..::CRICKET::..

[chandikagunawardhana]

Flintoff struggles put Harmison on alert

Andrew Flintoff appears ever more likely to miss out on selection for tomorrow's fourth Test at Headingley, after struggling visibly during a 40-minute nets session on the eve of the match. Flintoff received two injections in his damaged right knee ahead of the Edgbaston Test last week, and so cannot undergo any more this week on medical advice. He bowled with a heavy knee brace, but was unable to hit the crease with any of his customary pace and power, before returning to the dressing room at 11.10am.

The session was the first time that Flintoff had bowled since his lacklustre display on the final day at Edgbaston, in which he bowled just 11 overs, and none at all in the final session. England have insisted they will take the emotion out of the decision over whether Flintoff plays in what could be the Ashes-deciding Test, but on the available evidence his knee is some way short of the requisite fitness to last for five days.

When asked if Flintoff was in a better situation fitness-wise than he had been in the lead-up to Edgbaston, England's captain, Andrew Strauss, was non-committal. "He did a fair amount of bowling today, but with such things it's not about the pain he experienced while he's bowling, but the swelling there is afterwards, and how sore it is," he said. "At this stage it's hard to know, because I haven't had a chance to speak to him fully.

"He got the ball through but he didn't look like he was 100%," Strauss conceded. "Sometimes a bowler doesn't want to hit 100% in the day before a game, and so it was more about how he was feeling with his knee, but until I've spoken to him at length, it's hard to say. I'm still optimistic he will be fine to play, but we won't know until later on this evening."

The hosts have a 14-man squad and a 1-0 lead, and are adamant that they will delay their decision as long as necessary, even if that leads to uncertainty among the players on the fringes of selection. "In situations like this you tell people to prepare to play, and if they don't, then at least they've prepared," said Strauss. "It's not an ideal situation, but that is the situation we're in. If he's fit enough to play a full part we desperately want him to play. If he's not then it's wrong of us to pick him."

Either way, Strauss said Flintoff would not be permitted the final say in his own selection. "It will be my decision ultimately," he said. "You've got to take the player's point of view on board and listen to that very carefully, because he knows his body better than anyone. You've got to take the medical opinion on board as well, because they've got an idea of what might happen if he plays. But ultimately it's a decision for myself and the coach. We won't know that until later today until we see how he reacts to what he did today in the nets."

"We're going to have to [take the emotion out]," Strauss said. "It's the fourth Test of an Ashes series, we're close to the finish line and although we're all desperate for him to play, we need to be realistic enough to realise that if he's not fit then he shouldn't play.

"When you're captain, you're motivated by what's good for the team, and obviously if him playing has a detrimental effect on the team, then it's wrong to make that decision on sentimental grounds. Fred would appreciate that. The last thing he wants to happen is to play and not be able to fulfil a role in the game. That's a pretty bad situation to be in as an individual. I'm sure he'll be honest with us, and sentimentality is pushed to the back of all our minds really."

Flintoff was England's main man on the final day at Lord's when he took five wickets to guide them to victory, but his discomfort seemed to increase as the third Test wore on. He scored a muscular 74 in the side's only innings at Edgbaston and did not make a breakthrough in 30 overs.

England's inflated outfit includes the batsman Jonathan Trott and bowlers Ryan Sidebottom and Steve Harmison, whose chances of playing improve considerably if Flintoff is ruled out, a fact that he seemed to recognise as he tore in with venom at Ravi Bopara in the nets, in full view of his captain. "We've covered all bases with the squad we've picked," Strauss said. "We will have to wait to see how Fred is. In a way there are potentially hard decisions to make."

"Harmison is a genuine option to play in this Test match," said Strauss. "It's fantastic to have a squad where you've got guys of that quality waiting to get in. Ryan Sidebottom bowled magnificently today as well. There's been a lot of cases in the past where we've been struggling to get three decent seamers on the park, and suddenly we've got five or six of them queueing up to play. That's a pretty good situation rather than a bad one."

By early next week Strauss could be an Ashes-winning captain and he told his players they would have to deal with the extra demands at Headingley. They will not be employing a cautious approach even though the pitch at The Oval, the venue for the final match, is likely to favour another stalemate.

"Coming here expecting there to be a draw, or hoping to be a draw, is the wrong way to go," he said. "It's not the way we're looking to approach it, we're looking to win the game and in doing so win the Ashes. It's a massive Test and, as always is the case in an Ashes series, the closer you get to the finish, it becomes more dramatic and the pressure and expectation rise a level."

