ICC defends move to cancel Americas Women's Championship

The ICC has defended itself from criticism it has received regarding the cancellation of the ICC Americas Women's Championship by stating that money that would have been spent to hold the event would be better used to fund grassroots initiatives.

The ICC Americas Women's Division One Championship was last held in 2012 with the winner, Canada, advancing to the 2013 Women's World T20 Qualifier in Ireland, where they defeated Japan to finish third out of four teams in their group. In the 2011 Women's World Cup Qualifier, USA participated as the Americas representative and suffered five heavy defeats in their six games but managed to record a landmark one-run win over Full Member nation Zimbabwe. The results were not enough to prevent the regional event being scrapped for the foreseeable future.

The championship's format (T20 or one-dayers) is defined by the closest global women's tournament, so that it can serve as a qualifying tournament for teams from the Americas. So, it's scrapping means there is no chance for a team from the Americas to compete for a spot in the 2016 Women's World T20 and potentially the 2017 Women's World Cup and 2018 Women's World T20 as well, as there is no regional qualifier.

"No region has had a women's championship cancelled," stated an ICC spokesperson in response to an email from ESPNcricinfo. "However, the Americas region is the first region in which a women's championship has not been scheduled.

"In recent times, the majority of ICC investment in the women's game at Associate and Affiliate member level has gone into running international competitions. In some regions, these competitions are run for small groups of domestic players.

"In some cases, this opportunity has led to a significant increase in the number of women's players in the region while in others this investment focus has stagnated already small local player numbers. The latter has happened in the Americas region."

Nadia Gruny, who played for the USA at the 2011 Women's World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh and was their leading scorer at the 2012 ICC Americas Women's Championship, wrote a piece which was published by the Huffington Post last week in which she criticised the ICC's decision. Gruny believes it makes women's players in the USA and the Americas "victims of gender inequity" and that it is a violation of the "ICC's own principles and its goal to build a bigger, better, global game".

"Without the tournament, there is no incentive for US organisations to invest in women's cricket," Gruny wrote. "An entire region is denied an opportunity to play in a World Cup Qualifier event and the future generation of players has nothing to aspire to achieve. While other development regions improve as they conduct their qualifiers, the US and the rest of the Americas are left behind."

Durriya Shabbir, a Canada women's player, also spoke out against the move on the Associate and Affiliate Cricket Podcast. "Women's cricket has always been an afterthought," she said. "We've never been given the support from our board that we need to grow this game. Our boards are not doing enough to promote the game. If the ICC walks away from it as well, then what do the women have to look forward to?"

An online petition has been started to get the decision overturned and reinstate the ICC Americas Women's Championship. As of Tuesday, the petition had 248 signatures. Below ICC level though, the USA Cricket Association has not organised a regional or national championship tournament since July 2011 while there is also scant evidence of regional or national events for women's cricket elsewhere in the Americas. Meanwhile, the ICC wants to see evidence of domestic interest and growth across the region before they'll consider restarting the tournament.

Since the ICC Americas Women's Championship was first held in 2007, the ICC claims there have only been 90 new female players at amateur level that have been registered by a combination of the countries in the ICC Americas Women's Division One - USA, Canada, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Argentina and Brazil. These 90 new players were from levels that were low to begin. The USA, a country with more than 300 million people, is estimated to have only 100 registered female players, a number which is made up mainly of expatriates from South Asia and the Caribbean.

The ICC says the member countries in the region were informed during 2013 that the investment money that had previously been spent on running the tournament would be made available to them to fund grassroots projects. "The aim is to increase participation rates, provide more regular domestic playing opportunities for women and girls and ultimately strengthen domestic capacity. It is hoped that an increase in domestic participation will lead to the recommencement of this event in the future."

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SLC baggage master PD Nimal dies in accident

SLC's baggage master PD Nimal has died after being struck down in a traffic accident, the board has announced. Nimal handled the player's kits and bags for 15 years, working for both SLC and the Sinhalese Sports Club, and was a popular figure among players and administrators.

Nimal would often assist the national team during fielding drills, earning him the unofficial title of "Assistant Fielding Coach". He was the object of such sweeping affection, international players regularly brought him gifts from overseas tours.

"Nimal was an honest and hardworking team member who was always willing to do anything for the benefit of the team and the game of cricket in the country," SLC said. "He will be missed by all the cricketers young and old who played for SSC and Sri Lanka."

