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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outTillakaratne Dilshan scored his sixth one-day century, and went past 4000 runs in ODIs in the process•Associated Press

Tillakaratne Dilshan made 2009 his own, scoring ten centuries in all forms, and he didn’t start too badly in the new year either, compiling another robust ton to guide Sri Lanka to an easy win in the tri-series opener. Bangladesh gave a good account of themselves with the bat in getting to 260, but their bowlers lost the battle against Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and the dew.Defending totals under lights will pose a challenge to all teams in this competition, with the dew factor kicking in, and tonight, Bangladesh were bitten after losing the toss. Shakib Al Hasan said this was a “minimum 250” wicket and his batsmen obliged. Early into the Sri Lankan chase, they realised that they were at least 30 short.The opening over by the debutant Shafiul Islam was a sign of things to come, as he leaked ten runs. Upul Tharanga was in fine touch, caressing the ball square of the wicket on the off side with very little effort. Bangladesh had packed the off-side field to restrict the left-handers but both Tharanga and Sangakkara managed to pierce them.However, Tharanga threw it away, chasing a delivery angled across him. Sangakkara was very harsh on anything wide of the off stump and played some delightful drives along the ground. The instinctive Dilshan didn’t mind hitting it in the air, clearing his back leg to pull and clip it over midwicket. In the process, he went past 4000 runs in ODIs.Shakib wasn’t amused. Early in the chapter, he showed his frustration by placing his hands on his head, without a clue about what to do. He brought himself on in the sixth over after his seamers had already leaked 52. Not that the introduction of spin made any difference. Shakib, Abdur Razzak and Mahmudullah were impeded by the dew, which didn’t allow them to grip the ball properly.They often dropped it flat and quick, in order to get the ball to skid through, but Sangakkara and Dilshan managed to get on top of them, rocking on the backfoot and crashing it past the infield. Both proceeded towards their half-centuries at the same pace, reaching their milestones in the 21st over, bowled by Razzak.Sangakkara was also heading towards a century but fell off a very loose shot, tamely edging Shafiul to the wicketkeeper. Dilshan continued to grind the opposition, nudging it in the gaps for singles and pounding the off boundary. He was harsh on anything short and rendered the spinners impotent with his sweeps. He brought up his hundred with a slash off Mohammad Ashraful past point. The Bangladesh fielding too wasn’t upto the mark, and those extra runs only hastened Sri Lanka’s progress.Dilshan suffered a scare when he suffered a groin strain while turning for a second run. Sangakkara came out as a runner and hung around almost till the very end, before a full-blooded pull by Dilshan landed in Naeem Islam’s hands at short midwicket. Dilshan walked off for 104 and Sri Lanka will wait on his fitness for their second game tomorrow against India. Thilan Samaraweera then sealed what was a very one-sided period of play under lights.It took Bangladesh a lot of hard work and concentration to get to a formidable score. It was not without some anxious moments though, when the top order pushed the self-destruct button to lose four wickets for the addition of nine runs. The score went from 65 for 0 to 74 for 4 primarily through irresponsible batting. Imrul Kayes, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib all perished in that manner, trying to clear the infield when it really wasn’t required. Raqibul Hasan fell to a stunning one-handed take by Samaraweera at second slip and that was the only top order wicket which wasn’t gifted away.By the 17th over, Bangladesh had to start all over. Ashraful and Mushfiqur Rahim scripted a steady and patient recovery with dogged resistance. Ashraful was forced to look for the singles, which the pair managed to do fairly easily during their 58-run stand for the fifth wicket. They were more focused on accumulation rather than domination.Ashraful didn’t change gears after Mushfiqur departed and continued grafting against the spinners, this time with Mahmudullah for company. Incredibly, Ashraful picked up his first boundary off his 37th ball – a loft over extra cover off Thilina Kandamby – in sharp contrast to the way he normally plays. It’s a style of play he’s getting used to, after being criticised time and again in his career for throwing his wicket away after making a start.His 75 was significant mainly because it kept the Sri Lankans at bay, helped the innings last the entire 50 overs, something Bangladesh have struggled to do in the past. Naeem’s final-over fireworks (off Suranga Lakmal) pushed the score past 250 and as the Bangladesh players walked off in satisfaction, there was hope of a contest. An hour and a half later, those smiles vanished.

