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ESPNcricinfo previews the fifth ODI between India and England in Dharamsala

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria26-Jan-2013

Match facts

January 27, 2013
Start time 0930 (0400 GMT)Virat Kohli poses with the Himalayas for a backdrop, as cricket talk has taken a backseat to the scenery•BCCI

Big Picture

The cold and tranquil surroundings of the hill resort of Dharamsala are set to be abuzz with the clamour of international cricket. The curious choice of the newest entrant on the international cricketing map in peak winter has generated considerable interest, but snow is unlikely to make an appearance. The series having been decided in Mohali, it’s not surprising that cricket talk has taken a backseat with players taking time out for sightseeing. However, the peaks around the picturesque valley stand tall as a constant reminder of heights the two teams haven’t been able to scale with their cricket.India have had a topsy-turvy time in the last three months, but the win has come as respite from the losses they endured in the Test series and the ODIs against Pakistan. While they have at least a semblance of answers to questions pertaining to the middle order, bowling, fielding and, to some extent, Rohit Sharma’s role, others – Ajinkya Rahane and Gautam Gambhir, for example – remain unanswered. A win here at least would keep the detractors relatively quiet for now.England, who played so well in the Tests, are a shadow of themselves. They have a young side, but it is the experienced among them who have failed to inspire. Players like Ian Bell and Eoin Morgan haven’t done much of note. But they have had positives too – Steven Finn has enhanced his reputation while Joe Root has impressed with his composure. The team is headed to New Zealand from here and as they play the T20s and ODIs first up, they need more positives from this tour.

Form guide

India WWWLW (Most recent first)
England LLLWL

In the spotlight

He waited and waited for his chance in Tests, but when he got one, he made it count. An agonising wait for an ODI debut has continued though for Cheteshwar Pujara. Speculations that he would walk into the XI once he became part of the squad were quashed immediately by the India captain. With the series in the bag, will India give him a chance?Alastair Cook has been as efficient as ever and has two half-centuries in the series. But three times he has been out lbw, two times to deliveries pitching outside leg. While he will continue to be the main man behind England laying the foundation for a big total, he will hope the umpires allow him a full run.

Team news

Chris Woakes, who has replaced Tim Bresnan in England’s squad to New Zealand, is likely to find a place in the XI, while Stuart Meaker could replace Jade Dernbach.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Ian Bell,3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Samit Patel, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 James Tredwell, 10 Steven Finn, 11 Stuart MeakerIndia could bring in Cheteshwar Pujara in place of Gautam Gambhir, but he might not open. “You will see a new batting attack tomorrow,” Suresh Raina suggested in the pre-match press conference.India (probable) 1 Gautam Gambhir/Cheteshwar Pujara, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Shami Ahmed, 11 Ishant Sharma

Pitch and conditions

It is a 9.30am start in Dharamsala and the ball is expected to nip around in the cool conditions.

Stats and trivia

• The HPCA stadium is the 43rd ODI venue in India. It’s the second northern-most venue after Srinagar’s Sher-i-Kashmir stadium, which hosted two ODIs between 1983 and 1986. It is also the fourth highest ground in the world behind, the stadiums in Johannesburg, Nairobi and Harare
• Ian Bell is 96 short of 4000 ODI runs. He will be the eighth English player to get to the landmark if he gets there. Suresh Raina 15 away from 4000

Quotes

“Definitely, I would like to bat higher up the order If I am given a chance. I would like to give my 100% as it will also give me an opportunity to play more overs.””While seeing snow on the surrounding mountains gives an impression that it is chilly, the weather is quite tolerable and fit for the game.”

