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Match facts

Thursday, April 28, Delhi
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Gautam Gambhir will be returning home as a visitor•AFP

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Delhi Daredevils need some inspiration to lift themselves from the bottom of the table. They’ve even changed the nature of the insipid Feroz Shah Kotla pitch, transforming it from a low-and-slow surface to one with lots of live grass. The move brought them what could have been a morale-boosting win over Kings XI Punjab. The grass was, however, surprisingly trimmed for their next match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, a move that did not impress Virender Sehwag. The Delhi top order did not enjoy the surface, Bangalore’s did, and the visitors managed to scrape through in a tight chase. Delhi play three more games at the Kotla this season, and might as well make the most of home advantage by giving their captain the kind of wicket that he wants.After a five-day break, Kolkata Knight Riders return to the hit-and-travel IPL action for the first of five games in ten days. They couldn’t chase a modest total and couldn’t defend a substantial score in their previous two matches at home. In their defence, they ran in to Chris Gayle and had nowhere to hide. A game against struggling Delhi could not have come at a better time. Kolkata’s powerful batting line-up should enjoy the bouncier Kotla track much more than the one at Eden Gardens. Delhi have the better pace attack though, and Kolkata would be wary after what Ishant Sharma did to Kochi Tuskers Kerala on another helpful surface in Kochi.

Form guide (most recent first)

Delhi: LWLWL (last in points table)
Kolkata: LLWWW (fifth in points table)

Team talk

Kolkata could make some changes given the pacy nature of the Delhi track. Brett Lee should walk in after being left out in place of Brad Haddin against Bangalore. Whether Kolkata go in with two left-arm spinners, Shakib Al Hasan and Iqbal Abdulla, would be interesting to see. They also have overseas options in Ryan ten Doeschate and Australian fast bowler James Pattinson.Delhi rotated their fast bowlers in the previous two games on the revitalised Kotla track. Ajit Agarkar and Varun Aaron made way for Umesh Yadav and Ashok Dinda against Bangalore. What combination will they play tomorrow?Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

Morne Morkel enjoyed the pace and bounce of the Kotla pitch, and it was he who brought Delhi back against Bangalore with two wickets in three balls. Even in the high-scoring match against Punjab, he had the best economy-rate on either side. He hasn’t received enough support, and will again have to carry the attack tomorrow if Delhi are to start some sort of revival.Gautam Gambhir, with more IPL runs than Sehwag, was not retained by Delhi, and became the most expensive purchase at the January auction, bought for a record $2.4 million by Kolkata. He was the first player on sale, and the bidding for him was so fierce that there were about 35-40 bids and counter-bids among the franchises. Delhi, however, did not bid even once. The snub will be somewhere on Gambhir’s mind when he leads Kolkata out tomorrow at his home ground, and he would want to show Delhi what they missed.

Prime numbers

• Venugopal Rao has scored 190 runs in this IPL, the most for Delhi after David Warner
• Delhi had the most ducks in an IPL innings, five, until Kochi got six against Deccan Chargers

The chatter

“They cut a lot of grass, which we didn’t want, but we have to carry on with whatever wicket we get.”
“I believe it is unfair to single out Rajat because I don’t think he has got decent enough opportunities where he could have made a difference. He is as valuable a player as others.”

Kumar Sangakkara has stepped down as captain of Sri Lanka’s ODI and T20 teams but has offered to continue as the Test captain on an interim basis for the forthcoming series against England and Australia “if this is considered helpful for the new captain”. He will continue as a player in all formats of the game.His decision, revealed on Tuesday, comes days after he led Sri Lanka to the World Cup final. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Angelo Mathews are among those tipped to take charge of the limited-overs’ sides, while Thilan Samaraweera is being discussed as an option to lead the Test team.Sangakkara was the third highest scorer in the 2011 World Cup and scored 48 in their defeat to India in the final.”I would like to announce that after careful consideration I have concluded that it is in the best long-term interests of the team that I step down now as national captain so that a new leader can be properly groomed for the 2015 World Cup in Australia”, a statement from Sangakkara said.”This was a decision I made prior to the 2011 World Cup. I will be 37 by the next World Cup and I cannot therefore be sure of my place in the team. It is better that Sri Lanka is led now by a player who will be at the peak of their career during that tournament.”It has been a true honour and a great privilege to serve my country as captain during the past two years and, although bitterly disappointed that we could not win the final, I am very proud of the performances of the team.”I met with the selectors on Monday and I explained my reasons for my decision and I assured them of my fullest support in helping our new captain settle into the leadership.”In this regard, I have offered to continue as the Test captain for the forthcoming series with England and possibly Australia if the selectors believe this would help the new captain and aid the transition.”I have no plans of retirement from international cricket at this stage and subject to form and fitness I would like to be considered for selection in all three formats of the game for the foreseeable future. “

