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

England’s bowlers did their level best to atone for another underwhelming batting display, reducing Australia to 4 for 155 in reply to 291, but Mike Hussey and Andrew Symonds batted through to the close of another rain-interrupted day at Sydney, adding another 33 runs in a tricky mini-session to leave their side just 103 adrift with six wickets in hand. Hussey, who suffered his sole failure of the tour at Melbourne last week, was unbeaten on 37 at the close, with Symonds standing firm on 22 alongside him.It was, however, yet another day of Australian dominance in this series, and it was always destined to be as such after a catastrophic morning session for England. After resuming on 4 for 234 overnight, England lost their last six wickets for 57 in 23.2 overs, with only Andrew Flintoff providing any resistance. He was the ninth man out for 89, his highest score of the series.Flintoff had been desperately out of sorts as a batsman on this tour, making just 158 runs in the first four Tests at 22.57. But having found his feet in an unbeaten 42 overnight, he was back to his most solid and reliable in this innings, stroking his boundaries rather than chasing them in the manner that he had done earlier in the tour. But Kevin Pietersen would doubtless sympathise with the lack of support he received – England’s last five batsmen mustered four runs between them.Not even Justin Langer’s second and third drops of the match at third slip could prevent Australia seizing control. Langer reprieved Paul Collingwood in the very first over, bowled by Brett Lee, but Collingwood had added just two to his overnight 25 when Glenn McGrath, armed with the new ball, got one to climb at his outside edge, for Adam Gilchrist to complete a simple catch.Chris Read came and went in an unconvincing hurry. Lee this time found that trampoline bounce outside off stump for Read to fence loosely to Gilchrist again, and with his very next ball, Lee found himself on a hat-trick, as Sajid Mahmood was squared up by a hip-tickler that looped off a leading edge to Hayden in the gully.Harmison hung around for 24 deliveries – long enough for Flintoff to clobber consecutive boundaries off Lee to move into the 70s – but he became Clark’s second victim of the morning (and third of the innings) when he missed an attempted yorker that was zeroing in on leg stump. And once Flintoff had gone, caught behind flailing in vain at Clark, Monty Panesar became the 1000th international wicket for an otherwise out-of-sorts Shane Warne.

Australia’s reply started positively, with Langer crashing four fours in four overs in what could yet be his final innings in Test cricket. He was eventually strangled down the leg-side by James Anderson for 26. It was not the best ball he had received, but it was still a deserved wicket for Anderson, who shared the new ball with his captain, Flintoff, and found a tight line with a hint of movement to concede just three runs from his first five overs.Hayden had hardly played a shot in anger when he was joined by Ricky Ponting, but he came out of his shell as the shine went off the new ball, and helped to add 66 for the second wicket, before wafting inexplicably at a wide one from Steve Harmison, and offering catching practice to Paul Collingwood at second slip. It was a timely wicket for England who were in need of a lift after their morning meltdown, but once Ponting had got into his stride, it seemed nothing could slow the Aussies down.Nothing, that is, except for a run-out. On 45, Ponting pushed Panesar into the leg-side and set off for a suicidal single. Anderson, fielding at mid-on, picked up the ball and threw down the stumps in an instant – Ponting’s second run-out in the 40s against England, to go alongside his infamous Pratt-fall at Trent Bridge last summer. This aberration didn’t look like being quite as costly, however, not even when Harmison, in the midst of an attacking spell, found some extra lift outside Michael Clarke’s off stump to give Chris Read a simple catch behind the stumps.The players immediately left the field for a lengthy rain delay, but upon the resumption, Hussey and Symonds batted resolutely to the close, to ensure that Australia remained on course for their coveted whitewash.

