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For the second consecutive year, trading between IPL franchises was a dull affair with only three transfers taking place. With most teams having settled squads, Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders were the only ones involved in the player exchange. Meanwhile, some players have been released by teams to free up slots for the auction on January 19, the most prominent name being Glenn McGrath whose contract worth $350,000 has been bought out by Delhi.Kolkata swapped Australia and New South Wales allrounder Moises Henriques for the England batsman Owais Shah. Delhi had bought Shah at the inaugural auction in 2008 for $250,000 while Kolkata had signed Henriques for $300,000 before he made his international debut last February in a Twenty20 against New Zealand. Both teams were also involved in the third trade, with Delhi transferring Manoj Tiwary to Kolkata. Tiwary was bought for $625,000 in the first auction but now returns to his home state Bengal. Though no IPL official confirmed the transfers they were listed on the tournament’s official website.Amrit Mathur, Delhi’s chief operating officer, said trading was always going to be a slow affair except for teams making “minor adjustments”. “Teams have very limited requirements except for minor adjustments in terms of injuries, or if a player is not available like in case of a buy-out,” he said. “Sometimes economics comes in the way and sometimes you have to consider the player availability and how long his contract stands for.”The franchises’ spending will be capped at $750,000 during the forthcoming auction and they have focused on creating space for a possible big-name signing for the third season. Hyderabad had ended the contracts of Sri Lankan batsman Chamara Silva and bowler Nuwan Zoysa. Darren Lehmann, Hyderabad’s coach, confirmed the development, saying they were looking to buy players during the auction to fill vacancies.Unlike the first two years, this year’s auction could be more sedate. The IPL website said: “Players should be aware that the number of overseas players that a franchise may have in its squad is capped at ten. In 2009, over 100 players registered an interest in being included in the auction and 50 were presented for the 17 available places in the franchises’ squads. Although the final number of available places in the franchises’ squads for 2010 will not be known until nearer the auction, IPL expects that the number will be substantially lower than 17 that were available in 2009.”The other reason teams were reluctant to trade was because they were waiting for the IPL to release auction guidelines for 2011 and beyond, when all players except a select few would be available in the market. “We don’t even know the rules about what happens to the buys after 2010 – do we get to keep them or do they go back on the auction,” said an official from another franchise.Mathur is optimistic about trading becoming popular in future when each franchise will have a large squad and they will buy and sell for “economic” reasons. “At the moment trading is not done for financial reasons, it is dictated by team requirement,” he said. The next move would be for the teams to nurture young talent for a few years and then sell them when they need money, but that will take time.

New Zealand lengthened a remarkable period of dominance over England when securing a comfortable seven-wicket win in their pool match at the World Series of Women’s Cricket at the High Performance Centre at Lincoln University next Christchurch today.Australia may be the deserved favourite to win the World Series but New Zealand showed again today they are developing a potentially exciting side for their future.At the same time England have continued their fall from dominance in the game and they have now gone 33 games without beating either New Zealand or Australia, 17 times losing to New Zealand in a row and 16 times against Australia.Not since the World Cup final of 1993 have England beaten New Zealand.While today’s win was ultimately made possible by the more experienced batting hands of Emily Drumm and Maia Lewis, who batted the team home to their seven-wicket victory, there were clear signs of talent emerging on the bowling front.Drumm was out when the scores were tied for 93 off 115 balls while Lewis finished on 32 off 77 balls. They shared a 120-run stand in 160 balls.Their batting was a textbook example of how to take the sting out of a bowling side buoyed by picking up two key wickets. They took their time to get the measure of the pitch, and the bowling, and then launched an impressive assault.The first 50 runs of their stand took 86 balls but the second 50 only 51 balls.Drumm was in commanding form with some well-timed cut shots and sweeps being backed with some hefty blows struck to the mid-wicket and long on region.Lewis, while not scoring quite as freely, struck some powerful off and cover drives that were laser-like in their precision for piercing the field.New Zealand came into the tournament without experienced bowlers Rachel Pullar (unavailable) and Anna Corbin (injured) but the players selected are showing signs that they could be extremely useful by the time of the next World Cup in 2005 in South Africa.Medium pacer Amanda Green is only 18 years old and taking part in her first international series, but she demonstrated impressive understanding of her role when coming on and wringing the freedom out of the England batting with her first spell of six overs which cost only five runs.She came back for her last four overs, including the last of the innings, and ended with one wicket for 19 runs.Her choice of length and unrelenting accuracy resulted in her best performance so far in the tournament.Off spinner Aimee Mason was probably brought into the attack sooner than New Zealand would have wanted as the opening bowlers struggled for their direction but, like Green, she did just what was required and bowled unchanged for her 10 overs to take one for 31.That stemmed the tide of runs and forced England to take more risks and Rebecca Steele, the 18-year-old left-arm spinner who likes to give the ball plenty of loop was ideally equipped to handle the situation and she also took toll of the English to finish with three for 31.England also aided New Zealand with some poor decision-making in their calling for runs and three key players, Claire Taylor, Sarah Collyer, who was promoted to an opening role in the side, and Laura Spragg were each run out by some distance.As well as instituting some batting changes with Collyer opening with Kathryn Leng, England also used Nicki Shaw as an opening bowler in partnership with Lucy Pearson. Neither were especially successful moves but with fine tuning may offer some tactical variation in the future.Collyer did top score for the side with 39, but they came off 89 balls. Pearson bowled eight overs for 27 runs while Clare Taylor took one for 32 from her 10. Shaw took one for 34 from seven overs.England now need to beat India in either of their last two meetings, on Thursday and in the third place playoff match on Saturday, to avoid suffering a whitewash in the tournament.New Zealand’s next two games are both against Australia, the second being the final on Saturday.

