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The absence of Kevin Pietersen from the England team is “terribly sad” according to Eoin Morgan

George Dobell13-Nov-2014The absence of Kevin Pietersen from the England team is “terribly sad” according to Eoin Morgan.Morgan, who has captained the England limited-overs sides on several occasions, suggested Pietersen could have “his best years ahead of him” and said he would “love to be there playing cricket for England” with him.”It’s great having played with Kev and having in the team and learning from him,” Morgan said.”It’s terribly sad that he’s not in the team at the moment considering he’s still so young and had potentially his best years still ahead of him.”I would love to be out here playing cricket for England with Kevin Pietersen but the fact of the matter is he’s not involved anymore.”While he accepted that Pietersen was not universally popular within the England camp, Morgan dismissed the importance of such factors and insisted it was more relevant that players performed on the pitch.”Not everyone is popular in a cricket team,” Morgan said. “Everyone individually commands respect through their performance and there is trust and relationships that you build.”But that’s absolutely fine. In every walk of life you make friends with people who other people aren’t friends with. Was it awkward being friends with him? Certainly not.”When asked whether Pietersen’s accusation of bullying within the England environment – a claim made in Pietersen’s recent book – was fair, Morgan was non-committal. While admitting that he had yet to read the book – “I’ve heard it’s brilliant,” he said with a smile – he accepted that there were times when the bowlers’ frustration with fielders had been obvious. But he insisted he “can’t remember if it went too far or not.””You’re certainly aware of things like that particularly when you don’t bowl and you’re a specialist fielder,” he said. “It’s a difficult one because you have a bowler who had maybe been hit for four or a catch dropped and it’s hard for him to disguise his emotion. There a bit of give and take with both sides.”I can’t remember if it went too far or not. The issue was raised and it was dealt with.”Morgan’s words are significant not just because they suggest that Pietersen was not “disengaged” – to use Paul Downton’s expression – from the entire team, but because it is quite possible that Morgan will be appointed permanent one-day captain within the next few months.If England endure a poor World Cup – and they are hardly approaching it as one of the bookies’ favourites – it would be no surprise if Alastair Cook stepped down and a successor found. Such a scenario just might offer a sliver of encouragement to those who harbour hopes of a Pietersen recall.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

Tim Southee, who has moved up to No. 5 on the ICC Test bowlers’ rankings, says he has learned to apply consistent pressure on batsmen

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jun-2014Following his match-winning display on an unresponsive surface at Sabina Park, where he dismissed Chris Gayle twice on the way to match figures of 6 for 51, Tim Southee has jumped three places to fifth in the ICC Test bowling rankings.Only Dale Steyn, Ryan Harris, Vernon Philander and Mitchell Johnson sit above Southee, who has shown the consistency over the last three years to suggest he belongs in that company, having taken 78 wickets in 17 Test matches at an average of 22.78 since the start of 2012.The biggest factor in this, he has said, is his patience as a bowler. “The more cricket I’ve played the more patient I’ve become,” he told . “When you’re young, you want take wickets every time you bowl. The reality is it’s not going to happen.”Test cricket is tough. You work [through] spells to try and pick up wickets and you may not get it in the first spell but when you come back and keep applying pressure the rewards will come.”One thing I’ve learned is if the wickets aren’t coming, don’t go looking for them. Especially on wickets like this [in the West Indies]. Patience is going to be massive.”Southee credited the planning done behind the scenes for the success the New Zealand bowlers enjoyed in the Jamaica Test.”We have a raw and young bowling attack and it’s an exciting attack to be part of,” he said. “We all bounce ideas off each other, throw things around.”There’s a lot of stuff that goes on behind the scenes. [Bowling coach Shane Bond] Bondy and the bowlers set plans for each batsman and it’s pleasing to see them come off and know we are doing the right thing behind closed doors.”The first Test was also the scene of Kemar Roach’s return to cricket after more than seven months out with a shoulder injury.”Jamaica was a tough Test match,” Roach told . “It was my first Test back after injury. The wicket wasn’t really good for fast bowling so you had to work really hard on it.”It was best to keep line and length on it and pitch up to the batsman as much as possible. I think the bowlers did pretty well. We didn’t get the wickets we wanted but we created chances.”Roach seemed to be feeling his way back in during New Zealand’s first innings, but sent down encouraging spells during the second innings, in which he had figures of 2 for 12 in 12 overs.”The first morning I was a bit nervous,” he said. “I had a shoulder injury and it was my bowling shoulder so I was a bit tentative at first but then I realised it felt perfect. The first hour back in Test cricket was difficult for me but I came out on top.”The second Test is at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, a venue with happy memories for Roach, who took ten wickets in the last Test match he played there, against Australia in 2012.”Coming to Trinidad now, the last Test I played here I performed pretty well against Australia so I’m looking to better that performance or even top it,” he said. “I’m just going to go out there put in my best and give it a good shot.”In Trinidad, the wicket has got better over the years, so it’s better for fast bowling. So you’ve just got to go out there and put the work in, bowl some strong balls in good areas, the batsmen will make mistakes and you will get the wickets.”

