England’s leading fast bowler has had a few weeks off since the New Zealand tour but the focus is now returning to cricket during what could be a career-defining year

Andrew McGlashan18-Apr-2013James Anderson is “refreshed” after a short break following the New Zealand tour, but he may want to bottle that feeling as he prepares for a summer that will test minds and bodies to the extreme. And reaching September is only half the challenge. By the time the final ball is bowled in Sydney early next January, England will have played 15 Tests in 10 months.It is enough to make a fast bowler question his choice of occupation. If Anderson, or any of the pacemen set to be involved, make it through without a significant problem it will be a remarkable feat of endurance. “It can be done,” he insisted.If there is a fast bowler around who you could feel confident in sustaining himself over what England have in front of them, it is Anderson. There was a suggestion during the tour of New Zealand that he had an injury problem, but concerns over his back and ankle were downplayed and the man himself insisted that they were nothing more than the normal niggles that are part of his job.Since returning to the Test team on a consistent basis on the 2008 tour of New Zealand he has missed just one match through injury, when he picked up a hamstring problem against Sri Lanka in 2011 and sat out the Lord’s Test. That is an impressive record.”I’m not sure I have a secret,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I just try to do the right things, work hard in the gym and look after myself. But you need a bit of luck too, because the nature of fast bowling is that injuries are part and parcel of it. Fortunately, over the last few years, I’ve managed to steer clear of anything serious and hopefully that will continue.”Three of the other four Tests Anderson has missed since 2008 have come when he has been purposefully rested by Andy Flower with a view to his workload ahead. He missed the 2010 tour of Bangladesh because what followed that year was not far off the demands facing England in 2013 when a summer of six homes Tests was followed by an Ashes tour.The topic of rotating players remains a significant debate. It was mentioned in the Editors’ Notes in this year’s where Lawrence Booth wrote: “Yet you wonder about the point of it all if, fitness permitting, teams are disinclined to field their strongest side – a basic principle of international sport which, thanks to the schedule, has been made to look like a hopeless ideal.”Anderson has bought into the concept even though seeing someone else claim Test wickets in his place will never be something that sits entirely comfortably. “It can be frustrating,” he said. “When it happened against West Indies at Edgbaston it was frustrating, particularly when you’ve been through injuries in the past and missed cricket. When you are fully fit you want to play every game you can, but I can see the point of it. I know what they are trying to do – prolong your career – and they are doing it with the best intentions.”Still, no player in their right mind will want to miss any of the cricket coming up this year, with a global one-day trophy on offer and the more private battle of the Ashes. However, Anderson is conscious – perhaps swayed by what happened in New Zealand – that while everyone else wants to look ahead to Australia there are more immediate tasks to deal with.”We know it’s a big year, but our biggest challenge is not looking too far ahead,” he said at a Slazenger event. “Obviously everyone wants to talk about the Ashes but it’s quite dangerous if we take our eye off the ball. We have the Champions Trophy and two Tests against New Zealand before that. We were pretty disappointed with the result in New Zealand so we want to start well against them.”For Anderson, the opening international of the season (providing he isn’t rested) should see him cross the 300-wicket barrier. It would be fitting for him to do it at Lord’s, the ground where he made his debut against Zimbabwe in 2003, an occasion marked with a five-wicket haul, and overall where he has 51 wickets at 28.27 in 12 Tests. But rather than looking at the significance of the moment Anderson will just be happy to tick it off.”It would be lovely to do it at Lord’s, but really I’d just like to get it out of the way, I don’t care where, just so people stop talking about it. Milestones are something you look back on when you finish your career and for people to judge you by. In the here and now I just want to help win international games.”The problem for Anderson, however, is that if he manages to stay fit during all the forthcoming Tests then it will not be long before the talk turns to another milestone, with the prospect of him standing alone among England bowlers with 400 Test wickets. However, if he does reach that landmark, to borrow part of Fred Trueman’s remark from when he became the first bowler to 300 scalps, he’ll “be bloody tired”.James Anderson uses the Slazenger V100 TAS Ultimate bat, part of the new 2013 Slazenger cricket range, which is available to buy for £375 from store.slazenger.com

