Cricinfo previews the only Twenty20 international of Sri Lanka’s tour of England

The Preview by Andrew Miller24-Jun-2011

Match facts

Saturday, June 25, Bristol

Start time 1430 (1330 GMT)

Big Picture

Stuart Broad: braced for leadership•Getty Images

With 15 months to go until Sri Lanka host the next World Twenty20 in September 2012, England’s preparations for the defence of their title get underway this weekend. Their victorious captain, Paul Collingwood, has been put out to pasture; their point-of-difference seamer, Ryan Sidebottom, has retired to see out his days with Yorkshire. Instead, it’s over to the untested leadership of Stuart Broad, whose first match in charge promises to be a stiff challenge against a hard-hitting Sri Lankan line-up with plenty to prove after an uninspiring performance in the Test series.Broad was not at his best in the Tests either, and despite a brighter finish to the series at the Rose Bowl, his effectiveness was limited in the latter stages by a bruised heel. However, it has been confirmed that he will play, albeit with heavy strapping, and will need to rediscover his A game as he takes charge of a seam attack with limited experience at this level. Chris Woakes impressed with his big-game mentality in Australia, while Jade Dernbach has been there or thereabouts since his shock call-up to the World Cup squad. But neither man has yet featured in a home international.For both sides, there are more questions coming up than can reasonably expect to be answered in a one-off contest. If Broad thinks he’s got it tough, then pity Thilina Kandamby, who will also be making his international captaincy bow in a batting line-up featuring three former skippers in Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya – the latter, of course, a highly contentious selection.Sri Lanka’s bowling will have some bite compared to their toothless showing in the Tests, thanks to Lasith Malinga’s return to the fray. England, meanwhile, suffered a scare in training when their new captain tripped over a medicine ball, of all things. He’s got a bruise to his dignity to go with the one on his heel. But he’s fine.

Form guide (most recent first)

England LWWWW

Sri Lanka WWLLW

The spotlight

Sanath Jayasuriya’s return to international cricket at the age of 41 has not been universally welcomed, least of all by certain members of his own team. However, against Worcestershire on Wednesday he did serve notice of his enduring qualities with a hard-hitting knock of 78 from 60 balls at the top of the order. The political implications of his presence are rife, and have the ability to over-shadow the contest itself. But so long as he can justify his involvement by scoring runs, the edge will be taken off the argument against his inclusion.No player outside the England team has excited more column inches in recent years than Samit Patel, Nottinghamshire’s talented and combative allrounder, whose undeniable abilities have been stymied by his stubborn refusal to keep an eye on his waistline. For season after season, his omission from England’s squads would be followed by an exasperated quote from Geoff Miller or Andy Flower, and there’s no doubt that England would have loved to have him in the subcontinent this winter for an arduous World Cup campaign. Now, at last, he has his chance again. As his Nottinghamshire coach, Mick Newell, told ESPNcricinfo last week: “Good luck … don’t cock it up.”

Team news

A new beginning for England, but the team will have a familiar look to it nonetheless. The forgotten men of England’s World Twenty20 triumph, Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb, are expected to be restored to the top of the order, with Kevin Pietersen, Eoin Morgan, Luke Wright and Graeme Swann joining Broad among the survivors of that triumph. The changes include Collingwood’s experience making way for Ian Bell’s expertise, while Samit Patel takes on the spinning allrounder role vacated by Michael Yardy.England (probable) 1 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 2 Michael Lumb, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Luke Wright, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Stuart Broad (capt), 10 Chris Woakes, 11 Jade Dernbach.Still no Tillakaratne Dilshan for Sri Lanka. His squashed thumb, courtesy Chris Tremlett, is taking a long time to heal. Mahela Jayawardene moves up to the top of the order, from where he hopes to kickstart a tour in which he’s been troublingly short of runs. Angelo Mathews, another talent who was sorely missed in the Test series, will slot into the middle order if he comes through a fitness test tomorrow morning.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Mahela Jayawardene, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Thilina Kandamby (capt), 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Nuwan Kulasekera, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Suraj Randiv, 11 Lasith Malinga,

Pitch and conditions

With a day to go until the match there’s a bit of grass on the surface to encourage the seamers, with the prospect of overnight rain to keep things fresh. The match itself is scheduled to be dry.

