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Left-armers, spinners run through SA after Livingstone, Curran cameos

Firdose Moonda22-Jul-2022Rain shortened match? Sure. 72 for 5 in the 12th over? No problem. Series on the line? That’s okay.After middling white-ball form at home this summer, England stormed back with a big win over a stunned South Africa, who were left on 6 for 4 in chase of 202. On a surface that promised runs but proved tricky to bat on in damp conditions, and even took some turn, South Africa were bowled out for their joint-lowest total against England and joint-second-lowest score overall, just three days after recording their highest score against England in the series-opener.In a match that was reduced to 29 overs-a-side after a two-hour and 45 minute delay, neither side’s batters found fluency but their bowlers could make use of variations and the spinners shone. They took eight wickets between them, with Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali’s five for 51 in 10.4 overs trumping Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi’s 3 for 68 in 12 overs. But it was England’s all left-arm pace attack that did the damage from which South Africa could not recover.Janneman Malan, whose strike rate of under 90 has put him under some scrutiny, tried to get off the mark off the sixth ball he faced – a full, straight delivery from Reece Topley that he tried to flick off his pads. He mistimed it to Sam Curran at mid-on instead. Four balls later, Rassie van der Dussen attempted a similar shot, off a ball that was angling down leg and feathered it through to Jos Buttler.David Willey beat Quinton de Kock’s edge in his first over, with a ball that just passed over off-stump and with pressure building, returned to remove de Kock with the first delivery of his second. Buttler deserves the credit for England’s field placement as he put Liam Livingstone at short cover and de Kock got a leading edge to him, as he tried to work Willey into the leg side.It was also their groundwork that removed the next batter – Aiden Markram – without facing a ball. Heinrich Klaasen hit Willey towards short fine leg and set off a single but Buttler gave chase and flicked the ball at the stumps to catch Markram short of his ground. At 6 for 4 after four overs, South Africa were all but spent but may have hoped David Miller could maximise his time at the crease to keep them in it. He hit back-to-back boundaries off Topley but that was as good as it got. Miller was bowled by a Curran cutter that crashed into his off-stump to leave South Africa 27 for 5.Klaasen and Dwaine Pretorius put on 39 for the sixth wicket but when Klaasen was stumped off Moeen, England were into the lower order and in sight of victory. They bowled South Africa out in the 21st over.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

England’s effort in the field more than made up for what-seemed a haphazard performance with the bat. They were bowled out with five balls remaining against a crafty South African attack after their top-order went too hard too early in an innings that was not ODI-length but not quite T20. In the end, they relied on cameos by Livingstone and Curran, who hit all but one of their team’s seven sixes, to set them up to top 200.Jason Roy was determined to swing his way through his innings and got three fours away before Anrich Nortje cramped him for room and he sent the ball to Pretorius at mid-wicket. Roy has gone five innings without fifty, since his century against Netherlands exactly a month ago.Roy dismissal brought Phil Salt to the crease, in his seventh ODI and in the absence of the now-retired Ben Strokes and he rubbed it in Lungi Ngidi’s wounds when he whipped Ngidi through fine leg, then edged him short of de Kock and then over a vacant slip area for four. Ngidi’s first spell cost 28 runs and revealed nothing about the questions he asked the England line-up with his slower ball. Instead, it’s Pretorius who got the answers.In his first over, Pretorius had Salt caught at mid-wicket by a diving Miller, a wicket which was confirmed on umpire’s review, and then struck twice in his second to leave England reeling. Joe Root skipped down the track and swiped at a Pretorius delivery, which he top-edged in front of and to the left of de Kock and, two balls later, Bairstow was bowled by a ball that pitched on off and wobbled back in to beat his flick and hit middle stump.Pretorius had three wickets for nine runs in his first two overs and almost claimed a fourth when Moeen edged him wide of a diving de Kock. With no slip in place, Moeen survived but not for too much longer. In the next over, he picked out Nortje on the deep square boundary off Maharaj to leave England on 72 for 5 before the final specialist, Shamsi, had got in on the action.For the second match in succession, Buttler tried to take Shamsi on and for the second time, he failed. Buttler advanced down the track and tried to hit Shamsi down the ground for six but got an outside edge to Pretorius at short third. And then England found their oomph. Curran first sent Maharaj and then Shamsi over their heads for six and Livingstone plundered 22 runs off the first four balls of Nortje’s third over. Livingstone sent 90mph deliveries off Nortje over square leg, mid-wicket and fine leg and then nicked him through third for four.When Livingstone hit Nortje to mid-wicket, England still had Curran, who had one more burst against Shamsi. In a display of power-hitting, Curran sent Shamsi down the ground for successive fours and a six before holing out to long-off to end an 18-ball 35.Pretorius finally picked up his fourth when Willey swung him to deep mid-wicket, the ball after hitting him over long-off for six. At the innings break, many may have thought that would be the best performance on the day. How wrong they were.

