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England vs Australia 5th Ashes Test (2009) Day 4 Highlights

2009-08-25T07:49:00.000-07:00

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

'Sacking Ponting would be completely unfair' - Sutherland

2009-08-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

Merv Hughes is one of the Australian selectors on tour.

James Sutherland, Cricket Australia's chief executive, has said sacking Ricky Ponting from the captaincy would be "completely unfair" and has praised his leadership through the Ashes. Australia lost The Oval Test by 197 runs and conceded their second Ashes defeat to England this decade.

"Ricky's had a very, very good series," Sutherland told reporters. "He's been under incredible pressure. I thought the dignity and poise that he showed in defeat was something that all Australians should be very proud of."

He also absolved the National Selection Panel (NSP) of responsibility for the defeat in England. One of the talking points in the post-mortem was the omission of the offspinner Nathan Hauritz, which captain Ricky Ponting and coach Tim Nielsen admitted was a blunder. Hauritz's counterpart Graeme Swann proved why a spinner was so essential on that pitch as he picked up eight wickets. Sutherland defended the team management for the final line-up, implying that not all gambles are likely to pay-off.

"I think everyone will be looking for people to blame. I don't think that in any way we can hold the selectors accountable for us losing the Ashes," Sutherland said. "At the end of the day, the players go out and do the business on the field.

"Only six or seven months ago we had a fantastic series in South Africa where we beat the No. 1 team in the world (2-1 in the Tests) with a pretty similar line-up. The selectors were hailed for their selection, I guess in some ways the perceived risks they took in backing young talent. I think it would be jumping to conclusions to be blaming the selectors for this."

Sutherland said it would be unfair to criticise the decision to play a four-pronged pace attack at the expense of Hauritz, while it was clear that Australia effectively lost the game when they conceded a huge first-innings lead of 172.

"That's something that the selectors can explain for themselves," Sutherland said. "Whether that had any bearing on the result of the game, who will know? We've lost the game by 200 runs, it's a pretty significant defeat, and having a spinner in the side wouldn't have helped us in the first innings, where we were bowled out for 160 and effectively lost the game."

With Australia free-falling to No. 4 in the latest ICC Test rankings, Sutherland admitted that plenty of work had to be done to reinstate their position at the top.

"I don't think Cricket Australia is under any illusions as to where this team is at. We're definitely in a re-building phase after losing some of the best players to ever play cricket for Australia, and right now, what you get with a young and relatively inexperienced team is some ebbs and flows in performance.

"We saw a little bit of that in the Ashes series. Our best cricket was very, very good, and our not-so-good cricket, in a couple of critical moments, were really the reasons why we let the Ashes slip."

Commenting on likely changes to the selection panel, Sutherland said at least one position in the three-man panel, led by Andrew Hilditch, will be converted to a full-time role.

"The selection panel is to some extent, professional already. We have in recent times had a review, where we are now moving to a phase of becoming more professional in our approach to selection. It's not just selection, it's a matter of identifying talent and being partners in the development of talent and I think that's part of the review and going forward we'll be moving towards having at least one of the selection panel full time."

However, he ruled out the possibility of appointing the captain and coach to the panel, on the lines of what New Zealand Cricket adopted on Sunday. "The captain and the coach are always heavily consulted before matches but the structure that we prefer is for the selectors to be independent and making their own decisions and to be accountable for selection on that basis."

Australia must face harsh reality

2009-08-24T10:44:00.000-07:00

Ricky Ponting is faced with the challenge of lifting his Australian side back to the top of the Test rankings.

T-I-M-B-E-R. That loudly cracking gum tree at The Oval on Sunday was Australia crashing towards earth as they tumbled from first on the ICC rankings to a record low of fourth. Michael Hussey, the last man out, might not have reached the dressing room by the time the official email arrived, confirming what had been coming since Australia were so outplayed in India late last year. Ricky Ponting's world champion tag now lies in history next to the exploits of those from the Beijing Olympics.

That it was England who sent them through the trapdoor adds to the pain. After the game, Ponting was hurt and disappointed, but dignified and composed. The planning to move back up the ladder has already begun, and will be helped by playing Pakistan and West Indies at home over the summer. However, an era of severe inconsistency has followed the decade of dominance that began under Mark Taylor, continued through the Steve Waugh period and started to waver when a series of greats left Ponting stranded with an unrecognisable outfit.

Despite the defeat, their third to a major nation in less than a year, the influential figures in Australian cricket remain happy with the progress. James Sutherland, Cricket Australia's chief executive, and Andrew Hilditch, the often under-attack chairman of selectors, have expressed their disappointment in the result without pointing any fingers. A review will occur - of course it will - but the pair remained committed to this regenerating outfit.

"I'm comfortable with where we are at," Ponting said as he wondered why things had turned so bad at The Oval. "We've been rebuilding for 12 to 18 months, with guys who have a few Tests under their belts who are still learning about the game. There couldn't be a better example for the young guys than the last couple of months. They all should be a lot better off for being part of this series."

That might work for the newer faces, who become toughened and gnarled in defeat, but it's unlikely to help the older players, particular Ponting, Simon Katich and Michael Clarke, who have now lost twice in England. They had their chance for revenge and failed against a far inferior outfit than the 2005 vintage. Only Clarke stood out consistently, but then he flopped in the final Test, first the victim of a rash drive and then to an unfortunate pin-ball run-out. A home series win in 2010-11 can't exorcise their England issues over the past four years.

What has been hardest to understand is the regular yo-yo of performance, something for which the inflated coaching staff must accept some of the responsibility. How can the coterie of hangers-on and strategic planners not see problems unfolding when they spend so much time with the squad? All drills at the daily training sessions are designed for peak performance under searing pressure, but the tracksuits were blinded by optimism following each strong Test before re-discovering reality the next week.

The fright arrives when the team loses so badly in two Tests after saying how well everybody is going, how great the "preparation" has been, how strong the belief is in the group. By manufacturing this in-public spirit, lying about team developments and hiding struggling figures until they gain a high-paying tell-all media deal, the followers and players feel nothing is wrong. None of the professionals sensed the threat of the crash.

"Excitement" was Ponting's buzzword in the lead-up to The Oval. He didn't want to talk about the pressure on his men because he didn't want his young players tensing up. It wasn't just the fresh ones who couldn't deal with the strain of a winner-takes-all game, but the experienced campaigners as well, particularly in the first innings when they were flattened for 160. Modern-age team psychology and management babble masks truth. If players are told they are going well all the time how can they cope when things, suddenly or slowly, turn bad? They need to learn how to deal with fact.

To move on this unit must start by forgetting the high of South Africa, the one-off steamy holiday romance earlier this year, and focus on what happened in England. The day-to-day problems, the failure to turn hours of talk into action and recognising the ability and limits of those in the squad, particularly the fast bowlers. This is an outfit that can't transform any situation into a win, especially under extreme conditions.

When it mattered most, they failed. It happened at Lord's, where they expected to take a 1-0 lead at their overseas fortress, and was repeated at The Oval in the most important contest. In between they hung on for a draw at Edgbaston and had the best of the conditions in Leeds. Ponting regularly said Australians play their best when their backs are to the wall. It's not true with this side, which is why it currently sits in fourth behind South Africa, Sri Lanka and India. Mighty England remain fifth.

Despite it all, Ponting feels hurt but sees sunshine. "We're definitely heading in the right direction," he said. "I'm really proud of the guys." A tour that began with a first-round exit in the World Twenty20 has been followed by a second consecutive Ashes defeat in England. That's more like a dead end.

Flintoff's fling inspires England Ashes glory

2009-08-23T10:43:00.000-07:00

Andrew Flintoff celebrates his run out of Ricky Ponting that sparked England's march to the Ashes.

Amid scenes of delirium unwitnessed in South London since the unforgettable summer of 2005, England's cricketers reclaimed the Ashes on a tumultuous fourth afternoon at The Oval, as Australia's brave resistance - led by a century of incredible mental fortitude from Michael Hussey - was unpicked, wicket by wicket, minute by minute, until, at 5.47pm, and with an expectant crowd willing on the moment of glory, Hussey prodded Graeme Swann to Alastair Cook at short leg to spark the celebrations into life.

At the moment of victory, all of England's players rushed into a huddle on the edge of the square - all except for one, that is. In his moment of Test retirement, Andrew Flintoff's first instinct was to seek out and console the crestfallen centurion Hussey, whose 121 from 263 balls had given his side a hope of salvation, but whose careless running between the wickets during a fraught afternoon session had been the single biggest factor in their demise. By calling for the single that led to the run-out of his captain and resistance-leader Ricky Ponting for 66, Hussey is unlikely to recall this particular innings with any fondness whatsoever.

Inevitably, it was Flintoff who stole the show from the Australians. He could not be the tub-thumping batsman of old in this series, while his bowling - though thunderous at Lord's - faded cruelly as the concerns about his right knee began to mount. But as a presence, and as a man who can make things happen on a cricket field, his spell has scarcely diminished. In a moment that is sure to be replayed for years on end, he gathered a firm clip from Hussey, steadied himself as Ponting hesitated fatally, then unleashed a fast, flat, unerring swing of the arm that plucked out the off stump with Ponting a foot short.

Though the decision went to a replay, Flintoff was in no doubt. He raised his arms in his now-habitual Kodak pose, and waited to be enveloped by his jubilant team-mates. It was a moment eerily reminiscent of Gary Pratt's series-turning shy at Trent Bridge in 2005, when Ponting once again was the fall guy, and it uncorked the tensions in the crowd as surely as the champagne was uncorked in England's dressing-room some three hours later. It brought to an end an unnerving stand of 127, and it shattered Australia's collective will.

Five balls later, their batsman of the series, Michael Clarke ran himself out for a duck after a clip off the pads ricocheted to Andrew Strauss at leg slip, and Australia could not recover their poise. Though Hussey was badly dropped by Paul Collingwood at slip on 55 off Swann, in Swann's next over, Marcus North dragged his back foot out of the crease as he swung at a big ripper, and Matt Prior, having gathered well high to his left, flicked off the bails almost as an afterthought. Their target of 546 had become a distant figment of their imagination, and at 236 for 5, their only remaining hope was to bat out the final four sessions of the series.

Brad Haddin chose pugnacity as the means to reboot Australia's innings, and he signalled his intent with two fours in his first nine balls, including a fizzing cover-drive as James Anderson overpitched. But Anderson might have dismissed him three times in a single over, including a regulation clip to short midwicket that was spilled by the substitute, Graham Onions. As he and Hussey took their seventh-wicket stand to 91, an ever-anxious crowd began to shuffle in their seats. On 34, however, his luck finally ran out, as he advanced down the track to Swann and picked out Strauss with a lofted flick to deep midwicket.

It was to be the game-breaking moment. Strauss, usually the coolest of characters in the field, celebrated euphorically as The Oval erupted once more, and seven balls later, the end truly was nigh. Steve Harmison - hitherto muted on a pitch that did not suit his style - extracted enough life for Mitchell Johnson to fence to second slip, where Collingwood, to his relief and joy, finally held on. Then, when Peter Siddle played around his front pad to lob a simple chance to mid-off, Harmison had his second scalp in the space of 12 balls.

That quickly became three in 13, as Stuart Clark fenced nervily to Cook at short leg, and though Hilfenhaus averted the hat-trick with a stabbed defence straight back down the track, there was no longer any way to stem England's tide of emotion. With Harmison stalking to the crease with a predatory menace unseen in Ashes cricket for four long years, the crowd finally dared to proclaim the Ashes were coming home. Fifteen balls later, they were.

After the ease with which Australia's openers had pushed along at four runs an over on the third evening of the match, England's day of destiny had dawned with more than just a frisson of anxiety in the air. But Swann claimed the initial breakthrough at the end of his second over, tweaking a succession of sharply spinning offbreaks past Simon Katich's edge, before nailing him plumb lbw with the arm-ball.

Swann bounced for joy in the middle of the pitch as a massive roar of relief and ecstasy erupted from the stands, but almost immediately the fervour morphed into a respectful standing ovation for the incoming Ponting, in his 136th Test and almost certainly his last in England after four memorable Ashes tours.

Before he had faced a delivery, however, England had struck again, as Broad this time hurried Shane Watson on off stump and beat the inside-edge of his defensive prod. Watson did not seem best amused at the decision, but replays suggested there was nothing wrong with the appeal at all. For all of Watson's impressive form in five innings at the top of Australia's order, it was nevertheless the fourth time this series he had fallen in such a manner. Food for thought as he works on his new career as an opener.

At 90 for 2 and with a jittery Hussey at the crease, England swarmed onto the offensive, with Swann camping four men around the bat at all times and at one stage sending down 28 dot balls in a row as Hussey prodded and smothered with desperate determination. At the other end, Ponting's eagerness to play the pull was tempered by his wariness of the vagaries of the wicket, although whenever he was tempted, he executed the stroke with the mastery that has made it his calling-card for the past decade.

In the first over after lunch, Ponting laced a first-ball full-toss from Broad through the covers for four, then tickled Swann around the corner to bring up a battling and brilliant half-century from 76 deliveries. Broad subsequently received a warning for running on the pitch to deepen the crowd's growing concerns, who had just seen Collingwood at slip parry a rare Ponting edge with his left boot. But then up popped Flintoff, and once he'd had his say, there was no holding back the inevitable.

How two run-outs turned the day

2009-08-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

Andrew Flintoff's pain-filled body has weakened his main weapons but his right Andrew Flintoff's pain-filled body has weakened his main weapons but his right arm is one of the few major parts that hasn't been operated on and it was his bullet of a direct hit that shot the game back England's way.

Andrew Flintoff's rocket arm got rid of Ricky Ponting and brought his team-mates to life.

Can't bat, can't bowl ... can throw. Andrew Flintoff's pain-filled body has weakened his main weapons but his right arm is one of the few major parts that hasn't been operated on and it was his bullet of a direct hit that shot the game back England's way.

Both Flintoff's batting and bowling have clicked only once in his farewell series as he has battled a threatening knee injury. He can still frighten opponents with each discipline, just not all the time, and in this match he has been quiet, living off a well-won reputation in his last game without producing anything special with his usual methods. One side-arm hurl from mid-on changed his impact and ensured a lasting memory.

No, not as the poser who stood arms aloft, mouth opening and closing as he munched on his gum, as soon as the ball left his hand on missile-lock towards the stumps at the striker's end. But as the man who could grab a game with an act of beauty or destruction, depending on your allegiance. It took the third umpire a couple of replays to confirm the dismissal, but when OUT appeared on the scoreboard the ground throbbed.

It wasn't a tailender who had been removed, but Ricky Ponting, the in-form captain who was worrying the home side in the impossible chase. Flintoff has often taken the biggest wickets, including Ponting five times in 15 Tests, but not like this. Around the field he has looked heavy-legged and more like a 50-year-old than the 79-Test veteran aged 31.

For the moment that Michael Hussey pushed Steve Harmison to Flintoff's left at mid-on, the speed of the allrounder's feet didn't matter. He picked up the ball cleanly and flung it back, catching the slow-starting Ponting, who had been called for the run, about five centimetres short. Hussey quickly put a hand on hip in disbelief before staying at the bowler's end while the decision was made. Knowing it was his mistake, his back stayed turned as Ponting walked off at the end of the 127-run swim for safety with Hussey.

At the same time Flintoff was being mobbed. After an insecure opening to his career, Flintoff has grown used to being the centre of attention and it was the last time a ground would cheer spontaneously at his Test brilliance. Flintoff came on to bowl shortly after but did not have any impact, finishing with one wicket for the game and a total of 29 runs.

Six balls after Flintoff's run-out it was Andrew Strauss, a batsman who has had the biggest impact on the direction of the Ashes, who matched his team-mate during another freakish dismissal. Michael Clarke was as unfortunate as Jonathan Trott on the opening day.

Starting against Graeme Swann and not feeling overly comfortable, Clarke went down the pitch to his fourth ball, hitting hard and on to the short leg Alastair Cook's left foot. The rebound went to Strauss, running in from leg slip, and his underarm beat Clarke's return by millimetres. It was frighteningly close even though Billy Bowden didn't call immediately for the replays. They showed a bat on the line and Clarke went the same way as Ponting.

Both the captain and vice-captain had become the tourists' first run-out victims of the series in unrepeatable circumstances. The Australians will consider themselves seriously unlucky but that is generally the feeling of a losing team. The pitch, the umpires, the gods of cricket and the world have been against them at The Oval. Not so for Strauss, Flintoff and their ecstatic followers.

Australia vs England 5th Ashes Test (2009) Highlights Day 3

2009-08-22T12:28:00.000-07:00

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Voges recalled for Champions Trophy

2009-08-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

Adam Voges played his only ODI for Australia in 2007.

The middle-order batsman Adam Voges has been recalled to the Australia one-day squad for the Champions Trophy while David Hussey and Marcus North have missed out. There were few other surprises in the 15-man group, which features all the members of Australia's ODI squad to play seven matches in England besides the backup wicketkeeper Tim Paine.

Western Australia's Voges played his only ODI for Australia during the 2006-07 Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, although he has been an off-and-on member of Australia's Twenty20 side since then. Earlier this month he scored his first hundred for Nottinghamshire in the County Championship, where he is playing as an overseas player. He also scored 311 runs from eight one-day matches in Australia's domestic season last year.

Although Michael Hussey's form in Tests has been below par - he has averaged just over 22 in the Ashes so far - his one-day performances have been consistent this year and the selectors have kept their faith in him. But his brother David was left out after averaging 21.87 from 16 one-day innings this year. There was also no place for North or Doug Bollinger, both of whom played in the recent series against Pakistan in the UAE.

Australia squad: Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Nathan Bracken, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin (wk) Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Hopes, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Peter Siddle, Adam Voges, Shane Watson, Cameron White.

Trott buries Australia with debut ton

2009-08-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Trott sprints through to reach his maiden Test hundred.

Jonathan Trott entered Ashes folklore with the innings of an instant veteran, as England's batsmen sauntered into a position of absolute dominance, only for Australia's openers to keep their nerves a-jangling with a coolly compiled 80-run stand, on another enthralling day at The Oval. Trott's 119 from 193 balls was the 18th century by a debutant in England's Test history and the first against Australia since Graham Thorpe in 1993, but given the magnitude of the occasion, it ranked among the finest of all time. His efforts left Australia facing a climb as forbidding as Mont Ventoux, as Andrew Strauss declared on 373 for 9, with a massive target of 546 in the bag.

But Australia, to their credit, refused to yield to any presumptions of defeat and decided attack was the best route to the summit. Simon Katich and Shane Watson banished any lingering demons from the first innings, and backed themselves to play their shots against the new ball, and the policy paid off in an opening stand of 80, as they reached the close with their hopes renewed and England's anxieties sharpened in a manner reminiscent of the final day at Lord's. Nevertheless, as the ball lost its hardness and Stuart Broad's offcutters began to grip, it was clear that survival will become harder and harder the longer the innings wears on. Having collapsed from 73 for 0 to 160 in their first innings, Australia know just how tough the next six sessions are sure to be.

The Oval pitch, the subject of much controversy overnight, carried on producing wild puffs of dust from almost every delivery, but as England's lower-order clubbed a supine attack to all corners of South London, adding 205 in the last 37 overs of the innings, the heat went out of the debate about its merits. In fact, England's progress seemed at times almost too comfortable for their series prospects, as Australia's bowlers abandoned any hope of salvaging their team's situation and instead settled for damage limitation with a view to batting out for the draw.

Nevertheless, the steep bounce that the part-time spinner, Marcus North, had continued to extract was enough to confirm the suspicions that batting last, with men packed around the bat, would be a fraught experience. Sure enough, Swann entered England's attack as early as the ninth over, and though he didn't make a breakthrough with the still-hard new ball, he found sufficient purchase to suggest his time will come. For the time being, however, North, who came into the game with just two Test wickets to his name, emerged as the most potent spinner on show, with 4 for 98 from 30 testing overs.

If the expectant buzz around The Oval had been dampened a fraction by the close, then it would never have become so electric in the first place, had it not been for Trott's magnificent scene-setter. For the second time in consecutive Ashes battles at the venue, England's visions of glory were filtered through a South African-born lens, and perhaps that same filter removed the fear of failure as well, because as with Kevin Pietersen's unforgettable 158 in 2005, Trott scarcely blinked for an instant.

He had been a controversial selection for such a pressure-cooker contest, but to give the selectors credit where it is due, the skill, determination and confidence of his performance made the men around him in England's middle-order look like the international novices. His nerveless shot selection, at an even tempo of roughly a run every two balls, provided the scaffolding for a series of carefree cameos at the other end - including a farewell frolic from Andrew Flintoff, and a spanking 63 from 55 balls from Swann, who fine-tuned his confidence going into the defining fourth innings.

Aside from a brush with a Peter Siddle bouncer, and a hairy moment on 97 when he deflected Ben Hilfenhaus inches past his leg stump, Trott barely played a false stroke until the very moment of England's declaration, when he chopped Stuart Clark to North in the gully. In fact, his most palpable moments of alarm came from his first two deliveries of the morning, first when Siddle believed he had made the breakthrough with an off-stump lifter (umpire Asad Rauf correctly ascertained that the ball had flicked only the thigh pad on the way through to Brad Haddin) and then when Trott followed up that escape with an awkward spoon into the covers off a leading edge.

Graeme Swann hit a swashbuckling 63 to increase England's lead .

With impressive ease, however, he put those dramas out of his mind, perhaps sensing that he'd experienced the most capricious deliveries that could come his way. He added 118 for the fourth wicket with his overnight partner Andrew Strauss, to ensure there would be no continuation of the late-evening hiccup that had taken a layer of sheen off England's remarkable second day, and as early as the first hour of the day, Australia's hopes of an attainable run-chase had been quashed.

Strauss's contribution was an unflappable and agenda-setting 75, which served as a moist flannel on his country's fevered brow. He left the ball with nerveless certainty outside off, demanding that Australia's bowlers bowled to his strengths rather than probe for non-existent weaknesses, and when he lashed Clark for three fours from nine balls faced as England upped the ante in the half-hour before lunch, he looked a dead-cert for his, and England's, second century of the series. With four balls remaining of the session, however, he was lured by a ball of fuller length from North, who extracted enough rip off the track to find the edge to slip.

Matt Prior, for once, played only a minor role in England's momentum shift - although he did manage to send Ricky Ponting into the lunch break with a mouthful of blood after drilling the ball into his face at silly mid-off. Three overs after the break, he called for a crazy single after picking out the dead-eyed Katich in the covers, and was run out by a distance for 4. Nevertheless, his departure ensured that the crowd got one last glimpse of the man they really wanted to see, and when Flintoff clubbed his second delivery violently through midwicket for four, it was abundantly clear how he intended to pace his final Test innings.

Three more boundaries followed, each greeted with rapture, but alas the magic could not last. With 22 from 17 balls to his name, Flintoff came down the track once more to launch North into the Harleyford Road, but Siddle steadied himself on the long-on ropes to pouch a simple catch. The Aussies stood in the middle to applaud Flintoff back to the pavilion as he saluted all corners of the ground, while down the steps - replacing him in every sense - came the man of the moment, Broad.

He did not disappoint either. Feeding off Mitchell Johnson's regressive line and length, he dabbed the first of his five fours through backward point, then climbed into North in a violent over containing three further biffs down the ground, the first of which went arrow-straight back over the bowler's head to land just inside the boundary's rope. He eventually took one swipe too many, and picked out Ponting in the covers, but into the fray strode Swann, in a mood for violence - just as he had been in the final innings at Headingley two weeks ago, when England's predicament could hardly have been more different, but when the licence for thwacking had been every bit as liberating.

With Trott trotting along beside him, Swann belted two-thirds of England's runs in an eighth wicket of 90 from 80 deliveries that left observers wondering if he'd win the race to three figures. Australia took the new ball in that period as well, but offered Swann far too many opportunities to unfurl his exuberant drive, which accounted for six of his nine fours before Hilfenhaus pulled his length back at last and skidded a bouncer off a miscued hook to Haddin.

For the best part of the day, England had simply had it too easy, and by the close, Watson and Katich had shown them just how ready Australia are to hand over their urn. All the same, the series is coming to a crescendo, and as in that unforgettable summer of 2005, there is an air of anxious expectation in SE11.

England vs Australia 5th Ashes Test (2009) 2nd Day Highlights

2009-08-21T12:26:00.001-07:00

Part 1

Part 2

Broad and Swann give England control

2009-08-21T12:20:00.000-07:00

Stuart Broad wrecked Australia's top order with a stunning spell.

Stuart Broad produced a bowling performance to rival that of Andrew Flintoff at Lord's, and Graeme Swann chimed in with four vital wickets on a dry and dusty track, as Australia felt their grip on the Ashes being prised away, finger by finger, on a sensational second day at The Oval. Responding to England's first-innings 332, the Aussies collapsed from a confident but never comfortable 61 for 0 at lunch to 160 all out shortly after tea, conceding a first-innings deficit of 172 in the process, as well as every ounce of the momentum they had established during their fourth-Test triumph at Headingley.

Australia did recover from that nadir to claw back some lost initiative, claiming three key wickets in the closing overs of the day as the frailties of England's dodgy batting card were exposed once again. Nevertheless, with Andrew Strauss remaining unperturbed on 32, and England's lead extended to an already imposing 230, the majority of the demons remain with the side facing the prospect of batting last on a dustbowl that has more in common with Kanpur than Kennington. In particular, the manner of Alastair Cook's dismissal - caught at slip as Australia's part-timer, Marcus North, ripped an offspinner across his bows - was ample proof of the traumas that lie ahead.

It was a stunning and memorable day's play dredged from the depths of Australia's worst nightmares, and their desperate afternoon session - in which they lost eight wickets for 72 in 24.4 incredible overs - is shaping up to be the decisive passage of play of the summer. Each of those eight breakthroughs was greeted with riotous acclaim by an absorbed and pumped-up crowd, as England's bowlers surfed a wave of emotion to exploit once again the peculiar frailties of an Aussie batting order that, for all its myriad successes this summer, has now failed calamitously in three of their five first innings in the series.

