Stuart Broad happy with haul for Notts but trickier tests await against India

Stuart Broad’s delight at taking his first five wicket haul in a year will be tempered by the knowledge that Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni will provide tougher opposition at Lord’s next week than Somerset’s tail did on Wednesday.

Somerset’s lower order is among the most fragile on the county circuit and Steve Kirby, Adam Dibble and Murali Kartik are hardly prized scalps.

But Broad was ruthless on a quick pitch and claimed three of the last five wickets that tumbled in ten overs.

Broad finished with five for 95, his best return since he took a career best eight for 52 against Warwickshire last season, a significant improvement on figures 15 for 832 in 190 overs in all cricket this season before this match.

“From my point of view he bowled with good pace, moved the ball off the pitch and through the air and to get five wickets was a fine return,” Nottinghamshire captain Chris Read said.

“Everyone knows he has been a little bit short of wickets in all form of the game since he came back from his injury so it’s pleasing for him to be in the wickets column again.”

Broad, who was again watched by national selector Geoff Miller, is expected to be included in the squad for Lord’s and Read believes that he remains a key member of the seam attack.

“I think he has been among the leaders of that England attack for the last couple of years, he’s still a young bowler but he bowls at 90mph and we know what he can do with his height and the bounce he can generate,” Read said.

Broad had nightwatchman Steve Kirby LBW backing away, unsettled debutant Dibble with one that bounced and left him and wrapped up the innings when Kartik was caught behind carving.

Alex Hales then ensured that Broad’s efforts were not wasted by stroking his way to a century which steadied the champions after a familiar early innings wobble.

Hales has already been touted as potential England one-day opener of the near future after some eye-catching innings in front of the television cameras.

He showed that he can play the longer game too by converting his sixth 50 in eight championship innings into his first century of the season and second of his career.

Nottinghamshire were tested by Kirby who ran in strongly all day and snarled and stared when he beat the bat but Hales won his battle with county cricket’s pantomime villain.

Hales offered two hard chances, including one to Chris Jones at mid off when he got a leading edge off Kirby, but otherwise he timed the ball beautifully in a 170-ball century that contained 15 fours and an off driven six off Kartik.

Adam Voges and Steven Mullaney helped Hales rebuild the innings with Voges contributing a rapid half century before he was bowled shouldering arms to give Dibble his maiden first-class wicket.

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Steven Davies: admitting I'm gay was 'tougher than facing Brett Lee'

Today, through The Daily Telegraph, Davies is outing himself to the wider public. “It will be a huge relief to get this over, to be honest,” he confides.

“It’s something I’ve lived with for a long time. Although I feel it is the right time, I am nervous about coming out. Who wouldn’t be? It’s the biggest decision I’ve had to face, and by far the toughest – bigger even than facing Brett Lee [the fearsome Australian fast bowler] in the middle.”

Without the big gloves, he looks vulnerable and sounds taut as a wire. “If I am brutally honest, I never enjoyed touring because of my secret and having to conceal my sexuality,” he says. “My friendships with the guys would reach a certain level, then I’d have to take a step back.

“A two-week tour would feel like two years for me. It was really tough. Cricket was my escape. When I was playing cricket I was at my happiest because all I had to worry about was getting runs and taking the catches. It was a relief to be out in the middle.”

Being selected for the Ashes squad was not an uncomplicated pleasure: it thrilled him professionally, but he knew the social side of a three-and-a-half-month tour would be an ordeal. In dressing rooms, hotel rooms and coffee bars he felt uncomfortable and dreaded being asked even the most innocuous questions about his love life. “Sooner or later, the conversation would come round to whether I had a girlfriend. I was scared of that. I could never be totally relaxed.”

After weeks of angst, he confided in Flower at Loughborough, a few days before the team left for Australia. The coach was practical as well as understanding. They talked for an hour about the best way forward.

“He agreed I had to tell the boys. I couldn’t live like this any more.” Flower and Strauss refused to overplay the tension. “Their line was: 'Steve wants you to know he’s gay. But it’s not an issue. Let’s just get on with it.’ I owe them both a lot. They were 100 per cent behind me and made me feel everything would be all right. In fact, I felt I was probably making a big deal out of it.”

Davies admits he was sick with nerves before the final batting session at Lord’s, where he faced some team-mates for the first time since the revelation. One by one, they came over to shake his hand and tell him that he had done the right thing.

Matt Prior, the wicketkeeper, Davies’s friend and rival, went out of his way. “He came up to me and gave me a hug and we spoke for about five minutes. He couldn’t believe I had kept it to myself for this long. He said I should have told him. That was special.”

During the Ashes, Hugh Morris, the managing director of England Cricket, told Davies that his homosexuality “would not be an issue” and supported his disclosure.

The effect on Davies was dramatic. “I enjoyed a three-and-a-half-month tour that would previously have killed me. Once the secret was out, those months just flew by. My friendships with the boys blossomed. It’s easier now I’ve got nothing to hide. I can get fully involved in all the banter, which I love. It took a few days to get back to normal. I cracked a joke about myself and after that everything was absolutely fine.”

Not quite, as it turned out. When Davies, reserve wicketkeeper during the Ashes but a top performer in the Twenty20 games, was dropped from the England squad for the current World Cup – in favour of Matt Prior – some cricket insiders suspected it was related to his coming out.

Davies admits he was “shocked and gutted” but does not believe the selectors’ decision had anything to do with his confession. “It was a bitter pill to swallow, I felt sick. But that suspicion never went through my head. Unfortunately for me, Andrew thought Matt would be more suitable.”

The left-handed wicketkeeper and batsman, who began his professional career playing for Worcester, is the first active international cricketer to admit he is homosexual.

The very few sportsmen who have “come out”, notably the rugby player Gareth Thomas, have usually done so at the end of their career. Davies should have his best cricketing years ahead of him.

In a world where it is easier to conform to the machismo of the group ethos than to stand out, his confession is impressive. Self-effacing, he does not see himself as a trailblazer for sport’s sexual tolerance. He had simply reached a point where evasion and dissembling were undermining his morale. “Everyone is different,” he says. “Some people are comfortable doing it [coming out]. Others are not. This is the right time for me. 'Do I tell them or do I not?’ I didn’t want that to be my life. I feel it is right to be out in the open about my sexuality. If more people do it, the more acceptable it will become. That must be a good thing.”

Davies says he knew he was gay when he was very young “but it was never a big deal because all I’d do was play sport”. He did not tell his parents, Mike and Lin, or his elder sister, Gemma, 26, until he was 19. “The support they have given me has been brilliant. Not everyone is so lucky.”

His parents travelled from the family home in Kidderminster to be with him as he made his announcement. “We are proud of him,” they said, “and love him as a son, as a successful sportsman and now, hopefully, as a role model to any young person dealing with their sexuality.”

Davies knows he has other hurdles — not least the response of cricket fans. Can he take the possible homophobic jibes, the snideness? “Yes, I did worry about it. You go through every scenario. You lose sleep. But if there is anything negative, what can I do? In cricket, the fans are very loyal. They are there to support you, rather than abuse you.

“I have to play my best for Surrey and get back in the England side. I am still the same person. I want to be remembered as a good cricketer, not a gay cricketer.”

Sometimes, he is accused of not being vocal enough behind the wicket. He believes that the confidence he has gained in the past months may even benefit his game. Would he now like to find a partner he could be with openly? “That’s what everyone wants, isn’t it? That special person. I’m no different. I haven’t found that person, but there is no rush. I’m still young and concentrating on my career.”

* Steven has donated his fee for this interview to NSPCC’s ChildLine, the 24-hour helpline for children who have no one else to talk to. In the past two years, the charity has received more than 10,000 calls from children concerned about their sexuality. The number is 0800 1111. To email or talk to a counsellor online, contact www.childline.org.uk.

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Sri Lanka v Kenya: Lasith Malinga hat-trick sets hosts up for easy win in Colombo

Demolition man Lasith Malinga became the first bowler to pick up two hat-tricks at World Cups as he led Sri Lanka to a nine-wicket flattening of Kenya on Tuesday.

The seamer, who missed his side's opening two Group A matches with a sore back, roared back with the wickets of Tanmay Mishra (0), Peter Ongondo (0) and Shem Ngoche (0) with successive, full deliveries, the latter two clean bowled.

After finishing with a career best six for 38 to dismiss the Africans for 142, a relaxed Malinga sat back in the pavilion and watched his team mates barely break sweat as they overhauled the total in just 18.4 overs.

In 2007, Malinga grabbed four in a row against South Africa.

"Lasith, as usual, the champion that he is, the ball reversing, he did a great job for us," summed up Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, whose team finished on 146 for one.

