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

A tepid final day at Chelmsford produced an expected result with the Indians’ second practice match ending in a high-scoring draw. England Lions’ batsmen made the most of a good batting pitch in their second innings, rattling up 227 for 2 in effortless fashion before the Indians played out 20 overs before stumps.The Lions ended the day with more positives: Andrew Strauss, under-fire for his poor run of scores, spent a valuable 155 minutes out in the middle, Stuart Broad celebrated his Test call-up with a five-wicket haul while Owais Shah helped himself to a confident 77.The Indian bowling continued to struggle on a featherbed of a pitch and Rahul Dravid may not have too many dilemmas while choosing his bottom four for the first Test. Ishant Sharma’s struggles, along with Ranadeb Bose’s insipid showing in the previous match, leaves RP Singh as the clear favourite for the third-seamer slot.England too would have probably settled on their third seamer for the opening Test, with Broad cleaning up the tail with pace and movement. He hit the deck hard and induced a couple of edges from the tailenders before uprooting Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s off stump. He didn’t lose his head when Dhoni was swishing violently and simply stuck to the basics to breach his defences. With three wickets, along with those of Dinesh Karthik and Yuvraj Singh yesterday, he might have booked himself a Test debut at Lord’s in three days’ time.”He’s impressed everyone with his ability with the ball as well as his character,” said Strauss of Broad’s effort. “For a young guy he knows what his gameplan is like and he’s did a great job on a flat wicket here. I think he’ll hope to play his first Test”Strauss, a Lord’s debutant himself, would count himself lucky to have won the toss, giving himself a couple of chances to regain form ahead of the series, starting Thursday. He failed in the first innings but made amends with a fluent 80 today, driving confidently down the ground and suggesting a return to the good days. The ball did occasionally beat the outside edge of the bat but Strauss overcame those jitters to compile a timely half-century. It’s almost a year since he reached three figures in Tests but he now heads off to his favourite ground, one where he averages 61.5, with three hundreds and two fifties.Shah, another who fell cheaply in the first innings, also made the most of his second chance, grinding out 77 against an attack that began with purpose but ended as lollypop. The sight of Yuvraj Singh imitating Ravi Shastri with his left-arm spinners and Dinesh Karthik alternating between offspin and legbreaks summed up the day’s play, one where batsmen didn’t have to struggle for returns.Bad light forced an early tea but an early finish didn’t materialise; instead Karthik lashed a merry half-century, that included eight fours, to ready himself for the Test series. Jaffer posted his highest score of the tour, though he’d like to do better than 22 when he faces England’s bowlers in a few days.”I don’t think a result was possible given what had happened in the first two days’ play,” said Strauss. “So we wanted to bat for a long period of time before our bowlers had a short stint. The Indians talked overnight about setting something up but there wasn’t a realistic chance once we didn’t bowl them out early.”

Ashwell Prince, recently announced as South African captain for the Test series in Sri Lanka, says his style of captaincy is a world apart from the man he replaced. Prince acknowledged that “unforeseen circumstances” – Graeme Smith’s injury – led him to captain the national side but that he was up to the task.”People should not expect me to do things the way Graeme did,” Prince told reporters on the eve of South Africa’s departure for Sri Lanka. “Graeme is a very aggressive captain; I am quieter on the field.”Despite the loss of key players, Prince remained confident of success and his abilities. “Not having Graeme, Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock [for the first Test] will be a huge setback,” he said. “We realise each one of us will have to contribute something extra. But, the captaincy will not be completely new to me. I have gained valuable experience at Western Province and things went rather well.”Prince added that people skills would not be an issue. “I work well with the coach and senior players and like to work out things tactically,” he said. “One must think deeply about what you have to do as captain. I also get on well with the players and do not anticipate any problems on that front.”Mickey Arthur, the South African coach, said a decision would be taken later whether Prince would continue to lead for the triangular one-day series also featuring India.”We’ll first see how things go in the Test series,” he said. “When Haroon Lorgat [convener of the selectors] joins us on tour, we will decide whether Ashwell will captain the side for the one-day matches.”With Justin Kemp unlikely to play in the one-day series, the possibility of Prince retaining the captaincy seems strong.

