Aussie drugs scandal shows money talks in sport

Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare: 'The findings will disgust Australian sports fans'

By Tulsen Tollett BBC Sport presenter and former professional rugby player The line from a Rolling Stones classic immediately sprang to mind last week when the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) released its report into the untoward activities and practices being used in sport down under.

Some sportspeople, no matter how high they climb, or how many trophies they win, just "can't get no satisfaction".

When the federal justice minster and the sports minister front a press conference flanked by the heads of the five major sporting organisations in the country - Australian football, rugby league, rugby union, cricket and football - the alarm bells ring.

Even more so when not an inkling of what is about to unfold has been leaked. Solid work indeed.

The desire to beat the game has always been around, it is just that these days the stakes are so much higher.

When you are talking about an industry worth $9bn (£5.89bn) a year in the country where it is being brought into disrepute alone, then there's concern - because whether you are on the side of criminality or fighting it, the one thing that rings true for both sides is that money talks.

Ask yourself this question. How much knowledge do you have now as a sports fan, compared to five years ago, when it comes to talking about performance enhancers? When you think about it, it truly is scary.

I was lucky enough to play professional rugby league and rugby union in both Australia and England. In the late 1990s Creatine Phosphate  was the new legal-based fad as, in simple terms, it allowed you greater levels of energy for a longer period of time.

But where to go from there, how to improve further? It is a rhetorical question but some may well choose to explore it - and that is when the issues arise.

What is also questionable is how seriously the issue was taken. Every pre-season, dope-testing meetings designed to provide information and a detailed list of what was on the banned substance list were held, with the manual usually left sitting on the floor by about half a dozen people.

Sports people don't just use illegal drugs to try and gain an advantage - growing up in Sydney, Australia, there were rumours of rugby league players in the 1980s wearing ice hockey-style shoulder pads to inflict more pain on the opposition.

So when sports science evolved and professionalism took hold, the want to further the individual, team and code in some form or other would only seem a natural progression.

On the present day situation, let me stress that at this stage no one player or organisation has been found to have definitively cheated.

But given that such a fairly lengthy and covert operation was carried out under the noses of everyone involved, it is fair to say there will be a "fall guy" of some description.

The year-long study by the Australian Crime Commission concluded that

Doping was facilitated by sports scientists, coaches and medical staff Some illegal drugs were distributed by organised crime syndicates Doping discovered across multiple disciplines Which gets me to thinking of people's attitude towards sport in general after what has happened with Lance Armstrong and cycling in recent months.

Of course there is also the ongoing case in Spain involving Dr Eufemiano Fuentes and "Operation Puerto", in which a number of athletes from different sports have been implicated.

Is there a growing apathy towards sports stars and sport in general? It is seemingly difficult for a child to even get an autograph from their sporting heroes these days due to security, club policies and the dreaded "intellectual property rights".

Only recently my family and I spent two years back living in Sydney and I have to admit, the amount of advertising surrounding sports gambling was just incredible. Live television events would be flashing up the odds before a match, half-time and during a match - as well as markets for other games over the weekend.

Spread betting is a part of this abomination but that is an argument for another time.

It was saturation to the highest level and off-putting to say the least, with television and betting agencies trying to give it a glamorous look. And when vast sums of money are at stake, then criminality is bound to be lurking not too far away.

The governing bodies do all they can to keep the unholy trinity of drugs, match-fixing and organised crime out of their codes. But in various parts of the world, sport seems to contain at least one, if not all, of these factors.

Then we have those who believe that doping in sport should be legalised, that it would provide everyone with a fair playing field. Surely it would be a fair playing field if people did not dope? I also then would not have to explain to my kids what steroids, peptides, EPO and HGH, among others, are.

At the start of this article I referred to some athletes not being able to get any satisfaction no matter what they achieve - a point illustrated by a case just last year in horse racing.

Two-time Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Damien Oliver was suspended for 10 months after admitting the Australian placed a bet on another horse - called Miss Octopussy - in a separate race in October 2010.

Sadly, this whole illegal drugs saga has all the hallmarks of a Bond movie doesn't it?

And the action may be just as hairy over the coming months if the ACC and Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority stand firm and weed out the culprits.

View the original article here

Aussie drugs scandal shows money talks in sport

Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare: 'The findings will disgust Australian sports fans'

By Tulsen Tollett BBC Sport presenter and former professional rugby player The line from a Rolling Stones classic immediately sprang to mind last week when the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) released its report into the untoward activities and practices being used in sport down under.

Some sportspeople, no matter how high they climb, or how many trophies they win, just "can't get no satisfaction".

When the federal justice minster and the sports minister front a press conference flanked by the heads of the five major sporting organisations in the country - Australian football, rugby league, rugby union, cricket and football - the alarm bells ring.

Even more so when not an inkling of what is about to unfold has been leaked. Solid work indeed.

The desire to beat the game has always been around, it is just that these days the stakes are so much higher.

When you are talking about an industry worth $9bn (£5.89bn) a year in the country where it is being brought into disrepute alone, then there's concern - because whether you are on the side of criminality or fighting it, the one thing that rings true for both sides is that money talks.

Ask yourself this question. How much knowledge do you have now as a sports fan, compared to five years ago, when it comes to talking about performance enhancers? When you think about it, it truly is scary.

I was lucky enough to play professional rugby league and rugby union in both Australia and England. In the late 1990s Creatine Phosphate  was the new legal-based fad as, in simple terms, it allowed you greater levels of energy for a longer period of time.

But where to go from there, how to improve further? It is a rhetorical question but some may well choose to explore it - and that is when the issues arise.

What is also questionable is how seriously the issue was taken. Every pre-season, dope-testing meetings designed to provide information and a detailed list of what was on the banned substance list were held, with the manual usually left sitting on the floor by about half a dozen people.

Sports people don't just use illegal drugs to try and gain an advantage - growing up in Sydney, Australia, there were rumours of rugby league players in the 1980s wearing ice hockey-style shoulder pads to inflict more pain on the opposition.

So when sports science evolved and professionalism took hold, the want to further the individual, team and code in some form or other would only seem a natural progression.

On the present day situation, let me stress that at this stage no one player or organisation has been found to have definitively cheated.

But given that such a fairly lengthy and covert operation was carried out under the noses of everyone involved, it is fair to say there will be a "fall guy" of some description.

The year-long study by the Australian Crime Commission concluded that

Doping was facilitated by sports scientists, coaches and medical staff Some illegal drugs were distributed by organised crime syndicates Doping discovered across multiple disciplines Which gets me to thinking of people's attitude towards sport in general after what has happened with Lance Armstrong and cycling in recent months.

Of course there is also the ongoing case in Spain involving Dr Eufemiano Fuentes and "Operation Puerto", in which a number of athletes from different sports have been implicated.

Is there a growing apathy towards sports stars and sport in general? It is seemingly difficult for a child to even get an autograph from their sporting heroes these days due to security, club policies and the dreaded "intellectual property rights".

Only recently my family and I spent two years back living in Sydney and I have to admit, the amount of advertising surrounding sports gambling was just incredible. Live television events would be flashing up the odds before a match, half-time and during a match - as well as markets for other games over the weekend.

Spread betting is a part of this abomination but that is an argument for another time.

It was saturation to the highest level and off-putting to say the least, with television and betting agencies trying to give it a glamorous look. And when vast sums of money are at stake, then criminality is bound to be lurking not too far away.

The governing bodies do all they can to keep the unholy trinity of drugs, match-fixing and organised crime out of their codes. But in various parts of the world, sport seems to contain at least one, if not all, of these factors.

Then we have those who believe that doping in sport should be legalised, that it would provide everyone with a fair playing field. Surely it would be a fair playing field if people did not dope? I also then would not have to explain to my kids what steroids, peptides, EPO and HGH, among others, are.

At the start of this article I referred to some athletes not being able to get any satisfaction no matter what they achieve - a point illustrated by a case just last year in horse racing.

Two-time Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Damien Oliver was suspended for 10 months after admitting the Australian placed a bet on another horse - called Miss Octopussy - in a separate race in October 2010.

Sadly, this whole illegal drugs saga has all the hallmarks of a Bond movie doesn't it?

And the action may be just as hairy over the coming months if the ACC and Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority stand firm and weed out the culprits.

View the original article here

Kent prepared for financial loss

Kent chief executive Jamie Clifford has warned that the county are likely to post a loss when they publish their financial results for 2012.

The club made losses of around £50,000 when Tunbridge Wells Cricket Week was washed out last summer.

Clifford told BBC Radio Kent: "It is probably not going to be a pretty set of numbers. We made no secret of the fact 2012 was a difficult year.

"A number of things mean the bottom line number is not going to be great."

He added: "From Tunbridge Wells onwards it was obvious we were going to have a few impacts, therefore the financial results have followed that.

"In addition, we've now got a fantastic ground but we are depreciating that at quite a high level. That has quite a large bearing on the bottom line.

"The financial results have to go through an audit process and that is yet to quite conclude. We are not far off."

“It's about long-term sustainability. We believe we are doing the right things, both on the playing front but off the field as well”

Jamie Clifford Kent CCC chief executive Despite a difficult year, Clifford says he is more interested in the long-term view at the St Lawrence Ground, following investment in training facilities and a focus on developing young players through their academy.

"A lot of our costs are inherent in running a county cricket club," he continued.

"There is no quick fix and there is no point kidding ourselves that we are going to turn things around overnight.

"In terms of investment, there are things we are doing to make sure we continue that flow of home-grown talent. We continue to invest in our cricketers and youth programmes, and support the work of the Kent Cricket Board in developing young players.

"We've developed Polo Farm, Canterbury Hockey Club's venue, as a training ground for professionals as well as academy players.

"We've invested a six-figure sum there in practice facilities - grass nets, artificial nets as well as middle facilities. A lot of what we are doing is setting up for the long-term.

