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Astle suffered a groin injury during the New Zealanders’ warm-up match against Board President’s XI on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2017A groin strain has ruled Todd Astle out of New Zealand’s squad for their ODI and T20I tour of India. Fellow legspinner Ish Sodhi, who was initially only named in the T20I squad, will replace Astle in the ODI squad.Astle suffered the injury during the New Zealanders’ tour game against Board President’s XI at the Brabourne Stadium on Tuesday, walking off the field after bowling just three balls. According to an NZC release, a scan confirmed Astle had suffered a tear to his right side, which would rule him out for around three weeks.The ODI series begins on Sunday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.ODI squad: Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, George Worker.

UAE’s spinners combined for figures of 8 for 62 to send Namibia packing for 89, before winning the bottom-of-the-table clash by six wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2017UAE’s spinners combined for figures of 8 for 62 to send Namibia packing for 89, after asking them to bat in their WCL Championship game in Windhoek. Defending a meagre total, Namibia managed to snuff out four UAE batsmen with 53 on the board, but that was about it as they slipped to a six-wicket loss and the bottom of the table.Louis van der Westhuizen (41) and Craig Williams (22) put on 46 for the third wicket to take Namibia to 68 for 2, after Mohammad Naveed (2 for 13) had struck twice with the new ball. But offspinner Rohan Mustafa (2 for 17) dismissed Westhuizen in the 17th over, and legspinner Imran Haider (3 for 27) dismissed Williams in the 18th, to trigger the beginning of the end for Namibia. Left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza complemented his fellow spinners with 3 for 18 as Namibia lost eight wickets for 21 in under 12 overs.UAE took their time in running down the target, losing four wickets inside 20 overs. Of the top four, only Chirag Suri (26) went past 20. Left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz picked up two wickets in an economical spell, including that of Suri in the 20th over. But the fifth-wicket pair of Adnan Mufti (21*) and Rameez Shahzad (20*) saw them home, putting on an unbroken 39 off 34 balls.

Glasgow Rangers could be set to face a transfer battle over Arsenal centre-back Auston Trusty this summer as new interest has emerged from the Championship for the 24-year-old defender and this could tempt Michael Beale into acting swiftly.

Could Rangers sign Auston Trusty this summer?

The Ibrox side were first linked with the American back in May and The Athletic claimed that the Light Blues were still keen on the player last month, with Beale aiming to bolster his defensive options at the club.

There hasn’t been much more progress on a potential move, although with Leon King suffering a serious injury which will keep him out for the foreseeable future and Leon Balogun signing a one-year deal as cover, the 42-year-old will still be hoping another centre-back arrives this summer.

Championship outfit Ipswich Town have now shown interest in Trusty, according to the East Anglian Daily Times, and if Beale really wants the USMNT defender through the door at Ibrox, a move must now be acted upon – sooner rather than later.

What could Auston Trusty offer Rangers?

If the Gers did lure him to the Premiership, then they could well be signing a player who is capable of playing at a better level, with Birmingham City manager John Eustace saying:

“He's been a pleasure to work with, his training standards have been very high, he never misses a day, and I think he's taken to the level quite easily.

“You can see he's going to go back to Arsenal as a Premier League player.”

The 6 foot 3 brute offers a commanding aerial presence at the heart of the defence, as he won 3.1 aerial duels per game for Birmingham in the Championship last term and only John Souttar among the centre-backs at Rangers won more aerial duels per game (3.3), suggesting he could slot in fairly easily.

The £18k-per-week gem was highly influential during his loan spell in the second tier, ranking as the third-best player in the squad, as per Sofascore, whilst also ranking first for interceptions (1.5), second for tackles (2.3) and fourth for clearances (four) per game as he displayed his excellent defensive abilities throughout the season.

Trusty was so impressive that these numbers would rank him first in the Rangers squad across all three of these defensive metrics, indicating that he would be an ideal signing and could be a perfect partner for Connor Goldson.

