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Essex Eagles won a thrilling Clydesdale Bank 40 clash against Lancashire at Old Trafford by six wickets with two balls

14-Aug-2011
ScorecardEssex Eagles won a thrilling Clydesdale Bank 40 clash against Lancashire at Old Trafford by six wickets with two balls to spare thanks in the main to century-maker Mark Pettini and Owais Shah.It meant Essex kept their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals alive as they chased down 258, all but ending their opponents’ last-four hopes in the process. Essex always had wickets in hand as they chased but Lancashire’s bowlers squeezed well in the field to leave the visitors needing 114 off 66 balls with eight wickets in hand.Pettini and Shah, however, shared 111 in 14 overs for the third wicket, punishing Sajid Mahmood, Oliver Newby and Steven Croft’s offspin in particular. Pettini finished with 104 off 101 balls and Shah 75 off 56, hitting a combined total of 12 fours and three sixes.This was Lancashire’s first defeat in 12 one-day matches in both competitions but they were the team in the ascendancy at the halfway stage thanks to Karl Brown’s maiden one-day hundred. After James Foster had elected to bowl, Lancashire calmly built a platform on a good pitch as opener Stephen Moore scored 69 off 67 balls.He shared 84 for the third wicket with Brown before the latter and Gareth Cross (58 not out off 51 balls) added an unbroken 119 for the fifth wicket inside the last 15 overs of the innings. They also wreaked havoc in the last six overs, amassing a whopping 80 runs.Cross hit Graham Napier for two leg-side sixes, both parried over the fence by Chris Wright and Adam Wheater, and he and Brown reached their respective milestones in the last over, bowled by left-arm spinner Tim Phillips and costing 19. Brown finished on 101 not out off 86 balls, including 10 fours and a six.Ravi Bopara, fresh from the Edgbaston Test, took the two wickets of Croft and Moore with his medium pace. And he played a part in the Essex chase with 39 off 53 balls, sharing 88 inside 17 overs for the second wicket with Pettini.Despite the fact the Eagles, now level on 13 points with second-placed Nottinghamshire after 10 matches, had wickets in hand, they were dropping further and further behind by rate. But Pettini and Shah reduced the target of 114 off 66 balls at its toughest to nine off the last over with some power hitting and good running as the home attack unusually lost their way.Gary Keedy and Newby got rid of Pettini, stumped by Cross, and Shah, caught at cover by Tom Smith, within the last three overs. But it was not enough as Ryan ten Doeschate hit the winning runs to delight the home dressing room.

A round-up of the matches from the third day of the Faysal Bank T20, 2011

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Sep-2011Rameez Aziz and Hasan Raza pulled off a heist as Karachi Zebras beat Abbottabad Falcons off the last ball of the game and claim a six-wicket victory. Karachi had slumped to 28 for 4 in the fifth over and looked unlikely to threaten Abbottabad’s total of 158 that was built around Yasir Hameed’s 73. But Aziz and Raza first steadied the innings and then launched a counter-attack over the closing overs to stun their opponents. Raza was the more aggressive of the two; his 74 came from 50 balls and included 11 fours. Aziz ended the day on 67 from 53 balls, with 10 fours. Their 132-run partnership was memorably capped by Raza as he struck left-arm spinner Khalid Usman for the winning runs.Imran Farhat and Taufeeq Umar powered Lahore Eagles to their third win in a row at the National Stadium in Karachi. Farhat and Umar both made half-centuries as Lahore cruised past Quetta Bears by nine wickets with 23 balls to spare. Quetta struggled after choosing to bat, as Lahore’s bowlers proved difficult to get away. Umar was in the thick of the action in the field, running out Bismillah Khan and Abid Ali, the latter’s wicket setting off a Quetta collapse. It took a quickfire 26 from Saeed Khan just to push his side to 125. Lahore’s openers made short work of their target. Farhat was the dominant partner, striking six fours and a six in his 50, which came from 33 balls. Umar was a little more circumspect, his 50 taking 49 balls and containing five fours. The win consolidated Lahore’s position at the top of Group A.A collective bowling effort helped Sialkot Stallions win by five balls to spare against Lahore Lions at the National Stadium in Karachi. Seamer Naved-ul-Hasan bagged three wickets and was supported by Sarfraz Ahmed, Raza Hasan and left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, each of whom took three. Lahore captain Abdul Razzaq made a quickfire 42 but the lower order crumbled and folded for 121. Sialkot lost their openers in quick time in the chase but wicketkeeper Shakeel Ansar (42) and Shahid Yousuf (47) got their team back on track. The pair added 72 and captain Shoaib Malik stayed through to the end with an unbeaten 15.

