Cricket

Zimbabwe gathers ICC vote support

2008-06-30T15:33:00.001+01:00

The UK government wants cricket to take a hard line against Zimbabwe
Support for Zimbabwe appears to be growing in the sub-continent ahead of this week's International Cricket Council meeting in Dubai.
The England and Wales Cricket Board has already stated it will not host a tour by Zimbabwe next year.
And Cricket South Africa has also cut its ties with Zimbabwe because of the political situation in the country.
But India and Pakistan have indicated they will not support any move to expel Zimbabwe from the ICC.
"There is no reason to remove Zimbabwe," said Niranjan Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
"We understand England's position because their government wants Zimbabwe out but we will back Zimbabwe to stay in the ICC."

The Pakistan Cricket Board, meanwhile, has made it clear that it will send its A team on a tour to Zimbabwe in August as scheduled, irrespective of any action taken by the ICC, who have a board meeting on Wednesday and Thursday.
And the Press Trust of India has quoted a PCB spokesman as saying: "We don't think Zimbabwe cricket should face penalties because of political issues in that country. We will not support any sanctions."
Seven of the 10 full ICC members would have to vote in favour of expulsion for such a proposal to go through - and Zimbabwe itself is one of the 10.
If India and Pakistan line up alongside them, it would only require one more vote in Zimbabwe's favour for the proposal to be defeated.
If, however, Zimbabwe Cricket retains its full member status, England's hopes of hosting next year's ICC World Twenty20 tournament could be put in jeopardy.
Although the ICC would not take punitive action against the ECB for preventing Zimbabwe touring in the light of a formal government instruction, refusal to allow a full member to take part in the World Twenty20 could result in the tournament being moved elsewhere.
Such a move would be a huge financial blow to the ECB, with huge crowds expected at the three grounds chosen to host matches. The tournament schedule has already been published and tickets went on sale at 1000 BST on Monday.
The UK government will reassess the situation if the ICC insists that Zimbabwe play in the World Twenty20 but is holding a firm line in its calls for a boycott because of the close links between Zimbabwe Cricket and the regime of president Robert Mugabe.
Culture secretary Andy Burnham told BBC Five Live's Sportsweek: "The first step is we'll meet the ECB, listen to their report back of the meeting and consider the arguments.
"If we haven't held sway we would listen to the arguments of the other ICC members but our position is completely clear.
"We think, in the current circumstances in Zimbabwe, it isn't right for any tour to take place."
However, he added: "I would not want to be in a position of overruling a governing body in sport. I vigorously defend the independence of our sporting bodies and will always to that."

ECB chief opposes franchise plans

2008-04-29T19:40:00.000+01:00

Giles Clarke feels the 18 first-class counties should remain
ECB chairman Giles Clarke has revealed he is strongly opposed to any plans to merge the 18 first-class counties into a smaller number of "city franchises".
The option has been put forward by the Professional Cricketers' Association as an answer to the Indian Premier League.
But Clarke said: "Franchise sport has simply never worked in the UK.
"Tradition and history rather than Bollywood stars and glitz are what persuade supporters to return week in, week out, to our grounds."
Speaking at the ECB's AGM on Wednesday, Clarke said his vision of an English Premier League would be based on the traditional model rather than new teams.
PCA chief executive Sean Morris said in an interview last Friday: "When you look at the broadcasting deal that will drive it, and for sponsorship partners and for fans, does playing 18 teams really stack up?"
I hope to give more details in the days and weeks ahead, but I can guarantee that everyone in the game - from playground to Test arena - will benefit
Giles Clarke
But Clarke refuted the concept of a slimmer league structure along the lines of the IPL, which features eight teams.
He said "Some of the ideas spouted in the media have been frankly ludicrous.
"Can you, I was asked by a leading television executive, imagine cricket lovers rushing down St John's Wood Road to see a franchise called Vodafone Team London owned by an ageing rock star?
"There has never yet been a successful Team London in any sport and nor is there likely to be any support for a Team Manchester or Team Leeds from traditional areas of rivalry such as Liverpool or Sheffield.
"When ECB launched their own Twenty20 Cup it was on the back of extensive spectator research and financial analysis.
"This is an exercise we will repeat before launching any new competition because we have said this tournament must be robust, spectator-friendly and economically sustainable."

Some of the individual counties' chief executives and chairmen favour a smaller number of teams, while others agree with Clarke.
American billionaire Sir Allen Stanford told BBC Sport last Thursday he was ready to invest heavily in an English version of the IPL, which he felt could be worth as much as £500m.
Clarke said: "I thank Sir Allen for his interest in cricket in England and Wales, and most of all I thank him for believing the ECB is the right vehicle through which to expand his patronage in cricket.
"I hope to give more details in the days and weeks ahead, but I can guarantee that everyone in the game - from playground to Test arena - will benefit from this deal."
The issue of sledging in modern-day cricket was also addressed by Clarke, who warned Test players must be role models.
He did not rule out the use of yellow cards "for repeat offences of sledges" in amateur cricket.

Flintoff hit by fresh ankle worry

2007-09-02T10:04:00.000+01:00

Flintoff has only just returned to action after a knee problemEngland all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is to see a specialist after suffering fresh problems with his left ankle.
He missed Sunday's one-day game against India at Headingley, but England hope he will rejoin the squad in time for the match at The Oval on Wednesday.
Flintoff underwent a third operation earlier this year.
But he experienced further discomfort following last Thursday's win over India at Old Trafford, having missed the previous game with a sore knee.
A team spokesman insisted on Saturday, however, that the two problems were unrelated.

India thwarted by Bresnan century

2007-07-13T21:48:00.000+01:00

Bresnan played a variety of shots in his chanceless centuryA superb unbeaten 116 from Yorkshire all-rounder Tim Bresnan guided England Lions to 379-8 after the opening day of the tour game with India at Chelmsford.
The 22-year-old hit 15 fours and a six in his second first-class century.
He shared 129 in 31 overs with Stuart Broad, who added 50 to halt a slide in which three wickets fell for 11 runs.
After skipper Andrew Strauss was clean bowled for one by Zaheer Khan in the fifth over, Kent opener Joe Denly made an impressive 83 containing 16 fours.
Strauss won the toss and elected to bat in cloudy conditions, on a ground where Essex and Nottinghamshire accumulated almost 1500 runs in two innings in the last match.
India were led by Sachin Tendulkar with Test captain Rahul Dravid rested due to a calf injury.
Strauss looked out of sorts from the start, however, and just a single from 17 balls before his off-stump was sent spiralling out of the ground did little for his confidence ahead of the first Test against the tourists starting at Lord's on 19 July.
Shah, who enjoyed a successful return to England's one-day side against the West Indies, hit two fours in his 11, but he went at a short ball from Shantha Sreesanth and found the hands of Zaheer running around at fine-leg.

