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Chennai Super Kings’ powerful batting line-up was back to top form to spoil Shane Warne’s first game since announcing his retirement

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran09-May-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
MS Dhoni showed off his big-hitting skills•AFPChennai Super Kings’ powerful batting line-up spoiled Shane Warne’s first game since announcing his retirement and left Rajasthan Royals needing at least two wins from their remaining matches to qualify for the play-offs. Chennai’s top four all played their part to set up the win that pushed their side to 14 points, one victory away from virtually sealing their spot in the play-offs.There was some controversy ahead of the game as Warne said Rajasthan were forced to change the pitch on which the match was played. It proved to be a surface that wasn’t the typical slow-and-low Jaipur track, the sort on which Rajasthan have built their intimidating home record. Instead, it was a quicker pitch that favoured stroke-making, more suited to Chennai’s bruising top order.Michael Hussey provided the initial impetus as M Vijay took his time to find his range. It was the usual unfussy innings from Hussey. He relied on power-hits only for the rare heaves to midwicket, otherwise it was more about touch and placement. There was a reverse-sweep off Ashok Maneria, and plenty of eye-catching drives through the off side. Just as the man averaging above 50 in the IPL seemed set for another half-century, he was foxed by Johan Botha’s full delivery. Hussey looked to dispatch it over to short midwicket boundary and was bowled.While Hussey was scoring at a strike-rate nearly 200, Vijay was initially cautious after three failures. It would have been a fourth flop if Ajinkya Rahane had caught a chance in the fourth over at backward point. Soon after the reprieve Vijay showed signs of the destroyer of 2010, with his favourite lofts over the leg side making a regular appearance. All his boundaries – three sixes and two fours – were in the arc from square leg to long-on, a couple came perilously close to the knocking over the redesigned IPL trophy.With Suresh Raina regularly finding the cover boundary and Vijay muscling a half-century, Chennai galloped to 117 for 1 in 13 overs. During their stand, the most likely mode of dismissal seemed to be a run-out. There was plenty of confused calling and lazy running, and they escaped several times before a dawdling Vijay was caught out by a direct hit from Botha.There was no let-up even after that dismissal as MS Dhoni came out blazing. He thrashed Siddharth Trivedi onto the roof of the first tier for his first six before unleashing a series of shots that powered Chennai close to 200. In between, Dhoni also pushed his team-mates to race between the wickets, pressurising the Rajasthan fielders and picking off extra runs.The outfield was extremely quick and there was a short square boundary, but Rajasthan still needed either Shane Watson or Ross Taylor to play a blinder to pull off the chase. Neither did, and that killed Rajasthan’s challenge. After Rahul Dravid fell for a chancy 20, Watson holed out in the sixth over, attempting his trademark slog-sweep. Taylor was gone two overs later, lashing a full delivery from Albie Morkel to deep point, which left them at 63 for 3. Ajinkya Rahane unfurled a series of boundaries to reach his second Twenty20 half-century, but that proved too little to curb the spiralling asking-rate, and Chennai walked to a 63-run victory.

Alessandro Bastoni could be a realistic signing for Tottenham Hotspur this summer transfer window…

What’s the word?

That’s according to reliable journalist Pete O’Rourke, who delivered a fresh verdict surrounding Spurs’ interest in the Inter Milan centre-back to GIVEMESPORT this week.

“Bastoni could be a more realistic option for Tottenham right now,” he said.

“[Antonio] Conte and Fabio Paratici will know all about him from their time in Italy and he might be a more achievable target.

“That could be the one Spurs push for as they look to bring in a new centre-back in the summer.”

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-levy-conte-paratici-thfc” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

Perfect Conte reunion

It is no secret that the north Londoners are targeting a major central defensive addition this off-season.

The Athletic recently claimed that a left-sided option will be a priority, naming the likes of Bastoni, Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol, Lille’s Sven Botman and Nico Schlotterbeck of Freiburg as potential signings.

Given Conte’s history and experience with the Italian, he could well be the best candidate and just as O’Rourke suggests, he is surely a viable and practical signing that Spurs could make.

