Dawson the difference in Hants win

Hampshire 223 (Dawson 97, Mascarenhas 35, Gazi 2-31) beat Bangladesh A 215-9 (Sunny 45*, Marshall 39, Dawson 3-11) by eight runs
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Liam Dawson's all-round performance made the difference between Hampshire and Bangladesh A who lost by eight runs at the Ageas Bowl. His 97 was pivotal in the 223 runs made by the home side before his left-arm spin put the screws on. The match also saw two 50-plus last wicket stands, though the second one didn't quite finish the job for Bangladesh.

The visitors' struggled with the bat in their first match on tour, until Robiul Islam and Elias Sunny put on an unbroken 58-run tenth wicket stand which added a bit of drama towards the end.

The last 35 balls saw the No. 11 Robiul smack five sixes as he made an unbeaten 19-ball 34. Sunny ended up as top-scorer for Bangladesh A with 45 not out, with seven fours and a six at the end. The pair pushed the game into the last over from which they needed 22 runs, but seamer Josh Davey gave away just three runs off the first four balls, swinging the game back in Hampshire's favour and keeping it that way. Davey is a Middlesex player who was loaned to Hampshire for this game.

Dawson's 3 for 11 from seven overs stung the Bangladesh A batsmen. Having opened the bowling, he accounted for opener Imrul Kayes' wicket in the seventh over before he took the wicket of captain Jahurul Islam in his next over.

Anamul Haque's 64-minute vigil ended when he was stumped by Adam Rouse off the medium-pace of Josh Davey in the 20th over, having made just 18 off 50 balls. Mominul Haque was more enterprising than the top three in his 28, but he fell to Hamza Riazuddin immediately after hitting the pace bowler for two consecutive fours.

The chase fell apart when Naeem Islam and Farhad Reza were dismissed before the visitors reached the 100-run mark. Marshall Ayub tried to resurrect the innings through his 39 off 47 balls, and the 42-run eighth wicket stand with Elias Sunny. But Dawson's return to the bowling attack brought success as he removed Marshall in the 41st over.

Earlier, Dawson walked in at 86 for 4 in the 25th over and slowly recovered the Hampshire innings. He added 37 for the fifth wicket with Davey, but it was his 54-run last wicket partnership with another debutant Brad Taylor that gave them a 200-plus score.

Taylor only faced four deliveries in his 30-minutes at the crease, as Dawson took charge. He blasted three fours and a six off Farhad in a 19-run over before hitting two more fours and a six in the next three overs. He missed a certain century after falling to Mominul's left-arm spin off the first ball of the 50th over, but the 87-ball innings put Bangladesh A on the backfoot towards the end. Sohag Gazi, Rubel Hossain and Farhad took two wickets each while Robiul Islam, Sunny and Mominul chipped in with one each.

Bangladesh A's next match is against Yorkshire in Leeds on August 9.

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Madras High Court orders criminal case against TNCA

The Madras High Court has directed the Chennai Police to file a criminal case against the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) for allegedly suppressing facts to secure a stability certificate for the stands at the MA Chidambaram Stadium to host IPL matches. The direction was passed on a petition that submitted that the TNCA had been inconsistent with its assessment of the structure's stability.

According to the petitioner, J Mohanraj, the TNCA had in 2009 obtained a stability certificate from the Public Works Department (PWD) to conduct a Test match that year. Yet later that same year it sought permission from the local administration to demolish the entire stadium and rebuild it because it felt the structure was old and weak.

In 2010, the TNCA obtained a stability certificate from the PWD to conduct IPL matches, but the petitioner contended that the TNCA did so without disclosing the previous letter to the collector. The petitioner further submitted that he filed a complaint with the Commissioner of Chennai Police on January 7, 2011, seeking action against TNCA which, he alleged, was cheating the Government and endangering lives of thousands of public, but no action was taken.

The stadium, built in 1916, has hosted most of India's international matches in Chennai and all Chennai Super Kings' home games since 2008.

