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Sahara India – owner of the Pune Warriors franchise – have pulled out of the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff21-May-2013Sahara India, owners of the Pune Warriors franchise, have pulled out of the IPL over financial differences with the BCCI stemming from the valuation of the annual franchise fee it has to pay. The decision, the latest crisis to hit the IPL, comes three years after it bought the Pune franchise for $370 million – the highest price paid for any of the IPL franchises.It seems the immediate cause was the BCCI’s decision to cash the bank guarantee from Sahara that that it was obliged, under its contract, to furnish at the start of each season. The guarantee is equivalent to the amount to be paid annually to the BCCI and can be cashed in case a franchise fails to honour its commitments.In this case, Sahara had furnished a bank guarantee worth Rs 170.2 crore (approximately $30 million). Since the deadline for paying the franchise fees was May 2, the BCCI waited till Sahara’s IPL 6 commitments were over and cashed the guarantee on May 20.Reacting to the development, IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla said the board cashed the bank guarantee according to the rules. “Yes, it (Pune Warriors) has pulled out. As per the rules and procedure of the BCCI if a franchise fails to pay the fee then we cash the franchise’s bank guarantee. We are extremely sad by their decision to pull out. This should not have happened,” Shukla said.Pune Warriors finished eighth in the current IPL season, winning four out of their 16 matches.Franchises’ troubled history

Deccan Chargers – Terminated on September 14, 2012 due to financial problems as the owners were unable to service their debt obligations to lenders, eventually leading to its attempted sale and dissolution.

Pune Warriors – Owners Sahara India had cut its ties with the BCCI on February 4, 2012, withdrawing sponsorship from the Indian team and ownership of the franchise. However, the two patched up later, ending the dispute by issuing a joint statement.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala – Terminated on September 19, 2011 for breaching the terms of agreement – their inability to furnish a new bank guarantee for 2011.

This is the second time Sahara have pulled out of the IPL; they quit on the day of the 2012 auction and withdrew from sponsorship of the Indian team.This time, though, Sahara will continue its sponsorship of the Indian team until the end of December 2013, when their present contract expires. “We share an excellent relationship with the players and will not want such dedicated and good human beings who serve the country so committed to get harmed financially due to unsporting attitude of BCCI. So we have given time to BCCI to get the new sponsorship in place from January 2014.”Sahara’s actual franchise fee has been a contentious issue ever since they bought the Pune franchise for Rs 1702 crore ($370 million) in March 2010. Sahara had been demanding that the franchise fee from their original agreement should be recalculated since the minimum matches per year have been reduced to 14 from the 18 promised to them.In a lengthy statement, Sahara detailed its dispute with the BCCI over franchise fees. It said it was “disgusted” by the BCCI’s attitude towards it and would not rejoin the league even if the entire franchise fee was waived.”In 2010, Sahara had bid Rs 1700 crore for the IPL franchise on the basis of revenue calculation on 94 matches. But we got 64 matches only,” it added.”We and the Kochi team [also bought at the 2010 auction] immediately protested and requested the BCCI to reduce the bid price proportionately for viable IPL proposition. Nothing was heard. We waited with confidence that such a sports body should have sportsmanship spirit,” it said.

This Real Madrid all-time XI is a supreme combo of Galacticos and magicians!

One of the greatest clubs in the history of club football, Real Madrid has created an unmatched footballing legacy on the local, continental and the global stage.

The famous have won 68 domestic trophies that include 35 La Liga titles and 21 European trophies, 14 of which are Champions League crowns, more than any other football club in history!

Thanks to multiple 'Galactico' eras undertaken by their president Florentino Perez, some of the greatest footballers in history have played for Real Madrid!

But, not all of them can fit into one dream team.

Want to know who we selected?

Take a look!

GettyGK: Iker Casillas

One of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, Iker Casillas has to be part of any Real Madrid dream team in history!

The Spaniard epitomised in every way!

Casillas made 725 appearances for Real Madrid in all competitions and won all major titles in his 16-year senior career at the club, including five La Liga titles, four Supercopa Espana titles, two Copa del Rey titles, three Uefa Champions Leagues, two Uefa Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cups and the FIFA Club World Cup.

The only name in Real Madrid history that dares to come close and even threatens to trump Casillas in this dream team is Juan Alonso.

The goalkeeper made 225 appearances for between 1949 and 1960, winning five back-to-back European Cups between 1955 and 1960. Alonso also won four La Liga titles.