Pakistan’s failings with the bat in Melbourne have prompted the teammanagement to send out an SOS for Younis Khan. The former captain, who haskept a low profile since he abruptly relinquished the leadership inNovember, is believed to be keen to respond and may even arrive in timefor the second Test in Sydney, due to begin on January 3.Pakistan were dismissed for 258 on an unusually docile MCG track, and onlyUmar Akmal and Misbah-ul-Haq batted with any authority against adisciplined and bustling Australian pace attack. That continued a run ofpoor performances in Younis’s absence on the New Zealand tour, wherePakistan relied heavily on Umar as they drew a three-Test series 1-1.But the team management has been keen on getting Younis over since before theMelbourne Test began. After the opening day at the MCG, they called upIqbal Qasim, Pakistan’s chief selector, and said they needed Younis. Sincethen it is believed there may have even been direct contact betweenMohammad Yousuf, the Pakistan captain, and Younis.”They have been very keen on getting Younis over and they called up IqbalQasim after the first day to make the request,” a board official toldCricinfo. “A request needs to be made in writing and the selectioncommittee will discuss and weigh up the pros and cons before the decisionis made.”Younis gave up the post after losing an ODI series to New Zealand in AbuDhabi, claiming that he had “lost command over his players.” It came aftermonths of reported unhappiness within the team over his leadership. Hewent underground immediately after, only to resurface suddenly whileattending a PCB coaching course in Lahore and then turning out,unimpressively, in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy final for Habib Bank.Subsequently there emerged a possibility that he may arrive in time for theODI series, but the frailty of Pakistan’s batting has apparently sped upthe process.Younis’ poor form – also a factor in his decision – remains a concern,however, and the selectors are keen for him to play at least one game ofthe local Pentangular tournament, which is due to begin on January 1,before he comes to Australia. Since making a triple-hundred on a lifelesstrack in Karachi in February, he has scored 131 runs in four Tests. His ODI form has also been wobbly.But his experience and track record at No.3 – a particularlytroublesome spot for Pakistan in recent Tests where they have tried fourdifferent batsmen in four Tests – is thought to be crucial in Australia.Not only was he Pakistan’s leading scorer in the last Test series here, heenjoyed a successful stint with South Australia last season.”Younis has been contacted and there is a chance that Yousuf has alsocontacted him directly,” said the official. “He has said that he is fitand ready to go, but will stand by whatever process the selectors put inplace for his return.”That process would appear to depend on how Pakistan ultimately fare inMelbourne. A loss could mean that there is a “70-80%” chance of Younismaking it in time for Sydney. If they somehow escape with a draw he couldarrive in time for the final Test in Hobart, having played at least onePentangular match in the interim. The call-up would also entail a currentmember of the squad returning to Pakistan, and it could possibly be one of thefast bowlers.A final decision could also be taken as early as tomorrow, depending onthe situation of the Test.

The West Indies’ incident-prone tour of Australia has taken another turn for the worse, with senior batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan in serious doubt for the first Test after hurting his back during a fielding drill on Wednesday. The injury, believed to be muscular and not structural, will be monitored by medical staff overnight and Sarwan will be subjected to a fitness test shortly before the coin toss on Thursday to determine his availability.Sarwan fell awkwardly while training at the Allan Border Field and lay on the turf for several minutes in obvious discomfort. He grimaced as he was assisted from the field by West Indies team physiotherapist CJ Clark, and later left the ground walking gingerly. Should Sarwan succumb to his back injury, either Travis Dowlin or Narsingh Deonarine will take his place in the top order.”It would damage us a bit,” Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, said of the prospect of losing Sarwan for the first Test. “It’s not good news, but we’re going to keep working and hopefully tomorrow he’ll be fit. He was one who got a few runs in the last game so he’s in good nick. To lose him at this point in time is a crucial point in time, but if that’s the case someone will have to stand up and contribute in whatever areas.”The back injury is the latest ailment to strike Sarwan this tour. He was inconvenienced during the recent tour game against Queensland by a rash that kept him off the field on the third day. It was a minor irritation and he was able to bat in the second innings, but he also needed treatment after being struck on the left knee.”In life things happen suddenly,” Gayle said. “This is the case we have to deal with. It’s not what we wanted a this point in time building up to the Test match. This is how it is now. We just have to try and be positive in whatever we do. We’re not looking for any excuses. We’re big men and we just have to handle our business out there in the middle regardless of what’s been hapenning off the field.”West Indies desperately need Sarwan’s veteran presence in the top of the order, especially considering the tired state of Gayle, who arrived in Brisbane on Wednesday morning following a mercy dash to Jamaica to be at the bedside of his ill mother. Sarwan’s record in Australia is poor, with only two half-centuries in six Tests, but he managed a defiant 128 against Ricky Ponting’s men in Antigua last year.Ponting said the loss of Sarwan would serve as a “massive blow” for West Indies. “To have their captain going halfway round the world in the past couple of days and one of their better batsmen going down, it’s obviously not a great start for them, but all we can do is prepare for both those guys to play,” Ponting said. “We’ve talked about those guys’ importance to their team, so we’ll just wait and see what they come out with.”

