ASHES 2010: England coach Andy Flower boosted by results on and off the pitch | Mail Online

Andy Flower arrived in Adelaide today hugely heartened and relieved that the surgery to remove a melanoma on his face has been successful.

The England coach had to miss two days of England's high-scoring first-Test draw in Brisbane to have a potentially cancerous mole taken off his upper right cheek, under local anaesthetic.

The 42-year-old returned to see England fight back outstandingly, after conceding a 221-run first-innings lead to Australia at the Gabba.

All smiles: Andy Flower is looking forward after his difficult week

X marks the spot: Andy Flower shows the scars of his melanoma operation

They eventually piled up an astonishing 517 for one declared, on the back of Alastair Cook's maiden double-century and three-figure scores too from Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott.

It was only the second time in England's history the top three in the order have made hundreds, and against all expectation it was Australia who ended up having to bat out the match to secure a stalemate on what had become a batsman's paradise.

By far the best news for Flower and his team, however, is that last Friday's surgery has removed all the dangerous tissue - and he therefore has no more health issues to worry about.

'I just got a little bit of a surprise with the results of that little biopsy,' he said, having taken England security expert Reg Dickason's advice to have the suspect mole examined - despite previous medical assurances it was not malevolent.

Three wise men: England centurions Jonathan Trott (left), Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss

'Then they had to whip some of that stuff away. I got some good results yesterday, so there are no issues in the immediate future.'

Flower has every reason to smile over events on the pitch too, as he begins preparations for the second Test at the Adelaide Oval on Friday.

'Watching Cook and Trott build that partnership was particularly special,' he added.

'The way we fought back in the game was outstanding. With a 220 deficit, that's a very dangerous situation.

'I thought the team, and especially those batsmen, showed particularly strong character in fighting their way out of it.

'It's very good to come away from that situation with a draw, and to have the opportunity of applying a little bit of pressure at the end.'

 

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• England's day of domination! Cook stars as Strauss's side sail to a draw
• Martin Samuel: Saviour a scoreboard as iconic as THAT one from Munich
• Nasser Hussain: Centurion Cook's simple recipe makes Aussies stew
• The Mitch Zone: Sportsmail tracks five days in the life of Mitchell Johnson
• Are Bollinger and Harris really any better than the under-fire Johnson?

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THE ASHES 2010: Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott hail job well done at the Gabba | Mail Online

Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott hailed a job well done as England's batsmen helped secure a draw in the first Ashes Test at the Gabba in Brisbane.

Cook scored a ground record 235 not out and Trott added 135 to steer England to 517 for one, with Australia captain Ricky Ponting shaking hands with England counterpart Andrew Strauss with the hosts on 107 for one chasing a notional 297.

Meanwhile, Australia reacted by adding fast bowlers Ryan Harris and Doug Bollinger to the XI.

Both those seamers were in the initial squad for Brisbane. But Harris' chronic knee injury meant he was not ultimately available for selection, and left-armer Bollinger lost out to Peter Siddle.

Ton-derful: Trott, Cook and Strauss are only the second ever opening trio to all pass 100 in a Test innings

Trott said: 'It's nice to get in and play a big part with Alastair andto help save the game. I'm just happy to contribute really. It's a verydifficult game, as we all know. I'm very pleased with how it's gone.'

Cook added: 'Last night I was really happy to bat through the whole day. I'm really pleased to finally make a double hundred.'

A cut above: Alastair Cook broke Don Bradman's long-standing record for a high score at the Gabba

Legend: Sir Donald Bradman is considered one of the greatest ever

Cook acknowledged with some modesty that he had broken Don Bradman's record Test score at the Gabba.

He said: 'I feel slightly humble at that, slightly ruining all therecords there for the wrong reasons but it's a nice one to have.'

Trottpaid tribute to Cook and captain Strauss for playing a calm andconfident innings to get the ball rolling in the second-innings reply.

He told Sky Sports: 'The way Andrew and Alastair batted at thebeginning set the tempo for the innings. It's always nice to come inwhen you're 180 for one (sic), the job was done by them and we justcontinued to do the work really.

