Andrew Flintoff has told a British newspaper that he expects to be able to resume playing at least a month before the start of the Ashes in November.Flintoff, who underwent surgery on his ankle last week, told the Sun that he was undergoing a rehabilitation programme supervised by Dave “Rooster” Roberts, part of Lancashire’s medical staff. “I’ll hopefully be fit to play again 12 weeks after the operation, mid or late October … that should be plenty of time to be ready for the first Test.”There’s been a lot of talk that I might play some grade cricket in Australia or get a game somewhere else to help regain match fitness,” he added. “But I’m not looking that far ahead. At the moment, I’m sitting on my couch wearing a big boot and holding a pair of crutches.”I’ll be seeing Rooster virtually every day, sometimes two or three times a day. I’ll have the stitches taken out some time next week and then I’ll get rid of the crutches.””

Division One

Third day
Ed Smith struck a defiant 147 but Middlesex still face a huge defeat against Nottinghamshire at Lord’s. Smith’s innings spanned 245 balls but he was trapped lbw by Ryan Sidebottom late in the day, leaving Middlesex still 138 runs behind but with just four wickets standing. The match appeared to be heading for a three-day finish when Ben Hutton was forced to retire hurt and Nick Compton was trapped lbw. But the middle order showed some fight, although none could build a commanding total like Smith. David Nash provided solid support, facing 124 balls before falling to the last ball of the day to Sidebottom. During the morning session, Nottinghamshire batted on for eight overs, extending their lead to 412, with Paul Franks slamming 64.Second day
Hampshire are building a huge lead over Durham at Chester-le-Streetafter opting not to enforce the follow on. A team effort skittled Durham for 195, in reply to Hampshire’s 425, with none of the home side reaching fifty. The wickets were shared around with Chris Tremlett again impressing, removing Jimmy Maher for a duck amongst his three wickets. Even though the deficit was 230, Shane Warne sent his openers out for a second innings; James Adams and Michael Carberry responded with an unbroken stand of 134 in 47 overs – and there is more to come tomorrow before Warne calls time on the innings and sets about dismissing Durham again.

Division Two

Third dayLou Vincent cracked 141 as Worcestershire set Leicestershire 451 to win at at Grace Road. Vincent led the Worcestershire charge and was well support by Graeme Hick who struck 72. The pair added 144 for the fourth wicket and Vincent went to his second Championship ton in five matches. Gareth Batty and Roger Sillence added useful 30s but the Leicestershire openers survived 19 overs before stumps.Newly crowned division two champions Surrey face a final-day fight to save their match against Gloucestershire after being set after being set a massive 501 to win at Bristol. Hamish Marshall and Steven Adshead were the main scorers in Gloucestershire’s second innings, after Surrey were bowled out 171 behind but not asked to follow on. Marshall faced 115 balls for his 76 while Adshead was unbeaten after 104 balls when Alex Gidman declared. Steve Kirby removed Scott Newman early to leave Gloucestershire with a strong chance to force the win.Second day
Lance Klusener struck a powerful 131 to put Northamptonshire in charge against Glamorgan Cardiff. His innings allowed Northants to extend their lead to 165 after the innings had threatened to subside at 227 for 6. However, Ben Phillips provided solid support with 29 in a stand of 94 for the eighth wicket. Huw Waters wrapped up the innings to finish with 4 for 33. Northants squeezed out two wickets before the close with Monty Panesar again providing a major threat and he’ll be key on the third day.

