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Vernon Philander, South Africa’s new-ball seamer, has admitted that he would “definitely be a bit concerned” if he was in the same boots as England’s attack ahead of the second Test at Headingley next week. After going 1-0 down in the series, if England lose they will also lose their No.1 ranking and while their batsmen have plenty to answer for, the lack of fight in their bowling also needs addressing.England’s attack toiled for 189 overs and more than two days on an unresponsive Oval surface and had only two wickets to show for it. Given the conditions and that they kept the run-rate at below 3.5 an over, they may not have been too disappointed with their performance if not for South Africa’s contrasting showing.The tourists dismissed England twice and were able to find swing, bounce and turn that eluded England. Although South Africa had the better of the bowling conditions, under cloudy skies and with enough moisture in the air for the ball to swing, they also made better use of what was at their disposal. Few would argue that in the battle of the two attacks, who were talked up as the best in the world, South Africa are leading.”I can’t really speak for the England attack but my thoughts would be on how I can get the guys out and trying to think of alternative plans,” Philander said at Worcester, where South Africa will play a two-day tour match from Friday. He also offered an explanation for the South African’s penetration and it had nothing to do with their ability with the ball. “It was beautiful watching Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla start it off and Jacques Kallis stepping it up. It gave us the confidence to take the 10 wickets we needed in the second innings.”After a victory as resounding as the one South Africa enjoyed on Monday, the trip to New Road will offer a sobering comedown from the highs of London. South Africa may have preferred to go straight into another high intensity contest because they have the advantage with them, but Philander said they also understand, and relish, the rare time in between matches. “When you win a game, you want to get into the next game as soon as possible but this break gives us time to recover properly.”It also provides a period to reassess their strategy and while South Africa’s tactics would appear to need no adjustments, there is some work to be done. Philander, for example, experienced a coming down to earth after his barely believable start to this Test career. After taking 51 wickets in seven matches, he claimed only two at The Oval and while he said he expected the curve to change direction at some point, he also wants to keep it pointing upwards.Talk before the series was that Philander would find England tough and perhaps even struggle but he maintains that he “bowled really well” in the first Test. “I beat the bat on numerous occasions and there were a lot of nicks that didn’t carry.”Although still confident he can induce edges, Philander said he has also had to work on other ways of threatening the batsmen with the Duke ball. “It’s a bit slippery with the newish nut and as soon as it gets past the 25th over it goes a bit soft. Then you’ve got to find new ways of taking wickets,” he said. “The edges don’t really carry to slip or to the keeper so we’ve got to try and get an lbw rather than get conventional nick offs.”The extra match will also give South Africa’s middle-order time in the middle, after everyone from No. 5 missed out in the Test. “There are a lot of guys that haven’t batted so it gives them the opportunity to have a bat,” Philander said. “And for the guys who are on the side, this will give them an opportunity to play.”Tami Tsolekile, Albie Morkel, Robin Petersen and Lonwabo Tsotsobe all play in the match. Tsolekile is expected to keep and AB de Villiers, who did the job in the Tests will play as a batsman and captain in Graeme Smith’s absence. Smith flew home on Monday to be with his wife for the birth of their first child. His daughter was born on Wednesday.

ScorecardWayne Parnell, the left-arm pace bowler, took a career-best 7 for 56 as South Africa A forced Ireland to follow-on during the final day of their rain-ruined match. With the opening two days washed out an outright result was always unlikely, but Parnell took the opportunity to show South Africa’s selectors his form.It has been a difficult few weeks for Parnell but this was a good day as he was also named in South Africa’s World Twenty20 squad shortly before running through the Ireland middle order. Overnight he already had one wicket and resumed his haul on the final morning with two wickets in two balls, as he removed Gary Wilson and Andrew White, before quickly adding Albert van der Merwe to leave Ireland 95 for 6.Kevin O’Brien, the Ireland captain, had played an uncharacteristically restrained innings making 16 off 72 deliveries before becoming Parnell’s fifth when he edged to the Heino Kuhn.Ireland, however, did not fold and can take satisfaction from the debut of James Shannon who made 59, including two sixes, which gave the home side a chance to avoid the follow-on which had been reduced to 100 with the game not starting until the third day. He and Stuart Thompson added 56 then Shannon fell to Rory Kleinveldt and Parnell wrapped up the innings to complete his haul.Having put Ireland back in for their second innings – rather than giving their own top order another brief outing – South Africa A could not force any breakthroughs as the openers, Andrew Balbirnie and John Anderson, added 76 in 17 overs before the players shook hands. The second four-day match starts on August 13.

