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After a frustrating winter on the fringes of England’s tour of the Caribbean, James Anderson took 6 for 49 in his first match of the season, as Lancashire took control against Worcestershire. Afterwards he spoke to the press at Old Trafford:

Are you doing anything different now to what you were doing six months ago?
No, I’m just concentrating on bowling pretty straight – keeping things wicket-to-wicket. The ball seemed to be coming out quickly, but it didn’t swing at all and the breeze wasn’t helping me. I just had to keep it tight. I’ve felt quite good all winter, to be honest, and I had a decent rhythm in the nets. But it’s a totally different situation when you get out into the middle.Were you apprehensive about playing in this match?
Yeah, I’ve had four one-day internationals over the winter, so it was a bit of a different situation today, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. But it turned out to be exactly what I needed – a long bowl and a good couple of spells to get back into it.Are you feeling refreshed after a winter on the sidelines?
That’s one way of looking at it – I am feeling pretty fresh, yeah. Some of the guys here are saying I look fresher than they are, and that’s only a couple of games into the season. I’m definitely feeling fit and strong.There must have been some doubt about you playing for Lancashire today – Sajid Mahmood has been in good form …
He has. Someone asked me this week whether I was worried about getting my England place back, but I said: “First things first, let me get back in the Lancashire side”. Kyle [Hogg] and Sajid have been playing exceptionally well, and just because I’ve come off an England tour, it doesn’t mean I have a right to walk into the side.Does England status create extra pressure?
Not really. I was just out to bowl well, not necessarily even to take wickets. All I wanted was to feel good in myself again. That will do me fine. But six wickets under my belt is certainly not going to do me any harm with the selectors.Did you bowl as well as the figures suggest?
Maybe not, but I’ve definitely bowled better for less. But that’s cricket. You need a bit of luck, and when your second ball of the day is nicked down the leg-side, you know you’ve just got to cash in.How frustrating was your experience this winter?
At times it was extremely frustrating, sitting there watching the other guys taking all the wickets and wishing it was you out there. But that’s the way it goes. I was happy, because it was my mates who were doing the job, but I was happy and sad at the same time.Did it get you down?
Sometimes, but I tried not to let it show. I just got on with my training and practising with Troy [Cooley] and the other coaches. After that, it was just a case of getting back to the County Championship and taking wickets.Will you be a better player for the experience?
Hopefully. It’s not done me any harm at all to be out there and not playing. It should stand me in good stead for the future.What have you done in the four or five days since you returned from the West Indies?
I went home to see my friends and family, then had a net with the 2nd XI on Tuesday before the game.It’s been a rollercoaster 12 months – sometimes you’ve been taking wickets galore, and other times you’ve been getting none. Has your bowling form been tied in with that?
It’s really hard to explain. It’s the same for batters and their bad runs of form – sometimes it’s a poor decision, other times a stunning catch. As far as I’m concerned, I might be bowling well, but if I don’t take the wickets, everyone assumes I’m bowling badly.Are you a better bowler now than 12 months ago?
Definitely. I’m more experienced now. I adjust more quickly to each batsman, and I’m getting to know their strengths and weaknesses as I play more. Everyone ought to get better with experience, and as long as you’ve got the right coaches on hand, you should progress.It must be exciting to be part of this England team at the moment?
Yeah. My job now is to put pressure on the guys in the side. If I keep taking wickets, then hopefully they’ll have to perform even better as well.You might not be seeing much more of Lancashire this season?
Yeah. There is so much international cricket at the moment. It was sad to miss out on Lancashire’s one-day trophy last season as well, but unfortunately you can’t be in two places at once.Do you expect to play at Lord’s?
I haven’t a clue. All I know is I’d love to play for England again anywhere, whether it’s Lord’s or Turf Moor.

