Ashes can make heroes and history

Match facts

Wednesday, July 10, Trent Bridge
Start time 1100 (1000 GMT)Big player, big occasion: Kevin Pietersen will return to England’s Test side after injury•Getty Images

Big Picture

The length of the build-up to an Ashes series is unparalleled in cricket. It begins the day after the last Ashes series is completed and it grows into an obsession for several months before the off, a period in which former England or Australia cricketers are invited to offer up a prediction on a daily basis and past series are lovingly dwelt upon for the umpteenth time.This time, it is different; this time England and Australia have not five, but ten Tests to contest as they are faced by back-to-back Ashes series which will end in Sydney in early January. By the time it is all over, heroes will have emerged, careers been forever tarnished and the pantomime baiting between England and Australia fans – not forgetting the media – will have been exhausted.For the most casual cricket followers in England and Australia, the Ashes remains their only connection with the sport. Cricket becomes a topic of conversation in the unlikeliest of places. But by the eve of the first Test, real cricket lovers are beside themselves with impatience for the talking to stop and the series to get underway.Finally, in the bright-white gentility of Trent Bridge, it will, amid confident forecasts of hot, sunny days. It is true that England and Australia are only ranked three and four in the world, but it will be captivating nonetheless. Are England now so well analysed and programmed that it could affect their ability to think on their feet if things go wrong? Can Darren Lehmann’s arrival as Australia coach be anything more than a temporary uplift that will dissipate once the quality of the sides is tested? We are about to discover the answer.

Form guide

England: WWDDD
Australia: LLLLW

Players to watch

Graeme Swann is an ebullient sort of fellow and he could be forgiven ahead of the Trent Bridge Test if he burst into song, one of his favourites perhaps when he fronts the Nottingham-based band Dr Comfort and the Lurid Revelations. Swann, fully recovered from a second elbow operation, has never had more favourable conditions on his home ground. The forecast is for sunshine galore, Australia are packed with left-handers – and have a left-armer to create footmarks – so he will never have a better chance of attending to a paltry return at Trent Bridge of three wickets at 65 runs apiece.For Australia, James Pattinson is a source of considerable excitement. He is a combative, talented quick bowler, eager to avenge England’s treatment of his older brother, Darren, a Nottinghamshire stalwart whose sole England Test cap against South Africa in 2008 was widely condemned in the media. Trent Bridge is the perfect ground on which to uphold the family honour.

Team news

After the cut-throat decision to drop Nick Compton, the one space still to be decided is that of the third quick behind James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Steven Finn is the man in possession, but with reverse swing likely to be a key weapon Tim Bresnan, who has 15 wickets in two Tests on the ground, is firmly in the picture. Graham Onions is the outsider but bowls very well to left handers.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Joe Root, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 James Anderson.Michael Clarke was coy about his final XI, but continued to suggest that Australia would be comfortable selecting David Warner despite his lack of recent cricket. His place will have to come in the middle order with Shane Watson and Chris Rogers, whose previous Test came in 2008, confirmed as the opening pair. The fast-bowling attack could comprise various trios, but Ryan Harris and Jackson Bird appear likely to miss out.Australia (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Chris Rogers, 3 Ed Cowan, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Phillip Hughes, 6 David Warner, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 James Pattinson, 11 Nathan Lyon

Pitch and conditions

Both attacks are bracing themselves for a demanding bowling experience on a benign surface in what for England are comparatively warm conditions. Chris Read, the Nottinghamshire captain and former England keeper, has warned that traditional swing and seam has been less prominent this summer. Expect big first-innings scores, bags of reverse swing and spin and Broad turning red in the heat faster than most.

Stats and trivia

  • Tim Bresnan has taken four or more wickets in a Test on five occasions – and three of them have been at Trent Bridge, scene of the first Test
  • Billy Cooper, the Barmy Army trumpeter, who will not be allowed to play at Trent Bridge, was thrown out of The Gabba in 2006/7 for playing the theme tune from Neighbours. Four years later Brisbane changed its tune and he was made part of the official entertainment package on the first day.
  • England have not won the opening Test of an Ashes series since 1997 at Edgbaston. That series ended 3-2 in Australia’s favour

Quotes

“I think psychologically we’re in a much better place, the only danger is that we’ll be too laid-back. The Aussies will fight, there’s no doubt about that…but if we score the runs we’re capable of then we’ll win comfortably.”
“I’ve read it will make or break my reputation as a captain. Personally, I don’t feel like that. “

Everaldo comemora classificação do Fluminense e mira clássico de sábado

MatériaMais Notícias

O Fluminense não teve dificuldades para avançar à segunda fase da Copa do Brasil. Na goleada por 5 a 0 sobre o River-PI, no Albertão, em Teresina, Everaldo foi um destaques do passeio tricolor. O camisa 37 sofreu o primeiro pênalti, convertido por Luciano, fez o segundo do Tricolor, mas, de acordo com ele mesmo, ainda saiu com “gostinho de quero mais”.

