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Despite a strong year in the format, Kumar Sangakkara remained firm on his decision to retire after the World Cup, stating that he did not wish to “take up the spot of another player”

Andrew Fidel Fernando13-Dec-20141:27

Sangakkara ‘at peace’ with ODI retirement

If Kumar Sangakkara had a perfect Kandyan farewell – which featured a series win, a raucous full house, and a century – its mood was dampened slightly by one question: why is he already planning retirement?Sangakkara has had a rich year in ODIs, hitting 1382 runs at 47.03, and leads the series run-scorers’ list by 134 runs. Age has seemingly only enhanced him, as four consecutive years with over 1000 ODI runs will attest. Those runs have come quickest in the past two years, when he has struck at close to 90.News that he will retire from ODIs after the World Cup has prompted widespread pleas for him to stay on as long as he is scoring runs, but Sangakkara himself sees it differently.”If I’m not able to play in the next World Cup when one World Cup ends, there is no point in me sticking around,” Sangakkara said after the sixth ODI. “All I’ll end up doing is taking up the spot of another player.””We have four years to build up a good team. Today, Dinesh Chandimal came in after a while and played a very special, very important innings. Just like that, the likes of Lahiru Thirimanne, Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Perera have plenty of ability and plenty of talent. We need to give them time and opportunities, just like we had when we were younger. They need time to settle, and mature and win another World Cup after this next one.”Sangakkara also confirmed he was in talks with Surrey about a county stint in 2015, and that the details of his Test future had not yet been nailed down. He strongly suggested he would not play beyond the India series penciled in for next August, at the latest.”My plans for next year are a case of finalising my Test career, and ensuring I can keep my word to the people that I’ve given my word to,” he said. “The only thing left is to think about my Test career beyond the World Cup. But I don’t see myself playing more than a couple of series at the most.Kumar Sangakkara is more at peace with his own ODI retirement than some•AFP”Playing for Surrey is something that I really want to do as well. Graham Ford is there. I’ve worked with Fordie, and he’s been brilliant for Sri Lankan cricket, and personally to me. He’s been a fantastic influence in my career. The idea is not to go cold turkey with retirement, but to slowly wind it down and make sure I don’t drive my family nuts by staying at home all day. Hopefully I’ll be able to make it there and have a good season.”Though he will not play an ODI in Sri Lanka beyond Tuesday’s match, there is a chance Sangakkara will play again for Sri Lanka in Kandy. Trinity College, who own and maintain the ground at Asgiriya, have asked for a Test next year, and if they are granted a match, Sangakkara may play one more game at the ground where he made his name as a teenager. But regardless of Trinity’s request, the Pallekele ground is also still in contention to host Tests next year.His run-a-ball 112 made for a memorable last ODI at home, though Sangakkara said he had not begun the match with a burning desire to get to triple figures. “I just wanted to go out with a win, and to seal the series before we go to Colombo. We don’t want to go to Colombo, have it be the final crunch game, and have other emotions and muddy the waters. We just wanted to make sure we had a good performance here. It was never a question of going out there to score a hundred.”As the innings progressed, England bowled pretty well at the start, and it was hard work. Dilshan stuck around and we managed to build a partnership. Once that partnership progressed, run-scoring became a bit easier. Then once you get past the 70s and 80s, it was a case of trying to put pressure back on England.”The final ODI, which is now a dead rubber, will also be Mahela Jayawardene’s final match of any kind, in Sri Lanka. Tillakaratne Dilshan, however, has suggested he may play ODIs beyond the World Cup.

An unbeaten 92 by Varun Chopra and a whirlwind unbeaten 43 from 15 balls by Laurie Evans overwhelmed Surrey as Warwickshire brought alive their Royal London Cup campaign with victory by 111 runs

