1st T20i England v New Zealand

Evening first of two t20's at the Oval, toss: Eng won & bowl

NZ 201/4 beat Eng 196/5 by 5 runs

New Zealand 201 for 4 (B McCullum 68, Rutherford 62, Taylor 32*, Wright 2-31) beat England 196 for 5 (Wright 52, Hales 39, Bopara 30*) by five runs

For a supposedly pointless fixture squeezed rudely into the calendar, this game produced enough wattage to light up a fair proportion of south London. New Zealand were the victors in a match that aggregated 397 runs as a full house at The Oval lapped up a classically rambunctious T20 international.

Hamish Rutherford and Brendon McCullum tore up some mediocre bowling on a good pitch as New Zealand posted 201 for 4 and, although Luke Wright muscled a typically busy half-century, England's lower-order was left with too much to do after Ian Butler and Mitchell McClenaghan struck in successive overs.

 

Butler's dismissal of Eoin Morgan, via a brilliant Ross Taylor catch, leaping high to his right at slip, was as concussive a blow as any. For the captain, Brendon McCullum, to insert a slip at that stage was another strikingly aggressive gambit.

 

Although the ground thrummed to the beat of the White Stripes' Seven Nation Army, as the crowd chanted in support of England's new cult hero, Ravi Bopara, his 30 off 18 balls was not quite enough to complete England's highest successful chase in T20 internationals.

 

This is what T20 in England is supposed to be about - warm summer evenings, turbo-charged batting and a well-lubricated crowd ready to cheer on whichever team hits the hardest. The T20 series with New Zealand has overshadowed the launch of the Friends Life t20 but there may be hope that the domestic competition can plug in to a similar power source for the next couple of months.

 

The weather will play a big role in that and, after the enforced 20-over affair during a soggy Champions Trophy final on Sunday, for once the sun shone and the skies remained clear for a genuine T20 contest.

 

A side featuring four players in Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler and James Tredwell who took on India at Edgbaston and several of England's T20 specialists may have missed a handful of regulars being protected for the Ashes but they pushed a more experienced New Zealand all the way.

 

At the end of the Powerplay, England were 67 for 1, which offered a perky comparison with New Zealand's 54 for 1. Although Michael Lumb was bowled, playing the ball on to his stumps via a boot in the fourth over, he had set the tempo with two crunching leg-side blows for six.

 

His Nottinghamshire partner, Hales, who last made more than 21 six weeks ago and was coming off a run of 11 single-figures score in 13 innings, was afforded the slice of luck he required when a top edge flew high to fine leg and the chasing Rutherford dropped the ball, which then rolled for four.

The delivery was also called a no-ball - though Mitchell McClenaghan may have pointed to Stuart Broad's crucial dismissal of Kane Williamson in these teams' Champions Trophy encounter by way of defence - and the over went for 25.

 

A partnership of 55 runs in 41 balls with Luke Wright followed before Hales picked out deep midwicket with a mishit slog. Wright reached 50 off 29 balls but after his dismissal the requirement had risen to 63 from 30 deliveries, which for all Bopara's muscle proved beyond England.

 

The tone for the evening had been set by New Zealand's second-wicket partnership, worth 114 runs in 67 balls, between Rutherford and McCullum, with the former scoring his first half-century in a limited-overs international. McCullum, unusually, was not quite as belligerent as his partner but he top-scored with 68 from 48 balls in a manner reminiscent of his form against England when these two teams began their 16-round, bi-continental tussle back in February.

 

England had inserted New Zealand after winning the toss, and the captain Morgan's evening was further buoyed by Boyd Rankin taking a wicket with his fourth delivery in an England shirt. But the next hour and a half went almost as rapidly downhill as the ball seemed to go forever skyward, Rutherford and McCullum batting with giddy abandon on a true surface as England were forced into using seven bowlers.

 

Rutherford and McCullum had evidently not been told this was a glorified exhibition match, albeit a crowd-pulling one, and set about giving England's reservists a thorough caning. Rankin and Wright apart, the bowlers queued up like naughty schoolboys to be disciplined: Chris Woakes' only over cost 19, including a lazy flick over deep square leg from Rutherford; Tredwell was sized up for 15 in his first, as Rutherford clubbed him for consecutive, imperious sixes.

 

Tredwell was again smashed into the crowd at long-on in his second over, after Rutherford passed 50 off his 28th delivery. He had reason to rue Bopara's drop in the fourth over. Jade Dernbach was the bowler, the ball sliced towards point at just above head height, but Bopara seemed to have too much spring in his heels and a straightforward chance deflected away off his wrist.

 

Bopara later conceded 22 from an over and he and Tredwell, who had provided crucial spells with the ball in the Champions Trophy final, bowled four overs at a cost 64 runs here.

 

Rankin may find it a little harder to get served in The Greyhound, the nearby Irish pub in Kennington, after his inclusion confirmed an anticipated switch to England but there were plenty in the ground who would have willingly bought him a drink after he struck in his first over, to the delight of a capacity crowd.

 

His pace and back-of-a-length hostility around off stump made him appear like an imported Steven Finn knock-off and he soon exposed James Franklin, in for the hamstrung Martin Guptill, for the imitation opener that he is - at least at international level - with one that nipped back. With New Zealand 1 for 1 after four balls, England may have felt they had the luck of Irish but they had run out of it by the end.

20 overs NZ 201/4: Hamish Rutherford struck a belligerent maiden half-century in limited-overs cricket and Brendon McCullum produced a display of hitting for which he is famous the world over as New Zealand set England an imposing target of 202 after being inserted on a warm, clear evening at The Oval.

England made life difficult for themselves with a couple of missed catches, while McCullum top-edged one enormous six over the sightscreen behind the stumps. The boundary was only cleared eight times but it felt like a lot more, as New Zealand became the third team to pass 200 on the ground during a T20 international. On the previous two occasions, the chasing team lost.

 

After winning the toss for England, Eoin Morgan's evening was further buoyed by Boyd Rankin taking a wicket with his fourth delivery in an England shirt. But the next hour and a half went almost as rapidly downhill as the ball seemed to go skywards during a second-wicket partnership worth 114 runs in 67 balls, Rutherford and McCullum batting with giddy abandon on a true surface. 

 

England were forced into using seven bowlers, with the last of them, Luke Wright, a T20 specialist, achieving respectable figures of 2 for 31 in winkling out both.

 

Two days after their Champions Trophy final defeat, England had to shake their heads clear for a genuine T20 contest - as opposed to the contrived one they lost against India at Edgbaston. This side, featuring four players in Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler and James Tredwell who played against India and several of England's T20 specialists is not especially wet behind the ears - despite missing a handful of regulars being protected for the Ashes - but the New Zealand innings suggested they were still feeling a little soggy after Sunday.

 

Rutherford and McCullum had evidently not been told this was a glorified exhibition match, albeit in front of a sellout crowd, and set about giving England's reservists a thorough caning. Rankin and Wright apart, the bowlers queued up like naughty schoolboys to be disciplined: Chris Woakes' only over cost 19, including a lazy flick over deep square leg from Rutherford; Tredwell was sized up for 15 in his first, as Rutherford clubbed him for consecutive, imperious sixes.