Short CutsShot of the day
Most of the fielders were back for Andrew Flintoff when he forced Brett Leeoff the back foot to one of the few gaps at deep cover. A straight-drivenboundary next ball was also impressive.Wicket of the day
Shane Warne’s lbw of Monty Panesar was not a spectacular dismissal, but itearned Warne his 1000th international wicket.Gaffe of the day
Richard Branson might understand a lot about airlines, but what he knowsabout the Ashes couldn’t be written on a sick bag. While unveiling his planfor keeping the urn in Australia he made more mistakes than a steward on alow-cost carrier.Quote of the day
“Why the **** should we keep them. It’s the Ashes. We’re not playing for abox of chocolates.” Ian Botham

Through all the months and years of work on James Pattinson’s bowling action, the prevention of injury was tantamount in everyone’s thinking. But in the middle of his first Test match appearance for nearly two years, Pattinson reached an epiphany of sorts – if he wasn’t taking wickets, he would find himself dropped no matter how fit he was.So it was that Pattinson that did some mid-match tinkering against the West Indies in Hobart, and duly found the rhythm that had been frequently missing at times over the preceding year. A rediscovered outswinger enabled Pattinson to claim his first wicket of the match, and a series of fast deliveries that stood up the seam which led to a return of 5 for 27 and a feeling of relief akin to the completion of a Test debut.At the same time, Pattinson acknowledged that by reverting to elements of his former bowling action – namely an arm path closer to his body that allows him to get his wrist position right – he was taking a risk of re-injuring his back, which still carries traces of the stress fractures that had stalled his career. He is hopeful that at a more mature age of 25 and 93kg, as opposed to the 86kg he once weighed in at, his body will be able to cope with the load.”I just ran in and wanted to bowl fast like I did when I first came on the scene,” Pattinson said. “I looked at a bit of vision the night before and I wasn’t releasing the ball in the right position, where I wanted to. So I did a little bit of work on it in the morning just to get my wrist behind the ball a bit more and get that seam good for out swing.”It was frustrating because I had changed my action and I didn’t feel completely comfortable with it and I think in the second innings here I just went ‘stuff it really, I’m just going to go out and try and bowl like I used to bowl’ and just run in and bowl fast.”And I thought if I bowl like I did in the first innings I probably won’t be getting too many more games, so you better change something. So it’s been a frustrating six months or so but it’s good to get a bag of wickets now. Every time I ran in to bowl I was just hoping and waiting for that bag of wickets and that confidence that I’ve been lacking over the last couple of years.”I’ve sort of gone back a bit now. It’s hard because when you run in and bowl you don’t want to be thinking about your action. I’ve made the change to try and stop injuries but hopefully now that I’m back in the team and I’m a bit older, hopefully my body will hold up and I can go back a little bit to where I was when I first started playing because that’s when I think I’m bowling my best.”Craig McDermott, the assistant coach, has worked closely with Pattinson for more than five years. Upon hearing of his pupil’s distress at how he bowled in the first innings, his advice was for Pattinson to simply run in and bowl fast, without thinking of the minutiae. A similar conversation with the captain Steven Smith also provided reassurance about the path Pattinson took.”I was speaking to Craig McDermott after the first day about where I was releasing the ball from and my action, and I said ‘I haven’t really been feeling that comfortable with it over the last six months’. And he said just run in and don’t worry about it and I did that. I’m a bit older now and hopefully my body will be right and I’m sort of somewhere in between.”I was really struggling to get it through to the keeper, and bowl that good channel and get that good outswing with my wrist behind the ball. That was the trouble. It felt like I was trying extremely hard to do that, whereas the second innings when I came out I was running straight lines and had my wrist behind the ball it felt pretty easy.”It’s all got to do with my arm path, it’s not much but it’s just little things that I can see on video and pick up and try and change along the way.”Injuries are something that have to become a commonplace part of the life of most pace bowlers. Technical changes designed to prevent them will never be 100% successful, as Pattinson knew from suffering a hamstring strain earlier this summer as a result of his new method. Therefore he has decided simply to go for it – whatever will be, will be.”At the end it’s a game so the big thing for me is having fun when I’m out there playing and that’s what I did in the second innings,” he said. “Coming back from a long spell out I felt like I was debuting again in the first innings, so there was a bit of nerves around but they soon settled.”I’m just looking forward to the next Test. It’s great to see Josh Hazlewood bowling so well again, he’s a great guy to have in the team and Sidds is doing his job and keeps it tight for all the bowlers. It’s really good to be back and a bit of relief to get some wickets and get some pressure off my back.”

