The new project is aiming to make the 130kph barrier in women’s cricket a realistic mark not just to breach, but to maintain

Andrew McGlashan20-Sep-2022It is billed as one of the new frontiers for female cricket. Who will be the first bowler to break 130kph?There needs to be a few caveats here in that it might have already happened, but until reasonably recently, speed data in the women’s game had not been widely collated and is still not uniform across competitions.However, from currently available numbers, South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail, who is regarded as one of the quickest around, is reported as being clocked at 128kph and sent down a delivery at 126.7kph against Australia at the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia.The former Australia quick Sharon Tredrea, who played in the 1970s and 1980s, is regarded as one of the fastest to have played the game and there are mentions of her saying she was clocked at 133kph/83mph although evidence is slim.Now Project130, a partnership between Cricket New South Wales and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), as part of their new Cricket Lab initiative which will see the NSW set-up work with the university on a number of collaborations, is aiming to make the 130kph barrier a realistic mark not just to breach, but then to maintain.Described as “designed to improve the potential of female fast bowlers, with the end game of moving from bowling an average of 115kmh to 130kmh” it will be “a world first research project to develop a formative set of data which predicts potential and physiology type to increase speed and reduce injury risk.”One of the key figures behind the work is CNSW head of sports science and sports medicine Patrick Farhart. He says the evidence currently suggests the gap between male and female fast-bowling speeds is wider than other areas of high-performance sport. But he believes by studying areas including biomechanics, strength and power of those who operate at high pace, the key ingredients can be found with specialist training then put in place. There is also a desire to look outside of cricket and find athletes currently in other disciplines who may have the raw attributes for the sport.”There are some bowlers who have gone close to that 130kph,” Farhart told ESPNcricinfo. “For me this is something I think is achievable..once we are able to profile what the correlations are with high speeds then we can start to look at setting in place more individualised and targeted programmes around getting bowlers to improve their speed.South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail is among the fastest bowlers in women’s cricket•Associated Press

“It’s very dependent on your action, it’s very specific to an individual at the moment. Males will tend to generate bowling speed through linear momentum, we think, and we think that a lot of females – not all – will generate bowling speed from upper body, trunk momentum.”However, I think we are seeing changes in the female game now where a lot of the girls are starting to bowl with techniques which males are using and this wasn’t happening anywhere near as much 10-12 years ago. Girls generating momentum through run-up speed, a braced front leg, that’s starting to happen a lot more now.”Tayla Vlaeminck, who is currently injured, and Darcie Brown – the latter clocked around 122-125kph in WBBL and international cricket – are among the fastest in Australia. Elsewhere in the world, England’s Issy Wong has made no secret of wanting to set a new bar for pace bowling and New Zealand’s Lea Tahuhu has been among the quickest for much of her career. New South Wales and Australia quick bowler Stella Campbell is another of the current generation who has been clocked over 120kph.”I think we aren’t far off [130kph] already looking at the crop of fast bowlers we have in the game,” Campbell said. “We are already pushing those speeds. It’s always out there and you are trying to get that competitive edge where you can.”Rachael Haynes, who announced her international and state retirement last week, highlighted pace bowling as one of the areas that had developed most during her career.”I think in the past there’s always probably been a handful of quick bowlers and you might not necessarily have to come up against them all the time,” she said. “I think it’s really exciting for the game as well. Their skill is pretty evident to see too, players who can swing the ball and bowl quick bouncers – it’s uncomfortable, but it’s exciting to watch. I hope that’s conveyed to the general public.”If this new project brings the desired results in years to come, a few more batters are likely to be hopping around.

