Chanderpaul keeps Durham on top

Division One

Shivnarine Chanderpaul stood firm with an unbeaten century, as Durham were made to battle to keep the ascendancy on a tough day's cricket at Chester-le-Street. Having taken control of the match by bowling Somerset out for 174 on the first day, Durham were indebted to Chanderpaul who overcame a collapse of 3 for 5 in five overs to convert his overnight 49 into a vital 117. Charl Willoughby was the pick of the Somerset attack with 5 for 56, but Ben Phillips was equally impressive with 3 for 46, including his former team-mate, Ian Blackwell, for a second-ball duck. Trailing by 98 on first innings, Somerset had hauled themselves right back into the contest by the close, as Marcus Trescothick and Arul Suppiah added 41 unbroken runs for the first wicket.

Fighting NZ overcome Dilshan blitz

New Zealand 141 for 8 (Taylor 60, Malinga 2-21) beat Sri Lanka 137 for 9 (Dilshan 57, Oram 3-32) by three runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

New Zealand put a small part of their tour blues behind them by clinching a thrilling three-run win over Sri Lanka in the first of two Twenty20s at the R Premadasa Stadium. The coloured clothing was out and with it a fresh look to New Zealand's Twenty20 unit, but it was Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori and Jacob Oram, with a hat-trick, who ultimately gave the tourists something to smile about.

With the openers dismissed early, the pressure was on Taylor, who carried the team almost single-handedly with a busy innings until the 18th over after which, Lasith Malinga returned to stifle the tail. A total of 141 appeared under-par when Tillakaratne Dilshan blazed to 57 off 28 balls, but Vettori reminded everyone of his worth in Twenty20s with a niggardly spell and, aided by some dedicated fielding, New Zealand hauled themselves back in front of an enthusiastic crowd.

Dilshan's assault on Shane Bond in the first over had the crowd in raptures, and New Zealand almost cowering. What was touted to be a seminal moment in New Zealand's bid for a comeback was smashed in four deliveries as Dilshan welcomed Bond back to international cricket with disdain. After bouncing Dilshan first ball, Bond was slapped for four consecutive fours.

It didn't look good for New Zealand when Dilshan unfurled his patent scoop to Kyle Mills' second delivery and got four, but there was a moment of relief when Sanath Jayasuriya top-edged to Bond at fine leg three balls later. Bond's second over only cost four, but Dilshan resumed against Mills in the fourth over, pulling and lofting sixes.

Then New Zealand launched a stirring comeback. Jesse Ryder's direct hit got rid of Mahela Jayawardene, after which Vettori got Kumar Sangakkara in his first over. Ian Butler struck in successive overs as Ryder cupped an excellent catch at backward point to cut off Dilshan and Chamara Kapugedera missed an ugly slog. At this stage Sri Lanka were 85 for 5 with 57 needed from 60 balls.

Angelo Mathews took fours off Jacob Oram, but the pressure built up by Vettori was excruciating. Having given three runs in his first over, Vettori wheeled away off an nagging line and conceded five in his second and, crucially, just a single in his third. The debutant Gihan Rupasinghe found Vettori tough to score off and, backed by some alert close-in fielding, was frustrated into sweeping and missing. With his final delivery, Vettori trapped Rupasinghe lbw for 15 off 21 balls to finish with figures of 4-0-11-2.

With 20 needed off 19, Mathews popped a return catch to Oram. Suddenly New Zealand, who till now had been athletic in the field, started diving over the ball and failing to back-up errant throws. Scampered single and doubles kept Sri Lanka ticking. With 13 to defend off 12, Vettori called back Bond. It was a wicketless return for Bond, but four singles in the final over sure beat four fours. Two wickets in the first two balls of the final over - that gave Oram his hat-trick - left Sri Lanka's last pair too much to do.

New Zealand's bid to gain momentum after last week's Test series defeat looked like it had hit a potential roadblock as they were kept to 141. Brendon McCullum appeared in the mood to get back into form, slashing a wide delivery from Malinga over point, but the combination of Ryder's straight drive and Nuwan Kulasekara's fingertips cut short his nine-ball innings. Ryder couldn't lift the tempo in a lovely second over from Malinga, full of crafty changes of pace, and with Kulasekara cutting down the boundary options, he gave himself room and lofted a catch into the hands of Malinga Bandara running back from mid-off.

