The summer Jimmy (and Mo) caught the train

ENGLAND finished the Test summer on their lowest note since Kiwi head coach Brendon McCullum took charge in May 2022 after a woeful eight-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka at the Oval. 

Previously, it had looked as if England were going to be able to move on from the James Anderson era in impressive fashion by claiming a clean sweep of both home Test series against the West Indies and Sri Lanka. 

But the collective performance of the team against the Sri Lankans in the third Test smacked of the sort of arrogance of which England are probably often wrongly accused. 

Losing the toss for the third time in the series, the home side nevertheless reached a solid 221-3 at the end of a first day which was marred by bad light and the strange eagerness of umpires Chris Gaffaney and Joel Wilson to take the players off the pitch at the earliest opportunity. 

It meant ticket holders saw only 44 overs on a day of absolutely no rain in south London whatsoever - and it rightly reopened the debate over whether punters were getting sufficient value for money. 

Back to the match itself - and, on day two, England progressed to 261-3 but then proceeded to throw away their wickets with a series of loose shots, losing 7-64 to finish on a suboptimal total of 325. 

Following that, some outrageously attacking fields bordered on being somewhat disrespectful to Sri Lanka - while a further element of farce was introduced by umpires Gaffaney and Wilson in the seventh over. 

Examining their light meters, the officials insisted Chris Woakes finished his fourth set by bowling four balls of club-standard off-spin despite sunshine beginning to beam through the clouds.

Then, Gus Atkinson was allowed to take the next over and bowl at 88mph - and, considering this was meant to be elite sport, much of the action and officiating on display left a lot to be desired. 

Rather more satisfyingly, England produced a better performance with the ball at the start of day three to dismiss their opponents for 263 and gain a seemingly handy first innings lead of 62.

Here then was the chance for the home side to bat Sri Lanka out of the game and make a major stride towards that clean sweep of victories. 

Instead, England were 71-6 at the afternoon drinks break as left-arm seamer Vishwa Fernando began to swing the ball beautifully. 

Then that became 82-7 in front of a stunned Oval crowd before Jamie Smith, to his credit, made 67 in a fine counter-attacking effort to drag England's lead beyond 200 at tea. 

On a pitch offering plenty, a prime English bowling unit might have been able to defend the 219 runs required by Sri Lanka - but this extremely raw attack was badly exposed against the finesse of Pathum Nissanka. 

The opener carried his bat for a delightful Test career-best 127 to earn his country a memorable win, 26 years on from the triumph in their only other visit to the Oval in 1998.

By contrast, for England, this was a highly damaging defeat which effectively ended their already slim hopes of a maiden appearance in the World Test Championship final.

Now, it seems quite a while ago - even though the first home Test of the year did not take place until July to accommodate the ICC T20 World Cup which took place throughout June.

But Anderson's retirement remained the main story of an underwhelming Test season - one without a high-profile visitor to these shores and in which tickets went unsold while big sporting events such as the Olympics, Paralympics and European Championship happened elsewhere. 

Ahead of the first Test against the West Indies at Lord's, Anderson announced it would be his last after the England hierarchy stated explicitly that, in preparation for the next away Ashes series, he would not be considered for any squads beyond the end of the summer. 

In that sense, it was a slightly awkward departure - but, although the now 42-year-old felt he still had more to give, he also confirmed understood the decision and there were no hard feelings. 

This was a far more understated farewell than that of his long-time strike partner Stuart Broad, who retired against the old enemy Australia by scoring a six from his final ball with the bat and taking a wicket with his final ball, 

And, in itself, that was quite typical of Anderson. While Broad finished with a fantastic return of 604 wickets, he particularly relished Ashes contests and revelled in picking his moments. 

By contrast, Anderson was simply the embodiment of consistency. Indeed, the opposition did not seem to matter to him as long as he was taking wickets. 

Never the fastest, the Burnley Express made up for a lack of outright pace with a prodigious ability to swing and reverse swing the ball. Sometimes, in cloudy and humid conditions, he was pretty much unplayable. 

Anderson, though, was more than a mere one-trick pony - and it was obvious he worked hard at his craft throughout his career. 

Unusually for a pace bowler, his average - like a fine wine - continued to improve with age, and even in overseas conditions - the flatter decks of Australia and rank turners in the subcontinent - he was rarely less than miserly in controlling the run-rate on days when he could not be at his penetrative best. 

Strangely, on English soil for his final Test, Anderson was in fact not quite at his best as, perhaps for once, the emotion of the occasion got the better of him. 

It certainly was not the West Indies batting outfit - and, even in this rather quiet conclusion to his career, he still took 1-26 and 3-32 to finish on an incredible 704 Test scalps. 

On the all-time list, Jimmy from Burnley sits third with only two spinners - Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka (800) and the late Aussie great Shane Warne (708) - above him. 

Now, the strain on the body and the sheer plethora of opportunities available in the game for pace bowlers to swan off to less physically demanding and money-rich T20 competitions means that Anderson's record might never be beaten. 

However, Anderson loved the elongated struggle provided by First Class cricket - and, despite the positive results for England this summer, his longevity and consistency leaves a massive hole to fill. 

In fairness, there are some signs that England will be able finally to move on from the Anderson-Broad axis.

Surrey fast-bowler Atkinson enjoyed a dream debut, taking 7-45 and 5-61 for match figures of 12-106, as England blew away the West Indies for 121 and 136 in the first Test at Lord's. 

More remarkably still, Atkinson produced this effort despite playing while the speeding driver who killed his mother in a crash was being sentenced at Southwark Crown Court to eight-and-a-half years in prison.

And, commendably, the 26-year-old continued to take wickets throughout the summer to finish the home Test season on 34 scalps at an average of 20.17. 

Thankfully, for the sake of cricket, the second Test against the Windies at Trent Bridge was slightly more competitive as the visitors registered a score of 457 - and even took a first innings lead of 41 runs. 

On a good wicket in Nottingham, though, England also made hay with the bat, scoring 400+ scores in both innings for the first time in history as Ollie Pope (121), Joe Root (122) and Harry Brook (109) all reached three figures during the match. 

Inevitably, the resulting chase of 385 proved far too much for the West Indies as young spinner Shoaib Bashir made his first major contribution in an England shirt with a match-winning 5-41. 

As such, Bashir notably became - at the age of 20 years and 279 days - the youngest England bowler to take a five-wicket haul in a home Test, coincidentally taking that record from Anderson. 

In the third Test at Edgbaston, West Indies - merely trying to salvage some pride - elected to bat in the third Test at Edgbaston, but could only produce another under-par effort of 282 in the first innings. 

The second innings was even tougher for the men from the Caribbean as Mark Wood (5-40) proved far too hot to handle - and openers Ben Duckett and skipper Ben Stokes were able easily to knock off the runs for a 10-wicket victory inside three days.

Stokes had opened the batting for only the second time in his Test career after Zak Crawley fractured a finger in the field. 

By the time that the Sri Lanka series came around, though, Stokes too was injured after tearing his left hamstring while playing for the Northern Superchargers in the truly lamentable Hundred competition.

That meant instead that Dan Lawrence came in at the top of the order - but the 27-year-old middle-order man rarely looked comfortable in the role and scored just 120 runs at an average of 20, with a top score of 35.

Lawrence was not alone in his struggles. Brook disappointed for the first time in a series while stand-in skipper Ollie Pope seemed slightly overawed by the position and his form suffered badly until his 154 in a losing cause. 

Consequently, the batting unit was again more often than not propped up by Root - and his twin tons in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's took him above Sir Alastair Cook to the top of the list of England century-makers in the format. 

Root now has 34 Test centuries and 12,402 runs - and his uncharacteristic failure to produce a significant score in the third Test defeat only served to emphasise just how greatly England rely upon their former captain. 

Wicket-keeper Smith at least can hold his head up following a more than decent start to his own Test career. 

Consistently smart behind the stumps with his glovework, the 24-year-old also made significant contributions with the bat including a maiden Test century in the first Test at Old Trafford to take that match away from Sri Lanka. 

