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New Zealand will be without Ross Taylor and Tim Southee, who has a “slight hammy niggle”, for the first ODI against Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2015Atapattu keeping Sri Lanka’s options open

Sri Lanka coach Marvan Atapattu has said his team will be flexible about where to bat Mahela Jayawardene in the upcoming ODIs against New Zealand, as well as in the World Cup. When Jayawardene can be slotted in as opener, it will give Sri Lanka the chance to play the extra spinner, he said.
“Having Mahela in the squad gives us the opportunity to bat him in the middle order or let him open if we want to. [Regular opener] Dimuth [Karunaratne] is in the squad, so depending on the oppositions and the conditions we’ll decide if we want Mahela in the middle or at the top, which would mean we can play another spinner in the middle order.”
Atapattu said Lasith Malinga not being fit till the last couple of ODIs of the New Zealand series also gave the team a chance to explore their options. “If at all [we rest anyone in view of the World Cup], it’ll be fast bowlers. Malinga is also not ready till the last one-dayers. That’s a bit of a setback for us because he has been a champion bowler, especially at the death, But it’s a good chance for the others, we’ve got 17 players here, it’s a chance for us to see how the others go.”

New Zealand will be without Ross Taylor and Tim Southee, who has a “slight hammy niggle”, for the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Christchurch, batting coach Craig McMillan has said. The injury is nothing to worry about, he said.”Ross has gone home to spend a couple of days with the family. He won’t be part of this first game. Tim Southee has gone home as well for a couple of days’ rest. It’s important that we give some of the players a bit of R&R, a little rest before we get into a really hectic season.”Tim had a slight hammy niggle before that second Test in Wellington. It’s just a little bit of time to recover, as much physically as mentally. There have been a couple of long tours thrown in as well and Tim’s played pretty much every format. Just a couple of days’ R&R and he’ll come back when we head north.”No injury problem [for Taylor]. You’ll find most players have got niggles and have tape around certain parts of the body. It’s part of being a professional cricketer. There are very few players playing at bang on 100%. No major issues.”New Zealand will play the Sri Lanka series with the same squad that they selected for the World Cup. Fast bowler Kyle Mills, who had to return home from the series against Pakistan in the UAE in December with a groin strain, is part of the World Cup squad, but is not back to full fitness yet. He will not feature in the first ODI, either, McMillan said.”He’s still resting but he’s not far off. He’s been bowling, I think he’s coming off full runs,” McMillan said. “So I think he’ll join us as we head north and he’s looking forward to some game time.”To cover for Southee and Mills’ absence, Matt Henry, who missed out on the World Cup 15, has been added to the squad. However, he’s being brought in “just in case”, McMillan said, with Adam Milne, Mitchell McClenaghan and Trent Boult set to make the playing eleven. “Adam, Mitch, Trent, all three likely to play. Matt Henry is going to come in as cover. Obviously he was very unlucky not to make the [World Cup] squad. He’ll come out and join us tomorrow, he’s playing for Canterbury today at Rangiora [in the Ford Trophy].”

Former India batsman VVS Laxman believes the support staff appointed for India’s limited-overs matches in England should stay in their jobs till next year’s World Cup

