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Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary

Brett Lee: four wickets in two devastating spells demolished West Indies© Getty Images

Pedro Collins gave Australia a huge scare before they replied with a frightening performance to secure an impressive come-from-behind victory. The Aussies rose from a debilitating 4 for 38 through Simon Katich and an Australian-record ninth-wicket partnership between Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee, who then led a strangulating bowling effort with four wickets.After letting Australia escape when they fielded, West Indies showed few signs of urgency in their chase of 269, leaving too much for a middle order containing Brian Lara at No. 5. As Lara skyed Lee, his side’s final hope of leapfrogging Pakistan on the tri-series table vanished, and he must have wondered how things had turned round so quickly (6 for 153).It was a disappointing end to a day that began so well for West Indies. A second dose of Collins proved too much for a sick Australian top order as they melted in heat hovering around 40 degrees Celsius. Collins, who took 3 for 8 when Australia were 5 for 43 at Brisbane, found his swinging groove again with a devastating four-wicket opening spell and a career-best performance that toppled an ill-disciplined and out-of-form line-up.Lee countered for Australia by being on a hat-trick in his second over after dismissing both openers with assistance from Brad Haddin. Wavell Hinds nicked his first delivery, and Lee struck again when he angled a ball down the leg side that flicked Chris Gayle’s glove. Haddin snapped up a stunning, one-handed diving catch (2 for 3). Shivnarine Chanderpaul padded up to the next delivery, but survived the loud appeal.

Pedro Collins cleaned up the Australian top order© Getty Images

Returning for his second spell, Lee was on another hat-trick after removing Lara and Courtney Browne, and was again declined an lbw shout. By then Chanderpaul, who registered a solid half-century when a sparkling one was needed, was run out by a combination of Michael Clarke and Hinds, his runner, and West Indies were unable to lift their pace to match the required run rate.Australia had little problem maintaining their scoring despite wickets initially blowing like plastic beer cups. Katich, the stand-in batsman whose 76 was his first one-day half-century, provided Australia with a valuable tonic from No. 6 in reply to Collins, who was regularly unplayable and finished with 5 for 43.A fantastic rearguard was responsible for the total, which would have been much worse if Lee and Gillespie had not stepped in with a lively 73-run stand. Lee was unbeaten on 38 and Gillespie 44 as they clipped and chipped into the West Indies, including taking 15 from the final over.The Australia Day public holiday turned from a lazy stroll into a batsman’s afternoon to forget by the ninth over, when Australia were in disarray at 4 for 38. Suddenly Andrew Symonds, a player with five ducks and a 20 in his past six innings, and Katich were asked to haul their side from disaster.Katich proved capable but Symonds, looking like an unsure tap dancer as his feet started slowly, was only briefly entertaining in making 31. Symonds shared a 47-run stand with Katich and appeared comfortable again until he edged Hinds through to Browne (5 for 85).Playing his second one-day international of the season, Katich calmly scored at a run a ball in a mature innings that eased the nerves. With Haddin, Katich added 82 and, despite losing five wickets, Australia were still jetting towards a comfortable total. Then Dwayne Bravo deceived Haddin and Brad Hogg, while Katich was hit by a severe, late Collins inswinger that dented the charge until Lee and Gillespie arrived (8 for 196).Collins’s fifth wicket was his most impressive, but his early collection also glittered. Clarke lashed 12 from his first over before Collins added to Matthew Hayden’s wretched season with his first strike. Trying to hit out of his struggles, Hayden aimed a slog through midwicket and clipped an under-edge to Browne. Two balls later Collins collected Ricky Ponting’s leading edge (2 for 24).The next target was Clarke, and Collins knocked him over when he left a gap between bat and pad for a very useful inswinger. Darren Lehmann walked out to three slips and a bouncer, and stepped off following a pull similar to Hayden’s (4 for 38). But the early disruption to the holiday festivities was overcome, and it soon became the national team’s night. They even finished with a bonus point.Peter English is the Australasian editor of Cricinfo.

