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“We’d rather have it in the first game, now where we are still in control with what we can actually do.”

Firdose Moonda24-Oct-20222:09

Du Plessis: What is mother cricket doing to South Africa?

South Africa have “no regrets,” after their washout against Zimbabwe in Hobart saw them drop a point in the T20 World Cup and believe they are “still in control” of their destiny in the tournament.”We haven’t had a good history with rain,” the outgoing coach Mark Boucher said, bringing to mind how South Africa lost in a rain-affected semi-final in the 1992 World Cup, misread a DLS sheet and exited the first round of 2003 World Cup and lost in another reduced match in the 2015 fifty-over World Cup final four. “But we’d rather have it in the first game, now where we are still in control with what we can actually do.”South Africa did everything they could to beat the weather. Chasing a revised target of 64, they hurtled to 51 for 0 in just three overs. And from that standpoint Boucher did admit they were “frustrated,” to get “so close,” only to see it “get taken away”.”You walk away from this game thinking we were hard done by, whether the game should have taken place or not,” he said.That’s where some may disagree. Zimbabwe’s coach Dave Houghton was critical of the officials’ decision to keep the players on the field on a night dominated by bad weather and a wet outfield. But Boucher only went as far as calling conditions “tough,” and indicated there was a willingness on all sides to get the match underway.”We are here to play a World Cup and obviously we wanted to play. It seemed like both captains wanted to play from the start,” he said.3:36

Boucher: ‘If Zimbabwe were in our position they would have wanted to carry on’

South Africa vs Zimbabwe was delayed by a rain interruption in the earlier game between Bangladesh and Netherlands and took place 30 minutes after it was originally scheduled. Play would have started 15 minutes from then but persistent drizzle forced a two-and-a-half hour delay and reduced the contest to nine overs a side. Zimbabwe’s innings was uninterrupted, despite some spitting that turned into a light shower, and they set South Africa a target of 80.Each team has to play a minimum of five overs for it to constitute a T20 game. This one ended 12 balls short of that cut-off.At that point, South Africa were 51 for 0 – well past the five-over DLS par score for the loss of no wickets (44). So if the rain had relented at least to the point where the umpires believed a five-over game could take place, South Africa would’ve won without even going back on the field. But the rain didn’t relent, no play was possible and the points were shared. A similar thing had happened in the 2017 Champions Trophy.Instead of dwelling on the what-ifs of the situation, Boucher was pragmatic. “There’s not much more we could do. We maximised what we could, so there’s no regrets in our dressing room,” he said. “We did what we could and unfortunately we just didn’t get another 10 balls to get the job done.”Even if the target had remained 64, they probably wouldn’t have needed that many deliveries given how Quinton de Kock (47* off 18) was playing. “Quinny is one of the most dangerous batters in the world when he plays like that. It’s nice from a coaching perspective to see him going out there and playing with that freedom,” Boucher said. “In a competition like this, sometimes guys can tense up a bit. It’s very good to see Quinny play the free-flowing game we know he is very dangerous with.”3:03

Flower: ‘Bavuma will be a talking point until he starts scoring runs’

Asked whether, especially with the rain threat, South Africa considered sending someone other than out-of-form captain Temba Bavuma to knock off the chase, Boucher said if they had that idea, it was only fleeting. “There might have been a thought but it’s a decision where you can’t play for rain. I thought it was a good opportunity for Temba to express himself and lead from the front. We want to keep giving Temba opportunity to get some sort of rhythm in his batting.”Bavuma continues to receive the coach’s backing, even as he keeps the in-form Reeza Hendricks out of the side, with Boucher using the example of benching their highest-ranked bowler in the format – Tabraiz Shamsi – as a comparison.”Temba was injured, he did own that spot and he is the captain. He hasn’t been in great form but he got sick in India and these conditions suit his game a lot better as well. He has been batting really well in the nets, is also what I can say,” Boucher said. “It’s tough, not only on him (Hendricks). We decided to go with the extra seamer today, which was a bit harsh on Shammo, but I think it was the right decision. We’ve got some good options going forward.”South Africa will continue to adopt a horses-for-courses selection strategy as they move through the tournament and into must-win situations. “It’s a tough group and there’s probably one game that is going to be a game we are really going to have to win.”Barring any major upsets in this group, South Africa’s match against Pakistan on Thursday November 3 could be the virtual quarter-final but there’s a lot that has to happen before then. South Africa play Bangladesh this Thursday and India on Sunday in results that could prove crucial later in the piece.

