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Adil Rashid enjoyed his best bowling figures at Headingley in four years to keep Yorkshire in with a good chance of beating Durham and taking a clear lead in the Division One table

Press Association09-Jul-2014
ScorecardAdil Rashid claimed a four-wicket haul as Yorkshire enforced the follow-on•Getty ImagesAdil Rashid enjoyed his best bowling figures at Headingley in four years to keep Yorkshire in with a good chance of beating Durham and taking a clear lead in the Division One table. The legspinner captured 4 for 73 as Durham were forced to follow on after being bowled out for 231 – trailing by 195 runs – as they closed the third day still 136 adrift.The eight bonus points which Yorkshire have taken from the match mean they currently share top place with Nottinghamshire.Durham resumed their first innings in the morning on 50 for 1 and with plenty of batting ahead of them if they were to go on and win the match. Yorkshire were eager for early wickets. One came quickly when Ryan Sidebottom managed late movement off a perfect length to Scott Borthwick who edged into Jonny Bairstow’s gloves.Opener Keaton Jennings settled in solidly, however, and was well supported by Michael Richardson, the former taking two off-side boundaries in an over off Jack Brooks before greeting the arrival of Rashid into the attack with a swept four.Jennings advanced with some clean drives to his half-century off 122 balls with eight fours but having reached 56 he pushed at the accurate and miserly Steven Patterson and Adam Lyth scooped up the catch at second slip.In the next over, Gordon Muchall was lbw on the back foot to Tim Bresnan and it rapidly became Yorkshire’s morning as Richardson chipped back the last ball before lunch to Rashid, Durham having slid to 119 for 5 with three wickets toppling for nine runs.Soon after the interval, Yorkshire had two chances on 131 to make life easier for themselves but were unable to take either of them. Phil Mustard edged Brooks to Alex Lees at third slip but be could not grasp a sharp chance and Paul Collingwood would have been run out off the next ball if Sidebottom had scored a direct hit on the stumps.’Very challenging wicket’ – Collingwood

Durham captain Paul Collingwood admitted he was surprised at the quality of the Headingley pitch after his side were bowled out for 231. Collingwood said he felt Yorkshire, who will go 16 points clear of Nottinghamshire should they complete a win on the final day, had “taken a punt” with their preparation.
He implied that they ran the risk of it backfiring on them if they had lost, or worse still been penalised for an unfit pitch. Adil Rashid, who took four wickets, said that the pitch “was not offering much” but Collingwood begged to differ.
“It’s very challenging wicket,” he said. “It’s broken up a lot more than we expected it to, it’s turning and it’s going up and down. It’s one of those ones where you get one that rears up as you push forward and it hits you in the bicep. It’s not a flat wicket. Even Adam Lyth looked a handful and he’s a part-time spinner.
“Unless you go and have a look at it you’ll not realise what it’s like. Every four inches there’s a hole. It’s starting to get more and more variable. It’s almost the complete opposite of a typical Headingley pitch. It’s turned into a bit of a dustbowl.
“I’m surprised that Yorkshire have taken a punt by preparing a pitch like that in such a big match. But hey, hats off, if the pitch inspectors don’t come in and see it as a dangerous pitch. They are on top of the game so well done to them.”

