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ScorecardFile photo – Tom Curran played a role with bat and ball•Getty Images

England Lions set an imposing target and then took two early wickets on a rain-interrupted third day of the first unofficial Test with Sri Lanka A. Having recovered from 85 for 6 to post 215, Tom Curran removed Dimuth Karunaratne with the first ball of the fourth innings and Toby Roland-Jones had Sandun Weerakkody, Sri Lanka A’s top-scorer first time around, lbw for 16.Tom Curran and his brother Sam had played a central role with the bat, too, having extended their seventh-wicket partnership to 62. Dilruwan Perera then struck three times to complete a five-wicket haul before rain caused a delay of more than four hours.When the teams finally got back out, Ollie Rayner and Tom Helm held off the Sri Lanka A spinners to put on another valuable tenth-wicket stand. Helm was last out for 26, one run short of equalling his first-class best, as he and Middlesex team-mate Rayner added exactly 50 in 21.5 overs.That left Sri Lanka A facing a stiff requirement of 365 to win and they were quickly in trouble at 19 for 2. Rayner could have struck with the ball in the fading light, too, but Udara Jayasundera and Roshen Silva both survived chances to slip.The start of play was moved forward by 15 minutes to try and make up for time lost on the second day. The Lions already had a lead of 261 and the Currans set about extending it, both striking an early boundary.Sam Curran had reached 36 when when he was pinned lbw by Dilruwan, who also had Tom Curran stumped, for 29, in his next over. Roland-Jones, having cracked a belligerent 82 in the first innings, was taken at slip for 7 but Sri Lanka A had to wait several hours to separate the final pair, Malinda Pushpakumara eventually taking the second new ball to claim his fourth wicket and match figures of 8 for 174.

ScorecardFile photo – Suryakumar Yadav’s 73 in the first innings had helped Mumbai get a 106-run first innings lead•PTI

