Harden up, Australia

James Faulkner will be Australia's 17th player in this Ashes - the equal most for them away from home - and it comes as no surprise that so much uncertainty surrounds selection

Darren Lehmann and Rod Marsh have said not a word in public about their reasons for choosing James Faulkner for the final Ashes Test. But despite their silence, their message is loud and clear. This is a team that needs to harden up. Is it any wonder, really? Soft cricket no more has a place in the world of Marsh and Lehmann than soft drinks. They played with an edge so hard that Hot Spot could have detected it through three layers of silicone tape.

It was left to the captain Michael Clarke, who is no longer a selector, to explain the choice on Tuesday. Notably, Clarke used the word "tough" or "toughness" at least three times to describe Faulkner and the qualities he would bring to the side. Even more telling was his final, one-word answer. When asked if this toughness had been missing from the team on this tour, Clarke said, with apparent reluctance: "Maybe".

There are times when "maybe" means no, sometimes it means "I don't know". Here it meant yes, for otherwise no captain would miss a chance to defend the character of his players. Australia's capitulation on the fourth afternoon at Chester-le-Street was an example of such fragility, of throwing wickets and a game away. It was not the only one on this tour, but that crazy day has cost Usman Khawaja his place.

Khawaja's dismissal in what should have been a gettable chase was tame, just a prod at Graeme Swann, who straightened the ball and struck Khawaja on the pad in front of the stumps. He has now been dropped three times from the Test team, always having shown hints of his promise but failing to display any more. Khawaja's talent has never been in question but his intensity - and intent - has been a constant question-mark.

Faulkner has effectively replaced Khawaja in the side, though not in the same position. It was revealing that when he was picked in the squad, Faulkner was described by national selector John Inverarity as "a very competitive cricketer who gets things done". The logical extension of Inverarity's statement was that there were other players who lack the same spirit, who despite their ability, don't get things done.

By gambling on Faulkner at The Oval, the selectors have backed tenacity over talent. That is not to say that Faulkner lacks skill - far from it, in fact, for he has collected 111 Sheffield Shield wickets in the past three seasons and scored 444 runs last summer. But his bowling alone would not force him above Ryan Harris or Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc or Jackson Bird. Neither would his batting earn him a place on its own.

But his "overall package", as Clarke described it, is appealing. Of course, the same has been said of others in recent times. Glenn Maxwell and Moises Henriques both played on this year's disastrous tour of India and neither would have made it for their batting or bowling alone. Both batted at No.7 in that series, behind a wicketkeeper at No.6. So did Mitchell Johnson against Sri Lanka at the SCG in January. None have lasted in the role.

Really, it should be no great surprise that Australia have ended up imbalanced again, for in five of their nine Tests so far this year they have batted the gloveman, either Matthew Wade or Brad Haddin, at No.6. It is not the result of needing more bowlers, but of having so few batsmen who have stood up. Clarke said this week that he was not one for statistics, but he knew no Australia batsman had made a Test double-hundred away from home since Jason Gillespie.

Forget double-hundreds, centuries would be enough. This year, only Clarke, Chris Rogers and Wade have scored Test tons for Australia. If the batsmen keep failing, the selectors feel they might as well pick an allrounder. They have shown it again and again. And again. Still, it was surprising that Faulkner was preferred over Matthew Wade, whose two Test centuries have come in winning causes. And Wade, like Faulkner, is tough.

"I bring a bit of aggression and a competitive streak," Faulkner said on Tuesday. "That's how I play my cricket and that's how I enjoy playing the game, get in the contest and soak it up a bit, get involved."

It is not surprising that Faulkner has that approach, for otherwise he could not have survived when playing against grown men as a young teenager in Launceston club cricket. He made his first-class debut at 18 and was immersed in Tasmania's cricket culture, generally considered the best in Australia over the past few years. Faulkner has been Tasmania's player of the year for the past three seasons and has been a key performer in three straight Shield finals.

In 2010-11 he scored 71 and took four wickets in Tasmania's win over New South Wales, in 2011-12 he collected five wickets in a tight loss to Queensland, and in 2012-13 he scored 46 and 89 against a Queensland attack led by a fired-up Ryan Harris, and also picked up four wickets of his own in the victory. In two of his three Ryobi Cup final appearances he has completed four-wicket hauls. He is, the selectors hope, the kind of man who stands up when it matters.

