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Andy Flower’s stated determination to rest his key players in a bid to avoid burn-out ahead of this winter’s Ashes and World Cup became apparent when the squad for next week’s first Test against Bangladesh at Lord’s was unveiled on Sunday morning

Cricinfo staff22-May-2010Andy Flower’s stated determination to rest his key players in a bid to avoid burn-out ahead of this winter’s Ashes and World Cup became apparent when the squad for next week’s first Test against Bangladesh at Lord’s was unveiled on Sunday morning. Stuart Broad, the fast bowler with an integral role in all three forms of the game, has been given a break from the front line, while Paul Collingwood – the man who last week lifted the World Twenty20 trophy in Barbados – also gets a rest in order to begin rehabilitation on a long-term shoulder injury.”We were all delighted and extremely proud of the way the Twenty20 squad performed at the ICC World Twenty20; their success is testament to a great deal of hard work,” said national selector Geoff Miller. “The focus now shifts back to the longer form of the game and we look forward to the first npower Test against Bangladesh. We believe we’ve selected an exciting squad and, with Paul Collingwood and Stuart Broad taking no part in this series, the opportunity arises for a number of younger players to make a mark at Test level.”One of those players is Eoin Morgan, who should make his Test debut for England next week after being included in the squad. Morgan, the rising star of England’s limited-overs sides, is a player whose temperament would appear, from his ice-cool approach to one-day run-chases, to be perfectly suited to the cauldron of Test cricket. His first-class record, though, implies a player who hasn’t yet transferred his talents to the long-form game, and he has been a virtual stranger to Championship cricket for the past 12 months. His performances in the Tests will thus be an important marker in his development.”Eoin Morgan has impressed everyone since his inclusion in England’s one-day squad and he now has the opportunity to play a role in the Test team,” explained Miller. “He has always held ambitions of playing across all forms of the game and we believe he has earned his place in this Test squad.”With Andrew Strauss returning to lead the side for the first time since the tour of South Africa in January, and James Anderson also back in the reckoning having sat on the sidelines during the Caribbean tour, England have been presented with a range of options against a Bangladesh side that, to judge from their ineffectual efforts against the Lions in Derby this week, are unlikely to prove the same sort of obstacle that they were in their own conditions in Dhaka and Chittagong in March.Middlesex’s Steven Finn, who made his debut on that tour, also comes in to the side and could play as a third seamer. Finn has been in impressive early-season form with his county, cashing in with 14 wickets in his first Championship outing of the season against Worcestershire. His development came on in leaps and bounds following his last-minute call-up to Bangladesh, and his height and pace could prove essential in Australia this winter.”We were encouraged by Steven Finn’s Test debut in Bangladesh during the winter and he has had a fine start to the domestic season for Middlesex,” said Miller. “He is aware of what is involved at the international level and, along with Ajmal Shahzad, who has also made a bright start to the county season after touring Bangladesh over the winter, offers us a great deal of depth in the bowling ranks.”Eoin Morgan will get a chance to take his limited-overs form into the Test arena•AFP

Despite his important role in the World Twenty20 triumph, Broad’s omission could probably be justified on the grounds of form alone. Of all England’s seamers, he was the one who struggled the most to make headway on Bangladesh’s flat surfaces, and his once-promising batting has gone backwards to such an extent that Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann have both leapt ahead of him in the allrounder stakes.A break could be just the thing to rejuvenate him, and as Miller explained: “There’s a need for Stuart to undertake an intensive strengthening programme ahead of an arduous summer and a busy winter and the next three weeks have been identified as the ideal period for this programme.”Collingwood, however, presents a trickier case to the England management, not least because, as a trophy-winning captain, he is suddenly something of a drawcard for arguably the first time in his career. Furthermore, as a player who has spent most of his Test career with question-marks over his place in the side, he is unlikely to take kindly to the notion of being rested when he is in arguably the best Test form of his career.Flower, however, is nothing if not a pragmatist, and he knows that Collingwood’s dour grit will be invaluable in both the Ashes and the 2011 World Cup this winter, but only if his body is capable of taking the strain of two high-intensity campaigns. For several seasons, he has been dogged by a shoulder problem that is likely to require surgery at some stage in the near future, and though questions will be raised as to why, in that case, he was allowed to play for Delhi in the IPL, the new trophy in the ECB’s cabinet might go some way towards answering that.Bresnan’s big-hearted efforts in Bangladesh were backed up by a display of unexpected nous and talent in the World Twenty20, and he is sure to get a chance to lead the line in a home international, and present his credentials as a long-term Test No. 7. Collingwood’s absence also gives Jonathan Trott an opportunity to prove he’s recovered from the crisis of confidence that gripped him in South Africa.England squad: Andrew Strauss (capt), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Alastair Cook, Steven Finn, Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior (w/k), Ajmal Shahzad, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott.

