As cricketers who represent Australia we acknowledge and embrace “The Spirit of Cricket” and the laws of our game.This Players’ Spirit of Australian Cricket serves as a guide to the shared standards of behaviour that we expect of ourselves and of the values we hold.Our On Field BehaviourWe play our cricket hard but fair and accept all umpiring decisions as a mark of respect for our opponents, the umpires, ourselves and the game.We view positive play, pressure, body language and banter between opponents and ourselves as legitimate tactics and integral parts of the competitive nature of cricket.We do not condone or engage in sledging or any other conduct that constitutes personal abuse.We encourage the display of passion and emotion as a sign of our enjoyment and pride in the game, as a celebration of our achievements and as a sign of respect for our opponents.Our Off Field BehaviourIt is acknowledged that we have a private life to lead but understand our off-field conduct has the potential to reflect either positively or adversely on us as individuals and also on the game of cricket.We consider off field conduct that may be likely to warrant legitimate public criticism to be unacceptable conduct.Our TeamWe take pride in our sense of the importance of the team and acknowledge the role of the team captain and our direct support staff. We demonstrate this by displaying loyalty and compassion to each other, by accepting our role as mentors and by supporting each other to abide by these values.We value honesty and accept that every member of the team has a role to play in shaping, and abiding by our shared standards and expectations.We strive to be regarded as the best team in the world. We measure this by our on field achievements and by exploring ways in which we might continue to “raise the bar” in respect of our own professionalism.We acknowledge and follow the traditions of our game while encouraging and accepting experimentation that will enable us to create our own traditions and history. We do this in the expectation that we will leave the game in a better shape than it was before we arrived.Our OpponentsWe acknowledge and respect that our opponents may hold different cultural values and beliefs from our own, and value the diversity and richness this adds to the game.By treating our opponents with dignity and forging bonds of mutual respect, we will overcome any cultural barriers.Our SupportersWe value our supporters and acknowledge those who support our opponents and the game of cricket. We demonstrate commitment to our supporters by always giving our best and demonstrating leadership in everything we do.Our FamilyWe value the contribution and sacrifices of our families that enable us to meet these expectations.RespectWe respect the governing bodies of the game, our support teams in every capacity and our players’ association. We demonstrate this respect by seeking and offering frank and open communication in accordance with the Players’ Spirit of Australian Cricket.Written by Cricket Australia-contracted players, October 2003.

Before the TVS Cup began, Stephen Fleming had remarked about the difficulty of the task for New Zealand in this tournament, being pitted against the World Cup winners and the runners-up. Just four games into the tournament, New Zealand have already fallen behind, and must put in a much-improved performance against Australia at Pune to prevent this tournament from becoming a two-horse race.Another defeat will not bundle the New Zealanders out of the tournament – though Australia will be guaranteed a place in the final if they win tomorrow – but after their embarrassing rout at Faridabad, Fleming and his men urgently need a morale-booster. In the context of how the two teams have performed so far, just running the Australians close will be a significant achievement.New Zealand’s cause has not been helped by injuries to Chris Cairns and Paul Hitchcock. Cairns strained his hamstring in the first match of the tournament at Chennai, while Hitchcock suffered a side strain at Faridabad. Both are doubtful starters for Monday’s match: Lindsay Crocker, manager of the New Zealand side, indicated that a final decision on both players would only be made on the morning of the match.Australia have few worries on their plate; their biggest grouse might well be the itinerary, which forces them to play a day game just one day after finishing a day-night fixture.The Australian top order had been below par at Gwalior, but Damien Martyn’s classy century, and Andrew Symonds’s powerful strokeplay suggested that the batting line-up is slowly getting into groove. The most encouraging aspect, however, has been the outstanding display by their second-string pace attack.In the absence of their top three fast bowlers, the inexperienced line-up of Nathan Bracken, Brad Williams and Andy Bichel were expected to struggle in subcontinental conditions. In two of the three matches, though, they have given Australia the early initiative. The conditions at Faridabad were admittedly seamer-friendly, but even on the dry surface at Mumbai, Bracken and Williams extracted bounce and movement, and had Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman playing and missing on numerous occasions.The Nehru Stadium at Pune could well offer the seamers a fair amount of assistance as well. There was a decent sprinkling of grass on the pitch, while the downpours over the last couple of days – which forced the covers to remain on the wicket – could also work in favour of the fast bowlers. The outfield was in excellent shape, though, and with fair weather expected for Monday, a prompt 9am start was a near-certainty.Australia (probable) 1 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Michael Bevan, 6 Andrew Symonds, 7 Michael Clarke, 8 Brad Hogg, 9 Andy Bichel, 10 Brad Williams, 11 Nathan Bracken.New Zealand (probable) 1 Chris Nevin, 2 Stephen Fleming (capt), 3 Lou Vincent, 4 Scott Styris, 5 Craig McMillan, 6 Chris Cairns, 7 Jacob Oram, 8 Chris Harris, 9 Brendon McCullum (wk), 10 Daniel Vettori, 11 Daryl Tufffey.

