Philander out as Sri Lanka win toss vs South Africa

New South Africa bowling star Vernon Philander was ruled out of the second Test against Sri Lanka starting Monday after failing to recover from a knee injury sustained during training.

With next-in-line Lonwabo Tsotsobe also unfit, Marchant de Lange makes his Test debut as South Africa seek to wrap up the three-match series after an innings and 81-run triumph at Centurion in which Philander claimed 10 wickets.

Sri Lanka won the toss and captain Tillakaratne Dilshan elected to bat at Kingsmead -- the only South African Test venue where his country have avoided defeat on previous tours.

"It looks like a good batting wicket and there will be no excuses if we do not perform. We have a game plan and must stick to it," said the skipper of a team seeking its first Test win this year.

The tourists also showed one change from the first Test -- which lasted less than three days -- with wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal winning his first cap in place of Kaushal Silva.

South Africa captain and opening batsman Graeme Smith admitted he would also have batted first given the choice as the Proteas seek to improve on a modest record in the Indian Ocean city.

Teams

South Africa: Graeme Smith (capt), Jacques Rudolph, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher (wk), Marchant de Lange, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir

Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Tharanga Paranavitana, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Thisara Perera, Rangana Herath, Dilhara Fernando, Chanaka Welegedara

Umpires: Steve Davis (AUS), Richard Kettleborough (ENG)

TV umpire: Rod Tucker (AUS)

Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)

Live Score: Yadav gets rid of Ponting

10:05 a.m. Ponting dismissed! Yadav it is once again who provides India their third wicket after a 113-run partnership between Ponting and Cowan. The good-length delivery gets big on Ponting and the ball hits high on his bat. The resultant thick edges flies to Laxman in the slips. Big relief for India.

9:45 a.m. Cowan reaches fifty! Ed Cowan's gritty fifty off 120 balls on debut coincided with his 100-run partnership with Ricky Ponting. India still searching for their third wicket as Australian score swells to 148 for two.

9:20 a.m. Fifty for Ponting! Things looking increasingly up for Australia with Punter reaching his fifty in 67 balls. But Indians have disappointingly been short after lunch, allowing Australia to a solid 138 for two.

8:45 a.m. Australian hundred comes up, in 28.2 overs, with a flurry of boundaries - largely due to a wrong length bowled by the Indians after the rain delay. Anything bowled short has been dispatched to the boundary by Ponting and Cowan. Australia looking good now at 101 for two.

8:30 a.m. Indian bowlers have started erroneously after the rain delay, bowling half-trackers. That has allowed Ponting to help himself to a couple of fours to get going after the break, taking his team to 91 for two.

8:10 a.m. Rain has disappeared from the MCG for now and there is a possibility of play resuming in the next 20 minutes.

7:40 a.m. Unfortunately the umbrellas are up and the drizzle has persisted through the lunch break. So covers are still on and the post-lunch start has been delayed.

6:55 a.m. Early lunch! Umpires didn't wait for the last ball of Zaheer's over as the drizzle got a bit stronger, forcing a slightly early lunch with Australia 68 for two in the 23.5 overs bowled in an intriguing first session.

6:40 a.m. It's Ponting vs Ishant at the moment. But the former Aussie skipper can't discount Yadav and he learned it quickly when the Indian rookie welcomed him with a hit on the helmet. But Punter's body language is looking good and he has come out playing his strokes. Australia 64 for two.

6:15 a.m. Marsh gets a duck! The rain break has done wonders for India and Yadav is doing it all for the visitors. A full-length ball just wide of off-stump and Marsh's leisurely drive away from the body settles into Virat Kohli's palms at point. 46 for two now.

Stuart Marsh c Kohli b Yadav 0 (6)

6:05 a.m. Out! Warner walks back first ball after the drizzle. Cramped for room while attempting a hook off Yadav's bouncer, Warner gloves it and the resultant dolly was safely pouched by Dhoni. 46 for one.

David Warner c Dhoni b Yadav 37 (49)

6 a.m. A passing shower forced the players into their dressing rooms for a while, but just as the covers were brought on, the shower passed and the umpires called the players back in. Australia are 47 for no loss.

5:55 a.m. Warner is closing in on his fifty. He has looked solid and hasn't been afraid of playing his shots, the last of which has been a six over mid-wicket off Umesh Yadav, who has been guilty of bowling short in his three overs so far.

5:30 a.m. Both sides are gauging each other. Where Zaheer and Ishant continue to invite drives by pitching it up, Cowan and Warner - especially Warner - have taken the score to 25 for no loss with a few anxious moments where the ball has went past the bat.

5:10 a.m. Good beginning for Zaheer and Ishant. The former bowled a maiden and the latter almost had Warner when the Aussie opener's inside edge shaved past the stumps for a boundary.

4:30 a.m. TOSS! Australia win it and are batting. The hosts declared their XI a day ahead and India have opted for Virat Kohli ahead of Rohit Sharma in the middle order. Ashwin is the only spinner. Here are the line-ups.

Australia: David Warner, Ed Cowan, Shaun Marsh, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke (c), Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin (wk), Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Pattinson

India: Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni (c/wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav

4:25 a.m. Some weather update and a little bit of pitch news. Melbourne weather updates hint of scattered showers. Sounds discouraging but lets hope it stays clear for most part.

