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Celtic picked up their first point of the Champions League season as they were held by Spanish giants Atletico Madrid to a 2-2 draw at Parkhead on Wednesday night.

The Hoops were twice in front during the first half, thanks to goals from Kyogo Furuhashi and Luis Palma, but Diego Simeone's star-studded frontline produced the goods as goals from Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Mortata secured a point for their side.

Whilst it was disappointing for Brendan Rodgers' team not to walk away with all three points after going 1-0 and 2-1 up, there were plenty of positives to take from the game; including performances from Matt O'Riley and Liam Scales.

Matt O'Riley's statistics against Atletico Madrid

The Denmark U21 international was an influential figure in the middle of the park for Celtic as he showcased his ability at both ends of the pitch.

He provided a sublime assist for the opening goal from Kyogo with a perfectly-weighted first-time pass through to the Japan international, which split open the Atletico defence.

The former Fulham man went on to create one more chance and enjoyed 70 touches of the ball in total as he displayed his creativity in midfield.

O'Riley also made an impact out of possession. The left-footed whiz won six of his 11 duels and made three tackles and two interceptions in total, which shows that the central midfielder also worked hard to win the ball back for his team with a number of defensive interventions.

Liam Scales' statistics against Atletico Madrid

One player who stood out alongside O'Riley and caught the eye with his immense display at the back for Rodgers was central defender Scales.

The Ireland international, who started the game alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers at the heart of the defence, produced an impressive performance to keep Atletico quiet for large spells during the match.

Firstly, the former Aberdeen loanee displayed superb composure in possession of the ball with 103 attempted passes from 114 touches, which was 44 more than O'Riley had, and completed 86% of those passes.

He also dominated the opposition in his individual duels against the Atletico forwards. As per Sofascore, the 25-year-old machine won 70% (7/10) of his battles, which included six of his eight aerial contests, and this shows that the Spanish side found it difficult to get the better of him.

Scales also made two blocks, three clearances, and one tackle to help out Joe Hart to keep him as quiet as possible outside of the two Atletico goals.

His performance resulted in a Sofascore rating of 7.1 and this was 0.3 higher than any other starting member of the back four, and 0.6 higher than both of the full-backs – Alistair Johnston and Greg Taylor.

This shows that the Irish colossus was Rodgers' standout performer in defence for Celtic with his fantastic play in and out of possession over the course of the 90 minutes.

Therefore, Scales was immense for the Hoops and the Scottish giants may need him to maintain that level over the remaining three group stage games in order to stand a chance of securing qualification for the knockout stages.

Shoaib Malik’s unbeaten 49, coupled with Usman Khan’s two wickets propelled Pakistan towards a series win against Scotland, thumping the hosts by 84 runs in the second T20I