Of course, it is easier to stand up when you're not worried about anyone cutting you down. Faulkner's inclusion and the consequent reshuffle of the batting order - Shane Watson will bat at first drop - means that not since the first two Tests of the tour of India have Australia sent in the same top six in the same order for two consecutive Tests. The selectors do not know their best XI or what order to bat them.

Australia used 16 players in the series in India this year; that they will use 17 in this Ashes series - an equal Australian record for any away tour - is an indictment on the performance of the players, but also on the lack of trust in them shown by the selectors. The only other time Australia have used so many in an away series was in 1983-84 in the West Indies, when they lost 3-0.

Here, Faulkner was not considered in the best team at the start of this series, for Watson was the allrounder and Phillip Hughes, Ed Cowan and Khawaja were all options to fill out the top six. Effectively, the selectors seem now to believe none of those men, nor Wade, are good enough. For a team in desperate need of runs, it is a worryingly desperate situation.

Choosing your men and sticking with them has its merits. So does playing hard cricket. And if Faulkner succeeds, it may just open up a whole new criteria for John Inverarity's panel to judge players by for the home Ashes.

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Somerset grateful for Kieswetter ton

Warwickshire 0 for 0 trail Somerset 340 (Kieswetter 148) by 340 runs
Scorecard

Present-day Edgbaston has amphitheatrical architecture and the atmosphere of an arena, so maybe it was appropriate that three lions bit deep into these two sides before this match began. Warwickshire, of course, were resigned to losing Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell to the full England side but they may be without Chris Woakes, too, while the national team's second string has claimed Boyd Rankin.

The Lions also required the services of Somerset's Jos Buttler and Jamie Overton but Somerset's batsmen must have reckoned they had a chance of building a substantial total against an under-strength attack, all the more so when they won they won the toss and opted to have first use of a pitch that seems likely to help spinners later in the game.

Yet it was not until late-ish in the second session of the first day that Marcus Trescothick's men began to dominate the home attack and even that modest supremacy was exercised by Craig Kieswetter, who was twice dropped on his way to making his first Championship century of the season.

By the evening, the Somerset wicketkeeper-batsman had begun to play with something of his familiar swagger and it needed the new ball to remove him, Keith Barker catching his edge with extra bounce when Kieswetter had made 148 off 192 balls.

His hundred was particularly good news for his relegation-threatened county, accompanying suggestions that Nick Compton may yet sign a new contract to remain at the County Ground.

"There's no signature on any paper but we're pretty close," Somerset's director of cricket, Dave Nosworthy, said. "It's been going on for a few weeks but it's very much his decision. We would very much love to have Nick Compton remain at Somerset."

It is understood that Warwickshire have made formal 28-day approaches for both Compton and Buttler. In the meantime, however, the home team's concern is to further their ambition to retain their title by defeating Somerset in this game and, after 20 overs of the morning's play, they had made a decent start. By then Compton had padded up to a ball from Barker which swung in late and Chris Jones had slapped Tom Milnes straight to Jeetan Patel in the gully.

And it was Patel who claimed the still-prized wicket of Trescothick when his third ball of the day turned and caught the edge of the Somerset opener's bat before going on to the safe hands of Rikki Clarke at slip. That left the visitors on 65 for 3 and in danger of wasting the opportunity to bat first.

Such profligacy was averted first by an 89-run partnership between Kieswetter and James Hildreth, who limply guided Milnes to Varun Chopra when on 33, and then by an even better stand of 119 in 32 overs which Kieswetter shared with Barrow.

Gradually the England international began to play with his familiar savage assurance. He put behind him his two let-offs on 22 and 74, slip Chopra and gully William Porterfield being the offending parties, and asserted himself in a manner the supporters at Taunton know and love. He reached a century with a scrambled two off Patel but his sixes down the ground and over long-on were dismissive reminders to Milnes of how unforgiving Division One cricket can be.

Still, though, Warwickshire were allowed their encouragements and most of them came through the bowling of Patel. The New Zealand offspinner turned one sufficiently to beat Barrow's back foot defensive stroke and he then induced Peter Trego, pretty brainlessly if truth be told, to hit his second ball straight to Barker at mid-on.

