Matt Coles finished with match figures of 10 for 154 as Hampshire crushed Essex by an innings and 31 runs soon after lunch on the third day at the Ageas Bowl

26-Sep-2013
ScorecardMatt Coles collected the first ten-wicket haul of his first-class career•PA Photos

Matt Coles finished with match figures of 10 for 154 as Hampshire crushed Essex by an innings and 31 runs soon after lunch on the third day at the Ageas Bowl. Pace bowler Coles, on loan from Kent and now a free agent, took 4 for 83 in the Essex second innings to add to his 6 for 71 in the first as Essex, without several key players, lost all their batsmen in fewer than 43 overs.The batting strip, so bland all summer, sparked to life in the overcast conditions and left-arm pace bowler James Tomlinson was as destructive as Coles, taking 4 for 63, as Essex revealed little determination to make Hampshire bat a second time.Following-on 249 behind, Essex were all out for 218 and it would have been less but for a typical big-hitting cameo from Graham Napier of 53 in a 60-ball innings which included two sixes off Coles before the inevitable conclusion.Essex went into the match without David Masters, Ravi Bopara and Reece Topley, who were all rested, Owais Shah who had retired and Ryan ten Doeschate, away playing in the Champions League. In addition, their captain James Foster allowed Ben Foakes to replace him behind the stumps. All this when Essex needed to gain maximum points to snatch the runners-up spot ahead of Northamptonshire.Resuming the third day at 44 for no loss, Essex still needed another 205 to avoid being beaten by an innings but wickets tumbled at regular intervals in the morning session so that a big Hampshire win – only their second at home – came within an hour of the resumption after lunch.Coles had Jake Middleburgh leg-before eleven balls into the day’s play and Gautam Gambhir edged Tomlinson to Liam Dawson at first slip in the next over to make Essex 49 for 2. Tom Westley became the first of five catches for wicketkeeper Michael Bates at 69 and Greg Smith went the same way, a second victim for Tomlinson, at 73 as Essex quickly subsided.At 117 for 6, Essex were already doomed but Ben Foakes and Napier at last applied some resistance in a stand of 39 for seventh. It was too little and far too late to alter the course of a one-sided match.Coles and Tomlinson returned later to wipe out the Essex tail, Tomlinson removing Napier and Sajid Mahmood while Coles, who said he is talking to several counties about his destination next season, finished off by dismissing Foakes for 27 and last man Monty Panesar in the 58th over.Coles’ five-match spell with Hampshire earned him a total of 21 wickets, including his best match figures here, helping his temporary club to 24 points from the win. Essex collected eight from a match they had to win but never looked like doing so once Foster had won the toss and watched as Hampshire amassed a first-innings total of 456.

Former England batsman Mark Butcher believes people are beginning to “see the merits” of ensuring more England players are involved in future editions of the IPL

Gaurav Kalra02-May-20155:02

Should more England players be part of the IPL?