Prior to the 52-year-old’s arrival at the San Siro, Bastoni was a young and unknown talent that had not featured for the first team. He is now a Serie A winner and valued in the region of £60m.

He started 33 of their 38 games on their way to Inter’s first Scudetto in 11 years and he continues to be an integral part under Conte’s successor, Simone Inzaghi.

Compared to Leonardo Bonucci and Alessandro Nesta, Bastoni offers sublime ball-playing abilities, ranking in the top five in the whole Italian top-flight by attempting 70.9 passes per 90. His ball retention is just as effective, grading at the 86th percentile out of 99 – perfect for Conte.

And whilst he’s not too effective in the air, he is very active and aggressive defensively, ranking in the 94th percentile for intensity.

It’s no wonder the 23-year-old gem has been lauded as a “Rolls-Royce” of a centre-back, as well as being “complete” and “dominant” – this is exactly the sort of profile that Conte adores, so you can only imagine him in a back-three involving Cristian Romero.

The fact that Bastoni is viewed as a realistic signing, despite his £60m valuation, is certainly fantastic news for the Italian head coach heading into the summer.

AND in other news, 75% duels won: £36m-rated Spurs “animal” was Conte’s only shining light at Brentford…

Yasir Hameed, the Pakistan batsman, has been banned from the ongoing Pentangular Cup competition and the year’s national Twenty20 championship

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2011Yasir Hameed, the Pakistan batsman, has been banned by the PCB from domestic cricket for his interview with an undercover reporter from in the immediate aftermath of the spot-fixing controversy.In the interview, Hameed had discussed the fall-out of the Lord’s Test, the Sydney Test against Australia early last year and a possible approach by a bookie. The precise length of the ban has not been specified but it is thought to apply only to the ongoing Pentangular Cup and the domestic T20 championship that will follow. He has also been fined Rs.300,000 (US$3,500 approx).Nadeem Sarwar, the board spokesperson, said Hameed had been banned “for hisspot-fixing allegations against some national players in a newspaper interview lastyear”. Hameed has always denied making any allegations, claiming that he merely repeated what the tabloid had already reported.At the time Hameed said he was duped by the investigative reporter who came to him in a hotel in Nottingham as a representative from a global airline to discuss possible sponsorship deals, but apologised to the PCB immediately after. “I was trapped into it but I should not have said all that before a stranger and I apologise to all the players who were hurt because of that,” he had said.Hameed was also summoned to the Pakistan High Commission in London to explain his utterances during the sting operation, and he recently lodged a formal complaint against NOTW with the UK’s Press Complaints Commission, accusing them of inaccurate reporting, breach of privacy, misrepresentation of character and harassment. He also alleged that the man, an Abid Khan, had sent him intimidating SMSs after the meeting once Hameed had denied what had been attributed to him.Hameed, 32, represents Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in the Pentangular Cup. The ban is the result of an investigation into the matter by the PCB’s recently-constituted Integrity Committee, in front of which Hameed appeared last month.

Michael Clarke has dismissed recent reports of a rift within the Australian dressing-room, and claims that he feels ‘a lot of respect’ from his team-mates, despite suggestions that his position as heir apparent to Ricky Ponting is in doubt

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2010Michael Clarke has dismissed recent reports of a rift within the Australian dressing-room, and claims that he feels “a lot of respect” from his team-mates, despite suggestions that his position as heir apparent to Ricky Ponting is in doubt.Clarke was forced to defend his public image in the wake of last week’s 2-1 ODI series defeat by Sri Lanka, the first ever inflicted by the visitors on Australian soil. Clarke led the side in two of the three games, having also been in charge of an ODI defeat in India last month, and a Twenty20 defeat by Sri Lanka.According to reports in the Australian media, Clarke’s leadership and attitude were both called into question by his team-mates, who were reported to favour Western Australia’s captain, Marcus North, as Ponting’s deputy in the forthcoming Ashes – a claim that North himself denied last week.Clarke, however, is adamant that his colleagues are behind him. “For the stuff in the change-room you’d have to ask the other guys, but I certainly feel the guys have shown me a lot of respect when I’ve had the opportunity to captain, and I’ve really enjoyed it,” he said at a sponsor’s function on Monday.”I enjoyed the other night when Ricky [Ponting] wasn’t there, and I’m really enjoying being vice-captain under Ricky Ponting.”Clarke added that he was unaware of the reports in the Australian press, which also featured an opinion poll in one weekend paper which stated that Cameron White was the public’s favoured man to take over from Ponting. White had 29% support in the poll, compared to Clarke’s 28%.”Everyone is entitled to their opinion, it’s important to be true to yourself, and true to who you are,” said Clarke. “People will make their judgment, but I think as a team we need to continue to work together and improve our cricket in all three forms of the game and we feel we’re in a good place.”We’re all heading in the one direction and we’re looking forward to the summer.”