On at least two occasions, Sidebottom pleaded in vain to umpire Richard Illingworth for lbw decisions against Mustard but it was Rashid who went on to break the troublesome 51 stand by having Mustard snapped up at short leg by Jack Leaning for 17.Rashid was looking more confident than he had done for some time and – after John Hastings had looped a catch to Lyth at slip – he made Phil Coughlin pay for on-driving him for six to get off the mark by enticing him to hit straight into the hands of Brooks at deep mid-on.Collingwood remained a threat to Yorkshire’s ambitions, completing his 50 off 89 balls with five fours, and when he received a beamer from Brooks the bowler was given an official warning.Patterson took the new ball for the second delivery after tea and he shared it for an over with Rashid before pinning Mark Wood lbw. Sidebottom replaced the spinner and his first ball had Chris Rushworth lbw, Collingwood remaining unbeaten on a defiant 64 from 106 balls with six fours.Both Sidebottom and Patterson were models of consistency throughout the innings, Patterson’s two wickets costing him 27 runs off 20 overs and Sidebottom being similarly rewarded from 14.2 overs with six maidens.But the happiest man was probably Rashid, whose figures were his best at Headingley since picking up 5 for 137 against Warwickshire almost exactly four years ago and his best in any match since taking 5 for 78 against Middlesex at Lord’s last summer.All out for 231 and following on with 26 overs of the day still remaining, Durham were given a mainly untroubled start by Mark Stoneman and Jennings and at 33 for no loss, after 14 overs Rashid was brought on from the Football Stand end. But he was given only two overs by skipper, Andrew Gale, who then turned to the offspin of Lyth and it proved to be an inspired move because he clean bowled Jennings with his fifth delivery and Durham were 39 for 1. Borthwick then helped Stoneman to see it through to the close without further mishap.

Keegan Meth has resolved to play through the pain as he battles a right knee injury in a bid to ensure Zimbabwe win the series against Bangladesh

Firdose Moonda in Harare26-Apr-2013Keegan Meth has resolved to play through the pain as he battles a right knee injury in a bid to ensure Zimbabwe win the series against Bangladesh. The swing bowler left the field after delivering six overs on the second morning, which was a significant effort under the circumstances.”I could barely walk last night but I managed to get through it this morning,” Meth said. “It’s a problem with the patella (knee-cap) and I’ve taken a painkiller injection and sorted out most of the inflammation because there was a quite a bit. I’ve had the injury before and this seems to be a recurrence of it. It didn’t last too long the last time I had it so hopefully it will come right.”Meth has bowled long spells throughout the series, including a nine-over one on the first day and thinks that may have exacerbated his condition. “Bowling a lot of overs does put a lot of stress on it and that seems to have triggered it off again,” he said.It may limit his movement somewhat, but the niggle will not alter his resolve. Meth has vowed to bowl as much as he is needed and bat in his regular position because of his desire to do well in the longest format. “There is not a lot of Test cricket to come after this, so it’s just a case of getting through it,” he said.Zimbabwe play Bangladesh in three ODIs and two Twenty20s in this series but do not play another Test until August against Sri Lanka. Meth, who is only in his second Test, has impressed with his ability to move the ball both ways.In this match, he has also had to play a leading role as his seam-bowling partner Kyle Jarvis looked off colour, and it was one he embraced and blossomed in. “I know my role pretty well which is to try and take wickets upfront and hold up an end later on. With Kyle not hitting his areas, it puts a bit more pressure on the other guys,” he said.Shakib Al Hasan on Bangladesh

After taking three early wickets, Bangladesh were in a position to dominate Zimbabwe and even though they let them get away, they still hold the upper-hand. “We had a very good start with the ball. One more wicket would have been better but we’ll take it. We need to keep up the pressure and bowl well tomorrow,” Shakib said.
They will rely heavily on their pace spearhead Robiul Islam to inflict more damage on Zimbabwe. “He is doing really well. He has improved a lot since the last time we were here. He has been consistent, so that is the main thing,” Shakib said.
“Bowlers have to work hard to get wickets on this track and our fielders need to take catches. We need to be patient enough and create lots of pressure. To win the game we need to do the basics right. The first session is very crucial. If we take early wickets, we will be on top but then we need to continue the good performance.”

