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Alastair Cook has hinted that he will consider his future as England’s one-day captain after the series in Australia

Andrew McGlashan19-Jan-20140:00

Cook to step down from ODI captaincy?

Alastair Cook has hinted that he will consider his future as England’s one-day captain after the series in Australia and, for the first time, appeared to be wavering over his role in the Test side as well.Cook was powerless to stop Australia cantering to a 3-0 series lead in Sydney – their eighth consecutive loss of the tour – less than 48 hours after watching them snatch an incredible last-over finish in Brisbane, when England appeared to have finally secured an international win since leaving home.”I’m going to have a decision on that stuff after the next two games. We will sit down and talk about a lot of things. I think there will be some changes, English cricket needs a little bit of a change,” he said. “The last two months we haven’t played the cricket we are capable of and we have to look at the reasons why.”Alastair Cook said he will “have to make a decision” on the captaincy after another defeat•Getty ImagesOn the eve of the one-day series, in Melbourne, Cook had struck a more upbeat note, having been given reassurances about his captaincy from Paul Downton, the new managing director of England, but when asked again about his leadership of both formats he seemed less sure.”I don’t really want to get dragged into my position,” he said. “I don’t know what I’ll feel like when I get home. It’s been two weeks since someone has asked me that question and a lot has happened. We have kept losing and I haven’t been able to turn it around.”Although this tour has been hugely difficult for Cook, both from a captaincy and batting point of view, this was the first one-day series he had led in since England reached the final of the Champions Trophy, where they lost to India, in June.Cook has been one-day captain since 2011, when he took over from Andrew Strauss a year before being elevated to the Test job. In that time has secured home series wins against Sri Lanka, India, West Indies and Australia and away successes in Pakistan and New Zealand.The prospect of a 10-0 sweep on this tour remains across the formats that Cook captains, which are then followed by three Twenty20 matches where Stuart Broad will lead. Cook said he still had the drive to see out the last two matches in Perth and Adelaide, however.”I’ve got a job to do, to try and turn it around and win one of these games. That’s the task in hand. I’m competitive, I want to leave everything out on the pitch.”If Cook was to stand down from the one-day role the captaincy choice would appear to come down to Broad or Eoin Morgan. It would be a natural elevation for either with Broad already having the T20 role and Morgan having stood in for the matches against Ireland and Australia last year when Cook and Broad were both rested. An advantage for Morgan is that, as a batsman, and one currently not in the Test line-up, there would be less need for him to be rested at any stage.Michael Clarke, who will miss the next ODI along with David Warner, Brad Haddin and Shane Watson, can draw on first-hand experience over the last 12 months of being in charge of a team in a similar state to England, but did not want to get drawn into Cook’s situation.”I don’t think feeling sorry for an opposition captain is the right thing to feel,” he said. “I know to a certain extent what Alastair’s going through because we’ve experienced some tough times as a team, and it is a tough as a captain, but at the end of the day I’m here to help Australia have success and we’ve experienced a lot of defeats in the past couple of years. I think it would be very silly for me to put myself in Alastair’s shoes because I’m not there.”

Ricky Ponting, the former Australia batsman, has criticised Cricket Australia for its handling of the race row in the aftermath of the Sydney Test and said that it led to a premature end to Andrew Symonds’ Test career

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2014Ricky Ponting has criticised Cricket Australia for its handling of the race row in the aftermath of the Sydney Test in 2008 and said that it led to a premature end to Andrew Symonds’ Test career.Symonds was involved in an altercation with India’s Harbhajan Singh on day three of the Test, during which the bowler allegedly called Symonds a “monkey”. Harbhajan was handed a three-match ban, which was later overturned on appeal. Symonds only played nine Tests after the scandal broke, ending his career after a tally of 26 matches.”That [the scandal] was the start of the end for Andrew Symonds,” Ponting said in a television interview. “His career spiralled downhill after that because I know for a fact that he didn’t feel like he could trust the people he needed to trust.”Ponting said as a captain of the Australia team and as a member of the society, he had to take a stand against racism to make sure it didn’t happen around him.”I knew how powerful Indian cricket was, everyone did,” he said. “But at the same time, I know how powerful racism is in society as well.”I was told every day, every week by Cricket Australia that we had to stamp it out of the game. And [when] it did [happen], I had to make a stand against it. I followed the instructions to the letter. I did everything I was expected to do. I know there are a lot of administrators in Cricket Australia who can’t say the same thing.”Speaking on Mickey Arthur, the former Australia coach under whom Ponting played as well, he said Arthur lacked the ingredients Australia needed from their coach at that time.”Mickey might be one of the great cricket coaches in the world, but he wasn’t the guy, the personality, the coach that Australian cricket needed at that time,” he said.”We needed to bring the old, hard-nosed Aussie way back, and that certainly wasn’t the way Mickey was trying to coach our team.”Arthur was involved in a controversy during the 2013 tour of India for sending four players back to Australia in the middle of the tour. He was sacked 16 days prior to the summer Ashes and was replaced by Darren Lehmann.

