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After writing England’s, and Michael Vaughan’s, summer obituaries at the end of the first day at The Oval, the English newspapers were forced to change their tune after England’s historic win against South Africa yesterday.

Champagne moment: Andrew Flintoff guzzles the bubbly after England’s historic win

Mike Walters, in , summed up the buoyant mood of the English public and players, describing the win as sensational and swashbuckling. He gushed: “In a summer of more twists than the London Underground map, Michael Vaughan’s men went from dunces to diamond geezers in the space of five days.” And he added that Vaughan, who joined in a playful game of football with a space-hopper on the outfield, was lucky that “five of his foot-soldiers ensured the final npower Test will go down in the pantheon of their greatest wins”.And those five foot-soldiers – Marcus Trescothick, Graham Thorpe, Andrew Flintoff, Stephen Harmison and Martin Bicknell – all received accolades in varying degrees. Christopher Martin-Jenkins, in , more soberly pointed out that those individuals had “played to their potential” and that the team performed “as a whole with a determination and professionalism that did them all proud”. splashed a photo of Alec Stewart hoisted on his team-mates’ shoulders, with the corny headline “We’re Oval the moon”. John Etheridge described the win as staggering and mind-boggling, and insisted that this victory “will rank alongside anything Stewart experienced in his time at the top”.But while most eyes were on the departing Stewart, Vaughan didn’t escape the column inches. Angus Fraser, in , wrote that even though Vaughan has had only four matches in charge of England, “He will have been through a far greater range of emotions than Steve Waugh in the four years he has led the world champions.”And although Fraser said that Vaughan can feel proud after coming through his “biggest test”, Oliver Holt in noticed a note of reservation in Vaughan’s manner. “Quite why Michael Vaughan looked as if he’d just been told his mum had found a stack of porn mags concealed under his bed is a more complex issue,” Holt said. “Vaughan had just led his team to one of England’s most remarkable victories to square a series that seemed on the first day to have slipped into their opponents’ hands. But the England skipper appeared somewhere on the sheepish side of morose after this nine-wicket thriller of a win. Drained by the relief flooding out of him. Just glad it was all over.”Well, you can’t blame him after leading England in a season which has been consistently inconsistent, according to Simon Barnes in : “One minute we are watching a very decent side, the next we are watching a bunch of losers,” Barnes pointed out, adding that “It is the sort of thing that unsettles a chap.” He highlighted Trescothick as an example. “One day Marcus Trescothick is a spent force, the next he is the most imperious batsman in world cricket. Certainly, pressure inspired Trescothick. He moved from circumspection to certainty and from certainty to majesty. He made nearly 300 runs in the match for once out: not bad for a man who was all washed up.” And Barnes concluded: “But if England are consistent only in their inconsistency, then we must come to terms with the fact that, in a perverse way, inconsistency is their strength.”But what of South Africa? They fly home this evening knowing that they ought to have won the series after dominating the first two matches. And we’ve seen it all before. While Michael Owen-Smith told us in that Graeme Smith rejected charges that his team had yet to get rid of the label of being chokers, the ran a headline: “Wanted: Spin and swing.”Owen-Smith and the Daily Mail‘s Mike Dickson then picked out where South Africa, despite an encouraging tour, still fall short. Smith may have become “the darling of the English cricketing media for his availability, his transparency, his honesty and his humility,” they said, but his team are short of a strike bowler and their spin bowling remains the biggest single concern: “Paul Adams had an up-and-down tour on pitches that did not always suit him, while Robin Peterson is early in the learning curve.”And then there is also the worry of replacing Gary Kirsten. They argued that “Kirsten’s decision to play on has at least allowed Jacques Rudolph more time to settle,” and that “Rudolph has had a disappointing series, but he has shown enough glimpses to suggest that he is a player of quality.”While South Africa take those concerns on with them to Pakistan, the England selectors have already been in discussions for the winter tours. As CMJ pointed out, “There has been, in the end, a strong contrast between England’s success with a young team under Vaughan in the one-day internationals in the middle of the season and the manner in which the experience of Thorpe and Bicknell, both 34, and Nasser Hussain, 35, helped them to draw this series with the second-best Test team in the world.”However, he suggested that Bicknell is unlikely to join “the small band of seam bowlers on the slow pitches of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka before Christmas, even less so on the slightly faster ones of the Caribbean in March.” And David Llewellyn in concluded: “It would appear that Harmison has the pace Bicknell lacks and that Bicknell has the consistency Harmison is missing. Old heads on young shoulders springs to mind. The selectors’ job gets no easier.”