Graeme Smith is expected to recover from bad blow on his elbow in time for the two-Test series against New Zealand early next year. Smith was hit in the nets while training for the domestic one-day semi-final on Friday and had to sit out the fixture when his discomfort did not ease.”Initially, we thought he would recover in time but because he was in a lot of pain it wasn’t worth the risk, especially because he has to be ready to play Test cricket in three weeks’ time,” Mohammed Moosajee, South African team manager, told ESPNcricinfo. Smith is unlikely to play in the three-match Twenty20 series, which starts on December 21, as he has not been part of South Africa’s recent T20 squads.The rest of South Africa’s team, except Jacques Kallis who is recovering from a hamstring strain, were all available to play for their franchises, five days after returning from Australia. Six of them – Dale Steyn, Rory Kleinveldt, Robin Peterson, Jacques Rudolph, AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel – were in action.That number could have been as many as eight but Vernon Philander and Faf du Plessis were not selected by their respective teams. Philander missed out to Steyn, Kleinveldt and Cobras’ old hands Johann Louw and Justin Kemp.Du Plessis, though, appeared to have been left out because of fatigue. He played for Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League opener against Melbourne Stars on Friday. He scored 14 off 17 balls, took a catch and was involved in a run-out.Steyn was also due to take part in the BBL having signed up to play one match for Brisbane Heat. However, Cricket South Africa withdrew his no-objection certificate because the match clashed with the domestic one-day cup final.Meanwhile, JP Duminy, who ruptured his Achilles’ tendon after the first day’s play of the Brisbane Tests, is progressing well. He is able to walk with a moonboot and crutch and is on track with the physiotherapy required to make a full recovery. He is aiming for a return in the Champions Trophy in June 2013.

The West Indies captain Darren Sammy admitted that their goal ahead of the Bangladesh tour had not been fulfilled after they won two out of the three formats. Their win in the one-off Twenty20 international ensured they left in good spirits, but the ODI series loss was still hurting the visitors.”We won the same amount of series as we did last year so we haven’t achieved what we set out to do,” Sammy said. “Bangladesh played really well, especially in the ODIs. We are disappointed losing the ODI series.”However, Sammy was pleased to win the Twenty20 match, West Indies’ first game as World Twenty20 champions after their back-from-the-head victory against Sri Lanka in Colombo. Marlon Samuels played a stellar hand in that game, with a superbly crafted 78, and he did a similar job in Mirpur as he held the innings together with an unbeaten 85 off 43 balls.”The way Marlon was playing that innings, it surely reminded me the game against Sri Lanka,” Sammy said. “This was our first game after the victory and we won. We won, that’s all we had to do.”We have guys who can be match-winners for us every day. It is good to see Marlon do well after two years out of international cricket. He has been brilliant for us.”Bangladesh started their pursuit of 198 in strong style, but Sammy said he was not too concerned when Tamim Iqbal cut loose in the first over which cost 17 followed by 26 from the next two.”We expected them to come hard at us. You have to go hard all the time when the run-rate is ten an over. Although they only lost one wicket, they were short by 18 runs. I wanted to win and end the year in a good note.”Sammy pinpointed Bangladesh’s achievement of keeping Chris Gayle quiet for ten innings in a row as a notable part of the tour. Gayle made 166 runs across all formats over the last four weeks, an aspect of the contests which the Bangladesh captain, Mushfiqur Rahim, called a “big achievement” for the hosts.”They managed to keep Gayle quiet throughout the series, something that not many teams have done in his career,” Sammy said. “They executed well against him. Every player goes out there to do their best. I know because I try and it doesn’t happen all the time. It is up to the individual to go back and think about his game. Chris will come back as he is a world-class player.”

