England's one-day flaws exposed

I can't say it came as a shock to see England lose the one-day international series 3-2 given their dismal recent record in 50-over cricket in India.

England played well in the first game but were then heavily beaten in the next three. Although they bounced back strongly to win the final match, we should not overlook the fact that it was a dead rubber played in conditions much more suited to England's strengths.

Despite the series loss, England can take some positives from the tour - the continued rise of Joe Root and the bowling of Steven Finn and James Tredwell among them - but there is still plenty of room for improvement in their overall one-day cricket.

With the New Zealand series fast approaching, and the Champions Trophy looming in the summer, I've picked out three key areas of concern.

One aspect of the game which is holding England back is the number of dot balls they allow the opposition to bowl. This was particularly noticeable against left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, whose economy rate for the series of 3.49 runs per over was comfortably the best of any bowler on either side.

Best of luck to England's women as they embark on their World Cup campaign in India. The hardest thing for any team is to defend their trophy because the opposition will single you out as the team to beat but Charlotte Edwards's side are more than capable of doing just that. They have a set-up as professional as you will find anywhere in the world, and their desire and attention to detail mirrors that of the men's side.

Women's World Cup tournament guide

With the new fielding restrictions meaning more men inside the circle during non-powerplay overs, it is harder than ever to find gaps in the field and this was highlighted by the number of times the England middle order became bogged down, with the scoring rate almost grinding to a halt at times.

Just as every player needs to be able to put away the bad balls, they also need to develop methods of scoring off the good ones. The very best one-day players, such as Mahela Jayawardene and Hashim Amla, make sure that even defensive shots bring singles.

They have the ability to open and close the face of their bats to place the ball into the spaces so that even when their team is under the cosh the scoreboard keeps ticking over.

I don't expect this to change overnight, but if England can look to find a way of scoring runs off 12 more balls over the course of 50 overs, suddenly a total of 250 could become 265 or 270.

Often that margin can be the difference between winning and losing.

Once again, England's lack of an all-rounder was exposed in India. Circumstances and player availability does dictate but I'm not a fan of playing only four front-line bowlers and then relying on a mix of players to make up the remaining 10 overs of an innings. Ideally you need five players who are fully capable of bowling 10 overs in every match, and a sixth man who can step in if required.

277: Most runs in the series, by India's Suresh Raina 113 (not out): Highest individual score of the series, by Ian Bell in Dharamsala 6: Most sixes, by home captain Mahendra Dhoni 54.33: Batting average of England's Joe Root in his maiden one-day series 325: Highest team total, by England in Rajkot 155: Lowest team total, by England in Ranchi 11: Most wickets in the series, by England's James Tredwell (average 18.18) Joe Root did a decent job with the ball on the turning pitches in India, but is he really going to bowl eight to 10 overs on the less spin-friendly conditions of New Zealand, or at home in England where the Champions Trophy will be held?

To be a really top side in all conditions, England need to find someone who can bat at seven and bowl their full quota. At the moment it looks like Chris Woakes will be given the chance to stake his claim in New Zealand in the absence of the injured Tim Bresnan, but I see Rikki Clarke as another option for the summer.

Clarke has always had the talent, and since moving to Warwickshire his commitment and attitude have improved along with his performances. His inclusion in the Lions squad to tour Australia shows England are keen to take another look at him.

His batting and fielding are certainly good enough to get into the top seven and if he can fine-tune his bowling, he could just fit the bill.

I read the other day that since I hung up my gloves 10 years ago England have now fielded 10 different wicketkeepers in one-day internationals, which highlights what a problem area it has been for the side.

Since Alec Stewart retired in 2003, 10 men have kept for England in ODIs - Chris Read, Geraint Jones, Matt Prior, Paul Nixon, Phil Mustard, Tim Ambrose, Steven Davies, Eoin Morgan, Craig Kieswetter and Jos Buttler Vikram Solanki, James Foster and Jonny Bairstow have kept for England in Twenty20 internationals but not ODIs With Craig Kieswetter out of the picture for now, Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler will head to New Zealand ready to battle it out for what is a crucial position.

Both have shown flashes of their potential with the bat but are still learning their trade with the gloves and must continue to work hard on their keeping skills with coach Bruce French.

If it doesn't work out for Bairstow or Buttler, I hope the selectors have not forgotten about Matt Prior. The Sussex keeper may have failed to take his opportunities in the past and has not played an ODI since March 2011, but it may soon be time to give him another chance to transfer his brilliant Test form to the one-day arena.

Another man who should not be forgotten is Surrey's Steven Davies, who was harshly axed just before the last World Cup.

Alec Stewart was speaking to BBC Sport's Sam Sheringham.

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Exercise Can Be Good For The Heart, And Maybe For Sperm, Too

Human sperm race to fertilize an egg.

David M. Phillips/Science Source

Guys, it may be time to get off the couch and hit the treadmill — especially if you want to have kids.

Okay, we all know that exercise is good for us. It can reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, to name a few benefits. Now researchers say physical activity may also help keep sperm healthy and happy.

A study published Monday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that how physically active a guy is can affect his total sperm count and sperm concentration.

Researchers surveyed 189 young men (ages 18 to 22) on their exercise and TV-watching habits over a three-month period. They also collected and analyzed the participants' semen.

Men who watched 20 or more hours of TV per week had a sperm concentration 44 percent lower than those who watched almost no TV. On the other hand, men who exercised more than 14 hours per week had a sperm concentration 73 percent higher than men who exercised less than five hours per week.

These effects held true even when other factors like body weight, stress and diet were taken into account.

According to lead author Audrey Gaskins, a doctoral student at Harvard School of Public Health, sperm concentration and total sperm count are two of the main factors that clinicians consider in assessing male fertility.

So is being active the key to fertility?

Not so fast. Gaskins cautions that it's not possible to make conclusions about cause and effect in a study like this one. "Ideally, we would have done a randomized control trial where we had men switch from different behaviors and then measured the results," she says.

She also points out that different types of physical activity may have different effects on semen quality. For example, both biking and long-distance running can actually reduce semen quality, according to previous studies.

Nevertheless, this study might be onto something. A year ago, while conducting separate research on how diet affects semen quality, Gaskins and her team noticed that physical activity kept showing up as a significant factor. "It caught our eye," she says. "That's when we decided to look into it further."

It's unclear why physical activity might affect sperm count. Gaskins hypothesizes that it's because exercise protects against oxidative stress, which can damage male germ cells. You lose that protection when you sit around all day in front of the TV.

Sperm production is sensitive to temperature. So being a couch potato may thwart sperm production by increasing scrotal temperature.

Are the ill effects of a sedentary lifestyle on sperm permanent? Gaskins says more research needs to be done to answer that question. However, because it takes about three months to produce new sperm, couch potatoes probably aren't doomed to suboptimal semen. "That's the nice thing about male fertility," she says. "It seems to be more potentially modifiable."

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England beat Windies to progress

By Stephan Shemilt BBC Sport in Mumbai England beat West Indies by six wickets to book their place in the Super Six stage of the Women's World Cup in India.

The Windies were made to rue their decision to bat first in seam-friendly conditions, being bowled out for 101 with Anya Shrubsole taking 4-21.

England reached their target for the loss of four wickets, Danielle Wyatt making a career-best score of 40.

Sri Lanka's emphatic victory over India, which knocked the hosts out of the tournament, means England will take two points through to the next round.

Teams carry through the points they pick up against fellow qualifiers and England lost to Sri Lanka in their opening match before beating India.

"Anya Shrubsole bowled with pace and control. Her line against the left-handers was wayward against India but she got movement and bounce. I think she deserves the player of the match award. I hope Katherine Brunt's fine, as she rolled her ankle slightly - we think it may have been in celebration. It's the sort of thing the coaches will be a little annoyed about, but at least they've got two days off until the next game, while that should also help Charlotte Edwards who has been ill today."

However, England will carry momentum into the second phase after putting that early shock defeat behind them to finish top of their group on run-rate from Sri Lanka.

They were, however, partly indebted to Windies captain Merissa Aguilleira for this victory. When England lost the toss for the third time in the tournament, Aguilleira opted to bat first on a greenish pitch covered in morning dew.

The decision was instantly shown to be the wrong one as Katherine Brunt and Shrubsole removed openers Kycia Knight and Stefanie Taylor in the first two overs.

In all, nine wickets fell to seam bowling. Only when England turned to spin after Brunt was forced from the field with an injury were West Indies able to put up any sort of resistance in the shape of a 59-run stand between Kyshona Knight and Shanel Daley.

Brunt had figures of 2-10 from her six overs when an ankle injury ended her participation, leaving England to worry over her fitness before their opening Super Six contest against Australia on Friday.

Her last meaningful act was an important one, however, as she found away swing to have the dangerous Deandra Dottin - scorer of a 20-ball half-century in West Indies' win over Sri Lanka - caught behind by Sarah Taylor.

That left West Indies in the hopeless position of 31-6, Shrubsole having previously caused most of the damage.

Stefanie Taylor had scored 171 against Sri Lanka, but seam movement from Shrubsole saw her leg stump pinned back. The Somerset right-armer then accounted for Shemaine Campbelle and Juliana Nero in the same over and, when Aguilleira took a suicidal single to Lydia Greenway - who was winning her 100th cap - the Windies were in tatters.

But, after Dottin went, Kyshona Knight and Daley were watchful as England spinners Holly Colvin and Laura Marsh were given little assistance.

Knight found the boundary only once in her 86-ball 33, an innings that was finally ended when England turned to the medium pace of Arran Brindle, the beneficiary of Sarah Taylor's smart stumping.

