Lalit Modi, the suspended IPL chairman, has dismissed the allegations of his masterminding a parallel IPL league as “fiction” and said he will respond on Monday to the first show-cause notice issued to him by the BCCI

Cricinfo staff07-May-2010Lalit Modi, the suspended IPL chairman, has dismissed the allegations of his masterminding a parallel IPL league as “fiction” and said he will respond on Monday to the first show-cause notice issued to him by the BCCI.On Thursday, the BCCI had issued a second notice to Modi, prompted by an e-mail from the ECB that contained the allegation that Modi, along with several heads of English counties, had met on March 31 to work on a parallel IPL league, a plan that could threaten the current structure of world cricket.”The truth will come out, we all know what the truth is,” Modi told the TV channel on Friday. “We all know who had batted for Indian cricket and from when. I’m the one who’s battled for Indian cricket, it’s all in the public domain.”Asked whether the March 31 meeting had taken place, Modi said: “What’s in the show cause notice is not speculation, it’s fiction. That’s a matter of detail and we’ll get into that. People are trying to malign me, across countries now.”When asked for a comment on the fact that the county chiefs had, following the show-cause notice, denied there was any plan for a parallel league, Modi said: “Everything will speak for itself, these are things you can’t hide. If somebody jumps the gun and does something, well, I can’t do anything about that.”There have also been reports of Arab and American leagues and, when asked about this, Modi’s response was curious. “I have been an advocate of unauthorised cricket from day one. I have championed the cause of unauthorised cricket for the BCCI and at the ICC for a long time and everybody knows that. I actually was involved in putting this whole program together in regard to unauthorised cricket. Many people have tried, we have shown ways and means of how it’s not viable and why they shouldn’t be doing it. I have always been a custodian of the BCCI and trying to protect its rights and I will continue to do that.”Modi’s explanation was surprising given the general understanding, till now, that he had been a prime mover behind the BCCI’s antagonistic stand on the unauthorised Indian Cricket League, whose creation in 2007 – without official sanction – sparked the IPL. The ICL has since been defunct, with many of its players now back in the official fold.

Lalit Modi has asked Shashank Manohar and N Srinivasan to remove themselves from all proceedings involving the show cause notice issued to him and to instead constitute an independent panel to adjudicate on the issue

