Champions League T20

The 12 teams that have qualified for the inaugural $6 million prize money Airtel Champions League Twenty20 will receive a participation fee of $5,00,000 each.

Sussex Sharks and Somerset Sabres were the last two teams to qualify from England. The winner of the competition to be played from October 8 to 23 in India will receive $3 million.

Since Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings – finalists of the DLF-IPL season I in 2008 — had qualified for the Champions League T20 that was cancelled because of the terror attack in Mumbai, they will receive a compensation of around Rs. 22 crore each.

The CLT20 Governing Council has said that nine players have qualified for their home and away (IPL) team. The council has clarified that if a player decides to play for an ‘away’ team rather than his ‘home’ team’ — the team from the country he is eligible to represent in international cricket — the ‘away’ team shall pay $2,00,000 compensation to the ‘home’ team’.

Herschelle Gibbs (Deccan Chargers) has decided to play for Cape Cobras and Ferveez Maharoof (Delhi Daredevils) for Wayamba.

Nathan Bracken (NSW Blues, RC Bangalore), Brendon McCullum (Otago Bolts, NSW Blues), Dirk Nannes (Victorian Bushrangers, Delhi Daredevils), David Warner (NSW Blues, Delhi Daredevils), Cameron White (Victorian Bushrangers, RC Bangalore), Andrew McDonald (Victorian Bushrangers, Delhi Daredevils), Dwayne Smith (Deccan Chargers, Sussex Sharks) have yet to take a decision on which team they would be playing for.

Otago Bolts has selected McCullum in its squad though.

The Governing Council has also said that members of each team’s initial squad must have either played for or must have been contracted to play for his nominating team in the most recent qualifying Twenty20 competition played by that team. “Once a team names its initial squad, CLT20 will assess which players have been listed for two or more teams.

“Players who have been nominated by multiple teams will then be contacted by CLT20 to nominate their chosen team.

“Players will then be given 24 hours to determine which team they wish to represent,” said Dean Kino, CLT20 Governing Council Member and Director of Legal and Business Affairs.

Mendis to join Hampshire

Ajantha Mendis, the Sri Lankan spinner, has been signed by Hampshire to play in the 2010 season. He will take over from Imran Tahir, who is due to return to The Rose Bowl in 2011, depending on his international commitments.

"Ajantha Mendis is the most exciting new bowler to explode onto the world stage since Shane Warne," said Rod Bransgrove, Hampshire chairman. "We are particularly excited that he has decided to join Hampshire having been courted by a number of counties over the past few months."

Mendis, 24, has played eight Test Matches for Sri Lanka, taking 39 wickets with career-best figures of 6 for 117 against India. He also won the ICC Emerging Player of the Year in 2008.

Sussex claim Twenty20 Cup

Sussex 172 for 7 (Smith 59) beat Somerset 109 (Kirtley 3-9, Beer 2-29) by 63 runs. MoM:Dwayne Smith...

Sussex secured the Twenty20 Cup for the first time as their spinners followed up a hard-hitting display from Dwayne Smith, who clubbed 59 off 26 balls, to complete a 63-run thrashing of Somerset. When Marcus Trescothick launched Somerset's pursuit of 173 the chase looked easy, but he fell for 33 and scoring became increasingly tough on a wearing surface.

The victory compensates handsomely for Sussex's Friends Provident Final defeat at the hands of Hampshire last month and they have also turned the tables on the curse of the first semi-finalists on Finals Day. Only on one previous occasion, in 2006, had the team winning the first semi gone on to claim the title. Sides have often found it difficult to lift themselves again after the downtime, but Sussex had no such problem.

On a day when overseas and senior talent played leading roles, the performance of Will Beer, the 20-year-old legspinner, was worthy of many plaudits as he claimed two key middle-order scalps in a nerveless display. If it hadn't been for Peter Trego, Beer's figures would have been exemplary.

Sussex's bowlers were supported by confident catching - not always easy under the less-powerful floodlights - with Rory-Hamilton Brown steadying himself under three, including the crucial one of Trescothick. However, the pick of the catches came from the captain, Michael Yardy, who plucked out Zander de Bruyn's drive at extra cover. With that went any faint hopes of a Somerset fightback. "It was a team performance," Yardy said, "I don't think anyone had a bad game."

