No time for trepidation from England

England's attack, now including three bowlers with more than 200 wickets, is an outstanding unit despite their toil at Old Trafford but the focus shifts to the batsmen with a Test match to save

There was some irony in the timing of Stuart Broad's 200th Test wicket. The wicket, that of Michael Clarke, not only placed Broad within a select band of England bowlers to have achieved the milestone, but it meant that the England team, for only the second time in its history and the first time in more than 30 years, contained three men with over 200 Test wickets.

It is an impressive achievement. The last time it happened was in February 1982. In that game against Sri Lanka, Derek Underwood's final Test, the England team also contained Sir Ian Botham and Bob Willis; one of the more impressive trios in England's post-war history.

Now Broad, James Anderson and Graeme Swann have joined them. It is a milestone that, as well as the skill of the individuals concerned, underlines the wisdom of talent identification, central contracts and continuity of selection that have typified England cricket in recent times.

Both Broad and Anderson were identified unusually young by English standards and fast-tracked into international cricket. Both have had some bumps on the road but the selectors have ensured they have had the rest periods denied their predecessors and stuck with them through the inevitable fallow times. There is now every chance they will finish their careers as the top two wicket-takers in England's Test history.

Swann took a somewhat more circuitous route to success, but here claimed the 17th five-wicket haul of his Test career. Now only Botham (with 27) and Sydney Barnes (with 24) have taken more. In partnership with Broad and Anderson, Swann has played a huge part in helping England enjoy their most successful period in the modern age.

We might well, in years to come, look back on this as one of the best attacks England have had. It may not compare to Waqar, Wasim and Mushtaq, or McGrath, Warne and Lee or any combination of West Indies quicks but, by England standards, you have to go back at least 30 years to find anything comparable.

But there is no getting away from the fact that they reached the landmark on a trying day. It was a day on which Anderson recorded the worst analysis of his Test career - 0-116 from 33 overs surpasses the 0-111 he conceded in Johannesburg in 2010 - while Broad had laboured for 54.2 overs - that's 326 balls - between taking his 199th wicket and his 200th and eventually reached the milestone in the second most Tests of any England player.

This was also the highest score England had conceded since South Africa plundered them for 637 for 2 at The Oval in July 2012. The last couple of times they have conceded anything like such totals, both at The Oval and in Ahmedabad, when India scored 521, they lost.

That should not be the case on this occasion. This pitch is flat, though no flatter than The Oval track of July 2012, and there is a strong chance that rain will reduce the remaining playing time in the game. Bearing in mind that England will retain the Ashes if they draw this Test, then England will not be as unhappy as they might have been. Talk of 5-0, or even 10-0, whitewashes hardly matters.

England did not bowl badly. Anderson was, by his high standards, a little off his best and lacked potency and, in bowling only 20 maidens in the 146 they delivered, England failed to build the pressure they may have wanted on the Australian batsmen. But this is a fine wicket and Australia batted well. It would be wrong to read too much into it.

Some critics might suggest that England failed to 'make things happen' but that is to fail to understand England's method. While there was a little conventional swing and some decent turn, at least with the newer ball, England were unable to gain reverse swing.

They play, Kevin Pietersen apart, safety first cricket and know that they only need avoid defeat to ensure they cannot be beaten in the series and therefore retain the Ashes. They had no need to chase the game and lacked the weapons to take wickets in bursts on such surfaces.

It is not their natural method anyway. Instead, they aim to suffocate their opposition with tight bowling and sharp catching. But on this occasion Clarke, in particular, was too good for them and they were unable to bowl with quite the consistency required to build the requisite pressure.

Besides, for a while it appeared England would dismiss Australia for nothing more than a par total of around 450. By the time Peter Siddle was out Australia were 430 for 7, but Brad Haddin then added 97 in an excellent, unbroken eighth-wicket partnership with Mitchell Starc.

England should not have allowed it to happen. Haddin was badly missed on 10 when Matt Prior failed to cling onto an edge off Anderson. It was not the first mistake by Prior this series and a reminder of the sometimes capricious nature of sport. Only four months ago, Prior was named England Player of the Year for his sustained excellence in the previous 12 months. Since then, he has failed to reach 40 in eight Test innings and missed several chances.

Prior's place is quite rightly in no jeopardy at all. It is not just that England now understand the benefits of settled teams and continuity of selection, but that it is almost impossible to predict who his replacement might be.

England have reservations about the keeping of the limited-overs options - the likes of Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow - are unlikely to turn to the better keepers - the likes of Chris Read, James Foster and Tim Ambrose - while the keeper from the Lions' tour, Ben Foakes, is very much a work in progress with bat and gloves. Steve Davies or Craig Kieswetter are closer to Test cricket than many might think.

After play Swann suggested England could still win the game. Perhaps with the Adelaide Test of 2006-07 in mind - England scored 551 for 6 dec in their first innings and still lost by six wickets - he claimed England's aim was to gain a first innings lead and then utilise a deteriorating pitch to dismiss Australia cheaply in the third innings.

"We'll get a lead on day four and then bowl them out," he said. "It's a very good pitch and we've got some of the best batsmen in the world.

Such positivity sounds encouraging, but it is not always mirrored by England's actions. The decision to send in Tim Bresnan as nightwatchman with 30 minutes of play remaining was as flawed as it was negative. Jonathan Trott, England No. 3, should have relished the opportunity to bat on this pitch for as long as possible and is as well suited to doing so as anyone in the world. The decision to shield him can only have suggested fear and trepidation to Australia.

Swann did make one interesting point, though. He suggested that Bresnan's failure to call for a review after he was adjudged caught behind when replays suggested he had missed the ball supported the theory that, at times, players are genuinely unsure whether they have edged the ball.

Bresnan's departure meant that Trott and Alastair Cook will be at the crease at the start of the third day. With Kevin Pietersen seemingly struggling with his calf strain - the England camp insist he is fine, but he was noticeably inconvenienced in the field - England will need Trott and Cook to bat for a substantial portion of the day if they are make the game safe.

They are one strong batting performance away from retaining the Ashes and could hardly have asked for a much more benign surface on which to produce it.

Read More..

Bowlers finally given something to work with

Australia know their attack is their strength but feeble batting at Trent Bridge and Lord's made the bowlers redundant. Now is the time for Lyon and company to prove their worth.

Graham McKenzie was once dropped after taking ten wickets in a Test against India. Nobody could really explain why, but it was speculated that the board wanted a more competitive series than his bowling would allow. His next opportunity came in an Ashes Test at Old Trafford, where McKenzie helped bowl Australia to victory.

Nathan Lyon was once dropped after taking nine wickets in a Test against India. Nobody could really explain why, but it was speculated that the selectors wanted a more competitive series than his bowling would allow. His next opportunity came in an Ashes Test at Old Trafford. The next three days will tell if the stories continue to run parallel.

Like McKenzie, Lyon is easy-going and thus easy to let go. The quiet ones never kick up a stink. But there is no question that both men were part of their country's best attack at the time of their axing. Lyon did not pick up a wicket on the second afternoon in Manchester but he could have had Alastair Cook cheaply, had Michael Clarke at slip moved a little more fluently.

His flight, dip and turn left England's batsmen edgy, and he built pressure: 51 of his 60 deliveries were dot balls. Certainly he gave the selectors reason to regret leaving him out at Trent Bridge and Lord's. There, they had gambled on Ashton Agar, a 19-year-old still learning his craft. Agar failed to take a wicket at Lord's; who knows what Lyon, Australia's leading spinner since Shane Warne, might have done.

Lyon isn't the only member of this attack with a point to prove. Mitchell Starc was dropped after the loss in Nottingham and was outbowled by Jackson Bird in the tour match at Hove. When asked on the first morning at Old Trafford why Starc had been preferred over Bird, the coach Darren Lehmann said the main criteria separating them was that Starc would create footmarks for Lyon.