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Bad news to ponder as Sri Lanka head north

Sri Lanka will take heart from the draw at Lord's, Angelo Mathews said at the end of the match. But as the team heads to chilly, unfamiliar Headingley they have enough bad news to temper their mood.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Prasanna Jayawardene's finger injury is more serious than first believed, and he will be unavailable. Meanwhile, Suranga Lakmal's hamstring tear continues to keep him out of the side, even though it was expected to have healed in time for the second Test. It is something of a Sri Lankan trait to be optimistic, but sunny diagnoses have worked against them here. Perhaps Sri Lanka would do well to pick up another team doctor in Yorkshire.

The injuries open up selection quandaries for Mathews and Sri Lanka, but their options will be weighed against their intentions for the match. Sri Lanka have a shot at glory in Leeds. If they win the Test, they will have won their first ever Test series in England (not including the one-off result at the Oval in 1998). But Mathews has so far been unmoved by shots at glory in Tests. The fear of losing has had more influence on Sri Lanka's long-format cricket in recent years.

A loss at Headingley will not have quite undone Sri Lanka's work in the limited-overs series, but it might dampen the tour, and reinforce the notion they remain long-format lightweights. A drawn series, meanwhile, would suit Sri Lanka fine.

England had the better of the running at Lord's and may again at Headingley, but details are eroded more quickly in the public memory than the scoreline. During the first Test Mahela Jayawardene also hinted at the team's frustration of having only two Tests in England, while India, who have a poorer recent record in the country, get five. Sri Lanka partly have their own board to blame for the scheduling, but nevertheless, a squared series might be an effective means of highlighting injustices in the Test calendar.

But Sri Lanka will also know a draw at Headingley is far from a foregone thing. Of the 14 most recent Tests there, stretching back to 1997, 13 games have yielded results. Of those 13, the teams have been separated by an innings five times. Only on two occasions has a game been decided by a slimmer margin than five wickets or 100 runs. These numbers - and a cloudy forecast - suggest Sri Lanka might do well to adopt all-out aggression, because a draw seems even less likely than a victory.

Sri Lanka's fast bowlers are now accustomed to vitriol from outspoken former players, whenever they tour overseas, but Shaminda Eranga's fourth day spell at Lord's was perhaps the best of the match until James Anderson's reverse-swing laced burst on Monday. Having regained his line and rhythm after a wayward first innings, Eranga will again be tasked with leading the pace attack. Which quick men he should have in support, is what Sri Lanka must ponder.

Nuwan Pradeep was penetrative on the first day at Lord's and despite a familiar dip in speed in the second innings, he remained economical enough to warrant selection in Leeds. But Nuwan Kulasekara's place in the side will be under more intense scrutiny.

There is no doubt Kulasekara can move the ball further than his teammates, but he does so at such a gentle pace, he posed few troubles for a green England top order. He would, on the surface, appear the safe choice for Sri Lanka. If the conditions do not allow for movement, he is supposed to be the man to lock up one end. Though he travelled at 4.33 runs an over in the second innings, Mathews spoke highly of his efforts after the match.

"Nuwan Kulasekara bowled pretty well, along with Eranga," he said. "They were hitting the right lines and lengths and bowling with a lot of pace. That was encouraging."

Dhammika Prasad, who bowls with considerably better pace than Kulasekara, and also had a successful outing in Northampton, may be in prime contention to make the XI on Friday. Sri Lanka's worry with Prasad, is that he is something of a wild card: intense and intimidating on some days, but fodder for good players of pace on others. With an unpredictable Pradeep already in the attack, Prasad may seem a risky choice. Sri Lanka also have left-armer Chanaka Welegedara in their ranks, but it is unclear whether he has regained full pace following a spate of lengthy injuries.

There are also vulnerabilities in the batting that must be addressed, but given the men on tour, Sri Lanka almost have no option than to go with the expected top seven. Dimuth Karunaratne keeps getting in and getting out. Lahiru Thirimanne combusts every time James Anderson lines him up. And though Dinesh Chandimal - who will likely take the gloves - still averages over 50 in Tests, his horror run in limited-overs cricket will take some getting over.

Headingley, with its reputation for cloudy days and vicious swing, seems an unlikely place for a Sri Lanka win. If the visitors are to give themselves some chance, they cannot afford to tactical missteps before the match has even begun.

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Panesar 'very difficult' to select - Moores

As well as England's attack performed to push them within a wicket of victory on the final day at Lord's, they were screaming out for a specialist spinner, especially while they waited for the ball to reverse swing.