Strauss failed to shake off his poor run of form
Playing in just his 13th first-class match, Denly caught the eye with some attractive drives, smashing five boundaries in a single over from Zaheer.
The 21-year-old Kent opener took just 49 balls to reach his half-century and continued to make hay with 76 runs in the morning session.
South-African born Warwickshire batsman Jonathan Trott, who made his England debut against the West Indies in the recent Twenty20 series, played a more reserved innings in support and reached 25 by lunch.
Denly was not so fluent after the interval, with the introduction of Ramesh Powar's spin, and a charge down the wicket saw him comfortably stumped by Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Zaheer then found his rhythm and tempted Trott into driving at a ball outside off-stump, the edge caught at waist height by Sourav Ganguly at first slip.
Two wickets then fell in six deliveries as India looked to wrap up the innings.
First wicket-keeper Tim Ambrose (4) got a feather of a top-edge trying to drive Zaheer square, the catch taken by Dhoni, then Yorkshire teenager Adil Rashid offered Powar an easy return catch without scoring.
Essex all-rounder Ravi Bopara helped to rescue the situation with Bresnan, who launched Powar for the only six of the day over mid-wicket.
Bopara shared 40 in 10 overs with Bresnan before his attractive innings of 29 containing four fours was ended in the final over before tea.
Tendulkar brought himself into the attack and with his fifth ball tempted 22-year-old Bopara to push a sharp catch off the face of the bat to short-leg.

Denly's growing reputation was further enhanced by a fine knock
Broad took advantage of two reprieves early in his innings to justify his promise as a batsman with some clean hitting until spooing a low catch to point. Having moved into the 90s with two fours in three balls, Bresnan passed three figures with three boundaries in an over from Zaheer.
India's cause was not helped by rangy teenage seamer Ishant Sharma, who sent down a total of 15 no-balls in a troublesome 12-over spell.
England captain Strauss was delighted his young batsmen had got the team out of an awkward situation on the opening day.
"I thought we showed a lot of character in that final session, hopefully we can build on that," he said.
Of centurion Bresnan he said: "He has made some useful scores for Yorkshire and he got stuck in."
Strauss was also delighted with opening partner Denly, aged only 21.
"He really took the game to them and it's good to see a guy who hasn't played at this level before play with no fear," the skipper said. "This is a showcase even under a little bit more pressure than you have in a normal county game. Joe took it to them and has come out of it with a great deal of credit."
Strauss, who made only one half century in the Test series against the West Indies, admitted that his form was a concern, but was confident he would soon be back in the runs.
"The more runs I can get before the Test match the better and another low score wouldn't be ideal," he said.
"It's hard work trying to grind out runs when you're not in the form you'd like to be but it only takes one innings or a couple of shots even to turn things around."

FOURTH NPOWER TEST, RIVERSIDE:England v West IndiesPlay starts Friday 1100 BST

2007-06-15T09:46:00.000+01:00

Hoggard will add extra control to England's pace attack
Matthew Hoggard and Ryan Sidebottom could be the key figures for England in the fourth Test against West Indies.
Hoggard is fit again following a groin strain and eager to join forces with former Yorkshire team-mate Sidebottom at the Riverside.
"If we can get the ball swinging, which it tends to do here, we can really put them under pressure," said Vaughan.
But dreadful weather kept the players indoors on Thursday, and the forecast for the opening day is very poor.
News conference: England captain Michael Vaughan
After that, however, brighter conditions are expected.
England hold a winning 2-0 lead in the series after their 60-run win at Old Trafford last week and the return of Hoggard - a "beautiful bowler of a swinging ball", according to Vaughan - for local boy Liam Plunkett will be the only change.
Hoggard, 30, and Sidebottom, 29, shared 53 wickets when Yorkshire won the County Championship in 2001.
And Hoggard said: "Ryan's done really well - it will be rolling back the years.
"It's a while since I've opened the bowling with him, but we enjoyed it last time we did it and I'm sure we'll enjoy it this time."
Vaughan expects England to be stronger after a tough match in the third Test.

England's players were confined to the indoor nets on Thursday
"They fought very hard, but we got asked a lot of questions and answered them in the right manner. It got a little bit tight at the end and your team definitely grows quicker when you win a game like that," he said.
England's main concern is the form of opener Andrew Strauss, who some felt was lucky to be given another chance after averaging 15 in the series so far.
"It's just not happening [for him] at the minute, and when you go through spells like this as a batsman, you've just got to dig in there, keep believing, keep going through your routines, and it will change.
"He got two decent deliveries at Old Trafford , swinging back into the left-hander, pretty quick deliveries as well, but I'm sure there's score around the corner," Vaughan told BBC Sport.
The England skipper has urged spinner Monty Panesar, man of the match at Old Trafford with 10 wickets, to carry on appealing with as much enthusiasm as ever.
606: DEBATE
If Hoggard and Sidebottom get the ball to swing, it will be interesting to see how West Indies cope
SK
Words were exchanged between the Northants slow bowler and umpire Aleem Dar - and the same umpire is on duty at Chester-le-Street.
But Vaughan said: "We all love Monty Panesar - he appeals, he celebrates with a high-five, he misses the odd high-five and he's brilliant for the game.
"We don't want that taken away. He's entertaining a lot of people - let him continue."
West Indies, meanwhile, are hoping fast bowler Fidel Edwards can raise his game another level after some promising signs that his pace and bounce can upset England's batsmen.
Edwards played his first Test of the series at Old Trafford, and though he is unlikely to get the same response from the surface at the Riverside, coach David Moore remains confident.
"Fidel came in and bowled on a wicket that was hard and had a lot of bounce. He'd been short of top-quality cricket, so he needed some time to find his feet."

Fidel Edwards has the speed to unsettle England's batsmen
But skipper Daren Ganga was less impressive, with scores of five and nought, falling early to Steve Harmison both times.
Moore said: "Daren's an excellent tactician and excellent captain.
"Unfortunately we haven't seen the best of his batting yet, but over the last six to eight months he's been averaging 40-plus, so I'm hoping his batting will come good for us."
Ganga, meanwhile, urged his team to maintain self-belief despite not winning any of their last 19 Tests.
He said: "It's very difficult for young players coming into a team that is not winning and having to put in a big effort time and time again and getting nothing at the end of it.
"We all have to ensure we have the right work ethic and believe strongly that we are going to win."
This is the third Test - and biggest to date - to be staged at the Riverside, after easy wins for England against Zimbabwe in 2003 and Bangladesh two years later.
England (from): Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Michael Vaughan (capt), Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Matthew Prior (wk), Stephen Harmison, Ryan Sidebottom, Matthew Hoggard, Monty Panesar, James Anderson.
West Indies (from): Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga (capt), Devon Smith, Runako Morton, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Darren Sammy, Jerome Taylor, Fidel Edwards, Corey Collymore, Daren Powell
Umpires: Billy Bowden (NZ) and Aleem Dar (Pkn).