Gaurav Kalra09-Sep-2014Former India batsman VVS Laxman believes the support staff appointed for India’s limited-overs matches in England should stay in their jobs till next year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Laxman also said Duncan Fletcher must stay on as head coach “without a doubt” until the tournament.After the 3-1 drubbing in the Test series in England, the BCCI had appointed former India allrounder Ravi Shastri as team director and Sanjay Bangar, B Arun and R Sridhar as assistant coaches in an interim capacity for the ODI series that followed. Bowling coach Joe Dawes and fielding coach Trevor Penney were sent on leave for the series and their future was unclear. India went on to win the ODIs 3-1, though they were beaten in the T20 international. Laxman said the new support staff had a positive influence on the team.”I am hoping the BCCI will stick to the support staff we had for the one-dayers till the World Cup. The tournament is only six months away so there isn’t enough time to chop and change,” Laxman told ESPNcricinfo. “I have worked with Ravi Shastri in 2007 when we toured Bangladesh and he is a very positive person, immense knowledge of the game, he was himself a great leader for Mumbai and he captained India in one Test that India won convincingly. I am glad Bharat Arun and R Sridhar got their opportunity to coach at the highest level because they have a good track record at the India A and Under-19 level, and Sanjay Bangar because of his recent success with Kings XI Punjab.”India’s tour of England was a mixed bag with the team succumbing meekly after taking the lead in the Test series but bouncing back with a commanding show in the ODIs that followed. Laxman is convinced that experiences from the tour will help the players “blossom.””I have always regarded tours of South Africa, Australia and England as important for a team to become better,” he said. “I am sure the Indian players have learned, the way they bounced back showed a lot of character and definitely they will turn into much better players.”Laxman rejected claims that India’s young cricketers were not as perturbed by failure at Test level as previous generations. “I know for a fact that players like Kohli, Rahane, Pujara, Dhawan take a lot of pride in what they do in Tests and more so in overseas conditions,” he said. “You’ve seen the way M Vijay adapted to the Test series, he didn’t play his natural game, played with a lot of controlled aggression. So they focus on Tests and I don’t agree that they don’t give enough emphasis to Tests.”Laxman also insisted that Test success was the “number one priority” of the BCCI and said the number of matches India play were at “par with any other international side.” “The way the BCCI is organising A tours to countries such as Australia, England and New Zealand and the exposure being given to youngsters is also very important. I am sure importance is given to Test cricket.”With the World Cup a few months away, the focus has turned to India’s build-up towards their title defence. According to Laxman, India “should not read too much into this one-day series win because the England side was not very good or competitive.” Laxman said India needed to focus on two crucial areas to improve as a limited-overs side – death bowling and the openers.”In the T20 they gave away 50 runs in the last three overs, which is a lot, so I think these two issues are a problem. Also the way India start with their batting will be important because of two new balls and conditions suiting the fast bowlers,” he said. “Luckily for India they are playing a tri-series before the World Cup and that too against the Australians in their own backyard. It will be a good experience for the players to get used to the conditions.”Although Ajinkya Rahane was successful as an opener in the ODIs in England after replacing the injured Rohit Sharma, Laxman said Rohit should be restored in the job. “The wickets in Australia will suit him [Rohit]. He had a successful ODI series in 2007 when he was young and inexperienced. His style of batting will suit Australian conditions, so I will definitely go back to Rohit and have Rahane as a back-up but play him in the middle order.”One player Laxman marked out for special praise was Suresh Raina, who was named Man of the Series in the ODIs. According to Laxman, Raina’s century in the second game in Cardiff was the kind of “brilliant individual performance that can change the entire atmosphere in the dressing room.””He is a very important player because not only is he a good batsman but he is also an exceptional fielder, who lifts the entire team on the field. He is also a useful bowler, who has the knack of taking wickets at crucial times.”Laxman was not too concerned with Virat Kohli’s lack of form. Kohli’s only half-century on the tour came in the T20 international in Birmingham. “It’s good that he is having a break before the series against West Indies and isn’t part of the Champions League because this time away will allow him to reflect on what has happened and come back stronger,” Laxman said. “He is a very hard working young cricketer and I am sure that he will bounce back. It’s a matter of time before he starts scoring runs like the way he has over the last few years.”

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis has expressed his disappointment at the team’s batting in the one-off Twenty20 against Australia, where they wobbled to 96 for 9 from their 20 overs