That Mumbai did not so much storm as saunter into their second successive Ranji Trophy final and their 46th in all – a six-wicket win over Tamil Nadu in two sessions will qualify as nothing less – will gladden them for more than one reason. Firstly, it was a strong opening partnership, an elusive ingredient all season, that set up the chase of 251 on the final day.Secondly, and more importantly, it was Prithvi Shaw, a 17-year-old debutant, who was in the vanguard with a fearless hundred. During the course of his 175-ball 120, Shaw also became the first Mumbai batsman to score a hundred on Ranji Trophy debut in more than two decades, after Amol Muzumdar last achieved the feat in 1993-94.If one delivery were to sum up the contrasting fortunes of Shaw and Tamil Nadu, it was the second ball of the 51st over. Shaw, on 99, steered Vijay Shankar to gully, and as B Indrajith completed the catch, he was shattered. Even as Shaw tried to drag himself off the field, the umpires asked him to wait to check for the no ball.As it turned out, Shankar had overstepped; Suryakumar Yadav instantly went up to Shaw and patted his shoulder. Four balls later, Shaw steered Shankar to gully again. But, this time the ball went along the ground and Suryakumar dashed to the danger end. As Shaw’s helmet came off to reveal his pubescent face, the magnitude of his achievement on the big stage hit home.This wasn’t the first instance, though, of Shaw seeing off a nerve-wracking period; he and his partner Praful Waghela were put under considerable pressure by Tamil Nadu’s bowlers and close-in fielders yesterday – it showed in the nervy running between the wickets – and there was no respite in the morning session either, when play began after a 35-minute delay owing to poor visibility caused by dense fog.This time, however, Shaw wasn’t looking to play for stumps, and found his bearings with a crunchy backfoot punch through covers off Aswin Crist in the second over of the day. Despite two gullies and a short point breathing down on him, Shaw continued to middle the ball confidently. He was similarly unruffled by Dinesh Karthik’s chirp about the impending bouncers from behind the stumps, and was comfortably ducking them.When he leant forward to Crist and produced two punchy cover drives off successive deliveries, it became further evident that neither Crist nor Vignesh posed a threat to him. Also, with little swing on offer, captain Abhinav Mukund turned to Aushik Srinivas, his lead spinner. Aushik hadn’t conceded a run in his three overs late on Wednesday, but Shaw slog-swept his first delivery of the morning from the line of the stumps; it was a shot that would fetch him rich returns all day. Emboldened by Shaw, Waghela, too, unwrapped a brace of powerful sweeps against Aushik, who went for 31 in his four-over spell and was taken off the attack.Shankar and B Aparajith were introduced belatedly, but the outcome wasn’t going to change. If swatting Aparajith for a six over long on was another illustration of Shaw’s bravado, he showed in the next delivery that he could be sensible too; he stayed on leg stump, beside the line of the ball, and gently worked the ball off the backfoot into the vacant cover-point region for a single. Ironically, the top-edged pull for four that brought up Shaw’s fifty was the only shot that lacked conviction. Despite losing Waghela, who was caught after top-edging a pre-meditated sweep off a good length, Mumbai went into lunch the more confident team at 113 for 1.Left-arm seamer T Natarajan, who had been introduced only an over before lunch, was Tamil Nadu’s latest gambit. Mumbai’s response was to unleash a double-barrelled assault, with Shreyas Iyer and Shaw having fun at their opponents’ expense. Aushik returned for a fresh spell, and bowled from over the stumps to target the rough outside the right-hand batsmen’s leg stump. Whenever Shaw didn’t kick the ball away, he swept furiously off the rough.The field was now spread out and the spinners bowled defensive lines to provoke a loose shot, but despite only 29 runs coming in the first 10 overs after lunch, Iyer and Shaw didn’t lose their heads. Eventually, it was Tamil Nadu’s patience that wore thin, as neither the change of bowlers or ball – two balls were replaced in the space of 10 overs – brought them the desired results.Shankar ended the 91-run stand by removing Iyer in the 47th over, but Suryakumar blew out the faintest flicker of hope for Tamil Nadu with some lusty hitting. The only element of interest was if eventual man-of-the-match Shaw would hit the winning runs, but he perished to a slog after attempting to finish the game quickly The winning run in the following over was an anti-climax when Siddhesh Lad turned Aparajith’s delivery into the leg side for a single; it was a good few seconds later – after the scorers provided the confirmation – that Mumbai knew they had done it. In a chase that was as effortless as it was meticulous, who could fault them.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA double-century from Azhar Ali. Pakistan batting until after lunch on day three. No fewer than 141 overs lost to rain. Fifteen wickets in four days on a surface more concrete than pitch. Australia won the Boxing Day Test. Yep, really.

Pakistan fined for slow over rate

Pakistan have been fined for a slow over rate during the second Test against Australia at the MCG. Match referee Ranjan Madugalle imposed the fine after Pakistan were ruled to be two overs short of their target when time allowances were taken into consideration.
Players are fined 10% of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined 20%, in accordance with Article 2.5.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel. Misbah-ul-Haq was hence fined 40% of his match fee; he pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction.