Second Test, Headingley, day one (lunch):England 91-2 v West Indies

2007-05-25T14:11:00.000+01:00

Vaughan played some fluent strokes on the first morning
Captain Michael Vaughan made a cautious start as England reached 91-2 at lunch on the first day of the second Test against the West Indies at Headingley.
Vaughan, who came to the crease after Andrew Strauss fell for 15, struck four fours to reach 25 on his Test return.
He shared 53 with Alastair Cook, before Cook fell lbw to Chris Gayle for 42 off the final ball of the session.
England recalled seamer Ryan Sidebottom after a six-year gap, while West Indies were without injured Shiv Chanderpaul.
Vaughan, returning to the Test arena after an 18-month absence because of a series of injuries, chose to bat as early cloud gave way to sunshine.
Strauss might have gone first ball when he fended a short ball from Daren Powell uppishly but Daren Ganga was deeper than the standard short-leg and could not gather diving forward.
Powell and new ball partner Corey Collymore were inconsistent again and Strauss latched on to two loose deliveries to despatch trademark square cuts.

Strauss succumbs to a wide delivery from Powell
A routine outside edge failed to carry to first slip, Gayle receiving a painful knock on the shin that was to require treatment in the pavilion.
But Strauss added only a single before his main strength proved his undoing in the ninth over as he attempted another cut at an even wider one from Powell and got a bottom edge to wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin.
Vaughan took 34 balls to record his first boundary, swivelling to pull Powell through mid-wicket.
Contrasting, consecutive boundaries quickly followed off Taylor, a thick edge through the gully followed by a sumptous, classical off-drive as the captain began to find his touch.
Cook, who has yet to score a duck in Test cricket and has been dismissed in single figures only five times in 28 innings, comfortably moved towards his fifth half-century.
Gayle was given the almost customary pre-lunch over of spin, but far from being a token of uneventfulness, it brought the languid Jamaican reward.
Umpire Asad Rauf continued his policy of giving spinners lbw decisions that often used to be denied them when he gave Cook out propping forward defensively.

Vaughan doubtful for Lord's Test

2007-05-04T22:12:00.000+01:00

Vaughan had scored 72 in Yorkshire's first inningsEngland captain Michael Vaughan is likely to miss the first Test against West Indies on 17 May after suffering a broken finger during a county game.
He was playing for Yorkshire against Hampshire when he was hit by a rising ball from Australian Stuart Clark.
He has an undisplaced fracture to the middle finger of his right hand.
"It looks like he might be out for three to four weeks, but it's too early to say with absolute certainty," said Yorkshire physio Scott McAllister.

"It's desperately bad luck for Michael after the succession of problems he's had to contend with, and we will be monitoring his progress over the next few days," he told the Yorkshire Post newspaper.
However, the England and Wales Cricket Board have not yet ruled the 32-year-old out of the match.
"Vaughan will undergo further assessment ahead of the first Test match against the West Indies at Lord's on May 17," read a brief ECB statement.
Vaughan has not played a Test match since December 2005, having sat out the whole of last summer and the winter Ashes series following knee surgery.

He suffered a hamstring problem after making his comeback during the one-day series which followed the Tests in Australia, but recovered in time to play in all England's matches at the recent World Cup.
The match against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl was Vaughan's first since returning from the Caribbean and he looked in good form making 72 on the opening day.
He was 16 not out in the second innings when he was struck by Clark and forced to retire hurt. The fracture of his right middle finger was later confirmed by x-ray.
If Vaughan is ruled out of the first Test at Lord's, England will face a dilemma over who should replace him as skipper.
Andrew Flintoff led the team in the Ashes Tests, but was stripped of the vice-captaincy for disciplinary reasons during the World Cup and is unlikely to be elevated again.
It may therefore come down to a straight choice between Andrew Strauss, who stood in for Vaughan during last summer's series against Pakistan, or Paul Collingwood.
"To get mentioned with the captaincy is obviously a great feeling. But Michael's been doing a fantastic job. He may yet be fit for that first Test so we'll just going to have to wait and see," said Collingwood.
"I've done a few games for Durham a couple of seasons ago.
"I enjoy the challenges of captaincy but, as I've said, hopefully this will be in the future and hopefully Michael Vaughan will be fit."

England name Moores as new coach

2007-04-20T21:22:00.000+01:00

Moores led Sussex to Championship glory in 2003England have named Peter Moores as the permanent successor to departing head coach Duncan Fletcher.
Moores, currently the National Cricket Academy director, will start on 1 May.
The appointment comes less than a day after Fletcher decided to step down after eight years in the role following England's exit from the World Cup.
"Peter has been identified for some time as a leading candidate as a future England head coach," said ECB chief executive David Collier.

The 44-year-old coached Sussex to their first County Championship title in 2003 and took charge of the National Academy in 2005.
He has coached England A and worked with most of the current England team but has neither played nor managed a team at the highest level.
It was thought his main rivals for the job were Sri Lanka's Tom Moody, Bangladesh's Dav Whatmore and New Zealand's John Bracewell - who all have experience at the top level.
But Moores said: "It is an honour to have been appointed as head coach and to succeed Duncan, who has been an outstanding coach of the England team.

An emotional Fletcher informed the England players on Thursday
"I have enjoyed my two years at the National Academy and my role with the England teams.
"The challenge of this new role excites me and I look forward to meeting up with the players on their return to the United Kingdom and to leading England to success in both Test and one-day cricket."
Collier added: "The ECB has developed a contingency and succession plan for all key management positions and this is part of that.
"Peter is highly respected as an innovative and inspiring coach and is an ideal person to accept this appointment.
"In addition to the preparation of the Test team for the npower Test series versus the West Indies in four weeks' time, Peter will also commence the important work of preparing a new strategy for one-day cricket."
The appointment was backed by England captain Michael Vaughan, who said: "He's obviously got a great record at Sussex and he's done really well at the Academy. He's got a great enthusiasm for the game, he's forward-thinking and I really do think it's a great appointment for the English game.
"He's got a great opportunity. The England team and the English game has got a lot of talent and we have to find the character and attitude to match that - but we have got a lot of talent to work with."
One player who could benefit from Moores's elevation is Sussex's wicket-keeper/batsman Matt Prior, who dismissed fears about his former coach's lack of international experience.
"His personality, enthusiasm for the game, and his ability to motivate individuals make him stand out," he told BBC Five Live.
"As for experience - look at what John Buchanan has achieved with Australia.
"It would be very easy to pin that on him but people should look at the positives he could bring to the England team."
In a vote on the BBC Sport website, a clear majority 68% of nearly 8,000 respondents said Moores was the right man to take over as England head coach, with 32% disagreeing.

