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ScorecardVarun Chopra helped secure a first victory for the 2014 beaten finalists•Getty Images

Warwickshire notched up their first victory of this season’s Royal London Cup after a thrilling last-gasp three-wicket win against Lancashire at Old Trafford.Varun Chopra’s 88, plus Tim Ambrose’ half-century at better than a run a ball laid the foundations for Warwickshire to reach their target of 266, but they still needed three fours in the final over from Ateeq Javid to seal victory with a solitary ball to spare.Last year’s finalists had lost twice and gained a point from an abandonment in their other fixtures and managed to restrict their hosts to 265 for 7, Ashwell Prince and Alex Davies starring for Lancashire, who were put into bat. Lancashire were quickly on the back foot when Keith Barker tempted Karl Brown to edge behind in just the fifth over as the Lightning struggled for a foothold in the opening exchanges.Salvation came in the usual shape of South Africa’s Prince, who brought his stunning first-class form into the shorter format with a typically belligerent innings that found its feet in the 10th over when the veteran opener pulled successive balls from Rikki Clarke to the leg side boundary for four then six.Prince and fellow countryman Alviro Petersen put on 62 for the second wicket before the latter skied an on drive to the back-pedalling Keith Barker at mid-on for 22. The setback made little difference to Prince who continued unheeded as he and Paul Horton proceeded to compile another crucial partnership of 75 until Horton was strangled down the leg side for 37 by Boyd Rankin.Rankin had struggled early on but his second spell proved far more fruitful as Horton’s departure triggered a mini collapse. Prince was the next to go, missing out on his century after edging the big Irishman behind for 82, and when skipper Steven Croft quickly followed in the same manner, Lancashire had lost three wickets for seven runs.It was left to 20-year-old wicketkeeper Davies to restore some momentum into the innings with a knock full of improvisation which included one boundary off a one-handed backhand smash.Davies and James Faulkner added a valuable 79 before the close, but it was a target that looked well within Warwickshire’s reach, especially when Chopra and William Porterfield put on 64 for the opening wicket.The introduction of left arm spinner Steven Parry proved vital as he removed Porterfield for 38 before former England Test player Jonathan Trott quickly departed following a poor shot off Faulkner.Chopra and Ambrose, compiled a third wicket partnership of 102 to bring the visitors back into contention. Ambrose fell lbw to Jarvis for 59 off 57 balls before the accurate Parry removed Clarke for five and then Croft bowled Laurie Evans for 11.Chopra was finally dismissed in the 44th over, 60 runs short of the target, but in a nail biting last over Javid and Jeetan Patel kept their nerve as the former hit Tom Bailey for the winning boundary from the penultimate delivery of the match.

Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has demonstrated his concerns about a diminishing supply of high-class pace bowling resources by revealing he tried to convince Mitchell Johnson to remain a limited-overs player after his retirement from Test matches in Perth.Johnson told Lehmann and the captain Steven Smith of his intention to leave international cricket on the third evening of the WACA Test against New Zealand. While they accepted their spearhead’s decision, Lehmann has said he floated the possibility of Johnson sticking around as an ODI or Twenty20 bowler for Australia but was rebuffed.”His mind was made up as soon as he spoke to Steven and myself after day three. He’d been thinking about it for a while, been talking about it in the media,” Lehmann told the Adelaide radio station . “We spoke to him about maybe playing the one-dayers, we think that was a really good option for us to have that experience there. But he’s not into it, he’s not into the training anymore, he’s had enough and he just wants to sit at home and watch us play.”While no longer eager to pursue the rigorous training and travel regimen of an international fast bowler, Johnson is set to keep playing in the game’s shortest format for some time yet. The Perth Scorchers have been in discussions with his manager Sam Halvorsen about a potential Big Bash League deal, and the WACA chief executive Christian Matthews has said that “we’ve had indications he’s keen to play for us”.Lehmann, meanwhile, has reflected on a shrinking supply of pacemen, with the loss of Johnson and Ryan Harris thrusting the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Peter Siddle and James Pattinson very much to the forefront of the national team’s plans across all forms of the game. The selection of Andrew Fekete, who has since been dropped by Tasmania, for the postponed tour of Bangladesh demonstrated a wide open field beneath this quartet.”We’ve got a few injuries at the moment, with Harris and Johnson retiring and then you chuck in Pat Cummins injured at the moment,” Lehmann said. “We’ve got some depth in young kids, but these four [Starc, Hazlewood, Siddle, Pattinson] are prime bowlers for us and we’ve got to keep them on the park.”Hazlewood, Siddle and Pattinson are seemingly duelling for two bowling spots alongside Starc. Lehmann said that Hazlewood had not performed to his satisfaction in the first two Tests of the New Zealand series, but he was hesitant about being overly critical of a young bowler still learning his game and duly inconsistent.”He got better and better in Perth, he certainly bowled well with the new ball in the second innings, better than he probably has all series, so he looks like he’s running into a little bit of form there,” Lehmann said. “But it’s tough to spot because he’s a young kid, he bowls well in patches and we probably should have held a few catches to help our bowlers out a little bit as well. He’d like more wickets, as we would.”Bowlers on both sides have been neutered by flat pitches in Brisbane and Perth, but Lehmann stressed that he expected better of Australia’s pacemen in particular. While the likes of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor have flourished so far, Lehmann contended that this was largely as a result of their not being put under enough pressure by consistent bowling to the fields set by Smith.”I certainly don’t think we’ve bowled as well as we should have,” he said. “I said that after the first Test and then the second Test. We’re certainly batting well enough at the moment, so if we get the bowling right, and get the ball in the right areas and put a bit more pressure on them, not too many free balls, that might be a different story.”

Scorecard

Jimmy Kamande was one of seven Kenyan batsmen who failed to make it to double figures © AFP

A tight bowling performance and some entertaining batting from the openers took India A to an easy win in their first one-dayer against Kenya at the Gymkhana Ground in Nairobi. Praveen Kumar backed up Pankaj Singh’s 4 for 29 with three economical wickets before blazing an unbeaten 57 from 27 deliveries to take India to their target of 99 in 7.4 overs.Mohammed Kaif won the toss on an unusually chilly Nairobi morning and decided to put Kenya in. Singh struck with the first delivery of the third over when he got David Obuya to nick one behind to Parthiv Patel. Kumar removed his fellow opener Maurice Ouma, edging to second slip, Singh got rid of Tanmay Mishra and Kumar bowled Tony Suji to make it 18 for 4. Captain Thomas Odoyo managed 43 from 53 balls, amid further strikes from Singh, Kumar and Yo Mahesh, but his fall – he was last out – left India with the relatively simple target of 99.They set about their task in spectacular fashion. Kumar hammered Peter Ongondo’s first delivery, a rank half-volley, over extra cover for six. In the second over, bowled by Nehemiah Odhiambo, he picked up six more over the deep square boundary followed by a square cut and a lofted drive over cover for boundaries.Those shots took him to 28 from 11 deliveries while his partner Yusuf Pathan was still on 1. He was not about to shy away from the sumptious bowling on offer, however, and smashed Ongondo over long-on and into the car park region.Rajesh Bhudia was brought on earlier than he would expected, in the fourth over, and Kumar picked up two sixes, the first a Mahendra Singh Dhoni-like whip over deep midwicket and the second a regulation pull in the same direction, to raise India’s 50 in 4 overs. Lameck Onyango was introduced in the fifth over and Pathan immediately swept him for two before hitting him for six. Fours came at the same alarming rate as Kumar and Pathan (29 from 20 balls) finished an easy run chase.Both captains conceded that winning the toss was very important. When asked at the post-match presser what he would have chosen to do had he won the toss, Odoyo said he would have fielded in an attempt to utilise the overcast conditions.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out – England
How they were out – Pakistan

