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Wayne Larkins, the former England batsman, has been spared a jail sentence after pleading guilty, last November, to deception.Larkins and his partner, Deborah Lines, attempted to secure a mortgage against the house of her sick father – Robert Adams – but she had forged her father’s signature, claiming she and Larkins owned the property. They were then granted a £155,000 mortgage for a house in France and Adams, now 78, only realised the scam on noticing his name had been removed from the deeds.Judge Graham Hume Jones, of Taunton Crown Court, issued the pair a 12-month suspended sentence, and said: “Deborah Lines and Wayne Larkins, as a result of your dishonest dealings an elderly man has been caused a great deal of distress and the house he has lived in for a number of years has been put on the line.”Whatever explanation you gave the fact is you were dishonest,” he added. “Both of you were in this together. Wayne Larkins, you could have pointed out the error of your partner’s ways in dealing with the original mortgage.”Lines and Larkins were ordered to pay back £54,000, an amount frozen in their account since they sold the French property.

Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann will join the squad in New Zealand after being cleared to travel following his diagnosis with deep-vein thrombosis. On Saturday afternoon, Lehmann will arrive in Wellington, where the Australians will be playing the second ODI that day, and he will remain in the city until the first Test, which starts there on Friday next week.Michael di Venuto, who has been acting coach in Lehmann’s absence, will remain in that role for the third and final ODI in Hamilton on Monday. Lehmann was hospitalised in Sydney before the fifth ODI against India last month, and Australia have not won a match since then: they lost the Sydney ODI, the three T20s against India, and the first ODI against New Zealand in Auckland on Wednesday.”We’d love to have our coach here,” captain Steven Smith said after the Auckland defeat. “There’s no doubt about that. He’s unwell at the moment obviously and he’ll be back soon enough. So we’ve got to move on, I don’t think today was him to blame. It was certainly the players. We didn’t adapt well enough and we were outplayed.”Although Australia were clearly outplayed in Auckland, they did not help themselves by neglecting to ask for a review for an lbw decision early in their chase, when David Warner was given out to a ball that was clearly sailing over the top of the stumps. Initially it appeared that Warner’s batting partner George Bailey advised him against asking for a review, but Bailey said on Thursday that was not the case.”I said, ‘What did it feel like?’ And he said, ‘High’. So I said, ‘Go for it’. And he turned around and walked off,” Bailey said on radio station . “So, I don’t really know what more he wants from my end.”Bailey said after his own dismissal he had discussed the incident in the rooms with Warner.”He said, ‘I wasn’t that confident in what you said’. I said ‘I’m not really sure what you’re after’,” Bailey said. “I can’t be any more explicit than saying ‘go for it’ … You know, I reckon, if you’re out or even if it’s close and it’s up to you to make that call.”

Group A

A solid unbroken fifth-wicket partnership between Arsalan Mir and Haafiz Saad Nasim took Lahore Ravi beyond Karachi Whites’ first-innings total of 218 on the second day Asghar Ali Shah Stadium . Lahore Ravi ended the day on 226 for 4 after they had been reduced to 124 for 4 at one stage. They suffered an early setback when Karachi Whites captain Mohammad Sami dismissed opener Rizwan Aamer for a duck. Rizwan Ahmed scored 54 off 113 balls and added 53 for the third wicket with Ashraf Ali but it was Mir and Nasim who took their team ahead. Mir remained unbeaten on 67 while the 17-year old Nasim was on 41.Pakistan Customs were 148 runs behind Sui Southern Gas Company’s (SSGC) first-innings score of 328 at the National Bank of Pakistan Stadium . Pakistan Customs ended the day on 180 for 5 despite opener Hasnain Abbas’s 53 off 85 balls. Pakistan Customs captain Zahoor Elahi hit a brisk 32 off 45 deliveries with five fours before Rehan Rafiq and wicketkeeper Mohammad Hasan stemmed the rot with an unbroken 47-run stand for the sixth wicket Earlier, after SSGC had resumed on 239 for7, wicketkeeper Ahmed Zeeshan, who scored 67 runs off 151 balls, and fast bowler Rajesh Ramesh added 62 runs for the eighth wicket. Raees Amjad finished with figures of 4 for 68 runs while legspinner Yasir Shah picked up 3 for 89 in 32.1 overs.Paksitan Customs were defeated by Habib Bank by 262 runs in their first-round match on Wednesday. SSGC were playing their first match in the tournament, after having qualified for the first-class circuit by winning last season’s Patron’s Trophy Grade-II Championship.Habib Bank Limited (HBL) took a 102-run lead in the first innings against Hyderabad with six wickets still in hand at the Niaz stadium. Beginning the day on 193 for 9, Hyderabad lost their last wicket at 197. Left-arm spinner Aslam Qureshi took 4 for 33 to complement Danish Kaneria’s 4 for 64. With four batsmen scoring half-centuries, Habib Bank reached 299 for 4 with Aftab Khan unbeaten on 75 off 91 balls with nine fours. Opener Taufeeq Umar hit 71 in a 92-run stand for the second wicket with Rafatullah Mohmand (51). Captain Hasan Raza then chipped in with 69 off 102 balls with six fours and two sixes.At the Sheikhupura stadium , Multan piled on the agony for Sialkot, who were routed for 100 on the first day. Multan replied with 458 for 8. Brothers Hammad and Usman Tariq put on 211 for the first wicket. Usman (91) missed his hundred but Hammad scored 116 off 211 balls with 13 fours and two sixes. Imranullah Aslam was ruthless at No 7, as he hammered his maiden first-class century. His 115 came off only 99 balls with 16 fours and two sixes.Spurred by 17-year old Nasir Jamshed’s maiden first-class century National Bank of Pakistan scored 267 for 7 and took a 22-run lead in the first inning against Faisalabad at the Iqbal stadium. Jamshed batted for over four hours, facing 187 balls with 18 fours and a six.