Thanks to the fallout between the current BCCI regime and the Vidarbha Cricket Association, the BCCI Umpires Academy in Nagpur is on the cusp of ending up as a dormant facility

Amol Karhadkar05-Aug-2014Thanks to the fallout between the current BCCI regime and the Vidarbha Cricket Association, the home turf of former BCCI president Shashank Manohar, the BCCI Umpires Academy in Nagpur is on the cusp of ending up as a dormant facility.The academy that was established in 2010 with an objective to provide a wholesome training exercise for domestic umpires to raise their standards hasn’t seen any activity for almost a year. That, however, doesn’t mean the BCCI is ignoring the umpires’ wing.Over the last year, all the umpires’ activities have moved to the National Cricket Academy campus in Bangalore. In fact, the retired Simon Taufel, the most consistent international umpire over the last decade, will conduct a 15-day umpires’ workshop in Bangalore from Wednesday.The VCA officials and a few BCCI members admit that the sudden switch from Nagpur is following Manohar’s vocal dissent against N Srinivasan in the aftermath of last year’s IPL corruption scandal. The BCCI, however, has a different take.A BCCI insider revealed that moving umpires’ developmental activities from Nagpur to Bangalore is in line with the BCCI’s plan to bring all its specialist academies under the NCA umbrella. A BCCI office bearer seconded it but refused to speak on record since the proposal is “yet to be ratified by the working committee”.Despite the reorganisation of the academies, the feud between Manohar and N Srinivasan cannot be overlooked. Interestingly, the alternate venue of Bangalore makes the intra-BCCI political undercurrents even more visible. Karnataka State Cricket Association secretary Brijesh Patel, a Srinivasan aide, is one of the aspirants for the BCCI secretary’s post in next month’s elections.Meanwhile, during its two-week umpiring seminar, the BCCI will conduct a crash course in verbal English communication for domestic umpires and match referees for the first time. The BCCI has noticed that lack of communicating properly with players and other officials has gone against Indian officials at the international level. As a result, Taufel has roped in British Council to improve basic English communication. The course is expected to be held over four to five sessions during the seminar.The BCCI is also in talks with British Council to conduct such crash courses frequently in order to bridge the gap between officials and the players.

Nicole Bolton and Rene Farrell have both earned Cricket Australia contracts for 2014-15 after missing out on last year’s list, while Rachael Haynes has been axed

ESPNcricinfo staff07-May-2014Nicole Bolton and Rene Farrell have both earned Cricket Australia contracts for 2014-15 after missing out on last year’s list, while Rachael Haynes has been axed. A 15-player squad has been named for the next year, which includes home series against Pakistan and West Indies, and the group is largely the same as the 14-member squad selected last May.Haynes was the only player dropped and although Bolton and Farrell were not part of last year’s group, both had earned contract upgrades over the course of the season. Julie Savage, the chair of the women’s selection panel, said she expected the 15 contracted players to form the basis of the Australia women’s teams for the matches later this year.”All of the 15 players currently hold a CA playing contract, with Nicole Bolton and Rene Farrell having received contract upgrades during the previous period,” Savage said. “Farrell played an integral part in both the home Women’s Ashes Series and the 2014 ICC Women’s World T20 victory, while Bolton made a memorable century on debut in an ODI at the MCG during the Women’s Ashes.”Rachael Haynes has been omitted from the contract list following a period where her performances with the bat have not reached the heights that she is capable of. As she is a very determined and talented cricketer, we are confident we will see more of her on the international stage in future.”In 2014-15, the top retainer for the nationally-contracted players will be $54,600 and the minimum retainer is $25,850, up from $52,000 and $25,000 respectively last year. The additional payment of $250 per day when touring remains the same.Contract list for 2014-15 Alex Blackwell, Nicole Bolton, Jess Cameron, Sarah Coyte, Rene Farrell, Holly Ferling, Jodie Fields, Alyssa Healy, Julie Hunter, Jess Jonassen, Meg Lanning, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani.