Cricinfo staff25-May-2010Lalit Modi, the suspended chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL), has asked the BCCI president, Shashank Manohar, and secretary N Srinivasan to remove themselves from all proceedings involving the show cause notice issued to him and to instead constitute an independent panel to adjudicate on the issue. This was communicated in an email – a copy of which is with Cricinfo – sent on Tuesday by Modi to the league’s governing council, which also contained a series of allegations over several decisions regarding the IPL.The mail is effectively Modi’s counter to the chargesheet served on him by the BCCI on April 26 – Modi’s official reply, which ran into 160 pages and 15,000 pages of supporting evidence, has not yet been made public.While part of the mail deals with issues mentioned in the chargesheet – including the ownership of the Rajasthan Royals franchise – the bulk of it comprises the alleged involvement of Manohar in the franchise auction process last March and of Srinivasan in the 2010 player auction. It is this involvement, Modi contends, that warranted the absence of both officials from the process that would investigate the charges against him.Manohar, Modi alleges, was responsible for the controversial decision to scrap the initial opening of tenders for the franchises and went out of his way to entertain former minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor and accept the Kochi bid much after the lapse of deadline.He denies the allegation that he tried rigging the bids in favour of two business houses for the two new teams added for the fourth edition of the IPL; instead he claims the bids were processed and vetted by the board’s corporate lawyers and counsel Akhila Kaushik, appointed on Manohar’s recommendation.He claims Manohar was party to the decision fixing the net worth of the bidder at $1 billion and that he discussed the issue of deposit also with him at the Governing Council meeting on March 7 and got his approval.He also alleged it was Manohar who pitched in for Tharoor to include the bid of Rendezvous after the deadline had lapsed. “You wanted me to wait till the Kochi bid came from Delhi,” Modi writes, adding that Manohar spoke to Tharoor and his secretary several times after he refused to entertain the minister’s request for extension of deadline.Modi has brought up the issue of the controversial IPL TV contract with Sony and MSM, claiming that Manohar was aware of the termination last year of the contract with Sony and the subsequent litigation and eventual settlement. The litigation process was, he claims, supervised by Akhila Kaushik, “who reports directly to you”.Srinivasan, Modi alleged, had been “instrumental in sponsoring complaints” against him and his participation would be “tantamount to him being a judge in his own cause”. Modi also said he wanted to cross-examine Srinivasan in the inquiry.Among the charges levied, Modi said he had “sufficient cause to apprehend bias” on Srinivasan’s part and that he had “consistently frustrated and exposed his attempts at misusing his position as Honorary Secretary of the Board, so as to confer a wrongful benefit to his team at the cost and expense of other teams and the BCCI.”Modi alleged that Srinivasan had tried to “alter or propose panel of umpires” officiating in the IPL matches and had circulated an email “directing a panel of umpires handpicked by him”. He claimed Srinivasan had attempted to ensure umpires from Chennai or Tamil Nadu stood in his team’s matches.Another charge Modi made against Srinivasan was that he had “consistently pushed tailor-made policies” intended to benefit the Chennai franchise. In support of this charge, Modi cited the proposal of franchises retaining seven players (four Indian, three foreign) for the 2011 season and beyond. Modi’s reply to the show cause says Srinivasan tried to get franchises to agree to the proposal and that the “only reason for doing so was to ensure that Chennai Super King retained its players.”Modi also alleged that Srinivasan had tried to ensure Kieron Pollard, who was bought by Mumbai Indians during a silent tiebreaker in the 2010 auction, could not play “by raising some frivolous issues with the West Indian Cricket Board.” Modi termed Srinivasan’s action a “brazen act of abuse of power”.He claimed Srinivasan had used his power to “alter the auction rules” so that Chennai’s purse would be $2 million as opposed to the $1.85 million that was mentioned prior to the auction. “Despite my opposition he used his clout as secretary to pressure the management to accept back-dated player contracts and cancel the contracts of one of his players so that he could have his full purse and thereby have an advantage in the bidding process vis-a-vis other teams.”Regarding the issue of Srinivasan’s alleged conflict of interest, raised by former BCCI president AC Muttiah, Modi said “false statements have been made in pleadings filed in Court” to protect the position of Srinivasan.”In the proceedings filed by Mr. Muttiah, it has been stated by the Honorary Secretary on oath that the Regulation 6.2.4 was amended after an action taken report was filed by the two-member committee consisting of Mr. Shashank Manohar and Mr. Niranjan Shah recommending amendment,” Modi said. “I state that no such committee was ever appointed, no recommendation was ever made, no special general body meeting approving such report and such amendment ever took place and hence Mr. Shashank Manohar, Mr. Niranjan Shah – the Vice Chairman – IPL and Mr. N Srinavasan have connived and played not only on the members of the Board but also on the Court.”

Cricinfo previews the first ODI between Australia and England at Southampton

The Preview by Andrew Miller21-Jun-2010

Match facts

June 22, 2010
Start time 2.30pm (13.30GMT)