 

Tredwell was again smashed into the crowd at long-on in his second over, after Rutherford had passed 50 off his 28th delivery, and he in particular had reason to rue Bopara's drop in the fourth over when the opener had made 25. Jade Dernbach was the bowler, the ball sliced towards point at just above head height, but Bopara seemed to have too much spring in his heels and a straightforward chance deflected away off his wrist.

 

Bopara later conceded 22 from an over - including five wides down the leg side and a McCullum mow into the top tier of the OCS stand. He and Tredwell had provided crucial spells with the ball in the Champions Trophy final but their four overs here cost 64 runs.

 

An England debut for Rankin had been signposted since he was called into the ODI squad ahead of the Champions Trophy and his inclusion in the XI confirmed his switch of nationality. Rankin retired from Ireland duty last year in order to focus on a possible Test career with England and he would now have to go through the qualification process in order to appear for the Associate nation again.

 

He may find it a little harder to get served in The Greyhound, the nearby Irish pub in Kennington, after switching allegiance but there were plenty in the ground who would have willingly bought him a drink after he struck in his first over, to the delight of a capacity crowd.

 

His pace and back-of-a-length hostility around off stump made him appear like an imported Steven Finn knock-off and he soon exposed James Franklin, in for the hamstrung Martin Guptill, for the imitation opener that he is - at least at international level - with one that nipped back. With New Zealand 1 for 1 after four balls, England may have felt they had the luck of Irish but that notion was quickly dispelled.

Eng 196/5 (20 overs)

England: Hales Lumb Wright Morgan Bopara Buttler Stokes Woakes Tredwell Dernbach Rankin

NZ: Rutherford, Franklin, McCullum, Taylor, Latham, Munro, Buttler, Mccullum, Anderson, Mills, Hira

Champions Trophy Final England V India

India 129 for 7 (Kohli 43, Jadeja 33*, Bopara 3-20) beat England 124 for 8 (Morgan 30, Ashwin 2-15, Jadeja 2-24) by 5 runs


Pinch yourself again and again. This match was completely out of the realms of reality. After the ICC - who hadn't considered it fit to have a reserve day for the final - added 75 minutes to the rainy day to accommodate 20 overs in the final, both sides panicked in the compressed environment; Ravi Bopara was the bowling demon for England; India defended 129 with slip, gully and silly point for spinners; Ishant Sharma, the most expensive bowler, was the first to bowl out and took two crucial wickets in his last over; and MS Dhoni led superbly to become the first captain in the world to have won all ICC trophies.

The only aspects of this game remotely real were the effectiveness of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, and the early fluency of Shikhar Dhawan and Jonathan Trott. Around them, everything went topsy-turvy. The pitch turned square, despite all his efficiency Jadeja didn't attempt a crucial run-out, the third umpire seemed to make a big dubious call with Ian Bell's stumping, but then again there was Dhoni making a superlative call under pressure.

You can spend hours debating it, and wonder how it worked.

 

On this turner, Ishant had been the easiest bowler to hit. His three overs had gone for 27, and you asked yourself why he got even the third. That third had brought the target down to 48 off 30 thanks to a six smoked clean by Bopara. However, with three overs left and 28 to get - Umesh Yadav had two to go, Ashwin, Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar one each - Dhoni went to Ishant.

 

Even if Yadav had been injured, Bhuvneshwar - three overs for 19 - had one left. Dhoni's hunch seemed to be going bust after a pulled six and two wides on either side of the stumps: 20 off 16 now. Who knows how these things in big limited-overs matches work with Dhoni, but Ishant bowled a slower ball and Eoin Morgan mis-hit to midwicket. It was a front-of-the-hand slower ball, pretty much common fare in limited-overs cricket today, but Morgan didn't pick it.

 

The next ball seemed even more innocuous on the face of it. Short ball, no sting, head high, pulled down clean, but straight to the fielder at square leg. Roll that dismissal back, though. And it is difficult to figure out the logic here, but there was no midwicket for that ball. That man inside the circle was at square leg, next to the umpire. Ishant Sharma was Dhoni's new Joginder.

 

The bizarre events weren't quite over. In the 19th over, Jadeja, almost unplayable and wise so far, had a chance to run the diving Stuart Broad out but he chose not to try. Jadeja could be forgiven a moment after having bowled well all through the tournament, after having scored the pivotal 33 after India had been 66 for 5, and after having begun India's turnaround with the ball. That was India's last mistake too.

 

In the 20th, bowled by Ashwin, when Stuart Broad hit a leg-side four, Dhoni brought everybody on the off side asking the batsman to clear it if he thought he was good enough. Broad wasn't on this occasion. Surprisingly Broad didn't try to dominate the strike, leaving Tredwell to get 10 off the last three balls. The only way England could have won was for Broad to hit two fours or a six, but two couples later the six off the last ball was a bridge too far for the lesser batsman on a turning pitch. The last ball was cue for an expressive celebration - by his standards - for Dhoni who has been through a tough time over the last two years.

 

India had won a thrilling final of what has been a good tournament, but all was not right. This was hardly the ideal match. The ICC had only tried to cover its backside by stretching the match to 8.30pm. This match should never have been played today after the amount of rain Edgbaston had taken, but there was no tomorrow. So we had a match that put both the sides out of their comfort zones. The Indian batsmen had no rhythm going in and out, and England were playing essentially a T20 with three men who don't make the T20 side. Remember when the XIs were named at the toss, this was a 50-over game.

 

In the first exchange, though, India seemed to struggle more. On the wrong side of the toss, with two rain breaks in the first half of their innings, they couldn't really have planned their innings, and soon found themselves struggling when it came to the run-rate. That brought panic, and Bopara was the beneficiary with the wickets of Dhawan, Suresh Raina and Dhoni - for his first duck in ODIs since October 2010. In the last seven overs, though, Virat Kohli and Jadeja brought India back with a punchy partnership of 47 off 33.

 

Kohli couldn't see India to the end, but Jadeja did, his knock including an inside-out six off James Anderson.

 

For some reason, the England batsmen panicked in the chase too. Trott was fluent, but spin brought the turnaround. Jadeja began with a tight fifth over, and Ashwin got Trott stumped in the next with a dipping offbreak outside leg. In the next over, came another less-than-ideal play. Bell was given out stumped when the third umpire couldn't have been sure that the foot was in the air when the wicket was put down. England were so displeased, Eoin Morgan even made a sign for the review.

 

Morgan managed to put it behind him and, with Bopara, nearly pulled off a special win with calculated hitting and smart running between the wickets. But that was before England imploded. You can watch replays of that Ishant over that took out both Morgan and Bopara many times over, but will struggle to explain it logically. Sometimes you just can't from the outside. Sometimes you have to pinch yourself.

20 overs India 129 for 7 (Kohli 43, Jadeja 33*, Bopara 3-20) v England

In surreal developments, the ICC - who hadn't considered it fit to have a reserve day for the final - added 75 minutes to the rainy day to accommodate 20 overs in the farcical Champions Trophy final. The toss happened on time, which England won to get the first use of the ball, but play began only six hours later. India's innings was interrupted twice, the batsmen fell behind in the scoring rate before they realised, and lost wickets in panic.
 

