At the end of a week in which cricket’s name has once again been dragged through the gutter, England and Pakistan were left feeling grateful for small mercies in Cardiff, as attention was – albeit briefly – deflected from off-field matters of corruption to the old-fashioned concept of a sporting contest. For much of the day, while the rain hammered down on Sophia Gardens, a washout appeared to be the only logical conclusion, but thankfully the skies cleared sufficiently for some of the gloom that has gathered over the game to dissipate.

Paul Collingwood finished as the happier captain, having secured a victory in England’s first Twenty20 since their triumph in the Caribbean four months ago – but not by much. Shahid Afridi’s relief at getting his players out of their siege-like state in the team hotel and back onto the sanctity of the cricket field was palpable, and until Shoaib Akhtar dropped the sort of catch that – in the current climate – was unfortunate to say the least, they might even have celebrated their release with a victory.

“After what has been going on for a week or ten days, it’s been very difficult,” said Afridi. “But this is my job and the coach’s job to lift the morale and keep the guys in high spirits. The way my boys played I am very happy. At one time it looked like we were going to win this game. But we missed some opportunities like catches and run-outs at the wrong time, and in this kind of cricket, fielding is a main weapon, if you want to win.”

For Collingwood, the chance to put all the speculation on hold – even for as little as three hours – was invaluable. “I’m absolutely delighted,” he said. “It has been a tough week but the guys have focussed 100% on their cricket, and we enjoyed our win today. A lot has gone on [off the field] in terms of strong decisions, but we just wanted our cricket to do the talking, because when you’re not playing there’s speculation and allegations, but when it starts again you can start talking about good performances.”

All things considered, however, it was not the happy homecoming that Collingwood’s all-conquering heroes might have envisaged, or indeed deserved. Four months between assignments is an eternity for an international cricket team, and for as many as 4000 tickets to remain unsold for a clash between the reigning and former World Twenty20 champions was a reflection both of the glut of contests that have already taken place this summer, and of course the scandalous allegations that have damaged the public’s faith in the sport.

For Collingwood, however, the gathering-together of nine of the 11 men who swept to glory in Barbados back in May was enough to ensure that the entire dressing-room found instant focus. “It was so nice to get the guys together because it’s been a few months since some very fond memories and that success in the Caribbean,” he said. “It was one of them things where you don’t have to say anything, you just look at each other and those smiles go on your faces.

“We’ve got great memories of that,” he added. “But from a captain’s point of view, you’ve got to try to tell the guys to restart, and the way we approached our strategies and communications, and everything we talk about off the pitch, we did it 100%. The bowlers were absolutely fantastic again, and though we had a little hiccup with the bat, Morgs and Yards put together a superb partnership.”

The atmosphere within the ground wasn’t exactly buzzing – despite the best efforts of a troupe of RAF parachutists and the obligatory dancing girls – but neither was it the cynical and cold reaction that had accompanied the original NOTW revelations at Lord’s last week. The paradox was best summed up by a trio of Pakistan fans in green wigs and the obligatory replica shirts. They supported their nation, while at the same time expressing their disgust at the players – with a pair of banners.

“We’re only here because we bought our tickets two months ago,” read the first, while the second was confiscated before it could be unfurled in anger: “Floods killing people in Pakistan. Pakistan cricket team killing fans.”

But Afridi was upbeat about the reaction, and confident of turning the public opinion back in favour of his men. “It was good,” he said. “The people enjoyed the game. We got some good support as well. I told the coach yesterday that we must let it go in one ear and out the other. We have to play to cricket, we mustn’t take these things with us [onto the field]. We are very confident and insh’allah you will see us play some good cricket.”

The ten IPL franchises will be divided into two groups of five each for the fourth season of the competition in 2011, which has been scaled down to 74 matches from the 94 proposed under the old format. Apart from changing the tournament’s format at a meeting in Mumbai, the league’s governing council also decided that the franchises would be able to retain four players in their squads – a maximum of three Indians and two foreign players – while the rest would go into the auction scheduled for November. The tournament will begin five days after the 2011 World Cup final on April 2.

In the new format, each team will play the other four in its group home and away, which means the league stage will comprise 40 matches. The three top teams from each group will then play in another round of home-and-away matches, which will comprise 30 games, followed by semi-finals, a third-place playoff and a final.

The franchises’ spending power for the season has been capped at $9 million.

