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Kent allrounder Adam Ball has been drafted into England’s squad for the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand from January 15-30, the ECB announced today. The 16-year-old is a member of the ECB Fast Bowling Elite group and will be replacing Somerset’s Calum Haggett, who withdrew from the squad on medical advice.Kevin Shine, ECB’s lead fast bowling coach, was delighted with Ball’s inclusion. “It’s great to see a player of Adam’s ability picked for such an important tournament,” he said. “Adam is one of the most mature young players I have met; he is not only a talented left arm bowler but also a very useful batsman and athletic fielder.”The 15-man squad will depart on January 1 for Wellington where they will spend a week acclimatising, before reporting to Christchurch for the start of the tournament. England are scheduled to play two warm-up matches – against Papua New Guinea on January 11 and New Zealand the next day.England’s first match in Group A will be against Hong Kong on January 16, followed by Afghanistan and holders India. The top two teams in each group will progress to the quarter finals.

South Africa’s coach, Mickey Arthur, believes that Duncan Fletcher’s insight into the England dressing-room could be a vital factor for the forthcoming Test and ODI series, after he linked up with the South Africa squad in Potchefstroom on Tuesday to resume his role as a batting and tactical consultant.Fletcher coached England for seven years up until 2007, and guided the team to unprecedented success in that time, including six series wins in a row leading into the 2005 Ashes. He led England on two tours to South Africa, starting with his maiden series in charge in 1999-2000 and culminating in a memorable 2-1 triumph five years’ later.During England’s warm-up match against South Africa A at Potchefstroom, however, Fletcher could be seen sitting in the stands alongside the South Africa chairman of selectors, and afterwards Arthur was delighted to speculate about the nuggets of information that will be divulged in the coming weeks.”I think Duncan’s voice in the dressing room just before a series against England is going to be brilliant,” Arthur told reporters after the match. “He’s with us until the second ODI and then he comes in five days before the first Test match, and he works with our Test squad until the end of the first Test.”Fletcher performed a similar role for South Africa on their historic tour of Australia in December and January last year, when they won their first series in the country since the end of Apartheid. “It’s a no-brainer really,” said Arthur. “When we signed Duncan last year we signed him for the Australian series, especially the one in Australia, and obviously thinking of the England series.”He flew in today and worked with us in a training session this morning. I brought him to Potch because we wanted to discuss a couple of things. It’s great having his knowledge around. I always think you need to keep refreshing, you need to keep stimulating the environment and the players. And we’ve done that by bringing in different voices at crucial times.”Although England’s squad is significantly different from last time Fletcher was in charge, during the 2007 World Cup, many of the key personnel were among his stalwarts, not least the captain, Andrew Strauss, and Paul Collingwood, whom Fletcher first selected in the summer of 2001.”The simple fact is he knows a few of us pretty well,” Collingwood told Cricinfo. “He knows our characters pretty well, but his main asset is his technical brilliance. He knows our techniques pretty well and I’m sure he will give some tips to the South Africans. But our technique and mentality towards the game probably changes all the time, so that’s a way to combat them when we come out and play our cricket in the middle.””I don’t know how he’s going to feel,” said Arthur, when asked if Fletcher would feel awkward about revealing inside information, “but Duncan brings a lot to us.”

Match facts

Sunday, October 25
Start time 09.00 local time (03.30GMT)

Big Picture

The return of Virender Sehwag will gladden MS Dhoni, but Yuvraj Singh might not make it to the starting XI for the first ODI•AFP

Does the audience have the stomach for a seven-match ODI series? The answer will play out during the next couple of weeks. However, if you do get beyond the initial apprehension, this series is extremely vital for both teams. For Australia, as Shane Watson has said, this is a warm-up for the World Cup, while for India, knocked out of the Champions Trophy early, this is a great chance to find the ideal XI and test their fast-bowling resources against a strong opponent.Australia too have a few questions to answer: Will they give Shaun Marsh, who has had a successful stint in the IPL, an opportunity to open in the first ODI, or will they stick with Tim Paine who did a good job with Shane Watson against England? They might go with Paine at the top and push Marsh down. The middle order will miss the injured injured Michael Clarke, but Clarke has struggled in limited-overs cricket recently: his strike-rate in the 50-over format since the start of 2008 stands at a modest 66.81. However, his skills against spin bowling will be missed.India will start the first ODI with a bit more hope than they did in the Champions Trophy: Virender Sehwag is back, and immediately the batting line-up looks much more potent. However, Yuvraj Singh is likely to sit out the first ODI due to a finger injury. With Rahul Dravid out, MS Dhoni can easily settle into the Dravid avatar that he has been doing so successfully in recent times: he doesn’t hit out as violently as in his early days, and promotes himself when there is a good start so he can anchor the innings and allow the big hitters to express themselves. Expect the Australians to test out Suresh Raina with bouncers; among all the Indian batsmen in the fray, this series will be the biggest for Raina.However, India will be a little uneasy about their bowling line-up. Munaf Patel should get a game, and it will be interesting to see whether Ishant Sharma, who has been struggling for quite a while now in limited-overs games, is included in the XI.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia – WWWWL
India – WLWLW