The Victoria paceman Clint McKay has been called into the Australian squad for the second Test against West Indies after Ben Hilfenhaus was ruled out with knee soreness. The team’s medical staff had originally hoped Hilfenhaus would recover in time to make the trip to Adelaide for Friday’s game, but have now advised him to rest ahead of the third and final Test in Perth.Hilfenhaus claimed the Man-of-the-Match honours at the Gabba last week with match figures of 5 for 70. He took the first three West Indian wickets to fall in the second innings in Brisbane, and received praise from his captain, Ricky Ponting, for his evolution from a swing specialist to an all-conditions bowler.”Ben has had a widely-reported knee tendon injury that was sore during the recent ODI series in India and the first Test at the Gabba,” Alex Kountouris, the Australian team physiotherapist, said. “The demands of Test cricket and the subsequent increased workload have made it harder to manage Ben’s injury, so it’s been decided that the best course of action is for him to miss the Adelaide Test. He will undergo an intense period of rehabilitation over the next two weeks with a view to him being available for selection for the third Test in Perth.”McKay was called into the Australian ODI squad on the recent tour of India, claiming three wickets at 34.33 from two matches. His elevation into the Test squad serves as a further blow to the Test hopes of Stuart Clark who, despite playing a leading role in Australia’s Ashes triumph at Headingley in August, has now been overlooked for the first two Tests of the summer.Hilfenhaus’ withdrawal will likely pave the way for Doug Bollinger to play his first Test since debuting against South Africa at the SCG in January. He claimed eight wickets in New South Wales’ crushing Sheffield Shield defeat of Western Australia over the past week, and troubled India’s batsmen during Australia’s recent ODI series.”The injury to Ben is very disappointing following his outstanding Ashes and his Man-of-the-Match performance in Brisbane, but hopefully with treatment he will be fit to be considered for selection for the third Test in Perth,” Andrew Hilditch, Australia’s chairman of selectors, said.”Clint impressed all with his performances in India with the one-day squad and with his bowling for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield this year. We also feel his style of bowling will be well-suited to the conditions in Adelaide should he be selected in the starting XI.”Australia squad Simon Katich, Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Marcus North, Brad Haddin (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle, Doug Bollinger, Clint McKay.

