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England’s relationship with the World Cup has been somewhat dysfunctional in recent times. Back in the day they were habitual contenders – runners-up on three occasions in the first five tournaments, most recently at Melbourne in 1992, when Graham Gooch’s pace-setters were mauled by the cornered tigers of Pakistan. But ever since that balmy night England’s World Cup body-language has screamed indifference. Four consecutive debacles from 1996 onwards gave the impression that they no longer cared about the game’s most prestigious global trophy.This time, however, it could all be different. Could… After all, in the Caribbean back in May, they won their first ICC tournament, after 35 years of failure, when they routed Australia in the final of the World Twenty20. Either side of that they won five consecutive 50-over series – their most prolific sequence in one-day history – starting with a maiden triumph in South Africa in November 2009, and ending with an emotional 3-2 victory over Pakistan in a late-September grudge match at the Rose Bowl.There was no questioning their passion for the format in those ten months, but as ever with England, their progress over 50 overs comes with a caveat. In their most recent series in Australia last month, they were crushed 6-1 – the identical scoreline by which they succumbed in their previous series defeat, in England in 2009. On both occasions, the team was emotionally spent after gruelling Ashes victories, and it remains to be seen whether they can rouse themselves for another seven-week trek, so soon after completing their single biggest objective of the winter.All the same, they’ve certainly planned for the World Cup as if they intend to give it their best short. The piecemeal selections that were a feature of the early 2000s have given way to a solid squad mentality, and whether or not England confound their recent tournament reputation, it can no longer be said that they are an accident waiting to happen. Emboldened by Andy Flower, their hard-bitten Zimbabwean coach, and following the lead of their captain Andrew Strauss, whose freedom of expression has revived a one-day career that spluttered to a halt in the last campaign in the Caribbean in 2007, they are a side that no opponents will dare to take lightly.But can England really be considered contenders once again? After all, it wasn’t so long ago – November 2008 to be precise – that they were thrashed 5-0 on the one-day leg of their tour of India, and of all their World Cup embarrassments, few can rival the last Asian event in 1996 for sheer unrelenting awfulness. But times can change quickly in international sport. After all, it wasn’t so long ago that many of these same players were inflicting three innings beatings on the once-mighty Australian Test team. Desire counts for so much at this level. If England can want the World Cup as badly as they wanted the Ashes, they’ll bring themselves that much closer to contention.World Cup pedigree
England have hosted more tournaments (four) than any other country, and they’ve appeared in more finals (three) than any team other than those serial champions, Australia (six). Unfortunately, that is the full extent of their achievements in the World Cup. Since 1992, they have won 13 out of their 25 fixtures across four tournaments, but eight of those have come against associate nations, and a further two against Zimbabwe (in 1999) and Bangladesh (in 2007). Their most recent outing was a one-wicket win in a dead rubber against West Indies in Barbados, which leaves two results of which to be proud – an eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka in 1999, and a James Anderson-inspired crushing of Pakistan four years later. On neither occasion, however, did England emerge from the group stage.Form guide
Impressive, going on hopeless. If England’s home-and-away series wins over Bangladesh were to be expected, then to topple both South Africa and Australia in quick succession was unquestionably eye-opening, even if the Aussie 3-2 victory was bookended by that brace of 6-1 thrashings by the same opponents. (Even if, as we’ve already discussed, England weren’t really trying for those matches …).On those occasions when they put their minds to it, England’s seam attack has the courage of its convictions in both attack and defence (and as often as not, those two disciplines have ended up being one and the same anyway), while Graeme Swann’s unwavering confidence lends a new degree of menace where England used to be content to meander through the middle overs. But the most crushing blow to their fortunes is the loss of Eoin Morgan, their likeliest match-winner in any given run-chase, and a player who could have had the world at his feet on the improvisation-friendly pitches of the subcontinent.Expert eye
Angus Fraser: England have not coped particularly well with limited- overs cricket on the subcontinent. They played on some subcontinental-style pitches against Pakistan in the English summer and were beaten. Ian Bell can adapt, and Kevin Pietersen is always a class act. So batting will be their strength. They have become a very good fielding side too. The weakness will be the fast bowling, as Jimmy Anderson won’t be that effective with the ball not swinging a huge amount. England will bank on Swann and Michael Yardy on the slow pitches.Where they’re likely to finish
Much will depend on the focus that exists after the squad’s insultingly brief stopover in the UK following more than 100 days in Australia. But assuming they can put the last month to one side and pick up where they left off in the English home season, a semi-final slot ought to be the minimum objective.Watchability
In Morgan’s absence, the onus reverts to the shoulders of Pietersen, a player who has been allowed to coast in recent contests, but whose impact when he ups the tempo remains second to none. If he rediscovers the hard-hitting form that won him the Man of the Series award in the World Twenty20, then England will still be in possession of one of the tournament’s most alluring drawcards.Key players
Pietersen misplaced his mojo for much of 2010, as he struggled to pick up where he had left off in early 2009, prior to the ankle injury that laid him low in that summer’s Ashes. But as a man for the big occasion he is unrivalled in England’s ranks – let’s not forget he pitched in with two hundreds in their doomed World Cup campaign four years ago. His opponents may well wonder if his best years are behind him, but none of them would dare to presume such a thing.After a seven-year gap between his first and second international match, Swann‘s star has been in the ascendancy ever since he marked his return to England’s ranks with a starring role in Sri Lanka in late 2007. His skill, confidence, prodigious powers of spin, and attacking mentality have revived the classical offspinner’s art, with barely any need for a doosra in his armoury. The number of times he has struck in the first over of a spell, in all formats, is extraordinary, and he takes particular delight in tormenting left-handers. If he enjoys a good tournament, England can expect to go far.But sadly, their key player remains the one who’s got away. Morgan‘s extraordinary repertoire and ice-cool temperament have arguably been the single biggest factor in the team’s one-day renaissance. Quite simply, with a player of his class in the ranks, there was no longer any reason not to take the format seriously. Each of his three hundreds to date for England have been magnificent and match-sealing, but the team must now prove that his broken finger hasn’t broken their hopes.