Starc must show that his spikes aren't all he brings to the side. He began well on the second afternoon, curling a few deliveries away from Cook and for the most part keeping things tight. Ryan Harris was hampered by a stomach bug that forced him temporarily from the field, but by the standards of the brittle Harris, that's an ailment Australia can handle.

While the pressure built elsewhere the man who reaped the first two rewards was Peter Siddle. For the first time in his Test career Siddle was not one of the first four bowlers used, relegated below Lyon and Shane Watson. After some stretches that made Merv Hughes' warm-ups look subtle, Siddle was given his chance and grabbed it.

Whereas Starc at times moved the ball too much to tempt Cook, Siddle made Joe Root play and straightened it just enough to tickle the edge. His bustle also accounted for the nightwatchman Tim Bresnan, and an edge from Jonathan Trott in Siddle's final over fell just short of Clarke at second slip. It was Siddle who challenged England on the first day of the series and Siddle who kept the pressure on them here.

Of course, only two wickets have been taken, but for the first time in the series the mountain of work asked of the bowlers has been preceded by a mountain of runs. A draw is of very little value, but Australia's bowlers must remain patient, building pressure, compiling maidens, maintaining their discipline. They must not get carried away by the runs behind them.

The last time an Australian made a Test hundred - Clarke, not surprisingly - the opposition responded by building a 192-run lead. The venue was Chennai, the assailant MS Dhoni, the victim Lyon. If he tossed the ball up, he was driven down the ground; if he went quicker and shorter he was dispatched square. Lyon's confidence was knocked, and he was dropped for the next Test.

Now, Lyon appears sure of himself. His first ten overs displayed skill and patience superior to any of Agar, Glenn Maxwell or Xavier Doherty, all of whom he has made way for this year. He might not do a McKenzie, but like the man they called Garth, the man they call Gaz has his chance at Old Trafford.

Australia entered this series knowing their attack was their strength but feeble batting at Trent Bridge and Lord's made the bowlers redundant. Now is the time for Lyon and company to prove their worth.

Read More..

I backed Warner's judgment 100% - Clarke

Michael Clarke has said he backed David Warner's decision to review his dismissal from a thick outside-edge despite telling Warner he thought the ball had made contact with the bat.

Australia's use of the DRS has been poor throughout the series and that continued on the second day at Old Trafford, where Warner brought boos from the crowd when he walked to the crease and further jeers after his ill-judged referral.

The edge off Graeme Swann was deflected off Matt Prior and snapped up at slip, not dissimilar to Stuart Broad's controversial edge and non-walk at Trent Bridge. Clarke was at the non-striker's end when Jonathan Trott completed the catch to dismiss Warner, who had struck his pad with his bat at the same time as the bat hit the ball, apparently confusing his judgement.

"My reaction was, yes, I thought Davey hit it," Clarke said. "But in fairness to Davey, if you have a look at the replay, he actually hit his pad at the same time so he obviously didn't feel the ball hit the bat. We had a little discussion in the middle.

"Let's just say we disagreed, but in saying that, I did say to Davey that I would back his judgement 100%. He was confident he didn't hit it so it was worth a look and I've said before I think that's the way DRS should be used. I think if the batter feels that he didn't hit the ball then his partner should back his judgement."

Acceding to the review could have been dangerous on Clarke's part, because it left Australia at 365 for 5 with no referrals left, and a hefty first-innings score was always going to be necessary on a good batting pitch. As it turned out, Australia didn't need the DRS again, as Clarke compiled 187 - his highest score outside Australia - and Brad Haddin and Mitchell Starc pushed the total to 527 for 7 before the declaration came.

It was also Clarke's first Test century batting at No. 4, a position that he took up in this match after Phillip Hughes was dropped. Despite the success, Clarke said he was unsure if he would remain at second drop in the future or move back to his more usual position at No. 5.

"I got a hundred at No. 4, what a miracle," Clarke joked after play. "I don't know, we'll assess in the second innings let alone the next Test match. The number doesn't bother me. I've been saying it for a while. It's nice though to finally have a hundred batting at No. 4 but I'm not sure.

"I didn't feel that great yesterday or today at the crease. I felt there was enough in the wicket - I played and missed a hell of a lot and had a fair bit of luck. Don't get me wrong, I love the result. It's better than getting zero, that's for sure but I think I'll be able to assess it more if we win the Test match."

Clarke's runs, combined with valuable half-centuries from Chris Rogers, Steven Smith, Haddin and Starc, have at least given Australia a chance of the victory they need to retain any hope of winning the Ashes. The bowlers began well, collecting two England wickets after Clarke declared in the final session, but he said it was important they maintained their patience over the next three days.

"It's not the type of wicket you can force too hard," he said. "You have to build up pressure. The bowlers will have to be exceptionally consistent like they were this afternoon. It is going to take a lot of time to bowl England out. Our bowlers have the discipline. I was pleased with the way Nathan Lyon started today. There was a bit of spin but more importantly there was some bounce there for him as well. He will play a big part in both innings.

"The team should be extremely proud of the position we are in. We copped a bit of criticism after not making enough runs in the first two Test matches and rightly so. The way everybody did their job in the first innings is a credit to all the boys. We have worked exceptionally hard in the lead up to this Test match and it was nice to get the result. There is still a lot of work to do."

Read More..

Bopara century keeps Essex in contention

Essex 226 for 3 (Bopara 115*) beat Surrey 223 for 7 (Solanki 86) by seven wickets
Scorecard

Ravi Bopara's brilliant 115 not out from 94 balls, well supported by 65 from Greg Smith, swept Essex to a seven-wicket win against Surrey at The Oval which keeps them well in contention in Yorkshire Bank 40 Group B.

Essex hunted down Surrey's 223 for 7 with a comfortable 4.5 overs to spare for their fifth victory in the eighth of their 12 scheduled group matches.

Bopara and Smith came together at 15 for 2, after Mark Pettini had been caught at cover for 5 and Hamish Rutherford athletically held at the wicket on 9, and their stand of 152 in 25.3 overs was a perfect demonstration of controlled acceleration.

It was also an Essex third-wicket record against Surrey in all List A one-day cricket, and when Smith skied his 77th ball, from Jon Lewis, to deep mid-on in search of his fourth six it merely signalled a final onslaught from Bopara and Ryan ten Doeschate, who added a further 59 in a mere 4.3 overs.

Bopara reached his 90-ball century during a 34th over, bowled by Zafar Ansari, that cost 21 runs. Both Bopara and ten Doeschate hit a six and a four in the over, and the end came soon afterwards. Ten Doeschate's unbeaten 20 took him just 14 balls, with a six and three fours, while Bopara hit four sixes and 11 fours in a superb eighth List A hundred.

Surrey, with virtually no chance of qualification for the semi-finals next month, opted to play a youthful team and rested key one-day players Jade Dernbach, Azhar Mahmood, Gareth Batty and Steven Davies ahead of Tuesday's Friends Life t20 quarter-final against Somerset.

One of two teenagers given a senior debut, 17-year-old batsman Dominic Sibley, had a game to remember for the wrong reason after being stretchered off with a badly cut knee early in the game. Sibley, still at Whitgift School, suffered a two inch deep gash as he dived for the crease to avoid being run out during the fourth over of Surrey's innings and, after ompleting another single when partner Vikram Solanki called him for a run several balls later, he signalled to the dressing room that something was badly wrong.

The game was held up for almost ten minutes as Sibley, who had made just two runs from seven balls faced, was first treated and then hoisted on to a stretcher. He left the ground immediately to go to hospital for stitches in the gaping wound. Sibley reportedly told the Surrey dressing room that he had no idea how the freak injury occurred, as his batting pads should have protected the knee.

Solanki went on to top-score for Surrey with 86 from 95 balls, with ten fours, before being bowled swinging at Reece Topley at the start of the 35th over.

