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Team-mate hopes his example can encourage others to seek help when they need it

Vithushan Ehantharajah23-Aug-20222:11

Ben Stokes – ‘Everything still has an effect, even years down the road from the event happening’

Joe Root has praised the honesty of Ben Stokes for talking about his struggles with anxiety and believes the England captain’s openness on the subject will continue the progress made against the stigma of mental health.Speaking in his new documentary film, “Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes”, the 31-year-old has opened up about the battles endured, including a series of panic attacks stemming from a build-up of personal trauma over the previous few years. That came to a head in 2021, when Stokes took a break midway through the summer for his well-being having struggled to come to terms with his father’s passing the year before, during which period he contemplated walking away from the game entirely.The allrounder was keen to talk on all matters, good and bad, without sugarcoating. As such, he ends up speaking extensively on working through his issues initially, and the constant management of his anxiety through medication and professional help.Root, who features in the film, watched it for the first at the premiere on Monday in London, along with the rest of the England squad, who then arrived in Manchester on Tuesday morning ahead of the second Test against South Africa, which begins here on Thursday.. While he admits it was a tough watch, Root envisages many who watch the film, whether into cricket or otherwise, will leave with a greater sense of the man and a reaffirmation of the importance of asking those close to you how they are.”I think it’s exactly what you’ve come to see from Ben as a leader,” Root said at Emirates Old Trafford, where England will look to square the three-match series. “How honest he is, what he expects of everyone else is stuff he would be willing to do himself. I think it shows great courage, great bravery to come out and speak openly about that stuff and some of the struggles he has personally been through. We were all there with him going through it, it’s not easy to see a close friend and team-mate like that but look at him now. It’s great to have him leading this team and making Test cricket so enjoyable to play and to watch.Joe Root and Ben Stokes share a joke in the wake of England’s victory over New Zealand at Lord’s•Getty Images

“I think with any of your mates you want to get around them, make sure you do what you can to help. That goes within the dressing room environment and away from the game as well. You just want to do what you can to help out.”It’s quite powerful for people to see. Sometimes it’s okay not to be okay, to ask for help is perfectly alright and a brave thing to do. For someone like Ben to do that – hopefully if there are people out there struggling or finding things difficult, they can gain the courage to ask for that help.”Related

• Root bats for Stokes on and off field after 'powerful' documentary revelations

• Dean Elgar revels in South Africa's 'positivity' after winning Lord's Test in style

• Ben Stokes urges England to keep the faith as rollercoaster hits first dip

• Brendon McCullum wants England to go 'harder' after regime's first setback

• Ben Stokes on his new documentary: 'I said, I want everything in there – the good and the not-such-good stuff'

Root also revealed he knew of the possibility Stokes was considering leaving the game. During Stokes’ time away, Root was one of the few people in the England dressing room still in regular contact. As captain, he had been shorn of his right-hand man for the series against India, before being bolstered by his return for the Ashes that winter. A 4-0 defeat to Australia, then a 1-0 loss in the Caribbean was ultimately Root’s lot, before Stokes took over in May.”There were discussions at different points, but they are things should be kept between the two of us,” he said. “It’s been very powerful watching that documentary – you forget how much he has been through in such a short space of time. It’s very brave to lay himself as bare as he has done. It’s very powerful for anyone watching, to see someone who at times looks superhuman and can do things that other players can’t do – it shows great leadership to put yourself out there and express some of the difficulties he’s had to go through.”

