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For most teenagers a Test century on debut remains a distant dream, butfor Mohammad Ashraful it was a dream come true.”I had difficulty sleeping last night, as I dreamt about Lara’s 375 and mescoring a century,” he said afterwards.”I told my captain about what I had dreamt in the morning and he told me Icould make it come true, so I just decided to play positively.”Ashraful, who according to his passport celebrates his 17th birthday onSunday – though his birth date had been thought to be 7th July 1984 – became the youngest ever player to score a Test century, bettering Mushtaq Mohammad’s record set in 1961 when he had scored a century against India at the tender age of 17 years and 82 days.He did not play like a teenager, however, as he slammed the Sri Lankanbowlers all round the Sinhalese Sports Club. He went on to score 114 off 212balls hitting 16 fours.He played Sri Lanka’s spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan expertly, using hisfeet and driving over the top, pull-sweeping over mid-wicket, anddexterously late cutting whenever the ball was a fraction short.”I did not feel under any pressure out in the middle, in fact I felt reallycomfortable,” he claimed. “I have practiced against a bowler with aMuralitharan-like straighter ball back home and I had no trouble pickinghim.”Bangladesh still lost the game by a whooping innings a 137 runs, butBangladeshi captain Naimur Rahman was still chirpy after an astonishingthird day, in which his side his side had recovered from 81-4 to score 328,their second highest total in their five-Test history.”It was good for the team to comeback like they did here today as it provedthat we can perform,” Rahman said afterwards.”I always thought this was going to be his match, but Ashraful’s innings wasextraordinary – he played liked an experienced champion.””If he can go out there and do that then we all can,” he said. “His inningswill give the team a lot of confidence.””This game was a good experience as we are learning from our opponentseveryday,” he added.

A freer dressing room culture and a renewed focus on fitness helped improve Sri Lanka’s fielding in the recent series against West Indies, interim head coach Jerome Jayaratne said.Slipping fielding standards had been a major area of concern for Sri Lanka in 2015. In January, captain Angelo Mathews had said the team’s poor catching cost them the Wellington Test match, before Sri Lanka’s fielding drew yet more criticism during the World Cup, most notably from then-chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya. Chances continued to be spilt during mid-year series against Pakistan and India, but the team has been credited with a better fielding performance against West Indies. Jayaratne said giving players freedom to make mistakes was vital in bringing change.”I said I was going to bring in a policy at the beginning of the series, which was to try and catch even half-chances,” Jayaratne said. “I don’t care whether you drop catches and any dropped catch will not be discussed hereafter. The players started to believe in themselves and were not afraid to drop anything. They gave it their best shot.”Jayaratne said the dressing room atmosphere was “not all that good” when he took over as head coach. “The root of it was they were scared to drop catches. When I spoke to them individually, they preferred the catch going to the next man, rather than to them. Tillakaratne Dilshan likes the ball coming to him and he enjoys fielding. If you don’t find the means to psychologically enjoy fielding, you will never be a good fielder.”Sri Lanka earned their first trophies this year with big victories in the Test and ODI series against West Indies, but the upcoming away tour to New Zealand shapes as a key test for a transitioning team, and as an audition for its acting coach. Players have spoken out in support of Jayaratne so far, and the board is presently considering extending his tenure until the end of the World T20 in April. If the upcoming series go well, Sri Lanka Cricket may consider keeping Jayaratne in the role permanently.”The New Zealand tour will be a very stiff test for us,” Jayaratne said. “New Zealand have been playing good cricket from about a couple of years. It’s good for us especially to play under their conditions. It will show what our guys are made of at the moment.”The selection panel, headed by Kapila Wijegunawardene, have also shifted focus to the New Zealand series, which Wijegunawardene described as a “watershed tour”. He said the West Indies series had helped settle a new Test XI, but hinted the selectors would consider their options for the No. 3 position vacated by Kumar Sangakkara. Lahiru Thirimanne had earlier been groomed to take up that role, but has had a mediocre Test record so far.”What we planned earlier for the No. 3 spot is not quite working out the way we anticipated,” Wijegunawardene said. “We will be open to making a few experiments in that position to see who best needs to be slotted in there. We’re going through some of the performances from the ‘A’ team. There is some element of risk which is being forced on us when trying to identify the right player for the line-up.” Wijegunawardene named Udara Jayasundera, Kithuruwan Vithanage and Kusal Mendis as the players they have in mind for the spot.Thirimanne is not being discarded altogether from the Test set-up, however. “It’s a matter of getting his confidence back for Thirimanne. It can happen to every player now and again. He needs to work on his technical flaws and get his confidence back,” Wijegunawardene said.

