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Ben Stokes has concluded his spell with Canterbury and returned to the UK for Christmas. When Stokes flew to New Zealand last month, it sparked speculation that he could be involved in England’s Ashes campaign but, with the series lost and the CPS still determining whether to press charges against the allrounder for his part in a fight in September, that prospect is all but over.Canterbury said that Stokes was leaving for “family reasons” and that he would always be welcome to return. Stokes played in three Ford Trophy matches, with scores of 2, 34 and 0 to go with one wicket, as well as three Super Smash games, one of which saw him hammer 93 off 47 balls.”Ben has been great around the club, the team and the staff,” Canterbury CEO, Jez Curwin, said. “We can’t fault his attitude or his all-round contribution in his time with us and we are sorry that he couldn’t stay with us for longer but Ben knows that he will always find a welcome here should the opportunity arise for him to return.”Stokes travelled to New Zealand to spend time with family – he was born in Christchurch and his parents live there – as well as gain some playing time while the police investigation into his night out in Bristol continued. Stokes was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm and has not been considered for England selection since, although he was named in England’s one-day squad to face Australia next month.”I have thoroughly enjoyed training and playing with Canterbury,” Stokes said. “Everyone here has gone out of their way to make me feel at home. It’s a wonderful club and I couldn’t have asked for any more from my time here.”

Sudip Chatterjee continued his prolific run with a fifty•PTI

Bengal found themselves in positions of strength on more than one occasion but found ways to squander their advantage every time on the opening day of the semi-final against Delhi in Pune. Bengal finished the day on a wobbly 269 for 7 after electing to bat on a batting-friendly surface at the Maharashtra Cricket Association. Four of their batsmen produced solid starts without translating them into more defining contributions. The dismissals of top-scorer Sudip Chatterjee (83) and the captain Manoj Tiwary (30) to Manan Sharma’s left-arm spin in the space of two overs in the last session stifled Bengal’s momentum at a time when they appeared set for a sizeable first-innings total. Bengal eventually lost four wickets for 82 runs after tea.Seamer Navdeep Saini was the standout bowler for Delhi, frequently harrying the batsmen with pace northwards of 140 kph apart from swinging the ball occasionally. He struck the first blow for Delhi when he pinged opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, who had racked up two centuries in the quarter-finals against Gujarat, in front in the fourth over. Saini pitched one up that swerved in and hit Easwaran on the back leg to leave Bengal on 8 for 1. With some confident stroke-making, though, Sudip and opener Abhishek Raman (36) ensured Delhi couldn’t build on the early advantage. Even as Sudip accumulated runs with bunts and nurdles, Raman remained the smooth operator. The drives were every bit smooth as they were incisive – a brace of boundaries off a Saini over, one through extra cover and one through midwicket, were the most eye-catching of his seven fours.While Raman survived a leg-before shout off left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra in the 17th over, he fell to the same bowler in his next over. Raman gave Mishra the charge and struck back forcefully but the bowler latched on to the return chance to end the 46-run stand. Writtick Chatterjee (47), fresh off a double century in the last match, resumed Bengal’s counterattack, and along with Sudip, added 78 runs for the third wicket. Writtick flicked and pulled with ease until a little after an hour in the second session, but his promising innings was nipped by seamer Vikas Tokas, whose perseverance was finally rewarded. In the middle of an energetic spell, Tokas constantly troubled the batsmen with his in-dippers. One such delivery found Writtick’s pads and the umpire rightly reckoned it would have crashed into the stumps.In another period of rebuilding, Bengal went to tea on 187 for 3 with Tiwary and Sudip raising a half-century stand. However, in the fourth over of the last session, Tiwary dashed out of the crease to Manan but his attempted slog went only as far as mid-on. With Manan not spinning the ball much, it went with the angle and found the inside half of Tiwary’s bat. Bengal were soon reduced to 209 for 5 when Manan, bowling from over the stumps, halted Sudip’s quest of his 11th first-class hundred. Seeing the ball pitched short and angling away, Sudip arched back to smack it past cover, but Unmukt Chand, the substitute, anticipated the trajectory of the ball quickly and dived to his right to complete a smart catch. The substitute fielders were kept busy as Gautam Gambhir went off the field frequently.Anustup Majumdar (32), who made three centuries in his last four innings, was living up to his form with forearm-powered whips, slog sweeps and drives. He raised 42 runs in the company of Shreevats Goswami, who might not have played the game had Wriddhiman Saha not been withdrawn with a fever. Just as when it looked like Bengal might see the day through with no further damage, Saini returned to strike with the second new ball, his 137 kph delivery beating Majumdar for pace to find the off stump. It didn’t help the batsman’s cause that he played inside the line of the delivery and left his off stump exposed.Exactly five overs later, it was the turn of another Delhi seamer – Kunal Khejroliya – to reap the rewards for his hardwork through the day. Khejroliya had frequently gone over the stumps to rough up the left-hand batting pair of Goswami and B Amit. With four balls remaining for stumps, Amit backed away in a premeditated effort and guided a short-pitched delivery straight down third man’s throat. In some ways, the shot mirrored the story of Bengal’s innings – promising but ultimately below par.