Zimbabwe conceded 41 runs more than they were hoping to on the second morning, after struggling to make inroads on the first day. They found themselves further disadvantaged by their batting blunders but two half-century partnerships, one of which is still on-going, put them back on track but they are still chasing the game.”We’re behind the game at the moment and we understand that,” Meth said. “But that’s one of the reasons we’ve picked four allrounders in the side – so that we bat quite deep. It was good to see a bit of counter-attack by our batsmen so I wouldn’t say we are out of it. The first thing we have to do is pass the follow-on.”Thirty-four runs separate them from the follow-on target but even if they get there, Bangladesh will still aim for a big first-innings lead. Meth hopes the batsmen will be able to “take time out of the game,” but emphasised that whatever happens, the bowlers will have a lot of work in the next innings.”We know they will put themselves in a position to win and by doing that, we might have the chance to knock them over. With these guys, we know if they are not scoring, rash shots will come. If we are taking wickets, we could put ourselves in a position to win.”If they can set themselves up like that, Meth advises emulating from Bangladesh’s leading wicket-taker Robiul Islam. “He has found his rhythm and what we can learn from is that he has hit the right areas. He has found a very good length and he hasn’t let the guys settle down,” Meth said.

Alastair Cook admitted that England would miss Kevin Pietersen on their Test tour of India but was unable to provide any hopes of an immediate reconciliation between the player and the ECB

George Dobell20-Sep-2012Alastair Cook has revealed that meetings between Kevin Pietersen and the England management will continue during the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka but was unable to provide any hopes of an immediate reconciliation between the player and the ECB.England will begin their attempt to retain the World T20 title, without the services of Pietersen, on Friday. David Collier, the ECB chief executive, and Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, are both in the country, where Pietersen is working as a television summariser.Pietersen was not considered for selection for the Test tour of India after it emerged that there was a breakdown in trust and respect between him and the rest of the team and Cook, England’s new Test captain, admitted that the team would miss his batting.”Time is a great healer,” said Cook, who sits on the selection panel but does not have a vote. “Kevin has proved in all conditions around the world that he is a world-class player. He will be missed. It’s a sad circumstance.”I did have a meeting with Kev. Clearly the issues haven’t been resolved and that is why he is not available for selection at the moment. Time, hopefully, will be a healer and we’ll be able to move on. At the present time, though, the issues haven’t been resolved so he can’t be selected.”Meetings are still going on in Sri Lanka at the moment. Hugh Morris and David Collier are out there. But we’re trying to conduct this behind closed doors so we can get the best possible outcome for the English cricket team. It’s sad that this has happened and that we’re not taking Kevin to India, but that is the reality.”We are trying to do what is best for English cricket. There is nothing else in our minds. We always try and do that and we are trying to resolve these issues.”I think he can play for England again, certainly, but there are still issues to be resolved and until that happens he is unavailable.”Pietersen is not the only familiar face missing from the India tour squad. England are also without Andrew Strauss who, after 7,000 Test runs and 21 centuries, has retired. Bearing in mind that England are also likely to be without Ian Bell for at least one Test, as he returns to England to be with his wife, who is expecting their first child in late November, and England may have to field a very inexperienced batting line-up. But it is perhaps Strauss who Cook will miss most.”I have spoken to Straussy and I will more over the coming months and years,” Cook said. “There will be times when I pick up the phone to him, so I hope he doesn’t just let it go to answerphone! I feel I have a really good relationship with Straussy. He was the best captain I played under in the way he led men. If I can lead men like he did, I’ll be very happy.”He was so genuine in what he said. He just commanded respect in what he said. When he spoke, people listened. He would never expect anyone to do anything he wouldn’t do. He was just a bloody fine man.”The best advice I could give the new players is that the game doesn’t change. Sometimes people pull on the England shirt and think you have to play a different way. You don’t. I know we have a challenge in front of us in India. We know they have an amazing home record. But I’m not leading a team out there to lose. We’re going out there to win. We’ve nothing to fear. If we play as well as we can, I can see no reason why we can’t win.”Alastair Cook is supporting Buxton’s Less Is Best campaign. Pledge to lessen your environmental impact and win 2013 Ashes tickets at www.buxtonwater.co.uk