Somerset inch clear of Warwickshire in bid to avoid relegation

ECB Reporters Network08-Sep-2022Gloucestershire 343 and 278 for 7 dec (Charlesworth 64, O. Price 53, Hammond 53) drew Somerset 248 (Imam-ul-Haq 90, Rew 44*, T. Price 5-75) and 11 for 0Gloucestershire’s bid for a first LV= Insurance County Championship win of the season was thwarted by the weather on the final day of the match with Somerset at Taunton.The visitors began the day by extending their second innings total from an overnight 246 for five to 278 for seven before declaring with a lead of 373.But soon the rain that had been forecast for much of the first three days set in and the match was condemned to draw at 3.10pm, with Somerset 11 without loss in their second innings.While Gloucestershire dominated the match from the opening morning, they took only 12 points, having two deducted for a slow over-rate, while their neighbours also picked up 12.That lifted Somerset seven points clear of second-from-bottom Warwickshire, while their arch-rivals are doomed to relegation, 30 points adrift at the bottom of the table with only two games to play.With the weather forecast suggesting showers, Gloucestershire’s decision to bat on at the start of the day was surprising.Skipper Graeme van Buuren skied a catch to fine leg off the first ball of the day, sent down by Josh Davey, and Jack Taylor followed suit in the second over, lofting Jack Brooks to mid-off.David Payne hit a couple of big sixes before the declaration came after 15 minutes, with rain starting to fall.The initial shower delayed the start of Somerset’s innings by 15 minutes. When it got underway the hearts of home supporters in a small crowd were soon in their mouths.Iman-ul-Haq, so solid in the first innings, aimed an expansive back-foot shot off only the third ball, bowled by Payne, and survived a massive appeal for a catch by wicketkeeper James Bracey.More frustration for Gloucestershire followed when, with only 3.5 overs bowled, the rain returned, with Somerset openers Tom Lammonby and Imam on six and five respectively..Umpires Tom Lungley and Nigel Llong decided that an early lunch would be taken at 12.20pm with a view to restarting the game at 1pm.But the rain became heavier and the next announcement was of a 2.15pm pitch inspection, which also proved optimistic.Tea was taken at 2.40pm, by which time the main item of interest appeared to be whether Gloucestershire would have time to correct a minus two over-rate.Half an hour later it was clear that wouldn’t happen and Somerset had by far the greater cause for satisfaction at the outcome.

Former captain says team’s T20I decline started in 2016, and urges “all stakeholders” to come together and find a way forward

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Oct-2022Kieron Pollard has described West Indies’ failure to make the Super 12s of the 2022 T20 World Cup as a “sad day” for Caribbean cricket. The former captain, who retired in April, said he was both “surprised” and disappointed at West Indies’ exit and agreed that head coach Phil Simmons will now come under pressure to keep his job. Pollard, however, stressed that the blame had to be shared by all stakeholders and not any individual.”A bit surprised, to be honest that [West Indies] weren’t able to get over the line against the other teams,” he told , a Trinidad-based radio station last weekend. “But again, that speaks volumes of where our cricket as is at the moment. I feel it. I feel it for the guys because they are the ones that are going to get the bashing. And it’s not all their fault.”Having already failed to secure direct entry into the Super 12s (permitted to the top eight-ranked teams at a pre-determined cut-off date as well as the hosts Australia), Nicholas Pooran’s team struggled badly in the first round, notching a solitary win, against Zimbabwe, while losing to Scotland and Ireland which forced them out of the tournament.Related

• Evin Lewis: Early T20 World Cup exit 'was a tough pill to swallow'

• Brian Lara, Mickey Arthur part of panel to review West Indies' T20 World Cup performance

• Brathwaite expects to 'do good things together' with new opening partner Chanderpaul Jr

• Ponting calls West Indies' early exit a 'disgrace'

• Skerritt blames batters in scathing attack after West Indies' T20 World Cup exit