Former England batsman Mark Butcher believes people are beginning to “see the merits” of ensuring more England players are involved in future editions of the IPL. Butcher, who is India on assignment with British broadcaster , told ESPNcricinfo that watching games from the grounds has been like “nothing else I’ve ever seen at cricket grounds around the world.””It’s quite remarkable, the fervour for the game and the atmosphere and the skill level,” he said. “When the IPL first began, it was more about what was happening off the field; giving the older players a bit of a pay day. In the last three-four years, though, the standard of cricket and the way that the game is being taken a lot more seriously and the way that the skills have been elevated to a new level has made it a wonderful combination. I have no doubt whatsoever that any players – whether they being young or old – will only improve by experiencing it and playing it.”Butcher is convinced that young England players, especially those identified as key to their limited-overs plans in the years ahead, such as Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Chris Woakes and the likes, will benefit immensely from playing in the IPL. However, he said, they can only hope to attract interest from franchises if they are available to participate in the entire season and not for a short period, as is the case currently.”At the moment, because English players initially couldn’t stay for the entire duration of the tournament which meant that their price was not worth paying, people are not even looking at English players to play in the competition,” he said. “So, that’s going to change. I have no doubt about that. It will take us a little while because it always takes us a little while to catch up with things but people are now beginning to see the merits.”England’s shocking early exit from the World Cup has led to considerable churn in the country about how to bridge the gap with other countries in the limited-overs formats. Butcher believes that outcome has put “more pressure” to try and find ways to get more English players involved in the IPL.”If you play all your domestic cricket in one country, you do not know how cricketers do it in other countries like Bangladesh or India or South Africa,” he said. “Everybody has their own different things that they bring to the table. What we’re seeing with these players is that with them being exposed to more leagues around the world, it is no longer difficult for a New Zealander to come out and play brilliantly on slow Indian pitches. They know how to do it. That’s the learning curve you get by being here for six weeks.”While Butcher didn’t think it was possible to tweak the county season to allow English players to play the IPL, he advocated considering what he described as a “short-term loss” over “long-term gain”.”I think what the ECB and the counties have to look at is how much we gain in the long run by exposing some of our brightest and the best to competitions like the IPL,” he said. “You might lose out a little bit in the short term by missing your best players but what you will gain in the long term is the knowledge of playing under pressure when they come back which will pay dividends later on in the long run. So, you have to speculate a little bit to accumulate.”Former England batsman and coach David Lloyd, who also had his first first-hand experience of the IPL as a commentator this season, was equally enthused after his stint. Writing in his blog on , Lloyd conceded that while cricket won’t enjoy the same following in the UK as India, a template similar to the Big Bash League in Australia should be considered by the ECB.”We can certainly stage something very similar to the Big Bash. That would be our template – have eight teams, who play everybody twice,” Lloyd wrote. “If we could find a three-to-four-week window and block it off – that’s what all the players want but you’ve got to sell that idea to 18 counties so there’s got to be a will to do it that way. You’d have to play it alongside Test-match cricket – as they do in Australia – to fit it into the schedule and you’d have to try to attract the best players in the world and make it a real event.”

Ian Bell rarely misses an opportunity to shine when available for his county and his 90 off 65 balls guided the Birmingham Bears to a seven-wicket win

ECB/PA06-Jun-2015
ScorecardIan Bell made his highest T20 score in Birmingham’s victory•Getty Images

Ian Bell rarely misses an opportunity to shine when available for his county and his 90 off 65 balls guided Birmingham Bears to a seven-wicket win in their NatWest T20 Blast match at Chester-le-Street. Bell put his poor recent form for England behind him and won the contest with his international colleague Ben Stokes, who scored 40 from 28 balls but then saw three overs disappear for 44.In the windswept battle between the reigning Blast champions and the North Group leaders, Bell gave the Bears the initiative when he drove and pulled successive balls from Stokes for six.That was in the fourth over of their reply to 163 for 7, but they fell behind the rate when Paul Collingwood’s gentle floaters yielded only six runs in his first two overs. Needing 95 off the last 10, William Porterfield stepped on the gas by driving Collingwood over long-on then Bell twice cut Scott Borthwick wide of backward point.There was no let-up and when Stokes returned for the 16th over, as Bell straight drove two fours and guided two more to third man either side of a high full toss. Stokes had already had one warning for a full toss above waist height but this was deemed a slower ball and he was allowed to complete the over, which cost 21.Bell departed in the next over when he hit a short ball from John Hastings to mid-off, but the stand of 96 had left only 16 needed off three overs. Laurie Evans fell lbw to an Usman Arshad yorker, but Porterfield’s unbeaten 41 completed the task with five balls to spare.Durham were put in and had made only 6 when Phil Mustard fell in the third over, tamely pulling Oliver Hannon-Dalby to midwicket.Calum MacLeod survived a leading edge straight back to Recordo Gordon on nine to make 41 off 27 balls. The acceleration began when Boyd Rankin came on for the sixth over. Two of Rankin’s first three balls were short enough for Mark Stoneman to pull and, although he top-edged them, both flew high to fine leg, for four and six. MacLeod also cut a four as the over cost 15.But Stoneman departed for 18, lbw to a yorker from Gordon to bring in Stokes, who pulled the offspin of Ateeq Javid for six two overs later.With Jeetan Patel at the other end, both batsmen proved very adept at finding the gap between long-on and deep mid-wicket as the total reached 82 at the halfway point. But the momentum stalled as MacLeod drove Javid to long-on then Collingwood was run out for 4, sent back at the non-striker’s end and beaten by Porterfield’s direct hit from backward point.Stokes gave himself room to swing through a leg-stump ball from Rankin and hit it for a straight six, but the Bears’ gamble in leaving Javid on paid dividends when he had Stokes lbw for 40 attempting a reverse sweep.Hannon-Dalby came back for the 18th over in preference to Rikki Clarke and his first ball was driven for a straight six by Hastings as 14 came off the over. Hastings made 21 off 12 balls before driving to extra cover in the final over then Gordon Muchall straight-drove his only boundary in an unbeaten 30 off 20 balls.

