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No league has ever had the depth or quality of managers as the Premier League does in 2016/17. English football possesses far beyond its fair share of the world’s greatest managers this season. Rafael Benitez is managing a Championship club, just to emphasise the point.

Two of the most experienced, grizzled managers of the bunch reignite their bitter, never-ending rivalry this weekend. Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger have a lengthy back catalogue of petty media comments and heated touchline exchanges.

This time representing Manchester United, Mourinho is unlikely to change his approach to his French counterpart. It is over a decade since Mourinho and Wenger first exchanged a frozen handshake; their rivalry has grown into one of the running soap operas of European football.

Only 11 games into the Premier League season, Manchester United are six points adrift of their rivals. The managerial theatre, that will be endlessly promoted by Sky Sports and see the dugouts given more screen time than the game itself, is mildly entertaining, but it does distract from the relative failings of Wenger and Mourinho.

Since their early jousts, the footballing landscape has changed. It’s constantly evolving, yet both have been criticised for failing to adapt. Stuck in their ways, maybe, it has been the downfall of each manager in recent years.

The line, then, is between sticking to your instincts and being too stubborn. Mourinho and Wenger have both slipped into the realm of stubbornness too frequently. Tactically, Wenger has shown advances this season, while Mourinho’s decision making has been quizzical at times.

Manchester United have been stifled by an imbalance in their team, with Mourinho abandoning many of the factors that made him such a success. Arsenal, on the other hand, have looked their best for many, many years.

A rivalry with a different backdrop could be about to take a new turn. Arsenal are unbeaten since the opening day of the Premier League season and face a Mourinho team who have been uninspiring for the majority of the campaign so far.

Their stroll to a 3-1 victory against Swansea could lighten hopes around Old Trafford, but the poor prior did not reflect a team capable of troubling an in-form Arsenal side. The absence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic only weakens Mourinho’s position as we open the book onto the latest chapter of the rivalry.

Goal scoring difficulties have been one of many issues for Manchester United this season and, despite his heroics last term, Marcus Rashford carries a burden into this game against Arsenal’s most solid centre-back pairing in recent memory.

Manchester United, regardless of the pre-season expectations, are in another season of rebuilding. This will be Mourinho’s fall-back, but it does – for perhaps the first time – give Wenger the upper hand.

Wenger has seldom faced Mourinho with his team in better form, looking fluid in attack and relatively solid defensively. Mourinho’s big game plans are based on a leak-proof defence; he has no such luxury at the moment, though, and this will force the game to take a different pattern from the majority of other clashes between the two managers.

Whatever the outcome, this game will have reverberations around the footballing world. The latest instalment in an historic rivalry is anticipated like little else in sport. Defeat for Arsenal will raise further questions about Wenger ever beating Mourinho, while a significant away victory for the Gunners will have so many asking if Mourinho really is special anymore.

At this time of the season, the result itself cannot carry too much weight for this campaign alone. There are greater things to be garnered from this game, change is afoot in the Premier League. A new generation of managers and increased financial parity have made the Premier League a more interesting top flight, with a greater level of competitiveness.

Adaptation is spoken about with players more than managers it seems. The need for a player to change their approach in certain situations or learn a role is well-documented, but managers need to understand a developing trend in the sport just as much.

Managers take the responsibility of a whole team, Mourinho and Wenger have been culpable on occasion for their team’s downfall. Curious selections or sheer stubbornness to their tried and understandably trusted decisions have damned their teams.

All people in positions of such power will make mistakes, but the repetition of errors is what infuriates others. Both Mourinho and Wenger must take this fixture as an opportunity to prove that they will not make the sort of mistakes that have cost them previously.

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta spoke about Aaron Ramsdale's performance against Brentford as the goalkeeper returned to action after a long time.

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Arteta speaks about Ramsdale's performanceRamsdale played in Premier League after more than two monthsRaya was unavailable against his parent clubWHAT HAPPENED?

The English international goalkeeper lost his place in the starting lineup after David Raya was signed on loan from Brentford in the summer. On Saturday, Ramsdale started for Arsenal for the first time in over two months in the Premier League. The custodian last featured in the club's 3-1 win over Manchester United on September 3.

Ramsdale did have some nervy moments in the Gunners' 1-0 win over the Bees and could have leaked a goal had it not been for Declan Rice who cleared Bryan Mbeumo's shot from the goal line.

AdvertisementWHAT ARTETA SAID

Speaking at the post-match press conference about Ramsdale's performance, the Gunners boss said, "This is football. I’m so happy with the team, the way the team performed with the clean sheet. We move on. So happy."