The top three teams in each group qualify Each team plays three games against the qualifiers from the other group, while carrying through their results against the qualifiers from their original group There are no semi-finals - the first- and second-placed Super Six teams progress straight to the final on 17 February There are also play-offs for third/fourth, fifth/sixth and seventh/eighth With Brindle hitting the seam to account for Shaquanna Quintyne and Tremayne Smartt, she had figures of 3-0 from two overs while Shrubsole returned to trap Subrina Munroe lbw and leave Daley stranded on 30 not out.

Brindle, opening in place of the ill Edwards, and Danielle Wyatt negotiated an eight-over spell before lunch and, when the players returned, England's progress slowed almost to a standstill in an apparent bid to keep the Windies net run-rate higher than Sri Lanka's.

However, the ponderous nature of the chase did England few favours and, when Brindle was caught behind off Dottin, it sparked a mini-collapse that saw four wickets fall for 13 runs.

The aggressive Dottin trapped Sarah Taylor and Greenway lbw, with Wyatt falling in similar fashion to Munro in between.

No longer in the mood to hang around, Jenny Gunn and Heather Knight upped the tempo to finally send England into the Super Sixes.

England were joined in the Super Sixes by South Africa, who thrashed Pakistan by 126 runs  to send the Asian side into a play-off against India for seventh place.

Marizanne Kapp starred with bat and ball for South Africa, making 102 not out in their total of 207-5 before taking 3-18 as Pakistan were bowled out for 81.

In the match between the two teams that had already qualified from Group B, Australia overcame New Zealand by seven wickets.

Meg Lanning struck 112 off 104 balls and Jess Cameron 82 as the Aussies overhauled New Zealand's total of 227-6 after 38.2 overs.

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England defeat India in World Cup

By Stephan Shemilt BBC Sport in Mumbai Captain Charlotte Edwards struck a brilliant century as England kick-started their World Cup campaign with a 32-run win over hosts India.

Edwards' 109 took the defending champions to 272-8 in Mumbai and also saw her become the highest run-scorer in women's one-day internationals.

India were then reduced to 29-3 by the pace of Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole and, despite an unbeaten hundred from Harmanpreet Kaur, the hosts could only close on 240-9.

With West Indies thrashing Sri Lanka in Sunday's other Group A game,  England know victory over the Windies on Tuesday will guarantee them a place in the Super Six stage.

"Katherine Brunt's been the key today, I just don't think many bowlers [in the women's game] have that extra pace in their armoury. A few years ago, you wouldn't have thought of bowling that many bouncers - the game is changing."

And an India win over Sri Lanka in the final round of group matches could create the right set of circumstances for England to carry the maximum four points through to the next round - rendering the shock opening defeat by minnows Sri Lanka meaningless.

In that game on Friday, England were far below their best, but here, led by Edwards, they outplayed the hosts despite the significant disadvantage of losing the toss.

As tall pace bowler Jhulan Goswami took advantage of the chance to bowl in the dewy, humid conditions to have Danielle Wyatt caught at slip, Edwards was watchful to negate the India attack's biggest threat.

Sarah Taylor, back in the side after a hamstring injury, was driving fluently as soon as she came to the crease but, when Edwards eventually found some rhythm with cuts to the boundary, she outscored her partner.

The Kent batter overtook Belinda Clark's previous world record of 4,484 runs when she moved from 53 to 57 by slapping the leg-spin of Reema Malhotra through the covers.

And, despite seeing Taylor run out by Amita Sharma's direct hit from mid-on to end a stand of 100, Edwards moved towards a century with sweeps and drives on both sides of the wicket.

Now in the company of the strong leg-side hitting of Lydia Greenway, Edwards reached her seventh ODI century by late-cutting Goswami for four.

After Greenway was held at mid-on off Goswami and the promoted pinch-hitting of Brunt added impetus in the powerplay, Edwards' stylish knock was ended through no fault of her own as she was left short by Arran Brindle's call for a single on the off side.

1) Charlotte Edwards (England) 4,901 runs

2) Belinda Clark (Australia) 4,844

3) Karen Rolton (Australia) 4,814

4) Mithali Raj (India) 4,499

5) Claire Taylor (England) 4,101

Brindle was also involved in the run out of Heather Knight but, with the help of Laura Marsh's innovation, she scampered England to a total far in excess of India's previous highest successful chase of 230.

It seemed as though the hosts would need a telling contribution from in-form opening pair Poonam Raut and Thirush Kamini or captain Mithali Raj, but all three fell cheaply.

First Brunt found swing back into Kamini to trap the left-hander lbw, then she tempted Raj to upper-cut to Shrubsole at third man. When Raut was leg before playing across Shrubsole, India were up against it.

Kaur and Karuna Jain managed to rebuild with a fourth-wicket partnership of 106 but, as the hosts fell further behind the pace, Jain was caught at point off Brindle for 56 when looking to accelerate.

Though England saw Shrubsole limp off the pitch, their improvement from the defeat by Sri Lanka was demonstrated by Knight's catch to dismiss Goswami. On Friday, England dropped three costly chances but now Knight spectacularly leapt high and right at mid-off to hold the chance off Marsh.

Kaur remained, the wicketkeeper launching the only two sixes of the match as she completed a maiden ODI century.

However, by this point, the task was already beyond India and three wickets in three balls - two to Brunt and one to Wyatt - emphasised that England's World Cup defence was back on track.

In the other Group A game, Stafanie Taylor smashed 171 from 137 balls as the Windies posted 368-8 against Sri Lanka  before bowling out their opponents for 159.

In Group B, Australia edged to a three-wicket victory over South Africa  while New Zealand beat Pakistan  by seven wickets - meaning both victors progress to the Super Six stage, while Pakistan and South Africa meet on Tuesday to decide that group's final qualifier.

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England duo unsold at IPL auction

England pair Matt Prior and Ravi Bopara plus Ireland batsman Kevin O'Brien all failed to attract bids at the auction for this year's Indian Premier League.

It was the second year running that the trio failed to attract interest.

Former Hampshire batsman and rising Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell fetched the highest bid of $1m (£637,000) from Mumbai Indians.

Abhishek Nayar and RP Singh also invited unexpectedly high bids for the sixth edition of the IPL.

Maxwell's price was significantly lower than the top sale achieved last year when India's Ravindra Jadeja was sold to Chennai for $2m (£1.26m).

The Australian, who arrived at Hampshire as a relative unknown last year, celebrated his sale with a golden duck during Australia's one-day match against West Indies. However, he did manage four wickets as Australia defeated West Indies by 54 runs.

The next highest sale was Ajantha Mendis who was sold for $725,000 (£462,000) to Pune Warriors India.

India's all-rounder Nayar joins Pune Warriors for $675,000 (£430,000) while bowler RP Singh was sold to Royal Warriors for $400,000 (£255,000).

Australia captain Michael Clarke and their former skipper Ricky Ponting could secure only their base price of $400,000 (£255,000) each when picked up by Pune Warriors and Mumbai Indians respectively.

South Africa all-rounder Johan Botha, who went to Rajasthan last year for $950,000 (£605,000), was bought by Delhi Daredevils for $450,000 (£287,000).

England all-rounder Bopara played for Kings XI Punjab in the 2009 and 2010 IPL tournaments and has an average of 29.69 from 14 innings, but has not featured for the last two years.

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England suffer T20 warm-up defeat

England 170-5 (20 overs) lost to NZ XI 171-7 (20 overs) by three wickets

A late fightback by captain Stuart Broad proved in vain as England suffered a last-ball defeat by a New Zealand XI in their final warm-up game.

Jos Buttler hit a second successive half-century while Eoin Morgan also weighed in with 51 as the tourists reached 170-5 at the Cobham Oval.

The hosts were coasting to victory before three wickets fell for four runs, including Tom Latham for 64.

The final ball finish made it exciting for the big crowd, but it should not disguise a poor bowling performance from three of England's attack. 170 was a defendable total after Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler repeated their powerful hitting of the previous day. James Tredwell and Steven Finn had rare off days. Jade Dernbach threatened to rescue the match with a skilful final over, but his bowling earlier was reminiscent of his efforts in India that cost him his ODI place.

But Broad's 3-24 proved in vain, their opponents winning off the last ball.

Having won their opening warm-up game by 46 runs 24 hours earlier, Broad and his players have plenty to ponder ahead of Saturday's opening Twenty20 international with New Zealand in Auckland.

England opener Michael Lumb said Wednesday's defeat was an indication of how tough the three-match series would be.

"I think it will be tight," said the Nottinghamshire batsman. "A lot of people have written them off, but you can't take them lightly.

"It would be foolish to do that - they've just beaten South Africa in a one-day series over there. They're a proud nation, and they'll come really hard at us."

Buttler followed up his unbeaten 57 in the opening game with 51 off 31 deliveries, which included five fours and two sixes.

He put on 87 with Morgan, who also struck two sixes.

But it was not enough as New Zealand's openers Anton Devcich and Hamish Rutherford passed 50 in just 35 balls.

Rutherford's dismissal brought Latham to the crease and he wasted no time reaching 50 from 29 balls.

Steven Finn and James Tredwell struggled to make an impact for England, both going for 44 runs from their four overs.

But Lumb said the match provided the workout they needed and was particularly pleased with the return to form of captain Broad after injury.

"It was good, especially for the four bowlers, to be put under some pressure," said Lumb. "And if it comes down to it in the main games, we'll have had some experience a couple of times here.

"It's great to have Broady back. His body is moving well, and he's bowling nicely.

"He's obviously had a few little niggles, but he's back fit and raring to go. We're really chuffed with that."

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Edwards breaks ODI runs record

By Stephan Shemilt BBC Sport in Mumbai England captain Charlotte Edwards became the leading run-scorer in women's one-day international cricket during her team's World Cup victory against India.

The 33-year-old, playing her 162nd ODI, passed the previous best of 4,844 runs set by Australia's Belinda Clark.