AdvertisementReal MadridRB: Chendo

A true one-club man, Miguel Porlan Noguera aka Chendo played for Real Madrid at senior level between 1982 and 1998.

The right-back made 497 official appearances for and won a host of trophies to cement his position as a club legend.

Chendo won seven La Liga titles that included five back-to-back title wins between 1985 and 1990. He also won a Champions League and two Uefa Cups among other trophies at Real Madrid.

Two other players deserve a mention in this position with the first being Michel Salgado. The Spaniard arrived at Real Madrid from Celta in 1999, and made 251 appearances for , winning four La Liga titles, two Spanish Super Cup trophies, two Champions Leagues, an Intercontinental Cup and a Uefa Super Cup.

Dani Carvajal is another shout for this Real Madrid dream team's right-back position. The Spaniard has made over 200 appearances for , winning 20 trophies including five Champions League crowns that included winning three of them back-to-back between 2015 and 2018.

Getty ImagesCB: Fernando Hierro

One of the greatest goalscoring defenders of all time, Fernando Hierro arrived at Real Madrid from Valladolid in 1989 and made 439 appearances for the club, scoring 102 goals!

Hierro possessed an unlimited passing range along with tremendous goalscoring traits that made him one of the most desired players in Europe in his prime.

His positional sense and tenacity led to him winning as many as 17 trophies at the club, including three Champions Leagues and five La Liga titles among other honours.

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Getty ImagesCB: Sergio Ramos

After one season at senior level at Sevilla, Sergio Ramos was signed by Real Madrid in 2005.

He initially played as a full-back before transitioning into the centre-back role in the team and it is in this position that he worked wonders for Real.

Ramos made won four Champions League, five La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey trophies, four Spanish Super Cups, three Uefa Super Cups and four Fifa Club World Cups in his 16-year stint at Real Madrid.

The World Cup winner made 469 appearances for the club, scoring 72 goals!

Ramos will be most remembered by Real Madrid fans for his 93rd minute equalising goal for the club in the 2014 Champions League final against Atletico Madrid.

Not many can compete with Sergio Ramos' legacy at Real Madrid except a one-of-a-kind club legend, Manolo Sanchis.

Sanchis graduated from Real Madrid Castilla to gain promotion to the senior team in 1983.

From then, until 2001, he made 710 appearances in all competitions for the club. He also captained the club on many occasions, winning eight La Liga titles, two Champions Leagues and two Uefa Cups among many other trophies in his time there.

Kent have signed former Somerset allrounder Calum Haggett

George Dobell05-Mar-2013Kent have signed former Somerset allrounder Calum Haggett. The 22-year-old played three T20 matches for Somerset when they qualified for the Caribbean T20 at the start of 2011 but spent the final couple of months of the 2012 season playing in Kent’s second team.Haggett represented England Under-19s alongside the likes of Joe Root and Jos Buttler, but his development was interrupted when it was discovered during a routine screening at Loughborough at the start of 2010, that he had aortic root dilatation and a leaking heart valve. He was withdrawn from the Under-19s squad destined to tour New Zealand and underwent open-heart surgery.”Calum has impressed with consistent performances for the second XI last summer, finishing the season with a major contribution against Leicestershire with both bat and ball,” Simon Willis, Kent’s high performance director, said.Kent’s head coach, former West Indies captain Jimmy Adams, who has just signed a new two-year contract with the club, said: “A large part of what we’re trying to do here at Kent is to develop first-class players and we are keen to watch our talented young players grow, and them getting the opportunity to play is part of that. Players that age can go as far as they want; I’m very happy with his signing.”

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has accelerated its hunt for the next head coach even before the January 25 deadline for receiving applications, with the former West Indies captain Carl Hooper in the mix

