Malan century dents Gloucestershire hopes

Middlesex 206 for 5 (Malan 113*) beat Gloucestershire 186 for 9 (Klinger 46, Harris 3-30) by 19 runs D/L
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Dawid Malan's unbeaten 113, backed up by an impressive bowling display, earned Middlesex a 19-run Duckworth-Lewis win against Gloucestershire at Lord's which keeps alive their hopes of qualifying for the Yorkshire Bank 40 semi-finals.

Gloucestershire's own chances of making it out of Group C received a heavy blow as they could make only 186 for 9 in reply to Middlesex's 206 for 5.

A short shower, which interrupted the early part of the Middlesex innings, led to the match becoming a 38-over per side affair, with Gloucestershire's target being adjusted to 206 under the Duckworth-Lewis calculations.

Malan underpinned the Middlesex batting effort with his first hundred of a prolific YB40 season, facing 116 balls and hitting two sixes and nine fours in taking his run tally for the competition to 552 at an average of 78.85.

Eoin Morgan, unusually becalmed as he laboured through 48 balls, was Middlesex's next best scorer with 22 and at the halfway stage it seemed as if Gloucestershire, joint top of Group C when the match began with 13 points from their previous nine games, were well in contention. But Steven Finn and James Harris both snatched wickets in their opening overs and by the time they had finished their five-over new balls spells Gloucestershire's batsmen were already struggling to keep up with the required rate.

Finn, given fresh hope of an England Test return next week by news of Tim Bresnan's stress fracture injury, had Hamish Marshall caught at point from the first ball of the innings, and then Harris pulled off a smart return catch to remove Chris Dent for 2. Much depended on Gloucestershire captain Michael Klinger, whose 46 took his own YB40 run tally to 575 at 95.83, and for a while he was well supported by Ian Cockbain in a stand of 81 for the third wicket.

But Cockbain then skied to mid-off, charging at Gareth Berg's medium pace, and Klinger - who had also been dropped on 13 and 19 - was stumped as he went down the pitch to try to heave a ball from left-arm spinner Ravi Patel into the Grandstand.

Patel then had Alex Gidman leg before wicket for 19 and Harris returned to bowl James Fuller for just 1. Benny Howell straight drove Toby Roland-Jones for six and swung him for another maximum next ball, but on 39 his bright effort ended with a skied catch to extra cover off the impressive Harris, who finished with 3 for 30.

There were also two wickets for Roland-Jones as Gloucestershire's late order swung with increasing desperation, with Gareth Roderick going for 13 and Ed Young for 12.

Malan was the only Middlesex batsman to get on top of some disciplined but largely unthreatening Gloucestershire bowling, with slow left-armer Young perhaps the pick of the attack with some clever variations of pace.

Paul Stirling fell to the first ball of the second over, inside-edging a drive into his stumps against Craig Miles, but Malan added 51 in just under 10 overs with Joe Denly for the second wicket before Denly was caught at extra cover for 21 from a leading edge as he looked to force medium-pacer Howell straight.

Morgan looked completely out of touch on a two-paced pitch, struggling through 45 balls for a mere 15 runs before lofting Miles over long-on for six for what proved to be his only boundary. On 22, and having been very much the junior partner in a stand of 65 with Malan, he tried a big hit at Chris Dent's occasional left-arm spin and skied to Klinger to end a curiously subdued innings from one of cricket's most destructive one-day batsmen.

Neil Dexter did manage to increase the scoring rate with 20 from 21 balls, helping Malan to put on a further 58 in eight overs for the fourth wicket, but he then mishit to point trying to slash away a ball from left-arm seamer David Payne.

Gareth Berg fell cheaply, bowled for three by Fuller, but Malan celebrated reaching his first YB40 century of the season by swinging Payne for six over the long deep midwicket boundary and, in the final over of the innings from Fuller, he added a second six to the same area. With John Simpson also taking a four from Fuller's last over, Middlesex's total was pushed above 200.

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Joyce century keeps Notts waiting

Sussex 293 for 6 (Joyce 123*, Shahzad 3-49) beat Nottinghamshire 290 for 5 (Hales 101, Hatchett 3-65) by four wickets
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Nottinghamshire missed the chance to seal their place in the semi-finals of the Yorkshire Bank 40 after Sussex reached a daunting target of 291 to win by four wickets at Hove. They were led to victory by skipper Ed Joyce who carried his bat for an unbeaten 123, the 13th one-day hundred of his career.

Opener Alex Hales made 101 and David Hussey 82 as Nottinghamshire plundered 105 off the last 10 overs to post a formidable total of 290 for 5.

But Luke Wright and Joyce launched the reply with 112 off 13 overs and even when Wright fell for 62, Matt Machan, whose 51 came off just 28 balls, maintained the momentum. Sussex wobbled briefly towards the end of their chase before they got home with nine balls to spare.

Nottinghamshire now need to beat Kent at Canterbury in their final game on August 26 to make sure of their place in the last four. If they lose Northamptonshire, who are a point behind them in Group C, will go through instead if they win their last match against Warwickshire in Birmingham.

Notts made a bad start after winning the toss and batting first. Michael Lumb was lbw to the third ball of the innings from Lewis Hatchett and the same bowler picked up a second wicket in the third over. James Taylor, who played for Sussex last month as a guest against Australia, was superbly caught low down by Chris Jordan at slip to leave Notts 11 for 2.

But that was Sussex's last success for 16 overs as Hales and Samit Patel rebuilt the innings with a stand of 102 before Chris Liddle had Patel caught on the long-leg boundary off a slog-sweep for 43. Hales reached his 50 off 43 balls with his sixth boundary and went to his fourth List A hundred off a further 44 deliveries with 11 fours and a pulled six off Jordan. Two balls after reaching three figures he was superbly caught by Rory Hamilton-Brown running in from the long-on boundary.

Hussey had been dropped on 17 at short cover by Mike Yardy and he made the most of the reprieve, adding 81 in 45 balls with Riki Wessels as he finished undefeated on 82 from 64 balls with seven fours and a six.

A score of 290 should have been defended but Notts bowled poorly from the start and Sussex had 71 on the board at the end of the eight-over Power play. Wright, who made 114 on Tuesday against Netherlands was soon into his stride as he reached 50 from 33 balls and it was a surprise when he fell in the 13th over to a catch on the mid-wicket boundary after making 62 from 49 balls with three sixes and four fours.

He had given Sussex the perfect platform and Machan was soon taking Notts' attack apart, reaching his half-century from just 25 balls. He was caught at short fine-leg off Hussey for 51 but Sussex needed 83 from 17 overs at that stage and Joyce was in no mood to let the advantage slip.

There was a brief wobble when the Sharks lost four wickets for 26 in seven overs and things might have been different had Patel not spilled a straightforward chance at extra cover when Joyce was on 108. But Will Beer joined him to contribute an unbeaten 20 and sealed victory with a six off Jake Ball. Joyce's 123 - his second one-day hundred of the season - came off 109 balls with 16 boundaries.

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Ervine stays cool to lead Hants home

Hampshire 220 for 7 (Ervine 65*) beat Surrey 219 for 9 (Ansari 62) by three wickets
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Sean Ervine guided holders Hampshire an important step nearer a place in the Yorkshire Bank 40 semi-finals with an unbeaten 65 as Surrey were beaten by three wickets with eight balls to spare at the Ageas Bowl.

Hampshire still have two Group B matches left in which to be sure of contesting the last four of the competition but they had to overcome a shaky start before finally defeating Surrey's brave challenge.

The two teams meet again in the semi-finals of the Friends Life t20 at Edgbaston on Saturday with Hampshire, also the holders, choosing the right time and place to confirm their superiority in one-day competitions.

At one stage Hampshire looked like losing when they were 128 for 6 in the 28th over, chasing 220 for victory, and it was then that Zimbabwean Ervine proved his worth in a match-winning stand of 71 for the seventh wicket with his captain Dimitri Mascarenhas, who is in his last season with the club.

Ervine and Mascarenhas took the score to 199 in the 37th over before Mascarenhas holed-out to Tim Linley but Chris Wood joined Ervine in striking some telling blows as Hampshire made light of the remainder of their target. Ervine made his runs off 63 balls and struck nine fours as Hampshire eased home, but there had been plenty of scares along the way before they could be sure of their eighth win in 10 group fixtures.

Surrey, put into bat, made an inauspicious start, losing their first four batsmen for 39, two of them to Mascarenhas, while all-rounder Ervine reduced Surrey to 79 for five when he removed Gary Wilson in the 19th over.

Surrey managed to put together a competitive 219 for 9 only because of two major stands, of 66 for the sixth wicket between Rory Burns and Zafar Ansari and 53 for the seventh between Ansari and Linley. Ansari provided the backbone to Surrey's total by making 62 in an innings which included a six off Liam Dawson and five fours while Sohail Tanvir, Mascarenhas and Wood each took two wickets for Hampshire.

Hampshire have relied heavily on their opening pair of James Vince and Michael Carberry in one-day matches this season but within eight balls both were out, Carberry caught behind to Chris Tremlett's third ball of the innings and Vince caught and bowled by Jon Lewis to the eighth.

Neil McKenzie and Jimmy Adams began a rally with a stand of 55 for the third wicket but at the halfway point, Hampshire were struggled to keep up with the run rate at 68 for four, still needing 152 at more than seven an over.