The all-important 22 yards, as per the MCG curator Cam Hodgkins, has some grass on it. Won't be bad to lose the toss and allow the opponent take the tricky decision of batting first or bowling.

4:15 a.m. Boxing Day is here and so is the Australian tradition of holding a Test match, this time against India, who will attempt to create history by winning the first Test series Down Under. The majestic Melbourne Cricket Ground is buzzing with energy supplied by a strong crowd, which is expected to grow as big as 75,000 as the day progresses.

RP: I was nervous on opening day

 RP SINGH

RP Singh exclaimed returning to Test cricket after three years made him nervous as struggled against England at The Oval on Thursday.

"I was initially nervous, that's why the first over I bowled here and there but gradually I got my line and length," said RP Singh, who bowled seven overs for 19 runs and didn't look a part either in pace or fitness.

RP Singh said he was informed of his inclusion only this morning after Praveen Kumar pulled out due to an ankle injury.

"I was told this morning after warm-up when PK reported he wasn't fully fit. The coach and captain then informed me that I was playing," he said.

RP hardly played a first class tie over the last few months but the Uttar Pradesh medium-pacer said he was fit for the match.

"I played some matches in IPL and a few club matches. Our domestic season lasts from September to March, so yes there weren't many four-day games but I am quite fit for the matches," he said.

The left-arm seamer said he wasn't too surprised at his inclusion and said he was not far behind from his form in 2007 when he grabbed 12 wickets from three Tests at 28.92.

"2007 is a long time back. But I've learnt a few more things like how to bring an inswing to a left-hand batsman. I just need a good click," he said.

"I wasn't surprised at my inclusion. I have been working on my fitness at home. I came here to play and was waiting for my turn."

RP Singh said India would look to win the Oval Test and end the series on a positive note.

"We will aim for win and go all-out. We want to leave a good impact," he said.

Favouring records buck up India for Oval Test

London: A crest-fallen Indian team returned to a relatively calmer London for the fourth and last cricket Test, starting Thursday, with high hopes against the just crowned World No.1 England as they enjoy an unbeaten record at The Oval.

After humiliating defeats in the first three Tests -- and in the process surrendering their No.1 status, the Indians can only look to a happy ending to the series. They can take heart from the fact that they have not lost a Test here in their last six visits.

It has been a tough series for India, who were never allowed to play to their potential by an aggressive England team. Barring former captain, Rahul Dravid, none in the famed Indian batting line-up could get a hundred and the team could not even cross the 300-run mark in any of the six innings.

Dravid, who has two centuries in the series, said India have to restore their pride by winning at The Oval.

"It has been a tough series for a combination of reasons. The pitches here have been conducive to good seam bowling and the quality of English bowling. All the three pacers have bowled exceptionally well. They bowled beautiful lengths and pitched the ball up," said Dravid.

"We have to win it. That is the objective. We are not the No.1 any more. The goal for us is to fight our way back there. It is about restoring some pride and show what we can do. But if we want to climb back to No.1 Test spot then every Test matters," he said.

While Dravid looked at ease against England pacers, other Indian batsmen, including the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, couldn`t cope with the seaming English conditions. The series started with the hype around Tendulkar`s 100th international century, but the batting maestro managed just one 50 in the series and is averaging 26.50.

While India are not expected to make several changes in their team at The Oval, but the technically sound Virat Kohli could come in place of Suresh Raina, who has looked completely out of sorts against genuine pace.

The Oval has the best batting track in England and that gives India some hope against the home pacers, rated the best in the world.

The good news for the English team is that their pace spearhead James Anderson, who has a stiff right thigh, went through the full net sessions on the eve of the match and is expected to lead the charge Thursday.

After the practice session, a visibly happy England captain Andrew Strauss said: "We are very optimistic he (Anderson) is fit to play. He had a good bowl today, but like all these things we have to check how he comes up tomorrow morning. It just seems nothing more than a little niggle at this stage," said Strauss.

England players have played down their No.1 tag to stay focus on their endeavour for a 4-0 whitewash against India. Graeme Swann insists that England wants to finish off the one-sided series in style.

"It`s a nice feeling (being a part of the top-ranked side) but it`s not what we are focussing on. We said before the series it didn`t matter if we got to number one in the world. It`s about finishing the series well and that is what we are aiming to do at The Oval," he said.

IANS

Next challenge for England is to become No 1 in ODI's: Vaughan

London: As England cherish their ascendancy to the top of Test cricket with three successive wins over

India, former captain Michael Vaughan said the next challenge will be to rule the one-day rankings.

"We also want to see them become the world number one team in one-day cricket too. That is the next challenge," Vaughan said.

"We haven`t won a World Cup yet and I think that will be (coach) Andy Flower`s next goal," the cricketer was quoted as saying by the `London Evening Standard`.

The former cricketer said the country should celebrate England`s ascent to the top of ICC Test rankings but reiterated that the team should now establish a stranglehold at the position.

The 36-year-old, who played his last Test in 2008, said "Number one in the world is something we should all celebrate but the main thing now is to stay there."

"I really think this team now has got a great opportunity to go on and dominate Test cricket for a number of years," he added.

Vaughan also lavished praise on Alastair Cook, who, he believes is destined for a place among the game`s greats.