Thx Gilly
The sign-writers had either had a tip-off or worked late last night because when the public rocked up to the Adelaide Oval today the advertising hoardings from his mobile phone sponsor read “Thx Gilly”, echoing similar signs for Australia’s Ashes departees, Glenn, Shane and Justin.Gilly fires at Billy
It was the only four of Adam Gilchrist’s 18-ball stay but wasn’t short on shock value. Gilchrist latched on to a full ball and drilled it straight down the ground, bulleting nearly two feett over the non-striker’s stumps. Umpire Billy Bowden could have been threatened with decapitation had he stood his ground but showed sharp reflexes to duck and swerve. 41 fours were struck in Australia’s innings but this was a potential umpire killer.Catch and clap
Virender Sehwag’s sharp catch to dismiss Gilchrist prompted a mighty sigh in the ground but the fielder seemed to realise the value of the moment. Sitting cross-legged, he began to applaud as Gilchrist began his walk to the pavilion. As the rest of the fielders stood beside him and saluted a champion, Sehwag, ball in hand, clapped heartily.Scores level, play halted
Soon after Andrew Symonds flicked a ball away to midwicket to get Australia to 526, a masked spectator jumped over the fence at the Cathedral End and pranced around the outfield. Policemen surrounded him as the crowd roared but he was up to the task for a while, dodging a couple of cops like a rugby pro.Just as he was overpowered, another spectator jumped in, this time with an Australian flag. He didn’t make any dodging attempts, though, and was led out without too much fuss. A third was merely pitiful: he didn’t even make it as far as the boundary rope, stopping to admire himself for getting onto the grass, before he was apprehended.A case of dropsy
Australia’s fumbles continued when they came out to bowl. Michael Clarke was the culprit when, with Virender Sehwag on two, he spilled a straightforward chance off Brett Lee at second slip. Visibly nervous he appeared to have the ball covered before letting it slip through his fingers.India fumbled too. Two days’ fielding in the sun must have made Anil Kumble sleepy. He was hardly awake at midwicket when he dropped a sitter – some wag shouting “You’ve got to have at least one eye open, Kumbles” – to allow Mitchell Johnson to enhance his batting average, albeit briefly.From Bradman to Dravid … in one stroke
Johnson began his innings with a Bradman-esque average of 99. Getting off the mark with a back-cut four, he passed the 100-mark and soon equalled Andy Ganteaume’s average of 112, the highest for any Test cricketer. He couldn’t do much more, though, and, trying to clear the field with a slog-sweep, holed out to long-on. Immediately his average dipped to a more Dravid-esque 56. A classic double-or-quit situation on a cricket field.

A light-hearted cheer went up near the Prindville Stand around six in the evening. Umpire Billy Bowden turned down a loud appeal from Mitchell Johnson, when he yorked Rahul Dravid, and a small section of the crowd responded with, “We want Bucknor, we want Bucknor”. It was one of the few noises made on a rather quiet day, one where a genteel wave swept across the WACA.It’s been a tumultuous week but the events of the first day – for most of it at least – were disconcertingly slow. The anti-climax surrounding the pitch didn’t help but you would still expect some noise, at least from the grass banks. Things picked up towards the evening, especially with Australia fighting back with wickets, and a few spectators were even warned. One cheekily held a banner that read, “No more monkey abuses” and was promptly told to pack it in. Another tried his best to stir up the crowd but was led out of the ground when he began to swear.A crowd of about 16,000 watched the first day’s play. It’s worthwhile pointing out what had to say about the very first Test in Perth, back in December 1970. “It was perfectly organised, and nearly 85,000 spectators saw it. That number was nearly twice that at Brisbane, and gate receipts in the region of £50,000 were almost three times as large.” Thirty seven years since and the atmosphere seems to have diminished.The Australian cricketers behaved like schoolboys sitting on the front bench. The ferociously quick Shaun Tait actually apologised to Sachin Tendulkar after appealing for a caught-behind decision. No-one else appealed since it had rapped his forearm. There was soon another appeal against Tendulkar, a really close shout from Andrew Symonds, but the reactions were a sight for the times: Symonds cursed himself, Adam Gilchrist and Michael Clarke turned around to chat about it, and Ricky Ponting let out a gentle apologetic kick.And if the atmosphere got heated at all, there was the quiz show to divert the attention. Through the day, every ten minutes or so, a question would be asked over the public announcement system, urging spectators to send in their responses. Just as Brett Lee seemed to be setting up Tendulkar in a fine spell, we were asked, ‘Which Australian fielder has the most number of catches?’ Talk of enjoying a good contest.It was a fine day for cricket: hot, bright and pleasantly windy. Justin Langer was out there first thing in the morning and subconsciously started to step towards the middle of the pitch, tempted to indulge in some shadow practice. Soon he realised he was in his leather boots, not spikes, and didn’t need to practice at all. “The umpire looked up at me in a funny way and I thought, ‘This is not your stage any more’. I then just watched Ricky Ponting go through the motions.”Half an hour before the toss Langer was in the thick of the action, presenting Chris Rogers with his baggy green cap. It’s been more than a year since he retired but Australia’s next crop of openers isn’t allowing us to forget his style: Phil Jaques turned into a like-for-like replacement and Rogers, in Adam Gilchrist’s words, isn’t attractive but effective.Kerry O’Keeffe, the former Australian legspinner who regaled the press and corporate guests during lunch, felt Rogers had shown how colour-blindness wasn’t an impediment to Test cricket. He also reminded everyone of how John Rogers, Chris’ dad, played a few games for New South Wales. “There’s Gilchrist from New South Wales and now Rogers,” he said with the distinctive laugh that’s thrilled radio audiences across the country. Wonder what O’Keefe thought of Clarke’s latest crew cut, in light of his recent comments about NSW players being given a bottle of hydrogen peroxide along with their state caps.

