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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:25

‘Important to deal with the new balls better’ – Borren

Heavy wind and rain from the remnants of tropical storm Henri meant only 19.3 overs of play could be completed upon resumption of Netherlands’ innings against Scotland on the reserve day before the first WCL Championship match in Amstelveen was abadoned.Pieter Seelaar and Roelof van der Merwe continued from where they left off on Monday. They ended up adding 126 for the sixth wicket before Seelaar fell on the final ball of the 43rd over, bowled by Alasdair Evans. Play only started after a 75-minute delay due to morning dampness. Rain had been falling for three overs leading up to the dismissal as well. But it only got heavy enough for the umpires after Sielaar was dismissed.Scotland had an early opportunity to burrow into the Netherlands tail. Only four runs had been added to the overnight score of 74 for 5 when Seelar mistimed a pull off Josh Davey to George Munsey at square leg, who fumbled the head-height chance. Seelar had been 25 then and went on to score his maiden List A fifty. He reached the mark off 77 balls and faced a few more before he was dismissed for 68. The 100-run partnership and van der Merwe’s fifty – also off 77 balls – were raised off back-to-back singles in the 38th over and Netherlands’ recovery was shaping up well when the weather intervened again.The rain abated for an hour, at around 3.30 pm, and the covers protecting the square were also removed for a brief period. The pitch was kept under wraps though. That caution proved helpful since there was another shower not long after. Despite sunshine from 5 pm onwards, the ground had taken too much water, especially at the bowler’s run-ups, and match officials ruled conditions unfit for further play resulting both teams sharing points.

New Zealand completed its preparation for the CricInfo Women’s World Cup, starting next week, in Timaru today with its second convincing win of three in its clean sweep over England.The eight wicket margin fairly demonstrated the difference between the two sides on the day.England, who batted first, should have made more of the good start they made to their innings. But just when they needed batsmen to build on the positive start, the middle and lower order faltered in the face of some quality New Zealand bowling.It was as if a tourniquet had been applied to stop the flow of runs. As the runs dried up the panic level in the England batting increased and it was dismissed in the 41st over for only 109, its lowest total of the series.Katrina Keenan polished off the lower order to finish with 3-15 as the last seven England wickets fell for 29 runs.Earlier, Rachel Pullar took 2-21 from seven overs while most encouragingly for New Zealand, given her return to the side after nearly two years out of the game, Clare Nicholson bowled eight overs and took 1-12.Catherine Campbell continued her quest for the world record for most wickets in ODIs. She took two wickets in the series to finish on 71 wickets, two behind Australian slow left-armer Lynette Fullston.Chasing her for the honour however, are Australia’s Cathryn Fitzpatrick and Charmaine Mason with 61, England’s Clare Taylor 59, New Zealand’s Keenan 58 and Zoe Goss of Australia on 57.New Zealand made a superb start to its chase and was quickly in front of what had been a lively England assault.Rebecca Rolls was belligerent at the start and while out for 13, it was in the third over. Anna O’Leary took the chance to play a longer innings than in the first game in Oamaru when she scored eight.She chanced her arm and got reward as the ball flew at good speed over fieldsmen in the gully area and her six from Laura Harper’s bowling was a sweetly-timed shot, the only six of the series.While offering a chance on 29, she went on to score 40 in an 80-run partnership with skipper Emily Drumm.Drumm, after the disappointment of her dismissal for 10 on Tuesday, was unbeaten on 43 at the end and had the satisfaction of scoring the winning runs.”There was no way today they were going to get me,” she said. “My downfall is often because I don’t value my wicket enough.”But she was in full control and was delighted with the series win.”Today’s game was the best chase out of the eight games we have played against England this year. And we have played better against England in this series than we did earlier in the year,” she said.England captain Clare Connor said that as a stand alone series the 3-0 series loss to New Zealand was very disappointing but as preparation for a big tournament it had been useful.”There have been several positive things to come out of it. Some of our bowlers are bowling better than they ever have before. It is disappointing the way we are approaching our batting.”We showed aggressive intent early on.”It is a case of everyone believing in what we have been practising all year,” she said.She was delighted with the side’s effort in the second game when defending 134.”It was fantastic and showed fantastic spirit and we showed some heart and soul. It took a big commitment and it is that which will pull us through the tournament and into the semi-finals,” she said.Both teams have a few days off now. The New Zealanders are going to their respective homes until reassembling on Sunday while England will be doing some sightseeing.