The Pakistan players who took part in the now-defunct Indian Cricket League (ICL) face a bleak future in trying to secure payments of US$2 million still owed to them. Officials who ran the league, which wasn’t officially recognised by the BCCI or the ICC, have refused to respond to Moin Khan, the former Pakistan captain, who coached the popular Lahore Badshahs side in the league and represented the players as well.The league, which attracted a huge number of international players who were subsequently banned by their home boards for playing in an unsanctioned league, actually pre-dated the IPL. It was city-based, but ownership patterns were different; the entire league was owned and run by Essel Pvt Ltd, which owns the Zee group of companies. But it soon ran into financial difficulties and organised its last season in 2008-09, Lahore beating Hyderabad Heroes in a best-of-three final.Since then, the 19 Pakistan players who played in the league, including former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf and allrounder Abdul Razzaq, have served a legal notice to league officials but have not heard from them. “None of the officials are picking up the phone now, we’ve been trying them for months,” Moin told ESPNcricinfo. “We’ve been paid three-fourth of the entire payment we were owed but they still owe us for last season. Not just the players, but support staff and other officials; we’re owed US$2.2 million.”It isn’t just players from Pakistan who are owed money. Tim May, chief executive FICA (the world players’ body), has been in contact with a number of players from around the world about outstanding payments. “It’s not just us,” Moin said. “Millions of dollars are owed to players from Australia, New Zealand, West Indies. We’ve been in constant contact with Tim May but we’ve been told now that a legal process could be very lengthy, expensive and not guarantee that we get our money.”Additionally, strained political and diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan make the prospect of cross-border legal action even more complicated and prolonged. “We don’t know what to do anymore,” Moin said. “We were told so many things by Himanshu Mody and Subhash Chandra and now there is nothing from them.”Former Test fast bowler Shabbir Ahmed also expressed his frustration with the way affairs had panned out. “I don’t regret my decision [in joining the ICL],” he told the . “When ICL organisers negotiated with us, their offers were huge. But it’s been two years and they still haven’t cleared our dues.”