At tea Hampshire were 66 for 6, a sequence of numbers appropriate for a disastrous day that left their chances in this match in ruins

Freddie Wilde at the Ageas Bowl22-Jun-2015
ScorecardAlfonso Thomas gave a swing bowling masterclass to knock over Hampshire’s top order•Getty Images

At tea Hampshire were 66 for 6, a sequence of numbers appropriate for a disastrous day that left their chances in this match in ruins. If it wasn’t quite hell, then they were certainly in the outer circles. Winston Churchill famously advised that if you are going through hell you should keep going, and after tea Hampshire kept going – the only trouble was they kept going deeper into its fiery bowels. They ended the day 41 for 2 following on, having been bowled out for just 147, their lowest completed first-class total for four years.Despite losing the entire morning session to rain the match hasn’t so much slowed down as accelerated, and rapidly at that. Sixteen wickets fell on a day in which the rain and a few hours under covers perhaps spiced up an already difficult pitch.It was movement in the air, rather than off the pitch, that was the factor most instrumental in Somerset’s success with the ball. Alfonso Thomas tore the heart out of Hampshire’s top order with a classical display of swing bowling, taking 3 for 15 in a superb seven-over spell, four of which were maidens. Thomas used the fading outswinger as his stock ball and the angled inswinger as his shock ball, and was rewarded justly for his mastery.It was batting ineptitude that took the first wicket though, as Jimmy Adams clipped Thomas straight to Tom Abell at short midwicket. Michael Carberry was the next man to fall, pushing forward to Thomas to be caught behind. In Thomas’ next over Sean Terry, who had survived a huge appeal for lbw the ball previously, was trapped in front shouldering arms to leave Hampshire reeling at 21 for 3. The ball was not swinging massively but enough to find the edges and muddle the minds of the Hampshire batsmen.Somerset may perhaps regret giving the new ball to Lewis Gregory, who bowled too wide in his first spell and was removed from the attack after five overs, although not before Terry had slashed a remarkable six over backward point and Liam Dawson had hit back-to-back fours.The introduction of Craig Overton, fresh from his time with the England ODI squad, immediately brought a wicket. Will Smith, driving expansively at a wide ball, was caught brilliantly in the slip cordon by Gregory. While Thomas found movement in the air, Overton found it off the pitch and for an enthralling period the two bowled wonderfully in tandem as Dawson and Adam Wheater battled hard to find a foothold in Hampshire’s innings.A flurry of boundaries took Hampshire past 50 but Overton then got one to jag away from Dawson who only succeeded in edging it to wicketkeeper Michael Bates.Bates received the loudest reception of any player, on either side, when he walked out to bat earlier in the day. By contrast, there was an almost awkward silence when his replacement at Hampshire, Wheater, walked out to bat. Wheater did not last long, scoring 13 before he was bowled by Gregory to leave Hampshire six down.With the sun out after tea the pitch seemed a little easier and Sean Ervine and Gareth Berg put on 40 for the seventh wicket, the largest partnership of the innings, before Jim Allenby joined in on the wicket-taking fun, bowling Ervine, who had taken a nasty blow on the hand earlier, for 23.Going purely by first-class averages, Berg and Danny Briggs existed as the last line of defence between Hampshire and the follow-on. Although they battled admirably, a rip-snorting delivery from Overton that rose sharply to take the gloves of Berg and was caught at gully ended their resistance. Hampshire were bowled out shortly after and Marcus Trescothick had little hesitation in putting the home side back.Two more wickets would fall, those of Adams and Terry, to complete a remarkable day that left Hampshire trailing by 158 runs and staring at a huge defeat.Their efforts in taking 4 for 36 in just under 45 minutes to leave Somerset four runs short of the fourth batting point had long since faded. Berg, who toiled hard on day one, was rewarded with three of the four wickets to fall. In the innings break Hampshire would have been quietly pleased with themselves, given that Somerset had been 286 for 4. By the time they were next off the pitch, things were very different.

