A nod to the future for Root and England

This was one day at the start of a long summer but after a long and painful winter it was a day for England to enjoy the sunshine

Highlights: Root leads England revival with gritty 102*

We may never really know how many nervous twitches and glances there were in the England dressing room at 22 for 2. Mitchell Johnson was thousands of miles away and although the pitch was tinged with green and the new-ball swinging there was no reason to be overly alarmed.

Yet, whatever England do at the moment their recent history looms large. So when Alastair Cook chopped into his stumps, to end an uncertain stay, they were not marching convincingly into a new season of Test cricket. But some six hours later life as an England cricketer - and there were three at Lord's for which this was their first day - was beginning to look just a little bit rosier.

Not least for Joe Root who scored his second Test hundred in consecutive Lord's innings. The punch of the fist and the roar of delight could easily have been for what has gone before as much for what had just occurred.

Closing on 344 for 5 represented England's best first innings since The Oval last August - a turgid affair which led to James Faulkner attacking how England were playing their cricket - and is just nine short of anything they made in Australia. There could be no quibbling with the intent today as they kept in touch with four-an-over. When three wickets were down before lunch it was being readied as a criticism, but the urgency during the afternoon and evening session was their most convincing batting in a long time albeit against an attack that wearied as the day went on.

It should be a concern that the innings needed lifting from another uncertain beginning, but the fact it was achieved with some conviction and style should bring a sense of optimism that the rebuilding work is underway. That the recovery was largely staged by two players who did not finish the Ashes and another completely new to the Test team should gladden the hearts of suffering supporters. They may not agree with all the selections, but there were a few ticks for James Whitaker and company today.

Apart from the 180 at Lord's, the back-to-back Ashes was a searching experience for Root, not helped by the variety of roles he was asked to fill while still trying to establish the early days of his Test career. Opening in England became No. 6 to start with in Australia, but only for one Test when he was then shunted up to No. 3 after Jonathan Trott's departure. He did not survive the series, being dropped in Sydney.

He is in his 16th Test which has involved batting in six positions and although his one innings at No. 7 came due a nightwatchman, that is hardly the stability a young player needs. He has looked most at ease in the middle order; he made his nerveless 73 on debut against India in Nagpur and scored his first Test hundred from No. 5 against New Zealand at Headingley last year.

But if you had been assessing England's batting order for this match entirely logically - and with the assumption that Ian Bell gets what he wants to bat at No. 4 - then it pointed towards Root being No. 3 rather than Gary Ballance who does not bat that high for Yorkshire. Ballance did not look out of depth but was skittish during his stay as Sri Lanka preyed on a vulnerability outside off stump that was evident in the one-day series. All this was happening while Trott was making a hundred for Warwickshire's 2nd XI. He remains a vast hole to fill.

Being an opener by trade, it is surprising that Root has not seemed more at home at, or near the top of the order - notwithstanding the hundred against Australia which provides more than half his runs as an opener. The ability to rotate the strike, drop and run, to keep the board ticking comes far more easily in the middle order than it has done facing the new ball. Those skills were on evidence here; there were just two boundaries in his half-century but it did not feel as though his innings had come to standstill as some against Australia had done so.

Before this series Root stated his desire for the middle order although, after his hundred, played down a suggestion that he had declined the No.3 job. "Batting three or five, you can come in with a very similar score on the board," he said. "Whether they had an inkling I didn't want to bat there, or had suggested the middle order, maybe that had something to do with it."

Perhaps, at international level, he is more comfortable reacting to a situation rather than setting one up (he makes his one-day home in the middle order where the mindset can be similar). There is also the fact, which cannot be escaped, that batting at No. 5 will, most of the time, mean the newness of the ball has gone: in this innings, although the top three fell relatively cheaply, the ball was nearly 20 overs old when he arrived.

Still, for the Dukes ball in England, during the first session of a Test, that can still make the job tricky. He survived until lunch, which allowed England to catch their breath after a somewhat frantic first session, then played watchfully until tea. During the final session, as the zip from Sri Lanka's seamers dissipated, he skipped along at a jaunty rate with his second fifty taking 77 balls compared to the first which required 106.

A few moments later he got solidly behind the line of Nuwan Pradeep's final ball of the day then walked off as the sun started to set over Lord's. This was one day at the start of a long summer, after a long and painful winter. Tough days will follow, which could easily revive bad memories, but this was an occasion to think of the future.

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Banned umpire Shah officiates in the USA

Nadir Shah, the Bangladesh umpire who was banned for 10 years by the Bangladesh Cricket Board in March 2013 on charges of corruptions alleged by a TV sting operation, is now a standing umpire in the Southern California Cricket Association, a member league of the American Cricket Federation.

The sting, conducted in 2012, claimed to have "exposed" several first-class umpires from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan who were allegedly willing to give decisions favouring players for a fee.

Shah, 50, stood in the final of last month's LA T20 Championship, which drew attention for the appearance of suspended former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful. The tournament was officially sanctioned by the USA Cricket Association with assurances that no unapproved international players would participate, but no such restrictions were in place regarding match officials.

Ashraful was invited by former Bangladesh player and current Los Angeles area resident Nazim Shirazi to take part in the competition as part of his team Pegasus CC. Shah is a cousin of Shirazi's and, like Ashraful, has continued to stay in Los Angeles beyond the completion of the LA T20 Championship. According to multiple sources, he is currently umpiring on a weekly basis in the SCCA.

Prior to Ashraful and Shah's appearances in Los Angeles, banned Pakistan legspinner Danish Kaneria played in multiple tournaments in Florida and Texas over the last year. Kaneria's appearance at the USA Friendship Cup T20 in March drew the attention of the Pakistan Cricket Board, which fined five of its contracted players for participating in an unapproved tournament without receiving no-objection certificates.