Wicketkeeper Reece Young has switched to Canterbury for the next New Zealand domestic season after having spent more than a decade with Auckland

Cricinfo staff01-Jul-2010Wicketkeeper Reece Young has switched to Canterbury for the next New Zealand domestic season after having spent more than a decade with Auckland. Young has had to fight for the wicketkeeping spot at Auckland with Gareth Hopkins since 2008, though a rich run of batting form earned him a place in New Zealand’s Test squad which toured Sri Lanka last year.With Canterbury’s Kruger van Wyk having moved to Central Districts, Young will get a chance to show his prowess behind the stumps and strengthen his case for international cricket, particularly after Brendon McCullum’s decision to give up keeping in Tests. “There has come a time where I need to further my career and push for my dream of playing international cricket for New Zealand,” Young said. “Canterbury Cricket has given me an opportunity and fresh environment to do this.”I looked at the spot open in Canterbury and with Brendon McCullum’s recent news to stand down from Test keeping, it seemed like a logical choice. My ultimate goal is to play for New Zealand and at the end of the day the decision I’ve made is to help achieve that goal,” Reece said.Though he was competing with Hopkins for a spot in the Auckland set-up, Young insisted that he maintained a professional relationship with him. “Gareth and I had a strong professional relationship in Auckland. We managed the issue of having two top-class keepers and we shared the duties well,” he said. “But to keep full time was a big carrot. I didn’t want to finish my career with any regrets. I want to do my upmost to achieve higher honours and at the end of the day I’ve made the right move and I’m happy with that although it was hard leaving Auckland.”Young hoped to further his claims for a national call-up during the upcoming Emerging Players Tournament in Australia, where he will represent New Zealand A. “It’s a good opportunity to showcase my one-day and Twenty20 talent. I’m looking forward to getting out there and producing consistent, solid performances, and Gareth will be away in Sri Lanka. It’s a good chance for the selectors to look at us and see who is in form.”To be honest, it’s an exciting time. Obviously the door’s ajar for that spot and I’m just going to do what I can and play to my potential. I’ll leave it in the hands of the selectors,” Young said.Bob Carter, the Canterbury coach, welcomed the arrival of the 30-year-old Young. “I am delighted to have Reece coming to play for the Wizards,” Carter said. “He will bring with him his specialist wicket-keeping skills which will support the team’s performances along with his specialist batting skills at all levels of the game.”Young has played 96 first-class matches averaging nearly 30, and has taken 261 catches. Last season, he was Auckland’s second highest run-getter, raking in 574 runs at 52.18.