Narsingh Deonarine: To Guyana’s rescue•The Nation

Narsingh Deonarine’s unbeaten century boosted Guyana into the semi-finals of the WICB President’s Cup with a seven-wicket success over Barbados at Albion. Chasing 232, Guyana were indebted to Deonarine’s 102 which sealed the win with 6.5 overs remaining out of an allotted 49.Deonarine put on 133 off 114 balls for the third wicket with Shivnarine Chanderpaul (38*), the pair having come together in the 24th over when the captain Ramnaresh Sarwan chipped a return catch to Dwayne Smith. There were no further hiccups, however, as Deonarine and Chanderpaul battered the bowlers and move Guyana to eight points following their first-round victory over the Leeward Islands on Wednesday.Barbados had began drastically after Ryan Hinds opted to bat. Martin Nurse went second ball of the innings, nicking Esuan Crandon behind for 0. Hinds (31) and Kirk Edwards (32) added 68 for the second wicket to restore order but Hinds’ dismissal, bowled by Crandon in the 16th over, opened the sluice gates. Barbados proceeded to lose six wickets for 52 runs to crash to 120 for 7 in the 32nd over. Suliemann Benn, the West Indies left-arm spinner, swung his way to 39 from 40 balls in an 82-run stand with Khalid Springer (45 from 37) that got Barbados past 200. The pair were dismissed within nine balls of each other and the tail went cheaply.Barbados, on four points, will face Leewards in their final preliminary round match on Saturday in an attempt to claim one of the three remaining semi-final berths.In a rain-hit match at the Providence Stadium, the two bottom-placed teams were hit with another road block. Leeward Islands were 37 for 0 after six overs against West Indies Under-19, out of which 31 came off Kieron Powell’s bat, when rain stopped play. The showers continued and play was called off at 2:00pm. The game was abandoned as a no-result. The Leewards and West Indies U-19s were already coming off losses in Wednesday’s opening matches and remain stuck at the bottom of the points tables with one point each.

Jamaica’s shot at sealing a place in the semi-finals look slim after their match against Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) was washed out at Georgetown. Persistent rain forced an abandonment just 12.1 overs into CCC’s innings after they opted to bat. With the score 41 for 2, the players were hurried into shelter and the rain continued through the afternoon, leaving the umpires Clyde Duncan and Dalton Holder to call off play at 1:45 pm. Jerome Taylor’s two wickets in the first over had boosted Jamaica but a 37-run partnership between Romel Currency and Nekoli Perris put matters back on course before the deluge.Both teams received a point for the abandonment, leaving CCC with four points following win over the Windward Islands on Wednesday, and Jamaica with a single point after they were beaten by Trinidad & Tobago in their opening match.Rain played spoilsport at West Demerara as well, where no play was possible for Trinidad & Tobago and the Windward Islands.

Victoria 5 for 304 (Hodge 113, Hussey 59) beat Western Australia 213 (Ronchi 58, Hastings 4-38) by 91 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBrad Hodge’s 113 was responsible for setting up Victoria’s huge score at the MCG•Getty Images

