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Cricket Australia has apologised for any “unintended offence” caused by James Faulkner’s Instagram post on Monday, widely interpreted to mean that the allrounder was revealing he was in a same-sex relationship.The initial post of Faulkner having dinner on his 29th birthday alongside his mother and friend Rob Jubb, who Faulkner captioned as “boyfriend”, was reported by many major media outlets as being confirmation of a relationship. The post was later edited to include “best friend” but by then the story had gone around the world.In a subsequent post on Tuesday morning, Faulkner clarified there had been a “misunderstanding”, while thanking the support he had received, and Cricket Australia emphasised their support for the LGBQTI community. “Cricket Australia does not consider the social commentary this morning from James Faulkner to be a joke, nor does James,” a statement said.”His comment was made as a genuine reflection of his relationship with his business partner, best friend and house mate of five years. He was not contacted for clarification before some outlets reported his Instagram post as an announcement of a homosexual relationship.”James and CA are supportive of the LGBQTI community and recognises coming out can be an incredibly emotional time. The post was not in any way meant to make light of this and, though the support from the community was overwhelming and positive. Cricket Australia apologises for any unintended offence.”

“Northamptonshire found me. They gave me the opportunity to play first-class cricket and I owe my career to them. If it hadn’t been for them, I could still be coaching in schools.”Richard Gleeson will never tire of saying what he owes to Northamptonshire. The unfortunate thing for his former muckers, though, was that he made a fine job of concealing his debt on the third afternoon and evening of this game when he took four wickets in 15 very fiery deliveries and collected 5 for 50 in the innings, thus leaving him with a career-best 10 for 113 in the match.Perhaps demolition is the sincerest form of gratitude. Far more likely, of course, what we saw at Old Trafford was simple professionalism. Alex Wakely and his players might be gratified to hear the first and will understand the second. Damn all else will console them this evening. Sometimes it is not the best idea to stay in a hotel overlooking the ground on which you are playing. For when Wakely and his players have dined, they will look out on the cricket field when they subsided for the second time in three days.Having managed only 200 in their second innings, Northamptonshire’s players will go out to field tomorrow with a total of only 15 to defend. Cricketers are fond of saying that a match will look very different if they “go bang-bang”, that is to say, if they take two very quick wickets. Tomorrow Northants need to go bang-times-ten. They know they have already lost the game and Wakely is the sort of rock-solid skipper who will not conceal his team’s failure.”We have been totally outplayed by Lancashire in this match,” he said. “There are ways to win and ways to lose. Even when you’re up against it, you want to put up a fight. You want to be competitive and we haven’t been today.”No one should dispute that judgement but they should give immense credit to Gleeson, who less than two years ago was an important member of the Northants side which came precious close to winning promotion from the Second Division. Last summer the Blackpool-born cricketer returned home to Lancashire – who were promptly relegated. This evening he showed why his home county were keen to lure him back.For the truth is that deep into the final session most spectators at Old Trafford were more or less reconciled to this game going well into the final day. Despite conceding a first-innings lead of 185 and then slumping weakly to 87 for 4, Rob Keogh and Josh Cobb were mounting a recovery in traditional Northants fashion: gritty, unfussy and effective.But Gleeson had other plans. He had earlier dismissed Wakely, who conspired in his own downfall when he slapped an innocuous delivery straight to Haseeb Hameed at cover. That brought the number of donated wickets up to two; Ricardo Vasconcelos had earlier done more or less the same to a ball from Tom Bailey.But Gleeson had not bowled that well and Lancashire’s attack was running out of puff. They needed a fourth morning we thought. But suddenly the ball was flying around the batsmen’s shoulders and it was doing so at pace. Cobb was expecting another chest concerto when a full length ball trapped him leg before for 30. Next over Keogh was caught by Dane Vilas down the leg side for 42. Six balls later Gleeson burst through Rob Newton’s defences and two balls later he brought one back off the seam to castle Jamie Overton.”I decided to try a little bit of short stuff to get the batsman’s feet not moving quite as much,” said Gleeson. “It came out nicely and the plan worked. I bowled a few short ones at Rob Keogh and that put a little bit of doubt in the other batsmen’s minds. They were maybe sitting back a little and a couple were caught waiting for the short ball.”Suddenly a three-day finish was in prospect. An extra half-hour was claimed and Liam Livingstone took two wickets in successive overs to end the innings. But by then, the lead was 15 and the day was done. The players, the support staff, the media and no doubt more than a few spectators will rock up to see a few overs’ cricket. Apparently entrance is free; once again Lancastrian generosity is unbounded.Vilas will turn up and hope he doesn’t have to bat. His 97 had ensured that Lancashire would build a mighty lead in the earlier part of this very long day. Mind you, he was helped by Bailey, whose career-best 68 offered another indication that his career is developing very pleasantly. But these were some of the finer hours in Gleeson’s career and we should return to him.A few years back he thought his future lay in coaching. Then that great cricket man David Ripley, the Northamptonshire head coach, rang and asked him if he fancied a few games for their second team. And now, as these words are tapped out in the gathering dusk of a wonderful day, Gleeson is buying a round of drinks for his Lancashire colleagues to mark his career-best performance on his home debut.”I’ve never had a ten-for before,” he told the press, his eyes gleaming with pleasure, “So I’m hugely proud and very happy that I don’t have to do any bowling tomorrow.”If you love this game, it will love you back.

