Scorecard

England’s tail choked spectacularly as they lost their last five wickets for three runs to gift Australia victory at Cheltenham. Cathryn Fitzpatrick starred with both bat and ball to help Australia to the first honours of the NatWest series, as they defeated England by 12 runs. Arran Brindle struck 81 from 78 balls to take England close to their target of 223, but they choked in the face of some hostile Fitzpatrick fire.That the world’s best bowler took 4 for 19 may have come as no surprise, but her batting has been a revelation this year, as she followed up her maiden Test fifty at Hove with 38 not out at Cheltenham.Battling rearguards from Australian tails are becoming something of a feature this summer. They were given a cracking start by Lisa Keightley and Karen Rolton who took Australia to 101 for 2 and, although Clare Connor reversed the momentum with three quick wickets, Australia’s tail fought back strongly – led by Fitzpatrick.England were in early difficulty in their reply at 13 for 2 and couldn’t generate enough momentum from there. Brindle was again in form, following up her century in the first Test with 81. By the time she came to the crease England were way behind the run rate and with much to do but, with the momentum-changing ability of Kevin Pietersen, she clubbed England close to victory. By the time she was out, she must have felt the job was virtually done, with England needing just 16 with four wickets remaining.Not so. They utterly collapsed as Fitzpatrick and Emma Liddell pulled them apart. Liddell made the breakthrough with Brindle’s wicket, and she ended with 3 for 29, a haul which was richly deserved.Keightley led the initial charge with 56, with Rolton and Lisa Sthalekar both reaching their forties. They looked good for 250, but England dragged their way back into the match with Connor’s three-card trick. Shortly after Rolton was run out, Connor removed the Blackwell twins and then added the dangerous Sthalekar as Australia wobbled from 150 for 2 to 176 for 5. But then came Fitzpatrick’s boost which proved vital.Belinda Clark’s woes, meanwhile, continued. After bagging a pair in the first Test she at least got off the mark at Cheltenham but, after reaching 16 she fell to Isa Guha, who was returning after a thigh injury. Clare Taylor was also back in the side and took the vital wicket of Keightley, whose 56 included ten fours.It wasn’t a good match for Jo Watts on debut. After the much publicised inclusion of 15-year-old Holly Colvin at Hove, England blooded yet another teenage spin sensation. Watts, a comparative old-timer at 18, was handed her debut, having missed out to Colvin in the longer format. Colvin’s debut made the front page of The Times, Watts’ wasn’t much to write home about: she went wicketless in her ten overs, which went for 42.She will now head to Kidderminster on Friday in search of her first wicket, when England will look to level the five-match series.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outA double strike by Muthiah Muralitharan just before a torrential rainstorm forced players off the field left Sri Lanka in control after they had built a 182-run lead through painstaking half centuries from Tillakaratne Dilshan , Thilan Samaraweera and Mahela Jayawardene. Bangladesh will start the third day on 36 for 3, still trailing by 146 runs. Their hopes of escaping defeat now rest firmly on the shoulders of their captain Habibul Bashar and the weather gods. This is the monsoon season so Bangladesh do have some hope, although three days of rain is improbable.The major obstacle, of course, was going to be Muralitharan on a track that has started to turn viciously. Earlier in the day, Mohammad Rafique’s made Sri Lankan batsmen worked hard for their runs with his snappy off-spin and picked up 5 for 114 . When Bangladesh started their second innings, it was only a matter of time before Muralitharan got in to the act.Shariar Nafees (13) played Muralitharan well during the one-day series but here he was bamboozled by the doosra. He raised his bat to what he thought was an offspinner but the ball hurried straight on and bowled him between his legs. Mohammad Ashraful was trapped lbw next ball, also padding away the doosra.Earlier, Lasith Malinga had struck with the new ball, somewhat fortuitously, as Javed Omar (nine) glanced down the leg-side. Kumar Sangakkara, who has been razor-sharp behind the stumps, moved quickly to take the ball two-handed.Many had predicted a run fest for Sri Lanka’s batsmen against a weakened Bangladesh attack but the slow and spin-friendly Premadasa pitch ensured that runs were hard to come for the normally free-scoring Sri Lankan batsmen.Bangladesh bowled well, especially Rafique, who made amends for his practice-session outburst last week. All the batsmen treated him warily and during the afternoon he added the scalps of Chaminda Vaas, Rangana Herath and Muttiah Muralitharan to that of Jayawardene in the morning to finish with 5 for 114 from 37 overs.Jayawardene was the only casualty of the morning session, feathering a catch to Khaled Mashud as he tried to cut through the off side. He also provided the most entertainment, stroking seven silky fours and a majestic six over extra cover off Rafique.Jayawardene and Samaraweera added 101 off 225 balls for the fourth wicket, saving Sri Lanka from potential embarrassment after Sangakkara’s fall last evening. Jayawardene eventually departed for 63 from 120 balls, a slow strike by his standards, which only proved the sluggishness of the pitch.