Nicky Boje withdrawing from the India tour has been just one problem for South Africa© Getty Images

South Africa, who set off for a two-Test tour of India this Thursday, are making very positive noises about the task that awaits them, despite a well-publicised series of setbacks and flare-ups in the recent weeks and months.Graeme Smith, South Africa’s captain, recently stated that his team had hit “rock-bottom” over the last six months, and that statement is backed up by their results. South Africa failed to progress to the later stages of the ICC Champions Trophy in September, and since Smith took over in April 2003, they have lost 18 out of 33 completed one-day internationals, and their only Test-series victories have come against the struggling West Indies and Bangladesh.South Africa have the added burden of living up to the standards they set on their last tour of India in 1999-2000, when they conquered the so-called “final frontier” by winning 2-0. But in the last month, problems have started to queue up.For starters, they have been deprived of two first-choice players in Herschelle Gibbs, who declared himself unavailable, and Nicky Boje, who pulled out of the tour after Delhi police failed to give assurances that he would not be questioned about alleged match-fixing on that last trip. Then Charl Langeveldt, Boje’s replacement, suffered a bad injury in a provincial match and has since been replaced by Robin Peterson.But the most worrying of all the setbacks occurred at the start of October, when Gerald Majola, the chief executive of the United Cricket Board, had to investigate claims alleging bungled mismanagement, racism and a supposedly debilitating Western Province clique running the national side. At the time, an unnamed board official told the : “Everyone realises that something is radically wrong and that it needs to be addressed.”

Ray Jennings has made everyone sound upbeat© Getty Images

So what’s changed? The coach, for one. And since Ray Jennings replaced Eric Simons, the players have been saying how rosy things are. Alfonso Thomas, a new addition to the squad who was picked for the tour as a stand-in for Andre Nel, is clear about the way things are going. “It really feels as if something very special is developing,” he told the South African Press Association. “There’s an openness among the players, and the senior players are going out of their way to make sure that newcomers like me feel part of the team. There’s an amazing vibe.”I know he [Jennings] always starts off with a lot of intensity,” said Thomas, 27, who worked under Jennings as part of the A squad. “We have been working hard, but we know what our goals are and what we have to do to achieve them.” Even Fanie de Villiers, who has spoken out in the past about team preparation, is helping out, telling the bowlers about the conditions in India and how to get wickets.Thomas is certainly not alone in endorsing Jennings. Martin van Jaarsveld, who also played in Jennings’s A side, is feeling decidedly upbeat: “We had a meeting with him [on Thursday] and he outlined his approach. The guys all bought into it, and we are working with great intensity, in fact I’ve never seen them so energised. Ray puts you under a lot of pressure, and he is creating a lot of competition among the guys. It has been tough, because of the intensity, but we have had some great fielding drills.”Shaun Pollock, Smith’s predecessor as captain, is also optimistic: “I think the vibe’s been good. The guys have really worked hard, and all of us are really keen to go over there and do well for ourselves and for South African cricket.”Thami Tsolekile, South Africa’s new wicketkeeper, is another player who has worked under Jennings. “He prepares us well. I think he helps us to be mentally tough, which is what you need to be in Test cricket.”The first Test against India starts at Kanpur on November 20, with the second match at Kolkata starting eight days later.

Shoaib Akhtar was all fire in the first innings, but went flat in the second© Getty Images

