Sri Lanka will now play Pakistan in the first game of the CBFS triangulartournament next week (October 26) following a last minute change to theitinerary.According to the previous itinerary, Sri Lanka were to face Zimbabwe in thefirst encounter.Friday is a holiday throughout the Middle East and traditionally attractsthe best crowds in Sharjah, most of whom are keen Pakistani fans. They willbe delighted with the change.The Zimbabwe-Sri Lanka match has been shifted to the following day.Originally, Pakistan were to play Sri Lanka on Saturday.However, there’s been no change to the rest of the matches.All the matches will be day-night encounters and will commence at 4:30 pmlocal time and end at 12:15 midnight.The Sri Lankan side will be leaving to Sharjah on Sunday.Fri 26 Oct – Pakistan v Sri Lanka Sat 27 Oct – Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe Sun 28 Oct – Pakistan v Zimbabwe Tue 30 Oct – Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe Wed 31 Oct – Pakistan v Zimbabwe Fri 02 Nov – Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Sun 04 Nov – Final
ScorecardMoeen Ali collected three wickets against Pakistan A to boost his confidence ahead of what will be a vital role he has to play in the Test series, but England were given a taste of what could loom over the next month as they toiled during a wicketless afternoon session in Sharjah and were reminded of how crucial it will be to take every chance that comes to hand.A productive morning for England, in which Moeen struck twice to add to Mark Wood’s opening wicket, gave way to a more sobering middle session after Alastair Cook had spilled Iftikhar Ahmed on 11 at a wide slip off Stuart Broad’s first ball of his second spell. Iftikhar went on to finish unbeaten on 92 as Pakistan A reached 216 for 5.It took England 44 overs to break the second-wicket stand of 112 between Iftikhar and Fawad Alam, who is part of Pakistan’s Test squad. Moeen added his third by having Fawad, who had offered a caught-and-bowled chance to the same bowler on 50, taken at mid-on.However, the purpose of these matches are to acclimatise to the testing conditions, so while missed chances were certainly not the order of the day a lengthy stint in the field, with miles in the legs, could serve England well.England’s quicks were all managed in short spells on another energy-sapping day where cold towels were frequently used to bring some relief and James Anderson’s opening five overs with the new ball was the longest stint for any of the seamers. It was first-change Wood, the pick of England’s pacemen throughout the day, who made the initial incision when Sami Aslam pulled to square leg where Broad pulled off a brilliant, one-handed catch.By then, Moeen was already into his first spell and was soon among the wickets. Khurram Manzoor edged gently to slip and Ali Asad was trapped on the back foot by a quicker delivery as Moeen ended his first stint with 7-2-9-2.His likely Test partner, Adil Rashid, had also settled into an economical pre-lunch spell and though managing just one maiden he maintained an economy rate of under three during the day, which will have been encouraging for Cook although a line-up of Azhar Ali, Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq will pose far greater challenges. Misbah, who appeared for this match on the first day having not been in the original squad, opted not to have a bat.After Iftikhar received his let-off, he and Fawad made steady progress through the afternoon as Cook used seven bowlers including Joe Root. Iftikhar struck the two sixes of the innings, both off Moeen, and passed fifty from 125 balls while Fawad took 132 deliveries to reach his.Late in the day, Anderson struck in the first over with the second new ball when Usman Salahuddin tickled a catch down the leg side but another chance went begging when Adnan Akmal edged between Jos Buttler and Cook at slip, neither of who moved. Akmal finished on a lively 26 off 27 balls.The second of the two-day matches begins on Thursday and is likely to be a chance for Alex Hales and James Taylor to stake a claim for batting spots, although after Jonny Bairstow’s runs in this game and Moeen’s all-round capabilities are taken into account it is looking increasingly likely that the Test top order will be those that played here.
Junior Firpo was Leeds United’s silver lining in their 4-2 defeat to Manchester United, and he didn’t even start the match at Elland Road.
The 25-year-old, signed in a £12.8m deal from Barcelona in the summer, had missed the Whites’ last three league outings with injury but returned to action just half an hour into Sunday’s encounter.
With centre-back Robin Koch being forced off with what looked to be a serious concussion, manager Marcelo Bielsa tinkered his backline so the Dominican Republic native could slot right in at his natural left-back role.