Five things to watch out for during the 2013 county season

George Dobell09-Apr-2013The Champions League
Teams from England and Wales will not participate in the Champions League in 2013. While few would dispute that the idea of the league is, in principle, attractive, the practicalities have rendered it far less appealing. The CLT20’s owners – Cricket Australia, Cricket South Africa and the BCCI, who are the overwhelmingly dominant partners – were either unwilling or unable to compromise over the rules or the scheduling of the event, meaning that the county season had to be abbreviated or compacted in order to accommodate any involvement. It also grated counties that, despite the inconvenience of participating, they were forced to take part in an extra qualifying event for which there was no prize money. They were also allowed to field just two overseas players, while other teams were allowed four. In 2011, Mumbai Indians were even allowed to field five overseas players to “retain the integrity of the tournament”.The vast majority of county players, understandably, regret the decision to withdraw from the CLT20. The glamour of participating in a high-profile competition and the possibility of using it as a shop-window for the IPL were both motivating factors. The lure – albeit a somewhat misleading lure – of large prize money was also attractive. But, from a financial perspective, the decision is not as serious as is sometimes suggested for the clubs. Indeed, Somerset made more money from one home quarter-final in the domestic T20 competition in 2011 than they did from their entire run to the Champions League semi-finals in the same year. It may even prove that the counties’ absence concentrates a few minds involved with the organisation of the League and make it just a little more accommodating in the future.The heavy roller
After a three-year absence, the heavy roller will return to the County Championship. Without it, county cricket enjoyed plenty of low-scoring, fast-moving games. In terms of encouraging entertaining cricket, the move was a resounding success. But there was an increasing concern that the balance between bat and ball had veered too far towards the bowler and the domestic game was failing to provide adequate preparation for international cricket. With no heavy roller to flatten dents made by the new ball in the first session or two of games, bowlers were able to gain assistance throughout matches. The hope is that, with seamers provided a little less assistance this season, spin bowlers may have more of a role to play as games progress. If county cricket is purely about entertainment, that may be a regrettable decision. But in terms of mirroring conditions in international cricket, it probably makes sense to re-introduce the heavy roller.The loan system
While the movement of players between counties on loan was introduced in 2005, it is likely to become more common as a result of changes introduced this season. This year the loan system has been adapted so a player may be loaned for a specific competition while continuing to represent their original county in another format. Therefore, a player such as Paul Stirling, who is a key figure in Middlesex’s limited-overs team but failed to play a single Championship match in 2012, will be able to continue to represent Middlesex in the shorter formats, but will also have the opportunity to gain first-class cricket with another club. The aim is to both aid players’ development and reduce the gap between the richer clubs will large squads and the poorer, who have a smaller pool of players.The club that takes the loaned player – and a player can be loaned to only one club at a time, though more than one in a season – will be expected to pay the salary and national insurance contributions of the player and any deal will, in the first instance, last for a minimum period of four weeks. Extensions must be for a minimum of two weeks. Checks and balances remain with a view to preventing abuse of the system. Players cannot, for example, be brought in on loan ahead of the “finals stage” (in the ECB’s words) of any competition unless they have either played in the qualifying stages or been in a squad and been unable to play through poor weather or injury.Player regulation
Over the last few years, the ECB has incentivised counties to field young, England-qualified players. Clubs are financially rewarded for including nine England-qualified players in each Championship and Yorkshire Bank 40 side, with the optimum payments being made if two of the players are aged under 22 and three more are under 26 on April 1 of that year. While the richer clubs can ignore such incentives, they are absolutely crucial for the smaller clubs. This, in turn, has seen more mature players – those over 26 – leave the game earlier than was the case in the past and some young players promoted before they are ready. While the aim is laudable, the concern is that the changes came in at the same time as tighter work permit regulations concerning the registration of overseas and non-England qualified players (such as Kolpak registrations), it has increased concerns that it may, in time, lead to a dilution in the quality of some county cricket, particularly towards the bottom of Division Two.The payments have also acted as a disincentive towards those young players involved in the MCCUs. That scheme, whereby young players can gain a university education while maintaining their cricketing development, plays an important role in preparing young people for a life after cricket. Almost 25% of current England qualified players have come through the system, with Andrew Strauss among the most high-profile beneficiaries. But with players then graduating into the county game at a later date, counties are effectively being discouraged from selecting them as it may count against their young player quota. The MCCU scheme is funded by the MCC, with the ECB not contributing anything directly.The ECB, mindful of their duty of care towards players, are loathe to be seen to discourage players going into further education and have therefore decided that any cricketer that has completed a degree course on or after April 1 2012 (and can show supporting documentation) will now receive a two-year age credit. That effectively means that any player who has been through the MCCU system could be classed as under 22 until they turn 24. It may well be that the next memorandum of understanding between the counties and the ECB, currently being discussed and due to take force between 2014 and 2017, takes a similar view towards young spinners; ie. counties will be incentivised to field England-qualified spinners with bonuses paid up to the age of 28.The haves and have-nots
This season will be studded with updates on the negotiation of the England players’ new central contracts. Suffice it to say that they are likely to receive very significant pay rises after it was revealed by Angus Porter, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, that Australia’s cricketers earn, on average, twice as much. Porter was quite right, too. While Michael Clarke, for example, earns around £1.3m a year from Cricket Australia endorsements and contracts, few of his counterparts in England reach half of that. The ECB’s explanation that the cost of living in Australia was much higher than the UK has been met with derisive laughter.The players (or their representatives) will continue to bemoan their inability to appear more than fleetingly in the IPL but it is a red herring. Over the next three years, the scheduling of two World T20s and one World Cup will push the IPL deeper than ever into the English season. Few players can have realistic expectations of taking part, whether they admit it in public or not. Still, the ECB will need to ensure that central contracts adequately compensate the players for any potential missed financial opportunity and six-figure pay rises are far from impossible. It would be beneficial to the long-term health of the English game if, as part of those new contracts, a way was found to include international players in the domestic T20 competition.But county cricket will continue to reflect austerity Britain. A handful of players moving between counties may earn eye-catching sums but the majority will be told that pay-rises are inappropriate. Several counties have imposed their own salary cap upon squads and have persuaded senior players to take pay cuts. In short, while the top players demand ever more, the majority at the bottom of the pyramid seem happy to accept ever less.