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Solanki, Davies steer Surrey to Finals Dy

Surrey 151 for 7 (Solanki 38, Davies 35) beat Somerset 148 for 6 (Kieswetter 70*) by seven wickets
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Surrey became the first side to make it to Finals Day and reached the last four for the first time since 2006 as they defeated Somerset at The Oval. A 4.15pm start limited the attendance to just 10,100, with Sky unwilling to put the game on their red button service. Surrey fans have a right to feel aggrieved by the scheduling but, now just two games away from a first piece of silverware since 2011's Clydesdale Bank 40, it's an easier pill to swallow.

Through a mixture of good bowling and some indecisive strokes, Somerset stuttered to their 148, after winning the toss and asking Surrey to chase for only the second time in the competition. Craig Kieswetter carried his bat, but he faced only 51 of the 120 balls available.

Kieswetter is often maligned for his inability to rotate the strike and, at times, he was guilty of trying to launch balls that deserved a bit more respect. But it would be extremely harsh for any criticism to be levelled at him today, especially given the struggles of his teammates. Fellow opener Chris Jones played out nine dot-balls during the Powerplay, while the middle order could only give their main man five balls in the final four overs. As if to make a point, Kieswetter took singles off all of them.

His 70 contained all his trademarks, as he hit straight and big with his manufactured technique that looks so natural on days like these. Even someone of Chris Tremlett's pace wasn't safe, as Kieswetter planted him down the ground for six, before displaying some sharp footwork the very next ball to get inside of a ball just outside off stump, launching it over long-off for another maximum.

After a post-Powerplay lull, it looked like Peter Trego would assist Kieswetter. But, after an attempted reverse-paddle to the first ball of the 14th over, he lost his off stump, much to the delight of the bowler, Gareth Batty, who let out a roar that would turn an Orc white. Trego took exception, removing his helmet to square up to Batty. Players and umpires separated the two, while the Surrey fielders backed up their captain to remind Trego of the direction in which he should be heading. Batty was kept well away from his confronter, and for good reason.

The two were reunited at the end, once Batty had repeatedly punched the air with glee after John Lewis got a thick edge to third man from a full toss from Alfonso Thomas to seal a Surrey win. It was a lot less heated, but certainly not friendly.

The required rate of 7.5-an-over didn't challenge the hosts. Speaking after the match, magnum of champagne in hand, Vikram Solanki revealed that the plan was always to try and milk every run from the middle overs, before Yasir Arafat and Thomas returned at the death. George Dockrell had the misfortune of being the targeted bowler, with his overs going for 32, including back-to-back sixes from Solanki at the end of the 13th over that left Surrey needing 43 from 42 balls.

Yet again, Jason Roy and Steven Davies started well, with 50 off the first six overs. Roy then fell to a magnificent catch by Jos Buttler - scurrying from the boundary at deep-midwicket to dive and intercept a ball over his right shoulder, before it could reach the boundary on the bounce. But even the removal of Davies could not stem the runs, as Solanki's 38, along with contributions from Gary Wilson and Zander de Bruyn allowed the chase to be completed at a canter.

They could even afford some slapstick, as Gary Wilson was run out trying to run on an overthrow, which cannoned off the stumps at the bowler's end, with Zafar Ansari scrabbling to make his ground.

For Somerset, there is no silver lining, another blow on the day they found out that Abdur Rehman will not be making his way to Taunton, having been selected in Pakistan's squad for their tour of Zimbabwe. A fifth consecutive visit to Finals Day might not have eased their woes, but it certainly would have distracted them from them. Now, they have to consider some harsh realities.

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White aids Northants resurgence

Northamptonshire 183 for 4 (White 58*) beat Durham 147 for 6 (Stokes 51* Daggett 1-13) by 36 runs
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Had anyone suggested before the start of this season that Northamptonshire would have been among the teams lining up for Friends Life t20 Finals Day, you have been forgiven for suggesting they lie in a darkened room swathed in wet towels.

Heading into this campaign, Northants had won just three of their last 27 T20s dating back to their quarter-final defeat in 2010. They had only reached Finals Day once before, in 2009, and they finished the 2012 season with fewer wins in all competitions than any county in the land. With no trophies since 1992 and no full England players since Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar left, it appeared they were sliding towards irrelevance.