The Englishman has been a stalwart for the Gers since joining in 2018, missing just 17 games in total due to injury across five seasons, and he was the highest-rated centre-back in the first-team for his performances last term, helping his side keep 14 clean sheets across 25 matches.

Rangers conceded 15 goals during the 13 matches that he missed through injury however, clearly suggesting they are much more solid at the back when he is fit.

Having been lauded as “incredible” by teammate George Friend for his displays last term, Trusty certainly wouldn’t be fazed by playing regularly for Rangers and with the club aiming to secure a place in the Champions League group stages for the second year in a row, this is surely a much bigger incentive rather than playing in the Championship for Ipswich.

Leeds United remain interested in signing Coventry City midfielder Gustavo Hamer during the summer transfer window, but Fulham are also thought to be in the race to snap him up.

Is Gustavo Hamer leaving Coventry?

The Whites have now secured the services of former Norwich City boss Daniel Farke as their manager, which was an appointment that took time and seemingly slowed down their summer transfer business for the time being.

It is now vital that Leeds conduct good some work in the market in the next month or two, with new players required to boost their chances of making a quickfire return to the Premier League.

One such individual could be Hamer, who has been linked with a move to Elland Road, following an excellent season for Coventry, who so nearly achieved promotion from the Championship.

The 26-year-old midfielder enjoyed an impressive tally of 11 goals and ten assists in the league, en route to the Sky Blues reaching the playoff final against Luton Town, which he scored in, but his side eventually lost on penalties.

Coventry are finding it difficult to keep hold of their star players – the same applies to fellow Whites transfer target Viktor Gyokeres, who could be set to join Portuguese giants Sporting CP – and rumours of a move to Elland Road are refusing to go away.

Are Leeds signing Gustavo Hamer?

According to The Daily Mail in the early hours of Monday morning, Leeds see Hamer as a key summer transfer target, but are now joined by Fulham, who are of course able to offer him Premier League football:

"Fulham are keen on Coventry City midfielder Gustavo Hamer who has also been targeted by Leeds and has one year left on his contract. Hamer was one of the Sky Blues' standout stars in their run to the Play-off Final last season, scoring the crucial winner in the semi-final win over Middlesbrough.

"Leeds meanwhile are also interested in Hamer, as they look to bolster their midfield ranks following the departure of Brenden Aaronson."

Hamer could be such an exciting signing by Leeds if they manage to entice him to the club, transforming their midfield options in the process. His aforementioned end product in the final third is something that nobody for the Whites came close to replicating last season, with no central midfielders scoring more than twice in the Premier League.

The Dutchman is a former Netherlands youth international, further showing the pedigree he possesses as a player, and the fact that his current Coventry deal expires at the end of next season means that this summer is the last chance of them to receiving a good amount of money for his signature.

The fact that Fulham are reportedly in the race to sign Hamer is a potential issue for Leeds, though, given their guarantee of Premier League football next season, so Farke may have to sell him the Whites as a club, in order for them to leapfrog the Cottagers.

The Coventry ace has been hailed as "unbelievable" by Marko Marosi in the past, and if he can take his recent form with him to Elland Road, he could be a signing that ends up being inspired this time next year, at which point Leeds will hopefully be back in the top flight.

Usman Khawaja will captain Australia A’s four-day team and Travis Head will lead the one-day side for a series of matches in South Africa in July and August