After going neck and neck for much of the first Test, England and Sri Lanka’s Under-19s continued their close-fought contest into the second day of the second match at Scarborough

Cricinfo staff28-Jul-2010
ScorecardAfter going neck and neck for much of the first Test, England and Sri Lanka’s Under-19s continued their close-fought contest into the second day of the second match at Scarborough. England managed to keep off-field events in the background as they overcame a decidedly shaky start to their innings thanks to some gritty resistance from their lower middle order, finishing the day 94 runs in arrears on 223 for 6 after Sri Lanka were dismissed for 317 in the morning.Charith Jayampathi had battled gamely for his 31, but when he was dismissed by Jacob Ball Sri Lanka’s innings came to a swift end, David Payne castling Nadeera Rajaguru in the following over. The atmosphere in the England camp will have been far from ideal after their captain for the first Test, Azeem Rafiq, was dropped for “inappropriate conduct” and responded with a foul-mouthed rant on Twitter, and when they lost two wickets in an over to slip to 17 for 2 within the first seven overs it appeared a collapse was imminent.But Luke Wells and Ateeq Javid steadied the innings with a 78-run stand, Wells going to his half-century from 106 balls with eight fours. Chathura Peiris, the left-arm seamer whose wickets played an important role in Sri Lanka’s triumph in the first Test, ensured that England never took the upper hand, however, snapping Wells and Javids’ stand and then returning to dismiss Jack Manuel just before stumps after he had launched another fightback with an attacking 57.Paul Best, the Warwickshire left-arm spinner whose 5 for 53 kept Sri Lanka in check on the first day, chipped in with a stubborn unbeaten 27, and if he can find support from England’s lower order then England will continue to challenge Sri Lanka and hold on to hopes of squaring the series.

Allrounder Julia Chibhabha, sister of Zimbabwe batsman Chamu Chibhabha, returns to the women’s national squad for the Women’s World Cup Regional Qualifiers to be held in Kenya in December

Cricinfo staff11-Aug-2010Allrounder Julia Chibhabha, sister of Zimbabwe batsman Chamu Chibhabha, returns to the national squad for the Women’s World Cup Regional Qualifiers to be held in Kenya in December. The tournament will include the hosts and Zimbabwe along with Uganda, South Africa and Tanzania.”There have been no major changes in the line-up, apart from the return of Julia Chibhabha into the squad,” Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) Women’s Cricket Coordinator, Caroline Nyamande, said. “The franchises have done well working with the players, the ladies have played more cricket in the last eight months and selectors had a tougher time choosing the squad not only because of increased number of candidates but the swell of competitive players.”ZC introduced the country’s first inter-franchise women’s age-group competitions in March, starting with the Under-13 category to the senior levels.Squad: Sinikiwe Mpofu, Nonhlanhla Nyathi, Ashley Burdett, Chipo
Mugeri, Pellagia Mujaji, Julia Chibhabha, Christabel Chatonzwa, Monalisa Chimutashu, Sharyce Saili, Nyasha Gauzeni, Precious Marange, Ashley Ndiraya, Sarah Dambanevana, Thandolwenkosi Mlilo, Sharne Mayers.

When Alexei Kervezee first appeared on the scene as a fresh-faced teenager, the coach, Ian Pont, remarked that there were ‘shades of Graeme Hick’ about him. The comments were roundly dismissed as absurd. How could anyone compare an untried teenager to Hic

George Dobell at New Road18-Aug-2010
ScorecardAlexei Kervezee’s century is proving the difference between the sides•PA Photos

