Ramprakash pays the penalty for obscene language

Ramprakash now has six points against his name. Three more and it's a ban (Getty Images)

Mark Ramprakash has done a lot of talking recently – irking every bowler in the land by moaning about how hard it is to make runs in England in April – and his mouth got him into trouble again yesterday when he was reprimanded by the England and Wales Cricket Board for his bad language.

The Surrey batsman was given a three-point penalty under the ECB's disciplinary code after being reported by the umpires during last week's LV= County Championship match against Worcestershire for a level one breach relating to "obscene, offensive or insulting" language.

Ramprakash now has six penalty points to his name, with the accumulation of nine in any two-year period leading to a suspension.

On the pitch today, Ramprakash's Surrey host Durham, while defending champions Lancashire return to the scene of their epic county championship victory last season – Taunton, weather permitting – but this time they are desperate to get a first win of the season on the board. The Red Rose are boosted by the return of Tom Smith. Elsewhere in the First Division, pacesetters Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire are away at Worcestershire and Sussex.

In the third Test in Dominica, Australia had built an imposing lead of 310 by the end of the third day, Ricky Ponting hitting 57, Ed Cowan getting 55.