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Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka’s captain, has lamented the absence of the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) in the Test series against India, which he said cost Sri Lanka “over 500 runs”. The UDRS – or lack of it – once again figured prominently at the media conference after India beat Sri Lanka by an innings to become the top-ranked Test team, with Sangakkara saying that the three-match contest was the best advertisement for having the review system.”Not having the review system cost us over 500 runs and a lot of wickets. It always puts a lot of pressure on the inside,” he said. “You’ve got to accept the fact that we were outbowled and outplayed but not to have the review system when every other side in the world is using it and when the ICC had said yes that all sides will be playing with it, it becomes an extra handicap. It cost us quite a huge amount of runs in this Test and the last one.”India’s captain MS Dhoni has yet to play in a series where the UDRS was used and found it difficult to comment too much. “I don’t think it is foolproof still. It has its own advantages and disadvantages,” he said. “We can try and get it foolproof by at least try and make it give 90 percent correct decisions.”The system is being used in the two other Test series currently under way, between Australia and West Indies and New Zealand and Pakistan. The decision not to use the system in India was made known shortly before the series began and Ratnakar Shetty, the Indian board’s chief administrative officer, said at the time there was “nothing to explain” about the BCCI’s decision to not use the system for the series. India originally supported the implementation of the UDRS but were reportedly dissuaded by the players, who have reservations about the effectiveness of referrals.Sangakkara was of the opinion that Sri Lanka were a better side than what the 2-0 series score line indicated. “2-0 is a realistic score line the way the Indians played and the way we played especially in the last two Test matches. But we are a better side than what the score line says,” he said. “We got to accept the fact that if we don’t play well enough we are going to be placed in situations like these. We need to put big totals on the board but at the same time you’ve always got to find ways to bowl the opposition out under those totals. In this case in all three Test matches we were unable to do that.””We were mostly outbowled. We created chances right along but catching at crucial times let us down. We were never able to continuously put pressure on the Indian batsmen. Our fast bowlers sometimes created chances but then onwards it was a tough graft. India was always ahead of the game when it came to their batting.”Sangakkara admitted that Sri Lanka’s bowling lacked firepower. “The ability to bowl maiden overs is a huge plus that’s the entirety of your bowling plan,” he said. “You try and keep the batsman on strike for as long as possible. In the second Test we bowled only five maiden overs in our entire bowling innings.”That just goes to show that it’s always tough when you cannot tie a batsman down for more than an over from one side it becomes very difficult to exert continuous pressure. It’s more the singles and stopping the singles and keeping batsmen on strike. If singles are going as well as the boundaries then you are in a bit of trouble. We tried as many fielding options as we could in the Tests but it didn’t work.”One of the biggest disappointments for Sri Lanka was the form of Muttiah Muralitharan, who ended the series with five wickets after conceding 591 runs. Sangakkara singled out Murali’s inability to bowl with the SG ball as a factor. “That handicapped him with the bounce and the amount of turn that he can expect off the pitch,” he said. “That’s probably the main factor and [also] India are the best side in the world against spin. That’s the two main reasons why he hasn’t been successful.”

Western Australia 8 for 499 dec and 2 for 24 drew with New South Wales 402 (Katich 108, Smith 90, Khawaja 61, North 4-82, Noffke 4-105)
Scorecard
Simon Katich scored 108 but Western Australia took the first-innings points•AFP

A Simon Katich century was not enough for New South Wales as Western Australia took first-innings points in a drawn match at the SCG. Ashley Noffke and Marcus North picked up four wickets each to keep the Blues to 402, which ensured the Warriors came out on top in the rain-affected game.After wet weather ruined much of the second and third day’s play, New South Wales needed a further 349 on the final day to take the lead. They were in with a chance while Katich and Usman Khawaja built their 145-run second-wicket partnership but the loss of Khawaja for 61 and Katich for 108 in quick succession gave the Warriors the upper hand.Katich fell off Noffke to a brilliant catch from Josh Mangan, who snared a rebound after Theo Doropoulos at gully couldn’t grasp Katich’s cut shot. It gave Noffke, who finished with 4 for 105, something to cheer after he had Katich caught at gully for 3 off a no-ball.The Blues still refused to give in as the young allrounder Steven Smith guided the lower-order effort with 90, which was his highest first-class score. When he fell to North, who grabbed 4 for 82, the Blues still needed 118 runs with only the last-wicket pair remaining.A controversial finish was possible as the No. 11 was Grant Lambert, who replaced Burt Cockley during the match after Cockley was called into the Australian ODI squad. Western Australia were unhappy with the move as Cockley is a genuine tailender, while Lambert is a fast-bowling allrounder who has opened the batting for the Blues and has six first-class half-centuries to his name.In the end, it didn’t matter as Lambert remained unbeaten on 14 with New South Wales still well short of Western Australia’s 499. There was just enough time for the Warriors to bat again and they made 2 for 24, with the New South Wales spinner Beau Casson grabbing both wickets in a confidence-boosting spell after he bowled poorly in the first innings.

