Moeen Ali leads England victory in Sri Lanka

A superb all-round display from Mooen Ali secured a comfortable 55-run victory for England in their inaugural tour match against Sri Lanka A.

The Worcestershire all-rounder claimed 3-29 to help reduce the hosts to 198-6 in their rain-affected match.

He then made England’s highest contribution with the bat, scoring 56 in his 94-run partnership with England captain Alastair Cook (54), as the visitors closed on 145/2 after 25 overs.

The history of torrential rain in England’s recent visits to Sri Lanka continued to cause delays, eventually bringing the match to a close when Ian Bell (16*) and Joe Root (15*) saw the visitors home on the D/L method.

The Sri Lankan’s made good progress thanks to Kushal Perera who made 56 before he fell to Steven Finn (2-43) who also claimed the wicket of Perera’s opening partner, Kaushal Silva (2).

The hosts lost two wickets with the score on 49, losing the more experienced Dinesh Chandimal for no score to Moeen, who took two wickets in three deliveries in his third over.

Having stumbled to 105/5 the hosts needed a significant contribution and were able to call upon Ajantha Mendis (42*) and Ramith Rambukwella (30*) to recover the innings with an unbeaten stand for Sri Lanka’s seventh-wicket worth 76 runs.

However, England made light of this inadequate total, with Moeen hitting six boundaries in only the second over of the run-chase. The Worcestershire man continued to accelerate, reaching his half-century in just 21 deliveries with ten fours and one six.

Cook’s approach was much more cultured but equally effective, and the England skipper established himself as the proficient backbone of England’s innings, reaching his twentieth ODI fifty in 58 balls.

ALI’S TALLY:

Balls faced by Moeen Ali – 56 from 37 balls:

4, 4, 4, wide, 4, 4, 4,

0, 2, 0, 2, 0, 4, 4,                                                         4, 0, 4, 0, 0, 0, 6 (50)

0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1,                                                  0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, W.

Giles appointment signals possible reshuffle at Lancs

It has been confirmed that Ashley Giles will be the new coach and Director of Cricket at Lancashire.

But this could be bad news for some of the Lancashire squad as former Director of Cricket, Mike Watkinson, believes the Red Rose roster exceeds requirement and may prevent other players from developing.

Cypriot Andrea Agathangelou has already left the recently relegated Lancashire and more players could follow this winter.

Agathangelou was one of fifteen players to attain a contract at the start of 2014, but a lack of first team action led to his departure after three  years as a professional at Lancashire.

The Red Rose started the season with 23 players, losing pace bowler, Kyle Hogg, to injury and his subsequent retirement.

Watkinson, who recently stepped down from his post at Lancashire, believes the squad is too big and is likely to hamper the development of young players.

He said: "We need to get our numbers down or else giving people an opportunity isn’t easy.

"Your second team gets cluttered and you can’t get people in that team quite as easy.

“We’ve lost Kyle through injury and no doubt we’ll lose a couple of others.

Watkinson has put his faith in Lancashire's senior players and says that they have the ability to help these youngsters in their development.

“We’ll have some experienced players to give a good backbone to the side and some of these youngsters will get their opportunity.”

Giles targets promotion as new Lancs coach

Lancashire's new coach and Director of Cricket, Ashley Giles, is targeting promotion in his first season at Emirates Old Trafford. 

Giles was today confirmed as the permanent successor to Peter Moores as coach and he also replaces Mike Watkinson as Director of Cricket.

Despite suffering their second relegation in three years, Giles believes promotion is a realistic goal for next season.

Giles said: “It is our intention to return to Division One but our main aim is to create something both successful and sustainable, which a club with such an incredible history deserves.”

The 41-year-old Ashes winner has previously coached Warwickshire, winning four domestic titles, including the County Championship in 2012.

Giles was also part of a four-man team in charge of national selection before becoming the England One-Day coach.

