<p>Johannesburg: England defeated <a href=”http://cricket.yahoo.com/team-profile/Sri-Lanka_8″>Sri Lanka</a> by six wickets in their Group B ICC <a href=”http://cricket.yahoo.com/cricket/series/home?series_id=1192″>Champions Trophy</a> match at New Wanderers stadium here on Friday.</p>
<p>Chasing 213 to win, England reached the target in 45 overs after Eoin Morgan remained unbeaten on 62.</p>
<p>England slipped to 19 for two before Paul Collingwood launched a counter-attack, dominating a 63-run partnership with Owais Shah (44).</p>
<p>Collingwood breezed to 46 off 51 balls with five fours and three sixes before he chopped a delivery from fast bowler Lasith Malinga on to his stumps.</p>
<p>Earlier, Thilina Kandamby (53) and Angelo Mathews (52) struck defiant half-centuries to steer <a href=”http://cricket.yahoo.com/team-profile/Sri-Lanka_8″>Sri Lanka</a> to a modest 212 against England in their ICC <a href=”http://cricket.yahoo.com/cricket/series/home?series_id=1192″>Champions Trophy</a> match at the New Wanderers Stadium here today. </p>
<p>Both the batsmen showed immense resilience and guts while batting on a zippy track after England pace duo of James Anderson and Graham Onions had polished off their top order.</p>
<p>Taking full advantage of a juicy seaming track, Anderson and Onions made life difficult for Sri Lankan batsmen, sent in to bat by England skipper Andrew Strauss. </p>
<p>Anderson (3/20) and Stuart Broad (3/49) took three wickets each while Onions claimed two as England innings folded in 47.3 overs.</p>
<p>Within first six overs, <a href=”http://cricket.yahoo.com/team-profile/Sri-Lanka_8″>Sri Lanka</a> were reduced to 17 for four as hostile conditions made batting extremely difficult. </p>
<p>The left-handed Kandambi first raised a stand of 64 with Thilan Samaraweera (30) for the fifth wicket and then reinvigorated the Lankans innings with a 82-run partnership with next man in Mathews.</p>
<p>Realising that stroke-making was not easy, Kandambi and Mathwes played according to the merit of the ball and waited patiently for loose deliveries to score boundaries. </p>
<p>They stuck to the basics and rotated the strike to get a feel of the pitch and started picking boundaries as the track started to ease out as the game progressed.

</p>

CHESTER-LE-STREET, England: England avoided the indignity of becoming the first international side to lose a one-day series 7-0 by recording a four-wicket victory over Australia at the Riverside on Sunday.

Spinner Graeme Swann proved the match-winner, taking five wickets for 28 runs from his 10 overs as England, who won the toss and chose to field, dismissed the tourists for just 176.

Swann took the key wicket of captain Ricky Ponting (53), who chipped a catch to Paul Collingwood at mid-wicket, sparking an Australian collapse as they lost their last eight wickets for 80 runs.

England began their chase brightly with captain Andrew Strauss (47) and Joe Denly (53) putting on 106 for the first wicket and the hosts appeared to be cruising to the modest total.

However, Australia rallied with three wickets in 13 balls as England wobbled on 141 for five and 162 for six, before Tim Bresnan (10 not out) and Collingwood (13 not out) steered the hosts home with more than nine overs to spare.

The teams now travel to South Africa for the Champions Trophy with England playing Sri Lanka in Johannesburg on Friday

I am in the unusual position of having the week off after being rested for three one-day internationals.

When it was put to be that I was going to be rested, part of me was disappointed because you always want to play for your country, especially against Australia.

However, you need to look at the bigger picture, and the constant treadmill I have been on since 2005. I have only missed a few games when I was banned, but otherwise it has been almost non-stop cricket and there comes a time when your body and mind need a rest.

We have got a lot of cricket coming up and it was a strong decision and a good one from the England management. I know how I was feeling, and I was starting to wear down a bit.

