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No coach, no managing director of cricket, no selector and now no Test captain

Matt Roller15-Apr-2022″There’s no coach, no managing director of cricket, no selector.” Eoin Morgan did his best to sum up the power vacuum at the heart of England’s men’s teams in an interview with ESPNcricinfo last week but now Joe Root has thrown the Test captaincy into the black hole, too.Even before Root’s resignation on Friday, England were in a mess. They had won one of their last 17 Tests and spent most of last summer treating home fixtures against the world’s two best teams – India and New Zealand – as “preparation” for an Ashes series that they lost four-nil.Against West Indies, the team felt increasingly out of sync with the wider mood. As England slipped to a 1-0 series defeat, Root insisted that they were making “big improvements” in his final television interview in the role, in which he was grilled by an increasingly short-tempered David Gower.The two highest wicket-takers in their history, James Anderson and Stuart Broad, are frustrated by the lack of communication they have had with their employers since they were surprisingly omitted for the series defeat in the Caribbean. “There’s nobody in those positions permanently,” Anderson said earlier this week. “I’m presuming that is why I’ve not heard anything.”Related

• Rob Key named England's new managing director of men's cricket

• English cricket desperately needs leaders with a vision for the game

• Eoin Morgan: 'We have a huge amount of talent in all three formats, it's about trying to utilise that'

• Alastair Cook warns Joe Root: England's relentless positive message sounds 'deluded'

• James Anderson on England dropping: 'I've stopped trying to make sense of it'

There were mitigating factors throughout, with the demands on England’s leading players heightened by the effects of Covid on both their schedule and their day-to-day lives with the suffocation of bubble life catching up with them. But when results turned, so did public opinion; by the final day of Root’s last Test as captain in Grenada, his predecessors were queuing up to call for him to be sacked.”Why now – why not 20 years ago?” a reporter asks in a episode when Krusty the Klown announces he is quitting show business. The same could be asked of Root’s resignation: why wait until mid-April when it has been clear for three months that his time is up?Root said in his statement that during a rare break after the West Indies tour, it had “hit home how much of a toll [the captaincy] has taken” and the impact it has had on his life away from the game. It is a reminder of just how gruelling England’s schedule has been that he did not have time to make that realisation in the weeks after the Ashes.It was telling that Tom Harrison, the chief executive, was the only senior figure left to pay Root tribute in the ECB’s statement, rather than a coach, a managing director or even a chairman, and even he appears to be on his way out. Andrew Strauss, the interim MD, has been calling the shots for the last two months but his family circumstances mean he will only be a short-term appointment.Joe Root’s resignation adds to a long list of vacancies in England cricket•Getty ImagesThe immediate speculation will be around Root’s potential successors but at least two key appointments will come first: the managing director and the head coach – or head coaches, if the role is split in two. There may well be a new selector, too.Rob Key has become the favourite for the managing director role almost by default. Several leading options either opted not to apply (Alec Stewart, Ed Smith and Mike Hesson) or pulled out of the running (Marcus North) and the reported on Friday afternoon that he will be appointed next week.Key was critical of Ashley Giles’ decision to concentrate power in the hands of Chris Silverwood. He suggested before the West Indies series that the ECB should return to a split coaching set-up and “some form of selection panel”, and said that Stewart would be “perfect” as a short-term coaching option.He has also mentioned Jos Buttler as a potential captain – Key was critical of Root’s leadership – but Ben Stokes is the obvious successor. That Root jumped, rather than being pushed, makes him more likely to accept the role if offered, and his decision to pull out of the IPL auction to focus on the Test team now looks almost prescient.England’s first Test of the summer, against New Zealand at Lord’s, is under seven weeks away. There are few breaks in their schedule from that point onwards. They play seven Tests this summer (three each against New Zealand and South Africa, one against India) and five over the winter (three in Pakistan, two in New Zealand), while multi-format players have regular bilateral white-ball series and another T20 World Cup to fit in.The volume of cricket would be daunting for any team; for an England side without a captain, a coach or anyone in place with the long-term authority to appoint them, it is ominous. For whoever comes in, at least things can hardly get worse.

Chaos was on the menu in Williamsport, Pa. Wednesday night.