The former spin bowler is looking forward to the challenge and is excited by the prospect of leading Lancashire out of the disappointing  position which they currently find themselves in.

He said: “Lancashire is a massive club with a rich pedigree and history, and I am thrilled by the prospect of coaching them.

“I cannot wait to work with the players and staff."

Chapple played the dual role of player manager last season and Giles is looking forward to working alongside the Lancashire veteran.

“From my point of view, it’s really exciting to have Chappie alongside me. He’s the heart and soul of this club that we need to really build back into this ground and this team, and his experience here is going to be hugely valuable to me."

Giles takes charge with Lancashire back in Division Two of the County Championship and a number of key issues which need addressing.

Glen Chapple's side finished the season with the second fewest number of batting points in the first division, achieving a first-innings total of 350 on just two occasions.

Lancashire's top-order struggled to compete in Division One last season, depending largely on leading run-scorer, Ashwell Prince.

The South-African batsman has revoked his decision to retire from all forms of cricket this winter and if he continues to play on, he will be a valuable part of Lancashire's plans next season.

Lancashire must also address their tribulations with the ball, following the retirement of Kyle Hogg with captain Chapple likely to follow next winter.

Nathan Buck has already joined the Lancashire roster, but Giles' arrival could lead to a change in personnel at Old Trafford.

Giles unveiled as new Lancashire coach

Gary Yates (middle) and Glen Chapple (right) have both shared coaching responsibilities at
Old Trafford since Peter Moores (left) rejoined the England set-up. 

Former England One-Day coach, Ashley Giles, has today been named as a the permanent successor to Peter Moores as coach at Lancashire County Cricket Club. 

This swiftly followed the news that the former Director of Cricket, Mike Watkinson, was to step down from his role at the club, with Giles also set to take Watkinson’s former duties. Moores and Giles were both in contention for the role of England head coach and Giles has been out of coaching since the former reacquired his position with the international set up in April. 

Since the departure of Moores, Lancashire captain Glen Chapple has played the dual role of player-manager, but Giles has been retired from professional cricket for more than seven years, whilst Chapple continues to play into the latter stages of his career. 

Giles joins the Red Rose, who were relegated from Division One of the County Championship in 2014, with a wealth of coaching experience. The former Ashes winner has coached Warwickshire, winning four domestic titles in his time at the club, including the County Championship title in 2012. 

The former England and Warwickshire spinner was also part of a four-man team, including Peter Moores, in 2008 chaired with the responsibility of national selection. He then went on to attain the role of one-day coach, following the departure of Andy Flower after the 5-0 loss to Australia. 

Giles replaces another cornerstone of the Lancashire personnel in Watkinson as Director of Cricket. In all, Watkinson has been a part of Lancashire County Cricket Club for 32 years, as a player, coach and in his most recent role as Director of Cricket. Watkinson has come under scrutiny of late and has been criticised for his role in Lancashire’s second relegation in three seasons from Division One. 

However, Watkinson, and Moores for that matter, were both figureheads in Lancashire’s first outright County Championship victory in 77 years when the Red Rose lifted the trophy in 2011. This reshuffle at Old Trafford suggests a signal of intent from Lancashire, who are aiming to recover from successive relegations from the top-flight of the four-day format. 

Watkinson has said that he is seeking new challenges in career and Lancashire Chairman, Michael Cairns said: “I would like to place on record our sincere gratitude to Mike Watkinson for his long-term service of Lancashire CCC as player, captain, cricket manager and cricket director.” 

Season review: Relegation overshadows Lancashire’s season

 Despite reaching the final of the Natwest t20 Blast, the Red Rose’s second relegation in three seasons creates more cause for concern than jubilation.

If you had asked the Lancashire faithful what their main goal was by the end of the 2014 season, it would have been to maintain Division One status in the County Championship. After cruising to the Division Two title last year, Lancashire promised to be a very real threat in the top flight, but in actuality struggled to compete in an unforgiving league. 