ESPNcricinfo’s preview of the fifth Test between Australia and England at the SCG

Andrew Miller at the SCG01-Jan-2011Match FactsOver to you skip. Ricky Ponting has handed the captaincy to Michael Clarke for the Sydney Test•Getty ImagesJanuary 3-7, Sydney
Start time 10:30 (23:30 GMT)The Big PictureThe Ashes have been retained, but there’s still so much at stake as the series moves on to the New Year Test in Sydney. Another performance as crushing as either Adelaide or Melbourne proved to be, and England will have triumphed 3-1 – a margin of victory befitting a campaign that has been as meticulously crafted as any in the long history of Anglo-Australian rivalry. Another slip-up of the sort that threatened to derail them in Perth, however, and the series will be squared at 2-2, the first such scoreline since 1972, but one that would leave the Aussies feeling decidedly chipper after one of their most exacting home summers since the mid-1980s.All the signs point to England. They are settled, confident and – despite a few justified hangovers on the morning after the Ashes were retained – supremely focused on a speck in the middle distance which reads “World No. 1”. They’ve got a long way to go yet, but seeing as they have not lost a series of any description since September 2009, they are well on their way to that aim. Australia, by contrast, have just succumbed to their fifth Test defeat in seven matches, and are reeling not only from the sheer destructiveness of England’s performance at the MCG, but the implications of the collateral damage as well, with Ricky Ponting sidelined for the first time in six years.Nevertheless, we’ve been here before in Ashes cricket. Twenty-four years ago at this very ground, the seeds of Australia’s renaissance were sown at the precise moment that England believed they had laid them out for the rest of the decade. When the unheralded offspinner Peter Taylor claimed eight wickets on debut to secure a consolation 55-run victory in the fifth Test of the 1986-87 series, it was assumed it was a case of dead cat bounce for an out-muscled outfit. On the contrary, that victory would be the first of 12 Aussie wins without reply in Ashes cricket, with their run finally ending at The Oval in 1993.The lesson is simple. When Australia are down, they need to be kept there at all costs, because no side is more adept at improbable regeneration. The odds may be stacked against them, but if England dare to turn up without their fullest focus, the scope for an upset still exists.Form guide(most recent first)
Australia LWLDL
England WLWDWWatch out for…Michael Beer and Usman Khawaja will be making their Test debuts, but they will have surpassed themselves if they attract even a fraction of the attention that will be reserved for third first-timer in the Aussie ranks. On Monday, Michael Clarke will become Australia’s 43rd Test captain, and so step into a role that is second only in the nation’s prestige to the office of Prime Minister. Whether he is worthy of such a position is a question that he needs to answer PDQ. Some 85% of respondents to a national newspaper poll do not believe he is up to it, and while his team-mates have rallied round obediently this week, it is no secret that he is not universally adored within the dressing room. With 148 runs at 21.14 in the series to date, he’ll secure himself a quick hit of respect if he can rediscover his once-silky batting form.
Graeme Swann has been a ubiquitous presence in England’s Ashes campaign, from his series-long tussle with Australia’s main man, Michael Hussey, to his lead role in the sprinkler dance with which the squad celebrated the moment of victory at Melbourne. Through his acclaimed tour video, the insight track on a happy and harmonious squad has been plain to see. But his actual on-field contributions have been rather more subdued than he would have planned. Five matchwinning wickets at Adelaide and a vital holding role at the MCG have been offset by two anonymous outings at Brisbane and Perth. But Sydney is traditionally a spinner’s sanctuary. He will expect to make feathers fly.Team newsA new year, a new team for Australia. Ponting’s broken finger means he will be absent from their ranks for the first time since the tour of India in 2004-05, some 73 Tests ago, while Ryan Harris’s stress fractured ankle deprives them of arguably their most tireless fast-bowling option, and a man who claimed a career-best 6 for 47 at Perth a fortnight ago. Khawaja, Australia’s first Muslim Test cricketer, will step into Ponting’s immense shoes at No. 3, while Beer will finally get an outing after carrying the stubbies at the WACA and the MCG. Doug Bollinger is 12th man.Australia 1 Shane Watson, 2 Phillip Hughes, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Steven Smith, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Michael Beer, 11 Ben Hilfenhaus.Paul Collingwood’s form remains a concern for England, but he will surely play, albeit at No. 6, for what could yet be his final appearance in Test cricket. After his heroics in the fourth Test, Tim Bresnan has earned the right to keep his place in England’s pace attack, despite the claims of the rested Steven Finn and the ever-eager but as-yet-unused Ajmal Shahzad.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Paul Collingwood, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Chris Tremlett, 11 James AndersonPitch and conditionsSydney’s traditional characteristics will please Swann after a series in which only one surface, Adelaide, has truly played into his hands. But, according to David Saker, England’s revered bowling coach and the architect of their strategies for all five Tests, it will also swing at the SCG. James Anderson will be licking his lips, but so too Mitchell Johnson. The curator Tom Parker says win the toss and bat, and to expect spin from day three, but heavy overnight rain may tempt the captains to bowl.Stats and trivia Australia’s record at the SCG is formidable, with 14 wins in 16 Tests dating back to 1996. However, England are the only side to have beaten them at the venue in that time. Their 225-run win in 2002-03 was their last win on Australian soil until last month’s Adelaide Test . Alastair Cook needs 23 more runs to reach 600 for the series, a landmark achieved by just six England batsmen in Australia, most recently Michael Vaughan (633) in 2002-03. Ricky Ponting ‘s absence leaves him stranded on 99 Test wins, which is still the most individual victories by any player in Test history. Quotes”He’ll be an aggressive captain, always looking to take wickets out there, make changes to the field and with the bowlers. That’s the way Australians have played our cricket as long as I can remember. I think he’ll be a very positive captain.”
Michael Hussey gives a vote of confidence to his new leader, Michael Clarke

