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Mitchell Johnson, the Player of the Series, has joined the ranks of Australia’s greatest bowlers by terrifying England’s batsmen in a way not seen for many a year, his captain Michael Clarke has said. Summing up Johnson’s series, in which he claimed 37 wickets at 13.97 while also clattering handy runs, Clarke declared the left-armer’s displays as good as any by the likes of Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie or Brett Lee, all former team-mates of the captain.Not even required for the earlier five-Test bout in England, Johnson put his mark on the series as early as day two in Brisbane when he was the catalyst for the collapse of the visitors’ first innings. He continued to intervene at pivotal times throughout, creating a sense of anticipation every time he took the ball arguably unseen in Australia since Warne’s most prolific days. Clarke paid warm tribute.”Man of the Series, who would have thought, except me and probably Mitch?” Clarke said. “He’s been an amazing bowler for a long time. He’s bowled with a lot of aggression. To be able to bowl at that pace is one thing; to be able to do every single innings and back it up is an amazing achievement.”Mitch has bowled a couple of spells through this series that are without doubt as good a spell as I’ve ever seen in my career. I’ve been lucky enough to play with Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee, Shane Warne … Mitch’s spells certainly match the greats I’ve seen, if not better.”He’s copped a lot of criticism through his career – he’s been dropped – and no-one in the world can doubt Mitchell Johnson’s character ever again. He’s as tough a cricketer as I’ve played with. To have the attitude and hunger to say ‘no I’m not giving up, I’m going to come back’ is a credit to him.”Johnson’s first spell of the series at the Gabba had been nervous, spraying numerous wides before he was fortified by the chance to bowl at Jonathan Trott, who he had troubled in ODIs in England earlier in the year. The wicket of Trott, who was to go home due to a stress-related illness after Brisbane, settled Johnson into a rhythm he did not lose all summer, often slinging down deliveries comfortably faster than 150kph. His treatment of England’s tail was ruthless, another trend started that day in Brisbane.Mitchell Johnson on Australia’s attack: “I think as a bowling unit we really set the tone in that first Test and stuck with it”•Getty Images

“For me, I was quite nervous at the start for good reason, I guess, after what’s happened in the past,” Johnson said. “But they were good nerves and once I got past that and got into my rhythm and stuck to the plans and having the support of Michael and knowing I was going to bowl in short spells, I could be aggressive and go hard at their batters and it really did set the tone, that first Test match.”That just stuck with us, especially seeing their tail and they way they were jumping around, they did look quite nervous with that bouncy fast Gabba wicket. Like Michael said, that was something we spoke about at Allan Border field. That definitely set the tone throughout this whole series.”Johnson’s enjoyment of this summer has been enhanced by the development of a close relationship among all the bowlers, their group embracing tightly when the final wicket fell. “It was just a great feeling for the bowling unit to get through five Test matches, ” Johnson said. “We’ve had the experience, guys like Peter Siddle have played 50 Test matches now and Ryan Harris has got through five Test matches bowling on one leg apparently. He’s done exceptionally well, and Nathan Lyon, what he did today and in the last Test match, so I think as a bowling unit we really set the tone in that first Test and stuck with it.”We just felt really good out there throughout this whole Test series. The support staff being able to get us through, I’m absolutely exhausted now, it’s a huge relief to get through the Test series but we all feel confident that we can play back-to-back cricket, we’ve shown that. We can keep the accuracy up and keep working really well as a unit. We’d like to play a lot more cricket together I’m sure.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKyle Mayers took 4 for 15 to be named Man of the Match•WICB Media

