It was a Thursday afternoon and the crowd was packed at Sardar Patel Stadium, backing their team in the numbers. Australian Captain Ricky Ponting won the match and elected to bat, probably due to the dry pitch and India’s history of chasing targets. India had brought Raina into the side to strengthen their middle order in place of Yusuf Pathan.

Australian batsmen Haddin and Watson began the proceedings. It was a watchful start. Each team seemed to have done their homework. Ashwin, who had played well in the previous game, was brought in early into the attack. The faith of the captain on him paid off when he took the first wicket, of Watson. Watson attempted to play an offensive stroke, misjudged the ball, which went on to hit his off stump.

Ponting, who had scored only 100 runs in his past 5 innings, walked in next. Haddin, Ponting having spent time on the pitch, was looking quite comfortable and provided Ponting time to settle in. They built a moderate partnership and were starting to look dangerous at 100/1 by the end of the 20th over, when Yuvraj Singh got back in action once again, this time with the ball. He took Haddin’s wicket and the runs dried up post that.

Indian spinners then made the Australian batsmen toil for their runs. Also, the fall of wicket at regular intervals kept breaking any momentum being built.

The highlight of the match was Ricky Ponting, who looked like a man on a mission. He silenced his critics with his gameplay, finely crafting 104 of 113 balls. This helped Australia get to a reasonable total of 260. Among the Indian bowlers Singh, Ashwin and Khan took two wickets each. Zaheer Khan became second leading wicket taker in the tournament with this game.

It was a fifty-fifty situation when the next innings began, with Tendulkar and Sehwag walking in to the crease. The atmosphere was electrifying, with the crowds roaring to the shots played by the batsmen. Australia was up to its old tricks again, using the short ball against the Indian batsmen. And the tricks paid dividends too, with Sehwag getting caught while trying to pull a bouncer. The little master took responsibility on his shoulders to ride his team through built a partnership with Gambhir. Gambhir looked shaky initially but soon gained confidence.

The match seemed to be tilting in India’s favour, when Tait bowled a smooth delivery tricking Tendulkar, who nicked it on its way to the keeper. Tendulkar, however, had done some damage till thenand also reached 18,000 runs and 94th ODI half-century in the process. Post Tendulkar’s dismissal, Kohli and Gambhir continued the momentum, with Kohli playing a cameo innings of 24 runs.

A number of partnerships in the middle order helped India take control of the game And it was not until the freak run-out of Gambhir that the match turned back in favour of the Aussies. Ricky Ponting used all the tricks in his bag to build pressure on the Indians and Lee dismissed MS Dhoni next, bringing the Indians down to 5. Was this the beginning of another collapse?

With still 70 runs left to get and 12 overs in hand for India, it could have been anyone’s game at that point of time And it was uptoYuvraj Singh and Raina to set things straight for their team. Yuvraj was back for his side as he had been in earlier matches in the tournament. He went on to score his 3rd half-century of the tournament. Raina too showed that the selectors had made the right choice by selecting him. Both the batsmen played a number of splendid shots without taking many risks. No Australian bowler was able to pose a serious challenge to the the two beyond a period of time. Australia seemed gravely in need of another Shane Warne.

Yuvraj finally wrapped things up for India, booking a place for his team in the semi-finals against Pakistan on Wednesday, March 30 2011. The Men in blue were jubilant about defeating Australia- a kind of retribution against the defeats they have suffered at the hands of Australia prior.

Match Summary:

India 261(Y.Singh 57, Tendulkar 53, D Hussey 1-19) by 5wickets beat Australia 260 (Ponting 104, Haddin 53, Y.Singh 2-44) .

Man of the Match: Yuvraj Singh

The Australian leg-spin great said Ricky Ponting’s team may pay for a lack of match practice in the longer form of the game before the series opener in Brisbane on November 25.

“I think it’s in shambles, to be honest, and this is so unfair on our players when they’re preparing for a much-anticipated Ashes series,” Warne told the Herald-Sun newspaper on Thursday.

“They basically have two Tests in India in October and that’s it until the Ashes, as far as the longer form of the game is concerned. You can get away with limited match practice prior to a series against Pakistan or the West Indies, but not an in-form England,” he added.

In contrast, England are playing Pakistan in a three-Test home series this month before they have two three-day games and one four-dayer in Australia ahead of the Brisbane Test.

