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• It was the 1549th Test match in cricket history.
• It was India’s 341st and Zimbabwe’s 52nd Test match – seventh betweenthese two sides.
• It was the 28th Test match on Zimbabwean soilfourth between thesetwo sides.
• Umpire Ian Robinson was officiating in his 25th Test match. He becamefirst Zimbabwean and 31st umpire in Test annals to reach thislandmark. The other umpire Asoka de Silva was standing in his thirdTest.
• Hemang Badani and Travis Friend became the 237th and 51st player torepresent India and Zimbabwe respectively. By an odd coincidence boththese players have appeared in 13 matches each for their respectivesides.
• Grant Flower was playing his 50th Test match. He became thirdZimbabwean after brother Andy and Alistair Campbell (52) and 171stplayer in all to have reached this milestone.
• Rahul Dravid on 25 in first innings became the highest run-scoreragainst Zimbabwe in Tests moving ahead of New Zealander Nathan Astlewho has an aggregate of 662 runs from 9 Tests and 15 innings. At theend of this match Dravid has scored 732 runs from five Tests and 8innings. Tendulkar with 664 runs from 7 Tests and 11 innings has movedto second place behind Dravid.
• Andy Blignaut’s three catches in first innings equalled the bestperformance by a Zimbabwean in the field in an innings against India.Guy Whittall had also taken three catches in the first innings of theBulawayo Test just a week ago.
• Andy Flower completed his 1000 Test runs against India when his scorereached 18 in first innings. He became first Zimbabwean and 22ndbatsman in all to have accomplished this feat. At the end of thismatch Andy has taken his aggregate to 1043 runs from 14 innings ofseven Tests against India. Flower The accompanying table lists thebatsman with 1000 runs in a career against India. It might be notedthat Andy’s average of 128.37 is the highest among this elite band.

Batsmen with a career aggregate of 1000 runs against India :

Batsman	Runs	For	M	Inn	NO	Ave	HS	100	50	0
CH Lloyd	2344	WI	28	44	4	58.60	242*	7	12	1
Javed Miandad	2228	Pak	28	39	6	67.52	280*	5	14	1
IVA Richards	1927	WI	28	41	3	50.71	192*	8	7	1
GStA Sobers	1920	WI	18	30	7	83.48	198	8	7	2
Zaheer Abbas	1740	Pak	19	25	5	87.00	235*	6	3	1
GA Gooch	1725	Eng	19	33	2	55.65	333	5	8	1
RB Kanhai	1693	WI	18	28	1	62.70	256	4	7	1
CG Greenidge	1678	WI	23	39	4	47.94	194	5	8	3
AR Border	1567	Aus	20	35	5	52.23	163	4	9	2
EdeC Weekes	1495	WI	10	15	1	106.79	207	7	4	0
Mudassar Nazar	1431	Pak	18	25	2	62.22	231	6	3	0
DI Gower	1391	Eng	24	37	6	44.87	200*	2	6	3
KF Barrington	1355	Eng	14	21	3	75.28	172	3	9	0
PA de Silva	1252	SL	19	32	2	41.73	148	5	3	0
AI Kallicharran	1229	WI	15	25	3	55.86	187	3	7	2
DC Boon	1204	Aus	11	20	3	70.82	135	6	2	0
IT Botham	1201	Eng	14	17	0	70.65	208	5	5	1
MW Gatting	1155	Eng	16	27	6	55.00	207	3	3	3
RB Simpson	1125	Aus	11	21	0	53.57	176	4	6	0
Imran Khan	1091	Pak	23	29	8	51.95	135*	3	3	0
G Boycott	1084	Eng	13	22	3	57.05	246*	4	2	0
A Flower	1043	Zim	7	14	6	130.37	232*	3	6	0

• The remarkable thing about Andy’s feat is that he needed only sevenTests to complete his 1000 runs.Flower now shares the record ofcompleting 1000 runs in a career against India in least Test matcheswith West Indian Everton Weekes. Weekes, however, is the fastest interms of innings as he accomplished this feat in four innings lesserthan Andy.
• Andy is now jointly placed second among the batsmen reaching 1000 runsin a career against a particular country in least matches alongwithWest Indian Everton Weekes, Australia’s Don Bradman and Doug Walterswith West Indian Viv Richards heading the table. Richards took onlysix Tests to achieve a runaggregate of 1000 against England. AnotherWest Indian Weekes holds the world record of being the fastest inleast innings as he took only nine inning to complete his 1000 runsagainst India. The details:

Fastest to complete 1000 test runs against a specific country :

Batsman	For	M	Inns	NO	Ave	Hs	100s	0s	Vs	Venue	Tst	Series
IVA Richards	WI	6	10	1	111.11	291	3	0	Eng	Lord’s	2nd	1980
EdeC Weekes	WI	7	9	1	125.00	207	5	0	Ind	Bridgetown	2nd	1952-53
KD Walters	Aus	7	11	2	111.11	242	6	0	WI	Port-of-Spain	3rd	1972-73
DG Bradman	Aus	7	13	2	90.91	254	5	0	Eng	Leeds	3rd	1930
A Flower	Zim	7	13	5	128.37	232*	3	0	Ind	Harare	2nd	2000-01
RN Harvey	Aus	8	13	4	111.11	178	6	0	SA	Sydney	3rd	1952-53
DCS Compton	Eng	8	13	1	83.33	208	5	0	SA	Cape Town	3rd	1948-49
Javed Miandad	Pak	8	14	5	111.11	206	4	0	NZ	Hyderabad	2nd	1984-85
WR Hammond	Eng	8	14	2	83.33	251	4	0	Aus	Leeds	3rd	1930
GA Headley	WI	8	15	2	76.92	223	5	0	Eng	Bridgetown	1st	1934-35
SM Gavaskar	Ind	8	15	4	90.91	220	4	1	WI	Port-of-Spain	2nd	1975-76
WR Hammond	Eng	9	11	3	125.00	336*	4	1	NZ	Christchurch	1st	1946-47
BC Lara	WI	9	14	2	83.33	375	2	0	Eng	Manchester	4th	1995
M Azharuddin	Ind	9	16	3	76.92	179	5	0	Eng	The Oval	3rd	1990
AR Morris	Aus	9	16	3	76.92	179*	5	0	Eng	Leeds	4th	1948
MA Taylor	Aus	9	17	3	71.43	219	2	0	Eng	Sydney	3rd	1990-91
L Hutton	Eng	9	17	3	71.43	202*	3	0	WI	Kingston	1st	1953-54

• Heath Streak,on 11 in first innings,completed his 1000 runs in 40thTest. He became seventh Zimbabwean and 363rd batsman in Test annals toreach this landmark. The batsman with a career aggregate of 1000 runsfor Zimbabwe are :Andy Flower (3908 runs in 52 Tests), Grant Flower(2812 runs in 50 Tests), Alistair Campbell (2307 runs in 52 Tests),GuyWhittall (2056 runs in 41 Tests), Dave Houghton (1464 runs in 22Tests),Murray Goodwin (1414 runs in 19 Tests) and Heath Streak (1037runs in 40 Tests).
• With this, Streak also completed the coveted double of 1000 runs and100 wickets, becoming the first Zimbabwean and 36th allrounder to doso.
• Grant Flower,on 10 in first innings, became only the second batsmanafter brother Andy to reach 1000 runs at Harare Sports Club Ground. Atthe end of this Test,Grant has an aggregate of 1079 runs from 17 Testsafter Andy’s 1098 runs from 18 Tests.
• Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra by returning the figures of four for71 and four for 72 achieved the two best figures by an Indian bowlerin Zimbabwe. Anil Kumble had figures of four for 87 at this same venuein 1998-99.
• Sachin Tendulkar,on 19 in second innings,became the second highestrun-getter for India in Tests. He surpassed Dilip Vengsarkar’s tallyof 6868 runs from 116 matches and 185 innings. Tendulkar overhauledVengsarkar’s aggregate in 32 Tests and 50 innings lesser. Now onlySunil Gavaskar with 10122 runs in 125 Tests and 214 innings is aheadof Tendulkar. Tendulkar,with 6919 runs at the end of this Test,isplaced 23rd in the list of leading Test batsmen.It is interesting tonote that Tendulkar’s average of 57.18 is second only to Don Bradman’s99.94.
• Tendulkar now has 53 scores of fifty plus on this name including 25hundreds which takes him past Vengsarkar who has 52 such scores (17hundreds and 35 fifties) to his credit. Only Gavaskar has more fiftyplus scores 79 (34+45) among Indian batsmen.
• Tendulkar now has aggregated 2004 runs in 25 Tests (ave 40.08) in thematches lost by India . He became second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar(2314 runs in 34 Tests) and 11th batsman in all to aggregate 2000 runsin the `lost’ matches. For the record Australia’s Allan Border has themaximum run aggregate of 2771 runs (ave.33.39) in 46 Tests lost byAustralia. The accompanying tables have details.