Dilshan started briskly before lunch and tried to be positive too in the afternoon, occasionally dancing down the pitch to drive inside-out through the covers. But he too was forced to be patient and the runs flowed slowly.Eventually, Shahadat Hossain brokethrough when Samaraweera glanced a catch down the legside, ending a 64-run stand. Samaraweera’s four-hour vigil had spanned 198 balls and included just six fours.Rafique kept plugging away and was rewarded with a couple of wickets in the final hour before tea. Chaminda Vaas was sent packing after trying to pad away a delivery that spun back sharply and Herath edged behind while cutting on the stroke of the break.After the break, Dilshan pressed his foot down on the accelerator. Muralitharan strode out confidently, looking for his 1000th run in Test cricket, but then lunged forward lamely and left disappointed. Dilshan cracked a couple of boundaries before being bowled off an ambitious pull.

Sri LankaMahela Jayawardene c Mashud b Rafique 63 (231 for 4)
Thilan Samaraweera c Mashud b Hossain 78 (295 for 5)
Chaminda Vaas lbw Rafique 5 (306 for 6)
Rangana Herath c Mashud b Rafique 13 (337 for 7)
Muttiah Muralitharan c Mashud b Rafique 3 (345 for 8)
Tillakaratne Dilshan b Rasel 86 (370 for 9)
BangladeshJaved Omar c Sangakkara b Malinga 9 (9 for 1)
Shariar Nafees b Muralitharan 13 (35 for 2)
Mohammad Ashraful lbw Muralitharan 0 (35 for 3)

Brian Lara, who is 316 runs from becoming Test cricket’s leading run-scorer, heads into this week’s opening match against Australia in an alarming batting slump. Since arriving in Australia at the start of October, Lara has failed to reach double figures in five of his six innings with scores of 0, 5 and 0 in the one-day Super Series, 5 and 36 in the Super Test and 1 in the tour match against Queensland that ended in a draw yesterday.The run of low scores leaves him considerably underdone before he faces Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Shane Warne at the Gabba from Thursday. West Indies will be relying heavily on Lara, who is carrying a finger injury suffered in the Queensland game, to reproduce his classic form to give them enough runs to put the Australians under pressure after their recent Ashes loss.However the Australia coach John Buchanan said the out-of-form Lara was still a “major worry”. “You don’t reach the status in the game that he does by missing out consistently,” he said. “One would suspect if he has missed out a little bit, then there are runs around the corner.”Buchanan said West Indies had arrived in Australia with a “bit of an underdog tag”. “But they have players of the calibre of Lara, and two left-handers, Lara and [the captain Shivnarine] Chanderpaul, who are great players of spin. That’s always a major worry to us because they can turn a game at any moment.”Lara has scored 30 Test centuries – eight of them against Australia since 1993 – and is closing on Allan Border’s all-time record of 11,174 runs in 156 Tests. He currently has 10,859 runs in 118 Tests, placing him third behind Border and Steve Waugh, who reached 10,927 in 168 matches.

Despite sustaining a freak injury, Sanath Jayasuriya is set to play the opening match of the one-day series against India but may not be able to bowl. Sri Lanka arrive in India on October 20, and their tour begins with a one-day practice match against the Bombay Cricket Association President’s XI at the Wankhede Stadium on Oct 22. The seven-match one-day series kicks off at Nagpur on Oct 25.Jayasuriya was recovering well from a dislocated shoulder incurred during a one-day game in August against India, when earlier this week during a game of waterpolo CJ Smith, the team physio, accidentally rammed into his right shoulder causing a slight dislocation. It prevented him from playing in Tuesday’s practice match at the R Premadasa Stadium.Ashoka Pathirana, Sri Lanka Cricket spokesman, was confident that Jayasuriya would be able to take the field. “I can confirm such an accident has happened, but Sanath will be fit to play against India,” he was quoted as saying by , a South African publication.Marvan Atapattu, the Sri Lankan captain, said,”We had a day out of cricket on Monday. Because it was raining we thought we will do something different to cricket. We had some water sports in Bentota and this accident happened unfortunately.”He can bat but it makes our job so much easy if he can bowl because he takes the role of a full bowler. It is an unfortunate situation to go back to square one.”Atapattu is eager to play a full-strength side and assess the team’s capabilities away from home. “We haven’t been really tested for a long period of time and we haven’t played seven one-dayers [on a trot] for a long time,” he said to . “We know we have done well in Sri Lanka but it is different when you face the Indians at home. We are all geared up for the tour.”