Taylor and Martin Guptill were left to consolidate matters, and when Sangakkara called on Mathews, Taylor weighed in with consecutive boundaries, slashing past point and driving wide of cover. Another fortuitous deflection followed off Ajantha Mendis, when Guptill drove and edged past slip. New Zealand took 38 off the Powerplay overs.

Taylor's entertaining 60, including five fours and a six, went well with the festive atmosphere at the ground but he lacked support. Guptill, who was dropped by Mathews in the deep off Jayasuriya, launched Bandara for a straight six but miscued the next delivery to deep midwicket for 29. Jayasuriya's left-arm spin was to Taylor's liking and he slog-swept for four and six in successive deliveries in the 15th over.

Oram looked as if he was at the wrong party before he fell for 8 off 13 deliveries, holing out to Kulasekara at mid-off in Mendis' final over. Trying to get some momentum going, Taylor fell in Mathews' next over, giving Kulasekara another catch in the deep. Mathews returned a flat throw to help run out Peter McGlashan and Malinga returned to york Kyle Mills and Vettori with consecutive deliveries in the 20th over.

But Malinga and Dilshan's efforts were not enough to deny a New Zealand side piloted to victory by three of their established stars.

Australia add Voges for England ODIs

Adam Voges has been added to Australia's squad for the seven one-day internationals against England as a replacement for Brad Haddin. Voges was already touring with the group as part of the Twenty20 squad and will now stay on for the ODIs, which begin on Friday.

The wicketkeeper Tim Paine was already in the squad and will take the gloves for the whole series after Haddin had surgery on a fractured finger last week. However, the loss of Haddin also left Australia light on batsmen and Voges was the logical choice after making 72 in the ODI against Scotland.

Although he was outscored in that match by the centurion David Hussey, Voges is, unlike Hussey, part of the squad for the Champions Trophy. As that tournament is being held straight after the England ODIs, the seven matches will give Voges a good opportunity to find his best form ahead of the Champions Trophy.

"With Brad Haddin's injury, the National Selection Panel has taken the opportunity to add Adam Voges to Australia's squad for the seven one-day internationals against England," the chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said. "Adam will now stay with the squad for the remainder of the tour of England before travelling with the team to the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa."

Collingwood faces planning challenge

Paul Collingwood has admitted it is a challenge to try and mould a Twenty20 side ahead of the next global tournament in the Caribbean with so few matches played at international level. The World Twenty20 will take place in April and May 2010, but although that is eight months away England have precious few games to hone their skills and put together a unit.

After the second of two matches against Australia at Old Trafford on Tuesday, their next Twenty20s aren't until the beginning of their South Africa tour in November. No more are currently confirmed before heading to West Indies, although the schedule for the Bangladesh tour in February has yet to be confirmed. Some of England's players may be able to warm up at the IPL, which has been brought forward to March and April, but that doesn't help Collingwood build team plans in the shortest format.

"We've only got four or five games before the Twenty20 World Cup so it's a tough one to keep chopping and changing," Collingwood said. "We don't play enough cricket to actually get something cemented down and in place. Hopefully we will have the attitude that players will get a good go in certain positions. But I thought the side [against Australia] looked very balanced on paper, I'm not saying that will be the side that takes us into the World Cup but it does look very balanced."

There is also uncertainty over Collingwood's position as captain. Currently he is being appointed on a series-by-series basis with Andrew Strauss having decided he isn't suited to Twenty20. Collingwood insists he is happy in his position and is planning as though he will lead the side in West Indies.

"I'm pretty clear on my role. I was captain for the World Twenty20 and I've been selected as captain for the two Twenty20s against Australia," he said. "So until I'm told otherwise, I want to lead England into the next Twenty20 World Cup. I'm happy with that arrangement - and unless someone tells me otherwise, I look forward to my job captaining the side."

England have been guilty of making numerous changes to their Twenty20 team, including 13 opening partnerships in 21 matches with the latest being Joe Denly and Ravi Bopara at Old Trafford. For the World Twenty20 in England this summer Luke Wright opened and started well before fading later in the event but now finds himself at No. 7. Collingwood feels that Wright's strong hitting ability will be better suited down the order, where England were severely lacking in the previous tournament and struggled to find the boundary in the closing overs.