England’s stand-in captain Alec Stewart made no excuses for his team’s humiliating defeat at the hands of Australia in the latest NatWest Series encounter at Old Trafford.England were bundled out for their lowest-ever one-day score of 86 to lose by 125 runs. It was their ninth consecutive one-day defeat and means the remaining qualifying matches in the triangular competition are largely meaningless.Stewart said:”We have lost heavily and we were never at the races.”I am not going to use excuses. The fact is that they bowled well in helpfulconditions and we were not up to it.”He found some solace in the performance of Ben Hollioake whom the Australians struggled to get away. Stewart said: “Ben Hollioake’s bowling was very good – ten overs for 30 was very impressive and he has grown in stature in each game he has played in this series.”To keep them to 208 at the close of their innings was a good effort.”But then you get the first four wickets knocked over early in our innings and you do not recover from that.”Australian skipper Steve Waugh had some sympathy for his opposite number. “I do not think he made any tactical errors out there,” said Waugh.”I thought he captained pretty well but what can you do when your side getsbowled out for 86?”He is the captain but he cannot work miracles.”The next game in the series is between Pakistan and Australia at Chester-le-Street on Saturday while England are back in action against Pakistan at Headingley on Sunday.

Robin Weston’s third century of the season in the CricInfo Championship put the seal on a mixed first day for promotion outsiders Middlesex at a chilly and sometimes damp New Road.Despite two interruptions for rain and a terminal stoppage for bad light, they built on a century start by Weston and Andrew Strauss to make 258-6 against some indifferent Worcestershire bowling.A fifth-wicket partnership of 95 by Weston and acting skipper Paul Weekes gave them a chance of scaling their loftiest objective, but a healthy bounty of batting points probably slipped from their grasp within three overs from Graeme Hick after tea.The off-spinner held a one-handed caught-and-bowled to remove Weston for 106 and then bowled David Nash.Having started the last round of matches in fifth place, Middlesex need to pick up eight more points than Gloucestershire and four more than Warwickshire.The first session went according to their most optimistic script as Strauss made 92, including 17 fours from 107 balls, in an opening stand of 143 in only two hours.Hick was the sixth bowler in Worcestersire’s hard-pressed attack when he dismissed Strauss with a good catch, diving forward at deep cover, by Philip Weston, the elder brother of the other Middlesex opener.Owais Shah and Stephen Fleming then departed in successive overs from Alamgir Sheriyar and Middlesex were in danger of wasting their electric start when Ed Joyce was caught at square leg soon after lunch.Weekes appeared at 158 for 4 and set about re-stabilising his side in between the afternoon showers with a more watchful Weston. He eventually reached his hundred from 164 balls, albeit with an edged boundary – his 17th in all – off Andy Bichel.

Johnson rouses crowd one final time

Ever since Andy Bichel pulled him up one day at Queensland training, Mitchell Johnson has always concentrated on making sure he didn’t end a spell or match on a bad note.
After being battered by Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor in the first innings of what became his final Test, Johnson turned on the speed and menace one last time to bounce out Tom Latham and Martin Guptill. In those same moments, though, he knew the decision to walk away was right.
“Nice feeling. Definitely put a smile on my face. I still knew I’ve made the right decision even when I was out there and playing like that. I still knew,” he said. “But I really enjoyed it and to play in front of my friends and family, a pretty amazing feeling when the crowd is right behind you.
“The sound that’s going through your ears and emotion running in a few times. Pretty focused on the job. Was hoping for a few more wickets, was nice to finish with a trademark of my career and [Guptill] caught in close like that – really wanted to finish like that and it’s good when you can.”
Johnson was then carried off the field by Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, the men who will carry on as the team’s pacemen without him.
“When the boys picked me up that was probably a bit more emotional – I didn’t really want them to do it. They’ve been so great through my whole career, been so supportive and really enjoyed playing cricket with those guys. A little tear in the eye when they picked me up.”
True to Bichel’s instruction, Johnson had finished well.