The most heated debate in recent weeks about the composition of the Indian team for the World Cup has been who among Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina will make the final XI. MS Dhoni gave the first clear indication of the Indian team’s decision when he said, after the warm-up match against New Zealand, that the in-form Kohli is likely to play at No. 4 in the opening match against Bangladesh.”Right now it is a matter of deciding slots; it’s the No. 4 slot where Virat Kohli needs to bat with Gautam [Gambhir] at No. 3, because to perform to his potential Virat needs to bat up the order,” Dhoni said in Chennai. “Raina has done well for us batting at No. 5 and No. 6, still there’s a bit of a chance that Virat may get an edge over Raina seeing the current form that he [Kohli] is in.”A starting spot in the World Cup will be a reward for Kohli, who has soared to second spot in the ICC one-day batsmen rankings on the back of several outstanding series. His journey to becoming a first-choice player began with the chances he got in the absence of some of the senior players from one-dayers over the past year. He backed up a match-winning hundred against Australia, in October, with plenty of runs in the home series against New Zealand, before looking the most assured of the India batsmen against the pace of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel in the South Africa one-day series. He was also fluent in both of India’s warm-up matches, making 21 against Australia and a brisk half-century against New Zealand.Raina has been a regular with the Indian side for a couple of years now, but his patchy recent form seems set to cost him his place at the start of cricket’s marquee tournament. He has only one half-century in his previous 21 innings, and even the 25-ball half-century he hammered against New Zealand on Wednesday hasn’t, apparently, been enough to convince the team management.Another middle-order batsman whose recent form hasn’t been great is Yuvraj Singh, who didn’t bat in the warm-up against New Zealand. With India playing only four specialist bowlers, and Virender Sehwag’s shoulder problem still preventing him from sending down his offspinners, Yuvraj’s regular contributions with the ball will be important to the balance of the side. “Once Yuvraj gets going in a series, he makes it a point that India wins that series; that’s definitely a big positive,” Dhoni said. “Also being a proper left-arm spinner, he has been contributing in all the games right from South Africa, taking the ball away from the batsmen. It’s another big asset that he has got which gives him an edge over the others.”Yuvraj’s batting form is shaping up as a big factor in deciding which of Kohli and Raina will play. He will start out the World Cup at No. 5, but could move up a slot if he hits form. If that happens, Kohli looks likely to have to vacate not just the No. 4 spot but a place in the team itself as the management rates Raina as a better player in the lower order, in the subcontinent. “Once Yuvraj gets going and he scores one or two fifties, that will be the time when we will be in a dilemma,” Dhoni said, “because that No. 4 slot is very important for us, and if Virat is to bat at No. 5, 6 or 7 then his performance will get affected, because he’s the kind of player who likes to spend a bit of time initially and then look to go after the bowlers.”

Chris Tremlett has been rewarded for his role in England’s victorious Ashes campaign, with the ECB offering him an incremental contract for the remainder of the 2011 season.Though Tremlett missed out on selection for the forthcoming World Cup, he has played in each of England’s first three ODIs in Australia, having starred with the ball in the final three Tests of the Ashes at Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.He claimed 17 wickets at 23.35 in those matches having come into the team as a replacement for Stuart Broad, and after announcing himself with 5 for 87 in the first innings at Perth, it was he who claimed the honour of the series-sealing wicket, when he bowled Michael Beer off the inside-edge at Sydney.”The selectors are delighted with the contribution Chris has made in both forms of the game this winter,” said the national selector, Geoff Miller. “His return of 17 wickets from three Test matches in Australia was an outstanding effort and he can be very proud of the role he played in helping the team retain the Ashes.”Tremlett came into the series with a reputation for flakiness, but having impressed for Surrey following his move from Hampshire the previous winter, he was picked on the recommendation of England’s bowling coach, David Saker, who reckoned that his 6’8″ frame and economical action bore all the hallmarks of an international-standard bowler.Non-contracted players can earn an England increment contract via a points system. Five points are awarded for a Test appearance and two for a T20 or ODI appearance, with an increment contract being awarded automatically once the player reaches 20 points during the 12-month contract period.”I’m really pleased but I have to say it’s no great surprise,” said Chris Adams, Surrey’s director of cricket. “He has looked a class act in an England shirt, and he was a class act for Surrey last summer. He came to Surrey with the ambition of contributing at international level. It was a fresh start and a fresh approach, and he’s driven forward with it.”