“We had one night out after the game, you should celebrate a Test victory and an Ashes-retaining victory heavily. I tried to a lead a merry dance, but that was one night and we’ve moved on.”
Graeme Swann says that England’s focus is back on the job after some heady times following the Melbourne win

Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport have shared a big Manchester United transfer update involving Juventus forward Paulo Dybala and incoming new manager Erik ten Hag.

The Lowdown: ten Hag revolution underway?

The 52-year-old, coming as the latest elite boss in a long line tasked with steering United back to the Premier League summit, has already been making his mark behind-the-scenes – according to reports.

Ten Hag is allegedly working on summer transfer targets with a central defender first and foremost on the Red Devils agenda, as per reporter Rudy Galetti, but that hasn’t stopped the Old Trafford side also making pre-summer moves for attacking targets.

ESPN journalist James Olley revealed just the other day that they had made an approach for soon-to be free agent and Juve star Dybala with La Gazzetta, a big name newspaper, now backing this update with their own bit of news.

The Latest: La Gazzetta make big Dybala claim…

According to the publication in their print edition, as shared by Sport Witness, United have indeed made ‘first contact’ to sign the Argentine.

Following on, they claim that ten Hag could play a major role in luring Dybala to Manchester, even wanting to hijack Inter Milan’s move for the player.

Indeed, while the European heavyweights are also in contact over signing the £222,000-per-week star, it is believed ten Hag could ‘cut them out’ with his own ‘speech’ – meaning he may be able to personally persuade Dybala to choose a move to England instead.

The Dutchman is also apparently a huge fan of the player as United take a step pre-summer by making early contact.

The Verdict: Good move?

