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As many as eight spinners will make the trip, including Rehan Ahmed and Josh De Caires

Vithushan Ehantharajah17-Oct-2023The ECB has announced a spin-heavy England Lions training squad for a winter training camp in the UAE next month. Ten players have been drafted into the second-tier set-up for the first time.With the England men’s Test side travelling to India for a five-match series in January, eight spinners have been selected for this trip. These include Leicestershire’s Rehan Ahmed, who made his Test debut against Pakistan last winter, and Middlesex offspinner Josh De Caires, earning his first Lions call after taking 27 Division One wickets at 25.59.Other notable inclusions are Tom Lawes, whose 30 dismissals helped Surrey to the County Championship, and Somerset’s James Rew, who struck five centuries among 1086 runs, which earned him the PCA Young Player of the Year award. Fast bowlers Matthew Fisher, Matthew Potts, Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse, all of whom have international caps to their name, will also attend the camp, which runs from November 16 to December 7.The aim of the three weeks is as much to reward performances over the last season as it is to understand the depth of England’s pathway. Those selected are deemed “high potential players” and will focus primarily on developing red-ball skills, closely aligned to England’s future requirements ahead of the subcontinent tour at the start of 2024. Lancashire’s Tom Hartley and Sussex’s Jack Carson – left-arm orthodox and offbreak bowlers, respectively – are two such players who could be considered for the Test tour. Hartley made his England debut during the recent ODI series with Ireland, while Carson took 31 wickets this season.The focus on spinners in the short term is vital given the lack of options following Moeen Ali’s Test retirement at the end of the Ashes, and with Adil Rashid focussing solely on white-ball cricket. Lead spinner Jack Leach is continuing his recovery from a back stress fracture sustained at the start of the summer.Players and counties were consulted around selection, with several players not selected either because of pre-existing commitments or other opportunities overseas deemed more beneficial to their individual needs.England men’s performance director Mo Bobat said, “At the end of an enjoyable season and after close dialogue with players and counties, it’s exciting to confirm our group that will travel to Abu Dhabi for a training camp later this year.”The camp will provide an excellent opportunity for the players to develop their red ball game and allow us to learn more about them as people and players.”In selecting the group, we’ve carefully considered England’s short and long-term needs in Test cricket, particularly with sub-continent challenges in mind.”It’s quite a large group and it’s great that we can support player development in this way for what should be a fun camp.”The coaching and mentoring group accompanying the party will be announced in due course.England Lions training group: Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), George Balderson (Lancashire), Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Josh Bohannon (Lancashire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Jack Carson (Sussex), James Coles (Sussex), Josh De Caires (Middlesex), Matthew Fisher (Yorkshire), Tom Hartley (Lancashire), Lyndon James (Nottinghamshire), Tom Lawes (Surrey), Dan Mousley (Warwickshire), Callum Parkinson (Durham), Matthew Potts (Durham), Rishi Patel (Leicestershire), Ollie Price (Gloucestershire), James Rew (Somerset), Ollie Robinson (Durham), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire), John Turner (Hampshire)

