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Former West Indies fast bowler Joel Garner, who is one of the directors on the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), has questioned the CARICOM cricket review panel’s suggestion of dissolving the WICB

Nagraj Gollapudi10-Apr-2016Former West Indies fast bowler Joel Garner, currently a director of the WICB, has questioned the CARICOM cricket review panel’s suggestion of dissolving the board and asking all its members to resign. Garner, who is also president of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA), wondered how some members of the WICB could suddenly be called “illegal” when they were formed according to the individual constitutions of the region’s countries.”My questions are: is the BCA, which was constituted by an act of parliament in 1933, an illegal entity and my selection as president of the BCA an illegal act?” Garner asked while speaking at the association’s quarterly meeting on Thursday. “So I have to ask the question: is the GCB [Guyana Cricket Board] an illegal entity? Is the Jamaica Cricket [Association] an illegal entity? Is the Leeward Islands Cricket Association an illegal entity? Is the Windward Islands Cricket Board an illegal entity? Is the TTCB [Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board] an illegal entity?”If they are so, they have all been established in countries in which the prime ministers are making noise, and they have to tell the public of the region, if these entities are illegal, how they were able to remain vibrant for so long.”The five-member CARICOM panel, comprising V. Eudine Barriteau, Sir Dennis Byron, Dwain Gill, Deryck Murray and Warren Smith, was appointed by the Prime Ministerial Committee on the Governance of West Indies Cricket in response to the crisis that engulfed the WICB after the BCCI suspended bilateral ties and slapped $41.97 million as damages following the West Indies team’s decision to pull out midway through their India tour in 2014. The panel concluded its report in October last year.After extensive discussions and interviews with various stakeholders that included the management of the WICB , the CARICOM panel concluded that the governance structure of the board was obsolete. “There is an inherent and as yet unresolved tension between the evolution of the game of cricket into a powerful, professionally-driven entertainment and sporting industry and a system of governance predicated on an earlier, more simplified set of requirements,” the panel stated. “In this regard, the panel strongly recommends the immediate dissolution of the West Indies Cricket Board and the appointment of an Interim Board whose structure and composition will be radically different from the now proven obsolete governance framework. These two key measures are absolutely necessary in order to transform and modernize the governance, management, administration and the playing of the game.”In its response, the WICB rejected the CARICOM panel’s report in January. According to WICB president Dave Cameron, the panel had not consulted either the six territorial boards – Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana, Leeward Islands and Windward Islands – or its directors, clubs, representatives and, hence, the panel’s findings were not supported by facts.”This [lack of consultations] has caused or triggered findings and recommendations by the panel which are not supported by the facts. The panel made statements and conclusions related to the structure and governance of the WICB, while ignoring the sweeping structural and governance changes which have taken place at the WICB since 2002,” Cameron said.

Wrexham suffered a major injury blow against Harrogate Town on Tuesday after losing goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo to injury.

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Okonkwo injured in first halfTaken off at half-timeFears he's suffered jaw injuryWHAT HAPPENED?

Okonkwo started the game at Harrogate but suffered an early injury in a collision. The goalkeeper received lengthy treatment on the pitch but was initially able to continue. He was subsequently seen taking painkillers, after receiving further medical attention in another stoppage, and did not emerge after the break. Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson opted to send on Mark Howard in his place at half-time.

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There are fears that Okonkwo has suffered a jaw injury which could see him forced onto the sidelines. Wrexham will certainly be hoping that their goalkeeper is not set for a lengthy lay-off. The 22-year-old has become a regular with the Red Dragons this season after arriving on a season-long loan from Premier League giants Arsenal.

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Wrexham's Okonkowo had the best save percentage for stopping attempts in the whole of League Two heading into the game.

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Wrexham will be sweating on Okonkwo's fitness ahead of their next match. Parkinson's side continue their FA Cup campaign next time out when they host National League South side Yeovil Town in the second round of the famous competition. If Okonkwo is ruled out then Howard will be expected to take his place between the sticks.

