providing the player with legal support.Haider, 24, has played two ODIs and 35 T20Is for Pakistan. Initially feted as a destructive power hitter, his reputation burnished with standout performances in the PSL with Peshawar Zalmi in 2020, when he scored 239 runs at a strike rate of over 157. He was called up to the national side later that year, his international debut coming in a T20I game in Manchester, where he scored a 33-ball 54 as Pakistan won by five runs.Inconsistency has dogged him since, and he has repeatedly found himself in and out of the side. However, his talent and explosiveness have kept him in international contention, and the current Shaheens tour was widely viewed as an opportunity to reintegrate a player whose batting approach aligns with the aggressive style Pakistan’s current T20 set-up has made no secret they want to pursue.The PCB has said that they intend to make no further public comment until legal proceedings are complete.

Ramesh Mendis recalled for second Test against Australia

He has been among the runs as well as wickets in the Major League Tournament, Sri Lanka’s domestic first-class competition, this season

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Feb-2025Ramesh Mendis has been added to Sri Lanka’s squad for the second Test against Australia, while seamer Vishwa Fernando and top-order batter Lahiru Udara have been released from what had been an 18-member squad. Sri Lanka team manager Mahinda Halangoda confirmed the changes, and said Ramesh had joined the squad on Monday.Ramesh had been dropped both from the Test XI, and later from the squad entirely, on account of what Sri Lanka’s team management believed to be a sub-par bowling performance against New Zealand in November.But having conceded 654 for 6 in the first innings of the first Test against Australia in Galle, Sri Lanka have brought back Ramesh. Partly this is down to his bowling form in the ongoing first-class competition – the Major League Tournament – in which he has claimed 24 wickets at an average of 21.91 plus scored 260 runs at an average of 52 from six innings.His bowling returns among the top Test teams has been more modest, however, though he has played all 15 of his Tests so far in Asia. Against Australia, for example, he has seven wickets at an average of 40.85 from two matches that were played in Galle in 2022.Sri Lanka will seriously consider him for a spot in the XI given the inexperience in their spin attack. In the previous match, in which Sri Lanka slipped to their worst Test defeat in history, Sri Lanka had two frontline spinners playing their second Test.The second Test starts in Galle on Thursday.

Perth Scorchers sign Chris Jordan to complete Big Bash roster

England fast bowler signs on with his third BBL club for full season

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2019Perth Scorchers have signed Chris Jordan, the England seamer, to complete their squad for this season’s Big Bash.Jordan, who was England’s standout bowler in their T20I series in New Zealand, has previously had stints at Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Thunder, and joins compatriot Liam Livingstone in the squad. Both players will be available for the full season.”Playing in Perth can be quite hostile [as an opposition player],” Jordan said. “Obviously it’s a sea of orange and everyone is rooting for the Scorchers.”I know from experience when the opposition hit a boundary in the stadium there’s no noise, but when the Scorchers are up and about and doing well everyone’s backing them to the hills… I’m looking forward to having some of that on my side.”When the opportunity for Perth came up it was as pretty hard one to turn down, I know from playing against them how competitive they are, how successful they are so I’m really looking forward to joining such a great franchise.”Adam Voges said that Jordan provided an “all-round package” thanks to his brilliance in the field and lower-order hitting.”We’re really excited to have Chris on board,” he said. “He’s got great experience in T20 cricket and will do a terrific job with ball, particularly his skills at the death.”He also provides the all-round package with athleticism in the field and strong batting skills which will be great for the fans. Chris is very professional and will fit in well in the Scorchers set-up. I haven’t heard a bad word about him.”We have a dynamic squad that covers all bases really well, some fresh faces and fan favourites returning… it’s a squad that will be entertaining to watch.”The Scorchers will start the season without two of their fast bowlers, with Jason Behrendorff out for the season and Andrew Tye expected to miss most of the tournament with an elbow injury.