'We wanted to get it on a bit and set them something and have a little bowl at them and see what we could do. That was the sort of impetus that we needed, and it was nice to go through the gears in a Test match.'

Lying down on the job: Australia were ground down by England's stellar performance

TOP ASHES PARTNERSHIPS

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Oval Aug 1985

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Border& S Waugh 5th wicket 332*

Leeds July 1993

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Cook& Trott 2nd wicket 329*

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Brisbane Nov 2010

Strauss was impressed by his team's character after an awful start for the team and him personally when he was out for a duck in England's first innings.

He said: 'Getting out in the first over in the first Test is a pretty horrendous way to start. We felt pretty low then and after day three we felt downbeat as well, we'd done good things and we were behind in the game.

'But we dug pretty deep and we're very happy to be nil-all. Nothing changes and both sides will come out hard in the next Test in Adelaide.'

Asked about England's approach to the second innings, when they needed 221 just to make Australia bat again, Strauss said: 'If you just go into your shell and try and survive you play into the opposition's hands. If you look for scoring opportunities it creates momentum for you and once we got that momentum it became easier and easier.'

Ponting admitted Australia had let the chance of victory slip away on day four and added: 'We probably haven't played our best the last couple of days of the game. The wicket did change dramatically and the last three days of the game have been dominated by the bat.'

Much to ponder: Ponting has a big job on his hands to lift his side ahead of the Adelaide Test

Ponting ended the day unbeaten on 51 and said: 'I obviously wanted to get some time in the middle. It finished the game on a good note. We should know a lot about their top three batsmen. We've got some work to do, Adelaide is a very good batting wicket.

'We just weren't able to mount any pressure on them. They played very well and you have got to give them credit.'

 

More...

• Cool Cook sends the records tumbling as England cruise to first Test draw in Brisbane
• Martin Samuel: Is that all you've got, Ricky Ponting?
• Bumble's Ashes view: David Lloyd on day four of the first Test
• ASHES LIVE: Australia v England - how day five in Brisbane unfolded

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The Ashes 2010: PATRICK COLLINS: A tale of two centuries recovers England's serenity and self-respect | Mail Online

A tale of two centuries; timely, assertive, quite invaluable. And when the story was over, the cricketers of England had recovered their serenity and self-respect.

Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook, the captain and first lieutenant, played with nerveless responsibility as they sought to steady the listing ship. And it was their application of first principles - punish the bad balls, respect the good, roll with the punches but refuse to be dominated - which turned this Test match on its head.

The first innings achievements of Australia's bowlers had always seemed something of an aberration, something which owed at least as much to the indiscipline of the Englishbatsmen as it did to any great virtues of the home attack. Given the opportunity, you sensed that those batsmen could make amendment for their failings. And this was the day when an English kind of order was firmly restored.

Taking the plaudits: Alastair Cook and captain Andrew Strauss were timely, assertive and quite invaluable

Strauss was magisterial. His temperament enabled him to banish raw memories of the loose shot which cost him dearly in the first innings as well as the indiscreet"leave' which almost sent him on his way with his first ball of this knock. His range of shots revealed a rounded player quite unrecognisable from the limited performer who toured here four years ago.

Of course, he should have gone on to play the huge and sumptuous innings which would have removed all doubts about England's ability to control the destiny of this match, but his contribution was immense, his influence inestimable.

Driving forward: Strauss banished the memories of his third-ball duck in the first innings

Then there was Cook, and he was even better. Cook has something of the air of the minor aristocrat about him.He carries himself like a man who expects his talents to obey him. And he punishes bowlers as if he were doing it for their own good. All of which does not endear him to Australians.

But he seems indifferent to hostile opinion, and when he is in touch with his game, his technical gifts are both obvious and enviable. Today he pulled, cut and drove with freedom and confidence, and all the doubts and hesitations were buried beyond recall.

Cook was simply devastating, so much so that as the day drew to its close, Ricky Ponting was reduced to shuffling his bowlers like a gambler chasing his losses on an ungenerous slot machine.

