Alastair Cook prove to lead England rout

England 171 for 0 (Cook 95*, Kieswetter 72*) hit Sri Lanka 174 (Sangakkara 75, Anderson 3-24) by ten wickets - D/L

Alastair Cook prove nothing new to himself but much, he hopes, to plenty of others as he led England to a 10-wicket NatWest Series-levelling victory.

England's new 50-over captain has come in for much flak over his seeming incapability to up his tempo sufficiently at the top of the order in the shorter formats.

But after his of necessity watchful hundred in Sunday's beat at Lord's, he cracked 16 fours from 75 balls in an winning 95 as he and Craig Kieswetter made no mistakes in response to Sri Lanka's inadequate 174.

James Anderson (three for 24) was primarily accountable for the tourists missing their total - despite Kumar Sangakkara's 75 - and Cook and Kieswetter (72no) then made nonsense of a revised target of 171, to total the job with almost 25 overs to spare.

"It's very satisfying, for all the hard work I've been putting in," said Cook. "I've always recognized I can play the one-day game; it's just a matter of trying to prove it to people.

"If I can keep bat like that, at that tempo - which I've exposed this series - it holds me in good stead." Cook was not tempting either to take Kieswetter up on his present to help him reach his third one-day international hundred.

He had been critical of Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews shepherd youngster Dinesh Chandimal to his hundred as Sri Lanka coast home at Lord's - and was not about to be part of something similar in Nottingham.

"Everyone enjoys a 'red-ink' - so watching Kiesy hit a six and a two was pleasing," he said. "He did ask which is fair sufficient. But this is the way we want to play our cricket, and proves that the team is always more significant than those personal milestone.

"He immediately said 'Shall I look for ones, or hit a six?' So he hit a six." The outcome was only ever in doubt - after Anderson and his member seamers Jade Dernbach (three for 38), Tim Bresnan and Stuart Broad had hustle Sri Lanka out so inexpensively - because of the threat of rain.

But England's openers were unfazed by the meeting clouds, which in the end did not deliver. "When you win by 10 wickets and play as well as that, it doesn't get much better," added Cook.

"The way we bowled up front clearly put us on the front foot, and then I consideration that catch Bresnan took distorted the game - because they were getting a partnership going.

"Then the way Jade bowled in the power play - an area where we haven't done well and can get better our skills in - was very good as well."

As for Anderson's strange knack of taking wickets at this venue, Cook said: "I truthfully don't know why he does it as well as that. He just loves it here. It must be his favorite ground."

Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan was Anderson's first victim. He said: "He bowled really well and second-hand the conditions.

"They took three wickets in the first six overs, and it pressed us back after that. "But if somebody had batted really well in the middle order we might have passed 250. Then it might have been a dissimilar story."

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Rain disturbed India in Dominica

West Indies 75 for 3 (Bravo 22*, Chanderpaul 17*, Ishant 2-23) v India

India were disturbed by the weather in the third Test in Dominica with only 19 balls bowled in the afternoon session before rain obligatory an early stumps with West Indies on 75/3.

The tourists headed into the meet - the first Test ever staged at Windsor Park in Roseau - looking to seal a 2-0 series win and soon reap the plunder of winning the toss and opt to bowl first.

The Windies were 35 for three in just the 17th over. Ishant Sharma claimed two wickets with Praveen Kumar snare the other - the pair between them secretarial for debutants Kieran Powell (three) and Kirk Edwards (six).

Shivnarine Chanderpaul, playing in his 133rd Test and passing Courtney Walsh as the Windies' most capped cricketer, help stable the ship for the hosts, achievement 17 not out by the tea interval next to with Darren Bravo (22 not out).

Powell, playing in favour of out-of-form Lendl Simmons, barely got at ease at the fold before flattering the first Test wicket to fall at cricket's newest Test venue, wedged by VVS Laxman at second slip off the bowling of Kumar.

Opening partner Adrian Barath follow soon after, bowled off an inside edge by Sharma for 12. Edwards, who replace Ramnaresh Sarwan in the line-up, became Sharma's second victim when he was wedged behind by India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

That left the hosts reeling on 35 for three but bring Bravo and Chanderpaul jointly in the middle, and the pair saw West Indies safely throughout to lunch - and then tea - with no further loss.

Squads:
West Indies
KOA Powell, AB Barath, DM Bravo, S Chanderpaul, MN Samuels, KA Edwards, CS Baugh, DJG Sammy (captain), R Rampaul, FH Edwards, D Bishoo

India

M Vijay, A Mukund, R Dravid, VVS Laxman, V Kohli, SK Raina, MS Dhoni (captain), Harbhajan Singh, P Kumar, I Sharma, MM Patel

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Ishant Sharma well fit for third Test against Windies

Indian pace lead Ishant Sharma is set to play the final cricket Test against the West Indies starting on Wednesday in spite of carrying the after belongings of a rear-ender with team-mate Praveen Kumar on his face.