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-2017

Usman Khawaja will captain Australia A’s four-day team and Travis Head will lead the one-day side for a series of matches in South Africa in July and August. Glenn Maxwell, who scored his maiden Test century on the recent tour of India, will be vice-captain to Khawaja in the first-class games and will have the chance to push his case for retention in the Test side when Australia next play.Moises Henriques was initially named in the one-day squad but the selectors later stated that the allrounder will continue his county stint with Surrey, instead of playing the tri-series.* CA said the selection panel had “considered both Henriques’ experience along with future Australian tours in making this decision”, and that a replacement player will be named in due course.South Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey has been chosen in both squads after a remarkable summer in which he broke the record for most dismissals in a Shield season, while also scoring nearly 600 Shield runs. Queensland allrounder Jack Wildermuth has als been named in both squads, his first call-up for Australia A, while New South Wales batsman Daniel Hughes has the chance to debut for Australia A in the one-day format.The selectors decided against choosing the experienced batsmen Ed Cowan and George Bailey, who were two of the top three Shield run scorers last summer, as well as Cameron White, who topped the Ryobi Cup run tally. However, national selector Trevor Hohns said that while some senior players had missed out, it would “certainly not detract from their chances of representing Australia in the future”.Also absent from the squads were the opener Marcus Harris, who had a prolific Shield season for Victoria and finished fourth on the run tally with 808 runs, and the spinner Jon Holland, whose 50 Shield wickets placed him second only to swing bowler Chadd Sayers on the competition list. Ashton Agar and Mitch Swepson, both of whom toured India with the Test squad this year, were preferred as spin options in both formats.”We have opted for a well-balanced squad featuring some experience blended with younger players, with an emphasis on building our depth for the future,” Hohns said. “This is a great chance for these players to experience foreign conditions against a quality international sides and really test their skills.”With an upcoming Test Series in South Africa early next year it is also an opportunity to impress with their performances and put their names forward for consideration. Khawaja is a proven leader and has captained Australia A before, he will gel nicely with Glenn who recently had some captaincy experience in the IPL and we believe will respond well to this extra responsibility.”Australia A will play two four-day games against South Africa A from July 12 to 22, and then a one-day tri-series involving South Africa A and India A from July 26 to August 8.Four-day squad Usman Khawaja (capt), Glenn Maxwell (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Jackson Bird, Alex Carey (wk), Hilton Cartwright, Travis Head, Kurtis Patterson, Chadd Sayers, Mitch Swepson, Chris Tremain, Jack Wildermuth.One-day squad Travis Head (capt), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Hilton Cartwright, Sam Heazlett, Daniel Hughes, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Swepson, Chris Tremain, Jack Wildermuth.*Friday, May 19 0759 GMT. This copy was updated to reflect a change to Australia A’s one-day squad

Weston McKennie started once again as Juventus settled for a 0-0 draw at Atalanta, with their struggles upfront clear for all to see once again.

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McKennie starts for JuveWeah comes off benchOne more match before international break

Neither team could create much of anything in Sunday's match, one which saw one American, McKennie, in the XI, while another, Tim Weah, replaced him in the game's final moments. McKennie continues to start ahead of Weah after initially coming off the bench earlier in the season.

With the draw, Juventus sit fourth in Serie A, four points behind league-leaders Inter, while Atalanta sit one point behind them in fifth.

GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The two teams combined for what was a largely dull game, with neither side ever really getting too much going in the attack.

Of the two, Atalanta was the more dangerous side, creating a few decent chances. Both teams were missing key attacking parts, as Juventus were without Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik while Atalanta played without Gianluca Scamacca in their attack.

Still, both teams will have felt they had the attacks to get something out of this game. Instead, they were forced to split the points and move on as they look to the final Serie A match before the international break next weekend.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

McKennie continued his run of games starting at right wing-back as he's apparently jumped in front of Weah on Juve's depth chart. The USMNT midfielder has started five consecutive games in that position after initially seeing Weah emerge.

McKennie has largely done well in that wing-back spot, showing off the energy and tenacity that have made him such a good midfielder for the USMNT. While the role does limit his skillset as a late runner in attack, he has been plenty involved in the buildup for Juve during this stretch.

Still, it's hard not to wonder what Juve would look like with Weah out wide as the winger-turned-wing-back would offer a more dynamic attacking presence. It's also hard not to wonder what McKennie could do to get back into the midfield picture as he's been crowded out of Juve's trio in the middle of the park so far this season.

GettyUSMNT IMPACT

No one at U.S. Soccer will be pushing the panic button on Weah yet. Life at a top club is filled with ebbs and flows. Unfortunately for Weah, things are a bit slower at the moment.

That'll change down the line, for sure. There will be moments where Juve need his attacking presence, even if they haven't in these few games to start this season.