The star of England's show was Broad, who was thrown the ball for the second full over after a 50-minute rain delay, and responded with a full and straight 12-over spell that perfectly exploited a pitch showing increasing signs of uneven bounce. He claimed the first four wickets to fall for eight runs in the space of 21 deliveries, and then - after Swann had extracted the obdurate pairing of North and Simon Katich - wrapped up his second five-wicket haul in consecutive innings by yorking Brad Haddin for 1.

Fifteen wickets in all fell in the day, including (way back in the mists of time) that of James Anderson, whose first Test duck after six years and 54 innings might have been a portent of the chaos to come. Though Australia somehow reached lunch unscathed after 20.2 overs of hard graft, Shane Watson and Katich had been forced to scrap for every one of the 61 runs in their opening stand. Watson in particular tempted fate with three consecutive lbw appeals in the space of seven deliveries, but after the resumption, he fell to the very first delivery he received from Broad, nailed plumb lbw for 34 to prise open the floodgates.

Pitching it right: how Hawk-Eye saw Stuart Broad's magic spell .

Ricky Ponting was the next man in, and though he emerged to loud acclaim - the boos of Edgbaston a distant memory - his personal jitters were transparently plain to see. Sensing that the wicket was already a minefield, he got off the mark with an under-edged cut for four off Broad, and then survived a frenzied lbw appeal in the next over as he shouldered arms to Flintoff. But before he could settle, Broad cramped him on the back foot, and he inside-edged a loose drive onto his middle stump for 8.

Three Broad deliveries later, and Mike Hussey's traumatic series had taken another turn for the worse, as he thrust out his front pad and was sent on his way lbw for a duck - the decision looked tight on the replay, but stone-dead to the naked eye. And when Michael Clarke, Australia's star of the summer, drove fiercely into the covers in a bid to impose some authority, he picked out the debutant Jonathan Trott, who swooped superbly to cling onto a stinging low catch.

From 73 for 0, Australia had drifted listlessly to 93 for 4, with only the obdurate Katich providing any sort of sheet-anchor. He opened the face of his bat to steer Broad through the gully to move to 49, but then at the other end, Swann got into the act - in a somewhat fortuitous fashion - as North thrust his bat and pad forward to a non-spinning delivery on middle stump, and was adjudged lbw for 8 despite evidence that the bat had won the race.

North grinned wryly as he departed the crease, but there was little he or Australia could do to halt England's momentum, and in his next over, Swann claimed the vital wicket of Katich, who once again played for non-existent turn on a pitch creating demons in the mind, and popped a facile chance off his bat and pad-flap to Cook at short leg for exactly 50. Nine balls later, and Broad was back on centre stage. Haddin came down late on a stump-splattering yorker, and Australia's last recognised batsman had joined the procession.

Mitchell Johnson did what he could to jump-start a flatlining innings, smacking Swann for two lusty fours in a single over, but with tea looming he became the eighth casualty of the session, stunningly snaffled by Matt Prior behind the stumps, who read the big turn off the pitch, and moved sharply to his left to cling onto an edged drive.

Australia limped to tea on 133 for 8, and though Stuart Clark was hugely unfortunate to be adjudged caught at short leg for 6 when his bat was nowhere near the ball, Peter Siddle thrashed a skittish 26 not out as he and Ben Hilfenhaus hung around long enough to haul their side past the 150 mark. But Flintoff claimed his share of the limelight by yorking Hilfenhaus for 6, to complete an incredible and series-transforming two-and-a-half hours of cricket.

Still the procession of wickets was not over, however. With a session and three days in which to cement their advantage, England felt no need to rush their reply, but with the score on 27, Cook's unconvincing series came to an end as North nailed him for 9, before Ian Bell was somewhat unluckily extracted for 4, as he got on top of a short ball from his nemesis Johnson, only for Katich at short leg to hold onto a remarkable reflex catch inches from the turf. One over later, and Katich was back in the action when Johnson found Paul Collingwood's splice with an effort ball, but Trott provided convincing and confident support for his captain, Strauss, to enable England to finish on a high.

Asif returns to Pakistan squad for Champions Trophy

2009-08-21T12:17:00.000-07:00

Mohammad Asif's ban expires on September 22, the same day the ICC Champions Trophy is scheduled to begin.

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif's rehabilitation is almost complete after he was named in the Pakistan squad for the Champions Trophy, having been out of international cricket for over a year. Asif is one of five pacemen for the tournament, but there is no place for allrounder Abdul Razzaq, who took four wickets from three matches on his comeback to ODI cricket in Sri Lanka earlier this month. Razzaq was, however, dropped for the last two games. Opener Nasir Jamshed, who was part of the ODI squad in Sri Lanka, has also been excluded.

"Asif is back after he satisfied with his fitness and this is the best possible team for an event which is regarded as the toughest of all the events as the world's top eight teams compete in it," Iqbal Qasim, Pakistan's chief selector, told reporters in Lahore. Razzaq's exclusion, mildly surprising given his impact at the World Twenty20 in June on his return from an ICL-exile is believed to be a tactical one; given a long, solid middle order, Pakistan prefer a bowling allrounder at number eight, rather than a batting one. "We had a tie between Razzaq and Naved-ul Hasan when it came to selecting an allrounder, so the best one was picked," Qasim said. "It was not a case of Razzaq not performing well."

It is the return of Asif, however, that will make the headlines. The fast bowler last played for Pakistan in July last year; he was banned by the Pakistan board soon after in September after testing positive for the banned substance nandrolone at the inaugural IPL. The ban ends on September 22, and the ICC has cleared him to play in the eight-team that starts on the same day in Johannesburg.

After being included in the 30 probables for that tournament, Asif attended an Under-23 training camp in Karachi to assess his match fitness. He took 1 for 23 in a practice match during that camp, impressing Rashid Latif, who was overseeing the camp. But despite his selection, Asif can't take part in Pakistan's conditioning camp leading up to the Champions Trophy because his ban expires after the camp finishes.

Pakistan's squad has only one specialist opener in Imran Nazir, who only returned to the side in Sri Lanka after leaving the ICL; alongside Jamshed, Salman Butt also doesn't find a place in the squad. Until Sri Lanka, Butt was Pakistan's one steady opener, with eight ODI hundreds to his name, but an alarming dip in form and confidence during the tour has done for him.

Many eyes will be on Umar Akmal, wicketkeeper Kamran's 19-year-old brother, who made such an impact in Sri Lanka and was Pakistan's highest scorer in that series.

Pakistan: Younis Khan (capt), Imran Nazir, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Naved-ul Hasan, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Yousuf, Kamran Akmal (wk), Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif, Rao Iftikhar, Saeed Ajmal.

England vs Australia 5th Ashes Test (2009) Highlights

2009-08-20T14:08:00.000-07:00

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

The Ashes at stake in Oval battle

2009-08-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

One final Ashes hurrah for Andrew Flintoff?.

Match facts

Thursday, August 20-24, 2009
Start time 11.00 (10.00 GMT)

Big Picture

For the second time in four years, the destination of the Ashes will be decided at the same venue where the legend was conceived way back in 1882. In 2005, The Oval in South London was the stage for one of the most wildly celebrated draws of all time, as a jittery England overcame their final-day nerves, thanks to an eye-poppingly aggressive 158 from Kevin Pietersen, a performance that carried his team clear of disaster and all the way to an open-top bus parade through Trafalgar Square the following morning.

This time, Pietersen will not be around to mop his colleagues' brows - his dodgy right Achilles underwent surgery after the second Test, and he might not even be fit in time for the tour to South Africa this winter. Instead, all of England's hopes and prayers are invested in their other modern-day colossus, Andrew Flintoff, who missed the fourth-Test debacle at Headingley due to doubts about his right knee, but is certain to be thrust into the fray for what is scheduled to be his final Test appearance.

Flintoff has said that success in this summer's Ashes would be an achievement to surpass even his magnificent performance four years ago, and those sentiments have been echoed by Australia's captain, Ricky Ponting, who has spent most of the year playing down the significance of that defeat, but has now gone on record as saying that this week is the perfect opportunity for vengeance. The quality of the cricket may not have touched the heights we saw when Australia were last on England's shores, but the level of competitiveness has scarcely diminished a notch.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)

England - LDWDW
Australia - WDLDL

Watch out for…

Jonathan Trott: A Test debut is, by its very nature, an anxious occasion, but spare a thought for England's 645th and latest selection. At the age of 28, and with nearly a decade of first-class experience to fall back on, including a stellar 2009 in which he has averaged more than 80 to date, Trott is as well prepared as he could possibly hope to be for such an auspicious occasion. But there's no way that this was part of England's summer masterplan. The loss of Pietersen, and the abject failure of a supine middle-order at Headingley, has forced the selectors into a drastic selection. Still, South African-born batsmen have a handy record in Oval Ashes deciders, so that's something.

Mitchell Johnson: Try as we might, it's been hard to tear our eyes away from Johnson's travails this summer. At Cardiff he was poor, at Lord's he was appalling. At Edgbaston he showed signs of a resurgence but was still clobbered at five runs an over. And then at Headingley, everything clicked. Suddenly he was fast and straight, with a vicious bouncer and devastating late swing from a full length, and he was too good for England's abject batsmen. A five-wicket haul was the reward for his - and the selectors' - perseverance, and at last the hype that had accompanied him back from South Africa seemed justified. More of the same at The Oval, and England may struggle to stay in the contest.

Team news

Trott's debut is the big news, Flintoff's return is the secondary story. Ian Bell's promotion to No. 3 has raised an array of eyebrows from those who've studied his average in that position (31.00) and ascertained that he is a glug of ketchup short of a full bottle, and the identity of the fifth bowler remains the mystery to keep us on our toes until the toss. Monty Panesar is in the frame as a potential second spinner, Ryan Sidebottom is lurking to provide some extra lateral movement. More likely, however, is Steve Harmison's retention on a ground that suits his style, with the unlucky Graham Onions returning to the bench through no fault of his own.

England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ian Bell, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Jonathan Trott, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Andrew Flintoff, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steve Harmison.

All week the talk from the Australian camp has left English observers incredulous. How could they possibly contemplate leaving out Stuart Clark, a player with 29 wickets in six Ashes Tests, and the man whose straight lines and subtle swing goaded his colleagues into abandoning their scattergun approach at Headingley, to dramatically successful effect. Two players, however, are competing for a recall. Brett Lee, the reverse-swing specialist, as Ricky Ponting described him this week, and Nathan Hauritz, the unassuming spinner who has been working on his strategies with Saqlain Mushtaq. Hauritz is probably the likeliest to return, but an all-seam attack deserves to remain the attack of choice.

Australia (probable) 1 Simon Katich, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Marcus North, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Stuart Clark, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Ben Hilfenhaus.

Pitch and conditions

Dry and bare, but invariably a true wicket, The Oval offers rewards to sides who risk two spinners, but there is plenty of bounce and carry for the seamers on either side as well. "Any bowler who is not on top of their game can expect to be punished, particularly once the batsmen are in," Chris Adams, Surrey's cricket manager, told Cricinfo. "Australia certainly have in-form batsmen at the moment, and it could be quite painful for the bowlers if they're allowed to get set."

The big concern for both teams, but especially England who desperately need to win, is the weather forecast. It has been glorious in London all week, but the rain is set to return with a vengeance this week.

Stats and trivia

England have won 37 and lost 18 of the 91 matches they have played at The Oval, while Australia won 6 and lost 15 out of 34. With three wins, two draws and one defeat since 1985, it is England's most successful Ashes venue in recent times.
In the four Tests in the series so far, Australia's fast bowlers - Ben Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle, Johnson and Clark - have averaged 28.11 per wicket for their 53 scalps.

England's fast men - James Anderson, Onions, Stuart Broad, Flintoff and Harmison - have conceded more than 37 runs per wicket.

Quotes

"There is nothing bigger than playing a deciding Test in an Ashes series, and you have to grab these moments when they present themselves because you may never experience such a match ever again."
Ricky Ponting has been around the block a few times in his 14-year international career, but it doesn't get bigger than this

"If we win this one it will be a far greater achievement than 2005. That was fantastic but the side had performed well over a period of time and we'd beaten everyone in the world."
Andrew Flintoff believes his final Test could be his finest hour

Victory would be greatest moment - Flintoff

2009-08-18T11:31:00.000-07:00

Andrew Flintoff: 'From my point of view, with the injuries that I've had to be here, if we won it would be a far greater achievement for some of the things that have happened over the past six to 12 months'

Andrew Flintoff believes an England victory in his farewell Test would be a greater accomplishment than the team's heralded 2-1 Ashes triumph four years ago. Describing this week's Ashes decider at The Oval as "the biggest [Test] I'll ever play in", Flintoff said a final act of resurgence after a trying 12 months would be a more satisfying result than England's authoritative series win in 2005.

"It's different, obviously going in 1-1, but if we win this one it will be a far greater achievement than 2005," Flintoff said. "That was fantastic but the side had performed well over a period of time and we'd beaten everyone in the world and we came here against Australia expecting to win.

"I'm not saying we're not expecting to do it this time but the side's gone through a lot over the past 12 months. The side's changed hell of a lot. We've got young players who have never played in the Ashes. And from my point of view, with the injuries that I've had to be here, if we won it would be a far greater achievement for some of the things that have happened over the past six to 12 months."

Flintoff, training with a brace on his damaged right knee on Tuesday, successfully completed his first bowling session since the eve of the Headingley Test. He began cautiously, but gradually built up pace during a 20-minute spell. He expected the knee to swell after training, but insisted it could be managed with regular icing and treatment. "I'm confident I'll be alright," he said.

Flintoff admitted to being disappointed at his omission from the Headingley Test, given his insistence that he was fit enough to play, but declined to take aim at Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower over their decision.

"It was a tough decision all round," he said. "I'd have played at the position I was at the time but Andrew [Strauss] and Andrew [Flower] decided that wasn't an acceptable level, so that's the sort of thing you've got to get on with. Ever since then I've been trying to get right for this one here which is going to be an unbelievably good game.

"Sometimes in professional sport there are some hard decisions you have to make and as a player sometimes they're hard to take but you move on from that. I'm just pleased to be here now with an opportunity to play on Thursday."

Flintoff has placed sentimentality and thoughts of another knee operation to one side as he attempts to propel England to Ashes glory, but conceded the enormity of his decision to retire from Test cricket would likely not hit him until England's next international assignment.

"It's not about sentiment or last Test matches or anything like that," he said. "I'm fully focused on trying to perform and add to an England victory. Everything else I'm sure will take care of itself, for me it's all about winning the game.

"At some point in the winter when the boys are playing in South Africa I'm sure I'll want to be there and I'll be missing it. But the retirement, it's a decision I came to a while ago. That knee stuff, it was the final draw. I got it out there to stop the speculation over my future. Since announcing it, it's been a bit of a weight off my shoulders and I can go out there and enjoy the last game. As for sentiment and all that, I'll let you know how I can get on with that.

"I've not been thinking about the past full stop to be honest with you. I'm proud that I've played for England over a period of time, proud of some of my performances and proud I've been on a winning side for quite a long period of time. That's about as far as I've gone to be honest with you. My thoughts over the past week have been getting fit for this Test match which is the biggest I'll ever play in, not because it's my last but the position of the series - 1-1 against Australia. It's a great opportunity for anyone going out there to take the series by the scruff of the neck and put in a match-winning performance."

Australia report bookie approach to ICC

2009-08-18T11:26:00.000-07:00

Cricket's recent trysts with bookmakers

February 2007: Nagpur Police accuses Marlon Samuels of giving out team information to an alleged bookie, Mukesh Kochar. Police releases a transcript of the conversation between Samuels and Kochar, and the ICC bans Samuels for two years.

October 2008: Two ICL players are suspended from the league amid widespread speculation over match-fixing, though the ICL says they are suspended on "disciplinary grounds".

July 2009: Pakistan players complain of the presence of "suspicious characters" in their team hotel in Colombo during a Test series. The team management gets their rooms changed, and the ICC's ACSU clears Pakistan of any contact with bookies.

August 2009: An audio tape of a phone conversation between Mohammad Illyas, a Pakistan senior selector, and Salim Altaf, the PCB's chief operating officer, alludes to match-fixing in the ICL. Illyas, father-in-law of Imran Farhat who played in the ICL, accuses senior Lahore Badshahs players of having fixed matches.

The Australian team management has filed a report with the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit after a player was approached by a man suspected of links to illegal bookmaking. Cricinfo has learned the approach was made in the bar of the team's London hotel, the Royal Kensington Garden, following Australia's Ashes defeat at Lord's in July.

The player alerted senior officials immediately and, following ICC protocol, team manager Steve Bernard filed a report with the ACSU. The matter is currently under investigation. The player is not suspected of wrongdoing, and has been praised by a senior ICC official for his prompt reporting of the approach in line with the ACSU's player education programme.

Sources within the ICC and the Australian team, when contacted by Cricinfo, described the approach as "concerning" and part of a worrying resurgence in the presence of illegal bookmakers around major events. Sir Paul Condon, the chairman of the ACSU, told ICC meetings in Dubai and London over the past year that Twenty20 cricket posed the greatest corruption threat to the game since the dark days of Sharjah in the 1990s; a notion supported by recent media and anecdotal reports.

Cricinfo understands the ACSU is investigating additional approaches made to players by illegal bookmakers, or conduits acting on their behalf, during the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in England earlier this summer. One source said the ACSU was "well advanced" in several lines of inquiry, at least one of which also involved approaches made to players at a team hotel.

Senior officials are concerned that illegal bookmakers, emboldened by the new betting possibilities opened up by the Twenty20 game, are becoming increasingly prevalent around match venues and team hotels. After the inception of the ACSU in 2000 - in direct response to the match-fixing scandals involving international captains Hansie Cronje, Mohammed Azharuddin and Salim Malik - barriers were established to block bookmakers and their intermediaries from direct contact with players. But the approach to an Australian player during an Ashes series, coupled with those allegedly made to other international cricketers at the World Twenty20, have raised concerns that a new wave of corrupting influences is attempting to infiltrate the game.

A report in the Sunday Telegraph earlier this week, quoting an anonymous ICC source, warned that cricket was under renewed threat from illegal bookmakers. "Those in charge in the ICC understand that Twenty20 cricket has the danger of going back to the bad old days," the source said.

The report suggested that the apparent resurgence in contact from illegal bookmakers was in part attributable to the second IPL, a tournament at which the ACSU was not in operation, reportedly due to its $1.2 million operational bill. Lalit Modi, the IPL's commissioner, told Cricinfo last month the ACSU would be involved in future IPL tournaments, and an agreement in principle has been reached for the unit to police the Champions League Twenty20, scheduled to be played in India this October. "They have expanded their services and going ahead, all the tournaments, including Champions League and the IPL would have the presence of ICC's anti-corruption unit," Modi said, in a move welcomed by the ICC's chief executive Haroon Lorgat.

Lorgat last week announced there was "absolutely no substance" to reports that Pakistan players had been apporached by illegal bookmakers at their team hotel in Colombo during the recent series against Sri Lanka. The matter was investigated by the ACSU.

"The ICC and its members have a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and rightly so because the integrity of our sport with its spirit is one of its greatest assets," Lorgat said. "On that basis it is entirely appropriate that any suggestions in relation to that subject are always reported to and properly investigated by the ACSU. I am pleased those investigations have indicated nothing untoward has taken place on this occasion but it is a reminder that all of us - players, officials and supporters - must maintain our vigilance to ensure we remain on top of the issue of corruption."

Pietersen out of England ODI squad

2009-08-17T17:58:00.000-07:00

Andrew Flintoff has been included in England's ODI squad for the summer but Kevin Pietersen hasn't.

Kent's opening batsmen, Joe Denly, has been called up to replace the injured Kevin Pietersen in England's one-day squad for their seven ODI series against Australia, plus the subsequent Champions Trophy in South Africa. Denly, 23, is the only uncapped player in a 15-man squad, and will also travel to Old Trafford for the two Twenty20 internationals on August 30 and September 1.

"Joe Denly has impressed the selectors for a while with some excellent performances in one-day cricket and with Kevin Pietersen unavailable through injury, this is an excellent opportunity for Joe to step up to the next level and show what he is capable of," said the ECB's national selector, Geoff Miller, who added that the selectors had kept faith with the bulk of the squad which was successful in the ODIs against West Indies earlier in the summer.

"It is a dream come true for me," said Denly, who averaged 51.85 in the Friends Provident Trophy this season, and who made 66 and 36 for England Lions against the Australians at Worcester in July. "As a youngster, I dreamt about representing Kent and now I have the honour of hopefully playing for my country. I've always had ambitions of playing for England; whether it be at one-day or Test match level. I feel very proud and hope to forge a long international career.

"I won't look to change too much. I'm confident that I've got the game to step up to the next level and I cannot wait to represent England. I've played for the Lions but stepping up into the main side is great for me. I did pretty well against the Aussies for the Lions and will hope to carry that on for the rest of the summer.

"Hopefully I will get a go in a few of the one-dayers and Twenty20 matches and you never know where that will lead. If I continue my form in the County Championship then hopefully they will consider me, for Test match cricket too, although I realise that could be a while off as there are a few players ahead of me. I just need to keep performing for Kent and now hopefully for England too. I cannot wait to link-up with the group."

Andrew Strauss will once again lead England in their major ODI campaigns, although not in the two Twenty20s where Paul Collingwood continues in the role he assumed for the ICC World Twenty20 in June. Collingwood will also take charge for the one-off ODI against Ireland in Belfast on August 27 that serves as a warm-up for the main events that follow.

"Andrew Strauss has led the side extremely well in both forms of cricket this summer," said Miller, "but the selectors felt it would be beneficial for him to have a short break from international cricket following the conclusion of the npower Ashes Test series and Paul Collingwood will lead the side in Ireland and in The NatWest International Twenty20s. "

As expected Ravi Bopara, who was axed from England's Test squad for Thursday's Ashes decider, is included for all formats, alongside Andrew Flintoff, who will retire from Test cricket this week, but who will remain available to England in the limited-overs format for the foreseeable. Jonathan Trott, Bopara's replacement in the Test side, has been named in the squad for the two T20Is at Old Trafford, having previously played two such matches for England in 2007.

Luke Wright and Adil Rashid, who impressed for England during the World Twenty20, have been rewarded with places in the ODI squads, but four other squad members from that tournament have not been retained. Denly's Kent captain and opening partner, Robert Key, is back on the sidelines, along with Essex's specialist wicketkeeper, James Foster, who has been superseded by an in-form Matt Prior, and Dimitri Mascarenhas, who has been discarded from all formats. Graham Napier, who was selected in the World Twenty20 squad but did not play a match, is also out of the reckoning.

Squad for ODIs v Australia & Champions Trophy: Andrew Strauss (capt), James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Joe Denly, Andrew Flintoff, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wk), Adil Rashid, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright.

Squad for ODI v Ireland: Paul Collingwood (capt), James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Joe Denly, Andrew Flintoff, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wk), Adil Rashid, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright.

Squad for Twenty20 internationals v Australia: Paul Collingwood (capt), James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Joe Denly, Andrew Flintoff, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wk), Adil Rashid, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott, Luke Wright.

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka T20 (2009) Highlights – Colombo

2009-08-12T12:05:00.001-07:00

Pakistan won by 52 runs
Pakistan 172/5 (20/20 ov); Sri Lanka 120 (18.1/20 ov)
Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan 5th ODI (2009) Highlights

2009-08-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

England vs Australia 4th Ashes Test (2009) Day 3 Highlights

2009-08-09T11:29:00.000-07:00

Part 1

Part 2

England vs Australia 4th Ashes Test (2009) Day 2 Highlights

2009-08-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

England vs Australia 4th Test Day 1 (2009) Highlights

2009-08-08T00:40:00.000-07:00

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan 4th ODI (2009) Highlights

2009-08-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

Toss

Pakistan innings

Pakistan innings Part 2

Sri Lankan innings

England vs Australia 3rd Test (2009) Day 5 Highlights

2009-08-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

Part 1

Part 2

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan 3rd ODI (2009) Highlights

2009-08-03T13:07:00.000-07:00

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Your Ad Here West Indies vs Bangladesh T20 (2009) Highlights

2009-08-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

Part 1

Part 2

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan 2nd ODI (2009) Highlights

2009-08-03T00:45:00.000-07:00

Pakistan innings

Sri Lanka innings

Original Video- More videos at TinyPic

Broad gives England 113-run lead

2009-08-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

Andrew Flintoff gave England a valuable lead and entertained the Edgbaston crowd.

Andrew Flintoff's Ashes farewell tour rolls on. The departing allrounder added one more Edgbaston memory to an already rich anthology with a powerful six to draw England level with Australia's first-innings total, followed by a boundary to overtake it. The latter stroke delivered him to a near even-time half-century - his first since December - as Flintoff positioned England for a fifth-day victory tilt.

At the very ground at which he notched his highest Test score in 2004, and earned Man-of-the-Match honours against the Australians four years ago, Flintoff propelled England from a precarious position at 168 for 5 at the fall of Ian Bell's wicket to an imposing 316 for seven at the tea break, holding an overall first-innings lead of 53 runs. Flintoff displayed indomitable intent from the outset by engaging a rejuvenated Mitchell Johnson in verbal combat, then channeled his aggression through his bat, highlighted by a blazing sequence in which the England total advanced from 200 to 250 in the space of just 38 deliveries.

Peter Siddle and Shane Watson bore the brunt of Flintoff's powerful stroke play, releasing much of the pressure created by Ben Hilfenhaus and Johnson in the first session. Siddle, as has become custom on this tour, interspersed testing inswingers and seamers with too many loose deliveries to concede 47 runs from an erratic seven-over spell. Watson, meanwhile, was set upon from the outset; his comeback spell in Test cricket yielding the unflattering figures of 0 for 23 from three overs.

Flintoff was particularly strong on the drive and pull, and raised the roof at Edgbaston when he bashed Nathan Hauritz into the long-on boundary rope for his first six of the innings. Hauritz exacted a measure of revenge by having him caught at first slip for 74 (from 79 deliveries), but not before the powerful all-rounder had guided England past Australia's first innings total of 263 and beyond the 300-run mark.

Prior to Flintoff's 89-run sixth-wicket partnership with Matt Prior, Australia had enjoyed the better of proceedings on a fourth morning delayed by an hour due to a sodden outfield. Hilfenhaus terrorised England's batsmen with a lion-hearted 14-over opening spell during which he swung the ball both ways and accounted for Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood. Of similar encouragement was the performance of Johnson, who bowled straighter than at any other stage on tour and was rewarded with the wicket of Ian Bell for a charmed innings of 53.