In a conjuring act to rival those of Sydney 2010 and Adelaide 2006, Steven Smith’s men produced a Test and series victory from seemingly nowhere. Nowhere that is, apart from Pakistan’s unrivalled propensity for either triumph or disaster, with little in between.This, we had been told, was a sturdier Pakistan, capable of fighting a match out in the manner they did at the Gabba after a horrid start. This was also the Pakistan side that had ascended to No. 1 in the world earlier in the year. But their descent from the summit has been just as rapid as Australia’s: both sides know what it is like to lose five consecutive Tests from the moment they reached the top of the ICC’s rankings.From the opening moments of the day, Pakistan had looked a team worried about defeat, Australia a team alert to the prospect of victory. After Smith and Mitchell Starc supercharged their scoring rate so effectively as to post the highest ever Test total in Melbourne, a pair of early wickets either side of lunch gave the hosts a glimmer.It was exploited brilliantly by Nathan Lyon, who in the space of a single spell unseated Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq. Under extreme pressure to hold his spot entering the final day, Lyon’s response was emphatic, but not enough to cause Smith to keep him on after the tea break: he is not the first Australian spin bowler to struggle to retain the full confidence of his captain.That being the case, the final blows were struck by the seamers. Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird and Starc all found deliveries incisive enough to cut through the tail, much to the delight of a final day crowd that swelled the total attendance to 142,188, a figure as admirable in the rain-affected circumstances as Australia’s charge to victory.Much of Pakistan’s early bowling and fielding had been lacklustre when placed under pressure by Smith and Starc, personified by Sohail Khan’s wretched drop of Starc at long-off. Sohail finished with three wickets but was one of four expensive bowlers, none able to contain even with the help of Misbah’s often defensive fields.So quickly did Smith and Starc score that the home captain had the luxury of declaring before the interval, meaning the visiting openers were compelled to survive two bursts of the new ball either side of lunch.Mitchell Starc ripped out Sarfraz Ahmed with reverse-swing•Getty Images

In four overs before the interval, Pakistan lost the wicket of Sami Aslam, dragging a ball from Hazlewood onto the stumps via his body. The first over of the afternoon brought another, when Babar Azam was struck on the pad by a Starc inswinger that the umpire Ian Gould judged to be hitting leg stump – a decision the batsman’s referral showed to be marginal.Younis scored freely enough until Lyon’s introduction, when a fraction of extra bounce saw him turn an offbreak in the air towards short leg. Peter Handscomb moved forward to claim the chance a matter of millimetres above the turf. Misbah, out of sorts with the bat all series so far, tried a sweep first ball and then repeated it to his second, the top edge well caught around the corner by Nic Maddinson.This double left the door ajar for Australia, and it opened further when Shafiq advanced and pushed Lyon directly to Handscomb, who this time hung on after a juggle. Lyon, for so long this summer a harried figure, was now dictating terms, and his team could sense a remarkable result.It was a surprise when Smith did not keep Lyon on when play resumed, preferring Starc from the Great Southern Stand End. Hazlewood had found a modicum of reverse-swing and his tight lines were rewarded with Azhar’s wicket, the opener’s guard finally let down after 476 deliveries across two innings. Again, Gould ruled marginally in Australia’s favour on an lbw.That opened up an end, and after Bird surprised Mohammad Amir with a quicker delivery that was dragged onto the stumps, an exultant Starc blasted out Sarfraz Ahmed, Wahab Riaz and Yasir Shah in a fashion that would have impressed Wasim Akram.Australian celebrations were unrestrained and it was not hard to work out why. For most of the past five days it appeared that time was getting away from both sides; in the end Australia toasted victory with the last hour to spare.