"The infrastructure and facilities we have got at Canterbury - the floodlights and improved conferencing facilities - as well as our cricket improvements such as our training ground, help set us up for the long term.

"It's not about a quick fix or chucking money at an overseas player and hoping you win a trophy. It's long-term sustainability. I think that's kind of where we are in our story.

"We're excited about what we have got so far and we believe we are doing the right things, both on the playing front in developing young players but off the field as well.

"I hope it will lead us to a place of strength and back to where we think we should be."

View the original article here

2013 Super Bowl: Wisdom and Experience over Youth and Talent

It seemed that the Young and Restless had everything? happening over the Old and Listless going into the 2013 Super Bowl or, more formally Super Bowl XLVII.

The San Francisco 49ers had tatooed quarterback Colin Kaepernick on a hot streak. The Baltimore Ravens had linebacker Ray Lewis going out on his retirement party.

There were fireworks aplenty in New Orleans last night and the youngsters did indeed put on a show. Kaepernick put up some good numbers in a 34-31 losing effort and Ravens' quarterback Joe Flacco had a super game, winning MVP honors.

But, when crunch time came, it was Baltimore's veterans who staved off defeat and handed the Ravens their second Lombardi Trophy, one more than the old Colts could manage for the city. Read all about it here.

- Getty Images

View the original article here

Shrubsole salutes perfect England

By Stephan Shemilt BBC Sport in Cuttack Anya Shrubsole says the seven-wicket victory over South Africa in Cuttack was a "perfect day" for England.

Shrubsole took 5-17 as the Proteas were bowled out for 77, with England then reaching the target inside 10 overs to keep their World Cup defence alive.

"We wanted to come out here, bowl first, get South Africa out for as little as possible then knock them off as quickly as we could," 21-year-old Shrubsole told BBC Sport.

"It was a perfect day for the team."

Defeat in Cuttack would have sent England out of the tournament and, even though they registered a comfortable victory over the Proteas, Charlotte Edwards's side still face a struggle to earn the right to meet Australia in the final.

England must beat New Zealand on Wednesday, with the defending champions waiting on the result of Monday's match between the Kiwis and West Indies before finding out exactly what is required of them.

If West Indies win, England need Australia to beat the Caribbean team in their final Super Six match. A New Zealand victory leaves England needing to beat the Kiwis by such a margin that their net run-rate improves past that of the Black Caps and West Indies.

"There's been calculations flying around," added Somerset seamer Shrubsole. "But most of all we know we needed to come here and win well.

"We're really pleased to have done that so we can now look forward to the New Zealand game. Once the New Zealand-West Indies game has been played we'll be in a better position to see what we need to do against New Zealand.

"But New Zealand are one of the best teams in the world, so we know we'll have to put in a performance similar to what we have done today."

One concern for England is the form of wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor.

Taylor made headlines before the tournament with talk of a possible switch to men's cricket, but, after two successive first-ball ducks, she again failed to get off the mark against South Africa.

"I don't think she's been fazed by that [the potential switch to the men's game]," said Kent batter Lydia Greenway, who made an unbeaten 25 to see England over the line in Cuttack. "She's the type of player to just get on with things.

"She's a world-class player, one of the best batters in the world. You don't become a bad player overnight and I'm sure there's a big innings around the corner for her.

"She's got a good head on her shoulders and I'm sure she'll just be worried about making sure we perform well in the rest of this World Cup."

View the original article here

Morgan doubtful for second T20

Venue: HamiltonDate: Tuesday 12 FebruaryStart time: 06:00 GMTCoverage: Ball-by-ball Test Match Special commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, BBC Radio 4 LW & via BBC Sport website; live text commentary on BBC Sport website & mobile devices

Batsman Eoin Morgan will have a late fitness test ahead of England's second Twenty20 international against New Zealand in Hamilton on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old, who scored 46 in England's victory over the Kiwis on Saturday, has jarred his back and missed practice on Monday.

Bowler Jade Dernbach will be fit after injuring his arm during field drills, with Joe Root likely to replace Morgan.

9 Feb: 1st T20 - England won by 40 runs

12 Feb: 2nd T20, Hamilton

15 Feb: 3rd T20, Wellington

17 Feb: 1st ODI, Hamilton

20 Feb: 2nd ODI, Napier

23 Feb: 3rd ODI, Auckland

5 March: 1st Test, Dunedin

13 March: 2nd Test, Wellington

21 March: 3rd Test, Auckland

New Zealand welcome Ian Butler and Grant Elliott back from injury.

Morgan is England's highest ranked T20 batsman - the Middlesex man is rated as the ninth-best in the world by the ICC  - and he has scored more than 850 runs at an average of 37.3 in his 33 matches.

His absence would be a big loss for England, who dominated the first T20 international - their 214-7 becoming their highest score in the format before captain Stuart Broad took 4-24 as New Zealand finished on 174-9.

The tourists can ensure victory in the three-match series if they can win in Hamilton, and Yorkshire batsman Jonny Bairstow, who scored 38 from just 22 balls in Auckland, is hoping to continue the momentum.

"To spend some time in the middle was really pleasing and I was pleased with the way I struck the ball," said the 23-year-old, who helped Morgan put on 81 in seven overs at Eden Park.

"We were really pleased with the performance we put in. Everyone contributed, in all three disciplines."

New Zealand were outclassed in the first match and middle-order batsman Colin Munro accepts they got their tactics wrong.

"Obviously Saturday was disappointing - we weren't up to scratch," Munro said. "We had plans to drop the ball a little bit shorter and let them hit to the bigger boundary, but we were quite full and floaty - so we played into England's hands to hit the short, straight boundaries.

"Our lengths weren't right and dropping five catches didn't help. That's not going to happen again."

View the original article here

Australia reach World Cup final

Women's World Cup, Super Six, Mumbai (Brabourne Stadium):

Australia 132-1 (22.2 overs) beat Sri Lanka 131 (45.2 overs) by nine wickets

Australia reached the final of the Women's World Cup with a nine-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Mumbai.

Jodie Fields's side, who have won all five of their matches in the competition, reached the final, to be held on 17 February, with a game to spare in the Super Six stage.

Erin Osborne took 3-9 while Megan Schutt and Lisa Sthalekar picked up two wickets in Sri Lanka's 131 all out.

Rachael Haynes then smashed an unbeaten 71 as the Aussies raced to victory.

It means the Southern Stars are certain to qualify for the final in Mumbai ahead of their final Super Six game against West Indies on Wednesday.

Defending champions England, New Zealand and West Indies are the three sides still in contention to join the Aussies in the final.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka are eliminated from contention and look set to face South Africa in the fifth/sixth place play-off on Friday, no matter what the result is when the two sides meet on Wednesday.

England, who beat South Africa by seven wickets on Sunday, must beat New Zealand in their final match on Wednesday to have any chance of defending their title against the Aussies.

View the original article here

Seamer Shrubsole comes of age for England

By Stephan Shemilt BBC Sport in Cuttack If England somehow manage to reach the final of the Women's World Cup, they will owe a huge debt of gratitude to Anya Shrubsole.

Forced to sit out the shock opening defeat by Sri Lanka, the Somerset seamer has since taken 13 wickets in four matches, more than any other bowler in the tournament. 

Match-winning spells against West Indies and South Africa came either side of a high-quality opening burst against Australia, a match in which Shrubsole did not deserve to finish on the losing side.

With an action similar to South African paceman Andre Nel, the right-armer has a knack of homing in on the right-handers' stumps with late in-swing.

Leading wicket-takers at Women's World Cup:

13 - Anya Shrubsole (Eng) 11 - Katherine Brunt (Eng) 10 - Megan Schutt (Aus) 9 - Jhulan Goswami (Ind) The yorker that bowled Jess Cameron in a spell of 3-24 against the Aussies was unplayable, while four of her victims in a career-best 5-17 against South Africa were either lbw or bowled.

"I've started swinging the ball in a bit more than I have before," Shrubsole told BBC Sport.

"It's just about consistently bowling in the right areas, which I've managed to do in the past few games. When you do that, you give yourself the best opportunity to take wickets.

"I'm just looking to bowl as straight as I possibly can to give myself the best chance to take wickets. You only get that from attacking the stumps and I try to do that as much as possible."

The likeable 21-year-old from Bath is adept at dealing with the media and always happy to stop and chat once the cameras and microphones have been put away.

Confident and articulate, Shrubsole is described as the "intellect" of the England squad by batter Lydia Greenway.

While it has been her bowling that has being earning the plaudits in India, perhaps the most revealing insight into Shrubsole's self-belief was her performance with the bat in the two-run defeat by Australia in Mumbai.

Striding to the crease at number 11 with 34 needed, Shrubsole ignored the fact she had not batted in a one-day international since November 2010 to launch a counter-attack that offered England the prospect of an unlikely victory.

Her dance and strike over mid-on from the off-spin of Lisa Sthalehkar demonstrated the quality of a batter who regularly lines up at number three or four for Somerset.

In the end, it was cruel that Shrubsole had to stand at the other end as Holly Colvin was caught behind to give the Aussies a win that pushed England to the brink of elimination.

Age: 21 County: Somerset ODI debut: v South Africa, Aug 2008 ODI record: 14 matches, 19 wickets at 19.89 T20 debut: v South Africa, Aug 2008 T20 record: 23 matches, 30 wickets at 14.76 Her response was to destroy South Africa.

"I'm really happy with the way the ball is coming out for me," added Shrubsole, who is reaping the rewards of work done with Warwickshire bowling coach Graeme Welch.

"When you're bowling like this, you just want to bowl whenever you can. Confidence is high."

Shrubsole, however, has been through some dark times on the way to forming a dangerous new-ball partnership with Katherine Brunt.

Since taking 1-26 on debut at the age of 16 in 2008, Shrubsole has managed to play only 14 ODIs for England because of a horrendous run of injuries.

