The artillery comes out at the toss these days

Heads, tails, fight

Bulletin by Shwe Wai

	Shane Warne: Psyching out opponents since 1992

The Twenty20 game obviously moves at a frenetic pace, but in the IPL the drama now begins at the toss itself. The captains' chat with the TV presenter is relayed on the PA and everybody at the ground, including the teams who are practising on the field, get to hear it. Last evening's game between last year's finalists was also a tactical game between two leaders, Shane Warne and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who sparred at the toss.

Warne went first. He said 160 ought to be a par score, before adding that Chennai don't chase well. Dhoni, who was standing a few feet away, heard him out patiently. As Warne meandered away from the pitch after his stint, Dhoni made sure he got his point across. He said the pressure was on Rajasthan to set a good target and that they would know 130-140 wouldn't be enough on this pitch, and that they would need 170-180 to put up a fight.

Some in the crowd cottoned on to the act, but the reaction from the Rajasthan Royals team, who were practicing, was interesting as well. As Dhoni went on with his repartee, which blared around the ground, some stopped their training and turned behind to look and hear Dhoni speak.

In the late 1800s, Fred Spofforth, the Australian bowler, at least once visited the dressing room of the opposition and told the batsmen how he would dismiss them, thus psyching them out. In recent years Glenn McGrath and Warne used the media to sow doubts in the batsmen's mind. Now, in the IPL, the captains seem to go at each other and at the opposition players at the toss.

Teams News in IPL

Kolkata Knight Riders

• Daredevils continue to showcase sense of purpose relentlessly
• Each one of us is responsible: Buchanan

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Kings XI Punjab

• Kings XI Punjab clinch two points in nerve-wracking finish
• Jayawardene is playing fantastic cricket: Yuvraj

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Mumbai Indians

• Mumbai Indians stay in the frame with 16-run win
• Hope we can carry forward this winning momentum: Duminy

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Deccan Chargers

• We allowed them some openings: Gilchrist
• Sneak Preview 36: Deccan Chargers vs. Kings XI Punjab

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Royal Challengers Bangalore

• Mumbai Indians stay in the frame with 16-run win
• Rahul's run out proved costly: Kumble

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Chennai Super Kings

• Chennai Super Kings rise to top with sensible approach
• Badrinath attributes comfort to Hayden's presence

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Delhi Daredevils

• Daredevils continue to showcase sense of purpose relentlessly
• Our bowlers set the game for us: Gautam Gambhir

View all

Rajasthan Royals

• Umpires report Amit Singh's bowling action again
• Chennai Super Kings rise to top with sensible approach

View al

Umpires report Amit Singh's bowling action again

Bulletin by Shwe Wai

KIMBERLEY: Umpires Gary Baxter and Kumara Dharmasena reported Rajasthan Royals fastmedium bowler Amit Singh a second time for a suspect bowling action on certain deliveries during the game against Rajasthan Royals in the DLF Indian Premier League at the De Beers Diamond Oval on Saturday.

At the end of the match, TV footage was obtained and examined by the three umpires including TV umpire Amish Saheba and it was decided that further action was necessary under Law 24.3 of the Laws of Cricket. Javagal Srinath.was the match referee for the game.

Earlier, Umpires Daryl Harper and K. Hariharan reported Amit Singh for suspect bowling action on certain deliveries during the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore at SuperSport Park on May 4. They had been supported by TV umpire Tyron Wijewardene and match referee S. Venkatraghavan.

IPL, which has referred Amit Singh to the Rajasthan Royals team management and the Technical Committee, has once again forwarded the relevant material to the team management and the Technical Committee.

Challenge is to make batsman play his B game: Morne Morkel

Bulletin by Shwe Wai

EAST LONDON: Rajasthan Royals fast bowler Morne Morkel is capable of causing big trouble to the opposition in the DLF Indian Premier League. But the South African did not got a game until Thursday. He was itching to get back to the cricket field. Having seen his brother, Albie Morkel do a decent job for Chennai Super Kings, Morne was waiting to prove himself in the IPL circuit.