In an elimination game that went to extra innings at the Little League World Series, the team representing the Southeast region from Irmo, S.C. gave up five runs in the top of the seventh inning to their opponent out of the Midwest region from Sioux Falls, S.D.

With just three outs for South Carolina to overcome a five-run deficit to keep their LLWS title hopes alive they somehow pulled it off.

The rally started right away in the bottom half of the seventh as South Carolina had their first batter draw a walk to fill the empty first base before they drove in a run on their next at-bat. Brayden Gerard doubled next to drive in the second run of the inning to trim South Dakota's lead to three runs.

Then South Dakota let up two walks in a row, first to load the bases and then to force in a run. South Carolina's next batter struck out, putting South Dakota two outs away from shutting the door, albeit in a bases-loaded jam.

Another bases-loaded walk drove in one more run that cut the lead down to one run, which put South Carolina one base away from completing a miraculous comeback in extras. Their catcher, Andrew Bogan, played hero when he stepped up to the plate, doubling to right to secure the walk-off win despite a valiant effort from South Dakota right fielder Grayson Rehfeldt who laid out to try and make the grab.

You can watch the wild sequence with all of South Carolina's scoring plays to win the game in extras below:

Great time for an offensive explosion from both sides who each scored one run apiece in the first six innings.

South Carolina keeps the dream alive and will play the team from Las Vegas representing the Mountain region Thursday in yet another elimination game. The winner of South Carolina and Las Vegas will move on to the United States final against Fairfield, Conn. out of the Metro region. We'll see if South Carolina has some magic left.

Further work required, particularly at senior leadership levels, according to Sport Structures report

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2025

A new independent assessment of cricket in England and Wales says that “genuine progress” has been made in the sport’s bid to address its long-standing issues of inclusion and equity – but adds that further work is needed in several areas, including at senior leadership level.The State of Equity in Cricket Report, published by Sport Structures, had been commissioned by the ECB as a follow-up to the damning 2023 report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC), which found that racism, classism, sexism and elitism were “widespread” in the sport.That original report had concluded with 44 recommendations to the ECB, one of which was to publish a “full State of Equity Report every three years”. This latest document, 53 pages long, has been delivered a year ahead of schedule, with Richard Gould, the ECB chief executive, stating that it was intended to “hold us to account” as cricket seeks to become the most inclusive team sport in England and Wales.”Cricket is not yet where it aspires to be, but the tone has changed,” Kate Percival, Sport Structures’ CEO, said in a statement. “Inclusion is now seen as central to the game’s health and future.”The report outlined several “notable areas of progress”, including improved access to talent pathways, and a doubling of the number of women’s and girl’s teams since 2021, backed up by significant increases in the number of professional women’s players and their pay.The establishment of a new independent Cricket Regulator, ring-fenced from the rest of the ECB, was also noted in the report, along with a £50 million investment in facilities since 2023, particularly in urban areas including two all-weather cricket domes in Bradford and Darwen.However, despite improved representation at board level – with female non-executives at 37% compared to 11% in 2019, and 18% ethnically diverse non-executives compared to 5% in 2019 – the report stated that “further action” was required at senior level, with a particular lack of Black representation.Dame Sarah Storey is the only female chair at a first-class county•Lancashire CCC

Dame Sarah Storey, who is currently interim chair at Lancashire, remains the only female chair at any of the 18 first-class counties, while the resignation of Essex chair Anu Mohindru – who was found to have lied on his CV – means the ethnic diversity among county chairs and chief executives remains at 6%.Coaching course data showed that more diversity is required in the Specialist programme which feeds the professional game, while Disability cricket requires “deeper integration” within county and club systems. The recreational game, meanwhile, requires further “capacity and expertise” to deal with discrimination issues, although a newly-formed Recreational Discipline Panel of independent experts is in place to hear the most serious and complex cases.”The State of Equity in Cricket Report holds us to account in relation to our ambitions to become the most inclusive team sport,” Gould said. “It shows us some areas of excellent work and progress, as well as where we need to go further.”The extensive work to open up the talent pathway to young people from every background is a great example of the changes that can be made when cricketing organisations join forces to break down barriers and deliver systemic change.”We know there is still a great deal of work to do, and a number of areas where more action is needed to address structural issues. We said from the start there could be no quick fix, but we committed to delivering meaningful and lasting change, and that will remain our absolute focus in the months and years ahead as we build on the progress we are setting out today.”