Soon after his introduction, the visitors romped away to a two-goal lead after Harry Maguire headed home Luke Shaw’s corner and Bruno Fernandes soon did the same from Jadon Sancho’s cross.
Bielsa used his last two substitutes at the break and the Yorkshire giants got back into it, thanks to Firpo for providing the assist for their first. He found Rodrigo in space before his cross somehow found its way in past David de Gea. Fellow substitute Raphinha then poked home the equaliser.
But the Red Devils would go on to snag another two strikes late on to seal all three points.
Defensively, Leeds were really appalling but Firpo can come away with his head held high, unlike some of his teammates like Diego Llorente and Luke Ayling.
As per SofaScore, he won a whopping ten duels and also registered four tackles, – only bettered by the starting Adam Forshaw (five) – two clearances and one interception.
Meanwhile, further up the pitch, Firpo looked to be a major creative outlet for the side as he created four key chances, delivered 100% of his crosses accurately and successfully pulled off 100% of his dribbles.
He was an absolute threat against Aaron Wan-Bissaka down that left-flank for the hour he was on the pitch.
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The £10.8m-rated machine got a bit leggy as the game went on but that was understandable considering his lack of game time over the past month or so. As LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross claimed in his post-match column, ‘Firpo was good’ as he ‘Put his foot in and competed.’
If there’s any positive from the defeat, then it’s certainly the return of the left-back to the side.
AND in other news, Raphinha snubs fresh Leeds United contract talks…
Karachi Whites gained a full nine points as they defeated Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) by seven wickets on the third day of their third-round Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match at the National Stadium.Karachi Whites finished on 297, a first-innings lead of 76, and dismissed debutants SSGC for 155. Needing just 80 to win and take their points tally to 12 from three matches, the Whites lost three wickets on the way to victory.Earlier, Karachi took their overnight score of 280 from 8 to 297, with left-arm pace bowler Waqar Ahmed (2 for 40) picking up the last two wickets. The in-form Afsar Nawaz remained unbeaten with 65 off 108 balls in just over two hours with ten fours and a six.The SSGC batting was undone by the Whites pace-bowling trio. After Mohammad Sami, the captain, removed opener Mohtashim Ali, Tanvir Ahmed (5 for 80) and Fahad Khan (4 for 37), ran through the rest of the batting. Tanvir finished with 8 for 137 in the match, following his first-innings 3 for 57. Fahad, who will turn 24 later this month, also completed 50 wickets in 19 first-class matches.Karachi Whites will now meet Sialkot in a fourth-round match, starting at the same venue from November 7. The same day, SSGC will play Hyderabad at the Niaz Stadium.Habib Bank Limited (HBL) completed an innings-and-75-run win over Sialkot with a full day to spare at the Lahore Country Club in Muridke. Sialkot, Quaid-e-Azam champions in 2005-06 and runners-up last season, were forced to follow on the day before and capitulated to a poor 129.Only opener Naeemuddin (31) and legspinner Adeel Malik (39) got decent starts while left-arm spinner Aslam Qureshi picked up 5 for 31 in 18 overs. He finished with a match haul of 8 for 63. Danish Kaneria, the Pakistan legspinner, took 4 for 82 and 2 for 39 to help HBL considerably in a rather comfortable win.From their three matches so far, Habib Bank have collected 27 points with three straight wins. They have a rest coming up during the fourth-round action. Sialkot proceed to Karachi, where they will play against the Whites at the National Stadium from November 7.At the Multan Cricket Stadium, Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) took a 242-run lead over Multan. Bilal Khilji’s 147 from 219 balls helped WAPDA to 480. Multan were in trouble at the close of play, having lost six wickets with only 71 on the board. They still need another 171 to make WAPDA bat again.Bottom-of-the-table Pakistan Customs recovered slightly after surrendering a first-innings lead of 238, reaching 178 for 1 at the Iqbal Stadium. Hosts Faisalabad earlier compiled 420 in response to Customs’ poor 182.National Bank, spurred by a magnificent 176 from Naved Latif, totalled 418 in reply to Lahore Ravi’s 283 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Faced with a 135-run deficit, Lahore slumped to 108 for 5.