(C)GettyImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

While Raya has been the Spanish manager's preferred number one in the past few months, he could not play against his former club due to a Premier League rule that states, "during the period of the temporary transfer of his contract registration a player shall not play against the transferor (parent) club." The goalkeeper moved to the Gunners on an initial loan, with the deal including an option to buy for £27 million ($34m) in the future.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR AARON RAMSDALE?

Ramsdale eventually made amends for his mistake by making some quality saves in the second half and managed to keep a clean sheet as Arsenal climbed to the top of the table with a crucial win. He will now hope to feature in the Gunners' lineup more often.

The Gunners may have let leads slip in their last two matches, but the way they are playing suggests a confident team who can still see off Man City

Two games, two two-goal leads, four points dropped. Arsenal head into Friday's match against Southampton with fingers being pointed firmly in their direction after a costly seven days in the Premier League title race.

Have Mikel Arteta’s side just let the title slip from their grasp? Are they ‘bottling it’, as so many seem to be taking great delight in suggesting?

Or have they just hit a slight bump in the road that they are going to bounce back from as they go on to claim their first league title since 2004?

🏆 TOP STORY: Arsenal slammed for 'ignoring mascot'

📣 HAVE YOUR SAY: Can Liverpool make top four?

🚨 MUST READ: Don't give up on Sancho just yet!

Ultimately, time will tell. Arsenal have seven games of this remarkable season remaining. Win them all and the Premier League trophy will take pride of place at Emirates Stadium for the next 12 months.

Slip up again, however, especially in their huge game at Manchester City next week, and Pep Guardiola’s side will once again be in the driving seat as they look to retain the title they have claimed for the past two seasons.

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  'It’s playing tricks in their head'

  So just what has gone on at Arsenal during the past two games? Are they really bottling it? Has the growing shadow of Manchester City in the rear view mirror become too big to ignore? Roy Keane clearly thinks so.

  “It’s obviously playing tricks in their heads now and they’re lacking that something,” the Manchester United legend said following Sunday’s 2-2 draw at West Ham. “The word we always use with Man City, and Arsenal are lacking it, is composure.

  “Particularly in winning positions, which can happen. They can still go on and win it, they’re in a fantastic position if they just keep their heads and have a bit of composure.

  “But again, the question was if they were to finish second, it would be a huge disappointment for Arsenal."

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• Getty Images
  

  Carragher gets it right

  Clearly, everyone is going to have their own opinion as to what happened to Arsenal at Anfield and the London Stadium. But the suggestion that Arteta’s side are bottling anything is laughable. 

  Jamie Carragher was excellent in his analysis on Monday Night Football, rightly pointing to how impressively Arsenal started the matches at Liverpool and West Ham.

  If a side was feeling the pressure and playing within themselves, they would not have been able to start those games the way they did.

  There were no nerves on show when Arsenal toyed with Liverpool and silenced Anfield in that breathtaking opening half an hour. And no-one seemed to be thinking about Manchester City when the visitors sliced West Ham apart with ease early on in east London on Sunday.

  Arsenal were playing with the same freedom they have done all season. The difference here was they took their eye off the ball.

  It was too easy for them. Instead of going for the kill, they eased off. They got cocky, and in all honesty that is just as bad as bottling it or losing your nerve, whatever you want to call it.

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  Partey's moment of madness

  Thomas Partey’s ridiculous attempt to lift the ball over Declan Rice deep inside his own half summed it up perfectly. There was no need to do something like that. It was lazy and Arsenal were punished for it.

  “Partey sees him coming,” Carragher said. “We’re talking about a really powerful man – all he has to do there is get his body in the way of Declan Rice and the ball, and Declan Rice is not knocking him off the ball – he’s not.

  "I’m convinced that if that game is at 0-0, Partey uses his power, he uses his strength. But the game’s become so easy he tries a trick. You don’t try a trick like this. You shouldn’t even try that in training.

  "It’s complacency because the game is so easy.”

  You could see how frustrated Arteta was after the draw against West Ham. He knew exactly how costly those two points could prove to be. 

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  All focus on Southampton

  The key thing for Arsenal’s manager now will be trying to shut off all the noise that is swirling around his team and get them focused on Southampton this Friday.

  He has shown before that he trusts his players and he will know that they haven’t bottled anything this season. 

  They have passed almost every challenge that has come their way, and on the few occasions they have a slight stumble, they have responded impeccably. That’s what has to happen again against the struggling Saints.