As he foreshadowed before the WACA Test against New Zealand, Mitchell Johnson has had enough.In the lead-up to the match, Johnson said he was happy to keep playing “as long as I’m performing well and doing my job in the team then mentally I’m feeling pretty good”, but this week, Johnson has been conclusively tamed by Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, returning the figures of 1 for 157, the most expensive by an Australian bowler in all Tests in Perth.His manager Sam Halvorsen was in the Australian dressing rooms on the fourth evening, as Johnson reached the painful decision to end his Test playing days. He conceded afterwards that he was quite simply no longer enjoying the hard days in the field epitomised by this match, the fourth highest scoring Test ever to be played in Australia”I’m really happy with my decision and I just lost that hunger in the end to play out on those tough days, that’s where my decision came,” Johnson said, watched by his wife Jessica, captain Steven Smith, and teammates Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon. “That’s something I used to really enjoy about Test cricket, the challenge of those really difficult days out there and I just wasn’t enjoying it out there.”The first innings bowling was my final decision. Spoke to Jess my wife about it and my manager Sam and Smithy and Boof and spoke to the boys and let them know last night that I was finishing up in all forms. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a year now to be honest, on and off. The World Cup I thought that was a good time to go out in one day cricket but also with young guys in the team I also felt like I could help them through. But ultimately I felt like I couldn’t compete at this level any more and lost that hunger.”Johnson’s retirement rounds out a sequence of six exits from the national team around this year’s unsuccessful defence of the Ashes in England. Ryan Harris, Michael Clarke, Chris Rogers, Shane Watson and Brad Haddin all left the stage before the home summer, and Johnson had admitted to thinking about joining them, only committing fully to playing a few weeks before the season began.He admitted he had spoken at length with his mentor Dennis Lillee about his future during that period, and while his mentor felt it was possible to keep going for several more seasons at reduced pace while concentrating on consistency and movement, the 34-year-old pushed back with the view that he had been born to bowl fast, and would not enjoy the game if he could not.”I spoke to him in the six weeks I had home before this series and he said I at least had another three or four more years left in me,” Johnson said. “Not bowling at 150kph but doing similar to what he did. Just bowling at that lower pace but doing something a bit more with the ball but at the back of my mind I was thinking I only want to bowl fast – that’s how I’ve bowled my whole career.”That was something I remember Brett Lee talking about before his retirement. He said basically he just wanted to bowl fast and if he ever got to the point where he couldn’t bowl fast than he was done as well, so I felt like I was on that wave length as well, but we had a pretty good discussion about it. I sent him a message this morning and he’s been a huge part of my career.”A shattering event in Australian cricket, the death of Phillip Hughes last year also weighed heavily on Johnson, while he also found himself bowling on pitches far less lively than those he had been helped by in previous summers. “Definitely there was a part of me that struggled after Phillip’s death and probably affected me for a long time and probably still does,” he said. “But the final decision was more just the hunger and those tough days I didn’t want to be there.”That’s not very fair on the team and that’s how I play cricket, I always play 100%. Really happy and proud I was able to go out there and finish off really well and having that weight lifted off your shoulders and just go out there and have fun and cherish the moment.”Wickets are definitely getting harder and harder and flatter but it might have played a little part day in and day out, some days you feel like a bowling machine. But I really did enjoy the challenge even though sometimes it felt like an unfair advantage to batters. Never complained about it, and always gave it 100 per cent.”Johnson has played 73 Tests, claiming 311 wickets for Australia, behind only Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Dennis Lillee. He was the key figure in Australia’s 5-0 Ashes sweep in 2013-14, claiming a staggering 37 wickets across the five Tests and leaving an indelible mark with his pace and intimidation.”That was definitely a huge moment in my career and it’s something that I guess I would have had regrets if I hadn’t come back from there,” he said. “I spoke to my wife about it and something I really wanted to work hard on coming back into the team and I really enjoyed that challenge and it really made me excited about playing cricket and coming back from injury [in 2011-12] and working really hard and I guess testing myself.”I felt like I hadn’t given my best at that stage in my career and felt like I had a lot to give. The last couple of years were really exciting for me and just became really confident in my ability and in my action. Learn to become more comfortable in myself. Wasn’t content but just knew what I needed to do and what it took to be your best. It was an exciting time throughout my career and something I will always cherish and always have those memories.”A follow-up performance in South Africa further enhanced Johnson’s reputation as one of the most frightening fast bowlers to have played the game, but his returns have trailed off gradually since, and after struggling for impact in the two Tests of this series against New Zealand he has decided to finish – doing so before the inaugural day/night Test in Adelaide, a concept he has been notably sceptical about.His decision has also coincided with the maturing of Mitchell Starc, who has developed consistency to go with his pace and swing and has notably outdone his more senior left-arm paceman at the WACA Ground. The dual use of Starc and Johnson in the same attack has been a source of considerable selection angst for several years, no more so than against England when they struggled for role definition as two strike bowlers in a four-man attack.