Shahid Afridi and Waqar Younis have been asked to appear before the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Tribunal hearing the case of the three Pakistan players who have been accused of spot-fixing.”Both of them will appear before the ICC Tribunal either in person or through teleconference depending on their convenience and subject to their professional commitments,” the PCB said in a statement.Afridi, Pakistan’s limited overs captain, will not be involved in the Test matches in New Zealand, which coincide with the January 6-11 hearings. Younis, the Pakistan coach, will be in New Zealand.Though there was no further comment from the PCB or ICC, ESPNcricinfo understands the players’ lawyers had been informed of the development. The pair will appear, effectively, as witnesses for the prosecution.It is likely the pair will be asked about statements they had made to the ICC’s Code of Conduct Commission during Pakistan’s series with South Africa in the UAE recently . Those comments appeared in Pakistani press last week; Younis is quoted as saying that Mohammad Amir’s infamous no-ball during the Lord’s Test had surprised him “greatly” because it was very different from his normal delivery stride. He said he’d taken up the issue with the bowler, only for the then captain, Salman Butt, to intervene before Amir could reply.Afridi was also questioned and subsequently quoted in the report on his thoughts about the three players.The hearing, which will be held in Doha from January 6 to 11, will determine the fate of Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif. All three have denied their involvement in any spot-fixing.

Australia’s fast bowlers have gathered in Perth, uncertain of who will be carrying the drinks when the third Test begins on Thursday. The captain Ricky Ponting has said there will be strong competition between the fast men, with Mitchell Johnson back in the mix after being dropped along with Ben Hilfenhaus for the Adelaide Test.Johnson, Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris have all been named in Australia’s 12-man squad, and although there is a chance that all four could play, Ponting always prefers to have a specialist spinner on hand. If that means Michael Beer plays alongside the allrounder Steven Smith, one of the pace bowlers must sit out.The early indications are that it won’t be Johnson, who is viewed as the most dangerous man in the attack, although his recent form has been poor. Johnson has a strong record at the WACA, where he has taken at least five wickets in all three of his Tests, and it was the venue of one of his greatest spells of bowling, when he took 8 for 61 against South Africa in 2008-09.”He’s taken an eight-for here so he has to come back into the reckoning considering it’s a game we have to win,” Ponting told the . “I’ve always used him as a strike bowler but unfortunately he wasn’t able to deliver in Brisbane. He’s had a chance to get away and sort things out and he has worked exceptionally hard in Adelaide. Hopefully we’ll see some good stuff from him in Perth this week.”Johnson was working with the bowling coach Troy Cooley in the nets at the Adelaide Oval while his team-mates were on their way to an innings defeat, and Ponting was pleased with his progress. He was also happy with the efforts of Siddle, who took a hat-trick on the opening day of the series but hasn’t picked up a wicket since that first innings at the Gabba.”Sids had none-for in Adelaide but I think he bowled a lot better than that,” Ponting said. “I thought he got better as the game went on and never got any results to show for it. I’m very comfortable with the way he’s going and I was very impressed with (Ryan) Harris. To come back into the side and bowl that way was really exciting. He’s someone who will bowl well at the WACA.”The Australians have already used five different fast men – Johnson, Hilfenhaus, Siddle, Ryan Harris and Doug Bollinger – in the two Tests, and the full-time selector Greg Chappell said there weren’t a lot of options around the country. Trent Copeland and Mark Cameron have been impressive in the Sheffield Shield this season, while Peter George is also bowling well, having made his Test debut in India in October, but Chappell believed the proven men were the way to go in a crucial Ashes Test.”Well, there are not a lot of options,” Chappell said in an interview with his brother Ian in Brisbane’s . “Mitch was, up until very recently, our best wicket-taker and the one most likely to win a Test or to help us get 20 wickets. If we can get him bowling well, he’s still the most dangerous bowler we have.”The players gathered on Sunday in Perth, where Phillip Hughes and Michael Clarke had arrived early to spend extra time working with the batting coach Justin Langer. The third Test is not expected to be easy for the batsmen, with word from the WACA curator Cameron Sutherland that the game could be over in four days.”We’re going to aim for a fair bit of grass on top this year,” Sutherland told Perth’s . “Certainly we want a result and we’re confident that we’ll have a pitch that will produce a result.”

