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Lou Vincent, the New Zealand batsman, is in confident mood ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 though insists that, aged 28, now is the time for him to perform on a consistent basis.”It’s been my downfall before that I throw my bat a bit early on and make a monkey of myself,” he said in Johannesburg on Wednesday, “but in Twenty20 cricket, as an opener, the game is ideally set up for me. The new ball goes further and if I can set the run-rate going at a good rate and lay the platform for a big score then I’ll be satisfied.”If you look in the dictionary under Twenty20, it will probably say ‘a short game. You watch for three hours, you don’t fall asleep and you don’t ever leave your chairs. Three hours of wham! bam!’ That’s probably the longest definition ever in a dictionary and in Latin it probably just says ‘good times’.”But Twenty20 is fast and I’d like to see this tournament played every year.”Vincent is one of New Zealand’s more agile players, and he insists that fielding will have a vital role to play in the ICC World Twenty next week.”Fielding will make a massive difference, especially in a place like Durban,” he said. “It’s a bigger ground and the ball doesn’t travel so far down there on the coast, so it calls for a lot of twos when you are batting. The fielding side has to make sure they have their quicker guys on the boundary to attack the ball. The 10 or 15 runs they can save can be crucial at the end.”Vincent, who made an outstanding start to his international career in 2001, has since struggled to cement his place. Aged 28, he concedes that it’s now or never for him.”Early on, it’s an exciting time in your career and as you progress you have to adapt and learn as you go through all the ups and downs,” he said. “But then you come to the business end of your career when you’ve learnt the game and you need to keep improving. So I’m definitely taking this tournament very seriously, because I know that if I don’t perform I won’t be in the team.”It’s an exciting new era for us, we will miss Stephen Fleming, he obviously played a massive part in this team, but Daniel Vettori is taking over at an appropriate time, he’s been playing international cricket for the last nine or 10 years.”We’re all around 28 or 29 years old and it’s time for us, we’re all coming to the business end of our careers.”

Scorecard

Powered by a six-wicket haul by Lance Hamilton, Central Districts ended the domestic season in style claiming the State Championship title, defeating Wellington, the home side, by 113 runs at the Basin Reserve.Following a delayed start due to rain, Hamilton, the left-arm quick, engineered a dramatic batting collapse as Wellington crashed to 120 all out. It enabled Central Districts to surge to their maiden championship title, since it’s inception in 2001-02.Both sides came into the fifth day with honours even, but Wellington paid the price for not putting together useful partnerships as Hamilton ripped through the middle order. Neal Parlane was the first to be dismissed after a dogged 8 off 52 balls, bowled by Hamilton and he quickly accounted for Grant Elliot and Chris Nevin, caught behind by Bevan Griggs.Michael Parlane and Stu Mills stabilised the innings for a while, stringing together a partnership of 33 for the seventh wicket, but Parlane’s dismissal squandered all hopes of Wellington staging a miraculous comeback. Griggs too rounded up a good day, taking his fourth catch of the innings following Parlane’s dismissal. Michael Mason sent back Mills and Scott Rasmussen and Hamilton struck the final blow, dismissing Dewayne Bowden to finish with figures of 6 for 34.

Matthew Hoggard will have his back injury reassessed on Monday and is a doubtful starter for the second Test against India at Trent Bridge, starting July 27, after an MRI scan revealed irritation in a disc in his back.Hoggard was ruled out of the first Test currently underway at Lord’s after being sent to hospital following a back spasm. “His rehabilitation will be closely monitored over the next five days and he will be re-assessed by ECB medical staff on Monday,” the ECB said.”I feel mightily peeved,” Hoggard said in . “I bowled three balls and couldn’t run in to bowl any more. I kicked some stumps — not too hard or I could have ended up in traction — and realised straightaway that I wouldn’t be playing in the Test match.”Chris Tremlett was called up to replace Hoggard and made his debut today at the expense of Stuart Broad, the young Leicestershire fast bowler who many had tipped to play ahead of himEngland are now left without a single member of the 2005 bowling attack that won the Ashes. Andrew Flintoff is continuing his recovery from ankle surgery, Simon Jones is still only appearing in occasional one-day matches for Glamorgan and Ashley Giles is ruled out of another summer. It will also be the first time since the Oval Test against Australia in 2001 that none of Hoggard, Steve Harmison or Flintoff have lined up in a Test.However, Michael Vaughan would rather view the situation as a challenge than a concern. “It’s new and exciting to see,” he said. “It’s a brand new attack with no Harmison, Flintoff, Giles or Simon Jones. We had a great attack in 2005, but it’s new and exciting for us all to see how they react to playing in front of a lot of people, against a very good batting team. It’s going to be a great challenge for whoever plays.”While England have suffered a run of injuries to their bowlers in the last couple of years, Hoggard remained a constant member of the attack for 40 consecutive games until missing the final Ashes Test at Sydney in January. Since then he has also been hit by a run of injuries and missed two Tests against West Indies after picking up a groin strain at Lord’s in May.

Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif have been acquitted by the tribunal appointed to review their appeals against the drugs ban imposed on them by an earlier committee. The three-man committee, headed by Justice Fakhruddin Ebrahim, voted two to one in favour of the acquittal. Haseeb Ahsan, former Test cricketer, and Ebrahim were in favour of the acquittal while the third member, Danish Zaheer, dissented.”This appeal committee holds that Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif will not be deemed to have committed a doping offence,” Ibrahim told reporters in Karachi. “The ban and punishment imposed by the earlier tribunal is hereby set aside as being contrary to the provision of laws.”A 30-page plus judgement (to read the full text of the judgement click here) for released by the committee detailed the reasons for their decision and though they are extensive, one significant theme that emerges from it is problems with the workings of the previous committee.In particular, concern has been raised over the fact that while the original body was constituted to work within the guidelines of the PCB’s anti-doping policy, the punishment it decreed – and the benchmarks it derived them from – were based on the ICC’s anti-doping regulations.The ruling concludes that both players were able to prove ‘exceptional circumstances’, in that neither was fully aware of the substances they were taking. Crucially, it points out that ‘exceptional circumstances’, as defined by the PCB and the ICC were signficantly different and that while the previous committee used ICC’s definition of the term, it was bound to use the PCB’s.The role of the PCB in ensuring their players were not only fully aware of banned substances but also understood the literature that they had been provided has also been highlighted in the report. “It is plainly evident that neither Shoaib Akhtar nor Mohammad Asif were ever warned or cautioned against taking supplements,” the judgement reads.”Hence, this committee is of the considered view that both players have successfully established that they held an honest and reasonable belief that the supplements ingested by them did not contain any prohibited substances.”The report also includes an 11-page note of dissent from Zaheer, the third member of the committee. He points out flaws in the testing procedures carried out by the PCB and argues, on that basis, that the whole process should be repeated, new samples provided and fresh verdicts given.Bilal Minto, one of the lawyers representing Shoaib, told Cricinfo that the decision was a good one, but highlighted that the PCB had also let down the players. “We are very happy about the judgement obviously. But it is clear that the PCB’s level of educating players about anti-doping legislation is poor. As lawyers, even we struggled to make sense of their anti-doping regulations so expecting players to be able to understand it is not right.”Shoaib, banned for two years, and Asif, for one year, appealed after they were found guilty for testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone in dope tests that were internally conducted by the PCB at the end of September.

The ICC did not have any immediate reaction. “Malcolm Speed is currently in Uganda and we can’t comment on the issue unless we have all the details,” said Brian Murgatroyd, the ICC spokesman. “We need to go through the judgement and also get the PCB’s version before making any comment.”The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), in charge of monitoring drugs in sport, said they needed to discuss the matter with the ICC. Frederic Donze, their media relations officer, told Cricinfo: “We will now review the reasons for the decision, liaise with the ICC and consider whether to exercise its right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”The original tribunal which had imposed the ban was chaired by barrister Shahid Hamid and included Intikhab Alam, the former Pakistan captain, and Waqar Ahmed, a doping expert.

Lancashire’s coach Mike Watkinson has signed a contract extension which will keep him at Old Trafford until the end of the 2009 season. Watkinson who has been with the club since 1982 and captained Lancashire to three trophies in the 1990s is in his fifth season as cricket manager.”There is a fine balance at Lancashire between trying to ensure immediate success and building for the future, that is something we have worked hard and carefully to achieve and this season has seen we are on the right track,” he said. “The Lancashire ECB Academy is well established, we continue to be the best at producing players for England at all levels, and we have a highly competitive squad with a great team spirit. Now we can carry on in the same vein and hopefully reap the rewards over the next few years.””We are delighted that Mike has accepted this opportunity to take the club forward,” said Jim Cumbes, the county’s chief executive. “When he was first appointed, he became our first full time cricket manager with the responsibility of looking at our whole cricketing set up and pulling it together. We believe that he has done a great job.”