ScorecardBen Duckett ended a bad week with his career-best T20 score•Getty Images

Ben Duckett’s career-best T20 score, 24 hours after he was castigated by his county for a drink-driving charge, steered Northamptonshire towards the quarter-finals of the NatWest T20 Blast. He made 40 in 26 balls in his side’s six wicket victory with an over to spare against Yorkshire in front of a sold out Wantage Road.On a dry wicket where clean striking was difficult, Alex Wakeley’s considered 46 in 42 balls was necessary to negotiate a tricky target of 154. Northants were in control of the chase throughout, marshalled by captain Wakely, and a jaunty knock from Duckett put Northants on the cusp of the quarter-fianls with Yorkshire already out of the competition.With 25 required from 24 balls. Duckett swung Liam Plunkett down the ground before stepping across his stumps to paddle sweep another boundary. He struck a six over midwicket in the next over to kill the game and a driven four to complete victory and also brought up a career best.The chase began brightly thanks to Richard Levi. Following his match-winning innings against Leicestershire in Northants’ previous T20, he took 25 from the third over, bowled by Plunkett. Two flicks found the midwicket boundary, with one stroke carrying the fence, and a waist-high no-ball was swung for four more fine of long leg.

Insights

Yorkshire have rarely, if ever, fielded such an inexperienced side as that which took the field in Northampton and perhaps that told in their approach. They will look back on their Powerplay with regret. They ended it 30 for 2, a run-rate of jut five, having lost two wickets in the first three overs and responding with defence rather than positivity: the final three overs of the Powerplay yielded 1, 7 and 6 runs. The target of 154 was chased with relative ease by Northamptonshire who remain contenders for a last-eight place.

But trying to come back for a second run on an overthrow, he was run out by a direct hit from Plunkett and then Josh Cobb was caught on the cover boundary first ball to check Northants’ progress. They took 52 from the Powerplay before a stand of 62 in 7.4 overs between Wakely and David Willey – making a much-unexpected return to the side following injury.Willey, as much as he tried, was unable to play his usual free-swinging game. He made his way to 16 from 20 balls before getting a short delivery from Matthew Waite to swing wide of long leg. He lifted his only six into the last row of the stand behind long-on before trying to repeat the stroke and finding the fielder. His wicket brought Duckett to the crease and he saw Northants home.The hosts appeared in control from the start having won the toss, chose to bowl first, and got through a cheap Powerplay that cost only 30. Willey opened with a wicket maiden. Will Rhodes, having been beaten twice outside off stump, received a fuller delivery that he swung his hands at, only to find Ben Duckett at extra-cover. Then Jack Leaning, having not scored off his first three deliveries, took on Josh Cobb at mid-off and was run-out.The first stroke in anger was a sweetly-timed straight drive for six from Alex Lees in the fifth over but his 46 in 42 balls was the only knock of substance for Yorkshire.With the scoring rate flagging at below a run-a-ball in the eighth over, Bairstow heaved Graeme White over long-on and pulled Azharullah between deep square leg and deep midwicket but, trying to hit into the wind, found Duckett at deep midwicket.Glenn Maxwell, who was initially scheduled to miss this match and join the Australia A squad, was left with much responsibility but fired only very briefly, swinging Steven Crook over midwicket. But trying to find the same fence to the next delivery, holed out to Willey to came in quickly to take a solid catch.Liam Plunkett drove White down the ground for four and then lifted Willey over deep midwicket for six but he was bowled trying to paddle sweep Azharullah and Yorkshire began the final two overs on 126 for 6. Rory Klienveldt leaked 16 from the penultimate over before Azhuarullah’s final over went for 11 to give Yorkshire what appeared a competitive score, but it proved too few.