The Report by Danyal Rasool13-Jun-2018Leask 3-31) beat Scotland 82 (MacLeod 25, Faheem 3-5) by 84 runsAnother T20I masterclass from Pakistan veteran Shoaib Malik propelled Pakistan towards a series win against Scotland, thumping the hosts by 84 runs in the second T20I at the Grange. Under overcast conditions with a light drizzle threatening to interrupt the game for most of the match, Shoaib exploded – much like the first game – in the last few overs, smashing five sixes as he blitzed 49 off 22 to help Pakistan surge to 166.Unlike Tuesday, Scotland were never quite in the hunt for this one, losing George Munsey off the third ball, and never quite managing any momentum that might suggest a real contest could be on the cards. They were untidy with their running, rushed with their strokeplay and generally uncomfortable in the face of a sensational Pakistan in the field. It was a much improved bowling performance from the visitors, spearheaded by Usman Khan, who came in for Mohammad Amir, and registered figures of 2-0-4-2. Scotland began to fall away rather dramatically towards the end, with no less than three players run out as Kyle Coetzer’s men were bundled out for 82.There was some drama before the start, with Cricket Scotland officials and the television production team locked in an argument over using a fresh pitch for this game. The TV crew were concerned their cameras couldn’t be in line with the bowler at one end of the pitch, the result being a slightly askew broadcast angle from the Pavilion End. It’s the sort of drama people associate, sometimes patronisingly, with cricket on the Associate landscape.But Scotland wouldn’t have wanted the haphazardness to extend to their on-field performance. Pakistan got off to a flying start again, though Scotland were unfortunate not to have Fakhar Zaman out in the first over. Chris Sole extracted both an outside and an inside edge in the first six deliveries, the former put down in the slips, the latter narrowly missing the stumps. Both went for four. Sole had bowled an excellent first over, and conceded 12 runs.Shehzad and Zaman put on 60 for the first wicket, but Scotland, just as they had done in the first game, struck back in the middle overs. The runs were restricted right up until the last two overs, with batsmen unable to kick on from starts in the face of tight, disciplined bowling from Scotland’s bowlers, particularly Mark Watt and Michael Leask.Peter Della PennaBut Shoaib Malik came to Pakistan’s rescue once more, with a whirlwind last two overs, scoring 32 of Pakistan’s 34 runs as they turned a slightly below-par score into an imposing one of 166. He was put down at the end of the 19th over on the long-off boundary, a simple catch that Leask failed to hold on to. Just as Tuesday, the drops cost Scotland dear in the field as Shoaib went on to score 14 in the final over, leaving Scotland to ponder how to improve their fielding against a quality opposition like the one they faced today.The pitch looked no worse than the one used on Tuesday, where 200 seemed about par. But the change of pitch today meant the long-on/ midwicket boundary from one side of the ground was 10 meters larger, and shots that would have comfortably carried over the ropes on Tuesday were being caught inside the boundary on the field, including a spectacular tag-team catch and relay effort from Dylan Budge and Watt to claim Sarfraz at deep square leg. That restricted Pakistan to the relatively modest 166, and made it arguably a more searching chase than the previous one might have been.However, at no stage of the Scottish innings did their batsmen begin to establish any sort of relationship with the boundary rope. Pakistan circled around them in the infield, and the pitch looked a fair bit faster when the Pakistan bowlers were operating on it. Usman isn’t a regular starter for Pakistan, but when in form, almost always seems to make a match-winning difference. He hurried on to the batsmen, and as the rain began to get slightly heavier, the Scottish mood began to match the Edinburgh weather. They could do little more than shuffle around for ones and twos and get the odd boundary, but it was never nearly enough to challenge the ever-rising asking rate.It was unfortunate to see the home side losing their heads towards the end, with a couple of unnecessary run-outs easing Pakistan’s way to an inevitable win they didn’t need any help with. Calum MacLeod was the man at the other end for all three of Scotland’s run-outs, but you’d be hard-pressed to blame him for any of them, what with the Pakistan fielders prowling, looking to save every run as the asking rate bounded out of sight. Faheem Ashraf came back to polish off the last two wickets, giving his figures a shiny new look by the end, having taken three wickets for five runs.By the end, Pakistan’s dominance was so absolute, it was easy to forget the strides Scotland have made over the past few years. It would be harsh to focus on the manner of the defeat, and more prudent to reflect on the professionalism with which Pakistan have moved on from a Test series against England to a T20I series in Edinburgh, never letting their focus waver, and fielding a full-strength team when several others might have chosen to rest players. It was apt respect to pay to a side that has very much earned it over the last week.