Australia’s match with New Zealand in India today is rapidly shaping as a “best of the rest” match, so badly hit by injuries have the two sides been. The latest withdrawals from the game are Mike Kasprowicz, the replacement Australian fast bowler, and Chris Cairns, the New Zealand allrounder.Cairns, who suffered a hamstring strain in New Zealand’s last match, the rain-affected encounter with India, failed a fitness test yesterday and will be left to recover for New Zealand’s next game, against India in Pune on Monday. Kasprowicz has a sprained hip muscle according to Australian captain Ricky Ponting.Australia had already lost Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Darren Lehmann from their World Cup-winning side, with Shane Warne still unavailable due to his suspension. New Zealand went on tour without Shane Bond, and have sent Nathan Astle home for treatment for his recovering knee, while Cairns is now unfit.

For the first time since England arrived in Sri Lanka two weeks ago, the rains failed to materialise yesterday afternoon. The irony was not lost on the England camp, who had looked on forlornly as the one-day series died the wateriest of deaths on Sunday. Instead, as attention shifted towards the first-class leg of the tour – which begins with tomorrow’s warm-up match against the Board President’s XI – Colombo was being basted in the sort of ferocious heat that England encountered on their previous visit in 2001.England’s 2-1 victory on that trip is widely regarded as the pinnacle of Nasser Hussain’s four-year tenure as captain, and though he is back in the ranks this time around, he was on hand yesterday to remind everyone just how tough the next month is going to be. “This is the most difficult place in the world to play cricket,” he said. “It is harder even than taking on Australia in Australia. The wickets are different to anywhere else in the world. The outfields are slow and, with the heat, you have to work hard for your runs.”Hussain is keenly aware that this is not his show any more, and he was at pains to stress than Michael Vaughan is his own man as captain. Nevertheless, it would be a surprise if England chose to deviate from their tried and trusted game-plan on the subcontinent. “My idea was always to stay in the game,” explained Hussain. “To still be in there on days three and four, when the pressure then shifts to the opposition. Whether it’s the crowds or the expectation that they ought to have beaten us already, they seem to feel the pressure more if you hang on to the end. All our victories came right at the death.”England’s top five are all familiar with the subcontinent, while Andrew Flintoff is a more rounded player of spin than the man who scraped 26 runs in five innings in India two years ago. But Hussain, who has returned from a three-week break after missing the one-dayers, warned that no amount of preparation can make up for time in the middle against the greatest bowler in the world today, Muttiah Muralitharan.”It’s a lovely game for Murali,” said Hussain. “He’s got that touch of genius, and a wicket is always somewhere around the corner. The rest of us have to work at our games. With him, it is never a matter of demolishing his bowling – it’s more a case of keeping him out. If he is going to take five wickets in a innings, make sure those are spread over 50 or 60 overs.””I don’t think there’s any harder job in world cricket, than when you first go out to bat in Sri Lanka, when Murali’s got men around the bat, with the ball spitting both ways out of the footholes. Every wicket out here is different so it’s a case of learning on your feet. As far as preparation goes, all you can really do is visualise your innings – decide what shots you can and can’t play – because the angles he achieves with his offspinners are unique.”If England had it tough in 2001, they were at least a team at the peak of their powers in the bowling department. This time around, however, Darren Gough, Andrew Caddick, and even that subcontinent specialist, Craig White, are all missing. “Those guys had a lot of experience,” said Hussain. “They could change their game-plans in a session. In the first Test at Galle, for instance, they came out after lunch and were bowling offcutters. This time we’ve got a lot of inexperience in our team, and you can’t win a Test unless you take 20 wickets.”It will take a repeat performance of the 2001 victory to wrench public attention away from England’s rugby heroes, something of which Hussain was wistfully aware. “It was obviously a great feeling watching that final, but at the same time I couldn’t help wishing we had done the same in our own World Cup. I’ve always felt the country are right behind us wherever we’ve played, and what hurts the most is thinking that you’ve let people down. We would do anything to have that feeling of going home as heroes.”It is a lesson to us all,” added Hussain. “If you put all your plans in place, if you get a great coach in Clive Woodward, and a superstar in Jonny Wilkinson, a good side can become a great one. Cricket, football, it can happen to all of them. From what I’ve read, we got plenty of credit for our victory in Sri Lanka last time. But there are two things that are permanently etched in people’s memories, World Cups and Australia. The rugby boys were very fortunate – they nailed them both in one afternoon!”Those are the two things that I didn’t put right as a captain. Now it’s up to someone else to do so.”