Match facts

Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Start time 1430 (1230 GMT)Will Ishant Sharma hold on to his place for the crucial match against West Indies?•Getty Images

Big picture

India need the reverse of Murphy’s Law. If they are to make it to the semi-final, everything that can go right needs to go right, and then some. They need Australia to lose to Pakistan, then they need to beat West Indies, and by such a margin that their net run-rate goes over Australia’s. If any of these doesn’t happen, they are out.If Pakistan’s match against Australia is even as much as washed out, India can kiss their campaign goodbye. The saving grace for them is that by half time during their match they’ll know what exactly they need to do – if Australia lose, that is.A difference of 2.08 in India and Australia’s net run-rates looks huge on paper, but since it is based on the results of one match each it is not impossible to wipe out. It will be mighty difficult, though. Pakistan and Australia will make for a tight contest either way, so even if Australia lose India will need a huge win over West Indies. A perfect day is difficult to define, but India fans will know what it is if their team makes it to the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy.West Indies have been no pushovers in this tournament, giving Pakistan and Australia a scare. They would love nothing better than to spoil a party on their way out. It won’t be a surprise if they even wish for Australia to lose to Pakistan, so that they have a chance to actively contribute in sending a team out. September 30 will be one complex day.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)India – LWLWW
Mathematics and permutations aside, India will need a big improvement in their form to entertain any hopes of progressing in this tournament. In the first match they played four bowlers and gave away over 300. In the second they played five and were threatening to leak 300-plus when rain intervened – fuelling the belief in some quarters that the rain actually saved India by giving them a point and keeping them alive in the tournament, as opposed to jeopardising their chances.West Indies – LLLLL
Those who were of the view that their invitation should have been revoked will definitely revisit their stance after their creditable fights, albeit both losses, against Pakistan and Australia. If they can combine both their performances, good bowling in the first match and good batting in the second, West Indies could unsettle India.

Team news

India have a 6′ 5″ problem going into what could be their last match of the tournament. Ishant Sharma’s 15.3 overs for 92 runs tell just a part of the story: he has looked low on confidence and just seems to be putting the ball in, as opposed to putting real effort in it. The pace has been low too. But India also know that he can be a handful if they are playing on a green top at the Wanderers. It’s a difficult decision to make, and they have duly delayed it to see the pitch and trends in the Pakistan-Australia match.India: (probable) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 6 Virat Kohli, 7 Yusuf Pathan/Amit Mishra, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Ishant Sharma, 10 Praveen Kumar, 11 Ashish Nehra.Dale Richards, who dislocated his shoulder during the Australia match, is definitely out. Either Keiran Powell or Royston Crandon could get a game in his place.West Indies: (probable) 1 Devon Smith, 2 Andre Fletcher, 3 Keiran Powell/Royston Crandon, 4 Travis Dowlin, 5 Floyd Reifer (capt), 6 David Bernard, 7 Darren Sammy, 8 Chadwick Walton (wk), 9 Nikita Miller, 10 Tino Best, 11 Gavin Tonge.

Pitch and conditions

India will be playing at the Wanderers for the first time in this competition, and there will definitely be extra bounce on offer. West Indies have the advantage of having played both their matches there.

Watch out for…

Pakistan v Australia Keep an eye on Centurion because what happens there will influence what happens in the second innings of this match.Kemar Roach is one of the positives to have come out of the players-board saga in the Caribbean. Against Australia at the same venue, the Wanderers, he bowled with pace and hostility, something India can do without in their current state of mind.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies have played India twice in the Champions Trophy, and won on both occasions: the semi-final in Dhaka in 1998, and a league match in Ahmedabad in 2006. In World Cups the head-to-head is three wins each.
• In 59 ODI innings Suresh Raina has scored two centuries, against Bangladesh and Hong Kong. It has to do in part with fluctuating batting order, because he has maintained a decent average of 35-plus.
• The Wanderers has been a tough ground to chase on during this competition: Pakistan and England sweated chasing 134 and 213 respectively, West Indies and Sri Lanka failed chasing bigger totals.

