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

England’s chances of fighting what seemed insurmountable odds and drawing level in the series improved significantly after a thoroughly dominant performance on the third day at Mumbai. They bowled India out for just 279, snatching a first-innings lead of 121, and then stretched that lead to 152 by close of play, though they lost both openers in the process.After the first two days England had the edge, but they needed a strong performance today to further that advantage. They didn’t finish India off completely – Rahul Dravid will still hope for a collapse and a chaseable target – but Andrew Flintoff will have few complaints with his team’s performance in the field. Despite dropping a couple of chances, England put in a wholehearted performance – the fast bowlers were aggressive and disciplined, with James Anderson leading the way on his return to the side, while the spinners played a vital hand, bowling a crucial 21 overs at a stretch in the afternoon for just 46 runs and a wicket, allowing the fast bowlers an extended period of rest before they returned with the second new ball. Geraint Jones came up with three excellent catches behind the stumps and finished with five for the innings, while Flintoff maintained a happy balance between defence and attack throughout the day, keeping enough fielders in the ring to save the runs even as he searched for wickets.Resuming at 89 for 3, India were looking up to Yuvraj Singh and Dravid, the last specialist batting pair, but the batsman who made the most significant contribution was Dhoni. Playing with a restraint most uncharacteristic, Dhoni shook off a blow to the head from Flintoff, batted with admirable composure and responsibility to make 64, but then threw it away in a moment of madness, dashing off for a single after having clobbered Flintoff for three successive fours off his first over with the second new ball.

In fact, India’s batting was characterised by long periods of circumspection, but the few rushes of blood were their undoing – Irfan Pathan made 26 from 80 balls, in the process adding 44 for the sixth wicket with Dhoni, before deciding to charge down the track to Shaun Udal, handing him his first wicket of the series. Yuvraj’s flash outside off was a needless stroke too, while Dravid battled hard for a half-century and then touched a ball down leg side after being reprieved at the same score.England, on the other hand, kept up the intensity throughout. Flintoff and Anderson bowled superb spells in the morning, with Flintoff’s bouncer battle with Dhoni being particularly memorable. A well-directed short ball clanged Dhoni’s helmet when he was on 14, and then followed an exhilarating tussle, as Dhoni crashed a couple of boundaries, including a hook, and further riled Flintoff by taking plenty of time between overs, and sometimes even deliveries. After one such delay, a charged-up Flintoff responded with a wayward bouncer that flew past both batsman and keeper for four byes. It was fiery, aggressive stuff, but at the end of it all, Dhoni was still standing.The afternoon session was less exciting, but England’s spin duo of Monty Panesar and Udal did a crucial tie-up job, restricting the runs and ensuring that the Indians didn’t snatch back the momentum. Dhoni’s run-out – a marginal decision from the third umpire, for replays didn’t conclusively show that the bail was off the groove completely in time – should have signaled the end of India’s resistance, but Sreesanth and Anil Kumble did another defying act, adding 55 for the ninth wicket. Sreesanth – with a first-class batting average of 5.42 and a previous highest of 19 not out – mixed studious defence with meaty blows to ride up to 29 before running out of partners.A deficit of 121 was a huge minus to come back from, but India put in a spirited performance in the field, with Sreesanth – suitably inspired after his knock – putting in a particularly fiery spell. The openers departed cheaply, but the first-innings cushion means England hold all the aces going into the fourth day.

England
Andrew Strauss c Dhoni b Munaf 4 (5 for 1)
Ian Bell c Dhoni b Sreesanth 8 (21 for 2)
India
Yuvraj Singh c Jones b Flintoff 37 (94 for 4)
Rahul Dravid c Jones b Anderson 52 (142 for 5)
Irfan Pathan c Hoggard b Udal 26 (186 for 6)
Mahendra Singh Dhoni run out (Anderson) 64 (212 for 7)
Harbhajan Singh c Jones b Anderson 2 (217 for 8)
Anil Kumble lbw b Panesar 30 (272 for 9)
Munaf Patel b Anderson 7 (279 all out)

