Mustard, Rushworth put Durham top

Durham 218 for 4 (Mustard 92, Borthwick 80) beat Hampshire 224 for 9 (Dawson 69, Ervine 33, Rushworth 5-42) by six wickets D/L
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Durham gave Geoff Cook nothing to worry about as they took over from visitors Hampshire at the top of Group B in the Yorkshire Bank 40 League with a six-wicket victory at Chester-le-Street. With coach Cook still in a critical condition following his heart attack on Thursday, his team romped to their fourth successive win in the competition with 2.4 overs to spare.

Despite conceding 93 off the last 10 overs, Durham restricted the holders to 224 for 9 and lost acting captain Mark Stoneman in the first over of their reply.

A brief shower with the score on 55 for 1 in the 13th over reduced the target to 218 in 38 overs and, by the time Phil Mustard and Scott Borthwick had put on 164 for the second wicket, victory was a formality.

Mustard was dropped on 11 at slip by Sean Ervine off Pakistani left-arm paceman Sohail Tanvir and Borthwick survived a return chance to James Vince on 12. Mustard went on to make 92 off 90 balls and Borthwick registered his maiden one-day fifty into 80 off 82 deliveries before holing out with 17 needed.

Borthwick hit sixes off both left-arm spinners, Danny Briggs and Liam Dawson, who had combined figures of 0 for 85 in 11 overs.

Tanvir took all four wickets to fall, producing excellent deliveries to clean bowl Stoneman and Ben Stokes. But only three were needed when he nipped one back off the pitch to breach Stokes' defence and Paul Collingwood saw Durham home with an unbeaten 32.

Hampshire were not helped by Dimitri Mascarenhas being unable to bowl following a back spasm, while Michael Carberry went for an X-ray after damaging a thumb.

For Durham, Chris Rushworth bowled with great control to take 5 for 42 after Hampshire were put in and the target looked like being much lower until Dawson thrashed 69 off 46 balls.

The openers put on 23 before Vince drove to mid-off and Carberry was caught at leg gully, deliberately placed for the miscued pull. Jimmy Adams and Neil McKenzie carefully added 34 in 11 overs before the South African tried to flip a straight ball from Collingwood to fine leg and was lbw for 18.

There was a second wicket for Collingwood when Adams holed out to Stokes at deep mi-wicket after making 32 off 50 balls. That brought in Dawson at 112 for 4 in the 27th over and four overs later he began the late onslaught by sweeping a six as Collingwood's final over cost 12 and left him with 2 for 44.

The last four overs yielded 46 with Dawson driving two successive balls from Stokes for six. The first took him to 50 off 37 balls. Stokes' first four overs were tight but he finished with 1 for 56 on what was not a good day for either him or Briggs ahead of teaming up with the England Twenty20 squad this week.

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Hoggard swings back to form

Essex 196 for 6 (Pettini 72, Hoggard 4-30) trail Leicestershire 302 (Napier 7-90) by 106 runs
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Essex clawed their way out of another batting crisis against Leicestershire on the second day at Grace Road, just a week after they were bowled out for 20 by Lancashire.

Essex plunged to 28 for 4, with veteran seamer Matthew Hoggard claiming all four at a cost of just 12 runs in his first appearance since April. But Mark Pettini, recalled to the side after last week's embarrassment, hit his first Championship half-century of the season to lead the recovery, and Essex closed on 196 for 6 in reply to Leicestershire's 302.

Earlier, on a rain interrupted day, Graham Napier claimed Leicestershire's last three wickets to finish with career best Championship figures of 7 for 90 in 30.4 overs.

Leicestershire added another 34 runs to their overnight 268 for 7 with Michael Thornely completing his half century off 102 balls with five fours and a six, before being pinned lbw by Napier for 53. Ollie Freckingham and Alex Wyatt were also Napier victims, but a boundary by Hoggard earned Leicestershire a third batting bonus point.

Then Hoggard got to work with the ball after his lengthy absence from the side because of a hip injury. In between the showers, that sent the players off the field on four occasions, Hoggard had Tom Westley caught behind, trapped Nick Browne lbw next ball, found the edge of Jaik Mickleburgh's bat to induce a catch at gully and bowled Owais Shah with an absolute beauty that hit the off stump.