Quotes

“From the first game to this one we have gotten better, as a team and as individuals. Looking at the two games we’ve played, against Pakistan if we had 40 more runs, things could have been different. And against Australia we were in the game into the 40th over. It’s been a great effort.”
“We are cheering for Pakistan as they play a day game. We will know where we stand when we go out. Hopefully Pakistan will win.”

ScorecardTim Ambrose works the ball to leg during his vital 116•Getty Images

Overnight the fickle English climate changed from darkest November to most brilliant August in Scarborough, and the sun shone on everybody – except, perhaps, the equally fickle Yorkshire team. “How to throw away a match in three easy sessions” might be a useful handbook for the home team to publish at the end of this season, as they have made rather a habit of wasting good positions during the last couple of years. On this particular day they excelled themselves; poor bowling and fielding allowing Warwickshire to pass 300, with Tim Ambrose outstanding, and then collapsing dismally against some good but not overwhelming bowling, spearheaded by Sreesanth. From start to finish, it was Warwickshire’s day, and one of their best in a season of struggle for them.The abrupt arrival of the sun attracted a crowd of 4,188, virtually all no doubt eager to see Yorkshire continue the form that had reduced Warwickshire to 53 for 4 overnight. But the visitors handled the unfamiliar weather conditions better than the home side. The Yorkshire seamers bowled too short and often wide as well, and Ambrose in particular enjoyed himself, aided by Tony Frost. The ground was fast and the ball flew regularly to the boundary, mainly from the cuts, pulls and cover drives of Ambrose. The Yorkshire fielding was also lacking: Ambrose at 22 escaped a difficult return chance to Ajmal Shahzad, and several misfields aided the scoring rate.Frost was rather unluckily bowled for 35, off his bat and pads as he swept at a leg-side ball from David Wainwright. Rikki Clarke came out with aggression, getting off the mark by hitting the same bowler for six over long-on. He fell for 22 just before lunch, though, caught at the wicket as he aimed to cut Wainwright.Ambrose continued to take centre stage, reaching his 50 off 58 balls and his century off 123; the latter landmark came with a snick that flew by the vacant second-slip position. Neil Carter proved to be his best partner, a man who showed aggression from the start but tempered it wisely. He hit the inaccurate Wainwright for three successive fours, and reached his 50 off only 40 balls with a slash wide of extra cover.Ambrose had 113 to his credit when he finally whipped a sharp catch to midwicket, where McGrath took it neatly left-handed. He had faced 150 balls and hit 21 fours, while the partnership added 110. Carter drove a ball to mid-off to depart for 67 and the last four wickets fell for 32 runs, although the last pair proved stubborn until a fierce yorker from Shahzad shattered Naqaash Tahir’s stumps. None of the Yorkshire bowlers particularly distinguished themselves on the second day, although Shahzad finished with four wickets.Yorkshire, facing 320, were let down badly once again by their fragile top order. Sreesanth bowled the opening over of the innings, and his first ball was a gentle long hop that Jacques Rudolph nevertheless managed to pop up into the gully. Off the fifth ball McGrath tried too late to withdraw his bat and was caught by the keeper, and two former Test men had ignominiously departed without a run on the board.Andrew Gale’s positive approach was praiseworthy, but his manner of execution was dubious. He scored Yorkshire’s first runs with a stylish off-drive for four, and then sliced a ball uppishly past gully. He hit Sreesanth for three successive boundaries, two cuts and a leg-glance, but he also played and missed on numerous occasions, especially when the Indian gave way to Carter, who swung the ball prodigiously at times but with little luck. It was too good to last, and his rather frenetic innings ended at 23 when he clipped a catch to short midwicket. Joe Sayers pushed a catch to short mid-off for 21, and Jonny Bairstow was caught at first slip after a laborious 4 off 26 balls. Yorkshire were 62 for 5, and it should have been worse, as Gerard Brophy was dropped in the gully when he had scored 2.This was the sort of situation where Yorkshire have been rescued frequently by their all-rounders – only two of their main fighters, Tim Bresnan and Adil Rashid, are currently in the England squad. Shahzad fell for 13 and Richard Pyrah for 0, both caught in the slips off the returning Sreesanth, just before the close, leaving Brophy, who batted so well in the Roses match, as their one hope of redeeming anything from their dismal innings.A further 71 runs are needed to avoid the possibility of the follow-on with three wickets left. The talent is still there to do so, but what of the will and spirit? Yorkshire may not be able to match Durham for talent at present, but it will be a travesty if they are relegated to the second division next year. The wounds are self-inflicted and the reasons for them need much careful investigation. Meanwhile, the tragedy of Yorkshire cricket continues.