Big picture

Two big questions will be answered when Bangladesh take on West Indies in the tri-series final in Malahide on Friday. Can they win a tournament final, potentially without Shakib Al Hasan, who suffered a side strain in the previous game? Can West Indies beat Bangladesh’s consistency and resist their fightback from crucial positions?West Indies’ inability to get past Bangladesh in the league phase has been down to two factors. The Bangladesh bowlers have cut down their scoring as soon as the ball has gotten softer, and West Indies’ lack of discipline with the ball in the aftermath of a breakthrough.Add to it their fielding woes that has left Jason Holder fuming at times, like when Mohammad Mithun was reprieved despite being stranded halfway down the pitch at a vital moment. They also haven’t bowled to full potential in the Powerplays, especially against Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar.In the big finale, West Indies will now hope they don’t have to run into spin twins Shakib and Mehidy Hasan, who have effectively slowed down their scoring in the two games they’ve played in the league phase. Shai Hope has slipped to an anchor’s role, but the form Darren Bravo and the rest of the middle order will concern them. Bangladesh will want to expose this aspect of their game again, apart from also wanting Mithun, Sabbir Rahman to join the batting bandwagon.

Form guide

West Indies: LWLWW (Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh: WWWLL

In the spotlight

Shai Hope has been West Indies’ most consistent batsman in the last 12 months. He averages 72.06 in 20 matches during this period. In this tri-series, he has carried on that good form. He has three hundreds in his last eight outings against Bangladesh. Getting him out early will set the tone for them again.Mushfiqur Rahim batting at No. 4 ensures Bangladesh either build on a solid platform or arrest a wobble quickly. This series, he’s had scores of 35, 63 and 32 not out. He would however also be the first to tell you that he should have scored more in the last two games.

Team news

A back injury has kept John Campbell away from the action since his 179 against Ireland in the series opener. West Indies are likely to bring back Shannon Gabriel in place of Raymon Reifer.West Indies (probable): 1 Sunil Ambris, 2 Shai Hope (wk), 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Roston Chase, 5 Jonathan Carter, 6 Jason Holder (capt), 7 Fabian Allen, 8 Ashley Nurse, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Sheldon Cottrell, 11 Shannon GabrielIf they are thinking of a playing XI without Shakib – a decision on him will be taken on match day – Bangladesh have to make at least two adjustments. They would need a No 3, for which perhaps Liton Das may be the temporary answer. Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman may have to bowl more as Mahmudullah has a shoulder injury. Abu Jayed’s five-wicket haul also poses a different kind of selection headache for the team management.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Liton Das/Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mohammad Mithun, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Mohamad Saifuddin, 9 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 10 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Pitch and conditions

In the last five ODIs in Malahide, the average score batting first has been 259. Overall, only five out of 15 times have side won batting first. The weather meanwhile seems clear with a hint of rain in the forecast in the evening.