The shocking exit invited derision both at home and abroad. Cricket West Indies president Ricky Skerritt issued a scathing statement saying a “post-mortem” would be carried out immediately, while former Australia captain Ricky Ponting described the team’s performances as a “disgrace.”Pollard, though, was not interested in hauling up Pooran and his men. Instead he highlighted a wider point, especially on selections, which he said played a part in their dismal showing at the 2021 T20 World Cup as well, where he was the captain. West Indies crashed out of that competition with a solitary win alongside four defeats.”We have a young captain, we have young players, guys who would have played only a handful of [matches in] T20 cricket and now they are in the World Cup,” Pollard said. “And when I look back at it, I sit back and I have a smile on my face. Because I remember some of the things that was said last year around this time, when some individuals weren’t selected.”I just had to remind these people that there was a World Cup we were going to [in 2021] and another bilateral series [in New Zealand]. And now some of the individuals get the opportunity to play in the World Cup. And, again, look what has happened. It’s no fault of theirs. But when we tried to sort of protect them and let people understand [in 2021], they were not ready for that, we were lambasted. There were a lot of things that were said that were very derogatory at times. It’s a sad day for West Indies cricket and all of us.”Just like last year’s World Cup, West Indies’ selections became a big talking point. The Desmond Haynes-led panel named a 15-member squad that did not feature the two best T20 players in the Caribbean: Andre Russell and Sunil Narine. At the time, Haynes explained this decision by saying Russell was not performing the way they would like and Narine appeared disinterested in playing for West Indies.The CWI then dropped Shimron Hetmyer for failing to get on a rescheduled flight to Australia. Only two players, Pooran and Evin Lewis, were part of the original 15-member squads in both 2021 and 2022. Along with Rovman Powell, they were the only three with at least 50 T20Is under their belt. Jason Holder has 49, and is a former captain and a World Cup winner. After that, West Indies were struggling for experienced campaigners. This was in contrast to the 2021 squad which featured Pollard, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Russell and Lendl Simmons.”Experience means a lot. And we take that for granted in the Caribbean,” Pollard said. “[There] has been a notion over the years [that] as soon as you reach a certain age, you should be done away with. And when you have guys in the team, they want you to get out of the team or when the guys are not there, they understand the importance of the guys. And this is another situation of not having couple of experienced guys around to help the youngsters, to help the youth.”Haynes had pointed out that form in the 2022 CPL would play a key role in the World Cup squad selection. Pollard said that while that was fine, other parameters needed to be considered.”Not just based on form. It’s a holistic sort of approach on what you bring in all different facets and dimensions of the team. A guy might not be in form, but the experience and the knowledge that he can bring and share and help someone can be valuable as well. But again, we as a people, we go with what we see in front of us. So the last thing we would have seen maybe would have been the CPL before the team was selected. And whoever did well in two games, they should be selected. And that’s not how that’s not how it goes.”Pollard believes West Indies have gone “downhill” ever since their triumph in the 2016 T20 World Cup•Saurabh Das/Associated Press

“Decline started after the 2016 T20 World Cup win”

According to Pollard, West Indies’ “decline” in T20 cricket is not a recent occurrence. It had begun in 2016, immediately after they became the first team to win two T20 World Cups. Since that tournament six years ago, West Indies have won 33 out of the 99 T20Is they have played, including 58 defeats. During Pollard’s tenure as T20I captain, West Indies won 13 out of 39 matches with 21 losses. Under Pooran, who replaced Pollard this May, West Indies have won eight out of 23 matches including 14 defeats.Pollard blamed the “culture” for failing to have former cricketers as part of the system and helping it grow.”We dominated in the 80s, which was all well and good [but] what did we do for the future? We went downhill. We won our last World Cup in 2012 and 2016. The decline of our T20 team started in 2016. The then captain, Daren Sammy, played his last game in 2016. All the guys who played and won that World Cup did not play cricket together for how many years after that – that is where the decline of our T20 cricket started. Since then we moved from the No. 1 in a space of months to No. 7. Why?”Coming back to the present, Pollard expects coach Simmons to face some heat, but believes that letting him go wouldn’t solve any problem.”I won’t get into all of that right here and now. The easiest thing for us to say and to do [is]: ‘fire coach, fire the captain, change the players and that’s going to be a difference.’ That’s not going to happen.”A better way, Pollard stressed, would be to have all stakeholders have an honest discussion to find a way forward to help West Indies cricket.”All stakeholders need to come together. When I say all, I mean everybody and sit down and decide where we want to take cricket in the Caribbean We need to improve our facilities. We need to have academies. We need to put things in place for the younger ones, so they can be the ones to do West Indies proud. And if we don’t do that and we just continue to fight, politicise, be insular, then we are going nowhere.”