Warne, who bagged 708 Test wickets, said England have a more settled line-up in the countdown to the Ashes, while Australia’s selectors are not sure about their best eleven.

“I think they’re in two minds about what their best batting and bowling line-ups are going into in such a crucial series,” he said.

But Warne remained confident Australia could regain the Ashes, although he was wary following England’s demolition of Pakistan in the first Test at Trent Bridge last weekend.

“England is settled and they’re clicking at the right time,” Warne said. “We’ll need to be at our best because England aren’t overawed or intimidated by Australia. Graeme Swann is the most improved bowler in world cricket and Jimmy Anderson is in great form. They have the ability to take 20 wickets in a match and that’s what it comes down to.”

England hold the Ashes after winning the last series 2-1 at home.

Afridi made the announcement moments after leading Pakistan to a 150-run defeat by Australia in the first Test at Lord’s here on Friday. The batsman, who was out slogging for 2 on Friday, said he doesn’t have the temperament for the five-day game and that as he decided to quit tests as soon as he was dismissed in the second innings.

“I’ve not been fully fit with a side strain and so I will not play Test cricket after the match in Leeds,” Afridi said.

“I did the wrong thing,” he told BBC’s Test Match Special when asked about his decision to return to Test cricket after concentrating on one-dayers and Twenty20s in recent years. “I think my temperament is not good enough for Test cricket and I am struggling with a side injury. I think maybe the next Test will be my last. The Pakistan Cricket Board asked me to play Test cricket, I wasn’t thinking about it.”

“With my temperament I can’t play Test cricket,” Afridi said. “It would be better if a youngster comes in my place, probably a genuine batsman or even a genuine bowler. I picked up a side injury during the Asia Cup and unless you are 100 percent fit you can’t perform in Test cricket.”

“I wasn’t interested in playing Test cricket but the board asked me to go and take a look as they didn’t have a choice. So I took up the responsibility. They asked me to take a chance and may be I would enjoy it. But I wasn’t really enjoying Test cricket, still I tried. I wasn’t good enough. A captain should lead by example which I did not. And if I play the way I played in this match it is better to leave,” he said.

Afridi’s announcement meant that Pakistan, who are set to promote vice-captain Salman Butt, were preparing for their sixth Test captain in three years.

Since Inzamam-ul-Haq retired in 2007, Shoaib Malik, Younus Khan, Mohammad Yousuf and Afridi have all led Pakistan, infamous for their instability, in the five-day format. By contrast, Australia have had just four regular Test captains in 25 years – Allan Border, Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh and current skipper Ricky Ponting.

A perplexed Ponting told reporters, “I don’t know exactly what has happened. Funny things happen around the Pakistan side.”

Afridi was parachuted into the leadership after Yousuf and Younus were both omitted from the squad for this tour following bans imposed in the wake of Pakistan’s 3-0 series loss in Australia earlier this year. Afridi slogged what was just his fourth ball, from part-time off-spinner Marcus North — who finished with a Test-best six wickets for 55 runs – and was caught on the boundary on Friday. Afterwards Afridi, nicknamed ‘Boom Boom’ for his hard-hitting approach to batting, told a news conference it had been an irresponsible shot.

“The captain should be an example for the youngsters but that was not an example. I was in two minds whether to play my natural game or whether to take my time,” added Afridi, who captained Pakistan to the World Twenty20 title at Lord’s in 2009. “You can say I was weak mentally…I’m not good enough for Test cricket.”

Asked when he decided to quit Test cricket, Afridi replied bluntly,”When I got out.”

After the Australia series, Pakistan stay in Britain for four Tests against England and Afridi said opener Butt, who top-scored in both Pakistan innings at Lord’s with 63 and 92, should take over the captaincy. “Salman is showing his maturity. He’s good enough to take over this team as captain.”

Yawar Saeed, the Pakistan tour manager, told AFP later in the day, “Yes, he (Afridi) has told us he is not feeling comfortable with the injury and has told us he doesn’t want to play (Tests) but we will talk to him and then decide.”

But Pakistan coach Waqar Younis appeared to have already accepted Afridi’s decision to call time on his Test career. “He believes that he can’t (go on) and it’s hard to pressure him,” the former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar told Sky Sports. “It was tough out there and he couldn’t really manage it and that’s one big reason for this.”