Coach backs legspinner Hasaranga to give Bangladesh tough time in fourth innings

Andrew Fidel Fernando24-Apr-2021Sri Lanka are still 29 runs behind Bangladesh’s first-innings total, but they think – or rather they hope – that they can still win the first Test, with one day left to play.The Pallekele surface continued to be abominably flat through large parts of day four, which Dimuth Karunaratne and Dhananjaya de Silva batted out without losing a wicket. The hosts have seven wickets in hand, though, so will likely aim to quickly establish a lead on the fifth morning before trying to skittle the opposition out.”We’re certainly thinking about winning,” said head coach Mickey Arthur after stumps on day four. “That’s how we want to play our cricket. That’s such an important culture to inculcate in a dressing room. We’re not here to make up the numbers.”I said to the guys in the West Indies [during their previous Test series] that, first of all, we want to be a team that’s hard to beat before we become a winning team, because that’s kind of the cycle. I think we are a team that’s hard to beat. We played some hard-nosed cricket in the West Indies on some very flat surfaces. We’ll show some intent tomorrow and who knows where the day goes? It is very flat, but pressure’s a funny thing. If we get ourselves enough in front and leave ourselves enough overs, who knows what could happen?”Related

• 'If our batters average 40, with our attack, we'll have enough to bowl sides out'

• Double-centurion Karunaratne and de Silva bat through wicketless day

• Lahiru Kumara ruled out of Bangladesh Tests due to hamstring injury

Sri Lanka’s attack is short-staffed for their second-innings victory push, though. Seamer Lahiru Kumara has picked up a hamstring strain and is out of the series. And they have played only one specialist spinner in legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga. Playing only his fifth Test, Hasaranga has so far seemed much more suited to limited-overs bowling, than a serious wicket-taker in red-ball cricket.”There will be a burst from the fast bowlers with the new ball, but if we’re going to get close tomorrow, it’s going to be Wanindu Hasaranga that’s going to get us close,” Arthur said. “I don’t want to put too much pressure, I just think he’s such a fantastic player.”Arthur did concede, though, that Sri Lanka’s plan to defeat Bangladesh on a green, seaming surface had perhaps been ill-conceived, as those kinds of surfaces are rarely seen on the island. Sri Lanka had expected much more help for the quicks on the first two days than has been evident from this pitch.”Maybe it was a little bit naive of me in terms of strategy – this is my first Test in Pallekele – in understanding the surface. We wanted to beat Bangladesh with a bit of pace and bounce, but it’s just been extremely flat. We’re going to have to reassess that. We’re going to have to look at how we go for that second Test. We’ll have a discussion about that Test tomorrow, we’ll let this Test happen first.”

India captain talks up side’s bench strength and chances of winning elusive ICC title

Deivarayan Muthu in Guwahati04-Jan-2020India’s captain Virat Kohli has said that having a strong pool of “game-ready” players has set the scene for their T20 World Cup campaign in Australia later this year.India will be without seamers Deepak Chahar (injured), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (injured) and Mohammed Shami (rested) for their upcoming three-match T20I series at home against Sri Lanka, but they have able back-up options in Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur. In addition, their premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is set to return to international action for the first time September 2019.On the batting front, they will be without the rested Rohit Sharma, but they still look in fine shape, with Shikhar Dhawan returning from injury to partner the in-form KL Rahul at the top of the order.”T20 is something we don’t have any problems in picking players,” Kohli said of India’s bench strength on the eve of the series opener in Guwahati. “Because you have the IPL. At a very competitive level, the guys have been performing season after season.”And all the players you see are probably the most important Indian players in their team in the IPL. So, from that point of view, it’s about figuring out which player can fit in at what time and what’s the strongest combination you can take to the World Cup.”And everyone’s game-ready, which is the most important thing and the biggest plus of having a squad like this with guys who have played a lot of T20 cricket, as I said, at a very competitive level.BCCI