In an exclusive interview with iplt20.com, Morne spoke about his team's plans in the race for the semifinals berth.

I’m not the lucky mascot: Neeta Ambani

Bulletin by Shwe Wai

PORT ELIZABETH: Mumbai Indians owner Neeta Ambani's arrival in South Africa brought back the lady luck for the Sachin Tendulkar-led side as they defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by 16 runs in Port Elizabeth on Sunday.

In an exclusive interview with iplt20.com, Neeta Ambani said that she does not consider herself to be a lucky mascot for the team and it all depends upon how the players play to carve out their way to victory.

Naman Ojha wants to make his journey count

Bulletin by Shwe Wai

KIMBERLEY: The India A team wete on tour to Zimbabwe and Kenya five years ago. They moved to Kenya when their No 1 wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik was called up to join the Indian squad for the tours of the Netherlands for a triseries and England for the ICC Champions Trophy 2004.

In Karthik's place, a reserve stumper answering to the name of Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped up and his understudy was an equally unknown Naman Ojha, flown in just for the Kenya leg. Ojha had played for Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket and was expected to be a dasher in the limited-over format.

Dhoni stole the show on the Kenya leg and from there on it was no looking back. Ojha came, saw and left without ever being in the picture again. “I started my cricket at the same time with Dhoni but today he has gone so far ahead. I am still just playing domestic cricket,” Ojha rues in an interview with iplt20.com

But five years on, Ojha has taken the first steps towards being back in the national frame. He just made the 30-man provisional squad for the ICC World T20 but missed out again because Dhoni is numero uno.

But the bigger step-up for him is the fact that the DLF Indian Premier League provides him with the best opportunity to make a comeback with a serious bid. “Yes it is. I was not converting 40s and 50s into big scores. I tried to play too many strokes against the spinners. If you see my record I have scored a lot of 40, 45, 50 but when the spinners come I have been impatient and try to play too many strokes,” reveals Ojha.

Hope we can carry forward this winning momentum: Duminy

Bulletin by Shwe Wai

PORT ELIZABETH: Man-of-the-match JP Duminy said that he was pleased to contribute in a winning cause and hoped that his team could carry on the winning momentum.

Excerpts from the press conference:

On his match-winning contribution: Yeah, I am happy that I contributed to my team’s cause. Obviously, off late I have been scoring a few runs but it was disappointing to see the team lose despite that. It was an important win for us and I am happy to have scored today.

Rahul's run out proved costly: Kumble

Bulletin by Shwe Wai

PORT ELIZABETH: Mumbai Indians rode on the 103-run third wicket partnership between JP Duminy and Ajinkya Rahane to post a challenging target of 157 runs before the Royal Challengers Bangalore and later performed well with the ball to win the DLF Indian Premier League tie by 16 runs at the St George's Park, Port Elizabeth on Sunday.

Quite satisfied and relieved, Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar said it was all thanks to Duminy and Rahane who played brilliantly. "We needed this victory very much. Thanks to JP and Rahane for that valuable partnership. Sanath batted well too. We got everything going according to our plans. Fielding was good and so was our bowling," said Tendulkar.

Mumbai Indians would surely get back on to the track again, he said. "We are all sportspersons and we know how to come out of tough situations. We all know there are tough times and the things to be done in those situations. I don't have to tell my boys everyday about it," said the skipper.

Royal Challengers captain Anil Kumble said Rahul Dravid's run out proved too costly for his team. "Probably Rahul's run out turned the match in their favour. Had he been at the wicket for some more time, things could have been different. He could have taken the match to the end. It was a good wicket and Boucher played a good innings. He tried to finish it off but it was late by then as we had lost too many early wickets," said Kumble.

Our bowlers set the game for us: Gautam Gambhir

Bulletin by Shwe Wai

JOHANNESBURG: It was a brilliant all-round performance by Delhi Daredevils as they cruised to a seven-wicket victory against Kolkata Knight Riders in the DLF Indian Premier League tie at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday. Delhi Daredevils captain Gautam Gambhir attributed the win to the bowlers.