They're not any more. Energised by a dynamic chief executive - former Warwickshire batsman and Leicestershire CEO David Smith - a calm and wise coach - David Ripley - and a change in captaincy - Alex Wakely is the white ball captain; Stephen Peters the red ball - Northants no longer appear an also-ran in a tired ground, but a vibrant, forward-thinking club with a bright future. Not only are they in the second promotion position in Division Two of the County Championship, 37 points ahead of the third placed side, but they have reached Finals Day for just the second time in the 11-year history of the competition.

Just as importantly, they have started to contribute to England again. Ben Duckett was given dispensation to play in this game rather than captain England Under-19s against Pakistan, while Olly Stone, a seamer who was left out of this XI, captained the same Under-19 side last winter. 23-year-old David Willey, who thumped 46 and delivered four overs brimming with skill and commitment, is also a product of the club's system and looks almost guaranteed to win an England Lions spot before the summer is out.

They have recruited well, too. Azharullah, a 29-year-old Pakistani plucked from the Yorkshire leagues last winter, has proved an inspired addition and, having agreed a one-year deal last year, has recently been offered a two-year extension and is of interest to other counties, while Steven Crook, at last fulfilling his substantial potential in a sympathetic environment, might well be the signing of the summer.

Success is not limited to the pitch. This game attracted Northants' largest crowd - 5,200 - since the T20 quarter-final against Hampshire in 2009 and is expected to earn the club over £100,000 in unbudgeted revenue. They expect to have made £25,000 just on food and bar takings; not all of it from the Northampton Saints rugby players who were among the crowd. Over the last year, the club have bought the freehold to their ground, refurbished facilities and developed some of the best outdoor net facilities in the country. It is no surprise that international teams are starting to use the club as one of their bases while on tour in England.

But here they were grateful for the contribution of Australian overseas player Cameron White who put this game beyond Durham with a blistering unbeaten innings of 58 from 32 balls. White, who has been surplus to demands in all formats for Australia since the World T20 last October, thrashed four fours and four sixes, including three in an over off the unfortunate Gareth Breese, to help his side to the 11th highest score in their T20 history.

White's impetus helped Northants plunder 133 from their final 12 overs and 79 from the final six, taking toll of some loose Durham bowling. But the platform for his assault was provided in an opening stand of 89 in 68 balls from Willey and Kyle Coetzer that saw off the tidy but not terribly threatening Graham Onions, who bowled his four overs in one spell at the start of the game.

"It's scary when the ball is hitting the bottom of the bat and still clearing the ropes," Paul Collingwood, the Durham captain, said afterwards. "But we didn't get the execution of our skills right."

Ben Stokes was perhaps the most disappointing of the Durham attack, straying in line and length and conceding 40 from his four-over spell. The decision to introduce Scott Borthwick's legspin into the attack in the 18th over also proved costly as he was taken for 18 runs. The defeat means Durham have lost three successive T20 quarter-finals stretching back to 2009.

They would have required the second highest total they have ever managed in a T20 away from home to win this game and rarely threatened to get close. Crook bowled with pace and variation, Willey with swing and control and Lee Daggett with superb control that saw him concede just 13 from his four overs.

Only when Stokes was in full flow did Durham look to have a chance. Hitting the ball unusually hard, he allowed no margin for width or any error in length. One over from Azharullah cost 19, another from Willey 14, as Stokes provided a more than passable impression of Lance Klusener at his best.

But in the end Stokes lacked support and Durham had asked too much of him. Coming to the crease with 111 required from 49 balls was always likely to prove too steep a task.

"We were embarrassing last year," a delighted Wakely admitted afterwards. "Our own fans were laughing at us and no-one was coming to watch us.

"There's no secret to what we've done. We went back to working on basic skills as batsmen and bowlers and all the hard work has paid off. Everyone is playing with a smile on their face and really enjoying their cricket."

After several years of drifting, Northants cricket is at last progressing once again.

