Cricket

Warwickshire has bolstered its squad with the acquisition of Pakistani all-rounder Aamer Jamal on a multi-format contract until the end of July. Jamal's signing comes amidst his omission from Pakistan's ongoing T20I series against New Zealand.Jamal made a remarkable debut in Test cricket, claiming 18 wickets in three matches against Australia late last year. He has also featured in six T20Is for Pakistan. Despite attending a training camp at the Pakistan Military Academy earlier this month, he was not selected for the T20 World Cup squad.Warwickshire's performance director, Gavin Larsen, expressed excitement about Jamal's arrival, stating that he is eager to make an immediate impact. Coach Mark Robinson will make a late decision on Jamal's inclusion in the team for their County Championship match against Nottinghamshire on Friday.Larsen praised Jamal's impressive performance in Australia, highlighting his pace, bounce, and combative approach. He believes Jamal could have been a strong contender for the player of the series award, which was ultimately given to Pat Cummins.Jamal joins fellow Pakistani Hasan Ali in Warwickshire's squad. Ali was also left out of the New Zealand series and will fill one of the team's two permitted overseas spots until the end of July. His contract includes an option to extend into September.Warwickshire will be without T20 captain Moeen Ali for the first half of the Blast due to his expected inclusion in England's provisional T20 World Cup squad. The club has strengthened its T20 bowling attack with the additions of George Garton and Richard Gleeson, although Gleeson's availability for the start of the Blast is uncertain due to his involvement in the IPL playoffs.Elsewhere, Sam Cook will lead Essex for the first time against Durham, while Ollie Pope and Gus Atkinson are included in Surrey's squad to face Hampshire. In Division Two, Rehan Ahmed returns to Leicestershire's squad after a pilgrimage, and Josh Hull makes his comeback from a side strain.

Xavier Bartlett, the Australian fast bowler, will join Kent for the Vitality Blast after Cricket Australia (CA) initially blocked him from playing for the county in the County Championship. Bartlett was originally signed for Kent's first five Championship games, but CA denied him a No Objection Certificate (NOC) on the eve of the season, despite handing him a central contract a week earlier.Bartlett's absence was a blow to Kent, who swiftly replaced him with South African bowling allrounder Beyers Swanepoel on an all-format deal. However, Kent remained hopeful that Bartlett would be able to fulfill the white-ball element of his initial deal, which amounted to at least eight Blast games. That has now been confirmed.CA's caution with Bartlett's workload is understandable, particularly in first-class cricket. He played just three Sheffield Shield matches for Queensland after returning from a back stress fracture sustained during the previous English summer. He is also likely to land a deal in Major League Cricket, which begins on July 4.While Bartlett is unlikely to make Australia's T20 World Cup squad, he is firmly in the frame for their limited-overs tour of England in September. He will join Swanepoel and fellow Australian seamer Wes Agar as three overseas options for Kent's Blast campaign, which begins on May 31 against Middlesex at Chelmsford. Only two of them are permitted in any given playing XI.Kent's director of cricket, Simon Cook, expressed his delight at securing Bartlett's services for the Blast: "We've been working extremely hard with Cricket Australia to ensure that Xavier can join us in some capacity this season, and we're really pleased to have secured his services for eight matches of our T20 campaign.""He is hot property at the moment and fully deserves his new central contract with Australia. I know that Spitfires supporters around the world will be extremely excited that the BBL's top wicket-taker this Winter will be pulling on a Kent shirt this June."

Sussex emerged victorious in a thrilling encounter against Gloucestershire, securing a four-wicket triumph at the County Ground in Hove. After posting a mammoth 479 in their first innings, Sussex set Gloucestershire a challenging target of 144 in the fourth innings.Gloucestershire's resistance was led by Miles Hammond and Zafar Gohar, who forged a stubborn partnership to extend the game. Hammond's gritty 77 and Gohar's 52 kept Sussex at bay, but the visitors ultimately fell short.Sussex's chase was far from straightforward. Gohar's five-wicket haul reduced them to 70 for 4, but Cheteshwar Pujara's unbeaten 44 proved to be the match-winner. Pujara's calm and composed innings, alongside Danny Lamb's 28, guided Sussex to victory.The triumph marks a significant milestone for Sussex, who have made a strong start to the County Championship Division Two season. Under the guidance of head coach Paul Farbrace, the team has added experienced recruits like Danny Lamb and John Simpson, who have played pivotal roles in their early success.Farbrace has emphasized the importance of giving players greater responsibility, and captain John Simpson has set the tone with his unflappable leadership. Sussex's ability to respond to solid first-innings totals from their opponents has been a key factor in their success.Despite Gloucestershire's valiant efforts, Sussex's determination and resilience proved too much to overcome. The victory solidifies Sussex's position as pace-setters in Division Two and suggests that they are a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming matches.