It was an inspired 12-over spell from Hoggard, but once he came off Essex began to fight their way back. Pettini and Ryan ten Doeschate shared a vital sixth wicket stand of 85 in 25 overs as the home attack became ragged.

The Essex pair put on 48 in one eight over spell, but the partnership was broken when ten Doeschate was caught at slip trying to cut a lifting delivery from Wyatt. He had made 40 off 69 balls with six fours.

Pettini reached his 50 off 133 balls with six fours, and James Foster showed his intent with a six off Naik as he joined Pettini in another substantial partnership of 78. But shortly before the close, Wyatt had Pettini lbw for 72 off 175 balls and, at stumps, Foster was unbeaten on 45 with Essex trailing by 106 runs.

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Guptill and Taylor shine in solid workout

New Zealanders 185 for 7 (Guptill 56, Taylor 52, Latham 38, Claydon 5-31) beat Kent 143 (Stevens 41) by 42 runs
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The New Zealanders warmed up for the Twenty20 series against England with an efficient 42-run win against Kent on a murky evening in Canterbury. Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor hit half-centuries to leave the home side a demanding chase and they fell well short.

There was cause for Kent pride, however, in the debut of Fabian Cowdrey, the grandson of the former Kent and England captain Colin and son of Chris Cowdrey, who took the Cowdrey name into its third generation in Kent colours.

Guptill and Taylor added 98 in 11 overs after Hamish Rutherford and Brendon McCullum had fallen inside the first two overs to leave New Zealand 9 for 2. Both batsmen cleared the boundary twice, but the significant acceleration came from Tom Latham who clubbed 38 off 18 balls.

Latham was part of the Test squad last month and has been playing for Scotland while not need for the Champions Trophy campaign. Although he did not keep wicket in this match he is an option to take the gloves if McCullum's back causes him problems.

Mitchell Claydon, who is on loan at Kent from Durham, struck regularly in the closing overs having earlier trapped McCullum lbw and finished with 5 for 31.

In reply, Kent struggled from the outset to keep up with a required rate of more than nine an over. Sam Billings pulled to mid-off and Sam Northeast, the captain for the match and who had hit a maiden one-day hundred in the high-scoring YB40 match against Sussex, was bowled by Ronnie Hira as he came down the pitch.

The hero of Kent's chase of 337 against Sussex, Darren Stevens, was given two lives early in his innings and managed to strike three sixes but Kent were always behind the rate.

The youngsters, though, were certainly not overwhelmed with Daniel Bell-Drummond making 31 and Cowdrey marking his first-team debut with 21 off 14 balls which included a ramp shot against Ian Butler.

Most of New Zealand's bowlers chipped in; Hira was especially economical with his four overs costing just 19 and Butler claimed two scalps. Mitchell McClenaghan and Kyle Mills were rested after their efforts in the Champions Trophy.

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Khawaja creeps closer to Test recall

Even if recent scores of 51, eight, a duck, 29 not out and six for Australia A do not suggest it, Usman Khawaja is slipping closer to a Test match recall in the Ashes series, more than 18 months after his last appearance.

The misadventures of others are helping. David Warner is pondering his behaviour and also a possible move down the order. Shane Watson is searching himself for a way to score runs again. Phillip Hughes is trying to repair confidence battered first in India and again during the Champions Trophy. And Michael Clarke just wants his back to stay supple.

All the while Khawaja's standing as the longtime reserve and sound preparation with Australia A is edging him closer to the XI, his inclusion to arrive perhaps as early as the first Test of the series at Trent Bridge. Of the selected Ashes batsmen only Ed Cowan via Nottinghamshire and Chris Rogers at Middlesex can happily say they are in better touch.

This will be no surprise to those who have seen Khawaja at his best, whether it was standing up memorably to Dale Steyn in Johannesburg in November 2011, or sculpting a Sheffield Shield century of rare quality for Queensland on a Bellerive pitch that looked more likely to be a tennis court last summer. But it will represent a triumph of sorts for Khawaja, who has battled issues of perception, scheduling and punitive team justice since his last Test, against New Zealand in Hobart.

"I'm extremely hungry," Khawaja said. "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it before. Every time you go out and play for any team you want to strive to do your best and obviously playing for Australia is the pinnacle for anyone. But in saying that, there's a lot of time between now and the start of the first Test. I've got to keep my head down and go out there and score as many runs as I can because ultimately that's what it's all about for me."