Adam Gilchrist considers retirement "almost daily" and could bow out at the 2007 World Cup. The end-of-career revelation, which is based on his desire to spend more time with his family, comes despite an amazing surge of three run-a-ball centuries in his last four Tests and baseball interest from the Boston Red Sox.In an interview with Inside Cricket Gilchrist said he was "excited" when he thought about not touring. “The big question which I find myself pondering on an almost daily basis lately is how much longer can this last?” he said. “That’s why my battle to survive in cricket these next few years is going to be a mental battle more than a physical one. It seems I’m always questioning myself now as to whether I should be away and how good it would be to be at home."Gilchrist, 33, said he has felt like this since his two children were born. "At this stage Harrison and Annie are at an age where it’s all lost on them," he said. “But by the time they reach a stage where they can identify with what I’ve done or where I fit in society, I plan on being around a lot more and in a better position to keep a rein on things.”The World Cup in the West Indies is Gilchrist’s "carrot" to continue playing. “I suspect I won’t be going around three years from now," he said. “That’s providing I still warrant a place in the one-day team and even that’s coming from a guy who’s said he’s never going to go on and on and sap it for everything possible."During his last four Tests against Pakistan and New Zealand Gilchrist scored 113, 121, 162 and 60 not out. At the end of the 2-0 series win against the Kiwis an approach from the Red Sox, who were impressed by his clean hitting, was revealed.

England 154 for 3 (Hussain 41*, Thorpe 1*) trail West Indies 311 (Smith 108, Hinds 84) by 157 runs
Scorecard

Nasser Hussain and Mark Butcher had to call on every ounce of their Caribbean experience, as England grafted their way into a challenging position on the second day of the first Test at Kingston. Faced with a ferocious onslaught from West Indies’ two young firebrands, Fidel Edwards and Tino Best, Hussain and Butcher batted throughout the afternoon session to carry England to 154 for 3 at the close, in reply to West Indies’ 311.Had it not been for a tempestuous 20-minute mini-session, almost two hours after a heavy downpour had all but ended the day’s play at tea, England’s situation might have been even better. Instead, in the 3.1 overs that were possible, Mark Butcher was caught behind for 58 to give Edwards his third wicket of the innings, and West Indies had gained a unexpected reward for their wholehearted efforts.It might have been reward at a cost, however, as Brian Lara had to leave the field with a dislocated finger when he dropped Butcher at second slip, moments after becoming involved in a heated conversation with the umpires. Lara was taken to hospital for a precautionary x-ray on the little finger of his right hand, but is expected to be able to bat.Butcher’s wicket – caught behind by Jacobs two balls after his escape – brought to an end a 119-run third-wicket stand with Hussain, who battled through to the close with 41 not out. They had come together with the score at 33 for 2, and the reception they both received would have evoked memories of that tortuous morning at Kingston six years ago. With the speedometer nudging 94mph on occasions, Edwards used his low slingy action to whistle bouncers past half-formed hook-shots, and spear yorkers deep into the batsmen’s blockholes, while Tino Best – who has yet to take a Test wicket, but has several genuine scalps to his name already – made it his mission to cause the batsmen as much discomfort as possible.Edwards had already blown away both openers in the space of two overs: Marcus Trescothick, whose feet haven’t started moving yet on this tour, was bowled for 7 off the inside edge of his limp bat (28 for 1), before Michael Vaughan, with a casual flick and a crisp drive to his name already, was tempted to chase an outswinger and deflected a simple catch straight into Lara’s midriff (33 for 2).

Butcher, playing in his first match since he twisted his ankle against Jamaica, was especially sketchy early on. In fact, he very nearly registered his second golden duck in successive Tests at Sabina Park, as he fended Edwards away with a combination of bat and thigh, and watched the ball dribble inches past his off stump. And things got worse before they could get better. He was dropped when 4 by Ramnaresh Sarwan at forward short leg, and was sent to lunch with his ears ringing when Best clobbered him flush on the side of the helmet.Meanwhile Hussain was all grit and grimace, playing low and late and concentrating purely on survival. He too was extremely fortunate to survive his first delivery – a booming outswinging yorker from Edwards that just flashed past his off stump – and Best followed that up with a brute of a bouncer that clipped the elbow and cracked into the helmet. Some of Hussain’s body language implied that the pitch was beginning to misbehave, but as the shine came off the Kookaburra ball and the menace went out of the attack, he too began to take some liberties, clipping Collymore for four midway through the afternoon, before hooking Edwards to the fine-leg boundary.But Best was strangely ignored by Lara throughout most of the afternoon, and Butcher capitalised on his absence, bringing up his half-century with a clip for three through midwicket. Hussain reached tea on 40 not out, after picking up his scoring rate in the closing overs of the session, when he came down the track to drive Chris Gayle for four. Gayle’s introduction was a welcome change of tempo for England, and might have been influenced by the bank of menacing clouds that eventually swamped most of the evening session.Earlier, England had needed just 12 deliveries to wrap up the West Indian innings, without any addition to their overnight 311. In the second full over of the day, Andrew Flintoff grabbed a sharp left-handed chance low at second slip to remove Edwards for 1, giving Matthew Hoggard his third wicket of the innings. But West Indies needed just 19 balls, late, late in the afternoon, to get the breakthrough they deserved.Andrew Miller is assistant editor of Wisden Cricinfo.