Shoaib Akhtar bowled brilliantly for Pakistan © Getty Images

Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif lit up a gloomy day at Lord’s with twooutstanding spells of pace bowling to set up Pakistan for a seven-wicketwin. Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf and latterly Inzamam-ul-Haq made lightof late afternoon conditions that grew darker by the moment to easePakistan across the line with 20 balls to spare.If the weathermen were to have been believed there was very little chanceof a full match being played, so dire was the forecast but in England suchthings have to be taken with a pinch of salt. Although the heady days ofsummer seemed a lifetime ago the rain that did arrive only reduced thecontest to 40 overs-a-side. The light during Pakistan’s chase would nothave been fit for a Test – or even first-class match – but one-day cricketis about getting results for the crowd.It would have been harsh on Pakistan if the weather had denied them for asecond time – after they’d been on top at Cardiff – as they again showedhow dangerous they can be as a one-day side. Shoaib and Asif combined totake figures of 6 for 38 from their 16 overs and blew the England toporder away with pace and swing. Shoaib returned to mop up the tail andearn himself a four-wicket haul. The key for Pakistan is how to keep himfit through the Champions Trophy and World Cup.Pakistan’s target required them to go at just over four-an-over, and meant they could negotiate an impressive new-ball spell from Jon Lewis, who took this chance to show the England selectors that he is worth an extendedrun in the team. He removed Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik with classicalseam bowling, nagging away on off stump, and could have had a third if ithadn’t been for a tight no-ball call by Billy Doctrove when Younis edgedto Chris Read on 15.Lewis bowled his eight overs off the reel, but the problem for AndrewStrauss was that the pressure wasn’t maintained at the other end. DarrenGough bowled too short while Stuart Broad, who’d never sent down a ball atLord’s, struggled to adjust to the slope which has affected many seniorbowlers too.Younis and Yousuf knew that once they negotiated the frontline seamersthere would be easier pickings against the supporting cast. The pairmilked Paul Collingwood and launched into plenty of shortofferings from Rikki Clarke. Desperate to keep seam operating, Strausstried Ian Bell but by now the batsmen were comfortable.Younis reached his fifty off 78 balls but gave the innings away when heclipped Clarke to Kevin Pietersen at deep square-leg. However, the jobwas almost complete and it was left to Yousuf and Inzamam to add thefinishing touches with some thumping strokeplay confirming, without doubt,where the balance of power lies.

Younis Khan finished things off with a commanding 55 © Getty Images

What England would give for such consummate one-day batting. Admittedlyconditions were very bowler-friendly first-up, and Pakistan’s attack is ahandful in the sunshine, but the top order found Shoaib and Asif almostunplayable. Even during their 5-0 hammering againstSri Lanka, England’s batting wasn’t the major concern (the bowlerscouldn’t even defend 300-plus) but in this series the main men have yet toeven look like firing.Shoaib started the procession when Strauss fell to the last delivery ofthe first over, before rain forced the players off for nearly an hour. Onresumption life got tougher. Marcus Trescothick tried coming down thepitch, to the displeasure of Asif, who gave him a send-off when he edgedto second slip. Ian Bell was forced back by a series of rapid bouncersfrom Shoaib, then caught prodding at deliveries pitched up until he edgedto first slip.Pietersen tried to hit his way out of the mini-slump he is suffering, but anungainly pull against his nemesis, Asif, was well caught by Rana Navedrunning in from third man. Again, Asif – who’d claimed Pietersen for thefourth time in five innings – couldn’t resist a chirp at his victim.Paul Collingwood and Jamie Dalrymple tried to rebuild, but eachpartnership was nipped in the bud as Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaqchipped in with the ball.The major boost to England’s faltering progress came from Clarke and Readwho added 53 off 57 balls. They mixed sharp running with some audaciousshots; Clarke swept Naved to fine leg while Read hooked Shoaib for six.Clarke reached a career-best ODI score before he was cleaned up by Shoaiband England couldn’t even bat out the reduced number of overs. Theirmiserable one-day run continues and it will take a monumental effort toturn this series around against a Pakistan team who are starting to hittheir straps.

