County Cricket’s Final Over of the Week

77 years is a long time in sport

Ball One – Whisper it to fans of the Red Rose, but Lancashire are genuine contenders for the Championship. Their success has been built on the willingness of individuals to take responsibility for the team’s performance and this was in evidence again as Stephen Moore, a one-time England hopeful whose career has stalled since his move to Old Trafford from Worcestershire last year, got Lanky up to 240 to defeat current champions Nottinghamshire. Anchoring one end, but maintaining a positive tempo, his knock allowed five other batsmen chip in with no more than 35 each to seal the win. A six wicket margin looks comfortable, but only with the power of hindsight.
Ball Two – Durham have broken away with Lanky at the top of the table, but will be rueing a missed opportunity at home to Yorkshire. Phil Mustard was one wicket short of unleashing his ultra-experienced bowling line-up on Yorkshire’s all-rounders and had plenty of time left in the game, but he ran into his counterpart, Andrew Gale, playing a captain’s knock that will have pleased the old boys amongst the members, and the quietly impressive Zimbabwean-raised Gary Ballance. Having tried pace, seam and spin for 37 overs without success, Mustard conceded the draw and the cheers were just about audible from the other side of the Pennines.
Ball Three – In the relegation clash, the stretched resources of Worcestershire were sufficient to see off the always ambitious, but not always achieving, Hampshire. Dominic Cork’s four international bowlers mustered one fewer wicket than dear old Alan Richardson, still trundling in at the age of 36. Now at his fourth county, everyone knows what you get from Richo, but that doesn’t mean that everyone can deal with it. He has a lot more work ahead of him if Worcestershire are to avoid the drop, but he won’t shy away from it and he’s paying comfortably fewer than 30 runs for a wicket this season, yet again.
Ball Four – Warwickshire have an extraordinary number of players who will, with all due respect, be footnotes in the annals of international cricket – there’s William Porterfield and Boyd Rankin of Ireland (denied the opportunity to play regularly with the big boys) and England fringe types, Jim Troughton, Tim Ambrose, Darren Maddy, Rikki Clarke and Chris Woakes. Nearly men they may be, but they all had a hand in an easy win over pre-season favourites Somerset, whose championship season will need a kick start very soon.
Ball Five – Strange goings-on at Lord’s, home to one of the flattest Test wickets in the world, but also home to a Middlesex vs Kent match that saw 23 wickets fall on the first day, over half of which were shared by line and length merchants Tim Murtagh and Azhar Mahmood. The wise men of the ECB Panel who are charged with investigating such matters inspected and interrogated, but, having sucked on a thoughful tooth, decided against exercising their option to dock points, settling for a slap on the wrists for a “below average” strip. Which ground was it again?
Ball Six – Oh yes. The Twenty20 chugged on too. There’s a feeling that not every county takes it entirely seriously and, with Notts fined just £600 for fielding an ineligible player (only David Hussey, the leading runscorer in T20 history), who can blame them?

Fast Bowlers for India

How do fast bowlers develop? A very good answer to this question has been - by bowling. Wasim Akram is on record explaining that when he was 19 years old he would bowl for hours, for this is supposed to be the best way to fine tune the body for fast bowling. Even though theories about developing fast bowlers have changed over the years, it remains a fact that the greatest fast bowlers - Trueman, Akram, Marshall and others, bowled an enormous number of overs in first class cricket. This helped them bowl long sustained spells. Zaheer Khan, currently India's best fast bowler saw his career take a turn for the better after a season of County Cricket in England with Worcestershire in 2006. He bowled 618 overs in 16 games over 3 months. A sustained work load which I think had plenty to do with improvement in his bowling. A lot is made of bowling in "English Conditions", but i think the real issue is the amount of cricket one gets to play in the English season. County Cricket has been a finishing school for generations of West Indian, Pakistani and South African and English cricketers, and i think this is because of this concentrated amount of cricket over a season. It is often argued that the Australians play only 10 first class games per side per season, but what people forget, is almost all the top Australian players, from Terry Alderman (Gloucestershire, Kent) to Doug Bollinger (Worcestershire) also played County Cricket, which meant that they did a lot of bowling in first class games.
India's fast bowling bench has stagnated of late. Harsha Bhogle has argued that it would have helped if Ishant Sharma and S Sreesanth had travelled to England on the India A tour. I am not convinced, for this would have have involved playing plenty of limited overs cricket and only the stray first class game. First Class Cricket is the place to develop the basics - to become better at what one does. ODI and T20 cricket is not. This is a normative assertion to be sure, but consider this reason in its support. In a First Class game, the only option that a bowler (and fielding captain) has is to dismiss the batting side. That is the only way to win first class games. In ODI's and in more so in T20, a bowler can bowl to contain. When a bowler stops looking for wickets, he may as well be replaced by a machine. Let's look at the bowling workloads of fast bowlers coming into international cricket in various countries. I first consider all fast bowlers who have taken at least 250 Test wickets. There are 23 such bowlers. It is followed by a table of the top Indian wicket takers in Tests amongst fast bowlers (minimum 25 wickets)

If you look at the current India fast bowling bench - Ashish Nehra, Ishant Sharma, S Sreesanth, Munaf Patel and RP Singh (im excluding Irfan Pathan and L Balaji for now), what stands out is how little they have bowled in comparison with say Malcolm Marshall or Imran Khan or even todays premier fast bowler - Dale Steyn. Steyn has bowled 2597 overs in 81 games in First Class Cricket since his debut in 2003-04. This includes spells where he's been out due to injury, and also includes the time since he became the South Africa spearhead, and hence missed out on some first class cricket. Ashish Nehra made his Test debut in 1999 and in 11 years has bowled less than Steyn has in 6. Of course Nehra has played lots of ODI cricket, but that is a hindrance, not an aid to developing into a top class fast bowler.

Take the example of Zaheer Khan. Of his 2247 overs of First Class bowling, 618 came in one season in England in 2006 for Worcestershire. Zaheer is now in his 11th season as a first class cricketer, yet, over 1/4th of all the bowling he did in First Class Cricket came in one season - 3 months in 2006. They made him a better bowler.

If we really want to know why we dont have fast bowlers, it's because our fast bowlers play too much limited overs cricket, and more importantly, too little first class cricket. It's not their fault, for the Ranji Trophy allows only 8 games per player if your side doesn't reach the final. It's even worse now, because the current generation of upcoming fast bowlers spend half the cricket season training with T20 sides, getting trained to bowl 4 over spells against batsmen who don't care about getting out. It is no surprise that the selectors are desperate enough to select Abhimanyu Mithun and R Vinay Kumar after their first season for Karnataka.

We are repeatedly treated to discussion about how T20 is going to help India unearth new talent. Name one new talent unearthed by T20. All the top T20 players who are not India players were already established Ranji Trophy talents. Any discussion about the specifics of T20 (such as the fact that bowlers bowl 4 overs) invites another airy fairy response about how T20 is developing "different" talents. Of course, there is no elaboration on what these different talents might be.