Group B
Karachi Blues inflicted an innings-and-188-run defeat on Peshawar with a full day to spare at the National Bank of Pakistan Stadium. A visibly weak Peshawar batting line-up crashed twice against the Karachi Blues bowlers, managing poor scores of 118 and 98 in two innings, after the hosts ran up a first-innings 404 for 9 before applying closure.Nawaz Ahmed, 20, played the lone fighting hand with an unbeaten 60 in the first innings, battling a little over two and a half hours. The top-score in Peshawar’s second innings, after having been forced to follow on, was opener Usman Zaib’s 36 off 46 deliveries with six fours. Tariq Haroon, the medium-fast bowler, and slow left-arm spinner Azam Hussain were virtually unplayable, as they picked up four wickets each at a personal cost of 32 and 24 runs, respectively. In Peshawar’s first innings, left-arm medium-fast bowler Malik Aftab took 5 for 58 and in the second, he snared the important wicket of Nawaz. Azam Hussain had match figures of 7 for 54.Karachi Whites, who have moved up the Group B table with 12 points, now have a well-deserved rest coming up. Peshawar will have to contend with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), in a fourth-round match starting at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar from November .Lahore Shalimar also wrapped up a three-day win over Quetta by five wickets at the Bugti Stadium. As many as 17 wickets fell on the opening day, but Lahore recovered and gained a 131-run first-innings lead. Quetta scored 247 in their second innings but the visitors required only 117 to win.Lahore Shalimar have now opened their account and have nine points from three matches as they move to a fourth-round match against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL). Quetta will host Abbottabad in their next match at the same venue, also on November 7.At the Diamond Cricket Club Ground, hosts Islamabad, with a score of 306, took a 60-run first-innings lead over Rawalpindi. In their second innings, Rawalpindi were 8 or 190, only 130 ahead with two wickets standing.Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) ran up 407 at the Sheikhupura Stadium, which gave them a 132-run first-innings lead over Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), who then slipped to 24 for 2 by stumps. ZTBL captain Abdul Razzaq, returning after having announced his retirement earlier this year, bowled 25 overs – of which 11 were maidens – and took 1 for 5.At the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) Stadium in Rawalpindi, Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) were 9 for 175 in their second inings, atter taking a 64-run first-innings lead over KRL. Their overall lead was 239 but with only one wicket in hand, the match could be slipping out of their hands.
Monty Panesar took less than a day to confirm what England had been missing during the opening two Tests as he became the first England spinner to take five wickets at the WACA. Steve Harmison provided impressive support as he finally arrived in the series with only Michael Hussey converting a start into something substantial.However, the day was full of drama right until the end as England struggled in turn against a fired-up Australian attack. Brett Lee gave notice of what’s to come by hitting the mid-90s (miles per hour) while Stuart Clark produced a series of stunning leg-cutters and could have claimed a couple of wickets. But it was Panesar’s day as he ended third on the list of England bowlers on this ground and even achieved something Shane Warne has failed to manage: a Test five-for at the WACA.It was no coincidence that England’s best bowling of the series came when two bowlers who, for contrasting reasons, had been largely anonymous in the earlier part of the contest played important roles. Panesar’s presence was felt from his seventh ball when he removed Justin Langer as Australia wobbled to lunch on 3 for 69. Harmison had already made a more significant impact than at any other time on tour by trapping Ricky Ponting leg before for just two.The difference in England’s attack with the arrival of Panesar in place of Ashley Giles extended beyond purely the wickets. His infectious spirit appeared to rub off on the team and suddenly when Andrew Flintoff looked around he wasn’t scratching his head for wicket-taking options.First-up there was swing with the new ball, which was expertly used by Matthew Hoggard as he continued his dominance of Matthew Hayden, ending an awkward opening stand of 47. Then there was the pace, and at last direction, of Harmison before the loop and bounce of Panesar.Harmison’s removal of Ponting was accompanied by huge cheers from the supporters, the level which was matched when Flintoff threw Panesar the ball 10 minutes before lunch. When his seventh delivery slipped past the edge of Langer’s bat he launched into his trademark hand-slapping celebration. If his team-mates hadn’t caught him Panesar would have completed a full lap of the ground.However, for all the excitement it was only the start of the job and Australia had the perfect man for a mini-crisis. Hussey began by virtually shelving all his attacking shots – it took him 66 balls to hit a boundary – and relied on dabs to rotate the strike. Just as he and Michael Clarke were starting to increase the tempo, Harmison showed his reflexes as well as his radar were in working order by clinging onto a flat-batted pull from Clarke. But in typical style Australia counter-punched.Before his return Andrew Symonds had spoken about wanting to play his natural game and began to support his words with deeds as he took 17 off a Panesar over. Two huge straight sixes were followed by an inside-out drive through cover. But Panesar – and to his credit Flintoff – remained calm and the decision to stick with spin paid off when Symonds edged a short ball, which Geraint Jones took at the second attempt.The value of having an attacking spinner who rips the ball was then displayed as Adam Gilchrist lunged forward to his fourth delivery and an inside-edge looped via pad to a diving Ian Bell. England were into the tail before tea and Panesar had swathes of the WACA crowd chanting his name.