Stats and trivia

• The last time West Indies won a series involving three or more teams was in Canada in 2008. Against Full Member nations, their last such triumph was at the Champions Trophy in 2004.
• During Bangladesh’s previous outing, Mushfiqur became the fifth wicketkeeper to reach 5000 ODI runs.

Teenager Rob Yates fell nine runs of his maiden first-class century as Warwickshire battled hard to eat into Hampshire’s huge first-innings total of 539.Top order batsman Yates, who only signed his first professional deal last December, showed maturity which belied his age to guide his side towards the follow-on target. The 19-year-old academy graduate added a vital 142-run stand for the third wicket with fellow talented youngster Sam Hain, who collected his second Specsavers County Championship half-century of the season.Earlier, Olly Stone had marked his return from almost seven months on the sidelines with a bone stress injury in his lower back with a five-wicket haul. Stone, who had taken three wickets on his first day of action of the season helped wrap up the Hampshire tail inside 20 overs during the morning.Hampshire returned on 450 for 6 after an an extraordinary opening day which had seen Ian Holland and Aneurin Donald notch centuries. The bright sunshine which had shone over the Ageas Bowl made way for overcast conditions on day two, although the wicket remained flat as Hampshire added 89 more runs.Gareth Berg lasted five overs before he was castled by Oliver Hannon-Dalby. Lewis McManus and Keith Barker, against his former county, added 60 for the eighth wicket, scoring 41 not out and 35 respectively. But the final three wickets fell for six runs as Ben Mike had Barker caught at deep square leg before Stone had Kyle Abbott lbw and Fidel Edwards bounced out to claim figures of 5 for 93.Warwickshire’s reply started poorly as Will Rhodes edged Kyle Abbott behind to leave the visitors 15 for 1 at lunch. That became 39 for 2 when Division One’s highest run-maker Dom Sibley tamely chipped Abbott to cover.With 350 runs still required to avoid the follow-on, and an uber-accurate and disciplined Hampshire bowling attack asserting plenty of pressure, Hain and Yates joined for a dogged partnership. Attacking shots came at a premium throughout the afternoon session, with the run-rate barely touching two.Solihull-born Yates, who has played for Warwickshire since their Under-10s, was handed two lives, on 35 and 45, as plenty of runs came through the slip cordon.Yates broke into the first team during Warwickshire’s Royal London Cup campaign and hasn’t been left out since. He batted patiently to reach a half-century in 144 balls, beating his previous best score of 49, and appeared on course for three figures. But he meekly fell for 91 when he struck part-time spinner Felix Organ to short midwicket.Meanwhile, Hain passed his 3000th Championship run before moving to his own fifty in 85-balls as he ended the day unbeaten on 68. Warwickshire on 198 for 3, still 191 adrift of the follow-on and trailing by 341.

