Nixon inspires Leicestershire to memorable title

	Wayne White knew just how important Kieron Pollard's wicket was

A stunning one-handed grab by the wicketkeeper Paul Nixon - in his final match in England before retirement - dismissed Keiron Pollard and inspired Leicestershire to the Twenty20 title in a stirring contest at Edgbaston. Set 147 to win under lights Somerset's star-studded line-up reached 89 for 3 in the 14th over but fell away to end 127 for 9 and leave Leicestershire champions.

It meant that Somerset finished runners-up for the their third cup final in succession, having missed out on both the Twenty20 and CB40 final last year. If that is unfortunate it would take a hard heart to begrudge Nixon and Leicestershire their success. Leicestershire have endured nothing but misery in the Championship but have now sealed their third Twenty20 title, more than any other side, having won the competition in 2004 and 2006.

One a day when some of the priciest Twenty20 stars in the world had treated county cricket to its first, and then, second Super Over, Nixon managed to upstage all that with a breathtaking defining catch to make himself the star. A 20-year-old at his sprightliest would have done well to reach the ball as Pollard edged Wayne Wright towards a vacant first-slip area, but Nixon defied his 40 years to pluck out a screamer. That it did for the most dangerous Twenty20 hitter in the game at a crucial moment made the story all the more remarkable.

Until Nixon's intervention the match was brewing into the third climatic finish of the day with Somerset, still with Jos Buttler to come, needing 57 from 38 deliveries. The wicket changed everything as Leicestershire upped their fielding to an electric level. Matthew Boyce, on as a substitute fielder, took four catches and prowled the midwicket rope to help Josh Cobb to four wickets and the Man-of-the-Match award. Considering Cobb's Finals Day started with a diamond duck in the first semi-final, it was quite a finish.

After rain played a decisive hand in the pair of semis it was fitting that conditions should play a role again in the final. Sunset seems the only thing more inevitable than drizzle and when evening drew in batting proved much harder. Leicestershire had a flying start to their innings but ran into treacle during the second half and Somerset's classy batting - chasing in darkness throughout - were unable to raise their tempo against what is, on paper, only a modest seam-dominated attack. Instead the ball wobbled around and it wasn't until Peter Trego found his range that anyone managed to time the ball regularly.

After the slowish start where neither Marcus Trescothick or Craig Kieswetter could quite get going Trego built a recovery. He reached 35 from 24 balls before pulling Cobb out to deep midwicket where Boyce slid round to snaffle a good chance. Before him James Hildreth played smartly for 21 from 20 balls in a 42-run stand with Trego that was supposed to lay the platform for the big-hitters that followed.

Yet neither Pollard nor Buttler could deliver. Buttler's matchwinning contribution in the semi-final had shown why he earned England selection and he began by scorching his first ball through cover for four. But before he could add another the Cobb-Boyce combination did for him and with that Somerset's final gun was silenced.

Given the quality of the cricket it was a pity how patronising the cricketainment gods felt they needed to be. Be it the organised wolf-whistling of scantily-clad cheerleaders or the constant blast of wedding-reception pop it was as though the marketing team had no faith whatsoever in their product. But the fans clearly enjoyed their day, and the enduring memory they left with was a classic sporting story of underdog triumph and a veteran's fairytale finish.

Indians win despite Denly ton

	Virat Kohli's 78 ensured India reached a winning score

A century from Joe Denly went in vain as Kent failed to make eight runs off the final over, and lost an exciting match to the Indians by five runs. Riding on Virat Kohli's vibrant 78, the Indians had managed to set up a challenging target, but Denly, who has played five Twenty20 internationals for England in addition to nine ODIs, drove the chase before he was bowled seven balls from the end.

Originally meant to be a 50-over encounter, the match was converted to a 20-over one after rain delayed the start. It was a long Friday for everyone. After the rain had played spoilsport, news poured in that a suspect package was found near the Canterbury West Railway Station and there was a fire in the Marks & Spencer store near the team hotel. The main road leading to the city centre from the St Lawrence county ground had been cut off. Still, the die-hard fans, who had bought tickets months in advance and had waded through the streams of water gushing down from the slope at the ground entrance, did not panic and leave. Instead they stayed put and even enjoyed the bhangra music, performed by the local group Jugnu, who kept the crowd going through the afternoon and evening.

