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Birmingham’s trio of young batsmen Ed Pollock, Dominic Sibley and Adam Hose all stood out before a nerve-jangling last-over finish

ECB Reporters Network18-Aug-2017Dominic Sibley is making an impression at Birmingham•Getty Images

Ed Pollock, Dom Sibley and Adam Hose all starred with the bat to help nervy Birmingham Bears into the quarter-finals of the NatWest T20 Blast as they beat Lancashire by two wickets with three balls to spare at Emirates Old Trafford.Victory justified Birmingham’s decision to omit their captain and former England batsman, Ian Bell, for the final match in response to an unproductive T20 season – but it was a close-run thing.Chasing 164 on a used pitch, left-handed opener Pollock smashed 49 off 24 balls, including four sixes, to get things started.New Bears signings Sibley and Hose then shared 84 in 10 overs for the second wicket to advance from 61 for one in the sixth before the Bears slipped from 145 for 1 in the 16th to 160 for 8 after 19, losing seven wickets in 23 balls.Sibley finished 53 off 37 balls, while Hose added 49 off 35. They hit five sixes between them before Olly Stone hit the winning runs with four needed off the last over.Hose and Sibley have only arrived at Edgbaston from Somerset and Surrey within the last month, and Pollock is in his maiden summer of first-team cricket.For Lancashire, who have failed to qualify for the last eight since winning the Blast in 2015, they had to win and hope other results went their way to qualify.The Bears are now targeting their second title in four years.The Lightning would have been reasonably happy at halfway with their 163 for 4, underpinned by Jos Buttler’s 58 off 42 balls. The England man’s second half-century in three days was another measured effort and included two sixes after being inserted.Having hit 36 without a boundary in Wednesday’s win over Worcestershire here, Liam Livingstone (39) guided his very first ball from Stone to the third-man fence. He pulled two huge leg-side sixes, including the latter off leg-spinner Josh Poysden, which went out of the ground and onto the Brian Statham Way.Buttler was elevated to No 3 and hit Sibley’s leggies for a straight six in the 13th over to move into the twenties. By that stage, Lancashire were 100 for 2. He also hit Stone over long-off for six and shared 86 in 10 overs with inventive South African Dane Vilas, who made 30. Buttler miscued Stone to long-on in the 19th.Poysden and Stone were the only two Bears wicket-takers with two apiece, with the former the pick as he conceded 28 from his four overs.He hit Ryan McLaren for three sixes in the power play, including two over long-leg, before slapping a short ball from the seamer to cover with the score on 61 midway through the sixth over.Sibley and Hose both offered relatively simple catches on 18 and 31 to Matt Parkinson at short fine-leg and Jordan Clark at long-off.Hose hit 76 on his Bears debut in the win over Lancashire at Edgbaston late last month, and he demonstrated his power again by hitting three sixes over long-on.But the Bears stumbled dramatically with victory in sight as Livingstone struck twice in two balls. Junaid Khan and Arron Lilley also claimed two wickets apiece, but Lancashire’s success with the ball came too late.

The BCCI has said it is getting closer to narrowing down its list of difficulties in implementing the Lodha Committee’s reforms to “three or four”