"We came out of the World Twenty20 and looked at areas we could strengthen and one was the middle order," he said. "We are trying to have some bigger hitters at the back end of the innings so dropping Wrighty down we think we have that. Obviously with Denly's and [Jonathan] Trott's records in domestic Twenty20 it doesn't get much better than what they are doing."

It was far from an ideal start for England's latest pair, however, as they were both dismissed in the first seven balls of the innings before rain ended the contest. With Australia possessing the pace attack of Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Dirk Nannes, Collingwood is aware that the top order will have to be at their best to repel them.

"That's something we're going to have to overcome, the pace they have in their side," he said. "They have three 90mph bowlers and that's something we are going to have to deal with, but I think we have the batsman to overcome that."

David Warner, Australia's opening batsman, has warned that it won't get any easier for England in the second Twenty20 encounter and throughout the remainder of the season. "We'll be targeting them from short of a length as we saw yesterday [on Sunday]," he said. "Binga [Lee] and Mitch are bowling quick and England can expect more of that."

New Zealand hope Bond return will change fortunes

After a Test series in which they were run ragged by Sri Lanka, two Twenty20 internationals will probably be a welcome release for some of the New Zealand players. There is little riding on the outcome of two Twenty20 internationals except perhaps the chance to take an edge into the ensuing 50-over tri-series and New Zealand have been talking serious business in the build-up.

On paper, a promising bat-versus-ball extravaganza is promised in either innings; Sanath Jayasuriya and Tillakaratne Dilshan against Shane Bond - set for an international return - and Daniel Vettori, and, as the teams change over, Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor against Ajantha Mendis and Lasith Malinga. New Zealand will take some confidence from the fact that Muttiah Muralitharan won't be playing due to injury. Bond's return adds depth with the ball, so although Sri Lanka have been comfortably superior in recent weeks New Zealand may hope that changes in the coming days.

Failing to win the World Twenty20 in England this summer, having done so well to reach the final, frustrated Sri Lanka and being soundly beaten in the one-off against Pakistan at home was no balm. The last time these two met, during the World Twenty20, Sri Lanka came out with a 48-run win in a pressure situation at Trent Bridge. On that occasion New Zealand were bamboozled by a magical spell of 3 for 9 from Mendis and ousted from a tournament where their batting failed to fire. The way the batsmen have faced spin so far on tour, Vettori will hope history doesn't repeat itself.

Form guide (last five matches, most recent first)

Sri Lanka LLWWW

New Zealand LLWLW

Watch out for...

The return of Shane Bond. A spate of persistent injuries had already forced Bond to retire from Tests but in a dramatic turnaround of events he quit the ICL and is now on the verge of an international return. Bond's Twenty20 international record (12 wickets from nine games at 20.33) isn't the best and he'll be aiming to improve that rather than get overawed by the occasion. This is a crucial moment in New Zealand cricket.

Sanath Jayasuriya has been overshadowed by Dilshan's heroics in recent times but that doesn't mean the swashbuckler has necessarily run out of gas. After three patchy one-day games and a Twenty20 against Pakistan Jayasuriya is under pressure to justify his place in Sri Lanka's plans at the age of 40, so what better opportunity to remind everyone of his worth than against New Zealand? After all, he averages 56.00 with bat and 14.80 with ball against them, with two Man-of-the-Match awards.

It's been a low-key tour for Brendon McCullum and now is the time for New Zealand's most explosive batsman to stand up. The owner of the most famous century in Twenty20 cricket has had his share of troubles in the Tests and will look at the arena where he has been so successful to revive his fortunes. McCullum has yet to cross 39 in four matches against Sri Lanka, a stat that may just be at the back of his mind. After a poor Test series, McCullum is back for this contest, and may just take out his ire at the criticism he's attracted. Sufficed to say, this man is itching for another bout of big hitting.

Team news

Murali has been ruled out with a groin injury that flared up on day five at the SSC and the legspinner Malinga Bandara has been drafted in in his place. Opener Upul Tharanga has been rested and he has been replaced by the allrounder Farveez Maharoof. The other spinning allrounder, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, may also slot in. Angelo Mathews will return and there may be a debut for the rookie batsman Gihan Rupasinghe. Sri Lanka's fast bowling attack is boosted by Lasith Malinga.

Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Chamara Kapugedera, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Farveez Maharoof, 8 Thilan Thushara, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Kaushal Lokuarachichi/Malinga Bandara, 11 Lasith Malinga.