His Kenyan counterpart Jimmy Kamande was equally impressed: "We know Malinga, we have seen him before, though we haven't played against him. He's a world-class bowler and congrats to him for the hat-trick and all the wickets he got today."

It was the second hat-trick in two days at the World Cup after Kemar Roach took the last three Dutch wickets in West Indies' 215-run victory in Group B on Monday. This was the seventh hat-trick in a World Cup.

The last time the teams met in the World Cup, Sri Lanka suffered a shock 53-run defeat in 2003.

However, an unstoppable Malinga made sure there would be no repeat of that result in Colombo on Tuesday.

Kenya crumbled from a respectable 102-2 to 142 all out in 43.4 overs after choosing to bat first, with the Obuya brothers the only batsmen to reach double figures.

A 94-run partnership between Collins Obuya (52 off 100 balls) and his elder sibling David (51 off 106 balls) raised hopes that Kenya might cross the 200-run mark before Malinga flummoxed them with a stunning final burst to blow away the Kenyan tail.

He got rid of Collins with a toe crusher in the 32nd over before returning for his final burst to flatten the Kenyans with near-unplayable inswinging yorkers as he bagged four wickets in five legal balls over two overs.

Malinga trapped Mishra lbw with the final delivery of his seventh over and then returned to knock over the stumps of Ongondo and Ngoche with the first two balls of his next over.

Sri Lankan fans were already dancing in the stands to celebrate the achievement and when Malinga grounded Elijah Otieno's leg stump to grab his sixth victim of the day, a deafening roar reverberated around the R Premadasa Stadium.

Malinga could only shake his mass of blond-tinted hair in disbelief as he looked up to the arena's giant scoreboard which displayed a sign reading 6-38 underneath a picture of the man of the moment.

The Kenyans were left to reflect on their dramatic collapse as it took only 22 deliveries for them to go from 127 for four to being bowled out - with four batsmen falling for a duck.

Once Malinga had played his part, Sri Lanka knocked the runs off the runs in double quick time, with Tillakaratne Dilshan the only man to fall for 44.

Upul Tharanga ended the match with a boundary struck over cover to remain unbeaten on 67 scored off 59 balls with 12 fours. Sangakkara was 27 not out.

This was Sri Lanka's second win out of three matches in Group A, while Kenya slumped to their third successive defeat.

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V England Sri Lanka: opposition batsmen left England captain Alastair Cook off the hook

Run the command: Alastair Cook was dans featured his first game as captain for a day Photo: AFP

It is difficult to make much of a judgment on the sleeves of Alistair Cook three balls at the top of the order. He got the mark immediately with a careful, leg glance hi-res his second ball with elegance to the midwicket boundary, but received a thin tip for the third. It is to use the vernacular, a bit of a choke to the Launcher.

Cook is not a pure striker of the ball and his attempts to improvise after he had exceeded the 100 in the Lord's Test, were awkward. As a resourceful, he will find a way to increase his strike rate, but the general impression is that it doesn't have the power and range have a major impact at the top of the order.

Such was the inadequacy of the Sri Lankan batsmen, he had to do little in the field outside to take a capture neat before rolling. From a point of view of personal performance, the Board is therefore still.

InEngland, so precise in Test cricket, appear very confused in the one day arena. It is the best place in one day cricket in the top three. Three more intimidating batsmen in England are Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell, and they stick to 4, 5 and 6. All were off when defined, taking additional risk because of the position that they were to stick to. Frappeurs order may step Cook to make, but it has the responsibility to take it.

Field rankings

Cook first act in the field was to move, Tim Bresnan squarer long-legged. Third delivery of James Anderson was misdirected on the side of the leg and the dangerous Tillakaratne Dilshan could strike anywhere but it clipped straight to the bottom of the Bresnan gorge. Cook was perhaps euphoric, aware that the first step to be a good captain is to be a lucky captain.

Sanath Jayasuriya then sliced a sharp capture gully and Kumar Sangakkara poked a return to the melon to again emphasize the message.

After this, however, Cook was too defensive. With Sri Lanka to 49 for five, no there was no slippage in the Dernbach Jade animated, happened the edge frequently. When the principle Thilina Kandamby finally attempted an attacking shot and he scuffed along the ground to Cook himself at mid - on, he was immediately back itself on the border. This is to a drummer who had not previously hit a ball off the coast of the place. He published finally slip when Sri Lanka were 67 for seven. However, as Anderson has proven in the early overs, the best way to restrict the marking in one day cricket is taking of wickets.

Power plays

In a reduced match, it is no great scope for imaginative use of power game, but choice of melon in sri Lanka for power play Cook batting was interesting. He instantly replaced Graeme Swann with Bresnan; a bit unnecessary given the desperate situation were Sri Lanka, giving the distinct impression that he captains by predetermined plan. It is a little rigid. It would have been more fun to Swann to continue with the field.

Leadership style

Energetic, relaxed, engaged with bowling, looked comfortable and if he was enjoying himself. It was great to start with a victory, but it would happily admit that it was the first plush.

www.Twitter.com/cricketanalyst

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V Sri Lanka England: James Anderson is key to our bowling attack, says Captain Andrew Strauss

England lead the series three games 1-0 and a draw will be enough to ensure that they will end.

However, Strauss continued: "we are determined to make it 2-0 and finish the series."

"There was some good cricket played by the two parties among showers, that we had, but we want to build on what we have accomplished so far."

"We have until now in decent positions in two games and we want to get the win this time."

Tourists, sri Lanka, meanwhile, will be Captain tomorrow by Kumar Sangakkara in the absence of the injured Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Strauss added: "Dilshan casts exceptionally well to the Lord but Sri Lanka have always got deep in their batting."

"We will have to take care of what we encounter the day and make the hard yards".

Strauss continues: "the first two games were very stop-start, it was difficult to construct the rhythm.

"But we made five centuries in the first two games and if you do that you will win more games than you lose." There are also a few performances really good bowling and good catch.

"We were not quite at 100%, but I hope that we will improve."

"Which showed the Lord is the quality of our bowling in the last 18 months, we were a little down and it became very clear." You cannot expect platy perfect Test each time, but we need to improve. »

Form of Strauss made review after a series of low scores, alongside that of paceman Stuart Broad.

Captain insists focus rest on the outcome of the team, just by adding: "I want to win the series, more importantly, and hopefully get runs myself, I can go and watch the one-dayers with assured the series."

Offshore, he said: "it knocked a few really good balls, some really good spells, and he has not obtained the wickets to show that."

"We all need to make, pushing to take your places of persons.".

"Which is an element important to our success over the past two years, you are still likely to encounter an injury to your bowlers and you need this backup it."

"Steven Finn is an exceptional bowler and we have Tim Bresnan recover from injury, so this means that nobody can rest on their laurels."

Strauss praised the work of the staff of the Rose Bowl, saying: "we're excited about it, they did an amazing job with the stage and there is an enthusiasm for first Test of the Rose Bowl."

"They took much time, effort and money in the ground." When it was built kiosks were not very good and now they are excellent, so they have answered all the questions asked of them. »

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Umpire Daryl Harper left soon after the critical master of India friom MS Dhoni

By Nick hoult, Assistant Cricket Correspondent8: 47 PM BST 29 June 2011

The Australia was recently demoted Panel elite by the International Cricket Council umpires after a string of errors have been highlighted by the system of review of the decision. His last game was due to the third Test between the West Indies and the India in the week next of Dominica, but the ICC announced on Wednesday that he was down "in the wake of some unfair criticism".

It follows from the comments of Ms Dhoni, the captain of the India, who said after the first Test: "If the right decisions have been made, the game would have come much earlier and I would have been in the hotel now."

The ICC has defended Harper record, saying: he had an accuracy rate of 96 per cent in the series involving the India. "We all have faith in Daryl to complete the series and although we regret its decision respect, said David Richardson, General Manager of .the cricket ICC."

Harper was replaced for the third Test by Richard Kettleborough England.

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Sri Lankan cricket tourists face a tall order without Murali, Malinga and Vaas

And even though the civil war ended two years ago, the same unhealthiness remains in the administration of Sri Lankan cricket.

The country’s president and sports minister rule it, installing their favourites instead of organising elections.

To this has to be added the vicious politicking said to be characteristic of islands — and Tillakaratne is now a politician himself, a member of the Western Provincial Council.

Tillakaratne has said publicly he will name administrators as well as players when he testifies to the ICC’s Anti Corruption and Security Unit. The ICC, however, are well aware of some of these administrators: one was head of the Sri Lankan board and a bookmaking company at the same time.

Mercifully, the ICC changed their rules and stopped him becoming their president as well.