Michael Clarke performed a feat of rare diplomacy on the eve of his side’s ODI series against the West Indies as he managed to balance his friendship with Shane Warne, and his fealty to Cricket Australia’s high performance chief Pat Howard

Daniel Brettig31-Jan-2013Australia’s captain Michael Clarke performed a feat of rare diplomacy on the eve of his side’s ODI series against the West Indies as he simultaneously managed to balance his friendship with Shane Warne, and his fealty to Cricket Australia’s high performance chief Pat Howard.Of those who have reacted to Warne’s parallel universe for Australian cricket in the past 24 hours, Clarke’s response was the one caught in the most invidious position. He is both a part of the selection panel that advocates concepts Warne cannot stomach, and also an eager sponge for all the cricket knowledge the former Test leg spinner and his own mentor Ian Chappell can provide.Caught between Warne and Howard, Clarke trod a narrow path down the middle, stating the former was entitled to his opinion and would be listened to by those in power, but also reiterating his belief that the latter was doing a strong job in the face of much criticism from those unwilling to watch the high-end of the game be managed by a former rugby international.”Warnie and I are great friends and we always will be,” Clarke said in Perth. “Everybody’s entitled to their opinion, and he’s certainly earned the right to voice his opinion on Australian cricket. I speak to Warnie often about things I can do personally to improve my game. Not only has he been a great friend, but he’s a mentor to me as well.”Pat Howard has been doing a fantastic job. A lot of people will take a lot of notice of what Warnie has to say. But people have jobs and are trying to do that job to the best of their ability. And that’s all we can do. I’m a part of that as well. The people who make the decisions on who gets employed, they’ll definitely take notice. They’ll read what Warnie had to say. And I’m sure they’ll do whatever they have to do.”Among other targets of Warne’s push for change in the Australian game, the national selector John Inverarity declined to comment, other than to say he was happy he lived in a country granted a free press and unfettered expression of ideas. Warne had suggested Inverarity be replaced by his fellow selector and friend Rod Marsh.The national coach Mickey Arthur, who Warne argued should be replaced by the former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, was less diplomatic in his assessment: taking issue with Warne’s clear preference for the simpler ways of the past – namely the 1970s when his mentor Chappell led a team of self-reliant and contrasting characters.”He’s living in a dream world to be honest,” Arthur told 6PR Radio in Perth. “It’s just not possible [to always pick your best team] with the amount of time the players have at their disposal. He’s living in a dream world and clearly he’s not up with the times.”We don’t sit there and rotate players and think, ‘he is going to play here and he is going to play here and there’. What we do, is we manage our players. So it’s about player management. If there is a player who is not 100 percent fit, we don’t take the risk with him. We want guys that are going out on the field 100 percent fine and ready to go all of the time.”Peter Siddle, Warne’s fellow Victorian and one of the players referred to as part of a strong core of the current Test team, offered the following view: “That’s just Warnie being Warnie. Warnie has done that when he played. He just likes the limelight.”

Australia’s ruinous Test results in India have not dissuaded the architect of the plan, Don Argus, to rejuvenate the national team from his view that the world No. 1 ranking can be attained by 2015