All-round efforts from R Vinay Kumar and J Suchith ensured that Karnataka overcame a middling batting effort to register a 38-run win over Haryana in Bangalore. The defending champions lost Mayank Agarwal in the first over after being put in to bat but looked to recover through partnerships between KL Rahul, debutant Sadiq Kirmani and Manish Pandey. They collapsed from 99 for 2 to 104 for 6 in the space of three overs, with Yuzvendra Chahal accounting for Rahul and Karun Nair off consecutive deliveries in the 28th over. Two partnerships of 58 and 54, between Stuart Binny and Suchith and later Vinay Kumar and and Suchith lifted the score past 200. Suchith scored 46 off 63 deliveries while Vinay Kumar struck a 30-ball 41. Harshal Patel was Haryana’s most expensive bowler but also picked up four wickets for 62 runs.By the fourth over, Haryana’s chase had been reduced to 10 for 3. Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dagar tried to stabilize the innings with an 86-run partnership for the fourth wicket, but Karnataka kept chipping at the wickets. Dagar finished unbeaten on 96 and watched from the other end as Haryana were bowled out for 204 in the 47th over.VA Jagadeesh’s fourth List A century helped set up Kerala‘s 60-run win over Railways in Alur. The opening batsman struck 121 off 137 balls to lead Kerala to 256, although the side suffered due to a cluster of late wickets. Anureet Singh had the best returns for Railways, claiming 4 for 40 off his 10 overs. The Kerala bowlers then combined to bowl out Railways for 196. Saurabh Wakaskar and Arindam Ghosh scored 77 and 53 respectively but the rest of the batsmen could not match their efforts as the side was bowled out in the 44th over.

The ICC has finally taken over responsibilities for running the women’s international game, as expected, after the International Women’s Cricket Council (IWCC) ratified the proposed merger at their AGM. The move is set to have a massive impact on a sport which has struggled in administrative and financial terms.The IWCC, which ran for nearly fifty years after being founded in 1958, will be replaced by an ICC advisory committee and its former vice-president, Betty Timmer, will chair the new body. England’s Gill McConway will represent Europe, Joan Edwards will represent South Africa, West Indies’ coach Ann Browne-John and New Zealand’s Catherine Campbell are also on the special committee. Australia’s captain Belinda Clark has been co-opted on to the committee.Timmer recognized the significance of the move: “It’s great and exciting,” she told BBC Sport. “Hopefully we will get in a few years an Under-21 World Cup and more development of women’s cricket. Now we can use all the 94 ICC members in the development programme. I hope we can use the ICC sponsorships and, in selling television rights, women’s cricket can be a part of it.”A media representative for the ECB, Andrea Wiggins, also realizes the potential. “If it follows the model of the ECB, the merger could be massive,” Wiggins told Cricinfo. Significant improvements in the English game have already been seen since the ECB took over from the Women’s Cricket Association as administrators for women’s cricket in England: the international side benefit from Lottery funding, increased sponsorship and personalized coaching.With a view to the merger, the ICC had already appointed a women’s project officer whose principal role is to integrate the bodies.

Sri Lanka’s Chairman of Selectors Guy de Alwis has resigned, complaining ofpersistent political interference in the selection process.De Alwis, a notable absentee at a press conference on Monday to discussselection for the forthcoming Sharjah Cup, had only just been re-appointedchairman of a new five-man panel.However, the refusal of Johnston Fernando, the Minister of Sports, to ratifyhis original 15-man squad for the four-nation tournament was the last straw.Speaking to the Island newspaper, he launched a scathing attack on Fernando’s continual interference, claiming he had no option but to stand down.”The Minister of Sports has interfered in everything from the time I tookover and there is no way that I can continue in such circumstances,” said deAlwis.”Every single time I sent in a team for ministerial approval he has opposedit and you simply cant work like this,” he added.De Alwis is the third Chairman of Selectors to resign duringFernando’s one and a half year tenure in charge.Aravinda de Silva, recently appointed as a selector by Fernando against theadvice of the Cricket Board, is now the leading candidate for thechairmanship.

