Staffs complete a crushing win

Kadeer Ali’s side set the visitors a 477 target to win in their Unicorns Championship match. However, that was never a realistic proposition and Lincolnshire were eventually bowled out for 216.

That victory made it six wins on the bounce at the venue.

With the home side declaring overnight, former Notts star Bilal Shafayat was the key wicket as he was dismissed to make it 68-3 in the morning session to set the Staffs juggernaut on its way to victory following the earlier departures of openers Jack Timby and Joe Kendall.

There was more of the same after lunch.

Ben Coddington fell to James Cox for 41 and Lincs were reduced to 184-7 at tea.

The visitors gamely fought on towards an unlikely draw but their resistance was broken as Staffs took the new ball with Nic Keast’s battling effort coming to an end.

Lincs captain Carl Wilson was trapped lbw before Curtis Free became the final wicket to fall as Staffs celebrated their resounding win with the game entering its final hour.

New ZEALAND were resuming on 211 for five today after the end of an attritional innings was curtailed by rain, prompting their World Cup semi-final against India to be taken to a reserve day.

Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor registered battling half-centuries on a sluggish Old Trafford surface, where early seam movement under heavy cloud cover and turn for the spinners made life difficult for the Kiwi batsmen.

Taylor struggled for fluency but was gradually building momentum before a steady drizzle turned heavier as the players were brought off at 2pm local time, with the Black Caps 3.5 overs short of completing their innings.

The showers briefly relented at 5.30pm to raise hopes of completing the fixture, albeit with India facing a 20-over chase, but then returned, ensuring play was be deferred until this morning at 10.30am, weather permitting.

International Cricket Council regulations mean New Zealand will carry on where they left off, with Taylor on 67 not out alongside Tom Latham (3no) as they look to push their side on to a competitive total in a match that is still 50 overs per side. Williamson had earlier gone past 500 runs for the tournament.