1) Charlotte Edwards (England) 4,901 runs

2) Belinda Clark (Australia) 4,844

3) Karen Rolton (Australia) 4,814

4) Mithali Raj (India) 4,499

5) Claire Taylor (England) 4,101

Needing 53 for a new record, Edwards moved past Clark by hitting Reema Malhotra through the covers for four.

The Kent batter went on to post her seventh ODI century in the 32-run win.

Edwards, who also became only the fourth woman to register 1,000 World Cup runs, was eventually run out for 109 from 123 balls - her effort helping England to 272-8 in Mumbai.

Harmanpreet Kaur scored an unbeaten century for the hosts, but pace bowler Katherine Brunt took four wickets as India closed on 240-9.

At the age of 16, Edwards was the youngest woman to play for England when she made her Test debut against New Zealand in 1996, a record that has since been taken by current team-mate Holly Colvin.

Edwards took over as England captain in 2006 following the retirement of Clare Connor and has since led her side to win the Ashes, the 2009 World Twenty20 and the 2009 World Cup.

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India out of Women's World Cup

By Stephan Shemilt BBC Sport in Mumbai Hosts India were knocked out of the Women's World Cup with a 138-run defeat by Sri Lanka in their last group match.

Chasing 283, India would have secured a place in the Super Six stage on net run-rate had they made at least 251, but they crumbled to 144 all out.

Sri Lanka, the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, who also stunned England in their opening match, had never beaten India in one-day cricket.

Sri Lanka, England and West Indies take two points through to the Super Sixes.

The top three teams in each group qualify Each team plays three games against the qualifiers from the other group, while carrying through their results against the qualifiers from their original group There are no semi-finals - the first and second-placed Super Six teams progress straight to the final on 17 February There are also play-offs for third/fourth, fifth/sixth and seventh/eighth Sri Lanka captain Shashikala Siriwardene said she hoped Indian fans would embrace her side as the last Asian side left in the tournament before her media conference was interrupted by a call from the nation's president, Mahinda Rajapaksa.

"He said he'd never seen a match like this and wanted to congratulate us," said Siriwardene. "He wished us luck for the rest of the tournament."

England had sealed their progress with their earlier win over West Indies, but required India to advance for them to carry forward the maximum of four points.

Group B sides Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are the other three teams to advance.

After finishing bottom of Group A, India will take on Pakistan in a play-off to determine seventh and eighth place.

Protests from a right-wing political party against Pakistan's presence in Mumbai caused all their fixtures to be moved to the city of Cuttack, about 1,000 miles away.

India must now travel to play that game on Thursday, the day before the Super Six stage begins.

"I really didn't think we would we be in these circumstances at the start of the tournament," India captain Mithali Raj told BBC Sport.

"It's very disappointing to be out of the tournament. I can't sum up what my team is going through after this defeat."

Raj had previously suggested the tournament was an opportunity to advance the women's game in India, and conceded that the chance had been missed.

"It was an occasion for us to do well in front of a home crowd," said the 30-year-old batter. "To get the sport the kind of awareness, marketing and publicity it needs, this was a big opportunity for us."

Raj began the tournament as the number-one ranked batter in the world, but managed only 29 runs in three innings.

"I don't play the game for rankings, but it's more important for me how many runs I score for my country," she said. "I can't talk about the future but, as a team, we will take a little while to come out of this disappointment."

On her future as captain, she added: "That is the call of the selectors."

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No distractions for England - Marsh

By Laura Marsh England all-rounder Venues: Mumbai and Cuttack, IndiaDates: 31 January to 17 FebruaryCoverage: Ball-by-ball commentary on all of England's games and the final on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra & online; live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & mobiles

The World Cup only comes around every four years and, now it's arrived, we're all very excited.

We have been in India for about two weeks - preparing at a training camp in Pune before moving to our base in Mumbai. Before we came here everyone was training hard but scattered across the UK so it was fantastic to get back together as a team.

Danielle Hazell took 5-41 against New Zealand

The eight days in Pune involved lots of nets, middle practice and fielding drills. We had some brilliant net bowlers who were happy to bowl at us all day, giving us valuable practice on the slow, turning Indian wickets.

After that, two warm-up matches back in Mumbai gave us the first chance to play together as a team since the World Twenty20 in October.

The win against South Africa was followed by a narrow defeat by New Zealand - despite Danielle Hazell taking 5-41 - but that loss is not concerning because, as a team, you want to improve as a tournament progresses.

Captain Charlotte Edwards is in great form with the bat and showed that against South Africa with a solid 78, while we have also seen some decent contributions from Lydia Greenway and Heather Knight.

Admittedly, there was a little bit of rustiness, but that's to be expected as we've come out to play in our off-season, so there are areas to improve on. Ultimately, though, the World Cup begins for us against Sri Lanka on Friday and I am very confident we will put on a good show.

India and West Indies are also in our group, then, hopefully we will progress to the Super Six stage where Australia and New Zealand are likely to be among the teams that await.

All of these sides have the ability to win the World Cup, so I think much will depend on who deals best with the conditions and who is able to execute their plans in the pressure situations a tournament throws up.

1 February v Sri Lanka 3 February v India 5 February v West Indies

The first two matches will be played at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai with the third game at the Bandra Kurla Complex, also in Mumbai.

If England finish in the top three in their group they will advance to the Super Six stage.

Those conditions I speak of make India renowned for being a tough place to play cricket, but it's also a fantastic country to tour.

Of course, it's hectic, so different from back home. If you think the traffic in London is bad, it's nothing compared to Mumbai.

The bus journey to Pune we were told would take two hours but actually took five, with the crazy driving of the man behind the wheel drawing screams from the girls at various points during the journey.

I hid away at the back, so I could not see too much of what was going on, but I could feel the bus shaking as we climbed some pretty steep mountains. It was interesting to say the least, but we survived.

As well as traffic chaos, you get used to some pretty random sights, like cows wandering across the road. There is always something different happening here, so that keeps you on your toes.

It is, though, slightly harder to get around in India than some other countries we might tour, so it is important we have other ways to keep ourselves entertained.

All of the girls are different. Danielle Hazell has a games console with her, while I'm quite into the TV shows Homeland and Dexter, so Heather Knight and I have been having some nights in with a DVD.

None of this, though, is a distraction from what we came here to do, which is defend the World Cup that we won in 2009. The waiting is almost over.

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Irresistible Meets Unstoppable. Who Wins?

It's such a tantalizing question: What if an irresistible object crashes into an immovable object, what happens? Would the unmovable move? Would the irresistible be resisted? Which one would prevail? Somebody must have thought about this, must have an answer.

Well, someone has. It's Henry Reich, who's been writing/narrating/drawing Minute Physics videos at the Perimeter Institute For Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Canada, and attracting enormous crowds because his short animated explanations really do explain. In this one, Henry introduces us, with a few careful amendments, to something that Won't Be Moved, then to Something That Won't Stop Moving. They are set on collision course and we get to watch, step by step, what happens. You'll want to stay to the finish, because the end is like nothing I'd imagined.

There may be a few equations that fly over your head, but the drawings are so intuitive, so quietly compelling, I was able to follow the action all the way through.

Stop. Don't read this until you've watched the video...

About the last bit? Frankly, once we kicked gravity out of our equations, and got those two infinitely massive unacceleratable gift boxes heading for each other, I was expecting a crash — a big, universe-ripping crash. But when Henry pulls out a dictionary and reveals a law of nature I'd never heard of — all of a sudden those "infinitely massive" gift boxes become a pair of friendly ghosts, of the Casper variety, that can't be bumped into. I was, I confess, a little disappointed. It's like going to see two heavyweights of the Ali or Frazier class, and finding them weirdly transformed into lightweights — too light to land or take a punch. I'm not sure how to react. Should I ask for my money back, or should I think the universe is just wonderfully weird?

I think I'll go for ... weird.

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Momentum with England - Shrubsole

By Stephan Shemilt BBC Sport in Mumbai Venue: Brabourne Stadium, MumbaiDate: Friday, 8 FebruaryTime: 03:30 GMTCoverage: Ball-by-ball commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra & online; live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & mobile devices

Pace bowler Anya Shrubsole says momentum is with England after the defending champions qualified for the Super Six stage of the World Cup.

England bounced back from losing to Sri Lanka with wins over hosts India and West Indies to reach the next phase.

"There are always things you can improve on, but we'll head into the Super Six with some confidence," Shrubsole told BBC Sport.

"We're gaining momentum now after earning some good wins."

England secured their place in the next phase with a six-wicket win over West Indies and finished top of their group on net run-rate despite Sri Lanka's crushing victory that knocked hosts India out of the tournament in the group's final match.

Charlotte Edwards' side will take on World Twenty20 champions Australia in Mumbai on Friday in the first of their three matches in the Super Six stage.

They take two points through from the group stage courtesy of their victory over West Indies, the third team to qualify from their group.

The top three teams in each group qualify Each team plays three games against the qualifiers from the other group, while carrying through their results against the qualifiers from their original group There are no semi-finals - the first and second-placed Super Six teams progress straight to the final on 17 February There are also play-offs for third/fourth, fifth/sixth and seventh/eighth England took advantage of West Indies' decision to bat first in seam-friendly conditions on Friday and bowled the Caribbean side out for 101 at Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex.

"We were a little surprised," said Somerset seamer Shrubsole, who took career-best figures of 4-21.

"We were keen to bowl first if we won the toss because we've seen that the ball moves around in the matches that start early."

Shrubsole was pleased with her performance, particularly after India captain Mithali Raj said that England rely too heavily on new-ball partner Katherine Brunt .

"Mithali said a lot about Katherine being the only threat, but we have a lot of belief," added 21-year-old Shrubsole.

"It's not just me, it's the spinner as well. We know we've got a world-class bowling attack here and we backed that up again today."

West Indies captain Merissa Aguilleira said she regretted the decision to bat first on a green pitch covered in morning dew.

"If I was given the chance again we would have bowled first," said the wicketkeeper. "The conditions were suited to bowl so that was a decision that could have gone differently."