Jacques Kallis has called for a debate on the restoration of the death penalty in South Africa after the murder of a former first-class cricketer with strong links to the team.John Commins, the uncle of a former Test player with the same name, and father of a players’ agent, was killed on Wednesday night. Flags at Newlands were flown at half-mast on the second day of the Test match against New Zealand in his honour.Kallis posted a message on twitter after the day’s play which read: “Thoughts and prayers with @DonneCommins and family. Tragic news. Something really has to be done about the crime in this country #deathpenalty.”Donne Commins, daughter of the murdered man, is the agent of many prominent players including Morne and Albie Morkel, Herschelle Gibbs and Mark Boucher, Kallis’ best friend who was forced to retire after a freak eye injury last July.Boucher was due to enjoy a farewell parade on the third day of the Test, which he has asked to postpone because of the murder.Cricket South Africa had planned to honour Boucher on his career and help promote his Save the Rhino foundation which is focused on anti-poaching. He was also going to conduct media interviews for only the second time since his retirement. Instead, Boucher’s tribute will now be held next month during the Pakistan Test in Cape Town.”Donne has been very close to me for most of my career and has been much more to me than a business partner,” Boucher said in a statement. “She has been incredibly supportive over the past few months in particular during which time she has been a tremendous pillar of support.”The South African sporting community has been rocked by two deaths in the space of two days: Commins, who played 10 first-class matches for Western Province, and Olympic cyclist Burry Stander who was killed in a hit-and-run accident while on his bicycle in Kwa-Zulu Natal.

Brett Matthews, the former South African first-class bowler, died in Pretoria on Thursday. Matthews, 50, had been in a medically induced coma after being injured in a road accident earlier this month.A left-arm seamer, Matthews represented Eastern Province, Transvaal and Western Province during his six-year career. He played 38 first-class matches, taking 120 wickets at 23.63, and claimed 36 wickets in 33 List A games.He was the brother of Craig Matthews, who had 18 Tests and 56 ODIs to his name for South Africa in the 1990s.

Matthew Wade, who will captain the Australians in their tour-opener, against the Board President’s XI at the Guru Nanak College Ground in Chennai starting Tuesday, believes fast bowlers can be as successful as spinners in India, especially fast bowlers as pedigreed – if not experienced – as Australia’s.”I saw a bit of the England series and in the last Test especially, the England quicks took a lot of wickets,” Wade said. “We’ve got a great fast-bowling attack. We’ve got [Peter] Siddle, [James] Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson, along with a couple of spinners. I’m not sure which way we’ll go but I’m sure the quicks will do a good job. Reverse swing is a big thing in India as well.”Wade said the bowlers will have to be at their best to get the better of India. “The guys in the Indian team, they’re very, very good batters,” Wade said. “They’re very experienced, especially in these conditions. We know how hard it is to win in India. So, we’ve got to work hard in the next 10-15 days to be ready to go in the first Test match.”Wade, whose captaincy experience is limited to youth sides, won’t have many selection issues on hand as only 11 of the 17-man squad have arrived in India. The others will be in in time for the three-day game against India A, which begins on February 16 at the same venue. Wade hoped this two-day game will provide them quality time in the middle.”To bat a long time would be great for our batters,” Wade said. “It would be great if the top five or six can get in and have a good, long innings in these conditions and get used to the wicket and the heat. Also, Peter Siddle and James Pattinson haven’t bowled a lot in the last few months, and if they can get a few overs under their belt in a match scenario, it would be good for us. And, definitely, play some spin.”Ed Cowan and Usman Khawaja are the only specialist Test batsmen who are already in India. Moises Henriques, Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell are the others who can bat. This will give Wade a chance to bat higher in the order. He has previously batted at No. 6 to allow an extra bowler in the side, and won’t mind doing it again should he be called upon.”I am happy to bat six if that’s what Michael and the selectors want me to do,” Wade said. “Happy to bat anywhere in the Australian team. If it suits batting six, will be great.”Australians Matthew Wade (capt. & wk), Ed Cowan, Usman Khawaja, Glenn Maxwell, Moises Henriques, Steve Smith, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird, Ashton AgarBoard President’s XI (from) Abhinav Mukund (capt.), Parthiv Patel (wk), Sarabjit Ladda, Parvinder Awana, Stuart Binny, Kedar Jadhav, Kamlesh Makvana, Mandeep Singh, Parvez Rassol, Ambati Rayudu, Shami Ahmed, Robin Uthappa