It was a punchy partnership of 47 off 33 between Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja that rescued India from 66 for 5 after 13 overs and gave them a fighting chance. Kohli scored 43 off 34, and Jadeja 33 off 25. Ravi Bopara was England's unexpected hero, getting the ball to stop on the batsmen and running away with figures of 4-1-20-3.

 

You can't take away from England, who were out of their comfort zone themselves, playing a 20-over game with at least three players who won't make it to their Twenty20 side. They bowled well given the circumstance. They were accurate despite patchy fielding, maximising the effect of the spongy bounce, and Bopara was the biggest beneficiary of India's panic with wickets of Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni, who was out for his first ODI duck since October 2010.

 

The game finally began at 4.20pm only to be interrupted in the sixth over. By then, Rohit Sharma had been bowled by one from Stuart Broad that seamed in. This break lasted two minutes, and Shikhar Dhawan came out to upper-cut the first ball - both feet in air - for a six over third man. However, a longer break arrived soon after which they threw the balls to James Tredwell and Bopara.

 

Bopara got Dhawan with a slower ball, which the batsman seemed to have picked but was undone by the further slowness off the pitch. Tredwell took the catch at short cover, not his last off the bowling of Bopara.

 

With India 50 for 2 in the ninth over, the time had come for the untested middle order to deliver. However, they didn't have any time to get in. Dinesh Karthik fell slogging Tredwell, and in the 13th over - a maiden - Bopara got both Raina and Dhoni with balls dug in short. Raina pulled him straight to mid-on, and Tredwell caught Dhoni at third man.

 

India were in serious need of firefighting, which Kohli and Jadeja provided. They called for the batting Powerplay in the 16th over, and took 20 off those two overs to take them to 106 after 17. In the next over, Kolhi was dropped by Jonathan Trott, but James Anderson got him, caught at long-off, before serious damage could be caused. Jadeja kept fighting, but India were left needing a special effort in the field or some poor England batting.

England team: Cook (capt), Bell, Trott, Root, Morgan, Bopara, Buttler (wk), Bresnan, Broad, Tredwell, Anderson.

India team: Dhawan, R Sharma, Kohli, Karthik, Raina, Dhoni (capt, wk), Jadeja, Ashwin, Kumar, I Sharma, Yadav.

Toss Eng won it & will bowl

Champions Trophy 2nd semi final Ind v SL

India 182/2 (35 overs)

WICKET Rohit b Mathews 33 (IND 77-1)
Well, I didn't see that coming. And neither did the majority of the crowd, judging by the stunned silence around Cardiff. Rohit charges Mathews and aims an ugly swipe across the line, misses and turns to see the ball clip the top of middle stump. Ignominious.

WICKET- Dhawan st Sangakkara b Mendis 68 (Ind 142-2)

Bowling a damp evening on a seaming wicket in Cardiff is a far cry from a scorching afternoon on a 'bunsen' in Colombo, but Mendis, to his credit, beats the outside edge of Dhawan's bat twice in succession. The left-hander drags his back foot out off the second and the alert Sangakkara completes the stumping. It needed the help of the TV replay to send Dhawan packing for 68. Sri Lanka's muted celebrations said it all.

India 182 for 2 (Dhawan 68, Kohli 58*) beat Sri Lanka 181 for 8 (Mathews 51, Ishant 3-33, Ashwin 3-48) by 8 wickets
The only glitches in India's march into the final were two sets of pitch invaders running on to the field on two separate occasions. On a Cardiff surface with a lot of moisture, the ball seamed, bounced steeply and turned appreciably, and the Indian bowlers were all over Sri Lanka after winning the toss. In the afternoon, the Indian openers continued their run of impressive stands, adding 77 through some luck and some attractive shots, and India cruised home with 15 overs to spare.
 

It would have reminded India of their first day of international cricket in South Africa on the 2010-11 tour, when they were inserted on a pitch that had absorbed a lot of rain and were bowled out for 136. Watching the first innings of this match, it seemed Sri Lanka had done well to not be rolled over for 136 themselves. The conditions were so juicy India's three frontline quicks bowled the first 22 overs - even MS Dhoni had a bowl later - and India either beat the bat or hit edge on 68 occasions.

 

The Sri Lankan batsmen couldn't be blamed much, except for probably Kusal Perera. They had to dig in hard just to survive. They strived to - Kumar Sangakkara had left alone 12 out of his first 32 balls - but eventually the ball with your name arrived. However, what really foiled Sri Lanka's plans was the assistance the pitch provided to spin, which they hadn't budgeted for when they were batting out the quicks like it was a Test. The quicks went for 98 for four wickets in their 30 overs; the spinners took four wickets for 81 in their 20.

 

The pitch might have been great help, but India exploited the toss advantage with impressive accuracy. The first extra came in the 20th over. Angelo Mathews, among others, fought the conditions, but like others he too fell the moment he became adventurous.

 

It didn't help that Sri Lanka had lost Dinesh Chandimal to injury before the match began and Tillakaratne Dilshan retired hurt in the fifth over. Kusal showed again that his game is not suited for these conditions as he followed a full and wide delivery to edge it for Suresh Raina to take one of his three catches at second slip. It was the seventh time in 12 matches that Buvneshwar Kumar had taken a wicket in his first spell, including five openers dismissed in single figures.

Then Dilshan seemed to have pulled his calf while trying to keep out a sharply swinging delivery. He tried to bat on, but with the new no-runner regulations he had to leave the field.

Sangakkara and Lahiru Thirimanne began to play it like the first morning of a Test, and justifiably so.

India kept the pressure up with Bhuvneshwar bowling a nine-over spell, and Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma getting appreciable movement every time they landed the ball on the seam.

 

Ishant got the ball to stick into the pitch and steep tennis-ball bounce too.

 

Sangakkara began to take the odd risk at the end of the 13th over, but when he charged at Bhuvneshwar and square-drove him for the first boundary since the fourth over, the score had reached only 32. Around this time, Ishant was beginning to get balls to misbehave a lot. The batsmen had to start playing at balls sooner or later, and when they did it didn't bring good news.

 

The combination of that bounce and seam movement finally accounted for Thirimanne, who followed a short-of-a-length delivery and fended in front of his chest. Sangakkara provided a replay in case you had missed it. Raina had taken all three, and the score now was 41 for 3 after 18 overs. It was so inviting that when Dhoni finally took off a seamer after 22 overs, he gave up the pads and began to bowl the 24th over.

 

During their 78-run stand in 18.1 overs, Mahela Jayawardene and Mathews successfully reviewed an lbw call each, and seemed to have put Sri Lanka back on track. With the ball turning thanks to the moisture, their plans unravelled. Jayawardene was bowled by a Jadeja skidder, and the batting Powerplay's analysis read 5-2-12-1.

 

Everyone who tried big hits in the remaining overs fell to the tricks of the pitch. Dilshan came back to bat for the last two overs. Sri Lanka, though, could manage just the 54 in the last 10. About an hour later, by when the Indian openers had seen off the Nuwan Kulasekara threat, it almost seemed the pitch had lost all its moisture. Shikhar Dhawan continued to drive and cut fearlessly, Rohit Sharma continued to provide the starts, and Virat Kohli added a fifty to four centuries in his last seven matches against Sri Lanka.