The Indian board will announce the name of sponsors for its international and domestic cricket matches for next 31 months on Monday at the conclusion of the bidding process for the rights.”The bidding process will end at 12 noon [on Monday],” said Lalit Modi, the BCCI vice-president and marketing committee head, who declined to reveal details on the number of bids received so far.The BCCI had invited bids from sponsors earlier this month for ground and title naming rights for all ODIs and Tests to be played in India and featuring the country from September 1, 2007 to March 31, 2010.Similarly, bids had also been invited for all Twenty20 internationals to be held in India as well as matches featuring India A and India juniors against international teams.It had also invited bids for the rights of its domestic tournaments, including the Ranji Trophy, N K P Salve Challenger Series, Duleep Trophy, Deodhar Trophy, Irani Trophy and the Premier (one-day) Cup.A sponsor or agency for the branding of umpires’ clothing for all domestic ties had also been sought for through the bidding process by the BCCI.The bids are to be opened at 2 pm on August 27 in front of the board’s marketing committee and the bidders at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.But the board has also reserved the right to cancel or amend the entire bidding process at any stage and to reject any and all bids without assigning any reason.

Scorecard
Points table
Tasmania were made to fight as they closed in on first-innings points after hurting New South Wales’ hopes of defending their Pura Cup total by knocking them over for 141 on the first day at Bellerive Oval. The Blues are in a three-way tie for third with South Australia and Western Australia, but their plans for advancement were derailed when they were dismissed in 53.4 overs after being sent in.The opener Greg Mail top scored with 33, but he was part of a collapse of 4 for 13 and the only bright spot of the rest of the innings for New South Wales was Brad Haddin’s 24-ball 29, which included two fours and a couple of sixes. Adam Griffith and Ben Hilfenhaus were the main problems with three wickets while Brendan Drew and Brett Geeves each collected two victims.Tasmania’s innings followed a similar pattern to their opponents’, with Tim Paine and Michael Bevan pushing them to 105 in a 93-run second-wicket stand. However, Paine (36) fell to Grant Lambert, who also dismissed the nightwatchman Griffith in the third-last over, and Michael Bevan slipped up on 51 as they finished at 4 for 110.Trevor Bayliss, the NSW coach, said the match was still very much alive. “It’s been an interesting day’s cricket,” he told . “There was a little bit in the wicket this morning and their guys bowled very well and we made a good start but didn’t bat as well as we probably could’ve done or should’ve done.”

Division One

Ryan McLaren has put Kent within touching distance of a thumping victory over Warwickshire at Canterbury with eight wickets in the match, as the visitors were made to follow-on. After watching Kent pile up 550, Warwickshire collapsed in feeble fashion against McLaren’s brisk swing bowling, picking up 5 for 24 in 11 overs. Following on, Ian Westwood and Darren Maddy past the first innings total in an opening stand of 122, but there followed another dramatic collapse of 5 for 23 against McLaren, again, and James Tredwell. Darren Maddy held firm with an unbeaten 115, but Warwickshire will be looking to the heavens for an escape route.Adil Rashid was left stranded on 91 – an innings which spanned three days owing to the poor weather – but Yorkshire posted 307 before reducing Surrey to 87 for 3 on the third day at Headingley. Darren Gough swung with characteristic vigour in a brisk and brief 28 – which included two sixes and a four – before Deon Kruis offered valuable support to the senior Rashid in an eleventh-wicket stand of 55. Gough then nipped out the Surrey openers, Scott Newman and Jon Batty, and Mark Butcher for 11 in a tight eight-over opening spell in which he conceded just 14 runs.Ottis Gibson became the 79th bowler to take all ten wickets in an innings when he skittled Hampshire for 115 to pick up 10 for 47. A full report of Durham’s third day at Chester-le-Street can be read here.