Daniel Brettig06-Mar-2013Australia’s ruinous Test results in India have not dissuaded the architect of the plan to rejuvenate the national team from his view that the world No. 1 ranking can be attained by 2015. Don Argus, the former BHP chairman, authored the review released in August 2011 that overhauled the structure around Michael Clarke’s team, resulting in the appointments of Mickey Arthur as coach, John Inverarity as national selector and Pat Howard as the team performance manager.Those changes wrought promising early returns, but the retirements of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey left Clarke to lead a gapingly inexperienced side to India where the vagaries of playing on the subcontinent have contributed to a humiliating duo of defeats. Nonetheless, Argus told he was adamant that Australia were still capable of achieving for the sustained success striven for in his review, provided those in charge were not panicked into compromising on its dictums.’I wouldn’t compromise on that at all,” Argus said. “It’s like a five-year plan in a company – if you commit to something, you’ve got to get it, and all these players have committed to it. I don’t believe in blind faith. I believe in a lot of hard work, and it doesn’t come tomorrow. I think there’s a lot of effort going into getting this team to its goals. I’ve got great faith they will get to where they want to get to.”Stay the course, but also recognise the challenges that are there. We tend to fall back into thinking we’ve still got this side with seven champions in it. Maybe that will come again, but that just doesn’t come overnight.”Argus was largely supportive of the path taken by Howard, Arthur and Inverarity in following through on his directives, though he admitted it was “debatable” whether the area of spin bowling weakness was being adequately addressed. He stated that current impatience with the team’s results could not be allowed to change the path that had been committed to.”I think they have been quite bold in implementing a lot of the stuff and going down the recommendation path in the report,” Argus said. ”Everyone wants instant success … and the trouble when you go through a transition or succession phase is that impatience manifests itself into a bit of emotion. Up until this series, the guys have done pretty well in trying to unearth new talent and things like that.”Everyone is going to have to hold their steel here to get the ultimate outcome, because if you start thrashing around in water then you drown, and up until now I think they’ve held it pretty well. I think India is probably the toughest environment of all to blood new talent and that’s what is happening over there.”I’m not that despondent. I think it’s probably teaching the selectors a lot more about the strengths and weaknesses of the squad. I don’t think they could put together a better squad. They’ve tried a lot of people and you can add a few here and a few there, but they’ve gone about a process quite systematically that will get us there in the end, but it was never going to be a short-term fix.”Addressing questions about whether the selectors had adequately fulfilled his stated goal that performance had to be rewarded more consistently with national team representation, Argus said Inverarity’s panel had done so “by and large”, though Xavier Doherty’s Test recall after a barren home summer was a deviation.”Selectors will sometimes make subjective judgments for whatever reason … I’m sure they can justify their selections,” Argus said. “Up until probably that one [Doherty], they’ve stuck with what they’ve said they were going to do, and I think that has paid off for them.”They’ve won in the West Indies, they’ve comprehensively won two series at home [against India and Sri Lanka, but also lost to No.1 team South Africa], and they go to the toughest environment in the world with an inexperienced side in those conditions, and it’s tough.”Suspicious in the review of the impact that the then nascent Big Bash League may have on international performances and focus, Argus said compromises in the name of commercial gains would result in the team being compromised.”If you deviate from your priorities, if you compromise on your plan … you’ll always get caught out,” he said. “If Test cricket is the No. 1 game, and we say it is, that’s the way it is.”

Sri Lanka’s new Twenty20 captain Dinesh Chandimal has admitted there is significant pressure on the hosts to finish the home series against Bangladesh on a high note

Andrew Fernando in Pallekele30-Mar-2013Sri Lanka’s new Twenty20 captain Dinesh Chandimal has admitted there is significant pressure on the hosts to finish the home series against Bangladesh on a high note, ahead of the one-off Twenty20 in Pallekele on Sunday. The hosts had been expected to win each series comprehensively, but could only draw the ODI series 1-1, and allowed Bangladesh to draw a Test against Sri Lanka, for the first time.Chandimal is now set to lead a young, inexperienced side, which will feature at least one debutant, as six uncapped Twenty20 players have been named in the 16-man squad. They will likely play four top-order batsmen with less than 15 matches’ experience, and two specialist bowlers who have each played less than five Twenty20s.”Bangladesh won the last match and will be in a good mental state. But our players have got a big chance here and they will hopefully take that opportunity,” Chandimal said. “It’s a lot of pressure, but I like to play with that pressure. As a cricketer, there has to be pressure when we play, because that’s when we can truly overcome challenges. We never underestimated Bangladesh, because they are an improving side in world cricket.”I have to be content with this team, because as youngsters, this is the kind of tour that they should be given opportunities in. When you are playing your first or second match, it’s better if you play teams like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe and then get the confidence to play big matches against Australia and England. It’s good if they can learn from their time with the seniors and take their cricket forward.”Chandimal has never captained a national team at age-group level, but he had had a superlative season as captain of Ananda College, in Colombo, where he led his side to an unprecedented 13 outright wins in 2008. He was one of several candidates for Test captaincy as well, despite his youth, but eventually Angelo Mathews was given the role, and Chandimal made vice-captain.”I was captain in Under-19 and U-15 teams as well, in a few provincial matches. This is a great challenge, because captaining the national team is not something everyone can do. We need to talk to all our players, of every level of experience and figure out how we are going to improve and win more matches for our country.”We don’t have the experienced players like Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan, who played well in the last two series. But I think there are great young players like Dilshan Munaweera and Kusal Perera. This is a great opportunity for the young players.”
Chandimal singled out Nasir Hossain as a particular threat among the opposition batsmen, and said Sri Lanka had grown wary of his strengths during the tour. Nasir walloped 33 runs from 27 deliveries in the third ODI, to propel his side to victory, and had struck 73 not out from 59 deliveries to close out the innings in the first ODI as well, in addition to the Test ton he scored in Galle.”Bangladesh’s batsmen have improved a lot from how they were before. Nasir Hossain has been the batsman who has batted the best in the ODI series, and he’s been consistent throughout the tour, so we’ve got a plan for him. We’ve got plans for all the others as well. We’re hoping that tomorrow we can come through in those situations, and showcase our talent.”