Those reverses began a 17-over spell in which Somerset lost their last six wickets for 67 runs, two of them falling to Clarke in the space of five balls. In their way they epitomised a day which had contained its share of both excellence and error. Neither of these sides can afford much of the latter if they are to achieve their contrasting objectives. Warwickshire will need to bat well in their first innings and Somerset's decision to give left-arm spinner George Dockrell the new ball suggests merely one of this match's future themes.

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Lancs keep pressure on with Hants win

Lancashire 261 for 9 (Brown 66, Croft 65, Moore 51, Mascarenhas 5-42) beat Hampshire 256 for 8 (McKenzie 65, Lilley 3-37, Kabir 3-63) by five runs
Scorecard

Lancashire maintained the pressure on Group B leaders Hampshire by beating them in a Yorkshire Bank 40 thriller at Old Trafford. The Lightning gained revenge for a Twenty20 quarter-final defeat by the Royals earlier this month with a five-run win that takes them within a point of the group pace-setters ahead of Monday's final round of fixtures.

A win for Hampshire away at Derbyshire would guarantee the defending champions a last-four place, but Lancashire stand to benefit from any slip-up if they beat Essex, who also remain in the hunt, at Old Trafford.

Lancashire, who won the toss, put early pressure on under-strength Hampshire with a total of 261 for 9, built around half-centuries for Karl Brown, Steven Croft and opener Stephen Moore, who made scores of 66, 65 and 51 respectively. Offspinner Arron Lilley and Kabir Ali both took three wickets in Hampshire's chase, including Ali defending 12 off the last over.

It was a spirited performance from Hampshire, who were without four key players to international commitments. Michael Carberry, James Vince and Danny Briggs are all with the England Lions and Sohail Tanvir with Pakistan in Zimbabwe.

Dimitri Mascarenhas took his best List A figures in more than 11 years - 5 for 42 - and 16-year-old off-spinner Brad Taylor returned 2 for 50. Taylor struck with his third ball on his 40-over debut when he had Moore caught behind. Brown and Croft shared a crucial 95-run stand for the fifth wicket to improve Lancashire's score from 127 for 4 in the 20th over.

Hampshire were behind the rate for the majority of their innings on a slow pitch even though they managed to keep wickets in hand. They needed 100 with 10 overs left and key men Neil McKenzie and Sean Ervine at the crease.

They had shared 72 inside 10 overs for the fourth wicket, with McKenzie hitting 65 off 54 balls and Ervine 43 off 36. When McKenzie fell stumped to Lilley as the first of two wickets in two balls in the 35th over, Hampshire looked done. Liam Dawson followed to leave the score at 200 for 5.

But Ervine kept them in touch before falling caught off an Ali full toss with the first ball of the 38th as the scored slipped to 228 for 6.

Some impressive hitting from Adam Wheater and Mascarenhas took the equation down to 22 off the last two overs and 12 off the last before they also fell caught off Ali full tosses. Victory was Lancashire's sixth in a row.

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Panesar can return for England - Cook

Alastair Cook has assured Monty Panesar that the door is not closed on him in terms of an England comeback.

Panesar was released by his county, Sussex, earlier this week after he was fined by police for his part in a drunken incident in Brighton that involved the player urinating over nightclub bouncers in the early hours of the morning.

But while Cook admitted that Panesar had "let the England shirt down", he also acknowledged his qualities as a bowler and let him know that he will be welcomed back into the side if he can demonstrate he has made the necessary "changes in his life".

"What's happened over the last couple of weeks has been disappointing," Cook said. "I've spoken to him - he actually rang me - which shows he knows he's done wrong and let the England shirt down a bit.

"But he recognises he needs a bit of a change in his life which I think is always the first step.

"The bottom line is that we need Monty back bowling as well as he can bowl. The way back is through taking wickets and he knows that. We know he has that pedigree in international cricket."

Panesar has started the process of change by joining Cook's county side, Essex. And while Cook admitted that move had taken him by surprise, he welcomed it.

"I didn't know he was going to Essex," Cook said. "I thought he was going to Northants. I'm not the be-all and end-all at Essex. But I'm glad we get a quality spinner and I'm going to get a nice good look at him at Essex."

