Shouldn't T20 cricket be solely a franchise sport?

ENGLAND opened up their World T20 campaign today with a disappointing defeat to a Chris Gayle-inspired West Indies team.

Gayle scored a splendid century, off 47 balls, smashing 11 sixes and five fours as the Windies chased down their target of 183 with ease.

Of course, it should come as no surprise at all that the 36-year-old Jamaican was the difference between the two sides.

After all, unlike most of the England team, Gayle is a T20 specialist and plays for various franchises in several different competitions around the world.

Indeed, despite his advancing years, he is very much the embodiment of a modern day cricketer, globetrotting and raking in the cash with only a minimum amount of effort by playing the shortest form of the game.

By contrast, Test cricket - for Gayle at least - is an anachronism. As far back as 2009, he commented that he "wouldn't be so sad" if Test cricket was superseded by T20 cricket in the future - and, in fact, he has not played in the five-day format since 2014.

Now, please do not misunderstand this blog - it is not going to be another English-centric rant about how T20 is killing off our beloved Test cricket.

If anything, T20 is doing the opposite by attracting a younger and more family-oriented audience to the sport.

There are no guarantees but these people may just go on to check out a 50-over match or Test cricket - and, even if they do not, that would be their choice and would unlikely be the fault of T20.

Furthermore, this write-up is not a criticism of Gayle - or, for that matter, a certain Kevin Pietersen - or indeed any other modern cricketers who want to monetise the value of their talent in the same way as top-level footballers do.

That is their right and, ultimately, the amount of money which they make out of the game will depend on the quality of the product and their contribution to it.

Instead, this is an attempt to find a way in which T20, One Day Internationals and Test cricket can peacefully coexist.

This is not a straightforward matter but clearly there is far too much cricket being played every year at the moment.

Players cram game after game in exhausting tours, while teams often lack consistency and struggle, particularly, in away series.

One key change which could be made would be to abandon T20 internationals altogether, at least among the top countries.

For, if T20 is all about the razzmatazz - something which fits in seamlessly with the likes of the Indian Premier League and the highly successful Big Bash in Australia - then this is not something which works quite so well in international cricket.

International team-mates are more dryly determined by an accident of birth or their choice of naturalisation, and not the fantasy team-based constructs to which the whole idea of T20 would seem to belong.

Of course, this sort of change is unlikely to happen anytime soon, if at all. The world governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), understandably sees too much money to be made with T20 to remove its own stake.

However, in making this choice, it ignores the wider picture of player burn-out and a declining interest around the world in Tests.

In terms of a solution, then: what about an arrangement where the ICC agreed to give up on organising their own T20 cricket in returning for fixing the dates of various sanctioned franchise events?

Outside of the T20 tournaments, the ICC would be able to schedule the traditional Test and ODI series - here too, though, there is a lot of room for improvement.

Actually, at least on that issue, the ICC appears to be moving in the right direction. Test cricket badly needs a simple structure which can be easily understood and, indeed, successfully marketed.

For example, England's fine recent win in South Africa ultimately counted for little except for a slight adjustment in the fabled Test rankings of a few points either way.

But how much more important would that series have felt it had saved England from relegation to a second tier?

Basically, it seems obvious to me that a proper round-robin structure with promotion and relegation between different tiers is long overdue.

Finally, it is my view that ODIs should stay as, in the absence of T20 internationals, they would provide a reasonable contrast to Test cricket while providing the guarantee of an on-the-day result.

Nevertheless, there should certainly be no more than five ODIs played at the end of each Test series.

Of course, it also makes sense that both Test and ODI results contributed to a team's place in the league, in a similar way to which the Women's Ashes are currently contested.

Meanwhile, the original - and still primary - Cricket World Cup would continue to be played every four years outside of the promotion/relegation structure.

Instead of all this, however, the World Cup's 'little brother' - the World T20 - looks set to continue, with the 2020 tournament already scheduled to be taken to Australia.

Frankly, anyone could turn up there as defending champions after the heavy loss for favourites India in their game against New Zealand yesterday - in fact, even England have won this competition once in 2010.

Surely, though, the bigger question which needs to be asked is how much would it really matter if it happened again?

GROUP 1 FIXTURES
SRI LANKA + SOUTH AFRICA + WEST INDIES + ENGLAND + AFGHANISTAN

Date	Venue	Result
16 Mar 14:00	Mumbai	WEST INDIES 183-4 18.1 beat ENGLAND 182-6 by six wickets
17 Mar 14:00	Kolkata	SRI LANKA 155-4 18.5 beat AFGHANISTAN 153-7 by six wickets
18 Mar 14:00	Mumbai	ENGLAND 230-8 19.4 beat SOUTH AFRICA 229-4 by two wickets
20 Mar 09:30	Mumbai	SOUTH AFRICA 209-5 beat AFGHANISTAN 172 by 37 runs
20 Mar 14:00	Bangalore	WEST INDIES 127-3 18.2 beat SRI LANKA 122-9 by seven wickets
23 Mar 09:30	Delhi	ENGLAND 142-7 beat AFGHANISTAN 127-9 by 15 runs
25 Mar 14:00	Nagpur	WEST INDIES 123-7 19.4 bt SOUTH AFRICA 122-8 by three wkts
26 Mar 14:00	Delhi	ENGLAND 171-4 beat SRI LANKA 161-8 by 10 runs
27 Mar 10:30	Nagpur	AFGHANISTAN 123-7 beat WEST INDIES 117-8 by six runs
28 Mar 15:00	Delhi	SOUTH AFRICA 122-2 17.4 bt SRI LANKA 120 19.3 by eight wkts

GROUP 1	W	L	NR	Run  rate	Pts
(Q) WEST INDIES	3	1	0	0.36	6
(Q) ENGLAND	3	1	0	0.15	6
SOUTH AFRICA	2	2	0	0.65	4
SRI LANKA	1	3	0	-0.46	2
AFGHANISTAN	1	3	0	-0.72	2

GROUP 2 FIXTURES
INDIA + NEW ZEALAND + PAKISTAN + AUSTRALIA + BANGLADESH

Date	Venue	Result
15 Mar 14:00	Nagpur	NEW ZEALAND 126-7 beat INDIA 79 18.1 by 47 runs
16 Mar 09:30	Kolkata	PAKISTAN 201-5 beat BANGLADESH 146-6 by 55 runs
18 Mar 09:30	Dharmasala	NEW ZEALAND 142-8 beat AUSTRALIA 134-9 by eight runs
19 Mar 14:00	Kolkata	INDIA 119-4 15.5 beat PAKISTAN 118-5 18 by six wickets
21 Mar 14:00	Bangalore	AUSTRALIA 157-7 18.3 bt BANGLADESH 156-5 by three wkts
22 Mar 14:00	Mohali	NEW ZEALAND 180-5 beat PAKISTAN 158-5 by 22 runs
23 Mar 14:00	Bangalore	INDIA 146-7 beat BANGLADESH 145-9 by one run
25 Mar 09:30	Mohali	AUSTRALIA 193-4 beat PAKISTAN 172-8 by 21 runs
26 Mar 09:30	Kolkata	NEW ZEALAND 145-8 beat BANGLADESH 70 15.4 by 75 runs
27 Mar 15:00	Mohali	INDIA 161-4 19.1 beat AUSTRALIA 160-6 by six wickets

GROUP 2	W	L	NR	Run  rate	Pts
(Q) NEW ZEALAND	4	0	0	1.90	8
(Q) INDIA	3	1	0	-0.31	6
AUSTRALIA	2	2	0	0.23	4
PAKISTAN	1	3	0	-0.09	2
BANGLADESH	0	4	0	-1.80	0

KNOCKOUT STAGE

Date	Venue	Result
30 Mar 14:30	Delhi	SF1 ENGLAND 159-3 17.1 bt NEW ZEALAND 153-8 by seven wkts
31 Mar 14:30	Mumbai	SF2 WEST INDIES 196-3 19.4 beat INDIA 192-2 by seven wickets
03 Apr 14:30	Kolkata	FIN WEST INDIES 161-6 19.4 beat ENGLAND 155-9 by four wickets

World T20: Embarrassing England are the fools again

ENGLAND completed a thoroughly miserable winter with defeat to the Netherlands in their World T20 dead rubber yesterday.