 

Sri Lanka didn't help themselves. They used Lasith Malinga - their best hope despite his poor record against India - only for three overs at the top and then when India had chugged along to 93 for 1. They dropped Dhawan thrice, first when he was on 18. India were not complaining, though.

25 overs India 104 for 1 (Dhawan 48*, Kohli 14*) need another 78 to beat Sri Lanka 181 for 8 (Mathews 51, Jayawardene 38, Ishant 3-33, Ashwin 3-48)

India were well on their way to making it to the final of the Champions Trophy as Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma provided India with yet another solid start, adding 77 for the first wicket. The pitch still tested the batsmen, especially when Nuwan Kulasekara bowled, but the Indian openers were both brave and fortunate in weathering the storm. Dhawan was dropped by Angelo Mathews when 18, Rohit Sharma had a few edges elude the cordon, but once settled they ran away with the game.

Mathews finally broke through with Rohit's wicket, but that only brought out Virat Kohli, who has scored four centuries in his last seven matches against Sri Lanka. Dhawan and Kohli chugged along, and once again the under-utilisation of Lasith Malinga stood out. He bowled just three overs at the top, and came back when the score was 93 for 1.

Champions Trophy 1st Semi Final Eng v SA

England 179 for 3 (Trott 82*, Root 48 ) beat South Africa 175 (Miller 56*, Kleinveldt 43, Tredwell 3-19, Broad 3-50) by seven wickets
England and South Africa had not met in a major ICC semi-final since the World Cup in Sydney in 1992, a match which AB de Villiers admitted before the start of play ended with him "crying myself to sleep." Grown man now or not, after the mess South Africa made of this tie, he could be forgiven for repeating the experience.
 

De Villiers is no longer an innocent child, he is captain of a South Africa one-day side which throughout his lifetime has repeatedly flattered to deceive in ICC tournaments. So it proved once more. England rampaged through the top order as eight wickets fell for 80. It was a muggy morning at Kennington Oval, England won a favourable toss, and for once the white Kookaburra swung, but South Africa contributed immensely to their downfall.

 

David Miller and Rory Kleinveldt did at least regain a measure of respectability. A record ninth-wicket partnership for South Africa of 95 in 16 overs took them to 175. But all that did was provide Jonathan Trott with a prolonged opportunity to bat much as he wished, seemingly oblivious to the pressure of a Champions Trophy semi-final. He finished with a spritely 82 not out from 84 balls, a seven-wicket win done and dusted with more than 12 overs to spare.

 

Trott's rate of progress is constantly pored over, his displays routinely regaled by some, condemned by others. As England lost their openers, Alastair Cook and Ian Bell, with 41 on the board, and de Villiers shuffled his bowlers impatiently, looking for a magic trick, no England supporter was carping. They yearned for his stability.

 

Let me watch in peace, they urged him, build your bubble, do it your way. South Africa wanted his wicket more than any other, but Trott and Root, one imperturbable, the other full of vim, confirmed England's place in the final with a stand of 105 in 20 overs. Root left cursing himself, bowled behind his legs by JP Duminy for 48, but Trott remained productive to the end, completing his ritual post-match scratching of his guard even as Eoin Morgan tried to offer his congratulations.

 

The match was essentially settled by the 23rd over. South Africa batted skittishly, as if 300-plus and the sooner the better, was essential. Critically, they lost their most influential batsman, Hashim Amla for a single and the reverberations of that were felt deep into the order. The coach, Gary Kirsten, voiced what many were thinking. "We choked," he said.

 

England's mood was set by the connoisseur of swing bowling, James Anderson, whose opening spell of 2 for 11 was extended to seven overs as his captain, Cook, sought to break South Africa early while the conventional swing persisted.

 

Wickets in the first two overs of South Africa's innings got England moving. Anderson can cut a serious, brooding figure, but the closeness of the morning left him full of smiles before the start. He removed Colin Ingram for nought with his fifth ball, outswinger followed by inswinger and an lbw verdict

 

Steven Finn has been stalking around the Champions Trophy, none too happy about his omission from the side, but Tim Bresnan's absence, to be with his wife Hannah with their baby imminent, gave him his first appearance of the tournament. Cook gave him the new ball and challenged him to channel that anger and his fourth delivery brought England the prize wicket of Amla as he failed to withdraw from an outswinger, the first of six catches behind the stumps for Jos Buttler.

 

Even in the early overs, England were planning for the possibility of reverse swing on a dry square later in the day. Stuart Broad began to bowl cross seam, to encourage wear on the ball, as early as the 10th over - and it brought him a wicket, too, as de Villiers was out without scoring, lashing at a wide one and caught at the wicket off an under-edge.

 

Peterson's appearance at No. 3 encapsulated South Africa's confusion. He was a pinch hitter in inappropriate conditions. If his left-handedness was perceived as an advantage, Anderson revels against left-handers when the ball is swinging. It was an unconvincing ploy. He acquitted himself better than most, taking three boundaries off a wayward over from Finn before Anderson had him lbw.

 

But this was not just a story about quick bowling. South Africa were so destabilised that a few overs of routine, if intelligently-delivered, offspin by James Tredwell caused further havoc. Tredwell, who was substituting for Graeme Swann, had 3 for 19 in his seven overs as well as causing the downfall, run out, of Ryan McLaren. The bounty that fell upon him was recognised with the man-of-the-match award.

 

No batsman summed up South Africa's failures more than Duminy.

 

He was all at sea during his 11-ball stay. He survived a first-ball nought when he reviewed an lbw decision for Broad and was reprieved as replays showed the ball had pitched outside leg stump. He then should have fallen lbw third ball but Tredwell, with everything in his favour as Duminy was beaten on the back foot, politely refused a review as if offered a second piece of lemon drizzle cake. Duminy soon chopped on against Tredwell in any case.

 

Tredwell's success did not end there. Faf du Plessis, who had been as secure as anyone, fell for 26 when he flashed at a quicker, flatter ball and was caught at the wicket.

 

The wicket, though, that brought hearty applause from Swann in the England dressing room will not appear against his name. It was the run out of McLaren who was so unhinged by flight and turn that he ran several paces down the pitch. Trott, who caught the ball at first slip, had the presence of mind to throw down the stumps to effect the run out.

 

At 80 for 8, South Africa's one consolation was that they batted deep. They at least avoided the lowest one-day score ever made at The Oval batting first, New Zealand's 158 against West Indies in 1975.

 

They immediately took the batting Powerplay, which Miller greeted by smashing Finn over long-on for six. Miller unveiled his T20 one-legged slash over point, Broad disappearing for six more, and Kleinveldt slugged away when Cook finally felt obliged in the 30th over to introduce his weaker bowlers in tandem.

 

Broad finally ended the recovery with successive short balls to dismiss Kleinveldt and Lonwabo Tsotsobe, first ball. All that remained for England was a regulation dose of Trott, the finest suppressor of panic disorder on the market.  

South Africa 175 (Miller 56*, Kleinveldt 43, Tredwell 3-19, Broad 3-50) v England

An enterprising ninth-wicket stand of 95 between David Miller and Rory Kleinveldt at least gave South Africa an illusion of hope, but the odds remained heavily stacked in England's favour midway through the Champions Trophy semi-final as they contemplated a target of 176 under clearing skies.