Rumours swirled around Mumbai after Sri Lanka lost the World Cup final against India on April 2, relating to the extraordinary number of changes which Sri Lanka made to their team that had won the semi-final against New Zealand: no less than five.

One was occasioned by injury, to their all-rounder Angelo Mathews, but the other four changes were unforced — notably the omission of Ajantha Mendis, the mystery spinner, who was the most economical bowler in the whole tournament of those who bowled ten overs or more.

But, as always, rumours and allegations are one thing, while pieces of paper like itemised bank accounts are another.

So it will be a surprise if Tillakaratne’s statements rock the boat in the next two months, much as his country’s politics may need rocking.

But they will do nothing to enhance the stability of the national team, who have a new captain in Tillakaratne Dilshan.

While the bulk of Sri Lanka’s touring party arrive on Wednesday and contest their opening match against Middlesex at Uxbridge on Saturday, the biggest names of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene will complete their commitments in the Indian Premier League before arriving for the second (and last) warm-up game against England Lions.

Not a prolonged and unified adjustment to conditions that will be novel for half the party.

For the last two decades Sri Lanka have been powered — into the upper half of the Test table — by two bowlers, but not any more.

Muttiah Muralitharan has retired with 800 Test wickets, although he will be flicking and spinning for Gloucestershire in the T20 competition while his countrymen are competing in the second Test at Lord’s.

Chaminda Vaas is almost as much of a loss — and maybe he shouldn’t have been lost at all.

At 37, he is still entitled to be called the foxiest bowler in contemporary cricket, so numerous are his variations of left-arm medium; and he scored over 3,000 Test runs in addition to his 355 Test wickets.

Vaas is the only consistent attack-leader Sri Lanka have had.

They hoped Lasith Malinga would take over, but the slinger has preferred the IPL’s lucrative pastures to the grind of five-day cricket and retired from it at 28.

No Malinga, no Murali, no Vaas, and no Mathews, as brilliant a batting prospect as any in the world today, and a useful fourth seamer in English conditions, although he is expected to recover for the one-day series that follows.

All the more weight will therefore fall on their new captain, who happens to be the most versatile player in international cricket.

Dilshan began life as Tuwan Mohamed Dilshan, a member of Sri Lanka’s small Muslim community. Their minarets poke above Colombo’s downtown area around the Premadasa stadium, where the World Cup semi-final was staged.

They are also known as the Malay community, and Dilshan — when he entered the Test team as a dashing middle-order batsman — was by far the most notable cricketer they had produced.

Then he converted to Buddhism, and became Tillakaratne Mudiyanselage Dilshan. He has been adaptable on the field too. He has kept wicket in Test matches.

He has become a useful off-spinner, better than any spinner England had in the last World Cup apart from Graeme Swann.

There has been no fielder better at point since Jonty Rhodes retired; and during the World Twenty20 in 2009, Dilshan went down on one knee so daringly and so often, to scoop pace bowling over his shoulder and helmeted head, that the stroke was named after him: the Dil-scoop.

Dilshan is a leader by nature too. When the Sri Lankans’ bus was shot up by terrorists in Lahore in March 2009, Dilshan was at the front.

As the driver continued to drive the bus, he had to duck below the windscreen to avoid being shot, and it was Dilshan behind him who looked over the parapet of seats and shouted to the driver, telling him to steer left or right.

But to this courage and capacity for risk-taking which Dilshan has displayed in more than one way, there is a drawback.

In 2009 he moved from the middle order to opening the batting, and scored 11 international hundreds in the year, much in the vein of Virender Sehwag: not much defence but such amazingly fast hands that it is usually the bowler who has to defend.

Cricket evolves, new techniques emerge, but some things stay the same: and one of them is that dashing, really attacking batsmen do not make successful Test captains.

They are stuck on the horns of a dilemma, without an abdominal protector. If they play their natural game and get out, they are accused of not setting an example and pilloried.

It is probably too late for Dilshan, at 34, to consider a change of style in any event. He has to keep on playing his big shots and rely on his third-wicket pair of Sangakkara and Jayawardene to clear up.

They once put on 624 together, against South Africa no less. But I still take England to win 2-0, as long as either Cardiff or Southampton allows a result.

Sri Lanka Tour Fixtures

May 14-16: v Middlesex (Uxbridge) May 19-22: v England Lions (Derby) May 26-30: 1st TEST (Cardiff) June 3-7: 2nd TEST (Lord’s) June 10-12: v Essex (Chelmsford) June 16-20: 3rd TEST (Southampton) June 22: v Worcestershire (Worcester) June 25: Only T20I v England (Bristol) June 28: 1st ODI v England (Oval) July 1: 2nd ODI v England (Headingley) July 3: 3rd ODI v England (Lord’s) July 6: 4th ODI v England (Trent Bridge) July 9: 5th ODI v England (Old Trafford) July 11: ODI v Ireland (Edinburgh) July 13: ODI v Scotland (Edinburgh)

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South Africa v West Indies: Cricket World Cup 2011 match report

Sent in to bat, West Indies struggled for most of the innings due to spinner Tahir's figures of four for 41 and paceman Dayle Steyn's three for 24, but half-brothers Darren (73) and Dwayne Bravo (40) managed to edge the total to 222.

The Proteas were rattled in the opening exchanges of their chase - Hashim Amla (14) and Jacques Kallis (four) falling inside five overs - but de Villiers (107 not out) and skipper Graeme Smith (45) shared a 119-run stand to set up a victory that came with more than seven overs to spare.

Earlier in the day, spinner Johan Botha (two for 48) gave South Africa the perfect start when Chris Gayle was caught at slip from only the third ball of the day, but Darren Bravo and Devon Smith did well to recover.

However, the second-wicket partnership and Bravo's individual innings came to an end on 73 each when the left-hander was given out lbw off Botha.

Tahir dispatched Devon Smith (36) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (two) in successive overs, while Dwayne Bravo hit three sixes for his 40 but was run out to leave the score at 178 for five.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul (31) held the fort alongside Devon Thomas (14) before he was caught at long-off, while Kieron Pollard failed to ignite the closing overs, adjudged lbw to Steyn after a referral for a first-ball duck.

In reply, Smith and de Villiers helped South Africa fight back confidently from their early setbacks. West Indies' woes deepened with Dwayne Bravo having to leave the game with a knee injury, while de Villiers smashed a six off Gayle to bring up his run-a-ball 50.

Smith's 78-ball 45 was ended when he was bowled by Pollard but South Africa's foundations had been laid by then.

Even a brief rain interruption in the 37th over could not affect the momentum as JP Duminy's unbeaten 42 provided ample support to de Villiers - who eased to the fastest World Cup hundred by a South African - and the duo's 84-run stand was enough to see them through.

Meanwhile the International Cricket Council have apologised on behalf of the host union to Cricket South Africa and the Proteas for the technical fault that caused their National Anthem to be cut short before the start of today's match.

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Steven Davies's 'strength and courage' backed by Gareth Thomas

Thomas, who came out last year, told the Daily Telegraph: "I am really happy for Steve and pleased that he has had the strength and courage to be able to come out and be open and honest about who he is, and to see that he has the support of his family and teammates in doing it, like I did.

"When you are a professional sportsman you have to be 100 per cent in the moment, and I know that I played many years of 90 per cent in the moment and 10 per cent listening to the crowd. That’s why it’s good for young sports people to come out early and be the best they possibly can through their career."

"There comes a point where you think that the whole world is against you, and then you say to yourself “I can carry on in this dark little world or I can be honest with everybody and live the life I want.”

Davies spoke candidly to the Daily Telegraph about his decision, saying: "This is the right time for me…I feel it is right to be out in the open about my sexuality. If more people do it, the more acceptable it will become. That must be a good thing.”

Davies also admitted he had been partly inspired by Thomas’s bravery in going public about his own sexuality.

He said: “Gareth Thomas’s story helped me. It just showed me it can be done. He was brave enough to stand up and say who he was. It was a very courageous thing to do, so if I can help anyone else like he helped me, then that would be great.”

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V England Sri Lanka: Alastair Cook welcomes "exceptional performance" by opening an international day to oval

Tourists debut of the spoiled Stuart Broad Captain ttwweennttyy Saturday with a victory by 9-window but do not have the double on Englandnew leaders limited-overs after he was thrown out for 121 in the first international day at the oval.

Earlier, England made 229 for eight in a match reduced to 32 overs per side due to a delay of three hours of rain.

James Anderson, with figures of filming of the game four to 18 years, was the standout performer, while Craig Kieswetter best scorer with 61.

England were also airtight in the field, leaving Cook delighted despite the personal return of only five races.