"I don`t want to put him under too much pressure but he is going to get over 10,000 Test runs with over 35 Test match hundreds (a feat that no other English man has achieved so far)," the former batsman said.

"He will probably be captain when Andrew Strauss relinquishes it in a few years` time and he has got a

tremendous career ahead.”

"He is the type of player you want, very determined, he grinds out every run. At times it is not pretty but, look at the end result, he is a run-scorer," Vaughan added.

Cook, who struggled during the early half of the ongoing series, rediscovered his lost touch with a career-best 294 during the Edgbaston Test.

The ton was Cooks`s 19th Test hundred and seventh since his place was deemed to be under threat 12 months ago.

The 26-year-old has played 71 Tests so far and is now only three hundreds behind England`s record Test centurions Geoff Boycott, Colin Cowdrey and Wally Hammond.

PTI

Rankings add edge to India-England series

London: England head to the Oval for the final Test of the summer against India on Thursday as the world`s top side courtesy of a rankings system which is now widely accepted but not generally understood.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings are the brainchild of former Wisden almanac editor Matthew Engel.

"Test cricket crucially depends on context," Engel wrote in the 1995 edition. "It needs a five-Test series (six is too long) for the personalities to emerge and the battle to capture the public imagination. These half-hearted one-off Tests rarely work."

Engel`s proposal, which was adopted by the ICC, awarded points on the basis of home and away series between each of the Test-playing nations.

It was replaced in 2003 by the present system designed and introduced by English actuary, scorer and cricket statistician David Kendix.

"What you had, unfortunately, was a situation some years ago when South Africa were top of the table and yet it was clear intuitively to anyone following the game that Australia was the number one team," Kendix told Reuters this week.

"Indeed, Australia had just beaten South Africa comprehensively home and away. This was clearly not sustainable," he added in a telephone interview.

"And the reason you had that situation was that South Africa at that point had just beaten Bangladesh and Zimbabwe home and away, whereas Australia had not recently played them at all.”

"So you basically had four series victories for South Africa which counted for just as much as victories over the likes of England, India or Pakistan.”

"Since Australia happened not to have the played the two weakest teams at the time, their series points were only enough for second place in the rankings.”

"At that point it became difficult to believe it was a fair reflection of the relative strength of the teams.”

"Matthew`s advocacy of Test rankings was great and I have huge admiration for him as he started the process.”

"He had the great idea of trying to establish a league table that gives that context to Test cricket and I said to him soon after my system was adopted by the ICC, how many prototypes of anything ends up being the final version?”

"He had the idea of having a ranking system, the ICC recognised that this was something they ought to make official, but they also realised that to be accepted, it needed to give sensible results all the time."

Weighted Ratings

Kendix`s system awards points for individual matches in a series as well as a bonus for the series winners. The model is based on results over the previous three to four years, weighted to give greater relevance to more recent results.

"That reflects the reality that in a Test series people are looking to win each match and they are also looking to win the series," he said.

"I wanted a points mechanism that reflected the aims of the competing teams and what they are actually trying to achieve.”

"They are trying to win the match and win the series and therefore it seemed appropriate that the points system reflected those twin goals."

The next step in the process depends on the current ratings of the two sides.

"If you are playing a team that have a similar rating to you then they are by definition around the similar strength and therefore the points you get for beating them will be roughly the same as the points they get for beating you," Kendix said.

"But if you are playing a team that has a rating considerably higher than yours, you get more for beating them than they would get for beating you.”

"The reason this is important is because, unlike a lot of other leagues in many other sports where everyone plays everyone else over a fixed period, there is a lot of inequality in the Test fixture list.”

"Therefore you needed a system that removes any bias from the mix of fixtures, so that the ratings of the teams aren`t unduly influenced by whether they have played more or fewer matches against stronger or weaker teams.”

"There`s no secret formula. If you plug in the result of a series and the rating of your opponent, that gives you the points you score for that series. The total number of points earned divided by the total number of matches gives your rating.”

"It`s like a batting average. If you have good innings your batting average will go up, if you have a bad one it will fall.”

"Similarly, your rating will move up if you win and fall if you lose, with the size of the change depending on the strength of your opponent."

Added Boost

Kendix, 45, who has been the official scorer for all internationals at Lord`s since 1995 and a member of the ICC Cricket Committee for the past five years, said he became a scorer because he was hopeless at cricket.

"I was so appalling that when I first stepped on to a cricket field my schoolmaster decided very quickly that being good at maths I should sit on the boundary and count the runs," he said.

"I am an actuary by profession, cricket is my hobby. In my spare time I take holidays to score cricket matches."

Whatever debate may remain over the rankings, there is no doubt that they have added extra excitement and context to a glorious summer for the English national team.

England`s Ashes triumph in Australia this year was quickly followed by India`s unstoppable surge to the 50 overs World Cup title, celebrated by a six off the final ball of the tournament by India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Dhoni`s team were already the world`s top-ranked Test side and their four-Test tour of England was given an added boost when the ICC announced the home side would take over as the number one side if they won by a two-Test margin.

England duly delivered with a 3-0 lead after an innings victory at Edgbaston in the four-Test series.

