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Australia’s captain Michael Clarke is in retreat. If not in retreat from England, then certainly from history.On the eve of the first Test at Trent Bridge, Clarke was adamant that the next 10 Ashes matches would not define him as a player or a captain, and that they were no more important than any Test against any other nation. As globalised thinking, it could perhaps be construed as refreshing. But on the day before going into battle against an accomplished and experienced England side, it almost sounded as though Clarke did not want to stake too much on a series he may very well lose.”I’ve read it will make or break my reputation as a captain. Personally, I don’t feel like that,” Clarke said. “Every Test match I play in, every time I walk out to bat I try and make a hundred, whether it’s against Bangladesh, India, South Africa or England. That doesn’t change my mindset. Because of the history and tradition of what comes with Ashes cricket, which is fantastic, it obviously builds this series up and that’s great for the game, but as a player my mindset will be no different than it was last summer. Every time I captain Australia I want us to win.”I understand there’s so much expectation that comes with an Ashes tour, and that’s from fans back at home, this is everything to an Australian fan, the biggest series you play as a cricketer. But as a player, that expectation I have on myself every single day, I’m not more disappointed if we lose the first Test against England than if we lose the first Test against South Africa or India and the excitement when we win will be no different. There’s no more pressure from within.”By contrast, England’s captain Alastair Cook was comfortable enough in himself and his team to accept the extra weight that comes with an Ashes bout, particularly one to be played over an extraordinary two legs, spanning 10 cricket grounds, 50 playing days and two continents. Cook’s England are warm favourites, but he said the additional expectation from the rest of the nation and the world was something the best players learned to live with and ultimately thrive on.”They are the biggest Test matches we can play, as an Englishman or an Australian,” Cook said. “The history and the tradition and the rivalry, how much the whole country gets behind both sides whether you’re in England or Australia. I think it can define a career. It’s not the be all and end all, but I’ve had some very fond memories in Ashes series of winning it and hope to add a few more over my career.”I think the external pressure and the hype is that there is more interest in the country in general. For players who are aware of that and can deal with that, clearly the cricket stays the same. It’s the same 22 yards, the same red ball, but it does heighten. That’s where you want to test yourself, in increased pressure situations.”As much as Clarke did not wish to acknowledge it, Australian cricket’s direction over the past two years has been aimed primarily at putting up the strongest possible bid to wrest the Ashes back from England. The Argus review that followed the 2010-11 defeat at home stressed the need to prioritise Test cricket, and the elaborate player fitness management regime overseen by the team performance manager Pat Howard was geared towards ensuring all first-choice players would be fit for the first day’s play in Nottingham.Lastly, the summary removal of Mickey Arthur two weeks ago to be replaced by Darren Lehmann was deemed imperative because Australia’s next opponents were not Bangladesh, nor anyone else. The Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland, the chairman Wally Edwards, and Howard all agreed that the quest for the Ashes required decisive action.So far it has worked. Lehmann’s appointment has sent a rush of good feeling and relaxation through the touring party, and Clarke counselled his men to enjoy themselves. “The media and the public will build it and it’s a fantastic series to be a part of, so instead of being scared of it, enjoy every single moment,” Clarke said. “Love being out there and hearing the Barmy Army, seeing so many people in a packed house, love walking out at Lord’s for the first time for the guys who haven’t experienced that.”You spend a lot of time together, it’s always tough cricket, but the boys are in a fantastic place. They’re excited about what lies ahead and we know we will walk out there and give our absolute best. We have prepared as well as we possibly can. Guys are excited about facing if the ball is swinging or reverse swinging or if Graeme Swann is spinning it. We have a chance to play against a very good England team, in their own backyard, we’ve got nothing to lose, we’ve got a great group of players with plenty of talent, let’s get out there and enjoy every minute of it.”Just don’t think it will define you.