On a tricky surface for strokeplay, Finch anchored the visitors before New Zealand’s batting folded

Andrew McGlashan05-Mar-2021A crucial innings from captain Aaron Finch on a tricky pitch, as he became Australia’s leading scorer in men’s T20Is, followed by a tight display in the field enabled them to take the series to a decider in Wellington on Sunday as the home side’s batting disappointed for the second game running.On a surface being used for the fourth time in three days (with two more matches to come), scoring was much tougher than when Australia put more than 200 on the board in the previous game. New Zealand had control for the majority of the time in the field – Ish Sodhi and Trent Boult taking five wickets between them – but Finch took full toll in the final over of the innings as Kyle Jamieson was plundered for 26.New Zealand were under pressure from the start of the chase and could not make a dent on the target in the powerplay. Australia’s three spinners – Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell – produced combined figures of 11-0-49-6.New Zealand’s bowlers hold swayThe signs were there early that scoring would not be as easy as in the previous match, when Mitchell Santner, who missed the third game under Covid-19 protocols, was introduced in the third over. He removed Matthew Wade third ball, continuing the wicketkeeper’s unconvincing series, and immediately got turn from the surface. He would bowl his four overs for just 16 including 13 dot deliveries, highlighting what New Zealand had missed on Wednesday.Boult and Sodhi did the damage to the middle order as Australia struggled to increase the tempo. Boult removed Maxwell just when he was threatening something destructive again and produced a terrific yorker to remove Agar, who had been promoted to provide a left-right combination. When Sodhi took his third wicket, removing Mitchell Marsh to a top-edged sweep, Australia were in trouble at 116 for 6 heading into the closing overs.Kane Richardson was the most successful Australia bowler on the day•Getty Images

Finch’s reward for going deepAt the start of the 18th over, Finch was 41 at a run-a-ball. He had been starved of strike for significant parts of the innings and the nature of the surface made strokeplay difficult. However, by hanging in, it meant that Australia had a set batsman for the closing overs. He went to a half-century off 47 deliveries and then it was the final over where he really made it count against the struggling Jamieson who has now conceded 175 runs in the series. The day after Kieron Pollard had taken six sixes off an over, Finch managed four – the first two over extra cover and then a brace over the leg side. A player who had been under scrutiny just a few days ago had made back-to-back crucial contributions.Powerplay squeezeFinch was quick to follow the spin playbook, handing the first over of New Zealand’s innings to Agar – fresh off his six-wicket haul in the third game – and he went for just a single to set the tone. Agar would end up bowling three of the powerplay overs, conceding just seven runs, and in that third over he removed the key figure of Martin Guptill, who tried to clear the off side but was superbly caught by Maxwell who showed some neat footwork to stay inside the rope. When Riley Meredith went for just two in the sixth over, New Zealand were stalled on 25 for 1 with Tim Seifert having used up 21 balls for 15.Pressure tellsHaving soaked up so many deliveries, Seifert had to play the Finch-type innings but his difficult stay was ended when he chopped on against Kane Richardson as the asking rate climbed over 10 an over. Williamson rarely does ugly at the crease, but was caught at point off the back of the bat as he attempted to sweep Maxwell whose offspin proved highly valuable. It quickly became a forgettable performance from the home side with Glenn Phillips and Devon Conway ending up at the same end in a mix-up. In a way, though, New Zealand’s defeat is a good thing because with the relaxation of Covid-19 alert levels tomorrow a crowd is now able to attend Wellington on Sunday. They have a decider to enjoy.