Ricky Ponting has expressed surprise at Shoaib Akhtar’s insipid performance with the ball in Australia’s second innings in the Melbourne Test, which Pakistan lost by nine wickets. Akhtar, who had been steaming in at around 145kph in the first innings, considerably shortened his run-up and his pace in the second, allowing Australia to canter to their 126-run target for the loss of just one wicket.Australia started their run-chase ten minutes before lunch on the fourth day, and though they lost Justin Langer during that period, Pakistan could make no further inroads. “We had a bit of a feeling for those couple of overs before lunch that he might have really charged in and let some fly there,” Ponting said, according to a report in the , “but he didn’t then, so I wasn’t that surprised when he didn’t do it after that.”I don’t know whether he was carrying some sort of injury or not, but I would have thought that little spell before lunch and the spell after lunch was the perfect time for someone like him, of his pace, to run in and bowl as quick as he could. I was surprised that he did come off that short run and didn’t really extend himself as much as he did in the first innings.”Maybe they were resigned to the fact that, only having the three bowlers in their side today, they weren’t much of a chance of winning so they might have been saving some petrol for Sydney. But I would have been very disappointed if I was the captain and that was my bowler running in and bowling like that, and I knew what he could do.”Akhtar did ping Ponting on the helmet once, even with that shortened run-up, but he generally bowled at less than 140kph and was repeatedly pulled away by both Ponting and Matthew Hayden, and returned figures of none for 35 from seven overs.Bob Woolmer, the coach, suggested that Akhtar might have been conserving his energy for the Sydney Test, which starts on January 2. “Shoaib Akhtar bowled a lot for someone of his pace and the length of his run-up. I think he was saving his energy for the next Test match.”Woolmer went on to praise Pakistan’s performance, terming it a huge improvement from Perth, when they were thrashed by 491 runs. “I think they fought very hard,” he said. “I actually feel they did really well. There were one or two decisions that could have gone either way that might have made a difference, specifically when we were batting, and those are the kind of things that sometimes turn a game. For two days I thought we were really competitive. Danish Kaneria just gave everything the whole way through. The fielding was pretty good and I just felt it was a much more positive attitude.”

Sri Lanka 1 for 81 (Atapattu 29*, Sangakkara 16*) trail Australia 220 all out (Lehmann 63, Muralitharan 6-59) by 139 runs
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Murali may have destroyed Australia to reach 491 Test wickets, but by the end of the day Shane Warne was back in front with 492© Getty Images

Muttiah Muralitharan burst out of the blocks in the race to 500 wickets, ripping through Australia’s formidable batting order to leave Sri Lanka in pole position in the opening Test in Galle. Australia, wasting a crucial toss on a bald, sun-baked pitch, were bowled out for just 220 in 68.3 overs. Muralitharan snapped up 6 for 59, his best figures against Australia. Marvan Atapattu finished off the day with a brace of elegant cover-drives, and Kumar Sangakkara smashed Stuart MacGill for a magnificent six in the last over as Sri Lanka closed on 81 for 1 from 22 overs.It was the 40th time in his 86-match career that Murali had taken five wickets in an innings – extending his own world record – and it wiped out Shane Warne’s six-wicket lead as he extended to his career tally to 491 wickets. The chances of Murali reaching 500 in this game remain extremely remote, but Sri Lanka’s cricket board is taking no chances, speeding up the production of souvenir T-shirts and a commemorative award.Darren Lehmann, back in the side after an Achilles-tendon injury, used his experience and prowess against the spinners to hold the innings together with a battling 63. Lehmann added 72 with Damien Martyn (42) for the fourth wicket, and then 52 for the seventh with fellow returnee Warne (23), who was playing his first Test for 12 months after a drugs ban.The Australian innings, though was dominated by incendiary passages of play. First, midway through the afternoon with a small crowd tiring under a fierce sun, three wickets fell for 15 runs to bring the Martyn-Lehmann recovery to an abrupt halt. Then, straight after the tea interval, the last four wickets tumbled for just five runs in the space of 13 balls.Sri Lanka’s dream day continued as Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya added 53 for the first wicket. But Warne’s return to the bowling crease gave Australia something to cheer. There was no wonder-ball to relaunch his career, as eight runs were scored off his first over, but an innocuous straight one accounted for Jayasuriya (35), who missed an attempted sweep.Earlier, Sri Lanka opened the bowling with Chaminda Vaas, their only fast bowler, and Kumar Dharmasena, one of six slow men in the XI. Vaas found a smidgin of swing in his first couple of overs, but the pitch was back-breakingly slow from a fast-bowler’s perspective and, although Hayden offered a difficult return chance on 19, the spinners were always going to hold the key.Justin Langer was the first spin casualty of the series as he rocked onto the back foot and tried to punch Dharmasena through the off side. He was deceived by the low bounce of the offbreak, and Sangakkara took a juggling catch off the toe of the bat (31 for 1).Ricky Ponting, who had finally assumed the Test leadership from Steve Waugh, showed his aggressive intentions immediately. He had batted superbly in the one-day series, clocking up four consecutive fifties, and he started in an equally business-like manner here as 31 runs were added in 39 balls.Muralitharan was drafted into the attack with immediate success, courtesy of an athletic, full-stretch catch by Upul Chandana, sprinting around from a deepish square leg. Hayden, who had top-edged an attempted sweep, had scored 41 from 46 balls, with six fours. The introduction of Chandana was equally successful, this time accounting for the prized scalp of Ponting, stumped by two metres after being lured down the pitch by a flighted legbreak (76 for 3).Martyn and Lehmann steadied the innings for a while, adding 72 in 131 balls for the fourth wicket either side of lunch. Like their colleagues back in the dressing-room, they endeavoured to be positive whenever given an opportunity to score. Lehmann was the bolder, shuffling down the wicket to the slow bowlers as often as he could, even to Muralitharan, whom he lifted for six over long-on.As the partnership started to reach sizeable proportions, Sri Lanka slipped back onto the defensive. Dharmasena operated with a 7-2 field against Martyn, who hasn’t scored a Test century for 25 months. The ploy worked, as he paddle-swept an offbreak straight into the hands of Mahela Jayawardene at leg slip. Martyn had scored 42 from 81 balls and hit three fours (148 for 4).Muralitharan, called back into the attack for a second spell, then spun Sri Lanka firmly back into the driving-seat: Andrew Symonds was adjudged to have edged a fizzing offbreak via his pads to Jayawardene at slip for a debut duck, and Adam Gilchrist’s poor run continued as he toe-ended an awkward sweep to Dharmasena, running in from deep square (163 for 6).Sri Lanka were firmly in charge now, as three wickets had tumbled for 15. But Lehmann, dropped at silly point when 30 off Muralitharan, battled hard, along with Warne. Lehmann chugged past fifty for the fifth time in his career while Warne, riding his luck against Muralitharan, smacked four meaty fours in a valuable cameo.They carried Australia within sight of a competitive score by tea. But Muralitharan ensured that was never achieved after Lehmann fidgeted too far across his stumps, leaving them exposed. Vaas’s offcutter feathered Warne’s outside edge, and Murali mopped up the rabbits: Kasprowicz was bowled through the gate, and Stuart MacGill made a complete hash of a straight one, to leave Murali on a hat-trick in the second innings.

