Pietersen not retained for new IPL

Kevin Pietersen's future has been pushed further into doubt with his IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils deciding not to retain any of their players.

Pietersen, who has a cloud hanging over his international career after a difficult Ashes series and reported rift with team director Andy Flower, was expected to be retained for IPL 2014 but Daredevils have instead chosen to build a new team.

Delhi tweeted: "DD will not be retaining any player from the previous squad for IPL-7. It was a unanimous decision by the management in order to build a fresh team that our fans will be proud of DD."

It is understood that Daredevils, who finished bottom of the IPL last season which Pietersen missed with a knee injury, were in negotiations with Pietersen and fellow star attractions Virender Sehwag and David Warner but the talks fell through with the franchise not willing to meet the price requested by the players.

Pietersen will now have to enter the auction, on February 12 and 13, for the seventh season of IPL. If he chooses not to, he would become available for the first half of Surrey's County Championship campaign ahead of the first Test of the English summer on June 12 against Sri Lanka.

Missing the tournament would send a clear message to the England management that Pietersen is still committed to international cricket. Pietersen, who has already tweeted his strong desire to remain an international player, will regard that as a gesture that he has no cause to make.

It is therefore highly likely that Pietersen, who previously requested more time to be made available for England players to take part in the IPL, will take advantage of the ECB's decision to shift back the first Test of the summer.

In a deal sealed in new central contracts which were not signed until England left for the Ashes tour, the agreed cut-off date for England players to return ahead of the international programme is May 13, which would give them seven days preparation ahead of the first ODI against Sri Lanka.

The IPL will also test the ambitions of Eoin Morgan, who is keen to return to Test cricket. Morgan has previously opted to play in the IPL and miss a large chunk of the English season. Last year he played for Kolkata Knight Riders and scored 307 runs at 27.90.

Morgan has played 16 Tests for England, the last in February 2012, but is still unproven in red-ball cricket with a first-class average of 34.45. Commitment to Championship cricket is surely a requisite for him to be considered for Test cricket again.

Jos Buttler is another England player who could be considered for Test duty but whose T20 talent should make him in-demand for the IPL. Ben Stokes, who has emerged as England's allrounder in all formats, is not expected to enter the auction.


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Is workload taking a toll on Ajmal?

Saeed Ajmal made a relatively late entry into international cricket but didn't play his first Test till he was almost 32. He is 36 now and is doing his best to make up for lost time having been a key player for Pakistan for many years

Pity Saeed Ajmal. Since May 2011, he's bowled the most overs in international cricket (1914.1 overs, far ahead of Graeme Swann's 1619.3 and James Anderson's 1640.1 overs). And he's missed only six international matches out of the 122 Pakistan have played since becoming a permanent member of the team across all formats. A relatively late entrant to international cricket, at the age of 30, he played his first Test when almost 32; now 36, it seems he's doing his best to make up for lost time.

He's been a key player for Pakistan for all this time. And now the strain is showing.

The Abu Dhabi Test took its toll on Ajmal. He has never waited so long for a wicket in a Test innings: his previous longest wait was 41.1 overs, in the first innings against England at Lord's in 2010 and he ended with figures of 2 for 126 from 44 overs. He remained wicketless in the second innings of the first Test with 49 overs, conceding 115 runs, and had to wait another 28.2 overs in Dubai to take his first wicket, making the stretch 77.2 overs.

There was a debate of sorts in the dressing room of the Sheikh Zayed Stadium before the first Test over resting Ajmal but captain Misbah-ul-Haq voted out the other spinner Abdur Rehman and insisted on sticking with the veteran. By no means has Ajmal been the wrong pick but he didn't fire in time. Probably, he wasn't given much support from the other end, or as Ramiz Raja suggests, he was "neutralised" well by the Sri Lanka batsmen.

Ajmal doesn't want to rest, he has barely asked for it. He wants to play every match and Pakistan don't want to drop him because he has been doing well. He was supposed to be rested with his suspected hernia last year but doctors cleared him with a week's rest before the ODI series in Scotland in May.

Saqlain Mushtaq, on the other hand, made his Test debut at 19 and became the quickest to 100 one-day-international wickets. His career was damaged by knee injury and in nine years - in which he played 49 Tests and 169 ODIs - his career was over. He made a final unsuccessful attempt in 2004 to force his way back into the Test side, against India in Multan, only to concede 204 runs in 43 overs. Disappointed with Ajmal's workload, Saqlain advised him to take a break to avoid getting fatigued.

"He [Ajmal] is a quality spinner and has proven himself in every format but he looked tired against Sri Lanka and perhaps he needs to be given a break from the sport so that he can refresh himself and come back fresh," Saqlain said. "He can still play for some more years and is our match winner."

Ajmal is an automatic selection in every format for Pakistan and dropping him could be the hardest thing for the selectors who normally adopt a safety-first policy. Rotation doesn't work in Pakistan, players are insecure, selections are inconsistent and players have no guarantee if they will be recalled after been rested.

Cricket is money in Pakistan and for Ajmal it's no exception. He wants to earn as much as he can before he walks away. He has been one of the best spinners in the world in the last three years but he is missing out on the IPL money. After a late entry and with age not on his side, it's uncertain how long he will manage to play. He would want to play the 2015 World Cup but Pakistan would prefer an in-form and fit Ajmal who can contribute with his performances.


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Younis defends younger players

At 19 for 3, Pakistan seemed to be heading towards an inevitable defeat, but Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq both scored fifties to keep Sri Lanka at bay on the third day. The hosts still trailed by 91 runs at the end of play, but Younis insisted that the team's fightback would continue. Younis was unbeaten on 62, while Misbah hit 52 not out, as the pair put up an unbroken stand of 113 for the fourth wicket.

"I tried to fight back," Younis said. "In the end, it was good that I had a partnership with Misbah. The seniors always perform whenever the team needs them to, so that's good."

What would have hurt Pakistan is the fact that their bowlers had actually done well to dismiss Sri Lanka within 28 overs on day three, conceding only 70 runs in the process to keep the visitors' lead at 223. The hosts, however, immediately collapsed and lost Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez and Khurram Manzoor in quick succession. Given Pakistan's recent batting performances, it would have been safe to assume that the rest of their batting would also fold, but Younis and Misbah stayed firm to launch a counterattack.

"What was needed was to keep it simple on the pitch and play according to the situation. It's always good whenever Misbah plays with me as we just take singles and we try to cash in on easy deliveries. It was the same when I was with Yousuf, with whom I had a big partnership."

When asked why the youngsters like Shehzad and Manzoor were not taking on the responsibility, Younis said: "Ahmed is new to Test cricket so I think we must give him some time. Khurram is doing well as he has had some experience in Tests. I hope they learn from their mistakes. I think if they play for 14 years, they will also play like us. It's as simple as that."

"Khurram has played 10 Tests while it's just the start for Ahmed. I think that with time they will learn, especially after playing so many T20s and ODIs. When you play an ODI, you field for 50 overs and then bat.

"But in Test cricket, you sometimes have to field for more than 150 overs and then go open. The first four batting positions are very crucial in Tests, so you can say it has something to do with their fitness, as much as their experience. If you look at them after five years, maybe you will say they are batting better than us."

Despite the recovery, Pakistan are still facing an uphill task, with Asad Shafiq the only reputed batsman left to come. Still, Younis is optimistic that Pakistan can take a commanding lead.

"The first target is that we get a lead of around 220. Something like 200-300 runs on the board will be good for us. One thing that happened in Abu Dhabi was that the ball was seaming, but they [Sri Lanka] took the match away from us," he said. "So I thought if we played correctly and according to the situation, we could be in a similar position. If we cashed in on one or two sessions and stayed there together, you never know. Anything can happen on the last day."


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A fresh start, or just more pain?

Match Facts

January 12, 2013, Melbourne
Start time 2.20pm (0320GMT)

The Big Picture

For Australia there is a World Cup to build for and the chance to add more pain. For England there is a World Cup to build for and a chance to start repairing some of the damage from the Ashes humiliation.

In the previous four Ashes series the side watching the victors celebrate with the urn have achieved some modicum of retribution, albeit small, with success in the one-day contests that follow. However, given the traumatising effect of the last six weeks, it would be a brave person who would back Alastair Cook's side to continue that trend.

In 2006-07, Andrew Flintoff's brittle and disenchanted team somehow managed to snatch the CB Series from Australia's grasp with such names as Liam Plunkett, Ed Joyce and Paul Nixon to the fore. That fleeting moment of relief was followed by a shocking World Cup campaign while Australia went unbeaten to a hat-trick of titles.

This time there is still a year until the global 50-over trophy is up for grabs, but that time will pass quickly and important markers can be laid over the coming weeks. England need to work out the balance of their top six and which bowlers will support Stuart Broad and James Anderson, although the latter is perhaps not certain to be there. Who of Steven Finn, Boyd Rankin, Tim Bresnan, Chris Jordan and Chris Woakes are the men to star with the white ball?

Australia, although understandably carrying the swagger of 5-0 winners, have some pace-bowling slots of their own to nail down and need to decide whether Xavier Doherty is the man to be their spinner in 2015. There is also a battle at the top of the order with Aaron Finch aiming to firm up an opening slot alongside the recalled David Warner.

Form guide

(Completed matches, most recent first)

Australia LLWLW
England LWLWL

Watch out for

Ravi Bopara enjoyed a resurgent 2013 in England's one-day side after his troubles of the previous year. If his pull off Ishant Sharma in the Champions Trophy final at Edgbaston had been placed slightly better he could have produced the defining performance of his career. Ifs and buts don't mean much although the way Bopara went about his ODI cricket was highly encouraging both with bat and ball. It was in Australia, on the 2006-07 tour, that he made his debut and much was expected of him. Development has taken longer than many hoped, but now he has the chance to show he is here for the long haul.

James Faulkner was at the Ashes celebrations in Sydney, but during the series itself he was the perennial 12th man, unable to force a change in the Australian line-up. This, though, is a format where he has already shown his worth: his previous ODI innings was a hair-raising 116 off 73 balls, batting at No. 7, against India in Bangalore. Bowling in that series was a fearsome prospect, but Faulkner came out of the carnage better than some. Neither, as his comments on his Test debut showed, is he shy at having a word or two.