Division Two

Leicestershire’s match against Middlesex finally got underway, on the third day at Grace Road as the rain at last relented. And in spite of the dreadful conditions to have blighted the match so far, it was a good track on which to bat with the hosts, who were put in by Middlesex, racing to 305 for 2. Tom New and John Maunders put on 104 for the first wicket, taking a particular liking to Chaminda Vaas who leaked 72 runs from his 13 overs. Like Vaas, Tim Murtagh proved a little too expensive but he did trap New in front for 56. The breakthrough couldn’t restrict Leicestershire’s bristling momentum as Maunders received excellent support from HD Ackerman who remained unbeaten on 93. Three shy of his own hundred Maunders were stumped by Ben Scott off Jamie Dalrymple, but Arno Jacobs joined Ackerman to take Leicestershire past the 300 mark.Andy Bichel blew Somerset away for 145 to put Essex in command of their match at Taunton, with Ravi Bopara continuing his excellent form in making 126. Somerset’s innings was a stuttering affair; Justin Langer struck four fours in his 24 before his former Australia team-mate, Bichel, trapped him leg-before. And James Hildreth was brisk in his 38, cracking seven fours before handing James Foster the first of three catches. In reply Essex raced to 294 for 6, Bopara adding to his 69 in the first innings with a 128-ball hundred in the second. Essex lead by a daunting 431 going into the final day.A sporting declaration from Simon Katich, the Derbyshire captain, might have injected life into their match against Glamorgan at Derby, with the visitors leading by 167 runs with nine second-innings wickets remaining. Derbyshire bowled Glamorgan out for 298 – David Hemp struck 14 fours and a six in his 97 – and Derbyshire went on the attack, smacking 150 before Katich declared in the 31st over. Tom Lungley then nipped out Jimmy Maher for 3 but, going into the final day, it will take something special from seamers on either side to force a victory.

Darrell Hair, the Australian umpire at the centre of the Oval controversy last month, has hit out at suggestions that his decisions which led to the forfeiture of the Test were hasty, and, even worse, motivated by racism. In a detailed interview in , Hair said he was forced to intervene because he absolutely had to, and that there were no other extraneous factors which influenced his decision-making.”The umpires intervene only when they decide the game is not being played within the spirit of the game,” Hair said. “People will tell you in matches I have umpired in the past 20 years that I have shown considerable restraint. There have been many times when official action could have been taken but wasn’t because you try to control the issue and resolve it on the pitch.”All good umpires will have a quiet word rather than jump in. I prefer the principle of non-intervention. That is a preferable route compared with someone making a song and dance about something that could be resolved quietly. But the decision to intervene finally depends on the seriousness of the matter.”Hair also said he was deeply hurt by accusations of racism, and by comments that his offer to the ICC – that he would quit umpiring if offered 250,000 pounds – were motivated by personal greed.”It really upsets me when people describe me as racist, because they have no idea how I spent my childhood and how that shaped my beliefs in adult life,” said Hair. “How can people judge me to have prejudices when I went to school in Australia alongside Chinese children, Hungarian refugees and all manner of other nationalities? I grew up in Orange, in central New South Wales, living next door to a large family of Aborigines. I had some of my happiest times playing rugby and cricket with the children. They were like brothers and sisters to me.”It’s particularly hurtful when I count as some of my closest friends the Pakistan umpires Aleem Dar and Asad Rauf, and the Sri Lankans Asoka de Silva and Peter Manuel. We are men from different cultures drawn together by the game of cricket. We exchange views and I have always found men of that calibre tremendously supportive.”Denying the charge of greed, Hair said: “Money has never been a driving force in my career as an umpire. No umpire I know does it for money. I can honestly say I am earning less than half I could have commanded in salary had I stayed in the private sector as sales manager of a clothing manufacturer in Melbourne.”Hair also admitted that some of the comments made after the incident had upset him and Amanda, his wife. “Amanda has been affected by this,” he said. “Normally she is very strong, an implacable woman. I think it has affected her because she knows a lot about cricket. She has spent a lot of her time on cricket committees and has a passion for the game herself. Some of the ill-informed comments made have upset her deeply. No matter how much I tell her not to worry, she does worry because she does not like to see what she perceives as injustice.”Despite all the controversy, Hair maintained that he was gratified by the amount of support he had received. “I can honestly say that all the letters, emails and text messages I have received have been supportive. The vast majority of people who have written, I have never met. A lot of them clearly do support the role of the umpire. None of the letters have been abusive. The messages I have received from official cricketing bodies around the world have been very encouraging.”Hair has had controversial moments with the teams from the subcontinent in the past as well, but he insisted that he enjoyed officiating there. “Pakistan is particularly receptive to a visiting umpire like myself,” he said. “Their idea of a venue for a chat about umpiring is one of their wonderful restaurants. They are very hospitable people and the discussion goes on all night. The subcontinent has so many happy memories for me and officiating in that region has been instrumental in improving many aspects of my umpiring.”The hearing against Inzamam will take place on September 27 and 28, and the outcome could well determine if Hair continues as an international umpire. “My wish is to carry on and enjoy the rest of my career as an umpire,” Hair clarified. “That is what I would like to do. My contract runs to April 2008. After that, who knows? How I am involved in cricket after that date is in the mixing bowl.”