Jasprit Bumrah made his IPL debut in front of a packed house, but the Gujarat youngster wasn’t fazed by the occasion

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Apr-2013Mumbai Indians’ Jasprit Bumrah, a virtually unknown teenager from Gujarat, had a memorable IPL debut on Thursday, taking 3 for 32 against Royal Challengers Bangalore. He didn’t have the best of starts, though, being taken for three fours in his first four deliveries by Virat Kohli.He then had Kohli lbw off his fifth ball, and celebrated exuberantly. “He had hit me for three boundaries in that over and so I was angry,” Bumrah told the IPL website. “I am always like this on the field.”Bumrah was picked for the match ahead of more experienced contenders like Dhawal Kulkarni and Abu Nechim, but wasn’t fazed by the occasion. “It was the first time that I played in front of such huge crowd but I wasn’t paying any attention to the crowd. The more you focus on the inside, the better it is.”Mumbai have a line-up including some of the biggest names in cricket, including Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting, players any youngster would dream of meeting. “I did feel a little overawed by all the big players in the team initially. But they were so welcoming and friendly, they made me feel at ease.”He hit the headlines with a Man-of-the-Match performance in the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament, and he impressed Mumbai’s coach John Wright earlier in the tournament with his bowling in the league stage in Ahmedabad. “John Wright had come to watch one of our T20 matches and he watched me bowl in two games,” Bumrah said. “He didn’t talk to me or hint anything. After he went, I got a call asking if I was interested in signing a contract with the Mumbai Indians.”One of the things that make Bumrah difficult to deal with initially is his unusual action, with stiff hands and bowling well wide of the crease. It looks ungainly but his coach Kishore Trivedi, father of Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat medium-pacer Siddharth, doesn’t want him to alter the action. “There were many who felt that we should change his action but I was reluctant,” Trivedi told . ” He is a natural and there was no point in making drastic changes. It would’ve led him nowhere.”

Ashish Bagai will rejoin the Canada squad for a nine-month period till February 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-2013Wicketkeeper-batsman Ashish Bagai has been signed on a national team central contract with Cricket Canada, but will only be available for a nine-month period leading up to February 2014, when he will begin work. He will return to the squad on May 15, after completing his graduation from business school. Bagai last played for Canada during the 2011 Cricket World Cup. He subsequently left the team to pursue an MBA.His inclusion in the squad comes at a crucial time for the national team as they embark on two World Cup qualification campaigns: the 2014 World T20 Qualifier in Dubai and the 2015 World Cup Qualifier. “Canadian cricket means a lot to me and I am excited to play a role in helping Canada qualify for both of these events once again.” Bagai said. “I know the recent results have not been great, but there are some promising aspects that we can build on during the upcoming summer. It’s going to require a lot of commitment and character from the players and I am confident that the guys will rise to the challenge.”Cricket Canada’s president Ravin Moorthy believed Bagai’s inclusion will help bolster the side. “To again sign Ashish to a commitment that includes both World Cup qualifiers, clearly signals the organisations intention to make a serious run to qualify for upcoming major world tournaments.” Bagai has enjoyed a successful ODI career, scoring 1961 runs and affecting 67 dismissals as wicketkeeper.

