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	Another start; another fifty and Fleming’s last © Getty Images

Had Stephen Fleming’s final Test innings been scripted for a film about his life, it would have been deemed too boringly realistic to make the final cut. He entered with the stage set for heroism and sparkled briefly as New Zealand began their long and unlikely trek towards salvation. By tea he had achieved his first aim, the 54 runs required to nudge his career average past 40, but within minutes of the resumption, he was gone – not to a sublime piece of skill from the bowler, Monty Panesar, but to yet another wafty, half-conceived flash outside off stump.That’s been the story of his career for 14 eventful, eye-pleasing, but ultimately under-fulfilling years. “It was short and wide, and I was trying to run it down to point,” said Fleming, as he reflected on the delivery that ended his 189-innings, 111-Test career. “But it was the quicker one, and it seemed to skid through, out of the rough, and hit the bottom edge of the bat. Once again, it wasn’t flamboyant, it was just another mistake that I’d have liked to get away with. But not this time.”And so he trooped off the field, applauded all the way to the boundary’s edge by the England team who had broken off their celebrations to join his ovation. At Michael Vaughan’s instigation, the players had also got together a guard of honour to welcome him to the crease, a tribute that Fleming described as “humbling”, even if – as a fellow tactician – he recognised the underlying ploy in Vaughan’s actions.”I took three or four, maybe half-a-dozen, balls to get into my innings, which was probably very smart from Michael,” said Fleming. “I regard him as a very good captain and a nice guy, and the same goes for the English side, so it was humbling. I tried to think about everything that would go on, but it’s hard to keep a lid on the emotions when you walk through a thing like that.”Ever the professional, Fleming kept his feelings in check for 103 deliveries, right up until the moment a puff of the cheeks and a guilty glance at the umpire betrayed the error that sent him on his way. “I walked off frustrated, which has happened about 50 or 60 times in my career,” he said. “I did have a wry smile at myself, thinking that was a fitting way to go. If I’d scored a hundred it would have been an anomaly. Instead it was another fifty, and there we go.”Fleming’s pregnant wife, Kelly, was among those who stood to applaud him, as Fleming at first appeared lost in his own thoughts, then belatedly lifted his head, removed his helmet and saluted all corners of the ground. “I had a lot of things to cram into 55 metres, and it seemed to happen pretty fast,” he said. “Those first 30 paces, I was just annoyed to be walking off with another start to my name. Then it was about savouring who was here, and what it was about, and enjoying the ovation. It was all just mixed emotions, which is what I’ll have for the next two or three weeks, maybe longer.”Fleming’s international retirement has been a long drawn-out process, which began when he stepped down from one-day cricket in Jamaica last April, following New Zealand’s defeat in the World Cup semi-final. It continued through to Auckland earlier on this tour, when he announced that the current Test series against England would be his last, and finally culminated in today’s anticlimactic departure.It’s a fairly open secret that this is not how he would have envisaged his final days in the game – he had designs on a final tour of England before handing the Test captaincy over to Daniel Vettori, but events overtook him and now, at the age of 35, he’s walking away for good. “The selectors seem to have their ideas of what they want,” he said darkly, when asked who he believed could fill his shoes as a No. 3 batsman. “My ideas are a lot different to the selectors.

	If I’d scored a hundred it would have been an anomaly. Instead it was another fifty, and there we go

