A number of Leeds United supporters have been reacting to an injury update involving midfielder Tyler Adams.

The Lowdown: Hamstring injury

The Whites are gearing up for a crucial Premier League trip to Wolves this weekend but will be without Adams for just the third time during the current campaign.

The club officially confirmed on Wednesday that the USA midfielder has suffered a hamstring injury in training and will miss the match at Molineux and also won’t be available to represent his country during the international break.

Adams has been a regular since joining from RB Leipzig in the summer, making 26 appearances in all competitions, 24 of which have come in the Premier League.

The Latest: Fans fume

Leeds shared the news regarding Adams on their official Twitter page on Wednesday afternoon, and, as to be expected, a number of supporters were quick to react. These fans weren’t happy, with some even suggesting relegation could be on the cards as a result.

“That’s the final nail in the coffin that” – @Niall_LUFC

“Happy relegation season” – @bethgabriel_

“We are doomed aren’t we” – @ROI_LUFC

“That seals it then. Hello again Stoke away” – @FelixLUFC

“That’s us totally done now” – @lufc75kb

“relegation whites” – @georgeedgee

“Just end the season now” – @DannyAdams22

“Tyler Adams out is a big blow. We don’t need that and it would be a worry it’s going to be longer than simply the Wolves and USMNT games.” – @billywigwam13

“At this point I’m just numb to it all. We all know what’s coming at the end of the season.” – @L33dsLondoner

“Let’s be honest here we aren’t losing any creativity but defensively this leaves massive whole in an already leaky defensive setup” – @richnutting

The Verdict: Big miss

Adams has made a big impact since arriving at Elland Road, helping fill the void left by Kalvin Phillips following his move to Manchester City.

As per WhoScored, the 24-year-old ranks in the top five performers for Leeds this season, with a match average rating of 6.73/10. He has averaged an impressive 3.7 tackles per game while also ranking highly in the squad when it comes to interceptions and key passes made per 90. No player has averaged more passes per game than Adams either, so Javi Gracia may find it difficult to replace the midfielder this weekend, with the obvious solution being Marc Roca and Weston McKennie in a two-man midfield.

Adam Forshaw hasn’t been seen in a squad since New Year’s Eve either, so youngster Darko Gyabi could be the defensive midfield option from the bench this weekend.

Insider Dean Jones has revealed that Brighton and Hove Albion star Solly March was very unhappy not to be picked in the latest England squad.

What's the latest on Solly March and Brighton?

The Englishman has been in brilliant form of late, and before Premier League football was put on hold for the current international break, he'd been delivering some top displays.

Indeed, the 28-year-old has seven goals and two assists in his last 11 league outings – which has helped fire Brighton to seventh in the league and pushing for a spot in the top four.

Seeing as he netted in back-to-back games before the league's hiatus, you can see why he felt he might have been worthy of a call-up to the Three Lions squad.

However, Gareth Southgate omitted March and it supposedly has not gone down too well with the now-furious individual.

While speaking on the latest Chasing Green Arrows podcast, journalist Jones said: "I was speaking to someone the other day about this. Solly March is not particularly happy about having the week off because he feels, I'm told, that he probably deserved a call-up.

"I think he's thinking, 'If I didn't call up now, am I ever going to get a call-up, particularly while I'm playing for Brighton?' – I'm not saying wants to leave Brighton.

"But like, what more could the man do? Especially as there were a few dropouts."

Has Solly March ever played for England?

As Jones alludes to, both Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden pulled out of the England squad due to injury but even this didn't mean March was able to get a late call-up.

Interestingly enough, the 28-year-old – who currently earns £50,000 a week with the Seagulls – has actually played for Southgate before in an England shirt.

Indeed, the Brighton man played for the England U21 side on three occasions, scoring one, while the current senior boss was in charge of the youth team.

However, March has been unable to prove himself good enough to warrant a first cap for the Three Lions since then. Until recently, this might not have come as a great surprise, but his recent form has certainly elevated his status within the Premier League.

With 11 direct goal contributions, only seven Englishmen have created more in the top flight this term. Evidently, though, Southgate is yet to see enough from the winger to change his mind.

Newcastle United are reportedly eyeing up a potential move for Juventus winger Samuel Iling-Junior this summer.