That year she was named as the most promising young women's player in the country by the Cricket Society and played one match as England won the World Cup in Australia in 2009, only to be ruled out of the World Twenty20 three months later by a back injury.

She missed part of the following summer with a hip problem, was unable to travel to Australia in early 2011 because of a thigh strain and had her English summer of that year ruined by ruptured cruciate knee ligament.

Returning to the international fold after a two-year break in early 2012, Shrubsole played in all of England's matches at the World Twenty20, taking three wickets in a campaign that ended in a final defeat by Australia.

Now, in better physical shape than earlier in her career, she is grasping a long-awaited opportunity to make an impact on the world stage.

"My injury problems are well documented," said Shrubsole. "But it's all about putting in the hard work and I was in a really good place coming to this tournament off the back of the World Twenty20.

"I'm just happy to be out here on the pitch, performing well enough to contribute to England's successes."

Modest words, so it was left to Greenway to extol the virtues of her team-mate.

"She's obviously bowling brilliantly. She and Katherine Brunt have been leading our attack magnificently," said the Kent left-hander.

"Annie's been moving the ball left, right and centre. It's quite pleasing to see how she's been bowling and the amount of wickets she's been picking up."

Edwards goes further, saying Shrubsole has "come of age" in India.

And, with England coach Mark Lane believing she can still improve "another 20%", plenty more can be expected from Shrubsole in this Ashes year and beyond.

For now, though, her primary objective is to reach the World Cup final. No England player deserves it more.

View the original article here

Morgan doubtful for second T20

Venue: HamiltonDate: Tuesday 12 FebruaryStart time: 06:00 GMTCoverage: Ball-by-ball Test Match Special commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, BBC Radio 4 LW & via BBC Sport website; live text commentary on BBC Sport website & mobile devices

Batsman Eoin Morgan will have a late fitness test ahead of England's second Twenty20 international against New Zealand in Hamilton on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old, who scored 46 in England's victory over the Kiwis on Saturday, has jarred his back and missed practice on Monday.

Bowler Jade Dernbach will be fit after injuring his arm during field drills, with Joe Root likely to replace Morgan.

9 Feb: 1st T20 - England won by 40 runs

12 Feb: 2nd T20, Hamilton

15 Feb: 3rd T20, Wellington

17 Feb: 1st ODI, Hamilton

20 Feb: 2nd ODI, Napier

23 Feb: 3rd ODI, Auckland

5 March: 1st Test, Dunedin

13 March: 2nd Test, Wellington

21 March: 3rd Test, Auckland

New Zealand welcome Ian Butler and Grant Elliott back from injury.

Morgan is England's highest ranked T20 batsman - the Middlesex man is rated as the ninth-best in the world by the ICC  - and he has scored more than 850 runs at an average of 37.3 in his 33 matches.

His absence would be a big loss for England, who dominated the first T20 international - their 214-7 becoming their highest score in the format before captain Stuart Broad took 4-24 as New Zealand finished on 174-9.

The tourists can ensure victory in the three-match series if they can win in Hamilton, and Yorkshire batsman Jonny Bairstow, who scored 38 from just 22 balls in Auckland, is hoping to continue the momentum.

"To spend some time in the middle was really pleasing and I was pleased with the way I struck the ball," said the 23-year-old, who helped Morgan put on 81 in seven overs at Eden Park.

"We were really pleased with the performance we put in. Everyone contributed, in all three disciplines."

New Zealand were outclassed in the first match and middle-order batsman Colin Munro accepts they got their tactics wrong.

"Obviously Saturday was disappointing - we weren't up to scratch," Munro said. "We had plans to drop the ball a little bit shorter and let them hit to the bigger boundary, but we were quite full and floaty - so we played into England's hands to hit the short, straight boundaries.

"Our lengths weren't right and dropping five catches didn't help. That's not going to happen again."

View the original article here

Seamer Shrubsole comes of age for England

By Stephan Shemilt BBC Sport in Cuttack If England somehow manage to reach the final of the Women's World Cup, they will owe a huge debt of gratitude to Anya Shrubsole.

Forced to sit out the shock opening defeat by Sri Lanka, the Somerset seamer has since taken 13 wickets in four matches, more than any other bowler in the tournament. 

Match-winning spells against West Indies and South Africa came either side of a high-quality opening burst against Australia, a match in which Shrubsole did not deserve to finish on the losing side.

With an action similar to South African paceman Andre Nel, the right-armer has a knack of homing in on the right-handers' stumps with late in-swing.

Leading wicket-takers at Women's World Cup:

13 - Anya Shrubsole (Eng) 11 - Katherine Brunt (Eng) 10 - Megan Schutt (Aus) 9 - Jhulan Goswami (Ind) The yorker that bowled Jess Cameron in a spell of 3-24 against the Aussies was unplayable, while four of her victims in a career-best 5-17 against South Africa were either lbw or bowled.

"I've started swinging the ball in a bit more than I have before," Shrubsole told BBC Sport.

"It's just about consistently bowling in the right areas, which I've managed to do in the past few games. When you do that, you give yourself the best opportunity to take wickets.

"I'm just looking to bowl as straight as I possibly can to give myself the best chance to take wickets. You only get that from attacking the stumps and I try to do that as much as possible."

The likeable 21-year-old from Bath is adept at dealing with the media and always happy to stop and chat once the cameras and microphones have been put away.

Confident and articulate, Shrubsole is described as the "intellect" of the England squad by batter Lydia Greenway.

While it has been her bowling that has being earning the plaudits in India, perhaps the most revealing insight into Shrubsole's self-belief was her performance with the bat in the two-run defeat by Australia in Mumbai.

Striding to the crease at number 11 with 34 needed, Shrubsole ignored the fact she had not batted in a one-day international since November 2010 to launch a counter-attack that offered England the prospect of an unlikely victory.

Her dance and strike over mid-on from the off-spin of Lisa Sthalehkar demonstrated the quality of a batter who regularly lines up at number three or four for Somerset.

In the end, it was cruel that Shrubsole had to stand at the other end as Holly Colvin was caught behind to give the Aussies a win that pushed England to the brink of elimination.

Age: 21 County: Somerset ODI debut: v South Africa, Aug 2008 ODI record: 14 matches, 19 wickets at 19.89 T20 debut: v South Africa, Aug 2008 T20 record: 23 matches, 30 wickets at 14.76 Her response was to destroy South Africa.

"I'm really happy with the way the ball is coming out for me," added Shrubsole, who is reaping the rewards of work done with Warwickshire bowling coach Graeme Welch.

"When you're bowling like this, you just want to bowl whenever you can. Confidence is high."

Shrubsole, however, has been through some dark times on the way to forming a dangerous new-ball partnership with Katherine Brunt.

Since taking 1-26 on debut at the age of 16 in 2008, Shrubsole has managed to play only 14 ODIs for England because of a horrendous run of injuries.

That year she was named as the most promising young women's player in the country by the Cricket Society and played one match as England won the World Cup in Australia in 2009, only to be ruled out of the World Twenty20 three months later by a back injury.

She missed part of the following summer with a hip problem, was unable to travel to Australia in early 2011 because of a thigh strain and had her English summer of that year ruined by ruptured cruciate knee ligament.

Returning to the international fold after a two-year break in early 2012, Shrubsole played in all of England's matches at the World Twenty20, taking three wickets in a campaign that ended in a final defeat by Australia.

Now, in better physical shape than earlier in her career, she is grasping a long-awaited opportunity to make an impact on the world stage.

"My injury problems are well documented," said Shrubsole. "But it's all about putting in the hard work and I was in a really good place coming to this tournament off the back of the World Twenty20.

"I'm just happy to be out here on the pitch, performing well enough to contribute to England's successes."

Modest words, so it was left to Greenway to extol the virtues of her team-mate.

"She's obviously bowling brilliantly. She and Katherine Brunt have been leading our attack magnificently," said the Kent left-hander.

"Annie's been moving the ball left, right and centre. It's quite pleasing to see how she's been bowling and the amount of wickets she's been picking up."

Edwards goes further, saying Shrubsole has "come of age" in India.

And, with England coach Mark Lane believing she can still improve "another 20%", plenty more can be expected from Shrubsole in this Ashes year and beyond.

For now, though, her primary objective is to reach the World Cup final. No England player deserves it more.

View the original article here

Kent prepared for financial loss

Kent chief executive Jamie Clifford has warned that the county are likely to post a loss when they publish their financial results for 2012.

The club made losses of around £50,000 when Tunbridge Wells Cricket Week was washed out last summer.

Clifford told BBC Radio Kent: "It is probably not going to be a pretty set of numbers. We made no secret of the fact 2012 was a difficult year.

"A number of things mean the bottom line number is not going to be great."

He added: "From Tunbridge Wells onwards it was obvious we were going to have a few impacts, therefore the financial results have followed that.

"In addition, we've now got a fantastic ground but we are depreciating that at quite a high level. That has quite a large bearing on the bottom line.

"The financial results have to go through an audit process and that is yet to quite conclude. We are not far off."

“It's about long-term sustainability. We believe we are doing the right things, both on the playing front but off the field as well”

Jamie Clifford Kent CCC chief executive Despite a difficult year, Clifford says he is more interested in the long-term view at the St Lawrence Ground, following investment in training facilities and a focus on developing young players through their academy.

"A lot of our costs are inherent in running a county cricket club," he continued.

"There is no quick fix and there is no point kidding ourselves that we are going to turn things around overnight.

"In terms of investment, there are things we are doing to make sure we continue that flow of home-grown talent. We continue to invest in our cricketers and youth programmes, and support the work of the Kent Cricket Board in developing young players.

"We've developed Polo Farm, Canterbury Hockey Club's venue, as a training ground for professionals as well as academy players.

"We've invested a six-figure sum there in practice facilities - grass nets, artificial nets as well as middle facilities. A lot of what we are doing is setting up for the long-term.