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Oct-2014Pakistan coach Waqar Younis has expressed his disappointment at the team’s batting in the one-off Twenty20 against Australia, where they wobbled to 96 for 9 from their 20 overs. The Australians had little trouble chasing down the target in 14 overs with four wickets down and it gave them the perfect start to their UAE tour with the first of three ODIs to be played on Tuesday.”Batting, we didn’t really put enough runs on the board,” Younis said. “Losing early wickets, it was not easy after that. And full credit to the Australians, they bowled well, they bowled to the plan and they came out good. I think there was nothing wrong with the pitch, it just spun a little more than usual.””The major focus for us is how are we going to deal with 50 overs? We have to make sure that we bat 50 overs. It was disappointing what happened today.”Pakistan’s debutant Saad Nasim top scored with 25 but only two of the top eight batsmen reached double figures, which meant a challenging total was always unlikely. Notably, Umar Akmal’s run of poor form continued with 1 from 5 balls, and across both ODIs and T20 internationals, he has now managed only 25 runs in his past six innings.”That’s not only a worrying sign for U but for us also,” Younis said of Akmal. “We have to really sit down and think hard about his batting, and his wicketkeeping also. We speak about his talent. He hasn’t really delivered. We have to really speak to him and maybe try different things with him.”For the Australians, the six-wicket win ensured they will have the momentum for the first ODI in Sharjah. Glenn Maxwell, who opened the bowling and picked up 3 for 13, said Australia were pleased to be able to start the tour on such a strong note.”That’s what we were aiming to do tonight, to really put our front foot forward and basically put a dent in Pakistan and make it harder for them to come back for the rest of the time we’re here,” Maxwell said. “To start a series like that where it’s a really dominating win with six overs left is a great way to start a tour.”If you can keep your foot on the throat the whole way through the tour and basically stay on the opposition the whole way through, it just shows what you’re really here to do. Going back to the India tour where India just basically stood on us the whole way through that series and it was tough to come back from. Hopefully we can do that to Pakistan and go home with six wins.”Although Maxwell was named Man of the Match, there were other positive signs for the Australians as well, including the performance of debutant legspinner Cameron Boyce. He took 2 for 10 from his four overs and Maxwell said it was an impressive effort for a man new to international cricket.”To perform like that on the big stage, in your first international game is a super effort,” Maxwell said. “He was landing them and spinning them and showcasing his full skill.”

Riki Wessels capped a wonderful week with a career-best unbeaten 95 as Nottinghamshire won for the second time in 24 hours

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge20-Jun-2014
ScorecardRiki Wessels came within one blow of Nottinghamshire’s first T20 hundred•Getty ImagesRiki Wessels capped a wonderful week with a career-best unbeaten 95 as Nottinghamshire won for the second time in 24 hours to keep alive their chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the NatWest T20 Blast.The South African had hit 74 off 48 balls as his side pulled off an unlikely run chase against Middlesex in the Championship on Tuesday and 66 off 31 deliveries in the T20 win at Leicester yesterday evening. His last four visits to the crease have yielded 306 runs, with a pause only to receive his county cap on the last morning of the Middlesex