Esse, no entanto, não foi o único sentimento do atleta ao deixar o campo. O atacante já está com a cabeça em outro adversário: o Flamengo, rival da semifinal deste sábado, às 18h30, em duelo válido pela semifinal da Taça Guanabara.

– Estava muito a fim de fazer o segundo gol, mas infelizmente não deu, o Mondragón (goleiro do River) fez uma ótima defesa. Tentei, busquei, agora é celebrar essa vitória, comemorar bastante, e amanhã já começar a pensar no clássico, que é um jogo muito importante pra gente – disse.

O atacante contratado no ano passado ainda valorizou a atuação do Fluminense e garantiu que o Tricolor buscará manter a atitude demonstrada, nesta terça-feira, independentemente do adversário.

– Como eu falei no início antes do jogo, todo jogo que a gente disputar, a entramos com vontade, pra vencer. Porque o Fluminense é time grande, todo jogo entra pra vencer – reiterou.

Pela Copa do Brasil, o Fluminense aguarda o vencedor de Votuporanguense x Ypiranga-RS, duelo marcado para as 16h (de Brasília) desta quarta-feira. A equipe carioca, por conta do sorteio, joga em casa na segunda fase.

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Shoaib Malik quits as PCB mentor citing other 'commitments'

His departure comes at a time of increasing speculation about the fate of other four mentors who were appointed along with Malik in 2024

Danyal Rasool15-May-2025Shoaib Malik has quit his position as one of five mentors appointed by the PCB for domestic competitions, citing other commitments. Malik, who said he submitted his resignation to the board two weeks ago, said he would fulfill his remaining contractual obligations, but would not be a mentor for the next season. The other mentors are Misbah-ul-Haq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Waqar Younis.”This was not an easy choice, but after reflecting on my commitments, I realised that juggling multiple responsibilities would prevent me from giving my best – both to Pakistan cricket and to my other professional and personal priorities,” Malik said. “To ensure fairness to all, I believe this is the right time to transition. Working with some of Pakistan’s most talented cricketers has been an immensely rewarding experience, one I will always cherish.”Malik’s departure as mentor comes at a time of increasing speculation about the fate of all of the mentors. The day Malik made his resignation public, media reports suggested the PCB had decided to let go of all five mentors as they look to scale down what was an unprecedently busy domestic season last year. It is not certain that the Champions Cup, promoted as the jewel in the crown of the domestic season last year, which saw players pulled away from Test preparation ahead of the England series, will take place at all.Related

  • Hesson named as Pakistan's white-ball head coach

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However, a spokesperson at the PCB said an official decision had not been communicated by chairman Mohsin Naqvi to the board. ESPNcricinfo spoke to three of the four other mentors, each of whom said they had not been informed about any changes to their role. All five mentors were appointed on three-year contracts running until 2027.The appointment of the mentors in August last year was controversial, particularly when reports of their financial remuneration came to light. Each of the five are believed to be on three-year contracts, earning in the range of PKR 5 million (approx. USD 18,000) per month. Those salaries have raised eyebrows because they are higher than what is paid to all but the most elite Pakistani cricketers – the category A players Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan, in the central contracts pool.Besides, the vague nature of their job descriptions left the question of what they would actually do unclear. Initially appointed as mentors for each of the sides in the Champions Cup, the roles are separate from coaching. Each side had a separate coaching set-up – and the mentors did not require coaching qualifications.In a statement to ESPNcricinfo last year, the PCB had said that it “as a responsible organisation, never discusses in public salaries of its staffers and consultants, which remain a matter between the employer and the employee”.The PCB has not yet announced a replacement for Malik, or whether they intend to replace him.