India 211 for 3 (Sehwag 90, Tendulkar 44) beat Zimbabwe 208 for 6 (Streak 59*) by 7 wickets with 12.2 overs to spare
Scorecard

The third match of the VB Series, at Hobart, resulted in a comprehensive win for India, after yet another worrying top-order collapse prevented Zimbabwe from reaching a competitive total. Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar put on their second century stand of the series as India achieved the 209-run target with 12.2 overs to spare to take home a bonus point as well. Heath Streak top-scored for Zimbabwe with an unbeaten 59 and troubled the Indian openers early on, but was let down by most of his team-mates.India’s opening pair initially approached batting with caution. Having done that, Tendulkar got into his groove and split the field with languid ease, bringing out a range of strokes that had gathered cobwebs during the Test series. The cut over point, the expansive drives, and a loft over mid-off were all on display. At the other end, Sehwag, who had lost his touch temporarily, found his variety of strokes again, much to the bowlers’ chagrin.After surviving when Tatenda Taibu put down a difficult chance, Sehwag rubbed in the mistake that very over, picking a delivery from Sean Ervine and putting it into the stands at midwicket. Sehwag brought his wrists into play often, pulling balls from outside off stump to midwicket, and standing high and punching through cover. And when Raymond Price bowled to him, spectators at midwicket were under constant threat.But Price wasn’t exactly powerless. He nearly had Tendulkar caught at cover, but for a straightforward chance being put down by Streak. Tendulkar’s masterclass ended the next over, when he played down the wrong line and was bowled by Ervine for 44 (129 for 1). After missing out on Tendulkar’s wicket, Price had his sights set on Sehwag (90), who played one shot too many, and spooned a catch to cover (158 for 2). Hemang Badani (15) made a minimal contribution, before playing an expansive drive and nicking a ball to Taibu (172 for 3). Sourav Ganguly then came out to score 32 of the 37 runs India needed, and took the team home by seven wickets.Earlier, though Streak held firm at one end, he needed support. It came in the form of Ervine, who smashed an unbeaten 48 off just 33 balls. Both batsmen took their chances, and raised a rambunctious 93-run partnership off only 72 balls. They ran hard, hit harder, and India’s bowlers, who had given a good account of themselves so far, didn’t know what to do. Anil Kumble bowled eight overs for 19, but then ran into Ervine, who hit a six over cover, and helped himself to 19 more off Kumble’s last two overs. Ajit Agarkar’s last over was taken apart for 20, after the first seven had gone for 19. A spectacular six over long-on preceded an even grander hit out of the ground over midwicket. Later that over, Streak flayed one to deep extra cover to reach his fifty. It was the kind of batting display that made you forget the bad start, until India put the target in perspective.India’s bowlers choked the runs and took wickets at regular intervals to keep Zimbabwe on the mat. The openers played watchfully for three overs, before Vusi Sibanda ran for a single that might have been on if Inzamam had been the fielder. Instead, Yuvraj Singh, at point, dived, stopped, and flung the ball to the bowler’s end, and Sibanda (12) was found short of his crease (14 for 1).Stuart Matsikenyeri played tentatively throughout his stay and scored 9 before attempting a full-blooded whack off Irfan Pathan to the leg side, only to loop it up gently for Badani to take a simple catch at cover (36 for 2).Shortly after, Kumble slipped a googly through Mark Vermeulen (2), bringing an end to a scratchy 24-ball innings (48 for 3). The next three batsmen got themselves out: Stuart Carlisle (37) played across the line to a straight one from Sehwag, Grant Flower (15) patted a ball back to the bowler, and Taibu somehow converted a full-length delivery from Badani into a yorker (114 for 6). It was at this stage that Ervine walked out to join Streak, and show the top order how things should be done. But it wasn’t enough, as India bludgeoned their way to victory, turning the three-team series more and more into a two-horse race.