Group B

Karachi Blues were in control against Quetta after reducing them to 128 for 5 facing a total of 444 at the Bugti Stadium . Quetta were trailing by 316 runs with five wickets in hand and needed another 167 to avoid the follow-on. Sixteen-year old batsman Taimur Ali remained unbeaten on 64 off 121 balls in two hours 23 minutes with 11 fours. Taimur made two tours with the Pakistan Under-19s this year, to Australia and England, and was considered one of the brightest prospects to have emerged from the Balochistan province. He and wicketkeeper Sanaullah Khan lifted Quetta from 89 for 5 with a 39-run stand. Earlier, after resuming on 308 for 4, Karachi Blues took their first-innings score to 444. Sharjeel Ashraf (33), Mansoor Baig (30) and Sajid Hanif (31) all contributed useful scores in the 30s. Offspinner Naseer Khan captured 5 for 101 for Quetta while fast bowler Arun Lal bagged 4 for 84 in 26.5 overs, getting all his wickets on the second day.Playing for the first time in this tournament, Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) enforced the follow-on against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) at the Arbab Niaz stadium. After scoring 303 in the first innings, SNGPL dismissed ZTBL for 85. Trailing by 218 runs in the follow-on, ZTBL ended the day on 100 for 2. Left-arm fast bowler Samiullah Niazi captured 4 for 28 in 12 overs and was ably assisted by Imran Ali and Adil Raza, who took 3 for 22 and 3 for 34 respectively. ZTBL, who need 118 runs to avoid an innings defeat, were lifted by a career-best knock of 72 not out by 18-year old night-watchman Junaid Nadir.Khan Resrach Laboratories (KRL) scored 232 for 4 and took a 21-run lead against Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) with six wickets still intact at the KRL stadium. Ali Naqvi scored his tenth first-class century, an unbeaten 108 off 231 balls with 11 fours and a six. Bazid Khan (97) missed his hundred by three runs but helped add 193 runs for the fourth wicket with Naqvi.At the Diamond Cricket Club ground , hosts Islamabad nosed ahead of Lahore Shalimar, taking a six-run lead in the first innings. After Fayyaz Ahmed had made 58, Rauf Akbar hit 98 at No 8 off 130 balls with 15 fours. By the close of play, Lahore were 115 for 6 in the second innings.The match between Abbottabad and Rawalpindi, which was shifted to the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, started a day late on Saturday as the original venue — the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi — was not available due to repairs. Abbottabad, after opting to bat first, were 225 for 6 at the close of play. Opener Wajid Ali top scored with 75 off 176 balls with 11 fours.