كسر نيكو ويليامز، نجم نادي أتلتيك بلباو، صمته وتحدث بالتفصيل عن الأسباب التي جعلته يرفض الانتقال إلى صفوف برشلونة خلال صيف العام الحالي.

برشلونة سعى للتعاقد مع نيكو ويليامز خلال فترة الميركاتو الصيفي الأخير، بكل ما أوتي من قوة، قبل أن يجدد الجناح الأيسر عقده مع بلباو ويرفض عقد البارسا في نهاية المطاف.

وأدى رفض ويليامز التوقيع مع برشلونة إلى وجود غضب كبير من قبل جماهير البلوجرانا، حيث قاموا بالتصفير عليه خلال لقاء البارسا الأخير مع بلباو هذا الأسبوع بالدوري الإسباني.

واعترف ويليامز في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو”، أن حبه الكبير لبلباو هو ما جعله يرفض التوقيع مع برشلونة.

وقال ويليامز: “أتلتيك بلباو يعني لي كل شيء، لقد نضجت هنا كشخص وكلاعب ولقد علمني تمثيل هذا النادي وهذه المدينة قيمة العمل الجاد والتواضع والانتماء للعائلة، جميعنا نعلم أن أتلتيك فريد من نوعه في العالم، كما يقول شعاره”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. سبب استبعاد برشلونة وريال مدريد التعاقد مع ويليان إستيفاو

وعن رفض برشلونة: “لطالما وضعت مشاعري في المقام الأول واتبعت قلبي، أنا شخص محب للعائلة وقريب من أهلي، وهنا في بلباو لدي عائلتي وأحبائي الذين أستشيرهم في كل خطوة أخطوها في حياتي، أحب الاستماع إلى أخي؛ فهو دائمًا يقدم لي نصائح قيمة، والآن أن أتمكن من الاستمتاع باللعب معًا أنا وهو في دوري أبطال أوروبا، وهو حلم تحقق”.

وناقش ويليامز فرص منتخب إسبانيا في الفوز بكأس العالم، حيث أوضح: “لدينا ثقة كبيرة في أداء الفريق ونحن جميعًا متحدون خلف ما يطلبه منا المدرب، وسنستعد لكأس العالم بأفضل ما يمكن لكننا لا نحب مقارنة أنفسنا بأحد”.

وواصل: ”هناك العديد من الفرق القادرة على الفوز بكأس العالم، ومن الجيد أن يذكر اسمنا كأحد المرشحين، لكننا نعلم أن استطلاعات الرأي لا تجعلك تفوز بكأس العالم وأن الفوز بها يجب أن يكون في الملعب”.

وعن حياته الخاصة استكمل ويليامز: “أفعل ما يفعله أي فتى في مثل سني تقريبًا، أحب اللعب مع أصدقائي والتنزه، والخروج لتناول العشاء مع صديقتي كلما أمكن”.

وأثنى ويليامز بشدة على قدرات زميله في منتخب إسبانيا ونجم برشلونة، لامين يامال، حيث اختتم: “لديه موهبة مذهلة ويثبتها كل يوم، لكنه يعلم أنني بمثابة والده (يضحك)”.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has now dropped a fresh injury update on Cole Palmer ahead of the tough Champions League clash against Barcelona on Tuesday night.

The Blues are gearing up for a difficult fixture in mid-week, taking on reigning La Liga champions Barca in their fifth Champions League fixture this season, and Maresca’s side will be aiming to put things right after only being able to muster up a 1-1 draw against Qarabag last time out.

However, the west Londoners have been struggling on the injury front for quite some time, which will be a concern for the manager, with the likes of Levi Colwill, Romeo Lavia and Palmer still sidelined, missing the 2-0 victory against Burnley at the weekend.

The Italian will no doubt be frustrated the England international has missed large parts of the campaign, having said back in January: “His team-mates see him as a top player so at the moment when we have some difficulties and we are looking for the closest one to help us, we need Cole to step forward in that moment.

“In that moment, in the second-half against Wolves, he showed his team-mate he is a leader inside the pitch.”