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

Pakistan showed they are focused on finishing their tour on a positive note as they warmed-up for the one-day series with a comfortable five-wicket win, and had 13 balls to spare, in the Twenty20 at Bristol. As expected, Shahid Afridi provided the fireworks in the run chase with a crackling 10-ball onslaught, before Mohammad Hafeez played a measured hand. Stuart Broad gave England hope with a memorable two wickets in two balls on debut, but their total was about 30 runs short after the Pakistan pacemen had ripped through the top order.Marcus Trescothick prevented a total collapse after three wickets had fallen in five balls as England slipped to 40 for 3, but the batsmen struggled to find the boundary and only managed one six in their innings. Boundaries are not something Afridi often struggles for and he didn’t hang about trying to open his account, despite walking in with Broad on a hat-trick.Broad, too, had wasted little time in making his mark on proceedings and gave a glimpse of the ability that has got the cricket world talking. His first over went for just two, then with his 10th ball on the international scene he trapped Shoaib Malik lbw. Throughout the season Broad has proved himself to be a thinking bowler and he then showed his adaptability by bouncing Younis Khan first ball, who gloved his pull shot to Chris Read. He wasn’t afraid of a stare towards the batsmen and while he hasn’t picked up bowling skills from his father, Chris, he certainly has traits of his combative spirit.Afridi, though, isn’t a player to give an inch and negotiated the hat-trick ball by heaving Broad over mid-off for a couple – and he never threatened a defensive shot. He was responsible for the majority of the 22 runs that came off Sajid Mahmood’s first over, then Broad was shown the other end of international cricket as 20 came off his third.Pakistan were 26 runs ahead of England after the fielding restrictions, but Afridi wasn’t about to take stock and tried to launch Jamie Dalrymple over the river to Wales. However, Michael Yardy – whose performance made it a good day for England’s debutants – ran backwards from long on, leaped, and held a stunning catch to at least keep the match interesting.When Yardy claimed Mohamamd Yousuf as his first international scalp, the equation almost came down to a run-a-ball. But through all the action, Hafeez had played a composed hand, working the strike, but also crunching the ball to the fence. A couple of cheeky sweeps were the highlights of the innings and when he was stranded by Paul Collingwood’s direct hit the job was nearly done. Inzamam-ul-Haq made a statement by launching Darren Gough – in his comeback match – effortlessly over long on and this week is looking rosier for him than the last seven days.With the striking power all the way down Pakistan’s order, England knew they needed an imposing total to have a real chance. Trescothick and Ian Bell had started promisingly enough, but Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif reduced them from 39 without loss to 40 for 3 within five balls. Asif removed Kevin Pietersen first ball for the second time in three innings and Strauss only faired one ball better. This left England needing to rebuild, but with Asif bowling four economical overs and the returning Rana Naved-ul Hasan also not giving much away the overs quickly ticked by.Trescothick held the innings together and showed a pleasing return to form after a difficult Test series. He’d kick-started his innings with three fours in a row off Shoaib and his trademark meaty thumps were quickly rocketing in the boundary boards. When spin was introduced, Trescothick went into slog-sweep mode and his fifty came off 33 balls. However, with England needing him to bat through the innings Abdul Razzaq produced a decent ball, which kissed the outside edge, and Kamran Akmal held his second low catch.It wasn’t until the final over that England cleared the ropes as Yardy’s quick-fire 14-ball effort at least handed them something to bowl at. But the ease with which Pakistan completed the chase showed they would have been capable of knocking off many more.

How they were out

Click here to read Cricinfo’s description of each England wicket
Click here to read Cricinfo’s description of each Pakistan wicket

The appointment of Shaharyar Khan as the new chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board is likely to trigger a shake-up in the top administrative posts, according to local media reports.Shaharyar Khan takes over from Lt.-Gen. Tauqir Zia tomorrow (December 14) and Rameez Raja, the chief executive, Muhammad Naeem, the treasurer, and other leading officials are expected to resign almost straight away, as they had been asked to by Zia to enable his successor to appoint his own people.”As far as Rameez and Naeem are concerned they have assured Zia they will tender their resignations,” a PCB official told Lahore-based The News. “They understood that the new chairman would like to have his own people in the two key positions.”But all might not go as smoothly as Shaharyar Khan hopes. The News report added that Zahid Bashir, the board’s marketing director who was also appointed by Zia, has refused to step down.

Marcus Trescothick suffered a breakdown during day two of the match against New South Wales and had to be cared for by the team doctor for two hours before asking for a release from the Ashes tour. Duncan Fletcher, the England coach, had already considered sending Trescothick home when the incident occurred on Monday.”We decided well maybe the best way to deal with it was bring his wife [Hayley] out,” Fletcher told . “And then I was a little bit uncomfortable about that, because was that going to help the problem?”Fletcher was planning to talk to Trescothick, who scored 8 before being bowled by Brett Lee, after the game about whether he should end the tour before the first Test. “I was pretty uncomfortable about it [sending him home],” Fletcher said. “It was taken out of my hands when Marcus came off the field in the afternoon [on Monday] and there was a reoccurrence of the problem he had in India.”Trescothick flew back to England in the lead-up to the first Test against India in February and he also missed the Champions Trophy in the same country last month before declaring his fitness for the Ashes. “He was feeling pretty upset,” Fletcher said of the SCG episode. “He wanted to go back.” Trescothick boarded a plane for England on Tuesday and a replacement will come from the team of “shadow” players that is due in Perth this week.”It was unpleasant in the change room with him,” Fletcher said. “The doctor just had to sit and console him for about two hours or so. After a while the doctor spoke to him and said to him it’s best if he does go home. I only told the chaps last night after the game.”Fletcher hoped the illness would not force the end of Trescothick’s 76-Test career. “I can’t say at this stage,” he said. “It would be foolish of me to turn around and say anyone’s Test career is over.”