Mohammad Isam and George Dobell14-Jan-2013The Bangladesh Cricket Board has accelerated its hunt for the next head coach even before the January 25 deadline for receiving applications, with the former West Indies captain Carl Hooper in the mix. The BCB is looking to fill the position before the tour of Sri Lanka in March.”We have sent out an advertisement seeking a coach and that (deadline) ends on January 25, but we are also looking elsewhere,” Jalal Yunus, the BCB media committee chairman, told ESPNcricinfo. “We know that Carl Hooper is interested in taking the job.”After retiring from international cricket in 2003, Hooper hasn’t had a major international coaching job. Two years ago, he was the batting coach of the Sagicor High Performance Centre in Barbados.The former Australia fast bowler Craig McDermott is also vying for the position. “Mark Greatbatch (former New Zealand batsman), who had applied when we last looked for a coach, is still interested, as is Craig McDermott,” Yunus said.McDermott is currently Ireland’s bowling coach and was understood to have been shortlisted for the role of Somerset coach that was eventually taken by Dave Nosworthy. McDermott had also served as Australia’s bowling coach before quitting last May. ESPNcricinfo understands that Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, remains interested in an international coaching position if the terms are appropriate. He had earlier pulled out of the race after initially showing interest when Bangladesh was looking to replace Stuart Law last year.Following Richard Pybus’ resignation in October, Shane Jurgensen, the bowling coach, took over as the interim coach during the home series against West Indies, Bangladesh’s last international assignment. Yunus said that if the BCB cannot find a suitable replacement ahead of the Sri Lanka tour, they will ask Jurgensen to continue.

Former Sri Lanka captain Bandula Warnapura is understood to be in the running to be appointed as the next chief executive officer of Sri Lanka Cricket

Sa'adi Thawfeeq25-Jan-2013Former Sri Lanka captain Bandula Warnapura is understood to be in the running to be appointed as the next chief executive officer of Sri Lanka Cricket, replacing Ajit Jayasekara, whose term ends on March 31.Warnapura, Sri Lanka’s first Test captain, has served the board before, as the director of operations for eight years, before being appointed to his current role as development manager of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in 2008. SLC sources stated that he will be able to undertake the new post only from May 1.He was interviewed, among others, by the SLC earlier this week. If he is selected, he will receive a monthly salary of 500,000 Sri Lankan rupees ($3,900), besides other perks.An opening batsman and a medium-pace bowler during his playing days, Warnapura appeared in four Tests, including their inaugural match against England in 1982, and 12 ODIs. However, he was given a ban from Sri Lankan cricket after going on a rebel tour to South Africa in 1982-83.He has had a fruitful post-retirement career, becoming a towering figure on the country’s club circuit, and in 2008 he shared his vision for the betterment of Sri Lankan cricket and its administration after his tenure with the board was over. His elevation to the post of CEO could see him fulfilling those goals.

India Women pulled off a remarkable 14-run victory at Taunton to take a 2-0 lead in the one-day series having earlier been in deep trouble at 71 for 9

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-2012
ScorecardAmita Sharma made 42 to lift India to 129 and that proved enough for victory•Getty ImagesIndia Women pulled off a remarkable 14-run victory at Taunton to take a 2-0 lead in the one-day series having earlier been in deep trouble at 71 for 9.Katherine Brunt had taken out the top order but Amita Sharma’s 42, in a final-wicket stand of 58, pushed them to 129 which the India bowlers then defended with verve as England slumped to 115 all out.A last-wicket stand of 26 between Danielle Wyatt and Georgia Elwiss took the game down to the wire, but with 15 needed from 17 balls, Elwiss was bowled by Jhulan Goswami, who picked up four wickets in the innings. The other outstanding figures belonged to legspinner Veda Krishnamurthy who took 2 for 14 in her 10 overs to strangle the middle order.The visitors began the defence of the small total in perfect fashion by removing the key pair of Charlotte Edwards and Sarah Taylor for ducks. Edwards, who also fell early in the opening match of the series, was caught behind for 1 and Taylor was lbw as Goswami made both breakthroughs.Tammy Beaumont and Arran Brindle steadied the innings for a while but progress was never easy for England before Brindle edged behind off Gouher Sultana then Heather Knight, having hit two boundaries, was run out to leave England 43 for 4.Beaumont, who took 89 balls to make 31, and Gunn combined for an 18-over partnership that brought 34 runs – an indication of the pressure India put on the chase – before England lost 5 for 12 in six overs with Krishnamurthy claiming two in two balls.England had made all the early running as Brunt produced another impressive new-ball spell and her fourth wicket, trapping Goswami lbw, left India 34 for 6. That position became even worse when Laura Marsh struck twice and at 71 for 9 a chase well under a hundred was on the cards.However, England allowed India off the hook as Sharma and Sultana – whose previous best in 18 ODI innings was 10 not out – nearly doubled the total in a partnership lasting 15 overs.