And what an evening it was. It belonged entirely to Denly till Munaf Patel's nail-biting final over. Denly had started on the wrong foot when he charged at RP Singh and tried to hit the third ball of the chase over the bowler's head. He only succeeded in getting an inside-edge that raced down to the fine-leg boundary. RP Singh followed that up with two wides.

When Vinay Kumar came in from the Nackington Road end, Denly flicked him for consecutive boundaries, beating a harried Parthiv Patel at deep square leg. Denly then swept Amit Mishra for a flat six to move quickly into the 40s. When Mishra returned from the Pavilion end, Denly cut him for another easy four.

Only R Ashwin managed to keep Denly quiet, with the batsman smartly respecting him once he realised he could take easy runs off the other bowlers. No other Kent batsman managed to cross 17 but that was also because Denly took most of the strike during the two major partnerships in the innings. A 60-run stand for the second wicket with Martin van Jaarsveld helped Kent stay in the race. Denly then combined well with allrounder Darren Stevens in a 73-run stand.

Forty-nine runs were needed from the last six overs. That became 37 from the last four. Denly pulled RP Singh for a four and then cleared cow corner with a powerful six. Eighteen were need from 12 deliveries. Denly got to his hundred with a hard-run two off a free hit. But the very next ball, he was caught in two minds as his body was positioned to play the pull but the arc of his bat suggested he wanted to cut it, and he ended up being bowled.

	Joe Denly's century was nearly enough to take Kent home

Kent needed a further eight runs from the final six deliveries. Munaf, who had been off colour during the Indians' tour game in Hove, bowled off a slightly shorter run-up but put in more effort. He gave away two singles off the first two balls and then kept Sam Northeast guessing with his lengths off the next two deliveries. Stevens and the Kent fans were growing anxious. Off the fifth ball Stevens charged for a single when Northeast failed to connect. Northeast failed to reach the non-striker's end, meaning the hosts still needed six off the last ball. Munaf clean bowled Stevens with a yorker and let out a shriek.

India had recovered well in their innings after Parthiv Patel was dismissed off the third ball of the match. Rahul Dravid, a former overseas player for Kent, failed to make an impact, falling for 15 when he pulled straight to short midwicket where James Tredwell dived forward brilliantly to complete the catch.

Over the last year Kohli has proved that he can bat comfortably in his own space and not let anything distract him. In Hove he had led India towards their target without breaking a sweat in the company of Rohit Sharma. The only difference in Canterbury was Rohit remained largely a bystander throughout their 69-run stand for the third wicket as Kohli doused the Kent bowling with a straight blade, a sharp eye, powerful wrists and good footwork. India had scored just one boundary by the end of the third over when Kohli came in. Immediately he flicked Matt Coles past the fine-leg boundary, then hit over mid-off for two, and improvised the very next ball by hitting over the bowler's head for another boundary.

It was at the same venue that Kohli had made 123 in a Youth Test against the likes of Steven Finn and Adil Rashid back in 2006. Kohli was in a dominant mood today as he clobbered a full toss from Stevens high over deep midwicket. He then pulled offspinner Adam Riley over deep square leg for his second six and, in his next over, cleared his back foot and swatted Riley high over long-off for another six.

Sadly Kohli's innings ended abruptly as he slog-swept Tredwell towards deep midwicket where Denly fumbled, prompting Suresh Raina to call for a second run. Kohli seemed happy with the single but Raina's desperate calls forced him to respond and even a full-stretched dive could not save him from being run out. A disappointed Kohli let Raina know that there was no need for a rushed extra run. He needn't have worried. He had helped India to a winning target.

Fitter, thinner Akmal targets comeback

Having drawn on the insight and expertise of former Pakistan wicketkeepers Moin Khan and Rashid Latif, discarded gloveman Kamran Akmal has insisted he is a more refined article these days.

