Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq was positive about his team’s chances against the No. 1 ranked South Africa ahead of the first Test between the two sides at the Wanderers

Firdose Moonda in Johannesburg31-Jan-2013In between the growing of Graeme Smith’s age and that of the size of his family, his record as the only captain to lead a side in 100 Tests, and Test cricket returning to the Wanderers for the first time 15 months, everyone has forgotten something: Pakistan are also playing. Misbah-ul-Haq and his team are used to being side-lined though, so they are unfazed by it.Misbah waited patiently outside the room as Smith gave his press conference, which was dominated by talk of the captaincy rather than any pre-series analysis. He entered as Smith finished; the Pakistan team manager, their coach and Misbah went to congratulate the South African captain. Misbah and Smith shook hands warmly, posed with the trophy and exchanged some pleasantries.Smith bounded out of the room with the excitement of someone who has a party to look forward to, but Misbah’s demeanour was unchanged. Straight-faced and entirely serious, he sat down to address a much smaller crowd about his team’s very real hopes of success.Naturally, the first question he got was about Smith. How does he think has lasted so long in the job, especially as captains tend not to, particularly in Pakistan where it must be a tough task?The language barrier would have played a role in Misbah’s answer, which side-stepped Smith with the deftness of a rugby winger, trying one of those dinky moves to evade defence. “I wouldn’t say it has been tough captaining Pakistan, I have really [enjoyed] captaining Pakistan and the guys are responding well to me,” he said.Under him, Pakistan have won nine of the 17 Tests they’ve played and lost one. Misbah first led the side against South Africa in November 2010 and since then, as a team, they’ve lost only twice. Misbah was not part of the second defeat, against Sri Lanka in Galle because he was banned for over-rate violations.Overall, his tenure has coincided with two of Pakistan’s more consistent years in all formats. Handy preparation for what Misbah now calls their “biggest challenge.” Pakistan have played in the sub-continent, New Zealand, West Indies and Zimbabwe since Misbah took over. Prior to that they faced Australia and England in England, but they have not come up against South Africa at home since 2007.For visiting teams, the bottom tip of the African continent has been a difficult place to succeed. South Africa have not lost a series at home in four years, since they were beaten by Australia in early 2009. Before that, England triumphed over them in 2004. They have never lost to a team from the sub-continent at home.Now that they are the top-ranked team in Test cricket, attempting to overturn that may seem daunting but Misbah is ready, despite Pakistan playing their last Test six months ago. “It is a good chance for us to improve as a team,” he said. “It does play a bit of a role; not playing as regularly as other players but at the same time it develops you as a team. We’ve gathered, everything is alright and we know what to do.”Pakistan’s experienced players will be much relied upon in the series, especially as many of the squad have not toured South Africa before. Younis Khan, for example, will have to be a provider of information and runs and he, too, is prepared for the task. “We are ready for the big rumble. We are very positive. We know that if you want to win against South Africa you must play with a positive frame of mind,” he said.New Zealand, who were the previous team to tour South Africa, confused aggression with recklessness and batting collapses were the theme of their trip. Pakistan bring better skills than New Zealand though, and their promise of intent should not be taken lightly. “This is the way to go; you have to back your ability.”The intent will start at the top with Nasir Jamshed, who is likely to debut in place of the injured Taufeeq Umar. Taufeeq has been a constant for Pakistan, having played in the last 18 Tests, and he scored in South Africa on their last visit but a stress fracture of the shin had sent him home.Jamshed’s good form includes two half-centuries in the warm-up match and Misbah is hopeful this could signal the start of a long career. “He is a really gifted player and has had some very good knocks against top quality sides. With the kind of talent that he has, he can make a difference.”In case that is not enough to get South Africa thinking of the match itself and not the sideshows, there is also the prospect of facing a quick having a height of more than two metres, Mohammed Irfan. Misbah was cagey about whether the lanky seamer will play, and instead only promised that Pakistan, “have got some other surprises as well.”