Most runs in `lost’ matches

Batsman	Runs	For	M	Inn	NO	Ave	HS	100	50	0
AR Border	2771	Aus	46	92	9	33.39	152*	5	13	7
DI Gower	2581	Eng	42	84	4	32.26	114	4	15	3
AJ Stewart	2473	Eng	44	87	5	30.16	89	0	19	6
GA Gooch	2423	Eng	42	84	0	28.85	133	3	16	5
SM Gavaskar	2314	Ind	34	67	1	35.06	137	6	12	7
A Ranatunga	2163	SL	35	70	2	31.81	127	1	15	5
MA Atherton	2128	Eng	40	80	0	26.60	144	1	13	10
BC Lara	2125	WI	33	66	0	32.20	182	3	14	7
SR Waugh	2065	Aus	32	63	7	36.88	199	4	9	10
A Flower	2050	Zim	26	52	4	42.71	183*	5	13	3
SR Tendulkar	2004	Ind	25	50	0	40.08	177	7	7	5

Most runs in `lost’ matches for India

Batsman	Runs	For	M	Inn	NO	Ave	HS	100	50	0
SM Gavaskar	2314	Ind	34	67	1	35.06	137	6	12	7
SR Tendulkar	2004	Ind	25	50	0	40.08	177	7	7	5
DB Vengsarkar	1654	Ind	34	68	2	25.06	157	2	9	4
M Azharuddin	1605	Ind	25	50	1	32.76	121	7	3	2
N Kapil Dev	1576	Ind	31	62	2	26.27	129	1	9	5
M Amarnath	1534	Ind	23	46	1	34.09	100	1	13	10
GR Viswanath	1483	Ind	28	55	0	26.96	95	0	12	4
Pataudi (Nawab of) jr	1298	Ind	19	37	1	36.06	148	2	9	3
PR Umrigar	1154	Ind	21	42	2	28.85	172*	2	5	3
FM Engineer	1115	Ind	22	43	1	26.55	89	0	8	7
CG Borde	1027	Ind	25	49	1	21.40	121	1	6	11

• The duck in second innings was eighth for Ajit Agarkar in his tenthTest and 16th innings. Agarkar’s duck frequency of 50 % is the highestin Test cricket by a batsman aggregating atleast five ducks in acareer. The details :

Highest duck percentage in a career(Min 5 ducks)

Batsman	Duck Freq.	0s	For	M	Inn	Runs	NO	Ave	HS
AB Agarkar	50.00	8	Ind	10	16	124	1	8.27	41*
AG Huckle	50.00	7	Zim	8	14	74	3	6.73	28*
AG Hurst	50.00	10	Aus	12	20	102	3	6.00	26
G Kishenchand	50.00	5	Ind	5	10	89	0	8.90	44
JM Patel	50.00	5	Ind	7	10	25	1	2.78	12
RG Holland	46.67	7	Aus	11	15	35	4	3.18	10
A Kuruvilla	45.45	5	Ind	10	11	66	1	6.60	35*
AD Mullally	42.31	11	Eng	18	26	127	4	5.77	24
WM Clark	42.11	8	Aus	10	19	98	2	5.76	33
BP Bracewell	41.67	5	NZ	6	12	24	2	2.40	8
MB Owens	41.67	5	NZ	8	12	16	6	2.67	8*

Highest duck percentage by Indian batsmen(Min 5 ducks)

