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Compton looks a million dollars

ScorecardNick Compton gave a timely reminder of his ability•Getty Images

There was no England selector at Taunton yesterday so in the spirit of co-operation, here is a summary for the next meeting of the top table. NRD Compton v Surrey, Taunton, September 12: Runs 66. Balls: 88. Dollars (looking like): A million. A few facts to gather dust ahead of the announcement of the Ashes squad on September 23.Observing Compton in this form begs the question why England seemingly drew such a heavy line under his Test career. Opting to open with Joe Root in the Ashes was one thing; allowing Compton’s exclusion to be seen as perpetual banishment was quite another.England, it seemed, observed a couple of tortuous innings against New Zealand and took a view, but watching his clear-headed strokeplay at Taunton begged the question of exactly which opener would offer more reliable opening cover for the tour of Australia? Compton remains short of 1,000 first-class runs this season – so does every Somerset batsman – but he averages 48 which is respectable enough. Michael Carberry, incidentally averages 40 for Hampshire in Division Two. To opt for Varun Chopra would be a gamble on an untried player at international level.There was a time just before lunch when it was possible to imagine that this was a top-of-the table encounter, not a match between two candidates for relegation. Compton, in league with Craig Kieswetter, was central to that, counterpunching with style against a highly-regarded Surrey pace attack. The quality of the strokeplay was as good as you could wish to witness. Taunton was a good place to be.In this troubled Somerset season, home supporters drank it in like they might soak up the last sunshine of summer, regarding it as all the sweeter because they knew how ephemeral it would be.Kieswetter fell softly on the stroke of lunch, driving loosely to cover; and soon after the resumption, Compton became one of two wickets in an over for Jade Dernbach as he tried to guide behind square on the off side and played on. It was a frustrating end, but he was the only Somerset batsman to give the impression of permanence.At 133 for 6, the Somerset scoreboard had a familiar ring to it, but they found something within themselves to reach 260, securing two priceless batting bonus points and a first-innings lead of 65. Surrey’s second innings began briefly, but bad light stole 20 overs from the day.If enterprise was the impression as Compton and Kieswetter added 62 for the fourth wicket, the stand of 68 between Peter Trego and Craig Meschede for the seventh wicket was a judicious one. A brilliant catch by the 18-year-old debutant, Dom Sibley, at deep cover silenced Trego. Piyush Chawla also dug in for 32 at No. 10; a late overseas acquisition respecting the opportunity he has been given.But all that felt like struggle; it was the hour up to lunch that raised the spirits. Compton drove vigorously and Kieswetter’s dash was backed up by rapid running between the wickets. Compton was dropped off Dernbach on 42, a challenging low catch to Vikram Solanki at second slip, diving across Gareth Batty at first, and Meaker was ill-served by several thick edges to third man (fashionably unguarded), but the overriding mood of a stand of 62 in 12 overs was one of optimism.Somerset had begun the day with a little victory, denying Surrey a batting bonus point as Alfonso Thomas snaffled the last two wickets without a run added. But Surrey struck back immediately when Somerset lost both openers for nought, with Marcus Trescothick dragging on third ball – a reward for Dernbach’s insistent line.Trescothick’s immediate desire to retain the Somerset captaincy had been reasserted in timely fashion in his column in the . “What I can say is I love captaining Somerset as much as I love the club itself and at this point I have no intention of handing over the reins,” he said. “I know there are people who have looked at my shortage of runs this season and linked it to the added pressure of being skipper – but I have been doing the job for four seasons and I don’t believe it has any adverse effect on my form. I enjoy the challenge and it remains my dream to lead the team to the success we all crave.”Success was not the word that sprung immediately to mind. Survival will do for a start.