More to follow …

South Africa A 257 for 3 (Kuhn 101, Elgar 79*) beat Sri Lanka A 254 for 4 (Paranavitana 116, Mendis 43*) by seven wickets
Scorecard

South Africa A cruised to a seven-wicket victory against Sri Lanka A at the P Sara Oval on Saturday to maintain their unbeaten run in the triangular A team tournament that also features Pakistan A.

Both teams had already qualified for Monday’s final, so South Africa coach Corrie van Zyl took the opportunity to experiment by blooding CJ de Villiers and promoting Heino Kuhn to opener.

Kuhn, the 24-year-old Titans wicketkeeper- batsman, responded with a fine hundred, and shared a 102-run partnership for the third wicket with the in-form Dean Elgar, the tournament’s highest run-getter. He eventually fell prey to Sachitra Serasinghe’s offbreaks but Elgar and Colin Ingram made sure there would be no more hiccups as they chased down their target with 17 balls to spare. Elgar’s 79 came off 91 balls, with four fours and three sixes, while Ingram took just 30 balls for his 45 that included six fours and a six.

Sri Lanka chose to bat after winning the toss and set South Africa a target of 255. Their innings was built around opener Tharanga Paranavitana’s unbeaten 116, which came off 139 balls with seven fours and two sixes, and Jeevan Mendis gave the selectors another reminder of his usefulness lower down the order with a brisk 43.

Sep 04 2010 – 11:00:34

England coach Andy Flower launched a strong defence of Mushtaq Ahmed after the spin-bowling coach was dragged into the spotlight as the ’spot-fixing’ crisis continued.

The International Cricket Council’s chief executive Haroon Lorgat on Friday claimed the governing body would not have employed Mushtaq, who was named in Justice Qayyum’s 2000 report and found to have had links with illegal bookmakers.

But Mushtaq has been working with England since 2008 and Flower is in no doubt about the former Pakistan leg-spinner’s suitability, saying: “I am very comfortable with Mushtaq. He’s been brilliant for us as a team. He’s been a good coach, a good example to our players and support staff – and I’m looking forward to him working with us again when he joins us in Australia.”

He added: “I chatted with Mushy on the phone a couple of days ago.

“He’s a cricket coach – that’s what he is – and we’re very comfortable working with Mushy.

“He’s a lovely man, and a good man for our system. I’m quite happy with that.”

Lorgat had earlier explained: “The best we can do is just highlight anybody we have got on a list who has been labelled before and I handed this to the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) and cautioned them (about Mushtaq) with a suggestion you need to do due diligence.

“They did their due diligence and they were satisfied with the appointment.

“We suggested they (ECB) had to be vigilant around their own changing rooms.

“We don’t at the ICC, as a matter of fact, employ people we believe may have been tainted in the past but they are entitled to do their own due diligence and make their own decision.”

Josh Hazlewood, the 19-year-old fast bowler, is in a position to hope for an Ashes Test after being picked in Australia’s squad to face India next month. While Hazlewood and Peter George are the young, uncapped quicks in the unit, they are growing in status and will be ready to stand up if one of the main men breaks down over the next four months.

“I hadn’t thought too far ahead but definitely [I'm thinking about the Ashes] now I’m in the Test squad,” Hazlewood said in the Sydney Morning Herald. “Obviously there’s quicks coming back but if I get a chance I’ll put my name forward.”

Mitchell Johnson will lead the attack in the two Tests in India and the first-choice support will be Doug Bollinger and Ben Hilfenhaus, who came back from a knee injury against Pakistan. Peter Siddle (back) and Ryan Harris (knee) are close to returning and could figure in the one-day series after the games in Mohali and Bangalore.

“A lot of the other quicks are getting on, so definitely Georgie and I are the younger group coming through with a couple of the other guys,” Hazlewood said. “You do get the sense it could be not too far away.”

Things have happened quickly for Hazlewood over the past two years and he is so fresh he has only played six first-class matches. It did not stop him from being picked on the limited-overs tour of the United Kingdom during the winter and he collected 1 for 41 on debut against England. He has never been to India but hopes he will be comfortable bowling on the unfriendly surfaces.

“I don’t think you know until you’re in that position but taking the new ball in Sheffield Shield cricket is just one step below,” he said. ”I had not too bad a season last year, playing five games, so there’s a lot of experience there. Hopefully if given a chance, I feel ready.”

Aug 31 2010 – 18:00:57

Kevin Pietersen has been dropped from England’s NatWest International Twenty20 and NatWest Series squads to face Pakistan, and will instead play for Surrey on loan for the remainder of the season.