Results Summary Titans leapt to top of the table and remain the only unbeaten side with four wins from four matches in a busy Ram Slam week. Titans’ victories last week included a 38-run triumph over Knights, a 61-run win over Warriors, a seven-wicket mauling of Cape Cobras and the successful return of Dale Steyn to competitive cricket.Steyn’s comeback came in defence of 199 against Knights on Wednesday, where he bowled three overs. The first went for 17 runs but the next two for only eight along with the scalp of Theunis de Bruyn. Though Steyn was the second-most expensive Titans bowler on the night, more economical performances from Albie Morkel, Lungi Ngidi and Tabraiz Shamsi ensured Knights were always behind the required run rate, but they did manage to deny Titans a bonus point.Ngidi stole the show again on Friday in East London where his career-best T20 figures of 4 for 14 shot out Warriors for 111 in 14.2 overs. Titans again put up a decent score – 172 for 4 – without AB de Villiers, who was rested to allow Dean Elgar a game, but their bowling did the rest. Aiden Markram shared the new ball with Steyn and took 3 for 21 before Ngidi ran through an abject Warriors line-up. Only three batsmen made more than 20.But Steyn came into his own on Sunday when he helped Titans restrict Cobras to 119 for 9, with a four-over spell that cost only 16 runs and yielded the wickets of Wayne Parnell and Qaasim Adams. JP Duminy top-scored with 40 but Temba Bavuma was the only other Cobras’ batsman to make a score over 15. Despite ducks from openers Quinton de Kock and Henry Davids, who both fell to Vernon Philander, 51 off 36 balls from Markram led Titans’ chase and they won the match inside 14 overs.Cobras did not have a good weekend on the Highveld and also lost to Lions, who were the only other team to put points on the board last week. Lions got their first win on Friday at the Wanderers, where they chased down 170 against an attack that included Philander, Parnell and Dane Paterson but a fielding side who put down several chances for the second game in a row. Cobras could consider their total a little short despite a 36 from 28 balls from Hashim Amla, 33 from 26 by Parnell, an 18-ball 28 from Bavuma and 55 off 31 balls by captain Duminy. Lions opener Reeza Hendricks started the chase strongly with a 32-ball 42 but it was Mangaliso Mosehle’s brisk half-century that won them the game. Philander’s four overs cost only 26 but none of the other Cobras bowlers went for under eight an over.It was much closer for Lions on Sunday in Potchefstroom, where they restricted Dolphins to 168 for 6, after having them 85 for 5 in the 12th over and 116 for 6 in the 17th, but took it to the last ball to chase the total. Lions started well with a half-century from Rassie van der Dussen, sharing a 158-run opening stand with Hendricks who became the competition’s second centurion with a 72-ball 102. The pair was cruising at 158 for 0 in the 19th over but Andile Phehlulwayo took two wickets in two balls and Dolphins got another two wickets off consecutive deliveries in the final over. Wiaan Mulder hit four off the last ball to secure the win.The other fixture scheduled for this week was between Dolphins and Knights on Friday night in Durban, but the game was washed out.Wayne Parnell delivers the ball•AFP

International Incidents Steyn’s comeback was the talk of the week as he steadily built up from two matches with three overs each to bowling his full quota of four overs in the third match against Cobras. His figures of 4-0-16-2 was the best of his week.There was also promising form from some of the other bowlers on the national repair list. Philander, who was expensive in the first match, put in a much tighter performance against Lions and Titans and started to show signs of being back to his best.However, it was Ngidi who would have made South Africa head coach Ottis Gibson sit up and take note. After going wicketless against Knights on Wednesday, Ngidi took 4 for 14 against Warriors on a traditionally slow, low East London pitch. He also returned 2 for 32 at home against Cobras.In one of the most intriguing battles of the week, de Villiers took 17 runs off Wayne Parnell’s opening over, which went for 19 in total in the Titans match against Cobras.Imran Tahir made a return for Dolphins, who chose to field two spinners in their match against Lions, but between Tahir and Keshav Maharaj, they cost Dolphins 43 runs in four overs. Domestic Dreamers Lions’ batsmen had the most important impact among domestic players. Reeza Hendricks, who has played nine T20Is, the last against England in Cardiff, was not considered for the Bangladesh series but showed that he could still come into contention. He followed up an unbeaten 67 in the opening match with his first T20 century and thrilled with a range of drives that would not have gone amiss on a golf course. Hendricks was particularly harsh against Maharaj, whose only over went for 15.Mosehle has played seven T20Is this year as a stand-in for de Kock and appears to have been identified as a potential reserve wicketkeeper. His batting ability, however, has not shown itself on the highest stage. His half-century against Cobras provided a glimpse. Mosehle’s aggression off the back foot – which included a hook and a hammer over extra cover, both for six – off Philander was particularly impressive as was the way he guided an imperfect Lions’ effort home.Beyond the Boundary Warriors will need to use this competition to say farewell to their coach Malibongwe Maketa, who will leave them at the end of the tournament to take up the job of Gibson’s assistant in the national side. This is the format where they have done Maketa the proudest, reaching the final last summer despite having fewer internationals than anyone else. This season will be trickier for them, because of the presence of all South Africa players in other squads, and they have not started well with two losses from the first two games. However, they will hope things get better before Maketa leaves.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAssociated Press

