Mahela Jayawardene has said that India would be more disappointed with the tie, but he knows his side needs to start winning games

Sidharth Monga at the Adelaide Oval14-Feb-2012It was a bittersweet night for Sri Lanka.They were set for a big total at 3 for 168 after 35 overs with the batting Powerplay at hand, but they contrived to end up with only 236. Angelo Mathews, the man who brought Sri Lanka heartbreakingly close in Perth against Australia, let the game slip with two full tosses in the 49th over of the chase, and then pulled it back with two direct-hits. Lasith Malinga bowled these four overs towards the end to keep Sri Lanka alive: four runs in the 39th, a maiden with a run-out in the 41st, five in 45th, and four and wicket in the 48th. Then, in the final over, he failed to make two collections and would have got them run-outs, and went for three over extra cover off the last ball. And spare a thought for the young Dinesh Chandimal. Yet another good innings, but one that ended in a suicidal run-out and short of being the decisive one.The overall fielding, too, went from being flash to flaccid. There were four direct-hit run-outs, but Kumar Sangakkara dropped a sitter, and then Malinga missed those two run-outs. It can be difficult to decide how to feel after such a night. Mahela Jayawardene wouldn’t blame the fielding for sure. “But I think the fielding got us into the game,” he said. “The run-outs and the way we stopped at least 20-25 runs on the field, on a hot day, on a bigger ground as well. We didn’t give them any easy twos. Only the last few fumbles. That’s the thing. Make or break situations. We have got to be ruthless.”Jayawardene said his instinct told him to trust Mathews, and that he will learn a lot from this night. Mathews bowled the 49th over with 24 runs required and Malinga to bowl the last. He slipped up, though, and bowled two full tosses – one of them a no-ball – that went for six and four. “This is how these guys are going to learn,” Jayawardene said. “The more games these guys play, they will become better finishers and they will take more responsibility. That’s probably why I had my gut feeling, giving the ball to Angie in the 49th over.”I feel he is ready now to take more responsibility. Apart from those couple of bad balls, I thought he bowled a very, very good over. So let’s put them in these situations, let them learn. I am quite happy, we are headed in the right direction, we are close, playing two top teams. Once we get that win we can get come momentum going.”Malinga’s bowling is the reason why Sri Lanka not only came back from the dead but were the favourites in the last over. With the ball, Malinga hardly faltered, except – if you were harsh – with the final ball, which Dhoni went deep into his crease to get under. “He [Malinga] bowled beautifully,” Jayawardene said. “I mean, you love to have a guy like that in the field. You know he is going to deliver for you. He did in the last three-four overs.”He changed ends as well. It wasn’t a problem for him. He didn’t give a single loose ball. He created the pressure for us. Otherwise we probably would have lost in the 46th-47th over. Lasith has been the difference. He has been in these situations, you know. We have lost some matches, he has won some matches for us, no issues with him. He will come back strong.”However, with Malinga, when you have three runs to defend off the last ball, you expect him to pull through. Jayawardene thought so too. “Well, 10 overs to go, they had a run a ball, I am sure they will be disappointed,” Jayawardene said. “I was disappointed when we had one ball, four runs. I would back Malinga to finish it off. I am happy with the two points after the amount of mistakes we made in the last few overs and in the entire game. To come back with two points, it is always good. But not a win in our column. Hopefully we get that and some momentum going forward.”Jayawardene felt that India would be more disappointed with the tie, but know his side needs to start winning games. They now need four wins from their last five games, which is a tough ask. “The last bit, we aren’t finishing games off, we are making mistakes,” he said. “But overall I thought we came back strongly in this game. 230 was not good enough on this surface. After making so many mistakes, I should be happy, but at the same time the way we are making mistakes we need to be a bit more focussed. And try and be ruthless in finishing games off. That’s what you expect, especially with these two teams.”

