England struggle to build momentum

Virender Sehwag slammed a stroke-filled 57-balls 69 to take India to 166 for four in 22 overs in the rain-curtailed fourth One-Day International against England, setting the tourists a tough task of getting 198 runs for victory (on Duckworth-Lewis Method) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Sunday.

Sehwag, who hit a superb half-century, was in terrific form and treated the English bowlers with disdain slamming nine fours and three sixes before being caught by James Anderson on the long-on boundary off spinner Graeme Swann.

The dashing Delhi opener added 79 runs off 62 balls for the second wicket with Gautam Gambhir, who was dropped down to number three to accommodate Sachin Tendulkar to open the batting with Sehwag.

After the game was reduced to a 22-overs-a-side contest due to rain interruption twice, India resumed play at 106-1 in 17 overs. Hence with the overs running out for the hosts, Sehwag and Gambhir went for runs. But soon both fell while trying to accelerate.

Gambhir held out to Anderson at long-on off Swann for 40, which came off 37 balls with seven hits to the fence.

Man-in-form Yuvraj Singh and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni then resorted to some lusty hitting to try and take India to a fighting total before the later was bowled by Samit Patel for nine.

Yuvraj remained not out on 25 off 11 balls with three sixes while Yusuf Pathan hit the only ball he faced off Patel for a six to post a competitive total.

Vettori made the difference

Bangladesh came close to clinching their first Test victory against New Zealand but, despite being in control for the majority of the match, the hosts slipped to defeat by three wickets in Chittagong. Mohammad Ashraful, the Bangladesh captain, said that his team played "really well" but added that New Zealand's ability to avoid their first-innings mistakes made the difference during their chase of 317.

"We had a pretty good chance of winning and, on an individual level, I thought Shakib Al Hasan bowled and batted wonderfully well, Mushfiqur Rahim made runs in both innings and Tamim Iqbal got starts in both innings," Ashraful said. "The difference between the two sides was Daniel Vettori who was brilliant with the bat and ball. Also they [New Zealand] planned their second innings really well and did not repeat the mistakes they did in the first innings."

Unlike his counterpart Vettori, who took nine wickets and scored two vital half-centuries, Ashraful had a poor match, scoring 2 and 0, and fell to Vettori in both innings. "I have played match-winning knocks in most of Bangladesh's big wins in one-day cricket but it hasn't happened for me in Tests yet. I tried my best but wasn't successful," Ashraful said. "There is another Test in this series and I will continue to try and hopefully it will happen in the future.

New Zealand began the day needing 172 to win with eight wickets in hand. At one stage they needed 101 with only five wickets remaining but Vettori steered his team home with a calm 76. Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, felt that the visitors had "learned their lessons pretty well" after being dismissed for 171 in the first innings.

"They [New Zealand] planned well, didn't play any unnecessary shots and made us [work] for every wicket," Siddons said. "They batted with discipline and didn't give us any chances. Hopefully our guys can learn a bit from that, especially our top-order.

"Having outbatted them and bowled so well in the first innings makes me happy. Everything's looking good with young guys like Mehrab [Hossain jr] and Shakib, and we'll get Ashraful and Zunaed (Siddique) to play well. I need all the guys to play well in the one game but at the moment we are a little inconsistent."

Siddons praised left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak's performance in the second innings. Razzak bowled 50 overs and took 3 for 93. "He tied up an end beautifully for us and bowled at two an over," Siddons said. "He stretched the game out which you have to do when you have 300 on the board. He made them work very hard for their runs. He got a couple of wickets but we didn't quite get enough from the other end."

Siddons hoped that his team would be able to catch New Zealand "on the hop" in Dhaka where the pitch "stays low and plays tricks". The second Test begins on October 25 at the Shere-e-Bangla Stadium.

Mushtaq 'uncertain' about England offer

England's head coach Peter Moores who has close ties with former Pakistani leg-break bowler Mushtaq Ahmed from their time together at Sussex, believes the Pakistani can play an important role for England.

However, the 39-year-old Mushie, as affectionately he is being called, is unceretain about accepting the offer. "I am yet to decide on the issue," he said from Hyderabad where he is on an ICL assignment.

"The offer had not directly come from the coach. Only it came through my agent. Coach (Peter Moores) had just expressed passing remarks about myself."