Australia A 372 for 8 dec (Haddin 113, Siddle 103*) and 165 for 4 lead Scotland 149 (MacLeod 51, Pattinson 3-16) by 388 runs
ScorecardJames Pattinson eased into his tour with three wickets•Getty Images

Peter Siddle scored his maiden first-class hundred and then the Australia A bowlers proved too much for Scotland who crumbled to 149. James Pattinson, one of a trio of likely Ashes bowlers in operation, claimed three wickets before the Australians opted for batting practice rather than a swift victory.Siddle, whose previous best was 87, had resumed on 85 and, as the Australians pressed for a declaration, he was given a life on 93 but a sparkling cover drive brought him his hundred.Scotland started their reply full of nerves with Josh Davey facing 15 deliveries before being caught behind for a duck. Matt Machan showed promise from the other end hitting a couple of fours off the bowling off Chad Sayers, but Freddie Coleman was run out by a superb direct hit from Nathan Lyon, and Richie Berrington soon followed, being clean bowled for 1 by Pattinson.Lyon, who could come under pressure for his Test berth if Fawad Ahmed is fast-tracked into the main squad, was given an early bowl and beat Machan in the flight. Moneeb Iqbal lost his off stump when he shouldered arms at Pattinson and Matthew Cross, the wicketkeeper, fell to Moises Henriques when he left his bat in the air while avoiding a bouncer. When Ashton Agar claimed two wickets Scotland were in tatters at 83 for 9.However, Callum MacLeod and Iain Wardlaw added a record 66 for the last wicket as they attacked the spinners, especially Lyon, although the offspinner finally ended their fun when MacLeod picked out deep square-leg the ball after reaching fifty.Australia opted not to force the follow-on to allow their top order, which had not been fluent in the first innings, another chance. Jordan Silk and Usman Khawaja edged to first slip but the lead swelled to nearly 400 by the close.

ScorecardMoeen Ali was the only Worcestershire batsman to defy Northamptonshire•PA Photos

Trent Copeland signed off in style as Northamptonshire enhanced their position at the top of the County Championship Division Two standings with a 10-wicket defeat of Worcestershire at Wantage Road.Copeland took a further three wickets as the home side took 45 minutes to wrap up the visitors’ second innings after they resumed the third day on 97 for 6, 21 runs from making Northamptonshire bat again.The 22-point haul was the result of another outstanding performance from the four-strong seam attack who have been in excellent form all season with Copeland, playing his final game before returning to Sydney, the pick. He finished with figures of 6 for 41, passing 50 competitive wickets for the club in the process, as Worcestershire were bowled out for 125.After 10 relatively uneventful minutes, Copeland got the show under way as he had Gareth Andrew caught behind as the left-hander attempted to draw his bat out of the way. That broke a partnership of 36, something of a triumph after the wreckage of the previous evening, and it opened up the Worcestershire tail.The first of those, Jack Shantry, lasted just two deliveries before Copeland trapped him in front to pick up his fifth of the innings and his fourth lbw. Chris Russell, who had dismissed Copeland on the second day a ball after hitting him on the helmet, was greeted unsurprisingly by a bouncer but that delayed the inevitable which came five minutes later as he edged behind to David Murphy.Throughout the carnage, Moeen Ali was standing firm and emulating his efforts of the first innings when he top-scored with 79. He was the only Worcestershire player to get more than 25 in the contest and showed what was achievable via good judgment and application which he displayed in abundance.Alan Richardson came in with 10 runs still needed to make the hosts bat again and this target was reached as a David Willey no-ball ensured parity. The No. 11 became the last man to depart as he fended Willey to James Middlebrook in the gully leaving Ali, who finished with 44 from 122 deliveries, stranded at the other end.That left a meagre eight runs required to win and after a Shantry maiden and a couple of runs off Russell, victory was accomplished in the third over as Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer lofted Shantry over extra cover for six.

The IPL governing council deferred the decision of shifting the two playoff games that were scheduled to be played in Chennai on May 21 and 22, respectively.Following political pressure before the tournament, the BCCI asked franchises to refrain from fielding their Sri Lankan players in games played in Chennai. With Sri Lankans featuring in many teams, the franchises have been asking for the playoff games – the first qualifier and the eliminator – to be moved out of Chennai.However, the IPL governing council, which met in Chennai on Monday, decided to adopt a wait-and-watch approach. “If the political issue in Tamil Nadu subsides, the question of shifting the games won’t arise,” said a BCCI insider, who attended the meeting. “The playoffs are still a month away, so there is no need to rush into any decision.”If the political turmoil is not resolved, the games might be played in Bangalore or Mumbai. Sri Lankan cricketers have been an integral part of the IPL since its inception in 2008. In the current season, three teams – Sunrisers Hyderabad, Pune Warriors and Delhi Daredevils – are led by Sri Lankans. Though Sunrisers and Warriors have benched Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews, respectively, in a bid to improve their team balance, they remain key members of the side.Thisara Perera, the Sri Lankan all-rounder, has emerged as the leading performer for Sunrisers, who have won five of their seven games so far. As the tournament moves towards the half-way mark, Sunrisers are among the favourites to make it to the top four, along with the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who have Muttiah Muralitharan and Tillakaratne Dilshan in their ranks.