The dark clouds and rain that loomed ominously over Queen’s Park Oval and caused a delayed start to the match were a portent of things to come for the Leeward Islands, who crashed to a historic 160-run defeat at the hands of Combined Campuses and Colleges. Chasing CCC’s 240, Leeward Islands could only muster 80 in reply, their lowest total in the West Indies 50-over regional tournament. CCC claimed a bonus point for bowling Leeward Islands out for less than 192.The previous low in List A cricket for Leeward Islands was 94 against Trinidad & Tobago in 2011 and the new mark could have been much worse had they not conjured a 44-run last wicket stand after they were reduced to 36 for 9 by an incisive spell of fast bowling from Kyle Mayers. The 21-year-old took Man-of-the-Match honours with 4 for 15 in 8.4 overs, bowling unchanged from the start of the second innings. The only thing standing in the way of a five-wicket haul for him was cramp, which forced him to leave the field before he could finish his full quota of overs.The only player in the top nine who made double digits for Leeward Islands was opener Montcin Hodge with 10. Lionel Baker top scored with 31 not out, the highest score for a Leeward Islands No. 10 batsman in List A cricket.CCC laid the foundation for victory by grafting out 240 in 49.5 overs, a score which CCC coach Curtly Ambrose felt was “25 or 30 runs short” at the innings break but proved to be more than enough. Chadwick Walton and Anthony Alleyne engineered a 57-run stand for the first wicket before Walton was run-out when Alleyne turned down a run after Walton nudged to square leg.Alleyne added 50 more for the third wicket with Raymond Reifer and eventually top-scored with 54. His innings ended after a top-edged pull to midwicket off Mali Richards was taken courtesy of a tumbling catch by Rahkeem Cornwall. CCC reached 220 for 5 with 20 balls remaining in the innings but a flurry of wickets fell at the end. Anthony Martin had three men caught on the boundary to give him figures of 3 for 33 while Gavin Tonge, who took two of Martin’s three catches, claimed two wickets in the final over to finish with 3 for 43.On the whole though, Leeward Islands’ ground fielding was poor, leaking several boundaries through the legs of fielders as well as contributing five runs on overthrows. Yet by the end of the day, the poor fielding paled in comparison to their limp batting performance.

Tillakaratne Dilshan has until March 19 to recover sufficiently from a thumb fracture or risk being recalled from the World Twenty20, chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya has said. Dilshan sustained a blow to his right thumb while batting during the second ODI against Bangladesh on February 20, and had since been recovering in Sri Lanka.Dilshan will travel with the World Twenty20 squad to Bangladesh on Sunday, but the selectors will be forced to name a replacement if he cannot play the March 19 warm-up against West Indies, Jayasuriya said.”If Dilshan can’t play that practice match, I think he is out, unfortunately,” he said. “That’s what we have discussed with physio. The cut-off date for him will be the 19th [March] practice match. He is bowling and fielding. But while batting he seems to be struggling a bit.”Generally, as a cricketer, you’re always carrying a niggle. If you take the current squad of 15 players, about ten of them have some niggles. But you should at least be able to play through the pain.”Jayasuriya said the selectors did not have a replacement on standby if Dilshan was to be recalled, but suggested Sri Lanka had sufficient cover. Mahela Jayawardene had opened the batting successfully during 2012’s World Twenty20 and Lahiru Thirimanne was the top-scoring batsman during the recently-concluded Asia Cup, when he opened in Dilshan’s stead.”We have the options in the team to replace him at opener, since Thirimanne has been in good form,” he said. “We have other seniors also. That won’t be a problem.”We have a few ideas about who can replace him in the squad as well. We had Chaturanga de Silva as the standby for Rangana Herath, who was injured, but now Herath is ready to play. If Dilshan is not coming we’ll have to assess whether we need an allrounder or an opener.”Jayasuriya affirmed Dinesh Chandimal’s Twenty20 captaincy, despite Chandimal’s mediocre record in the format, and poor run in limited-overs cricket over the past few months. Chandimal had been dropped for the last two matches of the Asia Cup.”Chandimal as a captain in T20s has done well and has won tournaments,” Jayasuriya said. “He wasn’t among the runs recently, and during the one-day tournament, the selectors took a decision to leave him out and go with Ashan Priyanjan. We sent the message that he needs to correct his mistakes, improve mentally and come out of the bad trot – that’s why we left him out. But as a captain I know he has done well in T20s and he has got lot of support from Lasith Malinga. He’s a good player and as selectors we have to really back him 100% as the team’s captain.”Significant contributions from Sri Lanka’s young players during the Asia Cup campaign were particularly encouraging, Jayasuriya said, but he was also pleased with the versatility of several players in the squad. Thisara Perera, Angelo Mathews and Nuwan Kulasekara all bowl reliable seam and are also capable of closing out an innings with the bat, while Dilshan, Sachithra Senanayake and Priyanjan can deliver spin, as wells as score runs.”We have to use our allrounders wisely, according to the game,” he said. “I feel the ball might keep low in Bangladesh – in Chittagong will keep it even lower. We have to take a decision whether we are going into the game with more spinners or seaming allrounders. When we have won competitions, in the past, our style is that we create pressure by squeezing the runs. That has been our strength.”I’m very happy as a selector to see the players performing. We have a strong team.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTwo days after achieving their highest profile ODI victory, Afghanistan’s diverse attack added to their growing reputation, against Sri Lanka, but in pursuit of 254, the batsmen could not muster the same pugnacity. Scuttled by Sri Lanka’s own varied threats, they fell short by 129 runs. The victory, their seventh in a row, assures Sri Lanka a place in the Asia Cup final.Afghanistan had muzzled Sri Lanka expertly in the early overs, before Mohammad Nabi’s carousel of bowling talent exerted further control to induce a middle-order wobble. They had had Sri Lanka at 158 for 5, then 184 for 6 in the 42nd over before a calculating final surge from Angelo Mathews ensured Sri Lanka achieved the competitive 253 for 6 nonetheless. That finish had been set up by Kumar Sangakkara’s third 50-plus score of the tournament, but Afghanistan may take pride in the fact Sangakkara was compelled to reticence against them. Runs had flowed freely from his blade against both India and Pakistan.Mathews had arrived in the 37th over, but did not hit his first boundary until the 47th as he steadied the innings by working the field in the interim. Afghanistan had hidden their inexperience well for 90% of the innings, but could not maintain their standards at the death. Mathews prospered in the poorly-protected midwicket region, as the Afghanistan fielding waned, and the bowling grew more erratic. Mathews finished unbeaten on 45 off 41 as Sri Lanka took 49 runs from the final four overs. The beamer that forced Dawlat Zadran out of the attack in the final over epitomised Afghanistan’s indiscipline at the close.Kumar Sangakkara held Sri Lanka together with his third half-century of the Asia Cup•Associated Press