Ricky Ponting has revealed Shaun Marsh’s elevation to No. 3 in the Australian Test batting order was a “long-term plan” of the captain Michael Clarke

Daniel Brettig10-Oct-2011Ricky Ponting has revealed Shaun Marsh’s elevation to No. 3 in the Australian Test batting order was a “long-term plan” of the captain Michael Clarke. Ponting said he was happy to move down to No. 4 for as long as he keeps on playing.As he prepared for a rare Sheffield Shield appearance with Tasmania against Western Australia at the WACA, Ponting spoke frankly of the Test batting order, which has been shuffled to accommodate Marsh at three while Ponting, Clarke and Michael Hussey all slip one spot.Clarke’s vision for the team has so far been made clear, as he is equally adamant that the vice-captain Shane Watson will not be moving down the order from his demanding position as an opening batsman and allrounder.”It was a long-term plan of Michael’s to have Shaun move to No. 3 and me move to No.4 and Michael move to five and Huss to six,” Ponting told reporters in Perth. “So that wasn’t just something I don’t think as a one-off for that game. Michael sees that in the best interests of the team going forward for a period of time. So I’ll be three this week, probably three in the one-dayers in South Africa and then probably drop back to four for the Test matches.”When I first came into the Australian side, batting at six was hard. Waiting that amount of time to bat for me was something that was very foreign to me. But three to four I don’t think is as big a change as three to six, or it certainly wasn’t in the last Test because I was in pretty early both times. Slight adjustment. It just gives me a little bit more time once our fielding’s over to get my head around what I have to do to bat.”Ponting also spoke of the state of flux the team is presently in while Cricket Australia decides on a range of appointments recommended by the Argus review. The position of team performance manager must be finalised first, allowing the appointee to have a say in the choices of coach, national selector and part-time selectors.This means that Clarke will go to South Africa with plenty of weight on his shoulders regarding decision-making, for the interim coach Troy Cooley has flagged his lack of experience as a selector and also an unwillingness to make any lasting changes to the set-up run with mixed results by the departed head coach Tim Nielsen over the past four years.”Unfortunately at the moment the way things are working out a lot more of the responsibility is going to come back on the captain for this next tour,” Ponting said. “So it’s important that the captain, the vice-captain and probably the senior players do as much as we can around the group on this trip.”Troy’s been around the group for a long time and understands everyone really well, but he’s sort of been thrust into that selection role at the moment as well which is something very foreign to him. We’ll make do with the best we can. It’s probably not an ideal situation, but we knew that a long way out and the boys have been playing that way so everything should work out fine.”Ponting said many of the changes wrought by the Argus review were designed to lessen the load on the captain, but reckoned the short-term would be difficult for Clarke while the new positions were filled and settled into.”Having been there and done that in the past you want to be able to focus on your cricket and the team’s demands and probably not much outside of that if you can,” Ponting said. “That’s why a lot of these roles are changing, to take a bit of that strain if you like off the captain. It’s hard enough work when you’re just out there being the captain and worrying about your own game rather than everything else that goes with it. We’ll see how it goes, but he [Clarke] understands he’s got great support from all his team-mates around him.”Ponting’s appearances for Tasmania, who won the Shield in his absence last summer, would not be quite so rare if the schedule was balanced to ensure the strongest domestic competitions possible, something the Argus review also recommended.”With the Australian summer as packed as it is internationally-wise, it just makes it too hard for the international players to play state cricket,” Ponting said. “We’d all like the chance to be able to do that a bit more. I know the states and even our clubs would probably appreciate it if we can get back and spend more time around the next crop of potential international players.”While Hussey is missing the match after his time at the Champions League Twenty20, Ponting said he was never in any doubt for the fixture, and flatly rejected all reports to the contrary.”Some confusion’s probably happened as a result of our leave dates being changed, the coach at the time of the Australian team in Sri Lanka had ruled us out because the leave date was different than it is at the moment,” Ponting said. “As it turns out I only found out on Thursday that I was playing the game but I’ve been excited about the chance to play the game.”