England 391 for 9 dec (Root 130, Bairstow 74, Starc 6-111) beat Australia 60 (Broad 8-15) and 253 (Warner 64, Rogers 52, Voges 51*, Stokes 6-36) by an innings and 78 runs
ScorecardBen Stokes took his tally to six wickets as Australia were cleaned up on the third morning•Getty Images

England regained the Ashes 10.2 overs into the third day at Trent Bridge as they completed a thumping win by an innings and 78 runs in the fourth Investec Test. It was 599 days since England fell apart in an Ashes whitewash in Australia. The rebuilding has been painful, but Alastair Cook’s young England team has beaten an experienced Australian side that will now be dismantled.The last act was down to Mark Wood – Australia’s last man Nathan Lyon considering a leave and instead dragging the ball back into middle and leg stump. But with Australia seven down at start of play the smiles had crept onto England’s faces from the moment they took the field and, on the players’ balcony, Trevor Bayliss and Paul Farbrace did a passable impression of the Jollity Brothers.Ashes cricket can turn its combatants into heroes, and often it can destroy them too. Up on the Australian balcony, Michael Clarke, a captain who had failed again to win the Ashes in England, mournfully watched the final stages from the Australian balcony as Cricket Australia confirmed that he will retire at the end of the series.”Time has caught up with me,” said Clarke. “As a player you build yourself up for big tournaments – the World Cups and the Ashes. It’s not easy but it’s the right time to go.” Everybody loves winning – and winners – but there is something especially noble about a great player recognising the time to go, and departing with grace and good spirit. The applause he received – in England too – was heartwarming.Cook, a younger man, and stubborn with it, had survived his own tough times to live a happier chapter, becoming the third England captain to win the Ashes twice on home soil. “I couldn’t be happier,” he said. “After what we’ve been through in the last 18 months to play like we have in three out of four Tests against a very good Australia side – we haven’t lost many days of cricket – is just incredible. I’m just so proud of this young team and the way they’ve taken their opportunity.”Two captains briefly in tears at the prize giving ceremony told of what the Ashes means.England have now won four home Ashes series in a row, a sequence not matched since the 19C. Now 3-1 up in the series, they go to the Kia Oval with the pressure off, but a smarting Australia side will remain desperate to summon a response to give Clarke a rousing send-off. In the Ashes, there is no such thing as a meaningless Test.And, in south London they may experience a surface a good way removed from the traditional England surfaces that have given them so much grief in Cardiff, Edgbaston and Nottingham in turn.Ben Stokes has been England’s talisman when it mattered. Swinging the ball lavishly, he took another wicket to finish with his best Test figures of 6 for 36. With James Anderson, one of the greatest proponents of swing bowling in history, looking on from the dressing room, Stokes made light of his absence in a manner that Anderson could admire.It might have been an old ball, 63 overs into its lifespan at start of play, but it had swung prodigiously for Stokes late on the second day and when he returned to the fray after what was no doubt a night of anticipation it proved to be as obliging as ever. At 241 for 7, still 90 behind, Australia faced up to an impossible task.Stokes has feasted on Australia’s left handers. He had bagged four the previous day, three with outswingers delivered from around the wicket and, with the last ball of his second over, he added Mitchell Starc to the list. It was a virtual replica of those dismissals, an outswinger catching the edge on its way to Ian Bell at second slip, but this time he had gripped the ball cross-seam in an attempt at variety and found it booming away to the slips all the same.Stokes is not particularly renowned as a swing bowler at international level, but in Durham they will tell you a different story. England’s most northerly county outpost encourages swing bowling and, on his day, Stokes swings it more than anybody.Some of his finest Test displays have been against Australia, his competitive instincts sharpened by the bristling nature of the contest. Red headed, raw boned and busily tattooed on muscular biceps, he has been in his element.A yorker from Wood soon did for Josh Hazlewood, leaving Australia’s last pair at the crease. Adam Voges, on a ground he knows well from county stints at Nottinghamshire, negotiated his way to a three-hour half-century, an effort which received warm appreciation.England did not turn to Stuart Broad, whose 8 for 15 had as good as settled the Test on the first morning. “Cookie will tell you that on the first morning I wanted to bat,” he said. He would have been glad of the rest. It remains to be seen whether he rests out The Oval. Anderson is definitely expected to sit it out.But that will become apparent in the days to come. For England, the first task was a celebration with the destination of the urn settled in a series that has been brisk, entertaining for all the one-sided nature of the matches, and at times nigh on incomprehensible.