Consider this. With India's best batting and bowling talent fed into T20 franchises for half the season, it follows that for half the season, India's upcoming fast bowlers train without ever bowling a full spell (between 6-10 overs). If you are wondering why Ishant Sharma has become such a poor bowler, consider the fact that he has played more T20 games than first class games. It's not his fault that he has become ordinary - he hasn't been preparing to bowl proper spells - to work out how to dismiss batsmen who are trying to defend their wicket.

The fact is, there is too much money in T20 and the BCCI is unlikely to continue to change this policy of letting the T20 franchises use India's best upcoming talent. What's more, in anticipation of this, T20 and ODIs are becoming more popular even at the age group level.

India don't have a rich and thriving fast bowling bench because India's fast bowlers don't bowl enough in first class cricket. There is no substitute for this. Bowling 2 overs at Mathew Hayden in an IPL game is no substitute for bowling at an ordinary Ranji Trophy batsman on a flat wicket for a solid hour in a Ranji Trophy game.

I expect India to become a mid-table side in a few years time if this type of preparation continues. The only way out is to play more first class cricket.

The Question Tendulkar Should Be Asked

But probably wasn't.

Sharda Ugra reported on Cricinfo that Sachin Tendulkar has nothing against DRS, but thinks that consistency is the key, and that DRS would be more effective if combined with Snickometer and Hawkeye. Today she quotes the CEO of Virtual Eye, Ian Taylor as agreeing with Tendulkar.



Virtual Eye and Hawkeye used different types of cameras in their ball-tracking. Virtual Eye Cameras have a higher framerate but lower resolution, while Hawkeye cameras have a lower framerate (about half of Virtual Eye) and better resolution. This is because the Hawkeye people believe (and claim they are supported by scholarship in this) that being able to locate the ball with high accuracy (which a higher resolution makes possible) is more important than getting a higher number of data points (which a higher framerate makes possible).

So ball-tracking has problems. The two major vendors of ball-tracking technology do not agree about the accuracy of their respective methodologies, and the ICC has not tried to get independent scrutiny of the matter.

But leave that aside. Ms. Ugra's reporting and article reeks of the classic problem in investigations. People often answer only the questions that they are asked. So here is the central question that Sachin Tendulkar needs to be asked. His answer to this question (and BCCI's answer to the same question) will fundamentally change the debate.

What does Sachin Tendulkar think about the Player Review? Does he think it is a good idea for a player to be given the opportunity to ask for a review, with no new information being made available to him before he decides whether or not to ask for one (beyond what the non-striker can tell him)?

This is the crux of the problem. It is the core issue in DRS. The technology is problematic, but is still usable if handled by experts (Umpires) with sufficient discretion.

Hayden backs World Cup cuts

Former Australia batsman supports a 10-team tournament

Hayden: Backs 10-team World Cup

Former Australia batsman Matthew Hayden has backed the International Cricket Council's decision to cut the number of teams in the World Cup.

The associate nations, including Ireland, have been excluded from the 2015 tournament, which is set to consist only of the 10 full member sides.
The decision will be reviewed by the ICC at the end of June, however, after there was widespread criticism due to Ireland's competitive showing at the 2011 tournament.
But Hayden, who won the World Cup twice with Australia, thinks the competition should be reserved for the world's elite teams.
He told The Cricketer: "I sympathise with the arguments but these competitions are about the world's finest and even though Ireland produced some outstanding cricket, which shows the support mechanisms for our developing nations are working, I still think the World Cup should be for the premium sides."
Hayden did however say that the door should be left open for Ireland if they can prove they can consistently compete with the full member nations.
He added: "I would like to see further changes to the World Cup because you do not want to disenfranchise a community.
"They need to be involved in the system that promotes and relegates. If Ireland are sitting in the top eight, there is a system where sides have the chance to miss out.
"It's not a Test-ranking competition, it's a one-day competition. I support a 10-nation tournament."

Hot Royals head South

Afridi stars with both bat and ball as hosts win low-scoring contest

Afridi: smacked 29 with the bat and then took three crucial wickets

Hampshire moved top of the Friends Life t20 South Group with a 35-run win over Sussex in a low-scoring game at the Rose Bowl.

The Hawks managed to make 126-8 from their 20 overs thanks mainly to Shahid Afridi, who made a breezy 29 at the top of the order.
In the end that total proved well beyond the reach of the Sharks, with Afridi completing a fine all-round with 3-10 as the visitors were bowled out for 91.
The former Pakistan skipper claimed two wickets in his first over, starting with Lou Vincent reverse sweeping the leg-spinner straight to short third man.
Luke Wright followed four balls later for 24 as Sussex - who could have gone to the summit themselves with a victory on their travels - collapsed in a hurry, losing their last nine wickets for a mere 39 runs.

Strauss backing for Broad :

      Captain insists bowler has been playing well

Broad: Has the backing of captain Andrew Strauss 

England captain Andrew Strauss insists he is confident Stuart Broad will rediscover his best form going into the final npower Test against Sri Lanka.

Broad is tentatively trying to re-establish himself back in the England side after being dogged by injuries during the winter.
However he heads to the Rose Bowl with his place in the side under threat after he took just 2-154 during the second Test.
And although the figures do not make pretty reading, Strauss believes Broad has been unlucky.
"We always want our bowlers to be taking a lot of wickets, so in that sense it is," Strauss said.
"But he has done a lot of good things - he has passed the bat a lot.
"The fact of the matter is we have a good squad of bowlers and they are all being pushed hard to keep improving.

Perfect

"You have to realise that sometimes one guy will get all the wickets when another guy bowls better, so you have to look a little bit beyond how many wickets a guy has taken and look at how many balls they got in the right area - and that sort of stuff."
England will be intent on making up for any shortcomings which emerged in the Lord's stalemate - principally a consensus that their bowling attack was off beam, in the absence of the now fit-again James Anderson.
"You're not going to play the perfect Test match every time. It's unrealistic to expect that," added the captain.
"In some ways, the fact that our bowling performance was a little bit down at Lord's is more of a reflection on how good it's been over the last 18 months.
"We've just come to expect bowlers to run in and put it on the spot consistently every time they bowl."
England (from): AJ Strauss (captain), AN Cook, IJL Trott, KP Pietersen, IR Bell, EJG Morgan, MJ Prior (wkt), SCJ Broad, GP Swann, CT Tremlett, JM Anderson, ST Finn.
Sri Lanka (from): KC Sangakkara (captain), NT Paranavitana, HDRL Thirimanne, DPMD Jayawardene, TT Samaraweera, HAPW Jayawardene (wkt), NLTC Perera, CRD Fernando, HMRKB Herath, UWMBCA Welegedara, RAS Lakmal, BAW Mendis, HKS Randiv, MF Maharoof.

Sangakkara decided to captain Sri Lanka after ‘considering the needs of the side’

Kumar Sangakkara has revealed how he was persuaded to lead Sri Lanka again, just 10 weeks after quitting.