                                                           

                                                              Akmal - high hope

Unimpressive at the World Cup earlier this year and dropped from the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe, the 29-year-old Akmal has lost his spot in the national team to his brother, Adnan Akmal, and is now biding his time with the Lahore Lions in domestic competition,.

Averaging just 30.79 in 53 Tests, a mere 27.58 from 137 ODIs and clumsy behind the stumps, with a slew of dropped catches to his name at the World Cup and prior series, the right-hander hoped to put his recent failings behind him soon.

"I spent a lot of time in Moin's academy. He gave me valuable tips which I am following to the core," the Express Tribune quoted Kamran as saying.

"I also had a lot of interaction with Latif and sought his advice on various issues. The tips from both of them were of great value and helped me in removing my wicketkeeping flaws.

"Hopefully all my hard work will pay off and people will see major a improvement in my performance in. There is tough competition for a place in the national side and only the best player survives.

"I am hopeful that I will come back strong by proving my wicketkeeping abilities and be able to cement my place."

Accused of being overweight and lacking the fitness required of an international cricketer this year, the wicketkeeper-batsman said he has shed his rotund waistline following some consistency in the gym.

"I'm doing a lot of work-outs and have managed to reduce six to seven kilograms. I've regained the same level of fitness that I had during my best days," he concluded.

'Enormous talent' Buttler takes England cue

Somerset director of cricket Brian Rose on Friday welcomed the inclusion of Jos Buttler in England's squad for the one-off T20I against India.

Butler, along with Nottinghamshire's Alex Hales and Durham's Ben Stokes, were picked in the 13-man collective for Wednesday's match at Old Trafford, with the Sabres graduate the toast of Taunton, Somerset at the moment.

                                                             

                                                             Buttler - one to watch.

The 20-year-old has been in fine form across the Friends Life t20 and Clydesdale Bank 40 - England's premier limited-overs competitions - and most recently orchestrated a standalone 63 not out in a solid CB40 win over the Gloucestershire Gladiators.

For his 147.47 strike-rate from 27 List A matches and 145.77 from 38 T20 outings, the national selectors have found the talented right-hander worthy of a call-up.

"This is another piece of great news for Somerset in terms of getting another young player into the England set up. Jos has shown just what an enormous talent he is, particularly in one-day cricket," said Rose.

Rose pinpointed Buttler's match-winning knock in the Friends Life t20 quarter-final against the Outlaws as the start of the youngster's rise through the ranks. Refusing to play second fiddle to big-hitting West Indian recruit Kieron Pollard, the middle-order batsman clobbered four fours and a two sixes en route to a brisk, triumphant 34 not out.

"By coincidence several of his performances, like the innings he played with Kieron Pollard in the t20 at Notts would have put him to the forefront of the selectors minds, because he has done i ton television and under pressure, which are the circumstances that you need to perform in if you want to play for England," added Rose.

Former England batsman and Somerset team-mate Marcus Trescothick earlier in this week backed wicketkeeper-batsman Buttler to crack the nod for England eventually.

"When he plays like he is doing it is something to watch and I definitely see him as an international player of the future, possibly the very near future," said Trescothick, a veteran of 76 Tests and 123 ODIs.

Beer draws benefits from tour match

Michael Beer put in 30 tireless overs across Australia's drawn three-day tour match against the Sri Lankan Board XI and emerged all the more savvy of sub-continental conditions.

With Nathan Hauritz injured, Xavier Doherty and Jason Kreja out of favour and Steven Smith out of form, Beer is the tourists' senior spinner on tour and on Saturday insisted he will be up for the challenge come the first match of their three-Test series against Tillakaratne Dilshan's men.

                                                      

                                                     Beer - Lyon's partner in spin

Proving particularly unstinting in the face of Lahiru Thirimanne's unbeaten century, the 27-year-old welcomed a thorough lesson across conditions typical of the sub-continent as the P Sara Oval churned out a low and slow affair.

"We gained heaps. The way the game was played, everyone in the team benefitted, especially myself, having bowled on day and on day three." said Beer.

"It was a good trial against the different batsmen and the way they play. It was a good trial in some very different conditions to those back home.