England won by 247 runs in almost exactly 10 sessions to wrap up a 2-0 series victory and largely vindicate their approach

The Report by George Dobell28-May-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGraeme Swann completed his first ten-wicket haul in England to secure an emphatic victory•Getty Images

Alastair Cook could have been forgiven for scratching his head with confusion when he woke on Tuesday morning. With his team 1-0 up and sure of a series win, he might have expected some plaudits and praise. Instead, despite having come close to a three-day Test win against an opposition that had the better of the Test series in New Zealand only weeks ago, he found his tactics criticised and condemned.Nothing illustrates how far this England team have come since New Zealand beat them in England in 1999 to sentence them to bottom place in the Test rankings. Success is not just expected from England now, it is demanded, and with style.In the end, England won by 247 runs in almost exactly 10 sessions to wrap up a 2-0 series victory and largely vindicate their approach. Graeme Swann claimed 10 for 132 to emulate Derek Underwood, the last spinner to take ten wickets in a Test at Headingley back in 1972.Only 11 overs were possible on the fifth morning in between the forecast rain. When play did start after a 45-minute hiatus, it did not take England long to remove the only remaining specialist batsman. For the fourth time in the series, Stuart Broad dismissed the New Zealand captain, this time clinging on to a sharp caught-and-bowled chance as Brendon McCullum mistimed a drive off the bottom of the bat. The dismissal meant McCullum scored only 31 runs in the series.But the wicket came at a cost to England as Broad appeared to cut his knee diving for the catch – blood was visible through his trousers – and left the pitch for treatment shortly afterwards.England might have had Tim Southee on 26, as he edged one from Swann that did not turn, but Jonathan Trott, at slip, could not hold on to the chance in his left hand. To rub salt in the wound, Southee slog-swept the next ball for six.It was far from the only aggressive stroke he played. Despite a man waiting for the stroke on the midwicket boundary, Southee pulled Steven Finn’s first ball for six and drove Broad for a thumping straight four. Doug Bracewell also pulled Finn for a six in an eighth-wicket stand of 56 in only 41 balls.Swann made the second breakthrough with another delivery that slid on with the arm and again took the edge of Southee’s bat. This time Trott clung on to another tricky chance by his left boot. It made Swann the first spinner to claim a five-wicket haul in a Test at Headingley since John Emburey did so in the Ashes of 1985.But just five more deliveries were possible before the rain – for a while spitting – grew harder and the umpires led the players from the pitch for an early lunch. After a long delay, play resumed at 3pm. Just eight balls later Bracewell was given out to an inside edge but it was overruled using DRS, with replays showing the ball had deflected off the pad, not the bat. But, in Swann’s next over, he had the same batsman smartly caught by Ian Bell at silly point off bat and pad. It gave Swann a ten-wicket haul for the third time in Test cricket and his first in England.Neil Wagner and Trent Boult resisted for another eight scoreless overs but the return of James Anderson brought immediate rewards. With his third delivery, he drew Boult into a push that took the outside edge and carried to Matt Prior. It gave Anderson his 307th Test wicket to take him level with Fred Trueman’s tally. Now only Sir Ian Botham and Bob Willis have more than Anderson for England.The results means England go into the Ashes with four wins in their last eight Tests and unbeaten in that period. But they can take more than victory from this game. The re-emergence of Finn as a bowler of pace and hostility and proof that Swann has rediscovered his best form following elbow surgery means England go into the Ashes with a balanced, settled attack capable of troubling most line-ups on most surfaces.There are one or two issues with the batting – the survival of Nick Compton at the top of the order will remain a debating point – but, with Kevin Pietersen back in the nets and Joe Root emerging as a fine player, England can feel pretty well prepared for the Ashes.Their tactics in this match were questionable, however. Had they enforced the follow-on or declared their second innings earlier – even a lunch-time declaration on day four would have given them a vital extra half-hour – they might have secured victory without gambling on a break in the clouds. As it was, they endured a nervous day watching it drizzle and hoping to squeeze in any more play. Ultimately they required about 90 minutes play on the final day, into which they squeezed 22 overs.Perhaps England betrayed some of their anxiety on the final morning. Andy Flower, the England coach, could be seen having an animated conversation with the groundsman minutes after the rain stopped. It would be unwise to try speculate in too much detail as to Flower’s intentions, but it seems safe to assume he was making the point that, if the rain was only to relent for short periods, England needed play to resume as soon as possible. As tends to be the case, Flower got his way despite a counter-argument from his New Zealand counterpart, Mike Hesson.In different circumstances, criticism might instead have been directed at Yorkshire rather than England. On most Test grounds in the UK, the floodlights could have been utilised for play to continue on the fourth day, but there are no floodlights at Headingley. It is also worth noting that, in a summer where every other Test will be all but a sell-out – even the Lord’s Test against New Zealand – this match has been played, at times, in front of vast banks of empty seats. For all the rich history and fine atmosphere, the future of Test cricket in Yorkshire remains precarious.

