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ScorecardJesse Ryder scored his second Championship hundred of the season•Getty Images

It was a day for high-class operators at Chelmsford. Jesse Ryder scored a breezy hundred, Ravi Bopara made a rather more steadfast 99 but James Anderson’s four-for ensured that Lancashire remain in with a sniff of conjuring the victory required if they are to overtake Surrey and claim the Division Two title.As England’s leading Test run-scorer, Alastair Cook can probably count himself in high-class category too but he managed only 1 off seven balls before losing his duel with Anderson. Forced to watch on from the Essex balcony, it is possible some of the day’s entertainment might have been lost on him. “I didn’t get a smile at lunch,” Anderson said afterwards.Anderson sat out the last two Tests of England’s Ashes victory due to a side strain but he looked to have found his groove again here, a week before the squad flies out to the UAE.”I’ve missed playing so it’s been nice to have a couple of games for Lancashire,” he said. “It was frustrating missing maybe six weeks with injury but I think once you get a little bit older and more experienced it’s easier to come back and settle back in to four-day cricket. I’ll hopefully continue to get better rhythm and take more wickets in this game.”The last time Lancashire played here, in 2013, they bowled Essex out for 20. At 14 for 2 and then 29 for 3 after being put in on a damp September morning, there were dark murmurings that the home side would implode again. They were rescued by stands of 186 and 95 for the next two wickets, before Anderson returned with the second new ball to leave things in the balance. It is not inconceivable that a deal could be struck later on, should Surrey fail to put away Northamptonshire at The Oval.Essex may have appeared in trouble but Ryder does not seem to let too much worry him these days. After showing Anderson and Glen Chapple due deference, he tucked in against the change bowling, the bat swinging insouciantly through the line as he recorded his second Championship century of the season.Ryder has found tranquillity in Chelmsford after the turbulence that marked his earlier career. He looks like finishing short of 1000 first-class runs but the supporters do not lack for excuses to applaud his lazily destructive batting or handy seam-up bowling (he has taken another 44 wickets this season). Tom Bailey felt the brunt of his attack, conceding 37 off the 27 balls he bowled to Ryder, which included a couple of sixes swatted beyond the boundary boards.He brought up his hundred from just 115 deliveries, having also threatened the fencing at the Hayes Close End with another maximum off Luis Reece. Then, a ball after pulling Bailey dismissively over square leg, he played leadenly at a straight one to be bowled for 116, his appetite sated.Bopara looked less at ease throughout, which is perhaps to be expected after a season in which his previous top score in the Championship was 69. Anderson was peeved not to be awarded an lbw decision against him on 27 and Bopara nearly ran himself out on 78, having to dive for his crease as Bailey chased the ball into the leg side in his follow through but missed the stumps.In between times, he threaded a number of silken drives through the covers and down the ground, while Ryan ten Doeschate contributed to the flow with an aggressive 59 during a partnership of 95. He eventually spooned Anderson to mid-off and Bopara, after spending 26 balls in the 90s and five overs on 99, followed him two overs later when he got something on a rising delivery and Phil Mustard sprawled to take the catch.The fact this is now effectively a three-day match, after Tuesday’s washout, lent an old-fashioned feel to proceedings. The involvement of so many international players was also slightly retro – Lancashire’s new-ball pair had 321 England caps between them (albeit Anderson had 320 of them).Cook got off the mark with a push into the covers off Chapple but only survived one delivery from Anderson before being pinned in front. Cook once recalled that the first time he played against Anderson a decade ago “he called me everything under the sun” but he would surely have put up with the potty mouth if it had meant significant time in the middle ahead of England’s UAE tour. The next time Anderson wants a rest with England, he may have to ask his captain extra nicely.Chapple then picked up wickets 983 and 984 of his illustrious first-class career. Will he play on next season to reach the four-figure mark? It seems even he is unsure. But a demanding opening spell of 12 overs in which he had Tom Westley, Essex’s England Lions batsman, caught behind and Nick Browne, their leading scorer this season, taken at third slip, suggested he still has the skill and stamina to contribute as Lancashire attempt stay in Division One.

Halloween is upon us once more and as with all walks of life, football is unable to escape its irresistible charm. Last night saw Leeds United striker Luke Varney miss an open goal that will decorate every football howler DVD for years to come, while Arsene Wenger and his merry band of reserves gave their supporters quite the scare, before producing a remarkable comeback that marks yet another chapter in Reading’s nightmare start to the season.