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-2017

The BCCI has said it is getting closer to narrowing down its list of difficulties in implementing the Lodha Committee’s reforms to “three or four”. The seven-member panel set up by the BCCI to study their implementation met on Saturday, and achieved a “huge amount of unanimity”, according to its convener, the BCCI’s acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary.The panel is set to meet again on July 7, when it will look to finalise a report that it will present before a Special General Meeting (SGM) that the BCCI will have to conduct before July 14, when the Supreme Court will next hear the case. Following the SGM, the BCCI will hand over its final list of difficulties to the Committee of Administrators, the court-appointed panel tasked with running the BCCI until fresh elections under the Lodha guidelines.”I can tell you that there was a huge amount of unanimity among all members including [Cricket Association of Bengal president] Sourav Ganguly, who was present through Skype,” Choudhary said on Saturday.He added that the members had agreed unanimously on “six or seven” points, but did not want to reveal what they were until they had been narrowed down to a final “three or four”. He indicated that the unanimously agreed-upon areas of difficulty were ones the BCCI had already spoken about in the past.The board is understood to be inclined to incorporate most of the Lodha committee’s recommendations, except for policies such as the age cap of 70 years for office bearers, the tenure cap of nine years with cooling-off periods in between, the one-state-one-vote policy, and the trimming down of the number of selectors from five to three.”I could well do that [reveal the six or seven areas of difficulty], but I think all of you know it,” Choudhary said. “We are trying to reduce the gamut of difficulties to three or four, and in that exercise we have succeeded very substantially today. The small bits which are left we will finish them [on July 7].”[By then,] instead of talking about 5-6-7 points, I’m certain that I will be talking about three or four only. The other three will unnecessarily get attention [otherwise].”Choudhary was confident the BCCI would be able to conduct a Special General Meeting (SGM) before July 14.”I’m sure you’ll have a copy of that one-page document which states clearly, delineates, that the honourable Supreme Court of India’s next date on the subject is the 14th of July,” Choudhary said. “It also says that we have to dispose this matter expeditiously, and it’s a matter of urgent nature. We exhausted the dictionary, so to say, and we are acting upon it.”On the question of Niranjan Shah’s presence in the BCCI’s committee, Choudhary clarified that the former Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) president was only part of it as a “special invitee” rather than one of the seven full members. Shah is at present disqualified from holding office either in the BCCI or any of its state associations since he is over the stipulated age limit of 70. Choudhary dismissed any confusion over Shah’s role in the panel as an issue of “semantics”.”He’s a special invitee,” Choudhary said. “You are getting into semantics. By trying to distinguish between the technical status of a person who’s attending the meeting… I have answered your question, whether he is a member or an invitee. I said he’s an invitee.”

George Garton took the one wicket to fall as the touring South Africans faced just 20 overs on a rain-affected day

George Dobell at New Road29-Jun-2017
ScorecardGeorge Garton had Dean Elgar caught behind•Getty Images

“Who the hell – what the hell – is that?” the Worcestershire member asked.Their confusion could be forgiven. George Garton is just 20 and has only played six first-class games. He’s not a first-choice pick at Sussex – though he probably should be – and he doesn’t look like a fast bowler. He is slight, not especially tall and has a whole-hearted bowling action so whippy that you fear he might snap at any moment.More than that, though, he bowls at surprising pace. Left-arm and fast, he gains sharp bounce from just back of a length and can swing the ball. It would be pushing a point to compare him to Mitchell Johnson but, on a dank day in Worcestershire, his somewhat erratic bowling was hard to pick-up for spectators and batsmen alike.”Was that a beamer?” the spectator asked again. “No, a bouncer,” his neighbour replied. It was an understandable error. The ball is hard to pick up from that wild action and Garton is a little erratic.Conditions were helpful for seamers, for sure. The pitch was described as “spicy” by Andy Flower, the Lions coach, and both Tom Helm and Liam Plunkett also caused problems with their pace and movement. Heino Kuhn and Hashim Amla, compact and patient, did well to help South Africa to stumps having lost only one wicket.But it was Garton who stood out. Dismissing Dean Elgar with one that pitched in line, drew the batsman into a stroke and then left him, he was described as “really dangerous” by Flower and “impressive” by his captain, Gary Ballance. “It’s the first time I’ve seen him,” Ballance said, “and I was impressed. It’s always good to have that pace and the ability to swing the ball.”How Garton progresses might well depend on how he is able to retain his fitness. Few fast bowlers are built like this – though Mark Wood isn’t so far away – and his bowling average (40.58), at this early stage of his career, suggests he is still learning how to apply his skills to the business of taking wickets. But there is a lot to build upon and if his potential is anywhere near fulfilled, he has an England future.With only 20 overs possible amid the rain at New Road, it was probably inevitable that conversation should turn to England’s squad for the first Test against South Africa. While most involved in this Lions side, like Garton, might have to wait a little longer for their opportunity, Ballance could be forgiven for checking his phone often on Friday evening. He must be very close to a recall.Ballance admitted he thought he would never feature for England again after the Test tour of Bangladesh. But now, after a return to Championship cricket that has seen his average in excess of a hundred, he feels he is playing the best he has in a while.”After that tough series in Bangladesh when I was left out, I did think ‘I’m never playing again’,” Ballance said. “Coming into the season, obviously I wanted to play for England but I didn’t think about it, I just tried to score as many runs as I could for Yorkshire.”People told me to change, but I tried and I couldn’t score a run. So I’ve gone back to what I’m good at. I still feel I’ve taken advice and learned and I do feel I’ve improved.”The best way to put it is probably that I’ve gone back to what I was doing originally but I’m doing it better. I haven’t changed too much. With the naked eye, you probably can’t see. I’m doing what I did when I was at my best and I feel like I’m batting the best I have in a while. I feel in good form and pretty confident.”He has the support of Flower. “Gary looks in superb form,” Flower told Sky Sports. “Even throwing at him in the nets, he looks really clear in his game plan. He has gone away and improved his game.”He looks like a mature cricketer who knows his game and knows how to score runs. We already know from his really good record in international cricket that he knows how to build innings. He’s pushing hard for an England spot.”Flower was somewhat less effusive about Haseeb Hameed. Pointing out that Hameed was the only one of the candidates for the opener’s role to fail in the Lions match against South Africa A – Hameed made 0 and 2, while Mark Stoneman and Keaton Jennings made half-centuries in both innings and Nick Gubbins made a half-century in the second innings – Flower suggested Hameed was still learning his trade against seam bowling, in particular. With a series against a seam-heavy South Africa followed by a winter tour to Australia, it seems a recall might not be imminent.”We had four openers in that Lions match,” Flower said. “We had Gubbins, Hameed, Jennings and Stoneman and Haseeb missed out when a few of the others scored and looked really impressive.”Haseeb is a young man who looks as if he is still discovering his game. He’s got very high potential, there’s no doubt about that, and we saw him handle himself brilliantly in the pressure-cooker situation in the Tests in India. He is a beautiful player of spin.”But he’s still working out his game a bit in facing high-quality seam. He’s still growing his game and finding out about himself and his game. The selectors have some decisions to make.”