Fast bowler seeks sustained run of match fitness ahead of England’s five-match ODI series in Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2018Mark Wood hopes that a new lengthened run-up could be the secret to a sustained run of match fitness, as he prepares for the start of England’s five-match ODI series in Sri Lanka on Wednesday.Wood’s ability to generate sharp pace from a short and explosive run-up has been a key reason why he has been considered a point-of-difference bowler in recent seasons, but it has also contributed to a spate of injuries, not least in his troublesome left heel, on which he has undergone numerous bouts of surgery.And now, with the World Cup looming next year, and his fitness restored after another interrupted summer, Wood hopes that a longer, smoother run-up could lead to a longer and smoother run in the England team.”It’s something I’ve worked on in the second half of the season in England and brought it here,” Wood told . “It’s a trial, something I can go back to if I want to do the step-back run-up.”I spoke to Kevin Shine, the head bowling coach, and Chris Silverwood, who’s out here, and said that off my short run-up I felt I was having to force it all the time. That meant I was putting more stress on than I needed to, having to ramp it up to get my top speed.”So pushed my run-up back, so that it felt like I could cruise into it a little more and look for more rhythm, rather than trying to be at the top end all the time, and putting more stress on my body.”Wood hasn’t had much of a chance to put any stress on his body just yet, however. England have faced monsoonal conditions since their arrival in Sri Lanka, and their planned two days of practice in Colombo was reduced to a single contest against a Board XI. It did at least give the bowlers an inkling of how the pitches might behave come the start of the series.”We’ve had a lot of rain so far. Some days are red hot, sweaty humid conditions, and quite nice to bowl in and there are some days when it’s rained a lot and it’s coming from the ground up. It’s different conditions to deal with.”The pitch didn’t feel as subcontinental like as you might think,” he added. “It’s subtropical here in Sri Lanka, not like India or the UAE. It’s more humid and a lot greener than you might expect. The one-day wickets have had a bit of tennis-ball bounce and have swung a bit for England for three or four overs, so we have to use that to our advantage.”Thanks to their plethora of allrounders, England’s one-day squad is packed with seam-bowling options, which means that Wood envisages being used in short, sharp bursts to conserve energy and mix up the modes of attack.”It is ridiculously hot, so coming from a seam bowling point of view, it’ll be two or three overs, smash it as hard as you can, then get off. The spinners are the ones who are going to attack here, but that new ball is key for us. If we can get wickets up front when it’s doing a bit, that’ll be brilliant, but if not, we’ll sit in, try to dot up and make it hard, then let the spinners attack from the other end.”Reverse swing is a traditional factor in Asian conditions, but Wood said that England may need to adapt their methods to obtain the contrast between the rough and smooth sides of the ball to unlock that particular weapon.”Being quick through air will be key with reverse swing, but this ground at Dambulla looks lush and green, so I’m not sure how much reverse there’ll be. But the Sri Lankans tend to wet one side of the ball, and keep it smooth. They know better than anyone in their own conditions, so maybe we can take a leaf out of their book.”

As Sunderland set their sights on the play-off places once again in the Championship, the January transfer could quickly become the key to their success. Tony Mowbray's side used the summer window well to welcome the likes of Jobe Bellingham, and will be well aware of just how beneficial winter arrivals can be. So far this season, they've remained on course to battle it out for a spot in the all-important top six, sitting just one point adrift of Cardiff City, who currently hold the final place.

Amid the talk of promotion, however, the Black Cats are reportedly set to suffer a transfer blow when it comes to their pursuit of one particular target in a deal that would have undoubtedly been an incredible boost.

Sunderland transfer news

Sunderland aren't ones to spend an outrageous amount, but that's not to say they didn't splash out to welcome reinforcements during the summer. In the end, those at The Stadium of Light spent over £7m on arrivals such as Bellingham, Jenson Seelt and Nazariy Rusyn. The latter was their most expensive deal of the summer but has arguably been the most disappointing, failing to find the back of the net once in six Championship games.

Mowbray may have been looking to solve the forward's output problem with the arrival of a creative player. According to The Real EFL, though, Sunderland are set to miss out on Amad Diallo in January. Sunderland were reportedly keen on signing Diallo on loan for a second time after he impressed so much in his first spell at the club last season. United, however, reportedly want the winger to play at a higher level if he goes out on loan, making a Sunderland return unlikely.

"Dynamic" Amad Diallo would transform Sunderland

Sunderland will be understandably frustrated if they miss out on Diallo, which looks likely to be the case in January. Their former loanee took the Championship by storm last season and played a large part in the Black Cats' push for promotion. Diallo's stats by the end of his Sunderland spell reflected just how much of an impact he made, scoring 14 goals and assisting a further four.

Earning plenty of praise in the process, Mowbray said via the Metro when asked about the winger: "I think he got wrapped up in the game on Saturday (against Luton) emotionally and that was good to see. With his physical data, he was top in every aspect from distance covered to number of high-speed sprints, he was amazingly athletic as well as showing his talent.

"That bodes well for us and also accelerates him in my mind in terms of him being a starting player for us, beyond a young lad who I can bring off the bench. I’m hoping that over time that’s what happens with the other young lads, as well. At the moment they’re still feeling their way in, but with Amad – and maybe it’s because he’s had more game time – he’s in front and he looks to me like a first-team starter. They bring different qualities. Amad is dynamic and explosive."