Misbah-ul-Haq said that Pakistan’s recent exposure to Asian conditions compared to the other teams in the Asia Cup will play as important a role as coach Dav Whatmore’s inside knowledge

Siddarth Ravindran in Mirpur10-Mar-2012Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has said that his side’s recent exposure to Asian conditions compared to the other teams in the Asia Cup will play as important a role as coach Dav Whatmore’s inside knowledge.Few people are better qualified to coach a side in the Asia Cup than Whatmore, a man well-versed with the teams in the tournament. Born in Sri Lanka, the Australian has regularly shown an affinity and ability to work in the subcontinent.His first major international coaching assignment was guiding Sri Lanka, a team regarded as minnows even in the early ’90s, to the World Cup back in 1996. Then came an even bigger challenge in 2003 – of moulding the also-rans of Bangladesh into a competitive side. In four years under his charge, there continued to be many heavy defeats but memorable highs as well, including the shock win over Australia in Cardiff and the wrecking of India’s 2007 World Cup campaign.This was followed by a few years at India’s National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, and coaching stints with the India A and Under-19 teams, including Virat Kohli’s World Cup-winning one in 2008. Two seasons in charge of Kolkata Knight Riders imparted him more knowledge of the ways of Indian cricket.Now he completes the subcontinental quartet by taking over as Pakistan’s head coach. His first opponents are Bangladesh, the side he led in his previous international job. Misbah, though, said that another factor will be as crucial as Whatmore’s inputs.”He is contributing, but I think the main thing is we are playing a lot of cricket against Bangladesh,” Misbah said. “We just had a series here [in December], we know each other, we know the strengths and weaknesses of each other. He can give us some input, but the players already know each other well.”Coaching Pakistan is one of the most exacting jobs in cricket, even for someone with Whatmore’s vast experience, but he seems to have begun well. Misbah said the initial interactions between coach and team had been positive. “The sessions we have already had, it has gone well. The players are professionals, the coaches are also professional. We have to just gel together quickly, understand each other quickly. I see it going well.”Misbah highlighted several reasons for the Pakistan team to be confident of its chances in the tournament despite coming in after a 0-4 drubbing in the one-dayers against England previous month. “When we played some time back here, the team played really well in these conditions,” he said, referring to their clean sweep of Bangladesh in both the Tests and one-dayers three months ago.Over the past three months, India have been playing in Australia, while Sri Lanka have been touring South Africa and Australia, places where the pitches are vastly different to the ones likely to be served up in the Asia Cup. “We have a bit of an advantage in that we have been playing in Asia recently,” Misbah said, before qualifying his statement. “But India and Sri Lanka have played a lot of tough cricket, and will return mentally tougher from there.”Misbah also urged his players to remember the team’s outstanding record over the past year-and-a-half, instead of focussing on the recent limited-overs defeat to England. “Every game, every series is a different ball game,” he said. “If you look at the series before, we have won six in a row and never lost a series. So this is part of the game. We were playing with one of the top sides in the world. What we want to do is just forget the one-day series, look forward and just play what we were playing before that series.”Another advantage for Pakistan is that, unusually, they seem the most settled team of the tournament. Bangladesh’s prime minister had to step in to resolve a row between their chief selector and the board, Sri Lanka are still tussling with their board over payments due and have a mere four days between the end of their previous series and this one, and India have had a torturous tour of Australia which was plagued by rumours of a rift between senior players.Today’s press conference began with a stern reminder from Pakistan’s media manager that the questions should pertain only to the Asia Cup. He needn’t have bothered. Given the off-field issues bothering the rest of the teams, Pakistan’s build-up has been smooth and controversy-free, with the appointment of the experienced Whatmore the only source of headlines.Edited by Abhishek Purohit

South Australia’s captain Michael Klinger dominated the state’s awards night on Friday, being named the Redbacks’ best player in the Sheffield Shield and the Ryobi Cup, and the best Adelaide Strikers T20 player for the summer

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Mar-2012South Australia’s captain Michael Klinger dominated the state’s awards night on Friday, being named the Redbacks’ best player in the Sheffield Shield and the Ryobi Cup, and the best Adelaide Strikers T20 player for the summer.Klinger finished one vote ahead of Daniel Christian in the Lord Hampden Trophy, awarded to the state’s best Sheffield Shield player, after a season in which he scored 835 runs at 46.38. The Redbacks had a disappointing Shield season, failing to win a match, although they had plenty of success in the Ryobi Cup.South Australia took out the 50-over title for the first time in 25 years, with a tied home final against Tasmania. Klinger made 498 runs at 55.33 in the Ryobi Cup and ended up as the tournament’s leading run scorer, so it was no surprise that he finished on 112 votes, ahead of Tom Cooper on 103 votes.But Cooper, who had been named the Ryobi Cup Player of the Year at the annual State Cricket Awards in Brisbane, won the Barry Jarman Most Improved Trophy after a breakout season. In the Adelaide Strikers voting, Klinger finished one vote ahead of Johan Botha and Aaron O’Brien to be the team’s best T20 player of the Big Bash League.