Jason Roy fell for 4 just before the Sibley injury incident, caught at slip off Graham Napier, but Gary Wilson added 71 with Solanki and hit left arm paceman Tymal Mills for six in a 46-ball 31 before being held on the deep square leg boundary mis-hitting a pull at the same bowler.

Ansari swung left arm spinner Tim Phillips over midwicket for six in a brisk 31 from 36 balls, and Rory Burns struck an unbeaten 39 from just 25 balls amid a clatter of late wickets in the closing overs, with a pulled six off Napier and three fours. Tom Curran, the 18-year-old son of former Zimbabwe allrounder Kevin Curran and Surrey's other debutant, was run out second ball for one by Bopara's direct hit from mid-off.

Read More..

Compton exit would prompt Taunton transition

Nick Compton could be leaving Somerset after it emerged he was out of contract at the club and of interest to several other counties.

Compton may have been discarded by England but remains a prolific scorer at county level. While budgets across the county game are tight, it is anticipated that Surrey, Middlesex and Warwickshire would be among those keen to talk to 30-year-old Compton if contract negotiations with Somerset stall. The club remain keen to retain him, but Surrey's lure often proves persuasive.

A move back to London is understood to appeal for personal reasons but Compton's career has flourished since he joined Somerset ahead of the 2010 season. He has averaged 60.55 for the club in first-class cricket. He previously averaged 34.14 in his six seasons of first-class cricket with Middlesex.

Compton's departure could be part of a transition at the club. Gemaal Hussain, the 29-year-old seamer who was signed amid much competition and at great expense from Gloucestershire three years ago, has endured a modest stay and is unlikely to win a new deal.

Hussain, who claimed 67 first-class wickets at an average of 22.34 for Gloucestershire when armed with a Tiflex ball and on seam-friendly pitches in 2010, has taken only 42 first-class wickets in three seasons at Somerset at an average of 41.92.

Somerset may also seek to appoint a new captain, at least in one form of the game, in the coming months. While Marcus Trescothick has a job, be it in a coaching or ambassadorial role, for life at Somerset, the club are keen to ease the burden on his body after two decades of professional cricket and see a new captain in the job while Trescothick is still on-hand to provide on-field assistance as required. Craig Kieswetter is by far the most likely replacement.

That could have implications for Jos Buttler who is also out of contract. He remains strongly emotionally connected to the club that he and his family have supported all his life, his career development may be hindered if he is unable to keep wicket more often. Should he decide to leave, he has no shortage of willing employers among the other counties.

One man who will not be departing is Dave Nosworthy. The Somerset director of cricket has, perhaps due to unrealistic expectations, endured a tough start to his career at Taunton since replacing Brian Rose at the start of the year but will be given every chance to turn things around in 2014. The club have a gifted bunch of young players and have taken the view that, even if it takes a season or two of Division Two cricket, Nosworthy remains the man to take the team into the future.

Read More..

Kieswetter leads Somerset to quarter-final

Somerset 175 for 5 (Kieswetter 76) beat Warwickshire 165 for 3 (Maddy 67*) by 10 runs
Scorecard

Edgbaston may be the most popular venue for Twenty20 finals day but when Warwickshire host the occasion for a fifth time next month they will again do so without their own team after Somerset beat them for a second time in 10 days to book their own place in the quarter-finals.

The margin was closer -- 10 runs as opposed to 10 wickets at Taunton -- but that was of little consolation to Warwickshire and in particular to Darren Maddy, in his last match in the competition that has made his name, whose 67 not out was a brave effort in vain.

For a while the home crowd could see Maddy, all of 39-years, earning himself another chance to hog the spotlight as he notched his 15th half-century in the format and took his career aggregate past 2,500 runs. Aided by Laurie Evans, who batted despite dislocating a finger in the field earlier in the evening, Maddy kept what had always looked a tall target just about in reach.

After an expensive final over from Steve Kirby had cost 18 runs, 52 were needed from the final five overs, which clearly would have been achievable had the fourth-wicket pair been able to maintain that momentum. The requirement came down to 22 off the final 12 balls.

But if Warwickshire had a man for the occasion in Maddy, then Somerset had a couple in Alfonso Thomas and Yasir Arafat, both in the all-time top five Twenty20 bowlers.

Warwickshire needed boundaries but neither man conceded one in his final over, Arafat effectively ending the contest with two dot-ball yorkers from his first two deliveries. Evans completed his half-century when he took a single from the next ball but Warwickshire's hopes were dashed. It was Arafat who brought about their downfall at Taunton on July 21, finishing with a staggering analysis of 3-0-5-4 as Warwickshire were dismissed for 73.

Somerset - finalists for the last four years and runners-up in three of those - thus ensured that Craig Kieswetter remained man of the match after 76 provided the bedrock of their 175 for 5. If Maddy - twice a T20 Cup winner with Leicestershire - has been the man of the age in T20 then Kieswetter has been the star of this season. He hit four sixes and four fours in his 53-ball innings, passing fifty for the fourth time in this year's competition and becoming the first man to pass 400 runs in total, overtaking Michael Carberry as the top scorer so far.

Warwickshire had restricted Somerset to 36 from the Powerplay overs but Kieswetter had strong support first from Peter Trego and then Nick Compton, both of whom in their contrasting styles hit 32 off 23 balls, in setting up a challenging total after home captain Varun Chopra had opted to chase on winning the toss.

For once, there was the odd question asked about Chopra's decision-making. He has been an efficient stand-in for the injured Jim Troughton but it seemed odd that he should limit his leading T20 wicket-taker, Ateeq Javid, to one over at the start of the innings, while he somehow managed to get only three overs from his best bowler on the night, Boyd Rankin.

It all went awry when Kieswetter launched a 24-run barrage against Maddy's bowling in the 17th over, including consecutive sixes and two fours. Chopra could not have seen that coming - Maddy's first two overs had gone for only 13 and would have contained a wicket had Evans not dropped Compton at deep midwicket - but in bringing Chris Woakes back on at the City End for the 18th he left himself with only one more from Rankin.

It was an excellent over, too, which only compounded the error, Rankin bowling full and straight to dismiss Kieswetter and James Hildreth with consecutive balls before thumping Craig Meschede on the pad with the hat-trick delivery, although it was clearly missing leg stump. The last two balls conceded only a single each. Woakes, by contrast, went for 13 in his last over.

Read More..

Anderson eager to perform in spruced-up home

James Anderson summed it up in typically understated style. "It's quite strange saying state of the art and Old Trafford in the same sentence," he said. But the most fraught decade in Lancashire's history will officially end on Thursday when Old Trafford stages the third Investec Test against Australia.

If things go well for Anderson, he could be part of an England side that retains the Ashes on his home ground. If they do, Lancashire should give him a replica Ashes urn filled from one of the many skips that have surrounded this ground over the past couple of years.

But being on the cusp of Ashes success has not sat easily with England in recent series. In 2009, they were 1-0 up when they came a cropper at Headingley, losing by an innings as they were rushed out for 102 by Peter Siddle and Stuart Clark. Two years later, they were also one up when they arrived in Perth and faltered against Mitchell Johnson on a hot streak.

If Australia do respond again, the story begs for David Warner to do it. In disgrace after punching Joe Root in a Birmingham bar, loaned out to Australia A to regain form in southern Africa, and back with a big hundred under his belt: all the elements of the story are there - apart from about five hours batting.

"He's a very dangerous player," Anderson said. "He's somebody we looked at the start of the series and we'll look at him again this week. He can be dangerous, especially if it's a flat pitch and not swinging so that's something we'll be very conscious of."

Assuming England are unchanged - Kevin Pietersen trained on Tuesday - seven players will have been present in Perth and six at Headingley. This side will certainly be forewarned about lapses of performance.

"In the last two Ashes series the third Test has been a stumbling block for us so we have to make a conscious effort that we don't look too far ahead - don't look at the outcome before concentrating on the smaller bits that will help us win that game," Anderson said. "We are not looking too far ahead and we won't look too far past the first hour on Thursday.