Shah officiated in 40 ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals before being banned by the BCB. He submitted a mercy plea to the BCB in June 2013 for a reduction in his 10-year ban. The request is still pending.

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Cockbain earns Gloucs battling draw

Gloucestershire 112 (Dunn 4-37) and 506 for 6 (Cockbain 151*, Klinger 120) drew with Surrey 626 for 6 dec. (Burns 199, Solanki 143, Roy 121*)
Scorecard

Ian Cockbain batted through the last day and made his first-class best score to lead Gloucestershire to a hugely improbable draw against Surrey.

Cockbain, the 27-year-old Liverpudlian, dug in for 15 minutes short of nine hours for 151 not out, only the third century of his career, to deny Surrey a win they would have expected to complete with five wickets needed on the final day for victory.

Tom Smith, technically a nightwatchman though he was promoted only two places to No. 7, also improved his career best with 80 and Will Gidman was unbeaten on 46 as Gloucestershire lost only one wicket on the final day of the to finish 506 for 6.

Michael Klinger had shown the way on Wednesday with 120 and Cockbain resumed in the morning on 48. He faced 35 balls, including playing out four maiden overs, before finally adding two singles to take him to a 189-ball half-century.

Smith, by that point, had hit five boundaries in the morning's play and quickly added another to move into the forties. Having reached 48, he too played out 16 successive dot balls before reaching 50 with a two off Chris Tremlett.

Cockbain pressed on to 83 and Smith 61 as they saw their side to lunch at 368 for 5, still 146 runs behind but in a far more encouraging position.

Cockbain reached his century with a two off Jade Dernbach in the sixth over after lunch and the total advanced to 400 two overs later with a single from the same batsman.

Both batsmen then settled for steady progress towards tea, with the only boundaries coming when Surrey captain Gary Wilson turned to the occasional medium pace of Jason Roy in the hope of inducing an error.

Smith's excellent innings was finally ended just before tea, Matt Dunn doing the damage with the new ball as Rory Burns took the catch at third slip. He had faced 221 balls and hit 11 fours. That put a stop to a magnificent and dogged partnership of 177 and it was 439 for 6 at tea, Cockbain 126 not out and Will Gidman off the mark with a four.

Another 75 were still needed to overcome the deficit but Cockbain pressed on and Gidman added fresh impetus. He struck another five fours and reached 28 with a run-a-ball strike rate before settling into a more patient approach against spinners Gareth Batty and Zafar Ansari.

Cockbain barely played a shot in anger at the other end, determined to see his vigil through, and was rewarded when a single off Batty took him to 150 from 419 balls.

The handshake came with Gloucestershire remarkably still eight runs in arrears - but they will care not a jot after a hard-earned five points having turned around a match they began by being bowled out for just 112.

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Sri Lanka wilt in whites

Sri Lanka arrived at Lord's on the cloud of confidence their limited-overs cricket has generated, but on a tour in which they have sometimes felt besieged they failed to press home an early advantage on the sport's most celebrated stage

At the tail-end of 2012, Sri Lanka's last marquee Test became one of their lowest points in their professional era. On a springy but manageable Melbourne deck, the batsmen collapsed twice, fielders shelled simple chances, and bowlers surrendered easy runs.

At the end of the debacle, Sri Lanka's coach spoke of how the team had perhaps imploded under the pressure they had loaded on themselves. That match had been the cricketing equivalent of going to the biggest job interview of your life, only to race manically around the room, having somehow set your own pants on fire.

Eighteen months on, Sri Lanka arrived at Lord's on the cloud of confidence their limited-overs cricket has generated. They have only played one full tour against a top-eight side in the interim, but on a tour in which they have sometimes felt besieged, Sri Lanka yearned to prove themselves on the sport's most celebrated stage.

They have been the boys who excel in blue for some time, but here, with a full-house 28,000 strong in attendance, they might have been the men who shone in white as well.

The first three hours had been so promising. Nuwan Pradeep - the catalyst of Sri Lanka's best win of the year in Dubai - had the ball swerving sharp and late, while Nuwan Kulasekara boarded up one end, pitching the ball on the straight and moving it down the slope. That mix of security and venom lured a muddled innings from Alistair Cook and loose strokes from Sam Robson and Gary Ballance.

There was energy in the field and vocal support for the men in the ring. At one stage, Kulasekara, who rarely clocks in at over 130kph, had four slips and a gully. Ambitious though the plan was, it suggested a brimming over of belief; a team riding on momentum, feeding off good vibes. In Melbourne, Sri Lanka had meandered listlessly, but here was heartening direction: clear plans, and fleshed out lines of attack.

But how quickly bad habits can return. In Australia, Sri Lanka had allowed the opposition to beat them back again and again whenever they threatened an advance, and at Lord's a swift partnership between debutant Moeen Ali and embattled Joe Root stole the visitors' initiative. Rangana Herath toiled on an unresponsive surface, but as the sun beat down on the quickly-browning pitch, the fast men wilted around him. It didn't help that the surface flattened quicker than Sri Lanka had anticipated at the toss.

"We thought the pitch would have more bounce and pace than it did," Kaushal Silva said. "But maybe at the latter part of the day it got slower. Sometimes the odd ball was keeping low as well. Hopefully, tomorrow morning, with the new ball in our hand, we can do something."

Angelo Mathews' decision to bowl first with blue sky overhead raised English eyebrows early on, but it was an understandable, given the top order's history. Sri Lanka coped with the moving ball in the ODIs, thanks in part to Tillakaratne Dilshan's circumspection, but those skills have sometimes diminished when a red ball series arrives. Even at home, Sri Lanka have collapsed against good swing bowling. Knowing his attack is doughty rather than indomitable, Mathews had perhaps reasoned the zip in the pitch represented Sri Lanka's only chance of achieving a definitive edge with the ball.