Apart from taking wickets, though, Panesar will also need to demonstrate that he is committed to team success and has no problems with alcohol. Panesar had been dropped by Sussex earlier in the season for a poor on-field attitude.

"I don't really know all the details," Cook said. "But he has that side of his life that he definitely needs to get right because we know what an off-field life can do to you.

"Everyone is saying, 'Is the door shut?' It's certainly not, but he knows what he must do to get back.

"It was not the most pleasant phone call for him to make - to the England captain to apologise. But we know the class Monty has as a bowler and what he can do when he gets it right. We've seen that time and again. He just has to go back to basics, work as hard as he can and do what he does best - which is taking wickets. If he does it for Essex, it's even better for me."

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'Watson was one of the guys I lost' - Arthur

Mickey Arthur, who was sacked as Australia's coach just a fortnight before the Ashes began, has spoken out on how he "lost" Shane Watson and tried to mould the younger players who came with "big egos".

The cracks in his relationship with Watson, Arthur said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph, first appeared on Australia's tour of India in February this year, which the visitors lost 0-4. The side's on-field problems were exacerbated when Watson, James Pattinson, Mitchell Johnson and Usman Khawaja were suspended for the third Test of the series for not completing a team-building assignment.

That incident, Arthur said, was a tipping point. "My relationships were outstanding, except with Watson. He was one of the guys I lost. India was where it started going wrong, when we suspended those players.

"If I sit back and think, 'Would I do it [suspend the players] again?' … well, I probably would. Because I believed so much in what we were trying to do."

Arthur said he was disappointed how "people backtracked" after the players were suspended.

"I met with all our staff before I did it and our staff were adamant that was the right way to go. I ended up making those decisions and then ended up bearing the brunt of them," he said. "I just get annoyed because I put everything into it and I put my head on the line with a lot of big decisions and a lot of the people who were very keen for us to make those decisions then backtracked.''

He was forced to take a tough stance, he said, because the team lacked direction and leadership. "I understood that I drive the ship, but the ship needed conscious changes - it needed value changes. We put together this whole values document for all the young players coming into the Australian side. They got a booklet and we told them exactly what the expectations were, because the young guys coming in didn't know.

"They're good players, they're not great players. They're earning obscene amounts of money and they've got big egos, but they don't know the best way to go about it. So we put in these definite guidelines because we had no leaders there."

Despite the sour note on which his tenure ended, and his subsequent severance battle with Cricket Australia - which finished in an out-of-court settlement - Arthur said he was disappointed to see the team being thumped in the Ashes. "I couldn't imagine waking up and being 0-3 down in the Ashes now. But I don't get any pleasure out of watching them struggle."

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Aslam, Gohar secure trophy for Pakistan

Pakistan Under-19s 343 for 6 (Aslam 110, Jahangir 85) beat England Under-19s 151 (Higgins 70*, Gohar 4-25) by 192 runs
Scorecard

A century from opener Sami Aslam, followed by an incisive spell of 4 for 25 from left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar, helped Pakistan Under-19s lift the tri-nation tourmanent trophy with a comprehensive 192-run win over England Under-19s in the final at Trent Bridge.

Aslam, the Man of the Match, struck 10 fours during his 121-ball 110, and put up a mammoth 163 runs for the third wicket with Shayan Jahangir, who scored 85 off 70 balls. The pair were dismissed in consecutive overs towards the end of the innings, but Kamran Ghulam smashed eight fours and two sixes during his unbeaten 32-ball 61 to take the visitors to 343 for 6 in 50 overs. The English bowlers were all expensive, Will Rhodes, the best of them, picking up 2 for 64.

England, chasing nearly seven-an-over, stumbled to 31 for 2 after the first 10 as openers Jonathan Tattersall and Harry Finch fell to left-arm seamer Mohammad Aftab. Ryan Higgins, with an unbeaten 70 was the only batsman to offer resistance as Pakistan kept up the pressure.

A 42-run stand between Higgins and Will Rhodes sought to restore the chase but Gohar snuck through the latter's defences to wrest the advantage back. He also accounted for Lewis McManus and Miles Hammond in the 26th over as England slipped to 116 for 6. Hussain Talat, with 3 for 18, was an able deputy, polishing off the lower order as he and Gohar set up a comfortable win that gave Pakistan the trophy.