Stuart Broad's side were bowled out for just 88 to lose by a humiliating 45 runs to their Associate opposition, neatly capping off a farcical last four months.

"Shambolic" and "simply dreadful" were just two of the terms which BBC correspondent Jonathan Agnew used to describe the debacle.

And, in fairness, Broad acknowledged his team had "let the fans here and English cricket fans back home down", adding: "It's been a horrendous winter."

Strangely, though, coach Ashley Giles - who has been touted to replace Andy Flower in the Test job - put the defeat down to complacency.

But that does not quite work. For, as former skipper and current Sky commentator Michael Atherton pointed out, the accusation of complacency suggests England had something to be complacent about in the first place, which is certainly not the case.

Whitewashed in the Ashes, England arrived in Bangladesh for this tournament in terrible form in the shortest form of the game, too.

It was to some surprise, then, that the 2010 champions actually performed pretty creditably in some aspects of their play in the first three matches, despite their early exit.

Denied by the vagaries of the Duckworth-Lewis method against New Zealand in their opener, England then recovered from 0-2 after one over to record their highest successful run-chase in T20 history and beat Sri Lanka by six wickets.

That kept hopes of progression alive for the third game against South Africa. This was another tightly-contested affair but the Proteas ultimately prevailed by three runs.

No blame could be apportioned to the batsmen who followed up their score of 190 against the Sri Lankans with 193 against the South Africans.

However, the death bowling in both of those games was abysmal. Jade Dernbach, in particular, had a torturous time with 26 coming off his last over against South Africa.

It was an over which effectively put England out of the tournament, giving them that little bit too much to chase.

And it also further damaged Dernbach's own stats as he now bears an economy rate which, at 8.71 runs per over, is the joint-worst in international Twenty20 history.

Nothing quite compares to what is actually a second consecutive T20 defeat to the Dutch, though.

Yes, that is two losses in a row to the Netherlands at a form of cricket - but, while the 2009 shock could be genuinely put down to a bad day at the office, the outlook now is much gloomier.

Elected to field having won the toss in an attempt to restrict the minnows, the Netherlands made a fast start to reach 32-0 after three overs.

From then on, though, England - without Dernbach - bowled better and the Associates slipped from 84-1 to 133-5 by the end of their innings.

It was an eminently gettable target - but the troubles began almost straight away with openers Michael Lumb and the hero against Sri Lanka, Alex Hales, out in consecutive overs.

Then, the run rate began to stall as wickets arrived with depressing regularity. Eoin Morgan was caught at slip before Moeen Ali lazily stroked the ball to mid-off.

England were 32-4 but, with Jos Buttler and Ravi Bopara at the crease, they still had two men who could produce individual fireworks to win the game.

It quickly became apparent, though, that this wasn't going to be the case when Buttler holed out and his replacement Tim Bresnan was comfortably run out. 52-6.

Bopara was the only recognised batsman left and the Essex man top scored with 18 before he failed with a big shot of his own. And that just left the tail whose resistance was predictably short-lived.

They could only add 14 runs for the final three wickets as James Tredwell finished the circus act in appropriate fashion in another comical run out.

With the dislodging of the bails for the final time this winter, England had hit rock bottom.

The beginning of the match report from the excellent George Dobell of Cricinfo does well to sum up the context of this humiliation.

He wrote: "There is a great deal of competition for the lowest point in the history of English cricket. 

"They have been defeated by Ireland, bowled out by a chicken farmer in Zimbabwe and whitewashed by India, West Indies and Australia. They were even knocked out of the World Cup they hosted in 1999 before the theme song was released.

"But defeat at the hands of Netherlands in Chittagong ranks among the worst of England's defeats. In a winter stuffed with setbacks and disappointment, England left the most ignominious moment until last."

Indeed, England could be said to have come full circle - 1999 was the last time it felt as bad as this with that early World Cup exit followed by a Test series defeat to New Zealand at home.

Back then, England slowly rebuilt so that, by 2004-05, a confident team under Michael Vaughan's captaincy could beat all-comers at home, including Australia for the first time in 18 years.

In between, Nasser Hussain skippered the first steps to recovery - and perhaps he could do something similar again this time.

Of course, the ECB would have to convince Hussain to leave the cosiness of the Sky studio and the in-house promotion of Giles to Test coach is much less hassle.

But that shouldn't be the determining factor in the selection of the head of the national side, and regretfully the uninspiring Giles just does not cut it.

Remember, this match effectively forms part of his portfolio for a job interview ahead of the first Test against Sri Lanka in June.

Surely, the ECB will have to look elsewhere.

WORLD T20 RESULTS
Bangladesh and Netherlands qualified from preliminary tournament
Group One

Date	Venue	Result
22 Mar	Chittagong	SRI LANKA 165-7 beat SOUTH AFRICA 160-8 by five runs
22 Mar		NEW ZEALAND 52-1 beat ENGLAND 172-6 by nine runs (D/L)
24 Mar		SOUTH AFRICA 170-6 beat NEW ZEALAND 168-8 by two runs
24 Mar		SRI LANKA 40-1 beat NETHERLANDS 39 by nine wickets
27 Mar		SOUTH AFRICA 145-9 beat NETHERLANDS 139 by six runs
27 Mar		ENGLAND 190-4 beat SRI LANKA 189-4 by six wickets
29 Mar		NEW ZEALAND 152-4 beat NETHERLANDS 151-4 by six wickets
29 Mar		SOUTH AFRICA 196-5 beat ENGLAND 193-7 by three runs
31 Mar		NETHERLANDS 133-5 beat ENGLAND 88 by 45 runs
31 Mar		SRI LANKA 119 beat NEW ZEALAND 60 by 59 runs

Group One	W	L	RR	Pts
(Q) SRI LANKA	3	1	2.23	6
(Q) SOUTH AFRICA	3	1	0.07	6
New Zealand	2	2	-0.68	4
England	1	3	-0.78	2
Netherlands	1	3	-0.87	2