Dravid returns to one-day squad

Rahul Dravid has, as expected, made a return to India's ODI plans with his inclusion in the squad for the tri-series in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy next month. Dravid replaces Rohit Sharma, who managed 15 runs in three ODI innings in the West Indies and 43 runs in three innings against major opposition in the World Twenty20. The selectors didn't risk taking Virender Sehwag, who is yet to fully recover from his shoulder injury, to the Champions Trophy. He was not expected to make it to the Sri Lanka tri-series anyway.

Dravid last played an ODI for India in October 2007, but his form in the second IPL season in South Africa - where the Champions Trophy will be held - and the vulnerability of India's younger middle-order batsmen in the recent World Twenty20 prompted the selectors to fall back on his experience and technique.

Sachin Tendulkar, who had opted out of the West Indies ODIs, makes a comeback. Suresh Raina, who was out because of a hairline fracture of the thumb, also returns. Amit Mishra breaks into the ODI squad, replacing Pragyan Ojha as the back-up spinner to Harbhajan Singh, on the back of his impressive showings in the IPL and the Emerging Players Tournament in Australia.

Terming Dravid as "one of the best players India has produced", Harbhajan Singh welcomed his and Tendulkar's return. "We have some senior players like Tendulkar and Dravid back in the side, so we have the required experience," he said. "It is important to do well as after the tri-series, we have important tournament like Champions Trophy coming up. Responsibility will be there on all the players."

Dinesh Karthik, who came in for the West Indies ODIs as replacement for Sehwag, and Abhishek Nayar, who edged out Ravindra Jadeja, have retained their places.

Kris Srikkanth, the chairman of selectors, said it was the "best possible Indian team". "It's a very balanced team and we are confident they would go on to win the Champions Trophy in South Africa," Srikkanth said.

India one-day squad: Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra, RP Singh, Amit Mishra, Dinesh Karthik, and Abhishek Nayar

Charles Coventry equals ODI highest Individual Score!!!!

Bangladesh 313 for 6 (Tamim 154, Price 3-60) beat Zimbabwe 312 for 8 (Coventry 194*) by four wickets.
Charles Coventry made the joint highest individual score in an ODI but his effort was outweighed by a sparkling, cool-headed century from Tamim Iqbal, who broke the record for the most runs made in an innings by a Bangladesh batsman. Coventry's blockbuster innings pushed Zimbabwe beyond 300, far more than Bangladesh have chased before, but the visitors were rarely troubled as they hunted down the target to take their third consecutive series.Charles Coventry made the joint highest individual score in an ODI but his effort was outweighed by a sparkling, cool-headed century from Tamim Iqbal, who broke the record for the most runs made in an innings by a Bangladesh batsman. Coventry's blockbuster innings pushed Zimbabwe beyond 300, far more than Bangladesh have chased before, but the visitors were rarely troubled as they hunted down the target to take their third consecutive series.

A prickly situation for champions league T20....

Northamptonshire will face Sussex in one of the semi-finals of the ECB’s Twenty20 championship on August 15 and should it enter the final to be played at Birmingham on the same day, the English county will be disqualified from the Champions League Twenty20 be played in India from October 8 to 23.

“Should Northants qualify for the final, it will be not allowed to take part in the CLT20 in India. In that event only one team from England will be allowed to play in the CLT20,” said Lalit Modi, Chairman, CLT20 league.

Nicky Boje is the captain of the Northants team and other members of the team are South Africans Andrew Hall and J J van der Wath.

Michael Owen-Smith, Media Officer of the Cricket South Africa told The Hindu that he understands that the three have cut links with ICL, but Cricket South Africa has set a six month cool off period.

Meanwhile, according to Tony Irish, CEO of the South Africa Cricketers Association, Van der Wath, Boje and Kemp have applied for reinstatement with CSA and have been cleared subject to the cooling off period of 6 months which will happen by the start of the CSA season. “The Champions League also have to clear them. No ICL player including the cleared ones will be allowed to play in the Champions League this year for England qualifiers as it would prejudice teams from other countries who have not been able to use them.

“In other words the earliest Van der Wath, Boje and Kemp can qualify for the Champions League is in 2010,” said Irish.

Mr. Modi hinted that a fourth IPL team may be accommodated in the event of Northants’ disqualification, but things would become clear after August 15 once the results of the ECB Twenty20 semifinals are known.

“We would not like to dilute the CLT20 with a fourth Indian team,” said a BCCI official.