The five franchise names have not been announced, with more turnover in ownership expected

Andrew Fidel Fernando15-Oct-2022Sri Lanka Cricket has officially confirmed that the postponed third edition of the Lanka Premier League will run from December 6 to 23 – roughly the same window it occupied last year. In August, LPL tournament organiser Samantha Dodanwela had confirmed the start date, but now the duration of the tournament is also set in stone, along with the date of the final.The tournament will again feature five teams, with franchises named for the cities of Colombo, Jaffna, Kandy, Galle, and Dambulla. The LPL will be played across three venues – the action starting in Sooriyawewa (Hambantota), before moving to Pallekele, with the business end set to be played at Khettarama (Colombo).The format is also identical to the second edition. Each team will play each other twice in the round-robin stage, before four of the five sides move into the qualifiers, which take the form of the IPL’s final sequence. There will be a direct qualifier to the final to be played between the sides finishing first and second, before teams three and four play an eliminator. A second eliminator will then determine the other finalist.Related

• SLC to launch its own T10 league in June 2023

• Lanka Premier League 2022 to begin on December 6

• LPL 2022 postponed due to economic situation in Sri Lanka

The tournament was not particularly stable in the first place, with substantial turnover in team ownership between the first and second seasons. But this year the LPL has had the additional challenge of navigating Sri Lanka’s crippling economic crisis, which according to league organisers was the primary reason for the tournament’s postponement from August.Although Sri Lanka Cricket and the IPG group (who are the official organisers) have announced the fixtures, there is little news as to who will own the five franchises this season. The franchise names have also not been announced. More turnover in ownership is expected.The side from Jaffna, called the Stallions under the original owners, then Kings under last season’s owners, have won both editions thus far.

Opener Travis Dean made 70 not out as Victoria batted for a draw against Tasmania after heavy rain and hail washed away large parts of the final day in Hobart

AAP01-Nov-2022Two Hobart hailstorms and firm resistance from Victoria’s top order have combined to deny Tasmania back-to-back Sheffield Shield wins.After resuming at 44 for 1 on the final day and still needing another 140 to make Tasmania bat again, Victoria made clear their plan to bat through the day at Blundstone Arena.But they needed to face just 45.5 overs, as heavy rain and hail stopped play early in the middle session with Victoria 113 for 1.The rain eventually subsided as an early tea was called, but 12 minutes after the players returned more heavy hail hit with Victoria 122 for 1. The teams agreed to a draw.Opener Travis Dean offered the most resistance for Victoria, soaking up 200 balls for his 70 not out.His innings included a 50-over stand that netted 80 runs with Mitchell Perry, who was unbeaten on 31 from 159 balls.Victoria were in the box seat after the opening two days thanks to an unbeaten century from debutant Ashley Chandrasinghe that allowed them to declare at 7-351.But Jordan Silk’s quickfire 154 from 161 balls helped Tasmania take a mammoth 184-run first-innings lead.That gave the Tigers a shot at a second straight win after toppling South Australia a fortnight ago, but any hopes of a win were quickly extinguished on Tuesday.The result marks Victoria’s third straight draw to start the season after they were denied by Western Australia and South Australia in the opening rounds.

Mike Baird, the former NSW premier, will take up the position next February

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2022Cricket Australia will have its fourth chair in less than 18 months after Lachlan Henderson announced he would step down early next year having taken a new role in the corporate world.Mike Baird, the former New South Wales premier, will take up the position next February having been unanimously endorsed.Henderson, who will remain on the board, became chair in February when he was appointed the permanent replacement for Earl Eddings who resigned in October 2021. Richard Freudenstein held the role in an interim position before Henderson.

