England were on top for most of Sri Lanka’s innings, making the most of rain breaks to restrict them to 42-4. If there was a Spirit of Cricket award for each match it would have surely gone to Sangakkara who walked after he was caught off the thinnest of thin edges, with neither Broad nor Mustard appealing.

Dilshan dug in to score 70, taking Sri Lanka to a near-respectable 164 (although England’s target was reduced by 1 run by the obscurities of the Duckworth-Lewis system), but England made hard work of it, the top order once again failing to fire. Mustard was unlucky to be bowled when the ball clipped his trousers and rebounded onto the wicket, and he looks like he could make a decent one-day opener.

Collingwood and Shah steadied the ship, but both were undone by Jayasuriya’s slow bowling. It was left to the bowlers to make it to the end, Swann and Broad both solidifying their reputations as handy lower order batsman.

Undoubted man of the match was Graeme Swann, taking 4-42 and scoring 25 runs off 37 balls (England’s second highest score). In honour of the new spinning star, who must surely have earned himself a place on the return trip to Sri Lanka for the Test series, I present some facts about the man they call Swann:

Nine facts about Graeme Swann

Graeme Swann shares a birthday with Alan Sugar and actor Richard Conte (he played Barzini in The Godfather)
Graeme Swann has hit 4 centuries in first class cricket.
Graeme Swann’s bowling action can break a man’s arm.
Graems Swann’s nicknames include ‘Chin’ and ‘Swanny’.
Graeme Swann has a brother called Alec who has played for Lancashire and Northamptonshire.
Graeme Swann is owned by the Queen.
Graeme Swann mates for life.
Graeme Swann can migrate up to 3,000 miles each winter.
Graeme Swann was believed to be a duckling until he reached adolescence.

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.

Panesar was left out of the squad for Graeme Swann, and Phil Mustard (as tipped by me) was in for the injured Matt Prior. This is in line with England’s long-term policy of selecting players whose names can be used to make amusing headlines in the papers. Expect to see SWANN-SONG, PHIL CUTS THE MUSTARD and KEEN AS MUSTARD in a tabloid near you soon. Bell, Cook, Broad and Sidebottom can rest easy while this policy is in place, but Kevin Pietersen should watch out.

Australia won the toss and chose to bat, but began the innings with a display that Ricky Ponting later admitted was ‘diabolical’ as three wickets fell in the first four overs. Ponting and Gilchrist both tried to attack the Zimbabwean bowling but ended up top-edging balls, leaving Oz in trouble on 19-3.

Symonds and Hussey steadied the ship briefly before Mr Cricket himself was run out by some superb fielding, and with half the overs gone Australia had only registered 51 runs. When Symonds was stumped by Brendan Taylor – one of three of the keeper’s scalps in the Oz innings – Australia must have realised that they were in a proper pickle. Brad Hodge managed to salvage something from the afternoon, scoring 35 not out and shepherding the tail to help the side reach an almost respectable 138-9.

Zimbabwe were consistently tight with their bolwing and fielding and whatever happened in their innings could be proud to have restricted Australia to a modest total and come within a whisker of bowling them out.

Zimbabwe made a good start in reply, reaching 31 before the first wicket fell, and despite some fine bowling from Australia never quite lost sight of their target. A break for rain looked like it spelled doom for Zimbabwe as Lewis-Duckworth calculations put them several runs behind the required rate, the Oz bowlers having put some needed pressure on the batsmen.

However, when they came out after the break at 74-4 Zimbabwe’s batsmen looked more settled and determined, and Brendan Taylor’s batting held the side together. Entering the final over with 12 runs to win, Zimbabwe were handed victory on the penultimate ball as Bracken clipped Taylor’s pad for 4 leg byes.

Zimbabwe were ecstatic, and Brendan Taylor – the Man of the Match – gave as emotional an interview as I have ever seen after a match. The charmingly named Prosper Utseya must take credit for captaining an efficient side to a historic victory.

After the match Ponting ruefully admitted that perhaps Australia had not taken the Twenty20 format seriously, but his teams attitude and lack of preparation should not take away from the professional and accomplished performance of Zimbabwe.

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.

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.

“Cricket should be about fast bowlers, not batsmen,” said the fast bowler. “Spectators,” the fast-bowling star added, “like to see fast bowlers running in, hurting people, and pitches that make batsmen struggle for runs.”

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.

The hero of Old Trafford, Stuart Broad, was expensive and England couldn’t put together the kind of tight bowling performance required of them. India’s top order finally clicked and put their team on the road to victory.

It wasn’t a very exciting game, so go and read about the much more interesting 6th match of the series.

A sensational partnership between Ravi Bopara and Stuart Broad steadied the ship however, seeing England home in the 48th over. Broad, with four wickets and 45 runs to his name was a shoo-in for Man of the Match.

India displayed a tremendous attitude for much of the game, although occasionally their enthusiasm overflowed into unnecessary aggression, but just as the match looked to be theirs for the taking the energy left them. The abysmal fielding returned and by the time England were within sight of their target India seemed resigned to defeat.

The game will be a huge boost to England’s confidence – and hopefully a lesson for some of the batsmen – but a crushing blow to the Indian team. They need to win three games in a row to save the series, and there is little sign that they are capable of doing so. Individual performances are not backed up by support from the whole team. I would not write them off just yet, but it will take either a huge improvement from the squad as a whole or a truly inspired performance from one or two players to keep India in this series.