Adam Gilchrist and Ian Healy are helping Denesh Ramdin, the West Indian wicketkeeper, improve his batting and wicketkeeping skills on the tour of Australia. “I’ve been looking at a few guys over the years, Jeffrey Dujon, Ian Healy, Adam Gilchrist, seeing them on television, see them dominating cricket as batsmen at No. 7 and scoring centuries,” Ramdin told . “I think that’s one of my goals, to bat at seven and score a lot of centuries as well.”Ramdin spoke to Healy during West Indies tour of Sri Lanka in July and was given some technical tips to work on.”I think I’ve developed a bit more with my keeping,” he said. “I’ve come over to Australia and he’s done a few more things with me, a couple of tips batting-wise and about the wickets and how to keep on them with the bounce. By talking to him he helped me setting drills that will help me through the Tests and also while I’m at practice.”Ramdin, who was picked for West Indies after only 13 first-class matches, said he would like to achieve the batting standards set by Dujon and Gilchrist and the wicketkeeping levels of Healy. He scored 71 in a 182-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Dwayne Bravo and avoided an innings defeat in the second Test against Australia at Hobart.

Steve Harmison has emerged as a slight doubt for England’s crucial fourth one-day international against Pakistan at Rawalpindi, after missing Sunday’s training session with a bout of flu.”He’s not feeling too well today and we’ll be monitoring him through to tomorrow,” England’s coach, Duncan Fletcher, told reporters at the Pindi Stadium. “He’s got a sore throat and is feeling very fluey and heavy.”For England, Harmison’s absence would be a significant blow, seeing as they are already missing the services of several senior players, including Michael Vaughan, Ashley Giles and Kevin Pietersen. But Fletcher remained optimistic that his team, who are 2-1 down in the series with two matches to play, would be able to bounce back regardless.”We’ve just got to play the same way we did in that first game,” he added, harking back to a powerful performance at Lahore, in which England batted first and put the game beyond reach with a total of 327 for 4. “We need to show the same approach. If we win tomorrow, we’ll have a slight advantage going into the last game.”It’s all about doing the basics right,” added Fletcher. “We need to look to bowl in the right areas consistently, and when we bat we mustn’t worry about looking for too big a score up front, and forgetting how to get there. Instead our top three batters need to lay a good platform.”Despite a record-equalling 165-run defeat at Karachi, Fletcher denied that weariness was beginning to take its toll on the team, and pointed out that their fielding drill under the Rawalpindi lights had been as eager as ever on tour.”We said all along before we came out here, it’s going to be a difficult tour,” said Fletcher. “They are a very talented side, and they’ve played well and done their homework. We’ve got to make sure we put up performances like we’ve managed in the past.”

Fletcher cited England’s tour of India four years ago as an example of the spirit in adversity that his squads can summon. On that occasion they had been 3-1 down, but pulled level to 3-3 in a series best remembered for Andrew Flintoff whipping his shirt off and waving it around his head in celebration.”It’s going to be a difficult task,” he conceded. “Winning any game is a difficult task, but if we play properly we can get back to 2-2.Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s captain, was sounding upbeat on the eve of the fixture. “Tomorrow’s match is crucial for us because it could be a series decider,” he told reporters. “That’s the key to our success because we got good starts in the last two games.”Inzamam was still flushed with pride after his side’s performance at Karachi, in which they posted a massive total of 353 for 6. “I don’t think England had thought that Pakistan could perform like this” he said, having contributed a rapid 45 off 35 balls to the cause.Inzamam did not expect any changes to his matchwinning side, but brushed aside any suggestions that the team was creeping up the rails as the 2007 World Cup draws closer.”For me ratings count for nothing because I don’t think that the favorite team has always won the World Cup,” he said. “We need to perform consistently and play positive cricket to get ourselves tuned up for the World Cup.”England (probable) 1 Marcus Trescothick (capt), 2 Matt Prior, 3 Andrew Strauss, 4 Vikram Solanki, 5 Andrew Flintoff, 6 Paul Collingwood, 7 Geraint Jones (wk), 8 Ian Blackwell, 9 Liam Plunkett, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 James Anderson, 12 Ian Bell.Pakistan (probable) 1 Kamran Akmal (wk), 2 Salman Butt, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Shoaib Malik, 9 Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, 10 Shoaib Akhtar, 11 Mohammad Sami, 12 Yasir Arafat.