Batsman	Duck Freq.	0s	For	M	Inn	Runs	NO	Ave	HS
AB Agarkar	50.00	8	Ind	10	16	124	1	8.27	41*
G Kishenchand	50.00	5	Ind	5	10	89	0	8.90	44
JM Patel	50.00	5	Ind	7	10	25	1	2.78	12
A Kuruvilla	45.45	5	Ind	10	11	66	1	6.60	35*
DR Doshi	36.84	14	Ind	33	38	129	10	4.61	20
NS Tamhane	29.63	8	Ind	21	27	225	5	10.23	54*
Ghulam Ahmed	29.03	9	Ind	22	31	192	9	8.73	50
Maninder Singh	28.95	11	Ind	35	38	99	12	3.81	15
BS Chandrasekhar	28.75	23	Ind	58	80	167	39	4.07	22
ND Hirwani	22.73	5	Ind	17	22	54	12	5.40	17
BKV Prasad	21.43	9	Ind	30	42	168	17	6.72	30*

• Ashish Nehra became 27th Indian to bag a Test match pair (i.e. duck inboth innings) on 36th occasion. He also achieved the dubiousdistinction of becoming the first Indian to suffer this ignominyagainst Zimbabwe. The other batsmen to do so against Zimbabwe arePakistan’s Manzoor Elahi (1994-95) and Mushtaq Ahmed (1997-98),WestIndian Adrian Griffith (1999-00) and Bangladesh’s Manjural Islam andMohammad Sharif (2000-01).
• Blignaut (5-74) became the third Zimbabwean to take a five wicket haulagainst India. Interestingly all three have performed this feat thissame ground. John Traicos (5-86) in 1992-93 and Henry Olonga (5-70)are the others to do so.
• Javagal Srinath now has taken 192 wickets in 52 Tests which puts himahead of Erapally Prasanna who had 189 wickets from 49 Tests to hiscredit. Now only Kapil Dev (434 wickets in 131 Tests), Anil Kumble(276 in 61), Bishan Singh Bedi (266 in 67) and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar(242 in 58) are ahead of Srinath for India.
• With the series tied at 1-1,India now has still not won a Test seriesoutside the sub-continent since 1986 when it defeated England by 2-0margin.
• The win was Zimbabwe’s sixth in 52 matches. Interestingly Zimbabwe hasnow beaten three neighbouring countries India, Pakistan and Bangladeshon two occasions each.
• The defeat was India’s 71st in 159th Test on foreign soil and secondin four Tests in Zimbabwe.
• At the end of this series :
• India’s overall Test record :played 341,won 66,lost 114,drawn 160 andtied one.
• Zimbabwe’s overall Test record:played 52,won 6,lost 26 and drawn 20.
• Saurav Ganguly’s captaincy record :played 8,won 5,lost 2 and drawnone.
• Heath Streak’s captaincy record :played 9,won 3,lost 4 and drawn 2.
  

New South Wales 3 for 172 (Katich 86*, Hughes 73) trail Tasmania 398 (Di Venuto 144, Paine 72, Krejza 65) by 226 runs
Scorecard

	Simon Katich, the leading batsman in the Pura Cup this season, holds the key for New South Wales after reaching 86 not out © Getty Images

The captain Simon Katich led from the front again as New South Wales chased two first-innings points that could prove vital for hosting the Pura Cup final. With two rounds to go the Blues need more points than Victoria, who share the lead on 33, and Katich gave them hope of moving ahead with an unbeaten 86 against Tasmania.New South Wales were 3 for 172 at stumps on day two and require another 227 to overhaul the home side’s first innings. Katich entered at the difficulty of 2 for 27, but he steadied the situation with the opener Phillip Hughes, who returned from Australia’s Under-19 World Cup campaign after they lost in the quarter-finals. It was a successful decision as Hughes reached 73, his highest first-class score, before edging Brett Geeves to Tim Paine.Paine had a successful day with bat and gloves, accepting the early catches of Phil Jaques (4) and Peter Forrest (8), but the Tigers could not remove Katich. His pulling was strong during his stay of 123 balls and he picked up 11 fours. He has the double incentive of points for his team and improving his chances of posting a domestic record after reaching 1245 runs for the season, 219 short of the mark held by Michael Bevan.The morning started with Paine and Jason Krejza combining in an important stand of 129 after resuming at 6 for 291. The partnership was a great help to Tasmania and Paine was rewarded with 72 – he went to a run-out from Forrest – while Krejza scored 65 before he became the second of Dominic Thornely’s two wickets. Mark Cameron finished the innings on 398 and collected 3 for 111.