Australia’s selectors will name the Ashes squad on Wednesday. Here, ESPNcricinfo runs the rule over five men from the fringes who might have been considered by John Inverarity’s panel

Brydon Coverdale23-Apr-2013Chris Rogers
What do Kevin Pietersen, Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott all have in common? None of them have made as many runs in county cricket as Chris Rogers. For the past nine years, Rogers has been spending his Australian winters on the county circuit and has piled up 9375 first-class runs at an average of 54.19 for Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Middlesex combined. He started this season with another pair of half-centuries at Trent Bridge. At 35, Rogers may not be a long-term Test prospect but he could be an ideal man for the short-term requirements of back-to-back Ashes series this year, especially given his knowledge of English conditions. Only Ricky Ponting and Mark Cosgrove scored more Sheffield Shield runs last summer than Rogers, whose only Test appearance came five years ago. The tour of India showed that in the post-Michael Hussey era, Australia’s batting order looks as fragile as Pat Cummins’ body and Rogers, who has more than 19,000 first-class runs to his name, could be the man to strengthen it.Shaun Marsh
Australia’s domestic batting stocks might not have the depth the selectors would like but even so it has been surprising that Shaun Marsh’s name has emerged over the past few days as a potential Ashes tourist. Marsh’s talent is not in question; he showed by scoring 141 on Test debut in Sri Lanka in 2011 that he can play at the elite level. But he has not been the same since he suffered a back injury on the 2011 tour of South Africa and nothing in his first-class form suggests a recall is warranted. Since that South African trip he has scored 364 first-class runs at an average of 17.33. He was the leading run scorer in the Big Bash League last season but the selectors should have learnt from their Xavier Doherty mistake in India: you don’t pick Test players based on limited-overs form.Ashton Agar
Nathan Lyon will be Australia’s first-choice spinner in the Ashes squad but the question of who will provide backup is a fascinating one. Certainly it cannot be Doherty after his limited impact in India, and the allrounder Glenn Maxwell is not yet a frontline bowler. That could mean a rapid promotion for Ashton Agar, who made his first-class debut in January. A tall left-arm spinner who impressed the selectors when he travelled with the Test squad at the start of the Indian tour to gain experience, Agar finished the Shield season with 19 wickets at 28.42 in five games; among spinners only Steve O’Keefe took more. Agar also showed himself to be a very handy lower-order batsman and scored two half-centuries in his five matches. At 19, Agar remains raw but given the lack of spin options around Australia he would be far from the worst choice.Fawad Ahmed
If he had an Australian passport, Fawad Ahmed would be a near certainty to be part of this squad but unless the federal government fast-tracks his citizenship, he will not be eligible to play for Australia until the fifth and final Ashes Test at The Oval. A more likely scenario is that he will play a part in the home Ashes series later this year. Still, he will always be in the back of the minds of the selectors, given how impressive he has been this summer. A legspinner from Pakistan who was last year granted permanent residency in Australia, Ahmed turns the ball sharply and collected 16 wickets at 28.37 in three Shield games for Victoria this season. The retired batsman Damien Martyn faced Ahmed this season and said he was the best spinner in Australia since Shane Warne, and Stuart MacGill said he was “definitely worth a place in the Ashes squad”. But unless Cricket Australia has inside information that a passport is on its way to Ahmed, he will have to wait.Chadd Sayers
Fast bowling is far from the biggest problem area faced by John Inverarity and his selection panel. Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Ryan Harris, Jackson Bird, Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Johnson, James Faulkner, Nathan Coulter-Nile – there are plenty of options from whom to choose. But if they look to the most recent Shield season they will see at the top of the wicket tally the name of Chadd Sayers, who claimed 48 victims for South Australia at an average of 18.52. Despite the long list of candidates who have built credentials over a longer period than Sayers, what might just give him the sniff of a chance is the way he takes many of his wickets: with late outswing to the right-handers. In England, that is a style that has proven effective in the past, and it is not completely out of the question that he could sneak in for the final fast-bowling slot in the squad. If not, he should at least pack his bags for the Australia A series in England.

Something that David Saker had seen in Chris Rogers’ batting led to a wicket and an on-pitch tribute from England’s leading bowler