All-round Tahlia McGrath maintains golden run in Adelaide Strikers victory

Defending champions Sydney Thunder lost their last seven wickets for just 17

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2021Adelaide Strikers 7 for 140 (McGrath 42) beat Sydney Thunder 110 (Hall, 38 McGrath 3-17)Tahlia McGrath’s outstanding start to the season continued with a vital all-round display as Adelaide Strikers toppled defending champions Sydney Thunder.McGrath, who is captaining Strikers in the absence of Megan Schutt, top-scored with 42 off 34 balls before claiming 3 for 17, starting with the scalp of Smriti Mandhana, then the match-securing brace of Corinne Hall and Anika Learoyd in consecutive deliveries when they had given Thunder a glimmer after losing early wickets.Strikers were in trouble at 4 for 46 – which had included losing Laura Wolvaardt for a first-ball duck – but were rebuilt by a fifth-wicket stand of 69 in 10 overs between McGrath and Madeline Penna.They were both set to cut loose in the closing overs but fell in the space of three deliveries against Lauren Smith. However, Amanda-Jade Wellington was able to edge the total to 140.Hannah Darlington, in her first game as Thunder captain at the age of 19, took 1 for 22 with the a sharp inswinger removing Bridget Patterson.Thunder’s chase started poorly when Sammy-Jo Johnson, opening to try and make use of the Powerplay, was brilliantly caught at midwicket by Penna off a powerfully-struck pull. McGrath, after an expensive start to her first over, then had Mandhana caught at backward point with the first delivery to her – coming round the wicket and luring a drive as the Australians had tried to do with mixed results during the multi-format series.Phoebe Litchfield briefly timed the ball very nicely before edging a cut in Jemma Barsby’s first over and though Hall and Learoyd rebuilt the asking rate was always rising. McGrath claimed them both in the 15th over and the lower order fell away. In all, the last seven wickets fell for 17.

De virada, Londrina vence o Sampaio Corrêa e volta a sonhar com o G4

MatériaMais Notícias

No encerramento da 32ª rodada da Série B, o Londrina venceu o Sampaio Corrêa por 2 a 1 e voltou a sonhar com uma vaga na elite do futebol brasileiro. O Tubarão é o 7º colocado, com 47. Já o time do Maranhão está na 17ª colocação, com 32.

Na próxima rodada, o Londrina recebe o Vila Nova, no estádio do Café. Enquanto isso, o Sampaio Corrêa visita o Juventude, em Caxias do Sul.

O duelo

Os primeiros minutos foram agitados. Com as duas equipes ofensivas, o Sampaio Corrêa foi mais feliz na oportunidade e abriu o placar aos 9 minutos. Joécio encontrou Uilliam, que deixou Fernando Sobral livre para empurrar a bola na rede paranaense.

Não deu nem tempo de comemorar. Aos 14 minutos, Paulinho Moccelin acha Felipe Marques, que arrisca chute cruzado e venceu Andrey.

Inspirado no ataque do Sampaio Corrêa, Danielzinho atormentava a defesa do Londrina e deu trabalho ao goleiro Vagner em duas oportunidades.

No segundo tempo o jogo ficou mais equilibrado. Com mais qualidade, o Londrina tentava um pouco mais e levou perigo em chute de Thiago Ribeiro.

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Nos minutos finais, os paranaenses apertaram o ritmo e chegaram a vitória aos 44. Thiago Ribeiro se livrou da marcação e chutou cruzado, 2 a 1.