"When you have the advantage of a green pitch, you should take that. We have three quality fast bowlers, so there was doubt for Angie to take that decision."

Sri Lanka's decision to rest their spearhead-by-default Shaminda Eranga in the Northampton match, also had creditable reasons. Eranga had not played competitively since injuring his ankle in Bangladesh in February, but with Suranga Lakmal already laid low, Sri Lanka felt it wise to preserve him. He has returned from long breaks to deliver long, testing spells in the past, and he was perhaps entitled to a poor day on this return. He swung the ball at pace at times, but an economy rate of 4.77 was a fair reflection of his waywardness.

As evening came on, Sri Lanka began to serve up freebies, allowing Root unchecked progress to his hundred, and Matt Prior a smooth return to his free-flowing best. In the last half-a-session, England raced on at close to five runs an over.

Sri Lanka's attack has only succeeded when it has hunted as a pack and made run-making difficult on unresponsive surfaces. A poor end to this day may not necessarily spell doom for the Test, but already outgunned in English conditions, Sri Lanka cannot afford too many sessions like it.

At 344 for 5 and two men well set, England have the firmer grip on the match. Sri Lanka have so often been tenacious in ODIs and T20s, roaring back from near-impossible situations, refusing to accept defeat. If they can discover some of that intensity in whites, they may tip the match back in their favour and avoid another disappointment at one of cricket's cherished venues.

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Ambrose and Clarke build on solid foundation

Lancashire 286 and 84 for 2 lead Warwickshire 322 (Ambrose 62, Porterfield 57, Clarke 56) by 48 runs
Scorecard

Building an innings is as much a collective enterprise as an individual skill. As Warwickshire's lower middle order and tail played with enterprise and elan to take their side past Lancashire's total early on the third afternoon of this game, perhaps few in the Edgbaston crowd reckoned that William Porterfield's self-denying vigil the previous day had very much to do with their side's prosperity. The late belligerence shown by the visiting openers seemed to reinforce the anomalous nature of Porterfield's batting.

After all, the opener had perished in the fifth over of the morning, cutting Tom Smith to gully after adding only six to his overnight score. Subsequently Tim Ambrose and Rikki Clarke had made fifties in less than half the time taken by Porterfield in an innings which, had it been set to music, might have been entitled Variations on a Theme of Defence.

Surely Ambrose and Clarke's aggression had exposed the negativity of Porterfield's approach, the argument ran, conveniently overlooking the fact that Warwickshire's opener had been batting, for the most part, with Sam Hain, who was playing his third first-class innings, and Laurie Evans and Ateeq Javid, whose Championship averages this season are not a source of pride to their loved ones.

Slow, Porterfield certainly was. Stuck in a rut? Yes, that as well. Indeed, his entire 198-ball innings was a 284-minute rut. But his effort gave later batsmen a base from which they could play with the freedom characteristic of their own styles and they did this with considerable success against a faltering Lancashire attack suddenly presented with a different set of problems.

Ambrose was the first to unveil his attacking strokes, cover-driving Kabir Ali for a boundary and reaching his half-century in 84 balls with a cut off Glen Chapple. As the tempo increased, so the nature of the contest changed, and the crowd was further encouraged by the news that both Jim Troughton and Jonathan Trott were playing for Warwickshire's second team at Coventry.

Rather than facilitating a breakthrough, the new ball disappeared to all parts, as new balls sometimes do when batsmen screw their courage to the sticking place. At lunch Warwickshire were 234 for 5 and the spectators were eager for more of the same, thank you very much.

In this hope they were disappointed. Ambrose was lbw was playing all around a swinging delivery from Kyle Hogg and Clarke followed five overs later, bowled round his legs when attempting to sweep Simon Kerrigan.

Jeetan Patel could only swipe Hogg across the line to Alex Davies at midwicket and after Kerrigan had cleaned up Chris Wright, it needed the vaudevillian entertainment of a last wicket stand between Keith Barker and Boyd Rankin to extend the home side's lead to 36. When Smith bowled Rankin for 12, Barker was left unbeaten on 44, having reinforced his reputation as one of the circuit's most useful players.

For most counties in most conditions, wiping out such a modest first-innings lead is a task of little difficulty. But it was still heartening for the oft-tormented visiting supporters to see Paul Horton and Davies do the job in just four overs with Davies glancing Barker for four and then hooking him dextrously for six over one of Edgbaston's longer boundaries. Indeed, aided by the inaccuracy of Varun Chopra's seamers - Patel was on at the City End in the seventh over - Lancashire's openers had added a run-a-ball 54 at tea.

Some reports indicated that Edgbaston was then about to suffer the sort of rain last seen when visited on the sinful in Leviticus. However, while the restart was delayed for 90 minutes, the early evening saw a further 16 overs' play, more than enough time for Colonel and Mrs Cockup to pay one of their visits to a Red Rose innings. Instead, though, Davies and Horton extended their partnership to 71, Lancashire's highest first-wicket stand of the season, before Davies was lbw for 30 playing no shot to Patel. Horton was then caught behind for 42 in the penultimate over of the day when playing some way from his body to a good ball from Rankin.

Lancashire's lead is, therefore, 48 and Patel is getting plenty of turn from the City End. We could yet be set for a dramatic dénouement, although that is unlikely to be achieved by way of the visitors declaring. Rumour has it that the last Lancashire skipper to gamble was playing baccarat with Ian Fleming.

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Surrey roar past 600 against Gloucs

Surrey 626 for 6 (Burns 199, Solanki 143, Roy 121*, Ansari 98) lead Gloucestershire 112 by 514 runs
Scorecard

Rory Burns fell just one run short of a double-century as Surrey smashed a host of records in heaping a mammoth total of 626 for 6 on ramshackle Gloucestershire in Bristol.