The sun is hot in Chennai, but the Australians know it well. They have played some tough games here – they tied a historic Test in 1986, when Chennai was Madras and Dean Jones battled fatigue, cramps and dehydration to make a double-century. They were beaten in 1998, when Shane Warne followed up 4 for 85 with 1 for 122 as Sachin Tendulkar followed up 4 with 155. And they were beaten again in 2001, heartbreakingly so, when a win in the first Test at Mumbai wasn’t enough to win the series, and a Matthew Hayden double-century in the first innings wasn’t enough to make up for what Harbhajan Singh did to the other batsmen. This time, though, it is different.”Just as the Indians are hungry for success,” said Adam Gilchrist on the day before the Test, “so are we.”The Australians have come to India chastised by their loss last time, and having learnt from their mistakes. They showed as much at Bangalore, eschewing all-out attack, for so long their chosen approach to the game, for a more considered way of playing. They have a plan for every bowler, and in how to maximise the conditions – and nowhere was this more apparent than in Adam Gilchrist’s abstaining from playing the sweep until he had made 87. They have a plan for every batsman, and the men to execute that plan to perfection, as Glenn McGrath demonstrated by bowling as well as he ever has – and that is saying a lot. There wasn’t a single weak link in the Australian side, and not a man who didn’t know what his job was, or lacked the ability to do it.When you play in Chennai, of course, you don’t just play the other side, you battle the conditions as well. “It [Chennai] is more demanding physically,” said Gilchrist. “If you’re physically exhausted, mentally you start to whine as well. We’re aware of that. We’ve played a lot of cricket on the subcontinent now, and we fully understand and expect the conditions to be tough, and hopefully we’ve prepared appropriately.”Gilchrist wasn’t worried about the pitch either, which is expected to take more and more turn as the match goes along, and offer substantial bounce to the bowlers. “There’s a lot of talk about the extra bounce in the wicket,” he said, “which is obviously going to pose more of a threat for us. Harbhajan and Anil [Kumble] are spin bowlers who rely as much on bounce as on sideways movement. Hopefully it’ll have a positive effect for Warnie, and I feel without doubt that it’s a positive thing for our fast bowlers. We’re born and bred on bouncier tracks.”There has been much talk that the toss in Chennai may be crucial, but both Gilchrist and Sourav Ganguly brushed that suggestion aside. “Whether you bat first or second,” said Gilchrist, “you have to score a big total in your first innings. You can’t allow a huge gap between you and your opposition. I think that’s where we won the game in Bangalore, not only in scoring 400 but by bowling the Indians out in the first innings.”Ganguly, speaking to reporters after a net session, reiterated that point, saying that the toss would not decide the game. “To win a Test, you have to put 400 on the board in the first innings.” But while these words mirrored Gilchrist’s, his demeanour did not. Gilchrist was calm and assured when he met the press, while Ganguly seemed in a hurry to get it over with. Gilchrist was clear about Australia’s game plan and team composition, Ganguly was anything but.”Kaif will play,” he said, when asked about the team, and when asked to elaborate, he said that Kaif would “bat in the middle order”. While Ganguly would not be drawn on whom Kaif might replace, murmurs from within the Indian camp indicated that Aakash Chopra was likely to make way. The buzz was that Yuvraj Singh would open with Virender Sehwag. Gilchrist was sanguine about that prospect. “We’ve got a plan for Yuvraj,” he said, “wherever he bats in the order.”Ganguly does have another stopgap opening option open to him: Parthiv Patel opening. Yuvraj and Patel, incidentally, were the first two Indian batsmen to get a session in the nets in the morning. Of course, India’s bevy of out-of-form under-confident batsmen wasn’t Ganguly’s only problem – he had effectively been a bowler short at Bangalore, with Zaheer Khan bowling in a lacklustre manner, perhaps lacking full fitness, certainly lacking intensity. But Ganguly refused to accept that the Indian bowlers had fallen short and, when asked if Ajit Agarkar would replace Zaheer, insisted that Zaheer would play.Despite the conditions and the heat – not Chennai’s worst, more sapping than searing – Australia are favourites to win the second Test. Everyone in their side performed well at Bangalore, while India carried passengers. Ganguly’s batsmen were diffident, and his bowling attack was one good man short. Of course, India have been in just such a position in the past, against Australia, and they have fought back. But Australia are prepared for it this time.”I’ve been in this situation before,” said Gilchrist, “where they’ve had a loss, and a lot of ex-players have come out and spoken harshly of them, everyone’s got an opinion on them, who should go and who should stay … we’ve been here before, and we’ve seen them fight back.” But Australia, Gilchrist insisted, were more prepared this time. That hot wind, well, it can huff and it can puff but the Aussies will not let it blow their house down.

