England’s cricket fans are still pinching themselves, after the class and ease with which their team has romped through the first two Tests of the summer. But that astonishment is nothing compared to the shock and awe in the New Zealand camp. The Kiwis have had just two days to recover from their bruising nine-wicket defeat at Headingley, and now face a massive task if they are to avoid one of the least predicted whitewashes of all time.As Brian Lara proved to England back in April, nothing can be taken for granted where clean sweeps are concerned, but New Zealand’s litany of injuries has stretched their 14-man squad way beyond its means. Their two most potent bowlers, Shane Bond and Daniel Vettori, are out of contention, while their batting has been severely dented by hand injuries to Michael Papps and Craig McMillan.As a result, Mathew Sinclair and the left-arm seamer James Franklin have been called into the squad, although quite how the Kiwis intend to replace Vettori is another question. There has not been enough time to fly a replacement all the way over from New Zealand, and on Monday, Stephen Fleming hinted that they may resort to blooding some youngsters as an emergency measure.Another, less probable solution, would be a last hurrah for that most combative of souls, New Zealand’s coach John Bracewell. He is only 46, after all, and his inclusion as a spinning option would bolster the batting as well – he scored his one and only Test century at Trent Bridge back in 1986.More likely, however, is that New Zealand will seek to draw their inspiration from another man with fond memories of Nottingham. Tomorrow, Chris Cairns begins his 62nd and final Test, at the ground that became his second home throughout the 1990s. He, of all people, has the capacity to raise New Zealand’s game when it is most needed.But it is far from the homecoming that Cairns had envisaged at the start of the tour. "To say we’re down is an understatement," he admitted. "There are a lot of disappointed guys, and we have to pick ourselves up and play like we know we can. A victory is all I want. For me it’s always been about winning. I find individual performance is shallow if it doesn’t lead to a victory."Cairns had no doubt about the difference between the sides. "Purely Steve Harmison," he said. "Overall the teams are pretty similar, but Harmison has spearheaded their attack. Unfortunately we haven’t had someone to do the same thing." Harmison’s 15 wickets have taken his tally for 2004 to 38 in six games – second only to Muttiah Muralitharan, whom he also trails in the world rankings.

He is currently the hottest property in world cricket, and with that in mind, Duncan Fletcher has warned that he may be rested for much of the NatWest Series against New Zealand and West Indies later this month. But one man who needs all the bowling he can get is James Anderson. He has recovered from a bruised heel and is expected to start his first Test since England’s innings defeat in Colombo last December.That’s tough luck on Martin Saggers, who let nobody down at Headingley and even celebrated his recall with a first-ball wicket. But Anderson is in desperate need of a run-out, after a frustrating winter on the sidelines in Sri Lanka and the Caribbean.”The way the lads bowled in the West Indies and in these Tests has made me more determined to squeeze back into the team," said Anderson, adding that his heel was not a massive problem. "I’ve got a little bit of the old pace back from when I first started with England, and hopefully I’ll have the same sort of success."That would certainly be a bonus for England – Anderson shot to stardom with his matchwinning four-wicket haul against Pakistan in the World Cup, and followed up with five wickets on his Test debut at Lord’s. And given Trent Bridge’s seamer-friendly reputation – James Kirtley took six wickets in last year’s victory over South Africa – it is the ideal ground on which to launch a comeback.And the ideal time as well, for everything is currently rosy in England’s garden. Confidence is soaring, and the general belief is that things can only better. After all, the Headingley Test was made memorable by the contributions of England’s youth brigade, but it was the old guard who starred in the Caribbean triumph. However, Graham Thorpe and, especially, Mark Butcher have been peripheral characters in this series so far, while Michael Vaughan is due some big runs as he beds down in the No. 4 position.It is a long time – three years, in fact – since an England team has exuded such an air of confidence. But we all remember what happened on that occasion. At Old Trafford in 2001, they were seemingly all set for a fifth series win in a row, only to squander eight wickets in the final session, as Pakistan tied the 2001 series at 1-1. Shortly afterwards, England were steamrollered by the Australians.Somehow, it is hard to envisage a similar failure of nerve at Trent Bridge, but with England, you can never quite be sure. For the moment, it is probably best to keep pinching yourself, just in case.England (probable) 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Andrew Strauss, 3 Mark Butcher, 4 Michael Vaughan (capt), 5 Graham Thorpe, 6 Andrew Flintoff, 7 Geraint Jones (wk), 8 Ashley Giles, 9 Matthew Hoggard, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 James Anderson.New Zealand (probable) 1 Mark Richardson, 2 Stephen Fleming (capt), 3 Nathan Astle, 4 Mathew Sinclair, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Chris Cairns, 7 Jacob Oram, 8 Brendon McCullum, 9 Daryl Tuffey, 10 Kyle Mills, 11 James Franklin.