"I must admit when I was doing the calculations to determine what England would need to beat India by to take over as number one I was quite excited myself," Kendix said.

"I think the way that happened to work out with such a high profile series gave a bit of an extra incentive.”

"I`m pleased it had that level of coverage because after eight years of feeling that it wasn`t unloved, but certainly wasn`t attracting much interest, it was pleasing to me that my work from many years ago was now something that people were taking an interest in."

Bureau Report

India wilt as Dravid drops dollies

Birmingham: Plays of the Day from the second day of the third Test between England and India at Edgbaston:

Omen of the day

With 207 catches to his credit, the highest in Test cricket by a non-wicketkeeper, Rahul Dravid could be said to possess the world's safest pair of hands. But that crown seems a misfit if you have seen Dravid putting down some easy catches in this series. So far his drop count stands at five: at Lord's he gave Jonathan Trott two chances, even if MS Dhoni shared some blame for the second. At Trent Bridge, he made good ground to Ian Bell but the ball slipped out as he fell on his elbow. Today Bell was given another helping hand by Dravid. Sreesanth had bowled a nice away-seamer to get an edge, but the ball hit Dravid at the base of his wrists and popped out. The simplest chance was off Eoin Morgan's edge in the last over of the day. Dravid grabbed at the ball though and floored it, and immediately threw his cap down in disgust.

Act of the day

Sreesanth came up with a wonderful delivery that pitched and moved just that bit away from Kevin Pietersen's bat. He then charged, determined and assured, like a 4x100 metre relay runner who had won the gold medal with his right hand index finger raised high and upright towards MS Dhoni and the slips. Pietersen, bemused, walked away staring at Sreesanth. Simon Taufel, the Australian umpire, did not move. Dhoni asked for a review. Hot Spot could not locate any edge as the ball had brushed the pad on its way to Dhoni.

Non-performer of the day

Clearly that honour should go to Amit Mishra. Granted the legspinner was playing his first match of the series and hence could be given some leeway. But eight no-balls was going too far as Mishra kept sliding his landing foot in front of the popping crease. In fact, the only wicket he got on the day, bowling Strauss round his legs, should also have been called for an overstep, but Taufel, who had called him four times previously, missed the one that mattered. In his previous 11 Tests, Mishra had transgressed the line an incredible 61 times. By contrast, in their past 11 Tests, England as a team have bowled just 39.

Slow reaction of the day

Sachin Tendulkar's longevity is one of sport's modern miracles, but on a day as one-sided as this, he couldn't help but look every one of his 38 years. A sprightlier presence at midwicket would surely have curtailed Alastair Cook's innings on 165, when Ishant Sharma - returning for a new spell - found some rare aggression on a good length, and lured Cook into a looping leading edge. Tendulkar, however, barely even flinched as the ball plopped harmlessly to the turf two metres in front of him. He claimed he had been unsighted, but perhaps that was selectively so. After all, there's a time and a place for straining the hamstrings and flinging oneself headlong to the turf. At 405 for 3 in the 101st over, it's probably neither.

Clanger of the day

Four overs later, it was Eoin Morgan's turn for a reprieve, but this one was rather more straightforward. Quite what Sreesanth was doing at point is anyone's guess, but when Morgan climbed into a loose cut off Ishant, the ball slapped straight into his palms and out again. To add to the indignity, the batsman scampered a single as a boisterous crowd roared its approval, and Sreesanth was instantly banished to the boundary's edge to contemplate his sin. He didn't have long to think before the ball came his way again, however. Another cut, this time, from Cook, rolled gently into the deep, leading to a massive ironic cheer as Sreesanth this time gathered properly.

Cricket World TV - India's Task 'Difficult But Not Impossible' - Ojha

Speaking ahead of the third Test between England and India, left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha maintains that their task in attempting to win both remaining matches to level the series 2-2 was difficult, but not impossible and he is staying positive.

He also tells us what it is like bowl to the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman but also how much his game has developed from sharing a dressing room with some of the greatest players the game has ever seen.

Cricket-England v India - third test scoreboard

(Updates at the close)

Aug 11 (Reuters) - Scoreboard at the close on the second day

of the third test between England and India at Edgbaston in

Birmingham on Thursday.

India first innings 224 (MS Dhoni 77; S. Broad 4-53, T.

Bresnan 4-62)

England first innings (overnight 84-0)

A. Strauss b Mishra 87

A. Cook not out 182

I. Bell b Kumar 34

K. Pietersen lbw b Kumar 63

E. Morgan not out 44

Extras (lb-26, b-7, nb-12, w-1) 46

Total (three wickets, 115 overs) 456

Fall of wickets: 1-186 2-252 3-374

To bat: R. Bopara, M. Prior, T. Bresnan, S. Broad, G. Swann,

J. Anderson.

Bowling (to date): Praveen Kumar 32-12-75-2, Sreesanth

22-4-103-0(4nb), Ishant Sharma 25-6-112-0 (1w), Mishra

26-2-100-1 (8nb), Raina 9-0-30-0, Tendulkar 1-0-3-0

Cook hundred puts woeful India to the sword

India hadn't seen the best of Alastair Cook in the first two Tests. Now they have. His unbeaten 182, a 19th Test hundred, carried England into a position of complete control at Edgbaston as they built a lead of 232 with the prospect of plenty more to come. Cook added 187 for the first wicket alongside Andrew Strauss, while Kevin Pietersen contributed a lively half-century during India's worst day of the series with England closed on an imposing 456 for 3.