"Most of the guys in the dressing room have experience of what happened at Headingley - and Perth as well when we played out there last time. Hopefully we can use that so it doesn't happen again."

Anderson's assessment of Australia was somewhat kinder than that which has been commonly seen in the media. "It's been tough so far," he said. "We narrowly won at Trent Bridge. We won more comfortably at Lord's but we still had our backs against the wall a couple of times - we were 30 for 3 each innings. We still have improvements to make and we know how dangerous they can be. Maybe they might be even more dangerous now they have nothing to lose."

There can have been few better times to be a Lancastrian fast bowler. Anderson was able to mark his 31st birthday by netting with England in a transformed stadium - the latest English ground to be transformed in a golden period which has somehow survived the financial crash that arrived at a most inopportune time. The stands are red and so, for a while, will be the balance sheets, but Old Trafford is heading for the biggest crowds in its history as the north-west reaffirms its central role in English cricket.

	"The council offices are just across the road so we all went over and stood outside the front protesting. It was all about force in numbers." James Anderson did his bit for the Old Trafford redevelopment campaign

It is good that Lancashire has, in Anderson, such an impressive representative on the field, a fast bowler at his peak, as proud of his north-west upbringing as was Brian Statham half a century before him.

He tells in his autobiography, Jimmy, of being "the proud owner" of Lancashire's first replica shirt at the age of 12. He sat alongside his father to watch Lancashire win the Benson and Hedges Cup final at Lord's in 1995 and strolled around on the outfield afterwards, dreaming of playing at Lord's in front of a capacity crowd. "As a Lancastrian - and this applies to Yorkshiremen, too," he said, "the club badge is revered from a young age."

The third Test, incidentally, will not be entirely a display of Red Rose pride. In a quirk of fate, the first day happens to coincide with Yorkshire Day and there are reasons to believe that the lot over t'Pennines are planning a playful way to muscle in on the celebrations.

"It's always nice playing at a ground you're comfortable with and have played at for years and years, knowing the people that work here," he said. "It makes you more relaxed which is important, especially around a high-pressure Test match."

His birthday has further heightened his sense of the passage of time. "It does make you look back, wondering where the time has gone," he said, "It's quite strange saying state of the art and Old Trafford in the same sentence. It was getting a bit tired a few years ago and we were very lucky to get the money together to be able to redevelop it."

For many years, the only sign of council interest in the cricketing Old Trafford - there is a football ground of the same name up the road apparently - was a speed camera directly outside the main entrance, which caught out many an unsuspecting Lancashire member as they accelerated too enthusiastically through the gears after a good day at the cricket.

Anderson, like most Lancashire players, crossed that road to join the crowds lobbying outside Trafford Town Hall when the future of the ground was in the balance. He did not press his way into the council meeting alongside Lanky The Giraffe, the club mascot, one of the more surreal moments in the long-running campaign. He is not a placard waver, or a singer of protest songs - he strikes you as a bit more of an undercover agent: more Spooks than Billy Bragg - but he turned out, did his bit and cared about the outcome.

"We lobbied - it was good," he said. "It was a slow process and it looked at one point as if there was a big spanner in the works. The guys here did fantastic work. The council offices are just across the road so we all went over and stood outside the front protesting. It was all about force in numbers. Having players there emphasised how important it was for us. It was looking like we weren't going to get Test match cricket back here and the ground needed a coat of paint; it was looking tired."

No matter how many wickets Anderson takes in his career, no matter how long his spells, how never-ending his labours, it is a fair bet that he will never look as tired as Old Trafford did.

Read More..

Klinger dashes Glamorgan dreams

Gloucestershire 145 for 1 (Klinger 86*) beat Glamorgan 141 for 5 (Allenby 85*) by nine wickets
Scorecard

Glamorgan's chances of reaching the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals disappeared as Gloucestershire trounced them by nine wickets in the final group match at Cardiff.

Chasing 142 to win, captain Michael Klinger helped Gloucestershire achieve the double over Glamorgan with 86 from 59 balls with 11 fours and a six, as Gloucestershire won with 22 balls to spare.

Glamorgan needed to win to qualify for the last eight but it was a disappointing end to their T20 campaign after they had won their opening four games. Glamorgan, who included former England bowler Simon Jones, were put into bat and could only make 141 for 5 from their 20 overs despite Jim Allenby batting through the innings, scoring 85 from 58 balls with four sixes and six fours.

His dominance was highlighted with only two other batsmen - Marcus North and Murray Goodwin - getting into double figures. And out of 13 boundaries in the innings Allenby struck 10 of them with Glamorgan struggling to dominate a largely inexperience attack.

Openers Allenby and captain North, who was promoted up the order, gave the home side a useful platform scoring 41 from the opening six-over Powerplay. But runs dried up as North was bowled by the impressive Benny Howell leaving Glamorgan 55 for 1 in the ninth over.

The big-hitting Chris Cooke failed to make his mark as he holed out to deep midwicket for just 6 and Nathan McCullum, pushed up the order, was out leg before. It saw Glamorgan struggle to 73 for 3 in the 12th over.

Glamorgan failed to get a boundary from the eighth to the 14th over until Allenby struck his fifth four which saw him reach his 50 from 42 balls. It was Allenby's third half century in nine T20 matches this season. Allenby struck a six to bring up the 100 and followed that up with another six off the final ball of the innings.

Gloucestershire, through Klinger and Chris Dent, made a positive start reaching 18 for 0 after the first two overs from Michael Hogan and Jim Allenby. Klinger and Dent each struck a boundary off Wagg as Gloucestershire reached 32 after four overs.

Glamorgan gambled on slow left armer Dean Cosker bowling the final over of the Powerplay but 12 runs came from it as Gloucestershire reached 50 for 0 after six overs. After Gloucestershire had got to 65 for 0 after eight overs McCullum came into the attack to have Dent caught at long-off.

By the halfway stage Gloucestershire reached 79 for 1 with 15 coming off the 10th over from Simon Jones. Klinger went to a 37-ball half-century as Gloucestershire cruised to victory in the 17th over.

Read More..

World Cup final returns to Melbourne

Twenty-three years after Imran Khan led Pakistan to victory over England, Melbourne will again host the World Cup final in 2015, while Sydney and Auckland will hosts semi-finals just as they did in 1992.

A wide range of alternative options for the major matches of a tournament co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand had been discussed in the lead-up to the formal announcement of the official fixtures in Melbourne on Tuesday, including the prospect of a semi or final at Sydney's Olympic Stadium and even Adelaide Oval.

But the organisers ultimately retained the same formula as 1992, handing matches to the SCG and Eden Park before the event's show-piece takes place on March 29 at the MCG, where a crowd of more than 87,000 had watched Imran's team triumph.

Among other key fixtures, the previously earthquake-stricken Christchurch will host the tournament's opening match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka on February 14 at Hagley Oval, while later that same day Australia will play England at the MCG. The cup holders India will commence their tournament by facing Pakistan in Adelaide the following day.

Having been drawn together in Pool A, Australia will travel to Auckland to meet New Zealand on February 28. Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Wellington will each host a quarter-final.

Many luminaries were on hand in Melbourne's Docklands for the announcement, including the ICC chief executive Dave Richardson who kept wicket for South Africa at the 1992 event, alongside Dennis Lillee, Ian Chappell, Kapil Dev, Sanath Jayasuriya, Adam Gilchrist and Michael Hussey.

"The ICC Cricket World Cup is the flagship tournament of the 50-over game. The 2015 tournament will mark 40 years since the first World Cup in 1975 and that history of great contests and heroes helps make the tournament what it is - the most sought after prize in our increasingly global game," Richardson said.

"The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will be returning to Australia and New Zealand after 23 years and will be staged at the back of two outstanding 50-over ICC events - the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and ICC Champions Trophy 2013. I'm absolutely confident that the success of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will further strengthen the status of 50-over cricket as a successful and viable format alongside Tests and Twenty20 Internationals."