  Three points against the Premier League’s basement boys is an absolute must ahead of next Wednesday’s trip to the Etihad.

  The fact that Arsenal, who no-one gave even the slightest chance of winning the title this season, are leading the juggernaut that is Manchester City with seven games to go is remarkable in itself.

  They are on course for a points total in excess of 90 points. In days gone by, that would be more than enough to win the title most seasons.

  But that is the challenge they are up against now. That's what City bring to the table. You need to be almost perfect to be crowned champions.

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Hernanes, meia do São Paulo, publicou um vídeo na noite desta quinta-feira alertando a população brasileira sobre a gravidade da pandemia do novo coronavírus. O Profeta tem três filhos morando na Itália, um dos países mais afetados pelo COVID-19, com3.405 mortos até a última atualização.

-Vou fazer aquele treino daqui a pouco, mas antes queria falar um pouquinho com vocês. Poucas palavras, pois neste momento quanto mais a gente fala mais estamos propensos a dizer besteiras, mas não poderia deixar de avisá-los. Tenho contato com pessoas na Itália, três dos meus filhos estão lá. Estão bem, tenho falado com eles diariamente, tenho falado também com amigos, pessoas por quem tenho grande carinho, e eles têm me informado da situação lá. Fiquei bastante preocupado, pois aqui no Brasil continuam a crescer os casos, continua a haver muitas pessoas na rua encarando como os italianos estavam encarando a situação. Até eu mesmo achava que não seria muito sério, mas é hora de a gente tomar consciência da situação, porque se o nível chegar ao que chegou na Itália, o Brasil terá consequências ainda mais drásticas – disse o Profeta.

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Recado do Hernanes sobre o coronavírus. Três filhos do Profeta estão na Itália. pic.twitter.com/U6c3gC2Rg2

— Fellipe Lucena (@fellucena) March 19, 2020

– Vamos evitar que chegue nesse nível, vamos tomar os cuidados, lavar as mãos, respeitar a distância, não compartilhar objetivos… Fazer tudo o que estão falando por aí, com consciência, mas com tranquilidade. Deixo uma mensagem de fé e esperança, pois neste momento é importante. Foi assim que Jesus disse e fez para Jairo, quando estava à beira de uma situação de crise total. Ele disse: “crer, somente”. É isso aí, vamos crer somente, vamos nos unir, pois essa situação vai passar – emendou.

Hernanes e os demais atletas do São Paulo foram dispensados das atividades em grupo e orientados a manter a forma com treinamentos individuais, seja em casa ou no CT da Barra Funda. O camisa 15 preferiu ficar em sua residência se condicionando.

Até agora, o Brasil tem sete mortes registradas devido ao coronavírus.

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O técnico Mário Júnior se sentiu mal após a atividade do Macaé Esporte na tarde de ontem. O profissional, que é diabético, foi levado imediatamente para o hospital público municipal Dr. Fernando Pereira da Silva, em Macaé, pelo diretor executivo do clube Carlos Alberto Ferreira e pelo vice presidente Geraldo Camilo.

Mário Júnior foi diagnosticado com quadro de hipoglicemia e fica internado sem previsão de alta. O treinador, que vem comandando a pré-temporada da equipe visando o Campeonato Carioca, está consciente e recebendo todo auxílio por parte da direção do Macaé Esporte. Mário Júnior tratou de acalmar os torcedores.

– Foi só um susto, estou sendo medicado e logo estarei pronto para voltar as atividades. Agradeço a atenção que venho recebendo desde ontem e o auxílio da diretoria. Domingo temos um jogo importante e tenho certeza que o grupo fará o melhor dentro de campo – afirmou.

Na partida de estreia diante do América, o Macaé Esporte será comandado pelo auxiliar Carlos Tozi. O Leão entra em campo no próximo domingo (22), às 15h, no Giulite Coutinho.