The leg-spinner with googlies aplenty, Mushtaq Ahmed is styled on his hero Abdul Qadir. However, he will decide about England spin coach offer only after the battle between BCCI and ICL is resolved.

"I am more inclined to be associated with the Pakistani team (rather than England)," he stressed. His services were utilised by the former PCB bosses.

In fact his services were declined once by Dr. Nasim Ashraf when he was about to board a flight to India. "I was not allowed to come with the team at that time," Mushtaq recalled. "But once Nasim Ashraf realised about my dedication towards work, I was again assisting the Pakistani team."

Mushtaq Ahmed was a member of the supporting staff to the Pakistan squad for the last World Cup in West Indies, where coach Bob Woolmer lost his life.

ECB must take the call on Pakistan - Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen, the England batsman, has asked the ECB to take the call on sending a team to Pakistan instead of leaving the players to decide on touring the country in September for the Champions Trophy.

"The ECB are coming together on August 3 or 4, having spoken to [chief executive] David Collier this morning, and he reassured me that the decision will probably be taken out of the players' hands, which is great," Pietersen told AFP. "I really hope the players don't have to take the lead, to be totally honest. But I don't know, we'll see the outcome of that meeting, whatever the decision is."

While stating his concerns, Pietersen believes players shouldn't be forced to travel to Pakistan. "I've definitely got reservations - 100% - about going to Pakistan," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "I don't think pressure should be put on any individual, especially when you realise your life could be at risk."

Meanwhile, responding to suggestions that players and even teams may pull out of the tournament, Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, said, "We cannot force players to attend. All we can do is make them confident about the measures taken in regard to safety and security and on that basis hope they participate." Lorgat said this was the reason why the ICC was "putting together a task team inviting all the main stakeholders including FICA [Federation of International Cricketers' Associations], so the process is inclusive".

"We won't speculate on teams not taking part or any action if that did occur. There was no indication that would happen during the telephone hook-up of ICC directors on Thursday." The boards of Australia, England and New Zealand were believed to be against holding the tournament in the country, and player representatives from Australia and New Zealand have criticised the move to go ahead with the tournament in Pakistan. The Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) echoed the sentiments of their counterparts.

Taylor goes against the mould

Most of New Zealand's cricket so far on this tour has been described as 'grafting' and 'workmanlike', an assessment that even coach John Bracewell didn't disagree with. There is nothing of either word in the way that Ross Taylor bats; 'flamboyant' and 'adventurous' would probably work better.

Taylor was one of five New Zealand players to spend time at the Indian Premier League, before joining up with his team-mates two weeks into the England tour. While he was in India he spent time chatting with Rahul Dravid and Shivnarine Chanderpaul about the skills needed to succeed in England. He clearly didn't listen too much, because it's highly unlikely that either of them would have suggested trying to belt the cover off the ball.

Both toured England last year with West Indies and India. While Chanderpaul enjoyed a prolific time, making 446 runs at 148.66 in three Tests, he never threatened to tear an attack apart in the manner Taylor did during his third fifty, which took 42 balls. Meanwhile, Dravid's final Test innings on India's tour was a tortuous 96-ball 12 at The Oval. Taylor's second Test century took only 34 more deliveries.

However, there has been a noticeable evolution in Taylor's batting during the few days between Lord's and Old Trafford. His strike-rate for the Bangalore Royal Challengers was 183.95 and he began this tour unable to rein in his attacking mindset at the beginning of an innings. The warm-up matches were characterised by flashy dismissals after a couple of attractive boundaries, then at Lord's in the first innings he tried to pull a good length ball from Stuart Broad, and only managed to top edge to second slip.

"I was very disappointed with the way I got out," he said in his Cricinfo diary. "I was a little nervous when I walked out to bat, but playing across the line as I did to a shorter ball from Stuart Broad was not part of my game plan. Test cricket has its own special tempo and I was too rushed. I'll learn from that, as I do each time I bat in Test cricket." And learn he certainly has.

"I played straighter, that's the game plan I took out there," he said after Daniel Vettori's two late strikes left New Zealand in control. "I know if they bowl in other areas that, if I have a base of playing straight, my natural instincts will take over. A lot of people probably thought I was nervous at Lord's, but no more so than playing at another other ground. I just felt a little bit out of sorts, but I've work hard over the last few days and it made me feel a lot more relaxed."