Chandimal recalls Tsunami pain

If Dinesh Chandimal is picked for Sri Lanka on Thursday, he might recall the harrowing moment that changed his nation a decade ago.Fifteen-year-old Chandimal was watching the New Zealand v Sri Lanka Boxing Day ODI at his family’s home by the sea in Amabalangoda, when his mother called out. The neighbour’s boat, she said, was quickly closing in on their house. Chandimal took a single look at the giant wave, raised the alarm, and they ran.If he was traumatised that day, he wears those scars lightly. He is firstly thankful that no one in his family was among the 38,000 Sri Lankans who lost their lives, but their troubles were hardly insubstantial.”We lost everything,” Chandimal said, “including my cricket bag. I can still remember what happened like it was yesterday, the way our home was caught up and lost. Our neighbours and our relatives, everyone was affected. I feel very sad even now, when I think about it.”Perhaps no on-field disappointment will ever match the distress of surviving a tsunami, but in 2014, Chandimal has had plenty of cricketing adversity to overcome. Having begun the year with 89 in a match-saving stand with Angelo Mathews in Abu Dhabi, his form deserted him so emphatically that he dropped himself from the World T20 side he was captaining. He was axed from the ODI team soon after. In Tests – for so long his best suit – he nosedived, falling to the hook shot thrice in three innings in June and July before the selectors packed him off to an ‘A’ team tour of England.”It’s been a struggle in the past few months,” he said. “I’m someone who’s always looking for runs, and maybe that’s why I play the hook when I see a short ball. When you are performing badly, whether you’re playing cricket, running a business, or studying, you’re always going to be under pressure. Maybe that got to me mentally as well.”More failures would follow, at home and in India, before his game finally began to click again. “There were technical issues as well, and I worked very hard on those. Maybe I won’t hook early in the innings any more, but after I’ve watched for a bit, I will go to the hook shot I’ve always played well in the past.”Mentally, I had to get myself to a good place as well. For that, I watched a lot of videos of myself batting well in the past – my hundred at Lord’s, my batting in the CB series in 2012, and in my debut Test against South Africa. I was looking at what my attitude was, and what I was thinking about. I absorbed all of that, and it’s allowed me to start doing well again.”Chandimal’s change of fortunes came at the tail-end of the series against England, when the axing of opener Kusal Perera vacated a space in the middle order. His 35 from 31 in the sixth ODI was later described as a “very special, very important innings,” by Kumar Sangakkara, whose hundred headed up the victory. A few days later in Colombo, Chandimal’s brisk 55 not out put the finishing touches on a match-winning total of 302.”The England tour was a big challenge,” he said. “I was in a good mental space for those matches, and really ready to perform for the team. That’s the attitude with which I went into those matches, and I’ve only become stronger since. I think I’ve done better in overseas matches than I have in the subcontinent, so that makes me feel confident with the season coming up.”Chandimal is unlikely to play as wicketkeeper, even if he is picked for the first Test. Unburdened by leadership, and relieved of the gloves as well, he and the selectors will hope he finds full expression at the top level again.

Shastri to continue as Indian team director until World Cup

Shastri wanted to join team early

After the extension to his term as team director, Shastri will no longer be able to perform any role as a media expert. He will neither commentate nor write syndicated columns for newspapers after the conclusion of the Champions League Twenty20 till the end of the World Cup. While the BCCI had no problems in Shastri continuing his media obligations during the West Indies series and joining the team support staff in Australia, Shastri is believed to have told the BCCI hierarchy that he would prefer to join the team straightaway to suit both himself and the team. According to a BCCI insider, Shastri felt he wouldn’t be able express his opinions on air about players he would be joining and if he does, it may not send the right signals to the players before he joins them in the dressing room.

Ravi Shastri will continue as the Indian team’s director of cricket until the end of the 2015 World Cup, following a decision taken at the BCCI’s working committee meeting on Friday. Duncan Fletcher remains head coach of the side while the tenures of the three support staff members – Sanjay Bangar, B Arun and R Sridhar – have been extended until the end of the World Cup.The working committee also decided that the board’s annual general meeting (AGM), where the office bearers for the next three years will be elected, will be held on November 20.According to its own regulations, the BCCI has to convene its AGM before September 30 every year. The meeting has, however, been deferred this year after India’s Supreme Court ordered BCCI president N Srinivasan to step aside until the investigations into the IPL 2013 corruption scandal were complete. The ambiguity over the powers of the interim president, Shivlal Yadav, had added to the issues surrounding the delay of the AGM.*The working committee authorised secretary Sanjay Patel to decide the fate of Joe Dawes and Trevor Penney, India’s bowling and fielding coach respectively who had been sent on leave midway through the England tour. While Patel had confirmed earlier this week that both the coaches had been offered to work at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, he would discuss the issue in detail with the duo before arriving at a final decision. If Dawes and Penney are to be released before their contract expires at the end of March 2015, they will have to be compensated financially for premature termination.At today’s meeting, the working committee also congratulated N Srinivasan, who attended as a representative of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, for having taken over as the ICC chairman. It would be interesting to see if Srinivasan’s presence in the working committee would be interpreted as contempt of court since the working committee is the board’s decision-making body.Aditya Verma, the petitioner in the IPL corruption-scandal case, took strong objections to Srinivasan attending the meeting and stated that he will raise the point when his application on forcing the BCCI to immediately convene its AGM will be heard by the Supreme Court on October 10. According to Verma, the Supreme Court in its various orders had specified “Srinivasan will not attend any day to day affairs of BCCI till the probe concludes. But today BCCI, headed by Mr Shivlal Yadav, has clearly violated the order of honourable Supreme Court”.With regards to the Rajasthan Cricket Association’s suspension case, while the working committee decided to wait till the disciplinary committee’s proceedings in the matter are completed, the members felt the BCCI needed to make another attempt to ensure the players do not suffer. As a result, the ad-hoc committee constituted to oversee cricket in disputed regions, headed by Karnataka State Cricket Association secretary Brijesh Patel, has been advised to make one last attempt to sort out the issue with the Rajasthan state government.Brijesh Patel and his colleagues in the committee are thus expected to try and meet Rajasthan state government officials to try and convince them to let a BCCI-backed Rajasthan team participate in domestic tournaments. Since RCA is governed under Rajasthan Sports Act, the BCCI cannot nominate a team from Rajasthan without the state government’s permission.The committee also approved the accounts for the previous financial year which was signed by the treasurer. Other decisions taken at the meeting included limiting A teams to Under-23 players, and forming a committee to assess the damage caused by the floods in Jammu & Kashmir to the state’s cricketing infrastructure.* September 26 2.30pm GMT This story has been modified with updates about the status of Joe Dawes and Trevor Penney