Several tournament venues have undergone major redevelopments with 2015 in mind, not least the SCG with a projected capacity of 48,000, and Adelaide Oval's expansion to accommodate 50,000. Eden Park has also undergone a considerable facelift to also be capable of hosting 50,000 spectators.

The tournament will feature 49 matches across 44 days in 14 cities throughout February and March of 2015. Australia's 2014-15 Test summer has been shortened to a mere four matches against India in order to leave room for the cup's lengthy schedule. A 14-team format has the competitors pitted in two groups of seven, each to play six pool matches before the top four in each group advance to the quarter-finals, semis and final.

Pool A: England, Australia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Qualifier 2 and Qualifier 3

Pool B: South Africa, India, Pakistan, West Indies Zimbabwe, Ireland and Qualifier 4

Venue cities: Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Canberra, Christchurch, Dunedin, Napier, Nelson, Hamilton, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Wellington

Read More..

Board promises BPL player payments before Eid

The BCB has vowed to pay local players their dues from the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League before the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays. The decision was taken at a BCB ad-hoc committee meeting as several franchises have not yet completed payments to the players or the board, after the board conditionally terminated the contracts of some franchises.

The BPL's schedule for the next season is still unclear, and it may even be held before the end of the year if a slot is available in the domestic calendar.

"Many of the domestic and foreign players are still unpaid, because the franchises didn't make payments after the first 25% was cleared," BCB media committee chairman Jalal Yunus said. "The board has decided to pay 45-50% to the domestic players before Eid-ul-Fitr. According to the tripartite agreement, the board has to pay the players if the franchises fail to make payments."

Before BPL's second season began, it was announced that player payments would be completed in three instalments. It has now changed to four instalments: the first being before the tournament started, the second during the tournament, the third within three months after the tournament and the last of which is on August 19, six months after the 2013 edition ended.

The BCB's role as guarantor has meant that it has to make payments when the franchises default, according to the three-way agreement between the BCB, players and the franchises. The players who have been paid 25% will receive a further 25%, while those who have already been paid 50%, will have to wait for the rest of the money.

Those present in the press conference however could not clarify when the next stage of payment after the Eid one will be. "We will settle what we owe, and look into the future when the time comes," Mahbubul Anam, another member of the BCB ad-hoc committee said. "We have to clear the due first, and the last payment is at the end of August."

The board is also hopeful that it can have a window for BPL-3 as early as December if the 2012-13 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League is completed by October. Their hope lies in the promise made by the Dhaka Premier League clubs who have apparently assured BCB chief Nazmul Hassan that they will play the league from September and continue to do so in October without the national players.

"Since the Dhaka Premier League clubs have said they are willing to play without the national players, we can hold the league in October too," Yunus said. "In that case we can hold the BPL after the two first-class tournaments - the National Cricket League and Bangladesh Cricket League."

Read More..

Pakistan, Sri Lanka through to World T20

Left-arm spinner Sadia Yousuf's career-best figures of 4 for 9 punched Pakistan's ticket to the Women's World Twenty20 in Bangladesh after a nine-wicket win over Ireland in the first semi-final of the Qualifiers.

Pakistan put Ireland in after a wet outfield caused a delayed start , and captain Isobel Joyce lost her middle stump on the fourth ball of the match. A run-out got rid of tournament top-scorer Clare Shillington before Yousuf plundered four wickets in her first three overs to leave Ireland reeling at 32 for 6 after 13 overs. She was on a hat-trick after having both Laura Delany and Elena Tice stumped off the last two balls of the 13th over. She induced Kim Garth's edge off her next ball, but it landed safely. Garth made an unbeaten 38 but the rest of the line-up could not reach double figures as Ireland were dismissed for 65.

The openers took Pakistan almost halfway to victory before Garth removed Nahida Khan for 13, but her partner Javeria Khan and Nain Abidi completed the formalities with 35 balls to spare, though heavy rain did interrupt play with Pakistan six runs from victory.

Sri Lanka controlled a rain-marred game to become the second team to go through to the T20 finals in Bangladesh, after Netherlands fell short of a revised target of 85 in 9 overs.

Having been invited to bat, Sri Lanka made a bright start, scoring at over 10 before Chamari Atapattu was run-out in the third over. Yasoda Mendis and Deepika Rasangika consolidated with a 52-run partnership for the second wicket. Mendis fell in the 10th over but Rasangika's 47 off 50 balls, with four fours ensured Sri Lanka were on course for a healthy total. Two quick wickets brought Eshani Kaushalya to the crease, who struck her third ball for six and kept going. Her 33 off 16 balls pushed Sri Lanka to 152 for 6 in 19 overs when rain arrived.

Netherlands' openers began steadily, but Veringmeier's fall paved way for Heather Siegers' wicket six and put them at 39 for 2 in the sixth over, 14 behind the Duckworkth-Lewis par score. They could only manage 9 of the 46 needed in the last 18 balls to give Sri Lanka a comfortable victory.

With three teams slated to qualify for the World T20, Ireland and Netherlands still have shot of making it to Bangladesh if they win the third-place play-off match on July 31.

A triple-wicket maiden, which included a run-out as well, by Mai Yanagida could not prevent Zimbabwe from progressing to the Shield final of the Qualifiers. Her 4-1-5-4 kept Japan alive, after they had made only 58, until Zimbabwe sealed the game in the 16th over by three wickets.

Zimbabwe's bowlers came up with a miserly performance, reducing Japan to 5 for 2 in the third over. Captain Shizuka Miyaji and Kurumi Ota plugged any further wickets from falling with a 28-run stand, but Ota's wicket in the tenth over initiated a collapse and they were all out for 58 as not a single batsman was able to score in double digits.

Zimbabwe were 30 for 2 at the start of the ninth over when Yanagida replaced Shizuka Kubota, and her first ball saw Mary-Anne Musonda run-out. The next ball accounted for Chipo Mugeri, before her final two of the over spelled the end of Christabel Chatonzwa and Ashley Burdett. Now at 30 for 6, Nonhlanhla Nyathi and Josephine Nkomo held firm and took Zimbabwe home.

Rain hit the second shield semi-final between Thailand and Canada more severely as play was postponed to Tuesday after only 18 overs bowled. Thailand were 92 for 6 having won the toss, with top-scorer Chanida Sutthiruang at the crease on 23 off 17 balls.

Read More..

Carberry's Canterbury run-spree continues

Hampshire 185 for 6 (Carberry 83*, McKenzie 45) beat Kent 123 for 9 (Stevens 39, Dawson 4-19) by 62 runs
Scorecard

Former Kent batsman Michael Carberry took his Canterbury run-spree for July to 303 in three innings as he put his old side to the sword and helped inspire Hampshire to a seventh South Group win as they beat a youthful Kent by 62 runs.

Fresh from scoring 154 and 66 in the corresponding County Championship clash here two weeks ago, Surrey-born Carberry returned to hit 11 fours and a six in an unbeaten 83 as Hampshire posted an impressive 20-over total of 185 for 6.

In pursuit a young host side, without the likes of Rob Key, Brendan Nash, Michael Powell, Vernon Philander and Charlie Shreck, were held to 123 for 9 as offspinner Liam Dawson caused havoc with competition-best figures of 4 for 19.

Kent lost openers Daniel Bell-Drummond (12) and Fabian Cowdrey (13) in the fifth over of their reply bowled by Dimitri Mascarenhas and, by the end of the Powerplay, were already 30 runs off the pace set by Hampshire. By the mid-point of their reply Kent's asking rate had already soared to 12 an over, but Darren Stevens briefly warmed to the task by clubbing three sixes in the space of 11 balls, only to lose Sam Billings to a catch in the deep off Dawson.