South Australia’s batsmen handed back to New South Wales the fighting chance they had been given by another fine display from Chadd Sayers on day two of the Sheffield Shield match at the SCG

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2013
ScorecardSouth Australia’s batsmen handed back to New South Wales the fighting chance they had been given by another fine display from Chadd Sayers on day two of the Sheffield Shield match at the SCG.Defending a meagre 182 on another overcast day, the Redbacks nipped through the Blues’ batting with great success before lunch, and it took a trio of 40s by Trent Copeland, Steve O’Keefe and Gurinder Sandhu to forge a narrow first-innings lead for the hosts. Sayers’ five wickets gave him 47 at 18.29 for the season.However the SA opener Alex Carey was out to Josh Hazlewood second ball of the innings, and another three wickets left NSW in with a strong chance of securing the outright win they need to overtake the Redbacks and be a chance of sneaking into the Shield final.

By the end of day two in Chennai, India reached a contented 182 for 3 with Virat Kohli offering typically wristy support to Sachin Tendulkar

The Report by Daniel Brettig23-Feb-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSachin Tendulkar’s innings was the most assured and ominous he has played at Test level in recent memory•BCCI

In the space of his first two balls, Sachin Tendulkar changed the complexion of this match. Arriving at the wicket with India a forlorn 12 for 2 in reply to 380, he punched a rampant James Pattinson through the covers with so much certainty that a previously confident Australia were given pause, while a momentarily cowed India breathed anew.By the end of the day Pattinson had burst through a third batsman, Cheteshwar Pujara, but used only in a pair of micro-spells he was unable to get at Tendulkar, and the hosts reached a contented 182 for 3 with Virat Kohli offering typically wristy support. Tendulkar’s innings was the most assured and ominous he has played at Test level in recent memory, though it could easily have ended in the final over before tea.Nathan Lyon pushed most of his deliveries through, but second ball he looped an off break that Tendulkar padded away dismissively though it appeared bound for the stumps. Australia’s appeal was prolonged, but the umpire Marais Erasmus was unmoved. The close call had a restorative effect on Tendulkar, allowing him to go on to only a second half-century in his past 14 Test innings, and a deflating one on Lyon, depriving him of the confidence an early wicket would have provided. He was seldom a threat from that moment.India’s innings had been delayed until after lunch by the obduracy of the Australian tail. Michael Clarke went on from his overnight 103 not out to 130, going past Greg Chappell on Australia’s list of run aggregates along the way, and Peter Siddle dead-batted to a stodgy but valuable 19 from 94 balls. Pattinson and Lyon then managed to extend the session, each ball a little victory for the pair though they were both fortunate to survive lbw appeals. Lyon ultimately succumbed when his sweep was well held at leg slip.R Ashwin again bowled teasingly, and Lyon’s wicket gave him a new innings high-mark in first-class cricket. Ravindra Jadeja and Harbhajan Singh struck earlier in the morning, the latter improving somewhat on his diffident performance on the first day of the series. Redolent of a desert, the pitch required constant vigilance by the batsmen, and does not look like improving.M Vijay and Virender Sehwag walked out for the start of the afternoon session aware that Australia’s most threatening bowlers would be employed immediately. Mitchell Starc took the first over and bowled tidily without extracting his pet inswing to the right-hand batsmen, relying on the occasional short ball for the element of surprise. He was later to spend too many overs around the wicket, negating his natural angle, and the creation of footmarks for Lyon.At the other end Pattinson charged in for his first Test since a side strain removed him from Australia’s attack in Adelaide last November. Clearly instructed to bowl at his fastest in short spells by his captain Clarke, Pattinson touched 150kmph during a three-over stint that exhilarated everyone but the Indian opening batsmen.

Smart stats

• Sachin Tendulkar’s half-century is his seventh fifty-plus score in Chennai. In 15 innings at the venue, Tendulkar has scored 947 runs with five centuries and two fifties at an average of 94.7.

• Tendulkar, during the course of his knock, also went past 7000 runs in home Tests. Only Ricky Ponting has more runs than Tendulkar in home Tests. Tendulkar is also 128 runs away from becoming the highest run-getter in Tests against Australia.

• Since the start of the England series in 2011, India’s opening partnership has averaged just 33.56 in 32 innings. Among top Test teams (excluding Bangladesh and Zimbabwe), only New Zealand and Sri Lanka have a lower average for the opening wicket.