BOMBAY, India, March 6 AP – While India hoped to book passage to the cricket World Cup semi-final in its match against Kenya, bookies back home also were gearing up for the game – crouched inside cars and huddled in vacant buildings.Betting is banned in India, except at race courses in a few cities, but Indians are wild about cricket and many can’t help but wager despite a police crackdown. Some 35 bookmakers were arrested in Bombay and 24 in India’s capital New Delhi last week.News reports say some 40 billion rupees were bet on last week’s India-Pakistan match and the stakes may rise as the World Cup semi-finals approach.Punters were itching to bet on whether India’s star batsman Sachin Tendulkar would score a century against Kenya, how many Australians Sri Lanka’s ace spinner Muttiah Muralitharan would nail, or how the prolific Australian batsman Michael Bevan would fare in Super Six matches the same day.”There has been an unprecedented hike in betting since the World Cup began. People have lost fortunes or made fortunes in the same evening,” said Sridhar Vagal, Bombay’s joint police commissioner.Bombay bookies, who had earlier relegated India to fourth place, revised the odds after the exit of South Africa, Pakistan, the West Indies and England.Australia remained the favourite. The bookies were giving betters only 1 rupee for every 0.80 rupees they bet on the defending champions to win the World Cup.Police recovered 10 mobile phones and four laptop computers from one car during a raid last week. But the laptops had access codes police found hard to crack.The police don’t get any information, and the raids just disrupt business, said one bookie, who runs a real estate agency and spoke on condition of anonymity.And the punishment is light. Most bookies arrested in last week’s raids were out on bail after paying a fine of 1,000 rupees.Although match-fixing remains a concern, police have found no recent evidence.”Some of the big bookies in Bombay are linked to dons in Dubai and Karachi who fancy themselves as matchfixers,” said Vagal, “but of late we have not found anything.”Police believe self-exiled mob boss Dawood Ibrahim, who tops India’s most wanted list, is the biggest player in the Indian betting racket.The big bookies monitor competitors’ phone lines, foreign weather and become experts on the nature of the pitch, police say.”I bet on if rain will stop play, if Sachin (Tendulkar) will make 50 or 100. The high in India is on these roving odds,” said Ravi Tripathi, who also likes to put money down on horse racing.”The big punters just have an open line with the bookie that stays open right through the match. The odds keep fluctuating – they change with every ball,” said Tripathi, who refused to disclose his profession or the money he raked in during the World Cup.

Iain Brunnschweiler and James Schofield: who are they? That was the question being asked around the ground, as these two young men were there at the end of one of Hampshire’s most memorable games of cricket ever. I make no apologies for the use of the word ever.’Braunchy’ as he is affectionately known, despite his elongated surname was born in Southampton. The club’s reserve wicket-keeper, he has been performing admirably in the Second XI this year. James Schofield was born in my home town of Blackpool, and I’m sure his eyes must have been as bright as the famous illuminations from the seaside town. Earlier in the match he took a wicket with his first ball for the first team, having already excelled in the seconds this season.