 

[chandikagunawardhana]

Calm Manou plays the waiting game

A strange question was being considered quietly around the Australia team this week: what if both Brad Haddin and Graham Manou couldn't play? Haddin, the No. 1 wicketkeeper, broke his left ring finger in the last minutes before the third Test began last week, allowing a surprising and frenetic debut for Manou, who ended the match with a throbbing and expanding right hand.

Manou was struck by a Stuart Broad short ball late in the draw and since the team arrived in Leeds, puddles of water have been pooling on the hotel carpet wherever the wicketkeepers go with their bags of ice. For a couple of days there was the possibility that both glovemen could have been unfit for the vital fourth Test, an event which would have frightened Michael Hussey and Phillip Hughes, who might have been asked to stand in. It was even understandable if the coach Tim Nielsen, a former wicketkeeper who appeared in 101 first-class games for South Australia during the Ian Healy era, daydreamed about stepping in.

It's now the day before the Test and there is no doubt that one of Australia's specialists will be ready. Haddin, the first choice for his free-hitting batting, will come in if he can convince himself that he can stop everything without snapping the tip of the finger further during a contest that could determine who holds the Ashes. Manou, the understudy, is comfortably the better gloveman but is a tailender in comparison with Haddin's run-making ability.

The decision over whether Manou appears in his second Test is out of his hands. "Mine will be fine, it's just a matter of whether Brad's is right," Manou said of the injuries. Haddin batted and caught at training on Wednesday while Manou had the day off, telling the swelling in his hand to ease.

Wicketkeepers are reluctant to admit pain because it puts their position in doubt. "We'll tell you we're tough," Manou said and then laughed when asked whether he was being totally truthful about the situation. He insisted he was.

Haddin spent most of his debut Test in the West Indies last year carrying a broken finger and then refused to go home until the three matches were over. Having waited years for Adam Gilchrist's career to end, Haddin was not going to let a disfigured digit upset him.

So a bruised hand won't stop Manou if Jamie Cox, the selector on duty, taps him on the shoulder again. "I copped a nasty one off Broad and have had an x-ray but there's no break," Manou said. "There's bad inflammation on my whole hand, but it should be fine if I need to play."

He's in a delicate situation, not wanting to be seen coveting Haddin's role when it's all he wants. After Haddin's fumbling performances with the gloves in the opening two Tests, Manou's effort in Birmingham was like watching a display from a couple of decades ago.

Manou is a real wicketkeeper, cushioning the arriving ball with a long length of catch, first meeting it then guiding it to stop as his hands retreat behind his body. Occasionally during the series, Haddin has not bothered with deliveries down the legside and they have scooted for four byes. It is not a good look and it bothers the bowlers.

At Edgbaston Manou had only 93.3 overs to keep, but when the direction of the fast men slipped the balls of his feet tapped and skipped to make the interception. If necessary he would leap to stop the delivery and at times he seemed to be stepping in slow motion.

There were three clean catches, but it was the tidiness of his work to balls not attracting edges that really stood out. He was unhappy to have given up two byes when he messed up one legside take. It was his only real mistake.

At Lord's Haddin gave up 31 extras when troubled by the late swerve past the batsmen, and there were another 22 in Cardiff. Fortunately for Haddin he was able to wipe out those marks easily with scores of 121, 28 and 80, leaving Manou to rely on his team-mate's misfortune for a promotion.

"Waiting is all part of the job, unfortunately," Manou said. "It's a vulnerable position because you're the only one in the side, so you can play through some pretty painful things."

Manou knows about living with discomfort after being diagnosed with a hole in his heart as a child. Now 30, he is a committed cyclist and was supposed to be hosting a charity ride between Perth and Adelaide in May, but delayed it when there was a chance he could be an Ashes tourist. Currently he hopes to complete the Tour de Heart at the end of Australia's domestic season, a move dependent on where he sits in the national pecking order.

One of his few regrets on this trip is he has not been able to watch more of the Tour de France and follow the performances of Stuart O'Grady, his fellow South Australian. "I really enjoy riding back home," he said. "It takes a lot of impact off your knees, and is a way to travel and see the world go by, while having your own space."

Manou is the state captain at South Australia and it is the place where he has his own spot. If Haddin needs surgery on his finger it may allow Manou some one-day games in the Champions Trophy or the India tour, but nothing is certain for reserve wicketkeepers.