Runs galore at Grace Road as Clarke, Hameed make fifties in reply to 440

ECB Reporters Network13-Jun-2022Nottinghamshire 373 for 5 (Duckett 145, Clarke 89, Hameed 59) trail Leicestershire 440 (Ackermann 116, Hill 104, Patterson-White 3-37) by 67 runs Ben Duckett made 145 and there were half-centuries for Joe Clarke and Haseeb Hameed as Nottinghamshire built a strong response after Leicestershire posted a season’s-best 440 all out on day two of their LV= Insurance County Championship match at the Uptonsteel County Ground.Clarke made 89 after he and Duckett had shared a partnership of 198 for the third wicket on a pitch that offered the home side’s bowlers little margin for error, but they made inroads in the final session to leave Nottinghamshire 373 for five at the close, still 67 runs behind..Duckett’s century was his second of the season and his best so far, although it ended with a somewhat bizarre dismissal.He accumulated 21 boundaries, indulging his penchant for pulls and cuts when offered even a modicum of width, but hitting straight balls to the fence too. Yet after delivering such a high-quality performance, he was bowled by left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson attempting a switch hit.Up to then he had brought only frustration to the Leicestershire bowlers, although earlier it had been Nottinghamshire’s turn to suffer as Leicestershire, having slept on what was already their highest score of the season, scored another 100 runs at five an over before surrendering their last two wickets, collecting five batting bonus points for the first time this season.Nine down when Chris Wright fell in the fifth over of the day with the fourth point only just secured, it was an admirable effort led by all-rounder Ben Mike, who hit 78 off 100 balls as he and last man Will Davis added 89, a record for Leicestershire’s 10th wicket against Nottinghamshire.Mike cracked sixes off James Pattinson and Brett Hutton in going past fifty for the third time this season as the fifth point was claimed with eight balls to spare. Davis finished unbeaten on 32 with Mike running up nine fours before falling to a well-judged catch at long on.Yet Nottinghamshire could not have set about their response in a more purposeful way, scoring at almost six an over for the first 90 minutes of the afternoon session, with barely an over allowed to go by without at least one boundary.Ben Slater feathered a catch behind off a good, straight ball from Wiaan Mulder but Hameed looked in superb touch. He raced to fifty off 48 balls and it was a real surprise when he was bowled by Mike offering no shot.Clarke was quickly into his stride and although the scoring slowed down a little in the run-up to tea, it was only a brief respite. Duckett, having gone to the break at 98, cut Mulder for his 17th boundary shortly afterwards to move into three figures from just 112 balls. You would not have bet against him doubling his score and he was visibly cursing himself after giving his wicket away.Lyndon James may feel he did likewise after waiting so patiently as next man, caught off a miscued pull after facing just three balls. Nottinghamshire played out the remaining hour in much more circumspect fashion.Steven Mullaney is unbeaten on 37 but Nottinghamshire suffered another setback when Clarke, eyeing up his first hundred of the campaign, edged Parkinson to slip.Leicestershire’s Louis Kimber will take no further part in this match, having been replaced by Nick Welch as a concussion substitute. Kimber was struck on the helmet while batting on Sunday and, though he was able to complete his innings, was ruled out after an examination on Monday morning.

It was a distraction earlier, but “now we can accept and admit that we are in the final,” Virat Kohli says

Nagraj Gollapudi06-Mar-2021A comprehensive 3-1 Test series victory over England has confirmed India’s spot in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship, where they will meet New Zealand. The WTC final is scheduled between June 18 and 22 at a yet-to-be-named venue in England – the ICC is expected to make the final call soon.At the start of this Test series, both India and England were in with a shot of making the final. They both needed to win the series, of course, and win it well enough to cross Australia’s points percentage of 69.17. From India’s point of view, a win by at least a 2-1 margin was good enough.However, a big 227-run defeat in the series opener in Chennai, played out on a flat pitch, increased the pressure on Virat Kohli’s team. It also meant that both Australia and England remained in the fray.With a win worth 30 points and a draw 10 points, India could not afford to lose another match in the remaining three Tests, and that’s exactly what they ensured – wins by 317 runs in the second Tests in Chennai followed by victories by ten wickets and an innings and 25 runs in Ahmedabad gave them a 3-1 margin of victory. And that meant overtaking Australia to the final with 72.2 percentage points, which also helped them top the points table, clear of New Zealand at 70.Kohli: ‘Can’t wait to be part of WTC final’The inaugural cycle of the WTC was devised by the ICC in order to make Test cricket more appealing by providing context to every series played. As per the original schedule, the top nine teams – so no Zimbabwe, Ireland or Afghanistan – would each contest a total of six bilateral series, three at home and three away, with a maximum of 720 points overall at stake. However, the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted that plan, and caused many series to be postponed or cancelled, forcing the ICC to devise a new system where teams would be ranked “in order of percentage of points” earned.Related

• Ganguly reveals India v New Zealand WTC final to be held in Southampton

• India are the best Test team irrespective of WTC standings

• Washington Sundar: A batsman blossoming in a bubble of serene self-assurance

• Kohli: 'Rohit's 161 defining moment in India coming back in the series'

• Ravi Shastri: India were like 'zombies' in first Test, 'kick in the backside' drove series triumph