 

Sangakkara, who stood
down after Sri Lanka’s defeat in the World Cup final against India,
agreed to stand in as captain for the Lord’s Test against England after
Tillakeratne Dilshan was ruled out with a broken thumb.

 

“When I was first
approached to captain the side I wasn’t ready to take it on, because the
fact was I had given it up, with a view of having finished my role as
captain after two successful years,” The Sun quoted Sangakkara, as
saying.

 

“Unfortunately there
was no vice-captain appointed for this Test series, so the side was left
in a bit of a problem with no one to step in to captain, so with a lot
of deep thought and considering the needs of the side and Sri Lanka, I
decided to say yes to captaining Sri Lanka again for a final time in
this Test,” he added.

 

Strauss hopes its his time to ‘come to the party’ during Rose Bowl Test

Captain Andrew Strauss has become the latest England batsman to come under the microscope as he attempts to recapture his magic century-making touch.
Strauss has made just one century in the last 23 months, a dearth he admits he needs to address despite his team remaining unbeaten for their last eight successive series.
The 34-year-old knows a big score in the third and final Test against Sri Lanka, starting at the Rose Bowl today, would help silence his critics.
“I was frustrated with my returns at Lord’s. But that’s the nature of the beast as an opening batsman - sometimes you get a couple of good balls early,” The Sun quoted Strauss, as saying.
“There’s always pressure to score runs. I don’t think that ever changes and nor should it because this is Test cricket and there are hundreds of guys playing county cricket who want your job. It’s my turn to come to the party.”
“You must do everything you can and ride the blows because you’re not going to score runs every time. It’s my job to score runs for the team and that’s what I’m determined to do,” he added.
Since his century against Australia at Lord’s in July 2009, Strauss has passed fifty 11 times in Test cricket but reached three figures just once. Until then, he had scored 18 centuries and 14 half-centuries.

Afridi withdraws petition against PCB

Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has withdrawn the petition he filed against the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) before the Sindh High Court (SHC).
Afridi had approached the court after the PCB had punished him for breaching its code of conduct by announcing his retirement after being sacked from the one-day captaincy, and for levelling allegations against the board.
Afridi’s counsel Mehmood Mandviwala submitted an application to withdraw Afridi’s petition before a division bench comprising Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi. The court granted the request.
The counsel submitted that both parties have agreed to settle the matter out of the court.
Mandviwala said his client would likely appear before the PCB’s disciplinary committee on Thursday to defend himself.
"We didn''t want to go to court but were forced. Now, I hope, Afridi will get the NOC (no-objection certificate) and will be able to play in England and Sri Lanka," The Nation
quoted Mandviwala, as saying.
Afridi did not appear in court himself and was represented in court by his lawyer.
Earlier, in his constitutional petition, Afridi had pleaded that the PCB’s decision to ban him and revoke his no-objection certificate (NOC) was a restraint of trade, and therefore, needed to be contested in court.

India aims for clean sweep

Mon, Jun 13, 2011 1:23 AM

Suresh Raina keen to end the series on a high

An unbeatable 3-0 lead in hand, India would now aim for a clean sweep while trying out new players when they take on a demoralised West Indies in the inconsequential fourth game of their five-match one-day international series on Monday.

Led by Suresh Raina, the second-string Indian team has given a good account of itself dominating the struggling Caribbean side, which has been weakened further by the absence of big-hitting Chris Gayle and reliable performers such as Dwayne Bravo.

In fact, the series has done a world of good to young Indian players such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Raina himself.

They have proved themselves as fighters when faced with tense situations, prompting coach Duncan Fletcher to state that the given the pool of talent, his wards are set to dominate world cricket for another decade or so.

"It is due to the amount of talent India have. Indian cricket is in a very, very healthy state presently," stated Fletcher after India clinched the series with a three-wicket win on Saturday.

Right-handed batsman Manoj Tiwary might get a look in after Raina hinted that reserve players are likely to be fielded for the remaining two matches.

But bowling would certainly be an area of concern for the Indians.

Without the ever-reliable Zaheer Khan, who won't be available even for the Test series due to injury, the pacers led by Munaf Patel have struggled as was evident from the way West Indian number nine Andre Russell took them to the cleaners yesterday.

In contrast, the spinners - Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra - have exploited the conditions to their advantage.

The duo have more than made up the struggle by the pacers and either of the two might be rested to make way for promising off-spinner R Ashwin in the dead rubbers.

For the West Indies, it is about regaining the pride which lies in tatters after three demoralising losses.

Captain Darren Sammy has struggled to explain just why his players are finding it tough in home conditions against an opposition which is without its top stars.

He has been vocal in his criticism of the apparent lack of application by his players.

Sammy blamed the lack of "killer instinct" as one of the reasons for the team not being able to win.

He admitted that the batsmen haven't been performing upto the mark and he expected a bit more from fast bowler Kemar Roach.

"We have not been getting runs at the top. We just lacked the finishing touch. About our bowling, Kemar is one of our strike bowlers and we needed a bit extra from him. But I can't fault anyone, he has been doing a good job over the past months. If you put the ball in the right areas, you could reap rewards on this wicket."

What is heartening for the West Indies is the inspiring knock by Russell. A hurricane unbeaten 92 by a number nine batsman is just the kind of inspiration the host batsmen need to strike it big in the remaining two matches and make the final scoreline more respectable.

Dilshan likely to miss third Test: Law

Mon, Jun 13, 2011 2:30 PM

Stuart Law may have to make strategy without Tillakaratne Dilshan

Sri Lanka skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan has still not recovered from his thumb injury and is all set to miss the final Test against England, the first to be staged at Hampshire's Rose Bowl ground from Thursday.

Dilshan suffered a broken thumb when hit twice by England fast bowler Chris Tremlett while making 193, the highest Test score by a Sri Lanka batsman at Lord's, in the drawn second Test.

Sri Lanka interim coach Stuart Law said of Dilshan: "There is no change at this stage. His thumb is still in a splint, he is also in some discomfort at this stage and the medical team have said that he is highly likely to miss the Test."

"So the game against Essex has proved very useful because it's allowed a couple of our batsmen to get amongst the runs, The Sydney Morning Herald quoted him, as saying.

If Dilshan is ruled out, the uncapped Lahiru Thirimanne, who made a century against Essex, is set to take his place.

"Young Lahiru Thirimanne, who is only 21, batted well in our first innings and hit 104 before we retired him out, which was a good indication that he was hitting the ball as good as he could," Law said.

Sangakkara is in line to lead the side at the Rose Bowl, where the tourists will be looking to square the series after an innings defeat in the first Test at Cardiff, if the opener is unfit.

Cricket Fixtures -2011

Please note: Fixtures are subject to change. we are not responsible for any changes that may be made.

