Sri Lanka vs England, 2nd ODI

England rediscovered the attitude and discipline that powered them to ODI victory over India in the summer when they recorded a convincing 65-run win over Sri Lanka.

England’s top order again failed to fire, only Mustard making a real contribution with 28 from 36 balls. Pietersen in particular looked out of sorts, struggling to make 12 runs off 41 balls. Collingwood and Shah had the task of getting their team back into the game, and it was Shah’s 82 that set England up with a competitive target. Swann again proved his usefulness as a lower order batsman with a handy 34 off 37 balls.

By contrast to the batting, England’s bowling was a team effort, the wickets evenly shared out amongst the bowlers, only Jimmy Anderson failing to take a scalp, although he bowled well enough to deserve at least one. Ryan Sidebottom proved that he can prosper away from English pitches, but again it was Graeme Swann who shone, taking 2-27 from his 10 overs.

In his current form there is little danger of Swann being replaced with Panesar. England might fancy playing two spinners in one of the forthcoming games, but who would be dropped? All three of the fast bowlers have proved themselves capable in Sri Lankan conditions, and given the last two matches the selectors would be wary of weakening the batting.

England vs India, 2007 ODI series, England player ratings

An efficient and clinical victory in the final ODI at Lord’s gave Paul Collingwood his first series victory as England captain. England deserved the win, and some questionable umpiring should not take away from the magnitude of their achievement: the Indian team’s experience – of one day cricket in particular – dwarfs that of the young England squad.

Paul Collingwood ****
In the first couple of games I was not entirely convinced by Colly’s captaincy, but he has improved and grown into the role as the series progressed. His field settings and bowling changes have been good, the latter often triggering wickets at key moments. Captaincy has not affected his abilities in other spheres: he scored 274 runs at an average of 68.50 and was probably only denied a century at Leeds by the weather, and took eight catches.

Alastair Cook **
Alastair Cook had a quiet series, and his role in the one-day side must now be in doubt after being dropped for the last match. Although his century in the first game helped set up victory there, he failed to get past 50 again and was twice out for a duck.

Matt Prior ***
England’s wicket-keeper can be fairly secure of his position for the time being, but he must show consistent improvement in the next few months if he is to be a long-term prospect. Averaging only just above 20, he never passed 50. With a batting line-up as strong as England’s is at the moment this does not a cause for too much concern, but Peter Moores will be keeping a close eye on him this winter. The lack of a central contract this winter is telling.

Ian Bell *****
This was the series in which Belly came of age, making the number 3 position his own. He has looked uncomfortable at the top of the order for a long time, and finally seemed able to balance the demands of scoring quickly and occupying the crease. Scoring 474 runs (a hundred more than his nearest rival, Sachin Tendulkar) at an average of 70.33, he hit an astonishing 46 fours and 4 sixes and was deservedly named Man of the Series. He is no slouch in the field either, and took 4 catches.

Kevin Pietersen ***
KP had a quiet series by his own standards, recording only two half-centuries at an average of 41.80. He often seemed to be in awe of India’s spinners, and it was only at Lord’s that he seemed to be scoring with the ease that we are familiar with. His place is in no doubt and in a way it is encouraging that England can win without relying on his talents, but he will be looking to make an impact at the Twenty20 cup and in Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

Owais Shah **
Shah’s series average of 49.66 flatters his performances. Almost three quarters of his runs came from his unbeaten 107 at The Oval, and he is yet to carve out a role for himself in the team. He is a classy player, but does not yet seem to be able to respond appropriately to situations in which he finds himself. He will be given more chances, and must capitalise on them if he is ever to escape his current purgatorial existence. My two star rating is perhaps a little ungenerous.

Andrew Flintoff ****
In the four matches his ankle allowed him to play, Freddie showed why England are so desperate for him to make a return to full fitness. His failure with the bat (in part mitigated because he had only two opportunities to strap his pads on) should not take away from his success with the ball – 10 wickets at an average of 14.40 and the second best economy of the series (both teams included).