Harry Kane is making quite the impact at Bayern Munich, with the Bundesliga giants expecting their star striker to shatter shirt sales records.

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Prolific frontman moved to Germany from SpursHas already made history on the goal frontShifting jerseys at a record-setting paceWHAT HAPPENED?

The prolific England captain completed a €100 million (£87m/$109m) transfer to the Allianz Arena during the summer window when severing career-long ties with Premier League side Tottenham. Kane has hit the ground running in Germany, with three hat-tricks included in his history-making haul of 21 goals in 16 appearances.

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It is not just on the field that Kane is causing a stir, though, with Bayern benefiting considerably from his marketing appeal. On the weekend that the 30-year-old frontman moved to Bavaria, 20,000 No.9 jerseys bearing his name were shifted.

DID YOU KNOW?

That was a record in itself, while Bayern enjoyed their best ever day on the general sales front when Kane was announced – beating their previous high after winning the Champions League in 2020. According to , the club now expects to have sold more than 100,000 Kane shirts before Christmas.

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No player in Bayern’s history has ever achieved those numbers, with Kane set to break through the six-figure barrier and keep on rising through to the end of the 2023-24 campaign. The Bundesliga champions announced revenue of €110m (£96m/$120m) from merchandising for the 2022-23 season, with those figures set to soar now that Kane is on their books.

Kumar Sangakkara has said that he made his decision to retire after careful consideration with his family