Glenn McGrath is keen to remind England of his powers in what could be his last game against them © Getty Images

Glenn McGrath believes Australia should defeat England comfortably when the teams meet in their Super Eights match in Antigua on Sunday. However, Australia will need to keep their momentum up after an eight-day break between games, which McGrath said was “too long”.McGrath has faced England in 32 ODIs and 30 Tests but Sunday’s game will be his last encounter against his old rivals unless the two sides meet in the semi-finals or final. Following on from his correct tip that Australia would win the Ashes 5-0, McGrath said Australia deserved to be favourites in Antigua.”The way England have been playing and the way we have been playing, we should win this game pretty well,” McGrath told . Australia are unbeaten from five games in the West Indies, while England have lost to New Zealand and enjoyed less-than-convincing victories over Canada, Kenya and Ireland.McGrath said England’s surprise win in the CB Series in February meant little as lifting the World Cup was the ultimate goal. “They played well to finish off the summer in Australia, we probably let our guard down a bit,” McGrath said. “Since we’ve been over here we’ve prepared exactly the way we wanted to prepare and we’ve played some awesome cricket. To be honest, no team has really got close to us.”I have always enjoyed playing England. Potentially, it could be the last time I come up against these guys before I hang the boots up so it would be nice to finish on a good note.”McGrath is Australia’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 12 and has also broken Wasim Akram’s record for the most victims in World Cups. However, he might require extra focus to keep up that form as Australia’s last match was on Saturday, meaning by the time they face England they will have had more than a week off.”It’s good you can get around the islands and have a bit of a break,” McGrath said. “But when you are in a tournament like this and playing well, you want to keep the momentum up. Eight days off in between games, that’s probably a bit too long.”After the England clash, Australia will have four days’ rest before taking on Ireland in Barbados. They then travel to Grenada and wrap up their Super Eights campaign against Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

Roger Brathwaite played a major part in acquiring funds for the WICB © ICC

Roger Brathwaite, CEO of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) yesterday announced he will be leaving the position effective April 28.On making the announcement Brathwaite said: “I am extremely happy with the contribution I have made to the Board and to West Indies cricket on a whole during my tenure with the WICB. The Board, over this period has been able to generate a profit of US$1.3 million in 2003 and US$ 3.6 million in 2004, stemming three years of losses. The recent securing of a multi million dollar loan facility for the Board to assist with its cash flow crisis will allow it to operate the day to day business of the Board through until March 2007.”The past four years have been quite challenging, and now I leave having done the best I could within the organisation framework. I received outstanding support from my staff and management team, directors and committee members, both past and present for which I will always be grateful,” he added.Brathwaite took up the post of Chief Marketing Executive with the Board in May 2002 and was later promoted to the position of CEO in April 2003.Commenting on Brathwaite’s decision, Ken Gordon, the WICB president said: “The Board recognises Roger’s contribution first as Chief Marketing Executive and then as CEO. I have relied on his sound knowledge of the business of cricket, his absolute integrity and his tireless commitment to West Indies cricket. As he moves on to a further phase of his career we wish him well. In fact there are avenues in which we may well continue to work together to assist in the resurgence of West Indies cricket.”The Board thanks Roger for his contribution and the commitment he has demonstrated to the organisation.”

What was an excellent season on the field for Tama Canning was spoilt after a late-night drinking session left him red-faced and out of pocket.Canning allegedly urinated over a bar in an Auckland nightclub last week. He told an Auckland Cricket Association (ACA) meeting that he had no recollection of the incident, but accepted that his behaviour at the bar was inappropriate due to his heavy consumption of alcohol on the night.After discussion of the alleged incident Canning acknowledged he was in breach of his Domestic Playing Agreement, and that his actions were clearly not in the best interests of the ACA or himself.As a result, he was fined an undisclosed amount by the ACA, while a support programme will be put in place to ensure there is no repetition of the incident.”This is an extremely unfortunate incident that reflects very badly on Tama after he had enjoyed a successful season on the field,” said Andrew Eade, the ACA’s chief executive. “He deeply regrets his behaviour and understands that it is totally unacceptable if he wishes to remain part of Auckland cricket in the future.”Canning and the ACA have both apologised to the nightclub.