"I was very fortunate to get a game," he said. "If it's only one, then so be it. Brad waited a long time for his chance and deserves to be there. It certainly gave me a small taste."

 

[chandikagunawardhana]

Australia consider pace barrage

Australia will consider employing four fast bowlers at Headingley, but the chances of Brett Lee figuring among those appears remote. Ricky Ponting, speaking at his pre-match press conference, echoed the concerns of Shane Watson the previous day by questioning whether Lee has enough miles in his legs to be considered for the potentially decisive fourth Test.

A frustrated Lee terrorised Australia's batsmen throughout Wednesday's net session, then fronted the media immediately afterwards to declare himself 100 percent fit. That training run came one month and one day after his last fully fledged hit-out against the England Lions at Worcester, prompting concerns over his readiness to withstand the rigours of a full Test match.

The Australians have twice paid the price for gambling on Lee's health in the past year. Selectors persisted with their senior pacemen throughout the 2008 tour of India, despite him arriving on tour underdone and later battling the effects of Giardia. He claimed eight wickets at 61.62 in four Tests. Lee was also selected to play the Boxing Day Test against South Africa with a sore foot that would later require surgery. He was unable to take the field for the entire third day's play, having managed just 1 wicket for 249 runs in the series to that point.

"Brett ran in as hard as he had for a long time yesterday in the nets," Ponting said. "Most of us batters were on the receiving end of a few short ones. He bowled with some good pace. I'm sure what the selectors will be thinking about right at the moment is if he has done enough bowling at full speed to warrant selection in a Test match. As we know it's not just one day of bowling, it could be two or three days of successive bowling at 100 percent. That's what they'll be tossing up this afternoon.

"The actual injury probably went on a little longer than what Brett would have liked and what we would have liked. I think he's only had a few days of bowling at 100 percent. That's where we have to listen to what he has to say about how he's feeling, but more importantly the selectors have to weigh everything up about where we're at in the series and if we can go in with a guy who has only bowled a couple of days at full pace."

Should Lee be overlooked, Stuart Clark is expected to slot into the Australian XI at the expense of either Nathan Hauritz or Peter Siddle. Hauritz would appear the most likely selection casualty given Australia's quest for 20-wickets - a feat they have not achieved in the the previous three Tests - and their perilous position in the series.

When asked if Headingley was the place where he would feel most comfortable choosing four pacemen Ricky Ponting said: "It probably is. This is a venue that's actually had a lot of results and when it's like this and a bit cloudy, the ball tends to swing around quite a lot. So we've got to take those things into consideration, one with our selections and two with the guys to play the game. Historically the spinners have found it pretty difficult here."

Hauritz, the offspinner, performed strongly in the opening two Tests, but picked up only one victim in the seaming and swinging conditions at Edgbaston, which are likely to be repeated in Leeds. Australia managed 10 wickets during the rain-interrupted contest in Birmingham, but have lacked penetration throughout the series, taking 16 at Lord's and an agonising 19 in Cardiff.

The weather may also push Ponting towards picking another fast bowler, with light rain predicted for Friday and Monday. "The forecast doesn't look great again either so there's the prospect of a shorter game," he said. "The possibility of playing another bowler knowing we can take 20 wickets in a shortened game is something we've been discussing."

Australia will decide their final XI after Thursday's training session, but the case for selection put forth by Clark is a compelling one. The right-armer has bowled with accuracy and consistency in three tour matches - taking nine wickets at 25.00 from 73 overs - and would provide Australia with a containment and pressure-building option they have not possessed all series.

Clark is desperate to add to his 90 wickets in 22 Tests but must convince Jamie Cox, the on-duty selector, he is a better option than Siddle or Hauritz, the former of whom has almost used up his selection credits from the successful South Africa trip.

"There was a big decision made right before the first Test which way we went with our quick bowlers, and definitely his name is in the running for this week," Ponting said of Clark.

Both Siddle and Johnson are averaging more than 40 for their 10 wickets in three games and have given away around four runs an over. Hilfenhaus has been the most impressive operator on tour but needs some tight support if Australia are going to overcome England.

While they are confused over the make-up of their side, Ponting sees some fragile spots in England's batting order. The hosts have a 14-man squad and if Andrew Flintoff is scratched it is expected Ravi Bopara, Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott, the debutant, will form half of the top six.

"With Kevin Pietersen out you just read down their list and it looks like a different batting line-up," Ponting said. "If anything, right through the series, we've been just searching a little bit too much for wickets with our quicks. We haven't been able to build sustained periods of pressure on them. If we can do that I'm sure with their middle order the way it is, we can create a lot of chances. That's what we'll be hoping to do this week."