Khawaja's return is not entirely certain, and he will require a substantial score or two in the warm-up matches to come against Somerset and Worcestershire to bolster his case. But there was useful evidence that he is batting neatly against Gloucestershire, as a first innings start was curtailed by Australia A's declaration, then a solid occupation in tougher second innings climes cut short by a direct-hit from the outfield and a tight run-out call by the umpire.

"Runs never hurt, time in the middle doesn't hurt at all; getting a hundred, getting 200 always helps," Khawaja said of his recent scores. "But when you get back out every time you start a new innings it's a different game, it's got nothing to do with what you scored the day before, the game before, you've got to start afresh. Like any other batsman time in the middle is invaluable but in saying that, I think you've got to take every game as it comes and I'm pretty confident the way I'm hitting them right now and pretty confident a few runs are around the corner."

That confidence has been derived at least partly by the presence of the Queensland coach Darren Lehmann as an assistant on the tour. Lehmann rated Khawaja's ability even before he encouraged a move to Brisbane at the start of last summer, and his combination of old school toughness, simplicity and a healthy dose of fun have helped balance the left-hander's desire to achieve.

"He's been awesome, he's my coach in Queensland, I get along with him very well," Khawaja said. "I love the way he goes about his business, he's tough but he's always having fun. One of the best things about him is he's got a really good cricket brain, and you just can't buy that. He's had so much experience, he's played 300-400 first-class games, and the way he talks about cricket he simplifies things. I think he's got a lot to offer Australian cricket in years to come."

Questions of Khawaja's drive had been raised in the past, and were given fresh impetus when he was among four players suspended for failing to follow team instructions on the India tour. The episode was a shock to Khawaja, who said such punishments had seldom come his way anywhere, let alone in cricket, but he soon resolved to use the experience as a spur.

"I'd never got in trouble much during high school, let alone university. Never failed a course at uni, so it was a bit weird for me," Khawaja said. "It was tough but I knew the sooner I got over it, the sooner I could get on with it. What had been done had been done, being part of Australia is what everyone wants to do and playing Test match cricket is what everyone wants to do. I'd give my left arm to play cricket."

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England have 'proved people wrong' - Trott

Jonathan Trott believes England have "proved a few people wrong" about their approach to one-day cricket by reaching the Champions Trophy final and putting themselves within one win of their first piece of 50-over global silverware.

Throughout this tournament, especially after the defeat to Sri Lanka at The Oval which left them needing to win every subsequent match, England's tactics have been picked apart. The chief area for debate has been the top-order, of which Trott is a crucial part, and whether they score at the tempo required in modern one-day cricket.

Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler have had lean tournaments with the bat - although Ravi Bopara has provided late impetus - but England have rigidly stuck to their formula and order, even in the 24-over contest against New Zealand, which was win or bust for them.

In that game they were led by Alastair Cook's 47-ball 64 and Trott says that the rest of the team feed off the example laid down by their captain, who is leading in a global event for the first time, and that they have the utmost belief in how they approach the game.

"A lot of people were a bit sceptical," Trott said. "But this team has proved a few people wrong with regards to their takes on the game of cricket and how it should be played.

"He's a really good leader and he's always got the backing of the changing room, for whatever he decides is the direction of this team. He's fully in charge, with Andy Flower and Ashley Giles, and the guys are always following him."

There has been plenty for Cook to deal with during this tournament, from the fallout of David Warner's punch at Joe Root in a Birmingham bar to the accusations of ball-tampering, which started to fly around after the defeat to Sri Lanka. Trott, though, said Cook had taken everything in his stride as he has since making his England debut in 2006.

"He got brought in and played straightaway as opening batsman and captain, from not having played," he said. "A lesser person could have maybe buckled under the pressure. We've seen how he handles pressure, going to India for his first tour as Test captain and winning there - and now this."

There is added significance for Trott with the final being staged at his home ground of Edgbaston - the same applies to Ian Bell, Chris Woakes (who has not featured during the tournament) and the coach Ashley Giles, who was previously in charge at Warwickshire - and the prospect of a defining match in England's history at a place he knows so well had long been in Trott's sights.