“What is our future?” That’s Shane Warne’s question for Australia’s decision makers as they plot a way up from their current Test ranking of No. 4.”You have to say the Australian side has been in a transition phase,” Warne said. “But there has to be a line – when does that transition phase stop? This side has been together probably for 18 months, so it’s played three or four Test series, with the players clocking up 12 to 15 to nearly 20 Tests.”I wouldn’t say Australia is the fourth best side in the world, but the way the side has played of recent times – it lost in Australia, beat South Africa, lost in England – you are going to have to be patient. But there comes a time when you say okay, are these guys in the side going to see us through in the long term or is there an opportunity to get some new blood in the side?”Warne was speaking after the Australian Cricketers’ Association XI he captained had been over-run by an Australia XI containing the game’s future. He would like some more new faces in the Test side so they can develop in the lead-up to next year’s home Ashes series.”If we’re going to stay in a transition side and stay patient with them, we need these guys to get the opportunity to play some Test cricket,” he said. “We need to identify two or three young guys to come in and say these guys have got it. Is that Steve Smith, [Moises] Henriques, Phillip Hughes, or whoever they are. Pick them at the right time.”Australia’s current drop in the rankings is due to the core of great players who left the team since the 2006-07 Ashes series. Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden were retirees who were part of the Twenty20 exhibition on Sunday while Justin Langer was watching in his role as Australia’s new batting consultant.Another change has occurred over the past year due to Brett Lee’s injury troubles and Stuart Clark has been left out of the side for Thursday’s opening Test against West Indies. However, the Australian selectors have missed a chance to bring in the youth of Hughes and will have the allrounder Shane Watson opening at the Gabba, with the inconsistent Michael Hussey retaining his spot at No. 4.”Yes, be patient and we’re going to be a bit inconsistent,” Warne said. “But there comes a time when we say we’ve had enough time, we know enough about ourselves, we’ve played enough Test cricket, it’s time to start performing.”

Chris Gayle has declared himself willing to captain West Indies when the full-strength team returns following the dispute between the players and the board. The best players are expected to be available to tour Australia next month and, if offered the role by the WICB, Gayle will be the captain.”If I am asked to do the job I will be committed,” Gayle told . “It is always honour to captain the West Indies. I am always committed to do it. Support-wise the players have been really good and it shouldn’t be a problem. Once I am asked to do it then, definitely.”Gayle has led the side since 2007 but said in May that he wasn’t intending to remain in the job in the long term and would also consider giving up Test cricket in the near future. His comments frustrated the WICB’s new chief executive Ernest Hilaire, who said last month that Gayle’s future as the captain was not guaranteed, but after several months off due to the player strike Gayle is simply keen to return to any form of cricket.”I am committed to whatever cricket I play,” he said. “Once I step across the line I am 100% committed. It doesn’t matter what kind of cricket we play.”Gayle had little to do during the strike but watch on as Floyd Reifer was brought in to captain a weak West Indies side that lost to Bangladesh and then struggled at the Champions Trophy. He said it was heartbreaking but was hopeful that the situation would improve and a full-strength squad would head to Australia for three Tests starting in November.”I’m happy agreements have been reached but at the same time, hopefully things will be better for our infrastructure so that we can work as one unit and leave the controversy behind, put it to one side and go out and enjoy the game,” Gayle said. “I think it will happen. Let’s keep our fingers crossed, everyone is looking to work together.”