Chair stacking

David Peever: 2015-2018
Earl Eddings: 2018-2021
Richard Freudenstein: 2021-22 (interim)
Lachlan Henderson: 2022-23
Mike Baird: 2023-

“The new role I’ve taken in my home city Perth will make it difficult to devote the time required as Chair, so I have decided this is the right time to hand over the role,” Henderson said.Baird will take the chair at a crucial time for the game in Australia with the next broadcast rights and new MoU currently being negotiated.”Lachlan has made a great contribution as Chair and I’m delighted he will continue to provide his considerable business and cricket expertise on the CA Board,” he said.”It is an honour to take such an important role in Australian cricket at a time when so much exciting work is being done to grow our national sport and take it forward. I’m pleased to have the chance to work even more closely with CEO Nick Hockley and his team and all those working across Australian cricket.”It was been a controversial week for CA amid the fallout to David Warner withdrawing from his bid to have his leadership ban overturned, a process that was led by CEO Nick Hockley and endorsed by the board.

Sussex batter shows benefit of work with Ian Bell on first Lions tour

Vithushan Ehantharajah01-Feb-2023Sri Lanka A 136 and 228 for 1 (Fernando 114, Madushka 91*) trail England Lions 467 (Haines 118, Fisher 53, de Silva 3-59) by 1o3 runsTom Haines’ century on debut has put England Lions in a commanding position on day two of the first unofficial Test in Galle.The Sussex opener scored 118 from No. 3 as the Lions finished their innings on 467, establishing a first-innings lead of 331. The hosts were able to whittle that down to 103 by close, with a century from Oshada Fernando and unbeaten 91 from Nishan Madushka in a strong response of 228 for 1 in their second innings.Haines, 24, has been touted for higher honours off the back of two stellar seasons that saw him average 47.04 and 49.52 in the 2021 and 2022, with 1176 and 941 runs respectively. Among them were six centuries spread evenly across both, with this latest three-figure score taking him to nine in his first-class career.”It is very special and a very proud moment for me,” Haines said at stumps. “The thing that I was most pleased with was that it has put us into a really good position in the game. We would have liked a few more wickets to end the day, but we’ll have to come back tomorrow and try and get some more.”While not his first experience of Sri Lankan conditions, having toured here with Sussex Academy “nine or 10 years ago”, he scored positively with 12 fours and a six across a knock that boasted a strike rate off 85.50. It was in line with the innings as a whole which went at a rate of 5.31 across the 87.5 overs. Evidently the pre-tour briefing to try and emulate the positive approach of the Test side instilled by head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes has been well heeded.Haines also credited batting coach Ian Bell, who presented him with his Lions cap on day one, for reinforcing his work against spin. Bell, along with Graeme Swann, have been drafted in by the ECB to pass on their wisdom to the Lions, a relationship the began on the Lions training camp in Abu Dhabi last November.”I have really enjoyed working with him it has been top drawer,” Haines said. “I enjoyed working with him at the Lions camp in Dubai before Christmas.”He has definitely helped me out with playing spin and just my mental attitude towards it, and how you apply that so that you do it in the game.”Swanny and Belly spoke about the importance of first-innings runs before the game – about how certain shots you can play in the first innings but second innings you might need a completely different repertoire of shots. We’ll see how it plays tomorrow.”

