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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:27

SL conditions will challenge batsmen – Rahane

A smooth Ajinkya Rahane century headed up a sturdy first outing for the Indians, who withstood occasionally testing fast bowling on a green surface to post 314 for 6 on the first day in Colombo. Shikhar Dhawan made a half-century, in a 108-run opening stand with KL Rahul, who fell in sight of his own fifty.Only M Vijay did not bat, from among India’s top seven. He is currently resting a strained hamstring, but is on track to play the first Test starting August 12. All 15 members of the squad are in play for the match.Rahane eased into his innings with a drive down the ground to collect two from his first ball, before taking 12 from a Nisala Tharaka over soon after.  He quickly settled into a rhythm of risk-free runs into a lush outfield, largely untroubled by the seam movement that claimed the wickets of men around him. Occasionally, he broke the long, steady spells with bursts of aggression. Shortly after tea he hit seven fours inside 22 balls, during the course of which he reached his fifty.”I wanted to play my positive cricket,” Rahane said of his innings. “My intent has been positive throughout the last one to two years, wherever I have played. I wanted to continue with that same intent. In our batting unit, everyone’s intent is to look for runs.”When he returned to a more measured approach, Rahane was always adept at finding the off-side gaps, which allowed his strike rate to remain above 60. He was scoring off most balls by the end of the day, and will sit overnight on 109 from 127 deliveries.Dhawan and Rahul had been circumspect to begin with, going scoreless in the first 23 balls of the day, as the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI seamers induced movement from a full length. Rahul was particularly tentative, taking 67 balls to hit his first 20 runs.The first session was survived without major incident, but the hosts made a brief charge in the afternoon. Rahul hit consecutive fours in Tharaka’s tenth over, but fell attempting a third. He aimed a pull in front of square off a chest-high ball outside the off stump, but could only offer a thick top edge which settled in the hands of Danushka Gunathilaka in the slips.Lahiru Gamage – the Board President’s XI’s most accomplished bowler – did not bowl before lunch, and he made his presence felt soon after he came to the bowling crease. An inducker found Virat Kohli’s middle stump when the batsman was on 3, but that delivery was deemed a no ball for overstepping. While Gamage applied pressure from one end, wickets fell to Kasun Rajitha at the other. Rohit Sharma had been bowled for 7, and Kohli himself was gone for 8, sending an edge to second slip with an attempted cover drive. Dhawan was caught behind for 62 to give Rajitha three scalps in as many overs.Rahane and Pujara quelled the opposition’s surge, putting on 134 for the fifth wicket to raise the Indians from 133 for 4. Pujara was the more restrained of the two, soaking up plenty of dot balls in his 42 from 89. “Pujara batted pretty well,” Rahane said. “He took his time and it is important to get one or two big partnerships in Test series because in one or two sessions, the game can change.”They each milked the developing legspin of Jeffrey Vandersay either side of tea, but Pujara was dismissed by the same bowler when he miscued a catch to short cover. Vandersay also had Wriddhiman Saha caught at slip for 3, late in the day.R Ashwin remained unbeaten on 10 alongside Rahane when stumps were drawn.