Kohli called the change “confusing” before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, and this week, on the eve of the final Test in Ahmedabad, he was lukewarm, saying India did not need the extra motivation – of qualifying for the final – to do well, and that it was a “distraction”. It’s important to remember, though, that India ended up needing to do more to get to the final than most other teams, since they were one of only two teams who weren’t affected by cancellations (England are the other team).Having qualified for the final, though, Kohli was in a more positive mood, saying that he could not wait for the showpiece match. “Now we can accept and admit that we are in the final,” Kohli told the host broadcaster. “It was more of a distraction till now for us because we are a side that is very committed to play Test cricket and all these extra things can be a distraction for us.”There was never a question of commitment or whether we are going for a win or not. It did become a distraction for us in New Zealand, but from then on it was just focus on one game at a time and now we are in the final, which we can’t wait to be a part of.”India ended up needing to do more than most other teams to get to the final, since they were one of only two teams that weren’t affected by cancellations•BCCI

Ashwin: ‘To get to the WTC final not a joke’India’s main match-winner, R Ashwin, who won an India-high eighth Player-of-the-Series award for a haul of 32 wickets and one century, echoed the thoughts of team-mate Ishant Sharma, who had said that for a one-format player like him, winning the WTC final would be akin to winning the World Cup final.Responding to Graeme Swann’s query on Saturday about whether beating Australia in Australia was a bigger achievement than winning against England at home, Ashwin said, “Beating Australia in Australia has to be the pinnacle. But with the context of what’s happened here, because of the World Test Championship final, we had to win. We had to do what we had to do.”So getting there is probably a result of what we’ve been as a team over the last eight-ten years. And an opportunity to get to the World Test Championship final is not a joke. For a lot of players inside the dressing room, who aren’t playing white-ball cricket, let’s take Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma, myself for the time being, for all of us the World Test Championship final is as good as the World Cup. So it means a lot to us.”Shastri: ‘You’ve got 520 points, you deserve playing that final’India won five out of their six series, only losing 2-0 in New Zealand. For Ravi Shastri, reaching the WTC final was a culmination of many years of hard work and preparation.”To be on top of the table in the World Test Championship is two-and-a-half-years of work,” Shastri told the host broadcaster. “And for those two-and-a-half years to be successful, it’s been six years prior to that. And, to be honest, the boys just took one series at a time. They weren’t really bothered about the World Test Championship.”Let me be honest here, because the goalpost gets shifted every time. We were heading the table and some rule came on percentage system, when you’re not even playing. But never mind all that. You’ve got 520 points, you deserve to be on top of the table and playing that final.”

Seamer replaces Lockie Ferguson in New Zealand squad for final two T20Is

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Nov-2019Trent Boult will try to be aggressive and take wickets in his first T20I appearance in more than 18 months, as he comes back into the New Zealand side for the fourth game of the series against England in Napier.Boult has not played a T20I since the final of the tri-series against Australia and England in January 2018, having been rested and rotated to manage his workload, but replaces Lockie Ferguson for the final two games of the ongoing series.”There’s a series on the line here at the moment,” Boult said, “and obviously I’m eager to come in and put my best step forward. It’s a format that I haven’t been involved in much at the international level over a period, but I’m looking forward to coming in and trying to do my thing.”

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While Boult hasn’t pulled on the grey strip for some time, he has been an IPL regular for Delhi Capitals over the last two years. He took 18 wickets in the 2018 season, finishing as the leading wicket-taker of the side [Delhi Daredevils at the time], and played five games this year, though struggled to nail down a spot.”It’s the same mindset that I always take into most formats: trying to be aggressive, trying to take wickets, and trying to do my role for the side,” Boult said of his T20 gameplan, “and that is being aggressive with the ball – I’ll try and do that over the next couple of nights.”She’s always a beautiful wicket here [at Napier]. I hope I don’t get to bat on it, but I’m presuming it’s going to be a pretty good surface. It’s not the first time I’ve played here obviously, and we’re familiar with the grounds around the country.”It’s 2-1 in the series, and hopefully we can put a good performance forward and seal off a nice victory in the series.”Boult has been tuning up for the upcoming Test series by playing for Northern Districts in the Plunket Shield, and took eight wickets across the two games he has played for them in the last two weeks.The second of those games was a defeat in Mount Maunganui, which will host its first Test from November 21 as the England series gets underway, and Boult said he was looking forward to playing international cricket at the ground.”It was nice to get some red-ball stuff done at the Mount looking towards the Tests in a couple of weeks’ time,” he said. “It’s just beautiful this time of year. [I’m] looking forward to that Test match there, the inaugural one, and it looks like it’s going to be a good wicket. There’s a lot of hum and a lot of vibe going on in the Bay of Plenty for some Test cricket there.”Another man who could join Boult in the squad for that Test is Ferguson, who is set to play for Auckland in the round of Plunket Shield games starting on Friday. Ferguson is yet to make his Test debut, but could force his way into the reckoning with a strong performance in what will be his first first-class game since March.