Bangladesh have picked eight players with Test experience in a 28-member A squad that will attend a training camp on June 25 to prepare for the Shafi Dharshah Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2012Bangladesh’s selectors have picked eight players with Test experience in a 28-member A squad that will attend a training camp on June 25 to prepare for the Shafi Dharshah Trophy in India next month.Shahriar Nafees, Imrul Kayes, Nazimuddin, Naeem Islam, Raqibul Hasan, Enamul Haque jr, Shahadat Hossain and Robiul Islam will join the non-Test players at the camp at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Mirpur.Bangladesh A and Sri Lanka A are the two foreign sides in the tournament that will be staged in Bangalore and Mysore. They will compete against top teams from India’s domestic first-class competition, the Ranji Trophy, including the champions Rajasthan. The final will be held on August 16.Stuart Barnes, the former Gloucestershire fast bowler, will accompany Bangladesh A as head coach for the tournament. Bangladesh A lost the unofficial Test and one-day series against West Indies A in November last year. However, they beat England Lions 3-2 in a one-day series and drew the Twenty20 series in January.Preliminary Squad: Shahriar Nafees, Nasiruddin Faruque, Imrul Kayes, Nazimuddin, Mominul Haque, Naeem Islam, Shamsur Rahman, Farhad Hossain, Marshall Ayub, Rokibul Hasan, Mahmudul Hasan, Shuvagata Hom Chowdhury, Mohammad Mithun, Dhiman Ghosh, Saqlain Sajeeb, Arafat Sunny, Enamul Haque, Mosharraf Hossain, Sohag Gazi, Shahadat Hossain, Robiul Islam, Mukhtar Ali, Alauddin Babu, Al Amin, Shabbir Rahman, Dollar Mahmud, Kazi Kamrul Islam, Tasamul Hoque.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers in Kolkata

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit23-Apr-2012Match factsTuesday, April 24, Kolkata
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Will Deccan Chargers have reason to smile tomorrow?•AFPBig PictureWhat will it take for Deccan Chargers to get a win? They have made 196 and lost, they have failed to defend 18 off the final over, they have dropped catches and fielded poorly with embarrassing regularity. They are in imminent danger of having to win every remaining match to make the knockouts if their run of five consecutive losses extends further.Chargers do not have the luxury, like Delhi Daredevils had, of big signings arriving through the tournament to boost them. The current set of players will have to start a turnaround. On evidence of their showing so far, it seems an uphill task. Both their overseas and domestic players have struggled.Kolkata Knight Riders are on solid ground. They have had their customary stutters almost every game, but apart from the narrow loss to Kings XI Punjab at home, they haven’t thrown it away. Having defeated Chargers convincingly on Sunday on a Cuttack pitch that resembled the one at Eden Gardens in its slowness, they will start favourites.Form guideKolkata Knight Riders WWLWW
Deccan Chargers LLLLLPlayers to watchThe only game in which Chargers posted a daunting total, against Rajasthan Royals, JP Duminy made an unbeaten 58 from just 26 deliveries. He came in at No. 4 that day; he’s batted at No. 5 in his other two innings. Despite getting reasonable starts, Chargers have struggled to get going in the later stages of their innings. Another promotion for Duminy would not be a bad idea.Yusuf Pathan has made 29 runs from seven games at a strike-rate of 82.85 and gone wicketless in ten overs at an economy-rate of 8.70. Knight Riders have been maintaining that Yusuf is one innings away from finding his destructive touch. How long a rope will he be given by the team management?Stats and trivia Yusuf made 1011 runs in 42 innings at a strike-rate of 161.24 for Rajasthan Royals. For Knight Riders, his strike-rate drops to 128.81 for just 380 runs scored in 21 innings. Shikhar Dhawan is Chargers’ leading run-getter this season with 208 at a strike-rate of 126.82. No other Chargers batsman has made even 100 runs.Quotes”I think in the last four matches we’ve played good cricket. It’s just that at the big moments we’ve made a mistake either with the bat, the ball or in the field, whether it be a poor over, a dropped catch or not taking on the right bowler at the right time.”