However, Waqar said he hoped Afridi would continue in limited overs cricket. “He will look only to play one-day and T20 cricket now,” Waqar said. “For sure he will come back for that and probably as captain. We really hope he will come back for that.”

The 30-year-old Afridi has played 27 Tests since making his debut against Australia in Karachi in 1998, scoring 1,716 runs at an average of 36.51, with five hundreds and a best of 156 against India in Faisalabad in 2006. He has also taken 48 Test wickets with his leg-breaks.

Australia legspinner Steven Smith claimed his maiden Test wicket by removing Imran Farhat (24) after tea. Salman Butt was unbeaten on 58 for his second half-century of the match and debutant Azhar Ali was unbeaten on 28 as Pakistan needed another 326 runs to win with two days remaining.

Batting was easier in the evening session under blue skies than under the murky black clouds that have hovered overhead for most of the game so far. Pakistan’s hopes of registering a first Test win over Australia in 15 years seems unlikely, considering its first innings of 148 in reply to Australia’s 253. But if the sun keeps shining, Pakistan may just fancy its chances on a good batting wicket. Australia is chasing a seventh straight test win.

Pakistan will need to break the world record run chase of 418 if it is to win, but it has never successfully chased more than the 315 that it scored against Australia in 1994 in Karachi.

Earlier, Australia was all out for 334 in its second innings on the stroke of tea. Its tail added vital runs in the second session with even the No. 10 batsman Ben Hilfenhaus flourishing, registering a Test best score of 56 not out from 84 balls.

Pakistan removed Simon Katich (83) and Marcus North (20), the unbeaten batsmen at the lunch break, without a run being added afterwards. It was the breakthrough Pakistan needed but it was unable to push on, despite Umar Gul’s 4-61.

Katich pushed tentatively and edged a ball just outside off stump from Gul to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, ending his 174-minute stay. Left-handed opener Katich, who resumed on 49, made his fourth consecutive innings of 50 or more and is averaging more than 90 this year.

North followed him to the dressing room next over when he played a loose stroke to a delivery from Mohammad Asif that was much wider. After Smith made 12 before perishing lbw to fellow legspinner Danish Kaneria for the second time in the match, debutant Tim Paine contributed 47.

Hilfenhaus frustrated Shahid Afridi’s team by adding 74 runs for the ninth wicket with Paine and 52 with last man Doug Bollinger, whose 21 also was his test best score. Bollinger was last man out, bowled by a huge Kaneria leg-break.

Hilfenhaus, who drove Asif over cover for six shortly before tea, was able to boast the half-century achievement at Lord’s that his captain Ricky Ponting and India’s Sachin Tendulkar, the two highest scorers in test history, have both failed to do.

Pakistan is playing as the home team even though the match is being staged at a neutral venue because of the precarious security situation back home.

Match Summary:

Pakistan 148 and 114 for 1 (Butt 58*, Azhar 28*) need 326 more runs to beat Australia 253 and 334 (Katich 83, Hilfenhaus 56*, Gul 4-61)

Asif took three wickets for no runs in seven balls on his way to a return of 3 for 53 in 17 overs. Meanwhile his new ball-partner, teenage left-arm speedster, Mohammad Aamer, continued to impress, making early inroads on his way to a haul of 3 for 66 in 18 overs. Australia was in a promising position at 171-2 just before tea, but lost seven wickets for just 51 runs in 23 overs as Asif and Aamer ran through the Australian middle-order.

All Australian batsmen struggled against Pakistan seamers after Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi won the toss and elected to field in overcast conditions.

Only left-handed opener Simon Katich, who made a gritty 80 but should have been lbw for two, got past fifty although Michael Hussey kept Australian hopes alive, remaining unbeaten on 39 , with Doug Bollinger unbeaten on nought, at stumps.

Asif struck with the last ball before tea when he had Clarke lbw for 47 to end a third-wicket stand worth 120 with Katich. And nine balls after the break, Katich pushed uncertainly outside off-stump against Asif and was caught behind by wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal for 80. Katich, who has now scored a half-century in each of his last nine Tests, faced 138 balls with nine fours in more than three hours at the crease.

Three balls later, Marcus North (0) was clean bowled by a peach of an inswinger by Asif which went straight between bat and pad .