Australia 9 for 602 dec and 181 for 1 (Ponting 51*, Langer 88*) lead England 157 (Bell 50, McGrath 6-50) by 626 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out – England
How they were out – Australia

Glenn McGrath announced his return to Test cricket with the superb figures of 6 for 50, and Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer added an unbeaten stand of 113, as England’s cricketers were stripped of their dignity on an extraordinary day’s cricket that verged on the sadistic. Having been bundled out for a woeful 157, a deficit of 445, England’s morale was so bleak that, with a full 45 overs of the day’s play remaining, a three-day finish was a very real possibility. But Ponting was having none of it, and in a decision that echoed Mark Taylor’s move on this same ground in 1994-95, he opted instead to send England’s frazzled players back out into the field for another dose of chastisement.The tactic had been amply justified by the close, as Australia ground their way to 1 for 181, a massive lead of 626. Ponting himself was still there on 51, having passed 9000 runs in Test cricket, and all England had to show for another 40 overs of hard labour was the run-out of Matthew Hayden. As they trooped off the field after their third humiliation in a row, it was hard to believe that this was the same body of men who had retrieved the Ashes in such memorable fashion in 2005. As many as nine of the players on each team were present in that match at The Oval, but the gulf between mindsets could not have been more acute.Since their arrival Down Under, England have been bewildered by the ferocity of Australia’s resolve, and today no-one typified that determination better than McGrath. All year long he has been claiming that, at the age of 36, he is in the best shape of his life, but a ten-month absence to care for his sick wife Jane, and an unconvincing performance on the flat tracks of India last month, had the naysayers believing otherwise. Today, McGrath did as champions do, and let his bowling do the talking.Flushed with confidence after two cheap scalps last night, McGrath tore through England’s bewildered batting, teasing and tormenting England’s outside edges in precisely the manner that England themselves had failed to do at any stage of the match. He grabbed his first of the day when Kevin Pietersen shouldered arms unwisely to one that jagged back and rapped the pads, and after watching Brett Lee dismiss Andrew Flintoff for a third-ball duck, McGrath returned to mop up the tail.Flintoff’s dismissal was an especially dismal moment for England. All through the first two day’s play, he had been a lone pillar of strength, but suddenly, with his side in disarray at 4 for 78, he was on an absolute hiding to nothing. After surviving two deliveries, he nibbled at a third from Lee, and Gilchrist completed the catch that sent the crowd at the Gabba delirious.

England rallied insofar as a team in such dire straits can rally, with Ian Bell confirming that he is a cricketer reborn since his harrowing experience in the 2005 Ashes. He had to ride his luck and back his judgment during Lee’s opening salvo, which included an edge through third man off an angled bat, but he had enough chutzpah to see off both his nemeses, McGrath and Shane Warne, whom he greeted with quick feet and an focussed mind. He brought up his third fifty against the Aussies with a tickled single to leg, but unfortunately for England he was unable to push on, as Clark located one of the cracks on a widening pitch, and Ponting at second slip took a fine catch diving to his right.Geraint Jones had by this stage perished, trapped on the crease by a full-length inswinger from McGrath, and England’s innings folded in an embarrassing heap, with only Ashley Giles provided any token resistance in a defiantly chancy 24. Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison both fell for ducks, caught behind off Clark and McGrath respectively, and it was McGrath who wrapped up proceedings when Giles retreated to leg and top-edged a short ball to point. As he led his side off the pitch, McGrath clutched at his back in a mock display of old age. So far in this Test, Dad’s Army has been doing okay.It got no better for England as Ponting opted to give them another stint in the field. In theory it could have been a blessing in disguise for an attack that is woefully short of match fitness, but Hayden reverted to his best bullying mode to ensure there were no plus-points to be gained from the new ball. James Anderson, who has arguably endured an even worse match than the hapless Harmison, was beasted for three fours in a row, and though he gained his revenge with a pin-point run-out it was scant consolation. By the close even their direct hits were ricocheting for overthrows, as Australia marched on and on and on. It is more than just a beating that England are taking in this match, it is an evisceration.