Jacques Kallis is a slight fitness worry for South Africa as they prepare for the second one-day international against West Indies at Port Elizabeth. Kallis, who scored his fifth century in as many matches during the opening fixture at Cape Town, has been suffering from flu but expects to be passed fit.”Jacques went to the doctor and he’s been given some medicine,” said South Africa’s captain, Graeme Smith. “He’ll be able to put his feet up and he’ll be okay for tomorrow’s game.” But even without Kallis, South Africa are overwhelming favourites for the match, after bundling West Indies out for their lowest ODI total of 54 at Newlands, en route to a thumping 209-run victory.”We came into the match thinking we had our best XI, and seven hours later, we were devastated,” said Brian Lara, the West Indies captain. “But it would be bad thinking to make major changes,” he added. “The defeat was one of those things that can happen in cricket.”One change that might be on the cards is a first cap for the Barbadian opener, Kurt Wilkinson. But Lara’s words suggest that he will have to wait his turn.South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 Boeta Dippenaar, 5 Jacques Rudolph, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Lance Klusener, 8 Robin Peterson, 9 Shaun Pollock, 10 Andre Nel, 11 Makhaya Ntini.West Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 3 Brian Lara (capt), 4 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 5 Dwayne Smith, 6 Ricardo Powell, 7 Ridley Jacobs, 8 Vasbert Drakes, 9 Ryan Hurley, 10 Merv Dillon, 11 Corey Collymore.

Scorecard

A thrill-a-minute 57 from Brendon McCullum, allied to the obduracy and strength of Jacob Oram, dug New Zealand out of a hole on the third day of the opening Test against South Africa at Westpac Park. They were also indebted to Scott Styris, whose sedate 74 knitted the first half of the innings together. At stumps, New Zealand were 361 for 7, still 98 in arrears.McCullum, who was making his Test debut after 48 one-day appearances, announced his intent with the very first ball after tea, driving Andre Nel on the up to the mid-off boundary. Though he had his moments of discomfort on a pitch where Paul Adams was able to get the ball to turn almost square – huge puffs of dust, and even flying chunks of turf, accompanied balls that were speared into the bowlers’ footmarks – he bided his time and played some glorious cuts and drives when offered some width.He and Oram had come together with New Zealand precariously placed at 225 for 6, but a few meaty blows after tea ensured that the follow-on target of 260 was surpassed with ease. That didn’t stop McCullum, who displayed the positive approach that had been eschewed by every other batsman, barring Chris Cairns.Oram soon caught on, using his height and immense power to belt pace and spin alike over the midwicket fielder. They added 84 before Jacques Kallis, the pick of South Africa’s bowlers on the day, got McCullum to inside-edge one through to Mark Boucher (309 for 7).Daniel Vettori then illustrated why he has a Test hundred to his name, as New Zealand finished much the stronger against an attack that had run low on inspiration and energy. Oram could have been stumped off Adams’s bowling late in the day, but Boucher failed to get a glove on the ball with Oram stranded a long way out of the crease.