"The infrastructure and facilities we have got at Canterbury - the floodlights and improved conferencing facilities - as well as our cricket improvements such as our training ground, help set us up for the long term.

"It's not about a quick fix or chucking money at an overseas player and hoping you win a trophy. It's long-term sustainability. I think that's kind of where we are in our story.

"We're excited about what we have got so far and we believe we are doing the right things, both on the playing front in developing young players but off the field as well.

"I hope it will lead us to a place of strength and back to where we think we should be."

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Shrubsole salutes perfect England

By Stephan Shemilt BBC Sport in Cuttack Anya Shrubsole says the seven-wicket victory over South Africa in Cuttack was a "perfect day" for England.

Shrubsole took 5-17 as the Proteas were bowled out for 77, with England then reaching the target inside 10 overs to keep their World Cup defence alive.

"We wanted to come out here, bowl first, get South Africa out for as little as possible then knock them off as quickly as we could," 21-year-old Shrubsole told BBC Sport.

"It was a perfect day for the team."

Defeat in Cuttack would have sent England out of the tournament and, even though they registered a comfortable victory over the Proteas, Charlotte Edwards's side still face a struggle to earn the right to meet Australia in the final.

England must beat New Zealand on Wednesday, with the defending champions waiting on the result of Monday's match between the Kiwis and West Indies before finding out exactly what is required of them.

If West Indies win, England need Australia to beat the Caribbean team in their final Super Six match. A New Zealand victory leaves England needing to beat the Kiwis by such a margin that their net run-rate improves past that of the Black Caps and West Indies.

"There's been calculations flying around," added Somerset seamer Shrubsole. "But most of all we know we needed to come here and win well.

"We're really pleased to have done that so we can now look forward to the New Zealand game. Once the New Zealand-West Indies game has been played we'll be in a better position to see what we need to do against New Zealand.

"But New Zealand are one of the best teams in the world, so we know we'll have to put in a performance similar to what we have done today."

One concern for England is the form of wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor.

Taylor made headlines before the tournament with talk of a possible switch to men's cricket, but, after two successive first-ball ducks, she again failed to get off the mark against South Africa.

"I don't think she's been fazed by that [the potential switch to the men's game]," said Kent batter Lydia Greenway, who made an unbeaten 25 to see England over the line in Cuttack. "She's the type of player to just get on with things.

"She's a world-class player, one of the best batters in the world. You don't become a bad player overnight and I'm sure there's a big innings around the corner for her.

"She's got a good head on her shoulders and I'm sure she'll just be worried about making sure we perform well in the rest of this World Cup."

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Windies beat Kiwis at World Cup

West Indies beat New Zealand in the Women's World Cup to slightly boost England's chances of making the final.

The Windies won by 48 runs, preserving their own dream of reaching the final against Australia on 17 February.

West Indies posted 207-9, with Stephanie Taylor hitting 49, while New Zealand were bowled out for 159.

For England to qualify on net run-rate, England must now beat New Zealand in their final game on Wednesday and hope Australia heavily beat West Indies.

With the West Indies facing Australia in the first match of the day, England will at least know exactly what they will have to do in order to make the final.

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Super Bowl XLVII: Um, What About the Football?

You are to be pitied if you are looking for actual news coming out of New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII. You know, something about the actual football game.

We've had to endure Beyonce's lip-synching scandals, gays in the NFL, the healthiest Super Bowl snacks, deer antler spray, all about halftime shows, predictions from orangutans and of course the hot, hot, hot Super Bowl commercials.

And I'm not sure I would be ready for the big game if I hadn't learned what Jude Law's plans were for Super Sunday.

Anyway, let's think about an aspect of Sunday's game that has been largely overlooked: Special teams.

Special team play can and often do decide football games. Field goals have decided four Super Bowls, for example.

The Baltimore Ravens have a huge edge when it comes to placekickers, one of their few advantages in my opinion.

Justin Turner missed only three field goals all year, going 30 for 33, and he was four for four from 50 yards and beyond.

For the San Francisco 49ers, David Akers had a terrible year, missing 10 of 19 tries from at least 40 yards.

However, San Francisco has one of the best punters in the league in Andy Lee, who tied for the highest net punting average. Lee rarely out-kicks his coverage and is very accurate, often settling his kicks down delicately inside the opponents' 20-yard-line.

Both teams have good kick returners, but Baltimore's Jacoby Jones is probably the best in the league. His 30.7 yards per kick average is the best in the NFL among those who have returned at least 16 kicks.

On the other hand, the Ravens, who were generally solid in special teams coverage, have lapsed in the postseason, surrendering two touchdowns on long kick returns by Denver's Trindon Holliday in the AFC Divisional Playoffs.

Prediction: The 49ers will try earnestly not to kick to Jones, but he will still manage to have at least one game-changing return.

I'm sticking with my prediction, though, of a 49ers win.

- Getty Images

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Australia reach World Cup final

Women's World Cup, Super Six, Mumbai (Brabourne Stadium):

Australia 132-1 (22.2 overs) beat Sri Lanka 131 (45.2 overs) by nine wickets

Australia reached the final of the Women's World Cup with a nine-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Mumbai.

Jodie Fields's side, who have won all five of their matches in the competition, reached the final, to be held on 17 February, with a game to spare in the Super Six stage.

Erin Osborne took 3-9 while Megan Schutt and Lisa Sthalekar picked up two wickets in Sri Lanka's 131 all out.

Rachael Haynes then smashed an unbeaten 71 as the Aussies raced to victory.

It means the Southern Stars are certain to qualify for the final in Mumbai ahead of their final Super Six game against West Indies on Wednesday.

Defending champions England, New Zealand and West Indies are the three sides still in contention to join the Aussies in the final.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka are eliminated from contention and look set to face South Africa in the fifth/sixth place play-off on Friday, no matter what the result is when the two sides meet on Wednesday.

England, who beat South Africa by seven wickets on Sunday, must beat New Zealand in their final match on Wednesday to have any chance of defending their title against the Aussies.

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Seamer Shrubsole comes of age for England

By Stephan Shemilt BBC Sport in Cuttack If England somehow manage to reach the final of the Women's World Cup, they will owe a huge debt of gratitude to Anya Shrubsole.

Forced to sit out the shock opening defeat by Sri Lanka, the Somerset seamer has since taken 13 wickets in four matches, more than any other bowler in the tournament. 

Match-winning spells against West Indies and South Africa came either side of a high-quality opening burst against Australia, a match in which Shrubsole did not deserve to finish on the losing side.

With an action similar to South African paceman Andre Nel, the right-armer has a knack of homing in on the right-handers' stumps with late in-swing.

Leading wicket-takers at Women's World Cup:

13 - Anya Shrubsole (Eng) 11 - Katherine Brunt (Eng) 10 - Megan Schutt (Aus) 9 - Jhulan Goswami (Ind) The yorker that bowled Jess Cameron in a spell of 3-24 against the Aussies was unplayable, while four of her victims in a career-best 5-17 against South Africa were either lbw or bowled.

"I've started swinging the ball in a bit more than I have before," Shrubsole told BBC Sport.

"It's just about consistently bowling in the right areas, which I've managed to do in the past few games. When you do that, you give yourself the best opportunity to take wickets.

"I'm just looking to bowl as straight as I possibly can to give myself the best chance to take wickets. You only get that from attacking the stumps and I try to do that as much as possible."

The likeable 21-year-old from Bath is adept at dealing with the media and always happy to stop and chat once the cameras and microphones have been put away.

Confident and articulate, Shrubsole is described as the "intellect" of the England squad by batter Lydia Greenway.

While it has been her bowling that has being earning the plaudits in India, perhaps the most revealing insight into Shrubsole's self-belief was her performance with the bat in the two-run defeat by Australia in Mumbai.

Striding to the crease at number 11 with 34 needed, Shrubsole ignored the fact she had not batted in a one-day international since November 2010 to launch a counter-attack that offered England the prospect of an unlikely victory.

Her dance and strike over mid-on from the off-spin of Lisa Sthalehkar demonstrated the quality of a batter who regularly lines up at number three or four for Somerset.

In the end, it was cruel that Shrubsole had to stand at the other end as Holly Colvin was caught behind to give the Aussies a win that pushed England to the brink of elimination.

Age: 21 County: Somerset ODI debut: v South Africa, Aug 2008 ODI record: 14 matches, 19 wickets at 19.89 T20 debut: v South Africa, Aug 2008 T20 record: 23 matches, 30 wickets at 14.76 Her response was to destroy South Africa.

"I'm really happy with the way the ball is coming out for me," added Shrubsole, who is reaping the rewards of work done with Warwickshire bowling coach Graeme Welch.

"When you're bowling like this, you just want to bowl whenever you can. Confidence is high."

Shrubsole, however, has been through some dark times on the way to forming a dangerous new-ball partnership with Katherine Brunt.

Since taking 1-26 on debut at the age of 16 in 2008, Shrubsole has managed to play only 14 ODIs for England because of a horrendous run of injuries.

That year she was named as the most promising young women's player in the country by the Cricket Society and played one match as England won the World Cup in Australia in 2009, only to be ruled out of the World Twenty20 three months later by a back injury.

She missed part of the following summer with a hip problem, was unable to travel to Australia in early 2011 because of a thigh strain and had her English summer of that year ruined by ruptured cruciate knee ligament.

Returning to the international fold after a two-year break in early 2012, Shrubsole played in all of England's matches at the World Twenty20, taking three wickets in a campaign that ended in a final defeat by Australia.

Now, in better physical shape than earlier in her career, she is grasping a long-awaited opportunity to make an impact on the world stage.

"My injury problems are well documented," said Shrubsole. "But it's all about putting in the hard work and I was in a really good place coming to this tournament off the back of the World Twenty20.

"I'm just happy to be out here on the pitch, performing well enough to contribute to England's successes."