Three balls later and without addition, Stevens top-edged a sweep off Dawson to fine leg to go for 39 off 28 balls and, when Dawson had Alex Blake stumped first ball to make it 69 for 5, Kent's hopes of a third win and completing a double over Hampshire were in tatters.

With a home quarter final tie already assured, Hampshire set out to avenge their sole South Group defeat at the hands of Kent by batting first on a pristine pitch that helped openers Carberry and James Vince to put 20 on board within nine deliveries of the start.

Vince clubbed a brace of leg side sixes off Mitch Claydon, but the on-loan Durham seamer won quick revenge by clipping the top of Vince's off stump as he again heaved toward cow corner. Carberry upped his tempo by taking four boundaries in Claydon's next over, but Mark Davies stemmed the flow by having Jimmy Adams caught off a thick edge by Claydon at short third man, yet even so, Hampshire cantered to 62 for 2 by the end of their six Powerplay overs.

To his credit, rookie offspinner Adam Riley, Kent's most frugal bowler with 0 for 21, and veteran seamer Stevens temporarily restricted the boundary count to limit Royals to 84 for 2 at the innings mid-point, but Carberry ploughed on to a 33-ball 50 with seven fours and a six. He helped add 94 in 11.1 overs with Neil McKenzie before the latter was run out for 45 when attempting a sharp single to Stevens at wide mid-on.

Then, a fit again Hants' skipper Mascarenhas fell to a spectacular overhead catch at long leg by Ben Harmison after hooking at a Matt Coles bouncer. Coles picked up a fortunate second scalp Sean Ervine clipped a low full toss to long-on, and Claydon closed with a costly 2 for 55 when he bowled Dawson with the final delivery of the innings. But Carberry refused to budge and carried his bat for 83 from 56 balls.

Read More..

'I don't think we're mentally sharp enough' - Brendan Taylor

It's an old adage that cricket is a game played mostly in the mind. With India having cruised to an unassailable 3-0 series lead, Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor identified his team's major weakness as their mental frailty under pressure.

"I think [the problem is] mental toughness," Taylor said. "I don't think we're mentally sharp enough. We're just not making the precise decisions at the right time and not putting a real price on our wickets. Too many soft dismissals.

"We all know in the mornings it's a little tricky [to bat] but technically we haven't been good enough. The Indian bowlers, they just keep it nice and simple. They don't give you too much to hit, but if we can get through that initial period and keep wickets in hand there's no reason why we can't catch up and post a decent total."

Taylor is Zimbabwe's most accomplished batsman and part of the reason for their collective failure has been his personal one. In his last eight innings, Taylor has a top score of just 40 and in this series has had to juggle batting, captaining and keeping wicket. He is not panicking yet, though. "I'm a player who hits an extremely large amount of balls when I practice," he said. "It's just [about] continuing to do those things and try to prepare well every game and I'm a believer that if you do that a big score's not too far away."

In all three games so far, Zimbabwe's batting has faltered at crucial moments. In the first match, they lost regular wickets while they should have been accumulating in the middle of their innings, while in the second the middle order frittered away a good start to the chase. Sunday's defeat was the heaviest, but Taylor identified the second defeat as the hardest to stomach.

"The most difficult one for me was the second game when we had an opportunity to win that game, and we dropped Dhawan and we dropped plenty of chances and allowed them to get to 290," he said. "It would have been a different story if we'd caught our catches and probably chased 230-240, we would have gone about our chase a lot differently. It's very frustrating to see, knowing our batting ability and not getting the runs that we know we can get."

Sunday's defeat was also played out in front of the largest crowd of the series. Though the grandstands weren't full, almost all of the smaller stands and the grass banks were. A boisterous crowd weren't given too much to applaud - though they did enjoy the obdurate efforts of Tendai Chatara and Brian Vitori with the bat.

"It hurts," Taylor admitted. "It does hurt because they are passionate and they want us to do well, and today it was a bit disheartening to play the way we have played. But fortunately there's more cricket coming up and we haven't played our best cricket here but hopefully we can give the people of Bulawayo something to smile about.

"There's always pride [to play for]. We use that word a lot, because it's a privilege to represent your country. Just to be playing against the best team in the world, that's an honour in itself."

The series now moves to Bulawayo for the final two matches. While conditions will be similar to Harare and the games will start just as early, the Queens Sports Club pitch has a reputation of being easier to bat on.

"Bulawayo is a bit more friendly in the morning to the batters, though there was a bit there against Bangladesh not too long ago so each side may have to be up against the ball nipping around a little bit," Taylor said. "But that generally burns off pretty quickly and then it gets really good to bat on."

Read More..

Starc keen for Taylor second look

Mitchell Starc has said Australia's attack would like another chance to bowl at James Taylor in the Old Trafford Test, despite Taylor's unbeaten century against them during the tour match in Hove.

Taylor finished on 121 not out when the Sussex innings ended on the final day of the game but he was dropped twice along the way, once at slip on 23 and again when he miscued a lofted drive on 90, and he conceded that it wasn't his most fluent innings. Still, Taylor will head to Old Trafford with some confidence after the innings against an attack made up of Starc, Jackson Bird, James Faulkner, Nathan Lyon and Ashton Agar.

"Probably, yes," Starc said when asked if he would like to bowl at Taylor in Manchester. "He's a good player. He's scored a few runs and has played Test cricket before. He's another player who, if he does get the chance to play, we'll assess again, but it's nice to have a look at him and how he's going at the moment in this game.

"I've played against him before. He's someone who likes to cut and pull. He's only a very small guy so we want to make sure we've got him driving. He played well. It's a good batting wicket, but he did play well."

Starc took 2 for 43 in Sussex's only innings and although his economy was good, he was occasionally wayward and appeared at times to struggle to control the swing of the ball. Jackson Bird also collected two wickets and was the pick of the bowlers, while Faulkner battled to find the right line to challenge the batsmen. One of the three fast men might be called up for Old Trafford to replace the injured James Pattinson, although a dual spin attack is also a possibility if the pitch is dry.

"We certainly weren't taking it as a bowl-off; it was just to go out there and perform, and take thought of pushing for selection out of the picture and just try to take wickets," Starc said. "We were actually surprised with how much it did swing here for Birdy and myself, and even for James Faulkner.

"It definitely swung more here than the last few times we've had the Dukes. It was a little bit tougher to control but once you get a few overs of that under your belts and adjust your lines, you should be hitting that target. It was nice to have that ball swinging for the hundred overs and keeping the ball in nice condition. That's a positive for us."

Starc said he was pleased with his efforts against Sussex and felt he had bowled well on the whole tour so far, despite being dropped for the Lord's Test to make room for Ryan Harris. It was the second time in seven months Starc had been left out of a marquee Test, having been rested for the Boxing Day Test against Sri Lanka last summer.

"You never want to miss a game at all," he said. "It's always a little bit disappointing to miss out on any game of cricket but it was my turn to miss out I guess. I just have to do everything I can to get myself ready."

Read More..

Mishra makes most of opportunities

Amit Mishra must feel the pressure to establish himself in the Indian team more than the other untested hopefuls on this tour to Zimbabwe. The wrong side of 30, it had been two years before this tour since Mishra last played an ODI and his tally of 18 ODIs in the ten years since his international debut suggests underuse of his talent.

Yet without the long-term confidence of the selectors on his side, he has little choice but to keep plugging away and make the most of whatever opportunities come his way. With nine wickets in three games in Zimbabwe, including a Man of the Match-winning 4 for 47 on Sunday, he's done just that on this tour.

But while Mishra's performances can't have hurt his chances, when India A head to South Africa in August he'll be heading in the opposite direction. He isn't part of the Cheteshwar Pujara-led group which is staking a claim for India's Test tour of South Africa later this year.

"I'm not in the Test side," Mishra conceded. "I'll try and do my job in the next two matches, and then it's up to the selectors. I've been waiting a long time for this and I'm doing my best and it's working for me now."