Group Two

Date	Venue	Result
21 Mar	Mirpur	INDIA 131-3 beat PAKISTAN 130-7 by seven wickets
23 Mar		PAKISTAN 191-5 beat AUSTRALIA 175 by 16 runs
23 Mar		INDIA 130-3 beat WEST INDIES 129-7 by seven wickets
25 Mar		WEST INDIES 171-7 beat BANGLADESH 98 by 73 runs
28 Mar		WEST INDIES 179-4 beat AUSTRALIA 178-8 by six wickets
28 Mar		INDIA 141-2 beat BANGLADESH 138-7 by eight wickets
30 Mar		PAKISTAN 190-5 beat BANGLADESH 140-7 by 50 runs
30 Mar		INDIA 159-7 beat AUSTRALIA 86 by 73 runs
1 Apr		AUSTRALIA 158-3 beat BANGLADESH 153-5 by seven wickets
1 Apr		WEST INDIES 166-6 beat PAKISTAN 82 by 84 runs

Group Two	W	L	RR	Pts
(Q) INDIA	4	0	1.28	8
(Q) WEST INDIES	3	1	1.97	6
Pakistan	2	2	-0.38	4
Australia	1	3	-0.86	2
Bangladesh	0	4	-2.07	0

Semi finals

Date	Venue	Result
3 Apr	Mirpur	SRI LANKA 160-6 beat WEST INDIES 80-4 by 27 runs (D/L)
4 Apr		INDIA 176-4 beat SOUTH AFRICA 172-4 by six wickets

FINAL

Date	Venue	Result
6 Apr	Mirpur	SRI LANKA 134-4 beat INDIA 130-4 by six wickets

WOMEN'S FINAL

Date	Venue	Result
6 Apr	Mirpur	AUSTRALIA 106-4 beat ENGLAND 105-8 by six wickets

England receive Kiwi wake up call

ENGLAND prepare for this year's back-to-back Ashes campaigns with back-to-back Test series against New Zealand, starting tonight in Dunedin.

Alastair Cook's men take on the Black Caps in a trio of Tests this month, already confident following their two 2-1 wins on this tour in the other forms of the game.

However, the tourists received a rude awakening in their only warm-up match for the longer format. Opener Nick Compton and Kevin Pietersen struggled with the bat as a New Zealand A team picked up a shock win by three wickets.

Meanwhile, England have also gained a slight reputation for starting their away Test series slowly, having gone behind on each of their last three tours.

That said, falling behind in their last Test action before Christmas did not stop England from recording a momentous triumph as they won in India for the first time in 28 years.

There, Somerset batsman Compton averaged 34.66 in his debut series, making a few good starts without ever threatening to hit a really big score - and, subsequently, Compton has come under pressure from Yorkshire's Joe Root.

The 22-year-old Root played brilliantly in the recent ODI series against the Black Caps, becoming the first ever player to pass 30 in all of his first six ODI innings on his way to a 164 series average.

Nevertheless, the decision has been made rightly to stick with Compton for now. It seems a reasonable judgement to me as, while Compton has yet to set the world alight, he has done little wrong yet either.

Moreover, Root's success over the shorter formats does not in any way guarantee a repeat in the Test arena - and, although Compton scored just nine in his debut knock, those nine runs came off 53 balls.

This suggests he has the patience to occupy the crease, a much required skill in Test cricket, already legendarily demonstrated in the England team by the likes of skipper Cook and grinder Jonathan Trott.

In this regard, alongside South Africa, England seem to be somewhat of an exception.

With more and more emphasis on ODIs and T20s, the skill of patience is becoming something of a lost art across international cricket as a whole - and nowhere has this been more evident than in New Zealand.

The Black Caps can still generally compete well in limited overs matches but recent Test results have been dreadful with just one win in the last 11 going back to the start of 2012. Eight of those matches have ended in defeat.

True, the Kiwis' most recent series pitched them away against the number one ranked team in the world, South Africa.

But, in the absence of former skipper Ross Taylor, the Black Caps never even looked like competing.

Both Test matches against the Proteas were lost by an innings and New Zealand's total of 45 in the first innings of the first Test was their lowest in five-day cricket since 1974.

Taylor's withdrawal from the squad was controversial as much as it was conspicuous, depriving the Black Caps of the most naturally gifted player of their current squad.

Stripped of the captaincy in December because of the team's poor form, the 28-year-old made himself unavailable for the tour of South Africa, saying he needed a "break" from the game.

Taylor may well now be back for the England series but New Zealand's problems continue, this time with one of their main bowlers, Doug Bracewell.

The 22-year-old paceman has been ruled out of the first Test at least after injuring his foot in an incident at a party in his own home. Bracewell has apologised to New Zealand Cricket but the damage is already done.

All being equal, Bracewell's availability or lack thereof should actually count for little. This comes across as rather arrogant but England really should expect to win this series comfortably, with a two or three-nil victory most likely, according to the bookmakers.

After all, New Zealand are without a series win against a team other than Zimbabwe or Bangladesh for seven years. Frankly, England are overwhelming favourites.

Nevertheless, the Kiwis should not be underestimated - teams in all sports are always at their most dangerous when that happens - and so, in that sense, the warm-up defeat came at a good time.

However, England simply look to have too much fire-power for the hosts. Former captain Alec Stewart expects the twin threats of James Anderson and Steven Finn to dominate the narrative over the next month, and I cannot disagree.

Experienced swing bowler Anderson recently celebrated becoming England's most successful wicket-taker in all formats, and should find more joy under familiar cloudy conditions.

Meanwhile, though Finn is hopefully much closer to the opposite end of his international career, his early progress - 70 Test wickets at 28.22 - promises much, even if he has now been experimenting with a shorter run-up.

England's other bowling selections are slightly more problematic with Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann struggling with form and injuries.

But, with Graham Onions, Chris Woakes and Monty Panesar also in the squad, there is enough depth not to feel too concerned.

Finally, as has been mentioned elsewhere, it must be hoped that all of England's attention will be focused on this series against New Zealand, and not on events later in the year.

It is all too easy to look ahead at the looming Ashes series - with nine Tests, five at home and four away, against the old enemy before 2013 is out.

But the Ashes themselves usually require a certain momentum, and that momentum is best gained by winning matches - starting with New Zealand home and away from March until May.


HOME & AWAY: TOUR RESULTS/FIXTURES

NEW ZEALAND v ENGLAND

Date	Match	Result	Venue
9 Feb	First T20	ENGLAND 214-7 beat NEW ZEALAND 174-9 by 40 runs	Eden Park
12 Feb	Second T20	NEW ZEALAND 192-6 beat ENGLAND 137 by 55 runs	Hamilton
15 Feb	Third T20	ENGLAND 143-0 beat NEW ZEALAND 139-8 by 10 wkts	Wellington	Eng won series 2-1
17 Feb	First ODI	NEW ZEALAND 259-7 beat ENGLAND 258 by three wkts	Hamilton
20 Feb	Second ODI	ENGLAND 270-2 beat NEW ZEALAND 269 by eight wkts	Napier
23 Feb	Third ODI	ENGLAND 186-5 beat NEW ZEALAND 185 by five wkts	Eden Park	Eng won series 2-1
6-10 Mar	First Test	NEW ZEALAND v ENGLAND	Dunedin
14-18 Mar	Second Test	NEW ZEALAND v ENGLAND	Wellington
22-26 Mar	Third Test	NEW ZEALAND v ENGLAND	Eden Park

ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND

Date	Match		Venue
16-20 May	First Test	ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND	Hamilton
24-28 May	Second Test	ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND	Wellington
31 May	First ODI	ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND	Hamilton
2 Jun	Second ODI	ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND	Napier
5 Jun	Third ODI	ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND	Eden Park
25 Jun	First T20	ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND	Dunedin
27 Jun	Second T20	ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND	Wellington

England revel in historic India tour win

ENGLAND stood firm on the final day of the fourth Test in Nagpur to record their first Test series victory in India for 28 years.