The threat of some inclement weather later on persuaded Meg Lanning to put England in to bat after winning the toss in Mirpur

The Report by Andrew McGlashan06-Apr-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:35

‘A pretty perfect game’ – Lanning

Sarah Taylor’s lbw dismissal off Sarah Coyte triggered a collapse that saw England lose three wickets in four overs•Getty ImagesThere is no doubt who the best women’s T20 side in the world are. Australia overwhelmed England to secure a hat-trick of World T20 titles, cruising to a six-wicket victory. They were miserly in the field, restricting England to 105 for 8, then quickly put themselves ahead of the rate in the chase which was fittingly led by Meg Lanning with a powerful 44 as she became the leading run-scorer at the event.The key difference was summed up in the sixes count: Australia struck four, extending their lead in the six-hitting league for the tournament, while England could not manage one – leaving their tournament tally at zero. The Powerplays were a microcosm: England limped to 24 for 1 while Australia skipped to 43 for 1 – including two of the sixes – to break the back of the chase.Jess Jonassen set the tone, drilling Danielle Hazell’s first ball for six, as she took 14 off the second over of the innings. The main threat to Australia was Anya Shrubsole, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, but with a small total to chase they knew they did not have to over-attack against her although it did not stop Lanning putting her over the boundary – it was the ultimate statement from Australia’s captain.Shrubsole did add to her wicket tally when Jonassen picked out mid-on and Jenny Gunn removed Elyse Villani but they were no more than minor irritants for Australia. Perry, who earlier claimed a miserly 2 for 13 from her four overs, skipped to an unbeaten 31 as she and Lanning added 60 in eight overs although the captain could not quite be there at the end when she tried to clear the infield for the winning hit but found mid-off.England’s batting has been underwhelming during the tournament – only Charlotte Edwards played close to her best and the fact they were often chasing low totals meant the middle and lower order had not had much time in the middle when they were needed to try and lift an innings in the finalThey struggled to overcome a slow pitch as their two leading batsmen, Sarah Taylor and Edwards, laboured against accurate bowling. Sarah Coyte removed them both, Edwards lofting to mid-on trying to force the pace and Taylor unfortunate to be lbw on the reverse sweep, on her way to the second-best figures in a Women’s World T20 final.England’s only fluent period of batting came shortly after the Powerplay as Taylor and Heather Knight moved along at nearly eight an over to suggest they had gone some way to mastering the conditions. But Taylor’s departure was soon followed by Lydia Greenway’s, well caught low down by Healy, and when Knight was superbly caught at deep midwicket it meant two new batsmen had to try and rebuild.They never threatened to break the shackles and the only two boundaries in the second half of the innings came in the same over from Rene Farrell. However, the expectation was that Australia would still have to work hard in the chase but they barely had a concern as they kept hold of a trophy that has become a permanent fixture in the Jolimont cabinet.

The Melbourne Stars continued their unbeaten run with a convincing five-wicket win against Hobart Hurricanes in Melbourne