 

[lasa.lasa]

Please tell me ticket prices in Premadasa stadium?

 

[amilazzz]

Tnx 4da ine !

 

[chandikagunawardhana]

Pakistan aim to restore pride

The spark has rather disappeared from a tour that during the Test portion delivered a few non-fatal surprises for Sri Lanka, such as Fawad Alam's maiden century, Danish Kaneria's five, and Umar Gul's bursts of reverse. Sri Lanka were utterly dominant in the first three ODIs and their series win has been totally justified. There was no resistance from Pakistan until the fourth game, a dead rubber, in which Umar Akmal treated spectators to a most effortless maiden century and Iftikhar Anjum bounced back with five wickets in no time.

The wheels haven't quite come off for Pakistan, but the nuts have certainly been loosened and the main aim is to continue to regain some lost pride. Sunday's match represents another chance for Pakistan to turn around their short-term fortunes, yet the poor form of their senior players - Mohammad Yousuf and Misbah-ul-Haq in particular - may prompt the management to revert to youth. Intikhab Alam, Pakistan's coach, said the wonderful partnership between Umar and captain Younis Khan gave a lot of confidence to the team for the final ODI and the Twenty20.

It's a shame Sri Lanka and Pakistan don't go into the final ODI with the series level. A tight run-chase under lights at the Premadasa, with the series at stake, would have been a delightful prospect.

 

[chandikagunawardhana]

Sehwag eyes Champions Trophy return

Virender Sehwag, the India batsman who is undergoing rehabilitation after a shoulder injury, has targeted next month's Champions Trophy for a return. Sehwag missed the World Twenty20 in June due to the injury, sustained during the semi-final of the IPL.

He was operated on June 11, and was expected to be ruled out for 12 to 16 weeks. "I am hoping to play in the ICC Champions Trophy," he said. "My rehabilitation is going well. But I can't bat or throw yet."

Sehwag was at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore as part of his rehabilitation last month, and will report back on August 15 to get an assessment on how his recovery is progressing.

India have had a great run in one-dayers over the past year, winning five bilateral series in a row, but injuries threaten their chances at the Champions Trophy. Their pace spearhead, Zaheer Khan, has already been ruled out of the tournament, and Sehwag's availability is still uncertain.

 

[chandikagunawardhana]

Zimbabwe search for an upset

On Sunday, England and Australia take the field for the third day's play in Headingley while Sri Lanka and Pakistan square off at the Premadasa in Colombo. Miles away from both those storied venues, the minuscule environs of the Queens Sports Club will host the first of five ODIs between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. The ground is unlikely to be the centre of much attention, yet fans of cricket on both sides will hope that the situation is far better than when Zimbabwe and Bangladesh last kicked off a series in the country.

On that day, February 4, 2007, the match was played out in virtual secrecy. There was no television coverage, no media updates, no live scores. The only people who knew what was happening were the few hundred die-hards inside Harare Sports Club. The situation has improved since then, with Sri Lanka's tour earlier this year getting decent coverage, and this series deserves to be broadcast. For the millions of Bangladesh supporters around the world, this game will hopefully be watched with reinvigorated zest because their team beat West Indies in the Tests and ODIs recently. For fans in Zimbabwe, this is a rare home series to take in.

Zimbabwe won their last low-profile series against Kenya 5-0 but their best player, Tatenda Taibu, is not available after being handed a ten-match suspension. Their opponents this time are undoubtedly favourites after their exploits in the Caribbean and their recent record over Zimbabwe - they beat them 2-1 earlier this year. Bangladesh's players have much more international experience and have been playing more cricket lately. Zimbabwe are up against it and will need to play out of their skins to beat Bangladesh. A victory for Zimbabwe will give them their first notable ODI series win since July 2006, and augur well for their future as an international team after an encouraging performance against Sri Lanka in the last three ODIs at home.

Bangladesh, after massive strides in the West Indies, have few form concerns despite the warm-up defeat. Shakib Al Hasan, the stand-in captain for the current tour of West Indies, will continue to lead the side in the absence of Mashrafe Mortaza, down with a knee injury. He led and played admirably in the recent ODIs and can be counted on to rally Bangladesh again.

 

[chandikagunawardhana]

Shoaib's career not over - chief selector

Shoaib Akhtar's career is stagnating due to a combination of fitness and disciplinary issues, but newly appointed Pakistan chief selector Iqbal Qasim has said the fast bowler still has a future with the national side.