A Jamaican specialist has testified at the inquest into former Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer’s death that the genetic samples taken from Woolmer’s hotel room matched his DNA and not any of the others questioned in the case, reported the .Investigators took 22 swabs of evidence from the hotel room but none of them matched any of the other samples taken during the murder probe, said Sharon Brydson, an analyst at the forensics science laboratory in Kingston.Several Pakistan players were fingerprinted and swabbed by the police, although they were never termed suspects, after Woolmer was found unconscious in his hotel room on March 18 following Pakistan’s defeat against Ireland in the World Cup.The police had initially backed the government pathologist Ere Sheshiah’s finding that Woolmer was murdered and released a statement to that effect. However, a review by three other pathologists – Nathaniel Cary, Michael Pollanen and Lorna Martin – said Woolmer died of natural causes, possibly due to a heart attack.As the investigation continued, toxicology tests could not conclude whether Woolmer was injected with a poison or not. Marcia Dunbar, a Jamaican forensic analyst, testified at the inquest that evidence of the pesticide cypermethrin was found in blood and urine samples. Of three samples of blood taken from Woolmer, Dunbar said one tested positive for cypermethrin while the others did not and no suitable explanation was given for this. She also said that one of the containers she received from the police containing the samples had been contaminated.John Slaughter, a British forensic expert, later told the inquest that said he found no pesticide in the sample which was tested in his lab on May 4. He said the presence of cypermethrin could have been due to contamination at the government forensic laboratory in Kingston.On November 5, the coroner Patrick Murphy had asked for further tests to be carried out on samples taken from Woolmer’s body. The directive came on a request from Mark Shields, the Jamaica deputy commissioner of police, following discrepancies in the toxicology reports by forensic scientists from the Caribbean and the UK. Shields said more samples would be retrieved from the UK and the local forensic laboratory.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Any hopes of India turning the corner after the Twenty20 victory was quickly dispelled as South Africa drubbed them by nine wickets to seal a hopelessly one-sided series 4-0. India batted through their 50 overs for the first time in the series, but their total of 200 for 9 was completely inadequate on a belter. However, South Africa showed just good the pitch was for batting as they cruised home in 31.2 overs, with Graeme Smith returning to form with an emphatic 79 and AB de Villiers stroking a delightful unbeaten 92, his highest score in ODIs.In another mismatch, India had very small crumbs for comfort – Sachin Tendulkar overcame an uncertain start and finally found some touch, getting to 55, his 74th ODI half-century but only his second fifty-plus score in 20 matches against South Africa in South Africa. Mahendra Singh Dhoni got among the runs too, but the manner in which Smith and de Villiers smashed the bowlers all around the park highlighted the huge gulf in class between the bowlers from the two sides: led by the magnificent Shaun Pollock, the South Africans were their usual miserly self in the field, allowing the already beleaguered Indians no freebies.The Indian bowlers, on the other hand, were clueless about how to stop the marauding openers. Zaheer Khan has utterly dominated Smith on this tour, but South Africa cleverly decided to have de Villiers face the first ball this time. Smith, meanwhile, helped himself to plenty of boundaries from a radarless Sreesanth – a cover-drive and a flick in Sreesanth’s first over got him going, and there was no looking back. By the time Smith finally faced Zaheer for the first time in the match – in the ninth over – he had already made 21 from 17 balls.De Villiers, meanwhile, creamed the boundaries in an utterly pleasing knock. Quite comfortable against Zaheer, he started off with an exquisite cover-drive off the third ball of the innings, and continued in similar vein, driving crisply off the front foot and timing the ball quite spectacularly. India’s one chance to break through came early, but Mohammad Kaif made a mess of a regulation chance when de Villiers was on 9.South Africa had 88 on the board after the first 15, and with Sehwag deciding to pack the infield almost throughout the innings, the batsmen had it their way all through. Smith strode down the pitch to Irfan Pathan and took some revenge on Zaheer, hoicking them both for straight sixes. When he fell attempting another six, South Africa were so utterly in control that Pollock strode out at No.3 and immediately looked at home.The Indian innings, on the other hand, was a struggle almost throughout. Smith won his fifth toss in a row but this time decided to put India in, and though Sehwag was all smiles and said he would have batted first anyway, it was soon the same story as all the batsmen found Pollock and Ntini too tough to handle.

Sehwag’s technique outside off was soon exposed by the relentless Pollock, who nailed him for the sixth time in ODIs, while Laxman’s initiation here was even more forgettable, as he hung his bat out limply outside off and edged his first ball to slip. Tendulkar, meanwhile, was in all sorts of discomfort. Struggling to find his footwork, he repeatedly played from the crease and was beaten by the movement. Ntini cut him in half with one that dipped back, while the steep bounce consistently had him jumping up and defending uncomfortably. After 15 overs, India’s score read a miserable 26 for 2.Having spent considerable time at the crease – he scored 4 from his first 39 balls – Tendulkar finally began to find his groove. The first sign of that came in the 18th over, when he struck Kallis for two super fours – a pull to midwicket and a trademark on-drive. The footwork gradually improved, as did the confidence to attempt more aggressive strokes, and the introduction of Peterson only helped matters, as Tendulkar unveiled the inside-out drive over extra-cover and the fine sweep.Andre Nel briefly had him in some bother, hitting his arm with a short one that didn’t bounce as much as Tendulkar expected it to – and forced him to stay off the field in the afternoon – but he soon after he got his half-century, with his last 51 runs taking just 58 balls.Mongia played his part well in an 85-run partnership for the third wicket, while Dhoni lashed some huge blows and finally injected some momentum into a limp innings with a 48-ball 44 during the course of which he drove Nel to distraction. Nel got hit for a few by Dhoni, but he finally came up with an outstanding catch to dismiss Dhoni as India touched 200 for the first time. On a flat batting pitch, though, it seemed well short of par score, and so it proved in the afternoon.It was India’s first defeat against South Africa at Centurion, having beaten them twice before this. With the Test series still 12 days away, India have plenty of soul-searching to do before getting into that contest.