game.The only regret – and it was one that he did not linger over – was that he could not finish this evening by becoming the first Nottinghamshire batsman to score a T20 century (excluding the one Alex Hales hit wearing his England colours). He was on 94 with 13 balls still left in the Nottinghamshire innings but found team-mate Steven Mullaney hogging the strike, although Mullaney’s 24 off nine balls somewhat softened the blow.He said afterwards: “I did think about it [the hundred] but after Steven missed the first two or three balls he faced I came down the pitch and said, ‘mate, just try to hit it for four or six. I’m not really worried about getting a hundred myself,'”I said ‘let’s just try to get 200 on the board’ and to be fair that’s what he did, hitting six-four-six off the last three balls. It was a perfect way to finish the innings.”Wessels hit 10 fours and four sixes, facing only 51 balls, having arrived in the third over after Phil Jaques chopped one into his stumps facing Mark Footitt. He turned his fourth ball off his hips for four and, as it happens, scored a boundary every fourth ball, more or less, for the remainder of his innings.Two of his four sixes came off consecutive deliveries in the last of Footitt’s three expensive overs, the 18th of the innings and the one that more than any ensured that Nottinghamshire would post a formidable score for the second evening running after their county record 220 against Leicestershire.The over started with a wide, the damage from which was compounded by two more in overthrows, after which Wessels hit 19 off four deliveries, either side of another wide. James Taylor was caught at deep cover off the last ball but the over took Nottinghamshire from 155 for 3 to 178 for 4.It took Wessels to within one hit from overtaking Lumb’s 96 against Durham at Chester-le-Street in 2013 as the highest T20 score by a Nottinghamshire batsman, and another bumper Trent Bridge crowd – 9,383 this time – were willing him to do it.Chris Read faced two balls and was out, and poor Mullaney found himself jeered after swinging and missing at his first three balls from Mark Turner, albeit one of them called wide. Undeterred, he smacked the next one over cover for six and stole the strike with a single.There was an ironic cheer when Wessels at last got the strike back three balls into the final over, but there was clearly no thought from either batsman other than what was best for the team. Wessels drove, took the single on offer, and watched from the other end as Mullaney finished with a flourish.Derbyshire, whose wretched season shows little sign of improving, were 40 compared with the home side’s 58 after the Powerplay overs and had lost Stephen Moore to a farcical run out and Chesney Hughes to a superb middle-stump yorker from Luke Fletcher, from which point the required rate never fell below 12. Marcus North, their one real hope of changing the picture rapidly, fell for six when he tried to chip Samit Patel into a gap, instead finding that man Wessels at long-on, where he moved well to take a good low catch.Wayne Madsen and Gareth Cross played well, adding 103 in 53 balls for the fourth wicket, but meritorious a partnership though it was, it was not enough to create any realistic possibility of an upset. Cross made 54 from 39 balls before hitting Fletcher to Taylor at extra cover, Madsen 65 off 36 before he was caught square on the offside by Jaques off Harry Gurney, who not for the first time was Nottinghamshire’s best bowler.The purple patch Wessels is enjoying could not have come at a more timely moment for Nottinghamshire, given the arm injury suffered by Lumb, who is one of the county’s mainstays in the Twenty20 game but probably will not be fit until the last two group matches at the earliest.

