English cricket season opener moved to Abu Dhabi

The traditional curtain raiser to the English cricket season between the county champions and the Marylebone Cricket Club has been moved to Abu Dhabi next year.
The four-day match will be contested by Durham under lights and using pink cricket balls.

The fixture will run from March 25-April 1 at the Zayed International Cricket Stadium.

Pointing to the use of floodlights, John Stephenson, the MCC's head of cricket, said Friday: "If this match is a success, it could help to reinvigorate test cricket."

Stephenson said that, because of poor weather, staging the match at Lord's at the start of April is "far too early in the year to play meaningful cricket."

Subscribe in a reader

MATT PRIOR CERTAIN ANDY FLOWER AND ANDREW STRAUSS KEY TO ENGLAND'S CRICKET SUCCESS

MATT PRIOR believes England’s fresh approach under new leadership in the one-dayers can put them on top of the world.

England have surprised even themselves by thumping South Africa seven times out of eight dating back to August of last year.

They are still way off the pace set by table-toppers Australia but are looking to wrap up the latest one-day series against South Africa as they take a 2-1 series lead into tomorrow’s final match at Kingsmead.

For Prior, though, it is much more than this series which has convinced him England are going places.

Prior, who has 52 caps, is certain new coach Andy Flower and skipper Andrew Strauss are the key to England becoming the best one-day side in the world.

He said: “Andy’s done a fantastic job since the day he came in.

“I’ve been on tours before where it’s been hard work.

“You’ve really missed home and each day’s dragged.

“That is really not the case here.

“You’ve got a squad of guys all pulling together in the same direction, wanting to win this series and they are passionate about that.

“What has happened is there has been a huge amount of honesty in this team, individuals, senior players and the coach and captain themselves.

“That was such a great starting point to actually say, ‘Crikey, we’re not actually as good as we think we are. We have to improve’.

“When you get that stark realisation it makes everyone very, very hungry and determined we do improve because we want to be part of the best team in the world.”

Subscribe in a reader

IPL will boost England in T20 WC: Vaughan

London: England stand no chance in next year's Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies if their players are not allowed to play the entire Indian Premier League next season, believes former captain Michael Vaughan.

"We should be making our players available for the whole of the IPL window. We are not great at Twenty20 cricket. We've got a Twenty20 World Cup in May and at the minute we've got no chance," Vaughan said.

"If it was my England team I'd be looking at the first-team players and thinking that I want them to experience playing in those IPL games, I'd want to have them playing in those packed stadiums and picking the brains of all those great players. That will give us a better chance of winning the Twenty20 World Cup," Vaughan was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

Asserting that IPL would do a world of good to the English players, Vaughan said, "We have to give our players as much opportunity as possible to try and win a trophy. England should take the guys who could do with a rest from Test cricket and send them to play in the IPL to develop their Twenty20 skills.

Vaughan's argument notwithstanding, English players' participation in the third IPL would be restricted from March 12 to April 25 because the cash-rich event clashes with their tour to Bangladesh.

Vaughan went on to the extent of saying that key players should skip the Bangladesh tour and compete in IPL.

"I don't have any quibble with senior players missing the Bangladesh tour. That tour is not going to be about developing the team for the Ashes. This winter will be about developing a side for the Ashes. Bangladesh is a very different kind of cricket," Vaughan said.

"Sending players to the IPL would produce a few good performances and help develop a good network of players to come back and play for us in the Twenty20. One thing our Twenty20 players don't have is experience," he added.

Besides Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood, who are contracted with IPL teams, Vaughan thinks England should also allow players like Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and James Anderson to get the exposure to the shortest version of cricket.

Subscribe in a reader

Anderson can be a leader for England

Paul Collingwood has described James Anderson as "a real leader" among England's bowlers and cannot wait to have him back in the side.

The Lancashire seamer is currently struggling with a knee injury and is one of several bowlers who have been on the crocked list two weeks into a two-and-a-half month tour.

Stuart Broad (shoulder) is the other main paceman struggling, while Graham Onions (back) played his first match on tour on Tuesday after he missed out on the earlier games with his own injury.

It has prompted the selectors to call on Liam Plunkett as cover, with the Durham player linking up with the rest of the squad in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
While England's batsmen have had no trouble at all adapting to the conditions, their bowling seems to be a minor problem area having only taken all 10 opposing wickets once in their first six tour games.

That was in the opening game against the Eagles when both Anderson and Broad played, but Collingwood is not too bothered.

"I wouldn't say it's a major concern," he said. "I think we're aggressive as a unit, I think we're getting more experience and we've obviously got Jimmy Anderson to come back into the side, which is crucial.