Ravi Bopara ****
If Shah’s figures flatter him, then Bopara’s do not do him sufficient justice. Scoring only 81 runs from four innings, he showed his enormous potential in an epic match-winning performance with Stuart Broad. All commentators seem to agree that his most valuable attribute is his coolness under pressure, and that added to his skills with both bat and ball make him a likely contender for future greatness.

Luke Wright ***
A cameo performance from Luke Wright showed plenty of promise. Wright is not about to replace Flintoff as England’s all-rounder of choice, but his 39 ball 50 in his maiden ODI shows that he can be a destructive batsmen.

Stuart Broad ****
Broad showed himself to be a useful ODI bowler, although it is his batting at Old Trafford for which he will be remembered in this series. As a bowler he offered some vital control at the beginning of the innings, conceding runs at 5.17 an over, a figure that is more impressive when you remember that he did most of his bowling in the powerplays, and against bastsmen like Ganguly and Tendulkar. He is not the finished article yet, and we can only hope that he continues to mature.

Dimitri Mascarenhas ****
England’s most economical bowler, Mascarenhas also managed to take 6 wickets with what seems – to my untrained eye at least – to be an unremarkable medium-pace. He is a fantastic advert for the virtues of a solid county background, and his lower order batting doubles his worth as a player. I can’t see him making it into the Test side any time soon, but he could help England to further one-day success.

Chris Tremlett **
Only playing two matches, Tremlett did not have enough time to show his true worth as a bowler, but at an economy of 7.64 perhaps that was for the best. His raw pace will always be a challenge for batsmen, but without sufficient control he will not prosper in one-day cricket.

Monty Panesar ***
Frustratingly, Monty’s ODI performances continue to lag behind his Test achievements. He must present more of a threat to the batsmen and not just try to contain them. Unless Flintoff can stay fit England are in dire need of a wicket-taking bowler. Stats trivia: Monty was the only England player not to face a single ball during the series.

And last, but very definitely by no means least
Jimmy Anderson *****
Like Ian Bell, Anderson has in this series become the player that he has been promising to become for some time. He took fourteen wickets – twice as many as the leading Indian bowlers – at a very respectable average of 22.57, and often set England on the road to victory with his fiery opening spells. He proved himself to be a handy fielder too (the result of a long apprenticeship as twelfth man perhaps?), taking three catches and displaying an energetic approach unusual in a fast bowler. He must have been a strong contender for Man of the Series.

My apologies to Jon Lewis, whose one performance I did not see, and therefore who has no rating. I like him though, so I’ll give him *** just for being a nice bloke.

England vs India, 7th and last ODI, Lord’s

11.25am England strike early
After Rahul Dravid won the toss and elected to bat, Jimmy Anderson put England in the driving seat with two early wickets. Dravid might have been regretting his decision as he walked back to the pavilion for a duck to give England their third scalp of the morning.

Beer consumption so far: 1 can. 

11.50am Cleverest bit of cricket all summer
Ian Bell, as well as the mainstay of England’s batting, has shown himself to be as cunning as a fox with a sneaky fake bit of fielding to prevent a second run being taken. Chasing the ball in tandem with Dimitri Mascaraenhas, he executed a slide before he had caught up with the ball, fooling Yuvraj Singh into not stealing a second run.

Meanwhile, Tendulkar was dismissed by Flintoff for 30, although TV replays suggest strongly that his bat did not touch the ball. A bitterly disappointing end to what is almost certainly his last innings at Lord’s.

India are in deep trouble, and need a big partnership from Yuvraj and Uthappa to have any chance of winning.

1.55pm England mop up
India’s dismal innings came to an end when MS Dhoni chipped a Flintoff ball to Jimmy Anderson. Dhoni was the only batsman to reach 50, leaving India with an almost impossible task in front of them. England’s batting is strong and they should cruise to victory.

India 187 all out in 47.3 overs, Dhoni 50, Mascarenhas 3-23, Anderson 2-22.