The captain made it clear he wasn’t consulted before the BCB flew in two batting reinforcements in Imrul Kayes and Soumya Sarkar

Shashank Kishore in Dubai22-Sep-2018Bangladesh captain
Mashrafe Mortaza has made it clear he wasn’t consulted before the BCB flew in two batting reinforcements in Imrul Kayes and Soumya Sarkar for the remainder of the Asia Cup. He was unsure how bringing two new players into the squad would lift an under-fire team that needs backing after losses to Afghanistan and India, where they were bowled out for 119 and 173 respectively.”Listen, those who are coming in have also lost their places in the team,” he said. “As I said, there has not been a discussion on this. They were dropped because they have not performed. And in these conditions, I don’t know what they have done technically to suddenly come in and take the pressure. Whether they have rectified the problems for which they were dropped in the first place, I’m not sure. So all these things will matter in such a tournament.”The loss to India now puts Bangladesh in a must-win situation as they prepare to face Afghanistan again to stay alive in the Asia Cup. Shakib Al Hasan, the vice-captain, summed up the confusion best through a cheeky remark when asked about the team combination for Sunday’s game. “Since you get the news [early], maybe you will also get the news of who is playing and who is not.”Nazmul Hossain Shanto, the 20-year-old left-handed opener, has scores of 7 and 7 in his only two ODIs here at the Asia Cup after being brought in as Tamim Iqbal’s replacement. He was part of the West Indies tour earlier this summer, but returned without playing a game. He made his Test debut in New Zealand in January 2017, and has been among the more consistent domestic performers since; his temperament and poise even eliciting rich praise from his Khulna Titans coach Mahela Jayawardene.Liton Das, meanwhile, is the regular Test wicketkeeper who is seen as a like-for-like replacement should Mushfiqur Rahim’s workload need some easing off. At the Asia Cup so far, he hasn’t hit top form, aggregating scores of 7, 6 and 0 in his three innings. Liton was incidentally tried for the opening slot only after Anamul Haque failed to nail down a place after a successive run of seven ODIs since January, where his highest was 35.Anamul, meanwhile, had replaced Soumya, while Kayes has been in and out of the ODI set-up over the last two years. He hadn’t been picked since the series in South Africa last October where he made 100 runs in three ODIs. This merry-go-round situation isn’t ideal, but Shakib called for calmer heads and consistency in selection to derive the desired results.Shakib Al Hasan hurt Afghanistan in the middle overs•AFP

“Actually, we put so much pressure on them [young players] in such a short time, that their chances of performing well reduces even further. The people you are talking about – the four or five of us (Mushfiqur, Tamim, Shakib, Mahmudullah) – we were never superheroes.”You may be looking at our careers over the last two-three-four years. But the previous six or seven years, the cricket we have played, how well did we actually play? People start doing well only after encountering many situations and learning from them. Maybe we are not able to give them the chance or create that situation.”Mashrafe, who has been vocal about the scheduling earlier in the tournament, also didn’t stop short of speaking his mind, admitting to being confused by the signals sent out by the BCB at the sudden turn of events.”Particularly for the Afghanistan match, if you think about it, they [Soumya and Kayes] will have to face even tougher bowlers. For sure, it won’t be easy for anyone – not for those who are currently playing, nor for those coming in. But in international cricket, you have to score, bat well and bowl well within that, and we have staged comebacks like these. Nothing is impossible, whoever plays has to take a little responsibility.”While he wasn’t sure of the external factors at play, Mashrafe insisted there had been no pressure on the batsmen from within the team. He insisted batsmen were given a clear mandate to play freely, without worrying about run rates, given how dry surfaces have produced middling totals both in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. However, he called for a strong show from the top order to ease pressure.”Actually, we don’t really want runs [in the early overs]; it’s not like we have to score 60 in the first 10 overs. We know that there are new balls from each end and you need to take time,” Mashrafe explained. “In the recent past, we’ve tried to look for 30-35 or 40-45.”If you see since the West Indies tour, the middle order has always had to set up the game. If you keep asking this from the middle order all the time, it becomes difficult. As we have been saying for some time now, the middle order will not score all the time. Ultimately, in such matches when two quick wickets fall, there is a lot of pressure on the middle order. We have collapsed in two successive matches.”Amid all the confusion, Mashrafe wanted his team to only look as far back as the West Indies tour after they bounced back from losing the two Tests in five days combined to clinch the ODI series.”I think it is still possible. I, of course, believe it is still possible,” he said. “We’ve done it recently. I don’t think that there is reason to lose hope. I think we have a chance to come back. If we have a good day and can win the match [against Afghanistan], there will be a 50-50 chance in the match against Pakistan.”