"I think he's a real kind of leader for us now in terms of the bowling stakes. For such a young guy, I know that's a big statement, but he is a real leader in bowling.
"But again, we've got a lot of potential and very dangerous bowlers, obviously with Broady coming back in as well. We have missed those two when they were injured. Hopefully they will be fit pretty soon and we can get back to bowling sides out."
Collingwood has himself missed the last two games with a back injury and his absence alongside the two frontline seamers, Graeme Swann (intercostal muscle), the main slow bowler, and Alastair Cook (back) left England with just 11 fit players against South Africa A on Tuesday.

The visitors had the day off on Wednesday ahead of a difficult ODI series and most of those injuries are expected to clear by Friday, with only Broad considered extremely doubtful.

Collingwood continued: "(The injury) is actually progressing really well. It was very, very sore on Sunday and I had two injections on Monday.

"If I was playing today I would have been 50-50, but I've got a couple of days to go so the chances are going to be very high.

"Everything seems to have settled down, I'm doing the work in the gym and progressing really well, so I've got a very good chance for Friday."

If he plays the 33-year-old will become England's most capped one-day player, surpassing the 170 appearances he currently shares with Alec Stewart.

He was pleased to be breaking the record, but conceded that luck has been on his side after a difficult start to his career which began with four single-figure scores against Pakistan and Australia, before a trip to Zimbabwe helped boost his average.
"When you've played so many games along the way, you've got to probably have a lot of luck," he added.

"Certainly after four games, I think I had a fair bit of luck in the selection going to Zimbabwe after that.

"Thankfully I've done okay since then. But you've got to obviously stay injury-free to play that many games.

"Barring a couple of injuries early on in my career, touch wood it hasn't been too bad. It's a bit of a surprise that I've got to so many, but hopefully I can keep going for some time yet."

Subscribe in a reader

More injury woes for England

All-rounder Stuart Broad is among the England players sidelined for Tuesday's warm-up contest against South Africa A.

Broad, 23, has had injections in his right shoulder in a bid to make the first one-day international on Friday but will not feature in Potchefstroom.

He incurred the damage in a practice match 11 days ago and missed both Twenty20 internationals against Graeme Smith's side.

"He's had a number of injections in the past few days and we are waiting to see the reaction to those injections, to see whether it settles," said England coach Andy Flower.

England are even considering calling up an extra bowler to the touring party, such is the current injury blight on the limited-overs squad.

Fast bowler James Anderson (knee) played in Sunday's 20-over mauling despite not being 100% fit, while Graeme Swann has an intercostal muscle problem and neither will be considered for Tuesday.

Paul Collingwood, another of the regular one-day bowlers, is also extremely doubtful with a recurrence of long-standing lower back discomfort.

"Unless it loosens up a lot today I don't think he will play in tomorrow's game either," Flower said.

Availability is such that the side virtually picks itself and Graham Onions will return following his back injury.

Subscribe in a reader

Cook enjoys captaincy debut

Alastair Cook was a proud man after leading England for the first time despite losing the match to South Africa.

The Essex opener, thrust into the role after regular Twenty20 skipper Paul Collingwood was ruled out this morning due to a stiff back, saw his side taken apart by 84 runs at Centurion.

It came after a world-record 170-run opening partnership between Graeme Smith (88) and Loots Bosman (94) helped the Proteas reach 241 for six - the second-highest 20-over total ever.

The response was a painful one for England and they were always behind the game before eventually finishing with 157 for eight, thanks largely to a half-century from Jonathan Trott.

Despite the loss that helped the Proteas square the series at 1-1, Cook was pleased with the honour.
"I don't think it comes much tougher than that, so credit to how Smith and Bosman played at the top of the order," he said.
"Everything we tried didn't really work and they punished us.
"It's tough, I was trying to keep the emotions as calm as you can. You try everything to keep calm, but it was hard.

"Everyone was busting their gut to try and bowl to the plan, but as I said the margins were quite small today and our skills were probably not good enough to deal with it.

Asked when he found out he would be captain, he added: "This morning. Obviously we knew last night it was touch and go with Colly. Unfortunately he didn't make it.
"Whatever happened today, I actually enjoyed it. I'll go to bed very disappointed with the result, but I tried my best and I captained my country today for the first time."

Apart from Trott's 51, there was also another major positive for England following the return of Kevin Pietersen, who took the place of Collingwood.
It was the first bit of action for England's star player since the second Ashes Test in July, after which he underwent surgery to his troublesome right Achilles.
Pietersen was only scheduled to return in a warm-up game on Tuesday, but due to the shortage of batsmen in the squad and regular captain Andrew Strauss' decision to no longer play the shortest form of the game, it meant a quick return for the Hampshire batsman.