Beer consumption so far: 3 cans (awaiting fresh supplies)
Cornish pasty consumption so far: 1 pasty

3.40pm England wobble
India kept hopes of victory alive after dismissing both England openers in the first two overs. Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell steadied the ship with a partnership of 63 before Belly was run out in a mix up between the batsmen. England will still be confident of victory but India will not have lost hope yet.

5.15pm England wrap up victory
Kevin Pietersen (71 not out) and Paul Collingwood (64 not out) saw England safely home in the 37th over. After the fireworks at The Oval the match was something of an anticlimax, and India looked like a beaten team long before the final runs were hit.

England 188 for 3 in 36.2 overs, Pietersen 71*, Collingwood 64*, RP Singh 2-40.

Coming soon: a rambling discussion of the series and the England players’ performances.

England vs India, 6th ODI, The Oval

In a nail-biting contest at The Oval India clinched the narrowest of wins to level the series and set it up for a tense match at Lord’s this weekend.

England’s top order failed, but strong batting from Bell and Pietersen put them back on track. Two run outs – one of them the subject of some controversy when Umpire Peter Hartley reversed his decision after seeing a replay – seemed certain to restrict England to a mediocre score until debutant Luke Wright blasted a 50 from 39 balls. Shah added to India’s woe with an unbeaten 107 from 95, featuring 2 sixes, but it was Dimitri Mascarenhas who again stole the show with 5 consecutive sixes in the final over.

India needed to bat brilliantly to stay in the series, and they did so from the very beginning of their innings. Tendulkar and Ganguly put on 150 runs for the first wicket, and Tendulkar was again prevented from celebrating a century when he drove a Monty Panesar delivery into the welcoming hands of Paul Collingwood.

India’s run chase was relentless however, and despite a wobble in the middle of the innings they never allowed the run-rate to get much above 6 until the final few overs. In the end it was Robin Uthappa who saw India home with just two balls spare. His 47 was inventive and bold, and he looks very comfortable batting down the order.

Another fantastic match then, with great performances from both sides. England must be cursing the absence of Flintoff: 10 tight overs from him may well have sealed the series, although had he been included then Luke Wright would not have been played and England might not have broken the 300 mark in their innings.

This series has been a fantastic advertisement for one day cricket, and it is a pity that it has not been on free-to-view tv. With the amount of support for both teams in this country, it could really have really been a summer to remember.

Kevin Pietersen nominated for ICC awards

England batsman Kevin Pietersen has been nominated for three ICC awards: best ODI player, best test player and best cricketer. Ryan Sidebottom and Monty Panesar have both been nominated in the best test player category too. Full list of nominees here.

The awards are – as I’m sure the ICC’s PR department has been trying to persuade sports journalists from around the world - the Oscars of the cricket world. I’m sure everyone has a nice time at the awards, but does anyone outside of the ICC’s headquarters in Dubai give them any credence? I can’t really get that worked up about them either way. I bet Ryan Sidebottom’s mum is pleased as punch.

In related KP news, Kevin has claimed that the new England ODI squad have the potential to be unbeatable. It’s early days yet, but there is cause for hope for the one day team. After a disappointing series against the West Indies, in their games against India they have displayed a much more coherent and mature performance.

The victories against New Zealand and Australia in the winter were exciting, but they seemed to be based on great displays by one or two key players in each match. By contrast the wins against India have been fantastic all-round team performances. Perhaps Collingwood’s all-round talents as a cricketer – good with bat and ball, and great in the field – have rubbed off on the squad as a whole.

In their current form they look capable of winning any kind of game, whether it’s by chasing down a big total or defending a small one. One day cricket demands a high level of adaptability, and England seem to have the depth of talent to achieve that, equally able to squeeze the run rate with tight bowling and fielding or to break a batting partnership when needed.

Hopefully India will play to their best for the next four games: a hard-fought series will help England develop their one day skills. Whatever their deficiencies as a team, India have a great wealth of talent and players who are capable of turning a match around single-handed.