Dravid to mentor India in England

Former India captain Rahul Dravid has been appointed in a mentoring role to the team in the run-up to their five-Test series in England. Dravid will have a few sessions with the players before the series begins on July 9. He is expected to join the team latest by Monday.The move was initiated by the team management, according to BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel. “It was the coach (Duncan Fletcher) who approached us on behalf of the team and said it would be good to have Rahul with his vast experience spend some time with the boys ahead of the series,” Patel told ESPNcricinfo. “We immediately requested Rahul and he readily agreed.”This will be the first time Dravid, who has been mentoring IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals after retiring from international cricket in 2012, will be associated in such a capacity with the national team.In March this year, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar had said that Dravid should take over as India coach, but the latter had declined the suggestion citing lack of time.”Rahul Dravid is one man who is enormously respected and was a successful captain, having won series in West Indies and England,” Gavaskar had said. “When he speaks, the Indian players, some of whom are superstars, listen to him as they know how much preparation went into his game.””I am happy that he (Gavaskar) said I am capable of doing the job,” Dravid had said. “But the job requires a lot of time, almost 11 months a year. I have just retired and at the moment because of time constraints, I have to decline.”Dravid was India’s best batsman on their previous tour of England in 2011, his three centuries the only bright spot in a 0-4 rout. In all, six of Dravid’s 36 Test hundreds came in England, where he made 1376 runs in 13 Tests at an average of 68.80. He also had a successful stint with county side Kent in 2000, scoring 1221 runs in 16 matches at 55.50 with two centuries.

Davies and Burke down Durham

ScorecardSteve Davies scored 98 three days after making 99 (file photo)•Getty Images

Resurgent Surrey moved clear as Group A leaders in the Royal London Cup as they beat holders Durham by 49 runs at Chester-le-Street.Both teams went into the match with two wins and one washout, but Surrey had the two star performers in Steven Davies and the unheralded James Burke. Following his 99 against Northants on Tuesday, Davies made 98 after holding the innings together following a flying start with Jason Roy.After being put in, they had 78 on the board inside 12 overs, but Durham fought back well to restrict the visitors to 271 for 7, only for Burke to rip out their middle order.The 24-year-old seam bowling allrounder from Plymouth struck three times in his first five overs. He had Graham Clark lbw for a duck, clean bowled Paul Collingwood and had Gordon Muchall caught behind with another good one.With left-handers Phil Mustard and Scott Borthwick falling when trying to sweep Gareth Batty after Mark Stoneman pulled Tom Curran straight to deep midwicket, Durham slumped to 114 for 6. It became 164 for 8 before they sent in the big-hitting John Hastings, whose 31 off 27 balls was in vain as they were all out for 222 in the 47th over.In Surrey’s innings the first four overs produced 32, but Collingwood stemmed the onslaught after his first over cost ten. Roy fell for 34 when he dragged an attempted sweep into his stumps then Kumar Sangakkara edged behind for 3.Ben Foakes edged a drive off Usman Arshad for Borthwick to hold a very sharp chance at gully. When Davies pulled a four in Borthwick’s first over it proved to be the last boundary for 17 overs as the legspinner and Collingwood kept a tight rein.Gary Wilson went down the pitch and edged Borthwick to Mustard, who then stumped Davies when offspinner Ryan Pringle returned and turned one past the advancing left-hander. Davies faced 109 balls and added only three fours to the five each which he and Roy hit in the first ten overs.Burke broke the boundary famine by swinging Pringle over midwicket for six and after Zafar Ansari made a useful 41 there was another six in the final over.It was flat-batted back over Chris Rushworth’s head as Tom Curran made an unbeaten 26 off 19 balls. He followed up with very accurate bowling and ended Durham’s hopes when he had Hastings caught in the deep after taking ten off the first three balls of his final over.