Cook said there was no doubt that he was fit to return, adding: "He's made some great progress over the last few days, in the last week after coming over here.
"Ideally he probably would have had another match and more match practice. Since the Ashes Test match he hasn't batted, but with Colly going out he had to come in.
"He's 100% fully fit. The only thing was the match practice - he would have liked a knock in the middle before, but it wasn't to be.

"He's been itching to get back since that second Test match. Obviously he's had a real tough problem with his Achilles, which he has thankfully got over.
"He was desperate himself. Straussy, he said himself he doesn't want to be part of the Twenty20 plans, so there was no question of him coming back in."

South Africa coach Mickey Arthur was pleased with the win, especially after the one-run Duckworth/Lewis loss in the first game on Friday.

He said: "We were obviously very frustrated the other night. You never know what could have happened, we could have lost a couple of wickets down the line but we backed ourselves to actually get over the line.

"We were really keen to make amends today and it's really satisfying."
Arthur also felt his side would gain more out of the two matches despite the series ending level at 1-1.

He added: "I think the emphatic way in which we won, I guess we come out of the weekend I think far better than England have. That's if it does count for anything down the line because we go into a different format (50-over one-day internationals).
"But we probably do take a little more from it. I think we're probably a little more settled and a little more unpredictable."

Subscribe in a reader

Collingwood plays down injury list

Paul Collingwood has played down England's growing injury list ahead of the first Twenty20 international on Friday following the side's four-wicket defeat against South Africa A in Bloemfontein.

England went into the match without their three frontline quicks with James Anderson (knee), Stuart Broad (shoulder) and Graham Onions (back) all on the sidelines. With Andrew Strauss not considered for the Twenty20 team it left Collingwood only 11 fit players and towards the end of the game Graeme Swann also left the field with a tight thigh.

However, Swann's problem was said to be minor and the medical staff were not overly concerned, while Anderson and Onions are expected to be in contention to face South Africa at the Wanderers. Broad, though, is struggling to recover in time for the Twenty20 matches and is unlikely to be risked before the one-day series begins at the end of next week.

"I think he [Broad] is going to be doubtful. I mean it's pretty much going to take a miracle if he's going to be fit for the Twenty20s," Collingwood told reporters. "He has been very sore on the shoulder there, but he's progressing well, so hopefully he'll be available for the first one-dayer.

"Jimmy's just a little bit stiff in the right knee, but again he should be fit for Friday and Graham Onions will come back into the reckoning as well. [Swann] came off with a stiff side, but he's spoken to the medical staff and they don't seem to be too concerned."

After a promising opening to the tour, with two convincing warm-up victories against the Eagles and Warriors, this is a more familiar feel to England's overseas expeditions with defeat against a second-string side and a list of injury worries. At the same time South Africa were hitting their stride against Zimbabwe, but Collingwood has his fingers crossed that the team have got their bad performance out of the way.

"I'm hoping tonight is just a blip. We've done a lot of good stuff so far on this tour," he said. "Obviously Twenty20 cricket's a different format of the game - you're a bit more rushed out in the middle. We'll obviously come out of this, we'll learn from it, we'll discuss it before Friday and hopefully put on a better performance.

"I never like losing, but I think sometimes it is going to be a little bit of a reality check as well. Tonight we got one of the disciplines wrong. That's the area we've got to bounce back from and do better on Friday."

Subscribe in a reader

Strauss Century Guides England Past The Warriors

England 256-2 (Strauss 117no, Denly 82) beat
Warriors 254-5 (Jacobs 83no, Swann 3-26) by eight wickets
Tour match, Kimberley

Andrew Strauss scored an unbeaten century as England warmed up for their upcoming matches against South Africa with a convincing eight-wicket win over the Chevrolet Warriors.

The Warriors, who beat New Zealand ahead of the Champions Trophy, were unable to take another international scalp as Strauss's unbeaten 117 helped England reach 256 for two in reply to 254 for five.

The left-hander hit ten fours and a six, sharing an opening stand of 175 with Joe Denly, who made 82 as England made an assured start to their innings.

Denly and Alastair Cook (32) were the men to fall, leaving Strauss and Paul Collingwood, unbeaten on 12, to finish the match.

Earlier, Graeme Swann picked up three wickets and Adil Rashid one as the Warriors, led by 83 not out from Arno Jacobs, gave England a stern workout in the field.

Jacobs struck ten boundaries and was supported by namesake Davey (50) with Sajid Mahmood also picking up a wicket.

England meet South Africa in the first of two Twenty20 Internationals on Friday 13th September ahead of five One-Day Internationals and four Tests.

Subscribe in a reader

England's Wright behind Strauss

Luke Wright maintains that the team will always be behind Strauss amid suggestions from Graeme Smith he acted out of character.