Wasim Akram has criticised former Pakistan players who refused to apply for the Pakistan head coach role through the channels set up by the PCB

ESPNcricinfo staff08-May-2016Wasim Akram has criticised former Pakistan players who refused to apply for the Pakistan head coach role through the channels set up by the PCB. Akram was part of a panel appointed by the board to help shortlist candidates for a new head coach in the wake of Waqar Younis’ resignation following Pakistan’s early exit from the World T20.The former Pakistan batsman Mohsin Khan, who briefly served as head coach in 2012, reportedly said he was not willing to be interviewed by a panel containing Akram and Ramiz Raja, his “juniors”, and that he would send his application directly to the PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan. Aaqib Javed, the former Pakistan fast bowler and ex-UAE coach, reportedly said he would not apply since he felt the panel was set on hiring a foreign coach.While he did not mention their names, Akram seemed to allude to Mohsin and Aaqib when he made his comments to .”What sort of attitude and mindset is this?” Akram said. “One former player said I will apply and talk directly to the chairman. When you have such a mindset how can one expect them to work well with the Pakistan team?”The job eventually went to Mickey Arthur, the former South Africa and Australia coach. Stuart Law, Andy Moles and Dean Jones were the other three names on the PCB’s shortlist. Akram said Arthur needed time to bring about a change in Pakistan’s fortunes.”One should not expect him [Arthur] to bring about improvement immediately as our team is currently languishing at ninth position in the ODI rankings.” Akram said. “Even he will require time to turn things around.”Pakistan’s next major assignment is a tour of England in July, which will include four Tests, five ODIs and a T20I. Akram predicted a tough tour, particularly for the batsmen.”Don’t expect them [England] to prepare flat pitches for our batsmen. The Duke ball will seam and swing on grassy pitches and it will be a real test for our batsmen to negotiate the ball.”Akram did not agree with the decision of the new selection panel, chaired by Inzamam-ul-Haq, to leave Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal out of the training camp for the England tour probables on disciplinary grounds.”If we drop players on purely disciplinary grounds then let me tell you many of our era would not have even played for Pakistan including myself,” Akram said. “I think if a player has a problem it is the job of the team management and captain to deal with it and get him to perform.”

Shane Watson’s hundred, the first of IPL 2013, might have gone in vain as Chennai Super Kings chased down Rajasthan Royals’ target of 186, but the Australian allrounder was relieved to be back among the runs and bowling once again

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Apr-2013Shane Watson’s hundred, the first of IPL 2013, might have gone in vain as Chennai Super Kings chased down Rajasthan Royals’ target of 186, but the Australian allrounder was relieved to be back among the runs and bowling once again.”It’s nice to finally score some runs. I felt that I have been hitting the ball really well,” he told the IPL site after the game. “In T20 you need a little luck as well to get your innings going. Unfortunately we weren’t able to finish well.”I’m very excited to get back to bowling. It’s certainly something that I’ve missed in the last three months. It will probably take me another two games to fully find my feet and bowl exactly how I want to.”Watson’s bowling return is neatly timed, coming only two days before Australia’s selectors are expected to announce their Test squad for the Ashes series in England this summer. Although he has recently relinquished the vice captaincy, he remains a strong contender to make the squad.He bowled for the first time this year in Royals’ previous game, against Royal Challengers Bangalore, following a series of injuries, the most recent of which was a calf issue. In the match against Super Kings, the final over of the game was his second.Watson said he is almost close to full bowling fitness, but not quite there just yet. “I’m getting closer to being 100%. A couple of more training sessions and games, and my body will be absolutely ready to handle the rigours of bowling. It is holding up well generally but now it’s just the matter of it getting used to bowling again.”On the whole I feel as good as I ever have. I’ve put in a lot of hard work during this period and hopefully, will reap the rewards for the coming 10 months or so. I was half-capacity without my bowling. It feels great to be bowling once again.”Though they could not pull off the win, Royals did well to get to 185 in Chennai, he said: “I think 185 is a lot of runs on any ground. At the beginning of the match our mindset was probably 160-170 and we ended up with an above-par score. We batted really well as a unit.”Speaking about Watson’s innings off 101 off 61 balls, Chennai spinner R Ashwin said the great start he gave Royals forced Super Kings to shuffle their bowling options, resulting in him coming on within the Powerplay: “This year I have bowled quite a few death overs as I have come into the attack pretty late. I have bowled a lot of 13th, 15th and 17th overs this season. We have a couple of overseas seamers and an Indian seamer, which gives the captain many options to exploit in the Powerplay,” Ashwin said. “[Today though] Watson was going great guns and the captain probably wanted to shut down [Royals’ scoring] and look to get a breakthrough. Shane Watson made sure that I had to come early into the attack.”