Terry Alderman, the former Australia fast bowler, has questioned the ability of South Africa’s cricketers after they succumbed to an innings defeat against Western Australia on Wednesday.Alderman, who has also played for Eastern Province in South Africa, was scathing in his comments. “The technique of most of the batsmen was shocking. They played far too many hook and pull shots and those that had to be played with a straight [bat] went down the wrong line,” Alderman, now a radio commentator, told News24. “This is not the South African cricket I knew when I played there. The coach’s excuses are that the Proteas flew over many time zones and that the players were advised to take things slow for medical reasons.”Questioning the mental toughness of the South Africans after their shocking loss to WA, Alderman was forthright. “Your guys looked totally lost against the spinner Beau Casson. He is just a baby learning the art of spin bowling. The Aussies can use three spinners here against you.” Casson, a slow left-arm chinaman bowler, picked up eight wickets in the match. Alderman stated that the only batsman who has the fighting spirit to stand up to Australia was Jacques Kallis, adding: “Graeme Smith is shaky and he talks too much. I think the Aussies will unnerve him”.Alderman did, however, make favourable mention of South Africa’s bowling attack. “The bowling attack does not look too bad. Andre Nel has a Colin Croft action, while Charl Langeveldt can fulfil the role of a Matthew Hoggard. He’s also the workhorse of the team,” he said. “Makhaya Ntini has become a world class bowler after we initially laughed at him when he appeared in the international arena for the first time.”Just when it seemed like Alderman was willing to see the silver lining in the gloom he threw another jibe. “”The weakest link in the bowling attack is Shaun Pollock. He bowls without any speed and I don’t believe he will worry the Aussies too much.”The first Test between Australia and South Africa begins at Perth on December 16.

The tricky part of England’s winter is finally behind them. They havesuccessfully juggled their political hot potato in Zimbabwe – with onlythe occasional glitch of protocol along the way – and the team can now, atlong last, refocus their attentions on their day job. Tomorrow atRandjesfontein, cricket (a sport, lest we forget, that England wereproving to be rather good at come the end of last season) returns to thetop of the agenda.But what an agenda. The small matter of five Tests in six weeks lies aheadof England, and for the first time since South Africa’s readmission tointernational cricket, they are travelling as clear-cut favourites. It isnot a burden that has traditionally sat easily on English shoulders, and withjust four scheduled warm-up days ahead of the first Test at Port Elizabethon December 17, tomorrow’s tour opener, against Nicky Oppenheimer’s XI atthe family ranch near Johannesburg, has taken on an added significance.The Oppenheimers are the hosts with the most, the dynasty at the helm ofthe world-renowned De Beers Corporation. They have had generations ofexperience in polishing rough diamonds and, in that respect, there couldbe no better setting for the return of England’s karatty kids, SteveHarmison and Andrew Flintoff, who have not had a chance to shine since thefinal of the Champions Trophy more than two months ago.England’s other high-profile omission from the one-dayers in Zimbabwe wasMarcus Trescothick, who takes over as captain while Michael Vaughan has awell-earned break. Given the tightrope he has walked in the lastfortnight, his day off will presumably be spent in a darkened room, wherehe can refocus his attentions on field placings and forget the need toavoid diplomatic faux pas.The shift of emphasis away from Zimbabwe and towards the Tests wasconfirmed by the announcement of England’s team for the Oppenheimer match.It contains all eight of the recently arrived Test specialists, who havespent the last few days warming up amid torrential downpours inJohannesburg, and of the seven players who featured in all four victoriesover Zimbabwe, only the ever-willing Paul Collingwood has been pressgangedinto further action. His inclusion is a sure sign that he will berelegated to the bench come the main event.England will not be allowed to exorcise their Zimbabwe demons that easily,however, not with a certain Heath Streak lining up to have a dart at themtomorrow. Streak, who recently called off his floundering civil actionagainst the Zimbabwe cricket authorities who stripped him of the nationalcaptaincy, recently hinted that he might be willing to make a return tothe team. With that in mind, he is unlikely to be going easy on England’sbatsmen, not least Trescothick, whose overseas record pales in comparisonto his home form, and who will be mindful of the need to hit the groundrunning after his break from the game.The weather, however, may yet deny England their