“So, yeah the next few series will be very exciting to see [as to] who stands up under pressure situations and how they react to pressure when maybe Rohit or maybe myself, or KL or Shikhar at the top haven’t fired.”In Dhawan’s absence, Rahul had enjoyed a longer stint at the top during the limited-overs series against West Indies and embodied India’s new, attack-at-all costs approach in T20Is. Now, with Rohit rested, Dhawan will have an opportunity to regain his touch after recovering from injury.Dhawan didn’t quite have the weight of T20I runs behind him in 2019, and suffered two major injuries that year. However, he was the top scorer in T20Is in 2018, with 689 runs in 17 innings at an average of 40.52 and strike rate of 147.22.Kohli discussed the possible toss-up between Rahul and Dhawan for the second opener’s slot while keeping all the cards close to his chest.”Rahul has done really well for himself and it’s good for the team as well that he’s coming into his own,” Kohli said. “We know how good a player he is and what he can do with the bat. We are happy that he’s got runs so consistently.”Look, these things happen in cricket that some guy gets injured and another guy comes in and grabs that opportunity. I think it all boils down to who is batting [well] at that moment.  You want to go into a tournament with the strongest XI you can compile. Shikhar has been unfortunate in terms of injury but he’s an experienced player. That’s the dynamic of the squad.”When Rohit comes back, it’s going to be a difficult thing to address because Shikhar is an experienced player but KL is playing so well. We have to decide the best combination to go with and what’s the best eleven we can go with.”Kohli was also particularly enthused with the progress made by both Saini and Thakur – both of whom were not part of India’s T20I squad for the West Indies series. Saini has cracked T20 cricket after bowling lengthy spells in the Ranji Trophy while Thakur has been drafted back on his back of his impressive performances in the IPL and more recently in the ODI series decider against West Indies in Cuttack.BCCI

Kohli believed that having all bases covered on the bowling front will benefit India on the larger grounds in Australia during the T20 World Cup.”Saini is a different case because he has come from the domestic set-up into the IPL and into the Indian team,” Kohli said. “So, he has bowled quite a bit and has good understanding of lines and lengths and he’s obviously got pace. Thakur, again, has played a lot of T20 cricket and has been playing the IPL for a while. And, he’s quite experienced in that regard.”Bhuvi, Bumrah, we really don’t have to discuss [about them]. Shami is again someone who will always stay in the mix. And Deepak Chahar has bowled really well for the number of games he has played.”Because the tournament is in Australia, you will need these many options and back-ups to be able to take firstly your strongest squad and have those back-ups in place who also can come in and do the job.”It’s good that we’ve identified five or six guys and it will be priority based on who goes and back-ups will be in place for fast bowlers. Small niggles can happen now and then, so we’re pretty sorted in that regard. So, not a worry at all.”India finished 2019 unbeaten in Tests, shed their conservative approach in T20Is, and were also on a roll in ODIs until New Zealand stopped them in their tracks in the 50-over World Cup semi-final. Another World Cup year has dawned, and Kohli set India’s focus towards the ICC tournament, challenging them to build on the gains from the past year.”We want to keep the standard as high as we can because it’s very important to understand that there’s a young influence that’s coming into the team now,” he said. And they need to be able to take the same culture and same mindset forward. Little transitions keep happening and we want to make sure that the guys who are coming in are on the same page and get up to speed as soon as possible.”We need to keep growing these younger guys into guys who will take the team forward. I think the main focus is on that and the ICC tournaments that are coming along, that’s something we are going to target.”

Set 179 to win in 24 overs in a rain-interrupted match, Hong Kong sneaked home by two wickets, with three balls to spare