He tried to hit Mosaddek Hossain for six sixes in an over, but had to stop at three

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-20193:32

Sangakkara: Pant’s mistake a caution for all wicketkeepers

Nine centuries including a Test double, eight half-centuries, 201 fours and 66 sixes. Rohit Sharma is bossing international cricket in 2019, right on top of the run-scorers’ list for the year at the moment after his 43-ball 85 against Bangladesh in the second T20I, which levelled the series 1-1 with one match to go.India’s stand-in captain was feeling so confident on Thursday evening that thoughts of hitting offspinner Mosaddek Hossain for six sixes in an over did cross his mind, when he was batting on 58 off 30 balls, but he could not go beyond three.”That’s what I tried, I wanted to go for six in a row but when I missed the fourth one I decided to go for singles,” Sharma told Yuzvendra Chahal on bcci.tv after the game. “I knew that an offspinner was bowling, and the wet ball was not going to turn, so my plan was to stand still and hit the ball without stepping out.”Facing Hossain, who was bowling from around the wicket, Sharma dispatched the first ball over deep midwicket, the second over deep-backward square leg and the third over wide long-on, all off flat deliveries. But he couldn’t quite connect with the fourth, a fuller delivery, and only got an edge, breaking the sequence. After 21 runs off the over, India got to their target of 154 with eight wickets in hand and 26 balls remaining.”You don’t need just big muscles or power to hit sixes,” Rohit explained to Chahal. “You need timing and you need to hit it from the middle, your head should be still, your body needs to be in the right position. When you take care of these things on a good wicket, you will be able to hit sixes.”It’s already November, and Sharma now wants to finish his outstanding year on a high note.”It’s been a very good so far, just want to finish it off on a great note,” he told Star Sports at the post-match presentation. “We’ve got a few games coming up, one against Bangladesh and then there’s a whole West Indies series coming up as well. So yes, I’m quite looking forward to that, not to forget the two Test matches [against Bangladesh].”Rohit Sharma lofts one down the ground•BCCI

Sharma admitted that having started the second T20I behind in the series, India were under pressure to stay alive and they needed one batsman to play a long innings to chase down the total.”I always knew that Rajkot is a good track [for batting], it was good to win the toss, to have the score in front, and later on with the dew coming in, we knew it will be slightly difficult for bowlers in the end. We took advantage of that, had a great powerplay,” he said. “After that, it was just about carrying on and putting the pressure on the bowler.”It was important to start like this for the team – one batsman had to play a long innings. We’ve seen so many times that if a batsman goes on, his team usually wins. A bit disappointed because I got out at the wrong time, nevertheless I’m happy with my performance and the team’s performance as well because we were under pressure after losing the first game. It was important to win this game or we would have lost the series.”The win was set up by the bowlers, especially spinners Chahal and Washington Sundar, who returned a combined 8-0-53-3 to tie Bangladesh down to only 153 in batting-friendly conditions in Rajkot.”Both Washington and Chahal are pretty smart and understand their bowling really well,” Sharma said. “They’ve been playing a lot of domestic cricket and IPL as well. More importantly, they analyse, and they always have conversations with the bowling coach and the captain as to where they can improve.”Chahal, we have seen over the years, has bowled in difficult conditions and situations and somehow he has managed to get the team on top. And that has given him a lot of confidence moving forward. And same with Washy as well. Washington has been our new-ball bowler all this while, but today I wanted to change it a little bit and bowl him one over in the powerplay and have three overs at the back considering how big the ground was.”

Western Australia glided to their second win in as many domestic limited overs matches after restricting South Australia’s batsmen at the WACA Ground

Daniel Brettig22-Sep-2018Getty Images

Western Australia glided to their second win in as many domestic limited-overs matches after restricting South Australia’s batsmen at the WACA Ground. Over the river from the AFL preliminary final at a packed Perth Stadium, the Warriors were well served by the pacemen Nathan Coulter-Nile and Andrew Tye, who claimed three wickets apiece to keep the Redbacks off balance.A critical early blow was the recalled Coulter-Nile’s defeat of Jake Weatherald for a duck on the pull shot, after the left-hander’s dominant century to take SA to victory over New South Wales on Thursday. Tye’s victims included the Redbacks wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey (58), who fell just as he seemed likely to be setting the visitors on course for a handsome total. The rest of SA’s innings was a struggle, summed up by the fact that the bowling allrounder Cameron Valente was required to make 47 to push the Redbacks as far as 237 from their allotment of 50 overs.While Josh Philippe was out early in WA’s chase, the Warriors gloveman Josh Inglis (50) made a key contriburion to ensure the hosts cut down the target with plenty of wickets in hand. The WA captain Ashton Turner, Hilton Cartwright and the diminutive Jon Wells all notched scores in the 40s to ensure a WA victory, albeit not swiftly enough to claim a bonus point.