"You always have a little cheeky sneak at the fixtures, and where the final is going to be played, and I was very excited about getting here - and it's happened. For me personally, I'm very excited. The guys are looking to seize the opportunity. They don't come around very often."

The most recent major final England played in was the 2010 World Twenty20 in Barbados where they beat Australia to claim their only piece of global silverware. From that team there could be four players appear in this match, although it could be as few as two.

The management will have to make a decision whether to stick with the same bowling that demolished South Africa. Steven Finn played his first match of the tournament, claiming the vital wicket of Hashim Amla, while James Tredwell continued to deputise superbly for Graeme Swann and earned the Man-of-the-Match award.

Tredwell could earn a place in the team by right, regardless of Swann's fitness, but on a ground where the surface can encourage reverse swing Bresnan, now a father after the birth of Max Geoffrey, is slight favourite to be preferred over Finn.

If you ask any of those involved in staging or promoting the Champions Trophy, England versus India is probably the final they will have dreamt of. Home side pitted against the powerhouse of world cricket.

What they won't have dreamt of is the less-than-ideal forecast for Sunday which currently predicts rain of varying heaviness throughout the day. Even for the final there is no reserve day. In 2002 the trophy was shared when India and Sri Lanka could not complete a match even with two days at their disposal because the match had to restart on the second day.

England trained at Edgbaston on Friday but India opted for a day off following their victory against Sri Lanka.

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Gale ton steals the show

Yorkshire 292 for 5 (Gale 114*, Ballance 90) v Surrey
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Anyone who came to Headingley hoping to see Kevin Pietersen bat had to accept that such a pleasure would not be forthcoming after Surrey put Yorkshire in and failed to take a wicket in the first hour and a half. From England's perspective, a day in the field as one of the key components of their plan to win the Ashes is nursed back to fitness was probably what they had hoped for.

In any event, this was a Yorkshire crowd and another century from Andrew Gale gave the day a much more satisfactory feel than anything Pietersen might have achieved. The Yorkshire captain, whose early season form had appeared to be a scratchy continuation of a lean couple of years, suddenly seems unable to do anything but accumulate runs: 272 at Scarborough, 103 at Lord's and now this; three hundreds in as many Championship games.

"I changed a few things technically," he said, after leaving the field on 114 not out. "I felt my balance was a little bit off early season. It's just been about being ruthless. It probably is my best form. Three hundreds in a row speaks for itself.

"Now that I'm in form, I just want to make sure I stay in form. I've been telling myself to be really greedy and don't take it for granted. I'm taking each ball as it comes and pretending I'm nought not out."

Perversely, Gale will begin the second day under a little pressure. He shared a magnificent partnership of 204 with Gary Ballance that seemed to have guaranteed it would be Yorkshire's day, but then Ballance - who will leave this match on Saturday evening to join England's Twenty20 squad - was leg-before to Jon Lewis 10 runs short of his hundred and Adil Rashid, himself enjoying a golden run of form, edged the same bowler to second slip, where Vikram Solanki took a fine catch. It gives Surrey an opportunity to limit the damage still further if Gale can be prised out early on day two.

If he is, it will not be through his own indiscretion. Only once did he lose his discipline and he was visibly cross with himself. It came when he had reached 95 and, by his own admission, he started to replay the six he had hit to complete his century against Nottinghamshire at Scarborough. He went after Gary Keedy but the timing was wrong and for a moment it looked as if he might be caught - by Pietersen, of all people - but the ball had just enough legs to evade his outstretched fingers as he ran back from mid-off.

"It was a poor shot," Gale said. "I was reminiscing the Scarborough moment. I should have just kept knocking it around."

Gale and Ballance could take credit for steering Yorkshire through a potentially decisive phase as Surrey's bowlers, who had been ineffective with the new ball, slipped into a better groove all round after lunch. Chris Tremlett, still bowling primarily in short, sharp spells, made one climb on Adam Lyth that the opener had to play and which edged to second slip, then Zander de Bruyn found some inswing to trap Alex Lees in front. Joe Sayers, out of form but in the side because Phil Jaques is injured, scratched around before an indecisive prod had him caught at first slip, at which point Yorkshire were 77 for 3.