opportunity to get fullymatch-focused ahead of the Port Elizabeth Test. With unseasonally dismalconditions predicted for the rest of the week, all 11 of England’sfirst-choice Test players could struggle to obtain any meaningful time inthe middle over the next few days. “If it rains for four days, I’ll saythat we’ll be undercooked for the first Test,” said Duncan Fletcher, withthe sort of guarded admission that made him a natural for diplomaticduties in Zimbabwe.That’s the trouble with today’s non-stop treadmill of internationalcricket. Those who dare to take a breather run the risk of tripping overtheir own feet as they rush to get back up to speed. For England, however,a change (of personnel, as well as venue) is as good as a rest. Given thenumbing predictability of the Zimbabwe saga, they’ll be itching to getinvolved in a real contest, come rain or shine.England 1 Marcus Trescothick (capt), 2 Robert Key, 3 Mark Butcher,4 Graham Thorpe, 5 Andrew Flintoff, 6 Paul Collingwood, 7 Chris Read (wk),8 Gareth Batty, 9 Simon Jones, 10 Matthew Hoggard, 11 Stephen Harmison.Oppenheimer’s XI Ashwell Prince (capt), Andre Seymore, NeilJohnson, JP Duminy, Francois du Plessis, Wendell Bossenger (wk), HeathStreak, Grant Howell, Werner Coetsee, Charl Willoughby, Lonwabe Tsotsobe.

Frizzell County Championship Division OneWarwickshire v Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston
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Kevin Pietersen’s second century of the summer put Nottinghamshire in a strong position at Edgbaston, as they closed on 389 for 3 after dismissing Warwickshire for their overnight score of 351. Pietersen smacked an unbeaten 140 off 178 balls to build on a second-wicket stand of 146 between Guy Welton (99) and Usman Afzaal (72), and added 146 in 33 overs in an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership with Chris Cairns (52*). Pietersen was at his best, hitting 90 in boundaries, including a towering six over the pavilion off Mark Wagh. Little went right for Warwickshire. Melvyn Betts suffered a groin strain in his third over and limped off shortly after lunch, and Waqar Younis (0 for 59) and Collins Obuya (0 for 40) both looked uninspired.Kent v Sussex at Tunbridge Wells
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Sussex took their overnight score to 311 at the Nevil Ground. A rapid 43 from Mushtaq Ahmed at No. 10 was the highlight of a consistent batting performance, while Robin Martin-Jenkins contributed a composed 67. Paul Hutchison scored 18 and bowled five overs before James Kirtley completed the long trek from Chester-le-Street to Canterbury and took his place in the side after being left out again by England. And it was Kirtley who took two wickets to reduce Kent to 90 for 3, before Andrew Symonds (54) and Matthew Walker (30) appeared to have stopped the rot with a fourth-wicket stand of 90. But Mushtaq grabbed both their wickets in the dying overs to leave Sussex on 188 for 5.Lancashire v Leicestershire at Liverpool
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Andrew Flintoff’s good form with the bat continued as he cracked an unbeaten 71 to help Lancashire to 503 for 6, their highest total at the Aigburth ground. Flintoff, playing as a specialist batsman because of a trapped nerve in his shoulder, took his first-class average for the season to over 100 in his 55-ball onslaught. Mark Chilton (108) completed his hundred in the morning, and then Carl Hooper (74) and Stuart Law (82) put on 123 in 26 overs as Leicestershire wilted. Flintoff was back in the spotlight when Leicestershire batted, catching the debutant John Maunders (16) off Sajid Mahmood, and then Hooper took a superb low slip catch to account for Virender Sehwag (30). Leicestershire closed on 117 for 4, still 386 in arrears.Middlesex v Essex at Lord’s
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Middlesex continued their fightback from 23 for 3 yesterday, and were finally all out for 363 at tea, before reducing Essex to 95 for 8, still 119 short of the follow on, by the close. Ben Hutton made 107, with 15 fours, and shared a stand of 103 with Abdul Razzaq (54). Paul Weekes (51*) organised the tail, and added 42 for the ninth wicket with Simon Cook (20) and 39 for the last with Chad Keegan (21). Jon Dakin finished with 5 for 86. But four catches from the wicketkeeper David Nash, and 3 for 7 in seven overs (including six successive maidens) from Simon Cook left Essex in tatters. The key wicket was that of Will Jefferson, brilliantly caught by a diving Nash for 22.Frizzell County Championship Division TwoGlamorgan v Derbyshire at Swansea
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Play got under way a day late at St Helen’s, and Glamorgan made up for lost time by scoring 395, largely thanks to their acting captain, Robert Croft (84), and Dean Cosker who put on 81 for the last wicket. Tom Lungley was the chief destroyer for Derbyshire with 4 for 101 as Glamorgan slipped to 216 for 5, but Croft shepherded the tail sensibly to almost double their score. Derbyshire survived the last four overs of the day unscathed.Gloucestershire v Northamptonshire at Gloucester