Moeen Ali’s first double-century for Worcestershire heaped scoreboard pressure on a fast disintegrating Glamorgan in Division Two match at New Road

21-Jun-2013
ScorecardMoeen Ali made Worcestershire’s first Championship double hundred in nearly four years•PA Photos

Moeen Ali’s first double-century for Worcestershire heaped scoreboard pressure on a fast disintegrating Glamorgan in Division Two match at New Road.The 26-year-old left hander’s career-best 250, accumulated from 367 balls in a little over eight hours, put his side in the happy position of declaring at 505 for 7 after losing the toss on the first morning.Glamorgan immediately lurched into trouble, losing two wickets in 20 overs before tea and three more in the final session before closing the second day at 164 for 5, still 192 short of making the hosts bat again.Worcestershire always felt they could get something out the pitch and their seam trio of Alan Richardson, Chris Russell and Jack Shantry successfully put the theory into practice.Recalled keeper Ben Cox held two catches, Ben Wright and Marcus North were bowled after making some headway and Matt Pardoe sprawled forward at short midwicket to take a bat-pad chance from Stewart Walters.It was only in the last hour that Jim Allenby, unbeaten with 56 from 72 balls, checked their momentum with support from captain Mark Wallace.Earlier, a shoal of statistics gathered around Moeen as he added 95 to his overnight score of 155 before Dean Cosker claimed his wicket when a tired-looking shot found Mike Reed a few yards inside the boundary rope at long-off.By then he had leapfrogged all of his rivals in the race to be first to 1,000 first-class runs this season. Now on 900, he is 11 ahead of England’s Joe Root. A slow surface was made for a batsman intent on playing a long innings, although his performance was not entirely flawless with several shots skewing off the outside edge to the third man area.But the bottom line could not be questioned when he departed with 26 fours and two sixes to his name. Having posted Worcestershire’s first double-hundred in the Championship for nearly four years, he went on to match Graeme Hick, Glenn Turner and Don Kenyon in becoming the fourth player to make 250 or more for the county on the New Road ground.Nothing much went right for Glamorgan’s bowlers when Worcestershire resumed with 322 for 3 on the board from the first day. First they were held up for more than hour by Shantry, the nightwatchman making 32 out of a stand of 70, and even when three wickets tumbled in a dozen balls, they were knocked by a stand of 101 between Moeen and Cox.Cosker emerged with most credit. After conceding 22 runs in his first two overs on Thursday, he straightened out his figures with a return of 4 for 68.Apart from dismissing the two top scorers, Pardoe and Moeen, the left-arm spinner took wickets in successive overs, holding a return catch from Shantry and trapping Championship debutant Tom Fell for a first-ball duck.

Australia took firm control of the Ashes Test, reducing England to 159 for 6 on the second day, but Heather Knight kept the home side fighting and on track to avoid the follow-on

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-2013
ScorecardHeather Knight held England’s floundering innings together•Getty Images