Muttiah Muralitharan has signed as Lanka IOC’s brand manager in a lucrative sponsorship deal. The company had showed interest in Muralitharan after the Lanka IOC Asia Cup held earlier this year.M Nageswaran, the managing director of the company, said, “This tie-up between Lanka IOC and Muralitharan effectively brings together two major players in their respective fields, with the hope of working together as a team to further promote and develop not only the petroleum industry in the country, but also Sri Lanka as a whole.” Nageswaran also spoke about how the company and Muralitharan were part of the `500-club’: one had more than 500 Test wickets, the other was a Fortune-500 company, and both were on everybody’s lips.”Not only is Muralitharan loved and admired in his country of origin, but he is also a much-respected figure the world over. Having faced and successfully overcome many obstacles in his rise to the top position in the cricketing world, Muralitharan is an example of how strength and determination can conquer any obstacles placed in its way. Similarly, ensuring international standards of service and meeting stringent quality and eco-friendly standards, Lanka IOC’s operations in Sri Lanka will also uphold those virtues of strength and determination.”

Chris Cairns has said he believes this New Zealand side is one of the best ever to leave their shores. Cairns is captaining the New Zealanders against Kent today in their final warm-up game before the first Test, which starts a week today at Lord’s.With Nathan Astle and Shane Bond back in the side from injury, the squad are at full-strength for the first time since the touring 2001 side drew 0-0 in Australia. Cairns, who has announced he will retire from Tests at the end of this series, said, “I’ve always thought this is one of the strongest teams, if not the strongest, that New Zealand’s sent away.”However, he also rued the wet English weather, which has intervened in all three of their games so far on tour. “The unfortunate thing is that we haven’t had much cricket – I haven’t had a bat on tour going into a Test match next week. It’s a concern, but we’re not too worried because we were playing a Test match four to five weeks ago.”While Cairns would like some time in the middle, he was still happy to let the rest of the team take on the responsibility. “The ideal scenario is I don’t get a bat because it means the guys at the top are doing their jobs. Then again, I want a hit-out so I can contribute.” He added, “The issues we have are not often ones I’ve been associated with in New Zealand teams. We’ve got a very strong squad here. If I can get a bat that’s great, but I’m happy to hand it over to the guys to score runs at the top.”John Bracewell, the coach, was also frustrated by the bad weather, and by the lack of quality indoor facilities. The bowlers have struggled to adapt with the Duke make of balls, which have a more pronounced seam than the Kookaburra equivalent, and the wet run-ups and damp outfields have troubled all the bowlers. “They’ve all been stop-start affairs so far and we’ve been bowling with wet balls,” Bracewell said. “I’m happy with how they’ve dealt with very difficult circumstances. It’s the cricket mecca of the world, but if it rains everything stops. Their indoor facilities make it very difficult for the bowlers.”Cairns, meanwhile, wasn’t complaining. “I love it over here because conditions suit me. I’m not a big swinger of the ball, I’m a seamer and conditions help that,” he said.”At the moment they’re a bit slow, but I suspect Lord’s will have more pace in it.”