Taylor is a naturally attacking batsman and there will always be an element of risk to his play. It is how he manages those risks that will determine how successful he becomes. The fact that he appears to be a quick learner will help his cause no end, but it is also a good sign that, even with a couple of failures behind him, he had the confidence to continue is own game.

England could easily have run all over New Zealand on the opening day, but Taylor's counter-attack redressed the balance almost before the home side could think they'd gained control. On the second morning the challenge was slightly different, consolidate and try to carry the game away from them. The loss of two team-mates to run outs didn't help, but by the time he was joined by the bowlers he was seeing the ball so well.

There was a hint of Nathan Astle and a sprinkle of Chris Cairns - not bad role models for an aggressive middle-order batsman - in the way he carved up England's bowlers in the later stages on his innings. It was one-day cricket - "The IPL helped me with those last 20 to 30 runs," Taylor said - and England needed to respond with some one-day style bowling. However, it's difficult to remember a single yorker that was attempted and Taylor was quite happy to swat length into the stands.

Andrew Strauss, who made a 60 that would have suited the grafting description, preferred to praise Taylor rather than suggest it was England's shortcomings that played a part. "Sometimes you have to give credit to the opposition and when someone doesn't allow bowlers to settle," he said. "As a bowler you feel like you have a chance against people like that, but if they get in and get on top it's hard to stem the flow of runs. I thought he played exceptionally well and you have to take your hat off to him."

Taylor has only played Tests against two nations; South Africa and England. He was found out by the bouncy pitches in Johannesburg and Centurion Park, but here the short ball was easily dispatched. He has formed a liking to English bowlers over the last few months. The series in New Zealand brought 310 runs at 51.66, including his maiden Test century at Hamilton. That was a rather more prosaic innings, taking 185 balls to today's 130, but Taylor said the memories of that first hundred helped today after he got stalled in the 90s.

"I think I probably batted better in this game and also the game situation it makes it a little bit better as well. I think most batsmen, unless you have 20-30 hundreds, will be nervous but I think I'd have been a lot more nervous if I hadn't already got one."

The list of top-order batsman New Zealand have lost in recent times shows the talent that has disappeared; Astle, Craig McMillan, Stephen Fleming and Scott Styris to name four. It hasn't proved easy trying to find suitable replacements, but in Taylor they have someone with a long career in front of them and he is certainly more then the grafter.

ECB praises IPL as comparable to Rugby World Cup

England and Wales Cricket Board has been left astonished by the BCCI-promoted Indian Premier League's success and is comparing the billion-dollar Twenty20 extravaganza in scope and scale to the Rugby World Cup.

Chairman Giles Clarke, who witnessed the initial rounds of the IPL spectacle with his CEO David Collier, told the ECB's AGM at Lord's, in London, on Tuesday that his admiration for what has been achieved by the Sharad Pawar-headed BCCI is huge.

"You will be aware that in recent weeks David Collier, our outstanding Chief Executive, and I have been to India to witness, at first hand, the Indian Premier League. Our admiration for what has been achieved is immense," he said.

"It was, as the Indians say, a great tamasha. There was light, glitz, glamour and music. We must congratulate them on establishing a tournament which has the same scope and scale which can be compared to the Rugby World Cup", he told the members of the ECB, according to a media release.

"Those who were in Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai will talk of a great spectacle and a great show," he added.

Clarke also said that his trip to India has helped in "forging great personal relationships with our great friends from the BCCI".

These relationships, according to Clarke, had allowed him to return home with a clear mandate for the Champions League

"I am personally delighted that the excellent relations we have with the BCCI and Cricket Australia have made this possible," he explained.

Significantly ECB's response has come at a time when no top English player is playing in the IPL due to a clash with its own county cricket programme.

Sri Lanka bat as Bopara debuts

Sri Lanka have had time to regroup after their problems in Australia, while England have acclimatised to the energy-sapping conditions which will test them in three weeks. Now the two teams can face-off in an eagerly anticipated contest, at the picturesque Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy, as they both try to lay a sustained claim to being the best of the rest in Test cricket.

The home side struck the first significant blow when Mahela Jayawardene called correctly at the toss, and had decided to bat almost before the two captains shook hands. Michael Vaughan played it typically cool - "If you look at the stats sides have done well bowling first" - but admitted he would have "loved" to have batted first.