New Zealand are likely to draft in a number of players with Bond's return topping the bill. Bond and Kyle Mills will likely step into the role Chris Martin and Iain O'Brien filled during the Tests. Vettori didn't confirm Mills' selection but added that there will be a toss-up between Ian Butler and Nathan McCullum, who bowls offspin. Peter McGlashan will keep wickets to allow Brendon McCullum to clear his shoulders at the top. McCullum's opening partner is slotted to be Ryder, meaning a likely promotion to No. 5 for Jacob Oram. The other allrounder's spot will be contested between Neil Broom and Grant Elliott.

New Zealand: (probable) 1 Brendon McCullum (wk), 2 Jesse Ryder, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Jacob Oram, 6 Neil Broom/Grant Elliott, 7 Peter McGlashan (wk), 8 Daniel Vettori (capt), 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Shane Bond, 11 Nathan McCullum/ Ian Butler

Pitch and conditions

Scattered thunderstorms are forecast for game day. Only two Twenty20s have been played here and one both occasions the reputation of the Premadasa forced the team winning the toss to bat. Chasing under lights has always been difficult at the venue but India's Pathan brothers proved it could be done.

Stats and Trivia

McCullum is the leading run-scorer in Twenty20 internationals, with 689 in 26 games at an average of 31.31 and a strike rate of 123.69. The leader for Sri Lanka, and second in the world, is Jayasuriya, with 541 runs at 30.05 and a strike rate of 138.36.

Sri Lanka and New Zealand have met each other four times in Twenty20s, with Sri Lanka leading the head-to-head 3-1. New Zealand's only victory came in Auckland in December 2006 to share the series.

Sri Lanka have yet to win a Twenty20 at the Premadasa in two attempts.

Quotes

"He's over 40 but doesn't need any motivation. You look at him at practice, running around like a kid, full of enthusiasm and you realise just what a special player he is."
Kumar Sangakkara defends Sanath Jayasuriya's presence in the Twenty20 team

"Well, it just gets better!. That makes it easier because he's a quality bowler so those are the differences between the last game."
Vettori, when told during a press conference that Murali is not playing, points out a key difference from Trent Bridge.

Pawar questions action against IMG

Sharad Pawar, the former BCCI president, has questioned the Indian board's decision to terminate IMG's services for the IPL and warned that the unilateral move would put the board and its stakeholders' investments in jeopardy. Pawar's concerns have been echoed by Sony, the IPL's broadcasters, which said in a separate letter that the timing of the decision was awkward for them and would have far-reaching implications on the next season .

The letters - - could prove to be embarrassing to Shashank Manohar, the board president, and N Srinivasan, the secretary who wrote to IMG on Friday informing them of the contract termination. Pawar, who wrote the letter to Manohar in his capacity as president of the Mumbai Cricket Association, is a powerful federal minister and still enjoys a significant say in Indian cricket affairs; he is also the ICC vice-president and takes over the top job next year. Sony has signed a TV rights deal reported to be worth US$ 1.6 billion with IPL for the telecast rights over the next nine years.

In his letter dated August 30, Pawar said he was disturbed by the BCCI's decision, which could show it in bad light in the public eye. Man Jit Singh, the chief executive of Multi Screen Media Private Ltd (MSM), which broadcasts IPL under the Sony umbrella, conveyed his concerns in a letter - dated August 31 - addressed to Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman. Cricinfo has confirmed the contents of both letters with an IPL governing council member. When contacted, Modi and a Sony spokesperson declined to comment on the letters.

The IPL governing council is scheduled to meet in Mumbai on Wednesday, with Manohar and Srinivasan expected to attend. Seven out of the eight IPL franchises - except Chennai, which is owned by Srinivasan - have over the last three days written strongly-worded letters to the BCCI and Pawar questioning the IMG ouster, which they claimed would devalue and dilute the league.

"I am very disturbed to hear about the termination of IMG contract by the honorary secretary, BCCI," Pawar wrote in his letter. "Reading the contents of the termination, I feel that this unilateral move by the BCCI will put the BCCI in jeopardy. Not only will this lead to a prolonged legal battle but it will also show us in bad light in public."