Andrew Tye’s barrage of variations that fetched him 3 for 12 and a bruising half-century from Aaron Finch left Royal Challengers Bangalore facing early elimination

The Report by Shashank Kishore27-Apr-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:35

Agarkar: Lions cracked their overseas combination

Royal Challengers Bangalore paid the price for another batting meltdown to face an early elimination from IPL 2017. On a Chinnaswamy surface that played much better than other three games previously this season, RCB underachieved by being bowled out for 134, and then let the despondency slip into their bowling.Aaron Finch feasted on an attack without the injured Tymal Mills, to race to a bruising 22-ball half-century to raze down the target with 37 balls to spare and lift Gujarat Lions off the bottom of the points table. But the star was once again Andrew Tye, who unleashed a barrage of variations – including his patented knuckle ball – to finish with three wickets that set up Lions’ third win in eight matches.Tye ties RCB’s top-order in knots
Lions unleashed two young fast bowlers – Nathu Singh and Basil Thampi – on a surface where they got the ball to climb onto the batsmen. Four nights after slumping to 49 all out, the lowest score in IPL history, RCB started cautiously. The first four overs had fetched just two boundaries, one of which was Virat Kohli’s strong bottom-hand whip for six. But the frustration to score freely resulted in him picking out short fine leg in the fourth over.With an early wicket in the bag, Tye, who had taken two or more wickets in three of the four matches this season (no other Lions bowlers had taken more than one before this game) was brought in and he struck first ball with a cross-seam delivery that nibbled away to take Chris Gayle’s outside edge. Off his next delivery, he got a length ball to climb on Travis Head, who nicked to Suresh Raina at slip. Kedar Jadhav extinguished the possibility of a second hat-trick for Tye, but Lions had done the early damage, with RCB tottering at 23 for 3 after five.Jadhav’s lift, Mandeep’s brain-freeze
Jadhav offset the damage by hitting Basil Thampi for three successive boundaries in the sixth over. He started off with a pull in front of square and followed that up with a flick and an upper cut. Then in the next over, Ravindra Jadeja fired them in and got shoveled inside-out over cover. Having raced to 21 off 12 deliveries, Jadhav was in the mood. He welcomed debutant legspinner Ankit Soni by biffing him across the line over deep midwicket. His enterprise overshadowed AB de Villiers’ presence. A fight back was on the cards, but trying to be a little overambitious – exposing all three stumps to cutely dab Jadeja behind square – cost him.Losing wickets in clumps was the order for RCB. Five balls after Jadhav fell, a total breakdown in communication resulted in de Villiers’ run-out. Mandeep Singh ran past his senior partner after initially stopping midway on his partner’s call to leave him stranded. De Villiers’ 11 deliveries fetched him five. At 60 for 5 at the halfway mark, RCB needed a miracle from their lower order. Negi provided that with some lusty blows but fell for a 19-ball 32 in his quest to muscle Soni for a third-successive six. A 23-run ninth-wicket stand between S Aravind and Aniket Choudhary managed to lift them to 134.Badree’s early strikes raise RCB hopes
Ishan Kishan’s promotion to open with Brendon McCullum could’ve meant only one thing: of taking the attack to RCB. Kishan did just that, hitting Badree for three boundaries before being pinned in front by a skidder. Then, Kohli’s decision to give Badree a third-straight over paid off when McCullum holed out to long-on, trying to take the fielder on. With Lions at 23 for 2, RCB were in with a shout.Finch sucker-punches RCB
The game was on the edge, but Finch decided attack was the best way to drive the game forward. He muscled Badree for two sixes in his first three deliveries and punished Aravind for two fours in the over that followed to offset any pressure there was on Lions.Yuzvendra Chahal and Aniket Choudhary came in for similar treatment as Finch used his free swing to pepper the short side boundaries and race to a 22-ball half-century, the fastest for a Lions batsman. At the halfway mark, Lions were 95 for 2. Suresh Raina, far from his fluent self, should’ve been caught at deep midwicket but Chahal reprieved him by overstepping. But by then the game was all but lost by RCB.