Babar Azam moves to second spot in ICC rankings for T20I batters

Fakhar Zaman jumps 17 slots, Mohammad Rizwan reaches 15th position

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Apr-2021Pakistan captain Babar Azam has moved up by a place to second spot in the ICC men’s rankings for T20I batters. Azam’s record-breaking 122 off 59 balls against South Africa in the third T20I saw him gain 47 points to displace Australia’s Aaron Finch from the second position.Azam was the highest run-scorer in the four-match series, having accumulated a total of 210 runs, including a half-century and a maiden hundred. Azam, who is still 48 points adrift of top-ranked Dawid Malan, has the opportunity to overtake him with the three-match series against Zimbabwe that got underway in Harare on Wednesday.Earlier last week, Azam became the No. 1 ODI batter, ending India captain Virat Kohli’s long reign at the top of the charts. Azam is just the fourth Pakistan batter to attain the top ranking.Fakhar Zaman gained 17 spots to reach 33rd rank after scoring an unbeaten 8 and 60 in the last two games, and Mohammad Rizwan jumped eight places to reach a career-best 15th position. Left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi also made a jump to reach his career best-equaling 11th spot in the bowlers’ list after picking up two wickets in two matches.For South Africa, Rassie van der Dussen moved up from ninth to sixth spot, just one shy of his career-best, after scores of 34 not out and 52. Aiden Markram gained 31 places to reach 34th position.

'Playing Test cricket my most cherished memory', Pankaj Singh says after announcing retirement

Singh said he had to listen to his body after a bout of Covid-19 left him feeling weak

Shashank Kishore10-Jul-2021Former India fast bowler Pankaj Singh, 36, has retired from all forms of cricket, thereby ending his professional career that spanned nearly 17 years. Singh said he had to listen to his body after a bout of Covid-19 left him feeling weak.”I was down with Covid, and once I recovered, the post-Covid symptoms left me drained,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “Also, when I looked at where I stand, I felt I wouldn’t have added anything by pushing on for one more year. During the previous domestic season itself I realised it’s hard to come out after months of not playing. Training and conditioning to play a full season seemed tough, so I thought I should listen to my body and retire.”First called in to the Indian Test squad on their tour of Australia in 2007-08, Singh had to wait for over six years to eventually earn his Test cap. In all, he featured in two Tests, both on the England tour of 2014, and a solitary ODI in Zimbabwe in 2010. But it is Singh’s domestic numbers that define him.Related

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In 2019, Singh became the first seamer to take 400 Ranji Trophy wickets. Overall, he finishes with 472 first-class wickets in 117 matches, apart from picking 118 List A wickets and 43 T20 wickets.The domestic stalwart ends his career with new entrants Puducherry, but it’s his body of work with Rajasthan that stands out. Having been a senior fast bowler and captain during a turbulent time, with the association being managed by an ad-hoc body for much of the last decade due to administrative upheavals, Singh was part of two back-to-back Ranji Trophy winning squads in 2010-11 and 2011-12.”Getting my Test cap from Sourav Ganguly in England was special,” Singh said. “I am fortunate to have played under a legend like MS Dhoni. Playing Test cricket is my most cherished memory as a professional cricketer. It came after a lot of struggles, so that has to be the most special memory.”Singh picks out his spell against Mumbai during the 2010-11 Ranji Trophy quarterfinal as one of his most memorable ones. “The Rajasthan teams of old would lose against Mumbai even before taking the field, but in that game, we proved to everyone we were no less,” he said. “They elected to bat in a pressure game, and I removed three top order batters: Sahil Kukreja, Omkar Gurav and Rohit Sharma.””I still remember, everyone was talking of Mumbai as the favourites. They had a strong XI: Ajit Agarkar, Wasim Jaffer, Ajinkya Rahane and Ramesh Powar. So, I took the challenge upon me that we had to win somehow. That game gave us the belief to go on to win our maiden season.”Singh is a Level-2 certified BCCI coach, having recently taken part in a course conducted by the NCA. With a full-fledged domestic calendar announced, Singh hopes to transition into guiding youngsters, both in Rajasthan and elsewhere.”I’m looking at getting into coaching now that I have retired,” he said. “Until I did the NCA course, the thought was ‘I’ve played a lot of cricket; the experience will help me transition into a coach.’ But after attending the course, I gained a deeper insight into managing a team, understanding players, man-management skills and how there is so much more to coaching than just teaching them how to bowl or bat. It interested me a great deal. Having now qualified, I’m looking forward to being in touch with the game as a coach.”