England vs India, 3rd ODI, Edgbaston

England’s innings was competent rather than spectacular, and was again held together by Ian Bell, posting his third score over 50 in as many matches. Of the top order only Kevin Pietersen failed to contribute much, and he looked a little shaky against the spinners. Perhaps his dismissal by Chawla at Bristol was playing on his mind. Owais Shah hit 19 off 15 balls, including a fantastic six, but will be annoyed not to have stayed in longer. Some more hitting on the last few overs could have pushed England past 300 and helped establish his place in the side.

The Indian innings began quietly, the England bowlers keeping it very tight. Anderson and Broad are looking increasingly effective as a partnership, and I’m looking forward to seeing them bowl together in a test match. Anderson had Tendulkar caught on 8, the fifth time he has dismissed him this summer.

Unfortunately Tremlett once again proved expensive and Collingwood was forced to take him off after two overs that went for 20 runs. By the time Ganguly and Dravid both posted their half century, India looked to be cruising toward their target before Tremlett returned for a second spell and Dravid played on to his stumps before Ganguly nicked one to Prior.

Collingwood captained intelligently, bringing back Anderson before the end of the innings to take the crucial wicket of Mahendra Dhoni. India’s poor running between the wickets again showed itself when their last hope for victory, Yuvraj Singh, was run out.

India were once again comical in the field, and must have gifted England 20 runs, as well as failing to mke a run out. Their weakness in the less glamorous arts of the game are a major reason why they are a team with great players rather than a great team at the moment.

England lead the series 2-1 and if they can maintain this level of commitment should be favourites to win overall. Tremlett remains a concern, and Collingwood will likely want to bring back both Flintoff and Mascarenhas for the next match.

Durham in charge at Lord’s

In their sixteenth year of First Class cricket Durham have victory in sight at the Friends Provident final at Lord’s.

Entering the final as underdogs, Durham were handed a surprise boon by Shane Warne when he won the toss and elected to field. Wicket-keeper Phil ‘Colonel’ Mustard got the innings off to a flying start with a quick-fire 49, featuring 6 fours and a six and was unlucky to be given out LBW before reaching his half-century.

Shiv Chanderpaul – one of two West Indians to star for Durham – put on 78, reaching his 50 with a six, before being run out after misreading the field. Having gained a reputation as a slow accumulator during this summer’s matches against England his 78 runs came off just 79 balls, and was complimented by Coetzer’s mature 61.

Much was made in this morning’s papers about the clash between Paul Collingwood and Shane Warne, who had such fun together in Australia last winter, but in the end it didn’t amount to much. Colly made a scrappy 22 before being caught, but he’ll be relieved at least not to have been undone by the Warnester.

Ottis Gibson came in with only 13 balls left in the innings and made his intentions clear by knocking his first delivery for six, and the second for four, finishing not out with 15 runs off 7 balls. Durham captain Dale Benkenstein finished the innings in style by hitting three boundaries in a row and ending on 61. He will have been confident that his team’s formidable 312 – a record for a Lord’s final – would prove a tough target for Hampshire.

Gibson, no doubt buoyed by his batting cameo, cemented his place in the Durham fans’ affection when he struck with the first ball of the Hampshire innings to have Lumb caught at second slip. If that weren’t enough, he repeated the feat with very next ball, leaving Hampshire floundering on 0-2. In came Kevin Pietersen who could only manage a boundary-free 12 before becoming Gibson’s third victim, leg before wicket in the 9th over.

John Crawley was the only batsman to offer hope to the Hampshire fans, scoring 68 before Collingwood slipped a cutter past his bat in the 30th over and sent his leg stump flying.

Hampshire were on 153-5 and looking down the barrel of a comprehensive defeat when the three of the most depressing words in cricket, ‘rain stopped play*’, brought the match to an abrupt halt.

*Second only to ‘England batting collapse’.