Press Association12-Aug-2014
ScorecardVarun Chopra showed his injury lay-off had not hurt his form•Getty ImagesAn unbeaten 92 by Varun Chopra and a whirlwind unbeaten 43 from 15 balls by Laurie Evans overwhelmed Surrey as Warwickshire brought alive their Royal London Cup campaign with victory by 111 runs in a rain-adjusted match at Edgbaston.After a long delay in mid-innings, Warwickshire thrashed 84 in six overs to reach a challenging 218 for 2 and Surrey folded for 153 when set a Duckworth-Lewis target of 265 from 33 overs.A fourth defeat in six games in Group B has killed off Surrey’s hopes but Warwickshire are still in contention with away fixtures to come against Glamorgan and Nottinghamshire.As a rehearsal for a further meeting in next week’s NatWest T20 Blast semi-final, this was most likely an unreliable form guide. Both teams were without a number of high-profile players and the interference by the weather inevitably raised ifs and buts.A sharp shower reduced the match to 48 overs per side and a deluge halted Warwickshire’s innings at 134 for 1 after 27 had been bowled.At this point the batting side would have been getting ready to accelerate through the gears, but after a delay of more than two-and-a-half hours, they had to embark on a mad thrash.Although Jonathan Trott quickly perished, slogging high towards long off after making 31, Evans destroyed his former county’s bowling. Opening up with successive sixes off Stuart Meaker, he dominated a partnership of 70 in 4.1 overs with Chopra.In all he hit five fours, as well as a massive third six off Meaker, and in the mayhem Surrey’s shell-shocked attack simply fell apart.Even when the game was progressing under more routine circumstances, Warwickshire always gave the impression of being in control, starting with a stand of 89 before William Porterfield was caught behind for 36 off Tim Linley’s first ball.Chopra went on to hit 10 fours and a six from 99 balls as he continued a prolific run following a 10-day break since injuring a thigh muscle when making 86 not out against Essex in the Twenty20 quarter-final. In his last eight innings in limited-overs formats, he has scored 516 runs.Only Steven Davies, with two sixes in a brisk 37, and Tillakaratne Dilshan promised anything as substantial as Surrey creaked under the pressure of a tough run chase.While Davies was bowled in Jeetan Patel’s first over, Dilshan went on to a cleverly compiled 58 from 60 balls until he was fifth out, top-edging Recordo Gordon to Trott at third man.Patel finished with the best figures of 4 for 30 and Rikki Clarke completed a good day for former Surrey players with two wickets in successive balls and two catches.Next time the teams meet, Surrey will be hoping to welcome back the likes of Kevin Pietersen, quarter-final matchwinner Jason Roy, specialist spinner Zafar Ansari and two pace bowlers, Jade Dernbach and Matthew Dunn.Warwickshire, meanwhile, expect to have their England players, Ian Bell and Chris Woakes, available ahead of the one-day internationals against India and are also hoping to get Shoaib Malik back in their side after his performances in seven group games before he left to play in the Caribbean Premier League.Dougie Brown, director of cricket at Edgbaston, is keen to have him back but added: “There are still visa and administrative barriers that need to be overcome, and we are still unsure as to whether this can be completed in such a short time.”

Zimbabwe offspinner Prosper Utseya has been banned from bowling in international cricket after his action was found to exceed the ICC’s 15-degree limit

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2014Zimbabwe offspinner Prosper Utseya has been banned from bowling in international cricket after his action was found to exceed the ICC’s 15-degree limit. Utseya was tested at an accredited facility in Cardiff and all of his deliveries were deemed illegal.Utseya must now undergo remedial work on his action and apply for retesting. A Zimbabwe Cricket release said they were looking for “relevant technical expertise to work with Utseya to modify his action in the shortest possible time, after which an application will be made to the ICC for his re-assessment.”Utseya can resume bowling in international cricket only after remedied action is cleared, but can play at domestic level at the Zimbabwe Cricket’s discretion.Utseya was reported by the ICC’s match officials following the third ODI against South Africa in Bulawayo in August. The ICC umpires have been strict with identifying illegal actions in recent months and bans have been handed out to Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal and Sri Lanka’s Sachithra Senanayake among others, after both were found guilty of breaking the 15-degree flex rule.A similar drive was undertaken in the recent Champions League T20, during which West Indies spinner Sunil Narine was banned from bowling in the final and other BCCI-organised tournaments like the IPL.