Amid the tumble of wickets it was almost possible to forget Hussey was still there, but he started to expand his strokeplay as the lower order joined him. Last season he added century stands with Glenn McGrath and Stuart MacGill and with the England bowlers still struggling to find a way past his bat there was every chance of another rescue operation. But England didn’t let go as Panesar added Warne and Lee after tea.The final stages of the innings belonged to Harmison as he continued his rehabilitation with a fiery burst at the lower order. The final wicket, McGrath caught at silly point, owed everything to a poor decision as the ball came straight off his arm but the aggression was a statement from England. They are going to try and save the Ashes the same way they won them – by attacking.That attitude carried into their reply as Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook set off like a train. But attacking the new ball against the extra bounce comes with added risks and Cook paid for a loose drive as he was held at first slip, handing McGrath a much-needed wicket.There wasn’t much Bell could do about the jaffer he edged off Lee, and Paul Collingwood should have gone before the close when Warne spilled a relatively simple offering at first slip. It summed up what had been a thrilling seven hours. Adelaide was decided by an extraordinary final day; at this rate whether the Ashes are alive heading into Christmas could well be known tomorrow evening.
Short cuts
Sour face of the day The moment Monty Panesar took his fifth wicket, the cameras, inevitably, sought out Duncan Fletcher in the England dressing-room. It was a picture of inscrutable misery.Quote of the day “I was quite pumped up, jumping around and dancing, not sure what to do,” Monty Panesar after his first wicket.Crowd moment of the day The Barmy Army trumpeter’s first note early in the opening session received a huge ovation from the England fans on the hill. Banned from the first two Tests, Bill Cooper was back and opened up his set with .Call of the day “Why don’t you ring Michael Vaughan and ask him,” yelled a spectator in the Lillee-Marsh Stand during a long conference between Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison.Shots of the day The first of Andrew Symonds’ two straight sixes in the 13th over from Monty Panesar. Symonds strode down the pitch and planted the ball over the sightscreen at the Prindiville End.