When New Zealand put up 300-plus batting first, they do not lose. Today’s 315 was the 18th time they had done so and duly they came away with their 18th such win. After a disappointing start against South Africa, and indifferent recent form, their win in this most open tournament means a semi-final spot is in their own hands. Win against England and they willgo through.Top-order contributions were the key, Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum providing the start and Martin Guptill ensuring that they capitalized on it towards the end. “It’s a crucial win for us, it’s kept us alive in the tournament and that’s the most important bit,” said Daniel Vettori, Man of the Match for a smart 48 and two important wickets.”But the manner of the win is something that is pleasing to ourselves and also to our fans back home,” he added. “We managed to put together a really good score thanks to the way our top three batted and how we finished off also. That’s what we’ve been working hard to do and to do it in a crucial game is very pleasing.”Ryder’s propulsion was the ideal platform for others to build on, but at one point, having collapsed from 125 no loss to 161 for 5 in just over ten mid-innings overs, the work was again on the verge of being squandered. Martin Guptill stood firm, however, and with Vettori’s help in a 69-run stand, revived the innings to such an extent that they very nearly doubled the 30-over score.”It was a pretty crucial partnership in the end, particularly for Martin showing that composure,” said Vettori. “He’s new to his international career with wickets falling round him and he managed to hold it together and got momentum going our way and just to finish it as strongly as we did with James Franklin and Kyle Mills and Martin. We had all that momentumheading into the bowling innings and it can make such a difference to a team when you finish so strongly.”The Wanderers surfaces have generally been the spicier ones, though today’s track was different to the one on which Australia and West Indies played yesterday, where there was significant bounce and deviation. There was a little this morning too, which prompted Kumar Sangakkara to put New Zealand in.”I wasn’t surprised [at being put in],” said Vettori. “The previous games here it looked difficult early on but certainly settled down after. It wasn’t as difficult as we imagined. The two openers said it had pace but not the deviation of the Australia West Indies game. In the end it wasjust a good cricket wicket.”Both sides are familiar with each other and New Zealand have only just finished a long tour of Sri Lanka. That helped, particularly with facing bowlers such as Ajantha Mendis and Lasith Malinga, who have proved particularly difficult for opponents facing them for the first time.Familiarity leaked runs; New Zealand took 134 from their 19 overs combined, for just one wicket.”There are no mysteries for us when it comes to Sri Lanka now, because we’ve played them so much. They’re still a good team and have very good bowling,” said Vettori, “but when you’ve faced Mendis a bit and you know what he’s doing it’s not so difficult. The same with Malinga but they are still quality bowlers.”New Zealand left it a little tighter than they would have liked, however, especially given that run-rates may yet feature heavily in this group. Though their groundwork was solid, they dropped four catches, including Mahela Jayawardene and Sangakkara. “When you have Dilshan andJayasuriya, Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene in the top four you are weary of the skills that they have and the way that they started, particularly Dilshan, makes you fret a bit. But we kept picking up wickets at crucial times and even Mahela at the end was a crucial wicket. Wemaintained the pressure and were on top most of the time but just couldn’t kill it off.”Our catching was very poor but our fielding was outstanding. You need to rectify that because you cannot afford to give quality guys too many chances.”

Ernest Hilaire, the West Indies board’s new chief executive, has stressed on the importance of moving forward in the contracts dispute with the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) and said the two bodies must accept the arbitrator’s decision as final.”Let the arbitrator or arbitrators decide once and for all what the positions are and each party agrees to abide by that and let’s move forward,” Hilaire, who takes office in October, said this week in an interview on HTS Television, a St Lucia-based channel. “You cannot move forward if you don’t speak to your partners involved and I think we have to find a way to do so.”Hilaire takes over during a crisis period in West Indies cricket, which has been rocked by the contracts issue. The withdrawal of several senior players has already crippled the national team, which recently lost to Bangladesh at home, and the matter is now being mediated by the CARICOM, the region’s political leadership. The WICB vice-president Dave Cameron has already hinted that the CARICOM’s recommendations, which include senior players making themselves available for selection for regional tournaments, are just recommendations and the board has the final say.However Hilaire said he looked forward to the challenge and would try to ensure that West Indies cricket’s state of affairs improved dramatically. “It is an ideal opportunity to go in there and to assist in the re-organisation and the development of West Indies cricket and it is something which I actually look forward to.”Jamaica Cricket Association president Paul Campbell also said the board should look to engage with the WIPA instead of fighting with it.