McGarrell named USA captain for World T20 qualifier 2013

Neil McGarrell, 41, has been named USA’s captain in a 15-man squad for the 2013 World Twenty20 Qualifier next month in the UAE. McGarrell, who played four Tests and 17 ODIs for West Indies between 1998 and 2001, made his debut for USA in 2012 against Canada, and takes over from Steve Massiah, who had been captain for seven years. Massiah was retained in the squad along with Orlando Baker, who captained USA to an 8-0 record in a stand-in capacity at the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament in March.Adam Sanford, 38, and Imran Awan are also making their way into the squad as fast bowlers. Sanford, who played 11 Tests for the West Indies from 2002 to 2004, played for USA in a series of trial matches against Bermuda this past weekend, and is set to make his official debut for USA in their opening match against Canada in Abu Dhabi on November 15. Awan, once considered one of the fastest bowlers in the Associate world, hasn’t played for USA since 2010 after struggling with his accuracy.USA’s lack of experienced pace bowlers was apparent earlier this year during the ICC World Cricket League Division Three competition, where they finished third. Seamer Usman Shuja, who was dropped ahead of WCL Division Three, was not brought back into the squad for the tour to the UAE, though he had been included in a list of 28 probables in September. Timroy Allen has decided to return for USA after announcing his retirement following the end of WCL Division Three in May to focus on work and family commitments. Allen has subsequently been named vice-captain for the tour.Three players from USA’s tour of Bermuda for WCL Division Three earlier this year are not in the squad for the qualifier. USA’s batting will likely struggle in the absence of Sushil Nadkarni and Rashard Marshall. Nadkarni had to withdraw due to work commitments, and it is believed Marshall was unavailable for the same reasons. Medium pacer Naseer Jamali is the third player not retained. Only five players who played for USA at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in 2012 – Baker, Muhammad Ghous, Elmore Hutchinson, Japen Patel and Steven Taylor – will be traveling back to the UAE in November.Besides Sanford, the only other player in the squad yet to play in an official match for USA is Srinivasa Santhanam. An allrounder originally from Tamil Nadu, Santhanam now plays for Microsoft Cricket Club in Seattle. The Pacific Northwest, and Microsoft CC in particular, has been a growing source of talent for the USA in recent years, with former USA spinners Samarth Shah and Saurabh Verma also hailing from the club, while Naseer Jamali plays in the Seattle area.USA has been placed in Group A along with Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Namibia, Uganda and the UAE. USA finished 12th at the qualifier in 2012, but posted a noteworthy upset of Scotland at the event. The top six teams in this year’s qualifier will advance to the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.USA Squad: Neil McGarrell (captain), Timroy Allen (vice-captain), Danial Ahmed, Imran Awan, Orlando Baker, Barrington Bartley, Akeem Dodson (wk), Karan Ganesh, Muhammad Ghous, Elmore Hutchinson, Steve Massiah, Japen Patel, Adam Sanford, Srinivasa Santhanam, Steven Taylor (wk).