Stats and trivia

• England and Sri Lanka have faced one another in two previous Twenty20 internationals, most recently in St Lucia during the World Twenty20 semi-final last year.
• England’s seven-wicket victory in that game atoned for their two-wicket loss in their only other encounter, at the Rose Bowl in 2006. Kevin Pietersen is the only England player remaining from that game.
  

  Quotes

  “I always have a mindset when I walk out onto the pitch that I have to think like a captain, I’ve been very fortunate to play under the likes Michael Vaughan, Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood – some brilliant captains – and I’ve learnt a lot. I feel 100% ready to lead the side.”
  
  Stuart Broad is braced for the challenge that awaits him on Saturday”It is good that I am starting my career captaining at this level with that experience behind me – Mahela, Sanath, Kumar all there. It will be good.”
  Thilina Kandamby is happy to see some familiar faces

A dominant all-round performance by Zimbabwe ensured victory in their comeback Test after an almost six-year exile from the format

The Report by Firdose Moonda in Harare08-Aug-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBrendan Taylor was adjudged Man of the Match for his century, after leading Zimbabwe to a memorable win•Associated Press

A dominant all-round performance by Zimbabwe, capped by their bowlers slicing through the Bangladesh line-up on the fifth day saw them win their comeback Test, after an almost six-year exile from the format. It took just 15 balls after lunch for Zimbabwe to complete their victory after a near flawless morning session from the bowlers. Brian Vitori and Kyle Jarvis created the pressure upfront, leaving the Bangladesh line-up ripe for the picking for Chris Mpofu and Elton Chigumbura.Bangladesh’s batsmen had a tough, but doable, task on a pitch that has not deteriorated and remained good for batting, needing 263 runs with seven wickets in hand at the start of the day. Instead of applying themselves with patience and planning, though, they played a clutch of careless shots, especially as it became evident that their challenge was dissipating. Abdur Razzak’s 43-run cameo added a little bit of sunshine to an otherwise dark performance that mirrored their first innings display in terms of execution.Zimbabwe had done the bulk of their hard labour in the four days preceding the final one, with centuries from two of their stalwart batsmen, Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor. But, it was the new-ball pair of Brian Vitori and Kyle Jarvis who impressed most, especially after being labelled “ordinary” by a confident Tamim Iqbal at the end of day four and they exacted their revenge early on the fifth. Vitori began by demonstrating that he could move the ball into the right-handers as well, while Jarvis bowled with brisk pace and variety, mixing up his full, short and slower balls.Mohammad Ashraful was up to the task, at least initially. He left well and took advantage of anything overpitched. He batted with the same calm that he had employed in his first innings and was also doing a fine job of marshalling his partner, Mushfiqur Rahim, who showed composed judgment.Vitori continued plugging away, getting some balls to move away, others to hold their line and after several overs of nagging length, Ashraful could take no more. He tried to push a delivery away but it jagged in late and took the inside edge onto the stumps. With that dismissal, Bangladesh were rattled and Zimbabwe fired up.Vitori followed Ashraful’s wicket with a superb over, beating Mahmudullah’s bat twice. The danger for Zimbabwe came when the opening pair was replaced but Mpofu and Chigumbura did not let up. Mpofu varied his lengths while Chigumbura put on an impressive display, bowling as many slower balls as possible.Mahmudullah was determined to cash in where he could but his over-eagerness started a mini-collapse, during which Bangladesh lost three wickets in 12 balls for seven runs. He tried to cut without any foot movement and was caught behind. Five balls later Shakib Al Hasan, who also played irresponsibly, went to a sharp catch from Taylor at second slip after pushing at a length ball, and then Mushfiqur Rahim’s more careful knock ended when he flicked a ball to square leg.Zimbabwe could smell blood but instead of tracking it down with a killer instinct, they relaxed a little and allowed Abdur Razzak to have some fun. He smoked five fours off a Mpofu over and three sixes off Ray Price, two of them slog sweeps. The cameo ended when Chigumbura, from around the wicket, broke through his defence and bowled him.Bangladesh had little to hope for after that and their misery ended inside three overs after lunch. Jarvis struck with the first ball, bowling Shafiul with a length ball that pitched on middle and held its line. With just one more wicket to get, Zimbabwe put in six slips for Robiul Islam, who survived a confident lbw shout first up.He defied the field placing with two fours on the leg side, but was never going to last for any length of time. Jarvis claimed his fourth wicket of the innings, trapping Robiul lbw with a ball that jagged in and hit him on the front pad. As umpire Kumar Dharmasena raised his finger, Zimbabwe’s players immediately formed a huddle, a collective show of unity to mark their victorious return to the Test fold.