Sunday, 12 June 2011

Friends Life T20

Yorkshire v Northamptonshire, Headingley Carnegie, 13:10

Durham v Derbyshire, Emirates Durham ICG, 14:30

Leicestershire v Warwickshire, Grace Road, 14:30

Somerset v Hampshire, Taunton, 14:30

Worcestershire v Lancashire, New Road, 14:30

---

Monday, 13 June 2011

One-day international series

Fourth One Day International
West Indies v India, Antigua, 14:00

Friends Life T20

Surrey v Essex, The Kia Oval, 18:40

---

Tuesday, 14 June 2011

Friends Life T20

Durham v Nottinghamshire, Emirates Durham ICG, 17:30

Middlesex v Glamorgan, Richmond, 17:30

Sussex v Somerset, Hove, 19:10

---

Wednesday, 15 June 2011

Friends Life T20

Kent v Gloucestershire, Beckenham, 17:30

Northamptonshire v Warwickshire, Northampton, 17:30

Essex v Somerset, Chelmsford, 19:00

Derbyshire v Worcestershire, Derby, 19:10

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Thursday, 16 June 2011

Test match series

Third Test Match
England v Sri Lanka, The Rose Bowl, 11:00

One-day international series

Fifth One Day International
West Indies v India, Jamaica, 15:00

Friends Life T20

Middlesex v Sussex, Lord's, 18:15

Nottinghamshire v Durham, Trent Bridge, 19:00

---

Friday, 17 June 2011

Friends Life T20

Gloucestershire v Essex, Bristol, 17:30

Leicestershire v Durham, Grace Road, 17:30

Somerset v Surrey, Taunton, 17:30

Warwickshire v Worcestershire, Edgbaston, 17:30

Yorkshire v Lancashire, Headingley Carnegie, 17:40

Northamptonshire v Derbyshire, Northampton, 18:50

Sussex v Kent, Hove, 19:10

Glamorgan v Hampshire, The Swalec Stadium, 19:30

---

Saturday, 18 June 2011

LV County Championship - Division One

Durham v Yorkshire, Emirates Durham ICG, 11:00

Worcestershire v Hampshire, New Road, 11:00

Friends Life T20

Derbyshire v Leicestershire, Derby, 17:30

Nottinghamshire v Northamptonshire, Trent Bridge, 18:00

Kent v Middlesex, Canterbury, 19:00

---

Sunday, 19 June 2011

LV County Championship - Division Two

Leicestershire v Northamptonshire, Grace Road, 11:00

Middlesex v Kent, Lord's, 11:00

Surrey v Gloucestershire, The Kia Oval, 11:00

Friends Life T20

Warwickshire v Lancashire, Edgbaston, 14:30

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Monday, 20 June 2011

Test match series

First Test Match
West Indies v India, Jamaica, 16:00

LV County Championship - Division One

Nottinghamshire v Lancashire, Trent Bridge, 11:00

Warwickshire v Somerset, Edgbaston, 11:00

---

Tuesday, 21 June 2011

Friends Life T20

Glamorgan v Essex, The Swalec Stadium, 19:10

---

Wednesday, 22 June 2011

Tour Match

Worcestershire v Sri Lanka, New Road, 10:45

Friends Life T20

Yorkshire v Derbyshire, Headingley Carnegie, 17:40

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Thursday, 23 June 2011

Friends Life T20

Surrey v Middlesex, The Kia Oval, 18:30

Glamorgan v Sussex, The Swalec Stadium, 19:00

Essex v Hampshire, Chelmsford, 19:10

NatWest Women's T20 Quadrangular Series

Australia Women v India Women, Billericay, 10:45

England Women v New Zealand Women, Chelmsford, 15:10

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Friday, 24 June 2011

Friends Life T20

Durham v Lancashire, Emirates Durham ICG, 17:30

Middlesex v Kent, Uxbridge, 17:30

Somerset v Sussex, Taunton, 17:30

Warwickshire v Yorkshire, Edgbaston, 17:30

Worcestershire v Derbyshire, New Road, 17:30

Nottinghamshire v Leicestershire, Trent Bridge, 18:10

Essex v Surrey, Chelmsford, 19:00

Hampshire v Gloucestershire, The Rose Bowl, 19:00

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Saturday, 25 June 2011

LV County Championship - Division Two

Essex v Northamptonshire, Chelmsford, 11:00

Friends Life T20

Leicestershire v Worcestershire, Grace Road, 14:30

NatWest International Twenty20 Match

England v Sri Lanka, Bristol, 14:30

NatWest Women's T20 Quadrangular Series

England Women v Australia Women, Bristol, 10:15

New Zealand Women v India Women, Clifton College, 10:45

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Sunday, 26 June 2011

Friends Life T20

Derbyshire v Warwickshire, Leek, 12:00

Durham v Leicestershire, Emirates Durham ICG, 14:30

Middlesex v Gloucestershire, Uxbridge, 14:30

Nottinghamshire v Lancashire, Trent Bridge, 14:30

Worcestershire v Yorkshire, New Road, 14:30

Kent v Surrey, Beckenham, 15:00

Somerset v Glamorgan, Taunton, 15:10

NatWest Women's T20 Quadrangular Series

New Zealand Women v Australia Women, Taunton Vale CC, 11:00

England Women v India Women, Taunton, 11:10

Varsity Match

Oxford University v Cambridge MCCU, Lord's, 10:45

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Monday, 27 June 2011

LV County Championship - Division One

Lancashire v Durham, Liverpool, 11:00

LV County Championship - Division Two

Glamorgan v Derbyshire, The Swalec Stadium, 11:00

Middlesex v Gloucestershire, Uxbridge, 11:00

Friends Life T20

Hampshire v Sussex, The Rose Bowl, 19:10

NatWest Women's T20 Quadrangular Series

TBC v TBC, Aldershot, 10:45

TBC v TBC, The Rose Bowl, 15:10

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Tuesday, 28 June 2011

Test match series

Second Test Match
West Indies v India, Barbados, 15:00

NatWest One Day International Series

England v Sri Lanka, The Kia Oval, 13:00

International Twenty20 Series

Scotland v Netherlands, Aberdeen, 11:00

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Wednesday, 29 June 2011

LV County Championship - Division One

Sussex v Warwickshire, Arundel, 11:00

Friends Life T20

Northamptonshire v Worcestershire, Milton Keynes, 17:30

Leicestershire v Yorkshire, Grace Road, 17:40

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Thursday, 30 June 2011

Friends Life T20

Surrey v Somerset, The Kia Oval, 18:30

Hampshire v Kent, The Rose Bowl, 19:10

NatWest Women's Quadrangular Series

Australia Women v New Zealand Women, Chesterfield, 10:45

England Women v India Women, Derby, 14:30

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Friday, 1 July 2011

NatWest One Day International Series

England v Sri Lanka, Headingley Carnegie, 10:45

Friends Life T20

Gloucestershire v Somerset, Bristol, 17:30

Lancashire v Durham, Old Trafford, 17:30

Middlesex v Hampshire, Uxbridge, 17:30

Worcestershire v Leicestershire, New Road, 17:30

Northamptonshire v Yorkshire, Northampton, 18:50

Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire, Derby, 19:00

Kent v Essex, Canterbury, 19:00

Glamorgan v Surrey, The Swalec Stadium, 19:30

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Saturday, 2 July 2011

Friends Life T20

Essex v Middlesex, Chelmsford, 17:10

NatWest Women's Quadrangular Series

Australia Women v India Women, Chesterfield, 10:45

England Women v New Zealand Women, Derby, 10:45

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Sunday, 3 July 2011

NatWest One Day International Series

England v Sri Lanka, Lord's, 10:45

Friends Life T20

Durham v Worcestershire, Emirates Durham ICG, 14:30

Lancashire v Derbyshire, Old Trafford, 14:30

Leicestershire v Northamptonshire, Grace Road, 14:30

Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire, Headingley Carnegie, 14:30