As well as Australia, England will face South Africa on Sunday and New Zealand on Wednesday. The final will be played on 17 February.

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India's changing attitude to women's cricket

By Stephan Shemilt BBC Sport in Mumbai Think India, think cricket.

Each day in Mumbai every grassy space is occupied by some sort of cricketing contest. Men's cricket, that is.

However, from India women's captain Mithali Raj to children of the slums of Mumbai, there is hope that the country's attitude to the sport is changing.

“If matches are televised on a regular basis I'm sure women's cricket in India will catch up”

Mithali Raj India women's captain While in many ways India has become the game's modern home, it faced accusations of being behind the times during the scheduling controversy that marred the run-up to the Women's World Cup.

Yes, political pressures made it necessary for Pakistan's games to be moved from Mumbai, but the decision to evict the women from the city's biggest stadium, the Wankhede, to accommodate the men's Ranji Trophy final, left a sour taste.

Furthermore, not one of those games that take place in Mumbai's parks appear to involve any women. England are assigned some local youngsters to bowl at their net sessions, but a girl is yet to be spotted.

So, when England trio Holly Colvin, Danielle Wyatt and Tammy Beaumont gave a coaching session to some Mumbai schoolchildren, it came as a surprise that the group who arrived at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) was made up entirely of girls.

That, though, was only part of the story. Helped by Room To Read - an international charity focussing on literacy and gender equality in education - these girls had come from the slums of Mumbai.

"For them, this opportunity is like touching the heavens," said Room To Read's Neelima Naik. "When they knew England were coming here, they practised for three days.

"They said 'we are having England players play with us, they shouldn't feel we are not good enough'.

"They look at the likes of India captain Mithali Raj as a role model and are dreaming of being like her. The entry to CCI could be the first step."

India's best finish in the women's World Cup was as runners-up to Australia in 2005.

However, despite the enthusiasm of an inspirational figure such as Neelima, one cannot help but wonder that, even if these girls possess the talent, Indian attitudes to women and women in sport would hold them back.

As the World Cup began, former India captain Diana Edulji described the Board of Control for Cricket in India's approach to women as an "insult". 

She explained the fee for woman playing in a domestic one-day match was 2,500 Rupees (£30) and only 1,250 Rupees (£15) for a Twenty20.

"It's well known that boys still get more opportunities and support in both sport and education. The culture of India is male dominated," said Neelima.

"It's still a big thing for a girl child to be allowed to go to school. She could instead be cleaning the home, looking after a sibling or earning money.

"But I am seeing a little change of attitude. There are growing opportunities and even the government is trying to support girls' development. The mental make-up is still that the girl has to do housework, but that is changing."

When the group of a dozen or so girls have finished their lesson in cover drives and dancing Gangnam Style from Colvin, Wyatt and Beaumont, two are introduced through Neelima's interpreting.

Mithali Raj has scored 4,499 runs in 143 ODIs

Fifteen-year-old Radha explains that her parents are vegetable vendors. Leena, who is 14, says that her parents are domestic servants. Both are incredibly excited to be asked to speak, but their manners are impeccable.

"Very rarely do we get the chance for cricket because mum feels we should not play," says Radha. When asked about who their hero is, the response is predictable. "Sachin Tendulkar," is proclaimed through wide smiles. What about Raj? "Yes, Mithali," but the answer is not quite as convincing.

Later that afternoon, media gather to put questions to Raj, the undoubted face of women's cricket in India. The second surprise of the day is that at this press conference there are more female journalists than male.

The journalists explain that the Women's World Cup would not really register in India if it was not the host - there is little around Mumbai promoting the tournament, but TV adverts featuring men's spinner Ravichandran Ashwin urge the nation to get behind Raj's team.

They do, however, point out the ramped-up coverage in the newspapers. Broadsheets The Times of India and The Hindu both have half-page spreads devoted to the World Cup, complete with pictures of Raj and team-mate Thirush Kamini. It's unheard of.

"It's a big event, the World Cup attracts a lot of people and media coverage," says Raj.

"People always come up to me to ask about who we are playing and when so that they can follow the performances of the team.

"If matches are televised on a regular basis I'm sure women's cricket in India will catch up."

It's a vision that Neelima shares.

"I hope that one day women cricketers in India are greeted and welcomed everywhere they go," she said. "That we have women's cricket on television and people stay at home to watch.

"That is the dream for all of us."

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Lasting damage of the 100mph ball

16 January 2013 Last updated at 01:22 GMT By Greig Watson BBC News The Bodyline scandal helped shape the nature of cricket, sport and relations between Australia and England for years to come As Australian batsman Bert Oldfield collapsed, his skull fractured by a lightning-fast ball, the booing from the 50,000-strong Adelaide Oval crowd became a deafening howl.

The England players, mouths dry with fear, looked for escape routes - or even potential weapons - in case the mob fell on them.

Bowler Harold Larwood, the focus of the fury, turned to team-mate Les Ames. "If they come," he said, "you can take the leg stump for protection - I'll take the middle."

Never before or since that moment, 80 years ago to the day, on 16 January 1933, had cricket - and arguably any other sport - seen a contest which fired such anger, which reached so far and echoed for so long, as the Bodyline tour.

Bodyline used a more aggressive but still legal method of bowling.

"In Australia to this day, the word Bodyline carries the stench of underhand or unsportsmanlike behaviour; with the series regarded as Australian cricket's most controversial," said David Studham from the Australian National Sports Museum.

The view of the MCC, which organised the tour, is slightly different. The curator of its museum, Adam Chadwick, said: "Was Bodyline unsportsmanlike? By the standards of the day, yes. By the standards of now, it was a stroke of genius."

'Devastatingly fast'

At the beginning of the 1930s, the MCC - Marylebone Cricket Club - still ruled the cricketing world from its seat at Lord's in London.

But it had a problem, in the shape of batting phenomenon Don Bradman.

During their 1930 tour of England, Australia - the arch rivals - had dominated the home bowlers, with Bradman averaging a staggering 139.14.

The MCC looked to austere amateur player Douglas Jardine for an answer, making him England captain.

Jardine believed Bradman struggled against balls which bounced into his chest and formed a tactic to exploit this. But the plan needed the right bowler, and that bowler was former Nottinghamshire miner Harold Larwood.

Duncan Hamilton, Larwood's biographer, said: "He had two things. Firstly he was incredibly accurate, he claimed never to have bowled a wide in his career, and accuracy was essential to Bodyline.

Cricket genius - Larwood and Bradman duelled during Bodyline but faced very different fates in the years that followed

"Secondly he was devastatingly fast. All his contemporaries said he was the quickest they had faced. At certain times during that series he must have got close to, if not passed, the 100mph (160km/h) mark.

"Every fast bowler who sees that old footage says, 'Wow, that's quick!'."

Jardine's plan was to use what was known in England as leg theory. Bowling fast, high-bouncing deliveries on the line of the leg stump of the wicket - where a batsman would usually stand.

The batsman had three choices: to move but risk exposing his wicket, to play the ball with his bat and face being caught by a ring of close fielders, or try to duck and risk painful blows.

The tour began in earnest at Sydney in December 1932, ironically without Bradman playing. Bodyline brought England victory.

Continue reading the main story

Bodyline introduced a previously unspoken element into Test cricket - namely the physical intimidation of the batsman.

The placement of fielders, deliberately positioned to catch the ball from batsmen protecting themselves from short, fast deliveries aimed at the ribs and throat, was entirely legal at the time, but seriously threatened the code of sportsmanship that is so central to cricket.

That said, the Australian administrators - who made such a meal of Jardine's tactic at the time - were noticeably quiet when their own fast bowlers Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson were terrifying batsmen with short-pitched bowling in the 1970s.

The authorities acted swiftly after the Bodyline tour to limit the placing of fielders in catching positions on the leg side in an attempt to deter a repeat of the tactic, and also brought in a restriction of the number of bouncers that can be bowled in a single over.

But after Lillee and Thomson, the West Indies' formidable pace attack of the late 1970s and 80s also proved that skilful, intimidatory fast bowling is every bit as effective as Bodyline, even with field restrictions and after the introduction of helmets.

Complaints about the tactic quickly appeared. As the bruises and wickets mounted, the disquiet turned to anger, with claims batsmen were being physically targeted.

'Vicious' bowling

Despite Australia levelling the series at the second match in Melbourne, the repeated blows to lightly protected players attracted outraged headlines.

Some batsmen endured hours of punishment and even Bradman looked unsettled.

Mr Studham said: "The tactics employed by Jardine roused intense passions, as they were so out of accord with anything that had previously happened on the cricket field.

"Targeting the bowling along the line of the batsman's body was regarded by the Australian crowds as vicious, unsporting and especially after repeatedly battering the batsmen, 'hitting a man when he was down and certainly no part of cricket'."

Police protection

With everything to play for, and feelings running at fever pitch, the Adelaide match opened in front of packed stands.

Cricket bible Wisden would later call it "probably the most unpleasant Test ever played".

Australian captain Bill Woodfull was left staggering after being struck just above the heart by Larwood.

The booing lasted for three minutes, despite the fact England had not yet deployed Bodyline tactics in the match.

That would change though, moments later, when Jardine called out to Larwood: "Well bowled Harold," and set the fielders in the hated Bodyline formation. Police had to be deployed on the boundary.

The next day, Oldfield had his skull cracked and Larwood had to be escorted from the ground.

Continue reading the main story In ethics, the concept of fairness involves treating everyone equally and impartiallyFair play is usually understood to mean using only tactics that are in accord with the spirit of the sportFair play is not just about keeping to the rules, but also self-control, courage and persistence

Source: BBC Religion & Ethics

It was almost inevitable the problems would overflow from the playing field. But no-one could have predicted it would lead to three events then unthinkable in cricket.