The Lowdown: Brace for England

Iling-Junior scored a brace for England U20s in their 2-0 win against Germany on Wednesday night as the Young Lions prepare for the FIFA U20 World Cup in Indonesia this summer.

The 19-year-old plays his club football at Juventus, and has broken into the first team this season, with two assists in 11 games in total over all competitions.

The Latest: Newcastle interest

Co-writing in his latest piece for 9omin, transfer expert Graeme Bailey says that Newcastle, as well as fellow Premier League rivals Manchester City and Chelsea, are all taking an ‘interest’ in Iling-Junior ahead of a potential move this summer.

Both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are also thought to be fans of his, but he has recently signed a contract extension at Juve until 2025.

The Verdict: Another bright prospect

Iling-Junior is certainly another bright prospect that could join the growing pool of talented youngsters at St. James’ Park.

21-year-old Harrison Ashby moved to the North East from West Ham United in the January transfer window, while teenage prodigy Garang Kuol, who recently scored his first senior goal for Australia, joined last summer.

Nonetheless, Iling-Junior is already making a name for himself at a European giant in Juventus, and being English, would also settle in quickly on Tyneside, providing that the Magpies can strike a deal of course.

It will be difficult with the level of competition for his signature, so the Toon would be getting themselves a real coup should they get him to sign on the dotted line.

Sri Lanka Women defended 129 to register a crucial win – their first of the tournament – against Ireland Women in Mohali

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Mar-2016
ScorecardCaptain Chamari Atapattu set the tone for Sri Lanka’s win with a 22-ball 34•International Cricket Council

Sri Lanka Women defended 129 to register a crucial win – their first of the tournament – against Ireland Women in Mohali. Three run-outs and three wickets from Sugandika Kumari helped keep Ireland to 115 in the chase, thereby completing a 14-run win.Left-arm spinner Kumari, who returned career-best figures, removed Clare Shillington and Cath Dalton early before solid cameos from Cecelia Joyce (29), Isobel Joyce (24) and Laura Delany (29) took Ireland closer. With 43 required off the last five overs, a succession of wickets took the game away from Ireland. Kumari finished with 3 for 24.Earlier, Sri Lanka got off to a flying start after opting to bat. The openers – Chamari Atapattu (34 off 22) and Yasoda Mendis – added 45 in just 32 balls, of which Mendis contributed 9.Legspinner Ciara Metcalfe then dismissed both openers in the space of four balls to bring Ireland back into the contest. Metcalfe produced another double-strike in the 10th over to leave Sri Lanka struggling at 59 for 5. A 49-run stand between Prasadani Weerakkody and Eshani Lokusuriyage, who struck a 28-ball 35, resurrected Sri Lanka and helped them post a total of 129 for 7. Metcalfe also produced career-best figures to finish with 4 for 15.

Journalist Samuel Luckhurst has slammed Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford following his 'Ineffectual" display in the club's recent defeat.

What's the latest on Marcus Rashford and Man United?

The Red Devils took on Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon with both teams pushing for a spot in the Champions League places.

Man United's ambitious took a major blow, however, as they lost 2-0 at at St James' Park, which means they now slip two fourth while their opponents leapfrog them into third thanks to superior goal difference.

After a well-fought first half, Joe Willock eventually broke the deadlock after 65 minutes and then Callum Wilson sealed the deserved win late on with a header.

It was clearly a bad day for all involved from the Red Devils' point of view but it seems as though one man stood out for Luckhurst.

In his player ratings for the Manchester Evening News, he gave Rashford and 3/10 for his efforts.

He explained why, writing: "Struggled to get going so much he swapped wings with Antony and had no joy against the more cumbersome [Dan] Burn. Ineffectual."

Is Marcus Rashford fit?

Journalist Michael Plant of Manchester World seemed to concur as he went even harsher and handed Rashford a 2/10 for his performance.

His player rating read: "Another who failed to have much of an impact on the game. Rashford didn’t have enough touches and was poor when in possession."

When you look at the player's stats on SofaScore, it doesn't make for pretty reading either. Indeed, his 6.1 score was the worst on the field for either team.

What's more, he lost the ball 10 times, won 0/4 duels, completed 74% passing, didn't have a single shot at goal (on or off target), failed with two dribble attempts, and managed just 29 touches in 90 minutes.