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Warwickshire excited by Rankin's form

Yorkshire 302 and 180 (Ballance 45, Woakes 5-42) drew with Warwickshire 309 and 3 for 0
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Warwickshire's frustration was greater than Yorkshire's when only an hour's play was possible on the final day, when heavy overnight rain persisted well into the morning to leave the Division One leaders less vulnerable to defeat than they might otherwise have been. Even so, had the weather been kind to the defending champions after a 2.40pm start, they might still have pulled off a third win in a row.

As it was, after completing the first part of their assignment by prising out the three remaining Yorkshire wickets, they had no sooner begun the chase for the 174 they needed than the weather closed in again, after only two overs of the 36 that theoretically were available.

The draw enabled Yorkshire to reinforce their lead a little, extending the gap between themselves and Sussex from seven points to 10. Warwickshire, with five games left, have 37 points to make up if they are to catch Yorkshire and retain the title they won last year, although as was pointed out by Varun Chopra, still acting captain while Jim Troughton struggles to regain full fitness, the gap is as it was.

"It would have been nice to have closed the gap with a win but with Sussex and Durham losing, we have not lost any ground," he said. "And we are playing some very good cricket now.

"We dominated against Middlesex and Notts in our last two games, which is easier said than done, and we were favourites to win this game here. With five games to go we will be a match for most teams and if we could win four of those we would have the same number of points that won us the title last year."

It took 13 overs for Yorkshire's attempted resistance to collapse after resuming on 148 for 7. Chris Woakes finished with 5 for 42, his best analysis of the season, after uprooting Ryan Sidebottom's stumps with his yorker and Boyd Rankin's pace and bounce was too much for Steve Patterson and Jack Brooks, both caught on the leg side fending off rising deliveries. The big Irishman might have seen them off sooner but in questionable light Chopra was anxious not to give the umpires an excuse to take the players off and felt obliged to use Jeetan Patel from time to time.

Chopra feels Rankin could be Warwickshire's trump card on the run-in, compensating for the loss of the injured Chris Wright. "He had got something different to most county cricketers, with being 6ft 8ins, massive and fast. Standing there at slip, you can see it is hitting the 'keeper real hard.

"He is a better bowler this year even than last, with his areas and lines that he bowls. Last year you might have got the odd release ball from him but he is more at the batsmen this time and it looks very uncomfortable for anyone facing him."

It was not one of Yorkshire's better performances, an analysis with which their captain, Andrew Gale, did not disagree, although he is not alarmed enough to revise his view that three more wins, perhaps even two, will be enough to clinch the title for Yorkshire for the first time since 2001.

"I thought 300 was a little below par but the way we bowled on the second day put us in a good position," he said. "But that morning session on the third day, where we had our foot on the throat of the defending champions, we let them off the hook. We should have made more than 180 in the second innings, when our batting was a bit soft in places, and that put them in a commanding position.

"We cannot afford to have many sessions like that if we are to win the title but it might not have been a bad thing in a way as a wake-up call.

"From here I think two more wins will put us in the mix, especially if we can beat Sussex away and Durham at Scarborough, and three would see us home."

Gale, whose side were a batsman short with Phil Jaques and Joe Sayers both injured, says that Yorkshire have ruled out signing an overseas batsman for the closing weeks of the season, despite the threat of losing another one, Gary Ballance, to England.

"The club's finances dictate what we can and can't do and there is no money there, it is as simple as that," he said. "But Phil is well on track to be back for the next Championship match and Joe is back playing second team today so we should have a full squad next time."

Gale admitted he would be irked if he were to lose Ballance to the England Lions games against Bangladesh A, which clash with Yorkshire's clash with Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

"As far as Gary is concerned if England come for him we will have no say in the matter, of course, but I would hope we would not lose him for the Lions game," he said.

"If he goes and plays for England that's fair enough but if it is for England Lions I think he'd be better off playing for us, in the Championship, to be honest. With the three in the senior side and five in the Under-19s I think we've given our fair share to the three lions."