Form is temporary, class is permanent goes the adage. When a classybatsman is in form, that is the ultimate problem for a bowling side.Zimbabwe today were at the wrong end of an exhilarating battingdisplay from three men – Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and SouravGanguly. If Tendulkar provided the initial impetus with a run a ballblistering 39, Dravid (70 not out) and Ganguly (65 not out) took Indiato their fourth consecutive victory in the first Test of the currentseries at the Feroz Shah Kotla. The pair added 110 runs for the thirdwicket and took India past the target of 190 in 37.3 overs with sevenwickets to spare.The session between lunch and tea proved to be a most dramatic one,and settled the issue in India’s favour. The Indian bowlers, freshfrom the rest and rejuvenated by the meal knocked out the Zimbabwetail. But not before they let at least three chances go abegging.Skipper Ganguly floored a sitter in the slips and Vijay Dahiya added ablackmark to a good match for him by dropping a regulation catchbehind the stumps. Fortunately for India, the error was rectified soonenough as Henry Olonga, the last man, missed a full, straight Srinathyorker and was trapped plumb in front. After charging in for 24.1overs, Srinath returned 5/81, taking his match tally to nine wickets.Although Srinath had created the chance for the Indians by restrictingZimbabwe to 225, there was still a challenging target to beoverhauled. Challenging or not, it was easy work for India given thekind of form the top three batsmen have been in.Sadagoppan Ramesh and Shiv Sunder Das walked out to the middle endingany speculation that the Indians might change the batting order in anattempt to make a quick start. Unfortunately for Ramesh, his poor formcontinued. Playing at a ball outside the off stump from Heath Streakwithout really moving his feet, Ramesh (0) presented Andy Flower withan easy catch. First innings double centurion joined Das out in themiddle and started off in splendid fashion, pulling Brian Strang tothe fence in style.Unfortunately for India even this combination was not to last. Dasmade an error of judgment, backed up too much and could not regain hiscrease before a Brian Murphy direct hit broke the stumps at the nonstriker’s end. For the third time in this match, the score read 15/2.In walked Sachin Tendulkar. Playing as only he can, the Mumbai classact decimated the Zimbabwean bowling. Driving the ball with immensepower, Tendulkar found the gaps with ease. The momentum was sofrenetic, the hitting so clean, that even Heath Streak was forced tostop and applaud.When the spinners were brought into the attack, their fate was nobetter. Tendulkar employed the sweep shot with great results. Plantinghis foot and sweeping the ball all along the ground, Tendulkar poundedthe hoardings square of the wicket. Unfortunately for India thefairytale didn’t last long. Tendulkar went hard at a ball from PaulStrang that was well outside the off stump and miscued it to backwardpoint. The other leg spinner, Brian Murphy who suffered so much at thehands of Tendulkar pouched the catch. Tendulkar’s 39 ball assault thatyielded as many runs, was over. His innings however, had put India inthe driver’s seat.Ganguly and Dravid then came together to forge a sensible 110-runpartnership that saw India through to victory. Dravid added anunbeaten 70 to his first innings double ton. Stroking the ball withgay abandon, he realised very early on that this target could beoverhauled by sensible batting. Ganguly too was patient and prudent inshot selection. When the ball was there to be hit though, neithermissed out. If Dravid’s pet stroke was the pull, Ganguly’s was thedance down the wicket that deposited the ball in the stands. WhenGanguly nudged the ball behind square for his 65th run, India hadcompleted their triumph with 9.3 overs to spare. Srinath was adjudgedthe man of the match.