Jeetan Patel, the New Zealand offspinner, put his first-innings haul of 4 for 78 down to perseverance and his belief in his ability to bowl in the right areas. Sri Lanka appeared to be cruising at 367 for 4 after centurion Thilan Samaraweera and Chamara Kapugedera had added 72 for the fifth wicket. Patel broke that stand, dismissing Kapugedera for 35, and the hosts slipped, losing six wickets for 59 to be bowled out for 416.”They played good shots but I had to stay confident with what I had to do and it meant I picked up a few cheap wickets, but it was good to get the task done,” Patel, who finished with his second-best figures in Tests, said. “It was a bad morning session and a good afternoon session. It just shows that if we stick to our task we can do well. Their tail is not long but they gave us opportunities and I think we took them really well.”Being the second spinner in the team, and still quite inexperienced, Patel said he knew the Sri Lankan batsmen would target him and be cautious against Daniel Vettori. He was struck for two consecutive boundaries by Samaraweera in his 12th over and received the same treatment in his next, as both batsmen scored a boundary each. However, he struck soon after, deceiving Kapugedera in flight as the batsman miscued him to mid-off to kick off the slide.”It looked like they took that into account, that they’d play defensively against Dan and attack me,” Patel said. “There are times when you second-guess yourself but the biggest thing for me today was to come away keeping my belief. They could have slipped away to a bigger score but the guys were really impressive in sticking to their task. After being 260 for 3 it was a great effort.”Patel acknowledged it was difficult bowling in subcontinental conditions, especially when confronted with a strong batting line-up as Sri Lanka’s. “It is always hard when you come to the subcontinent,” he said. “Being a spinner, on these wickets, you’re expected to bowl plenty of overs and take wickets. But the Sri Lankans, being such good cricketers, makes it hard. You have to stick to your guns and remain confident.”The experience of bowling with Vettori, Patel said, was among the exciting features of playing for his country and he added his role was essentially one of supporting his captain. “It’s good fun. It gives me great confidence to have the best left-arm spinner in the world bowling at the other end but it also makes me understand that I cannot be attacking the whole time,” he said. “I have to bowl tight. It is his opportunity to take wickets and mine to be defensive at times.”Patel also attributed his success to the guidance of his coach, a former offspinner, John Bracewell. “With Bracers it was great,” he said. “To have another offspinner as head coach was good. He was such a hard character that the confidence I’m starting to believe in now was rubbed off from him.”Despite the fightback, New Zealand were left struggling at stumps on the second day, losing five wickets with 159 on the board. Patel, sent as nightwatchman, only lasted six deliveries. Ross Taylor, unbeaten on 70, and Jesse Ryder had steadied the innings with an 85-run fourth-wicket stand, but the visitors lost two quick wickets towards the end of the day to undo the recovery.”It was disappointing to lose wickets like that, especially myself being a nightwatchman I should have seen through the session,” Patel said. “We’ve still got Brendon [McCullum] and Rosco [Ross Taylor] who is going really strong at the moment, so we have some batsmen up the sleeve to get to 250 at least. We’re looking to bat as long as we can and from there set up the game.”The pitch, Patel said, was still favourable for batting. “It may be a little low but other than that it’s good. You saw when Sri Lanka opened the bowling they banged it in and it still had got bounce.”

ScorecardRoss Taylor notched his second fifty of the tour•AFP

Two half-century partnerships among the lower-order batsmen lifted the New Zealanders after an unimpressive start on the opening day of their second tour match against Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI, at the NCC grounds in Colombo. The tourists were in a spot of bother at one stage at 172 for 7 but an unbeaten 68 by Jeetan Patel helped push that score to a more respectable 283 for 8.The hosts struck in the opening over when Dammika Prasad trapped Tim McIntosh lbw, one of six batsmen who were trapped in front. Shortly after, Daniel Flynn too missed out when he fell to Tharanga Lakshitha. Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor then added 89 for the third wicket, the most productive stand of the day. Guptill found form with a half-century after failing in the opening game, while Taylor notched his second fifty of the tour. However, the spinners struck in quick succession to peg the New Zealanders back. Seekkuge Prasanna, Jeevan Mendis and Suraj Randiv shared four of the next five wickets to fall and the visitors were in need of a revival again. Taylor fell for 75, trapped by the Prasad, the right-arm fast bowler.Patel scripted that revival, adding 61 with Jacob Oram and then an unbeaten 50 with Iain O’Brien. Patel hit four fours and a six in his unbeaten 68. O’Brien played the supporting role in that stand, hanging around for a stubborn 9 off 41 balls while Patel took control.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJames Anderson and Monty Panesar steal a single to guide England to safety at Cardiff•AFP