It is something quite new, and you don’t really know how to respond when you are told, because you are used to just ploughing on and getting little breaks wherever you can.

But it is something Andy Flower and the management team have done increasingly – Jimmy Anderson is also getting a rest at the moment and Andrew Strauss and Stuart Broad had some games off just after the Ashes.

It is something that is going to become increasingly common, and I think in future it will be done in a pre-planned way. Over the next 18 months I think we’re on duty for something like 450 days. It’s amazing, and it is vital that players showing signs of fatigue get a chance to recharge.

I was told on Friday, and they basically told me to go away and do nothing for a few days! So we went up to Scotland and had a beautiful weekend away at Loch Lomond.

Now I am back at home and am booked in for some pilates and yoga sessions this week. People might laugh at that, but it’s something that has always given me core strength and a good base.

I’m hoping to be involved in the final game against Australia at Durham on Sunday, and we will be hoping to end the summer on a high note after a one-day series that has been pretty disappointing so far.

I have been completely detached from cricket so I haven’t had much of a chance to look at the central contracts for next season.

Steve Harmison will be disappointed to have missed out but Graham Onions has come in and done exceptionally well.

As we have seen, a central contract is no guarantee you will play, so there will be plenty of chances for Harmy and others to prove themselves and win a place in the team.

Courtesy: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, opener Gautam Gambhir, England skipper Andrew Strauss and Australian speedster Mitchell Johnson have been nominated in two categories for this year’s International Cricket Council (ICC) awards.

The quartet are all contenders for cricketer of the year while Gambhir, Strauss and Johnson are also in contention for test cricketer of the year.

Dhoni is on the shortlist for the one-day cricketer of the year award he won last year.

Strauss led England from the front to a memorable home Ashes series win over Australia while Gambhir and Johnson were prolific during the year from August last year, the period considered for the prizes, an ICC release said on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka batsman Thilan Samaraweera, who maintained his form on return from injury sustained when the team bus was ambushed by gunmen in Lahore in March, will also vie for the test player’s award.

The one-day player shortlist features India’s Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh and Caribbean batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul head the list for Twenty20 performances after steering the team to the World Cup in England this year.

Sri Lankan batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan, whose innovative shots lit up the tournament, and West Indies skipper Chris Gayle have also been nominated for their performances in the event.

Awards will also be given for emerging player, women’s cricketer and umpire of the year in Johannesburg on Oct. 1.

The test and one-day teams of the year will also be selected and an award given to the team who have adhered most to the spirit of cricket.

SOUTHAMPTON, England (Reuters) – Australian batsman Cameron White scored a trouble-free century to consign England to a six-wicket defeat in the third one-day international in Southampton on Wednesday.

Chasing England’s 228 for nine, White (105) put on 143 for the third wicket with captain Michael Clarke (52) to take Australia to the brink of victory and the tourists rounded off the win with nine balls to spare.

Australian opener Tim Paine contributed with 29 and Callum Ferguson (20 not out) sealed the result as England’s bowlers struggled to capture wickets under the floodlights.

England captain Andrew Strauss once again led from the front with a solid 63 though he was poorly supported by the top order, and only Eoin Morgan (43) batting at six and Tim Bresnan (31 not out at eight) really took any fight to the Australian attack.

Mitchell Johnson bowled a controlled 10 overs, taking two scalps for 39 runs, while Shane Watson picked up three wickets later on in England’s innings.

The tourists now lead the seven-match series 3-0 and a win in the fourth one-day international at Lord’s on Saturday would clinch the series.

(To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

By John Mehaffey

LONDON (Reuters) – Australia exploited England’s lack of power hitters at Lord’s on Sunday to beat the hosts for the second time in three days and take a 2-0 lead in the seven-match one-day series.

England steadily fell off the pace chasing Australia’s modest 249 for eight and were bowled out for 210 with 23 balls remaining to give the world 50-overs champions victory by 39 runs.