To put that in perspective, even Wout Weghorst at least managed to get one shot at goal (albeit off target), and fellow winger Anthony completed two dribbles and won five duels.

To be fair, Rashford – who makes £200k-p/w – had actually pulled out of the England squad during the international break and he was an injury doubt coming into this game.

On the evidence of his latest display, it's probably safe to assume he wasn't 100 per cent (much like his passing). Even so, his manager wouldn't have played him if he wasn't ready to make an impact, so there really is no excuse to be quite as poor as he was.

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that both Ineos and the Qatari group are preparing new bids to buy Manchester United.

The Lowdown: Takeover talks rumble on

It seems as though the Man United takeover took a big step forward last week as the two prominent bidders – Ineos and the Qatari consortium – both made the journey over to Manchester and visited both Old Trafford and the Carrington training base.

Following those visits last week it was reported that the Qatari group were lining up an imminent second bid to try and at least get closer to the £6 billion valuation the Glazers have slapped on Man United.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been a long-time admirer of Man United as even in 2022 it was being mooted about him wanting to take the club off the Glazer’s hands, although he thought they were unwilling sellers at the time.

The Latest: Both groups set for second Man United bid

Romano has admitted on his YouTube channel that both Ineos and the Qatari consortium are now planning and getting set to lodge second bids respectively, which may well be a sign of yet another step in the right direction.

He said: (3:30) “We can say that both groups, Ineos with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Qatari group with, of course, Sheikh Al Thani both of them are preparing new bids for Manchester United.

“The Glazers want around £6-7 billion to sell Man United and both the Qatari group and Ineos group are really interested after talks last week and last few days were very positive.

“Now, it is time to make a new proposal and enter into a crucial moment of the process. So, keep an eye on the Manchester United situation in the next days and weeks because now we enter into crucial moments of  the conversation.”

The Verdict: Crucial period for Man United and the Glazers

It will be huge for Erik ten Hag to know who will be owning the club ahead of the summer transfer window as it’ll help him to determine how much money he’ll have to spend and thus, decide which targets are plausible to go out and sign.

Last week it was reported that everything was looking positive in terms of getting a sale done and dusted prior to the summer transfer window opening, although if these next bids don’t get near the £6 billion valuation, things could being to be drawn out.

The Glazers have indeed slapped a monster valuation on the club, however, they are said to still be willing sellers, as long as they get a fair price for the club, although it remains to be seen here or not the Qatari group of Ineos are open to meeting that valuation.

Victoria’s coach David Saker has mounted an impassioned defence of the Sheffield Shield final, saying he would be “shattered” if CA excised the pinnacle of a domestic competition