Four years ago England clung on for a draw on this ground with Vaughan, one of their two survivors from the game alongside Paul Collingwood, making a 333-ball 105 over the final two days. Sri Lanka have five players from that game, including Chaminda Vaas who plays his 100th Test after being dropped at Hobart against Australia, and Muttiah Muralitharan who is on the brink of Shane Warne's record on his home ground. The locals are certainly confident; the posters are already up and the fireworks primed for when the milestone is passed.

Sri Lanka's side is as expected with Dilhara Fernando retaining his spot ahead of the legspinner Malinga Bandara. The pitch is dry, but not so much as to warrant two specialist spinners. However, with Sanath Jayasuriya's underrated left-arm darts to call upon Jayawardene has extra options should the surface start to break up later in the game.

England's team was shrouded in secrecy during the build-up, but the final decision revealed a debut for Ravi Bopara at No. 6 - ahead of the unlucky Owais Shah - and the safety-first option of James Anderson to complete the fast-bowling trio alongside Ryan Sidebottom and Matthew Hoggard. Steve Harmison steamed in during the final net sessions, but it wasn't enough to allay fears that he could go AWOL at the crunch moment.

This series should be a compelling battle between two well-matched sides, but with three Tests it's vital to make the early running. The forays on this opening morning could set the tone for the next few weeks.

Sri Lanka 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Michael Vandort, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 5 Chamara Silva, 6 Jehan Mubarak, 7 Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 8 Chaminda Vaas, 9 Dilhara Fernando, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan

England 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Michael Vaughan (capt), 3 Ian Bell, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Ryan Sidebottom, 9 Matthew Hoggard, 10 Monty Panesar, 11 James Anderson

Vaughan keeps his cards close

England's team selection remains a closely guarded secret ahead of the first Test at Kandy, as Michael Vaughan weighs up his options on a wicket that, with 24 hours to go until the start of the match, already looks barer and drier than either of the captains had envisaged. Although Vaughan said that he was pretty clear in his own mind as to what the final composition would be, he refused to rule out any options, not even the inclusion of a second spinner in Graeme Swann.

"It's been a difficult decision," said Vaughan. "We came to the ground yesterday to see a wicket that's very green, and we've come to the ground today and found it's changed a fair bit. We've had a couple of long meetings about the final eleven, which proves we've got players in the squad who are pushing for places. It's been a hard decision but we're clearer about it now."

Kandy has long been earmarked as England's best opportunity for a victory in this series, given the cooler hilly conditions and the propensity for swing and seam, and Vaughan insisted that England were committed to selecting a side that would give them the best chance of taking 20 wickets in the match. On the subject of Swann's inclusion, he offered an enigmatic "maybe", and made light of the fact that he barely featured in England's two warm-ups.

"I think you can make too much of the warm-ups," said Vaughan. "A lot of the guys have just been on the one-day [tour], and so we all feel mentally ready and in good touch. It's just a matter of trying to groove those skills and make sure our mentality is right for Test match cricket. We need to work on our plans and strategies against all their unorthodox players."

The one man who does seem likely to sit out, despite another whole-hearted net session, is Steve Harmison, whose prospects have been in jeopardy ever since he suffered a back spasm during England's warm-up in Colombo last week. "He's available, and he bowled a hell of a lot yesterday," said Vaughan. "But it would be a slight risk as we saw him walk off having bowled ten or eleven overs in the last game.

"I think the pitch offered a bit more for the quicks yesterday," said Vaughan, as he added a further reason for Harmison's probable omission. "If you bowl well on any wicket, as a good seam bowler you can get something out of it. But I think looking at that pitch you're going to have to have all your skills available, and be very controlled. I guess that's one of the reasons why we've come to the eleven we have."

James Anderson, who was again lively in practice, has pushed his way up the pecking order since recovering from a bruised left ankle, and is the favourite to join Matthew Hoggard, Ryan Sidebottom and Monty Panesar in a four-man attack. There is a chance of a fifth bowling option if Ravi Bopara is handed a chance to make his debut at No. 6, but England seem wary of his inexperience in a top-order that - given the weakness of the lower order - simply has to fire first-time.