Bangladesh’s chief selector Akram Khan has resigned from his post, citing interference from the board president in team selection

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2012Bangladesh’s chief selector Akram Khan has resigned from his post, citing interference from the board president in team selection. Akram’s resignation comes a day after BCB president Mustafa Kamal rejected the inclusion of high-profile opener Tamim Iqbal, Akram’s nephew, in the 14-man squad for the upcoming Asia Cup.”Tamim was in our team because he is one of the best batsmen we have,” Akram told . “But the president dropped him from the final list. His regular interference in team selection has made top players worried about their place in the national squad. I have resigned because I was not enjoying my job.”Akram had, last July, asked for a change in the selection procedure that would remove the stage of the selectors having to discuss the squad with the board’s technical committee before giving it to the president for approval. That did not materialise and now Akram has said that the president himself is a hindrance to the selection process.BCB spokesman Jalal Yunus confirmed Akram had resigned after eight months in the position. Akram was a former Bangladesh captain and one of the country’s biggest cricketing names.”We had a long discussion yesterday and whatever Nannu Bhai [Minhazul Abedin] and Sumon [Habibul Bashar] told me were logical,” Akram told the media yesterday. “But ever since I became a selector 4-5 years ago, there were a lot of things that happened in regards to selection which made me unhappy.”After I become the chief selector last year, there were problems from the beginning which I tried to settle and sometimes succeeded in doing so. I had to bear the brunt of such issues, so I decided that it is better to step down.”The ACC tells us to give a 15-man team for the Asia Cup but Tamim was removed from here and made a standby. We took the decision on his inclusion after seeing physio Vibhav Singh and Dr Debashish Roy’s report. I wasn’t even informed of the change; I got to know like you did which really hurt me. I have a piece of paper to prove it.”But Tamim isn’t the first name that was slashed at the whim of the board president and directors who are members of the technical committee.”One incident happened with (Mohammad) Ashraful, when he was picked against Pakistan last year. We had Raqibul Hasan and Shuvagata Hom as middle-order candidates but they weren’t scoring big. Ashraful was scoring at that time and we wanted him to play two Tests but he didn’t play. We weren’t able to take that decision independently,” Akram said.Contrary to what Akram has said over the past two days, his colleague Minhazul has insisted that there was no interference. “This is Akram’s personal decision and I respect it. But this wasn’t interference but the board president has only kept one player out on fitness grounds. The rest is our team,” he said.Tamim is widely regarded as one of Bangladesh’s most-talented cricketers. At 22, he is already third on the list of run-scorers in both Tests and one-dayers for Bangladesh and is the only Bangladesh cricketer to win the Wisden International Cricketer of the Year award, which he earned in 2010 for his two Test centuries in England. Tamim’s ODI form has dipped in the last 12 months though: he averages 22.56 from 17 games with two half-centuries.He has also had several disciplinary problems. He was stripped of the vice-captaincy after Bangladesh’s tour of Zimbabwe last year because of indiscipline, including arguing with the head coach; he was banned from a domestic game after an altercation with senior batsman Mohammad Ashraful; and during the recent Bangladesh Premier League, he had differences with his franchise, Chittagong Kings, team director Dean Jones.The Asia Cup, which features India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in addition to hosts Bangladesh begins on March 11.Edited by Dustin Silgardo

Saeed Ajmal took seven wickets for the first time in his Pakistan career as England capitulated in the first Test in Dubai

The Report by David Hopps17-Jan-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSaeed Ajmal ran through England’s batting with 7 for 55•AFPSmart stats

Saeed Ajmal’s 7 for 55 are his best figures in Test cricket, and his fifth five-for in 18 Tests. Against England, he has 19 from four Tests at 21.47.

Since the beginning of 2011, Ajmal has taken 57 wickets at 21.89.

Five of Ajmal’s victims were out lbw, which equals the record for most lbws for a bowler in a Test innings. Five others have achieved this: Terry Alderman versus Pakistan, Curtly Ambrose against England, Mohammad Zahid against New Zealand, Richard Johnson versus Zimbabwe, and Monty Panesar against West Indies.The last time England were five down for less than 43 in the first innings of a Test match was way back in 1999, when they were 34 for 5 in Johannesburg. England lost that Test by an innings and 21 runs.

Matt Prior’s unbeaten 70 is his third fifty-plus score in seven Test innings against Pakistan, and lifts his average against them to 76.

Ian Bell was dismissed without scoring for the ninth time in his Test career, and for the second time off the first ball.