Boxing Day has always been an occasion to indulge in cricket, but this year there will be even more on offer with a domestic Twenty20 game expected to be added to the public holiday. Cricket Australia is planning a major review of the tournament in Australia as it tries to develop its own version of the Indian Premier League, but it has resisted the urge to tinker immediately and there are only minor changes to the 2008-09 scheduling, which includes the addition of a preliminary final to the fixture list.A revised draft of the season plan shows the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash will begin with a night match between Queensland and New South Wales at the Gabba on Boxing Day and another three games will be held in the same week as the MCG Test. Last season the tournament, which is preparing for its fourth summer in Australia, began on New Year’s Eve and the top two teams after the preliminary rounds went through to the decider. Victoria won the competition for the third year in a row.The period from Boxing Day to the final on January 24 will be blocked off for domestic Twenty20 fixtures, although appearances from Australia’s major players will be prevented by the staging of the Test and limited-overs matches involving South Africa. Twelve of the 17 inter-state contests will be televised on Fox Sports, with each team involved in five rounds before the two finals.Twenty-two of the 50-over FR Cup fixtures will be broadcast, starting with the season opener between Western Australia and New South Wales on October 15. The Pura Cup is due to begin on October 10 with matches between Queensland and Tasmania and the Warriors and the Blues.

Central Districts’ match against India has proven invaluable for Test newcomer Michael Mason when he was named in the New Zealand team for the first Test of the National Bank series against India today.Mason gets his chance ahead of New Zealand Cricket-contracted player Chris Martin.A player who has already suffered more injuries in his brief career than most players would face in a lifetime, including a devastating broken ankle two years ago, Mason has been a comer as a spearhead of an impressive Central Districts bowling attack over the last four seasons.Mason is playing his 31st first-class match against India and before the start of the second innings of the tour match which finishes in Napier today he has taken 95 wickets at an average of 25.49.His CD captain Jacob Oram has also been included in the Test 12, and the reason for him making a precautionary withdrawal from his side’s match against India on the morning of the match has become more apparent.He was said to have felt a hamstring in the Super Max International on Wednesday evening, where he bowled impressively during India’s second innings, and felt it wasn’t worth damaging his leg.Like Mason, Oram has had a battle with injuries in recent years but as the tallest player to have played for the country, he stands at 2.01m, and has had reward for a greater concentration on his bowling technique in recent seasons.He increased the speed of what had been previously a pedestrian form of bowling to be sharpish with the advantage of his great height to unsettle batsmen. The work on developing his concentration has also started to bear him fruit.Oram first played for New Zealand in the home one-day series against Zimbabwe in 2000/01 and quickly fitted into the side and hit the winning runs in the deciding ODI against Pakistan at Carisbrook later in the season. He has twice been 12th man in previous Test sides.A foot injury ruled him out of most of last season but he was a member of the side to Sri Lanka for the Champions Trophy in September.”His selection follows huge progress in his bowling. He has brisk pace and his height makes for increased bounce which can prove awkward for batsmen in some conditions. He has been an impressive all-rounder for Central Districts this season with both the bat and ball,” selection convener Sir Richard Hadlee said.He has played 25 ODIs and has a strike-rate of 81.35 from the 336 runs he has scored. He has played 32 first-class games and has 1390 runs at 31.59 and 44 wickets at 22.54.He also had reward for one of the more commanding batting performances of the early season when scoring 96 out of his side’s 234 at Wanganui against Otago. He followed that with 52 not out in the second innings.The full team is: Stephen Fleming (captain), Nathan Astle, Shane Bond, Robbie Hart, Craig McMillan, Michael Mason, Jacob Oram, Mark Richardson, Scott Styris, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori, Lou Vincent.Unavailable for selection were Chris Cairns, who has been ruled out of both Test matches as he is to undergo keyhole surgery on his right knee on Tuesday to remove a piece of cartilage, Andre Adams, Shayne O’Connor and Ian Butler.Cairns is expected to be available for selection for the one-day series starting in Auckland on Boxing Day.Hadlee said the selectors were going into the two-Test series concerned about the lack of performance in the State Championship to date from the leading players in the country.”We are backing experience and what we know by putting our faith in players who have performed at the top level.”Mason is a bowler with good pace. He has been impressive in the current game taking three for 46 in the first innings v India and he swings ball away from right-handed batsmen,” Hadlee said.