"The door is not closed on Shoaib Akhtar, he can still play cricket for Pakistan in future," Qasim told PakPassion.net. "However what he needs to do is to prove to the selection committee that he is fit enough for international cricket."

Shoaib was left out of the series against Sri Lanka after the selectors felt he was not fit enough, and was also excluded from the 30-man pool for the Champions Trophy. His career, particularly of late, has been littered with fitness troubles.

"It is absolutely vital that Shoaib Akhtar performs well and on a regular basis in the coming domestic cricket season," Qasim said, "and proves to the selectors that not only is he bowling well and taking wickets, but he can maintain his fitness levels too. It's down to Shoaib to show us that he can get himself fit and bowl well."

Shoaib, who will turn 34 next week, last represented Pakistan in a one-day series against Australia in May, during which he was not at his best. Chances of a comeback have also been hit due to the emergence of young fast bowlers like 17-year-old Mohammad Aamer.

 

[chandikagunawardhana]

McDonald to return home temporarily

Andrew McDonald, the Australian allrounder, has left the squad at Headingley temporarily and will fly home to be with his wife who is expected to give birth to the couple's first child next week.

McDonald will rejoin the squad in England on August 13, in time for Australia's tour match against Kent, which begins on August 15. McDonald has played four Tests in his career, the last of which was in Cape Town in March, but is yet to be selected in England.

 

[chandikagunawardhana]

Crawley to retire after this season

John Crawley, one of the most prolific batsmen in county cricket for nearly two decades, has become the latest former England player to announce his retirement in recent days and will end his career at the close of the season.

Crawley, 37, has been at Hampshire since 2002 having spent the first 12 years of his career at Lancashire. Before the current Championship match, against his former county, he had 24,328 first-class runs at 46.60 to go alongside 8681 runs in one-day cricket.

After scoring more than 10,000 runs for Lancashire he managed to transfer his skills to the spicy Rose Bowl surface and made his career-best score of 311 not out, against Nottinghamshire, on the ground in 2005.

"I have enjoyed a fantastic career at the top of the game for over 20 years, meeting some amazing people and collecting some incredible experiences along the way," Crawley said. "However, I have now realised that the time has come to close this particular chapter of my life and have decided to retire at the end of this season.

"I am particularly pleased to have been able to see out my career at such a fantastic club as Hampshire. The last thing I want to do is stand in the way of that talent. I would like to thank Rod [Bransgrove, the chairman], Giles [White, the coach] and the rest of the playing, coaching and support staff for all their fantastic support. Finally I would like to thank all the members and supporters who have followed me throughout my career."

Crawley struggled to replicate his consistent and heavy domestic scoring onto the Test arena and averaged 34.61 during a 37-match career after making his debut, prematurely, against South Africa in 1994. His top score of 156 not out came against Sri Lanka, at The Oval, in 1998 and his final Test was against Australia, at Sydney, in 2003.

He joins former England team-mates Mark Butcher and Andy Caddick in announcing their retirements in the last week.

 

[chandikagunawardhana]

Saqlain appointed New Zealand's spin consultant

Saqlain Mushtaq, the former Pakistan and Surrey offspinner, has been appointed as spin consultant by New Zealand Cricket (NZC) for the next 12 months. Saqlain's first assignment will be New Zealand's six-week tour of Sri Lanka.

"New Zealand Cricket has an agreement with Saqlain Mushtaq who will work with the Blackcaps over the next 12 months," Stephen Hill, the NZC spokesperson said. "His experience as a spin bowler is considered to be of significant assistance."

In addition to working with the spinners, Saqlain will divulge his vast knowledge of playing in the subcontinent to the New Zealand batsmen, many of whom have never played in this part of the world. "He will be working with both our bowlers and batsmen, usually for a few days at a time during the team's international series over that period," Hill said.

Saqlain initially worked with the team at a training session in Derby, during the ICC World Twenty20, helping the team in preparation for its league game against Sri Lanka.

Saqlain said he was invited by New Zealand coach Andy Moles to join the team during the tournament. "He wanted me to help the batsmen play spinners like Murali [Muttiah Muralitharan] and [Ajantha] Mendis," Saqlain told Cricinfo in London, before taking off to Sri Lanka. He also had a chat with Daniel Vettori and the other spinners on spin bowling, and discussed the thought process and preparation a spinner goes through. After that NZC got in touch with his agent Eddie Tolchard to broker a long-term relationship.