Uncapped players Nasir Hossain and Shuvagoto Hom have been selected in a 15-man Bangladesh squad for the tour of Zimbabwe that also has Mohammad Ashraful being preferred over Raqibul Hasan

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jul-2011Nasir Hossain earned his first call-up to the Bangladesh side after the BCB announced a 15-member squad for the Zimbabwe tour late on Friday evening. Mohammad Ashraful has been preferred over Raqibul Hasan in the squad, which also includes another uncapped player Shuvagoto Hom.The announcement came two days after BCB chief Mustafa Kamal received the names of the selected players from chief selector Akram Khan, who had called for a change in the process which allows the board’s technical committee to discuss the selectors’ choices.Nasir, a 19-year-old from Rangpur, was highly rated after outperforming most allrounders in the country for the past few years. Since he graduated from the sports institute BKSP, Nasir has regularly attracted big-money moves to the top Premier League clubs.”It was my dream to play for Bangladesh,” Nasir told ESPNcricinfo. “I told my family and I think they are happier than I am.”Considered for the ODI series alongside Shuvagoto, Nasir is being propped up for a role in the lower middle-order, according to Akram, while Shuvagoto will be tested at the No. 4 position, a spot that has been Bangladesh’s scourge.”Nasir has a bright future and we have picked him and Shuvagoto for the ODI series,” Akram said. “I think he is far ahead of all the other good allrounders and we have considered him for his positive frame of mind.”Predictably, Ashraful and Junaid Siddique made comebacks, though both played Bangladesh’s previous Test match in England last year. Ashraful showed poor form during the 2011 World Cup and was dropped for the Australia ODIs in April. “We considered both Ashraful and Raqibul for the same position and I think Ashraful won the spot for his experience and some good knocks in South Africa (for Bangladesh A earlier this year),” Akram said.The squad will be led by Shakib Al Hasan, with Tamim Iqbal as vice-captain. Former captain and fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza, who had another knee surgery in May, is undergoing rehabilitation and continues to miss out.Bangladesh are visiting Zimbabwe for one Test and five ODIs. The tour starts with a three-day game against a Zimbabwe XI from July 30.Squad: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Tamim Iqbal (vc), Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Abdur Razzak, Shafiul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Nazmul Hossain, Shahriar Nafees, Robiul Islam, Shuvagoto Hom, Nasir Hossain.Reserves: Naeem Islam, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Alok Kopali, Syed Rasel, Sahagir Hossain (wk).

Andy Flower says that England will seek to defend their new status as the world’s No. 1 Test side by attacking a series of short-term goals, starting with the winter tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka

Andrew Miller14-Aug-2011Andy Flower says that England will seek to defend their new status as the world’s No. 1 Test side by attacking a series of short-term goals, starting with the winter tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as they set about reassessing their priorities in the wake of a crushing innings-and-242-run triumph against India at Edgbaston on Saturday.That performance, which was built on the back of Alastair Cook’s career-best 294, took England to an unassailable 3-0 series lead with just the Oval Test to come later this week, and ensured that, in little more than two years since the squad was torn apart by the falling-out between the then-captain and coach, Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores, England have surged to the top of the world Test rankings.Flower, however, is already looking to the future as he plots a means to turn England’s spell at the top into something longer lasting. Writing in his Daily Telegraph column, Shane Warne conceded that the current England team has the look and feel of long-term champions, with big-match temperaments in every position from 1 to 11.Such heightened new expectations will be tough for Flower’s men to live up to, but he believes that two challenges in particular – the forthcoming challenge in the subcontinent, and the inaugural World Test Championship in 2013 – will provide all the focus his players need to ensure their ranking looks after itself.”I always think it is very dangerous to try to hold on to what you have got,” Flower told reporters after the Edgbaston Test. “We used that goal – to be No1 – as a motivational tool that drove us in training and in matches. Now that we have achieved that, what [Andrew] Strauss and I don’t want to do is hang on to No. 1 status. That’s not a very exciting way to go about our business. We are going to have to reset our goals.”This winter we go to play against two countries that the last time England toured those countries, we lost. We want to go away and play Pakistan and Sri Lanka away from home and win those series. Ignoring the ranking, those series will have their own importance.”We’ve also got the World Test Championship for the first time in 2013 and that’s in our own country. That is certainly something we are striving for – we have to be in the top four to get into the semi- finals of it and we are going to be working hard between now and then to ensure we are a strong unit ready for that semi-final.”It was a tour of Pakistan that ended England’s last comparable run of sustained form six years ago, when the 2005 Ashes winners were stunned by an unlikely defeat in Multan then crushed by an innings in Lahore. The squad never recovered its momentum after their run of six consecutive series wins had been ended, and Flower is wary that a similar fate can still await this team if they allow their guard to drop.”Now we are ranked No.1, people will be very hungry to knock us off that perch. There is no doubt about that,” said Flower. “It is one thing being good for a short period of time – but having a side that delivers some special results and has some special times together that they will remember for the rest of their lives, that will be a much better thing to look back on than a few victories here and there.”To that end, Flower heaped praise on his Test captain, Strauss, whom he lauded as a “an outstanding leader and a special man”. The pair bonded in the Caribbean during England’s tour in the spring of 2009, where a disastrous collapse to 51 all out in the first Test in Sabina Park gave both men the licence they needed to mould the team in their own driven images. “The players, after being asked to embrace responsibility, have delivered,” he said. “Strauss asked that of them when he took over the captaincy a couple of years ago, and they are repaying him.”At the age of 34, Strauss may not have many more series left at the helm, and so the prospect of taking part in the Ashes double-header in 2013-14 could prove to be a very personal motivation for the final stage of his career. However, his deputy, Cook, has enhanced his credentials as a leader, both through the sheer weight of his batting performances, and latterly through his impressive series win over Sri Lanka in the ODIs. The succession, it would appear, is in safe hands, which lends weight to the perception that England could yet establish a dynasty to rival those of West Indies and Australia in the past 30 years.Flower, however, does not want to address such grandiose ambitions, and prefers to keep his goals closer to home. “That isn’t a very clear target as yet,” he said. “I like goals to be fairly specific. I don’t think we can compare ourselves to those sides, to be quite honest. They dominated world cricket for lengthy periods. We have been playing well for a little while now but only for a short time in cricketing history terms.”Who knows what the future holds though? That is going to be up to us.”

Jacques Kallis showed technical prowess, Yusuf Pathan great power, but the pugnacious Roelof van der Merwe mastered the slow and low track the best to help Somerset chase a daunting 162

The Report by Sidharth Monga25-Sep-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outRoelof van der Merwe excelled with bat and ball to lead Somerset past Kolkata•AFP

