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Jacob Oram says the sweeping changes to New Zealand’s coaching staff last December is one of the things motivating him to continue playing international cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2011Jacob Oram, the New Zealand allrounder, says the fresh feel to the New Zealand setup after they made sweeping changes to their coaching staff last December is one of the things motivating him to continue playing international cricket. Oram underwent knee surgery in August 2010 and, after making a comeback this January, had suggested he might retire after the 2011 World Cup. However, he now says he is looking to carry on till next year’s World Twenty20.”This new era is one of the reasons I wanted to keep playing,” Oram told . “I talked a lot this time last year about how if I came back from knee surgery, the World Cup might be my last tournament. I had a good World Cup, my body felt good and there was no reason to stop.”But another reason is that I see a lot of excitement in the current crop of players and also the changing of support staff. That’s no disrespect to the previous support staff. Everything is so new I think it’s injected this enthusiasm into the squad that hopefully I can feed off and make me feel a few years younger.”After their loss 0-4 loss in an ODI series in Bangladesh last year, New Zealand conducted a review into their cricket. In December, John Wright replaced Mark Greatbach as coach and a host of changes in the support staff followed.Oram has retired from Tests but is a part of the squad for the limited-over leg of New Zealand’s tour of Zimbabwe, their first assignment since the World Cup. But he admitted it had been hard getting back to training for this season. Following New Zealand’s run to the semi-final of the World Cup, during which Oram took 12 wickets and was Man of the Match in the quarter-final, he played in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals and then took June off.”When I started training again in July, I remember the first couple of sessions I had in the gym and I had absolutely zero motivation,” Oram said. “It was very hard for me to get back into it because for so long my goal and what I thought would be my last goal for cricket was the World Cup.”Deciding to keep going was more a mental thing than a physical thing but I have reset my targets and my new goal is next year’s World Twenty20, which is only 11 months away. That’s what I am working towards and where I want to peak again, and maybe that’s the line in the sand for my career. Those motivation levels are right up there again and the body is feeling good and I can’t wait to get going again.”New Zealand will be favourites for the Twenty20 international and ODI series in Zimbabwe, which starts with the first T20I in Harare on October 15. However, Oram said they would not be taking anything for granted.”I think the key to this tour is not getting complacent, not taking Zimbabwe lightly because if we are honest with ourselves, even though we had a very good World Cup, we are not the most consistent side. We really have to start treating every match we play like it’s a World Cup knockout game just so we can put performances on the board that warrant our talent level.”

England’s bowlers fought their way through dogged batting, the absence of DRS for lbws and some sloppy catching to avoid a repeat of Lord’s 2007 and finish a comprehensive win

The Report by Sidharth Monga25-Jul-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outJames Anderson helped England avoid a repeat of Lord’s 2007•Getty ImagesEngland’s bowlers fought through dogged batting, the absence of DRS for lbws and some sloppy catching to avoid a repeat of Lord’s 2007 – when India saved the Test – and completed a comprehensive win 28.3 overs before the scheduled close of a gruelling final-day scrap.India’s four big hopes survived 93, 113, 56 and 68 deliveries, which meant England had to work for wickets and also that they never let those batsmen feel they were in. James Anderson took out Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar, although it could be argued that he struck the knockout blows after Stuart Broad and Chris Tremlett had softened the batsmen up.Although there were two dropped catches and two controversial not-out lbw decisions, it all went down in a manner suggesting England had scripted it thus. They wouldn’t have budgeted for the strongest resistance to come from Suresh Raina, who proved he belonged with a fighting 78, but by the final session Anderson was in red-hot form. He completed his 11th five-for by breaking through that final piece of Indian fight with a beautiful inswinger from round the stumps. Initially Anderson had fed off the immense pressure created by Tremlett and Broad, and Graeme Swann contributed by accounting for one of the best players of spin today, Gautam Gambhir.It was just as well that England finished India off and avoided what would have become a major controversy had India hung on with one wicket in hand. The dreaded scenario of disagreement between Hawk-Eye and the umpire occurred twice in potentially crucial circumstances. Broad had comprehensive cases for lbw against Tendulkar and Raina, and would have successfully challenged the original not-out decisions had DRS been available for lbws. Those two decisions cost England a potentially decisive 15.4 overs.Smart stats