Saqlain, once a prolific offspinner with 496 victims in both Test and ODI versions, played his last Test for Pakistan in 2004, and was pushed out of contention once the selectors favoured the allround skills of Shoaib Malik. Recently his decision to join the ICL forced him to quit Surrey and brought an end to his 11-year stint in the English domestic circuit.

Saqlain's foremost advice to New Zealand bowlers before the Sri Lanka tour is that bowling in the subcontinent is a "mental battle". To be on top of the opponent, Saqlain said the bowlers would need to "understand" and "control" their skills. He said the main reason he was brought on board was to help New Zealand neuter the danger posed by Murali and Mendis.

During his June visit to the team Saqlain had already pointed out the flaw most batsmen commit when facing the doosra. "I watched the [New Zealand] batsmen in the nets and told them where exactly they committed the mistake. They were not picking the ball at the point of release," Saqlain said. He told them they could still pick it in the air even if it was a bit late. If they couldn't do that, too, then they could read it off the pitch after the ball landed but that, according to Saqlain, is playing too late and makes the batsman vulnerable.

"So I bowled them some doosras and asked to watch my hand while I bowled with tennis balls to make them understand how the ball would behave if someone like Mendis bowled it."

Saqlain plans to bolster the New Zealand spin attack since he believes slow bowlers will be a dominant force on the slower and flatter pitches in Sri Lanka. "Spinners would play a prominent role … they would have a say in nearly 80% of a game," he said, adding that offering tips to the team's main spinners Vettori and Jeetan Patel regarding the doosra would not be a priority.

"My role would be to speak about how to attack the batsmen in different situations. We have to be careful as to what needs to be learned and taught."

 

[chandikagunawardhana]

Zimbabwe v Bangladesh, 1st ODI, Harare

Bangladesh field in series opener

 

[chandikagunawardhana]

Zimbabwe 25/1 (7 overs)

 

[chandikagunawardhana]

Zimbabwe 25/2 (7.1 overs)

 

[chandikagunawardhana]

Zimbabwe 35/2 (10 overs)

 

[chandikagunawardhana]

Pakistan end on high after easy win

A hostile Mohammad Aamer and an inconsistent-but-smart Naved-ul-Hasan meant Sri Lanka narrowly avoided their worst-ever ODI defeat at home. Naved earlier gave Pakistan's total a boost with hefty hitting in the final overs, after Pakistan had threatened to let half-centuries from Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq go to waste. Sri Lanka however, took the series having already won the first three matches.

This was also the 10th straight time that a side batting first won at the R Premadasa Stadium. It can't be ascertained if it was just the conditions, but the Pakistan pace bowlers were way better than their Sri Lankan counterparts. Aamer and Naved got more movement, and demonstrated better control and variation.

Aamer set the agenda with the first ball, a brute that injured Upul Tharanga's middle finger. Even if the finger wasn't broken, the spirit was as he played and missed at an away-swinger next. The third ball, short and climbing into Tharanga, duly produced the edge. Even before the returning Sanath Jayasuriya could cause any damage, Naved flummoxed him with a superb slower delivery, putting the onus squarely on Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.

They added 35 in 37 deliveries, targeting Naved, before the veteran bowler fooled Sangakkara too with a slower one. Even before Sri Lanka could recover from that blow, Jayawardene edged an angling delivery from Aamer, finishing the match - at 58 for 4 - for all practical purposes.

Aamer and Naved, though, proceeded to take out whatever life remained in the contest. Aamer did away with Chamara Kapugedera and Angelo Mathews in his next two overs, while Naved came back to take out Nuwan Kaulasekara and Dammika Prasad. Kulasekara's dismissal was a splendid effort by Misbah, diving forward at first slip, giving him his third catch of the innings. Aamer finished with a career-best effort and Naved reached 100 wickets in ODIs.

Thilina Kandamby and Malinga Bandara delayed the inevitable, but the record for the highest successful chase at the Premadasa Stadium never really came under threat. That Pakistan got to that total was largely due to the responsible fifties from Younis and Misbah.

After an 83-run stand between Younis and Misbah for the fourth wicket, Pakistan lost three quick wickets, making them reassess the total they aimed for, but Naved's late hitting made sure they felt confident going into the defence.