On a USMNT level, Weah looked good during the last camp, scoring in the opening game against Uzbekistan. He's not totally untouchable in the USMNT squad, but he's pretty safe, so, as long as he keeps performing in camp, no one will be too worried.

As for McKennie, it's good to see him getting consistent minutes, especially as the U.S. prepare for another camp without Tyler Adams, who has suffered another hamstring injury to rob the U.S. of their captain and starting No. 6.

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GettyGOAL'S RATINGS

Weston McKennie (7/10):

Another solid performance from McKennie, who was among Juve's better performers in a very, very dull game. Showed initiative getting forward and had plenty of energy to defend. A decent day.

Tim Weah (N/A):

Was tossed into the game with just a few minutes left as Juve chased a win.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsNiroshan Dickwella brought up his maiden T20I fifty to anchor Sri Lanka’s chase•Associated Press

Sri Lanka spoiled AB de Villiers’ comeback by snatching the T20 series from South Africa to claim the first silverware in the country in their history. Niroshan Dickwella’s career-best 68 overshadowed de Villiers’ 63, in his first international outing in six months, as Sri Lanka chased down 170 with one ball remaining but it was Seekkuge Prasanna’s 16-ball 37 which completed the second highest successful chase at Newlands.South Africa were without their newest spearhead, 20-year-old Lungi Ngidi, for most of their time in the field after he bruised his hip, and he could not bowl his final two overs, but had a tardy fielding effort rather than lack of resources to blame for their inability to defend the total. They put down five catches in total and saw several more aerial chances go unclaimed to allow Sri Lanka some leeway in what was a tough task.Still, it took cool heads for Sri Lanka’s batsmen to cross the line, especially after Imran Tahir removed their stand-in captain Dinesh Chandimal early on and then removed Dickwella and Dhananjaya de Silva in the same over. Sri Lanka had to rebuild their innings twice and eventually needed 26 runs off the last two overs. Against the inexperience of Andile Phehlulwayo and debutant Dane Paterson, Prasanna and Asela Gunaratne got there to seal a memorable win.By the time the 19th over began, Prasanna already had 23 off 10 balls – having brought the target down from a daunting 50 off 21 balls – but Gunaratne had yet to score a run and only faced one ball after Kusal Mendis was run-out in the previous over. The pair ran hard off the first and second deliveries before Prasanna advanced on a Phehlukwayo slower ball and sent it over long-on for six. He did not get hold of the next one, losing his bat as he swung, but finished the over with a ramp over the Mangaliso Mosehle’s head to leave Paterson with 11 to defend off the last over.Gunaratne took the pressure off the final passage of play with a scoop over fine leg for four and took quick singles before he swung across the line and top-edged over Mosehle to level scores. In his excitement, Gunaratne thought the match was over and grabbed a stump out of the ground in celebration only to be told he needed one run was still needed. He drove the penultimate ball through the covers and this time could keep the stump.Having threatened through the series, with 43 in Centurion and 22 in Johannesburg, Dickwella went one better and converted his start into his first T20 half-century. He had support from Upul Tharanga, who was playing in his first T20 since the World T20 in 2012, and was aggressive from the get-go. The pair punished width early on and took on the short ball and it took a change of pace to separate them.Tharanga lobbed a catch to mid-on off Wayne Parnell’s first ball, a slower delivery, to give South Africa a breakthrough but it was when stand-in captain Dinesh Chandimal was bowled by Tahir’s first delivery that Sri Lanka were under real pressure. Tahir’s over went boundary-less and then a hat-trick of missed chances came off Parnell’s second over, including a return catch, with Dickwella surviving two of those chances. He made South Africa pay.He saw off Tahir and targeted Phehlukwayo at first, before switching gears and lapping Tahir but South Africa’s complications came when they needed a replacement for Ngidi after he injured his hip diving at cover. Jon-Jon Smuts had to fill in but his two overs cost 22 runs as Dickwella reached fifty off 34 balls.With five overs to go, Sri Lanka needed more than ten an over but would have been fairly comfortable with Dickwella well settled. Tahir had an over in hand, though, and appeared to have changed the game. He had Dickwella caught in the deep and de Silva stumped to turn things South Africa’s way but Sri Lanka had more muscle.In the end, South Africa might blame their middle-order problems for not posting a big enough total. They lost 4 for 28 runs in 25 balls between the 14th and 18th over, including de Villiers which may have been the difference.South Africa trialled a new opening partner for Smuts in Reeza Hendricks and it proved a good decision. While Smuts continued to show nothing more than glimpses of the potential that took him to the top of the domestic T20 competition run-charts, Hendricks had the composure for a longer stay and formed one half of the hosts’ major partnership on the nightAfter Smuts was given out lbw, Hendricks was joined by de Villiers and was happy to cede control to the senior man, but not before a third perfectly timed offside drive to the end the PowerPlay strongly.De Villiers initially played within himself before giving making room to drive through point for his first boundary. He did not focus on finding the rope too many more times early on, though, and strike-rotation with a partner who was as speedy as him formed the foundation of their scoring. Every single was cheered loudly, twos and a solitary three were even more appreciated but there was no doubt the crowd was expecting more. When de Villiers danced down the track to meet a Lakshan Sandakan delivery on the full and send it straight back over his head for six, Newlands erupted. Their superstar was back.A scoop off Gunaratne saw de Villiers overtake Hendricks before the latter was stumped. Hendricks will not be happy with his carelessness when he dragged his foot out against Sandakan after the ball spun across him and he failed to push his foot behind the line. Chandimal needed two attempts to complete the stumping and, still, Hendricks did not inch further back.Despite that wicket bringing South Africa’s most dangerous hitter, David Miller, to the crease, Sri Lanka had created an opening to claw their way back. Miller, Farhaan Behardien and de Villiers all departed and South Africa entered the final two overs on 141 for 5 without one of their regular finishers on hand. Nuwan Kulasekara did an exceptional job in his final two overs which only cost 11 and removed de Villiers.Mosehle took the opportunity to show what he could do with a stunning cameo. He plundered three sixes off the first four balls in the last over, which cost Isuru Udana 21, and took South Africa’s total over 160 but it was not enough.