Cooking up a treat: Alastair Cook was devastating with the bat and finished the day unbeaten

As he dragged himself off the field tonight, the Australian captain was cursing the chances which had hit the turf, the inability of his bowlers to create more of those chances and - more than anything - the fact that this Australian side cannot call on the services of such as McGrath, G or Warne S.K.

Of course, there is no point in complaining. Geniuses arrive unbidden, and they depart just as quickly. When they go, you have to play with the resources you are given. We now know just how slender those resources really are.

Before every day of this Test match, wise men have forecast that this would be the one which held the potential to shape the match and perhaps even determine the direction of the series. This time, they may well have been right.

 

More...

• Sensational England openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook blow first Test wide open with centuries apiece
• ASHES LIVE: Australia v England - how day four unfolded in Brisbane
• Patrick Collins: A battle for the Ashes? It's more like a reality TV show
• Hussey puts Australia in charge but don't write those English obituaries

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ASHES 2010: Steven Finn insists England will take it session by session as they bid to save first Test | Mail Online

Steven Finn insisted that England's pre-series enthusiasm had not been extinguished by a chastening third day against Australia at the Gabba.

Finn ended the day with career best figures of six for 125 after blasting out the last four wickets in quick succession, but prior to that Mike Hussey (195) and Brad Haddin (136) had shared a record stand of 307 to swing the first Test firmly in Australia's favour.

Following Peter Siddle's first day hat-trick, this is shaping up to be a morale-boosting outing for the Baggy Greens, but Finn says the tourists refuse to be downhearted.

'A couple of hard days of Test cricket aren't going to knock it out of us as a unit, that's the nature of Test cricket and we're set up to deal with it.

'We're looking to get going and get back on track. We're just going to take it session by session and over by over.

'It was tough but as a unit I thought we stuck to our task and bowled well.'

 

More...

• Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin bat England out of the first Test with 307-run stand at the Gabba
• ASHES LIVE: Australia v England - how day three unfolded in Brisbane
• Martin Samuel: A contest so close it will be settled by pure chance
• EXCLUSIVE: Swann picks up Gabba tips from Aussie spin king Warne

 

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THE ASHES 2010: Andy Flower misses England comeback for melanoma operation | Mail Online

Andy Flower missed day two of the Ashes after having a cancerous lesion removed from below his eye.

The England coach spent the day in a Brisbane hospital for an operation to remove a melanoma.

Absent: Andy Flower was forced to miss England's revival at the Gabba

An ECB spokesman confirmed he is expected to return to his duties before the end of the first Test.

'He was not at the game today, because he had a melanoma taken out - which was successful,' said the spokesman. 'At this stage, he is expected to be fine.'

The problem came to light only over the last two days - and after medical consultation, it was decided the minor surgery was the sensible course of action.

'He went off for a routine check, and they said they felt it prudent to take it out,' added the spokesman.

Delight: James Anderson celebrates dismissing Ricky Ponting on day two in Brisbane

'He may well be back on deck tomorrow, or most definitely the following day. As far as he is concerned, it is business as usual.'

By removing the lesion early, the treatment of the disease is almost 100 per cent successful in the treatment. Australia heavily advertises the prevention of skin cancer and Flower will have the best treatment available Down Under.

England soldiered on without their coach, restricting Australia to 220 for five at the Gabba before bad light and rain brought an early end to day two.

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ASHES 2010-11: Ian Bell century puts England in control but Kevin Pietersen fails again | Mail Online

Ton-derful: Ian Bell became England's third tour centurion

• Read Paul Newman's latest Ashes Diary

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Ian Bellprovided the best batting of England’s Ashes tour so far after Kevin Pietersenhad fallen in worryingly familiar fashion here this morning.

Bell, who has looked in the form of his lifein Australia, oozed class as he moved to 121 out of England’s 335 for five, alead of 105 over Australia A after two days of this four-day match at theBellerive Oval.

Yet if Bell, desperate to prove toAustralia just how good he is in his fourth Ashes series, is more than readyfor the first Test in Brisbane next week then Pietersen has once again become aconcern.