• For the first time since November 2009 (end of his 70th Test), Virender Sehwag’s average fell below the 50 mark. Since the Edgbaston Test in 2011, Sehwag has managed just 867 runs in 28 innings at an average of 30.96 with one century.

• R Ashwin’s 7 for 103 is his best bowling performance in Tests surpassing his previous best of 6 for 31 against New Zealand last year. Overall, it is the tenth-best bowling performance in Chennai (seventh-best by a spinner).

• Michael Clarke’s 130 is the highest individual score by an Australian captain in Tests in India. He surpassed the record of Ricky Ponting, who made 123 in Bangalore in 2008.

• For the 11th time overall and the first time since the Delhi Test in 2008, all wickets in the Australia innings fell to Indian spinners.

Entering the match with modest domestic form, Vijay was beaten for pace by a full ball that tailed back fractionally and plucked out leg stump via the inside edge. Sehwag never seemed at home, and a late defensive prod on a ball angled back into him resulted in a dismissal that looked bizarre but also felt inevitable.It was reminiscent of Graham Gooch’s famed handled the ball dismissal in an Ashes Test at Old Trafford in 1993, only this time the batsman allowed the ball to drop on the stumps rather than pushing it away with an illegal glove. Having worn his spectacles to the middle, Sehwag strolled off in search of a new optometrist.Tendulkar marked his guard with few recent Test runs behind him, and a clear pattern in his recent dismissals – the stumps were bound to be attacked. But he confronted those first two balls with such assurance that the tone of the innings changed almost immediately, Australia’s bowlers and fielders given pause by the poise of an ageing master, as he set his soundest foundation for quite some time.Pujara lost little by comparison, technically compact but never missing a chance to score, and together with Tendulkar he pushed India out of the worst of the danger. Tendulkar’s non-shot against Lyon will stick in the memory of the Australians should he go on to a century on day three, much as Clarke’s escape from a bat-pad appeal gave India reason to feel wronged on the first afternoon.Australia’s bowlers found some reverse swing not long after tea, Moises Henriques and Siddle both bending the ball usefully. But it was Pattinson who found a way through Pujara, though with a delivery never intended to curve. Delivered across the seam, it skidded through low and beat Pujara’s slightly lax defensive stroke, leaving India precariously placed at 105 for 3.But the breach was not fully exploited. Pattinson again returned to outfield duty after only three overs, Lyon remained inconsistent, and the rest were lacking in danger if not effort. Clarke eventually brought himself on from over the wicket, and had the ball biting out of the rough. But he was unable to land there enough to maintain pressure, and the day petered out with Tendulkar looking every bit as assured as his first two balls had been.

On Friday Eden Park hosts the deciding Test, the first five-day match here since 2006, with much focus on the drop-in pitch which was lowered into place