ESPNcricinfo previews Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2012

Nagraj Gollapudi03-Apr-2012Big picture
Kings XI Punjab have never believed in big names. In fact, they have just one millionaire on their roaster in Australian David Hussey ($1.4m). Their most expensive buy at this year’s player auction was former Pakistan allrounder Azhar Mahmood for $200,000. Their most popular face is the 40-year old Adam Gilchrist.Punjab’s maxim has been: we do not need the names, but we can still win. Last year they proved that theory correct when an unknown Paul Valthaty, who was clinging to the edges of domestic cricket before the tournament, catapulted himself into the front pages of newspapers and television screens with his batting exploits.But Punjab, the 2008 semi-finalists (which remains their best showing so far), is the only team from the original bunch of eight, which has failed to evolve. Ownership issues disrupted their development in the first three years of IPL. But last year, the franchise, after having successfully staved off a threat from the BCCI to remove it from the IPL, decided to put fresh plans in place. The biggest positive was the appointment of Gilchrist as the leader. He led Punjab to a fifth place finish last season, an improved showing over the 2010 season when they had ended at the bottom of the pile with only four wins.This year, Gilchrist has been appointed the coach-cum-captain. Two more Australians – Joe Dawes, who is the Indian bowling coach and former Australian fielding consultant Mike Young, have been hired as Gilchrist’s assistants.The franchise has also strengthened its domestic vaults. Ramesh Powar, who played for Punjab in first three seasons, is back to play the role of lead offspinner while the medium pace pair of Harmeet Singh and Parvinder Awana have been roped in to add more teeth to the fast bowling line-up.Like nervous teenagers, Punjab have always struggled to find their feet early in the tournament. In 2010, Punjab’s scored only one win in their first eight matches, which came in a tied game after a one-over eliminator. Last year, they started with a defeat, won three matches on a trot but followed it with five defeats in a row.Key players
Adam Gilchrist: Gilchrist is one of the two 40-year-old players* in the tournament. A hardworker, a good man-manager who leads by example, Gilchrist has been rightly appointed by Punjab as the coach-cum-captain. Last year, he inspired the likes of Valthaty to aspire for greater heights and helped Punjab finish at the middle of the points table. Needless to say, Gilchrist will push on the accelerator once again.David Hussey: The younger of the Hussey brothers did turn heads last season but for the wrong reasons. He managed only 64 runs in eight matches, leaving Punjab fans and critic’s wondering if he was worth the $1.4 million price tag. But Hussey is a pedigree player: he is the highest scorer in Twenty20 cricket (4270 runs) and also topped the batting charts for the Melbourne Stars in the inaugural season of the Big Bash League earlier this year. A brilliant fielder, who can keep a tight line with his offbreaks, Hussey’s biggest suit is his experience, making him a dangerous proposition. Shaun Marsh: Marsh has been Punjab’s most consistent and dependable batsman. By ending fourth on the IPL run charts last year, Marsh proved that his heroics in the inaugural edition of the tournament, where he finished as the highest scorer, was no fluke. Even though Marsh is yet to find a firm foothold in the Australian Test side, in the IPL he manages to slip into the zone easily and gives Punjab the right platform to build and chase totals.Big names in
Azhar Mahmood: Do not get deceived by his age: Mahmood, the only Pakistan player in IPL, is 37, but he is still the sturdy allrounder he was for Pakistan when he made his debut at 21. Mahmood, who now lives in England, was the player of the season for Kent in the County Championships. But Mahmood’s best has come in Twenty20 cricket. He finished as Kent’s highest scorer in the domestic Twenty20 competition with a century. With his experience, Mahmood can easily provide solidity to Punjab’s middle order and play the leading allrounder’s role in the absence of the injured Stuart Broad.Joe Dawes: Dawes, who was recently appointed as India’s bowling coach, replaced fellow Australian and former quick Jason Gillespie, who moved to Yorkshire as head coach. Dawes will take this opportunity as a good learning experience to understand Indian players, conditions and culture. In exchange, his coaching experience with Queensland is bound to come handy for the youngsters at Punjab.Big names out
Dinesh Karthik: Punjab sold him to Mumbai Indians for an undisclosed but substantial sum, reportedly good enough to offset the money spent on Hussey and Gilchrist.Below the radar
Piyush Chawla Chawla was Punjab’s joint highest wicket-taker last season and plays important role with his attacking legbreaks and a decent googly at any point in an innings. His bowling and his ability to play influential cameos with the bat, makes Chawla an important player for Punjab and a good man to help Gilchrist with his local knowledge.Abhishek Nayar Nayar has been one of the most attractive allrounders on the domestic circuit but frequent injuries have slowed his progress. This year, Nayar played with renewed vigour, showing maturity and patience during Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy campaign. He will be one of the regulars in the playing eleven and will look to make an impression, with an eye on the allrounder’s spot in the Indian team for World Twenty20 competition later this year. Availability :
Stuart Broad: The England allrounder underwent a scan for the calf-strain he suffered during the first Test of the Sri Lanka series and is reportedly expected to be fit in two weeks’ time.Ryan Harris: Punjab’s best fast bowler last season, Harris is currently on national duty with Australia in the Caribbean, participating in the Test series against West Indies. He will join the team from April 29.2011 in a tweet: Late starters, recovered to make headlines with their unexpected resilience, but lost the momentum again towards the end.April 13, 08:15 GMT: The article earlier mentioned that Adam Gilchrist was the only 40-year old in IPL. This has been corrected.