James Vince, Rory Burns and Joe Denly feature prominently in England’s thoughts ahead of selection meeting

George Dobell12-Sep-2018Trevor Bayliss has admitted Keaton Jennings faces a “nervous” wait to see whether he will be included in England’s squad for the tour of Sri Lanka.Jennings averaged just 18.11 in the five-Test series against India and, while Bayliss suggested his decent form on the tour to India a couple of years ago may count in his favour, he declined to confirm that it would be enough to ensure him another tour.With Alastair Cook having retired, England are searching for at least one new top-order batsman and Bayliss confirmed that James Vince, Joe Denly and Rory Burns are all vying for a spot in the squad. Whether Jennings is retained will decide whether England have one or two spots available for them.Ed Smith, the national selector, has previously expressed some confidence in Jennings despite the run of low scores. Pointing out that batting in the top order was treacherously tough during the India series, Smith noted Jennings’ impressive “demeanour” and method and appeared to offer his tour hopes some encouragement.In Jennings’ favour is the fact he made a century on Test debut in Mumbai in December 2016 and followed it with an innings of 54 in Chennai. England expect to encounter similar spinning pitches in Sri Lanka. Those scores are, however, his only half-centuries in a 12-Test career and, in going 10 Tests in succession without passing fifty, he has set a grim new record for an England opening batsman.”We have a selection meeting in a week’s time and I am sure it will be discussed,” Bayliss said. “I’m sure he will be a bit nervous about which way it will go. His history will be in his favour: he scored runs in India on spinning wickets.”But he is a big boy and he knows runs on the board count as well. All of those points will have to be discussed and I can’t say at this stage or another whether he will go or not.”If Jennings is not retained, it could mean a recall for Vince. Although he averages a modest 24.90 after 13 Tests, he averages 30.54 from the No. 3 position. As a result, Bayliss rated him England’s “best No. 3” excluding Joe Root over the last few years. And, having gone back to county cricket and scored heavily in recent months – Vince is the second highest run-scorer in Division One this season behind Burns and is averaging 42.66 – Bayliss said he “had done what we asked of him since he was out of the team”.”If you take Joe out of the equation, Vince has probably been our best No. 3 over the last few years,” Bayliss said. “I gave him the challenge when we dropped him to go back and score plenty of runs. Averaging 40 in county cricket is not good enough. You have got to average 50 or 60 and, take out this last game, he was close to that and made some big hundreds so he has done what we asked of him. Whether he makes the cut or not we will find out in a week.”While Bayliss admitted he had not seen much of Denly, he has had good reports from the team of scouts the England management now employ and confirmed he was being considered for a place in the squad.”I have not seen him in the last couple of years,” Bayliss said. “He has made some runs this year and apparently he is a decent player of spin. He can play the short ball but so can a few others. Vince for example. And obviously Burns is making a lot of runs at The Oval.”I am sure all three guys will get a hearing and there might be more than one spot in the touring party.”Burns is, by a distance, the leading run-scorer in the Championship season. He is approaching the 1,200 run mark – nobody else has made 1,000 – and, while there is a suggestion he has made most of his runs on the flat Oval surfaces, three of his four centuries have come at New Road, Nottingham and Southampton. He also made 90 in Chelmsford and, at the time of writing, averages 95 away from home this season.England expect to announce the limited-overs squad on Monday or Tuesday and the Test squad on the 23rd or 24th. Bayliss returns to Sydney for a brief holiday on Thursday, so will take part in the selection meeting via conference call.

Chelsea ace Cole Palmer has explained his decision to leave Manchester City last summer after leading the Blues to a 3-2 win over Newcastle on Monday.

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Palmer scores and assists against NewcastleUp to 26 goal contributions already for ChelseaExplains decision to leave City in the summerGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Palmer scored one and assisted another as he ended up being the standout Chelsea performer yet again on Monday night. The English forward saw his goalward effort flicked home for the first before he struck an absolute piledriver to make it 2-1 in the second half. Substitute Mykhailo Mudryk got in on the action late on with a fine solo effort that ended up being the decider, but it was Palmer who earned himself Player of the Match for his efforts. Speaking after the game he explained his decision to join the Blues, as he remains optimistic over the club's project.

AdvertisementWHAT PALMER SAID

The 21-year-old told after the full-time whistle: "I thought I was ready to play football week in, week out and that's the reason [I joined Chelsea]. I just wanted to showcase my ability and thankfully it has paid off. It was a very difficult decision to leave City, I was there since six years old. I was ready to play football, had a chat with my family, had a chat with the club and moved to Chelsea."

On the long-term project at Stamfort Bridge, Palmer issued a warning to any doubters: "I think there’s so much talent at Chelsea, the fans don’t see it, you guys [media] don’t see it. It’s only gonna get better I’m sure, if not next season the season after it’s a project, everyone’s young. You will see it sooner or later.”