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2018Peter Della Penna

Hong Kong have qualified for the Asia Cup on the back of a two-wicket win over UAE in the final of the Qualifiers at the Kinrara Academy Oval in Kuala Lumpur.Sent in to bat, UAE were 65 for 3 in the 16th over when rain halted their innings, reducing the game to 24 overs a side. The over reduction forced UAE to accelerate, and they managed to do so, scoring 111 in their remaining 8.3 overs. Opener Ashfaq Ahmed slammed 36 off 11 after the rain break to finish on 79 off 51 balls, and there were useful cameos from Shaiman Anwar, Muhammad Usman and Adnan Mufti too.But they also lost six more wickets in the process, and the seamer Aizaz Khan finished with figures of 5 for 28 as UAE finished on 176 for 9.Chasing a DLS-adjusted 179-run target, Hong Kong found themselves 147 for 7 in the 20th over, needing 32 to win off the last 27 balls. The match could have swung either way, and Tanwir Afzal and Scott McKechnie ensured it was Hong Kong who sneaked home, hitting two sixes and a four while putting on 29 for the eighth wicket. Tanwir fell when the equation was three off seven but McKechnie and Ehsan Nawaz took the side home with three balls to spare.Ashfaq and Chirag Suri gave UAE a 54-run opening stand before Tanwir trapped Suri lbw for 11. Aizaz dismissed Rohan Mustafa and Rameez Shahzad in quick succession, just before the rain break. After play resumed, the UAE batsmen switched gears as Ashfaq and Shaiman Anwar added 58 in just 24 deliveries for the fourth wicket. The duo took a particular liking to the offspinner Ehsan Khan, who leaked 55 from his three overs.However, both Ashfaq and Shaiman fell in the same over to the left-arm spinner Nadeem Ahmed, before Aizaz picked up three wickets in the penultimate over of the innings.Nizakat Khan got Hong Kong’s chase off to a flier, smashing Mohammad Naveed for three successive fours in the third over of the innings. Nizakat and Anshuman Rath added 64 for the first wicket in just six overs before the offspinner Rohan Mustafa got UAE their breakthrough by bowling Nizakat for a 20-ball 38. Amir Hayat and Kinchit Shah fell in the next over, making it 68 for 3.At 84 for 4, Christopher Carter and Ehsan Khan joined hands and put on 53 for the fifth wicket to move Hong Kong to within 44 runs of the target with more than six overs remaining. UAE struck back with three quick wickets, but Tanwir and McKechnie kept calm to ensure Hong Kong finished on the right side.

A cricket club in Essex is pursuing legal action against its local league in a move that could have far-reaching consequences for the recreational game

George Dobell26-Jul-2017A cricket club in Essex is pursuing legal action against its local league in a move that could have far-reaching consequences for the recreational game.Frinton-on-Sea CC are seeking an injunction against the Two Counties League (TCL), which is open to clubs in Essex and Suffolk, on the grounds of discrimination after they were penalised for fielding an overseas player deemed to be ineligible.The case is due to be heard in court in Chelmsford on Thursday and, if Frinton win, it could eventually set a precedent that would clear the way for many other players to return to action in club cricket across England and Wales. While around 110 players are understood to be directly affected by the ruling, the consequences for future generations could be far reaching.At the heart of the case is a largely unspoken intention to reduce the reliance upon overseas players in leagues and create more opportunities for young, England-qualified cricketers. At the same time, however, there is a growing realisation that such a policy could compromise the intention to encourage those same young, England-qualified cricketers from gaining experience overseas.The issue has been brought to a head by the case of Blake Reed. While Reed, a 22-year-old Australian, was initially registered without complication by both the TCL, an ECB feeder league, and the East Anglian Premier League (EAPL), an ECB premier league, in May and holds a Youth Mobility Visa (granted in April 2016 and valid for two years), which allowed him to play as an amateur at Exeter CC last year, Frinton were informed in mid-June that he should not play until further documentation was provided supporting his eligibility claim.The TCL was concerned that, as Reed had played six times for the Western Australia Under-19 side in 2013, he had been on a “player pathway”, which had effectively made him a professional player. As a consequence, he was not eligible to be considered as an amateur. The judgement, which was supported by the ECB, suggested that anyone who had played Grade cricket in Australia (the equivalent of ECB premier league club cricket) would also be considered to have been on a pathway and effectively end their hopes of ever playing as an amateur in England or Wales.Officials from Western Australia have confirmed that Reed was never paid by them and has not been considered part of their pathway since 2013.When legal advice taken by Frinton-on-Sea, who have hired an experienced QC, suggested Reed should be deemed an amateur, they decided to play him once more on July 1. As a consequence, the TCL imposed a points penalty upon them on the grounds that Reed was an ineligible player.Now Frinton-on-Sea hope the injunction will allow them to field Reed, a top-order batsman and seam bowler, until there has been a thorough hearing into the issue on the understanding that they will pay any losses incurred by the league should the club lose the case.Frinton claim there is no mention of “player pathways” in the relevant Tier Five visa regulations and that such stipulations cannot be added once the visa has been granted. They also claim that such an interpretation should not have been made without parliamentary approval. Reed would not, they say, have flown to the UK had his registration not been accepted. They further claim the ECB is aware of numerous cases of English players being paid to play club cricket while still being considered as amateurs so the “inconsistent” action against an Australian is discriminatory.They also claim that, if the measures are enforced, it could lead to other nations – particularly Australia and New Zealand – applying similar policies to UK passport holders. That could lead to a situation where young players from the UK would no longer be eligible for Grade cricket, where so many have honed their skills over the last few decades.The ECB declined to comment.