Australia might well have struck earlier on the fourth morning had Rudi Koertzen found in favour of Siddle. The fast bowler rapped Bell below the knee roll with a prodigious inswinger only for Koertzen, under the spotlight for the second consecutive Test match, to rule hiin the batsman's favour. The decision was Bell's second reprieve following a closer lbw shout to Johnson late on the second day, but he successfully navigated his way through the first hour of play to advance to 46 not out at the lunch break.

Strauss looked the more authoritative of England's overnight pair, and few would have bet against him raising his second century in as many Tests. As it was, Strauss became the first batsman from either side to pass the 300-run mark this series before attempting to cut too close to his body to a tailing Hilfenhaus delivery. His top-edge was accepted by the impressive Graham Manou.

Australia bowled a noticeably fuller length than on Friday and were rewarded with appreciable swing. Ricky Ponting predicted the Duke ball would begin to swing around the 40th over, and was vindicated when both Hilfenhaus and Siddle found aerial movement from the first over on Sunday. Three of Hilfenhaus' first four overs were maidens, as Australia sought to create a rare period of pressure in defence of their first innings total 263.

The wickets of Strauss and Collingwood - the latter to a loose drive from an away-swinging delivery accepted by Ponting at second slip - were Australia's primary highlight-reel moments in the first session, but Johnson's two-over burst prior to the lunch break was arguably the greater source of optimism. Australia's selectors have gone to extraordinary lengths to accomodate the misfiring paceman this series - ranging from pep-talks to the inclusion of an insurance seamer in Watson for Edgbaston - and their faith appeared on the way to being repaid.

His first delivery was full, fast and tailing into Bell, who, if not for the faintest of inside edges onto his pad, might well have been pavilion-bound. Bell fended a shorter ball from Johnson's next over into the chest of Simon Katich at short-leg, which required the fielder to leave the field for much of the afternoon to receive treatment for bruising.

Johnson finally got his man when he trapped Bell leg-before as part of a five-over spell of 1 for 12. Siddle was later the beneficiary of Prior's indiscipline; the batsman attempting to pull for the second time in as many deliveries from outside off-stump, and ballooning a catch to Phillip Hughes, substituting for Katich, at mid-on.

Batting continues to worry Pakistan

2009-07-31T22:19:00.000-07:00

Pakistan need to come up with a solid batting performance to stay in the series.

Match facts

Saturday August 1, 2009
Start time 10.00 (04.30 GMT)

Big Picture

The first one-dayer on Thursday wasn't as one-sided as it was turning out to be at one stage. The Pakistan lower order fought commendably with only a couple of wickets in hand but it wasn't enough to erase an inept performance by the top order. Pakistan's coach, Intikhab Alam, stated after the match that the pitch was not to blame; his team lost it in the field when they had a chance to restrict the Sri Lankans below 200. The bowlers struggled to contain a rampaging Muttiah Muralitharan in the third Powerplay and the Sri Lankans took the psychological advantage with them in the better part of the chase as well.

Intikhab didn't blame the defeat on bad batting. But the top order's frailties against the swing generated by Sri Lanka's penetrative new-ball attack remains a concern. In four matches against them, Pakistan are yet to register a win, despite the contests being closely fought. Pakistan need to win tomorrow or else they will have to win all their remaining games to win the series.

Sri Lanka too didn't bat as well as they would have liked, but have fewer concerns overall compared to their opponents. Kumar Sangakkara wasn't exactly chuffed with the way his bowlers lost the plot towards the end of the chase. Death bowling is something the home side will need to sharpen.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)

Sri Lanka - WWLLL
Pakistan - LWLLL

Watch out for…

Shahid Afridi: He made a start in the first ODI, hitting a brisk 27 before a poor shot - dabbing a short ball to the keeper - cut short his knock. More is expected from him, both with bat and ball as this series progresses. If he retains his No.3 spot, he can focus more on anchoring the innings.

Thilan Thushara: He was the best bowler across both sides in the opening match - taking 3 for 29 - and his early strikes derailed Pakistan's chase. In Chaminda Vaas' absence, Sri Lanka have found an effective replacement who gets enough zip off the pitch. He cleaned up Kamran Akmal with a back-of-a-length ball which snuck through bat and pad, before removing Afridi and Younis Khan.

Team news

Intikhab conceded that the decision to send Shoaib Malik to open didn't work out as planned, which could strengthen Imran Nazir's case for an inclusion. If he's included, one of the non-performers in the middle order will have to make way.

Pakistan: (likely) 1 Kamran Akmal (wk), 2 Imran Nazir, 3 Younis Khan (capt), 4 Fawad Alam, 5 Shahid Afridi, 6 Shoaib Malik/Misbah-ul-Haq, 7 Mohammad Yousuf, 8 Abdul Razzaq, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Mohammad Aamer, 11 Saeed Ajmal

Sri Lanka will probably retain their winning combination.

Sri Lanka: (likely) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt and wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Chamara Kapugedera, 8 Thilan Thushara, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan

Stats and trivia

Despite Pakistan's unsuccessful run-chase in the first ODI, Dambulla remains a better pitch for the team batting second in day games. Teams batting first average 3.84 per over and 20.09 per wicket. For teams chasing, the numbers are 3.98 and 26.94.
Murali's Man-of-the-Match award on Thursday was his second against Pakistan and his third at the Dambulla Stadium in 16 ODIs at that ground.
Murali's starting to win matches ... with the bat. In the tri-series final against Bangladesh in Mirpur this January, his whirlwind unbeaten 33 guided Sri Lanka to the title in the most freakish manner possible.

England vs Australia 3rd Test (2009) Day 1 Highlights

2009-07-31T05:51:00.000-07:00

Australia 1st Innings Day 1

Beefed-up Pakistan look for revenge

2009-07-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

Sanath Jayasuriya will have a new opening partner with Tillakaratne Dilshan injured.

Match facts

Thursday July 30, 2009
Start time 10.00 (04.30 GMT)

Big Picture
The Tests delivered the promise of riveting cricket, at a time when the game's traditional format was under threat. Now save your appetite for the one-dayers. The selling point of the series comes from the visitor's camp. It marks the return of two exciting players from the ICL, who have been in heavy demand from loyal Pakistan followers to give the team a facelift - Imran Nazir and Naved-ul-Hasan. The other player from the ICL, Abdul Razzaq, had already started his rebirth as an international player in the World Twenty20 but was kept out of the Tests and Mohammad Yousuf too made a stirring comeback in the Tests.

Both teams are at a rebuilding stage, with the 2011 World Cup in mind. The Sri Lankan captain, Kumar Sangakkara, highlighted that on the eve of the opening ODI in Dambulla, as it gives a chance for his team to experiment before arriving at the right combination. Instead of trying out new blood, both teams have handed comebacks to old faces, Thilan Samaraweera being a prime example from the home team. Tillakaratne Dilshan's temporary absence may come as a blessing in disguise for them as it's an opportunity for another attacking opener to fill the breach. After all, Sri Lanka cannot depend on Sanath Jayasuriya forever.

They will be up against the team which thumped them fairly convincingly the last time they met in the limited-overs format - the ICC World Twenty20. Where will the pendulum swing this time?

Form guide
(last five matches, most recent first)

Sri Lanka - WLLLL
Pakistan - WLLLW

Watch out for…
Upul Tharanga: With Dilshan bandaged and ruled out for the first couple of ODIs at least, Tharanga's spot at the top is more or less guaranteed. Holding his place once Dilshan returns will be his challenge. He last played an ODI during the tour of Bangladesh earlier this year but was overlooked for the series against Pakistan and India. His performance in the warm-up game in Kurunegala on Monday was inauspicious - he was out for a first-ball duck. Tharanga is a tried and tested player who's had success in the past and if he backs himself, he should manage some substantial scores, focus on building an innings and leave the power hitting to Jayasuriya.

Imran Nazir: He was the people's favourite not too long ago and still is. Trawl through the comments from readers in Cricinfo's recent stories and blogs on Pakistan and Nazir features almost everywhere. He was the most-wanted player from the ICL and for a good reason too. He smacked an unbeaten 111 off 44 balls to guide Lahore Badshahs to the ICL title last November and fans realised just how much they missed him. Pakistan can look forward to the exciting opening duo of Nazir and Kamran Akmal.

Sri Lanka's new one-day kit: Hopefully the dawn of a new era, after three consecutive series defeats at home.

Team news
Dilhara Fernando was added at the last minute as cover for the injury-prone Lasith Malinga. Sangakkara didn't reveal the exact combination and said that Samaraweera and Thilina Kandamby were in the mix.

Sri Lanka: (likely) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt and wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilina Kandamdy/Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Chamara Kapugedera, 8 Thilan Thushara, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Lasith Malinga/Dilhara Fernando, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan

Pakistan have an embarrassment of riches and the competition for places has shot up. Will Yousuf walk in, and if he does, at whose expense? There was no word on a possible debut for Umar Akmal, who smashed an unbeaten 103 off 76 balls in Kurunegala.

Pakistan: (likely) 1 Kamran Akmal (wk), 2 Imran Nazir, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Fawad Alam, 5 Shahid Afridi, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Misbah-ul-Haq/ Mohammad Yousuf, 8 Abdul Razzaq, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Naved-ul-Hasan, 11 Saeed Ajmal/ Mohammad Aamer

Pitch and conditions
Sri Lanka's main batsmen have found it tough going in Dambulla and here's what Sangakkara had to say about the pitch: "Over the years it's been a tough wicket to read. It's had various scores on it from low to high, the highest being 285. The key is not having a negative mindset going out there. It's best to go out there with an open mind, assess the conditions very quickly and communicate it to the dressing room. Those few little basics that we talk about in building partnerships are going to be the key."

Stats and trivia

* Pakistan is the only team with a positive win-loss record against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka: in 21 ODIs they have won ten and lost nine. Since 2000, though, they have lost five and won three against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka.

* Teams batting first have won only five out of 13 day games in Dambula. The last four day matches here have all been won by the team batting second.

* Sri Lanka's main batsmen have had a tough time in Dambulla. Sangakkara averages less than 29 in 20 innings, while Jayasuriya has only two 50-plus scores in 18 innings.

* Both Sangakkara and Jayawardene haven't managed a half-century at home against Pakistan in 15 ODI innings. Sangakkara's highest in eight innings is an unbeaten 36, while Jayawardene's best in seven innings is 49.

* Muralitharan has enjoyed the conditions in Dambulla, taking 33 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 15.36 at an economy rate of 3.46 runs per over.

Quotes
"You are never sure as to whether they will be explosive or be destructive. Sometimes they are a hard side to play, all the more so we should be thinking about our game a lot more that we should about theirs."
Kumar Sangakkara on Pakistan

"We are aware of Sri Lanka's strength we must stick to our basics every day and in every game. Sri Lanka's fielding is fantastic and they have the upper hand in fielding. If we field like we did in the Twenty20 we can provide good competition."
Younis Khan knows where his opponents have the edge

Weather adds to Australia's problems

2009-07-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

Taking the strain: all eyes will be on Andrew Flintoff's knee.

Match facts

Thursday, July 30 - Monday, August 3, 2009
Start time 11.00 (10.00 GMT)

Big Picture

England 1-0 up, Australia facing a selection conundrum, key injuries to both sides. By rights, this should be an epic, filled with the kind of outrageous twists and sub-plots we have come to expect from Ashes series, but predictions of inclement weather and a benign pitch have installed the draw as the most likely result. An anti-climactic sequel to England's historic victory at Lord's is in the offing.

Australia will be desperate to avoid a repeat of 2005, in which they entered the home stretch in arrears of England, but short of a Herculean bowling performance a result will be difficult to enforce if, as is expected, substantial periods of the match are lost to rain. To be any chance, Australia will presumably need Mitchell Johnson to rediscover the radar conspicuously absent on this tour to date.

England, meanwhile, will be praying Andrew Flintoff's pin cushion of a right knee is able to withstand the rigours of bowling on a heavy Edgbaston playing surface. Flintoff has been applying an ice machine to his knee each night to help alleviate the after-effects of his mighty bowling performance at Lord's, and is confident of playing a full part in the match. The all-rounder has fond memories of Edgbaston, having led England to a gripping two-run victory over the Australians four years ago with a virtuoso performance that included thunderous innings of 68 and 73, and seven wickets.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)

England - WDWWD
Australia - LDLWW

Watch out for…

Ian Bell The much-maligned Warwickshire batsman will make his Test comeback at his home ground as a replacement for the injured Kevin Pietersen. Bell has in the past struggled when cast in the substantial shadow of Pietersen, but with England's svengali batsman recovering from Achilles surgery, he now has a prime opportunity to forge his own name and exorcise his Ashes demons in a Warne-free environment.

Mitchell Johnson Acres of column space have been devoted to the issue of Johnson's dire form since the Lord's Test, but no one - least of all the Australians - has uncovered a solution to this most vexing of problems. Lowering arm height, fragile confidence and a delicate family situation have all contributed to his decline, which continued through the recent tour match against Northamptonshire. Despite his diminishing form and confidence, Johnson seems set to get the nod for Edgbaston, albeit in the redefined role of first-change bowler.

Team news

England will most likely resist the temptation to call in Steve Harmison, who played a leading role in the only first class win recorded at Edgbaston this year, and stick with their attack from Lord's. Bell's inclusion for the injured Pietersen should be the only change. Monty Panesar has been deemed surplus to needs in Birmingham and released back to Northamptonshire.

England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ravi Bopara, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Andrew Flintoff, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Graham Onions.

The Australians are considering shoe-horning the dependable and precise Stuart Clark into the starting XI, but exactly which bowler - if any - will make way remains uncertain. The heavy weather will presumably not assist Nathan Hauritz's chance of playing - despite being the equal-leading wicket-taker in the series - and Peter Siddle might also find himself in the firing line. Still, the odds of Australia naming an unchanged line-up is firming.

Australia (possible) 1 Simon Katich, 2 Phillip Hughes, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Marcus North, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Ben Hilfenhaus, 11 Stuart Clark.

Pitch and conditions

Steve Rouse, the Edgbaston groundsman, is among the many who believe a result will be difficult to achieve over the next five days. Heavy rain drenched the West Midlands on Wednesday, and is expected to continue for several days yet. When play does commence, Rouse is expecting another low, slow surface which should suit England's batsmen down to the sodden ground.

Stats and trivia

Only four wins have been achieved at Edgbaston from the last 20 first class matches played there. Durham is the only team to have won a match at the ground this year, and did so on the back of Graham Onions and Steve Harmison taking a combined 16 wickets.
Results are more common in Test matches at Edgbaston. Of the last 17 Tests played at the ground, only three have been draws.
Australia's record at Edgbaston stands at three wins, five losses and four draws, making this one of their least favourite grounds in England. By contrast, England have won won 22 and lost eight of their 43 games - their best Test record at any ground in the country.
Ponting needs 25 runs to overtake Allan Border's Australian record of 11,174 Test runs

Quotes

"I think right at the moment it is more of a confidence thing and (we will) probably look at him in this game playing in a slightly different way than in the last couple of games and use him more as a strike impact type of bowler."
Ricky Ponting on Mitchell Johnson

"It's not much fun when you are out of it but it makes you very, very hungry when you come back in. And also, you get a kind of mindset of having nothing to lose. You've been out of the side, this is another opportunity for you and I expect him to grasp that with two hands and play some really good innings in the coming matches."
Andrew Strauss on Ian Bell

Shoaib's international career almost over, says Akram

2009-07-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

Wasim Akram: "I don't think he [Shoaib Akhtar] has got a chance, unless and until some miracles happen."

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram believes fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar's international career is virtually over. Akram said the warning bells had been sounded with Shoaib's omission from Pakistan's list of probables for the forthcoming Champions Trophy, to be held in South Africa.

"I don't think he has got a chance, unless and until some miracles happen," Akram said. "Even though it depends on the captain and selectors, I think Shoaib has fallen out with the selectors and the board itself. The board still supported him and he went to Abu Dhabi and played two of the five games [against Australia] before getting injured again. We all saw that."

Akram also said the emergence of young fast bowlers like Mohammad Aamer had made Shoaib's comeback tougher. "I think Pakistan's bowling unit is doing well and they have to look ahead and think about the future," he said. "They have to back the youngsters who will do the job for them, even if you look at the 2011 World Cup. Also in this year's Champions Trophy and the next Twenty20 World Cup, the team would have to rely on the youngsters. I don't know where you can place Shoaib Akhtar in the current picture of Pakistan cricket."

Akram predicted a difficult future for Mohammad Asif as well. The 26-year-old fast bowler, however, made the cut for the probables for the Champions Trophy, following a tumultuous two-and-a-half years in which he failed dope tests and was embroiled in a detention case in Dubai.

"My advice to Asif would be - learn from your mistakes. I sincerely hope he learns from the 300 mistakes that he has made in the last two years," said Akram. "He's young, talented and one of the best Pakistani bowlers but it will take him some time to return because Aamer is now bowling really well."

He pointed out that international returns were not easy and cited the cases of Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir. "Even Sohail Tanvir was struggling in Twenty20," Akram said. "Umar Gul is phenomenal but I don't think he bowled well enough in the Test matches [in Sri Lanka]. My advice to Gul is: Twenty20 and ODI are fine but if you are to be recognised as a good bowler you have to do well in Test cricket too."

Bangladesh look to build on Test success

2009-07-26T04:30:00.000-07:00

Shakib Al Hasan has led by example in his brief stint as captain.

Match facts

Sunday, July 26, 2009
Start time 09.30am (13.30 GMT)

The Big Picture
The current strife in West Indies cricket could yet again benefit Bangladesh. They've tasted more success in ODIs, with upset wins against Test-playing nations in major tournaments, and start clear favourites as they take on a makeshift West Indies team over three games. The 2-0 win in Tests - their greatest achievement to date - should give them the confidence to try and press their superiority. As for the hosts, the feud between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) has shown few signs of abating despite the strike being called off. And with many members of the current ODI squad also featuring in the provisional squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, the incentive to make a mark in the ODI circuit has never been greater.

Bangladesh have had a mixed 2009, winning three ODIs - including one against Sri Lanka - and losing as many. Their two failures against Zimbabwe will be a cause for worry though some of their players seem to have recovered form in the Test series - witness Tamim Iqbal's century in St Vincent, Mahmudullah's sensational debut and Mushfiqur Rahim's consistency in the lower order. The biggest plus is the performance of stand-in captain Shakib Al Hasan, who's been outstanding in both forms of the game, but Mohammad Ashraful's appalling run will be under serious scrutiny.

West Indies will field an outfit more experienced in ODIs than Tests and should anyway be inspired to avenge their recent defeats. There were quite a few positives for the second-string team - it managed a significant first-innings lead in St Vincent and could have levelled the series in Kingstown after Bangladesh were reeling at 67 for 4 in chase of 215. Dave Bernard shone with three half-centuries, while fast bowlers Darren Sammy and Kemar Roach showed they were deserving of a place even in a full-strength squad. While spinners won Bangladesh the rubber, West Indies relied heavily on their pace-attack, and with the pitch in Dominica expected to be conducive to seam bowling, the hosts should be able to compete better.

Form Guide
(last five matches, most recent first)
West Indies NLWLL
BangladeshWWLLW

Watch out for...

Shakib Al Hasan: Currently ranked as the No.1 allrounder in world cricket, Shakib has had an excellent year in ODI cricket. He is Bangladesh's highest run-getter in 2009, averaging 55.75 and is their second-highest wicket-taker with 11 at a staggering average of 10.81. Standing in for an injured Mashrafe Mortaza, Shakib led by example in the Tests, capturing 13 wickets in all and scoring an unbeaten 96 in the four-wicket win in Kingstown.

Darren Sammy: The West Indies vice-captain is among the most experienced in the current team in the shorter version of the game, but hasn't done justice to his talent. With 12 wickets at 56.41 and a batting average of 15.91, Sammy was a completely different player in the Test series with two five-fors. However, he threw his wicket away at a crucial time in the second Test and needs to do more to prove his worth as a batsman.

Team news

West Indies have included six new faces for the first two ODIs from the Test squad: Openers Devon Smith and Kieran Powell, legspinner Rawl Lewis, wicketkeepers Andre Fletcher and Devon Thomas and fast bowler Gavin Tonge. Smith could open the batting with Powell or Dale Richards, while fast bowler Pascal, who averages 18.50 with the ball in List A games, could take partner Roach in the pace attack in place of the left out Tino Best.

West Indies (possible): 1 Devon Smith, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Dale Richards, Travis Dowlin, 5 Floyd Reifer (capt), 6 Dave Bernard, 7 Darren Sammy, 8 Andre Fletcher (wk), 9 Nikita Miller/ Rawl Lewis, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Nelon Pascal

Bangladesh have named three new faces in their ODI squad: left-arm seamer Syed Rasel, allrounder Naeem Islam and left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, who had been suspended after being called for a suspect action in December last year before the ruling was lifted in March. Rasel is likley to share the new ball with Rubel, while Mehrab Hossain jnr could open with Tamim.

Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Mehrab Hossain jn, 3 Raqibul Hasan, 4 Mohammad Ashraful, 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Junaid Siddique, 7 Mushfiqur Rahim, 8 Mahmudullah, 9 Mahbubul Alam, 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Syed Rasel

Pitch and conditions

Richard LeTang, the head curator at Windsor Park, the venue for the first two ODIs, has said the pitch will provide "serious pace and bounce" though a score of around 300 would be chaseable.

Stats and Trivia

The Windsor Park stadium has played host to just two first-class games and will become the 173rd venue to host an ODI

Bangladesh have averaged 20.44 per wicket in their six ODIs this year. In the 198 ODIs they've played, they average 21.56 per wicket with 44 wins and 152 losses.

The West Indies squad - with six players yet to make their debuts in ODIs - together has played 106 ODIs, while Mohammad Ashraful has played 139.

Quotes

"I'm looking forward to the one-dayers. What I'd like to see is a hard, pacy, bouncy wicket."
John Dyson, the West Indies coach, doesn't want the spinners to dominate again.

"(Dyson) is going to get exactly what he asked for, it's going to give you some serious pace and bounce. The spinners will have a hard time."
Richard LeTang, the head curator at Windsor Park, answers Dyson's call.

"They (WICB) are the boss playing hardball."
Chris Gayle on not being picked in the ODI squad despite calling off the strike.

Bell set to be unchallenged on recall

2009-07-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

Comeback kid: Ian Bell has big boots to fill as he replaces the injured Kevin Pietersen.

England will give themselves bowling options ahead of the third Test against Australia at Edgbaston, but the batting line-up is likely to be set in stone when the selectors announce their squad on Sunday. Ian Bell will be confirmed as Kevin Pietersen's replacement with no further batting cover expected to be included while Steve Harmison, who the Daily Mirror reports will announce his international retirement after the Ashes, and Monty Panesar are set to retain their places.

Bell has been the spare batsman in the previous Tests and Andy Flower confirmed after the Lord's victory that he was next in line for a berth. Now that Pietersen has been ruled out for the series he will return to the side for the first time since being dropped following England's defeat against West Indies, at Sabina Park, in February.

He paid the price for an unconvincing run at No. 3 and a particularly limp shot in the second innings collapse in Jamaica. At the start of the summer he was told to show "more hunger" for a recall and has subsequently made 647 runs in the Championship at 64.70, although his haul was dented by a double failure in the recent match against Hampshire where he made 7 and 0.

The selectors may have been tempted to include another batting option in the party, but Bell is set to be unchallenged. "There are no injury problems as such, so we probably won't need to do that," national selector Geoff Miller said. "We had question marks to cover in the last squad but I don't foresee needing to do that here."

However, Bell's position is partly eased due to the lack of outstanding candidates elsewhere. If further injuries were to deplete the batting order, Robert Key, Joe Denly, Stephen Moore and Owais Shah would be the likely names for a call-up. Key has recently returned to form with a career-best 270, Denly and Moore impressed for England Lions against the Australians and Shah made a hundred for Middlesex last week.

There is still the question of where Bell will bat, but the least disruption would come with a straight swap for Pietersen at No.4. The other options are to return at first drop and push the struggling Ravi Bopara down the order or promote Paul Collingwood and put Bell at No. 5.

Although England's attack performed impressively at Lord's there is still a chance changes will be made. Andrew Flintoff's knee will be assessed when the team meets up in Birmingham although the allrounder has said he is confident of being available.

Steve Rouse, the Edgbaston groundsman, described the pitch has being like "jelly" earlier in the week, and said it would be a challenge to bring it up to standard for the Test after recent poor weather, so the inclusion of Harmison and Panesar will allow England to cover all bases.

However, a slow, low surface would decrease the chances of a recall for Harmison, who according to the newspaper reports, wants a final opportunity against Australia before ending his England career for a life in county cricket with Durham.

Likely squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Matt Prior (wk), Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Graham Onions, Steve Harmison, Monty Panesar

ICC should let bowlers 'prepare' the ball - Donald

2009-07-25T10:54:00.000-07:00

Allan Donald wants bowlers to be allowed to work on the ball without using anything artificial.

Allan Donald, the former South African fast bowler, has said bowlers must be allowed to "prepare" the ball - ball-tampering, in other words - to redress the balance between bat and ball and protect the "dying breed" from increasingly lifeless pitches.

Speaking to Cricinfo on Friday, Donald was asked if he would recommend legalising ball tampering. He said: "The ICC would shoot me for saying it but, with the wickets that we play on and the dying breed fast bowlers are becoming on these flatter wickets, I would say we do need some sort of defence mechanism, something to fall back on to say 'Right, we can do this. We can now prepare this ball to go'."

Donald, currently the Warwickshire coach, knows, though, that his plea is likely to fall on deaf ears. "That [legalising ball-tampering] quite simply would never happen," he said.

Ball tampering was a raging issue in the 1990s, a period that coincided with Donald's rise as leader of the South African bowling attack. He agreed that bowlers had altered the condition of the ball in various ways to get prodigious reverse swing. "There is no doubt guys tampered with the ball," he said of the fast bowlers of his time. He recalled one incident in the mid-1990s when he saw a former fast bowler pick a little chunk of leather live on the television during a Test match against England. "The guy was just chipping away with his nails and I couldn't believe how he could get away with it," Donald said. "The commentator, a famous former player, said "Steady on", but he [bowler] denied it later. Let's not kid ourselves, there is no question it still goes on."