Pietersen had a gentle few overs himself just before tea, to supplement his work in the field. Alec Stewart, in charge for the moment after the sacking of Chris Adams, spoke on Pietersen's behalf, in effect, with the England player keeping his thoughts to himself.

"With Kevin, it was never about coming here and getting runs, it was about doing the hard yards," Stewart said. "You do all your rehab, your gym work, your shuttles and everything but standing in the field for six and a half hours is part of cricket.

"He is in an ice bath now. He will be sore but on the first day of your season if you are 100 percent fit, you are still sore. The good thing is that he has got six hours in his legs and that can only hold him in good stead for the second innings and when the Ashes start."

Yet how Surrey would welcome some runs from Pietersen, not least because having lost one overseas player with the promise of big scores when Graeme Smith's ankle gave out, they have now lost Ricky Ponting with a hand injury sustained in fielding practice on Wednesday, although the hope is that it is a less serious blow.

"He has had scans and it does not look like there is anything seriously wrong," Stewart said. "But when he woke this morning his hand was just locked up. We are hoping he will be fit for our Twenty20 match on Wednesday but we are in the hands of the medical people."

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Madsen, Johnson keep Derbs respectable

Somerset 16 for 0 trail Derbyshire 266 (Johnson 56, Madsen 50) by 250 runs
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Derbyshire wicketkeeper Richard Johnson scored a defiant half-century to lead a lower-order fightback in their Championship match against Somerset at Derby. Johnson made 56 and shared an eighth-wicket stand of 82 in 22 overs with Tony Palladino as Derbyshire's last four wickets added 125.

Wayne Madsen also made 50 while Alfonso Thomas and Jamie Overton each took three wickets for Somerset who closed the first day of the Division One basement battle 250 runs behind on 16 without loss.

The County Ground was under cloud when Somerset when the toss so it was no surprise that Marcus Trescothick put Derbyshire in on a green pitch and was quickly rewarded with the wicket of Billy Godleman. Overton sent down five no-balls in his opening spell but a legitimate delivery found the outside edge of Godleman's bat in the sixth over and Trescothick held a low catch at second slip.

With the ball swinging in the overcast conditions, both Chesney Hughes and Madsen had some good fortune but Somerset had to wait another 15 overs for their next success. Hughes had moved to 25 when he got a leading edge against Thomas and the ball went quickly to Trescothick, who again made no mistake.

There was an even bigger wicket in the last over of the session. Craig Meschede had troubled the batsmen with late swing and he got his reward on the stroke of lunch when Shivnarine Chanderpaul pushed forward and was caught behind for 5.

When former Somerset batsman Wes Durston went cheaply to Thomas in the third over after the interval, Derbyshire were 99 for 4 and in need of another rescue act from Madsen. He responded by reaching 50 for the sixth time in eight Championship innings but in the next over Steve Kirby had him lbw and the fast bowler struck again when Ben Slater gave Trescothick his third slip catch.

Derbyshire were in danger of missing out on batting points when Jon Clare inside-edged a drive at Thomas and was caught behind but Palladino marked his return from a side strain by helping Johnson mount a recovery.

Johnson brought up the 200 when he cover-drove Kirby for four but he should have gone on 34 when he edged Thomas to first slip, where James Hildreth dropped a straightforward catch. It proved costly for Somerset as the pair put together a 50 stand in 15 overs, with Palladino clipping Kirby through midwicket to secure a second batting point.

He was one away from a half-century when he edged Peter Trego to second slip where Trescothick plucked another excellent catch, and Johnson's fine innings ended when he steered Overton to gully in the next over. Overton yorked Mark Footitt to finish with 3 for 35, which left Somerset with seven overs to negotiate.

England opener Nick Compton was missed on 2 when a mistimed hook at Footitt was put down by Slater diving at leg gully, but there were no further alarms.

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Maddinson's rapid ton shows potential and pitfalls

Gloucestershire 104 for 5 (Sayers 3-24) trail Australia A 331 for 4 dec (Maddinson 181, Hughes 47) by 227 runs
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Boom. A lofted straight drive clatters into the construction site at the Ashley Down Road End of the County Ground in Bristol. Whoosh. An attempt to repeat the shot next ball draws a wild swing and a near outside edge. It is 45 minutes before lunch on day one of a first-class match. This, more or less, is the existence of Nic Maddinson, arguably the most conspicuously talented of Australia's young batsmen in England in 2013.