Pawar said the 10-year contract with IMG, which he said was an integral part of IPL, was approved at all "appropriate levels" during his tenure as board president till September 2008. "I always believed that the Board believes in continuity and undoing what was done consciously and in the best interests of Indian cricket is neither desirable nor appropriate," Pawar wrote.

"After season one of the IPL and its tremendous success, the IPL revenues went up beyond our expectations and as a result the payout to IMG was going to be quite large. We all had at that time agreed to renegotiate the contract with IMG as a result of this tremendous success. Mr Shrinivasan (sic) along with (the) IPL chairman was entrusted with the task of doing the same. They successfully concluded their negotiations and the same was tabled by the honorary secretary in the finance committee and whose minutes were thereby approved by the working committee on the 3rd of January 2009.

"I am told that this matter was again raised at the last Governing Council meeting of the IPL and some members again suggested that we should come to a suitable arrangement with IMG. Further I understand issues regarding IPL were also being raised at the last working committee of the BCCI and you rightly told the members that the working committee was not the right forum for the same and such they should raise the same at the next AGM.

"In IPL there are many stakeholders and as such anything we do that may jeopardize their investments will show BCCI in a bad light. With the overwhelming success of the IPL it is our duty to protect not only BCCI but also its stakeholders. I got some calls and letters from stakeholders. I am attaching a letter which I received from Shri Mukesh Ambani. I want to bring on record my views and I hope you and the BCCI will take the right decision in the overall interest of BCCI."

The letter from Singh, the MSM CEO, warns that potential litigation over the issue would increase uncertainty over the tournament. "Unless this disagreement is resolved expeditiously, it is likely to have far-reaching repercussions on the smooth and efficient conduct of the next IPL season; the timing could not have come at a more awkward time for us as we are now in the market selling broadcast sponsorships," he wrote.

Singh said IMG had done an "exceedingly competent job" for the IPL and added: "While we do understand that the final decision on a service provider is a matter for the BCCI; however with the next season of the IPL only a few months away we believe it would be injudicious to experiment with a new agency at this critical juncture. Given our concerns we hope you will lay out your plans at the earliest so that we in turn can respond to the concerns of our stakeholders."

On Friday, Srinivasan had claimed in his letter to IMG that their fee was disproportionate to the services rendered. IMG played a key role in conceptualising the IPL and implementing it, including drafting the Indian and foreign players' contracts, putting the logistics in place and managing the day-to-day running of the tournament. The BCCI claimed to have paid IMG Rs 42.92 crore (US$ 9.54 million approx) for the inaugural IPL edition, with the fee for the second edition said to be around Rs 33 crore ($6.7 million approx).

In a reply to the BCCI's letter, Andrew Wildblood, a senior vice-president at the firm, has said that there was no grounds for termination. He also pointed out that IMG had a legally binding 10-year agreement with the BCCI and that it would "reserve all of our rights and remedies at law under and in respect of the contract".

Reports suggest that IMG's initial contract with the BCCI, which was signed in September 2007, stipulated a commission-based payment of 10% of the board's revenue. The contract was subsequently negotiated to a fixed retainer payment of roughly Rs 33 crore but this was objected to by some members of the BCCI's working committee, who are keen that the Indian board take over the running of the IPL entirely.

Abandonment deepens Lancashire's gloom Cricinfo staff

Old Trafford's damaged reputation as an international venue suffered a further setback on Tuesday evening, when the second Twenty20 international between England and Australia was abandoned without a ball being bowled, due to waterlogged bowlers' run-ups at the Brian Statham End of the ground.

Heavy afternoon rain in Manchester meant that the match was always likely to be under threat, just as Sunday's first Twenty20 had been, which was abandoned after seven balls of England's reply. Umpires Nigel Llong and Peter Hartley conducted their first inspection at the scheduled start time of 7pm, and though the weather cleared sufficiently for all the covers to be removed from the pitch, they announced the abandonment one hour later, after a second inspection, much to the frustration of a capacity Lancashire crowd.

"We as the two teams wanted to get out there and play but you have to be realistic," England's captain, Paul Collingwood, told Sky Sports. "It's unfit for international cricket and the umpires have made a brave decision to call it off early. The run-ups are the crucial area on any pitch, but a lot of water has got onto there and it's pretty soggy."