Mishra has found particular success with his variations on the traditional legspinner's delivery against Zimbabwe. His front-of-the-hand quicker delivery has helped to tie the Zimbabwe batsmen down, while his googly has brought about six of his nine dismissals .

"I've done lots of hard work on my googlies and variations and it's paying off," he said. "When I came here I was just thinking about the conditions and how to bowl on these kinds of tracks. I've spoken a lot with TP [Trevor Penney] and Duncan [Fletcher] who have given me a few tips, which I've been working hard on."

With so many of the touring Indians hoping to use this trip to win further honours with the national side, Mishra suggested that their was a positive competitive streak among his team-mates. "All the players have done so well in domestic cricket, so they came here with the confidence," he said.

"There's a lot of healthy competition going on - everyone wants to do well for India, so it's working for the Indian team."

Read More..

New routine brings Dilshan relief

There is unbridled joy in each of Tillakaratne Dilshan's hundred celebrations, but this one was tinged with some relief too. He is arriving at a period in his career where he must prove even to himself that his skill remains undimmed

Like every great entertainer, Tillakaratne Dilshan likes to adorn his grand performances with a moment the audience will not soon forget. Many times it is a fierce blow through the covers early in the innings - an act that is routinely his statement of unyielding intent, wrists and blade whipping manically toward ball that rarely deserves to be fetched from the fence. Other times it's his shot over the keeper, leaving the bowler wondering if he has a ball that might subdue a batsman who makes such cruel mockery of cricket's basic tenets.

Then on his best days, Dilshan plays a stroke that outstrips even the dilscoop for gall. Two years ago in a Twenty20 in Pallekele, he dropped to one knee and swept a low Shane Watson full-toss on off stump, flat and hard over the deep midwicket boundary.


Against South Africa in the fourth ODI, Dilshan's 17th hundred was notably short on thrills. His go-to shot through the covers was shelved entirely, balls were largely regarded on conventional merit and for much of their 184-run stand, Kumar Sangakkara outscored him blow-for-blow.

As Dilshan found his way back from a lean trot and from injury, he caged the abandon that founded his success and ground out a ton he knew he needed to make. It had been seven innings since he last crossed 50, and though he continues to make big breakthroughs with the ball, any team's oldest player can only go so long without a major contribution in his foremost suit. There is unbridled joy in each of Dilshan's hundred celebrations, but this one was tinged with some relief too. He is arriving at a period in his career where he must prove even to himself that his skill remains undimmed.

He had attempted a similar innings two matches ago, on a slower surface in Colombo. His 43 from 64 then featured just one four; a glide to the third-man boundary. But having sat out the tri-series against West Indies through injury, perhaps body had not yet begun to fully cooperate with will. A wide delivery he would normally pummel through point took a top edge and finished in the wicketkeeper's gloves. 


He has also had a major technical flaw re-exposed in this series. On Boxing Day last year, in a moment that epitomised Sri Lanka's ineptness in that match, Dilshan swiped across the line at a full, seaming Mitchell Johnson ball and had his stumps rattled. He spoke of having fixed the flaw when he hit two hundreds in three matches against Bangladesh in March, but departed in almost identical fashion in the Champions Trophy, when Mitchell McLenaghan bowled him in Cardiff. Against South Africa in the first ODI, Dilshan allowed Chris Morris' first straight ball following a spate of wides through his defences, as he aimed a shot through mid-on once again.

	I'm not going to change how I play. If the ball is there to hit - even if it is the first ball - I'm going to hit it Tillakaratne Dilshan


Both Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Morne Morkel honed in on Dilshan's stumps early in the innings, hoping he would oblige once more. But like with his cover drive, Dilshan remained untempted. The only expansive stroke he played off the seam bowlers in the arc from square leg to mid-off was a slog off a Tsotsobe free-hit. The straight balls were defused defensively instead, as he endeavoured to establish himself. It is an unusual ploy Dilshan said he may now use more often, if it brings him such success.

"Now with the new rule, run scoring has completely changed. If you take the last six or seven months, you can get a lot more runs in the last 15 overs than you can in the first 10. With the two new balls, it's better not to take a chance in those first 10 overs. There are also only four fielders on the boundary later on, when the ball is older and not doing much. When the rules change, we have to adjust as well."



He could not bring himself to admit he had embraced reticence though. Despite advocating a more thoughtful approach than he is used to, Dilshan remains a creature of instinct and an ardent opportunist. Once the game was secure in Pallekele, he strummed his steady piece into a crescendo, hitting nine late fours to plunder 44 from 21 deliveries. His first 50 runs had come in 83 balls.

"Still, given all that, I'm not going to change how I play. If the ball is there to hit - even if it is the first ball - I'm going to hit it."

By his own admission Dilshan does not train hard, even in a poor patch, and his method is perhaps no great exemplar for the young men finding their feet in the side. But there was no doubting his thirst for victory in Pallekele, as he strayed from the familiar to regain the confidence his cricket is founded on, and that is worth trading a few memorable shots for.

Read More..

Russell puts spanner in Somerset's works

Worcestershire 191 for 5 (Russell 77*) beat Somerset 188 for 4 (Kieswetter 80, Trego 62) by five wickets
Scorecard

A whirlwind half-century by West Indian Andre Russell delayed Somerset's march towards the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals as Worcestershire registered a surprise five-wicket win at New Road.

Worcestershire ended a run of three defeats and climbed off the bottom of the Midlands/Wales/West group by overhauling Somerset's formidable total of 188 for 4 with two balls to spare.

Russell led the charge to victory with six sixes in an unbeaten 77 from 42 balls - his highest score on a T20 contract for the county - and Ross Whiteley, newly signed from Derbyshire, was the perfect foil with 43 on his debut.

The tall left hander cleared the rope twice in stand of 88 in nine overs before a top edge off Yasir Arafat was well taken by Chris Jones at deep midwicket.

The momentum was then so much with Worcestershire that two fours by Russell in the last over from Craig Meschede completed a double over Somerset in the group.

Worcestershire lost early wickets but with rain threatening they made brisk progress through Alexei Kervezee, with 32 on stepping up to open, and Daryl Mitchell with 23 until he was leg-before to George Dockrell's first ball.

Somerset had made a bad start when Jones popped up a return chance to Jack Shantry but Worcestershire subsequently conceded eight sixes and 14 fours on a good batting surface.

Peter Trego led the way with 62 from only 31 balls and Craig Kieswetter was close to batting through the innings, cruising to 80 from 56 deliveries, before he was caught at wide long on in the 19th over. The pressure exerted by two batsmen targeting the shorter boundaries led to a number of fielding errors as Somerset romped to 61 in the six-over power play.

Trego was the chief enforcer, bludgeoning three sixes and eight fours until Worcestershire captain Mitchell appeared as the sixth bowler and beat the allrounder's attempt to drive his fourth delivery.

Jos Buttler briefly showed his flair for the shorter format until he was also bowled, making a complete mess of the scoop shot, but Kieswetter continued on his trouble-free course. Selective hitting brought four sixes and five fours before falling to Shantry with a neat catch by Whiteley.

Read More..

Bird's numbers proving hard to ignore

Jackson Bird just keeps taking wickets. Eleven at 16.18 in his only two Tests. Nine at 24.00 for Australia A and the Australians in England this year. His first-class tally now stands at 107 victims at 19.71. Statistics don't always tell the whole truth but such figures are hard to ignore, and Bird continued to build a strong case to replace the injured James Pattinson for the Old Trafford Test with a couple of searching spells against Sussex on the second day in Hove.

More than any other member of Australia's attack, Bird made the batsmen play again and again, giving them precious few loose balls to release the pressure. He swung it away from the right-handers early and kept his lines tight, collecting 2 for 33 that should have been three-for when a catch at slip was spilled. Without question he outbowled Mitchell Starc and James Faulkner and after being overlooked for Ryan Harris at Lord's, placed himself at the front of the queue to replace Pattinson in Manchester.