However, there has now been a promising update on the 23-year-old’s injury ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Barcelona…

Enzo Maresca drops injury update on Cole Palmer

As relayed by Football London, Maresca has now confirmed Palmer has already returned to training, saying: “Yeah, we don’t know when, but for sure, it will be soon. He is already on the pitch, touching the ball and the feeling is good.”

The 45-year-old stopped short of confirming whether the £130k-a-week star will be available for the tough test against Barca, but a swift return appears to be on the cards, which will be welcome news, heading into a tricky run of fixtures.

Chelsea’s upcoming fixtures

Date

Barcelona (h)

November 25th

Arsenal (h)

November 30th

Leeds United (a)

December 3rd

AFC Bournemouth (a)

December 6th

Atalanta (a)

December 9th

The Blues may have an outside chance of winning the Premier League title, having moved into second place courtesy of the victory at Turf Moor, and they could make a major statement by defeating league leaders Arsenal at Stamford Bridge this Sunday.

However, Maresca will need his best players available if Chelsea are to stand any chance of beating the Gunners, and the former Manchester City man is certainly in that category, having contributed 45 goals and 29 assists in 101 appearances since moving to west London.

Palmer will also be eager to receive consistent game time to ensure he is on the plane to the World Cup with England, having proven his ability to deliver in big games by scoring against Spain in the final of Euro 2024.

Chelsea have Palmer 2.0 with a "left foot made of gold" Related Chelsea have Palmer 2.0 with a "left foot made of gold" & it's not Estevao

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 22, 2025

حرض أسطورة نادي ليفربول، ستيف نيكول، إدارة الفريق الإنجليزي ضد النجم محمد صلاح، في ظل سوء الأداء المُقدم من جانبه، في الموسم الحالي، رفقة كتيبة آرني سلوت.

جاءت تصريحات ستيف نيكول بعد خسارة ليفربول أمام نوتينجهام فورست، بثلاثة أهداف دون رد، في الجولة الثانية عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي، 2025/26.

اقرأ أيضًا.. إقالة سلوت تضع إدارة ليفربول في ورطة كبرى

ويقدم محمد صلاح أداءً ضعيفًا، عكس عادته، في الموسم الحالي، حيث لم يسجل إلا 4 أهداف في نسخة الدوري الإنجليزي، وجاء ذلك بعدما وقع على عقد جديد في أبريل الماضي.

وقال ستيف نيكول، في تصريحات لقناة “ESPN” العالمية: “إذا كنت في مكان ليفربول، وتلقيت عرضًا بـ40 مليون جنيه إستريني ومن ثم أخرجته (محمد صلاح) من قائمة رواتب اللاعبين، لفعلت ذلك في لمح البصر”.

وأضاف: “كنت لتفعل ذلك في يناير كذلك، نحن نتحدث عن نادِ ما سعودي، سيدفع ضعف، بل ثلاثة أضعاف قيمة اللاعب، فلما لا؟!”.

وسبق أن ارتبط محمد صلاح بخطوة الرحيل عن ليفربول والانتقال إلى الدوري السعودي، قبل عامين، مقابل صفقة باهظة ولكن تلك الخطوة لم تتم في النهاية.

No further action taken following on-field bat-gauge test during T20 Blast fixture

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2025

Lancashire have expressed their frustration with the testing process for illegally sized bats, after Phil Salt was cleared of any wrongdoing following an on-field inspection during a T20 Blast match against Northamptonshire on Friday.Salt, who made 80 from 57 balls in Lancashire’s five-wicket victory, was alleged to have breached ECB Directives 3.2 and 3.3 after his bat failed an on-field bat gauge test conducted by umpires Rob Bailey and Simon Widdup.Further tests carried out after the match proved inconclusive, even though the bat passed through the gauge on “several occasions”, and the Cricket Regulator confirmed in a statement that no further action would be taken.In response, Lancashire criticised the process used to determine the bat’s legality, and the speculation that the issue had created, adding that Salt had used the same bat “for the last two years for England, Lancashire and in the IPL with no issue”.”At Lancashire, we believe this whole process could have been avoided with improved processes on and off the field, whether that be through better equipment and or additional training,” the club wrote in a statement.”Following the incident there have been inappropriate comments made by match commentators, inaccurate articles written in the media and some unsavoury social media posts towards the player, that could have been avoided.”Following this evidential testing process undertaken by the Cricket Regulator, the bat was found to be compliant with the Regulations – and the Club and player have been informed that no further action will be taken.”The issue of bat testing came to the fore last September when Essex’s Feroz Khushi was deemed to have used an illegally sized bat in the club’s County Championship victory over Nottinghamshire in April. Essex were subsequently docked 12 points, a penalty which effectively ended their hopes of competing for the title.In a statement, the Cricket Regulator confirmed that the match officials had performed their roles fully in compliance with the regulations. “The Regulator also acknowledges the cooperation provided by Lancashire and the player in this matter,” it added.