Sussex v Gloucestershire, Arundel, 14:40

Kent v Glamorgan, Canterbury, 15:00

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Monday, 4 July 2011

Friends Life T20

Somerset v Essex, Bath, 17:30

Surrey v Sussex, Whitgift School, 17:40

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Tuesday, 5 July 2011

Friends Life T20

Worcestershire v Nottinghamshire, New Road, 17:40

Glamorgan v Somerset, The Swalec Stadium, 19:10

NatWest Women's Quadrangular Series

England Women v Australia Women, Lord's, 10:45

New Zealand Women v India Women, Southgate, 10:45

Varsity Match

Oxford University v Cambridge MCCU, Fenner's, 11:00

---

Wednesday, 6 July 2011

Test match series

Third Test Match
West Indies v India, Roseau, 15:00

NatWest One Day International Series

England v Sri Lanka, Trent Bridge, 14:00

Friends Life T20

Gloucestershire v Kent, Bristol, 17:30

Warwickshire v Derbyshire, Edgbaston, 17:30

Yorkshire v Leicestershire, Headingley Carnegie, 17:40

Hampshire v Essex, The Rose Bowl, 19:00

---

Thursday, 7 July 2011

Friends Life T20

Middlesex v Surrey, Lord's, 18:15

Sussex v Glamorgan, Hove, 19:10

NatWest Women's Quadrangular Series

England Women v TBC, Wormsley, 10:45

TBC v TBC, Aston Rowant, 10:45

---

Friday, 8 July 2011

Friends Life T20

Durham v Yorkshire, Emirates Durham ICG, 17:30

Leicestershire v Derbyshire, Grace Road, 17:30

Somerset v Gloucestershire, Taunton, 17:30

Worcestershire v Warwickshire, New Road, 17:30

Surrey v Hampshire, The Kia Oval, 18:30

Northamptonshire v Nottinghamshire, Northampton, 18:50

Essex v Glamorgan, Chelmsford, 19:00

Kent v Sussex, Canterbury, 19:10

---

Saturday, 9 July 2011

NatWest One Day International Series

England v Sri Lanka, Old Trafford, 10:45

Friends Life T20

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire, Derby, 17:30

---

Sunday, 10 July 2011

LV County Championship - Division Two

Leicestershire v Essex, Grace Road, 11:00

Surrey v Kent, The Kia Oval, 11:00

Friends Life T20

Gloucestershire v Glamorgan, Bristol, 14:30

Lancashire v Nottinghamshire, Old Trafford, 14:30

Middlesex v Somerset, Southgate, 14:30

Yorkshire v Durham, Scarborough, 14:30

Sussex v Hampshire, Hove, 14:40

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Monday, 11 July 2011

LV County Championship - Division One

Nottinghamshire v Somerset, Trent Bridge, 11:00

Sussex v Hampshire, Hove, 11:00

Yorkshire v Worcestershire, Scarborough, 11:00

LV County Championship - Division Two

Derbyshire v Glamorgan, Derby, 11:00

Friends Life T20

Warwickshire v Durham, Edgbaston, 17:40

---

Tuesday, 12 July 2011

Friends Life T20

Northamptonshire v Lancashire, Northampton, 17:40

---

Wednesday, 13 July 2011

Friends Life T20

Gloucestershire v Middlesex, Bristol, 17:30

Lancashire v Warwickshire, Old Trafford, 19:00

---

Thursday, 14 July 2011

Friends Life T20

Durham v Northamptonshire, Emirates Durham ICG, 17:30

Surrey v Kent, The Kia Oval, 18:30

---

Friday, 15 July 2011

Tour Match

Somerset v India, Taunton, 11:00

Friends Life T20

Derbyshire v Yorkshire, Derby, 19:10

Essex v Kent, Chelmsford, 19:10

Glamorgan v Gloucestershire, The Swalec Stadium, 19:10

Hampshire v Middlesex, The Rose Bowl, 19:10

Lancashire v Northamptonshire, Old Trafford, 19:10

Nottinghamshire v Worcestershire, Trent Bridge, 19:10

Sussex v Surrey, Hove, 19:10

Warwickshire v Leicestershire, Edgbaston, 19:10

---

Saturday, 16 July 2011

Under 19 One Day International Series

England Under 19 v South Africa Under 19, Edgbaston, 10:45

---

Sunday, 17 July 2011

Clydesdale Bank 40

Durham v Surrey, Emirates Durham ICG, 13:05

Glamorgan v Unicorns, The Swalec Stadium, 13:45

Leicestershire v Hampshire, Grace Road, 13:45

Netherlands v Kent, Rotterdam, 13:45

Nottinghamshire v Essex, Trent Bridge, 13:45

Scotland v Northamptonshire, The Citylets Grange, 13:45

Yorkshire v Middlesex, Headingley Carnegie, 13:45

---

Monday, 18 July 2011

Under 19 One Day International Series

England Under 19 v South Africa Under 19, Northampton, 10:45

Clydesdale Bank 40

Netherlands v Worcestershire, Rotterdam, 11:00

Nottinghamshire v Unicorns, Trent Bridge, 13:45

Scotland v Warwickshire, The Citylets Grange, 13:45

Lancashire v Somerset, Old Trafford, 16:40

---

Tuesday, 19 July 2011

Clydesdale Bank 40

Hampshire v Durham, The Rose Bowl, 16:40

---

Wednesday, 20 July 2011

Tour Match

Leicestershire v Sri Lanka A, Grace Road, 11:00

LV County Championship - Division One

Hampshire v Nottinghamshire, The Rose Bowl, 11:00

Warwickshire v Sussex, Edgbaston, 11:00

Yorkshire v Lancashire, Headingley Carnegie, 11:00

LV County Championship - Division Two

Gloucestershire v Kent, Cheltenham, 11:00

Northamptonshire v Derbyshire, Northampton, 11:00

Surrey v Middlesex, Guildford, 11:00

Clydesdale Bank 40

Essex v Glamorgan, Chelmsford, 16:40

---

Thursday, 21 July 2011

Test match series

First Test Match
England v India, Lord's, 11:00

LV County Championship - Division One

Somerset v Durham, Taunton, 11:00

Under 19 One Day International Series

England Under 19 v South Africa Under 19, Arundel, 10:45

---

Saturday, 23 July 2011

Under 19 One Day International Series

England Under 19 v South Africa Under 19, Arundel, 10:45

---

Sunday, 24 July 2011

Clydesdale Bank 40

Derbyshire v Kent, Derby, 13:45

Gloucestershire v Nottinghamshire, Cheltenham, 13:45

Leicestershire v Northamptonshire, Grace Road, 13:45