West Indies pride at stake – Barath

Adrian Barath has called on his colleagues to help restore the pride of West Indies’ cricket in the final match of the Test series against England at Edgbaston.Barath, like the rest of West Indies’ top four, has struggled to deal with England’s seam attack in the first two Tests, but feels the team have shown signs of improvement and now just need to maintain their performance over a whole game in order to win tangible rewards for their progress. England have already secured the three-Test series with victories in the first two Tests at Lord’s and Trent Bridge.Barath has a point, though. Several times in recent Tests, West Indies have earned a position from which they might have gone on to win. Against India in Delhi – where India eventually won by five wickets – and against Australia in Bridgetown – where Australia won by three wickets – West Indies held the advantage after each side’s first innings. Similarly, when England slumped to 57 for 4 chasing 191 to win in the first Test of the series at Lord’s, West Indies had a wonderful opportunity to clinch a rare victory. On each occasion, however, one poor session has cost West Indies dear and allowed their opponents back into the game.”We are getting ourselves into positions to win Tests over the last couple of months,” Barath said. “Where we need to move forward in our cricket is carrying on for five days. Sometimes we dominate the game for three days, but then we mess up in one session. That’s the mindset we’re working upon. That is what Test cricket is all about. It’s not a couple of hours; it’s over the course of five days. You have to be on the money every day, every hour, every over.”It’s important, having not had any wins in the series so far, that we finish well in this last Test. There is a lot at stake. The pride of West Indies’ cricket has been showing some signs of improvement for the last couple of months. It’s about getting a Test win; getting a win against England. It’s definitely nothing impossible for us. We showed at Lord’s where we got those early wickets. If we had carried on getting wickets anything would have been possible. We’re really looking forward to getting a win here and bringing some pride to the West Indies.”The tourists have strengthened their squad in recent days with the call-up of spinner Sunil Narine. While it is asking a great deal of Narine, a man with only six first-class games behind him, to come into the team for a Test debut after only a few days’ acclimatisation, West Indies may well feel they have little to lose and that ‘mystery’ spin is England’s Achilles heel. Narine looked some way below his best in the nets at Edgbaston on Tuesday and it would remain something of a surprise if he displaced Shane Shillingford, a man who took a ten-wicket haul against Australia only two Tests ago. But Narine’s record – both in his limited first-class career and as arguably the leading bowler in the recent IPL season – is nothing short of exceptional. In those six first-class games he has claimed five five-wicket hauls and, in his last three, he has claimed 31 wickets at an average of under 10.Barath, a fellow Trinidadian, knows Narine’s game as well as anyone and feels he has what it takes to be a success at Test level.”He has the ability to be a world-class bowler,” Barath said. “What is good about him is that he is humble and he is always trying to figure out ways to improve and develop new deliveries. Everyone is looking at him on TV, doing their homework and trying to pick him. But he is always working on a new type of delivery. He is always developing something. A spinner of his capabilities will adjust his pace and flight to the conditions.”Everyone has seen him in T20 and he’s obviously made a name for himself even before he’s played a Test. But I’ve played a couple of first-class matches with him this season and it wasn’t easy. Most of the batsmen were really guessing and just sticking their bat out. I was fielding at bat-pad and I had a lot of catches there. It was not easy. Obviously the conditions are different – the ball doesn’t turn as much in England – but by the fourth and fifth day any good spinner will extract spin.”Barath also admitted to some feelings of relief in the omission of James Anderson from the England team. While Anderson’s series averages are relatively modest – he has claimed nine wickets at an average of 26.88 – he has beaten the bat often and proved particularly dangerous with the new ball.”Any opener would say the same,” Barath said, admitting his delight at Anderson’s absence. “He’s bowled well. He is deservedly England’s cricketer of the year. There is no doubt in that when you face him. At Lord’s he was swinging the ball all over the place – both ways – and bowling the best deliveries, but just not hitting the edge. Broad took seven wickets but Anderson looked like he was the one who would have taken seven wickets. He was unlucky.”Barath also welcomed the return of Chris Gayle to the West Indies limited-overs side. While Gayle’s return came, arguably, at his expense, Barath appeared genuinely excited about the depth of West Indies squad.”He’s been in the set-up for years and everyone has respect for Chris,” Barath said. “It’s great to have him back and he’ll lend experience to our players.”Having Chris in our team makes it really solid. The depth in our batting – with Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy, Darren and Dwayne Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Andrew Russell – mean that once we get it right at the top of the order and we get going in the Powerplay it would be difficult to say how could we not chase a big score. Or set one. So once we get it right, we have a good ODI team.”

الزمالك بزيه التقليدي أمام الترجي التونسي في بطولة إفريقيا غدًا

انتهى منذ قليل الاجتماع الفني لمباراة الزمالك والترجي التونسي المقرر إقامتها مساء غد الثلاثاء ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

الزمالك يواجه الترجي، على استاد الجيش ببرج العرب، في إطار مباريات الجولة الرابعة لدور المجموعات من البطولة القارية.

وتم الاتفاق على ارتداء الزمالك لزيه التقليدي باللون الأبيض “القميص الأبيض والشورت الأبيض” في حين يرتدي حارس المرمى زيه باللون الأخضر.

طالع | ترتيب مباريات الزمالك في المجموعة الثالثة بالبطولة العربية للأندية

فيما يرتدي الترجي زيه التقليدي “القميص باللونين الأحمر والأصفر والشورت الأحمر” في حين يرتدي حارس المرمى زيه باللون الأزرق.