Pietersen said that he was‘on fire’after his half-century in England’s opening tour match against WesternAustralia and looked set to put his problems behind him in the biggest seriesof them all.

But his apparent fallibility againstleft-arm spin resurfaced as he missed a straight ball from the innocuous SteveO’Keefe and saw it clip the top of his off-stump when he was on only five.

Pietersen has never been one to thrivein warm-up games but he would have liked to have spent more time in the middlehere with just a week to go before the Gabba.

At that stage of a day interrupted fivetimes by showers England were in trouble at 137 for five, still 93 behindAustralia A, after losing three wickets for just 13 runs in 37 balls.

Yet Bell, who became the third Englandplayer to score a century on this tour after Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook,joined forces with Paul Collingwood to transform a match that, until then, hadbeen dominated by ball in cold, bowler friendly conditions.

While Collingwood, who finished theday unbeaten on 74, provided the solidity Bell was the epitome of flair, racingto his 50 off 55 balls and his hundred off 113 balls with 13 fours and a six.He is the only batsman in this match so far to truly conquer a green, livelypitch.

Not only did Bell put England in aposition to push for their second victory in three warm-up matches ahead of thebig day in Brisbane he also quite possibly hit Steve Smith out of contentionfor Australian first Test selection.

Smith had looked an effectivebatsman here on Wednesday, increasing his hopes of earning a middle order berthfor the Ashes, but it is as a leg-spinner that Australia would really like himto progress.

Now, held back until the 56^thover by Australia A captain Cameron White, Smith was unable to settle as Bellgot after him from the off, hitting him for three consecutive fours in hisfirst over and continuing to attack him throughout.

Contrasting fortunes: Pietersen took a backwards step as Bell (right) oozed class Down Under

Smith, who bowled a succession offull tosses and other loose deliveries, was certainly overshadowed by O’Keefe,who also lured Alastair Cook into holing out at mid-off attempting to hit overthe top.

At least Cook, who made a centuryagainst South Australia in Adelaide, spent some more valuable time in themiddle in reaching a carefully compiled 60, mainly in company with JonathanTrott.

Cutting loose: Ian Bell tamed the green pitch

Trott is the only member of theEngland top six who has yet to make a half century on tour and he will havebeen furious to fall to a misjudged pull for the second successive match nineruns away from what would have been a reassuring landmark.

While Trott may have to re-assesshis approach to the short ball in this series then so too surely will Australiacaptain Ricky Ponting.

End of KP: Pietersen is bowled by Steve O'Keefe for just five

The home skipper, who has started to look fallibleagainst the short ball in the last 18 months, was also out hooking yesterday,in his case falling to his Australia team-mate Shane Watson playing forTasmania against New South Wales.

That news, together with someincreasingly ragged bowling from Australia’s second string, meant that Englandwill again be well pleased with their efforts today. Apart, that is, from asmall cloud hovering over Pietersen.

AUSTRALIA A v ENGLAND SCOREBOARD

Overnight:Australia A 230 (S N J O'Keefe 66, S P D Smith 59; C T Tremlett 4-54). England 22-1

ENGLAND 1st INNINGS CONTINUED

A N Cook c McKay b O'Keefe 60

M S Panesar c Cameron b McKay 13

I J L Trott c Khawaja b Cameron 41

K P Pietersen b O'Keefe 5

P D Collingwood not out 74

I R Bell not out 121

Extras lb1 w2 nb8 11

Total5 wkts (89 overs)335

Fall:1-20 2-37 3-124 4-127 5-137

To bat:M J Prior, T T Bresnan, A Shahzad, C T Tremlett.