England could face Jermaine Lawson, the West Indies fast bowler, in the first match of their tour next week.Lawson has not played a Test since May last year, in which he took 7 for 78 against Australia. He has since been out of action because of a suspect bowling action, on which he has been having remedial work, and back problems.However, Jamaica’s selectors are reportedly considering picking Lawson, 22, for a three-day warm-up match next week after watching him back in practice. “He bowled with some pace, the only problem was his accuracy,” Robert Haynes, the coach, told the . “But he hasn’t bowled for a long time so these things are expected. Once he is fit enough and the doctor gives the go-ahead, and the West Indies development coach Phillip Service agrees that he should play, I believe that he definitely should.”Dr Akshai Mansingh, the board’s orthopaedic specialist, also sounded encouraging. “So far, he has done very well,” Mansingh said. “He has prepared well in the nets and will have further sessions this week for us to see how he does.”Wavell Hinds, the top-order batsman, who was forced to return home during the recent tour of South Africa with a groin strain, could also make his comeback in that match.

Worcestershire CCC can confirm the recent speculation concerning South African fast bowler Nantie Hayward. Nantie will be joining the County for the 2003 and 2004 Seasons as one of the County’s two Overseas Players along with Andrew Hall.Nantie will join the County once his contract runs out with the United Cricket Board of South Africa in a few months time. He says “I am really looking forward to playing County Cricket with Worcestershire. I want to perform the best I can and to help the team achieve increased success. I am confident that if I do well it will help the team do well and that we will be competing for trophies.”Chief Executive Mark Newton expressed the Club’s delight with the signing. He says “Nantie is an experienced Test Match opening bowler as he has proven recently against Pakistan. He will give our opening attack pace and hostility as we strive for First Division status in the Frizzell County Championship.”