Alex Hales’ attempts to ensure he is England’s T20 World Cup plans will continue this winter, after he was announced as a marquee player for the Mzansi Super League in South Africa.Hales will play for Durban Heat, and is one of four marquee overseas signings appearing in the league for the first time along with compatriots Tom Curran (Tshwane Spartans) and David Willey (Paarl Rocks), and Pakistan seamer Wahab Riaz (Cape Town Blitz).The other international marquee players are the retained pair of Jason Roy (Nelson Mandela Bay Giants) and Chris Gayle (Jozi Stars).There is one change among the domestic marquee players, with Andile Phehlukwayo replacing Hashim Amla at Durban Heat.Hales was deselected from England’s 50-over World Cup squad after a 21-day ban for using recreational drugs, and in May said that he was targeting the T20 World Cup in Australia next year for a potential comeback. He opted out of first-class cricket last year and his attempts to focus on cricket have been limited to seven appearances in the Vitality Blast.”I hope the door is not closed. That’s one of my aims, that T20 World Cup,” Hales said at the Caribbean Premier League draft in May. “I’m going to go through the process, hopefully score some runs in these tournaments and see how we go. I want to enjoy my cricket.”I think it’s a good opportunity,” he said of his attempts to use franchise leagues as a springboard. “These tournaments now are well respected all around the world, particularly by the selectors and ECB. I’d love to use these tournaments to hopefully get back into the frame for next year.”Hales will play in the CPL for Barbados Tridents, and has another year on his deal with Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League. He has scored 207 runs for Nottinghamshire in the ongoing Vitality Blast, with two fifties and a strike rate of 140.54.The MSL is scheduled for November and December – though the exact dates are yet to be finalised – and England’s players will likely arrive straight after their five-match T20I series in New Zealand at the start of November. If Roy keeps his spot in the Test team, he may miss the first handful of games playing in England’s two-Test series there.The list of other retained players was released last week. The exact date of the player draft is yet to be confirmed, though it is likely to be in early September.South African marquee players: Quinton de Kock (Cape Town Blitz), Andile Phehlukwayo (Durban Heat), Kagiso Radaba (Jozi Stars), Imran Tahir (Nelson Mandela Bay Giants), Faf du Plessis (Paarl Rocks), AB de Villiers (Tshwane Spartans)International marquee players: Wahab Riaz (Cape Town Blitz), Alex Hales (Durban Heat), Chris Gayle (Jozi Stars), Jason Roy (Nelson Mandela Bay Giants), David Willey (Paarl Rocks), Tom Curran (Tshwane Spartans)

For a while it looked as though Australia were still haunted by Headingley. In their first stint in the field since Ben Stokes tore them apart, a raucous Old Trafford crowd made a point of ironically cheering every time Nathan Lyon caught a return from his fielders. The first of two extended sessions in the field, with the benefit of a mammoth 497 to defend, was by some distance the tourists’ worst of the series.So many of the fundamentals of the Australian team blueprint for this series, mapped out by the coach Justin Langer, his assistants Graeme Hick, Brad Haddin and analyst Dene Hills, then enacted by the captain Tim Paine, were conspicuously missing. Pressure was not maintained, boundaries flowed and for a time Rory Burns and Joe Root were able to bat in circumstances that for a rare occasion across four Tests did not suggest they were fighting for their very lives.Not unlike England, much of Australia’s selection and approach for Manchester had been informed by the expectation that this would be a faster, more lively surface than the slow seamers offered up thus far. So it was that Mitchell Starc came into the team, having done plenty of remedial work on his lines and lengths in the Worcester and Derby tour matches, with the hope that his speed would be impactful on what is reputed to be the most slippery pitch in England.Instead, Starc struggled to get things right, failing to make the batsmen play enough on the second evening then giving away too many runs on the third afternoon. His trial with a red ball in his hand, familiar to those those who watch Australia regularly, duly left far more responsibility in the hands of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, alongside Lyon, who was conscripted into a long holding spell at the opposite end to the quicks even though he was not exactly bowling at his best or tightest.Fortunately for the Australian selectors, Cummins and Hazlewood were able to adjust from some of their earlier missteps, conjuring a couple of their best and most effective spells of the entire series. Cummins was not rewarded for his, but when Hazlewood followed up immediately with a burst that was little less hostile and even more accurate, England’s top order dam burst in the final hour of play, losing three critical wickets and leaving it all to Stokes yet again.Initially, Cummins had seemed far too preoccupied with bowling short at Burns, given the problems against the short ball that the England opener had exhibited in the first three Tests. But those dismissals had been allied to plenty of bowling on a good length, testing the outside edge, leaving Burns not entirely sure what was coming down at him. Here, he was able to make an early decision to evade short balls that arrived too frequently, and while he did not score from them, they did not look likely to get him out.Only after tea, perhaps benefitting from some time in the dressing room to discuss their approach, did Cummins and Hazlewood rebalance things. Cummins concentrated far more on a line and length threatening the stumps, interspersing this with bouncers to drive Burns back. In common with his bowling to Root, Cummins was able to revert to the methods that had been so successful in the first three Tests, from a point near tea where a mere 13 of Australia’s deliveries by pacemen had been going on to hit the stumps.”I think as a general rule we probably did bowl a touch short in that first session and targeted the top of the stumps in the second session” Hazlewood said. “I think with bowling a lot of short balls to Rory Burns you can probably get into a bad habit as well. Definitely to the right handers I feel in the game if it’s that top-of-stumps height, getting lbws and bowleds. Maybe something to look at for tomorrow.”We had a couple of near misses here and there, Patty in that spell created a few genuine chances and half chances as well. Once you can get one and break a partnership you can get two and three pretty quickly. I thought it was really good the way Gaz [Lyon] bowled down that one end and we could come from the other, all the quicks. He was fantastic down there keeping the runs quite dry and towards the end as he kept bowling he looked more in the game.”Cummins’ duel with Root was a mouthwatering one for spectators and followed a particularly eye-watering moment for Root. First, he had his box shattered by a Starc ball that angled sharply into him, needing plenty of medical attention and a replacement piece of protective gear. Next, he was struck a heavy blow on the back leg by Cummins. These moments took place either side of an edge, procured from a fast, full Cummins delivery that moved away just enough as Root tried a straight drive. It should have been a diving chance for Paine, but both he and first slip David Warner remained statuesque.Joe Root took a painful blow in the groin•Getty Images