"Thirimanne batted well, but we varied out pace, varied things and went from there. I took a lot out of this game."

Relatively familiar with some of the country's other grounds, Beer admitted that the Galle International Stadium - the venue for the first Test, which gets underway on Wednesday - will require a change of approach, with even less bounce and slower turn expected next week.

"Galle will be a different pitch obviously to the one here at the P Sara Oval. I've trained at the R Premadasa Stadium and the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo and Galle is going to be different to those two, but we will just look to adapt as quickly as possible and go from there," he added.

Beer backed himself and fellow slow bowler Nathan Lyon too put in a good fight against Dilshan and company despite a lack of experience against Sri Lanka's star-studded line-up, which also includes former captains Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.

"We've watched a lot of footage of the opposition. We have done our homework and that research will continue. We will back ourselves and back what we have been working on and hopefully do our job," he concluded.

The Sri Lankan Board XI, 258 all out in their first innings, settled on 174 for two a second time around in reply to the visitor's 393 all out as the Colombo clash ended in a stalemate.

Gooch proud of England's current crop

Batting coach Graham Gooch is looking forward the longevity of the five-day fold serving England's stay at the helm of the Test rankings well for the foreseeable future.

England earlier this week officially toppled India from the top of the ICC Test championship by whitewashing Mahendra Dhoni's men after hefty wins at Lord's, Trent Bridge, Edgbaston and The Oval.

                                                         

                                             Gooch (right) - wants even better from England

With Ashes victory, triumph in the World Twenty20 and resounding winners over World Cup champions and former holders of the Test mace India as their most recent accolades, this is arguably the most prolific English unit - and a young one, at that - since the turn of the century.

11 of the first-choice setup are still in their 20s, while only Graeme Swann, Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott are 30 years or older.

"The ages of the group of players they currently have in the England dressing room is such that those players could be around for a while, so if they keep performing and looking for ways to improve, which I'm sure they will, then the current crop will be there for a number of years yet and that's exciting," said Gooch.

"I think England are playing consistent cricket and they can be rightly proud of their performances but achieving number one status is only a landmark and I don't think there will be lot of back-slapping going on in the England dressing room."

In an unlikely scenario but possible nonetheless, the English could lose their number-one ranking if South Africa beat Australia two-nil toward the end of this year and Sri Lanka three-nil at the start of 2012. Strauss and company, meanwhile, will be on mission to prove they are the complete package when they head to the sub-continent for tours of Sri Lanka and Pakistan next season.

England's last three Test tours of the subcontinent have brought success over minnows Bangladesh in 2010, but defeats at the hands of the Indians in 2008 and the Sri Lankans in 2007.

"Achieving number one status is something, maintaining that status is another," added former captain Gooch.

"They will be looking ahead, both as management and players, to the next Test series and will be thinking of ways of how England can improve on the sub-continent. That's where they are going to have to win if they are to maintain that status and how they can keep going forward as a team.

Dravid behind Watson's improved concentration

Melbourne: Ambitious Australian opener Shane Watson had spoken to his IPL teammate Rahul Dravid to improve concentration level while batting so that he could convert good starts into big scores just like the Indian Test star.

Watson, only Australian named among 17 nominees for the ICC Cricketer of the Year award, is not happy himself since he has squandered many a good starts.

AP Photo

"To get bigger scores is a burning ambition for me. It's something that I really want to be able to get right before the end of my career and being able to capitalise on the good days," said Watson as he prepares for the Test series against Sri Lanka.

The burly opener has 15 Test half-centuries and two hundreds in 27 Tests, with the highest being 126 against India in Mohali last October.

"I've talked to different people about it because there's no doubt that I need to learn and get better at it. In the end, it really just comes down to my concentration and being able to block out anything that's going around. It's about getting back to what's the most important thing for all batsmen, which is watching the ball.

"I've talked to Ricky Ponting a bit but during the IPL, I talked to Rahul Dravid. He was at Rajasthan with me. I had a few really good chats with him about what processes he goes through to be able to bat for a long period of time," Watson was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald.

"I've got to be mentally tougher to make sure I do get through those periods where your concentration starts to lapse," he added.