Sri Lanka’s spinners effected a mid-innings trauma, before Angelo Mathews’ collected 74 not out overcame a collapse of their own, to extend Sri Lanka’s unbeaten run in Bangladesh

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Mar-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAngelo Mathews revived Sri Lanka from 8 for 3•AFPSri Lanka’s spinners effected a mid-innings trauma and Bangadesh returned the favour, before Angelo Mathews’ collected 74 not out overcame a collapse and sealed victory. The hosts’ bowlers made a game of the dead rubber, carving through Sri Lanka’s in-form top order early in the chase, but a target of 205 had always seemed insufficient, even on a worn pitch. Bangladesh’s lack of ambition both with the bat and in the field perhaps ceded crucial moments to the opposition, who strode home by three wickets, and one over remaining to extended their unbeaten run in the country.The Bangladesh openers had made 74 before Ajantha Mendis made the incision that began a top-order haemorrhage – five wickets for 45 runs. Mendis befuddled Shamsur Rahman with an offbreak, hitting him on the pads with a ball that would have clipped leg stump, before sneaking one under Mominul Haque’s bat four balls later.Mushfiqur Rahim attempted an injudicious scoop off Chaturanga de Silva three overs later, and was also trapped in front, before part-time offspinner Ashan Priyanjan struck twice in his three overs. Perhaps eager to complete his second consecutive half-century, Anamul Haque advanced to Priyanjan’s first ball, but chipped it to Lahiru Thirimanne at midwicket, who snaffled the chance in a diving second attempt. Shakib Al Hasan sought to spur a now-flagging run rate, but in the 34th over, an inside edge off an attempted shot through cover carried to short midwicket. His demise left the team at 119 for 5. They would never really recover.That Sri Lanka’s innings was not similarly derailed was thanks to Mathews’ increasing appetite for finishing matches, allied with a sharpening cricketing wit. Sri Lanka never faced a tall required rate, so he shelved his familiar belligerence and forged an innings of restraint. He struck at 71 and only played three violent strokes in the innings – an advancing six over long off and two heaves through midwicket, one of which brought the winning runs. Bangladesh made a late surge, dismissing Chaturanga de Silva and Thisara Perera when Sri Lanka were in sight of victory, but Mathews did not allow losses to rattle him.Sri Lanka’s collapse had occurred at the outset. Kusal Perera swiped at an Al-Amin Hossain short ball, sending a thin edge to the keeper, before Kumar Sangakkara was handed his first failure of the tournament, nicking to slip as he cover drove. With plenty of overs remaining to achieve the modest target, Mahela Jayawardene may have hoped to bat himself into touch, but he was thwarted by his partner before he had made a run. Lahiru Thirimanne called him through for a single, then sent him back, after Jayawardene had traveled most of the distance to the other end. He was short by a distance, leaving Sri Lanka at 8 for 3.Ashan Priyanjan and Thirimanne promised a sustained resurgence, as they became accustomed to the pace of the pitch, but a Mushfiqur hunch brought another wicket: Ziaur Rahman, who had bowled only 12 overs in the series, drew an outside edge from Priyanjan in the 15th, before Thirimanne departed eight overs later, as Rubel Hossain sprinted around from long-on to take a catch in front of the sightscreen.At 75 for 5, Mathews and de Silva joined to provide the definitive partnership in the match. Like Mathews, de Silva began sedately, but soon was matching his captain shot for shot, showcasing particular ease against spin, as he mined gaps square of the wicket, and found the fence when the bowlers missed their lengths. Their march was measured and efficient, with 82 runs off 98 balls, but it was not without incident; Mathews edged just wide of the keeper on 21, and de Silva had two leading edges fall short of fielders. Mushfiqur was perhaps also guilty of allowing the match to meander. Too many of Sri Lanka’s runs were achieved without risk.Sri Lanka’s decision to rest Lasith Malinga had eased the Bangladesh openers’ task, but the hosts had begun cautiously nonetheless, seeking the same security at the top of the innings that had been the foundation for their plunder in their last match. Suranga Lakmal extracted away-swing and Thisara was accurate, but neither was a significant menace to batsmen intent largely on seeing them out. Anamul progressed largely in singles, but Shamsur was more reliant on boundaries. When the spinners arrived, he smote Sachithra Senanayake through the covers off consecutive balls. But the spurt would not last long.Mahmudullah and Nasir Hossain kept the hosts afloat with a 55-run stand after the collapse, but when their expansive attempts were repeatedly thwarted by the slowness of the surface, they settled for the singles Sri Lanka were content to offer them. The batting Powerplay brought only 18 runs, and though they had set themselves for a dash in the last 10 overs, both batsmen were dismissed by Lakmal for 30.Malinga was barely missed at the death as Lakmal provided the yorker-length balls. His penultimate over went for only two runs, and there were no boundaries off the bat between the 44th and 49th overs. Thisara knocked two men over after Ziaur Rahman broke that drought to lift the hosts beyond 200.