Derbyshire’s seamer Tim Groenewald chose the rearranged match against Leicestershire, postponed after the death of Tim Poynton’s father in a car accident, to announce that he would be leaving the county at the end of the season

Press Association08-Jun-2014
ScorecardTim Groenewald will leave Derbyshire at the end of the season•Getty ImagesNiall O’Brien top-scored with 89 as Leicestershire produced a spiritedfightback on day one of their Division Two match againstDerbyshire at Grace Road.Leicestershire found themselves 11 for 3 in just the third over but twocentury partnerships helped them to steady the ship and they eventually posted arespectable 311 all out.Mark Footitt recorded figures of 6 for 65 for the visitors before Derbyshirereached 12 without loss in reply.The home side got off to the worst possible start after winning the toss, withAngus Robson departing to the first ball of the day, his third golden duck ofthe campaign, as Marcus North took a catch off Footitt at gully.Tony Palladino trapped Greg Smith lbw for four in the next over and whenFootitt claimed his second wicket of the day with Ramnaresh Sarwan (five)finding Paul Borrington at short leg, Leicestershire were in trouble.Josh Cobb and Ned Eckersley then put on 100 for the fourth wicket as the hostsrebuilt either side of lunch.Cobb brought up his 50 with a four off Footitt but was gone two balls later,Scott Elstone taking the catch at point.Eckersley (44) was soon trapped lbw by Palladino to leave Leicestershire 113for 5 but Rob Taylor added 40 before Palladino had his third, Alex Hughesclaiming a catch at cover.That brought Ben Raine to the crease and together he and O’Brien added 118 tobring some respectability to the scorecard.O’Brien brought up his 50 off 65 balls before tea and Raine joined him afterthe interval, taking 112 balls to reach the mark.Derbyshire took the new ball and the result was almost instantaneous with Northand Foottit combining again to remove O’Brien when the Irishman holed out tothird man.There was not much wag in the Leicestershire tail and James Sykes went withouttroubling the scorers before Raine (55) and Alex Wyatt (six) soon followed.Tom Taylor recorded figures of 0 for 50 from his 13 overs after beingdrafted in on debut to replace Tim Groenewald who announced earlier on Sunday hewould be leaving the county.Stephen Moore (10 not out) and Borrington (two not out) then saw the visitorsthrough to the close unscathed.This match had originally been scheduled to be the season opener for both clubsbut was postponed due to the tragic death of Keith Poynton, father of Derbyshirewicketkeeper Tom, in a car accident on April 4.