“I loved the captaincy and everything that went along with it,” he said. “The pressure, the emotions, the ability to control a game and a group of men. That’s something I do miss and have missed, so if the opportunity with other sides, I’ll look forward to it.” His next stop is the Indian Premier League, while Nottinghamshire and Wellington also beckon. His tactical nous, not his runs, are what he will be remembered for, and in that regard, he might not be quite finished yet.Regardless of the unspoken grievances, Fleming was asked if he would leave the game satisfied with his contribution. “Only just,” was his disarmingly honest answer. “I am satisfied with 40 on the chest. It sets you apart, in terms of New Zealand batters anyway, but as a batsman I’ll always feel I underachieved because I couldn’t convert my starts, and I’ll never know why. Sometimes I was the master of my own failings, other times it just wasn’t meant to be.”Even if I’d converted a quarter or a half [of my fifties] I’m up into the 20-25 centuries category which, as we know, is pretty good going,” he said. “I’ll always rue that fact and wonder why, but I guess there are bigger things out there so it won’t last too long. When I take time to reflect, I’ll be satisfied to have 4 in front of my average, but it would have been nice to chalk up ten hundreds, and have a crack at saving this game.”At 222 for 5 overnight, New Zealand are not completely beaten yet, but Fleming’s role in the match is finished, and he’s seen too much in his 14-year career to start believing in miracles at this late stage. “We’ve got some batting to come but we’ve got our backs against the wall,” he said. “But that’s the way it goes. In the first innings we were going pretty comfortably … and look at my career, things go comfortably until the mistake, and then we’re in trouble.”Unfortunately four wickets in a session is trouble,” he said. “If we’d lost one or two, we’d be going into a tight final day, but as it is, it’s going to take some pretty strong resistance in the morning, and then we’ll see how we go in the afternoon. The belief would be stronger if we hadn’t lost those wickets but unfortunately the tendency of this side is to lose five or six wickets, not one or two. We’ll make England work damn hard, but we only did that in patches today.” The same, to his eternal chagrin, will also be said of his batsmanship.

Shaun Tait hopes to fire out a few South Africa batsmen early © Getty Images

Shaun Tait has shrugged off suggestions he is the weak link in Australia’s attack and remains keen to take the new ball against South Africa on Saturday. Tait said he had no interest in Daryll Cullinan’s comments that South Africa would target him for early runs.”I couldn’t care less what Daryll Cullinan or others have to say for me,” Tait told . “To be honest it doesn’t bother me at all. I don’t know him.”I suppose being the young bloke in the side coming up there’s no reason why they shouldn’t target me but I am looking forward to the match.” Tait had limited impact in Australia’s opening two World Cup matches, taking 2 for 45 against Scotland and 1 for 29 against Netherlands.He said he was disappointed by his pace so far in the Caribbean but was looking forward to challenging South Africa with the new ball. “Hopefully there will be some really quick spells coming up,” he said.”I’ve been a little bit disappointed but I suppose the different conditions, pretty hot and dry and a flat wicket, it’s probably not the ideal place to be bowling high 150s. I think it is more important [for me to bowl] when the new batsman comes in, in general, and if we get a couple of early quick wickets, [Glenn] McGrath comes on.”Tait said he wanted to remove Graeme Smith cheaply in the same way Brett Lee has in several ODIs. “[Batsmen are at their] weakest early on, especially if it’s reversing a bit it’s quite hard to pick up on these tracks so it’s quite a good time to bring me on,” he said. “I hope to do the same job Lee used to do.”Australia and South Africa each have two wins from two games. The winner of Saturday’s clash will take two points through to the Super Eights.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Sreesanth celebrates one of his six wickets © Getty Images