Kent v Middlesex, Canterbury
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Kent’s first win of the season was on the cards after their day of domination over Middlesex at Canterbury. Resuming play on 291 for 4, all the Kent lower-order chipped in with some handy runs, in particular Geraint Jones, the Kent wicketkeeper, who made 52 in an impressive total of 472 all out. The Middlesex reply then got off to the worst possible start when Andrew Strauss was run out on his 10th ball with only three on the board. And things didn’t get much better for them when Martin Saggers and Ben Trott took two wickets apiece as Middlesex were left dangling on 135 for 5.

Lancashire v Essex, Old Trafford
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Only the sight of Graham Gooch, the Essex coach, filling in for seven overs as a substitute fielder, brought any smiles to the Essex players on a demoralising day at Old Trafford. Iain Sutcliffe and Mark Chilton both scored hundreds as Lancashire reached 375 all out, with a first-innings lead of 160. Ronnie Irani took 4 for 59 and won a personal battle with the former Essex star Stuart Law, who he had caught and bowled for 6. In their second-innings reply, openers Darren Robinson and Will Jefferson went cheaply, and the star duo of Nasser Hussain and Andy Flower – both not in the best of nick – will have to make some timely runs tomorrow to save Essex from an early defeat.

Surrey v Leicestershire, The Oval
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In what must be one of the worst days in Leicestershire’s history, Surrey blasted their way to a rapid 560 for 8 declared, totally outplaying a demoralised Leicestershire team. Mark Ramprakash top-scored with a typically stylish 152, and built the platform for his team-mates to go out and enjoy themselves – which they did in some style. As you’d expect, the trio of Alec Stewart (71), Alistair Brown (73) and Adam Hollioake (41 from 24 balls) all got in on the act, but it was Ian Salisbury who overshadowed them all with a dazzling 101 not out – only the second century of his career. In his desperation, Philip DeFreitas (who finished with his side’s best figures of 4 for 101) used nine bowlers in all, but to no great effect. And just when things couldn’t get any worse, in the seven overs before the close they lost Trevor Ward and David Masters to end in complete disarray, still 346 runs behind a buoyant Surrey.

Division Two

Durham v Worcestershire, Stockton
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Kabir Ali, Worcestershire’s No. 9, smashed 84 from 86 balls – his highest first-class score – to help his side to a healthy 305 all out against Durham. Ben Smith (82) and Vikram Solanki (52) had earlier laid the foundations for a promising score in their innings, in which Durham’s international bowling duo of Steve Harmison and Javagal Srinath took three wickets each. And as he has done a few times already this season, Jonathan Lewis then led the way in Durham’s reply with 66 not out, as they ended on 146 for 3.

Gloucestershire v Hampshire, Bristol
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Craig Spearman continued his good early-season form with an enterprising 103 as Gloucestershire edged towards Hampshire’s first-innings total of 369. Spearman put on a 141-run opening stand with Philip Weston, who scored 61 before he was caught by Simon Katich, who also took two wickets, including that of Spearman. Jonty Rhodes remained on 57 not out as Gloucestershire trailed by 53 runs at stumps.

Northamptonshire v Yorkshire, Northampton
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It wasn’t a good day to be a bowler at Wantage Road, as bat overcame ball throughout a day in which 350 runs were scored and only three wickets fell. Richard Dawson (77) and Matthew Hoggard (21*) stretched Yorkshire’s first-innings total to 399 all out and then Northamptonshire’s Anglo-Aussie star Phil Jaques took centre stage. Jaques blasted 183 not out, with 23 fours and one six – his highest first-class score. And his team-mate Michael Hussey (an official Australian) scored 65 as the pair put on 189 for the second wicket.

Somerset v Glamorgan, Taunton
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Somerset moved in to a commanding position against Glamorgan as Peter Bowler and Michael Burns led the way with a second-wicket partnership of 128 runs. Bowler just missed out on what would have been an astonishing 43rd first-class century when he fell on 92 after four hours at the crease, while Burns scored a more rapid 82 before he was bowled by Adrian Dale. Dale finished with 3 for 29, but the other Glamorgan bowlers’ figures suffered from some blistering batting – especially from that big biffer Ian Blackwell, who smashed 42 from 27 balls as Somerset ended the day with a 194-run lead.Other matchWarwickshire v Cardiff UCCE, Abergavenny
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Warwickshire’s Ian Bell made the most of his chance to show what he could with the ball when he took 4 for 13 to wrap up Cardiff University’s innings for 251, in which Collins Obuya took his first county wicket, and Cardiff’s Alexander French top-scored with 67. Dominic Ostler then made 42 not out as Warwickshire led by 248 runs.