Bowling:Cameron 20-1-88-2, George 17-4-66-0, McKay 21-5-54-1, O'Keefe 21-3-70-2, Smith 10-1-57-0

 

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• Nasser Hussain: My all-time Ashes dream teams: Would England win?
• The Full Monty for England as Panesar storms back with Aussies in meltdown
• Digital channel ITV4 win the battle to broadcast Ashes highlights
• We're here to win! Graham Gooch says England are ready for the Aussies
• Tremlett takes his medicine and leaves Australian batsmen feeling sick

 

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ASHES 2010-11: James Anderson delighted with his preparations and is looking forward to a good rest | Mail Online

James Anderson is confident his preparation for the Brisbane Test will be spot on - even if England rest him and the remainder of the frontline attack for next week's final warm-up match.

Another victim: James Anderson celebrates the wicket of South Australias' Daniel Harris

Anderson shared seven South Australia wickets with Graeme Swann on the middle day of England's first-class fixture at the Adelaide Oval.

His three for 62 and Swann's four for 68 helped the tourists bowl their hosts out for 221, and Andrew Strauss (56no) and Alastair Cook then raced to 94 for none second time round.

A cunning plan has leaked out, to spare England's four-man Test attack the exertions of a four-day match against Australia A in Tasmania next week and instead send them on to Queensland early to prepare for the start of the Ashes.

Anderson admits he and his fellow bowlers have not always been at their absolute best, despite their success so far here and against Western Australia in Perth. But he nonetheless appears to be in favour of an early arrival at the Gabba. 'I think I'd be fine going into that Test without playing at Hobart,' he said.

'It gives us a nice break going into that first Test. We get acclimatised better to the conditions. I'm not sure Tasmania is going to be 30 odd degrees, which Brisbane could be, so that might be another bonus for us.

'I've bowled some reasonably long spells in the last couple of games, so I've got some decent overs under my belt.'

Anderson could reflect on another day when England's build-up to their defence of the urn was again encouraging.

• Read Paul Newman's report on the day's play
• Check out his latest Ashes Diary entry
• And follow our cricket correspondent on Twitter!

But he disputed the suggestion that things are going almost too smoothly.

'I thought everyone hit their straps pretty well. But I wouldn't say it's been that smooth.

'As bowlers, we've gone through some bad spells. I didn't bowl great in the middle of my spells today, or as well as I would have liked.

Test hopeful: South Australia's Callum Ferguson went on the attack against England

'I'm sure the other bowlers have had similar feelings. Although we're getting the wickets, we're still striving to improve. We can get even better before that first Test comes round.'

One bowler who continues to hog the wickets is Swann.

He nipped out two cheap ones when he had SA number 10 Ben Edmondson lbw and number 11 Peter George stumped.

But Swann had stuck to his task and could also boast the wicket of top-scorer Aiden Blizzard, who holed out sweeping to Anderson on the square-leg boundary one short of his 50.

The off-spinner has a stellar billing to live up to this winter, standing as he does at the top of the world rankings for slow bowlers.

'It's kind of expected that he's going to bowl well,' said Anderson.

'He's had a great year, 18 months, and his form just continues to improve. 'He just seems to get better with every game.'

The same could be said for England's opening partnership today, Strauss hitting three leg-side sixes in his near run-a-ball half-century and the previously out-of-form Cook ably keeping him company.

They therefore improved very significantly on their paltry stands of eight, 11 and 12 which have preceded today's effort so far on this tour. Anderson's eye, meanwhile, was taken by the performance of another batsman - namely SA's Ashes aspirant Callum Ferguson.

He caught everyone's attention with his form in last year's NatWest Series in England, won 6-1 by Australia.

Injury has kept him on the sidelines for many of the intervening months - but after a first-class century already since his recent return, he has been picked in the Australia

A team to face England next week and is being touted by some as a possible member of the full Test squad, set to be picked on Monday.

His frenetic 35 today was not a particularly appropriate demonstration of his skills, and that is how Anderson appeared to see it too. 'It was an interesting innings if you're trying to push to get in a Test side,' he said.

'It was pretty breezy - he played some attacking shots - but at the same time, we thought we'd have a chance of getting him out.'

 

More...