Normal service resumed after the blip at Jamshedpur as India completed a 5-1 series victory with an authoritative seven-wicket win in the final one-day international at Indore. Chasing 289 without Virender Sehwag and Mahendra Singh Dhoni might have seemed a daunting task but after the ease with which debutant Robin Uthappa and Rahul Dravid set up the chase, it seemed natural that India’s finishers, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina, completed the job in what is fast becoming stereotypical fashion.India’s perfectly planned chase overshadowed England’s batsmen who saved their best batting performance for last. Kevin Pietersen began the assault with an ambush that blinded India in minutes. Paul Collingwood and Geraint Jones sustained the momentum before going into overdrive in the slog as England finished on 288 with Sreesanth picking up career-best figures of 6 for 55.If England thought that Dravid and Yuvraj were the key to India’s chase, they overlooked Uthappa who went on to make 86, the highest score by an Indian on debut. Dravid and Uthappa took advantage of an inexperienced attack on a placid pitch to give India their first century opening stand of the series.Uthappa nerves, if any, would have dissipated after hitting two fours off James Anderson in the first over of the innings. Against Dravid, the inexperience of the bowlers was plain to see as they bowled full and on his pads. His first commanding stroke was a rocketing pull off Mahmood to fine leg but a perfectly balanced and wristy flick off Anderson was a sight to behold. Uthappa lost the race to fifty but caught up and overtook Dravid by clobbering Anderson’s fifth over for 15 runs.Uthappa and Dravid fell within the space of five balls after a 166-run opening stand – Uthappa caught unawares by a throw he didn’t expect to come to his end, and Dravid trapped in front by a straight delivery from Mahmood. It was England’s only window of opportunity to claw back but Yuvraj and Raina slammed it shut.During their 115-run partnership for the third wicket, they picked up singles at will with punchy drives in front of the wicket and powerful cuts and pulls on either side. The risk was non-existant and boundaries were not even needed to keep up to an asking-rate that had climbed to over six after the openers fell. The ten overs after India lost Dravid produced fifty runs and with eight wickets in hand, it was a matter of when rather than if India would win.

The impressive Robin Uthappa clips a four on his way to 86 © AFP

However, India didn’t have it this easy throughout the match. England had lost Andrew Strauss and Matt Prior in successive overs from Sreesanth when Pietersen strode to the crease at 47 for 2. After a circumspect start, he manhandled VRV Singh for 26 runs in his second over. Not satisfied with devastating one Singh, Pietersen clubbed three consecutive fours in the very next over, off RP Singh. The third Powerplay produced 54 runs and Dravid brought on his spinners to rein in the run-rate.Ramesh Powar and Yuvraj dried up the boundaries and, Pietersen struggled to maintain his skyscraper strike-rate and eventually holed out to deep midwicket. In this series, Pietersen’s scores read 46, 71, 77, 33 and his 64 today adds to the list of century opportunities gone abegging.With the innings gaining momentum, Collingwood and Jones added 40 between the 30th and 40th overs with minimum fuss. In contrast to Collingwood, who hammered RP Singh for a four and a six early in his innings, Jones faced 27 balls before finding the fence. He cut loose during the slog, bludgeoning Powar into the stands at long-on and Collingwood duplicated the stroke a ball later to bring up his fifty. Jones capitalised on VRV Singh’s lack of confidence, taking 16 runs off his seventh over, and reached his half-century with consecutive boundaries off Pathan.A flurry of wickets hampered England’s progress at the death and several batsmen offered catches to long-off and long-on to give Sreesanth six wickets, but most of the other bowlers suffered, with VRV Singh going for 73 in seven overs. The score seemed a challenging one, but for team on a run-chase roll, it turned out to be quite inadequate.

EnglandAndrew Strauss c Karthik b Sreesanth 25 (42 for 1)
Matt Prior c Pathan b Sreesanth 2 (47 for 2)
Ian Bell run out Yuvraj Singh 32 (110 for 3)
Kevin Pietersen c Uthappa b Yuvraj 64 (165 for 4)
Geraint Jones c Karthik b Sreesanth 53 (257 for 5)
Paul Collingwood c RP Singh b Pathan 64 (267 for 6)
Ian Blackwell c Raina b Sreesanth 11 (274 for 7)
Kabir ali c Rao b Pathan 1 (277 for 8)
Liam Plunkett c VRV Singh b Sreesanth 6 (288 for 9)
Sajid Mahmood c VRV Singh b Sreesanth 9 (288 all out)
India
Robin Uthappa run out Jones 86 (165 for 1)
Rahul Dravid lbw Mahmood 69 (166 for 2)
Suresh Raina b Ali 53 (281 for 3)