On a day when Australia A clambered all over Gloucestershire, Maddinson's ball-striking - and occasional ball-missing - left the most lasting impression. In a little more than three hours he crashed 181 from 143 balls, and spent just 34 balls hurtling from three figures to his final tally. Unbridled flair taking hold of modest bowling on an unexpectedly sunny Friday made for pleasant, light-hearted viewing: the Ashes are not at stake here for the tourists, nor any Division Two points at risk for the hosts.

Less jaunty was Gloucestershire's batting in response to Australia A's 331 for 4. Jackson Bird and Ryan Harris are working back into fitness and form while Chadd Sayers has only one full first-class season behind him, but all were made to look piercing as the shadows lengthened. Sayers could count the wicket of his South Australian team-mate Michael Klinger among three victims, while Ashton Agar also nipped out the wicket of Dan Christian. Gloucestershire's two Australians could manage only 14 runs between them.

Earlier it had been possible simply to sit back and enjoy Maddinson's spectacle, studded with 22 boundaries and a blink-inducing nine sixes. Yet amid the flurry of runs, Maddinson showed why he has some way to go before maturing as a batsman, and why at 22 he is still deciding what sort of player he will become: a Twenty20 blaster or a more rounded Test match contender.

Regular visitors to Nevil Road could be forgiven for wondering aloud why a batsman so obviously gifted as Maddinson was not in the Ashes squad proper. Their answer can be provided by a record that shows that days like these do not come as the result of an easily repeatable approach to batting.

The best Maddinson can offer is unforgettable, as a wonderfully free swing of the bat can send perfectly presentable deliveries soaring into the stand at square leg or bouncing percussively off the top of Gloucestershire's new pavilion under construction. But he remains an unfinished article, vulnerable early on when the ball is new and the bowlers fresh, and prone to frequent lapses of concentration thereafter. In the early overs Maddinson struggled by comparison with the more obdurate Jordan Silk, beaten often outside off stump even if he was not aiming an almighty heave towards the cover fence.

Later, well after a more experienced player would have settled in, Maddinson showed a tendency for the over eager, often following a pristinely struck boundary with a six, and then a swing-and-miss. In this he recalled nothing so much as the former Australia coach Bob Simpson's line that Ian Healy "bats faster and faster until he gets out". At one point Maddinson offered a vertical bat in some kind of outlandish ramp shot attempt that fell just out of reach of the field. Somewhat fittingly he was to be dismissed the ball after clouting his biggest six of all, skying Benny Howell to mid-off.

Maddinson was certainly playing a game not familiar to his batting partners, two of whom have greater challenges ahead. After Silk offered no shot to be bowled by Gloucestershire's Twenty20 signing Christian, Phillip Hughes strode out at No. 3. A few balls after his arrival Hughes faced up to Liam Norwell, who shares some quirks of a bowling action, if not a common level of skill or pace, with Andrew Flintoff. The Gloucestershire captain Klinger posting a leg slip. This show of 2009 Ashes nostalgia did not overtly perturb Hughes, and his dismissal cutting at Howell was a surprise.

Usman Khawaja followed Hughes to the middle, and set about batting in an unhurried manner that did not suggest too much anxiety about not having topped 51 on tour so far and therefore not really enhancing his claims to an Ashes batting spot. He was comfortable without dominating, composed without looking commanding. Perhaps bigger runs will come in the tour matches against Somerset and Worcestershire, but it was difficult to imagine Khawaja being entirely thrilled when the captain Steve Smith - leading in place of a resting Brad Haddin - declared at tea.

Smith's decision granted his bowlers the chance of an afternoon run, and the pacemen were to find enough movement in the air and off the pitch to be dangerous. Sayers showed his command of line when Chris Dent shouldered arms and was bowled, and Harris coaxed a feather-edge from Dan Housego after he was swung around to the pavilion end in place of Bird, who was tidy in his opening spell.

Sayers would go on to have Klinger taken at mid-on, and Gareth Roderick losing his off stump. Like Maddinson he is not in direct Ashes contention, but may be attracting the interest of several Championship sides with his consistency and knack for wickets. The left-arm spinner Agar had Christian snaffled at short midwicket and Fawad Ahmed, now eligible for his passport thanks to the passing of new legislation back in Australia, twirled through two overs before the close.