Kevin Pietersen has conceded for the first time that Andrew Strauss, his former England captain and now director of cricket at the ECB, was right to overlook his claims for a Test recall ahead of this summer’s Ashes victory.Speaking at the Sports Industry Breakfast Club, Pietersen admitted that Strauss’s decision, which was made in a face-to-face meeting in London only hours after he had scored a career-best 355 not out for Surrey against Leicestershire at The Oval, had initially left him furious.However, having watched from the sidelines as a new-look England team beat Australia 3-2 in an eventful Ashes series, Pietersen admitted that Strauss’s stance had been vindicated. He also claimed to have drawn a line under his international ambitions.”At the time I would have said it was ridiculous and nonsense,” Pietersen said, “but England won the Ashes. I don’t draw back to a meeting in May and think ‘goodness how things could been different’.”[Strauss] made his decision and it’s turned out absolutely fine. Absolutely it seems to be the right decision at the moment.”I didn’t find it hard [to watch] at all,” he added. “I love seeing England win. I have some real close buddies in that side and seeing them do the business was something that made me happy. Seeing those guys play so well and just seeing the structure and the way it has developed makes me so happy.”The animosity between Strauss and Pietersen is no secret, with Strauss having inadvertently aired his opinion of his former team-mate during the MCC bicentenary fixture at Lord’s last year, when he was caught swearing on an open microphone in the Sky Sports commentary box.However, Pietersen claimed to have been impressed by Strauss’s first summer in his new role, and praised in particular his efforts to rebuild the connections between the current England team and its former players. Ian Botham and Bob Willis were among the names invited to speak to the team during the Ashes, a move that Pietersen described as “brilliant”.Pietersen’s next career move is set to be a stint in the Pakistan Super League as he continues his foray into the world of the freelance Twenty20 cricketer. However, he insisted his first love remains Test cricket, and called for greater remuneration for its players to protect the integrity of the five-day game.”Twenty20 cricket is here to stay, the game brings in a whole different audience to the sport, but I love Test cricket,” he said.”We owe it to the great game to speak positively about Test cricket. It’s an amazing part of what we do and it’s the thing I miss most about the game.”Test cricketers should get paid more, they need to know they are being looked after. With the lures of franchise cricket, we need to protect the game. Test matches should be the pinnacle.””I would love to play Test cricket. If that can’t happen then I will just keep plying my trade anywhere I can over the next few years.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Andre Russell lets out a roar after leading West Indies to victory•AFP

At last it was competitive. After three one-sided matches in a series that was decided before this game began, there was a thriller in Port Elizabeth as Andre Russell carried West Indies over the line for a one-wicket victory.It provided Jason Holder his first victory in charge of West Indies’ and it came in a manner he will not forget. His attack restricted South Africa to a reasonable score by getting into their middle-order early and then cancelled out David Miller’s maiden ODI century with fifties from Marlon Samuels, Darren Sammy and Russell, who held his nerve when the pressure could have reached breaking point at the end.Russell scored 64 off 40 deliveries, including three sixes off his last eight balls with No. 11 Sheldon Cottrell for company, and settled nerves which would have started to jangled from the third ball of the innings when Dwayne Smith was bowled by a full, fast Morne Morkel delivery.That West Indies found themselves on the brink of victory was thanks to Samuels’ patience, Sammy’s determination and South Africa’s slew of freebies after they had slipped to 73 for 5. With three-quarters of their frontline atrack rested, they sent down 14 wides and a no-ball which left de Villiers baffled over their ill-discipline.What de Villiers was more sure about was how to manage his bowlers. He used them in short spells and made some inspired bowing changes, including bringing on JP Duminy on in the Powerplay, which resulted in the wicket of Chris Gayle first ball, and Farhaan Behardien in the 16th over. Behardien found a hint of movement and trapped Denesh Ramdin lbw to leave West Indies teetering on 48 for 4.Samuels watched the early carnage with a patience he had not shown earlier in the series. Instead of attacking the spinner, this time Aaron Phangiso not Imran Tahir, immediately, he hung back. That proved a wise decision as he witnessed the run-outs of both Leon Johnson and Jonathan Carter while he was at the crease and only really began to chip away at the target once joined by Sammy.The pair seemed to understand each other better, rotated strike without risk and took boundaries when Kyle Abbott and Wayne Parnell missed their lines. Their 93-run sixth-wicket stand saw Samuels reach fifty off 70 balls and Sammy off 47. The former captain was the more aggressive and it cost him when he tried to send Parnell over cover but was caught by a backpedalling de Villiers.Sammy was replaced by the equally forceful Russell, who picked up where Sammy left off albeit in slightly more difficult circumstances. Although South Africa’s bowling made run scoring easier, especially as Morkel’s later spell were expensive, West Indies lost Samuels, Jason Holder and Carlos Brathwaite as Russell seemed destined to run out of partners.However, he just kept hitting though and took West Indies from needing 43 off the last six overs to seven off the last two and victory with nine balls to spare.South Africa may have known their total was slightly below par when they needed Miller to smack 30 runs off the last 11 deliveries he faced to propel them over 250, after he fought out a century in 122 balls. Miller had support from Duminy through the early part of his innings and the pair shared a fifth-wicket partnership of 90 but he lacked any other significant partner. Parnell contributed 12 runs in a seventh-wicket stand of 63 but South Africa needed more after their top order – missing Hashim Amla – was removed relatively cheaply.Cottrell and Holder had South Africa stuttering at 32 for 3 thanks to a trio of sharp catches behind the batsmen to leave de Villiers with a big job. He was out for just 19, after being dropped on 6 by Sammy in his follow through, which meant South Africa were tested in one of the areas of their game which remains a concern ahead of the World Cup.While Miller has proved he has both the temperament and technique to be more than just a big-hitting finisher, the underbelly remains fairly soft, especially against a disciplined attack. Holder, Sammy, Russell and Brathwaite stuck to tight lines and gave South Africa very little – just 86 runs in the 20 overs between 15 and 35 and only 22 runs in the Powerplay, which frustrated them.South Africa were unable to cause a similar squeeze, despite Phangiso’s best efforts. Abbott, Parnell and Phangiso do not inspire the same confidence as Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Tahir, especially on surfaces which require more subtle skills and were batsmen are willing to apply themselves, but that is what South Africa need to find out before the World Cup. West Indies just needed a morale-boosting win and that is exactly what they got.