Modest words, so it was left to Greenway to extol the virtues of her team-mate.

"She's obviously bowling brilliantly. She and Katherine Brunt have been leading our attack magnificently," said the Kent left-hander.

"Annie's been moving the ball left, right and centre. It's quite pleasing to see how she's been bowling and the amount of wickets she's been picking up."

Edwards goes further, saying Shrubsole has "come of age" in India.

And, with England coach Mark Lane believing she can still improve "another 20%", plenty more can be expected from Shrubsole in this Ashes year and beyond.

For now, though, her primary objective is to reach the World Cup final. No England player deserves it more.

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Windies beat Kiwis at World Cup

West Indies beat New Zealand in the Women's World Cup to slightly boost England's chances of making the final.

The Windies won by 48 runs, preserving their own dream of reaching the final against Australia on 17 February.

West Indies posted 207-9, with Stephanie Taylor hitting 49, while New Zealand were bowled out for 159.

For England to qualify on net run-rate, England must now beat New Zealand in their final game on Wednesday and hope Australia heavily beat West Indies.

With the West Indies facing Australia in the first match of the day, England will at least know exactly what they will have to do in order to make the final.

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VIDEO: Samuels throws his bat at Warne

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VIDEO: England women ready for World Cup

7 January 2013 Last updated at 12:24 GMT

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England slip to Australia defeat

By Stephan Shemilt BBC Sport in Mumbai England fell to an agonising two-run defeat by Australia that severely damages their chances of defending the Women's World Cup.

Last-wicket pair Anya Shrubsole and Holly Colvin looked on course to snatch England the most unlikely of wins, only for Colvin to be caught behind off Erin Osborne within one blow of victory.

In pursuit of 148, England had earlier been reduced to 39-6, only for Lydia Greenway (49) and Laura Marsh to drag them back into the contest with a painstaking stand of 57.

When they fell, the game looked to be up, but after coming together with 34 needed, Shrubsole and Colvin counter-attacked to keep England alive.

In the most dramatic of finales, however, Australia were able to strike the final, telling blow to extend the run that has seen them go unbeaten against England in World Cup matches since 1993.

"Everything went in England's favour today, they won the toss and bowled well but they've given this match away with poor batting and loose shots up top. On a pitch like this, there's no excuse for shots like that. I think Australia captain Jodie Fields was really aggressive and smart with her field placings."

In doing so they stay top of the Super Six table on six points and are on the verge of the final.

With only the top two teams going through, England now need to win their remaining two games against South Africa and New Zealand and hope other results go their way.

For that to happen, Charlotte Edwards's side must first recover from losing a game that looked to be within their grasp as new-ball pair Shrubsole and Katherine Brunt again wreaked havoc in the damp morning conditions in Mumbai.

The Aussies, so dominant in winning all their first-round matches, were reduced to 32-5 by the skilful swing and accuracy of England's pace duo.

Swinging the ball into the right-hander, Shrubsole accepted Rachael Haynes' return catch before bowling Jess Cameron with an unplayable yorker.

Then, in between Brunt and Jenny Gunn removing Alex Blackwell and Fields respectively, Shrubsole got the key wicket of Meg Lanning, who chased a wide one to edge behind.

It could have been worse for Jodie Fields' side had Lisa Sthalekar not been dropped on 11 by Greenway off the bowling of Gunn.

Sthalekar went on to make 41, adding 82 for the sixth wicket with Sarah Coyte, who contributed 44. It was a crucial stand in the context of the match, but England will know it was their own batting that cost them.

They may rue the poor umpiring decisions received by Edwards and Marsh, lbw to Megan Schutt and Coyte respectively when both deliveries looked to be drifting down the leg side.

However, in between, the top order were masters of their own downfall with Sarah Taylor, Danielle Wyatt and Arran Brindle all falling to poor shots.

And, after Heather Knight played all around Julie Hunter to be trapped lbw and Gunn was beaten by Holly Ferling's extra pace to be bowled middle stump, it completed a collapse of four wickets for two runs in three overs.

England looked to be in a hopeless position, only for the experienced duo of Greenway and Marsh to drag them back into the match.

With patient, risk-free batting, they ran well and accepted any loose deliveries that came, inching their way to a half-century stand in 136 balls.

'Poor shot selection' cost England

However, just as England were getting a foothold, Marsh was harshly given out leg before for 22 and Greenway patted 17-year-old Ferling to cover.

England looked beaten, but Shrubsole and Colvin had other ideas. With Colvin taking Sarah Coyte for three boundaries in an over and number 11 Shrubsole hitting Sthalekar over the top for another four, England strode towards their target.

But with Colvin looking for the winning runs, she got a feather through to Fields to hand victory to the Australians.

Elsewhere in the Super Sixes, New Zealand thrashed Sri Lanka by eight wickets  to move to four points from three games.

The Sri Lankans were bowled out for 103, with Lea Tahuhu taking four wickets before the Kiwis chased down the runs in 23 overs.

The West Indies also have four points following a two-wicket victory over South Africa.  

Chasing 231 to win, the Caribbean side survived a middle order collapse to scramble home in the 46th over.

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Broad heel injury may last career

Stuart Broad says he could be forced to play through the pain of a heel injury for the rest of his career.

The England Twenty20 captain, 26, is suffering from a lacerated fat-pad at the bottom of his left foot which forced him to quit the tour of India.

But medics have been unable to find a cure and he will play with a specially-fitted boot to minimise the damage.

"There's no operation or injection suitable, but it's manageable at the minute," he said.

9, 12 & 15 February: T20 internationals (Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington) 17, 20 & 23 February: ODIs (Hamilton, Napier, Auckland) 6-10 March: 1st Test (Dunedin) 14-18 March: 2nd Test (Wellington) 22-26 March: 3rd Test (Auckland) Broad has taken three wickets in England's warm-up matches for the first Twenty20 international with New Zealand in Auckland including a hat-trick against a New Zealand XI in Whangarei.

The Nottinghamshire all-rounder has been a virtual ever-present in the England team in all formats since breaking through on their last tour of New Zealand in 2008.

And he insists he can manage the injury and continue his career.

"It's not a major problem. I don't get too down about it," said Broad.

"They're speaking to specialists all over the world trying to find what they can do.

"It's going to be a long-term thing. It's not going to go away overnight, it's something I just need to manage.

"It's been pretty good for the last two weeks of bowling and touch wood it can stay that way for a bit.

"I've found good ways to look after it. But it's one of those things that's not going to go away with a week's rest, or a year's rest.

"It's just something to look after and be careful with."

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Berg extends Middlesex contract

Middlesex all-rounder Gareth Berg has signed an extension to his contract, keeping him at Lord's until the end of the 2015 season.

The 32-year-old made his first-class debut for the county in 2008.

He told the club website:  "I am extremely excited about what the next three years has in store for me and my team-mates here at Middlesex.

"I feel that we are on the cusp of achieving great things and success is well within our reach."

The South African added: "I'm looking forward to repaying the club's faith in me and my ability and will do all within my power to help Middlesex secure honours in the very near future."

Middlesex managing director of cricket Angus Fraser said Berg was a "gifted and dangerous cricketer".

"He is still young in cricketing terms, having come into the professional game late," Fraser said.

"I am in no doubt that he has a huge amount to offer to Middlesex cricket over the coming years."

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England suffer T20 warm-up defeat

England 170-5 (20 overs) lost to NZ XI 171-7 (20 overs) by three wickets

A late fightback by captain Stuart Broad proved in vain as England suffered a last-ball defeat by a New Zealand XI in their final warm-up game.

Jos Buttler hit a second successive half-century while Eoin Morgan also weighed in with 51 as the tourists reached 170-5 at the Cobham Oval.

The hosts were coasting to victory before three wickets fell for four runs, including Tom Latham for 64.

The final ball finish made it exciting for the big crowd, but it should not disguise a poor bowling performance from three of England's attack. 170 was a defendable total after Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler repeated their powerful hitting of the previous day. James Tredwell and Steven Finn had rare off days. Jade Dernbach threatened to rescue the match with a skilful final over, but his bowling earlier was reminiscent of his efforts in India that cost him his ODI place.

But Broad's 3-24 proved in vain, their opponents winning off the last ball.

Having won their opening warm-up game by 46 runs 24 hours earlier, Broad and his players have plenty to ponder ahead of Saturday's opening Twenty20 international with New Zealand in Auckland.

England opener Michael Lumb said Wednesday's defeat was an indication of how tough the three-match series would be.

"I think it will be tight," said the Nottinghamshire batsman. "A lot of people have written them off, but you can't take them lightly.

"It would be foolish to do that - they've just beaten South Africa in a one-day series over there. They're a proud nation, and they'll come really hard at us."

Buttler followed up his unbeaten 57 in the opening game with 51 off 31 deliveries, which included five fours and two sixes.

He put on 87 with Morgan, who also struck two sixes.

But it was not enough as New Zealand's openers Anton Devcich and Hamish Rutherford passed 50 in just 35 balls.

Rutherford's dismissal brought Latham to the crease and he wasted no time reaching 50 from 29 balls.

Steven Finn and James Tredwell struggled to make an impact for England, both going for 44 runs from their four overs.

But Lumb said the match provided the workout they needed and was particularly pleased with the return to form of captain Broad after injury.

"It was good, especially for the four bowlers, to be put under some pressure," said Lumb. "And if it comes down to it in the main games, we'll have had some experience a couple of times here.

"It's great to have Broady back. His body is moving well, and he's bowling nicely.

"He's obviously had a few little niggles, but he's back fit and raring to go. We're really chuffed with that."

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Batting cost England - Edwards

By Stephan Shemilt BBC Sport in Mumbai Captain Charlotte Edwards says poor batting cost her side in the two-run Women's World Cup defeat by Australia in their opening Super Six match.