England rampaged through South Africa's top order on a muggy bowling morning at The Oval. Eight wickets tumbled for 80 as they threatened to claim a place in the final with indecent haste. South Africa's one consolation was that they batted deep. They at least avoided the lowest one-day score ever made at The Oval batting first, New Zealand's 158 against West Indies in 1975.

 

In distress, they immediately took the batting Powerplay, which Miller greeted by smashing Steven Finn over long-on for six. Miller unveiled his T20 one-legged slash over point, Stuart Broad disappearing for six more, and Kleinveldt slugged away when Alastair Cook finally felt obliged in the 30th over to introduce his weaker bowlers in tandem.

 

Broad finally ended the recovery with successive short balls to dismiss Kleinvedlt and Lonwabo Tsotsobe, first ball, with Jos Buttler finishing with six catches. The ninth-wicket stand was a South Africa record in ODIs, but without Dale Steyn and with the pitch favouring batsmen more by the minute, South Africa still faced a monumental task.

 

South Africa sought to respond aggressively to England's swing-bowling threat from the outset, as if 300-plus and the sooner the better, was essential, but it was a skittish approach as England's bowlers held sway. Critically, they lost their most influential batsman, Hashim Amla for a single and the reverberations of that were felt deep into the order.

 

But this was not just a story about quick bowling. South Africa were so destabilised that a few overs of intelligent but far from unplayable offspin by James Tredwell caused further havoc. Tredwell, who was substituting for Graeme Swann, had 3 for 19 in his seven overs as well as causing the downfall, run out, of Ryan McLaren.

 

England were led by the connoisseur of swing bowling, James Anderson, whose opening spell of 2 for 11 was extended to seven overs as his captain, Cook, sought to break South Africa early while the conventional swing persisted. The unusual sight of a white Kookaburra ball swinging was not one to waste.

 

But, even in the early overs, England were planning ahead for the possibility of reverse swing on a dry square later in the day. Broad began to bowl cross seam, to encourage wear on the ball, as early as the 10th over - and it brought him a wicket, too, as the South African captain, AB de Villiers was out without scoring, lashing at a wide one which did not bounce as much as he anticipated and caught at the wicket off an under-edge.

 

Wickets in the first two overs of South Africa's innings got England moving. Anderson can cut a serious, brooding figure at times, but the closeness of the morning had left him full of smiles before the start. He removed Colin Ingram for nought with his fifth ball, first setting him up with an outswinger and then producing the inswinger to trap him in front.

 

Finn has been stalking around the Champions Trophy, none too happy about his omission from the side, but Tim Bresnan's absence, to be with his wife Hannah with their baby imminent, gave Finn his first appearance of the tournament. Cook gave him the new ball and challenged him to channel that anger and his fourth delivery brought England the prize wicket of Amla.

 

Amla's twirly backlift was followed by a twirly thought process as Finn left him in two minds about whether to withdraw from an outswinger and the result was a good catch off the toe of the bat to Buttler.

 

Peterson's appearance at No. 3 encapsulated South Africa's confusion. Was he a pinch hitter in inappropriate conditions, or an attempted protector of the middle order? If his left-handedness was perceived as an advantage, Anderson revels against left-handers when the ball is swinging. It was an unconvincing ploy.

 

Peterson acquitted himself better than most, taking three boundaries off a wayward over from Finn - pulling a short ball, flicking wide legside one, driving an overpitched one - before Anderson had him lbw.

 

But if Peterson's presence so high in the order was dubious, JP Duminy was all at sea during his 11-ball stay. He survived a first-ball nought when he reviewed an lbw decision for Broad and was reprieved as replays showed the ball had pitched outside leg stump.

 

He then should have fallen lbw third ball but Tredwell, with everything in his favour as Duminy was beaten on the back foot, suffered for excessive politeness and did not encourage a review. Duminy soon chopped on against Tredwell in any case.

 

Tredwell's success did not end there. Faf du Plessis, who had been as secure as anyone, fell for 26 when he flashed at a quicker, flatter ball from Tredwell and was caught at the wicket.

 

The wicket, though, that brought hearty applause from Swann in the England dressing room will not appear against his name. It was the run out of McLaren who was so unhinged by flight and turn that he ran several paces down the pitch. Jonathan Trott, who caught the ball at first slip with Buttler already appealing alongside him, had the presence of mind to throw down the stumps to effect the run out.

 

England and South Africa had not met in a major ICC semi-final since the World Cup semifinal 1992, a match in which de Villiers said ended with him "crying myself to sleep." Grown man now or not, midway through their innings, there was a chance he would be repeating the experience.

England won toss & bowl

England 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Ian Bell, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Ravi Bopara, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 James Tredwell, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steven Finn

South Africa 1 Colin Ingram, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 AB de Villiers (capt, wk), 4 JP Duminy, 5 Faf du Plessis, 6 David Miller, 7 Ryan McLaren 8 Robin Peterson 9 Chris Morris, 10 Rory Kleinveldt, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe

Champions Trophy Group A Match 12 Aus v SL

Australia 233

Sri Lanka 253 for 8 (Jayawardene 84*, Thirimanne 57, Johnson 3-48) beat Australia 233 (Voges 49, Kulasekara 3-42) by 20 runs

A victorious Sri Lanka will play in Cardiff on Thursday. A humbled Australia will start pondering the Ashes, and the state of disrepair their cricket has fallen into. Led by Mahela Jayawardne's silken unbeaten 84, the Sri Lankans stuttered into a Champions Trophy semi-final against India by defeating a collective whose captain Michael Clarke watched disconsolately from The Oval balcony.

Their slim chances of qualifying long since expired, Australia offered a last gasp via Clint McKay and Xavier Doherty, who added 41 for the final wicket. They were only separated by a blinding return catch from Tillakaratne Dilshan, whose exultant celebrations underlined the anxiety that had crept into a team who looked comfortable winners for most of the journey.

 

Once Jayawardene had lifted Sri Lanka to 253 for 8 after an uncertain beginning, passing 11,000 ODI runs on the way, Australia's chances of qualifying became largely theoretical. India in their pomp might have been a chance to reach 254 in 29.1 overs, but not a team that had failed to top 250 in two previous matches and been distracted by all manner of off field woes, from Clarke's fragile back to David Warner's choices of drinking spots and punching bags.

 

This left Angelo Mathews' team to ride out a brief spell of hitting from Glenn Maxwell, a doughty rearguard from Adam Voges, and a pesky last stand by the final wicket pair of McKay and Doherty, who conjured the second best partnership of the innings. As in India earlier this year, this served mainly to expose the appalling lack of application shown by many of the batsmen.

 

Australia's troubles were best summed up by their stand-in leader George Bailey, who dozed off at the wrong moment and found himself run out, helping to end a Champions Trophy defence that never really began. Apart from the emergence of James Faulkner they have precious little to show for the past two weeks.