Surrey v Warwickshire, Guildford, 13:45

Unicorns v Lancashire, Colwyn Bay, 13:45

Worcestershire v Sussex, New Road, 13:45

---

Monday, 25 July 2011

Clydesdale Bank 40

Northamptonshire v Hampshire, Northampton, 16:00

---

Tuesday, 26 July 2011

LV County Championship - Division One

Lancashire v Nottinghamshire, Southport, 11:00

Worcestershire v Somerset, New Road, 11:00

Under 19 One Day International Series

England Under 19 v South Africa Under 19, Taunton, 10:45

Clydesdale Bank 40

Gloucestershire v Essex, Cheltenham, 13:45

Warwickshire v Hampshire, Edgbaston, 16:40

---

Wednesday, 27 July 2011

Tour Match

Durham v Sri Lanka A, Emirates Durham ICG, 11:00

LV County Championship - Division Two

Essex v Leicestershire, Southend, 11:00

Glamorgan v Northamptonshire, Swansea, 11:00

Gloucestershire v Surrey, Cheltenham, 11:00

Clydesdale Bank 40

Sussex v Yorkshire, Hove, 16:40

---

Thursday, 28 July 2011

Under 19 One Day International Series

England Under 19 v South Africa Under 19, Canterbury, 10:45

Clydesdale Bank 40

Middlesex v Derbyshire, Lord's, 15:40

---

Friday, 29 July 2011

Test match series

Second Test Match
England v India, Trent Bridge, 11:00

LV County Championship - Division Two

Middlesex v Derbyshire, Lord's, 11:00

---

Saturday, 30 July 2011

Under 19 One Day International Series

England Under 19 v South Africa Under 19, Canterbury, 10:45

Clydesdale Bank 40

Netherlands v Sussex, Amstelveen, 11:00

---

Sunday, 31 July 2011

Clydesdale Bank 40

Netherlands v Yorkshire, Amstelveen, 11:00

Durham v Warwickshire, Emirates Durham ICG, 13:45

Essex v Somerset, Southend, 13:45

Glamorgan v Nottinghamshire, Swansea, 13:45

Gloucestershire v Lancashire, Cheltenham, 13:45

Hampshire v Leicestershire, The Rose Bowl, 13:45

Worcestershire v Kent, New Road, 13:45

---

Monday, 1 August 2011

LV County Championship - Division One

Lancashire v Warwickshire, Liverpool, 11:00

---

Tuesday, 2 August 2011

Tour Match

England Lions v Sri Lanka A, Scarborough, 11:00

LV County Championship - Division One

Durham v Nottinghamshire, Emirates Durham ICG, 11:00

Hampshire v Yorkshire, The Rose Bowl, 11:00

Somerset v Sussex, Taunton, 11:00

LV County Championship - Division Two

Glamorgan v Essex, The Swalec Stadium, 11:00

Leicestershire v Kent, Grace Road, 11:00

---

Wednesday, 3 August 2011

Clydesdale Bank 40

Surrey v Northamptonshire, The Kia Oval, 15:40

---

Thursday, 4 August 2011

Clydesdale Bank 40

Derbyshire v Worcestershire, Derby, 16:40

---

Friday, 5 August 2011

Tour Match

Northamptonshire v India, Northampton, 11:00

Clydesdale Bank 40

Lancashire v Gloucestershire, Old Trafford, 16:40

---

Saturday, 6 August 2011

Friends Life T20

TBC v TBC, TBC, 17:30

TBC v TBC, TBC, 17:30

---

Sunday, 7 August 2011

Friends Life T20

TBC v TBC, TBC, 14:30

---

Monday, 8 August 2011

Other Match

Lancashire v Sri Lanka A, Old Trafford, 10:45

Friends Life T20

TBC v TBC, TBC, 17:30

---

Wednesday, 10 August 2011

Test match series

Third Test Match
England v India, Edgbaston, 11:00

LV County Championship - Division One

Durham v Hampshire, Emirates Durham ICG, 11:00

Sussex v Worcestershire, Horsham, 11:00

LV County Championship - Division Two

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire, Derby, 11:00

Kent v Surrey, Canterbury, 11:00

Other Match

Nottinghamshire v Sri Lanka A, Trent Bridge, 10:45

Clydesdale Bank 40

Middlesex v Yorkshire, Lord's, 15:40

---

Thursday, 11 August 2011

LV County Championship - Division Two

Middlesex v Northamptonshire, Lord's, 11:00

---

Friday, 12 August 2011

Tour Match

England Lions v Sri Lanka A, New Road, 10:45

Clydesdale Bank 40

Nottinghamshire v Glamorgan, Trent Bridge, 16:10

---

Saturday, 13 August 2011

Clydesdale Bank 40

Scotland v Leicestershire, Citylets Mannofield, 12:00

---

Sunday, 14 August 2011

Tour Match

England Lions v Sri Lanka A, New Road, 10:45

Clydesdale Bank 40

Derbyshire v Yorkshire, Chesterfield, 13:45

Durham v Leicestershire, Emirates Durham ICG, 13:45

Glamorgan v Somerset, The Swalec Stadium, 13:45

Kent v Netherlands, Canterbury, 13:45

Lancashire v Essex, Old Trafford, 13:45

Scotland v Hampshire, Citylets Mannofield, 13:45

Sussex v Worcestershire, Horsham, 13:45

Unicorns v Gloucestershire, Exmouth, 13:45

---

Monday, 15 August 2011

Clydesdale Bank 40

Northamptonshire v Surrey, Northampton, 16:00

Somerset v Nottinghamshire, Taunton, 16:40

---

Tuesday, 16 August 2011

Tour Match

England Lions v Sri Lanka A, Northampton, 10:45

Clydesdale Bank 40

Kent v Middlesex, Canterbury, 16:40

---

Wednesday, 17 August 2011

LV County Championship - Division One

Lancashire v Worcestershire, Blackpool, 11:00

Somerset v Nottinghamshire, Taunton, 11:00

Yorkshire v Sussex, Scarborough, 11:00

LV County Championship - Division Two

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire, Chesterfield, 11:00

Essex v Gloucestershire, Colchester, 11:00

Glamorgan v Leicestershire, Colwyn Bay, 11:00

Kent v Middlesex, Canterbury, 11:00

Clydesdale Bank 40

Warwickshire v Surrey, Edgbaston, 16:40

---

Thursday, 18 August 2011

Test match series

Fourth Test Match
England v India, The Kia Oval, 11:00

LV County Championship - Division One

Warwickshire v Hampshire, Edgbaston, 11:00

---

Sunday, 21 August 2011

Clydesdale Bank 40

Derbyshire v Middlesex, Chesterfield, 13:45

Essex v Gloucestershire, Colchester, 13:45