Jonathan Trott (143) and Ian Bell (116) both hit centuries as England batted out the whole of the last day for an excellent 2-1 series win.

Hardly anyone expected England to come away from the subcontinent with that sort of result, particularly after their struggles against Pakistan and, to a lesser extent, Sri Lanka earlier in the year.

Indeed, the series began with a rather predictable nine-wicket India win, despite a gallant second innings effort by captain Alastair Cook (176) and Matt Prior (91).

The damage had already been done, however, as an unbeaten double century by 24-year-old Cheteshwar Pujara and 117 from Virender Sehwag helped India to 521-8 declared over the first two days.

When it came to England's turn, with the pressure on, the tourists sadly failed. Only Cook (41) and Prior (48) showed any of the required application in a total of 191 for an innings deficit of 330.

India enforced the follow-on and England responded with a better performance, though again the visitors' improvement was almost exclusively down to Cook and Prior. The pair remained unbeaten at the close of the fourth day and England began to sense a dramatic escape.

But that was dashed within an hour of the start of play on the fifth day as both departed and England lost their last five wickets for the addition just 50 runs.

India knocked off the required 77 runs for the loss of just one wicket, leading to another inquest in the England camp.

In the past, the England management has been far too stubborn to make changes to the balance of the side with an almost unshakable belief in continuity, borne out of not wishing to repeat the constant chopping and changing of the 1990s.

However, the line-up in the first Test was clearly wrong. India pitches almost always require two spinners, not just one - and that point was further evidenced by a quicks Tim Bresnan and Stuart Broad bowling a combined 43 overs without success in the first innings.

Broad then got into a bit of a spat with Sir Ian Botham on Twitter, posting: "And before u listen to too many ex playing 'experts' being negative, ask them if they ever won a Test series in India....#28years."

Botham responded: "@StuartBroad8 Didn't average 40+ with the ball overseas...! Not sure what I scored against India with the bat..? #justsaying."

It is fair to say that the tour had not begun well - but coach Andy Flower at least took corrective action this time, replacing Bresnan with a second spinner in Monty Panesar.

The results of the change were immediate right from the start of the second Test.

Despite losing the toss again, Panesar (5-129) and fellow spinner Swann (4-70) restricted the Indians to a total 327, 135 of which came from the bat of the indomitable Pujara.

Then, a third-wicket stand of 206 between Cook (122) and Kevin Pietersen (186) gave England the platform for an innings lead of 86.

Pietersen's big century was particularly pleasing after his turbulent summer in which he was close to falling out of the national set-up altogether.

And this was indeed the stylish KP which we know and love, his huge score including 20 fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 79.8.

For a second successive occasion, the first innings of the Test match had been the significant one. The tables being turned seemed to spook India, and the hosts collapsed to 142 all out in the third innings.

Pujara was out for just six and the great Sachin Tendulkar was still yet to make a score above 13 in the series as England's spin pair Panesar (6-81) and Swann (4-43) had another field day.

This time, it was left to England to reach a simple target of 57 which they did without loss before lunch on the fourth day.

Suddenly, having tweaked the team, England were right in thick of this series - and the tourists kept up the momentum in the third Test, despite a third successive lost toss.

India batted first again but, despite Tendulkar finding some form and hitting 76, the hosts lost their last six wickets for just 101 and were restricted to 316 all out.

Panesar produced another fine performance to take 4-90, and Cook was on form yet again with the bat to score 190 before being bizarrely run out for the first time in his First Class career.

No matter. By then, the 27-year-old Essex opener had already made history, becoming the youngest man in history to 7,000 Test runs, beating Tendulkar. Cook had also become England's most prolific centurion, with 23 now from his 87 appearances.

Time is on his side and, even with the responsibility of the captaincy on his shoulders, Cook's quality suggests many more records will eventually fall his way.

Back to the third Test, though, and Cook's efforts meant England had built a mammoth innings lead of 207, which - to disbelieving eyes - was perhaps even good enough for a mightily rare innings victory away in India.

With the wickets spread around in the second innings, that possibility looked really feasible as India slumped to 159-8, still 49 short of making England bat again.

However, some sensible batting by Ravichandran Ashwin - who finished 91 not out having cleverly rotated the strike with Ishant Sharma and Pragyan Ojha - meant India took the Test into its final day.

It only took 10 balls of that final day for England to dismiss India for 247, and that left a target of 41.

Memories of the UAE in January, when Pakistan routed England for 72, came flooding back briefly, as the tourists dramatically fell to 8-3.

But new boy Nick Compton cemented his reputation as a grafter with nine not out from 40 balls, while Bell finally looked to have mastered the art of playing spin in his 28 not out.

England were 2-1 up with one to play and could not be beaten.

Cook's men had thus already overachieved, certainly as compared to my pre-series expectations when I was happy to give the new captain a free pass on this occasion.

But, having established a lead, captain Cook and his squad naturally wanted to finish the job of taking England into rarely-chartered territory.

Finally winning a toss, England batted first for the first time in the series. Unfortunately, they did not make their best job of it, though a pair of 73s from Pietersen and another new-boy Joe Root were enough to take England from an uncertain 139-4 to a respectable 330 all out.

India's reply was remarkably similar, and Tendulkar was out for just two as the hosts slumped to 71-4.

Again, there was a recovery, though, as Virat Kohli and captain MS Dhoni put on 198 for the fifth wicket.

But, once Kohli departed for 103, there was another clatter of home wickets, including that of Dhoni who became only the 15th man in history to be run out on 99.

More vitally for India, the first two innings of the match had taken mountains of time out of the game.

Indeed, the situation of the match on the morning of the fourth day resulted in some of the strangest, and sadly most soporific, displays of Test cricket in recent years.

The awfully attritional pitch had produced one of the slowest scoring rates in recent Test history and it was a surprise to see India persist with it on the fourth morning when they really needed to be moving the game on.

England did not even seem to be that interested in taking any wickets, well aware that bowling tight and keeping the scoring slow was good enough for a draw. Altogether, 25 of the 83 overs bowled by Swann and Panesar were maidens.

Eventually, after one of the most pointless hours of Test cricket imaginable, India declared four runs behind, and the pressure had been transferred back to England.

With no real innings lead to speak of, England simply could not afford to collapse cheaply in subcontinental conditions yet again. They still needed to bat four sessions.

Thankfully, after some painful lessons earlier in the year, they seem to have learnt.

At 94-3, it was not clear whether they actually had, but Trott and Bell steered the tourists to 161-3 by the close.

The pair then picked up where they had left off on the final day in which India only had one more success.

Trott was dismissed by Ashwin but not before he had made 143 runs and secured England this historic series victory.

As a whole, England have had plenty of ups and downs in 2012, their most difficult year for some time.