Andrew McGlashan in Auckland21-Mar-2013Last Saturday Eden Park was hosting a rugby match between the Roosters and the Warriors in the NRL. On Friday it hosts the deciding Test between England and New Zealand, the first five-day match here since 2006, with much focus on the drop-in pitch which was lowered into place just hours after the rugby finished.The process where the pitch, grown near the No. 2 Oval, is wheeled on a large flat-bed frame into the ground took about three hours. Drop-in pitches are not new, Eden Park has used them since 2002, but they always add intrigue especially considered the talk surrounding the nature of the pitches so far in the series.Mark Perham, the head groundsman at Eden Park for 11 years who looks after the surfaces for cricket and rugby, said he had received no direction from New Zealand Cricket over what to prepare. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a result. No one wants to see three draws. Getting through the new ball is key, wickets can go in clumps so the game can move on pretty quickly.”The pitch for this Test has been used for three Twenty20s earlier in the season and has since been reseeded. Perham added that he expected more pace and bounce than the previous two Tests and said that a good guide are the pitches produced on the neighbouring oval which hosts Plunket Shield matches and which uses the same soil.However, he said there was unlikely to be much for the spinners as the clay-based soil used does not break up although Bruce Martin, who plays for Auckland, picked up seven in a match early in the summer and 5 for 45 in the second innings against Canterbury.There were a wide range of totals this season in the Plunket games staged next door including teams being bowled out for under 200, but also a total of 658 for 9 during which Colin Munro (269) and Craig Cachopa (166) added 377 for the sixth wicket. In another match Gareth Andrew, the Worcestershire allrounder, hit an unbeaten 180 at No. 8 although that may have more to do with the standard of New Zealand domestic cricket.The lack of recent Test history at this ground will add to the head-scratching for the captains. The previous Test here in 2006 resulted in a 27-run win against West Indies and there hasn’t been a draw since 1999 (pre the era of drop-in pitches). “The main difference [for internationals] is you have all the good bowlers,” Perham said.England have a mixed history with drop-in surfaces in New Zealand. They encountered two during the 2002 tour, the first producing the famous Christchurch Test which began with England 0 for 2 in the first over, was followed by seven wickets for Matthew Hoggard and then turned into a batting paradise with record-breaking double-centuries from Graham Thorpe and Nathan Astle before England ultimately won by 98 runs.Fortunes were reversed in Auckland where New Zealand slumped to 19 for 4 before reaching 202 then skittling England for 160. They eventually won by 78 runs, but the main controversy of that match was the use of the floodlights on the fourth evening which left Nasser Hussain furious because he said his fielders could not see the ball. New Zealand took advantage and amassed their match-winning lead.There are also the dimensions of the ground – with a straight hit of less than 70 metres – to consider, which Brendon McCullum said will be factor. “Since the wicket has been turned around the dimensions are significantly different to previous Test matches,” he said. “In one-day cricket and T20 there’s an expectancy for the ball to sail over the boundary but perhaps less so in Tests, so it will be an interesting scenario if some guys gets in and can access those short boundaries. It will have its quirks.”Whatever happens this time, though, Perham won’t be listening to any of the comments. “You’ve just got to take it on the chin, I don’t listen to any of it. We just want to produce the best cricket wicket possible, where if you bowl well you take wickets and if you bat well you score runs. You don’t want to get back into dirty green seamers. Who wants to see the Test over in three days?”The pace bowlers on both sides might put their hand up to that question.

Preview of the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Pune Warriors in Ranchi

The Preview by Nikita Bastian14-May-2013

Match facts

May 15, 2013
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Can Pune Warriors’ season get any worse?•BCCI

Big Picture

It’s hard for the average fan to find much significance in this game, but Kolkata Knight Riders would disagree. Their chances of progressing to the playoffs are mighty slim at the moment, but it’s still mathematically possible. And they have been keeping that flickering hope alive by winning their previous two matches, while others have done their bit for them, too – Mumbai Indians came from behind to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Kings XI Punjab, who are also trying to fight their way out of a very tight corner, handed Royal Challengers Bangalore their first defeat of the year at the Chinnaswamy stadium. Knight Riders have to win their remaining two matches now, and do it with as big a margin as possible to boost their net run rate, and hope Sunrisers and Royal Challengers keep losing.Knight Riders will be glad that one of their two upcoming must-wins is against Pune Warriors. Bottom-of-the-table Warriors have long since been out of this tournament, and have looked clueless more often than not. For them, this match is all about preventing their losing streak from extending into double digits: they have lost nine in a row since showing so much promise by beating Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk. Considering they have lost 33 out of 44 IPL matches (10 wins, 1 no result) overall, and 21 off the previous 23, any victory however insignificant would be most welcome.

Form guide

Kolkata Knight Riders: WWLWL (most recent first)
Pune Warriors: LLLLL

In the spotlight

How will the pitch at the JSCA International Stadium play? On IPL debut, the Ranchi track proved to be quite hard for Knight Riders and Royal Challengers to handle, with the latter scratching to 115 for 9 before the ‘hosts’ got across the line with only four balls to spare. While Murali Kartik said it was difficult to judge with its slowness and two-paced nature, Jacques Kallis said the surface wasn’t quite fit for T20 cricket. Even Royal Challengers franchise owner Siddharth Mallya was critical of the pitch, tweeting “The JSCA int’ stadium in Ranchi is simply outstanding…Best in India after Chinnaswamy by far…Shame about the wicket tho…” But curator Shyam Bahadur Singh, while defending the pitch, has confirmed that the same strip will be used on Wednesday; the teams, and the fans in Ranchi, will be hoping it plays a bit better this time round.