Shane Shillingford, the West Indies offspinner, has been dropped from the Windwards Islands squad for next month’s Caribbean T20 following his suspension from bowling in international cricket on Tuesday after his action was found to be illegal. Analysis of his action in Perth revealed that his mean elbow extension was 17 degrees, which is above the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the laws.”We have taken the decision to pull him out of the Caribbean T20 tournament and he will be going to the High Performance Centre in Barbados at the beginning of January where he will commence three-months training,” said Emmanuel Nanthan, president of the Dominica Cricket Board and the Windward Islands Cricket Board chief. “It is hoped that at the end of his stint a second test will be done on his action with the view of getting him back for the Test series in 2011.”Shillingford had been reported for a suspect action after the first Test in Sri Lanka in November by on-field umpires Steve Davis and Richard Kettleborough, along with third umpire Asad Rauf and fourth umpire Tyron Wijewardene. The umpires’ report cited concern over the straightening of Shillingford’s arm while he bowled some deliveries.Nanthan said the WICB was working to rectify the situation and had sought out independent tests of the bowler’s action. “We have received the report from the University of Western Australia and that there is still more information that we have requested.””As a matter of fact, the WICB is making a request for footage on the testing that was done on Shane. That information will then be submitted to a company in the UK for independent analysis on behalf of the WICB. In the meantime, we want to ensure that Shane remains focused for that battle that is a head and that he is well prepared to get back on the international scene as quickly as possible.”21-year-old Vincentian legspinner Keron Cottoy will replace Shillingford in the 14-man Windwards squad.

Pakistanis 234 for 8 (Misbah 99*, Vettori 3-26, Marin 3-52) trail NZC XI 384 all out (McCullum 206, Tanvir 4-63, Gul 3-61) by 150 runs
ScorecardMisbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, defied the New Zealand bowlers with an unbeaten 99•Getty Images

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, who was rested for the Twenty20 series against Pakistan, picked up three wickets on the second day of the tour game against the Pakistanis, who were struggling in Whangarei despite captain Misbah-ul-Haq’s unbeaten 99. New Zealand, who ended the first day on a comfortable 342 for 4, collapsed to 384 all out on the second morning. Fast bowlers Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir, who shared seven wickets between them, ran through the New Zealand middle and lower order as New Zealand lost 6 for 42.The Pakistani innings got off to a disastrous start as Chris Martin’s early burst left them reeling at 22 for 3 after seven overs. Mohammad Hafeez was the first to go, caught behind off Martin in the first over before Taufeeq Umar was dismissed similarly in Martin’s next over. Younis Khan soon followed, also caught behind for 7.At 39 for 4, when Azhar Ali was trapped lbw by Trent Boult, a familiar Pakistani batting collapse looked imminent but it was avoided through Misbah’s efforts. He had a solid first Test series as captain, scoring three-half-centuries in two matches against South Africa and he continued to be in good touch. He and Asad Shafiq steadied the innings with a 52-run fourth-wicket partnership before Shafiq was dismissed by Vettori.That brought wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal to the crease, who played positively, hitting seven boundaries in his 31-ball 35. His partnership of 57 with Misbah carried Pakistan to 148 before he was dismissed by James Franklin. Misbah also received good support from Abdur Rehman (20) and Umar Gul (24), as the Pakistani lower order showed some fight. Vettori dismissed both Rehman and Gul and Pakistan ended the day on 234 for 8, still trailing New Zealand by 150 runs with Misbah unbeaten on 99.The first Test between Pakistan and New Zealand begins in Hamilton on January 7 and while the visitors will be pleased at how their bowlers bounced back on the second day, the indifferent form of their batting will be a worry.