The less said about the unpleasantness surrounding this evening’s fixture between Chelsea and Manchester United the better, so why don’t we focus on those unfortunate figures in football who don’t need to bother dressing up tonight.

Click on Brendan Rodgers below to unveil the 15

 

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A squad of 14 Kenya players are lending their support to Uganda to play two friendlies at the Lugogo Oval this weekend, to help them prepare for the World Cricket League Division Two in Namibia later this month.Steve Tikolo, the Kenya captain, along with Thomas Odoyo and other senior players are all participating, but Kenya have given Maurice Ouma the captaincy. They also called up a couple of younger faces, Ken Migai and Moses Otieno to gain experience.Uganda will fight it out with United Arab Emirates – who today beat Bermuda in the Intercontinental Cup – Argentina, Denmark, Oman and Namibia for the four slots reserved for the group in the 2009 World Cup qualifier.

It has been a whirlwind year for Stuart Clark, who celebrated Australia’s Ashes win as their leading wicket-taker © Getty Images

Stuart Clark, the leading wicket-taker in the Ashes series, said he was still getting used to being part of the Australia team, having been nothing more than an observer during the 2005 Ashes. Clark, who claimed 16 wickets in the first three Tests of this series, said it was only last year that he was wondering if he would ever have an opportunity to play Test cricket.”I wake up every morning and pinch myself wondering is this really happening,” Clark told . “Mike Hussey and I went on an Australia A tour to Pakistan about 13 or 14 months ago and we were talking about playing just one Test, any Test, so we could get one of those baggy green caps that everyone else seems to have.”I look back now, as he does, and we don’t know quite what to think. It’s been the most amazing year or so; we can’t believe what we’ve done.” Clark said although he and Hussey had not been part of the 2005 Ashes loss, they knew as soon as they joined the side that regaining the urn was the team’s ultimate goal.”You could see it [the pain] and it never went without mention,” he said. “Over the past 15 months, every time we won a Test match it was all a build-up to [Monday] and winning them back. We spoke about it all the time. It hurt the whole of Australian cricket. It hurt the team more than anyone else but it hurt everyone who follows cricket in Australia because we had held on to the Ashes for so long.”While Clark’s series has been ideal, Australia’s least successful bowler in the past three Tests, Brett Lee, said he remained satisfied with his performance despite taking only eight wickets at an average of 58. “Look, it would be great to be getting five wickets every Test match, that’s what most bowlers set out to achieve, but you can’t really do that day in, day out,” Lee said.”You have to be a pretty good player to do that. Warney might be able to. I’ve just got to remain nice and patient. The most important thing out of this Test series is that I’m happy with the way I’ve been bowling. If I wasn’t happy with the way the ball’s coming out, well, then it would be a different story and it would be time to change a few things, but I’m happy with the way the ball’s coming out and that’s all I can ask of myself.”

Western Province enjoyed a productive day against neighbours Boland, holding a clear advantage by the close. Despite struggling on 86 for 4 in the morning session, the middle order pulled the innings around. Dominic Telo and Ryan Canning added 103 for the sixth wicket and then Paul Adams, dropped from Cape Cobras franchise team, weighed in with 47. Hillroy Paulse, a 20-year-old right-arm seamer, claimed his first five-wicket haul before the WP attack fought back. Rory Kleinveldt grabbed two wickets as Boland struggled to the close on 78 for 4.Zimbabwe Under-23 again struggled on the opening day against Border, being skittled for 125 before bad light ended play. Lundi Mbane was the main threat throughout the day, finishing with 5 for 26. Gregory Strydom (30) was the only Zimbabwean to pass 18, striking five boundaries in his 66-ball stay.Runs flowed on the traditionally flat pitch at Potchefstroom where North West ended the day marginally in front after an opening stand of 101 in 21 overs launched their reply to Easterns’ 310. Easterns will feel they missed an opportunity to really cash in, with five of their batsmen passing 40 but none passed Jaco Booysen’s boundary-filled 71. Herman van Straaten also peppered the fence with 12 fours in his 68, but Driaan Steyn, the North West opener, out-paced them all as he raced to 74 off 67 balls by the close.Northerns are closing in on Griqualand West’s first innings after an unbeaten stand of 165 between Johannes Myburgh and Maurice Aronstam. Four of the Griqua batsmen reached fifties but three wickets for Gerald Dros kept them under control. Allrounder Jandre Coetzee continued his good form by top-scoring with 54, but he was powerless with the ball to stop Northerns’ flying start.The bowlers dominated on the first day between Eastern Province and KwaZulu-Natal at the University of Port Elizabeth. EP struggled to 148, scored at barely two-an-over, before KwaZulu-Natal lost two early wickets in reply. In the circumstances Darryl Willemse’s 58 – made in over three hours from 162 balls – was a commendable effort. The wickets were shared around with Robert Frylinck claiming the best figures of 3 for 29.