The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed the decision late on Tuesday afternoon – although Pietersen himself had inadvertently done so several hours earlier, via his Twitter feed.

Pietersen, whose current county Hampshire have been unwilling to pick him when available between international fixtures since he announced in mid-season he would be leaving them, has struggled for runs in all forms of cricket since returning from England’s ICC World Twenty20-winning trip to the Caribbean in May.

England therefore hit on the idea of brokering a loan agreement between Hampshire and Surrey, to try to help the South Africa-born batsman regain his best form in time for this winter’s Ashes.

Pietersen, due to play his first match for Surrey in a Clydesdale Bank 40 fixture against Worcestershire at The Brit Insurance Oval on Wednesday, said: “While I’m naturally disappointed to have been omitted from the England squad, I fully understand the reasons why and will be doing everything I can to get back into the England team.

“I have no issue with the selectors omitting me from the limited-overs squads, and my sole focus now is working on my game ahead of an exciting winter.

“I would also like to add my huge thanks to Surrey for giving me this opportunity – and I hope I can repay them with some runs.”

Aug 29 2010 – 02:00:01

In Urdu, they say kiya huwa’- which I’m told told means ‘what happened’? Sadly, other choice words in Urdu for explaining Pakistan’s first innings capitulation; 56 minutes of madness, losing 7 wickets for 28 runs in 66 balls, are unprintable here.

From teatime to the close of play, Pakistan lost 11 wickets for 68 runs. 40-4 in their second innings at stumps, having been dismissed for 74 in their first innings, another soul searching defeat awaits them tomorrow. But as I write, Scotland Yard have said: “Following information received from the News of the World, we have today (Saturday August 28) arrested a 35-year old man on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers.”

56 minutes of madness (or was it spot fixing?) began with the dismissal of captain Salman Butt at 4.01 and ended with Mohammad Asif caught and bowled at 4.57pm by Swann. But preceeding this crazy timespan of tumbling wickets, was an earlier mini collapse: 2.14pm to 2.28pm, when Pakistan lost the 3 wickets of Hameed, Farhat and Yousuf, in the space of 14 minutes to some fine new ball bowling, to leave them 9-3.

When Pakistan made it to tea at 46-3, it looked like they had halted the collapse. Butt had taken a liking to Finn; scoring 24 of his 26 runs off him. That what followed after tea in the first innings took place in the best conditions for batting in the match; sun shining on a good pitch at Lord’s, was all the more puzzling. That Pakistan responded so feebly can be put down to their failure to finish England off last night. “I think a lot is to do with that,” said Graeme Swann to explain why Pakistan were bowled out for 74 in their first innings. “At lunch time yesterday, Pakistan’s top four will have been mentally rehearsing batting,” Swann added.

Where Pakistan’s batsmen mentally ‘went’ between 2.01pm and 6.30pm is a place no international team should visit- a sentence written before the match-fixing breaking news; as was nearly all of this piece. Events may prove that they did not go on a collective psychological journey to sporting failure. If we’re to believe the News of the World, a trip to the bookies may explain the unbelievable clatter of wickets this afternoon.

The rest of this report was written before the match fixing allegation. As you’ll read, at no stage did I think Pakistan were anything but hapless. Of the 14 wickets that fell today, 9 were arguably given away. The 4 wickets that weren’t? Butt in both innings, Azhar Ali’s first innings bat-pad dismissal and Amir’s no-sighter lbw full toss, delivered by the giant Finn from above the screens at the Nursery end.

If Umar Akmal was also also unsighted by a Finn yorker from the same end, then the count goes up to five. Swann 4-12, and Finn 3-38 were entirely responsible for events between 4.01pm and 4.57pm at Lord’s today.

With duck on the lunch menu on Friday and England reduced to 97-5; a series levelling victory within reach, Pakistan could huddle after the break and joke- if they wished- about how many helpings of duck England’s batsmen had consumed. At lunch today, England could enjoy the menu of chicken breast with herb sauce, very hot prawn curry, veal cutlet or chicken chow mein, because their scorecard now read 445-8.

The stunning reversal which began mid-way through Friday, continued through the Saturday morning session. Broad and Trott, who’d salvaged the wreckage of England’s innings, went on to set a world record eight-wicket stand of 332. Graeme Swann readily admitted “we are completely indebted to those two guys bailing us out with a world record partnership.”