"We are happy to have consolidated our position in the point's table. Our bowlers set the game for us," he said. "Our top order clicked too. So it was a much easy win. We were not chasing a big total, so our gameplan was to keep our wickets intact and accelerate towards the end and we succeeded in that."

Gambhir that there were still five more games to go and they would like to keep the momentum going. "Winning should become our habit now. We will keep up with our performance as we don't want to lose our momentum," he said.

Man-of-the-match Amit Mishra was happy to get the award and said that he was quite satisfied with his bowling in the last three or four games. "I am happy to have taken three wickets today. I have been bowling well in the last few games," he said. "As a leg-spinner, it's not that easy in this format of the game but I am enjoying my bowling. I am just bowling my leg spin and trying to create pressure for the batsmen with my turn."

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Brendon McCullum was a disappointed man again, unable to get his side to find the combination. "We could get enough runs on the board. On this kind of a pitch, we can't think of winning by setting a target of 123 runs. Now our aim is to keep trying and keep the spirits up for the next games," he said.

Knight Riders all-rounder Ajit Agarkar was candid in admitting that nothing had gone well for his team "Honestly, we have not been playing well. We have not been up to the standards. We need to bat well, bowl well and field well," he said. Agarkar was happy to get runs but individual performance hardly mattered in the lost cause.

Our bowlers set the game for us: Gautam Gambhir

Bulletin by Shwe Wai

JOHANNESBURG: It was a brilliant all-round performance by Delhi Daredevils as they cruised to a seven-wicket victory against Kolkata Knight Riders in the DLF Indian Premier League tie at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday. Delhi Daredevils captain Gautam Gambhir attributed the win to the bowlers.

"We are happy to have consolidated our position in the point's table. Our bowlers set the game for us," he said. "Our top order clicked too. So it was a much easy win. We were not chasing a big total, so our gameplan was to keep our wickets intact and accelerate towards the end and we succeeded in that."

Gambhir that there were still five more games to go and they would like to keep the momentum going. "Winning should become our habit now. We will keep up with our performance as we don't want to lose our momentum," he said.

Man-of-the-match Amit Mishra was happy to get the award and said that he was quite satisfied with his bowling in the last three or four games. "I am happy to have taken three wickets today. I have been bowling well in the last few games," he said. "As a leg-spinner, it's not that easy in this format of the game but I am enjoying my bowling. I am just bowling my leg spin and trying to create pressure for the batsmen with my turn."

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Brendon McCullum was a disappointed man again, unable to get his side to find the combination. "We could get enough runs on the board. On this kind of a pitch, we can't think of winning by setting a target of 123 runs. Now our aim is to keep trying and keep the spirits up for the next games," he said.

Knight Riders all-rounder Ajit Agarkar was candid in admitting that nothing had gone well for his team "Honestly, we have not been playing well. We have not been up to the standards. We need to bat well, bowl well and field well," he said. Agarkar was happy to get runs but individual performance hardly mattered in the lost cause.

Mumbai Indians stay in the frame with 16-run win

PORT ELIZABETH: Mumbai Indians kept their chances of making it to the semifinals alive with a 16-run victory built on the back of a century stand by Ajinkya Rahane (62 not out, 49 balls, four fours, one six) and JP Duminy (59 not out, 41 balls, two fours, three sixes) who both made half-centuries against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the St George's Park on Sunday.

The win helped Mumbai Indians to swap positions with Royal Challengers Bangalore and go to the sixth place with nine points from 10 games. They have some tough matches against Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals but the manner in which they played today showed that they are unlikely to go out without a fight.

Opting to take first strike after Anil Kumble called the spin of coin incorrectly, Mumbai Indians were off to a disastrous start, even though they went back to the old firm of Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar to open the innings. Tendulkar was out in the second over, drawn to an outswinger and edging a catch.

Jayasuria played as many as 12 dot balls against a competitive Jacques Kallis before falling leg before wicket to Roelf van der Merwe in the eighth overs but the next 12 overs were all about Rahane and Duminy first pushing back the Royal Challengers Bangalore march and the scoring quickly. The 53 runs in the last five over helped the team post 157 for two in 20 overs.