Chasing 148, the holders slipped to 39-6 before falling short on 145 and now need other results to go their way if they are to make the final in Mumbai.

"Everything went in England's favour. They won the toss and bowled well but they've given this match away with poor batting and loose shots up top. On a pitch like this, there's no excuse for shots like that. I think Australia captain Jodie Fields was really aggressive and smart with her field placings."

Edwards said: "There was some poor shot selection. Numbers three, five, six and seven faced 12 balls between them.

"In a tough position you need those people to stand up and they didn't."

Australia, who have not lost to England in a World Cup match since 1993, are top of the Super Six group with six points and are on the verge of making the final.

With only the top two advancing, England, on two points, need to win their final two matches against South Africa on Sunday and New Zealand on Wednesday if they are to defend the trophy they won in 2009.

England also saw the middle order wobble in the opening defeat by Sri Lanka and the subsequent win over West Indies, but Edwards says she has no concerns for the rest of the tournament.

"Individually they have all stood up at times, collectively maybe we haven't as a group batted well," said the 33-year-old opener.

"Batting is where we need to improve, but I'm not worried."

Sarah Taylor, England's number three who has been linked with a move to men's cricket, has so far failed to impress, scoring only 35 runs in the tournament.

All of those runs came against India, after the wicketkeeper missed the opening game against Sri Lanka through injury. Her last two innings has resulted in first-ball ducks.

"Sarah Taylor hasn't scored runs in the competition, but she's dangerous and I'm expecting big things to come from her," said Kent's Edwards.

"She's too good a player to go through too many games without scoring. Hopefully, with two big games to come, she'll fire for us."

However, former England batter Ebony Rainford-Brent believes Taylor may have been affected by both the pre-tournament hype and her injury.

"If all of a sudden you're on the front page of a newspaper, that would affect anyone," said Rainford-Brent, who was part of the England's successful 2009 squad.

"Also, she's had a niggle. If she's not been training in the same way then that could have hampered her preparations.

"We saw against India that she is a quality player. She and the coaches need to address any problems she might have because England need her runs."

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No changes for SA game - Edwards

By Stephan Shemilt BBC Sport in Mumbai Venue: Barabati Stadium, CuttackDate: Sunday, 10 FebruaryTime: 03:30 GMTCoverage: Commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra & online; live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & mobile devices

England captain Charlotte Edwards has hinted that her side will not make changes for Sunday's crucial World Cup Super Six match against South Africa.

Having lost to Australia, the defending champions must beat the Proteas and New Zealand while hoping other results go their way if they are to progress.

"It's worked well for us to be consistent in selection," said Edwards.

"I don't like tinkering around with teams, especially with two crucial games coming up."

The 33-year-old added: "I can't see us making any drastic changes. This is the team we feel has the best chance of getting to the World Cup final."

2005 - group stage, England won by eight wickets (Pretoria)

2000 - group stage, South Africa won by five wickets (Lincoln)

1997 - group stage, England won by seven runs (Hyderabad)

Friday's two-run defeat by Australia has left England on the verge of elimination in India.

Even if they beat South Africa they could be out of the tournament by the time they meet New Zealand, if West Indies win their remaining two games.

For Sunday's game they have travelled to the eastern city of Cuttack, about 1,000 miles away from Mumbai, where they have played all their games so far.

Cuttack was not added as a venue until six days before the tournament began after a right-wing political group protested against Pakistan's presence in Mumbai.

As a result, all games that were scheduled to involve Pakistan were moved to the eastern city - only for them to be knocked out in the first round.

"We're calling it our two-day break," added Kent's Edwards. "It will be nice to get away because we've been in the same hotel for two and a half weeks.

"We've always known that we're going to have to go at some point so we're seeing it as a positive thing."

Defeat by Australia came despite England reducing the Aussies to 32-5. Jodie Fields' side recovered to post 147 and England then crumbled to 39-6 and, despite a late-order rally, fell short.

"The great thing about this tournament is that games come thick and fast," said Edwards. "The girls were upset, but we have to move on quickly.

"We know what we need to do now - we have to win two games of cricket. The girls want to play in the World Cup final, so there's no bigger carrot."

Sunday's other Super Six game sees Australia take on Sri Lanka in Mumbai, where an Aussie win would seal their place in the final.

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Injury progress pleases Tremlett

Surrey fast bowler Chris Tremlett says he is making good progress after an injury-ravaged 2012 season.

The 31-year-old was restricted to just seven county appearances last year because of back and a knee problems.

He told BBC London 94.9: "It's been going really well and the last month or so we have been in the indoor school stepping it up each week.

"In the last three weeks I've not been far off sending it down at 100 per cent, although it is a shorter run-in."

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“We are still working at a certain intensity and hopefully I can continue that progression and the injuries will stay away”

Chris Tremlett Surrey and England bowler Tremlett underwent back surgery in February last year after a bulging disc ended his involvement in the Test series against Pakistan and forced him out of England's Test series with Sri Lanka.

The former Hampshire man, who has played 11 Test matches and 15 ODIs, returned to county action in June but only played six T20 matches and one County Championship game.

He had an operation to repair torn knee cartilage in September and signed a new one-year deal with Surrey later that month.

But Tremlett says he is in better shape at this moment in time than he was last season.

"I had stages last year where I came back and I didn't feel 100 per cent," he added.

"I wasn't far off and got back to playing but I never felt totally fit.

"I can say at the moment that my body feels normal, which is a very nice feeling.

"It's nice to be able to run in the nets pretty much three or four days a week, not be in pain and work on those things which I'd forgotten really because it had been such a long time since I'd played.

"It is still only still February and a couple of months before the first proper game.

"It's about not getting too giddy. We are still working at a certain intensity and [fast bowling coach] Stuart Barnes has got a speed gun we are working with and he is monitoring that.

"It's nice to get going again and hopefully I can continue that progression and hopefully the injuries will stay away this time."

Tremlett is set to fly to South Africa to continue his rehabilitation under the supervision of England and Wales Cricket Board coaches at a camp for young cricketers with potential for the future.

"It's a great opportunity which the ECB have given me to go over there," he said.

"I went over there last year for two weeks and it is good progression to get outside and add the intensity to my bowling.

"It is a great opportunity to get outside, put a spike on my foot, take it to the next level and gain that confidence.

"I might even have the chance to play in a game over there. That's the next stage.

"Hopefully I'll come back at the start of March and be fully fit with some decent overs under my belt.

"It has all come around very quickly but I am in a good place at the moment."

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Bopara to feature in SA Twenty20

Essex and England all-rounder Ravi Bopara will play for South African side Dolphins in their Twenty20 campaign.

The 27-year-old, who missed out on an Indian Premier League club, is currently representing Chittagong Kings in the Bangladesh Premier League.

The South Africa T20 competition starts on 15 February, but Bopara will link up with the Dolphins when his Chittagong commitments end.

As things stand he would be available to start the season with Essex.

The South Africa T20 Domestic Cup runs until 7 April, three days before Essex begin their County Championship Division Two campaign against Gloucestershire.

The right-handed batsman could still be bought by an IPL club at a later date however, despite being overlooked in the auction, meaning he could miss up to eight weeks of the English season.

"I am delighted to be joining up with the Dolphins," said Bopara.

"Having played out in South Africa before I know the cricket is of the highest standard. I will be doing everything to make sure the Dolphins have a great tournament."

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England wary of Taylor's return

Venue: Auckland Date: Sunday 9 FebruaryStart time: 06:00 GMTCoverage: Ball-by-ball Test Match Special commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, BBC Radio 4 LW & via BBC Sport website; live text commentary on BBC Sport website & mobile devices

England batsman Eoin Morgan says New Zealand will be a stronger proposition with Ross Taylor back in their squad.

The 28-year-old resigned as the Kiwi Test captain in December following his dismissal as one-day and T20 skipper.

He missed the tour of South Africa but is back for the three-match T20 series with England starting on Saturday.

"He is a big danger, a very successful one-day and Twenty20 cricketer and someone we look to as a possible threat in this series," Morgan said.

Tests: 43, runs 3,268, highest 154 not out

ODIs: 116, runs 3,408, highest 131 not out

T20s: 47, runs 853, highest 63

Taylor, who averages 43 in Test matches, 37 in one-day internationals and 24 in T20s, insists he had made peace with New Zealand head coach Mike Hesson, who preferred Brendon McCullum as captain in the two shorter formats of the game.

"I can't speak for anyone else, I can only say what I see myself and I haven't seen anything untoward towards me," said Taylor, of his welcome back to the squad.

"I always enjoy representing my country, and hope I can do that with some pride over the next six weeks of this tour.

"I've got friends in the team and I'm looking forward to playing for them, and obviously the management and the country as well."

Taylor replaced Vettori as captain in June 2011, and, although he guided New Zealand to a Test win in Australia and a drawn series, his team suffered series defeats at home to South Africa and then away to West Indies and India.

Taylor's Kiwis went out of the World Twenty20 tournament in Sri Lanka at the Super Eights stage and lost 10 of their 14 completed one-day internationals in 2012.

Morgan, who has an average of 36 from 32 T20 internationals, said: "I think I'd find it difficult if I didn't get along with the coach.

"You spend a lot of time with each other, and your coach is normally someone you seek advice from. For me, it would be crucial to get along with my coach."

Without Taylor, who has scored 119 runs in six T20s against England, the Kiwis lost both Tests in South Africa last month and also lost the preceding Twenty20 series 2-1, but beat the Proteas 2-1 in the one-day series.

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Broad praises 'complete' England

Stuart Broad has described England's performance in their 40-run Twenty20 victory over New Zealand at Eden Park as the best of his captaincy.

England racked up 214-7 - their highest Twenty20 score - before restricting the Kiwis to 174-9 to win at a canter.

"It is certainly the most complete performance that I've captained," said Broad, who has led England in 15 games.

"To have the mindset to go and get such a high score and defend it so comprehensively - we are delighted."