Talat Ali will take over as the Pakistan team manager in the Champions Trophy © International Cricket Council

Zaheer Abbas has been replaced as manager of Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy in October, by former Pakistan opener Talat Ali. The decision was taken following a meeting of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) ad-hoc committee in Karachi to discuss, among other subjects, the Oval fiasco which saw Pakistan forfeiting a Test for the first time in the game’s history.Shaharyar Khan, chairman of the PCB, told reporters, “Talat Ali has been chosen to replace him for the Champions Trophy as manager.” The move had been widely expected in Pakistan after Abbas had come in for heavy criticism for his role – or lack of it – during the Oval melee.While negotiations were underway to try and save the Oval Test on the dressing room balcony, Abbas was seen by many outside the Pakistan dressing room talking on his mobile phone. His apparent inaction prompted a barrage of criticism from ex-players in Pakistan who felt he should have taken a more proactive role in resolving the matter and negotiating with the ICC and the umpires.Others attacked him for a number of statements he made in the immediate aftermath of the incident, including his terming of Darrell Hair’s US$500,000 resignation offer, a “moral victory” for Pakistan. Even before the team left for England, concerns had been voiced about his aptitude for the job. When asked by a local TV channel about left-arm paceman Samiullah Niazi’s inclusion in the squad, Abbas professed ignorance about the player.But Shaharyar denied that the move meant Abbas was the first victim of ‘Hairgate’. “He has not been replaced because of what happened at the Oval. We need him as a witness for the ICC hearings later in September. After that, if the need for an appeal rises, then we might need him further so that might interfere with his role as manager. This is not a criticism or indictment of his role. It is no reflection on him.”Shaharyar added that Inzamam-ul-Haq [captain], Danish Kaneria and Umar Gul will attend the hearing alongwith Abbas. Both Gul and Kaneria were bowling when the umpires inspected the ball, and have been asked by the PCB’s lawyers to provide evidence.In the PCB’s defence, however, it must also be pointed out that managerial appointments rarely follow steadfast rules of employment. Generally, managers are hired on an assignment-by-assignment basis; Abbas, for example, was manager for the tour to Sri Lanka earlier in the year but was replaced by Salim Altaf for the subsequent ODI series against India in Abu Dhabi. Not many in Pakistan, though, will buy the chairman’s reasoning and certainly most journalists – admittedly a cynical lot – didn’t.The man who replaces him – Ali – was in line for the job for the England series and had the robust support of at least one senior PCB official. Ali, who played ten Tests for Pakistan between 1972 and 1979 as a dogged opener, was also an ICC match referee for the same number of Tests between 1997 and 2001.One of the central figures of the controversy – Inzamam-ul-Haq – was, however, given the full backing of the board. “The events of the Oval Test were considered at the meeting which showed full confidence in Inzamam,” Shaharyar said. But referring to further comments Inzamam made to a local TV channel on arrival in Pakistan, Shaharyar warned that more comments “would be tantamount to hitting on his own feet (shooting himself in the foot) if Inzamam said anything on the matter now.” He was referring to ICC’s warning last week to the PCB and Inzamam for making “unnecessary and inappropriate” comments over the issue.About the other figure – Darrell Hair – the PCB was understandably reluctant to say too much. When asked what Pakistan would do if Hair was chosen to officiate in the Champions Trophy, Shaharyar said, “what steps we have thought about cannot be revealed at this point of time, we would disclose them after a decision on the hearing.”Reuters, however, quoted a board source as claiming that Pakistan had made its objections to Hair clear to the ICC. The board source said that the ICC had been informed in writing that if Hair was put on the umpires panel for the Champions Trophy, it would consider strong action including pulling out from the event. “Pakistan is very clear on Hair’s future appointments. It does not want him appointed either in the Champions Trophy or any other series in which Pakistan is playing.”