Mohan de Silva, a former president and secretary of Sri Lanka Cricket, and Jayantha Dharmadasa, the current interim chairman, will both be standing in the forthcoming cricket board elections to be held on July 15. De Silva and Dharmadasa will be competing with Minister Sripathi Sooriarachchi for the highly coveted position of board president.De Silva – closely aligned with former president Thilanga Sumathipala in the past – was proposed for the elections by the Cricket Committee of the Sinhalese Sports Club. The club also proposed Michael de Zoysa and Nuski Mohomed as board secretary and treasurer respectively.De Silva’s likely backing by Sumathipala makes him the clear frontrunner to win the elections. Sumathipala and his allies have won all the elections contested since the 1996 World Cup. Their terms of office have been broken only by periodic Interim Committees appointed by the government.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Matthew Hayden ended the biggest drought of his career with a courageous century, and Justin Langer completed a hundred of his own as well, as Australia’s batsmen continued to pile on the pressure in their last-ditch attempt to snatch the Ashes from England’s grasp. But, for the second day running, the issue was not so much the runs compiled but the time lost to rain and bad light. By the end of a stop-start day in which just 45.4 overs were possible, Australia closed on 277 for 2, still 96 runs adrift of England’s first-innings 373.For the second day running, play ended in unexpected fashion, as Australia’s batsmen took an offer for bad light with 5.2 overs still remaining. The subtext was clear. Australia intend to build as big a first innings as possible, and unleash Shane Warne on the final day with eight men round the bat and the entire hopes of a country crushing down on the England batsmen’s shoulders.The day may have been dominated by rain, but it belonged unequivocally to Hayden. After a half-hour delay that set the benchmark for the day’s proceedings, he resumed his innings on 32 not out, a performance that had been perhaps the most tortuous of his 71-Test career. By lunch, however, he was growing in confidence on 60 not out, his bullying instincts reawakened by a crunching pull off Steve Harmison’s first delivery of the day, and a flogged drive for four off Matthew Hoggard. Tellingly, he had acknowledged neither the crowd nor his team-mates upon reaching his first half-century of the series, and his hundred duly arrived from 218 balls, with a trademark straight drive off Andrew Flintoff.

Though the scoreline would not suggest it, England’s bowlers remained disciplined and stuck to their guns on a pitch that has remained true throughout. Revelling in the overcast conditions, Hoggard was the pick of England’s bowlers in the morning. He should have struck with his first ball of the morning, but umpire Billy Bowden turned down an excruciating lbw appeal with Langer on 75. While Hoggard was probing away, Australia were never able to settle.Chaotic calling nearly resulted in a run-out as Langer found himself nose-to-nose with his partner at the same end of the pitch, while Hayden also survived a tight lbw call off Hoggard on 41. But slowly but surely, Australia manoeuvred themselves towards a position of potency, with Langer finally securing the hundred that his tenacious batting has deserved all summer, with a steer for four through third man off Harmison.Langer’s innings, however, wouldn’t last much longer than that. Only 34 balls were possible in a brief flurry after lunch, but in that time, Harmison rediscovered the rhythm and raucous lift that has eluded him for much of this series. Langer fenced a searing lifter over the slips for four to bring up 7000 Test runs, but in the same over he was gone, bowled off the inside-edge for a gutsy and brilliant 105.That proved to be the last act of the session. A violent cloudburst drenched the covers and led to a two-hour rain delay, but upon the resumption, Harmison was straight back into his zone, troubling Ricky Ponting with his extra lift and venom, before cramping Hayden with a tight line across his pads. Though he did not add to his wickets tally, he demonstrated that England’s resolve would not be buckled, in spite of the mounting tension.