Ishant largely stand aside during the only carry out session ahead of the decisive Test at Windsor Park on Tuesday, giving rise to conjecture that he may not be fit sufficient to bowl.

That speculation was soon put to rest when Ishant sent down delivery at full speed to Rahul Dravid in the nets.

Ishant was hit below his left eye by a leap Praveen in a football session on Monday. It left a deep bruise around his eye.

Ishant carried a band-aid over his wound during the session but there is no worry on him missing out the final Test.

Meanwhile, it almost looks sure that Murali Vijay and Virat Kohli, two young Indian batsmen who have been ineffective in the two Tests, would get another conservatory in the final game.

Parthiv Patel and Subramaniam Badrinath, two options careful in place of Vijay and Kohli by expert, didn't even get to bat in the net session, put an end to all speculation on their inclusion.

Munaf Patel, who missed the first two Tests due to a prod injury, bowled at full tilt at batsmen and is almost sure to replace Abhimanyu Mithun in the playing eleven.

India is likely to go with three seamers and a spinner for the Test. India is presently leading 1-0 in the three-Test series.

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'Pie-chucker' Yuvraj prepared to face England

India's Yuvraj Singh said on Wednesday he is keen to renovate his competition with Kevin Pietersen on the imminent tour of England after being called a "pie-chucker" by the England batsman a few years ago.

"I know that guy well and I am actually keen to throw some more pies at him and others around him," Yuvraj told.

"And if my pies can add and get Pietersen's and some other precious wickets, I would be really pleased."

"Test cricket is one area I would like to get better and do well. I want to be a enduring member of the Test side and I know that won't be easy," said Yuvraj, who has so far played 274 one-dayers but only 34 Tests.

"I will do whatever I can do to make stronger my Test records. The England tour will be one of the largest challenges in my career but in every challenge there is a chance and that's how I would like to see things from here."

Yuvraj said the four-Test series, starting at Lord's on July 21, would be highly spirited as the Ashes-winning England side would be hard to beat on home soil.

"England is a very good team and of late they have achieved some marvelous results as a Test side, so thrashing them at home would be a big task," he said.

"But we also have a very good and qualified side to struggle them. Our overseas record also has better a lot in the current times. I am sure this is going to be a very spirited series."

India named a full-strength squad, with batsmen Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, and pacemen Zaheer Khan and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth returning after missing the continuing Test series in the West Indies.

India, who won their last Test series in England in 2007 under Rahul Dravid, will also play five one-day internationals a one-off Twenty20 match throughout the tour.

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Intikhab expose intrusive players

Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam has exposed there are certain Pakistan players who get in the way in the management issue and leak information to the media.

"The main problem I have faced is that some players try to get in the way in management issues and when that happens then problems occur. Everyone wants to know what his role is in the team," Intikhab told the Geo Super channel in an interview.

"Another big trouble in the team is that some players leak out information to the media about team meetings and activities which are not meant for public expenses and that leads to misunderstanding and problems and these things are damaging to the team," he added.

Intikhab, who has been with the team since October 2008 as coach and then manager, said there had been instances when inside information was leaked to the media.

He said: "They were times when, 15 minutes after a team meeting, television channels were running tickers about things that happened or were discussed in the meeting."

He said this was unlucky as most of the time the organization knew which players were responsible for this.

"This is a big complexity in the team. There is a need for these players to sit down and discuss everything including uncertainties with the management," he added. The 69-year-old former captain said this ethnicity had developed in the team in the last 10-years.

"We are now trying to explain things to the players reform them and make them recognize the repercussion of their actions. Lack of education in some players is a big block for us. But we have succeed in slowly turning things around," Intikhab said.

Intikhab added players were now responding and due to the strong backing of the PCB, the management had succeeded in rooting out groupings in the team.

"Let me tell you the Board chairman has never interfered in my work. I am not a yes-man," he asserted Alam's critical information in the past has led the Board to remove Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi as captains.

In his last tour report of the West Indies tour, Intikhab described Afridi as an unbalanced and unpredictable person who had problems with Coach Waqar Younis.

"Afridi is an energetic, eager and unpredictable person who acts on impulse and later realizes what he has done. But I have no personal issues with him and I have found him to be a good man," he said.

"Let me tell you that whatever I have printed in my report about some players and captains is based on particulars and figures and the truth," he added.

On the case of wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider fleeing the team hotel from Dubai last November to seek refuge in London, Intikhab said he feel sorry for him as he was a very good stumper.

"He is now proverb that what he did was wrong but I just feel sad that whoever advise him to do all this has damaged him and Pakistan cricket. The sad part is that most of these players don't realize the repercussion of their events until later on," he said.

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