England have improved on their excellent record at Lord’s in recent Tests. In 23 Tests between 1984 and 1999, they won four and lost 11 out of 23 Tests. In 24 Tests since 2000, they have won 13 and lost just three.

India suffered their 11th defeat in 16 Tests at Lord’s. The 11 defeats is the most at a particular venue for India.

James Anderson dismissed Sachin Tendulkar for the sixth time in five Tests. In 223 balls, Anderson has conceded 114 runs and picked up Tendulkar six times.

Anderson’s five-wicket haul is his 11th in Tests and 3rd at Lord’s. His previous five-wicket haul at Lord’s also came against India in 2007.

Stuart Broad’s match figures of 7 for 94 are his best in Tests surpassing his previous best of 6 for 87 against South Africa in Durban in 2009.

Rahul Dravid, in the course of his 36, surpassed Brian Lara to become the highest run-getter in the fourth innings in Tests.

Tendulkar’s strike-rate of 17.64 is fourth on the list of lowest strike-rates for a score between 10 and 49 in Tests since 2000.

Kevin Pietersen’s seventh match award puts him joint-third on the list of England players with the most match awards in Tests.

Broad would have wondered what more he needed to do to get a wicket. He had two catches dropped off him in the first innings, and in today’s morning session, after Anderson had drawn Dravid into a rare loose shot outside off, he regularly beat Laxman’s bat in a five-over spell, often proving to be too good to take the edge.While Andrew Strauss’s catching at slip and his defensive in-and-out fields in the first session could be argued against, his bowling changes worked like a charm. About 20 minutes before lunch he brought on Anderson, who began with a long hop that Laxman pulled straight to short midwicket.Laxman’s dismissal brought together India’s walking wounded, Gambhir and Tendulkar. They hung in bravely, Gambhir for 56 balls with a painful elbow and Tendulkar for 68 with a viral infection. Whatever the debate around DRS be, the umpires had a great match, and it was evident in Gambhir’s lbw, in the over after Laxman’s dismissal. The Swann arm ball had hit the pad a microsecond before it hit the bat. Asad Rauf sent Gambhir on his way.From the injured man the burden transferred to the ill man, Tendulkar, who began positively but went into a shell after lunch. That Raina looked more comfortable than Tendulkar during their 17.4-over partnership told a story. While Tendulkar was solid in defence, he let the bowlers bowl to a perfect rhythm, and the odd one was bound to be too good.After surviving that Broad shout, Tendulkar played 40 balls for one run. Once again Anderson came back and struck immediately. He had Tendulkar dropped by Strauss, but produced an inswinger similar to Broad’s two balls later, and Tendulkar was plumb. This was the sixth time in the match that an Englishman had taken a wicket in the first over of a new spell.In the lead-up to tea, with England easing the pressure as they built up to the new ball, Raina and MS Dhoni gave India hope. Raina showed character in how he avoided bouncers and reached a half-century that will only do him good. With the new ball, though, England were back on course. The ball started jagging around again, and a shaken-up Dhoni finally edged an outswinger from Tremlett.A cold, ruthless demolition of the tail followed. Harbhajan Singh refused to back away, but England worked him over with precise short deliveries. Praveen Kumar didn’t stand much of a chance. Raina got a gem from Anderson, coming in from round the stumps, then leaving him, and taking the edge. Broad deservedly ended the match with a plumb lbw; the last four had fallen for 18 runs.Scenes of elation followed for the home side and the biggest Monday crowd at Lord’s. England will feel relief too at having finished off the job, and not only because they righted what happened in 2007. Had India drawn this, they would have had positives to look at; now they have injured bodies and a series deficit.