Morne Morkel is savouring every moment back in international career after his serious back injury but believes his career is ‘nearly finished’

Firdose Moonda21-Jul-2017Morne Morkel could consider playing only one format of international cricket, and it may well be Tests, as he reaches the twilight of his career. At 32, Morkel considers his career “nearly finished” and will meet with CSA at the end of the ongoing tour to England to discuss his future.Unlike some of his senior team-mates such as AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis, Morkel does not appear to be eyeing the 2019 World Cup as a swansong, despite recent reappearances in the one-day team. Asked how long he could realistically see himself playing international cricket for, Morkel did not provide a time-frame but hinted it may not be too much longer.”I don’t know. After this tour we’ll see. I’ll speak with Cricket South Africa and see where they see me featuring,” he said. “I love playing for this team. But it’s not rocket science that they probably want to start looking, in white-ball cricket, at the 2019 World Cup. Am I going to part of those plans? If I can be around to help the younger guys find their feet, so be it. I’ll do that. For me the main focus is this tour and then we’ll go back and see how we go.”After playing just two of South Africa’s six matches in the Caribbean triangular series in mid-2016, Morkel was sidelined from one-day cricket for 11 months, initially with a back injury and then because other players were being looked at. He returned on this tour and played in the final ODI of the three-match series against England at Lord’s and in all three Champions Trophy games but seems to think the selectors are looking to the future.”My conditioning’s been good over the years and I really look after my body,” he said. “Mentally and physically I feel strong. But the World Cup is two or three years down the line and those are decisions they need to make.”South Africa’s current one-day attack includes Kagiso Rabada, who is the spearhead, allrounders Chris Morris and Wayne Parnell and death-bowling specialist Andile Phehlukwayo. It could also have room for Lungi Ngidi, the young quick who debuted in the T20 series against Sri Lanka in January and was being considered for the Champions Trophy squad before he was injured. Rabada, Phehlukwayo and Ngidi are all under 23 and are set to play key roles in South Africa’s future and even though South Africa have struggled to replace Kyle Abbott in the XI, Morkel may not see himself as the ideal candidate.Morne Morkel claimed the vital wicket of Joe Root in England’s first innings at Trent Bridge•Getty Images

His focus since the back problem, which he feared would end his career, has largely been on Test cricket. After making a successful comeback in the series against New Zealand in March, Morkel opted not to return to the IPL in order to get himself ready for the England series. He has also decided not to go to the CPL so he can prepare for a home summer that includes 10 Tests and South Africa’s own T20 event, the Global League. Morkel has not been named as one of the marquee players attached to a franchise for that tournament but may yet add his name to the draft. He is not ruling out T20 leagues entirely, but said international cricket is his first priority.”If there’s a T20 league I can go and play in and improve my skills and put my name into the hat for other tournaments, then I need to make that opportunity count. But the Proteas and this environment come first. So I need to focus on that.”Morkel has taken on more of a leadership role in the Test side over the last six months, something several squad members have mentioned as noticeable especially in the absence of Dale Steyn. In India in late 2015, when Steyn sat on the sidelines with a groin problem, Morkel bowled reverse swinging spells which, even though they did not help South Africa win, asked questions of the opposition. In New Zealand in March, Morkel was the bowler getting his speeds over 140kph. He has even developed a penchant for pitching it up when needed and has become South Africa’s go-to man to create pressure.The numbers don’t always reveal Morkel’s worth but his experience is invaluable to a Test side that relies heavily on the strength of its attack. Having always wanted to be part of the pack, Morkel admitted he is enjoying contributing while he still can.”In 2003, I was playing league cricket for a club called Endon, a first division club, and we got a day off and I came to Trent Bridge. I sat in the stands here watching the boys play. To play a Test match here, that’s what dreams are made of,” Morkel said. “For me, every time I get the ball, it’s about really enjoying the moment. In the past I put myself under a lot of pressure, but I think those sort of days are gone. I know how quickly a career can change. And I’m not starting my career. My career’s nearly finished. So I am just enjoying the moment.”