In a year in which Sri Lanka have continued to sink further into the depths of ODI ineptitude, they surely hit rock bottom today. In a performance that put an exclamation mark on their run of 12 straight ODI losses, they illustrated why they have struggled so badly in the format.They couldn’t bat, dismissed for 103 in 26 overs. They couldn’t bowl all that well, taking only one wicket as Pakistan cruised home with over 30 overs to spare. It is another whitewash for Sri Lanka, the third they have suffered this year alone. South Africa and India were the othertormentors.The prospect of a damning defeat was writ large over the contest after the very first over, in which Usman Khan took the first two wickets of astaggering opening spell. He had come to prominence with a scintillating performance in a domestic T20 final in 2013, but after today, thatdomestic admiration can turn to international acclaim. It tends to happen once you complete a five-for in 3.3 overs.Maybe there’s a peculiar curse Sharjah has cast on Sri Lanka – they’ve been bowled out below 100 four times at this ground. It could have been five; they were 85 for 9 at one point, before Dushmantha Chameera and VishwaFernando put together an 18-run partnership and rescued their side from that ignominy.For the third straight game, Upul Tharanga won the toss and chose to bat. But Sri Lanka’s luck has remained confined to the toss this tour. One over into the innings, it was clear that wasn’t going to change today.The dismissals themselves were something to behold; it was Pakistani fast bowling at its most exhilarating. Sadeera Samarawickmara failed to adjust to the moving ball and inside-edged onto his middle stump. Dinesh Chandimal was utterly helpless against one that swung away, edging to Sarfraz Ahmed.In Usman’s second over, Tharanga – just like the previous game – was unable to prevent one from sneaking in between his bat and pad. Niroshan Dickwella fell lbw to another prodigious inswinger. Siriwardana tamely scooped to cover point, and in under 7 overs Sri Lanka were 20 for 5.Thoroughly dispirited and broken all series, Sri Lanka had dug themselves into a hole in the first half hour of the game, and were already reduced to respectability restoration. Then Thirimanne edged Hasan Ali to the wicketkeeper and Seekkuge Prasanna ran himself out in a horribly amateur way, failing to ground his bat in a bid to avoid a throw in his direction. Pakistan didn’t need that sort of charity, but it was welcome.Thisara Perera struck a few boundaries en route to 25, the top score for his side. But in an innings where wickets were the currency of choice, that sort of resistance was merely pennies on the dollar. Hasan and Shadab Khan cleaned up the tail, and Pakistan were left with 104 to get to sweep the series.There was no drama to be had, with Sri Lanka coming out looking like a boxer for whom the knockout punch would be a blissful release. The second innings was a case of two teams going through the motions. But while Fakhar Zaman fell short of a half-century, reasons for joy were in short supply for the visitors. Pakistan looked almost embarrassed to complete the whitewash, so wide was the chasm between the two sides.However, the major discomfort all belongs to the visitors, who will be left pondering how on earth to salvage some pride in the upcoming T20series.