New Zealand 215 (McMillan 54, McCullum49) beat India 164 (Yadav 69, Pathan 50, Bond 6-19)by 51 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Shane Bond: India’s batting wilted against his pace © Getty Images

Shane Bond blazed through India’s top order and later prised open a threatening partnership between Jai P Yadav and Irfan Pathan to take New Zealand to victory by 51 runs in the second match of the Videocon Cup in Bulawayo. The pair had put on 118 after Bond’s initial spell left India at 44 for 8 and, just as visions of an improbable victory arose, he returned to dash Indian hopes conclusively, ending with 6 for 19.In seven opening overs of super mayhem, Bond took 5 for 13, and demonstrated that for all the supersubs, powerplays and other hyperbolic terms added to rejuvenate the game, the sport – like other sports – is sustained by drama involving the participants; it should make for a good story. The first over was a tale by itself. Sourav Ganguly opened, and Bond had the new ball. The first ball, slanted across at great pace, looped up off a protective prod and fell between the two. The next, pitched short outside leg, climbed past Ganguly’s chest above off, barely giving him time to register the ball. The third, a similar delivery but pushed further up, was fended without conviction. The fourth, again short and cutting across, carried the threat of injury but Ganguly evaded it reflexively. Cricket at this pace had become all about adrenaline, bravery and instinct by the batsman. And one delivery after another, Bond was dissecting the batsman’s tools, laying him bare. Yet only four balls had gone by. The fifth was a repeat of the fourth. Even Bond’s run-up was intimidating now. The force with which he delivered the last ball was like a farewell explosion, aimed at the head, the edge, the batsman’s self-respect. Somehow Ganguly survived. His weaknesses were well-known; Bond hit all the right pressure points.The next over Bond picked him off with a short ball down leg which was gloved to the wicketkeeper. The next ball Venugopal Rao, the supersub, was late on a super-quick inswinging yorker that slammed into the stumps. Rahul Dravid then tried cutting a short incoming delivery and chopped it onto his stumps. Mohammad Kaif cut one as well, and it carried to the fielder at third man. Then Virender Sehwag, who had begun his innings with a pulled four, slashed one to point and found a sprawling Hamish Marshall in the way.For a while, when Yadav and Pathan batted, Bond’s effort could have been in danger. No other bowler appeared threatening; Andre Adam’s wickets came due to the pressure Bond applied as batsmen looked to lash out at the other end. Once Bond went off, Yadav and Pathan set about rebuilding and drawing India closer to 216. They crossed their fifties quickly, enjoying fair luck, but also striking calculated fours. Yadav swept Vettori powerfully and delicately, and swung him over midwicket for six, while Pathan preferred the lofts down the ground for his boundaries. On 50 he departed, flaying at a quick delivery from Bond that caught the edge and traveled to the keeper. That was more or less it for India. Three balls later, Yadav mis-hit one to mid-off to end it all.You wouldn’t have known it, but India started the day on top. Ashish Nehra stuck to a line outside off for the left-handers and slanted it across for the others. He curved the ball late and experimented with his length without offering room, and this had the effect of rooting the batsmen to the crease. Stephen Fleming nicked one. Nathan Astle, paralysed, was trapped lbw. Pathan trapped Lou Vincent in front and did Marshall and Scott Styris in as well. At 36 for 5, New Zealand were a few wickets away from a low total.But Agarkar was brought in and he provided width at a friendly pace. In three overs to Craig McMillan and Styris he conceded 17 runs and was taken off. The morning’s pressure slowly dissipated and just as gradually, the batsmen found their feet. Oram swung Harbhajan for large sixes over long-on and mid-off. McMillan took few risks after surviving an lbw shout on zero and then powerfully smote Yadav over long-on for six. After they parted Brendon McCullum and Cairns accelerated, combining deft touch with powerful blows over cover. But just as he got started, Cairns fell, lightly swinging a Yadav ball to Harbhajan at short fine-leg. However, McCullum went on, twice hitting Nehra through the off-side for fours in an over and taking two off Agarkar as well, before falling last man, to Agarkar, with seven overs remaining.India have been undone by quick bowlers before, but rarely have they been unable to place bat on ball this way. It was utterly demoralizing and, like Miandad’s last-ball six, could have lasting effects on a line-up unsure of itself.