Throughout their disastrous tour Younis has spoken about the importance of partnerships. Today he was involved in three valuable ones. The first one started after the first ball of the match, when umpire Gamini Silva welcomed back Nuwan Kulasekara by missing a thick inside edge from Kamran Akmal, and giving Sri Lanka a bonus wicket.

Younis was sedate to begin with, enjoying a ferocious start from Iman Nazir from the other end. Nazir, playing his second match since his comeback from the ICL, raced to 35 from 21 balls in the first seven overs, as Prasad's first three overs went for 30. Sangakkara then took a gamble, bringing on Mendis in the eighth over. The Pakistan batsmen have been exceptional in playing Mendis, looking to play him straight as often as possible, but Nazir went to turn the second ball he faced from him to midwicket, paying the price as he was trapped plumb in front.

Younis found the perfect partner in Mohammad Yousuf, who did the majority of the scoring in the 68-run third-wicket partnership. But by the time Yousuf fell for 43, Younis looked set to convert the slow start.

Younis, 13 off 39 at one stage, had started accelerating and along with Misbah, who also started fluently, Younis threatened to take Pakistan past 300. It was a typical Younis knock - a slow start, an increase in the number of singles and doubles in the middle portions, and only a few boundaries. Without a flurry of hits to the fence, Younis got 37 off the next 32 balls he faced, to reach his second fifty in a row.

If Younis was playing an ideal middle-order ODI innings, Misbah at the other end started to mirror him, rotating the strike with ease. His first boundary came off the 25th ball, but he had reached 19 by then. He looked to dominate against the spinners, Jayasuriya and Bandara, getting three boundaries, and by the time the ball was changed after 34 overs, Pakistan had reached 186 for 3. With the slightly newer ball, Sangakkara brought back Prasad.

Younis' fall to a yorker from Prasad was followed by two more quick wickets, at which point Misbah took control and set himself to bat through the innings. He got good support from Naved, who hit two huge sixes and a boundary in the batting Powerplay, also the last five overs of the innings. Naved scored 33 off 29, Pakistan got 46 in the last five, and Misbah finished with an unbeaten 73.

 

[chandikagunawardhana]

Ashraful ton charges Bangladesh to easy win

A disciplined bowling performance restricted Zimbabwe to a below-par 207 before Mohammad Ashraful led the chase with a breezy ton to help Bangladesh clinch a facile win in the first ODI in Bulawayo. Mark Vermeulen hit a fluent 92 on his comeback after five years but didn't find much support from his team-mates.

On an easy-paced track, Bangladesh didn't have any problems against the weak Zimbabwean attack. Ashraful built on a good platform laid by Tamim Iqbal and Junaid Siddique; he never looked in any problem and took a special liking to the left-arm spin of Ray Price. In the 15th over, bowled by Price, he hit four boundaries including a handsome six over long-on.

It was an imperious performance as he moved down the track and backed away outside leg stump to force errors from Price. The best shot was a neat inside-out lofted drive over extra cover off Price. He also played some delightful shots to the seamers, the highlight of which was a neat swivel pull off Hamilton Masakadza. He brought up his third ODI hundred with a delicate late cut off Mazakadza. It was his day; not only did he pick up a wicket off the first ball he bowled but also brought up 3000 ODI runs.

Ashraful's task was made easier by the brisk start provided by the openers. Tamim started off with two fours in the first over - a cut and an off drive - but it was Siddique who started off like a runaway express against Chamu Chibhaba. He hit three successive off-side boundaries in the second over, a caressed cover drive being the highlight, and followed it with two successive boundaries in the fourth over before hitting one straight to mid-off.

Prosper Utseya introduced spin as early as the sixth over, bringing himself on, but neither he nor Price could pose any problems as Tamim and Ashraful eased themselves with several classy drives and cuts.

The victory was set up earlier by some disciplined bowling from the Bangladesh. Only Vermeulen resisted the disciplined attack with a degree of comfort. He has a troubled past and last played for Zimbabwe in 2004 but today put on a pleasing show as he caressed his way to a fine half-century. His best shot came in the 12th over against Nazmul Hossain when he stood tall to play a punchy cover drive, one of the many off-side shots he hit. Vermeulen has been always strong off the back foot and today was no different.

He repeatedly rocked back to punch the ball on either side of the square. There was a delicate late-cut boundary against Shakib Al Hasan which stood out in his play against the spinners. He was a touch lucky to survive a palpable shout for lbw when Shakib rapped him on the pads with an arm ball and he was also dropped by Nazmul at deep midwicket off the same bowler. However, Vermeulen shrugged it off and proceeded to look comfortable against spin and seam. Post fifty, he grew more cautious and proceeded to deal in singles and looked set for a hundred when he was run out eight runs short of the landmark.