An injury to Marcus North added to Western Australia’s woes as they were out-muscled by a classy Brad Hodge century and a ferocious burst from Matthew Wade in a 91-run defeat. North, the Test No. 6, hurt his right wrist when struck by a ball in the field and was sent for x-rays that showed bruising but no break.”It hit me in an awkward spot and cracked a vein open and caused a lot of swelling,” he said after the match. “It’s not ideal, but all’s good and hopefully it pulls up okay for Tuesday.”North, who has scored three centuries in his first seven Tests, is due to play for Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield this week to fine-tune before the opening game against West Indies on November 26. There has been a push for the opener Phillip Hughes to return to the side, possibly leaving Shane Watson to fight for a spot in the middle order with North and Michael Hussey.With his side in trouble, North went in at No. 8 and was the last man out for 19 as the Warriors were dismissed for 213 in 44 overs. Western Australia started solidly in their reply to Victoria’s 5 for 304 as they aimed for a record-breaking chase. The opener Wes Robinson picked up 44 and Luke Ronchi swept to a half-century, but the required rate was more than eight an over when the Warriors took the batting Powerplay in the 32nd over.Both the big hitters, Ronchi and Theo Doropoulos (18), departed in three balls as they tried to force the pace and suffered. Ronchi left with 58 off 73 and the momentum went from the chase, with Bryce McGain earning three wickets and John Hastings finishing off the game with his fourth by picking up North, who was caught behind trying to pull.Victoria maintained their unbeaten start to the competition after Hodge’s 113 and Wade’s brutal 49 from 19 deliveries pushed them to a huge total. Hodge raised his 14th one-day century for his state, having combined in a 126-run stand with David Hussey (59), before Wade made sure the Warriors would have to move at more than a run a ball in their reply.Wade bolted to 43 off 13, with four fours and three sixes, but was slowed by Ashley Noffke in the final over as he narrowly missed the fastest fifty in the history of the competition. The hosts struck 49 in three overs towards the end of the innings when Wade was at his most powerful. Brett Dorey, who grabbed the first two wickets, was the one who suffered most and went for 80 off his nine overs.

Scorecard
Sri Lanka Under-19 took the upper hand in the five-match series, with a comprehensive win in the third ODI at the Gardens Oval. Four wickets from left-arm fast bowler Charith Jayampathi along with a near run-a-ball fifty from Kithruwan Withanage was enough to ensure the five-wicket win against Australia Under-19.Put in by Sri Lanka, Australia never really got going, with wickets falling at regular intervals. The visitors bowled with purpose with Jayampathi striking at crucial moments. No. 10 Luke Doran emerged as the highest scorer with 26, as the hosts were bowled out with five balls to spare.It wasn’t the best of starts as well for Sri Lanka during their reply, as Sean Abbott made early inroads. He removed the top three in quick time to leave the visitors struggling at 3 for 34. However, Withanage and Rumesh Buddhika took up the responsibility of repairing the innings and they did it in style, putting on 92 for the fourth wicket. While Budhhika managed three boundaries during his 68-ball 32, Withanage smashed 10 during his stay.The partnership effectively sealed the match and Danushka Gunathilake (24) then saw them through.Sri Lanka have a 2-1 lead going into the fourth encounter on Friday.