Dawson began the Hampshire acceleration with a brisk 40 only for Adam Wheater to be run out the ball after Dawson had been bowled by Zander de Bruyn, reducing Hampshire to 128 for 6. It was then that durable veterans Ervine and Mascarenhas came together, taking control of the bowling and using the experience accumulated over many years of just such situations to see Hampshire home.

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Durham fall at the feet of Madsen

Derbyshire 217 for 8 (Johnson 58) beat Durham 110 (Wainwright 4-11) by 107 runs
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Durham's hopes of reaching the Yorkshire Bank 40 semi-finals were all but ended when Derbyshire skipper Wayne Madsen inspired his team to a crushing 107-run victory in Group B under the County Ground floodlights.

Madsen made 37 and shared a century stand with Richard Johnson as Derbyshire made 217 for 8 before he ambushed Durham with his off-spin to take 3 for 27 - his best figures in any form of cricket - as the visitors collapsed on a slow, turning Derby pitch.

Durham never recovered after Madsen reduced them to 62 for 4 and David Wainwright took a limited-overs career-best 4 for 11 to send the visitors crashing to 110 all out in the 29th over as Derbyshire ended a run of four defeats to Durham this season.

Durham had to win and started well against a weakened Derbyshire team missing Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Wes Durston, leaving their hosts in trouble on 36 for 3 in the ninth over. Mark Wood nibbled one away to have Ben Slater caught behind for six in the fourth over and after Chesney Hughes pulled Wood for six, he tried to repeat the shot against Chris Rushworth and holed out to deep midwicket for 24.

Derbyshire were struggling when Wood had Paul Borrington caught at gully but Madsen joined Johnson in a stand that put the Falcons back in the match. Johnson had a lucky escape when he was caught behind for 17 with the total on 61 but Ben Stokes had overstepped and that proved costly as the fourth-wicket pair worked the ball around to add 103 from 114 balls.

Madsen straight drove Gareth Breese for six and Johnson hit four fours in a 58-ball 50 before Paul Collingwood switched ends to remove them both in the 27th over. Madsen mistimed a pull and was caught at mid-on and three balls later, Collingwood cut one back to bowl Johnson but 22 from 15 balls by Tony Palladino and 25 extras lifted Derbyshire to a challenging total on a slow pitch.

It looked an even better when Madsen surprisingly opened with his occasional off-breaks and struck twice in a five-over spell that cost only 13 runs. Phil Mustard tried to cut a straight one and was bowled for a duck and Scott Borthwick pulled to deep-midwicket to put Durham on the back foot at 14 for 2.

Collingwood and Mark Stoneman added 46 in nine overs but it was not easy to force the pace and when Madsen returned at the Grandstand End, Stoneman was caught at long off for 25 when he tried to hit down the ground. It was impossible to keep Madsen out of the game and he took a simple catch in the next over when Collingwood pushed Tom Knight's left-arm spin to short extra-cover.

Knight struck another huge blow when he bowled the dangerous Stokes for nine and celebrated his best List A figures of 3 for 36 before Wainwright sealed victory with 11.4 overs remaining.

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Pietersen undergoes scan on knee

Kevin Pietersen has had a precautionary scan on his troublesome right knee but remains available for selection for the final Ashes Test at The Oval.

The ECB said the scan was part of the "ongoing monitoring process" Pietersen has been undergoing since the batsman returned from the tour of New Zealand with bone bruising in his knee. The problem ruled him out of the final Test in Auckland and the return series against New Zealand as well as the Champions Trophy.

The ECB statement added: "Kevin remains available for selection for the fifth Investec Ashes Test and will continue to receive treatment on his right knee as part of his rehabilitation programme over the course of remainder of the series and beyond."

With England 3-0 up in the Ashes there could be an opportunity to rest Pietersen even if, under other circumstances, he would be able to get through a Test, although Andy Flower, the team director, has already said he will be "fine". Flower previously confirmed that Pietersen would not be available to Surrey for the Friends Life t20 finals day on Saturday.

"He will be rested because of a couple of the niggles he has," Flower said on Tuesday. "I have spoken with [Surrey's interim coach] Alec Stewart about that. It would have been nice to have made him available but injuries have meant that he can't be. We're just resting his knee and calf.

"He has played four Test matches now and this is an opportunity to rest. We try to be as fair to the counties as possible and you might have noticed over the last couple of years that we do try and get them back with their counties where we can. It possibly happens more often than it used to six or seven years go. But in this instance we can't because of injury. He'll be fine for The Oval."

Pietersen was an injury doubt for the third Test at Old Trafford having picked up a calf strain at Lord's, but was passed fit and made a crucial 113 to help England avoid the follow-on and subsequently retain the Ashes in a rain-hit draw.

Speaking after his innings, Pietersen said he was an "old man" now and, following the Test, Flower said that the batsman would have to take extra care about looking after himself during the latter stage of his career. "He's in his early 30s - everything seems to hurt a bit more after long days and big innings," Flower said.

England will name their squad for the final Test on Saturday with the major decision being whether to rest James Anderson who has appeared jaded during the last couple of Tests. Graham Onions has suffered a broken finger which rules him out of contention but there could be a chance of Chris Tremlett, who has been part of the squad for the previous two Tests, being recalled on his home ground.

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Andy Pick hired as USACA High Performance Manager

The USA Cricket Association announced on Tuesday the appointment of former England Under-19 and Canada coach Andy Pick as USACA High Performance Manager in a move aimed at helping the USA form a more professional administrative cricket structure. Pick has been serving as the ICC Americas High Performance Manager since 2009 and will still be partially employed in that role as he splits his workload between the ICC Americas office in Toronto and USACA's headquarters in Florida.

"There is a lot of natural talent in the USA," Pick said in a USACA media release. "In the past, the pathway from talent discovery through to players becoming established international cricketers has not always been clear. Having been involved in high performance planning and delivery for the last 14 years, I hope I can make that pathway more accessible and transparent."

The official announcement of Pick's new role with USACA was hinted at through his more frequent appearances around USA teams and programmes in the past six months. In March, he was in Florida for USA's unofficial three-match 50-over series against Bermuda ahead of ICC WCL Division Three and was present as a sounding board during selection meetings to pick the squad that went to Bermuda a month later for the tournament.

In June, he organised and oversaw the inaugural USACA U-19 Selection Combine, which was designed as a new method to select USA's U-19 squad for the ICC Americas U-19 Division One tournament. In the past, USACA had used domestic tournaments as a selection mechanism. Pick was in constant contact with USACA chief executive Darren Beazley while at the ICC Americas U-19 tournament and at the conclusion of the July event, he drove from Toronto to Miami to work with Beazley on a plan for the USA senior team to prepare them for the 2013 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in November.

"USACA is extremely pleased to have the support of an experienced cricket administrator such as Andy Pick to provide a dedicated focus on establishing the correct structures and processes to ensure USACA identifies and develops talent, wherever talented men and women reside across the country," Beazley said in the release. "His intimate knowledge of cricket in the USA and of our playing lists will be very important, particularly as our men's team commences preparation for the ICC T20 Qualifer in Dubai in November."

Pick has been a regular source of guidance and assistance to the USA through his ICC Americas position. In the winter of 2011, he spent time in New York and New Jersey organising weekly training courses for the region's junior players and coaches. He also set up a coaching clinic in March 2011 for the New York Public Schools Athletic League, the only high school cricket league in USA.

In April 2011, he organised a month-long training stint with reigning English county champions Nottinghamshire - where Pick played from 1983 to 1997 and also served as bowling coach - for USA players Muhammad Ghous and Adrian Gordon. Four months later, Pick and ICC Americas colleague Wendell Coppin conducted a 10-day training camp in Barbados for the USA Women's team to aid their preparation for the 2011 ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh.

In October 2010, Pick stated in an interview with ESPNcricinfo that he was impressed with the "abundance of natural talent" in the USA, but was worried that structures were not in place for proper development. "If I'm brutally honest, they have at the moment little framework beneath it to continue providing and developing their best players. That is part of my role, to try to work with the US to see if we can help rectify that situation." With his new role at USACA, Pick now has more control and authority to carry out that mission.

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Simon Jones' double sinks Middlesex

Glamorgan 153 for 9 (Roland-Jones 3-13) beat Middlesex 142 for 9 (Dexter 54, Cosker 3-32) by 11 runs
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Simon Jones took the wickets of Eoin Morgan and Adam Voges with consecutive balls as Glamorgan won their rain-affected Yorkshire Bank 40 Group C match against Middlesex by 11 runs in Cardiff.

It was their second win in three games - they beat Somerset on Monday - as they moved up to second place in the group, level on points with leaders Somerset with a game in hand.

Glamorgan lost the toss and made 153 for 9 in a match reduced to 25 overs per side, but Middlesex, who will struggle to now make the semi-finals, could only make 142 for nine despite skipper Neil Dexter scoring 54 from 52 balls.

Glamorgan made a fortuitous start when Gareth Rees top-edged Steven Finn for six in the first over but Finn got his revenge having Mark Wallace caught at point while at the other end James Harris delivered a tight three overs as the home side reached 31 for 1 after seven overs.