Stats and trivia

• Pune Warriors’ win/loss ratio in the IPL is a woeful 0.30. That’s far worse than even the two now-defunct franchises, Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Deccan Chargers, who had ratios of 0.75 and 0.63 respectively
• After four matches, Warriors are yet to beat Knight Riders
• Fourteen games into their season, none of the Knight Riders batsmen have an average of 30 or more (three matches minimum)

Quotes

“Today we didn’t make enough runs. Last match we went for too many runs in the death. It’s a mixture of a lot of things.”
“Be it any situation, we as a team enter the ground thinking about a victory. We do not play to participate.”

In the feudal world of cricket, an Associate nation has never beaten a Full Member in an international series, but Ireland came desperately close to beating Pakistan before a breathtaking partnership took the game, and series, away

The Report by Ger Siggins26-May-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEd Joyce’s unbeaten ton went in vain•AFP

In the feudal world of cricket, an Associate nation has never beaten a Full Member in an international series, but Ireland came desperately close to beating Pakistan before a breathtaking partnership took the game, and series, away.Kamran Akmal and Wahab Riaz came together with just under 100 needed off 13 overs. Kamran is experienced in Irish conditions, having played with the Limavady club in 2002 and 2003, and with his young colleague he went about repairing the early damage wreaked by the Irish seamers. But Kamran is a wily performer and eased into destructive mode as the bowlers struggled to find their lengths.Wahab took nine balls to get off the mark but his demolition of Tim Murtagh in the 47th over proved decisive and he made an ODI career best 47 not out. Murtagh, a Middlesex seamer, is the leading championship performer this season but he was taken apart by clean hitting as the over went 2,6,6,0,4,6 with the maximums soaring over long-off and square leg.With just eight needed off three overs, Kamran tried to finish it off and lost his wicket, but Wahab and Junaid Khan saw Pakistan home. The decisive eighth wicket partnership of 93 took just 62 balls. “Two special innings took it away from us”, admitted Kevin O’Brien, who took the Man-of the-Series award.Ireland had a special innings of their own to enjoy. Ed Joyce walked to the wicket in Clontarf after just five balls of Ireland’s innings, and left it unbeaten 49.1 overs later. His highest score of 116 was an innings of high quality from a player who became only the second man to make an ODI century for two countries. The first was also an Irishman, Eoin Morgan, who is playing for England.Pakistan made three changes to their bowling attack, bringing in debutant Asad Ali, Wahab Riaz and Abdur Rehman for Mohammed Irfan, Saeed Ajmal and Ehsan Adil. Ireland, too, called upon a newbie in James Shannon, who came in for club-mate Andrew White.And Ali quickly showed his great promise, finding extravagant seam movement as he reeled off three maidens to open his international career. Ireland were quickly 4 for 2, but the experienced southpaws Joyce and Niall O’Brien stitched the ideal partnership for the situation and battled their way through to see off Ali and Junaid Khan, with the debutant’s opening spell reading 6-4-4-1.When he reached 33, Joyce passed 1000 runs in ODIs, 471 of which he made for England. The pair was batting with increasing confidence when Riaz found the edge of O’Brien’s bat. Gary Wilson perished soon after when he ballooned an attempted reverse sweep to slip, but Joyce found a steady partner in Kevin O’Brien.Kevin has often been accused of inconsistency, but he continued here as he finished Thursday’s tie. He played several powerful drives and was looking set to make back-to-back ODI fifties for the first time since the 2007 World Cup when he holed out on the midwicket boundary.Joyce rode his luck – an entertaining juggling act from Mohammed Hafeez spilled to earth after five attempts when he was on 61 – and moved serenely towards his century. Kevin’s departure seemed to cause panic in the Irish lower order and four wickets fell for 11 as Rehman found some turn. Trent Johnston fell to the first leg-before decision of the series but Murtagh hung around long enough to see his former Middlesex colleague into three figures, which Joyce raised with his only six, over midwicket.Ireland had switched pitches two days before the game, banking on a greener track to negate the Pakistan spinners. The 7,000 euro bill for moving the scaffolding and grandstands looked money well spent until those last ten overs. Trent Johnston and Tim Murtagh found extravagant seam and played havoc with the Pakistan top order, reducing them to 17 for 4.  That score could have been worse had two catches not been forsaken off Johnston to dismiss Misbah-ul-Haq and Shoaib Malik before they had scored.But experienced players of the Pakistan middle order battled their way back with stands of 43, 52 and 21. Misbah and Shoaib were able to settle in when the Irish opening bowlers were removed and the pressure slipped a little. George Dockrell turned back on the heat with a spell of 8-2-16-1, but by the time he came back for his last two overs, Kamran was eyeing up the ropes.Skipper William Porterfield knows how close his team came to a historic series victory. “We’re pretty dejected at the minute because of the position we got ourselves in,” he said. “We’re very disappointed not to win.”