Dinesh Chandimal’s 162 from 197 deliveries led Sri Lanka A to a commanding position in the second four-day match, which they now lead by 146 runs with two wickets still remaining in their first innings

Andrew Fidel Fernando15-Oct-2013
ScorecardDinesh Chandimal’s 162 from 197 deliveries led Sri Lanka A to a commanding position in the second four-day match, which they now lead by 146 runs with two wickets still remaining in their first innings. Chaturanga de Silva also hit 76 from 90, and combined with Chandimal in a 148-run stand that took Sri Lanka A well beyond Development XI’s 265. Only Seekkuge Prasanna among the bowlers reaped satisfying rewards for day two’s toil, taking 3 for 67 from his 16 overs.Chandimal arrived at the crease after both openers had been dismissed in the first seven overs of the day. Though he had a significant association with Ashan Priyanjan, it wasn’t until Chaturanga de Silva came to the crease that Sri Lanka A gleaned a substantial advantage in the match. The pair scored at nearly 5.5 runs an over, with Chandimal hitting 19 fours and 3 sixes in his innings, and de Silva striking 11 fours and 2 sixes.They fell to successive Prasanna overs, before Dilruwan Perera marshalled the tail towards the end of the day. He put on an unbeaten 51 for the ninth wicket alongside Vimukthi Perera, to finish with 32 not out.Seam bowlers had prospered on the SSC pitch on day one, but only Kasun Madushanka, among the quicks, made more than one breakthrough for Development XI. Shaminda Eranga’s figures read 68 for 1 from 18 overs at the end of the day, and Twenty-year old offspinner Tharindu Kaushal fared no better finishing with 70 for 1.

Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford has said consistency is an issue with the team’s batting, especially in the middle order

Sa'adi Thawfeeq22-Jul-2013The lack of consistency in the Sri Lankan middle order has been a concern for some time and head coach Graham Ford believes it is one area they need to keep improving on to become a successful one-day side.”There have been some good moments and we have beaten some really good teams but we are not quite consistent enough,” Ford said. “Sometimes we haven’t finished off our batting innings as well as we would have liked. That does come with experience as players get more time at this level. Something we’ve just got to keep working on.”Ford was confident that with time the younger players who are expected to fill the shoes of senior cricketers like Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara in the future will be up to the task.”At this stage we are still in the phase of the younger guys developing and learning from the seniors and that’s why it’s crucial that we strike up a balance,” he said. “Hopefully, as they continue playing around the seniors, it won’t be long before they are performing equally as well.”Sri Lanka thrashed South Africa in the first ODI on Saturday by 180 runs after Sangakkara made a career best 169. Jayawardene and Upul Tharanga had also chipped in with 42 and 43 runs respectively.Ford, who as South Africa’s coach between 1999 and 2002 helped them secure eight out of 11 Test-series wins, said he is well aware of the threat the visitors would pose for Sri Lanka.”I don’t want to go public about my thoughts on South Africa but we are fully aware that they are a very powerful one-day unit,” he said. “South African teams are much better at playing on foreign conditions nowadays than they were some ten years ago. We can expect a very tough series.”Ford was happy with the way Angelo Mathews has handled the side since his elevation to the captaincy in February. “He’s been fantastic. He has taken on the role really well and he leads by example. It hasn’t been easy, he’s had some very tough cricket but he’s handled it exceptionally well,” he said.Ford, who has been the Sri Lanka coach since January 2012, highlighted the team’s fighting spirit as a particularly heartening aspect of their cricket.”The team has gelled well and there’s been some stability in the roles that they have been asked to perform,” he said. “What’s impressed me the most is the fighting spirit amongst the group. We try to be really proud of that and to make sure we are a group of fighters. That has shown on a number of occasions. When times have been tough the boys have stuck together.”Ford is contracted by Sri Lanka Cricket till the end of January 2014.

Folarin Balogun went from hero to villain in his latest outing for Monaco, as he scored an exquisite goal before missing another penalty.

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United States international broke the deadlockSaw spot-kick saved by Lens keeper SambaDramatic winner from Minamino got him off the hookWHAT HAPPENED?

The United States international was included from the off in a Ligue 1 meeting with Lens and made the best possible start as he broke the deadlock inside 19 minutes. The 22-year-old displayed impressive strength, touch and composure when battling his way down the left wing and crashing the ball into the back of the net.