Indeed, this was still a largely successful summer for an England team which is clearly in transition - and too much introspection for a side in development can be just as damaging as too little. 

Not that there is a lot of time for a deep analysis in any case. The Test team are back in action in just 26 days on 7 October in a three-match tour of Pakistan ahead of a further three games away in New Zealand before Christmas. 

And, prior to all that, England take on Australia in three home T20 Internationals and five One-Day Internationals in a series of matches which will begin today and end on 29 September as mid-autumn approaches. 

The main significance of the white-ball matches is that they will be the first for the team under McCullum after the 42-year-old replaced tactical dunce Matthew Mott

Unsurprisingly, McCullum has already moved to put his own stamp on the squads - and there is no room for 37-year-old Moeen Ali. 

Moeen took the decision upon his omission to retire from international cricket - but, while he cannot boast the sort of figures achieved by Anderson, his tally of 204 Test wickets included a dozen in the successful 2015 Ashes series. 

Meanwhile, Moeen's willingness to bat anywhere in the order made him a key figure over the years in white-ball squads - and he played a part in the triumphant 2019 Cricket World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup tournaments. 

Nevertheless, with little room for sentiment, the Bazball revolution continues unabated - and, despite the patchy results and some annoying performances, it has been largely good couple of years following the staid tactics of Chris Silverwood. 

But, with all of the teams united once again under one coach and an Ashes series just over a year away, the McCullum era really has now begun to enter the phase on which it truly will be judged. 


RESULTS

	WEST INDIES • England won the series 3-0
10-14 July	England 371 beat West Indies 121 & 136 by an innings and 114 runs	Lord's
18-21 July	England 416 & 425 beat West Indies 457 & 143 by 241 runs	Trent Bridge
26-28 July	England 376 & 87-0 beat West Indies 282 & 175 by 10 wickets	Headingley
	SRI LANKA • England won the series 2-1
21-24 August	England 358 & 205-5 beat Sri Lanka 236 & 326 by five wickets	Old Trafford
29 August -1 September	England 427 & 251 beat Sri Lanka 196 & 292 by 190 runs	Lord's
6-9 September	Sri Lanka 263 & 219-2 beat England 325 & 156 by eight wickets	The Oval

FIXTURES

	AUSTRALIA • Fixtures
11 September	FIRST T20  (D/N)	Southampton
13 September	SECOND T20  (D/N)	Cardiff
15 September	THIRD T20  (D/N)	Old Trafford
19 September	FIRST ODI  (D/N)	Trent Bridge
21 September	SECOND ODI	Headingley
24 September	THIRD ODI  (D/N)	Chester-le-Street
27 September	FOURTH ODI  (D/N)	Lord's
29 September	FIFTH ODI	Bristol

	PAKISTAN • Fixtures
7-11 October	FIRST TEST	Multan
15-19 October	SECOND TEST	Karachi
24-28 October	THIRD TEST	Rawalpindi
	NEW ZEALAND • Fixtures
27 November- 1 December	FIRST TEST	Christchurch
5-9 December	SECOND TEST	Wellington
13-17 December	THIRD TEST	Hamilton

Bairstow stokes the fire for recovering England

ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND • ENGLAND WON THE SERIES 3-0

2-6 June	1 England 141 & 279-5 beat New Zealand 132 & 285 by five wickets	Lord's
10-14 June	2 England 539 & 299-5 beat New Zealand 553 & 284 by five wickets	Trent Bridge
23-27 June	3 England 360 & 296-3 beat New Zealand 329 & 326 by seven wickets	Headingley

JONNY BAIRSTOW obliterated New Zealand on the final day of the second Test at Trent Bridge yesterday as England secured a first Test series victory for 17 months. 

Bairstow struck 136 off 92 balls and, along with new skipper Ben Stokes, launched a ferocious attack on the Black Caps' bowlers.

England resumed after tea on the final day requiring 160 off 38 overs - and, at this stage, a win for either side was still possible.

Perhaps, instead, the match would drift towards the draw to which it had appeared to be meandering for most of the first four days on a pitch which played true throughout.

Immediately, though, that concept was dismissed by Bairstow and Stokes - though especially Bairstow.

Sixes and fours, fours and sixes. England smashed 59 runs off the first 24 balls after the interval - but this was no short-term assault.

In the first over after tea, the required rate fell below four per over for the first time. 

Fours and sixes, sixes and fours. By 4.22pm, only 22 minutes after the break, the requirement was below three per over. 

Even then, when "normal" Test batting might have sufficed, England did not let up - and this match set a Test record for the most boundaries with 250 in total.

There was an unexpected interruption to this complete battering in the 46th over when Bairstow was caught behind having earlier missed the opportunity to become the fastest Test century scorer for England by a single ball.

Gilbert Jessop - who still holds that record after his ton off 75 balls against Australia at the Oval in 1902 - will sleep easily tonight... particularly as he died in 1955.

In the absence of Bairstow, Stokes himself stepped up and ended up hitting an unbeaten 75 off 70 balls.

Indeed, at 5.06pm - just an hour after tea - the required rate had been reduced, rather ridiculously, to below one run per over. 

During the closing stages of this incredible chase, England remained fluent, if not quite as fierce as when Bairstow was at the crease - and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes played calmly in protection of England's long tail. 

Appropriately, though, it was skipper Stokes - with a magnificent cut through extra cover - who secured successive excellent wins under his short tutelage.

Of course, Bairstow will get the plaudits - and deservedly so for his unforgettable knock.

But, while former captain Joe Root is still a massive key part to this team with the bat, there is little chance under his leadership that England will have made such a concerted effort to go after 299 in 72 overs.

The evidence of that came just 12 months ago in June 2021, also against New Zealand, when England crawled to 170-3 off 70 overs having been set a target of 273.

Former skipper Nasser Hussain bemoaned the total lack of intent shown from England who failed to win either home series last year.

Hard on the back of a difficult summer came another away Ashes mauling - and a miserable series defeat in the West Indies when, after two draws, England were bowled out for 120 in their second innings in Barbados.

Consequently, ahead of the first Test at Lord's in this series, England had won only one of their past 17 Test matches in a sequence dating back to February 2021.

Root, with huge regret and frustration, stepped down from the position of skipper - and he can be forever proud that he never let his own standards drop. Ever.

The 31-year-old regularly produced his best with the bat while captain - a rare thing indeed, considering many of his predecessors have struggled with the additional pressure automatically piled upon them by the position.

Moreover, Root was badly undermined by a lack of support from the English Cricket Board (ECB) which, quite frankly, fell apart during his period as captain. 

By the end of the tour of the Caribbean in the spring, rudderless England were without a full-time chairman, a full-time director of cricket, or a full-time head coach. 

Furthermore, Root had to deal with COVID-19 bubbles - months of uncomfortable isolation as international cricket did its best to stage matches in an alien world.

In short, although the Yorkshireman clearly lacked a killer instinct tactically, he also got a pretty raw deal - and it was perhaps little wonder that his tenure finished on a low ebb.

By contrast, New Zealand came into this series as the current World Test champions after beating India in the Final in June 2021.

However, the Black Caps played nothing like world champions with the bat in the first Test as Durham fast-bowler Matty Potts took 4-13 on debut in their first-innings total of 132.

Old habits die hard for England, though - and the hosts were bowled out themselves for 141 before lunch on the second day for a meagre lead of nine runs.

Just after lunch, New Zealand were 56-4 in their second innings and a two-day Test became a distinct possibility.

But Daryl Mitchell (108) and wicketkeeper Tom Blundell (96) combined in a stand of 195 for the fifth wicket and, at 251-4, the match had threatened to drift away from England.

Then Stuart Broad produced one of *those* special overs to account for Mitchell and bowl Kyle Jamieson for a golden duck.

In between, the hapless Colin de Grandhomme - who would later dismiss Root off a no-ball and suffer an injury - was also out from his first ball, run out by Ollie Pope after dozing outside of his crease following a lbw appeal. It was a team hat-trick, if you like. 