Pakistan began their two-week conditioning camp in Lahore

Umar Farooq16-May-2012Dav Whatmore, Pakistan’s head coach, has said that his team will be sternly tested during their tour of Sri Lanka which begins on June 1.The Pakistan players began a two-week conditioning camp in Lahore on Wednesday to prepare for the upcoming tour. They started with a fitness session in the morning at the National Academy and a net session at noon in Gaddafi Stadium.With temperatures in Lahore touching 40C, Whatmore said he hoped his players would find it easy to acclimatise themselves to similar conditions in Sri Lanka. “It’s pretty warm out here as well but it will be easy for us to acclimatise (to Sri Lankan conditions),” Whatmore said. “We’re lucky to do a bit of work in the heat in the morning and a little bit in the afternoon.”Some of the bowlers and batsmen have been working out in the heat to ensure we are prepared. I think we have to prepare properly for a series against a strong opposition.”Pakistan announced separate teams for each format for the upcoming tour and Whatmore said he was satisfied with the selection process.”I am happy to see that players are being selected based on their suitability to a format. As far as leadership is concerned, it’s not up to me and I will support what the PCB decides.”He also backed the inexperienced players selected for the tour. “There are one or two changes in the squad and that’s a good thing as by keeping exactly the same squad we would be marching on the same spot, but we must move forward all the time.”Whatmore, who has had two stints as Sri Lanka’s coach in the past, said he was expecting batting-friendly pitches in Sri Lanka. “We are not expecting anything different. The limited-overs pitches [in Sri Lanka] are good for batting.”

The full transcript of the sanctions handed out to Danish Kaneria and Mervyn Westfield by the ECB