Big Picture

Cameron White scored a century on his last visit to the Rose Bowl•Getty Images

If there is a future for 50-over cricket, then surely it lies in contests such as this: a five-match hors d’oeuvre that is decidedly and unashamedly geared towards more significant encounters in the not-so-distant future. Everything that England and Australia have done in their recent outings – whether it’s thumping Pakistan or labouring past Bangladesh – has been assessed in the context of their Ashes preparations. So here we go then. Here’s a proper Phoney War to be getting on with. May the best team steal the momentum and land the psychological blows.Whatever happens in the coming five games, it is hard to envisage a scoreline as one-sided as last September’s 6-1 drubbing. England have come on in leaps and bounds since that ignominious thrashing – their gameplans have been liberated by key personnel such as Eoin Morgan and Craig Kieswetter – while Australia, regardless of their status as World Cup and Champions Trophy-holders, are in an undeniable period of transition, and beset by a raft of injuries to many of their first-choice seam attack, most notably Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus and the fading Brett Lee.But the real reason why this series could and should be a humdinger lies in its timing. Ever since the days of the Texaco Trophy, English teams have invariably performed better when the one-dayers have preceded the Tests. In 2005, England produced some of their best 50-over form of the decade to share the NatWest Series courtesy of a tied final against Australia (before slumping 2-1 in the subsequent NatWest Challenge, but that’s another story), while their achievement in beating South Africa in South Africa back in November gave them vital self-belief ahead of the tough Test series that followed.Whether the public interest will match the expected commitment from the teams is a moot point – although given how woeful both England and Australia have been in the football World Cup to date, many sports fans might quite enjoy the chance to recapture some bragging rights.

Form guide (last five completed matches)

England WWWWW

Australia WLWWW

Watch out for…

Ricky Ponting is back in England and bristling for vengeance once again. His last two visits have not been among the most enjoyable memories of his illustrious career, seeing as he surrendered the Ashes in both 2005 and 2009, but the indignities will only have strengthened his resolve. He’s now the elder statesman of a new-look team, and his talents may not be as razor-edged as they once were, but his presence on a cricket field remains inspirational nonetheless.Paul Collingwood was a part of the England side that thrashed Australia by 100 runs on this very ground in 2005, in the first Twenty20 international between the two teams. While the prospect of once again reducing the Aussies to 31 for 7 may be improbable, Collingwood knows full well how critical it is to attack from the outset, just as they did five years ago. After his break during the Bangladesh series, he’s fit and refreshed, and ready to resume hostilities.

Team news

Cameron White scored a century on this ground when the teams met last September, and he is now the fulcrum of the batting line-up at No. 5. Tim Paine resumes his wicketkeeping duties following the injury to Brad Haddin, while Doug Bollinger leads an inexperienced seam attack, in the absence of Johnson and Hilfenhaus.Australia (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Tim Paine (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Cameron White, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 James Hopes, 8 Nathan Hauritz, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Clint McKay, 11 Doug Bollinger.England eased to victory over Scotland at the weekend, and it’s hard to envisage many changes to the side for that game. Andrew Strauss and Craig Kieswetter gelled as an opening partnership at the first time of asking, while Stuart Broad will be better for his first outing since the World Twenty20 final.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Luke Wright, 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Ajmal Shahzad, 11 James Anderson.

Pitch and conditions

The Rose Bowl had a reputation as a seamer’s paradise in its early years, but the pitch has settled down considerably since then. With fine weather in prospect, the challenge of batting under lights will be less daunting than it might otherwise have been, although White and Co. weren’t exactly unsettled by the autumnal chill they experienced on their last visit.

Stats and Trivia

• The Rose Bowl match will be the 3000th ODI, and it will feature the same two teams who contested the first, at Melbourne in January 1971.
• Despite defeating Australia in the Ashes and the final of the World Twenty20, England’s recent record in ODIs against them is woeful. They’ve lost eight of their last nine fixtures, dating back to the World Cup in March 2007, and most recently were crushed by nine wickets in the semi-final of the Champions Trophy last October.
• Australia have a 100% record in ODIs at the Rose Bowl, albeit they’ve played just two matches, against England in 2009 and the USA in 2004. England have won two, lost two in four visits.

Quotes

“We all remember that Twenty20 game at Hampshire where we kept nipping them out. You’ve got to go hard at them. We’ve learnt that over the last five or six years.”

“Whenever there is a big series coming up the build-up starts a fair way out – and for the Ashes it’s already started. Pretty much from now until the Ashes are over and done with in the middle of January, everything we do will have some sort of focus on the Ashes series. There will be no excuses for us come late November.”

Ricky Ponting is quite focused, it would appear.

Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh have all been rested for the tri-series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand that kicks off on August 10

Cricinfo staff31-Jul-2010Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh have all been rested for the tri-series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand that kicks off on August 10. Yuvraj Singh makes a return to the 15-man squad after being dropped for the Asia Cup, the first time he had been omitted since cementing his place.Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan remains sidelined due to the shoulder injury which kept him out of the Tests against Sri Lanka. Ishant Sharma, out of favour when it comes to limited-overs sides after a prolonged fallow period, takes Zaheer’s place and gets in line to play his first one-dayer this year.Abhimanyu Mithun, who made his Test debut against Sri Lanka, returns to the one-day squad in place of Bengal quick bowler Ashok Dinda. Offspinner R Ashwin and Jharkhand batsman Saurabh Tiwary, who were both in India’s victorious Asia Cup team, also find a place.Dinda will now head to Australia, along with with Manish Pandey, to replace Ashwin and Tiwary in the Indian team participating in the Emerging Players tournament.Dinesh Karthik, who flew in as Virender Sehwag’s replacement midway through the Asia Cup before turning in a Man-of-the-Match performance in the final, keeps his spot and is likely to open the innings with Sehwag.The series which also involves Sri Lanka and New Zealand has a league phase in which each team plays the other twice before the top two advance to final on August 28.India squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, R Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Abhimanyu Mithun, Ashish Nehra, Pragyan Ojha, Saurabh Tiwary

Sometimes fortune comes heavily disguised. A few weeks ago, when Hampshire were languishing at the bottom of the County Championship table and struggling for any form of consistency in their limited-overs cricket, many at the club were bemoaning the loss

George Dobell at Edgbaston 26-Jul-2010

Scorecard19-year-old James Vince impressed with a calm half-century•PA Photos

Sometimes fortune comes heavily disguised. A few weeks ago, when Hampshire were languishing at the bottom of the County Championship table and struggling for any form of consistency in their limited-overs cricket, many at the club were bemoaning the loss of key players.Yet, through those absences, a new team has emerged at The Rose Bowl. A team that lacks the ego and baggage of some of the ‘bigger name’ signings and a team that promises bright times for Hampshire cricket for some time to come.For it was a team lacking Dimitri Mascarenhas, Nic Pothas, Kabir Ali, Simon Jones, Michael Lumb and Kevin Pietersen that qualified for T20 finals day for the first time after beating Warwickshire at Edgbaston. It was also a team that lacked first choice overseas players, Ajantha Mendis and Shahid Afridi.Instead it was the likes of Jimmy Vince, Danny Briggs, Michael Bates and Chris Wood that took centre stage. The quartet, three of which are 19, have all graduated through the ranks at The Rose Bowl and won the Under-17s county title in 2007.Man-of-the-match Vince and Briggs were especially impressive. Vince, playing with a command and composure that belies his years, timed the ball beautifully and struck five fours and two sixes in his 52-ball innings, while Briggs claimed three crucial wickets and bowled with the variation and discipline of a vastly more experienced man. It is, therefore, somewhat ironic that neither men would probably have played in a full strength side.”We have some fantastic young talent in this side,” captain Dominic Cork said afterwards. “It just shows what a lot of hard work the Academy coach, Tony Middleton and cricket manager Giles White have put in over the years. And it shows the vision that Rod Bransgrove, the chairman, has had to put this club together over recent years. There are a lot more young players coming through, too.”Of course it helps team spirit that these guys have all developed together. Everyone knows one another and there’s a great camaraderie here.”The outcome was not as close as the scoreline suggests. Yes, there was only one ball remaining when Hampshire scrambled the winning single but, in truth, the visitors were always in control of this chase.
They were the better team with bat and ball. While their seamers hit the pitch hard and maintained a tight line and length, Warwickshire’s – with the exception of the admirable Neil Carter – struggled to do either. Briggs also outbowled Imran Tahir, Warwickshire’s overseas leg-spinner, in defeating Westwood in the flight, yorking the advancing Barker and luring Maddy into a slog-sweep that landed in the hands of deep mid-wicket.
Cork was particularly impressive. After bowling the dangerous Carter in the first over with a perfect inswinger, he returned to bowl an immaculate last over featuring yorker after yorker and conceding just seven runs.Barker and Maddy prospered briefly. Barker, giving himself room to cut and Maddy driving strongly. But when Barker yorked himself and Troughton was run-out attempting an optimistic single, Warwickshire’s innings fell away. The unbroken stand of 58 in 7.3 overs for the sixth-wicket between Tim Ambrose and Rikki Clarke took Warwickshire only to the edges of respectability.Hampshire were always ahead of the required rate. Jimmy Adams, who became the first man to pass 600 runs in an English domestic T20 during this innings, took four boundaries of Chris Woakes’ wayward second over, while Abdul Razzaq struck Imran Tahir’s first ball for six. Though Carter was a model of excellence, he lacked support, with the remaining seamers proving ineffective.This could prove a damaging loss for Warwickshire. Already seemingly doomed to relegation in the Championship, it has only been their limited-overs form that has maintained any form of morale at the club. Though they continue to shine in the Clydesdale Bank 40, the disappointment in the dressing room after this defeat was enormous. It’s the sixth time in seven years they’ve fallen at the quarter-final stage and the third year in succession.”It’s very disappointing,” Ashley Giles said. “We were the leading team in the country after the group stages and we had high hopes. But we’ve just got to get back on the bike and go again. Our confidence has been pretty battered at times this season and at times we got it wrong with the ball this evening. We just have to re-focus.”So, it is Hampshire that will take their place in the final four on finals day on August 14. And, if Bransgrove has anything to do with it, they may yet attempt to send a team to this year’s Champions League. Never one to take things lying down, Bransgrove has continued to challenge the ECB’s decision not to send teams this year due to conflict with the domestic schedule. It will be interesting to see what happens if Hampshire qualify.