Watch out for …

Harbhajan Singh, who had an excellent tour of New Zealand, where he dazzled one and all with his skills, has been off-colour ever since. The line has again deviated to middle and leg, the trajectory has got flatter and the pace has got quicker. Interestingly, he has not been using the doosra as often as he used to before. Will this series see the comeback of the doosra or will he continue to use it sparingly?Shane Watson: Much to the relief of his fans, he has been injury-free for some time now and is fast approaching the peak of his career. By virtue of playing in the IPL and his involvement in the last Australian tour of India, Watson is almost an India veteran. He can win a game in a one hour of violent batting and can turn the game around with his aggressive seam bowling. He has already shown, in his brief career, that he is a big-game player. During the IPL held in India, he took an off-stump guard and peppered the onside. That was Twenty20 cricket, but we could see more innovations from him in this series.Munaf Patel: The battering that the seam attack has received recently made his comeback easier, but he has been putting a lot of effort in the recent times and has got a clutch of wickets to force his way back. He has been a constant feature in the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, where he has been honing his skills. There is not much of a surprise-factor in his bowling: steady line and length, just enough movement, and on his good day, some extra bounce. However, what he brings to the table is the discipline that has been lacking in the likes of RP Singh and Ishant. He can be expected to bowl to the field set, a basic requisite which Dhoni didn’t possess recently.Brett Lee is the best new-ball bowler in the limited-overs cricket and the good news is that he seems hungry after coming back from the injury that prevented him from making an Ashes appearance. He has bowled with fire, has found movement with the white ball, and can be expected to test out the Indian batsmen with bouncers.

Team news

Yuvraj Singh is likely to miss the first ODI due to a finger injury, which means both Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja might play.India (probable): 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Virat Kohli, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Ishant Sharma/Amit Mishra, 10 Praveen Kumar, 11 Munaf PatelAustralia don’t have Clarke and might use Marsh to stabilise the middle order. Ponting has said the final eleven will be only decided on the morning of the game. Marsh might be able to fill in for Clarke, but Australia will sorely miss the services of Nathan Bracken and his slower cutters which perfectly suits the Indian conditions. However, they do have in Doug Bollinger, who has played in India for Australia A and for New South Wales.Australia (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Tim Paine (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Shaun Marsh, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Cameron White, 7 James Hopes, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz 10 Brett Lee, 11 Doug Bollinger.

Pitch and conditions

The pitch is expected to be good for batting. But the early start could tempt captains to field first. Dhoni put it thus: “It is an early start at 9am so you will have to see what exactly the conditions are, the amount of dew. This time of the year you get a fair amount of dew on the field. It may not break as much as it did in the last game we played over here and hoping it is a good track.”

Stats and trivia

• The Reliance Stadium in Vadodara has hosted eight ODIs. India have played seven of those, winning five. Australia have played only once, beating India convincingly by nine wickets with almost 25 overs to spare.
• Four of the last five ODIs here have been won by the team batting second.
• Sachin Tendulkar has an outstanding record at this ground – in six innings, he has scored three hundreds at an average of 85.60 and a strike rate of 87.70. His scores read 115, 5, 122, 39, 100 not out and 47.
• Ricky Ponting has played 49 ODIs against India. Sunday’s match will make him only the second Australian, after Steve Waugh, to play 50 one-day internationals against India.
• Teams batting first average 41.44 per wicket and 5.55 runs per over, which converts into a 50-over score of 277. The average in the second innings is 39.76 runs per wicket and 5.33 runs per over.