India sealed their semi-final spot with a victory almost identical to the first two

The Report by Sidharth Monga28-Mar-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Indian fans have liked this movie so much they have watched it three times in a row. Now they won’t mind it in the semi-finals either. Forget whatever is happening with their administration in India, the cricket team has put in another big performance to become the first entrants into the World T20 semi-finals. Once again MS Dhoni won the toss – the 15th consecutive time he’s done it in completed matches – once again a nervous opposition self-combusted despite an early life to a top-order batsman, once again their spinners pulled things back, and once again the batsmen knocked off a sub-par total with ease.Amit Mishra was the key man with the ball again, with three wickets, but R Ashwin once again bowled the dirty overs, and had two wickets to show for this time. Bangladesh tried to go hard at India, taking 13 off the first over, and Tamim Iqbal had been missed by Shikhar Dhawan, before Ashwin produced two wickets in his first two overs, for just three runs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar chipped in with Shakib Al Hasan’s scalp to make it 21 for 3 in the fifth over. All three had fallen to ordinary shots, leaving the passionate home crowd shell-shocked.Anamul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim steadied the ship with a 46-run stand, but at 67 for 4 in 11 overs, the ship had hardly left the harbour. Anamul looked impressive for his 44 off 43, and Mahmudullah tried his best to provide the late impetus with an unbeaten 33 off 23, but Mishra’s final over put paid to all hopes of a fight. The 20th over began at 131 for 5, but two Mishra deliveries later – a trademark stumping and a hole-out to long-off – Bangladesh had ceded control of the match again.India are the only team apart from Nepal to have not conceded 140 in this tournament. And their record chasing such totals has been good: nine wins out of 10 before tonight. It wasn’t about to go bad here.A familiar story unfolded when India came out to chase. Dhawan looked ungainly and fell trying to force his way out of a rough patch, but Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli saw India through with a second successive century stand. Both went to their fifties. The only time they saw trouble was when Rohit put one in the air, but Sohag Gazi ruined Anamul’s catch by running back and into Anamul at deep midwicket.It was yet another satisfactory evening for India even as manure has hit the fan back home. MS Dhoni, the man whose name has been drawn into court proceedings, promoted himself to have his first hit in this tournament, and finished the chase off in Kohli’s company.

Tom Smith not only top-scored with the bat to help his side avoid the follow-on, but also claimed a five-wicket haul to precipitate a remarkable collapse in Nottinghamshire second innings