RoI hold all the aces after magnificent Vihari century

Vidarbha end the fourth day with nine wickets in hand and the target still 243 runs away

The Report by Sreshth Shah in Nagpur15-Feb-2019Hanuma Vihari’s dominant 180 not out, Ajinkya Rahane’s measured 87, and Shreyas Iyer’s marauding unbeaten 52-ball 61 helped Rest of India declare their second innings on 374 for three with an hour left to play. Vidarbha, needing 280 to win outright, lost captain Faiz Fazal in the first over of their response, and were 37 for one at close of play, still 243 runs shy of the target with nine wickets in hand.The day belonged to Vihari, who struck his second century of the game, becoming only the second to do so in Irani Cup history. Shikhar Dhawan (in 2011/12) was the first to achieve the feat. Vihari’s hundred, in fact, was his third in as many Irani innings, the other one coming against Vidarbha last season.His third-wicket stand of 229 with Rahane – a partnership that began on the third evening – completely changed the complexion of the game. Starting from an overnight score of 102 for two, the two added 110 in the morning, and then put together a further 63 before Rahane was dismissed. That was Vidarbha’s first (and, as it turned out, only) wicket of the day, and came after they had fallen 180 runs behind.ALSO READ: Karnewar deconstructs Vidarbha’s dazzling rearguardThereafter, Iyer took the attack to Vidarbha as RoI searched for quick runs before the declaration. He carefully played out the few overs before tea, but changed gears after the break, and the post-tea session began with Iyer smacking a six and a four off left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate, which he repeated off paceman Rajneesh Gurbani in the next over. When left-arm spinner Akshay Karnewar came into the attack, Iyer walloped him for another ten runs to reach his half-century in just 45 balls.Vihari, who started the last session on 153, then freed his arms too. He cut Yash Thakur to the deep-point boundary and drove him over the extra-cover fence in the innings’ penultimate over, and was 20 shy of a double-century when Rahane called the batsmen back.Hanuma Vihari has three centuries in three Irani Cup innings•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In the morning, Vihari, beginning on 40, found the first boundary in the opening over of the day with a chipped shot off Sarwate, and soon reached his half-century. Rahane, too, joined in on the big-hitting early with a six over long-on off the same bowler.After that, a period of attritional cricket was on display, as Fazal rotated his three spinners across the first hour to keep RoI’s run-flow in check, but as the session progressed, the two batsmen grew in confidence.A glance down to the fine-leg boundary earned Rahane his half-century in the 50th over, while Vihari continued to hit the occasional four, using his wrists to play inside-out over the off-side infield more than once. Just four minutes before the lunch break, Vihari reached his hundred with a lofted drive off offspinner Akshay Wakhare.The afternoon session began with Vihari and Rahane bunting the older ball around, but then they went on the offensive. Vihari made the first move, whipping Sarwate off his pads to the midwicket fence. Rahane followed suit in Sarwate’s next over, first skipping down the track to muscle one to the midwicket boundary before hitting a back-foot cut to point for four.Vihari used the sweep, in particular, to good effect against Karnewar on a track that continued to deteriorate. The extra turn and uneven bounce meant that batting was not necessarily easy, but the Vihari-Rahane combination provided nearly nothing for the Vidarbha bowlers to be excited about.Vidarbha took the second-new ball in the 93rd over, and got lucky almost straightaway. One ball after surviving a stumping chance, Rahane perished to a sharp stumping from wicketkeeper Akshay Wadkar. Stepping down the track to play towards the leg side, Rahane missed altogether as Sarwate’s left-arm spin turned away from him, and he had to leave 13 short of a century.Rahane’s 87, though, was his highest score in his last 38 first-class innings, a period going back to August 2017 when he scored 132 against Sri Lanka in the Colombo Test match.Vihari continued unaffected, reaching his 150 shortly before tea when Gurbani, bowling only his second over of the day, offered the batsman a full toss outside off, which he slapped to point.There was also a ten-minute stoppage in the session when umpire Nandan needed medical attention. He was struck on the head by a throw from Gurbani, fielding at long-off, in the 95th over, but was fortunately able to continue for the rest of the session. After tea, however, third umpire C Shamsuddin replaced him.Vidarbha needed to bat out only 16 overs on the day. In that time, Ankit Rajpoot flattened Fazal’s off stump from around the wicket for a three-ball duck. Left-arm pacer Tanveer-ul-Haq also bowled two overs with the new ball, but with the batsman looking comfortable, Rahane quickly shifted to spin. It almost worked when R Sanjay flicked Rahul Chahar to the forward short-leg fielder, but it was in and out quickly. The day ended with Sanjay on 17 and Atharwa Taide on 16.