When Alexei Kervezee first appeared on the scene as a fresh-faced teenager, the coach, Ian Pont, remarked that there were ‘shades of Graeme Hick’ about him. The comments were roundly dismissed as absurd. How could anyone compare an untried teenager to Hick?But Pont’s words may prove remarkably prescient. For while Kervezee will never emulate Hick at county level – no-one ever will – he may well end his career with a superior record in international cricket.
Certainly Kervezee’s batting in this game has been outstanding. Not only did he produce his third first-class century of the campaign, but he passed 1,000 championship runs for the season. For a man of just 20 years of age, that is quite an achievement.It may well prove to be the defining contribution in an otherwise evenly-contested match. If Surrey are to achieve their victory target of 369, it will be the second highest winning fourth-innings total in the club’s first-class history. The highest remains the 410-8 they made at Canterbury in 2002.That target looked mightily distant by stumps on the third day. Though Surrey started their chase pretty well, an inexplicable moment of madness from Tom Lancefield precipitated a collapse and the visitors lost four wickets for the addition of four runs in 22 balls.With just four-and-a-half overs left of the day, Lancefield skipped down the pitch and drove obligingly – and quite unnecessarily – to mid-on. Stuart Meaker, the nightwatchman, was punished for thrusting his pad into his forward defensive stroke, before Mark Ramprkash was bowled, second delivery, by a lovely arm ball. It left Shakib Al Hasan with three wickets in eight deliveries without conceding a run. Gareth Andrew soon capitalised by trapping Arun Harinath leg before, playing across a straight one. Surrey will have to bat remarkably well to deny Worcestershire. With the wicket providing assistance for the spinners, Shakib is likely to prove irresistible.But if it proves to be Shakib who seals the win, it will have been Kervezee who built the platform. With the game in the balance (Worcestershire were just 112 ahead when they lost their fourth wicket, Moeen Ali driving loosely to mid-off), he produced a high-class demonstration of batting, unleashing scorching drives, commanding pulls and delicious flicks through mid-wicket. His almost dismissive treatment of Gareth Batty’s off-spin brought particularly warm applause. Batty, a former player who defected at the end of last season, is not the most popular man in these parts.If Kervezee was a little loose initially – he flashed the ball before lunch just over gully – he was into his stride in the afternoon session. Timing the ball delightfully, he contributed 98 of the 190 runs Worcestershire scored in just 35 overs. Andrew, with 34 from 32 balls, helped him add 74 in just 61 balls in what will surely prove to be the partnership that defines the game.Perhaps only Jimmy Taylor of young county batsmen offers more promise than Kervezee. But not even Taylor can match Kervezee for style. He sustained one crushing blow on the head from a short ball from Meaker, but was straight back in line to the next delivery and looked unflustered by everything Surrey through at him. A Namibian and Dutch descent, Kervezee qualifies for England at end of 2011. It will be relevant.It is surely fitting that Kervezee will provide a lasting legacy of Mark Newton’s time at Worcestershire. Newton steps down as chief executive of the club at the end of September after a decade in the post, but his influence will be felt many years into the future.It was Newton’s swift action that secured the services of Kervezee four years ago. With several other clubs – including local rivals, Warwickshire – looking at Kervezee with interest, Newton seized the moment and flew to Holland. There he meet the boy and his parents in the airport and quickly agreed a contract. It was an astute move. Securing Kervezee on a five-year contract extension a few weeks ago will surely prove equally astute.Kervezee won’t be Newton’s only legacy. Despite coping with floods, a recession, the mass defection of players and the insolvency of a major sponsor, Newton has overseen the building of The Graeme Hick Pavilion and the Basil D’Oliveira Stand at New Road. The club are also optimistic that they will be able to announce the next phase of the ground redevelopment – which includes a hotel – within the next few weeks. If they do so, it will alleviate much of the financial pressure which currently burdens them. From the depths of 2007, when the club lost over a million pounds, it’s hard to see how anyone could have done a better job than Newton. It is interesting to note, however, that his replacement, David Leatherdale, will not be replaced as the club’s commercial director. Times are desperately tight in county cricket.For that reason, there is also some doubt over the future of Vikram Solanki. Though he is contracted for another two years at New Road, the club may well be willing to listen to offers. In these straitened times, the salaries of senior players are increasingly hard to justify and Solanki’s return of just 593 runs at an average of 27 hardly makes a compelling case for retainment.But if this season really is about building for the future, then Worcestershire supporters have brighter times ahead. For in Kervezee they have a gem. Batty, Meaker and Dernbach were all punished for more than four an over and, by the time he reached his century (off just 103 balls), he looked a class apart.It was a different game when Chris Tremlett had the ball in his hand. His opening spell (8-4-4-2) removed David Wheeldon, who paid the price for playing slightly across one that nipped back, before Vikram Solanki’s tentative prod at a beauty that bounced and left him ended up in the hands of slip. Tremlett returned later to dismiss Shakib, caught off the glove as he attempted to hook, and bowl Kervezee as the batsmen sought to hit out with only tailenders for company.Tremlett finished with his fifth four-wicket haul of the season and match figures of eight for 87. Geoff Miller has already watched him in this match and can only have been impressed.

Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal were sent notices by the ICC this year after the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt has said

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2010Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal were sent notices by the ICC this year after the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt has said. However, the notices were sent directly to the players and without the ICC informing the PCB they were being sent.”That is confidential for now and we don’t know the details of that,” Ijaz Butt said in Lahore, where he was addressing a press conference on Thursday.ESPNcricinfo had on Monday reported that two Pakistan cricketers – part of the squad in England – were issued notices by the ICC seeking information nearly a month before the spot-fixing scandal broke during the Lord’s Test last month. It is not immediately clear whether this is the same case Butt referred to.

A round-up of the eighth day of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Twenty20 tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2010

West Zone

Gujarat ran through half the Baroda batting line-up cheaply, but then ran into a ruthless Yusuf Pathan whose 42-ball 89 gave Baroda a three-wicket win•Associated Press

Yusuf Pathan rescued Baroda from a desperate situation with a savage half-century to carry his side to a three-wicket win over Gujarat at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara. Baroda were seemingly dead and buried at 7 for 5 chasing 129, but somebody forget to tell Yusuf. He proceeded to bludgeon five fours and eight sixes in a 42-ball 89, sharing a 92-run partnership with Ketan Panchal for the seventh wicket that came off only 8.2 overs. Yusuf fell with eight runs still to get, but by then the damage been done, and Baroda cruised home with 17 balls to spare.Before Yusuf’s staggering assault, Siddharth Trivedi appeared to have won the game for Gujarat after knocking over three of the top five Baroda batsmen with only six runs on the board. Trivedi would eventually get Pathan as well, to finish with 4 for 29, but by then the match had swung completely the other way.Yusuf had starred with the ball as well, taking 3 for 25 as Gujarat stuttered to 128. Bhavik Thaker top scored with 32 from 30 balls, with two fours and a six. Opener Pratharesh Parmar, who made 28, and Jay Desai, who made 25, were the only other batsmen to go past 10.Iqbal Abdulla spun Mumbai to an emphatic 54-run win against Saurashtra at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara. Saurashtra had got off to a poor start in their chase of Mumbai’s 144, losing three wickets with 11 runs on the board, including the one of India Test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara for 0. Shitanshu Kotak and captain Jaydev Shah tried to steady the innings, but the asking rate climbed steeply during their slow resistance. After Kotak fell, left-arm spinner Abdulla ran through the lower order, taking 4 for 7 as Saurashtra finished on 90 for 9.Mumbai themselves had earlier started poorly, losing captain Wasim Jaffer and Ajinkya Rahane cheaply. But Paul Valthaty and Abhishek Nayar ensured they didn’t get bogged down, like Saurashtra did. After Valthaty fell for 32 off 18 deliveries, Nayar took over. His 48 off 44 took Mumbai to a healthy total, despite the regular fall of wickets at the other end.