That became 38 for 3 after Toby Roland-Jones struck twice to remove Chris Cooke and skipper Marcus North. Jim Allenby's arrival saw some impetus injected into the Glamorgan innings as he took a four and a six off consecutive balls from Dexter, before Paul Stirling's part-time offspin claimed two wickets.

Allenby holed out on the midwicket boundary before Murray Goodwin top-edged a sweep to short fine leg as the Welsh county found themselves 85 for 5. Harris made that 89 for six as Rees was bowled making 32 from 53 balls.

Some much-needed impetus to the Glamorgan innings came with 14 coming off an Ollie Raynor over including a Ben Wright six over long off and 18 from an over from Harris.

The start of the batting power play saw Wright holing out to Finn ending a 43-run partnership with Wagg, who helped Glamorgan take 21 runs from the final three overs.

Middlesex struggled at the start of their reply. Allenby bowled Dawid Malan with the fifth ball of the Middlesex innings and a good Michael Hogan over saw Joe Denly edge behind to leave Middlesex 14 for 2 at the end of the fourth. Allenby struck again in the seventh over as Paul Stirling drove him straight to mid-off to Middlesex 30 for 3.

And Jones turned the game right in Glamorgan's favour with two wickets in consecutive balls to leave Middlesex 32 for five in the eighth over. He got the prize wicket of Morgan with his third ball helped by a good catch by Cooke diving forward at cover and followed that up by trapping Voges lbw.

But Middlesex recovered through John Simpson and Dexter who put on 59 in nine overs until the impressive Simpson was snaffled at mid-wicket off Dean Cosker, who took three wickets from 11 balls as the Panthers found themselves 138 for 8.

Dexter, with the only half century in the match, got it down to 20 required from the final over but he holed out to the second ball of the final over.

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Fawad Ahmed named in Australia ODI squad

Fawad Ahmed is expected to make his long-awaited debut for Australia during the limited-overs series that follows the Ashes after being named in an 18-man squad at the expense of Xavier Doherty. Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has also been included and should play his first ODIs in three years, while Doherty and the allrounder Mitchell Marsh were the only players dropped from the squad that contested the Champions Trophy in June.

The most fascinating inclusion is that of Ahmed, a legspinner who arrived in Australia in 2010 as an asylum seeker from Pakistan, where he had played ten first-class games over four years. Ahmed impressed for Victoria during the 2012-13 season and his Australian citizenship was fast-tracked this year in an effort to make him available for the Ashes, although he was ultimately not chosen in the Test squad.

But Australia's selectors remain keen on Ahmed as an international option and have been impressed by his bowling during the ongoing Australia A tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa. Although Ahmed has collected only two wickets in the five one-day games on the tour, the selectors believe he has bowled better than his figures indicate, and he will be the lead spinner alongside allrounder Glenn Maxwell in the limited-overs games in England.

"Fawad Ahmed gets his opportunity as the squad's lead spinner," the national selector John Inverarity said. "Fawad has been a consistent wicket-taker on the Australia A tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa. He is a mature and very good leg-spin bowler, and the national selection panel is keen to see how he fares in international competition ... He has been bowling very well in South Africa and turning the ball and troubling the batsmen so we're keen to have a look at him.

"He takes Xavier Doherty's place. Xavier has been a fine performer for Australia over the years. We haven't selected the side for India, for the seven ODIs there in October, but it's likely that both players will be on that tour. He [Doherty] is very much a known quantity and he's a wonderful young man and a very good cricketer. He can be hopeful that further opportunities will come his way."

The 18-man squad will gather for the two Twenty20s against England that follow the Ashes and the group will then be trimmed to 15 for the one-off ODI against Scotland and five against England in September. While Mitchell Marsh was replaced by Steven Smith after having limited impact in the Champions Trophy, his brother Shaun was included and is likely to play in the T20s, but whether he remains part of the squad for the ODIs is unclear.

The same can be said of Aaron Finch, who has been captain of Australia A during the African tour, while the rest of the batting line-up was largely as expected. However, there was no place for Nic Maddinson, the young New South Wales batsman who has played a number of eye-catching innings for Australia A in the British Isles and Africa over the past couple of months, including a remarkable 181 from 143 balls against Gloucestershire in Bristol.

"While he hasn't been selected in this squad, the national selection panel also notes the strong performances of Nic Maddinson in recent months for Australia A," Inverarity said. "We look forward to him continuing to build on that good form and pressing his claims for higher honours in the future."

The pace attack will be led by the experienced Mitchell Johnson and Clint McKay, but also features younger talent including Nathan Coulter-Nile, who made his T20 international debut in February, and Hazlewood, who also reappeared in the national side via February's T20 against West Indies. Hazlewood, 22, made his ODI debut in England in 2010 but has always been regarded by the selectors as a player to watch.

"We're looking forward to him showing his wares in international cricket again," Inverarity said. "He made his debut for Australia in 2010 at the age of 19. Three years later he's a stronger young man and a better bowler. He has been very impressive with his form in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

"I've been talking with Andy Bichel, who's the selector on duty in Zimbabwe and South Africa, and Josh has been very impressive, has bowled with good pace and good accuracy and has been moving the ball. I think it's the right time for him to come through and join the international squad."

Squad Michael Clarke (ODI capt), George Bailey (T20 capt), Fawad Ahmed, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Phillip Hughes, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Voges, Matthew Wade (wk), David Warner, Shane Watson.

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Record stand revives England

Australia 331 for 6 dec and 64 for 1 lead England 314 (Knight 157, Marsh 55, Osborne 4-67) by 81 runs
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Heather Knight made her first Test century as England continued their dogged rearguard action well into the third day at Wormsley. Knight's 157 from 338 balls was the seventh-highest Test score by an England woman and she was joined by the equally obdurate Laura Marsh in a stand of 156 - England's best for the seventh wicket and one run shy of the Test record - that went a long way to staving off the threat of defeat to Australia.

With six points on offer in these multi-format Ashes, the incentive to win was clear and evinced by Jodie Fields' decision to declare with her team six down on the second day. But with the prospect of defeat coming at such a price - a draw will give each side two points - England have knuckled down in an attempt to make sure they don't lose. Australia had extended their lead to 81 by reaching 64 for 1 by the close, making a draw the most likely result.

Resuming on a perilous 172 for 6, still 149 runs behind, Knight and Marsh forged on in the same manner in which they had gone about their business on the on previous evening. The pair soaked up 73 overs of pressure before Knight was run out after being sent back looking for a single.

Knight was dropped on 105, wicketkeeper Fields missing a chance down the leg side, but by then she had long-since surpassed her previous best innings, in her only other Test, of 19. She hit 20 fours in all and was particularly strong off her pads in making the third-highest individual total for England against Australia.

Marsh, 13 from 114 balls at the start of the day, had progressed to 35 when she lost her partner and Katherine Brunt, who hit her first ball for four, went soon after. But Danielle Hazell stuck around for another 20 overs as Marsh went to her first Test half-century, eventually facing 304 balls for her 55. By the time Australia claimed the final wicket, Erin Osborne finishing with 4 for 67, the deficit was just 17.

"I'm really pleased, I think when I went in we were pretty up against it," Marsh said. "I was just really pleased to be able to hang in there with Heather and support her.

"It was the job the team needed and I tried to stick in there and be disciplined with my decision-making. It was really helpful to have Heather at the other end for the vast amount of the time I was there because she just played brilliantly and we kept each other going.

"I tried to be positive in defence and approach it that way and pick up runs when they became available."

With a slim lead and a potentially tricky couple of hours to negotiate amid rain showers, Australia's openers began at a similarly watchful pace, reaching 40 before Jenny Gunn removed Rachael Haynes. First-innings centurion Sarah Elliott accompanied Meg Lanning safely to the close but it will take something special from the usually attacking Fields to force a result.

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Napier, ten Doeschate down Durham

Essex 139 for 4 (ten Doeschate 74*) beat Durham 138 (Smith 53, Napier 5-21) by six wickets
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Essex maintained their hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the Yorkshire Bank 40 competition after crushing Durham by six wickets at Chelmsford. The hosts got home with 13.3 overs to spare, successfully chasing down Durham's meagre 138 all out.

Ryan ten Doeschate and Ravi Bopara made light of the task with a fourth-wicket partnership of 94 in 18 overs before the latter departed for 38. Ten Doeschate completed his side's emphatic victory with an unbeaten 74 spanning 64 balls and featuring two sixes and eight fours.

The visitors started the match at the head of Group B but struggled against a wonderful exhibition of pace bowling from Graham Napier. The Essex allrounder took 5 for 21, including a devastating spell of four wickets for one run in 2.2 overs at the start of the innings, as Durham sank to 9 for 4 after 4.2 overs.

Mark Stoneman, Scott Borthwick and Paul Collingwood all failed to score as Napier ran amok. He removed Stoneman with his second delivery of the match and three balls later found an edge as Borthwick pushed forward to give James Foster one of his three catches. Former England batsman Collingwood failed to dig out a yorker while Phil Mustard reached just nine before he became another Napier casualty.

Will Smith made a gallant effort to sustain the innings with a 73-ball half-century that included five boundaries, and he found useful support from Gareth Breese with the pair adding 55 in 11 overs for the seventh wicket. Breese was bowled by ten Doeschate and soon after Smith drove Tymal Mills to Bopara at mid-off as Durham's innings ending as ignominiously as it had started with the loss of three wickets for one run.