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Pandey stymies South Africa A

South Africa A 312 for 9 (Duminy 84, Pandey 4-40) trail India A 582 for 9 dec by 270 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Timely wickets were the order of the day in Rustenburg, as every time South Africa A assumed a position of strength, India A's bowlers, particularly medium-pacer Ishwar Pandey, delivered a blow to regain the advantage. Pandey picked up four wickets, and broke all three of South Africa's half-century partnerships, to leave them at 312 for 9, and 70 runs short of the follow-on target at stumps.

South Africa would have had high hopes for Dean Elgar's prolific run - 361 runs in his last two first-class matches - to continue, but Mohammed Shami trapped him in front of his stumps in the third over of the morning. A counterattacking Rilee Rossouw and a solid Simon Harmer recovered lost momentum for South Africa, going from 22 or 2 to 94 for 2.

Rossouw, with 44 off 46 balls, had just doubled Harmer's score when Pandey got his first wicket, having the latter caught behind. Suresh Raina replaced Pandey in the 33rd over and found immediate success, getting rid of Rossouw for 57, with eight fours and two sixes. Temba Bavuma followed two overs later as South Africa went to lunch at 119 for 5.

The hosts found stability again as JP Duminy, eyeing a comeback into the Test side, displayed great patience, collecting his first four off his 114th ball. He put on 75 runs with Justin Ontong for the sixth wicket, who was drawing comfort from his time at the crease, striking Raina for three fours in the 52nd over. But Pandey, only an over into his second spell, had Ontong edging behind to Wriddhiman Saha for 47.

Duminy, though, reached his fifty, and the team's 250, in the 81st over in the company of wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile. The duo recorded 84 runs but yet again, Pandey, recalled into the attack in the 91st over, dismissed Tsolekile and Wayne Parnell in successive deliveries, as South Africa A slumped to 280 for 8. They sustained another telling blow when Raina had Duminy caught behind for 84 off 222 balls to give Saha his fourth catch of the innings and signal the end of the day's play.

Rossouw regretted the batsmen's failure to build on their starts. "If you look at the way India batted, most of their batsmen went on to score big which helped them to their total," he said. "We would have wanted to get close but we haven't managed to do that.

"It [the pitch] was a bit difficult to play on, to be honest i didn't really know what to expect," he added. "As a team we said we wanted to look to play as straight as possible and if it was short and wide we would attack."

India A coach Lalchand Rajput enjoyed feelings from the opposite end of the spectrum. "It's pleasing that we got them to nine wickets down today. It would be even better if they were all out today but Duminy played an excellent innings," he said. "Pandey made his debut for India A in this match and has bowled exceptionally well. Unadkat and Shami gave him good support. When you come to South Africa you always expect bouncy wickets. It was helpful on the first two days but we expected it to play this way on the third day."

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Ryder banned for six months after failed drug test

Jesse Ryder, the New Zealand batsman, has been banned for six months after failing a drug test in March. He will be available to play again after October 19, once the retrospective sentence ends.

Ryder, who played domestic cricket for Wellington last season, underwent a routine drug test during a Ford Trophy match in March, for which he returned a positive test. Ryder was informed of the result on April 12 and attended a hearing in front of the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand earlier this month, where the ban was handed down. The batsman will not contest the decision of the tribunal.

In a statement released by the New Zealand Cricket Players' Association, Ryder said: "I'm devastated by this situation. I've never taken drugs and to be in this situation distresses me greatly. I simply took the supplement alongside a training programme I was completing to help me lose weight. I have attended anti-doping education seminars during my time in cricket and am a strong supporter of Drug Free Sport New Zealand. I'm aware of the precautions you need to take; I did take steps to check the supplement but ultimately it was my responsibility and I accept that.Whilst everyone is aware of my well-documented battles with alcohol, it's important for me to state that I abhor drug use of any kind, both recreational and performance-enhancing in sport.''

More to follow...

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Streak sad but not surprised by Jarvis' decision

Heath Streak, the former Zimbabwe captain, said that pacer Kyle Jarvis' retirement from international cricket was a big loss to the team, but stated he was not surprised by the bowler's decision.

Jarvis, who played eight Tests and 24 ODIs for Zimbabwe, quit international cricket on Sunday to take up an offer from an English county and said that he would not return to play cricket in Zimbabwe.