Daniel Brettig24-Mar-2016

Victoria’s coach David Saker has mounted an impassioned defence of the Sheffield Shield final, saying he would be “shattered” if Cricket Australia excised the pinnacle of a domestic competition he rates comfortably ahead of the County Championship after his years as an assistant coach with England.The Bushrangers flew into Adelaide on Thursday ahead of a meeting with South Australia that reflects the increasingly marginalised state of the Shield decider – played at Glenelg rather than Adelaide Oval, clashing with the opening round of the AFL season and broadcast only through a streaming service by CA’s website.Saker, however, argued the Shield final should be cherished as an Australian strength relative to the English game, in that a leaner domestic tournament was taken to an even higher pitch of intensity and therefore learning by staging a play-off match.”It is very important to Australian cricket,” Saker told ESPNcricinfo. “If you take away the Sheffield Shield final you’re taking importance away from the game of Sheffield Shield cricket and if you ask any of the players what they think about it and what they strive to do it is to play in a Sheffield Shield final.”It’s as close to a Test match as some of them will ever get, and the day they scrap that would be a poor day for Australian cricket in my opinion. The people making those decisions are more qualified than me, but I’ve been in the first-class system for a long time and I’d be shattered if that was the case, if we lost the Shield final.”There is a sense of ambivalence at CA about the final, summed up by the former chairman Wally Edwards at last year’s AGM: “I don’t think it plays any real part in our season. When I played Shield cricket, we didn’t have a Shield final. The Shield final, over many years, has proved itself to be a bit of a non-event, to be honest.”The chief executive James Sutherland has said the final could make way for an expanded Big Bash League schedule. Neither Sutherland, nor Edwards’ successor David Peever, will be present for this year’s final, as they will be in India for meetings around the World Twenty20 tournament.More broadly, Saker judged the Shield to be the superior competition to the County Championship, pointing to the number of dead fixtures played out over the lengthy English season. The high volume of matches has been a valuable tool for many players learning their craft, but Saker said the greater intensity of Shield contests was his preference.”I still think the Shield system is as good as you get,” he said. “It’s so competitive and that’s been shown again this year in the last three or four weeks of the competition, so tight and so hard to compete. That’s the one thing we’ve got over the English system with so many dead games in the County system. Since it’s become first and second division it has got better, but the Sheffield Shield is still the pinnacle of first-class cricket in the world.”At the end of his first season back in Victoria after a largely successful stint as mentor to England’s pace bowlers, Saker reflected on a role that has occasionally brought him into conflict with CA. Most notably, he was rebuked by the national team coach Darren Lehmann for taking issue with the handling of James Pattinson at the start of the summer, an experience that left Saker somewhat chastened. He counselled the game’s custodians against hubris.”It has had some hiccups because obviously I’ve said some things in the press that maybe I shouldn’t have said,” Saker said. “Most of the time I’m just trying to support the players in my team and what I think is best for the Victorian team. Not at any stage have I said things to downgrade the Australian team or the system. I think it’s a good system, I think they still need to tinker with some things to a degree.”What you have to be aware of no matter what organisation you’re in, you should never think your organisation does it better than someone else. I think you should always be open-minded to how others do things, and that’s not just in cricket, that’s in life and business. You’ve got to be open-minded enough to take some ideas from other teams and countries and use them, and make sure you’re not blinkered.”A source of tension in recent times has been the introduction of a strategy for CA and the states called One Team, which takes the view that all should be moving in the same direction with the same goals. While Saker agreed with the overall concept, he argued that states should still be allowed to develop their own coaching philosophies and approaches in a truly competitive environment, rather than turning the Shield into a mere greenhouse for emerging talent.”I’m all for this One Team idea, but I also think we should be trying to have our own ideas from our states, so if we want to have our own coaching philosophies or ways of going about it that should be encouraged,” Saker said. “If you have six teams coached in the same way and trying to coach the same way, I can’t see that being a good thing.”One of the beauties of the Shield system is it is usually coaches having control of the team and coming up with their own ideas of how to coach and how to train. Sometimes in my brief time so far back in Australia we’re getting taught how to coach, instead of letting the coaches coach. Of course we want to come together and share our ideas, but in the Shield system and the way we’ve produced players across all the states, they should get a free rein on how they run their system.”I’m sure they [CA] understand that, and I think we’ll eventually get to that stage, but it’s just in its infancy at the moment with One Team so I’m sure it’ll get to that.”

The ECB has confirmed plans for a restructured county schedule from the start of the 2017 season.The County Championship programme will shrink by two games per county to 14 matches a season, with the domestic T20 competition played in a block in July and August. The 50-over competition will be contested in April and May with a final at Lord’s in July.The ECB believes the changes will allow players a little more time for rest and practice, as well as meeting their request to schedule the varying formats in blocks to allow concentration upon specific skills.But, even though it has taken months of debate to reach this compromise agreement, it offers only a temporary arrangement. Even before the new structure is introduced, plans for further changes are being made with the ECB board announcing in the same press release that the changes were confirmed that they have “also asked the ECB Executive to look at all options for the best future structure to support the growth of the game and sustainability of all counties.”Specifically, the pressure to introduce city-based T20 cricket will continue ahead of the new broadcast deal (which will start in 2020), with the ECB likely to distribute an outline of available packages to potential broadcast partners before the end of the year. This ‘new’ format may well be gone before the roadworks on the M1.There is also a familiar look to many of the changes. Certainly the format for the two limited-overs competitions appears similar to arrangements tried – and abandoned – previously.

English season from 2017

Specsavers County Championship games will run throughout the summer and pause during blocks of limited-overs cricket. It will be played in two divisions – a top tier of eight and second division of ten – after one county has been promoted and two relegated this year. It will then revert to two-up, two-down. The competition will be reduced from 16 Championship rounds to 14. Each county will play seven home and seven away matches.
NatWest T20 Blast matches will be played in July and August, within two blocks, contested on a regional basis and culminating in Finals Day, as per the current format
Royal London Cup group-stage matches will be played in April and May, with the showcase final at Lord’s in July. Group winners will go straight to semi-finals with second and third-placed teams entering quarter-finals.