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Two female umpires will officiate at the Women’s World T20 for the first time in the tournament’s history next month, after Kathy Cross and Claire Polosak were named in a 31-person list of officials

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-2016Two female umpires will officiate at the Women’s World T20 for the first time in the tournament’s history next month, after Kathy Cross and Claire Polosak were named in a 31-person list of officials for the concurrent men’s and women’s events in India.Cross, from New Zealand, has prior experience of an ICC event, having officiated at three Women’s World Cups in 2000, 2009 and 2013. She will be the first of the two to officiate in the forthcoming tournament, when she takes charge of Pakistan’s match against Bangladesh at Chennai on March 16.Polosak, however, will be making her first appearance in a global tournament, having overseen the women’s World Cup qualifiers in Thailand recently. At 27, will be the youngest official on duty in India, with her first match coming at Mohali on March 18, when New Zealand take on Ireland.A Sydney-based schoolteacher by profession, Polosak made another slice of history last year when she became the first woman to officiate in Australia’s Matador Cup, standing as third umpire for Queensland v Cricket Australia XI in October 2015.”When I started umpiring at 15, I really didn’t think I’d have the opportunities that have already been presented to me at 27,” Polosak said.Her ultimate ambition is join the ICC Elite Panel and officiate in a Test match. “It’s ultimately about working your way through the pathway but at the moment I’m just concentrating on being the best I am for the game that’s in front of me. If I continue to work hard the opportunities will come,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald.”There is a really good statistic that there has been more astronauts than there has been Test umpires. So it’s a very tight tunnel to get through. But like the players you always want to go to the next level if possible.”

Marcus Trescothick hit a 129-ball century as he and James Hildreth put Somerset in command before a major last-session collapse halted their momentum

Alex Winter at Taunton26-Apr-2015
ScorecardStill going strong: Marcus Trescothick brought out his full range during a flamboyant century•Getty ImagesA true sporting legend retired after over two decades on Saturday with AP McCoy completing a remarkable career. Cricket has a similar veteran held in such high esteem also with over 20 years of service, just without as many tangible achievements. An ambulance does not follow Marcus Trescothick around either but on the opening day in Taunton, as Trescothick made his 42nd first-class century for Somerset, it was being considered whether this century was the start of the glorious goodbye.He was as good as ever, slamming a 129-ball century and sharing a stand of 261 in 290 balls with James Hildreth for the third wicket – a Somerset record for any wicket against Middlesex. Hildreth made his own flowing century, his highest score since 2012, but Trescothick was still the main attraction as Middlesex were left to ponder their decision to bowl first before a notable fightback with a 79-over old ball.Harris heading in the right direction

“I haven’t bowled my best,” Harris said. “It’s a bit annoying that my spells have been dragging it back rather than at the top of the day. I felt I’ve gone okay but I’d prefer to bowl well. I’m taking wickets, which is nice but I’m bowling better too.
“We got balls past the bat all day and bowled good balls, just some of them seemed to be cracked into the fence. James Hildreth was cutting balls off a good line to most players. But there was a bit in it all day and it probably did more when the sun came out.”

Somerset lost 7 for 31 to squander their dominance. James Harris took four wickets in 11 balls against Nottinghamshire at Lord’s on the first day of the season and here came up with four more in 18 deliveries, having changed to the pavilion end, to check Somerset’s raging progress which had been five-an-over for most of the day. It was mostly with the old ball, Harris finishing with his best figures for Middlesex and Somerset flopped alarmingly from 377 for 3 to 408 all out. It followed two slips in defeat against Durham.Harris has said this is a huge season for him, in the final year of his three-year contract – although discussions were had last week about a new deal – after struggling since his move to Middlesex to find the form that saw him selected for an England squad after impressing for Glamorgan. He has changed his action back to its original form and 5 for 83 here followed 4 for 75 in the first innings against Nottinghamshire as Lord’s. Harris also claimed a stunning diving catch, running back from mid-on to remove Trescothick. But all seemed well for the hosts at the time.”We could probably have batted longer but at the same time it’s good to see if you get the ball in the right place there’s something there,” Trescothick said. “There’s a bit more pace in this wicket than normal.”The collapse changed the conversation from Trescothick’s future. He made his Somerset debut a year after McCoy rode his first winner and turning 40 this year – the same age as AP – and in the final year of his current contract, going out at the top of his game must surely be a consideration. McCoy was riding as well as ever this season but thought it the right time to bow out, might Trescothick draw the same conclusion?More of this form may provide a fine send off. Here, he shrugged off making 11 and 0 against Durham in the opening round with a blaze of bludgeoned boundaries – 24 of them. Sixteen came before lunch as a first-session century looked plausible. But it was shortly into the afternoon, having been dropped on 95 by Neil Dexter at slip off Ollie Rayner – a very sharp chance from a sliced cut – when a paddle sweep for two brought up Trescothick’s hundred.The long room diners even stood up from their carveries to acclaim a masterful innings. Trescothick himself celebrated unusually exuberantly – a big fist pump in the direction of the dressing room. There was little time to consider the significance before Rayner was swept for four more.The crowd purred with admiration for a vintage knock. Anything slightly off line was typically guided away – 10 of Trescothick’s boundaries came behind square on the off side, including a delicate lift over the slips off Steven Finn. But the pick of the strokes was a drive from a Harris length ball through cover – encapsulating the domination Trescothick exerted. But for how long will it continue?Hildreth is also a Somerset batting legend. More stylish than Trescothick he is more inconsistent, too. And significantly more frustrating given his talent. Hildreth managed just one Championship century last season but has opened up 2015 with a fifty against Durham and now this elegant innings.His second and third scoring strokes were a driven four off Harris and a pull from the same bowler over midwicket for six. His control of the bowling was also best demonstrated against Harris as he returned after lunch. He pulled a ball only slightly short of a length through midwicket. Harris wasn’t far out with his length but felt the need for an adjustment – his next delivery was driven with élan past cover.Hildreth should not have made it that far. Somehow he was dropped by Nick Gubbins on 49. Hildreth popped up a miscued pull to square leg, Gubbins moved two steps to his right and simply took his eye off the catch. A truly astonishing miss. Had it been taken Middlesex’s decision at the toss would have been considered a shrewd move. But it took until after tea to make a series of inroads.