As Shaun Marsh basked in the glow of a century for Australia on Test debut, he admitted that as a precocious teenager he had taken for granted the amount of application required of a Test cricketer

Daniel Brettig in Pallekele10-Sep-2011As Shaun Marsh basked in the glow of a chanceless and near-nerveless century for Australia on Test debut, he admitted that as a precocious teenager he had taken for granted the amount of application required of a Test cricketer.In 2003, when he was 19, Marsh cracked 119 for Western Australia against Steve Waugh’s New South Wales in Newcastle, and assumed that all the garlands and overseas trips of an international career would soon follow without any great obvious effort. Instead it took another eight years and plenty of hard lessons before Marsh could finally debut, and his appreciation was clear in glistening eyes.”Definitely, there’s no doubt about that [I thought it would come easily],” Marsh said. “I probably took it for granted, playing at a young age for WA. I just thought it was going to happen, playing a lot of junior cricket growing up. I didn’t know, didn’t realise how hard it was to play first-class cricket and I’m glad I did work hard enough and turned it around.”It’s very surreal at the moment. A very proud day, I still can’t believe it really, just to be even playing Test cricket, to be given an opportunity and to go there and get a hundred in my first innings was, you dream of that sort of stuff and I’m so happy.”I was [intent on a long stay], I just wanted to stay out there for as long as I could. They bowled pretty well yesterday and especially early I couldn’t get away. I knew if I could just keep sticking to my guns I could hopefully get on top later in the day. It was just an amazing feeling, to be out there playing a Test match for your country is just something I’ve dreamt of my whole life and I can’t believe it really.”Batting at No. 3 in place of the absent Ricky Ponting, Marsh walked out to the crease with a simple objective: bat as long as he could. In the end he was there for seven hours, perhaps the most significant 420 minutes of his cricket life. He spent most of it with his fellow West Australian Michael Hussey, who crafted his own innings of substance with a meticulous 142.”It was just amazing, I said yesterday when I went out there, I wanted to stay out there for as long as I could,” Marsh said. “What you dream of doing is playing Test cricket, and just having that chance was so surreal. I had a lot of fun out there.”It was tough out there early, they bowled very well, and we had to respect that. I knew if I could just hang in there I could get over the line. I really enjoyed batting with Huss as well, especially today. To be out there with him when we both scored our hundreds was a very special day. He’s a good man and he’s certainly helped me out a fair bit since I’ve been playing international cricket.”Every ball of Marsh’s innings was worried over by his father Geoff in the stands, and Shaun spoke of how emotional their reunion had been when the younger man was finally out. Tom Moody, the coach who gave Marsh the hard word to be serious about his cricket, was also valued company.”It was pretty emotional to be honest with you,” Marsh said. “[Dad] was very happy I could see and it was very emotional for him and I was trying to hold it back in, out there with Huss … just crazy really. I spoke with Tom before this Test and what Tom’s done for me the last three years, to have him and my dad here was pretty special.”Marsh’s efforts make him close to a certainty for the third Test in Colombo, despite Ponting’s return, but the man himself was not daring to look beyond the next two days, when rain may threaten Australia’s push for a series victory.”It’s out of my control,” Marsh said. “All I’m worried about is playing this Test, that’s all I can control and I’m loving every bit of it. We’ve got two days left and all I’m focusing on is trying to win this Test.”I’m not too sure what Pup [Michael Clarke] is going to do, I think he’s got a few ideas, whether we bat on for a little longer and try to push for that 270-280 lead or he declares straight away we’ll just have to wait and see.”[The weather] is not great at the moment, but we just have to wait and see, we can’t worry about the weather. We’ve just got to worry about what we can do, and if we go out there and play some good cricket and get ourselves in a winning position that’s all we can worry about.”