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo27-Jun-2015Though 37 years of age, Kumar Sangakkara has recently been in the form of his life. In 2014, he played Tests against Pakistan, England, South Africa, Bangladesh and New Zealand to hit 1438 runs at an average of 71.90. In the 12 months, he hit more international runs, across formats, than have ever been struck in a calendar year. In March, he became the first batsman to hit four ODI centuries on the trot, at the World Cup. And as his catching in the Pakistan series have shown, he remains as sharp as anyone in the Sri Lanka side.So why is he quitting now? Sangakkara said it was his father, who has been a well of advice to him throughout his career, who first suggested it may be time to step away.”My father, when I was at home with him a couple of years ago in Kandy, asked me: ‘Don’t you think it’s time you started thinking about retirement?’ I got a shock. I thought, ‘What are you trying to tell me? That I’m not good enough?’ But then speaking to my mind, it actually made some sense. It was back in 2012 or 2013 when he asked me that, and it struck home. I thought, ‘Maybe it was time I paid attention to what’s happening.'”Then when I had my back injury against India in October last year and I came back, it just kind of felt right. The voice in my head was there from maybe that July South Africa series when Mahela decided to retire. It was strange because I had decided before him to start writing a letter, when he called me and told me that he was retiring. I said, ‘Okay, that’s fine. We can’t have two people going at the same time.'”But I spoke to my father, and I spoke to my family. My wife told me that playing for Sri Lanka would be great for us as a family, because that meant I’d be spending a year at home. But even she felt that it was time for me to call it a day. When I heard that, I realised it was absolutely the right decision for me to make.”Had Sangakkara stayed on, he would have had several Test milestones on his horizon. He is fifth on the Test run-scorers list now, but on form, he might have conceivably finished with close to 14000 runs. He is also two short of 40 Test hundreds, though, in the five potential innings that remain, there remains a chance he could hit one more double-century to match Don Bradman’s tally of 12.”In Sri Lanka, we take pride in winning away from home and scoring runs away from home in conditions that are tough”•PA Photos”I’ve been told if I play another year or two years, I could score another 1000 runs. I might be the second highest run scorer, or I might be able to break the Don’s double-century record,” Sangakkara said. “But if you really think about it, if that’s the only reason you want to prolong your career, then it is really time to say, ‘Thank you very much.'”I’ve always prided myself on performing well for the side as an individual, but at the end of the day I want to be able to look my teammates in the eye and say I went out there because I really wanted to do well for the side, and it was nothing to do with individual records. I can do that right now. Extending my career for a year doesn’t make a lot of sense. Two to three years maybe, but then I’ll be 40, which is too long.”I still remember what Muttiah Muralitharan told me when he was retiring. When the selectors sat with him, and he said he’ll be playing only one Test in the India series, but he still needed eight wickets to reach his 800 wickets mark. We told him to play more matches and go for that 800 wickets. He said, ‘If I can’t take eight wickets in one match, there’s no point. If I take eight, we’re going to win that match.’ I’ll play my last two Tests the way I get them. I consider myself very fortunate to play for my country for 15 years.”Sangakkara said he took particular satisfaction from the runs he made overseas. He averages over 60 in Australia, New Zealand and the UAE, and more than 40 in England, with Test hundreds in all nations apart from the West Indies, where he’s played only seven innings.”In Sri Lanka, we take pride in winning away from home and scoring runs away from home in conditions that are tough. So I’ve enjoyed every hundred I’ve scored, but the ones away from home are special.”The third Test against South Africa in Centurion in my second Test series, I was batting on 98 – and I hope I don’t get in trouble with the ICC – but I got a pretty bad decision. I was on 98 batting with Ruchira Perera at the other end. That was a really important innings for me because I played against a really tough pace attack – quick wickets – and that was probably the first time I thought I can become a Test player. My first Test series in Sri Lanka, I had had a terrible time.”Then scoring a century against Australia was special. I had a grade two hamstring injury, and I managed to get back in 16 days and score a century in Hobart, in a losing cause unfortunately. Everyone wants to score runs against Australia, because you consider them the toughest side.”Then there was the hundred in England at the Rose Bowl, which was very, very satisfying. I’ve found England very hard to bat in. I’ve watched Marvan score runs there, Dilshan, Mahela, Aravinda, Sanath all got runs. I watched all these players, and when I found it difficult, I had to come to terms not only with conditions, but also my own expectations.”Sangakkara’s major disappointments were no surprise. He was captain when Sri Lanka were runners up in the 2009 World T20 and the 2011 World Cup. He also played in the 2007 World Cup final and 2012 World T20 final, both of which Sri Lanka lost. He is part of the reigning World T20 champion team however, having hit an unbeaten fifty in the final of that tournament, in Dhaka.What is Sangakkara’s biggest regret?: “I think there have been about four sad days – all the World Cup finals where we didn’t cross the line.”•Getty Images”I think there have been about four sad days – all the World Cup finals where we didn’t cross the line. You wish you’d been on the other side, but you can’t help it. Imagine if I’d been able to walk away with two 50-over World Cup wins and three T20-over World Cup wins. That would be amazing.”But I’ve been a part of some very special teams. I’ve watched Aravinda de Silva, Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu bat. I’ve watched Murali and Chaminda Vaas bowl amazing spells – Vaasy especially on the dirt tracks in Sri Lanka. Rangana Herath – who would have thought, looking at Rangana, that he’d have the record he has? It’s unbelievable. I’ve been part of some special teams and some special wins. There are sad days, but a lot of better days that I remember.”

Gary Neville was left outraged by the red card shown to Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones in the first half of their clash against Tottenham.

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Jones initially given yellow cardChanged to red after VAR reviewDecision angered pundit NevilleWHAT HAPPENED?

Jones was initially shown a yellow card for a challenge on Yves Bissouma, but play was delayed as VAR reviewed the challenge. Referee Simon Hooper was soon called over to have a look at the replay and the punishment was soon upgraded to a red card.

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The sending off was a key moment in the game as Jones was sent off just 26 minutes in with the match still tied at 0-0.

Less than 10 minutes later, Luis Diaz had the ball in the net for Liverpool, but it was ruled out for offside and, shortly afterwards, Spurs went up to the other end and snuck in the opening goal through Son Heung-min.

WHAT THEY SAID

Neville predicted that the red card would be a turning point as he said it would spoil the match during the VAR review.