Jimmy Ormond, the Surrey fast bowler, has extended his contract with the club for a further year. Ormond, who joined Surrey in 2002 having made his debut for Leicestershire in 1995, was plagued by injuries last season and managed just three Championship matches.”I am pleased to have secured Jimmy’s services for a further season with the club as his ability with the ball is unquestioned,” Alan Butcher, Surrey’s cricket manager, said. “Jimmy is excited about the prospect of being a part of our 1st division campaign next season.”He wants to reclaim his position as leader of our attack and I have no doubt that he will be a force to be reckoned with in 2007.”Ormond, who played two Tests for England in 2001, has taken 196 wickets at 32.38 since joining Surrey.

A new year will not neccessarily bring a new dawn for England, but it does mean that five lucky readers are filling their boots with our fantastic competiton prizes. There’s something for everyone, with DVD highlights (or lowlights depending where you’re from) of the Adelaide Test, EA’s Cricket 07, and, of course, those stalwarts of the Ashes competiton world Beefy and Boony.To win these two jokers, the DVD and the game all you had to do was answer correctly our exceedingly simple question:As at January 2, when was the last time hundreds were made by both openers in an Ashes Test – and which pair struck them? The answer of course was Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden at The Oval in 2005.Here are the lucky five.Greg Chaff, Charlestown, Queensland, Australia
Melanie Beer, Deniliquin, NSW, Australia
Chandru Boopalam, Michigan, USA
Darren Thompson, Adelaide, South Australia
David Nethery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Well done to those five – prizes are on their way quicker than you can say ‘Skippy the bush kangaroo’ . Thankyou all for playing, good night and good luck.But don’t worry if you didn’t win this time … there’ll be more competitions coming up during the one-day series which also includes New Zealand. Well done everyone.

Despite another delay, the PCB reiterated its aim to implement the new constitution by the end of this month.Nasim Ashraf, chairman of the board, told reporters after an ad-hoc committee meeting in Islamabad that the board is yet to receive the draft constitution back from the President’s house, as it has yet to be approved by President Pervez Musharraf, who is also patron of the board.The PCB was expected to receive an approved draft copy ahead of its ad-hoc meeting but will not get it until next week now because the attorney general was away performing last month.The PCB has been run on an ad-hoc basis for over seven years now, since July 1999. Each chairman since has promised a speedy implementation of the constitution but has failed to do so.The committee did, however, approve a scheme for a monthly retirement-pension fund for players who represented the country before 1978. Pre-1978 Test and international cricketers will now be entitled to monthly income of Rs15,000, Rs20,000 or Rs25,000, depending upon the number of matches they played.It was also announced that the board will soon be hiring a candidate for the chief operating officer position, after holding a number of interviews with potential candidates.

Middlesex have appointed Richard Pybus, the former Pakistan coach, as first team coach on a three-year deal. He fills the role which has been vacant since John Emburey took on the director of cricket position at the start of last season.Pybus is currently coaching the Titans in South African domestic cricket and will complete the season with them before joining up with Middlesex in early April. His first major match will be the County Championship opener against Somerset, at Taunton, starting on April 18.He was Pakistan coach from 1999 until 2001, leading them to the ’99 final, and again during the 2003 World Cup. He said: “I am delighted to be joining Middlesex and am looking forward to working closely with Ed [Smith, the captain], John [Emburey] and all the guys in returning Middlesex to the top flight of English cricket.”We have a fantastic challenge this coming season to not only get Middlesex back into Division One of the County Championship but to work toward becoming the dominant side in the short form of the game.””The strengthening up of the bowling attack with the signings of [Chaminda] Vaas and [Murali] Kartik to go with Middlesex’s depth in the batting department gives the squad good balance in all departments”.Emburey added: “We have managed to capture the signature of a world class, international coach in Richard. He was the outstanding person from an excellent short list.”He has coached Pakistan twice and has just won the provincial championship with the Titans, and his credentials are second to none.”