Broad stylishly took England beyond the previous best score by Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq, against Zimbabwe in 1996, with an attractive cover drive in-front a near capacity crowd at Lord’s. Broad’s record bagging did not end there. Although he fell 31 runs short of a double hundred and 4 runs short of Ian Smith’s highest ever test score by a number 9, Broad did pass his pa’s best test score of 166; forever arming him with the put down ‘what’s your highest test score, old man? Mine’s 169′.

After 556 minutes at the crease, Trott was dismissed by Riaz for 184 and England were all out for 446.

Aug 27 2010 – 21:16:58

England were on the rack; their middle order was banjaxed to 47-5 by the 18 year old kid from Gujarkhan, Amir, but were saved, rebuilt and revived by an unlikely 8th wicket partnership of 244 between Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad, to leave them 346-7.

At stumps, Trott and Broad are both unbeaten; on 149 and 125 respectively. Broad scored his maiden test hundred. The day was meant to belong to the ‘Gujarkhan kid’. Amir took 6 wickets for 29 runs in 12.4 overs; 2 wickets in 3 balls removed Prior and Swann, leaving a bemused Stuart Broad walking to wicket at 102-7. “We had to send for no 11, out of the nets at 11.05″ Broad joked afterwards.

England were heading for a humiliating pre-Ashes defeat but that fate and its consequences were averted by the obduracy of one man; Jonathan Trott and the coming of age knock by another man; Stuart Broad.With a straight bat, granite resolve and Teuton like concentration, Jonathan Trott proved his worth- a value which Coach Andrew Flower described in the run up to this Test as “old fashioned”- with an innings of application and patience.

Stuart Broad supported- no matched- Trott. He cut a dash though with some flowing drives, clips, pulls and a hook for six. But Broad had drunk some of the Trott tonic because he too was watchful. When he came out to bat, Broad found Trott was “clear in his mind ” and “was told (by Trott) to look to play as straight as you can.”

Broad’s shots in his innings of 125 suggests he listened well. Two drives in particular, for four when he was on 62, through mid off and mid on off Riaz, were text book straight. They were so commanding that Broad struck that stylised pause-pose, which batsmen often make after they’ve hit a boundary.

Broad also won the family bragging rights as far as Test hundreds in the UK are concerned. His father – Chris, the former England opening batsman- has none. Broad minor has one at Lord’s. “if I were to pick any ground in the world to score my first hundred, it would be Lord’s.” Broad said. Family was also uppermost in the 24 year old’s mind when he reached three figures. He dedicated his achievement to stepmother Miche, who lost her battle with motor neurone disease in July this year. “I thought of her once the hundred was made. I know she’d have been jumping for joy”

But Broad is all to aware that the match remains in the balance tomorrow. “We’re looking for 400″, he said at the close of play and with the immovable Trott by his side, England are well placed to avoid defeat. Many- including this writer- had carped that Trott was a batsman with a single gear; the 110 dot balls out of 138 balls he faced in the second innings at the Oval, was cited as evidence. Trott’s 144 unbeaten score today should silence those who want him to be more than an anchor; more than an occupier. What he does is more than enough for England.

When England’s middle order had been dismembered and the score was 47 for 5, It was Trott’s fine defensive technique and sound judgment against the moving ball that saved England. Alistair Cook might wish to study how Trott moves across, bats out of his crease to get as far forward as he can, to dull the swing of Asif and Amir.

Trott’s fifty came from 90 balls and his partnership of 55 with Matt Prior seemed like it might repair England. But on 22 after lunch, Prior was drawn to a widish ball from Amir. Swann followed 2 balls later with a poor stroke. Of the England batsman that fell to Amir, Cook, Morgan and Collingwood can feel they were undone by fine deliveries but Pietersen, Prior and Swann will all blame themselves.

Graham Gooch, England’s batting coach, has come to the defence of Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen, the two batsmen in the current line-up whose form is under the most scrutiny following a summer marked by dramatic and seemingly unpreventable batting collapses. While Pietersen’s quest for his first Test century in 26 innings will get underway – weather permitting – during Friday’s second day at Lord’s, Strauss’s current struggles were exacerbated by a peach of a delivery from Mohammad Asif, who bowled him through the gate for 13 to take his own string of century-less innings to 23 and counting.

Given the habitually overcast skies under which this series has been played, and the skill levels of Pakistan’s new-ball pairing of Asif and Mohammad Amir, Gooch insisted that neither man was especially out of form, and that the squad as a whole was remaining sanguine about the challenge they have been posed by some talented opponents. However, he also suggested that many of the players in the team needed to relearn the art of building an innings in bowler-friendly conditions, with the inference that the onset of Twenty20 cricket had eroded a degree of the patience they might have shown in the past.