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Fair result for a middling ODI team

Fight carries Sri Lanka far into tournaments, but they lack the ruthless edge that winning titles requires

Sri Lanka have made for pretty bridesmaids in recent years. They have known, in past campaigns, how to make the most of their assets - the big players have fired and the team has played a very watchable brand of cricket.

This time, they encountered the team of the competition in the semi-finals, which has not always been the case in the past, and were thus relegated one step further in the tournament hierarchy. In the UK, Sri Lanka will be the friends watching jealously as someone else gets to be ogled at for a bit, precede the winner gracefully to the stage, and then cry themselves to sleep wondering when it will ever be their big day.

After the match Angelo Mathews casually threw out the phrase "we choked", which in cricket once carried a taboo to match attitudes towards cannibalism, but is now in vogue for exiting teams like it had been labelled the season's "in" response in Press Conference magazine. Soon after he had uttered the phrase, Mathews backtracked by stating a psychological meltdown did not contribute to their demise, and perhaps he was correct in that revised assessment.

Like South Africa in the first semi-final, Sri Lanka were never in a good enough position to choke. It has been a feature of this campaign, and several before it, that Sri Lanka have played hard, competitive cricket, but have rarely dominated foes as champions do.

The narrow loss to New Zealand in Cardiff may have been a boon to team morale, but a side that folds for 138 on a pitch that warrants a score in excess of 230 are not worthy of taking home a trophy, despite their ability to regroup and surge. The never-say-die spirit in their performance makes them a compelling team to watch, and their group matches provided the most thrills of the Champions Trophy. But a better team would not have allowed such anxiety to creep in.

When Australia were at 192 for 9, chasing 254, Sri Lanka should have brought the field in and pushed hard for the final wicket, but instead they waited for Clint McKay and Xavier Doherty to make the mistake, and gave the opposition a sight of victory they never should have been afforded. Fight carries Sri Lanka far into tournaments, but they lack the ruthless edge that winning titles requires.

As was expected before the competition began, Sri Lanka have also relied heavily on their experienced batsmen, and the remainder of their lengthy batting order have provided nothing more than support. Sri Lanka's transitioning status will make the exit palatable to fans at home, but Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne have far to go before they are capable of consistently carrying ODI innings without the aid of the senior batsmen.

The decision to promote Nuwan Kulasekara against England proved to be a fine one, but Mathews prides himself as a finisher, and a captain more confident in his own ability may not have deferred the task. His final innings, at least, has proved he has not grown averse to pressure. As a tactician, he can perhaps count this tournament as a positive learning experience.

Apart from last year's World Twenty20 final defeat to West Indies, when mental frailty might have played a substantial role, Sri Lanka were outplayed by a stronger opposition in each of the finals before it. In 2007, Australia were even more dominant through their campaign than India have been in this tournament, and an Adam Gilchrist blitz effectively put his side out of Sri Lanka's reach in the first quarter of that match. In 2009, Mohammad Amir and Abul Razzak's early strikes did the same in a World T20 final, and in 2011, MS Dhoni and company dominated Sri Lanka's bowling to make 275 seem a cakewalk. It seems odd that they have not converted one of their six semi-finals positions, but rarely have they seemed likely winners from a tournament's outset.

"It's very tough to go head to head with India," Mathews said. "You need to gear up all the time. You can't really take your foot off the pedal. They've been unbeaten so far and they play a brand of cricket that they're good at."

Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara now have, at most, two more opportunities to taste major limited-overs glory. If either retires without a world title to call his own, it will be among the greater injustices of Sri Lanka's cricket history. For the stalwarts to earn that prize there is much improvement to be made across the team and a killer instinct yet to be acquired. But for now, a semi-final exit is a fair result for a middling ODI team.

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Ishant, Kumar, Yadav find pack mentality

India's three seamers clicked as a unit for the first time in Cardiff to great effect

West Indies were the pioneers of the fast bowling pack mentality in the 20th century. England have been the flag bearers of that method in the new millennium. It is a strategy where three or more fast bowers operate in tandem and work with each other to a pre-set plan. The batsmen get no respite. They are bombarded not only by short-pitched balls, but also tested with cunning swing, while being lured into playing a false stroke by length deliveries. Within quick time the deadly pack has successfully cast a spell over the batsmen, who are clueless and their end comes in desperation.