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Palmer's goal and assist on Monday takes him to 19 goal contributions in the Premier League and 26 across all competitions this term. His signing, alongside perhaps that of Malo Gusto, remains the standout piece of business from the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital era, as time and again he has proven himself to be the difference maker for Chelsea. His displays have also given him an outside shot of an England call-up for Euro 2024. Those chances were dealt a significant boost on Monday as Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate was at Stamford Bridge to watch his masterclass against Newcastle.

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WHAT NEXT FOR PALMER?

The England youngster will no doubt form a crucial part of Mauricio Pochettino's attacking line when they face Leicester in their next match, which comes in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday. Chelsea, alongside Wolves, were the only Premier League side to avoid a top-flight opponent in the last-eight, meaning they have a real chance of returning to Wembley for the second time in two months if they reach the semi-finals.

Glamorgan’s batting has troubled them all season and Josh Poysden’s career-best ensured there would be no let up

ECB Reporters Network09-Jun-2018
ScorecardA career-best five for 29 from Warwickshire leg-spinner Josh Poysden continued Glamorgan’s batting struggles on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship match at Edgbaston.The Welsh county chose to bat, aiming to at least double their haul of just three batting points collected from the first four games.But they added just one more as, on a slow pitch, they were bowled out for 220 after Poysden, playing his first championship game of the season, dismantled the lower order.Poysden said: “It has been a really frustrating time for me, not being in the team at the start of this year and for most of last year. I didn’t play as much as I wanted to, especially in the championship last year, and with us getting relegated it hurt not to be able to contribute.”But I went away in the winter and worked hard with Stuart MacGill again and then, after I came back, have worked hard with the coaches here at Edgbaston.”Australia Test star Usman Khawaja made just four on his debut and, though David Lloyd, Owen Morgan and Chris Cooke all got decent starts, no-one built the big innings required.The total looks well under par, although Glamorgan fought back well in the last session, removing both Warwickshire openers to leave the home side on 24 for 2 at the close.After Chris Cooke, captaining Glamorgan for the first time, won the toss, young openers Nick Selman and Jack Murphy added 44 in 14 overs. They were parted by Henry Brookes when Murphy was adjudged lbw by Indian umpire Yeshwant Barde, officiating in the first match of his exchange trip.Connor Brown then edged Chris Wright behind and Selman (30, 74 balls, four fours) bat-padded Jeetan Patel to short leg.Khawaja’s uncomfortable, 47-minute stay was ended by a Keith Barker inswinger and Barker should have immediately also dismissed Cooke, who was dropped on nought by Dominic Sibley at second slip. The captain survived to add 57 in 15 overs with Morgan before misreading Poysden’s first ball and falling lbw.Poysden struck again in each of his first two overs after tea when Morgan was lbw and Andrew Salter clipped to short mid-wicket.Lloyd, having batted forcefully to pass 2,000 first-class runs in his 50th match, then departed deeply unimpressed with the decision that he had edged a ball from Patel on to pad before Tim Ambrose reached forward to catch it.Ruaidhri Smith became the fifth lbw casualty when he missed a sweep at Poysden who bowled Lukas Carey first ball to complete his five-for.Glamorgan hit back hard when the home side replied as Carey rattled Will Rhodes’ stumps with the first ball of the innings and Timm Van der Gugten castled Sibley with the 56th.Both sides are depleted in the seam-bowling department with Warwickshire’s Olly Stone and Ryan Sidebottom ruled out by side strains and Glamorgan missing captain Michael Hogan and Marchant de Lange due to hamstring injuries.

After a string of defeats since their Test comeback last August, this is a series victory to get Zimababwe cricket going again