Jarrod Kimber13-Jul-2013James Anderson wasn’t looking at his captain. James Anderson wasn’t looking at the catcher. And James Anderson wasn’t even looking at Graeme Swann in the seconds after his Chris Rogers wicket.Anderson was looking at someone though. He was pointing. He was screaming. He was connecting with a special person on the balcony. It was passionate and romantic. But instead of a beautiful woman wearing a white gown leaning seductively on the balcony, it was the round, flushed face of David Saker.Saker didn’t blow a kiss at Anderson; he just gave him the thumbs up.Only lip readers will know, or at least think they know, what Anderson said to his beloved coach. Anyone who didn’t believe in cricket coaches might have been converted by this dramatic moment. Saker is certainly of more use to Anderson than merely driving him to and from the ground.This all came about, like the best crime films, with a plan.The plan was not all that complicated. Anderson would bowl around the wicket to Rogers. He would pitch it up on off stump. There would be a short midwicket. And Rogers would eventually flick one in the air to the short midwicket.It could have been something Saker had seen in this innings. Or it could have been something Saker remembered from a Shield match against Rogers in 1999. It’s even possible that Rogers showed the weakness to chipping in the air when Saker was Victoria’s assistant coach.Saker coached Peter Siddle and James Pattinson before leaving Australia for the England job. He was under Cricket Australia’s nose for over five years. Victoria’s fast-bowling line up was scary, and Saker was getting credit. In any of the many recent overhauls Saker could have been tempted back home to finish the job he started at Victoria.Instead he plots the downfall of his countryman and gets screaming adulation of the opposition.It wasn’t just any wicket either; this flaccid flick from Rogers was what has given England their chance to win. With Rogers at the crease, Australia had one end locked tight. Rogers had dulled Graeme Swann. Australia had moved past 100. Michael Clarke was still with him. There were reasons to be optimistic. Hell, there were reasons to tease random English people that their 10-0 prediction may not last until lunch on Sunday, if you’re that kind of fan.And it wasn’t as if a James Anderson late-hooping million-dollar ball took him out. The ball couldn’t have been any straighter if it were a Southern Baptist Preacher. It wasn’t particularly quick, maybe the slightest bit of pace off. It played no tricks off the pitch. Had there not been the yellin’ and screamin’ at Saker on the balcony, it would’ve looked like a lucky wicket.Maybe it was. But England seemed to get a lot of lucky wickets. They continually aimed at Shane Watson’s massive front pad until they hit it. They gave Ed Cowan a part-time spinner to hit out of the rough knowing that he might be more likely to have a go off Joe Root than Swann. They kept the ball in the place Clarke is most likely to play a half shot and nick behind.But until tea, England were ordinary. They were flat. Steven Finn was hidden. Swann looked out of sorts. Anderson was manageable. And Broad looked more pantomime villain than cold-blooded assassin. They were playing like a side who thought 311 runs were way too many for Australia, even though the evidence was proving otherwise.According to Ian Bell, the break came at the right time. Sitting his bowlers down, the man with the round face and Australian accent gave them new plans.After tea Australia lost four wickets. They had to use their Ashton Agar. They only scored 63 runs in 34.2 overs. They lost all advantages. And referrals. They were naked.Saker and Anderson had made them so. The coach, his ‘most skillful bowler in the world’ and their simple plan.

Plays of the Day from the second day of the Harare Test

Firdose Moonda in Harare04-Sep-2013Body blows of the day
Rahat Ali, last seen on a disappointing tour of South Africa, seemed a different person as he opened the bowling with precision, getting the ball to swerve in and test the batsmen’s ability to leave. Vusi Sibanda misread twice and he paid the price. The first time Sibanda decided to play and was struck on the right forearm. He grimaced while being magic sprayed but soldiered on. Two overs later, he was presented with one he just did not know how to handle, he and turned his back on the ball as he attempted to leave. He was hit on the back of the ribcage and masked the pain with a wry smile.Down-to-earth moment of the day
Sikandar Raza was told he would bat in one of the most important positions – No.4 – on debut and appeared rightfully chuffed with the responsibility. He was walking back from the nets when a group of fans asked him where he would bat. He held up four fingers proudly and started to twirl his bat in the air and catch it. It all looked quite cool until, on the third attempt, gravity brought him down to earth and the bat fell to the floor. The supporters giggled and a slightly embarrassed Raza walked away. Luckily for him, he managed to hold on to the bat better when at the crease and made a half-century.Sledge of the day
Chris Mpofu reported for training again today as he makes a steady recovery from injury and chose to watch some cricket after completing his drills. He was seated at the newly-named Centurion Pub and had just seen two of his team-mates, Vusi Sibanda and Hamilton Masakadza, dismissed off successive balls. Masakadza was bowled by Saeed Ajmal; he had played for the offbreak but was beaten by the straighter one. When Ajmal returned to field on the boundary, Mpofu had a message for him. “You’re lucky it’s not me batting out there,” he said. ‘I’m the only one who can pick you.” Ajmal grinned and had a quick reply. “You’re lucky you weren’t bowling when I was batting,” he said, after having made 49. Touche.Father-son moment of the day
Malcolm Waller knew he was playing for his place. With Raza succeeding on debut and Brendan Taylor set to comeback after paternity leave, Waller knew without runs his would be the first name off the team sheet. He built his innings through picking spin and scored quickly. Off his 63rd delivery, he brought up his fifty with a push behind point and Andy Waller, the coach but also his father, chose to be the latter first. His arms were raised, he clapped in delight, he high-fived Grant Flower and beamed at the change-room. “That’s my son, that’s the kid I coach,” he seemed to say.Cheer of the day
Even Zimbabwe’s most enthusiastic fans know not to get too excited when it looks like their team is establishing a decent position because things can change so quickly. They were only 14 runs behind when the sixth wicket fell and the chances of a lead looked good. However, runs were cheered with trepidation rather than gusto until the misfield that gave Zimbabwe an advantage many would not have dreamed possible against this Pakistan attack. Prosper Utseya pulled Ajmal to short square leg and it seemed like only a single was on. But a fumble allowed the ball to scuttle through for four and take Zimbabwe one ahead of Pakistan. The wooden stand where the supporters’ club sits could not have had more than 25 people but they made the noise of at least ten times that number as they celebrated.