That missed chance was followed by an lbw review for the ball that struck Root on the back leg, the ball always outside the line of the off stump, both at the point of impact and the projection for missing the wicket. Australian frustration was growing, but fortunately for Paine, he had a refreshed Hazlewood ready to power in behind Cummins, as Lyon continued in support.Root had suggested, too, that a three-man pace attack was key to the equation, for Australia have lots of fast bowlers in their squad but only half their number in the actual team. And the inclusion of Starc ahead of the more economical and into-the-wind Peter Siddle, meant that both Cummins and Hazlewood were likely to be pressed into longer service.Whether three or four pacemen, they still had to be seen off, and Hazlewood’s radar was back to its most precise at exactly the right moment. Burns was forced to play a ball around off stump that seamed away, skewing an edge into the hands of Steven Smith at second slip. Root was pinned lbw by a ball that was full, fast and moving back towards middle and off stump. Then lastly Jason Roy’s move down to No. 4 – or No. 5 in this case behind nightwatchman Craig Overton – was not low enough to prevent him from having to face a moving ball.Similar in length and direction to the delivery that had done for Root, it reaped for Hazlewood the gratifying sight of Roy’s middle stump being knocked flat behind him, capping a spell of 3 for 15 in 27 laser-guided balls. Something that England have so far had to contend with is the fact that while Australia’s batsmen have been able to wait out English spells in the confident hope that things will get easier, this has seldom been the case with the touring attack. Hazlewood noted that with six pacemen on tour, it was somewhat easier to attack with a “no tomorrow” mindset.”It doesn’t really come into my mind at all, probably due to the fact we’ve got three class quicks on the bench as well,” he said. “Most guys have had a hit out now apart from Michael Neser. One thing Peter Siddle brought up at the start of the series is just focus on the game at hand, give everything for this game because we know we’ve got great back-up in the sheds. We’ll be thinking about this game and after this one we’ll worry about the next one.”There was plenty of praise for Cummins, who had done so much of the initial hard work to pull things back after Australia had looked momentarily caught in a Headingley feedback loop. “Patty rarely bowls a bad spell, he was fantastic there in the evening session,” Hazlewood said. “He could have had a catch that went between the keeper and first slip and is always at the batsmen. Front foot, back foot, he just gets better every time he bowls. It’s good to have him in your team.”He’s a machine really. Had all that bad luck with injury through his late teens, early 20s and he’s come out the other side. He’s always been a great athlete, it was just a matter of time before that body hardened up and his bones hardened up. As a power and strength athlete he’s fantastic and he’s got great endurance as well. He’s pretty much the all-round package. It’s quite disheartening as well sometimes to watch him run in all day, just such a great athlete and hopefully it continues for him.”By stumps, when bad light brought a close to proceedings ahead of schedule, Lyon was still holding up an end, but the mocking chants had died down. Stokes, of course, was still at the crease, leaving some memory of Leeds lingering. But in rediscovering their abiding blueprint in the final session, Australia took one step closer to the Ashes – and 15 more English wickets in two days will get them there.