George Dobell09-Apr-2014Lancashire 144 and 7 for 1 need another 342 to beat Nottinghamshire 272 and 220Tom Smith’s effort with bat and ball has sustained Lancashire at Trent Bridge•PA PhotosIf Lancashire do go on to save – or even win – this game, they will owe a great deal of their success to Tom Smith.Smith not only top-scored with the bat to help his side avoid the follow-on, but also claimed a five-wicket haul to precipitate a remarkable collapse in Nottinghamshire second innings. It was his first five-wicket innings in first-class cricket since August 2010 and only the third of his career.Unfortunately for Smith, it will surely make no difference. Lancashire’s target of 349 to win in a minimum of 105 overs would be testing in any conditions. On an early-season pitch that continues to provide disproportionate assistance to the seamers, it will require something approaching a miracle.The pitch has eased, though, and is becoming ever slower so a draw should not be completely out of the question. Luis Reece’s departure five minutes from stumps, playing on as he attempted a lavish pull, was hardly the ideal start.The Smith-inspired collapse was the most dramatic episode of a day on which 15 wickets fell. Nottinghamshire lost their last seven wickets for just 32 runs including a spell of six wickets for 14 runs in 46 deliveries. Smith, gaining sharp movement off the seam, claimed 5-11 in his final spell including Michael Lumb, edging a perfect delivery that forced a stroke and moved away sharply, and Alex Hales, who left one which nipped back to hit his off stump.By then, though, it was probably too late for Lancashire. The damage inflicted by the debacle of their first innings was too great and any hope they had of keeping their eventual target to manageable proportions was ended by Riki Wessels’ impressively fluent innings.Wessles, feasting on an attack that dropped short far too often for the conditions, struck 10 fours and two sixes – both slog-sweeps off Simon Kerrigan – to hammer a nail in Lancashire’s hopes. He also punished a weary-looking Anderson, thrashing him through the covers and clipping him through mid-wicket. Anderson eventually produced a yorker to end Wessles’ innings, but by then the game was all but gone.Anderson’s mood was not improved when Kabir Ali, who had earlier bowled with impressive skill, missed a straightforward chance at mid-on, simply failing to lay a hand on a mis-hit from Wessles, who had 85 at the time.It could have been worse for Lancashire. Had Kabir been caught at first slip by Wessles in the morning session, they would have been 84-8 in their first innings and facing the prospect of the follow-on. As it was, Smith averted that possibility with a patient innings – it took him 24 balls to get off the mark – and, after adding 25 for the eighth-wicket with Kbair, added another 38 for the ninth with Kerrigan. It took the return of Luke Fletcher, strangely over-looked until the 26th over of the day, to end the resistance. Fletcher struck with his first two deliveries to polish off the innings.Lancashire might also reflect that they erred tactically, too. Under the amended playing conditions this year, the home county decide whether to make the heavy roller available in the game and each side can then utilise it for a maximum of seven minutes once in the match. Nottinghamshire made it available but, by not utilising it ahead of their first innings, Lancashire sentenced themselves to batting on a pitch that had started damp and therefore become indented in Nottinghamshire’s first innings.Lancashire’s logic was that rain would curtail play on the second day and they did not want to waste the use of the roller. But, as it happened, the 33.2 overs they faced was enough to see their top six dismissed and set the tone for the game. Nottinghamshire, by contract, used the heavy roller ahead of their second innings and saw the batting conditions improve markedly. Lancashire are highly likely to use it ahead of the final day, but the damage is surely already done.Still, they insist they are looking to provide opportunities for their batsmen and the final day of this game – perhaps Peter Moores’ final day of Championship cricket as Lancashire coach – certainly offers one. The recklessness shown by Reece, the latest in a long-line of opening batsman that has included Smith and, improbably though it sounds, Stephen Parry (against Durham in 2009), suggests that the search for a reliable top-order batsman goes on.If the final day of this game goes the way of Nottinghamshire, Lancashire may have to reconsider their admirable but self-defeating attitude towards an overseas player.

The Supreme Court has asked the Mudgal Committee to investigate the IPL corruption issue, especially the 13 names mentioned in the sealed envelope, with the assistance of other investigators