India fast bowler Zaheer Khan has been ruled out of the deciding third Test against New Zealand in Nagpur due to a groin strain. Left-arm seamer Jaidev Unadkat has been called in as his replacement. The injury resulted in Zaheer missing a good part of the fourth day of the second Test in Hyderabad, where he left the field during New Zealand’s second innings, and the bulk of the fifth day when he bowled just three overs. The decision to leave him out of the third Test is a precautionary measure.Zaheer’s absence was felt in Hyderabad as India struggled to make inroads and New Zealand, led by Brendon McCullum, steered the Test to a draw. Zaheer had triggered India’s fightback in the first innings after New Zealand had taken the first-day honours, and helped bowl the visitors out for 350. His injury means Ishant Sharma could be drafted in for the final game to partner Sreesanth, who picked up four wickets in the Hyderabad Test.Unadkat, who will take Zaheer’s place in the squad, represents Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy and has picked up 26 wickets in six first-class games at an average of 26.34

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
It was business as usual for Virender Sehwag•AFP

New Zealand were given an early glimpse of the difficult task ahead of them in India as the home team moved into a commanding position on the first day in Ahmedabad. Virender Sehwag sprinted to a century in just over a session while Rahul Dravid compiled an old-school Test hundred – starting off cautiously and opening up once set – to put India on course for a mammoth first-innings total.India were thrilled at winning the toss on a track with little in it for either spinners or the quicks: MS Dhoni had a huge grin when he said, “Well, of course we want to bat,” while Harbhajan Singh, watching from the boundary, threw his hands up in jubilation on hearing the news.After that, it was a Sehwag treat for the sprinkling of fans who had turned up at Motera. In the third over, he jokingly signaled for a free-hit after Chris Martin overstepped. There aren’t any in Tests, but that didn’t stop Sehwag from carving the next delivery through covers for four to get his first runs. Two more off-side boundaries rounded off the over, and there was no slowing him down after that, despite several short deliveries to stop the drives.Sehwag predominantly scored through the off side, cutting deliveries that were even fractionally wide, and skipping away from the stumps to play inside-out shots off the spinners. Despite going at a run-a-ball, there was none of the violence usually associated with that rate of scoring; he relied mostly on timing and placement as he peppered the off side for 18 boundaries.India were 60 for 0 in the 12th over, the New Zealand attack was looking blunt, and Sehwag was enjoying himself, laughing after slipping while taking a single. Part-timer Jesse Ryder, though, got the final delivery of that over to move in a touch and had Gautam Gambhir inside-edging onto the stumps. It ended an innings where Gambhir had struggled for fluency as he searched for his form of 2009. He fed on leg-side offerings from debutant Hamish Bennett, who bowled with plenty of pace but didn’t trouble the batsmen too much.

Smart Stats

• During their 60-run stand for the opening wicket, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag became India’s most prolific opening pair, going past the aggregate of Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan. Their batting average is third in the list of most successful opening pairs (minimum 3000 runs).

• Sehwag made his 14th score of over 150 in Tests, bringing him level fourth with Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh. Only Sachin Tendulkar (20), Brian Lara (19) and Don Bradman (18) are above him.

• The double-century partnership between Dravid and Sehwag was the 15th time that Dravid was involved in a 200-plus stand and the 12th such occasion for Sehwag. Sachin Tendulkar holds the record among Indian batsmen having been involved in 18 such stands.

• Dravid’s century was his 30th in Tests, taking him past Don Bradman and level sixth with Matthew Hayden on the list of batsmen with most Test centuries.

• Dravid’s century was India’s 400th in Tests and their 132nd century since Jan 1 2000.