All of a sudden, New Zealand had gone from 251-4 to 251-7 and, although the evergreen Tim Southee attempted to hold England up for a bit, the Kiwis' tail was wrapped up by lunch.

Faced with a fourth-innings target of 277, this looked like a stern task for an England team so prone to collapsing under pressure - and they swiftly fell to 69-4.

By then, though, the irrepressible Root was at the crease and set about constructing a match-winning innings of 115 which brought him his 10,000th Test run and his 26th Test century.

Root was ably assisted by Stokes (54) and Foakes (32 not out) as England ended up making remarkably light work of the chase, especially considering this is a team which is not used to winning.

In the second Test this week, England again won in the second half of the match after both teams' first innings were pretty much even - but the similarities ended there.

New Zealand, in fact, carried a narrow lead of 14 runs after their mammoth total of 553 in which Mitchell (190) and Blundell (106) again did the damage.

In reply, the struggling Zak Crawley was out to a beauty of a ball from Trent Boult - but the rest of the England top order stood firm.

Alex Lees saw off the new ball and made 67 while new number three Pope made a magnificent 145 in a stand of 187 with Root for the third wicket.

Stokes thumped 46 off 33 balls before a more considered approach by Root, with an outstanding 176, and Foakes (56) pushed England beyond 500.

Their two wickets left the tail exposed - and, having resumed on 473-5, England added only 66 more runs before being dismissed for 539.

Usually 553 against 539 on first innings would have signalled a certain draw - but both teams had batted so positively that there was still the best part of two days to play.

New Zealand did not exactly struggle in their second innings of 284 - seven players made double figures - but, critically, none of them managed to progress to a three-figure score.

In reply, England initially struggled to combine keeping up with the required rate and keeping wickets - and looked in trouble at 56-3 when Root gave a caught-and-bowled to Boult with a leading edge for just three.

But then Bairstow came to the fore to win match and series with one of most magnificent innings in Test history.

	THE 10000 CLUB			Runs	100s	50s	Avg.
1	Sachin Tendulkar	1989-2013	India	15,921	51	68	53.78
2	Ricky Ponting	1995-2012	Australia	13,378	41	62	51.85
3	Jacques Kallis	1995-2013	South Africa	13,289	45	55	55.37
4	Rahul Dravid	1996-2012	India	13,288	36	63	52.31
5	Alastair Cook	2006-2018	England	12,472	33	57	45.35
6	Kumar Sangakkara	2000-2015	Sri Lanka	12,400	38	52	57.40
7	Brian Lara	1990-2006	West Indies	11,953	34	48	52.88
8	Shivnarine Chanderpaul	1994-2015	West Indies	11,867	30	66	51.37
9	Mahela Jayawardene	1997-2014	Sri Lanka	11,814	34	50	49.84
10	Allan Border	1978-1994	Australia	11,174	27	63	50.56
11	Steve Waugh	1985-2004	Australia	10,927	32	50	51.06
12	Joe Root	2012-2022*	England	10,194*	27	53	49.97
13	Sunil Gavaskar	1971-1987	India	10,122	34	45	51.12
14	Younis Khan	2000-2017	Pakistan	10,099	34	33	52.05

Anderson and Broad reach landmark totals in rainy summer

LEGENDARY bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad reached major wicket landmarks as England won both of their rain-hit Test series this summer.

Anderson - who already held the status of England's all-time leading wicket taker - became the first ever fast bowler in history to reach 600 scalps on the final day of the last Test of the summer.

Earlier in the season, Broad - on the last day of the third Test against the West Indies - became only the seventh bowler to take 500 wickets in Test cricket by dismissing Kraigg Brathwaite.

Coincidentally, Anderson had also reached the milestone of 500 wickets against Braithwaite in 2017.

For the most part, though, this summer has been an exercise in frustration with all six Test matches affected by the weather at some point.

Renowned slow series starters England were at it again in the first Test against the West Indies, falling to 87-5 on their way to 204 all out.

West Indies replied with a score of 318, despite Ben Stokes's 4-49 before England gave themselves some hope by compiling 313 in the second innings. 

Chasing 200 exactly, the men from the Caribbean struggled against the pace of Mark Wood and Jofra Archer, and were reduced to 100-4 with opener John Campbell also going off injured.

However, Jermaine Blackwood hit an assured 95 and the Windies eased to their target with four wickets to spare for a 1-0 lead.

The result meant England had lost the opening Test in each of their previous five series - and, with only two more matches to be played in this particular series, Joe Root's men were already up against it. 

In the second Test, the hosts responded well - and opener Dom Sibley (120) and Stokes (176) both hit centuries to set up a declaration on 469-9.

West Indies looked solid enough in reply at 242-4 - but Broad came up with one of those spells seen so many times before to take the wickets of Blackwood, Shane Dowrich, and Shamarh Brooks. 

Young spinner Dom Bess then joined in and suddenly the Windies were all out for 287.

To their credit, the tourists had beaten the follow-on target - but, with a big lead, England had another route to victory: quick runs and 10 wickets.

In pursuit of the first of those aims, England promoted World Cup winners Jos Buttler and Stokes - however, it did not exactly go to plan.

Buttler was out for a duck and number three Zak Crawley (11) followed shortly afterwards, both being undone by Kemar Roach.

Stokes was still there though - and, dominating the scoring in partnerships with Root and Ollie Pope, the Durham all-rounder made 78 not out as England went at more than six-per-over to declare on 129-3.

For the first time in the series, England had the West Indies right where they wanted them - and the tourists quickly collapsed to 37-4.

A recovery of sorts was staged by Blackwood and Brooks - but, from the last ball before tea, the former was caught behind off Stokes. 

Dowrich was then out in the first full over following the interval - and, once Sam Curran trapped Brooks lbw, even the Windies' hopes of a draw were up in smoke. 

The third Test performance was probably the most dominant by England this summer, despite the loss of a whole day of play for the second match in a row. 

Pope made 91, Buttler 67 and Broad (62) even returned to form with the bat as England made a competitive 369 to start off the decider. 

That proved more than enough as Broad, in inspired form, took 6-31 to bowl the West Indies out for just 198.

Again, the visitors had at made it past the follow on target - but, in contrast to the need for speed in the second Test, there was still enough time for England to strangle the life out of their opponents with slow and steady accumulation.

Rory Burns made 90 off 163 balls and Sibley 56 off 132 as England produced their first century opening stand in Tests since a match against India in December 2016. 

The scoring rate increased when Root replaced Sibley, who was lbw to Jason Holder, and England declared on 226-2 on the fall of Burns's wicket. 

Holder's men required 399 to win - but, with the score on 10-2 at the end of the third day, they never looked like pulling it off. 

The fourth day was a washout but the Windies were beaten before tea on the fifth, bowled out for 129 as Chris Woakes took 5-50 and Broad collected match figures of 10-67.

England had regained the Wisden Trophy for one last time with the honour now retired and replaced by the Richards-Botham Trophy, named after Sir Viv Richards and Sir Ian Botham. 

For the record, the West Indies won 14 of the 28 series and 48 of the 120 Tests in the Wisden Trophy. England won 10 series and 36 Tests while four series and 36 Tests were drawn. 

Nevertheless, the result this summer means the West Indies have still not won a Test series in England since 1988.

Pakistan were next up and arrived defending a 10-year unbeaten record against England.

Effectively, though, their chance of achieving this came and went within the four days of the first Test, such was the weather towards the end of the series.

Yet it could have very easily been Pakistan who walked away from the campaign with a 1-0 win, considering they dominated for long periods of the opening match.

Shan Masood made 156 to steer the Pakistanis to 326 in the first innings of the series - and England, once again, started badly with the bat.

Root's men were reduced to 12-3 and had middle and lower order players such as Pope (62), Buttler (38), and Broad (29 not out) to thank for dragging the side to a total of 219.

That was still in excess off 100 runs short of Pakistan - but it was almost then at that point as if the tourists could not believe the position which they were in, and they failed badly to push on in their second innings.