ESPNcricinfo previews the latest round of matches in the T20 Blast as a bunched field heads towards the final straight

Freddie Wilde10-Jul-2015

North Group

Worcestershire v Birmingham, New Road, Worcester, 5.30Second-placed Worcestershire host top-of-the-table Birmingham in what promises to be a hard-fought, high-quality match. With 16 points, defending champions Birmingham are the most successful team in the country this year, while only Kent in the South Group can match Worcestershire’s tally of 14 points. Both teams should qualify comfortably for the quarter-finals but a win in this match would all but confirm it and both will also be keen to guarantee a home quarter-final. History favours the defending champions with Birmingham having won five of the last six matches between the two teams.Leicestershire v Lancashire, Grace Road, Leicester, 5.30Leicestershire are in sixth place and Lancashire are in fourth but both teams are level on ten points in a very tight North Group. Indeed, given their proximity in the league table, this match could prove to be pivotal for both teams.Leicestershire and Lancashire have both had inconsistent seasons. Leicestershire were arguably playing some of the best cricket in the country when they registered three convincing wins in four matches; Lancashire’s victories, by contrast, have generally been tighter, but they have a formidable record against Leicestershire having gone unbeaten in the last eight matches, with six wins and two ties.James Faulkner is set to return to Lancashire’s squad following his drink-driving charge after he was involved in a collision in a Manchester suburb while Leicestershire will miss Kevin and Niall O’Brien who are playing in the World T20 Qualifiers for Ireland and seamer Rob Taylor who is playing for Scotland.Yorkshire v Durham, Headingley, Leeds, 7.00Durham, who are fifth, have had one of the more bizarre campaigns this season, and have not won twice consecutively since their opening two matches. Five of their matches have been either won or lost by less than 20 runs; fine margins define the position they find themselves in now. They have an opportunity against a struggling Yorkshire to turn themselves into serious contenders for a quarter-final place.Yorkshire promised to give T20 greater importance to the NatWest T20 Blast this season, but such emphasis has not translated into results and they will need a miracle to qualify for the quarter finals, having registered just three wins in nine matches so far. They do welcome back Liam Plunkett from injury and have included Adil Rashid in their 14-man squad after he was released by England. Youngsters Ben Coad, Ryan Gibson and Josh Shaw have all been included and could make their senior T20 debuts.Nottinghamshire v Derbyshire, Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire, 6.30Derbyshire’s quarter-final chances are over with them having won just three times in 11 matches. Nottinghamshire, meanwhile, are not much better placed, having won four from 10 and none consecutively. The addition of Peter Moores to the coaching staff brought no miraculous change in fortunes last week. However, sitting in seventh place, they are just two points off the quarter-final places. “We’ve backed ourselves into a corner where we need to win all four,” said Nottinghamshire head coach Mick Newell. “If we do that, I’m pretty sure we’ll get through, but we have no room for manoeuvre.”Can Steve Finn pump up ailing Middlesex?•Getty Images