In the short term (in 2017, 2018 and 2019), the Championship will be played in two divisions with a top tier of eight and second division of ten teams. That means that only one team will be promoted at the end of the 2016 season, with two relegated. The competition will revert to two-up, two-down in future seasons.While some county cricket lovers – especially county members – will resent the cut in the Championship programme, it is the changes to the domestic T20 competition that were always likely to remain most contentious.A plan to introduce two divisions to domestic T20 cricket was abandoned at a late stage with some counties reluctant to lose profit-making local derbies. Instead it will be remain with a regional qualifying round followed by Finals Day.While counties will celebrate the scheduling of the T20 competition during the school holidays – it currently starts in mid-May and has all but ended by the time that schools break-up – some will be some concerned by a return to the block format.While it has, without doubt, proved successful elsewhere in the world, it has previously been abandoned in England and Wales after it was shown to be vulnerable to a spell of wet weather. There were also concerns that the block format asked too much of spectators’ time and money within a short period. It remains to be seen if the return to a block schedule will threaten the policy of staging the majority of games on Friday nights. T20 audiences rose sharply in 2015 on the back of a more predictable fixture list.The 50-over competition also returns to the early-summer position it occupied in the past. While the early-season scheduling will help players find form ahead of the limited-overs internationals – and it is worth noting that the ICC Champions Trophy (2017) and the World Cup (2019) are scheduled to be played in England and Wales in relatively early season – the early-season pitches may prove less helpful.Again, the reason it was moved from early season was a concern that conditions rarely replicated international cricket. It may also be that the best England-qualified players are absent on international or IPL duty in the opening weeks of the season. It is hard to see a 50-over competition starting in April in England attracting hordes of spectators.”The changes for 2017 will be good for fans, players and our international teams,” Colin Graves, the ECB chairman said. “The season is easier to follow, the blocks help players focus on specific skills and there’s a better balance across all three formats.”There is a clear consensus that county cricket has to be sustainable and must support the whole game. There is an appetite for change and cricket is moving fast – we must not be left behind.”Cricket needs more people playing, great teams and inspired fans in order to thrive; these principles support our plans now and for the future.”It is not clear who will be satisfied with the changes. While there may be some who conclude this structure is a fine compromise, it is likely that modernisers will bemoan the missed opportunity to push for a more radical solution, especially in T20 cricket, while the traditionalists will resent the cut to the Championship schedule and the partial abandonment of “appointment to view” T20. The cynical might even suggest that the decision not to embrace two divisions in T20 was an attempt to sabotage the success of an 18-team competition to render it easier to introduce a city-based tournament.Certainly it is clear, though, that the ECB’s search for a better schedule continues. As Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, put it: “We now have a great opportunity to take a detailed look at a range of options and find the best structure for the long-term health of the domestic and international game.”A recurring theme in ECB dialogue at present is the desire for the first-class counties to be “sustainable.” But measuring sustainability remains problematic in county cricket. While some would suggest many counties are over-reliant on their distribution of funds from the international broadcast rights sold on the back of the England sides – and, as a result, they argue that domestic T20 incomes must increase sharply – others would counter that the counties provide the England players and that the relationship between domestic and international is more symbiotic than the current executive appreciates.As ever in English cricket, the debate continues.