Match facts

Monday, March 9, 2015, Adelaide
Start time 14.00 local (03.30 GMT)
1:57

Chappell: England need to do away with Finn, Ballance

Big Picture

After a prolonged period of foreplay, we have reached the business end of the World Cup. For both sides this is, effectively a must-win match.While England need to win both their two remaining Group A games (the other is against Afghanistan) to have a chance of progressing to the quarter-final, Bangladesh need only one victory.With Bangladesh’s final game coming against New Zealand, this match represents their best chance to ensure qualification. Their captain Mashrafe Mortaza has described it as one of the biggest matches in Bangladesh’s history of international cricket. They have never reached the knockout stages of the tournament.England could win both games and still be eliminated if Bangladesh win that New Zealand contest. It is no exaggeration to suggest that jobs – especially those of the coach and the managing director of England cricket (Peter Moores and Paul Downton) – could be at stake if England fail to reach the quarter-finals. The Ashes were not moved with a view to being eliminated at the same time as Scotland and the UAE.The days when England could be seen as overwhelming favourites in such contests are gone. Bangladesh have won two of the last three ODI matches between the sides, including their last meeting in the 2011 World Cup.Bangladesh may well look to exploit a familiar England failing – a weakness against spin – while England look set to continue with a four-man pace attack and demand a fuller length from their bowlers in search of swing.The pressure of the occasion may prove the biggest factor here, though. In reality, the outcome of this match may go a long way to defining how the sides view the success of their tournament. That England, thrashed by all three Full Member teams they have met in this tournament to date, have seen their expectations sink so low speaks volumes for their current plight.

Form guide

(Last five matches, most recent first)

Bangladesh:WLWWW
England:LWLLL

In the spotlight

As their greatest international wicket-taker, James Anderson‘s place in England’s history is assured. But the World Cup remains a major stain on his record. In his fourth, and possibly last, tournament he has an average of 42.41 and has claimed just two wickets – both against Scotland. Nine of the 24 wickets he has taken in his 23 World Cup matches came in his first three games, back in 2003. Since then he has an average of 61.33 in 20 World Cup matches. For an England side relying on his ability to make inroads with the new ball, it represents a damaging record of underperformance.Recently promoted to No. 3, Mahmudullah, has good memories of playing against England. He was part of the unbroken stand of 58 for the ninth wicket that took Bangladesh to victory in the 2011 World Cup match in Chittagong and made his first World Cup half-century in the defeat of Scotland. He is also likely to play a part with his off-spin.