"They went with Ryan and Ryan did very well," Bird said. "It was probably the right selection. I'm not bitter or anything like that. Ryan is a world-class bowler and he showed that at Lord's. But if you're in the squad you're definitely a chance and you have to prepare before each Test match as if you're going to play.

"I feel like I've been bowling pretty well the last couple of weeks. I've been bowling well in the nets and I feel like I'm pretty close to being at 100%. And I suppose if selected next week in Manchester, I feel like I'm ready to do a good job but that's still a week or so away and we've still got a day of cricket tomorrow to concentrate on.

"I suppose there is always the motivation if you're outside the squad to do well, to make the final XI, but I can't control selection. It's not something that I think about all the time. All I can control is taking wickets for Australia and I took a couple today but there's still a bit of work to do tomorrow."

Bird, 26, has been a first-class cricketer for less than two years but has a mature approach, and knows his game well. Last year's Australia A tour of England was a significant learning experience for Bird, who struggled in the unfamiliar conditions and managed only seven wickets at 44.71. His success in three appearances on this Ashes tour are a strong indication that he had accurately assessed his deficiencies on that trip.

"I was probably a bit impatient when I came here last year," Bird said. "Everyone talks about how much the Dukes ball moves around and when I got here last year it didn't really do that. I was trying to swing the ball too much and trying to get too much sideways movement. When the wickets are flat over here the English batters punish bad bowling.

"I just came over here this year knowing that I had to really be diligent on my lines and lengths, especially when the sun is out I really have to build pressure. I feel like I've done that. And when it is cloudy and the conditions suit you, not to get too carried away. You've still got to hit your lines and lengths and that's probably the main thing I've noticed."

Line and length might sound straightforward but the value of Bird's control quickly became apparent when Starc and Faulkner both sent down some wayward deliveries in Hove. His consistent, accurate bowling brought him success in his first two Tests against Sri Lanka last summer in Australia and after nearly four months on the sidelines with a back injury that forced him home from the Test tour of India in February, Bird has moved closer and closer to another opportunity.

"I didn't think I was going to be fit enough in time for the tour," he said. "It's a bonus being here on the Ashes tour and if I play well it's just a bonus. I am definitely enjoying being over here."

Read More..

Committee to oversee IPL affairs likely

With no one currently heading the IPL, an influential section of the BCCI is likely to propose a special committee, to be led by interim president Jagmohan Dalmiya, to look into and review the daily affairs of the league. After Rajiv Shukla resigned as chairman of the IPL, no replacement was appointed as the BCCI was busy sorting out the mess created by the alleged corruption scandals. The proposal is likely to come up for discussion at the BCCI working committee meeting to be held in Kolkata on Sunday.

Although the IPL governing council, a BCCI sub-committee, still remains the body to look after the league, some board members feel there is room to accommodate a separate committee that could review the IPL. It is understood that Dalmiya has consulted Arun Jaitley, one of the the BCCI vice-presidents, on the matter and has got the nod. It is also learned that Dalmiya has spoken to a few former Indian cricketers, seeking their opinion about how best to run the IPL.

Immediately after he took over as the interim BCCI president, Dalmiya had initiated "operation clean up" for the IPL, wherein he announced proposals to enforce a "stricter code of conduct" for players and match officials, as well as putting an end to the "sleaze" element in the form of entertainment and after-hours parties.

Dalmiya took charge on June 2 after N Srinivasan "temporarily" stepped aside pending inquiry into allegations of corruption and spot-fixing during the sixth season of the IPL. Dalmiya recently attended the ICC annual conference as the Indian representative, even though Srinivasan participated in influential meetings such finance and commercial affairs via video conference.

It is understood that Srinivasan will not attend Sunday's meeting, which is also likely to discuss the tour itineraries for India's tour of South Africa, and their scheduled visit to New Zealand early next year.

It is also learned that the working committee will not discuss the findings of the two probe panels investigating the corruption scandals of IPL 2013. Ravi Sawani, the BCCI's anti-corruption head, has not yet concluded his probe into the alleged spot-fixing by three Rajasthan Royals players. Although Sawani has finished speaking to Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan, he has yet to meet Ajit Chandila, who is still in judicial custody.

The inquiry commission appointed by the BCCI, made up of two retired judges, has not yet finished its work. The commission was appointed to investigate charges against Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra, respectively part of Chennai Super Kings and Royals, who according to Mumbai and Delhi Police, had admitted to betting during IPL matches.

Read More..

Babar takes Pakistan home off last ball

Pakistan 158 for 8 (Amin 47, Afridi 46) beat West Indies 152 for 7 (Pollard 49*, Babar 3-23, Hafeez 2-4) by two wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

You get a chance to play international cricket at 34, becoming the second-oldest debutant for your country. You are hit for six second ball. What do you do? You dismiss three key batsmen for just 23 runs. You are then called on to finish the game. With the bat. Understandably, you are tied down. But with six needed off six, you loft over extra cover for four. You think you have more than pulled your weight as a debutant. You have, but it is not over yet. It comes down to the last ball. One run needed. Everyone is in the circle. No sweat. You go big over mid-off, so big that you clear the rope. Zulfiqar Babar, welcome to international cricket.

It should not have come down to the last ball the way Shahid Afridi sensibly steered the chase from 86 for 5. After that became 116 for 6, he did it with the tail for company. He made 46 off 27, but barring the 27th delivery, he hardly hit a desperate, reckless stroke. With eight needed off 11 though, he tried to seal it with a straight six, and mishit to long-on.

West Indies sensed a chance. Babar played out a few dots. Despite that early boundary in the last over, Saeed Ajmal was run out off the fifth with the scores tied, before Babar roared one final time.

The way they bowled and fielded, West Indies were lucky to have taken it down to the last ball. Shannon Gabriel took three wickets, but he crumbled under pressure each time he was called upon to deliver. Umar Amin, who played a blinder on T20 debut, took three fours off Gabriel's first over, with a flick and two pulls.

Amin then took Samuel Badree apart on a turning pitch. Never giving the ball a chance to spin, he repeatedly stepped out to loft Badree down the ground. When the bowler dropped it short, Amin pulled. When he overpitched, Amin drove. Even as Amin was toying with West Indies, the hosts were striking at the other end.

The Pakistan top order fell to miscalculated hits, but Amin's brilliance meant the asking-rate was always under control. That still didn't stop Amin from walking out to Samuels and getting stumped to make it 86 for 5.

Afridi took over now, striking Samuels first ball for six over long-off and drilling the third to the extra cover rope. Thereafter, he settled down into cruise mode, rotating the strike, picking the odd boundary and also lofting Sunil Narine to become the first man to reach 400 international sixes. He did everything right except the stroke on the ball he got out to, but then, it was to be the debutant's day in the end.

Babar, and the other Pakistan spinners, had shocked West Indies initially on the turner but the hosts recovered and then took apart the fast bowlers to post a challenging total. Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard came together at 42 for 4 and put on 56 before Darren Sammy cracked 30 off 14. Pakistan's slow bowlers did their job, taking 5 for 74 in 14 overs but the fast bowlers, missing the yorkers too often, disappeared for 1 for 73 in six. Mohammad Hafeez, who opened the bowling and dismissed the openers, gave himself just two overs.

Babar squared up and bowled Lendl Simmons with his fourth delivery and in his next over, found himself in the way of a powerful hit from Samuels, but managed to hold on. Samuels had been cutting Mohammad Irfan for boundaries amid all the wickets.

Bravo and Pollard, although not always in control, rotated the strike, a refreshing thing coming from a West Indies pair. Bravo was quick to hit with the turn through the off side, and Pollard made sure he put away the rare half-volleys for boundaries. Sammy went after the fast bowlers as he and Pollard looted 53 in four overs. As Sammy said after the game, 152 should have been defended on that pitch, but Babar was to have the perfect debut.

Read More..