Firdose Moonda24-Jun-2012Zimbabwe’s victory in the unofficial Twenty20 tri-series, which included a stunning nine-wicket win over South Africa in the final, is an indication that they are “on the right path” according to their coach Alan Butcher.Zimbabwean cricket started its upward trajectory since they made their Test comeback against Bangladesh last August but hit choppy waters soon after. Tough series against Pakistan and New Zealand set them back but their coup in this competition is an affirmation for Butcher that improvements have been made.”This is a real sign that we are on the right track,” Butcher told ESPNcricinfo. “It can sometimes get hard to convince people that things are going well when we don’t get the results so this has been really good from that perspective.” Since making their Test comeback with a victory over Bangladesh, Zimbabwe have lost to Pakistan and New Zealand in all formats, the latter both home and away.Their 2012 schedule is sparse, with no cricket from January until the World T20 in September. The tri-series was organised at the request of South Africa coach Gary Kirsten, who wanted to give his team match practice and a chance to experiment ahead of the World T20. It was initially supposed to be a bilateral five-match series played over five days. But, after Bangladesh had their tour to Pakistan postponed, they requested to join in. Their participation brought with it television coverage which gave the series a far higher profile, something Butcher said will add to the publicity of his team’s showing, albeit in a series of practice matches.”It didn’t matter that it was unofficial, we took it very seriously,” Butcher said. “We had training camps since the beginning of May and we worked very hard for this, so I’m pretty pleased with the way it turned out. The guys worked well as a unit.”The coach had a few special words of praise for one of his stand-out charges. Hamilton Masakadza was named man of the series after finishing as the tournament’s top run-scorer with 267 runs at 66.75 and notching up four half-centuries in five matches. He also scored a hundred in the tour match against Bangladesh and is enjoying what some like Zimbabwe cricket committee chair Alistair Campbell, have called the form of his life.”I am very pleased for Hamilton. He had his problems and he was even left out of the side but he has worked on them,” Butcher said, referring to Masakadza’s exclusion from the 2011 World Cup squad. “He had an outstanding tournament and he deserved this.”Masakadza’s unbeaten 58 and Brendan Taylor’s 59 not out took Zimbabwe to a comfortable win in the final, but Zimbabwe gained the advantage first-up when their bowlers pinned South Africa down to 146 for 6. “We had a good start, which helped, but generally all the bowlers have worked well as a unit,” Butcher said. South Africa were 6 for 2 in the second over and had lost both their openers, Richard Levi and Hashim Amla.Chris Mpofu was the joint leading wicket-taker in the tournament, with seven wickets and an average of 16.14. He showed good ability on a familiar surface to mix up pace with cutters and performed the role of the senior seamer that he is. Mpofu said he benefitted from being pushed by youngsters like Kyle Jarvis and now has another pace bowler to contend with as well.Richard Muzhange was the find of the tournament. He bowled with control and executed the yorker with perfection, especially at the death of an innings. Jason Gillespie, who coached Muzhange at the Mid-West Rhinos last season, identified him as a future star and Butcher could not be more pleased with what they have found. “He is definitely one for the future. He showed great composure and that he is willing to learn.”That is quality that could be associated with almost all of the Zimbabwe side. They have found that knowledge of what to do in certain conditions and how to play in certain situations has made them a more competitive team and Butcher said it has also had an influence on their mindsets. “The players are growing in confidence and self-belief. Hopefully, we will take that with us into the World T20.”

Steven Davies top-scored against his former county as Somerset twice fought back from testing situations

ECB Reporters Network22-Jul-2018Somerset 324 for 9 (Davies 72, Hildreth 57) v Worcestershire
ScorecardSteven Davies top-scored against his former county as Somerset twice fought back from testing situations on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship Division One clash with bottom-placed Worcestershire at Blackfinch New Road.The wicketkeeper batsman hit a fluent 72 and there were also half centuries from Tom Abell and James Hildreth as Somerset recovered from 11 for 2 and then 115 for 4 to reach 324 for 9 from 96 overs by the close.England spinner Moeen Ali picked up three wickets on his return to Championship cricket.Worcestershire handed a Championship debut to wicket-keeper batsman Alex Milton, who was tidy and picked up three catches, and on loan Nottinghamshire paceman Luke Wood.Somerset’s new overseas player, Azhar Ali, made his first appearance for the County as the replacement for the injured Australian batsman Matt Renshaw.Brett D’Oliveira opted to put the visitors into bat after winning the toss and the new ball attack of Magoffin and Wood made a double breakthrough.Magoffin asked questions of both batsmen during an initial spell of 6-4-5-1 and he accounted for Edward Byrom (5) – caught behind by Milton who replaced broken-rib victim Ben Cox after 76 successive Championship appearances spanning five seasons.In the next over Wood trapped Marcus Trescothick lbw for 6 in his first appearance since May after recovering from a broken metatarsal with the total on 11.Azhar and Hildreth were initially watchful but then flourished during a third wicket stand of 99 in 28 overs.Hildreth, a century-maker at Taunton in the early season fixture between the sides, was the dominant partner and reached a 99 ball half century with 11 boundaries but Azhar provided a solid ally.The game edged back in Worcestershire favour with two wickets to Dillon Pennington during a fiery pre-lunch spell. Azhar (37) pushed forward and nicked through to Milton and then Hildreth (57) shouldered arms and was bowled at 115 for 4.A second Somerset period of recovery was instigated by Abell and Davies during a partnership of 126 in 33 overs.But it could have ended with the total on 140 as Abell (25) swept Moeen to backward square leg only for Joe Clarke, who was directly facing the sun, to allow the ball to slip through his hands and over the boundary rope.Davies straight drove Moeen for six and was first to his half century from 72 balls with also eight fours to his name.Abell followed his team-mate to fifty in more circumspect fashion from 107 balls. But Moeen broke the partnership when Davies (72) played back and nicked to Milton who held onto a sharp chance. He then claimed another wicket as Peter Trego (1) was leg before.Magoffin returned with the second new ball and picked up a deserved second wicket as Abell – 70 from 151 balls with 13 fours – was lbw.But then the Overton brothers, Craig (31) and Jamie (28), plundered 51 in eight overs before falling to Moeen and Ed Barnard respectively.