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has demonstrated his willingness to offer the youth a platform to impress this season, and could continue the trend by signing Blackburn Rovers' teenage starlet Adam Wharton.

What's the latest on Adam Wharton to Newcastle?

According to the Daily Mail, the 18-year-old Wharton has enjoyed an impressive breakout season with Rovers and has attracted the attention of several top Premier League outfits.

Indeed, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are joined by Eddie Howe's Magpies in sending sporting director Dan Ashworth and scout Mick Tait to observe the prodigious talent's progress, with Leicester City and West Ham United also interested.

The report continues to state that the dynamic midfielder has been described as a 'taller Jack Wilshere, who can play and tackle.'

Should Newcastle sign Wharton?

The Toon boast a wealth of firepower following the £300m PIF takeover in 2021, having followed the changing of the ownership guard with sustained exemplary performances on the pitch that navigated away from relegation danger and now, just one season later, have the club in third place with just three matches to play.

Securing world-class firepower is indeed necessary to bolster the club's hopes of maintaining this newfound stature and navigating towards a future speckled with success, but solidifying the foundation of the first team's exploits with a vibrant crop of youth talent is just as important.

And in Wharton, who has made 18 Championship appearances this season, scoring one goal and supplying two assists, an heir to the midfield could be found and nurtured into a phenom fit to lead the Toon engine.

As per Sofascore, the gem has recorded an average rating in the second tier of 6.95, completing 84% of his passes, making 0.7 key passes, 1.7 tackles and 0.8 interceptions per outing, with journalist Josh Bunting hailing him as "brilliant" for his work.

In Wharton's final match of the campaign, the enthralling 4-3 victory over Millwall as both outfits chased, painstakingly unsuccessfully, a place in the play-offs, he scored his maiden league goal and earned an impressive 7.1 match rating, complementing his strike with three interceptions, two tackles and success in three of his four ground duels.