Australia Women eased to a six-wicket win against New Zealand Women with 18.3 overs to spare in the second encounter of the reconvened Rose Bowl series in Brisbane

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2011
ScorecardShelley Nitschke was solid with bat and ball, winning the Player-of-the-Match award•Getty ImagesAustralia Women eased to a six-wicket win over New Zealand Women with 18.3 overs to spare in the second encounter of the reconvened Rose Bowl series in Brisbane. The eight-match limited-overs series, which was called off mid-way following the Christchurch earthquake in February, now stands at 3-2 in favour of Australia. With just one game left to play New Zealand can, at most, draw the series, meaning Australia – who currently hold the trophy – have retained the Rose Bowl title.Choosing to field, Australia rocked the visitors early, with Clea Smith claiming Lucy Doolan and Suzie Bates for ducks. Debutant opener Frances Mackay was patient to the point of being overcautious in her knock of 36 from 77 balls, but turned out to be New Zealand’s top-scorer, as Australia knocked wickets over at regular wickets. Smith snagged two more, to finish with 4 for 32, while offspinner Lisa Sthalekar troubled the lower-middle order with figures of 3 for 37.Chasing 182, Australia lost Meg Lanning cheaply. A 106-run stand between Player-of-the-Match Shelley Nitschke (she had earlier claimed two wickets at a miserly economy rate of 2.40 in her ten) and Leah Poulton followed, almost sealing the match. The hosts suffered a hiccup, losing three wickets on 122, but Jess Cameron counterattacked with 37 off 29, to see Australia home comfortably.Australia captain Jodie Fields her team showed positive intent from the outset. “We wanted to play some smart, positive cricket,” she said. “The plan was to get out on the field early and to get rid of some of those nerves and cobwebs, and I think we showed our intent right from the start.”The wicket was slightly slow but the outfield was probably quicker than we thought it was going to be.”New Zealand coach Gary Stead was brutal in the assessment of his team’s performance. “We just didn’t put in a performance in any of the three facets of the game,” Stead said. “We were certainly outplayed in all areas so lots to work on for the next game.”It’s pretty frustrating when you see the batsmen looking so good and then just doing some really silly things at times. We weren’t positive enough with the bat to take the game to the bowlers a little bit more.”The final game is on June 16 at the same venue.

05-May-2011Hampshire 145 for 3 v Sussex 3438
ScorecardYoung opening batsman Liam Dawson continued his fine early-season form in the County Championship with an important half-century for Hampshire against Sussex at the Rose Bowl. Dawson, playing only due to the absence of experienced pair Michael Carberry and Michael Lumb, hit his fifth 50-plus score as his team began the daunting chase of Sussex’s first-innings total of 438.At stumps on day two, 21-year-old Dawson’s 60 had helped the hosts to 145 for 3 to trail Sussex by 293 runs. Sussex resumed this morning at 321 for 3 but managed only 117 more runs for their final seven wickets, three of which fell in the morning session to Hampshire pace bowler David Griffiths.Griffiths removed Ben Brown (23) in his first over and then got rid of danger man Murray Goodwin for 43 three overs later. Griffiths struck again with the score on 342 when Luke Wright (9) edged to the wicketkeeper. Griffiths’ three scalps in five overs was impressive on a wicket that was still playing as well as it had done on the first day.Hampshire were eventually held up when Andy Hodd and Naved Arif added 46 for the seventh wicket. Spinner Danny Briggs broke the stand when he bowled Hodd for 31 and, four runs later, Arif guided Friedel de Wet to Dominic Cork to end his effort on 18.Naved ul-Hasan struck three sixes against Briggs in a breezy 34 before Cork finished off the resistance, getting a leg-before verdict against the Pakistani and then giving Nic Pothas his third catch of the innings behind the stumps when James Anyon (15) touched a rising delivery. Griffiths finished with figures of 3 for 73 while there were two wickets apiece for Cork, Briggs and De Wet.Hampshire made a strong start to their reply with Dawson and Jimmy Adams putting on a 98-run opening partnership before Anyon struck with two quick wickets. Adams was the first to go, caught behind for a watchful 24, but Dawson’s proved to be an important wicket for Sussex.Dawson had been in superb form, striking eight fours in his 83-ball 60 before he went the same way, caught behind, to leave Hampshire on 103 for 2. Monty Panesar plunged Hampshire into further trouble when he trapped Neil McKenzie lbw for six in the 36th over, but Johann Myburgh and James Vince took Hampshire safely through to stumps unbeaten on 18 and 15 respectively.