North Zone

Delhi qualified for the Super League round of the tournament despite a five-wicket loss to Services. While the win brought Services level with Punjab and Haryana, they lost out because of a poor net run-rate. Batting first, Delhi were restricted to 110 for 7. Medium-pacer Sumit Singh was the most successful bowler for Services, picking two wickets for 15 runs. Services put up a confident chase, led by Yashpal Singh’s 46 and reached the target with four balls to spare.Punjab made their way into the next round with a two-wicket win over Himachal Pradesh. Siddarth Kaul’s career-best 4-14 and two wickets from Manpreet Gony and Amitoze Singh helped Punjab dismiss Himachal for 100. Only Rishi Dhawan (31) and Ankush Bains (27) offered any resistance. Punjab’s chase also floundered: although they scored at more than 10 an over for most of the match, Punjab lost eight wickets in the process. It was left to Chandan Madan and Kaul to take the team past the target in the 10th over, giving them an important victory.Allrounder Joginder Sharma scored a career-best 35-ball 75 to take Haryana to an improbable last-ball victory over Jammu & Kashmir in Rohtak. Chasing 168, Haryana were in trouble at 89 for 6 before Joginder led two partnerships Rahul Dalal, and Amit Mishra, to see them home. The win, however, was of no consequence as they occupied the third position in the points table.After J&K were put in to bat, Joginder, Ashish Hooda and Amit Mishra reduced them to 40 for 7, before Syed Sagar and Bandeep Singh put on 109, the second-highest partnership for the eighth wicket in Twenty20s. Sagar, who made his debut, scored a 36-ball 74, and Bandeep scored a 39-ball 52, as their stand took J&K to 167 for 9.

South Zone

P Prasanth’s wicket haul of 4 for 13 helped Kerala defend their 146-run target against Goa. VA Jagadeesh anchored Kerala’s innings, scoring 60 as the side reached 146 for 9. In reply, Goa began poorly and were stuttering at 23 for 3. Ravikant Shukla and Reagan Pinto attempted to revive the chase with a 48-run stand, but the rest of the batsmen were dismissed in single scores. Prasanth and Sandeep Warrier did most of the damage, picking up four and three wickets respectively. The win took Kerala to the Super League round.Hyderabad held on to an eight-run victory over Tamil Nadu. Hyderabad posted a strong total of 167 for 7 with contributions from T Suman (48), B Sandeep (44) and H Vihari (21). Tamil Nadu started well, but their chase faltered once the top order was dismissed. C Milind’s hat-trick in the final over was decisive, effectively ending Tamil Nadu’s chances of pulling off the chase.Karnataka successfully chased Andhra’s total with nine wickets to spare, to go to the top of the table and enter the Super League phase. Andhra put up decent partnerships to get to 107 for 5 in the 16th over, but lost their next five wickets for 23 runs to end at 130. Manish Pandey picked up his second four-wicket haul in as many matches to finish with career-best figures of 4 for 27. In reply, Karnataka’s Mayank Agarwal and Lokesh Rahul put together a 136-run partnership after losing Pandey early on. The pair sealed the match in the 19th over. Agarwal finished on 75 not out, and Rahul was unbeaten on 60.