By the close of day three, Pakistan were 137-8 - and, while that was still a seemingly handy lead of 244, England sensed they had found their way back into the game.

Within three overs of the start of day four, the match had moved into its final chapter with Pakistan dismissed for 169, a lead of 276.

Time, therefore, was not an issue for England - but, unfortunately, batting under pressure appeared to be, and - at 117-5 - the target suddenly looked a long way off. 

Enter Buttler (75) and Chris Woakes, with the latter making 84 not out in a sixth-wicket partnership of 139 to put England on the brink.

Still, there threatened to be a final twist when Yasir Shah trapped both Buttler and Broad lbw in quick succession. 

But player of the match Woakes, whose many fine contributions with the ball is so often overshadowed by Anderson and Broad - looked assured with the bat and he guided England safely home.

Without any crowd in attendance, it was not quite the same as that chase at Headingley last year - but the same sort of relief was palpable.

It is important, though, that Root's side are aware that successful chases after the concession of a big deficit will always be special, simply because they are uncommon. Certainly, they should not be relied upon too regularly.

Nevertheless, the chase demonstrated an encouraging determination not to give in - and ended up effectively being enough to win the series.

After all, the second Test became a collosal farce and, altogether, an absolute waste of time. 

True, the weather made it unlikely there was ever going to be a result - but the umpires' overly-cautious bad light reading on the first day caused problems for them for the rest of the match.

Worse still, the early abandonment on day four made no sense whatsoever with photographs from reporters on Twitter presenting a completely empty cricket ground bathed in sunlight.

At least there had actually been some play on that fourth day as Pakistan finally completed their first innings with wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan scoring 72 out of a total of 236.

However, the overhead cloud and humid conditions were like something out of a dream for bowlers and a nightmare for the batsmen. 

Opener Rory Burns, who struggled across the summer, was dismissed for an entirely forgivable duck in the first over of the England reply - and only four more overs followed before the rain returned. 

The weather cleared up towards the end of the afternoon but there appeared to be little desire to get the game restarted - and the delay continued beyond lunch on the fifth day. 

At that point, there was a certain sense of wonderment as to why the players bothered to come out play at all for the short period in which they eventually did. The match had, long before that point, become utterly pointless.

For the record, there were 45.4 overs on day one, 40.2 overs on day two, a complete washout on day three, 10.2 overs on day four, and 38.1 overs on day five.

Altogether, the total of 134.3 overs corresponds to just under one-and-a-half days worth of play - and, in worse news still, the forecast for the third Test was not looking overly clever either.

Thankfully, there was a full day of play on the first day - and it featured the first half of a partnership between Crawley (267) and Buttler (152) which, at 359 runs, ended up becoming an all-time England record for the fifth wicket.

Oddly, despite the poor forecast for the second half of the match, England continued to bat even once both centurions were out, before belatedly declaring on the fall of Broad's wicket with the score on 583-8. 

Under-pressure Pakistan captain Azhar Ali responded to his critics in excellent manner with 141 not out - but it still was not enough to prevent his team from falling short of the follow on target as Anderson picked up 5-56 to move his career total onto 598.

The Lancashire bowler probably should have made it to 600 quicker than he did but two dropped catches in the slip cordon in the same over by Burns and Sibley left him fuming. 

Anderson's mood became worse again in his next over when Broad dropped an absolute dolly at mid-on, although he did immediately make amends with a superb, instinctive throw to run out Abbas with a direct hit.

To the great relief of everyone, Sibley took the next chance to come from Anderson's bowling - with Naseem Shah out for a duck - and Pakistan were all out for 273.

England duly enforced the follow on as gloomy skies enveloped the Ageas Bowl - far darker than those which had caused the abandonment of play in the second Test. 

Perhaps, the umpires were overcompensating for their timidity in the previous week - and spinner Bess certainly thought this was the case.

The poor conditions will also likely provide some explanation for the dropped catches, especially considering the cherry-red colour of the new ball.

Remarkably, though, Anderson suffered a fourth drop off his bowling at the start of the fourth day as Buttler - who was otherwise in impeccable form with the gloves - put down a simple chance.

Anderson later took the field out of the equation altogether by trapping Abid Ali lbw for wicket number 599 - but he was made to wait overnight again for his landmark moment. 

It eventually came in the final session of an otherwise unremarkable fifth day in another match which was rapidly heading towards a draw. 

Skipper Azhar became the famous victim of the Burnley Express, caught at slip by the opposing captain Root off a ball which found a bit of extra bounce.

Sadly, of course, there was no crowd to see this historical achievement in the flesh due to coronavirus - but, even at the age of 38, Anderson shows no sign of stopping or, indeed, of decline. 

Looking ahead, the England Test team have a fascinating 18 months in front of them with tours in the notoriously difficult sub-continent region of Sri Lanka and India at the start of 2021.

Next summer, India are scheduled to play a return series of five Tests in England before the next Ashes series, away in Australia, follows at the end of next year. 

For now, England remain a promising team - Sibley, Crawley and Pope have contributed to a more settled batting line-up alongside Root and Stokes, and one which has shown it can perform under pressure. 

Burns, despite scoring just 20 runs in his last four innings, retains some credit from earlier successes - and, in any case, his lack of runs against Pakistan was offset by the welcome return to form with the bat by Buttler in red-ball cricket.

In the bowling ranks, there is healthy competition for places with Woakes the most impressive outside of Anderson and Broad, leaving Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Sam Curran all battling it out for just a single place.

Young Bess continues to show some good signs but, at 22, there is still much for him to learn and better sides might expose his inexperience. 

In general against the stronger sides, England cannot afford to start as slowly as they have been, and they desperately need to improve their catching which remains mediocre. 

Simply put, India and Australia - the two best sides in the world - will not allow England to wiggle off the hook especially on their own patch. 

Root's side are already now playing catch-up in the World Test Championship following the defeat to the West Indies and the draws against Pakistan, having now also played a series more than Australia. 

Nevertheless, Australia and India are due to play each other before the end of this godforsaken year and then, as mentioned, England play the Indians twice in 2021.

The chance remains for England to barge their way into the top two and the one-off Test Championship match at Lord's - but can they step it up when it matters in a massive 2021 for the team? 

You never know - if England can pull it off and win the Ashes back Down Under, Anderson might finally be able to retire in the satisfaction that he can achieve nothing more.

WORLD TEST CHAMPIONSHIP ▪️ ENGLAND WON THE SERIES 2-1
WISDEN TROPHY

08-12 Jul	(1) West Indies 318 & 200-6 beat England 204 & 313 by four wickets	Southampton
16-20 Jul	(2) England 469-9d & 129-3d beat West Indies 287 & 198 by 113 runs	Old Trafford
24-28 Jul	(3) England 369 & 226-2d beat West Indies 197 & 129 by 269 runs	Old Trafford

WORLD TEST CHAMPIONSHIP ▪️ ENGLAND WON THE SERIES 1-0

05-08 Aug	(1) England 219 & 277-7 beat Pakistan 326 & 169 by three wickets	Old Trafford
13-17 Aug	(2) England 110-4 drew with Pakistan 236	Southampton
21-25 Aug	(3) Pakistan 273 & 187-4 drew with England 583-8d	Southampton

ICC WORLD TEST CHAMPIONSHIP ▪️ LATEST STANDINGS

Pos		Series Won	Tests Won	Tests Drawn	Tests Lost	Points	Runs Per Wicket	Remain
(1)	INDIA	3	7	0	2	360	2.011	240
(2)	AUSTRALIA	2	7	1	2	296	1.604	360
(3)	ENGLAND	3	8	3	4	292	1.223	240
(4)	NEW ZEALAND	1	3	0	4	180	0.883	360
(5)	PAKISTAN	1	2	3	3	166	0.853	300
(6)	SRI LANKA	0	1	1	2	80	0.589	480
(7)	WEST INDIES	0	1	0	4	40	0.527	480
(8)	SOUTH AFRICA	0	1	0	6	24	0.521	480
(9)	BANGLADESH	0	0	0	3	0	0.351	540

Return of the match

EXACTLY 100 days after the last ball had been kicked in the Premier League, English football emerged from the grim shadows of the coronavirus pandemic with two completed matches last night.