Moeen Ali did little wrong on his debut, picking up a notable maiden Test wicket in Kumar Sangakkara, and was not overawed by the situation. But nor did he cause the Sri Lankans many concerns, apart from one delivery on the final day which nearly took Sangakkara's edge to gully.

The ideal plan in the post-Graeme Swann era would have been to return to Monty Panesar, who played second fiddle to Swann but still has 167 Test wickets at 34.71. However, such are his problems, some form-related yet mostly off the field, that it appears he is further from consideration than he has ever been.

Peter Moores, the England coach, made it clear he was not in their immediate thoughts. "Monty is the most experienced Test match bowler but through other issues he has made it very difficult to look at him at the moment as an option," Moores said. "The key is to ... put himself up for selection like anyone else. Monty has to get himself in that place."

Panesar was given a second chance by the previous selection regime when he was named in the Ashes squad to tour Australia despite a season which had seen him fined for urinating on a bouncer outside a nightclub. That incident prompted a move from Sussex to Essex, where he then signed a permanent two-year contract, but this season he was dropped for timekeeping issues.

His figures in first-class cricket this summer are 26 wickets at 26.00. That puts him second among England-qualified spinners, behind Kent's Adam Riley, who has 33 wickets at 27.24. In the Sunday Times, Andrew Strauss touted Riley as an option for the India series while Kerry O'Keeffe, the former Australia spinner turned renowned commentator, has been impressed by brief glimpses over the internet.

Moores, too, has noted Riley's progress - which has kept James Tredwell out of Kent's Championship team - but has not forgotten Simon Kerrigan, who until six weeks ago was under Moores' charge at Lancashire.

"Kerrigan statistically has been the most prolific in first-class cricket," he said. "If you take that as one of the gauges it puts him in the frame. Obviously Riley has come on the scene.

"We are going to have to identify our next spinner, there's no doubt about that. All sides need the option of a frontline spinner. [One, or a couple] are going to have to play for us to be able to cover all options ... otherwise it is going to be a weakness in our ranks that people will be able to try to exploit."

Moeen's bowling has developed significantly over the last two seasons with Worcestershire, during which time he has averaged 32.56 in the Championship compared to 40.43 overall in his first-class career, but he was only given 12 overs on the final day while Joe Root was used shortly before the second new ball was taken.

It remains to be seen how much of role Moeen will play in the second Test at Headingley, but Moores said he could still be the option when India arrive.

"I think he has the chance at the moment," he said. "He is getting better quite quickly. He is going to have to adjust to take wickets as a Test match bowler."

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Sri Lanka encouraged by battling draw

Despite a final nerve-wracking session, the tourist had plenty to take away from the first Test as theyavoided a first defeat at Lord's since 1991

'It was a good team effort' - Mathews

Alastair Cook is a defensive captain. Angelo Mathews is a defensive captain. Put their teams together on a flat deck that saw three centuries and a double-hundred, and you have a draw. Right?

For much of day four and some of day five, the Test was headed for that fate, but of course, the cricket gods - purveyors of surprise and perennial makers of mischief - connived to make it so much better than that. The result did not change, but would-be-follicles in Marvan Atapattu's bald scalp will have turned grey, and even Mathews, who has overseen his share of heart-stoppers in his brief time at the helm, appeared shaken from the experience.

The only man in the Sri Lanka camp who seemed to have a grip on the situation, was the same guy who had smashed his own stumps with his bat in the first innings. England had begun raucous celebrations when ice-cold Nuwan Pradeep called for perhaps the most undeniably game-changing review since Galileo decided to take another look at the solar system. Then, when he survived the final ball, he and No. 10 Shaminda Eranga shook hands casually in the middle of the pitch. One can only guess from their body language at the contents of their conversation.

"Shame this match has to end now, no machang? We could have both hit hundreds otherwise."

Earlier, in the afternoon, Kumar Sangakkara had dead batted 31 deliveries in one stretch like he was facing backyard throw downs from his four-year-old daughter, then went over 100 deliveries without a boundary, with not so much as a grunt of frustration. He has gone some way to silencing critics in this match, raising his average significantly in England, where he has struggled in the past. In the second innings, he silenced supporters as well. So many cricket pundits and fans were predicting another ton on Twitter, it seemed almost inevitable that he would fall well short. He cut James Anderson back on to his stumps to truly set some panic in the visiting dressing room.

