Warne suffers freak rib injury

Points - Lancashire (12) Hampshire (10)

Hands were shaken at 4.23pm.

3.31pm Hampshire have had the results back from Shane Warne's MRI scan. Physio Andrew Nealon said: "The report we received indicates there's a bone injury to the tip of the 11th rib which is a little like a fracture and a little unusual. "We're going to see how it settles down over the next few days. It's a little different and not the run-of-the-mill side injury so putting a time frame on it is guess work at the moment." With only four weeks of the season remaining, Warne may struggle to play again this year with a hectic schedule of four Championship games in three weeks to come. But he will surely do everything he can to play in the final game against Yorkshire at Headingley from September 19-22. Especially if it is a title decider.

TEA - HAMPSHIRE 76-2 (CARBERRY 52*, CRAWLEY 0*) AFTER 31.5 OVERS

76-2 WICKET (JIMMY ADAMS) The left-hander edged a Muralitharan delivery that turned and bounced and landed in the safe hands of Dominic Cork at slip. Tea was taken immediately.

75-1 A Carberry cover drive gave the Hampshire left hander an eighth four and the most surreptitious of fifties from 86 balls.

39-1 Sutton missed a stumping against Jimmy Adams, who was on 4 when he was beaten by Gary Keedy's slow left-arm.

20-1 Hampshire physio Andrew Nealon is expecting the results of Warne's scan by 3.30pm.

19-1 WICKET (MICHAEL BROWN) The former Burnley batsman gloved a ball from Glen Chapple down the leg-side and was caught by Sutton for 5. With Muralitharan already in the groove the Hampshire batsmen cannot afford to take a draw for granted.

19-0 Muttiah Muralitharan was introduced to bowl the tenth over of the innings, the last ball of which turned square past Carberry's outside edge. A joy to watch.

8-0 Good to hear that England have picked Chris Tremlett and Dimitri Mascarenhas together for the first time today. It will be a historic moment when play gets underway against India at Bristol at 2.30pm. Tremlett, Mascarenhas and Kevin Pietersen will be the first Hampshire trio to represent England since 1923, when Phil Mead, George Brown and Alec Kennedy all played a timeless Test against South Africa in Durban.

0-0 Michael Carberry survived in the first over of the Hampshire innings when he edged Dominic Cork, only for the diving Sutton to fail to get close.

1.19pm Warne has returned to the ground following his MRI scan at midday, but the results are not expected for another hour.

LANCASHIRE 403-8dec (SUTTON 100*, KEEDY 4*) AFTER 118 OVERS

Powell 27-4-101-2, Bruce 27-6-86-2, Ervine 18-1-54-1, Griffiths 21.5-1-82-3, Warne 16.3-3-37-0,Carberry 8.3-1-26-0

403-8 Lancashire skipper Mark Chilton declared as soon as his team secured maximum batting points. Hampshire needed a ninth wicket for maximum bowling points so, when this match ends, Lancashire will have gained two points on Hampshire. Provided it ends in a draw, Hampshire will take ten points and Lancashire 12 from this match. Only four separated the sides before this meeting.

399-8 Sutton reached his second hundred of the season, from 197 balls, with a single against Griffiths in the first over after lunch. No news on Warne yet, though. That is expected later this afternoon.

LUNCH - LANCASHIRE 398-8 (SUTTON 99*, KEEDY 0*) AFTER 118 OVERS

395-8 WICKET (SAJID MAHMOOD) Griffiths continued to impress when, after switching to the Stretford End, he ripped out Mahmood's middle stump just after Lancashire had passed Hampshire's 393. Griffiths has 3-23 in six overs so far today. An excellent effort from the young man.

362-7 WICKET (DOMINIC CORK) A rank long-hop from Sean Ervine kept low and bowled Cork, who missed the attempted pull. Ervine is bowling leg-spin but it's fair to say he's no Warne, who is due to have his scan shortly.

337-6 WICKET (GLENN CHAPPLE) Michael Lumb sprinted 20 yards from first slip to take an excellent catch after Chapple top-edged an attempted pull against Griffiths.

319-5 WICKET (PAUL HORTON) The Australian-born batsman lost his off stump to a Griffiths inswinger for 152.

317-4 Paul Horton, having hit a career-best 149 against Yorkshire last week, reached 150 for the first time by hitting David Griffiths' first ball of the day for two.

315-4 Some good news for Hampshire this morning: Surrey v Sussex at the Brit Oval has been abandoned withoiut a ball bowled. At least a draw today will mean Hampshire gain some ground on their south-coast rivals.