نشرت صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية، تقرير سانشيز مارتينيز، حكم مباراة برشلونة وأتلتيكو مدريد في الدوري الإسباني، والذي أوضح خلاله سبب طرد تشافي هيرنانديز.

وتغلب برشلونة على أتلتيكو مدريد بثلاثية دون مقابل، في منافسات الجولة التاسعة والعشرين للدوري الإسباني.

وشهدت المباراة تلقي تشافي هيرنانديز، مدرب برشلونة، بطاقة صفراء في الدقيقة 40، وبعد دقيقتين تلقى البطاقة الحمراء.

وجاء في تقرير الحكم في نهاية المباراة سبب طرد تشافي، حيث أوضح: “لقيام المدرب تشافي هيرنانديز بالملاحظات الفنية على أحد قراراتي والصراخ والقيام بالإيماءات غير المدروسة وبعد إنذار مسبق من الحكم الرابع”.

وبحسب ما أوضحت “سبورت” من المتوقع أن تكون عقوبة إيقاف تشافي حوالي مباراتين.

وستكون مباراة برشلونة القادمة في الدوري الإسباني أمام قادش، ثم يواجه لاس بالماس في شهر إبريل المقبل.

Peter Handscomb, Australia’s top-order batsman, is Yorkshire’s choice for 2017 as an overseas professional in all formats

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Dec-2016

Yorkshire have named Australia’s top-order batsman Peter Handscomb as their major overseas signing in 2017.Handscomb made his Test debut for Australia at the end of November and made a maiden Test century in only his second Test when he scored 105 against Pakistan in Brisbane.The Victoria and Melbourne Stars batsman will be available to play in all three formats for Yorkshire over the summer, although it is in the longer format where his reputation is most established.Yorkshire have yet to secure a second overseas signing for the NatWest Blast which in 2017 will run in a more condensed window in midsummer.Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of cricket said: “We are delighted to secure Peter’s signature for the 2017 season. Peter is a player that we have been aware of for a couple of years now and he has made an excellent start to his Test career. We look forward to welcoming him to Headingley and hope that he enjoys playing his cricket for Yorkshire next year.”Andrew Gale had emphasised upon his appointment as 1st XI coach that he wanted to shake-up Yorkshire’s approach at all all age-group levels to developing Twenty20 cricketers, but the first overseas signing since his appointment does seem to have the Championship formly in mind as Yorkshire prioritise the top-order stability they lacked last season.With Handscomb likely to slot in at No. 3 and Gary Ballance, a new captain who could struggle to regain his England Test place next season (such is the thinking anyway) at No. 4, the line-up behind the openers Adam Lyth and Alex Lees has a more solid look about it.Gale said: “Peter is someone that we have had our eye on for a while. We looked at him as an option for last season, but the schedules didn’t quite work out. Since then he has gone from strength-to-strength, breaking into the Australian team and scoring his first Test hundred last week.”We are getting a guy who is on the up. He is young and wants to prove himself on the biggest stage. That will be good for us in county cricket. Number three is where he might slot into in county cricket, but that is yet to be decided. He gives us another option with the gloves as well as he keeps wicket in the shorter forms for Victoria.”The good thing is that he is a good player in all formats which suits us well given that he will be available for most of the season.”