A robust 43 not out off 23 balls from Mitchell Johnson revived the Australian innings but their total still looked well within England’s reach when Andrew Strauss and Ravi Bopara put on 74 for the first wicket.

But four wickets then tumbled in 31 deliveries, starting with Bopara’s dismissal lbw for 27.

Matt Prior was caught behind for one off an airy waft, Strauss (47) hit a soft return catch to spinner Nathan Hauritz and Owais Shah (12) was once again involved in a run-out after confusion with Paul Collingwood.

By coincidence or not, three of the wickets fell soon after a Lancaster bomber flew across the ground to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the date the Royal Air Force returned Lord’s to its original authorities after taking over the ground as a recruitment centre during World War Two.

Collingwood fought a dour battle to score 56 from 84 deliveries but neither he nor his partners could lift the run-rate sufficiently to seriously challenge the Australians.

IMPRESSIVE FERGUSON

Callum Ferguson, man-of-the-match for his unbeaten 71 in Australia’s narrow win in the opening match at the Oval on Friday, again impressed with 55 from 58 balls after Strauss elected to field first for the second time.

Ferguson added 69 from 86 balls for the fourth wicket with the aggressive Cameron White (42) after Australia had lost three wickets in 11 balls following a brisk opening stand of 62 between Shane Watson (34) and Tim Paine (26).

The victims included captain Michael Clarke, who was out for four when an attempted hook off Tim Bresnan resulted in a thin edge to Prior behind the stumps.

Graeme Swann bowled Michael Hussey for eight and dismissed James Hopes lbw for 11 during a probing eight-over spell of off-spin which cost only 31 runs. James Anderson bowled Ferguson.

Australia slumped to 208 for eight with 4.2 overs remaining after Brett Lee was caught for a duck before Johnson ensured his team posted a competitive total. He struck five fours, including a delicate flick down the leg-side which raced to the boundary.

Johnson added 41 from 28 balls in an unbroken ninth-wicket partnership with Hauritz (10 not out). Eighty runs came off the final 10 overs which included a fielding powerplay.

By John Mehaffey

LONDON (Reuters) – Australia repulsed a spirited late charge to record a four-run win over England at the Oval on Friday in the first of seven one-day internationals.

Luke Wright (38) and Adil Rashid (31 not out) added 46 in 34 balls for the seventh wicket before Ryan Sidebottom hit two consecutive fours off Brett Lee’s final over in the day-night match followed by a cracking cover-drive to the boundary from Rashid.

However, 13 off paceman Nathan Bracken in the last over proved too much for England who ended on 256 for eight at the ground where they regained the Ashes last month, in reply to Australia’s 260 for five.

Callum Ferguson, who has made a promising start to his international career after breaking into the one-day side this year, top-scored with 71 not out off 75 balls in Australia’s innings.

The Australian batsmen found it difficult to time the ball fluently against the spin of Rashid and Graeme Swann while Paul Collingwood picked up a couple of wickets with his slow-medium cutters.

Rashid was the pick of the bowlers with his bustling leg-spin, after impressing with his maturity and control in the recent Twenty20 World Cup.

He conceded only 37 from his full complement of 10 overs and did not yield a boundary until the final ball of his eighth over and only one more in the remainder of his spell.

Australia captain Michael Clarke, the best player of spin on either side, struck them both in an otherwise laboured 45 from 72 balls.

WRIGHT STRIKES

Lee, who missed the Ashes series with an intercostal muscle injury, bowled two wides and two no-balls in his second over as he strained for extra pace.

He did though capture the important wicket of England captain Andrew Strauss (12), who sliced a stinging catch to Cameron White at first slip before Clarke turned to the off-spin of Nathan Hauritz.

Hauritz had Matt Prior caught for 28 off a reverse sweep then Tim Paine effected a sharp stumping off Ravi Bopara (49), who at last found some form after a dismal Ashes series.

England, like Australia, struggled when the pace was taken off the ball.