A round-up of the action from the first day of the sixth round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division One

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2011A strong bowling performance helped top-of-the-table Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) knock over Islamabad for 232 on the first day of their game at the Diamond Club Gound in Islamabad. Islamabad made a strong start with the openers adding 83 before Afaq Raheem was caught behind for 44. They were still well placed at 130 for 1 but then began to lose wickets in bunches. First they lost 5 wickets for 10 runs, with Naved-ul-Hasan and Sarfraz Ahmed picking up two apiece. Imad Wasim and Naeem Anjum briefly stemmed the rot, adding 35 together, before another 3 wickets fell for 20 runs. It was only an obdurate tenth-wicket stand worth 37 between Wasim and Nasrullah, who made 7 from 52 balls, that took them past 200. Naved was the pick of the bowlers, with figures of 4 for 66 from 28.5 overs.Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) made a strong start to their match against Abbottabad, piling up a score of 305 for 3 at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. Three of ZTBL’s top five batsmen made half-centuries, two of them unbeaten, as Abbottabad’s decision to bowl first backfired. After opener Sharjeel Khan went without scoring, Imran Nazir and Yasir Hameed added 121 before Hameed was out for 48. Nazir fell agonisingly short of a hundred, trapped lbw on 99, but that was the last success of the day for Abbottabad as Shahid Yousuf (77*) and Haris Sohail (73*) put on 142 and take their side to stumps.Pakistan legspinner Danish Kaneria picked up four wickets as Faisalabad struggled to 219 for 8 against Habib Bank Limited (HBL) at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. Habib Bank chose to bowl and Fahad Masood removed the openers with only 14 on the board. Kaneria then took two wickets to end burgeoning partnerships, before Zeeshan Butt and Naved Latif came together to add 98 for the fifth wicket. Kaneria picked up his third wicket when he bowled Butt for 66. The home side were 207 for 5 at that stage but Zeeshan’s dismissal triggered a mini-collapse and Faisalabad lost another three wickets for 12 runs, including Latif for 51, to hand HBL the advantage.Asad Baig’s unbeaten century guided Karachi Blues to a total of 247 for 4 against National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) at the National Stadium in Karachi. Baig batted for six and a half hours to make exactly 100, and shared in three substantial partnerships. He added 56 with fellow opener Shahzaib Hasan (33), 87 with Khalid Latif (51) for the third wicket and 104 with Wajihuddin for the fourth before the latter was caught behind off Wahab Riaz for 48 off the last ball of the day.Rameez Raja’s painstaking half-century carried State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to 162 for 4 against Rawalpindi at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Only 68 overs were bowled in the day, and the openers started cautiously. Waqar Orakzai needed 101 balls, and two and a half hours, to make 20, while his partner was somewhat quicker, taking 51 balls, and 80 minutes, to make 27. Rameez Raja continued to bat in the same vein and progressed to 69 not out by the end of the day. Mohammad Rameez and Barbar Naeem took two wickets each.Kamran Sajid’s century ensured Sialkot toiled in the field and took Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to a strong 253 for 2 after the first day at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot. Opener Agha Sabir was bowled by Naved Arif for a duck but it was all PIA after that. Sajid added 153 for the second wicket with Sheharyar Ghani (68) and then a further 97 with Faisal Iqbal. He was not out on 122 at close, with Iqbal on 46.

New South Wales gained the advantage over Western Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, bowling them out for 150 and reaching 2 for 48 in response

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2011
ScorecardNew South Wales gained the advantage over Western Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, bowling them out for 150 and reaching 2 for 48 in response. After most of the first day was washed out, 20-year-old fast bowler Josh Hazlewood caused problems on the second morning. He bowled Marcus Harris with an offcutter and then dismissed Travis Birt. Wes Robinson fought and got a half-century but Hazlewood took two more wickets and Josh Lalor grabbed three to bowl Western Australia out for 150.Nathan Rimmington struck early but Tim Cruickshank and Phil Jacques steadied the innings before Cruickshank was dismissed just before play ended for the day. Captain Simon Katich joined Jaques, who finished the day 38 not out.