Middlesex have announced that seam bowlers Alan Richardson and Chris Silverwood will leave the county at the end of the season.Richardson, 34, has signed a two-year contract with Worcestershire and Middlesex have not offered Silverwood, also 34, a new deal. The club offered Richardson a combined coaching-playing role but he has decided to prolong his playing career.Richardson played 43 first-class matches since joining from Warwickshire in 2005 and Silverwood made 35 appearances after his move from Yorkshire in 2006.”Informing a cricketer and man of the quality of Chris that his services are no longer required by the club is tough,” said Angus Fraser, the Middlesex managing director. “Chris has been a model professional during his four years with Middlesex and remains a highly respected figure. Throughout his time at the club Chris set a wonderful example to the younger cricketers on our staff.Silverwood said that he was confident of continuing his career at a new county. “Naturally, I am sad to be moving on from Middlesex but I am keen to continue playing because I still feel I have plenty to offer the game. I wish Middlesex every success in the future.”

Two Zimbabwe first class cricketers – Simba Kusano and Mbekezeli Mabuza – were seriously injured when they were involved in a car crash near Bulawayo on Sunday evening.The pair are recovering at a public hospital after the accident which involved a minibus being used to transport some of the Zimbabwe and Bangladesh players to the ODIs in Bulawayo. The driver is believed to have swerved off the road to avoid an oncoming car and the minibus hit a tree, rammed into a bridge and caught fire.Reliable sources have said that Kusano, a medium pace bowler, broke his leg while Mabuza, a top-order batsman and part-time offspinner, suffered a back injury. It is thought he might be able to resume playing soon, but the prospects for Kusano are not nearly as promising. The pair had just signed contracts to play for the Bulawayo-based Matabeleland Tuskers franchise.Mabuza had returned to Bulawayo after being dropped from the Zimbabwe A side playing against Afghanistan in an ICC Intercontinental Cup match in Mutare. Last May he produced a stunning bowling display, picking up five wickets to lead Westerns to a sensational four-run victory over Northerns in the domestic Twenty20 final at Queens Sports Club. He was also a member of the Zimbabwe A side that toured Namibia.