Dennis Lillee, the former Australian fast-bowling great, called for Shane Warne to replace Ricky Ponting as captain of the Australian team. Lillee weighed into the national debate over the immediate future of the team with players returning home Wednesday after losing the series 2-1 to England on Monday. Lillee, one the giants of Australian cricket with 355 wickets in 70 Tests from 1971-84, also called for coach John Buchanan to go.”If Australia want to regain the Ashes they would dramatically improve their chances by appointing Shane Warne as captain,” Lillee wrote in newspaper.Lillee, 56, believed Warne, the world’s leading wicket-taker, acted as a “pseudo captain” during the drawn fifth Test and felt Ponting should be left to concentrate on his batting.”I got the distinct impression Warne was the pseudo captain during the fifth Test at The Oval,” wrote Lillee. “Warne was heavily involved in helping set the field and whenever I turned on the television, he was speaking on behalf of the Australian team.”There is no doubt Warne has an amazing cricketing brain – but not only that, any cricket he plays is at 120 percent and full of passion, guts and determination. Desperate times call for desperate measures, but Warne led from the front throughout the tour and I wouldn’t be worried about his previous indiscretions off the field,” he said, adding that captaincy could extend the legspinner’s career.Warne, 36, was Australia’s stand-out player of the series capturing 40 wickets in the five-Test series and scoring 249 runs – more than batsmen Simon Katich, Damien Martyn and Adam Gilchrist.Lillee was wide-ranging in his criticism of the Australian team performance, railing on Cricket Australia officials and coach Buchanan. “If we are to get this team back on the rails, the plan has to go way deeper than making a few cosmetic changes to the team,” he said.”Make no mistake, Australia were ambushed by England because way too many people right across the board were living in a comfort zone. Cricket Australia executives, the coach, the manager, the captain and support staff must all be held accountable for this disaster.”Lillee said Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn and Simon Katich were the most vulnerable batsmen with selection for next month’s Test and one-day series with a World XI and this southern summer’s tours by West Indies and South Africa.A former fast bowling coach for the national side before falling out with Cricket Australia over a pay dispute last November, Lillee said the entire coaching structure needed to be reviewed.”Do we really need a coach in John Buchanan and a manager in Steve Bernard?” he asked. “Would it be better with one person in charge with the title of manager – someone who could then call in batting, bowling and fielding experts to assist the team as England did with spectacular results.”The coffers of Cricket Australia have never been so flush, so why isn’t the money being ploughed back into helping the Test team instead of being allocated to CA executives and their wives so they can follow the team around in great luxury.”