"There is much better than that", he said. "I thought it was a performance exceptional for all our bowlers but Jimmy up to glass... to get their 15 for four and obtain their danger men off we were ahead of the game."

"The way which we cast and managed the breakdown of the rain was very special.".

Despite his obvious pleasure to have tamed the side ended mandate Andrew Strauss as Captain ODI with a 10-window defeat in the quarter-finals of the cup of the world, Cook was cautious on the rest of the series of five matches.

"It is a very good start, let's not get too carried away about how I made or that the team did,"he says. ".

"It is just a good start and we must keep the feet on the ground." "We are not in her personal praise, we are in it to win games of cricket".

Sleeves of Cook is unlikely to get praise, ended for five after only three balls, as he was strangled on the leg side by Lasith Malinga.

Although disappointed, he did not intend to read too much in such a dismissal.

"This is the game isn't it?" he said. "There is nothing you can do about it.". It is probably the most frustrating way to get out, but I should not have diverted it so fine, I guess. »

Sri Lanka's captain Tillakaratne Dilshan was sorry to see the back of the glorious weather than its popular side in the nets yesterday, but conceded his team was merely second best on the day.

"They cast, put a huge score for hunting and it was not easy batting second for the 230", he said.

"We had to take risks and it didn't work." It is for these two days was the Sun, but when it comes to the game it is cloudy and wet which is normally a help to English launchers.

"But this is not an excuse." We bat well and we did Bowl well - that's why we lost the game. »

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V Sri Lanka England: I have to run faster, says Alastair Cook, ahead of third Test at the Rose Bowl

26 Years has been leased for its golden form which allowed him to six centuries in his last 12 innings, but attracted criticism for scoring just 26 runs in the morning session, as England went in vain for an unlikely victory against sri Lanka on the final day.

Cook, who scored 96 and 106 in two rounds, at the Headquarters said: "in the last minutes of 30 to 45 of this session, I probably had the wrong tempo if you look at the number of tracks I've marked.".

"The team scored 111 runs in two hours which was roughly what we research for.." But I was late to respond to the need to score quickly.

"Fortunately, Kevin Pietersen marked some tracks." I did not respond relatively quickly and that I must learn.

"But it has been an incredible six months with what we have accomplished in Australia and personally."

He did y no secret to it, unfortunately. If there is, I could sell for a lot of money.

"Form comes and goes but did not block me for a long time." Much of this is hard work.

"I scored this double-hundred in Brisbane and then saved it with a century in Adelaide a week later."

"Who gave me much confidence - trim my confidence of 95% to nearly 100 percent." This is a big difference.

"I went back to my old technique and worked with our sport, Mark Bawden psychologist, at the same time." Everything clicked. »

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Steven Davies: England cricketer announces he is gay

He explained: “This is the right time for me…I feel it is right to be out in the open about my sexuality. If more people do it, the more acceptable it will become. That must be a good thing.

"To speak out is a massive relief for me, but if I can just help one person to deal with their sexuality then that's all I care about."

A former England under-19 captain, Davies, who made his international debut in 2009 during the Twenty20 in Trinidad, is widely tipped as a future star of the game.

But he admitted hiding his sexuality has affected his relationships in the dressing room.

He said he dreaded long international tours because he was forced to conceal an important part of his life from his team-mates.

Davies decided to confide in his England colleagues after being called up for the recent Ashes tour to Australia.

He said he received wonderful support from his team-mates, especially fellow wicketkeeper Matt Prior and captain, Andrew Strauss, and now looks forward to getting on with, what he hopes will be, a long and successful career at the highest level.

Davies’s decision to out himself comes two years after Welsh rugby hero Gareth Thomas also went public about his homosexuality.

The 36 year-old, who is currently playing for the Crusaders in Europe’s Super League, has voiced his support for Davies and said he admired his courage.

He said: “I am really happy for Steven and pleased that he has had the strength and courage to be able to come out and be open and honest about who he is, and to see that he has the support of his family and team-mates in doing it, like I did.

“I know how hard it is to be honest about something like this when you are in the public eye, and for him to be able to come out and talk about it at his age is refreshing and hopefully like when I came out, will encourage and inspire others to feel they can do the same. I hope that this will be just the start from him.”

Davies admitted he had been partly inspired by Thomas’s bravery in going public about his own sexuality.

He said: “Gareth Thomas’s story helped me. It just showed me it can be done. He was brave enough to stand up and say who he was. It was a very courageous thing to do, so if I can help anyone else like he helped me, then that would be great.

The world of professional sport remains hugely under-represented in terms of the numbers of openly gay people.

But campaigners hope the more who find the courage to come forward, the less of a stigma it will be for those struggling to deal with the issue.

While Thomas’s announcement, set against the backdrop of the intensely macho game of rugby, drew widespread admiration, he was coming towards the end of his career.

Davies’s decision to go public at such an early stage in his professional life, is seen as hugely significant in breaking down taboos surrounding homosexuality in professional sport.

"I hope it's all going to be fine with the fans," Davies added.

"If there is any abuse or anything then I don't need to worry about those people giving it out.

"The people that matter to me are family, friends and my team-mates, and everyone has been so amazing, that's what counts."

The Sussex bowler Alan Hansford, who played first class cricket between 1989 and 1992, is thought to be the only other openly gay player, but he did not go public about his sexuality until after his retirement.

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Sri Lanka who hold the keys for Lanka

Dilhara Fernando
Age 31, Tests 35, Wickets 90 at 36

Just as India’s Munaf Patel has the physical attributes to be a second Glenn McGrath, so has Dilhara Fernando, and neither has made it, yet. Sri Lanka have plenty of stocky seamers but Fernando has the height to be something more.

He can also bowl an outswinger and a clever slower ball — and an endless supply of no-balls. Almost 32, he has to lead the attack if Sri Lanka are to win a Test.

--------------------------------------------

Thilan Samaraweera
Age 34, Tests 63 Runs 4,395 Average 54

Samaraweera killed England off on their 2003-4 tour with a painfully slow hundred. On slow pitches he has been a prolific accumulator, averaging 63 in Tests in Sri Lanka. But in England he averages four, after two Tests, and it could be payback time again as England’s seamers and swingers get stuck in.

Or else, at 5, he could guide the inexperienced lower order.

--------------------------------------------

Ajantha Mendis
Age 26, Tests 15, Wickets 61 at 31

Novelty is one of a spinner’s greatest attributes: nobody illustrates it better than Mendis. In his debut Test series against India, he took 26 wickets at 18 each. Two years later against India — again in Sri Lanka — he took six at 57, the mystery gone. So there was a valid reason for Sri Lanka dropping him for the World Cup final against India. But England still found his mix of leg-spin and off-spin a mystery in the quarter-final.

--------------------------------------------

Sri Lanka Tour Fixtures

May 14-16: v Middlesex (Uxbridge) May 19-22: v England Lions (Derby) May 26-30: 1st TEST (Cardiff) June 3-7: 2nd TEST (Lord’s) June 10-12: v Essex (Chelmsford) June 16-20: 3rd TEST (Southampton) June 22: v Worcestershire (Worcester) June 25: Only T20I v England (Bristol) June 28: 1st ODI v England (Oval) July 1: 2nd ODI v England (Headingley) July 3: 3rd ODI v England (Lord’s) July 6: 4th ODI v England (Trent Bridge) July 9: 5th ODI v England (Old Trafford) July 11: ODI v Ireland (Edinburgh) July 13: ODI v Scotland (Edinburgh)

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Schools cricket chief wants to encourage the longer form of the game

"I’d actually like to take it to a three-day game. A number of interesting cricketers have played in the fixture, including Alistair Cook, who got a few hundreds as a schoolboy.”

“Our game looked like it was heading towards a dull draw at one point, but there is so much one-day cricket now, the boys don’t get to learn about the how and when of declaring, and how to exert pressure at different times during the game.”

Whittall added: “I’d definitely like to encourage more two-day day cricket but the big challenge is time in a very congested summer with exams getting earlier and earlier.

"Getting the boys to commit is the toughest thing, but from a cricket perspective I’m a real fan. I’d love to see more schools getting involved in longer games.”

The Tonbridge v Bedford two-day game turned out to be quite a contest. Tonbridge set the pace by declaring at 340 for eight (Tom Harvey 98), to which Bedford, at home, responded with a bold declaration of 281 for four, CharlieThurston and James Kettleborough scoring centuries. Overnight, Bedford were 200-0.

Tonbridge again declared, at 212 for six, with Fabian Cowdrey leading the way at 116 not out. (Cowdrey has 105 wickets and almost 3,000 school runs for the 1st XI to date).

The declaration seemed on the generous with Bedford coasting to victory, needing only 130 from the last 20 overs, with nine wickets in hand.