Later that same over, Lahiru Thirimanne took guard against Anderson. His five most recent international dismissals had all been effected by this one bowler. In seven innings before this against England, Anderson had claimed him four times. The bowler, by now, must feel he only needs to sneeze in Thirimanne's direction to claim his wicket. Thirimanne had been in good nick before the tour, but at present, he is like Superman in Lex Luthor's kryptonite jail cell.

Mathews had an outstanding Test as a batsman, hitting an almost surreptitious century in the first innings, after the crowd had used up all their fanfare on Sangakkara the previous day. Mathews traded in that pizzazz for passivity in the second dig, taking cover in his trench for 89 nerveless balls, before Anderson got the better of him as well. It was the kind of innings that should not hurt personal statistics, but it did. He now only averages 76 each time he comes to the crease as captain. He has undoubtedly grown as a leader, and he has become skilled at deflecting praise and indulging in less-than-enlightening captain-speak as well.

"I'm just trying to give my best to the team, regardless of being the captain or not," Mathews said of his own performance after the match. "I'm working really hard. I always see the big boys working hard. Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela, Dilshan - they all work hard. We've got some inspiration within the team. The senior guys are helping the junior guys as well. Especially in Test cricket, you need to make those changes and bat to the situations. You might need to change your game plan some time. You're always learning."

Tactically, he was somewhat weaker in this match. Given the Sri Lanka top order's recent struggles against swing and seam, Mathews' decision to field first was perhaps understandable, but it was undoubtedly the more conservative option. There were times on the second morning when Sri Lanka forgot their attack was not comprised of Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall and Zeus. The "lightning-bolts" aimed at the batsmen's heads did some damage, and claimed a few lower-order wickets, but the short-ball plan cost the team over 200 runs as well.

Sri Lanka will have been encouraged by what they saw from Eranga and Pradeep, not so much with the bat, but with the new ball in hand. Eranga's fourth-day spell was perhaps the best in the game until Anderson's day-five burst, and Pradeep had been effective when the pitch took seam on day one.

Ultimately, Lord's threw up the kind of result that will satisfy both teams. England proved they can do something other than draw unbroken streams of ire, and Sri Lanka have avoided a first defeat at Lord's since 1991. Best of all, the finish had a meagre crowd talking, and no one was even mankaded.

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Cook heard Pradeep inside edge

While his team launched into a celebratory huddle, Alastair Cook knew what he had heard. The edge from Nuwan Pradeep into his pad, which Paul Reiffel missed, was big enough for Cook to pick it from slip. A few moments later the DRS confirmed that what, for seconds, was a Test victory had been snatched away from them.

Then, to add to the agony for the England captain, he watched the last ball of the Test fall agonisingly short of second slip. Stuart Broad fell to his knees and the slips stood motionless until the handshakes started.

"I didn't really move too far from my bar stool at first slip," Cook said. "I did think he nicked it but they everyone started saying it was two pads, so I kind of got excited. But it was a big noise."

He had a wry smile when it was put to him that the decision was vindication of the DRS, a system that England have always been a supporter of and that, last year, England were grateful for when it confirmed Brad Haddin out at Trent Bridge to secure a 14-run win. "Yeah," he said, with the hint of a laugh. "I've always been a big fan of it, it's to stop the howler and unfortunately that was a big inside edge. It's gutting to take at that time.

"But there was the lbw before the new ball from Chris Jordan which was overturned because it was the right decision. As players you want the right decision, even if it's not great at this precise moment in time when it's taken a Test win away but it was the right decision."

The fact England reached the final over needing two wickets for victory, which became one when Broad had Rangana Herath gloving down the leg side - although replays showed Herath's glove was off the bat - was testament to some tireless work either side of tea, sparked by James Anderson's removal of Mahela Jayawardene during a wonderful spell of reverse swing, and then a powerful burst with the new ball which reduced Sri Lanka from 159 for 2 with the game seemingly dead.

"At tea it looked quite a long way away but when you get so close and then get a decision which wins you a Test overturned it's quite hard to take," Cook said. "But it was a great Test, that's what it's about, to go all the way down to the wire and for both sides to leave nothing out there."

Cook showed invention in the field during the match, although largely in the final session after England waited desperately for the ball to reverse, but acknowledged that an 8-1 field which appeared after tea - including a circle of close catchers on the off side - had been the work of Anderson. "I wish I could take credit, but I can't." he said.

With England coming so close to victory there will inevitably be further debate of Cook's declaration which came before play on the final morning rather than late on the fourth day to give his quicks an early dart with new ball.