The South Africa skipper was denied a runner during his innings of 141 during their much-publicised Champions Trophy altercation in September after being struck down by cramp in what was a crucial match for the tournament hosts, with the eventual 22-run loss in Pretoria putting the hosts out of the competition.

Although it emerged afterward that the umpires made the final call, Strauss was cast as the villain with Smith saying in a recent interview that his England counterpart acted against character.

The incident is certain to boil over with the local public and could even lead to more friction in the middle during England's two-and-a-half-month tour to the country, but Wright is giving his full backing to his leader.

He said: "I think you're always behind your captain and when Strauss made the decision, everyone was behind him.

"It's not something that has actually been mentioned again. We've just got on with it and it's something that hasn't bothered us.

"I can only speak of the last game, it was like any other game in international cricket, they were in your face. It's always hard and tough on this stage, there's not too many smiling faces when you're out there anyway, so I'm sure it won't be any different this series.

"I'm sure they'll come out hard like any other team, but if they want to come out any harder for this series, I don't know.

"We'll just have to wait and see, but it's not something that we're particularly worried about." The Sussex all-rounder trained with the rest of his team during a rain-interrupted session at the University of the Free State this morning as they prepared for Friday's opening tour match - a 50-over encounter against the Diamond Eagles in Bloemfontein.

England will then play two further practise games against local sides, before the first of two Twenty20 internationals is followed by a five-match one-day series and four Test matches against the Proteas, who are the top-ranked side in the five-day game.

Wright is expecting a difficult challenge against Smith and his men, but not one that is too tough for England to handle.

He continued: "It's certainly up there, obviously they're the number one side in the world, so you have to say they are (going to be tough).

"They're a great side, they are strong all round and have no particular weakness. But you know, as we've showed that if we play to our best, we've got a great chance." As for his own form, Wright believes that his last batting performance for his country, which came during the Champions Trophy semi-final loss to Australia, showed a "different side" to his game - one he is hoping to showcase more during the tour.
That performance came after his side had slumped to 101 for six, and together with Tim Bresnan, shared a 107-run partnership to lift England to a competitive 257.
He added: "I think the nice thing about it (that partnership) on a personal note, was that it showed a different side of my game. It was not all crash, bang, wallop that I've been renowned for.

"Obviously a lot of the time I get pushed up the order to go into powerplays, which I'm happy to do, but that was a chance to actually bat and show people another side."

Subscribe in a reader

England progress at Hong Kong Sixes

Defending champions England secured their place in the Cup phase of the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes after finishing top of their group today.

Chris Read's side defeated India and Pakistan but were denied the chance to finish unbeaten in the Northern Hemisphere group after losing to Sri Lanka in their final game.

"We're delighted to go through," said Nottinghamshire skipper Read. "We would like to have been unbeaten in the first round of matches but all credit to Sri Lanka - they did well and they were under pressure to get the win.

"We've yet to play our best cricket collectively. It seems there are only three guys playing well in any one game, we have yet to get it together as a unit."

England will face Hong Kong first on Sunday before tackling South Africa and then finally Sri Lanka in a round-robin format for a place in the Cup final.

"From what we've seen today, you have Hong Kong who are unbeaten, Sri Lanka have got better throughout the day and South Africa have been involved in the highest scoring games so it's going to be interesting," added Read.

Sri Lanka's five-wicket victory over England means they progress to the Cup phase by finishing second in the Northern Hemisphere group while Pakistan and India were both eliminated and will be in the Plate competition on Sunday.

Hosts Hong Kong recorded victories over South Africa, Australia and New Zealand to finish top of the Southern Hemisphere group with a 100% record.

South Africa join Hong Kong in the Cup phase as they claimed second place by defeating Australia and New Zealand.

Subscribe in a reader

Anderson braced for 'huge' tour

James Anderson flies out to South Africa this weekend warning his England colleagues to expect an even fiercer battle than this summer’s Ashes.

Australia may have won the Test series in South Africa earlier this year, before England regained the Ashes from Australia in thrilling fashion, but Anderson claims this winter’s hosts will provide as stern a test as there is in cricket at the moment.

The Proteas are widely regarded as the best side in the world - the International Cricket Council rankings back up that claim - and defeat at the hands of Australia ended a run of six successive series wins on home soil.

“It's up there with Australia in Australia as the toughest tour around,” said Anderson. “They're deservedly number one in the world and playing them in South Africa will be a huge test for us.

“They’re a very similar team to Australia; they’ve got a very strong captain in Graeme Smith and he brings the best out of his players.

“As we saw when they came over here last year, they’re a very strong side. They’re very difficult to beat and it’s going to be a hard challenge - much harder than this summer.”