South Group

Hampshire v Surrey, Ageas Bowl, Southampton, 7.00This crucial match in the South Group brings together Hampshire who have lost three in a row and Surrey who have won three in a row. Only a fortnight ago Hampshire were seemingly well on course for a quarter-final place alongside Essex at the top of the table while Surrey were languishing right at the very bottom. Two weeks on and how things have changed.Hampshire are seeking their sixth consecutive appearance at Finals Day and began the season strongly, but close observers noted cracks appearing in their tried and tested formula. Seam bowling in particular has been a problem.Surrey’s season turned around following a stunning comeback victory away to Glamorgan on an inauspicious cold Friday night in Cardiff. They will be without Gary Wilson who is playing for Ireland in the World T20 Qualifiers, while Matt Dunn is ruled out with a side injury. Hampshire, who have won their last six home matches against Surrey, have named an unchanged squad from last week’s match against Glamorgan.Sussex v Glamorgan, The County Ground, Hove, 7.00Sussex in second and Glamorgan in fourth are in strong positions in the South Group and are both just a win away from top spot. However, with just two matches left after this fixture they will recognise the importance of a win over a quarter-final rival.Sussex’s defeat against leaders Kent last week ended their streak of four consecutive victories and they will be keen to recapture their form against Glamorgan, who have included Michael Hogan in their squad.”We’ve tended to play better away than at home in T20 so far this season,” said Glamorgan head coach Toby Radford. “So we’re looking forward to the game at Hove off the back of two good wins on the road against Somerset and Hampshire.”Kent v Somerset, The Spitfire Ground, St. Lawrence, Canterbury, 7.00Although Somerset are languishing in eighth place in the South Group they are only three points off Essex in third and still have a chance to make a late push for a quarter-final spot.”Every game is important,” said head coach Matt Maynard. “We have to look to try and win all four of our remaining matches to make sure that we qualify for the quarter finals. To do that we need to get out of the powerplay with the ball and with the bat because that has cost us big time. If we can get out of those first six overs in good shape we tend to win the matches. We have had a chat about it and we have put a system in place.”Somerset will have their work cut out against Kent who are have surprised many onlookers with their strong form this season, winning seven of their ten matches so far despite not signing an overseas player. Kent have made one change to their squad from their victory against Sussex last week, with Calum Haggett replacing the injured Ivan Thomas.Middlesex v Essex, Old Deer Park, Richmond, 5.30Middlesex won two matches in Game Week 2, but either side of that have not managed a victory and have now lost seven in a row. With four points from ten matches their quarter-final chances are all but over. With two top-four sides, Sussex and Glamorgan, in opposition, third placed Essex will sense an opportunity to move one step closer to the quarter-finals against a struggling team.Essex have turned their season around excellently having lost three of their first four matches and head coach Paul Grayson is thrilled with the progress. “If someone had said seven or eight games ago that we could have a chance of finishing in the top-four, we would definitely have taken that,” he said.Liam Dawson, on loan from Hampshire, is expected to make his T20 debut for Essex while Tom Westley has been included in their squad after recovering from injury. Middlesex welcome back international pace duo Steven Finn, released by England, and Mitchell McClenaghan, back from injury.

Having pulled off a thrilling win in the first ODI, Zimbabwe will want to show they can carry the momentum forward and keep New Zealand under pressure to stay alive in the ODI series

The Preview by Karthik Krishnaswamy03-Aug-2015

Match facts

Tuesday, August 4, 2015, Harare
Start time 09.00 local (07.00 GMT)3:27

‘We will look to improve on certain areas with the bat’ – Williamson

Big Picture

Zimbabwe’s rollicking chase in Sunday’s first ODI was the ideal start to the series. It heaped pressure on the favourites, New Zealand, and showed that the gap between the two sides, particularly in Zimbabwean conditions, wasn’t as wide as originally perceived.For New Zealand, the defeat revealed a possible lack of depth in bowling resources. While Tim Southee and Trent Boult are world-class new-ball operators in most parts of the world, Sunday’s second-string seam attack looked a little one-note and lacking in guile on a surface without too much help for the quicks. They will have learned a few things from the loss, though, and the second ODI is an opportunity for them to reveal a couple of new tricks.Otherwise, there isn’t too much wrong with this New Zealand side. Their batting is full of class and experience, and will test Zimbabwe’s bowlers again.Zimbabwe’s performance with the ball on Sunday – a good start with the new ball, a struggle for wickets in the middle overs, and a complete loss of control at the death – was a repeat of the pattern that has troubled them all year, and solutions still remain elusive. If anything, the exploits of Craig Ervine and Hamilton Masakadza deflected attention away from the issue.But the win validated the statement the team management has made on multiple occasions recently, that Zimbabwe are only a couple of steps from translating their potential into more consistent performances. On Sunday, their batsmen kept their heads, trusted their methods, and handled the crunch moments brilliantly. Zimbabwe’s fans will hope they can do all those things a lot more often.