Burns was not alone in falling short of a personal milestone, with Zafar Ansari slipping two short of his maiden first-class century. Burns' 199, Ansari's 98 and Jason Roy's red-hot unbeaten 121 from just 71 balls - only his second first-class hundred - were all new first-class personal bests.

Vikram Solanki also fired 143 as Surrey refused to be contained in the West Country. Gloucestershire's 112 all out is a mere speck on the County Ground horizon after two days, given Surrey's 514-run lead.

Surrey had resumed on 186 without loss, with Ansari 84 and Burns 98 overnight. Spin-bowling allrounder Ansari followed up his 77 not out and 62 against Worcestershire at The Oval at the start of the month with another fine knock, surpassing his previous best of 83 not out.

Burns eclipsed his previous top score of 121 as the visitors applied a constant chokehold - and then Roy hammered past his 106 not out highest knock without consummate ease.

Ansari proved the day's first dismissal, just two runs shy of that maiden first-class century, Alex Gidman holding the catch from Benny Howell's bowling. South Africa's new Test captain Hashim Amla was unable to force a start, trapped leg before by Will Gidman for just 9.

Surrey breezed away from leaking two wickets for 12 runs, Burns ticking along at a solid rate and new partner Solanki raising the pace. The vastly-experienced 38-year-old blasted his century from just 112 balls as the visitors showed their superiority.

Burns and Solanki put on 212 for the third wicket as Surrey seriously ratcheted up proceedings, Burns homing in on a double century. Just as he was lining up his celebrations though, Liam Norwell had him caught by Alex Gidman, just the one agonising run short.

Unsatisfied with 439 for 3, greedy Surrey kept on dismantling the Gloucestershire attack. Steven Davies fell to Will Gidman for 9, but Solanki moved on to 143 before he was removed, by Matt Taylor.

Sensing a slog-fest, Roy stepped into the fray and produced the innings of the day, where aggression was concerned at least. His howitzer hundred came from just 55 balls and 67 minutes, including nine fours and seven sixes. Gary Wilson then hit 26 before he was clean bowled by Norwell, with Gareth Batty 4 not out at the close.

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Wainwright exploits hurt Leics

Leicestershire 311 and 200 for 9 (O'Brien 71, Wainwright 5-54) lead Derbyshire 336 (Wainwright 109, Hughes 60) by 175 runs
Scorecard

David Wainwright impressed with bat and ball as Derbyshire moved into a good position on day three of their Division Two clash with Leicestershire at Grace Road. Wainwright, who earlier completed his maiden century for the visitors, claimed 5 for 54 to leave the hosts struggling on 200 for 9 after losing their first three wickets for just 34 runs.

That gave them a lead of just 175 and Derbyshire will be looking to take the final wicket and secure a first win of the season on Wednesday.

Greg Smith was the first to return to the pavilion as he was bowled by Wainwright to leave Leicestershire 33 for 1 and just two overs later his replacement Ned Eckersley was out for a duck as he became Yorkshireman Wainwright's second victim before the lunch break.

Opener Angus Robson was gone for the addition of just one more run as he was stumped by wicketkeeper Gareth Cross off Wainwright. The wickets continued to tumble for the hosts and Josh Cobb was caught by Scott Elstone at short extra cover off Wainwright before Ramnaresh Sarwan improved on his first innings total of 5 but was caught at slip by Wayne Madsen off Mark Footitt to leave the Foxes 74 for 5.

Niall O'Brien started to mount a comeback for the home side and Rob Taylor was dropped by Madsen with 98 on the board to give them a small boost before he too was sent packing, Madsen redeeming himself as Wainwright brought up his five-wicket haul.

Ben Raine then put on a useful 58 with O'Brien before he departed for 19 with Paul Borrington taking a catch off Elstone. O'Brien was spilled on 68 at third man but soon fell for 71 as Elstone claimed a second wicket and, when James Sykes went lbw to Footitt, the hosts would have been looking to wrap things up before the close. But Anthony Ireland and Alex Wyatt, who was playing with a runner, stood firm and will resume on Wednesday.

Earlier, Wainwright scored his maiden ton for Derbyshire as he built on the 83 runs he scored on day two. The 29-year-old surpassed the career-best of 104 he made for former county Yorkshire in 2008 before losing his wicket for 109 as he was caught at gully by Robson off Rob Taylor.

That brought Footitt to the crease before Tom Taylor (40) was the last man out three overs later. The 19-year-old was caught at mid-on by Josh Cobb off Sykes' bowling after adding a respectable 20 to his overnight score to leave Derbyshire 336 all out and with a lead of 25 runs.

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New England emerge from rubble

Fresh faces must be complemented by a fresh ethos as England seek to maintain their early season record at home and repair the damage of winter

It can take years to build a consistently successful team, but just months for it to be broken apart.

The last time Lord's staged a Test it ended in the final over of added time on the fourth day, when Graeme Swann turned one to beat James Pattinson's outside edge, trapping him lbw. England were 2-0 up and were on the brink of their third successive Ashes series triumph.

Now Swann is six months into retirement and the Ashes have been back with Australia for the same period of time. England have a new coaching team, no senior spinner, a wicketkeeper recalled with a dodgy Achilles and a battle to remain in the public conscious as the World Cup kicks off in Brazil, although the timezone in South America at least means those who have watched the Test match on Saturday can then find a late-night bar in time for the 11pm kick-off against Italy.

England's limited-overs teams have not begun the task of repairing the damage of the winter at all convincingly, with T20 and ODI defeats against Sri Lanka which were a reminder, if any was needed, that much like the economy the recovery is likely to be slow with bumps along the way.

Now it is the turn of the Test team, and of the three formats it is the side that has undergone the most significant reconstruction.

