Report
Jayawardene seals series glory
Mahela Jayawardene added another chapter to a memorable tour with a series-sealing century as Sri Lanka overpowered England by eight wickets at Chester-le-Street
The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan
24-Jun-2006
Sri Lanka 265 for 2 (Jayawardene 126*, Sangakkara 62*) beat England 261 for 7 (Bell 77) by eight wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out - England
How they were out - Sri Lanka
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out - England
How they were out - Sri Lanka
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Bell, along with jaunty knocks from Jamie Dalrymple and Geraint Jones, had lifted England after an innings that laboured for 40 overs before coming to life as the final 10 brought 89 runs. However, any chance England may have had of keeping the series alive disappeared with a new-ball spell that abandoned all notions of line and length.
The confidence that is surging through the Sri Lankans was evident with the way they started the run chase. Sanath Jayasuriya lashed a series of wide long-hops to the cover and third-man boundary as Steve Harmison and Liam Plunkett fluffed their lines in front of a home crowd. Sajid Mahmood's first ball brought the breakthrough as he charged through after delivering and caught Jayasuriya short - but that was as good as it got for Mahmood.
Full postSmith and Styris delay defeat
Ed Smith and Scott Styris hit defiant centuries as Middlesex took their game with Lancashire into a fourth day at Lord's, making 426 in their second innings
Andrew McGlashan at Lord's
23-Jun-2006
Lancashire 505 and 6 for 0 (Chilton 4*, Sutcliffe 1*) need 77 more runs to beat Middlesex 161 and 426 (Styris 133, Smith 114, Cork 4-85)
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Scorecard
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Smith's century was his second of the season and will have brought welcome relief for a player who has become more acquainted with single figure scores in recent matches. However, he lived a charmed life and was put down on 96 when Kyle Hogg dropped a sitter at mid-on off Brad Hodge as Smith got a leading edge. He also flirted with Lancashire's deep-set field on the legside with a number of his pulls on just falling short of the fielders.
Hogg's drop came on a day when, on a rare occasion this summer, things didn't go Lancashire's way. At the start of the morning they needed to replace Luke Sutton with the second team wicketkeeper, Gareth Cross, after Sutton sustained a broken thumb on the second day. He had been struck by Mohammad Ali during his 72, but continued to bat and kept throughout Middlesex's first innings and the start of the follow-on. However, overnight the injury was assessed - via a trip back to Manchester - and Sutton is expected to be out for around a month, which rules him out of the Twenty20 zonal round.
Full postRain halts West Indies progress
Ramnaresh Sarwan and Daren Ganga gave West Indies the upper hand with contrasting centuries but India managed to claw things back a touch with some useful wickets as tea was taken with the score on 420 for 5
The Bulletin by Anand Vasu
23-Jun-2006
West Indies 420 for 5 (Gayle 83, Ganga 135, Sarwan 116) v India
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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Ramnaresh Sarwan and Daren Ganga gave West Indies the upper hand with contrasting centuries but India managed to claw things back a touch with some useful wickets as rain forced an early end to play at the tea interval on the second day. In the morning though it was West Indies all the way as Sarwan savaged the bowling - Munaf Patel was creamed for six boundaries in one 25-run over - while Ganga dug deep and dropped anchor. When the day's play was called off at 3.30pm local time West Indies had pushed on to 420 for 5.
When West Indies began the day on 207 for 1, India needed a few quick wickets to get back into the game. But that just didn't happen. Sarwan continued in his positive vein and even Ganga, who was quite guarded on the first day, opened his shoulders and began to play a few shots.
Full postMore misery for Middlesex
Middlesex were bowled out for 161 and followed-on against Lancashire at Lord's on another tough day for the struggling county
Andrew McGlashan at Lord's
22-Jun-2006
Middlesex 161 (Nash 52*, Cork 4-61) and 47 for 1 (Smith 31*, Peploe 4*) trail Lancashire 505 (Hodge 161, Chilton 93, Sutton 72, Hogg 70, Styris 6-71) by 297 runs
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Scorecard
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Lancashire gorged themselves on a pitch full of runs, but as soon as Ed Smith and Nick Compton took guard it looked a different surface. Smith was trapped plumb in front by Dominic Cork's second ball, a full swinging delivery, and Smith's problems are symptomatic of his team's. This was his four duck in seven innings and his eighth single figure score in 14 knocks. He is still capable of scoring elegant centuries, but is far removed from the batsman who filled his boots at Kent and earned an England call in 2003.
As he had done last week against Warwickshire, Cork caused plenty of problems with the new ball. Compton, who later had the ignominy of falling twice in the day, was done neck and crop by one that nipped back - and hinted at keeping a fraction low - then Eoin Morgan fended a lifter to second slip. The Middlesex seamers, barring a determined morning spell from Mohammad Ali, had struggled to get the ball off straight.
Full postGayle and Ganga put Windies on top
The fall of Chris Gayle, for an energetic 83 was the only real blip in a positive day's cricket for the West Indies where they bettered India without ever seeming to strive hard to do so
The Bulletin by Anand Vasu
22-Jun-2006
West Indies 207 for 1 (Ganga 64*, Sarwan 44*) v India
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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The fall of Chris Gayle, for an energetic 83 was the only real blip in a positive day's cricket for the West Indies where they bettered India without ever seeming to strive hard to do so. Brian Lara won the toss and chose to bat, and after being denied the first session because of overnight rain, West Indies reached a comforting 207 for 1.
India began well enough, with their fast bowlers - Sreesanth, fit again and making a reappearance to the Test eleven, and the ever improving Munaf Patel - putting the ball in the right areas often enough to give it a chance to swing or seam on a pitch that afforded much-needed bounce.