In previous games, the time would have been ripe for a spell from Simon Jones at the other end, but instead Ashley Giles came on to apply a stranglehold and allow Flintoff to rest up for a burst of his own, as England realised that restricting the runs was of equal importance to wickets. Even so, Giles could have dismissed Ponting for 13, but Bowden this time failed to spot a faint inside-edge on a bat-pad opportunity.Sure enough, when Flintoff’s spell arrived he did not disappoint. With an hour of play remaining, Ponting hadn’t banked on Flintoff getting so much bounce from a ball that was now 72 overs old, and jerked his head back in surprise to Flintoff’s second delivery, for a diving Andrew Strauss to hold onto a fine catch in the gully. Australia’s quest for parity by the close had suffered a big setback, and as a pumped-up Flintoff tormented Damien Martyn’s outside edge, they opted to baton down the hatches, and come out fighting on the fourth day instead.By rights, Australia should be waltzing to victory in this game, and with almost 200 overs still remaining in the match, there is plenty time yet for them to turn the screw some more. But with more unsettled weather in the offing for tomorrow, the players appear to be bracing themselves for the fourth consecutive nerve-jangler of an unforgettable summer. Hayden, unbeaten on 110 at the close, epitomised an Australian team that had regained its composure and confidence. England – and the elements – have their work cut out over the next two days.

AustraliaJustin Langer b Harmison 105 (185 for 1)
Cramped for room, bowled off inside-edgeRicky Ponting c Strauss b Flintoff 35 (264 for 2)
Surprised by extra bounce, sliced push to gully

With the recriminations well underway from an Ashes defeat, compounded by the fallout from some rather embarrassing off-field shenanigans, England were momentarily feeling the Christmas cheer at a heaving MCG on the biggest day in Australian cricket.But not for the first time this series, England could not capitalise on a position of strength as they trailed by 42 runs on the first innings – a seemingly sizeable deficit given the bowler-friendly conditions. By the end of a madcap opening day of the Boxing Day Test, England once again have their backs against the wall.A ground record crowd of 94,119, surpassing the 2015 World Cup final for the biggest attendance, saw an astonishing 20 wickets fall – the most on an opening day at an Ashes MCG Test since 1901-02.Reminiscent of the first Test in Perth, the match is moving at warp speed on a surface that is set to attract scrutiny. With 10mm of grass left on the pitch by curator Matt Page, the wickedly seaming conditions made batting extremely difficult with Usman Khawaja the only batter to face more than 50 deliveries. No England batter faced more than 40 balls with only three making more than five runs.England’s bid to halt Australia’s push for a 5-0 whitewash did start well with Josh Tongue starring with 5 for 45. After being sent in, Australia were bundled out for 152 from just 45.2 overs amid overcast and cool morning conditions. It was their third-shortest innings in a home Ashes Test but the total was made to look formidable with England crashing to 16 for 4 when Joe Root walked off after a 15-ball duck.Harry Brook then produced the most extraordinary counterattack, top-scoring with 41 off 34 balls as he audaciously danced down the wicket, reviving Bazball along the way amid an increasingly febrile atmosphere.But his cavalier knock didn’t last long enough as recalled Michael Neser and hometown hero Scott Boland combined for seven wickets as England were bowled out just before stumps.Josh Tongue salutes the crowd after his five-wicket haul•Getty Images

To cap a whirlwind day, Australia had to face one over before the close with Boland opening alongside Travis Head in place of Jake Weatherald. He faced the entire over, but only just survived after Jacob Bethell dropped a tough chance at fifth slip before he hit a boundary to bring the curtain down on a dramatic day.In seam-friendly, overcast conditions reminiscent of the 2010 Boxing Day Test – fond memories for England – one suspected that Ben Stokes was much more enthusiastic to win this toss compared to a couple of others earlier in the series.But his mood soured quickly with 27 of Australia’s 72 runs in the session scored in the first six overs. Brydon Carse was the culprit with his forgettable opening spell starting off with a front-foot no-ball. Things did not improve with Carse wasting the new ball and conceding three boundaries in the fifth over.England were in danger of wilting early before Gus Atkinson was rewarded for tight lengths when he had Head dragging onto his stumps in a similar dismissal to the backend of the second Test.It was a tonic for Atkinson, who had been dropped for the third Test after a luckless start to the series – a selection decision that had raised the eyebrows of the Australia camp.Atkinson received strong support from Tongue, who had a simple game plan that perhaps England’s quicks should have implemented earlier in the series – pitch the ball full outside off stump. His eight-over spell yielded 3 for 24 to put England well on top at lunch.Tongue had initial good fortune when he had Weatherald strangled down the leg side. It continued a strange run of dismissals to start the Test career of Weatherald, who has not quite bedded down his spot despite a fluent 72 in Brisbane.Tongue then removed Marnus Labuschagne and skipper Steven Smith, back in the side after being unwell to play the third Test, with top-shelf full-length deliveries. Labuschagne’s long Test century drought continued after edging a drive to first slip before Smith’s middle stump was knocked over having loosely attempted a booming drive.