Ravi Bopara has committed his short-term future to Essex after signing a new two-year deal. There had been speculation about his future at the club with Warwickshire interested in securing a deal, but Bopara will remain at Chelmsford.He is currently playing for the Dolphins in South Africa and will be hoping to be included in England’s one-day squad for the series against Australia in January followed by the World Cup.”The signing of Ravi’s contract has been an ongoing problem throughout the close season due to a number of factors such as his compensation package with IPL being resolved and of course Ravi currently playing cricket over in South Africa,” Paul Grayson, the Essex coach, said. “The signing of the contract was never in doubt, but it was something that just took time.”Ravi is a massive player for us in all formats of the game and he is determined to help us win back promotion from County Championship Division Two. He is a very popular member of the team and is the best signing we could have made for the upcoming 2011 season.”Bopara’s retention by Essex means they should have a solid top order next season having signed Owais Shah from Middlesex and Scott Styris, the New Zealand allrounder, as one of their overseas players for the Friends Provident t20.

L Balaji’s 12th first-class four-wicket haul helped Tamil Nadu bowl Assam out for 184 on the opening day at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Assam began cautiously after TN chose to field on a pitch that had plenty of carry, and the openers had seen off 13.3 overs, adding 24 before debutant seamer Sunil Sam made the first breakthrough. Dheeraj Jadhav, Assam’s top-scorer last season, slashed and edged to the wicketkeeper. Sridharan Sriram, the left-hand batsman who hails from TN, could not make an impact against his old team-mates, and became Balaji’s first victim when he cut to gully. Parvez Aziz played offspinner R Ashwin with confidence and had moved to 36 with six boundaries. He also fought through a stream of bouncers before offering S Badrinath a catch off Balaji’s bowling. Badrinath had to dive low and to his left at second slip to take the chance. When star import Amol Muzumdar departed for a duck, nicking Balaji behind, TN sensed an opportunity to shoot Assam out for a low score. The spinners Aushik Srinivas and R Ashwin nipped three wickets between them, while a couple of run-outs added to Assam’s woes as they stumbled to a score under 200. TN’s openers Abhinav Mukund and Srikkanth Anirudha then batted with determination to take their side to 21 without loss by the close.Wasim Jaffer purred along to his 40th first-class century, while Rohit Sharma missed his ninth by seven runs as Mumbai launched their title defence by scoring 340 for 7 on the opening day at the Bandra Kurla Complex against Saurashtra. On a day that would have left both sides reasonably satisfied, there were several important individual performances that stood out. Dropping himself to No. 3 in the absence of the injured middle-order bulwark Ajinkya Rahane, Jaffer carried on his penchant for plundering domestic hundreds, after Jayesh Odedra’s double-strike. At the other end, with the selectors’ eye on his fitness and temperament, Rohit launched himself into the Saurashtra attack with typical elegance. His 93 came off 86 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes, leading Mumbai to 252 for 2 and in sight of a towering score. Then came the third most significant performance of the day, from another India hopeful. Ravindra Jadeja has had his place in the Indian questioned by all and sundry, and he responded with an incisive spell with the game threatening to run away. He dismissed Sharma, Abhishek Nayar and Ramesh Powar, leading Saurashtra’s resurgence in the evening session and left them with an opportunity to finish Mumbai’s innings early on the second day.For more on this match, click here.Opener Arindam Das’ seventh first-class century was the highlight of the opening day at the Feroz Shah Kotla as Bengal posted a dominant 313 for 2 against a Delhi attack that struggled for incisiveness. Ten months after the abandonment of an ODI due to an underprepared pitch, the Kotla track was at its