Aravinda de Silva, Roshan Mahanama, Brendon Kuruppu, Graeme Labrooy, perhaps even Mahela Jayawardene – these are the names Sri Lanka Cricket is attempting to align itself with as the board looks to arrest the decline of the national team.Even more crucially for SLC, getting former players with good reputations on board may also help turn around its ailing public reputation. The board is now not only widely believed to be detrimental to the development of cricket, it is also seen as one of the most toxic governing bodies in the country.Whether these former players are willing to become associated with SLC given its present state remains to be seen. But as far as some board officials are concerned, they have several vacancies to fill, and would like for these men to be installed in those positions. De Silva, for example, would return to his role as cricket advisor, some board officials hope. They would also like Mahanama, Kuruppu and Labrooy to become selectors, to replace the Sanath Jayasuriya-led committee that resigned earlier in the month. Ideally Jayawardene might also come in as a consultant. And the only reason officials have not set their sights on Kumar Sangakkara is because he is still playing cricket overseas.Of these ex-players, Labrooy and Kuruppu have confirmed that SLC has approached them, while Mahanama has said he has not been approached so far. Labrooy is currently an ICC match referee.There is some irony in the board gunning for the aid of these former players at this juncture, because some of them are the same men it has spent the last 18 months alienating. Kuruppu was part of the selection committee that was sacked by Thilanga Sumathipala and the board just 48 hours from the team’s scheduled departure from the 2016 World T20, for example. Jayawardene’s plan to take cricket into the provinces was scrapped and criticised, and he was ousted from his position in the SLC cricket committee. De Silva had held the cricket advisor post for about 12 months, but then quit earlier this year, due to strong differences with SLC.Two developments have precipitated this drastic change of approach. In the wake of the 0-9 drubbing by India, and indeed the unprecedented losses to Bangladesh and Zimbabwe earlier this year, members of SLC’s executive committee have become convinced that the board’s existing trajectory was untenable. Those defeats have also substantially weakened Thilanga Sumathipala’s political grip within the organisation, with pressure now having been placed on him from higher political offices in the country.Sports minister Dayasiri Jayasekara has repeatedly said that he would not dissolve an elected board to appoint an interim committee, so the Sumathipala presidency is safe for now – at least until the board elections early next year (they could be brought forward to December).However, other board officials have now taken strong issue with the manner in which Sumathipala has conducted business at SLC, particularly his alleged meddling with team selection and direct influence over cricket matters. These agitating officials claim that should any of the former players they are trying to woo take up positions at the board, those new appointments should “have a free hand”, in contrast to what had previously been the case. It is perhaps relevant that Graham Ford resigned in June exactly because he felt his role was repeatedly encroached upon.The sports minister is also hoping to get many of these former players together for a brainstorming session on how SLC might turn cricket around, over the next week or so.Essentially, amid a significant decline in influence for Sumathipala, there is now substantial will within SLC to change tack. Early indications from the former players they are chasing, however, is that they would rather await fundamental change in SLC – either the election or the appointment of a fresh board – before they become involved.

1:06

County Championship round-up: Warwickshire secure first win

In a remarkable end to a dramatic match, Warwickshire skittled Middlesex for 136 at Lord’s to claim their first win of the season in the Specsavers County Championship’s Division One by a thumping 190-run margin.Chris Woakes, completing a successful comeback from a two-month injury lay-off, took 3 for 38 as he and Keith Barker, who snapped up the first three wickets to fall and finished with 3 for 21, left the Middlesex second innings in ruins.And all this, on a humiliating day for the champions, after Barker and Chris Wright had earlier taken their unlikely ninth-wicket partnership to 97 as Warwickshire, who resumed on 293 for 8, reached 361 in their own second innings to set Middlesex 327 to win on a pitch which had seemingly flattened out following the opening-day carnage of 20 wickets.

Gubbins’ England hopes hit by injury

Nick Gubbins’ hopes of an England call-up appear to be over after suffering a hamstring injury during Middlesex’s defeat at Lord’s.
While Gubbins has not enjoyed the best of seasons – he has scored just one Championship century and is averaging 24.91 – he has a reputation as one of the best players of fast bowling on the circuit and is thought to have the game to flourish on the pitches anticipated in Australia.
With Keaton Jennings enduring a grim series against South Africa and Haseeb Hameed struggling for form, Gubbins had been mentioned as a potential replacement in recent days. He played for England Lions over the winter and only just missed out on selection when Jennings was called-up during the India series.
With England’s squad for the first Investec Test against West Indies scheduled to be named on Friday, it seems Gubbins is unlikely to be considered for a call-up. George Dobell