From England's previous Test at Sydney, there will be just five survivors who appear at Lord's on Thursday and there will be three debutants - Sam Robson, Moeen Ali and Chris Jordan - plus the likelihood of a player resuming his Test career after a gap of seven years. Some would have liked to have seen a fourth new cap in Jos Buttler, but Matt Prior has earned a recall based on his past deeds for England, after a forgettable 12 months, and a desire to strengthen a reduced group of senior players.

Wholesale revolutions are rarely successful in sports teams, so England's 'new look' is probably about as radical as it was ever going to be. The introduction of pace in the form of Liam Plunkett and Jordan, so long as it is well directed, is one of the eye-catching elements, while Moeen could be significant on a number of levels.

There is certainly a sense that England want to try and rattle the Sri Lankans. That was likely to be the plan before what happened in the one-day international at Edgbaston and the lingering resentment over the Mankading of Buttler has only added to that.

However, they would be wise not to get distracted from finding the outside edge. England's success at Lord's is invariably from a fuller length as James Anderson's record shows (61 wickets at 26.09), as does Stuart Broad's spell against New Zealand last year.

	England have an impressive record in the first home series of a season since the Test programme was split. They have not lost a series and in 36 Tests have won 26, drawn eight and lost just two

But it is the overall style of the Test cricket that England play this season that will be watched with interest. It has been accepted that their methods became a little turgid and predictable, both with bat and ball. While the wins were still coming there was no impetus to change but now their model has been broken so there is the chance to try a fresh approach. The absence of Swann, their banker for wickets and control in a variety of conditions, pretty much demands a new way of playing.

That does not mean blazing away with abandon - 250 all out in 50 overs will not win many Tests - but it means showing the confidence to not allow opposition to settle. Alastair Cook has a key role to play as batsman and captain; as the former he has not had a Test hundred in more than a year and desperately needs to return to the agenda-setting displays of 2011 and 2012. Then, in the field, he cannot let games drift, and should hunt wickets rather than be content to stem the run-rate.

It would be wrong to suggest he is clinging on to his job as captain because he has huge support from with the ECB, but if this summer does not show an improvement in Test cricket it cannot be said for sure that Cook will be the man to lead England in next year's Ashes. (The debates over the one-day side can be had somewhat separately.)

And it is not that this two-Test series fits into the 'gentle start' category. Beginning a month later than usual evens the scales, as does the warmer weather in London this week, which has enabled the Sri Lankans to shed a few of their layers. None of their bowlers has a Test average lower than Shaminda Eranga's 31.60, so England should be able to recover their batting confidence, but in a such a short series it only takes one collapse to nick the honours.

Sri Lanka also have a record of being stubborn opponents at Lord's (they have never played at Headingley, the venue for the second Test), drawing their last three outings in 2002, 2006, 2011. In 2002 they were able to enforce the follow-on after Marvan Atapattu, their current coach, and Mahela Jayawardene scored hundreds, a feat Jayawardene repeated in 2006 after Sri Lanka had followed on then batted 199 overs to save the game. In 2011 Tillakaratne Dilshan scored 193 to frustrate England who previously skittled them for 82 in Cardiff.

England, though, do have an impressive record in the first home series of a season since the Test programme was split in 2000, although the majority of those games will have been played in May. They have not lost a series and in the 36 Tests played in those series have won 26, drawn eight and lost just two. One of those was against Pakistan at Old Trafford in 2001 and the other against Sri Lanka, at Trent Bridge, when Muttiah Muralitharan worked his magic.

Victory in this series will not confirm that England's rebuilding is successfully underway, but anything less would have to classed as another failure - and after months of poor results and the recriminations, that is something they can ill afford.

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Edwards wins England player award

Charlotte Edwards, an England captain who was able to savour Ashes success home and away over the last 12 months, has been named the Women's Player of the Year.

Although the women's team could not end their wait for global silverware at the World T20 in Bangladesh - losing the final to Australia in Dhaka - they regained the Ashes at home, in the first multi-format series where points were accumulated over Tests, ODIs and T20s, before defending them Down Under earlier this year.

Central, as she has so often been, to England's cause was Edwards. She battled pain to score a vital half-century in the second innings of the Perth Test to ensure the team had a target they could defend then scored a brilliant, unbeaten 92 the Hobart T20 to ensure the Ashes were retained.

Edwards' "outstanding leadership skills" were also highlighted in her captaincy role, which she has held since 2006. Earlier this year she was the just the second woman to be named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year.

Natalie Sciver, Anya Shrubsole and Sarah Taylor were the other nominees for the award.

England Under-19 captain Will Rhodes won the England Development Programme Cricketer of the Year award while the England Disability Cricketer of the Year award was given to Stephen George from the England Deaf Squad.

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Bad weather frustrates Yorkshire

Yorkshire 76 for 2 trail Nottinghamshire 205 (Lumb 45, Bresnan 3-43, Brooks 3-74) by 129 runs
Scorecard

Yorkshire were frustrated by rain at Headingley on Monday with less than 10 overs possible on day two of their Championship match against Nottinghamshire.

The visitors had been dismissed for 205 on day one as Yorkshire looked to apply further pressure on Middlesex at the top of the table and resumed on 52 for 2 in the morning. But they could add only 24 to that total before the players were brought off due to bad light at 11.40am, with Jack Leaning on 35 and captain Andrew Gale on 23.

The rain began to fall but the the groundstaff did start removing the covers before the wet weather then returned. The sun eventually came back out but umpires Martin Saggers and Alex Wharf called play off for the day due to a saturated outfield at 3.40pm.

That means Yorkshire, who claimed all three bowling points on Sunday, trail Notts by 129 runs with eight first-innings wickets remaining.

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Bell calls for batting revival

Ian Bell, who has been named England's Player of the Year, has demanded an improvement in the team's "limp" batting returns over the last year as they prepare to resume Test cricket against Sri Lanka.