West Zone

In a tight contest in Ahmedabad, Maharashtra beat Baroda by seven runs. Batting first, Vijay Zol and Kedar Jadhav’s half-centuries and sizeable contributions from Nikhil Naik (30) and Prayag Bhati (27) lifted Maharashtra to 178 for 4. In reply, Baroda lost wickets regularly, but a solid 32-ball 60 from Kedar Devdhar and a 26-ball 44 from Hardik Pandya kept them in the hunt. They were eventually bowled out in the final over. Seamers Samad Fallah and Shubham Ranjane took three wickets each.A combined batting performance was backed up by a five-wicket haul from seamer Mehul Patel, as Gujarat thrashed Saurashtra by 72 runs. Defending 187, Gujarat took wickets regularly to keep themselves on top throughout. Mehul dismissed the openers and cleaned up the tail, with fellow seamer Jignesh Patel and spinners Rakesh Dhurv and Akshar Patel taking the other wickets, as Saurashtra were bowled out for 115.Gujarat’s innings revolved around sizeable knocks from Parthiv Patel (37), Manprit Juneja (31), Akshar (43*) and Jesal Karia (31). All scored at a rapid pace to keep their innings run-rate at over nine an over. The win gave Gujarat top spot in the points table.

Central Zone

Madhya Pradesh lost seven wickets for 17 runs to hand Rajasthan a six-run win in Nagpur. Chasing 152, they lost their openers cheaply in the first over, but wicketkeeper Naman Ojha led a 75-run stand with the captain Udit Birla, and a 50-run stand with Harpreet Singh, to lead them to 128 for 3 before the collapse, which saw them being bowled out in the final over. Ojha scored 85 off 60 deliveries, but seven other batsmen scored in single digits. Seamer Rituraj Singh was Rajasthan’s most productive bowler, with four wickets.Rajasthan’s innings revolved around a 88-run stand between opener Ankit Lamba (64) and Rajesh Bishnoi (52). They took the third spot after the win.An all-round effort from Uttar Pradesh helped them to an eight-wicket win against Vidarbha in Nagpur. Choosing to field, UP kept chipping away at their opponents, as besides Apoorv Wankhade, who scored 40 off 22 balls, and Shalabh Shrivastava (22), none of the other batsmen provided any resistance. They eventually limped to 128 for 9. The wickets were shared around, with seamer RP Singh proving the most effective bowler, taking 2 for 18 off his four overs.In reply, opener Prashant Gupta and No. 3 Mohammad Kaif scored half-centuries, sharing a stand of 96 to help their side home in the penultimate over.

Sri Lanka Cricket’s elections may be postponed by as many as 17 days, the sports ministry said, after a complication with one of the nominees’ applications resulted in a government inquiry to assess whether he can lawfully contest the election.Member of Parliament Thilanga Sumathipala’s possible links to the betting industry and a newspaper business are being investigated, after complaints that his nomination contravened Sri Lanka’s sports law. The law states that sports administrators contesting an election cannot be involved in either betting, media, or sports goods industries.Sumathipala has denied that his application is unlawful, while speaking to the local press and on TV channels. He was the joint managing director of a business conglomerate named the Sumathi Group, which owns local newspapers and has links to a betting business named Sporting Star. He has said, however, that the specific businesses, which could be potentially problematic to his application, are among several that are managed entirely by other family members, without his involvement.”As we don’t yet have the results of the inquiry on Mr. Sumathipala, the sports minister has decided to extend the deadline for the election until April 16,” the sports ministry’s media secretary said. “If the report comes through from the attorney general this week, as we expect, the elections may be held sooner than that, but the April 16 is the final date on which they might happen.”The SLC annual general meeting, at which the winners of the election will be announced, was originally scheduled to take place on March 30. However, SLC members must have at least two weeks in which to select a nominee and would thus need to wait and find out if Sumathipala is a legitimate candidate, before the voting process begins. The parliament inquiry forwarded its findings to the attorney general on Thursday and the attorney general’s report will determine Sumathipala’s legitimacy as a candidate.Last year’s SLC elections were the first board elections after seven years, before which a series of interim committees administered cricket in the country.

With the seven-match series tied at 3-3, West Indies are playing an unchanged 11 for the last and deciding limited-overs international against India on Sunday.West Indies won the first international by four wickets at Jamshedpur and followed up with a seven-wicket triumph at Nagpur in the second match.India then captured the next two matches. They won the third match at Rajkot by 81 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method after crowd trouble brought a premature end, and then won the only day/night fixture of the series at Ahmedabad by five wickets in the fourth match.The two teams then shared the next two matches of the series, with West Indies winning by five wickets at Baroda and India bouncing back by taking the sixth and penultimate contest by three wickets.West Indies are presently ranked sixth on the International Cricket Council’s limited-overs championship table and a win will move them a little closer to overtaking fifth ranked India.Squad: Carl Hooper (captain), Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ricardo Powell, Ridley Jacobs, Vasbert Drakes, Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore.