It hadn’t gone New Zealand’s way in the morning, as the bowlers established a stranglehold, conceding only 42 runs in the 27 overs bowled. Michael Papps, 50 overnight, added only nine more before being given out leg-before to Kallis (127 for 3). The ball struck him just outside the line, but after turning down several appeals earlier, Steve Davis, the umpire, was inclined to be charitable.Styris and an out-of-sorts Craig McMillan then crawled to lunch, showing little desire to take the initiative against a bowling line-up that was never menacing. McMillan made just 19 before becoming the fourth leg-before victim of the innings. Kallis was again the fortunate bowler, and the ball had darted back enough to suggest that it might have missed leg stump (172 for 4).Cairns started circumspectly, but cut loose when the new ball was taken in the 85th over. Shaun Pollock saw one smashed back past him with a tennis follow-through, and was then on the receiving end of a superb cover-drive. That prompted Graeme Smith to move a man from gully to short cover, and Cairns delighted in taking the mickey by cutting the next ball past where gully had been.At the other end Styris Styris defended stoutly, and played some attractive cuts and sweeps when Adams erred in line or length. It was his dismissal, bowled by one from Pollock that darted back in, that triggered the wobble before tea. Cairns, in fine touch during his 28, soon followed, tickling a short-pitched ball down the leg side from Makhaya Ntini through to Boucher (225 for 6).At that stage, the follow-on appeared a distinct possibility. McCullum and Oram, who finished the day unbeaten on 49, then combined to make sure that it was anything but, as the tired South Africans were given the runaround in the final session.

Michael Bevan and Andy Bichel have been dropped from Australia’s list of centrally contracted players for 2004-05. The announcement all but ends their international careers, although Cricket Australia has pointed out that uncontracted players would still be considered for selection.”Michael Bevan has been a wonderful player for Australia over many years, particularly in the one-day arena,” said Trevor Hohns, the chairman of selectors. “However, it was felt that [his] contribution to the one-day side has decreased. We won’t be picking him for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe, and therefore we consider it’s time to move on. We’re looking to the future now … it’s time we started to form a core group of players that we think will represent Australia at the next World Cup.”Andy Bichel has played a vital role in our sides over recent times,” Hohns continued. “However, it is fair to say we showed our hand during the summer when he was omitted from various teams in both forms of the game. With the fast bowlers currently representing Australia and the emerging fast-bowling talent around the country, we couldn’t find a place for Andy on the list.”Brad Hodge and Shaun Tait were offered contracts for the first time, and Michael Hussey stayed on the list for the third year. Matthew Elliott was brought back into the fold after a prolific season for Victoria, the Pura Cup champions, while Michael Kasprowicz and Simon Katich were upgraded to full-year contracts.Hohns said weight of runs was the factor that led to Elliott’s recall. “The amount of runs Matthew has scored over the last couple of years we found irresistible,” he explained. “He just demanded inclusion in this list, as did Brad Hodge.”Nathan Bracken, Ashley Noffke and Nathan Hauritz were also dropped from last year’s list, while Steve Waugh retired in January.Contracted players receive a basic retainer fee, besides match fees, tour fees and prize money. The minimum retainer is $140,000, and match fees are $12,100 for Tests and $4850 for one-dayers.Contracted players
Michael Clarke, Matthew Elliott, Adam Gilchrist, Jason Gillespie, Ian Harvey, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Michael Kasprowicz, Simon Katich, Justin Langer, Darren Lehmann, Martin Love, Stuart MacGill, Jimmy Maher, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Ricky Ponting, Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait, Shane Warne, Shane Watson, Brad Williams.

Close New Zealand 384 (Fleming 117) and 190 for 5 (McMillan 28*, Franklin 2*) lead England 319 (Trescothick 63, Cairns 5-79) by 255 runs
Scorecard

New Zealand started the third day at Trent Bridge with a timely morale boost from Down Under. In their Rugby Union international against England, the All Blacks romped to a crushing 36-3 victory. It was the sort of news that couldn’t help but inspire their black-capped cousins to greater deeds.Sure enough, James Franklin and Chris Cairns shared nine wickets between them to secure a highly improbable 65-run lead, before Mark Richardson and Stephen Fleming more than doubled the advantage with a coolly-compiled 94-run opening stand. By the close, New Zealand led by 255 runs with five wickets remaining. All it will take is defeat by France tomorrow evening, and England’s sporting bubble will have been well and truly pricked.New Zealand’s position would have been even better, had it not been for a couple of howlers from umpire Simon Taufel, who sent Stephen Fleming on his way, lbw for 45, before adjudging Scott Styris to have been caught behind for 39, as he swiped at a wide delivery from Steve Harmison with three overs of the day remaining.There was clear daylight between Styris’s bat and the ball (and, at that stage, between New Zealand’s prospects and those of England) but the error allowed England to regroup before the close. New Zealand still remain in charge, but with two bowlers missing from their attack, they need to set England something nearer 350 if they are to have any realistic hopes of avoiding the whitewash.Mind you, the absence of Chris Martin and Kyle Mills had made no difference in morning session, when Cairns’s wily assortment of slower balls, and Franklin’s zippy left-arm swingers were too much for England’s remaining five batsmen, who were rattled out on the stroke of lunch, for the addition of 94 runs.In reply, England’s seamers made a lethargic start. For the most part they were accurate but unthreatening, and Richardson and Fleming settled in for the long haul. Fleming struggled to get the ball off the square at first, but Richardson was in an uncharacteristic hurry to capitalise on his scoring opportunities. Every time England bowled too straight, he would clip them through midwicket; too much width and they disappeared through the covers.