Sumit Narwal, who held his nerve to help Delhi pull off a tense chase against Rajasthan last week, starred with the ball this time. His four-wicket haul helped skittle Vidarbha for 183 in Chennai. Shikhar Dhawan, on a comeback trail after recovering from a fractured finger, fell for 6 as Delhi went into stumps on 12 for 1. Gautam Gambhir, the captain, and Pradeep Sangwan were at the crease. Only one Vidarbha batsman – Shalabh Shrivastava (62) – crossed fifty, while one another Shrikant Wagh (46) contributed handy lower order runs. A good showing with the ball augers well for Delhi as they look to drive ahead. With rain forecast for the next three days, the drainage at the SSN College grounds could also be tested.Table toppers Karnataka suffered a second first-innings meltdown in as many games to be bowled out for 200, but somewhat recovered courtesy their captain R Vinay Kumar to reduce Saurashtra, currently scraping the bottom, to 19 for 2 at stumps in Patiala. Manish Pandey top scored with 75 and Shreyas Gopal contributed 38 at No. 9 to help the side stage a brief recovery. Vandit Jivrajani, the offspinner playing in only his fourth first-class game, and debutant Jay Chauhan picked up three wickets apiece. Jaydev Unadkat, their pace spearhead, removed Pandey and Shreyas to finish with 2 for 11. Snell Patel and Sheldon Jackson were at the crease for Saurashtra when play ended.Half-centuries from Saurabh Tiwary (88) and Ishank Jaggi (80 not out) helped Jharkhand remain steady on 251 for 4 after being put in to bat by Assam in Vizianagaram. The pair added 151 for the fourth wicket after Jharkhand were reduced to 98 for 3. Along the way, they also defied Assam’s bowlers for a better part of two sessions. Each of Jharkhand’s top three failed to convert starts. Pratyush Singh made 30 while No. 3 Sumit Kumar made 32. The spoils were equally shared by Assam’s bowlers – Krishna Das, Arup Das, Dhiraj Goswami and Abu Nechim were all among the wickets.Biplab Samantaray’s 89 helped Odisha recover from 31 for 3 to end the opening day against Maharashtra in Wayanad on 311 for 9. Samantaray’s 98-run stand for the seventh wicket with Deepak Behara, who made 58, helped arrest a slide triggered by Maharashtra’s pacers. Anupam Sanklecha, the bowling spearhead who had picked up 26 wickets in the last two matches, nipped out the top three, before Mohsin Sayyad ate into the middle order. Things could have been much worse for Odisha if it wasn’t for Samantaray’s defiance.

Australia’s captain Steven Smith believes his dramatically changed team have found a way forward in their first Test since coming together, a rousing seven-wicket victory over South Africa in which the Queensland left-handers Usman Khawaja and Matt Renshaw played key roles.As well as Australia bowled, first-innings runs are going to be what defines the success or otherwise of Smith’s side. To that end, Renshaw’s effort to see through a tough period on the first evening followed by Khawaja’s subsequent masterclass in dogged batting dictated much about how the match panned out. Tellingly, Smith said it helped that three new batsmen were free of the “scars” of the preceding five Tests. Not surprisingly, Smith wants to see more of the same.”I thought we responded really well,” Smith said of the challenges posed by the pink ball and floodlit conditions. “We had three batters in the top six who had no scars or anything like that so they were able to come in and play their natural game, which was nice. I thought we adapted really well.”I thought Usman was outstanding to come in under a pretty tricky situation on that night, opening the batting and get through that difficult period in the night and then bat the whole next day. It shows a lot about his character and what he’s willing to do. I thought he played beautifully out there for seven hours to wear them down and score a big hundred. I guess that’s the sort of template we’re looking for in our top six batters.”Renshaw’s place will be a matter for some conjecture whenever Shaun Marsh returns to full fitness, but there was much to like about the way he played his game, tested the patience of the bowlers and put the highest premium on his wicket. Smith was enthused by what he saw.Matt Renshaw’s temperament was praised by his state captain, Usman Khawaja, and Australia captain Steven Smith•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