To get reverse swing, one must rough one side of the ball while polishing the other. "One [popular] way to do it is to get the ball into the dirt," Donald said, a method easily practised on rough subcontinent surfaces where the ball, especially the white one, soon gets scuffed up. "Even the red ball, in places like India, we found, did not take too long to reverse."

England also used reverse swing to win back the Ashes at home in 2005. "Yes, I remember [Andrew] Flintoff and [Simon] Jones do it beautifully to swing it both ways especially in Old Trafford by chucking the ball into the foothold."

Donald isn't the first fast bowler to make this case; in the mid-1990s, Sir Richard Hadlee had also asked for ball-tampering to be legalised. "As long as the bowlers or fielders use whatever means they have on their persons, I don't see anything wrong with it. I'm talking about the use of a finger nail to scratch the ball, not bottle tops or those sorts of things," Hadlee wrote in a newspaper column at the time.

Donald agreed the best method, if the ICC relented, was to rip the ball without artificial help. "I wouldn't bite it," he said with a chuckle. "One way is if the ball gets scuffed on one side,and there is a tiny little chunk that is missing, you pick it up and just keep that side dry and keep working on it, while shining the other side very heavily without putting any moisture. The whole team needs to keep track of this and should know the ball is reversing and they need to shine one side. The bowler, because he is bowling, should keep his wet hands on this side while keeping the other side dry. That's all you need."

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan (2009) 3rd Test Day 5 Highlights

2009-07-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

Presentation Ceremony

Sangakkara helps Sri Lanka to a draw

2009-07-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

Kumar Sangakkara remorselessly ground the bowling into the SSC dust.

In the end, neither team wanted it badly enough. Sri Lanka couldn't quite summon up the courage for one final dash, and Pakistan spent much of the afternoon merely going through the motions. When play was called off with the 15 mandatory overs to be bowled, Sri Lanka were 101 short of the 492-run target, and Pakistan had toiled all day for just one wicket. Kumar Sangakkara's 19th Test century was the story of the day, but even his performance was overshadowed by an utterly placid pitch. After 21 wickets fell in the opening two days, the bowlers on both sides could manage just 12 in the next nine sessions.

When Angelo Mathews struck a couple of boundaries soon after reaching his half-century after tea, there was the prospect of a Twenty20-like thrash in the final hour, but ultimately Sri Lanka decided to settle for the 2-0 series win.

With Sri Lanka resuming from their overnight 183 for 3, Pakistan would have fancied their chances of pulling off a consolation victory. But with Sangakkara remorselessly grinding the bowling into the SSC dust, and Thilan Samaraweera contributing a classy 73 to a partnership of 122, Younis Khan was left to forlornly shuffle a tiring bowling pack.

As he showed in Hobart not so long ago, Sangakkara is capable of dazzling counter-attacks in pressure situations. This, on a day when survival rather than urgency was the priority, was all rearguard and little flair, with occupation of the crease the main mantra. The odd languid drive through the covers, or the precise sweep to the spinners would occasionally reveal some intent, but by and large, circumspection was the name of the game.

Prime Numbers

391
Sri Lanka's score in the second innings at the SSC, which is their second-highest in the last innings of a Test. They'd scored 410 against Australia in Hobart in 2007.
134
The number of overs Sri Lanka batted in their second innings, which is their second-highest. They'd batted 141.4 overs in a losing cause against Australia in Hobart in 1989.
2
The number of centuries Kumar Sangakkara has scored in the fourth innings of a Test, in 21 attempts. He averages 41.88 in these innings.
114
The partnership for the fifth wicket between Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews, which is Sri Lanka's highest for that wicket in the fourth innings of a Test.

With Mathews showing only brief glimpses of his shotmaking potential, the run-rate slowed quite a bit after Samaraweera's dismissal soon after lunch. He had been afflicted with cramp, and was then struck a glancing blow on the helmet by Mohammad Aamer before a doosra from Saeed Ajmal was nicked behind.

Apart from a brain-fade where he nearly handled the ball after digging out a yorker from Younis, Samaraweera had constantly challenged the bowlers, never allowing them to settle into a rhythm. Danish Kaneria, the scourge of Sri Lanka's first innings, was attacked and only Ajmal managed to exercise any real control.

Younis was also badly let down by Umar Gul, who struggled with no-balls and served up dross with the second new-ball. Each mistake was pounced on by Samaraweera, whose classical drives invoked another age. Pakistan still had a slight edge, but with no Flintoff-like talisman to turn to, Younis' brow became increasingly furrowed as the afternoon wore on. Sangakkara's smile only grew wider.

Surgeon issues Pietersen recovery warning

2009-07-23T12:25:00.000-07:00

Kevin Pietersen struggled throughout the Lord's Test, and will now miss the rest of the summer.

Kevin Pietersen could find himself in a race to be fit for England's Champions Trophy campaign in September, after a London-based orthopaedic surgeon warned that he could need considerably longer than the estimated six weeks to recover from the operation he underwent on his right Achilles tendon on Wednesday.

"Kevin Pietersen has a serious problem with his Achilles tendon known as chronic tendinopathy, which hasn't responded to the usual measures of physiotherapy and injections," Dr Simon Moyes, who works out of the Wellington Hospital in St John's Wood, told the Press Association. "Less than five percent of patients end up needing surgery for this condition and therefore he is most unfortunate."

Pietersen was booked in for an operation on Wednesday morning, after struggling throughout England's historic victory in the second Test, in which they took a 1-0 lead in the Ashes series with their first win over Australia at Lord's since 1934. He was never comfortable at the crease, nor in the field, although his twin scores of 32 and 44 took his career tally against Australia to a formidable 1116 runs in 12 Tests, at an average of 50.72.

In a statement, the ECB's Chief Medical Officer, Nick Peirce, said that Pietersen had been operated on by a leading surgeon who had been specially flown in from Sweden, and that the early signs were that the operation had been routine.

"The operation involved a small incision and trimming of the blood vessels and nerves around the inflamed tendon," said Peirce. "Kevin will look to undertake a comprehensive rehabilitation programme to ensure there is no risk of recurrence. This is expected to be approximately six weeks but will be taken at an appropriate pace following constant review."

Moyes, however, warned that there was no guaranteeing a quick fix to Achilles injuries, and said that Pietersen and England might have to be patient in his recovery period. "The surgery to the tendon is not always predictable and involves cleaning inflammatory tissue, necrotic tissue and neovascular tissue - i.e. new blood vessels," he said. "I believe it will be at minimum of three months before he is fully recovered. Even then there is still a risk that the surgery may not work."

"As an England cricketer the Ashes are the pinnacle of the game so I'm absolutely devastated to be missing the rest of this series," said Pietersen. "I hate missing matches for England and especially during an Ashes summer but now that the decision has been made to undergo surgery I'm confident I can return to the England team injury-free following a course of rehabilitation."

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan (2009) 3rd Test Day 4 Highlights

2009-07-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan (2009) 3rd Test Day 3 Highlights

2009-07-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

Pietersen ruled out of Ashes

2009-07-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

Next in line?: Kevin Pietersen struggled throughout the Lord's Test, and will now miss the rest of the summer .

Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of the Ashes after undergoing surgery on his long-standing Achilles tendon injury. Pietersen was assessed on Wednesday morning by a leading specialist, and the decision was made to undergo surgery which means he will miss up to six weeks.

The news comes as a massive blow to England's morale and momentum after a week in which they finally ended a 75-year jinx in beating Australia at Lord's, and so went 1-0 up in an Ashes series for the first time since 1997. Pietersen's contribution to the match was muted, with twin scores of 32 and 44, but it nevertheless took his career tally against Australia to a formidable 1116 runs in 12 Tests, at an average of 50.72.

England, however, will now have to make do without that prowess. ECB Chief Medical Officer, Nick Peirce, said: "Following a consultation, involving scans and testing, with the world's leading Achilles specialist, Kevin Pietersen today underwent surgery on his right Achilles tendon.

"The operation involved a small incision and trimming of the blood vessels and nerves around the inflamed tendon and appears, at this early stage, to have been routine. Kevin will look to undertake a comprehensive rehabilitation programme to ensure there is no risk of recurrence. This is expected to be approximately six weeks but will be taken at an appropriate pace following constant review.

"Despite conventional conservative treatments to the tendon with trial periods of rest and rehabilitation, Kevin continued to be in significant discomfort and is currently unable to run or even walk comfortably. He had a strong desire to get through the Ashes series but despite this he has recently been unable to achieve a maximum level of performance.

"A number of short-term measures were considered but having been reviewed by the specialist, who flew into London from Sweden specifically, it was felt that anything else would put the tendon at risk and jeopardise his long-term recovery."

Pietersen said: "As an England cricketer the Ashes are the pinnacle of the game so I'm absolutely devastated to be missing the rest of this series.

"Up until now the Achilles injury has been manageable but it recently reached the point where we needed to look at other options in terms of treatment. I hate missing matches for England and especially during an Ashes summer but now that the decision has been made to undergo surgery I'm confident I can return to the England team injury-free following a course of rehabilitation.

"I was pleased with the previous course of treatment as it allowed me to take part in this Ashes series but unfortunately the injury has recently deteriorated. To leave a winning dressing room at this time is heart breaking but it wouldn't be fair to the team or myself to continue given the severity of the injury. I'll be supporting the team closely and wish them the best of luck as they look to build on the brilliant win at Lord's and reclaim the Ashes."

In Pietersen's absence, England are likely to offer a recall to Ian Bell, who was dropped in February after a run of low scores, but who has been in fine form for Warwickshire this season, with 640 runs at 80.00 before today, when he made 7 against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl.

"I am desperate to play," said Bell. "Having faced the Aussies before I know what to expect from them, and once you have appeared at Test level you want to carry on playing against the best players in the world."

The Australian camp maintained the line of the coach Tim Nielsen, who said on Tuesday he was not concerned by what was happening in England's squad. Shane Watson, the allrounder, said losing a key player like Pietersen "makes it very difficult".

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka - 3rd Test - Day 2 - Cricket Highlights

2009-07-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

Part 1

Part 2

Flower confident England can win without stars

2009-07-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

Andrew Flintoff had a tough physical game at Lord's, and England remain wary about his long-term fitness.

England's coach, Andy Flower, is confident that his team can build on the success and momentum they took from their historic victory over Australia at Lord's on Monday, regardless of whether their two star players, Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen, overcome their fitness concerns.

Amid the euphoria of England's first Ashes win at Lord's for 75 years, a result that gave them a 1-0 lead over Australia for the first time since 1997, there have been growing concerns about the ability of both Flintoff and Pietersen to take the field in the third Test at Edgbaston, which starts on July 30.

Pietersen, who struggled through the Lord's Test and made a laboured 44 from 101 deliveries in the second innings, will see a specialist later in the week, amid reports in some daily papers that he has already been ruled out of the contest. Though Flower denied that that was the case, he admitted that the prospect of surgery on Pietersen's troublesome Achilles tendon could not be ruled out at this stage.

"Kev is seeing a specialist later this week, they'll assess his Achilles problem, and we'll just get the expert advice and take it from there," said Flower. "I'd rather not make a prediction [about his fitness], I'll just let the medical guys make their decision. I don't know if an operation is the right action to take, but those sorts of decisions will be made by the end of the week."

Pietersen required four injections to get through the Lord's Test, and admitted at the weekend that the injury - the first significant problem of his career - has been playing on his mind "all day and every day". The same could not, however, be said of Flintoff, whose immense performance on the final morning at Lord's propelled England to victory with 10 unstinting overs off the reel.

Flintoff's final figures of 5 for 92 enabled him to become only the sixth player to score a century and take five wickets in Test cricket at Lord's, a belated statistical accolade in a career that has often gone under-rewarded. But Flower admitted to feelings of unease as he watched his star player thunder in in the closing stages of the match, with the result more or less sewn up already.

"Fred had a tough physical game," said Flower. "I was sitting up there thinking I'd quite like to see him taking a break, but he carried on, and he feels strong, and it worked out okay in the end ... I hope. Chatting to him afterwards he was very bullish about being ready for the third Test, but obviously with his injury record we have to be careful about wear and tear on his body, and he will be reassessed."

Regardless of what the doctors make of his conditions, with Steve Harmison finding menacing form for Durham in the County Championship, and James Anderson producing a superb four-wicket spell to help roll Australia over for 215 in their first innings at Lord's, Flower was confident that England have the fast-bowling resources to see them through an arduous summer.

"Flintoff is a world-class performer as we know, so if he's out of the side, of course that's a blow," said Flower. "But we've got a few fast bowlers waiting in the wings that we know can play international cricket, and can be very successful. Obviously we want Flintoff in the side, but we'll see if his body is up to it. If not there are other guys that can do good jobs for us. This is an Ashes series, a Test series, it's not his farewell series."

With a ten-day break between matches, England's players have got a timely opportunity to patch up their wounds before Edgbaston - and that includes the seamer Graham Onions, who was struck on the elbow while batting in England's first innings, and was said to be experiencing a lot of pain when he straightened his arm. "I should imagine he'll be fine because of the rest time available," said Flower.

"Usually the man involved knows his body best and can feel certain things," he added. "If the guys are fit enough to get through and contribute to winning Test matches, then they'll be selected. If they are not, it's not a tough decision to make, they are just not fit enough to be selected." Flower confirmed that, if Pietersen was unable to take part at Edgbaston, then Ian Bell - a squad member for the past two Tests - would be the logical man to stand in.

"When asked before the series if we believed we could win the series, I said yes," said Flower. "Whether we will win or not, we don't know. The guys are confident, but we'll have to play very good cricket. We're playing against the No.1 side in the world. We know they will regroup and come back strongly at us, so we've also got to regroup. Sometimes you can get distracted as much by winning as by losing. We have to regroup this following week as well, and hit them hard at Edgbaston."

Flintoff ends England's 75-year wait

2009-07-21T10:40:00.000-07:00

Andrew Flintoff strikes a pose after dismissing Brad Haddin on his way to a five-wicket haul on his final Test appearance at Lord's.

In his final act at the home of cricket, Andrew Flintoff broke England's 75-year Lord's curse with his first five-wicket haul since the Ashes-clinching Oval Test of 2005. It was, unquestionably, a performance that will enhance his already mythical status within English cricket, but more pertinently for now, delivered England to a 1-0 series lead heading into Edgbaston.

Victory was sealed 17 minutes before lunch when Graeme Swann, another major contributor on Monday, pegged back Mitchell Johnson's middle stump with the Australian total at 406. The wicket prompted scenes of jubilation not witnessed at Lord's in decades, and a collective furrowing of brows in the Australian dressing rooms as the series momentum shifted sharply in the hosts' favour.

Flintoff, who bowled unchanged for ten overs from the Pavilion End to claim three of the five Australian wickets to fall on Monday, broke first from England's celebratory huddle to shake the hands of the vanquished Johnson and his batting partner, Ben Hilfenhaus. It was a scene that mirrored the final act of the corresponding Test four years ago, and envoked a spirit of cricket that had been bruised over the previous four days.

Having spent the better part of Sunday evening chasing leather to all corners of Thomas Lord's playing field, England could scarcely have began the final day's play more positively. James Anderson's first delivery of the morning cannoned into Michael Clarke's thigh and prompted a raucous lbw appeal from both bowler and slips cordon, which was turned down by Billy Doctrove. Two more unsuccessful appeals reverberated around the grandstands before the first over was out, as Anderson probed the off stump at pace, precision and just a hint of movement away from the right-handers.

Flintoff displayed similar menace steaming in from his favoured Pavilion End, as 25,000 screaming voices drowned out the pain of a knee that, after four years of numbing injections, now resembles a pin cushion. Only a famous exit from Lord's would do for "Super Fred", and England's allrounder duly obliged with the wicket of Brad Haddin from his fourth ball of the day.

Haddin was seldom ruffled on Sunday, mixing punchy strokes forward of the wicket with deft glides behind, but a new ball and an inspired Flintoff would prove an irresistible combination. Fast and full, Flintoff coaxed Haddin into an edge that flew to Paul Collingwood at second slip, terminating his innings for an impressive 80 but placing Australia in precisely the position they had hoped to avoid. Flintoff, the victor, did not so much celebrate the dismissal as assume Nelson's Trafalgar Square pose. A candidate, if ever there was one, for the fourth plinth.

Johnson's early exchanges inspired little confidence that he would be the man to steer Australia to an improbable victory. Johnson half-ducked, half-stabbed at his first delivery from Flintoff and, as with his bowling, looked a shadow of the figure who compiled unbeaten innings of 96 and 123 against the South Africans four months prior. Edges off the bowling of Flintoff and Stuart Broad fell inches in front of the slips, and Johnson may well have found pavilion-bound had Flintoff not overstepped before wrapping him on the pads with a straight full-toss that struck in line.

Clarke, save for the odd Flintoff bouncer, was a picture of poise in the first half-hour of play, leaving judiciously outside his off stump and driving with sublime placement and timing. The fluency of his batting contrasted greatly with the nervous Johnson, although the latter eventually found something resembling a groove as the hour progressed.

As the first drinks break loomed, Clarke might have entertained notions of bettering his previous highest Test score, famously struck on his Test debut five years ago, however a change of bowling prompted a change in his fortunes. Swann had spent much of the previous evening bowling a faster, flatter line, but found success with a slower, looping delivery that dropped under the bat of the advancing Clarke and spun just enough into the off stump. Devastated, Clarke did not lift his head, nor raise his bat, despite a generous reception on his journey back to the Pavilion.

The loss of their sole centurion while still 165 runs in arrears of England was the death knell for Australia's aspirations of a world-record run chase. And when Nathan Hauritz was bowled shouldering arms to Flintoff the next over, an England victory was all but assured.

Johnson, by now, had found his batting form and blazed his way to a quick-fire half-century. But it would be in vain. Flintoff claimed his third career five-wicket haul by bowling Peter Siddle, and Swann rounded off the innings, and the match, by scything through Johnson's defences.

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan 3rd Test Colombo Day 1 Highlights

2009-07-20T14:54:00.000-07:00

Part 1

part 2

Sri Lanka search for clean sweep

2009-07-19T15:30:00.001-07:00

Chaminda Vaas has been recalled to the squad, but who will be dropped if he plays?

Match facts

July 20-24, 2009
Start time 10.00 (04.30 GMT)

The Big Picture

What could have been a tight series has already been won by Sri Lanka, thanks to three-and-a-half sessions of madness from Pakistan, during which they lost 27 wickets for 172 runs. Consequently they now stand one defeat short of what would be their first whitewash against Sri Lanka.

To their credit Sri Lanka, who are missing their best spinner and who had dropped their most successful fast bowler, have capitalised on the chances Pakistan provided. Sri Lanka have been a well-led side, comprising youngsters who have shown hunger to replace the incumbents for good. It will be a dream start for Kumar Sangakkara, in his first series as captain, if they can complete a clean sweep.

Sri Lanka have chosen to give their greatest fast bowler, Chaminda Vaas, a farewell Test now that the series has been decided.

Pakistan's problem has been that they able not been able to sustain their good work for long enough. Over the two Tests they have been a exaggerated version of West Indies in decline: in that they have taken only minutes in going from looking like a proper Test side to collapsing spectacularly like a school team. That middle ground, where teams arrest slides and resist momentum shifts, has been elusive.

Younis Khan, who refused before the series to make an excuse about being undercooked, has had a rethink, and has asked for some time before this team can become regular, consistent performers. Time in international cricket, though, comes dear. With every Test, their barren run grows, now at 10 win-less matches. They last won in January 2007, against South Africa in Port Elizabeth. In no time they will have an ODI series to salvage some pride, and they wouldn't want to go into that series 0-3 or 0-2.

Test form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)

Sri Lanka - WWDDW
Pakistan - LLDDD

Watch out for ...

Nuwan Kulasekara: Quietly Kulasekara has made this a defining series of his career. In Murali's absence, Vaas' dropping, and Mendis' ineffectiveness, Kulasekara has been a true leader of the attack, taking three four-fors already.

Mahela Jayawardene: It's been a quiet series for Jayawardene, but at SSC he comes home. He has scored more runs at the SSC than Don Bradman did at the SCG. Twenty Tests, 2198 runs, average of 81.40, and 832 of them in his last four innings there, Pakistan will need to make sure Jayawardene doesn't feel at home again.

Younis Khan: After his moment of madness, the reverse-sweep that kicked off a match-losing collapse at the P Sara Oval, Younis needs to set an example for a team he says is in rebuilding.

Team news

It will be interesting to see whose place Vaas takes. Both Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara have done commendably so far, and Kumar Sangakkara said Ajantha Mendis was not beyond being dropped. "There is a good possibility that we may go in with four seamers and leave out a bowler who has not done well," Sangakkara said. One of Thushara, Mendis and Angelo Mathews should make way.

Murali and Prasanna Jayawardene are still out of the squad, which means Tillakaratne Dilshan will continue his wicketkeeping duties. Malinda Warnapura gets another go at the top.

Sri Lanka (from) 1 Malinda Warnapura, 2 Tharanga Paranavitana, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Tillakaratne Dilshan (wk), 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Chaminda Vaas, 11 Thilan Thushara, 12 Ajantha Mendis.

Younis has spoken again and again about the need of not running the axe over this team. The middle order, though, has big questions to answer, and this could be a last chance for some of them.

Pakistan (likely) 1 Khurram Manzoor, 2 Fawad Alam, 3 Younis Khan (capt.), 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Abdur Rauf, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Mohammad Aamer, 11 Saeed Ajmal.

Pitch and conditions

The SSC pitch has taken some rain over the last few days, and if it reacts to moisture like the pitch at Galle did, we could be in for a short match.

Stats and trivia

There has never been a clean-sweep of a three-match Pakistan-Sri Lanka series. In 1994 Pakistan won a two-match series 2-0 in the only clean-sweep in their contests.

In his first three matches in Test cricket, Ajnatha Mendis took 26 wickets. In the next five he has taken 13.

Sri Lanka have won five of their last seven Tests at the SSC, drawing the other two.

Quotes

"The guys will be more focused on partnerships. Maybe we should play some games when wickets are falling or chat amongst ourselves to handle the pressure better. This is a personal thing. In international cricket you need to have more focus and motivation."
Younis Khan is desperate to prevent it from pouring when it rains

"It is always good to aim for a sweep, but you can't achieve that without playing your best cricket. We have been patchy, and so has Pakistan."

Chaminda Vaas to retire from Tests

2009-07-19T15:18:00.000-07:00

Chaminda Vaas will bow out of Tests.

Chaminda Vaas the Sri Lanka fast bowler, has announced he will retire from Tests after the third match against Pakistan in Colombo starting Monday. He said he will continue to play one-dayers and Twenty20s till the 2011 World Cup.

"I am officially retiring from Test cricket after the third Test against Pakistan, but will continue playing one-day and Twenty20 matches till the 2011 World Cup," he told reporters in Colombo, but declined to take any questions.

It will end a fine career by one of Sri Lanka's most persevering and successful fast bowlers. In 110 Tests he has taken 354 wickets at 29.40 after making his debut against Pakistan in 1994 - the second-highest Sri Lankan wicket-taker - along with 400 one-day wickets. Vaas also has 3085 Test runs at 24.48, including a century.

His captain Kumar Sangakkara led the tributes, saying that Vaas' achievements were the benchmark quick bowlers in his country will strive for. "Vaas is a true champion and probably the only Sri Lankan fast bowler who can be called a true legend of the game," he said. "No matter who replaces Vaasy in the bowling attack they will take years and years to reach the standards he has set - and maybe they never will."

Vaas last represented Sri Lanka in February in the abruptly terminated Test series in Pakistan. On July 4 this year Ashantha de Mel, Sri Lanka's chief selector, had been quoted in the press saying that Vaas had retired from Test cricket. However, Vaas, speaking to Cricinfo, denied any such claims.

Vaas, 35, was axed from the Sri Lanka Twenty20 side last October, missing the four-nation tournament in Canada. He kept his place in the Test side and featured in the Karachi match earlier this year but was subsequently dropped for the aborted Lahore Test after he went wicketless in 31 overs.

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan (2009) 1st Test Day 4 Highlights

2009-07-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

Part 1

Part 2

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan (2009) 1st Test Day 3 Highlights

2009-07-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

Part 1

Part 2

Watch cricket highlights: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan 1st Test, Day 3 from Galle.

Scoreline: Sri Lanka 217 all out (2nd Inn) Paranavitana 49, Samaraweera 34 | Aamer 3 wickets
Pakistan : 71/2 (2nd Inn), need 97 more runs to win the 1st test

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka (2009) 1st Test Day 2 Highlights

2009-07-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

Part 1

Part 2

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan 1st Test Day 1 Highlights

2009-07-07T14:14:00.000-07:00

Part 1

Part 2

Sri Lanka bowlers pull off improbable win

2009-07-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

Thushara bowled a dream spell, giving away just 12 runs in eight overs and picking two wickets.

A collapse of Pakistani proportions led to a complete U-turn in the fate of the incredible Galle Test, the match eventually decisively going Sri Lanka's way. Pakistan started the day needing 97 with eight wickets in hand, and Salman Butt and first-innings centurion Mohammad Yousuf resuming after comfortably negotiating the last half hour yesterday. But Thilan Thushara and Rangana Herath bowled exceptional spells of varied left-arm bowling to help Sri Lanka take the last eight wickets for just 46.

Pakistan's trouble against left-arm spinners are well documented - Herath's previous best bowling in Tests had also come against Pakistan - and he started the slide with his first ball of the day. Yousuf pretended to play a shot but the ball went straight on to get the lbw. A brain freeze followed from Butt, who holed out to long leg. No run added, two wickets taken, game on.

Though he got just two wickets today, Thushara's was the main job. Not a single loose delivery was offered in an eight-over spell during which he beat the batsmen so often that a ball hitting the middle of the bat could make it to a highlights package. He got the ball to move both ways, seaming it away and swinging it in. Kumar Sangakkara read the situation perfectly, employing in-and-out fields, not giving easy release through boundaries or singles without an element of maneuvering. With Thushara bowling as he was, maneuvering was not going to come easy.