Tim Gruijters could play his first matches for Netherlands in more than two years after he earned a recall to the Dutch squads to play Afghanistan and Nepal in the next round of the Intercontinental Cup and WCL Championship

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2016Tim Gruijters is in line to play his first matches for Netherlands in more than two years after he earned a recall to the Dutch squads for the four-day Intercontinental Cup match against Afghanistan from July 29-August 1 and the two WCL Championship matches against Nepal on August 13 and 15.Gruijters has not played for his country since he went home early from the 2014 World T20 in controversial circumstances. Officially, Netherlands management applied to have him replaced after scans revealed a back injury. Gruijters’ injury opened the door for Tom Cooper to arrive as a replacement player and he wound up as the tournament’s second-highest scorer behind Virat Kohli. However, Gruijters claimed he was bullied into going for a scan in order to have Cooper enter the squad when the Australian-based batsman became available after South Australia failed to reach the Sheffield Shield final.Despite the ill-will between Gruijters and team management at the time, the two sides have since reconciled to open the door for his way back into the Dutch side. He is joined by Shane Snater, a former Zimbabwe junior representative who has yet to make his senior team debut for Netherlands. Sikander Zulfiqar has also been named in the squad for the Nepal matches.Making way for Gruijters and Snater from Netherlands most recent WCL Championship and Intercontinental Cup squads are batsmen Michael Swart and Rahil Ahmed. Cooper and Logan van Beek, who were part of Netherlands’ 2016 World T20 squad in India, have also both been omitted.Paul van Meekeren, who impressed at the World T20 and recently signed to play for Somerset for the rest of the current English County season, has made himself available as has fellow Somerset team-mate Roelof van der Merwe.Netherlands currently sit in second place on the Intercontinental Cup table, 14 points behind Ireland but five points ahead of third-place Afghanistan. Afghanistan have won both prior meetings in the four-day competition, by one wicket in 2009 and three wickets in 2012.In the WCL Championship standings, Netherlands are in first place at 10 points after six games and hold a one-point advantage over Hong Kong. Netherlands are currently undefeated, having swept the UAE and Papua New Guinea while their series against Scotland last September ended with a pair of no results after rain ruined proceedings.Netherlands squad for Afghanistan match: Peter Borren (capt.), Wesley Barresi (wk), Mudassar Bukhari, Ben Cooper, Tim Gruijters, Quirijn Gunning, Vivian Kingma, Ahsan Malik, Stephan Myburgh, Michael Rippon, Pieter Seelaar, Shane Snater, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van MeekerenNetherlands squad for Nepal matches: Peter Borren (capt.), Wesley Barresi (wk), Mudassar Bukhari, Ben Cooper, Tim Gruijters, Vivian Kingma, Ahsan Malik, Stephan Myburgh, Max O’Dowd, Michael Rippon, Pieter Seelaar, Shane Snater, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meekeren, Sikander Zulfiqar

There will be not just a new look but a new approach from England’s ODI team in the series against New Zealand, according to their interim coach, Paul Farbrace

George Dobell03-Jun-2015There will be not just a new look but a new approach from England’s ODI team in the series against New Zealand, according to their interim coach, Paul Farbrace.Farbrace has promised that, with bat and ball, England will play a far more aggressive style of cricket than they have demonstrated over the last few years.The talk has been heard before. Ahead of the World Cup there was talk that England would play a more aggressive brand of cricket but, under pressure, they struggled to turn the words into actions. England were the monochrome team in the age of high definition colour. Truly, you are never far from a new era in England cricket.But there is a freshness to this side. There is a sense, this time, that the talk is genuine and that the change is real. And, even if some of the names are not new, it seems likely that Ben Stokes, for example, will be given the freedom to bat in the top six and play his naturally aggressive game.What the players will not be expected to do is change. So the likes of Jason Roy and Alex Hales, young men who have made their name with explosive innings at county level, will be asked to relax and play in exactly the same manner for the national side.”The message will be, you’ve been selected because of the way you play at county level,” Farbrace said. “You have to go and do exactly the same at international level. The players who have the guts to do that will be the ones who make a success of it. I want them to go and enjoy playing international cricket and express their skills.