Sean Dickson plundered 318, Kent’s highest individual score on home soil, and put on 382 with Joe Denly in the biggest partnership in the county’s history as a host of records tumbled at Beckenham

ECB Reporters Network04-Jul-2017
ScorecardSean Dickson made the highest score by a Kent batsman since 1934•Getty Images

Sean Dickson plundered 318, Kent’s highest individual score on home soil, and put on 382 with Joe Denly in the biggest partnership in the county’s history as a host of records tumbled at Beckenham.Kent’s 701 for 7 declared was also their highest first-class total in Kent, leaving Northants with an uphill battle to secure a draw in a Specsavers County Championship clash between the third and fourth-placed sides in Division Two.At stumps on day two, though, Northants had fought hard to reach 180 for 1 in reply with Ben Duckett completing a superb 101 not out in the penultimate over following an opening stand of 113 with Rob Newton, who made 57 before lifting a drive at Pakistan legspinner Yasir Shah to short extra cover.Dickson, a 25-year-old South African UK passport holder whose mother, Pat, hails from Beckenham, fell just 14 runs short of Bill Ashdown’s Kent individual record of 332, made against Essex at Brentwood in 1934. But he at least passed Ashdown’s 305 not out, against Derbyshire at Dover in 1935 and Kent’s previous highest in a match at home, while Kent’s total was their second highest in first-class cricket behind the 803 for 4 declared made in that same Brentwood game 83 years ago.Dickson faced 408 balls, across almost eight-and-a-half hours at the crease, and hit three sixes and 31 fours. Denly scored 182, from 226 balls and with five sixes and 15 fours, and it was his cracking hook for four, off Nathan Buck, which took the partnership with Dickson to 369 and – in one stroke – past two previous Kent record stands.They were the 366 that Simon Hinks and Neil Taylor added for the second wicket against Middlesex at Canterbury in 1990, and the 368 that was the previous highest partnership for any Kent wicket, by Aravinda de Silva and Graham Cowdrey for the fourth wicket against Derbyshire at Maidstone in 1995.Denly holed out in the deep off Rob Keogh’s offspin after adding 39 in 55 minutes to his overnight 143, but Dickson kept going as the Northants bowlers struggled to hold back the tide of runs on a featherbed pitch.Dickson, who resumed on 210 in Kent’s overnight 434 for 1, accumulated remorselessly and soon went past the previous highest score made by a Kent batsman against Northants – Frank Woolley’s 217 at Northampton in 1926.Next on Dickson’s hit list was Kent’s post-War highest individual score of 275, made by present county head coach Matt Walker against Somerset at Canterbury in 1996, and when he reached 300 he became just the second Kent batsman – after Bromley-born Ashdown – to score a first-class triple-hundred.Denly had set the tone for another run-filled day at Kent’s northern headquarters by pulling Ben Sanderson for four in the day’s first over and he then drove Graeme White’s left-arm spin for six. Kent scored 169 in 33 overs in the morning session, and another 98 in 14 overs after lunch before finally calling a halt to the carnage.Sam Northeast contributed 38 to a third wicket stand of 68 in 15 overs with Dickson, who eventually skied Max Holden’s occasional offbreaks to long-on. Sam Billings helped himself to a quickfire 42 in the push towards the declaration as he, Matt Coles and James Tredwell, who pulled Holden for six to bring up Kent’s 700, enjoyed themselves in the afternoon sunshine.Duckett, however, who made 208 in this fixture – and on this ground – last season, led the Northants reply with a well-judged mixture of watchfulness and aggression, and the closest he came to losing his wicket came when he snicked Mitch Claydon wide of third slip on 11 and, later, edged Matt Hunn just short of second slip.Newton also had a few early scares against Claydon, who bowled a testing new ball spell, and on 20 was beaten by a ball from Shah that turned sharply. Shah later switched ends to find some purchase out of the bowlers’ footmarks, but Duckett emerged intact from an uncomfortable spell against him in the closing overs and lofted Denly’s leg spin over mid off for his 16th four to reach a 153-ball hundred.Alex Wakely, the Northants captain, also battled hard to get through to stumps unbeaten on 14, but a long two days still lie ahead for Northants.