Cook said the batting collapse on Sunday afternoon - which left them 121 for 6, a lead of 243 - had cost them valuable time, meaning they could not accelerate until the closing overs. In the end, England made 59 runs in seven overs - which included Ballance reaching his maiden hundred with a six - although there remained an argument that the foot could have been put on the throttle when the lead passed 300.

"If you'd declared at 330-340 on that wicket it would have been a very fair chase," Cook said. "At 100 for 1 at lunch, 320 would have looked a very short total. The four wickets just after lunch cost us without shadow of a doubt and give Sri Lanka credit there. We tried to play positively to give us a chance of declaring that night but they made it difficult for us."

There were also 17 overs lost in the match due to slow over-rates, six of those on the day England were in the field throughout on Saturday, and speaking to Sky Sports Cook admitted that had not been ideal.

But he was delighted with the way his team played throughout the Test, their first outing in the format since the conclusion of the 5-0 Ashes whitewash in Australia. Only five players from Sydney remained, but most of the new or recalled players produced significant roles in the match.

"We've made quite a lot of the running in this Test. To lose the toss, be put in and make 580 you have a great chance," he said. "We were ahead throughout the game so can take a lot from that.

"We scored at a really good rate. If we'd gone at three runs an over we wouldn't have been in that position with a chance to win. Joe Root was outstanding with a double and Gary Ballance showed his class at international level, not many people have seen it and it will be great for his confidence from a tricky position at No. 3. All the new guys came in and made an impact."

It will be the same players travelling up to Headingley after an unchanged squad was confirmed, the playing XI plus Chris Woakes, but it is unlikely that Woakes will push himself into the side. There was a suggestion that Broad may have been suffering a niggle towards the end of the match, when he was replaced by Liam Plunkett for one over, but Cook said it had just been a hunch. It was a hunch that did not quite work.

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Plenty of ticks for England selectors

'We were ahead throughout the game' - Cook

There were six changes for the Lord's Test compared to the England side which took the field at the SCG in January. ESPNcricinfo assesses how each of them performed in the opening match of the series

Sam Robson

A tricky start for England's latest opener on his homeground. He edged to the keeper in the first innings, reaching for ball that travelled down the slope, and was then beaten by one holding its line in the second. Regardless of success at domestic level, the step up will bring challenges more often than not and it would be unfair to make snap judgements after two innings although to be troubled on both sides of the bat is a concern. Would be ideal, before the arrival of India, if he could settle himself with a useful score at Headingley.

Joe Root

His absence from the Test side only lasted one match and his double hundred has set up his summer beautifully. Continued a strong association with Lord's where he scored 180 against Australia last year and 71 against New Zealand. The tempo of his first innings was what stood out. Often in Australia he became static, unable to rotate the strike, but back down at No. 5 he seemed far more at ease. After a year of shuffling around the order, hopefully he has now found a permanent home especially after Gary Ballance's corresponding hundred at No.3. "It's obviously been quite a tough winter, from a team point of view and personally as well," Root said. "So to come back into the side and score a hundred meant a lot to me."

Moeen Ali

Moeen certainly did not look out his depth in the Test arena. Off the mark with a whip through square leg, the only nervous moment in his first innings was an edge through a vacant third slip. The rest of his stay was studded with wristy elegance, so much so that when he edged a loose drive to slip it came as a surprise. The second innings was brief, but action-packed: off the mark first ball with a lofted straight drive then bowled through the gate by a lovely response from Rangana Herath. The bowling was what you would expect, steady but without a huge amount of threat against batsmen who can play spin in their sleep. "I think he looks like someone who has already played 20 games," Paul Farbrace said. "I thought he looked at ease with the bat and with the ball he looks like a very quick learner. He has a great future."

Matt Prior

Lucky to be recalled? Maybe, but Prior took his opportunity although it was a successful return by a matter of inches when he escaped a mighty close lbw second ball. But after that, he played very much like the Prior of old, counter-attacking against a tiring attack on the first day although he will not have enjoyed being bounced out by Shaminda Eranga. With the gloves he was solid, the horrors of Perth forgotten, and generally coped well with the low bounce that made life tricky behind the stumps. "I've had a rough year but the three or four years before that I'd played some pretty good cricket and I know what I bring to the team," Prior said.