Cook's lean start to the series - 20 runs in four innings - was barely enough to constitute a problem, but the expectations on him are high after his run-scoring feats over the last 12 months. A year ago, midway through the Pakistan series, Cook was in the middle of a severe slump but this hundred was his third of the summer and fourth of the year. His century came from 213 balls and after a watchful, dogged, start both yesterday evening then in the morning session he was scoring freely through the leg side and also with both his cover drive and cut.

Yet it wasn't just Cook's normal shots that were on show. At one stage he played a reverse sweep off Amit Mishra having noted the vacant slip area, which also cost India the opportunity of dismissing Cook when he slashed through the gap on 94. He didn't offer a clear-cut life, although inside-edged Ishant Sharma over the stumps shortly after reaching his hundred and Sachin Tendulkar didn't appear to pick up the ball at mid-on when Cook clipped in the air on 165. He appeared on track to reach his second double hundred before the close, but was content to play out time and wait for a new day.

For England the success of their openers added two more pieces to the series jigsaw that is almost complete. All they need now is for Graeme Swann to play a part in the second innings which isn't out of the question having seen the turn Mishra and even Suresh Raina were able to extract. This was a humbling day for India and they were never in the contest. The ground fielding was poor and the catching fallible with three chances going down; the third of them in the final over of the day when Rahul Dravid missed a dolly at slip with Eoin Morgan on 43. Dravid threw his cap down in frustration. It summed up India's performance.

Early wickets could have brought them back into the contest but they never materialised and the rare inroads they did make never halted England's progress. The attack was largely toothless, although Praveen Kumar deserves immense credit for his unstinting efforts which were rewarded with two wickets and a pair of sore feet.

England, quite sensibly, gave the first hour to the bowlers aware that India's attack lacked depth and scoring would steadily become easier. Cook made 5 from his first 42 balls in the day and there was a five-over period with one run off the bat - Praveen's first spell was 7-5-2-0 - but India were denied any inroads. Strauss and Cook then expanded their scoring as runs flowed either side of lunch and the pace never slowed. The day brought 372 runs which, to follow on from 417 conceded on the third day Trent Bridge, highlights how profligate the bowling has been.

Strauss was closing in on his first Test hundred since Brisbane last November but moved too far across when he went to sweep Mishra and the ball clipped leg stump. Replays showed it was another no-ball on a day Mishra delivered eight. However, if India had hoped that would give them a chance to assert some pressure they soon found England scoring at an even greater rate as Ian Bell began with a string of boundaries off Ishant. Bell was given a life on 30 when Dravid dropped a low chance at first slip but it wasn't too costly for India as Praveen produced a beautiful delivery to take off stump.

Pietersen continued the positive approach, after his off-the-mark boundary flew close to leg slip, and made his intent to dominate Mishra clear when he drilled him straight then launched him into the stands over long-on. Against the new ball he was expansive, taking three boundaries in an over off Ishant, the first of which took him to fifty from 52 deliveries. It was a shock - both for the crowd and Pietersen - when he was given lbw to Praveen despite being a long way down the pitch although Hawk Eye said it was clipping off stump. Pietersen had to drag himself away, no doubt aware that there were plenty more runs on offer.

Still, the occasional wicket was barely a set-back for England. Another partnership would form, as Cook did with Eoin Morgan, but India continued to find new ways to embarrass themselves as Sreesanth spilled a simple catch at point to give Morgan his first life on 17. Like at Trent Bridge, after a brief test against the quicks, Morgan was able to face some fairly friendly spin with the pacemen exhausted. India looked anything but the No. 1 team in the world and soon they won't be.

Andrew McGlashan is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

England on top against India in third Test

Birmingham: England enjoyed an excellent opening day in the third Test against India as they pursued a win that would see them replace the tourists at the head of the ICC's Test Championship table.

They closed on 84 without loss in reply to India's modest first innings 224, a deficit of 140 runs, at Edgbaston on Wednesday.

England captain Andrew Strauss was 52 not out and fellow left-handed opener Alastair Cook 27 not out in front of a sell-out 25,000 crowd at Warwickshire's headquarters, redeveloped at a cost of £32 million.

Their unbroken stand rounded off a good day for England, already 2-0 up, as they pursued a victory that see them take the four-match series and go to the top of the Test standings.

Strauss, in what was his best Test score this season, set the seal on a fine first day for England shortly before stumps by completing a 76-ball fifty including 10 fours.

Earlier seamers Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan, England's heroes with both bat and ball during their crushing 319-run second Test win at Trent Bridge, shared eight wickets after Strauss won the toss in overcast conditions.

Broad took four for 53 in 17 overs, with the fast-medium bowler dismissing both Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar as the India stars managed just one run between them.

Meanwhile Bresnan, recalled at Trent Bridge in place of the still-injured Chris Tremlett, had four for 62 in 20 overs.

"It was a very good day for us, we would have taken that bowling in these sort of conditions and being none down as well is fantastic," Bresnan told reporters at the close of play.

"It is a collective effort really, it doesn't really matter who gets the wickets as long as we take the wickets and we did that today (Wednesday)."