It was left to Ashley Giles to make the breakthrough. On 41, Giles had got his palm to an uppercut off Harmison, but he made amends in the second over of his spell, as Richardson played across the line and was pinned plumb lbw by a sharply turning delivery. He was gone for 49, one short of his fourth half-century of the series, and he was rightly applauded from the field by the Trent Bridge crowd. New Zealand may have lost the series, but in batting nearly 22 hours for his 369 runs, Richardson has remained unbowed throughout.After tea, New Zealand’s middle-order stumbled in that now-characteristic manner. Brendon McCullum was utterly deceived by a fine piece of bowling from Giles, beaten in the flight as he came down the track and well held by Flintoff at slip as the ball skewed off a leading edge (106 for 2).Flintoff then took the big wicket of Fleming, who had been troubled by his tight off-stump line from around the wicket, and was sent on his way by Taufel as he padded up to one that would have been slipping over the top of off stump (126 for 3). When Nathan Astle followed for a fourth-ball duck, Flintoff was on a roll and England were in the ascendancy. But Styris and Craig McMillan brought down the shutters, at least until Taufel’s late aberration.It was not one of Taufel’s best days as an umpire. Earlier, he had scuppered England’s prospects of a first-innings lead when he gave Graham Thorpe out for 45 to a leg-side delivery that flicked his thigh pad. At that stage England had been reduced to 255 for 7, with the nightwatchman Matthew Hoggard the other early wicket, caught fending to slip off Franklin.Giles and Geraint Jones showed what might have been on another day. Jones got off the mark in style, cutting Franklin to the point boundary off the fourth ball he faced, then square-driving the last ball of the over for four more. But just as he appeared to be settling in for another of his calculated assaults, he aimed a woolly swish over midwicket, and Scott Styris had the wicket, lbw for 22. At 295 for 8, England were in the doldrums.Giles demonstrated his worth with an important 45, full of sound judgment and impressive improvisation, but Cairns at the other end was too clever for England’s tailenders. Martin Saggers had no answer to another beautifully conceived slower ball, which rolled inexorably back onto his stumps, and Harmison was comprehensively beaten by a second-ball yorker. His dismissal completed Cairns’s 13th five-wicket haul, and given New Zealand’s injury crisis, it was one of his most timely interventions as well.

Essex 234 for 8 (Bopara 65) tied with Gloucestershire 234 for 7 (Weston 65, Taylor 56)
ScorecardEssex and Gloucestershire fought out a thrilling tie in their National League day-night clash at Chelmsford on Monday.Set 235 to win, Essex seemed on course for victory when they began the last over needing five runs with four wickets in hand. James Middlebrook and Paul Grayson collected three singles from the first four balls from the offspinner Martyn Ball, but with two required from two deliveries, Ball held a stunning return catch to dismiss Middlebrook.Ashley Cowan heaved the last ball to long-on, but Grayson was comfortably run out at the bowler’s end as he attempted the second run which would have secured Essex the win.Gloucestershire had earlier posted 234 for 7 in their 45 overs, with half-centuries from Chris Taylor and Phil Weston providing the backbone to the innings. Weston hit 65 off 102 balls, while Taylor upped the tempo in the middle of the innings with a 66-ball 56. Alex Gidman chipped in with a brisk 34 as Essex took 78 off the last ten overs.Essex always looked to be easing towards victory, but the dismissals of Ronnie Irani for 30 and then Ravinder Bopara for 55 – to a superb catch by Gidman at deep backward square – checked their momentum, setting up the dramatic finale.