'No threats of death' to Woolmer

2007-03-23T21:34:00.000Z

Bob Woolmer had coached Pakistan since 2004
The family of murdered Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer says it was unaware of any threats to his life.
In a statement, the family also said it had no knowledge of Woolmer's involvement in match-fixing, the source of some speculation in the media.
Jamaican police probing Woolmer's death say they could be searching for more than one attacker.
Woolmer, who was 58, was strangled in his room hours after Pakistan lost to Ireland in the cricket World Cup.
The defeat dumped Pakistan - a talented but erratic team ranked fourth in the world - out of the competition.
Police say Woolmer may have known his killer or killers, and are studying video footage from the Pegasus Hotel in the Jamaican capital, Kingston, where he was killed.
Family 'devastated'
Flanked by Woolmer's widow, Gill, and their sons, Dale and Russell, Woolmer's agent, Michael Cohen, read a statement to reporters outside the family home in Cape Town, South Africa.
BOB WOOLMER TIMELINE

1. 17 Mar: Ireland beat Pakistan2. 18 Mar, 10.45am: Woolmer found unconscious in hotel room3. 18 Mar, 12.14pm: Pronounced dead at hospitalPhoto: Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center.
"To the best of the family's knowledge, there is absolutely nothing to suggest Bob was involved in match-fixing," Mr Cohen said.
"Contrary to reports, we can confirm there is nothing in any book Bob has written that would explain this situation and there were no threats received."
Reports in the media have suggested Woolmer might have been working on a book exposing illegal gambling in cricket matches.
The statement said the family were devastated by Woolmer's death and were struggling to come to terms with it.
A post-mortem examination established that the former England player died as a result of "manual strangulation".
Members of the Pakistan team and staff have already been interviewed, and plan to return home at the weekend.
Lines of inquiry
Suspicions that the coach may have known anyone who attacked him have been raised after it emerged there were no signs of forced entry at his hotel room in Kingston and none of his possessions was taken.
Bob was a large man - it would have taken some significant force to subdue him
Mark ShieldsDeputy police commissioner
Woolmer was found unconscious by staff at the Pegasus Hotel on Sunday morning.
The deputy commissioner of the Jamaican police, Mark Shields, said this might now be a hunt for more than one killer, and urged the perpetrators to hand themselves in.
"Bob was a large man. It would have taken some significant force to subdue him," he said, adding that police were ruling nothing out and had "lots of lines of inquiry".
"I have to say at this stage that it looks as if it may be somebody who's somehow linked to him, because clearly he let somebody into his hotel room and it may be that he knew who that person was," Mr Shields told the BBC.
Mr Shields also "unequivocally dismissed" Indian television reports that arrests had been made.
"That's nonsense, as far as I'm concerned. There's actually no truth in that," he said.
The BBC's Andy Gallacher in Kingston says that Bob Woolmer's murder has stunned the cricketing world and left the World Cup in disarray.

England soundly beaten by Aussies

2007-03-10T08:07:00.000Z

World Cup warm-up, St Vincent, Australia: 200-5 (40.5 ovs) bt England 197 (48.3 ovs) by 5 wkts
Scorecard

Watson made short work of the modest victory targetEngland succumbed to a five-wicket defeat against Australia in the final World Cup warm-up match at St Vincent.
Shane Watson and Adam Gilchrist shared 140 within 24 overs, and though both fell in consecutive overs, the target of 198 was reached with 55 balls left.
Michael Vaughan (62) won the toss and shared 116 for the second wicket with Ian Bell (56) as England scented a fourth successive win over Australia.
But others did not master a slow pitch as two fours came in the last 24 overs.

With a modest total to defend England needed a good start in the field, and Monty Panesar's misfield at fine-leg, which allowed Watson a boundary in the first over from James Anderson, did not provide it.
Jon Lewis conceded three no-balls in his first two overs and was flicked over mid-wicket for six by Watson in the sixth over.

Flintoff looked completely out of form in St Vincent
Sajid Mahmood's attempted slower ball summed up England's day, trickling way down the leg-side, bouncing in front of Paul Nixon and away for five wides, his opening two overs costing 20.
With Vaughan off the field as expected to rest his hamstring, Paul Collingwood found himself in charge when Andrew Flintoff also went off having experienced more discomfort with his ankle.
One of Collingwood's first decisions was to introduce Panesar, and he struck when Watson's cut was smartly taken low at point by Kevin Pietersen.
Mahmood was fortunate in the next over when another delivery heading down the leg-side was glanced by Gilchrist and well caught by a diving Nixon.
Panesar might have had a second wicket when Liam Plunkett just failed to cling on to a one-handed diving attempt at deep mid-off when Michael Clarke lofted a drive.
With 42 still needed, Jamie Dalrymple found some gentle turn and Ricky Ponting got an inside edge into his stumps as he tried to make room to cut.
Flintoff returned to bowl with no obvious ill-effects, but Australia ticked off the runs and appeared to be coasting.
With eight needed Brad Hodge got a leading edge to give Collingwood a return catch, then two runs later Mike Hussey played down the wrong line and was bowled by Lewis for a duck.
Any thoughts of a collapse were quashed when Brad Haddin dispatched a full toss from Collingwood over square-leg for six to end the match in style.
England again decided to omit Andrew Strauss and Ravi Bopara for the 13-a-side game, and it now seems unlikely either will feature in next Friday's opening World Cup group game against New Zealand.
Australia were boosted by Gilchrist's return, the keeper having arrived in the Caribbean late following the birth of his third child.

He showed no signs of rustiness, and was standing up to the stumps to seam bowlers Nathan Bracken, Glenn McGrath and Stuart Clark.
Bracken was entrusted with the first over and immediately found some away swing, albeit at a gentle pace.
But Tait proved a different propostion with his pace through the air and surprised Ed Joyce, who was trapped in front for five in the second over.
Tait also bowled two wides and was taken out of the attack after two overs, with four bowling changes made in the first 15 overs.
Vaughan showed glimpses of his best form with some delightful strokes, including three fours off Mitchell Johnson in the left-armer's second over.
He pulled a good length ball from McGrath to the boundary in imperious fashion, much to the chagrin of the veteran seamer.

Brad Hogg made the breakthrough, luring Bell out of his ground, and in his next over he accounted for Vaughan, the England skipper skewing a cut to Shane Watson at gully.
As Ponting completed his powerplays at the start of the 29th over, Pietersen became the third wicket to fall in 15 minutes.
Attempting to turn Tait through mid-wicket, he got an inside edge onto the pad and the ball looped gently to Hogg running in from cover.
Flintoff looked all at sea, particularly against Hogg's chinamen, and having scratched his way to 13 from 31 balls, he top-edged to deep mid-wicket.
One run later in the next over, Collingwood, who earlier just eluded the field with a top-edge, mis-timed another pull and found mid-on.
Clark took his third wicket when Plunkett tried to force the ball away on the off-side and got an inside edge into leg-stump.
Tait accounted for Mahmood in similar fashion and collected his fourth scalp with a pacy yorker that trapped last man Lewis.