“I thought he played quite well. He knows his game very well,” Smith said. “Obviously he got beaten a lot, but he wasn’t chasing the ball. He was keeping his line. South African had some quality bowlers that nip the ball quite a bit so you can’t afford to follow them. Something I thought Usman did particularly well in the first innings.”He [Renshaw] played the line and let the ball that nips go past the bat and he didn’t seem fazed by it at all. He just got on with the job and made them bowl to him. When they got a bit straighter he picked them off and that’s the way he goes about his game and it was nice for him and Petey [Handscomb] – two guys on debut – to be there at the end.”Khawaja is Renshaw’s state captain, and spoke with a similar level of warmth for someone who has set himself up with a Test match method in mind. “He’s got a really good temperament, he’s got a really good head on him,” Khawaja said. “What you saw today or during this Test match was one bit of Matt Renshaw’s game. He does have a very good temperament, he’s got a good defence he plays the ball well and plays it late.”But I think hopefully you’ll also be able to see the other part of him because I’ve seen him take down some attacks. I’ve seen him come up against a few spinners and really heave them for some big sixes and really change gears. He’s 20 years old, playing Test cricket for Australia. I think he’s doing great for a 20-year-old. I’d think he was doing great even he was 25 years old. He’s doing pretty well.”Added to the way Australia batted was the team’s best fielding display for some time. In this, Smith singled out another debutant in Peter Handscomb for snaffling Faf du Plessis in the gully on the third evening. “I felt a bit of a switch straight away in energy and presence around the group in our first training session out here at Adelaide Oval,” Smith said.”Everything felt like it was running smoothly and when we got our chance to get out into the field we had good energy and presence about ourselves. That helps in the field as well, we were able to take some pretty good catches in this Test match, a part of our game that has probably been a bit disappointing for a while now.”It works hand in hand, when you have that sort of presence and energy you’re able to take chances like the one Petey took to open the game up. It’s been great to have these guys come in, create that energy and have that hunger and character about them to want to win and fight.”Looking at the wider picture, Smith was understandably delighted to have snapped a five-match losing run ahead of the next home series against Pakistan. After two weeks of fire and brimstone, there are now some green shoots of new growth to be optimistic about.”I’m very happy, it’s much better to be on this side of the fence,” he said. “A little bit bittersweet, it was a disappointing series, we were outplayed in the first two Test matches by South Africa, but I’m really proud of the way that the team came back in this game. There were some new players who came in, they stood up and we showed some fight and character. That’s what I want us to do and I’m really proud of the way we stood up.”I think we can grow from what we’ve done in this Test match. It’s been a great start for a young group that have come together so we’re going to have to continue to work hard as a group to get to where we want to. Obviously they [Pakistan] are going to be another tough opposition. I think they have been playing some very good cricket. They’ve got some quality players so we’re going to have to be at our best if we want to get on top of them this summer as well.”

Match facts

October 5, 2016
Start time 1500 local (11:00 GMT)Mohammad Amir will miss the third ODI after returning home due to his mother’s illness•Getty Images

Big picture

It has been more than two weeks since West Indies landed in the UAE, and are yet to win a game against Pakistan. West Indies, World T20 champions six months back, are now on the brink of their second successive whitewash of the tour.West Indies’ batsmen have looked out of place, despite showing some resistance in the second ODI. Fifties by Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels sparked a comeback but the West Indies bowlers lacked penetration and had conceded far too many earlier in the day. Phil Simmons’ sacking just before their UAE tour didn’t bode well for the team either but with a gruelling Test series on the horizon, West Indies need to pick themselves quickly.Since their 4-1 rout against England last month, Pakistan have raised the bar, winning six consecutive matches: all of them one-sided. Their progress has been built on consistent performances from the top order, apart from captain Azhar Ali. The biggest upshot for Pakistan is their improvement in the ODI rankings as they strive to gain automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup.

Form guide

Pakistan WWWLL (completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LLLWL

In the spotlight

Azhar Ali‘s role as Pakistan’s ODI captain has repeatedly been questioned of late. His batting, though, may be more of a worry. His dismissal in the second ODI was greeted by cheers from the Sharjah crowd. After back-to-back failures in the first two ODIs, Azhar will be desperate for a score of substance.Johnson Charles came to the UAE on the back of some impressive T20 form and the experience of 42 ODIs. Scores of 7, 10, 5, 20 and 2 on this tour have only added pressure on West Indies’ middle order.