Quotes

“We are not really motivated by rankings. It is nice to be ranked the No. 1 team in the world, but we don’t study the rankings so much, and sort of think if win or lose the series, we will be No. 1 or we won’t be No. 1. Our focus is to try and win this series against India. Playing in India is one of the toughest challenges for an Australian player. We are just trying to do that without focusing too much on the rankings.”
“Of course we are hit by injuries but this series is a long series and this gives you an opportunity to come back into the series if you lose the first few games. It is a seven-match series so you have ample time in between because the span of the series is quite long. So it is important to play good cricket throughout because it is not like a five-game or a four-game series where you win the first few games and the tournament is in your hands.”

Queensland 382 beat Tasmania 156 and 219 (Doolan 59, Marsh 49, Cutting 6-37) by an innings and 7 runs
Scorecard
Ben Cutting picked up 6 for 37 and finished with eight wickets for the match•Getty Images

Ben Cutting scythed through Tasmania’s tail to deliver Queensland victory by an innings and seven runs within the first hour of the fourth day at the Gabba. Tasmania began the morning at 6 for 209, needing a miracle to avoid defeat, but the speed of their capitulation was surprising all the same.It took the Bulls 45 minutes to pick off the final four wickets and Cutting grabbed three of them to finish with his best first-class figures of 6 for 37. First he had Brett Geeves caught behind for 17, having added one to his overnight total, and then Cutting removed Brady Jones and Brendan Drew for ducks.Chris Swan finished the task when Daniel Marsh was caught behind for 49 and the Tasmania collapse was so sudden that they had only added 10 runs to their overnight score. It meant Queensland did not have to bat again and consigned the Tigers to their second defeat from their opening two matches.Queensland have one win and one draw, having taken first-innings points against Western Australia last month. The Bulls now travel to Adelaide to begin a match with South Australia on Sunday, while Tasmania have a fortnight off before their next game against New South Wales in Sydney.

Somerset’s former England opener, Marcus Trescothick, has been named the Most Valuable Player for 2009 by the Professional Cricketers’ Association.Trescothick, who was mentioned in dispatches for an England recall ahead of the fifth Ashes Test, scored 2,934 runs across all competitions to earn a points total of 632 in the PCA’s ratings system, which was 50 more than his nearest challenger, Ian Blackwell.Until recently Blackwell was a Somerset colleague of Trescothick’s, but he enjoyed a prolific season with his new county, Durham, scoring 1,314 runs and taking 69 wickets to help them secure their second County Championship title in as many seasons.And there was a Somerset connection in the PCA’s bronze-medal position as well, with their wicketkeeper-batsman, Craig Kieswetter, confirming his rich promise only months before he qualifies for England.Trescothick’s overall runs tally was 587 ahead of Warwickshire’s Ashes hero, Jonathan Trott, while Essex’s Danish Kaneria was highest wicket-taker with 108.

Michael Clarke has endured a frustrating week as Australia’s stand-in captain – a facile victory over Scotland and two washed-out Twenty20 games at Old Trafford are all that he has to show for his stint at the helm during Ricky Ponting’s brief absence. On the eve of the first ODI against England at The Oval, he expressed further dissatisfaction, both for this match and last month’s Ashes decider, after Surrey chose to book out their indoor nets facility to a corporate hospitality function.Clarke was Australia’s outstanding batsman of the Ashes, top-scoring with 448 runs including centuries at Lord’s and Edgbaston. But in the final Test at The Oval, he was a notable failure with scores of 3 and 0, the latter dismissal a careless run-out when a clip off the pads ricocheted into the hands of Andrew Strauss at leg slip. Despite that, however, Clarke claimed that the reason for his lack of runs in that match was due to his inability to work on his game in the indoor nets”It’s certainly not [ideal], and I can guarantee you personally I’m very disappointed with that,” said Clarke. “I think the indoor facilities around England have played a big part throughout the Test series and will continue to, with the way the weather’s been, throughout the one-dayers.”It is a little bit disappointing that other priorities have taken place in the indoor facilities here at The Oval. I used the bowling machine in the indoor nets as part of my preparation throughout the whole Test series, and I guess it’s no coincidence why I didn’t make any runs here. It was a bit of my preparation that I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to do.”The nets facility has instead been booked out to Keith Prowse Ltd, a London-based corporate entertainment company.Given the impact that the weather has already had on the limited-overs leg of Australia’s tour, Clarke’s criticism was not aimed solely at The Oval. Reflecting on the abandonment of the Old Trafford matches, he reiterated his belief that the umpires had taken the correct decision to pull the plug on the second contest, but blamed the ECB for not ensuring adequate covers to defend against the downpours.”The one thing I will add is weather seems to be the biggest concern over here in England, whether it’s overs being lost or games being cancelled,” he said. “Maybe the covering system is something the counties can look at. For me the wicket is first and foremost, the priority is to keep that dry, and not wet, but second to that are the bowlers’ run-ups. Both ends of the bowlers’ run-ups the other night were just not up to scratch and that’s the main reason I believe the umpires did not rule the ground fit.”