Manchester City are close to signing Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic, with a verbal agreement reached, according to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg.

What’s the latest Man City transfer news involving Kovacic?

Pep Guardiola’s side completed a historic treble, sealing the achievement with a 1-0 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League final last weekend. There have been plenty of celebrations between everyone involved at the club and the supporters, however, it looks as if those at the Etihad are already working on summer signings.

One player who has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester is Kovacic, who has been on the books at Stamford Bridge since 2018. The Croatia international, hailed as an "unbelievable footballer" in the media, will soon be entering the final 12 months of his Chelsea deal and a move north looks to be on the cards.

Plettenberg took to Twitter in the last 48 hours to provide an update on the transfer talk between City and Kovacic. He said that a move is close, with a verbal agreement reached.

“Everything is going in the right direction. Kovacic is close to join MCFC & Pep. Verbal agreement is done confirmed. Negotiations between Man City and CFC should follow this week.”

How much does Mateo Kovacic earn?

Kovacic, sponsored by Nike, can play in a defensive, central or attacking midfield role, so should provide Guardiola with a versatile midfield option next season. He also has a history of winning plenty of honours, for example, he has won the Champions League on four separate occasions and the Europa League once.

A player like Kovacic could be needed over the coming month, especially if captain Ilkay Gundogan decides against renewing his Etihad contract over the coming weeks, as has been speculated.

Kovacic also has plenty of Premier League experience under his belt, turning out on 142 occasions in the top flight. And ranks in the 98th percentile for passes into the final third, so could prove to be a shrewd addition in midfield.

He currently picks up £150,000-a-week in London, the biggest wage of his career to date, so it’ll be interesting to see the terms he has seemingly agreed with City. A transfer fee still needs to be agreed between the two clubs, though, but at this moment in time, it appears as if Kovacic could be the first through the door this summer to link up with the treble winners.

Chelsea are considering submitting a bid to sign Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia this summer, according to reports.

Is Romeo Lavia leaving Southampton?

Lavia only arrived on the south coast last summer from Premier League rivals Manchester City, but having impressed during 34 appearances in his debut season, where he established himself as Ruben Selles’ second best-performing defensive player, he’s bound to attract interest now that they have been relegated to the Championship.

The Belgium U21 international still has another four years remaining on his contract at St. Mary’s, though the Sky Blues reportedly have a £40m buy-back clause available to them which they could trigger should they want him to return or to sell him on for a higher fee.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Fabrizio Romano recently revealed that the Blues and Mauricio Pochettino do “really appreciate” the 19-year-old but made it clear that nothing was “advanced or imminent”, though it sounds like they are now thinking about testing the waters in an attempt to bring him to Stamford Bridge.

Are Chelsea signing Lavia?

According to Football.London, Chelsea have Lavia firmly on their "radar" and are "considering making a move" as a cheaper alternative to Moises Caicedo. Todd Boehly and his recruitment team have conducted "extensive scouting sessions" on the midfielder and clearly must have been impressed with what they have seen in order to be weighing up an offer. Southampton are "likely" to demand a fee of £50m to ponder parting ways with their prized asset in the weeks and months ahead.

Should Boehly cash out on Lavia?

Chelsea are reportedly targeting other defensive midfield candidates in the form of Brighton and Hove Albion’s Caicedo, but should they not be successful in their attempts to land Roberto De Zerbi’s star, Lavia would be an excellent alternative having been dubbed a “monster” at the base of midfield by journalist Benjy Nurick.

The Elite Project Group Ltd client ranks in the 96th percentile for blocks and won 35 out of his 60 tackles made throughout the course of the previous term, which was the second-highest success rate out of all of his fellow teammates, as per FBRef, highlighting how strong he is at protecting the backline.