Jacques Kallis showed technical prowess, Yusuf Pathan great power, but the pugnacious Roelof van der Merwe mastered the slow and low track the best to help Somerset chase a daunting 162. Kolkata Knight Riders’ late surge with both bat and ball made them work hard for the win, Kolkata looted 78 off the last six overs, and quick wickets meant Somerset had to struggle for 43 off their last seven.Even when Kallis and Yusuf went berserk, van der Merwe was the only man to hold his own. He went for just 14 from the 18th and 20 overs despite two dropped catches, one of which went for four. With the bat in hand he was an absolute jack in the box, reverse-sweeping sixes, managing to mishit over the infield, drop-kicking his favourite cricketer Kallis over midwicket, late-cutting the spinners delicately, and scoring the third-fastest Champions league fifty.It would have been easy for Somerset to feel disheartened after part-timer Arul Suppiah conceded 30 off the 15th over, or feel hard done by Brett Lee’s getting away with clear overhead bouncers and Alfonso Thomas’ being penalised for a border-line slower bouncer with Kallis down on his knees. Especially when Thomas followed that harsh call with a high full toss that Kallis duly deposited for a six.Somerset, though, got stuck in. And like with the ball van, der Merwe was the man with the bat. He came in to bat when Iqbal Abdulla struck with the first ball off the second over, but dominated so much that Peter Trego managed only 23 out of a 105-run second-wicket stand. He began with an edge through the vacant first slip region, but proceeded to counter Abdulla and Shakib Al Hasan with lovely late-cutting. It frustrated Kolkata so much that Manoj Tiwary – wired up for live-time interviews – berated his spinners on air for not turning the ball at all. The reverse-swept six off Shakib worked a treat.Kallis, who had worked hard in the first innings for his 74, was picked up for a six over midwicket and then upper-cut over the keeper’s head. That it was his devotee hitting him out of the attack made it more interesting to watch. At that time Somerset had reached 107 in 10 overs, and all they needed was milking. Kolkata, though, weren’t quite bovine, and Shakib brought them back. He dropped a caught-and-bowled from Trego but produced a direct-hit to run him out. The one from van der Merwe in the same over he gleefully accepted.With two new batsmen in, the pitch was back to being a mud-wrestling arena. The ball held up from the middle of the pitch, and stroke-making was difficult again. Nick Compton, Arul Suppiah and Steve Snell kept their cool for long enough to see them through with two balls to spare.It was similar sensible batting from Kallis that had kept Kolkata alive in the first quarter of the game. With Somerset bowlers using the slow track well and the fielders giving hardly anything away, Kallis had to use all his technique and judgement. It took him 39 deliveries to reach a strike-rate of 100. That was in the 14th over, when he hit his first six to take Kolkata to 82, off the 82nd legal delivery. In the next over, Thomas, the exemplary Somerset captain, gambled. He asked part-time spinner Suppiah to bowl. He was the seventh bowler used, and the run-rate of six an over then didn’t suggest Somerset needed overs to be made up. Perhaps Thomas was greedy with the slow track now.Yusuf seized the moment. He stood still, waited for the full flat deliveries and kept swinging to leg, hitting four consecutive sixes. Eighty-three had become 113 in one over, and clearly the fielding side, who had played smart cricket until then, was rattled. Catches were dropped, overthrows conceded, Kallis joined in in the fun too, but van der Merwe was still in their face. He would continue to be there with the bat too.