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jan-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAnother strong knock from Luke Wright gave Melbourne Stars their seventh win in as many matches•Getty ImagesThe Melbourne Stars continued their unbeaten run with a convincing five-wicket win against Hobart Hurricanes in Melbourne. The top three teams – Stars, Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers – have qualified for the semi-finals and the fourth place will be fought for between Brisbane Heat, Hobart Hurricanes and Adelaide Strikers.The Hurricanes lost Tim Paine on the first ball of the match when they were asked to bat but Ben Dunk and Jonathan Wells steered them to safety. However, Wells was sent back in the fifth over by John Hastings and Shoaib Malik was run out for a diamond duck five balls later, within which Dunk hit two fours, to leave them at 41 for 3. Travis Birt charged the innings by targeting Scott Boland, who was hit for consecutive sixes. The stand of 43, which lasted 6.3 overs, was broken when both the set batsmen were dismissed by Marcus Stoinis, leaving them at a precarious 84 for 5.Aiden Blizzard struck two fours and a six but the rest of the batsmen failed to build on the platform Dunk and Birt had laid as the last five batsmen put together only 17 runs. Hastings took one more wicket to finish with an economical 2 for 15 from four overs and Blizzard was unbeaten on 28 as the Hurricanes were restricted to 131 for 9.The Stars also lost one of their openers early with Cameron White falling for 4 on Dimitri Mascarenhas’ first ball. Luke Wright stayed strong at the other end even though he didn’t get much support for substantial partnerships. In nearly seven overs Wright and Brad Hodge put on 42 out of which the latter made only 12 off 26 balls. When he got out in the 12th over, the Stars needed 59 from 55. Wright brought up his fifty and took the team past 100 but his wicket in the 15th over dented their chase further, but they needed less than run-a-ball by then.A four from Peter Handscomb on the first ball of the last over took the Stars home and gave them their seventh win in seven matches.

For the first time on the tour, India began the day in ascendency, and they made the most of it by making giant strides towards a series-levelling win

The Report by Sidharth Monga15-Feb-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Ajinkya Rahane brought up his maiden Test ton•Getty ImagesFor the first time on the tour, India began the day in ascendency, and they capitalised by making giant strides towards a series-levelling win, which if achieved will be their first overseas win since June 2011. At the centre of India’s dominance, of a day during which they threatened to leave the door ajar, was Ajinkya Rahane, who brought up his maiden Test century after enduring moments of drama with the notoriously unhelpful Zaheer Khan for company. When Rahane came in to bat, India had lost two quick wickets to be five down and were still 27 behind, but he soothed nerves and exorcised the haunting memories of Trent Bridge 2011 during a full-of-intent partnership of 120 with MS Dhoni in 24.1 overs, which took India to their seventh-highest lead away from home.This was only the sixth away century by an Indian No. 7, but also it was a first century for someone who had spent years amassing close to 6000 first-class runs before he was even given a chance to score one for India. Rahane’s celebration betrayed no frustration or anger you would associate with a modern batsman who has had to wait for so long. His innings was equally level-headed. He could just as easily have become part of a collapse, and made Dhoni lament another big moment lost, which has happened way too often with India from home.Despite Ishant Sharma’s annoying 40-minute stay in the morning, despite Shikhar Dhawan’s continuance of his charge, India had that familiar feeling of an impending collapse when they lost three wickets for 24 runs around the first-hour mark. It included the wicket of Dhawan two runs short of what would have been a third century to a clever scrambled-seam offcutter from Tim Southee. Rohit Sharma had just dragged on a wide half-volley from debutant Jimmy Neesham. India needed something solid especially given how Virat Kohli was not looking his solid self on a day that he would have sensed domination around the corner.As Kohli played and missed a little in pursuit of that domination, Rahane began a proper Test innings, not playing away from the body, happy to nurdle and deflect, and using soft hands when he did drive. The soft hands showed in how two edges didn’t go to hand, either side of his half-century. New Zealand, though, looked happy to give him the singles he could take, and play on India’s patience. By the time the lead reached 36, Neil Wagner had frustrated Kohli so much with his dry bowling that the batsman gave short cover a simple catch. Wagner’s figures in that spell then: 6-3-7-1.Rahane was 33 off 71 then, and New Zealand would have been happy to let him score at that rate if they could go through the rest of the suspect batting. With Dhoni, they had another think coming. He came in and launched a calculated assault, hitting Wagner for four successive fours: drive through cover, pull through square leg, cut to point, loft over mid-off . This was a crucial phase because the new ball at that time was only 12 overs away, and if New Zealand could have kept India quiet until then, they would have fancied restricting the lead to around 100.That initial attack, though, settled things down, and Rahane could continue playing his natural game. And he did so beautifully. The on-drives and cover-drives were sights to behold. The acceleration began to happen without an apparent effort to do so. As Rahane became a little more adventurous, New Zealand set back even more, and by the time the new ball was claimed, his half-century had been brought up and the lead approached 100.Dhoni managed to attack the new ball too, which was the best possible outcome for India. It travelled faster, and both the batsmen cashed in. It all began with his lashing cut to the second delivery he took with that new ball, and by the time Rahane hit Boult for back-to-back boundaries in the 89th over India had spent their longest in this series without losing a wicket to the new ball. Dhoni, though, had taken a blow to his hand, and Boult followed him there, drawing out a gloved catch down the leg side to end his innings 32 short of what could have been his first century outside Asia.Rahane, though, kept his head even though all around him were losing theirs. Ravindra Jadeja went bang-bang for his 26 off 16, Zaheer tried his best to get out and leave Rahane in the 90s with the No. 11, and the umpires called a Wagner no-ball that didn’t quite look like one after having missed quite a few earlier in the day. Rahane enjoyed a slice of luck, too, when he tried to work the last ball of an over to leg from outside off, and the leading edge flew over gully. The shot, necessitated by Zaheer’s presence at the other end, took him to 96, and the hundred came up without further drama.The drama for the day was not done yet as the struggling Peter Fulton padded up to Zaheer, and was trapped lbw. New Zealand ended the day needing 222 to make India bat again.