But, while the past 12 months has seen the departure of a captain in Andrew Strauss, and other easily more preventable low-points, the fixture calendar has also been tough and sent England to Asia no fewer than three times.

Lessons finally seem to have to been learnt, even as far up as at management level in the national set-up.

Continuity is all fine and well in general, and certainly preferable to the never-ending conveyor belt of one-Test wonders which England selected in the dark days of the 1990s.

However, it should be remembered more often that England now have a really decent squad of both bowlers and batsmen, and that sometimes a slight tinker with the line-up can pay dividends.

Cook, with 562 runs at an average of 80.28, was undoubtedly the man of the series - but the introduction of Panesar after the first Test cannot be underestimated.

This was meant to be the series in which India gained revenge for their humiliating 4-0 defeat on English soil in the summer of 2011.

Instead, England - under a new direction - have left with their reputation on the subcontinent somewhat restored, and the inner belief that they can win literally anywhere in the world.

Captain Cook leads new-look England into baptism of fire

ALASTAIR COOK faces a stern test in his first series as permanent Test captain today as England take on India in Ahmedabad.

England have not won a Test series in India since 1984-85 but the new skipper has more than just history against him heading into the contest.

The team news in the build-up has been dominated by injuries to key bowlers with Steve Finn confirmed to be out of the first Test with a thigh strain.

At least, Stuart Broad - who has been sustained a bruised heel - will play, and thus reprise his attacking partnership with the tourists' most experienced bowler, James Anderson.

However, it will be the form of spinners Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar which will be more vital on the slow, turning pitches of India.

It was unclear whether Cook departs from the tactic of his predecessor Andrew Strauss who rarely picked two spinners in the same match - and it would have been refreshing to see the new captain willing to be more flexible in this regard.

Cook also had a choice to make in his batting line-up after the squad was freshened up with the introduction of the likes of Somerset's Nick Compton and Joe Root of Yorkshire into the squad.

For the two newbies, the warm-ups against Mumbai A and Haryana would prove crucial - and it was Compton, grandson of Denis, who would come out on top with three half-centuries.

And so, Compton now has the responsibility of opening the batting with Cook, with the rest of the top-six line-up - Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Samit Patel - eager to do better in the subcontinent than earlier in the year.

Yes, Pietersen's name appears in that list after his apparent 're-integration' into the England set-up following a wretched summer.

But the flamboyant KP had had to accept the attention being focused elsewhere in various series previews. Instead, rather unsurprisingly, new skipper Cook has been the subject of most of the pundits' commentaries.

Widely accepted as - and indeed groomed to be - Strauss' successor, it should be remembered that Cook has captained England before.

The Essex batsman previously led the national team in two Tests in Bangladesh in 2010, winning both, and he has also impressed as leader of the One-Day side, matching the England record of 10 wins in a row this summer.

More than that - as this interview with former coach John Abrahams shows, Cook was identified as captain material from as early as his appearances for the England Under-19 team.

But, despite all this being in Cook's favour, England fans would do well not to be a hostage to fortune, and we must wait to see just what sort of captain he is in the pressure-cooker Test arena.

There have been suggestions that the 27-year-old should look to ape the most recent Australian appointee Michael Clarke whose aggressive tactics - for example, declaring behind and winning - have seen an upturn in his side's fortunes since their awful Ashes defeat.

Ultimately, though, captain Cook will have to navigate his own path in this difficult, albeit hugely rewarding assignment.

Actually, it could almost be said that Cook has been given a free pass for these next few matches. And, certainly, he will be better judged by the back-to-back home and away series against New Zealand in early 2013, which England will be expected to win.

Nevertheless, that should not mean that this series is a complete write-off: England fans will definitely want to see at least some signs of encouragement after a tough 2012, especially ahead of the defence of the Ashes next year.

ENGLAND TOUR OF INDIA 2012-13

30 Oct-1 Nov	India A 369 & 124-4 drew with ENGLAND 426	Mumbai
3-5 Nov	ENGLAND 345-9d & 149-2 drew with Mumbai A 286	Mumbai
8-11 Nov	ENGLAND 521 & 254-6d drew with Haryana 334 & 133-6	Ahmedabad
15-19 Nov	First Test match v INDIA	Ahmedabad
23-27 Nov	Second Test match v INDIA	Mumbai
5-9 Dec	Third Test match v INDIA	Kolkata
13-17 Dec	Fourth Test match v INDIA	Nagpur
20 Dec	First T20 v INDIA	Pune
22 Dec	Second T20 v INDIA	Mumbai
11 Jan	First ODI v INDIA	Rajkot
15 Jan	Second ODI v INDIA	Kochi
19 Jan	Third ODI v INDIA	Ranchi
23 Jan	Fourth ODI v INDIA	Mohali
27 Jan	Fifth ODI v INDIA	Dharamshala

ENGLAND IN INDIA SINCE 1984-85

1984-85	INDIA 1-2 ENGLAND (from 5 Tests)	W
1992-93	INDIA 3-0 ENGLAND (from 3 Tests)	L
2001-02	INDIA 1-0 ENGLAND (from 3 Tests)	L
2005-06	INDIA 1-1 ENGLAND (from 3 Tests)	D
2008-09	INDIA 1-0 ENGLAND (from 2 Tests)	L

World T20 still awaits lift-off

SUPER EIGHT STAGE

GROUP E

27 Sep, 11:00	Pallekele	SRI LANKA 174-5 tied with NEW ZEALAND 174-7 Super Over: SRI LANKA 13-1 beat NEW ZEALAND 8-1
27 Sep, 15:00	Pallekele	WEST INDIES 179-5 beat ENGLAND 164-4 by 15 runs
29 Sep, 11:00	Pallekele	ENGLAND 149-4 beat NEW ZEALAND 148-6 by six wickets
29 Sep, 15:00	Pallekele	SRI LANKA 130-1 beat WEST INDIES 129-5 by nine wickets
1 Oct, 11:00	Pallekele	WEST INDIES 139 tied with NEW ZEALAND 139-7 Super Over: WEST INDIES 19-0 beat NEW ZEALAND 17-0
1 Oct, 15:00	Pallekele	SRI LANKA 169-6 beat ENGLAND 150-9 by 19 runs

GROUP F

28 Sep, 11:00	Colombo	PAKISTAN 136-8 beat SOUTH AFRICA 133-6 by two wickets
28 Sep, 15:00	Colombo	AUSTRALIA 141-1 beat INDIA 140-7 by nine wickets
30 Sep, 11:00	Colombo	AUSTRALIA 147-2 beat SOUTH AFRICA 146-5 by eight wickets
30 Sep, 15:00	Colombo	INDIA 129-2 beat PAKISTAN 128 by eight wickets
2 Oct, 11:00	Colombo	PAKISTAN 149-6 beat AUSTRALIA 117-7 by 32 runs
2 Oct, 15:00	Colombo	INDIA 152-6 beat SOUTH AFRICA 151 by one run

SEMI FINALS

4 Oct, 14:30	Colombo	SRI LANKA 139-9 beat PAKISTAN 123-7 by 16 runs
5 Oct, 14:30	Colombo	WEST INDIES 205-4 beat AUSTRALIA 131 by 74 runs

THE FINAL

7 Oct, 14:30

Colombo

WEST INDIES 137-6 beat SRI LANKA 101 by 36 runs

ENGLAND continue their somewhat unconvincing defence of the ICC World T20 against the West Indies today as this desperate tournament finally enters its Super Eight stage.