England were skittled for 50, their lowest one-day total, as India humbled them by 10 wickets to take an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the series. In bowler-friendly conditions at Silchar, England had no answer to Jhulan Goswami, who tore through the line-up with a career-best 5 for 16 as only Jenny Gunn reached double figures. Despite England’s difficulties with the conditions India had no problems knocking off the runs, reaching their target in under 15 overs.The day started badly for England – who only had 11 fit players – when Charlotte Edwards lost the toss and it never threatened to get any better. Edwards was the first to fall, in slightly unfortunate circumstances as the ball bounced off her arm on to the stumps; the innings then became a procession. When Beth Morgan was bowled by Goswani, England were 18 for 6 and the scoreboard resembled an international phone number.Gunn and extras at least reached double figures, with Gunn managing the sole boundary in the innings, but a recovery was never on the cards. Goswami completed her ten-over spell – claiming Nicky Shaw as her fifth victim – before Neetu David chipped with a couple to hurry the innings to its conclusion. The England attack could not even manage a consolation wicket as Karu Jain and Jaya Sharma picked off the runs with ease.Edwards, England’s stand-in captain, spoke to Cricinfo and was clear about where the match started to go wrong: “From about 8.30 when I lost the toss. The conditions we pretty difficult and they bowled very well.”The matches have been starting early because of fading evening light, making batting tricky first up. “That does mean that there has been a lot of dew around which has made batting difficult,” explained Edwards. “But credit to their bowlers who were very good. Goswani is an excellent opening bowler and she produced a brilliant spell. She put the ball in the right place and found plenty of help from the pitch.”And Edwards was quick to defend her team over the batting collapse. “It was nothing to do with out strokeplay. We have just talked about it between ourselves and said that we could not have done much about it. It isn’t as though we went out their and swung across the line, we just came up against quality bowling, in conditions that were seaming around, and the luck didn’t go our way.”After winning the opening match of the series England are now out of the contest with one game remaining, but Edwards is adamant that the tour has been a great learning experience. “A lot of the team are on their first trips to India – I’m on my second and am still learning – and they have all really enjoyed themselves. We have just let ourselves down in the last couple of matches.”
Aftab Habib, who represented England in two Tests in 1999, has been offered a contract by Leicestershire, whom he played for the last time they won the County Championship in 1998. Last month, Habib expressed his disappointment at not being fixed up with another county after his release by Essex at the end of last season.Habib, 32, had joined Essex in 2002 to re-establish his England career, but this never came about, as he averaged a lukewarm 38 in three summers at Chelmsford.Habib re-joins Leicestershire as they look to strengthen their middle order, after Darren Stevens left for Kent and the overseas player, Brad Hodge, announced he wasn’t returning in 2005.
Matt King produced his best competitive bowling figures as Bashley (Rydal) threw a massive spoke in Havant’s bid to retain the ECB Southern Electric Premier League championship crown.The Bashley captain took 6-41 in 12.5 overs as the defending champions were rolled over for a modest 167 – a target Bashley polished off with six wickets in hand.The result has made BAT Sports – nine-wicket winners at Portsmouth – firm favourites to recapture the trophy they won two seasons ago.Havant were undone in the opening overs at the BCG with John Whiting (3-52) and King ripping out Dom Carson, Richard Hindley and Simon Barnard for only 15.Andy Perry (78) held things together and was ninth out – caught behind by Andy Sexton to give King a fifth victim – at 167.But Bashley’s four-pronged pace attack called the tune, with Paul Gover (32) offering the only meaningful support as Havant keeled over against the rampant King, who grabbed the last four wickets.Fresh from three victims behind the stumps, Sexton piloted Bashley towards a notable six-wicket victory.He shared half-century stands with Neil Thurgood (26) and Brad Thompson (24) before becoming the second scalp for Middlesex Academy trainee Chris Wright (3-64).But by then Bashley were 131-3 … and within just four points of Havant in second place.Western Australia’s Adam Voges was the star of Bournemouth’s seven-wicket win over South Wilts at Chapel Gate.The Western Warrior took 4-45 before cracking a boundary-strewn 92 as Bournemouth romped home.South Wilts faded after a promising beginnings – Paul Draper (45) and Jamie Glasson (23) sharing a 61-run start before both fell to the guile of Jo Wilson.Russell Rowe’s 48 held things together as the combined left-arm spin of Voges (4-45) and Shaun Walbridge (2-49) cut through the middle-order.The heavyweight Wiltshire captain was eventually seventh out – a third victim for Martin Miller – at 164, after which Wilson (4-45) returned to mop up the tail and leave South Wilts 178 all out.Bournemouth lost Nick Park cheaply, but Tom Webley (54) and Voges soon pointed the Dorset club towards a sixth win in nine SPL outings.It was Voges, with 15 boundaries in a classy 92 not out, who stole the show, getting support from Charlie Holcomb (26) as Bournemouth cruised home.