India Maharajas lost their second match in a row, with Gautam Gambhir’s half-century again going in vain

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2023Fifties from Aaron Finch (53) and Shane Watson (55), along with Impact Player Ricardo Powell’s late wicket of India Maharajas captain Gautam Gambhir – who hit 68 – helped reigning champions World Giants escape with a thrilling two-run win. Gambhir’s magnificence, which included his second successive fifty in this tournament, again went in vain as Maharajas lost their second match in a row.Robin Uthappa and Gambhir adopted a watchful approach during the first three overs of the chase of 167. The former Kolkata Knight Riders opening pair rotated strike consistently before Uthappa changed gears in the fourth over as he dispatched Tino Best for two consecutive boundaries.Meanwhile, Gambhir carried on his momentum from the previous match. He got into his work in the final over of the powerplay, hitting Chris Mpofu for three successive boundaries, pushing along his opening partnership to 65 after the powerplay.Powell broke the partnership in the next over, as Uthappa found Kevin O’Brien at long-off. But it was Powell’s dismissal of Gambhir in the 16th over, which came about through a quicker delivery that skidded on to rattle the stumps, which was more significant to the late turnaround. Powell ended with figures of 2 for 16 in three overs, even as Brett Lee defended seven off the final over to complete a sensational come-from-behind victory.Earlier, Giants had made a slow start to their innings, picking up just five runs in the first two overs. Gambhir played his cards smartly by bringing on Harbhajan Singh against Chris Gayle, though Harbhajan started with two consecutive wides while bowling around the wicket. But his switch to over the wicket immediately found success, as a skiddy delivery went on to dislodge the leg stump. It was the seventh time Harbhajan dismissed Gayle in T20s.New batter Watson began his innings by hitting Harbhajan for two consecutive fours. Finch quickly picked up his scoring rate too as he took down Pragya Ojha in the fifth over, which included four fours and one six.Ojha’s nightmare evening continued in the seventh over. Finch paddled the second delivery to the final-leg boundary, before smashing an overpitched ball over cover for six. The fourth delivery was also hit for a boundary as Finch brought up his fifty off 26 balls.Gambhir then replaced Ojha with Pravin Tambe as the Impact Player. And Tambe made an impact in the final delivery of his first over itself, as a quick delivery forced Finch to edge one to Uthappa.Watson then took charge of the innings. He brought up his 30-ball half-century in the 12th over with a six off Irfan Pathan, clearing his front foot and launching one into the stands over midwicket.But Harbhajan had derailed Giants’ middle order as he helped reduce them from 129 for 3 to 137 for 7. O’Brien was Harbhajan’s second wicket as he miscued a delivery to Mohammad Kaif, who took a sharp diving catch forward. Two deliveries later, in the 16th over, Ross Taylor was caught lbw. Off the penultimate delivery of the over, Morne van Wyk’s sweep caught an inside edge onto the pads, with Uthappa completing the catch. Harbhajan finished with 4 for 13 off just two overs.

Blair Tickner, Matt Henry and Tim Southee shared nine wickets for the hosts

Madushka Balasuriya12-Mar-2023Angelo Mathews’ 14th Test century pried open the door to an unlikely World Test Championship final berth for Sri Lanka, one that had seemingly been firmly shut the previous day. The game though is nevertheless finely poised, with New Zealand needing a very gettable 257 runs on the final day, and Sri Lanka requiring nine wickets. However, the visitors’ biggest obstacle might be the rain that is forecast for Monday morning.But that both teams are still in with a shot of winning this Test is a credit to the fight shown by both sets of players. At the start of play, Sri Lanka were on the back foot, with Mathews being kept company by nightwatcher Prabath Jayasuriya, who fell within the first half hour of play, with Blair Tickner having got all four wickets to fall until then. New Zealand, meanwhile, had to cope with the news that Neil Wagner would not be able to take the field for the remainder of the first Test after he failed a late fitness test on the back injury he suffered on day three.But otherwise, neither side gave an inch away, with Mathews sharing partnerships of 105 and 60 with Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva, respectively, in the process dragging Sri Lanka back into position of relative strength in the face of relentless probing from New Zealand’s seamers.Tim Southee and Matt Henry – the latter nursing an injury that required stitches on his bowling hand – peppered the corridor outside off, while Tickner and the tireless Daryll Mitchell, who was called in for an extended spell owing to the absence of Wagner, particularly tested Chandimal – and even Mathews – with a packed leg-side field and an avalanche of short deliveries from around the wicket.Sri Lanka though continued to slog, and it would take until shortly after the tea interval for Mathews to finally fall. Another length ball outside off, shaping away, examining Mathews’ patience, which for once would fail him, saw him nick one through to the wicketkeeper. His 115 came off 235 balls, but by the time he fell, Sri Lanka’s lead had grown to 233.And as it turned out, Mathews’ wicket sparked a collapse for Sri Lanka, who lost 4 for 42 to fold for 302. However, de Silva remained unbeaten on 47, adding 22 for the eighth wicket with Kasun Rajitha, while accumulating crucial runs for his side, as Sri Lanka ensured New Zealand were left with a challenging chase nevertheless.And when the hosts came out to bat, the Sri Lankan bowlers did their part, utilising the early swing as well as some variable bounce on offer to trouble both Tom Latham and Devon Conway. The latter even fell before the close of play, chipping a return catch to Rajitha after one reared up off a good length. Latham and Kane Williamson held fort till the close, content to see proceedings through to the end of play.