Bowled out in 34.1 overs, the visitors did have some early impetus when Essex started their reply as they captured three wickets for 30 runs in 11 overs. Hamish Rutherford edged Mark Wood to slip in the first over, Mark Pettini was pinned in front of his stumps by Chris Rushworth three overs later and Greg Smith played down the wrong line and was bowled by Wood.

But Bopara and Ten Doeschate soon steadied matters as they composed their match-winning stand. When Bopara became a second victim for Rushworth, only 15 more runs were required and ten Doeschate duly completed the win to send Essex into Twenty20 Finals day on Saturday in good heart.

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Centurion Wright slaughters Netherlands

Sussex 188 for 1 (Wright 114) beat Netherlands 185 (Barresi 64, Beer 3-49) by nine wickets
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Luke Wright smashed 114 off just 69 balls as Sussex cruised to a nine-wicket win over Netherlands in their day-night Yorkshire Bank 40 game at Hove. Sussex's fourth win in Group A is unlikely to improve their chances of reaching the knockout stages for the third successive year but they at least managed to end a winless run at Hove that had extended for two days short of a year.

Wright and Ed Joyce put on 175 in 20 overs for the first wicket with Wright cruising to the sixth List A hundred of his career and second of the summer, after he made 115 against Kent in June.

The 28-year-old played the last of his 46 ODIs for England more than two years ago and is to lead England Lions in three matches against Bangladesh A next week. While he ruthlessly exposed the limitations of the Dutch attack it was nonetheless an impressive display of hitting against both seam and spin.

He struck five sixes, either straight or on the leg side, and reached his century with his 11th four, a powerful back-foot force through extra cover off Tim Gruitjers. Gruitjers did have the satisfaction of removing Wright thanks to a superb running catch on the long-on boundary by Pieter Seelar, but it was a rare moment of relief for the seven Dutch bowlers used, none of whom had an economy rate of less than seven an over.

Skipper Joyce hit the winning runs in the 22nd over to reach a 58-ball half-century.

Netherlands had been hoping to build on Sunday's encouraging win over Warwickshire and having won the toss they were well placed after 22 overs on 125 for 3. But the dismissal of top-scorer Wesley Barresi sparked a collapse which saw seven wickets go down for 60 runs in 14.2 overs.

Barresi had shared a stand of 50 from just 35 balls with Gruitjers when he was leg-before to Will Beer for a run-a-ball 64, which included seven fours and a six. Three deliveries later Peter Borren was trapped in his crease by Chris Liddle and Dutch wickets fell regularly after that although Gruitjers hinted at a recovery with 27 before he was stumped down the leg side by debutant Callum Jackson to give Beer, who finished with 3 for 49, another wicket.

It was a good night for the Sussex spinners. On a slow pitch, Mike Yardy and Chris Nash were operating in tandem after nine overs. Offspinner Nash picked up Michael Swart to a catch on the midwicket boundary after the opener had added 44 for the second wicket with Barresi following the early loss of Stephan Myburgh.

Nash, Liddle and Lewis Hatchett all picked up two wickets and a target of 186 was never going to be a test for Sussex, especially after Wright and Joyce had plundered 71 off the first six-over Powerplay.

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Worcs keep Notts waiting

Worcestershire 220 for 8 (Mitchell 56, Shahzad 3-54) beat Nottinghamshire 182 (Taylor 67*, Ali 3-28) by 38 runs
Scorecard

Nottinghamshire missed an opportunity to secure a semi-final place in the Yorkshire Bank 40 as they slumped to a 38-run defeat against Worcestershire at Trent Bridge. Set a target of 221 in 37 overs after afternoon showers had delayed the start, the home side were bowled out for 182, with James Taylor remaining unbeaten on 67.

Taylor had been left with the lower order after Worcestershire had reduced Nottinghamshire to 83 for 5, with Moeen Ali claiming the wickets of Samit Patel, David Hussey and Riki Wessels on his way to figures of 3 for 28.

Daryl Mitchell had earlier top-scored with 56 as the visitors posted 220 for 8 after being invited to bat first. Mitchell shared in an opening stand of 58 with Ali (28) before pairing up with Alexei Kervezee, who hit a run-a-ball 31 in a second-wicket partnership worth 49.

Tom Fell added 25 and Thilan Samaraweera, who launched the only maximum of the evening, continued the momentum before being trapped lbw by Jake Ball for 38, who ended with 2 for 38. In a comical conclusion to the innings, Ross Whiteley survived three run-out attempts on his way to making just 6 and Brett D'Oliveira was bowled by a Harry Gurney no-ball in the penultimate over.

Ajmal Shahzad claimed figures of 3 for 54, conceding a flurry of late runs as the lower order tried to scramble their way to a respectable total, and Harry Gurney collected 2 for 39.

Paceman Graham Cessford, on his Worcestershire one-day debut, came under an early assault from both Michael Lumb and Alex Hales, who picked him off for five boundaries in his first two overs. But Lumb then fell to Jack Shantry before Ali blew a hole in the batting card with three quick wickets, while Charlie Morris removed Hales for 31.

Taylor passed fifty for the fifth time in this year's competition but then lost partner Chris Read, who holed out for 25. A direct hit from point by D'Oliveira ran out Steven Mullaney, who had received his county cap prior to the start, and the same fielder then caught Shahzad to give Cessford his maiden wicket at this level. Morris delivered the final blow as he clean-bowled Gurney with four overs left unbowled.

While Worcestershire celebrated only their fourth win of the year, Nottinghamshire were left still needing victory over either Sussex or Kent from their final two matches to reach the last four.

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A magical session, but England can get better

Nine wickets in a dramatic session saw England surge to a series victory, but that should not be allowed to gloss over the issues raised against Australia

As the champagne corks flew and the England team celebrated, it was hard to avoid the conclusion that this is the golden age of English cricket.

After all, England have not just retained the Ashes, they have done so for the third time in succession. They have won this series 3-0 with a game to spare and, underAlastair Cook's fledgling captaincy, they have gone 12 Tests unbeaten in a stretch that includes a series win in India. What is more, their team contains three men with 20 or more Test centuries and three with more than 200 Test wickets. For England, at least, it really doesn't get any better.

They may be on the brink of further achievements, too. If England win the final Investec Test at The Oval, they will be the first England side to win four Ashes Tests in a home series. And, if they prevail in Australia, Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen will, fitness permitting, have played a part in five Ashes- winning sides. No England players have won more. England also require only a draw at The Oval to move back above India to second place in the Test ranking table.

There have been some hugely impressive performances from England players over recent days. Bell, who has now played three match-defining innings in the series without winning a Man-of-the-Match award, is fast developing into the batsman his talent suggested he could a decade ago. It would be premature to label him a 'great' - he has unfinished business against quality spin bowling and the newer, harder ball - but he has taken a significant step in that direction in this series. His batting has been the key difference between the sides.

Stuart Broad, too, enjoyed a wonderful game. It was Broad, bowling with pace, persistence and skill, who provided the impetus for England to claim nine wickets after tea on the fourth day of this game with a spell of 5 for 20 in 40 balls. Topping 90mph at times, Broad looked every inch the fine Test bowler his talent has long suggested he could become. His match haul - 11 for 121 - was his best in Tests to date. If he could add consistency to his list of attributes, England would have a special bowler.

In the light of such facts, any criticism seems churlish. But the truth is that there was nothing straightforward about this result. The 3-0 margin does not reflect the ever-improving competitiveness of the Australian team or England's enduring problems with their top-order batting. It does not reflect that Australia have led on first innings in three of the four Tests; that four of England's top seven averaged under 30 and only one of them above 40 or that, by the end of this match, James Anderson looked a shadow of the man who started the series and that Steven Finn, supposedly the future of England's fast bowling, could not even make a 13-man squad containing five seamers.

Most of all, though, it does not reflect the fact that this was a modest Australia team. While the bowling of Ryan Harris, in particular, has underlined the worth of their bowling attack, there is no avoiding the conclusion that this is the weakest Australia batting line-up to contest an Ashes series in England for many years. Any analysis of England's performance has to recognise that.

That may be no bad thing. England have been down this route before. By the end of 2011 they had enjoyed a series of fine victories and dared to look too far into the future with talk of establishing a legacy. Such hubris came back to bite them hard.

This time they know they are not the finished article. They know that Jonny Bairstow's credentials as a Test batsman are unproven, they know that Joe Root's development as a Test opener remain a work in progress and they may be in the process of learning that the burden placed upon the individual components of a four-man attack is unsustainable.

Most of all, they know that one or two of their players are considerably nearer the end of their Test careers than the beginning. This just might prove to be Graeme Swann's final home Test series. History tells us that no player is irreplaceable, but quite how England find a replacement for Swann remains a mystery. It is as close to mystery spin as England can go.

There have been times in this series when England have looked flat and uninspired on the field, too. When they have looked timid with the bat and impotent with the ball. When the somewhat prescriptive - overbearing, even - nature of their coaching set-up has appeared to stifle creativity and limit England to a pragmatic team playing percentage cricket. That will be fine against modest opposition but against the best, against South Africa, it will leave them short. It leaves them a good, but not great, side.