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Bowlers shine in rain-abandoned match

Match abandoned Bangladesh Under-19 145 (Shanto 30, Talat 2-13, Aftab 2-30) v Pakistan Under-19 38 for 4 in 17 overs (Hasan 2-3, Pradhan 2-9)
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Incessant showers put a premature end to the opening match of the Under-19 tri-nation tournament between Bangladesh and Pakistan at the Haslegrave Ground in Loughborough. The teams shared a point each, after rain arrived in the afternoon after 17 overs of Pakistan's innings, and refused to let off.

The rain might have just come in time for Pakistan, who were struggling at 38 for 4, chasing Bangladesh's modest 145. Medium-pacer Rifat Pradhan and offspinner Mehedy Hasan picked up two wickets each, but Hussain Talat and Kamran Ghulam held on for six overs, before the match was called off.

Bangladesh, put in to bat, struggled against left-arm pace bowler Mohammad Aftab and Talat, who took two wickets each. Nazmul Hossain Shanto top-scored with a 63-ball 30, but Bangladesh's next major source of runs came from the 29 extras which inclued 17 wides and seven no-balls. Their innings included three ducks and three run-outs.

The second match of the series will be played on Tuesday when Pakistan square off against England at Sleaford.

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Australia show their truer colours

The recent run of defeats has made people think Australia are worse than they are. Old Trafford was a fairer reflection on their standing, but they must continue to improve over the rest of this series

As the supervillain Hank Scorpio sagely observed while counselling Homer Simpson in his under-siege bunker, you can't argue with the little things. "It's the little things that make up life," he says, while his headquarters burns and crumbles around him. It is tempting to look at the past year and think Australian cricket is a similar smouldering wreck. At Lord's and in India, the resemblance was uncanny. Elsewhere in the Investec Ashes, and against South Africa last summer, the little things have hurt.

A better forecast here, another wicket there - it could have been a pretty good year for Australia. Of course, hypotheticals change nothing. Australia didn't beat South Africa, were embarrassed in India and have now failed to regain the Ashes. Since the start of their last home summer, Australia have played 13 Tests against four teams and have not won a match against anyone but Sri Lanka. The statistic is damning, but also damn deceptive. It doesn't tell how close they have come.

Yes, this is a squad whose worst is woeful and has been for several years. From 47 all out in Cape Town to a historic loss to New Zealand in Hobart, from a series of humiliations in India to another debacle at Lord's, it is a side that finds ways to sink to new lows. It is a team that also finds ways to threaten the world's best. They outplayed South Africa in Brisbane and Adelaide, but turned neither into a victory, and with a weakened attack were crushed in Perth.

On this trip, they were a Brad Haddin tickle away from winning at Trent Bridge, and a few rainclouds from a victory push at Old Trafford. They travel to Durham at 0-2; had a few quirks of fate fallen differently it could have been 2-1 to Australia. But that would have been misleading, as misleading as if they'd lost in Manchester and become the first Australia team in 125 years to lose seven straight Tests. They are not that bad. But nor are they 2-1 good.

The best reflection of where Michael Clarke's team stands is the ICC Test rankings, where they sit fourth. There is no shame in that, but no pride either. And they cannot expect to rise beyond that while their batting relies so heavily on Clarke. He is the reason they can compete with the teams above them. It was no coincidence that Australia's most threatening performance so far on this tour came when Clarke scored big at Old Trafford.

At times, he takes other batsmen with him. Against South Africa at the Gabba, his 259 was accompanied by hundreds from Ed Cowan and Michael Hussey. In the next Test in Adelaide, his 230 was supported by another century from Hussey and one from David Warner. Here, his 187 came alongside contributions, though not tons, from Chris Rogers and Steven Smith.

During Clarke's captaincy the only batsmen outside Hussey to score Test tons in an innings when Clarke hasn't have been Warner, Matthew Wade and Shaun Marsh. Warner is the only one to have done so against top four opposition - India at the WACA. Until the rest of Australia's batsmen find ways to score big when Clarke doesn't, they will struggle to beat the best sides.