10.12am Hampshire physio Andrew Nealon has revealed that Shane Warne will have a scan at 12pm today. The signs were not good yesterday but let's hope Warne's side is not as bad as his body language suggested. Meanwhile, it is hard to see this match ending in anything but a draw, despite more good weather in Manchester today. Play starts at 10.30am as Lancashire have to travel by coach to Taunton tonight to play the nomadic Worcestershire Royals in a Pro40 match tomorrow.

CLOSE (DAY 3) - LANCASHIRE 296-4 (HORTON 135*, SUTTON 69*) AFTER 88 OVERS

264-4 John Crawley is directing operations on the field, as he did for Lancashire at the end of his time at Old Trafford, with Warne now receiving treatment for his side injury. Manager Paul Terry has confirmed that Warne will be having a scan in the morning.

243-4 With 16 overs remaining, Warne hobbled off the field. Andrew Nealon, the Hampshire physio, said: "It's too early to quantify the extent of the injury."

223-4 Horton's 15th four, a square drive in the 13th over after tea, brought up his third Championship hundred of the season from 212 balls. Meanwhile, Warne is looking far from comfortable. It's hard to imagine him taking the one-handed diving catch that took the breath away in his only other Hampshire appearance against a Lancashire side including Muralithran, at Old Trafford two years ago.

203-4 Hampshire physio Andrew Nealon sprinted on to the field to talk to Warne with Udal by his side but Hampshire's 12th man is not needed. Warne has decided to stay on the field, despite the injury. It's understandable. Hampshire are not the same side without Warne on the field, regardless of whether he is able to bowl.

194-4 Warne returned to bowl the fifth over after tea following two from part-time off spinner Michael Carberry. But he stopped after just three deliveries, clutching his side before returning to first slip. Carberry finished the over. Oh dear.

TEA - LANCASHIRE 173-4 (HORTON 73*, SUTTON 8*) AFTER 56 OVERS

Hampshire bowling: Powell 12-3-51-2, Bruce 12-6-27-2, Ervine 8-1-18-0, Griffiths 8-1-29-0, Warne 16-3-36-0

166-4 Warne was replaced by David Griffiths at the Stretford End after walking off the fielding holding his side. Let's hope it's not serious. Shaun Udal is on as 12th man.

154-4 WICKET (VVS LAXMAN) Bruce can rarely have taken two more prestigious wickets in such quick succession. Lancashire's Indian debutant had looked in fine touch, having just cut his old adversary Warne for his second four. But in attempting to hook Bruce he succeeded only in gloving the ball to Pothas, departing for 12 in the 50th over.

138-3 WICKET (STUART LAW) James Bruce took the key wicket with a delivery that nipped back and kept a tad low in the 44th over. Law will just have to wait for the 16 runs he needs to reach 1,000 for the season. There is now a bit of reverse swing for Bruce. Not surprising given the abrasive state of the Old Trafford outfield.

136-2 A Lancashire employee has just revealed that the water boiler is on the blink. The possibility of cold showers for the Hampshire boys then . . .

130-2 Horton reached his fifty (117 balls) by tickling Powell for his ninth four soon after a crunching square cut against the Hampshire quick.

114-2 Warne responded with his familiar tea-pot impression when Jeremy Lloyds turned down a massive appeal for a catch at silly mid-off against Horton, who was on 44. Law reached his fifty from 85 balls (eight fours).

110-2 The hundred partnership was reached when Law clipped Powell off his legs to the mid-wicket fence. Horton had brought up three figures with an edge against Warne that went between Ervine's legs at slip for four. It was a definite chance. Horton was on 33 at the time.

63-2 Lancashire opener Paul Horton drove Ervine for four in the second over after lunch after Jimmy Adams was wrong-footed by a dangerous bounce off part of the square at wide mid-off. Meanwhile, at Grace Road, Hampshire all rounder Liam Dawson, 17, was caught and bowled for 20 (23 balls) as England U19s were reduced to 148-7 in the fifth and final match of the one-day series against Pakistan U19s. Warne wanted Dawson to make his Hampshire debut at Old Trafford this week but England U19s will be hoping the slow left armer can produce some magic with the ball today as they have to win to square the series.

LUNCH - LANCASHIRE 54-2 (LAW 24*, HORTON 16*) AFTER 16 OVERS

44-2 Shane Warne introduced himself to bowl the 14th over of the innings, just before lunch. Let's hope he can out-bowl Muralitharan. Sorry, Muralidaran.