Sam Hain 165* sets platform before visitors lose last five wickets for 48 then follow on

ECB Reporters Network15-Apr-2023Kent 158 (Bell-Drummond 40, Hasan 3-36) and 27 for 1 f/o (Compton 15*, Rushworth 1-7) trail Warwickshire 453 for 4 declared (Hain 165*, Yates 128, Mousley 94) by 268 runsWarwickshire are scenting LV=Insurance County Championship victory over Kent at Edgbaston despite the loss of four sessions to the weather after excellent seam bowling forced the match forward on the third day.In reply to the home side’s 453 for 4 declared, with Sam Hain 165 not out from 269 balls and Dan Mousley scoring 94 from 93 balls, Kent were skittled for 158 before closing the third day on 27 for 1 following on.The visitors’ first innings was cut down by a superb collective effort by the Bears’ seam attack. All five seamers took wickets as Hasan Ali led the way with 3 for 36 and England’s Chris Woakes picked up two wickets in his first Championship match for 19 months.It remains a good batting pitch but Kent have a lot of work to do on the final day to deny Warwickshire what would be a remarkable win after the weather took out sessions four to seven of the match.After Warwickshire resumed on the third morning on 367 for 3, Hain and Mousley extended their partnership to 179 against ultra-defensive fields. With Kent a key bowler down, Matt Quinn off the field nursing the groin injury he collected on the first day, at times all nine outfielders were on the boundary.Runs still came freely and Mousley collected his fourth six with a breathtaking ramp over the keeper’s head off Conor McKerr before falling six short of a maiden first-class century when he hoisted spinner Jack Leaning to long on.Hain and Michael Burgess added a perky 39 from 31 balls to take Warwickshire to maximum bating points at which point they declared to make the earliest possible start on the pursuit of 20 Kent wickets. Chris Rushworth delivered the first two in a textbook new-ball spell as he trapped Zak Crawley lbw for a sixth-ball duck and then pinned Ben Compton in front.When Joe Denly nicked a Hasan outswinger to wicketkeeper Burgess, Kent were 63 for 3 and a good-sized Edgbaston crowd were getting some reward for their patience through hours waiting for the grass to dry.Daniel Bell-Drummond survived a nervous start to unfurl some attractive strokes on his way to 40 but perished just after tea when he sliced a steeply lifting Hasan delivery to gully. Ed Barnard then ousted Jack Leaning, caught at point.At 86 for 5, Kent needed serious shoring up and Jordan Cox and Sam Billings put down some roots in a stand of 24 but a lapse in judgement from Cox triggered another clatter. The 22-year-old left one from Olly Hannon-Dalby which hit off-stump to spark the loss of the last five wickets for 48.Kent’s implosion earned them the unwelcome prospect of an awkward 12 overs to bat second time round. Crawley’s unhappy day continued when he suffered an arguable lbw decision against Rushworth before, much to Kent’s relief, bad light lopped off the last four overs.