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Apr-20147:13

Ugra: Mudgal makes BCCI uncomfortable

The Supreme Court has asked the Justice Mudgal committee to investigate the IPL corruption issue, and in particular the 13 names mentioned in the sealed envelope, with the assistance of other investigators. Mukul Mudgal has communicated to the court his willingness to take up the investigation and has been asked to specify the terms and modalities on April 29, the next date of hearing.Mudgal told : “We [the panel] have given our consent, it is entirely for the Supreme Court to decide… I will wait for the Supreme Court’s order.”The development suggests the court will not, at this point, entertain the BCCI’s proposed three-member inquiry panel, which included Ravi Shastri, former judge JN Patel and former director of the CBI, RK Raghavan. The Cricket Association of Bihar, the complainants in the case, had raised objections to the BCCI panel during the arguments on Tuesday.The Mudgal committee was set up by the court in October last year to investigate the fixing allegations that arose during the IPL’s 2013 season. It had submitted its report in February this year; a report that included a sealed envelope – to be seen only by the judges – with the names of 13 people who, the committee said, should be further investigated. That is what the court has now asked the Mudgal committee to investigate.The court will make a formal announcement in regard to the composition of a new panel and the terms and modalities of its operations on Tuesday.The Supreme Court has assured the Justice Mudgal committee that it would have the assistance of other investigators in the probe.•AFPThe offer to Mudgal was made at a hearing this morning, following which the court adjourned for lunch and awaited Mudgal’s reply. When it reassembled, Gopal Subramaniam, who appeared on behalf of the Mudgal panel in the morning, was attending to another case. The court then issued orders to the Mudgal committee’s secretary Vidushpat Singhania that the panel should return on Tuesday with the names of its members, as well as the details of the official agencies it needed to assist the investigation.At its previous hearing on April 16, the Supreme Court had revealed that Srinivasan was one of 13 individuals facing allegations of corruption. It had asked the BCCI to come to the next hearing with constructive corrective measures on conducting a fair probe into the IPL corruption scandal. In response to the court directive, the BCCI held an emergent working committee meeting on Sunday and put forward the names of Shastri, Patel and Raghavan.During Tuesday’s hearing, Subramaniam provided details of Raghavan’s deposition before the Mudgal committee. Raghavan had been invited by the Mudgal committee to suggest measures to tackle betting in cricket, due to his experience in the 2000 CBI investigation into match-fixing. Raghavan told the Mudgal committee that he was not in a position to talk about Srinivasan because he owned a cricket club in Chennai that functioned under the aegis of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association headed by Srinivasan, making him an administrator in the TNCA set-up. The CAB was represented by Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who is a member of the upper house of the Indian parliament.The case dates back to June 2013, when the Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) secretary Aditya Verma raised charges of a conflict of interest in the BCCI’s original two-member inquiry panel for the IPL corruption issue. A Bombay High Court ruling later termed the probe panel “illegal”. The BCCI and the CAB filed petitions in the Supreme Court against this order, with the CAB contending that the Bombay High Court could have suggested a fresh mechanism to look into the corruption allegations.The Supreme Court then appointed a three-member committee, headed by former High Court judge Mukul Mudgal and comprising additional solicitor general L Nageswara Rao and Nilay Dutta to conduct an independent inquiry into the allegations of corruption against Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, India Cements, and Rajasthan Royals team owner Jaipur IPL Cricket Private Ltd, as well as with the larger mandate of allegations around betting and spot-fixing in IPL matches and the involvement of players.

West Indies’ offspinner Sunil Narine is faced with a selection dilemma as he may be disqualified from the West Indies squad for the first Test if he chooses to play the IPL final for Kolkata Knight Riders