Team news

Imrul Kayes, called into the Bangladesh squad in recent days as a replacement for the injured Anamul Haque, could come straight into the side as an opener. Kayes made a half-century when Bangladesh defeated England in the 2011 World Cup, but has failed to reach double-figures in his last four ODI innings.Bangladesh are considering exploiting England’s poor record as players of spin by including another specialist spinner – the left-armer Arafat Sunny. If Sunny plays, Soumya Sarkar may well retain his place as opener instead of Kayes as he would then fulfil the role of third seamer. Mortaza will play despite an on-going knee problem.Bangladesh (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes/Soumya Sarkar, 3 Mahmudullah, 4 Mushfique Rahim, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Sabbir Rahman, 7 Nasir Hossain, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Rubel Hossain, 10 Taskin Ahmed 11 Arafat Sunny.In the immediate aftermath of the defeat against Sri Lanka, it appeared inevitable that England would make changes to their batting and bowling for this game. But as the days have passed, the team management have been increasingly supportive of Gary Ballance and noticeably ambivalent towards his possible replacement, Alex Hales. While it remains possible Hales will win an opportunity, there has been nothing to suggest it in training.Equally there has been little support for the idea of playing a second offspinner in James Tredwell, with the short boundary likely to provide further disincentive. Ravi Bopara could come into the side for Ballance with James Taylor pushed back to No. 3, but the most likely change is Chris Jordan, as much for his superior batting and fielding, to come into the side as a replacement for Steven Finn. Even that is far from certain, though, with Eoin Morgan remaining a strong supporter of his Middlesex colleague, Finn.England (probable): 1 Ian Bell, 2 Moeen Ali, 3 Gary Ballance, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt.), 6 James Taylor, 7 Jos Buttler (wkt) 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James Anderson.

Pitch and conditions

This drop-in pitch was described as “full of runs” by Peter Moores. But, while there is an unusually short boundary towards the west side of the ground – just 54 metres – there has only been one total in excess of 300 here in ODIs here since January 2005. That came when India played Pakistan here at the start of this tournament. Mortaza reasoned that a score of 270-280 should be considered “really good” and, while there is unlikely to be any help in the surface for bowlers of any description, the drop-in pitches here have tended to lack a bit of pace. There are showers forecast for Monday morning – a nightmare for England as a washout would eliminate them – though the forecast for the afternoon is fine and mild.

Stats and trivia

• Eight players from Bangladesh’s World Cup squad have never played an ODI against England.
• England and South Africa have not played against Bangladesh since the 2011 World Cup.
• Tamim Iqbal is the only Bangladesh batsman to have an ODI century against England.
• Bangladesh’s victory over Scotland was the first time they have successfully chased down more than 250 in a World Cup.
• England have scored 300 in successive games (against Scotland and Sri Lanka). They have never made 300 in three successive ODIs.
• Since the start of the 1996 tournament, England have only won five matches against teams from the top eight of the Test rankings in World Cup matches.
• Bangladesh have won two of the last three ODIs between these two nations.

Quotes

“The Asia Cup final total was very important for us. There were a few matches definitely, but it is one of them. If we can win this match, it will be a great memory for everyone who are involved with this team.”
“International cricket is played by tough men. There’s no compromising that and when people come into that environment they have to get used to that. International cricket is about handling pressure.”

ScorecardMarcus Harris finished the fourth day unbeaten on 129•Getty Images

Opener Marcus Harris scored his third first-class century to give Western Australia a strong lead at stumps on day four of the Sheffield Shield final in Hobart. It was a difficult day for Victoria, who lost 7 for 93 in the first part of the day and then lost James Pattinson to a hamstring injury. At the close of play, the Warriors had a lead of 280, with Harris on 129, Adam Voges on 15 and the total at 2 for 240.A draw would be sufficient for Victoria to claim the title, so Western Australia might be inclined to declare overnight or early on the final morning. They had Harris to thank for giving them such a healthy lead in a short space of time; he scored at nearly a run a ball during his 134-ball innings, which featured 15 fours.Cameron Bancroft (38) and Michael Klinger (45) both made contributions at the top of the Western Australia order after Victoria were bowled out for 381. It was an excellent morning’s work for the Warriors, who began the day having claimed only three wickets. But a double strike from Ashton Agar – Marcus Stoinis bowled and Matthew Wade lbw next ball – changed things.Nathan Rimmington picked up three wickets, including the key breakthrough when he had Peter Handscomb caught and bowled for 48. The Victorians were dismissed with a deficit of 40 but their day went from bad to worse when Pattinson left the field while bowling the second over of his second spell, with what Victoria confirmed as “a slight hamstring injury”.Pattinson’s international career has been impressive but very stop-start due to a series of injuries, and this left hamstring injury comes after he hurt the same hamstring while playing in Victoria’s Shield match against Queensland in Alice Springs earlier this month. This is his first state match since then.