England’s batsmen threw their wickets away and set the team on a path to destruction in a display that must rank among their most humiliating

George Dobell at Adelaide Oval07-Dec-20130:00

Kimber: England have been brutalised

There have been many bleak days in the history of England cricket. There have been whitewashes, blackwashes, thrashings and humiliations. Not so long ago, in 1999, England slipped to the bottom of the Test rankings and were knocked out of the World Cup they were hosting before the theme song was released. They know the taste of ignominy.But even by those standards, the third day of this Test ranks among the worst. England’s batting was not just wretched and weak, it was staggeringly gormless. Had this been boxing, the referee would have stopped it. Had it been swimming, England would have drowned.Australia deserve credit, of course. Mitchell Johnson, providing a reminder of how precious a resource extreme pace remains, has finally developed into the strike bowler Dennis Lillee predicted he could be more than a decade ago and some of the planning and field placements have been outstanding. The improvement from the Ashes series in England is as remarkable as it is admirable.Johnson will dominate the headlines and rightly so. His pace, delivered from a slingy, left-arm action that is hard to pick-up, is a wonderful weapon for any captain and the manner in which he dealt with England’s tail – and, for the sake of argument, let us call that everyone after Ian Bell – was brilliantly ruthless. There were, however, some mighty timid strokes from England.But it is the self-inflicted harm that is most galling for England. It was the top-order wickets, frittered away with thoughtless strokes, that exposed the lower middle order and set England on a path of destruction.They had, to some extent, done the hard work. Joe Root had seen off the early Johnson burst and earned the right to milk the spinners and, perhaps, the other seamers who were gaining little help from a pitch that remains flat.But then Root, facing his first ball of the day from Nathan Lyon, swept it down the throat of deep-backward square leg as obligingly as if helping in catching practice and Michael Carberry, having displayed admirable composure, became frustrated by five successive maidens and pulled a short ball to midwicket from the tight but unthreatening Shane Watson.Kevin Pietersen’s reckless dismissal characterised England’s sloppy approach with the bat•PA PhotosBut most culpable was Kevin Pietersen. Knowing that England were missing Jonathan Trott, knowing that the team contained some inexperienced players and knowing that Matt Prior was out of form, Pietersen had a responsibility to lead the resistance.But instead of playing the situation, instead of playing straight and waiting for the poor ball, he played like a luxury player and, having taken a couple of steps down the pitch, attempted to flick one into the leg side despite seeing two men positioned for the stroke. They weren’t in camouflage. It was careless cricket from a great player whose side needed a sizeable contribution.From then on it was slaughter. Ben Stokes was beaten for pace, Prior looks devoid of confidence and must be clinging to his place by his fingernails and most of the lower order had neither the stomach nor the ability for the fight with Johnson. He took only one of the wickets of England’s top five but, because the tail was exposed to him, he was charged through them with embarrassing ease.There were a couple of diamonds amid the dust. Carberry saw off the new ball with a solidity that suggested he could prosper at this level, while Bell made it look as if he were playing in a different game to his team-mates with an innings of class and style. And Monty Panesar, despite an obvious lack of ability and a barrage of short balls, showed the courage to move into line and grind it out. It only served to highlight what would have been possible if other, more able, colleagues had shown such pluck and determination.This pitch, just like the one in Brisbane, is blameless. Yet England have now failed to reach 180 in any of their three innings on this tour and have failed to make 400 for 19 successive innings. They lost 6 for 24 here, just as they had lost 6 for 9 in Brisbane. These are not aberrations; they are the norm. Their batting has failed.Such failures will bring change. Andy Flower, who has achieved so much as head coach, may well decide he has taken the side as far as he can in his current role. The intensity that once ensured higher levels of performance, now seems to stifle and brood. Ashley Giles, with a lighter touch and a fresh approach, could well be coach by the time England return home. Whether that will represent a change or just a change of name, remains to be seen; Graham Gooch, too, may be nearing the end in his current role: his recent record as batting coach is hardly pretty.Cricket would not be the captivating sport we love unless it was unpredictable and surprising. But if England claw their way back into this match or this series, it will surely rate as the greatest achievement of the current team’s history.

Weary and wandering in the third innings of each Test so far in this series, England have been greedily feasted upon by David Warner

Brydon Coverdale at the WACA15-Dec-2013First it was sloth, then it was wrath, now it’s gluttony. David Warner’s 2013 has been a year of deadly sins.He displeased his coaches by being out of shape on the tour of India and upset Cricket Australia by taking a swing at Joe Root, but his feasting on the England bowlers during this series at home has done nothing but please those around him.Warner gave his helmet a whack with his bat as he walked off at the end of his second innings in Perth. Cue the jokes about it making a nice change to see him hitting in the head. But really it was an indication that he was not satisfied. Warner had made 112, more than enough to sate most batsmen, but he wanted more. He has been hungry ever since losing his place at Trent Bridge, and here was feeding greedily on a wearying England.It has been that way ever since Brisbane. An entrée of three Ryobi Cup hundreds and one in the Sheffield Shield was followed by the main course. Had Michael Clarke not declared with Warner on 83 in the second innings in Adelaide, he could well have had centuries in each of the first three Ashes Tests. England’s three leading run scorers in this series – Michael Carberry, Alastair Cook and Joe Root – have fewer runs than Warner between them.After three Tests, Warner has 457 runs at 91.40, putting him on a similar tier to Cook in 2010-11. At the same point in that Ashes campaign, Cook had 495 runs and there seemed scant doubt he would be Man of the Series. He was. Now there appears little chance of Warner being given the same honour. The most likely candidate is Mitchell Johnson for delivering victory in the first two Tests, or perhaps the retaliator Brad Haddin.But Warner’s considerable contribution cannot be underestimated. His critics will argue that his largest scores have all come in the second innings, easy runs with a hefty lead already in hand. It is true that Australia would prefer him to score big in the first innings, but his 49, 29 and 60 have hardly been failures. And when the chance has come to bury a fading England, he has done it comprehensively. A player who does that repeatedly is valuable.At the WACA, Warner walked to the crease in the second innings with Australia already 134 in front. A few cracks were opening up and had England’s bowlers run through the top order cheaply, the contest may have been reignited. But Warner’s approach only increased the pressure on England. Boundaries flowed; albeit not quite as freely as they did in Warner’s 180 against India at the same ground two summers ago.