Hussey pulled Kaneria for six to bring up Australia’s 200. But Australia were 208 for seven after Test debutants Tim Paine (7) and Steven Smith (1) fell cheaply to Umar Gul and leg-spinner Danish Kaneria respectively.

Mitchell Johnson (3) was then bowled by a Kaneria leg-break, while Ben Hilfenhaus (1) was bowled by Aamer to make it 222-9.

Earlier, Pakistan, looking for their first Test win over Australia in 15 years, saw Aamer, who starred in last week’s back-to-back wins over the Aussies at Edgbaston, strike first when he dismissed opener Shane Watson for four to leave Australia eight for one.

The 18-year-old had already had one close lbw decision against Katich, then on two, rejected when he rapped Watson, playing no stroke, on the pad. English umpire Ian Gould turned down that appeal but next ball Watson again, curiously, padded up.

Gould was in the process of giving him out lbw when the ball trickled onto the stumps and dislodged a bail, meaning Watson was out bowled.

Watson’s exit brought Australia captain Ricky Ponting to the crease in what is being seen as the 35-year-old’s last Test at Lord’s.

Ponting, along with India’s Sachin Tendulkar and the West Indies’ now retired Brian Lara, the other two legends of this generation , had yet to make a Test century at the ‘home of cricket’.

He had made 26 when he clipped Aamer firmly off his pads only for debutant Umar Amin to take an excellent catch at short-leg. A jubilant Aamer collided with Ponting as he celebrated, just as he’d done when dismissing Clarke in the second Twenty20.

But whereas Clarke patted Aamer on the back, Ponting reacted angrily.

The Aamer/Amin combination almost accounted for Clarke, then on four, when the short-leg failed to hold a tough chance.

This is the first of a two-Test series being played in England because international cricket was suspended in Pakistan following the armed attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in March last year.

This match was also the first time a ‘neutral’ Test had been played in England since the 1912 triangular tournament where Australia and South Africa, along with England, made up the competing teams.

Match Summary:

Close of play Day1: Australia 229 for 9 (Katich 80, Clarke 47, Asif 3-53, Aamer 3-66) v Pakistan

Ponting was in charge during the 2005 and 2009 Ashes defeats in England, and led his side to a 5-0 whitewash at home three years ago. Despite being one of the game’s all-time greats with the bat, Ponting knows his future depends on the result of the 2010-11 series.

“I’d probably be looking for a new job if we lose again,” Ponting told the Daily Mail. “It’s as simple as that. I’ve got the biggest eight months of my career coming up.”

Australia face Pakistan and India in two-Test series before the Ashes begin at the Gabba in November and the series is followed by the World Cup 2011.

“It doesn’t get any bigger than that and everything I do between now and April will be geared at getting the most out of myself and, most importantly, the group,” he said. “If I’m able to do that I think there are some pretty special things on the horizon for this team.”

While the Ashes series is likely to determine what Ponting does next, he said he was not weighed down by the significance of the contest.

“I haven’t thought about any added pressure on me,” he said. “I’m just thinking about being the best player I can be and having a significant impact on the Ashes series as a batsman and as a leader. That’s all I can control. I know what it takes to be a good player in a big series and I know what it will take for the rest of the guys.”

Asked if the Ashes and the World Cup win would be a perfect send-off for him, the 35-year-old was non-committal and said he would continue playing as long as he can keep improving.

“I don’t know if there’s ever a perfect time to go,” said Ponting. “We’ll see. I’ve always said if I don’t feel I can play the way I want to or if I can’t improve any more then it will be time to look at what I’m doing. But I’m definitely as motivated as ever and as hungry as I’ve ever been. And after scoring runs at the Oval, I’m feeling more like my old self, too,” said Ponting, who scored a 93-ball 92 in the fourth ODI against England.

England have beaten Australia in their most important encounters over the past year. The run began with their Ashes victory at The Oval and continued with a win in the World Twenty20 final, and now the ongoing one-day series success.

Ponting said England deserved the latest triumph but does not think they have earned bragging rights in all forms of the game.

“We’re still ranked the best side in one-day cricket and No. 2 in Test cricket,” Ponting said. “Until England get their heads above us in all of the tables, superiority will be with us.”