But the circumstances may create an opportunity for Chennai Super Kings — finalist in IPL season I and semifinalist in IPL season II — to claim for an entry into the CLT20 league.

IPL-III to start in Hyderabad

Title holder Deccan Chargers will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at Hyderabad in the opening match of the 60-match IPL season 3 to be played from March 12 to April 25, 2010. This was announced by Lalit Modi, Chairman of the IPL Governing Council here on Monday.

The additional match will be a play–off for the third and fourth position between the losing semifinalists.

It was also announced that Mumbai Indians will play a few matches at Nagpur, Deccan Chargers at Visakhapatnam, Kings XI Punjab at Dharamsala and Rajasthan Royals at Ahmedabad.

Modi also announced that in 2011 two more franchise teams would be added to make for 10 teams and playing 94 matches in 12 centres.

The governing council has also in principle decided to provide an opportunity for former ICL players to feature from the 2009 event.

“The BCCI had taken a decision that the former rebel players, who accepted the amnesty offer by May 31, will not be allowed entry into the IPL for 12 months.

“But the Working Committee here on Thursday is likely to allow them and issue guidelines.

It’s been proposed that they should not be paid lower than Rs. 8 lakh and in excess of Rs. 20 lakh. It’s up to the BCCI to draft the guidelines and identify players in the two categories.

“If a franchise had signed in a player from the former ICL group, it will be treated as null and void,” said Modi.

Revealing that the expenses for season II held in South Africa were much higher, Mr. Modi said the modalities of making up the shortfall of the eight franchises will be addressed at a meeting next week with the team owners.

“The prices of tickets were much lower than it was in India in 2008 and the capacity at each ground in South Africa was lower than the venues in India. Taking all this into account we will work out ways to meet the shortfall of the team owners. The IPL will try to understand all factors and cover the shortfall.”

A significant change has also been made to the strategic time out (seven and half minutes after the first 10 overs in South Africa) for the season III next year. The fielding captain will have the option to take a two and half minute STO between the 6th and 10th overs and the batsman will have the option to take a two and half minute STO between the 11th and 16th overs.

Among other decisions taken were: IPL will use the services of ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit; Transfer window from December 15 to January 5, 2010; All capped international players will have to go through an auction that will be decided in consultation with the franchises; IPL to maintain $ 7 million cap at the auction; Players to obtain NOC from member countries of ICC every year.

This is to maintain the paramount nature of the ICC’s Future Tour Programme (FTP); Icon player status to be abolished.

Eight players undergo fitness tests

Eight cricketers, including skipper M.S. Dhoni, went through a fitness test under the supervision of coach Gary Kirsten at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on Monday.

The tests were basically a platform for Kirsten to interact with the players who have had a rare lay-off for more than a month.

Apart from Dhoni, the others who attended the fitness drill were Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, R.P. Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Praveen Kumar, Suresh Raina and Ishant Sharma.

The three-hour tests were for players from North, Central and East Zones. Yuvraj Singh will attend the session in Mumbai on Tuesday with players from West and South. Virender Sehwag, recovering from a shoulder injury, was not present.

The focus was on sprint repeat, a drill that involves assessment of strong strides. The weather was not really amiable for such a fitness drill and the players too were hardly excited. Most of them have been training regularly during the one-month lay-off with concentration on gym work.

As Kirsten noted at the end of the session, the idea was to assess their physical condition.

He said the results of this test would be compared with the results of tests to be taken at the National Cricket Academy during the four-day preparatory camp from August 27 for the three-nation tournament in Sri Lanka to be held from Sept. 8.

This is the beginning of our preparations for the coming season,” said Kirsten, expressing satisfaction with the way the players responded.

Australia level with crushing win

Australia 445 (North 110, Clarke 93, Ponting 78, Broad 6-91) beat England 102 and 263 (Swann 62, Broad 61, Johnson 5-69, Hilfenhaus 4-60) by an innings and 80 runs. MoM: Marcus North.

Australia required a session and six overs on the third day at Headingley to wrap up a thumping innings-and-80-run victory against England, and so draw level at 1-1 in the Ashes with just the fifth Test at The Oval to come in a fortnight's time. Mitchell Johnson had the honour of sewing up the contest with his fifth wicket of a resurgent performance, when he bowled Graham Onions for a duck to confirm his return to his best and most hostile form, and underline the fact that Australia have suddenly emerged as firm favourites to complete their 10th Ashes victory in their last 11 contests.