benign best as Das settled down for a big innings, in Shreevats Goswami’s company. The pair raised 133 in 37.2 overs, giving the hosts a taste of what was to come before Goswami fell for 68, the first of Mithun Manhas’ two wickets. Abhishek Chowdhury was more cautious, but it did not affect Bengal’s speed of scoring as Das shifted gears upwards. Manoj Tiwary who came in at Chowdhury’s exit kept the momentum going with an unbeaten 47 off 80 balls. At the other end, Das, kicked on after reaching his ton and finished the day unbeaten on 150. His knock included 19 fours, and he looked good for more when stumps were drawn.For more on this match, click here.Yuvraj Singh managed a half-century but, like the rest of his top-order mates, was guilty of throwing away a start, as Uttar Pradesh held Punjab to 279 for 6 on the opening day at the Bhamashah Stadium in Meerut. Sarul Kanwar began in aggressive fashion after Punjab chose to bat, striking eight fours in his run-a-ball 42. However, after an opening stand worth 56, Praveen Kumar removed Kanwar and Ravi Inder Singh off successive overs, exposing Punjab’s middle order. Uday Kaul rebuilt in Yuvraj’s company, the pair raising 61 for the third wicket before a mini-collapse reduced Punjab to 143 for 5. Karan Goel rose to the occasion, and along with Vishwas Bhalla, lifted his side to respectability with a 72-run alliance. Piyush Chawla prised out Bhalla, but Harmeet Singh counterattacked with four fours and a six in his 29, taking Punjab to stumps along with Goel, who was unbeaten on 56.Gujarat‘s top order gave a good account of themselves without managing to dominate the Railways attack, leaving both sides on par at stumps on an attritional opening day at the Karnail Singh Stadium. Every Gujarat batsman got a start in a score of 234 for 4, but only one managed to reach fifty, while most bowlers gained respect without making enough entries in the wickets column. Jay Desai and Priyank Kirit Panchal ground out an opening stand of 58 in 28 overs before exiting on the same score. Niraj Patel and Parthiv Patel showed more urgency in a stand of 74, but both failed to kick on, as Gujarat found themselves unable to reap the rewards of solidity. That partnership, however, eased the pressure on the remaining batsmen. Bhavik Thaker, coming in at No. 5, did better than the top four, ensuring he crossed his half-century and remained unbeaten at stumps. His innings included two fours and a six off consecutive deliveries from Faiz Fazal. Debutant Pratharesh Parmar held up the other end with an undefeated 28 and the pair will want to push ahead on the second day. Parthiv praised his batsmen for their effort. “The wicket was green and two-paced,” he told the . “So, it was a challenge to play the first 30 overs and we did it.”Opening bowler Basanth Mohanty completed his sixth first-class five-wicket haul as Orissa bullied Baroda, reducing them to 99 for 9 on a curtailed day at the Barabati Stadium. After overnight rains delayed the start by half an hour, Orissa captain Shiv Sundar Das had no hesitation in bowling after winning the toss in damp, seamer-friendly conditions. Baroda’s batsmen, star players Yusuf Pathan and Ambati Rayudu included, had no answers against Basanth in an innings where only three batsmen managed to enter double-figures. Things could have been far worse for Baroda if not for Rakesh Solanki’s unbeaten 44. Debasis Mohanty, Alok Chandra Sahoo and Dhiraj Singh complemented Basanth’s efforts with a wicket apiece as Baroda derailed in shocking fashion.Himachal Pradesh‘s bowlers contained Haryana on the opening day, as the visitors crawled to 204 for 4 in Dharmasala. After choosing to field, the hosts started well, with seamer Jitendra Mehta removing Nitin Saini for five, but wickets were hard to come by after that. Rahul Dewan held vigil for 40 watchful overs, his 46 pushing the score to 88, before he perished against Ashok Thakur. Manav Sharma and Hemang Badani carried on in the same vein, their partnership of 74 spanning nearly 30 overs before Manav fell four short of his half-century. Badani brought up his 37th first-class fifty, and the first for Haryana, but more importantly, ensured he was unbeaten till the end.