Teams batting first have won six out of eight matches in Ahmedabad this IPL season

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jun-20250:44

Patidar on coping with RCB fans’ expectations

Toss Punjab Kings (PBKS) have chosen to bowl first in the IPL 2025 final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).For the second match running, PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer disregarded Ahmedabad’s record this season – the team batting first has won six of the eight matches played at the venue – but his team are fresh off defying that record, having chased down a target of 204 with an over to spare against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Qualifier 2.Both teams named unchanged line-ups. This meant RCB finisher Tim David was not yet fully recovered from the hamstring injury that has kept him out of action since May 23, and legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal was fit enough to start for PBKS after bowling four overs in Qualifier 2 with his hand at less than 100% fitness.It also meant RCB’s XI included the England opener Phil Salt, who flew to Ahmedabad on the morning of the match after having gone home to attend the birth of his child.2:24

Iyer on Ponting: ‘I’ve never seen his emotions go up and down’

PBKS’s likely Impact Player is the opener Prabhsimran Singh, and RCB’s is the legspinner Suyash Sharma.The match will be played on the most central pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium, with both square boundaries equidistant at 64m. The surface for the match is a mixed one with both red and black soil.For the first time since 2016, the IPL final will pit two sides who have never previously won the title. RCB have lost their three previous finals – in 2009, 2011 and 2016 – while PBKS lost their only other final – in 2014.Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Mayank Agarwal, 4 Rajat Patidar (capt), 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Yash Dayal, 11 Josh HazlewoodImpact Sub options: Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Dar, Manoj Bhandage, Tim Seifert, Swapnil SinghPunjab Kings: 1 Priyansh Arya, 2 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 3 Josh Inglis (wk), 4 Nehal Wadhera, 5 Shashank Singh, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Vijaykumar Vyshak, Azmatullah Omarzai, 9 Kyle Jamieson, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalImpact Sub options: Prabhsimran Singh, Xavier Bartlett, Harpreet Brar, Suryansh Shedge, Praveen Dubey

The last year or so has been pretty depressing for West Ham United, but the squad does have some real talent in it.

Summer signings Mateus Fernandes and Soungoutou Magassa could develop into regular starters; Lucas Paqueta’s quality is undeniable, and El Hadji Malick Diouf looks like one of the best left-backs in the Premier League.

However, the crown jewel in Nuno Espírito Santo’s current side is undoubtedly Jarrod Bowen, who continues to be a difference-maker for the Hammers.

Yet, there is another player in the squad who could, under the new management, develop into a Bowen-style star for West Ham.

Bowen's West Ham rise

When West Ham signed Bowen from Hull City in January 2020, there was some excitement over the move, as there is for most attacking additions, but it didn’t feel like it was going to be a particularly important signing at the time.

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That opinion wasn’t really changed by the end of that season either, as while he didn’t do poorly, a return of one goal and four assists in 13 games wasn’t much to write home about.

Things started to pick up slightly the following season, as the promising winger produced 14 goal involvements in 40 games, but it was over the next two years that he began to establish himself as one of the best in the league.

For example, the 28-year-old ended the 21/22 season with a tally of 31 goal involvements and his first England cap, and then 22/23 delivered his defining moment as a Hammer.

That moment, of course, was the Conference League winning goal against Fiorentina, which not only brought the club their first European trophy but also cemented his legacy as a legend.

Since then, the former Hull gem has continued to perform and, as things stand, has made 246 appearances for the club, totalling 19611 minutes, in which he’s scored 77 goals and provided 52 assists.

That works out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.90 games, or every 152.02 minutes.