"A yellow is right, they are checking it. [VAR is] showing [referee Simon Hooper] the end motion, which looks bad," Neville said while on commentary duty for . "That's not how it's ended up there. His foot just slips off the top of the ball. Not for me a red card. He's probably going to get one and it's going to ruin the game, probably.

"You can slow it down all day long and it looks like a leg breaker but I think he's gone in genuinely and his foot's just slipped over the top of the ball. My initial reaction as an ex player was that wasn't a player looking to do the opposition player."

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After Saturday's game, Liverpool are in action against Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the Europa League on Thursday, while Tottenham's next match is away to Luton on October 7.

Goal breaks down the numbers to reveal the deadliest strikers in Europe going into the next round of fixtures

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi make the top five, but which players across the top European divisions have the best average in terms of time it takes to score a league goal?

Gettyimages20Mario Balotelli | Nice – 131.5 mins/goal1842 minutes played – 14 goalsAdvertisementGetty Images19Gabriel Jesus | Man City – 129.7 mins/goal1299 minutes playes – 10 goalsGettyimages18Nabil Fekir | Lyon – 129 mins/goal2066 minutes played – 16 goalsENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty17Wagner Sandro | Bayern & Hoffenheim – 127.5 mins/goal1402 minutes played – 11 goals scored

Rory McIlroy has explained why he could not “go anywhere near” investment at Leeds, but is still hoping to get a “0.0001% share” in Manchester United.

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Spieth and Thomas involved at Elland RoadRed Devils fan refused to join projectForms part of Alpine investment groupWHAT HAPPENED?

The Northern Irishman, who recently helped Europe to Ryder Cup glory in another epic clash with the United States, is an avid follower of the Red Devils. As a result, he could not bring himself to join fellow golfing superstars Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in forming part of the £170 million ($207m) takeover of Leeds by the 49ers Enterprises group.

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report McIlroy as saying: “They asked me if I wanted to come on board and I was like, as a Man Utd fan, can't go anywhere near that.”

WHAT THEY SAID

While steering clear of the United outfit in Leeds, McIlroy would like to get involved with the one in Manchester – with the Glazer family having opened themselves up to offers that now see Sir Jim Ratcliffe leading the race to acquire a 25 per cent stake in the club. McIlroy added: “I would love to have taken a 0.0001% share. If another opportunity comes my way I will definitely look at it. To be able to own even a tiny, tiny, tiny percentage of the club you grew up cheering on would be very cool.”

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McIlroy is not involved in football just yet, but he is one of the investors – alongside the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney and Trent Alexander-Arnold – in the Alpine Formula 1 team. He has said of joining that group: “It's a great opportunity, I've always been a big fan of F1. There has been quite a bit of Northern Irish/Irish connection there with Eddie Jordan and Eddie Irvine back in the day. It's always been something I followed. And then when this opportunity came up, I just think with the popularity of F1, how much it's booming in the US in particular – and I have invested in a few things – but this has got more of a story and a journey. It's no surprise they went to market and got some investors in but I think it obviously stabilises the team and it gives them some confidence going forward. F1 as a whole they do it so well. Golf could learn quite a bit from F1 in terms of some of the set-up stuff and how they do things.”

Folarin Balogun scored a goal for Monaco and set up another, but it wasn't enough to upset Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes on Friday.

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Balogun scores fourth of yearSets up another for MinaminoMonaco fall 5-2

Balogun and Monaco were unable to take down PSG in Friday, as they failed to take a chance to go level with the Ligue 1 giants atop the Ligue 1 table.

The U.S. men's national team star did score in the 75th minute, though, but by that point the game was effectively over thanks to a second-half blitz from PSG.

GOAL analyzes Balogun's performance from the Parc Des Princes…

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The hosts seized an early lead in the 18th minute, with Portuguese star Goncalo Ramos netting his third goal of the season.

Monaco fought back with a goal of their own just two minutes later, with Balogun's pressing leading to a Gianluigi Donnarumma mistake. The Italian's attempt to play the ball out of the back ended in a Takumi Minamino goal, equaling the score at one a-piece.