India coach Duncan Fletcher was left rueing his side's failure to be only one wicket down at lunch.

"We looked to be going all right at one down (for 59) but then England really put us on the back foot," said the former England boss.

The Zimbabwean added conditions this series were unlike any he'd previously experienced.

"I haven't played on three wickets, even when I was with England, where the ball has swung around so much for three Tests in a row.

"We haven't been able to post a score that gives our bowlers something to bowl at."

India have yet to make 300 this series but captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni prevented total embarrassment with a swashbuckling 77, featuring three sixes and 10 fours, after a top-order collapse reduced his side to 111 for seven.

Together with the resourceful Praveen Kumar, he added a run-a-ball 84 for the eighth wicket.

Kumar was no silent partner, hitting a six and four fours in his 26 before, trying to hook Bresnan, he was caught by wicketkeeper Matt Prior.

Dhoni was eventually out when an edged drive off Broad was held by first slip Strauss to end a 96-ball knock featuring three sixes and 10 fours.

Injury-hit India slumped to 75 for four at lunch with Rahul Dravid, a century-maker at Trent Bridge, brilliantly bowled by Bresnan for 22 off the last ball before the interval.

Upon the resumption India's collapse continued, with Bresnan again exposing Venkatsai Laxman's vulnerability against the short delivery when he didn't get over a pull short and holed out straight to Broad at long leg for 30.

Broad had previously struck first ball to remove dynamic opening batsman Sehwag for a golden duck.

Sehwag, playing his first match of the series after shoulder surgery, tried to sway out of the way of a short ball but gloved to Prior, with a review overturning Davis's initial verdict as it also did when Kumar was dismissed.

Tendulkar received a standing ovation as he walked out in pursuit of an unprecedented 100th international hundred with India 59 for two following the loss of Gautam Gambhir for 38.

But Tendulkar made just one before he was lured into playing a Broad delivery outside off-stump he might have left and edged to third slip Anderson.

SCORECARD

AFP

Johnson, Watson fire Australia to victory

Pallekele (Sri Lanka): Mitchell Johnson grabbed a career-best 6-31 and Shane Watson smashed a brisk 69 to guide Australia to a seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the first one-dayer.

Opener Watson cracked six sixes and five fours in his 51-ball knock as Australia achieved a 192-run target with more than 11 overs to spare for a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

Left-arm fast bowler Johnson played a key role in restricting Sri Lanka to a modest total; marking his 100th one-day international with disciplined bowling to bag his third haul of five or more wickets.

Watson then kept pressure on Sri Lanka with an exciting strokeplay, reaching his 24th half-century in one-dayers with a six off unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis.

He dominated a 59-run stand for the opening wicket with Brad Haddin (12) before falling in the 12th over, but had put his team in a strong position at that stage. He also completed 4,000 runs in one-dayers during his knock.

Skipper Michael Clarke (53 not out) then added 101 for the third wicket with Ricky Ponting (53) to steer his team home.

"The wicket was fantastic. It was dry but held together better than I expected," said Clarke.

"It is important that I lead from the front and it is great having Ponting at number three with all that experience at the other end."

Australian paceman Brett Lee earlier became the seventh bowler to take 350 wickets in one-dayers when he dismissed Nuwan Kulasekara (34) for his lone victim of the innings.

Sri Lanka were struggling at 117-7 following Johnson`s four-wicket burst in his opening spell before lower-order batsmen Suraj Randiv, who hit one six and four fours in his 41, and Kulasekara put on 60 runs for the eighth wicket.

Man-of-the-match Johnson ended Sri Lanka`s resistance when he had Randiv -- the home side`s highest scorer – caught in the deep and then bowled Ajantha Mendis in his ninth over.

"This was not a 190 wicket. We did not bat well and our shot selection was not good. I think our spinners bowled well, but they did not have runs to defend," said Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Sri Lanka got off to a solid start after winning the toss when Upul Tharanga (34) and Dilshan (29) put on 54 for the opening wicket before Australia struck back.

Tharanga, returning to the side after serving a three-month drugs ban, looked in good touch as he fluently drove Lee for two successive fours in the opening over.

Sri Lanka`s slide began with the dismissal of Tharanga, who was bowled by left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty while attempting to cut after hitting seven fours in his 28-ball knock.

Johnson struck in his first over when he had Mahela Jayawardene caught behind and then had Kumar Sangakkara caught in the covers. He also accounted for Jeevan Mendis and Angelo Mathews in his opening seven-over spell.

PTI

Ind vs Eng: India lose Sehwag early

NEW DELHI: Virender Sehwag dashed all the hopes of India, as he fell early to a Stuart Broad delivery in the third Test against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

Sehwag making a comeback after a shoulder injury failed to make impact, as a Broad delivery brushed his glove on the way to the hands of Matt Prior. Initially the umpire turned down the appeal, but England challenged the decision and the hot-spot showed the ball brushing the gloves.

Earlier, England skipper Andrew Strauss won the toss and opted to bowl in the third Test of the four-match series against India.

For India, fit-again openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir returned to the side in place of Abhinav Mukund and Yuvraj Singh.

In the bowling department, leg-spinner Amit Mishra replaced off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who is out with an abdominal strain.