"I think it's a big loss for Zimbabwean cricket. We invested a lot in some of these players and its sad to see them just walk away," Streak told the website Cricketworld.com. "Again it's not surprising especially with the way these players have been treated. They are not valued as professionals, if you look at the late payments issues."

Jarvis' retirement is the latest in a string of problems facing Zimbabwe, including the stand-off between the players and the board over delayed payments. His absence will also weaken the Zimbabwe side as they take on Pakistan in a home series starting next week.

Citing the instance of Zimbabwe-born batsman Gary Ballance, who plays for Yorkshire and has also represented the England Lions, Streak said that cricketers could not be blamed for taking such decisions. He also said that the trend of cricketers opting to go overseas would continue unless they were treated well.

"You can't blame some of these players on the decisions they make. We see people like Gary Ballance decide to play county; you better ask the question 'Why?' The way these guys have been treated is like they are not professionals. That's why Tatenda (Taibu), Dougie (Hondo), Andy (Blignaut), Pommie (Mbangwa), Dougie Marillier have ended their careers prematurely," Streak said. "A lot of these guys could have still been around, they could be still playing but they are not. What's the problem? Until the players are treated as valuable products, this trend will continue."

Streak said the county experience would be beneficial for Jarvis. "I can't doubt that he will make an impact because you are judged according to your performances and you get treatment like you are a professional. Everything is perfect for one as a player," he said.

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Gloucestershire hold nerve to stay on course

Gloucestershire 251 for 8 (Klinger 87, Marshall 55) beat Glamorgan 247 for 7 (Rees 83, Goodwin 49) by two wickets
Scorecard

Michael Klinger once again led from the front as Gloucestershire kept alive their hopes of a place in the Yorkshire Bank 40 semi-finals with a thrilling two-wicket Group C win over Glamorgan at Bristol.

The captain took his run tally in the competition to 662 at an average of 94.57 by scoring 87 to help the hosts to their target of 248 with just one ball to spare. Hamish Marshall contributed 55, while Dean Cosker claimed 2 for 28 from his eight overs.

Gareth Rees had scored 83 off 110 balls to provide the backbone to Glamorgan's 247 for 7 after winning the toss, with Murray Goodwin also making a brisk 49 and Tom Smith returning two for 43.

Rees might have been run out in the opening over of the game as Mark Wallace sent him back attempting a single to backward point. Ian Cockbain's shy at the stumps missed when he could have given wicket-keeper Gareth Roderick time to get to the stumps.

The Glamorgan openers went on to build a half-century stand before Wallace departed for 18, caught at deep square as he pulled a ball from David Payne. Gloucestershire introduced the left-arm spin of Smith for the 16th over and the loan recruit from Middlesex had Chris Cooke caught behind cutting for 19 with the total on 83.

It was 95 for 3 when Marcus North fell cheaply to Smith. Rees reached fifty off 62 balls, with five fours, and survived a stumping chance off Smith when on 63.

After Jim Allenby lifted a catch to deep midwicket off Benny Howell, Goodwin supplied the necessary acceleration with six fours in his 32-ball innings, helping the score to 199 when he gave a catch to backward point.

Graham Wagg hit a straight six in making 19 before being yorked by Craig Miles and Rees took successive boundaries off the penultimate over, bowled by Payne before being caught at mid-off to give Miles a second wicket.

Gloucestershire made a confident start in reply as Klinger and Marshall put together a century opening stand, the latter hitting six fours in his 43-ball innings before offering a return catch to Cosker.

Klinger continued his love affair with the competition, striking nine fours in facing 99 deliveries before getting an inside edge on to his stumps off Simon Jones with 49 runs still needed.

There were nerves in the home dressing room when Alex Gidman followed for 28, but Howell played a key role with a six and a four off Jones in the 38th over, which cost the seamer 17, followed by another six off Wagg.

Wagg responded with two wickets in the same over, but the home side began the final one from Michael Hogan needing only five. He removed Smith caught and bowled, but James Fuller hit the winning boundary.

The result puts Gloucestershire level on points with group leaders Somerset, with the two arch-rivals facing each other at Bristol in the final group match tomorrow week. Glamorgan are two points adrift, but have two games remaining, at home to Leicestershire next Sunday and away to Yorkshire 24 hours later.

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