Despite being 27 Warner is still the most inexperienced first-class cricketer of anyone playing in this Test. Finding a long-form approach was trial and error.

He cut hard, drove hard, flicked hard, pulled hard. His wagon-wheel was so evenly spread it looked like an asterisk. Cook couldn’t find an answer, wherever he sent the fielders. His opening partner Chris Rogers said after play that Warner’s great strength was having an option for every ball. Rogers noted that while others must wait for bad balls to score from, Warner makes bad balls happen.His hundred came from 127 balls. By stumps, the lead was 369 and the game was all but over. Things move quickly when Warner is batting. His method fits coach Darren Lehmann’s mantra of aggressive play. The previous coaching regime tried to steer Warner to a more considered style.”They were trying to get him to play more correctly I felt, to play with a straight bat,” Warner’s personal batting coach Trent Woodhill said earlier this month. “As soon as we take instinct away from an athlete and they start thinking about defence, or about technique, to me they’re not going to have a long career.”Warner inspired by sledging – Rogers

England’s players might need to rethink the idea of engaging in verbal confrontations with David Warner, his opening partner Chris Rogers has said. Early in his 112, Warner was involved in exchanges with England players including Matt Prior and Ian Bell, and while Rogers joked that for opposition players Warner was “so annoying you have to get into him”, he said such methods were often futile.
“You only had to look at his celebration … he could give it back to a few of the English guys,” Rogers said. “It may drive him. England might have to do something different. Davey was quite fired up and so be it.”

It is not surprising that Warner’s game has been tweaked at international level, for despite being 27 he is still the most inexperienced first-class cricketer of anyone playing in this Test. Finding a long-form approach was trial and error. There will be more errors, but with a circumspect opening partner like Chris Rogers, Warner should be free to play his way for the foreseeable future.”You’ve got to keep riding that rollercoaster, don’t let up and keep batting with intent and that’s what I’ve been doing,” Warner said after making his 112. “I know when I get out some people get a bit disappointed but that’s just the way I play. Sometimes it’s a bit hit and miss. I’m probably in the form of my career but that comes down to hard work. I’ve obviously grown some maturity. You’ve got to. I’m 27 now and you can’t take anything for granted.”That became apparent to him in India and England this year. Warner has been given plenty of chances, but is finally taking them. It now seems certain that he will finish the series as a key contributor in Australia regaining the Urn. Who, then, could blame him for indulging in one more of the deadly sins? Pride.

Banishment of Kevin Pietersen is intended to strengthen Cook’s captaincy but by intervening so strongly on his behalf the ECB risks undermining his reputation

David Hopps09-Feb-2014The ECB has reasserted its overriding priority to bolster Alastair Cook’s captaincy in a long-awaited and, it has pleaded, legally hamstrung response to the persistent and vociferous opposition to the decision to call a halt to Kevin Pietersen’s international career.During a prolonged and increasingly damaging stand-off, the ECB, however much it remains adamant that it is protecting the ethics of the game, has rarely seemed more at odds with the rank-and-file supporters.In what seems to be a forlorn attempt to swing the argument in its favour, a statement issued by the governing body implied – without feeling legally able to provide proof – that Pietersen’s conduct had undermined Cook’s authority during the 5-0 series whitewash in Australia.”The ECB recognises the significant contribution Kevin has made to England teams over the last decade,” the statement read. “He has played some of the finest innings ever produced by an England batsman.”However, the England team needs to rebuild after the whitewash in Australia. To do that we must invest in our captain Alastair Cook and we must support him in creating a culture in which we can be confident he will have the full support of all players, with everyone pulling in the same direction and able to trust each other. It is for those reasons that we have decided to move on without Kevin Pietersen.”The statement refers obliquely to allegations which have seeped into the open: Pietersen’s challenging of Cook’s practice regime ahead of the final Test in Sydney – Pietersen wanted England to practise skills rather than work on their fitness – and his general tendency to gather impressionable young professionals to his knee and share his opinions candidly.As Ian Chappell, the former Australian captain posed on ESPNcricinfo: “Is that outspoken or insubordinate?”Or, to put it another way: Is it outright rebellion or valid cricketing debate – whether irritating or beneficial – which is aimed at winning cricket matches and which a powerful and strong-willed captain should take in his stride?That there will be no backtracking by the ECB can be taken for granted. To reverse this decision, however flimsy the evidence in the public forum, would have a devastating effect on those who made it and, as agreement with Pietersen has been reached, the anger felt by England supporters – one unscientific poll on ESPNcricinfo put it as high as 80% in his favour – will eventually dissipate.The ECB has thrown its support behind Alastair Cook’s captaincy after the 5-0 Ashes reverse•Getty ImagesWhat has yet to be judged is the effect on Cook. It remains to be seen whether he gains in authority in the absence of Pietersen and successfully builds a side in his own image or whether the intervention of ECB administrators to prop up his authority will be counterproductive and do untold damage to his unproven reputation as a leader.Is team spirit essentially a messy, unpredictable business, which rises and falls with results and which can be promoted as an aspiration within a team environment but never managed from afar, or can it be demanded from above by a management-imposed code of practice without stifling individuality?Increasingly, the suggestion that Pietersen has been banished from the England side to strengthen Cook’s position represents an enormous gamble from the ECB and its new managing director, Paul Downton, a so-far silent figure, as far as the public is concerned, who oversaw what has proved to be a highly unpopular decision.What remains unclear is the extent to which Cook had any part in the decision to remove Pietersen or whether he felt obliged to keep his head down and let events take their course.The ECB statement was 353 words long, issued several hours later than anticipated and, however much it tried not to be, appeared a legally-fraught exercise in self-justification.Intriguingly, it was issued jointly with the PCA, which strongly suggests that the two England players who have been targeted by Pietersen’s allies – Cook and his vice-captain Matt Prior – were unhappy about such criticism.No proof of behaviour overwhelmingly worthy of sacking was given. With Pietersen, it has always been that way. The catch-all justification, as most recently asserted by Andrew Strauss, a former England captain who among others has experienced Pietersen’s maverick, egotistical tendencies, is that there is no “smoking gun”, just a succession of small examples – in essence, a mode of behaviour – which during times of defeat makes his manner difficult to bear.At a time when Andy Flower, England’s former team director, is just one leading cricket figure disturbed by what is perceived as a shifting balance against the overriding importance of the team ethic, Pietersen – whether unfairly or not – has been branded as an example of destructive individualism. Or it could be that those in authority just don’t like him.Most, if not all, supporters are responding: “Well, deal with it then, we want his runs and we want to be entertained.”