Clarke said after the Old Trafford draw that he felt the gap between Australia and England was minimal. In bowling, yes. In batting, no. Clarke remains Australia's only centurion; England have had two tons from Ian Bell and one each from Joe Root and Kevin Pietersen. That the most prolific scorer of centuries in their squad, Alastair Cook, is yet to make one in this series only highlights England's batting depth and quality.

Shane Watson is Australia's second most experienced batsman but his role remains fluid, and for some time has been more water than wine. Rogers and Smith showed signs of batting big in Manchester but could not go on. Usman Khawaja is yet to make a serious impression on Test cricket and Warner's role needs to be defined.

For now, the Ashes are gone, but the next series starts later this year. The next two Tests at Chester-le-Street and The Oval are a chance for Australia's batsmen to show they are Test quality, to prove that players beyond Clarke can bat big. To give England pause for thought ahead of the return series. Using the next two Tests to settle on a batting order would help, for that has been as changeable as the Manchester weather.

Australia move on to Durham without the Ashes, but at least they are not in a smouldering wreck.

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Underwhelming way to secure glorious prize

Having been outplayed at Old Trafford, England retaining the Ashes was met with a subdued atmospshere

This is not what retaining the Ashes is meant to feel like. A generation of England supporters, raised on hubris and weaned on disappointment, who, until 2005, went 16 years waiting for this moment, might have found this like a sip of warm champagne. Anti-climax hung over Old Trafford as tenaciously as the clouds.

It was not just that it rained. We expected that. It was that, before the rain, England were disconcertingly outplayed. Their three best batsmen were all dismissed in the brief window of play possible and, of the two that survived, Joe Root was dropped during a torturous innings that underlined the concerns about his readiness to face the new ball at this level and Ian Bell sustained a blow to his thumb that briefly provoked fears that it may end his involvement in the series. England did not so much cruise past the winning line as collapse on it.

As it was, the ECB confirmed that Bell is not seriously hurt and is not an injury doubt for the fourth Test on Friday. The squad for the game is the XI that played here, plus Graham Onions and Chris Tremlett. Steven Finn remains surplus to requirements and, with Kevin Pietersen having proved his fitness, James Taylor is not required. Both Tremlett and Onions will, perhaps surprisingly, play for their counties in the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals on Tuesday evening.

The pedantic might point out that the series is not decided. And it is true that Australia might yet leave the UK with a 2-2 draw. But they came to win back the urn, not share a series.

Perhaps England are the victims of their own expectations. They have, after all, retained the Ashes in the minimum number of games possible - a feat achieved only once before in a five-match series, in 1928-29 - and they were worthy winners of the first two Tests. There was a time when that would have been enough to warrant unstinting praise. Perhaps it still should be.

Certainly many England supporters will not care a jot how this result was achieved. After years of pain, retaining the Ashes in almost any manner is cause for celebration. To have held the Ashes after three successive series underlines the impression that this is a golden age for English cricket. No England side has achieved such a feat since the 1950s. Maybe it says everything about how far England have progressed in recent times that this result has not provoked caveat-free joy.

	"We have found ourselves in situations like this over the past couple of years. We knew we had experience to get through it and proving we are a hard side to beat." Alastair Cook

It would be wrong to diminish their success too. Series are decided across several weeks, not a few days, and England are not the first side to benefit from some assistance from the weather in such circumstances. It does not negate their achievement.

But England would be deluding themselves if they did not admit to some concerns after this game. The most obvious was the impression Australia's fast bowlers gained more from the pitch than England's. It is true that Australia won an important toss and first use of a good pitch but, even in Australia's second innings, England's seamers failed to find the bounce and movement available to the excellent Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris.

There are various reasons for that. One of them is simply that the Australian pair are stronger than their England counterparts and able to thump the ball into the pitch a little harder. Both attacks gained swing but Australia appeared to swing the ball later and gain more movement off the pitch.

The England attack also looked weary. Perhaps it was the nerves of appearing on his home ground, perhaps it was his workload - he has hardly looked the same since that 14-over spell at Trent Bridge - but James Anderson endured one of his least impressive displays of the last 18 months, while Stuart Broad is, albeit somewhat unfortunately, taking his wickets at a cost of 52.00 apiece so far this series. In the longer-term, Broad needs to strengthen himself considerably if he is to fulfil his potential. In the short-term, a case could be made to rest one or other of them from the team for the next couple of Tests.