Mark Wood continues to make a good impression as Durham try to disguise the injury absence of their main man, Graham Onions

Tim Wigmore in Taunton20-May-2014
ScorecardAlviro Petersen top-scored with 78 for Somerset•Getty Images”You wouldn’t want to face Graham Onions on this,” one supporter said as Durham tried to exploit an overcast start to the second day at Taunton. But, with Onions missing with a back injury, Chris Rushworth and Mark Wood provided a reminder of the depth of Durham’s fast-bowling stocks.England have already shown an interest in Wood, involving him in the Lions tour to Sri Lanka. Based on this compelling evidence – and a first-class haul that is now 60 wickets at 22 apiece – he may soon be the latest Durham bowler to earn a Test cap.From an idiosyncratic start, beginning his run-up like a relay runner about to receive a baton, Wood generates distinctly sharp pace: his deliveries invariably arrived in Phil Mustard’s gloves with a notable thud. His natural delivery, short-of-a-length, is a little reminiscent of Andrew Flintoff’s, though it comes from a shorter and less stocky frame.After pushing batsmen back, Wood possesses a yorker that can exploit any hesitation coming forward. Twice he earned the satisfaction of removing the batsman’s middle stump; few players would have been able to resist the delivery that accounted for Craig Kieswetter. As spectacular as the sight was, most impressive of all was Wood’s relentless line outside off-stump: 97 deliveries in the day yielded only 31 runs.In Chris Rushworth, he had the ideal ally. With a fuller length and longer run-up, Rushworth’s style is less distinct than Wood’s. But his value to Durham is beyond dispute: he took 57 wickets in last season’s championship victory, and a new contract retaining him until 2017 is recognition of his worth.The scalp of James Hildreth, strangled down the legside to the first ball after lunch, transformed the trajectory of the day. Hildreth, driving with nonchalant ease and timing a pull off Rushworth so supremely that it went for six, had looked serene in adding 79 with Alviro Petersen. When Rushworth disposed of Peter Trego and Alfonso Thomas soon after, it left Somerset stuck in a rut at 154 for 7.It fell to Petersen to prevent the work of his compatriot Thomas on the opening day going to waste. The judgment he displayed, switching from stern defence at the start of the day to controlled belligerence when Somerset were vulnerable after lunch, was befitting of an established Test player, and a pair of thumping sixes off Jamie Harrison threatened to test the resilience of the press box windows.But it seemed apt that Petersen’s wicket should eventually go to Harrison: Paul Collingwood, who had earlier spilled him in the slips on 30, did not repeat the mistake.After the first day included the confusion of the Overton twins bowling from both ends, the second brought an even bigger challenge as they batted together. But Craig soon became identifiable by the distance he harrumphed the ball. Three sixes included an astonishing flat-batted pull, reminiscent of a tennis forehand, off Rushworth.The upshot was that Somerset reached 234. While adding 80 for the last three wickets was commendable, the innings still rather reeked of missing an opportunity to gain a more decisive advantage.That sense was added to as Durham enjoyed batting in the sunniest conditions of the match. Even with Scott Borthwick going to hospital – he was struck on his right-hand just a fortnight after chipping a bone, and his fitness to bat will be assessed in the morning – Durham lent the first innings scores in this match a new perspective.Mark Stoneman and Michael Richardson had added an unbeaten hundred by the close – both had reached half-centuries, with Richardson twice dispatching George Dockrell for sixes.Thomas, who claimed Keaton Jennings with a sharp catch at square leg by George Dockrell, was exemplary again, darting the ball both ways. He deserved more reward, but by the close Craig Overton’s drop of Stoneman, 10 runs into his unbeaten 60, had the feel of being a pivotal moment.

The members of Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) have filed a no-confidence motion against CAN president Tanka Angbuhang Limbu. The issue will now be discussed at a special convention, which will have to be convened within 45 days