Chris Jordan

There is a vibrancy and exuberance about Jordan's cricket that is impossible not to admire. A wicket with his third ball in Test cricket would have settled any remaining nerves, but he does not appear to be the type of cricketer to be overwhelmed by an occasion. Three hard-earned scalps in the first innings were just rewards and his final spell of the match - 8-7-2-1 - was unstinting. The other side of his game was on show when he strode in with England 121 for 6 in the second innings. Ian Bell would have been proud of some of the off side drives he played during a sparky 35 which eased England's worries. "We've seen quite a lot of Jords in the one-day game, he's got a lot of skills," Alastair Cook said. "I love his attitude, he always wants to bowl. He's nagging me from second slip saying he needs to come on now, it's an infectious attitude and we haven't seen the best of him yet either."

Liam Plunkett

Match figures of 48-7-155-2 did not scream a successful return to Test cricket for Plunkett after a seven-year gap, but neither do they tell the full story of the effort he put in. It was a foreboding surface for anyone trying to extract life with short deliveries - a method of attack England were keen to take against the Sri Lankans - but Plunkett still had the strength and stamina to have the batsmen hopping at times with speeds in excess of 90mph. He may, occasionally, have forgotten the value of the pitch-up delivery and his yorker to remove Angelo Mathews in the first innings should be one to file away, but he should feel heartened heading to his new homeground for the second Test. "Liam has got one of the best engines I've seen, his pace pretty much stayed constant through the whole game," Cook said.

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Pradeep was confident - Mathews

Arnold: Cricket was the winner

Nuwan Pradeep approached the last five balls of the match with confidence, as he walked out to deny Stuart Broad and England, his captain Angelo Mathews revealed after the match.

Pradeep swayed away from a bouncer first ball - avoiding a reprise of his hit wicket from the first innings - then played and missed at a back-of-a-length delivery, and fended the third one away towards point.

Next ball - the penultimate delivery of the match - raised a raucous appeal from the hosts, and the batsman was given out by Paul Reiffel, only for the decision to be immediately reviewed. Replays showed Pradeep got a big inside edge, and lived on. The final delivery was edged to slip, but it only reached the fielder on the bounce.

"All Pradeep said to me was, 'Don't worry, I'm going to hold on. If they bowl short at me I'm just going to leave it'." Mathews said of his exchange with Sri Lanka's No. 11 before he went out to bat. "That was very encouraging from the tail-ender. I actually thought he did that exact thing. When they went for the lbw, we were not confident, because we couldn't see from behind. But he was pretty confident that he hit it, and thank God that he did."

Pradeep's lbw decision was the second piece of drama in the over after Rangana Herath gloved a short ball to the wicketkeeper - but his hand had already come off the bat handle. Herath did not wait for the umpire's decision to begin walking back to the pavilion.

"I guess Rangana wasn't aware of the rules," Mathews said. "It's a lesson learned. We all now know that if it hits your hand and it's off the bat you're not out."

Pradeep showed presence of mind to call for the review, even as England celebrated around him. "It wasn't the easiest time for Pradeep to go and bat, and to review the decision was also a brave effort. In that tense situation, your mind goes blank sometimes. It's always good to review it and luckily we used it. We hung in there."

Mathews was less enamoured by Sri Lanka's collapse either side of tea. The visitors had eight wickets in hand with 36 overs to play in the day, but lost three quickly to James Anderson's reverse swing, and were under immense pressure in the final session.

Mathews and Prasanna Jayawardene batted out 20 overs together, despite Jayawardene's severely bruised finger, before Rangana Herath faced 13 balls, until being dismissed.

"I thought we batted poorly after tea especially. The bowlers came and gave one last effort, and we fell for that. I thought Anderson bowled really well. Their seamers bowled hard and asked questions from our batters but we couldn't really handle it after tea. It shouldn't have got close.

"It was a great effort from our lower middle-order. Rangana Herath did well, and so did Prasanna, with a broken finger. He had had painkiller injections to keep going. It was a good effort in the end, but after tea we were too relaxed."

Alastair Cook faced some criticism for delaying his declaration, and Angelo Mathews said Sri Lanka were always unlikely to attempt chasing 390 on the final day.

"They could have declared earlier, maybe. Close to 400 runs to get on the last day is going to be a tough ask. The wicket was spinning a little bit, and it was playing up and down a little bit as well. We had to bat sensibly.

"We were going in a 50-50 mode. We wanted to bat till lunch, then tea, then see how we were. We were in a pretty bad situation after tea, and we couldn't do anything but go for the draw."

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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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