In years to come, those 3,000 or so spectators will be able to tell their grandchildren: ‘I was there’. Can you remember where you where when Kennedy was assassinated or when England’s football team won the World Cup? I can and I will remember the day Hampshire beat the mighty Australian World Champions. I’m sure that the 3,000 will probably become 10,000 in the fullness of time.You could have cut the atmosphere with a knife as the target became closer, and Hampshire’s old pal ‘Warnie’ was trying so hard to put his old mates’ day down. He bowled magnificently on a pitch that after three days had become a square turner.This article is not really about the cricket – there are many articles around about the play. Thank goodness Saints Reserves were not playing Accrington Stanley Reserves otherwise the papers would not have had the room to talk about such a great day in the history of the club.It is rumoured that the county made something in the region of £100,000 over the three days; good on them they deserve it…The first day when the Aussies were tumbled for 97, with ‘Big Al’ and young Schofield taking advantage of early moisture, there may have been a worry as to whether this would go into a third day. Robin Smith, the ‘Judge’ (what a time to get his 47th hundred for his boys), will have a couple of pints with his good mate ‘Warnie’ over that I’m sure. Neil Johnson has fitted into the club with pride and he won a much-deserved Man of the Match award for his efforts – £500 from Vodafone. And there was £11,000 to Hampshire for their excellent team performance. Another old-boy also did well: ‘Matty’ Hayden, with a magnificent century – it was great to see him back.Credit must go to Steve Waugh, who surprised many by declaring when the ninth wicket fell to set up a memorable evening for all there, but none more so than a great old friend of Hampshire, Norman Olden. Norman who lives in Shepherds Bush has, for some 80+ years, spent his summers between Hampshire and Lord’s. At 92 he has found it more difficult to get around, but a few of his friends put their heads together and collected him from his home. He spent the day as a guest of the Hampshire Committee, and remarked that it was a most fantastic day. It was a real pleasure Norman, we all had a fantastic day too.The e-mails have been rolling in, last night and the morning after, and I hope to post some of these on the web site, with some photos from the ‘Big Match’, but would you believe it, I had one this morning, not even mentioning the cricket, just whinging about the PA, mobile phones, playing on the outfield etc. Needless to say I shall not bother to post that one! If you have something positive to say about you visit to the Rose Bowl and the victory, please send an e-mail to me: [email protected] and I will try and post as many as I can over the coming days…So, where do Hampshire and their magnificent stadium go from here? How do you top that? Only one way, of course, promotion in the CricInfo Championship and Norwich Union League would top off the season very nicely thank you very much.

ScorecardEd Joyce struck 104 as England Lions completed their India tour with a comprehensive 176-run win against Saurashtra. His century enabled the Lions to close in on 300 before an efficient bowling display, led by Charlie Shreck’s four wickets, completed the victory.Joyce added 122 for the second wicket with Joe Denly (56) to set a solid platform for the middle order. Andrew Flintoff made 23 off 28 balls in his second outing, after missing the last match with a stomach bug, but he and Joyce fell with the score on 195.The acceleration came from James Hildreth and Michael Yardy as the pair added 84 for the fifth wicket. Hildreth clubbed 43 off 31 balls and Yardy contributed 42 off 33 as the Lions made up for their below-par effort in the previous match. Nayan Doshi, the Derbyshire left-arm spinner, claimed two wickets but was carted for 80 runs off his 10 overs.Saurashtra never provided a challenge in the run chase as all the Lions bowlers chipped in. Graham Onions began the rout by striking with the third ball and there was a steady procession of wickets with Shreck removing the lower order.

After two severe batting collapses against Australia and Sri Lanka, Herschelle Gibbs has urged South Africa’s middle-order batsmen to build on the solid starts provided by the top order.”The guys are firing up front and it would be good for our middle order to fire as well,” Gibbs told . “In order to win a tournament like this you need a big team effort and along with that team effort comes individual performances and the guys are good enough to turn it all around in one game. I wouldn’t say it’s a problem right now. The guys up the order have been setting it up, we just need the middle order to get in there and bat with the same intensity.”Chasing 378 for victory in their final Group A match against Australia, South Africa were on course at 220 for 1 in the 32nd over, but they were eventually dismissed for 294. It got worse in the Super Eights match against Sri Lanka on Wednesday. South Africa needed only five runs off 31 balls with five wickets in hand but Lasith Malinga took four wickets in four balls and it was left to Robin Peterson to edge South Africa home with a wicket to spare.”We learnt the lesson of not completing the innings with the same intensity with which we started it,” Gibbs said. “That’s what happens when you drop the intensity, it takes four good balls to turn the game on its head. It was an interesting experience and very, very nice to come away with a win. But it was a big lesson for all the batsmen who batted at the end.”I don’t normally have the stomach for matches like that. I’m normally the first one hiding in the toilets at the back of the change room, not able to watch. But I sat through it this time and witnessed every ball and had a drink very quickly after it was finished. Maybe we just took things for granted and weren’t clinical enough at the end of the innings. But the lesson has been learned and the same mistake won’t be made again.”South Africa’s next match is against Ireland on Tuesday in Guyana and Gibbs said there was no way they would underestimate the Irish challenge. “We know they are a dangerous team and we know you can’t take anything for granted,” he said. “If you disrespect your opponents you will come short. The games are hotting up now. It’s a big time in the tournament and we can’t relax.”