Amol Karhadkar27-May-2014The members of Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) have filed a no-confidence motion against CAN president Tanka Angbuhang Limbu. The issue will now be discussed at a special convention, which will have to be convened within 45 days.”More than 43 members of CAN’s last convention have submitted a no-confidence motion against the president,” CAN general secretary Ashok Nath Pyakuryal told ESPNcricinfo. “As per our constitution, a special convention will now have to be called and if the motion has to be passed, it will require two-third majority on the floor of the house.”As per the CAN rules, a no-confidence motion can be initiated against the president only if more than 25% of the members from the preceding general convention ask for a special convention to be called. Since the last general convention had 87 members, more than half of the members seem to have lost their confidence in the CAN chief.The root cause of the members revolting against their president, it is believed, has been his decision to outsource the organisation of the Nepal Premier League (NPL), a 50-over and Twenty20 domestic tournament that was recently launched, to a private firm. When the members of the NPL governing council learned that the tournament had been allotted to Zohra Sports Management, all the CAN members on its governing council resigned – just two days prior to the 50-over tournament – and announced that the NPL will not be an official CAN event.”On May 13, the president attended the inauguration ceremony and backed the event even after the members had disapproved it,” Pyakuryal said. “That appears to have been the trigger for the motion to be passed against him.”It is believed by some in the Nepal cricket fraternity that the president has some sort of a deal with Zohra Sports Management. As a result, he had apparently decided to not make it mandatory for the firm to even submit the accounts of the tournament to CAN officials.Limbu did not respond to ESPNcricinfo’s attempts to reach him for a comment.The 50-over-a-side leg of the NPL was played last week and the T20 leg is scheduled to be held next month. The turmoil in CAN had raised doubts over the T20 tournament.Pyakuryal, however, assured all the stakeholders – especially the players – that the board will not disrupt any tournament. “CAN is all for all such tournaments that give more opportunity to the players. Even though the members are demanding transparency, it has been decided to not oppose any tournament or players’ participation in it.”Nepal caught the cricketing world’s attention by qualifying for the 2014 World T20. The team’s head coach, Pubudu Dassanayake, hoped that the administrative issues are settled at the earliest, so that the game could continue to grow. “The players are quite confident that these issues won’t harm them but still, such atmosphere is never good for a developing set-up like Nepal,” Dassanayake, the former Sri Lanka wicketkeeper, said. “I just hope that these issues are addressed and resolved at the earliest since Nepal cricket finds itself at a critical juncture right now. Such issues being discussed among players is not really good for their morale.”

ESPNcricinfo’s blow-by-blow coverage of the 2014 IPL player auction in Bangalore

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2014Catch the auction as the franchises go about building their new squads.

A round-up of the latest round of the Pro50 Championship games

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-2014Bradley Wadlan was all over table-toppers Southern Rocks and handed them their first defeat in the Pro50 Championship. His three wickets offered Mid West Rhinos a modest target which was shot down without a single casualty, with Wadlan himself scoring 78 of the required 146 runs. The slide began with a double-strike in the eighth over and Rocks, who were sent in, were never able to recover. The constant need for rebuilding left Rocks with little time to build momentum and Wadlan was one of the major thorns, picking up two wickets in two balls in the 26th over. Soon after, the top-scorer Roy Kaia was out for 36 and Rocks crumbled for 145. The chase wouldn’t have bothered Rhinos and the way the openers Wadlan and Vusi Sibanda (63) took to their task would have put the dressing room at considerable ease and now sit in third place with the victory.Harare was the scene of the other low-scoring encounter for the day as Mountaineers breezed past Mashonland Eagles by seven wickets. An all-round bowling effort led by Donald Tiripano (3-11) kept Eagles to a manageable 107. Opener Kevin Kazusa set the platform with a controlled 46 and Hamilton Masakadza racked up a 31-ball 41 and opener and struck the winning boundary. Tiripano and Shingi Masakadza accounted for the top-four batsmen with Eagles still searching for their fifty. Natsai M’shangwe, who had recently fought back into the national T20 XI, chipped in with two wickets as Eagles were routed well short of their allotted 50 overs.

Delhi Daredevils became the only IPL franchise, among eight, to not retain any of their 2013 squad ahead of the 2014 auction. That means they will have the maximum right-to-match cards among all the franchises at the auction: three

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2014Delhi Daredevils became the only IPL franchise to not retain any player ahead of the 2014 auction. That means they will have the maximum right-to-match cards among all the franchises at the auction: three. They will also have their full purse of Rs 600 million (approx US$9.6) to spend.It is understood that the franchise was in talks with Virender Sehwag, Kevin Pietersen and David Warner till Thursday night, but the negotiations fell through. Though franchise officials remained tight-lipped about what went wrong, it can be understood that the owners were not willing to meet the price the players wanted.In 2011, they had retained Sehwag, who had been the icon player for Daredevils when the IPL launched in 2008. Sehwag, though, has lost his place in the India team, and had a wretched 2013 in domestic cricket.While England’s Pietersen wasn’t in top form in the recently-concluded Ashes, going past fifty only twice in 10 innings with a high score of 71, Warner was at his dominating best. He topped the batting charts with 523 runs at 58.11, including two hundreds and two half-centuries.