Shoaib and Asif to miss World Cup

2007-03-01T08:37:00.000Z

Shoaib (left) and Asif will not travel to the Caribbean with PakistanPakistan pace bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif have been ruled out of the World Cup due to injury.
Shoaib has been unable to recover from a knee injury that forced him to be sent back from South Africa in January.
Asif has been carrying a niggling elbow problem since that tour, and neither will be fit enough for the tournament starting on 13 March.
Yasir Arafat and Mohammad Sami will replace the pace duo and join the squad in the Caribbean at a later date.
"It is a big blow for us, but I am confident that Yasir Arafat and Mohammad Sami will live up to the expectations," team coach Bob Woolmer said.
"They will join the team in a week's time and we hope to overcome our injury problems with a united team effort."
Pakistan play hosts West Indies in the opening match of the World Cup on the first day of the tournament.
The squad flies out to the West Indies later on Thursday.
Their withdrawal has nothing to do with doping
Pervez MirPakistan Cricket Board
Shoaib (knee and hamstring) and Asif (elbow) have been in the news for doping issues as well as injury-related matters.
They both tested positive for nandrolone last September but had lengthy doping bans quashed on appeal in December after claiming they had not knowingly taken the banned substance.
The World Anti-Doping Agency is in turn contesting that appeal result in the Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Pakistan Cricket Board asked all its players to submit for drugs tests by 28 February.
Shoaib and Asif did not do so, raising unsubstantiated speculation that they still had traces of nandrolone in their system.
But PCB spokesman Pervez Mir insisted: "Their withdrawal has nothing to do with doping.
"They were due to feature in dope tests once they regained full fitness but for us the chapter is now closed.
"We did our best and waited because [captain] Inzamam[-ul-Haq] wanted them in the team as they are our best bowlers.
"But reports of their injuries were not good and we could not have waited any more."
Arafat is an all-rounder who bowls medium pace and has played just seven one-day internationals, while Sami is an experienced paceman.

Tuffey earns New Zealand recall

2007-02-12T22:57:00.000Z

Tuffey has been kept out of action with a shoulder injuryFast bowler Daryl Tuffey has been recalled to New Zealand's 15-man squad for next month's World Cup in the West Indies after a two-year absence.
Tuffey edged out Test fast bowler Chris Martin and all-rounder Andre Adams to replace the injured Kyle Mills.
He last played a limited overs match for New Zealand against Australia in February 2005.
Injuries have kept him out since but New Zealand coach John Bracewell remains confident of Tuffey's fitness.
"We wanted an up front, outswing, new-ball bowler and Daryl fitted the bill," Bracewell said.
The other 14 members of the New Zealand squad, which will be captained by Stephen Fleming, were all involved in the recent Commonwealth Bank series against Australia and England.
Craig McMillan retains his position, despite not enjoying the best of form in the series.
Tuffey's call-up re-establishes his successful new-ball partnership with Shane Bond.
Bond's pace and Tuffey's ability to swing the ball in the early overs of limited overs matches became a useful formula for New Zealand before Tuffey's string of injuries.
New Zealand will face England, Canada and Kenya in Pool C of the World Cup, in a group based at St Lucia.
New Zealand squad: Stephen Fleming (captain), Daniel Vettori, Daryl Tuffey, Shane Bond, James Franklin, Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, Brendon McCullum, Craig McMillan, Michael Mason, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Lou Vincent.

England worry over bowling pair

2007-01-25T20:42:00.000Z

One-day series, Adelaide: Australia v EnglandMatch starts 0315 GMT Friday

Lewis (ankle) and Anderson (back) could both miss outOpening bowlers Jon Lewis and James Anderson are both injury doubts for England going into Friday's one-day match against Australia in Adelaide.
Anderson (back) and Lewis (ankle) both missed Thursday practice but Anderson's MRI showed no stress fracture.
"There is a difference between having a stiff back and the sort of pain I was getting when I had the stress fracture.
"It is one of those things you expect as a fast bowler. The scan was just a check that everything was OK," he said.
Any two of young seamers Chris Tremlett, Sajid Mahmood or Liam Plunkett could play in their place.
"The players who have come in are capable of stepping up to the plate," said veteran Paul Collingwood.
"Tremlett had a bit of an outing in Brisbane and looked pretty impressive."

Collingwood hopes a re-match with Australia at the ground where he hit a historic Ashes double hundred in December will help him overcome his own poor form.
Since then he has made 104 in six Test innings and only 63 more in four one-day matches.
"The form has tailed off but I am working as hard as I always do." he said.
"Every player goes through dips in form but you are only one score away from getting that back and that is what you have to keep believing."

We are big enough and have played enough games to say we have to go out there and perform
Paul Collingwood
Going into the Australia Day match, Collingwood's form has come in for scrutiny because of injuries around him in the batting order.
Captain Michael Vaughan (hamstring) is expected back for Tuesday's match against New Zealand in Perth but Kevin Pietersen (rib) is out for the rest of the tournament.
"I have obviously been thinking about it, trying to improve, trying to get some runs on the board and do my job for the team," said Collingwood.
"It is a good ground for me personally getting a big score like that."
Opener Andrew Strauss is also struggling, with an average of under 20 so far in the one-day Commonwealth Bank Series.
England's batting reached a low point at the ground on Tuesday as the tourists were bowled out for 120 in defeat to New Zealand.
They now probably need at least two wins from their four remaining matches to reach the best-of-three series finals.
"Embarrassed is the wrong word to use, we were pretty disappointed," said Collingwood of the 90-run defeat.
"We are bowling pretty well at the minute and as soon as we get both forms of the game in place at the same time hopefully we will win games.
"We need to stand up and be counted, simple as that - we are big enough and have played enough games to say we have to go out there and perform."
You need someone in your top three or four to make big scores - we did in the first game, but haven't since then
Ricky Ponting
The second Ashes Test, when Collingwood hit 206 in the first innings but was part of a batting collapse in the second, is arguably the closest England have come to beating Australia all tour.
Thursday's game will be their ninth international meeting in the last two months - after a 5-0 Test series whitewash, defeats in the Twenty20 international and the first two one-day meetings.
Australia's pace bowlers have been the stars of the one-day series so far, with Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson rotating in the attack.
But captain Ricky Ponting wants his batsmen to overcome two poor outings and get back to their best.
In their past two matches, they were in early trouble at 48-4 and 77-4, with Mike Hussey coming in at number six to steer them to victory both times.
"We haven't been chasing big totals and we've managed just to scrape across the line," Ponting complained.
"We did in the first game, but haven't since then. You need someone in your top three or four to make big scores."

Commonwealth Bank Series, Melbourne: Australia v England

2007-01-11T18:34:00.000Z

The neck was a little bit stiff and sore for a few days

Andrew Strauss
England batsman Andrew Strauss has been passed fit for Friday's one-day game against Australia in Melbourne.

Strauss was hit on the head by a ball from Brett Lee during the final Test of the Ashes series and missed Tuesday's Twenty20 loss with a stiff neck.

"Turning around was a little bit awkward, but I am now fully looking forward to getting stuck in," he said.

Strauss will not have to contend with fast bowler Lee at the MCG as he is still suffering from bronchitis.

Interview: England batsman Andrew Strauss

Australia have, however, picked exciting left-armer Mitchell Johnson after he recovered from a stomach muscle strain and have Ashes stars Glenn McGrath and Stuart Clark in their starting line-up.

England are expected to hand one-day international debuts to veteran wicket-keeper Paul Nixon and left-arm spinner Monty Panesar for the triangular tournament's opener.

Nixon and Panesar gave encouraging performances in the Twenty20 match.

Strauss said his team's poor one-day form recently, with just seven wins in their last 27 games, could actually work in their favour as they look to upset the host nation and the Kiwis.

Johnson proved his fitness in a net session on Thursday

"We're going in there with a sense that we haven't got much to lose," he said.