Their determination, right through to the final day of the season, demonstrated their tenacity, but results fell unfavourably and a total of three wins from 16 matches did not warrant survival. Two of these victories came against the Division’s whipping boys, Northamptonshire, and the other in a one-wicket victory at home to Durham. 

Lancashire’s tribulations became apparent at a very early stage. Glen Chapple’s men struggled to post imposing first-innings totals and as a result finished with the second-lowest number of batting points in the division. Youth has been part of the Old Trafford ethos for so long now – guiding Lancashire to the County Championship title in 2011 and promotion in 2013 – but early season conditions proved to be their undoing. 

Lancashire were able to depend of South-African veteran, Ashwell Prince, for a steady contribution of runs, but their struggle to find an immediate replacement for Simon Katich will be labelled as a key contributor to their relegation. A big loss in personnel was undoubtedly the departure of Peter Moores who returned to the role of England coach at the end of Lancashire’s second match of the season. 

Lancashire’s Player of the Year, Tom Smith, added vital runs and wickets to keep his side in contention, but his late-season injury left a void in the team and when the Red Rose failed to beat Middlesex, they returned to the second division.

The t20 format proffered victory on a more regular basis for Lancashire fans, as the Lightning achieved ten straight wins to reach the final. The rebranded ‘Natwest t20 Blast’ offered some of the most exciting matches in the tournaments history and amongst these was the final between Lancashire and the Birmingham Bears. 

The story which grabbed all the headlines was the return of Andrew Flintoff, who claimed the wicket of Ian Bell with his first ball in the final at Edgbaston. It was yet another successful season of t20 cricket for Lancashire, but when Flintoff failed to see his side over the line in a dramatic run chase, the Bears were crowned deserved champions. This leaves Lancashire as the most successful team in the tournaments 12-year history, in terms of matches won, but with no silverware to show for it.

The Royal London One-Day Cup was a disastrous affair for Lancashire as they finished second-bottom of their group with just two wins in eight matches. The tournament began with drubbings at home to Yorkshire at Hampshire and the Lightning failed to recover from these early setbacks, defeating Leicestershire in their final match of the campaign to avoid last place in Group A.

Smith was voted Lancashire's Player of the Season.

LV = County Championship:  (8th, Division One – Relegated)

Natwest T20 Blast: (Runners-up) (1st, North Group)

Royal London One-Day Cup: (8th, Group A)

Leading run-scorer: Ashwell Prince (1,700 runs) (All comps)

Leading wicket-taker: Tom Smith (63 wickets) (All comps)

Win %: 40% - 16 wins in 40 matches.

Player of the Season:

Without Tom Smith Lancashire would have been relegated long before the final day of the season and his vital contributions made him the front-runner for this accolade from an early stage. Lancashire’s leading-wicket taker in Championship cricket also added 773 runs and guided his side to a tense victory against Durham. His four-day form would have been enough to clinch the prize, but he also made valued contributions to Lancashire’s t20 successes, scoring 339 runs in 14 matches.

Bailey was the Young Player
of the Year for 2014.

Breakthrough Player:

Tom Bailey’s presence in the latter stages of the season became crucial in the face of adversity. Lancashire’s growing list of injuries to the likes of Smith, Kyle Hogg and Kabir Ali offered Bailey the chance to prove himself in four-day and 50-over cricket. Hogg’s subsequent retirement means that Bailey will almost certainly acquire a contract at Old Trafford after claiming 13 wickets in seven games for the Red Rose.

Khawaja failed to fill the void left by
fellow Australian Simon Katich.

Could have done better:

Usman Khawaja was the belated replacement for Katich and, with a first-class average of over 40, promised to save Lancashire from their woes with the bat. 

In his first match he scored 86 against Durham, a match which Lancashire would eventually lose, but the Red Rose felt they had acquired a top quality batsman. However, in his next nine innings he made just 145 runs at an average of 16.11 in four-day cricket and as a replacement for Katich, his form was underwhelming to say the least.