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Envolvido com a final da Copa do Brasil, o Internacional foi ao Independência com uma formação repleta de jogadores reservas e venceu o Atlético-MG por 3 a 1, fato que deixou a equipe dentro do G6.

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Satisfeitos pela atuação, os jogadores analisaram o desempenho e começam a pensar na grande decisão diante do Athletico-PR.

‘O conjunto fez um grande partida. Seguimos a risca o que o professor Odair Hellmann pediu. Agora, o foco todo é na quarta-feira para reverter o placar e ficar com o título’, disse Pottker.

‘Esse resultado mostra a força do nosso grupo. Agora não tem mais o que fazer. Vamos dar a vida em campo e sair com o título diante do nosso torcedor’, afirmou Danilo Fernandes, titular neste domingo.

Na próxima quarta-feira, o Internacional volta a campo para encarar o Athletico-PR pela final da Copa do Brasil. Na ida, o Colorado perdeu por 1 a 0. Com isso, a equipe precisa vencer por dois gols de diferença para faturar o título.

Most observers would suggest that Michael Clarke is the best player of spin in Australia’s Test team. David Warner showed in Dubai that he is right up there if all goes well, but it is Steven Smith who is generally mentioned in the same breath with Clarke in discussions of fleet-footed batsmen who can handle the turning ball. No surprise then that losing Smith for 22 in the first innings in Dubai was a turning point.Australia were 206 for 3 before Smith fell. He faced 44 balls and looked well set. He seemed barely troubled by Pakistan’s spinners; first ball he jumped out of his crease and clipped Zulfiqar Babar through midwicket for three. A similar, but even better shot brought four against Yasir Shah. And then Yasir went for the topspinner. It pitched short and wide but lured Smith into an ill-conceived cut to point.”Just after I did it, I replayed it for about two hours,” Smith said after the team arrived in Abu Dhabi ahead of the second Test. “I don’t think I spoke to anyone, I was pretty disappointed. I know what I need to do in these conditions. I think I did it better in the second innings, I played much better cricket and good percentage play.”[It was] the first ball he bowled that was actually a topspinner and it bounced a little bit more than I anticipated. I said to myself before I came over here that I really didn’t want to play too many cut shots against the spin and I was pretty disappointed with the way I got out in the first innings because I was feeling very good and got a start and I think it was a pretty crucial part of the game.”Centurion Warner was at the crease with Smith at the time, but he fell two overs later. Beginning with Smith, Australia’s last seven wickets fell for less than a hundred runs, and they never recovered. But Smith did his part in the second innings as the Australians sought in vain to salvage a draw, scoring 55 from 175 deliveries.His 65-run partnership with Mitchell Johnson occupied more than 28 overs on the final day and gave the Australians some sort of hope, but his departure to a catch in close brought the tail-enders to the crease. From there, it was more or less a matter of time before Pakistan closed out the win.”I was feeling quite good and I was pretty disappointed when I got out,” Smith said. “I thought we were heading in the right direction to get home and I was waiting all day just to fist pump at the end of the day. I’d pictured getting there at the end but it wasn’t to be. I can take a lot out of it from the way I played and the way I handled the spinners, it’s going to hold me in good stead for the next game.”The next Test starts in Abu Dhabi on Thursday and unless Australia can come back with a victory, they will be the first squad in 20 years to lose a Test series to Pakistan. Smith was part of the group that lost 4-0 in India last year in spinning conditions and he has observed that in the UAE the conditions appeared to be different, with big turning balls the variation rather than the norm.His approach against spinners is to put them on the back foot early, as he showed by dancing down the pitch first ball in both innings in Dubai. Smith believes that gives him the advantage of eliminating lbw and covering the spin, while also putting him in position to score runs as well.”A lot of them have the idea of how to play in these conditions,” Smith said of his team-mates. “Mitch Marsh almost got it spot on how he played the ball he got out to in the second innings. The only problem his bat was too straight, he needed to face it down to the ground a bit more. He needed to reach out in front. It’s a good way to handle the spinners over here, it covers your pad, stops you from getting hit and if it does spin it’ll spin past your bat.”That’s the way I play, I’ve got long arms and a decent reach, so that works well for me. But everyone’s different. I think it’s about having a game plan and sticking to it and doing it from ball one. I think the start of your innings is the toughest part. If you go out there and expect to see a few balls before you start doing your game plan that’s when you’re going to get into trouble, you’re going to have to do it from ball one.”