Cricket Australia has announced a 13-player squad, including 7 NSW players, to take on New Zealand in the first leg of the six-match Rose Bowl series beginning in Auckland on 11 FebruaryThe NSW players selected in the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars are:

Player	Suburb	Club	State Caps	ODI caps
Alex Blackwell	Griffith	Gordon	26	5
Leonie Coleman	Moonbi	UTS Balmain	69	0
Shannon Cunneen	Lane Cove	Gordon	27	0
Julie Hayes	Gladesville	UTS Balmain	80	23
Lisa Keightley	Mudgee	UTS Balmain	99	54
Lisa Sthalekar	North Sydney	Gordon	60	17
Emma Twining	Glenwood	UTS Balmain	55	12

In a series of changes, New South Wales pair Leonie Coleman and Shannon Cunneen have been drafted into the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars team for the first time.Cunneen comes into the Australian team from outside the original 2003-04 Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars squad named in April 2003. The 26-year-old has scored 230 runs in the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) at an average of 32.85, finishing in the competition’s top 10 run-scorers.Wicket-keeper Coleman, 24, has previously represented Australia at youth level and has enjoyed a consistent year for the New South Wales Breakers, with six dismissals behind the stumps.A further change to the Australian line-up sees New South Wales stalwart Lisa Keightley step out of retirement to make a return to the national team.Keightley, who announced her retirement from the international level in December 2002, played 54 one-day internationals for Australia. She did not play in Australia’s recent Ashes Tests or its limited-overs series against New Zealand, India and England last year, but has played for state team New South Wales this season.Chairperson of selectors Margaret Jennings said the changes to the squad were about keeping the team balanced and flexible."Shannon Cunneen has had an exceptional year in the WNCL, playing as an attacking batter and that’s something we encourage and are looking for in terms of developing the right squad for next year’s World Cup," said Jennings."We also want to give Leonie Coleman a chance and see how she performs in New Zealand. Leonie has had a consistent year and done everything asked of her, so she deserves this opportunity."The side will gain the experience of Lisa Keightley who makes her return. Lisa has had a great season and put herself back into contention for the national team and we feel she will fit in well and add some stability to the middle order."Cunneen said she was thrilled with the news of her selection. "This is a fantastic opportunity for me and I really want to make the most of it," said Cunneen."Even though I wasn’t named in the original Australian squad, I still set the goal for myself to work hard because you just never know what can happen, and it shows that selection is open for anyone who is playing well enough."Coleman said her experience at youth level would assist in making the step into the international arena. "I’m rapt that the selectors have shown faith in bringing me into the squad," said Coleman."The chance to represent Australia at the highest level has been my dream and after gaining a taste of international competition with the youth side, I’m looking forward to this next challenge of playing with the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars."The Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars team was chosen by the three-person national selection panel consisting of former Australian players Margaret Jennings (Chairperson) and Wendy Weir, and former Australian coach Peter Bakker.Australia plays New Zealand in six one-day international matches in the annual clash for the Rose Bowl trophy.The six-match limited-over series includes three matches in New Zealand (11, 15 and 17 February) and three matches in Australia at Sydney’s Bankstown Oval (21 February), Victoria’s Albert Ground (25 February) and Hobart’s Bellerive Oval (27 February).The Australian squad will be reselected at the end of the New Zealand leg of the tour, and announced on 18 February.FOUR NSW PLAYERS SELECTED IN AUSTRALIAN YOUTH (UNDER 23’S) TEAMNSW strength was again confirmed with 4 players being named in the 13-player Commonwealth Bank Shooting Stars squad to play New Zealand A in four limited-over matches at Lincoln, New Zealand, beginning on 8 February.The NSW players selected in the Commonwealth Bank Shooting Stars are:

Player	Suburb	Club	State Caps
Leah Poulton (captain)	Wallsend	Wallsend	12
Kate Blackwell (vice-captain)	Griffith	Gordon	12
Sarah Aley	Mortdale	Bankstown	0
Sarah Andrews	Newcastle	Wallsend	20

Nasser Hussain said today that criticism of his attitude during the second npower Test against South Africa was "absolute drivel". And he insisted that he wanted to continue his England Test career beyond the current series.Hussain stunned cricket followers by resigning the captaincy immediately after the drawn first Test at Edgbaston. That left Michael Vaughan, already England’s one-day captain, with just three days to prepare himself for leading the team at Lord’s – a match South Africa went on to win by a crushing innings and 92 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.Hussain was out to a rash pull in the second innings at Lord’s, and was also involved in a brief onfield row there with South Africa’s captain Graeme Smith. But Hussain, retained in the team for this week’s third Test at Trent Bridge, defended his actions: "Every time I’ve put on an England shirt on, I’ve given it my absolute utmost for the country and I will carry on doing that for as long as England want me."I’ll always be an ear there for Vaughany, for Fletch [coach Duncan Fletcher], for any young player – as you saw when someone [Smith] got stuck into Jimmy Anderson, I was there for him because I believe young players need that backing," Hussain also told the BBC. "The bottom line for me is that there’s only one important goal and that’s England getting back into this series and the England team doing well. Any talk about me being quiet or down is absolute drivel."After that Lord’s defeat the former England opener Geoffrey Boycott accused Fletcher of harming the English game by refusing to allow international players to turn out for their counties. But Hussain, who was in charge when Fletcher, a former captain of Zimbabwe, first took charge of England on the 1999-2000 tour of South Africa, insisted that Fletcher had been nothing but a positive influence."I’ve got the utmost respect for Mr Boycott – he’s been brilliant, the work he’s done with me on my batting," said Hussain. "Unfortunately, on Duncan Fletcher he’s got it wrong. He has been one of the greatest things that has happened to English cricket and we mustn’t knock him. Duncan Fletcher invariably gets things right and we must get behind him now because he’s got a new young captain – they need to form a relationship, and we must all get behind them and work in the same direction, not constantly knock from the outside."Hussain, 35, who has now scored over 5000 Test runs, insisted he would not follow his England team-mate Alec Stewart in retiring from international cricket at the end of the South Africa series. England tour Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and West Indies during the forthcoming northern winter, and Hussain, who retired from one-day internationals after the World Cup, insisted he was available for Test duty. "Whenever Michael Vaughan or David Graveney ring me up and say `There’s a Test match next week’ – wherever it is in the world – `We need you, we want you,’ I’ll be the first one there because I desperately enjoy playing for England."