It continued Tongue’s mastery over Smith across formats, having dismissed him in every innings from five games. Retaining his spot in the middle-order in favour of Josh Inglis, Khawaja and the in-form Alex Carey managed to get through to lunch in a session Stokes only deployed his three pace bowlers.Stokes came into the attack after the interval as the ground suddenly became bathed in sunshine to suggest that batting might become slightly easier in the afternoon. Khawaja carried over his form from Adelaide and rolled past 8000 career Test runs before nicking off to Atkinson in an overturned decision – the latest example of him being troubled by quicks bowling around the wicket.Carey has been a thorn for England through the series, but Stokes had him hitting straight to leg gully in a well-executed plan. Neser then dominated a 52-run partnership with Cameron Green, who entered under pressure having been demoted down the order after clinging onto his spot in the XI.Green was mostly content with hanging in there, but Neser decided to counterattack and it was a plan that worked well as he clubbed Tongue for three consecutive boundaries in a rare period of batter dominance.But Australia collapsed after Green ran himself out on 17, following a direct throw from a swift-moving Carse, who was perhaps fortunate to later dismiss Mitchell Starc after seemingly overstepping.England were buoyed as they walked off the field but knew the job was not nearly done given the surface, Australia’s vaunted pace attack and also their own batting frailties.Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley got through the first couple of overs unscathed before the mayhem started. Capping off a horror week amid the fallout from Noosa, Duckett gifted Starc another early wicket after tamely hitting straight to mid-on.Related

• Brook transcends brain rot (briefly) to give England glimmer

• 'I dreamt of this as a kid' – Neser emerges as Australia's unlikely Ashes hero

• Ashes fallout: Key to investigate whether England's drinking went too far in Noosa

• You're it, Ben Duckett, but England's problems aren't about one man

• Australia lock in all-pace attack for 'quite green' MCG pitch

Recalled into the side – playing his fourth career Test match but first without the pink ball – Neser’s seam-bowling prowess saw him open the bowling to devastating effect.He was all over Root and Bethell, who both were reduced to being lame ducks by the ball darting off the surface. Bethell’s much-hyped inclusion, finally replacing maligned No. 3 Ollie Pope, failed to materialise as he nicked off for 1 before Root also succumbed to Neser in similar fashion.In the midst of all that, Starc added to his extraordinary series after Crawley edged to Smith at second slip before Brook for an hour had the fans in the palm of his hands.There was drama on almost every delivery he faced, starting off from the very first ball when Brook charged Starc only to fail to connect. That did not deter him and he doubled down on the tactic in an effort to knock the bowlers off their lengths.England finally had a batter in double-figures when Brook charged down the pitch and snicked Neser past Green’s outstretched arms at gully. He best stroke was a bludgeoning blow for six off Starc over extra cover and he also pulled Boland into the crowd.But Boland got his revenge when he had Brook trapped plumb lbw to trigger another collapse. It was a field day for Australia’s quicks except for Jhye Richardson, who went wickletless from just four overs in his return to Test cricket since his last match in the 2021-22 Ashes series.Atkinson added some invaluable runs to ensure England at least reached triple-figures, a landmark that was enthusiastically celebrated by the Barmy Army. But it was little solace for the embattled tourists who are again on the back foot in a match that might not last longer than two days.

Scorecard

A convincing display with both bat and ball helped the ICL Pakistan XI pull off a comfortable win over the ICL World XI in their opening game of the tournament in Hyderabad.World XI had outclassed their Indian counterparts on Wednesday, but Pakistan XI turned out to be a much tougher opponents. Chris Cairns, the World XI captain, chose to bat, and openers Matthew Elliott and Ian Harvey got their side off to a brisk start.But once the first wicket fell with the score at 41, Pakistan XI managed to pick up another two for the addition of six runs. In the 14th over half the World XI side had been dismissed with just 80 on board, with offspinner Arshad Khan taking three wickets in his four overs, Shahid Nazir picking the other two.Lou Vincent and Russel Arnold put on a 32-run stand before Abdul Razzaq struck off the final two deliveries of the 17th over. Naved-ul-Hasan scalped two lower-order wickets as World XI were restricted to 130 in their 20 overs.The Pakistan XI openers then put the match in the bag with a commanding 119-run partnership. Imran Nazir scored 69 off 62, including eight fours and a six, before throwing away his wicket in sight of victory to the part-time bowling of Elliott. Razzaq remained unbeaten on 55 off 42, with three fours and three sixes, as Pakistan XI romped to a nine-wicket win, the second in a row for the side batting second.