S Broad: 52 wickets in 44 matches G Swann: 51 in 39 S Finn: 23 in 14 R Sidebottom: 23 in 18 J Dernbach: 20 in 19 England took advantage of the short straight boundaries at a stadium more commonly used for rugby to plunder 15 sixes and 16 fours in their total, with all of the top six batsmen contributing at least 21 runs.

The Black Caps could only manage eight sixes and 11 fours as they lost wickets at regular intervals to fall well short of their target.

"To go and get 214 and keep going with the freedom we did meant it was all set up for the bowlers, and the fielding was excellent too," added Broad, whose career-best figures of 4-24 made him England's leading T20 wicket-taker with 52.

"We talked at half-time about bowling to the bigger boundaries, bowling to a length and taking pace off the ball and we did that fantastically well.

"We are often very critical of ourselves and set ourselves high standards, but we have to sit down in that changing room today and say that is fantastic."

New Zealand were let down by five dropped catches, including two by Ross Taylor, who received a warm reception on his first appearance since being relieved of the captaincy and then sitting out the tour of South Africa.

"It's was good to get back out there. The reception I got when I came out to bat was very humbling. Thanks to the fans for all your support. Sorry about the dropped catches too.

NZ batsman Ross Taylor on Twitter 

"We were missing the basics - the batting, the bowling and definitely in the field," said new captain Brendon McCullum.

"We have to make sure we rectify those areas. It was a really poor day in the field and you can't afford to drop five catches in any form of the game, let alone Twenty20 cricket.

"It was disappointing to put in that sort of performance in front of that sort of crowd. We got exposed in some areas but credit to England for the way they played."

The teams meet again in Hamilton on Tuesday with Broad knowing a win would wrap up the three-match series with a game to spare.

"We'll have to adapt to conditions in Hamilton but we know there will be short boundaries again and it's just important that we keep pushing ourselves and make sure that our performance there is as good as it was here," he said.

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Banned Butt set for Cas appeal

Salman Butt, one of three Pakistan players found guilty of "spot-fixing" in 2011, was having his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) heard in Switzerland on Friday.

The former captain, 28, wants his 10 year-ban - five suspended - overturned.

Team-mate Mohammad Asif had his appeal heard on Thursday and the verdicts are expected within a month.

"All I want is an opportunity to get back into cricket whilst I am still young," said Butt.

Pace bowler Asif - banned for seven years, two of which were suspended - said: "Hopefully, I am going to win this case. I'd like to play cricket again."

Butt, Asif and Mohammad Amir were suspended from all forms of cricket in February 2011 after they were found guilty of deliberately bowling no-balls as part of an illegal betting network during the Lord's Test against England in August 2010.

All three were subsequently convicted and jailed in November 2011 after they were found guilty of conspiracy to cheat and accept corrupt payments.

Amir - banned for five years and sentenced to six months in jail - is not appealing.

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Delay to start of Pakistan Super League

The inaugural Pakistan Super League has been postponed from its 25 March start date to allow players to secure clearance from their national boards.

The international union Fica had called the tournament "unmanageable".

And security concerns have led Australia and South Africa to ban their contracted players from taking part.

Former England players Phil Mustard and Ajmal Shahzad had declared an interest in the tournament which promised salaries of up to $100,000 (£63,000).

But English counties were reluctant to grant players No Objection Certificates for the 12-day tournament due to safety worries and the proximity to the start of the English county season.

Pakistan has not hosted international cricket since gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009, killing seven policemen and injuring six players.

But despite safety concerns, organisers the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) claim around 80 foreign players had signed agreements to play in the league.

The PCB said the reason for rescheduling the event was that they needed more time to tackle the overwhelming response to the tournament .

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England set record in opening win

First Twenty20 international, Auckland:

England 214-7 (20 overs) beat New Zealand 174-9 (20 overs) by 40 runs

England hit 15 sixes and beat their record Twenty20 score as they crushed New Zealand by 40 runs in the first Twenty20 international in Auckland.

214-7 v New Zealand, Auckland, 9 Feb 2013 202-6 v S Africa, Johannesburg, 13 Nov 2009 200-6 v India, Durban, 19 Sept 2007 196-5 v Afghanistan, Colombo, 21 Sept 2012 193-7 v West Indies, The Oval, 28 June 2007 England capitalised on short boundaries at Eden Park, with Eoin Morgan striking 46 from 26 balls, Luke Wright 42 from 20 and Jonny Bairstow 38 from 22.

Jos Buttler added 32 from 16 to see England to 214-7 and beat their 202-6 against South Africa in 2009.

Captain Stuart Broad took 4-24 as New Zealand finished on 174-9.

England, having been put in to bat in the first of three internationals, looked on course for a big total from the start.

"England's batsmen made good use of the short and straight boundaries, hitting 15 sixes and 16 fours, although they benefitted from sloppy catching. A target of 215 didn't look impossible but New Zealand's chances receded when the dangerous Brendon McCullum was superbly caught by Eoin Morgan off Finn, who also had the returning Ross Taylor caught on the boundary for 13. Broad's two wickets in the 15th over then ended the home side's hopes."

New Zealand dropped five catches, with former captain Ross Taylor missing two chances on his return to the team, as the hosts struggled to defend the small boundaries.

Alex Hales launched the first six of the innings high over deep midwicket in the second over and when he was stumped off Ronnie Hira for 21, Wright quickly found his range as England hit 21 runs off the spinner's second over.

Michael Lumb had made only three - albeit from just six balls faced - in England's first 50 runs, but he joined in with a swept four and straight six off Hira.

Taylor, back for his first international match since being relieved of the New Zealand captaincy and then sitting out the tour of South Africa, dropped Wright at cover off Nathan McCullum and then let Lumb off when he skied Andrew Ellis to deep midwicket.

Kevin Pietersen 32 Eoin Morgan 30 Luke Wright 29 Paul Collingwood 24

Source: Cricinfo

Wright, who fired four sixes in a belligerent innings, was caught deep on the offside off Ellis before Lumb, on 22, miscued an attempted hook to short fine-leg.

But New Zealand's mistakes in the field continued to cost them. Hira dropped Bairstow on 22, but the most glaring miss was by Mitchell McClenaghan who appeared not to see the ball properly at short third-man when he put down Morgan on 33 off McCullum.

Morgan, having cleared the ropes three times, miscued Hira to give Taylor an unmissable opportunity and Bairstow, who blasted two sixes, found Martin Guptill at long-on off Boult.

But Buttler ensured England surged past 200 with some impressive blows.

9 Feb: 1st T20 - England won by 40 runs

12 Feb: 2nd T20, Hamilton

15 Feb: 3rd T20, Wellington

17 Feb: 1st ODI, Hamilton

20 Feb: 2nd ODI, Napier

23 Feb: 3rd ODI, Auckland

5 March: 1st Test, Dunedin

13 March: 2nd Test, Wellington

21 March: 3rd Test, Auckland

New Zealand lost debutant Hamish Rutherford, son of former Test batsman Ken, to Broad and then their own skipper Brendon McCullum to a superb back-pedalling catch from Morgan off Finn for 10.

Taylor received a warm welcome when he came out to bat but his innings was brief and he was out for 13.

Guptill played with aggression, making 44 from 32, but England, with Broad and Steven Finn (3-39) finding extra bounce, took regular wickets to keep the hosts in check and secure an emphatic victory.

The England skipper, who has expressed concerns about a heel injury, finished with 4-24, his best T20 international figures, while Wright took 2-29 and added a catch.

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Taylor controversy ruffles Kiwi feathers

By Stephan Shemilt BBC Sport Venue: Auckland Date: 9 February 2013Start: 06:00 GMTCoverage: Live commentary on 5 live sports extra from 05:45 GMT, scorecard and text commentary on the BBC website

The return of a former captain and star batsman has dominated the headlines in the build-up to England's tour of New Zealand.

And no, this time the talk is not about Kevin Pietersen, but the controversy surrounding Ross Taylor's removal as New Zealand captain in December.

The saga has embroiled Kiwi greats such as Sir Richard Hadlee, Martin Crowe and Shane Bond and threatens to undermine the Black Caps' hopes of success against England.

After being replaced by Brendon McCullum, Taylor made himself unavailable for the tour of South Africa, saying he needed a "break" from the game.

After returning from his self-imposed South Africa exile, Ross Taylor insists he has a good relationship with coach Mike Hesson: "There are probably still people outside of the team that want to stir it up a little bit, but we can't control that," he said. "There are a few cameras here and I'm sure they're here for a reason. You've just got to get on with it. It is what it is, and I'm sure come Saturday it'll be all forgotten."

Now, following two months away, the 28-year-old finds himself back in the spotlight as he prepares to line up against England in Saturday's first Twenty20 international in Auckland.

Hadlee, who took 431 Test wickets in his illustrious career, has warned about factions in the team and said he could not imagine an All Black rugby player deciding to "exile himself" from the side. 

But Taylor, who has scored more than 3,000 Test runs at an average of 43.57, was relaxed when he spoke to the media  on Thursday, saying he was working on rebuilding his relationship with coach Mike Hesson.

"I've got friends in the team and I'm looking forward to playing with them," he said. "I had a meeting with Mike the other day and it went well. Our relationship is a work in progress."

And he maintained that his relationship with McCullum was not a problem, and was looking forward to putting the controversy behind him.

"There was never anything wrong in the first place. We haven't had a meeting to clear the air," he said.

"There's probably still people outside of the team that want to stir it up a little bit, but we can't control that."

In his press conference before Sunday's opening Twenty20 against England, McCullum struck a similar chord.

"There was never really an issue between us, it was obviously an uncomfortable time for Ross and other people concerned but as far as our relationship goes we're fine and both looking forward to playing together," he said.

" Ross has come back into the group and fitted in seamlessly and we're expecting a big performance out of him."