A round-up of the Group A matches of the Ranji Trophy that took place on December 7, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2013
ScorecardHarshal Patel triggered panic in the Karnataka camp with a five-wicket haulKarnataka were coasting towards a first-innings lead in Lahli but there was room for afternoon drama following a batting collapse. Harshal Patel ran through the middle and lower order with a five-wicket haul, leaving Karnataka nine down and still needing two to overhaul the home side’s 247. Karnataka eventually scraped through and ended the second day six ahead with a wicket in hand.Karnataka got off to a strong start, with their openers Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul adding 96. Ashish Hooda and Patel struck quickly, reducing Karnataka to 120 for 3. Rahul and captain CM Gautam then added 97 to put Karnataka on track towards taking an innings lead. The trouble started when Sachin Rana got rid of Gautam for 54. Karnataka’s mainstay, Rahul, fell two short of a hundred when he was bowled by Patel. Karnataka had lost half their side for 224 and the score quickly became 234 for 7 after Patel, the right-arm seamer, trapped Ganesh Satish and Stuart Binny leg before. Patel bowled Abhimanyu Mithun with the visitors still 11 short of equaling the score and there was further drama when Ronit More fell with the score on 246. Abrar Kazi and the No.11 HS Sharath saw the side through the nervous moments.
ScorecardAn unbeaten 158 by Rajat Bhatia helped Delhi to 442 before the seamers removed three Odisha top-order wickets on the second day in Sambalpur. Resuming on 268 for 6, Delhi lost the early wicket of Varun Sood, off Suryakant Pradhan. Odisha struggled to dislodge the lower order, with Sumit Narwal and Ashish Nehra scoring 40 each and adding 65 and 92 respectively with Bhatia. Bhatia went on to score is 13th first-class century and his knock included 18 fours and two sixes.Narwal and Nehra struck early with the new ball by removing Bikas Pati and Niranjan Behera in the seventh over. Natraj Behera and Govind Podder gave the innings some stability with a stand of 53, before Parvinder Awana removed Podder for 34. Odisha were in a spot of bother at 70 for 3, but Natraj remained unbeaten 53 and had Biplab Samantray for company till stumps.
ScorecardFaiz Fazal and Ravi Jangid took Vidarbha to a commanding position with a solid 203-run stand for the second wicket, giving them a lead of 148 runs at the end of the second day against Punjab in Mohali. Fazal, who already has two hundreds this season, fell short of another one by one run and Jangid scored 104, his second first-class hundred.Fazal and Jangid started the day at 75 for 1 and took the total to 222 before the former was dismissed by Sandeep Sharma. Vidarbha’s innings stuttered from there as they lost five more wickets within 19 runs as Sandeep and VRV Singh ran through the middle and lower order. Sandeep trapped Hemang Badani and Shrikant Wagh lbw for ducks on their first and second ball respectively, to finish with 4 for 78 on the second day.At 241 for 7, and with a lead of 57, Vidarbha were steered to safety with a partnership of 91 between Urvesh Patel and No.9 Amol Jungade. While Patel scored a patient 32 off 99, Jungade scored a brisk 59 off 83 with 11 fours.

Stuart Broad ripped through Australia with six wickets as they slumped from 120 for 1 at tea to lose by 74 runs and give England the series