"We can play the sort of cricket we know we are capable of and maybe surprise a few people."

Strauss' return will probably put his Middlesex colleague Ed Joyce out of the starting side.

For Australia, McGrath is likely to share the new ball with the one-day specialist Nathan Bracken, another left-armer.

The retirement of Damien Martyn, meanwhile, will offer Michael Clarke the chance to move up the order with one-day cricket's official best batsman Michael Hussey remaining at six.

"Michael Clarke is going to bat at four with Andrew Symonds at five and Michael Hussey at six," said captain Ricky Ponting.

"Huss has been incredible down the order in one-day cricket and for the last five or six years of his career has batted in that position.

Watson, being the sort of player he is, will be able to fit into our line-up pretty much anywhere down the order

Ricky Ponting

"Michael Clarke has got a chance up the order. He has been a bit starved of that over the last couple of years, has been dying to go up, so his chance has come now."

Ponting said all-rounder Shane Watson remained part of the team's plans for the World Cup in March despite having missed most of the season with a hamstring problem.

The injury put Watson out of the Ashes series and he has been told he must play two four-day games for state side Queensland before he will be considered for the national team.

"Watson, being the sort of player he is, will be able to fit into our line-up pretty much anywhere down the order. I see him as being a really crucial player for us," said Ponting.

"I think it's a day-by-day assessment with him really, just to see how he's going and how much bowling he can get done.

"We'll just keep our fingers crossed and hope it's sooner rather than later for him."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Australia: R Ponting (capt), A Gilchrist, M Hayden, M Clarke, A Symonds, M Hussey, C White, N Bracken, S Clark, M Johnson, G McGrath.

England (from): M Vaughan (capt), A Strauss, E Joyce, I Bell, K Pietersen, A Flintoff, P Collingwood, J Dalrymple, P Nixon, J Anderson, J Lewis, M Panesar, C Tremlett, S Mahmood, L Plunkett, C Read.

Harmison at ease with Test focus

2006-12-21T18:58:00.000Z

Harmison has struggled with the white ball for 12 months
Steve Harmison is confident his decision to retire from one-day cricket will help prolong his Test career.
"This has been a difficult decision but I want to play at the highest level for as long as I can," he said.

"I believe that concentrating solely on Test cricket is the best way forward for me during the next phase of what will hopefully be a long career."

Harmison, 28, has played 46 ODIs since 2002 but has struggled to replicate his better Test form in 50-over cricket.

Interview: ECB chairman of selectors David Graveney
Interview: Leicestershire's Paul Nixon

In 12 matches over the last 12 months he has taken just 17 wickets at an average of 36.58, costing almost six runs per over.

He was dropped for England's final match of the ICC Champions Trophy, against West Indies in October, after a series of injury niggles and form problems.

He has had a difficult time; he's struggled with the white ball for the last 12 months

David Graveney
Chairman of selectors

Despite his poor start to the Ashes series, though, he has rediscovered his form in Test cricket, with a return of 4-48 in the third match of the series in Perth.

But he is known to dislike opening the bowling with the white ball, which is used in one-day cricket and tends to swing more than the red version.

"This hasn't come as a shock to me. I know he's been considering if for a bit," chairman of selectors David Graveney told BBC Radio Five Live.

"He has had a difficult time. He's struggled with the white ball for the last 12 months.

Retiring from one-day internationals was a good move by Harmison

"It lessens our options but opens the door for a lot of younger bowlers to stake their claim for the [World Cup in the] West Indies."

Harmison will play a key part in the two remaining Ashes Tests, in Melbourne and Sydney, then return home as the Commonwealth Bank Series begins on 12 January.

Meanwhile, Paul Nixon hopes to raise his team-mates' flagging spirits on his first tour England's for six years.

Nixon, 36, was surprisingly called into the one-day squad, replacing Geraint Jones as the second wicket-keeper in the party, alongside Chris Read.

"Some of the guys have not performed as they would have liked to have done, so they'll maybe benefit from a bit of experience and new energy," he said.

"They haven't performed as well as they would have liked and changes have been made - and I'm thankful for that."

Draw at 7/2 best option in Ashes anti-climax

2006-12-18T17:32:00.000Z

Australia have named an unchanged 12-man squad for the fourth Ashes Test against England in Melbourne next week.

After Shane Watson was ruled out of the series with a hamstring injury this week, Andrew Symonds and Mitchell Johnson have kept their places in the triumphant hosts' squad.

Adam Voges, who was included in a 13-man squad before the third Test, has been trimmed from the party.

Australia regained the urn after dismissing England for 350 in their second innings to win by 206 runs on Monday. Shane Warne claimed his 699th Test victim by bowling last man Monty Panesar to confirm victory and the Cricket Australia selectors have opted for the same personnel for the Boxing Day Test.

The Australian team will leave Perth on Tuesday and reassemble in Melbourne on Friday.

The draw is 7/2 with betterbet.com and maybe just prove the best betting option in a match which has a huge anti-climax feel to it.

THIRD TEST, PERTH, DAY TWO:

2006-12-14T22:33:00.000Z

ENGLAND 51-2 v AUSTRALIA 244
Play resumes 0230 GMT

Paul Collingwood and Andrew Strauss are England's not-out batsmen

England start day two of the third Ashes Test with a rare chance of putting Australia under pressure by establishing a first innings lead.

Resuming on 51-2 in reply to the home side's 244, England batsmen will aim for a three-figure lead after Monty Panesar (5-92) impressed on day one.

Panesar said: "It was really positive getting Australia out for under 250.

"We wouldn't have wanted to lose two wickets but hopefully we can bat most of the day if not all of the day."

Andrew Strauss, 24 not out, hit two boundaries in the first over of the innings.

It's going to be a close match, but I think Brett Lee will be lethal first thing on the second day

That was a clear indication that England are not prepared to be rooted in the defensive mindset that proved their downfall on the last day in Adelaide, where they lost the second Test.

And Panesar said: "We were very positive in the two-day game in Perth and took that positive energy onto the field in the Test.

"That determination showed in how well we coped out there.

"We are going to look to be positive again, show good aggression and look to bat well."

Michael Hussey, Australia's top-scorer with a typically fluent 74 not out, believes his team have a good opportunity to take the initiative on Friday.

He said: "We need early wickets. They've got quite a long tail so if we can get into that middle order we can put them under pressure."

Second Test, Adelaide: Australia v EnglandMatch starts at 0030 GMT on Friday

2006-11-30T20:48:00.000Z

Harmison (right) wants a chance to redeem himself after BrisbaneEngland will bid to bounce back from a poor start to the Ashes when the second Test starts in Adelaide on Friday.
The tourists were hammered by 277 runs in the first Test in Brisbane, with their bowlers struggling as Australia's batsman seized control.
But England captain Andrew Flintoff said: "Everyone realises we're better than what we did last week, we're a better side than that.
"Our heads were never going to go down, we've got four Test matches to go."