Three key wickets from fast bowler Kesrick Williams and tight bowling in the middle overs helped Jamaica Tallawahs stave off St Kitts and Nevis Patriots for a five-run win in their CPL 2016 match in Basseterre

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThree key wickets from fast bowler Kesrick Williams and tight bowling in the middle overs helped Jamaica Tallawahs stave off St Kitts and Nevis Patriots for a five-run win in their CPL 2016 match in Basseterre. Tallawahs were also aided by a brisk fifty from captain Chris Gayle, who struck 51 off 36 balls, to help set Patriots a target of 154.Patriots overcame the early loss of Evin Lewis in their chase with two substantial partnerships for the second and third wickets. Faf du Plessis, who struck 27 off 29 balls, was the common factor, sharing 39 for the second wicket with Lendl Simmons and then playing a foil to Jonathan Carter in a rapid partnership of 43 that came off 28 balls. Carter’s 18-ball 27 included two sixes, and the pair helped Patriots narrow the equation down to 62 off 48 balls.Their slump began at this stage. Carter and du Plessis fell in successive overs and Tallawahs choked the runs by conceding 26 between the 15th and 19th overs. Williams dismissed Thisara Perera and Brad Hodge in the 18th over and Dale Steyn got rid of Carlos Brathwaite for 1 at the start of the 19th over to leave Patriots needing 30 off the last six balls. Despite three consecutive sixes from wicketkeeper Devon Thomas, Patriots could only muster 24 runs. Williams, who played his first T20 since January 2013, ended with 3 for 23, while the rest of the Tallawahs attack, except Timroy Allen, took a wicket each.The Tallawahs’ innings was given direction by Gayle before Andre Russell provided a late flourish. Gayle paired with Kumar Sangakkara to add 48 runs for the second wicket, after Chadwick Walton fell in the first over for 3. By the time Gayle was dismissed, he had struck four fours and three sixes in his 51, but quick wickets in the middle overs had left Tallawahs at a shaky 109 for 5 in the 16th over. Russell provided the impetus with an unbeaten 34 off 20 deliveries. He slammed two sixes and a four in an 18-run over bowled by Krishmar Santokie and helped Tallawahs add 44 in the last four overs to climb to 153.

Ahmed Shehzad and Shan Masood have been included in Pakistan’s 15-man squad for the Test series in Sri Lanka in June while offspinner Saeed Ajmal has been left out