Ishant Sharma bowled only 5.3 overs on the first day of India’s tour match in Canberra, the most notable episode in a forgettable start for the tourists

The Report by Daniel Brettig in Canberra15-Dec-2011
ScorecardIshant Sharma went off the Manuka Oval early in the day and returned only to carry drinks•Getty Images

Stiffness, jet-lag, an ankle in need of re-strapping, or just micro-management on the part of Duncan Fletcher? Theories abounded as to the reason for Ishant Sharma bowling only 5.3 overs on the first day of India’s opening tour match against a Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI in Canberra, the most notable episode in a forgettable start for the tourists.An uncertain 2 for 45 after being sent in to bat by the acting Indian captain Rahul Dravid, the local XI ultimately reached a bountiful 6 for 398, led by dashing centuries from Wes Robinson and Tom Cooper. Umesh Yadav was the most incisive of the visiting bowlers, striking once in the first session and twice at the end in gathering gloom. They were watched by the CA chairman Wally Edwards, while the Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s partner Tim Mathieson was also in attendance to observe Ishant’s enigmatic introduction to the summer of 2011-12.Taking the new ball on a sleepy surface at Manuka Oval, Ishant went off the field twice in the space of his brief spell, and after his second exit midway through his sixth over, did not return. An Indian team official explained that Ishant had only planned to deliver six overs for the day, and when his ankle strapping came loose before it was concluded, he felt no need to return. Ishant was seen on the field later, but only to help run the drinks.As a tall fast bowler still recovering from the duration of the flight to Australia plus a four-hour bus trip into Canberra, Ishant was understandably below his best, and will take time to find his rhythm over the course of the week. There is sound reasoning for India to monitor Ishant’s left ankle carefully, given the debate about whether or not he required ankle surgery to repair ligament damage he sustained in the third Test against England at Edgbaston in August.In Ishant’s absence the rest toiled without much success against studious batting by the West Australian Robinson and the more attractive strokes of South Australia’s Cooper. Robinson showed more flair the further his innings went on, following Cooper’s example and ultimately blooming in a stand of 226. Pragyan Ojha and Vinay Kumar were on the receiving end of the most aggressive strokes, though no member of the bowling attack shone too brightly against batsmen largely considered surplus to the requirements of the imminent Big Bash League.Yadav enjoyed early success when he had the Chairman’s XI captain Ryan Broad edging behind to Wriddhiman Saha, and Ojha’s subtle variations of pace and flight proved too much for Joe Burns, bowled on the back foot by a flatter delivery. But the afternoon session passed without another wicket, as Robinson and Cooper built momentum against an attack that called on eight bowlers.A solid 2 for 186 at the tea interval, Robinson and Cooper accelerated with vigour on resumption, swatting boundaries to all parts. Ojha was subjected to particularly heavy punishment to return 2 for 149 from 25.3 overs. Robinson swung Ojha to the leg-side boundary no fewer than five times before he perished in the attempt to add a sixth.Alex Doolan provided unobtrusive company as Cooper reached his century, but both he and Glenn Maxwell were beaten on the crease by Yadav in light that became increasingly murky. Dean Solway, a Canberra product, edged Vinay behind shortly before the close.Cooper’s display was both pleasant and authoritative, demonstrating why he is now being watched by the national selectors as a possible contender for the Australian side.

Graeme Swann, the England offspinner, has said there are no lingering doubts about his fitness for the first Test against Pakistan in Dubai on Tuesday

David Hopps14-Jan-2012Graeme Swann, the England offspinner, has said there are no lingering doubts about his fitness for the first Test against Pakistan in Dubai on Tuesday. As if to prove it, he followed up his statement by diving from a racing yacht into the warm waters of the Persian Gulf.Swann needed a scan on a sore thigh before playing in England’s 100-run victory against a Pakistan Cricket Board XI. He described himself as “100% fit” as he joined team-mate Alastair Cook for a quick flight to Abu Dhabi and a ceremonial plunge off the racing yacht Azzam, Abu Dhabi’s official contender in the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12.Swann, 32, admitted he had briefly felt his age as injury threatened to disrupt a tour that gives him the opportunity to reassert himself as one of the world’s leading spin bowlers. “I was a bit nervous going into the last warm-up game because my thigh felt like a 32-year-old’s rather than a 22-year-old’s,” he said. “But it managed to get through and I felt great by the end of the game. So touch wood I’ll be 100% fit for the first Test.”If there had been any injury doubts, Swann’s jaunt to Abu Dhabi would not have been countenanced. The players donned heavy-weather, waterproof safety gear to join a short-sprint course that officially started the third leg of the race from Abu Dhabi to Sanya, China.Swann was left to marvel at the camaraderie on the yacht, skippered by Britain’s double-Olympic medallist Ian Walker, a useful reminder shortly before the start of what England expect to be a gruelling Test series against Pakistan.”Ian told us that Azzam translated as determination in Arabic,” Swann said. “That seems a perfectly apt name having seen the unbelievable camaraderie and teamwork the crew put in during our short stint on board.”Swann became the first England spinner to take 50 Test wickets in a calendar year in 2009, as he made a spectacular entry into international cricket. His success has been more hard-won over the past year as he has needed all his know-how to survive a series of unsympathetic pitches, but he has high hopes of greater assistance in the UAE.He has already bowled 70 overs in the two warm-up games and can expect his workload to remain heavy, with three Tests, four ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals to follow. He was overshadowed by Monty Panesar against the PCB XI, taking only two wickets in comparison to Panesar’s match-return of 8 for 103.Swann told the he would prefer to have Panesar alongside him in the opening Test. “I like the rhythm of spinners at each end and I’d go with two in this part of the world. He has shown he can be a matchwinner when he’s back to his best. I spin the ball in, he spins it away and a partnership like that can be formidable.”The decision to use the same pitch for England’s first two matches gave both spinners encouragement. “The ball does spin, especially on a six-day old pitch,” Swann said. “I should be getting a lot of work out here. It’s obviously hot, and the seamers can’t do the job they do in England because it’s just not the same conditions.”