Team news

There will be plenty of fresh faces for England, particularly in the middle order where Bopara and Eoin Morgan will form the fulcrum followed by Jos Buttler. Stuart Broad is rested for this and the second match meaning the likes of Chris Jordan or Chris Woakes will get a chance. The former's extra pace should make him favourite.

England (possible) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Ian Bell, 3 Joe Root, 4 Ravi Bopara, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 James Tredwell, 11 Boyd Rankin

James Pattinson will have to wait a little longer for his international return while Shaun Marsh is the batsman to miss out. Darren Lehmann has said that Clint McKay is under pressure to lift after struggling in India - although he was not the only bowler to take a hammering - and being dropped from his BBL team.

Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 George Bailey, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 10 Clint McKay, 11 Xavier Doherty

Pitch and conditions

A true surface can be expected although sometimes they are a little on the slow side. The really hot weather is not due until next week and there is a chance of a shower on match day although it is expected to clear by the time the game begins.

Stats and trivia

  • When these teams previously met at the MCG in 2011, Shane Watson hit an unbeaten 161 to take Australia to victory chasing 295.
  • Xavier Doherty needs one wicket to reach 50 in ODIs
  • This fixture will be repeated on the opening day of the World Cup on February 14 next year

Quotes

"The psychological edge we take is our success against the same team recently in the UK. I don't look too much into what's just happened in the five Test matches."
Michael Clarke

"We came here to win the Ashes, everyone knows how important they are, but now we've lost them if we win this one-day series we can salvage some pride.
Alastair Cook


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Kaushal knock as good as a ton - Mahela

Kaushal Silva narrowly missed a maiden hundred on day two in Abu Dhabi, but Mahela Jayawardene emphasised the value of Silva's 95, which he said was as good as a ton. Silva forged a 139-run fourth-wicket stand with Jayawardene to help consolidate the advantage Sri Lanka's fast bowlers had earned on day one, and had been the more fluent partner during their association.

Silva had also hit 81 in Abu Dhabi - his first Test since 2011 - as he stepped into the opener's role made vacant by Tillakaratne Dilshan. Silva has been a middle-order batsman for his first-class side, but Jayawardene lauded the work-ethic that has bred his success in a new position.

"Kaushal was unfortunate to miss a hundred," Jayawardene said. "The little guy is batting really well. I'm very proud of him. He's a clubmate of mine and he works really hard at his game. Good to see that he has shown the same kind of commitment at this level and he fully deserves what he has got. Two good knocks, but although he didn't get a hundred, today's knock was as good as a hundred. He batted through the pressure situations and carried the team in that time. He's quite familiar getting big scores so I'm sure once he gets one he'll continue to get a few more for us."

Pakistan had only made 165 in the first innings, but Jayawardene joined Silva in a tense period, after Sri Lanka's third wicket had fallen for 88. The pair scored at only 2.4 runs per over in the first 30 overs of their stand, as Pakistan bowled with discipline.

"There was a bit of pressure early on when I was batting with Kaushal. We talked and spoke of batting long, because the longer we batted and the more tired the bowlers got, the better chances we had of getting in the game."

Jayawardene said the pitch also still posed difficulties for batsmen, despite only three wickets having fallen on day two. Sri Lanka finished the day 153 runs ahead, with six first-innings wickets still in hand.

"A first day wicket should have a little bit in it, and we were fortunate enough to win the toss and get the first use out of that. If you see, the new ball is still doing a bit. It's a wicket that you don't feel that you're set all the time. There's a little bit of spin for Saeed Ajmal as well. We had to really fight hard. Batting against Pakistan was not easy - they were not giving us easy runs. They bowled well in patches and we had to ride that through."

Batting with three stitches after splitting the webbing between two fingers on his left hand on the first day, Jayawardene revealed why he had come in at No. 5 - one place lower than his normal position.

"Last night, Dinesh Chandimal had been ready to bat at No. 4, so we didn't want to change that too much this morning. I had already decided I would bat either 4 or 5 and not lower, because with my injury, I can't go for too many big shots and that doesn't help when you have to bat with the tail."


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Lack of discipline hurting Pakistan bowlers

Pakistan's seamers failed to create opportunities as a unit. Their bowling coach Mohammad Akram reiterated that the bowlers let Sri Lanka off the hook by not maintaining any pressure

Saeed Ajmal went wicket-less. Junaid Khan was tidy. Bilawal Bhatti was ineffective. Mohamamd Hafeez was under-bowled and Rahat Ali was unlucky. That was the tale of Pakistan's bowlers on the second day in Dubai. They managed to take only three wickets, conceded 261 as Sri Lanka walked away with a decent lead of 153 runs and six wickets in hand. Pakistan walked away with few positives in terms of the bowling, on a pitch that is expected to get flatter and test them further.

Pakistan stumbled to 165 after losing the toss yesterday - an improvement from their 99 after opting to bat first against South Africa on the same pitch in October. The toss was the difference but bowlers toiled hard on both occasions to mend the mistakes made by the batsmen from day one.

The chatter in the press box was mainly about Rahat being 'unlucky'. He toiled for 26 overs with little success, with several edges dropping in front of the slips and a regulation take that was spilled by the wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed. Ajmal was economical but unsuccessful. Bhatti, playing in his second Test, was the quickest - clocking 147 kmph - but lacked discipline. Coach Dav Whatmore said before the Test that his bowlers had the ability to take 20 wickets to win the contest but today, the bowlers struggled to take half that number to try and restrict the Sri Lankan batsmen.

"The pitch played better than yesterday and it was very obvious when they (Sri Lanka) won the toss and bowled first," Mohammad Akram, Pakistan's bowling coach, said. "There was a bit of juice in the pitch yesterday. We knew that the pitch will get better (for batting) but still, our bowlers held them well. But yes, they needed to be more disciplined."

There was occasional seam movement but the lengths didn't work and the bowlers rarely troubled the Sri Lankan batsman. Rahat was in fact lucky when Kumar Sangakkara's bat was stuck under his boot, only to be trapped in front of the stumps. It was Rahat's only wicket. Akram said the bowlers didn't put in enough effort.

"When you are bundled out for 165, there is a bit of frustration (among bowlers), and you look to pick up wickets," Akram said. "That's the time when you really need to be disciplined. At times we bowled too many loose balls as well but the effort was there as the bowlers still ran in with their heads up.

"We lacked disciplined in the bowling. You can't offer a loose ball early in the day and let the batsman get set. The pitch is far different today to what it was on the first day so had we batted sensibly and survived, it could have been a different scenario for us.

"Our bowling attack is still the best in the world. But what we are lacking is the experience and if you add the number of matches the seamers have played it is hardly 17 or 18. Unless these bowlers play, they won't thrive."

Akram wasn't worried about Ajmal being off-color, acknowledging that the conditions had challenged him. Ajmal had picked up a six-wicket haul in the Test against South Africa.

"Ajmal is our main bowler, but there was a lot of grass on the pitch and hence not much purchase for Ajmal," Akram said. "The seamers had to do the job. We need not panic and there is no reason to be frustrated if he (Ajmal) isn't picking wickets. It happens and you can't judge him on these two matches as he has done a lot in the past."


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Rasool to J&K's rescue again

At the start of the second day of the quarter-final in Baroda, Punjab employed four slips, a gully, and one man each at point and short leg. They had only scored 304 runs, but the attacking fields made it appear as if they were leading by 500. It was either a reflection of Punjab's belief in their seamers, or an assessment of Jammu & Kashmir's batting ability.

The ball was seaming, bouncing and flying past the bat. Adil Rishi had just top-edged a bouncer over the keeper's head after being hurried by the pace. Punjab were imposing themselves and for J&K, someone needed to stand up.

J&K's rise this season has been built around a potent pace attack, but they have also managed to get the necessary runs on the board. Parvez Rasool, who has brought the state's cricket to the limelight, has not shirked away from that responsibility.

On the last day of their last league game against Tripura, Rasool produced his best bowling figures of the season, and batted solidly to lead J&K past Goa into the knockouts. Today, he produced his best batting performance of the season.

Rasool started with a four through point, and reached his century with a couple more through the same region. In between, he expertly manoeuvred the ball at will and forced Punjab to spread the field. That helped his partners too as Rishi and Samiullah Beigh both thrived in his presence.

"Not everyone fires in every match," Rasool said. "It's always about two or three players scoring runs. Some of us could have played a little longer, like Adil was playing well, but got out just before lunch. Then Sami bhai was also playing well, but he too got out after being set. It could have been better."

By no means were these easy batting conditions as Punjab boast a formidable seam attack. A leaner MS Gony generated pace and bounce while VRV Singh bowled quick and got the ball to seam. Sandeep Sharma produced swing - both conventional and reverse. Rasool's plan, however, was to not let them control the game. He was unruffled, and with the ball coming onto the bat, kept the scoring rate high.

"One delivery from VRV Singh which I left thinking it was very wide outside off, but it came in sharply," he said. "It must have hit a crack. This pitch is good for fast bowlers, but it's also good for the batsmen as the ball comes on to the bat evenly."

Even as the ball grew soft and the conditions eased out, Rasool had an experienced spin combo to deal with. Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh's powers as bowlers may have waned, but at domestic level, they still remain a threat. However, a couple of drives pushed the fielders out to the boundary, and the spinners were not allowed to settle into a rhythm at all as Rasool easily worked the ball into the gaps.

Unlike Harbhajan's walloping assault on the first day, Rasool's was a measured dismantling job. Harbhajan was taken for 57 in 12 overs. Rasool eventually fell soon after reaching his century- possibly the best of his five first-class tons- but his fighting knock gave J&K the will to win. The team will need that in abundance if they are to cause an upset.

"I am very happy with my innings, especially because it came at a crucial moment for us," he said. "Unfortunately, I got out a little early. I wanted to make sure that we get the lead. But I hope our bowlers will do the job. They have started well by getting rid of the openers. The match will be decided more or less tomorrow, so we want our bowlers to rest well and come out strongly."


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CSK retain Dhoni, Raina, Ashwin, Jadeja, Bravo

Chennai Super Kings have retained MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo ahead of the IPL 2014 auction. The tournament rules allow for five players to be retained, of whom only four can be capped India players. This will leave the franchise with one right-to-match card at the auction on February 12.