Bowen’s West Ham Record

Appearances

246

Starts

221

Minutes

19611′

Goals

77

Assists

52

Goal Involvements per Match

0.52

Minutes per Goal Involvement

152.02′

Points per Game

1.45

All Stats via Transfermarkt

So, if Nuno can help develop another of West Ham’s attackers into a Bowen-type player this season, the club could end up having a memorable campaign.

The West Ham star who could become a Bowen-type player

Unfortunately, with West Ham’s attack not being particularly threatening at the moment, there is only really one player who could be developed into a Bowen-type star: Crysencio Summerville.

Now, the first thing to say is that no, the former Leeds United star is not as good a player as the Englishman, and is unlikely to become so in the next couple of seasons.

However, that does not mean he cannot become a player in his mould, or in other words, a winger who can provide a genuine threat from out wide, be that through goals, assists or their overall play.

Fortunately, the Dutchman is already starting to show positive signs this season, so getting that bit more out of him, like he did with his wingers at Nottingham Forest, shouldn’t be too much of a challenge for Nuno.

For example, while the 23-year-old was fairly anonymous away to Arsenal last weekend, he was brilliant away to Everton the week before.

In fact, the “unstoppable” Rotterdam-born dynamo, as dubbed by Statman Dave, was so good that he was named the Man of the Match, despite not scoring the equalising goal.

In his 77 minutes of action, he completed three of his five dribbles, more than anyone else on the night, won five of eight ground duels, amassed a combined expected goal and assists figure of 0.67, took 55 touches, played one key pass and won two fouls.

Finally, while the right-footed game-changer hasn’t been much of a goal threat in East London, he has it in his locker, as in his final campaign with Leeds, he racked up a tally of 21 goals and ten assists in 41 games.

Ultimately, Summerville is obviously not as good a player as Bowen and likely won’t be, but with more coaching, he could easily become someone West Ham can rely on in a similar way.

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Posts 2 ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 10, 2025

His 4 for 39 includes two wickets in two balls to reduce Middlesex to 155 all out, trailing by 228 runs

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-May-2025Glamorgan dominated day two to enforce a Middlesex follow-on overnight, seeking a third consecutive win inside three days.Andy Gorvin starred with the ball once again for Glamorgan with 4 for 39 including two wickets in two balls to reduce Middlesex to 155 all out, trailing by 228 runs.Max Holden’s strong seasonal start continued with a top-scoring 42 for the visitors after a number of starts failed to kick on in favourable bowling conditions.Middlesex batters were relieved of batting for the second time in the same day as a second rain-interruption brought an early close.Glamorgan returned for a rain-threatened day at 334 for 7 after two exceptional centuries from Sam Northeast and Kiran Carlson on day one. Chris Cooke added some resistance after a slight wobble the previous evening to keep Glamorgan in the hunt for a full batting points display.A slow start to the morning with gloomy, overcast conditions saw bowlers prevail, as tends to happen in opening sessions at Sophia Gardens. Gorvin found the boundary streakily including twice in one over from Toby Roland-Jones for his 17 and Cooke fell just short of a half-century, Dane Paterson with a first wicket after bowling well on day one, Glamorgan having six overs before lunch.Former England international Sam Robson couldn’t negotiate the new ball as conditions continued to work in favour of the bowlers, this time it was the hosts’ medium and medium-fast prevailing as was the case all day.Holden looked at ease either side of lunch continuing his strong start to the season, he was unable to add a fifth score of 50 or more though when Andy Gorvin sparked a two-in-two to grab the game in Glamorgan’s favour.Luke Hollman and Leus Du Plooy both got off the mark in beautiful left-handed fashion, leaning on a cover drive. However, Hollman’s stay was short, loosely driving a nip-backer from James Harris.Du Plooy and then former Surrey batter Ben Geddes stuck around albeit to unimpactful contribution; the overcast conditions playing a bit part on Glamorgan’s surge with the ball. Debutant Matt Kuhnemann impressed with varying pace and Glamorgan’s catching remained strong as has been since they found their winning form, the only mishap being a drop from Marnus Labuschagne off Harris who dismissed Geddes later in the same dominant over, Tom Bevan also notably with a stunner to dismiss Jack Davies at square-leg.With follow-on chances looming, Glamorgan had seven overs to find the final wicket before the day’s end, doing so successfully. The improbable 10th wicket partnership required was too steep for the visitors closing play at an innings end.