Thushara got Shoaib Malik with one that moved away, bringing in the last capable batsman, Kamran Akmal. Akmal is quite capable of running away with small chases with fluent doubt-free batting, but nothing loose was on offer. Even when Akmal managed a square-cut the result was just a single because of the field. Nervously Misbah-ul-Haq and Akmal survived 21 deliveries, adding just eight, that too thanks to a misfield that went for four.

Thushara struck again at that time, getting the ball to tail in and trap Akmal lbw. Misbah didn't feel too comfortable either and fell trying to steal a leg-bye off a big lbw appeal. It was the fifth ball of the Thushara over, and he could have been trying to retain the strike, but there was never a run in it.

By the time Thushara and Herath were done with their first spells, Pakistan had lost five wickets for 20 runs in 15 overs. There was no conceivable way then for the tail to get the remaining 77. Especially with Ajantha Mendis yet to bowl, who ended with his first ball a 10-run stand between Abdur Rauf and Umar Gul. The accurate carrom ball was just too good for Gul.

Mohammad Aamer hung around for a bit but Herath came back to finish the match minutes before lunch, ensuring Galle's reputation of being a tough venue to bat last at remained intact.

India vs West Indies 1st ODI Highlights

2009-06-26T23:57:00.000-07:00

India Bat

WI Bat I

WI Bat II

Watch cricket highlights - India vs West Indies - the 1st ODI played at Kingston Jamaica on June 26, 2009.

Scoreline: India 339/6 Yuvraj Singh 131 (102), Dinesh Karthik 67 (77), Dhoni 41 (46), Yusuf Pathan 40 (38)
WI 319 all out: Chanderpaul 63 (59), Sarwan 45 (42), Gayle 37 (33) - Nehra, Pathan 3 wickets each

It’s amazing how T20 cricket changes the way we look at a high run-chase, with 60 odd to get in 40 seemingly gettable nowadays.

The over-hyped short ball against Indian batsmen reared up today again. A lot has been made of it, when the reality is Raina is the only one in the current team who has consistently looked awkward - in fact, it’s surprising, it took so long for bowlers to stumble onto this fact as a consistent weapon against him. Rohit Sharma has been getting out to the pull shot, but those who’ve seen his initial career will recall his performances against Lee and others in Australia. Gambhir too has had his own successful method to combat the short ball which includes the flay over/through slips and the pull shot.

The Yuvraj-Dinesh thing was scratchy initially, almost like they were trying to adapt to ODI cricket having played back-to-back in the IPL and T20 WC - Dwayne Bravo looked the most dependable of the WI bowlers today, while his half-brother (Daddy same, Mummy different) Darren who obviously seems to have watched a lot of Lara made a pretty neat debut. Now if someone could whack some sense into the selectors and get Lendl to replace Morton at the top, WI could well bounce back into the series.

Pregame: A pretty meaningless 4 match ODI series is about to kick off today. No test matches. One good thing with this series is that its end marks the beginning of a decent break for the Indian team. No Sachin, Sehwag, Zaheer (through injury) for India while WI miss Edwards (injured) and Lendl Simmons (shockingly cast astray). Darren Bravo, younger bro of Dwayne makes his debut though, while Raina has been given a break for India - a good time for him to work out the short ball rather than be embarrassed any further in the Windies and lose the confidence he’s built up over the last couple of years. Smart move, that one. Irfan too is not in the Indian squad, but Abhishek Nayar finally gets a call-up.

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Highlights - T20 World Cup Final

2009-06-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka Bat

Pakistan Bat
Celebrns + Post Match

Watch cricket highlights - Pakistan vs Sri Lanka - the 2009 T20 World Cup Final.

Scoreline: Sri Lanka 138/6 Sangakkara 64 (52), Angelo Mathews 35 (24) - Abdul Razzaq 3-20-3, Afridi 4-20-1
Pakistan win in 18.4 overs: Shahid Afridi 54 (40), Kamran Akmal 37 (28), Shoaib Malik 24 (22) - Malinga 3.4-14-0

I consider myself one of the bigger Afridi fans around, but I doubt I ever thought in all those years of Afridi-cricket wallowing in the pits of destitution, that he’d turn up at the final stages of a World Cup, much like Shane Warne did in ‘99.

Sangakkara, despite getting ok scores through this tournament, barring the game vs Australia has looked out of sorts. But today it was a completely different person having to temper his initial seize-the-game mode in search of someone at the other end. A very defendable total in a Cup final (in the company of Mathews) eventually resulted, but clever and calm cricket by Pakistan made it a walk-through in the end.

Amazing for Afridi to be the man of the moment considering his ignominious duck in the 2007 final which had translated to effigy-burning times despite being the Player of the Tournament then.

The comments section in this site had to be closed down after it became too much to handle. It started when India played Bangladesh and then climaxed after India exited the tournament. Would just like to say to some of those visitors - there are many Indians (like myself) who like good cricket whether it’s played by India, Pakistan, Australia or whoever and Pakistan players like Afridi and Akram (in the past) are respected and enjoyed as much as Indian players. So think about that, whenever comments are reopened here, and do stick to the cricket, considering this is a cricket highlights site. Hope everyone enjoyed the tournament. Back with the India tour of WI in a few days. Until then, have a virtual smoke on me.

Recall: Sri Lanka won the Super 8 encounter - not that it counts for too much - the Pakistan team was different at the time - Razzaq was missing and Afridi was still getting into his stride.

T20 World Cup - The Highs of the Lows

2009-06-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

With a World Cup filled with disappointments coming to a close, thought I’d put together a bunch of some of those moments. Many of my favourite cricketers are included here mostly cos they made me feel good to be down at 3 am in the night - highlights done and reflection on the day’s game lulling me to elusive sleep.

Afridi fifty seals title for Pakistan

2009-06-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

Shahid Afridi stood tall with a mature 54 to guide Pakistan home.

It wasn't the edge-of-the-seat final that would have signed off the ICC World Twenty20 in style, but that won't matter to Pakistan who gave their nation a something to savour amid troubled times. From the moment Tillakaratne Dilshan, the tournament's top-scorer, fell in the opening over Pakistan had a grip on the match. Shahid Afridi, who emerged as their trump card, guided his team home in the 19th over with an unbeaten 54, as their supporters celebrated deliriously.

Pakistan won't be playing at home for the foreseeable future, but the following they have had at this event has reinforced the notion that England can be a surrogate home. The masses were cheering from early on as Abdul Razzaq - a great individual comeback-story among the team's resurgence - claimed three key wickets in his opening burst to leave Sri Lanka on 32 for 4. They never looked back despite the best efforts of Kumar Sangakkara.

Occasionally the tension rose as the required rate climbed, but each time Afridi was on hand with one of his most mature innings. He hit consecutive balls from Muttiah Muralitharan for six and four in the 14th over, a calculated assault against a key bowler. The destination of the trophy was sealed when he swung a huge six over midwicket off Isuru Udana in the 18th over - the moment when Sangakkara gambled on one of his weaker bowling links - and followed that with another boundary off a high full toss.

Shoaib Malik played his part with 24 off 22 balls in a match-winning stand of 76 after Kamran Akmal had given early impetus to the top-order. The batsmen knew they didn't have to take many risks and played Ajantha Mendis better than any other team as he went for his most expensive spell of the tournament.

Pakistan's rise from rank outsiders to champions is an extraordinary display for a team that had to beat Netherlands by a significant margin to even stay in the event during the group stages. However, they have peaked at the right time and couldn't have produced a more complete performance for a final. They fell five runs short two years ago at Johannesburg, but this time there was no mistake.

Prime Numbers

22
Number of dot balls Pakistan bowled in the first six overs.
53 for 1
Sri Lanka's average score in the Powerplay overs, before this match. Here, they were reduced to 34 for 4 after six.
129
The number of runs Shahid Afridi has scored in his last three innings, since moving up to No.3, at a strike rate of 148.27. This run also includes his first two half-centuries in Twenty20 internationals, in successive games.
13
The number of wickets for Umar Gul in the tournament, exactly as many as in the 2007 edition. In 2007 he averaged 11.92 at an economy rate of 5.60. Here his average was 12.15 at an economy rate of 6.44.
64
Kumar Sangakkara's score, his second half-century and his highest score in Twenty20 internationals.
3 for 20
Abdul Razzaq's bowling figures, his best in Twenty20 internationals, and his second three-wicket haul in six matches.

Sri Lanka, who have been the model of consistency, were caught off guard by aggressive tactics. In a stirring atmosphere, Pakistan were on top of their game from the start as 17-year-old Mohammad Aamer belied his inexperience with a tone-setting opening over. In a clear plan he bowled short at Dilshan who was distinctly discomforted by the approach. Against the fifth ball Dilshan tried to take the initiative with a scoop over short fine-leg, but only managed to pick out the man on the edge of the circle. He had middled virtually all his attempts at the shot during the tournament and what a time for it to go wrong.

With the tournament's leading run-scorer heading off Pakistan were buoyed and Sri Lanka shaken. Jehan Mubarak was promoted to No. 3, but he couldn't survive the second over when he came down the pitch and got a leading edge into the covers to give Razzaq his first.

Sri Lanka briefly rallied as Sanath Jaysuriya suggested he could marshal a turnaround. Favouring the leg side he swung Razzaq for six with a forceful short-arm pull and collected four more next ball, but it was a short-lived response when an inside edge crashed into the stumps. Razzaq was flat on his face at the moment of dismissal after slipping in his follow-through but it was Sri Lanka who were feeling unsteady.

Younis Khan went on the attack and his decision to post a wide slip paid rich dividends when Mahela Jayawardene steered the ball straight to Misbah-ul-Haq at ankle height. Razzaq was playing his cricket with a new lease of life after being giving another crack at international level. He wasn't part of the original squad, but Yasir Arafat's injury that prompted the switch now looked like a stroke of fortune.

Four wickets inside the Powerplay meant Sri Lanka had little choice but to play it safe as Younis turned to his spinners. Sangakkara was calmness personified amid Sri Lanka's problems aware that the hopes of a decent total rested on his shoulders. He paced his innings expertly, reaching fifty off 44 balls despite the problems that surrounded him, but only found support when joined by Angelo Mathews.

The final five overs brought 59 runs and if any attack could make a game out of 138 it was Sri Lanka's. However, early wickets were key and they didn't materialise as Akmal and Shahzaid Hasan played sensibly. The wizardry of Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan and the accuracy of Lasith Malinga have provided wonderful entertainment over the last weeks, but on this occasion couldn't conjure the magic spell that was needed.

As Afridi and Malik embraced mid-pitch after the winning moment the emotion showed what this victory means for Pakistan. They needed this success most and perhaps that drive was the deciding factor. The country faces a difficult few years of rebuilding, but this victory will have brought great joy and, hopefully, belief of a brighter future.

All-conquering England take title

2009-06-21T06:08:00.000-07:00

Katherine Brunt kept headline punsters and New Zealand's line-up busy.

After all the anticipation the first women's World Twenty20 final was somewhat of an anti-climax but in the end the better team prevailed to become Twenty20 champions at Lord's. Katherine Brunt's career-best 3 for 6 set up a target of 86 and though England took 17 overs to chase it, they won't spend sleepless nights worrying.

The match was really won and lost in the first ten overs in which New Zealand limped to 30 for 4 after failing to counter Brunt's inswing and going for some ridiculous shots of their own. Brunt, sporting a black-eye that gave her a scrappy look to go with her fierce bowling, got the best out of a pitch that had life early. She bowled full to get maximum effect out of the inswingers but also sneaked in some shorter deliveries that lifted awkwardly.

Two of Brunt's wickets were a result of poor shot selection - Doolan bizarrely went for a tentative scoop and popped a catch to the wicketkeeper, and Rachel Priest tried to hook a shorter delivery only to offer Brunt a return catch.

But she can certainly take all the credit for her first dismissal, that of New Zealand's top run-getter Aimee Watkins. Offspinner Laura Marsh had beaten Watkins two balls before. Brunt came in for her second over and pitched the first ball on middle and off and it straightened to take the off stump as Watkins missed the line and went for a drive. With New Zealand's in-form batsman out, Brunt proceeded to put the pressure on the new batsman Amy Satterthwaite, with yorker-length deliveries. She kept up the pressure in her next over that Satterthwaite was forced to play out as a maiden.

Nicki Shaw picked up from where Brunt left off - not only in the bowling department but also in the wicket-celebration one as the two had a dance-off after Shaw bowled Nicola Browne with one that angled in to the right-hander. New Zealand had a little breathing space when left-arm spinner Holly Colvin came to bowl in the 11th bowler. She gave away three wides in her first over and was unlucky to have two catches dropped of her bowling - a tough one by her - after that. By the end of the 16th over, New Zealand's batsmen had faced 59 dot balls. In the last five overs they managed only 32 runs and lost the final four wickets.

England's batsmen may have taken their time to chase the paltry total, but it wasn't because New Zealand's bowlers really tested them. Often the quality of the opposition makes you look better or worse than you are. Against India, New Zealand's seamers looked almost unplayable, their fielders sharp and accurate. But today, against a much stronger batting side, they seemed bereft of inspiration.

Sian Ruck and Kate Pulford bowled well but not the sort you need when defending 85. Charlotte Edwards hit Ruck for a four by moving to leg and making room to cut and Ruck countered that with an inswinger that bowled Edwards, who tried to make room again. Pulford got outswing to right handers and bowled just outside off stump, beating Claire Taylor's bat thrice in an over. However, with no slip employed England prospered; Sarah Taylor edged one from Pulford and it went for four after beating a diving Priest behind the wicket.

Fittingly Claire Taylor, the Player of the Tournament, hit the winning runs. She ended one run short of being the leading run-getter. This is the second time in three months that England have beaten New Zealand in a World Cup final and future encounters between the two sides will be just the more gripping to watch.

In today's Sunday Telegraph Scyld Berry wrote that if England win the match, they would become the first international side of either gender to be champions in all three formats. England have done that but more importantly proved through this tournament that Twenty20 suited to women and can be a format used to make the game more popular.

Journey a triumph of human spirit

2009-06-20T14:53:00.000-07:00

Match facts

Sunday June 21
Start time 1500 local (1400 GMT)

Big Picture

On the morning of March 3 in Lahore, the world of cricket was shaken to the core. The horrific attack on the Sri Lankan team bus, as it pulled into the Gadaffi Stadium ahead of the third day of the second Test against Pakistan, was the moment a thousand preconceptions were destroyed. Cricket's presumptions to diplomatic immunity had been mocked by the forces of evil, and as Pakistan spiralled into sporting exile and Sri Lanka's traumatised players rushed home to the bosom of their families, the obvious reaction was to wonder "what now?" for the great game.

Three and a half months later, and sport's great gift for reinvention has delivered a contest that flicks two fingers at the perpetrators of the Lahore atrocity, and proves that - without wishing to overload the sentiment - the human spirit cannot be crushed by cold calculation. Pakistan and Sri Lanka will take center stage at Lord's on Sunday for the final of the most joyful international tournament the game has arranged in years. Twenty20 may be cricket for hedonists, but after everything these two teams and their respective nations have been through of late, the need to lay on a party suddenly feels like the only serious obligation.

"It is a fitting reward for the courage of the team in the way they have played the tournament," said Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka's statesmanlike captain. "All the players have got through Lahore, but what it brought home to us is that we are just the same as everyone else. Sometimes it is nice to be reminded of your mortality, especially when the press and everyone else blows you up to be more than that in this sporting culture. But we've shown no fear and we've gone to play cricket, and it's a fitting reward for that attitude."

If Sri Lanka enter the final as favourites, it is only by dint of their exceptional consistency throughout the tournament. Unlike South Africa, the one-dimensional steamrollers who were spectacularly upstaged by the mercurial Pakistanis at Trent Bridge, Sri Lanka's unbeaten run owes itself, if you like, to a Barcelona-style carousel system, in which the identity of the day's gamebreaker is impossible to call until the damage has already been done. One day, Ajantha Mendis will sweep through the midfield, the next it's Lasith Malinga, while Muttiah Muralitharan's enduring class allows no liberties to be taken against his four overs. And then, every once in a while, up will pop a totally random destroyer, such as Angelo Mathews, the three-wicket wrecking ball against West Indies on Friday.

And yet, Pakistan have developed some serious momentum in the latter stages of the tournament. Their captain, Younis Khan, laughed in the face of their group-stage trouncing against England, dismissing Twenty20 cricket as "fun", and later likened it to WWF wrestling as well. His comments caused consternation at the time, particularly for the thousands of passionate Pakistan fans whose presence and exuberance at all matches have been among the highlights of the competition. But internally, his words had a soothing effect on a side that had lacked meaningful match practice since a low-key one-day series in UAE. As soon as they hit their stride with a walloping of New Zealand at Lord's, Younis' impassioned defence of his star bowler, Umar Gul, in the face of ball-tampering insinuations, left no-one in any doubt as to the galvanised nature of their campaign.

Gul's peerless death bowling remains one reason why Pakistan have the potential to go one step better than in 2007, when Misbah-ul-Haq's traumatic aberration delivered India a five-run victory and instigated a Twenty20 revolution. Shahid Afridi's big-game mentality and bamboozling legspin is another. Set against their wiles is the sensational form and innovative eye of Tillakaratne Dilshan, who produced his most orthodox innings of the tournament on Friday and still came within ten yards of posting the second century in Twenty20 international history.

But whatever happens, it's all about to come down to 40 overs of fiesta cricket in front of a packed house at Lord's, and on this occasion, the old adage "to the victors, the spoils" somehow doesn't seem fitting. Sunday's final is not merely a celebration of cricket, it is a celebration of life. And that's a very serious reason to abandon any lingering hang-ups about the place of 20-over cricket in the grander scheme of the game, and simply get on with the important business of letting the hair down. Joie de vivre has carried these two teams into the final, and it will sustain them in victory or defeat.

Tournament record
(most recent first)
Pakistan WWWLWL
Sri Lanka WWWWWW

Watch out for...

Tillakaratne Dilshan has been the tournament's outstanding run-maker, and one of the format's great innovators as well, with his so-called "Dilscoop" turning back-of-a-length dot-balls into undefendable boundaries over the keeper's head. His tally of 317 runs - almost double the number of any other player in the final - have come at an average of 63.40 and a strike rate of nearly three runs every two balls, but his magnificent 96 not out in the semi-final victory over West Indies was especially notable for its normality. He simply middled every shot he attempted, and with 14 boundaries to 15 dot-balls, it reeked of a serious batsman in princely form.

Umar Gul

Daniel Vettori was so bewildered by Gul's mastery of line, length and late swing during New Zealand's Super Eight derailment that after the game he (unwittingly or otherwise) called into question the honesty of the methods employed. Younis' reaction was apoplectic, as he demanded an end to the suspicions that habitually surround Pakistani success, and instead called for an acknowledgment of a bowler at the absolute peak of his powers. Gul's figures that day of 5 for 6 may prove to be Laker-esque in their endurance in the record-books, but subsequent performances have shown it was no one-off. His appearance, invariably in the second ten overs of an innings, can bring all momentum to a shuddering halt.

Team news

Both teams may want to retain their winning line-ups.

Pakistan (probable) 1 Kamran Akmal (wk), 2 Shahzaid Hasan, 3 Shahid Afridi, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Younis Khan (capt), 6 Misbah-ul-Haq, 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Fawad Alam, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Mohammad Aamer.

Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Chamara Silva, 6 Jehan Mubarak, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Isuru Udana, 9 Lasith Malinga, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Ajantha Mendis.

Stats and Trivia

Pakistan and Sri Lanka have both contested two 50-over World Cup finals in the past, with one victory and one defeat apiece. Pakistan beat England in the final at Melbourne in 1992, then lost to Australia at Lord's in 1999. Sri Lanka beat Australia at Lahore in 1996, then lost to the Aussies at Bridgetown in 2007.
Pakistan, of course, contested the inaugural World Twenty20 final as well, when they lost by 5 runs against India at Johannesburg.
All five of the tournament's leading wicket-takers will be on display in the final. Mendis, Gul, Malinga and Ajmal have all taken 12 wickets, Afridi is tucked in behind them on 10.
Click here for more stats.

Quotes

"Sanath is always a big-match player. He's won a lot of matches for us in the past, and I think he's going to win a lot more in the next few years as well. As long as he's fit and is performing, we are happy to have him in the side. I think he'll do something special in the final."
Sri Lanka's captain Kumar Sangakkara talks up the form and focus of Sanath Jayasuriya, who was off-colour during the semi-final victory over West Indies.

"I used to think of myself as a batsman three to four years ago because that is how everyone started to think of me. But I was moved around so much the order that I just went back to concentrating on bowling. I told Younis I wanted to bat up the order and it worked."
Shahid Afridi concedes that bowling is his strongest suit these days, despite his destructive batting against South Africa at Trent Bridge.

West Indies vs Sri Lanka Highlights - 2nd Semi Final

2009-06-20T01:52:00.000-07:00

SL Bat

WI Bat

Watch cricket highlights: West Indies vs Sri Lanka - the 2nd Semi Final of the T20 cricket World Cup.

Scoreline: Sri Lanka 158/5 - Dilshan 96 (57) | West Indies 101 all out - Chris Gayle 63 no

The Dilshan knock was similar to the Gilchrist knock in the final of the 2007 ODI World Cup in that, teammates floundered where he found ease. Gayle looked to be delaying his launch for once things had stabilized around him - a phase of play that remained elusive and so an emphatic win in the end for Sri Lanka.

Pregame: Sarwan and Chanderpaul in the middle using their experience vs spin could possibly decide whether WI can put one past SL. Simmons vs quality spin will also be worth a watch, while Sri Lanka will be hoping one of their top 4 hangs around, not exposing the Silva-Mubarak enigma. How will Gayle and Bravo react to the SL pace attack who barring Malinga have side-stepped crouchingly behind Murali-Mendis?

South Africa vs Pakistan Highlights - 1st Semi Final

2009-06-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

Pakistan Bat
SA Bat

Watch cricket highlights - South Africa vs Pakistan - the 1st Semi Final of the 2009 T20 World Cup.

Scoreline: Pakistan 149/4: Shahid Afridi 51 (34), Malik 34 (39), Kamran Akmal 23 (12)
SA 142/5: Kallis 64 (54) - Shahid Afridi 4-16-2, Umar Gul 3-19-0

Postgame: After an almost 2 year wait, Afridi who’d hit the pits of ridicule during the game vs England, pours scorn on all who laughed (Praveen, yeah you.)

The Pak batting petering out in the final overs partly due to super stuff by Parnell-Steyn seemed to have tilted it SA’s way after the spanking start by Akmal. But SA seemed to panic a bit after losing Gibbs and AB to Afridi, looking to consolidate by sending Duminy in when the consolidator Kallis was already in and set. Smith in the post-match thing admitted he had Morkel padded up from the 11th over, and then ironically added, “If you don’t lose a wicket he can’t come in and bat” - it wouldn’t have been a bad idea to send in a drink and tell JP to make way. Not sure whether it would have changed the result considering Gul bowled brilliantly yet again, but it was a shot worth taking to have Albie or Merwe (who seems to have lost favour as a hitter suddenly) in. Especially when you consider the fact that Younis Khan almost bungled the game giving Fawad an over out of nowhere which meant Gul even if he bowled through would finish an over short. If WI make it past SL tomorrow, you’d have two sides that most would have marked at the start of the tournament as being the most unpredictable, squaring off for the Cup. Awesome.

JP Duminy’s current state in T20 cricket seems really confused. When he arrived on the scene vs the Aussies, his early T20 games showed him to be an inventive attacking player, and then all of a sudden since Merwe arrived, he’s shifted into a rotate-the-strike role. In the end everyone seems confused, cos now Merwe is playing in the side as a spinner primarily and Duminy’s finding it hard to get the boundaries away at will. Anyway, SA have a while to reflect yet again on a semi-final loss and they’ll probably be wishing they lost the game to India, just so they could get the law of averages (at least), to perhaps get them a Final spot. It’s sad for SA cricket cos their win vs Australia at Perth seemed to be finally ridding them of all past labels.

Pregame: Similar bowling attacks (Steyn/Parnell/Kallis vs Gul/Aamer/Razzaq and Botha/Merwe vs Afridi/Ajmal) and an important middle-order batsman who can counter spin (de Villiers vs Younis Khan). Pakistan have the edge at the top though, (with Gibbs one down) in Akmal/Hassan vs Smith/Kallis.
Umar Gul has been (deservedly) the limelight-hogger, but Aamer has quietly been bowling quite brilliantly through the tournament and so Smith (who seems to have rediscovered his touch) vs the youngster will be watch-worthy. In the propel-the-score lineup, Pakistan have a couple whose status at this point can’t really be pinned down - Afridi has been looking better with each game, while Razzaq hit a nice big six in the game vs Ireland. For SA, the blind-hitting abilities of Merwe haven’t really been called on so far, with Botha being sent above him in the game vs India. Was that a strategy - will Merwe suddenly walk out today if an early wicket falls. Wouldn’t be a bad idea to send him against pace rather than spin considering his play seems to be designed around - pick the line of the ball early, turn head away and launch an almighty swing and let Him decide where the ball goes.

Science v art in clash of cultures

2009-06-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

The batting needs the likes of Shoaib Malik to really get his show going.

Match facts

Thursday June 18
Start time 1730 local (1630 GMT)

Big Picture

It's first a clash of ethos, of philosophies and even of time, more than a semi-final. Here is truly man against machine, the art of cricket against the science of it, cricket's future and cricket's past. South Africa's progress to this point has been smooth, well-planned, calculated and inevitable, as if their players were born to do this. Pakistan have got here in shambles - losing games, winning some, treating it all as a bit of fun - and the players not so much born to do this are struggling to discover why they are doing it at all.

South Africa lack nowhere and nothing. If Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith are the efficient drones at the top, there is heart in the middle, with the ever-frail skills of Herschelle Gibbs and the creativity of AB de Villiers. Even Albie Morkel, in whom there are glimpses of Zulu, thankfully smiles more. They've always had pace, but now they even have spinners, who are not batsmen forced to bowl. Sure, they are a little one-dimensional (watching videos of Umar Gul's yorkers?), but they are spinners - South African and successful; how often have we said that in the past?