Glenn McGrath has been fined 25 percent of his match fee, after breaching the ICC’s Code of Conduct with an audible obscenity. McGrath was reported to the match referee, Chris Broad, for a level 1 offence, after an lbw appeal against Sanath Jayasuriya was turned down. Jayasuriya later fell for 22, as the second Test against Sri Lanka at Cairns was drawn."It’s important that all players continue to observe ICC guidelines that protect the values, integrity and spirit of the game," said Broad. "The on-field umpires came to the defence of McGrath during the hearing given his exemplary behaviour prior to the offence. Evidence was brought to the hearing that Ricky Ponting approached McGrath and immediately took control of the situation, and we were satisfied that this was the appropriate course of action."Cricket Australia confirmed that no further action would be taken against McGrath under the players’ Spirit of Cricket Code.

Glamorgan recorded their third Championship win of the season as theydefeated Somerset by 110 runs at Sophia Gardens – a win that elevates the Welshcounty into fourth place in Division Two and maintains their bid for promotion.Resuming on 129/3 in their bid to score 424, Somerset were dealt an early blowwhen, after only 15 runs had been added in the morning, Jamie Cox was caught at cover pointby Matthew Maynard off Alex Wharf. Twenty runs later Wharf struck again as he clean bowledIan Blackwell, and it looked as if the match might be all over before lunch.However, Michael Burns, the visiting cptain, had other ideas, and together with Aaron Laraman,the pair took the score to 217-5 at the end of the morning session. Burns played freely all aroundthe wicket and after the interval he duly reached his first Championship hundred of the season, afterhaving batted for a shade over 3 hours, and having hit 17 fours.But by the time Burns had reached this landmark, inroads had been made at the other end, afterRobert Croft opted to take the new ball. Laraman was caught behind by Mark Wallace to give Alex Wharf histhird wicket, and then the young wicket-keeper took a superb catch diving low one-handed, to catchan edge by Rob Turner off the bowling of Michael Kasprowicz.Burns was then run-out by Adrian Dale after a mix-up with Keith Dutch, and despite a few defiant blows byKeith Dutch, the end finally came a quarter of an hour before tea as Dutch chipped a ball from Croftinto the hands of Dale at mid-wicket, as Somerset were bowled out for 313.Alex Wharf ended with figures of 4/90, whilst Michael Kasprowicz took 2/91 from 35 overs, and the seamerswholehearted efforts were singled out for praise afterwards by captain Robert Croft. “This was ahard fought victory, and a lot of credit must go to the seam bowlers for always being prepared to run in hardand to hit the wicket all day, which was no mean feat in this heat.”

West Indies’ women’s cricket team will arrive in Sri Lanka on January 18 nextyear for a 13-day tour.During their stay in Sri Lanka the Caribbean women will play a four-day TestMatch and three One-Day Internationals with the Sri Lankan women’s team.The West Indian side will play its only four-day match at the ColtsCricket Ground, Colombo from January 20-23 before travelling to Kandy forthe first of three One-Day Internationals at the Asgiriya Internationalcricket stadium on January 26.They’ll be back in Colombo for the second and the third one-dayers onJanuary 28 and 30 at the Colts Ground. They will travel to Pakistan after the tour.The Sri Lankan contingent is already hard at practice at the SinhaleseSports Club grounds. The pool of 20, coached by Vanessa Bowen, will bepruned to 14 by mid-November