However, the game changed dramatically once Kettleorough was out, as the home side lost these nine wickets for only 40, leaving Tonbridge the victors by 86 runs. Off-spinner Tom Coldman bowled a fine spell to finish with five wickets,

“What it gave us was a match with twists and turns,” added Whittall.

Nipuna Senaratne made a mature century on his debut in a full-length game to lead Eton to a fine victory against a strong Eton Ramblers team, which included Will Vanderspar, the 2010 season’s Young Wisden Schools Cricketer of the Year.

The Ramblers set a challenging target of 272 for 5 declared, with Ivo Hobson scoring 116, but the Eton XI, who have had a slightly mixed season, reached their target for the loss of only four wickets.

Oliver Hardaker, is believed to hold the highest one-day score in schoolboy cricket, having hit 329, in 144 balls, for Horsforth 3rd XI with 27 sixes and 29 fours last season against Upper Wharfedale, in the Yorkshire Dales.

Hardaker, captain of Woodhouse Grove School this year, scored his maiden century for the school, 132 not out, with two sixes and 23 fours Ispwich School’s Lewis Catlow, a slow left-armer, played havoc with Norwich’s batting, after his side had declared at 240 for six.

Catlow returned figures of eight for 48 in 14.4 overs to bowl out the visitors for 104. For a full set of schools cricket results, go to schoolscricketonline.com.

Schools Cricket two-day game results (*denotes home side)

Tonbridge 340-8 dec, *Bedford 281- 4 dec (J Kettleborough 108, C Thurston 120); Tonbridge 212-6 dec (F Cowdrey 116 not out), *Bedford 185 (T Coldman 5-40); Uppingham 150-6 (20 overs), England Women 124-7; Malvern 274-4 (T Kohler-Cadmore 111 not out), *King’s, Worcester 192 (W Wright 5-38); Eton Ramblers 272-5 dec (I Hobson 116), *Eton 273-4 (N Senaratne 104 not out); Sevenoaks 236-8 (40 overs)(T Nickols 103), *Eltham 93-5 (rain); Clayesmore 187-8 dec (L McManus 102),*King's, Bruton 128-7; *KCS Wimbledon 96, Dulwich 97-7 (D Chohan 5-15); Oundle 257-4 dec (H Ramsden 150 not out), *Felsted 194-8; Woodhouse Grove 247-5 (O Hardaker 132 not out),*Durham 75; Ipswich 240-6 dec, Norwich 104 (L Catlow 8-48), *Cranleigh 308-4 (50 overs)(J Scriven 133), St John’s, Leatherhead 188.

Aviva and The Daily Telegraph, recognising tomorrow’s champions today. Email your letters on school sport to gareth.davies@telegraph.co.uk.

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Sergeant major Matt Prior puts bark back into England ahead of World Cup

 Jeepers keepers: Matt Prior will be a more vocal presence behind the stumps than the talented youngster Steven Davies Photo: PA

His berth at the top of the order is only the beginning. Like his mentor Alec Stewart, Prior spends his time in the field chuntering away: a sergeant major behind the stumps. If anyone can keep England’s troops moving through those draining 3½-hour sessions on the subcontinent, he can.

“Since the Tests, I’ve been looking after the fielding unit,” Prior said. “It will be my role now to manage our intensity and energy levels. Fielding is something this squad takes pride in, and it is up to the keeper to make sure those standards stay where they need to be.”

All wicketkeepers talk to their fielders, but few chivvy and chirp as much as Prior. Admittedly, he has turned the volume down a notch since the 2007 Test series against India – when his encouragements, exhortations and occasional insults were so audible to television viewers that England called for the stump microphones to be switched off. But you can still see him clapping and cheering away after almost every ball.

The support that Prior offers to Andrew Strauss is also a factor. “In one-day cricket, because you’re a bit more isolated and it all happens so quickly, it’s harder for captains to manage the whole lot,” Prior explained. “If he can say, ‘Right, mate, you make sure the angles are all right for the spinners’, it allows him to focus on other things. It’s important you have as many leaders as possible to help the captain out.”

There is a contrast here with Steven Davies, the latest man to be stripped of England’s non-stick wicketkeeping gloves. According to Steve Rhodes, formerly Davies’s coach at Worcestershire: “He’s a very pleasant lad but fairly quiet. He’s not a leader in the dressing room, but when he goes out in the middle he’s fully committed and does his job well.”

Rhodes is right to praise Davies’s keeping: England coach Andy Flower rated both him and Prior “very good with the gloves” this week. Unfortunately, it is no longer enough to take the ball smoothly; the wicketkeeper needs to be in the thick of the action. This is something that Paul Nixon - the 36 year-old who was unexpectedly called up for the last World Cup - understood instinctively.

Prior’s promotion has come even later in the piece than Nixon’s. So late, in fact, that he walked into the nets yesterday at Hobart’s Bellerive Oval wearing pads belonging to the Victorian Bushrangers – the Twenty20 team he has spent the past fortnight with. It is a good thing that the Bushrangers happen to wear a similar shade of navy blue to England.

A resourceful character, Prior organised his own stint with Victoria, with the intention of improving his one-day cricket. “To go home and sit in the snow in England did not make sense,” he said. And while he never expected to break into the World Cup squad, his authoritative innings of 51 in a ‘Big Bash’ match against Tasmania could have made the difference. It really was that close.

At Victoria, Prior has also enjoyed the rare experience of being an Englishman in an Australian dressing room. And not just any Australian dressing room, but one that was still coming to terms with a thumping Ashes defeat.

“There was obviously a lot of talk,” Prior said, “just as there would be in an English dressing room. Everyone has an opinion, whether other guys are a lot better than the guys that are there [in the Australian team], or vice versa. I just sat quietly and took a few things in, saved a few things in my head.”

You see? He can keep schtum when he wants to.

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V England-Sri Lanka: third Test, report of the first day

Chris Tremlett left the Rose Bowl, there two seasons to withdraw from a comfort zone, that it had enjoyed since adolescence. But the new challenge that he sought was far harsh that that it was for the batsmen in Sri Lanka, on Thursday, as he celebrated his former maiden rise ground Test with two wickets valuable.

Three short periods of possible game, during a frustrating opening day in which rain allowed only 38 overs be overruled, Tremlett tormented the visitors with his pace, bounce and movement on a fact field hosted by spending two days earlier as covers. None assessed against him and another day with the fortune smiles, his efforts may have won him an another three or four Sri Lanka Wickets the end of the day on 81 for four.

Her scalp was Mahela Jayawardene, who don't have much harm when he edged a push to Matt prior. What is he had received the same ball field true bounce on which he had passed to stick another hour, he could have able to avert the threat by dropping his hands. But with a few balls compression through more than others, he had to play, but it proved too hot for the control.

When he played for Hampshire, Tremlett provides only an overview of the bowler, he has been on Thursday. By his own admission, he was afraid that every twinge and niggle could become a career threatening injury and he was rarely able to play accordingly. Once this model defines you tend to get mark a softie, not the kind of reputation a fast bowler budding wants. But his move to Surrey made a stricter more targeted competitor and to obtain better for England that now he knows that he has what it takes to get the wickets against the best.

With James Anderson swaying happily to the other end, the pair complemented each other perfectly, which made the decision to Stuart broad new ball alongside of the surprising after Andrew Strauss Anderson won the toss and overthrown.

Offshore, no doubt of its too hard to impress strike declining in Test cricket, waste promptly by deformation rates. The aggression is almost always preferable to a fast bowler but control tends to be most deadly, at least in the pursuit of wickets, something even Glenn McGrath had developed by the end.

Anderson showed why he was so cruelly lacking at Lord's with a fine display of swing and seam bowling. He also showed the value of the experience, change its attack to autour window against the left-handed that make up one of the first three of Sri Lanka, in his match (for them) has failed to swing in outside off the coast of strain. Once he did that he concentrated on bowling a wide angle outswingers, a tactic which quickly led the wickets of Lahiru Thirimanne and Kumar Sangakkara.

His debut Test in place of Tillakaratne Dilshan injured, Thirimanne would be rarely met as easy bowler conditions these. Before the start of this series, Stuart Law, interim coach of Sri Lanka, said his team does not compromise the aggressive nature of their cricket. Adrenaline consumes you, beginners tend to err on the side of caution, has something of the Thirimanne until unwisely forcing an outswinger from Anderson.

Sangakkara, Sri Lanka Captain reluctant for this match, was one of the great players of recent times and have not been overcome by the opportunity. But it was thought-out of Strauss, a clever commissioning change introduced by a short extra cover, move intended to force him to play attacking off-side shots offer him full value all he could play.