Form guide

Zimbabwe: WLLLL
New Zealand: LLLWW

Players to watch

Having sat out the last two ODIs and the one-off T20 against India, Tinashe Panyangara slotted back into the Zimbabwe side and bowled with impressive control on Sunday. He moved the new ball, and bowled intelligent lines at the death even while the other bowlers leaked plenty. In a bowling attack that often lets teams off the hook after strong starts, there will be pressure on Panyangara to maintain his level of performance and keep New Zealand in check.Nathan McCullum was New Zealand’s only wicket-taker in the first ODI, and his dismissals of the Zimbabwe openers showed off his craft and guile perfectly. He will want more support from the rest of the attack, but he will continue to shoulder a large part of the wicket-taking burden on a Harare surface that always has something in it for the spinners.

Team news

Christopher Mpofu went for 84 from his 10 overs in the first ODI, and his place in the Zimbabwe attack might be under threat from Neville Madziva, who picked up six wickets in two ODIs against India.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Chamu Chibhabha, 2 Hamilton Masakadza, 3 Craig Ervine, 4 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 5 Sean Williams, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Regis Chakabva, 8 Graeme Cremer, 9 Prosper Utseya , 10 Tinashe Panyangara, 11 Christopher Mpofu/Neville MadzivaJames Neesham’s seam-up looked ineffective in the first ODI, and while his batting is his primary skill, New Zealand might be tempted to go with an extra spin option and choose George Worker ahead of him. Matt Henry looked out of rhythm too, and Adam Milne could take his place.New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Grant Elliott, 6 James Neesham/George Worker, 7 Luke Ronchi, 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Mitchell McClenaghan, 10 Matt Henry/Adam Milne, 11 Ish Sodhi

Stats and trivia

• Martin Guptill needs 56 runs to become the tenth New Zealander to make 4000 ODI runs
• Four Zimbabwe batsmen likely to play the second ODI – Chamu Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Sean Williams and Craig Ervine – have 40-plus averages this year. Of the four, only Chibhabha has a strike rate below 100
• Elton Chigumbura is three big hits away from becoming the first Zimbabwe batsman to 100 ODI sixes

ESPNcricinfo previews the fourth ODI between England and Australia

The Preview by Alan Gardner10-Sep-2015

Match facts

September 11, 2015
Start time 10.30am local (0930 GMT)3:11

McGlashan: Both captains would like to bat first

Big Picture

England’s win at Old Trafford kept alive hopes of beating Australia in an ODI series for the first time since 2012, as well as eased fears that they will fall below Bangladesh in the ICC rankings. Even a 4-1 defeat will see England remain in sixth, for now, while two more victories would drag them up to within range of Sri Lanka in midtable.The last time England managed consecutive ODI wins over Australia was also three summers ago. That 4-0 win was among the peaks of Alastair Cook’s roundhead reign as captain but the ODI world has shifted dramatically since then – and England have at last shown signs of catching up. Only Eoin Morgan and Steven Finn remain from the 2012 NatWest Series (with Stuart Broad’s future undecided) and pulling back the No. 1-ranked side from a 2-0 lead would be worth a campaign medal for Trevor Bayliss, Paul Farbrace and their new model army.They will attempt to do so in front of a packed house at Headingley, home of the back-to-back County Champions, Yorkshire. The locals have sometimes struggled to work up enthusiasm for England visits – and a significant number will be at Lord’s hoping to see their team lift the Championship pennant on Friday – but, having paid their shilling, they will demand England maintain the standards on display across the Pennines.Australia, too, can claim a strong Yorkshire connection, from the coach, Darren Lehmann, through to Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell – both of whom have had to make do with representing Yorkshire’s 2nd XI this season. Coming towards the end of a long tour that has yielded rather less success than was promised, Australia would surely like to tap into the prevailing mood of celebration by sealing the series with a game to spare.Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid and Jonny Bairstow are likely to play on their home ground•Getty Images