Kevin Pietersen will need to find a new county before the start of next season as part of his contractual obligations to the England & Wales Cricket Board, according to England’s coach, Andy Flower

Cricinfo staff10-Aug-2010Kevin Pietersen will need to find a new county before the start of next season as part of his contractual obligations to the England & Wales Cricket Board, according to England’s coach, Andy Flower.Pietersen was one of four England players released from duty to take part in the Friends Provident t20 finals day at Rose Bowl on Saturday, but whereas Alastair Cook, Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad were welcomed back into the fold by their respective counties, Essex and Nottinghamshire, Pietersen’s employers Hampshire announced that they had no intention of selecting the batsman.The stand-off was triggered by Pietersen’s unilateral declaration, earlier in the summer, that he would be seeking a new base to fit in with his family lifestyle, with the London-based clubs, Surrey and Middlesex, being the only realistic options for a man who does not want to commute too far from his home in Chelsea.For now, however, he remains in limbo, with Hampshire refusing to select him, just as they did when he was released to play in a CB40 fixture against Kent prior to the Lord’s Test against Pakistan last month. And while Flower said he was unconcerned by Pietersen’s itinerant status in the lead-up to this winter’s Ashes, he said he believed that the ECB would expect their star player to be settled before the start of the 2011 home summer.”I wouldn’t be overly concerned if he hasn’t sorted out his county situation by the time we get under way in Australia,” said Flower. “But I think the ECB policy will be that all of our international players must be contracted to a county.”Pietersen has been struggling for form at Test level this year, although he did top-score for England with an unconvincing 80 in the nine-wicket victory over Pakistan at Edgbaston this week. He has not scored an international hundred in any form of the game since the Trinidad Test against West Indies in March 2009, but Flower was unconcerned by the loss of match practice in a form of the game that is far removed from the challenge that awaits at The Oval next week.”It doesn’t worry me because this is what we expected,” Flower said. “I was asked a question about whether he would be made available and I said yes he would, although I expected Hampshire to maintain their position that they didn’t want to pick him. If we felt very strongly about it and, for instance, there were first-class games that we wanted him to play leading up to a Test series, we would have sat down and spoken at greater length with Hampshire.”But considering it was only a 40-over game leading up to the Test series and again this is only 20-over cricket this weekend, I don’t think it is worth creating any issue over it.”