Round-up of all the matches played in Group A of the Ranji Trophy on November 8, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2013
ScorecardWith 13 wickets, Harbhajan Singh currently leads the Ranji wickets chart•ESPNcricinfo LtdVishal Dabholkar’s maiden five-wicket haul helped bundle Punjab out for 155, as Mumbai completely wrested the advantage by the end of day two in Chandigarh.Wasim Jaffer scored 111 in the first innings, but Mumbai, who had begun the day at 207 for 5, lost their remaining wickets for just 75 runs.In the absence of the banned Ankeet Chavan and Ramesh Powar, who has moved to Rajasthan, Dabholkar was given the spin responsibilities for Mumbai this season. He didn’t disappoint today, as he ran through Punjab’s middle-and lower-order to bowl them out in 63.5 overs and hand Mumbai a first-innings lead of 127. Dabholkar eventually finished with 6 for 38.Yuvraj Singh struck five fours and top-scored with 33, but as was the case in the recently concluded series against Australia, he was unable to convert his starts into a big score, as Punjab’s strong batting line-up struggled to produce a significant partnership.The openers Kaustubh Pawar and Aditya Tare batted out the remaining overs of the day, as Mumbai built a lead of 162 heading into day three.
ScorecardA fifty from Mayank Agarwal on his first-class debut helped Karnataka chip away at Jharkhand’s first-innings score of 364. Agarwal struck eight fours and a six during his 63, and put up a 61-run opening-stand with KL Rahul.Rahul departed in the 17th over, but Kunal Kapoor joined Mayank to bat out the final hour of the day and put on an unbeaten 62-run partnership to leave the team 241 runs behind.Jharkhand’s innings had earlier been propelled by an 85 from the captain Shahbaz Nadeem, who smashed 14 fours in what was his highest first-class score. Saurabh Tiwary and Rameez Nemat also contributed with scores of 77 and 68 respectively. Varun Aaron, who last played a competitive game in May 2012, however had little luck with both bat and ball, as he was bowled for 3, and went wicketless in his nine overs. S Aravind was the pick of Karnataka’s bowlers, finishing with 4 for 60.
ScorecardOffspinner Jayant Yadav picked up three quick wickets to rattle Vidarbha’s top-order, as Haryana led by 235 runs heading into the penultimate day.Haryana had powered to 329, thanks to a patient 123 from Sunny Singh, who hit 12 fours and a six. Offspinner Akshay Wakhare picked five wickets, but handy middle-order contributions from Harshal Patel and the captain Ajay Jadeja helped take the team to a competitive total.Vidarbha’s openers Faiz Fazal and Amol Ubarhande began brightly in reply, scoring 40, but Yadav dismissed Fazal and Shalabh Shrivastava in the 22nd over, before catching Ubarhande off his own bowling in the 28th.Hemang Badani, who bagged a pair in his previous match, reached 35 off 54 deliveries, as Vidarbha finished the day at 94 for 3.
ScorecardThe failures of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir had left Delhi in a precarious position in Surat but Mithun Manhas and Manan Sharma thwarted Gujarat’s probing bowling on a testing pitch. Their unbroken 146-run stand gave Delhi a chance to pull close to Gujarat’s first-innings total of 320 after they had been reduced to 49 for 4 in the 30th over.For the full report, click here.