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Gloucestershire’s bowlers must have nightmares about bowling to Michael Hussey, the Northants opener and captain from Australia. Last year in the corresponding fixture (at Bristol) he romped to 310 not out. This time he made do with just 264 – with 35 fours and two sixes – before Jon Lewis had him caught. Hussey put on 260 for the sixth wicket with Gerard Brophy, who had reached 152*, his highest score for Northants, when Hussey declared shortly before tea at a towering 622 for 8. Gloucestershire’s reply started well as they reached 96 for 0, but Carl Greenidge struck twice in three balls and then in the next over Andre Nel twice in two as four wickets fell for no runs. By the close Gloucestershire were 109 for 4, 364 runs short of avoiding the follow-on.Hampshire v Durham at Southampton
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An eighth-wicket partnership of 123 between Dimitri Mascarenhas, who spanked 14 fours in his 92, and Shaun Udal (60*) converted a handy Hampshire total into a huge one at the Rose Bowl. They were all out shortly before tea for 456. Earlier Simon Katich took his overnight score to 135, and Nic Pothas made 79: Danny Law and Nicky Phillips finished with four wickets apiece. Durham’s reply stalled when they lost two wickets in successive overs at the end of the day, but debutant James Lowe, only playing because of a long list of Durham injuries, was still there on 41 as they closed on 107 for 2.Somerset v Worcestershire at Bath
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A fine allround performance from Andrew Hall put Worcestershire into acommanding position against Somerset at the Recreation Ground. First Hall cracked six sixes and 11 fours in his 104 as Worcestershire amassed 538, and then took 2 for 27 as Somerset were skittled out for 238, and made to follow on 300 runs adrift. On a good pitch, Jamie Cox’s 37 was the top score in Somerset’s innings as they lost their last eight wickets for 123, and it would have been far worse but for a belligerent 35 not out from a limping Nixon McLean at the end. Somerset reached 19 for 0 second time around.University Match
Bradford/Leeds UCCE v Yorkshire at Bradford
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Ismail Dawood, the Bradford/Leeds captain, hit 125 out of 241 in reply to Yorkshire’s big first-innings total of 409 for 3 at Bradford. Dawood, who hit 16 fours and a six, didn’t get much support – the next-highest score was Mark Bagley’s 26. Yorkshire didn’t enforce the follow-on, cruising to 140 for 2 from 26 overs in the final session.Click here for yesterday’s County Championship review

A packed house will bid farewell to cricket at Ormeau, in Northern Ireland, today as the touring Australian team make their sole venture outside of English-Welsh territory to take on Ireland in the Northern Bank Challenge match.A crowd of about 4000 people is expected, with tickets having already sold out. The game is the last major representative fixture to be played at the Belfast ground, which is to be turned into a housing development. The home of the North of Ireland Cricket Club, Ormeau has been used for cricket since 1859, and saw its first visit by an Australian team when Bradman’s 1938 tourists played the Gentlemen of Ireland. Australian teams have also played at Ormeau in 1961 and 1968.Ricky Ponting will captain the Australians in the absence of Adam Gilchrist, who is resting from this game, and Steve Waugh (who actually played for Ireland as a guest against Australia ‘A’ in 1998), who is recovering from a leg injury. Ponting, who scored 147 not out in Australia’s victory over Sussex on Friday, was man of the match in Australia’s last meeting with Ireland on their 1997 tour. The Tasmanian batsman scored 117 in that game, played at Eglinton.The match will create an unusual double for Mark Waugh, who, like his brother, has appeared for Ireland as a guest player – against Zimbabwe in 2000.For Ireland, it’s the first game together since their unsuccessful bid for World Cup qualification at last month’s ICC Trophy tournament in Canada. Ryan Eagleson, Ed Joyce, Mark Patterson and Desmond Curry are unavailable from the team that visited Canada for a variety of reasons. Curry has not played for Ireland since being sent home in the middle of the ICC Trophy following a public falling-out with coach Ken Rutherford, a disciplinary committee yet to deliberate on his representative future. Conor Armstrong and Richard McDaid come into the Irish squad for this game.Play begins at 11am local time (1000 GMT) with BBC2 in Northern Ireland showing an hour’s highlights in the evening. The match is not an official one-day international.Ireland: Kyle McCallan (capt), Jason Molins, Conor Armstrong, Peter Davy, Matt Dwyer, Derek Heasley, Dominick Joyce, Adrian McCoubrey, Richard McDaid, Paul Mooney, Andrew Patterson, Andrew White. (12th man to be named)Australia: Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Slater, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Simon Katich, Mark Waugh, Damien Martyn, Wade Seccombe, Shane Warne, Colin Miller, Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Damien Fleming. (Two to be omitted)