Villa Park played host to the first game in England featuring a top-flight team held behind closed doors in 37 years since, coincidentally, a game at the same venue during the 1982-83 season. 

Perhaps, after more than three months of waiting, it was destined to finish 0-0.

For relegation-haunted Aston Villa, though, this might yet prove to be a valuable point against high-flying Sheffield United who moved above Wolverhampton Wanderers into the top six.

But the Blades will rightly argue it could have been so much better if either goal-line technology or the video assistant referee (VAR) had given a goal when Oliver Norwood's viscous in-swinging free-kick completely caught out Orjan Nyland.

The Norwegian Villa keeper misjudged the flight of the ball and fell into the side netting before recovering his footing so that he could hold the ball against the upright.

"I think the goalkeeper was in the Holte End when he caught it," fumed Blades boss Chris Wilder afterwards.

The Hawk-Eye system, however, failed to give the goal, with its inventors claiming that all seven of its cameras monitoring the goal were obscured by either the goalkeeper, a defender or the goalpost.

Referee Michael Oliver also failed to consult VAR over a decision which, even to the naked eye, looked like a clear and obvious error.

It was a complete mess all round, and so it had taken less than one half of football for controversy surrounding VAR and officiating to make its own inevitable return to the Premier League.

Manchester City won the later game against a bedraggled Arsenal side at a rain-soaked Etihad Stadium, with Gunners defender David Luiz at the centre of the action for all of the wrong reasons.

Entering the pitch as a substitute for the injured Pablo Mari in the 24th minute, the Brazilian defender allowed the ball to skip off his thigh in first half stoppage-time, letting in Raheem Sterling to score the first goal since the Premier League resumption.

Luiz then hauled down Riyad Mahrez to give away a penalty and was sent off. The suspension will mean he has played his final game for Arsenal unless he extends his deal.

The rest of the second half was largely played out like a training match until, late on, when Man City reduced themselves down to 10 men after goalkeeper Ederson collided heavily into defender Eric Garcia who had to be stretchered off.

In the opening action of the resulting 11 minutes of stoppage time, substitute Phil Foden made it 3-0 after fellow sub Sergio Aguero had hit the post.

And so Man City cut the gap to runaway leaders Liverpool to a mere 22 points with nine matches to play. 

The result last night means Liverpool cannot now win the title in the Merseyside derby against Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday - but it simply remains a matter of how long it will take the Reds to win a first title in 30 years.

In all, 90 matches remain to be played in the 2019-20 Premier League season, with 60 of these fixtures (see below) having now been given new set dates and kick-off times. 

A third of these 60 games will be broadcast free-to-air with those on Pick TV, Amazon Prime and the BBC (🔸) all available to a far wider audience than usual.

Indeed, Bournemouth v Crystal Palace on Saturday night will be the first time since the Premier League's inception in 1992 that a top-flight game is shown live on the BBC.

Meanwhile, the FA Cup will be played to a finish with the Final arranged for 1 August - and the Championship season will be completed in full from Saturday onwards.

However, the regular seasons in League One and League Two are already over after a majority of clubs in the bottom two divisions voted to decide the final placings on a points-per-game basis.

In League One, this led to Coventry City being declared champions with Rotherham United also promoted, and Tranmere Rovers, Southend United and Bolton Wanderers relegated.

In League Two, champions Swindon Town jumped above Crewe Alexandra in the final reckoning but Alex were also promoted along with Plymouth Argyle.

Bottom-placed Stevenage or Macclesfield Town will be relegated, pending a Football League decision over whether to deduct points against the latter for a third time following non-payment of players and staff.

Finally, in football terms, European club competitions will make their return throughout August with the Europa League Final in Köln on 21 August and the Champions League Final in Lisbon on 23 August.

And the new 2020-21 season has been tentatively pencilled in to begin, still behind closed doors, in mid-September.

Elsewhere, fears of a summer spent entirely without cricket have been allayed by the arrival of the West Indies squad ahead of their three-Test series which begins on 8 July. 

The matches will be played behind-closed-doors in Southampton and at Old Trafford in Manchester, both venues at which there are on-site hotels in which the two teams can be based. 

Meanwhile, Formula One has yet even to get off the start-line this year due to the pandemic with several races cancelled altogether, including the sport's blue-ribbon event in Monaco.

Thankfully, though, the FIA has now arranged a minimum calendar of eight Grand Prix, the number officially required to constitute a season - with the campaign beginning with back-to-back races on consecutive weekends at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. 

In August, there will also be consecutive Grand Prix at Silverstone - the second of which marks the 70th anniversary of the first ever round of the Formula One World Championship.

The European leg of the season is then set to close with visits to Barcelona, Spa and Monza - ahead of races elsewhere in autumn which are yet to be confirmed. 

Also yet to be scheduled is the conclusion of the Six Nations Championship, with four matches still outstanding - including the whole of the final round.

Of course, the presence of Italy in the Six Nations meant it was unavoidably among the first competitions to be affected. 

But little did we know back in March that the novel coronavirus COVID-19 would end up hitting still yet harder in the UK with the death toll here now standing at 42,288.

Undoubtedly, this is, at the very least in part, a consequence of the delayed lockdown and the well-publicised difficulties with procuring personal protective equipment and reliable testing supplies. 

Poor Government communications have not helped either - and the chaotic messaging from Prime Minister Boris Johnson was completely undermined in any case when his senior advisor Dominic Cummings drove from London to Durham and returned via Barnard Castle while he was ill.

Earlier, towards the start of the crisis, Health Secretary Matt Hancock called out footballers in particular, after some clubs furloughed non-playing staff without having looked at players' wages.

But Mr Hancock's comments appeared to be a convenient deflection tactic as no players had objected to contributing some of their wealth to help their clubs at a time when their finances are in peril. 

Indeed, one player notably has gone further and gone on to use his influence for the good of society as a whole.

Since the beginning of lockdown, Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford has helped raise £20m to help feed 400,000 children.

Rashford also launched a campaign to help the homeless, and learned sign language to judge a poetry event in a deaf school. 

Most prominently, though, this week the 22-year-old personally secured a Government u-turn on the extension of the free school meals programme for disadvantaged children during the summer holidays. Wythenshawe 1-0 Westminster.

Of course, England international Rashford's position as a prominent black UK sportsman has not gone unnoticed in this. 

His actions have come against the background of anti-racism protests which were sparked by the killing by American police of black man George Floyd during his arrest in Minneapolis.

The Black Lives Matter movement spread quickly outside of the United States around the world - including to the big cities in the UK. 

Perhaps the most notable incident here came, not in London but in Bristol, where the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was hauled down by protestors in an act which, far from being an attack on history, was history in the making.

On the football field, the BLM movement was marked by all of the players at Villa Park and the Etihad Stadium taking a knee, a form of protest which itself derives from athletes across the Atlantic.

Notably, the players kneeled after the whistle to signal the start of the matches meaning, in effect, the protest was the equivalent of a withdrawal of labour (i.e. strike action). 

It was another reminder that, while the sporting calendar has slowly started to regain a semblance of normality, for hundreds of thousands of people in the UK and millions around the globe, year 2020 will be remembered for a time when everything changed.

PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALL
June

Fri 19

6pm ▪️ Norwich City v Southampton ▪️ SkySports/Pick 🔸

8.15pm ▪️ Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United ▪️ SkySports
Sat 20
12.30pm ▪️ Watford v Leicester City ▪️ BT Sport
3pm ▪️ Brighton & Hove Albion v Arsenal ▪️ BT Sport
5.30pm ▪️ West Ham United v Wolverhampton Wanderers ▪️ SkySports
7.45pm ▪️ AFC Bournemouth v Crystal Palace ▪️ BBC 🔸
Sun 21
2pm ▪️ Newcastle United v Sheffield United ▪️ SkySports/Pick 🔸
4.15pm ▪️ Aston Villa v Chelsea ▪️ SkySports
7pm ▪️ Everton v Liverpool ▪️ SkySports/Pick 🔸
Mon 22
8pm ▪️ Manchester City v Burnley ▪️ SkySports
Tue 23
6pm ▪️ Leicester City v Brighton & Hove Albion ▪️ SkySports
8.15pm ▪️ Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United ▪️ SkySports
Wed 24
6pm ▪️ Manchester United v Sheffield United ▪️ SkySports/Pick 🔸
6pm ▪️ Newcastle United v Aston Villa ▪️ BT Sport
6pm ▪️ Norwich City v Everton ▪️ BBC 🔸
6pm ▪️ Wolverhampton Wanderers v AFC Bournemouth ▪️ BT Sport
8.15pm ▪️ Liverpool v Crystal Palace ▪️ SkySports
Thu 25
6pm ▪️ Burnley v Watford ▪️ SkySports/Pick 🔸
6pm ▪️ Southampton v Arsenal ▪️ SkySports
8.15pm ▪️ Chelsea v Manchester City ▪️ BT Sport
Sat 27
12.30pm ▪️ Aston Villa v Wolverhampton Wanderers ▪️ BT Sport
Sun 28
4.30pm ▪️ Watford v Southampton ▪️ SkySports/Pick 🔸
Mon 29
8pm ▪️ Crystal Palace v Burnley ▪️ Amazon Prime 🔸
Tue 30
8pm ▪️ Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester United ▪️ SkySports/Pick 🔸

July

Wed 1
6pm ▪️ Arsenal v Norwich City ▪️ BT Sport
6pm ▪️ AFC Bournemouth v Newcastle United ▪️ SkySports/Pick 🔸
6pm ▪️ Everton v Leicester City ▪️ SkySports
8.15pm ▪️ West Ham United v Chelsea ▪️ SkySports
Thu 2
6pm ▪️ Sheffield United v Tottenham Hotspur ▪️ SkySports

8.15pm ▪️ Manchester City v Liverpool ▪️ SkySports

Sat 4

12.30pm ▪️ Norwich City v Brighton & Hove Albion ▪️ BT Sport

3pm ▪️ Leicester City v Crystal Palace ▪️ SkySports/Pick 🔸

3pm ▪️ Manchester United v AFC Bournemouth ▪️ BT Sport

5.30pm ▪️ Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal ▪️ SkySports

7.45pm ▪️ Chelsea v Watford ▪️ SkySports

Sun 5

12pm ▪️ Burnley v Sheffield United ▪️ SkySports/Pick 🔸

2pm ▪️ Newcastle United v West Ham United ▪️ SkySports

4.30pm ▪️ Liverpool v Aston Villa ▪️ SkySports

7pm ▪️ Southampton v Manchester City ▪️ BBC 🔸

Mon 6

8pm ▪️ Tottenham Hotspur v Everton ▪️ SkySports

Tue 7

6pm ▪️ Crystal Palace v Chelsea ▪️ SkySports

6pm ▪️ Watford v Norwich City ▪️ SkySports/Pick 🔸

8.15pm ▪️ Arsenal v Leicester City ▪️ SkySports

Wed 8

6pm ▪️ Manchester City v Newcastle United ▪️ BT Sport

6pm ▪️ Sheffield United v Wolverhampton Wanderers ▪️ SkySports

6pm ▪️ West Ham United v Burnley ▪️ BT Sport

8.15pm ▪️ Brighton & Hove Albion v Liverpool ▪️ SkySports

Thu 9

6pm ▪️ AFC Bournemouth v Tottenham Hotspur ▪️ SkySports
6pm ▪️ Everton v Southampton ▪️ Amazon Prime 🔸

8.15pm ▪️ Aston Villa v Manchester United ▪️ SkySports

Sat 11

12.30pm ▪️ Norwich City v West Ham United ▪️ BT Sport
12.30pm ▪️ Watford v Newcastle United ▪️ Amazon Prime 🔸

3pm ▪️ Liverpool v Burnley ▪️ BT Sport

5.30pm ▪️ Sheffield United v Chelsea ▪️ SkySports

8pm ▪️ Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester City ▪️ SkySports

Sun 12
12pm ▪️ Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton ▪️ SkySports/Pick 🔸

2pm ▪️ Aston Villa v Crystal Palace ▪️ SkySports

4.30pm ▪️ Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal ▪️ SkySports

7pm ▪️ AFC Bournemouth v Leicester City ▪️ SkySports/Pick 🔸

Mon 13

8pm ▪️ Manchester United v Southampton ▪️ SkySports/Pick 🔸

Tue 14

8.15pm ▪️ Chelsea v Norwich City ▪️ SkySports

Wed 15

6pm ▪️ Burnley v Wolverhampton Wanderers ▪️ BBC 🔸

6pm ▪️ Manchester City v AFC Bournemouth ▪️ SkySports/Pick 🔸

6pm ▪️ Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur ▪️ BT Sport

8.15pm ▪️ Arsenal v Liverpool ▪️ SkySports

Thu 16

6pm ▪️ Everton v Aston Villa ▪️ SkySports

6pm ▪️ Leicester City v Sheffield United ▪️ SkySports/Pick 🔸

8.15pm ▪️ Crystal Palace v Manchester United ▪️ BT Sport

8.15pm ▪️ Southampton v Brighton & Hove Albion ▪️ BT Sport

Fri 17

8pm ▪️ West Ham United v Watford ▪️ SkySports

Sat 18

5.30pm ▪️ Norwich City v Burnley ▪️ SkySports/Pick 🔸
Sun 19

2pm ▪️ AFC Bournemouth v Southampton ▪️ BT Sport
4pm ▪️ Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City ▪️ SkySports

Mon 20

6pm ▪️ Brighton & Hove Albion v Newcastle United ▪️ SkySports/Pick 🔸
6pm ▪️ Sheffield United v Everton ▪️ Amazon 🔸
8.15pm ▪️ Wolverhampton Wanderers v Crystal Palace ▪️ BT Sport
Tue 21
6pm ▪️ Watford v Manchester City ▪️ SkySports
8.15pm ▪️ Aston Villa v Arsenal ▪️ SkySports

Wed 22
6pm ▪️ Manchester United v West Ham United ▪️ SkySports
8.15pm ▪️ Liverpool v Chelsea ▪️ SkySports

Sat 26
4pm ▪️ Arsenal v Watford ▪️ tbc
4pm ▪️ Burnley v Brighton & Hove Albion ▪️ tbc

4pm ▪️ Chelsea v Wolverhampton Wanderers ▪️ tbc
4pm ▪️ Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur ▪️ tbc

4pm ▪️ Everton v AFC Bournemouth ▪️ tbc
4pm ▪️ Leicester City v Manchester United ▪️ tbc

4pm ▪️ Manchester City v Norwich City ▪️ tbc
4pm ▪️ Newcastle United v Liverpool ▪️ tbc

4pm ▪️ Southampton v Sheffield United ▪️ tbc
4pm ▪️ West Ham United v Aston Villa ▪️ tbc

OTHER FOOTBALL DATES
June
20 Championship season restarts
27 FA Cup QF: Norwich City v Manchester United (5.30pm, BBC)
28 FA Cup QFs: Sheffield United v Arsenal (1pm, BT Sport); Leicester City v Chelsea (4pm, BT Sport); Newcastle United v Manchester City (6.30pm, BBC)
29 League Two playoff final
July
13 League One playoff final
18-19 FA Cup semi finals
21 Championship regular season ends
August
1 FA Cup Final

4 Championship playoff final

5-19 Champions League and Europa League matches

21 Europa League Final
23 Champions League Final
September
12 Proposed start of 2020/21 season

CRICKET
July
8 First Test ▪️ England v West Indies ▪️ Rose Bowl, Southampton
16 Second Test ▪️ England v West Indies ▪️ Old Trafford, Manchester
24 Third Test ▪️ England v West Indies ▪️ Old Trafford, Manchester