Durham County Cricket Club has signed veteran Australian seamer Peter Siddle as a replacement for Scott Boland, who has been ruled out of his stint with the club due to a plantar fasciitis injury.Boland, who had signed a multi-format deal until the end of July, was expected to play a key role in Durham's County Championship and T20 Blast campaigns. However, the foot injury prevented him from arriving in time for the opening Division One fixture against Hampshire, which was washed out due to rain. The injury worsened after he bowled 13 wicketless overs against Warwickshire, forcing him to miss the subsequent match against Worcestershire.Scans revealed that the 35-year-old Boland will require significant recovery and rehabilitation. Cricket Australia (CA), which had encouraged Boland to play as much cricket as possible in England to build up his fitness ahead of the upcoming Test series against India, will now oversee his recovery.Durham's director of cricket, Marcus North, moved swiftly to secure Siddle as a replacement. The 39-year-old Siddle has extensive experience in county cricket, having played for Nottinghamshire, Lancashire, Essex, and Somerset. He has taken 189 wickets at an average of 22.98 across all four clubs, including 16 wickets at 24.12 for Somerset last season."It was important we acted quickly to replace Scott Boland and we have done that with the addition of Peter Siddle for the County Championship," North said in a statement. "It is very disappointing to lose Scott after just one game and we wish him all the best in his recovery. We look forward to welcoming Pete to Durham and watching him play a key part in our success on the field in the coming weeks."Siddle, who has not played a Test match since the last of his 10 caps during last summer's Ashes, will be eager to make an impact for Durham and prove his fitness ahead of the India series. With Boland not in CA's T20 World Cup plans, there is ample time for him to overcome this latest setback.

Northamptonshire's batting prowess was on full display as they amassed a mammoth 605 for 6 declared against Glamorgan in their Vitality County Championship Division Two encounter. Karun Nair's unbeaten double century (202*) was the cornerstone of their innings, while Ricardo Vasconcelos (182) and Saif Zaib (100*) also made significant contributions.Nair, a former India Test player, showcased his class with a masterful 253-ball knock, anchoring Northamptonshire's innings. He shared a crucial 212-run partnership with Zaib, who registered his maiden century of the season. Vasconcelos, who resumed on 166, missed out on a double hundred but played a pivotal role in setting the platform for their imposing total.Glamorgan's bowlers struggled to contain Northamptonshire's batting onslaught. Mir Hamza dismissed Vasconcelos, while Brad Wheal accounted for George Bartlett. James Harris trapped James Sales leg before, but Zaib's arrival injected fresh impetus into the innings.Zaib played with aggression, hitting boundaries off Harris and Mason Crane. He was dropped on 71 and again on 99, but eventually fell for 100 in Crane's next over. Nair continued to punish the Glamorgan attack, reaching his double century and prompting Northamptonshire captain Luke Procter to declare.In response, Glamorgan reached 104 for 3 at stumps, still trailing by 230 runs. Billy Root and Ul Hassan provided a solid start, but Northamptonshire's bowlers made inroads. Raphy Weatherall dismissed Ul Hassan, while Zaib and Ben Sanderson accounted for Root and Sam Northeast respectively.With persistent showers forecast for Monday, Glamorgan's hopes of salvaging a result may rest on the weather. However, Northamptonshire will be confident of pushing for victory, given their substantial first-innings advantage.

Sussex's Tom Alsop and Cheteshwar Pujara led a resilient batting display on day two of their County Championship match against Gloucestershire at Hove. Despite trailing by 150 runs, Sussex reached stumps at 267 for 5, thanks to Alsop's 84 and Pujara's unbeaten 75.The slow pitch at the 1st Central County Ground has favored batters, with seamers struggling to generate movement and spinners finding only slow turn. Gloucestershire's last two wickets added 109 runs in 22 overs at the start of the day, with Zafar Gohar scoring 60.Sussex's openers, Tom Haines and Tom Clark, made a solid start, but Dale's opening spell proved too much for Haines. Clark fought hard for his 53 off 124 balls, but Goodman's short ball proved his undoing.Alsop and Pujara then combined for an 85-run partnership, with Alsop reaching fifty off 100 balls. However, Goodman struck again, removing Alsop with a diving catch at long leg.Pujara continued to impress, adding 52 with James Coles before Gohar took two wickets in two balls four overs before the close. Coles was caught looking to clear the short square-leg boundary, while Carson was pinned on the back leg.Gloucestershire will be hoping to remove Pujara early on day three and build a substantial first-innings lead. Sussex, on the other hand, will need to bat patiently and avoid further collapses.

Middlesex's bowlers, led by Ryan Higgins' 4-31, made a remarkable comeback on a rain-affected day at Lord's, dismissing Yorkshire for 159 after the visitors had amassed 1306 runs in their previous four matches. The return of the Dukes ball, known for its greater seam movement, proved to be a game-changer, as Middlesex's attack doubled their season's wicket tally in a single day.The bad weather that plagued the first two rounds of the County Championship had raised questions about the impact of the Kookaburra ball, which had produced high-scoring matches. However, the Dukes ball's ability to generate more movement on the Lord's pitch exposed Yorkshire's vulnerability.Yorkshire's openers, Adam Lyth and Finlay Bean, were dismissed by Toby Roland-Jones, but Shan Masood and Joe Root looked comfortable at the crease. However, Root's uncharacteristic lapse in concentration led to his dismissal, followed by Harry Brook and Masood.Higgins then struck twice in quick succession, trapping Jonny Tattersall and Jordan Thompson leg before wicket. A 33-run stand between George Hill and Ben Coad provided some respite, but Dan Moriarty's late hitting took Yorkshire beyond 150.Middlesex's reply began cautiously, with Mark Stoneman and Leus du Plooy guiding their team to 84 for 2 at the close. Stoneman's footwork and driving ability were impressive, while du Plooy showed resilience in the face of some hostile bowling.Despite the rain interruptions, Middlesex remain in a commanding position, but the Dukes ball's unpredictable nature means that Yorkshire could still fight back. The contrasting fortunes of the two teams highlight the ongoing debate over the use of different balls in county cricket and its implications for the England Test team.