Karnataka let slip a wonderful advantage to bowl out Kerala for a lotless than their final total in their Ranji Trophy league match atBangalore on Tuesday.Winning the toss, Karnataka put Kerala in to bat. They had theiropposition in all sorts of trouble at 57/5 and then 128/6, withVenkatesh Prasad blowing apart the top order with three wickets.Skipper Sunil Oasis put together 47, but it was not until SreekumarNair collaborated with KN Ananthapadmanabhan that Kerala lookedcertain to cross the 200-run mark.Bowled out finally for 228, off 67.3 overs, Kerala lost a good chanceto post a big total and put pressure on Karnataka. The home side madeit through to the close of play without losing any wickets; Karnatakawere 14/0 at stumps.

Football.London journalist Tom Clark has been left intrigued by comments made by West Ham defender Ben Johnson following the Irons’ victory over Wolves.

The Lowdown West Ham’s recent form

The Hammers walked away with three points on Sunday after they beat Bruno Lage’s Wolves side at the London Stadium. Midfielder Tomas Soucek scored the only goal of the game in the 59th minute, topping off a more positive performance, following a period of poor form.

West Ham have won just twice in their last six games. This has been enough to maintain fifth place, as David Moyes’ side move within two points of fourth-placed Manchester United.

Arsenal sit on the same points tally as the Irons, with one goal the difference in the table. However, they now have three games in hand over the Hammers, dashing the hopes of West Ham’s top-four push.

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The Latest: Clark’s reaction to Johnson’s comments

Right-back Johnson stepped up in Vladimir Coufal’s absence for the Irons’ clash against Wolves and has since offered his verdict on the game.

Johnson was delighted with the result and admitted that it would not have been possible if it weren’t for Moyes’ tactical change, which they had been working on in training. West Ham had specifically designed their press to counter Wolves’ standard 3-4-2-1 formation and game plan.

Football.London journalist Tom Clark weighed in on the comments. Taking to Twitter, he said it was ‘interesting insight’ and  hailed the defender’s performance, claiming that the first half was particularly promising from Johnson, as he was afforded the freedom of the right flank, which he clearly enjoyed.

The Verdict: Promising by Moyes

The West Ham boss has been on the receiving end of criticism in recent weeks, following a number of poor performances in must-win games.

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However, Moyes’ decision to change tactics ahead of their Wolves clash may suggest a change in the manager’s ways.

With a number of fantastic displays, including those from Kurt Zouma and Pablo Fornals which earned them 8.2 SofaScore ratings, this shows just how much a tactical change can affect the performances of individuals on the pitch – particularly when the West Ham side has remained relatively unchanged as of late.

In other news: West Ham United: Dean Jones makes Philippe Coutinho claim

Lyon to seek out Ashwin advice

Nathan Lyon is eager to seek out his India opposite number R Ashwin at the conclusion of the limited-overs matches in Australia as he seeks to finally nail down an ODI and Twenty20 place in the national team’s plans.
Ashwin has been a leading light for finger spinners over the past 12 months, and Lyon said he would take up any chance to talk shop with him when hostilities end.
“If the opportunity comes up at the end of the T20 series that I can sit down and have a chat with Ashwin, I’m definitely up for it,” Lyon said. “I watch his bowling quite closely, especially when he’s bowling back home, so trying to forever learn off every spinner going around, and if I can keep improving, keep getting better, that’s my goal.
“Ashwin and [Ravindra] Jadeja are world-class spinners. Coming out to Australia it’s a hard place to bowl spin, but I definitely think the Indian spin bowling stocks are up there.”
Aware he is more or less on trial ahead of the World T20, Lyon said he wanted to make the most of his chance. “I’ve got an opportunity now and I’ve got to perform,” he said. “I’m very grateful to the selectors who’ve given me that opportunity.”