Division One

Sean Ervine hit a powerful hundred but Hampshire’s batting faded at The Rose Bowl•Getty Images

Adam Voges hit his first hundred for Nottinghamshire as Sussex were made to toil at Horsham with the visitors building a lead of 120. Play didn’t start until mid-afternoon due to rain – and Sussex will be confident of a draw – but Voges and Samit Patel put Nottinghamshire on the front foot. They added 168 for the fourth wicket as Voges reached three figures after twice falling in the 90s earlier in the season. This time that fate belonged to Patel as he top-edged a pull to midwicket for 91.For a full report from Warwickshire against Somerset at Edgbaston click here.2nd dayCenturies from Jimmy Adams (107) and Sean Ervine (114) were poorly supported by the rest of the Hampshire batsmen at The Rose Bowl, as four wickets each for Kyle Hogg and Oliver Newby helped Lancashire reduce the home side to 337. However, after rolling over Tom Burrows, David Griffiths and Imran Tahir without scoring, Lancashire struggled to take the final wicket, as brave support from James Tomlinson helped to rack up a 50 partnership with Ervine. Ervine launched two sixes, including a reverse sweep off Gary Keedy, but finally fell to Hogg as he was caught at long on by Tom Smith. The visitors got off to a sturdy start to their first innings, with Smith ending the second day on 44 not out. Hampshire’s only wicket coming from David Griffiths, who dismissed Paul Horton for 34, with a short delivery which was hooked and caught low down by Imran Tahir.

Division Two

Middlesex secured their first Championship match of the season with a day to spare, as Murali Kartik took 4 for 53 in the second innings to beat Kent at Canterbury by 47 runs. Having lost the wickets of Robert Key and Geraint Jones on Thursday, Kent were left with an uphill struggle this morning, having to chase 335 and lost Joe Denly early on the third morning. Martin van Jaarsveld put up a fight with 54 before edging Gareth Berg into the slips and Kartik’s relentless 29-over spell pinned the home side down. However, Middlesex’s may just have had a nervous moment or two, as No. 11 Amjad Khan produced a season’s best 62 not out, which included nine boundaries. He added an entertaining final-wicket stand of 86 with Simon Cook until Tim Murtagh ended the fun as Cook edged to skipper Eoin Morgan in the slips for 27. The win handed Middlesex their first victory on Kent soil since success at Dartford in 1983.A career-best, unbeaten 156 by Stephen Adshead helped put Gloucestershire on course for victory against Essex at Garon’s Park. Adshead built a lead of 198 as the last two wickets added 144 with Ian Saxelby (20) and Jon Lewis (32) providing valuable support. Essex had hopes of restricting the advantage when Danish Kaneria trapped James Franklin lbw shortly after the New Zealander had reached his hundred, but the home attack became toothless. After his valuable innings, Lewis then struck with the new ball and when Matt Walker was caught at slip off Steve Kirby Essex were 31 for 3. They avoided further loss before the close, but will need a huge effort to survive the final day.An extraordinary performance from the Glamorgan lower order put them in control against Leicestershire at Colwyn Bay as Adam Shantry hit a century from No. 10 and added 253 for the ninth wicket with Robert Croft who struck 121. Shantry became the first Glamorgan batsman to hit a hundred from such a low position for 80 years and reached his ton from 192 balls. Even when he fell to Harry Gurney the problems didn’t stop for Leicestershire as Croft reached his hundred from 238 deliveries in a final-wicket stand of 73 with David Harrison. The visitors then lost two before the close as the spinners made an impact with Jamie Dalrymple beating Greg Smith with one that spun sharply. They still trail by 176 with a battled ahead.2nd dayDerbyshire staged a strong fightback against Surrey at Whitgift School, firstly led by Tim Groenewald’s career-best 6 for 50 then Chris Rogers’ unbeaten 80 as they moved to 169 for 2. Surrey lost their last seven wickets for 54 after Usman Afzaal was caught at deep square leg. Groenewald operated at a lively pace in overcast conditions and dispatched the tail to complete a spell of 5 for 10. The sky had cleared when Derbyshire began their reply and although fell early, Rogers held firm during the final session. Garry Park was the other wicket to fall when he edged to slip, but Derbyshire will be confident of a first-innings lead.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outRangana Herath picked up his first five-for in Tests•AFP