For, to say that this fourth edition of the World T20 has yet to spring into life would be a massive understatement, and even seasoned cricket writers are finding it hard to get excited.

There have been two major problems with the organisation of the tournament. The first is its bizarre format for the opening group stages with only three teams in each group.

It meant that Zimbabwe, having lost twice in the first three days, were knocked out before five of the other teams had yet to play a match.

Surely it would have been better if there had been three groups of four with the top two qualifying for a Super Six stage.

Not only would the smaller teams had more games, and more of a chance of causing an upset but, with only six spots available for the latter stages, there would have also been competitive games between the eight stronger teams.

As it happened, all eight major Test-playing nations qualified, and the fact that seedings for the Super Eight were pre-allocated - and points were not carried over - led to needless dead rubbers in the final matches of Groups A and C.

Holders England will have been pleased that this was the case actually, as they made a complete hash of their second match, losing by the huge margin of 90 runs after being bowled out for 80.

Nevertheless, the pre-allocated draw meant that Stuart Broad's men have been pooled with two other runners-up, New Zealand and West Indies, while three group winners - Australia, India and Pakistan - have been pitted together. It has all been a bit of a mess.

The other major problem has been the scheduling of the tournament in Sri Lanka in September when the weather is not at its best.

Ireland, in particular, were undone by rain for a second World T20 in a row, as their Group B decider ended in the dreaded no result, meaning West Indies progressed on the basis of a better run rate.

In fairness, this had not been a great tournament for the Irish considering the blows they have landed at other international events - though Trent Johnston had a valid point when he suggested any plateau in Ireland's development was due to a lack of fixtures.

Their captain William Porterfield was out first ball in both his games, and the target of 130 should not have proved too much of a problem for a Windies side featuring Chris Gayle.

In surmising the Ireland-West Indies match, though, Vic Marks in the Guardian wrote: "Common-sense might demand that this game, a crucial one, should have been played earlier.

"But there are TV schedules to satisfy. More frustrating is that the fact that the International Cricket Council, like the England and Wales Cricket Board, often has a weird set of priorities.

"Taking into account the prevailing climatic conditions does not figure very high in their calculations. Hence county cricket in early April in England and major tournaments in Sri Lanka in late September.

"In cricket, TV schedulers and commercial wizards always trump meteorologists and simple cricketing folk."

Unfortunately, there is indeed a sense of foreboding that it may yet be the weather gods which decide the World T20 rather than the strength of the teams.

Another Group B match, between Australia and West Indies, was decided by the good old Duckworth-Lewis method, while the Group C dead-rubber between Sri Lanka and South Africa was also affected and reduced to seven overs.

As a whole, then, for this tournament, things really can only get better, and the crowds can only get bigger.

Of course, many Sri Lankan people are among the poorest in the world. However, cut-price tickets have been available, and it is well-known that this part of the world absolutely adores it cricket.

As such, a more likely explanation for the poor turnout is simply that these highly knowledgeable supporters are aware the tournament so far has been little more than a glorified set of warm-ups.

Pretty much everyone could have picked the eight teams which remain in the hunt, and - due to the seeding - which Super Eight group they would be contesting.

This ICC World T20 truly is in dire need of a close finish and/or an amazing comeback as well as no more rain-affected matches.

Put more bluntly, the tournament is in need of a classic or two... and fast!

PREVIOUS GROUP STAGE RESULTS
GROUP A
ENGLAND + INDIA + AFGHANISTAN

19 Sep, 15:00	Colombo	INDIA 159-5 beat AFGHANISTAN 136 by 23 runs
21 Sep, 15:00	Colombo	ENGLAND 196-5 beat AFGHANISTAN 80 by 116 runs
23 Sep, 15:00	Colombo	INDIA 170-4 beat ENGLAND 80 by 90 runs

GROUP B
AUSTRALIA + WEST INDIES + IRELAND

19 Sep, 11:00	Colombo	AUSTRALIA 125-3 beat IRELAND 123-7 by seven wickets
22 Sep, 15:00	Colombo	AUSTRALIA 100-1 beat WEST INDIES 191-8 by 17 runs (D/L)
24 Sep, 15:00	Colombo	IRELAND 129-6 v WEST INDIES - No result (rain)

GROUP C
SRI LANKA + SOUTH AFRICA + ZIMBABWE

18 Sep, 15:00	Hambantota	SRI LANKA 182-4 beat ZIMBABWE 100 by 82 runs
20 Sep, 11:00	Hambantota	SOUTH AFRICA 94-0 beat ZIMBABWE 93-8 by 10 wickets
22 Sep, 11:00	Hambantota	SOUTH AFRICA 78-4 beat SRI LANKA 46-5 by 32 runs

GROUP D
PAKISTAN + NEW ZEALAND + BANGLADESH

21 Sep, 11:00	Pallekele	NEW ZEALAND 191-3 beat BANGLADESH 132-8 by 59 runs
23 Sep, 11:00	Pallekele	PAKISTAN 177-6 beat NEW ZEALAND 164-9 by 13 runs
25 Sep. 15:00	Pallekele	PAKISTAN 178-2 beat BANGLADESH 175-6 by eight wickets

PREVIOUS GROUP STAGE TABLES

GROUP A	W	L	NR	RR	Pts
(A2) INDIA	2	0	0	2.82	4
(A1) ENGLAND	1	1	0	0.65	2
AFGHANISTAN	0	2	0	-3.47	0

GROUP B	W	L	NR	RR	Pts
(B1) AUSTRALIA	2	0	0	2.18	4
(B2) WEST INDIES	0	1	1	-1.85	1
IRELAND	0	1	1	-2.09	1

GROUP C	W	L	NR	RR	Pts
(C2) SOUTH AFRICA	2	0	0	3.60	4
(C1) SRI LANKA	1	1	0	1.85	2
ZIMBABWE	0	2	0	-3.62	0

GROUP D	W	L	NR	RR	Pts
(D1) PAKISTAN	1	1	0	0.71	4
(D2) NEW ZEALAND	1	0	0	1.15	2
BANGLADESH	0	1	0	-1.87	0

England make it a Perfect 10

 

ENGLAND completed a 4-0 series victory over Australia at a damp Old Trafford last night to make it 10 wins from their last 10 completed One Day internationals.

Ravi Bopara took 2-8 off four overs in the curtailed Australian innings before getting England safely over the line with an unbeaten knock of 53.

His contribution here, and in the series generally, is surely enough for him to warrant a place in the starting line-up for the main event this summer, the tri-part series against South Africa which features three Tests, five ODIs and three T20s.

But, for now, let us reflect on another record-breaking sequence in this wonderful era for English cricket.

Remarkably, it all began in the Middle East on the back of the 3-0 humbling in the Tests in which spinner Saeed Ajmal completely bamboozled the touring batsmen.

By contrast, the One Day series in Abu Dhabi and Dubai was all England, and the tone was set by a thumping 130-run win in the opening match.