Super Kings have been the most successful of the IPL franchises, making the final five times out of six, and winning on two occasions - in 2010 and 2011. In 2010, they did the double of winning the IPL and the Champions League T20. They have also been one of the most settled franchises, with the core of the team remaining the same over the seasons. So it comes as no surprise that they have retained as many players as possible here.

Among the players staying with Super Kings, captain Dhoni, batsman Raina and offspinner Ashwin have never played for another IPL franchise. Dhoni, India's captain and arguably the best finisher in limited-overs cricket, was the most expensive buy of the inaugural IPL auction back in 2008. Raina, the tournament's leading run-getter overall, is yet to miss a single match for Super Kings. Ashwin has been one of many players who adds local flavour to the team, and until the recently-concluded series against South Africa, was India's first-choice spinner.

On Boxing Day, in Durban, Ashwin - perhaps temporarily - lost that title to Jadeja. Super Kings had bought allrounder Jadeja at the 2012 auction, paying more than US$2 million for him after his bidding went into a secret tie-breaker with the now-defunct Deccan Chargers. West Indies allrounder Bravo, who in 2013 set a new record for the most wickets in an IPL season, completes the list.

January 10 is the deadline for the IPL franchises to announce their list of retained players, ahead of the auction on February 12. Aside from retained players, franchises can buy back additional members of their squads at the auction via right-to-match cards. The number of right-to-match cards available to each franchise will depend on the number of players already retained. Since Super Kings have retained five players, they will have one right-to-match card at the auction.

A fixed amount will be deducted from Super Kings' auction purse of Rs 600 million (approx. US$ 9.6 million, at the current exchange rate) for each player retained: Rs 125 million for player one, Rs 95 million for player two, Rs 75 million for player three, Rs 55 million for player four and Rs 40 million for player five. That will leave the franchise with Rs 210 million to spend at the auction. This season, each squad must include no less than 16 and no more than 27 players, with a maximum of nine overseas players.

The amount deducted from the auction purse is not necessarily the IPL fee agreed to between the franchise and the retained player.

In 2011, apart from Dhoni and Raina, Super Kings had retained India batsman M Vijay and South Africa allrounder Albie Morkel. The pair missed out this time, along with former Australia batsman Michael Hussey, who was IPL 2013's leading run-getter. Super Kings tweeted confirmation of their list of retained players late on Thursday night.


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Holders England prepare for Australia heat

'Anything against Australia is hard fought' - Taylor

Big Picture

A little over four months ago, Charlotte Edwards and her team stood on the pitch in Durham and celebrated an emphatic 12-4 series victory over Australia. As their male counterparts have emphatically proved, however, back-to-back Ashes series leave little time to revel in victory. A series win over the Southern Stars in England, even a recent one, means nothing in Australian conditions, and must be put out of the visiting players' minds completely when the Test starts in Perth on Friday.

What has happened in the four months since that series ended? It might be thought that England are better prepared for the forthcoming series; Australia have played no international cricket since the Ashes ended in August, whereas many of the England squad played in the recent T20 tri-series in the Caribbean, as well as the victorious ODI series against West Indies. But Australia's players are, of course, fresh from their domestic season, the importance of which should not be underestimated. The squad in fact appears to have been selected largely on the basis of some impressive recent performances in women's state cricket.

And then, of course, there is the climate. Aside from Edwards, the England squad will have been in Perth for less than a fortnight before the Test begins in 40C heat. Practising in the nets at Loughborough with the heating on, as England have reportedly been doing, is no substitute for these conditions. There is a reason why England have only ever beaten Australia in Australia twice (in 1934-35 and in 2008); retaining the Ashes is bound to be an uphill struggle. Australia, this time around, must be the favourites.

The Format

Once again the series being played across all three formats, with points on offer for each (six for the Test - or two for a draw - and two for each of the ODIs and T20s). This multi-format structure, used for the first time in England, is still a pioneering concept, with all the possibilities yet to play out, but it is clear from what transpired last year that momentum is a massive factor: a good performance in the Test, or the subsequent ODIs, is vital for Ashes success.

The WACA, venue for the Test, will therefore be a crucial battleground for the two teams. It looks to be a green wicket, similar to the one which the men's Test was played on a few weeks ago. The conditions will suit pace: Katherine Brunt and Georgia Elwiss for England, and Ellyse Perry and Holly Ferling for Australia, will be looking for early breakthroughs. Back in England, both sides played defensively throughout the drawn Test; this is not a pitch which will allow for such tactics. Meg Lanning, Australia's newly appointed vice-captain, agrees. "I really do think there'll be a result here this time," she said. "I think that just being at the WACA, and the pace and bounce, the game will always be moving. We'll see some really attacking cricket being played."

The Players

Both the England and Australia squads look similar to those that competed for the Ashes in England last year. Heather Knight, England's Wormsley centurion, missed the recent tour of the Caribbean but she is now well and truly back to match fitness, hitting an unbeaten 123 in the two-day warm-up match against Australia A, and will again open for England in the Test. Brunt and Anya Shrubsole, who also missed the West Indies tour through injury, will be England's opening bowling partnership throughout the series, assuming both remain fit. That is a big if, though: they bowled just eight and nine overs respectively in Perth. Match fitness in a multi-format series is an even more important factor and could prove the decider.

England are not short of second-change pace bowlers, though: Elwiss, back from injury having not played since the World Cup in India last year, will have an important role to play on the bouncier pitches and Natalie Sciver will almost certainly play in all three formats, fresh from her T20 hat-trick against New Zealand in Barbados. England, crucially, also have the run-machine that is Edwards in their armoury: Perth will be her 12th Ashes Test, second only to one other woman.

One problem for England may be their lack of spin options, with Holly Colvin having made herself unavailable and Laura Marsh still injured. Australia have no such issues: their first-choice spinner, Erin Osborne, has had an excellent season for New South Wales, taking 10 wickets in the WNCL at an average of 12.50. Jess Jonassen, who will come in to play in the ODIs and T20s, is also bowling well and took 2 for 45 in the warm-up match.

Jonassen may also be picked at least partly for her batting - she hit 43 against England's bowlers in the same match - as may Elyse Villani, who has 494 runs in the T20 Cup this season. Nicole Bolton has also been selected in the 14-man squad on the basis of her exceptional batting this season, and may well open in the Test, while also offering a back-up offspin option.

In terms of pace for Australia, Perry is certain to take the new ball throughout the series, with Ferling, Megan Schutt and Sarah Coyte all in contention for bowling spots alongside her. In Rene Farrell they also have an experienced Ashes player returning to the side for the first time since the 2011 Test in Sydney, when she took 5 for 23 in England's second innings, including a hat-trick, and helped win the Test for Australia. The Southern Stars will be hoping she can emulate this over the coming days.

Stats and trivia

  • 2014 marks the 80th anniversary of the first ever women's Test match, played in December 1934 in Brisbane on England's tour of Australia.
  • The WACA has hosted two previous women's Tests, in 1958 and in 1984. Both were drawn.
  • When Charlotte Edwards leads her team out, she will have played in more Ashes Tests than anyone aside from Myrtle Maclagan, who leads the list on 12. Edwards has captained in 3 of them.
  • Edwards needs just 103 runs to overtake Jan Brittin's total of 1024 in Ashes Test runs and become the leading Ashes run-scorer; and only 47 runs to make her the second-highest run-scorer ever in women's Tests.

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Manzoor makes use of lifeline

Question marks will continue to hang over Khurram Manzoor's technique, but the opener fought it out to score 73 on a day when few of his team-mates could put bat on ball

There are few batsmen in the Pakistan side who can safely be called technically sound, and Khurram Manzoor isn't one of them. He might not have the prettiest technique, but it worked well enough for him to score 73 on a day when barely any of his team-mates managed to put bat on ball. On a day dominated by Sri Lanka's seam attack, Pakistan lost their last eight wickets for 58 runs to be bowled out for 165.

Pakistan's top order has been in transition for ages, and they have tried a number of opening combinations over the years. As one of four openers in this squad, Manzoor himself was facing the axe. Since scoring 146 against South Africa in Abu Dhabi more than three months ago, his visits to the crease in Test cricket before this innings had yielded him scores of 4, 0, 0, 21 and 8. It was expected that Shan Masood would replace Manzoor for this Test. But the team management gave him another chance, and they would have been pleased with the manner in which he grabbed it.

For all that, it wasn't a particularly fluent innings, and didn't entirely answer the questions about his technique that have dogged him right since the time he was dropped after his seventh Test - in Hobart in January 2010 - with a record reading 326 runs at 29.63. He returned, after a gap of nearly four years, and has since scored 373 runs at 33.90 in six Tests in which his fortunes have swung dramatically. In the two-Test series against South Africa, for instance, he followed up a match-winning century in the first Test with a pair in the second.

At the Dubai International Stadium today, Manzoor spent 214 similarly fluctuating minutes at the crease. He oscillated between fluent drives and streaky edges through the slips, and looked shaky even after he had crossed 50.

"It wasn't easy out there. The toss was vital because the pitch is helping seam bowlers," Manzoor said. "The ball was seaming exceptionally and it was tough and this is the reason why we all struggled. Also credit should be given to the Sri Lanka bowlers. I took time and was positive and that's why I got runs and that's all I have been thinking, to stay positive."

Having witnessed batsmen come and go at the other end, he seemed set to get to a hundred, having smacked three successive boundaries off Nuwan Pradeep and a six over mid-on off Rangana Herath. An injudicious poke at an away-going ball from Suranga Lakmal, however, ended his innings at 73.

The innings might not have stalled Sri Lanka's charge, but it should help Manzoor retain his place for the next Test in Sharjah. Beyond that, Manzoor will have to show he can kick on from this knock and produce a sustained run of good scores. He won't want this to become just another spike in a wildly fluctuating career graph.


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BCB acts to calm Sri Lanka safety doubts

The Bangladesh Cricket Board could make several concessions, including changing venues, to ensure Sri Lanka's tour of the country goes ahead as scheduled later this month despite security concerns. Senior officials of the two boards are due to meet on the sidelines of the ICC executive board meeting in Dubai on January 9, and one of the proposals that could be made by Bangladesh is to stage all the matches in Dhaka.