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThere are many ways to lose a Test and Australia have lost this one in a manner that will cause them much disquiet. They would have had to make history to chase down 412 in Cardiff. Instead they made an unholy mess of things, surrendering five top-order wickets in 12 overs from the stroke of lunch to make a thumping England victory in the first Investec Test inevitable.That victory came in the 17th over of the final session: the margin 169 runs, the forecast of rain until mid-afternoon on the final day an irrelevance. The pace bowlers were having a rest in anticipation of a second new ball that was not needed and Joe Root, Man of the Match for his decisive first-innings hundred, even nipped in with a couple of wickets and the final catch.A defiant, clean-hitting half-century by Mitchell Johnson, with the ball soft, the pitch napping and the pressure lifted by the prospect of certain defeat, provided some window dressing, but by the time he fell at slip for 77 from 94 balls, he had provided apt commentary on Australia’s middle-order failings as England went 1-0 up in the series. The favourites beaten at the first attempt: we have a series on our hands.Australia initially put up determined resistance in challenging batting conditions. No side had ever successfully achieved such a fourth-innings target in an Ashes contest, but Australia made a solid start before the departure of David Warner, the second wicket to fall, in the final over before lunch, rallied England’s spirits. Things were never the same again.There were doubts before the series that England’s attack had the capacity to dismiss Australia twice. But in Cardiff they have made much more disciplined and resourceful use of a slow, dry and occasionally inconsistent surface. Stuart Broad and James Anderson have been rejuvenated by another Ashes skirmish, Mark Wood has bowled straight and purposefully, Ben Stokes has raised his reliability levels and Moeen Ali, although not finding the turn uncovered by his Australian opposite number, Nathan Lyon, has nevertheless had the guile to spirit five good wickets in the match.The loss of Warner, for 52, abruptly changed the outlook at the end of a morning session when Australia, at 97 for 1, had done their utmost to insist that in an Ashes Test there was no such thing as a done deal. Moeen ran a ball into Warner’s pads, he was bemused as he edged back when he might have gone forward, missed the ball by a notable distance and the umpire’s decision fell to England.Joe Root claimed two lower-order wickets and the winning catch•Getty Images

That wicket must have been a particular relief for Moeen, who had been given an early outing by Cook, but whose two overs cost 22, including a six over midwicket by Warner, as he failed to settle. Lyon had taken four wickets on the previous day on a responsive surface and Moeen was bearing heavy expectations. It was a good call by the captain to take another look as the morning session ticked away.Chris Rogers had been the first wicket to fall, his sequence of Test fifties ending at seven, and a share of the record. Broad capped a probing new-ball spell by dismissing him for 10 as he angled one into him from around the wicket and a defensive push flew low to Ian Bell at second slip. Rogers stood his ground, to England’s discomfort, before TV replays confirmed the catch was clean.Warner had begun to settle in ominously before his dismissal and England had already jettisoned one review against him when a ball from Broad had actually flicked the top of Warner’s pad. Broad also sensed another lbw when Warner was 15, his brain not entirely computing the presence of a big inside nick. There could be no more liberties with only one review remaining and Broad curbed his ambitions, holding his hands to a reddening face like a teenager suddenly realising on the last bus home that they had left their mobile phone in the lavatory.England could be satisfied with the standards they achieved, and could point at numerous examples in the morning session when fortune did not quite fall their way. Broad and Anderson combined in an insistent opening salvo, passing the bat regularly.There was not the same swing available as there had been earlier in the match but England wisely pulled back their lengths slightly, in the expectation that a dry and variable surface would come to their aid.Five Australia wickets for 25 in 