August
5 First Test ▪️ England v Pakistan ▪️ Old Trafford, Manchester
13 Second Test ▪️ England v Pakistan ▪️ Rose Bowl, Southampton
21 Third Test ▪️ England v Pakistan ▪️ Rose Bowl, Southampton

28 First T20I ▪️ England v Pakistan ▪️ Rose Bowl, Southampton
30 Second T20I ▪️ England v Pakistan ▪️ Rose Bowl, Southampton

September
1 Third T20I ▪️ England v Pakistan ▪️ Rose Bowl, Southampton

FORMULA ONE
July
5 Austrian GP ▪️ Red Bull Ring, Spielberg
12 Styrian GP ▪️ Red Bull Ring, Spielberg
19 Hungarian GP ▪️ Hungaroring, Mogyoród
August
2 British GP ▪️ Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone
9 70th Anniversary GP ▪️ Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone
16 Spanish GP ▪️ Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
30 Belgian GP ▪️ Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
September 
6 Italian GP ▪️ Autodromo Nazionale di Monza 

TENNIS GRAND SLAMS
August
31 US Open begins ▪️ Flushing Meadows, New York
September 
21 French Open begins ▪️ Roland Garros, Paris

GOLF MAJORS
August
6 PGA Championship ▪️ Harding Park, San Francisco, CA
September
17 US Open ▪️ Winged Foot, Mamaroneck, NY
25 Ryder Cup ▪️ Whistling Straits, Haven, WI
November
12 US Masters ▪️ Augusta National, GA

SNOOKER
July 
31 World Championships begin ▪️ The Crucible, Sheffield

Bairstow and Roy send England to the semis

CRICKET WORLD CUP

TEAM-BY-TEAM REVIEW

1 INDIA W 7 L 1 NR 1 NRR 0.809 Points 15

Coach Ravi Shastri (since July 2017)

Most runs Rohit Sharma (647)
Most wickets Jasprit Bumrah (17)

CWC19 results WWXWWWLWW

Group winners India made light work of the opening phase and, in the latter part of last month, regained their position at the top of the rankings. As such, it is no surprise that it is now India - and not England - who have now been installed as favourites for this World Cup. Predictably, the key to the Indians' success has been their rock-solid top three which easily overcame the tournament-ending thumb injury to Shikhar Dhawan who, nevertheless, had already registered a match-winning century against Australia. Altogether, Indian players scored seven centuries in their nine group stage matches - with a World Cup record of five compiled by the prolific Rohit Sharma alone. Opener Sharma is unsurprisingly the top scorer at this World Cup so far with 647 runs at an eye-watering average of 92.42 and it would be fair to say he has outshone even Virat Kohli who holds a still-highly respectable best score of 82 and average of 63.14. The frontline bowlers too have made an impact - Jasprit Bumrah has taken 17 wickets at a cost of just 19.52 each and Mohammed Shami has produced some fine demonstrations of exactly how to bowl against the tail at the death. And so, everything considered, it is frankly very difficult to see a suddenly woefully out-of-form New Zealand getting anywhere near to India in their match which, weather-permitting, is due to be played at Old Trafford tomorrow. Of course, the group match between the teams at Trent Bridge was itself a washout - but even a repeat of that rather undesirable outcome would still be enough to take India to a fourth World Cup Final. 

2 AUSTRALIA W 7 L 2 NR 0 NRR 0.868 Points 14

Coach Justin Langer (since May 2018)

Most runs David Warner (638)
Most wickets Mitchell Starc (26)

CWC19 results WWLWWWWWL

Five-time winners Australia were the first team to qualify for the semi finals all the way back on 25 June after beating England at Lord's - and their long wait for another truly meaningful game perhaps provides the reason why the Aussies took their eye off the ball against South Africa on Saturday, though only just by 10 runs. It is nevertheless a potentially costly defeat as it meant India unseated the Baggy Greens at the top of the table on the last day of the group phase. Australia now face a reinvigorated England in the semi finals on Thursday instead of a New Zealand team which seems to have completely lost its way. Meanwhile, the initial Aussie squad has also suffered from several injuries with Mitchell Marsh, Peter Handscomb and Matthew Wade called up to replace the stricken Marcus Stoinis, Shaun Marsh and Usman Khawaja respectively. Unsurprisingly, off-spinner Nathan Lyon has started the mind-games early by declaring England to be the favourites for the match - but really that would only clearly be the case if the injuries had been suffered by one of the openers or Mitchell Starc. Rather predictably, all three players have been the figureheads of this Aussie campaign - opening pair David Warner (638) and skipper Aaron Finch (507) are in second and fourth place in the run-scorers list, while Starc - with 26 wickets so far - needs just one more to have taken the most by a player at a single World Cup. Forget the defeat on Saturday then - knowing how to win a Cricket World Cup is part of the Australian DNA and this set of players is just as fearsome as their predecessors in the gold and green. 

3 ENGLAND W 6 L 3 NR 0 NRR 1.152 Points 12

Coach Trevor Bayliss (since May 2015)

Most runs Joe Root (500)
Most wickets Jofra Archer (17)

CWC19 results WLWWWLLWW

England captain Eoin Morgan was compelled to resort to cliché when asked to describe his side's performance during the group phase - but, in fairness to him, he could not really be faulted for referring to the last few weeks as like being on a rollercoaster. It had all looked rather more straightforward at the halfway stage, at which point a high-scoring defeat to Pakistan had been the only blip. Ben Stokes had taken an iconic catch in the opening game on the first day of the tournament against South Africa - while Morgan himself now holds the record for the most sixes in a single One-Day International after clearing the rope on 17 occasions against Afghanistan. But, when a shock defeat to Sri Lanka at Headingley was followed up by a worryingly facile reverse against Australia at Lord's, England hopes of a first semi final since 1992 were suddenly hanging by the thinnest of threads. Indeed, the wheels threatened to come off altogether when opener Jonny Bairstow became involved in a spat on social media with former captain Michael Vaughan. Bairstow claimed that he felt there were some observers who were just waiting for the team to fail - but, having finally been reunited with his previously hamstrung opening partner Jason Roy, the Yorkshireman blossomed with back-to-back centuries against India and New Zealand. 
True, matters were never quite out of the hands of the hosts - but, following their wobble, few people were expecting successive victories against two sides who England had failed to beat at a World Cup for 27 years. Certainly, the successes of the past week or so have gone a long way to restoring confidence to a team which, after all, came into the tournament ranked as the world number one. Bairstow looks far more comfortable at the top of the order with Roy instead of the far looser James Vince while Liam Plunkett has sensibly been restored to provide some threat in the middle overs with the ball. A note of caution, however, in that it should be noted that Morgan won both tosses in the last two games and opted to bat first with England having failed to chase on three separate occasions - and, of course, the coin will not always land in the hosts' favour.

4 NEW ZEALAND W 5 L 3 NR 1 NRR 0.175 Points 11

Coach Gary Stead (since August 2018)

Most runs Kane Williamson (481)
Most wickets Lockie Ferguson (17)

CWC19 results WWWXWWLLL

There or thereabouts, always there or thereabouts. New Zealand qualified for a fifth semi final in the last six World Cups and their eighth overall on the back of pretty typical results in which they beat the teams they would expect to beat and lost against or did not play some of the tougher opponents. Certainly now, though, the five successive wins either side of the washout against India at the start of the tournament feel an age away following three consecutive heavy defeats to Pakistan, Australia, and England. Meanwhile, some of the Black Caps' victories were far less comprehensive - Bangladesh were beaten by two wickets in the 48th over, South Africa were beaten in the 49th over and West Indies were beaten with an over to spare by just five runs. Undoubtedly then, New Zealand are comfortably the weakest of the four remaining teams with the ongoing struggles of openers Martin Guptill and Colin Munro exemplified by the ease with which the openers from the other three semi finalists are racking up the runs. On a more positive note, skipper and top scorer Kane Williamson has already shown in this tournament against South Africa that he is a genuine match winner, while a bowling attack boosted by the emergence of Lockie Ferguson alongside Trent Boult has enabled New Zealand to chase successfully on four occasions despite it having been far from the preferred option of any of the teams throughout the competition.