It was not, however, a day that went entirely to plan for Australia, who were frustrated - not for the first time in the series - by England's tail, not least Stuart Broad, who added a boundary-laden 61 from 49 balls to his earlier six-wicket haul, as he became the first England cricketer to achieve such an Ashes double since Darren Gough at Sydney in 1994-95.

Saqlain appointed New Zealand's spin consultant

Saqlain Musthaq, the former Pakistan and Surrey offspinner, has been appointed as spin consultant by New Zealand Cricket (NZC) for the next 12 months. Saqlain's first assignment will be New Zealand's six-week tour of Sri Lanka.

"New Zealand Cricket has an agreement with Saqlain Mushtaq who will work with the Blackcaps over the next 12 months," Stephen Hill, the NZC spokesperson said. "His experience as a spin bowler is considered to be of significant assistance."

In addition to working with the spinners, Saqlain will divulge his vast knowledge of playing in the subcontinent to the New Zealand batsmen, many of whom have never played in this part of the world. "He will be working with both our bowlers and batsmen, usually for a few days at a time during the team's international series over that period," Hill said.

Saqlain initially worked with the team at a training session in Derby, during the ICC World Twenty20, helping the team in preparation for its league game against Sri Lanka.

Saqlain said he was invited by New Zealand coach Andy Moles to join the team during the tournament. "He wanted me to help the batsmen play spinners like Murali [Muttiah Muralitharan] and [Ajantha] Mendis," Saqlain told Cricinfo in London, before taking off to Sri Lanka. He also had a chat with Daniel Vettori and the other spinners on spin bowling, and discussed the thought process and preparation a spinner goes through. After that NZC got in touch with his agent Eddie Tolchard to broker a long-term relationship.

Saqlain, once a prolific offspinner with 496 victims in both Test and ODI versions, played his last Test for Pakistan in 2004, and was pushed out of contention once the selectors favoured the allround skills of Shoaib Malik. Recently his decision to join the ICL forced him to quit Surrey and brought an end to his 11-year stint in the English domestic circuit.

Saqlain's foremost advice to New Zealand bowlers before the Sri Lanka tour is that bowling in the subcontinent is a "mental battle". To be on top of the opponent, Saqlain said the bowlers would need to "understand" and "control" their skills. He said the main reason he was brought on board was to help New Zealand neuter the danger posed by Murali and Mendis.

During his June visit to the team Saqlain had already pointed out the flaw most batsmen commit when facing the doosra. "I watched the [New Zealand] batsmen in the nets and told them where exactly they committed the mistake. They were not picking the ball at the point of release," Saqlain said. He told them they could still pick it in the air even if it was a bit late. If they couldn't do that, too, then they could read it off the pitch after the ball landed but that, according to Saqlain, is playing too late and makes the batsman vulnerable.

"So I bowled them some doosras and asked to watch my hand while I bowled with tennis balls to make them understand how the ball would behave if someone like Mendis bowled it."

Saqlain plans to bolster the New Zealand spin attack since he believes slow bowlers will be a dominant force on the slower and flatter pitches in Sri Lanka. "Spinners would play a prominent role … they would have a say in nearly 80% of a game," he said, adding that offering tips to the team's main spinners Vettori and Jeetan Patel regarding the doosra would not be a priority.

"My role would be to speak about how to attack the batsmen in different situations. We have to be careful as to what needs to be learned and taught."

Zaheer ruled out of CT !!!!

Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy starting late September, after undergoing a major shoulder surgery in South Africa last month. It is feared that he could miss the seven-match home ODI series against Australia in November-December as well if the recovery doesn't go according to plan. But a BCCI media release on Friday said Zaheer was responding well to the surgery and was expected to return to international cricket towards the end of the year, suggesting he could be in contention for the Australia series.

"Zaheer Khan had an arthroscopic labral repair in his left shoulder on 13th July 2009 done by the Johannesburg-based Dr Mark Ferguson," the release said. "Zaheer is undergoing rehabilitation in South Africa and is recovering very well. He is expected to return to international cricket by the end of this year."

Zaheer will return to India from South Africa on August 9. After 10 days, he will head back to South Africa for further rehabilitation on his shoulder, the release said.

He picked up the injury to his bowling shoulder during the second edition of the IPL while playing for the Mumbai Indians. Zaheer fell on his shoulder while fielding and was subsequently advised rest. Zaheer aggravated the injury during the World Twenty20 and had to undergo surgery in South Africa in July, causing him to miss the four-match ODI series in West Indies.