The batting is also a worry. Jonathan Trott, in particular, and Cook, by their own high standards, look someway short of their best. Trott has fallen - almost literally - into an old habit of over balancing on to the off side when he plays to leg, while Pietersen should reflect more on his loose stroke, throwing his hands at a ball well outside off stump at a time when his side required him to resist throughout the day, far more than the reasonable umpiring decision that cost his wicket in the second innings. Jonny Bairstow might, in a different era, consider himself fortunate to retain his place.

England captains continue to be defined by their performance in Ashes series and Cook, in his first at the helm, has retained the Urn in the minimum amount of Tests possible. So you might have expected him to be in celebratory mood. Instead he appeared deflated and used a hardly euphoric phrase to describe the atmosphere in the England camp.

"The feeling in the dressing room is very pleasant," Cook said in the voice of a fellow on the phone to the Samaritans. "We wanted to keep the Ashes and we have done that. Now we want to go on and win them.

"It's a strange feeling. We've been behind the eight-ball in this game, but we've fought hard and if you had offered us this position 14 days ago, we would have snatched your hand off.

"We didn't play our best game here and were put under pressure by Australia. But we fought extremely hard, batting a long time. Avoiding the follow-on was crucial, so I can't complain how we have handled this week.

"We have found ourselves in situations like this over last couple of years: the last Test in New Zealand, when Matt Prior batted fantastically well, and in Nagpur, where the whole side batted well. We knew we had experience to get through it. We are proving we are a hard side to beat."

Indeed they are. But with Australia improving and England stuttering, the celebrations will be muted. Both sides head to Durham with something to prove.

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Cricket retreats to dark ages

An arbitrary decision about when it is safe to play has endangered Australia's chances of reclaiming the urn

Last year, the ICC legalised day-night Test cricket. It didn't seem to matter that a suitable ball had not been found. By the letter of the law, agreement between two countries is all that is required. If Pakistan and Bangladesh feel like playing from 6pm in Dubai with an orange ball, they can. If West Indies and New Zealand want to play from 2pm in St Lucia with a pink ball, that's allowed. Cricket wants to modernise at any cost, appeal to a wider audience. A television audience.

Perhaps cricket can start by satisfying the audience it already has. And they were far from satisfied on Sunday evening. The Ashes is Test cricket's shop window and over the past four days at Old Trafford, the players have delivered an enticing product. But at 4.25pm, Tony Hill and Marais Erasmus unilaterally put up the 'closed' sign. It was, they said, for the good of the players. Someone could have got hurt. But every ball lost from the match hurt the Australians far more than any James Anderson might have sent down in the gloom.

And it can only be the Australia batsmen they were worried about. That became clear when Erasmus confirmed that play would have continued had England bowled spin. The shadow, then, was not enough to endanger England's fielders, or the umpires themselves. A vicious Michael Clarke drive would have sent the red ball flying towards them as quickly off Graeme Swann as it would have off Anderson. No, this had to be about the safety of the batsmen.

The playing conditions stipulate that the umpires can abandon play when the light is "so bad that there is obvious and foreseeable risk to the safety of any player or umpire". But Australia's No. 9, Ryan Harris, didn't have much trouble handling Anderson when he faced what became the last few deliveries of the day. Clarke was seeing the ball fine. He made that clear to the umpires at length during an animated discussion after they had made their call.

"When we start losing it completely from square leg, we give the skipper an option, as we did out here, to bowl spin and he didn't want to do that," Hill said. Of course Alastair Cook didn't bowl spin. He is not an idiot. Every delivery lost from the match tightens England's grip on the urn. He'd have been happy with an 11.01am abandonment.

"For a while there the England fielders were asking about the light and the possibility for when they bat," Erasmus said. "It was fine, but it kept on dropping and dropping then we eventually told the captain to bowl spin and he decided not to which pushed our hand. There was a safety issue and we can't carry on."