Umar Gul, the Pakistan fast bowler, has rued what he has termed a lack of trust from the selectors for leaving him out of the squad for the ongoing tour of England

Umar Farooq30-Jun-2016Umar Gul, the Pakistan fast bowler, has rued what he has termed a lack of trust from the selectors for leaving him out of the squad for the ongoing tour of England. In a strongly worded interview with , he said a “double-standard policy” on fitness had led to his omission from the 2015 World Cup squad. His outburst has upset the selectors, but they have urged him to stay in contention by playing domestic cricket.Gul, 32, did not make either the final squad for the England tour or the list of players called up for a national training and skills camp in Abbottabad and Lahore. He has been in and out of the side since missing large parts of 2013 and 2014 with a knee injury and subsequent rehabilitation following surgery in Australia. He last played for Pakistan in the second T20I of their tour of New Zealand in January.”Look, I’m not saying that they should play me,” Gul said. “But at least treat my case on the same level as of others. Usually, it’s not in my nature to speak out my mind. But when people start rating me as a discard then it hurts a lot. I have had fair share of injuries during my long international career. Just tell which fast bowler doesn’t get injured? This is part and parcel of cricket.”However, some people [in the cricket board] make you a fool by jumping to the conclusion that so and so individual’s playing career at the international level is over. And what is more annoying is that when you confront them they’ll act as if nothing has happened and will try to be as supportive as they can but the same people will form different opinion behind your back.”Gul said he had met the selectors’ fitness requirements ahead of the 2015 World Cup, and was puzzled by his non-selection.”I was aghast when I found out that the parameter for fitness for the 2015 World Cup was set at 60 points. And yet I was not good enough to be considered [for selection] despite recording 62 points. Somebody in the PCB must be honest enough to explain this double-standard policy.”Now I realize that sometime just being fit is not enough to be inducted because the trust is not there. Being the senior-most fast bowler, there was no way they [selectors] could have sidelined me the way they did. They were not willing to trust me as a player. In the last season I had rediscovered my rhythm and felt extremely fit to reclaim my Pakistan spot, but the selectors still chose to ignore me.”Pakistan’s bowling attack seems to have come out of a long transition period, with Mohammad Amir’s reintegration lending it a settled look. Other fast bowlers have leapfrogged Gul and Junaid Khan in the pecking order, largely due to concerns over their fitness, with both troubled by recurring injuries. Gul’s decline can be seen in his place in Pakistan’s lists of centrally contracted players. He was a category A player in 2011 and 2012, and was included in category B in 2013 and 2014, despite missing much of their cricket with injury. He has not found a place in the contract list in 2015 and 2016.Inzamam ul Haq, Pakistan’s chief selector, was reluctant to comment on Gul’s outburst, but Tauseef Ahmed, a member of the selection panel, responded, saying the reasons for Gul’s non-selection were “not unfair”.”He shouldn’t be giving statement, rather focusing on his cricket and keep on performing,” Tauseef told ESPNcricinfo. “Cricket season has just started and he shouldn’t be disheartened as there are a lot of series ahead and it’s not just about Umar Gul but every player who didn’t make into the Test side.”You obviously can’t select everyone at once but we are completely aware about who is dropped and who is selected. Junaid Khan is the other bowler who was left out and he along with Umar was also in contention. But we have our reasons, which are not unfair, and the selected bunch was the best we could possibly pick according the the conditions and competition.”It’s not just about being senior; its about what is the capability of a player and where he can fit in. Cricket is being played format-wise now, and it’s not like we have discarded him forever. Bowlers who are selected are good enough and have experience. We will make sure everyone gets a fair chance and we have a lot of cricket ahead and we will continue to monitor the performances of players.”The problem is that we didn’t have much cricket in the recent past and most of our players are untested. So with a lot of cricket ahead we want to have as many players being tested out [as possible] and that is why we have brought new bowlers into the A team. Gul and Junaid might have missed out but they are still our asset and part of our country’s cricket. They should continue with their cricket and keep on performing in domestic cricket. One must talk with his performance in the ground and that should be a talking point. Journalists should be making noise for player rather than player himself.”