The 30-year-old has been advised a minimum of three months' rest. Ferguson, who carried out the surgery, has successfully treated Sachin Tendulkar and former India players Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble in the past.

The team for the ICC event has to be selected by August 23. The national selectors will be meeting on August 16 to pick the squad for the tri-series in Sri Lanka starting September 8 and the Champions Trophy, beginning on September 25. Zaheer had been named in a list of 30 probables for the Champions Trophy.

India will be thankful that the injury is not likely to cost Zaheer any Test matches, if the recovery goes to plan. Although a big loss, it should be relatively easier to replace Zaheer in the shorter formats. It gives both RP Singh and Munaf Patel an opportunity to present better claims for their inclusion in the side, and Praveen Kumar a chance to cement his place as third seamer. Ashish Nehra has also sprung up as an option after he had a fairly successful return to international cricket in the ODIs in West Indies.

top 10 leading run getters for australia in tests..

Ricky Ponting on Friday(31/7/09) became the leading run-scorer in the history of Australian Test cricket. He surpassed the long standing record of former captain Allan Border. Overall, Ponting stands behind only Tendulkar (12,773) and Lara (11,953).

Player	Mat	Inns	Runs	HS	Ave	100
RT Ponting	134*	225	11188	257	56.22	38
AR Border	156	265	11174	205	50.56	27
SR Waugh	168	260	10927	200	51.06	32
ML Hayden	103	184	8625	380	50.73	30
ME Waugh	128	209	8029	153*	41.81	20
JL Langer	105	182	7696	250	45.27	23
MA Taylor	104	186	7525	334*	43.49	19
DC Boon	107	190	7422	200	43.65	21
GS Chappell	87	151	7110	247*	53.86	24
DG Bradman	52	80	6996	334	99.94	29

Tendulkar targets 15,000 Test runs

Sachin Tendulkar has said he is not satisfied with his achievements and hopes to accumulate 15,000 runs and win the World Cup in 2011.

"I am not pleased yet with what I have done," Tendulkar, who has scored a record 12773 Test runs at an average of 54.58 from 159 matches, said in an interview with the Wisden Cricketer. "Sunil Gavaskar has told me that I have to get to 15,000 runs. He said he would be angry with me and would come and catch me if I didn't. I admire him so much and to score that many would be a terrific achievement, but that is not the only aim." His other big cricketing ambition is to "win the World Cup in 2011".

Tendulkar, 36, also spoke about how he has been consistently playing with pain. "I always play in pain, all the time. I played with a broken finger for the last three months, but you know when pain is manageable or not, and most of the time I can do it," he said. "I can still do what I did when I was 25 but the body is changing, so your thought process has to change too. I have had to change how I think, which is about taking less risk."

Tendulkar also disagreed with John Buchanan, former Australia coach, who felt Tendulkar had become susceptible to the short ball early in his innings because of a lack of footwork. "It is only his opinion; John Buchanan doesn't have to be right all the time. If I couldn't handle short deliveries, then I wouldn't still be scoring runs," he said. "Maybe he needs to change his opinion. There must be something very wrong with all the bowlers around the world that they have allowed me to score so many runs."

Tendulkar said he was not thinking about retirement yet but he would know when to quit cricket. "I will know when it is the right time, I won't have to be dragged away. I am the person who will make the decision and I will know whether I still belong."

He admitted life after cricket wouldn't be easy. "It's a scary thought. It has been there for my whole adult life, it will be difficult, I have been around for a long time, I can imagine when I finish I will long to face just 10 more balls but you have to move."

ICC board will hold on to WADA

Senior officials on the ICC's decision-making executive board are unlikely to support any radical suggestion from the BCCI to shun the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) and opt instead for a cricket-specific code without off-season testing. However, they will endorse the Indian board's objection to the contentious 'whereabouts' clause in the anti-doping code and ask the ICC to try and work out a practical solution with WADA during a year-end review.

The ICC board is likely to discuss the issue soon over teleconference, rather than wait for their next scheduled meeting in early October. And officials from a majority of the ICC board constituents, including Australia and South Africa, have confided that they would support India fully on the 'whereabouts' issue, but would like to remain WADA-compliant for important reasons, not the least of which is the question of government support.