West Ham United manager David Moyes is now planning to sign a Premier League star who’s tormented his side before, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Busy summer ahead?

GSB and head of recruitment Rob Newman could be set for a busy summer as the Hammers board allegedly aim to give Moyes serious West Ham backing.

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Claret & Hugh claim that the Scotsman could be handed a bumper £150 million transfer kitty to seriously upgrade the West Ham squad and build upon what has been another memorable campaign.

Moyes’ side reached the semi-finals of this year’s Europa League in what was an extraordinary feat for the east-Londoners and supporters will be hoping that isn’t the peak of their climb.

New signings will be needed for 2022/2023, perhaps most crucially an alternative striking back-up to Michail Antonio, with The Sun and reliable reporter Jack Rosser now sharing some interesting news.

The Latest: West Ham ‘planning transfer’ for Broja…

According to what they have learnt, West Ham are eyeing a bid for Chelsea striker Armando Broja with Moyes now ‘planning transfer’ to sign the Albania international.

This comes after his impressive loan spell at Southampton, where he has even ‘tormented’ the Irons at various points over 2021/2022 – including a phenomenal solo goal to knock them out of the FA Cup.

Moyes and his squad have apparently ‘been impressed’ by Broja’s performances against them as West Ham now plot a summer swoop.

The Verdict: Get it done?

His parent club will apparently command a huge price tag to let go of their rising star forward.

TUTTOmercatoWEB claim Chelsea value Broja at a pretty seismic €70 million (£60m), coming as a pretty substantial fee for a player who’s scored just six goals in 19 top flight starts at St. Mary’s Stadium this season.

The 6 foot 3 colossus, however, can more than hold his own as a target man – winning 2.7 aerial duels per 90 under Ralph Hasenhuttl in the league according to WhoScored.

By comparison to Moyes’ squad, only Tomas Soucek and Craig Dawson have managed a higher number, but for a whopping £60m it is arguably wise to first consider other striking targets.

In other news: ‘Something special’ – Journalist says ‘massive player’ could now be open to joining West Ham, find out more here.

A round-up of the second day of the fifth round of the Regional Four-Day Competition