Glamorgan v Lancashire, Colwyn Bay, 13:45

Leicestershire v Surrey, Grace Road, 13:45

Northamptonshire v Durham, Northampton, 13:45

Somerset v Unicorns, Taunton, 13:45

Worcestershire v Netherlands, New Road, 13:45

Yorkshire v Sussex, Scarborough, 13:45

---

Monday, 22 August 2011

LV County Championship - Division One

Nottinghamshire v Durham, Trent Bridge, 11:00

---

Tuesday, 23 August 2011

LV County Championship - Division One

Hampshire v Worcestershire, The Rose Bowl, 11:00

Yorkshire v Warwickshire, Headingley Carnegie, 11:00

LV County Championship - Division Two

Essex v Derbyshire, Chelmsford, 11:00

Leicestershire v Surrey, Grace Road, 11:00

Northamptonshire v Middlesex, Northampton, 11:00

Clydesdale Bank 40

Sussex v Kent, Hove, 16:40

---

Wednesday, 24 August 2011

Clydesdale Bank 40

Gloucestershire v Somerset, Bristol, 16:40

---

Thursday, 25 August 2011

One-day international series

First One Day International
Ireland v England, Dublin, 10:15

Tour Match

Sussex v India, Hove, 10:15

---

Friday, 26 August 2011

Tour Match

Kent v India, Canterbury, 14:30

---

Saturday, 27 August 2011

Friends Life T20

TBC1 v TBC2, Edgbaston, 11:00

TBC v TBC, Edgbaston, 14:30

TBC v TBC, Edgbaston, 18:45

---

Monday, 29 August 2011

Tour Match

Leicestershire v India, Grace Road, 14:30

Clydesdale Bank 40

Hampshire v Scotland, The Rose Bowl, 13:45

Kent v Derbyshire, Canterbury, 13:45

Middlesex v Sussex, Lord's, 13:45

Nottinghamshire v Lancashire, Trent Bridge, 13:45

Somerset v Essex, Taunton, 13:45

Surrey v Durham, The Kia Oval, 13:45

Unicorns v Glamorgan, Wormsley, 13:45

Warwickshire v Northamptonshire, Edgbaston, 13:45

Yorkshire v Worcestershire, Headingley Carnegie, 13:45

---

Tuesday, 30 August 2011

LV County Championship - Division Two

Middlesex v Leicestershire, Lord's, 11:00

---

Wednesday, 31 August 2011

LV County Championship - Division One

Somerset v Hampshire, Taunton, 11:00

Sussex v Durham, Hove, 11:00

Warwickshire v Yorkshire, Edgbaston, 11:00

Worcestershire v Lancashire, New Road, 11:00

LV County Championship - Division Two

Gloucestershire v Glamorgan, Bristol, 11:00

Kent v Essex, Canterbury, 11:00

Northamptonshire v Surrey, Northampton, 11:00

NatWest International Twenty20 Match

England v India, Old Trafford, 18:00

---

Saturday, 3 September 2011

NatWest One Day International Series

England v India, Emirates Durham ICG, 10:15

---

Sunday, 4 September 2011

Clydesdale Bank 40

TBC v TBC, TBC, 12:45

TBC v TBC, TBC, 12:45

---

Tuesday, 6 September 2011

NatWest One Day International Series

England v India, The Rose Bowl, 14:00

---

Wednesday, 7 September 2011

LV County Championship - Division One

Lancashire v Hampshire, Old Trafford, 10:30

Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire, Edgbaston, 10:30

Worcestershire v Sussex, New Road, 10:30

Yorkshire v Somerset, Headingley Carnegie, 10:30

LV County Championship - Division Two

Derbyshire v Kent, Derby, 10:30

Essex v Surrey, Chelmsford, 10:30

Glamorgan v Middlesex, The Swalec Stadium, 10:30

Gloucestershire v Leicestershire, Bristol, 10:30

---

Friday, 9 September 2011

NatWest One Day International Series

England v India, The Kia Oval, 13:00

---

Sunday, 11 September 2011

NatWest One Day International Series

England v India, Lord's, 10:15

---

Monday, 12 September 2011

LV County Championship - Division One

Durham v Worcestershire, Emirates Durham ICG, 10:30

Hampshire v Warwickshire, The Rose Bowl, 10:30

Nottinghamshire v Sussex, Trent Bridge, 10:30

Somerset v Lancashire, Taunton, 10:30

LV County Championship - Division Two

Kent v Glamorgan, Canterbury, 10:30

Leicestershire v Middlesex, Grace Road, 10:30

Northamptonshire v Gloucestershire, Northampton, 10:30

Surrey v Derbyshire, The Kia Oval, 10:30

---

Friday, 16 September 2011

NatWest One Day International Series

England v India, The Swalec Stadium, 14:00

---

Saturday, 17 September 2011

Clydesdale Bank 40

TBC v TBC, Lord's, 11:30

Anderson back in England squad for third Sri Lanka Test

Page last updated at 08:29 GMT, Sunday, 12 June 2011 09:29 UK

Third Test: England v Sri Lanka

• Venue: The Rose Bowl
• Date: 16-20 June
• Start time: 1100 BST each day
• Coverage: Live ball-by-ball Test Match Special commentary on BBC 5 live sports extra, BBC Radio 4 Long Wave & BBC Sport website; live video scorecard on Red Button (not Freeview); live text commentary on BBC Sport website & mobile; watch live on Sky Sports (subscription required); highlights on Channel 5

England missed Anderson's variety during the drawn second Test

James Anderson has been recalled by England for the third Test against Sri Lanka, which starts on Thursday.

The seamer picked up a side strain injury in the surprise first Test win before missing the drawn second Test.
Anderson was hoping to prove his fitness in Lancashire's Twenty20 match at Worcestershire on Sunday but the game was abandoned because of rain.
His England return is likely to mean one of Stuart Broad, Steve Finn or Chris Tremlett being dropped.
While Broad, Finn and Tremlett offer height and pace, the trio, along with spinner Graeme Swann, struggled to take 20 wickets against Sri Lanka.
Anderson provides variety to the attack with his ability to swing the ball and is set to be an automatic choice for the first Test match to be played at the Rose Bowl, despite Lancashire's T20 game against Worcestershire succumbing to the weather.