Delhi wallop Kolkata to go top

Delhi Daredevils v Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL, Johannesburg

The Bulletin by Shwe Wai

Delhi Daredevils 125 for 3 (de Villiers 40*, Warner 36) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 123 for 8 (Ganguly 44, Agarkar 39, Mishra 3-14) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Amit Mishra kept Kolkata on the mat with his triple-strike

The reduced canvas of a Twenty20 game is supposed to shorten the gulf between sides but in Johannesburg there was no hiding the difference in quality between the two teams at opposite ends of the table. Another commanding performance from Delhi Daredevils helped them sweep past struggling Kolkata Knight Riders and regain their No.1 spot. After their bowlers, led by Ashish Nehra and Amit Mishra, had restricted Kolkata to a paltry total, the batsmen - led by AB de Villiers - kept the chase in hand and strolled to victory with seventeen balls to spare.

It initially seemed Brendon McCullum would script a surprise after he swatted the game's second ball for six and jumped out with intent on the next. However, he was wrongly adjudged lbw off Nehra's next delivery, with the ball going over and wide of offstump, and Delhi gained an advantage they never relinquished.

Worse was to follow for Kolkata three balls later, when the reliable Brad Hodge edged to first slip for a duck. Morne van Wyk, one of the few bright spots in Kolkata's campaign, continued the procession by slapping a Dirk Nannes short ball to square leg. By the end of the second over Kolkata had lost three of their foreign recruits for nine runs.

Sourav Ganguly and Yashpal Singh tried to get their side back on the rails. Ganguly carved one into the Kolkata dug-out in the fourth over, and Yashpal collected a couple of hard-hit boundaries in the next. The singles were also being picked off, and Ganguly was looking extremely good, particularly square on the off side.

England v West Indies, 2nd Test, Chester-le-Street Bell and Sidebottom in second Test squad Cricinfo staff May 10, 2009 Ian Bell cuts as he finds

England v West Indies, 2nd Test, Chester-le-Street

Bulletin by Shwe Wai

	Ian Bell has returned to the England squad for the second Test against West Indies

England have recalled Ian Bell and Ryan Sidebottom to their squad for the second Test against West Indies at Chester-le-Street. Monty Panesar's omission is the only change from the first Test squad at a venue not known to assist spin.

Bell started the season with scores of 172 and 108 for Warwickshire, after being told to go back and score big runs following his axe on the tour of the Caribbean, but was overlooked for the No. 3 spot. Ravi Bopara seized his opportunity to bat one-drop with his second Test century, but Bell has been called up on the back of 320 runs in seven first-class innings.

After being left out before the first Test, Bell was told by national selector Geoff Miller to show even more passion about earning a recall although since his early-season centuries he has managed scores of 27 for the England Lions and 37, 30 not out in first-class cricket.

Bell's inclusion means there is the option of playing an extra batsman at Chester-le-Street should conditions seem heavily in-favour of the bowlers, but Andy Flower has made it clear that he is keen on a five-man attack. England's middle order wobbled at Lord's with Kevin Pietersen making a first-ball duck and Paul Collingwood falling for 8.

Sidebottom returns after recovering from surgery on a chronic Achilles injury after the West Indies tour. He has played two Championship matches, claiming seven wickets at 31.42 and will give Andy Flower another seam option. If England make a change to the winning eleven from Lord's, Tim Bresnan would be the player to drop out after being restricted to seven overs on his debut.

"Both Bell and Sidebottom have been in form in the early part of the season and have been a part of the England set-up in recent years," said Miller. "Ryan Sidebottom has recovered from surgery and reports that he is now bowling pain-free.

Delhi bowl as they look to regain top spot

Delhi Daredevils v Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL, Johannesburg

Bulletin by Shwe Wai

Toss Delhi Daredevils chose to bowl against Kolkata Knight Riders
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

	Morne van Wyk and Brad Hodge have been among the bright spots in Kolkata's campaign

The Delhi Daredevils have a chance to regain their top spot when take on the weakest side in the tournament, Kolkata Knight Riders, in Johannesburg. The bad news for them is that Virender Sehwag is still sidelined by his finger injury, but he could be back for Delhi's next game.