A round-up of the second round of matches from the domestic Supersport Series in South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2011It was a spinner’s paradise in Pietermaritzburg where the Titans beat the Dolphins by seven wickets.The Dolphins were skittled out for 243 in their first innings. Morne Morkel first hurt them by removing Imraan Khan for 18 before CJ de Villiers deepened the wound when Hashim Amla was trapped lbw. However it was Paul Harris, who is no longer nationally contracted, who had the biggest impact. He manhandled the Dolphins middle order to take 5 for 37 in the innings. Wicketkeeper Daryn Smit put up a fight, with his unbeaten 77, and a 79-run seventh wicket stand with Kyle Abbott, but it was not enough to stop the Titans bowling them out on the first day.In the Titans reply, Tumelo Bodibe and Henry Davids went cheaply on a pitch that was difficult for batting. But the Titans did not suffer any more slumps as national team hopeful, Jacques Rudolph, was among the runs again. He top scored with 118 and shared a century stand with Farhaan Behardien to set the Titans up to take the lead. Heino Kuhn’s gritty 90 will be of interest to the national selectors as he took the Titans to 117-run advantage.Harris opened the bowling in the second innings but did not make an impact immediately. The Dolphins ground out a 66-run first wicket partnership before Khan was out lbw to Martin van Jaarsveld’s offspin. Harris removed Hashim Amla and van Wyk to open the door for legspinner Shaun von Berg to create havoc. His 5 for 76 crippled the Dolphins middle order and their score of 288 in the second innings set Titans a modest target of 172 to chase.Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj caused trouble, plucking three Titans wickets, half-centuries from Berhardien and van Jaarsveld saw the Titans to victory after lunch on the fourth day.On a traditionally flat pitch in Kimberley, the Lions and Knights drew a high-scoring encounter. Runs were slow but steady as the Lions declared their first innings on 455 for 9. Stephen Cook batted throughout the first day and scored 131, which he could not add to on the second morning. Ryan McLaren celebrated his international recall with three wickets and Dillon du Preez, who replaced Johann van der Wath, also claimed three as the Lions middle order battled.Their second century came from an unlikely place. No. 9 batsman, Dale Deeb, better known for left-arm spin, did a Jason Gillespie and scored 101 to give the Lions a meaty first innings total. Late on the second day, the advantage had swung firmly to the Lions as Pumelela Matshikwe took four wickets to have the Knights on the back foot at 95 for 5.Obus Pienaar, who played for South Africa Under-19s, scored a century and put on 155 with McLaren, who made 55 to steer the Knights to safety. Du Preez’s 83 took the Knights to within 100 runs of the Lions total, when Morne van Wyk declared on 378 for 8, 77 runs behind.His decision quickly looked like the right one, with the Lions stumbling to 72 for 4, with Quinton Friend doing the early damage. Alviro Petersen who is competing with Jacques Rudolph for a Test spot, dropped to No. 4 in the order, but scored a duck to end with disappointing stats of just 35 runs in the match. Neil McKenzie and Temba Bavuma both scored centuries to make sure the Lions could build a competitive total. They declared on 266 for 4, at lunch on the last day, setting the Knights a target of 344 and leaving themselves two sessions to bowl them out.Reeza Hendricks and Dean Elgar started safely with a first wicket stand of 62 but Cliffe Deacon’s triple strike after breaking through the opening partnership gave the Lions a sniff. He took here wickets in three overs to send Elgar, Boeta Dippenaar and Ryan Bailey packing. Deacon finished with five wickets in the innings, but the Lions did not have enough time to bowl the Knights out and had to settle for the draw with the Knights at 189 for 6.

An enterprising stand of 204 between Ed Cowan and George Bailey allowed Tasmania to set South Australia 402 for victory on day three of the Sheffield Shield match in Hobart

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2011
ScorecardAn enterprising stand of 204 between Ed Cowan and George Bailey allowed Tasmania to set South Australia 402 for victory on day three of the Sheffield Shield match in Hobart.After Ben Hilfenhaus’ four wickets had rounded the Redbacks up for 260 in their first innings, opening batsman Cowan and his captain Bailey compiled centuries to leave SA with a steep chase. the visitors reached 0- for 14 in six overs to the close.Cowan’s century was his first in the Shield this summer, while Bailey’s was his second, providing Tasmania with a chance to claim a first set of outright points for the season having won the competition in 2010-11.SA had never looked likely to challenge Tasmania’s first innings 361, though Aaron O’Brien’s determined 51 ensured the tail did not melt away without a little resistance.