 

Sri Lanka's innings had flirted with mediocrity in the face of some diligent bowling until Jayawardene's delayed arrival, which signalled a late innings surge. Lahiru Thirimanne had been promoted ahead of Jayawardene at an uncertain 20 for 2, and the switch allowed the senior man to make merry in the later overs against the older ball after Thirimanne composed an important, steadying 57.

 

Given the scenario confronting them, Australia's batsmen were forced to play on instinct, and Shane Watson's cover drive from the first ball of the innings made for a promising portent. But as has become the norm Watson flattered to deceive, bowled in the second over when making a hare-brained attempt to cut Nuwan Kulasekara off the stumps.

 

Phillip Hughes showed himself adept at snicking past the bails, twice gaining boundaries in those fortuitous circumstances.

 

But the use of only half the bat did not suggest permanence, and it was no great surprise when he glided Kulasekara into Kumar Sangakkara's gloves.

 

Having come in at No. 3, Maxwell offered entertainment, cracking five boundaries and one six in the manner that earned him his exorbitant IPL contract. But Sri Lanka always had Lasith Malinga to use in case of emergencies, and he duly yorked Maxwell in his first over after the Victorian had swung once too often.

 

Bailey has been a middle order resuscitator of sorts in the two previous games, but the team has not responded fruitfully enough to his leadership. He was to slip up badly here, dawdling in mid-pitch when trying to pinch a leg bye and finding himself run out at the non-striker's end by Kulasekara's direct hit.

 

The innings then petered out in a manner sadly familiar to those who have watched Australia away from home in recent months. Only Doherty and McKay gave the impression they genuinely cared to win the contest, something not so surprising when observing the recent record: they have not won overseas in an international match in any format this year. Quite apart from the problems unearthed by Warner's Birmingham misadventures, this is no trend to take into an Ashes series.

 

Overcast skies and a desire to know his eventual target had encouraged Bailey to send Sri Lanka in. Mitchell Johnson's first two deliveries of the match were poor; the first clattered to the backward point boundary, the second scuttling to fine leg off the pads. But his third was straight and too quick for Kusal Perera, who was clearly lbw.

 

Sangakkara hinted at the genius that had guided Sri Lanka to a stirring chase against England on this ground last week, but found himself tied down by McKay's persistent line and subtle movement. Having already chanced a desperate single, Sangakkara was offered a fraction of extra width and lashed out, but managed only to slice a drive to Maxwell.

 

At that moment Australia could envision a slim target, but Thirimanne was sent in to steady the innings in Dilshan's company, leaving Jayawardene in reserve. A serviceable job was done, gaps found every now and then the Australian bowlers were not gifted any wickets. It took Doherty to split them with a ball that straightened just enough to take an edge, Watson diving alertly to his right at slip.

 

Mathews played a halting innings in Jayawardene's company before losing his off bail to a nicely pitched delivery from Faulkner, but Dinesh Chandimal was busier and more effective in a fifth-wicket stand of 65 in 56 balls. The Australians did not bowl too much that was loose, but were left to marvel at Jayawardene's knack for manipulating the field as the score mounted.

 

In what is becoming a pattern as familiar as Australian defeat, the wicketkeeper and agitator Wade became embroiled in a profane joust with Jayawardene. Ninety-nine Sri Lankan runs from the final 13 overs meant the Australians could start thinking less about niggle and more about the Test matches to come.

50 overs Sri Lanka 253 for 8 (Jayawardene 84*, Thirimanne 57, Johnson 3-48) v Australia

As Mahela Jayawardene strode beyond 11,000 ODI runs, he made enough at The Oval to leave Australia with a near impossible task to elbow past Sri Lanka and New Zealand and so qualify for the Champions Trophy semi-finals.

Sri Lanka's innings flirted with mediocrity in the face of some diligent Australian bowling until Jayawardene's delayed arrival, which signalled a late innings surge to 253 for 8. Lahiru Thirmanne had been promoted ahead of Jayawardene at an uncertain 20 for 2, and the switch allowed the senior man to make merry in the later overs against the older ball.

 

George Bailey's side must now pass this total within 29.1 overs in order to lift their net run rate to a high enough level to reach the knockout phase. It is an exceptionally tall task on a drying surface, which offered enough assistance for Xavier Doherty to return the figures of 1 for 30 from his 10 overs.

 

Mitchell Johnson was swift and Clint McKay accurate in the early overs after Bailey sent the Sri Lankans in, and a pair of early wickets were adequate reward. But Sri Lanka rebuilt through Thirimanne and Tillakaratne Dilshan, before Jayawardene played with his familiar blend of art and invention to take the total beyond 250, after 200 had appeared a more likely tally for much of the innings.

 

Both sides named unchanged line-ups for the match, Australia's options reduced for the fixture by their captain Michael Clarke's continued absence due to back trouble, while David Warner was ruled out by his suspension for punching Joe Root in a Birmingham pub after the opening match against England. Mitchell Starc was another absentee.

 

The Oval pitch was brown, but overcast skies and a desire to know his eventual target encouraged Bailey to send Sri Lanka in. Johnson's first two deliveries of the match were poor; the first clattered to the backward point boundary, the second scuttling to fine leg off the pads. But his third was straight and too quick for Kusal Perera, who was clearly LBW.

 

Kumar Sangakkara hinted at the genius that had guided Sri Lanka to a stirring chase against England on this ground last week, but found himself tied down by McKay's persistent line and subtle movement. Having already chanced a desperate single, Sangakkara was offered a fraction of extra width and lashed out, but managed only to slice a drive to Glenn Maxwell.

 

At that moment Australia could envision a slim target, but Thirimanne was sent in to steady the innings in Dilshan's company, leaving Jayawardene in reserve. A serviceable job was done, gaps found every now and then the Australian bowlers were not gifted any wickets. It took Doherty to split them with a ball that straightened just enough to take an edge, Watson diving alertly to his right.

 

Angelo Mathews played a halting innings in Jayawardene's company before losing his off bail to a nicely pitched delivery from James Faulkner, but Dinesh Chandimal was busier and more effective in a fifth-wicket stand of 65 in 56 balls. The Australians fielded soundly enough and did not bowl too much that was loose, but were left to marvel at Jayawardene's knack for manipulating the field as the score mounted.

 

In what is becoming a familiar pattern, the wicketkeeper Matthew Wade became embroiled in a profane joust with Jayawardene late in the innings, and 94 runs from the final 13 overs left the Australians hoping for something miraculous.

Champions Trophy Group A Match 11 Eng V NZ

Started at 1545 24 overs a side

England 169 (Cook 64, Mills 4-30, McClenaghan 3-36) beat New Zealand 159 for 8 (Williamson 67, Anderson 3-32) by 10 runs

England do not make life easy for themselves in knockout tournaments, but they secured their passage to the Champions Trophy semi-finals through a collectively impressive performance from the bowlers which followed a brisk innings from Alastair Cook after the weather had threatened to leave their hopes in Australia's hands.

But even as England were heaping pressure on New Zealand's top order as they chased 170 in 24 overs, the weather still loomed. Rain, which had caused a five-hour delay after the toss, was creeping over the Bristol Channel and although the chase was behind the rate, if the match had been abandoned before 20 overs New Zealand would have gone through and England would have needed a favour from Australia on Monday.