Farbrace on…

Trevor Bayliss

“We’ve chatted a lot. He’s had an influence in this one-day side. We chatted prior to selection and he’s had quite an input. He’s relayed some thoughts as to how he would like to see us working even though he will not be here. He’s watching and keeping a close eye. He knows a few of the players pretty well. He’s had an influence from afar.”

Defeat at Headingley

“The basics of the game we didn’t do well. We didn’t hold our line and lengths particularly well and we didn’t catch very well. You can’t afford to have to create 13 or 14 chances an innings to bowl a team out. We have to do the basics better.”

Senior players

“I couldn’t ask for any more from Broad and Anderson. There have been times when I’ve said, ‘we really need you to run in this session’ and they’ve done it. They have been excellent. And that’s what you need, your senior players giving you everything in the dressing room and supporting the young, less experienced players and making sure they are learning all the time.”

Slip catching

“Last summer, we missed a few chances in Leeds against Sri Lanka. So halfway through the India series, we put Ian Bell back in at second slip and started catching brilliantly. But we haven’t caught well in these games, so if we have to look at that – and the personnel involved – we will do so. I think it’s a confidence thing.”

Gary Ballance

“He has had a really good time at No. 3. Yes, he’s had a period where he hasn’t scored runs but he has played very well at No. 3 in the past so moving him down the order isn’t something we’ve discussed at the moment.”

“We need to move our one-day game forward. We need to look at other players. You only have to look at the last few months we’ve had in one-day cricket. There are people who need a really good go in this series. If you look at the way one-day cricket is evolving, we need powerful strikers right the way through the side and we need a left-arm seamer.”That left-arm seamer is David Willey. While Willey is not as quick as Harry Gurney, who seems to have been jettisoned for good, he does offer variation that England lacked at the World Cup and some powerful hitting in the middle-order.An obvious weakness of England’s World Cup campaign was the lack of potency with the ball. It was shown throughout the tournament that, if batting sides had wickets in hand going into the last 10 overs, they could cause havoc and add in excess of 100 runs. So Farbrace hopes that this squad will prove to have more bite and, in the absence of James Tredwell (injured) and Moeen Ali, who has been released to find red-ball form, has given another opportunity to legspinner Adil Rashid.”In one-day cricket we need to be taking wickets all the way through the opposition innings,” Farbrace said. “That’s why Adil Rashid is in there. We want wicket-taking bowlers to keep the opposition under pressure. If you don’t and teams have wickets in hand, then 100 to 150 is quite possible in the last 10 overs. And that takes games away from you.”While the batsmen in the squad are likely to be available for all five games, some of the bowlers – especially Mark Wood – might be rotated to ensure they are fresh for the Ashes.”We have to be careful with Woody,” Farbrace said. “He will probably play only two or three of the ODIs. We want him to be available for that first Test. We need to look after him. Liam Plunkett could easily play his role. We want some pace in there.”The basics of one-day cricket don’t change that much. But it is moving towards a power game. A strength game. And you have to have bowlers who can take wickets.”Reflecting on the Test series, Farbrace admitted England remained a developing team and that some patience would be required before results reflect any improvement.”We have a lot to do before we can be a consistent side that are winning games and series on a regular basis,” he said. “It takes a lot of hard work and it takes a lot of patience. But there’s no lack of hard work in this group. They give everything.”But you can’t just keep patting people on the back and say ‘keep going’ There are times when you have to say ‘that’s not quite good enough’ and look at ways to improve.”Meanwhile, the ECB have confirmed the availability of England players for the next few weeks of domestic action. Moeen, Gary Ballance, Adam Lyth, Stuart Broad and Ian Bell are all available for the next couple of rounds of Championship cricket, while all players – with the exception of Anderson and Wood – will be available for domestic NatWest T20 Blast action this weekend.That means Joe Root and Jos Buttler will face each other in the Roses match, while Broad, Taylor and Hales will all be available for Nottinghamshire’s match against Leicestershire on Friday. Taylor and Hales have also given permission to play on Sunday before joining up with the England squad 24-hours later than their colleagues.Alastair Cook will play for Essex in their Championship fixture against Derbyshire starting on June 14, which means a chance for Mark Footitt, the left-arm fast bowler who continues to flourish in country cricket, to impress against him.