'Hysterical' reaction

MCC tour manager Pelham Warner, seeking to smooth relationships, was sent packing by the normally placid Woodfull with what were, for some years, the 25 most famous words in sport.

"I don't want to see you, Mr Warner. There are two teams out there. One is trying to play cricket and the other is not."

The comment, made in the previously sacrosanct dressing room, was then leaked to the press.

The next day, Australian Board of Control for International Cricket sent a cable to the MCC which described England's tactics as "unsportsmanlike", the ultimate taboo for guardians of the game.

Mr Chadwick said: "The MCC reacted with incredulity to the Australian messages that the tactics were unsportsmanlike and they felt it was really out of the question that an MCC team led by a gentleman of Douglas Jardine's character could possibly behave in such a manner.

"The archives really do show the feeling was 'Oh, the Australians are being a bit hysterical about it'."

The Bodyline fielding positions - crowding the batsman on the leg-side in the hope of catching deflected balls - were later outlawed

But the situation spiralled. Jardine threatened to withdraw his team from the remaining two matches unless the allegation was retracted.

Stoked by newspaper reports, each country backed its own players.

The standoff only ended when Australian Prime Minister Joseph Lyons told the cricket board a British boycott of Australian goods could cripple the country.

England won the series 4-1. Bradman's batting average was cut to a merely excellent 56. But the shock lasted for years.

'National disdain'

Mr Studham said he felt Bodyline was one of those sporting "rite of passage" stories all Australian children learn about.

"The on-field tactics and resulting carnage at the third Test in Adelaide split already strained relations between the teams, the game's governing authorities, and even threatened to split the governments.

"While perfectly legal at the time, it left lasting ill-feeling in Australia where it was seen to be outside the spirit of the game.

"The fact that a few years later the laws of cricket were amended to ban Bodyline bowling contributed greatly to its continuing national disdain."

Mr Chadwick said: "The MCC did not have any advance warning of the tactics which Jardine was using and wasn't really aware of the impact - all they were getting was newspaper reports and telegraph messages of the score.

"When they saw it for themselves they realised this really wasn't the sort of cricket they had always set themselves up to promote as containing the best values of Britishness and gentlemanly fair play."

Jardine retired from first class cricket the following year. Larwood's agony was more extended.

Hated hero

Injured through over-bowling, he was then stunned at his treatment by cricket's hierarchy.

Mr Hamilton said: "He was totally betrayed by the establishment. They treated him like toxic waste.

"He was asked to apologise and he rightly refused, saying he had done what his captain had asked. He got no support for his injury.

"On his return to Nottingham he was met by cheering crowds 10,000-strong. He went from that to being vilified. The whole thing was a tragedy."

Larwood never played for England again. On the advice of some of his old Bodyline foes, he emigrated to Australia in 1950 - becoming firm friends with Bert Oldfield.

He was appointed MBE in 1993, at the age of 88. A statue of him was unveiled in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, close to his birthplace, in 2002.

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Silica Rule Changes Delayed While Workers Face Health Risks

A worker makes a cut in the side of a sandstone block at the Cleveland Quarries facility in Vermilion, Ohio, earlier this month. The legal limit on the amount of silica that workers can inhale was set decades ago.

Ty Wright/Bloomberg via Getty Images A worker makes a cut in the side of a sandstone block at the Cleveland Quarries facility in Vermilion, Ohio, earlier this month. The legal limit on the amount of silica that workers can inhale was set decades ago.

Ty Wright/Bloomberg via Getty Images

One of the oldest known workplace dangers is breathing in tiny bits of silica, which is basically sand. Even the ancient Greeks knew that stone cutters got sick from breathing in dust. And today, nearly 2 million American workers are exposed to silica dust in jobs ranging from construction to manufacturing.

The legal limit on how much silica workers can inhale was set decades ago. Workplace safety experts say that limit needs to be cut in half — because otherwise, workers face an increased risk of lung cancer, silicosis and other diseases.

And on Valentine's Day in 2011, it looked like a safety agency at the Department of Labor was getting ready to do that. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sent a proposal for new silica rules to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The proposal was supposed to get a 90-day review. But almost two years later, it's still under review.

"There has been incredible delay, inexcusable delay, on protecting workers against silica exposures," says Peg Seminario, director of safety and health for the AFL-CIO, a group of 57 unions that represents more than 12 million workers. She says the push for a new silica rule goes way back.

"We had hoped back under the Bush administration it would move, and it didn't. And then we certainly hoped under the Obama administration that a silica standard would move forward," says Seminario. "Unfortunately, it's been stuck over at OMB and the White House now for two years."

The government's own estimates show the impact of waiting, she says.

"Every year this rule is delayed, another 60 workers will die," says Seminario. "That's deaths. That's not to even look at the numbers of workers who will become sick. We still have thousands of new cases of silicosis every year in this country."

Tom Ward, a 44-year-old mason who lives and works in Michigan, knows just how bad silicosis is. When he was a kid, his dad developed silicosis, after working as a sandblaster. Ward remembers his father coming home one day and collapsing.

"The last day he worked he came in and fell down and pretty much, you know, fell apart basically, and said, 'I can't do it no more,' " says Ward.

This video, produced by the U.S. Department of Labor in an attempt to prevent the occupational disease of silicosis, shows the dangers of exposure to silica dust. It includes the tragic (if not contrived) story of John Steele, "a typical American worker," who was regularly exposed to silica.

His father got the official diagnosis of silicosis at age 34 and died at age 39. "So we watched him slowly suffocate for five years," says Ward.

When Ward grew up and started working as a bricklayer and a mason, he had no idea that the saws and grinders he used were spewing out dust that could expose him to silica — until one day, he took a safety course. "When they went over the respiratory protection is when it really sunk in," recalls Ward. "From that point on, my view on how we cut things at work changed dramatically, to say the least."

He now wonders if he'll develop lung disease. And he worries about the apprentices he teaches at a training center for the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers. He says at construction sites, you can see clouds of dust, but workers aren't going to speak up.

"They're not going to go complain about anything right now, especially with the economic conditions," says Ward. "Everybody is really scared for their job. And they're not going to say a thing about safety."

That's why he wants to see the government take action on silica — to release the proposed rules so they can be publicly debated and then, hopefully, finalized. Last year, he went with other worker advocates to talk with officials at the White House OMB, which is doing the review.

They're not the only ones making their case to officials there. A lot of people don't want to see silica exposure limits cut in half.

Opponents to the new rule include trade associations for the makers of brick, steel and concrete, as well as the producers of sand, stone and gravel. There's also opposition from construction industry groups, like road builders and general contractors.

"The rule would cost manufacturers and the industry as a whole billions of dollars a year that is just not sustainable for manufacturing when employers are looking to hire and create new opportunities for job creation," says Amanda Wood, director of labor and employment policy at the National Association of Manufacturers.

In addition, she points out that silicosis deaths have already dropped more than 90 percent, compared wih decades ago. "So based on these two factors, we do not believe that the rule is necessary," says Wood.

An employee uses a wet saw to cut a slab of sandstone at a Lang Stone Co. facility in Columbus, Ohio, in January. Using water while cutting helps keep dust out of the air.

Ty Wright/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Marc Freedman, executive director of labor law policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, also opposes OSHA's effort on silica: "I think this is an issue that is not appropriate for revision."

And while some have protested the lengthy OMB review, Freedman says it serves as an important check.

"To the extent that there's this final review that makes sure that OSHA has satisfied the requirements they have to satisfy, that's a very valuable step in the process," he says, noting that "once a proposed rule is published, that very much casts the die in terms of what a final rule can look like."

He and others argue that instead of issuing a new rule, the government should better enforce the existing one.

Inspections that check for silica frequently find employers that are breaking the law, says Brian Turmail, a spokesperson for the Associated General Contractors of America.

"They're finding that firms aren't complying with the current limit about a third of a time," says Turmail. "We're going to get a lot more improvement in workplace safety if we just can work together to make it so that everyone can comply with the current standard than we're ever going to get out of changing the standard to a new and even more unattainable level.

"I think we all want to achieve the same thing, which is a safer workplace," says Turmail, who notes that the employers in his association care about their workers' health. "Our concern is that OSHA's approach isn't going to be effective."

But the guy who runs the Department of Labor's safety agency, OSHA, doesn't buy the arguments from industry.

David Michaels, an epidemiologist who serves as director of OSHA, says the current silica standard is not good enough.

"Even if 100 percent of employers kept exposures at the current standard, silica-exposed workers would still be at increased risk for lung cancer, silicosis and chronic obstructive lung disease," says Michaels.

Exposures have dropped compared with the "terrible" exposures decades ago, says Michaels, "but still there are plenty of people exposed to dangerous levels, and we can't ignore that."

And he says the changes his agency wants will not result in lost jobs. "There will be people who will say that our proposal will hurt employment in the United States, and that's simply not true," says Michaels. "We've looked at the industry analyses, and they're wrong."

Michaels is well aware that some worker advocates are frustrated that the White House review has gone on for almost two years

"Look, I sympathize with those advocates," says Michaels. "The process that the law requires us to go through is a very long and complicated one."

He explains that OSHA has to do extensive studies to show that every industry can comply with the proposed rules without hurting their bottom lines.

"And that's what we've been doing. We've now finished that process," says Michaels. "And we're confident that our proposal meets these requirements."

He expects the proposal to be made public this spring. A spokesperson for OMB said it does not comment on rules under review.

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Stone Age Stew? Soup Making May Be Older Than We'd Thought

The tradition of making soup is probably at least 25,000 years old, says one archaeologist.

iStockphoto.com The tradition of making soup is probably at least 25,000 years old, says one archaeologist.

iStockphoto.com

Soup comes in many variations — chicken noodle, creamy tomato, potato and leek, to name a few. But through much of human history, soup was much simpler, requiring nothing more than boiling a haunch of meat or other chunk of food in water to create a warm, nourishing broth.