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jun-2015Ahmed Shehzad, Shan Masood and Ehsan Adil have been included in Pakistan’s 15-member squad for the Test series in Sri Lanka in June.Offspinner Saeed Ajmal, who was part of the squad in the two-Test series against Bangladesh, was left out because of his lack of impact with the remodelled bowling action. Ajmal picked up a solitary wicket in the tour game before the start of Bangladesh Tests, but couldn’t make it to the Test XI with Zulfiqar Babar and Yasir Shah pipping him for spinners’ spots. He played two ODIs and one T20 on the tour, but managed just one more wicket.Babar Azam, Bilawal Bhatti, Sami Aslam were also excluded, while Rahat Ali, Sohaib Maqsood and Sohail Khan continued to be unavailable due to their respective injuries.Shehzad was dropped from both Test and ODI squads after the 2015 World Cup on disciplinary grounds. He was recalled for the Zimbabwe ODIs but remained on the bench throughout the three-match series. Shehzad is one of three openers – Mohammad Hafeez and Masood, being the other two – in the squad.Interestingly, the selectors said they had considered the performance of Pakistan A players on their tour to Sri Lanka recently but both Umar Amin, the top-scorer in longer format, and Fawad Alam, leading run-getter in the limited-over games, were ignored. For Aslam, his 47 runs from three innings in Bangladesh, went against him.”While selecting the squad, the selection committee considered the following key areas: suitability to play in varied playing conditions, potential to perform at international level, current form and fitness, performance in the previous tours of Bangladesh and recently concluded Pakistan A team’s tour of Sri Lanka, and feedback from the team management on the performance of players on Bangladesh tour,” PCB chief selector Haroon Rashid said.”Fawad Alam, Sami Aslam and some other players were also under consideration but could not be included but they remain on the selectors radar. Rahat Ali (hamstring), Sohail Khan (back) and Sohaib Maqsood (wrist) are still on rehab after sustaining injuries and it is hoped that they would be available for selection in the near future. Selection committee has also kept its options open in case of need for the 16th member keeping in mind the extreme weather conditions in Sri Lanka.”Pakistan squad: Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (vc), Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Imran Khan, Ehsan Adil.

A fiery spell from Dale Steyn, described by Jacques Rudolph as the “quickest I have seen in six or seven years,” was the final act of the drawn tour match at the SCG. After the South African top eight had all batted, they chose to give their quicks a last

The Report by Firdose Moonda at the SCG04-Nov-2012
Scorecard Hashim Amla retired after reaching his half-century•AFP

A fiery spell from Dale Steyn, described by Jacques Rudolph as the “quickest I have seen in six or seven years,” was the final act of the drawn tour match at the SCG. After the South African top eight had all batted, they chose to give their quicks a last run before the first Test in Brisbane next week and Steyn held nothing back.Of the batting line-up, Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla scored half-centuries and retired out while the rest all had starts. Steyn and Vernon Philander were the only bowlers in action for the 10 overs South Africa spent in the field. Steyn bowled a particularly fierce and quick spell which resulted in the wicket of Liam Davis and a serious test for Phillip Hughes, who is pushing for a recall to the Australia squad.Amla, who yesterday said the he preferred a match situation no matter how insignificant the game to nets, and JP Duminy resumed the in the morning and had one nervous moment. John Hastings drew a thick edge from Duminy which flew at a catchable height to the left of gully. He settled soon after and played more conservatively after that. His 31 runs came from 82 balls as he looked to spend time at the crease, instead of score runs.The going was a little more free-flowing for Amla, who timed his shots particularly well through mid-wicket. He brought up his half-century with one such stroke and then retired to allow AB de Villiers to bat.Like all the batsmen, de Villiers took some time to find his rhythm and the partnership between him and Duminy seemed to trudge along although it only lasted two overs and four balls. Andrew McDonald managed to extract some awkward bounce, Duminy chopped one and it was the first genuine wicket of the day.De Villiers and Rudolph scratched around for a while and just as de Villiers was finding the middle of the bat he was given out in strange fashion. A massive appeal for lbw from Hastings was initially thought to be reason he was given out, although it looked too high and was certain to go down leg. The third umpire then confirmed that de Villiers was caught off the inside edge.Rudolph also spent a long time at the crease. He scored 39 runs but batted for 108 balls and started of particularly defensively. He tucked into Steve Smith and hit the only six off the South African innings of him, over mid-wicket. His other impressive strokes off Smith were a stunning drive to long-on off the front foot and a replica which went wider through long-off off the next ball.He didn’t find the going as good against the other spinner, Glenn Maxwell, who he tried to drive. A thick edge was the result and Rudolph was caught at slip. Faf du Plessis, who is unlikely to play in the Test XI, batted for more than 10 overs while Philander also had some time in the middle. Once Smith was satisfied that all his batsmen had shown their mettle, he declared the South African innings and seemed to have given his bowlers instruction to have a quick burst.Philander maintained control but Steyn let loose and sent down fireballs. He took the wicket of Liam Davis in his second over when the opener played a pull too early and was caught behind. But Steyn tested his own wicketkeeper as well with one of his bouncers. De Villiers had to leap to catch it and it was just out of reach. The ball hit his fingers which left him wringing his hand in pain after removing the glove although he was able to continue and team management confirmed no damage had been done.Hughes faced a barrage of quick deliveries but held his own to score what Australia A captain McDonald called, “the best 1 not out I have ever seen.”