 

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The Flintoff conundrum

To pick him or not to pick him, that's still the question for England. Andrew Flintoff has become this series' Glenn McGrath, missing the Ashes Test which his side lost, and will spend the next week trying to prove he is capable of getting five more days out of his brittle knee.

Told by Andrew Strauss on the first morning he was not playing, Flintoff's future will be determined much earlier at The Oval, where England need him more than ever. However, any Flintoff appearance comes with conditions: he must be able to be able to bowl two spells a day and can't break down in his final Test before retirement.

He won't play as a specialist batsman despite the problems in the innings-and-80-run defeat at Headingley, which meant England have to win in south London to lift the urn. "Ideally we'll be in a better situation to get a result early for that final Test," Strauss said of Flintoff's condition. "Hopefully we'll know two or three days out whether he's fit or not."

Flintoff's late withdrawal from the team added to England's muddled moods on the opening day, when they were dropped for 102, and they also missed his ability to hurry the batsmen during Australia's confident first innings of 445. "He's still desperate to play in that final Test but he realises he's got to be fit enough," Strauss said. "I'm very hopeful he will."

Ricky Ponting said England could win without Flintoff but the task would be much harder. Flintoff is the only player in the home side that the Australians fear and they would say so if they knew he wasn't going to be available. "We prepared this week as if he was going to play," Ponting said, "and we will prepare for the next Test as if he's going to play as well."

England can't do that because Flintoff creates such significant changes in the side's balance and attitude. If he's out the hosts must consider picking a batsman at seven or keeping the bowler-heavy line-up that failed in Leeds. With a fitness clearance Flintoff clears up all their worries and can come back in for Steve Harmison.

"If he's going to play he's got to be fit to play his role and that's as an allrounder," Strauss said. "Maybe he doesn't need to bowl 28 overs a day but he's got to be able to bowl more than one spell. We felt for this game that he was unable to do that. But having had a couple of weeks' break, hopefully he's in a better position."

 

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Dyson sacked as West Indies coach

West Indies cricket lurches from one precipitous state to another, with the news that the board (WICB) has sacked the coach, John Dyson, ahead of the forthcoming Champions Trophy.

Dyson departs after West Indies' calamitous Test and one-day series defeats to Bangladesh. The Windies fielded a severely depleted team following a dispute between the WICB and the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) over contracts, during which the majority of leading players declined to nominate for selection.

"At the moment I don't wish to talk," Dyson said when contacted on Thursday.

Dyson will be temporarily replaced by David Williams, the assistant coach. Williams has never hid his ambition to become the side's full-time mentor, having previously expressed his dissatisfaction at the appointment of Dyson, the former Australia batsman and Sri Lanka coach, over a West Indian candidate.

Dyson assumed the post in 2007 from another Australian, Bennett King, but was almost immediately in the bad books of West Indies fans when he couldn't attend their series against Zimbabwe. His appointment came hot on the heels of Jeff Dujon's less than ringing endorsement of cricket in the region, when he said "no coach in the world can help West Indies".

Nevertheless, Dyson made a positive start when West Indies beat South Africa at Port Elizabeth - their first Test victory since May 2005, and first outside of the Caribbean in seven years. The Windies amassed a Test record of three wins, seven draws and nine defeats during his tenure - culminating in four straight losses to England and Bangladesh - and a 9-25 win-loss ratio in the one-day international arena. They lost nine of their final 10 completed 50-over matches against England, India and Bangladesh.

The West Indians fared better in the 20-over format, advancing to the semi-final of the World Twenty20 in June. But perhaps their greatest achievement under Dyson was their 1-0 Test series victory over England in February; a result that secured them the Wisden Trophy for the first time since 1998.

The feel-good factor would not last. After the ECB and WICB hastily arranged a Test and ODI series in England, Dyson was left with a disgruntled squad, several of whom yearned to be playing in the lucrative IPL. Chris Gayle prolonged his stay with Kokata Knight Riders until the eve of the Lord's Test, while Dwayne Bravo was absent from both Test matches while plying his trade for Mumbai Indians.

In addition to Dyson's sacking, the manager, Omar Khan, has been replaced by Lance Gibbs for the Champions Trophy due to the "special circumstances" of the tour. West Indies are also sending a shadow side to South Africa in September despite the main players saying they were available for selection.