North Zone

India leg spinner Amit Mishra spun Haryana to an easy nine-wicket win over Jammu & Kashmir at the Model Sports Complex in Delhi. J&K got off to a sedate start after choosing to bat first, before Mishra ripped through the heart of the middle order, reducing them from 54 for 2 to 59 for 7. He twice took two wickets in an over to finish with figures of 5 for 19, as JK were bowled out for 82.Haryana made quick work of the small target, getting there with 6.4 overs to spare and for the loss of opener Mukul Dagar. Rahul Dewan led the way with a solid unbeaten 44, which came from 41 balls, and contained seven fours. Haryana top the North Zone points table, ahead of Delhi on net run-rate. Both teams have won their first three matches.Mithun Manhas and Puneet Mehra’s unbroken 80-run partnership gave Delhi a comfortable seven-wicket win over Punjab at the Model Sports Complex in Delhi. Mehra and Manhas came together with the score at 58 for 3 and made identical scores of 39, as Delhi chased down their target of 138 with eight balls to spare.Punjab never really got going after choosing to bat, as their batsman struggled to stitch together decent partnerships. Opener Sarul Kanwar top scored with 31 from 33, but it took some lower order hitting by allrounder Bipul Sharma, who made 27 from 16, with three fours and a six, to push Punjab to 137. Sharma and Karan Goel, who remained unbeaten on 30, racked up 36 from the last 4.3 overs, but it proved to be too little too late.Himachal Pradesh slid to their third-straight defeat, losing to Services by 14 runs by way of the VJD method after rain intervened at the Model Sports Complex in Delhi. Medium-pacer Abhishek Sinha grabbed four wickets for 22 to restrict HP to 111 for 8. The opening bowlers had struck a couple of early blows and HP had to rely on contributions from Abhinav Bali and Manvinder Bisla to revive them. VA Indulkar chipped in with a steady 24 while Sinha was making inroads at the other end, to give the HP bowlers something to defend. Services, in their reply, had progressed to 76 for 3 in 13 overs, with opener Sumit Singh making 27, before rain prevented any further play. According to VJD calculations, Services needed to have been just 65 for 3.

Central Zone

Uttar Pradesh opened their account in the tournament with a 10-run win over Railways at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Their star was RP Singh, who picked up five wickets for eight runs in four overs, among the best figures for a bowler in Twenty20 matches. The UP openers Rohit Srivastava and Tanmay Srivastava laid the platform for a competitive score with a 41-run stand and Ravikant Shukla and Piyush Chawla provided the innings impetus in the late overs to extend the score to 165. The Railways reply began in encouraging fashion with the openers adding 33 but things soon went downhill. Praveen Gupta dismissed PM Madkaikar and set the stage for RP to run through the top and middle orders. The next four wickets fell for just 13 runs in a space of 4.1 overs but when it seemed UP had the game in the bag, Railways staged a recovery. Shreyas Khanolkar fought back with 61, adding 60 with JP Yadav and a further 29 with Avishkar Salvi to keep his team in the hunt. But when he fell, caught by Mohammad Kaif off Kamran Khan in the penultimate over with 17 needed off 8, UP had struck a decisive blow that secured them a win.On a day of fascinating contests, Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh served up a thriller at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The teams played out a tie but Vidarbha won the one-over eliminator and notched up their first victory of the tournament. Vidarbha opted to bat and were boosted by a 64-run stand for the second wicket between Alind Naidu (20) and captain Shalabh Shrivastava (41). However, Jalaj Saxena, with his offspin, triggered a slide and grabbed a career-best 5 for 16 to limit Vidarbha to 141. The chase began in positive fashion for MP, with openers Naman Ojha and Monish Mishra racing to 49 in 5.2 overs. At 92 for 1 in a little over 11 overs, MP looked good to bag a win but the Vidarbha bowlers fought back with Naidu proving the pick of the bowlers with his offbreaks, taking 3 for 12 in four overs. MP still had their noses ahead as late as the final over but lost three wickets, including two off the last two balls with just one run needed for victory.MP were to rue their lapses in the end as Vidarbha edged the one-over eliminator. MP batted first and were able to take seamer Umesh Yadav for just 9 runs. Vidarbha, facing Anand Rajan, took five balls to scale their target.