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WLLWW
Australia LWWWW

In the spotlight

Alex Hales is hot-and-cold player. Having come into the one-day series on a blazing run of scores for Nottinghamshire – 85, 9, 81, 58, 189 and 62 – he has felt the chill of Autumn more than most: four innings against Australia, including the T20, have tallied 52 runs and a high score of 22. Hales has still only played 17 ODI innings and, with a couple of blistering half-centuries against New Zealand earlier this year, looked to be finding his feet. He has, however, lost form at the wrong time and has been outshone by his opening partner Jason Roy in the series so far.Pat Cummins, 22 years old and with 16 ODI caps to his name, could find himself the most experienced member of the Australia pace attack on Friday. If Mitchell Starc is rested, then Cummins – comfortably the quickest bowler on either side – will be required to step up and lead the way. He has impressed with his pace, steepling bouncer and impressive control; he is the leading wicket-taker in the series, with the best average and, among pace bowlers to have delivered more than eight overs, the lowest economy. Perhaps more importantly, he has avoided injury – this will be his fifth consecutive ODI and his longest run in the side.

Team news

Chris Woakes has been ruled out with a thigh injury, so England will be forced to change their attack – David Willey seems the most likely candidate, offering a left-arm angle as well as the potential for bludgeoning runs lower down the order. Mark Wood and Reece Topley are the other pace-bowling options in the squad.England (possible) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 James Taylor, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 David Willey, 10 Liam Plunkett, 11 Steven FinnAustralia have already had three players withdraw from their squad and look set to give Mitchell Starc a rest after playing in all 12 of Australia’s international fixtures in the West Indies, England and Ireland. John Hastings, called up as cover from Durham, could come in for his first ODI appearance since 2011.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Joe Burns, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 George Bailey, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Ashton Agar, 9 John Hastings, 10 James Pattinson, 11 Pat Cummins.

Pitch and conditions

England, in their stodgy former mould, still managed to knock up 294 under clear skies against India at Headingley last year and Lehmann said he expected the pitch the good for batting. The forecast is good, if a little cool, for Friday but an early start and any passing cloud cover could interest the seamers.

Stats and trivia

• England and Australia last contested an ODI at Headingley in 2005 (the scheduled fixture in 2013 was washed out)
• Australia have won 11 out of their last 13 ODIs against England
• Steven Finn needs two more wickets for 100 in ODIs
• If they play, Cummins, James Pattinson and John Hastings will form an Australia pace attack comprised of 41 caps between them

Quotes

“I was keeping tabs on the score on Twitter, looking every five minutes and there were texts flying around.”
Adil Rashid couldn’t join in with Yorkshire’s Championship celebrations but enjoyed from afar“We’re all tired, but that’s international cricket, that’s what you do when you’re representing your country.”

Sri Lanka’s interim head coach, Jerome Jayaratne, has said the team has “accepted they have fallen behind” in Test cricket, and are working hard to correct that against West Indies