5 PAKISTAN W 5 L 3 NR 1 NRR -0.430 Points 11

Coach Mickey Arthur (since May 2016)

Most runs Babar Azam (474)
Most wickets Mohammad Amir (17)

CWC19 results LWXLLWWWW

Pakistan will feel hard-done by after reacting to their customary World Cup defeat to India by winning their last four matches, thereby drawing level with New Zealand on 11 points. Indeed, the Falcons beat the Black Caps, winning by six wickets on the back of a Babar Azam century, and also triumphed against South Africa, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh in their late surge. Earlier in the piece, Pakistan had shocked hosts England in a high-scoring thriller at Trent Bridge - and the campaign spookily mirrored the order of their results in 1992, an edition of the World Cup in which Imran Khan's Cornered Tigers were ultimately victorious. This time, however, the Pakistanis' late run was not enough - although elimination on net run-rate has proven controversial among the more paranoid Pakistan supporters - and even coach Mickey Arthur - who pointed out they would have progressed instead of New Zealand if their head-to-head record had been the tiebreaker. The rules, though, were clear before the start of the tournament - and so Pakistan only have themselves to blame for being ambushed so badly in their first game against a West Indies team which eventually finished ninth and for later chasing so timidly against rock-bottom Afghanistan. At least, Pakistan can still leave their long stay in England with several positives - in particular, youngsters Babar and Imam ul-Haq have shown plenty of promise at the top of the order while teenager Shaheen Afridi looks as if he could forge a fearsome strike partnership with the rehabilitated Mohammad Amir.

6 SRI LANKA W 3 L 4 NR 2 NRR -0.919 Points 8

Coach Chandika Hathurusingha (since December 2017)

Most runs Kusal Perera (273)
Most wickets Lasith Malinga (13)

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Like the girl with the curl right in the middle of her forehead, Sri Lanka were very good when they were good - but, when they were bad, they were horrid. For all their complaints about bowler-friendly pitches, poor facilities and accommodation, and a cramped team bus, the Lions actually performed better than expected for their midtable finish. However, they are also the classic definition of a team in transition. From their magnificent 20-run win over hosts and pre-tournament favourites England, the Sri Lankans - in their next game just seven days later - were comprehensively beaten by already-eliminated South Africa. Of course, still more changes are set to follow with star performer Lasith Malinga due to join the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Rangana Herath in retirement. Nevertheless, the rest of this team has done enough to put to bed a selection policy which has, in recent times, resembled a wildly-spinning revolving door. An exception, though, can surely be made for Niroshan Dickwella who showed his credentials on an 'A'-team tour of India played at the exact same time as he should have been in this squad. 

7 SOUTH AFRICA W 3 L 5 NR 1 NRR -0.030 Points 7

Coach Ottis Gibson (since August 2017)

Most runs Faf du Plessis (387)
Most wickets Chris Morris (13)

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South Africa headed to the World Cup in third place in the rankings but endured the sort of campaign which, in time, will no doubt produce a series of eye-opening accounts in the chapters of the autobiographies of some of these players. In fairness, the Proteas were given a tough fixtures draw with hosts England in their opening match and powerhouses India in their third game. But defeat to Bangladesh in between and a washout in the fourth fixture against West Indies effectively left South Africa needing to win all of their remaining matches from then on. Certainly, their cause was not helped when a flare-up of a long-standing shoulder injury to strike bowler Dale Steyn ruled him out of the tournament without him having made a single appearance. Meanwhile, fellow fast-bowler Lungi Ngidi struggled early on with a hamstring strain and opener Hashim Amla looked a shadow of his former self with the bat. But, just as it looked as if Ottis Gibson's men were heading out limply and not in their usual tragicomic manner, South Africa became involved in the best tussle of the tournament against New Zealand. As ever, the Proteas should have won but did not - as they failed to review a not-given caught-behind against Kane Williamson which he had hit with the toe-end of the bat. Kiwi skipper Williamson went on to make a match-winning unbeaten 106 as the Black Caps scrambled to victory with three balls to spare - and so, South Africa were mathematically out with three matches to spare. With the pressure off, the South Africans belatedly showed their worth by strolling to a nine-wicket win over Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street before narrowly defending a score of 325 against Australia at Old Trafford. In the latter, skipper Faf du Plessis scored the only century by a South African at this World Cup while Rassie van der Dussen grafted hard for his 95. Altogether, though, it was much too little, too late. 

8 BANGLADESH W 3 L 5 NR 1 NRR -0.410 Points 7

Coach Steve Rhodes (since June 2018)

Most runs Shakib Al Hasan (606)
Most wickets Mustafizur Rahman (20)

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Only three men have scored more than 600 runs at this World Cup and only eight men have taken a five-for - but only one player is on both of those lists: Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh. Certainly then Shakib has enhanced his standing as one of the world's best all-rounders - and he was also backed up effectively by his skipper Mustafizur Rahman who took two five-fors himself against India and Pakistan in a haul of 20 wickets. This is a total bettered only by Mitchell Starc - yet there was precious little else from the Tigers at this tournament - and the win for South Africa over Australia in the last group match consigned the Bangladeshis to a place in the bottom three. Undoubtedly, Bangladesh can expect to be more competitive at the next World Cup in 2023 which, on Asian soil, will play to their strengths - but, regardless, they will need altogether far greater depth than they have currently to put up a more serious challenge than this for a place in the top four. 

9 WEST INDIES W 2 L 6 NR 1 NRR -0.225 Points 5

Coach Floyd Reifer (since April 2019)

Most runs Nicholas Pooran (367)
Most wickets Sheldon Cottrell (12)

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It was difficult to know what to make of West Indies in the run-up to the World Cup and it is still difficult to know what to make of them now. First, of course, it must be remembered that the Windies had been - somewhat humiliatingly - forced to qualify for a tournament which they had dominated in its embryonic years - and yet, just before this campaign, Jason Holder's men deservedly drew 2-2 against the then-world number one team England. At the World Cup itself, West Indies simply could not have started any better as they bowled Pakistan out for 105 and won by seven wickets in their first game. However, six consecutive defeats either side of a washout against South Africa left West Indies without any sort of chance of a respectable place in the group phase. The narrow win in the last match against rock-bottom Afghanistan will be considered as little more than the most minor consolation for the men from the Caribbean - although things would have definitely looked rosier if West Indies had got over the line against in similarly tight finishes against either or both of Australia and New Zealand. Still, the fact they did not take either match rather belied a lack of confidence which comes from winning games so rarely - and recently-appointed coach Floyd Reifer has much work to do to rebuild this in the wake of this ninth-placed finish and the impending retirement of talisman Chris Gayle.

10 AFGHANISTAN W 0 L 9 NR 0 NRR -1.322 Points 0

Coach Phil Simmons (since December 2017)

Most runs Rahmat Shah (254)
Most wickets Mohammad Nabi (10)

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Played nine, lost nine - it is hardly an unsurprising result for Afghanistan considering they were facing all of the teams currently ranked above them. Indeed, the outsiders went close against some of their more illustrious opponents, losing to India by just 11 runs before pushing Pakistan into the last over in one of the most remarkable matches of the World Cup. At the same time, though, it is equally true that the Afghans failed to maximise their chances due to some horrific decision-making, both before and during the tournament. In the run-up, Asghar Afghan was sacked as captain and replaced by Gulbadin Naib and then, just two matches into the campaign, the best player in the team - Mohammad Shahzad - was sent home, accused of being unfit. New captain Gulbadin took it upon himself to be a jack of all trades and master of none as he opened the batting and took on some of the most important overs with the ball, not least against Pakistan. However, nothing summed up his World Cup more than him ducking out of the way of a catch in the final group game against West Indies. At least, during that match, there was a spirited 86 from teenage wicketkeeper Ikram Alikhil, the best score by any Afghani player in the tournament. Afghanistan have now reached a critical juncture in their development as a team - and, to compete at the top level, they need better selection from their administrators which brings through more of the likes of Ikram and surely less of Gulbadin.