Steve Waugh has termed the Australian victory as a “triumph of team unity and attention to detail”. Waugh led the team which was thwarted in his bid to win the series in 2001 when India scripted a stunning comeback. But he felt that this Indian side hadn’t played with the same gumption.”Quite simply they didn’t have the stomach for the battle,” Waugh wrote in . “And [they] didn’t bear any resemblance to the rampaging unit that smashed us around in Australia last season. The heavyweight battle turned into a lopsided contest as India’s much-revered batting order dissolved under Australia’s stifling pressure.”Waugh added that he had mixed feelings as he watched Australia win at Nagpur and seal the series, with a part of him wishing he was out in the middle and basking in the heady triumph. “But I also feel satisfaction knowing that I played a part in the development of such a great side.”Last time around we had won 16 Tests in a row and were one wicket away from a series win before we ran into one of the all-time great partnerships. Perhaps we took it for granted. This time around no stone has been left unturned and that has been the best lesson learned.”

Troy Cooley, who played at the same club and in state sides with Ricky Ponting, is a crucial figure behind the men currently troubling Australia. As England’s bowling coach, Cooley, a former Tasmania fast bowler who played 25 Sheffield Shield games, has worked heavily with Harmison, Flintoff and Jones, the trio which has taken 41 wickets in three Tests.Cooley, 39, has devised the plans to help Simon Jones exploit reverse-swing and get Andrew Flintoff to charge around the wicket to Gilchrist, Katich, Hayden and Langer. The movement both ways in the air also surprised Michael Clarke, who offered no shot to Jones in the second innings at Old Trafford and was bowled for 39.”People think [reverse-swing] is a complicated thing but, in fact, it’s pretty simple,” Cooley told the . “Simon has a very fast arm action. Glenn McGrath still gets it, but it becomes a more dangerous weapon with the quicks. Simon also has a good wrist to get the seam in the right position.”David Boon, who coached Cooley when he was at Tasmania, said he had “enormous talent” as a bowler, but his playing career was cut short by back injuries and glandular fever. Cooley moved into coaching and worked with Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh, who took him to England when he set up the ECB Academy.”We’re seeing the fruits of his labour with the English bowling at the moment,” Boon told The Australian. “The only thing I mentioned to him when I saw him in England was that I didn’t think red, white and blue suited him. We had a laugh about his attire in English gear. He’s enjoying the role he’s playing there and he’s obviously contributing to English cricket.”Cooley had no problem signalling his allegiance to the blue cap instead of the baggy green. “I’ll be supporting my team 100%,” he said in the . “I’m a part of the England set-up now.”

Inzamam-ul-Haq has warned that England will find it tough to replicate their Ashes success when they tour Pakistan later this year for three Tests and five one-day internationals. England achieved a famous 2-1 series win against Australia, wresting back the Ashes after eight consecutive unsuccessful tries, but Inzamam insisted that the result wouldn’t count for much in Pakistan.”They have played very well to beat the Australians but they are not unbeatable and the conditions in Pakistan will not suit them,” he told Reuters. “They will face totally different conditions and it will be a hard series and tour for them, particularly their bowlers.”We are already preparing hard for England. Because we know they have a good combination but are not invincible and we have to work hard to beat them,” he said. “If our fast bowlers are not 100% fit, then attacking them with spin is an option because our conditions favour slow bowlers.” He also added that Mushtaq Ahmed, the 35-year-old legspinner, could be recalled to bolster the spin attack. Mushtaq has taken 185 wickets in 52 Tests, but the last time he played one was against South Africa in 2003.England’s bowling attack is currently built around their four fast bowlers, and while that might be a handicap in conditions not favourable to pace, in Andrew Flintoff and Simon Jones they have two bowlers who can reverse swing the ball, a skill which should be invaluable in Pakistan. The lack of a world-class spinner, though, has raised question-marks about whether they can beat Pakistan, a concern expressed most recently by Imran Khan.England have played seven three-Test series in Pakistan, and in those 21 matches, only four have produced results, with both teams sharing two wins each. England’s last win there came in near darkness in 2000-01, when Graham Thorpe starred in a victory which won them the series.