A match in which fortunes swung wildly finally ended in an emphatic seven-wicket win for Sri Lanka, as they sealed their first home series win against Pakistan with a convincing performance at the P Sara Oval. Pakistan were left to rue another batting collapse of monumental proportions, one in which they lost nine wickets for 35 to go from a commanding 285 for 1 to 320 all out. That left Sri Lanka with a target of just 171, which they knocked off in a mere 32 overs to ensure a three-day result.That had seemed a remote possibility when play started this morning, and seemed even less likely when Fawad Alam and Younis Khan were motoring along during their 200-run second-wicket partnership in the morning. Pakistan had wiped off the 150-run deficit with aplomb, and were building a substantial lead of their own; the pitch was flat, offering little assistance for pace or spin, and the Sri Lankans appeared completely deflated. Sri Lanka got a very small glimmer when Younis gifted his wicket away, attempting a reverse sweep against the part-time offspin of Tharanga Paranavitana with the second new ball just two overs away, and from there it went horribly wrong for Pakistan.Surprisingly, it was Rangana Herath who took the new ball, and equally surprisingly, he struck immediately, removing Mohammad Yousuf with his second ball. That triggered a spectacular collapse, as seven more wickets fell in the next 92 deliveries. Pakistan had recovered brilliantly from their first-innings debacle, but there was no escape route this time around.Nuwan Kulasekara had struggled for seam and swing in the first 80 overs, but armed with the new ball in overcast conditions, he suddenly found exaggerated inswing, trapping four batsmen lbw. Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Abdur Rauf and Saeed Ajmal all got their front foot too far across, though Misbah was unlucky as the ball seemed to be missing leg stump.Herath, meanwhile, was as effective with the straighter one as he was with the one which turned. The lack of turn accounted for Yousuf, Shoaib Malik and Umar Gul, while turn and bounce ended Fawad’s outstanding innings of 168, the second-highest by a Pakistan debutant. His four wickets with the new ball gave him figures of 5 for 99, his first five-for in Tests, and a series which had already seen several twists had another monumental, and decisive, one.At lunch, though, no one could have seen the end coming, as Fawad and Younis reduced Sri Lanka’s bowlers and fielders to a completely dispirited lot, adding 116 in 28 overs for the loss of just one wicket. More than the runs themselves, it was the ease with which Fawad and Younis batted that would have worried Kumar Sangakkara. Fawad, especially, showed excellent concentration, knocking the ball in the gaps, driving fluently through the covers, and cutting and pulling whenever the bowlers pitched it marginally short.Sangakkara’s tactics were perplexing – the second over of the day was bowled by Paranavitana – and when he did turn to his main bowlers, the results weren’t much better. Ajantha Mendis had a shocker, either dragging the balls too short or serving half-volleys, and leaked 38 in six overs, including five fours.As the runs piled up, so did the records: Fawad became only the fourth Pakistan batsman to score 150 on debut, while the partnership was the highest for the second wicket at this ground, and for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in Tests.It was all going exactly as Pakistan would have wanted it to, till Sangakkara gave the second new ball to Herath. The collapse that followed seemed to completely take the fight out of Pakistan, for when they took the field to defend 170, they were flat and uninspired. Gul and Mohammad Aamer bowled on both sides of the wicket and got none of the movement that Kulasekara had managed earlier in the afternoon. The aggressive Malinda Warnapura cashed in, getting a flurry of boundaries with pulls and flicks to ensure that Sri Lanka never felt the pressure of chasing an uncomfortable target against an attack known to trigger collapses.The opening partnership added 60 in a mere ten overs, and even when that pair was separated, with Paranavitana playing a careless sweep, Pakistan were never in the contest as Sangakkara carried on from where he had left off in the first innings. Younis brought back Gul for a late spell, hoping for some reverse swing and inspiration, but Gul managed neither. A lofted six by Sangakkara off Malik brought down the target to just 11, but he wasn’t in the middle to celebrate his first series win as captain, falling off the next delivery. With Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera around, though, that hardly mattered.