The whole machinery is intimidating, determined to iron out all kinks, the mission pre-programmed; with seven consecutive wins in this format, they have apparently also taken the inherent unpredictability of this format out of the equation. They are well-trained, well-oiled, and their psychologist talk about 120 contests and of processes over outcomes and how choking is not really an issue anymore. They win even warm-up matches and the dead games because every game counts. They are cricket's future.

Pakistan are the past. They are wholly dysfunctional, but just about getting along, though unsure where they are going. They don't control their extras, they don't run the singles hard and they field as if it were still the 60s. They are least bothered about erasing the flaws because any win will be in spite of them. They did hire a psychologist though, and you can only imagine what those sessions were like and how much they actually talked about sport and cricket. There are permanent mutterings of serious rifts. They may not bat, bowl or field well all the time, but sometimes, they do what can only be described as a 'Pakistan': that is, they bowl, bat or field spectacularly, briefly, to change the outcome of matches. You cannot plan or account for this as an opponent because Pakistan themselves don't plan or account for it.

It can come from any person, any discipline, but on evidence, it is likelier to come from the bowling. The batting needs Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq to really get their show going. A piece of fielding brilliance cannot be discounted, but generally both Pakistan and West Indies have happily disproved the dictum that in T20 cricket you have to be Jonty Rhodes to get anywhere. Heroes will likely be found among the Umar Guls, the spinners and maybe even Mohammad Aamer, who is a throwback to the late 80s and early 90s, when Pakistani fast bowlers were born ready to play international cricket.

The pressure on South Africa however, will be greater. They are expected to win this and anyway they will always have the whole 'chokers' tag to deal with until the day they actually lift a big trophy. It doesn't help that they look as good as they did during the 1999 World Cup, though they are easier on the eye. Pakistan, as Younis Khan said before leaving for England, won't much mind a semi-final spot; Kamran Abbasi rightly noted that they may have had an easier ride to the semis than most but no country has had a rougher two years. Clearly they'd love to win it, but they have already achieved more than many thought and a loss wouldn't be the end of the world. But importantly, as the only side to make it to the last four in 2007 and 2009, they have underscored their significance in this brave new, T20 world, a world in which they absolutely cannot be ignored.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)

Pakistan WWLWL

South Africa WWWWW

Watch out for...

The whole South African machinery is intimidating - determined to iron out all kinks, the mission pre-programmed.

Albie Morkel has been a quiet, steady ever-present through South Africa's tournament. But he is capable of bigger, more explosive things especially with the bat and this match - and potentially the next - are the best platforms for it.

Shahid Afridi's moment turned the tournament for Pakistan, an outstanding catch hastening New Zealand's collapse, and possibly himself - at least with the bat. Since then he has batted with rare sense, as everyone has wished him to, and at little expense to his strike rate. He will be a factor with the ball anyway, but if he gets going with the bat, then South Africa will panic.

Team news

Pakistan have finally settled upon what they feel is their best line-up, more by chance than design. Barring injury, there are unlikely to be any changes.

Pakistan: (probable) 1 Shahzaib Hassan, 2 Kamran Akmal (wk), 3 Shoaib Malik, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Younis Khan (capt), 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Fawad Alam, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Mohammad Aamer, 11 Saeed Ajmal

Jacques Kallis will come back in for Morne Morkel after being rested for the dead game against India.

South Africa: (probable) 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Jacques Kallis, 3 Herschelle Gibbs, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 JP Duminy, 6 A Morkel, 7 M Boucher, 8 Johan Botha, 9 Roelof van der Merwe, 10 Wayne Parnell, 11 Dale Steyn

Pitch and conditions

The surface for this match is two along from the one that turned square for the South Africa-India match and is expected to be harder and offer less help for the spinners. However, the slow bowlers have had an impact throughout so are still likely to be key. Steady rain arrived in Nottingham on the practice day, but is due to clear overnight and the forecast for Thursday is fine.

Stats and Trivia

Pakistan and South Africa have six bowlers in the top 10 wicket-takers of the tournament, though Pakistanis occupy the top two spots.
Three of the top 10 run-scorers of the tournament are from South Africa and Pakistan, with AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis at numbers two and three..

Quotes

"Our bowling has been great and all of them are now bowling in rhythm. The batsmen have to support the bowlers if we are to win this cup."

Younis Khan points out the areas of improvement.

""I think we've come past that. This team has come a long way and I think we've proven that. Hopefully we can show that on Thursday, that's what is exciting about it. "

Graeme Smith dismisses talk of being 'chokers'.

"It's great to be in a position where you can rock up to a ground, look at the wicket and know you have all the bases covered. We aren't really worried what the wicket will be."

Mark Boucher believes South Africa can cope with any conditions that are thrown at them.

India vs South Africa Highlights - Super 8s

2009-06-18T08:46:00.000-07:00

SA Bat

India Bat

Watch cricket highlights - India vs South Africa from the Super 8s of the 2009 T20 Cricket World Cup.

Scoreline: SA 130/5 AB de Villiers 63 (51) - Jadeja 3-9-1
India 118/8 Botha 4-16-3

Postgame: Pregame

Pregame: Yeah, so India is supposed to be playing for pride - a concept best left to columnists - when all the players probably want to do is head home and find some pretty bimbettes. Does anyone ever remember the result of a dead-rubber game and the pride one team left with? If you lose a series or tournament, you lose, pride or no pride.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Highlights - Super 8s

2009-06-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

SL Bat

NZ Bat

England vs West Indies Highlights - Super 8s

2009-06-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

England Bat

WI Bat

Watch cricket highlights - England vs West Indies from the Super 8s of the 2009 T20 Cricket World Cup

Scoreline: England 161/6 (20 overs) Ravi Bopara 55 (47), Kevin Pietersen 31 (19)
Rain interrupted target for WI - 80 off 9 - get there in 8.2 overs - Sarwan 19, Chanderpaul 17, Bravo 18, Gayle 15

England yet again showed that barring their openers (Wright didn’t come off today) and KP, they have had pretty much nothing propel-the-score worthy in their middle order this WC. What Sarwan and Chanderpaul couldn’t do during thegame vs SA in support of Simmons, finally happened in the knock-out game and so, if you look at T20 cricket as the most consistently aggressive form of cricket, you’d have to believe the more deserving team went through today.

Pakistan vs Ireland Highlights - Super 8s

2009-06-15T10:57:00.000-07:00

Pakistan Bat

Ireland Bat

Watch cricket highlights - Pakistan vs Ireland from the Super 8s of the 2009 T20 Cricket World Cup.

Scoreline: Pakistan 159/5 Kamran Akmal 57 (51), Shahid Afridi 24 (13) - Boyd Rankin 4-11-0
Ireland 120/9 Porterfield 40 (36) - Ajmal 4-19-4, Umar Gul 4-19-2, Aamer 4-19-1

The most interesting aspect of the Pakistan batting in the early part was the respect they gave the Irish bowling, without going bananas as they often can do. Afridi who’d played a responsible knock in the game vs NZ, looked to be getting back into some sort of batting form if not striking form. And that’s super for viewers considering Yuvraj’s exit yesterday. Think Hasan at the top and Razzaq to come is making the difference as Afridi no longer sees himself as the lone-hitter around and feels he can afford to work his way into form.

Ireland like against SL came up against a spin attack and pacers, their relative inexperience couldn’t really cope with. End of the Irish this year, but there are some players there, worth looking forward to whenever they next play international cricket. Until then, will miss their anthem played on a cricket field.

The big win by Pakistan today means their presence in the semis is no longer dependent on SL vs NZ tomorrow cos their NRR is better than SL now.

India vs England Highlights - Super 8s

2009-06-15T06:11:00.000-07:00

England Bat

India Bat

Post-match

Sri Lanka vs Ireland Highlights - Super 8s

2009-06-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

SL Bat

Ireland Bat

Watch cricket highlights - Sri Lanka vs Ireland from the Super 8s of the 2009 T20 Cricket World Cup.

Scoreline: SL 144/9 Mahela Jayawardene 78 (53) - Trent Johnston 4-1-18-1, Alex Cusack 3-18-4
Ireland 135/7: Niall O’Brien 31 (37), Mooney 31 (21)

Fore-play: Team down at 14/2 and like he has done for years, Mahela Jayawardene bails Sri Lanka out. All those classy shots on offer here. What made the SL innings a lone-man effort (with some support from Sanath) was the uncertainty of Chamara-Mubarak lurking below him.

Ireland did most things perfectly today even with Mahela’s innings, but in the end it came down to Murali, Malinga and Mendis. Sri Lanka have been banking too much on them and as mentioned earlier on this site, against a more experienced side that plays spin well, SL could well come unstuck.

Pre-play: With all the beauty associated with a giant-killing game, you’d have to believe that Murali-Mendis and Malinga will be too much for the (relatively) inexperienced Irish, whatever they can summon with the ball. But on an individual player note, it would be good to see Kevin O’Brien come good.

New Zealand vs Pakistan Highlights - Super 8s

2009-06-13T14:18:00.000-07:00

NZ Bat

Pak Bat

Watch cricket highlights - New Zealand vs Pakistan from the Super 8s of the 2009 T20 Cricket World Cup.

Scoreline: NZ 99 all out Scott Styris 22 - Umar Gul 3-6-5, Abdul Razzaq 3.3-1-17-2, Afridi 4-17-1
Pakistan take 13.1 overs: Shahzaib Hasan 35 (28), Shahid Afridi 29 n.o. - Vettori 4-20-2

So Razzaq walks into the team, doesn’t impact the game the way Shoaib Akhtar did in the IPL, but gets a wicket in his very 1st over - all those nipping-back deliveries that have troubled the best were spot on from ball 1, and though his team may have been charged up for the occasion anyway, his arrival has already stirred things up. The day however belonged to Umar Gul with ridiculous figures of 5 for 6 in just 3 overs - similar in impact to what his colleague Tanvir did in the IPL. Tanvir’s WC campaign unfortunately seems over - that horrible 1st over in the game vs SL overshadowing some seriously good deliveries whenever a legal delivery was bowled. He also looked to be having some fitness issues midway through the game vs Netherlands. Deserved spell for Gul who for some time now has been Pakistan’s most consistent and dependable bowler.

Hasan played the warm-up vs India and looked a tad nervous, but today, yet another young attacking opener from Pakistan seems to have emerged. It’s too early I suppose to judge his future considering the long list of seriously talented players who’ve kind of faded away - Imran Nazir, the Farhat brothers, Basit Ali, Yasir Hameed.

Shahid Afridi had a super day out first with the ball and then just when NZ found a way to open up a flurry of wickets, Afridi donned the calming role, nudging singles and twos. Who’d have thought.

Pregame: All buzz is about the proposed reentry of Razzaq into international cricket. Easily one of the Top 3 allrounders of his era when he was around, how cricket-friendly he is at the moment is not sure. As many have commented on the site, Imran Nazir too would have been a welcome member along perhaps with the Farhat brothers. For NZ, the Cup is just a few games away (in my world), if. If at least Taylor can return as soon as possible. But yeah, the loss of Ryder and absence of Vettori has made it a little harder. But McCullum is pretty due.
Just to rant on a little longer about Razzaq, the last time a stunning reentry to cricket happened was when Shawbshank Redemption occurred. However, the circumstances were a little different. The management was filmi, Akhtar is that sort of a guy and Ganguly was captain. How wanted Razzaq is made to feel will be the key as Younis doesn’t seem an Imran Khan by any stretch of imagination. But considering how Razzaq has always come across as an aloof sort of character, maybe all he needs is Abdul talking to him. So yeah, the most unpredictable moment of this tournament looms right ahead of us.

Forewarned means forearmed

2009-06-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

England will remember Yuvraj Singh's assault when the two teams meet at Lord's.

Match facts

Sunday, June 14
Start time 1730 local (1630 GMT)

Big Picture
Well, that's livened things up a bit. West Indies' stunning seven-wicket win over India on Friday has transformed the dynamics of Group E, and left the holders facing what is, in effect, an elimination show-down with the hosts. On paper it ought not even to be close - when England and India last faced each other in a limited-overs contest, in India in November, a unprecedented 7-0 whitewash was only averted by the abandonment of the tour due to the Mumbai terror attacks.

Nothing that England have done in this tournament to date gives much reason to believe they have a prayer of progressing any further. A laughable defeat against the Dutch was followed by a competent dismissal of a distracted Pakistan, but their humbling against South Africa on Thursday was a truer reflection of their standing. Quite simply, they were outclassed, rolled over for 111 - the lowest total of the competition so far - and routed by Jacques Kallis on cruise control.

India, by contrast, were progressing pretty serenely (give or take the odd testy press conference) until their surprise derailment at the hands of Dwayne Bravo. They qualified comfortably from a weak group made up of Bangladesh and Ireland, and it's possible they were caught unawares by the sudden step-up in class that West Indies presented.

Whatever the reasons, forewarned means forearmed. The last time these two sides met in the World Twenty20, in Durban in September 2007, Yuvraj Singh strode into history with his brutalising of a young Stuart Broad, and India marched into the final stages as England skulked home early from yet another global tournament. Little we've witnessed thus far in 2009 suggests the story will be any different. But then again, shocks are part and parcel of this format, and any side containing an in-form Kevin Pietersen cannot be dismissed out of hand.

Semi-final chances

A win for either team will obviously boost their chances of making it to the semis, but India have far more riding on this game than England. If India lose on Sunday, they are definitely out, since the winner of the England-West Indies game on Monday will join South Africa on two wins and knock India out even if they win their last game.

If England lose, however, there is still a chance for them if they beat West Indies, and if South Africa beat India. In that case, South Africa will finish with three wins, while England, India and West Indies will all have one each, bringing net run rates into play.

Form guide
(last five matches, most recent first)
England: LWLLW
Up and down, up and down. England's yo-yo performances demonstrate just how inexact their science is when it comes to Twenty20. Paul Collingwood said his team would carry on attacking despite their defeat against South Africa, but the best sides are able to adapt on the hoof.

India: LWWLL
A brace of defeats in New Zealand earlier this year dented India's overall record, but they have still won nine of their 15 T20Is dating back to December 2006.

Watch out for...

Yuvraj Singh's astounding feat under the Durban floodlights was the unequivocal highlight of the last World Twenty20, as he battered Broad for six consecutive sixes. There has been mutual antipathy between Yuvraj and England ever since, compounded by the success his left-arm spin has enjoyed against Pietersen. With 67 from 43 balls in the West Indies defeat, he's certainly in form ahead of the rematch.

Ravi Bopara has been tipped by Sachin Tendulkar, no less, as a very "special" talent, and Indian audiences already know what he's about, after he produced one of the finest innings of the IPL - 84 from 59 balls for King's XI Punjab against Royal Challengers Bangalore. After two consecutive failures against Pakistan and South Africa, he's due a return to form.

Team news

After a false start against Netherlands, England seem to have settled upon their best eleven for this format, with Adil Rashid impressing as the second spinner, and Dimitri Mascarenhas taking the pace off the new ball. Despite crashing horribly at Trent Bridge, it's hard to see how they can improve the team, short of shooing in Graham Napier for his international debut.

England: (probable) 1 Ravi Bopara, 2 Luke Wright, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood (capt), 6 Dimitri Mascarenhas, 7 James Foster (wk), 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 James Anderson.

The loss of Virender Sehwag was a blow to their big-hitting aspirations, but India still possess oodles of potent thwackers all the way down the order, even as far as Harbhajan Singh at No. 8. It's unlikely they'll be altering what was, up until Friday, a winning formula.

India: (probable) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha

Stats and Trivia

* England and India have only played in one Twenty20 international to date - Yuvraj's match in Durban, which finished up as 18-run win for India.

* Despite their habitual lack of success (seven victories in 18 matches) seven of the England players who contested that match are likely starters this time around.

* Six different Indian batsmen have struck 13 sixes between them so far in the tournament. England's tally is eight.

Quotes

"We were able to raise the required run rate close to 10 runs per over, we were good at that, but he took the game away from us."
India's captain, MS Dhoni, rues the impact that Dwayne Bravo had on their last match at Lord's.

"We're not going to win by sitting back. Twenty20 cricket is about putting the opposition under pressure from ball one. We've got to make sure we have the attitude of 'keep going for it'. We're not going to get anywhere by being conservative ."
England's captain Paul Collingwood promises a full-frontal assault for the remainder of the tournament.

No more butterfingers for Pakistan

2009-06-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

Shahid Afridi pulled off a fantastic running catch.

Comeback of the day
The rebel returns. Abdul Razzaq has left the ICL behind and is back on the international stage for the first time in more than two years. He couldn't have wished for a better re-start to his career. With his fourth ball he claimed the key wicket of Brendon McCullum caught at point and raised his arms in celebration. Then in his third over he trapped Martin Guptill leg before and completed the most of rare of Twenty20 breeds - a maiden. The clash created by the ICL appeared to have ended a few international careers early, but let's hope now that more players return. How New Zealand would love to have Shane Bond back.

Catch of the day
There have been some extraordinary catches and pieces of fielding in this tournament, but not many of them from Pakistan. Now, thanks to Shahid Afridi, they have their own moment for the tournament highlights reel. Scott Styris made decent contact as he tried to pull Umar Gul over mid-on and although not out of the middle it looked likely to land safe. Afridi didn't think so. He turned and ran towards long-on, but managed to keep his eye on the ball and an idea of where the boundary was. As the ball dropped he reached out, held on, then managed to put the brakes on in time. The crowd, led by the passionate Pakistan support, cheered as one and Afridi soaked up the moment.

Bowler of the day
There are good Twenty20 bowlers, then there is Umar Gul. They don't come much better. He was a star during the 2007 event in South Africa and here claimed the first five-wicket haul in Twenty20 internationals despite not being used until the sixth option by Younis Khan (and also occupies position three on the list of best figures for good measure). He can produce pin-point yorkers at will, finds reverse swing from a ball less than 20 overs old and has complete trust in his variations. The complete Twenty20 operator.

Angry captain of the day
Daniel Vettori returned from injury for this game, but he may wonder why he bothered as his team had a shocker. By the time Vettori came to the crease New Zealand were 88 for 7 and there was little he could do, but it was important to use up the 20 overs. They couldn't even manage that and when Vettori was run-out with nine balls unused the anger was clear on his face as he trudged off.

Debut of the day
It's been chop and change at the top of Pakistan's order and in this match they tried out another combination with 19-year-old Shahzaib Hasan making his debut. He has very limited experience, but then that can often be the case when Pakistan youngsters are plucked out for international honours. But with just four Twenty20 matches under his belt he played with no fear as the small target was hunted down. There was a hint of top edge to get off the mark, but he drove Vettori handsomely for six and later upper-cut Ian Butler for his most impressive boundary.

India vs West Indies Highlights - Super 8s

2009-06-13T07:37:00.000-07:00

India Bat

WI Bat

Watch cricket highlights - India vs West Indies from the 2009 T20 World Cup - the Super 8s game.

Scoreline: India 153/7 Yuvraj Singh 67 (43), Yusuf Pathan 31 (23) - Dwayne Bravo 4-38-4, Fidel Edwards 4-24-3
WI get there with more than an over to go: Dwayne Bravo 66 (36), Lendl Simmons 44 (37)

Whichever side you’re on, two super knocks worth a watch on either side. And for me personally, a third from Simmons who looks certain to ease the disappointment of Marlon Samuels fading away. Bravo and Simmons had threatened this in the Game vs Sri Lanka.

It’s a good thing the highlights are restricted to 10 mins cos it means they omit the painful knock by Dhoni 11 (23). It’s easy but unfair to pick on him now, cos the truth was it was always coming. Just that many chose to gloss over it cos India was doing well. The problem Dhoni is facing is that for some time now, he’s been unable to really go bang and yet he continues to back himself to do it at any stage. So in the process he gets into this prod for a single mode and when the big shots don’t come off, all those prods and pushes look terrible in the final scorecard. A hitter at the start of his career, he should definitely be able to rediscover it, if he finds it within himself to be humble enough to silently retract statements like - “I tell the youngsters to play their natural game cos it’s not easy to go out there and change your game. Not everyone can do it. Maybe after 2 or 3 years they’ll learn how to do it.” (paraphrased).

Fidel Edwards looked the best he has this tournament and a fantastic win for WI who should now fancy taking down either England (more likely) or SA for the semi-spot. Provided they field like they did today.

Pregame: With Chris Gayle most certainly back, surely there must be a way to retain classy Simmons, though how much of the bowling he’ll face down the order if retained remains a question. For India, Dhoni’s position in the batting order will be one of the aspects - it’s about time Raina is given a game, considering he’s hardly got a hit this tournament.

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Highlights - Super 8s

2009-06-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka Bat

Pakistan Bat

Pakistan vs Netherlands Highlights - T20 World Cup

2009-06-10T08:47:00.000-07:00

Pakistan Batting

Netherlands Batting

India vs Pakistan T20 Worldcup Warmup Match Highlights

2009-06-10T08:37:00.000-07:00

Pakistan Batting

India Batting

Ex-ICL player Razzaq set for international return

2009-06-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

Abdul Razzaq is likely to become the first former ICL player to return to international cricket.

The PCB has decided to call up Abdul Razzaq to replace one of its two injured players in the ongoing ICC World Twenty20. The request, if accepted, will make Razzaq the first former ICL player to return to international cricket.

The request was sent to the ICC's technical committee and, though there's no official confirmation it has been accepted, sources close to the Pakistan camp and the player claimed it had.

"We have made a request to the ICC for Abdul Razzaq as a replacement," Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, told Cricinfo. "He is an allrounder and we've requested he replace Arafat, who is also an allrounder."

A source close to the player also confirmed that Razzaq had been contacted by the board and apprised of the situation.

While both Yasir Arafat and Sohail Tanvir are carrying injuries, Arafat's hamstring strain seems the more serious and Razzaq would represent a like-for-like change in that he is an allrounder.

The Pakistan team manager, Yawar Saeed, said Arafat had been diagnosed with a lateral hamstring tear and would not play any further role in the tournament. News of Tanvir, who played with a back strain in the victory against Netherland yesterday, was better - he was back training with the rest of the squad at The Oval today.

Razzaq was one of several ex-ICL players granted amnesty by the PCB a few weeks back, shortly after the Indian board set the ball rolling for players to come in from the unofficial league. Other boards followed suit; some set a 'cooling off' period in place, while others like the PCB said they would handle each player on a case-by-case basis.

Ironically, Razzaq's name was on the original list of 30 probables the PCB had sent to the ICC in early April - before the BCCI announced the amnesty - but the board u-turned and scratched his name off because the ICC objected to his ICL status. And with more irony, the comeback completes a full circle of sorts for Razzaq: it was only after being overlooked for the 2007 World Twenty20 squad that he decided to turn his back on Pakistan cricket. He lambasted the team's set-up at the time, claiming he had been treated badly and then retired from international cricket, before taking back his announcement.

Pakistan will welcome back Razzaq's skills. He was one of the ICL's most valuable players, leading his franchise Hyderabad Heroes to the title in the first season and a runners-up spot the second time round. His form in the recently-concluded domestic Twenty20 was outstanding as well and limited-overs competitions in England hold special memories. It was in the 1999 World Cup that Razzaq first announced himself as a major talent, picking up a bundle of wickets and scoring some crucial runs, often at one down.

Mumbai Indians vs Deccan Chargers Highlights - 2nd Leg

2009-05-06T13:03:00.000-07:00

Deccan Chargers Bat

Mumbai Bat

Watch cricket highlights - Mumbai Indians vs Deccan Chargers from IPL 2009 - the 2nd game between the two in season 2.

Scoreline: Deccan Chargers 145/6: Rohit Sharma 38 - RP Singh 4-19-2
Mumbai Indians 126/8: JP Duminy 52 - Rohit Sharma 2-6-4 including a hattrick

Hara-kiri at its purest. Committed without even the realistic possibility of loss looming.

From 49 to get off 36 balls, with JP Duminy and Dwayne Bravo around, Mumbai ended up losing by 20 runs. Along the way Rohit Sharma picked up a hat-trick much like Yuvraj Singh’s hat-trick (in the sense - the hattrick ball being the first delivery of a new over). The worst part of the Mumbai collapse was that they were given a couple of reprieves by Suman and yet insisted on paying their odes to the art of hara-kiri in the modern world. Fantastic viewing stuff.

Recall: The Chargers won the earlier game - Chargers vs Mumbai - 1st Leg.

Zaheer Khan who did some shoulder-damage while diving in the last game will miss this game for Mumbai, while word is there’s a good chance Vaas might play today. Must be cos of his high success-rate vs Tendulkar.

England could host Pakistan-Australia Tests

2009-05-06T12:59:00.000-07:00

After UAE, England could be the next neutral venue for Pakistan's home Tests.

Discussions between the PCB, ECB and Cricket Australia (CA) are at an advanced stage as the three parties try and find a way of rescheduling Pakistan's 'home' series against Australia in England next summer.

Australia were due to tour Pakistan for a full series in March 2008 but pulled out because of security concerns. The tour was postponed, but after the terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team in March this year and the subsequent ICC move to take the 2011 World Cup away from Pakistan, international cricket within Pakistan is all but ruled out for the next few years. The PCB, therefore, is looking for ways to minimize the impact on its FTP and is actively looking at neutral venues where it can stage future home commitments.

Abu Dhabi and Dubai, where Pakistan just played an ODI series against Australia, is one option but England has always been another, ever since Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, floated the idea last year.

"There is a lot of discussion going on between the three parties," an official involved in the negotiations told Cricinfo. "Nothing has been finalised just yet but we are getting closer to the possibility that Pakistan plays its Tests against Australia in England next year."

There are obstacles still in the way before any agreement is reached. The first is the itinerary: CA wants to play two Tests and two Twenty20 internationals, while the Pakistan board is keener on a three-Test and three-ODI series. Whichever schedule is settled upon, it will have to be worked in between three international series in the English summer: Bangladesh are touring in May-June for a Test and ODI series and West Indies in July and August. Additionally, in June, Australia are due to play a five-match ODI series with England. Further complication may come in the form of the P20, the ECB's answer to the IPL, which begins from next summer and may involve international players.