Bismah Maroof's daughter denied accreditation for Commonwealth Games

Her mother and daughter will now stay at a hotel outside the CWG village

Umar Farooq12-May-2022Pakistan Women’s captain Bismah Maroof’s infant daughter, Fatima, has been denied accreditation to access the Commonwealth Games village. As a result, Maroof was deliberating over her participation in the event, which is to be held from July 25 to August 8 in Birmingham. But ESPNcricinfo understands she will travel for the games, with her daughter and mother, who will take care of Fatima, staying at a hotel outside the village.It has been learnt that the PCB had asked the CWG Federation for two extra accreditations to accommodate Maroof’s mother and daughter in the village. In response, the federation asked the PCB to remove two personnel from their allowed 22-member travelling contingent, which includes officials as well. But the PCB stated that it was in no position to omit any players or officials from the touring party.ESPNcricinfo has written to the Games’ media department for the official version of their parental policy but they were yet to respond at the time of this story being published.Related

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Maroof had recently travelled to New Zealand for the 2022 Women’s World Cup with her daughter and mother. The PCB’s maternity policy allows a mother “to travel with a support person of her choice to assist in caring for her infant child”, with travel and accommodation costs shared equally between the board and the player.The PCB has also confirmed that Maroof will continue to lead the national team for the 2022-23 season. Pakistan are set to play 25 matches this season, starting with the home series against Sri Lanka in Karachi, which gets underway from May 24. After that, the team will head for Belfast to play a triangular T20I series against Ireland and Australia from July 12 to 24. This will be immediately followed by the Commonwealth Games.”I want to thank the Pakistan Cricket Board for its immense support throughout my career and especially in helping me strike the right work-life balance after the birth of Fatima,” Maroof said. “There was a time when I contemplated giving up on my passion of playing cricket, but the PCB ensured it never came to that with the introduction of the maternity policy, which has made the game as inclusive as it can be for the women in our country. I also want to thank my family and especially my husband, Abrar, who has been a great support throughout my career and has provided me encouragement to continue to play for Pakistan.”Maroof was handed the T20I captaincy in 2016, replacing Sana Mir and was named the ODI captain after the 2017 World Cup. Last April, Maroof had taken an indefinite maternity leave, and the PCB’s new parental policy helped her return to cricket and captaincy earlier this year.On being retained as captain for the 2022-23 season, Maroof said: “It is truly an honour for any cricketer to captain their country and it is a great privilege for me to continue in this role. The 2022-23 cricket season is the busiest for Pakistan Women’s side and we are excited and geared up for the challenges it presents. Every match in the upcoming season is important for us as a team as bilateral ODIs will determine whether we qualify for the next ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup and the T20Is provide us opportunities to prepare for the all-important T20 World Cup in February next year.”