Confusion surrounds the proposed West Indies A tour of Sri Lanka – although Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) have announced full details of the itinerary, a spokesman for the West Indies board (WICB) said that the series had yet to be confirmed.Earlier this week, SLC named a 14-man squad for the two four-day unofficial Tests and five one-day matches due to start on June 23. But in an interview with the Barbados-based Nation, Zorol Barthley, the WICB’s operations officer, said negotiations were not finished.”The tour has not been finalised,” he explained. “The dates have changed and have constantly been changing. There have been ongoing discussions. Like anything else, you just need to make sure from both ends you have covered the objectives.”The A-team tour is scheduled to precede the visit of the senior side to play two Tests and a tri-nations one-day tournament, also involving India.”There has been talk of this tour for quite a while,” Barthley continued. “We know where all the players are. There has been contact. Once things are finalised, the relevant people will be informed.”And Barthley added that it was hoped that the tour, if it goes ahead, would be the start of more regular A-team series. “We are in the process of talking to all the international bodies. We’re exchanging and trying to come up with an a calendar among ourselves as how it will be of mutual benefit.”

Muttiah Muralitharan: what threat? &copyGetty Images

Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka’s controversial offspinner, has eased fearsthat he will withdraw from Sri Lanka’s two-Test tour of Australia inJune-July this year after Australian newspapers claimed he had threatened topull out because of constant verbal abuse from Australian crowds.”I did not threaten to pull out of the tour,” Muralitharan told Wisden Cricinfo. “I just said I was not sure about the tour yet.” Muralitharantoured Australia in 2003 and a tour pullout is extremely unlikely, especially with the two matches expected to be played in Darwin and Cairns.Muralitharan was quoted as saying: “I will think very carefully when it [thenew contract] comes because we have an Australian and a Zimbabwe tour. Lasttime, I had a lot of bad feelings [playing in Australia] but I don’t know what will happen in the future and how the public will react.”The crowd is the main problem, not officials or players,” he said. “You can’t keep bringing up the past and accusing someone. The evidence is there. I have a deformity on the elbow. I can’t straighten it. Before I bowl, they are calling ‘no-ball’. It’s ok once or twice, but not if you are going on and on about it,” he added.Meanwhile, Muralitharan has urged Australia’s selectors to name Shane Warnein their Test squad on Friday. With both spinners now within striking distance of 500 Test wickets, Muralitharan would like the challenge of racing Warne to Courtney Walsh’s 519-wicket world record.”I am looking forward to the challenge and I definitely want him to come toSri Lanka,” said Muralitharan. “He has been a great bowler and someone who Ihave always greatly admired. I have learnt from his patience and character.”Muralitharan [485 wickets] expects Warne [491 wickets] to reach the world record first: “He his a great bowler and is six wickets ahead and should getthere first. He has done cricket proud in the last decade so if he does reach it first, good on him. But I do have time on my side with three or four years left to play.”

An International Cricket Council (ICC) official hinted last night that a West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) request to have Marlon Samuels reinstated in the team for the imminent World Cup could be ratified."It’s outside the current provisions to allow a player who has been taken out of the squad to come back into it, but it’s not to say the procedures wouldn’t be flexible," said media manager Mark Harrison.He was speaking by telephone from Cape Town while confirming the ICC’s receipt of the formal WICB application.He said the letter from WICB acting chief executive Roger Brathwaite was with David Richardson, the former South African wicket-keeper who is the ICC’s cricket manager."We’re considering the position with some urgency, given the imminence of the tournament and that the West Indies play the first match Sunday, and obviously will let the WICB know as quickly as possible," he said.Harrison pointed out that the matter would go to the World Cup technical committee for the final decision but said it did not require a full meeting of the committee.The WICB set out their position in Brathwaite’s letter and telephone communication between president Wes Hall and Malcolm Speed, the ICC’s chief executive who also heads the World Cup technical committee.Samuels, the 22-year-old right-handed batsman and off-spinner, was an original choice in the squad of 15 but was withdrawn by the selectors January 25 and replaced by left-handed all-rounder Ryan Hinds following a report on his injured knee by Dr Askhai Mansingh of the WICB’s medical panel.He was passed fit to participate in the tournament last Monday night after subsequent examinations in the United States by specialists Dr Ainsworth Allen and Dr Michael Mount.The WICB’s appeal noted that the memorandum setting out the technical committee’s policy on player replacement had not been issued until January 28, two days after Samuels’ original withdrawal."It is entirely conceivable that had the full rules of the engagement been available at the time when the WICB had to make the decision on Marlon Samuels, a different conclusion may have been reached," it stated.Citing the ICC’s reference to Clause 5.4 of the memorandum in answer to an earlier inquiry on the matter, the WICB stated: "We submit that no West Indies player has yet competed in the tournament and, therefore, the reference in the clause to taking further part in the tournament, is not applicable."The WICB also alluded to the "leeway provided to other teams in the World Cup who have experienced difficulties in meeting deadlines and requirements in what is a new and evolving environment".India submitted their final team two weeks after the ICC’s stated deadline following disagreements with its players over segments of the ICC World Cup contract.Even if the ICC agrees to allow Samuels back in the team, it would be virtually impossible for him to get to Cape Town and be match-ready for Sunday’s contest against South Africa that inaugurates the tournament.Hall has already said that if Hinds is replaced he would be given the option of remaining on as a fully-paid, non-playing member of the squad or returning to the Caribbean to play for Barbados in the current regional Carib Beer Series.