Trinidad’s Brian Lara Stadium should be completed before year end, according to Gary Hunt, Trinidad & Tobago’s sports minister.Work on the stadium has been behind schedule for months and the whole project has attracted considerable criticism. Hunt said that it was 80% complete but would not give an exact date when it was expected to be finished.”The contractors indicated that the facility would be finished this year, but to give you an exact date, I do not have that,” he said. “I have to consult more closely with the contractors to supply a very accurate date … and even in today’s terms, you know that is subject to many conditions as we see in the construction industry today.”Opposition MPs have attacked what they have described as the “rampant corruption and financial mismanagement” of the project, but Hunt denied these charges.”We indicated that we are going to look at a value for money principle in all projects that we execute and this project is no different,” he said. “With regard to the exact cost, I believe that the past minister of Sports gave a statement in the parliament with regard to this and the figure put forward then was US $87.5 million. To give you a present estimate, I do not have that figure, and I would have to consult with the contractors.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

In the final installment of its 29-year existence, a series that has become a part of Australia’s summer culture came to a climactic end with a fitting humdinger at the Gabba.Twenty-three years after India’s last significant limited-overs title in Australia, Sachin Tendulkar helped script another memorable chapter with an innings of skill and determination. There was to be no repeat of his twin centuries against Australia in 1998, but his 91 set up a total which, backed by Praveen Kumar’s subtle-swinging accuracy, proved nine runs too much for Australia.In a game that ebbed and flowed wonderfully, James Hopes took Australia agonisingly close to victory with his maiden fifty after Praveen returned from an 11-run 45th over to snap a threatening eighth-wicket stand. Back when Australia dominated this tournament regularly Steve Waugh earned the moniker ‘Ice Man’ and under starry skies Hopes and Praveen gave it a modern context.Hopes battled on with comfortable sweeps against the spinners and some deft placement down the ground. There was not a trace of emotion on his face as he raised his fifty. Similarly, having given up 11 runs in his penultimate over, Praveen displayed awesome composure to bowl a three-run 47th, cleaning up Brett Lee.That left Australia needing 29 from 18 balls. Sreesanth picked up a second wicket but Hopes refused to bow down, flat-batting a six over wide long-on to ratchet up the tension. With 13 required off the final over, Irfan Pathan came back on. A single to third man exposed Nathan Bracken, who chipped a slower ball to midwicket. Hopes crossed and drove a manic couple to long-off but could only drive the fourth ball into the diving midwicket’s lap. Sinking to the ground as India whooped and cried around him, Hopes cut an endearing figure, a hero on a losing side, but the entire Brisbane crowd stood to applaud a pulse-setting, nerve-wracking game – and the deserving winners.The contest was set up by yet another masterclass from Tendulkar. In nearly three hours of nimble-footed driving, mainly to the off side, interspersed with soft on-side strokes, Tendulkar treated an appreciative crowd to a fine innings. India were steady during the Powerplays, scoring 36, 30 and 26 in three blocks, but made their best opening of the tournament. The ball didn’t speed away to the ropes when the openers leaned into their drives and so they smartly adjusted gears, keeping the outfielders busy through a mixture of full-faced dabs to third man and flicks to deep square leg.Tendulkar had a life on 7 when Ricky Ponting dropped a hard reflex catch at short cover, and he made it count. An utterly mistimed pull attempt off Nathan Bracken was the first sign of frustration but he quickly regained composure and decided to target Stuart Clark. His fifty came up from his 70th delivery and India had successfully chipped out a good start.

Some needless shots, however, allowed Australia back in. India would have preferred even 280 after this but having seized the initiative they allowed it to slip in a flurry of impetuous shots. Hopes allowed just one run in the 45th over, Bracken was accurate with his crafty mix of yorkers and slower deliveries, taking two wickets in the 48th over, and Lee kept it full as well.At the SCG Tendulkar backed the bowlers’ efforts with a sublime century and today they returned the favour. Especially Praveen, who for the second time in two high-pressure matches justified his new-ball promotion with the wickets of Australia’s three most dangerous batsmen. Adam Gilchrist’s final innings came to end with an edge and a walk but it was Ponting’s horrendous attempt at a pull shot that really set off the alarm bells.Michael Clarke’s ability to judge length has been his strength in the tournament but he lost his off stump, playing a crude swipe across the line to one that stayed low. Matthew Hayden made the most of a mess-up between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Tendulkar, at first slip, when he was on 5, to keep the asking rate in control. Pathan was again the target of Hayden’s ire and went for 37 from his first five overs. Hayden put on 89 with Andrew Symonds, whose eventful season continued with him shoulder charging a streaker, and Australia looked to be in the game.At this stage Australia required another 138 and Michael Hussey showed there was fire in Australia’s belly. Paddling and sweeping his way energetically in a 76-run stand with Hopes, he threatened to take the series to Adelaide. Hunting a target at over eight an over finally got to him, and he under-edged Sreesanth for a cool 44 in the 42nd over.The rest turned into a tension-filled rollercoaster ride, during which India held their nerve to triumph. After a long and controversial tour Down Under, India now head home with their heads held high. For Australia, the last time they surrendered back-to-back series was 1983-84 and 1984-85, against West Indies, and 23 years later this loss would come as a chastening blow.