Anderson speaks from personal experience. The 2008 Test series in England to which he refers saw Smith’s side triumph 2-1, while England’s most recent tour of South Africa in 2004-05 represented the nadir of Anderson’s international career.

England may have returned home celebrating a series win - the tour is nevertheless best remembered for Kevin Pietersen’s remarkable exploits in his debut one-day series - but for Anderson it brought little more than personal agony.

He played in only one Test, at the Wanderers, as a replacement for the injured Simon Jones and, in the words of Wisden, “had forgotten how to bowl”. Match figures of 2-149 saw him dropped for the final match.

“I don't want to play like that again,” said Anderson. “It was a tough tour because the team was settled, the bowling unit was settled, and then all of a sudden there’s an injury after three Tests.

“Having just bowled at a stump for five weeks, I wasn’t in a great place to play Test cricket.

“I’ve put that to one side now - that was the first part of my career. Hopefully I’ve started a new chapter and I’m a lot more settled in the team now. I’m a lot more confident as a bowler and much improved as well.”

While Anderson and company board the plane buoyed by their Ashes triumph, he claims their recent performances in the Champions Trophy in South Africa, when they reached the semi-finals, augur well for the one-day series which precedes the four Tests.

“Australia beat them in South Africa just before they came over here,” Anderson stressed. “We can take confidence from that and we can take a lot of confidence from the Ashes win.

“The Champions Trophy was huge for us too. We played brilliantly against Sri Lanka and South Africa and if we can recreate some of that form and just get that consistency, we can progress and develop as a one-day side.

“Having found some form in South Africa, it’s going to give us confidence going back there, having played in those conditions and knowing what to expect. We’re pretty confident and looking forward to it.”

Subscribe in a reader

Cook ready to step in for Strauss

Alastair Cook has admitted he is willing to step into the England captaincy should Andrew Strauss be rested for the tour of Bangladesh next spring.

Strauss has indicated he may miss the month-long tour of the sub-Continent, which is sandwiched between the upcoming trip to South Africa and another busy summer schedule.

Should Strauss opt out Cook, 24, would be his obvious replacement after being handed the vice-captaincy 10 months ago - in the wake of the public falling out between Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores that cost them their jobs.

Cook, who has played 48 Tests for England at the top of the order, admitted he has thought about the prospect of leading his country, but would not be disappointed should he be overlooked.

"There has been talk that Andrew Strauss might take the Bangladesh tour off next March," he told The Daily Telegraph. "Hypothetically, if it was the case, I'd love to give the captaincy a go but it's not my only goal in cricket.

"It's not like I won't be able to sleep at night if it doesn't happen."

England will play two Tests and three one-day internationals against Bangladesh, just over a month after they return from their tour to South Africa, which begins on Sunday.

Cook believes the lower-profile trip to Bangladesh could provide the ideal opportunity to hone his skills as a leader, admitting he has had little need to do so during his international career to date.

The Essex left-hander added: "You never know how you'll cope but ideally I'd probably want to have more experience of captaincy at county level before I did it.

"But I've been with England since I was 21, so I haven't had much chance to do that.
"As yet, the vice-captaincy hasn't added any pressure. It's very easy in cricket to become self-obsessed, especially us batsmen.

"So being forced to think about other players and issues can be a help."

Subscribe in a reader

ROBINSON HANDED ENGLAND ROLE

Sussex's cricket manager Mark Robinson will coach the England Under-19s side at the 2010 World Cup in New Zealand.

Robinson will be assisted by Sussex batsman Carl Hopkinson, who was recently handed a coaching role at Hove.

"It's a great honour to be coaching England and this is another good learning experience for me," Robinson told the county's official website.

"I'd like to pass on my gratitude to Sussex for releasing me from my duties for the tournament and I'm very much looking forward to the competition."

Chief executive Dave Brooks added: "Mark's been an exceptional coach for Sussex over the last four seasons and we're delighted this has been recognised by England."

Subscribe in a reader

ECB Reveals Updated England Performance Programme

The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced a revised England Performance Programme (EEP), which now comprises three squads split into grades and a group of fast bowlers.

'A' grade squad members are those who are perceived to be close to international cricket, and include Amjad Khan, who has already played Test cricket, 'B' grade players are expected to be one to three years away from international cricket while 'C' grade cricketers are young players with limited experience of first-class cricket.

The 'B' and 'C' grade players will travel to South Africa to train at a camp in Pretoria where coaches will include Graham Gooch, Allan Donald, Saqlain Mushtaq, David Parsons, Kevin Shine, Dene Hills and Bruce French and they will be joined by Test specialists Ian Bell, Ryan Sidebottom, Steven Davies and Liam Plunkett ahead of England's series in South Africa.