England secure warm-up win

Kevin Pietersen produced his first half-century of the tour and Alastair Cook continued his recent good form, as England wrapped up a morale-boosting victory over the Sri Lanka Board President's XI at Colombo. The pair combined in a third-wicket stand of 55, making 59 and 58 respectively, before Owais Shah and Matt Prior sealed the victory with a flurry of boundaries shortly after tea.

After their first-innings aberration, in which they lost three top-order wickets in six overs, England's batsmen seemed keen to make amends. Michael Vaughan, who fell for a duck first time around, made a brisk and stylish start, cracking four fours in his 32-ball 28, as England added 50 for the first wicket in only ten overs.

But Vaughan then suffered a lapse in concentration when the part-time medium-pacer Jehan Mubarak entered the attack - he steered his first delivery to Tillakaratne Dilshan in the gully. Ian Bell followed soon afterwards, completing a poor match by scooping Dilshan to deep mid-on for 6, and at 74 for 2 England were in danger of squandering a good start.

Cook, however, remained composed and was joined in the middle by Pietersen, who was unbeaten on 10 from 22 balls at lunch. After the interval, he began to find his timing and moments after Cook had brought up his half-century from 96 balls, Pietersen went down on one knee to reverse-sweep Dilshan for six.

Cook fell lbw to Mubarak as he missed a sweep for the second time in the match, and Pietersen didn't last much longer. He reached for a cut off Chamara Kapugedera and snicked a thin under-edge through to the keeper. That left Bopara and Shah in tandem, and each man produced some polished strokeplay - including a straight six for Bopara off Mubarak - as they attempted to force their way into the Test reckoning.

England enjoy valuable work-out

Scorecard

England's batsmen enjoyed a serene afternoon of batting practice as their opening warm-up match against a Sri Lanka Board President's XI meandered to a predictable draw. Of the eight batsmen who made it to the crease, only Kevin Pietersen missed out on some valuable time in the middle. Nuwan Kulasekara surprised him with some unexpected bounce, and Chamara Kapugedera claimed a simple catch in the gully.

With just one more game to come before the first Test at Kandy, England's innings contained four retirements and just one other wicket, that of Michael Vaughan, who played across the line to a quicker delivery from the legspinner Malinga Bandara, and was given out lbw for 38. Up until that point, Vaughan had looked in fine touch, as he and Alastair Cook launched their new opening partnership with a 77-run stand for the first wicket.

In a possible sign of things to come, it was the younger man Cook who faced the first over from Nuwan Kulasekara - a significant development because, remarkably, neither he nor Vaughan, who was Marcus Trescothick's regular opening partner from 2002 to 2004, have ever taken first strike in a Test match.

Vaughan's last stint as an England opener came in a one-off scenario in Lahore in 2005-06, when Andrew Strauss flew home for paternity leave, and Cook made his debut in England's next Test at Nagpur three months later. The new circumstances didn't faze either player, however, and Vaughan looked especially fluent with seven fours coming from his favoured pulls and cover drives.

Cook eased to his fifty from 80 deliveries in a measured innings that included seven fours - the pick of which was a firm cover drive off Kulasekara. England went to lunch on 130 for 1, whereupon Cook became the first of England's retirees. Pietersen replaced him after the break, but had time to face just 14 deliveries before Kulasekara squared him up with the ball of the day.

Ian Bell, in his customary manner, took his time to assess the conditions, but once set he started to unfurl his full range of strokes including a sweetly struck six over long-off, off the bowling of the slow left-armer Rangana Herath. He made 49 from 98 balls before making way for Owais Shah, and 12 overs later, Paul Collingwood - who was dropped at gully on 26 - retired on 52 from 69 balls, having signalled his satisfaction by heaving Bandara for consecutive sixes over midwicket.

Shah and Ravi Bopara, two batsmen who are effectively competing for the same No. 6 position, then carried England to tea, although Shah was lucky not to be caught at deep midwicket as he clipped loosely at Herath. Thereafter the pair became somewhat entrenched as each strived not to be outdone by the other, and England's run-rate - though inconsequential - slowed appreciably.

Shah was eventually called back to the marquee having made 38 from 75 balls with three fours, and though the rains threatened after tea they held off for the first time in the match, which allowed Matt Prior to join Bopara and see England through to the close. All in all there was little to guage from the batting performance, but England will be all the better prepared after an arduous three days' work.