The West Indies Cricket Board and its selection panel have started the 2003 Cable & Wireless Series with a master stroke by appointing Brian Lara as team captain and Ramnaresh Sarwan as his deputy.It’s now up to Sir Vivian Richards and his fellow selectors to maintain the trend for the composition of their squad for the opening Test against Australia starting in Guyana next Thursday.While Carl Hooper remains a potential class act as a batsman, he was unable to produce the type of imaginative leadership qualities that were necessary and his ability as a tactician was only modest.It was immensely satisfying that Lara has decided to accept the job, which up until recently he indicated he had no interest in.It is even more pleasing that Sarwan, still only 22 in spite of seven years’ experience as a first-class player, is being groomed as a leader for the future.It was almost puzzling that Hooper’s deputy over the past two years was someone only a year younger than he.The million-dollar question now surrounds the immediate future of Hooper, who left us in the dark a few days ago.On one hand, he said he believed he still possessed the physical skill, desire and passion to continue at the international level. At the same time, he said he must be unselfish and ask himself if his presence in the team would not be unfair and block the development of young players.If he plays, it is almost certain that he will "block the development" of someone like Marlon Samuels.Having said that, I still have room for the enigmatic Guyanese. His overall record as a batsman is modest for someone of his talent, but his record as a batsman [1609 runs at an average of 45.97] since coming out of retirement is one that suggests he should not be dropped at this time.Bearing in mind the West Indies’ opponents are the all-conquering Australians, his presence and experience will be even more important. Had the opposition been weaker, I would have thanked him for his wonderful service to West Indies’ cricket.It means then that Samuels can only find a place if Sarwan is not fit enough to play.The remainder of the middle-order picks itself with Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul joining Hooper and Sarwanor Samuels.Chris Gayle has been the established first-choice opening batsman for some time and his partner at the top should be fellow Jamaican Wavell Hinds.Hinds, in particular, must know that the selectors cannot ignore the credentials of Devon Smith for much longer.The 21-year-old Grendadian has hardly put a foot wrong during the last two years. Last season he scored 750 runs(ave. 62.50) and followed up this year with 572 runs (ave. 40.85).The wicket-keeping slot should trigger some debate among the selectors. Ridley Jacobs has been a reliable servant for most of the last four years, but hardly anyone will dispute that he is on the decline.At 35, it is time the selectors identify a long-term replacement for Jacobs. Junior Murray and Courtney Browne still remain good enough to play at this level, but Carlton Baugh’s outstanding season for the West Indies "B" that brought him 486 runs (ave. 40.50) runs and 15 dismissals makes him a genuine contender.The slow, low nature of the Bourda pitch means it is almost certain the selectors will not opt for four fast bowlers.Mervyn Dillon is the spearhead, even if most believe his inconsistency suggests he should not carry that tag.Pedro Collins bowled disappointingly in the World Cup when he was bothered by injury. His performance against Trinidad and Tobago gave the impression that he was back to full fitness and form and should be pencilled in as Dillon’s new ball partner.When Vasbert Drakes returned to the international arena last September at the age of 33, the general feeling was that he would be a key member of the limited-overs team and would perhaps not go beyond the World Cup.That has changed. The experienced professional has proven he is also a wicket-taking bowler and his batting makes him the most qualified No. 8 in the Caribbean at the moment.For all his promise and pace, Jermaine Lawson should be among the reserves for the first Test, but his chance will definitely come sooner rather than later. The same can be said of Tino Best, the most successful bowler in the regionthis season.The choice of a spinner is likely to pose the most headaches. No one has come forward to demand automatic selection.Neil McGarrell was the most successful slow bowler this season, but both he and his fellow Guyanese Mahendra Nagamootoo are steady moreso than threatening.Had Sulieman Benn played the last two matches, he might very well have been thetop wicket-taker among the slow bowlersthis season.It is interesting to note that Lara, without being prompted, said it was unfortunate he didn’t geta chance to see Benn this season. Some are boundto ask why should he bein contention when he is not in his national team.It should not disqualify him for selection because we all know of his ability as an orthodox left-arm spinner and capablelower-order batsman.Dave Mohammed’s left-arm back-of-the-hand stuff presents something of a difference, but he has not done much since returning to the first-class game in mid-season.My team: Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Ramnaresh Sarwan [Marlon Samuels if Sarwan is not fit], Brian Lara, Carl Hooper, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Carlton Baugh, Vasbert Drakes, Mervyn Dillon, Sulieman Benn, Pedro Collins. Reserves: Samuels [Devon Smith if Sarwan is unfit], Jermaine Lawson