Stuart MacGill will be used in partnership with Shane Warne this summer to exploit the flawed techniques of West Indies and South Africa to legspin, but he is unlikely to be tried at the Gabba next week. Nathan Bracken, the left-arm swing bowler, was picked specifically for the seam-friendly pitch and would add extra variety to an attack of McGrath, Lee, Watson and Warne.However, Trevor Hohns, the chairman of selectors, said yesterday that MacGill would stay in the panel’s thoughts for the rest of the summer, although it is unlikely he will be in the blueprint for the opening Test against South Africa in Perth. “It’s certainly something we need to consider seriously because they [MacGill and Warne] have performed pretty well together the last couple of times they’ve played,” Hohns said in . “Given the opposition we’re going to be up against, both countries, with all due respect, probably haven’t played legspin all that well for a period of time.”MacGill, who has played the past two Sydney Tests, said he was “a little bit surprised” to be picked in the squad for the first Test against West Indies, which begins on Thursday, and expected Bracken to start the match. “I wasn’t really anticipating being in the 12, and I wonder whether or not I’ll actually get on, as the weather looks pretty nasty up there,” MacGill told . “Whoever gets out there, I’m sure they’ll do a good job, but I’d say it probably favours him at this stage.”

Ramnaresh Sarwan and Glenn McGrath were once at each other’s throats, but now they are the best of friends. Sarwan, the West Indies vice-captain, and McGrath went toe-to-toe in an ugly shouting match in Antigua in May 2003.McGrath, Test cricket’s third-highest wicket-taker, was rebuked by Cricket Australia for his actions following an outraged reaction from the Australian cricket community. The incident was sparked after Sarwan, on his way to a match-winning second-innings century, reportedly reacted to lurid taunts from McGrath by telling him he should get the answers from his wife, who was recovering from radiation therapy for secondary cancer.But more than two years on and Sarwan said the incident was in the past and they had patched up their differences after the match. “That’s behind us now,” Sarwan said ahead of the tourists’ opening tour match against Queensland, starting on Thursday. “We spent some time in Antigua and we’re the best of friends. I thought what happened in Antigua was unfortunate and it’s not going to happen again.”The opening Test, beginning at the Gabba on November 3, will be the first time the teams have met over five days since the match at St John’s, which the West Indies won by three wickets. Sarwan is treating an injured shoulder and upper back, but said he would play against a full-strength Queensland.At 25, Sarwan is seen as the man to replace Brian Lara as their top batsman. Sarwan, the No. 3, averages 40.87 with eight centuries in 55 Tests but is intent on lifting his game. “Bennett [King, the coach] wants me to take up that role and I’ve been trying my best to do that,” he said. “Obviously Brian is 36 and we don’t know how long he is going to go on for. We have to try and make the best of use of him [until then]. But it is going to be a challenge and I’m looking forward to that challenge.”

The Chennai weather had the final say as the third one-day international between India and South Africa was abandoned without a ball being bowled. There seemed to be some hope of a truncated game when the rains – which had been lashing the city for more than a day – eased up late in the morning, allowing the umpires to call for an inspection at 4.30pm local time (1100 GMT). However, the outfield had taken a heavy pounding through the last 24 hours, and the lack of sunshine meant there was little chance of the huge puddles in the outfield drying up. The umpires finally decided to call off the match at 3.15pm.This is the third time in successive years that an international game at Chennai has been ruined by the weather. In October 2003, less than 27 overs of play was possible in an ODI between India and New Zealand; a year later, the Test between India and Australia was tantalisingly poised, with the home team needing 210 more for victory with all ten wickets in hands, but rain ensured that not a ball was bowled on the final day.The washout here means that India and South are tied at 1-1 with only two more matches left in the series. The fourth game will be played at Kolkata, on November 25.