Federal Areas made a solid start in their reply to Baluchistan’s 353 on a curtailed second day at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Only 39.2 overs were possible in the day, and Federal Areas finished 135 for 2, leaving them 218 runs behind Baluchistan’s first-innings score. Baluchistan’s No. 10 Zulfiqar Babar added some quick runs at the start of the day to increase his side’s overnight total of 320 for 9. Federal Areas then lost a couple of wickets early, with fast bowlers Abdur Rauf and Nazar Hussain taking a scalp each. Opener Raheel Majeed stayed steady at one end to finish on 67 not out, and he put together an unbroken 79-run partnership with Umar Amin.Not much play was possible at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore either, where Punjab’s batsmen continued to dominate the Sind bowlers. Starting on 347 for 3, Punjab added another 124 runs in the 37 overs bowled on the second day, to finish at 471 for 4. Overnight centurion Mohammad Ayub went on to make 140 before he was bowled by Sohail Khan. That dismissal did not stop the runs however, as Usman Salahuddin helped himself to an unbeaten half-century, and Kamran Sajid scored 42 not out. Punjab may have to consider declaring early on the third day if they want to force a result from the game.

It was a frustrating 90 minutes as England spent a lot of time without the ball, camped in their own half against France in their opening Euro 2012 fixture. It is a less than desirable tactic but one that is frequently proven to provide results. In an attempt to encourage the England team to become more forceful in possession Martin Keown suggested in The Daily Mail that Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker should rotate in the midfield in a similar manner to that with Sami Khedira and Bastian Schweinsteiger did to devastating effect for Germany against Netherlands. But these are very different players and would it really be to England’s advantage to try and replicate this tactic?

Khedira and Schweinsteiger played as the deep-lying midfielders in a 4-2-3-1 formation for Joachim Low’s side but did not restrict their attacking movements. In fact, the Bayern Munich midfielder supplied the assists for both of Germany’s goals in the 2-1 wins. While it proved to be a success for Low’s team, Gerrard and Parker lack the dynamism of the German duo possessing a combined 11-years more.

Gerrard himself recently admitted in an interview with ITV that his years of bombing forward to join the attack are beyond him. Instead he must make his influence known from a deeper position, aiding the forward momentum with his wide array of passing.

In terms of his midfield partner, while Parker may have added the odd attacking injection during his time at Charlton Athletic, he lacks the finesse in the final third to make a telling contribution to the attack. He should not be encouraged to get forward simply because it worked for Germany. Even Khedira as a typically defensive player is a far better playmaker than the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder. That is not to disparage Parker, he is exceptionally good at what he does, so why change it?

We should not focus on emulating other countries and instead make the most of what he have in abundance: pace. Players such as Theo Walcott, Ashley Young and Danny Welbeck all possess terrific acceleration, as does Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. England would benefit most from using this to stretch teams and get in behind. In the current 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 there is too much pressure on Gerrard and Parker to get forward with James Milner on the left it limits the options available when going forward.

The problem that comes with relying on speed however is that most teams defend against it by setting their defensive line deep, reducing the room for players to make the piercing run in behind. With the main complaint of England that they sit back too much and do not control the ball, the use of fast players in the wide areas could help over turn this.

By forcing the opposition to defend deep Steven Gerrard would be more readily able to help join the attack, adding an extra bit of class on the ball that is so frequently needed to forge the best of openings. In a 4-3-3 formation Scott Parker could sit and hold while the hard-working James Milner and Gerrard rotate in the responsibility of joining the attack.

In a 4-2-3-1 England could really make the most of their pace. When Wayne Rooney returns for the final fixture against Ukraine he could be used behind the striker as he so frequently likes to drop behind the play and pick up the ball. He could be supported from deep by Gerrard who would be required to attack less, enabling him to use his experience to pick the most opportune moments to venture forward.

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While the excellent displays of Germany and Spain in the this round of fixtures have been particularly inspirational, England should not pretend to be something they are not. It is unwise of Keown to suggest so and instead we should make use of what is so readily available to us.. When you are trying to loosen a bolt you pick up the spanner, not the hammer.

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