A proven attacking threat in Serie A, scoring nearly a century of goals in the division combined with 51 assists (Transfermarkt), signing the £36 million-rated man for nothing would be a real statement by ten Hag and the club.

English pundits, like former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson, have previously raved over the ‘world class’ Dybala as a potentially ‘massive addition’ for any squad (Football Insider).

Set to become one of the biggest free agents of 2022, the race will be competitive for his signing, but perhaps ten Hag’s allure and United’s status as a household name could tempt Dybala.

In other news: Rangnick has set his sights on another one of Serie A’s brightest talents…find out more here.

Jose Mourinho has joked Manchester United might be handed the 2017-18 Premier League title if Manchester City are found guilty of breaching FFP rules.

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United finished 19 points behind City in 2017-18Mourinho still insists it's one of his best achievementsJokes City could be docked points after trialGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Mourinho was initially appointed United boss in 2016, and delivered a Europa League and Carabao Cup double in his first campaign before guiding the team to second in the Premier League table the following season – their best finish since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure. Results took a turn for the worse in the first half of the 2018-19 season and Mourinho was sacked, but the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss has since insisted that he ranks finishing second in the Premier League with United among his best achievements, a statement he stands by to this day.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT MOURINHO SAID

Mourinho reiterated that stance during a sit-down with Rio Ferdinand and Stephen Howson for , despite the fact United were still 19 points behind eventual champions City at the end of the season in question. Incredibly, the Portuguese then joked Pep Guardiola's side could see their total reduced as he referenced the fact City are set to go on trial for allegedly breaching 115 FFP rules.

"Maybe there is a chance we win that league, no?" Mourinho, Football.com global ambassador, said when Ferdinand challenged him on his remarks. "Because if Manchester City is caught in financial fair play breaking the rules, maybe they lose a few points and we win that title."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

By the end of his spell at Old Trafford, Mourinho had lost the faith of a large section of the fanbase and alienated several players by criticising them in public, and there were some who suggested his pragmatic style of play was never a good fit for United. However, the 61-year-old looks back on his time in Manchester fondly, and still feels a connection with supporters.

"I loved my time there," he said. "I was so proud of going there, and even prouder a couple of years later going back as a Sky commentator and when I felt the reaction of the crowd I was like 'wow'. I always felt we were together and that reaction touched me. To be a coach in the same club as Sir Alex, you have to feel the pride and responsibility. Historical club, legendary players, I was very happy and proud to be there. Not easy, I don't think media helped me, including yourself maybe, I felt that was not with an intention of hurting, it was more people didn't understand the dimension of the job and potential difficulties. The structure was not very fluid."

Mourinho went on to defend United's much-maligned former executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, instead pointing the finger of blame at the Glazer family for the chaotic state of the club behind the scenes. "I don't like when people criticise Ed Woodward's job, because he's a good man, very intelligent, very polite, very correct, but probably not prepared for the sports side of it," he added. "For a coach not to have a direct communication with the ownership, and not have a structure that shares the same principle and ideas was not easy, with consequences at many levels. But I did my best."

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WHAT NEXT FOR UNITED AND CITY?

Some six years on from Mourinho's departure, United are still in disarray, and currently sit sixth in the Premier League table. City are 11 points ahead of them with a game in hand, and favourites to lift the title for a fourth successive year, though the upcoming FFP trial is still casting a shadow over Etihad Stadium. According to the , the trial is set to begin in Autumn this year, and will be settled by an independent panel.

Scotland Yard says it has passed on to prosecutors an initial file of evidence on claims that the Pakistan cricketers accepted cash bribes to take part in spot-fixing

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2010Scotland Yard has said it has passed on to prosecutors an initial file of evidence on claims that Pakistan cricketers were involved in spot-fixing.It said evidence that there was a conspiracy to defraud bookmakers will be considered by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).”The Metropolitan Police Service has today delivered an initial file of evidence relating to conspiracy to defraud bookmakers to the Crown Prosecution Service,” a Scotland Yard spokesman said. “The file will now be subject to CPS consideration. This is an initial file and the Met investigation continues.”Four Pakistan players – Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz – have been questioned by the police, and the first three have been suspended by the ICC pending the investigation. Those three have returned to Pakistan following an agreement with Scotland Yard that they would return at any time for further questioning.Butt, Asif and Amir have also replied to notices issued to them by the ICC after it felt they had a case to answer.Scotland Yard’s announcement comes a day after ICC president Sharad Pawar said the police investigation was “likely to end soon”.