Tony Cozier30-May-2014Sunil Narine has suddenly found himself between a rock and a hard place.If the spinner remains in India to play for Kolkata Knight Riders in Sunday’s IPL 2014 final, as he wants to, he will miss the West Indies Cricket Board’s [WICB] June 1 deadline for joining the preparatory camp for the imminent home series against New Zealand, disqualifying him from selection.”It is his decision,” WICB’s chief executive officer Michael Muirhead said on Friday. “The cut-off date for joining the camp was moved forward from May 22 to June 1 specifically to allow those players involved in the IPL the opportunity for more matches. Anyone who is in breach won’t be considered for selection.”He indicated that if Narine misses the deadline, he would be unavailable for the first Test in Kingston between June 8 and 12; Narine would remain in the chosen squad of 15 and be eligible for the remainder of the series.Speaking by telephone from his Kolkata office yesterday, Knight Riders’ chief executive officer Venky Mysore spoke on Narine’s behalf.”This is in no way an act of defiance by Sunil,” Mysore said. “He is seeking the board’s flexibility for a couple of days leeway so that he can turn out for Knight Riders on Sunday.”He has told us that he came to do a job and wants to see it through to its conclusion. He also wants to represent West Indies against New Zealand. You can understand the quandary that he is in.”Mysore said the IPL management had put Narine’s case to the WICB. Narine has also been in touch with Wavell Hinds, president and chief executive of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA).There was a similar situation prior to West Indies’ tour of England in 2009.Chris Gayle, then captain, applied for an extension to play one more match for his franchise team in the IPL, held that year in South Africa. The WICB acceded to the request and Gayle arrived in London two days before the Lord’s Test, leading to widespread criticism of the decision.The WICB has now taken its position following its acceptance of the “West Indies First” policy proposed by director of cricket, Richard Pybus, last March.This lists the principle of the “prioritisation of Test cricket as the pinnacle of West Indies cricket and its protection through priority team selection and strategic scheduling”.Narine is one of six players with WICB Grade A contracts for 2014, each worth US$120,000; Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy and Marlon Samuels are the others.”For West Indies cricket to thrive and to grow, they (the players) have to make themselves available,” Muirhead said at the time. “At the same time, we don’t want to limit the amount or prevent their opportunities to earn.”He added then that there were no scheduled matches or tours in 2014 during the period of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) or the Indian Premier League (IPL). The IPL final has thrown a spanner into the works.Muirhead said Narine and Gayle, who travelled to Germany from his IPL stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore for treatment on his back injury, had advised the WICB on May 24 that they would be back by June 1.That changed for Narine in the past two weeks as Knight Riders, at one point seemingly out of contention, reeled off eight consecutive victories to qualify for the final.”We are not victimizing him in any way,” Muirhead stated. “Like all the players, he was aware of the stipulation under the NOC (No Objection Clause) well in advance.”The NOC released West Indies players for the IPL with the stipulation that they would be available no later than one week before a Test series. The camp, currently held in Barbados, wraps up on June 3. It is, according to Muirhead, the opportunity for “meaningful practice and developing the team ethic”.Predictably, Mysore acknowledged that Knight Riders wanted Narine to stay and play the final.”He has been a vital cog in our team since he joined us in 2012,” Mysore said. “He is the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2014 with 20 wickets but, just as importantly, he has been a tremendous team man.”Mysore said the franchise, owned by Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan, has undertaken to fly Narine back by the fastest available flights should the WICB alter its position. He estimated that he could join the West Indies squad by June 3, five days before the first Test.Such a scenario now seems unlikely.Without Narine, West Indies would be short of a key bowler who has made his reputation principally in the shorter versions of the game (he is ranked No.3 in ODIs and No.2 in T20 Internationals by the ICC), but who has 18 of his 23 Test wickets against New Zealand, in two matches in the Caribbean in 2012 and one in New Zealand last December.Off-spinner Shane Shillingford, returning from his second clearance following suspension for an illegal delivery, and left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn, who played the last of his 17 Tests almost three-and-a-half years ago, are the other spinners in the squad.