Australia are pondering a radical change to their batting line-up for the Old Trafford Test, considering the inclusion of Mitchell Marsh at the expense of Matthew Wade to increase their complement of right-handers.The around-the-wicket line from Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer in particular has been a source of considerable angst for the tourists, while the most productive Australian batsmen by far have been Steven Smith and his stand-in Marnus Labuschagne.In order to fit both Smith and Labuschagne into the team there will likely be a change at the top of the order, but the selection chairman Trevor Hohns has hinted that Wade may be omitted to allow Marsh to play as a third right-hander in the top six – the allrounder made 74 batting at No. 3 in Derby.ALSO READ: Starc polishes off Derbyshire to push case“He played very well that innings he made a hundred,” Hohns said of Wade. “Unfortunately things have not quite gone his way since then. That will certainly be an area we are having a look at.”It has been difficult up top for both teams, the opening bowlers with that new ball, conditions that seem to have prevailed, it has been very, very difficult for any player who has batted in the top three. We are mindful of that. We are also mindful of the England bowlers have bowled very well to our guys, particularly our left-handers, so we will certainly look at that as well.”Labuschagne is certain of retaining his place thanks to a trio of half-centuries after substituting for Smith at Lord’s and Headingley. Where he bats will be another conversation, though it appears most likely he will move up to No. 3 behind David Warner and Usman Khawaja.”Absolutely, there’s no doubt about that. He’s been terrific with the opportunity he was given in Lord’s, unfortunate opportunity of course,” Hohns said of Labuschagne seizing his moment. “He’s certainly made every post a winner and made the most of every opportunity he has been given. Adding that to the fact he can bowl some handy legspin as well, he’s a prime contender.”Very hard for me to say just where [Labuschagne will bat] but he’s an option everywhere, as we have seen. He can bat at three, he can bat at four, he can bat in the middle and he can bowl handy legspinners, so he’s a good option for us.”Mitchell Starc’s impressive outing at Derby, where he combined an improved level of control with his customary speed and knack for hitting the stumps, underlined that he will be a genuine contender for Old Trafford. This is not only because it promises to be the fastest surface of the series, but also because releasing Starc would allow Australia the luxury of having two fresh fast bowlers available for the final Test of the series at the Oval.”He’s certainly given us a good option there. We’ll have a look at the pitch of course and we have heard that it is renowned for being possibly the quickest in the country. That will all be taken into account,” Hohns said. “Right from the start of the tour it was made very clear what was expected of our bowlers and where we wanted them to bowl.”Mitchell has taken all that on board and he was worked very very hard to improve his game in that area. We all know he is an aggressor, so we can’t expect him to change the way he bowls too much. But he is doing everything he possibly can to bowl in the right areas and the right channels.”With our bowling unit in particular, we have tried to manage our bowlers, so we will certainly be taking that in to account. In the past we have generally used the same ones but I think a lot of the Test matches in the past were spaced out a little more. In this instance right now we are very thankful to have five, six of our top fast bowlers all fit at the same time. We haven’t had that for a long time. It’s quite a luxury actually.”