Sources within the BCB suggest the board has spoken to security agencies in the country and the idea of a single-venue series - though the least favoured option - has been discussed at top levels. While it is possible to stage all the matches in Dhaka, the BCB is aware of the message that will send out and its acting CEO, Nizamuddin Chowdhury, has officially denied such a proposal exists.

The security situation in Bangladesh, the fallout of prolonged political instability, has been the subject of intense discussion in the cricket world with two multi-nation tournaments - the Asia Cup and the World Twenty20 - and the bilateral series with Sri Lanka scheduled to be staged in the country over the next three-odd months. While the Asia Cup has been cleared to be staged there in February-March, the World Twenty20 and the Sri Lanka series may yet see changes.

Though Sri Lanka Cricket has denied making any sort of requests based on safety issues, it will send a security team to Dhaka on January 13. There is also talk of dropping Sylhet as a venue as it would entail more traveling for the two sides for a single ODI in the northeastern town. But the BCB are eager to keep all three venues if possible, to give a brighter picture of the security situation across the country.

They now has more time to convince the tourists. SLC had previously said it would make a decision on the tour during the ICC meeting in Dubai but has since said it will send a two-man committee to Bangladesh to assess the situation on the ground. Former SLC CEO Ajit Jayasekara - an Air Commodore with the Sri Lanka Air Force - and vice-president Mohan de Silva will leave for Bangladesh on Monday, incumbent CEO Ashley de Silva said.

"We haven't sent any requests to [the BCB], but we are sending our former CEO and vice-president to Bangladesh on Monday to assess the current situation," de Silva said. "Once that has been assessed we will make a decision about whether we need to change the itinerary.

"We have to make the final decision before January 15 because the team is supposed to go on January 24. I'm not sure if it will be discussed at the ICC meeting on the January 9, but basically that's where we stand right now."

SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga had earlier said Sri Lanka would seek to honour its commitment to the tour if possible, because Bangladesh had been among the teams eager to tour Sri Lanka during its own conflict. The board is unlikely to take security threats lightly however, given the Sri Lanka team were victims of a terrorist attack in Lahore, in 2009.


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Johnson to rest, Bailey seeks his best

Mitchell Johnson will be the first of Australia's Test players to be rested in the upcoming one-day series against England, but George Bailey will be one Ashes winner keen to take every opportunity to play. Bailey is the only member of Australia's unchanged XI throughout the Ashes whose Test position could be considered in danger ahead of next month's tour of South Africa, and there is no Sheffield Shield cricket for him to regain form before the trip.

In the lead-up to the Ashes in Australia, the selectors made it clear that one-day form on October's tour of India would be considered in picking the Test squad and Bailey's remarkable ODI efforts in India earned him the No.6 place for the Gabba Test. Bailey made batting contributions through the series, including 53 in Adelaide and 46 in Sydney, but his average of 26.14 reflected his status as the weakest link in the top seven.

Alex Doolan joined the Test squad in Sydney but was overlooked as the selectors opted for another unchanged side, but what they do with the No.6 position in South Africa looms as the major selection decision. Bailey is Australia's vice-captain for the five ODIs against England, which begin in Melbourne on Sunday, and the matches will provide him with one last opportunity to find some runs before the Test squad is named.

"Every time you represent your country you're trying to play in all formats," Lehmann said on Thursday when asked about Bailey. "Every game, as we've talked about pre-summer and with the Indian one-day series, it's important for guys to make runs and take wickets."

One man whose Test place is under no scrutiny is Johnson, the Player of the Series in the 5-0 Ashes clean sweep. Although Johnson is part of the one-day squad the selectors have decided to rest him for the first match in Melbourne, with the intention that he will play the second ODI at the Gabba. Lehmann said several of the Test players would need a break at some point, but he wanted to avoid a situation like last summer when several high-profile men were all rested at the same time.

"It's obviously been a big summer for him so we're just giving him a short little break, making sure he's getting fresh for the other one-dayers as well [as the Tests]," Lehmann said of Johnson. "It's important we put the best side we possibly can out understanding it's been a hectic five Test matches and some of the Test boys especially are a bit weary.

"We'll sum it up as we go. We certainly don't want to go down the path previously where we've rested clumps of players. We want to pick and choose where we can do it. We want them to play in their home state and we want to make sure we're putting a good squad together looking ahead to the World Cup. This one-day format is very important for us."

The World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is just over a year away and the opportunities to settle on a preferred line-up will be slim, with no ODIs on the tour of South Africa and then Australia spending most of their winter at home. As well as working out a first-choice attack, the top of the order also poses a number of possibilities with Shane Watson, David Warner, Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh all potential openers in this squad.

The series will also provide the first opportunity for James Pattinson to play international cricket since he suffered a back injury during the Ashes tour of England in July. Like Bailey, Pattinson will be hoping to press his case for selection on the Test tour of South Africa through the five one-day internationals over the coming weeks.


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Steyn recovering from rib injury

South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn is suffering from a minor fracture to his rib but is set to recover in time for the home series against Australia, the first Test of which begins on February 12.

"During the second Test [against India] in Durban, Dale dived for the ball and he felt a bit of discomfort on the right side of his chest," South Africa's team doctor Mohammed Moosajee told Eyewitness News Sport. "He finished the Test unscathed and about two days after the match, he complained that the area was feeling quite tender.

"We proceeded to have an x-ray done, which didn't reveal much. A subsequent scan revealed a minor fracture of the eighth rib on the right hand side. He will be fit for Australia. We're quite confident that with this type of injury, he'll have time to recuperate and to recover fully."

Steyn took nine wickets in that Test, which South Africa won by ten wickets to take the series 1-0, and was Man of the Match. Australia are set to tour South Africa for three Tests and three T20 internationals from February 5 to March 14.


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Openers, pace bowlers worry Mushfiqur

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim wants his opening batsmen and pace bowlers to make best use of the two longer-version matches later this month. The Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL), a first-class competition that starts next week, will provide the players match practice ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka, even if they get just two games each.

It will be the players' first taste of first-class cricket since the second Test of the home series against New Zealand nearly three months ago and Mushfiqur believes the longer format is the best place for Bangladesh to improve in two vital areas. Bangladesh's second opener and fast bowlers were ordinary against New Zealand, and he is worried that the middle order and the spinners will come under pressure if the trend continues.

Two partnerships of 39 were the best that the openers managed against New Zealand. Tamim Iqbal scored two half-centuries but Anamul Haque had a poor outing, which brought his place under question. Mushfiqur isn't keen on dumping Anamul but wants to see the young opener, who is averaging just 10.66 in three Tests, return to form.

"There's nothing better than match practice," Mushfiqur said. "BCL has the four best teams, which means the level of cricket will be quite good, and competitive. We haven't played Test cricket for a long time, so it will definitely help us. In terms of batting, we want the top-order give us a good start.

"Sometimes the entire batting line-up doesn't click so it is important to give a good start; what if there's a lower-order collapse? Tamim and [Anamul Haque] Bijoy know what to do. Bijoy in fact did well recently in the Twenty20 tournament, so I am hopeful of them coming good together."

Tamim has led a lone battle at the top of the order since scoring 53 and 84 on debut against New Zealand in 2008. Starting with those two innings in Dunedin, he has made 18 out of 21 scores of 50 or more by Bangladesh's openers, which includes all four of their centuries.

Tamim - and Bangladesh's openers, consequently - hasn't scored a century since his 103 at Old Trafford in June 2010. The last fifty to come from an opener other than Tamim was Nazimuddin's 78 against Pakistan in December 2011, but he has faded away swiftly since. The last 100-plus opening partnership came more than three years ago when Tamim and Imrul Kayes did it twice against England in 2010. Kayes isn't on the scene anymore but has been among the runs in domestic cricket recently.

Fast bowling is Mushfiqur's other concern. While Robiul Islam gave a glimmer of hope with his Man-of-the-Series performance in Zimbabwe, the same can't be said about the other seamers. Robiul was injured in the New Zealand series, prompting the team management to rest him for the second Test and the subsequent limited-overs leg. Over the two Tests, Rubel Hossain and Al-Amin Hossain took just two wickets in 60 overs.

Rubel, however, bowled well in the ODIs against New Zealand, famously picking up a hat-trick in a six-wicket haul in the first game. Al-Amin too has been in the news with his bowling in Twenty20s. But they need to come good in Test cricket, where Rubel averages 78 per wicket and Al-Amin has bowled in just one innings.

"The pace bowlers too need some work," Mushfiqur said. "There will be enough opportunities to better these areas in the two matches, and the practice sessions afterwards.

"We will look at pace bowling closely. They have to take at least eight of the 20 wickets needed to win a Test match. Otherwise the opponent will be planning very well against spin. [Robiul Islam] Shiplu bowled well away from home, Rubel [Hossain] is doing well and we also have Al-Amin [Hossain]. Even if they don't take wickets and just bowl economically, that would really help us."

In 2013, the selectors tried seven pace bowlers, of whom Robiul topped the wicket charts. Abul Hasan is on an extended injury layoff while Shahadat Hossain and Sajedul Islam were risked for just one Test each. Curiously, they have kept aside Ziaur Rahman, a seam-bowling allrounder who took four wickets in his debut Test in Zimbabwe. He has been labelled a limited-overs player, but Ziaur has shown a knack of contributing when it matters. Although a knee injury has cut down his pace drastically, he can still do a holding job in home conditions, with the added advantage of batting in the lower order.

Bangladesh's other source of confidence, according to Mushfiqur, is their recent record against Sri Lanka. The drawn Galle Test was the first between the two sides, after 12 straight Sri Lankan wins. Bangladesh also beat them at home in an ODI for the first time, levelling the 3-match ODI series.

"There isn't any fear factor," Mushfiqur said. "They have a good record against us but we are confident after doing well in their conditions last year. We now believe that we can do well against them. Throughout last year we have played well, so this is a chance for us to start the New Year on a good note."


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USA National Championship to be broadcast live

The USA Cricket Association announced on Tuesday that its 2014 National Championship will be broadcast live on ESPN3. The tournament is scheduled be to played in the Twenty20 format from August 21-24 at a new facility scheduled to be opened this summer in Indianapolis, Indiana. It will be the first USACA National Tournament involving teams from the eight USACA Regions since 2011. It will be the first time that USACA will have live broadcast coverage for one of its domestic tournaments.