So who concocted that first bowl of soup?

Most sources state that soup making did not become commonplace until somewhere between 5,000 and 9,000 years ago. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America says, for example, "boiling was not a commonly used cooking technique until the invention of waterproof and heatproof containers about five thousand years ago."

That's probably wrong — by at least 15,000 years.

It now looks like waterproof and heatproof containers were invented much earlier than previously thought. Harvard University archaeologist Ofer Bar-Yosef and colleagues reported last year in Science on their finding of 20,000-year-old pottery from a cave in China. "When you look at the pots, you can see that they were in a fire," Bar-Yosef says.

Their discovery is possibly the world's oldest-known cookware, but exactly what its users were brewing up isn't certain. Perhaps it was alcohol, or maybe it was soup. Whatever it was, the discovery shows that waterproof, heatproof containers are far older than a mere 5,000 years.

That kind of container, though, isn't even necessary for boiling. An ancient soup maker could have simply dug a pit, lined it with animal skin or gut, filled his "pot" with water and dropped in some hot rocks.

The power of the expanding steam cracks the rocks, a distinct characteristic that first shows up in the archaeological record around 25,000 years ago in Western Europe, says archaeologist John Speth, an emeritus professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

But Speth says boiling, and soup, could be even older.

He started thinking about ancient boiling after watching an episode of the television show "Survivorman," in which host Les Stroud boils water in a plastic container. "You can boil without using heated stones," Speth realized. All you need is a waterproof container suspended over a fire — the water inside keeps the material from burning.

Long-ago cooks could have fashioned such a container from tree bark or the hide of an animal, Speth says. Finding evidence of such boiling, though, would be incredibly difficult because those types of materials usually don't get preserved in the archaeological record.

Speth has argued that Neanderthals, ancient human relatives that lived from around 200,000 to 28,000 years ago, would have needed boiling technology to render fat from animal bones to supplement their diet of lean meat, so that they could have avoided death by protein poisoning.

The kidneys and liver are limited in how much protein they can process in a day — when more than that amount is consumed, ammonia or urea levels in the blood can increase, leading to headaches, fatigue and even death. So humans must get more than half their calories from fat and carbohydrates.

If Neanderthals were boiling bones to obtain the fat, they could have drunk the resulting broth, Speth says.

Neanderthals were probably cooking in some way, scientists have concluded. A 2011 study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found evidence of cooked starch grains embedded in 46,000-year-old fossil Neanderthal teeth from Iraq.

"This doesn't prove that they were making soups or stews," Speth says — some have suggested the meal would have resembled oatmeal — "but I would say it's quite likely."

Putting a date on the world's first bowl of soup is probably impossible. Anthropologists haven't been able to determine for certain when man was first able to control fire, or when cooking itself was invented (though it was likely more than 300,000 years ago, before Homo sapiens first emerged, Harvard primatologist Richard Wrangham says in his book Catching Fire).

And the story is probably different for people in different parts of the world. It appears that pottery was invented in eastern Asia thousands of years before it emerged in western Asia, Bar-Yosef notes. "Maybe boiling wasn't so important because you had bread" in the West to balance out all that protein, he says.

Other parts of the world never had any tradition of boiling food. "A lot of hunter-gatherers didn't use containers at all," Speth says. In places like Tanzania and the Kalahari, there are tribes that didn't boil water until after Europeans arrived.

Speth says, though, it's very likely that humans were concocting soup at least 25,000 years ago in some places. Whether our ancestors were boiling up broth before that — well, we'll just have to wait and see what the archaeologists dig up.

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Pakistan worth the risk - Mustard

Ex-England wicketkeeper Phil Mustard says he wants to play in the Pakistan Super League despite safety warnings.

The international players' union (Fica) described the security situation in Pakistan as "unmanageable".

But with top players being offered $100,000 (£63,000) for the two-week tournament, Mustard believes the rewards outweigh the risks.

"I'd like to think that over the two weeks I could make a name for myself," Mustard told BBC Sport.

"But it's an auction-based thing and I'm not going to go over to Pakistan and risk a few things for less than $100,000."

Venue: Lahore Dates: 25 March-7 April Teams: Five Matches: 23 Player salaries: Diamond £63,000, Platinum £47,500, Gold £31,500, Silver £16,000, Emerging £3,000-6,500 Fica and England's Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) have called on players to avoid the 25 March-7 April competition because of concerns over security in Pakistan, which has not hosted international cricket since gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka team bus in 2009.

The governing bodies of Australia and South Africa have both indicated that they would not support contracted players taking part.

But Durham's Mustard, 30, says he has been reassured by conversations with fellow players and officials at the Bangladesh Premier League, where he is currently competing for the Barisal Burners.

"It only came to my attention about a week ago," said Mustard, a big-hitting keeper-batsman who played 10 one-day internationals in 2007 and 2008 and has recently played Twenty20 cricket in New Zealand and Zimbabwe.

"My agent got in touch and asked if I would be interested in going. My first instinct was 'no' but in Bangladesh I have spoken to a couple of the Pakistan players and a couple of guys from the ICC [International Cricket Council].

"They say it is all going to go ahead and the security is going to be amazing. There are going to be bullet-proof buses and everything else."

M Ilyas Khan BBC News, Islamabad

"The Pakistan Cricket Board is all set to kick off the Pakistan Super League which it hopes will break a three-year long drought of international cricket in the country. Lahore, where the league will be played, is by far the most peaceful urban centre by Pakistani standards. In addition, ensuring the players' security will be a matter of prestige for the provincial government there, which faces elections in three months' time.

"But concerns will remain. Lahore has had its share of militant attacks, including the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team that ended international cricket in Pakistan. The PCB has been keen to revive the game, but has faced difficulties. The Bangladesh team declined a tour of Pakistan twice, citing security concerns, and an unofficial tour by a World XI in October did little to revive the confidence of international cricket bodies. "

Mustard, who is married with two children, aged six and four, says his wife has been supportive of his decision.

"She is pretty happy for me to go and if she's happy I'm happy," he said. "The money does really help me and the family."

Mustard is one of a number of English county players weighing up whether to enter the player auction on 24 February, which organisers say will feature at least 50 overseas players.

Former England fast bowler Ajmal Shahzad, Leicestershire and Ireland wicketkeeper Niall O'Brien, Lancashire's Kabir Ali and Mooen Ali of Worcestershire are all believed to be interested in taking part.

In order to compete, however, any player contracted to an English county will need a No Objection Certificate (NOCs) signed off by their club and the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

The PCA is believed to be urging the ECB to reject NOCs, but the English board is eager for the counties to take the lead.

Durham said they were unlikely to grant him permission to play in the tournament because it finishes three days before the start of the County Championship season.

"We have had a clear indication from the PCA and the ECB that there were genuine safety concerns but in that respect it should ultimately be Phil's final call," chief executive David Harker told BBC Sport.

"However, from a pure cricketing point of view the timing isn't good and we are likely to decline more because of the potential interference with the start of our season."

Should other counties follow Durham's lead, the Pakistan Super League could take place without any players from England, Australia or South Africa, a situation that would disappoint Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi.

"Pakistan cricket is suffering because of non-cooperation and it is high time that other nations contribute to our efforts," he said. "Don't leave us alone,"

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No envy over IPL riches - Stewart

The huge sums of money flying around in Sunday's Indian Premier League auction raised a few eyebrows once again, not least among the players themselves.

Apparently, Chris Morris - a South African seamer with only one Twenty20 international to his name - watched the live auction in disbelief on a laptop with his Highveld Lions team-mates as the asking price for his signature rose from a base price of around £12,500 to the £400,000 Chennai Super Kings ended up paying.

"I have never in my life seen this much money," he was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell was snapped up by Mumbai Indians for £635,000 - $1m - and Pune Warriors paid £445,000 for the services of his compatriot Kane Richardson, a 21-year-old fast bowler who only made his one-day international debut in January.

$1m - Glenn Maxwell (Australia, pictured) to Mumbai Indians $725,000 - Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka) to Pune Warriors $700,000 - Kane Richardson (Australia) to Pune Warriors $675,000 - Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka) to Sunrisers Hyderabad $625,000 - Chris Morris (South Africa) to Chennai Super Kings $600,000 - Dirk Nannes (Australia) to Chennai Super Kings $400,000 - Ricky Ponting (Australia) to Mumbai Indians $400,000 - Michael Clarke (Australia) to Pune Warriors Unsold: Matt Prior & Ravi Bopara (England), Vernon Philander (South Africa), Matthew Wade (Australia) It would be easy for me, and other former international cricketers, to feel a little bitter about the sums of money on offer to players who still have it all to prove in the international arena but I honestly don't see it that way.

These are promising young cricketers who have shown a flair in domestic Twenty20 cricket and have been identified by the owners and coach of these franchises as potential match-winners.

The players have no control over the sums of money that is eventually put on their head and I think you would be hard-pushed to find a player who is going to turn it down on the grounds that they don't believe they are worth it!

In all walks of life, things change with the times. Just as the salaries being paid to today's Premier League footballers bear no resemblance to those that were paid in the top-flight 20 years ago, cricketers now have the chance to earn more in a matter of weeks than what some players of my generation would have earned in their entire careers.

It's the way of the world and I think it's great that the cricketers of today and hopefully those of tomorrow have a chance to earn the big bucks.

I saw it as a great honour to have represented England over a 10-year period but if the IPL had been around during my time, I would have liked the opportunity to have sampled the tournament and at the same time hoped that I may have been snapped up for a decent price!

While franchises were breaking the bank to sign players like Maxwell and Richardson, I was not surprised to see English duo Matt Prior and Ravi Bopara go unsold despite their relatively modest base prices of £125,000 and £63,000 respectively.