The Eagles jumped back to the top of the Standard Bank Cup table after an exciting, last ball, one-wicket win over the Cape Cobras at Goodyear Park, Bloemfontein. Set a target of 224 in the 45 overs the Eagles, after a solid start from Jonathan Beukus (55), nearly stumbled as wickets fell in the middle of the innings. At 100 for 2 the Eagles were set for an easy win, but wickets for Rory Kleinveldt, finishing with a career best 4 for 29, put the Eagles back on their heels at 130 for 5. It became 203 for 9 with 10 balls to be bowled but some poor bowling atthe death, with two no balls and a wide, allowed Ryan McLaren (37 not out) and Dillon du Preez (12 not out) to see the Eagles home with a boundary off the final ball.The Cobras innings never gained any momentum with Johan van der Wath taking crucial wickets at just the right time and ending with 4 for 41. It was Henry Davids (71) and Con de Lange (64) who steadied things with a 132-run sixth-wicket partnership, scored in 25 overs, allowing theCobras to reach 223 for 9, a total which in the end proved just too little.By beating the Warriors at the Wanderers, Johannesburg,in another nail biter, the Lions moved to within one point of the Eagles. A 25 minute rain interruption could not stop the Lions as Stephen Cook (51) and Adam Bacher put on 53 for the first wicket. Neil McKenzie (42) and Vaughan van Jaarsveld (28), with very little pressure applied, moved comfortably towards the target of 211 when a mini collapse forced Matthew Harris to throw caution to the wind in striking 36 runs off 27 balls. In the final over the Lions scored the seven runs needed with two balls to spare.The Warriors had struggled to come to terms with the pace of the pitch and some quick bowling from Friedel de Wet with the 100 only coming up in the 25th over. Some lusty blows from Tyron Henderson (28), his first shot was a six over square leg, helped the Warriors to 210 for 9, atotal that was always going to be 20 to 30 runs short of a competitive score. De Wet’s 2 for 21 in nine overs won him the Man-of-the-Match award.

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

It’s not often that a fantastic 199 is overshadowed but three other stupendous hundreds made it a day of revelry for the Pakistan batsmen, amassing a mammoth 679 for 7 declared on the second day of the first Test at Lahore. Younis Khan was unlucky to miss out on what would have been a cracking double-hundred, but superbly-timed centuries from Mohammad Yousuf and Kamran Akmal, interspersed by a manic classic from Shahid Afridi, put even that innings in the shade.India’s riposte, in the 13 overs that were possible before the light faded, was fiery with Virender Sehwag, rattling seven fours in his 35-ball 36, leading them to 65 for no loss. Rahul Dravid, opening the innings for the second time in three Tests, gave him company as India began climbing one mighty mountain. Both staved off a peppering of short stuff from the erratic Shoaib Akhtar and Sehwag soon counterattacked with characteristic panache. Yet, with 414 still needed to avoid the follow-on, having endured a thorough battering for two days, it may turn out to be India’s biggest challenge in a while and considering the forecast of rain for the next two days, they might just be tempted to keep one eye on the met department.Controlled hundreds like Younis’s, or aggressive ones like Yousuf’s, or even rapid ones like Akmal’s, the fastest by a wicketkeeper, can take a game away, but by virtue of its sheer rage and destructive impact, Afridi’s 78-ball century probably had the most demoralising effect. It was like watching the skies on a festival night, with rockets flying off in all directions, lighting up the Gaddafi Stadium. Seven howitzered sixes, four successive ones off Harbhajan Singh in one over, the second most expensive in Tests, and seven other whiplashed fours tell a tale of its own and the fact that he scored his last 82 runs in 47 balls explains the ferocity of the scoring. But it became doubly stunning because of the manner in which it was executed. To clear the infield is one thing, to summon a primal force and lambast the bowling, despite fielders patrolling the boundary line, is quite another astonishing thing altogether.His partnership with Akmal took Pakistan to a different strata as the game began resembling a Twenty20 played out in whites. To concede 500 would have been bad enough; to be torn apart for 179 runs in the next 20.2 overs must have been heart-rending. Though he was the more silent partner of the two, Akmal produced a sparkling gem of his own and broke Adam Gilchrist’s 84-ball record for the fastest century by a wicketkeeper. He breezed along at close to a run-a-ball, reaching his fifty off 50 balls, before stepping on the pedal and joining Afridi in a clattering party.Both these, though, came after the two overnight batsmen had set the stage. Younis and Yousuf were relentless in their pursuit this morning and seamlessly shifted gears against a withering line-up. Twenty eight off the first five overs, 47 off the first 10, 94 in the first hour, 158 before lunch. When Yousuf came in yesterday, Younis was on 60. At a certain stage this morning, he was within touching distance of overtaking him. The rollicking pace he set, with a certain unassuming calm, left India in quite a hopeless situation. The array of strokeplay, covering the entire spectrum, was stunning; the manner of execution, gorgeous; and the consistency with which he managed it, simply admirable. When he square drove, the fielders usually just watched; when he pulled, you couldn’t but marvel; when he swept, even the most ambitious of sweeps, it was almost as if there was no other way.