Left-arm spinner Paul Grayson returned career-best figures of five for 20 against his former county as bottom club Essex pulled off a remarkable victory over CricInfo Championship winners Yorkshire on the final day of the season at Scarborough today.Essex triumphed by 51 runs with 20 overs to spare after Yorkshire had been set a 319 target off a minimum of 65 overs.It looked as if Yorkshire were cruising it as Michael Vaughan and Anthony McGrath thrashed 204 together for the third wicket after openers Chris Taylor and Matthew Wood had been dismissed without a run scored.After taking a few overs to play themselves in, Vaughan and McGrath produced every shot in the book with Essex using seven bowlers in a vain attempt to stop the carnage.Vaughan just beat his partner to the 50 mark before he took complete charge, dashing to his century from 80 balls with 15 fours and three sixes.Grayson, who did not join the attack until the score was 186 for two, eventually broke the stand by having McGrath caught on the boundary edge for 70 from 86 balls with eight fours and a six and he struck again in his next over to send back Vaughan for 113 with 16 fours and four sixes from 89 deliveries.Vaughan was out on the stroke of tea when Yorkshire were 212 for four and needing a further 107 but Grayson continued his demolish job after the interval along with paceman Joe Grant, the last five wickets tumbling for nine runs in three overs.Having started out in the morning on 48 for three and leading by 194, Essex worked their way steadily to 172 for eight before declaring to bring forward the lunch interval.Captain Ronnie Irani provided the backbone to the Essex innings, making sure that too many wickets did not go down too soon.Irani completed his half century off 77 balls with seven boundaries and he was unbeaten on 51 when he made his declaration upon the dismissal of Ashley Cowan.Steven Kirby and off-spinner Andy Gray each claimed three wickets and the other two were taken by Hoggard who had career best figures of six for 51 in the first innings.
Sri Lanka Cricket’s Illegal Bowling Action Committee (IBAC), headed by former double international Ishak Sahabdeen, has taken several steps to eradicate suspect actions with the immediate aim of ensuring their players are not pulled up during the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh next year.”At the last Under-19 World Cup held in UAE in 2014, three of our bowlers were reported for suspect actions, this is not a good sign for us as a cricketing playing nation,” said Sahabdeen, who represented Sri Lanka at cricket and hockey. “We want to make sure that we are clean at the next World Cup.”As a first step, Sahabdeen said seven bowlers would be sent to the ICC-accredited testing centre for suspected bowling actions in Chennai to be assessed ahead of the Under-19 World Cup.To curb this problem the IBAC will also come down firmly on school coaches, who after a period of time could have their coaching license suspended or cancelled if they fail to report or correct bowlers with suspect actions.”With the under-13 and under-19 seasons commencing in the first week of September, we have requested the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association to register each certificate number of the respective coaches, like they register the players,” Sahabdeen said.Sahabdeen said the IBAC had also decided to ban school cricketers from wearing long sleeves, elbow guards, skins and tubing while bowling so that their elbows are exposed. This rule will be implemented from September.According to Sahabdeen, 80% of the 170 bowlers reported in domestic cricket this year, from under-13 age group to the Premier League, were offspinners. “These bowlers try to bowl the doosra and the faster ball and eventually end up being reported for throwing because they exceed the 15-degree limit.” Only 41 of those 170 bowlers have been cleared by the IBAC, and Sahabdeen fears the other 129 will have their careers curtailed because nothing can be done about their actions.Sahabdeen held the coaches responsible. “There are two sides to it. In most instances it is their ignorance of what constitutes an illegal delivery and the other is that they don’t want to correct the bowler’s action or report him as it would reduce his effectiveness and the team’s performances would suffer eventually.”In order to educate and create awareness among school and club coaches, the IBAC printed posters in three languages – Sinhala, English and Tamil – which are to be displayed at all school and club grounds and on notice boards of schools and clubs. The IBAC also brought Richard Dunne, the ICC human resources manager, to educate the coaches on suspect bowling actions – workshops were conducted in Colombo, Galle, Dambulla and Kandy with a total of 160 coaches attending.Apart from Sahabdeen, the IBAC comprises former Sri Lanka fast bowlers Graeme Labrooy and Eric Upashantha, along with umpires’ educator Tyron Wijewardene and Head of Coaching Unit Jerome Jayaratne. Sahabdeen said the drive to eradicate illegal bowling gathered momentum after Sri Lanka offspinner Sachitra Senanayake was reported for a suspect action during the tour of England in 2014.