Middlesex, it is true, were hampered by injuries to openers Nick Gubbins and Sam Robson – Gubbins was forced to come in at No 8 after tearing a hamstring in the field – but the way both their batting and bowling fell away in this game will be of great concern to them.Warwickshire, meanwhile, though they may well remain bottom of Division One when this round of matches is done, are now only 31 points behind Middlesex – who began this game in fifth place – with five matches remaining for both counties in this summer’s campaign.Barker ended up on 62 not out from 109 balls, with eight fours, after resuming on 30 and his stand with Wright, who made an 83-ball 41 before being caught behind off Steven Finn, flourished in a morning session in which the Middlesex bowlers huffed and puffed to little effect.Leg spinner Nathan Sowter then earned himself a maiden first-class wicket by bowling last man Ryan Sidebottom for 1, but by then the damage done was not just to Middlesex’s morale. Gubbins, in attempting to take a sprawling catch off a top-edged Barker hook as he ran in from long leg, hurt himself so badly that he had to be helped from the field by Middlesex’s medical staff.Gubbins was unable to open, meaning Nick Compton was promoted to partner Robson, who used Sowter as a runner as he made 19 despite a leg injury before being first out.Middlesex were 20 without loss at lunch but that proved only to be the calm before the storm. The headlong collapse began at the start of the second over after the interval with Robson pinned leg-before by Barker who then, later in the same over, had Stevie Eskinazi taken at second slip for 2.Left-armer Barker struck again in his next over, this time going around the wicket to surprise Compton with a nasty lifter that he touched to keeper Tim Ambrose to go for 3.And 28 for 3 became 28 for 4 when Woakes nipped one off the seam to have John Simpson leg-before for 4. Ryan Higgins, after one extra cover driven four, was also leg-before to Woakes for 5 in the England all-rounder’s next over, and the same bowler soon breached James Franklin’s defences to bowl the Middlesex captain for 1.From 45 for 6 there were a few defiant blows from Sowter, who had been joined by Gubbins and runner on Franklin’s dismissal, before his 37 ended when he turned the first ball of Sidebottom’s second over straight into the hands of short leg.Middlesex’s tail was cleaned up by off spinner Jeetan Patel and right-arm seamer Sidebottom, who added 2 for 41 to his first innings’ 4 for 29 and completed a memorable championship debut by winning an leg-before appeal against Gubbins on 15 to finish the match. Patel had Tom Helm taken at first slip for 15 and bowled Tim Murtagh for 0 to give himself figures of 2 for 19.A last wicket frolic by No 11 Finn and the injured Gubbins, who added a quickfire 48 with Finn playing some superb shots in his unbeaten 31, provided scant consolation for Middlesex, who for much of the first two days were clear favourites to win this game.For Warwickshire, bowled out for just 126 at the start of the match, this was a significant victory – especially as they had lost five of their previous eight games. Bowling out Middlesex for 161 on a helter-skelter opening day kept them in the contest, and then a gritty second innings batting effort on day two took the sting out of Middlesex’s seam attack.When day three dawned, however, with their lead a seemingly middling 258 on an easing pitch, they could not have dreamed of winning so decisively or so quickly. It is a result which could yet have ramifications for the ultimate destiny of both sides this season.

The BBL and WBBL seasons will expand by a week next summer, with the tournament finals scheduled for February 4. The expansion means that the semi-finals and final for both competitions will be played in the first week of the school year, outside the school-holiday period that has been such a successful window for the T20 tournament.The semi-finals are locked in for February 1 and 2, a Thursday and Friday, with the deciders to be played on the Sunday. Cricket Australia had announced in January that eight additional BBL matches would be fixtured for next season, though at the time the BBL chief, Anthony Everard, said CA believed they “could fit the extra games within the existing window if we wanted to”.The increase means one extra home game per BBL team, with the intention of taking matches to new markets. Launceston will host a WBBL and BBL double-header on December 30, when the Hobart Hurricanes play the Sydney Thunder, while other new venues are yet to be announced.”Both the BBL and WBBL are firm family favourites during the summer school holidays, and with even more matches we hope fans will continue to vote with their feet, support their club, and help us surpass last year’s attendance, which exceeded 1 million for the second consecutive season,” Everard said.”The eight additional BBL matches for this season have been scheduled to complement the existing regular season fixture, take the BBL and WBBL to more locations, and encourage more people to give cricket a go.”The opportunity to take matches to markets such as Launceston is particularly exciting as it represents the growing popularity of the Big Bash nationwide, and we are hopeful of extending the BBL’s footprint even further this season in partnership with the Thunder, Strikers and Renegades, who remain in discussions to take matches to new markets.”