Shane Warne does not fancy his chances of surpassing Muttiah Muralitharan’s world bowling record – not this week, not ever – and has tipped his long-time Sri Lankan spin rival to finish with a possibly unassailable 1000 Test scalps.Warne told reporters in tropical Cairns, venue of Friday’s second and final Test against Sri Lanka, that he expected fast bowlers to dominate the match, just as they did during Australia’s 149-run victory at Darwin.”Its probably doubtful that I’m going to take eight wickets given the history of this wicket,” he said. “It generally suits the quicks a lot more than spinners.” He rated Cairns the second fastest pitch in Australia, after Perth.Warne is currently sitting on 520 wickets, one more than the former West Indian fast bowler Courtney Walsh but seven behind Murali. “Hopefully,” he said modestly, “I get in a situation where the quicks get a few early ones and I come on and take a few cheap ones at the end.”Terry Jenner, Warne’s good mate and old mentor, agreed that Murali’s record looks a long way away. “Eight is a very high tally unless it’s a spinner’s pitch,” Jenner told The Age newspaper. “It would be a lovely bonus if he happened to get eight but it would be a hell of a task.”Both Jenner and Warne are convinced that Cairns offers his one and only chance at reaching No. 1. Murali, who is sitting out this series because he is unhappy with his treatment by Australian fans and authorities, is expected to play two Tests against South Africa in August.Then, on the same day that Warne returns to the Test crease in November, Murali is scheduled to begin a new series against Bangladesh, giving him ample opportunity to build a sizeable lead.”I don’t think anyone is going to get a chance once Murali gets back playing or decides to play against anyone else – unless he’s going to get heckled,” said Warne, with a gentle dig at his fellow spin legend.”I’m not sure where he’s going to play next [but] when he plays he takes that many wickets. He’s going to get numbers nine, 10 and 11 out every single time he plays and get a few in the top order. He’s going to get seven or eight wickets a game, so if he plays for another four or five years he’s going to take another 400 to 500 wickets. That’s about 1000 wickets, I presume.”Warne took only three wickets at Darwin – all tailenders – and bowled almost entirely, and uncharacteristically, without menace. But his preparation had been hindered by a broken hand, and he was initially not expected to play at all.He admitted yesterday that he bowled too many bad balls. But he maintained: “I’ve got the wood on the Sri Lankans … they were obviously just trying to survive. They either block it or they try to slog you.”Recent history at least gives Warne a shot at Murali’s record. In his previous 11 Tests, before Darwin, he had bewitched 81 wickets – or 7.36 a game – in his purplest patch in years.

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With the Champions Trophy just around the corner, Bangladesh were unconvincing in their five-wicket victory over Scotland at Edinburgh. Defending a meager 143, Scotland’s attack applied pressure on the batsmen but could not rein in Mohammad Ashraful, who scored 61 rapidly, with more boundaries than the entire Scottish side.Craig Wright had braved injury to captain Scotland, and it was his decision to bat first. It was a choice he was soon to regret, as his openers could not handle the bowler-friendly conditions, and the side was in dire straits at 70 for 5. Bangladesh’s bowlers shone, never letting the batsmen get away, and only Colin Smith (35) and Fraser Watts (26) could breach the attack.For Scotland, who were more or less on an even keel with Bangladesh only a few years ago, it was a chastening experience where nothing seemed to work. Even their fielding, which often gave them cause for relief, showed up only in bits and pieces.