Bell's three Ashes hundreds in 2013 feel a lifetime ago for English cricket, given what has gone on since, but they were the key reason why he secured the award ahead of Stuart Broad and Joe Root.

The timeframe covered runs from the beginning of the 2013 English season to the end of the recent World T20 and Bell's performances in the home Ashes, where he became just the third England batsman, and first since David Gower in 1985, to score three hundreds in a home series against Australia, propelled him ahead of Broad, who was one of the few players to emerge from the 5-0 whitewash in the return Ashes with any credit.

Bell's 562 runs in the five home Tests carried a batting order for which a malaise was already setting in and would go on to be exposed in dramatic fashion during the series in Australia. England have not posted 400 in a Test innings since facing New Zealand, in Wellington, last March - 13 Tests ago. In Australia, they only managed to reach 300 twice and both of those occasions, in Adelaide and Perth, were when the Test was long gone.

"We need to get back to the scores that give our bowlers the best chance of taking 20 wickets," Bell said. "We've been a bit limp in the batting department for a while so it is about time we got back to basics with putting scores on the board.

"You're looking for the senior players to lead the way, so of course myself and Cooky have to shoulder plenty of responsibility in that department. We are the men who have been there and done it and scored the big hundreds, so it is time for us to do so again. It feels good delivering out in the middle when you know that people are expecting you to score runs.

"It is not good enough to get to 50 or 60 and think your job is done. You've got to kick on and produce a big hundred. I've got no doubt we can take 20 wickets at home so it is up to the batsmen to put the score on the board that gives our bowlers what they need in time and volume."

The period covered by the award included 12 Test matches - two against New Zealand and 10 against Australia - and Bell's struggles in Australia, where he averaged 26.11, pulled his overall average down 39.54, although he insisted he continued to feel in good form throughout the bombing by Mitchell Johnson.

"It is a good reminder of what we did back then, and although it was a disappointing winter it is nice to get some recognition for what happened before that," said Bell, who along with Michael Clarke was the only batsman to hit 1000 Test runs in 2013. "It felt like a good year with the bat for me and even in Australia I still felt in decent nick. I'm hitting the ball as well as I ever have in an England shirt. Hopefully this is the start of something special for me and the team, helping some of these young guys through."

Fitness permitting, Bell will play his 100th Test against Sri Lanka at Headingley next week - nearly 10 years after making his debut against West Indies at The Oval. He is now part of a smaller senior core of the England team alongside Alastair Cook, Stuart Broad, James Anderson and the recalled Matt Prior after the losses, over the winter for various reasons, of Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott and Graeme Swann.

"Now is a good time for us to take the team forward," Bell said. "It feels like an exciting challenge, being a leader in the group. It is a different situation for us all. Over the past five or six years the team has been so settled with guys playing a lot of cricket with each other and suddenly this is a new place with new goals.

"Even being around the one-day squad, all the new faces have brought some excitement. It is up to me and the other four experienced players to pass on some information and help them through it. It is all well and good talking about the game and what is required, but we've got to walk the walk too and show the newer players what is expected."

Prior was the previous recipient of this award, but just days after being named he bagged a pair against New Zealand at Lord's at the beginning of what became a lean summer and his troubles extended into the away Ashes where he was eventually dropped. Bell, however, is not the superstitious type.

"I certainly hope to buck that trend," he said. "I hope I don't go the same way. I know Matt had a tough time last year, but that is probably more to do with the fact he had played so well for so long beforehand. I'm sure there will be a laugh and a joke about it in the dressing room later about that, but I don't believe in curses."

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Hauritz loses Queensland contract

Former Test offspinner Nathan Hauritz faces an uncertain cricket future after losing his Queensland contract. Hauritz was one of four players cut by Queensland from last year's contract list, along with fast bowler Matthew Gale and top-order batsmen Alex Kemp and Greg Moller, while Luke Pomersbach had already announced he would cut ties with the Bulls to concentrate on his health.

Fast bowler Mark Steketee has earned his first state contract, while three of last year's Queensland rookies - Nick Buchanan, Nick Stevens and James Peirson - have been upgraded to full deals. Allrounders Jack Wildermuth and James Bazley, batsman Matthew Renshaw and fast bowler Billy Stanlake have joined the rookie list for the 2014-15 season.

The absence of Hauritz comes after a season in which he managed only three Sheffield Shield appearances for 10 wickets at 52.90, while the young legspinner Cameron Boyce played nine games for 26 victims. However, Hauritz had been a valuable member of Queensland's Ryobi Cup-winning side last summer and picked up nine wickets at 25.88.

Queensland selector Trevor Hohns said that Hauritz, who played the last of his 17 Tests nearly four years ago, would remain in contention through club cricket. "Nathan had his season curtailed by injury, and during that time Cam Boyce made some strong inroads as our first choice spinner," Hohns said.

"The National Selection Panel has shown their interest in progressing Cam's career with his selection in the Australia A squad for later in the year and as a young wrist-spinner, we're obviously keen to continue to provide him with further opportunities to develop. In saying that, Nathan will certainly be in contention to be selected from outside the squad for the coming season, like any other player in the Premier Grade competition, based on their performances."

The bulk of the Queensland squad has been retained from last year, with young batsmen Usman Khawaja and Peter Forrest among 11 players who have signed multi-year deals.

"It is a very exciting crop of players that have emerged over the past few seasons and we believe they have the potential to go far in the game," Hohns said. "But developing home grown talent is one aspect of our charter - the other is to get players into the national line-up and that is an area that the coaching staff and selectors are continuing to work hard at achieving success."