The "ridiculous" teenager – as he was dubbed by Blackburn writer Callum Altimas – ranks among the top 8% of midfielders across Men's Next 8 divisions – preceding the European big five – the top 16% for tackles and the top 11% for blocks per 90, via FBref, illustrating the dynamism of his skill set.

While the 5 foot 9 "star boy" – in the words of writer Matthew Stanger – has been likened to former Arsenal maestro Wilshere, it is coveted Englishman Jude Bellingham who he could emulate as he grows into his skin.

Bellingham was always a precocious footballing talent and is now one of the game's most eminent midfielders, with the Borussia Dortmund star reportedly closing on a move to Real Madrid after intense speculation surrounding his future.

Both Wharton and Bellingham have plied their breakout seasons in the Championship, with the Riversiders ace's aptitude in 'playing and tackling' similar to that of Bellingham, who ranks among the top 2% of midfielders across Europe's big five leagues for goals, the top 7% for shot-creating actions, the top 8% for progressive passes and the top 1% for successful take-ons, as per FBref.

There is a long way to go until the Rovers starlet can truly emulate Bellingham, but at Newcastle, he could yet develop into a truly all-encompassing midfielder of the highest order.

Chris Rogers, the former Australia opener who announced his retirement last week, has suggested a similar change to the toss regulations introduced in England for the 2016 Championship season could also benefit Australian cricket.Away teams were given the choice of bowling first or asking for a toss (if they wished to bat), a move designed to discourage teams from preparing green, seaming pitches and give spinners more of an opportunity as games wore on. Rogers led Somerset to second place in Division One – missing out on a first title by four points to Middlesex on the final day – after overseeing the club’s switch to playing on turning surfaces during the latter half of the season.Although Rogers, a regular performer in county cricket for more than a decade, said he felt his game was better suited to playing on traditional English surfaces that aided swing and seam, he was encouraged by his own development against spin, in his final season as a professional, and suggested the experiment could be taken to Australia and the Sheffield Shield.”I think Australia would benefit from it as well,” Rogers said. “The one thing that seems to be happening in Australian cricket, all the wickets there are becoming quite uniform in the way they play. The drop-in wickets, at Melbourne and Adelaide, and then Sydney doesn’t play the way it used to.”So in the end I worry if we’re producing players who only really know how to play in a certain type of condition. If it meant that sides were trying to get different types of wickets that might help Australian cricket as well. So I’d like to think that they’d consider it.”Australia’s Test side has struggled on overseas commitments in recent years, winning in South Africa, the West Indies and New Zealand but suffering chastening defeats in England, India, the UAE and, most recently, Sri Lanka. The coach, Darren Lehmann, expressed similar concerns about the state of home pitches during the 3-0 loss in Sri Lanka, with questions being asked of Australia’s batting and the ability of players to adapt to different conditions.Discussion of the surfaces produced in Shield cricket has gone back and forth in recent years, with a trend for increasingly bowler-friendly pitches being reversed by Cricket Australia directive.An experiment with using Dukes balls in the Shield has already been flagged for 2016-17, after Ricky Ponting’s call in the wake of Australia repeatedly coming unstuck against the lateral movement achieved by England’s pace attack during the 2015 Ashes.Rogers did express a concern that a shift away from seaming pitches in England might diminish what has historically been a strength – both in terms of bowlers coming through and top-order batsman able to combat the moving ball. But, after signing off his first-class career with a century in each innings at Taunton, he felt that the change to the toss had helped rebalance the domestic game and also provided him fresh learning opportunities as a batsman and captain.”How to captain spin, that’s quite a skill in itself,” he said. “I felt my captaincy got better the more we played on those wickets. Everybody’s learning, which is great.”I’ve never been a great player of spin, I found it really hard, but to get two hundreds in the last game, on a wicket that was turning – I think I was getting better and better, even at this late stage of my career, and that’s a good thing as well. It’s going to help the younger guys when they go to some of the Asian countries and play there, it’s going to be so hard but at least they’ll have a little bit of experience.”