12 overs was an emphatic turnaround. Seven balls into the session, Smith was gone, steering a wide ball to Bell at second slip, the second time in the match he had been out for 33. It was a reward for the plan England have followed all Test against Smith, bowling at fifth or sixth stump, calculating that a batsman who walks so far across his crease to cover his stumps by the time the batsman delivers will not be best placed to put a bit more mileage in.Clarke will be equally disappointed by his departure. He was searching for a delivery from Broad that he could only drive to backward point. Broad has now dismissed him 10 times in Tests: once it reaches double figures, one can assume that a pattern is probably developing. Broad, stirred by England’s rush of wickets, three of them his, beckoned for the crowd to get involved. The old football staple of “You’re not singing any more” wafted towards the banks of Australia supporters, the ultimate criticism, of course, when delivered in the Land of Song.Voges, in common with Rogers, has a traditional English approach about him. He was not about to try to knock England’s bowlers off their lengths, certainly not in only his third Test at the age of 35. He made only a single before edging Wood off the back foot, a reward for the bowler’s excellent line.From 106 for 5, Haddin’s glowering aggression was not about to stem the tide. His failure to catch Root, on 0, on the first day would be a turning point in the Test that he would just have to learn to live with. Wood bounced him twice; Haddin got off the mark with a streaky pull which barely cleared the stumps and then grimaced as he was struck in the groin.It was the seemingly futile resistance of an old soldier and it was ended not by Wood but by Moeen, who tossed up his first delivery for Haddin’s ugly heave to be excellently caught, second attempt, by Cook at short midwicket, a productive position on this slow surface, where Smith had also come to grief against Moeen in the first innings.England had only to add a favourite toy to the pram to make their afternoon complete. Wood sprang into his gymnastics run, a straight, full ball exposed Shane Watson’s front-foot plant and, as Watson reviewed the decision without avail, it gave everybody time to update that damning statistic: that is 29 lbw dismissals in 109 Test innings (14 in 35 against England) and while he remains in the side it is a fair assumption that the figure will keep on rising.The final session saw Johnson hit straight and often as England suddenly looked as weary as the pitch. But Root popped in for an encore. Lyth alertly held Starc at slip after Cook’s parry from gully, Lyth again held the catch as Johnson fell more conventionally and then, as if he could do no wrong, Root wandered off into the deep to hold the winning catch.

Spinners Jalaj Saxena, Sijomon Joseph and KC Akshay skittled Saurashtra for 95 as Kerala won by 309 runs in Thiruvananthapuram. Sanju Samson’s 175 had assisted Kerala’s comeback to seize control and stretch their lead to 411, handing Saurashtra 404 to chase on the last day.Joseph prompted Saurashtra’s slide as they resumed from their overnight score of 30 for 1, dismissing Robin Uthappa and Snell Patel early. The rest of the line-up, save Sheldon Jackson – failed to fire. Saxena and Akshay struck back-to-back, removing four batsmen for ducks, as Saurashtra lost five wickets in six overs. The win vaulted Kerala to second in the points table with one game to play.Siddharth Desai’s stunning debut season continued to get better. His five for along with and Piyush Chawla’s three-for spun Gujarat to a bonus-point win. Rajasthan were bowled out for 341 on the last day in Surat.Resuming on 183 for 4, Rajasthan lost their overnight batsman AR Gupta early on the day, but a 72-run sixth-wicket stand between Mahipal Lomror (60 off 98 balls) and Rajesh Bishnoi resurrected them, taking them to 265 for 5. With Rajasthan still needing 183 runs to erase the deficit, Bishnoi struck to end the stand, following which wickets fell successively. Chawla cleared the tail, and Rajasthan surrendered ten overs after tea, as Gujarat kept their top spot on the Group B table intact.Ajit Chahal’s five-for wrecked Jammu & Kashmir as Haryana won by 39 runs in Lahli. This was their first win of the season.Haryana added just six runs to their overnight score of 161 for 9, handing J&K 176 to chase. After losing their opener Ahmed Bandy in the fourth ball of their innings, Shubham Khajuria and Bandeep Singh added 47 runs for the second-wicket. Chahal triggered the collapse, removing Khajuria and Puneet Bisht in the 15th over and coming back in the 17th over to remove Bandeep Singh.The resistance for J&K came in the form of Owais Shah and captain Parvez Rasool in the middle-order. They added 54 runs to the sixth-wicket. Following their wickets in subsequent overs, Chahal and Ashish Hooda struck back-to-back to bowl J&K out for 157. Chahal finished with match figures of 8 for 117.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