My previous article on pitch invasions was mainly on incursions during the NatWest Series in England. As this is a very serious subject I feel it needs to be discussed in a wider perspective and dealt with in a positive and practical manner. Ground invasions coupled with various types hooliganism by spectators are an international phenomenon, which apart from cricket jeopardise other sports activities too.Soccer matches are perhaps the biggest venues of hooliganism. There have been many incidents where some players and referees were trapped in a stampede and mauled to the point of death. There are common instances of `outside the ground’ rowdyism too when fans from one country go abroad.In cricket, at least so far, it is fortunate we have not experienced such a mad frenzy leading to serious injuries or death in any of the matches.The standard of spectators’ discipline in Asia being much lower than other countries the strikes, protests and agitations are a regular feature of daily life. The law-enforcing agencies are powerful, well trained and better equipped to deal with bitter situations than their European counterparts.I was surprised that in England, there is no law to control mob violence on a cricket field. According to a news item, the England Cricket Board (ECB) is `pursuing the line of trying to get legislation to make it an offence to run on to the pitch’. After the new legislation is drafted, it will need various parliamentary approvals before it can take effect. According to an ECB spokesman, the legislation is likely to be in place before the summer season next year.Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh already have their procedures in place. The stadiums are in full control of the Cricket Boards or affiliated bodies while the civil administration joins in to help the organisers in the maintenance of law and order during international matches or whenever required.There are no special rules to deal with pitch invasion. The laws governing mob violence, causing disturbance, creating lawlessness or other problems of this nature are applied judiciously to deal with the situation. Sometimes, rather novel steps are taken that may make English cricket administrators shudder to even think about!

Tendulkar, Dalmiya and the Police officials quietening the crowd, India v Pakistan, Asia TestChampionship 1999, Eden Gardens, Calcutta, 16-20 Photo © CricInfo