They can be better than that. In Cook and Pietersen they possess great batsman. In Swann they possess the finest spin bowler England have had for decades. In Broad and Bell and Anderson and Jonathan Trott they have players who, freed from the fear of failure, have the talent and temperament to play Test cricket with distinction. England have rarely coaxed the best out of many of those players in recent times. They can improve.

Andy Flower has been at the centre of just about everything good to happen in English cricket over the last five or six years. No England coach has come close to emulating his achievements and his record invites no argument about his future.

But even Flower needs to reinvent himself. Even Flower needs to reflect on the environment in the England camp and decide whether it remains conducive to bringing the best out of his players. If England conclude that recent results justify a continuation of current methods, they will not fulfil their considerable potential.

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Australia forget how to win

Few of Australia's recent losses will hurt like the one at Chester-le-Street, because they know - they know - they should have won it

LLLLLLDL.

That's not the name of an obscure Welsh town, that's Australia's record in Tests since the start of this year's tour of India. Stretch it back to the start of the Australian summer and it's a little healthier, but not much: DDLWWWLLLLLLDL. The victories were all against Sri Lanka, a team that has never won a Test in Australian conditions. Australia were on top in all three draws, against South Africa and England. Some losses have been comprehensive, others close.

Australia seem to have forgotten how to handle the pressure moments, the tight contests. Perhaps it is not so much that they have forgotten but that they've never known, for besides Michael Clarke, none of this current outfit have ever really known extended Test success. The coach, Darren Lehmann, played in 27 Tests and only five weren't wins. Compare that to a man like Steven Smith, who has played in only two victories, both early in his career, from 11 Tests.

Winning is a habit. Get a few successes on the board, especially against quality opponents, and especially in close finishes, and you start to trust that it can be done. Shane Warne often talks about believing it is possible to win from anywhere; Clarke's men appear petrified that they can lose from anywhere. How else to explain their collapse after tea at Chester-le-Street? Few of their recent losses will hurt like this one, because they know - they know - they should have won it.

The target of 299 was a challenge, certainly, but Chris Rogers and David Warner made Australia's highest opening stand in a Test chase in 18 years, reaching 109 for 0. Even after Rogers fell, Australia were still comfortable at tea, at 120 for 1. Then the doubt crept in. The fear. The knowledge that this match was there to lose, a 2-1 scoreline was theirs to give up. And dutifully, they handed England the momentum, their wickets and a series win.

At 5.26pm Usman Khawaja departed, Warner at 5.44, Clarke at 6.10, Smith at 6.22, Shane Watson at 6.29, Brad Haddin at 6.39. Then the bowlers tumbled too, but it wasn't their fault. In the final session Australia lost nine for 104. England's bowling improved - Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan bowled in tandem, keeping things tight, bringing the batsmen on to the front foot instead of offering up the short-of-a-length stuff they had delivered before tea. But they weren't nine-wickets-in-a-session good.

That Australia collapsed again is almost not a story, for it has happened so often in recent years that it is the norm. But to collapse when the openers had laid such a strong foundation is almost more galling. And how many of the batsmen could say they were done by great balls? Clarke missed a super delivery from Broad that angled in and nipped away just enough, but Watson and Haddin essentially just missed straight deliveries.

They were the two senior men in the lower middle-order. They had to show more resolve, respect the good balls and wait for the bad ones. Rogers had given them the template. Smith tried to do that, go after a short ball, but wasn't good enough to middle it and played on instead. Khawaja was typically elegant, but elegant doesn't win Test matches in tight situations. Fight does. Hunger does. Sheer bloody-mindedness does.

It raised the question - again - of whether Australia's batsmen are good enough for Test cricket. It goes without saying that Clarke is, and Rogers has shown in this series that he has the necessary technique and determination. Warner played a mature innings here but too often is careless. Watson is the No.6 and allrounder because there is nobody better. Smith and Khawaja have both shown signs of being Test batsmen but inspire little confidence in tight spots.

For all of them, this was an opportunity. This was a chance to stand up in a challenging situation, to deliver a victory for their struggling team. Rogers and Warner did the hard work early. Nobody matched them. It leaves the selectors in a difficult position, for they cannot keep picking men who fail under pressure. Phillip Hughes and Matthew Wade could be considered for The Oval Test, but where are the other batsmen applying the pressure?

"I think we are picking the best players," Clarke said after the loss. "Everyone says rebuild, rebuild, rebuild, but you need guys in first-class cricket making runs to take someone's slot. We have to continue to show faith in these guys - it takes time playing against good opposition. We just played South Africa in Australia, we are playing England here then England in Australia, then we go to South Africa - we are playing the best oppositions in the world. I think the selectors are doing the best they can to pick the best sides."

Clarke has had plenty of practice answering difficult questions after losses, but in the post-match press conference he looked drained of all his spark. He paid credit to Broad for his fine bowling, claimed responsibility for his own dismissal and not leading by example, and tried his best to back his men. Ultimately, though, his mood could be summed up by one answer: "It's extremely disappointing - I guess I know now what it feels like to lose an Ashes series as a captain."

Losing matches, losing series - it's all becoming far too familiar a feeling. When he retired after the series win over Sri Lanka during the home summer, Michael Hussey handed custodianship of the team victory song to Nathan Lyon. That was seven months ago. Eight Tests ago. Lyon is yet to lead the beer-soaked choir.

Under the Southern Cross I stand, a sprig of wattle in my hand.

The words are easy to remember, how to win a Test match not so much.

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How England turned the tables

At 109 for 0 and then 147 for 1, Australia were well in command at Chester-le-Street but Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann had other ideas

Using the ball-by-ball commentary, ESPNcricinfo looks back on how England turned around the fourth day of the Chester-le-Street Test to clinch their third Ashes series in a row

29.2 Swann to Rogers, OUT, and there she comes, the much-desired breakthrough for England, good length now, fuller than the previous ball, angled in too, Rogers opened up, possibly looking leg side again, but this has gripped, straigthened and hurried on to middle, and the thick edge has gone low to slip

39.1 Swann to Khawaja, OUT, forward and given out lbw in front of off stump. The finger goes straight up, he seemed to just miss a straight ball there, hit his pad not the ball, the ball hit the pad in front of off stump and Khawaja has again played a funny little innings without any real substance. Perhaps he just misread the line

43.4 Bresnan to Warner, OUT, oh what a beauty and finally one is nicked behind just a thin one through to the keeper, Warner goes after a fine innings but he's been drawn forward here to one angled across him and gets a very thin nick to Prior. Dar gives it out straight away and Warner walks off

48.1 Broad to Clarke, OUT, Stuart Broad, you indecipherable, incredible, unbelievable beauty, what a first ball after drinks, ripping ripper, Michael Clarke has no answer, probably no one would have had, angling in, belonging to the have-to-play category, then changes direction sharply and hits top of off, Broad goes off on a run, Clarke takes the long walk back, that was appreciable movement, like a quick legbreak

50.3 Broad to Smith, OUT, oh dear, Smith's played on, how unfortunate is that, short delivery, angled in, around chest-high, Smith went for the hook, and the ball took a bottom-edge to fall on the stumps

51.3 Bresnan to Watson, OUT, no, please, this can't be happening again, how many times can this happen to an international batsman of some repute, it is officially time to rechristen the leg-before-wicket to you-know-what, Watson has planted that massive front leg across, you need to miss only one delivery in the time it takes to get your bat across that blockage, Watson has failed to do that yet again to this angled good length ball, Dar has raised his finger immediately, Watson has reviewed it, and Hawk Eye has that clipping leg stump, and the umpire's call stays

52.5 Broad to Haddin, OUT, now Haddin has been given lbw. He's reviewed it, he'd been jumping to play even good length deliveries, is on his toes as he is hit just above the knee roll trying to work it to leg, Hawk Eye has that grazing the outside of the top of leg stump, oh that is marginal, that is even cruel, a batsman will tell you, but the umpire's call was out, and the umpire's call will stand

56.6 Broad to Harris, OUT, that is gone, looks plumb, Harris pinned in the crease, the length ball jags back in at a sharp angle, and Harris misses, hit in front of middle, and HawkEye says that was hitting leg stump close to the top

60.4 Broad to Lyon, OUT, after those short balls, Broad goes full, and picks up his tenth wicket of the match by splattering Lyon's stumps into the ground, Lyon did manage an inside edge, but it didn't save him as the ball swung in

68.3 Broad to Siddle, OUT, full ball on off stump, loose drive into the off side, oh it's straight to mid-off and England have won the Ashes. Broad the man to finish the job with a length ball that Siddle tried to drive, got slightly wrong and chipped an easy catch to Anderson who turned to the stands and threw the ball to the heavens, that's the moment when England won the Ashes

Commentary provided by Alex Winter and Abhishek Purohit

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Broad responds to call to 'spice it up'

Stuart Broad hailed a "special era" in English cricket after bowling England to a third successive Ashes series victory.

Broad, bowling with impressive pace and skill, claimed 11 wickets in the match as England went 3-0 up in the series at the end of the fourth Investec Test. If England win at The Oval, they will become the first England side to win four Tests in an Ashes series at home.

For much of the fourth day of the Durham Test, it seemed Australia might pull-off a remarkable victory. Set 299 to win, Australia cruised to 109 without loss in the afternoon before England captain, Alastair Cook, called upon Broad to "spice it up a bit."