Mills replaces Topley for England while UAE’s Nawaz is pushed up to the main squad after Fahid fractured his left foot

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2022Right-arm fast bowler Kasun Rajitha has replaced fellow speedster Dushmantha Chameera, who suffered a grade two tear in the calf of his left foot, in Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup squad. Rajitha, who last played a T20I in October 2019, is in Sri Lanka and will travel to Australia as soon as possible.In addition to Chameera, batter Danushka Gunathilaka has also been ruled out of the T20 World Cup due to a hamstring tear. Ashen Bandara, one of the travelling reserves, will replace him. Gunathilaka had missed the match on Tuesday.Chameera winced and walked out of the field after bowling the last over of his spell in Sri Lanka’s win over UAE. The injury is connected to his ankle and calf issue that kept him out of the Asia Cup last month. Arjuna de Silva, head of SLC’s medical advisory committee, confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that Chameera will be undergoing an ankle surgery and said, “The previous injuries were on the anterior part of the ankle, but this is in the calf. It’s a grade-two tear.”Rajitha was called up to the T20I squad for the home series against Australia in June but did not get a game. He then picked up a sole wicket in three outings for SLC Blues in the SLC Invitational League in August, which was his last T20 outing. His last international match, though, was the Test against Pakistan in July this year.Meanwhile, Tymal Mills has replaced Reece Topley, who injured his left ankle, as a like-for-like in England’s squad. Topley had suffered the injury after standing on the boundary cushion during a fielding drill ahead of England’s warm-up match against Pakistan.For UAE, travelling reserve Fahad Nawaz replaced Zawar Farid, who fractured his left foot.

The wicketkeeper-batter was struck on the left foot by a Shaheen Shah Afridi yorker during the warm-up game

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2022Rahmanullah Gurbaz is expected to be fit to play in Afghanistan’s T20 World Cup opener against England in Perth on Saturday after scans cleared him of a fracture.Gurbaz, 20, was struck on the left foot by Shaheen Shah Afridi’s inswinging yorker during Afghanistan’s warm-up match against Pakistan on Wednesday at the Gabba, which ended as a no-result because of rain.He was carried off the pitch after medical attention and was later pictured wearing a protective boot on his left foot. He was sent to the hospital for scans, and the Afghanistan Cricket Board said in a statement that he had been cleared of a serious injury.”Team doctor stated that the results are clear with no bone fracture,” the ACB said. “He will be assessed in the next two days and is expected to be available for our England fixture on Saturday.”Gurbaz had struggled at the previous T20 World Cup, in 2021, making 85 runs across his five innings. He has since been promoted to open the batting on a regular basis and his availability will be a significant boost for Afghanistan ahead of their first game.

The hosts batted out one and half days in Cox’s Bazar to keep the series level

Mohammad Isam02-Dec-2022Zakir Hasan played the most significant innings of his career as his 173 single-handedly took Bangladesh A to draw their unofficial Test against India A in Cox’s Bazar.For 10 hours split over two days, the left-handed Zakir thwarted a bowling attack that had shot out the home side for 112 on the first day of this game.And by the time he fell, there were only four overs left to bowl on the final evening and Bangladesh A’s No. 10 and 11, Rejaur Rahman Raja and Khaled Ahmed, took them through to safety.Zakir made his 173 with 16 fours and three sixes, having faced 402 balls. The bulk of these runs came during his 148-run partnership for the second wicket with Najmul Hossain Shanto who made 77. Shanto struck ten fours in his 187-ball stay.The two left-handers came together in the middle of the third day and were separated only on the fourth morning when Mukesh Kumar trapped Shanto lbw. Mominul Haque (17) and captain Mohammad Mithun (10) put up little resistance but Jaker Ali (16) stuck around for an hour and 44 minutes to give Zakir company.When Jaker fell to Sarfaraz Khan, left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar got into the act, taking the next four wickets. He removed Mosaddek Hossain and Taijul Islam for ducks, both caught behind, before clean bowling Zakir and having Nayeem Hasan lbw for five. Raja and Khaled defended the remaining 14 balls to ensure the draw.Saurabh ended with match figures of 9 for 86 as Bangladesh A came back quite well to draw the game.