Team news

Pakistan scored 337 in the second Sharjah ODI, but the scoring rate dipped between overs 31 and 40, which indicated a lack of firepower. Umar Akmal, who last played an ODI for Pakistan in the 2015 World Cup in Adelaide, may be given a chance.Fast bowler Mohammad Amir has returned home due to his mother’s illness. Rahat Ali could step in.Pakistan (possible): 1 Azhar Ali (capt), 2 Sharjeel Khan, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 6 Umar Akmal/Mohammad Rizwan, 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Rahat Ali, 11 Hasan AliDespite the batsmen showing some fight in the second ODI, West Indies may consider rejigging their top order. Evin Lewis, who struck 100 off 49 balls against India last month, is the reserve opener in the squad. Alzarri Joseph, who replaced Shannon Gabriel in the second ODI, is likely to retain his place.West Indies (possible): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite/Evin Lewis, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Jason Holder (capt.), 8 Carlos Brathwaite, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Alzarri Joseph

Pitch and conditions

The October heat and dew will be significant factors in Abu Dhabi. The stadium is located in the middle of the desert, so gusts of wind may offer additional movement to the seamers.

Stats and trivia

• 7 – ODIs that Pakistan have lost, out of their last nine in Abu Dhabi over the last three years. They haven’t lost as many ODIs in any other venue during this period.
• West Indies have not won an ODI in Abu Dhabi. They lost all three to Pakistan in 2008.
• Two Pakistan batsmen have scored hundreds in three successive ODI innings – Zaheer Abbas and Saeed Anwar. Babar Azam scored hundreds in the first two ODIs of the series.

Quotes

“Everyone knows that we have to be in the top eight come this time next year so we will be doing our utmost to win. We don’t want to think that we have won the series so [we can] back off. We have to make sure to tick off our goals; only then we will be comfortable that we can get into the top – not eight, but in the top four.”
“There are players who are playing in the Test series who are playing in the ODI series, so it’s important that they get used to the pitch and get used to the conditions, get used to the Pakistani bowlers as well, so there’s still a lot to achieve from this game.”

Zimbabwe’s Harare-based players have refused to train in protest over unpaid match fees, which date back to July last year. The players were due to begin preparations for a series against Pakistan A, which starts at the end of the month, followed by fixtures against Sri Lanka, but have instead insisted on a meeting with Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) managing director Wilfred Mukondiwa to discuss “their worsening situation”.Several sources told ESPNcricinfo that apart from the outstanding player bill, ZC has also neglected to bring players from outside Harare to the training camp because of a lack of funds, or to ensure there are sufficient balls for training or nets for practice.”We are just fed up at the moment. It is crisis after crisis over here,” a player said while detailing the cloud of uncertainty hanging over them. Also, players said, since the end of July, when player contracts expired, there has been no indication on when new ones will be issued at either national or domestic level.Nationally-contracted players were given a month’s extension on their deals which covered the New Zealand series in July-August, but the situation at domestic level remains unclear after ZC announced it would move from a franchise to a provincial system this summer. No fixtures have been released yet.When contacted for a comment, ZC spokesperson Darlington Majonga said: “The players have asked ZC for an update on new contracts and their delayed match fees, but to equate their honest request for an engagement on the important issues to an ultimatum of some sort would be kind of making a mountain out of a molehill. What is important is that their contracts are ready following an all-inclusive negotiation process that involved representatives of the players. On the other issue, ZC has been paying the match fees in tranches and will settle the outstanding amounts soon.”*Other insiders confirmed Mukondiwa would address the players on Thursday, the day after the board’s Annual General Meeting (AGM).Meanwhile, there has been no announcement on Zimbabwe’s schedule for the rest of the international season. They are scheduled to play two Tests against Sri Lanka, but there was initially speculation of that series being altered into a triangular fifty-over competition also involving West Indies. More recently, there has been word that both the Tests and the tri-series will take place.The players are preparing with the latter in mind under the watch of interim coach Makhaya Ntini and fitness trainer Sean Bell, while ZC deliberates over the vacant head coach post. Heath Streak, currently the bowling coach for IPL franchise Gujarat Lions, is believed to be the favourite to take over.*15.55GMT, September 14: The article was updated with ZC’s response.