Of course they could have carried on, and should have. Cricket wants to modernise but these judgements, these arbitrary decisions not to play, do nothing but hurt the game. Traditionally, batsmen were offered the choice of playing on or leaving the field due to bad light. But in 2010 the ICC altered the rule, in part so that batsmen could not make tactical decisions to go off. The change has sent cricket further back into the dark ages.

Handing control to the umpires is a common-sense approach only if the umpires use common sense. And there has been precious little of that shown by the officials in this series. Of course, if the abandonment costs Australia a chance at regaining the urn, it will do so only because of their own failings at Trent Bridge and Lord's. That is why they are in this position.

But the half hour lost on Sunday - rain arrived at 5pm - could make all the difference in a contest that might go to the wire on day five. Thirty minutes of moderate dullness could cast a gloom over the Tests at Chester-le-Street and The Oval if they become dead rubbers.

There was a frustrating postscript: from 7 to 8pm the sun was shining at Old Trafford and the rain had well and truly cleared. The conditions were perfect for cricket. But by then, the players and umpires were back at their hotels, perhaps with a tray of room service. If they had the TV on, they might have been watching themselves on replay, while millions of viewers could have been seeing them live in prime time.

The ICC seems to have a laissez faire approach to the day-night Test prospect. Perhaps it could throw a little of that flexibility the way of old-fashioned red-ball Tests.

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Warner laughs at Root repeat

David Warner saw the lighter side of his dismissal on Sunday, when he sent a delivery from Tim Bresnan to deep square leg. The man who swallowed the catch was Joe Root, the same man who Warner tried to punch in a Birmingham bar during the Champions Trophy, an incident that cost Warner his place in the side for the first two Tests.

"Hooked another one to Rooty," Warner said. "Of all the people in the field ... it's quite comical now. I can't wait to read Twitter a bit later."

Warner has revelled in his role as pantomime villain during this series, his suspension having cast him as a natural for the England fans to boo whenever he walks to the wicket or chases a ball in the deep. He didn't add to his reputation with the fans by asking for a review in Australia's first innings when he clearly edged behind. But it's all a bit of a laugh to Warner.

"I'm not well liked at the moment but this morning was actually quite entertaining down there on the boundary," Warner said. "I actually liked the trumpeter playing the Rocky theme song [when he went out to bat], it was actually entertaining. I had a little chuckle. It's not every day you walk out on the field and you get booed. You've just got to embrace it, know what your job is ahead of you, and that's all I can concentrate on."

For Australia's second innings, that role was to open the batting with Chris Rogers, a curious decision given the naturally attacking method of the incumbent opener Shane Watson. Warner made 41 from 57 deliveries before he sent the catch to Root and, while he expects to remain at No. 6 in the immediate future, he said it was pleasing to have another chance at the top.

"I was told before we went out there I'd be opening just to try and get the run rate going, get us into a position where we could maybe declare early," Warner said. "I would have liked a bit more of a hurry on, and we could have bowled tonight. I love opening the batting, that's where I started my career. I'm just enjoying being back in the team. All my misdemeanours are behind me at the moment and I'm just happy to be playing cricket."

	David Warner's press conference

As it happened, the Australians did not get a chance to declare early, in part due to the rain and bad light and partially due to their lead not growing as quickly as they would have hoped. Warner said he had noticed the England players taking their time out on the field, reluctant to move the game too quickly, and he was confident the ICC would step in if any excessive time-wasting had occurred.

"We expected that. We knew the bowlers were going to take their time," he said. "The one they were going to review off me was a massive time-waster because they walked into a circle and said 'let's just hold back a little bit', and Broady, as well, walking from fine leg to mid-off. He took his time.

"You've just got to get into your own rhythm. You've got to keep yourself occupied out there. Me and Ussie were talking about what we were going to have for dinner tonight. You've got to try and take your mind off it and just do what you can when the bowler comes into bowl.

"The captain suffers from that [if the over rate is too slow]. He can miss a game if he's time-wasting and the overs aren't bowled in the time allocated. That will come back to bite them on the bum."

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