Martin Guptill slams 35-ball hundred in Worcestershire blitz

New Zealander Martin Guptill made the joint-fourth fastest hundred in T20 as Worcestershire cruised past Northants with almost seven overs to spare

ECB Reporters Network27-Jul-2018
ScorecardMartin Guptill struck 102 from only 38 balls as Worcestershire demolished Northamptonshire at Wantage Road, chasing 188 to win by nine wickets with 6.5 overs to spare.Guptill’s fourth domestic T20 century – from 35 balls, joint-fourth fastest of all time – and Joe Clarke’s 61 not out from 33 balls made mincemeat of the target to give Worcestershire their fifth victory in this season’s Vitality Blast.For Northants, who had already conceded a 37-ball hundred from Notts’ Dan Christian earlier this season, it was more torment. “I thought our score was fairly competitive, the pitch was sticking a little, the boundaries were a little bigger, the outfield was a little slower,” said Northants’ coach David Ripley. “But it was carnage really. To concede two 30-odd ball hundreds, doesn’t happen very often and you have to say well played but we have to find a way to be more competitive.”Northants were utterly humiliated as Clarke and Guptill smashed 97 from the Powerplay and 162 from 10 overs. Guptill opened up in Richard Gleeson’s second over that cost 22 with a flick over midwicket for six, two slaps down the ground for four and a flick wide of short-fine leg. Rory Kleinveldt replaced Gleeson and he also disappeared for 22 as Guptill raised fifty in 20 balls.Guptill swept Graeme White’s left-arm spin straight to deep-backward square leg, only for Seekkuge Prasanna to step over the boundary. A second slog-sweep went comfortably over deep midwicket and a straight drive found four more as White’s first over was taken for 19.Prasanna was lifted over long-on for six and wide of long-off for four to go to 90 before Kyle Coetzer was straight driven for four and flicked over midwicket for six to raise Guptill’s century. Trying to lift Gleeson over mid-on, he was well held by Josh Cobb.Clarke actually began the carnage. He smeared flat sixes over midwicket and point before classically steering two fours through the covers off Prasanna, who leaked 19 from the 5th over. A straight six off Coetzer raised his first fifty in this season’s Blast in 23-balls before Travis Head struck the winning six.Northants never built up any momentum with the bat having been sent in but their 187 for 9 was a decent effort, including 62 from the final five overs.Richard Levi gave the innings a steady start. He flicked Luke Wood over midwicket for his first boundary, lifted the next over extra-cover before pulling two sixes over square leg as 20 came from the third over of the game. He drove Brett D’Oliveria delightfully past extra-cover for his third boundary and lifted him into the Wilson Stand for his third six but trying to cut Moeen Ali’s second ball, slapped it straight to point to fall for 39.Ben Duckett also fell when set for further damage. He turned Archie Carter past short-fine leg for his opening boundary before flicking Ed Barnard twice to the deep-backward square fence. He swung Pat Brown over long-on for six to reach 25 in the final over of the Powerplay before trying to repeat the trick and being caught at mid-off.Alex Wakely again looked in good touch and reached 28 from 20 balls before slapped a catch back to Ed Barnard who took an incredible return catch above his left shoulder and at 118 fo 5 in the 15th over, Northants were flagging.But Steven Crook played a much-needed cameo. He whacked a maximum just over the head of deep midwicket and pulled a second much further over the same region. He thrashed Moeen past extra-cover for four before hammering the final ball of his spell for four more over the bowler’s head.A fourth-six was top-edged over long leg before a third boundary whistled past short-third man off an outside edge but leaning out to drive a very wide delivery from Barnard, he got a thin edge through to Ben Cox to fall for 33.Kleinveldt picked up the task and swung Barnard’s final over for boundaries either side of deep cover and a sweetly-struck six over long-off but he was cleaned up by Wood in the penultimate over.

Shakib, Nurul fined for breaching code of conduct

They have also received one demerit point each for separate incidents during their side’s T20I match against Sri Lanka in Colombo