The catalyst for the events surrounding Taylor's exile was a meeting between the then captain, Hesson, assistant coach Bob Carter and team manager Mike Sandle in a hotel room on the tour of Sri Lanka in November.

Taylor claims the trio informed him he was to be replaced in all three forms of the game.

"They all came into my room and pretty much said that I wasn't good enough to captain the team. I was stunned and I didn't really know what to say ," he said.

In one-day internationals, Taylor had a captain's record of winning just 33% of matches, significantly lower than Daniel Vettori 's 55% (above) and Stephen Fleming 's 48%.

Hesson, who took over as coach in July 2012, says that particular meeting was a review of the one-day series only.

"I didn't mention if the change in leadership was one form, two forms or three forms," he said. "My recommendation was for Ross Taylor to remain as Test captain and my preferred option."

Whichever is true, McCullum took over from Taylor, with the new skipper having to travel to South Africa without his best batsman.

The move prompted an outcry against the New Zealand board - former captain Crowe was reported to have burned his blazer in protest.  Days later, the board apologised to Taylor for the way the affair was handled, while it later emerged that bowling coach Bond wrote a letter supporting Taylor's version of events. 

All in all, a bit of a mess.

"It comes down to he said, they said," former New Zealand pace bowler and Test Match Special pundit Iain O'Brien told BBC Sport.

"A new coach is, in essence, allowed to pick his captain. Was I surprised? A little bit, but more surprised at the timing. How it came about baffled me."

The meeting in Taylor's hotel room took place after the limited-overs leg of the Sri Lanka tour was finished but before the two Test matches begun.

Sri Lanka had won the one-day series 3-0 and went on to win the first Test by 10 wickets. In the second, Taylor, thinking it was to be his last as captain, struck 142 and 75 as the Kiwis won a Test in Sri Lanka for the first time in 14 years.

"You don't tell someone two days out from a Test match that they are going to lose the one-day captaincy unless you also want them to relinquish the Test captaincy," added O'Brien, who took 73 wickets in 22 Test matches.

Tests: 72 matches, six centuries, top score 225, 35.12 average. ODIs: 209 matches, four centuries, top score 166 , 30.01 average. T20s: 57 matches, two centuries, top score 123, 34.77 average. "If you don't have faith in a captain to do one job, then you don't have faith in him to do any of the jobs."

Taylor's record of winning just over 30% of his Tests in charge is second only to Stephen Fleming for all Kiwi skippers since 1987.

In one-dayers, though, his record of winning 33% of matches is significantly down on Daniel Vettori's 55% and Fleming's 48%. Hesson may have had a point.

The coach was further vindicated by results in South Africa. Under McCullum, the Black Caps were demolished in the Tests, but that was a series in which they were expected to struggle. After that, the 2-1 one-day series win was their first in any format away to the Proteas.

It is Taylor's batting that is most sorely missed by the Kiwis, though. The right-hander's presence may not have been enough to stop the Test defeats in South Africa - the Kiwis were bowled out for 45 in the first innings of the first Test - but the whole affair had an effect on the team, according to O'Brien.

"The Taylor issues may have played a part because, for some guys, we are talking about a friend, someone they would have spent a lot of time with and would be pretty close too," said the former Middlesex and Leicestershire seamer.

"It wouldn't have changed the outcome of the series, we still would have lost both Tests but maybe not so heavily.

"He's a very good player, but you won't turnaround the gulf just with one guy."

Taylor now hopes the problems will be in the past once he returns to the middle and starts scoring runs again.

"There are a few cameras here and I'm sure they're here for a reason," observed Taylor at this week's news conference.

"You've just got to get on with it. It is what it is, and I'm sure come Saturday it'll be all forgotten."

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Bowler Stone sets England record

Northants paceman Olly Stone has registered the best ever bowling figures for England in a youth Test.

The 19-year-old from Norwich took 11 wickets for 79 from 44 overs across two innings against South Africa Under-19s in Paarl.

It set up a final-day run chase of 286 for England on Wednesday, but they fell short, losing by 67 runs. 

Stone broke the record held by former Northants, Surrey and Essex spinner Richard Pearson set in 1991.

The right-armer made his CB40 debut against Warwickshire in May and then his first-class bow in a draw with Yorkshire.

He has taken five County Championship wickets in his three matches at an average of 40.40.

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VIDEO: 'Poor shot selection' cost England

8 February 2013 Last updated at 14:19 GMT

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Zimbabwe's black armband protest remembered

By Sam Sheringham BBC Sport It was the moment that marked out Andy Flower and Henry Olonga as two of the most courageous figures in the history of their sport.

On 10 February 2003, as their country prepared to host its first World Cup match, the Zimbabwe cricketers released a statement to journalists at the Harare Sports Club in which they denounced the "death of democracy" in their homeland.

And in order to underline their opposition to President Robert Mugabe's 'regime', they took to the field wearing black armbands.

Flower sports a black armband on his right arm during Zimbabwe's opening World Cup match

In making their stand at an international sports event, Flower, Zimbabwe's most successful player, and Olonga, the country's first black cricketer, were drawing the attention of the world to what they saw as human rights abuses taking place in their country.

But in opposing Mugabe, who was elected as Prime Minister in 1980 in post-independence elections and became president in 1987, they were throwing away their international careers, putting their lives in danger and condemning themselves to a life in exile.

Ten years on, the protest is the subject of a BBC Radio 5 live Sport special to be broadcast at 19:00 GMT on Thursday.

Listeners will hear the personal recollections of Flower and Olonga as they relive the moment they made their bold stand.

While Olonga wrote at length about the extraordinary episode and its consequences in his 2010 autobiography Blood, Sweat and Treason, Flower has remained largely silent, and the man whose stewardship of the England team has been characterised by a dispassionate resolve becomes deeply emotional as he remembers his thoughts and feelings before, during and after that fateful day.

In an interview with 5 live's Alison Mitchell, Flower explains that the protest came about after an old friend, Nigel Huff, took him to see how his once-thriving farm had been devastated by the government's land reforms.

"Nigel said we had a moral obligation not to go about business as usual during the World Cup but to tell the world about what was going on in Zimbabwe," recalls Flower.

"Under normal circumstances you don't want politics to interfere in any way in a sporting context but this was different. This was a remarkably brave statement by two individuals against the way their country was being run, and it was made a stone's throw from Mugabe's residence.

"It made a huge impression on everyone involved in the tournament and became a talking point wherever you went. Indeed, I remember catching up with Henry Olonga at a match later in the tournament in South Africa where he revealed that he thought he was being followed and may have to flee his country."

"Once he had planted that seed it was very hard to ignore it and it changed the way I viewed the country and our participation in that World Cup."

Flower knew that the chances of engaging the whole team in a protest or boycott were remote given that certain players either had sympathies with the regime or would be unwilling to take such a risk. So he decided to approach Olonga, a 26-year-old fast bowler with a sharp mind and strong sense of morality.

"I thought Henry might grab the concept and have the courage of his convictions to take a stand," adds Flower. "I also thought the fact that it would be one white Zimbabwean and one black one operating together gave the message the most eloquent balance."

A series of clandestine meetings followed involving Flower, Olonga and David Coltart, a human rights lawyer and a member of the opposition party.

Together they decided that the most effective way to make their point would be through a written statement and the wearing of a black armband to symbolise their mourning for the death of democracy in Mugabe's Zimbabwe.

Flower and Olonga describe the sense of foreboding as the day of the match due nearer, followed by a feeling of liberation once they had finally put their plan into operation.

"It is impossible to ignore what is happening in Zimbabwe. Although we are just professional cricketers, we do have a conscience and feelings. We believe that if we remain silent that will be taken as a sign that either we do not care or we condone what is happening in Zimbabwe. We believe that it is important to stand up for what is right."

Read the full statement 

One of the most powerful passages of Flower's testimony arrives when he reads aloud the 450-word statement which was distributed around the press box by English journalist Geoffrey Dean on the morning of the Namibia game and subsequently reprinted in newspapers across the globe.

"They are familiar words," says Flower. "I have a copy framed in my house and just occasionally if I come across it I read the entire statement again.

"I love the way it was written - the meaning in some of those sentences is very sad because it is a reminder of what was happening in that country at that time and some of the people who went through agony and lost their lives."

Flower and Olonga's actions were applauded in international media but drew a furious response from Zimbabwe's cricket administrators and politicians. Olonga was expelled by his club side and branded an "Uncle Tom" who had "a black skin and a white mask" by Zimbabwe's propaganda minister Jonathan Moyo.

Flower, who was 34 at the time, had already planned to quit international cricket after the World Cup and had signed a contract to play for Essex in England, but the younger Olonga was less prepared for a life in exile.

"I had in my own naivety thought that I could carry on in Zimbabwe - maybe my career would come to an end but I could still live there," Olonga tells Mitchell.

Olonga's armband is visible as he watches from the players' balcony

"But that all changed when I got death threats two or three weeks after the World Cup. It became very clear that they had it in for me after the World Cup. I realised the game was up."

Olonga followed Flower to England where he gave up cricket and forged a career as a singer and public speaker. Now settled in Somerset with his Australian wife and two daughters, he says he has no regrets about his actions but would be uneasy about returning to his homeland with Mugabe still in power.

"I would need some guarantees that the people who wanted to harm me a few years ago do not still want to harm me," he says. "As a dad and someone who has responsibilities, I would need to know it was safe."

Flower, who is seeking to lead England to their third straight Ashes victory over Australia this summer, believes enough time has passed for him to contemplate a return to Zimbabwe. But he remains deeply proud of the moment when he transcended his sport.

"We can't all change the world, but if we all do little things along the way and make the most powerful decisions we can then I think we can bring about change," he says.

"Would I do it again? Given the same circumstances, without a doubt, yes."

'Black Armband: The Full Story' - a 5 live Sport special - is available to listen again and download .

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