Colwyn Bay was hardly the centre of the sporting world, but it was the centre of cricket in Colwyn Bay and for those watching Glamorgan struggle to combat Surrey that was pleasure enough

Paul Edwards at Colwyn Bay06-Jul-2014
ScorecardZafar Ansari was in the runs again for Surrey•Getty ImagesSo easy, it was, to argue that the eyes of the sporting world were elsewhere this summer Sunday in North Wales. Wimbledon, a Grand Prix and the Tour de Yorkshire all attracted the attention of armchair spectators and maybe persuaded a few that the Division Two match between Glamorgan and Surrey at Penrhyn Avenue could be disregarded until the morrow.Yet the serried ranks of members and paying customers on all sides of this smartly-presented seaside ground with its glassy outfield and distinctive embankment offered plenty of evidence that the siren voice in the corner of the lounge had been resisted in favour of a day at the cricket. If so, the devotion of county game’s faithful was rewarded by three sessions of rare entertainment.At the end of it all, Surrey were completely in the ascendant. Their seamers dismissed Glamorgan for 232 and then put their feet up and watched with complete satisfaction as openers Rory Burns and Zafar Ansari replied with a deeply assured 121 for no wicket in 42 overs of controlled strokeplay. If you want to know how good a pitch is, goes the current motto, wait until both sides have batted on it. Well, the ease and composure of Burns and Ansari suggests that this is a decent wicket and the long final session threw the prodigality of a few home batsmen into rather sharp relief.However, Burns and Ansari’s careful devotion to their duties would not have been possible had not Chris Tremlett collected his second five-wicket return of the season by making good use of a pitch which still repaid attention to line and length. Nor would Tremlett’s efforts have been as well rewarded had he not been so well supported by Tom Curran, who finished the innings with 4 for 88.Tremlett’s merit was especially noticeable in the morning session when he bowled Jacques Rudolph all ends up in his fourth over before trapping Ben Wright on the crease for a first ball lbw with the second delivery of his fifth. That dismissal sandwiched the removal of Will Bragg, who edged Tom Curran to first slip Solanki via the palms of his neighbour Jason Roy, and it left the home side on 15 for 3.In the past such situations appeared almost to have been manufactured as opportunities for Murray Goodwin to display his patience and pugnacity, but the Zimbabawean’s abilities seem not what they were and his rash cut gave Curran his second wicket of the morning. Goodwin turned on his heels and departed in fury; perhaps he knows that the runs will never be easy to come by again.The rest of the session was dominated by Chris Cooke and Jim Allenby, both of whom took heavy toll of Matt Dunn, who followed three maidens with four overs costing 32 runs. The home side lunched on 81 for 4.The afternoon’s play followed a similar pattern: flurries of boundaries were almost exchanged for wickets but it was a deal which clearly suited Gary Wilson’s bowlers. Cooke was lbw to Curran for 45 in the third over after the resumption and Mark Wallace nicked Dunn to the wicketkeeper to end a breathless eight-over period in which he and Allenby had added 54 runs. Most of these came off Dunn, who was brutally clipped and cut to the short boundary in front of the houses on the Gordon Avenue side of the ground.By now, news was filtering though that Andrew Flintoff was playing for Lancashire and that the tennis was worth watching. It didn’t matter; the Colwyn Bay crowd remained focused on their own side’s shot-filled struggle to build a decent totalThe Glamorgan score was 146 for 6 when Wallace departed, scarcely a crisis for the Surrey attack, one would think, yet Allenby’s all-round talents have ruined many sides’ plans over the years. Thus, it was a wise move for Wilson to recall Tremlett and his bowler responded by removing Allenby for a 69 which had included 13 polished boundaries, when a good length induced a drive and an edge to Roy in the slips.Still the attack went on, this time in the muscular hands of Will Owen, who learned his cricket down the road in Prestatyn. Glamorgan’s No9 whacked seven fours in his unbeaten 37, but the locals’ premature plans to salute his fifty were stymied as Tremlett got rid of Dean Cosker and Michael Hogan, thereby ending the innings on what appears a plainly inadequate total. The innings had included 38 boundaries.Burns and Ansari’s approach to matters was more methodical and plainly less frenetic than that of Glamorgan’s batsmen. By the end of the day it had paid substantial dividends, yet even as their bowlers were denied, the home supporters remained gripped by the cricket and hoped in vain for a breakthrough. Events in SW19 and even the reboations from Worcester were left for another day.