The Report by Daniel Brettig12-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsStuart Broad took six wickets during the evening session as England stormed to a dramatic victory•Getty ImagesTo Headingley and Edgbaston 1981 may be added Durham 2013. As happened 32 years ago, Australia tossed away day upon day of diligent cricket with a crowded hour or so of batting calamity, against bowling of high quality from an England team that had looked momentarily bereft of inspiration.Where in 1981 Bob Willis and Ian Botham had rained blows on their antipodean rivals, this time it was Stuart Broad, aided by a critical cameo from Tim Bresnan. Back then, England had been marshalled expertly by Mike Brearley; now it was Alastair Cook who pulled the right rein by replacing Graeme Swann with Bresnan when Australia were 167 for 2 and hurtling towards 299 to win.What followed was a cavalcade of wickets that undid nine days’ worth of hard graft from an Australia team straining to break a sequence of ineptitude. England would have hoped to stay in the match with four wickets after tea – they won it by claiming nine, six to a fearsome Broad. Slightly sheepish in their Ashes retention in Manchester, the hosts could now celebrate winning them in dramatic and damaging style.For all their efforts at Old Trafford and Chester-le-Street the tourists are 3-0 down, confidence battered by the realisation of futility. Australia’s belief that they can win Test matches will be extremely shaken. England’s sense that they can defeat Australia come what may can never be stronger than it is now. Chris Rogers, Brad Haddin and Ryan Harris, all heroic at times in this match, will ponder whether the twilight of their careers will be lived without Ashes hope. Steven Smith and Usman Khawaja now bear the scars that once dogged England’s 1990s generation.Broad’s impact on the match was profound, as a tally of 11 wickets attests. His away cutter to defeat Michael Clarke was among the balls of the series. But it was Bresnan’s introduction that swung the contest, reaping the dismissal of a fluent and focused David Warner. With Rogers he had blunted England’s bowlers in a stirring century stand and, though Swann had beaten Rogers with spin and Khawaja without it, Warner and Clarke were scoring freely.Warner has seldom played better in Tests, repeatedly piercing the off-side field with back-foot punches, then advancing to loft Swann over wide long off for six. But as a modicum of cloud cover passed over Durham, Bresnan extracted bounce and movement from a perfect length to tickle Warner’s outside edge and pull England back from the precipice.Andy Flower’s messages from the boundary had circulated freely as Australia swept closer to their target, and a drinks break brought about the plan that would do in Clarke. England set a field that foreshadowed a short ball, and Clarke could not help but notice. Instead he received a delivery that was full, fast and seaming away. The off stump tilted back as Joe Root’s had on day three, and Broad roared his approval.Smith has had a poor match, out cheaply on day two then dropping a catch on the fourth morning. He eluded one caught-behind appeal when the ball struck his hip rather than his bat, but when essaying the shot again could manage only to drag it off his body and on to the stumps.Shane Watson’s front pad again got in the way, plonked across the stumps to Bresnan. Leg stump was visible when he was struck in line, and though the angle was sharp, Aleem Dar’s finger was raised. Watson’s review showed the ball clipping the stumps, enough to keep him walking.Broad’s pace was pushing the Australians back in their crease, a dangerous position from which to play the seaming ball. Haddin would fall in this manner, struck in line and with feet in the air. As the only batsman left he had to review Tony Hill’s decision, and like Watson would depart to a ball barely clipping the stumps. England celebrated like winners.From there, all that remained was to mop up Australia’s longest tail of the series. Harris ended a match he should be proud of by being pinned lbw, Nathan Lyon was far too late and crooked on a Broad delivery that made a mess of his stumps. In fading light, Cook claimed the extra half hour to clinch the match, and a final burst of sun allowed him to call on Broad again. Three balls later Peter Siddle lamely poked a catch to mid-off, a fitting end for Broad but also Australia.To his evening contribution, Bresnan had added a critical morning prelude. In Harris’ hands the new ball immediately started to dance on a pitch showing increasing signs of wear. Bresnan shouldered arms to one ball from Jackson Bird that seamed back and would have clipped the top of the stumps, but that was not enough to overturn Dar’s not-out verdict – Australia lost their final review.The first ball of Harris’ second over was fast, skidding and low of bounce, crashing into Bell’s stumps after 254 minutes’ batting of the highest class. Matt Prior marched out for precisely one delivery, which kicked up off a similar length to the previous one and crashed into off stump via the batsman’s arm. Broad averted the hat-trick, but was soon pinned on the gloves by a vicious bouncer from around the wicket.Harris now had six wickets and England a lead of 243. Knowing this was not enough, Bresnan moved up a gear, clouting Bird out of the attack with a series of muscular blows, then put a dent in the figures of Harris. Swann followed up by gliding Siddle’s first ball of the morning to the cover fence. Australian shoulders began to slump.Clarke replaced Siddle with Lyon, and his maiden calmed the innings. Harris then bowled similarly tightly to Bresnan and was rewarded with a return catch and his best figures in Tests. Swann’s response to the fall of the ninth wicket was to try to hit Lyon into the stands, and he offered a high, swirling chance to Smith. He was under the ball in plenty of time but did not get entirely balanced, and the ball bounced out of tense hands.Swann took England’s lead near enough to 300 before Lyon found Anderson’s outside edge. They had more than doubled the runs Australia’s tail managed to cobble on the previous morning, a difference that would prove almost as decisive as the bowling of Broad and Bresnan. Though they have dodged punches for the most part of two matches, England are deserving Ashes winners. Australia, as they did 32 years ago, have become awfully accomplished at finding ways to lose.