A round-up of the President’s Trophy matches on October 26, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2013Water and Power Development Authority completed an emphatic 213-run victory over Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited. WAPDA batted first, putting up a strong first innings total of 311, led by Aamer Sajjad (81) and Adnan Raees (68). Imran Khan was the pick of the bowlers with 5 for 70, and was ably supported by Zafar Gohar’s 3 for 60. ZTBL’s reply was rather flat as they only scored 185, with Naved-ul-Hasan doing the most damage with 4 for 28. Only Yasir Hameed stood out with his score of 70.WAPDA then added 237 in their second innings, with Mohammad Ayub scoring 64. This created a target of 364 for ZTBL, and it was vital that the top order provided useful starts. However, this would not be the case as Sharjeel Khan and Imran Nazir were the only batsmen to hit fifties as ZTBL folded for just 150, with each of the WAPDA bowlers taking at least two wickets.The opening match between Faisalabad and Multan petered out to a draw in Faisalabad. Multan batted first and posted 427, with Usman Liaqat top-scoring with 176. Contributions from Waqar Hussain (51) and Kashif Naved (64) did not go amiss, while Adnan Munir was the pick of the bowlers with 5 for 101. In reply, Faisalabad put up an impressive 475, courtesy lower-order centuries from Zeeshan Butt (102) and Fahim Ashraf (116). Both Shahbaz Hussain and Asif Fawad took four wickets a piece, as Faisalabad held a slight lead of 48 runs. Multan batted well again in their second innings, with Ahmed Rasheed making 99, while Mohammad Imran finished unbeaten on 51, as the teams held for a draw.State Bank of Pakistan completed a 133-run victory over Habib Bank Limited in Islamabad. After opting to bat, SBP put on 226, thanks largely to fifties from Raheel Majeed and Usman Saeed. Ehsan Adil and Sarmad Anwar were the pick of the Habib Bank bowlers, taking 5 for 53 and 3 for 37 respectively. Habib Bank matched SBP’s first innings score with key contributions from Hasan Raza (45), Rameez Aziz (43) and Adil (40). Saad Altaf took a five-for as things remained even-stevens.SBP put on a sizable 293 in their second innings, with Rizwan Haider’s 60 the top score. Sarmad took 4 for 80 and was ably supported by Mohammad Aslam’s 3 for 50. With 294 to chase, Habib Bank looked in trouble as they lost both their openers for just 8 runs. The middle order simply did not capitalise on their starts as Tabish Khan ran through the line-up to finish with 5 for 67. Mohammad Naved also chipped in by taking 3 for 46 as Habib Bank was dismissed for 160.National Bank of Pakistan kicked off their President’s Trophy campaign with a seven-wicket win over Pakistan International Airlines in Sialkot. After being put into bat, PIA posted just 135 in their first innings as Hammad Azam and Zia-ul-Haq ran through the order, picking up four and three wickets respectively.Despite losing opener Anwaar Hafeez inside the first over, Sami Aslam (109) and Kamran Akmal (53) ensured NBP did not make the same mistakes as they scored 278. Shoaib Malik was the pick of the PIA bowlers with 5 for 78. Facing a 143-run deficit, PIA did their best to run up a big total, but faltered as NBP’s bowlers, led by Adnan Rasool’s 4 for 64, restricted them to 218 in the second innings. Only Malik and No. 9 Rafaiy Safdar posted fifties in the second innings for PIA. With just 76 to chase, NBP did the needful in just under 19 overs.Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited began their title defence with a five-run win over Port Qasim Authority in Rawalpindi. SNGPL opted to bat first, but lost wickets at regular intervals and were restricted to 178 by PQA’s bowlers, led by Abdur Rauf’s 5 for 52. PQA’s openers put on 34 but the rest of their batsmen struggled to make meaningful contributions. Medium pacer Imran Ali led SNGPL’s charge, taking 8 for 42 as PQA were skittled for 132. With a slight lead of 46 runs, it was imperative SNGPL put on a strong total to build a sizeable lead.However, the PQA bowlers reduced SNGPL to 33 for 4 early on, with each of the bowlers chipping in. Only Ali Waqas and Khurram Shehzad posted over 30 runs, as Mohammad Talha and Mohammad Sami picked up 4 for 26 and 3 for 26 respectively to dismiss SNGPL for 110. Chasing 157, Imran Ali’s 5 for 55 tore through the top and middle order but PQA were still in sight of victory at 138 for 8, needing another 19 runs, but Sohail Khan’s wicket on 151 meant they fell just short of the target.Khan Research Laboratories beat Pakistan Television by six wickets to register an opening win in the competition. Pakistan Television batted first and only put on 125, with Sadaf Hussain (5 for 36) doing most damage, ably supported by Yasir Arafat’s 3 for 57. In reply, KRL put on 159, boosted by No. 10 Umaid Asif’s counterattacking 47 off 57 balls. Rizwan Akbar starred with the ball for PTV, taking 5 for 47, and Waqar Ahmed chipped in with 3 for 40.Imran Ali and Haroon Ahmed put on a better show in the second innings for PTV, adding 91 for the first wicket. But down the order, apart from Rizwan Ahmed’s 74, the rest of the batting folded without much fight. PTV lost wickets in clusters at several points in the innings, with four wickets falling for just 10 runs towards the end. Facing a chase of 200 runs, KRL overhauled the target without too much trouble. Saeed Anwar jnr’s 74 and Usman Salahuddin’s unbeaten 62 helped KRL reach the total within 42 overs.