Queensland squad Cameron Boyce, Nick Buchanan, Joe Burns, Ben Cutting, Luke Feldman, Jason Floros, Peter Forrest, Cameron Gannon, Ryan Harris (Cricket Australia contract), Chris Hartley, James Hopes, Usman Khawaja, Chris Lynn, Alister McDermott, Michael Neser, James Peirson, Nathan Reardon, Mark Steketee, Nick Stevens. Rookies James Bazley, Ben McDermott, Ronan McDonald, Matthew Renshaw, Billy Stanlake, Jack Wildermuth.

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BCCI threatened to form parallel world cricket body

The BCCI had threatened to form a parallel world cricket body before the England and Australia boards agreed to the controversial restructuring of the ICC and decided to give a lion's share of its revenue to the India board, according to the BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel.

"We got criticised by many in the media and lot of them did not agree but we told them that if India is not getting its proper due and importance then India might be forced to form a second ICC of its own," Patel said at the Sports Journalists Federation of India's annual convention in Hyderabad.

"England and Australia agreed and after that it was decided and from June 27th onwards the new structure will come into place. I would like to state that all 10 Full Members have signed the resolution."

There was also no stopping BCCI president-in-exile N Srinivasan from taking over as the chairman of the ICC later this month in Melbourne as the Indian Supreme Court has not prevented him from doing so, Patel said.

"By the month end, India will take a leading role in the ICC. Mr Srinivasan is going. There is no Supreme Court bar on him. Both of us are going to Melbourne. In the last four months we have settled (the issue) with all the Full Members of the ICC and convinced them about the new structure and the new financial model of the ICC which would be followed in the coming years.

"India would play a leading role in the ICC and the reasons are well known. India is more or less responsible for 68 to 72 percent of the ICC's gross revenue but unfortunately so far we were getting three to four percent of it."

Patel said that a private agency study had confirmed India's substantial contribution to the ICC.

"Srinivasan asked a private agency to study the model and find out who is responsible for what amount and we found that India is responsible for 72 percent and ICC worked out that it was 68 percent. We had a meeting with the ICC officials in Dubai and we informed that 68 to 72 percent is not an issue but it was clear that the majority of the income is coming from India, so why should India take only three to four percent?"

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SL hopeful on Lakmal for Headingley

Sri Lanka remain hopeful that Suranga Lakmal will be fit for the second Test against England at Headingley, despite a hamstring injury keeping him out of the current squad.

Lakmal suffered the problem during the one-off T20 at the start of the tour but his rehabilitation is understood to be going well back in Sri Lanka and he will undergo a fitness test while the first Test, at Lord's, is ongoing. He could then rejoin the squad for the second Test, which starts four days later.

The make-up of Sri Lanka's seam attack could be key to their chances of upsetting England in the Tests and claiming an unexpected sweep of all three series. Lakmal has emerged alongside Shaminda Eranga as one of Sri Lanka's preferred new-ball bowlers, under the tutelage of Chaminda Vaas, and his absence leaves some uncertainty around the line-up for Lord's.

Eranga has recently been left out of limited-overs competition to preserve him for Tests but he has not played a competitive match since February. He has been Sri Lanka's most successful Test pace bowler since his debut in 2011, with 38 wickets, putting him ahead of the left-armer Chanaka Welegedara and Lakmal.

Welegedara's last Test was in 2012, while Nuwan Kulasekara is only a fitful performer in the longer format, despite his importance to Sri Lanka's white-ball cricket. Nuwan Pradeep, perhaps the liveliest of the seamers on show in Northampton, where the third day was washed out by a heavy morning downpour, is also in contention, despite a modest Test record of eight wickets at 89.25.

Prasanna Jayawardene, Sri Lanka's Test wicketkeeper, said of Lakmal, "If he's fit, he'll definitely come in". Jayawardene had a good view of Welegedara, Pradeep and Dhammika Prasad, the other seamer in the tour party, from behind the stumps at Wantage Road and suggested the competition for places was a good sign for Sri Lanka, as they attempt to add to Test wins on English grounds in 1998 and 2006.

"Lakmal is a huge loss but everyone saw yesterday that our pace bowlers did brilliantly on this track," Jayawardene said. "We have a good pace attack so we can do much better on this tour."

Jayawardene indicated that Sri Lanka want the opportunity to bat again on Sunday, when the forecast is more promising and play will begin half an hour early. The batting line-up has not inconsiderable experience of conditions in England and Jayawardene's only Test century outside the subcontinent came in Cardiff in 2011 - a bittersweet experience, as Sri Lanka collapsed for 82 on the final day to lose by an innings.

Having won the T20 and ODI encounters - the latter amid some rancour - Sri Lanka can claim a psychological edge going into the Tests. With England in transition and expected to field three debutants for the second match running, this series represents a tantalising opportunity for a rare success away from home.

"We all want to do that, I think we have a good chance this time, because we had a good one-day series and morale is high," Jayawardene said. "All the boys did well - fielding, batting, bowling. So we are going for the Test series, 100 percent.

"It's not easy coming from the subcontinent, we have to adapt to the conditions very early, adjust our technique when batting and bowling in these conditions. After the one-day series loss, they are coming hard, we're expecting that."

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Whiteley strikes to send Worcs top

Worcestershire 107 for 5 (Kohler-Cadmore 32, Whiteley 25) beat Durham 105 for 3 (McLeod 43) by five wickets
Scorecard

It's often a strategy, in rain-truncated games, to evaluate the conditions by bowling first. Worcestershire captain Daryl Mitchell had no hesitation in doing just that, following a two-hour delay, and his methods paid dividends as his side timed their tricky chase to perfection to move top of the North Group.

It's hardly surprising, on the back of another winter of submersion, that New Road's pitches aren't conducive to deliveries whistling past the batsman's helmet or bowlers thrusting it down with great speed but it makes for compelling viewing nonetheless.