"2014 will be an exciting year for US cricket and the agreement with ESPN3 is a positive start. The US cricketing scene will receive a boost by not only having the chance to play on the brand new Worlds Sports Park in Indianapolis including a new turf pitch, but to follow the lead-up to the Championships starting in May," said Darren Beazley, CEO, USACA. "By working closely with ESPN3, we hope that the Finals on August 24 will draw a significant audience across a number of platforms."

"Fans have come to know ESPN3 as a leading destination for live cricket events in the US," said Todd Myers, Director of Programming and Acquisitions, ESPN. "By carrying the US National Cricket Championships, we hope to continue to grow the sport by giving it national exposure across a variety of accessible platforms."

USACA is planning on using the tournament as a selection mechanism for the annual Auty Cup series against Canada, which is scheduled to be played in the USA in September, as well as for selection for the next ICC World Cricket League Division Three 50-over tournament, which is due to be played in early 2015. USA fell short of the 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand by finishing third at ICC WCL Division Three in Bermuda last May.


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NZ hit back after Powell blitz

West Indies 145 for 3 (Edwards 26*, Bravo 1*) v New Zealand
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Kieran Powell handed West Indies a flying start at Seddon Park with a blistering 73 off 44 balls to give the visitors a position from where to build a strong total as they aim to level the series although they were in danger of wasting his efforts.

Powell hit 12 fours and two sixes before being given lbw to Nathan McCullum, after dominating an opening stand of 95 in 12 overs with Johnson Charles, although he was unlucky with replays showing the ball would have slid past leg stump but the batsman declined to use the available review. The pace slowed after his departure; Charles was run out by Nathan McCullum and Lendl Simmons was taken at point shortly before the midway mark of the innings leaving West Indies needing to rebuild.

Powell dominated the early exchanges after Brendon McCullum had inserted West Indies, confident in his team's ability to chase down a target. That faith could now be tested, although conditions are ideal for batting with an easy-paced surface and rapid outfield.

Powell set the tone in the opening over when he collected consecutive boundaries off Tim Southee and in the paceman's next over another pull carried for six. His innings kicked into an even higher gear during the sixth over of the innings, from Mitchell McClenaghan, which cost 19 runs include three fours and another six - this time it was caught, one-handed, by a supporter in the crowd which earned the lucky man a prize of NZ$100,000.

In an attempt to change the tempo, Brendon McCullum introduced his brother, Nathan, for the seventh over although after a tight first over from the offspinner the runs kept coming at a good clip. Powell's fifty came from 28 balls and he was eyeing a rapid hundred when we went to sweep McCullum and was taken on the boot.

The breakthrough allowed New Zealand to regain some control. Charles was shaping to try and bat through the innings, but misjudged a single into the off side and Nathan McCullum's direct hit from cover found him well short.

West Indies' running continued to be uncertain - there were two further opportunities for direct hits - and in the 13 overs following Powell's wicket there only three further boundaries as Anderson and Kyle Mills put pressure on the batsmen.

New Zealand 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Jesse Ryder, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Brendon McCullum (capt), 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Kyle Mills, 11 Mitchell McClenaghan

West Indies 1 Johnson Charles, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Kirk Edwards, 4 Lendl Simmons, 5 Dwayne Bravo (capt), 6 Chadwick Walton, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Andre Russell, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Jason Holder, 11 Nikita Miller


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Finest Ashes pace numbers since 1890

Australia's fast bowlers averaged 18.35 runs per wicket, which is the best by either team in an Ashes series since 1890. Read on for more stats highlights

At tea on the opening day of the Gabba Test, Australia, after choosing to bat, had been reduced to 153 for 6. For all those who had witnessed Australia's top-order struggles in England only a few months earlier, this seemed to be a familiar story repeating itself all over again. Then, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson, quite fittingly, put together Australia's first significant statement of the series, adding 114 for the seventh wicket, before Johnson started working over England's batsmen. Over the next six weeks, the pair scripted many more game-changing performances that so thoroughly demoralised England that it seems scarcely believable that the visitors would've envisaged being 1-0 up from their tea-time position on that opening day in Brisbane.

The difference between the two Ashes contests held over the last six months is stark. England won 3-0 at home, but the Australians were at pains to explain that the difference between the two teams wasn't as much as that. The series stats suggest as much as well: England averaged only about three runs more per wicket than Australia, and scored one more century. With the ball, they took four more wickets than Australia's bowlers. The brand of cricket they played was attritional; it had served them well over the last few years, and it worked here too: they scored their runs much slower than Australia, but they batted longer, gave their bowlers longer periods of rest, and won all the key moments. It didn't feel like 3-0, but it was.

In Australia, it felt like 5-0, and it was 5-0. The stats reveal the gulf between the two sides. Australia scored ten centuries, which equals their record for an Ashes campaign, while England had one, their lowest in an Ashes series in the last 40 years. England averaged 21.58 runs per wicket with the bat, their lowest Ashes average since 1950-51, while Australia's average was a healthy 41.41.

The Australian batting wasn't always top-class, but the bowling was terrifying - they took 100 wickets for the first time in a five-Test Ashes series, and the strike rate was their best in an Ashes series since 1896. The bowlers took 99 wickets (one was a run-out) at the rate of one every 45.2 balls (while the overall strike rate for the team was 44.8 balls per wicket); the last time they bettered that was in 1896. Australia's run rate of 3.75 illustrates the aggressive brand of cricket they played, compared to England's run rate of 2.99 when they won at home last year.

Ashes 2013-14 series stats
Team Runs scored Wkts lost Average 100s/ 50s Run rate Bowl SR
Australia 3189 77 41.41 10/ 15 3.75 44.8
England 2158 100 21.58 1/ 10 2.89 66.3
Ashes 2013 series stats
Team Runs scored Wkts lost Average 100s/ 50s Run rate Bowl SR
Australia 2735 89 30.73 4/ 13 3.37 67.4
England 2856 85 33.60 5/ 13 2.99 54.7

Aussie domination
In this series, the ratio of batting averages of the two teams was 1.92: Australia's average of 41.41 runs per wicket was 1.92 times England's average of 21.58. In the entire history of Ashes contests (excluding one-off Tests), this is the fourth-largest ratio between the averages of the winning and losing teams. The highest was in 1886, when England won a three-Test series 3-0; they averaged 31.02 with the bat and 13.20 with the ball. Australia take up the next four positions in the table below, with all those wins happening in the last 25 years. In 1989, when they won 4-0 in England, they averaged 57.86 with the bat and 27.71 with the ball; in the 2006-07 clean sweep, they averaged 52.77 with the bat and 26.35 with the ball, a ratio of 2.00. When England won 3-1 in Australia on their last tour, their batting average was 1.75 times the bowling average.

In their only other 5-0 Ashes triumph, in 1920-21, Australia's ratio was 1.63 (batting average 46.13, bowling average 28.35).

Highest ratio of averages in an Ashes series*
Series Win team Bat ave Los team Bat ave Ratio Series margin
1886, in England England 31.02 Australia 13.20 2.35 3-0
1989, in England Australia 57.86 England 27.71 2.09 4-0
2006-07, in Australia Australia 52.77 England 26.35 2.00 5-0
2013-14, in Australia Australia 41.41 England 21.58 1.92 5-0
2001, in England Australia 49.11 England 26.44 1.86 4-1
1888, in England England 15.10 Australia 8.45 1.79 2-1
2010-11, in Australia England 51.14 Australia 29.23 1.75 3-1
1946-47, in Australia Australia 52.71 England 30.81 1.71 3-0

The Haddin factor
Australia were by far the superior team, but one aspect of their game that wasn't convincing was their top-order batting. Repeatedly they were five down for not too many, and needed Brad Haddin and the lower order to bail them out. Australia's scores at five down in their first innings in the five Tests were as follows: 100, 257, 143, 112 and 97; except in Adelaide, their top order struggled every time. Yet, England failed to drive home the advantage, as Haddin found at least one batting partner each time to rescue the team.

The table below lists the averages of Australia's batsmen overall in the series, and in the first innings. The table shows Haddin's contributions in even better light, as 407 of his 493 runs came in the first innings, when England were still competitive in the match. Haddin scored at least a half-century each time he batted in the first innings: his scores were 94, 118, 55, 65, and 75 - 407 runs at 81.40. Steven Smith was the other batsman whose first-innings contributions stood out: he scored two centuries in the series, and both were in the first innings. His failures were in the second innings when Australia were generally under less pressure.

However, most of the other Australian batsmen struggled in the first innings. Five of them averaged less than 40, including Michael Clarke, whose 148 in Adelaide was his only meaningful first-innings contribution. David Warner, Chris Rogers and Shane Watson all averaged less than 35, while George Bailey had a shocker, aggregating 64 in five innings.

Of the ten centuries Australia scored, six were in the second innings, including two each by Warner and Rogers, and one by Watson. Given that Australia had a first-innings lead of 130-plus in four of the five Tests, the one instance where second-innings runs were scored under pressure was in Melbourne, when Australia chased a target of 231 and won comfortably, with Rogers getting 116 and Watson getting 83.

England's batsmen were poor throughout, but Michael Carberry did much better than the rest in the first innings, scoring 181 runs at 36.20; in the second innings, he scored only 100 in five tries. Kevin Pietersen managed only 115 in the first innings, while Ian Bell scored 121 - though he was unbeaten once, in Adelaide.