• Akmal and Kaneria join Pakistan spot-fixing trio on World Cup blacklist
• Fix cricket! Zulqarnain demands ICC bosses bug cheats' phones
• Alastair Cook back in the runs at long last as England take control against South Australia
• Collingwood admits he feels at home in Adelaide after making 94 for England
• Finn: Look out Australia, I'm going to bore you to death!
• Paul Newman's Ashes Diary... Zulqarnain Haider saga overshadows England's preparation

 

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ASHES 2010-11: Aussie batsman Michael Clarke denies injury will hamper Ashes preparations | Mail Online

Australia Test vice-captain Michael Clarke is confident his stiff back won't affect his Ashes preparations despite failing to take the field for the final two sessions on day three of the Sheffield Shield clash between New South Wales against Victoria.

Clarke's chanceless century was the highlight of an otherwise disappointing day for NSW, underlining his importance to the national team ahead of the upcoming Test series against England.

The 29-year-old struck only four boundaries in his classy knock of 113 on a slow SCG outfield, and the running between the wickets took a toll as he was forced to sit out the remainder of the day.

Battling back: Clarke is struggling with a back injury ahead of first Test

But Clarke, who has battled back issues in the past, was quick to allay any fears the injury will keep him out of the opening Test against England at the Gabba beginning on November 25.

'I'm certainly not too concerned about it to be honest,' Clarke said afterwards. 'I was just listening to the experts and doing what was right. I think it's more so because of what we've got coming up we wanted to be smart.

'It's just stiff, I just pulled up a little bit stiff. It was a bit sandy out there so it's a bit hard on your legs ... so we thought with what's coming up I'm better off doing all the right things.

Testing times: Clarke shows the strain captaining Aussies during recent defeat

'I had some treatment and I've got to see how it pulls up tomorrow morning, but hopefully it'll be right to get back out there again tomorrow.'

Clarke added of his 348-minute stay at the crease: 'Obviously any time you make a hundred is a great feeling, but more than anything else for me it was about spending as much time in the middle as I possibly could.

'So I was stoked with that, to be able to face so many balls and help contribute to the team as well.'

Meanwhile, Australia spinner Nathan Hauritz made a welcome return to form, finishing with the respectable figures of two for 47 off 21 overs after taking the new ball in Victoria's second innings.

'I thought he bowled really well today,' Clarke said of Hauritz's performance. Under pressure opening the bowling, I thought he bowled real well.

'And I thought he bowled pretty well the other day without too much luck. A couple of balls lobbed over fielders' heads, (and there were) a couple of dropped catches.

'I think he's slowly building momentum and his confidence is certainly growing.

'And I know he's certainly excited about this first Test match in Brisbane and hoping he gets selected, and I think if he continues to bowl the way he has in this game I think his results and his figures will look a lot different.'

 

More...

• Alastair Cook back in the runs at long last as England take control against South Australia
• Anderson delighted with his Ashes preparations and now wants a rest
• Finn: Look out Australia, I'm going to bore you to death!
• Collingwood admits he feels at home in Adelaide after making 94 for England

 

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Paul Newman's Ashes Diary... Zulqarnain Haider saga overshadows England's preparation | Mail Online

It takes something significant to overshadow an England visit to Australia but there is no question that this week's main cricket news has centred on the extraordinary story of Zulqarnain Haider.

I have followed the latest extraordinary events involving Pakistan from afar here in Australia with a mixture of disbelief and concern over what this latest twist in an increasingly sinister story means for the game.

We all thought that Zulqarnain's 15 minutes of fame, at least for a British audience, was going to be his Test debut when he scored runs against England at Edgbaston and then was struck by a wayward throw from Stuart Broad.

Centre of a storm: Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider shocked the cricket world when he walked out on his team following alleged threats from match fixers

Yet now here he is with confusion surrounding his very future after walking out on the Pakistan team in Dubai and fleeing to England fearing his life was threatened by the dark forces which seem to have permanently attached themselves to Pakistani cricket.

• Read Paul Newman's report on day two of England's warm-up against South Australia

• Click here for the opening Ashes Diary entry

• Follow Paul Newman on Twitter

What to make of it all? Well, there are those here who are treating the whole business with a degree of scepticism because even in his short time in the spotlight the wicketkeeper did appear to display a certain eccentricity.