The fact that they are only able to play for half of the IPL season due to the restrictions of their ECB central and incremental contracts respectively makes them far less attractive prospects than their equivalents from other countries who are available for the entirety of the competition.

With the majority of IPL coaches emanating from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand it also means that the lesser quality players from those countries who are already well known to the respective coaches have a head start on their English counterparts.

Frustrating as it may be to the likes of Prior and Bopara, the ECB are absolutely right to insist that international cricket comes first. They have a responsibility to make England the very best in all forms of the game. Once a player signs a central contract they have to understand that playing for England comes first.

Over in Australia, there's a debate raging over whether Test and one-day captain Michael Clarke should be taking part in the IPL rather than taking an opportunity to recharge his batteries before the Champions Trophy and Ashes.

Clarke was signed by Pune Warriors for his base price of £250,000 and will now only have 14 days off in a four-month period between the start of the India tour on 18 February and the beginning of the Ashes on 10 July.

To me this is simply a contractual issue - if Clarke's contract allows him to play a full IPL season then he has done nothing wrong. If he had taken then time off, people would no doubt be moaning about why he felt he needed a rest.

Clarke will be judged on how he performs on the field. If he leads Australia to success in the Ashes, people will probably see his spell in the IPL as a masterstroke.

That is a big "if", however!

If there was an auction of Test match players I'm pretty sure Dale Steyn's price would be off the scale. The South African's performance in taking 11-60 against Pakistan in Johannesburg was as good a quick bowling display as you could wish to see. He has genuine pace, swings the ball away from the right-hander and bowls that searching line and length in and around off-stump.

Steyn has an incredible bowling average of 8.75 from his three Tests this year and has proved himself more than worthy of his number one position in the bowling rankings. He would sit comfortably alongside the greats of my era such as Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose and Wasim Akram.

To play 100 Test matches is a great achievement in itself but to captain in 100 is unbelievable. The pressures and responsibilities that come with captaincy wear most players down but South Africa skipper Graeme Smith just seems to go from strength to strength and there's no reason to believe he won't set a record that may never be broken.

He is a natural leader and a very impressive individual and I'm looking forward to having him leading Surrey over the next three years.

Alec Stewart was speaking to BBC Sport's Sam Sheringham.

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VIDEO: England women ready for World Cup

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VIDEO: Chanderpaul a legend - Krikken

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Tsunami Debris On Alaska's Shores Like 'Standing In Landfill'

Trash, much of it believed to be debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami, litters the beach on Montague Island, Alaska, on Jan. 26.

Annie Feidt for NPR Trash, much of it believed to be debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami, litters the beach on Montague Island, Alaska, on Jan. 26.

Annie Feidt for NPR

Refrigerators, foam buoys and even ketchup bottles are piling up on Alaska's beaches. Almost two years after the devastating Japanese tsunami, its debris and rubbish are fouling the coastlines of many states — especially in Alaska.

At the state's Montague Island beach, the nearly 80 miles of rugged wilderness looks pristine from a helicopter a few thousand feet up. But when you descend, globs of foam come into view.

Chris Pallister, president of the nonprofit Gulf of Alaska Keeper, has been cleaning up debris that washes onto Alaska's shores for the past 11 years. Marine debris isn't a new issue for the state, but he says his job got a whole lot harder when the tsunami wreckage began arriving last spring.

"You're basically standing in landfill out here," he says, shaking his head in disgust.

He points to an area scattered with foam bits smaller than packing peanuts.

"This is what we're worried about. This Styrofoam is just going to get all ground up, and you can see there would just be billions and trillions of little bits of Styrofoam scattered all over everything," Pallister says.

Environmental Concerns

The trash isn't just an eyesore. Pallister says birds, rodents and even bears are eating the pieces of foam. Chemicals are also a worry. Among the debris, Pallister finds containers that held kerosene, gas and other petroleum products.

Chris Pallister examines a bottle of what he believes could be a household chemical item on Montague Island.

Annie Feidt for NPR Chris Pallister examines a bottle of what he believes could be a household chemical item on Montague Island.

Annie Feidt for NPR

Sifting through the mess, he picks up a small blue bottle and unscrews the cap.

"I have no idea what this was. It looks like dish soap maybe," Pallister says. "But there's thousands of bottles like this up and down the coast, from small household chemical items to big industrial-size drums."

Last summer, the state paid for an aerial survey to inspect 2,500 miles of Alaska's coastline. Elaine Busse Floyd, who's with the state's Department of Environmental Conservation, says there was tsunami debris on every beach photographed.

"They took over 8,000 pictures, and it was more widespread and in greater quantities than we even expected," Floyd says.

But, officially, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recorded just five tsunami debris items in Alaska. The agency will only confirm an object if it has a unique identifier that can be traced back to Japan.

Limited Financial Support

Environmental activists and people like Pallister still maintain that the trash isn't being taken seriously enough.

So far, there has been little money for cleanup. Alaska's congressional delegation is working to get federal funds, but tsunami debris cleanup money was recently stripped from a bill for Hurricane Sandy relief.

Pallister admits that the tsunami debris doesn't have the visceral impact of the Exxon Valdez spill. There are no oiled otters or blackened coastlines. But the debris, he says, could be a big environmental disaster in the long run.

"In a lot of ways, it's a lot worse than the oil spill," Pallister says, "both in the geographic scope of it and the chemicals that are coming with it. And who knows what the impacts are going to be?"

If funding does comes through soon, Pallister hopes to be back on the beach this summer, slinging loads of debris and rubbish onto a barge and off the wild coastline.

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VIDEO: Meet the England women's cricket team

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We've proved Raj wrong - Brunt

By Stephan Shemilt BBC Sport in Mumbai Venues: Mumbai and Cuttack, IndiaDates: 31 January to 17 FebruaryCoverage: Ball-by-ball commentary on all of England's games and the final on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra & online; live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & mobiles

Pace bowler Katherine Brunt says England's 32-run World Cup win over India proved hosts' captain Mithali Raj wrong.

On Saturday, Raj said that the defending champions' bowling was "not very strong" and dependent on Brunt.

"It's back in her face now," Brunt, who took 4-29 in Mumbai, told BBC Sport.

"We were keen to win this match but that gave us extra fire. I'm protective of my team because they are fantastic cricketers who deserve more credit."

The 27-year-old Yorkshire pacer added: "We all wanted to come out here and show that we're a whole bowling unit."

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“The girls saw me moping around on Friday night, but I got over it and I knew it was really important for us to be positive”

Katherine Brunt England bowler England were indebted to Charlotte Edwards for their total of 272-8. The captain hit 109 to become the highest run-scorer in women's one-day internationals.

The home side were then reduced to 29-3 by Brunt and Anya Shrubsole and, although Harmanpreet Kaur struck an unbeaten century, India fell short on 240-9.

"It was important I was out there for the team, leading from the front is very important to me," said Edwards.

"I was pleased I went on and scored a big hundred, hopefully I can carry that on for the rest of the tournament."

England's win over India goes some way to erasing the shock one-wicket defeat by Sri Lanka in their opening game of the tournament.

Indeed, if England beat West Indies in their final group game on Tuesday, they can still carry the maximum four points to the Super Six stage.

"To start the tournament in the manner we did we really hurt me," continued 33-year-old Kent batter Edwards.

"The girls saw me moping around on Friday night, but I got over it and I knew it was really important for us to be positive today.

"Today was about character, coming out and improving on Friday and that's certainly what we did.

"We are back to the England side I know and we've got to keep that standard now."

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Why You Love That Ikea Table, Even If It's Crooked

Building your own stuff boosts your feelings of pride and competence, and also signals to others that you are competent.

iStockphoto.com

Have you ever spent a couple of hours working on a craft project — or a presentation for work — and then fallen in love with what you've accomplished? Do the colors you've picked for your PowerPoint background pop so beautifully that you just have to sit back and admire your own genius?

If so, get in line: You're the latest person to fall victim to the Ikea Effect.

The name for this psychological phenomenon derives from the love millions of Americans display toward their self-assembled furniture (or, dare we say it, their badly self-assembled furniture) from the do-it-yourself store with the Scandinavian name.

"Imagine that, you know, you built a table," said Daniel Mochon, a Tulane University marketing professor, who has studied the phenomenon. "Maybe it came out a little bit crooked. Probably your wife or your neighbor would see it for what it is, you know? A shoddy piece of workmanship. But to you that table might seem really great, because you're the one who created it. It's the fruit of your labor. And that is really the idea behind the Ikea Effect."

Most of us intuitively believe that the things we labor at are the things we love. Mochon and his colleagues, Michael Norton at the Harvard Business School and Dan Ariely at Duke University, have turned that concept on its head. What if, they asked, it isn't love that leads to labor, but labor that leads to love?

In a series of experiments, they have demonstrated that people attach greater value to things they built than if the very same product was built by someone else. And in new experiments published recently, they've discovered why it happens: Building your own stuff boosts your feelings of pride and competence, and also signals to others that you are competent.

There is an insidious element here: People made to feel incompetent may be more vulnerable to the Ikea Effect. On the other hand, Mochon has found, when people are given a self-esteem boost, they appear to be less interested in demonstrating to themselves and to others that they are competent.

I asked Mochon whether this meant that stores such as Ikea could boost sales by asking people to solve very difficult math problems when they walked into the store. Might defeated consumers be willing to buy more do-it-yourself furniture, to demonstrate to themselves and their families that they really aren't incompetent?

Listen to part of my interview with Mochon:

"It would definitely be a risky strategy," Mochon replied. "If consumers ever found out that Ikea was making them feel dumb just to sell more tables, I'm not sure what the backlash would be against Ikea."

(I offered to help Mochon run the experiment: Give people who come to Ikea easy and hard math problems, and then measure whether the people given hard problems come out from the store an hour later with more purchases than the people given easy problems. Stay tuned.)