“Ideally you’d like a big score every time but you have to play to the conditions,” said Gooch. “The players are in a good place in terms of their preparation, but the collapses have been talked about, because conditions like this require a different mentality. The ball is moving around and let’s be fair, the Pakistan attack are decent – they swing it around and get something out of the pitch – so it’s a challenge, that’s for sure.”

Gooch, who has been involved with the England Test squad on a consultancy basis since last winter’s tour of South Africa, insisted that Strauss was not out of form despite a current series tally of 155 runs at 25.83, adding that opening batsmen are programmed to accept early dismissals against the new ball as part and parcel of the game. On the subject of Pietersen, however, he suggested that the player was in need of “upgrading” his game to suit the player he has now become, five years on from his England debut.

“Three weeks ago, I spent a week working with KP here at Lord’s, and he works tremendously hard,” said Gooch. “He respects his practice and puts in the same amount of work as if he was playing a match, which is the right way. Obviously he’s desperate to make a score, like any player, but he’s got to transfer the way he prepares and practices into the middle, and that involves getting the balance between attack and defence right, or what I call how you manage your batting.

“Everyone has skills, it’s how you apply those skills, and what balls you attack, and what shots you play against different bowlers in different conditions,” Gooch added. “Everyone’s game evolves, and KP has got to find the method that works for him at this moment in time. You might retain parts of the game you had before, but you have to upgrade and evolve.”

Pietersen’s top score this summer was a chancy 80 at Edgbaston that nevertheless enabled England to win the match, but he himself admitted after that game that he had perhaps taken too much of his form for granted from England’s successful World Twenty20 campaign in the Caribbean back in May, in which he was named as Player of the Tournament for a tally of 248 runs from 180 balls, at an average of 62.

“There’s a lot of Twenty20 cricket around these days, and maybe there is a bit of a cross-over and a conflict when each individual adapts from one format to the other,” said Gooch. “If you play all the formats, you have to find the balance, because the game has moved on, but the basis of Test cricket has not moved on as much. To score a Test match hundred, you still have to have patience and discipline, because you’re not going to score a hundred from 100 balls every time.”

Strauss does not have quite the same conflict in his game seeing as he no longer plays in England’s Twenty20 team, and as a former opening batsman himself, Gooch had fewer issues about where he is currently at with his game. “Low scores are part of the game,” he said. “Every batsman is vulnerable when it’s moving around, the key is to show good technique and have some good luck, because if you hold your technique and the ball seams, it might miss the bat.

“In the last two Tests he’s been out too early to say his game is not working,” Gooch added. “You accept days like today just as you do bright sunshine and a nice flat wicket. Every batsman gets low scores, the trick is to make it count when you get in. In the conditions we’ve had in the last month, there’ve been some decent balls going around, which is not an excuse, it’s part of the game. But confidence only comes from spending time at the crease.”

Aug 26 2010 – 18:30:38

England lost only Andrew Strauss’ wicket as Pakistan failed to inflict more significant damage in the hour of play possible at a damp and gloomy Lord’s on day one of the fourth npower Test.

After heavy overnight and then light morning rain had wiped out the first session, Pakistan won the toss and unsurprisingly put their hosts in under heavy cloud cover. It was an obvious opportunity for the tourists’ strong seam attack to steal a march on England as they seek victory which would square the series at 2-2 after this final match.

In those circumstances, it was a slightly under-par return to shift only the England captain in a mid-afternoon and eventually stumps total of 39 for one – before bad light forced the players off and closed in terminally thereafter.

Mohammad Aamer began a disappointing passage of play for Pakistan by delivering four leg-side wides with the first ball of the match.

Aamer was not to blame in his next over, though, when he had Alastair Cook edging to third slip off the back foot – only for Umar Akmal to put down a regulation chance and reprieve the opener on one.

There was plenty of predictable movement through the air for new-ball pair Aamer and Mohammad Asif, and a touch off the pitch too for the former in particular.

Yet Aamer was to have his hopes dashed again when Billy Bowden gave Cook out caught behind on nine, only for DRS to prove the ball had done enough to beat the outside edge.

By the time darker clouds moved in again and brought the floodlights into use, Wahab Riaz had replaced Aamer at the pavilion end.

But it was to be Asif who struck when he snaked an inswinger between Strauss’ bat and pad to bowl him off-stump and continue the captain’s sequence of moderate returns in this series.

It meant too that Cook and Strauss must bat together at least once more before they surpass Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe as their country’s most prolific opening partnership.