Batsman Stiaan van Zyl and offspinner Dane Piedt have been included in South Africa’s squad for the two-Test series in Sri Lanka in July

Firdose Moonda03-Jun-2014South Africa squads

Test squad: Alviro Petersen, Dean Elgar, Hashim Amla (capt), Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers (wk), JP Duminy, Stiaan van Zyl, Wayne Parnell, Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Kyle Abbott, Quinton de Kock, Dane Piedt
ODI squad: Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers (capt), JP Duminy, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Ryan McLaren, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir, Vernon Philander, Faf du Plessis, Aaron Phangiso, Beuran Hendricks

A new-look South Africa Test squad, which sees maiden call-ups for batsman Stiaan van Zyl and offspinner Dane Piedt, will travel to Sri Lanka next month for Hashim Amla’s first assignment as captain. Also in the touring party are Quinton de Kock, Kyle Abbott and Wayne Parnell, who form part of the group that will take South Africa forward following the retirements of Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis last summer.Kallis is part of the ODI squad, which Faf du Plessis makes a return to, in place of Smith. Ryan McLaren is the second all-rounder in the group with Aaron Phangiso as the second specialist spinner to back up Imran Tahir. Beuran Hendricks is the only uncapped player to be included in the ODI outfit, in place of Lonwabo Tsotsobe who misses the trip after undergoing ankle surgery. There was no place for Robin Peterson in either squad.”There is a lot of talent that is around and the responsibility is on us to nurture it and make sure that we set it up for success,” Andrew Hudson, convener of selectors said. “We want to make sure guys who perform at domestic level get recognised and more so guys who perform over a period of time.”Consistency is what earned van Zyl, a left-handed batsman, his place in the Test squad. Van Zyl was the top run-scorer in last season’s first-class competition with 933 runs, including three centuries, from 10 matches at an average of 58.31. That came after he finished second on the charts in the 2012-13 competition.Although van Zyl plays in the top-order at franchise level, he may find himself competing with Quinton de Kock for the No.7 spot in the Test team. Dean Elgar, who was used in the lower middle order in the past, is likely to be promoted to his preferred spot of opening the batting, in Smith’s place. “Dean has shown us that he can open and has done so. In all likelihood, he will open with Alviro,” Hudson said.South Africa may also choose to play a second specialist spinner, rather than an extra batsman, given the conditions. That would open the door for Piedt, who was the leading wicket-taker in last season’s first-class competition to make his Test debut. Piedt, an offspinner with a famed doosra, claimed 45 wickets at 19.93 and was picked ahead of Simon Harmer, who led the wicket-takers’ list in the 2011-12 season and was second last summer.Harmer has also played for the South Africa A side and was a non-playing member of the Test squad against Australia in March and told ESPNcricinfo last week he felt he “ticked all the boxes” for selection. Instead, he will likely be part of the A side that travels to Australia. Hudson said he is not out of the long-term plans.”We gave him a high performance top-up contract so he is also someone that we like,” Hudson said. “Dane Piedt has done it for the Cobras. He has had a fantastic season and we are delighted with his domestic form. It’s good to have an offspinner who can do something else with the ball and we think this is a wonderful opportunity to develop him.”Although the sub-continent may also have been a place for Harmer to get some experience, Hudson explained South Africa did not want to carry a bloated touring party. “Fifteen players is enough. When guys don’t play, sometimes it’s not good for them,” he said. “I’d rather have them in the academy and the A side than sitting and waiting for games. We’ve seen too much of guys who don’t play whose game just goes backwards.”Parnell is an example of exactly that. The left-armer’s early promise was offset by too much time on the sidelines and a spate of injuries, which he seems to have put behind him. He played eight matches for the Delhi Daredevils at the IPL and has returned to full fitness, thus meriting an inclusion in both the Test and ODI squad.South Africa’s fifty-over outfit is laden with left-armers. Also in the mix is Hendricks, who played at the World T20 in Bangladesh, and could form part of the 2015 World Cup squad. “It’s nice for Beuran to come in. He is someone that is on the up. Lets see where he is in six months time,” Hudson said.His hopes may depend on the progress Tsotosbe makes in his recovery. Hudson admitted not having him was a big blow to South Africa’s plans and they are hopeful of his availability later in the year. “I am concerned that we haven’t got Lopsy [Tsotsobe] now. I hope Lopsy will be back sooner rather than later,” Hudson said. “Part of this World Cup build-up is that you want those combinations working.”That is why Kallis is expected to play in most of the ODIs between July and the World Cup, which includes a series against Zimbabwe, a tri-series with Zimbabwe and Australia, limited-overs visits to both Australia and New Zealand and a home series against West Indies. “We want Jacques to play as part of the mix. He’s got to be playing and we’ll trying out different combinations,” Hudson said. “There will be guys who will come out of nowhere; who put their hands up but for the World Cup, I’m hoping the core stays pretty similar.”The 2015 World Cup and ODI cricket is the focus of the next eight months, which is also partly why South Africa’s captain in that format, AB de Villiers, was not elevated to Test captain. “The build up to the World Cup – we don’t want to disrupt that,” Hudson said. “AB’s captaincy has improved dramatically in the last while. We are delighted to support him and keep that momentum going.”

After a drawn T20 series, Ireland will be looking to beat West Indies to register their first victory against a Full Member since the 2011 World Cup and end their tour on a strong note