Dean Jones, technical director of the Chittagong Kings, has said the tournament will help young Bangladesh players, as they will have the opportunity to play alongside international stars

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2012Dean Jones, the former Australia batsman and technical director of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) franchise, the Chittagong Kings, has said the tournament will help young Bangladesh players, as they will have the opportunity to play alongside international stars. The Kings have Tamim Iqbal as their icon player, and bought West Indies’ Dwayne Bravo and Jerome Taylor, and Muttiah Muralitharan in the auction.”The great thing about this tournament is that the players can rub shoulders with Murali, Tamim and Dwayne Bravo,” Jones said. “[For the young players], getting to see how good they are against experienced players is really important. I think it will really bring the best out of some players. Some players will fail but some players will do very well.”The BPL has been hampered by some of the high-profile buys pulling out due to international or domestic commitments. The Kings will be without Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan allrounder, and West Indies opener Lendl Simmons. “Everyone has got that problem,” Jones said. “We’re looking for replacements now as we speak; who they are I’m not going to disclose.”We’ve got players coming in on the morning of February 10 [date of the opening fixture] because they are playing first-class matches in Pakistan and the West Indies or something. We’ve just got to roll with the punches, get them ready and off we go.”The Kings will be coached by former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mahmud and have Michael Bevan, the former Australia batsman, as their batting consultant, with Jones advising the coaching staff. “Khaled Mahmud is my eyes and ears; he is helping me communicate with the Bangladeshi boys and understand their roles as well,” Jones said. “Of course we have Michael Bevan and we have bowling and fielding coaches. I am very happy with my coaching staff.”Jones said the BPL would help Bangladesh cricket because it will give the local players the experience of playing under the spotlight. “I think it will give them more exposure, more awareness, it will put them under more pressure, under lights, in front of big crowds. Sometimes you’ll get hurt and get beaten. And then you’ve got to work on your strengths and weakness to come back.”I think it couldn’t come at a better time really for the Bangladesh people and the players. They needed this, I think they wanted this. They need to get out of their comfort zone and now they are going to find out how good they are.”

Full coverage of former New Zealand allrounder Chris Cairns’ libel suit against former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2012January 7, 2010
News – Chris Cairns to sue Lalit Modi
March 23, 2010
News – Distressed by Modi’s claims – Cairns
March 5, 2012
News – Accusation reduced my career to dust – Cairns
March 6, 2012
News – Cairns’ former team-mates allege fixing demands
March 7, 2012
News – Rumours made Cairns ‘barking’ angry
March 7, 2012
News – ICL officials had their own ‘agenda’March 8, 2012
News – Cairns fixing investigation ‘shambolic’ – Beer
March 9, 2012
News – Cairns’ fury as Modi fails to give evidence
March 12, 2012
News – Players stand by Cairns accusations
March 14, 2012
News – Judge refuses late witness for Modi
March 16, 2012
News – Cairns a ‘scapegoat’ court hears
March 26, 2012
News – Cairns wins libel case against Modi

England will have to achieve a record fourth-innings score of 340 if they are to win the first Test of the series against Sri Lanka in Galle

The Report by George Dobell28-Mar-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Jonathan Trott ended day three 40 not out as he and Pietersen set a platform to provide England with hope of chasing 340 to win•Getty Images

Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott earned England an outside chance of a remarkable victory with a resolute partnership against Sri Lanka on the third day of the first Test in Galle.
England, set a daunting 340 to win, reached 111 for the loss of both their openers before the close. Bearing in mind that England have been dismissed for under 260 in six of their last seven Test innings and have never successfully chased more than 332 to win a Test, the weight of history and logic is against them.Statistics at Galle also provide little comfort. No team has scored more than 253 in the fourth innings of any of the 18 previous Tests on this ground and the highest successful fourth-innings chase at the ground is just 96.England – and Trott and Pietersen in particular – had reduced the requirement to 229 by the close in an unbroken stand of 63, playing straight, using their feet and keeping their cool despite the pressure of the match situation. The pitch held no terrors, either. It has provided assistance to spinners, certainly, but it has not crumbled into the bowling paradise that some predicted. Not yet, anyway. The result, against an honest but modest attack, is not quite a foregone conclusion.If Sri Lanka did go on to win – and they still should – it would not only mark their first home success without Murali, but would mean England have lost four Tests in a row. For a side who retain, for now, the title of No. 1 Test side, that would represent an acute embarrassment. The title rings very hollow at present.Sri Lanka, by contrast, will have many reasons to thank their pair of unrelated Jayawardenes: Prasanna and Mahela. While it was the latter’s first-innings century that plotted the direction of this game it was the former’s second innings half-century that drove the defining nail into England’s coffin.Prasanna has kept impressively – his stumping of Trott in the first innings and neat take of Alastair Cook in England’s second were fine pieces of work – but equally valuable was the way he helped Sri Lanka eke out 87 runs from the final two wickets. He was watchful for the most part, but still took the opportunity to attack when appropriate, pulling sixes off James Anderson and Stuart Broad and driving Monty Panesar for another.Prasanna received admirably obdurate support from Chanaka Welegedara and Suranga Lakmal as England, hoping to wrap up the innings well before lunch, were kept in the field until the tea interval was in sight. In the end, it took a run-out to end the Sri Lankan innings and, understandably, England’s spirits and shoulders drooped just a little in the heat.
Win or lose, England must reflect on their many missed opportunities in this game. Not only have their batsmen continued to underperform – to be bowled out within 47 overs was woeful on a day two Test surface – but they have also squandered several chances in the field. Mahela was reprieved four times during his century, while on the third day Broad made the sort of error that, in this era of professionalism, could reduce a bowling coach to tears of rage.Broad thought he had finished off the Sri Lankan innings on 168 when Prasanna Jayawardene top-edged a return catch to the bowler. But a review by umpire Rod Tucker showed that Broad had overstepped – his eighth no-ball of the game – and England’s bowlers were obliged to continue their efforts. No other bowler from either side has overstepped in the game.Perhaps Samit Patel, on the deep midwicket boundary, might also have done better with a chance offered to him by Jayawardene off Graeme Swann on 53. In attempting to parry the ball back into play, however, Patel’s momentum saw him tread on the boundary rope and concede six. While the incident may fuel the suggestion that Patel’s fitness remains an issue, it was a fiendishly tricky chance.Prasanna Jayawardene’s resilience took the gloss off a fine performance from Swann. The form of England’s off-spinner has been much debated of late with critics seeming to overlook the fact that he actually had the best strike-rate of any England bowler in the Test series against Pakistan in the UAE. Here, however, his performance brooked no argument: he gained drift from the breeze, turn from the pitch and produced the dip that renders him so dangerous. He comfortably outbowled Panesar and finished with 6 for 82. It was the 12th five-wicket haul of his Test career and his best of his eight five-wicket hauls outside England.How Andrew Strauss could do with a similarly uncompromising performance. Here England’s captain was drawn down the pitch by a flighted delivery and drove to mid-on – the idea was fine; the execution horrid – and now has one century in his last 48 Test innings and an average of 25.50 in the last calendar year. While England were winning that may be ignorable. Once they start losing, it becomes a major issue.Alastair Cook might consider himself unfortunate. Originally reprieved by the on-field umpire, Tucker, Cook was adjudged to have edged to Prasanna by third umpire Bruce Oxenford. Oxenford privately suggested that he could see a change of direction and so overruled Tucker: it was not all that obvious to television viewers.The rest of the day belonged to England. Trott, sweeping with rare command, survived a reviewed LBW decision on seven, but otherwise looked admirably solid, while Pietersen, on eight, cleared mid-off by inches as he miscued a lofted drive and was then dropped on 12 at leg slip by Kumar Sangakkara off Suraj Randiv. It was a hard chance but, in a game of full of errors, it may yet prove to have been a turning point.