Stuart Broad has described himself as a “reinvented cricketer with more to offer” after enjoying his most-successful Ashes with the ball. In the absence of the injured James Anderson, Broad led the line superbly for England, with his dominance over David Warner providing a snapshot of his summer renaissance.In all, Broad picked up 23 wickets during the five Tests, two shy of equalling his best series haul (against India in 2011). His proficiency at bowling round-the-wicket to left-handers was a notable feature – helping him to remove Warner seven times in 10 innings – and he also kept his pace high while pursuing a fuller, more attacking length.Having only played in half of England’s winter Tests, in Sri Lanka and West Indies, there had been a sense that Broad was no longer an automatic pick – despite sitting second only to Anderson on England’s wicket-taking list. However, bowling off a shortened run-up, worked on in consultation with Richard Hadlee, and with a focus on making batsmen play more, he has restated his worth.ALSO READ: ‘I’d swap Headingley drama for an Ashes win’ – Stokes“I’ve been very pleased with how it has gone this summer,” he said. “I’ve gone from being talked about as a diminishing cricketer being eased out to a reinvented cricketer with more to offer. At 33 years old that is a good place to be.”All the hard work has been worth it. Fate allowed me to have the time during the winter to work on things. In Sri Lanka I didn’t play too much and I was able to work on a new run up and stuff like my attacking intent, which has paid dividends. I’ve not been as attacking in my areas, and making batsmen play as much as I have for many years.”His method to Warner was the culmination of his early season with Nottinghamshire, where the coach, Peter Moores, and team analyst, Kunal Manek, passed on data about the “leave percentage” of batsmen facing Broad. Resolving that this was too high, he focused on attacking the stumps more – combined with his ability to move the ball away from left-handers, it left Warner caught betwixt and between, falling lbw or bowled four times, and caught behind or in the slips three.”I had an added responsibility to try and get their big players out and that’s why I did a lot of planning on David Warner and how I might get him out before the series started,” he said. “I had to go fuller at him, I had to try and hit his stumps and I had to try and forget about his outside edge.”The edges would come but only if I bowled in the right areas consistently rather than searching for the edge of his bat. I never dreamt that I would have the success against him that I’ve had.”Of course that is just in this series. If we put our numbers together over the course of our careers and how much we have played against each other I think they would be quite even. He has outdone me in many a series, but this time it went my way and I think it perhaps shows that sometimes planning does work.”Before the series, Broad had taken Warner’s wicket five times in 18 Tests; that figure now stands at 12, making the Australia opener the man he has dismissed most often.The numbers for Australia were stark. Warner finished the series with an average of 9.50, with the opening partnership averaging even less at 8.50. Marcus Harris was dismissed three times in six innings by Broad, while Cameron Bancroft also fell to him once before being dropped.”We talk about setting the tone with the new ball and I felt that this has been my best summer for a long time in terms of doing that with the new ball,” Broad said. “I felt a responsibility to lead that first 10 overs and I’ve had great energy running in. I felt like the mindset of trying to hit the stumps has really paid off.”I don’t think we could have dreamt of keeping Australia’s opening pairs quite so quiet throughout the series so we can class that as a good win for us. We do a lot of planning and preparation to go into these series and our new ball bowling has been a success.”Although Broad described himself as “distraught” at England’s failure to win a home Ashes series for the first time since 2001, he suggested that a draw was a fair result and a fitting way to end the summer. He praised Steven Smith for playing “out of his skin” in his first series since returning from a ball-tampering ban – likening his response to that of Ben Stokes, England’s man of the summer, who has used adversity to lift his own game to new levels.Stuart Broad wheels away in celebration after bowling David Warner•Getty Images

“It was really important we got a positive result in this game to make sure that Australia didn’t go home with a win,” he said. “A World Cup win and a drawn series in the Ashes is a memorable summer. I won’t say it is a totally successful summer because we would have really liked to win the series, but if we sit down in a week’s time without the emotion, it is probably the right result.”I think both teams are so similar in the way they go about their business. They had one batsman who has been a 15 out of 10 and we’ve not had that which has been a huge difference.”Of course I’m distraught not to be lifting the urn at the Oval and I can’t remember having a feeling like this before because usually at The Oval we are lifting a trophy. It is certainly the first Ashes series where I’ve not been spraying champagne at the end which is a weird feeling.”It is a fair result. Steve Smith has played out of his skin. It has taken 24 days to finally get him to tuck one round the corner to leg slip. [Chris] Woakes got him with a straight one that was hitting the middle of middle and that was just about the first on he’d missed. Why had he not missed one before? He’s been so good and everything has worked for him.”Stokesy has had a summer where all his hardship has paid him back and Steve Smith the same, all his hardship has paid him back.”