England, who are the current holders of the Ashes, may be boosted by the absence of veteran Australia seam bowler Glenn McGrath in Adelaide.
A major turning point in last year's Ashes series came when McGrath injured himself on the morning of the second Test.
He is currently struggling with a heel injury, and Australia will delay making a decision on whether or not he can play until just before the match.
You have to expect that they are going to play better than they did in the first Test
Australia captain Ricky Ponting
Flintoff admitted the possibility of McGrath once again sitting out the second Test had brought back memories of 2005.
"I think the atmosphere going into this Test is very similar to last time," said Flintoff.
England will be hoping the 2006/07 series follows a similar pattern to 2005.
After a heavy defeat in the opening encounter they came roaring back, although that looks a lot less likely this time, not least because the hosts have a terrific record in Adelaide.
They have won 11 of their last 15 Tests in the southern Australian city, although one of their three defeats was by England in 1995.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting admitted he is wary of the tourists finding their form.
"You have to expect that they are going to play better than they did in the first Test match, they're very capable of doing that," said Ponting.
"So we just have to look after ourselves and prepare for what England are capable of.

"It's up to us really to make sure to repeat what we did in Brisbane.
"I thought the cricket we played in Brisbane was of a very high calibre and it's important that we start this Test match off exactly the same."
Neither side have yet named their teams, with Australia waiting on the fitness of McGrath.
They have omitted second leg-spinner Stuart MacGill from their squad and if McGrath does not make it then either Mitchell Johnson or Shaun Tait will replace the 36-year-old.
England are still considering playing two spinners, with Monty Panesar in line for his first start this series.
If he plays James Anderson is expected to step down, with England almost certain to give misfiring spearhead Stephen Harmison another chance after his disappointing display in the first Test.
In their first innings in the last seven Tests in Adelaide Australia have scored 428, 575, 556, 552, 439, 403, 441, going on to win six of the matches and losing just one.

Jones sympathises with rival Read

2006-11-20T14:44:00.000Z

We're quietly confident
Geraint Jones on first TestGeraint Jones has insisted he is still on good terms with Chris Read after replacing him as England keeper for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane.
Jones was dropped during the summer but coach Duncan Fletcher made an early decision to reinstate him after the team's arrival in Australia.
"It was difficult for him when I found out I was playing [in the Test].
"I felt for him in that regard but we still work out in the gym together. We're basically friends," said Jones.

"When he was included last summer I sent him a text to say good luck. There's nothing personal between us, we know that. It's a selection thing."
Jones admitted he was "a little bit surprised" to learn before the warm-up games against New South Wales and South Australia that he would definitely be playing in Brisbane.

He knows, however, that it is his batting ability rather than his prowess with the gloves which has prompted his recall and he needs to produce a decent score sooner rather than later.
Jones insisted he would not be fazed by having to face the likes of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, having played against them during the 2005 Ashes series, which England won 2-1.
"You've just got to look at that little red ball coming out of the hand.
"You can't think of the person who's letting it go because there are some Test greats there. That's something we did so well in the last Ashes," the 30-year-old added.
Warne, however, believes the decision is one England could come to regret.
"It's surprising they would go back to Jones. I thought they wanted Read back because they wanted their keeper to cling onto everything behind the stumps," he said.
"Jones will be under enormous pressure. It's not me sledging him or anything - he's in the side for his batting not his keeping and we've seen him drop some crucial ones.
"You don't want to be dropping Ponting on half a dozen when he's just been brought back into the side. It's good for us that he's playing."

Pietersen and England find form

2006-11-13T08:42:00.000Z

Tour match, Sydney, day two of three (stumps): New South Wales 355-9 dec v England 256-4

Pietersen played some typically flamboyant strokes to rally EnglandKevin Pietersen capped England's best day in Australia so far with a fine innings against New South Wales.
Pietersen (80no), Andrew Strauss (50), Alastair Cook (59), and Andrew Flintoff (48no) all shone on day two in Sydney.
Earlier, Steve Harmison claimed 3-95 as the hosts declared on 355-9 after rain allowed only 4.1 overs before lunch.
Marcus Trescothick and Ian Bell failed but the tourists closed on 256-4, showing encouraging signs ahead of the first Test in Brisbane on 23 November.
Their prospects for that game were already starting to look bleak after a Prime Minister's XI thrashed them on Friday and New South Wales racked up 325-5 on day one.
But Harmison, who had been expensive, led the fightback by trapping Moises Henriques lbw with an inswinger in his second over.

Harmison got the breakthrough England wanted early on in Sydney
After the extended break, Daniel Smith (45) was dropped by a diving Strauss at second slip off Matthew Hoggard before edging Harmison behind.
Hoggard did take a wicket when Nathan Hauritz spooned the ball to Ashley Giles at short mid-wicket and James Anderson (2-45) struck with his first ball, Nathan Bracken edging a wild drive to Trescothick.
Trescothick has brought his poor form from the summer Down Under and, after making only two in the defeat in Canberra, he played on to Brett Lee for eight.
Fellow left-hander Strauss was hit in the chest by a Lee delivery but recovered to produce a succession of crisp drives and cuts off the speedster and Glenn McGrath.
He was dropped by Clark in the gully off Bracken on 32 but, after hitting eight boundaries in a 57-ball knock, saw Clark make amends by holding a brilliant one-handed catch off his own bowling.
Bell edged his second ball off Clark behind to leave the tourists in danger of undoing their good work.
Cook almost played on twice early in his innings, but the runs gradually began to flow.
Pietersen got lucky when he top-edged a hook shot off Lee into space at backward square leg, but he then smashed Henriques for six over the mid-wicket boundary.
Pietersen continued to torment the young all-rounder, hitting three fours off the 37th over, but then McGrath broke the fourth-wicket stand, bowling around the wicket to trap left-hander Cook lbw.
Pietersen brought up his 50 by lofting McGrath over mid-on for four, before Flintoff got in on the act, hitting spinner Beau Casson for three boundaries in quick succession.

I'm ready for Ashes says Flintoff

2006-11-04T08:38:00.000Z

Flintoff is crucial to England's chances of holding on to the AshesAndrew Flintoff is confident he will be physically ready for the challenge of captaining England in an Ashes series.
Flintoff returned for his country in the Champions Trophy in October, four months after undergoing ankle surgery.
But speaking before the 2130 GMT flight to Australia he said: "The chance to play again was invaluable.
"We have two three-day warm-up games before the first Test and that will be perfect. By the time we get to Brisbane we'll hit the ground running."
The tour starts with a one-day game against an Australian Prime Minister's XI at Canberra on 10 November.
It will be followed by matches against New South Wales and South Australia before the main business of the first Test in Brisbane, which begins on 23 November.
England won an Ashes series for the first time in 18 years in 2005 in what many have called the greatest Test series in the history of the game.
Hopefully we can do something special and create a buzz about cricket again over the next few weeks
Andrew Flintoff
Flintoff played a huge part in their 2-1 success, scoring more than 400 runs and taking 24 wickets.
This time he has the added responsibility of leading the side in the absence of Michael Vaughan, who is still working to regain full fitness after knee surgery.
The Lancashire star is not sure whether this year's contests will emulate last year's dramatic games but is determined to recreate the euphoria which surrounded their achievements.
"In England each Test match got bigger and bigger and we got a real feeling of what the Ashes was about," he enthused.
"We've been looking forward to this for a long time. It's something you dream about.
"Hopefully we can do something special and create a buzz about cricket again over the next few weeks."
Flintoff's squad contains several youngsters with no experience of Ashes contests, such as Alastair Cook, Monty Panesar, Liam Plunkett and Sajid Mahmood.
But the 28-year-old says they are relishing the chance to take on the world champions on their own turf.
"It's going to be tough but having the chance to go to Australia to compete against the best side in the world is something the lads are very excited about," he added.
"We'll go there confident, with a young and talented side looking forward to testing their wits against Australia in Australia.
"This is the reason we play the game - we're going over to play in what could be the biggest series ever.
"We're going out with quiet confidence and looking forward to the challenge."