Gautam Gambhir, the stand-in captain, said the dryness of the pitch prompted him to choose to bowl on winning the toss in a match that will be played on the track called the '438 pitch'. After two convincing victories in a row, Delhi have decided to not tinker with their combination.

Brendon McCullum, the Kolkata captain, said the side was 'desperate' to turn in a good performance after the abysmal show so far this season. They have had five days off, but return to face the most impressive side of the tournament. They have made only one change, dropping the ineffective Ashok Dinda, and giving medium-pacer Sourav Sarkar a game. That means Mashrafe Mortaza still doesn't make his debut, and there's no place for either Ajantha Mendis or David Hussey.

Rahane and Duminy renew Mumbai's hopes

Royal Challengers Bangalore v Mumbai Indians, IPL, Port Elizabeth

Bulletin by Shwe Wai

Mumbai Indians 157 for 2 (Rahane 60*, Duminy 59*) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 141 for 7 (Boucher 48*, Harbhajan 2-15) by 16 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	JP Duminy and Ajinkya Rahane added 104 for the third wicket to help Mumbai Indians set Royal Challengers Bangalore a challenging target of 158

Pushed into the corner after three successive defeats, Mumbai Indians turned in a fine all-round performance at St George's Park, converting a middling target of 158 into a match-winning one. Sachin Tendulkar failed with the bat, falling for a third-ball duck, but he didn't falter with his captaincy moves. Starting with the promotion of Ajinkya Rahane, who scored an unbeaten 59, it was the bowling changes which proved crucial in the end as they resulted in the fall of four wickets. The wheels came off Bangalore and the game was over when they needed an improbable 40 off the last two overs.

Mumbai had earned their revenge after being vanquished by Bangalore exactly a week ago at the Wanderers. Their defeat to Delhi Daredevils was just as demoralising when their batting imploded. Today, they reworked their batting order, turned in a much more commanding performance and lost just two wickets. A stand of 104 between Rahane and JP Duminy gave their comeback campaign a surge and the momentum rubbed off on the bowlers who all chipped in with equal measure to effect timely breakthroughs and in turn strangle the runs.

Bangalore had the momentum briefly early in the chase when Kallis whipped a couple of stylish boundaries through the on side. The introduction of Dwayne Bravo sent him back as he upper cut a short delivery straight to third man. Robin Uthappa's inconsistency showed up again as he slapped Kulkarni straight to short midwicket before Virat Kohli perished in the same manner. Kohli looked to get on top of the seamers but when Tendulkar brought on Chetanya Nanda, it immediately brought about a wicket.

Rahane and Duminy renew Mumbai's hopes

Royal Challengers Bangalore v Mumbai Indians, IPL, Port Elizabeth

Bulletin by Shwe Wai

Mumbai Indians 157 for 2 (Rahane 60*, Duminy 59*) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 141 for 7 (Boucher 48*, Harbhajan 2-15) by 16 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	JP Duminy and Ajinkya Rahane added 104 for the third wicket to help Mumbai Indians set Royal Challengers Bangalore a challenging target of 158

Pushed into the corner after three successive defeats, Mumbai Indians turned in a fine all-round performance at St George's Park, converting a middling target of 158 into a match-winning one. Sachin Tendulkar failed with the bat, falling for a third-ball duck, but he didn't falter with his captaincy moves. Starting with the promotion of Ajinkya Rahane, who scored an unbeaten 59, it was the bowling changes which proved crucial in the end as they resulted in the fall of four wickets. The wheels came off Bangalore and the game was over when they needed an improbable 40 off the last two overs.

Mumbai had earned their revenge after being vanquished by Bangalore exactly a week ago at the Wanderers. Their defeat to Delhi Daredevils was just as demoralising when their batting imploded. Today, they reworked their batting order, turned in a much more commanding performance and lost just two wickets. A stand of 104 between Rahane and JP Duminy gave their comeback campaign a surge and the momentum rubbed off on the bowlers who all chipped in with equal measure to effect timely breakthroughs and in turn strangle the runs.