Babar Hayat has been appointed captain of the Hong Kong cricket team for their upcoming tour of the United Kingdom. Hayat takes over from Tanwir Afzal, who decided to step down to focus on his game.

Hong Kong squad

Babar Hayat (capt), Aizaz Khan, Tanwir Afzal, Nadeem Ahmed, Tanveer Ahmed, Chris Carter, Ehsan Khan, Nizakat Khan, Waqas Khan, Adil Mehmood, Ehsan Nawaz, Anshuman Rath, Ninad Shah, Shahid Wasif

Hayat will lead a 14-man squad to face Ireland and Scotland, and will be assisted by 23-year-old Aizaz Khan.”I am honoured and extremely proud to be named captain of Hong Kong,” Hayat said. “I must thank Tanwir for his efforts – the team has come a long way since he took over the captaincy and I’m sure I’ll be using his experience on the field. We have some exciting new faces for the upcoming tour, which will be a test in Ireland and Scotland’s home conditions.”Hayat, 24, made his international debut in March, 2014, in a World T20 game against Nepal, and has since played 20 T20Is in which he has scored 466 runs at 29.12 with one century. In seven ODIs, he has scored 184 runs at 26.28. In first-class cricket, he averages over 50.”Babar thoroughly deserves this opportunity,” Charlie Burke, HKCA’s director of cricket, and selector, said. “His fitness and his determination to take this team and Hong Kong cricket forward really excites me. He has led from the front in training and shown he is ready for a leadership role.”Hong Kong’s squad has two new faces – Ehsan Khan and Shahid Wasif. Hong Kong travel to Ireland first, where they take on the hosts in an Intercontinental-Cup clash in Belfast, before heading to Bready for two T20Is. Thereafter, they travel to Scotland for two ODIs.

ScorecardRikki Clarke helped reduce Worcestershire to 19 for 6 (file photo)•Getty Images

Rikki Clarke’s limited-overs best figures of 5 for 26 set Warwickshire cruising to an eight-wicket Royal London Cup victory over Worcestershire at Edgbaston.Clarke’s first List A five-for, which included three maidens as he bowled his 10-over allocation straight through, reduced the visitors to 19 for 6 – a position from which they could recover only partially to 115 all out. Will Porterfield and Tim Ambrose then shared an unbroken partnership of 79 as the Bears coasted home with more than 27 overs to spare.They now join their neighbours on five points in a group table which remains very tight due to so many early matches having been washed out.Worcestershire chose to bat but had cause to regret that decision when they crashed to 19 for 6 in the ninth over. The havoc was wreaked by a spell of superb, straight seam bowling from Clarke who took wickets with his fifth, 17th, 20th, 27th and 28th balls.Tom Kohler-Cadmore edged the allrounder to first slip and then, after Tom Fell was lbw to Keith Barker, Clarke dismissed four batsmen in 11 balls with a lethal blend of accuracy and pace. Alex Kervezee was bowled and Ross Whiteley, Daryl Mitchell and George Rhodes were pinned lbw, the last two with successive balls.Ben Cox and Joe Leach took the score to 41 to at last force a bowling change but Recordo Gordon came on and struck with his fifth ball, which Cox drove straight to Sam Hain at cover.Leach made a patient 29 from 65 balls with only two fours and Ed Barnard added 38 from 64 deliveries as the pair combined for 60 runs in 18 overs for the eighth over before the former, having batted with impressive restraint, was bowled on the back foot by Oliver Hannon-Dalby.Barnard perished in the next over when he drilled a return catch back to Jeetan Patel and when Jack Shantry lifted Patel to mid-off, where Keith Barker took a sharp head-high catch, the innings ended with 70 balls unused.Warwickshire openers Porterfield and Sam Hain reduced the target by a third before Hain edged Charlie Morris behind for 21. Morris made it two wickets in six balls when he trapped Jonathan Trott lbw but Porterfield finished on 37 not out, playing the perfect anchor role while Ambrose thrashed 54 from 42 balls to inject impetus to the chase.