A handsome 13-wicket match haul for South Australia’s dependable spearhead Chadd Sayers still left them facing a steep fourth innings chase ahead of the final day of the Sheffield Shield match at Adelaide Oval.Figures of 5 for 67 gave Sayers 13 for 131 for the match, the best analysis since Jason Behrendorff’s 14 for 89 for Western Australia against Victoria in 2017, and the best at Adelaide Oval or for SA since Paul Rofe scooped 13 for 112, also against New South Wales (NSW), in 2002.However another sturdy NSW innings, this time anchored by Nick Larkin’s 91, meant that the hosts were presented with a chase near enough to 300. At no stage were South Australia able to claim a rapid sequence of wickets, which might have reduced their target to somewhere less than 250.Left with three overs to survive to the close, South Australia lost Jake Weatherald lbw for the second time in the match, this time to Josh Hazlewood, with the nightwatchman Nick Winter accompanying Henry Hunt to the close.

Twelve years in domestic cricket, 7116 runs in 106 first-class games, averaging 57.43 in the last three seasons. In contention for two years, Abid Ali finally managed to play a Test on a historic occasion with Pakistan hosting the longer format for the first time in 10 years.Having made his first-class debut among many who grew up at a time when international cricket was absent from the country, Abid made his maiden Test appearance at the age of 31. And he made the most of it by scoring a century, becoming the only player in history to reach three figures in his first Test and ODI.Also read: The day all of Pakistan was hoping forBeing “thankful for a chance”, Abid recalled the persistence and hard work that played a major part in his success. He had been with the team for more than a year but could not break into a congested top order which also included Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq and Shan Masood.When Pakistan rested their leading ODI players ahead of the World Cup, Abid earned a rare chance against Australia in UAE and made it a dream debut with a hundred. He travelled with the team to England only to be ignored for the World Cup squad. In his previous outing with Pakistan to Australia he again missed out making into the XI for the entire series.”I had never grumbled upon being ignored,” said Abid. “I had patience and I had a belief that my time will come and then I will prove what I am capable of.”I had been with the team and kept my fitness level high and keep on working on my skills set with small plans. I knew someday I will get a chance and I was always ready for it. Thankfully I got it and a hundred on debut is what else you ask for. I waited long for this very day to come and here I am.”Abid hails from Lahore and is a product of Shafqat Rana Academy in the Race Course Park in the centre of the city. He often struggled to make it into the squad for his own region and was forced to play elsewhere. He had a lengthy association with the Islamabad region and represented Baluchistan province. Most recently, he failed to find a place in his own provincial side, Central Punjab, and was drafted to Sindh where he averaged 76.75, scoring 307 runs in five innings with a highest score of 249 not out.Despite Imam sitting on the bench and Sami Aslam knocking on the door, Abid said he had not felt uncomfortable.”I know there is a competition around me but it has increased a lot recently but all I know is that I have to keep on performing to stay relevant,” Abid said. “I need to raise my game and with every chance I have to perform well.”I had never complained, rather I have the self-belief that what is up for me I will get it. I waited for my time and finally I got it. It would be a great disappointment for me if I hadn’t performed but thanks to God that all my hard work is rewarded.”Along with Azhar Ali, Abid shared an 87-run stand for the second wicket which at times lacked synchronisation. Both scored at the rate of 3.0 and were involved in mix-ups that nearly had them run out on two occasions. With in-form batsman Babar Azam, Abid looked more comfortable and added an unbeaten 162-run stand at a rate of 4.24.”Babar is a world-class player and he is very well-respected,” he said. “He was the one who really gave me confidence to stay put and wait for the bad ball. I was bit nervous when in the 90s but he carried me all along and saw me through my hundred.”One of the mix-ups with Azhar it was actually my mistake … as we never played together ever so had trouble in making calls but with the innings going we got settled.”Despite being nicknamed “legend”, Abid urged fans and journalists to not relate him with big names in cricket.”I am an ordinary player and I can’t match those great players,” he said. “I am Abid Ali and please see me as Abid Ali only. I, being down to earth, would like to keep on performing and serve Pakistan with distinction. The crowd supporting us really doubled up my confidence so I am thankful to the crowd for coming to the game and backing us.”