Jason Gillespie, the former Australia fast bowler, has been named as Yorkshire’s new coach

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2011Jason Gillespie, the former Australia fast bowler, has been named as Yorkshire’s new coach as the county undertake a major restructuring following their poor 2011 season which saw them relegated in the County Championship.Gillespie played for Yorkshire from 2006 to 2007 and has been appointed on a two-year term alongside Paul Farbrace, the former Kent coach, who will take charge of the second XI. Phil Jaques, the Australia left-hander, has rejoined as overseas player having previously played for Yorkshire in 2004 and 2005.The new coaching structure will work under Martyn Moxon, the director of professional cricket, after the club opted for a clear-out. Craig White, who was the previous second XI coach, has moved into a career as an umpire while Steve Oldham, Kevin Sharp and John Blain, who all held various coaching position, were not retained having been invited to reapply for their positions.Gillespie, 36, only has previous main coaching experience with the Zimbabwe domestic team MidWest Rhinos, but he also spent time as a bowling coach with Kings XI Punjab in the IPL and Australia A. He played 71 Tests for Australia, taking 259 wickets and also scored an unbeaten 201 in his final match against Bangladesh in 2006.”To be able to go back there in a coaching capacity is a fantastic opportunity,” Gillespie said in a statement issued from Zimbabwe where he is seeing out his current contract. “When opportunities like being first team coach at Yorkshire come up you don’t turn them down.”The one thing I’ll be bringing to Yorkshire is a bit of fun and enjoyment, but making sure our preparation is spot on and leaving no stone unturned.”Jaques, meanwhile, will add strength to a top-order that struggled last season and will build on an already handsome record for Yorkshire which measures 2477 runs in 24 matches at 61.92. He has also had prolific county spells with Northamptonshire and Worcestershire but his international career was limited to 11 Tests and six ODIs. He has more than 13,000 first-class runs.

Sydney Thunder’s captain courageous, David Warner, spanked an unbeaten century after sparkling in the field to lead his team to a six-wicket victory over the Melbourne Stars in the Twenty20 Big Bash League encounter at the MCG

The Report by Daniel Brettig17-Dec-2011Shane Warne dominated the build-up, David Warner dominated the match. Sydney Thunder’s captain courageous, Warner, spanked an unbeaten century after sparkling in the field to lead his team to a six-wicket victory over the Melbourne Stars in the Twenty20 Big Bash League encounter at the MCG.Combative but also imaginative, Warner marshalled his team intelligently to restrict the Stars to 7 for 153 on a pacey surface. He then crashed no fewer than six sixes in an innings of belligerence, peaking at the moment Warne entered the attack in front of a 23,496-strong Melbourne crowd that has adored him for nearly 20 years.Warner chose that over to launch into the most monstrous six over long-on, and heaved another in Warne’s second. He would bowl only two overs for 19 runs, no doubt restricted by the burns a cooking accident had inflicted on his bowling hand.The Thunder’s bowlers had given Warner a decidedly manageable target to aim at with a stolid ensemble, highlighted by the bowling of the unheralded Scott Coyte and Luke Doran. Doug Bollinger grabbed two wickets though he struggled for rhythm and speed.Chris Gayle accompanied Warner to the middle for the chase, an opening combination of awe-inspiring power. However Gayle’s stay was brief and painful – he was struck a blow on the gloves by the sharper-than-you-think James Faulkner, before being yorked by the left-armer’s slower ball before the first over was complete.Warner was thus left a free stage on which to perform, which he did with all the confidence of a man who must surely now be an integral part of the Australian Test team against India. Of the Stars’ bowlers only Faulkner escaped punishment, as Warner biffed them in a display that showed how far he had come as a batsman since his international Twenty20 debut against South Africa at the MCG in 2009. The England bowlers Luke Wright and Jade Dernbach went for a combined 71 from their eight overs.The only other talking point was the sight of wicketkeeper Matthew Wade wringing his hand after a painful blow on the gloves – his is a set of digits the national selectors would prefer not to be harmed while Tim Paine convalesces.A speedy, skiddy pitch had greeted the Stars batsmen after Warner sent them in upon winning the toss – a task performed by Elizabeth Hurley – and the pace offered value for strokes as well as possibilities for the bowlers. Bollinger struck first, causing Rob Quiney to miscue to mid-on, while Wade managed only 14 before top-edging a Doran delivery slanted across him to short fine leg.David Hussey and George Bailey added 41 and seemed to be setting the hosts on the path to a substantial tally, but Bollinger found a way past the flailing bat of the Tasmanian captain. Hussey’s striking was typically clean and powerful, including one Bollinger delivery swung many rows back into the Great Southern Stand.Coyte was delivering a fine spell, and his wickets either side of Hussey’s run-out kept the Stars in check. Hussey was clearly aggrieved at his own misjudgement, when he chanced a second run on the arm of Warner and lost conclusively.Wright added some useful late runs with a bevy of skimming blows, but the final total felt middling at best. Thanks to Warner, it was ultimately made to look considerably less than that.