ScorecardNetherlands moved to second place in the ICC World Cricket League with a 31-run win over Namibia in Windhoek on Tuesday.Put in to bat first, Netherlands brushed aside a shaky start to score a solid 268 for 9, with Wesley Barresi’s half-century guiding the innings. Barresi and Tom Cooper added 97 runs for the third wicket to lift Netherlands from 17 for 2 to 114 for 2 in the 22nd over. Tom de Grooth and Daan vun Bunge then took charge of the innings, adding 58 before van Bunge was dismissed for 28. De Grooth took Netherlands past the 200-run mark before a quickfire 47-run partnership between Mudassar Bukhari and Timm van der Gugten took the score to 268. Namibia fast bowler Louis Klazinga was the best bowler, picking three wickets for 48 runs.Netherlands struck early to put Namibia’s chase on the backfoot, leaving them at 20 for 3 in the eighth over. Craig Williams, however, lifted their hopes, stitching together a 96-run partnership with Stephan Baard. Namibia lost quick wickets in the middle but Williams carried on, adding another 58 runs with Nicolaas Scholtz and scoring his fifth hundred. Once he fell for 116, the lower order collapsed and Namibia were all out for 237 in the 49th over. Timm van der Gugten picked up three wickets for 37 runs and was supported by Bukhari (2-39) and Jamil (2-60).