The world champions top order, for the third time in a row, failed to fire as Australia were bowled out for a mere 212 in the third one-day international at Old Trafford here on Sunday.

An attack led by left-arm quick Doug Bollinger and featuring recalled fast bowler Shaun Tait, who between them shared six wickets, then reduced England, cruising at 185 for three, to 203 for nine.

But Tim Bresnan’s 14 not out saw England to a one-wicket win with five balls to spare and gave the hosts an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five match campaign as Australia suffered their first one-day series and tournament loss in eight contests.

“What we have to do now is show a bit of pride in our performances in the last two games and try and salvage whatever we can,” Ponting told reporters ahead of Wednesday’s match at the Oval.  ”It’s a bit of the same old, same old from the first two games, we just didn’t get enough runs again.”

Openers Shane Watson (61) and Tim Paine (44) got Australia off a fine start before the innings fell away and a blunt Ponting added, “Nought for 75 and all out 212 is not good enough – you’re not going to win many games doing that. If there’s a positive to be taken out of the first three games, it’s that we’ve stuck to our task pretty well with the ball.”

While the bowling attack may be depleted, Australia’s top order, with the exception of wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, is at full strength and Paine, the gloveman’s deputy, was the second top-scorer on Sunday.

“We’ve played five games on tour now, so you’d like to think that we’d be making runs on a more consistent basis than we are,” Ponting said.”You’ve got to give England some credit for the way they’ve bowled through the series so far. They’ve executed really well. Their spinners today did a terrific job on a wicket that suited the slower bowlers. I thought (Michael) Yardy and Swann were both very good for them. That built pressure on our batters and we got out.”

One consolation for Australia on Sunday was the form of Tait, playing his first one-day international since February last year.

The 27-year-old quit first-class and Test cricket to protect a suspect shoulder injury not helped by his slingshot bowling action and so concentrate on Twenty20, where he is limited to four overs an innings, and plays in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Rajasthan Royals.

But with only his fourth ball on Sunday, he bowled Craig Kieswetter for nought with a ferocious 95mph yorker that uprooted the opener’s middle stump. Ponting, sensibly, used Tait in short spells and was so nearly rewarded with a stunning victory.

“That was pretty much how we used him in the (2007) World Cup as well,” Ponting recalled. “A couple of overs with the new ball bring him back in the middle or bring him back to new batters, because he’s so dangerous for new batters when they first come to the crease. He’s only been playing Twenty20 cricket for a long time, so I was mindful of not bowling him in too many overs in one spell.”Ponting said.

“Having someone like that, who’s got that firepower and that bit of unpredictability in your team, is always nice to have. It tends to lift the rest of the group as well. It’s no fluke that we had a bit more energy in the field. I thought that with the exception of a couple of wides, everything else was very, very good. It was a welcome return for Shaun,” he added.

It seemed world champions Australia were about to inflict fresh one-day misery on England as the hosts, chasing 268 for victory under the Rose Bowl floodlights, slumped to 97 for four. But a superb 103 not out from left-hander Eoin Morgan, a Middlesex colleague of Strauss, turned the tide and saw England to a four-wicket win in the opening fixture of a five-match series.

Last year Australia, after losing the Ashes, thrashed England 6-1 on English soil in a one-day series and followed that up with a nine-wicket semi-final win en route to lifting the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

A cautious Strauss was reluctant to compare the current England one-day side with the lacklustre outfit of a year ago, saying, “I’d prefer to answer that after five games, not one.”

“We’ve done a lot of things right in this game. The bowlers did a good job to restrict them to 267, and I think at the halfway mark we were in front. But it’s just one game of cricket – and Australia being Australia, they will come back hard at us for these remaining games. Let’s not pat ourselves on the back too much at this stage,” he said.

Certainly the growing influence of former Ireland batsman Morgan, a member of the England side that beat Australia in last month’s World Twenty20 final in Barbados, has been a boon to his adopted country, but Morgan attributed his success over the past year to the hard work that he has put in in the nets with coach Andy Flower.

“Playing against such a big side like Australia, and given the circumstances, I was quite proud of myself,” Morgan said after the squad arrived in Cardiff for the second ODI.

Morgan came in at a critical time for England, who stumbled to 97 for 4 early in his innings. But he demonstrated a cool head and struck 16 boundaries to all parts of the ground. Importantly, Morgan saw the chase of 268 through to the very end, and brought up his hundred with the winning four straight back down the ground. His power was a feature of the innings, and several times he cleared Australia’s infield with ease.