Liverpool centre-back Joe Gomez could potentially join Newcastle United in the summer transfer window, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Gomez out of favour at Liverpool

The 24-year-old has had a frustrating season to date, finding himself behind Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate in the centre-back pecking order at Anfield.

Gomez has only started one Premier League game all season and even that was at right-back against Norwich City last weekend.

It is only natural that he may be keen on earning more regular playing time elsewhere, with other clubs rumoured to be eyeing up a move for him.

The Latest: Journalist backs Newcastle move for Gomez

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones claimed that Newcastle could end up being Gomez’s next destination this summer amid links with a move to Tyneside, seeing him as a more realistic signing than someone like Paul Pogba.

The journalist stated: “I think when names like Pogba get thrown around, and then you’re also seeing Joe Gomez, you’re like, ‘Well, that seems much more sensible’. And from what we’ve seen so far, a much more likely route that they go down.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-21/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Verdict: Keep hold of him

Gomez may currently be struggling to make his mark at Liverpool but he is a proven defender who remains relatively young, having been hailed as ‘sensational’ by Jurgen Klopp in the past.

It would be a huge shame to see him move on, and with Van Dijk and Matip both turning 31 this year, he should still be viewed as a long-term option at the back for the Reds.

While serious injury problems may have had an impact, which could alter Liverpool’s thinking, it makes more sense to persevere with him into the future, rather than possibly allowing him to excel at another Premier League club.

In other news, one pundit is excited about a potential Liverpool signing. Read more here.

Warwickshire took control of their relegation dogfight with Essex on a rain-shortened first day in the County Championship Division One match at Edgbaston

25-Aug-2010
ScorecardDarren Maddy removed James Foster for a duck as Essex slumped before rain arrived•Getty ImagesWarwickshire took control of their relegation dogfight with Essex on a rain-shortened first day in the County Championship Division One match at Edgbaston. Essex crumbled to 90 for 7 in 27.3 overs as the home side exploited a seaming pitch after winning the toss for the first time in seven Championship matches on their own ground this season.Ravi Bopara, unbeaten with 42 after hitting six fours, was the only batsman to make significant progress during a grim start for Essex in this make-or-break clash of the bottom two. Warwickshire won the first meeting earlier this month at Southend – in between two fearful maulings by Nottinghamshire – and already they are making up further ground on an Essex side clearly lacking in confidence.An opening stand of 36 proved to be a false dawn for the visitors. From the time Billy Godleman was out for 22, nibbling a catch to the wicketkeeper in the ninth over, Essex lost seven wickets for the addition of 54 runs, mostly scored by Bopara.Chris Woakes claimed the first three in the space of 12 balls for an overall return of three for 28. Jaik Mickleburgh and Matthew Walker were both leg before wicket, the latter offering no shot in an error of judgment which typified Essex’s uncertainty.Although Neil Carter unusually toiled without reward, Warwickshire’s first bowling changes paid off almost straight away. Rikki Clarke speared a good delivery through Mark Pettini’s defence and James Foster deflected Darren Maddy’s 11th ball to second slip.Bopara had some luck, but he was easily the most organised batsman as he made his highest Championship score since his two centuries in the match with Yorkshire at Chelmsford five weeks ago.With the total stuck on 90 as lunch approached, he lost two more partners from the first nine deliveries bowled by Boyd Rankin. Richard Johnson, preferred to Tim Ambrose behind the stumps, held a chance from Ryan ten Doeschate and David Masters became the third lbw casualty of the session.Steady rain set in during the interval and play was abandoned after the players had taken an early tea. Even with two-thirds of the day lost, Warwickshire are still well placed to grab a relegation lifeline. A victory here would give them a chance of escaping with their last two matches against Kent and Hampshire, two other teams in the danger zone.