Shaun Tait’s first international call-up for five years has exposed the national selectors’ anxiety about a lack of high velocity pace bowling options ahead of the World Twenty20, while Nathan Lyon is also in strong contention having been named in the squad for three T20s against India.The uncapped batsman Travis Head and fast bowlers Andrew Tye and Scott Boland have also been included in a 17-man group for the three T20s, which also includes veteran allrounder Shane Watson.While Lyon may well have been on the selectors’ radar as a World T20 candidate for some time, the re-emergence of Tait has been more unexpected. Tait, now 32, has not played international cricket since the 2011 World Cup but has impressed the selectors during this summer’s BBL, in which he has picked up 10 wickets at 24.70. Marsh said it remained to be seen whether Tait’s express pace would be of value in Indian conditions, but admitted pace was needed in the absence of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins and following the retirement of Mitchell Johnson.”We don’t know and I don’t know whether we’ll find out – it’s up to Shaun now,” the selection chairman Rod Marsh said. “To be honest I didn’t even know if he was going to play that many [BBL] games. I knew he was on the list. He’s probably the fastest bowler in the country at the moment. You do need a bit of pace in T20 cricket.”Watson, recalled to the national side after a strong burst of performances for the Sydney Thunder in the latter stages of the Big Bash League, said Tait was a viable option for the World T20 in the rhythm he has shown during the tournament. “I did face him. I faced two balls, one was a very fast bouncer and the other one I nicked off, so he was very good!” Watson said.”Shaun Tait’s an X-Factor, always has been, and it’s great to see him back around the Aussie team. I still believe he has a lot to offer, with his body right and bowling fast, the way he releases the ball is different to anything you face, so it’s awesome he’s got another opportunity.”Australia played only one T20 international in 2015 and the three games against India in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney will be the only chance for players to audition ahead of the naming of the World T20 squad. There was no room in the group for former T20 captain George Bailey, although Marsh said he was confident Bailey’s experience would allow him to step straight back in if needed at the World T20.Lyon’s inclusion for what will be his T20 international debut comes as the selectors look for spin options given the turning conditions that will confront them at the World T20, with legspinner Cameron Boyce also included. Lyon has also been chosen for the final two ODIs against India, replacing the fast bowler Joel Paris, and Marsh said it was the right time to give him a chance with the white ball, having played only eight ODIs.”We’re probably looking to see how he goes and it is an audition for him re India, I guess,” Marsh said of Lyon’s selection in the T20 squad. “He’s got such a wonderful record in Test cricket, we didn’t want to jeopardise that in any way, shape or form. He’s been a terrific bowler for us in Test match cricket and we certainly didn’t want to play him in a few odd one-day games or an odd T20 here or there, and for him to start bowling flat and losing that terrific rhythm that he’s now got.”Marsh said the selectors were taking a “wait-and-see” approach with Watson, whose ODI career appears to be over as well as his time as a Test cricketer. Watson’s experience in India and at World T20 tournaments could yet see him gain a place in the final 15, which must be named by February 11, after he returned to form with 62 and 66 in his two most recent games for Sydney Thunder.Also in the mix for top-order positions are Head and Chris Lynn, both of whom are in the top three run scorers in this year’s BBL. Lynn played two T20s for Australia in January 2014 while Head is yet to make his debut for Australia in any form. New faces in the bowling group include Boland, who has played three ODIs already this summer, and Tye, who has 29 T20 wickets at 18.65 and an economy rate of less than seven.”Not many countries have seen much of him,” Marsh said of Tye, a Perth Scorchers fast bowler. “His form in the last two Big Bash Leagues has been outstanding. He is a good death bowler as well, and really it is death from over one in T20.”Like Bailey, allrounder Mitchell Marsh was also not named in the T20 squad, but remains strongly in the mix for the World T20. Rod Marsh said the fact that these were Australia’s only matches before choosing the squad to visit India meant that it was wise to use the games to look at some players who were on the fringes of selection. He said the three T20s in Australia were in part World T20 auditions.”Yeah it is but I think what we also have to remember is we’re playing three matches under Australian conditions here and the World Cup’s not in Australia,” he said. “So we’ll have to use a little bit of knowledge from the IPL, et cetera, to get that final 15 which is not going to be an easy task.”I would imagine we would like to give all of the 17 a go somewhere, otherwise we wouldn’t have picked that massive squad. The reason we picked [such a big] squad is some guys will be going off to New Zealand early [ahead of the ODI and Test series].”Notably, Aaron Finch was retained as T20 captain despite the presence in the squad of Steven Smith, who is captain of both the Test and ODI sides. Marsh said consideration had been given to Smith taking on the T20 captaincy but “at the moment Aaron is doing the job and doing it nicely”.The selectors also confirmed their squad for the remaining two ODIs against India, with Paris and Usman Khawaja making way for Lyon and David Warner, who is returning from paternity leave. The final two games are in Canberra and Sydney, and are dead rubbers after Australia secured the series with their win in Melbourne on Sunday.T20 squad Aaron Finch (capt), David Warner, Steven Smith, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade, James Faulkner, John Hastings, Shaun Marsh, Cameron Boyce, Nathan Lyon, Chris Lynn, Travis Head, Kane Richardson, Andrew Tye, Scott Boland, Shaun TaitODI squad Steven Smith (capt), Aaron Finch, David Warner, George Bailey, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade, James Faulkner, John Hastings, Scott Boland, Kane Richardson, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh

Nottinghamshire have awarded AJ Harris a benefit year. Harris, 34, joined from Derbyshire in 2000 and helped them to the 2005 Championship with 47 wickets.He said: “It’s a great honour to have played for Notts for the past eight years and to be awarded a benefit is fantastic. The supporters and members of Notts have always been very kind to me – just as the Derbyshire fans were in my time with them – and I am looking forward to giving something back next season.”It will be a big year for me and the club as we return to Division One. I’m very focused on having a good season and will be spending the winter working on getting fit and ready for action. I’ve already been fortunate enough to enjoy a decent career and firmly believe I can play on for another three or four seasons.”Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, said: “This is a well-deserved benefit for the whole-hearted and dedicated service AJ has given us. He has always given 100 per cent for Derbyshire and Notts and played a major role for us when we won the Championship. I wish him all the best for next season and believe he still has a lot to offer us on the field for years to come.”Harris had an injury-hit season in 2007 but still helped the club win promotion in the Championship, as well as finish second in the Pro40. He has taken 406 first-class wickets in his career at an average of 31.32 and has twice passed 50 wickets in a season.His name also appears in the record books: he became only the third man in history to be dismissed ‘Timed Out’ against Durham UCCE in 2003.

Nottinghamshire have announced plans to give Trent Bridge an £8.2million facelift in a bid to keep international cricket at the ground. They plan to install floodlights – which would make Notts only the fifth county to have them – and to create a further 2,142 seats by replacing one of the stands.Work is set to start next August, subject to planning approval, following the last home game, with a view to the new stand being operational ready for internationals the following year. The stand in question is the West Wing and Parr Stand on the Bridgford Road side of the ground.Other development plans include the creation of a new office and administration block, which will provide a base for match officials and will include a replay screen and electronic scoreboard.With other grounds vying to host coveted England matches, the officials at Nottinghamshire realise that development is a must. “The ECB have set high standards which we are determined to exceed,” said the Notts chief executive Derek Brewer. “As the third oldest Test ground in the world, it’s a local treasure. But reputation alone is not enough.”It’s a big task to raise £8.2million but we are currently working through detailed financial proposals and are in the early stages of discussions with our bankers.”

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

Robin Uthappa’s scintillating century propelled India B to the finals © Getty Images

A sensational hundred from Robin Uthappa, filled with youthful exuberance and joyous audacity, steered India B to a thumping victory in the final league game at Mohali and took them to the final, where they will meet India Seniors tomorrow. A record third-wicket stand between VVS Laxman and Suresh Raina had set India A up, and taken them to 260, but lack of a boost in the final overs and the cracker of an innings from Uthappa left them gasping.What do you do when you’re at the top of an inexperienced batting order, chasing a daunting target under lights, in a must-win game against a varied bowling line-up? Play the innings of the tournament, of course. And how? Start steadily, build a partnership, up the rate after the fifth over, race along after the tenth, shift gear after the 15th, go berserk in the 16th, set the stadium ablaze in 17th, make it rain boundaries in the 18th, reduce the asking-rate drastically and walk off.Whatever Uthappa had in the drinks break, after the 15th over, needs to be bottled. Until then he had made 51 off 56 balls, had shown glimpses of fearlessness and, along with Shikhar Dhawan, given India B a steady start. A flicked four off Lakshmipathy Balaji and a slapped cut of Shanbaz Nadeem, the rookie left-arm spinner, ignited the fire. Rudra Pratap Singh reappeared. Edge, drive, slash, carve. Raina appeared. Four, four, four six. Ninety seven off 76. Tewari appeared and with an air of nonchalance, Uthappa stood still, delivered a majestic straight lofted four, turned around to his dressing-room, held both hands aloft, beamed a cherubic smile, and took a bow. He was forced to leave the field owing to cramps, returned for a brief cameo and left with his side all but sure of victory. Many might have forgotten the superb 66 off 48 balls in a losing cause in the only Challenger Trophy game last season but this game will surely be remembered as Uthappa’s match.He managed with a little help from his friends. Shikhar Dhawan kick-started the chase with some classical cuts before he was unlucky to be backing up too far when a forceful drive from Uthappa ricocheted off the bowler’s arm onto the stumps. And Sridharan Sriram and Dinesh Mongia added 77 in a controlled fashion, with hardly any pressure to deal with, as India B made the target look inadequate.The total had been made possible owing to Laxman’s fabulous century and Raina’s power-laden 97. The openers had fallen cheaply – Dheeraj Jadhav missed an imcoming delivery in the second ball he faced while Gautam Gambhir glided one, from Sreesanth, straight into the hands of Parthiv Patel behind the stumps. Laxman, though, tended to the early wounds and carried on from where he had left off in the first game. It is tough to imagine how bowlers feel when good deliveries are tenderly brushed around with hardly any follow through, and absolutely no anger. When Laxman bats with such majestic poise, the quality of bowler, type of delivery and the situation of the match don’t usually matter. Drives flowed, cuts thrilled, pushes took the breath away as Laxman seamlessly eased to his half-century, off 51 balls. The second half was less breezy as he and Raina solidified the team’s position, but there was no let up on the suppleness with which he found the angles. He opened up once he reached his century, unleashing two pulls off Sreesanth but fell in the 42nd over while trying a slash over the covers.His partner at the other end was all power. When Raina burst on to the scene two years back, a few experienced bowlers who faced his onslaught were reminded of a young Yuvraj Singh dismantling attacks. Today he capitalised on the bowlers’ errant line, doling out a large share of wide deliveries, as he slashed with stinging venom. Field placements were rendered redundant with Raina finding gaps at will and packing his strokes with far too much power for anyone to have a chance. He was unlucky to miss out on his century, falling to a moment of impetuosity while trying to loft Piyush Chawla, the legspinner, over long-off, and left the rest to cash in on the momentum.The last five overs, though, produced just 27 runs as India A partly frittered away a great chance to reach 300. But Uthappa’s blitz might have made any total look paltry. Just one stat warning before the final: the last seven Challenger Trophy matches at Mohali have ended in victory for the chasing side and neither captain might want to bat first tomorrow.