During the last Asian Test Cricket Championship, a crucial match between India and Pakistan at Eden Gardens, a violent crowd disturbance erupted. Repeated requests by the organisers had no salutary effects on the unruly spectators. Play was stopped for a while and the teams called back to the dressing rooms. Then, with the help of security forces, the administration cleared the stadium of a massive crowd of around 100,000 people. Play was resumed with no spectators at all and the match completed with Pakistan emerging victorious. This is what we call, the control of a situation `Asian style’.In Asia too, there were no fears of ground invasion till the mid-70s and the fences used to be only 3-ft high. But in the 1978-79 season, when Pakistan – India cricket relations were restored after a lapse of 17 years and India visited Pakistan, the fences were raised to 8-ft. Huge crowds were expected since the two teams had not faced each other for so many years. With unprecedented enthusiasm among the fans, the chances of untoward incidents were there. The raising of fences was thus a step in the right direction, one that has worked magnificently till today, relieving the organisers of big headaches.With the erection of high fences the problem of ground invasion has been solved but still a few high-spirited daredevils jump over the fence to be promptly hauled up by the stewards. Local cricket fans being somewhat entertainment starved, come to enjoy cricket matches fully prepared. They carry flags, banners, crackers, drums, horns and radios to express their enthusiasm. Taking their pleasure away by subjecting them to unnecessary restrictions may amount to buying trouble.Chandigarh (India) has solved the problem in a very novel manner. In one of the most modern cricket stadiums, built under the personal supervision of IS Bindra, former President of BCCI, there are no high fences. To prevent ground invasion they have dug a 6-ft deep trench (moat) all around except the authorized places of entry. The method allows the fans a clear view of the game and at the same time prevents them running on.In the final analysis, I feel Asian methods of crowd control are practical, acceptable and easy to implement. The power available to the ground authorities and civil administration to control the situation is also legitimate.Even the new habit of hurling fruit or other missiles onto the ground or aimed at a fielder has now been curtailed by not allowing them to bring such items in. One still sees the odd young cricket fan somehow evade all these measures, and run on to pat his hero on the back, chased by a policeman. Laughter erupts when he, for being sprightlier, eventually manages to evade the constable.

ScorecardSamit Patel played a sizeable part as Notts’ run went on•Getty Images

Nottinghamshire’s resurgence continued as a fourth win in five lifted them to third in the Division One table, climbing above Durham and Warwickshire and with ambitions still fixed on overtaking Middlesex to finish the season as runners-up.The result extends the county’s sequence in all formats to 11 wins in 12 completed matches on the eve of a home quarter-final in the Royal London One-Day Cup in which they will seek to avenge last season’s semi-final defeat against Durham, when they were blown away by a Ben Stokes whirlwind at Chester-le-Street.There is no Stokes this time — rested along with Mark Wood after the exertions of the Ashes Test series — and the momentum is with the Trent Bridge side, who have flourished in all formats since former England head coach Peter Moores joined the coaching staff at the end of June.This is their 12th win in all competitions since director of cricket Mick Newell invited Moores to make the short daily commute from his home near Loughborough to impart some of the knowledge and experience that England felt they could manage without.As captain Chris Read explained, it was an opportunity too good to pass up.”I think Mick summed it up at the time when he said we needed some fresh ideas and fresh impetus,” Read said.”Things were not going well. We lost by an innings to Yorkshire at Headingley and to our rivals Derby in the Twenty 20, which were real lows for us.”We were pretty much out of the Twenty20 and in the four-day competition we were in the relegation places. From our point of view as players, and I expect from the coaching staff’s point of view, we had hit a kind of rock bottom. We were not performing anywhere near what we should do.”Having a coach of Peter’s experience five miles down the road sat twiddling his thumbs, it was an obvious thing to approach him and ask to help out.”It is important to understand that he was not brought in as director of cricket or head coach, but just to assist, to see how we were doing, to be an extra pair of hands, a different set of ears and to help make our preparation as good as it can be.”He has had a big influence but it would be hard for someone of his pedigree not to, bringing such a wealth of coaching experience to the dressing room. The way he has worked one to one with players has been magnificent and I know our top order batsmen have benefited greatly from that.”Read stressed, however, that in his view the arrival of Moores has not been the only factor behind Nottinghamshire’s change in fortunes.”We took some tactical decisions regarding the pitches we play on here,” he said. “We wanted to play on pitches that were good for batting and had some pace for the bowlers and I think we’ve had that over the last few weeks.”I should mention the other backroom staff and the work ethic of the players, which has improved greatly since we realised we were not up to scratch.”The win over Warwickshire perhaps reflected that. Having failed to make any inroads on the third afternoon after enforcing the follow-on, it took only 14 deliveries on the third morning for the first breakthrough to be made and thereafter there was never a period in which Warwickshire were allowed to settle.Ian Westwood got a thin bottom edge to a ball from Jake Ball that Chris Read took comfortably, Laurie Evans never looked comfortable and, having escaped unscathed from two Chinese cuts off Harry Gurney, he followed a delivery from Ball that should have gone past him harmlessly down the leg side and gave Read another catch, taking him to 998 dismissals in first-class matches.By lunch, Brett Hutton had accounted for Jonathan Trott, leg before trying to whip the ball away on the leg side, and Sam Hain, who chipped a catch to Luke Wood at short mid-wicket.William Porterfield made a worthy captain’s effort at leading the resistance, batting for more than four hours for his 61, but after Samit Patel had trapped Tim Ambrose leg before, the Irishman was out in agonising fashion, the ball squeezing under his bat and rolling into the stumps.There was always a threat that rain would rescue Warwickshire but it never materialised as anything heavier than drizzle. The light was poor enough for the floodlights to be required and Read was obliged to keep his quicker bowlers out of the picture in order to keep the contest going.Yet in the end the combination of Patel’s left-arm spin and Steven Mullaney’s off-cutters, aided by the luxury of being able to crowd the batsmen with close fielders with runs conceded not a concern, was enough to complete the job.Keith Barker and Rikki Clarke brought their experience to bear in holding Nottinghamshire up but once Barker had been caught superbly at short leg by Riki Wessels, Clarke had no one able to stay with him. Jeetan Patel, not a man to block, scored 28 from 22 balls before slicing a wide ball to point before Samit Patel claimed the last two wickets for figures of four for 23 from 22.1 overs, wrapping up victory at 5.20pm with 12.5 overs to spare.