The ECB revealed that this group of players would also be playing some 'competitive' cricket during their stay in South Africa before Christmas and that a group of fast bowlers would travel to both Florida and Chennai to further their development.

ECB Performance Director David Parsons said: “I am really excited about the depth of the programme we have put in place for our most talented young players this winter. We will be offering a greater range of training and support than before and have carefully tailored the programme to ensure that we can cater to the specific needs of individuals and their stages of development.

“To have access to former international players of the calibre of Graham Gooch, Allan Donald, and Saqlain Mushtaq, as well as the full-time ECB specialist coaching team, during the programme will be a tremendous asset, giving these young players the opportunity to learn from some of the very best in the world.

“To see eight players who were part of the England Performance Programme last winter selected for England’s tour of South Africa next month is a good indication of the importance of the programme for a player’s development. With players like Eoin Morgan, Jonathan Trott and Graham Onions having made an immediate impact in the international arena this summer, having spent time with EPP and England Lions squads recently, we are keen to identify other players within County Cricket who can make a difference to the full England side. “

EPP Grade 'A' Players: Mark Davies, Amjad Khan, Michael Carberry, Stephen Moore

EPP Grade 'B' Players: Steven Finn, Andrew Gale, Rory Hamilton-Brown, Chris Jordan, Chris Nash, Joe Sayers, Ajmal Shahzad, James Taylor, David Wainwright, Chris Woakes

EPP Grade 'C' Players: Jonathan Bairstow, Vikram Banerjee, Keith Barker, Will Beer, Alex Blake, Andy Carter, Liam Dawson, Luke Fletcher, Billy Godleman, Alex Hales, Richard Johnson, Richard Jones, Adam Lyth, Jaik Mickleburgh, Sam Northeast, Ollie Rayner, Ian Saxelby, John Simpson, Tom Smith, Max Waller, Adam Wheater, David Willey

EPP Pace Bowlers: Jade Dernbach, David Griffiths, James Harris, Stuart Meaker, Boyd Rankin

Subscribe in a reader

`Trott can solve number three problem`

Jonathan Trott's Test career may only be one game old, but Mark Butcher believes he already has enough experience to cope with the pressures of Test cricket.

Trott was included on Thursday in the England squad which will play four Tests against the world's number one ranked side this winter.

The 28-year-old made his international debut this summer when he replaced the misfiring Ravi Bopara at number three in England's final Ashes Test at the Brit Oval.

The selectors' decision to gamble with the Warwickshire batsman paid off as he hit a fine maiden Test century to help guide England to a 2-1 series victory.

Butcher, who played the majority of his 71 Tests at number three, was impressed with the way Trott slotted into the role, and is confident he will do well in South Africa.

"He played two perfect innings at the Oval in terms of their tempo and technical ability," Butcher said.

"For me he has what it takes to solve that problem at number three and perhaps allow the likes of (Ian) Bell and (Paul) Collingwood and Bopara, when he gets another chance, to come in and express themselves a bit more in the middle order."

The series against the Proteas looks set to be a fiery encounter given the recent history between the two sides.

England captain Andrew Strauss refused his opposite number Graeme Smith a runner during the ICC Champions Trophy match between the two last month despite the fact that the 28 year old was clearly suffering from cramp.

Four of the 16-man England squad - Trott, Strauss, Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior - were born in South Africa and are all expected to receive a frosty reception from the home crowds.

Pietersen thrived on the barracking he received from the South African crowd and players during his return to South Africa in 2005, when he hit three centuries for England in the one-day series between the two sides.

Butcher believes Trott, who has played for the Proteas at under-15 and under-19 levels, will be able to deal with any sledging he receives from the players and fans.

"I don't see why he wouldn't be able to come in and handle the pressure and any stick the South Africans give him," the former Surrey batsman said.

"I don't think anyone has come into a Test match under as much pressure as he did when he came in against Australia so it'll be a walk in the park for him."

Subscribe in a reader

Pietersen in Test, ODI squads for SA tour

London: Kevin Pietersen was on Thursday included in England's one-day and Test squads for the upcoming tour of South Africa. The South African-born star batsman is still recovering from surgery on his achilles tendon, which he underwent in July, and will have to prove his fitness before the one-day series begins on November 20.

There was no place in either squad for fast bowler Steve Harmison, who had indicated he would quit international cricket if he missed out, or for Ravi Bopara, Owais Shah and Monty Panesar.

All-rounder Paul Collingwood is included despite currently being sidelined with a torn buttock muscle.

The Test squad, missing Andrew Flintoff following his retirement, contains three uncapped players: Surrey wicketkeeper Steven Davies, Yorkshire leg-spinner Adil Rashid and the Sussex all-rounder Luke Wright.