England Test opener says he had been liberated by the team’s changed mindset under Stokes and McCullum

Matt Roller20-Dec-2022Ben Duckett iced his return to Test cricket by hitting the winning runs for England to complete a 3-0 series sweep in Pakistan, and then insisted he was not just a subcontinent specialist and could succeed as an opening batter in all conditions.Duckett had a brief taste of Test cricket in 2016, winning four caps in Bangladesh and India, but was swiftly dropped after struggling against R Ashwin and has spent the last six years out of the England set-up in red-ball cricket. His return to the side for the tour to Pakistan was seen primarily as a horses-for-courses pick, but he has formed an impressive opening partnership with Zak Crawley at the top of the order. He now looks certain to open in England’s next Test series, against New Zealand in February.Related

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Duckett finished 82 not out on the fourth morning to finish the tour with 357 runs, overtaking Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel’s tallies in the process, to become the second-highest run-scorer in the series. He made a hundred and three fifties, averaged 71.40, and scored at a remarkable strike rate of 95.71.”I believed I could get runs out here and in these conditions,” Duckett said. “I just said to Stokesy [Ben Stokes], we believed we could win out here but to go out and win 3-0 is pretty incredible. It will take some time to reflect on how amazing that achievement is.”If I’m being really critical, I actually believe I’ve left runs out there in this series. If you had offered me that at the start, I would have snapped your hand off for it. Last game, getting 60 and 70, in my eyes, I threw away two hundreds. I felt like every time I tried to block it I didn’t feel too good, so I should just keep sweeping every ball.”I’m just delighted. At the top of the order, when I do get runs, I want to put us in a position to win and I’m very happy I have been able to do that.”England’s next Test is a pink-ball, day-night match in Mount Maunganui starting February 16, in conditions that will present a starkly different challenge to those in Pakistan. But Duckett insisted he could succeed in New Zealand, too, saying, “I won’t go on the flight if I don’t think I can. If I’m there, I will give it my best.”Stuart Broad, his Nottinghamshire team-mate, watched the series from the studio while on paternity leave and said he would have “no doubts and no nerves” watching Duckett open for England in New Zealand or at home.”I don’t think he was just picked on it being a tour to the subcontinent and him playing spin,” Broad said. “I’ve played with him at Nottinghamshire for three or four years now and he is a fine all-round player. He can whack seam bowling. He hits it in slightly different areas and he certainly knows his strengths.”He’s done some amazing work with Peter Moores at Nottinghamshire and the whole backroom staff there, and he’s developed into a player that is 100% ready to attack Test match cricket and grab his chance again.”During the second Test in Multan, Duckett raised some eyebrows when he gave an interview to suggesting that Abrar Ahmed, who had taken 7 for 114 on debut, had “no real mystery” and that England had no issues picking his googly. Asked about those comments after the third Test, he underlined his view that Abrar’s tally [17 wickets in two Tests] was offset by his economy rate (4.73), which demonstrated England’s attacking intent.”He’s a good bowler,” Duckett said. “Obviously [they have been] spinning pitches and he does spin it both ways. We probably gifted him some wickets in that first innings and we hadn’t seen too much of him.”But the rate we scored against him throughout the series, I think we’d take that. He was always going to take wickets on that pitch but rather than 5 for 30, it was 5 for 100 or whatever. The mindset that this team started from last summer, it’s really easy to come into because you’ve got the full backing to go out there and play your way.”BCCI