22-Jun-2012Danish Kaneria & Mervyn Westfield Sanctions Hearing1. An ECB Cricket Discipline Commission Panel comprising Gerard Elias QC (Chairman), David Gabbitass and Jamie Dalrymple convened at the offices of Sport Resolutions UK on Friday 22nd June 2012 to consider the appropriate sanction applicable to 2 charges found proved in relation to Danish Kaneria and one charge admitted by Mervyn Westfield.GENERAL1. Self evidently, corruption, specifically spot fixing, in cricket or any other sport for that matter, is a cancer that eats at the health and very existence of the game. For the general public, supporting the game and their team within it, there is no merit or motivation to expend time, money or effort to watch a match whose integrity may be in doubt. The consequences of the public’s disengagement from cricket would be catastrophic.2. Furthermore, the game of cricket simply cannot afford to have its reputation tarnished in the eyes of commercial partners. These partners could not and would not link their brand to a sport whose integrity had been so undermined.3. For players who have devoted their entire careers to the pursuit of hard fought and properly competitive sport, to have those genuine achievements called into question by the corrupt actions of a tiny minority, may tend to devalue their worth.4. Accordingly, we have no doubt that this is a cancer which must be rooted out of the game of cricket.5. As a result of this in relation to domestic cricket the ECB and the PCA have introduced programmes of training and education such that in 2012 there are in place for all county cricketers appropriate safeguards in the area of match fixing and corruption. These were not in place in 2009.6. In reaching our conclusions, we have had regard to the authorities placed before us in relation to sanctions imposed for corrupt activity in sport.Danish Kaneria7. We sentence for 2 offences. As we have found, they involve the deliberate corruption of a young and vulnerable player and, we are satisfied, various attempts to involve others in the net of corruption. As a senior international player of repute he plainly betrayed the trust reposed in him in his dealings with fellow team mates and we regard his persistent efforts to recruit spot fixers as being a seriously aggravating factor in his case.8. Significant sums of money doubtless flow from corrupt activities such as those which we have examined this week, and we have no doubt that those involved in making such corrupt financial gains spare no thought either for those they corrupt or for the integrity of the game.9. Kaneria has made no admission, has shown no remorse and sought to cast blame on other plainly innocent persons.10. In all these circumstances, we regard Danish Kaneria as a grave danger to the game of cricket and we must take every appropriate step to protect our game from his corrupt activities. Accordingly, we are unanimously of the view that the only appropriate sanction in relation to both charges is one of suspension for life and that is the sanction we impose. This means from today Danish Kaneria is suspended from any involvement in the playing, organisation or administration of any cricket under the jurisdiction of the ECB.Mervyn Westfield11. For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to indicate that were Westfield to have committed the offence to which he pleaded guilty, in 2012 – when the education and training programmes were in place – on a fully contested basis, we would have imposed a suspension of 9 years. Let no one underestimate the seriousness of failing to perform – or agreeing so to do – on ones merits.12. We bear in mind the fact that his conduct occurred in 2009, that he was targeted and pressurised by a senior team mate. To the ECB’s charge he pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and is entitled to significant credit for that.13. His evidence to this Panel was the core evidence which has exposed and led to the conviction of Kaneria and we accept that this has taken some courage.14. We bear in mind also all the matters urged upon us by Mark Milliken-Smith QC with regard to his character and we note his stated willingness to assist PCA in any future anti corruption education programme.15. Accordingly, we conclude that the appropriate sanction is:Suspension from involvement in all cricket under the auspices of the ECB for 5 years but we shall, exceptionally, mitigate that penalty by permitting him to participate in club cricket on terms which will be set out in detail in our written ruling* for the last 2 years of that suspension period.This suspension in relation to Westfield is effective from 17th February 2012.*In relation to Mervyn Westfield, the Panel have imposed a suspension of 5 years. For the first 3 years, this suspension applies to any involvement in cricket under ECB jurisdiction at any level including playing, coaching and administration. For the final 2 years, the suspension applies only to cricket in any Team England and First-Class County cricket environment including First-Class County Second Xl, Unicorns or any other team participating in ECB First Xl or Second Xl competitions, Minor County cricket and any involvement in First-Class County Academy or age-group cricket.Gerard Elias QC
David Gabitass
Jamie Dalrymple 22 06 2012

The Bangladesh left-arm spinner, has become the first player to be named Man of the Match on debut in two formats

Mohammad Isam19-Jul-2012Elias Sunny, the Bangladesh left-arm spinner, has become the first player to be named Man of the Match on debut in two formats, after winning the award in the first Twenty20 against Ireland on Wednesday. Sunny was also the Man of the Match in his first Test, against West Indies last October.Defending a total of 190 in the first T20 international in Belfast, Sunny picked up a career best haul of 5 for 13 – the third-best figures in T20 internationals – and became the first Bangladesh bowler to take a five-wicket haul in T20 internationals and only the seventh bowler overall.Sunny’s haul included a double-wicket maiden in his first over. He had Ed Joyce caught at the square-leg boundary and off the next ball, Niall O’Brien was stumped by captain Mushfiqur Rahim. After picking up the wickets of John Mooney and Alex Cusack, Sunny completed the five-for with the wicket of Trent Johnston.Sunny is also the third bowler to take five or more wickets on debut in two different formats. Former Australia fast bowler Tony Dodemaide and West Indies fast bowler Fidel Edwards had done so in Tests and ODIs. (The list also includes former Australian swing bowler Bob Massie and former Indian legspinner Narendra Hirwani who took two five-wicket hauls on Test debut.)Sunny has so far only played a total of six international games including three Tests and two ODIs, though his debut in one-day cricket wasn’t as auspicious – 1 for 46 against Pakistan.Sunny made his Test debut after picking up 203 wickets in seven years of first-class cricket – the most for a Bangladesh bowler before a Test debut.