Thirty-five years of struggle was not meant to end so easily. Conquering the final frontier was supposed to finish with a duel similar to the one Australia fought in India in 2001, except that it was meant to finish with Ricky Ponting’s sweaty hands raising the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Instead, the conquest was over in three Tests as India let down the drawbridge before Ponting could try his first sweep.Moses led his people through the desert wilderness for 40 years before arriving in Canaan. Adam Gilchrist, the stand-in captain, has achieved what Hughes, Border, Taylor and Waugh – four times – could not, by leading Australia to the promised land. The journey began when Bill Lawry departed Madras with a 3-1 victory on December 28, 1969. Of the current Australian side only Shane Warne was alive, but he was a baby months away from his first mouthful of baked beans.While Moses had his Ten Commandments, Australia’s definitive plan didn’t come until the heartbreak of 2001, when Steve Waugh turned up to celebrate with his Southern Comfort and instead drank in unfulfilled destiny. Desperate to avoid further heartbreak, the players and the support staff filled laptops with tactical and trivial plans over months and years. No team has ever been better prepared.There’s been an executive summary for everything and everyone. They’ve had a yoga instructor, detailed instructions for the hotel chefs, and have sipped drinks during games instead of gulping them like their predecessors. In mid-tour everybody went on holiday. These were small moves, but they yielded big results.On the field they would be more patient. Under Gilchrist Australia have been willing to go on the defensive in a way Waugh never allowed. Shane Warne, now the world’s highest wicket-taker, would be a stock bowler. The pace attack would be the hit-men, bowling straight, sharing their reverse-swing secrets and having more protection on the leg side. Only singles would be on offer to batsmen addicted to boundaries.Importantly, they’ve been flexible enough to adapt. Michael Clarke wasn’t supposed to bat, but performed better than everyone except Damien Martyn by playing with a joie de vivre not seen since the young Michael Slater. Gilchrist took charge so seamlessly that Ponting, recovering from a broken thumb, was not missed. And after avoiding the sweep in the first innings at Bangalore, the batsmen began to play that shot in an effort to rotate the strike. The outcomes have been spectacular.India have four of the world’s most intimidating batsmen, and two of the most feared spinners. Yet they have been humiliated. Gilchrist continued the torture today by extending the lead well beyond 500. He had declared early at Headingley when filling in for Waugh in 2001, and was Butchered. There was no way he was risking such a prize on anything remotely close to a sporting declaration.What followed was the Indian top order’s softest collapse of the series. Aakash Chopra and Rahul Dravid were bowled in ways that would upset club batsmen, and Jason Gillespie finished with four wickets. Sachin Tendulkar became Glenn McGrath’s 450th victim with a timid shot from a great man, and the game was up. The fielders’ smiles widened and they waited for the winning moment. John Buchanan held his camcorder, Ponting chewed his fingers like Mark Taylor, and the final pair’s boundaries were laughed off.But this was serious. When Martyn caught Zaheer Khan in the deep off Warne the team exploded. Gilchrist, flapping like a swan chased by a fox, was overwhelmed, but managed to call the moment “the most fulfilling of my cricketing life”. Allan Border, now a selector, was in the stands to cheer, and greetings were quickly sent back to Steve Waugh.This was the Australian equivalent of England winning the rugby World Cup, and the trophy they had won only at home in 1999 will be returned next week in Mumbai. This result means that the team, the extended family reborn under Border, built into world champions by Taylor, and turned into record-breakers by Waugh, can enjoy the view as cricket’s greatest travellers. It has taken them 35 years, but they have finally won in India.

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Darren Lehmann, who selflessly offered his Test place to Michael Clarke, is Cricketer of the Year. The award is recognition of Lehmann’s belated, unlikely and romantic international purple patch, which is currently on hold after he injured his hamstring in the third Test at Nagpur.The 2004-05 edition of , published today, is a history-making edition: the front image of a roaring Shane Warne is the first full-colour pictorial cover in 141-year history. mourns the modern trend towards “McCricket”, calling for a stop to “back-to-back Tests, whistlestop tours, twoand four-Test series and all other dunderheaded attempts to jam Test cricket into a polystyrene carton and shove it down our throats as quickly as possible”. For its first 125 years, the five-Test series was cricket’s prestige forum. But Australia have played only one in the past three years and India one in the past seven. New Zealand last played a five-Test series 33 years ago, Pakistan 12 years ago and Sri Lanka have never played one. new editor Christian Ryan writes in his Editor’s Notes: “Only when Australia play England are we now assured the unique thrill of a five-Test series. And beware the hardheads: with their calculators for brains and cash registers for hearts, they are plotting to take even that away from us. Cricket tampers with its own crazy, bewitching rhythms at its peril.”The disappearance of the five-Test series is one of several troublesome issues confronted by a feistier, revamped edition. Cricket Australia (CA) comes in for the fiercest criticism. Of the board’s eagerness to play against a race-based Zimbabwean side, and its description of this year’s tour to Zimbabwe as “a tick in a box”, wonders: “Have Australian cricket administrators no heart, no moral existence at all?”Of the Sri Lankan offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan’s refusal to come to Australia last July, it says CA did not try hard enough to change his mind. “Anything, everything should have been done to make sure he felt comfortable … Australia is the only cricketing nation Murali has felt compelled to stay away from. History will judge us accordingly.”The 2004-05 edition of Wisden Australia is at 976 pages the biggest ever and the first – in Australia or England – to incorporate balls faced and boundaries hit in Test scorecards. Among several innovations is a new section called “Farewells”, women’s player profiles, a beefed-up back half and two new tables listing the full career records of every Australian Test and one-day player in order of appearance.Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack Australia 2004-05 is edited by Christian Ryan and published by Hardie Grant Books.

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