In the very onset of this year, the Common Wealth Cricket Academy of Australia toured Bangladesh and, to our surprise, the juvenile cricketers of that prominent training institute trounced us in almost every match-both in one-day and longer version. BCB made an experimental effort to play their combined sides to take on CBCA in different stadiums. These matches were exhibition ones and though did not have any record book value, were enough to locate the gulf of differences between our cricketers and those Australians. I have used the term “differences” in a wider. Wyane Philips, the coach of the CBCA squad reveals the truth and it should be called “hard reality” than to call “truth”.What is the hard reality that tops the Australians over all cricketing nations during these years? Why our national cricketers could not make any impression in all those matches they took on CBCA? The answer is plain and simple as closing your eyes. There is difference in “attitude” and there is difference in “physical fitness” too.Let us define the “attitude” first. In Philip’s opinion, our cricketers do not lack skill or quality. The thing that is absent in them is – the willingness to overcome nervousness and the eagerness to beat opponents, no matter how strong they are. This outlook is inherent among the Australians and we are short of it. This is the secret of the twenty-year old Australian cricketers to defeat the semi-national sides of BCB-11for several occasions. The match temperament comes up with the experience but “approach” has to be within by born. I saw some of the player’s from the visitors, got hurt by the ball but they were giving their best to conceal it-not to show in front of their opponents so that they could take an advantage of it.Professionalism is stick upon the name of any Australian cricket squad. They are professionals and all through. They realized it long before that the days are in front are the days of “power cricket”. One can’t simply survive by skill these days. Physical fitness is now an integral part of cricket. All the CBCA members were terrific in their vigor and fitness-absolutely eye catching. This is the second decisive factor that not all of our cricketers could make up. Definitely, you have to have a chiseled shape and a hard enduring body to fight with them.We have learnt it late, and now we can see a gym set in BCB that is only for the cricketers. Weight training builds up stamina and power and these things are the prerequisites to play in international level. Perhaps our cricketers apprehended it more than ever in this Zimbabwe tour.

So England’s crammed year of international cricket moves to its next stage. With a young team, Ashes regained, the white ball not something to be feared and spirits lifted the squad embark on what will be a hugely significant and demanding six months in the development of a free-spirited but still often raw side.The UAE is the first destination: a neutral venue, but one in which Pakistan feel very much at home. Three years ago England arrived fresh from the triumph of reaching No. 1 in the world under Andrew Strauss’ leadership, only to come a cropper in the Test matches: whitewashed 3-0, defeats by 10 wickets, 72 runs (chasing 145) and 71 runs (despite bowling Pakistan out for 99). The next month will be about a challenge of the spinning ball – both playing it and bowling it – men around the bat and temperatures that could nudge the 40s.Alastair Cook was still Strauss’ lieutenant in 2012, now he is a captain with his authority and standing restored after a summer where he has shown immense character and fortitude – plus a willingness to adapt, a facet that will be tested again on this tour. He is one of just five survivors from the Test squad of the previous trip – alongside Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Steven Finn (who did not play) – and in an era when overseas wins are tough to come by he is aware of what lies ahead.”It’s definitely going to be a tricky tour with their history in terms of how strong Pakistan are and their record in the UAE,” Cook said. “I think they’ve played six or seven series and haven’t lost a series. That shows what is in front of us. The great thing is in Test cricket is trying to win away from home. It’s getting harder and harder.”In 2012 it was the batting that cost England. They crossed 300 once in six innings and did not score an individual hundred in the three Tests. The bowling, led by Anderson and Broad then allied with the spin twins of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar for the latter two matches, more than held its own (Pakistan only topped 300 twice) but the batting line-up proved hapless against Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman, who combined to take 43 wickets.Neither will be around this time, but they have been handsomely replaced by Yasir Shah, the legspinner who became the fastest Pakistan bowler to fifty Test wickets, and left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar. New faces, same threat for England.”You do learn lessons but it happened quite a few years ago. And this is a very different side. Only four of us are going back,” Cook said. “I think also that the pitches have changed a little. The matches seem to be a lot higher scoring than they were in 2012.”Clearly, in the modern way of international cricket, we’ll do some homework on the bowlers and the Pakistan team in general. We haven’t faced many of them, it is quite a different bowling attack to what we have faced in the past. I certainly haven’t faced a couple of them. The legspinner clearly has done incredibly well so far in his short career.”England faced a trial by spin the last time they played Pakistan in the UAE•Getty Images