England again demonstrated their ability to bounce back from adversity with a commendable 65-run win to draw level in the one-day series at Dambulla, their first one-day victory in Sri Lanka since 1982. Riding on Owais Shah’s 82, which led a fightback from 61 for 4, the fast bowlers shredded Sri Lanka’s top order then Graeme Swann completed a fine all-round day by further enhancing his impressive return to the team.The match was a case of role reversal from the opening game; this time it was Sri Lanka’s turn to struggle under the lights after England had battled their way out of trouble. The first half of England’s innings had been played in quicksand with the batsmen unable to make any advances against another consistent display from the home side’s bowlers. But Shah showed his ability to marshall a recovery, adding 70 with Swann as 151 runs came from the second 25 overs. It gave the attack a target to bowl at, with England’s quicks enjoying the evening conditions.Ryan Sidebottom struck with his second ball when Upul Tharanga drove loosely and Alastair Cook snaffled the catch at second slip. The same combination should have accounted for Kumar Sangakkara two balls later, but this time Cook couldn’t hold onto a chance which came higher and slightly quicker. Sangakkara continued to live a charmed life when Phil Mustard palmed a top edge off James Anderson.Sidebottom’s probing line didn’t let Sanath Jayasuriya – who became the first player to reach 400 ODIs (more than the whole England side) – escape to a flying start and, trying to find a gap through the covers, picked out Ian Bell. Sangakkara never settled at the crease despite his two lives, spending 37 balls over 9 before edging the final delivery of Broad’s first over low to Mustard, who made amends for his earlier mistake with a neat catch.England’s bowlers were revelling in a situation that allowed them to operate to their natural styles and Broad dispatched Chamara Silva first ball with a delivery which bounced and looped to backward point. Mahela Jayawardene battled to get settled, but Tillakaratne Dilshan took to the attack to give Sri Lanka hope. With the fifth-wicket partnership forming, they were ahead of England in terms of runs and Paul Collingwood knew he needed to continue taking wickets.The value of having a spinner who isn’t afraid to give the ball air in one-day cricket was displayed as Swann ripped his third delivery through Dilshan’s drive and into his off stump. There is much debate about England’s selection policy of excluding Monty Panesar, but Swann’s contributions with bat, ball and in the field are making his place secure for the short term at least. Collingwood had the confidence in his offspinner to allow him two close fielders for large periods of his 10 overs, with Sri Lanka’s batsmen unusually tied to their crease.Collingwood himself again provided a vital role with the ball, and it was his removal of opposite number Jayawardene – a leading edge to midwicket – which virtually nailed the match for England. Swann bagged a deserved second with a sharp caught-and-bowled off the dangerous Fareez Maharoof.

The crushing margin of England’s victory, only reduced by a final-wicket stand of 43, was even more significant given the problems they encountered early on with the bat. When Kevin Pietersen pulled Dilhara Fernando to midwicket they were 61 for 4, and by the midway point had laboured to 83 for 4 as Maharoof continued his probing line from the first match, superbly backed up by Fernando and Chaminda Vaas.Collingwood began the fightback alongside Shah and the pair slowly hauled England out of their hole with a stand of 78 in 16 overs. Collingwood started to increase the tempo and finally cleared the boundary with a well-timed strike over midwicket off Fernando – the only six of the match. However, Fernando lifted his pace and beat Collingwood on the back foot with one which scooted through, and in the following over Ravi Bopara moved too far across against Dilshan, exposing his leg stump with terminal results.The double loss left Shah needing to balance aggression with caution, and he continued to show the skills which have made him a valuable inclusion in England’s middle order over the last few months. His fifty came off 72 balls and with Swann again showing composure at the other end, he had the confidence to hunt for boundaries. He cracked Lasith Malinga over mid-off and used his feet against Dilshan, adding 70 off 69 balls until Swann was run-out for a 37-ball 34.But Shah kept going until the final over, taking advantage of a few lapses from Sri Lanka in the field, running hard despite the hot conditions and lifting England to a total which appeared out of reach a couple of hours earlier. In the end it was more than enough and the series has been given fresh impetus. What a difference three days make.