Broad immediately appeared to find another gear and, troubling all the batsmen with his pace and reverse swing, claimed five wickets for 20 runs in 40 balls as Australia lost nine wickets in the final session of the day.

It left Broad, who finished with Test best figures of 11 for 121 in the match, reflecting on a "special" day for English cricket and a series that has been far more closely contested than the score line indicates.

"It was a very special afternoon," Broad said. "In this game, pretty much for each hour, it could have gone either way. Certainly at 40 for 3 in our second innings we were staring down the barrel a bit. Australia have shown in this series what a fighting side they are.

"We gathered ourselves at tea with Australia having won that session without doubt. Our bowlers were too caught up in hitting the deck hard which was a little too far back of a length. But once we got the ball fuller we got the ball to move and we were massively in the game.

"The great thing about this side is we have a lot of experience in the changing room. There are one or two in our dressing room who could become the leading ever [in terms of series wins for England] in the Ashes, which is a special era to play in.

"The guys put their heads together calmly and decided the best way forward. Alastair Cook was clear what he wanted the bowlers to do. We needed to make the Aussies play off the front foot a little bit more.

"Despite the openers beginning well it was a very hard wicket to start on and we always had in the back of our minds that with 300 on the board we can put a lot of pressure on the new batsmen.

"Once we got some early wickets after tea the bowlers got their tails up and we put the new batsmen under pressure. The crowd gave us a huge lift. It was a special moment when we took that final wicket."

Cook agreed that England had not managed to get things quite right with the ball in the first part of Australia's second innings, but was lost for words to describe Broad's match-winning spell.

"If we are totally honest, we didn't quite get it right with the ball," Cook said. "The pitch behaved a little better than we thought it would. This morning the new ball seemed to jag around a bit more for Australia and a few balls kept low. It didn't do that for us and maybe it took us a while to regroup. But fair play to Chris Rogers and David Warner: they batted very well.

"It was a fine spell of bowling from Broad. That's probably not the right adjective either. As a captain and knowing how important how that session was, well, if we lost that session we would have been struggling.

"Broady knew that and the lads knew that. He really charged in. When everything clicks and he is bowling in the high 80s with the control he has, it is incredibly hard to bat against. I said that against New Zealand when he got that seven-for at Lord's.

"Here was more important in terms of the situation of the game and in the Ashes. Words can't justify how good a spell of bowling that was. We also have to recognise the job Tim Bresnan did at the other end. We talk about bowling in partnerships but that end into the wind wasn't doing that much. He really built the pressure which was a huge credit to him. We built an incredible amount of pressure with a lot of good bowling."

The key moment came after a drinks break when Broad produced a brute of a delivery that left Michael Clarke off the pitch and hit the top of off stump. Losing their best batsman seemed to rock Australia's confidence and their middle-order were brushed aside as England's superior experience and confidence became more apparent.

"We went hard at Clarke and that seemed to work," Cook said. "We spiced it up. "As a side in these last 12 months, we have come through tough situations well. And when you have learned how not to get beaten, even when you are up against it, we have the players to take the game by the scruff of the neck

"When you have that experience as a group of players, it gives me as a captain a load of confidence. I can only praise our side, the fielders, everyone who played their part in making sure there was no let up, no partnership that could develop through a mis-field or anything like that.

"We'll enjoy what is a very special day and one that I'm going to look back on with huge fondness.

"We are going to get greedy and try and repeat that at The Oval. But we can think about that with sore heads tomorrow."

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Bell creates his Ashes legacy

With his side in trouble again, Ian Bell produced another innings to transcend the situation and write his name in the Ashes history books

In years to come, when we reflect on the summer of 2013, it may well be that we remember it as "Bell's Ashes".

Ian Bell has been magnificent in this series. While his team-mates have batted with nervous fragility, Bell has combined the sweet timing with which his batting has always been characterised with the reliability and steel with which it has not. He has scored not just pretty runs, but match-shaping runs. He might well prove to have been the difference between the sides.

Bell will gain plaudits for having registered three centuries in the series. Certainly, it is a fine achievement: only two England players - Maurice Leyland and David Gower - have previously managed such a feat in Ashes series in England. It should also be noted that, following his century in Sydney at the end of the 2010-11 series, he has scored centuries in four of the last five Ashes Tests.

But such statistics tell only part of the story. The important thing about Bell's batting has not been the personal milestones, but the fact that he had come in with his side in trouble and produced under pressure.

This innings at Durham provided a perfect example. Coming to the crease with his side only 17 ahead and three wickets down, this game was in the balance. What is more, Ryan Harris was bowling with pace and skill and the pitch was starting to exhibit signs of uneven bounce.

But while every other batsman in the game has made batting appear a grim struggle for survival, Bell batted with an ease that has transcended the situation, the pitch and the bowling. His cover driving and late cutting, in particular, were things of beauty but, though less obvious, his shot selection and judgement at which balls to leave and which to play - for so long the Achilles heel in his game - was just as impressive. When Bell bats like this, he makes it seem absurdly easy.

It seems almost unthinkable now, but Bell entered this series with questions to answer about his long-term future. After a modest 18 months - he had averaged 32.07 in Test cricket between January 2012 and July 2013 - all the old questions, questions about Bell's mental strength and his resilience under pressure, were starting to re-emerge. All those innings in South Africa or against India in England, or even as recently as in Auckland were in danger of being forgotten.

Those questions have surely been answered permanently now. It is only surprising it has taken 20 Test centuries - only six England players have scored more and two of them are in the same side as him - more than 6000 Test runs and an average of 47 to convince the doubters. And, aged 31, the best should be ahead of him.

So soundly did Bell negate the low bounce, playing straight, late and low, that it appeared this pitch had eased. In truth, that probably owed more to the softening ball - the batch of balls used for this series appears to lose more hardness than normal, increasing the value of the new ball - but it did show what could be achieved if batsmen took their time, retained their composure and refused to be drawn into rash strokes.

The lead is currently 202 but until England have taken it over 300 they will not be comfortable. It will not comfort Australia to hear that England have not lost any of the 19 previous Tests in which Bell has scored a century.

"I'd rather have 200 on the board than be chasing them," Bell said. "But we've seen already with Australia that they will go all the way. That Trent Bridge pitch didn't deteriorate like we thought and this might be very similar. So if we start to get the lead over 300 I might be a little bit more confident. But this Australian team will keep coming and some of their batters are in form now. It will be a scrap over the next two days."

Bell's excellence has helped compensate for the failures of England's top order but concerns about the form of Joe Root and Alastair Cook, in particular, continue to grow. While worries over Cook's form are alleviated by the knowledge that he has a track record of success opening the batting at Test level, Root does not. Indeed, in 10 innings as an opener in red-ball cricket for England - eight in this series and two against Essex - he has passed 41 only once and then only having been missed behind the wicket.

England are not about to lose faith in Root. They knew when they promoted him to open the batting that he was not the finished article and this was always going to be a long-term project. But by promoting him, aged 22 and in an Ashes series, they risked damaging his confidence and, as a consequence, his long-term development. In retrospect, it may well have been wiser to allow him to continue his development in the middle order.

	The Huddle: Bell's playing on a different planet

That decision would have had consequences for Jonny Bairstow. They are not necessarily negative consequences in the long term, though. While Bairstow looked more comfortable in the second innings, he has come into this series - through no fault of his own - hopelessly underprepared for the rigours for which he has been confronted. He did not have a single first-class innings between the Test series against New Zealand and the start of the Ashes - almost seven weeks - and, as an unused played in England's limited-overs squad - hardly batted in white-ball cricket.

For a team that prides itself on long-term planning, which monitors players' progress through the age groups, through Lions sides and through assessing every aspect of their physical and mental characteristics, it seems an oddly ramshackle piece of organisation.

Bairstow's career, Root's career and certainly the career of Nick Compton - a man who has enjoyed none of the continuity of selection afforded his former team-mates - might all have been better served had England persisted with the plans that won them the Test series in India.

Bell's form has allowed England to avoid such uncomfortable suggestions for now, but England cannot rely on individuals masking team failures if they are to retain the Ashes in Australia.

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Harris grits his teeth

Ryan Harris has almost made it. Almost got through three consecutive Tests for the first time in his career. And he has done it - or, almost done it - with style. Harris has been Australia's most effective bowler during this Investec Ashes series, having claimed 16 wickets at 21.37, one fewer than Peter Siddle, who has played one more Test. On the third day at Chester-le-Street, Harris was again the most dangerous man in the attack, his speed, accuracy and movement all troubling England.

That the hosts got away slightly through Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen and extended their lead to 202 by stumps was not the fault of Harris, who delivered a searing new-ball spell that accounted for all of England's top three batsmen. The wickets were the main prize for Harris, but the feeling of making through a third consecutive Test - and after a short three-day break, no less - was a major bonus for a man whose body has kept him to 15 Tests in three and a half years.

"I'm a little bit tired after today but I feel good," Harris said. "I've come out of it nice and strong. I feel really confident in my body. I've had a really good build-up. Unlike in the past I've gone from not bowling many overs to bowling lots of overs, whereas this time I've spent plenty of time on the Australian A tour and bowled lots and lots of overs and finished off the first-class season back in Queensland and bowled lots and lots of overs

"Because I've copped a few injuries, I guess you get sore spots here and there and you doubt whether or not it's going to be bad. Even today I had a couple of sore spots when I bowled a few balls but you ... go back and go again and if it doesn't hurt you're all right. If it does you've got a problem. You've always got doubts, but I'm starting to have less and less doubts."