Duckett was England’s fastest-scoring batter in the series [among those with 100-plus runs], and said that he had been liberated by the team’s mindset under Stokes and Brendon McCullum. “The one game in Bangladesh six years ago when I got 60 [56] is exactly how I played in this,” he said. “Looking back, I wish I had done it every game but back then it wasn’t really the way to play Test cricket, let’s say.”Right now, I don’t think Stokesy cares what you do to get runs – whether that’s scooping [Tim] Southee in New Zealand. For me, that mindset allows me to score runs and makes me my best. If I’m looking to survive then, to be honest, I’m pretty useless. My way of surviving is to put the bowlers under pressure and look to score.”I didn’t feel ready when I was younger. I certainly feel ready now. I know my game. I know it’s going to be extremely tough at the top of the order but I think the backing of this team and the way that they go about it is you’re not going to get two Tests and get dropped. They’re going to back me, I think, and hopefully I can get some scores. When I do get scores, hopefully they get us in winning positions.”Stokes, who put on an unbroken partnership of 73 with Duckett for the third wicket in Karachi, threw his support behind England’s openers. “A seamer can bowl one length to Zak and [the same] length to Ben,” he said. “Ducky will pull it or cut it, and Creepy will try and smack it through the covers or through midwicket.”I just think the two of them at the top of the order just complement each other really, really well. They’ve been a huge catalyst in terms of the way we’ve gone about it with the bat. They’ve set the benchmark every innings and they set the benchmark last night as well.”

A three-wicket burst from Thakur proved crucial after the three openers scored tons in an Indore run-fest

Sidharth Monga24-Jan-2023New Zealand India to 385 after an opening stand of 212 at over eight an over, but India’s bowlers kept picking up regular wickets to scuttle a chase that was alive until the 37th over, which was the first time they let the asking rate go past nine an over. This was only the fifth time in ODIs that three openers scored hundreds in the same match, each a stunning innings scored with enough time available to convert them into doubles.With the 3-0 series win, India moved to No.1 in the ICC ODI rankings to go with the top spot in T20Is. India will be satisfied they did it while defending with two of their best bowlers in this series, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami, rested. Hardik Pandya provided the opening blow in their absence and Kuldeep Yadav remained a wicket-taking threat in the middle overs, but it was Shardul Thakur’s triple-strike in the 26th and 28th overs that broke the back of the chase.

• Watch the full replay of the third India vs New Zealand ODI on ESPN Player in the UK, and on ESPN+ in the USA in both English and Hindi.

This was always going to be a tough day for the bowlers: Indore has a flat pitch, small boundaries and a quick outfield. Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Devon Conway made the most of the conditions, scoring 351 runs between them in just 263 balls. India hit 19 sixes and New Zealand 13 as bowlers were forced to figure out ways to survive.It was Rohit’s first century in three years, and Gill’s third in four innings. Rohit went past Sanath Jayasuriya’s 270 sixes to reach No. 3 on the all-time list, Gill equalled the record for most runs while playing three or fewer matches in an ODI series: 360. While Rohit and Gill batted, India looked set to have a shot at the first 500 in ODIs. Two double-centuries in an innings didn’t look out of reach either as both of them reached their hundreds in the 26th over.The bowlers’ task became apparent in the third over when Rohit clipped Jacob Duffy past midwicket at no great pace, but the ball kept getting away from the chasing fielder. In Duffy’s next over, the pitch presented itself in all its beauty. Gill hooked a short ball over long leg for a big six without going hard at it, and Rohit drove a short-of-a-length ball down the ground for a six that was higher than it was long.Lockie Ferguson, who had bowled a maiden and conceded only six runs in his first three overs, was then taken for 22 runs in his fourth. Apart from one full-toss, he didn’t bowl a single bad ball. Gill just trusted the pitch and used the quick outfield.It was now almost a competition. Rohit responded by taking 17 off the tenth over, both hooking and charging at Duffy. As Gill hit fours with a leg glance and an extra-cover drive to bring up his fifty, Rohit matched it with two sixes off Mitchell Santner to bring up his own.Pushes went away for fours, mis-hits sailed for sixes, and the batters flicked from outside off and hit sixes without reaching the pitch of the ball. Most of the shots, though, were just sweetly timed. One ball that properly summed it up for bowlers was when Daryl Mitchell got excited when Rohit hit one high in the air, but was left frustrated when it cleared long-on.Mitchell was bowling possibly because New Zealand didn’t want to feed offspinner Michael Bracewell to the two set right-hand batters. When Bracewell finally came on, Gill welcomed him with a chipped four over extra cover and a massive slog-swept six to join Rohit in the 90s.Related