Skipper Alastair Cook was in imperious form and became the first England captain to score successive one-day international centuries with 137 and 102 in the first two games.

In the third match, it was the turn of Cook's then-fellow opener Kevin Pietersen to score a century with a 111 as the tourists easily chased down their target of 223 with nine wickets to spare.

Then, incredibly, Pietersen would also make back-to-back tons with a 130 in the fourth game as England completed a clean sweep.

In many ways, it was typical of Pietersen to go out with a bang and he announced, soon afterwards, that he was quitting the shorter forms of the game in a bid to extend his Test career.

However, England have not much missed him since their return to home comforts against the West Indies and Australia.

In the first ODI against the Windies, Ian Bell was the latest batsmen to score a century with a 126 helping the hosts to a resounding opening win at the Rose Bowl.

And, three days later, captain Cook was at it again as he led his side to their target of 239 with eight wickets to spare and five overs remaining.

Cook scored 112 to ensure an England opener reached three figures for a sixth successive ODI match - a phenomenal record - and all of this having retained the Wisden Trophy with a 2-0 Test series win.

In fairness to the Windies, they put up more of a fight than they have on other recent tours to these shores.

Victory in the first Test for England was only secured on the final day as Cook and Bell combined in a fifth-wicket stand of 132 after a scare at 57-4.

In the second Test, the tourists also had their chances, staying well in the match until the end of the third day but they then collapsed to 61-6 after tea.

Eventually all out for 165 on day four - with James Anderson and Tim Bresnan both taking four wickets apiece - the Windies could do nothing as Andrew Strauss, Cook and Jonathan Trott eased England to their target.

The third Test at Edgbaston was, for the most part, a washout with only 187 completed overs in five days.
It was a shame for the West Indies who had put themselves in a good position with 426 on the board thanks to an unbeaten century from Denesh Ramdin (107).

In response, England were 221-5 but the weather forecast meant their vulnerability was never fully exposed.

And so, while the Windies had improved from their lamentable tour three years ago, they were still some way short of generally matching England's quality. They remain without a Test series win here since 1988.

Surely, Australia - as the No1-ranked team in ODIs - would provide limited overs skipper Cook with a more stringent examination?

Not so, it would seem - and it can only be concluded that the Aussies' continued high ranking is still attributable to their historically strong performances in the 50-over form of the game.

After all, England's four victories - by 15 runs, six wickets, eight wickets, and seven wickets, respectively - were hardly by tight margins.

Now, far from detracting from next year's Ashes series as former captain Alec Stewart feared, these wins have actually somewhat whetted the appetite.

Indeed, after almost two decades of Baggy Green dominance, it seems that England is still discovering the joy of beating the Aussies, whatever the occasion.

It is just a pity that the awful English weather intervened in the third match at Edgbaston.

For, if England had won there, a 5-0 series win would have seen them replace Australia at the top of the ODI rankings, and thus become the first side to top the standings in the three forms of cricket simultaneously.

Unfortunately, dodging the puddles has become a feature of this dreadful summer, perhaps more than any other - though the washouts have come as little surprise considering the news has been filled with reports of flooding and event cancellations.

With little improvement in the forecast, it seems inevitable that the rain will also affect the matches against South Africa - and this will be a real shame as these exciting series will pit the two current best all-round teams in the world against each other.

Certainly, the rankings suggest this is the case: in Test cricket, England and the Proteas are number one and two in the world; in ODIs, they are level on 118 points behind only Australia; finally, in the T20 standings, England are again top with South Africa, predictably enough, in second place.

Of course, the T20 series carries more significance than most end-of-summer bashes, given that it immediately precedes the next edition of the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka, where England will defend their title.

But, sadly, playing no further part this summer - or, indeed, in any international cricket at all - will be long-standing South Africa wicket-keeper Mark Boucher.

The 35-year-old had always planned to retire after this summer anyway but he was forced to bring forward his decision following a freak injury caused by a flying bail in the drawn warm-up game against Somerset.

Boucher's eyeball was lacerated by the errant bail and, cruelly, left him stuck on 999 international dismissals.

By way of consolation, 555 of those came in Tests, which is a record - though, leaving the stats aside, he is probably best summed up by the opening to his Cricinfo profile.

It reads: "A man to go to war with, but never against, Boucher packed all the archetypal attributes of the South African cricketer into his short, stocky frame. He was relentlessly competitive, invariably aggressive, and as hard and uncompromising as the new ball."

And so, if South Africa show the fight for which Boucher was renowned, England might just finally meet their match this summer. The three-Test series begins a week tomorrow.


PERFECT TEN: ENGLAND IN ONE-DAY INTERNATIONALS
Alastair Cook's England One-Day team has won its last 10 completed internationals

Date			Venue
Mon 13 Feb	First ODI	(1) ENGLAND 260-7 beat PAKISTAN 130 by 130 runs	Abu Dhabi
Wed 15 Feb	Second ODI	(2) ENGLAND 250-4 beat PAKISTAN 230 by 20 runs	Abu Dhabi
Sat 18 Feb	Third ODI	(3) ENGLAND 226-1 beat PAKISTAN 222 by nine wickets	Dubai
Tue 21 Feb	Fourth ODI	(4) ENGLAND 241-6 beat PAKISTAN 237 by four wickets	Dubai
Sat 16 Jun	First ODI	(5) ENGLAND 288-6 beat WEST INDIES 172 by 114 runs (D/L)	Rose Bowl
Tue 19 Jun	Second ODI	(6) ENGLAND 239-2 beat WEST INDIES 238-9 by eight wickets	The Oval
Fri 22 Jun	Third ODI	(-) ENGLAND v WEST INDIES - abandoned without a ball bowled	Headingley
Fri 29 Jun	First ODI	(7) ENGLAND 272-5 beat AUSTRALIA 257-9 by 15 runs	Lord's
Sun 1 Jul	Second ODI	(8) ENGLAND 252-4 beat AUSTRALIA 251-7 by six wickets	The Oval
Wed 4 Jul	Third ODI	(-) ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA - abandoned without a ball bowled	Edgbaston
Sat 7 Jul	Fourth ODI	(9) ENGLAND 201-2 beat AUSTRALIA 200-9 by eight wickets	Durham
Tue 10 Jul	Fifth ODI	(10) ENGLAND 138-3 beat AUSTRALIA 145-7 by seven wickets (D/L)	Old Trafford

ENGLAND SUMMER 2012 RESULTS/CALENDAR
England are unbeaten in 10 matches in all forms of the game this summer, ahead of the series against South Africa.