حضر الاجتماع من نادي الزمالك كل من العميد أحمد حسني المدير الإداري ومصطفى ميلا مسؤول المهمات وباسم زيادة من العلاقات العامة، بالإضافة إلى طاقم التحكيم الكاميروني المكلف بإدارة المباراة، بجانب مسؤولي نادي الترجي التونسي.

ويحتل الزمالك المركز الرابع والأخير في ترتيب المجموعة الرابعة من دوري الأبطال برصيد نقطة واحدة من التعادل مع المريخ والخسارة من شباب بلوزداد.

Kallis savours 'special' landmark at home

Jacques Kallis’ first double-hundred was celebrated with a golf swing, a salute to the heavens and a massive sigh of relief. It had taken him 143 Tests to reach the landmark and end speculation that he was unable to take the step into triple-figures that begin with a 2. Just 13 innings later, he achieved what had once eluded him for a decade and a half, again. This time, Kallis celebrated with a leap and swipe of the bat, a laugh and a swagger.To get a double-century once was proving a point. To get it twice was simply a cause for celebration. “They are both special,” Kallis said. “But the special part is probably getting it at Newlands, especially with the series being 1-1. It’s nice to be one of those guys who puts in a big performance.”Prior to the deciding Test, Graeme Smith described Kallis as “the most stubborn man in the world.” Smith said that although the team as a whole was hurting from the Durban defeat, Kallis was probably stung the hardest because of his poor showings with the bat in the summer so far. In four innings against Australia he scored 58 and in the previous two against Sri Lanka managed only 31 in three innings, including the first pair of his career.Kallis said the bad press didn’t bother him, especially because he “doesn’t really read newspapers.” Suggestions in the local press have been that he needs more careful management but Kallis swatted that away with disdain. “You don’t become a bad player overnight,” he said. “It’s crazy to see stuff like that getting written, that you’re old and you can’t do this or that, come on, seriously.”His problems against the short ball were of particular concern and Sri Lanka persisted in peppering him with them. He said he wasn’t too taken aback by their tactics. “That’s obviously the way they felt they could get me out early,” he said. “Maybe they read a few newspapers.” Sri Lanka could have had Kallis out for one, when he pulled Dhammika Prasad to fine leg and Chanaka Welegedara did not pick the ball up in time to take the catch.Kallis, like Sangakkara before him, made full use of his opportunity and went on to play one of his greatest innings on a batsman-friendly pitch. “If you get in, go big,” he said. “It’s nice to get in and cash in on a good deck.”Kallis did more than just cash in, as he landed in a sea full of coins, bringing up 200 in 280 balls. Although the overall team run-rate was high, Kallis said he has made a conscious effort in the last few years to be more aggressive. “I’ve scored a lot quicker in Test cricket and I’ve worked on a lot of things to make that happen,” he said “I’ve been a little bit more positive over the last four years.” He was also assisted by the rest of his line-up, which he feels is now at its most solid. “We complement each other pretty well,” he said.The best pairing of the day was between Kallis and de Villiers, who scored 193 runs between them. While Kallis grafted, de Villiers soared. “He is a special player,” Kallis said. “The best seat in the house is at the non-strikers end watching him bat. He certainly is going to be one of the greats of the game and can take the game away from the opposition.”South Africa’s massive first-innings lead has likely swung the pendulum their way and Kallis said they are confident that they have enough to close out the series. “There’s no reason why we can’t pick up 20 wickets,” Kallis said. “There is some uneven bounce and a couple of balls did turn today. Immi [Imran Tahir] has a lot of overs left for him in the next couple of days. Fortunately we’ve batted at a good rate, so we’ve given ourselves some extra time to try and bowl them out twice.”The declaration came 40 minutes before tea, which was South Africa’s way of dangling a bit of carrot at Sri Lanka. “We felt we had to go the positive way and to win the game that was the best thing to do,” Kallis said. “If you go further, the only real hope you have of winning the game is to make them follow-on.”Sri Lanka may yet have to follow-on but even if they avoid it, Kallis feels South Africa have enough in them to force a series win at home (if achieved, it will be their first series win at home since 2008). “We realised we let ourselves down in Durban and there is no way that stuff like that should happen,” he said.