Australia have spun a major selection surprise by including the 19-year-old Ashton Agar, a Western Australian left-arm spinner, in their XI for the first Ashes Test

Daniel Brettig at Trent Bridge10-Jul-2013Australia have spun a major selection surprise by including the 19-year-old Ashton Agar, a Western Australian left-arm spinner, in their XI for the first Test against England at Trent Bridge.Glenn McGrath’s presence in the Australian team huddle a little less than an hour before the toss suggested a change to the team, and Agar emerged wearing his baggy green cap, presented on the strength of only ten first-class matches. His selection appears geared towards exploiting England’s phalanx of right-handers, while also opening up a familiar wound for Kevin Pietersen.However, it is a major blow to the career of the offspinner Nathan Lyon, who took nine wickets in his last Test match against India in Delhi. The selection also recalled events of the last Ashes series in Australia, when the previous selection panel dropped Nathan Hauritz on the eve of the series for Xavier Doherty, a move made with Pietersen in mind.Unlike Doherty, Agar is a capable batsman and also a fine fielder. His inclusion leaves the tourists with a team that can be said to bat all the way down to No. 11.”The main reason for the selection is taking the ball away from all their right-handers and we think this is a really important weapon in particular for this Test match on that particular wicket,” the coach Darren Lehmann said. “In the tour match Michael [Clarke] felt he had good drift and straightened the ball nicely so that’s just the way we have gone with the selectors in this Test match and we’re looking forward to him playing really well.”Agar was not included in the initial Ashes squad, but after Lehmann’s naming as coach he was upgraded to a place on tour, much like Steve Smith, the other notable inclusion in the team.Smith’s selection reflects a desire to have another right-hander and capable player of spin in the middle order, while also forcing David Warner to earn his spot back after poor form and a suspension for punching Joe Root during the Champions Trophy.In one of the more convoluted paths to keeping a place in the team, Smith was initially left out of the Ashes squad but named vice-captain of the Australia A tour that served as a prelude. He was also on standby should an extra Ashes batsmen be required, an event that came to pass due to Warner’s suspension and Michael Clarke’s back trouble early in the tour.Having battled gamely during his two India Tests, Smith went on to impress Rod Marsh and Lehmann – before he was appointed coach – on the Australia A tour, notably making a century against Ireland on a difficult first-day wicket in Belfast. He was then included for the final tour match against Worcestershire and played a pair of sprightly innings.Smith is being groomed for leadership roles in the future by Cricket Australia, and was set to lead the A team to South Africa later this month before his Ashes tickets were upgraded. He will now have the opportunity to demonstrate how much he has developed since being a figure of some ridicule during the 2010-11 series, when his technique did not appear that of a top six batsman.The rest of Australia’s batting order was more or less as expected, Clarke moving to No. 4 having batted there in every innings so far on tour, Ed Cowan moving down to No. 3 and the pace attack comprising James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc and Peter Siddle.Australia: 1 Shane Watson, 2 Chris Rogers, 3 Ed Cowan, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Phillip Hughes, 6 Steve Smith, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 James Pattinson, 11 Ashton Agar.