Thisara Perera and Ajantha Mendis had no such trouble and tormented Afghanistan with the ball, taking three wickets apiece to stifle any hopes of an upset. Afghanistan lost their first wicket in the second over, and they could not string together a stand that might have worried Sri Lanka. The last wicket fell in the 39th over. Only Lasith Malinga, who was being saved for the death, finished without a success.Mohammad Shahzad had backed away to smear Suranga Lakmal over deep extra cover in the second over, but an attempt to repeat the shot two balls later ended with his off stump disturbed. Having never faced Malinga before, the Afghanistan top order could not quite decide what to do with him. Mostly, they played down the wrong line and missed. Asghar Stanikzai enjoyed the pace on the ball early in the innings, but when Thisara found modest swing into the batsman in the 13th over, a gap between pad and prodding bat allowed the ball through to uproot his off stump.Predictably, Mendis proved no less an enigma to batsmen who had never faced him before. Noor Ali Zadran sought to whack his way out of the Mendis maze, but was caught off the outside edge at point. Then when two more wickets fell cheaply to pace, reducing Afghanistan to 73 for 5, Nabi began to plot a tentative course past the two-finger googlies and carrom balls. But when he fell to Chaturanga de Silva in the 32nd over and the last three wickets simply tumbled.Afghanistan’s prospects were significantly brighter in the afternoon when when Najibullah Zadran and Shapoor Zadran not only restricted Sri Lanka’s opening pair better than Pakistan and India had, they also struck earlier. Shapoor got one to jag in off the surface to demolish Lahiru Thirimanne’s stumps, while Kusal Perera was denied the width outside off stump he so relishes.Sri Lanka had traveled at 2.55 in he first nine overs, before a frustrated Kusal sought to manufacture momentum. He prospered briefly, blasting Shapoor for a four and a six on the legside in consecutive balls, before mowing two more fours off Dawlat Zadran next over, but Afghanistan’s response was swift and effective. Nabi made a bowling change at either end, and two maidens followed. Two more quiet overs later, he played on to his stumps, attempting a swipe through mid on.There were glimpses of imperious form from Sangakkara – the checked drive through midwicket chief among them – but as Mahela Jayawardene fell cheaply again, Sangakkara omitted the risks that have lately introduced dynamism to his ODI batting. He reverted to a more familiar and watchful accumulation, while Nabi marshaled his considerable resources. Each new Afghanistan bowler – there were eight in all – was eager to play his part. None released the pressure his teammates had built. If there was an error in Nabi’s strategy, it was that he did not bowl himself enough, as even Sangakkara failed to anticipate the bounce and turn he achieved.Dinesh Chandimal contributed a stuttering 26 to a fourth-wicket partnership worth 74, while Sangakkara crossed fifty. Just as it seemed the pair would accelerate, they both went in quick succession. Chandimal was bowled aiming an expansive stroke over cover, before Sangakkara was run out for 76 thanks to a misunderstanding with Angelo Mathews.

Last year

6th, CC Div 2; 6th Midlands/West Div, FLt20; 4th Group C, YB40.