East Zone

Bengal‘s bowlers stifled Jharkhand in their chase of 133, restricting them to 117 for 6 at the Sunshine Ground in Cuttack. Jharkhand had raced to 37 without loss in the fifth over, before allrounder Laxmi Shukla removed Akash Verma. Bengal came right back into the game, drying up the runs through some tight bowling. The pressure told on Jharkhand as they lost three wickets for four runs to limp to 78 for 4 after 14 overs. The asking rate proved to be too much for the remaining batsmen, and Jharkhand finished 15 runs short despite captain Rajiv Kumar’s 43. His counterpart Manoj Tiwary had earlier lifted Bengal from 22 for 2 to 132 for 5, hitting four fours and two sixes in his 59 off 53. He was supported by opener Arindam Das who made a patient 42.An all-round performance by Assam enabled them to beat Tripura by six wickets at the Ravenshaw College Ground in Cuttack. Assam’s bowlers scythed through the Tripura top order, leaving them struggling at 38 for 5. Swapan Das and Wilkin Mota added 52 runs in quick time to lead the recovery, but Mota’s dismissal triggered yet another collapse, and Tripura lost their remaining wickets for 27 runs to be dismissed for 117. Das top scored with 36 off 29 while four Assam bowlers took two wickets apiece. Pritam Debnath began solidly for Assam, and S Sriram ensured they capitalised on the good start, guiding his team home with an unbeaten 39 off 29.

Ricky Ponting has warned England they will find it “hard to come to grips” with the Gabba pitch

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2010Ricky Ponting has warned England they will find it “hard to come to grips” with the Gabba pitch despite their extensive preparation for the Ashes. The tourists will have had three warm-up matches by the time they reach Brisbane for the first Test on November 25, but Ponting does not believe it will help them deal with the pace and bounce of the surface.”With just a normal Brisbane wicket, visiting teams find it hard to come to terms with just how different it is up there,” Ponting said in the Australian. England played in Perth over the weekend and start a match in Adelaide on Thursday, before their final warm-up in Hobart next week.The tourists’ first look at the Gabba will come on the opening day of the series. “Our record there is unbelievably good and we want to make sure we continue that on,” Ponting said.”There’s been a lot made of England’s preparation, the fact that they’re here early and they’re playing lots of games, but they don’t play a match at the Gabba before the first Test. They’ll definitely still find it hard to come to grips with what they’re confronted with in Brisbane day one.”The pitch has caused lots of problems for batsmen this season with extra bounce and seam following an unusually wet spring. Queensland were dismissed by New South Wales for 75 and 96 in a Sheffield Shield game two weeks ago and Sri Lanka were knocked over for 115 in an ODI on Sunday.Australia’s last loss at the ground came against West Indies in 1988-89. “In my mind it’s been the best cricket wicket in Australia for as long as I’ve been playing the game,” Ponting said. “There’s always something in it for everyone. The fast bowlers always get something out of it, it spins late in the game, and it’s a great place to bat once you get in.”

MS Dhoni has said that Suresh Raina needs a break from cricket, and if he doesn’t get it after the first two ODIs against New Zealand, he might have to be replaced for the first Test in South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2010MS Dhoni, the India captain, has said that Suresh Raina needs a break from cricket, and if he doesn’t get it after the first two ODIs against New Zealand, he might have to be replaced for the first Test in South Africa, which begins on December 16.Dhoni was specifically asked whether Raina would be replaced at Centurion by Cheteshwar Pujara or M Vijay if he didn’t have a break for the last three one-day matches against New Zealand. “If he doesn’t get a break in the ODI series [after the first 2 games] then you have to [replace him],” Dhoni said. “He is at a point where he needs a break from cricket.””A 10 to 15-day break will really help him. He has played as much cricket as I have or most of other cricketers. He has played one more series in Zimbabwe. At times international cricket really drains you. More than the physical part it’s always that mental part that is important. Unfortunately, most of the senior players are missing from the ODI series which means he had to play.”Raina struggled during the Test series against New Zealand, scoring 26 runs in four innings, and was named in the squad for the first two one-dayers. There is only a five-day gap between the end of the ODI series against New Zealand and the start of the first Test in South Africa.Dhoni said India had toyed with the idea of resting Raina for the Nagpur Test against New Zealand but decided to play him in the hope that he might be rested. “One of the options was to give him a rest during the last Test match, but we thought he was most likely to get a break in the ODIs, so we played him in the Test.”Unfortunately, he is not getting a break in the ODIs also. So, it’s a bit tough on him. If he does well, hopefully he will get an opportunity to get a bit of rest in the last few ODI games. It will come to how the performance is in the first two ODIs.”Five players – Sachin Tendulkar, Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag- were rested from the ODI series. When asked why Raina wasn’t rested, if that’s what he needs, Dhoni said he didn’t know “what to answer to that question”.”I have said more than physical it’s the mental thing. Physically he is not suffering. Once you start doing well in the Test, especially if you are part of the Indian team, the pressure of performance is always there on you every time you turn up on the field. You have to keep performing and being the leading fielder, it means you have to keep yourself very active in the field. Its very tiring. We have to keep that in the mind.”Rahul Dravid offered some support to Raina, saying his performances in ODIs proved what a destructive player he can be. “We all recognise that he is a terrific talent,” Dravid said. “Test cricket is a hard school and I think he will be better off from these experiences . He is a good player and big knocks are around the corner. He is going through a tough run at the moment and hopefully he will get it right in South Africa.”