Sehwag was unfazed by the loss of Gambhir, taking two fours an over off offspinner Jeetan Patel three times, and galloped to 82 with 15 minutes to go for lunch but couldn’t become only the fifth batsman to make a century in the first session of a match.Dravid, though, was struggling for runs: he was middling many deliveries but stroking them straight to the fielders. His recent form has been a bit of concern – just one half-century in his previous nine innings – and those worries remained as he scratched his way to 20 off 106 deliveries against a weak attack on a flat track. A couple of boundaries off Ryder midway through the session finally gave him some momentum after which he was more aggressive.Sehwag had also toned down his aggression after lunch, and seemed to be struggling with his fitness; he rarely zipped through between the wickets, preferring to jog whenever possible and asked for a runner after tea. He was hardly bothered by the bowling till he was well past his fifth Test hundred of the year – a near run-out in the sixth over being the only major moment of concern.Towards tea, though, he was tiring and offered a slew of opportunities to New Zealand: when on 144 he survived a close lbw call against Daniel Vettori after missing a reverse-sweep, a sharp caught-and-bowled chance in the next over and Bennett misjudged a catch at long-on in the final over before tea. The simplest opportunity came soon after the break when substitute Martin Guptill dropped a skier at midwicket.As Sehwag slacked, Dravid took charge. The sumptuous cuts of old were back, especially against the spinners, and there were several types of on-drives for four as well. He was hit on the head by a Bennett bouncer, but two deliveries later he contemptuously pulled a short ball for four.Sehwag was bowled by Vettori while lazily attempting an inside-out drive, but Dravid reached his 30th Test hundred soon after, moving past Don Bradman in the list of highest century-makers. He had taken only 64 deliveries for his second fifty; his first had come off 151. Though he was dismissed for 104 in familiar fashion – bottom-edging a cut – the 237-run stand with Sehwag had already put India in charge.New Zealand’s bowling was average, with the spinners not extracting much turn and the quick bowlers, Chris Martin and Bennett, rarely beating the bat on the slow track. The talk in the lead-up to the series had been about how New Zealand will be able to take 20 wickets in a Test against the Indian batting juggernaut, and that is a question their think-tank will be pondering over after the first day.

Pakistan limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi has said his country risks running out of neutral venues if there is no resolution to the stand-off between the PCB and the ECB following the fractious series between the two teams that concluded recently.”The Pakistan board should try to take steps to normalise relations with the ECB because Pakistan cricket needs the support of other nations at this stage,” Afridi told the TV channel. “If our relations with ECB don’t improve the options available to us to play at neutral venues would be reduced and this is not good for us.”Pakistan’s tour of England was riven by controversy following a sting alleging that Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt had conspired to bowl no-balls on demand during the final Test at Lord’s. The ICC provisionally suspended the three players, and also launched an investigation into the third ODI at The Oval after receiving information that bookies were aware of certain scoring patterns during the game.The PCB chairman Ijaz Butt then launched an extraordinary attack, pointing a finger at England’s batsmen for their batting collapse in the game. The ECB has plans to pursue legal action against Ijaz Butt unless he makes a public apology, something he has so far refused to do.Pakistan have not hosted international cricket since the terror attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009, and the spat with England could rob them of a viable alternate venue for home games. “I think in the existing circumstances, when Pakistan cricket is going through tough times, we should make the best use of the neutral venues available to us,” said Afridi.

The ICC’s suspension of the three Pakistan players linked to the spot-fixing scandal is the first time cricket’s governing body has suspended cricketers under its anti-corruption code. The clause for provisional suspension was included in the code less than a year ago.The Anti-Corruption Code for Players and Player Support Personnel was updated and came into force on October 6, 2009 after unanimous approval from all ICC member nations. The updated code has also instituted an independent panel to investigate the matter, which cannot include the member country involved – in this instance, Pakistan.On Thursday, the ICC took the unprecedented decision to suspend Pakistan’s captain Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, who are at the centre of the allegations concerning the Lord’s Test. They announced the decision hours after the PCB said that the players had decided to “opt out” of the remainder of the series against England, and added that they had not been suspended by the board.An ICC press release, however, said the three players had been charged with “various offences under Article 2” of the code “relating to alleged irregular behavior during, and in relation to, the fourth Test”. ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat announced that the players would have 14 days to respond to the charges.The players can contest their suspensions under the system of a provisional hearing. The burden will rest on the ACSU to establish a “strong, arguable case” for the charges made against the players, which in the circumstances could have “seriously undermined the integrity of the sport”.Under Article 4.6 of the anti-corruption code, relating to provisional suspension, the three Pakistan players cannot play any cricket. They will also be prevented from participating or being involved in any “other kind of function, event or activity (other than authorised anti-corruption education or rehabilitation programmes) that is authorised, organised, sanctioned, recognised or supported in any way by the ICC, a national cricket federation or any member of a national cricket federation”.According to the code, a charge is laid and a suspension decided upon only after the ACSU’s general manager consults with the ICC’s chief executive and the head of the legal department. Any player ultimately found to be guilty of committing an offence under the code would be subject to the sanctions described in Article 6. In this case, the alleged offences, if proved, would involve the imposition of a ban. There is also a possibility, at the discretion of the independent tribunal, that a fine would be imposed in addition to a ban.A full hearing needs to be convened within three months of the imposition of the provisional suspension, after which the player can apply to the ICC Code of Conduct Commission for his suspension to be lifted.