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Rohit got the century in 83 balls, Gill in 72. Once there, they tried to go even quicker. Rohit tried to put Bracewell in the stands but missed a full, straight delivery. Gill kept going after the bowling, pulling Blair Tickner for a six before getting out to the slower bouncer.What perhaps helped New Zealand’s comeback was that India’s incoming batters tried to bat in a manner that would do justice to the start, thus taking risks that the older, softer ball perhaps didn’t merit. For Rohit and Gill blazed away effortlessly in the first 26. They had hit 22 fours and 10 sixes by then. When they batted, the pitch looked too flat, the ground too small and the outfield too quick.With wickets falling as slower balls gripped in the surface, Pandya had to delay the final charge. When it arrived, it was spectacular as Pandya and Thakur took 57 in overs 46 to 49.Devon Conway kept New Zealand’s chase alive with a 100-ball 138•Associated Press

Still New Zealand had taken 9 for 173 in the last 24 overs. Even though they were chasing a total bigger than has ever been chased in India, it didn’t look like an intimidating task on the evidence of how easy batting had become in the back half of the first ODI.Even though Pandya sent back Finn Allen in the first over, Conway performed the dual role of taking New Zealand into the back half with wickets in hand and keeping the asking rate under control. Conway had to take more risks than Gill and Rohit, but they came off at an alarming rate for India. Pulls, slog-sweeps and reverse-sweeps all flew away for runs. When he missed, he missed entirely. When he wasn’t close to the ball, he made sure he went hard because there was every chance he would clear the small ground.Even when he was cramping, Conway kept slog-sweeping with abandon. At the halfway mark, Conway was 108 off 78, and New Zealand had eight wickets in hand to score 8.08 an over. Enter the profligate Thakur. He is the least economical bowler with at least 50 ODI wickets, but he also has a strike-rate of nearly two wickets every 10 overs. That is because he has the license to attack with his lengths. He did just that, getting Daryl Mitchell with a bouncer, Tom Latham with a knuckle ball first up, and Glenn Phillips with another short ball.Now it was about Conway’s wicket, which came through a pull drilled straight into the midriff of Rohit at midwicket. However, India knew from experience that it is not over until you get Michael Bracewell. Kuldeep did that with a deliberate wide down the leg side with Ishan Kishan making up for a missed stumping earlier. Now it was really over.

The draft allowed each side to add two supplementary players, as well as name partial replacements

Danyal Rasool25-Jan-2023Kieron Pollard will return to the Pakistan Super League for the first time since 2019 after he was picked by Multan Sultans in the replacement draft. The draft, which took place over a conference call on Wednesday, allowed each of the PSL sides to add two more supplementary players, as well as to name partial replacements for those whose availability was limited. Each side was allowed a maximum of one foreign player among the two supplementary picks.Haris Sohail, who recently returned to the Pakistan ODI side for the first time since 2020, was picked by his former side Peshawar Zalmi. Saud Shakeel, who recently made his mark in Pakistan’s home Test series against England and New Zealand, will play for Quetta Gladiators.All the movements at the PSL replacement draft•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

There were a number of replacement picks owing to availability issues for the duration of the PSL, primarily due to a bilateral series between West Indies and South Africa, as well as potential international commitments for Afghanistan. A white-ball series between England and Bangladesh spanning much of the length of the PSL means several England players also needed to be partially replaced, with Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali and Jason Roy potentially unavailable.Related

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In the Platinum category, Lahore Qalandars picked Sam Billings for Rashid Khan; Peshawar Zalmi replaced Rovman Powell with Richard Gleeson; Islamabad United picked Gus Atkinson and Tymal Mills for Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Alex Hales. Multan Sultans replaced David Miller with Izharulhaq Naveed. Quetta reserved their pick for Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga, who will depart the tournament on March 3, meaning he will be available for Quetta’s first six games.In the Diamond category, Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi reserved their picks for Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mujeeb ur Rehman; Quetta Gladiators picked Dwaine Pretorius and Will Jacks for Odean Smith and Jason Roy.The PSL begins on 13 February in Multan, with the final taking place in Lahore on 19 March.