Jason Gillespie ripped through the Indian tail on the third morning© Getty Images

On how the match was poised
We’re 415 runs ahead and we still have seven wickets left. I’d like to think we are in a strong position going into Day Four.On whether this was his best spell in India
Figures-wise it was one of the best spells. But it came on the back of great bowling by Glenn McGrath, Michael Kasprowicz and Shane Warne. I was lucky to get a couple of wickets in the end, but all these guys played really well. That’s the beauty of the Australian side, it’s knocking the opposition out, and it doesn’t really matter who gets them.On the main thing he has learned from bowling alongside McGrath
The one big thing would be to just put the ball in the right areas again and again. This builds up pressure and often results in partnerships being broken.On the pitch
The wicket was green and had a bit of carry. It was so different from most of the Indian wickets, which are flat, low and suit the spinners.On whether he was surprised that the Indian batsmen did not counter-attack at any point
To be honest, it was good bowling out there. When you got guys like McGrath, Kasprowicz and Warne bowling tight, it becomes very difficult to score. Zaheer [Khan] and Ajit [Agarkar] too did the same for India after lunch with some good bowling as Justin Langer and Simon Katich struggled, but were lucky to get through that phase without much damage.On not enforcing the follow-on
We could have gone either way. I am not the captain so I can’t comment. We were in a strong position when we bowled out India in the morning. We could strengthen our position by some good batting, and we did that.On what sort of lead would be enough
No idea. I am not going to speculate on how many runs we need. We will just keep batting and look at tomorrow afternoon to have a bowl at India.On whether Damien Martyn’s knock in the first innings was the difference between the two sides
Damien was awesome on the first day. In a game where most of the batsmen have struggled to score, to get a hundred was great. Michael Clarke made 90 and Simon made 99 today which means we played really good.On going past Clarrie Grimmett’s record of 216 Test wickets
It’s always nice to pass former Australian greats. It’s very humbling to do that. But at the end of the day it’s just a number.

Imraan Khan, an allrounder of Indian origin who plays for KwaZulu-Natal, will captain South Africa’s under-19 team on their tour of England next month.Imraan, who is yet to play a first-class fixture, averages 19 with the bat in four limited-overs matches for his province. His record as an offbreak bowler is equally sketchy, with only one wicket to his name.”It’s going be a tough tour, but with the solid preparations we have had I think when we get there our guys will be ready for the battle.”Imraan, currently a student of media studies at the University of South Africa, was a member of the under-19 squad during the World Cup in New Zealand last year. South Africa lost to Australia in the final, and Imraan collected 10 runs from three innings and four wickets from five matches.

Off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq will miss the Asian Test Championshipopener between Pakistan and Bangladesh starting at Multan from Aug 29.The chairman of selectors, Wasim Bari, who watched the first day’sproceedings in the three-day match involving the visitors, toldnewsmen that Saqlain would return on Sept 13.Bari said Saqlain had some pressing domestic commitments in England.He, however, clarified that his engagement had nothing to do withEnglish county Surrey.The chief selector said the team for the Multan Test would be handedover to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Sunday. He said it would thenbe upto the establishment when to release the squad to the media.Nevertheless, Bari hinted that the team for the match had already beendecided. “There are question marks against a couple of players. But wehave been discussing the team amongst ourselves while Waqar Younis hasalready been consulted.”The chief selector said the playing lineup would be selected by thecaptain as his committee’s job would end with the picking of 15players. Until last year, the selection committee used to decide theplaying lineup. But the change has probably come after Waqar Younisthreatened to quit if his views were not given due consideration whilefinalizing the playing lineup.