Celtic’s superb defensive performance was the most impressive aspect of their massive 2-1 derby win on Sunday, according to journalist Kieran Devlin.

The Lowdown: Celtic enjoy huge win

The Hoops knew how enormous three points at Ibrox would be on Sunday afternoon, even though avoiding defeat was the primary objective.

Ange Postecoglou’s side went one better than that, recovering from an early deficit to seal a priceless victory thanks to goals from Tom Rogic and Cameron Carter-Vickers.

In the second half, Celtic defended for their lives as Rangers desperately tried to find an equaliser, the visitors putting their bodies on the line and making countless blocks.

The Latest: Devlin hails Celtic defence

Taking to Twitter on Monday as he shared a corresponding article from The Athletic, Devlin lauded the defensive performance and character on show from Celtic at Ibrox, saying:

“This Celtic get due praise as entertainers, but their other face deserves credit. That of scoring late winners, grinding out hard results, matching Livingston’s physicality, defending their box to the last man at Ibrox. Yesterday was about their character.”

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The Verdict: Defence was crucial

Devlin is right to focus on the brilliance of Celtic’s defensive work on Sunday, with Postecoglou’s men producing a heroic effort, both as a team and individually.

The likes of Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt were particularly brilliant at the back, making a combined 20 clearances and six interceptions according to Sofascore, which sums up their Herculean efforts in defence.

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Titles can be effectively won on such days with performances of that ilk, and if the Hoops go on to clinch Premiership glory next month, this win at Ibrox will perhaps be seen as the most pivotal day of the campaign.

In other news, Postecoglou has dropped a positive Celtic injury update. Read more here.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Neil McKenzie’s 226 was South Africa’s batsman of the day … © AFP