England made just one change to the side which won the first two Tests with Ravi Bopara coming in place of an injured Jonathan Trott.

England head into the third Test knowing another victory will give them both an unbeatable 3-0 lead and see them replace their opponents at the top of the ICC's Test Championship table.

Strauss' men have played some excellent cricket during a 196-run first Test win at Lord's that was followed by an even more emphatic 319-run success at Trent Bridge.

England's batting depth has proved too much for an India attack where left-arm quick Zaheer Khan's series came to an end midway through his 14th over at Lord's.

India, beset by injuries, have rarely had their best team on the field and came straight into the series on the back of a tour of the Caribbean with just one practice match in English conditions.

Down 0-2 in the four-match series, India would be stripped of their number one ranking in the ICC charts if England beat them in this match. Even otherwise, England just have to draw both or win one of the matches to clinch the top spot.

Teams (from):

England: Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wk), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Tim Bresnan, Ravi Bopara

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Suresh Raina, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, S Sreesanth, Virender Sehwag.

IPL 2011: Delhi Daredevils lose to Deccan Chargers by 16 runs

New Delhi: Delhi Daredevils' first win at home in season four of the Indian Premier League (IPL) remained elusive as they went down to Deccan Chargers by 16 runs at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on Tuesday. It was an all-round performance by Deccan Chargers, who climbed to the fourth spot in the IPL after their second win from five matches. Daredevils failed to move out of the ninth spot as they crashed to their third loss in four matches.

For the Chargers, skipper Kumar Sangakkara showed the way with a classical, yet fiery, 49 and along with Man of the Match Sunny Sohal (62) added a valuable 92 runs for the second wicket that took the 2009 champions to a competitive 168 for four from 20 overs. None of the Daredevils' batsmen, barring opener David Warner (51), could get a big score and were restricted to 152 for seven from 20 overs.

The Chargers were disciplined in their bowling, picking up wickets at regular intervals and made sure that Daredevils skipper Virender Sehwag (12) departed early. Pacers Daniel Christian and Harmeet Singh picked up two wickets each while fast bowling spearhead Dale Steyn went wicketless but conceded just 24 runs from his full quota to show that he is the vital cog in the Chargers' bowling.

Daredevils' most consistent performer Venugopal Rao (21) failed to come good and Yogesh Nagar struck an 11-ball 23 but it was not enough. Warner's 48-ball knock was the only highlight of Daredevils innings. He hit five fours and a six but didn't get any support from the other end as the hosts failed to put up a decent partnership.

The only noteworthy partnership was the 52-run stand between Rao and Warner but once leggie Amit Mishra struck to remove Rao, it was a lonely and a futile battle for Warner. Earlier, the 92-run second-wicket stand between Sohal and Sangakkara set the platform for a late charge by Cameron White, who remained unbeaten on 31 off 25 balls.

Delhi boy Shikhar Dhawan hit Ashok Dinda for two consecutive fours in the first over, but couldn't carry on the form as he chopped back to his stumps an away going delivery from Irfan Pathan in the second over. Sohal and Sangakkara then joined forces to get the innings back on track. The left-handed Sangakkara played some classical shots in his 35-ball stay, during which he hit eight fours and a six.

The former Sri Lankan captain came down on off-spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, hitting him for a six and two fours for a 16-run over. Sohal also matched Sangakkara and hit eight fours and six during his 41-ball innings. The partnership was finally broken by Dinda after Aaron Finch took an excellent catch to get rid of Sangakkara in the 12th over. Sohal also departed soon with Finch taking another good catch off Nadeem.



IPL 2011: KTK vs CSK: Kochi Tuskers Kerala beat Chennai Super Kings by 7 wickets

KOCHI: Brendon McCullum exploded at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium and destroyed Chennai Super Kings on Monday. The Kiwi scored another match-winning 47 off 33 balls as Kochi Tuskers Kerala, chasing 132 in a rain-hit 17-over game, scripted their second win in IPL 4. The underdogs have now accounted for the two hot favourites - CSK and Mumbai Indians - in the space of a week.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel (34 off 26 balls) played a good supporting role after McCullum's fireworks as the Kochi team underscored captain Mahela Jayawardene's claim that they had enough talent on the bench. The seven-wicket win for the home team came with two overs to spare.

McCullum carted Albie Morkel for two sixes in his first two overs and Jayawardene greeted offie Ashwin by hitting him for a six and a four. But Ashwin had the last laugh when he had the Sri Lankan in the same over. McCullum hit two more sixes before he perished to Ashwin, going for a big shot over long-off. Brad Hodge and Ravindra Jadeja gave the finishing touches to Kochi's victory.

Earlier, CSK weathered the vagaries of the wicket at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium and a rain interruption to post a competitive 131 for four in 17 overs on the strength of a stroke-filled 50 (40 balls, 5x4, 1x6) from Suresh Raina. Unusual April rain in Kerala had reduced the match by three overs after Mahela Jayawardene opted to field first. The revised target after a 95-minute break for the home team was 135.

Jayawardene's decision to bowl first was influenced by the upsets created by Punjab and Kochi in the first week of IPL-4 chasing big totals. He had a second reason to do so as he reckoned that there would be some life early on for the fast bowlers. Midway through the CSK innings, the Kochi captain might have found a third reason by default to justify his decision to field first as rain interrupted the match when the visitors were 65 for two after nine overs.