Rahul Dravid, the Indian captain, dodged a question whether Sourav Ganguly’s name would be in the team list he would exchange with Inzamam-ul-Haq before the two players go out for the toss in the first Test starting at Lahore on Friday.Dravid told reporters, “We haven’t thought yet about the playing eleven. At present all the squad members are up for selection. We would wait till we see the wicket and then decide on the matter.”Greg Chappell, the coach, refused to comment on who would open the Indian innings but said it was a pleasant dilemma. He said, “We have three very good openers and it’s unfortunate one of them would have to be left out. But that’s a welcome sign. It’s always better to have a dilemma on who to leave out rather than who to include.”Zaheer Khan, Wasim Jaffer and Parthiv Patel, all of whom are staging comebacks, hoped they would do well if given a chance.”I plan to contribute to the team’s success whether I’m playing or not,” said Zaheer, who was ignored for the three home Tests against Sri Lanka and 12 ODIs before being named in the touring party.Jaffer, who last played for India in 2002, said, “I am happy to be part of the team. Hopefully I can play a part.” Parthiv Patel also expressed his happiness to be back and said, “When I get an opportunity I will look towards making the most of it.”Anil Kumble expressed happiness at being back in Pakistan for another series and felt his counterpart in the rival team, Danish Kaneria was a much improved bowler now. Kumble dismissed the suggestion that the weather in Lahore might be a deterrent. “I have bowled in cold conditions in the past and after 15 years of international cricket, I don’t think it will be a handicap,” he said.

Deep Dasgupta and Mohammad Kaif are leading their respective sides in a Ranji Trophy final for the first time. Yet, both seem to be guarded, confident and wary of their opponent.For Kaif, even if the Lucknow pitch is a native one, he is not reading too much into it. “The wicket doesn’t make a difference. On the day how we play matters more,” he said at the KB Singh Babu Stadium today. Kaif’s morale-booster to his side, which he calls a “gel of experience and youngsters”, is three outright wins in their last three games, including the semi-final against Mumbai. “Our bowling is our strength and the fact that we have taken 20 wickets on three different occasions will hold in our favour.”Dasgupta, meanwhile, is banking on Bengal’s strong batting order to come good. “We definitely are confident in our batting considering that each one of us from one to seven in the batting order has scored a century this season, which proves there is not one person we are banking on.” As for the fast bowlers, he cites Shib Paul, Ranadeb Bose and Saurashish Lahiri as having enough ammunition to blow UP aside if they stick to the basics.Both captains acknowledge that due to the slowness of the Lucknow pitch, the patience of the batsmen could in the end single out the winner. At the same time, Kaif and Dasgupta are not overwhelmed by the successful run of the other’s team and instead are looking to play the final like any other game without putting pressure.

Glenn McGrath is highly unlikely to play in any of the one-dayers during Australia’s tour of South Africa which starts later this month. However, he has yet to announce his non-participation in the three Tests that follow the ODIs. “I doubt he would be going,” Warren Craig, his manager, said . “He might have changed his mind over the weekend, but I think it is doubtful.”McGrath has been excused from playing in the VB Series finals against Sri Lanka to be with his wife Jane, who has had further complications from breast cancer.McGrath, 36 last week, is understood to have told Trevor Hohns, chairman of selectors, that he would be unavailable for the first part of the South African tour. Craig said there was little chance McGrath will be announced in the one-day touring squad later this week. The selectors met on Monday to choose the touring side but are unlikely to announce it until after Tuesday’s deciding one-day final at Brisbane.McGrath wrote in his newspaper column last week that he did not intend to retire from international cricket. “Cricket does become a distant consideration at this time, but it’s still a major part of our lives,” he wrote.” We have been through this before so we know what’s in front of us and what we need to do to win the battle.”Jane McGrath has started radiotherapy treatment after being re-diagnosed with breast cancer. She had previously undergone surgery in her battle against the disease.

Scorecard
Pura Cup table

Sporting declarations by rival captains Brad Haddin and Darren Lehmann set up a tantalising finish to the Pura Cup game between New South Wales and South Australia at Adelaide. NSW declared on 6 for 314 at tea, 227 runs in arrears, and then Lehmann responded positively by declaring just before close of play, setting a target of 343. The Blues reached 0 for 5 at stumps, still needing 338 runs off a minimum of 96 overs on the final day.Daniel Harris top scored with 36 as the Redbacks lost three wickets en route to 115 in 27.5 overs before Lehmann called the close. NSW’s first innings was propelled by a patient century from Greg Mail and a solid half-century from Haddin. Mail, resuming on 35, was more aggressive today, racking up 104 runs in 176 balls. He was ably assisted by Haddin and the duo brought up their century stand just before lunch.However, Haddin fell upon the resumption, trapped in front by Jason Gillespie, and Corey Richards was the next to go, undone by the offspinner Daniel Cullen. But Mail pressed on, reaching his fourth hundred against South Australia and the seventh of his career before he perished, caught at midwicket off Cullen Bailey in the penultimate over before tea.Both teams will start the final day with a realistic chance of gaining the maximum six points needed to have a hope of playing in the final against Queensland at Brisbane. But with a dodgy weather forecasted, the elements might play spoilsport.