Need to work on:

The fundamental difference between Lancashire surviving or succumbing to relegation was the lack of runs when it mattered most and so the Red Rose need to establish a top-order capable of posting big totals. Their inability to take lower-order wickets cost them in several matches this season and Lancashire developed a habit of relying on the same players for assistance.

Season Rating:

Survival was the ultimate goal for Lancashire this summer. For all their determination, the Red Rose struggled to match-up to the high standard of Division One, although a successful twenty20 campaign gave the Lancashire fans a mid-season boost before they were eventually relegated.

Mark: 5/10

Photos from fourth day of Lancashire vs Middlesex LVCC - Evening Session.

Lancashire relegated despite final day charge

Lancashire’s best efforts were unable to prevent them suffering successive relegations from Division One after their match with relegation rivals, Middlesex, petered to a draw.

A valiant Red Rose failed to clinch the victory that they required to avoid relegation after Middlesex fought brilliantly to bat the rest of the final day of the 2014 season as they closed on 341/8 when the players shook hands.

The crucial stand for the visitors came from James Harris (41*) and Tim Murtagh (29*) who added an uneaten partnership worth 64 runs to deny Lancashire the opportunity to chase an ever-increasing target.

Lancashire started the day needing to claim six more wickets as overnight batsman Eoin Morgan continued to be defiant in the morning session. The hosts failed to strike an early breakthrough with the old ball, but Junaid Khan (3-84), struck with the thirteenth delivery of the new ball to remove the England international lbw for 45.

This vital wicket promised further success for Lancashire but their search for wickets was halted by rain, which caused 14 overs to be lost from the day, a stoppage which threatened to remove a natural end to proceedings.

Rain continued to fall, causing an early lunch to be called at midday, but there was still enough time for Lancashire to force a result. As weather continued to improve, the hosts were pleased to be in the field, but the weather became conducive to batting, making their cause for victory that much harder.

When play resumed Lancashire made further progress when Neil Dexter (17) got an inside edge on to his stumps after facing 105 balls to supply Khan with his third wicket of the innings with the score at 222/6.

John Simpson (7) showed similar determination not to lose his wicket, although his dismissal suggested otherwise when he picked Luke Procter out off Simon Kerrigan (3-106).

Harris had been responsible for guiding his side to a vital batting bonus point in Middlesex’s first innings and proved himself to be a more than useful lower-order batsman across the two innings as he led a rearguard action in the Manchester sunshine.

His defensive stance was complimented nicely by Toby Roland-Jones who found the rope four times in his innings of 34, but when he fell lbw to captain Glen Chapple (1-55) it opened the door once more to the possibility of a miracle.

But this breakthrough was to be the final wicket of the day, and Lancashire’s season, as Harris and Murtagh frustrated the hosts to ensure Middlesex would maintain their Division One status.

The pair batted for nearly two hours either side of the tea interval, as the probability of Lancashire claiming any more wickets became more and more unlikely.

At 4.20 Lancashire admitted defeat and were resigned to relegation after Middlesex ended the match in a position where they fully deserved to stay up.

At the end of the match, Chapple said:"We needed to take a lot of points from this game to stand a chance of staying up. I felt every stage seemed to go our way and we were always in it until about 40 minutes ago.

"I thought we had a really good chance if we got a couple out early, then it's anyone's game. It was fairly difficult to bat first thing, then the rains came, and that didn't help. After lunch Middlesex made batting look fairly easy.

"Whatever would have happened in this game then we would have needed to improve. We've got to be honest with ourselves. The lads have tried their best all year and there's areas we need to improve. The lads are honest enough to look back at the end of the season and asses what we can do to get better.

"We've got talent on the staff. Small areas of improvement make big differences. When we get into games we always compete. Division One is very tough but we've competed with every side. If we can improve in certain areas we'll be better for that.