Saeed Ajmal took seven wickets for the first time in his Pakistan career as England capitulated in the first Test in Dubai. There was limited turn for Ajmal on a sound batting surface, but his beguiling mix of offspinners and doosras drove England to distraction as they were dismissed by the 73rd over to leave Pakistan firmly in command.England lost their first seven wickets for 94 and matters would have been much worse without a robust response by Matt Prior, who looked the most decisive of their batsmen from the outset and, with eight down, counterattacked against the spinners before running out of partners.Pakistan, who batted in untroubled fashion for 15 overs in reply, would have been highly satisfied. They are careful not to describe the UAE as home, but it is fast becoming a favourite refuge. They enjoyed a jubilant first morning, claiming five wickets on a placid batting surface, and Ajmal made further inroads in the last two sessions to ensure that England’s first outing as the No. 1 ranked Test side in the world began disastrously.When Ajmal unveiled his new mystery ball, the teesra, midway through the afternoon session, it proved to be an initial disappointment, a slingy, round-arm affair that Stuart Broad stoutly blocked. But he did not need a mystery ball. To England they were all mystery balls.When England first encountered Ajmal, at Edgbaston 17 months ago, he took five wickets before they gradually worked him out as the series progressed. They will need to learn quickly again. The battle between Ajmal and Swann, contenders as the best offspinner in the world, could be pivotal.He was the last Pakistan bowler to be introduced into the attack, but after ten deliveries he had had figures of 3 for 1, removing Andrew Strauss, Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen. England summoned comparative resistance from then on, but Ajmal removed Morgan and Stuart Broad, both lbw sweeping, before tea. Two further lbw verdicts – Chris Tremlett outdone by an excellent doosra – completed the job. For England, only Swann matched Prior’s purpose.England won the toss, the pace of the pitch was gentle, there was no swing or seam, and just a hint of turn. However, just about everything attempted by Pakistan’s impressive captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, came off as the cream of England batting disappeared in the first two hours.There had been concerns about how England, who moved to No. 1 with high-adrenalin performances in front of packed crowds, would respond to the dead air of a virtually empty stadium, especially as their record in Asia is so mediocre – Bangladesh apart they have not won in their last seven Test series on the subcontinent. Those doubts are now apparent to all.Mohammad Hafeez’s offspin was introduced in the sixth over to counter England’s left-hand openers and he dismissed Alastair Cook in his first over. Cook attempted to work his first ball into the leg side and got a thick outside edge through point. Then Hafeez found gentle turn with his third delivery and Cook edged obligingly to the wicketkeeper.Pakistan had opted for three spinners; England stuck to their successful formula of Graeme Swann’s offspin supported by three fast bowlers. It was not long before England looked in denial.Jonathan Trott was the one batsman to fall to pace, the bustling pace provided by Aizaz Cheema. His new-ball spell was curtailed to two overs, but Trott found him a handful on his return. A walking clip to the square-leg boundary represented England’s most authoritative moment of the session, but he edged successive boundaries, the second of them flying over leg stump off the inside edge. Trott fell in Cheema’s next over, strangled down the leg side as the bowler banged one in.Ajmal struck with his sixth, seventh and tenth deliveries. Strauss had batted 42 balls for 19 when he misread the length, tried to pull a ball that was too far up to him, and was bowled.Bell came in with his wrist heavily strapped, courtesy of a blow in the nets the previous day while batting against the dog-thrower used by the England batting coach, Graham Gooch. He was met by a perfect doosra from Ajmal, which he edged to give the bowler his third wicket of the morning. Bell did not appear to read it but, first ball at the start of a new series, reading Ulysses would have been easier.Bell then departed for a long conversation with Gooch, who exchanged dog-thrower for any bone of consolation that he could toss his way.Misbah had begun by taunting Pietersen with left-arm spin, his nemesis, in the shape of Abdur Rehman. He survived against Rehman, but not Ajmal. Pietersen played slightly across the ball and was hit on the front pad, just outside the crease. Bruce Oxenford, the Australian umpire, was unconvinced but the wicketkeeper gestured excitedly for the DRS and his judgment was well founded, the replay suggesting that the ball would have struck halfway up leg stump.Morgan, more content than many against spin, was lbw to the slog-sweep, a decision by the Australian umpire Bruce Oxenford that was upheld by the third umpire after England, logically enough at 82 for 5, opted for the DRS. It was a weaker paddle-sweep that did for Broad, who rarely believes he is out, and who also asked for a review; but again television evidence ruled in the umpire’s favour.Only when Swann came to the crease did England play with adventure, a mood that Prior adopted after Abdur Rehman made one turn to strike Swann’s off stump. Umar Gul had wasted a Pakistan review in the last over before tea as he demanded a DRS verdict against Swann that had no hope of success. But that was Pakistan’s only moment of unprofessionalism in a calm and disciplined performance. Pakistan’s jubilation was almost complete.