PSG wouldn't be denied, though, as Kylian Mbappe made it 2-1 from the penalty spot in the 39th minute, giving the hosts the momentum going into halftime. It was a bit nervy in the second half, but PSG eventually put the game to bed via a world-class Ousmane Dembele goal. Moments later, Vitinha added a fourth, totally ending Monaco's hopes of a comeback.

It didn't stop Balogun, though, as the American broke through in the 75th minute go make it 4-2 and end his own day on something of a high. The goal didn't mean much, though, as Randal Kolo Muani essentially erased it with a fifth for the Parisians in stoppage-time.

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WIth the loss, Monaco squandered a chance to really make a statement in the title race, as they entered the match just three points behind league-leaders PSG with Nice sandwiched between the two. However, with the win, PSG now have a six point advantage on Monaco, who will remain in third place after this weekend regardless of what happens elsewhere.

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Even aside from his goal, it's fair to say that Balogun did have a good game leading the line for Monaco.

His holdup play was solid throughout as he did feel involved in the attack. More importantly, his pressing was relentless, as he single-handedly created Monaco's first by pressing what should have been a lost cause. It wasn't though, as his effort led to a Donnarumma mishap for Monaco's first.

Monaco's second, though, was all him. The forward broke through all alone and provided a composed finish, leaving Donnarumma no chance.

Ultimately, there was no way back for Monaco, but Balogun certainly did his part.

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Folarin Balogun (8/10):

Got his goal and set up another one, even if he won't be credited with the assist. Now has four goals on the season and performances like this will certainly keep him in the Monaco XI.

Batsman Stiaan van Zyl and offspinner Dane Piedt have been included in South Africa’s squad for the two-Test series in Sri Lanka in July

Firdose Moonda03-Jun-2014South Africa squads

Test squad: Alviro Petersen, Dean Elgar, Hashim Amla (capt), Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers (wk), JP Duminy, Stiaan van Zyl, Wayne Parnell, Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Kyle Abbott, Quinton de Kock, Dane Piedt
ODI squad: Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers (capt), JP Duminy, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Ryan McLaren, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir, Vernon Philander, Faf du Plessis, Aaron Phangiso, Beuran Hendricks

