Hussey signs off with triple to send message to Australian selectors

Mike Hussey, Northamptonshire's Australian captain, registered his second triple century in consecutive seasons for his county yesterday. Yet he cannot win a place in his national side. The 27-year-old opener, who has an Australian Cricket Board contract, scored a county-record 329 not out against Essex last year. He was the first to 1,000 runs this season, and in his last match before touring South Africa with Australia A he made 310 not out against Gloucestershire at Bristol.

His innings spanned almost 11 hours, and he struck 38 fours and two sixes. All-rounder Graeme Swann made a career-best 183 off 211 balls with 24 fours and three sixes in a stand of 318 for the sixth wicket, allowing the visitors to declare on 746 for 9, 324 runs ahead. Gloucester-shire reached 172 for 4 with day to go of what is a largely meaningless match, both sides lying near the bottom of Division Two. But Hussey has given the Aussie selectors yet another delightful dilemma.

The only county lying below those two are Durham, who crashed to a 10-wicket defeat to Glamorgan at the Riverside in less than two days. The Welsh county were bowled out for 233, giving them a lead of 109, with the 21-year-old medium-pacer Mark Davies, a product of the Durham Academy, taking 5 for 61.

But after a first-wicket stand of 77, the hosts were skittled for 114. The Australian paceman Mike Kasprowicz grabbed 5 for 58 and off-spinner Robert Croft dismissed the last four for ducks to return 4 for 20. Durham batted for just 80.1 overs in the match, and need some old heads to help their talented young locals along.

At the start of a new football season, county cricket seems to be warming to the habit of sacking coaches. It is necessitated by the competitiveness of promotion and relegation; first Nottingham- shire waved goodbye to a county legend, South African Clive Rice, and have won four of the last five Championship matches; then Hampshire, who had not won in the Championship since 10 May, dismissed another South African, Jimmy Cook, and reaped an immediate reward. They won their relegation battle against Somerset and escaped the bottom three. Coincidentally, 10 May was also the last time Somerset won; with Yorkshire winning their first game of the season, they are two-and-a-half points off the bottom.

Given the eight points deducted for a poor pitch at the Rose Bowl a fortnight ago, a major factor in their slide down a tight table, the home side might have been apprehensive about batting last. However, resuming on 136 for 2, they reached 233 for 6 despite Andy Caddick picking up a brace of wickets to celebrate his return to the England Test squad.

Elsewhere in Division One, Warwickshire moved to within one-and-a-half points of Kent in second place. Kent, following on at Edgbaston, were all out for 317 and the hosts took just three balls to secure their victory by 10 wickets.

In the Morocco Cup one-day triangular in Tangier, Sri Lanka made 242 with Sanath Jayasuriya hitting 97 off 94 balls and Waqar Younis returning 3 for 43. Pakistan were all out for 203, Yousuf Youhana scoring 80 while Pulasthi Gunaratne took 4 for 44 and Chaminda Vaas 3 for 30.