Michael Lumb top-scored with 99 as Nottinghamshire fought back strongly on the second day against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

Press Association16-Aug-2014
ScorecardMichael Lumb’s return to form in white ball cricket rubbed off in the four-day game•Getty ImagesMichael Lumb top-scored with 99 as Nottinghamshire fought back strongly on the second day against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.The visitors reached 384 for 8 at stumps, a first-innings lead of 124 with Lumb taking part in two of the three century partnerships posted during the day.Lumb faced 192 balls and hit 13 fours before edging Kyle Coetzer to wicketkeeper Adam Rossington, the 10th instance of a Nottinghamshire player to fall in the nineties this season. He shared in a stand of 133 with Riki Wessels, who made 71, and 106 with Chris Read before he fell for 59.After tea Ajmal Shahzad, with 65 not out ,and Luke Fletcher also profited against a tiring attack, putting on 114 for the eighth wicket as Notts enhanced their Championship credentials with a display of great character.Resuming from their overnight position of 38 for 4, still 222 behind, Notts produced the perfect response as Lumb and Wessels blunted the home attack during the morning session. The pair combined to create the county’s highest fifth-wicket stand of the season, with the only scare coming from the first ball of the day as Wessels nicked Mohammad Azharullah high over the slip cordon for four.It was Azharullah who eventually broke the stand, bowling Wessels just before lunch with a delivery that nipped back to clip the top of his off stump. The former Northants player had scored an impressive 158 not out when the sides met at Trent Bridge earlier in the season and seemed on course for another ton as he stroked his way to an elegant 50 from 78 balls, with 10 fours, before being snared by Azharullah.Lumb endured a difficult first half of the season, reaching fifty only once in the Championship as he battled against a niggling arm injury. Full fitness and white ball cricket brought about a return to form, culminating in his 81 at Lord’s on the eve of this match.Read, meanwhile, paced his innings beautifully, accelerating nicely to reach his fifth Championship half-century of the season in 114 deliveries, with five fours and a huge six over widish long-on from the bowling of James Middlebrook.Notts had gained a narrow lead by the time Read had succumbed to a successful lbw appeal by Andrew Hall but Shahzad and Fletcher were not about to let a position of strength go to waste. Both registered their highest scores of the campaign, with Fletcher falling just before the close one run short of his fifty.The 25-year old was involved in some innocent by-play with Neil Wagner, the New Zealand international on debut for Northants. After sending a bouncer past the batsman’s ears Wagner went down and had a word with the 6ft 6in Fletcher whose response was a smile, followed by three consecutive boundaries to leave the bowler nursing figures of 0 for 101, following his first-day duck. Shahzad closed on 65 not out and with Andre Adams for company will look to strengthen Nottinghamshire’s position on the third morning.”I’d definitely have taken 99 at the start of the day, after the season I’ve had and especially in the position that we were in,” Lumb said. “I was pretty devastated to get out then though. It was a tricky situation at the start so when you work that hard it was a little disappointing not to get to a hundred.”Riki, Ready, Ajmal and Fletch all showed good fighting spirit and it’s set the game up nicely for us now.”Northants head coach David Ripley also praised the Notts batsmen for keeping their cool: “I thought we came out of the blocks well and put the ball in good areas. We were just looking for that edge. There was a little bit of playing and missing but quality batsmen aren’t going to be phased by that. They kept their patience, got in and then it became difficult for us.”