A 53-year-old batting record broken, a maiden first-class double-century for a man back from the wilderness, a hostile spell that enthused life back into a dull affair, and two bowlers – one in his 20th Test, the other in his last – capturing 100 Test wickets: it all happened at the Chittagong Divisional Stadium. This also translated into another day of domination by South Africa who, backed by a total of 583 for 7, left Bangladesh limping at 60 for 3 by stumps.Statistically the highlight of the day will remain the record 415-run opening partnership between Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie but, from a purist’s perspective Shahadat Hossain’s three-wicket burst after lunch, and the ensuing contest with Jaques Kallis, provided the first glimpse of competitive Test cricket in Chittagong. Unfortunately for the hosts, their batsmen could not replace Shahadat’s enthusiasm and instead wilted against a hostile Dale Steyn.The day began with plenty of buzz around the impending achievement – whether Smith and McKenzie could break the previous best opening stand of 413, between India’s Pankaj Roy and Vinoo Mankad, set against New Zealand in Chennai way back in 1956 . Another Indian duo, Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid, came close to breaking the mark in 2006 but fell just four runs short against Pakistan in Lahore. Having blunted Bangladesh for the entire first day, Smith and McKenzie were not about to miss this mark.Smith slapped Shakib Al Hasan for a boundary in the opening over, and then took a single to get back on strike. He took another risky single off Mashrafe Mortaza to take South Africa to within three runs of the landmark. Two hurried singles equalled the record and the landmark came at 10:13 am local time on a warm morning when Smith tucked Shakib to square leg. It was truly a historic moment.Smith fell soon after for 232, bowled around his legs trying to sweep Abdur Razzak. His inspired innings consumed just 277 balls and included 33 fours and a six.It would be easy to say that McKenzie played second fiddle to his captain but this was a man looking to cement his place in the side and build on his first Test century in seven years. With Hashim Amla picking up the pace immediately, McKenzie remained in his zone. He found the gaps easily on both sides – deep midwicket came to a conventional midwicket and McKenzie beat the man with effortless sweeps; three men hovered in the covers and he beat them by driving inside-out.About 30 minutes before lunch, another flowing cover drive for three brought him his first score of over 200 in any form of cricket. Off came the cap, up went the arms and there was a huge smile on McKenzie’s face. He proceeded to indulge in further boundaries.

	… while Shahadat Hossain proved the only hero for the hosts © AFP

Matters looked rather miserable for Bangladesh when South Africa went into lunch at 509 for 1 but Shahadat’s enthusiastic post-lunch spell breathed the contest. Having failed to take a wicket on day one, Bangladesh picked up four in quick time. Shahadat, who bowled just one over in the first session, used his ability to reverse-swing the ball quite well in an energetic spell. McKenzie (226) dragged back onto his stumps attempting a dab to third man, Amla was trapped in front of leg by one that bent in, and Ashwell Prince came and went for 2 with a poor attempt at a cut. For good measure, AB de Villiers misjudged Shakib’s length and was beaten by a skidder.South Africa had lost four wickets for ten runs in the most frenetic passage of this Test. Cue the first compelling contest of the game. In a gripping 25 minutes Shahadat bowled a telling spell to Kallis, who matched him shot for shot. Shahadat swung the ball off tight lengths and slipped in accurate yorkers and Kallis met each with the confidence of a 116-Test pro.Eschewing the big shots, Kallis used firm defence to deny Bangladesh any further wickets. He made sure to stretch well forward when working deliveries into the leg-side spaces and his back-foot technique was spot on. Apart from Shahadat the attack remained rather toothless but Kallis was determined to grind out the session. Mark Boucher, another warhorse with an appetite for a scrap, provided good support in a 55-run partnership. Mohammad Rafique snapped up the two wickets needed to become the first Bangladeshi to 100 wickets and South Africa declared on 583 for 7.Bangladesh’s openers were left to negotiate 17 overs till stumps and what a hostile time it proved to be. Junaid Siddique was peppered by Dale Steyn – clocking the early on three successive short ones – and even took one on the helmet. A snorter clattered into the back of Tamim Iqbal’s head and having wafted at the next two deliveries, a dazed Tamim fell to a stinger of a catch by de Villiers at third slip. Mohammad Ashraful gloved his first ball, a ripper down leg stump, and Bangladesh were left 523 runs in arrears.Under the canopy of a big total, Steyn ran in and completely rattled the top order. His hostility was in keeping with the domination of the batsmen, but what really stood out was the pace he generated on a lifeless surface. He denied the openers width and mixed short with full to keep them wary. This is a young fast bowler on the verge of greatness and his fiery spell was yet another stellar performance in a season of excellence. It summed up the difference between the two sides.South Africa have done enough to ensure they won’t bat again, and now the bowlers can look to maintain the pressure.