Virat Kohli, in his second match as captain, smacked an 83-ball 102 to power India to a tall score against West Indies, but he said more than his innings, India earning a bonus point was more satisfying

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2013Virat Kohli, in his second match as captain, smacked an 83-ball 102 to power India to a tall score against West Indies, but he said that earning a bonus point was more satisfying than his innings.India were in a difficult position in the tri-series before the start of the match because they had lost their first two games – the second against Sri Lanka being one of their heaviest defeats – and needed to win this match to keep their chances afloat. India’s much-vaunted batting line-up had struggled for fluency at Sabina Park, but at Queen’s Park Oval the openers responded with a 123-run opening stand to set an ideal platform. Kohli, despite limited support from other middle-order batsmen, ensured it wasn’t wasted.”We got a good start. It’s a bit of a tricky situation if you go in after a good start,” Kohli said. “You don’t know whether to play yourself in or go after the bowlers. To get a hundred in my second game as captain, I am pretty happy. I was getting good starts, but hitting that one shot straight to the fielder, so I was waiting for this big innings. But more than the hundred, I am happy we won with a bonus point.”Darren Sammy credited Kohli for lifting India’s score beyond 300, but said that West Indies’ bowlers could have bowled better. The fast bowlers were expensive and even Sunil Narine wasn’t able to control the flow of runs, giving away 35 in his five overs.”We have to give credit to Kohli and the Indians for the way they played. We did not bowl as well as we know we can,” Sammy said. “That is one area where we went wrong today. India played really well. They knew they had to come hard at us, to get a win and stay in the tournament, and they did just that.”Chasing 312, West Indies lost Chris Gayle early to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who struck again in his next over to dismiss Darren Bravo. A rain disruption added to West Indies’ woes as the target was readjusted to 274 off 39 overs, but none of the West Indian batsmen stayed long enough to put up a challenge.”The way Kohli played just goes to show what can happen when a set batsman stays in to the end of the innings,” Sammy said. “We had two very good innings in Jamaica when Chris [Gayle] got a hundred against Sri Lanka and [Johnson] Charles got 90 against India to win those two matches for us, but we did not get any real big partnerships going today.”West Indies are still placed at the top of the table with nine points and need to win their next match against Sri Lanka to confirm their entry into the final.”We are still very much in the tournament. Today we lost but there is need to panic,” Sammy said. “We are still at the top of the points table and we have all to play for when we face Sri Lanka on Sunday. We still believe we can win this tournament. We will regroup and look to bounce back when we meet Sri Lanka on Sunday and look to move into the final.”

Alastair Cook believes his England side are ready to create history and shed their unwanted record as they prepare to meet India in the final of the Champions Trophy.