Salman Butt, after experiencing his tenth and most difficult day of the alleged spot-fixing trial yet on Tuesday, was accused by the prosecution of lying to the jury

Richard Sydenham at Southwark Crown Court18-Oct-2011Salman Butt, after experiencing his tenth and most difficult day of the alleged spot-fixing trial yet on Tuesday, was accused by the prosecution of lying to the jury after being forced to answer several awkward and uncomfortable questions.Butt was in the witness box for over five hours and will have to take the stand again on Wednesday as Aftab Jafferjee QC for the prosecution has not yet even reached the three no-balls in question on which alone the jury have been ordered to base their verdict.Butt was asked about his little blue book, which was found in the suitcase that police discovered in his hotel room on the night of the raids on the third evening of the Lord’s Test. It contained all his scribblings about income, expenditure and money “still to be received” and Jafferjee used the contents of that pocket-sized notepad to grill Butt.He was asked why it did not mention the £30,000 that Butt was due from an apparent bat sticker deal with Majeed’s company Capital Cricket. “It’s up to me about what to write and what not to write. It’s my diary,” Butt replied, becoming agitated many times by Jafferjee’s probing. Often he turned to the female interpreter to convey his thoughts when things became very tense.Jafferjee quizzed Butt on why he withdrew US$181,000 from his Bank Alfalah account in Lahore on the day of his police interview on September 3, days after the scandal had broken in the media. Butt has transferred the amount into his mother’s account.”It might have happened on the same day as my interview but it was not something that I aimed to happen on the same day,” Butt answered. “I can’t explain why (I withdrew it). You are trying to portray something else, but you don’t know anything about the Muslim culture,” Butt snapped as Jafferjee continued to poke at the topic.He added: “We didn’t know how long we were going to be here (in England),” Butt said. “We were being investigated by the police and we didn’t know if we would be allowed to leave.”Jafferjee also questioned Butt on his relationship with Majeed and asked why he tolerated the agent, even though Butt has revealed to the court that Majeed would send him text messages that suggested Butt would help him fix matches. Butt had already told the jury on Monday that he confronted Majeed about these and the agent said he was testing him. But Jafferjee then raised further text messages that suggested Butt tolerated Majeed’s behaviour and concluded they shared a “corrupt relationship”.Jafferjee also quizzed Butt on why he spent so much money on luxury watches. Butt admitted to buying a £12,500 Rolex, a £5,000 Bulgari watch, $6,000 on a Tag Heuer in India while playing in the Indian Premier League – that purchase despite a 40 per cent discount being given – $5,000 on an Omega watch from Dubai and $12,000 on a Breitling. Butt agreed that he liked to buy luxury goods but argued that they were investments because he would make money also when he eventually sold them.Despite a player-agent relationship spanning about three years, the court heard that the only payment that came from Majeed via a cheque or bank transfer was for £9,600 deposited in Butt’s Clydesdale Bank account two days before the Pakistanis arrived in England on June 24, 2010. All other payments would be in cash.Jafferjee questioned Butt on whether he thought it strange that a global sportswear brand like Adidas would pay him just £800 per appearance yet Majeed was willing to pay him £30,000 for a bat sticker to advertise his company Capital Cricket in 2010, and also £5,000 “to cut a ribbon” – as Jafferjee phrased it – at an ice cream parlour.Not convinced by Butt’s answers, several times Jafferjee accused him of lying to the court, including the time when Butt could not answer why he was in team-mate Wahab Riaz’s room after midnight with Kamran Akmal and Azhar Majeed, the brother and business partner of Mazhar.Butt also accused the Pakistan team security manager Major Najam of lying in his statement, making fun of the official by calling him “007”.The former Pakistan captain and opening batsman Butt and his former team-mate Mohammad Asif are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following that Lord’s Test last year when they allegedly conspired with agent Mazhar Majeed, teenage fast bowler Mohammad Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-planned no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges.The case continues.