James Anderson and Monty Panesar produced the most important innings of their lives as England’s final pair survived 11.3 overs to pull off a thrilling escape at Cardiff. When Paul Collingwood fell for a monumental 245-ball 74 England still trailed by six, but once Australia had to bat again, valuable time was taken out of the game leaving Andrew Strauss and a packed Cardiff nervously clock-watching. The Australians threw everything into the final hour in an electric atmosphere with the crowd cheering the two unlikely batting heroes as though the Ashes had been won.A vital moment came when Anderson collected consecutive boundaries off Peter Siddle to finally erase the deficit. It meant that two further overs would be lost from the remaining allocation, but there was yet another twist. Australia had bowled their overs quickly during the final hour, which meant it came down to a clock-watch situation for the batsmen. The crucial mark was 6.40pm: at that point it meant there was no time for Australia to start a run chase.The closing overs were in the hands of Nathan Hauritz – who rose above all the pre-match concern over his quality to claim three final-day wickets and six in the match – and Marcus North. Anderson, outwardly calm while inside he must have been churning, blocked confidently but also picked up vital runs to just edge the lead ahead further. Meanwhile, Panesar, the most unlikely of batting saviours, watched the ball like a hawk. Having left expertly against the quicks he played with soft hands against the spinners, and one of the biggest cheers of the day came when he square cut North for a boundary.However, while Anderson and Panesar were there at the end to soak up the acclaim the escape wouldn’t have been possible without one of Collingwood’s most determined innings for his country. He came in early after Kevin Pietersen lost his off stump, shouldering arms to Ben Hilfenhaus, and soon faced an England card that read 70 for 5. He found vital support from Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad and particularly Graeme Swann, who overcame a peppering from Siddle, to share a 20-over stand.Collingwood fought with every ounce of the grit that makes him such a valuable player. He survived some early scares against Hauritz when an inside edge fell just short of Simon Katich at short leg and another delivery almost rolled back onto the stumps until Collingwood stepped on it. He went 31 deliveries after lunch without scoring, but unlike some of England’s other batsmen he isn’t someone who gets overly twitchy when his own score isn’t moving along.Collingwood’s fifty came off 167 balls, the slowest by an England batsman since Nasser Hussain against West Indies in Port of Spain during the 2004 tour, but the pace of his innings mattered not a jot. His only mistake proved his downfall as he chased some width from Siddle and Mike Hussey took a juggling catch in the gully. He could hardly believe what he had done and couldn’t even bring himself to remove his pads as he watched the two tailenders defy Australia. Collingwood isn’t a superstar; he doesn’t fit into the hero mould, but here he was both.Ponting admitted it was a tough result to take and Australia were ahead of the game virtually throughout the final day. Pietersen, who had an early-morning confrontation with Mitchell Johnson during the warm-ups, never settled against the swinging ball as the quicks probed away on the full length that causes him problems. His troubles ended when he completely misjudged the line from Hilfenhaus and didn’t offer a shot. It was excellent bowling from Hilfenhaus, who had been shaping the ball away and made one hold its line, but Pietersen’s back lift and footwork are currently not in sync.Matt Prior chose a forgettable shot to fall to Nathan Hauritz•Getty Images

In the eighth over of the session it was time for Hauritz and he was in the wonderful position of being able to bowl with men around the bat. He immediately found more turn, and posed a greater threat than England’s spinner managed over two days, and made one bounce a touch more against Andrew Strauss as he tried to cut.While the England captain can perhaps be partly excused his shot as the cut is a legitimate option against the offspinner, the same can’t be said for Matt Prior. He had already flirted with danger by dabbing Hauritz through short third man and had also been beaten twice outside off stump by clever changes of pace and flight. Trying to go through the off side again he was undone by extra bounce and gloved a chance to slip.Flintoff fought against his natural inclination to attack, playing watchfully against Hauritz as he accompanied Collingwood for 23 overs. The out-of-sorts Johnson, who was later horribly wayward with the second new ball, broke through when Flintoff pushed at one going across him and before tea Broad had also gone, trapped leg before playing back at Hauritz.For Hauritz it appeared he would provide the ultimate response to his critics by securing a Test victory until he tired slightly in the tension-filled closing stages. Collingwood and Swann took a large chunk out of the evening session, with Swann completing an impressive match with the bat. Shortly before tea he was given a peppering from Siddle who sent down a violent over that struck three painful blows – two on the glove and one on the elbow – which required the physio to come out twice in three deliveries.His runs were also crucial as England ate away into Australia’s lead before he went for a pull against the impressive Hilfenhaus and was palpably leg before. Collingwood now had just two bowlers for company and when he departed an Australian victory looked assured. England, though, dug deep, deeper perhaps than many thought Anderson and Panesar could.However, despite the scoreline still reading nil-nil the reality is that England were a distance second-best for much of the match. Australia have shown that, despite the loss of many greats, they are a unit of huge desire who will take some beating. At least this time, though, it won’t be a whitewash.