Alastair Cook proves his point

Alastair Cook proved nothing new to himself but much, he hopes, to plenty of others as he led England to a 10-wicket NatWest Series-levelling victory.

England's new 50-over captain has come in for much flak over his perceived inability to up his tempo adequately at the top of the order in the shorter formats.
But after his necessarily watchful hundred in Sunday's defeat at Lord's, he cracked 16 fours from 75 balls in an unbeaten 95 as he and Craig Kieswetter made no mistakes in response to Sri Lanka's inadequate 174.
James Anderson (three for 24) was primarily responsible for the tourists missing their total - despite Kumar Sangakkara's 75 - and Cook and Kieswetter (72no) then made a nonsense of a revised target of 171, to complete the job with almost 25 overs to spare.
"It's very rewarding, for all the hard work I've been putting in," said Cook.
"I've always known I can play the one-day game; it's just a matter of trying to prove it to people.
"If I can keep batting like that, at that tempo - which I've shown this series - it holds me in good stead."
Cook was not tempted either to take Kieswetter up on his offer to help him reach his third one-day international hundred.
He had been critical of Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews shepherding youngster Dinesh Chandimal to his hundred as Sri Lanka coasted home at Lord's - and was not about to be part of something similar in Nottingham.
"Everyone enjoys a 'red-ink' - so watching Kiesy hit a six and a two was pleasing," he said.
"He did ask, which is fair enough. But this is the way we want to play our cricket, and proves that the team is always more important than those personal milestones.
"He just said 'Shall I look for ones, or hit a six?' So he hit a six."
The outcome was only ever in doubt - after Anderson and his fellow seamers Jade Dernbach (three for 38), Tim Bresnan and Stuart Broad had hustled Sri Lanka out so cheaply - because of the threat of rain.
But England's openers were unfazed by the gathering clouds, which in the end did not deliver.
"When you win by 10 wickets and play as well as that, it doesn't get much better," added Cook.
"The way we bowled up front obviously put us on the front foot, and then I thought that catch Bresnan took changed the game - because they were getting a partnership going.
"Then the way Jade bowled in the powerplay - an area where we haven't done well and can improve our skills in - was very good as well."
As for Anderson's uncanny knack of taking wickets at this venue, Cook said: "I honestly don't know why he does it as well as that. He just loves it here. It must be his favourite ground."
Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan was Anderson's first victim.
He said: "He bowled really well, and used the conditions.
"They took three wickets in the first six overs, and it pushed us back after that.
"But if somebody had batted really well in the middle order we could have passed 250. Then it might have been a different story."