Bangalore had the momentum briefly early in the chase when Kallis whipped a couple of stylish boundaries through the on side. The introduction of Dwayne Bravo sent him back as he upper cut a short delivery straight to third man. Robin Uthappa's inconsistency showed up again as he slapped Kulkarni straight to short midwicket before Virat Kohli perished in the same manner. Kohli looked to get on top of the seamers but when Tendulkar brought on Chetanya Nanda, it immediately brought about a wicket.

Hayden and Badrinath mastermind tricky chase

Chennai Super Kings v Rajasthan Royals, IPL, Kimberley

Bulletin by Shwe Wai

20 overs Chennai Super Kings 141 for 3 (Badrinath 59*, Hayden 48) beat Rajasthan Royals 140 for 7 (Muralitharan 2-22) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	S Badrinath's half-century guided Chennai to victory and the top of the table

Matthew Hayden and Shane Warne. Sixty-nine Tests together, the last 12 of them wins, but today they would decide who'd win this IPL game and go to the top of the table. There could be only one winner, and on the night it was Hayden. Chasing 141 Chennai Super Kings were in for a tough one, with the pitch turning square and staying slow and Warne looking like pulling off something special. Hayden, though, attacked clinically, played like a workman in between those assaults, and ensured Chennai beat Rajasthan for the second time in this IPL. He had with him S Badrinath, who went from being a supporting act to a lead player towards the end.

The two teams seemed inseparable till Hayden's one-on-one with with Warne. A disciplined Chennai, with a varied attack and well captained, had kept Rajasthan down to a total that - at the half-way mark - they would have backed themselves to chase. But Rajasthan were equally disciplined, smart, and well led. In the first eight overs, they had limited Chennai to 49 for 2, including Suresh Raina's wicket. Yusuf Pathan was bowling big turners at 95kmph.

More importantly Hayden had faced just 15 of those 48 deliveries. Even more importantly Warne had bowled an over of dip, drift and break when Badrinath couldn't even lay bat to ball. In the ninth over Warne bowled to Hayden for the first time, throwing the first ball wide, which was called wide despite big turn. The next one was flighted wide again, and Hayden decided to reverse-sweep late but perfectly. He then walked down to Warne, as if the keeper was standing back, and got to the pitch and hit him flat over long-on.

That over may have got Chennai only 12 runs, but the statement that Hayden made was huge. Warne was playable again, the required run-rate came back within manageable proportions, and soon Badrinath became comfortable too.

It showed in how Badrinath overtook Hayden's pace in the 16th over, bowled by Shane Harwood. The first ball he scooped over fine leg for six, steered one wide of point for four, whipped another over fine leg, and then upper-cut one over the keeper. This was a man bracketed as a Test batsman yet improvising to each and every delivery of an over, and providing the final game-breaker. He had come a long way in one innings, from looking out of sorts against Warne to finishing the game off.

Symonds gains Ashes backing from Clarke

The Ashes 2009

Bulletin by Shwe Wai

	Michael Clarke knows England will be tough but wants a different result to 2005

Michael Clarke would support Andrew Symonds' reintroduction to the Test team as Australia fight to erase the memories of their 2005 Ashes defeat during the upcoming series. Clarke, the vice-captain, was part of the loss and the quick recapture of the urn in 2006-07, a series where Symonds made a lasting mark.

However, Symonds' position for the five-match series, which starts in Cardiff on July 8, is in doubt - the squad will be named in the next two weeks - following a season of off-field troubles and poor form. He was recalled for the limited-overs engagements in Pakistan, but his struggles with the bat led to Darren Berry, the former Victoria captain, calling him "Australia's luckiest ever cricketer".

"The recent series against Pakistan surely must have been his last chance," Berry wrote in the Sunday Age. "Hitting 82 runs in five innings at an average of 16 is unacceptable."