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan22-Feb-2014Match factsFebruary, Kingston
Start time 9.30am (14.30GMT)William Porterfield will be hoping to turn his patchy form around•West Indies CricketBig pictureAfter the T20 series was shared on grubby, low, slow pitches, West Indies and Ireland have a quick turnaround to a one-off ODI. Ireland will need to be pick themselves up after the disappointment of not chasing down 97 on Friday, which would have given them their first series victory against a Full Member. The frustration will be heightened because that is the sort of success they now expect, rather than just hope for.West Indies are firmly on notice. Their batting, especially, appears to have been caught out by the start of the home season, although they do have a bowling attack well suited to these types of pitches, which offers encouragement heading into the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.West Indies’ structure means that, for one match only, the captaincy will change hands as Dwayne Bravo takes over the role before handing it back to Darren Sammy for the T20 World Cup. It is a significantly different ODI squad from the T20 unit, with six players coming in, including the highly rated pace bowler Miguel Cummins.Ireland’s 50-over form was indifferent during the Nagico Super 50 but they were coming off a lengthy break. Although their batting struggled in Friday night’s chase, they have a strong top order: their previous ODI against a Full Member saw them notch up 269 for 7 against England.Form guide(completed matches, most recent first)
West IndiesWLLWL
Ireland WWLTWWatch out for…In his previous ODI, against New Zealand in Hamilton, Dwayne Bravo hit a stunning 106 off 81 balls – just the second century of his 154-match career. Someone of his talent warrants more hundreds; the lack of them caused by a mixture of batting in the middle order and a frustrating ability to play a wasteful shot. Now, as captain, hopefully he is ready to mould maturity with the immense natural talent he has. Throw in his skiddy medium pace, the ability to bowl a pinpoint yorker and his electric fielding, and he really should be the complete one-day cricketer.William Porterfield is in the midst of a slump. Since slamming 127 off 69 balls against USA in the World T20 qualifiers he has a top score of 38 in 13 innings. No captain wants to feel he is not contributing to the team cause. However, as he showed against England in Dublin, when he struck 112, he has the ability to make big scores at this level.Team newsThere will be a number of changes for West Indies between the formats. Chris Gayle has again been ruled out after missing the second T20 as a cautious approach is taken ahead of the World T20. Expect them to include plenty of bowlers who can take the pace off the ball.West Indies (possible) 1 Kieron Powell, 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Kirk Edwards, 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Dwayne Bravo (capt), 7 Darren Sammy, 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Jason Holder, 11 Nikita MillerIreland may want to consider bolstering the batting and Niall O’Brien, who was on the bench during the T20s, may be an option for them.Ireland (possible) 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Ed Joyce, 4 Gary Wilson (wk), 5 Niall O’Brien, 6 Kevin O’Brien, 7 Andrew Poynter, 8 Max Sorensen, 9 Alex Cusack, 10 Tim Murtagh, 11 George DockrellPitch and conditionsThough Sabina Park is known as one of the few pitches in the Caribbean to retain pace and bounce, the surfaces for the T20s were dreadfully slow and it seems unlikely things will be much different for this match. West Indies rely heavily on spin these days, so probably do not mind, but it does make you pine for the days of the ball flying past the nose.Stats and trivia These teams have met four times in ODIs with West Indies winning three matches and one match ending without a result. The most recent contest between them was the 2011 World Cup. Ireland’s last victory against a Full Member in an ODI came against England in the 2011 World Cup although they tied against Pakistan last yearQuotes”He is really working hard on his fitness, but he was feeling just a little soreness in his lower back and we decided we are not going to take the chance.”
“We showed we are a match for the West Indies which is very pleasing.”

Ian Bell believes Alastair Cook will continue to show a tougher side to his captaincy as he learns from the experiences of the winter

Andrew McGlashan16-May-2014Ian Bell believes Alastair Cook will continue to show a tougher side to his captaincy as he learns from the experiences of the winter. While much around Cook has changed, including the head coach, he has kept his position in the one-day and Test sides but has spoken about having to forge a team in his own style.Cook has previously admitted he began to doubt himself during the one-day series in Australia – he floated the suggestion of giving up the captaincy before back-tracking, blaming emotion, but has since said, in an interview with the that they were serious thoughts – but a combination of support from team-mates and a break from the international scene while T20 dominated has allowed him a fresh outlook.Despite the victory in India in late 2012, in his first series as captain, and last year’s Ashes victory on home soil, Bell conceded that the team had, perhaps, been in the shadow of what Andrew Strauss had forged and that the dramatic reversals of the last six months having forced the players to move on.Early signs of Cook ploughing his own furrow have come with the axing of Graham Gooch, his longer-term mentor, as the official Test batting coach (although he will remain involved with a number of batsmen, including Bell) and after avoiding a slip-up in Scotland the one-day series against Sri Lanka, which starts next Thursday, will mark a return to spotlight.”I think he will have learnt a lot from Australia. That could be a great thing for him,” Bell said. “At the time you think it’s the worst thing ever but hopefully he’ll have learnt about himself but also the direction he wants the team to go in.”There’s no doubt the team at that point probably still felt a bit like Straussy’s side, I think now this is a real line in the sand that he can say ‘this is my team’. A lot of the time as a player you learn a lot more from your mistakes in a bad series than you do in a good series. This could be the start of him becoming a great captain for England.Swann leaves the biggest hole – Bell