Full postHodge makes a strong point
Brad Hodge hits 161 as Lancashire enjoy a strong opening day against Middlesex at Lord's
Andrew McGlashan at Lord's
21-Jun-2006
Lancashire 359 for 5 (Hodge 161, Chilton 93, Sutton 24*, Hogg 5*) v Middlesex
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Mix a hungry Australian batsman who wants his Test place back with a flat pitch and the bowlers are in for a tough time. Hodge is still seething at his omission from the Australian team following a double century against South Africa, at Perth, in December. He has stated that he would have preferred a full season at Old Trafford but realises he has to keep himself at the forefront of the selectors' minds.
"I was hoping to play pretty much a full season here, win a few things and go back to Australia with 1500 runs under my belt," he said recently, "but that is not going to be the case now. This is a tournament that I have to do well in for my future as a Test cricketer."
Full postJayasuriya leads Sri Lanka's romp
Kevin Pietersen has kept England's hopes of levelling the one-day series alive with a gem of an innings which displayed his full range of strokeplay
The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan
20-Jun-2006
Sri Lanka 319 for 8 (Jayasuriya 122, Jayawardene 66, Sangakkara 51, Harmison 3-32) beat England 273 (Pietersen 73*, Collingwood 56, Jayasuriya 3-51) by 46 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out - Sri Lanka
How they were out - England
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out - Sri Lanka
How they were out - England
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Some aspects of England's play were improved from an effort at Lord's that was sometimes shambolic, yet the margin of defeat was significantly larger. Steve Harmison was outstanding in his 10-over spell and the ground fielding lifted itself by a few notches - especially the fine catches held by Pietersen and Tim Bresnan. Promising partnerships between Pietersen and Ian Bell then Pietersen and Paul Collingwood shaped a hopeful run-chase but ultimately too much rested on to few.
Not all the failings from Saturday were erased, either, with 33 extras being conceded including another criminally high 21 wides. In their current form, Sri Lanka are not a team that need a helping hand and they quickly showed their intent to climb all over England while they are down.
Full postTharanga and Malinga star in 20-run win
Sri Lanka took first blood in the one-day series with an impressive 20-run win at Lord's based on fine career-best performances from Upul Tharanga and Lasith Malinga backed up by sharp fielding
The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan
17-Jun-2006
Sri Lanka 257 for 9 (Tharanga 120, Harmisom 3-51) beat England 237 for 9 (Trescothick 67, Dalrymple ) by 20 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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When Sri Lanka were imposingly placed on 139 for 2 after 25 overs, a much larger chase than 258 was on the cards. But England still needed a solid start, not to mention an innings along the lines of Tharanga's career-best 120. It didn't happen as Dilhara Fernando made a fine return to the Sri Lankan side with three wickets in his first spell and Lasith Malinga - who bowled with real fire and accuracy - silenced the Lord's crowd by removing Kevin Pietersen.
Trescothick and Andrew Strauss were kept in their shells early and Trescothick was dropped, on 10, when Malinga spilt a tough caught-and-bowled chance before Strauss under-edged a pull off Fernando's first ball. Fernando was impressive, hitting 90mph on occasions while Malinga bowled an outstanding line and length - something England had spectacularly failed to do in the field when they conceded 23 wides. A second reward went Fernando's way when Bell dragged one back into his stumps, bringing Pietersen to the crease.
Full postKeedy sends Warwickshire spinning
Lancashire jumped to the summit of the Championship table with a seven-wicket victory at Edgbaston
Andrew McGlashan at Edgbaston
16-Jun-2006
Lancashire 317 (Law 121, Sutcliffe 69) and 84 for 3 (Law 31*) beat Warwickshire 173 (Frost 63, Cork 6-53) and 225 (Knight 80, Keedy 6-81) by seven wickets
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Scorecard
Lancashire jumped to the summit of the Championship table with a seven-wicket victory at Edgbaston. Midway through the afternoon session Warwickshire were threatening to make a game of it as they went into the lead with just two wickets down. However, after an indifferent start, Gary Keedy ran through the middle and lower as the last eight wickets falling for 53 runs.
The day had been touted as one where Warwickshire would be unable to combat a tricky surface, especially once spin came into the attack. The Lancashire seamers only made a single breakthrough - Tom Smith shifting Ian Westwood after a solid opening of 65 - then it was the turn of the tweakers.
Match-winning performances by English spinners will always catch the eye. Monty Panesar's promising start to his Test career has given England another option as they wait for Ashley Giles to recover - a process that is taking shape after he bowled on the outfield during this match - but Keedy continues to do everything he can to keep his name in the ring. The recent selection of Shaun Udal, Jon Lewis and Glen Chapple has shown that age is does not have to be a major factor. Keedy takes wickets, plenty of them, and not just on helpful surfaces.
Full postLaw proves a class above
Stuart Law's 121 has put Lancashire firmly in control at Edgbaston
Andrew McGlashan at Edgbaston
15-Jun-2006
Lancashire 317 (Law 121, Sutcliffe 69, Streak 3-37) lead Warwickshire 173 (Frost 63, Cork 6-53) by 144 runs
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Scorecard
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Sometimes a single innings stands out above anything else in a match. Not for the first time in a run-filled career, Stuart Law reached that level at Edgbaston as Lancashire built a match-winning lead of 144 in conditions that were still far from cakewalk for the batsmen. He and Iain Sutcliffe added almost as many as the whole Warwickshire line-up managed together - their stand of 165 could be the defining period of this match.
There was less help for the seamers than on the opening day; when the sun shines at Edgbaston batsmen tend to prosper. However, it had by no means turned into a featherbed and an early wicket apiece for Dougie Brown and Heath Streak threatened another batting collapse. The ball that scooted through low to trap Brad Hodge would certainly have raised the odd eyebrow.
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