Middlesex have signed a short-term deal with the South African pace bowler Kyle Abbott

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Apr-2015Middlesex have signed a short-term deal with the South African pace bowler Kyle Abbott. He will join the club at the end of May, to feature in Middlesex’s 2015 NatWest T20 Blast campaign subject to formal Cricket South Africa clearance.Abbott, 27, who is playing for Chennai Super Kings at the IPL, will team up with Middlesex in time for the club’s opening Lord’s encounter against Kent Spitfires on May 28. He will be available for selection for seven of Middlesex’s NatWest T20 Blast matches this season, before joining up with South Africa at the end of June for their tour to Bangladesh.Abbott helped Hampshire to T20 finals day last season. Middlesex see an aggressive bowler with a knowledge of English conditions with him and an exceptional T20 economy rate of 7.43.Middlesex’s Managing Director of Cricket, Angus Fraser, was delighted by the end of the county’s long search. “During the winter the cricket department identified that our priority for a second T20 Blast player was a high quality fast bowler, and we believe in Kyle we have signed someone who will significantly strengthen our T20 side,” he said.”Kyle continues to highlight what a top bowler he is. He was exceptional during the recent World Cup, where he took nine wickets in four games at an average of 14 and conceded just over four runs per over. In a high-scoring tournament these were outstanding figures.”Everybody at Middlesex is looking forward to working with Kyle and I am sure he will enjoy playing in front of big crowds at Lord’s. It is unfortunate we cannot have him for the entire tournament but we are not the only county to have these issues. With this in mind we are already speaking to people about Kyle’s replacement for the final six group T20 Blast matches.”

The format of the Caribbean T20 has been altered to increase the number of preliminary matches each team plays from four to six

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-2012The format of the Caribbean T20 has been altered to increase the number of preliminary matches each team plays from four to six. As per the new format, the seven regional teams will play each other once and the team with most points at the end of the league stage will automatically qualify for the final. The other finalist will be decided after a playoff between the second and the third-placed teams. The winner of the tournament will also qualify for next year’s Champions League T20. The tournament will kick off on January 6 with a match between Trinidad & Tobago, the current champions, and Jamaica at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain and the final will be played on January 20 in St. Lucia.”This format will allow the regional teams to increase the number of matches in a form of the game that has become very popular around the world, and of which we are now world champions,” Roland Holder, the WICB cricket operations manager, said.Previously, the seven regional sides used to compete with three international teams in a ten-team tournament. The teams were divided into two groups, with each team playing four games before the knockouts.The schedule of the one-day regional tournament was also changed. The one-day matches will be spread throughout the season to reduce the possibility of the tournament getting affected by the hurricane season and will be played alongside the first-class matches.Next year’s Regional Super50 is set to begin on February 7 with the Regional 4-Day competition set to follow a couple of days later. Last season’s 50-over competition was held between October 19 and 29, but had three matches washed out and three others with overs reduced. The first-class competition ran from February to April without too much trouble from the weather.”In the last two or three seasons, by virtue of us playing the Regional Super50 in October/November, we have had several matches rained out,” Holder said. “We were in an unwelcome situation where a team made it into the semi-finals having played one match, which severely affected the competitiveness of the tournament.”Provisions have also been made to allow teams to change their squads between the four-day and 50-over competitions.12:30pm, October 25: This story has been updated.

Australia’s meticulous planning and organised performance against a Sri Lankan team that has floundered rather more than it has flourished will count for very little should the hosts gather themselves and win the final Test in Colombo