On Thursday, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav operated with that bowling pack mentality for the first time since they have been playing together. Such was their dominance that India had the match in the bag after just 22 overs. In those 108 minutes, the trio had punched their opponents with such ferocity that Sri Lanka could hardly stand up to the count. The Sri Lankans were not physically wounded but had been mentally disintegrated - not with words, but with balls of fire.

Cardiff woke up to overcast weather as was forecast days ahead of the match. Thankfully, apart from the early morning faint drizzle, Sophia Gardens remained mostly unaffected. But it was perfect weather for a fast bowler: overcast and humid with a light breeze. If you failed, you were not a fast bowler.

A good start was the key. Like he has done on every occasion this tournament, Kumar remained precise. Not even 6-feet tall, Kumar possesses a supple and straight wrist, which he uses cleverly by maintaining a tidy length. Allied to good pace in the region of 85 mph (135 kph), Kumar has the priceless ability to swing the new ball both ways. Coupled with the angles and the fuller lengths, he pushed the batsmen on the back foot straightaway. Kusal Perera did not last long as he chased a delivery that left him. Even an accomplished batsman like Kumar Sangakkara played out a maiden, circumspect to the movement Kumar was generating.

At the other end Yadav was his usual self, bowling fast and hitting the deck hard. In the group stage Yadav had failed to maintain a firm grip over the batsmen due to an inconsistent line and length. But today, he recovered fast after being punched by Tillakaratne Dilshan for couple of successive boundaries in his second over. His immediate response was an accurate bouncer, which beat Dilshan for pace. The next ball was a perfectly aligned yorker, which Dilshan dug out, but only just. Later Yadav bowled two maidens to Lahiru Thirimanne.

It was now Ishant's turn. His form had been patchy. In the tournament opener, against South Africa, he had been short and was the most expensive bowler. But he came back in the next match against West Indies by bowling an aggressive line, but once again leaked runs in the victory against Pakistan. But today he remained accurate throughout. Mainly he stuck to pitching short on the off stump, posing a lot of questions to Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene with balls that were pitched short of a length and seamed away late.

	"If you are bowling in good areas then no batsman can threaten you." Ishant Sharma

With the first ball of his fourth over, Ishant bowled from slightly wide of the crease. Jayawardene knew the plan: the ball was going to come in and then leave him. Yet like a snake charmer, Ishant got Sri Lanka's best batsman out of his comfort zone, forcing him to play at a delivery that opened him up before nearly taking an edge. Jayawardene scolded himself for getting tempted.

Ishant maintained the control when he returned for his second spell late in the innings when the pitch had become flat. He continued banging it in hard and made a mockery of the hard-hitting Thisara Perera, who remained muted against the short-pitched delivery and was caught in the deep going for a duck.

"If you are bowling in good areas then no batsman can threaten you," Ishant said. "That is what we have done in the last five games. And that is what we will do in the final."

Discipline is a key component behind any successful bowling pack and the Indian fast men have never been consistent for long periods of time. Today the first extra came in the 20th over. Such high standards convinced MS Dhoni to set Test-match like 7-2 fields. But for such a plan to work the bowler cannot falter as a loose ball down the leg side, even by an inch, releases all the pressure created in the preceding over. Perhaps Joe Dawes, the Indian bowling coach, can enjoy a nice drink tonight, considering he had focused individually with each seamer on Tuesday on getting the right lengths in the nets.

Yet it is easy to get carried away. Obviously the conditions were favourable in the morning. And for the bowling pack to succeed it is imperative that every bowler understand the plan and works collectively towards that. To succeed there are some rules: you work for each other; you make sure you understand each other and each other's strengths; you carry forward the good work of your partner.

Variety is the other key factor behind a successful pack. Take England's fast bowling group in the 2005 Ashes. Andrew Flintoff hit the deck and seamed it, Matthew Hoggard swung the ball, Steve Harmison added height and pace and Simon Jones became an expert in reverse-swing. Their relentless attack subdued the otherwise dominant Australian batting. Today Sri Lanka suffered the same fate.

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