Michael Vaughan, the England captain, has pulled out of England’s three-day practice match against Board President’s XI at Baroda due to the recurrence of soreness in his right knee.Andrew Walpole, the England media manager told , “The soreness was also there during the first warm-up match against CCI XI in Mumbai and he was not comfortable in the nets here. It was decided as a precautionary measure to rule him out of the three-day game. We are hopeful he will be fit for the first Test”.Coincidentally, Vaughan suffered the same injury in Pakistan last year during his side’s second warm-up game, against Pakistan A at Lahore. Vaughan retired hurt after facing just one ball in England’s second innings and subsequently missed the first Test at Multan.It was the recurrence of a long-standing cartilage problem that required surgery ahead of the 2002-03 Ashes tour, and then reoccurred in the nets at Lord’s in May 2004. Vaughan’s absence paved the way for Andrew Strauss to make his debut.

Australia will name their 16-man squad for the Ashes tour on Tuesday morning, with just a handful of the places up for grabs after another all-conquering winter for the Australian team. The 13 players on duty in New Zealand are expected to be retained, and it is the selection of the understudies that will create most interest.The Australian batting is powerful, and settled, so the reserve batsman will probably spend much of the tour carrying the drinks. Brad Hodge had plenty of practice in New Zealand and will probably edge out Mike Hussey, the left-hander who is likely to be named on the one-day squad. Simon Katich has done enough to secure his place, while Michael Clarke, despite his recent poor run, is set for his first Ashes series.The four pacemen – Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz and Brett Lee – will be supported by an extra seam bowler. Shane Watson is a candidate, after making his Test debut against Pakistan, at Sydney in January, but with their batting strength, and the option of playing Adam Gilchrist at No 6 they are likely to go for a specialist bowler, with Nathan Bracken or Shaun Tait the favourites. If the Ashes were being played in the first half of the season Bracken would be ideal, with his ability to swing the ball and his experience with Gloucestershire. But the pitches will have dried out by the time the series starts in July, so outright pace is more likely to cause damage, and Tait certainly has that. Despite a chastening experience for Durham last summer, where he sent down 18 overs for 176 runs, he bounced back during the Australian domestic season, taking 65 wickets at 20 apiece. Tait is also seen as the next spearhead of the Australian attack so an Ashes tour would be valuable experience.

Support for Shane Warne is the other bowling dilemma to be solved. The Australians always favour an attack of three quick bowlers and one spinner, unless the pitch is crumbling on the first day, so it is unlikely two spinners will play – but a broken figure can’t be ruled out so back-up is required. There has been talk of Dan Cullen, an offspinner from South Australia, being a surprise pick following a successful domestic season, where he took 43 wickets, but MacGill was outstanding for New South Wales, and won the man-of-the-match award at Sydney in the only Test he played. After claiming 54 wickets at 24 apiece and being named the NSW player of the year, MacGill could count himself very unlucky if he misses out on a first Ashes tour.As is the case with modern tours, once the Test matches start they come thick and fast – five in seven weeks – so any squad members will have limited time to get match practice. However, a reserve wicketkeeper is the other consideration the selectors will make, if only to give Adam Gilchrist a rest in the non-international matches. Brad Haddin has been his understudy for the last couple of years and there is no one else pushing him, especially after making 902 runs at 60 in the Pura Cup.The one-day squad for the Natwest Series and Challenge will also be named, but even though those competitions take place before the Ashes all thoughts are already focused on July 21 at Lord’s.Possible Test squad Ricky Ponting (capt), Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Damien Martyn, Michael Clarke, Simon Katich, Brad Hodge, Adam Gilchrist, Brad Haddin, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz, Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Shaun Tait, Stuart MacGillPossible one-day squad Ricky Ponting (capt), Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Damien Martyn, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Simon Katich, Mike Hussey, Shane Watson, Brad Hogg, Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee, Michael Kasprowicz, Glenn McGrath

Damien Wright, the Australian fast bowler, has been forced to pull out of his contract with Derbyshire next season because of a knee injury.Wright, who plays for Tasmania, will undergo surgery at the end of the Australian season, and could be out of action for up to nine months. “It’s obviously disappointing because we planned the team around him, but we’re not going to rush into replacing him,” said Dave Houghton, Derbyshire’s coach. “Whoever we get has got to be available for six months because we don’t want to have to replace him mid-season.”Houghton added that he is looking for another bowling allrounder in the mould of Wright, and could look again at Australia for a replacement.