ScorecardKeith Barker made an impressive start to the season•Getty Images

No one complained when the players left the field at 5.15pm, two minutes and one ball after the umpires had checked the light for a second time. Rikki Clarke, who had bowled that one ball, seemed the only man keen to play on. By 5.20, the full covers were being dragged on and, 15 minutes after that – with the circling buzzards the only remaining spectators – the forecast rain was falling from ugly, low, leaden clouds. Almost 21 overs remained unbowled.But, despite some fine, attritional, April-ish cricket, it had been just that sort of day; few minded the early finish. Certainly Warwickshire, who had started so well – five wickets for Keith Barker and a pair of bonus points by lunch – only to let their day slip away, needed either the new ball or day’s end to call a halt to their increasing sloppiness.Hampshire, by contrast, had faced considerable indignity early on – 17 for 3 then 87 for 7 – and recovered, thanks mainly to Ryan McLaren and a pair of doughty allies in Reece Topley and James Tomlinson, to sit on the brink of an unlikely bonus point. There will be considerable relief in that dressing room that this match remains a contest, and one they can take plenty from.Warwickshire benefited greatly from their ability to simply put Hampshire in under those murky skies. James Vince donned his whites and ambled to the middle shortly before 10.30 in the hope that a coin might be tossed, but Ian Bell was able to file this decision so emphatically under “no-brainer” that he remained in his tracksuit and told his cordon to continue warming up.But even at lunch, with Hampshire 66 for 6, Barker was the only one of Bell’s bowlers to have taken advantage of favourable conditions and actually bowled well. Charging muscularly in from the Hilton Hotel, he exploited a convenient crosswind to angle the ball away from Hampshire’s lefties and jag it into the right-handers and found – from the first over when Michael Carberry played and missed three times outside off – extravagant movement.With the early jousting soundtracked by umms and ahhs from a growing Warwickshire cordon, Barker’s third over provided the inevitable. Carberry pushed half-forward to its first delivery and edged to Tim Ambrose, before Tom Alsop – another left-harder – did the same to the over’s final ball. The only difference was that Alsop’s prod took the inside edge of his bat while Carberry, to one that moved a touch more, found the outside edge. Two Barker overs later and Will Smith was gone for a duck, the swing defeating him too. Sam Hain fell forward at short leg and seized the chance.The first buds of Hampshire’s revival arrived with the elegance of James Vince and Liam Dawson. With England selector Angus Fraser watching on, there was some trademark languid easiness from Vince as he leaned into a cover drive, then caressed through midwicket. It was a surprise when Boyd Rankin, replacing Barker, made one hold and the leading edge flew straight to cover. Vince left with half his team’s runs to his name, but, unfortunately, another pretty cameo. This, and top order messes in general, were a major reason for Hampshire’s lowly position last year. Vince will hope the return next week of the man he replaced as captain, Jimmy Adams, will ease the burden; currently, everyone just looks a place too high.After Sean Ervine and Dawson fell leg-before to Barker – the latter looked to pitch outside leg – it was left to McLaren to pick up the pieces. Hampshire had explored the option of signing McLaren as a Kolpak, thereby freeing up a spot for an overseas batsman, but that did not work out.For now, McLaren will have to do the job of both. When Clarke pinned Adam Wheater lbw (the first wicket to fall from the Pavilion End, where the wind was not so kind), McLaren cannot have been hopeful. Topley, bringing with him a career average of 2.80, joined him, his nose surely bleeding batting as high as No. 9, and only the limited Tomlinson and carefree Fidel Edwards remained in the sheds.Few would have blamed McLaren had he swung for the hills, but his method was different. Foregoing risk, and hitting only the increasing number of loose deliveries, he profited as Warwickshire lapsed. There were handsome cover drives and more economical nudges to leg, while Jeetan Patel’s cold hands were never allowed to settle. Topley got in behind the ball and, like Tomlinson after him, utilised the third-man region. Having put on 51, Chris Woakes finally angled a yorker through Topley – who departed with a well-earned first class best – but on Hampshire trudged, finding 61 more before the close.If Barker’s effort meant the scoreline flattered his team-mates at lunch, they looked rather ragged by the close. Tomlinson was twice dropped on 12 – by Patel at slip then Varun Chopra in the gully – and the myriad appeals and the springy steps of the morning session seemed an eternity ago. They were pleased to get off because, oh, what could have been.