Firdose Moonda presents the moments of the tournament from the Champions League Twenty20 2010

Firdose Moonda28-Sep-2010Innings of the tournament
For a large part of the tournament, he was the man leading the golden bat race. Michael Klinger scored three half centuries for South Australia, two of them while chasing. His best effort was the 78 off 48 balls he smashed against the Lions in Centurion. Klinger had not scored a half-century in 20-over cricket before that day and a combination of excellent exploitation of the short ball, perfect placement and crafty footwork saw him sail over the 50 mark. He shared in two century opening partnerships in the competition, so his sidekick, Daniel Harris gets an honorary mention.Spell of the tournament
Albie Morkel produced two gorgeous, bouncy overs for the Chennai Super Kings against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the semi-final. He had the ball swinging like the 60s and Manish Pandey didn’t quite know what to do with the away movement. At one point, there were three slips in position. Morkel picked up the wicket of Robin Uthappa with the final ball of the second over to finish the spell with figures of 1 for 13.Catch of the tournament
Plenty of great plucking in this tournament made this one a difficult pick. Jean Symes and Johan Botha get special mention but the clutch that cut it was Matthew Hayden’s spectacular steal against Central Districts in Port Elizabeth. Mathew Sinclair’s reverse sweep off Muttiah Muralitharan required an acrobatic leap to the right from Haydos at first slip which he pulled off in fine style. He had a lean run with the bat and is fast approaching 40, but Hayden’s powers of anticipation have not dimmed.Surprise package of the tournament
The Warriors had laid claim to their first two pieces of silverware since the franchise system began on their way to qualifying for the Champions League. They fancied themselves for a final four spot but to advance to the decider in such emphatic fashion was surely unexpected. Davy Jacobs became everybody’s favourite player with his no-fear brand of batting and easy-going leadership style. The home boys won the hearts of many and even though they lost in the final, they provided more than enough evidence that something very special is stirring in the Eastern Cape.Thanks-for-coming of the tournament
Guyana, Central Districts and Wayamba provided a trio of whipping boys for the other teams. Between them, they posted the five lowest totals in the competition and conceded the two highest scores. Most of the time their hearts didn’t seem in it, although they told us they were, so even when the Sri Lankans thrashed the New Zealanders by 74 runs, no-one cared.Heartwarmer of the tournament
The unfancied Highveld Lions upset the Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener, to leave audiences aghast. When Robbie Frylinck bowled the last ball, to hand the Lions victory by nine runs, the team stormed the pitch to the sound of K’Naan’s . The union that has been so troubled by internal strife and so plagued by failure were united for those few minutes by victory.Best atmosphere of the tournament
The Centurion crowd at the semi-final between Warriors and the South Australia Redbacks. A hen party was clucking away in the grandstand complete with pink mining helmets for the girls and a colourful, fake, Mohican for the bride-to-be. That bunch was not even nearly as raucous as Redbacks’ WAGS in the president’s suite, cheering on their men, even when it was obvious that they were going home. By that point, the rest of the crowd threw their weight behind the South African side and started a chant, “Bye, Bye Redbacks.” The Eastern Cape found a home in Centurion.Song of the tournament
Enrique belted out at the opening ceremony but that song in its cheesy entirety was not heard again. There was a masala mix version of it, muddled with Taio Cruz’s . Catchy, but not quite the best beat of the event. For a tune that screams “bring out your pom-poms,” a lesson in spelling and a healthy blend with something that sounds like Bhangra, the Chennai Super Kings theme song is the one that rocked.Advice of the tournament
Someone needs to tell Ravi Shastri that when he is holding a microphone, he doesn’t have to shout.Quotes of the tournament
“This is a massive achievement for the Eastern Cape. The last 18 months have been unbeliev…., unbeliev… . I don’t even know what the question was.”
“I’ll just go make a cup of coffee.”