Opening batsman Connor Williams with a superb unbeaten 96, steeredBaroda to a four wicket victory over Saurashtra in the West Zone RanjiTrophy one day match played at the GSFC ground in Baroda on Saturday.Chasing Saurashtra’s score of 225 for eight in 50 overs, Barodareached their target with five balls to spare.Put in to bat by Baroda skipper Tushar Arothe, Saurashtra got off to abad start. Rakesh Patel bowled Sudhir Tanna, who had scratched aroundfor 19 balls without scoring a run.Captain Sitanshu Kotak, who came in at No 3, played a responsibleinnings of 68 off 106 balls with three boundary hits before he wascaught by wicketkeeper Milap Mewada off the bowling of Rakesh Patel. Aseries of valuable partnerships helped Saurashtra to maintain areasonable run rate. But it was Sudip Mehta who really gave the runrate a big boost. Coming in at No 7, he hit a whirlwind knock of 51off just 30 balls with the help of six fours and a six. before he wasout in the final over. Rakesh Patel (3/32) and Hamid Ali (3/40) werethe pick of the bowlers. Ajith Bhiote bowled a miserly spell of 10overs that cost him only 26 runs.Former Indian player Atul Bedade gave Baroda an explosive start byhitting 24 off 15 balls with five hits to the ropes. He was out at 32in the sixth over. Baroda lost Himanshu Jadhav 12 quickly but a thirdwicket partnership of 71 runs from 14 overs between Jacob Martin andWilliams stepped up the run rate. Martin was out for 30 (40 balls).Harendra Jani, who dismissed Martin, picked up two more wickets butWilliams stood like a rock and guided Baroda to victory. Towards theend, Williams received able support from Darshan Mulherkar who hit 22off as many deliveries with two fours. The two added 37 runs for theunbroken seventh wicket off 6.3 overs. Harendra Jani finished withthree for 50 from his ten overs.

Rob Key and Andrew Hall laid the foundations for Kent’s victory in what was the first match of the Pro40, following last night’s washout.The pair put on an opening stand of 62 which proved the turning point at Grace Road after they had dismissed Leicestershire for 175.Hall made 31, while Key reached 63. It was then left to Darren Stevens to knock off the runs; he made an unbeaten 42 as Kent cruised home with 37 balls to spare.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul – 9
One man can’t make a team, but it can stop them from being humiliated.The one match Chanderpaul missed West Indies were bowled out twice inthe equivalent of less than a day. He then proceeded to bat nearlythree days’ worth of time before being dismissed. His concentration andapplication was unbelievable (even though it was the third time hebatted more than 1000 minutes without being dismissed) against, attimes, some very testing bowling and on lively surfaces. Brian Larahas gone, but it could be the best thing to happen to Chanderpaul. Hecan come out of the shadows and be acclaimed as the wonderful batsmanhe is. Only loses a mark for exposing the tail at Old Trafford … andeven that feels harsh.Darren Sammy – 8
Something of a surprise selection at Old Trafford but responded with 7for 66, the second-best figures by a West Indian on Test debut, andshowed a glimpses of some batting talent, too. His enthusiasm lifted aside that hit rock bottom following Headingley and he didn’t shirk thehard work, sending down an 11-over spell to rip out England’slower order. He would have been a handful at Chester-le-Street but agroin injury kept him out.Dwayne Bravo – 7
A constant heartbeat in a side that threatened to flat line.Technically he is as proficient as any of the top order and has theshots to match. Played Monty Panesar better than anyone except Chanderpauland had the skill to survive in bowler-friendly conditions. Hisbowling didn’t offer a cutting edge, but he never stopped trying andwas sorely missed at Chester-le-Street when injury limited him to twoovers. During that match he sought out Ian Botham for advice and is aplayer constantly trying to improve his game.Fidel Edwards – 6
It’s no coincidence that the best passages of play during the seriesinvolved Edwards. As in West Indies during 2004, England’sbatsmen were kept on their toes by his mixture of yorkers andbouncers. Deserved his five-wicket haul at Chester-le-Street, but canonly be used in five-over bursts and is a dangerous liability in awayward attack. Despite being considerably shorter than the previousgeneration of West Indian quicks, he provides occasional reminders ofa time long since past.Runako Morton – 5
Exasperating at every turn. He clearly has the shots, perhaps too manyof them, and showed in the second innings at Old Trafford that he canadd the application. But it was one innings in eight. The others endedwith a mixture of poor footwork and poor shot selection. Took a coupleof sharp catches and his pounding of the ground when a chance wentdown was one of the images of the series.Denesh Ramdin – 5
His batting went downhill after a bright 60 in the first innings atLord’s and he was soon found out by the moving ball. However, manybetter players than Ramdin would have fallen to Panesar’s delivery inthe second innings in Durham. While he caught the chances that camehis way, his glovework didn’t instill confidence and he’s another youngplayer who’d benefit from wise words.Corey Collymore – 5
The years have not been kind to Collymore, who now doesn’t lift hispace above the mid-70s. At least he can put two balls in the same areaand when the ball swings he still causes problems. But it’s a sadindictment of West Indies cricket when they are relying so heavily ona medium-pacer to carry their attack. Gains a point for his gutsydisplay with the bat at Durham when others didn’t show thenous to support Chanderpaul.