He was UAE’s most successful captain in the shortest format, and helped the team qualify for the 2022 T20 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Mar-2023Former UAE captain Ahmed Raza, 34, has announced his retirement from international cricket. Raza is UAE’s most successful captain in the shortest format, with the team winning 18 of its 27 T20Is under him. UAE also secured a place at the 2022 T20 World Cup under his leadership, which he stated was “a significant achievement of mine.”He is now set to take up a new role as UAE’s assistant coach.”It is with great pride that I’m announcing my retirement from all forms of cricket,” Raza wrote on social media. “After much thought, I believe this is the right time to step away from the game that has given me so much love and respect over the last 17 years. “Representing and leading my country in the great sport of cricket has been one of the greatest honors of mine. I must thank the Board, my colleagues, coaches, selectors and most importantly my late father, who supported and enabled me to live my dream to the fullest. Also, my mother, my siblings and my friends who were there through it all. Lastly and most importantly to my wife, Mehreen, who has been my biggest support system over the last few years.”It’s hard to pinpoint a moment over the course of 17 years, however, leading the UAE to the T20 World Cup will always be a significant achievement of mine.”Whilst there are many that supported me throughout my career – I would like to say a special thank you to Aqib Javed, who contributed greatly to my success and turned a rookie into a thorough professional.”I am looking forward to what the future holds.”Raza’s international career began in 2006 when he debuted at age 17 in the EurAsia Cricket Series against an India A side that included the likes of Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja. He made his ICC tournament debut the following year against Scotland in the four-day Intercontinental Cup competition and later went on to represent UAE in 108 games across the ODI and T20I formats. One of the highlights of his career was leading the team to an undefeated run in the 2022 T20 World Cup Qualifiers in Oman. It came just under years after one of the most tumultuous periods in UAE Cricket history when he was thrust into the captaincy on the eve of the same T20 World Cup Qualifiers in 2019 where Mohammad Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, and Qadeer Ahmed were suspended for match-fixing just days before the start of the competition. Naveed immediately stood down as captain following the corruption scandal.In August last year, CP Rizwan replaced the left-arm spinner Raza as UAE captain in T20Is with the board deciding to appoint captains with “sole-format focus”. However, Rizwan subsequently was named ODI captain soon after to take over from Raza in that format as well.In the 53 ODIs he played, Raza took 64 wickets and scored 409 runs; in 55 T20Is, he accounted for 37 wickets.

Umpires make call before play on day three with no prospect of improved conditions

ECB Reporters Network15-Apr-2023Gloucestershire’s LV= County Championship Second Division match against Yorkshire at Bristol has been abandoned without a ball bowled.Umpires Billy Taylor and Paul Pollard made the decision after inspecting the outfield on arrival at the Seat Unique Stadium ahead of what would have been day three of the four-day fixture.More heavy rain overnight had fallen on the already saturated ground and it was so wet in some areas that there was no likelihood of conditions becoming playable even on day four.A statement issued by Gloucestershire read: “Due to extremely high amounts of rain in the weeks and days leading up to and during this match, we have an abnormally high water table and had no reasonable prospect of the outfield drying and creating a safe playing surface for players.”The club’s Performance Director Steve Snell said: “It’s extremely disappointing, especially in view of how hard our ground staff have worked in an effort to get the game started. The weather has been so wet that they faced an impossible task.”The result leaves both teams winless after two rounds of the County Championship, following Yorkshire’s opening-week loss to Leicestershire and Gloucestershire’s draw with Glamorgan.