Other hurdles are TV rights and the costs involved. Sky Television has the rights to England's home Tests but this covers those contests where England are the hosts. As the rights holder to Pakistan's home contests, Ten Sports are likely to be the broadcaster. "The TV rights are a pressing question," the official said. "It is crucial for the PCB to continue to benefit from broadcasting rights and Ten Sports and Sky will have to come up with some kind of compromise to ensure that happens. It shouldn't be a problem."

As the PCB found in the series against Australia in the UAE, the costs involved in hosting a 'home' series at a neutral venue are prohibitive. Cash-strapped already - though perhaps not as much as initially thought - the cost of holding a series in England will have to be weighed up seriously. "As it was in Dubai, the costs in the UK will be very high," a PCB official said. "That is something we really have to look at, in terms of how much revenue we will be able to generate."

The venues for the series are yet to be decided though cities such as Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham - traditionally home to large British Asian populations - are likely to be on any shortlist.

Chennai Super Kings vs Deccan Chargers Highlights - 2nd Leg

2009-05-04T11:46:00.000-07:00

Chennai Batting

Deccan Batting

Watch cricket highlights - Chennai Super Kings vs Deccan Chargers from IPL 2009, the 2nd Leg.

Scoreline: Chennai 178/3 - MS Dhoni 58 (37), Matthew Hayden 43 (26), Suresh Raina 32 (19), Murali Vijay 31
Deccan Chargers 100 all out - Dwayne Smith 49 (23) - Shadab Jakati 4-22-4

The possibilities of the Matthew Hayden-Murali Vijay thing was on display today followed by Dhoni lifting himself up the order despite the lurking presence of Pragyan Ojha. Quiet to start with and still mesmerized by Ojha for the most part, Dhoni apart from a huge six off Pragyan opted to ease himself in as Raina took charge.The final Chennai assault however had the Dhoni the bulldozer at its forefront, playing one Dhoni shot after the other. Good stuff to watch, even for the non-Dhoni fans.

The Chargers pretty much were out of the chase after a duck farm at the top (1/3). Dwayne Smith however is definitely worth a watch with some of the best hits of the game. Jakati continued to hold batsmen in a Goa trance and the Chargers yoyo looks quite sodden at this point.

Recall: Deccan through a Gibbs 69 won during the 1st round between the two sides this season.

Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders Highlights - 2nd Leg

2009-05-04T11:43:00.000-07:00

KKR Bat

Punjab Bat

Watch cricket highlights - Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders from IPL 2009 - the 2nd Leg.

Scoreline: KKR 153/3 - Brad Hodge 70 (43), Sourav Ganguly 22
Mohali make it off the last ball - Mahela Jayawardene 52, Simon Katich 34

Kolkata had a listless start though Gayle spanked a few - remember this day cos this is probably the first and last time you’ll see McCullum taking 31 deliveries for his 19. Brad Hodge appeared to have taken the game away from Mohali with serious late hitting on a pitch that the experts out there said was around 130-140.

Classy Jayawardene eventually was central to the Kings runchase - he was lucky to escape a plumb LBW at a crucial point in the game, but KKR didn’t lose the game because of that. Their fielding did them in today.

There was a heated moment between Ishanth Sharma and Yuvraj Singh after the latter was dismissed but if you watch the last part of the 2nd video carefully, things seemed to have cooled down by the time the players came out to shake hands - Yuvraj makes an in-good-humour reference to the Sreesanth slap (IPL 2008) by raising his hand in a halfway-slap while meeting Ishanth.

Pregame: Punjab lost Round 1 between the two in a rain curtailed game - KKR vs Mohali Kings XI - 1st Leg. Chris Gayle’s final game by the way for KKR this season.

Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Highlights

2009-05-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

Mumbai Batting

Bangalore Batting

Watch cricket highlights - Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore from IPL 2009.

Scoreline: Mumbai 149/4 - Sanath Jayasuriya 52, Dwayne Bravo 50 no - du Preez 3 wickets on debut including a double-wicket maiden
Bangalore finish it in 18.1 overs - Robin Uthappa 66 (42), Jacques Kallis 69

Last season, Bangalore frustrated its home-boys by picking people like Jaffer and Kallis consistently ahead of Taylor and Cameron White. They did the same today going for Jaffer in place of Goswami (not sure if it was insanity or injury) and some guy called Du Preez ahead of Steyn while sticking with the Kallis-Boucher combo ahead of Taylor-Ryder. And it fell into place perfectly on the day. However the pain of seeing Kallis seal his place in the side was offset by one of the best sights in limited-over cricket - Robin Uthappa rediscovering his touch towards the end of play. A couple more of these and he should be back where he belongs - in the Indian ODI/T20 team.

Mumbai appeared to go into shock after the Du Preez debut double-wicket maiden over - even the bowling was insipid today. Bangalore is going super right now, but one can’t help but wonder if these sort of team selections can be successful long-term.

Thus, the impotent selection committee speculated.

Pregame: The first clash between the two sides this season - Anil Kumble against Tendulkar/Jayasuriya - seems the most interesting thing on offer here considering RCB seem adamant about Kallis ahead of Taylor/Ryder

Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Daredevils Highlights - 2nd Leg

2009-05-02T15:09:00.000-07:00

Watch cricket highlights - Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Daredevils from IPL 2009 played on May 2, 2009.

Scoreline: CSK 163 - Badrinath 45, Raina 32, Matthew Hayden 30
Delhi fall short 145: Dinesh Karthik 52, David Warner 51 - Shadab Jakati 4-24-4

To users: Sapo might be painfully slow today cos of it being a football weekend and many football sites using it. People keep saying why don’t you use so and so like Dailymotion etc - vids don’t stay there for more than a couple of days and there’s a ridiculously long processing time. Hang in there - a better player may just be coming next week.

The first thing Chennai got right today was discarding Parthiv Patel and bringing in Murali Vijay as opener. It might not have worked great today, but Murali is one of the cleanest hitters around backed by technique - in a way similar to Badrinath who once again got an opportunity up the order and did better this time around. It was his partnership with Raina that kept Hayden’s initial push going and despite the big hitters down the order failing, Chennai posted a decent total on a good wicket.

When will commentators stop talking as though Gilchrist has just walked out every time Dhoni does. Last game vs Rajasthan, his lack of hitting despite coming in the 13th over hid behind Raina’s performance. The last time Dhoni the hitter was around was in IPL 2008 during a Steyn over. Nowadays it’s more average-keeps-climbing Dhoni who walks out.

Delhi pretty much take after their captain Sehwag (missing today) - there is not a single batsman in the team with a negative bone and this was apparent today with the chase being realistic for a long while. Brilliant knocks by Karthik and Warner.

Rajasthan Royals vs Deccan Chargers Highlights

2009-05-02T15:08:00.000-07:00

Watch cricket highlights - Rajasthan Royals vs Deccan Chargers from IPL 2009

Scoreline: 141/5 - T Suman 41, Adam Gilchrist 39, Rohit Sharma 38 - Yusuf Pathan 4-19-1
Rajasthan Royals make it in 19.4 overs - Abhishek Raut 36, Yusuf Pathan 24 (14), Carseldine 39 - RP SIngh 4-18-2 including a wicket maiden

Amazing game. Costly fumbles by the Chargers right at the end, but it’s Yusuf and new find Raut yet again for the Royals. A gambler’s dream - this sort of cricket, which is what makes the Rajasthan Royals the most exciting team to watch despite their continued uncertainty at the top of their batting order.

Australia vs Pakistan 4th ODI Highlights

2009-05-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

Pakistan Bat

Australia Bat

Watch cricket highlights - Australia vs Pakistan 4th ODI highlights from the 2009 Chapal series.

Scoreline: Pakistan 197 all out (48.4 overs) - Shahid Afridi 40, Ahmed Shehzad 43
Australia take 44.2 overs to win and clinch the series with a game to go: Michael Clarke 100 no, Shane Watson 85 no

The Clarke-Watson partnership stood stark in contrast to the listless Pakistan innings that never really had any momentum going for it until Shahid Afridi and Arafat made sure they got somewhere close to 200. Afridi has shown enough this series to indicate that the dry run he’s had with the bat in the last year and a half is a forgotten past. One of those blistering knocks seems pretty round the corner.

Watson in fine form should mean joy for the Rajasthan Royals if he gets to join them for the latter half of the IPL. Clarke of course doesn’t care for trifles like the IPL - this site doesn’t care either. Ponting is the best and Michael Slater was better. One has to admit though, Clarke is nowadays more himself than a Slater clone.

Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mohali Kings XI Highlights - 2nd Leg

2009-05-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

Watch cricket highlights of Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mohali Kings XI from IPL 2009 - 2nd Leg.

Scoreline: RCB 145/9: van Der Merwe 35 (19) - Yusuf Abdulla 4 wickets (including a wicket maiden), Yuvraj Singh hat trick
Mohali fall short:137/7 - Yuvraj Singh 50 (34) - Anil Kumble 4-25-2

It was bound to happen - Bangalore improving after the exit of KP. It has nothing to do with KP the player. More to do with the 4 overseas players/team rule. Now that Kallis the captain has been taken out, wonder why Bangalore still continue to play him leaving Taylor and Steyn out. Anyway, team selection hasn’t been delegated here, so better move on.

Too bad for Yuvraj to have a hattrick and a fifty and still lose. While Praveen Kumar did bowl a fantastic final over, the 19th over bowled by Anil Kumble was the game-swinging one. 17 runs off 12 balls, Sangakkara and Pathan batting, and Kumble gets Sangakkara while conceding just 4 runs.

Satisfied Australia make Pakistan sweat

2009-05-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

It has been a frustrating campaign for the Pakistanis, who have one game left to repeat their opening success.

Match facts

May 3, 2009
Start time 3pm (11.00GMT)

Big Picture
Australia won their first series since beating Bangladesh in September with a strong victory in Abu Dhabi on Friday and the players can relax over the final two games of their United Arab Emirates tour. Sunday's fifth ODI and Thursday's Twenty20 are the last opportunities to tinker ahead of the World Twenty20 and Michael Clarke's men will also be looking forward to a short break before the tournament in England next month.

Clarke was on fire in the heat on Friday, registering 100 off 122 balls in the eight-wicket success, while Shane Watson battled to a timely 85 not out. "It's been a while since we've won a one-day series and to play the type of cricket we have in tough conditions, hot conditions, tough wickets, especially after coming from South Africa, the conditions have been so different," Clarke told AAP. "I'm rapt with the way we've performed."

Doug Bollinger set up the win with the first five wickets of his career as Pakistan reached 197. "A lot of credit has to go to our bowlers, Dougy's come in and he's had to wait a long time for his opportunity," Clarke said. "Not only has he repaid the selectors for showing him faith, but I think he's done a lot to push his name forward for future one-day selection and maybe even the Twenty20 World Cup."

Pakistan's series has gone downhill since their satisfying win in the opening game. The form of Shoaib Akhtar in the early overs of the second innings on Friday showed he still carries a dose of magic, which has been one of the few highlights for the "home" side in the UAE.

Form guide (last five ODIs, most recent first)
Pakistan LLLWL
Australia WWWLW

Watch out for
Shane Watson scraped and scrapped while carrying his bat on Friday in an unfamiliar style. He has become a muscular free-scorer in the past few seasons and now that he has proved himself with some serious runs in a long stay, he can enjoy the final encounters and seal his spot on the tour of England.

The opener Ahmed Shehzad, 17, could still be at school but is learning about international cricket instead. After a run-out mix-up on debut, he has followed his 4 with 40 and 43, showing his promise and gaining invaluable experience against a useful bowling line-up. An adventurous slog sweep ended his display on Friday, but if he goes further than a half-century his side will be in good health.

Team news
Some more experiments are likely now the final game is a dead rubber. Brett Lee could be trialled earlier than expected and Ben Laughlin will come into contention. Marcus North would like another go after his debut lasted only four balls thanks to Shoaib.

Australia (possible) 1 Brad Haddin (wk), 2 Shane Watson, 3 Marcus North, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Callum Ferguson, 7 James Hopes, 8 Nathan Hauritz, 9 Stuart Clark, 10 Nathan Bracken, 11 Doug Bollinger.

Pakistan have gone close on occasions in the past three games without matching their opening success. Resting Umar Gul on Friday was a strange decision considering the situation of the series, and he should be back to partner Shoaib unless either of them are too tired.

Pakistan (possible) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Younis Khan (capt), 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Umar Gul, 9 Shoaib Akhtar, 10 Iftikhar Anjum, 11 Saeed Ajmal.

Pitch and conditions
While parts of Australia shiver, the UAE has been boiling and the tourists will be pleased to return home to more bearable conditions next week. On Friday the match started with the temperature around 43C and a maximum of 37C is expected on Sunday, along with another surface offering spin and low bounce.

Stats and Trivia

* If Australia win the final game they will move one point behind the No. 1 South Africa and take their overall record in the UAE to 14 wins in 24 matches
* Doug Bollinger's 5 for 35 lifted him to third on the series wicket list, one behind Nathan Hauritz and five behind Shahid Afridi
* Clarke's century has been the only one of a series controlled by the bowlers

Quotes
"He's bowled beautifully and the rest of the guys, the rest of the bowlers, probably didn't get the same rewards as Dougy, but they did a fantastic job."
Michael Clarke has more praise for Bollinger

"When Shoaib got two early wickets, we thought we could win, but Clarke and Watson batted superbly."
Younis Khan looks back at Friday's missed chance

Jakati spins Chennai to victory

2009-05-02T14:51:00.000-07:00

A superb bowling performance by left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati gave Chennai Super Kings their third win of the tournament and with it some momentum. Chennai's total of 163 - built around a 66-run partnership between Suresh Raina and S Badrinath - seemed too little after they whimpered to a finish, but led by Jakati and Muttiah Muralitharan they hit back at the clutch, disturbing a threatening stand and keeping Delhi to 145 as the IPL bandwagon landed in Johannesburg.

Delhi were rattled early in their chase by Sudeep Tyagi, who was again given the new ball. His first wicket owed more to a corker of a catch by Raina at point to cut off Gautam Gambhir, but the second was a peach. AB de Villiers was cleaned up first ball by an awayswinger. In his first over, Jakati also arrived with a bang. Tillakaratne Dilshan, Delhi's batting hero in the last couple games, was bowled by a ripper that pitched on middle and took off stump.

Till the 16th over it was almost in the bag for Delhi, thanks to a super stand between the IPL debutant David Warner and Dinesh Karthik. Displaying plenty of urgency with his shots and running between the wickets, Warner farmed the strike and collected five fours and a six, all of which were controlled attempts. Thought not at his most devastative, he was firm when he pulled to the on side and impressed with how he took on responsibility to see Delhi through early difficulty.

Karthik's was a smart innings, shot by shot relieving the pressure on Warner. He meshed caution with aggression but most importantly, found the boundaries whenever he tried. Jacob Oram was taken for a six each by Warner and Karthik when he came on to bowl the 13th over. Then Murali returned and Karthik slammed consecutive boundaries through cover, one with a two-step and the other rocking onto the back foot. The cheeky followed, as Karthik paddle-scooped L Balaji to fine leg. Murali erred in length and Karthik flat-batted four more.

Then Jakati returned and pulled the carpet from beneath their feet, with a bit of help from Murali. Karthik began by smashing a boundary but Warner, who raised his fifty from 38 balls, was stumped attempting to swing Jakati away. Mithun Manhas came and went, bowled trying to slog Murali, and Karthik found himself in the driver's seat. Karthik's fifty came up off 30 balls but next ball, with 32 needed from 17, he top-edged Jakati to the deep. Jakati completed a superb spell by bowling Pradeep Sangwan and victory was soon achieved. Jakati and Murali, in their eight overs, took five wickets. This again proved that anything in excess of 150 was not easy to chase.

Chennai's innings ran a similar course after Gambhir, captaining in place of an injured Virender Sehwag, put them in. Their lost two early wickets, were lifted by a strong stand, and then collapsed in the last few overs. M Vijay replaced an out-of-sorts Parthiv Patel as opener but himself looked a Twenty20 misfit before Ashish Nehra tested him with a short ball and drew a top edge. Matthew Hayden, knocked to his feet when he took a ball from Sangwan flush on the sternum, kept swinging away but fell to the same bowler when he lofted to long-on.

With the ball still new and the field in, Raina boldly went over the top, getting off the mark with a front-foot six. When the field spread and spin came on, he chipped and tucked the ball smartly into the gaps but trying to up the tempo was taken right on the boundary line by Tillakaratne Dilshan. Badrinath had taken his time, scoring his first seven runs off 13 balls, but dumped the first ball after the tactical break for six off Dilshan. In the same over he took Dilshan for four down the ground, before hooking, pulling and cutting Sangwan to and over the boundary in the next over. Another solid slap past point followed but, like Raina, Badrinath tried to take it up a level and was yorked by an alert Rajat Bhatia.

With Albie Morkel and MS Dhoni batting and Oram to come, a total of 180 seemed a distinct possibility but the quick bowlers struck as Gambhir made a good call. With Bhatia's slow medium stuff keeping a check on runs, Gambhir called back Nehra for the 16th over. Nehra immediately struck with the short ball, taking a return catch from Morkel. Nehra was impressive all evening, varying his pace and banging it in on a testing length.

Then Dirk Nannes was ushered right back for the next over and took out Oram, who fell pulling. Nannes then found himself on a hat-trick when Dhoni top-edged a quick delivery to cover. The hat-trick was averted, only for Nehra to take his third with a fuller ball.

In the end, that total of 163 proved more than enough for Chennai to get some lift. Today the top two teams suffered defeats and the top seven are now separated by just two points, proving what a tight contest this IPL is.

Raut shepherds Rajasthan to victory

2009-05-02T14:48:00.000-07:00

Prime Numbers

3 for 3
Rajasthan's score at the end of the second over
4.1
The over in which Rajasthan hit their first boundary
19
The number of first-ball ducks this season, including Swapnil Asnodkar's run-out today
42
The number of balls in which Lee Carseldine and Ravindra Jadeja added 50 for the fourth wicket.
194
Yusuf Pathan's strike-rate against Deccan in three matches he has played against them
4
Number of sixes hit by Shane Warne, all of them against Deccan
64
T Suman's average, the highest for a Deccan batsman
3
The number of Man-of-the-Match awards that Yusuf has this season. It equals the number of matches Rajasthan have won

Rajasthan Royals prevailed in a see-saw chase which included three wickets in two overs and 51 runs in seven. Disciplined spells of bowling were followed by some nerveless batting, though misfields and dropped catches from Deccan Chargers contributed to the close finish.

Yusuf Pathan, having starred with the ball early in the piece, took Rajasthan to within 11 of victory with two overs to go. Abisheik Raut, who played an anchoring role with an unbeaten 36 off 23 balls, was joined by Shane Harwood in the middle and Dwayne Smith fumbled a run-out chance with 10 needed off 10.

Some anxious moments ensued as Deccan argued that only one of the two runs that Raut and Harwood ran during the run-out attempt could be counted since the umpire had already signalled a referral at the end of the first run. But the deduction did not amount to much after Rohit Sharma failed to collect a ball and let it go for four instead. That eased the pressure on Rajasthan, who needed only two off the final over. Fidel Edwards bowled two dot balls but messed up a possible run-out of the third. Raut and Harwood took two singles to finish the game with two balls to spare.

But it had looked like Deccan had their fifth win in the bag when Rajasthan found themselves at 3 for 3 at the end of two overs. Graeme Smith slashed a catch to third man after having nearly got run out, following which Swapnil Asnodkar, again slow to react to a call, gave up his wicket as Lee Carseldine nearly reached his crease. Naman Ojha gave RP Singh a wicket-maiden after his struggle to pick the line ended with a catch to Herschelle Gibbs at point. At the end of three overs Rajasthan were 5 for 3, as opposed to Deccan who were at 27 for no loss at that stage.

Then Ravindra Jadeja and Carseldine added 51 in seven overs - Carseldine hitting five fours in 11 balls - but the two fell within four balls of each other. Rajasthan went into the strategy break marginally ahead of Deccan at the end of 10 overs - 60 to their 58 - but had lost two wickets less in hand. Shane Warne pushed Yusuf down the order and brought himself and Raut up in a move that worked. The over immediately after the strategy break was the most effective as Warne first pulled Venugopal Rao for a six to midwicket, was dropped off the next, slogged another six off the third before Raut joined in with a four to fine leg.

They rotated the strike for the rest of the partnership and even after Warne's fall, Raut continued to patiently collect the runs, leaving the big-hitting to Yusuf. He perhaps only missed out on a Man-of-the-Match award because Yusuf not only hit a cameo innings of 24 off 14 but also bowled a crucial opening spell of 4-0-19-1.

Rajasthan began with a spin-heavy attack - three of the first 10 overs were bowled by fast bowlers - and it looked like it would take the game way after the way Gilchrist batted in the first three overs. But Yusuf and Harwood ensured Deccan went into the strategy break not feeling quite comfortable. T Suman and Rohit provided a shot in the arm to Deccan's innings with a 59-run stand but the early reining-in by Yusuf and Harwood made the eventual difference to the result.

Yousuf claims he has resigned from ICL

2009-05-02T14:45:00.000-07:00

Mohammad Yousuf says he is available to play for Pakistan whenever his country needs him.

Mohammad Yousuf has claimed that he has "resigned" from the ICL after he decided last month that his priority was to play for Pakistan. The move potentially paves the way for Yousuf's comeback to the national side, as the PCB recently announced it was willing to talk to players who leave the ICL before the end of May and consider their cases for an international return on an individual basis.

"I spoke to Younis [Khan] about a month and a half ago and I resigned from the ICL after that," Yousuf told Cricinfo. "We both talked about how the country comes first and playing for them is the priority so I decided. I am available whenever the country needs me."

Reports had been swirling around Pakistan since the end of March that Yousuf and a group of other players were considering quitting the ICL after the March-April edition of the league was suspended. ICL players including Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq sought out Younis last month to try and find a way back into the national set-up, after fearing that the ICL - or at least their future participation in it after the deterioration in Indo-Pak ties - might present a tenuous prospect.

It is believed that Younis made no recommendations or promises, only telling the players that the priority should be to play for Pakistan, whatever that involves. "Younis was of the view that as they hadn't come to him before they signed up for the ICL, he doesn't understand why they came to him when they wanted to leave it," a source present at the meetings told Cricinfo. "He also pointed out that he cannot guarantee selection as that is a decision in which other parties, and not just the captain, are also involved." After some consideration and communication with Pir Aftab Shah Jilani, Pakistan's sports minister, Yousuf resigned from the league, though no official public statement had been made, either by any of the players, or the ICL, until now.

There appears, however, to be some confusion over the exact nature of Yousuf's actions. Though Yousuf said his contract with the league was now "finished" the ICL maintains that he is still on contract, though he has been released to play for Pakistan. "Yousuf's ICL contract has not been terminated," Roland Landers, the ICL spokesperson, told Cricinfo. "We have given him a temporary release so that he can play for his country."

Though Yousuf appears to want to do exactly that, it is unclear what the PCB will do now. Yousuf claimed the board was aware of his decision, but officials couldn't confirm it. "If such a communication has been sent, it would've been to the chairman and much of the board has been busy with organising this series [against Australia] based in Dubai. At the moment we cannot say whether Yousuf has sent any such message," one official told Cricinfo. "Our statement is there now, so we will act according to that."

Yousuf's case is particularly convoluted, for he has left the ICL before, after he first joined the league in protest at being overlooked for Pakistan's squad for the 2007 World Twenty20. He was persuaded - with the dangling of an IPL offer - to quit soon after by the PCB, then under Nasim Ashraf's administration. The ICL took him to court for reneging on his contract and he was unable to play in the inaugural IPL season in 2008 because of legal complications.

He played for Pakistan through much of last year before abruptly deciding, in November, to move back to the ICL. The move caught Pakistan's administration off-guard, as he had been picked for the ODI squad for a series in Abu Dhabi against West Indies. This time, he said, he left because of differences with then-captain Shoaib Malik.

"I had a problem with the captain at that time so I left. I had issues with the previous board administration as well," Yousuf said. "But now I have no problems at all with Younis, or this board. The country comes first."

Though 34, if Yousuf is to come back, he could hardly do so at a more opportune time. Pakistan's batting has been engaged in a dire struggle against Australia in the UAE. In four matches so far, they have crossed 200 only once and only one batsman, Salman Butt, has scored a fifty. Most visibly, the absence of a 269-ODI veteran averaging over 40 was felt during the third ODI, when Pakistan collapsed from 95-0 to 171 all out, chasing 199. Since the 2007 World Cup and the retirement of Inzamam-ul-Haq, Yousuf has comfortably been Pakistan's leading batsman, averaging over 60 in 30 ODIs, but he played his last match in July last year.

Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders Highlights - 2nd Leg

2009-05-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

Mumbai Batting

Kolkata Batting

Watch cricket highlights - Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders 2nd Leg highlights from IPL 2009

Scoreline: Mumbai 148/6 - JP Duminy 52 (37), Sachin Tendulkar 34 (30).
KKR fall short 139/6: Brad Hodge 73, Van Wyk 32 - Zaheer Khan 4-31-3

JP Duminy got the timing of his knock during the Mumbai vs Mohali game, but set it right this time around. Tendulkar gambled on bowling out his strike bowlers - and it worked with Hodge and McCullum who’d demoted himself unable to get off crucial boundaries in the final overs.

Yuvraj Singh Hat-Trick - IPL 2009

2009-05-01T15:15:00.000-07:00

Watch Yuvraj Singh take a hat-trick during the IPL 2009 game - Mohali Punjab Kings XI vs Bangalore Royal Challengers.

Kingsmead Durban and Yuvraj adds a hat-trick to go with his 6 sixes on this ground.

Fantastic until the inevitable Harshite - Why do young virile men run away from happy moments.

Would you they rather ran towards you?

Clarke and Bollinger seal series

2009-05-01T15:13:00.000-07:00

Doug Bollinger's five wickets set up Australia's series win, and earned him the Man-of-the-Match award.

Stand-in Australian captain Michael Clarke produced a superb century to seal the five-match series with a game to spare after an eight-wicket win in Abu Dhabi. An unbeaten hundred, his fourth in one-day cricket and first as captain, was arguably his finest and was the key to Australia's comfortable pursuit of Pakistan's 197.