The outpouring of anger on social networking sites has been less “uninformed” than a demand to be informed. Social media has challenged the reasoning behind the decision. The ECB has to accept this

The ECB is deeply unhappy with this aggravation. “It has been a matter of great frustration that until now the England and Wales Cricket Board has been unable to respond to the unwarranted and unpleasant criticism of England players and the ECB itself, which has provided an unwelcome backdrop to the recent negotiations to release Kevin Pietersen from his central contract,” the statement read.In what can only be described as a surreal development, the statement also seemed to take umbrage – although he was not mentioned by name – to a social-media campaign in defence of Pietersen waged most aggressively by the former newspaper editor and TV host, Piers Morgan, a personal friend.It is upon typing those words that this sorry affair seems to lose all touch with reality.The statement continued: “Allegations have been made, some from people outside cricket, which as well as attacking the rationale of the ECB’s decision-making, have questioned, without justification, the integrity of the England team director and some of England’s players.”Clearly what happens in the dressing room or team meetings should remain in that environment and not be distributed to people not connected with the team. This is a core principle of any sports team, and any such action would constitute a breach of trust and team ethics.”Whilst respecting that principle, it is important to stress that Andy Flower, Alastair Cook and Matt Prior, who have all been singled out for uninformed and unwarranted criticism, retain the total confidence and respect of all the other members of the Ashes party. These are men who care deeply about the fortunes of the England team and its image, and it is ironic that they were the people who led the reintegration of Kevin Pietersen into the England squad in 2012.”Few would question that. But the outpouring of anger on social networking sites has been less “uninformed” than a demand to be informed, which is a very different thing. Equally, it is far from the collected thoughts of Piers Morgan. In many ways social media has fulfilled a traditional function of journalism: challenging the reasoning behind a decision. The ECB has to accept the new deal.One tweet even recalled the words of John W Gardner, a former US marine and health and education secretary under the 1960s American president Lyndon Johnson, wondering of Cook: “All too often, on the long road up, young leaders become ‘servants of what is rather than shapers of what might be’. In the long process of learning how the system works, they are rewarded for playing within the intricate structure of existing rules.”By the time they reach the top, they are very likely to be trained prisoners of the structure. This is not all bad; every vital system reaffirms itself. But no system can stay vital for long unless some of its leaders remain sufficiently independent to help it to change and grow.”Perhaps when the fuss dies down we are about to find out.

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from the fifth one-day international between New Zealand and West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jan-2014Catch of the dayMichael Morton probably owes Kieran Powell a drink. He can certainly afford it. He was the supporter who clung onto Powell’s six off Mitchell McClenaghan and earned himself NZ$100,000 courtesy of the sponsors, Tui. It is a contest running throughout all the limited-overs matches in New Zealand this season and Morton is the first to be successful, although the fans at Queenstown had plenty of chances and almost ended up trampling each other trying to get to one of Corey Anderson or Jesse Ryder’s sixes. This time, Morton jostled a little for position but then stuck out his hand and held on coolly. Does he play cricket? “Not anymore,” he said, “but maybe I should.”Missed review of the dayPowell was racing along during the opening Powerplay, laying an ideal foundation for West Indies, and was closing in on an eye-catching hundred when he went to sweep Nathan McCullum. He was taken on the boot and the umpire quickly raised the finger. Powell did not hesitate to leave the crease, but when he returned to the dressing room will have wished he’d used the DRS as the ball was missing leg stump.Inside edge of the dayIt wasn’t the most authoritative of the strokes Kirk Edwards played, but it meant the world to him. Facing Anderson, he aimed to whip a full delivery through the leg side and it came off an inside edge to whistle past leg stump to take him to a hundred – the first time he had even passed fifty in his ODI career. During the celebrations he dropped his bat and was left holding both arms aloft; a rare moment of joy for a West Indies top-order batsman on the tour.Ball of the dayIn the absence of Ravi Rampaul and with Tino Best having been dropped, Dwayne Bravo gave himself the new ball and managed something many of the West Indies bowlers have struggled on this tour: good line and length. It brought an early reward, too, when he nipped a delivery back between Martin Guptill’s bat and pad to take off stump. You can pick apart a batsman’s technique all day, but it was an excellent delivery on a flat pitch.