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Ex-Liverpool star Takumi Minamino doubled Monaco’s lead on the half-hour mark, but they conceded within 60 seconds and blew their advantage entirely in the 77th minute as the home side battled back to draw level.

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Balogun was given an opportunity to put Monaco back in front in the 82nd minute, but the USMNT star saw his tame spot-kick saved by the legs of former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Brice Samba – who earned a reputation as something of a penalty-saving specialist during his time at the City Ground.

Having won the World Cup a few months ago, Brad Haddin has viewed the ensuing hype after England’s 3-2 ODI series win over New Zealand with bemusement

Daniel Brettig01-Jul-20152:54

Ashes brings out best and worst in players – Haddin

It has been called the most significant limited-overs series in England’s history. It was also a complete non-event in Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin’s view. Australia’s arrival for the Ashes was accompanied by breathless headlines about England’s 3-2 defeat of New Zealand in ODIs, after a pair of drawn Test series against West Indies and Brendon McCullum’s side.Having won the World Cup a few months ago, the Australians have viewed all this hype with bemusement. If Haddin’s words are any indication, they are intent on restoring some perspective to the English cricket public by the time the five Test matches are done.”I don’t really understand the hype around that one-day series,” Haddin said ahead of Australia’s final warm-up match before the first Test in Cardiff. “We’d just come off a World Cup. I don’t understand what the excitement is about, and what this newfound form England found in that format.”I’m a bit puzzled by it. We’d come off the World Cup and everyone had played – it was just like they were a couple of months too late. We played them in the first game of the World Cup when it counted and the pressure was on. I don’t really understand the talk. Did they not enjoy cricket before then? I don’t know. I don’t really get where they are coming from. That might be my naivety.”There was also some Haddin puzzlement at talk about England wanting to do away with sledging, following the example set by New Zealand. Australia’s abrasive mien during the World Cup final was largely driven by Haddin and he expected more of the same during the Ashes.”I don’t understand where they’re coming from with this,” he said. “I don’t understand this ‘pleasant’ thing. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know what I’m meant to say to it. If you could explain to me what it is.”We fixed that [New Zealand] in the World Cup final, didn’t we? Ashes campaigns are always played in the right spirit. Everyone’s obviously highly competitive and there has never really been any dramas with sledging. I don’t really see the need to talk about it.”Notions of Australia facing a “new England” intent on aggressive, proactive play and entertaining cricket have been welcomed in some quarters of the touring team, but Shane Watson questioned how much it would be possible for some members of the team to change their long-standing methods of operation.”I’m not sure if that’s exactly in Alastair Cook’s DNA, to be really able to put a game on the line,” Watson said. “It’s going to be interesting to see how now that Alastair Cook comes in and takes over the Test team, how they continue to evolve as a team, because it’s very obvious in the one-day series they’ve played how they’ve really started to take on the game.”But you’ve also got to have the calibre of players and the quality of players to be able to do that so it’ll be interesting to see how their game’s evolved. I’m just very confident in the team and squad we have. I know if we play our absolute best I know we’re going to be incredibly hard to beat. Wherever England are at, if we’re at our best they’re going to be doing well to beat us.”Like Haddin, Watson noted that England had found the thread of ODI cricket too late to be competitive at the World Cup, and waited with interest to see how that attitude would manifest itself in the Tests. As two of the senior pros in the team, Haddin and Watson know what it is to peak at the right time.”England have obviously turned things around a bit and we’ve seen the flair they’ve started to play with in one-day cricket, which is unfortunately for them a little bit too late because the World Cup has just been,” he said. “They’ve got another three and a half years to go until the next one but it’s good to see that they’ve moved with the times with how cricket is being played these days and they’re going to have to do the same in Test cricket as well.”They’ve got the quality of players no doubt to be able to do it, like what we’ve seen in the recent one-day series, but it’s going to be interesting to see how they try and take us on.”