Clarke and Shane Watson combined for a record-breaking 197-run partnership to lift Australia from its knees after Shoaib Akhtar wound back the clock with two early wickets in a blistering opening spell. Shoaib, on return after being left out of game three, claimed Brad Haddin and debutant Marcus North to leave Australia reeling at 3 for 2. But Clarke and Watson negotiated the rest of Shoaib's sharp four-over opening spell before flourishing under the floodlights.

The captain's innings was easily the best and most fluent of the series and featured sublime footwork and timing against both pace and spin. The ease with which he found the boundary was breath-taking as he produced nearly every shot in the book, punctuated by a crushing cover drive to bring up three figures.

Watson's innings was at times the total antithesis of his captain's but certainly no less valuable. For long periods he fought the demons, in the form of the Pakistan attack, the Sheik Zayed Stadium surface and even his own mind. Saeed Ajmal, who's ten overs cost just 20, mesmerised him but could not claim his scalp. Watson provided resolute support for his captain while exorcising his own demons with his best performance since returning from injury.

The chase was never really threatened after the initial Shoaib burst. The spinners proved a handful but could not break Watson's resolve and never looked like breaking Clarke's.

Earlier, Doug Bollinger produced an exceptional bowling performance in just his second one-day international to bowl out Pakistan for 197. Returning in place of Ben Hilfenhaus, Bollinger claimed his first wicket with the third ball of the day and came back in the 35th over to claim four more victims.

He finished with a fine five-over from 7.4 overs on another very slow pitch. It was the Australians who were expected to wilt in the oppressive conditions but they produced a disciplined effort to stifle Pakistan.

Shahid Afridi led a late rescue mission with a run-a-ball 40 to guide Pakistan to a competitive total after they lost regular wickets in the blazing heat. They stumbled early after winning the toss, slumping to 12 for 2, and it could have been 12 for 3 after Misbah-ul-Haq survived a huge appeal for caught behind first ball off Nathan Bracken. Bracken was unfortunate to claim just 2 for 31 from his 10 overs.

Misbah (34) and the 17-year-old Ahmed Shehzad (43) set about rebuilding the innings during a steady stand. They wrestled with the impeccable lengths of the four Australian fast bowlers who were very effective with their changes of pace. Bracken and Stuart Clark were particularly difficult to get away on a wicket which became lower and slower as the innings wore on.

The two Pakistani batsmen were far more comfortable against the finger spinners. Nathan Hauritz and Clarke orchestrated Pakistan's collapse on Monday, but there had been a clear rethink in strategy by the batsmen. Hauritz was tidy in claiming 1 for 34 but the other three finger spinners all conceded more than five runs per over.

The big shots were shelved, barring a poorly executed slog sweep from Shehzad, as the batsmen worked the spinners into the gaps and ran neatly between the wickets. Afridi and Shoaib Malik accelerated during the middle period and a total of 240 looked a distinct possibility, but the reintroduction of Bollinger and Clark changed things dramatically.

Afridi's innings defied expectation. His strike-rate was typically brisk, but he showed there is more than one way to skin a cat. He farmed the strike well to protect the lower order, was inventive but calculated with his stroke-play and placement while his running was atypically intelligent.

But his departure in the batting Powerplay signalled the beginning of the end for Pakistan as Bollinger and Bracken cleaned up by cleverly mixing their lengths and pace.

Australia have now sealed the series 3-1 with a match to play and might have the opportunity to play Brett Lee in the dead rubber.

Praveen and Bangalore upstage Yuvraj in thriller

2009-05-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

A brisk fifty followed a hat-trick, but Yuvraj Singh's day ended in contrasting manner.

Nerves? Perhaps. But nerves of steel. Having given up 14 runs in the 17th over, Parveen Kumar displayed admirable composure to bowl a four-run, double-wicket final over and seal an amazing eight-run win for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Two teams that met in Durban at contrasting positions in the IPL traded blows for 40 overs of a pulse-setting Twenty20 and, when it came to the crunch, Bangalore threw the biggest blow, derailing Kings XI Punjab from 70 for no loss to 137.

To put this finish in perspective, you have to understand where Punjab were placed for more than two-thirds of this game. Having stunned Bangalore with a hat-trick spread over two overs, Yuvraj singh promoted himself to open the innings in place of Ravi Bopara, departed for England duty. He struggled initially against a clever Praveen's changes of pace but the arrival of Jesse Ryder and Roelof van der Merwe brought out the beast. Yuvraj found the middle of his bat and some sweet timing with a club off Ryder past mid-on, and van der Werwe's first ball was dumped over long-on for six. From being 18 from 19 balls, Yuvraj whistled to fifty from 33 with three more sixes, one off Ryder and two off Anil Kumble. The couple off Kumble recalled that innings at this same venue.

Yuvraj fell two deliveries before the tactical break, attempting a fifth six but top-edging Kumble to midwicket. Then, as has happened so often, the seven-and-a-half-minute interval claimed another wicket. Karan Goel had been a silent accumulator while Yuvraj led Punjab's best opening stand of the season but his attempt to fill his captain's shoes didn't work. The wobble was on when Simon Katich, in his first game of 2009, was run out when called for a risky single by Kumar Sangakkara.

Punjab needed 62 from seven overs when Mahela Jayawardene joined Sangakkara. It seemed still achievable. Yet Punjab didn't manage a boundary in the 15th and 16th overs, bowled by Ryder and Kumble, and, after carving consecutive fours in the 17th, bowled by Praveen, Jayawardene scooped to point. Punjab still needed 30 from 17 balls. Game on.

van der Merwe followed up the wicket-taking delivery with four byes, a full toss swatted for four by Irfan Pathan and a wide to ratchet up the tension. At the end of that over the equation was 17 from 12.

Prime Numbers

1
The total number of maidens bowled by Kings XI Punjab bowlers so far this season
4
The total number of hat-tricks in the IPL. Yuvraj Singh joined the list today, alongside last year's achievers - L Balaji, Makhaya Ntini and Amit Mishra
3
The number of catches taken by Piyush Chawla today. This now is the record for the most catches in an innings by a fielder, other than the wicketkeeper
70
Punjab's best opening partnership this season. Yuvraj dominated the partnership with a well-complied half-century, the third by a Punjab batsmen
4
The number of times two bowlers from the same team have taken three or more wickets in the same innings this season
10
The total number of wickets picked up by Anil Kumble this season - the most by a spinner - and he is still the only bowler to have roped in a five-for. His economy rate is 5.59 which is the best among all bowlers who have bowled 20 or more overs

Enter Kumble, who was Bangalore captain for the day. Sangakkara missed the next ball and was bowled after that by a googly. Kumble isn't a champion for nothing and, by conceding only four runs in the penultimate over, left Punjab needing 13 from the last. Talk about tension.

Praveen bowled a dot. Irfan took a breath, looked up, and slapped the next ball through point for four. Third ball was a lovely slow ball that sneaked under the bat. Irfan lofted the fourth down to long-on and, with the fifth, Praveen bowled Piyush Chawla. Bangalore had sealed a superb win after posting a disappointing total.

Rewind to the first major highlight of this epic game. Yuvraj hadn't been contributing with the bat this season, so he decided to make an impact with the ball. With the last two balls of the 11th over of Bangalore's innings, Yuvraj dismissed Robin Uthappa and Jaques Kallis and achieved the fourth IPL hat-trick with the first ball of the 13th, trapping Mark Boucher with another quick arm ball.

Bangalore were struggling after early losses - Ryder again fell in the first over - and needed Kallis to last the full quota of overs. He and the recalled Uthappa had put on 42 when Yuvraj struck. Having strayed in line early in his second over Yuvraj tried a flatter, faster delivery and Uthappa miscued one to the deep. The batsmen crossed as the ball went up in the air, but Kallis' tentative footwork against an arm ball resulted in the sound of timber. Mark Boucher came in but didn't last as Yuvraj came back and fired in another slider. Punjab were cock-a-hoop.

After Yuvraj struck, a pugnacious cameo from van der Merwe - which included an amazing six in which he looked to square leg but hit over extra cover - gave the innings some shape. Abdulla's figures were really bruised by van der Merwe, who slammed six, four, six in three balls, but he had his number and became the highest wicket-taker this season. Abdulla yorked Kumble in the final over and should have had five but Chawla at third man spilled a running catch. Abdulla smiled proudly when he donned the purple cap for leading the wickets tally.

But in a game that swung to and fro, Bangalore regrouped superbly when it really mattered, and their grins were more emphatic than anything seen all day.

Duminy and Zaheer keep Kolkata down

2009-05-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

A late assault from JP Duminy proved to be the difference between Mumbai and Kolkata.

Kolkata Knight Riders made a good attempt at causing possibly the biggest surprise of the season so far but fell short despite smart bowling for most of Mumbai's innings and a first fifty for them by Brad Hodge, who kept together a chase that threatened to fall away early on.

Mumbai turned the game irreversibly in six overs: the last three of their innings and the first three of Kolkata's. The main characters in this script were JP Duminy and Zaheer Khan. Duminy's late assault helped Mumbai scored 42 in the last three overs of an otherwise limp effort and, on the other side of the break, Zaheer removed Kolkata's openers Chris Gayle and Sourav Ganguly in his first two overs.

Hodge's innings was, in isolation, the best individual effort of the match. Chasing 149, Kolkata were 8 for 2 in the third over. Hodge consolidated along with Morne van Wyk and, while they didn't score at a spectacular rate, their 89-run stand kept Kolkata in the hunt. Hodge made an especially slow start, scoring 3 off the first 14 balls he faced. But once he'd stepped out and lofted Harbhajan Singh for a four in the sixth over, he pulled out a remarkable mix of sensible batting and attacking cricketing shots.

The three sixes he hit were hit down the ground without any power at all, just a clean swing of the straight bat. Despite the run-rate climbing every over, Kolkata were always with a chance while Hodge was in. With 61 required off the last six overs, he hit Graham Napier for back-to-back fours. With 51 needed from the last five, he hit Zaheer Khan for a six over long-off, and suddenly Kolkata needed just 38 in the last four overs with seven wickets in hand.

That's when Lasith Malinga delivered two near-perfect overs of death bowling, giving away just 11 runs and shutting Kolkata out. Mumbai's last three overs were a mirror image.

Kolkata had done everything right in the first 17 overs, but they still had Duminy to take care of. When Laxmi Shukla came on to bowl the 18th over, Duminy was 22 off 26 and Mumbai had reached only 106. He pulled Shukla for two sixes in the 18th over, and suddenly all Kolkata's good work from the first 17 overs seemed wasted. Ishant Sharma bowled a superb 19th over, giving away just nine runs and taking a wicket, but Duminy still stood between Kolkata and an easy target.

Prime Numbers

16
The most productive over number for the bowlers this season. 21 wickets have fallen in the 16th over so far. At number two is over number 11, with 17 wickets
5
The number of ducks by Kolkata Knight Riders batsmen this season, including Ganguly's golden duck today
5
Zaheer Khan's wicket tally so far this season. He more than doubled his tally by snapping up 3 today
73
Brad Hodge's score today was Kolkata's first fifty of the season
5.16
Brendon McCullum's batting average after six innings - the worst by a Kolkata batsman who has played more than two matches

Two more sixes followed in the last over, both down the ground, off length deliveries from Dinda. The latter came off the last ball, which meant he had scored 30 off the last 11 balls he faced.

It was the most critical phase of the match: only two sixes had been hit before that, both by Sachin Tendulkar, emphasising the concern that Mumbai have been overly reliant on Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya. Once Jayasuriya was out for 6, there was no danger of repeating the hammering they had handed out to Kolkata earlier this week.

It was also a day when Mumbai and Kolkata experimented a lot. Kolkata made proactive and frequent bowling changes, and didn't let the batsmen settle to any kind of rhythm. After the first 12 overs of the innings, five of seven bowlers used by Kolkata had gone for less than six an over, and four of them had taken a wicket each. Mumbai sent in their hitters Harbhajan Singh and Abhishek Nayar at Nos 3 and 4. Neither move worked and Mumbai paid the price of aiming too high.

When it came to Kolkata's innings, both teams tinkered with their opening combinations. Ganguly replaced Brendon McCullum at the top of the order, and Mumbai didn't open with Malinga, saving him for the latter half of the innings. The final experiment worked for Mumbai, with Malinga bowling tight overs towards the end, and it's the final experiment that counted.

Collingwood named Twenty20 captain

2009-05-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

Not good enough for the IPL, but Paul Collingwood is England captain again.

has been confirmed as England's captain for the ICC World Twenty20 and will lead a squad including James foster, Robert key, Garaham napier and Eoin morgan as the selectors continue to unveil a new way of thinking.

"I am really excited about captaining this squad as it will be in front of our own fans here in England," Collingwood said. "At the end of the recent Caribbean tour it was well known that I wanted some time to think it over but now I am looking forward to the tournament. We have a talented squad with some new faces and there is the added incentive for everyone of a Lord's final."

Morgan, the Ireland and Middlesex batsman, earns his first England call-up as does Napier while Foster and Key return after long periods out of the international scene. Foster's recall for the first time since 2002 means there is no place for Matt Prior in the latest change to the wicketkeeping position.

"Foster's selection is about the pressure you put on as a wicketkeeper behind the stumps," Geoff Miller, the national selector, explained to reporters at Lord's. "His glovework is impeccable, and [by standing up] he creates a new kind of pressure for our bowlers, a lot of whom take the pace off the ball. And he's improved his lower-order batting as well."

Key has been rewarded for his impressive domestic Twenty20 record with a chance to open the batting and selected ahead of his team-mate Joe Denly. Napier, who played his first match in the IPL on Friday, hit the headlines last summer when he smashed 158 for Essex and Sussex.

Samit Patel, dropped from the one-day series in the Caribbean for being unfit, has been overlooked again as Miller said he still hadn't reached his targets. "Samit hasn't improved from when he was deselected. It's disappointing but we have rules and regulations and are going to stand by them. We have insisted on fitness."

Tim Bresnan who was named in the Test squad two days ago also misses out, but Andrew Flintoff has been included subject to him recovering from his knee injury and Luke Wright is recalled.

Collingwood returns to the captaincy less than a year after resigning alongside Michael Vaughan and just a matter of weeks since he said he didn't want the job. Although he had some success as one-day captain - notably a series win away against Sri Lanka - he also had his fair share of problems.

England's 'Big Seven' at the IPL (as of May 1)

Kevin Pietersen Six matches, 93 runs @ 15.50, four wickets @ 21.25, 6.53rpo
Andrew Flintoff Three matches, 52 runs @ 31, two wickets @ 52.50, 9.54 rpo
Dimitri Mascarenhas Five matches, 39 runs @ 9.75, six wickets @ 22.00, 6.82 rpo
Ravi Bopara Five matches, 138 runs @ 27.60
Graham Napier One match, 15 runs @ 15, one wicket @ 27, 6.75 rpo
Paul Collingwood DNP
Owais Shah DNP

During the first World Twenty20 in South Africa he miscounted Andrew Flintoff's overs during one match meaning he didn't bowl his full quota. The following summer against New Zealand he was at the centre of controversy for not recalling Grant Elliott to the crease after he'd been run out after a collision with Ryan Sidebottom.

He has spent the last two weeks unable to get a game for the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL, but there were not many other realistic candidates although there was some thought they should have been adventurous and handed it to Key or Dimitri Mascarenhas. However, his non-selection in the IPL did not concern Miller.

"He's gleaned an awful lot on strategies and techniques at the IPL," said Miller. "He's a bright fella and we know his abilities. He's not played in the middle but he's been netting and practicing, and done a lot of preparation work. It's not been about learning to bat and bowl, it's how to invent and create, and he's quite excited.

One batsman who has continued to develop over the past two seasons is Morgan, who follows in the footsteps of Ed Joyce in swapping the Irish top for an England one. Morgan was short-listed in the 30-man squad three weeks ago while playing for Ireland in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers, a decision which Ireland were understandably frustrated at, but Miller had no doubts as to where the batsman's loyalties now lie.

"He's always had a passion to play for England. He's always said right from the start that he wants to play for England, and has shown over the last two or three years that he's inventive and creative and he's proved to the selectors - and opposition too - that he's going in the right direction, this is a mix of experience and youthful exuberance in this side, and he fits into that category so we're quite excited about it."

Squad Paul Collingwood (capt), James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Andrew Flintoff, James Foster, Robert Key, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Eoin Morgan, Graham Napier, Kevin Pietersen, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright

Price tag put BCCI off ICC's anti-corruption cover

2009-05-01T14:59:00.000-07:00

Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, is a senior member of the ICC board, which has consistently maintained that corruption in cricket is a menace.

The Indian board's commitment to fight corruption in cricket has come under the scanner after it has emerged that it stayed silent for months on an ICC offer to provide full anti-corruption cover for the IPL this year, mainly because of the fee involved. The issue was raised at the BCCI's working committee on Wednesday, when members were informed that the fee quoted then by the ICC - US$1.2 million - was too high.

The BCCI, which runs the IPL, finally agreed to the offer this month when reminded about it during the ICC's executive board meeting in Dubai. That was on April 17, the day before the IPL began, and it was too late for the ICC's Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) - which starts work on an event at least two months in advance - to provide a credible level of preventive cover.

The BCCI's position has raised a few eyebrows within the Indian board and officials who attended Wednesday's high-level meeting told Cricinfo of their concern at a price being put to the fight against corruption - which, they feel, is an ever-present danger in cricket. To place the ACSU's fee in perspective, the BCCI had declared an overall income of approximately US$ 200m for 2007-08, and a profit of US$ 10m from the first IPL alone.

Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, is a senior member of the ICC board, which has consistently maintained that corruption in cricket is a menace that demands the most stringent preventive measures possible. In fact, after the last ICC board meeting, Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, admitted there is a higher concern about Twenty20 cricket with all the excitement and money.

"The board has consistently said it cannot afford to be complacent (about the risk of corruption in Twenty20 cricket)," Lorgat told Cricinfo last week. "We are mindful that with Twenty20 cricket there is great excitement and money. Put those ingredients into a pot and there is a higher concern."

Last July, after the first IPL, the ACSU chairman Sir Paul Condon told the ICC's annual conference in Dubai that Twenty20 tournaments like the IPL bring with it the "biggest threat in terms of corruption in the game since the days of cricket in Sharjah."

"But the BCCI's position when it comes to the IPL is quite puzzling," a state association official, who attended BCCI working committee meeting, told Cricinfo. It's learnt that some officials pointed to the presence of individuals other than the players and support staff in the team dugouts last year and stressed the importance of utilising the ICC's services to lend credibility to the tournament's anti-corruption measures.

N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, and Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, were not available for comment.

Officially, the BCCI is well within its rights to organise its own anti-corruption measures for the IPL, which is deemed a domestic event. "But it's obvious, isn't it, that the IPL is much more than just another domestic event?" another state association official, who attended the BCCI meeting, said. "There are nearly 80 foreign players involved from across the world along with Bollywood stars, their staff and supporters. No one is saying that there is corruption in the IPL; we are confident that there isn't. But are they doing enough to keep it that way?"

The IPL's anti-corruption protocol last year was handled by a team of around 10 officials, including retired police and military officials, recruited independently by the league. The team was guided by ACSU officials, who played a supporting role. This time, the IPL's team is being assisted by Nicholls & Steyn, the private security agency based in South Africa that has also been entrusted with the task of managing the event's security. Bob Nicholls, one of the partners of the security firm, had told Cricinfo that they were "not involved so much" with the anti-corruption aspect. In contrast, the ICC's ACSU is not a profit-based body and any income over expenses is pumped back into the game.

The ICC had first offered full ACSU coverage for the second IPL edition a few months after the hugely successful inaugural event got over last May, based on independent observations and inputs collated during the tournament. The IPL agreed and were then sent a quote on the fee this would involve. The IPL, however, indicated that the fee was too high and said they would revert on the offer, which they didn't till the ICC board meeting 12 days ago.

The ACSU's pre-event spadework involves staging reconnaissances in the host cities and gathering intelligence from local sources to identify potential corruptors. Against this background, the effectiveness of the IPL's anti-corruption procedures this year is open to question after the tournament - involving 59 matches over 37 days, at eight venues - was shifted to South Africa just three weeks before its scheduled start in India.

The ICC's ACSU came into being after the match-fixing scandal of 2000 involving Hansie Cronje, which also led to bans on Mohammed Azharuddin, the former India captain, and Salim Malik, the Pakistan batsman.

Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings Highlights IPL

2009-04-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

Chennai Batting

Rajasthan Batting

Rajasthan fell way short - 126 all out (Kamran didn’t bat) - Laxmipathy Balaji 3.3-21-4, Albie Morkel 4-21-2

Brilliant 100 98 by Suresh Raina. As it often happens in a T20 game, this sort of a knock takes up most of the team’s total, but Badrinath (in his first real shot at being a batsman this season) was part of a very crucial partnership after big Hayden was dismissed early. Rajasthan Royals once again relied on Yusuf Pathan to bail them out of a scrappy start and for a while it did seem like lightning would strike twice at the same ground.

Guess the Rob Quiney thing might be replaced by Tyron Henderson in the next game. Kamran Khan’s knee took him out of the game - the cynical might say the Raina assault accentuated the pain of the injury (he appeared to be carrying the injury into this game). So does Warne’s wry grin at the time of the incident make him a cynic? Anyway, it’s probably a good thing for Kamran to face this sort of an onslaught early into the IPL rather than later and there’s a good chance he’ll now seriously emerge as Warne’s trump card in future games.

Pregame: The finalists from 2008 aren’t particularly playing like that at the moment, though Rajasthan have been resurgent in recent times.

Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers Highlights IPL 2009

2009-04-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

Deccan Batting

Delhi Batting

Watch cricket highlights - Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers from IPL 2009 on April 30.

Scoreline: Deccan Chargers 148/9 - Dwayne Smith 48 (28) - Dirk Nannes 4-16-2
Delhi make it in 18.4 overs - Tilakaratne Dilshan 52 (46), Dinesh Kartik 41 (30)

McGrath’s replacement Dirk Nannes stifled the Deccan runflow into a trickle snaring both Gilchrist and Gibbs early on. And it pretty much stayed that way until a brilliant knock by Dwayne Smith. Personally, this Smith performance was a bit of a shock. Having seen some of his international career I thought his day out vs mumbai was going to be his peak this IPL.

Fidel Edwards always comes out looking charged up. Today, right from the onset he bordered on edgy and eventually the umpires got under his skin. He lost it, riled up Dilshan and the game finished an over too early. Adam Gilchrist gambled on Venugopal Rao an over too much, but I suppose with Dilshan and Karthik well-set, you’d back Delhi to win. Super partnership by the two that was timed perfectly.

Pregame: The teams have a couple of interesting changes - VVS Laxman gets some bed-rest - would you believe that.
For Delhi, no McGgrath as yet - would have been a super contest - Gilchrist vs McGrath

Time running out for Pakistan

2009-04-30T11:56:00.000-07:00

Pakistan need to provide more support to Shahid Afridi if they are to stay alive in the five-match series.

Match facts

May 1, 2009
Start time 3pm (11.00GMT)

Big Picture
Australia are one win away from wrapping up the series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, but not much talk has centred around the team's on-field performance. Since the offspinner Saeed Ajmal was reported for a suspect action the sides have been under more intense focus than during the opening three matches.

Ajmal was fined by the Pakistan Cricket Board for comments directed to Shane Watson and Younis Khan asked why Australia are involved in so many controversies when they face India and Pakistan. Michael Clarke maintained the series had been played in a good spirit.

The talking points will shift to the middle during Friday's fourth ODI in Abu Dhabi. Australia lead 2-1 in the five-match contest - Pakistan lost 10 for 76 in Monday's defeat - as they finalise their preparations for the start of their engagements in England in June.

Form guide (last five ODIs, most recent first)
Pakistan LLWLL
Australia WWLWL

Watch out for
Shahid Afridi has been outstanding in the opening three fixtures and remains Australia's biggest threat. His 10 victims at 10.70 have caused the most problems, but his 71 runs have also been a headache. The worry for Pakistan has been finding people to offer him significant assistance.

He hasn't been as effective as Afridi, but Nathan Hauritz has been a key performer for Australia. Since coming back into the one-day team in January he has 13 wickets in nine games and in this series has five at 18.60 along with an economy rate of 3.57. The prospect of more spinning surfaces in the remaining matches will lift his mood further.

Team news
Brett Lee is in town after joining the squad this week, but he won't bowl on Friday and is unlikely to be picked until the Twenty20 to end the tour. The rotation of the attack is the main issue for the squad, with Stuart Clark keen for more work and Ben Hilfenhaus, Nathan Bracken, Ben Laughlin and Doug Bollinger also in the outfit.

Australia (possible) 1 Brad Haddin (wk), 2 James Hopes, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Callum Ferguson, 7 David Hussey, 8 Nathan Hauritz, 9 Stuart Clark, 10 Nathan Bracken, 11 Doug Bollinger.

Yasir Arafat replaced Shoaib Akhtar in the previous game, but with Pakistan needing to win to stay in touch Shoaib could be recalled to provide some firepower. Ajmal will be feeling vulnerable despite some encouraging returns.

Pakistan (possible) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Younis Khan (capt), 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Umar Gul, 9 Shoaib Akhtar, 10 Iftikhar Anjum, 11 Saeed Ajmal.

Pitch and conditions
The conditions in the UAE, with the low and spinning pitches, are unusual for the Australians, but the wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has been enjoying it. "The beauty about international cricket is you get the opportunity to play on so many different wickets," he told AAP. "The wickets are a bit slower and lower than they are in Australia and they turn a bit more, but that's the beauty of it, we're playing in different conditions against a totally different side." A similar surface is expected on Friday, when the temperature is predicted to range between 25 and 41C.

Stats and Trivia

* In a tough tournament for batsmen, James Hopes leads the run-list with 111, one ahead of Salman Butt
* Australia have not won a one-day series since sweeping aside Bangladesh in September
* Only three half-centuries have been scored in the series

Quotes
"You see a lot now in one-day games, teams consistently getting up near the 300, but as we've seen here all the games have been a contest and I think that's all you're after ... It's enjoyable sometimes to come and play on different wickets and have different plans in mind, to get 220 is a very good score in these sorts of conditions, so it's been quite good."
Brad Haddin

"We will learn a lot from this experience, by playing against the Australian team."
Younis Khan