Division Two

3rd dayDanish Kaneria took a county-best 8 for 116 for Essex at Chelmsford, forcing Leicestershire to follow on, despite an unbeaten century from James Taylor. Leicestershire made 344 in reply to Essex’s 517 for 9 declared, as Kaneria’s dismantled the line-up. He was at it again in the evening, removing Matthew Boyce for 14 in Leicestershire’s second-innings, as they ended the day struggling on 42 for 2. Taylor, the impressive 19-year-old, recorded his third century of the season after hitting Ryan ten Doeschate for four boundaries in an over. The visitors might have avoided the follow-on had James Benning not been forced to retire hurt. He had scored 36 before he was struck by a delivery from David Masters which left him with a badly-swollen cheekbone, requiring a trip to hospital.It will need collusion or a final-day collapse at Wantage Road after Glamorgan battled to a narrow lead against Northamptonshire. The visitors were aided by an aggressive half-century from Jim Allenby as he hit 55 off 50 including ten boundaries and a contrasting 171-ball 55 from Mike Powell. Allenby took 28 off two overs with David Lucas and added 87 with Mark Wallace to put Glamorgan on top. However, Northamptonshire hit back with three wickets in 10 overs and Monty Panesar to a season’s best 3 for 55. Northamptonshire lost an early second-innings wicket in Rob White, who was trapped in front for nine off James Harris. The day’s play ended when bad light stopped play at 19 for 1, with the home side trailing by 14 runs.2nd dayThe Middlesex attack produce an incisive display to leave Gloucestershire in real trouble on 196 for 9 at Lord’s. The visitors made a poor start in reply to Middlesex’s 342 and were limping on 28 for 3 when Tim Murtagh removed Hamish Marshall and Alex Gidman with consecutive balls. Rob Woodman blocked his way to 9 from 84 balls in nearly two hours before falling to Steven Finn who also removed James Franklin. Chris Taylor was the only batsman to score relatively freely as he chalked up 65 with 52 of those coming in boundaries. But after seam did the early damage, it was Murali Kartik’s spin that caused the later problems as he claimed Stephen Adshead then ended Taylor’s resistance and then added Ian Saxelby. At that stage the follow-on loomed, but that was avoided by Jon Lewis and Steve Kirby. Middlesex had only managed to add 35 to their overnight total as Shaun Udal was left unbeaten on 45, but any disappointment at not making a larger total will have dissipated by the close.1st dayJonathan Batty and Michael Brown got Surrey off to a solid, if sluggish, start in their clash with division-leaders Kent at Canterbury, as the visitors ended on 261 for 4 at stumps. The pair put on 171 for the first wicket in four-and-half hours, before Brown edged to Geraint Jones off Amjad Khan for 88. Khan then promptly removed Stewart Walters third-ball without scoring with a catch at gully. But Mark Ramprakash brought stability to the crease to support Batty, as they added 60 for the third wicket. Batty was finally caught behind by Jones off Philip Edwards four short of his century. Edwards removed Usman Afzaal, who edged to Jones for 3, leaving Ramprakash and Matthew Spriegel at the crease at stumps, unbeaten on 41 and 9 respectively.

Division One

Imran Tahir starred for Hampshire against Somerset at The Rose Bowl, smashing an unbeaten career-best 77 off as many balls and taking 3 for 52, as the visitors were left trailing by 450 at stumps. Hampshire rattled up an impressive first-innings total of 548 and most of the damage came from Jimmy Adams on Thursday, who added 34 to his over-night score, ending on 147 as he was dismissed leg-before by Charl Willoughby. Dominic Cork’s quickfire 52 helped also, before he fell to young legspinner Max Waller but the total was swelled further as Tahir added 80 for the last wicket with 18-year-old Danny Briggs. Somerset got off to a solid reply, until the ball was thrown to Tahir. He broke the first-wicket partnership of 76 between Marcus Trescothick and Suppiah, as the latter was caught and bowled for 35 from a leading edge. Tahir then claimed two more; Langer was removed by a smart catch from Cork although the Somerset captain departed angrily, sure the ball hadn’t carried, and Hildreth managed four before becoming Tahir’s third3rd dayClick here for John Ward’s report from Scarborough.4th dayClick here for George Dobell’s report from Worcester.

The start of Zimbabwe’s domestic season has been postponed by three weeks to mid-September.The first round of matches in the Logan Cup were due to be played today, but not all the franchises have managed to complete the signing of all their players. Seventeen former players are still in talks but as yet unsigned.Domestic cricket in Zimbabwe has attracted criticism in recent years with concerns over the quality of the competition, but it’s all change for this year’s competitions. In the Logan Cup for example, the principle four-day tournament, each franchise will play 16 matches instead of six, after which they will play a one-day game.And despite this delay, the season will still be beginning several months before its usual condensed three-month period between February and May.Cricinfo understands that the full and revised schedule should be available at the end of the week.