A new-look South Africa Test squad, which sees maiden call-ups for batsman Stiaan van Zyl and offspinner Dane Piedt, will travel to Sri Lanka next month for Hashim Amla’s first assignment as captain. Also in the touring party are Quinton de Kock, Kyle Abbott and Wayne Parnell, who form part of the group that will take South Africa forward following the retirements of Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis last summer.Kallis is part of the ODI squad, which Faf du Plessis makes a return to, in place of Smith. Ryan McLaren is the second all-rounder in the group with Aaron Phangiso as the second specialist spinner to back up Imran Tahir. Beuran Hendricks is the only uncapped player to be included in the ODI outfit, in place of Lonwabo Tsotsobe who misses the trip after undergoing ankle surgery. There was no place for Robin Peterson in either squad.”There is a lot of talent that is around and the responsibility is on us to nurture it and make sure that we set it up for success,” Andrew Hudson, convener of selectors said. “We want to make sure guys who perform at domestic level get recognised and more so guys who perform over a period of time.”Consistency is what earned van Zyl, a left-handed batsman, his place in the Test squad. Van Zyl was the top run-scorer in last season’s first-class competition with 933 runs, including three centuries, from 10 matches at an average of 58.31. That came after he finished second on the charts in the 2012-13 competition.Although van Zyl plays in the top-order at franchise level, he may find himself competing with Quinton de Kock for the No.7 spot in the Test team. Dean Elgar, who was used in the lower middle order in the past, is likely to be promoted to his preferred spot of opening the batting, in Smith’s place. “Dean has shown us that he can open and has done so. In all likelihood, he will open with Alviro,” Hudson said.South Africa may also choose to play a second specialist spinner, rather than an extra batsman, given the conditions. That would open the door for Piedt, who was the leading wicket-taker in last season’s first-class competition to make his Test debut. Piedt, an offspinner with a famed doosra, claimed 45 wickets at 19.93 and was picked ahead of Simon Harmer, who led the wicket-takers’ list in the 2011-12 season and was second last summer.Harmer has also played for the South Africa A side and was a non-playing member of the Test squad against Australia in March and told ESPNcricinfo last week he felt he “ticked all the boxes” for selection. Instead, he will likely be part of the A side that travels to Australia. Hudson said he is not out of the long-term plans.”We gave him a high performance top-up contract so he is also someone that we like,” Hudson said. “Dane Piedt has done it for the Cobras. He has had a fantastic season and we are delighted with his domestic form. It’s good to have an offspinner who can do something else with the ball and we think this is a wonderful opportunity to develop him.”Although the sub-continent may also have been a place for Harmer to get some experience, Hudson explained South Africa did not want to carry a bloated touring party. “Fifteen players is enough. When guys don’t play, sometimes it’s not good for them,” he said. “I’d rather have them in the academy and the A side than sitting and waiting for games. We’ve seen too much of guys who don’t play whose game just goes backwards.”Parnell is an example of exactly that. The left-armer’s early promise was offset by too much time on the sidelines and a spate of injuries, which he seems to have put behind him. He played eight matches for the Delhi Daredevils at the IPL and has returned to full fitness, thus meriting an inclusion in both the Test and ODI squad.South Africa’s fifty-over outfit is laden with left-armers. Also in the mix is Hendricks, who played at the World T20 in Bangladesh, and could form part of the 2015 World Cup squad. “It’s nice for Beuran to come in. He is someone that is on the up. Lets see where he is in six months time,” Hudson said.His hopes may depend on the progress Tsotosbe makes in his recovery. Hudson admitted not having him was a big blow to South Africa’s plans and they are hopeful of his availability later in the year. “I am concerned that we haven’t got Lopsy [Tsotsobe] now. I hope Lopsy will be back sooner rather than later,” Hudson said. “Part of this World Cup build-up is that you want those combinations working.”That is why Kallis is expected to play in most of the ODIs between July and the World Cup, which includes a series against Zimbabwe, a tri-series with Zimbabwe and Australia, limited-overs visits to both Australia and New Zealand and a home series against West Indies. “We want Jacques to play as part of the mix. He’s got to be playing and we’ll trying out different combinations,” Hudson said. “There will be guys who will come out of nowhere; who put their hands up but for the World Cup, I’m hoping the core stays pretty similar.”The 2015 World Cup and ODI cricket is the focus of the next eight months, which is also partly why South Africa’s captain in that format, AB de Villiers, was not elevated to Test captain. “The build up to the World Cup – we don’t want to disrupt that,” Hudson said. “AB’s captaincy has improved dramatically in the last while. We are delighted to support him and keep that momentum going.”

Hampshire became the first county side to qualify for five successive T20 Finals Days following a five-wicket victory in the quarter-final of the NatWest Blast over Nottinghamshire.