Test squad: Andrew Strauss (Middlesex, capt), Alastair Cook (Essex, vice-capt), James Anderson (Lancashire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Steven Davies (Surrey), Graham Onions (Durham), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Liam Plunkett (Durham), Matt Prior (Sussex), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire), Luke Wright (Sussex)

One-day squad: Andrew Strauss (Middlesex, capt), James Anderson (Lancashire), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Alastair Cook (Essex), Joe Denly (Kent), Sajid Mahmood (Lancashire), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Graham Onions (Durham), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Matt Prior (Sussex), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire), Luke Wright (Sussex).

Subscribe in a reader

Only Harmison can judge his career - Gibson

Ottis Gibson, the England bowling coach, believes only Steve Harmison can decide whether he is satisfied with an international career that appears to have come to an end after he was omitted from the tour of South Africa. Harmison was the most notable absentee from the 16-man squad and the general consensus is that it draws a line under his England career - seven weeks after he helped regain the Ashes at The Oval.

However, Harmison's three wickets in that match was typical of the bit-part performances he has produced in the last four years. Since 2005 he has provided one truly match-winning display - against Pakistan at Old Trafford in 2006 - with the next-best effort coming against South Africa, again at The Oval, last year. Gibson has faced at first hand the challenges of dealing with Harmison's inconsistent displays, but knows only the man himself can say whether he has done himself justice.

"He's still a top class bowler on his day," Gibson told Cricinfo. "He's still capable of bowling high end 80mph so he'll have to sit down in the winter and evaluate what his next step is and stuff like that but I've no doubt he's still a quality performer.

"Steve will have to sit down and decide whether he has got the best out of himself when he's played for England. There are times when he has done, obviously, and he's won Tests for England but there have been times when he's not been as good as he could have been. All the time I've worked with him he's always listened and taken on board what you say. He'll have to sit down and decide whether he's been as good for England as he could have been."

Gibson believes Harmison's public admittance that he was reluctant to tour Australia next winter will have been factored into the decision not to take him to South Africa. He also issued an ultimatum that he wouldn't want to tour and then carry the drinks.

"Harmy said at some point, and Geoff Miller said it again today, that he wasn't keen to go to Australia next year so perhaps the selectors have looked at the evidence and decided now is as good a time as any to look to the future."

Harmison's place has been taken by Durham team-mate, Liam Plunkett, who enjoyed his most productive season with 60 first-class wickets at 23.35. Plunkett is a player Gibson knows well from his days at Chester-le-Street and feels he is now better prepared to face the challenges of international cricket than when first plucked out in 2006 by Duncan Fletcher.

"He was picked at a very young age and international cricket is a very hard place to go and learn your game," he said. "By the time you get there you have to have a good idea of what you are about and know yourself a little bit. He got found out a little bit, but he's had time to go back to county cricket and develop a little more.

"The selectors have looked at his performances this year and have decided he is ready again. My role in all this is to help him to settle back into the international environment very quickly when we get to South Africa and give him every chance of performing to his potential."

As Plunkett returns to the Test squad, another quick who was picked as a raw tearaway - Lancashire's Sajid Mahmood - has been recalled to the one-day set-up. He last appeared at the 2007 World Cup before being jettisoned back to the domestic game, but Gibson believes it's important that players are given time to learn at county level.

"At 18, 19, 20 or whatever you may have displayed some potential, but for that to turn into performances you have to practice it first," he said. "The only way to do that, to get better and know what you are capable of, is to practice in county cricket. It's the next best thing to Test cricket. Hopefully they are now ready to come back and will know a lot more about themselves than they did two or three years ago."

This winter marks a changing of the guard for England's pace attack - especially in the Test arena - with Harmison being left behind and Andrew Flintoff now retired from the five-day game. Gibson admits Flintoff was a "massive player" and is tough to replace but sees it as an opportunity for others to make a name for themselves.

"The likes of Anderson are developing nicely to help fill that hole," he said. "Anderson is now one of the best bowlers in the world, Broad is improving all the time, Sidebottom is a very, very good bowler. Plunkett has come back into the mix, Graham Onions has come into international cricket and doesn't look out of place and he's shown really good signs.

"Some people will think that missing Flintoff and Harmison is a big deal but we don't see it as a big deal, we see it as an opportunity for other people to step up. Hopefully the guys who have been given their chance this winter will help us win Test matches."

Ottis Gibson was promoting the Sky Sports ECB Coach Education Programme, which has trained 13,000 coaches in two years.

Subscribe in a reader

Owais Shah can't understand axing

Owais Shah has admitted he is struggling to work out why he has been dropped from the England one-day squad for the series against South Africa next month. Shah's was the notable omission from the 16-man limited-overs party, despite his attacking 98 off 89 balls against the hosts in the recent Champions Trophy.