Spell of the dayThere was a logic behind the identities of England’s bowling combination for the first hour, but it was a perverse one. Graham Onions claimed two wickets in two balls when he resumed the attack on Friday morning, so he was a shoo-in for the first over of the day; Andrew Flintoff claimed three matchwinning scalps in an unstinting ten-over spell at Lord’s last week, so he too clearly had to be given the chance to make something happen. But unfortunately three into two doesn’t go, which meant that the likeliest man to exploit the overcast conditions and the 28-over ball, James Anderson, was left kicking his heels for an hour. And lo and behold, when he did finally enter the attack, he struck with his sixth delivery.Slip of the dayFlintoff huffed and puffed and gallumphed with his usual intent, but after his final-day heroics at Lord’s, this time his breakthroughs proved to be utterly elusive. Instead, the closest he came to capturing the headlines was the moment in his 13th over of the innings, when he lost his footing in his delivery stride, and turned his left ankle in dramatic fashion. The slow-motion replays provided a vivid image of the stresses and strains that Flintoff’s all-action style place on his body, with his entire left leg buckling and sliding like a HGV jack-knifing on a rain-soaked motorway. As he went to ground the whole of Edgbaston drew breath. But after taking a moment, he returned to the vertical without apparent ill-effects.Drop of the dayWith seven overs to go until the new ball, and with England drifting listlessly into the afternoon, Andrew Strauss decided to pass the time by calling Ravi Bopara’s medium-pace into the attack. It could have been an inspired move – Bopara had previously claimed one wicket in 41 overs at Test level, but a brace of half-trackers first-up persuaded Michael Clarke to drop his guard. The first was slapped safely to mid-on, the second crashed straight into Strauss himself, positioned at short midwicket for precisely that shot. Clarke had been on 38 at the time, and Australia’s lead was a still delicate 102. England scarcely produced another sniff of a chance.Catch of the dayWhen they did finally produce another chance, it came 30 overs and 127 runs later, and it was a pretty sensational moment in an otherwise inconsequential session. Marcus North had once again sneaked beneath the radar to move within a single shot of his third century in five Tests, and when a fat edge off Stuart Broad whizzed towards the gap in the gully, he might as well have started his celebrations there and then. But out of nowhere, Anderson flung himself to his right, stuck out a mitt, and snaffled the catch that ended a match- (and maybe even series-) saving stand of 185 with Clarke.Luck of the dayAfter his let-off, Clarke produced a majestic rearguard innings with scarcely another false move … until he reached the nervous nineties. From that moment on he found every gap in the field had been plugged, and even though he was fresh from a second-innings hundred at Lord’s, he needed two huge moments of good fortune to progress. First, on 92, he had his off stump clipped as he played inside a Broad offcutter, only for the bail to remain in place. And then, four runs later, he slashed at Bopara and edged high and hard to Anderson at a lone wide slip, only for umpire Rudi Koertzen to signal no-ball.Omen of the dayAt 294 for 4, with Australia heading for an unassailable position, thoughts began to turn to an early finish to the game and a reconvention at Headingley on Friday. Surely there was no remaining prospect of a result in this game? It was at that very moment that a pig winged its way past the press box window. It was of the inflatable balloon variety, and had apparently been released from the stands down below, to provide a very apt comment on the state of England’s victory prospects.Sign of the times of the dayAustralia’s FoxSports website provided a link to The Met Office’s Birmingham weather page on Monday. Under the headline, “Will the Birmingham weather save Australia?” readers half a world away could chart rain, cloud cover and visibility for the West Midlands as their team fought to save the Test. Amid all the gloom and navel-gazing, it was forgotten how effectively this team can bat when the ball is not swinging.Scare of the day
Security guards formed a perimeter around the team dressing rooms and the entrance to the Eric Hollies Stand after a threat was reportedly phoned into authorities prior to lunch on the final day. A thorough search was conducted and a section of the grandstand evacuated around the lunch break. No suspicious packages were found, and the all-clear was given after 30 minutes.