Australia's batsmen in the series
  1st innings Both innings
Batsman Runs Average 100s/ 50s Runs Average 100s/ 50s
Brad Haddin 407 81.40 1/ 4 493 61.62 1/ 5
Steven Smith 282 56.40 2/ 0 327 40.87 2/ 0
Michael Clarke 193 38.60 1/ 0 363 40.33 2/ 0
David Warner 163 32.60 0/ 1 523 58.11 2/ 2
Chris Rogers 156 31.20 0/ 2 463 46.30 2/ 3
Shane Watson 144 28.80 0/ 1 345 38.33 1/ 2
George Bailey 64 12.80 0/ 1 183 26.14 0/ 1
England's batsmen in the series
  1st innings Both innings
Batsman Runs Average 100s/ 50s Runs Average 100s/ 50s
Michael Carberry 181 36.20 0/ 1 281 28.10 0/ 1
Alastair Cook 122 24.40 0/ 1 246 24.60 0/ 3
Ian Bell 121 30.25 0/ 1 235 26.11 0/ 2
Kevin Pietersen 115 23.00 0/ 1 294 29.40 0/ 2
Ben Stokes 80 20.00 0/ 0 279 34.87 1/ 0
Joe Root 45 11.25 0/ 0 192 27.42 0/ 1

Australia's lower-order rescue acts
The partnership stat further illustrates how even things were between the two teams through the first half of their first innings. It also shows clearly the areas Australia will need to address before what's likely to be a tough tour to South Africa. In their first innings, their average stand for the first wicket was 20, for the third 21.80, for the fourth 23.20 and for the fifth 23.80; among the top five wickets partnerships in the first innings, only the second one made substantial runs. The opening stands in the first innings were 12, 34, 13, 19 and 22, numbers that don't inspire confidence when the next challenge will be against Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel.

England's opening partnerships in the first innings were actually more substantial than Australia's: in Perth, Cook and Carberry added 85, before the rest of the batting crumbled. Add up the average stands for the first five wickets in the first innings, and Australia's score is 142 for 5; England's 124 for 5. Not a whole lot to choose between the teams there.

Look down the second half of the partnership tables, though, and huge differences emerge. Australia's average stand for the sixth wicket in their first innings was 98.80; the sum of the average stands for the last five wickets for England was 70. Australia's last five, on average, added 220. That 150-run difference completely altered the balance of the game.

Australia's sixth-wicket stands in the first innings were 32, 200, 124, 10 and 128, with Haddin being a common factor in all those stands. Out of nine century stands for Australia in the series, Haddin was involved in four. Out of the 1780 runs that Australia scored in their first innings over the entire series, 811 runs - or 45.56% - were scored when Haddin was at the crease. That's a whopping percentage of runs for a No. 7 batsman to be involved in, and it made all the difference between things being even after the first innings, and Australia getting a huge advantage at the halfway mark.

England, on the other hand, were hurt badly by the lack of significant contributions down the order. Also, the top order got starts, but failed to push on towards substantial scores: there were only two 50-plus stands in the first innings, but seven partnerships between 44 and 49. In the second innings, England had one century stand - their only one of the entire series - and six half-century partnerships, but it was still too little too late.

One century stand is also England's poorest effort in an Ashes campaign since 1950-51. In the 2013 series in England, both teams had six century stands.

Average partnerships for Australia
  1st innings Both innings
Wkt Average 100/ 50 stands Average 100/ 50 stands
1st 20.00 0/ 0 41.90 1/ 2
2nd 53.00 1/ 1 45.50 2/ 1
3rd 21.80 0/ 1 47.11 1/ 2
4th 23.20 0/ 0 36.12 0/ 2
5th 23.80 0/ 1 38.75 1/ 2
6th 98.80 3/ 0 69.12 3/ 0
7th 52.60 1/ 1 55.28 1/ 2
8th 21.40 0/ 1 20.66 0/ 1
9th 16.20 0/ 0 15.33 0/ 0
10th 31.50 0/ 0 27.20 0/ 0
Average partnerships for England
  1st innings Both innings
Wkt Average 100/ 50 stands Average 100/ 50 stands
1st 35.20 0/ 1 25.00 0/ 2
2nd 26.00 0/ 0 27.10 0/ 1
3rd 19.60 0/ 0 30.50 1/ 1
4th 26.00 0/ 1 27.60 0/ 2
5th 17.00 0/ 0 27.10 0/ 1
6th 12.20 0/ 0 22.30 0/ 1
7th 14.80 0/ 0 16.90 0/ 0
8th 8.80 0/ 0 13.70 0/ 0
9th 9.40 0/ 0 11.00 0/ 0
10th 24.80 0/ 0 14.60 0/ 0

Pace like fire
In the 2013 series in England, there had been little to choose between the pace attacks of England and Australia. Australia's fast bowlers took more wickets - 69 to 58 - but the averages were almost the same - 30.04 for Australia, 30.89 for England.

In the return series, led by a rampaging Mitchell Johnson, Australia's pace attack was all over England's batsmen. Of the 99 wickets taken by Australia's bowlers, 79 went to their fast bowlers, at an average of 18.35 runs, and a strike rate of 42.4 balls per wicket. England's fast bowlers didn't do too badly, averaging a respectable 34.86, but their batting was so poor that they didn't stand a chance. The average of 18.35 is the best by an Australian pace attack in an Ashes series since 1890, when they averaged 18.28 and took 14 wickets in two Tests. In fact, it's the best by the pace attack of either team in an Ashes series since 1890.

In the first innings, especially, Australia's quick men were unstoppable. Johnson took 21 wickets at 12.33, Ryan Harris 11 at 17.27, and Peter Siddle nine at 18.55. England didn't do too badly in the first innings either: Stuart Broad's 17 wickets cost 22.88 each, Anderson's 10 came at 34.60 and Ben Stokes took 10 at 27.80, but then Australia's first-innings bowling was so strong, and England's batting so feeble, that by the time the second innings came along, Australia already had such a big lead and England's bowlers had had so little time to put their feet up, that the second innings was a no-contest.

In the second innings, Anderson took just four wickets and each of them cost him 67.25 runs, while Broad's four wickets cost him 47.25 each. Johnson, meanwhile, took 16 second-wickets at 16.12.

England's spin department did them no favours either. That was a battle they had won convincingly in the home series, but in Australia, Nathan Lyon completely outbowled England's spinners: Australia's spin accounted for 20 wickets at 30.80, while England's took 14 at 72.42. In the second innings, when the pitches started helping spinners more, Lyon proved quite a handful, but England's spinners were completely ineffective, and the match situations and lack of pressure on the Australian batsmen didn't help either.

How the bowling attacks compared
  1st innings 2nd innings
  Wickets Average Strike rate Wickets Average Strike rate
Aus - pace 44 15.45 38.9 35 22.00 46.9
Eng - pace 41 29.34 54.7 19 46.78 67.7
Aus - spin 6 40.67 82.3 14 26.57 45.0
Eng - spin 6 89.16 143.0 8 59.87 89.1

The head-to-head battles

Johnson dominated almost all the England batsmen right through the series, but the one batsman who withstood his onslaught and didn't get out to him even once was Ian Bell: in 98 balls Bell scored 48 runs without being out. However, the Australian attack worked as a pack, and if Johnson didn't have Bell's number, then Harris and Siddle did: both dismissed Bell three times each, and gave very little away.

Siddle took the least wickets among Australia's three fast bowlers, but did wonderfully against England's two main middle-order batsmen, Bell and Pietersen. Both scored at less than two runs per over against him, which kept up the pressure on England's batsmen and ensured that there were no easy runs on offer at any stage of the innings. Shane Watson took only four wickets in the series, but three of those were of Carberry's, who averaged five against him. There was thus at least one Australian bowler who had the wood on each of England's top-order batsmen.

England batsmen v Australian bowlers
Batsman Bowler Runs Balls Dismissals Average
Ian Bell Mitchell Johnson 48 98 0 -
Alastair Cook Mitchell Johnson 73 128 4 18.25
Stuart Broad Mitchell Johnson 25 56 4 6.25
Ian Bell Peter Siddle 31 102 3 10.33
Ian Bell Ryan Harris 64 132 3 21.33
Michael Carberry Shane Watson 15 41 3 5.00
Michael Carberry Mitchell Johnson 66 146 3 22.00
Kevin Pietersen Peter Siddle 72 218 3 24.00
Kevin Pietersen Ryan Harris 52 114 3 17.33

England's bowlers had a few head-to-head battles to cherish - like Broad's domination of George Bailey and Anderson's successes against Watson - but they weren't nearly enough in a five-match series.

Rogers scored only 27 runs from 107 balls off Graeme Swann, but handled the pace of Stokes and Anderson far more comfortably. Haddin won most of his battles against England's bowlers, averaging 108 against Anderson, 76 against Broad, and not falling once to Swann or Panesar.

Australian batsmen v England bowlers
Batsman Bowler Runs Balls Dismissals Average
George Bailey Stuart Broad 36 73 4 9.00
Shane Watson James Anderson 71 130 4 17.75
David Warner Stuart Broad 136 153 4 34.00
Michael Clarke Ben Stokes 46 98 3 15.33
Brad Haddin James Anderson 108 126 1 108.00
Brad Haddin Stuart Broad 76 126 1 76.00
Chris Rogers James Anderson 98 262 1 98.00
Chris Rogers Ben Stokes 124 169 1 124.00
Brad Haddin Swann+Panesar 118 175 0 -

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Manoj Tiwary not fit for Bengal's quarter-final

Manoj Tiwary, the Bengal batsman, will not be fit in time to play his team's Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Railways, which begins on January 8. Tiwary, who is recovering from a knee injury, was named as the 17th member of the Bengal squad, in anticipation of him being declared fit.

Tiwary is having his fitness assessed at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore, but has not ruled out making a comeback in the semis, should Bengal progress.

"The [NCA] physio told me that I need to have at least four to five running sessions, which will be an indicator of how much strength has returned in my knees," Tiwary told PTI. "Today, there wasn't any fitness test but only fitness assessment. As of now I am not available for the quarter-final. I will only make a comeback when I am fully match-fit."

Tiwary was not under too much duress batting in the nets but said his footwork and running between the wickets could suffer if he returns at this point. "There wasn't any discomfort [in the nets] as such, but some of the little things still need to be assessed. I have batted against the spinners but I haven't really used my feet against them at the nets.

"Also, there is running between the wickets where you have to swiftly turn for twos and threes. During the turning, there would be pressure on the knees. The physio needs to assess how my knees are holding up during that pressure. I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that I will pass the fitness test and be available if Bengal qualify for the semi-final."

Tiwary has undergone two surgeries on his knee, with the injury keeping him out of action for the second half of 2013. He has suffered a succession of injuries of late: he was sidelined after injuring his back in the Ranji Trophy in December 2012 and hurt his shoulder during the Vijay Hazare Trophy in March 2013, just a month after returning to competitive cricket. He was also out of action for week in the IPL 2013 due to a bruised hand. Injuries have also hampered his international career, particularly the shoulder problem he picked up at practice in Bangladesh in mid-2007, on the eve of what would have been his India debut.