Marcus Trescothick’s marathon double century delighted Somerset, but he failed to bat through an innings for the first time as he was last out during a whirlwingdseven-wicket spell from Imran Tahir

David Hopps at Trent Bridge19-Jul-2016
ScorecardImran Tahir found a response to Marcus Trescothick’s marathon [file picture]•Getty Images

It was moving day in the Championship, but so hot that any form of movement took considerable resolve. The sort of conditions when young wannabees reckon they can outlast the senior citizens of the county circuit on energy alone and when the senior citizens shrug that they have seen it all before and just as often come out on top.Marcus Trescothick, if he was a lesser man, would have drawn alongside Harold Gimblett as Somerset’s leading century-maker on the second day, observed the sort of searing heat that drains energy from ageing bones and left it to younger men on the third.Instead, he extended his unbeaten 117 to 218 – his seventh first-class double hundred – before he was last out after tea: a seventh wicket for Imran Tahir. Seventy-eight years betweem them and entirely dominating the day.By then, Trescothick was bereft of support, his capacious frame sweating from places where it had never sweated since unfortunate circumstances caused him to call time on his England career.While Trescothick proceeded with selectivity, occasionally drawing attention to himself by crunching a cover drive, elsewhere was midsummer madness. Around mid-afternoon, one stripped-to-the-waste Nottinghamshire spectator was splashing his bare torso with emergency cold water in a Members’ Toilet, groaning as he did so, drying himself with paper towels as if a state of emergency had been called. One day of 35C and England was falling apart. “I can’t stand much more of this,” he volunteered, so mentally destroyed that he briefly forgot the rule in conservative parts that chat in a public convenience should be determinedly avoided.For all his achievements, all his longevity, Trescothick has never carried his bat in his career. Presented with the tail for company, over the years he has preferred to go for broke. He had not offered a semblance of a chance – disregarding those swimming angrily around Luke Fletcher’s head – which invited the thought that this surely was the time.Then he pushed firmly at Tahir and planted the ball in the hands of Brendan Taylor at extra cover. Disappointment must have been tinged with relief that it was all over. He had batted for nearly eight-and-a-quarter hours, faced 355 balls, struck 32 fours and a six, and passed 1,000 runs for the umpteenth time. And, after all that, with Somerset dismissed for 437, all he had to show for it was a first of innings lead of 36.Tahir, a wiry 38 year old, looks built for these baking conditions. Whereas Trescothick proceeds like a reliable old Dormobile where, much as you treasure it, you feel it’s best to keep a wary eye on the temperature gauge, Tahir, as a legspinner, seems a natural product of the heat that has suddenly descended upon England after three months of a season ravaged by cold winds and rain.In only his third first-class match for Notts, his 7 for 112 was the best return by a Nottinghamshire overseas bowler since Stuart MacGill, a fellow leggie, had helped himself to seven for 109 against Essex at Southend in 2004. Notts’ overseas pace bowlers have failed to cause havoc in the past decade despite Trent Bridge traditionally being a haven for swing. They must wonder why. Or if they don’t, they should.Without Tahir’s monumental effort, Trescothick’s monumental effort might have put Somerset in a winning position. The only substantial partnership of the day, 102 for the fifth wicket, was eventually halted by Samit Patel, who bowled Jim Allenby for 63 as he tried to work a flighted ball of full length into the leg side. At 379 for 4, Somerset were only 22 behind, only for Tahir to cause chaos in a spell of 5 for 20 in 9.5 overs as the pitch began to provide a little purchase.Tahir fulfilled his role brilliantly and, although the game smacked more of stalemate with every wicket he took, final days will become more unpredictable if the hot weather holds: even this one.It was the sort of spell that the ECB wants young English legspinners to produce. But it will take the best part of a decade if spinners are to be produced in England and the process is a lot more complicated than just taking grass off the pitch. By then, who knows where the game will be.