The sun has shone in daylight hours in the week preceding the India team’s arrival in Colombo, but as so often happens on the island, rains lie in ambush for the first sign of cricket. The visitors had been scheduled to train at the Premadasa Stadium, but when early morning drizzle worsened into showers, they switched to the indoor nets, partway across town at the Nondescripts Cricket Club.So when M Vijay was asked before this training session how well he was hitting the ball, “I don’t know – the rain spoiled the previous training” was all the reply he could offer. It was a low-key reply to what has so far been a low-key arrival. The series is sure to heat up when Kumar Sangakkara returns to the country and marches into that final series. But for now, Colombo has switched cricket off, and turned attentions to the general election, which takes place in between the first and second Test.When it does begin, following the three-day warm up starting on Friday, the series is sure to be a juicy one. Both teams are rebuilding, but are going about it in different ways. While Angelo Mathews has eyed gradual improvement, Virat Kohli heads a team that aims to be forceful and dynamic, though they haven’t yet had much success overseas.Among Kohli’s plans for the series may be the use of five bowlers in his XI. It is a strategy India trialled in Bangladesh, with roughly good results, but not one they had usually used under MS Dhoni. The flip side of that, of course, is the extra strain on the batsmen, which Vijay said was no strain at all.”Playing with five bowlers is not demanding for batsmen,” he said. “Batting is our role. If any one of us click it’s going to be good for the team and we’re going to be in a much more comfortable position. It’s a good responsibility to have on your shoulders – to go in and bat. If you’re going to dominate a Test match we should work according to the plans.”Vijay, now a relative senior in the batting unit, will be expected to provide some of the runs a No. 7 might have hit, particularly as his recent overseas record has been outstanding. He is grateful that, following his nine-month Test hiatus in 2013, his return to top-level cricket was gradual.”That nine month period I was out of the team – I had my wrist injury at the same time,” he said. “It’s not an easy period for any sportsperson, carrying an injury. I had to go through the regime of rehabilitation. Once I got my rhythm back in my batting it helped to play one format of the game and not play the other two. I had a little more time to work on my fitness and stuff, during that period. “While the teams’ captains have contrasting virtues, there is symmetry at the top of the innings. Vijay has often played within himself while Shikhar Dhawan broke loose at the other. Sri Lanka have set out with a similar pair – Kaushal Silva doing the Geoffrey Boycott impression, as Dimuth Karunaratne flashes his blade.”There’s a lot of talent” in the Sri Lanka batting order, Vijay said, but perhaps because these teams play each other so rarely in Tests, he could not say much more. “Angelo Mathews is doing a great job, and Lahiru Thirimanne and the opener – I don’t know the exact name,” he said. If the rains relent, they will get to know each other a little better as the tour wears on.

Akmal is confident of a long career, despite the critics © Getty Images

Kamran Akmal, the Pakistan wicketkeeper, is preparing for the tour to India by training in simulated situations and on surfaces he expects to encounter in the Tests and ODIs series. Akmal, who has been under fire for his wicketkeeping skills in recent months, said that he realised the importance of the Indian tour for his career.”I went there [India] in 2005 and I have a fair idea of the sort of surfaces that could be used in the Tests in particular. I have started training by concentrating on my keeping and takes off the spinners,” he said.He admitted it was tough to keep on the slow Indian pitches and is therefore preparing himself for the challenge both mentally and physically. When Pakistan toured in 2005, the Test series was drawn and they won the ODI contest 4-2, but Akmal expected India to give a tougher fight this time.”They have some good young players and they have more bowling options which has made them a more consistent side,” Akmal, whose hundred in the first Test in Mohali saved the match, said, adding that he did not take the pressure of criticism about his ‘keeping skills. “It has been hard for me to ignore calls to replace me. It adds to the pressure but I am learning to accept these things. Watching the way Mark Boucher and Adam Gilchrist perform consistenly over the years is in itself a big motivation for me.”I look at Boucher and Gilchrist and I know I can take the pressure and also play for a long time,” Akmal said. “I convince myself that if they can last for so long having battled through bad form or fitness issues, I know I can also do the same.”For Akmal, in these times of non-stop cricket, fitness was the focus. “Unless you are 100 per cent fit, I don’t think you can survive for long in international cricket. It has also helped me be mentally stronger and perform in pressure situations,” he said. “Cricket has changed. A wicketkeeper has to be able to bat like a proper batsman to keep his place in the team. The two [Boucher and Gilchrist] are prime examples. Our new trainer has helped me a lot. I am confident despite what people say that I can have a long career.”Pakistan play three Tests and five ODIs in India starting November 5.