Grant Flower’s return to international cricket at the age of 39 has encountered a temporary hitch after he was denied permission to depart for South Africa from Harare airport

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2010Grant Flower’s return to international cricket at the age of 39 has encountered a temporary hitch after he was denied permission to depart for South Africa from Harare airport on Monday because of invalid travel documents.”I’ve had a long day, but I think it’s getting sorted out,” Flower told ESPNcricinfo. “I should be on the flight to South Africa tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon. I’m either going to get a new passport, or an emergency travel document.”Flower is set to play his first match for Zimbabwe in six years during their short series of two Twenty20 internationals and three ODIs against South Africa, having agreed to combine a playing return with his primary duty as national batting coach. However, he was left behind as the squad flew into Johannesburg, because his passport is still at the Zimbabwe Consulate in London awaiting renewal.”We are hoping to resolve the matter in the next 24 hours,” Zimbabwe team manager Lovemore Banda told Reuters. “Grant Flower had to travel on a temporary document because his passport is still in the embassy in London waiting for a visa application. Those temporary documents are usually accepted all over the world, but South Africa have recently changed their rules due to all their immigration problems.”Flower is one of Zimbabwe’s most experienced cricketers of all time, having played in 67 Tests and 219 one-day internationals between 1992 and 2004, when he joined an exodus of senior players following the removal of Heath Streak from the captaincy. Streak has also rejoined the Zimbabwe fold as bowling coach, as the team seeks to re-emerge from the doldrums and build towards a competitive showing in the 2011 World Cup.”Having some experience around is vital as we make our way back into international cricket and head towards test cricket, and there’s no doubt Grant still has what it takes,” said Alistair Campbell, the chief selector. “We’re very excited about having him back in the team. He is still as fit as a 21-year-old, and had a brilliant season for Essex in the one-day game.

Younis Khan reminded Pakistan just what they had been missing as his 17th Test hundred guided them to safety on the final day in Dubai

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2010Younis Khan reminded Pakistan just what they had been missing as his 17th Test hundred guided them to safety on the final day in Dubai. Together with another returnee, the new captain Misbah-ul-Haq, the pair combined to defy South Africa for 57 overs, sharing an unbroken stand of 186 to pull off a result which looked unlikely after Pakistan conceded a 132 first-innings deficit.Shorn of Younis’ services since July last year, the brittle Pakistan line-up have struggled against Australia and England but his resilience alongside Misbah, playing his first Test since the Sydney debacle, ensured a satisfying return. Younis will rightly take the plaudits, anchoring the rearguard with third hundred against South Africa but, as Misbah himself acknowledged, it was the he who was under most scrutiny.”This feels like a win. The team put in a wonderful effort under pressure,” he said. “I was under quite a bit of pressure before this Test but I think my performance today will make it easier for me.”Pakistan’s first-innings collapse from 176 for 2 to 248 all out underlines just how important Misbah’s contribution was, all the more so given that the next man in was Umar Akmal. It ensured that the “fresh start” Misbah promised on the eve of the game ended well and he singled out praise for his partner. “On the second day the bowlers brought us back into the game the plan today was to be positive and not just try to stick it out. Younis’ knock today was a special one.”Returning as the senior batsman in a volatile side, Younis could have been forgiven for feeling the burden of responsibility. Yet after a cautious start his increasingly expansive and certain strokeplay betrayed a man just relieved to be back where he belongs.”There wasn’t any pressure on us because the wicket here is different to those in the subcontinent,” he said. “It didn’t have the kind of uneven bounce that causes the ball to bounce up off the pads. On this wicket it was possible to bat positively and that’s what I was trying to do. I was trying to hit the bad balls for boundaries.”Both batsmen, impressive as they were, had some generous South African fielding to thank. Younis was put down twice, on 16 by Mark Boucher and again by Jacques Kallis when on 70, and Misbah got a slice of luck when Hashim Amla spilled a chance at short leg just before lunch.It meant another final-innings disappointment for South Africa after twice being denied by England last year but on a flat track Graeme Smith was happy enough with his side’s performance.”We knew it was going to be hard because on this wicket once the batsmen get in it was tough to get them out,” he said. “The wicket got slower and slower as the Test went on. Credit must go to Pakistan, especially to Younis, he played really well.”Missed chances are always costly but nobody does it on purpose. It was unusual for those guys to miss those chances because they have been stalwarts of the team for a long time. So obviously they are disappointed with that. But we’ve played good positive cricket throughout the game and we’ll take that into Abu Dhabi.”