When Sri Lanka’s players are marginalised by the board, or are on a poor run, they feel the fans are all they have left. There will be love, respect and admiration flowing in both directions when they take their trophy to the people on Tuesday.

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Apr-2014Among the many great stories from Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup triumph is one that Arjuna Ranatunga loves to retell. In the days before the final, the team received a fax from Colombo, promising sums of money for runs and wickets. Almost every man in that dressing room had a day-job then. Most had families turning out a modest middle-class living. Team sponsorships barely covered team shirts, flights and equipment. Even the visionary coach was paid by a foreign board.But as the team read out the bounty for each boundary scored, and catch taken, a collective sense of discomfort rose up. The feeling stretched beyond anger or resentment, Ranatunga says. It was hurt. “We looked at each other and said, ‘Is this how people measure us? That we are only here to play for money? That we need an incentive beyond the love of playing for our country?'” Such tales are so often vulnerable to embellishment, but there is no doubting the earnestness in Ranatunga’s voice.”Before the end of the night, that piece of paper was torn into pieces and cast in the bin.”In the 24 hours before the 2014 World T20 team left to Bangladesh, they were told a second-string side may go in their stead if they did not sign the board’s contracts. The officials relented on that stance, but the team left without any guarantee of payment for the campaign they were about to undertake. Like the 1996 side, they also had word of an added “incentive” in the days before the final. Whether the team will bank the $1.5 million, given that sum may be conditional, is yet unclear, but as they strode to a second global title in 18 years, there could be no mistake that for Sri Lanka, playing for country and its people had not gone out of style.They are an easy people to play for. Dwarfed by its neighbours in the north, Sri Lanka is beset by a small-country mentality. The cricket team champions the nation on a global stage, and to support them is to be a patriot. Patriotism is paramount.Sri Lanka fans feel their team is underappreciated internationally, and if cricket’s global media was honest with itself, it would admit Sri Lanka is not a team it cares about, until they tour, mostly at infrequent intervals. It is the reason Sri Lanka’s major-tournament record seems an enigmatic surprise to many. It is also the reason why Tony Greig’s heartfelt exultations on the island and its cricket still resonated so profoundly with the public, even now, a year after his death.

“It is significant that at each annual contracts loggerhead, the players have never refused to take the field. It is the board who threaten to keep them off it. To not play for the public would be betrayal.”

All this binds the fans tighter to their team, and the players know it. Those who have been around a decade or longer know that though the board rifles through interim committees, though governments come and go, and the game itself evolves at warp-speed, bringing new opponents and fresh challenges, the fans do not waiver. In their staying the course, the team finds its own direction. It is collective co-dependence. The Sri Lankan public so often feels ignored and disrespected by the state of the country’s governance, many say cricket is their only respite. When the players are marginalised by the board, or are on a poor run, they feel the fans are all they have left.It is significant that at each annual contracts loggerhead, the players have never refused to take the field. It is the board who threaten to keep them off it. To not play for the public would be betrayal, because in a country fitted with an archaic domestic model, shambolic first-class surfaces and a thousand political landmines, it is the fans who sustain the game and energise its spirit: who are its very lifeblood.It is why, at the end of a toilsome Colombo day in the field, Kumar Sangakkara veers off to sign autographs and give handshakes before retiring to the dressing room. It is why, when a group of squirming kids are too shy to approach, Mahela Jayawardene goes to them instead, dropping to his haunches to greet them eye-to-eye, flashing that warm, wide smile. It is why Muttiah Muralitharan will return to a corner-shop with the signed photograph he had promised the day before. It is why Sanath Jayasuriya will fling his head back laughing, and throw an arm around a stranger who has just cracked a joke about him.Each of these stars are now wealthy beyond measure on any meaningful Sri Lankan scale, but yet, they are all so human. Punch them, and they still bleed. Praise them, and they’ll glow. So, uniquely among the major South Asian nations, Sri Lankan cricketers are free to live out their lives, as human beings, not hyper-real entertaining entities.After the tournament win, Jayawardene was visibly choking back tears, as team-mates raised him on their shoulders at the Shere Bangla. Typically, it was Sangakkara who held it together well enough to give eloquent voice to their emotion.”It’s wonderful that the side really meant it when they said they would like to win the tournament for myself and Mahela. But at the same time, we’ve got 20 million other people we’ve got to win it for as well. It’s not about me or Mahela or any single person, it’s about everyone who stands with you, or behind you. I’m thankful for all the Sri Lankan fans, because without them, to have won this tournament – it would have been impossible.”On Tuesday, the team will bring their trophy to their people, on a long, snaking trail from the airport to the epicentre of Colombo’s Sunday celebrations, at Galle Face. Tens of thousands will no doubt line the streets, reliving the joy of the game’s final moments, grateful to the men who lightened their lives. But from atop the open bus, the team will not be happy just to breathe it in. There will be love, respect and admiration flowing down into the streets as well.