Aizaz Cheema, the Pakistan fast bowler, has said Pakistan will have the advantage of being more used to conditions similar to those in the UAE when they take on England there later this month

Umar Farooq05-Jan-2012Aizaz Cheema, the Pakistan fast bowler, has said Pakistan will have the advantage of being more used to conditions similar to those in the UAE when they take on England there later this month. The pitches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are generally slow and batsman-friendly but Cheema said they were not too different from those in Pakistan and therefore he was confident of taking wickets on them.”Through my life I have played on similar pitches and I earned my place in the national side with the wickets I took on them,” Cheema said after the second day of Pakistan’s training camp in Lahore. “The conditions won’t make a difference to me. I have pace but the main thing is being disciplined in my bowling. If I hit the right line and length it will be a problem for any batsman.”I will try not to give runs in any spell I bowl and will try to take wickets. Our experience of the conditions is more than theirs because there is not much difference in the tracks in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.”Cheema only played in one of the Tests during the three-Test series against Sri Lanka in the UAE last year, with Pakistan picking two spinners for the matches in Dubai and Sharjah. He will face further competition for his place this series with Wahab Riaz, the left-arm quick, returning to the squad. Cheema has impressed since earning his Test cap days before his 32nd birthday. He picked up eight wickets on debut in Zimbabwe and nine over the two Tests in Bangladesh in December last year, and has hit speeds up to 145kph. He recognised, however, that the England batting line-up was filled with quality players and that the series against the World No. 1 Test side would be a stiff challenge.”I can’t pick one name from the England line-up whom I am targeting because on the whole the England side is a quality side. I will try to dismiss whoever comes in.”Pakistan went through 2011 without losing a Test series, and go into this series after beating Zimbabwe away, Sri Lanka in the UAE and Bangladesh away. Cheema said they had not allowed themselves to become complacent, and he and some of the other players had started training just two days after returning from the tour of Bangladesh. “We are doing extensive hard work. Many of us started training just two days after we came back from Bangladesh. The camp in Lahore is helping us keep our rhythm and avoid becoming complacent.”Pakistan have recalled Umar Akmal for the three-Test series against England after leaving him out of the Tests against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Umar continued to do well in the limited-overs formats but after repeated failures in Tests, the selectors suggested he go back to domestic cricket and learn how to play long innings. Mohsin Khan, the chief selector and interim coach, said Umar needed to “stop being selfish”, and convert starts into important knocks. Umar, who averaged 71.00 in the six innings he played in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division Two, said he would not stop playing his shots but would try to do a job for his team at the No. 6 position.”I have played at No. 6 throughout my career, and I enjoy playing under pressure. When you take the team out of a pressure situation, only then can you be called a player for your country.”Nobody is stopping me from playing my shots but I am trying to play according to the situation and I feel there’s a lot of improvement in my batting.”Umar will find it hard to displace Asad Shafiq from the XI after Shafiq scored a century in Chittagong, but if given a chance said he would concentrate on contributing to the team’s cause rather than looking for big scores.”I will try to give 100%. At the number at which I am playing it’s rare to score big totals. You usually get around 50, 60, 70; whatever I can contribute to the total is an achievement for me. When I get promoted up the order, only then can I try to score hundreds.”The first Test between Pakistan and England starts January 17 in Abu Dhabi.