The Sri Lankan selectors have added Dammika Prasad, a right-arm fast-medium bowler to the squad for the second Test against India starting at Galle on Thursday.Selection committee sources said they need a quick bowler who can beat the bat quite often and it was with this in mind they had added the 25-year-old Prasad to the squad. Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Kulasekara, the new-ball bowlers for the first Test, are among the slowest Sri Lanka have had in recent times.The two averaged between 120 and 125kph in Colombo and bowled only 30 overs in all in a Test dominated by the spinners. Vaas went wicketless for 50 runs and there were times his pace dipped to as low as 110 kph.Prasad impressed with his bowling in the three-day tour match with 4 for 58 against the Indians. He played three ODIs for Sri Lanka in 2006 and has taken 129 wickets in 41 first-class matches.However sources said if Vaas was left out of the XI, he would be replaced by left-arm fast bowler Thilan Thushara, who played in West Indies in April this year, and not Prasad.”We brought Prasad into the squad to get a closer look at him and keep him in the frame,” the source said.The first Test which Sri Lanka won so convincingly by an innings and 239 runs in four days was dominated by spinners Muthiah Muralitharan and debutant Ajantha Mendis who between them took 19 wickets.Sri Lanka squad: Michael Vandort, Malinda Warnapura, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Thilan Samaraweera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Prasanna Jayawardene, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekera, Chamara Silva, Thilan Thushara, Chamara Kapugedera, Dammika Prasad.

Scorecard

Upul Tharanga’s big hundred outweighed Gulam Bodi’s century to give Sri Lanka A a 26-run victory and a 2-1 lead after the third ODI against South Africa A in East London.Upul Tharanga smashed a career-best 173 as he carried his bat on a placid track. He laid the ideal platform with Tharanga Paranavitana by adding 91 at a run-a-ball for the first wicket. He was involved in three other substantial partnerships, including 95 off 70 balls for the second wicket with Dilruwan Perera.Faced with a target of 336, Bodi began with an assault on Sri Lankan fast bowler Suranga Lakmal, who leaked 36 runs in his first three overs. The opening stand of 87 with captain Alviro Petersen provided a solid start but with six of the South African batsmen managing only single-digit scores, Bodi was left with too much to do.Wicketkeeper Heino Kuhn and Vaughn van Jaarsveld provided some support but fast bowler Ishara Amerasinghe sliced through the middle order to dampen South Africa’s chances. The hosts’ troubles were compounded when Bodi was bowled by left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, the most successful of the Sri Lankan bowlers with four wickets, soon after bringing up his 150 with a six. Bodi was the eighth man out, by when the asking-rate had climbed to almost 12, a rate the tailenders were unable to keep up with.The two remaining matches in the series will be played on Friday and Sunday.