A point which Cook recalled from the previous series was the manner of dismissals. There were a combined 43 lbws across the three matches – the joint most for any Test series – with England batsman falling 22 times and Pakistan’s 21.”The one thing I remember is that skiddy, back-of-a-length spin that is difficult to face. Rehman and Ajmal bowled well, quick spin, I think there was a world record number of lbws. Trying to force yourself to go forward was quite hard. With DRS now, you can’t just get your pad in the way and say you’re a long way down. If it’s in line, you’re out. We’re going to have to make sure we defend using our bats.”Although Ajmal and Rehman proved the trump cards three years ago, England were not cast adrift when it came to bowling spin: Swann and Panesar shared 27 wickets, Panesar taking 14 in two matches. This time they cannot match such quality in the spin department. Moeen Ali, with 45 Test wickets at 36.04, is the lead man and is likely to be joined by the uncapped Adil Rashid. Samit Patel, a late addition to the squad, has four Test wickets while Joe Root is the other supplementary offering.”I’m confident they can take the wickets, but in a different way to Monty and Swanny,” Cook said. “Mo has had a fantastic start to his international career with his all-round contribution. He’s not an out-and-out spinner in the way that Swanny was, he provides a lot of all-round value. Same as Rash. Monty’s Test record when he played was fantastic but Rash can also bring runs. That’s a real string to his bow. So we have a different balance to the side this time.”The hints appear to be, therefore, that Moeen is favourite to open alongside Cook and Rashid will earn a Test debut, probably as part of a six-man attack alongside four quick bowlers. Anderson, Broad and Ben Stokes are certainties, leaving the final decision between Mark Wood’s skiddy pace and Finn’s height and bounce. The former’s qualities could be more suited to conditions.However, England only have two two-day matches in Sharjah, the first starting on October 5, to get their game back into sync and make final decisions on the composition of the XI for Abu Dhabi. “That’s what we’ve been given. Would we want more? Absolutely,” Cook said. “The guys have just finished the one-day stuff against Australia and we’re now going to the UAE. But that’s what modern cricket is and it’s up to the players to adapt. That’s why it is so hard to win away.”The first Test begins on October 13, followed by matches in Dubai and Sharjah – the first time England will have played a Test at that venue. A four-match ODI series and three T20s make up the tour.

The County Championship could be trimmed to make way for far more Twenty20 matches, according to proposals unearthed by The Times.Jack Simmons, the former Lancashire chairman who now heads the ECB’s cricket committee, has initiated plans to create space in the domestic calendar for an IPL-style competition. It would mean the existing 16 four-day matches being reduced to 16 three-day games, with earlier start and later finish times to allow a minimum of 120 overs a day to be bowled.At present, there is a minimum of 96 over per day, so Simmons’ plan would only see a reduction in playing time of 24 overs. However, players are likely to oppose being asked to bowl more overs in a day. When a minimum number of overs was first introduced in the late 1980s it was set at 120 per day, but finishes after 8pm were not uncommon and the number has gradually been reduced. However, overtime is still a regular occurrence.The ECB seem determined to create a larger gap in the Championship season than is now the case. One proposal, believed to have been backed by the Professional Cricketers’ Association, was to cut the number of games from 16 to 12, but that would have caused alarm among those who see the Championship as the nursery for creating Test cricketers.”I think the county chairmen would agree to a reduction in matches if they are going to make more money from Twenty20 cricket.” Simmons told the newspaper. “The England players should not have any say in this because they do not play in Championship matches. Yes, we do play too much international cricket and players become tired, but as soon as a sum of £100,000 is offered to them to take part in a competition in India they don’t appear to be exhausted any longer.”It is not possible to breed any players in Twenty20 cricket and my concern would be that standards don’t drop. The way to learn the game is in the middle in Championship matches.”

ScorecardA fine allround performance from Marlon Samuels gave the West Indians a much needed boost with a comprehensive 56-run win over a PCA Masters XI at Arundel, ahead of their back-to-back Twenty20 matches against England on Thursday and Friday. The victory came against a rag-bag of current and former stars – including Nathan Astle and Robin Smith – but West Indies at the moment are grateful for any small mercies.PCA crumbled to 142 chasing a daunting 199 with Samuels doing most of the damage with 4 for 19. After losing Rikki Clarke to the first ball, PCA’s run-chase got off to an electric start with Azhar Mahmood cracking 41 from 26 balls. But he became Samuels’ second wicket when he was bowled, prompting a slide where six wickets fell for 63.Samuels forged a bristling second-wicket stand of 87 with Devon Smith (75 from 53), but the most encouraging aspect of their innings was the return to form of Chris Gayle. In 34 balls he hammered 73, with eight fours and lifting four sixes.It was a comfortable win for West Indies, one which David Moores, their coach, will hope has massaged their brittle confidence which sunk on Sunday when Derbyshire humiliated them by 51 runs. However, today was West Indies final warm-up before the serious business of two international Twenty20s against England, beginning at The Oval on Thursday.