Harris earned his three early wickets in different ways, his superb outswinger clipping the top of Joe Root's off stump, his accurate bouncer tempting Jonathan Trott, who gloved behind, and his wider ball surprisingly drawing Alastair Cook into a flash outside off. His aggression also nearly had the centurion Bell, who fended a sizzling bouncer off his gloves and fell back onto the ground, almost onto his stumps.

"I went around the wicket to try and muck up his feet and the one he hit me, I got it a little bit wide and a little bit full," he said. "So it was always going to be a short one - one of the next two. I got it on the money but it would have been nice if it had of flown to Usman Khawaja at short leg, that would have been better. It was one of those things where you just have to try. Once he gets in, he is hard to get out."

Bell was mostly responsible for putting England back in the driving position, for batting last on this Chester-le-Street surface will not be easy and Australia cannot afford to let the lead stretch much further. But Harris said a pursuit of 250 to 300 would be achievable and the focus had to be on claiming England's remaining five wickets as quickly as possible.

"The wicket's holding together pretty well. It might spin a little bit but the ball's going through nicely. I think it's pretty evenly poised to be honest," he said. "It's hard to say a target. But it is not breaking up as much as we probably thought. It hasn't had as much sun as it could have had. If it had of been sunny of the past three days it might have been different and dried out a little bit more. There a couple that keep low and misbehave but that's going to happen."

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Who'd be a Test umpire?

From legalised player dissent to big-screen reviews, international umpires are now on a hiding to nothing but humiliation

The DRS is meant to help umpires, not humiliate them. But Tony Hill was humiliated on the third morning at Chester-le-Street. There can be no other word for it. When Stuart Broad rapped Ryan Harris on the pads dead in front, Hill declined the appeal. Presumably, he felt Harris may have nicked the ball. It was not a ridiculous supposition, for the ball had struck both pads, creating two noises. Whatever the case, Hill felt there was doubt and gave the benefit of it to the batsman, as Test umpires have done for 135 years.

England asked for a review, as is their right under the DRS. The replays showed that Hill had erred; Harris was plumb lbw. The process played out on the big screen at the ground. Ripples of laughter went around as Hill's mistake was not only shown but magnified, replayed, every angle leaving him further exposed to ridicule. The final indignity came when the third umpire relayed the decision to Hill, who raised his finger to an empty pitch. The players had seen enough on the big screen and were halfway inside.

It was impossible not to sympathise with Hill, who trudged off with all the haste and enthusiasm of a newly-dismissed Shane Watson or Jonathan Trott. He looked sapped of all confidence. There is no avoiding the fact that Hill's call was wrong, and that the final outcome was correct. But the process left him embarrassed and must surely have compounded the existing doubts in his mind. How is that good for cricket, or for this match, or for Hill? How does that help anyone?

"Throughout my career I never had a batsman dispute my decision," Dickie Bird said in 2010. That may be a slight embellishment, or perhaps it's true, but one thing is certain: Bird was never made to look a fool. Bird was a renowned "not-outer". If in doubt, say not out. That's what Hill did here. But in Bird's day, what the umpire said was final. Had he given this same decision - and he would've done countless times over the years - the bowler might have felt aggrieved, the viewers curious, but all would have moved on.

Nobody remembers the right calls, even the controversial ones. Kevin Pietersen's caught-behind at Old Trafford will be recalled for Pietersen's rudely-requested review and reluctance to accept the outcome, not for Hill's correct decision to trust his ears in the first place. Or Australia's unsuccessful review when Harris rapped Trott on the pads. Hawk Eye predicted the ball would have clipped leg stump on an "umpire's call" margin. Rightly, Hill had given Trott the benefit of the doubt.

Of course, Hill has made mistakes. He is human. Every umpire in this series has erred. Every umpire in every series throughout history has probably erred. Dickie Bird erred. David Shepherd erred. Tony Crafter erred. But commentators did not forensically dissect every aspect of a decision. That's out, they said. Not, that's out unless he hit it, and let's see if he did, and unless it pitched outside leg, and let's see if it did, and unless it was sliding down leg, and let's see if it was.

	The disdain with which Kevin Pietersen called for a review in the third Test was downright contemptible. Where was his respect for the umpire or for the game? Daryl Harper on the demands of the modern umpire

But technology creates unrealistic expectations. Mistakes are unjustly magnified, wrongly made to appear proof of complete incompetence. How could an umpire get that wrong? That decision that we've just seen six times in slow-motion from four angles and with the help of technology? What a buffoon!

"The DRS has certainly increased the pressure on umpires to get virtually everything right," former Test umpire Daryl Harper told ESPNcricinfo on Sunday. "The high performance experts would tell you that an umpire must put a poor decision out of his mind and focus wholly on the next ball. Sure, it sounds easy enough. I haven't known a single umpire who can do it.

"In the eighties, the general television coverage of cricket was very basic. In the nineties, the quality of technology improved, but even then, decisions were not scrutinised to the degree that we see today. It was common practice to give the batsman the benefit of the doubt to any ball that was drifting towards the leg stump.

"After the turn of the century, umpires made their lbw decisions, only to see replays on the big screen at the ground that suggested that the decision was wrong, before the batsman had even left the field. It isn't a good feeling and definitely gnaws away at one's confidence. After seeing so many replays of balls clipping leg stump in particular, umpires began to widen the target and gamble more often on that count.

"And in modern times, our administrators have now legalised dissent. The disdain with which Kevin Pietersen called for a review in the third Test was downright contemptible. Where was his respect for the umpire or for the game? Having been told to go a second time after the review, how did he possibly escape a sanction for his parting words? I can lip read as well as anyone."

All of these factors can gradually erode the confidence of an umpire. An umpire like Hill, who by the ICC's judgement is one of the best 12 in the world, a man who has made enough good decisions to get himself here, is made to look foolish. Yes, umpires choose this well-paid career. Yes, they accept the pressure that goes with it. But the expectations of players and viewers must remain realistic.

Umpires are not machines. They are men, and men who do their job in increasingly trying circumstances. Once, they were inconspicuous, but never infallible. They never will be, yet cricket has reached a point where decisions and umpires and reviews and technology are the story. It is an unhealthy situation for any sport, and it breeds self-doubt in men whose very job relies on backing their judgement.

"With this respect for officials being stripped back to the bone, I have great sympathy for my former colleagues who are on a hiding to nothing," Harper said. "Our administrators have snatched at the television dollars and sold the officials up the river without a paddle. As often as American sports are unfairly maligned, Major League Baseball allows its officials to make decisions, good and not so good. Replays of missed calls are shown but life goes on."

Life will go on for Tony Hill, and Aleem Dar, and Kumar Dharmasena, and Marais Erasmus. They have all made mistakes in this series. Some have been howlers. But none deserve ridicule. No official should have to raise the finger to an empty pitch. Respect must return. And unless it does, who'd be a Test umpire anymore?

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Elliott puts Australia in control

Australia 243 for 3 (Elliott 95*, Cameron 50) v England
Scorecard

Sarah Elliott will sleep five runs short of an Ashes hundred after putting Australia in control on the opening day at Wormsley. Her unbeaten 95, alongside useful contributions from Meg Lanning and Jess Cameron, led Australia to 243 for 3 in friendly batting conditions at the beginning of the new multi-format Ashes campaign.

With the destination of the urn, currently held by Australia, decided on a combination of points across all three formats the result of this Test will not decide the outcome but victory, worth six points, would be a major leap towards success.

Although Australia lost Rachael Haynes in the tenth over, to give Anya Shrubsole her first Test wicket, they made good use of having won the toss. Elliott and Lanning added 70 for the second wicket, a stand broken when Lanning was run out coming back for a third shortly after lunch, then Elliott put on a further 80 Cameron, who produced the most fluent batting of the day with 10 boundaries in her 50.

When Cameron was lbw to Laura Marsh, Australia were 167 for 3 and another quick wicket or two would have brought England back but the visitors negotiated the rest of the day as Elliott and Alex Bracewell added an unbroken 76.

Elliott, who is playing her first match back in international cricket after having her first child, was at the crease for 90 overs, facing 245 deliveries, and her innings followed the Ashes-winning 81 she made in Sydney in 2011 which was he previous appearance for Australia.

"I'm really really pleased to be back in the team, it's a great group to be around and it's really nice to know that I can contribute in this format of the game," he said. "The bowlers, I thought, did a great job bowling really tight lines. The pitch definitely had a bit in it early, which is really exciting for our bowlers. But then it's a really great pitch once you're in, I think it's a great opportunity to cash in."

It was a day of toil for England's bowlers; Jenny Gunn was economical, sending down 21 overs for 34, and Katherine Brunt also conceded fewer than two runs an over but only Shrubsole and Marsh found success.

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Ramesh Powar switches to Rajasthan

Ramesh Powar, the former India offspinner, has shifted from his home team of Mumbai to Rajasthan, signing a two-year contract. Powar played five of the 11 matches in Mumbai's run to the Ranji title last season, but had little success himself, only managing six wickets at 82.16.

Powar said that current Rajasthan captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar had convinced him to make the switch to a team that has won the Ranji Trophy twice in the last three seasons.