Kumar Sangakkara described his team’s run of success against Pakistan as “the good times” but was guarded enough to warn Sri Lanka to also be prepared for the bad ones after their six-wicket win in Dambulla gave them an unassailable 3-0 lead.”When you’ve got a team that’s trying really hard it becomes easier,” Sangakkara said at the end of the game. “These are the good times, but you’ve got to plan for the bad times as well which are surely going to come. We have to make sure we have the reserves, the mental and the physical strength to go through them.”Sri Lanka are unbeaten on this tour but despite their 2-0 win in Tests and now the victory in the ODIs, they didn’t completely outplay Pakistan. The visitors squandered dominant positions by way of collapses to lose the Tests, and even today, were unable to defend a formidable score of 288.Sangakkara admitted to some early lapses by Sri Lanka but lauded his team for the manner in which it fought back to emerge victorious. “There were a couple of situations where we showed a lack of maturity by not really closing the door on Pakistan in the Test series in all three games, but then we showed a lot of heart and a lot of hunger to come back in those tough situations and turn matches around,” he said. “We have a long way to go again and we have lots of areas to improve upon. Every single player is not really satisfied that he is really there yet, but I think as a team it’s a really good feeling that everyone is responding well. We are looking to play better cricket and improve.”The track in Dambulla has acquired a reputation for being bowler-friendly but it behaved quite differently today as Pakistan amassed a challenging total. Sangakkara acknowledged there was room for improvement. “The bowlers tried very hard on a wicket that was really good for batting,” Sangakkara said. “The only area that we really got to improve on is our fielding. We got another 20 percent to give out there. We could have probably kept Pakistan down to 240.”Sri Lanka’s batsmen made short work of the target, though, with openers Mahela Jayawardene and Upul Tharanga adding 202 to shut Pakistan out. “What can you say about the batting of Mahela and Upul,” Sangakkara said. “It was just amazing; a double hundred opening stand when you are chasing 280, there is nothing more you can ask for.”Mahela Jayawardene opened the batting after Sanath Jayasuriya opted out of the game due to a stomach bug. It was only the second time that Jayawardene opened in an ODI, and he managed his 11th ODI century which was also his first since getting a hundred against New Zealand in Kingston in the 2007 World Cup semi-final. Sangakkara was all praise for his effort. “Mahela always bats well when he is free to play his strokes,” he said. “Unfortunately and unfairly for him, we put him under a lot of pressure over the years by losing too many wickets upfront, but today he had a free hand to go out there and enjoy himself and express himself fully. He was really raring to go out there and open and hit the ball.”Though Jayawardene was not accustomed to opening the batting, making the transition, he said, was not too difficult. In fact, he volunteered to open when Jayasuriya was ruled out. “Opening the batting wasn’t a big thing,” Jayawardene said. “I’ve played enough cricket to realize how to handle the situation.”When I got to know that Sanath was sick I went up to the coach and the captain and asked them if I could open as we would have a right and left-hand combination, and because we didn’t have any openers who were coming into the side with the experience to go up and bat. I knew the conditions were going to be difficult and I thought as a senior player I should take responsibility on this occasion. Sanath was an experienced player we’ve lost upfront, and to take that burden from the team I asked them to give me an opportunity to go out and bat as well as to get my confidence back.”Jayawardene played an attacking knock, suffering cramps along the way, making 123 off just 108 balls to put his team on course for a comfortable win. His innings was laced with 14 fours and a six before being terminated by Abdul Razzaq. “While opening the batting you can take a few chances, calculated risks and try and build the innings. That’s what I tried to do,” he said. “I know I won’t get that opportunity batting at number four because you have to bat according to the situation and then go after the run rate if you’re especially chasing runs. Today it was much easier for me to get a good start and continue to bat.”Wish I could get more hundreds like this. Today I knew that after the first 15 overs, I just had to bat through. Unfortunately with the cramps I couldn’t finish the game off for the team, which was disappointing.”Twenty20 cricket, Jayawardene believed, did have an impact on his strokeplay when it came to ODIs. “T20 has definitely changed the approach,” he said. “We’ve got new freedom and the way we’ve gone about in the IPL and Twenty20 international matches, you have that confidence of playing those big shots at the right time.It’s all about getting control out there and creating those opportunities, that’s what we did.”

Canada, as expected, comfortably beat Argentina while the USA beat Bermuda in a key match featuring two of the three sides fancied to challenge for the top two places in the ICC Americas Under-19 Regional Qualifier. The results mean Canada and the USA go head-to-head with unbeaten records on Friday at Maple Leaf Cricket Club, King City.Canada scored an impressive 344 for 9 against Argentina. Opening bat Hiral Patel struck his third half-century of the tournament, captain Rustum Bhatti hit 65, Nitesh Kumar 61 and Arsalan Qadir struck 51 in the later overs. Qadir followed with 3 for 12 and legspinner Ruvindu Gunasekera took 3 for 2 as Argentina were bowled out for 75.The USA beat Bermuda by 64 runs, but the coaches in each camp will surely focus on how each side seemed to be well on the way to scoring many more runs. The USA were going well, even after losing their second wicket at 128, but the efforts of Azurdeen Mohammed and Ryan Corns almost went to waste as they finished with 230, with several overs unused. Ironically, Bermuda were going well until Chris Douglas was caught off a miscued drive. A couple of overs later, Bermuda had spun to 132 for 6. There were no late heroics for as they were bowled out for 166.Cayman Islands picked up their first win of the tournament, beating Bahamas by eight wickets as Bahamas were bowled out for 75.With Thursday a rest day, on Friday Canada and the USA will meet in a game pivotal to both the Under-19 Regional Championship and for the two places in the Under-19 Global World Cup Qualifier to be held in September. The fifth and final round-robin games to decide the top two places are on Saturday, when the US would be expected to beat Cayman Islands, but Canada face Bermuda.ICC Americas U19 Regional Qualifier – ResultsDay 3
USA 230 beat Bermuda 166 by 64 runs
Canada 344 for 9 beat Argentina 75 by 269 runs
Bahamas 75 lost to Cayman Islands 76 for 2 by eight wicketsDay 2
Bermuda 218 for 9 beat Cayman Islands 103 by 115 runs
Bahamas 118 lost to Canada 119 for 1 by nine wickets
Argentina 116 lost to USA 118 for 1 by nine wicketsDay 1
Cayman Islands 84 lost to Canada 85 for 0 by ten wickets
Argentina 89 lost to Bermuda 93 for 2 by eight wickets
USA 325 for 9 beat Bahamas 75 by 250 runs