“I’ve learned with experience. I’ve batted at four and five for a long time and been in different situations,” he said. “I’ve made plenty of mistakes and, over the last couple of years, I’ve learned to give myself a lot more time. I’ve worked on the power-hitting and the longer I stay at the crease the more I give myself a chance. I do put in a hell of a lot of hard work. I do a lot of work in my own time and with guys I like to work with. That’s taking nothing away from England, I work quite hard with Andy Flower and the other senior players within the side,” said the former Ireland player.

Australian skipper, Ricky Ponting, meanwhile, insisted that he detected no change in England’s attitude to the one-day game. “Maybe they are getting a few more results now,” Ponting said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean there’s been a change in attitude, it might just mean they are actually playing better and executing their skills when they need to. I thought this (Tuesday’s match) was a pretty even contest, for the majority of the game it was right in the balance.”

The second match of the series takes place in Cardiff on Thursday where England’s final-wicket pair of James Anderson and Monty Panesar somehow clung on for a draw in the first Test against Australia last year.

It was a result that proved to be significant with England going on to regain the Ashes 2-1 in a five-match campaign. But the tailenders’ heroics were marred slightly by various England time-wasting tactics, including sending on the 12th man and the physiotherapist when neither batsman appeared to be suffering any sort of injury at all.

Ponting, asked what he thought about returning to Sophia Gardens, jokingly said, “Is the 12th man going to come on again or something?”

“I haven’t thought about the Test match, we are here to play a one-dayer. But looking at the Test, we’ll probably have a bit of an idea about the wicket might be like, a bit slower and less bounce than this one out here (at the Rose Bowl). We’re 1-0 down with four games to go,” Ponting said. “We’ve got to make sure we are in the best shape we can be physically and mentally for the next challenge we’ve got.”

Finn, who picked up two five-wicket hauls in two tests, was named England’s Man of the Series in the series which concluded on Sunday.

When asked whether Finn would be making his ODI debut too in the upcoming series, skipper Andrew Strauss was non committal but explained why he may not be selected.

“There is no reason why Finn can’t be a one-day bowler, but whether he is ready yet is something we will have to debate,” Strauss was quoted as saying in The Guardian.

“His record is better for Middlesex in four-day than one-day cricket,” said Strauss who is Finn’s county captain. “Workload is an issue as well. Finny has made an impact and he has shown what he is capable of, but it is important that we allow him a bit of time to develop. We don’t need to rush things. He is going to have a long career ahead of him and we need to manage that.”

Afridi has not played a Test since 2006 and in 44 games against Australia across all formats, he has only ever scored one half-century. He will be the third man to captain Pakistan in Tests since the start of 2009 and Ponting is unconvinced that he is one of Pakistan’s best 11 Test players. Ponting said he was confident Australia’s pace attack would be able to counter Afridi’s attacking style in the five-day game.

“Yeah I’m pretty sure we do,” Ponting told AAP. “He hasn’t played much Test cricket of late, has he? If you read between the lines he’s almost in there as that leader and captain, not necessarily one of their best Test players. So we’ll test him out. Even in the one -dayers in Australia last season with our quicks bowling the way they did to him, I think we can sort him out in Test cricket for sure. I see Shoaib Malik’s life ban has been lifted as well, so who knows what happens around their set-up, but we know they’re a dangerous team.”

“I guess with him being captain of the Twenty20 side, it was a natural progression for him to be the Test captain with all the rest of the guys they’ve tried there, not having succeeded. But that’s all irrelevant stuff to us, it doesn’t matter who’s captain and it doesn’t matter who’s playing, we just have to make sure we’re focusing on our little things to be the best team we can be when we play them,” he added.

The two Tests at Lord’s and Headingley could be Australia’s last five-day outings before the Ashes, although their October tour of India could yet include two Test matches. However, Ponting said it was important not to look too far ahead and lose sight of the challenge that Pakistan will pose.

“I guess we speak pretty loosely, don’t we, about looking forward to the Ashes and all that, and we are, but it’s not with both eyes,” he said. “We’ve got one eye on that and one eye on what we need to get in place to make sure we’re the best team we can be for November.”