George Dobell at Trent Bridge03-Aug-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJames Vince led his side to their fifth consecutive Finals Day•Getty ImagesHampshire became the first county side to qualify for five successive T20 Finals Days following a five-wicket victory in the quarter-final of the NatWest Blast over Nottinghamshire.Hampshire were indebted to their captain, James Vince, for helping them chase down a daunting target of 198. Vince, promoted to the captaincy for this competition despite his relative youth (he is 23), made an unbeaten 93 – a career-best score in this format – to help his side reach their target with an over to spare. It was the third highest successful run-chase in the competition this season.If Vince’s batting was worthy of victory – his driving through the off side was especially eye-catching – Nottinghamshire will know that they were, to a large extent, the architects of their own downfall.Not only was Vince badly missed on 20 – Alex Hales failing to take a sharp but distinctly catchable chance at cover off the bowling of Ajmal Shahzad – but the hosts also contributed 14 extras (eight no-balls, four byes and a wide) and will know they bowled well below their potential.Harry Gurney, who now carries the expectations of an England bowler, struggled to hit the correct lengths – Vince thrashed four boundaries in his first over as Gurney overpitched and then over-compensated with a short slower ball – while a preponderance of full tosses throughout the innings rendered it almost impossible for Nottinghamshire captain, James Taylor, to set a field.It is Notts’ first loss in white ball cricket in 10 matches, stretching back to June 13, but a result that will do nothing to shed their burgeoning reputation as chokers. It was their fourth successive home quarter-final defeat in the competition.Nottinghamshire were strong favourites at the halfway stage of the game. Making first use of an excellent T20 surface – it was hard to believe this was next pitch on from the strip deemed “poor” by the ICC after the England v India Test – they were powered to an excellent total through ever more impressive half-centuries from Hales, Riki Wessels and Samit Patel.If Wessels played some outstanding strokes – one slow-sweep for six off Kyle Abbott was quite exceptional – it was Patel who most caught the eye. Quick on his feet and blessed with strong wrists, he gave himself room to thrash the bowlers off their lengths and then punished the resulting full or short balls that followed. His half-century occupied only 23 balls and contained three sixes and four fours.Taylor blames bowlers for T20 exit

Nottinghamshire captain James Taylor was quite clear as to where the blame lay for his side’s fourth consecutive home quarter-final defeat.
“That is by far and away the worst we’ve bowled in the competition this year,” he said. “Our bowlers have been outstanding in this competition. They’ve won us plenty of games.
“So to put in a performance like that with the ball, when we’ve been outstanding all season, is uncharacteristic and very disappointing. It hasn’t happened all season. For it to happen on the big stage is devastating for the club and the guys as individuals.
“We never executed our plans. Even Luke Fletcher, who is usually a banker with his yorkers, missed them at the end which summed up our performance.”

While Hampshire’s bowling was not at its best – Kyle Abbott was particularly ragged, but Danny Briggs will not reflect with great joy on this performance, either – they were grateful for four frugal overs from the gentle-looking Will Smith. Bowling what might generously be described as off-breaks, Smith mixed-up his pace cleverly but most of all gave the batsmen little room in delivering the most economical figures of the day.Hampshire started well in reply. But when Michael Carberry ran past Patel’s first delivery and then Shahzad claimed two wickets in two balls it seemed Hampshire would have too much to do. The first delivery, a bouncer, took the glove of Glenn Maxwell as he attempted to hook, while the next, a well-disguised slower ball out of the back of his hand, completely deceived Jimmy Adams who was lured into a drive that he spooned to cover.Instead Vince thrashed four sixes in seven balls – the first three pulled off Patel, the fourth slogged over square leg off a Steven Mullaney no-ball – to put his side ahead of the run-rate and then calmly picked off the full tosses as they came. He rarely had to wait for long.He added 81 in just 6.4 overs with Sean Ervine with Patel squandering a chance to end the stand early by putting down a tough chance on the boundary when Ervine had 11. While Patel originally seemed to have held on to the ball, he was obliged to throw it to the ground as he staggered to avoid stepping over the boundary rope and conceding six. Ervine ran two instead and went on to take Hampshire to within 20 of victory.While four byes off the penultimate ball ended any chance Vince had of reaching an individual century, he still rated the finest innings as one of the finest of his career.”Given the situation – a high chase in a quarter-final – that is up there with one of my best innings,” he said. “At the halfway stage, chasing 200, it looked as if it was going to be tough.”Hampshire, who play Lancashire in the semi-finals and who have won the competition twice before in 2010 and 2012, will be without Maxwell and probably Abbott too, due to international commitments (there is a slim chance Abbott may be allowed to return) though Owais Shah will be back from Caribbean Premier League duty.It will be little consolation to Nottinghamshire that they were part of a highly enjoyable game of T20 in front of a large and appreciate crowd. 11,237 witnessed a match full of big hitting, some athletic fielding and some high-profile blunders. In the end, though, Hampshire simply made fewer mistakes.