ScorecardChelmsford is the birthplace of the artist Grayson Perry and was also the town where the 16th century magician, John Dee, was educated. It is therefore well-used to astonishing transformations. However, whether credulous or sceptical, residents will have seen little to compare with the latter stages of this match, when Simon Harmer engraved his name in folk memory of Essex cricket-lovers on one the greatest day’s sport seen on this ground.In November 2015 Harmer was playing for South Africa in a Test match at Nagpur. Since then he has seen his stock fall in his home country and in the winter he committed himself to a career as a county cricketer with Essex.Last week he took 14 wickets against Warwickshire and on this wonderful last day against the champions he collected a career-best 9 for 95 finishing the match with figures of 14-172. By doing so he sent a thousand or so hardy souls at the County Ground into floodlit ecstasy, for they had seen their side complete their third victory in succession and this with a maximum of eight balls remaining in the game.When they descend from their rare euphoria, Essex supporters may realise that their team is now 29 points clear at the top of the Division One table. What they will also understand is that they have witnessed a victory the unlikelihood of which made it all the more worthy of celebration.With six overs left to be bowled Essex still needed four wickets and doubts began to creep in among spectators, even if the hesitancy of the later Middlesex batsmen encouraged hope among Ryan ten Doeschate’s players. That belief was fuelled by the fact that the pink Duke’s ball was retaining its bounce more than the red variety, a fact which the 6ft 2ins Harmer had been able to exploit throughout the match. And the problems of the Middlesex batsmen were increased by Harmer’s ability to use the footholes left by Mohammed Amir and Paul Walter. For all that time was running out, one never felt that Dawid Malan’s batsmen were comfortable. Certainly they never looked like clearing the 296-run deficit established by Essex’s dynamic batting on the third day of this game.In the 108th over of the innings Ryan Higgins played inside what looked like an arm ball and was caught at slip by Alastair Cook, for whom this match was the pleasantest of temporary farewells before the Test series. Three balls later Ollie Rayner collected a pair when he was leg before on the front foot. Harmer had now taken all eight wickets to fall in the innings but his chances of taking all ten disappeared three overs later when Dan Lawrence trapped Toby Roland-Jones lbw for a single although there was a case the ball pitched outside leg. Nobody minded, least of all Harmer who brushed away Lawrence apologies in the joy of shared achievement. Three balls of Harmer’s subsequent over passed and it seemed clear that Lawrence or possibly Amir would be bowling the last over of the game.Simon Harmer wheels away with his Essex team-mates after his match-sealing wicket•Getty Images

That over was never delivered. Perhaps scared of commitment, Steven Finn plunged forward but played no shot to Harmer’s third last ball of the game. An appeal followed that could be heard in either of the Baddows. There was a raised finger from David Millns. Harmer began the first Essex bowler since Mark Ilott in 1995 to take nine wickets in an innings and ten Doeschate’s men are hot favourites for the title now. This will be Harmer’s match but so was last week’s.”It’s not going to get too much better than this,” said Harmer. “You just need to ride the wave – they don’t come around that often. We will enjoy tonight and have a few beers. It’s an incredible win for the club. It puts us in phenomenal position going into the last six games of the season. We’ve done a lot of hard work, a lot of hard graft and been on top of our game. We’ve come out on top in the last 10 minutes of the day today. These are the moments you play cricket for. It makes all the hard graft worth it.”And yet it takes two teams to make a contest as noble as this one and in the joy of Harmer’s achievement, even the Essex supporters spared applause for Nick Compton, whose innings of 120 looked likely to frustrate Essex. And the Middlesex opener’s tale shares a very rough parallel with that of Harmer.Just over a year ago Compton’s name was blazoned in headlines. He was an England batsman. Yet within a few weeks some who had advocated his selection were vehement that he should never have been picked in the first place. No one, of course, has mentioned his name in connection with the England side for next week’s Test at Lord’s. Yet as we watched Compton make his century and bat in vain to save the game it was plain that he still retains the skill to play this game at a high level and the temperament to defy opponents in full cry.Harmer v Compton. Given a couple of different turns on the wheels of fortune and circumstance, it was a battle which might have been seen in next week’s Test match. And on the evidence of this quite wonderful last day at Chelmsford it would not have disgraced the stage at St John’s Wood.Compton arrived at New Writtle Street having scored 81 championship runs in four innings; injury and indifferent form have kept him out of the Middlesex team. Those factors by themselves were enough to make his effort at Chelmsford admirable. Yet the virtues of his batting were magnified by the intensity of the contest and the fact that his principal adversary, Harmer, is in the form of his life.So much was proved in the first half hour of play when Harmer dismissed Nick Gubbins, Stevie Eskinazi and Dawid Malan in five overs from the River End, reducing Middlesex to 51 for 3 and encouraging the hopes of home supporters that they were about to see ten Doeschate’s team achieve a facile innings victory and their fifth Division One triumph of the season.Yet this early clatter was misleading; instead of offering a strong clue to the narrative of the day, it merely set up the terrific duel of Thursday’s cricket: Both our principals had considerable help, of course. The main assistance to Harmer probably came from Dan Lawrence, whose high action gave his off-spinners every chance to bounce uncomfortably.Nick Compton dug in to defy the home attack•Getty Images

Compton was assisted deep into the heart of the day and beyond by Paul Stirling, who batted with commendable coolness and against his attacking instincts to make 55 in 202 minutes. While Compton and Stirling were adding 153 in 55 overs the five points for a draw were plainly secure. Then, five minutes before tea, Stirling, who had been dropped three times, was safely caught by Ravi Bopara at backward short leg. John Simpson resisted for 50 minutes but was beaten by Harmer’s turn and taken by Cook. Then Compton having faced 303 balls, 59 more than in his entire season before this innings, was leg before playing no shot to Harmer. The door was open and the Essex cricketers plunged through it. “Harmer’s a proper bowler,” said Essex’s Keith Fletcher, who faced a few and has seen countless more. No one anywhere in Essex doubts that judgement this glorious June evening.