Any old pro you tell, the last thing you want to do when the ball is seaming and swinging is booming drives to the risk of an edge to play. But that is exactly what Sangakkara when jailli Anderson the trap with a juicy carrot both full and broad.

At this time, the blankets had been and outside with frustrating frequency of a toddler beating newly discovered switch. Everything for a day of old rum for spectators and the batsmen as the only beneficiaries being the bowling, which could be based until between their spells.

With many of those who had bought tickets to remain there, as they had done in Cardiff, the weather conditions also brought home the advantages and disadvantages of playing a series of tests at the time of the season. But although it is a good thing for Britain to chalk up another victory en route to the domination of the world, it has been less good at persuading people that Test cricket is a spectator sport to cherish in this time of year.

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The ashes of 2010: Player by player guide for Shane Warne's Australia - images

Ricky Ponting: 35

Tests: 148
Drummer: Runs: 12250.HS: 257. Ave: 54.68
Bowling: wickets: 5 Ave: 48.40

Tests v England: 27
Drummer: runs: 2,128.HS: 196.Ave: 50.66

In Australia: 13
Drummer: runs: 1040 HS: 75 Ave: 54.74

Verdict of the Warne:Fought for form recently but by all accounts is hit the ball pretty well both in England could pay if they get it priced avantageux.Il could make a ton of trails in summer, but will be under the microscope tactically.

Image: GETTY

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V Sri Lanka England: Graeme Swann welcomes England "ugly top three" but he would rather watch Bell, said prior and Pietersen,

"I am not a great watcher but when these three are the stick my God I struggle to keep my eyes open", he said. "I love the fact that they like the stick, but would happily pay to watch an Ian Bell, or Matt Prieur.

"I always watch KP as well but Cook, Strauss and Trott, if there is a top three in the world, I know not pushing." But they are amazing, and I would not change anything.

The minute I am very happy that we have belly five and discovery seven hours. Before is on its own to wicketkeeper-batsman stakes. It comes out as he wants to score runs all the time in a good lick and research.

"If you have that and you are batting at no. 9 or 10, then it is rare that you will be batting before lunch.". Looking more often otherwise you know that you have a day to sit down to make the crossword or if Kev and the belly, at bat. »

Before was at its best the Lord, exciting with cent exciting before providing some jewels for its developed speaking future Swann by breaking a window dressing room. Swann, who witnessed the incident, has already scripted and polished his version of events.

"Two members shouting Trotty and Kev, who sat on the balcony and asked why they had not presented its apologies." They said he has nothing to do with us, but one of the members said: "I'll tell your father."

"They did not have a clue what had happened.". I was biting my sleeve trying to not laugh, and then came the attendant of Pavilion at the height.

"Keeping in mind there are three large Windows and has a comic-book inside hole he asks," what window is broken? ". The place has collapsed.

"Matt had apologised at this stage but there is still a precarious truce because you do not know if you get into trouble with the coach, but same Andy was that laugh."

There is one side seriously to Swann, and we will see this summer when India provide England with their biggest challenge that they grow to be the team non-1 test of the world. The Indian Board's refusal to sanction the use of the system of review of the decision was seen as an attempt to smother the threat posed by Swann, who has a high proportion of LBW dismissals of any bowler in England.

"I don't know if it's distrust of the technology or kidology for their [India]", said Swann.

"It reduces the effectiveness of the bowlers all the but we could get a couple that would have been overturned, and it would be quite fun to happen." I know that I am undoubtedly most lbws.

"What happened is that the umpires are now much less reluctant to give not out lbws on the front foot, particularly the left-hander balls straight away the kicking spinner.".

"They used to be able to escape with that whole day, but since Drs. arbitrators are broad field and study the videos and see some mistakes and are now more willing to give those."

Graeme Swann is an Ambassador of the beer brand Kingfisher

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Pakistan's banned Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif will have to 'confess to prevent longer sentences'

Butt was banned for 10 years, five of which were suspended, and Asif for seven, with two years suspended, after being found guilty of being involved in spot-fixing last August. Mohammad Amir was hit with a straight five-year ban and plans to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport but both Asif and Butt are still to reveal their next move.

Sources close to the investigation have told The Daily Telegraph both players will have to make full confession and show appropriate remorse for their suspended sentences to be waived, conditions which may deter them from appealing to CAS.

A statement from Asif’s legal representatives, Addleshaw Goddard, on Monday read: “Mohammad Asif has co-operated fully with the International Cricket Council’s investigation and is very disappointed and upset by the decision it reached.

“Together with his legal representatives, he is now considering his response and will not be commenting further due to the ongoing criminal proceedings.”

The three players will today be handed the written judgments of the ICC disciplinary panel but the governing body may be unable to make them public due to a parallel criminal investigation being pursued by police in London.

Last Friday the Crown Prosecution Service said that the three players, as well as agent Mazhar Majeed, face criminal charges and have been summoned to appear before magistrates in London on March 17.

The ICC are taking advice from media law specialists after the CPS advised the board not to publish the judgment for fear of prejudicing any criminal trial.

The report could be published outside Britain but it would be hard to prevent it being accessed on the internet, which may persuade the ICC to keep it private until a later date.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has pledged to help the players with their rehabilitation over the next five years although their own anti-corruption methods have been subjected to a review by the ICC.

“The time since August last year, when the spot-fixing case came to light, has been an extremely painful one for Pakistan cricket. I now hope that this unfortunate saga is put to rest and we can concentrate on cricket,” said Ijaz Butt, chairman of the PCB.

“We will continue to work with the ICC on this sensitive matter. We will also see how we can help the three players with their education and rehabilitation programme.”

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Marcus Trescothick faces a disciplinary tribunal as ECB steps up its crackdown on players' bad behaviour

 Under pressure: Marcus Trescothick and James Foster have to account for the behaviour of their players at Somerset and Essex respectively Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Trescothick faces the same charges of failing to control the discipline of his team for which James Foster, the Essex captain, received a two-match ban.

The ECB’s disciplinary department is experiencing its equivalent of the high-street Christmas rush as the heavy number of matches in June and July, combined with the pressures of Twenty20, bring a seasonal increase in the players up in front of the beak.

on Friday a three-man panel will rule on Murray Goodwin, the Sussex batsman who faces a suspension under the “totting up” procedure of disciplinary points.

At Arundel last week, Goodwin is alleged to have questioned his lbw dismissal and smashed the ball to the boundary as he walked off. Gerard Elias QC, the chairman of the ECB’s disciplinary commission, was in the crowd at the time.

In the spring Elias emailed counties with a clear warning he would crack down this season. He wrote: “Our umpires are better trained than ever. They, too, are rightly dedicated to the cause of ensuring the spirit of our game survives whatever stresses that money and competition place in the way.

“Dissent by cricketers rose a notch last season and I would ask that you take steps to ensure that respect for decisions taken by our umpires is reinforced. The commission is determined that we shall not permit standards to slip in this area and we shall look carefully at the issue in mid-season.”

It appears his words have gone unheeded with 14 offences already dealt with by the ECB this season, not including Goodwin, Somerset and Essex cases.

The umpires have a better understanding of how to report players to the board and this, combined with extra pressure on teams to win, is believed to have contributed to the increase.

With £500,000 on offer for winning the County Championship and the Twenty20 Cup a ticket to the multi-millions dollar Champions League, players can see winning equates to real money. They are also under more pressure than ever before to keep their jobs. The financial crisis in county cricket has shrunk squads, while older players are aware that counties want to cash in on payments from the ECB for fielding cricketers under the age of 26.

“I would not say that there has been a deterioration in player behaviour but with Twenty20 there is so much at stake,” said Tim Robinson, the vice-chairman of the First-Class Umpires Association.

“The game has become more competitive, there is more money involved and the financial rewards for being successful are significant so there is the potential for the odd flare-up and for things to boil over. It’s important that players control themselves and that the captains control their players.”

There are four levels of offences rising in severity from time-wasting and excessive appealing (level one) to intimidating an umpire, racism and violence (level four).

Players receive three points per offence and if they tot up nine penalty points in two years they face a suspension.

Trescothick is in the dock because five Somerset players have received disciplinary points in 12 months. Trescothick, Somerset coach Andy Hurry, chairman Andy Nash and chief executive, Guy Lavender, will defend the charge next week. They will be hoping to avoid the two-match ban and £5,000 fine Foster and Essex received earlier this week. There is little doubt the ECB made an example of Essex, whose failure to show enough contrition did not help their defence.

Captains are suspended because their ability to manage the anger levels of their players is a key part of the job. “If you have players that get a bit of red mist when things aren’t going for them you might need to take them off for a couple of overs to calm down,” said Alex Gidman, captain of Gloucestershire. “Ultimately it’s down to the captain and coach to remind the players of the standards expected of them and the club policy.”