 

The 20th over, sent down by the peerless James Anderson, itself included more drama when Corey Anderson, who was added to New Zealand's squad on the morning of the match as a replacement for Grant Elliott, appeared to injure his calf after aborting a run and spent several minutes receiving treatment which did not impress Ashley Giles and David Saker on the England balcony.

 

Still, even after Anderson had completed the over there could have been another twist. Tim Bresnan conceded 19 in the next over as Kane Williamson, who made a brave 67 off 54 balls, and Anderson took their partnership to 73 before Williamson skied to cover off Stuart Broad whose heel was ruled, by the third umpire, to be fractionally behind the line. It was a mighty tight call.

 

England's new-ball bowling had soon made the chase appear far more daunting than some envisaged after their last seven wickets fell for 28 in 34 balls. Anderson set the tone with a three-over opening spell of testing pace and movement which accounted for the hapless Luke Ronchi and Martin Guptill in the space of three balls in the fourth over.

 

When Ross Taylor was pinned lbw by Bresnan - his use of DRS did not save him - New Zealand were 27 for 3 and their hopes rested on Brendon McCullum. But none of the batsmen could get hold of England's attack.

 

Ravi Bopara, proving almost impossible to score off, was able to hustle through five overs for 26 and when McCullum pulled him to deep square-leg, where Joe Root held a brilliant low catch, New Zealand's chances of winning had taken an almost terminal hit. For a short while it appeared they were playing for rain, and the abandonment, with the new batsmen not exactly speeding to the wicket until Williamson and Anderson gave it one, final, forlorn effort.

 

New Zealand had appeared to claim a significant advantage when they won the toss, but the fact that the match was completed to the adjusted length without further interruption, and therefore the need for Duckworth-Lewis was erased, meant England did not suffer in the way that can be the case when run chases are reduced after further rain.

 

But it was still tricky to assess what a matchwinning total would be batting first. That England had solid progress for 18 overs was down to their captain. The one format Cook does not play for England is Twenty20, but that does not mean he doesn't want to and he showed what a complete all-round batsman he has become with 64 off 47 balls

 

Quite extraordinarily, he was dropped three times and all three chances were shelled by Nathan McCullum. There were two misses at midwicket when Cook has 14 and 37 and, the simplest, at backward point on 45. McCullum eventually held a return catch off the England captain which heralded an upturned in his fortunes. He ended the innings having held four chances.

 

For the first time in an ODI innings Cook hit more than one six. But England could not finish with a flourish as Kyle Mills, who became the leading wicket-taker in Champions Trophy history, and Mitchell McClenaghan shared seven wickets.

 

Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott, who remained at No. 3 despite the shortened match, fell inside the first four overs, but Root was immediately busy at the crease, using his wrists to find that gaps (a skill not natural to all England's batsmen) and provided the first six over the innings when he pulled Daniel Vettori over deep midwicket.

 

Brendon McCullum switched his bowlers around regularly and it was the return of James Franklin that saw Cook, who reached his fifty from 39 balls, move up a gear when he straight drove his first delivery into the sightscreen at the River End. Just to show he can play "out-of-the-box" he followed that with a scoop over short fine-leg before his second life at midwicket by Nathan McCullum and he later lofted Williamson over wide long-off.

 

Once again England's power hitters - Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler - could not make a major impact and neither could Bopara match his recent onslaughts. But this time the bowlers did not fail in their task.

Champions Trophy Group B Match 10 Ind v Pak

India 102 for 2 (Dhawan 48) beat Pakistan 165 (Shafiq 41, Bhuvneshwar 2-19) by 8 wickets (D/L method)

Just like most of the cricket played in this hyped rivalry, the cricket at Edgbaston - this time because of the weather - was dreary and uncertain, but India eventually registered their first win over Pakistan in Champions Trophy. However, it was a dead rubber as India were already guaranteed the top slot in the group and Pakistan, the bottom. 
 

It was England overhead all right with all the rain, but underfoot the Edgbaston pitch suited the bowlers from Asia, where a big portion of Birmingham's population has come from. R Ashwin bowled slow and flighted the ball and turned the ball square, Ravindra Jadeja bowled fast and still turned the odd ball square, and Pakistan batsmen capitulated in what began as a full game and was reduced to 40 overs a side after two rain intervals.

 

Their total of 165 all out was adjusted to 167 because of the break during these innings. India got off to a solid start in response, and it mattered little that the rain eventually brought the target down to 122 in 22 overs. India reached the target in 19.1 overs.

 

Rain played a critical part in Pakistan's innings. Pakistan did lose the toss, which gave India the best conditions in the rain, but Misbah-ul-Haq said he would have batted first anyway.

Pakistan were recovering from the early wicket of Nasir Jamshed through Mohammad Hafeez and Kamran Akmal when the first shower kept the players off for 16 minutes.

 

Hafeez came out and got out first ball, distracted by a falling towel to the left of the sight screen. He didn't pull out of the shot, though. Kamran Akmal tried an ill-advised drive against Ashwin's turn soon, and by the time a bigger rain break arrived Pakistan were 70 for 3 after 19 overs. The loss of three wickets at that break meant their 40-over score wouldn't be adjusted by much under the Duckworth-Lewis calculations.

 

The rest, Jadeja took care of. Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq looked fluent in a 54-run partnership, but Jadeja's unerring accuracy put paid to their plans. His first over went for three, the second for one, when the three previous overs had gone for seven, four and seven without a shot hit in anger. In Jadeja's third, Misbah gave himself too much room. He backs himself on that shot and often the spinner loses his rhythm, but Jadeja remained flat and straight, and beat Misbah - who was not retreating - on the inside edge to hit the top of the leg stump.

 

Ishant Sharma, clearly not at his best, got lucky when he got an edge from Asad Shafiq to a leg-side half-volley. However, without the DRS challenge that he went for, this luck wouldn't have counted for much. In the next over, Jadeja trapped Shoaib Malik with a quick arm ball, and Pakistan had gone from 110 for 3 to 139 for 6.

 

With a long tail in tow, Pakistan were now a bit directionless and India superb in the field. A low catch, a sizzling direct hit, and some decent last overs later, Pakistan were bowled out in 39.4 overs. Now they were up against an opening combination that had batted 36.5 overs with each other in the last two games. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma threatened to become the first Indian opening combination to post three successive century stands, but Rohit chipped to midwicket when the score was 58 in 10.4 overs.

 

By then, though, the openers had put India far ahead of the D/L par score. There had been a rain break before the wicket, there would be one after, and by that time the Pakistan fans would leave their team's fate in the hands of rain, the only factor that could save them from defeat. The rain relented, though, to allow India just enough time to finish the readjusted chase off.

Toss India won toss & field

India: R Sharma, S Dhawan, V Kohli, S Raina, D Karthik, MS Dhoni, R Jadeja, R Ashwin, U Yadav, B Kumar, I Sharma.

Pakistan: M Hafeez, N Jamshed, A Shafiq, S Malik, Misbah-ul Haq, K Akmal, U Amin, J Khan, M Irfan, S Ajmal, W Riaz.