Australia are reluctant to change their match-winning combination and are expected to keep their all-pace attack for the Ashes decider at The Oval. While the visitors lean to a four-man seam unit, England remain adamant that they can bounce back from their two-and-a-half day humiliation at Headingley, with their captain, Andrew Strauss, backing the character and balance of the 14-man squad at their disposal.The depth of England’s squad is designed to cover every bowling permutation, from an extra swing bowler in Ryan Sidebottom to the second spinner, Monty Panesar, but with Andrew Flintoff’s right knee showing strong signs of lasting the distance, their range of alterations becomes much clearer. Australia almost carry a closed shop following the victory in Leeds that levelled the series and the most likely line-up includes the quartet of Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and Stuart Clark.Brett Lee is pushing to appear in his first match of the series but his only way back is if Ricky Ponting is convinced there will be considerable reverse-swing during the match.Unfortunately for Lee, The Oval’s groundstaff say the ball has not moved late throughout the season, and the only bare spots that could rough up the ball are on the practice pitches at the edge of the square. Surrey’s cricket manager, Chris Adams, told Cricinfo that this could be due to the Tiflex ball that is currently used instead of the Duke in the second division of the County Championship, but either way it does not bode well for Australia’s pace spearhead.”What we see at the moment is what we expect,” Ponting said at The Oval on Tuesday. “As I said after the Headingley game, we’re going to have to see something really different to change the make-up of the side considering everything worked really well. The wicket looks particularly good and it could dry a little bit.”Usually such a barren pitch would make a spinner a certainty, but Nathan Hauritz chips in with wickets rather than dominating batting orders and the side coped without him in the more seam-friendly conditions in Leeds. Ponting called Hauritz a “very smart and skilful offspinner” and talked up his performance in the tour game in Canterbury, while he also reminded England of Lee’s qualities during a cautious description.”With Brett, his record suggests he is a really striking bowler who can go for a few runs,” Ponting said. “If it looks like it’s going to be really dry and later in the game there might be some reverse-swing, then he’ll come into consideration.” The current forecast, which changes more often than batting gloves late in the game, is for rain on Thursday and sunny intervals over the following three days.Ponting was impressed by the pitch and predicted some big innings during the match, which Australia only need to draw to take the Ashes. He also hoped it would provide pace, bounce and some turn late in the contest. “If you look at the results over the last couple of years there have been big innings – teams have made 600, 580 – and I’d expect at some stage in this game there will be those sorts of innings as well,” he said.Strauss kept his large squad together “in case things go wrong” on Wednesday and refused to rule out the use of two spinners. “It’s definitely an option,” he said of Panesar teaming up with Swann. “It’s a pretty dry wicket. At the moment it looks like a belter, it looks like a great wicket to bat on, but there’s always a chance that it’s going to deteriorate in the back-end of the game.”Whatever changes England make, Strauss will be satisfied if they are planned, unlike the frenetic start to the Headingley Test when Matt Prior, the wicketkeeper, hurt his back in the warm-up. That injury delayed the toss, Strauss was out quickly and England fell for 102 on the way to an innings-and-80-run loss. “I just don’t want a wicketkeeper falling over five minutes before the toss,” he said, hoping for a more sombre lead-up.Regardless of any off-field distractions, however, Strauss is confident that his team will be fully focussed once the action gets underway. “We’ve been through a lot of tough times in the last six to 12 months and generally we’ve come through,” he said. “Guys are holding their heads up and we’re as tight a unit as we were at the start of the series.”I’m absolutely certain that we’re going to go out and play well this week. I’ve got no doubt about it. The crowd are going to get behind us, there’s going to be fantastic support there for us. The guys are going to go out there in the right frame of mind and enjoy their cricket. Pressure is only something you put on yourself. That’s not something that’s going to be pre-occupying us.”

Geoff Boycott has criticised Kevin Pietersen for acting like a “spoilt child” and called for the team management to rein him in. In the first Ashes Test at Cardiff, Pietersen looked well set on 69 when he got out to a paddle-sweep which attracted considerable criticism.”Pietersen is like a spoilt child, the family favourite who can get away with anything because he is the golden boy,” Boycott wrote in the . “Until someone takes the trouble to discipline him he will keep making the same stupid mistakes over and over again.”But Boycott was not confident that England’s captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower were capable of reprimanding Pietersen. “My concern is that there is no one in the England set up who will go up to Pietersen and tell him that this is not good enough,” he said. “Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower are both quiet men and frankly I do not think they have got the courage.”England held on to a draw in the Test after the last-wicket pair of Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar batted out close to 12 overs to save the game. Boycott questioned England’s ability to adapt to different match situations. “The trouble with England’s batsmen is that they are one-dimensional. They only want to play with an attacking mentality, and when they are presented with a situation that demands a different approach, they cannot adapt.”He also came down hard on Strauss’s “shocking” captaincy. “He didn’t open with Andrew Flintoff, even though Flintoff terrorised Simon Katich four years ago and caused all the left-handers problems,” he wrote. “It was obvious England should have opened with Flintoff to see if there was still any psychological damage there. He is also the best bowler.”Strauss then went too defensive too early, stationing too many men on the boundary for bad balls. He does not have a feel for the nuances of the game.”