Australia's captain, Michael Clarke, shared Collingwood's sentiments. "It's very disappointing for both teams," he said. "We both wanted to play but for the safety of the players, it's the right decision. That area at the far end is the worst part of the ground, but there's an area at backward point as well. For me, only 75 kilos, it doesn't feel sturdy underfoot, so I can't imagine Brett Lee running in."

Nevertheless, the decision drew a furious response from Lancashire's beleaguered chief executive, Jim Cumbes, who is already struggling to ensure that Old Trafford remains a top-class international venue amid stiff competition from rival counties.

"It's a disaster that could have been avoided," Cumbes told Sky Sports. "I think the covers were good enough, but we've had so much rain that the pitch was bound to sweat. If this was a domestic game between Lancashire and Yorkshire in front of 16,000 people, this match would have taken place. There are people who paid £50 to come to this game, and I'm bitterly disappointed for them. In my view, you've got to play Twenty20 cricket in these conditions. We've got to rethink how we treat our public in cricket."

White and Paul Collingwood discuss

Cameron White and Paul Collingwood discuss conditions at Old Trafford but soggy run-ups forced the abandonment of the second Twenty20

Sidebottom seeks to reignite career

With the Ashes secured and rain helping England escape the first Twenty20 at Old Trafford after a rocky start to the run chase, their aim is now to leave Australia empty-handed throughout their tour. Next on the list is victory on Tuesday to take the Twenty20 series then the focus will shift to the seven-match ODI campaign.

Often when England have enjoyed Test success in the past their one-day form has tailed off as players lose focus with the major prize secured. However, since the urn was recaptured at The Oval the talk from the England camp has been about becoming a dominant force in all formats and the next Test is not until the middle of December at Centurion Park. Until then, it's limited overs all the way.

"We're all pretty close as a team. It would be an ideal situation to beat Australia in all forms of the game and send them home not winning everything, which is a great determination in the team to do that," Ryan Sidebottom said. "We want to be number one in all areas of the game. I suppose we're a young side and we've got to do well in all forms of the game. We're the ones with the responsibility of going out there and putting on a performance. Obviously we know Australia are very strong and are a good side, but we've got some good players."

For Sidebottom, success in the one-day arena over the next few weeks takes on even greater personal significance. In the past 12 months he has only appeared in three Tests and a single ODI after a series of injuries. He first struggled against South Africa last year then subsequently picked up further problems in India and West Indies, leaving him fighting to regain a spot, and he has admitted he played when not fully fit. However, he impressed during the World Twenty20 and will travel to South Africa for the Champions Trophy at the end of September.

The nearest Sidebottom came to being part of the Ashes action was a place in the squads for the Tests at Headingley and The Oval. He was close to playing in Leeds before the selectors opted for the pace of Steve Harmison and Sidebottom admits watching from outside hasn't been easy.

"It's been really tough, really frustrating being at home sitting watching games with England winning and bowlers performing well. You don't want injuries or guys not to do well, but from a selfish point of view it was pretty gutting. I want to play as much as possible like any other player. I want to do well for England.

"From a jealous point of view I would have loved to have been a part of that, but I wasn't and you have to get on with it. I've got some great mates and I'm happy for them they've done fantastically well so it's pleasing to see."

There is one school of thought that Sidebottom may have peaked as a Test bowler during his memorable 18 months following a recall in 2007, six years after his debut, when he became England's leading weapon and their player of the year. However, the man himself still believes he has plenty to offer if he gets another opportunity and in the next few weeks he will find out whether he will retain a central contract.

His chances could be boosted as the selectors look to fill the pace-bowling slot vacated by Andrew Flintoff, and possibly another if Harmison also retires. After returning to Nottinghamshire, losing a few pounds and working on his fitness, he feels his body can stand up the rigours of a full international calendar.

"I still feel as though I've got a lot to offer. In the Twenty20 World Cup I bowled really well, I performed pretty well during that time," he said. "The Test arena guys have done well, it's been a great team performance. There's nothing I can do about that, all I can do is my job and keep plugging away.

"To be honest what will be, will be. I've done all I can really. Injuries have not helped of course, but I suppose with Freddie's retirement and maybe Harmy thinking about it that might help me in some sense. But I'm not going to worry about it. All I can do is if I get selected for England in these one-dayers which are vitally important, the Champions Trophy is important for me to do well, if I do well in those competitions then that is going to help my cause. The rewards are great with being centrally contracted, but that's not the be all and end all."