They have won the series against Sri Lanka at a sprint, wrapped up after barely more than six days of playing time, and should not come unstuck at Lord’s even though the Sri Lankans have been boosted by their improvement in the second innings at Chester-le-Street. And yet, in their last five series – against West Indies, New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan and South Africa – England have been defeated in their final outing.In Barbados and at Headingley last year, their lapses cost them series victories. In Sharjah, the chance to level the scoreline slipped away. On the other two occasions, against Australia and South Africa, the major prize had already been secured so it merely knocked gloss off the end product – although both defeats at The Oval and Centurion were comprehensive enough to raise questions about how far the team’s development had come.Of all the problems to have, and on the list of things Alastair Cook has had to deal with as England captain, it is not the most worrisome. However, this England side are searching for that No. 1 ranking. This summer has been billed as a chance to win all seven Tests – as they did in 2004 – although Pakistan’s stronger attack could well have something to say about that.”We’ve certainly mentioned that in the past, the dead rubbers we’ve not played as well,” Cook said. “We’ve got another opportunity here. Who knows what the wicket will produce – the last [few] games here against Sri Lanka have been draws. So the wicket might not allow it. But we’ve got to make sure that if we want to get to where we want to, which is to be the best side in the world, these are the games we need to play better in.”Alongside the collective ambitions of the team, there are continuing personal subplots to the game, especially for the two men playing on their home ground. Nick Compton is under more immediate pressure than Steven Finn if he wants to continue his role at No. 3 when the Pakistan series starts, but for the longer-term future of English cricket it is the performances of Finn that warrants more attention.Nick Compton needs runs in order to secure his Test berth•Getty Images

In South Africa it appeared things had all clicked for Finn as he strung together a run of three consistent Test performances. Then injury struck, keeping him sidelined, much to his frustration, until the start of the English season. Since his return, that rhythm and threat from the South Africa tour has been difficult to rekindle.Cook is not overly concerned, however, adding that he had first-hand experience of a lively Finn spell in the nets on Wednesday which left him with “a big bruise” on his leg.”Steven, when’s he absolutely on song, is I believe up there in our three best seamers in the country,” Cook said. “We saw that last summer against Australia in particular, when he bowled fantastically well. This winter, when he played, he was absolutely outstanding. It’s not always perfect.”Take James Anderson as a bit of an example. He struggled a little bit, by his own admission, in South Africa, and when he came back he’s bowled as well as he has done in his career. It’s never perfect. We don’t get 11 guys at the top of their game at the same time. But Steven has the ability to take wickets. He’s always done that. When he clicks, he’s a very hard bowler to face. He’s got a big future in the England side.”For Cook, this Test match will allow him to settle back into life without the burden of approaching landmarks after he ticked off the 10,000-run milestone in Durham, although now the talk has shifted to whether he can finish above Sachin Tendulkar’s 15,921 at the top of the pile.”That’s a long way ahead,” Cook said, with the air of a man who would prefer to put the record books back on the shelf for a while. Since Durham, he has spent a week at home on his farm which included a day getting drenched in the rain helping to weigh “some fat lambs”.”At the moment a lot of my goals are immediate ones with this England team – as a captain that takes me away from the milestones as a batsman.”There is no escaping the fact, however, that in spite of Cook’s record, James Anderson’s excellence and England’s dashing lower order, this has been a low-key Test series. Although Lord’s will be close to full this week, that prevailing mood is unlikely to change much even if England do secure their first whitewash in a series longer than two Tests since beating India 4-0 in 2011. The Euros start on Friday, with England playing their first match on Saturday, and win or lose the footballers will dominate the sports pages.