After a difficult home series against Australia, where his running between the wickets and poor fielding compounded a series of wasted innings, it looked as though Shah had redeemed himself at the start of the Champions Trophy with a crucial 44 against Sri Lanka, and his thrilling effort against South Africa which included six sixes.

However, later in that match he dropped a simple catch off Graeme Smith - although England still secured victory - and finished the tournament with scores of 3 and 0 against New Zealand and Australia, as England went out in the semi-finals. Shah's place in the squad has gone to Alastair Cook, who is recalled after finishing the domestic season strongly with Essex.

"I feel I performed reasonably well in helping England to get to the semi-final stage [of the Champions Trophy], but obviously I've been overlooked," Shah told Sky Sports News. "I was told I haven't performed consistently enough. I thought I was playing well. Sure, I didn't have a great series against Australia in the summer, but I was hitting the ball reasonably well. I started the Champions Trophy reasonably well, I was really confident, especially performing well against South Africa."

Shah is currently in India as part of the Delhi Daredevils squad at the Champions League Twenty20, but his international future now looks extremely doubtful as England plan towards the 2011 World Cup. The selectors had hoped Shah - who is one of the best players of spin in England - would play a key role in that tournament which will be held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh but at the age of 30, he may have missed his chance.

"I feel I'm playing well and have plenty to offer the one-day team, but I guess I just have to wait and see what direction the selectors go," he said. "I'm just extremely disappointed not to make the team."

Subscribe in a reader

England must learn from 2005, says Strauss

Andrew Strauss has said there is "very little danger" of England resting on the euphoria of their Ashes success this summer as a new season begins. England's next Test assignment is in South Africa later this year and Strauss felt that series would be a good indicator of where the team was as a competitive side.

According to Strauss, England should be wary of falling prey to too much celebration after regaining the coveted urn, like they did after the historic summer of 2005. "There are definitely lessons to be learned [from 2005]. The perception was we took the eye off the ball after the Ashes series," he said at the launch of his second book, Testing Times. "Whether that's true or not, I think it's vitally important we don't do it this time. We haven't had a month off to bask in the glory of the Ashes, we've been playing cricket since then and we've had some tough times.

"I think there is very little danger of us thinking we're the genuine article at this stage. There's also a test tour to South Africa, they're the number one side in the world and that's a massive ask for us. The extent of the challenge ahead of us is very motivating and exciting so we will keep grounded and it will also be a great gauge to see where we are at as a side."

England are ranked fifth in the ICC's Test rankings, winning their last two series after losing three in a row, and Strauss felt that position was a fair reflection of their current form. "The way the guys stood up to pressure in the Ashes is very encouraging but sterner tests will follow,' he said. "The consistency aspect's crucial, if you look back to when Australia were dominating the world they could beat sides on any surface because they had great variety in their side. If we want to be the best side in the world, which is clearly a long-term goal of ours, then big improvements are required in that respect."

The national selectors will reveal the Test and limited-overs squads for South Africa on Thursday. Kevin Pietersen, has not played since July due to injury, is expected back. "KP is getting better quite quickly now so we are very hopeful he will make the trip," said Strauss. "Hopefully he will play in some one-dayers and then a full part in the rest of the series. The sooner he is back the better. It's going to be as hard a series as we could possibly have at this stage of our development."

England play four Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals in South Africa.

Subscribe in a reader

Freddie came under Taliban attack

All-rounder Andrew Flintoff and footballer Gary Linekar scurried for cover during a Taliban attack in Kandahar, a tabloid reported.

They went to meet British troops in Afghanistan, but Flintoff and Linekar ended up getting a feel of the war as they scurried for cover during a Taliban attack in Kandahar.

According to the report in 'Daily Mirror', Flintoff and Linekar were enjoying a dinner with the troops at an air base when they were caught unawares by rocket firing.

"The sports heroes in the war zone to hand out a Mirror Pride of Britain award were in a forces dining room when an alarm warned of incoming rocket fire. They joined servicemen and women in scrambling for cover under tables," the report said.
"I thought it was a wind-up but then I saw everyone dive to the floor. It was scary," Flintoff recalled.

"I've have seen things over the past few days that will live with me for ever," he added.

Linekar said he was in for a second security scare when his military jet lost an engine before landing safely.

Recalling the rocket attack on the Kandahar air base, Linekar said, "Hearing that alarm really brought home what's going on. You take your hat off to these guys here."
The 31-year-old Flintoff, on crutches after undergoing a knee surgery recently, said the experience would remain with him forever.

"You see news reports, but when you see it first hand you realise what a great job they're doing," he said.

Subscribe in a reader