Ravi Bopara is back in the England Test side for the first match against South Africa at The Oval next week after being included in a 13-man squad

Andrew McGlashan15-Jul-2012Ravi Bopara is back in the England Test squad for the first match against South Africa at The Oval next week. There are five fast bowlers in the 13-man group, with Graham Onions, Steven Finn and Tim Bresnan competing to form the pace trio with James Anderson and Stuart Broad.Bopara’s form in the ODI series against Australia – 182 runs and four useful wickets – confirmed he is primed for a return to the Test side, after a frustrating period during which his opportunities were curtailed by injuries. He was set to make a comeback in Sri Lanka after Eoin Morgan was dropped but picked up a side strain that prevented him from bowling, and so Samit Patel was preferred. Then, at the start of this season, Bopara injured his thigh and was ruled out of the series against West Indies.That opened the door for Yorkshire’s Jonny Bairstow, who struggled in the three Tests against West Indies, making 38 runs, and has not had a huge amount of batting since. Bairstow returned to Championship action this week and made a first-ball duck against Hampshire.The only other debate is who will be the third fast bowler behind Anderson and Broad. England’s regular new-ball pair was rested for the last Test against West Indies but Anderson and Broad will return to spearhead the attack for the main event of the season.In the first two Tests against West Indies, they were accompanied by Bresnan, who was Man of the Match at Trent Bridge after a destructive spell of reverse swing on the third evening sealed the series for England. He currently has a Test bowling average of 26.09 and a batting average of 40.22 and will be tough to dislodge. Finn, however, made a very strong case for himself with his performances in the Australia ODIs.In four completed matches, Finn took eight wickets at 19.37, including 4 for 37 at Chester-le-Street. He played the final Test against West Indies, when Broad and Anderson were rested, but was out-bowled on that occasion by Onions, who was playing his first Test since January 2010.Geoff Miller, the national selector, said: “Ravi Bopara has worked hard to regain his place in the Test squad following some injury concerns earlier in the season and is the only player included who is yet to play a Test match this summer.”We have played some very good cricket over the last couple of months in all formats to win series against West Indies and Australia and after a month of limited overs cricket, preparations are now underway for what is sure to be a very competitive Test series against South Africa,” Miller said. “We know we will need to play excellent cricket to win this three-match series and the squad will be determined to start with a strong performance this week during the first Investec Test and set the tone for the rest of the series.”On Saturday, the ICC’s annual refresh of the rankings pushed South Africa to third but if they beat England they will replace them at the top of the table. England will retain their spot with a won or drawn series over the three Tests at The Oval, Headingley and Lord’s.Squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior (wk), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Steven Finn, Graham Onions.

Another rainy day in a wet summer hasn’t stunted the growth of Yorkshire opening batsman Joe Root

Paul Edwards at Edgbaston15-Aug-2012
ScorecardJoe Root has been tipped as one of England’s next opening batsmen•Getty Images