Continue reading the main story

When you start being a successful side you do have to make difficult decisions

England national team selector Geoff Miller

"Getting my four overs of action would have helped that bit more, but unfortunately it's not to be," said Anderson.
"I'd quite like to get the overs under my belt because a match situation's very different to bowling in the nets. Unfortunately it's not going to happen, but I feel fine and hopefully I'll be fit for Thursday's Test.
"It was a very minor [strain]. I think it was more precautionary and if I'd carried on bowling in the Cardiff game it could have got a lot worse."
England national selector Geoff Miller said: "Side strains can be particularly troublesome for bowlers but given Jimmy's injury was a grade one strain and therefore a low grade injury, he is expected to be fit for selection.
"A period of rest and recovery has certainly been beneficial and we obviously wouldn't include Jimmy in the squad if the medical staff weren't confident of his fitness."
On the selection dilemma facing England's management, Miller added: "When you start being a successful side you do have to make difficult decisions so we will wait and see what the conditions are in Southampton and make the decision accordingly."
Anderson comes in for Jade Dernbach, who was named in the 12 for the second Test at Lord's but remains uncapped after not playing.
"I've had a chat with Jade and explained the situation but he now knows what the England set-up is all about, and we widen the squad," said Miller.
Other than the inclusion of Anderson, England are unchanged and, even though they had to settle for a draw last time out, Kevin Pietersen's second innings 72 provided encouragement that he is returning to form.
"He'll be pleased himself," said Miller. "Kevin Pietersen is a top quality player, we know that.
"He's had a tough time. He had a bad run and, yes, it eases the condition for him the fact that he knows he can score runs internationally and again he has proved it."
England squad v Sri Lanka, The Rose Bowl, 16-20 June: Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wkt), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, James Anderson, Steven Finn.

Sharma guides India to series win over West Indies

Third one-day international, Antigua:

India 228-7 (46.2 ovs) beat West Indies 225-8 (50 ovs) by three wickets

Rohit Sharma's innings featured five boundaries and two sixes from 91 deliveries

India sealed a one-day international series win over the West Indies with a three-wicket victory in Antigua.

The tourists lead the five-match contest 3-0 courtesy of a brilliant 86 not out from Rohit Sharma, overhauling West Indies' total of 225-8.
Andre Russell's 92 was the highlight of the day, striking eight fours and five sixes from only 64 deliveries.
India collapsed to 92-6 before an 88-run stand between Sharma and Harbhajan Singh (41) guided them to safety.
West Indies captain Darren Sammy needed a victory at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium - built for the 2007 Cricket World Cup - to maintain his side's hopes of overhauling India's 2-0 series lead.
India skipper Suresh Raina won the toss and elected to field and was instantly rewarded with the wicket of Kirk Edwards in the second over when the opener was caught behind off Munaf Patel for a duck.
Lendl Simmons (45) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (28) consolidated the innings in a solid second-wicket partnership, but the latter's dismissal - unfortunately run out after losing grip of his bat attempting to make his ground with a quick single - triggered a middle-order crisis as the hosts collapsed from 65-1 to 96-7 in 15 overs.
Leg-spinner Amit Mishra (3-28) was the instigator, dismissing Marlon Samuels, Danza Hyatt and Simmons in successive overs, ably assisted by Harbhajan's frugal bowling from the other end.
But India's hopes of wrapping up the tail were dashed by a sensational counter-attack from Russell, playing only his sixth one-day international.
The Jamaican rebuilt the innings alongside wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh (36), adding 78 for the eighth wicket, unleashing an array of clean, explosive strokes all around the ground.
The 23-year-old reached his maiden one-day international half century from 50 deliveries before spanking an incredible 42 runs from his final 14 deliveries, taking the West Indies to a creditable 225-8 from their 50 overs.
India's response began briskly through wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel, but Sammy removed opener Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli in successive deliveries in the eighth over.
And the tourists continued to lose wickets and were soon teetering at 92-6 in the 23rd over when Yusuf Pathan was caught by Simmons off leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo.
But Harbhajan, whose batting skills have become a vital component of India's lower order over the past 18 months, provided excellent support for Sharma in an industrious seventh-wicket stand.
Sharma was at his dismissive best, imperious through the offside while Singh batted intelligently, rotating the strike to give his established partner the majority of the bowling.
Harbhajan's dismissal in the 41st over brought Praveen Kumar (25 not out) to the crease and the seamer maintained the attacking intent, striking two lusty sixes as West Indies' hopes of victory quickly evaporated.
And Sharma ensured India took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series when he launched Kemar Roach over mid-on for four with 22 deliveries to spare.
Match scorecard:

One-day international series: West Indies v India Saturday, 11 June 2011 at Antigua India beat West Indies by 3 wickets India won the toss and decided to field West Indies Innings 225 for 8 (50.0 overs) India Innings 227 for 7 (46.2 overs) West Indies 1st Innings - Close Runs Balls 4s 6s Simmons c Kohli b A Mishra 45 68 4 1 Edwards c Patel b Patel 0 2 0 0 Sarwan run out (Raina) 28 38 2 1 Samuels st Patel b A Mishra 1 10 0 0 Hyatt b A Mishra 1 5 0 0 Pollard c Patel b Harbhajan Singh 6 16 0 0 Baugh c Dhawan b Patel 36 73 0 0 Sammy c Patel b Patel 3 14 0 0 Russell not out 92 64 8 5 Roach not out 7 10 0 0 Extras 4w 2lb 6 Total for 8 225 (50.0 ovs) Bowler O M R W Kumar 10.0 1 46 0 Patel 10.0 1 60 3 A Mishra 10.0 2 28 3 Harbhajan Singh 10.0 2 24 1 Pathan 5.0 0 27 0 Kohli 1.0 0 7 0 Raina 4.0 0 31 0 Fall of wicket 0 Edwards 65 Sarwan 70 Samuels 74 Hyatt 77 Simmons 85 Pollard 96 Sammy 174 Baugh India 1st Innings - Close Runs Balls 4s 6s Patel c Russell b Bishoo 46 56 4 1 Dhawan c Samuels b Sammy 4 15 0 0 Kohli lbw b Sammy 0 1 0 0 Badrinath run out (Russell) 11 28 1 0 Rohit Sharma not out 86 91 5 2 Raina c Simmons b Pollard 3 10 0 0 Pathan c Simmons b Bishoo 1 3 0 0 Harbhajan Singh c Baugh b Russell 41 64 1 1 Kumar not out 25 15 1 2 Extras 5nb 5w 10 Total for 7 227 (46.2 ovs) Bowler O M R W Roach 8.2 0 46 0 Russell 9.0 0 59 1 Sammy 10.0 2 49 2 Bishoo 10.0 0 41 2 Pollard 9.0 0 32 1 Fall of wicket 26 Dhawan 26 Kohli 60 Badrinath 79 Patel 88 Raina 92 Pathan 178 Harbhajan Singh Umpires: I J Gould, Malcolm, J J Crowe, G O Brathwaite West Indies: Simmons, Edwards, Sarwan, Hyatt, Samuels, Pollard, Baugh (W), Sammy (C), Russell, Bishoo, Roach India: Dhawan, Patel (W), Raina (C), Kohli, Badrinath, Rohit Sharma, Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Kumar, A Mishra, Patel