India ADheeraj Jadhav lbw b Bhandari 2 (2 for 1)
Gautam Gambhir c Patel b Sreesanth 10 (30 for 2)
VVS Laxman c Shukla b Sreesanth 110 (217 for 3)
Dinesh Karthik c Shukla b Bhandari 11 (233 for 4)
Suresh Raina c Patel b Chawla 97 (233 for 5)
VRV Singh lbw b Chawla 0 (233 for 6)
Manoj Tewari c Chawla b Bose 9 (255 for 7)
Lakshmipathy Balaji c Uthappa b Bose 4 (260 for 8)
India BShikhar Dhawan run out (Tewari) 40 (148 for 1)
Dinesh Mongia lbw b Nadeem 44 (235 for 2)
Robin Uthappa c Jadhav b VRV Singh 116 (254 for 3)

More good news for Muralitharan who can start bowling immediately© Getty Images

Muttiah Muralitharan has been cleared to bowl again by his Australian surgeon and may yet be able to make Sri Lanka`s tour of New Zealand which starts next month (Dec 21). It had been feared that the offspinner Muralitharan, 32, would not be available until late January as he recovered from surgery to his right shoulder carried out in August by his Australian surgeon, Dr David Young.But, after flying to Melbourne for a consultation and receiving the all-clear from Dr Young, Muralitharan can start bowling immediately. “He could start bowling, gradually increasing the frequency for the next month,” the manager Kushil Gunasekera is quoted as saying on the foxsports.com website.Muralitharan’s comeback date will ultimately depend on his progress, and he will probably be urged to err on the side of caution and not rush back into action.He has not bowled for three months since pulling out of the second Test against South Africa after the build-up of a painful cyst around the nerves in his shoulder. Young drained the cyst and cleaned up some of the cartilage around the joint. And, despite being out of bowling action, he has stepped up his weights work at the gym.Meanwhile, the legspinner Upul Chandana will undergo medical tests in Singapore for an unnamed ailment.

Khaled Mashud, the Bangladesh wicketkeeper, had a thumb shattered byBrett Lee as Australia drubbed Bangladesh in the first one-dayer onSaturday. Mashud has been ruled out of the next two games in the three-matchone-day series.Lee produced fiery pace, even though he claimed he was not aiming forexceptional speed. Lee (4-25) and Gillespie (3-23) had too much pace andguile for the inexperienced tourists, who never threatened to make acompetitive score. Lee, although well short of the 160-km-per-hour (99-mile) an hour pace he achieved earlier this year, was pleased with hisform. “It’s a pretty good wicket, it had some bounce and carry and itwas a pleasure to bowl on,” he said. “It felt like the rhythm was thereand it felt like it all came together at once. I wasn’t even trying tobowl fast, I was trying to get my action nice and high and get the ballthrough to wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist.”Dav Whatmore, Bangladesh’s coach, had high praise for the quality ofLee’s bowling. “We saw some magnificent pace bowling,” he said. “It wasquite exceptional.” He agreed Bangladesh faced a challenge in regroupingfor the second one-day encounter at Cairns on Sunday. “If we can weatherthat storm (Lee’s opening assault) and have a few of our batters intact,we’ve got a chance of posting a reasonably competitive total,” he said.