George Dobell22-Jun-2013Alastair Cook believes his England side are ready to create history and shed their unwanted record as they prepare to meet India in the final of the Champions Trophy.England are the only side involved in the tournament never to have won a global ODI competition. They have reached the finals of three World Cups (1979, 1987 and 1992) and one previous Champions Trophy (2004) but have always finished runners-up.While Cook accepted that India deserve to go into Sunday’s final as favourites, he expressed confidence in his team’s ability to prevail and admitted victory would rank as highly as any achievement in his England career to date.”I’m fully confident in our guys that we can upset India here,” Cook said. “India are unbeaten and have played some very good cricket. But I’m fully confident in our guys. The lads have delivered two excellent performances under pressure in the last two games and I can see no reason why we can’t do it tomorrow.”We’ve been playing some good cricket and it’s an opportunity we’re desperate not to let go. The lads are ready. I’ve never seen them as relaxed as we have been leading up to a big game. But I’m looking around in the guys’ eyes and I know they’re ready to play.”We haven’t won a global 50 over tournament, as everyone keeps reminding me. So we’re desperately keen to try and change that. It would be a great achievement if we can win and one which we will cherish. There’s certain moments in your career where you remember more than others, and if we can win this then I think that would be right up there.”It will be of little consolation if they fall at the final hurdle, but England can take some satisfaction from their progress to the final.After years of modest ODI form, England have developed a side that has shown they can challenge in global tournaments. While they were well-beaten by Sri Lanka, they have subsequently won what amounted to two knock-out games in succession and can look ahead to the 2015 World Cup knowing that the vast majority of this squad should still be available.

England’s near misses

• 1979 World Cup: Mike Brearley and Geoff Boycott gave England a great start before it all went wrong chasing a Viv Richards-inspired West Indies

• 1987 World Cup: England were cruising at 135 for 2 in pursuit of Australia’s 254 but the chase blew up after reverse-sweep from Mike Gatting.

• 1992 World Cup: Again England were asked to chase and again faltered, this time to Pakistan galvanised by Imran Khan.

• 2004 Champions Trophy: England had all but won defending 218 against West Indies but Courtney Browne and Ian Bradshaw played the innings of their lives.

England have also progressed without two of their best players. Kevin Pietersen has missed the whole event, while Graeme Swann has played just once.It appears Swann may well not play in the final, either. Not only did Cook reiterate the view that Swann will not be risked if there is even “a slight doubt” over his fitness, but James Tredwell’s fine form has alleviated any need to rush Swann back. Indeed, there are many who feel that Tredwell deserves his place on merit, whether or not Swann is available. Swann bowled “a few balls” in the nets on Saturday and was described as “recovering well” by Cook.Tim Bresnan is also available having missed the semi-final to witness the birth of his first child. Bresnan was replaced for that game by Steven Finn, who took the vital wicket of Hashim Amla, but England have huge respect for Bresnan’s skills with bat and ball and he could well return.A new pitch has been allocated for the final but, in common with most modern pitches at Edgbaston, it is still likely to aid spin and, perhaps, reverse swing. Having been under the covers for much of the last couple of days, it may also prove helpful to the seamers for the first hour. As of Saturday afternoon, the groundstaff at Edgbaston were very happy with the state of the outfield and reported no drainage problems. But the weather forecast is not promising.A shared title – the scenario if no result is possible on Sunday – would be an unsatisfactory conclusion to a successful tournament. While it would, in theory, end England’s winless run in global ODI events, would do so in hollow fashion. The ICC insist there is no precedent for having reserve days in the Champions Trophy – there actually was a reserve day in 2002 – but it does seem a shame an extra day could not be found for the final, at least. While England and New Zealand begin a largely meaningless two-match T20I series on Tuesday, the make-up of the sides is vastly different.There are those who suggest that, so often does the weather intervene in England and Wales, that they are not suitable venues for such competitions. It is an understandable reaction, but perhaps the positives of England and Wales hosting events – full houses for games between neutral countries and enthusiastic multicultural crowds – should not be dismissed. It does rain in other countries, too. The 2007 World Cup final, in the Caribbean, was interrupted by rain, while the 2002 Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka was shared between India and Sri Lanka after poor weather interrupted play on two successive days.Cook suggested that England could take confidence from their recent home record against India, but such analysis could equally work the other way. While it is true that India failed to win a single game on their 2011 tour, England have won only five of the last 20 ODIs between the sides going back to the start of 2008. What is more, India would appear to have the batting firepower to adapt should the game be reduced in overs. For India to come to England – where their record is modest – and win such a tournament with a newly restructured team would represent a fine achievement.In some ways, this match represents a clash of ODI cultures. While the India side is packed with explosive batting talent, England possess several technically correct, patient players who will build innings in quite a different way. Their critics say it is an outdated method but, should they win, they will have strong evidence to vindicate their strategy.