England 165 for 2 (Taylor 76*, Morgan 46*) beat Australia 163 for 5 (Poulton 39, Rolton 38) by eight wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsClaire Taylor gave another display of her outstanding skills to take England into the Women’s World Twenty20 final•Getty Images

Claire Taylor lived up to her billing as one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year with a brilliant 76 not out from 53 balls, as England chased down a formidable target of 164 to oust Australia at the semi-final stage of the Women’s World Twenty20 at The Oval. Taylor, who was the Player of the Tournament when England won the 50-over World Cup back in March, cracked eight fours in a superb 122-run third-wicket stand with Beth Morgan, as England booked their place on the big ticket at Lord’s on Sunday with eight wickets and three balls to spare.Jack Birkenshaw, England’s assistant coach, had said before the tournament that the public should be prepared for a surprise when the women joined the big stage, and he was not wrong. Australia’s total of 163 for 5, built on a 78-run opening stand from Shelley Nitschke and Leah Poulton, was the second-highest of the tournament, and looked for all money to have overwhelmed the hosts, especially when they lost their captain, Charlotte Edwards at 43 for 2 in the seventh over. But Taylor and Morgan turned the tables with incredible resolve, and maintained an asking-rate of nearly 10 runs an over in a chase that could not have been paced more perfectly.The victory was sealed, fittingly enough, by Taylor, who pierced the off-side field with a fierce square drive off Sarah Andrews, and leapt gleefully into the arms of her partner, Morgan, who finished unbeaten on 46 from 33 balls, just four runs shy of what would have been only her second half-century in 75 international appearances. Between them they ransacked an Australian attack that had looked set to complete their fourth consecutive victory in all matches against England. But cometh the hour, the big performances poured forth from the tournament favourites.There was nothing that Karen Rolton, Australia’s outgoing captain, could do to stem the tide. Runs came in all directions, with lofted drives over the infield, crashing cuts and latterly a succession of delicate paddle-sweeps behind square. The only moment of discomfort for either player came when Morgan, on 44, top-edged a sweep off Kirsten Pike into her visor. But after a quick drink she settled back into her stance, and maintained her resolve to the end.England have been unbeaten throughout their campaign, but that record looked decidedly shaky at the three-quarter stage of this contest. Edwards began the pursuit in style with three fours in the second over of the chase, from Andrews, but her partner, Sarah Taylor, fell early to a loose chip to midwicket, before Edwards chased a wild bouncer from Ellyse Perry and was adjudged caught behind, after much deliberation, for 25 from 23 balls. That was England’s nadir, however. Taylor moved coolly into her stride, and such was the momentum she generated, the match was in the bag with five overs to go.It was tough luck on Australia, who could hardly have compiled a more imposing total. Charlotte Edwards won the toss and chose to bowl first, having omitted the seamer Isa Guha in favour of the extra pace of Katherine Brunt, but the plan backfired from the moment that Caroline Atkins dropped a howler off at mid-off to reprieve Nitschke on 3 in the third over of the game.From that moment on, Australia’s openers ruled the roost. Poulton took it upon herself to capitalise on England’s despondency, clattering four fours from the next seven balls, and once Nitschke had recovered her own poise, she rapidly clicked through the gears with three fours in nine balls, including a full-toss from Nicky Shaw and a leg-side half-volley from Brunt, whose first three overs were carted for 30.Having opened with the offspin of Laura Marsh, England turned back to the slow stuff as Holly Colvin entered the attack, but not with instant success as Nitschke clattered a brace of fours from consecutive balls, including a charge down the track and a sweetly-timed slog sweep. But Colvin responded one ball later with the breakthrough, as Nitschke took one liberty too many outside off, and was caught behind for 37 from 25.From the very next delivery, England hauled themselves right back into contention as Marsh, the pick of the attack, tempted Poulton into a steepling top-edge that the keeper, Sarah Taylor, pocketed with ease. Nevertheless, with the Australian captain, Rolton, at the crease and determined to sign off her captaincy career with a place in the final, the prospect of an Aussie let-up was non-existent.Sure enough, Rolton launched herself off the platform, mowing a boundary an over to keep the momentum ticking over. Her finest shot was a massive swipe over midwicket off Jenny Gunn that carried all the way for six, and it came as a shock when she holed out to deep extra cover for 38 from 32 balls, where Brunt took an excellent running catch to intercept another ball that was heading over the ropes.To England’s credit they battled back in the closing overs. Gunn’s penultimate over went for just four runs, while Brunt atoned for her earlier treatment by bowling Sthalekar for 28 from 21 balls, and giving her a little send-off for good measure. Three balls later, and Gunn claimed a deserved wicket as Alex Blackwell slogged and missed. In the final analysis, that belated fightback proved utterly invaluable.