ScorecardArun Harinath: a career-defining season?•PA Photos

The boisterous rendition of Surrey’s team song – a legacy of Mark Butcher’s time as captain – spoke of a deeply contented squad. They had much to be contented about. Surrey had just won their fourth consecutive game, lifting themselves 54 points clear of third-placed Glamorgan with four games left to play.Although three late wickets gave Surrey’s run chase an ostensible tension, they chased down 313 with a palpable swagger befitting a vibrant young team who will soon leave Division Two cricket behind.In a side not lacking for razzmatazz, Arun Harinath and Gary Wilson are two undemonstrative cricketers, eschewing histrionics but identified by dependability. They rarely feel compelled to match more belligerent teammates stroke-for-stroke, but, as they proved here, it is not because they are entirely incapable of doing so.Harinath has enjoyed a career-transforming season. First given an opportunity when Rory Burns was knocked unconscious during a horrific collision with Moises Henriques at Arundel, Harinath responded with a pair of centuries against Glamorgan.His progress – adhesiveness married with newfound assertiveness – has delighted many, Kumar Sangakkara included. In , Sangakkara recently praised Harinath’s aggression as befitting “a good, old-fashioned Sri Lankan brand of cricket”, lamenting “what an opportunity it would be for Sri Lanka if he was over there and playing.”Building his innings diligently after Surrey lost Burns and Davies in consecutive overs, Harinath’s 87 provided ample evidence of his shot-making ability. When he crunched Jamie Porter to the point boundary he did not even deign to move. The nimbleness of his footwork as he lofted the ball down the ground against spin was also delightful.Together with Gary Wilson, Harinath forged the decisive partnership of the match: 92 in 16.5 overs. Wilson oozed intent from his arrival, his cries of “push, push” booming around Castle Park whenever a gap was located. He was particularly adroit against Monty Panesar, heaving him for an emphatic six over long off and then deftly reverse-sweeping for four in the same over.”I just knew that when it got down to a one-day scenario that we could probably put on the gas with him, because he does tend to bowl at that one pace and when we got a few shots away off it he might not be able to have the change-ups that perhaps the others guys might,” Wilson reflected.After 750 runs at 46.87 apiece last year Wilson would not have been the first to take umbrage after not being retained as captain (partly due to his Ireland commitments), but he is not the sort to do so: his fourth half-century of the season lifted his average above 45 once more.As Surrey built their chase upon another innings from Burns that oozed assurance, it had seemed as if their chase was set up for Jason Roy, who promptly slog-swept Tom Westley for a four and six in consecutive balls. With Surrey needing 150 from the final session with seven wickets in hand, Roy gave note of his intensions by thumping a straight boundary in the first over after tea. “He’s going for it,” Essex’s Jamie Porter could be heard muttering.So Roy was, and, as he followed a pristine offdrive off Panesar with a late cut of finesse for another boundary three balls later, Essex has good reason to fear. He smeared another slogsweep off Westley to the square leg boundary, but this time Matt Salisbury parried the ball, tumbled over the boundary edge and then returned to pluck the ball out of the air.It was the sort of moment that deserved to be match turning, but Surrey hurtled over their target with the force of a runaway train, even promoting Sam Curran from No 10 to No 7 to speed up the time before they could bring out their team song.Division One is coming, and Surrey think they are ready. “Division One cricket is a step up but it’s still Championship cricket and we’ll be confident that we can step up,” Wilson reflected. “The good thing about this team is it’s a really young squad. There’s going to be years of learning but we’ve got so many players that have got to be on the England radar.”That the game finished with 17 scheduled deliveries remaining was testament to the outstanding work done by the ground staff at Castle Park. While the pitch did not deteriorate in the way some envisaged – after day two Burns said that he would not like to chase more than 250 – it produced four days of engrossing cricket.Ultimately the superiority of Surrey’s spinners proved decisive. While Panesar had bowled encouragingly in the first innings, he was too predictable, too fast and too flat on the final day, until a rank longhop to Gareth Batty was dispatched to secure Surrey’s win.It did not speak well of Panesar’s performance that he was out-bowled by not only Aron Nijjar, a 20-year-old left-arm spinner, but also Westley, who had not taken a Championship wicket all season until this game. Panesdar finished with 1 for 88 and went at nearly five an over. Nijjar and Westley took 6 for 158 and conceded 3.5.”We never really got control of the game,” admitted Essex coach Paul Grayson. “We were leaking runs a bit too easily and couldn’t really sustain pressure for any period of time.”In many ways Essex’s day was defined in the first over of the day. Westley, who had the capacity to dominate Surrey’s attack, was dismissed to his second ball of the day, a flick to the legside freakishly ballooned off Roy at short leg, who caught the ball on the rebound.”Above all, he believes in getting things done,” wrote the journalist Simon Heffer of ‘Essex Man’ when he christened the term 25 years ago. For much of Essex’s second innings Heffer might have thought that his opinion needed revising.Essex failed to even score at three an over which, even allowing for the nous of Surrey’s spin twins, seemed to betray a curious lack of urgency considering the side began the match 56 points behind Surrey. and a win was essential. Besides Westley, who failed to add to his overnight 90, Essex’s top order gave the impression their feet were chained to he ground.At several occasions on the final morning all 13 players on the pitch were united in looking up towards the pavilion to see if James Foster was calling his team in. But Essex batted on and then batted some more – and rather lethargically in the circumstances – even as their lead cleared 300.Still, Gareth Batty was not complaining, his perseverance and skill rewarded with a five-wicket haul to match Ansari’s in the first innings: Surrey’s two spinners shared 15 wickets in the match, the last coming from a superb Jade Dernbach catch at fine leg, catching a ferocious sweep from Kishen Velani on the rebound.

Manchester United’s central midfield hunt feels as though it has lasted for many months, with no number one target appearing ahead of the January transfer window.

Bruno Fernandes, who has operated in such a role this campaign, looks set to miss the next few weeks, after limping off with a hamstring issue against Aston Villa.

As a result, Manuel Ugarte, Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo remain as the only senior options available to Ruben Amorim in his push to claim a top-four spot in the Premier League.