Graeme Swann will be the toughest of England’s absent senior players to replace in the Test side according to Ian Bell.

He acknowledged the matchwinning capabilities of Kevin Pietersen, but said that Swann’s presence in the bowling attack gave them a balance which will be tough to replicate.

“Without Swanny it will change the dynamics of our team a lot,” he said. “We could come to Lord’s with three seamers and if we wanted Swanny to hold an end up he could do that which takes a lot of skill. He could also then revert to bowling teams out on the last day, too.

“They are world class cricketers and have been for a number of years, but maybe you look at how good Swanny was at Test cricket and replacing him with another spinner is going to take some time.”

“I’m sure over time he will be harder on the players. He’s made some big decisions and that’s a good sign. It’s what people have been asking him to do. I’m sure we’ll see more of that. He knows the way we want to be playing our cricket and we didn’t see that in Australia and maybe that has given him the chance to see which way he wants to take the team.”Bell will have a vital role to play for Cook in both formats that they share the same side: in Test cricket, where he sits on 98 caps, he is now one of the senior batsmen, in the absence of Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott, while in one-day cricket the pair have forged a successful opening partnership.After the one-off T20, in which Bell hopes to make a return to the format, the attention will shift to the 50-over game for a couple of weeks with less than a year to go until the World Cup. The recall of Michael Carberry has opened the possibility of a reshuffle at the top of the order, but Bell feels he has finally reached his potential in the last two years of opening.”I’ve averaged over 40, probably the best I’ve played ODI cricket,” he said. “Before I was very inconsistent, not only in my runs but where I was batting in the order. Me and Cooky seem a good partnership; without Trotty at No. 3 there may be some jiggling there I don’t know, and no Kev as well. I learnt a lot from our last one-day series in Australia and hopefully I will be that guy opening the batting, or in the top three, that can get us off to good starts.”There continues to be much debate about the make-up of England’s top order, the pace they play at and the reluctance to introduce a more attacking player – such as Alex Hales – but remains adamant that the incumbents can provide the style of batting needed in Australia.”I think we have to have two gameplans. In English conditions it will do a bit so we have to get the platform right, but that doesn’t mean blocking it or leaving the ball. The same in Australia, it doesn’t mean we have to slog. It means playing proper cricket shots with intent, scoring off lots of balls.”It doesn’t have to be like Chris Gayle, going 100 yards each time, but we can find out way. For us it’s about a platform because we know our middle and lower order is powerful and can hurt any team in the world.”Investec, the specialist bank and asset manager, is the title sponsor of Test match cricket in England. Visit investec.co.uk/cricket or follow us @InvestecCricket

Sarah Elliott wants the Women’s Ashes to include more than a single Test match believing it would be a true reflection on the two teams

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jan-2014Sarah Elliott wants the Women’s Ashes to include more than a single Test match believing it would be a true reflection on the two teams.The ECB and Cricket Australia introduced the multi-format Ashes last year in England – where the winner is decided on a combination of points across all three formats – to move away from the situation where the Ashes was determined by a single contest, but Elliott still thinks more emphasis needs to be placed on Tests.”Test cricket is what it’s really about,” she said. “I would love to see a few more Test matches so the two teams can really fight it out. Three would be good. That would be fair.”Elliott, who was only part of the Test squad, scored a century in the match at Wormsley last year, which was drawn, and made 13 and 29 in Perth as Australia lost by 61 runs. That means they face an uphill struggle to regain the Ashes with England already six points up and only 12 remaining across the three ODIs and three T20s.England and Australia are the only two women’s teams who now compete in Test cricket. The previous Test not involving those two nations was in 2007 when South Africa played Netherlands.