Round-up of the first day of the sixth round of Division Two of the Quaid-E-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2010Sixteen wickets tumbled on the opening day of the match between Peshawar and Quetta at the Arbaz Niaz Stadium in Peshawar. The visitors, who are in last place in the division, having lost of four of their previous five matches, chose to field, and it appeared that their decision was correct one as they reduced Peshawar to 91 for 7. But Nauman Habib responded with an attacking 78 laced with 14 fours, and added 79 for the eighth wicket with Jamaluddin, who made 46, to see the home side past the 200-mark. Arun Lal completed his fourth career five-wicket haul, 5 for 69. The Quetta batsmen also struggled, stuttering to 87 for 6, with Taimur Khan batting on 27 and Manzoor Ahmad yet to open his account.Ghulam Mohammad and Nadeem Akhtar made battling half-centuries to ensure honours were shared between Abbotabad and State Bank of Pakistan at the Abbotabad Cricket Stadium. The hosts began the day in positive fashion, with Waqar Orakzai, who was unlucky to be run out two short of a half-century, adding 88 with Mohammad. Three quick wickets followed, before Akhtar and Mohammad, who batted for almost five hours for his 90, put on 78 for the fifth wicket before Mohammad nicked one to the keeper to give Nazar Hussein his second scalp of the day. Akhtar remained unbeaten on 53, with Abbotabad on 220 for 5.Emmad Ali and Aamer Hayat combined to take eight wickets as Karachi Whites were dismissed for 261 at the Southend Club Cricket Stadium in Karachi. Lahore Whites lost opener Hamza Paracha to the second ball of their innings, but saw out the remaining 10.4 overs to reach 34 for 1. Karachi’s innings was built around a 100-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Asif Zakir and Rameez Aziz, both of whom made half-centuries. Zakir was the more circumspect of the pair, taking 147 balls for his 55, while Aziz was more aggressive, striking nine fours and a six in making 61 from 88. Ali and Hayat then knocked over the lower order, with the former taking 5 for 66 and the latter 3 for 69.An unbeaten century from Raheel Majeed carried Pakistan Television to 252 for 6 against Khan Research Laboratories at the Khan Research Laboratory Ground in Rawalpindi. PT had stumbled to 118 for 5, but Majeed kept his head while all about him was losing theirs, adding 52 with Naeem Anjum for the sixth wicket and an unbroken 82 with Yasim Murtaza for the seventh. He batted for five hours and 40 minutes to make 128, studded with 18 fours. Murtaza was on 27, having faced 88 balls. Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Irfan was the day’s most successful bowler, taking 3 for 61.Hyderabad struggled to 212 against Lahore Ravi, going past 200 only because the hosts conceded 45 extras, more than 20% of the total, at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Only one batsman managed to score more than the extras, Nasrullah Memon making a determined 50, but he received little support from his team-mates. Abdul Gaffar and Shabbir Ahmad took three wickets each, while Asif Ashfaq and Tanzeel Altaf took two apiece. Lahore managed 3 for no loss before the end of the day’s play.