Danish Kaneria, Pakistan’s 22-year-old legspinner, has signed for Essex, ending several weeks of negotiations. The deal was sealed when Essex received the sanction of the Pakistan Cricket Board."The PCB have now given us permission to sign him," said David East, Essex’s chief executive. "As with all overseas players, they have first call on the player should any international cricket be arranged during the English season.”And Graham Gooch, Essex’s coach, said that signing a top-class spinner was crucial. “We felt we needed a wrist spinner because here at Chelmsford it is difficult to bowl teams out twice," he explained. “We did have opportunites in the early part of last season but we couldn’t drive them home, so we thought Danish would be a welcome addition to the squad.”

Everyone with a fair knowledge of cricketing `greats’ knows that Bob Appleyard is the only player to capture 200 first class wickets in his first full season and that in the winter of 1954-55 he helped England bring back the Ashes for the first time in 22 years.Appleyard’s triumphs are common knowledge, yet the many tragedies either side of his epic feats were known to but a few until Stephen Chalke gently coaxed them out of him for this splendid biography, written in conjunction with Derek Hodgson.Born in 1924, Appleyard soon lost the innocence of childhood as one hard blow followed another – just as it continued to do in his adult life. When he was seven his mother left home; when he was 13 he lost his younger sister Margaret to diphtheria and when he was 15 his father, stepmother and two little sisters were found gassed in the bathroom of their home.The young Appleyard was taken in by his stepmother’s parents who were devout Christians. He did not turn away from religion but embraced it and has worshipped regularly ever since.The war years held back his development but when he decided to join the Bradford League and went for nets at Bowling Old Lane he immediately caught the eye of club president Ernest Holdsworth, a former captain of Yorkshire 2nds.His Yorkshire debut came in 1950 when he played in three matches and took 11 wickets but there was little indication of what was to happen the following season. A deep thinking cricketer, Appleyard could already bowl pace or off-spin but the addition of leg-cutters and off-cutters made him as lethal as he was unique.In the middle of that season he fell ill for a short while and was treated for pleurisy but the following Spring, after only one match, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis.With injuries bringing a sad and premature end to his cricket, Appleyard became a successful business rep and he was working for the British Printing Corporation in 1981 when it was taken over by Robert Maxwell. Appleyard quickly saw Maxwell for the crook that he was and when Maxwell dismissed him on the strength of trumped up allegations, Appleyard battled for a fair settlement and won, shrewdly taking his money out of the BPC pension fund at the same time!The death from leukaemia of his young son, Ian, and later the death of a grandson, John, from the same disease, have kept grief a regular visitor to Appleyard’s door but always he has battled on, fighting to bring Yorkshire back to Bradford Park Avenue for a while and being largely responsible for setting up the Yorkshire Academy on the ground as well.A shadow hangs over the future of Park Avenue again, but guess who’s determined that cricket will continue on the historic ground? The final chapter in the gripping Appleyard story may still be to write.

Victoria and New South Wales begin the best-of-three Women’s National Cricket League finals at Bankstown Oval tomorrow with more than a domestic trophy at stake. The players will have their final chance to push for places in Australia’s World Cup side, which is named on Monday for the tournament in South Africa next month.Both teams finished on 32 points after the eight-match qualifying series and entered the deciders with one win against each other during the season. Julie Hayes, the New South Wales Breakers captain, said the defending champions had the depth and experience to win their eighth trophy in nine years. “We’ve known the feeling of winning and we’ve known what it feels like to lose and we don’t want to feel like that again,” Hayes said. “No one likes to lose to Victoria."Belinda Clark, the Australia and Victoria Spirit captain, said the teams had a strong rivalry. "Traditionally we have been the two strongest states and that’s the way it’s paved out this season," Clark, the competition’s top scorer with 345 runs, said. "It’s not very often that we have three-match finals, and it’s a good way to work into the series."The Breakers will look to the openers Lisa Keightley and Shannon Cunneen for a strong start while the Spirit boast the gifted Melanie Jones and Cathryn Fitzpatrick, the intimidating fast bowler. The second match will be played on Saturday and the third, if required, on Sunday.New South Wales Sarah Aley, Sarah Andrews, Alex Blackwell, Kate Blackwell, Leonie Coleman, Shannon Cunneen, Michelle Goszko, Julie Hayes (capt), Lisa Keightley, Lisa Sthalekar, Emma Twining, Jenny Wallace, Martha Winch.Victoria Belinda Clark (capt), Cathryn Fitzpatrick, Clea Smith, Kelly Applebee, Louise Broadfoot, Jodi Dean, Sarah Edwards, Jane Franklin, Claire Lavery, Julie Hunter, Melanie Jones, Emily McIntyre, Megan Pauwels.