Close South Africa 151 for 1 (Smith 80*, Kirsten 9*) trail England 173 (Gough 34, Ntini 5-75) by 22 runs
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Makhaya on fire: Ntini celebrates a wicket in his impressive 5 for 75

Honeymoons are meant to last rather longer than 48 hours. But for Michael Vaughan, the harsh realities of Test captaincy are suddenly all too apparent. After losing the toss and being asked to bat first in seamer-friendly conditions, England were rolled over for a dismal 173 in less than 49 overs, a total that was soon put into perspective by yet another effortlessly solid opening stand from Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith.By the close, South Africa trailed England’s first innings by 22 runs, with nine wickets remaining. Smith himself was still there on 80, taking his series tally to 442 runs after less than two matches, and his career total past 1000 runs in only his 11th Test. Still only 22 years old, and with the scalp of one England captain under his belt already, he now has a second victim caught flush in the crosswires.Vaughan’s first day in charge couldn’t really have gone much worse. England lost five wickets in the first session alone, and had slumped to 118 for 9 before Darren Gough and James Anderson provided a fig-leaf of respectability with a last-wicket stand of 55. But the simplicity of their partnership merely demonstrated the good nature of the pitch. There was some customary early movement, ruthlessly exploited by South Africa’s seamers, but it was nonetheless a bold decision from Smith to field first. With a bit of application from England’s batsmen, it could have backfired horribly. Instead, Smith has stolen yet more of the initiative in this series.South Africa were even a bowler short, as Dewald Pretorius picked up a side strain after four ineffective overs. But Makhaya Ntini, Andrew Hall and Shaun Pollock were more than a match for England’s batsmen. Ntini was the pick of the bunch, bowling fast and straight from wide of the crease to pick up 5 for 75, his best figures in an overseas Test, while Hall, who only last week was seeing out his season with Worcestershire, celebrated his 28th birthday with 3 for 18, including two in five balls before lunch. Pollock, as ever, maintained an exemplary line and length, but was grossly under-rewarded for his efforts.The danger signals were evident from the earliest overs. Marcus Trescothick was never allowed to settle, and after being dropped by Smith himself at second slip, he over-compensated for Ntini’s tight line and inside-edged a forcing shot onto his own stumps (11 for 1). Mark Butcher started in fine fashion by thumping Ntini for three fours in successive deliveries, but then nibbled a superb outswinger from Pollock straight into Andrew Hall’s midriff at third slip (35 for 2).Nasser Hussain was greeted to an ovation seldom seen at Lord’s, but he was over-eager throughout his brief stay, and was eventually bowled all-ends-up for 14 as he attempted an ambitious drive at Hall (73 for 3). Hall then struck again in the same over, as Anthony McGrath (4) gave his critics further ammunition by playing across the line to his fourth ball and squirting a leading edge to mid-off (77 for 4).Vaughan, at this stage, was doing his best Michael Atherton impression, clinging onto the wreckage as everyone else leapt overboard. But when Ntini returned to the attack, Vaughan heaved a pull shot to Neil McKenzie at fine-leg, who steadied himself to take a comfortable catch (85 for 5).

Sign of things to come: Marcus Trescothick looks back at his broken stumps in England’s dismal morning

The procession continued in the afternoon session. Stewart pulled Ntini straight to Paul Adams at square leg for 7 (96 for 6), and when Andrew Flintoff, Ashley Giles and Steve Harmison were removed in quick succession, complete humiliation was on the cards. Gough and Anderson averted that, but when it came to their day job, they were once again badly off-colour.It was left to Steve Harmison to make the breakthrough, as Gibbs played on for 49 (133 for 1). England, however, should have struck in the fourth over of South Africa’s reply, when Smith drove loosely at a half-volley from Anderson. But, as if breaking his spirit was not enough, Smith managed to pick out Hussain at point, who fumbled once before letting the ball drop agonisingly to the turf. Hussain, apparently, had injured himself in the warm-up and had been kept out of the slip cordon as a result. Sometimes, there is just no place to hide.Click here for today’s Wisden VerdictEngland 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Michael Vaughan (capt), 3 Mark Butcher, 4 Nasser Hussain, 5 Anthony McGrath, 6 Alec Stewart (wk), 7 Andrew Flintoff, 8 Ashley Giles, 9 Darren Gough, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 James Anderson.South Africa 1 Herschelle Gibbs, 2 Graeme Smith (capt), 3 Gary Kirsten, 4 Boeta Dippenaar, 5 Jacques Rudolph, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Shaun Pollock, 8 Andrew Hall, 9 Dewald Pretorius, 10 Makhaya Ntini, 11 Paul Adams.