The PCB has set base prices for five categories of players up for sale at the inaugural Pakistan Super League (PSL) auction scheduled for the last week of February. Players in the diamond category will have a starting price of $100,000, platinum $70,000, gold $50,000, silver $25,000 and the emerging category will be between $5000 and $10,000.The Pakistan board is yet to reveal the pool of players available to the five franchises but is looking to finalise the names by February. The PCB didn’t reveal the base prices for the five regional franchises either; the bidding process for the franchises will also start next month. The managing director of the PSL, Salman Sarwar Butt, and advisor Haroon Lorgat, also said the board was contemplating having a tax-free league.The plan is for the tournament to be played over 15 days, a total of 23 matches for the first three years. The five teams will play each other twice in a league format with the top four qualifying for the semi-finals. Each of the five teams would be allowed to sign a maximum of six overseas players and would include 10 local cricketers plus two emerging players. The base prices for the players will be regulated by the PCB and franchises have to adhere to it.”One of the most positive reasons they [franchises] are coming is to build the sport in Pakistan,” Butt said. “They are more interested in putting the best team together rather than what is the price. Our direction is very clear, we are looking at Pakistan to hold this tournament and for now that is very clear. Every player in the respective category will be entered in the auction at base price and the franchise can buy the player at more than or equal to the base price.”The PCB has already invited bids for the broadcasting rights and advertised tenders for commercial partners and sponsors for the PSL. “We have got overwhelming response in terms of interest in buying a franchise,” Butt said. “We are now working and talking to various parties and briefing them on franchise concept and the auction will be held next month.”

Anthony Stuart has been sacked as coach of New South Wales after a board meeting in Sydney on Tuesday night.Stuart took over as head coach in May 2011 and his two-year contract was due to expire at the end of this season, but Cricket New South Wales has confirmed in a statement that Stuart has finished his coaching duties with the state “with immediate effect”. Chandika Hathurusingha, the former Sri Lanka Test player who was an assistant coach under Stuart, will take over as acting head coach for the rest of the 2012-13 season.Stuart has not had a particularly successful tenure since he took over from Matthew Mott last year; the Blues won only one Sheffield Shield game last summer. This season they were sitting in fourth position with two wins at the time of his departure, and in the Ryobi Cup they had managed only one victory from four games.”At a meeting of the NSW cricket board last evening it was determined that Anthony Stuart’s contract to coach the NSW SpeedBlitz Blues will not be renewed and he has finished duties as head coach with immediate effect,” Cricket New South Wales said in a statement.The chief executive David Gilbert said: “Cricket NSW records its thanks to Anthony for his efforts and commitment over the past 18 months. We wish Anthony well in his future endeavours.”Stuart, the former fast bowler who took a hat-trick in one of his three ODI appearances for Australia, had been coach of Wellington in New Zealand before he joined New South Wales.

Lonwabo Tsotsobe, the left-arm pace bowler, has been ruled out of the three-match Twenty20 series against New Zealand which starts on Friday with an ankle injury.Tsotsobe, who has 10 wickets from 11 Twenty20s, was one of the more experienced players in a new-look South Africa squad for the series. He was unlikely to be in contention for the Test matches which start in the New Year.Dr Mohammed Moosajee, the South Africa team manager, said: “Lonwabo complained of pain to his ankle yesterday during practice after bowling 10 balls. He was sent for an MRI scan which revealed bony bruising of the talus bone at the back of his ankle joint.”The medical committee feel it will be best if he doesn’t take part in the current T20 series, recommending a two to three week rest period along with consultation with an ankle specialist.”Tsotsobe joins Wayne Parnell, a fellow left-armer, on the sidelines after he was ruled out of the series with a wrist injury. No replacement has yet been named for Tsotsobe with Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Ryan McLaren, Rory Kleinveldt the other pace options in the squad.