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2011Trinidad and Tobago took a slim first innings lead over Leeward Islands at the Queen’s Park Oval, but the big news is that Ronarko Morton and Tonito Willet will take no further part in the game after being arrested on Friday night for drug possession and are currently in Police custody at Morvant Police Station.On the field, the game is turning out to be a surprisingly even contest. T&T lost two quick wickets in the morning to slump to 63 for 5, but Imran Khan and Denesh Ramdin set about rebuilding the innings, adding 90 together, before Ramdin was trapped in front by Anthony Martin for 46. Imran then added a further 50 with Rayad Emrit to take T&T past 200 and within touching distances of Leeward’s total. He eventually fell for 59, while Emrit made 44, but it was enough to give T&T a 19-run lead. Leewards were 30 for 2 in their second innings, having lost Sherwin Peters and Gavin Williams to Shannon Gabriel.Chris Woakes took five wickets, including a hat-trick, on a rain-shortened day as England Lions ran through Guyana for 78 at the Providence Stadium . Having lost the entire first day’s play, only 43.5 overs were possible on the second, but that was enough time for Lions to take control of the game. Guyana were already labouring at 69 for 5 when Woakes removed Vishaul Singh for 2. He followed that up by having Veerasammy Permaul and Zaheer Mohamed both caught to take in three in three. He then earned his five-for by having Brandon Bess caught behind to finish with 5 for 18 from 10 overs. Craig Kieswetter and Adam Lyth then flayed the Guyana attack for 42 runs from 6.1 overs to further stamp their authority on the gameKyle Corbin made an enterprising half-century to take Combined Campuses and Colleges to 253 for 7 against Jamaica at Chedwin Park. Corbin made 76 from 98 deliveries, smashing seven fours and three sixes in the process, and sharing an 87-run stand with Shacaya Thomas (34) for the fourth wicket. Thomas’ dismissal, lbw to Brendan Nash, set off a mini-collapse, as CC&C tumbled from 206 for 3 to 233 for 7. Kevin McClean and Nkruma Bonner survived the remaining overs in another rain-curtailed day on which only 56.2 overs were possible.Liam Sebastien took six wickets to help Winward Islands restrict Barbados to 341 at the Kensington Oval, before Andre Fletcher helped post a strong reply with an unbeaten half-century. Kevin Stoute provided the backbone for Barbados with a patient 72 made over four hours, and received good support from Shane Dowrich, who made 56 not out. Offspinner Sebastien, who had taken three wickets on day one, cleaned up the tale to finish with 6 for 97 from a mammoth 47 overs. Winward were in a little trouble at 36 for 2 but Fletcher and Keddy Lesporis put on 80 in 23.3 overs to give their team a good platform heading into day three.

Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen demonstrated a ‘very impressive’ range of passes against Watford on Saturday, according to one Sky Sports journalist.

The lowdown

Palace beat Watford, and former manager Roy Hodgson, 1-0 on home soil to make it back-to-back wins after last weekend’s success against Southampton.

Wilfried Zaha’s first-half penalty was enough to seal a result that moves Palace up to ninth place and confirms the visitors’ relegation to the Championship.

Andersen made his 29th Premier League start of the campaign in Palace’s 35th match, helping the Eagles keep their 11th clean sheet.

The latest

Sky Sports journalist Charlotte Marsh, stationed at Selhurst Park, was left in awe of Andersen’s distribution.

“Andersen has made a number of incredible long passes down the field to try and set Crystal Palace up in an attacking position,” she said in the early stages of the second half.

“His latest to [Eberechi] Eze on the left isn’t quite as successful as some of the others, but the range is still very impressive.”

The verdict

Andersen didn’t have all that much defending to do in this particular game as Watford, reduced to ten men following Hassane Kamara’s red card 20 minutes from time, could muster only 31% possession and five shots.

That largely explains why he didn’t make any tackles, recorded only one interception and one clearance, and contested only three duels (via SofaScore).

But he found another way to contribute, launching attacks for Palace with his booming balls from the back. Over the course of the game, he completed a whopping 15 long passes (from 22 attempts).

For context, the next highest was Watford’s goalkeeper Ben Foster, who successfully pulled off 112 (out of 33).

The £70,000-per-week man is an offensive asset to Patrick Vieira’s side despite operating as a centre-half.

In other news, Palace’s top target has emerged. 

Tasmania beat Victoria by nine wickets in a rain-reduced match thanks to a half-century on debut by Jonathan Wells, and superb late-over bowling by Jason Krejza and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan

The Bulletin by Alex Malcolm 11-Jan-2011Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJonathan Wells scored a half-century on his Big Bash debut as Tasmania reached Victoria’s total with 21 balls to spare•Getty ImagesTasmania have demolished the reigning champions by nine-wickets in a rain-reduced clash at the Bellerive Oval to go to the top of the Big Bash table.Standing in for the absent Tim Paine, 22-year-old debutant Jonathan Wells thumped an unbeaten 51 from just 33 balls to guide Tasmania to their target of 108 in just 11.3 overs.Play was delayed initially by 40 minutes of persistent drizzle, reducing the contest to 15-over-a-side fixture, but once the covers were removed, George Bailey had no hesitation in inserting Victoria when the coin fell his way.It proved a masterstroke when the visitors lost Glenn Maxwell and acting captain Brad Hodge in the opening two overs. They slumped to 3 for 20 when Matthew Wade fell to Rana Naved-ul-Hasan. They could have, and perhaps should have, been four down if Ashes hero – turned Victoria signing – Matt Prior was held at slip by Mark Cosgrove, but the Englishman made the most of the life producing an entertaining 29-ball 51 to push the Bushrangers towards a competitive total.But superb late-over bowling by Jason Krejza (3 for 13) and Naved (3 for 18) restricted the total to just 8 for 107.It looked like a tough chase was in store early as Dirk Nannes zipped the ball around at 140kph-plus. But once Wells and Rhett Lockyear gathered the pace of the wicket they raced to 49 from 6.1 overs before Lockyear was caught behind off John Hastings.It would be the only breakthrough for Victoria as Man-of-the-Match Wells continued to find the middle of the bat, striking seven boundaries and a wonderful lofted off drive for six in his half-century on debut, while his captain Bailey cashed in on anything short, cracking three of his five boundaries through midwicket to see his side home with 31 not out.Tasmania now rocket to the top of a very even Big Bash table, while Victoria have an uphill battle to progress to the last three, particularly without their two regular leaders in Cameron White and David Hussey who, like Paine, are absent on national duty.

James Anderson continued his steady preparation ahead of the first Test at Brisbane by claiming a three-wicket haul on the second day of England’s penultimate warm-up match

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2010James Anderson continued his steady preparation ahead of the first Test at Brisbane by claiming a three-wicket haul on the second day of England’s penultimate warm-up match against South Australia at Adelaide. His efforts, combined with another four-wicket performance from Graeme Swann, left the tourists in a strong position with one day of the game to go, leading by 161 at the close with all ten second-innings wickets in hand.However, Saturday’s play could be the last competitive outing for the front-line attack ahead of the Ashes, with the strong possibility that the Test attack will miss the final warm-up in Hobart to familiarise themselves with the conditions in Brisbane. The reserve bowlers Tim Bresnan, Chris Tremlett, Ajmal Shahzad and Monty Panesar are expected to line up in that final fixture against Australia A.Speaking after the close at Adelaide, Anderson said that he could see the benefits of such an approach, despite the fact that there are a few issues still to be resolved for the front-line bowlers. “I think I’d be fine going into that Test without playing at Hobart,” he said. “It gives us a nice break going into that first Test, and we get acclimatised better to the conditions. I’m not sure Tasmania is going to be 30 odd degrees, which Brisbane could be, so that might be another bonus for us.”England seem likely to emerge from the South Australia game with at least a draw, and potentially a second consecutive win, but Anderson denied that the squad’s preparations have been progressing almost too smoothly. “I’ve bowled some reasonably long spells in the last couple of games, so I’ve got some decent overs under my belt,” he said. “I thought everyone hit their straps pretty well, but I wouldn’t say it’s been that smooth.”As bowlers, we’ve gone through some bad spells,” he added. “I didn’t bowl great in the middle of my spells today, or as well as I would have liked. I’m sure the other bowlers have had similar feelings. Although we’re getting the wickets, we’re still striving to improve. We can get even better before that first Test comes round.”If the seamers aren’t entirely at the top of their games, then it’s hard to quibble with the form of the spinner, Swann, whose unquenchable self-confidence is almost as important as his ability to hit the right length. “It’s kind of expected that he’s going to bowl well,” said Anderson. “He’s had a great year, 18 months, and his form just continues to improve. He just seems to get better with every game.”