Marsh wants to extend contract till 2015 World Cup

Sri Lanka’s new head coach, Geoff Marsh, has said that he is keen to extend his two-year contract with Sri Lanka Cricket and help them win another World Cup

Sa'adi Thawfeeq29-Sep-2011

Geoff Marsh: “In the last couple of years I got that hunger to get back into it and my two boys have said to me ‘get out there and coach'”•Associated Press

Sri Lanka’s new head coach, Geoff Marsh, has said that he is keen to extend his two-year contract with Sri Lanka Cricket and help them win another World Cup. The former Australia batsman and coach succeeds another Australian, Trevor Bayliss, who retired at the end of the 2011 World Cup in April after coaching the Sri Lanka team for four years.”If Sri Lanka Cricket wants me to extend my contract till the 2014 World Cup its open from my end for discussions,” Marsh said on Thursday after taking over officially as head coach of Sri Lanka. “At the moment it’s a two-year contract and we haven’t talked about the finish yet. Hopefully the World Cup is something that I love to be through having won two (as a player and as a coach), but my immediate focus is preparing the team for the next test match which is against Pakistan next month.”Marsh, 52 was a member of the Australian side that won the World Cup in 1987 and was coach of Australia when they won the World Cup again in 1999. He said that he will treat all three formats of the game – Test, One-Day International and Twenty20 cricket – the same.”We got to basically sit down and plan for Test cricket, ODI cricket and T20 cricket we won’t favour one. Obviously the World Twenty20 is important but the most important game we play next is the first Test against Pakistan, that’s exactly what we will be targeting.” Sri Lanka take on Pakistan in the UAE next month. They will host the ICC World Twenty20 in September 2012.Marsh coached the Pune Warriors in the 2011 IPL and said taking the Sri Lanka job was a way to get back into international cricket. “I retired after Zimbabwe and I had a break just to spend a little bit of time with my own two boys. In the last couple of years I got that hunger to get back into it and my two boys have said to me ‘get out there and coach’.”Being good friends with Tom Moody, he said that it was a fantastic place to come to. To be a part of Sri Lanka cricket was a great experience for him. That’s how it all started. It’s always been in the back of my mind that if I took on a coaching role it had to be out of Australia because it’s a conflict of interest to coach my kids (Shaun and Mitchell) in state cricket and for Australia. When you look around the world, Tom was always saying that this was a great place to come and coach and the people are fantastic. That’s how it came about.”

Ramprakash gives Surrey the edge

ScorecardMark Ramprakash hit the 114th first class century of his prolific career to ensure Surrey’s first-innings lead in the County Championship match with Gloucestershire at Cheltenham. By the close of the second day the visitors had made 392 for 8 in reply to 286, with Ramprakash contributing 141.The former England batsman batted for more than five hours in sizzling heat, facing 232 balls and hitting 15 fours, for his first ton of the season. Ramprakash received good support from Zander de Bruyn (60) in a third-wicket stand of 87 and Yasir Arafat, who followed up his five wickets in the Gloucestershire innings with an unbeaten 54 – sharing a partnership of 126 forthe eighth wicket.Surrey began the day on 13 without loss and progressed to 52 before Rory Hamilton-Brown played on to Jon Lewis attempting to drive. With five runs added the key moment in the day arrived as wicketkeeper Richard Coughtrie dropped Ramprakash, on 4, diving to his right, off David Payne. It was to prove a hugely expensive miss.By lunch Surrey had moved to 103 for 2 and in the afternoon session de Bruyn prospered, reaching his fifty off 72 balls, with nine fours. With the total on 152, the South African drove Hamish Marshall to backward point where Kane Williamson took the catch.It was 183 for 4 when Tom Maynard, on 19, pulled a catch to Payne at fine leg. All the while, 41-year-old Ramprakash was accumulating without the slightest risk, reaching his half-century off 128 balls, with six fours.Jason Roy lofted offspinner Jack Taylor over midwicket for six to move to 33 off just 24 deliveries, but the next ball saw him bowled as Taylor pitched a fuller length. When Zafar Ansari fell leg before wicket to Will Gidman for one the score was 243 for 6 and Gloucestershire could still harbour hopes of first innings lead.But Ramprakash was unbeaten on 65 at tea and, although Gareth Batty was caught behind off Marshall for 5, Arafat came in to play positively and help put Surrey well on top. Ramprakash reached his hundred with a cut for four off Ian Saxelby, having faced 183 balls and hit 12 fours. It was not his most exhilarating innings, but an example in concentration and application.Arafat reached a breezy half-century off 68 balls, having hit a six over long-on and six fours. Ramprakash finally fell near the close to a gully catch by Chris Dent off Saxelby, leaving the pitch to a standing ovation.