Match facts

June 5, 2017
Start time 19:30 local (23:30 GMT)

Big picture

West Indies are likely to give uncapped fast bowler Ronsford Beaton a run in the final T20I•AFP

A series like this one can often be an underwhelming exercise for reigning T20I world champions, West Indies. Every time they take the field, nothing less than a crushing victory may seem satisfactory on their part. Furthermore, one can be sure that should they be defeated in even one game during the three-match series, it is the loss that would be remembered by fans and pundits alike. Hence, to their credit, West Indies have done just about as well as they could to ensure Afghanistan have been given no cause for excitement, and that the tourists have been comprehensively defeated in both T20Is. One might even be tempted to go so far as to suggest the hosts have demonstrated a degree of maturity and professionalism in both their outings so far – sentiments that don’t necessarily scream West Indies.For Afghanistan, this was always going to be a historic tour, with the feel-good factor unlikely to have ceased despite the results they have incurred so far in the field of play. Even so, they must be disappointed with how they’ve gone about their business in the last two games, never even coming close to worrying West Indies, let alone pulling off an upset. There is little doubt the Afghanistan bowling attack has struggled for breakthroughs that would put pressure on the opposition batsmen: they have taken only seven West Indies wickets in two T20Is, with both the Zadrans – Dawlat and Shapoor – having been grossly expensive. Add to that the tourists’ batting displays on both instances that bordered more on the Affiliate/Associate brand of cricket than the Associate/Full Member one. However, what has frustrated Afghanistan till now may also give them hope: these two performances aren’t holistically representative of this side, and one would expect they’re due a better one in a contest where the pressure will be off.

Form guide

West Indies WWLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Afghanistan LLWWW

In the spotlight

Kesrick Williams has so far been the best player this series, and encouragingly for West Indies, this appears to be indicative of a wider trend. Ever since making his debut against Pakistan last September, the fast bowler from St Vincent and the Grenadines (a Caribbean island not as famous for especially fertile cricketing talent as the rest) has been performing with impressive consistency. With 11 wickets from seven innings at an economy rate of 5.23, Williams combines nippy pace with intelligent variations, including an excellent yorker – all of which makes him an attractive T20 talent. Afghanistan would be wary of Williams, who bowled 22 dots in the 39 bowls he sent down in the last two games, scalping five wickets for only 30 runs.The two stalwarts of Afghanistan cricket, Mohammad Nabi and Asghar Stanikzai, will have lived for this series, and must have thought it would come long after they had retired. However, the unprecedented speed at which the Afghanistan cricket team has developed means the duo – currently aged 32 and 29 respectively – are still not too far from their peak. As such, they must be disappointed with themselves for not having taken more responsibility in the last two T20Is as fellow batsmen struggled, with neither managing to reach doubles figures. Their desire to leave a mark on this series – for who knows when they’ll be touring the West Indies next? – will be as intense as ever. If one of them can get going, St Kitts might feel a lot more like Afghanistan than anyone would ever have thought possible.

Team news

West Indies head coach Stuart Law has said the team is likely to give the uncapped Guyana fast bowler Ronsford Beaton a run in the final T20I, and that he would “continue to give Rovman Powell a go”, considering the 23-year old allrounder hasn’t featured in many games despite travelling with the team for most of their fixtures.West Indies (probable) 1 Evin Lewis, 2 Chadwick Walton (wk), 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Lendl Simmons, 5 Jason Mohammed, 6 Carlos Brathwaite (capt), 7 Sunil Narine, 8 Rovman Powell, 9 Samuel Badree/Ronsford Beaton, 10 Jerome Taylor, 11 Kesrick WilliamsAfghanistan made several changes to their playing combination between the two games, but have failed to achieve any notable improvement in performance. More players are likely to be shuffled around, with competition for some spots being particularly fierce.Afghanistan (probable) 1 Gulbadin Naib, 2 Usman Ghani, 3 Asghar Stanikzai (capt), 4 Samiullah Shenwari, 5 Mohammad Nabi, 6 Karim Janat, 7 Afzar Zazai (wk), 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Amir Hamza, 10 Shapoor Zadran, 11 Naveen-ul-Haq

Pitch and conditions

The Warner Park pitch has been slightly more conducive to fast bowlers this series than many would have expected. With Jerome Taylor and Williams doing well for the hosts, another pace-friendly surface should not surprise.Rain, which played its part during the previous match, is not expected to be a factor this time around.