Scorecard Daniel Flynn’s aggressive 162 set the tone for the game•Associated Press

Lively scoring rates and sporting declarations were not sufficient to generate a result in the first unofficial Test between New Zealand A and Zimbabwe A in Harare.The hosts elected to field, and their decision was initially vindicated as the pedigree opening pair of Tim McIntosh and Peter Ingram departed cheaply on the first morning. However, Jamie How, fresh from a personally successful Champions League Twenty20 where he led Central Districts’ winless campaign, counterattacked with a stroke-filled 92 off 96 balls. Zimbabwe’s woes were complete when Daniel Flynn, who has played 16 Tests for New Zealand, went after their bowling in equally aggressive fashion. The pair added a bright 217 runs in 33.5 overs, a stand that set the tone for the rest of the match.Flynn smashed five sixes and 16 fours in his innings and was fifth man out for 162 off 175 balls. Gareth Hopkins held the lower order together with a watchful 50 as New Zealand finished with 426, scored at 4.22 runs per over. Mountaineers seamer Njabulo Ncube and the 14-ODI old Malcolm Waller chipped in with three wickets each for the home team.Unlike the visitors, Zimbabwe’s top-order batsmen did not capistalise on starts, with Steve Marillier and Vusi Sibanda falling for scores of 38 and 46. Left-arm spinner Nick Beard caused a lot of problems as the hosts stuttered to 224 for 6 on the back of Craig Ervine’s 55. Then followed a strong rearguard led by wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva, who has represented Zimbabwe in the shorter versions of the game. His fourth first-class ton, supported by Timycen Maruma’s 59 helped the hosts reduce the deficit to manageable proportions, before they declared their innings in search of a result.New Zealand’s second innings ran into early trouble, and at 65 for 4 in the second session of the third day, Zimbabwe would have nursed ambitions of forcing a win. However, they had to contend with the captain James Franklin, whose batting has come a long way in the last couple of seasons. Franklin stroked his 12th first-class ton, and Hopkins weighed in with a solid contribution once again to lead the visitors out of trouble. Franklin declared the innings closed at 280 for 5, setting the hosts a target of 342 in a little over two sessions.Tino Mawoyo launched the pursuit with his second first-class ton, an unbeaten 125 off 160 balls with 12 fours and two sixes, but a steady fall of wickets at the other end meant that Zimbabwe could never step up gears. With the score 243 for 5 after 54 overs, the game was called off, but despite the stalemate, both teams had reasons to be pleased with their efforts.

Scorecard
Essex leapfrogged Gloucestershire into second place in the Clydesdale Bank 40 Group B with a six-wicket win at Bristol. The home side could muster only 184 for 8 on a slow pitch, despite an unbeaten 70 from James Franklin, as Chris Wright (3 for 43), Ryan ten Doeschate (2 for 30) and David Masters (2 for 26) maintained a tight line and length. Essex were given a good start in reply by Ravi Bopara (45) and Mark Pettini (37), before Grant Flower (45) and Matthew Walker (32) did their bit to clinch victory with an over to spare.It was dour fare for the crowd, but a precious result for the Eagles, who now stand a chance of reaching the semi-finals as at least the best second-placed team in the three groups. The Gladiators were unable to gain much momentum, having been put in to bat, after an opening stand of 46 in eight overs between Alex Gidman (20) and Will Porterfield (27).The only other partnership of note was between Franklin and Steve Snell (32) for the fifth wicket after a collapse to 65 for 4. Franklin came in at the fall of the first wicket when Gidman was dismissed in the eighth over and had to battle hard throughout, reaching his half-century in the 37th over, having faced 77 balls and hit only two fours. Gloucestershire could hit only eight fours and one six, lofted straight by Franklin in the final over of the innings off Tony Palladino.Essex timed their run chase well on a night of few batting thrills. Bopara coped with the conditions better than most and was clearly aggrieved to be given out caught behind off David Payne having faced 42 balls and hit seven fours. Pettini was content to push ones and twos for the majority of his 69-ball innings, which ended when he was yorked by Gidman’s first delivery of the match with the total on 92.That was in the 23rd over and Gloucestershire still had a glimmer of hope. But Flower had sensibly taken time to gauge the pace of the wicket and Walker added some vibrancy to the innings at just the right time. The Gladiators bowlers did not enjoy much luck, particularly Steve Kirby, whose first six overs cost only 14 runs.But the partnership of 74 between Flower and Walker proved all-important. Flower was caught behind attempting to pull Jon Lewis and Walker then fell to a slip catch, but by the fall of the fourth wicket only 15 runs were needed and Essex eased home.