The Adidas-sponsored gem, who has the versatility to operate slightly higher up in central midfield alongside his natural role in front of the defence, can also get involved at the opposite end of the pitch having scored one goal and provided the same number of assists in his opening campaign at Southampton, and he would only excel further under the guidance of Pochettino.

أكد سيد عبد الحفيظ مدير الكرة السابق بالنادي الأهلي، أنه لا يتمنى العمل كمدير فني، معلقاً على ما يتردد بشأن لاعب الزمالك احمد سيد زيزو بأنه لاعب محلي.

وقال سيد عبد الحفيظ في تصريحات عبر قناة “إم بي سي مصر”: “عبد الله السعيد لعب في النادي الأهلي فترة حصل معنا على بطولات، وانضم لبيراميدز لفترة وحاليًا متواجد في نادي الزمالك، وأتمنى له التوفيق، إذا عاد بي الزمن مليار مرة سأقول نفس الكلام مع كل المواقف التي أخذتها في صفقة عبد الله، ومقتنع بكل كلمة قلتها في وقتها”.

وتابع: “مطمئن على الأهلي والمسؤولين في النادي دائمًا يعملون لصالحه، كما أنني لا أتمنى العمل كمدير فني”.

طالع أيضاً.. إمام عاشور: مستعدون لمباراة شباب بلوزداد ونتمنى إسعاد جماهير الأهلي

وبسؤاله عن أكثر لاعب عانيت منه في مشوارك؟، أجاب :”صالح جمعه كان يقدم مستويات جيدة مع الفريق، وكنا نلعب في برج العرب أمام سموحة أو المصري، أخذ كوع في عينه، وكان في هذا الوقت وصل لمستوى جيد فكنت أريد أن أحافظ عليه وقلت له أحصل على راحة لمدة يومين وستكون بحالة جيدة”.

وأكمل: “ثاني يوم تلقيت شيء غير ظريف بشأن صالح جمعه، قلت له لن أخصم لك ولا مليم ولكن قل لي الشيطان دخل عليك من أي باب لكي تخرج من منزلك”.

وتابع: “كهربا لديه جزئية مهمة جدًا أنه يحترم ويقدر الآخرين، أول عام له في الأهلي كان بعيدا بعض الشيء ولكن حاليًا تغير”.

واختتم: “أحمد سيد زيزو إذا لم يلعب في نادي الزمالك لن يكون زيزو، وأنا لست مع الكلام الذي يقال عليه أنه لاعب محلي”.

A five-wicket win for Surrey in a rain-affected game against Middlesex at Lord’s completed the quarter-final line-up of the Royal London Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Aug-2016A five-wicket win for Surrey in a rain-affected game against Middlesex at Lord’s completed the quarter-final line-up of the Royal London Cup. Surrey, last year’s beaten finalists, sneaked above their London rivals into fourth place in the South Group, securing a last-eight trip to face North Group winners Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.Royal London Cup QFs

Somerset v Worcestershire, Taunton, August 17, 11am

Warwickshire v Essex, Edgbaston, August 17, 11am

Kent v Yorkshire, Canterbury, August 18, 2pm

Northamptonshire v Surrey, Wantage Road, August 18, 1.30pm

Confirmation that Somerset would top the South Group, setting up a quarter-final with Worcestershire at Taunton, came with the abandonment of Essex’s game at Gloucestershire earlier in the day.Essex were then left waiting on results elsewhere to see if they would go through; Kent’s victory at Sussex moved them up to second but Hampshire narrowly failed to beat Somerset, sending Essex to play Warwickshire in the last eight and turning the match at Lord’s into a straight knockout.Kent will host Yorkshire in their quarter-final. Yorkshire had gone into the final round of North Group games on Monday hoping to secure a home fixture but a heavy defeat to Warwickshire at Headingley saw them slip to third.The first two quarter-finals, at Taunton and Edgbaston, will be day games played on August 17; the games at Wantage Road and Canterbury will start in the afternoon on August 18. The semi-final draw sees the winner of Warwickshire v Essex playing either Somerset or Worcestershire, while Kent or Yorkshire will go on to face one of Northants or Surrey, with the ties taking place on August 28-29.