Paul Collingwood insists that Australia’s current struggle for form will have no bearing on England’s preparations ahead of the first Test in Brisbane

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2010Paul Collingwood insists that Australia’s current struggle for form will have no bearing on England’s preparations ahead of the first Test in Brisbane later this month, as they turn their attentions to their opening three-day warm-up game against Western Australia in Perth on Friday.England have named a 13-man squad for the first of their three practice matches, with the fit-again Ian Bell expected to replace Eoin Morgan as the only change from the side that won the fourth Test against Pakistan at Lord’s back in August. That level of stability is something that the Aussies cannot currently rely upon, having slumped to an improbable one-wicket defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka at the MCG on Wednesday – their sixth consecutive loss in all internationals dating back to July.In addition to their lack of form, Australia are also struggling to deal with newspaper reports suggesting that Michael Clarke, the team’s vice-captain, has fallen out with senior colleagues who do not believe he should be the next Test captain after Ricky Ponting. But Collingwood, while clearly happy for his opponents to take the heat in the early stages of the tour, was adamant that England needed to keep their counsel in the coming days and not get distracted by matters beyond their control.”It’s a different position – it’s something we’re not used to when we come to Australia,” admitted Collingwood, who witnessed at first hand the media feeding frenzy that greeted England in 2006-07, not least when Marcus Trescothick quit the tour ahead of the Brisbane Test with a recurrence of his stress-related illness. “But we know they’re a good side, and we’re going to have to play very well to beat them.”Let’s be honest, the more games they lose the better it is for us. The more games they do lose, confidence levels may go down,” he added. “But we’re not going to read too much into it. We’ve got to prepare ourselves as a team to be in the best frame of mind going into the Test matches. I’m sure they’ll be trying to do that themselves too. We’re not going to take them lightly – it’s as simple as that.”Australia in a home Ashes Test will be a different proposition to the team that lost the first ODI against Sri Lanka, Collingwood insisted, but nevertheless, the manner in which they let slip a seemingly impregnable position at 107 for 8 has been taken as further evidence of a loss of killer instinct, something that England themselves witnessed at Cardiff in 2009, when James Anderson and Monty Panesar saved the game with an unbroken tenth-wicket stand.”Most of us watched the game [against Sri Lanka], but really we’re very much focused on what we’ve got to do rather than the opposition,” said Collingwood. “Obviously it’s a different team to the Test team, so we’re very much preparing ourselves to do well in these warm-up games. It would be silly to let the foot off the gas because of the opposition going through whatever they are going through.”Collingwood, for his part, has plenty to keep his mind occupied in the coming days, as he prepares to readjust himself to first-class cricket after a sparse home summer against Pakistan. However, with just seven first-class outings since the World Twenty20 got underway in April, he’s not too concerned about the suggestions that he is out of nick, especially having overcome several doubters on the last trip four years ago with a gutsy double-century at Adelaide.”Anyone who says it’s a bad trot I’m going through, I’m not going to read too much into it,” he said. “The challenges you get out here are exactly what I want as a cricketer, and something I’m very excited to get my teeth into. I look forward to playing what I hope will be some big, match-winning innings.”As far as England are concerned, their preparation for Brisbane begins in earnest at Perth on Friday, and will continue through both of their remaining warm-up matches at Adelaide and Hobart. “If we can get three wins under our belts that will be fantastic,” said Collingwood. “”You want good individual performances out there as well to get the confidence going high, because the belief is the most important thing, coming to Australia.”There is genuine belief around the camp that we can win out here,” he added. “I don’t think anything that happens between now and the first Test will waver that belief in any way. The guys are very experienced now, playing in different conditions round the world, and although there are a couple of technical adjustments, I think that belief is the major thing we can bring into this tough environment. We’ve done plenty of talking in the dressing room – now is the time to go out there and put those big performances in.”England squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Alistair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Matt Prior (wk), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Steven Finn, James Anderson, Eoin Morgan, Chris Tremlett