Seriously, though, Mochon's experiments actually have serious big-picture implications. The world over, companies and managers fall in love with their own ideas — and reject better ideas from the outside because they were not designed in-house.

"If I am sticking to a project and I have been working on it for a year or two, I might think this project really is a good idea," Mochon said. "So while someone external might look at my project and say, 'You know, that's a failed project, I'm not sure you should be spending time on it,' because it is the fruit of my own labor, because of the Ikea Effect, I might think that it is much better than it really is."

It's a good reason — and this is true whether you are running a big complicated project involving millions of dollars or finishing a third-grade craft project — to have someone from the outside, who isn't invested in you or your work, give you some objective feedback before you show your project to the world.

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Women's World Cup tournament guide

The Women's World Cup has been running since 1973 - longer than the men's event, which did not start until 1975.

For the 10th edition of the tournament - and the third hosted by India - which starts on 31 January, the format is unchanged from the 2009 event, with eight teams divided into two groups of four.

Meet the England women's cricket team

Each team plays the other three teams in its group once on a round-robin format, with the top three teams in each group qualifying for the Super Six phase.

In the Super Six, each team plays three games against the qualifiers from the other group, while carrying through their results against the other qualifiers from their original group.

There are no semi-finals - the first and second-placed Super Six teams progress straight to the final on 17 February, while there are also play-offs for third/fourth, fifth/sixth and seventh/eighth place.

Here is the lowdown on the eight competing teams, their tournament history, prospects for the competition and the players to keep an eye on.

Tournament history: Winners in 1973, 1993 and 2009, having been runners-up on three successive occasions in 1978, 1982 and 1988.

Last time out: Winners. Easily won their first five games, only losing one game to Australia when their place in the final was already secured, and beat New Zealand in the final.

Recent ODI form: Came from 2-0 down to beat India 3-2 in their last 50-over series, in July 2012.

Colvin was one of the leading wicket-takers at last year's World Twenty20

Did you know? Captain Charlotte Edwards is the most-capped player in women's one-day internationals, with 160 appearances including 86 as captain. However, she is 15 short of the all-time women's ODI captaincy record, held by Australia legend Belinda Clark.

Player to watch: While wicketkeeper/batter Sarah Taylor has taken the headlines after it emerged she could play men's county second XI cricket this summer, her Sussex team-mate Holly Colvin has also been invited to train with the men's second team. Still only 23, the left-arm spinner has played an increasingly important role in the England attack and was one of the leading wicket-takers at the World Twenty20. Having hit the winning run in the 2009 World Cup final, she has also shown steady improvement with the bat, when called upon.

Verdict: Led well by captain Edwards and coach Mark Lane, they have one of the most exciting talents in world cricket in Sarah Taylor, while Lydia Greenway is the star of a slick fielding unit. The spinners will have a key role to play, while pace bowler Katherine Brunt is a wicket-taking threat with the new ball. The cup holders will settle for nothing less than retaining the trophy they won in Sydney four years ago - though Australia may stand in their way again.

Tournament history: Their best finish was as runners-up to Australia in 2005.

Last time out: Third. Their only defeats were by finalists England and New Zealand, and two wins over Australia ensured they pipped the Southern Stars to third place.

Recent ODI form: Lost 3-2 to England, having led 2-0, in their last ODIs in July 2012.

Raut made her international debut against West Indies during the last World Cup in 2009

Did you know? Wicketkeeper Karu Jain from Bangalore is back in the India squad after more than four years in the international wilderness - having played the last of her 37 ODIs against England in September 2008.

Player to watch: With India's fortunes often relying on captain Mithali Raj to lead from the front with the bat, opener Poonam Raut has a key role to play in taking some pressure off the skipper in getting runs on the board.

Verdict: Tournament hosts for the third time, a Super Six place should be the minimum India will expect. Should be comfortable playing on home soil, but will still face an uphill struggle to make the final ahead of England, Australia and New Zealand.

Tournament history: Finished fifth in 2005 and 2009, their best performances in the 50-over format.

Last time out: Fifth. Beat South Africa in the 2009 group stage, lost all their Super Six games but beat Pakistan to fifth spot.

Recent ODI form: Came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with South Africa on home soil in January.

Taylor has won two International Cricket Council cricketer of the year awards

Did you know? Barbados wicketkeeper Kycia Knight has recently been joined in the Windies squad by her twin sister Kyshona. Team-mate Anisa Mohammed also has a cricketing twin sister, Alisa, who has played for Trinidad & Tobago but has not yet received an international call-up.

Player to watch: Opener Stafanie Taylor has been the ICC's reigning women's ODI cricketer of the year for the last two years, setting the tone with some powerful hitting at the top of the order and providing a good platform for Deandra Dottin and skipper Merissa Aguilleira.

Verdict: Qualification for the Super Six should not be a problem for West Indies, but their further progress may depend on whether they can get their hard-hitting batting line-up to fire on a consistent basis as the tournament goes on.

Tournament history: Quarter-finalists in 1997, their best finish was sixth in 2000.

Last time out: Eighth. Picked up the wooden spoon in 2009, losing all three group games and the seventh-place play-off to South Africa.

Recent ODI form: Their last ODI series was way back in April 2012, losing 2-1 to West Indies in the Caribbean.

Siriwardene has captained Sri Lanka in 34 of her 61 one-day internationals

Did you know? All-rounder and former captain Chamani Seneviratna is Sri Lanka's most-capped player in one-day internationals, having played 67 games since her debut in 1997, a few days after her 19th birthday.

Player to watch: Captain Shashikala Siriwardene, who made her international debut just under a decade ago, has a key role to play, both in the middle order and as a front-line off-spinner.

Verdict: Will be Group A's outsiders, but if they can cause a shock against West Indies - as they did with a Duckworth-Lewis success at the World Twenty20 - then they could sneak into the Super Six.

Tournament history: The most successful side in World Cup history - winners in 1978, 1982, 1988, 1997 and 2005, and runners-up in 1973 and 2000.

Last time out: Fourth. As hosts, won two of their 2009 group games and were the only team to beat eventual winners England (in the Super Six) but lost to India twice, including the play-off for third place.

Recent ODI form: Beat New Zealand 3-1 in their Rose Bowl series in mid-December.

Meg Lanning has scored three ODI centuries; the Australian record is held by Karen Rolton, with eight

Did you know? Off-spinning all-rounder Lisa Sthalekar, who was born in India, is the ICC's top-ranked female bowler (and top all-rounder) in Twenty20 international cricket. She is second behind England's Katherine Brunt in the ODI bowling rankings, and second in the all-rounder charts behind West Indies' Stafanie Taylor.

Player to watch: Opener Meg Lanning is in top form, hitting 87, 72, 103 and 38 in the four-match ODI series against New Zealand before smashing 76 and 64 in two T20 games against the same opposition. The 20-year-old, who made her debut just over two years ago, averages 50 in one-day international cricket.

Verdict: Will be targeting their second world title in four months after pipping England to the World Twenty20 in October. A strong all-round side have the potential to go all the way again

Tournament history: Winners in 2000, runners-up in 1993, 1997 and 2009.

Last time out: Runners-up. Eased through the group stage with a 100% record and finished top of the Super Six table after only one defeat, by England - who beat them again in the final.

Recent ODI form: Lost 3-1 to Australia in their Rose Bowl series in mid-December.

Bates represented New Zealand at basketball in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing

Did you know? Lucy Doolan displayed her all-round cricketing skills in two matches against England at the last World Cup. In the Super Six, she took over as wicketkeeper after Rachel Priest was hit in the face, took a catch behind the stumps, then bowled six overs after Priest returned. Then in the final, Doolan top scored with 48, batting at number nine, before taking 3-23 from 10 overs of off-spin.

Player to watch: White Ferns captain Suzie Bates will enter the tournament on a good run of form with the bat, having made 38, 122 not out, 59, 49 and 54 in her last five ODI innings.

Verdict: Will be determined to add to that solitary ICC global tournament win in 2000 - having been perennial losing finalists or semi-finalists in recent years. Should have no difficulty in making the Super Six, but may have to beat either England or Australia to reach the final at their expense.

Tournament history: Their best finish was sixth in 2009.

Last time out: Sixth. Beat Sri Lanka in the group stage, beat West Indies in the Super Six but lost to them in the play-off for fifth.

Recent ODI form: Won a tri-series against Ireland and Bangladesh in Dublin in August 2012.

Pakistan will be competing at their third World Cup

Did you know? Pakistan have only competed at two previous Women's World Cup tournaments, losing all five games in 1997 - the last time India hosted the event.

Player to watch: With spin likely to play a big role in the tournament, slow left-armer Sadia Yousuf, who was their joint leading wicket-taker at the World Twenty20, can expect plenty of bowling for Pakistan.

Verdict: With their preparations disrupted by their games being switched to Cuttack following political protests in Mumbai about their involvement, the build-up has not been easy for Pakistan. Realistically, they must target the game with South Africa, with the winner likely to reach the Super Six phase.

Tournament history: Their best performance came when they reached the semi-finals in 2000.

Last time out: Seventh. Lost all three group games in 2009, before beating Sri Lanka in the play-off for seventh.

Recent ODI form: Drew 2-2 with West Indies in January, having won the first two games.

Brits captained South Africa at the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean in 2010

Did you know: South Africa are the only team to have hosted a World Cup and failed to finish in the top four on home soil - coming sixth in 2005.

Player to watch: Former captain Cri-zelda Brits is another player who has returned after taking a year's break from international cricket. Her experience of more than a decade at the top level will be a vital part of South Africa' middle order.

Verdict: Will take heart from their recent performances in the Caribbean. If they can beat Pakistan, they should reach the Super Six, which would be an achievement in itself.

Statistics correct at the start of the tournament

BBC Radio 5 live sports extra will have ball-by-ball commentary on all of England's games and the final at the ICC Women's World Cup, with live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and mobiles.

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