Australia A v Ireland all reports

Day 4: Australia A 312 for 9 dec. (Smith 133, Sorensen 5-50) and 174 for 0 dec. (Maddinson 113*) beat Ireland 186 for 4 dec. (Stirling 115) and 207 (Poynter 63, Henriques 4-22) by 93 runs
After three competitive days, Ireland were finally put down on the final day in Belfast as Moises Henriques' four wickets bowled Australia A to a 93-run victory.

The margin of victory threatened to be much wider as Ireland slipped to 112 for 7 chasing 301 to win but Stuart Poynter made 63 at No. 9 to give the scoreboard respectability, which Ireland had earned with a good account of themselves.

 

Poynter, in-form after 172 for MCC Young Cricketers earlier this month, played with a maturity and confidence which belied his 22 years. He struck nine boundaries in a 79-ball stay and, with his former Ireland Under-19 world cup colleague Stuart Thompson, made the Australians work for the final wickets.

 

Poynter and Thompson shared an eighth wicket stand of 70 in 17 overs before Thompson became the third of three wickets for offspinner Nathan Lyon when he was trapped lbw for 23.

 

Lyon had made the initial breakthrough on day four, after the morning session was lost to rain, having Andrew White well caught by Nic Maddinson at short leg off bat and pad.

James Shannon followed in identical fashion just eight runs later, and when Henriques removed John Mooney for a duck and Kevin O'Brien for 10 in quick succession, Ireland had lost four wickets for just 20 runs. But Poynter and Thompson ensured Ireland were not embarrassed.

 

They might have hoped to get closer to the target but their chase was hampered on the third evening when they slipped to 38 for 3. Shannon and White managed to take the total to 98 for 3 but the introduction of Lyon put paid to their hopes.

 

Lyon's potential rival for an Ashes spot, legspinner Fawad Ahmed, took his first wicket in Australian colours when Trent Johnston was lbw for 5 and the match was wrapped up when Poynter's cameo ended when he gave wicketkeeper Brad Haddin his fifth catch of the innings - Peter Siddle finally getting the reward that his display deserved.

Day 3: Australia A 312 for 9 dec. and 174 for 0 dec. (Maddinson 113*, Doolan 56*) lead Ireland 186 for 4 dec. (Stirling 115, White 40*) and 51 for 3 (Henriques 2-7) by 249 runs

A dramatic day of three declarations and two stunning centuries ended with Australia A in the ascendancy. Ireland, 51 for 3, need a further 250 for victory.

Crucially, one of the Ireland wickets to fall on the third evening was first innings centurion Paul Stirling, who was unable to repeat his magnificent display earlier in the day.

 

Following the Australians' overnight declaration 22 year-old Stirling took a distinct liking to pace bowler James Pattinson, dispatching him for three boundaries in the first over which set the tone for another remarkable hundred - his 8th for Ireland.

 

Stirling dominated the proceedings to such an extent that when he reached his half century off just 44 balls, with 10 fours and a six, the scoreboard read 58 for 3, which included six extras.

 

Stirling found a willing partner in Andrew White, who excels in the longer format of the game. White was content to play second fiddle to the belligerent Stirling who hit 17 fours and a six. While the maximum was somewhat inadvertent, there was nothing fortunate about the other boundaries - many of which were magnificent cover drives and square cuts.

 

His innings ended on 115 from 142 balls, when he was smartly stumped by Brad Haddin from the impressive Nathan Lyon who conceded just 34 runs in 16 overs.

 

Debutant Fawed Ahmed went wicketless but following a nervous start he bowled with enough variety and control to suggest that he may indeed represent the senior Australian side before the summer ends.

 

Ireland captain Kevin O'Brien declared their at tea, 126 in arrears, in an move designed to take the game forward after most of Saturday was washed out.

 

What followed was a brutal assault by New South Wales opener Nic Maddinson. He made Stirling's innings look positively pedestrian by smashing 113 from just 63 balls, which included 13 fours and 6 sixes.

 

His partnership with Alex Doolan was worth 174 in just 122 balls before skipper Brad Haddin called off the carnage with the lead exactly 300.

 

And his bowlers responded before the close as Moises Henriques dismissed John Anderson and Alex Cusack after Pattinson had made the initial breakthrough as Stirling edged through to Haddin.

Day 2: Australia A 312 for 9 (Smith 133, Pattinson 66, Sorensen 5-50, Johnston 4-68) v Ireland

Max Sorensen completed his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket during the 16 overs possible before rain wiped out the second day against Australia A in Belfast.

 

The Australians reached 312 for 9 when the players were forced off and they did not return before play was called off at 4pm. Steve Smith and James Pattinson took their seventh-wicket stand to 157 while Sorensen and Trent Johnston shared the nine wickets to fall.

 

As had been the case on the opening day the new ball did the damage. Smith had moved to 133 when he edged a delivery from Johnston that nipped away.

 

Pattinson reached his half-century from 108 balls but three overs after Smith's departure he edged Sorensen to give him his notable haul. Sorensen was also involved in the ninth wicket when he held the catch offered by Nathan Lyon and that was the last action of the day.

 

The rain meant that the appearance of legspinner Fawad Ahmed was delayed but the forecast for the final two days is more settled.

Day 1: Australia A 248 for 6 (Smith 104*, Sorsenen 4-44) v Ireland

Australia A's top order again needed bailing out, this time by a century from Steve Smith, have Ireland had put them in difficultly on the opening day in Belfast.

Although the Australians secured an overwhelming victory in Scotland last week the frontline batsmen did not enjoy huge success with the main runs coming from Brad Haddin and Peter Siddle. 

 

This time they slipped to 69 for 4 during the morning session, and were later 139 for 6 when Max Sorensen claimed his fourth by removing Siddle for duck, before Smith and James Pattinson added an unbroken 109 until rain forced an early close. Smith's hundred came off 164 balls.

 

"It's nice to get a few," he said. "The wicket played a little better probably the last 30-odd overs, it was nipping around early and was quite hard work but I got through that and it got a bit easier. The new ball did a fair bit and it was quite a tough period."

 

It was Sorensen who made the early inroads after Ireland, missing some of their county-based players, had won the toss. He bowled both Nic Maddinson and Usman Khawaja during his first four overs to leave the Australians 22 for 2. Trent Johnston, the senior statesman of the Ireland team, followed those breakthroughs by removing Alex Doolan for a lively 40 and claimed the key scalp of Haddin.

 

The first period of recovery came between Smith and Moises Henriques as the pair added 74 for the fifth wicket, keeping their concentration during breaks for showers. Sorensen's return lifted Ireland, though, when he claimed Henriques and had Siddle caught in the gully four balls later. It was an impressive display from Ireland, following on from their two extremely close-fought ODIs against Pakistan last month.

 

The Australians countered as their lower order, not for the first time, suggest more solidity than what was above them. Smith resisted against some accurate seam bowling in helpful conditions, and later took advantage of Ireland's back-up bowling, while Pattinson showed some of the batting prowess he has produced in Test cricket.

 

Fawad Ahmed, the legspinner, was included in an Australian side for the first time after being drafted into the squad following the news that his citizenship would soon go through and enable him to be eligible for the national team. Weather permitting, he will add much intrigue to second day.

 

"He's bowling really well in the nets," Smith said. "I'm looking forward to seeing him in the game. He's obviously a very skilful legspinner."