Date			Venue
17-21 May	First Test	ENGLAND 398 & 193-5 beat WEST INDIES 243 & 345 by five wickets	Lord's
25-29 May	Second Test	ENGLAND 428 & 111-1 beat WEST INDIES 370 & 165 by nine wickets	Trent Bridge
7-11 Jun	Third Test	ENGLAND 221-5 drew with WEST INDIES 426	Edgbaston
Sat 16 Jun	First ODI	ENGLAND 288-6 beat WEST INDIES 172 by 114 runs (D/L)	Rose Bowl
Tue 19 Jun	Second ODI	ENGLAND 239-2 beat WEST INDIES 238-9 by eight wickets	The Oval
Fri 22 Jun	Third ODI	ENGLAND v WEST INDIES - abandoned without a ball bowled	Headingley
Sun 24 Jun	Only T20	ENGLAND 173-3 beat WEST INDIES 172-4 by seven wickets	Trent Bridge
Fri 29 Jun	First ODI	ENGLAND 272-5 beat AUSTRALIA 257-9 by 15 runs	Lord's
Sun 1 Jul	Second ODI	ENGLAND 252-4 beat AUSTRALIA 251-7 by six wickets	The Oval
Wed 4 Jul	Third ODI	ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA - abandoned without a ball bowled	Edgbaston
Sat 7 Jul	Fourth ODI	ENGLAND 201-2 beat AUSTRALIA 200-9 by eight wickets	Durham
Tue 10 Jul	Fifth ODI	ENGLAND 138-3 beat AUSTRALIA 145-7 by seven wickets	Old Trafford
19-23 Jul	First Test	ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA	The Oval
2-6 Aug	Second Test	ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA	Headingley
16-20 Aug	Third Test	ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA	Lord's
Fri 24 Aug	First ODI	ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA	Cardiff
Tue 28 Aug	Second ODI	ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA	Rose Bowl
Fri 31 Aug	Third ODI	ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA	The Oval
Sun 2 Sep	Fourth ODI	ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA	Lord's
Wed 5 Sep	Fifth ODI	ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA	Trent Bridge
Sat 8 Sep	First T20	ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA	Durham
Mo 10 Sep	Second T20	ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA	Old Trafford
We 12 Sep	Third T20	ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA	Edgbaston

England and Pakistan downplay their past

ENGLAND captain Andrew Strauss has been at pains to downplay the recent history between his side and Pakistan as they meet for the first time since their stormy series in the summer of 2010.

Strauss' men won both the Tests (3-1) and the One-Dayers (3-2) in that tempestuous affair but it was the revelations by the News of the World in the fourth Test at Lord's for which the series will be forever remembered.

The story emerged after the now-defunct newspaper revealed video footage showing cricket agent Mazhar Majeed telling a journalist when no-balls would be bowled.

Majeed had arranged with then-captain Salman Butt, and bowlers Mohammed Amir and Mohammed Asif, for the no-balls to be bowled at specific times. Match footage then showed that this happened exactly as he had described.

Subsequently, at the Southwark Crown Court in November last year, Butt and Asif were found guilty of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments. Amir had admitted both charges prior to the trial.

But, while it would be unkind to suggest that Pakistan had failed to move on since then, it would be just as untrue to suggest the 2010 series finished in the best of spirit.

Accusations started flying all over the place and the then-chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board Ijaz Butt claimed England had thrown the third One Day international.

Strauss immediately refuted the allegations and even threatened legal action if Butt did not withdraw his comments - though the England skipper did admit to playing the remaining matches "through gritted teeth". 

As this gallery on the Guardian website shows, it was not the first time there had been tensions between the two sides - and so it was no surprise that the journalists have been querying how relations are now.

Thankfully, both camps seem ready to leave the tensions where they belong - in the past.

First, Strauss said: "The spot-fixing stuff is something we're desperately keen to move on from. I don't think there's any good that can come from churning it all up again."

And, in kind, his Pakistani counterpart Misbah-ul-Haq said: "I think everybody knows in both teams that we just have to forget the past. Our area of concern is to play good cricket, fair cricket, and that's what we can do."

With that issue put to bed, it is time to assess just how England might do in their first ever Test match in Pakistan's temporary 'home', the Middle East.

Yes, in 2010, a touring England side played there in two Twenty20 matches - winning one and losing the other - but it does not exactly equate to the tough five-day game.

As well as facing a journey into the unknown, England also return to the Test arena having last played competitively on 29 October. In fact, Strauss' side last played a Test match back in August.

Coming into the series, concerns have surrounded their bowling attack with Tim Bresnan ruled out due to an elbow injury and Graeme Swann picking up a leg strain.

However, it is a testament to England's depth that, in the seam department, they can call upon Steven Finn or Chris Tremlett to support Stuart Broad and James Anderson.

Meanwhile, the lesser-spotted Monty Panesar has picked up his form and may yet be considered as a second spinner in addition to Swann.

Nevertheless, the lack of practice with the bat showed in the first innings of their first three-day warm-up match against an ICC Affiliates XI.

Only Alastair Cook (76) shone as England declared on 185-8, a deficit of 96 runs. But the Affiliates then gave England the chance of the win with a sporting declaration in their second innings.

Ruthless as ever, Strauss' men took advantage as an improved batting display saw them chase down their target of 261 with three wickets remaining.

The tourists improved further in their second game with Cook (133) again hitting a big score as England gained a 60-run advantage on first innings over a Pakistan Cricket Board XI.

And the bowlers then starred in the second innings as the PCB XI collapsed to 150 all out, giving England a win by exactly 100 runs.

But, while the world number one team will enter the main event full confidence on the back of those wins, Pakistan are a team undoubtedly on the comeback trail.

Indeed, spearheaded by skipper Misbah and the exciting off-spin talent of Saeed Ajmal, the Pakistanis have won their last 10 matches - though it must be noted that these results did come against strugglers Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

After Pakistan, England also play Sri Lanka this winter in a brief jaunt with just two Tests scheduled. There, Strauss' side will face an opponent which has won just one match out of their last 17 in that form of the game.

Most recently, the Sri Lankans were bowled out for 43, their lowest-ever One Day score, on their way to losing by the massive margin of 258 runs against South Africa.

And it now seems extraordinary that, less than 12 months ago, Tillakaratne Dilshan's team were gallant runners-up in the World Cup Final.

Life after the retirement of spin king Muttiah Muralitharan has certainly proved to be difficult for them, indeed.


ENGLAND TOUR v PAKISTAN

Date		Venue
17-19 Jan	First Test: PAKISTAN 338 & 15-0 beat  ENGLAND 192 & 160 by 10 wickets	Dubai
25-28 Jan	Second Test: PAKISTAN 257 & 214 beat ENGLAND 327 & 72 by 72 runs	Abu Dhabi
3-6 Feb	Third Test: PAKISTAN 99 & 365 beat ENGLAND 141 & 252 by 71 runs	Dubai
13 Feb	First ODI: ENGLAND 260-7  beat PAKISTAN 130 (35 ovs) by 130 runs	Abu Dhabi
15 Feb	Second ODI: ENGLAND 250-4  beat PAKISTAN 230 (49 ovs) by 20 runs	Abu Dhabi
18 Feb	Third ODI: ENGLAND 226-1 (37.2) beat PAKISTAN 222 by nine wickets	Dubai
21 Feb	Fourth ODI: ENGLAND 241-6 (49.2) beat PAKISTAN 237 by four wickets	Dubai
23 Feb	First T20: PAKISTAN 144-6 beat ENGLAND 136-6 by eight runs	Dubai
25 Feb	Second T20: ENGLAND 150-7 beat PAKISTAN 112 (18.2) by 38 runs	Dubai
27 Feb	Third T20: ENGLAND 129-6 beat PAKISTAN 124-6 by five runs	Abu Dhabi

ENGLAND TOUR OF SRI LANKA

Date/time (BST)		Venue
26-30 Mar 10:00	First Test	Galle
3-7 Apr 10:00	Second Test	Colombo