For instance, government funding for grassroots cricket programmes in England requires the English board to be WADA-compliant and Australian legislation requires the same of its national sporting organisations. The BCCI, which will need the backing of these three major boards to make any headway on the issue at the ICC level, is an autonomous organisation that operates independently from India's sports ministry.

The consensus which has emerged is that the ICC board would ask the governing body to raise India's concerns with WADA and hopefully, try to work out a cricket-specific solution when it meets officials of the anti-doping watchdog for a year-end review. Cricket Australia, for one, wants a "practical solution" but what remains to be sorted out, though, is whether India's players should continue to be exempt from complying with the norms till then.

No whereabouts

• Player associations share BCCI's concerns about WADA's whereabouts clause:
• The level of information required to be provided to comply with the whereabouts requirements was our main issue and we found that impractical -- Paul Marsh, Australian Cricketers' Association
• The issue is the whereabouts clause and England players are concerned about security and privacy -- Sean Morris, Professional Cricketers' Association
• Practical and privacy concerns persist for our players and we want the ICC to address them -- Tony Irish, South Africa Cricketers' Association
• The whereabouts clause administration is cumbersome and very difficult for those in team sports to manage -- Heath Mills, New Zealand Cricket Players' Association.
• Our concerns are similar with regards to the whereabouts clause -- Graeme Labrooy, Sri Lanka Cricketers' Association.

India will ask ICC to shun WADA

The Indian board (BCCI) will suggest to the ICC that it should walk out of the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) umbrella and opt for its own cricket-specific anti-doping code. The BCCI feels that this is the only possible solution to the deadlock over this issue after its players refused to abide by a clause in the WADA code that requires them to reveal information about their whereabouts three months in advance.

Cricinfo has learnt that the BCCI will propose this solution, which was formulated after a series of discussions among senior Indian board officials over the last week, possibly as soon as the next meeting of the ICC's executive board in early October. The Indian board is confident of getting the support of other major national boards on the issue at the ICC level and expects its suggestion to be ratified.

On Sunday, the BCCI's decision-making working committee resolved to back its players and reject the 'whereabouts' clause in the amended WADA code, which was implemented by the ICC from January 1. This contentious clause requires cricketers in the ICC's international testing pool to reveal before every quarter details of their location for an hour every day for the next three months to facilitate out-of-competition testing. The 11 Indian players in the pool have expressed security concerns in this regard, especially because some of them such as Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni face threats from terrorist organisations. The BCCI has said that this clause, which prescribes severe penalties for defaulters including a ban for up to two years, also violates privacy guarantees provided in the Indian constitution.

Other international cricketers in the testing pool from other countries had also expressed privacy and practicality concerns about the clause but agreed to abide by it within the July 31 deadline.

Clarke and North put Australia safe

Australia 263 (Watson 62, Anderson 5-80, Onions 4-58) and 375 for 5 (Watson 53, Hussey 64, Clarke 103*, North 96) drew with England 376 (Strauss 69, Bell 53, Flintoff 74, Broad 55, Hilfenhaus 4-109)

After a rain-affected draw at Edgbaston, in which England's push for victory fell as flat as the fifth day pitch, the question now stands: who takes the momentum into Headingley? The temptation is to give the nod to England given their 1-0 series advantage and flashes of brilliance between the spells of drizzle in Birmingham. But, on closer inspection, the matter may not be so clear-cut.

Australia will take tremendous confidence from their second-innings batting performance, in which three batsmen passed 50 and one, Michael Clarke, a stoic century in his 50th Test to limit England to just five wickets from 112 overs. Shane Watson's returns of 62 and 53 in his first Test as opener will prove particularly encouraging as will the final-day efforts of Michael Hussey (64) and Marcus North (96), both of whom were in need of a confidence boost.

The Australians will also be buoyed at the possibility that Mitchell Johnson's nightmare might just have been confined to the month of July. Johnson is clearly not back to his wrecking-ball ways from South Africa, but he did manage to make the necessary adjustments to his wrist position to allow him to rediscover the at-the-body line and subtley swing that has made him so effective in past series.

England clearly have grounds for optimism, too. Were it not for the five-and-a-half sessions lost to rain, bad light and the water-logged outfield, they might have better capitalised on their 113-run first-innings advantage. That lead was established after James Anderson and Graham Onions befuddled Australia's batsmen with prodigious aerial movement on Friday, and with Headingley considered among the better swinging grounds in the country, England will hope to probe Australia's barely-healed wounds from Friday.