England fly out with full Ashes squad

2006-11-03T16:07:00.000Z

England fly out to Australia this evening with a full complement of players charged with retaining the Ashes won so heroically last summer.

Ashley Giles' clearance to travel Down Under provided Duncan Fletcher and his squad with a timely boost this week as they prepared to depart from Heathrow for one of the most highly-anticipated series in the history of the Ashes.

Inspirational skipper Andrew Flintoff is fit enough to bat and bowl, Giles has added experience to Monty Panesar's youthful spin talent and Alastair Cook is the young batsman able to support Marcus Trescothick.

However, those variables will make or break England this winter.

Flintoff's ankle has not been fully tested yet, Giles has only recently recovered and Trescothick's mental well-being not entirely assured.

Betterbet.com's current odds have Australia hot favourites at 1/3, England at 4/1 and the draw rated an 11/2 chance.

Flintoff set to bowl for England

2006-10-27T16:42:00.000+01:00

Champions Trophy, Ahmedabad: England v West IndiesMatch starts on Saturday at 1000 BST

Flintoff last bowled for England in the third Test against Sri LankaCaptain Andrew Flintoff could bowl for England for the first time since June in their final Champions Trophy game against West Indies on Saturday.
The Lancashire all-rounder has been playing as a batsman as he builds up match fitness after ankle surgery.
But he feels ready to bowl as well and told BBC Sport: "There's a possibility. I'll bowl in the nets and see how I go.
"I won't be bowling all 10 overs but somewhere in between. I feel good, the ankle's fine, and I'm confident in it."
The Windes' victory over India on Thursday ended England's slim chances of reaching the Champions Trophy semi-finals.
They lost their opening two games, against India and Australia, to continue a poor run in limited-overs games which has seen nine defeats in 12 matches.
We're a talented group of players - it's just producing the goods on the day
Andrew Flintoff
Flintoff insists they have what it takes to compete against the best, however, and says they are determined to finish the tournament with a flourish in Ahmedabad.
"It's the last game, we can't progress in the tournament, but we've still got a lot to play for," the 28-year-old added.
"We're playing for pride - and pride's a strong thing - so we'll go in there trying to beat the West Indies and go home on a high.
"We're a talented group of players and can play, it's just producing the goods on the day.
"The one thing we need to get is consistency and that comes from winning matches. You spend time in the nets but you have to go out in the middle and play properly."
It's important that we get the best team out there - we don't want a hiccup
Brian Lara
Holders West Indies are through to the last four after stunning world champions Australia and the hosts in their first two matches.
Captain Brian Lara has dismissed suggestions that they might rest key players, including himself, for the England game.
The left-hander passed a late fitness test before the India game after suffering from back spasms against the Aussies.
"It's important that we get the best team out there. We don't want to have a hiccup at this time," he explained.
"We did that in the tri-series in Malaysia, where we experimented in the game before the final, and lost momentum.
"We've got the batting line-up that we want and, if I'm fitter than I was against India, I'll definitely play."

Pietersen favourite to hit Sunday sixes

2006-10-13T17:52:00.000+01:00

Kevin Pietersen is the 6/4 favourite to score the most sixes in England's opening ICC match against India on Sunday.

The South African born powerhouse has been out form in recent times and perished to the dreaded sweep shot in the team's warm up game against a Rajasthan Cricket Association XI on Thursday.

But his big-hitting game has seen him edge out Andrew Flintoff in the betting, with the skipper priced up at 13/8.

Middlesex all-rounder Jamie Dalrymple, who hit four maximums in an unbeaten knock of 79 in Jaipur, is a 2/1 shot.

Pietersen is 9/1 to score a century against the hosts, with Andrew Strauss and potential fellow opener Flintoff both 12/1.

Rahul Dravid's side are 5/2 to have one of their batsman hit a ton, with the visitors priced at 4/1.

The captain is 12/1 alongside Virender Sehwag, with Sachin Tendulkar 7/1 following his three figure hit for India Blue against the India Green in the Challenger Trophy.

Despite only taking one wicket in the warm up game, Steve Harmison is 7/2 favourite to be England's leading wicket-taker tomorrow.

Jimmy Anderson, Jon Lewis and Sajid Mahmood, who took three for 22, are all 4/1.

With slow bowlers Jamie Dalrymple and Michael Yardy likely to get the nod, Ladbrokes are 5/2 that spin takes more wickets than seam.

England wary on Vaughan recovery

2006-10-05T17:00:00.000+01:00

Vaughan is currently playing golf at St Andrews
England have played down claims Michael Vaughan could return from his knee injury to play in the Ashes finale.

Vaughan was quoted in the Daily Mail as saying there is a "small window of opportunity" to play in the Test matches at Melbourne or Sydney.

But chairman of selectors David Graveney told BBC Sport the comments had been taken out of context.

"We know his rehab is going well and that's great news but there is a lot of water to go under the bridge," he said.

Interview: Michael Vaughan
Interview: Chairman of selectors David Graveney

"He still hasn't had a bat. He is running but he hasn't twisted or turned on the knee."

In an interview with BBC Radio Five Live, Vaughan said he expects to start batting in training in the next few weeks.

He has repeatedly stated an aim to be fit for the one-day series in Australia which follows the Ashes Tests in January.

But he plans to travel to Australia before Christmas to give himself the opportunity of playing at some level, probably with the England Academy squad in Perth.

Plans are in place - they are not for public consumption - and they will be activated when he is passed fit

Graveney on Vaughan's rehab

Vaughan, 31, has already begun running and is currently taking part in golf's Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews as a "mental break" from his rehabilitation programme.

"I wouldn't play golf if it would in any way jeopardise my knee in any way," he said.

"I started running two weeks ago - only gentle running but that's a good sign.

"The real test will come when I start twisting and turning and sprinting."

Graveney refused to be drawn on plans to get Vaughan back in action in Australia.

"He's going to go as and when he is ready to play," he commented.

"Plans are in place - they are not for public consumption - and they will be activated when he is passed fit."

Vaughan is still England's first-choice captain despite not having played an international since November.

"It's been the hardest year mentally, not being able to play, not knowing when I'm going to play and constantly being involved in rehab," Vaughan added.

"Playing for your country and being away from home is hard but it's a lot harder when you're injured and you don't know when you're going to play again."