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Sammy ruled out of T20 series

Darren Sammy, West Indies' Twenty20 captain, has been ruled out of the two T20 matches against New Zealand later his month due to his hamstring injury. Dwayne Bravo, the one-day captain, will lead the side that still will not include Chris Gayle who has yet to recover from his hamstring problem.

Sammy suffered his injury when he was running around a damp outfield in Queenstown before the third ODI. He will remain with the squad to aid the rehabilitation and his place has been taken by left-arm spinner Nikita Miller. "Darren is undergoing treatment and should be fit to return to playing duties in time for the Regional Super50 Tournament which starts later this month in Trinidad," said West Indies team physiotherapist C.J. Clark.

West Indies had previously announced that three additional players - Andre Fletcher, Andre Russell and Samuel Badree - would be joining the squad in New Zealand and Russell, the allrounder, will be considered for selection for the final ODI in Hamilton.

West Indies' squad has been severely depleted in recent weeks and for the Nelson one-dayer they were selecting from just 12 fit players. Along with the absent Gayle and injured Sammy, Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo have flown home and Ravi Rampaul suffered a broken finger although he remains on the tour. From what would be a first-choice team, Kemar Roach and Kieran Pollard are also missing - Pollard is still recovering from a knee injury.

New Zealand, meanwhile have named the same squad for the T20 series that has competed in the one-day matches. That means a very different side will take the field compared to the experimental XI that faced Sri Lanka in Pallekele during November; only five of that team are in the full-strength squad of 14.

"We are keen to keep this group together but are mindful of the strong performances from a number of other players including Hamish Rutherford, and Anton Devcich," Bruce Edgar, the national selector, said. "We are fortunate to be in a position to have a range of quality players to choose from."

New Zealand Brendon McCullum (capt), Corey Anderson, Martin Guptill, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, James Neesham, Luke Ronchi, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor

West Indies Dwayne Bravo (capt), Samuel Badree, Tino Best, Johnson Charles, Narsingh Deonarine, Andre Fletcher, Jason Holder, Nikita Miller, Sunil Narine, Kieran Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Chadwick Walton


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Pietersen targets next Ashes

Kevin Pietersen has reiterated his desire to keep playing for England and wants to help regain the Ashes in 2015.

There has been much speculation during the 5-0 whitewash in Australia that Pietersen will end his international career. The man himself has always insisted he wants to continuing playing and has often spoken about a target of 10,000 Test runs - he currently stands on 8181 after a disappointing return of 294 runs at 29.40 in Australia, although that still made him England's leading run-scorer.

"Very disappointed to lose 5-0, and not to score more runs personally. Tough tour against a top class team." he said on Twitter. "I want to thank all the England fans for their terrific support. And I'm determined to help regain the Ashes in 2015."

Part of the debate around Pietersen's future stems from his fitness; he needed an injection in his knee before the Ashes began having been forced home from the tour of New Zealand in March and then did not play again until shortly before the Ashes in England.

His workload is being carefully managed by the ECB, including being rested from the one-day series against Australia which starts in Melbourne on Sunday. It remains to be seen whether he will play on the short tour of West Indies which starts at the end of February although would be expected to feature at the World Twenty20 despite only playing once for England in that format for almost two years.


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Lumb fifty steers Sixers home

Sydney Sixers 4 for 150 (Lumb 54) beat Adelaide Strikers 7 for 149 (Shakib 46, Reardon 43, Hazlewood 3-16) by six wickets
Scorecard

Lumb leads Sixers to victory over Strikers

A valuable half-century by Michael Lumb and some late hitting from Marcus North helped the Sydney Sixers ascend to second on the BBL table at the expense of the Adelaide Strikers. A lacklustre batting display and some missed opportunities in the field cost the Strikers badly as the Sixers were able to chase down 150 with six wickets in hand and five balls to spare.

The scorecard suggests a well-controlled chase but there were a number of wobbly moments. Shaun Tait bowled a fearsome over early on when he rearranged Lumb's grille with a searing bouncer first ball. The fourth ball of the over found Nic Maddinson in no position to execute a pull shot and skied a catch to square leg.

Moises Henriques lofted Tait back over his head in his second over to get the chase moving but was fortunate to survive the next ball. He skied a top edge towards third man and Michael Klinger ran back from slip but failed to grasp the chance. Henriques found the boundary twice more in the over to further dampen the mood.

Lumb, with a brand new helmet, followed suit flicking Michael Neser over deep backward square for six. But he too survived a chance with Neser unable to hang onto a sharp return catch.

A passing shower caused an interruption so brief the players had hardly reached the rope before they were called back. Shakib Al Hasan, on his BBL debut, used the moisture on the pitch to skid one through and trap Henriques in front with his side still 95 runs adrift. But the rain did not aid the leg spin of Adam Zampa. Lumb clubbed him into the stands three times to ease any tension for the Sixers.

Lumb cruised to fifty but his soft dismissal caused another shift in momentum. Marcus North and Ravi Bopara managed just 15 runs from the next 20 deliveries to keep the Strikers in the game. But North gambled against Nathan Reardon in the 17th over. He skipped down the track and clipped him into the stands for six. North went again next ball and thought Klinger got hands to it on the deep square leg rope, it was parried over for six more. North fell two balls later but Bopara and Jordan Silk were able to finish the job.

The major cause of Strikers' defeat, however, was owed to a disappointing batting display. They slumped to 4 for 32 inside eight overs after winning the toss and batting first.

It was left to Reardon and Shakib to mount a rear guard. The pair put together an entertaining 80-run stand to set up a defendable target. It could have been more had Shakib not picked out Steve O'Keefe on the midwicket boundary with a powerful strike and Reardon not run himself out with 10 balls to go.

Josh Hazlewood was the star with the ball picking up 3 for 16 from four miserly overs, but he had terrific support from Brett Lee and the spin of O'Keefe and North.


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FAQs: The Rajasthan Cricket Association election case

The Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case involving former BCCI treasurer Kishore Rungta on January 6, during the course of which the results of the Rajasthan Cricket Association elections, which were held on December 19, may be announced. The matter assumes significance because the BCCI has impleaded itself in the Rungta case, since it has challenged Lalit Modi standing for the RCA elections.

Why are the RCA elections important?
The matter assumes importance because Lalit Modi, the former IPL chairman, who was expelled by the BCCI in September, is a strong favourite to win the RCA president's post. If elected, Modi would likely be the first person to openly oppose the ruling group in the BCCI, a body for which everyone else has been toeing the line. Modi earlier served as RCA president from 2005 to 2009. It is understood that only three district associations voted against Modi during the elections.

How did Modi sidestep the BCCI ban to fight the RCA polls?
Modi entered the RCA polls through the door made open to him by the Rajasthan Sports Act, which governs the RCA's constitution.

What is the Rungta case about?
In 2005, Modi defeated then RCA president Kishore Rungta by a margin of just one vote. Rungta accused Modi of wrongdoing by bringing in a new law in the RCA constitution, which abolished the voting rights of the individual members and allowed only the district associations to vote. Since then Rungta has been challenging the law. Rungta approached the Rajasthan High Court in 2005 but his application was rejected. He then went to the Supreme Court in 2007 with a special leave petition (SLP).

Why is the Supreme Court playing the adjudicator in the election?
Two observers were appointed since Rungta had made an application that the elections be held under the supervision of the Supreme Court. Retired Supreme Court judge NM Kasliwal, who has served as an observer in the past three elections, was once again appointed in the same capacity this time, too, to ensure fair elections. Kasliwal's main job was to validate all nominations, including Modi's.

The court also made it clear the votes would be secured in a sealed envelope and possibly opened on January 6. Earlier it was expected that the court would deliver its verdict on January 6, but now with the BCCI's petition in the Supreme Court, the decision may be deferred.

What is the BCCI's position on Modi's candidature?
Even though the RCA is governed by the state sports act, it is also a BCCI affiliate and enjoys all the benefits, including financial aid. This resulted in a tangle. After threatening to ban RCA from all of BCCI-organised tournaments, including the Ranji Trophy, the BCCI deliberated the matter in a working committee meeting in late December. Even though it decided to protect interest of all the cricketers in the state, the BCCI has moved the Supreme Court against Modi's candidature and possible election.

What happens if court rules in favour of Rungta?
The RCA elections become null and void and a new election would need to take place. Modi has the choice to contest the elections once again, unless the court rules in favour of the BCCI interlocutory application.

What happens if court rules in favour of Modi?
Modi, provided he wins the post of RCA president as is expected, would be eligible to represent the RCA in important BCCI meetings, including the AGM and SGMs. That is not likely to happen soon, though, since Modi has been residing in London for almost four years now and the RCA is not a BCCI working committee member at the moment. However, Modi lobby's presence may give a fillip to whispers of dissent against BCCI president N Srinivasan, who is Modi's bitter enemy.

What else can happen?
If the Supreme Court rules in favour of the BCCI interlocutory application then Modi cannot be elected as RCA administrator. Another situation could be, if Modi - who is expected to come out trumps in the election - is found ineligible to hold a RCA post by the court, the court could possibly appoint an ad hoc committee to run the RCA till the it delivers a judgement in the Rungta SLP.


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Woakes added to one-day squad

Chris Woakes has been added to the England limited-overs squad for the series against Australia.

Woakes, the 24-year-old Warwickshire all-rounder, has recently returned from a stint representing Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash, but was left out of the original limited-overs squads and named as captain of the Lions squad to tour Sri Lanka from the end of January.

He played the last of his 13 ODIs in June, with England appearing to conclude that he was a better red ball than white ball cricketer. While he claimed 6 for 45 in just his second ODI in Brisbane on the 2010-11 tour of Australia, his economy rate of 5.66 has not been good enough to keep him in the side and in his last two games, both against New Zealand, he conceded 94 from 13 overs.

A strong fielder and batsman - his first-class batting average is only a fraction below 40 - he has a calm character long admired by the England management and has won another opportunity to prove his value at international level. Woakes made his Test debut against Australia, at The Oval, in August


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The Ashes fractions, and the successors to Kallis and Tendulkar

The year just gone by has been one of surprises and swings of fortune

Sambit Bal January 6, 2014

Graeme Swann's retirement leaves a gaping hole in England's armour © Getty Images

About 20 minutes before tea on the third day of the first Ashes Test at the Gabba, a man hollered from high in the member's stand behind the sightscreen: "Cookeeey, give Bailey a single now, will ya."