Mitchell Marsh will return to Australian duty for the first time in more than a year after being named in the squad for the Champions Trophy ODI tournament that precedes the Ashes in England. Marsh was named in Australia’s 15-man squad alongside the uncapped fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile, while the leader of the national Twenty20 side, George Bailey, was named vice-captain to Michael Clarke.The inclusion of Marsh, 21, follows a year in which he was sent home from the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane and then disciplined further for his part in the Perth Scorchers’ Champions Trophy misadventures, but a handful of storming domestic limited-overs displays for Western Australia earned him his place. Marsh played five Ryobi Cup games last summer for 278 runs at 69.50, including his maiden century.The Warriors narrowly missed the final despite that innings, 104 from 96 balls against Tasmania at the WACA, which also followed a hamstring injury that cruelled a significant portion of Marsh’s summer. Marsh, whose most recent international was a T20 in February 2012, played his lone ODI in South Africa in late 2011. He has largely flattered to deceive in first-class matches thus far, but it is in 50-over fixtures that he has been most consistent, averaging 39.90 with the bat and 24.85 with the ball across 27 matches.”We all know what a talented batting allrounder he is,” John Inverarity, the national selector, said of Marsh, “and we look to him to fulfil the faith we have in him because he’s a very talented cricketer.”Marsh will be joined in the squad by his state team-mate Coulter-Nile, who made his T20 international debut during the summer but is yet to play an ODI. Coulter-Nile, 25, was second only to Kane Richardson on the Ryobi Cup wicket tally last season with 16 victims at 23.18, and Inverarity also described him as “one of the three or four best fieldsmen in Australia”.”Nathan Coulter-Nile is an emerging cricketer as a fast-medium bowler and explosive lower-order batsman,” Inverarity said. “He is also one of the finest fieldsmen in Australian cricket and the energy he brings to his game is impressive. While Nathan has played a T20 International for Australia, we are looking forward to seeing him take his very good domestic limited overs form onto the world stage.”The remainder of the Champions Trophy squad was largely as expected. The experienced batsman Adam Voges was included following his maiden ODI century against West Indies at the MCG, while Bailey was preferred to Matthew Wade as vice-captain.”That was discussed,” Inverarity said of Wade as a potential vice-captain, “but we went with George last [summer] and he captained three of the ODIs and two victories there, and as T20 captain he’s had captaincy experience and is very highly regarded by the players.”Mitchell Starc and Clint McKay, both of whom are recovering from injuries, were named and are expected to be fit for the tournament, but injury concerns ruled out the Queensland fast bowler Ben Cutting. The squad does not include numerous players taking part in the concurrent Australia A tour of the British Isles, including James Pattinson, Steve Smith, Ryan Harris and Brad Haddin.”As discussed last week at the Ashes squad announcement, James Pattinson and Ryan Harris haven’t been selected but will play for Australia A to prepare them for the Ashes,” Inverarity said. “Some who were close to selection included Steve Smith, Aaron Finch and Moises Henriques. However Steve and Moises will play for Australia A while the ICC Champions Trophy is being played.”The ICC Champions Trophy is another important step in our aim to get back to the number one ranking. As the two-time defending champion, the squad has been selected with the aim of winning the tournament, starting against England at Edgbaston on 8 June, while also keeping the 2015 ICC World Cup firmly in mind.”Champions Trophy squad Michael Clarke (capt), George Bailey (vice-capt), David Warner, Shane Watson, Phillip Hughes, Adam Voges, Matthew Wade, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, James Faulkner, Xavier Doherty, Clint McKay, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Coulter-Nile.

Live scorecardJames Taylor missed the chance to further bolster his impressive England Lions record when he fell cheaply on a rain-ruined day but Joe Root continued to add to his early season tally to start building a lead, while New Zealand picked up an injury worry over Tim Southee.Taylor, who came in after the nightwatchman Chris Wright had edged to slip, pushed at a delivery quite wide of off stump and feathered to the wicketkeeper to give Trent Boult his second scalp of the morning during the 22 overs of play that were possible before frequent heavy showers wiped out the rest of the dayBoult had problems with his front foot on the second day, sending down eight no-balls, but was in far better rhythm this morning after shaking off the early tour rust. He shaped the ball in nicely to the right handers, then it was the straighter deliveries that found the edges of both Wright and Taylor.His opening bowling partner, Southee, bowled five overs in the morning before being sent to see a specialist about a problem with his left foot and would not have bowled again had rain allowed further playRoot continued to look at ease, and even when he was almost beaten in the flight by a delivery from Bruce Martin he was confident enough to go through with his shot and found the deep midwicket boundary. Root now has 610 first-class runs this season at 203.33.Jonny Bairstow, who was earlier confirmed in England’s Test squad alongside Root, made a brisk start to his innings as he tried to follow his Yorkshire team-mate’s route (the pair’s careers have evolved together since they earned scholarships aged 13 and 14) and score some early points against the New Zealand bowlers before Lord’s.”I’ve got a few runs under my belt at Headingley and still not out in this game, which is pleasing,” he said. “There have been a lot of players scoring runs this season and I’m lucky enough to be picked. Hopefully I’ll do myself justice.”Martin bore the brunt of Bairstow’s attacking display but the suggestion remains that New Zealand favour a balanced attack for the Test rather than playing four quicks. Doug Bracewell has been steady here, and was denied Root’s wicket yesterday when he was dropped at slip, but has not completely convinced that he would be a better option to Neil Wagner – although if Southee’s problem is serious there could be room for both.