Owais Shah played a somewhat frenetic innings of 40, frequently threatening to run either himself or his partner out, before he was out hit wicket for 40 when his back foot slipped and dislodged the bails.

Collingwood again looked woefully out of touch, reaching 23 from 39 balls. He was brilliantly caught by Shane Watson leaping high at mid-wicket.

All-rounder Wright, one of the candidates to take over from Andrew Flintoff in the test arena, rose a cheer with the only six of the match.

He scooped Watson from outside off-stump for a leg-side boundary but was unluckily run out by Paine off a Lee no-ball.

Melbourne: Clearly not a fan of a shortened 40-over format, England captain Andrew Strauss said banishing 50-over cricket from the domestic schedule could have dire consequences for the team’s 2011 World Cup campaign.

England and Wales Cricket Board last week voted to switch to 40-over game but Strauss, who believes one-dayers will survive the mounting pressure from Twenty20, said domestic cricket should mirror internationals.

“Forty-over cricket is not radically different from 50-over cricket, but it just seems sensible to me that if you’re playing 50-over cricket internationally and your domestic scene is a way of preparing people for international cricket, you should be playing the same game,” Strauss said.

“At the moment there is a future to 50-over cricket. There are no plans that I’ve heard of to get rid of it. My personal view is that domestic cricket should mirror international cricket, so in that respect playing 40-over cricket is not ideal,” he was quoted as saying by ‘Sydney Morning Herald’.

The International Cricket Council has already scheduled a further two one-day World Cups, in 2011 in the Indian subcontinent and 2015 in Australia.

Melbourne, Sep 5 (ANI): England skipper Andrew Strauss has warned that banishing 50-over cricket from the country’s domestic schedule could have dire consequences for the team’s World Cup campaigns.

The England and Wales cricket board decided to axe 50-over cricket for a shortened 40-over format from next season.

Strauss said domestic cricket should mirror internationals, and believes one-dayers will survive in the face of mounting pressure from Twenty20s.

“Forty-over cricket is not radically different from 50-over cricket, but it just seems sensible to me that if you’re playing 50-over cricket internationally and your domestic scene is a way of preparing people for international cricket, you should be playing the same game,” The Age quoted Strauss, as saying.

“At the moment, there is a future to 50-over cricket. There are no plans that I’ve heard of to get rid of it. My personal view is that domestic cricket should mirror international cricket, so in that respect, playing 40-over cricket is not ideal,” he added.

South Africa had already reduced its domestic competition to 45 overs, and when the England and Wales Cricket Board voted last week to eradicate the 50-over game it was received as a further nail in the coffin for one-day internationals, which have struggled for identity and prominence in an increasingly crowded schedule. (ANI)

England should head to South Africa this winter full of belief. They’ve won there before and there’s no reason Andrew Strauss and his men can’t do it again.

It’s a four-match Test series and I think if England come away with a draw or better we can consider that a move forward.

South Africa are a very strong side. And the fact Australia went there and won a series recently shows us just how impressive England’s Ashes win actually was.

The question now is how England can develop and improve from this summer.

The biggest challenge you face in Australia and South Africa is adapting to how the Kookaburra ball swings.

In England our Duke balls don’t swing at all until 20 overs into a game, but a Kookaburra will do the opposite. The ball will swing straight away for the first 20 and then stop altogether.

This means the seamers will need to hit the wicket hard and use different approaches to get wickets – like putting a man deep on the hook and fishing for it.

James Anderson, Stuart Broad and co will have bowled with Kookaburras before, so they should be fully aware of the challenge ahead.

But it does make you wonder why we don’t occasionally use them in our first-class cricket in the build-up to series like this – or when we head to Australia to defend the Ashes.

You definitely need spinners in South Africa. Graeme Swann will clearly be important and I think a leg-spinner like Adil Rashid will have a part to play also.

I’d also like to see England take Sajid Mahmood. He bowls with consistent pace and could prove very effective on the South African wickets.

Courtesy: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com