Peter Siddle collected five wickets to put Australia well on top, thanks to some advice from a recent England bowler

Peter English at Headingley07-Aug-2009It took three Tests but Peter Siddle remembered the lessons given to him by Darren Pattinson, his Melbourne club-mate and the former England bowler, as he captured career-best figures to put Australia on track to level the series. Siddle rammed into England’s tail to collect 5 for 21 off 9.5 overs, finishing with four wickets in 14 deliveries, and after play told of his chats with Pattinson, who appeared in a Test at this ground last year.Dandenong is the Australian summer home for both players and Siddle chased up his friend of a decade for some advice. “We’re very close and I’ve spent a lot of time with him,” Siddle said. “We had a few chats about the conditions and the way you go about stuff over here. It’s been handy. He gave me some good insight into how to handle the conditions.”This was the performance the Australians have waited for as Siddle finally lived up to his Sid Vicious nickname in England. In the opening three games he hadn’t been tame, but was inconsistent and unreliable, a shadow of the 24-year-old who grew up during the home and away series against South Africa.Mixing short balls to ruffle the batsmen and fuller ones to dismiss two of them, Siddle shook the hosts after lunch to back up the impressive return of Stuart Clark, whose three wickets before the break made everyone wonder why it had taken four Tests to call for him. Until Nathan Hauritz was removed from the line-up this morning it was Siddle who thought he was in danger.Brett Lee was also chasing Siddle’s spot but the selectors held firm and the Victorian stayed. Merv Hughes, one of the panel members at the ground, is a huge admirer of Siddle’s intimidating style and the group retained their unswerving belief in a player in his 12th Test.”Coming into this match I didn’t know what would happen,” Siddle said. “There was talk that I’d miss out or Hauritz would miss out. I was lucky enough to get the nod, went about my business, and in the end it paid off and I had a bit of success.” With 15 victims, he is now the series’ leading wicket-taker and was the muscular presence required at the opposite end from Clark and Ben Hilfenhaus.Siddle started by removing Andrew Strauss with serious help from Marcus North, who flung out his right hand at third slip, but the real damage came when the tailenders arrived full of padding. Suddenly Siddle was an intimidator and after England chose an extra bowler in Steve Harmison, he had extra targets.Graeme Swann was pushed back by some short deliveries before a fuller one clipped the edge on the way to Michael Clarke at first slip. The second ball to Harmison rattled his helmet, which is a serious bouncer to a guy standing at 6ft 4in, and in the following over Siddle brushed the side of his bat with another lifter.Anderson was forced to fend to Brad Haddin before the innings ended when Graham Onions popped an uncomfortable rising effort to Simon Katich, the short leg. It struck his armguard instead of his bat but he was probably happy to escape further damage.As the players stepped from the field in the second session a couple of fans wearing Aussie rules jumpers ran over to congratulate Siddle. This was his second five-wicket haul and came at an incredibly valuable time for Australia, who must win here to retain a chance of claiming the series.By the end of the day they owned a 94-run lead and had Siddle and his bowling mates to toast for the strength of their position. “We knew how we’d gone over the first three Tests and we knew we had to change something,” he said. “We just relaxed a bit. It was good having Sarfy [Clark] at one end bowling so tight and consistent, it frees up that other end. I got my goodies at the end.”