For instance last summer, when he was touring England, he sent friend requests to the bulk of the English cricketing journalists even though, to my knowledge, none of us have ever actually met him. It is not the sort of thing most players tend to do.

It could be argued that his slightly unusual behaviour suggested that he might have been planning a future inEngland even then - and that his decision now to flee Dubai without reporting his approach from a stranger to either his team management or the ICC points to a man looking for a way out and a fresh start.

Personally,my gut instinct tells me that Zulqarnain is one of the good guys. That here is a man who has refused to cave in to the match-fixers, the illegal bookmakers and other shady characters who pollute his world and is now genuinely concerned about the safety of both himself and his family.

In safe hands: He is an eccentric character, but the hope is that Haider is one of the good guys

What really worries me– and one would hope this is a view shared by the game's rulers– is that Zulqarnain appears to be in a minority within the Pakistani team. As more and more evidence of wrong-doing is uncovered the suspicion grows that corruption is totally endemic in Pakistani cricket and getting worse, not better.

What happens next is crucial for the health of the world game. It can only be hoped that the Crown Prosecution Service and the ICC are totally on top of the cases involving Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer because only, it seems, the most stringent punishments to the highest-profile miscreants can possibly rid the game of these darker and darker forces.

Even now it might be too late, certainly for this generation of Pakistani cricketers. England are due to play Pakistan in a warm-up game ahead of the World Cup next year and then, as we stand, will play them in a full Test and one-day international tour due to be staged in Abu Dhabi and Dubai early in 2012.

Those games are going to be staged in an atmosphere of total suspicion and already there is growing speculation that the match-fixers are targeting Pakistan’s games at the World Cup which, of course, they were due to co-host until the terrorist atrocities in Lahore made that impossible.

As each new development adds to the crisis I can’t help thinking that the argument for excluding Pakistan from international cricket until they can prove their house is in order is a legitimate one. We can’t carry on as we are and a clean break until a new untainted generation emerges could be the only option.

It is drastic and it is something that Giles Clarke and his ICC Pakistan Task Force are presumably desperate to avoid but unless a few life bans get handed out soon– and there is one Pakistani cricketer in particular who seems to be the most tainted of the lot but who is still in the team– there might not be any other option.

Let us cheer ourselves up by thinking of the Ashes. Things continue to chug along merrily here in Adelaide and I will end today by focusing on the lighter side of cricketing life.

Firstly, can I recommend the Graeme Swann video diary onwww.ecb.co.uk. It’s brilliant and provides further evidence that our potential Ashes-deciding spinner has another successful career on the celebrity circuit ahead of him when he finishesplaying. It is put together by a good Spurs man in Barney Douglas, too,which adds further to its appeal.

Swatting it away: Haider has hit out at those with his country who continue to corrupt the game

Secondly, there was a priceless moment here the other day when Shane Warne was asked to interview Tiger Woods, playing in Melbourne, for a large corporate audience.‘You and I have a lot in common,’ said Shane with perfect comic timing. Cue pause for laughter before he added‘We both love golf.’

Finally I have to tell you that four of our intrepid England cricketers had an interesting cultural experience the other night when they took in a performance of a touring Czech ballet company at one of the many local theatres here.

It might not surprise you that Swann, who I reckon would try anything once, Stuart Broad and Kevin Pietersen were among them but the identity of the fourth member of the cultural quartet might raise a few eyebrows. None other than hotley Bridge’s finest Paul Collingwood, who I wouldn’t have had down as a ballet man, and who was heard to mutter afterwards‘I’m not sure I’ll do that again….’

Who says cricketers are not rounded individuals.

 

More...

• Paul Newman's Ashes Diary... This tour couldn't have started better for England in magnificent Australia
• Akmal and Kaneria join Pakistan spot-fixing trio on World Cup blacklist
• Haider loses contract as Pakistan slam weak and scared' 24-year-old
• Fix cricket! Zulqarnain demands ICC bosses bug cheats' phones
• Pakistan wicket keeper Haider insists: I had to flee over fixing threats

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