Scott Borthwick’s high-class 134 and Paul Collingwood’s 85 not out gave Lancashire’s attack one of its first pick, shovel and prop days at cricket’s coalface this season

Paul Edwards at Chester-le-Street15-May-2016
ScorecardScott Borthwick made his 13th first-class hundred•Getty Images

To die wondering might actually be rather pleasant, though it is not something that either Jack Burnham or Neil Wagner is likely to experience.Drifting away while contemplating pleasant paths, albeit that they have not been walked, may, at most rates, be preferable to mulling over one’s earthly demise and pondering what, if anything, is next on one’s dance card. However, as Wagner and Burnham went at it hammer and tongs in the first major duel of this game, it was most apparent that their labours were unsparing and that conserving energy had no place in them.The pair began their battle in the second hour of the morning. By that time both Keaton Jennings and Mark Stoneman had been dismissed, the Durham openers nicking catches off the excellent Tom Bailey; and towards the close, home supporters at a sun-embraced Riverside were applauding Scott Borthwick’s high-class 134 and Paul Collingwood’s 85 not out, fine innings which had given Lancashire’s attack one of its first pick, shovel and prop days at cricket’s coalface this season.Yet it was 19-year-old Burnham who helped take the battle to Lancashire’s bowlers, cover-driving Wagner easefully to the boundary in the 25th over and then attempting a rather wilder repeat off the next delivery, only to edge the ball over a leaping Liam Livingstone’s outstretched fingers at first slip. In response Wagner sent down a couple of precisely targeted bouncers, although he is not a bowler for whom that over-used tactic is a default position. The second bumper whacked Burnham somewhere in the vicinity of his helmet and it was followed by a discussion between the pair in which Wagner seemed to take the leading role.He is a curious fellow, Wagner. Off the field he is affable, peaceful, serene. Although he admitted a few weeks ago that he might have to “eliminate” Stuart Broad, he did so with the courteous regret of a James Bond villain. Out in the middle, mind, Wagner spits vengeance and bowls some of the most unsparingly aggressive spells one might see. The history of fast bowling has thrown up similar examples, of course, but rarely is the contrast between the Quaker and the Visigoth as sharp as it is with Mr. Wagner and “Waggy”, his on-field persona. Robert Louis Stevenson knew a thing or two.All the same, Burnham won their battle. At lunch he was 35 not out and had helped Borthwick revive Durham’s innings after their early losses. Wagner’s seven wicketless overs had cost 32 runs. For his part, Borthwick was batting with gentle ease and his glide though gully off Procter was as well-timed and graceful as anything we saw all day. Neither a cut nor a drive, it seems something of a signature shot for Borthwick and few batsmen play it as well. It will be a stroke for us to play once more when May is a memory.Having established himself at the wicket and properly gauged the pace of a pitch from which Bailey extracted most bounce, Borthwick unfurled an even greater variety of shots in the afternoon session. There was the precise cover drive which took him to his fifty off 81 balls and the calculated sweep off Simon Kerrigan, which took him into the nineties.Between those strokes, however, Borthwick lost Burnham, who was caught at slip by Livingstone off Bailey for 44, and Richardson, who edged Kyle Jarvis to the same fielder seven overs later. Both these dismissals bolstered the view that while this is a good batting wicket, it is also a pitch on which seamers can bowl with the hope that their efforts will receive recompense. Certainly home supporters seem likely to rue the absence of Chris Rushworth, whose hip injury prevented his playing in this match.Richardson was replaced by Collingwood, whose 123-run fifth-wicket stand with Borthwick was clearly the home side’s best period of the day. Durham’s skipper was confident and assertive against Wagner from the outset, cover-driving his fifth ball to the Lumley Castle boundary and swivel-pulling his next to square leg. A few overs later Collingwood came down the pitch to Kerrigan and hit him sweetly and straight for six, as if confirming home ascendancy. Borthwick responded with similarly assured strokeplay and reached his century off 158 balls with a cover drive off Wagner. Durham took tea on 213 for 4, emboldened in their belief that the next session would belong to them.So it more or less proved, despite Lancashire’s attack sticking to its disciplines and taking two wickets. Borthwick and Collingwood took the score to 274 before Borthwick, in one of his rare miscalculations, tried to hit Kerrigan over long-on but only found Alviro Petersen five yards inside the boundary. Ryan Pringle then batted well enough for his 25 before giving Bailey his fourth wicket when he gloved a pull to Livingstone who dived forward from slip to take the catch.But by then one’s attention was taken by Collingwood, who was batting with ever more circumspection as close of play approached. James Weighell whacked Wagner’s last ball of the day over square leg for six but Durham’s skipper ended play by patting back a maiden from Kerrigan. His forward defensive shots were as resolute and brimming with resistance as his boundaries had been. Late Collingwood: a cricketer phrased like a vintage.