Heather Knight made her first Test century as England continued their dogged rearguard action well into the third day at Wormsley

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2013
ScorecardHeather Knight and Laura Marsh put on a record-breaking partnership for the seventh wicket•Getty Images

Heather Knight made her first Test century as England continued their dogged rearguard action well into the third day at Wormsley. Knight’s 157 from 338 balls was the seventh-highest Test score by an England woman and she was joined by the equally obdurate Laura Marsh in a stand of 156 – England’s best for the seventh wicket and one run shy of the Test record – that went a long way to staving off the threat of defeat to Australia.With six points on offer in these multi-format Ashes, the incentive to win was clear and evinced by Jodie Fields’ decision to declare with her team six down on the second day. But with the prospect of defeat coming at such a price – a draw will give each side two points – England have knuckled down in an attempt to make sure they don’t lose. Australia had extended their lead to 81 by reaching 64 for 1 by the close, making a draw the most likely result.Resuming on a perilous 172 for 6, still 149 runs behind, Knight and Marsh forged on in the same manner in which they had gone about their business on the on previous evening. The pair soaked up 73 overs of pressure before Knight was run out after being sent back looking for a single.Knight was dropped on 105, wicketkeeper Fields missing a chance down the leg side, but by then she had long-since surpassed her previous best innings, in her only other Test, of 19. She hit 20 fours in all and was particularly strong off her pads in making the third-highest individual total for England against Australia.Marsh, 13 from 114 balls at the start of the day, had progressed to 35 when she lost her partner and Katherine Brunt, who hit her first ball for four, went soon after. But Danielle Hazell stuck around for another 20 overs as Marsh went to her first Test half-century, eventually facing 304 balls for her 55. By the time Australia claimed the final wicket, Erin Osborne finishing with 4 for 67, the deficit was just 17.”I’m really pleased, I think when I went in we were pretty up against it,” Marsh said. “I was just really pleased to be able to hang in there with Heather and support her.”It was the job the team needed and I tried to stick in there and be disciplined with my decision-making. It was really helpful to have Heather at the other end for the vast amount of the time I was there because she just played brilliantly and we kept each other going.”I tried to be positive in defence and approach it that way and pick up runs when they became available.”With a slim lead and a potentially tricky couple of hours to negotiate amid rain showers, Australia’s openers began at a similarly watchful pace, reaching 40 before Jenny Gunn removed Rachael Haynes. First-innings centurion Sarah Elliott accompanied Meg Lanning safely to the close but it will take something special from the usually attacking Fields to force a result.

Ajay Jadeja, the former India batsman, played for Haryana in a match against Hyderabad in the Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai fuelling speculation of his return to domestic cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2013Ajay Jadeja, the former India batsman, played for Haryana in a match against Hyderabad in the Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai fuelling speculation of his return to domestic cricket. Jadeja, in his first competitive outing after a six-year hiatus, scored 37, and put up a 75-run fourth-wicket stand with opener Sunny Singh, to guide Haryana to a 67-run victory.Anirudh Chaudhary, the Haryana Cricket Association (HCA) secretary, however, insisted that it was too early to comment on Jadeja’s immediate future. “I have spoken to some players there and they have said that having Ajay around has been a learning experience for them,” Chaudhary said. “Ajay has got a busy schedule, and already has a lot of other commitments. We at present are looking at him to mentor a few extremely talented players through different cricketing situations. As far as him playing for Haryana is concerned, it will depend on the selectors and also on Jadeja’s availability.”Jadeja, who made his first class debut for Haryana in 1988, was a prominent member of the Indian team in the 1990s. With 5359 runs, he is India’s eighth-highest run-getter in the ODIs and featured in three World Cups. He received a five-year ban in December 2000 for his alleged involvement in match-fixing.A plea by him seeking permission to play international cricket was dismissed by the Delhi High Court in November 2004, but he went on to play for Delhi a year later.