Graham Onions, the England pace bowler, will undergo surgery next week on a career-threatening back injury which will rule him out of action for up to nine months. He has been plagued by a stress fracture since returning from England’s tour of Bangladesh in March and hasn’t played for Durham this season, but until recently retained hope of making a late push for the Ashes squad.A couple of months ago he was targeting a return to county action for the final few weeks of the season but when he bowled at Lord’s recently, under the supervision of the ECB medical staff, he suffered a further reaction and now surgery has been ruled as his only option.”Obviously I’m shattered to have been ruled out of the Ashes with the prospect of a lengthy recovery period,” he said. “After experiencing the euphoria of being part of an Ashes-winning England team last year, I was determined to get myself fit for selection ahead of this winter’s tour of Australia.”Unfortunately that’s not to be and, even though we have tried every possible form of treatment, surgery is the only option left. While I’m devastated to be facing such a long lay-off from cricket, I’m determined to overcome this setback and make sure I get back bowling again next year and work my way back into England calculations.”It’s been a difficult period for me but I realise that I have to have this operation if I want to play cricket again. I want to thank the ECB medical team for all their ongoing hard work and support.”Onions had enjoyed an impressive start to his international career with a five-wicket haul on debut against West Indies, at Lord’s, in 2009 before playing in three of last year’s Ashes Tests. However, his finest hours came with the bat when he twice denied South Africa victory during the winter series, fending off final overs from Makhaya Ntini at Centurion Park and Morne Morkel at Cape Town.”Graham has been suffering from ongoing discomfort due to stress fractures on both sides of his back,” Nick Peirce, the ECB chief medical officer, said. “We have thoroughly exhausted all avenues of conservative treatment and rehabilitation with surgery very much seen as a last resort.”Unfortunately Graham has not responded to these forms of treatment and as a result we have no option left but to undertake a course of treatment involving surgery. The surgery Graham faces is a relatively significant operation and his rehabilitation will see him ruled out of all cricket for approximately up to nine months.”His rehabilitation will be overseen and carried out by the ECB medical team in conjunction with the medical staff at Durham.”

Kent have replaced the famous lime tree that grew within the playing area of the St Lawrence ground at Canterbury, after the original blew down in strong winds back in January. A short ceremony took place at 11am on Tuesday, March 8, one that was made all the more poignant by the recent death of the club president, Brian Luckhurst, who succumbed to cancer last week.Luckhurst had been due to conduct the ceremony, but instead the duties were carried out by his precedessor, Robert Neame, who oversaw the repositioning of a sapling that had been planted on the boundary’s edge in 1999, when the club first became aware of the poor state of the old tree.Chris Cowdrey, the former Kent and England captain, read a poem entitled “Farewell the St Lawrence Lime”, which was written by a Kent fan shortly after the January storm. The show must go on,” Cowdrey said, in reference to Luckhurst’s untimely death. “We’ll try and make it a celebration rather than a sad occasion.””There has been a lime tree on the boundary’s edge for as long as cricket has been played on the St Lawrence Ground,” said Carl Openshaw, the club chairman. Under special rules that were adapted for Kent’s – and the tree’s – benefit, it was deemed that any shot that struck the tree, no matter how high or low on its branches, would count as four runs.Kent are hoping to make a range of mementos from the wood of the original tree, which was over 200 years old.