Barring a couple of authentic cover drives by Murali Vijay, the CSK batsmen found more edges than hits.

IPl 2011: Deccan charge to maiden home victory

Accurate spells of fast bowling from the entire cast of seamers helped Deccan Chargers inflict a convincing 33-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore, who have now suffered two losses in a row. In the process, they laid to rest the curse of never having won a match at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium in history of the IPL.

Chasing the second-highest total in the tournament so far, Bangalore's batsmen looked hapless throughout and had it not been for a battling half-century by Virat Kohli, they would have ended up in tatters. The four-man seam attack of Dale Steyn, Manpreet Gony, Ishant Sharma and Daniel Christian combined ruthlessly picking up eight of the nine Bangalore wickets.

Tillakaratne Dilshan started off with a streaky boundary, a thick outside-edge off a seaming delivery from Ishant that raced through third man. But Ishant pitched the next ball perfectly on a length and hit the seam hard. Dilshan slashed wildly only for a thin edge to travel into the gloves of Sangakkara, who eventually ended the evening with five catches. If Sangakkara made the right decision to bowl Ishant's four overs in one spell, Steyn - acting as the on-field bowling coach - made sure the Indian kept hitting a good length and avoided getting distracted bowling bouncers.

A surprise move, actually ridiculous, by Bangalore to send Zaheer Khan in at No. 3 lasted three deliveries, before Steyn demolished the Indian's furniture with a fast swinging full toss. Mayank Agarwal tried pulling hard against a short-pitched delivery from Gony which climbed too fast and was caught easily at mid-on. AB de Villiers and Saurabh Tiwary, two proven match-winners, had miserable evenings. The South African was deceived by Gony's outswinger and Sangakkara happily accepted another offering behind the stumps when Tiwary tried to slog sweep against the legspin of Amit Mishra, but ended up skying an easy catch, pouched safely once again by the Hyderabad captain.

Only Kohli lasted the distance, keeping a calm head on his shoulders, while picking the right balls to hit to keep Bangalore's flame of hope from being doused early on. A few good shots - including a raging straight six charging Mishra, and a fierce slog-sweep to go to fifty - were the highlights of his innings. But except for Cheteshwar Pujara, who should have batted up the order, none of the Bangalore batsmen applied themselves to stand up to the challenge.

If Bangalore's batting seemed out of sorts, the Hyderabad men were solid and certain. Barring Shikhar Dhawan, who failed for the second match in a row, the rest of the hosts' batsmen played smartly and kept pushing the run-rate consistently.

Having failed to convert his starts in the first two matches, the onus today was on Sangakkara to keep the middle order intact. And he came up with his most fluent innings to date, playing with a straight bat while building a valuable 50-run alliance with Sunny Sohal for the second wicket, which was the highest for any wicket for Hyderabad so far in the tournament.

Sohal hit the first six of the match and then got out attempting a second one, but Sangakkara played with measured aggression. He took advantage of a couple of easy full-tosses from Daniel Vettori early on, then rotated the strike smartly to keep the pressure on the bowlers, before charging Dilshan to hit an elegant six straight over the bowler's head, his best shot. If Bangalore felt they could wrest the control after Sangakkara's (tame) exit - he tried to chip a fuller and wider delivery from Johan van der Wath - Chipli quickly washed away those aspirations.

He had started with two powerful pulls, both off the back foot, one a six (against Dilshan) and next over a four (off S Arvind). But his biggest victory came when he got the measure of Zaheer.

The bowler of the World Cup was smashed for 22 runs in the nine balls Chipli faced. The onslaught included four fours, the last three coming back-to-back. The first one was slapped straight down the ground to the sight-screen, followed by a bottom edge which raced past the fine-leg ropes. And when Zaheer tried a sleight of hand by coming up with a slower delivery, Chipli, with a steady head, punched a handsome cover drive for another four to march to two runs short of a half century, which he duly completed. It was an innings of impact which caught Bangalore by surprise, and set his team up for that elusive first home win.

IPlL News: We were hungry for a win: Gambhir

Kolkata, April 12, 2011 [IANS] : After clinching the first victory of the IPL season 4, Kolkata Knight Riders Captain Gautam Gambhir on Monday said, his team was hungry for a win.

“Our team was hungry for a win. It was really magnificent to play at the Eden Gardens in front of such a crowd. We played much better cricket than the last game. The most important thing in the game is how you finish the game,” said Gambhir while talking to reporters at a post match press conference.

Gambhir was lavish in praising KKR bowler Iqbal Abdulla who picked up three vital wickets.

Asked about the difference in strategy that took KKR to its much anticipated win in the IPL, he said: “There was not much difference in strategy. We just played better cricket.”

“The main thing is not how you start the game but how you finish it. If you look at all great wins you will see how match has been finished plays the key to the win,” said Gambhir, who played a crucial role in India’s victory over Sri lanka in the World Cup final earlier this month.

When asked whether he felt that 163 was defendable on this wicket, Gambhir said “Yes, absolutely, we felt that the score was defendable,” Kolkata Knight Riders had lost their first match of the competition to Chennai Super Kings by two runs.