A round-up of the second day’s play of the eighth-round Group B games of the Ranji Trophy 2013-14

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Yashpal Singh scored 67•ESPNcricinfo LtdSeamer Nishan Singh ran through Railways’ batting order to take his second five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, as Services took a narrow but potentially crucial lead at the Jamia Millia Ground. Railways hadn’t added to their overnight 85 when they lost their sixth wicket off the second ball of the day, as Suraj Yadav got Ashish Yadav caught behind. Nishan took the next four wickets, dismissing Nitin Bhille for a 128-ball 21 before wrecking the tail to finish with 5 for 21.Services too lost regular wickets, mainly to medium-pacers Anureet Singh and Krishnakant Upadhyay, but ended the day with a 44-run lead thanks to Yashpal Singh, who struck eight fours and a six in a 139-ball 67.Railways captain Murali Kartik didn’t bowl during the Services innings. The former India left-arm spinner, who is playing his sixth match of the season, has only bowled 40 overs so far.
ScorecardRajasthan’s openers resisted Tamil Nadu’s unrelenting spin examination to end the day unbeaten and give their side hope in their hunt for the first-innings lead. Replying to Tamil Nadu’s 318, the openers Siddharth Saraf and Vineet Saxena played through 47 overs to reach 89 for no loss at stumps. Tamil Nadu’s spinners bowled 39 of those overs.Resuming on 231 for 5, Tamil Nadu lost overnight half-centurions R Prasanna and Vijay Shankar early, before a 39 from Malolan Rangarajan and 15 from captain L Balaji pushed their total to 318. After Pankaj Singh dismissed Shankar to complete his five-for, Rajasthan’s spinners took the remaining wickets, with left-armer Aristh Singhvi finishing with 3 for 83.There was no play in Kanpur between Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh due to fog.Read the full report of Baroda v Saurashtra here: Yusuf, Utkarsh put Baroda on top

Debutant Adam Tillcock smashed a rapid 97 to help Nottinghamshire defeat a Bangladesh A side that was propelled by a 69-ball 104 from Ziaur Rahman

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2013
ScorecardZiaur Rahman scored his first 32 runs off 45 balls, but his next 68 runs came off just 22 balls•PA PhotosDebutant Adam Tillcock’s rapid 97 outshone Ziaur Rahman’s unbeaten century as Bangladesh A suffered their fourth successive defeat on their England tour. Nottinghamshire won by four wickets in a game where late comebacks were the order of the day.Brett Hutton hit the winning runs with seven balls remaining after 19-year-old Tillcock alongside the veteran Paul Franks resurrected a faltering chase. After their side were struggling at 118 for 5 in the 29th over, the pair added 170 for the sixth wicket, and the stand was only broken when Franks fell in the 49th over with five runs to win. Tillcock cracked an unbeaten 97 off 70 balls with eleven fours and three sixes, and Franks hammered nine fours and two sixes in his 59-ball 75.The thrilling chase underlined Bangladesh A’s continued woes on tour. They failed with the ball on their first day of batting success though that came mainly through Ziaur’s late assault.In his first game in England, Ziaur walked in after yet another batting collapse but he didn’t let things slide too much more. From a precarious 148 for 7 in the 32nd over, Ziaur and Elias Sunny produced an unlikely recovery. The pair was there till the end of the innings, striking at 7.71 an over as they added 144 runs for the unbroken eighth wicket stand. Sunny was not out on 37, with Ziaur being the dominant partner.Ziaur struck seven sixes and as many fours in his 69-ball innings. He was steady till the 44th over when he had reached 32 off 45 balls. He then switched into attack-mode taking apart Franks, Hutton and George Bacon as the next five overs yielded 77. His innings however masked yet another top-order failure with only Shamsur Rahman (52) and Mominul Haque (47) making contributions.