Stats and trivia

• Only five Afghanistan batsmen reached double figures in the the last two T20Is combined, with Gulbadin Naib being the only one to do so on both occasions. In contrast, only one West Indies batsman – Lendl Simmons – has been dismissed for a single-digit score so far this series.
• Sunil Narine has scored 145 runs in 19 T20I innings. In the 16 matches he played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL this season, he amassed 224, which also included the joint-fastest fifty – off only 15 balls – in the tournament’s history.

ScorecardNot so long ago, Mark Stoneman said he hated London and could never imagine living there. But, on this evidence, he seems to be settling in rather well.Stoneman, on his Championship debut for Surrey having made the painful decision to leave Durham, made a chanceless century to punish Ian Bell’s decision to bowl first (the toss was uncontested) and give his side a formidable platform in this game. He looked every inch a prospective England batsman.He may soon fall in love with London, too. Certainly on days like this – with the trees in bloom and a decent-sized crowd enjoying a perfect early-summer day – there is much to admire about the city, though it may be the benevolent nature of the pitch that consummates his relationship with his new club.Afterwards Bell admitted he had erred in his toss decision – “it was definitely a bat-first wicket,” he said, “isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing?” – and Warwickshire might reflect that, in the first session, with the pitch damp, their bowlers failed to utilise any help that might have been available.But to focus on their shortcomings – and they were not awful by any means – would be to deny Stoneman credit for an almost flawless innings. Against one of the best spinners and left-arm swing bowlers in the county game, he demonstrated excellent judgement outside off stump, admirable patience (he had faced 16 balls before he hit a boundary) and a pleasing ability to be able to put away even half a bad ball. His treatment of the short ball, in particular, was merciless – 102 of his runs came from boundaries.”He didn’t give us a sniff,” Bell said. “We’re really impressed by him.”There may be mixed feelings about this innings in Durham, though. While the majority of those involved with the club – players, supporters et al – will celebrate Stoneman’s success, they will rue the fact that their financial plight led to his departure. As he put it: “Because of the financial situation at Durham, my contract was allowed to run into its final year. I decided to move to Surrey to further my career.”Few could blame him. A professional sporting life is not long and some desire for security and, yes, better remuneration is natural.He will have to replicate this innings a few times if he is to become a serious contender for the Test side. His career average – 32.99 before this game – is modest and there are several younger men (notably Keaton Jennings and Haseeb Hameed) ahead of him in the fight for a place. But he has long been respected as one of the best openers in the county game by his fellow pros and can claim mitigation for that average with the demanding quality of the surfaces that he played on in Durham until the start of 2016.He also made a century in his final innings for Durham, meaning that he has scored two Championship centuries in succession. He is the first England-qualified player to make a century on Championship debut for Surrey since Mark Rampakash in 2001. Aaron Finch (2016), Kumar Sangakkara (2015) and Ricky Ponting (2013) are the three most recent men to do so for Surrey.Stoneman was given fine support in a first-wicket stand of 154 by Rory Burns. While Burns will be disappointed not to make a century that appeared to be his for the taking – something of a recurring theme in his career – he will be encouraged by the manner in which he saw off the new ball and took the attack to Warwickshire’s bowlers.”They never let us settle,” Jim Troughton, Warwickshire’s first-team coach said afterwards. “We probably got the toss decision wrong and there were too many boundary balls, but Surrey batted very well. We’ve known Stoneman was quality player for a few years and he showed everyone that today.”Warwickshire could also have regretted dropping Scott Borthwick, another recruit from Durham, on 4 (Barker was unable to cling on to a top-edged pull off Chris Wright) but he soon fell after flirting outside off stump.It might have been worse for them, though. At lunch, with Surrey 133 without loss after 31 overs and Jonathan Trott already employed as a bowler, it looked as if they were in deep trouble. But they dragged the run-rate back through the rest of the day and didn’t let the batsmen capitalise in the final session. However, Sangakkara remains – he played some drives so sweet he must have been tempted to light a cigarette as he watched them scurry to the boundary – and, with no heavy roller available for this game, the pitch may become more difficult for the side batting last.Earlier, Surrey included Jade Dernbach – his first Championship appearance since 2015 – ahead of Stuart Meaker and Gareth Batty, the captain, ahead of Zafar Ansari. Nor could they be blamed for doing so. While Ansari was deemed good enough to represent England only a few months ago, the decision to play T20 cricket in a block and cut the schedule has pushed the Championship ever further into the margins of the season. The counties will have played eight of their 14 Championship games before the end of June. There is no mystery in England’s continuing weakness in producing and playing spin bowling.