Curiously for someone whose name suggests a secure, grounded quality, Joe Root was at a loose end on Wednesday afternoon. Heavy rain had ruled out any possibility of play on the second day of the England Lions match against Australia A and soon only the groundsmen and some security staff would be left at Edgbaston.”I don’t know what I’m going to do now,” the young Yorkshireman said. “I can’t play golf because it’s too wet and windy, and I’ll spend too much money if I go shopping, so I might have to spend the rest of the day in the hotel.”Frowsting in the dressing-room watching the rain tipple down has a limited appeal too. “We sit there and we wonder what time might we get out and we all pretend we’re really good weathermen,” Root said. “But at the end of it we’re in the changing room talking rubbish to each other, and today I’ve ended up doing an hour’s session in the gym.”As with all cricketers of whatever stamp, there have been too many such afternoons in 2012. Yet this summer has also seen Root emerge as perhaps the most likely candidate to fill an England opener’s spot should either Andrew Strauss or Alastair Cook break a finger. And in a season when James Taylor and Jonny Bairstow have both been summoned from the cab rank of English batsmen, it would suddenly not be too surprising if Root was the next to be called upon.Such impressions are only strengthened by innings such as that Root played in the second innings of the first unofficial Test against Australia A at Old Trafford. In a golden final session on the third day he stroked 13 boundaries in making 70 off 104 balls, adding 128 for the second wicket with Bairstow. One imagines that batting must be a very simple exercise when it is made to look so easeful.”Yes, but that is sometimes when it’s trickiest because you get lulled into a false sense of security and you’ve got to keep telling yourself to stay alert,” said Root, who remains keenly analytical in his approach and acutely self-critical. “Balls keep coming into your areas and you’re scoring quite freely and then suddenly you can get a good delivery out of nowhere and it can sort of surprise you. You have to keep yourself switched on. Jonny and I kept coming up to each other to make sure that was the case.”All of which made it the more disappointing that Root was caught when carelessly cutting left-arm spinner Jon Holland to backward point. “It was a poor execution of the shot and I was bitterly disappointed,” he said. “Unfortunately I just didn’t keep myself switched on, but as I keep saying, it’s a learning process and I hope I can go on from that and take the lesson on board.”There was also a rather painful masterclass for Root in the first innings, when he gloved a lifting delivery from Mitchell Johnson to the wicketkeeper, Tim Paine. If the 21-year-old opener had read any of the reports about Johnson’s inaccuracy, he insists that he paid little attention to them.”It was the first time I’ve ever faced him and he bowled exceptionally well in that first innings,” he said, of Johnson’s 4 for 47. “What was it – 20 overs, four for 40-odd? It was a great spell of bowling on what was a tough wicket and it just goes to show how well the lads handled him and how well they did to get us into the position they did. I got a good delivery and sometimes you have to give the credit to the bowler. It was another one that I’ll learn from. Johnson was number one bowler in the world at one time and if you come up against someone like that you don’t take them lightly. I can tell you now that none of the lads in the changing room were thinking he’d spray it around.”It has been a good season for Root in Division Two of the County Championship, although one strongly suspects that there will be better ones to come. He has scored 644 runs for Yorkshire in 13 innings, with two fifties and two centuries. His unbeaten 222 against Hampshire may eventually be viewed as something a breakthrough innings: it won plaudits from the press box and from both dressing rooms, where experienced Test players were amazed by the composure and maturity of the young batsman.Predictably, perhaps, Root is courteous in accepting the praise but he lets all the talk about England wash over him, insisting that he “doesn’t really think about it”. He prefers to focus on the achievement of Bairstow, his fellow Yorkshireman, whose 139 at Old Trafford helped win him a place in the England side for the final Test against South Africa. “Jonny played a fantastic knock and look where he is now,” Root said. “He got an opportunity in that second innings and he took it and well done to him. I’m really pleased for him.”Yet while Root concentrates on “staying in the moment” and enjoying the company of his colleagues, those who watched him bat at Manchester last week or at Southampton last month will still speculate as to the young man’s future and how he will cope should he eventually receive his first Test cap. It will take much more than a wet summer to blight the development of Joe Root.

Driven by an unbeaten half-century by Kycia Knight, West Indies Women chased down 99 by a relatively comfortable margin against Pakistan Women, to take the one-off Twenty20 in Loughborough

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2012
ScorecardDriven by an unbeaten half-century by Kycia Knight, West Indies Women chased down 99 by a relatively comfortable margin against Pakistan Women, to take the one-off Twenty20 in Loughborough. West Indies won with only one ball to spare, but had eight wickets in hand.Pakistan chose to bat, but none of their batsmen bar Bismah Maroof and Javeria Khan could make any contribution of note. Mahroof and Javeria were the only two to get into double digits, making 36 and 37 out of Pakistan’s 98. Medium-pacer Shemaine Campbelle produced the best figures for West Indies, her 3 for 20 including the wickets of Mahroof and Javeria and preventing Pakistan from getting a final surge.The West Indies top order batted around Knight in the chase. She made 50 off 67 with five boundaries, while Deandra Dottin knocked off a four and a six in a 12-ball cameo at the end to help push West Indies across the line in the nick of time.