36-2 Powell attempted to sling the ball at Stuart Law, Jeff Thomson style, but succeeded only in gifting Lancashire four wides. Law had a few words with his compatriot Shane Warne at second slip and after Powell followed up with a bouncer that went for four byes, Law walked down the track and had a word with the West Indian. Presumably it was along the lines of 'pitch it in my half of the track'.

7-2 WICKET (STEVEN CROFT) Michael Brown took the most outstanding catch at leg gully at the beginning of Powell's next over, the eighth. Croft turned another rapid delivery from the West Indian off his hips and Brown, who played for Lancashire's second XI a decade ago, showed astonishing reactions, as well as athleticism, in diving forward while at full stretch to his right. Powell has two wickets in six deliveries since switching to the Brian Statham End. Good captaincy, Warney.

7-1 WICKET (MARK CHILTON) Sure enough, Powell took a wicket with his second ball after swapping ends, dismissing the Lancashire captain with a beauty in the sixth over. The ball bounced and left the right hander, taking the shoulder of the right-hander's bat on the way to Nic Pothas.

7-0 Bruce swapped to the Stretford End to bowl the fifth over of the innings. Presumably Daren Powell wants the Brian Statham End where the breeze is better suited to his away swing.

6-0 Ervine replaced James Bruce after just one over from the Brian Statham End. Maybe Shane Warne is hoping to gamble on Ervine's sky-high confidence following his outstanding efforts with the bat already this morning. Or maybe the bowlers are just changing ends.

HAMPSHIRE 393 (113.5 OVERS) AFTER WINNING THE TOSS

Lancashire bowling: Chapple 17.5-3-41-1, Mahmood 21-2-92-1, Cork 24-6-74-3, Muralitharan 38-6-107-3, Keedy 13-0-62-0

393 WICKET (DAVID GRIFFITHS) Hampshire's last man nibbled an outside edge to Luke Sutton and was out for a 19-ball duck, having seen Ervine hit all the runs in the last-wicket stand of 52. That must be some kind of record. Ervine finished on 103* (141 balls).

390-9 Ervine pulled Glenn Chapple for his 11th four to reach a magnificent first Championship hundred for Hampshire. He was rightly ecstatic on passing the milestone, especially as Hampshire are on the cusp of maximum batting points for only the third time this season. Ervine is only playing because Mascarenhas is in the England squad and has gone berserk this morning. He has put on 49 with David Griffiths so far - but Hampshire's last man has still not scored a run! Ervine reached his ton from 135 balls, needing just 43 deliveries for his second fifty which included six fours and two of his three sixes.

380-9 Sajid Mahmood slung his first delivery of the day for a huge wide and has just been hooked for six by Ervine, who is now on 93.

361-9 Ervine crashed Muralitharan for another maximum with a short-arm pull over sqare leg and into the members' area in front of Old Trafford's famous pavilion.

350-9 Hampshire accrued a fourth batting bonus point when Ervine scampered a single off Cork. He must have thanked his lucky stars when Muralitharan missed the stumps with an underarm throw from mid-on.

341-9 WICKET (JAMES BRUCE) Bruce was yorked in becoming Muralitharan's 200th first-class victim for Lancashire. No disgrace that. Muralitharan, who made his Lancashire debut in 1999, reached the milestone in this his 27th first-class appearance for the county. Allan Steel was the previous quickest to 200 for Lancashire. He got there in 33 appearances from 1878-1884 in case you're interested. Cricinfo describes Steel as "a fiendishly accurate right-arm slow bowler with the ability to turn the ball both ways". Sound familiar?

340-8 Sean Ervine became the third Hampshire left hander to reach his half-century in this innings and he cannot have done so in more emphatic fashion, lifting Muralitharan over mid-wicket for six in the third over of the day. Ervine also hit five fours in reaching his half century in 92 balls.

331-8 Hampshire resumed the penultimate day of this vital Championship match with the sun beating down on Old Trafford. It's my first look at the outfield that is causing all the fuss and it's desert-like in some areas but by all accounts a vast improvement on how it was on Tuesday thanks to the good weather over the last few days. The PA announcer's struggles to announce 'Muttiah Muralitharan' over the tannoy are already the subject of much amusement. Apparently, Muralitharan has insisted that his name is pronounced MuraliDaran, as it is back home in Sri Lanka. It's just taking a bit of getting used to that's all. Muralidaran began with a maiden against James Bruce.