Chris Gayle – 4
With an inexperienced side, Gayle needed to take responsibility at thetop but never found his feet. In early season conditions his staticfootwork was always going to cause problems and loose drives were acommon form of dismissal. His only half-century, in the second inningsat Chester-le-Street, was more a warm-up for the one-day series -where he will be captain – than an effort to save a Test. His offspinwas useful, but isn’t the answer to West Indies’ slow bowling options.Devon Smith – 4
Possesses one of the most powerful cover-drives in the West Indiesteam and occasionally hinted at being able to replicate his debutcentury, against England, at Sabina Park in 2004. Again, though, themoving ball was a foreign concept and when the swing didn’t get himPanesar caused problems out of the rough.Ramnaresh Sarwan – 4
A chance to stamp his mark on the post-Lara era ended after littlemore than a Test. Chasing the ball to the boundary at Headingley hefell awkwardly and damaged his shoulder. Without him, West Indiesfolded in Leeds and continued to suffer without his experience. Theseries has shown Sarwan, if he didn’t know before, that the task ahead is daunting.Daren Powell – 4
Had led the attack strongly during the World Cup and began promisinglyat Lord’s when the rest wasted overcast conditions on the first day.His commitment couldn’t be doubted, however consistency was a majorissue and he paid with his place at Old Trafford, although that was anerror on a surface with pace and bounce. His return for the final Testwas a typically mixed performanceJerome Taylor – 3
Promised much but delivered little. He was slower than what heis capable of and, as with his fellow pacemen, couldn’t build pressureon the batsmen. At times both Sarwan and Daren Ganga appeared reluctant touse him and when he did produce a wicket-taking ball it only increasedthe frustration. Fielding started poorly – with a crucial drop offPaul Collingwood at Lord’s – and got worse.Daren Ganga – 3
Lost out in a close race to be captain before the tour but was thrustinto the role when Sarwan injured himself at Headingley. It had adisastrous effect on his batting as he failed to reach double figuresafter Lord’s. He couldn’t cope against the swinging ball, trappedleg-before five times in the series (once to Panesar), and washampered in the field by an attack that failed to offer him anycontrol. Overlooked for the one-day side, his future is doubtful.Marlon Samuels – 2
Threw his toys out of the pram when he wasn’t allowed more time in thenets after arriving as Sarwan’s replacement. Had to wait untilDurham for his chance and supported Chanderpaul briefly inthe first innings, but was spun out by Panesar second time around. Hisoffspin was friendly, and that’s being friendly.Sylvester Joseph – 1
Thrown in at the deep end when Chanderpaul was ruled out at Headingleyand was completely out of his depth.

The Hong Kong women’s team will tour Bangladesh for eight days starting next week. Between 20 and 29 March the side will play four one-day matches against the Bangladesh women’s team.The Bangladesh Cricket Board has selected 14 players for the training camp ahead of the tour, while there will also be four reserves.Bangladesh women Shathira Zakir Jessy, Shukhtara, Ayesha Akhter, Salma Khatun, Irin Sultana, Chamily Khatun, Rumana Akhter, Panna Ghosh, Shamima Akhter Pinky, Jahanara Alam, Lily Rani, Tithi Rani, Papiya Haque Babu, Mina Khatun.Reserves Fatematuz Zahora, Rifat Ara, Mahmuda Khan, Lata Mondal.