ESPNcricinfo previews the third Test between England and India

The Preview by Karthik Krishnaswamy26-Jul-2014Match factsSunday, July 27, Ageas Bowl
Start time 1100 (1000 GMT)Big PictureEngland are 1-0 down in a five-Test series, against opponents who have just won their first overseas Test in three years. There is a lot of cricket left to be played, clearly, but the cheer in the India camp and the gloom in England’s are at levels disproportionate to the bare fact of the scoreline.Lord’s was a crushing win for India but it is still too early to say the momentum has swung their way. This team is still learning to win, still hoping at the start of every Test match that their bowlers are capable of taking 20 wickets. Until that inexplicable English meltdown on the fifth afternoon, it seemed quite possible that India might do a Johannesburg or a Wellington and let another advantageous position slip from their grasp.Senior players such as Alastair Cook, James Anderson and Stuart Broad will need to step up if England are to turn the series around•Getty ImagesThat three batsmen were out hooking into a leg side packed with boundary riders had more to do with England’s fragility than with India’s tactics. Something will need to change within the home dressing room, and very soon, if England are to come back into the series. Alastair Cook will need to lead that change, whether by example – things might look very different if he makes a hundred on Sunday and puts on 150 with another member of his top three – or by dint of his captaincy. Right now, in a series billed as a meeting of two unadventurous captains, it is only MS Dhoni who has done anything to belie his reputation.To anyone who has watched their recent overseas tours, it should not have been too much of a surprise that India outbatted England at Lord’s, except perhaps for the fact that Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli didn’t feature among the biggest gamechangers. That they also outbowled England, though, a surprise. Something must be going wrong at a fundamental level if an attack that includes James Anderson and Stuart Broad is struggling to dismiss lower-order batsmen so often.Whether it is due to weariness – Broad, suffering from knee tendinitis, has looked down on pace – or the sameness of their attack – Moeen Ali has taken more than twice the wickets Ravindra Jadeja has, without offering the same control – or simply the tactics – how many times do you bowl short to tailenders and fail to dismiss them before shelving the plan? – they can’t go on as they have been for too much longer.England seem a side set in their ways but are in dire need of change. India, particularly their bowlers, will need to show they can do what they did at Lord’s on a consistent basis.Form guideEngland: LDLDL
India: WDDLL
Players to watchDuring the post-match presentation at Lord’s, Alastair Cook said he was “trying my heart out to turn this around” after Lord’s – “this” being no wins in England’s last 10 Test matches, “this” also being a personal run of 27 innings without a century, during which time he has averaged 23.62 with the bat. Cook, you sense, has time to “turn this around” only as long as the series remains alive.Each time he has batted in this series, Cheteshwar Pujara has looked set for a big score, before getting out against the run of play. Scores of 38, 55, 28 and 43 won’t reflect how critical his contributions have been to India’s success on this tour, particularly his three-hour dig on the first morning at Lord’s, but India’s No. 3 will want to inflict much more tangible damage on England.Team newsWith Matt Prior taking a break to regain fitness after battling multiple injuries, Jos Buttler will make his Test debut for England. It seems likely that Stuart Broad will play on despite fitness issues but Ben Stokes, who has been decent with the ball but hasn’t scored a run in three innings, could make way for Chris Jordan. If Liam Plunkett is rested, Chris Woakes could come in.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Sam Robson, 3 Gary Ballance, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Joe Root, 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Liam Plunkett/Chris Woakes, 11 James Anderson.Judging by the quantity and quality of the time he has spent batting in the nets in the lead-up, Rohit Sharma looks set to regain his place in India’s middle-order as they go back to playing six specialist batsmen. Stuart Binny will make way if this is indeed the case.India (probable) 1 M Vijay, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Mohammed Shami.Pitch and conditionsThe Ageas Bowl has only hosted one Test match before this, against Sri Lanka three years ago. That match was drawn, but it probably wouldn’t have been had the weather allowed more than 261 overs to be played over five days, with lavishing praise on the groundsman Nigel Gray for preparing “a greenish pitch combining the true bounce of Perth and the lateral movement of Nottingham”.There was little lateral movement in Nottingham when it hosted the first Test of this series, but it doesn’t seem likely that the Ageas Bowl will throw up anything as out-of-character. The pitch is still reputed to be one of the fastest in the country, and there was a fair grass cover – though not nearly as much as at Lord’s – on it in the lead-up. A spell of hot weather has raised concerns over its moisture retention, but in all it seems like the faster bowlers will have enough help to work with. There could be a spell of rain on Sunday, but clear skies are forecast for the other days.Stats and trivia M Vijay has faced 794 balls in the series so far, and has already moved to second on the list of India openers in terms of balls faced in a series in England. With three Tests still to go, he is within sight of Sunil Gavaskar’s record of 1199 balls faced in four Tests in 1979. Only five captains in England’s history have led in more than 20 Tests with a worse win-loss record than Alastair Cook, who has won 9 and lost 8 of the 25 Tests he has captained in.Quotes”The frustrating thing has been that we’ve been getting ourselves into situations, especially in the four Test matches, where we are ahead of the game by quite a long way and haven’t been able to force that result. We must be doing a lot of things really well. But in the crucial sessions, when we need to stamp our authority to get that win, we haven’t managed to take [that chance]. It’s bubbling under but the longer it goes without a win it becomes harder and harder.”
“I feel that in a five-match series, 1-0 lead is not big. What’s crucial is to pick the right team and move forward. We are not thinking about any tagline this time, 1-0 up, level the series etc.”

A double century from Rilee Rossouw and an unbeaten fifty from Farhaan Behardien helped South Africa amass a 293-run lead over Australia A on the third day of the four-day game in Townsville

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Aug-2014
ScorecardRilee Rossouw and Temba Bavuma added 343 runs for the fifth wicket•Getty ImagesA double century from Rilee Rossouw and an unbeaten fifty from Farhaan Behardien helped South Africa amass a 293-run lead over Australia A on the third day of the four-day game in Townsville. By the close of play, Australia A had managed to wipe 113 runs off the deficit, losing both openers along the way.Centuries from Rossouw and Temba Bavuma had flattened Australia A on the second day and the pair extended their 283-run partnership to 343 on the third morning before Bavuma was dismissed by Gurinder Sandhu for 162. Rossouw, who began the day unbeaten on 162, steadily marched towards his double hundred and got to the landmark in the 23rd over of the day.The batsman, who was recently picked for the ODIs against Zimbabwe, also shared a 70-run, sixth-wicket partnership with Behardien that pushed South Africa A closer to 500. Rossouw and wicketkeeper Mangaliso Mosehle fell within three overs but Behardien stabilised the innings with a brisk 53-run stand alongside Simon Harmer. Harmer contributed just eight runs to the eighth-wicket partnership, which came in 11.2 overs, and his dismissal with the score at 8 for 532 prompted a declaration from the visitors. Behardien remained unbeaten on 70, while Sandhu was the best bowler for Australia A with returns of 4 for 77.In reply, Australia A lost openers Marcus Stoinis and Phillip Hughes quickly to Harmer before Tom Cooper and Callum Ferguson saw the side through to stumps with an unbeaten 62-run partnership.