"The presence of Hrishi would add to [my] confidence," Powar told PTI. "He understands the game well and is composed and focused. He has become a better cricketer after his stint with Rajasthan. I hope I too will benefit from my decision of playing for Rajasthan."

The stocky Powar said he had worked hard on his fitness so that he could deliver for Rajasthan. "It was a challenge for me to lose weight. I have worked hard because I feel playing for Rajasthan ushers in a new innings for me. I want to contribute in all departments and that is why I wanted to be in best shape."

Having made his first-class debut back in the 1999-2000 season, Powar has plenty of experience. "I want to give back to the game. I would be happy if I am able to nurture a few youngsters in Rajasthan during my two-year stint. I always love to impart tips to upcoming spinners." Among the spinners Powar will get to work with in Rajasthan are offspinner Madhur Khatri and left-arm spinner Gajendra Singh.

It has been nearly six years since Powar last represented India, but even at 35, he dreams of returning to the national team. "I still hope to play for the country. A couple of good performances can turn the things your way. You never know. More over there is dearth of quality spinners in country."

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Can't take hundred away from me - Rogers

Last year, Chris Rogers was almost cut from Victoria's contract list as the state looked to prepare future Test cricketers. At 34, Rogers did not appear to fit the bill. Now, Rogers is not only a Test cricketer again, five years after his one-off match against India, but he is a Test centurion. An Ashes centurion, no less. It is little wonder that Rogers was emotional when he reached triple figures at Chester-le-Street, nor when he was interviewed after play.

At 35, he was the second-oldest man ever to score a maiden Test century for Australia. He did so with more than 20,000 first-class runs to his name. Rogers said the uncertainty of when, if ever, he would get another chance at Test cricket after he replaced the injured Matthew Hayden at the WACA in 2008 made his hundred all the more special.

"After all this time you just don't think that this opportunity is going to come up," Rogers said. "I wanted to believe I was good enough but never knew. To get a hundred, that's something that no one can take away from me, and I can tell my grandchildren about it now ... if I have any."

That Rogers is even part of this Ashes side is a quirk of fate, for had the Australians still boasted the experience of Michael Hussey and Ricky Ponting as they hoped they would a year ago, he would not have been deemed such a necessity. It appeared that Rogers had missed the cut when the selectors used men like Phil Jaques, Phillip Hughes and Simon Katich over the past few years, but he refused to give up at first-class level.

"There's times when sides have been picked and I haven't been in them and thought that that was my chance but it didn't happen," Rogers said. "Finally this opportunity has come along and I've really wanted to make the most of it and you can say that, but you've still got to go out and perform. It was my day today. There were so many things that went my way. You've just got to make the most of it and fortunately I did.

"I'd always hoped so but it just felt like there was always one bloke in the way. It was those two [Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer] then it was Jaquesy, then it was Katich, then Phil, then Watto went and opened. It just felt like there was always one bloke in the way but I get to play cricket for a living and I set high standards. I've been happy to go along and perform as well as I can and hope for this one opportunity. Fortunately it has come along."

	Chris Rogers' press conference

Not that triple figures was a certainty, as Rogers well knew having made 84 at Old Trafford last week. As he made his way through the nineties, he began to get edgy and he was stuck on 96 for 19 consecutive deliveries from Graeme Swann, scooping a couple of near catches into the leg side before sweeping a boundary to become Australia's second centurion of the series.

"I didn't have a care in the world," Rogers joked of his time on 96. "No, it was a nervous time. I got the score in the last game and thought that was maybe my opportunity and just got to the 90s and the England boys were saying 'If you don't get it now, you may never'. It was just a fantastic moment to finally get it.

"It was emotional out there, that's for sure. And it has been. Initially to get picked for Australia was amazing, but the nerves and the things that go with it ... the Lord's Test match, that was as low as I've been for a while, hearing the criticism coming in and feeling like you've let down your country. That hurts. To play well in the last Test and to back it up in this one means a lot to me."

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Second oldest maiden centurion ends long wait

England's magnificent seven (120)

They may not possess Botham-standard superstars, but more than half their team consists of formidable players

Send Jadeja in higher (80)

India will be best served in Test cricket if their two allrounders bat either side of Dhoni

Watson must open for long-term gains (61)

That's where he wants to play and he knows he will be judged on his results at the top of the order

Selectors must manage Chandimal's captaincy workload (52)

Sri Lanka's selectors must decide whether the burden of captaincy and high expectations are hampering Dinesh Chandimal's growth as a batsman

Faf better than AB, but no third option (42)

While Faf du Plessis' captaincy was more confident than AB de Villiers' in Sri Lanka, South Africa have not invested in grooming a leader during a decade of Graeme Smith and are left with little choice beyond the two

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Fitting, fortunate and deserved

Chris Rogers scored a century that was scratchy, ugly and lucky. It was also the equal of any made by an Australian in the past 18 months

Michael Hussey and Simon Katich were masters of scoring hundreds with barely a memorable stroke. A nudge here, a push there, a crisp drive, an efficient pull. Nothing too extravagant, nothing too risky. GPS-like knowledge of off stump's position. The willingness to leave balls outside it. Repeatedly. The patience to make bowlers come to them. Repeatedly. The hunger to do so day in, day out, year in, year out. Repeatedly, repeatedly, repeatedly.

Through future planning, Australia no longer have Katich. Through a breakdown of it, they no longer have Hussey. But they do have Chris Rogers, who works in the same understated way. Rusted on to first-class cricket since last century, Rogers has piled up hundreds for Victoria, Western Australia, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Middlesex. Sixty, in fact. All the while, he has made them by making bowlers come to him.

It was fitting that Rogers' maiden Test hundred was a trial of technique in seriously testing conditions, against high-class seam and swing bowling. Such situations have been Australia's downfall in recent years, from 88 against Pakistan in Leeds in 2010 to 47 to 98 against England on Boxing Day later that year, to 47 in Cape Town in 2011. This was why Rogers was recalled at 35. To add some guts to Australia's batting order. To provide some resolve.

When Rogers was asked if his 60 first-class centuries helped him as he approached his maiden Test hundred, he was unequivocal. "They don't count for a thing," he said. Perhaps that was true once Rogers reached the nineties. As Graeme Swann attacked the stumps, Rogers became possessed by paranoia. Every ball could make or break a dream he had nurtured through boyhood, maintained through manhood and abandoned in veteranhood.

An empty, echoing MCG, a tranquil county ground in Derby, nothing could prepare Rogers for the pressure of nearing an Ashes ton. But it was precisely such experiences that allowed him to reach the point at which paranoia could kick in. There are those who will say Rogers was lucky to get to his century. Of course he was. What batsman has ever made a hundred in trying conditions and not enjoyed a measure of good fortune? But Rogers allowed himself to still be there to be lucky.

His opening partner David Warner was bowled, late on a ball he appeared set to leave, unaware of his off stump's position. Usman Khawaja was also the victim of his own uncertainty, bottom-edging a ball he shaped to play and then tried to leave. Michael Clarke drove recklessly outside off and edged behind, Steven Smith also poked and tickled to Matt Prior. On a seaming pitch, they were balls Rogers would have left.

His approach seemed to rub off on Shane Watson, who started tentatively but worked his way into Test-match touch. When Watson leaves outside off, he does it with the reluctance of a new dieter leaving half a plate of food untouched. Rogers leaves it out of habit; he knows there will always be a better choice, a healthier option. Here, he waited for the balls on his pads, working runs behind square or through midwicket.

And there were enough bad balls that he was able to not get bogged down. He reached his half-century from 87 deliveries, a fine effort in such difficult conditions. This is a man who knows his scoring areas. At the crease, Rogers is still, efficient in his movements. Here, he played the ball late, not reaching, just deflecting, nudging, driving when the fast bowlers overpitched.

Often his leaves looked like plays and misses, for really he was just getting to off stump and dragging the bat inside the line of the ball. Of course, there were plenty of times, particularly in a searching spell from Stuart Broad, he was genuinely beaten outside off. But rarely was he beaten while chasing wide balls he could have left, and when he was he chastised himself greatly, as when he flung the bat at a wide tempter from James Anderson.

Unlike Warner, he covered his off stump scrupulously against the fast bowlers. It was that practice that saved him from one of his closest calls, when he was given out caught behind and asked for a review. The replays showed Rogers had not hit the ball but Broad's delivery might have hit the stumps had it not clipped the batsman's leg on the way through. It was, however, an "umpire's call" on the lbw, which saved Rogers as he had been given out not lbw but caught behind. Protecting his off stump had saved him.

	The Huddle: Rogers just ground it out

There were moments of genuine good fortune, as when he was dropped at slip on 49, but even then his style of stroke kept the ball low. He was lucky, but he contributed to his own good fortune. By the close of play, Rogers had survived the nervous 96s and was a Test centurion.

The biggest Test hundreds are not always the finest, and his effort was the equal of any by an Australian since late 2011, when Clarke scored a magic 151 on the Cape Town surface on which Australia were later bowled out for 47, and David Warner's bat-carrying effort on a seamer in Hobart the following month.

They were the kind of innings that featured more regularly when Katich and Hussey were around. Australia may no longer have either of those men but they now have Rogers. And having waited so long, he is hungry. They can have him as long as they like.

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