England’s hopes of squaring their series against Sri Lanka are all butover, after an abject second-day surrender at Galle. The city’sseventeenth-century walls have withstood mightier invaders than havebeen on display these past two days, and by the close of play,England’s tormentor-in-chief, Mahela Jayawardene, had taken togoading them from the ramparts. Not content with locking them out ofthe contest with a steadfast and brilliant 149 not out, he accusedthem afterwards of lacking the will to win.”At times I felt they came hard at us but then gave up pretty easily,”said Jayawardene. “I was surprised. When you’re one-down you shouldtry to attack more and create more opportunities. But they were a bitnegative with their over-rates so I knew they were not pushing us thatmuch. We took that advantage away from them and put the pressure backon them, which happens when a side is in a negative frame of mind.It’s quite easy to push for a win now.”At 147 for 4 overnight, Sri Lanka’s position at the start of play wasprecarious. England had not bowled especially well on the opening day,but they papered over their inadequacies by showing great heart insapping heat. Second-time around, in cooler conditions and beneathheavy cloud cover, they capitulated. Thanks to an overnight tropicalstorm, the ball zipped around in the first session much as it had doneon the first morning, and it remained playful all day long. ButEngland’s only breakthroughs came via Ravi Bopara in a pre-teagiveaway.”We batted through some difficult conditions,” said Jayawardene. “Wewere in a bit of a bother last night, so my target was to get SriLanka out of a dangerous situation and take the game away fromEngland. The wicket still had quite a bit even when Ryan [Sidebottom]was bowling with a 70-over old ball, but they didn’t bowl thatstraight to me so I managed to be pretty patient. With the movement onthis pitch you can create opportunities, and hopefully our guys willbe better than that.”A spate of dropped catches undermined England’s efforts, but thebottom line was that they were not equal to the challenge thatJayawardene posed. “We’ve no complaints,” said their coach, PeterMoores. “The pitch has done enough for us to bowl them out, we justhaven’t bowled well enough. We went chasing wickets, got a bit toofull and weren’t consistent enough. And we’ve had chances and wemissed them.”The first of those opportunities came as early as the tenth ball ofthe day, when Alastair Cook failed to cling onto a sharp chance in thegully, and things went steadily downhill from there. Matt Priorendured another rough day with two misses diving to his right, takingEngland’s series tally of misses in the slip cordon to six. A wealthof expertise in that area has been lost in recent months – AndrewFlintoff, Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss were permanentfeatures in Duncan Fletcher’s heyday – but nevertheless, Mooresadmitted that the quality of his team’s close catching was a growingconcern.”We’ve been working very hard on our fielding full stop, and we’vemade some reasonably good moves, but it takes time to improve when youchange people,” he said. “We’ve lost some of our natural slippers likeFred [Flintoff], but it’s an ongoing thing. The ECB have signed afielding coach [Richard Halsall] because we know it’s something wehave to address, not just at international level but all the way down.It’s a key area of top-flight sport, and we’re not hiding from thatfact. When you drop a catch it’s the worst feeling in the world.”However, the fact that England are being asked to comment on suchbasic areas of their game in the middle of a match emphasises the gulfthat has grown between the two teams over the course of this series.England’s youthful exuberance kept them in the contest for the firstthree days at Kandy, but since then Sri Lanka have displayed theirgreater expertise at every critical juncture. “Sri Lanka are a goodteam, there’s no doubt about that,” said Moores. “England are agrowing team with lots of changes, which is quite exciting. We’ve gota couple of debutants and we’ve lost a couple of senior players,that’s part of international sport. We’ve been put through some propertough cricket and we’ve got to find some answers.”The first task is to battle through to the end of a tour that, ontoday’s evidence, has already proved tougher than most of the Englishparticipants had bargained for. Only Michael Vaughan and PaulCollingwood have had prior experience of the Galle blast-furnaceeffect, and after ten hard-fought days at Kandy and Colombo, it was aweary band of cricketers who went through their paces in the field.”Fifteen days’ cricket in 22 is hard work, but we’re not into makingexcuses,” said Moores. “You take the good days with the bad days as asportsman. We always knew it was an intense schedule, but it’s thesame for both sides, and it’s one we signed up for.”