Younis, at the other end, savaged his way to his 150 with a fine square-drive in the second over of the day. He went at a fair clip himself, charging the singles and smacking a couple of cracking hoicks, but he showed that he was equally adept at playing second fiddle. Once Yousuf got close to his score, he awoke and cashed in on large dollops of largesse from Sachin Tendulkar, whipping him for 15 runs in an over and leaving India with a double-barelled attack to contend with. He fell marginally short of his first home double-hundred, taking off for an over-ambitious single, but had provided the platform for a commanding total.Spare a thought for the bowlers. After a harrowing start yesterday, they found themselves being ground to the dust. Agarkar’s second over of the day went for 13, heralding a deluge that never appeared to end; Irfan Pathan was forced to dig it in short – hardly threatening when delivered at around 125 kph – and was soon ripped apart in the Afridi-Akmal carnage; Harbhajan was thundered high and handsome – Afridi alone clobbered him for 59 runs in 39 balls; and Anil Kumble, despite his shimmering moments, was adeptly dismantled.On a day when shoulders dropped and helplessness set in, the one real moment of joy for India came after the dismissal of Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, brilliantly caught by Sourav Ganguly at mid-off. Back-pedalling to catch a lofted drive, he thrust out his right hand at full stretch and, despite initially mis-judging the trajectory, pulled off an absolute beauty. It was like a stunning goal being scored in the final minutes of a football game, with all remaining hope long dashed.

Mohammad Yousuf st Dhoni b Kumble 173 (455 for 3)
Inzamam-ul-Haq lbw b Kumble 1 (456 for 4)
Younis Khan run-out (Harbhajan) 199 (477 for 5)
Shahid Afridi c Harbhajan b Agarkar 103 (647 for 6)
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan c Ganguly b Agarkar 9 (668 for 7)

The ICC has asked Goolam Vahanvati, India’s solicitor general, to investigate incidents of racial abuse that have taken place in Australia. His appointment follows an official complaint from the South African board.Vahanvati will speak to venue staff, Cricket Australia representatives and ICC officials during his visit. He will then travel to South Africa and Sri Lanka to interview players and team officials from all three sides that participated in the recent Test and ODI series before reporting back to the ICC in March.”Racism in any form is abhorrent and everyone in cricket is unhappy with the way in which players from international teams have been subjected to racist abuse in Australia,” said Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive. “The actions of what would seem to be a small number of people are reflecting poorly on Australia and on cricket. It is essential that this issue is addressed.”What is now important is that the ICC is provided with a clear and independent understanding of exactly what has taken place to ensure that cricket is able to respond appropriately.”Speed added that the Australian, Sri Lankan and South African boards had all offered their support. “Since the first incident was reported, Cricket Australia, Sri Lanka Cricket, the United Cricket Board and their players have been united in condemning this sort of behaviour. The entire international cricket community is united in its commitment to doing everything possible to eradicate any racist abuse.”Once the ICC executive board has received this report, we will be in a position to identify what further steps cricket can take to tackle this issue before it spreads beyond the incidents that have taken place in Australia.”Vahanvati was part of a two-man panel that investigated allegations of racism in cricket in Zimbabwe in 2004.

ScorecardSaurashta took the honours on the first day of the Ranji Trophy Plate Group final at Rajkot thanks to an impressive spell of fast bowling from Sandip Maniar that dismissed Rajasthan for just 201.Maniar struck blows at vital junctures: he drew first blood by forcing Mithun Beerala to edge behind in the fourth over, and then, broke a threatening 89-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Nikhil Doru and Ajay Jadeja, Rajasthan’s captain. Following Doru’s dismissal, Maniar ran through Rajasthan’s tail en route to his fifth first-class five-for.Maniar’s initial strike opened the gates for Sandeep Jobanputra to prise out additional wickets at the top, leaving Rajasthan at 91 for 4 going in to lunch. Rajasthan’s fightback came in two spurts: in the first session Rahul Kanwat smacked a 58-ball 50 to add 44 with Doru, while in the afternoon Jadeja scored an impressive 71. Barring these three, no other Rajasthan batsman contributed anything of note, and this may prove costly as the match progresses.In reply, Kanaiya Vaghela and Sagar Jogiyani, Saurashtra’s openers, put up 36 in 13 overs.