India 211 for 1 (Sharma 96*, Jain 58) beat New Zealand 207 for 7 by 9 wickets
ScorecardJaya Sharma played a stellar role, for the second time in as many matches, as the Indian Women romped home to a facile nine wicket victory against New Zealand in the second one-dayer at Aurangabad. After the bowlers had done an excellent job of restricting the visitors to only 207, the Indians lost only one wicket as they finished the job with more than two overs to spare.The story was similar to the first one-dayer in Mumbai, that India won, as New Zealand were kept on a tight leash from the beginning. The Indian spinners came to the fore and teased the batsmen all day with Nooshin Al Khadeer finishing up as the most successful bowler with two wickets. Amita Sharma, Deepa Kulkarni and Neetu David also bowled a nagging line and dried up the runs to a great extent.Maia Lewis (47), the captain, Haidee Tiffen (44) and Kate Pulford (37) chipped in with useful contributions but the runs came at a crawl and New Zealand lost their way in the middle-overs. In the end, Lewis’s knock took them past two hundred and gave them some chance.The Indian openers kept abreast with the run-rate and never found themselves in any trouble. Sharma cracked 11 fours in her fine innings and Anju Jain proved an ideal foil. Jain, unhurried throughout he stay, fell shortly after making her fifty, but that was when the fun began. Mihali Raj unveiled some classical shots as a flurry of boundaries were executed. She raced to 38 of just 34 balls and finished the match with a flourish as India took a 2-0 lead in the five match series.

Hashan Tillakaratne, who celebrated the first match of his captaincy tenurewith his eleventh Test century, believes Sri Lanka still have work to do onthe final day despite his side’s strong reply to New Zealand’s 515 for 7 anda fourth day wash-out.Play was called off with 48 overs still to be bowled in the day with SriLanka on 424 for 6. Tillakaratne was unbeaten on 126, a dour but defiantinnings that makes a draw the likeliest resultNevertheless, Tillakaratne still wants to chisel out more runs: "We want topress for 500 runs and get at least a 50-run lead – ­ it would be a psychological factor for the series."It is a good batting track, conducive to batting and I must thank thebatsmen for how they applied themselves. They showed a lot of commitment andeverything went well."He paid a special tribute to Romesh Kaluwitharana, who played the innings ofthe day, a sparkling boundary-studded 76 from 90 deliveries in his Test fortwo years."Coming back after two years, it was a brilliant 76 and I am sure that hewill be getting more runs in the future," said Tillakaratne.He made no apologies for his grinding approach, the left-hander contributingjust 26 runs to a 107-run partnership with Kaluwitharana."At that time we were in a spot of bother," he said. "I wanted Kalu andmyself to bat on and get 316 (to avoid the follow on) and that is what wedid."Kaluwitharana, although disappointed to have missed out on a possible fourthTest hundred, was delighted to have grabbed his opportunity to cement aplace."Coming back after two years it was a challenging match for me," saidKaluwitharana. "I was under pressure. I know I have to score runs to stay inthe side and this was an opportunity for me."Having been left out of the side two years ago, I worked hard on occupyingthe crease for long periods and scoring heavily. I was inconsistent but nowI know I can spend more time at the crease."Jeff Crowe, the New Zealand manager, was disappointed with the performanceof his bowlers, who bowled too many loose deliveries during the last twodays."We haven’t bowled well enough. Not enough balls have been put in the rightspot to put enough pressure on the Sri Lanka batsmen after our good firstinnings."I thought the Sri Lankans played very well today – they waited for the badball and dispatched it accordingly."