At the moment the ECB has no plans to copy the Football Association’s Respect campaign, devised to improve behaviour towards referees, as they believe the number of players being punished proves the policing system is working.

But the fear for the ECB is that what happens at professional level seeps down into the club and junior system. With that in mind, only last week the ECB and MCC launched an initiative aimed at stamping out poor behaviour in junior cricket. Children involved in under-15s cricket will be given a quiz on cricket based on cricketing scenarios and sportsmanship with a prize of tickets to a Test match.

“There is no place for bad behaviour in cricket and this initiative is designed to help teach the next generation of players about the importance of showing respect to your opponents, match officials, coaches, scorers and spectators,” said Paul Bedford, the ECB’s head of non-first class cricket.

Perhaps the issue runs deeper as Dougie Brown, Warwickshire second XI coach, suggests: “If standards have slipped a little maybe it’s because modern society in general is a little less respectful of authority than it was.”

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Steven Davies: admitting I'm gay was 'tougher than facing Brett Lee'

Today, through The Daily Telegraph, Davies is outing himself to the wider public. “It will be a huge relief to get this over, to be honest,” he confides.

“It’s something I’ve lived with for a long time. Although I feel it is the right time, I am nervous about coming out. Who wouldn’t be? It’s the biggest decision I’ve had to face, and by far the toughest – bigger even than facing Brett Lee [the fearsome Australian fast bowler] in the middle.”

Without the big gloves, he looks vulnerable and sounds taut as a wire. “If I am brutally honest, I never enjoyed touring because of my secret and having to conceal my sexuality,” he says. “My friendships with the guys would reach a certain level, then I’d have to take a step back.

“A two-week tour would feel like two years for me. It was really tough. Cricket was my escape. When I was playing cricket I was at my happiest because all I had to worry about was getting runs and taking the catches. It was a relief to be out in the middle.”

Being selected for the Ashes squad was not an uncomplicated pleasure: it thrilled him professionally, but he knew the social side of a three-and-a-half-month tour would be an ordeal. In dressing rooms, hotel rooms and coffee bars he felt uncomfortable and dreaded being asked even the most innocuous questions about his love life. “Sooner or later, the conversation would come round to whether I had a girlfriend. I was scared of that. I could never be totally relaxed.”

After weeks of angst, he confided in Flower at Loughborough, a few days before the team left for Australia. The coach was practical as well as understanding. They talked for an hour about the best way forward.

“He agreed I had to tell the boys. I couldn’t live like this any more.” Flower and Strauss refused to overplay the tension. “Their line was: 'Steve wants you to know he’s gay. But it’s not an issue. Let’s just get on with it.’ I owe them both a lot. They were 100 per cent behind me and made me feel everything would be all right. In fact, I felt I was probably making a big deal out of it.”

Davies admits he was sick with nerves before the final batting session at Lord’s, where he faced some team-mates for the first time since the revelation. One by one, they came over to shake his hand and tell him that he had done the right thing.

Matt Prior, the wicketkeeper, Davies’s friend and rival, went out of his way. “He came up to me and gave me a hug and we spoke for about five minutes. He couldn’t believe I had kept it to myself for this long. He said I should have told him. That was special.”

During the Ashes, Hugh Morris, the managing director of England Cricket, told Davies that his homosexuality “would not be an issue” and supported his disclosure.

The effect on Davies was dramatic. “I enjoyed a three-and-a-half-month tour that would previously have killed me. Once the secret was out, those months just flew by. My friendships with the boys blossomed. It’s easier now I’ve got nothing to hide. I can get fully involved in all the banter, which I love. It took a few days to get back to normal. I cracked a joke about myself and after that everything was absolutely fine.”

Not quite, as it turned out. When Davies, reserve wicketkeeper during the Ashes but a top performer in the Twenty20 games, was dropped from the England squad for the current World Cup – in favour of Matt Prior – some cricket insiders suspected it was related to his coming out.

Davies admits he was “shocked and gutted” but does not believe the selectors’ decision had anything to do with his confession. “It was a bitter pill to swallow, I felt sick. But that suspicion never went through my head. Unfortunately for me, Andrew thought Matt would be more suitable.”

The left-handed wicketkeeper and batsman, who began his professional career playing for Worcester, is the first active international cricketer to admit he is homosexual.

The very few sportsmen who have “come out”, notably the rugby player Gareth Thomas, have usually done so at the end of their career. Davies should have his best cricketing years ahead of him.

In a world where it is easier to conform to the machismo of the group ethos than to stand out, his confession is impressive. Self-effacing, he does not see himself as a trailblazer for sport’s sexual tolerance. He had simply reached a point where evasion and dissembling were undermining his morale. “Everyone is different,” he says. “Some people are comfortable doing it [coming out]. Others are not. This is the right time for me. 'Do I tell them or do I not?’ I didn’t want that to be my life. I feel it is right to be out in the open about my sexuality. If more people do it, the more acceptable it will become. That must be a good thing.”

Davies says he knew he was gay when he was very young “but it was never a big deal because all I’d do was play sport”. He did not tell his parents, Mike and Lin, or his elder sister, Gemma, 26, until he was 19. “The support they have given me has been brilliant. Not everyone is so lucky.”

His parents travelled from the family home in Kidderminster to be with him as he made his announcement. “We are proud of him,” they said, “and love him as a son, as a successful sportsman and now, hopefully, as a role model to any young person dealing with their sexuality.”

Davies knows he has other hurdles — not least the response of cricket fans. Can he take the possible homophobic jibes, the snideness? “Yes, I did worry about it. You go through every scenario. You lose sleep. But if there is anything negative, what can I do? In cricket, the fans are very loyal. They are there to support you, rather than abuse you.

“I have to play my best for Surrey and get back in the England side. I am still the same person. I want to be remembered as a good cricketer, not a gay cricketer.”

Sometimes, he is accused of not being vocal enough behind the wicket. He believes that the confidence he has gained in the past months may even benefit his game. Would he now like to find a partner he could be with openly? “That’s what everyone wants, isn’t it? That special person. I’m no different. I haven’t found that person, but there is no rush. I’m still young and concentrating on my career.”

* Steven has donated his fee for this interview to NSPCC’s ChildLine, the 24-hour helpline for children who have no one else to talk to. In the past two years, the charity has received more than 10,000 calls from children concerned about their sexuality. The number is 0800 1111. To email or talk to a counsellor online, contact www.childline.org.uk.

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V Sri Lanka England: and there were nine... Rose Bowl joins Test cricket club

Dilapidated old Sophia gardens was transformed into a modern stage four years ago at a cost of approximately £ 15 million. The SWALEC Stadium, as the ground is now known has stands, facilities and media centre.

First Test: England v Australia 2009.
Capacity: 16 000.
Future major match: 2012: test v West Indies, ODI v West Indies, ODI v in South Africa. 2013: ODI v Australia. 2014: Test v Sri Lanka, ODI v India. 2015: ODI v T20 v the Australia, the New Zealand.

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Chester

Durham spent 10 million books over the past seven years on the stands, facilities and a media centre. They have plans for the development of 15 million pounds which includes a 150-bed hotel.

First Test: England v to the Zimbabwe 2003.
Capacity: 17 500 (with temporary seating).
Major future corresponds: 2012 ODI v Australia. 2013: Test v Australia. 2015: T20 final. 2016: Test v Sri Lanka, ODI v Pakistan.

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Edgbaston

A new Pavilion and media 32 million centre of £ is nearing completion and is due to be opened by the Duke of Edinburgh next month. The strand of Eric Hollies, rebuilt in the winter of 2001-2002, cost 2 million pounds and the inside Centre, completed in 2000, 2.2 million of £.

First Test: England v Australia 1902.
Capacity: 22 000 will increase to 25 000.
Is the major future: 2012. Test v West Indies, ODI v Australia. 2013: ODI v Australia. 2014: ODI v in India, T20 final. 2015: ODI v New Zealand, ODI v Pakistan. 2016: Final T20, ODI v Pakistan.

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Headingley

The Pavilion for £ 21million opened last year but has been criticized for having more than one faculty of education for the Leeds Metropolitan University. The famous West Terrace was replaced by the West in 2001 with a new room Stand Long rostrum in a development of 10 million pounds sterling.

First Test: England v Australia 1899.
Capacity: 17 500.
Future major match: 2012: ODI v West Indies, v in South Africa Test. 2013: V New Zealand, ODI v Australia to test. 2014: Test v Sri Lanka, ODI v India. 2015: Test v New Zealand, ODI v Pakistan. 2016: Test v Sri Lanka, ODI v Pakistan.