A measured innings by Steve Smith and a punchy one by Brad Haddin helped guide New South Wales to first innings points over Queensland on day two of the Sheffield Shield match

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2012
Scorecard
A measured innings by Steve Smith and a punchy one by Brad Haddin helped guide New South Wales to first innings points over Queensland on day two of the Sheffield Shield match in Canberra.After Doug Bollinger’s four wickets helped tip out the Bulls for 243, the Blues stumbled to 4 for 109 before Haddin added 125 with Smith to take their side to the cusp of the lead.While Haddin perished when swinging Nathan Hauritz to deep midwicket on 73, Smith held his nerve and his wicket, forming a useful stand with the captain Steve O’Keefe that has the chance to grow with the NSW lead on the third morning.Smith’s maturity was demonstrated by the pacing of his innings, playing the reserved partner to Haddin before expanding his array of strokes later on in the company of O’Keefe. Hauritz and Luke Feldman grabbed two wickets apiece for the Bulls.

About 100 cricketers contracted to Sri Lanka Cricket, including the national players, have not been paid their salaries since Sri Lanka co-hosted the 2011 World Cup, BBC Sinhala reported

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2011About 100 cricketers contracted to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), including national players, have not been paid their salaries since the 2011 World Cup, co-hosted by Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh, BBC Sinhala has reported.There were also doubts over whether the SLC would be able to pay salaries in the next two months. “There is a truth in those media reports to a certain extent,” SLC chairman Upali Dharmadasa was quoted as telling BBC Sinhala.Dharmadasa said efforts were being made to pay the players as soon as the SLC received the remaining payments from the ICC for staging the World Cup. “The ICC still owes us $4-5 million,” he said.The board had revamped the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and built two new grounds in Pallekele and Hambantota for the tournament in February and March, and the capital expenditure incurred is reported to have left it in debt.

Ashish Nehra, one of India’s first-choice seamers in the shorter versions of the game, has made himself available for Test cricket, six and a half years since he last turned out in the whites at the highest level

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2010Ashish Nehra, one of India’s first-choice seamers in the shorter versions of the game, has made himself available for Test cricket, six and a half years since he last turned out in whites at the highest level.”I had never said that I will not play Test cricket again,” Nehra told . “It was just that initially after my comeback, I wanted to concentrate on the ODIs and Twenty20s. Now that I am back in the national side for one and a half years, I feel confident to make a comeback in the Test fold. I will like to make myself available for selection during the South Africa Test series.”A spate of injuries in the mid-2000s pushed Nehra out of the Indian team, but he clawed back into the reckoning with a watershed performance in the 2009 IPL in South Africa, where he stood third in the wickets chart with 18. He has since become a regular in India’s ODI plans and sporadically featured in Twenty20 internationals. His susceptibility to injuries, however, has kept him out of the Test team.Since his international comeback in June 2009, Nehra has played 36 one-dayers, picking 54 wickets at an average just under 30. More importantly, he has not missed a single game due to fitness issues or injuries, and Nehra hopes that he can carry that durability into the longest version. He is headed to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore to follow a fitness program that will prepare him for the upcoming tour of South Africa.”I am planning to play one Ranji Trophy for Delhi before the New Zealand ODI series to check how my body is holding. I am enjoying my cricket at the moment and I don’t see any reason why I can’t make a comeback.”For me the top-most priority is the World Cup next year. That is why I have been so choosy about playing in the longer version. But after World Cup, there is lot of Test cricket to be played as India would be playing against England, West Indies. I will like to again play Test cricket with the same intensity that I used to at the start of my career.”While Nehra is keen to return to Tests, it remains to be seen whether the selectors, who have treated India’s fast-bowling talents on a case-by-case-basis, will include him in their plans. Zaheer Khan is currently the only seamer who walks into the side in all three formats, but, of late, he has been used selectively in a bid to prolong his career. Nehra, on the other hand, has slotted well into the one-day side, with his ability to move the new ball and deliver yorkers in the closing stages. Ishant Sharma and Sreesanth, who have been lacklustre in the shorter versions, have been persisted with for Test cricket. Both bowlers have reposed that faith with strong performances in recent times, and Nehra will have to stave off competition from them to enter the Test side.