Amir could be allowed PCB training facilities

A five-member ICC sub-committee, which was set up after the 2013 annual conference to review the anti-corruption code, will also look into relaxing certain conditions of the five-year ban imposed on Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir after the spot-fixing scandal of 2010. While the most stringent stipulations of the ban will still remain, the PCB has requested the ICC to consider a few concessions, especially with regard to Amir using the board’s facilities for training.A PCB spokesman told ESPNcricinfo: “The ICC, during the annual conference week, constituted a five-member committee that will review and recommend amendments to the ICC Anti-Corruption Code, and on recommendation from the PCB, will also provide its suggestions to the ICC board on the ban related to Mohammad Amir.” The ICC was unwilling to the reveal who would comprise the sub-committee.Regardless of the recommendation from the committee, Amir will not be able to play any kind of club, domestic, or international cricket and will not train with the national team. The only significant allowance that could be made is that he regain access to the training facilities offered by the PCB.ESPNcricinfo understands that the PCB made the request to the ICC only because Amir had complied with conditions of the ban: not committing any further breach of the anti-corruption code and undergoing the ICC’s educational and rehabilitation programme. Amir will be available for national selection from September 3, 2015, and the PCB sought the relaxation of some terms so that he could be ready to play as soon as his ban ends, rather than spend more months in training.Amir had not been aware of the PCB’s request but seemed content with anything that would help him return to cricket. He hasn’t been doing full-fledged training but has kept himself in good shape. By the time he completes his ban he will be 23. “I will come hard despite the five-year in-activeness,” Amir had told ESPNcricinfo last year. “I want to come back with my head held high, with a new spirit and as a role model.”Salman Butt, the Pakistan captain who was banned for ten years by the ICC on charges of spot-fixing during the Lord’s Test in 2010, had made a similar request in a personal capacity two days before the ICC’s annual conference. His case, however, was not accepted as it was believed that Butt had not fully complied with the ICC’s conditions.Butt had recently taken the first step in his rehabilitation by publicly admitting to and apologising for his part in the spot-fixing scandal. He also indicated his willingness to participate in the PCB and ICC’s rehabilitation programmes. Five out of Butt’s ten-year ban from any cricketing activities were to be a suspended sentence on condition that he would commit no further breach of the anti-corruption code and participate in a PCB-controlled anti-corruption education programme.Of the three players banned by the ICC before the criminal trial began in London – fast bowler Mohammad Asif being the third – only Amir had pleaded guilty to the charges at the Southwark Crown Court. Both Butt and Asif had pleaded not guilty and appealed their bans at the Court of Arbitration in Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Scandal-struck Canadian Premier League eyes new stadium

Organisers for a proposed professional T20 league in Canada announced this week that they are seeking a location in the greater Toronto area for a planned $700m, 35000-strong stadium. Roy Singh, the businessman spearheading the project, it is now learnt, was sentenced to prison for four and a half years in 2007 for his role in a multi-million dollar fraud case.According to court documents seen by ESPNcricinfo, Singh, the chairman and chief executive of Canadian Premier League T20 LP, pleaded guilty in 2006 to a charge of “fraud over $5,000.” He was convicted of swindling the now defunct i-Trade Finance Inc., of $8 million ($US 5.25 million) between 2001 and 2003. Roy Singh is an alias for Rohit Ablacksingh, the name listed in court documents. He was released on parole in the summer of 2008, according to news reports in the , despite objections to the parole board from i-Trade’s former president Parker Gallant over Singh’s failure to compensate those affected.”Mr. Singh has been open and frank about his past legal troubles with me,” said Bob Mitchell, president of Canadian Premier League. “What happened occurred more than a decade ago. It has absolutely nothing to do with today. I believe in giving people second chances. Mr. Singh wants the chance to do something great for Canada and cricket. He realises there will always be people who will bring up his past but all he can do is move forward.”The Canadian Premier League web site states that Singh received a 2003 Entrepreneur of the Year award by the Etobicoke Chamber of Commerce and his aggressive entrepreneurial spirit has acted as a driving force for the proposed T20 league and stadium.However, the January 11, 2007 sentence summary for the case that sent Singh to prison, said that he “had no business receiving such an honour,” because Justice A M Gans said Webworx, Singh’s company, “had no business to speak of in the year in question” other than the fraud it was found guilty for.In his capacity as chief executive of Webworx Inc., Singh “through a sophisticated array of paper, faxes, emails and fictional characters, in addition to unseemly acts of ingratiation and self-promotion if not instances of disarming behavior, was able to persuade the executives and employees of i-Trade that Webworx had ongoing and profitable contracts” when in fact no such things existed. Based on false documents through a false identity, Webworx obtained millions in financing from and eventually bankrupted i-Trade. Justice Gans called Singh’s behavior in the case as “Machiavellian in the extreme” and said that time in prison would give him a chance to get “treatment for his seeming sociopathic behavior.”In relation to the Canadian Premier League, Singh and his fellow organizers also stated they were looking for investors in franchises to support a 10-team tournament in Canada, which has been delayed since 2013 and is now targeting an August 2015 start date at a temporary facility until the proposed $700 million stadium plan is approved. According to the press release, each team in the league would have starting line-ups comprised of eight Canadian domestic players and three from overseas.Among those listed on the web site as part of the Canadian Premier League management are West Indian batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Emma Everett, player agent to several West Indian players including Dwayne Bravo. The Canadian Premier League web site and Singh’s social media pages are also flooded with images of Singh posing with public officials and high profile cricket personalities, including Sir Richie Richardson sporting a Canadian Premier League hat alongside Singh, seemingly in an effort to build support for his proposed project.The most recent instance of Canada hosting Test level international players was in May 2012 when a much-hyped exhibition match turned into a major debacle. Local organising group Kat Rose attempted to stage a T20 All-Star game at the Rogers Centre, home of Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays, with tickets listed at face value from $25 to $199. The projected profits for the event were pinned to targeted gate sales driven by the participation of six Pakistani players, including Misbah-ul-Haq, Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi. The Pakistani players withdrew less than 48 hours before the match when No Objection Certificates could not be secured by the organisers. Brian Lara was also scheduled to play, but pulled out on the morning of the match after he was not paid his match fee prior to the start of the game.Most of the other cricketers who travelled to the event did play, but sued Kat Rose over unpaid match fees as well as reimbursements for flights and accommodation. FICA also attempted to intervene on behalf of 16 international players, including Sanath Jayasuriya, Tino Best, Jacob Oram, Tim Southee, Mark Boucher, Brendan Taylor and Stuart MacGill.