With sixteen required to win off the final over, in a game reduced to 13 overs per side, Worcestershire were indebted to some clean striking - something that was rare hitherto - from Gareth Andrew and Ross Whiteley to ensure they made it four consecutive wins in the shortest format.

While Worcestershire exhibited all their pluckiness to get across the line from an unlikely position, Durham had only themselves to blame. Having batted first on a stodgy surface that was under the covers for much of the day, Durham learnt what methods were efficacious. They duly took note, reducing the hosts to 58 for 4 in the ninth over but let it slip when victory was within their grasp.

At the interval, Jack Shantry described Durham's total of 105 for 3 as par. The visitors, however, went about proving it was above that on a wet outfield and two-paced track. Usman Arshad bowled with great variation, taking all the pace off, and along with John Hastings proceeded to strangle the Worcestershire chase. That was until Andrew, only playing because of the shortened game, armed with his long-levered bat demonstrated that batting wasn't as arduous as others had may it out to be. Only Calum MacLeod played with any sort of fluency for Durham as their innings struggled to gain the momentum and impetus expected in such a short game.

Chris Russell took two wickets in as many balls to highlight the deviant nature of conditions. Mark Stoneman could only pull straight to deep square leg before, next delivery, Phil Mustard could only glove one that unexpectedly lifted through to Ben Cox.

If the shortest format requires thinking outside of the box, Worcestershire certainly meet that criteria. Their bowling attack is as unorthodox as it comes. Mitchell took all the pace off the ball - regularly clocking just 48mph - and although he went wicketless, Saeed Ajmal ensured there would be no Durham acceleration.

MacLeod, who scored an unbeaten 43 which included three sixes, was the standout performer as he propelled his side, alongside Gordon Muchall, past the 100 mark with an unbeaten stand of 72 off just 42 balls. But it should have been a partnership of 74. Richard Oliver, patrolling the leg side boundary, managed to cling onto a towering MacLeod swat but landed on the boundary cushion before releasing the ball. A four was given and despite video evidence clearly showing it should have been a six, the decision couldn't be changed.

In truth, it didn't matter. For much of their innings, Worcestershire plodded along, losing wickets at regular intervals as Durham's bowlers utilised conditions brilliantly. When New Zealander Colin Munro fell lbw to Hastings, giving the bowler his third wicket, the contest seemed all but over. Andrew, though, had something of a point to prove after being left in the shadows in recent weeks. He lofted a full toss from Chris Rushworth down the ground, then swatted a boundary to the leg-side before falling trying to repeat the trick next ball. Whiteley proceeded to finish off the job.

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Time is of the essence for Mills

Kent 344 for 7 (Stevens 105, Nash 82, Ryder 5-50) v Essex
Scorecard

Time-keeping has been a bit of an issue for Essex of late. So when Tymal Mills trotted onto the field some 80 minutes after his colleagues, a few in the crowd may have wondered whether another disciplinary ruling could be expected.

County cricket being what it is, no announcements were made. And those spectators not in the know were presumably doubly mystified when Mills - one of the domestic game's most exciting young fast bowling prospects - was then made to wait until midway through the afternoon session before being called into the attack.

Happily, unlike Essex team-mate Monty Panesar - left out of the county's last Championship match, against Glamorgan, for not being in the right place at the right time - Mills was entirely blameless. And, boy, he could not have tried much harder to make an explosive impact before being subdued by Darren Stevens, whose rollicking century put Kent firmly into the driver's seat.

The facts of the matter are that Mills was not supposed to be playing at all. Having only recently recovered from a side strain, the 21-year-old had been left out of the squad for this match and was at home in Chelmsford this morning when the call came to head for Canterbury.

Fellow pace bowlers Reece Topley (knee) and Matt Salisbury (back) both failed fitness tests after waking with aches and pains following the previous evening's NatWest T20 Blast game against Surrey, leaving Kent coach Paul Grayson with a bit of a crisis to sort out.

"We phoned Tymal to get him here as quickly as possible," Grayson said. "But as this is his first four-day game after injury he won't bowl a huge amount of overs." Five overs too many in his first spell so far as both Brendan Nash and Ben Harmison were concerned, it turned out.

A pleasant if somewhat sleepy afternoon of medium-pace, spin and steady run-scoring was turned into an altogether more riveting contest once Mills - having "qualified" to bowl through being on the field for as long as he was off it - had the ball thrown to him by Essex captain James Foster.

The left-armer, who has roughed up several England batsmen during recent Ashes preparations, began by whistling a quick bouncer past Nash and then, with his fifth delivery, ended a third wicket stand of 113 with a delivery which the former West Indies batsman tried to pull but merely top-edged.

It was some start by Mills, especially as the ball was 45 overs old and Nash had played with such certainty in reaching 82 that he looked odds-on to complete his second hundred of the season. Next over, Mills' pace almost did for Daniel Bell-Drummond as well with an edge flashing past third slip to complete the opener's half-century. And, just for painful measure, he then forced Ben Harmison to retire hurt with a finger injury.

Until that brief burst, Jesse Ryder - the New Zealand batsman and medium-pacer - had been Essex's most potent weapon. Indeed, when Ryder claimed a third wicket by ending Bell-Drummond's painstaking innings, it looked as though the visitors might take control.

But Stevens, as he has done so many times in his career, changed a day's play with sound defence when required and joyful, uncomplicated hitting against any delivery giving him even a hint of encouragement to attack.

Stevens had not managed a fifty in eight completed Championship knocks before today but here he reached that minor milestone at only slightly slower than a run a ball - and then accelerated to reach three figures from 94 deliveries.

No wonder the 38-year-old looked delighted with his efforts. His fun ended when he swung once too often to give Ryder the first five-wicket haul of his first-class career but neither that statistic nor the promise of more Mills meteorites in the weeks ahead was much consolation for Essex at the end of a trying day.

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