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Mar-2018Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan and reserve player Nurul Hasan have both been fined 25% of their match fees for separate incidents during the T20I against Sri Lanka in Colombo. Both players have also received one demerit point each for breaching Level 1 of the ICC code of conduct.In the final over of a tense chase, Shakib gestured towards the Bangladesh batsmen Mahmudullah and Rubel Hossain to come off the field, from the edge of the boundary, while remonstrating against an umpiring decision. He was found to have indulged in “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game”.Nurul was seen arguing with Sri Lanka captain Thisara Perera after he was sent by the team on to the field of play to pass on a message to the two batsmen. He was found guilty of violating Article 2.1.2, which deals with “conduct that brings the game into disrepute”.This was the first time either player had picked up a demerit point since the system came into effect on September 22, 2016. The BCB said in a release that it “regrets the unfortunate happenings” and that the conduct of the Bangladesh team “in certain instances was unacceptable on a cricket field”.”We understand that the events may have transpired due to the importance of the match and the pressure that comes with it but feel that the expected level of professionalism was not exhibited by the team while dealing with a tense situation in the game,” the BCB release further said. “The Bangladesh Team members have been reminded of their responsibility in upholding the spirit of cricket at all times.”On Saturday morning, both Shakib and Nurul pleaded guilty to the offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Chris Broad and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing.”Friday’s incidents were disappointing as you don’t want to see such player behavior during any level of cricket,” Broad said in a statement. “I understand that it was a tense and an edge-of-the-seat match with place in the final on the line, but the actions of the two players were unacceptable and cannot be condoned as they clearly went overboard. Had the fourth umpire not stopped Shakib and the fielders remonstrating, and then the on-field umpires not intervened between Nurul and Thisara, things could have become worse.”The charges were levelled by on-field umpires Raveendra Wimalasiri and Ruchira Palliyaguruge, third umpire Ranmore Martinesz and fourth umpire Lyndon Hannibal.

Rishi Patel, Louis Kimber offer impressive response from Leicestershire

Carter, Rawlins, Coles fifties have Sussex still 429 in front

ECB Reporters Network12-Jul-2022Leicestershire 159 for 1 (Kimber 91*, Patel 67*) trail Sussex 588 (Alsop 150, Orr 70, Carter 75, Rawlins 75, Coles 59, Parkinson 5-128) by 429 runsLeicestershire produced an impressive response after Sussex racked up 588 on the second day of their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Hove.The Foxes lost Hassan Azad to the first ball of their reply, but Rishi Patel and Louis Kimber batted with increasing authority in an unbroken stand which took them to 159 for one at stumps. They still trail by 429 but a slow pitch is showing little sign of deterioration.Earlier, Sussex had piled up their highest total for seven years, after Oliver Carter, Delray Rawlins and James Coles, the 18-year-old making only his fifth first-class appearance, all scored half-centuries.Resuming on 407 for 4, Carter and Rawlins extended their fifth-wicket stand to 119 in 25 overs, although Carter would have been run out on 70 had Ed Barnes not missed the stumps by millimetres in his follow through after being called through for a single.Callum Parkinson came into the attack in the 18th over of the day and Rawlins hit his first ball for four to bring up his half-century.But Parkinson struck in his next over when Carter played on for 75 attempting to dab the ball into the off side. It was a muted end to a fine innings by the in-form 20-year-old, who has scored 422 runs in his last five Championship innings.Rawlins had mixed aggression – he came down the pitch to drive Barnes over his head for six – with wristy accumulation in his 75 when he was struck on the back leg sweeping at Parkinson, who then persuaded Henry Crocombe to drag a ball from outside off-stump to mid-wicket in his next over.But Coles added 49 for the last wicket with Sean Hunt, hitting four sixes in his 59 in his maiden first-class fifty before he was beaten in the flight by Parkinson coming down the pitch once more. Parkinson’s hard graft was rewarded with figures of five for 128 from 41.5 overs while 61 extras swelled the Sussex total.Steve Finn, captaining Sussex after Tom Haines broke his hand on Monday, made an immediate impact when Azad was caught at slip off a ball which did just enough off the seam to take the edge.But Patel and Kimber got their heads down to negotiate the new ball although they both offered half-chances.Rawlins got fingertips to a fiercely-struck straight drive by Patel diving to his left and Coles couldn’t quite hold on running in at full stretch from deep square leg when Kimber mistimed a pull off Henry Crocombe on 48.Once the new ball lost its hardness, though, batting became much more straightforward and at stumps Kimber was in sight of his maiden first-class hundred, having already reached a career-best 91 while Patel passed fifty for the third time in his career.

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