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The Lord

Not much change from the center of the space age media £ 5 million was built in 1999, while the retractable permanent spotlight last year. It is planned to increase the capacity of 32 000 and use rail tunnels abandoned under the ground of the nursery for an indoor complex.

First Test: England v Australia 1884.
Capacity: to 28 500.
Future major match: 2012: test South Africa, t20 final, ODI v Australia v. 2013: Test v New Zealand, the Test Championship final. 2015: Test v Australia.

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Old Trafford

The Point, a brash of £ 12 million Conference Center, was opened at last year's place was filmed in preparation for a new £ 32 million development include the new dressing rooms, Center for media and stands. Development is subject to judicial review on 4 July, even if, after the opposition of the owners of a park near the retail.

First Test: England v Australia 1884.
Capacity: 23 000, could increase by 25,000.
Future major match: 2012: T20, ODI v Australia South Africa v. 2014: Test v India. 2016: Test v Pakistan.

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The oval

The stand of the SCO, opened in 2005, 25 million of £ and has changed the landscape Vauxhall end. Plans to build a hotel and new cost of 35 million stands in £ were only given approval after a public inquiry, but no start date has been announced.

First Test: England v Australia 1880.
Capacity: 23 000.
Future major match: 2012: ODI v West Indies, v in South Africa Test. 2013: ODI v New Zealand, Test v Australia. 2014: ODI v Sri Lanka Test v India. 2015: ODI v New Zealand, Test v Australia. 2016: ODI v Sri Lanka Test v Pakistan.

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Trent Bridge

Important developments have taken place over the past 12 years, from Road Radcliffe 7.2 million Gallery of £. A 1.9 million to £ Fox Road Stand was opened in 2002 and an 8.2 million to £ Bridgford Road Stand and floodlights in 2008. Another 1.5 million to £ spent last winter renovate home boxes in the Gallery of Radcliffe Road.

First Test: England v Australia 1899.
Capacity: 18 000.
Future major match: 2012: test v West Indies, ODI v in South Africa. 2013: 2 x T20 v Australia. 2014: ODI v India. 2015: t20 v Australia.

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V England India: first Test, five day report

Before him Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina, best player of the India yesterday with 78, had been given not out calls IPN which would have been cancelled by the DRS, precipitating the demise of the India, if it had been used.

The best team won and in England, despite four fluffing catch, have been extremely impressive in taking the honours. Their pack mentality was so concentrated that even veterans experienced the India could not prevent him from their descendant.

Everything went to plan during the match. There was a swing in their second round, while they were 62 for five.

But, while such risk would already have floored them, they have so much belief and quality through the team these setbacks have become simple aberrations, something the analyst to elevate to the next meeting of the team in Any Other Business.

James Anderson has played on the last day with five for 65, his victims with 103 Test hundreds between them.

Anderson usually develops to the Lord, but before yesterday he had never taken more than two wickets in the second round here - which suggests, he has improved his bowling on the dryer, less easy melon surfaces that tend to prevail in the second half of the game.

India were hampered by the injury and illness to the major players in this game, but the way in which the men of Strauss is gone on business, once a benefit has been gained, revealed that their hunger for victory had not been blunted by their heroism of ash in the winter.

Motivation is never a given, even in the success of the teams and after their victory in the 2005 ashes, their competitive height fell after injuries and satisfaction has taken hold. But Strauss and Andy Flower have a way of maintaining cohesion through competition, something comfortable collection of the India of the lack of big names.

The India began the final day needing 378 runs to win or 98 overs to draw, with two of these giants in the crease to bat. Rahul Dravid V VS Laxman WINS and have saved games from sensitive positions prior to the India, but it became clear that the first was not an option after the England bowling began with the kind of zest and control which saw Dravid immediately dropped at short-leg by Ian Bell off the coast of Chris Tremlett.

With nothing loose on which to feast, even a man as Dravid gets impatient and he had to leave shortly after an unusual Quartet to Anderson, bowling from the nursery end. Each bit of a perfectionist as Tendulkar, he left the Lord arena, probably for the last time, shake their heads to the rejection.

Laxman was not as easily limited but sometimes its placid traits may become over-casual discovered Anderson when he shot, not quite sufficiently short for the filming of Bell at mid-wicket. A few inches higher and it would have been safe.

In the next over, Swann was Gautam Gambhir, sufficiently recovered from his upcoming beaten elbow to No.4, LBW to a ball that turned enough on the slope to overcome its thrust forward. Asad Rauf was the umpire to give him and it was the right decision.

Gambhir looked at my but only Harbhajan Singh had a valid complaint, after Rauf dismissed his LBW appeal against wide the day before to a ball with identical geometry.

Making the most bizarre passage of room all day, like Tendulkar and Raina has attempted to bat the rest of the day in contrasting ways, Captain little playing the stonewall of artisan of the Raina.

Tendulkar can still return to Lord as a Test player should India the Championship final of the Test proposed for 2013, but for the moment, after another low score, the only Council bearing his name is a CMC have list of honorary members of the club, which is one of the most famous.

Its failure, in his fifth test here is after some asphyxia brilliant bowling and fielders, who has managed to keep down on 11 for England 38 balls.

When he was 12, with a single off the coast of Swann, it was his last shot of scoring, but not quite the last bit of drama: Strauss dropped slip off Anderson before the same bowler trapped he two LBW balls later with a hint of reverse-ISO.

Tendulkar own take an average of 21.6 right here, in contrast to his overall average of 56.6, is that it finds the hard ball pick up. If he succeeds, it would have added to his sense of claustrophobia as bowling in England, with the help of the Saint John wood virus, perhaps kept stuck like a moth to a Commission.

If the window of the Tendulkar introduced in England an obvious swagger, they had to wait until after tea and the second new ball to get MS Dhoni, Captain of the India.

Tremlett dismissed him, taken behind smoke-filled, scalp, ensure that it has now taken a window in each of the 19 Test innings, in which he played. In effect, only Walter Robins and Tich Freeman, among England launchers, have more consecutive rounds of one-stop-taking their name, and they were the two leg-spinners.

Obtain the master, the rest, is the Aussie belief and certainly held true for England yesterday the last five wickets fell for 43 runs in 15.5 overs. New ball contributed to speed up the process, but in India, the moment where they are in the Lord with only a single match three days in the legs, have looked vulnerable.

Trent Bridge, another ground where the ball swinging will tease the batsmen, is next Friday. And while they won it y last time, this side of England, after their first step to the cushion of two-win to take their top of the ranking, have the appearance of steely in the eyes of those who have a job to do.

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Stuart Broad v Tim Bresnan: The expert verdicts on who should start for England at Lord's against India

There were reasonable signs for him in that game. He got the ball through at good pace in the first innings when the wicket seemed to be quicker.

He then bowled a good eight-over spell in the second innings against Somerset, which really got him going. He could have picked up more than just the one wicket. As it was he dismissed their best player - Marcus Trescothick - so you have got to be happy with that.

That said, I don’t think Stuart’s performance in that game will be hugely influential on whether he plays at Lord’s.

If it had gone particularly badly it could have affected him, but ultimately it’s down to conditions at Lord’s and whether the selectors want a swing bowler or a more bouncy bowler against India.

England seem to have demonstrated on a number of occasions the faith they have in him. They talk a lot about the confidence they have in him, so this is the time to show it.

Andrew Gale (Yorkshire captain)

I like to pick people who are in form and Tim showed in the recent

one-day series against Sri Lanka that he is definitely the man in form at the moment.

People might have thought that he would be a little bit under-cooked after his injury but he came back and found his rhythm straight away. That’s a big thing and so, if it was my call, I would probably go for him ahead of Stuart Broad.

Tim bowled really well for us in our County Championship match against Worcestershire at Scarborough last week. He hadn’t bowled in a

four-day game for a while but he put the ball in good areas consistently throughout, he got four wickets in the first innings and he also contributed well so we were delighted with him.

He would probably have liked to have played a couple more four-day games but most of the England boys have not played any four-day cricket since the recent Test series against Sri Lanka.

Tim probably has the edge over Stuart Broad as a batsman. He’s been very solid with the bat for us this season.

He made 87 in his first championship match against Hampshire back in May and he also got 41 in the first innings against Worcestershire last week so he is consistent.

He’s also probably a bit more consistent with the ball than Broad. Tim bowls a fuller length than Stuart and gets the ball to swing.

But he’s a versatile bowler because he also has the ability to reverse swing the ball.

He did that to great effect in the Ashes series in Australia last winter where he played a key role and that versatility makes him a slightly different bowler to Stuart and a good performer when it matters most.

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