Zia, Shakeel guide Pakistan to second win

ScorecardPakistan Under-19’s bowling attack restricted England Under-19 to 168, before a 96-ball 63 from Saud Shakeel helped Pakistan to a three-wicket win in Abu Dhabi.Pacers Zia-ul-Haq and Irfanullah Shah led the attack for Pakistan, who after electing to field, bundled England out in 43 overs. The opener Ryan Higgins top-scored with 80 off 84 balls, but received little support from the rest of the batsmen. Zia finished with 3 for 32, while Shah and Karamat Ali chipped in with two wickets each to run through an England batting order in which seven of their players failed to get into double digits.England made a bright start during the chase as the seamer Josh Shaw picked up three early wickets to leave Pakistan rattling at 39 for 4 in the 11th over. But Imam-ul-Haq and Shakeel led the recovery, adding 71 for the fifth wicket, before the former fell for 49 in the 31st over. Saifullah Khan was immediately dismissed in the next over, but Shakeel and Zafar Gohar contributed 53 for the seventh wicket to all but seal Pakistan’s second straight win of the tournament.

Cook hails 'great' England performance

Alastair Cook has praised the work of his bowling attack after England went 2-1 up in the series with a seven-wicket victory against India on the final morning in Kolkata.Having been made to wait by R Ashwin’s impressive batting on the fourth evening, England wrapped up back-to-back wins less than an hour into Sunday’s action although they did slip to 8 for 3 as they chased down 41.But from the moment England hustled through India’s brittle batting order between lunch and tea yesterday the result was never in doubt. Unlike in Mumbai, where’s England’s 10-wicket win was the product of four outstanding contributions – Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar – this victory was more of a collective.Cook again led the way with his 190 but this time there were important batting contributions from Nick Compton and Jonathan Trott, plus cameos from Samit Patel and Matt Prior, while the quick bowlers had a major impact on the match. James Anderson, finding substantial reverse swing, took six wickets and Steven Finn produced some outstanding spells, especially on the fourth day, during his return to the side.”It was a great performance level for four and a half days,” Cook said. “Everyone performed from one to 11 and that’s what you need in these conditions. Our bowlers, on the first day, to keep India to 300 on that wicket was a fantastic effort.”And after the start they got to get six wickets in that session yesterday really won us the game. It was a credit to the hard work they’ve put in that they can perform in these conditions.”Cook took the Man-of-the-Match award for his third hundred of the series, making it five tons in five matches as Test captain, as he became England’s leading century maker and the youngest batsman to pass 7,000 Test runs. Yet he remained modest about his achievement and focused on the final Test in Nagpur which starts Thursday.”I’ve been hitting the ball all right on this tour,” he said. “It’s nice to contribute to the team’s success. To score runs here you’ve got to bat a long period of time. I had a bit of luck on and I managed to cash in.””We’ll never be complacent,” he added. “We’re not going to Nagpur to make up the numbers – we’re going to try and win a Test match, which we know we can do.”

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