Sa'adi Thawfeeq10-Oct-2015Sri Lanka’s interim head coach, Jerome Jayaratne, has said the team has “accepted they have fallen behind” in Test cricket, and are working hard to correct that in the upcoming home series against West Indies.”I spoke to all of them individually before they went to the nets. We got a good feedback. They were well disciplined and they accepted they had fallen behind in performance and had two bad series,” Jayaratne, who was appointed interim coach following the resignation of Marvan Atapattu, said. Sri Lanka have lost their last three Test series, against New Zealand away and then to Pakistan and India at home, winning two and losing six out of eight games.Jayaratne said he expects an improved performance against West Indies, but will not be taking them lightly. “I would like to believe that we have a better chance of getting back to winning ways, but I definitely won’t underestimate the West Indies.”We’ve done a bit of research on them and know what our line of attack will be. They are an unknown quantity in the sense something of a mix with some known players like [Kemar] Roach, [Darren] Bravo and [Denesh] Ramdin coupled with a few new faces. They did well against England at home and had some decent performances.””All are aware of what is expected of them. We had lengthy discussions, and despite the rain which held us back for about a week, we have made good progress. They’ve worked very hard and I feel they will put on a very good show. If we can have a couple of good days early in the series the confidence will start to come back.”Batting and fielding are two areas that cost Sri Lanka against Pakistan and India. In the absence of a batting coach, a role that was fulfilled by Atapattu, Jayaratne has taken on the task. As for the fielding, Jayaratne said, “There is a significant improvement but they won’t be at their very best because they have some more time to reach their individual goals set by the trainer. But they will put up a better show than in the last two series. We are progressing well with all the department heads doing their part, it’s just a matter of putting them all together.”Jayaratne said he is also keen on keeping the team atmosphere good, and has instructed the players to come to him if they are not comfortable. “We have conveyed the message that we should be happy and conducive and everybody should be accepted. If anybody is having an issue, they should keep me at least confidentially informed.”Sri Lanka play West Indies in two Tests, staring on October 14.

A century from Shammu Ashan followed by an impressive spell of fast bowling from Jehan Daniel helped Sri Lanka beat Pakistan in a rain-affected Youth ODI in Hambantota

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2015
ScorecardA century from Shammu Ashan followed by an impressive spell of fast bowling from Jehan Daniel helped Sri Lanka beat Pakistan in a rain-affected Youth ODI in Hambantota.Ashan came in with his team at 50 for 3 and helped hold the innings together with an 86-run partnership with captain Charith Asalanka, who contributed 65 off 75 balls. Sri Lanka’s recovery though was dented when Asalanka was removed in the 34th over. With the score at 136 for 4, Pakistan would have hoped to put the squeeze on, but Ashan held firm at one end to record 103 off only 112 balls, despite hitting only four fours and two sixes. He was unable to prevent Sri Lanka being bowled out before their full 50 overs as seamers Sameen Gul and Arfan Liaqat two two wickets apiece to keep the hosts down to 239 in 49.4 overs.However, the Pakistan chase began poorly. They lost their openers by the sixth over courtesy Daniel, who had figures of 5-2-8-2. The rest of the bowling attack were also very miserly – all of them cost less than 4.5 per over – and that pressure told on the opposition. Pakistan fell well behind the required rate, and were 92 for 4 in the 30th over when rain put a halt to proceedings. They were ruled 37 runs short by the Duckworth-Lewis method and go 0-1 down in the five match series

Critical contributions by Daniel Worrall and Jake Lehmann allowed South Australia to squeeze past Victoria in another low-scoring Matador Cup encounter at Bankstown Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2015
ScorecardJake Lehmann made the only 50-plus score of the game•Cricket Australia

Critical contributions by Daniel Worrall and Jake Lehmann allowed South Australia to squeeze past Victoria in another low-scoring Matador Cup encounter at Bankstown Oval.Chasing 198 to win, the Bushrangers were rounded up for 181, having never established their innings due to Worrall’s early dismissals of Aaron Finch and Cameron White.No Redbacks bowler claimed more than three wickets, but a very even contribution in the field was enough to shut out a vastly more experienced Victorian XI, of which only Scott Boland had never been chosen in an Australian squad. Kane Richardson and Joe Mennie were exceptionally stingy, while Callum Ferguson chimed in with the important wicket of Peter Handscomb.A late stand of 59 between John Hastings and James Pattinson had threatened to take the Bushrangers to victory, but the left-arm spinner Tom Andrews tempted Hastings to loft a catch to Richardson in the deep, with the Bushrangers tail unable to muster the remaining runs.The Redbacks had been in trouble early after James Pattinson’s swift yorker had Travis Head lbw in the very first over, but the left-handed Lehmann added vital lower-order runs with Adam Zampa and Mennie. Those partnerships ensured that the Redbacks would have something near 200 to defend, and on a sluggish pitch they defended it grandly.Redbacks’ third win in five games mean they are one win short of qualifying for the competition finals, and face the fledgling Cricket Australia XI in their last qualifying fixture.