Bahrain sealed their place in the World Cricket League Division 6 in Singapore after a comfortable 196-run over Japan in Port Soif. Recovering from yet another top-order collapse at 24 for 4, when Patrick Giles-Jones picked up another five-for after the seven he took the previous day, half-centuries from Qamar Saeed (75 not out), Adil Hanif (73) and Ashraf Yaqoob (51) lifted them to 260. In reply, Japan couldn’t face up to the Bahrain attack, capitulating to 64, as Naeem Amin, Qamar and Yaser Sadeq remarkably finished with the same bowling figures of 3 for 15.Mohsin Kamal, the Bahrain coach, was delighted with the achievement. “Everybody is delighted as we have achieved the main target that we set ourselves before we had come here,” Kamal said. “Our other target is to try and win the final on Sunday. We have qualified for Division 6 and everybody hopes we can continue to progress to the top.”A century from Jeremy Frith inspired Guernsey to an eight-wicket victory over Nigeria leaving them a win away, in their final group game on Saturday, from securing the second promotion spot to Division 6.Nigeria, choosing to bat first, should arguably have reached a higher total than 217 after some disappointing Guernsey bowling. Endurance Ofem led the way with an unbeaten 78 but failed to inspire the rest of the batsmen. In reply, Guernsey had learned their lessons from the previous day’s poor run-chase against Bahrain and played more positively with some attractive strokeplay supported by aggressive running between the wickets. The 147-run partnership between Frith and skipper Stuart Le Prevost (59 not out) guided the hosts home with three overs to spare.Frith, who has now scored at least 50 in his last three matches, said the team were a little relieved with the result. “There was some big pressure on us to make sure we got a result,” Frith said. “I was really pleased to take the responsibility for getting the runs and take us over the line. There is a rest day tomorrow and we know we have to play well again on Saturday.”In the other match of the day, six wickets from legspinner Iain Latin helped Gibraltar beat Suriname by 39 runs. Batting first, a half-century from skipper Christian Rocca helped Gibraltar to 218, before Latin’s 6 for 23 ensured Suriname were bowled out for 179.Friday is a rest day in the tournament while in Saturday’s final group matches, Suriname play Guernsey, Bahrain take on Nigeria and Gibraltar play Japan.

Andrew Strauss steps aside from the England captaincy confident that the team can continue their early-season success in the ICC World Twenty20 and build further momentum ahead of the Ashes.Strauss hands over control to Paul Collingwood for the Twenty20 but leaves the squad in the high spirits after they wrapped up a 2-0 one-day series win against West Indies to follow their convincing Test success.”I like the way we were clinical right through the Tests and the one-dayers,” Strauss said following the 58-run victory at Edgbaston. “New players came in and did well but generally there was a level of consistency there which is very important.”We are far from the finished article at this stage but what I am really excited about is that the guys are very keen to improve. The work ethic has been tremendous and everything that has happened over the last month can only help us come the first day of the Ashes.”England’s successful start to the season has come without Andrew Flintoff, who is expected to be ruled out of the ICC World Twenty20 in the next few days after a slow recovery from knee surgery, while Kevin Pietersen was also absent for the one-dayers after resting an Achilles injury.Flintoff’s fitness is still a key issue to the Ashes series, but England are learning to cope without him and Strauss said that it is vital to have a strong squad. “We always want Fred involved and it has been very frustrating for us, and more importantly for him, that he has picked up these injuries over the last couple of years or so,” he said.”What is absolutely crucial in the long term is having a good squad of players you can pick from so that you don’t have to play the same XI in every game.”Strauss has been rested from Middlesex’s Twenty20 Cup campaign and will return to action in the County Championship against Essex, at Chelmsford, on June 6.