2013 in a nutshell

The ground development at Nevil Road has dominated everything about the club for the past few seasons. The playing budget has been severely squeezed, a number of senior players left and Gloucestershire slumped to the foot of the County Championship in 2012. But with planning permission secured, there was more breathing space last season and the signing of Australian Michael Klinger was a glorious acquisition.Klinger was more than anyone could have hoped for. He took over the captaincy from Alex Gidman, refreshed a young dressing room and led from the front with over 2,000 runs across all competitions. He was so good Gloucestershire tried to sign him as a domestic player on a Hungarian passport.He led an improvement in the County Championship, where Gloucestershire won only one fewer match than promoted Northamptonshire, had four batsman score over 1,000 runs – including young left-hander Chris Dent – and again had Will Gidman leading their attack superbly. Perhaps more pleasingly Craig Miles returned a physically different specimen two years on from his remarkable debut as a 16-year-old to take 43 wickets.Gloucestershire were also well in the hunt for a Yorkshire Bank 40 semi-final and actually beat Glamorgan, who qualified, twice. But there was little excitement in the Friends Life t20 where only three victories left them bottom of their group and a points deduction for a poor pitch at Cheltenham of all places means they start with a handicap in 2014.

2014 prospects

There is definitely a case to be made that things are coming together at Gloucestershire. Nevil Road has been transformed and new chief executive Will Brown has arrived to lead them forward. Securing more international matches is essential following their investment so a close eye should be kept on the next round of bidding for England games from 2017.On the field, the squad is settling down and young players who previously might have been selected out of necessity now have useful experience. Benny Howell has emerged as a very effective allrounder and the wicketkeeping conundrum that has rumbled on since 2011 appears to have been solved by Gareth Roderick.The upturn in form of several batsman was a major plus last season, they got full value out of Hamish Marshall and Alex Gidman for the first time in several seasons, and Gloucestershire can now put out a solid batting order.But they need to find depth in the bowling attack. Liam Norwell and James Fuller could both mature into fine fast bowlers, both suffered with injury last year, and left-armer David Payne has potential. Tom Smith could provide a long-sought after reliable spin option. If they can bring together a more potent attack and the batting again produces, Gloucestershire could be the unexpected side to have a dart at promotion.In one-day cricket they have no players with a fear factor but given their solid showing last season and the addition of a quarter-final phase in this season’s Royal London Cup, it would not be a surprise to find Gloucestershire in the knock-out stages. But it would be a Northamptonshire-esque turnaround if they even made it out of the group stage in the NatWest T20 Blast.

Key player

Klinger earned himself Gloucestershire’s player of the year award for 2013 and his adopted county have clearly made progress under his leadership. His runs were especially important in one-day cricket, where the rest of the batsman collectively only made one more score above fifty than he managed in the whole competition. Essential to the club’s limited-overs fortunates, Klinger could also lead a dark-horse challenge for Championship promotion.

Bright young thing

Dent and Miles are both home-grown youngsters whom Gloucestershire will hope can mature into consistent performers but wicketkeeper Roderick, born in Durban, could be the most exciting prospect in Bristol. He seized the No. 1 role with the gloves last year and showed plenty of ability with the bat in consecutive match-saving centuries. Gumption and technique demonstrated, he was given a chance up the order at the end of the season.

Captain/coach

Klinger returns to lead the side and, with his contract up at the end of the year, Gloucestershire will give serious thought on trying to extend his stay in the West Country, although a bowling overseas option could be a future route. John Bracewell is still pulling the strings behind the scene but he has lost a second highly-rated member of his backroom team with Richard Dawson becoming Yorkshire assistant coach, following bowling coach Stuart Barnes switch to Surrey the previous winter. Mark Thorburn, who played briefly at Hampshire, is the club’s new high performance analyst and bowling coach.

ESPNcricinfo verdict

Nothing extraordinary should be expected from Gloucestershire, particularly in one-day cricket, with their bowling attack the chief cause for concern. But in the Championship if their batting fires again they have potential to follow the lead of Worcestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire in previous seasons for a tilt at promotion.

Ireland’s two ODIs against Sri Lanka will be streamed live via YouTube after an agreement was struck with Irish online TV provider Aertv. The broadcast, which will be supported by the ICC’s Development Programme, will make use of four high-definition cameras as well as replays and commentary.The deal is similar to last year’s arrangement with Quipu TV for the visit of Pakistan, which was viewed by almost 300,000 people. Sri Lanka will prepare for their tour of England with one-dayers against Ireland at Clontarf on May 6 and 8.”We’ve seen with previous broadcasts just how much of an appetite there is for cricket coverage, and it’s fantastic for Irish and cricket supporters worldwide to be able to view these matches online,” Cricket Ireland’s chief executive, Warren Deutrom, said. “It’s another important step in securing the long-term legacy for international cricket in Ireland as we look to take the game here to a higher level and a wider audience.”The games will be streamed on the Cricket Ireland website and its YouTube channel, as well as on Dublin-based Aertv’s website. Ireland’s recent trip to the Caribbean, where they beat West Indies for the first time in a T20 international, was also broadcast online.