Solid start to second innings helps Lancashire regain advantage in see-sawing contest

David Hopps05-May-2023If Michael Neser’s exploits at Headingley invited discussion about how Australia could overlook a bowler perfectly equipped for English conditions, over in the other camp things are proceeding at a gentler pace.Nobody is about to panic over the fact that Stuart Broad and James Anderson had a wicketless day at Trent Bridge, not with a joint total of 340 Tests and 1261 Test wickets to their name, but England’s most celebrated new-ball partnership are building towards the Ashes not with spectacular exploits but with a patience borne of experience.Their season’s returns are eerily similar: Anderson has 11 wickets at 24.90; Broad has 11 at 24.54. Neser might be taking a hat-trick and replicating unplayable inswingers for Glamorgan, but Broad and Anderson’s figures are so close to identical that it feels as if it must be some sort of grand masterplan.Broad did have a minor strop on the second day at Trent Bridge, just to persuade all of us that he was feeling all right. His appeal against Josh Bohannon, on 20, when he jagged the ball through the gate indicated that Broad believed there was an inside edge where the majority saw a trouser-flick. Umpire Rob Bailey was unmoved as Broad stood motionless at the batter’s end as if he was unable to compute the decision.Anderson managed a few play-and-misses, but he was the lightest-used pace bowler, 13 overs in all, as Nottinghamshire stretched their overnight 119 for 5 into 249. Lancashire, 98 for 1 when rain and bad light closed in after tea, lead by 63.There is more cricket left in this match than many had supposed and both England bowlers will be calculating how many overs they should contribute for their own well-being. Nearly all England supporters will accept that this is a utilitarian judgment, and that the greatest happiness of the greatest number is best served by Ashes success. These days, it as pleasure just to see any England player, especially a fast bowler, grace the Championship.Such deliberations appeared to be much simpler for Haseeb Hameed. He simply batted, five unobtrusive hours in all, and he was ninth out for 97 early in the afternoon. Will Williams has been the most metronomic seamer in the match and the leg before decision was a routine one, leading Hameed to fling back his head in disappointment.Disappointment that he narrowly missed what would have been a first century of the season doubtless extended to both sets of spectators – not just Notts but those following his former county – because this had been a masterclass in safety-conscious batting on a bowler’s surface. His 1235 Championship runs at 58.80 last season, the captaincy of the Lions, and further consolidation this season all indicate a game in good shape again.Hameed was 57 overnight and once again he batted with an even tempo, his defence secure, his score predominantly moving along with little dinks and steers into the off side. Anderson forced an inside edge when he swished at a wide one, and a creeper from Tom Bailey also momentarily unbalanced him but that was about it.One imagines that Hameed likes predictability, which made Broad an unsettling figure to bat alongside with lunch fast approaching. Lose a wicket then and Notts would have been nine down and Haseeb would have had to recalibrate for an extra half-hour. For Broad to take a single and give him the strike with three balls of the session remaining might normally have been an unwelcome outcome on 94, but he was probably relieved to get the chance to pay out the session quietly.As it was, Hameed was the next batter to be dismissed, leaving Broad to be last out as he succumbed to a whirligig swing and a catch at the wicket. The ball appeared to have come off his hip. No wonder he felt the umpire owed him one with the ball later. Broad, incidentally, fell without a care in the world on 249, only one run short of a batting bonus point, an insouciant dismissal which all those of us who prefer to regard bonus points as a blight on the game fully relished.Hameed had shouldered the burden with great composure after Steven Mullaney had fallen to the 18th delivery of the first session, mistiming a ball from Williams to give an easy catch to mid-on, and Brett Hutton, squared up by Bailey, had edged a catch to the keeper.Nottinghamshire, outstanding in the field on the first day, did not help their cause during Lancashire’s reply with George Balderson surviving two slip catches, to Ben Duckett and Olly Stone, to remain unbeaten on 44.That being so, Lancashire would have felt slightly happier at the close after an unbroken second-wicket partnership of 82 between Balderson and Josh Bohannon left things evenly poised. After rain-hit draws against Somerset and Essex, the least they will hope for is a fair chance to set their season running. As for Bohannon, he is currently the leading run-getter in the Championship and is putting last season’s stuttering form behind him.