Australia took firm control of the Ashes Test, reducing England to 172 for 6 on the second day, but Heather Knight kept the home side fighting and on track to avoid the follow-on after the middle order had been removed by Erin Osborne and the 17-year-old Holly Ferling.Australia had made an bold declaration shortly before lunch on 331 for 6 – there is an incentive to win the Test with six points on offer in the new-style multi-format Ashes concept – after Sarah Elliott had reached a maiden Test hundred having been unbeaten on 95 overnight while Alex Blackwell contributed 54.Ellyse Perry clubbed 31 off 24 balls and then struck an early blow when Arran Brindle was lbw in the ninth over. However, England formed themselves a decent platform as Knight and Sarah Taylor came together, but Taylor’s dismissal for a sparkly 33 prompted a collapse.Taylor became a maiden Test wicket for Ferling, who then claimed the key scalp of Charlotte Edwards lbw although the England captain was far from impressed with the decision. Substantial damage was then caused by offspinner Osborne as she claimed three wickets in the space of four overs to leave England tottering on 113 for 6.England, though, resisted stoutly through the remainder of the day as Knight and Laura Marsh compiled a 36-over partnership worth 59. Knight hit 10 boundaries in her 225-ball innings while Marsh blocked through 114 deliveries to remain unbeaten on 13.”It’s a pretty good pitch out there and with Laura we managed to put together a partnership,” Knight said. “Our team bats really low down the order so hopefully we can go out tomorrow, score a few more runs and then come hard at them with the ball.”I decided to concentrate on what I was doing at my end and not worrying too much about the wickets we were losing other end. I feel good about my cricket at the moment. Whatever I’m doing is working so it’s just about carrying that on. I think it’s going really well.”However we still need 10 more to avoid follow-on so that is our first objective and then there’s the new ball in six overs so hopefully that will bring a few more runs.”

Luke Wright smashed 114 off just 69 balls as Sussex cruised to a nine-wicket win over Netherlands in their day-night Yorkshire Bank 40 game at Hove

13-Aug-2013
ScorecardLuke Wright blasted a century from 62 balls•Getty Images

Luke Wright smashed 114 off just 69 balls as Sussex cruised to a nine-wicket win over Netherlands in their day-night Yorkshire Bank 40 game at Hove. Sussex’s fourth win in Group A is unlikely to improve their chances of reaching the knockout stages for the third successive year but they at least managed to end a winless run at Hove that had extended for two days short of a year.Wright and Ed Joyce put on 175 in 20 overs for the first wicket with Wright cruising to the sixth List A hundred of his career and second of the summer, after he made 115 against Kent in June.The 28-year-old played the last of his 46 ODIs for England more than two years ago and is to lead England Lions in three matches against Bangladesh A next week. While he ruthlessly exposed the limitations of the Dutch attack it was nonetheless an impressive display of hitting against both seam and spin.He struck five sixes, either straight or on the leg side, and reached his century with his 11th four, a powerful back-foot force through extra cover off Tim Gruitjers. Gruitjers did have the satisfaction of removing Wright thanks to a superb running catch on the long-on boundary by Pieter Seelar, but it was a rare moment of relief for the seven Dutch bowlers used, none of whom had an economy rate of less than seven an over.Skipper Joyce hit the winning runs in the 22nd over to reach a 58-ball half-century.Netherlands had been hoping to build on Sunday’s encouraging win over Warwickshire and having won the toss they were well placed after 22 overs on 125 for 3. But the dismissal of top-scorer Wesley Barresi sparked a collapse which saw seven wickets go down for 60 runs in 14.2 overs.Barresi had shared a stand of 50 from just 35 balls with Gruitjers when he was leg-before to Will Beer for a run-a-ball 64, which included seven fours and a six. Three deliveries later Peter Borren was trapped in his crease by Chris Liddle and Dutch wickets fell regularly after that although Gruitjers hinted at a recovery with 27 before he was stumped down the leg side by debutant Callum Jackson to give Beer, who finished with 3 for 49, another wicket.It was a good night for the Sussex spinners. On a slow pitch, Mike Yardy and Chris Nash were operating in tandem after nine overs. Offspinner Nash picked up Michael Swart to a catch on the midwicket boundary after the opener had added 44 for the second wicket with Barresi following the early loss of Stephan Myburgh.Nash, Liddle and Lewis Hatchett all picked up two wickets and a target of 186 was never going to be a test for Sussex, especially after Wright and Joyce had plundered 71 off the first six-over Powerplay.