However, Clarke was satisfied with Symonds' all-round performance during the tour. "He was great to have back around the group in Dubai recently,'' Clarke told the Sunday Telegraph. "Obviously his batting form wasn't as good as what he would've liked, but he brings more to the table than just batting.

"Having him around the group is a very positive thing for Australian cricket. He's coming to the Twenty20 tournament, so I guess that's another opportunity to stake a claim for the Ashes. I'd definitely support him if he was selected.''

The Test series is an important one for Australia as they look to build on their success over South Africa and secure their first win in England since 2001. "It's a huge tour and something as a kid you always look forward to," Clarke said. "From 2007, I've got some really fond memories and what I would like to do is play as well as we did in Australia over in English conditions. It doesn't matter which team you play, it's always harder in their own conditions.

Gayle blames the conditions

West Indies in England 2009

Bulletin by Shwe Wai

	'The majority of the time I was batting out there, that wind was hitting me in the eye and there was a lot of water in the eyes as well'

The West Indies captain Chris Gayle acknowledged that his side have little time to prepare for the second Test against England, on Thursday, but called on his side to adapt to the chilly conditions if they're to square the series at Chester-le-Street.

England headed to an impressively slick ten-wicket win at Lord's yesterday, dismissing West Indies for 256 in their second innings. They collapsed meekly for 152 in the first innings and again in their second, when they lost their last five wickets for just 34 runs, and Gayle was at a loss to explain why.

"It's a tough one to actually answer," he told PA. "It's very disappointing, but we have to try and put that behind us now and have the self-belief to go out and get the job done in Durham. That will be in tough conditions, but we'll just have to cope with it and make sure we are well-prepared. We are looking forward to it."

The tough conditions Gayle spoke of relate to the early start of this year's summer season. With the Ashes acting as the main event, the ECB has had to shoehorn this brief two-Test series just before next month's ICC World Twenty20, and the early cold conditions have unsurprisingly not been to West Indies' liking. John Dyson, the coach, responded to criticism of his side's body language when the team was seen with their hands thrust into their pockets, insisting that they were using hand warmers.

"The majority of the time I was batting out there, that wind was hitting me in the eye and there was a lot of water in the eyes as well," Gayle said. "It makes a big difference, but this is the disadvantage we have to cope with. You just have to tough it out and try to get the job done as well as possible.

Strauss lauds Swann's efforts

England v West Indies, 1st npower Test, Lord's, 3rd day

Bulletin By Shwe Wai

	Graeme Swann cracked his maiden Test fifty while Ravi Bopara (left) made 143 in his first attempt at No.3 © Getty Images

Fresh from England's ten-wicket win over West Indies yesterday, the England captain Andrew Strauss has lauded the efforts of Graeme Swann.

Swann cracked an entertaining 63 in England's first innings and picked up six wickets to earn him the Man-of-the-Match award, and five of his six victims were left-handers, including Shivnarine Chanderpaul whose wicket Swann took twice in the match.

"Swann is an excellent bowler at left-handers in particular," Strauss told PA. "I haven't seen a left-hander play him with real confidence yet. He troubles everyone, has a good variety - and I think he's a smart bowler.

"Possibly the fact he's come in a little bit late in his career means he's had a little bit more time to think about his variations, how to out-think people and get them out.

"We're excited about what he can offer us."

Swann's contribution helped England record their first win at Lord's since 2005 - their first victory in a live Test since beating New Zealand, at Trent Bridge, last June. Swann aside, Graham Onions took 5 for 38 on his Test debut while Ravi Bopara all but cemented his position at No.3 when he stroked a sublime 143.

"We played some pretty clinical cricket," Strauss said. "We were in some trouble on day one - and the way, in particular, that Ravi stood up and showed his temperament under pressure is really encouraging. It was crucial to the outcome of the Test match. "It was not easy to bat on day one - the wicket was a bit green and nipped around a bit - and someone needed to front up and play the conditions well.

"He did that, and it's really encouraging when you see that from a guy who hasn't played a lot before - because it's an examination of his temperament and character.