INEOS will no doubt want to invest further into the playing squad to bolster the options at the 40-year-old’s disposal, but it remains to be seen who they go after.

One player has been strongly linked over recent months, but it’s currently unclear if the Red Devils can convince his current employers to part ways with him this winter.

Man Utd could see £35m bid accepted for LaLiga star

Over recent months, Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton has emerged as a key target for United, with the youngster seen as an immediate and long-term solution.

The 21-year-old has made himself a full-time England international over the last few years, which has no doubt increased the fee the Eagles can demand for his signature.

It’s been reported that Oliver Glasner’s side are demanding at least £75m to part ways with the youngster, a fee which could prove to be outside the Red Devils’ price range.

However, he’s not the only Englishman currently in their sights ahead of the January window, with Atlético Madrid star Conor Gallagher another option they’re considering.

According to talkSPORT, the LaLiga side would be willing to offload the 25-year-old this winter, should they receive an offer in the region of £35m for his services.

It also states Amorim’s side would prefer a loan deal instead of a permanent one during the upcoming window, but it remains to be seen if such could be reached.

Why Gallagher would be United’s very own Wharton

There’s no doubt United need a huge overhaul of the central midfield department, with the current options at Amorim’s disposal, unfortunately, not at the level required for success.

However, given the huge investment over the summer, numerous temporary solutions will no doubt be needed in January to provide a short-term fix until the end of the season.

The summer will be the time when the board can once again invest and complete an overhaul to help achieve the success the fanbase have been starved of in recent years.

Wharton will no doubt be one of the main targets the hierarchy decide to pursue, with the 21-year-old a player who could feature in the role for at least the next decade.

However, Gallagher could be the perfect short-term solution if a deal can be agreed, with the Atlético star potentially being their own version of the Palace sensation.

He has previously played for the Eagles, like Wharton, with such a move being the perfect stepping stone to establish himself in the Premier League.

Gallagher is also a box-to-box option, just like the youngster, with the pair being ranked as similar players for their performances in England’s top-flight a few years ago.

However, when delving into their stats from the ongoing season, the 25-year-old has also produced numerous figures which are better than his fellow big-money target.

The Atletico star, who’s been dubbed “sensational” by scout Felix Johnston, has completed more of the passes he’s attempted, whilst also registering more progressive carries per 90.

How Gallagher & Wharton compare in 2025/26

Statistics (per 90)

Gallagher

Wharton

Games played

18

15

Goals & assists

2

2

Pass accuracy

87%

85%

Progressive carries

2.7

1.1

Tackles won

1.7

1.2

Tackle success rate

47%

42%

Interceptions made

1.6

1.1

Blocks made

1.6

0.7

Aerials won

53%

45%

Stats via FBref

Such numbers showcase his incredible ability with the ball at his feet, potentially offering the side an excellent ball-playing option within the heart of the midfield.

Subscribe to our newsletter for Man Utd midfield insight Gain deeper transfer context – subscribe to our newsletter for expert coverage of Man Utd’s midfield hunt, head-to-head stats, tactical analysis, and negotiation context that clarifies potential moves and helps you weigh the options. Subscribe Subscribe to our newsletter for Man Utd midfield insight Gain deeper transfer context – subscribe to our newsletter for expert coverage of Man Utd’s midfield hunt, head-to-head stats, tactical analysis, and negotiation context that clarifies potential moves and helps you weigh the options.

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Gallagher has also dominated without the ball, as seen by his higher tally of tackles won, whilst also managing to make more interceptions than per 90 in Spain’s top-flight.

His quality over his compatriot is further demonstrated without the ball, as the former Chelsea star has made more blocks, whilst also coming out on top in more aerial battles.

From such numbers, it shows that the 25-year-old is an excellent option in and out of possession, but it’s unclear if the player would be open to a move to Old Trafford.

Wharton will certainly still be the supporters’ first choice to fill the void at the heart of the side, but Gallagher will no doubt be the perfect immediate option this winter.

However, if it is to be completed, the two clubs need to find an agreement in the weeks ahead to get the best possible deal in place for all of the parties involved.

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Posts ByEthan Lamb