Given George Bailey's batting partner, Michael Clarke, was on 99 at that point, it would have appeared to be a perfectly straight sentiment. Except, it carried delectable piquancy. Clarke had been dismissed fending off a bouncer in the first innings, and Cook had responded to his arrival in the second innings by gifting singles to his partner so that Stuart Broad could have a crack at him. From Cook, it had felt uncharacteristically cheeky, and to some Australians it had seemed mildly insulting.

But from there the story only headed one way. Clarke had emphatically swatted away the first bouncer from Broad to the midwicket boundary, squirted the next one for another four to fine leg, and grown Australia's ascendancy - gained by a burst of fast bowling of the sort Mitchell Johnson had always been thought capable of - to a decidedly winning position. Who could grudge the Australian fan a good-humoured jibe?

None of this, of course, had been even close to inevitable. England had arrived as favourites to win the Ashes a fourth time running, Australia's batting order was unsettled, and they had been forced to pick their second-choice bowling attack because a promising crop of young fast bowlers had been sidelined by injury. Johnson hadn't played a Test since March and was unlikely to have been picked had all the fast-bowling options been available.

But then, 2013 was that sort of year. It was a year of the unexpected, a year of twists, and a year of the possible.

Blanked out in India and squeezed dry in England, Australia have regained the Ashes with the pomp and swagger of their glory days. His leadership style and commitment to the Australian way questioned before the season, Clarke has led by example and with imagination and is a hero again. Zimbabwe have won a Test against Pakistan; and Pakistan have taken a Test off South Africa. England have tasted glory and despair in a matter of weeks. Nepal have qualified for the World Twenty20. Ishant Sharma won India the Champions Trophy. India's young batsmen have shown the technique, application and hunger for Test-match success not many had given them credit for possessing. South Africa almost chased down 458 at the Wanderers.

And the retirements - who would have seen them coming? Sachin Tendulkar's was the grandest and, given the size of his kingdom, the most stirring. But it was the most expected. Michael Hussey went abruptly, with his desire dimmed; Graeme Swann gave up mid-series, drained and worn out by defeat; and Jacques Kallis perhaps listened to his body. At the heart of it, retiring from sport is a deeply emotional decision. It isn't like retiring from a job that has run its course. It is giving up what you love most, what has defined you and forged your identity; it is about leaving home and stepping into the unknown. Some get the timing right, many don't, but to grudge them their decision would be missing the story.

****

Contemporary cricket captains are often accused of chasing the ball. That approach is perhaps reflective of batsman-friendly times, when bowling captains often have had to prey on the patience of batsmen in the absence of assistance from the conditions. Even when England were winning, Cook was often found posting a fielder where the last ball had been played.

But what about us cricket writers? How often do we scramble to catch up, to hurriedly construct a theory to explain an event that has left us befuddled, to appear wise and knowing even when we didn't see it coming? It is our job to make sense of events, but what if we are as confused as anyone else? How long ago was it that the English method - a combination of diligence, planning, efficiency and fortitude - was being held up as the template for sustained success? It wouldn't be outrageous to suggest that the Schofield Report, considered the blueprint for England's success, was scoured through more than once at Cricket Australia's headquarters.

Without doubt, England have looked broken for most of the Ashes series in Australia, but surely not everything about their cricket has turned rotten in the course of a couple of months?

" How long ago was it that the English method was being held up as the template for sustained success? Without doubt, England have looked broken for most of the Ashes series in Australia, but surely not everything about their cricket has turned rotten in the course of a couple of months?

Conversely, the Australian revival is now credited to them playing a brand of cricket reminiscent of their halcyon years, and Darren Lehman has been hailed as the man who fostered the egalitarian blokeyness that has got Australia playing with renewed fearlessness. Lehmann's tactical gaffes - picking Ashton Agar ahead of Nathan Lyon, batting David Warner in the middle order - have now conveniently receded from memory.

In sport, the truth is often simpler. And in cricket, fractions can make a difference. Australia's aggression in this series, it can be argued, is entirely accidental, because it was almost wholly dependent on a player who rediscovered his zest for bowling not in some Australian academy but in the unlikely environment of the Indian Premiere League. Warner and Brad Haddin often provided the ballast with the bat, but it was Johnson's pace that dramatically altered the tenor and the mood of the series. Australia fed on his raw machismo, and England, their batting mechanism messed up by his missiles, shrank by the day.

The first defining moment in the series came about almost by chance. Johnson started with a leg-side full toss, and his opening spell had lasted only three overs and yielded three fours. Ryan Harris provided the break by drawing an edge from Cook, and Clarke brought back Johnson to test Jonathan Trott's weakness against the short ball. Michael Carberry played out the first 12 balls from Johnson, but when he finally got a crack, Johnson's snarling bouncer found Trott's gloves. Trott survived the rest of the over, walking inside a couple of short balls and playing them down the leg side for runs, but Johnson had found his radar and Trott was palpably edgy. It was minutes before lunch and a race against time for Australia to squeeze in one more Johnson over. England's, particularly Trott's, sole objective at that point was to drag out the next over long enough to be able to retreat to temporary safety.

At this vital juncture of all-out aggression and extreme diffidence, Australia got their lucky break. Peter Siddle finished his over barely seconds before noon, but Aleem Dar took his position to allow Johnson one more over. He slammed it in short, Trott moved inside the line again, and his desperate jab ended feathering it to Haddin. Australia had struck a blow so resounding that the template for the rest of the series was drawn.

Or perhaps there is a simpler explanation for the scorelines in the back-to-back Ashes. Few Test teams are good enough to win away from home. The stats certainly bear this out. In 2013, only two - three counting the neutral venue of Dubai - away Test wins were recorded. Both against and in Zimbabwe.

****

The Ashes also saw the return of the Ugly Australian. Some hailed it as a good thing. Cricket had been dull in the series in England. The 3-0 scoreline, it was argued, flattered England. It was suggested that Australia had been too gentle, and incapable of seizing the big moments, as if the two things were related. Back home, Johnson provided the fire, but his team-mates also talked the talk, both on the field and off it. Warner taunted Trott by saying that he had seen fear in his eyes. Clarke was heard over the stump microphone threatening James Anderson with a broken arm.

The cricket world has always been divided over sledging. Some consider it to be against the grain of sport and, in fact, cowardly. Others consider it a legitimate tool in a tough and competitive environment where mental fortitude is tested as much as skills are.

Personally, I don't mind the odd stare and a bit of needle. But not all cricketers have the wit and the sensitivity to manage the line between teasing an opponent and descending into downright crudeness. It was wrong that Clarke got fined, because his comment was captured in isolation. But the whole thing was churlish. Trash-talking is okay in WWE, because the whole thing is fake, but if cricketers came to blows, something about the game would be lost.

Channel 9 later issued an apology to Clarke for a broadcast error, but I'd go the other way and keep the stump mikes on all the time. They were on during the India-South Africa Tests for most of the time and afforded fans an intimate view of the game.

There was MS Dhoni's delightful pep talk and instructions to Ravindra Jadeja; testy, but not ugly, exchanges between former IPL team-mates Dale Steyn and Rohit Sharma; and a charming conversation between Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma. Running out of partners while trying to prolong India's final innings in Durban, Rahane, alert to the requirement of farming the strike, asked his partner:

"Do ball khelega? [Will you face two balls?]"

"Nahin, ek kheloonga [No, I will play one]."

Rahane played out the fourth ball and took a single off the next.

The notion of privacy on a cricket field is an illusion. Cricket is an outdoor sport, played out before thousands and watched by millions. To be able hear what the players are thinking would be great for the viewers, and if the players wish to make fools of themselves, let them be judged for it.

****

Virat Kohli has started a fashion. Legends being hoisted on their team-mates' shoulders has become a standard salute ever since Kohli and his mates carried Tendulkar around Wankhede Stadium in the wake of India's World Cup win in 2011. Tendulkar himself was given the treatment twice more, by his Mumbai team-mates in Lahli in his final Ranji Trophy match, and finally in his farewell Test at the Wankhede. And so the South Africans weren't going to let Jacques Kallis go without a ride after his final Test appearance, in Durban.

Virat Kohli defends, South Africa v India, 1st Test, Johannesburg, 4th day, December 21, 2013

India's golden age of batting has ended but it's not all gloom and doom yet © AFP

Tendulkar and Kallis have been the greatest cricketers of their era, and cricket is immeasurably poorer without them. With Tendulkar's departure, India lost the final link to their golden age of batting, and with Kallis gone, South Africa will have to learn the art of playing with 11 men again.

But every departure also grants an opportunity for renewal, and Kohli, who had already taken over the job of churning out one-day hundreds, provided a vision into the future with a first-innings hundred on a tough pitch in Johannesburg that was technically accomplished, temperamentally remarkable, and contained strokes of high pedigree. And in the same Test, Faf du Plessis, batting in Kallis' position, produced a virtuoso final-innings performance that very nearly carried South Africa to a record chase. It was the second time in his brief career that du Plessis had taken his team to safety against impossible odds, which makes him the ideal inheritor for Kallis. If only he could bowl.

Kallis' retirement came as a surprise, but the retirement that will be far more debilitating for his team was Swann's. He didn't get a farewell because he left abruptly and controversially. But though he could be accused of abandoning his team mid-way, it can be argued in his defence that the ship had already sunk. What he leaves behind, however, is emptiness. He was that rare article in English cricket: a match-winning Test spinner.

In many ways Swann was a freak. Not since James Laker have England produced an orthodox spinner as prolific for as long a period. And incredibly, Swann did it by staying loyal to the classical principles of offspin bowling when most of his peers were forced to reinvent the art by taking advantage of the 15-degree flex allowed by the ICC. You could call it brave and principled, or perhaps it was just something that suited him, but the fact is that with Swann you got what you saw. England will not only be a lesser team without him, but they may have to wait another eternity to find a match-winning spinner.

In part two, published on January 7, a look at the state of Test cricket, the Champions Trophy and the governance of the game


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