Daniel Brettig in Colombo13-Sep-2011Australia’s meticulous planning and organised performance against a Sri Lankan team that has floundered rather more than it has flourished will count for very little should the hosts gather themselves and win the final Test in Colombo. For all the progress that appears to have been made under the captaincy of Michael Clarke, there will be nothing to show for it in terms of the series or the ICC rankings if the Australians slip up at the SSC.Shane Watson, the vice-captain, was extremely wary of this fact as he looked back upon the second Test in Pallekele, which the tourists dominated to an even greater extent than they had in Galle, only for rain and bad light to scupper any chance of the victory that would have secured a 2-0 series lead. Having worked so assiduously towards the goal of success in Sri Lanka, the thought of going home with a 1-1 scoreline from the Tests drew a pained look on Watson’s face.”That’s the most disappointing thing about this Test,” Watson said. “We played really well throughout the whole Test and didn’t get the result to be able to win the series. We’re really going to have to be on, because if we’re not on in the last Test we could draw the series.”Given how well we’ve played over the last two Tests we’ll be letting ourselves down if we don’t play as well as we know we can and give them a chance to get back into the series.”Critical to the fortunes of both teams will be the matter of physical recovery, for despite all the rain breaks, and numerous innings of brief duration, team physios and the medical staff have been stretched to the edges of their capability by the scheduling of three back-to-back Tests. Watson, well-attuned to the need for rigorous personal training and maintenance after an injury-riddled start to his career, emphasised the need for a light few days.”The most important thing is to recover as well as we can,” Watson said. “We need to go into the third Test as fresh as we possibly can so these next three days are going to be so important to make sure we are ready to go and play well again.”[For me] it means not doing too much at all apart from a little bit of batting to be able to get that going well, but bowling-wise I won’t be doing too much because I bowled a bit through this game. I know exactly what works for me and that is freshening up as much as I can to give myself every chance to be in a good place going into the last Test, because three Test matches in three weeks is hard work and you need every chance of energy you can.”Within the Australian XI, the most critical questions of fitness will surround the pace spearhead Ryan Harris, due to have a stiff right hamstring assessed on his arrival in Colombo on Tuesday afternoon, plus the inexperienced duo of Nathan Lyon and Trent Copeland.”That [injury] has always been part of his history unfortunately,” Watson said. “We’ve seen how well he’s bowled in the last two Tests. When he’s fit and going he’s definitely one of our first picked bowlers because he charges in all day and bowls well with the new and old ball. But that is always the question, playing three Tests back to back with his history. We’ll see how he pulls up.”Lyon and Copeland have so far responded stoutly to the physical and technical challenges presented to them, but may yet face their most pressing questions on a Colombo pitch that will more than likely sit heavily in the favour of the local batsmen.”That’s always a big challenge, getting used to playing three games back to back, technically, mentally and physically so it’s going to be a good test for them,” Watson said. “That’s the thing with Test cricket, it is a big test but they are holding up alright and Copeland is used to bowling a lot of overs in the forms he plays for New South Wales. Lyono will be ready to go, he is obviously still very excited about being able to play Test cricket so hopefully there won’t be too much rain in Colombo and the wicket will break up more and bring him into that game.”Watson is not on the tour selection panel that now comprises Clarke and coach Tim Nielsen, but he favoured minimal changes to the team that had done everything within its power to secure the series in the first two matches. To keep a stable team, Watson reckoned, would be to help build the confidence and culture of a team that had taken plenty of hits in the preceding 12 months.”My opinion is I would prefer to keep with a group that’s doing really well,” Watson said. “There’s no doubt that’s when you are able to continue to build as a team and the individuals within the team as well, the more continuity you get I think the better for everyone.”On the fresh legs side of things I am not sure what will happen, I know what we have been able to do as a group bowling-wise has been very impressive. I think what we are building has been very exciting.”In Pallekele that building included Shaun Marsh, who now must wait to discover if he can keep his spot when Ricky Ponting returns.”It’s a great thing, something we haven’t had too much over the last year or so really, pressure for spots even within our team,” Watson said. “So that’s a great selection drama to have within our team, because it means some guys are performing very well. There’s no doubt Shaun being able to come in and bat No. 3 on debut and make the most of the opportunity is very impressive, to see the way he batted in his first Test, so it’s definitely going to make selection very difficult.”

This was the game the summer so desperately needed. A tight contest, in front of a full house, fought to the bitter end as England held their nerve, securing a four-wicket victory with three balls remaining to ensure Andrew Strauss’s fantastic 126 didn’t

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan at Headingley12-Sep-2010

Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAndrew Strauss scored his fifth ODI hundred to power England’s challenge•Getty Images

This was the game the summer so desperately needed. A tight contest, in front of a full house, fought to the bitter end as England held their nerve, securing a four-wicket victory with three balls remaining to ensure Andrew Strauss’s fantastic 126 didn’t go to waste. For a while that looked a close-run thing as the middle order stuttered in the final 10 overs, but Michael Yardy and Tim Bresnan retained their composure to keep the home side’s winning run going, and hoist them up to No. 2 in the World ODI rankings.Strauss and Jonathan Trott added 146 for the second wicket to break the back of a stiff 295-run chase after Pakistan’s most complete batting display of the tour. England were never in total command of the asking-rate, but the requirement was looking more challenging than they would have liked after some less-than-clear thinking during the batting Powerplay. After 40 overs they were 221 for 3 – exactly the same score that Pakistan had reached
– however, Strauss fell lbw sweeping at Saeed Ajmal before Eoin Morgan, England’s cool-headed finisher, picked out the only fielder on the off-side boundary at deep point. Ravi Bopara then failed to clear long-off against Ajmal in the penultimate over to keep the punters on tenterhooks.But Yardy is also proving himself to be a consummate closer of run-chases having twice been in the middle during the Twenty20 internationals, and he collected a pair of vital boundaries off Umar Gul and Ajmal. Needing 13 off the last two overs, all that was required was clear thinking, but Bopara tried to take advantage of the fielding restrictions and failed, which left Bresnan to guide the side home in front of his home crowd. He cut his first ball through the covers then, in the last over from Gul, top-edged a pull off the keeper to level the scores and extinguish the doubts.Bresnan had shown calmness earlier in the summer against Australia, at Old Trafford, as England nicked a one-wicket win having looked like throwing victory away, but it was fitting that this win was secured in marginally shambolic fashion as Bresnan chanced a non-existent single to mid-off only for Fawad Alam’s throw to miss. So after a few deep breaths and nervous moments England could celebrate a 2-0 cushion in the five-match series and it would have been harsh on Strauss if his innings had ended in a losing cause.There are still those who question Strauss’s place in the one-day side because of a concern his style – dominated by square-of-the-wicket shots – won’t be so successful on the slower subcontinent pitches England will face during the World Cup. But he can do no more than score a bucketload of runs, which he has done in recent one-day matches with this being his second hundred in three games following the 154 he struck against Bangladesh at Edgbaston.Strauss’s game is also evolving and while he will probably never plunder runs between mid-off and mid-on, they are still viable scoring areas. His swipe for six over midwicket off Shahid Afridi to reach fifty showed how his game has developed against slow bowling since his return to the one-day arena 18 months ago. It was his 21st six in seven years of ODI cricket. Eleven of those have come since June.Pakistan will rue two moments; firstly when Mohammad Irfan spilled a catch at short fine-leg with Strauss on 23, then when he was on 38 as Kamran Akmal held a superb catch diving down the leg-side off Gul and Pakistan were convinced there was a glove. Billy Doctrove, however, was unmoved. Still, though, the visitors’ fielding was poor with too many fumbles and poor arms in the outfield.Steven Davies had given another eye-catching glimpse of his ability with 26 off 21 balls to help launch the innings positively before edging behind against Shoaib Akthar and then Strauss was joined by Trott in the crucial partnership. Trott continued to bat in the bubble he has occupied all summer, content to work the gaps while his captain was batting so fluently.His fifty came from 67 balls and progress was serene for England with barely more than a run a ball required over the last 17 overs. That changed, though, when Trott was run out from short third-man having survived an lbw shout only to charge down the pitch for a reaction single. Paul Collingwood again couldn’t get his innings going and picked out long-off against Afridi with Pakistan suddenly believing. They couldn’t quite pull off a comeback, but there were continued signs of improvement throughout.Kamran led from the top with a powerful 72-ball 74. That was followed by a maiden one-day fifty from the impressive Asad Shafiq while Mohammad Yousuf contributed a calm 46. England were below their usual high standards especially with the ground fielding, while Stuart Broad’s 4 for 81 was the most expensive four-wicket haul in ODI history.James Anderson was the only bowler to offer early control as Kamran took to Bresnan and Broad in an opening stand of 122 with Mohammad Hafeez – Pakistan’s best in any international during their stay in England. Kamran collected his second consecutive fifty, this one at a run a ball, before playing across the line at Collingwood’s second delivery.However, for once the middle order had a platform set for them which allowed Yousuf and Shafiq to consolidate before attacking again. Yousuf, who offered one very tough opportunity on 18 when Morgan couldn’t quite make up considerable ground at deep midwicket, fell when he tried to guide Broad to third man, but Shafiq continued to show his talent when he skipped down the pitch and launched Graeme Swann over long-on.But Pakistan didn’t make full use of their Powerplay as Broad, despite being expensive, claimed three wickets in seven balls while Bresnan and Anderson had their yorkers on target. That lack of late ignition meant the total didn’t cross 300 and that proved crucial in the final outcome.