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Steve Davies will now spend the next three weeks travelling around Australia knowing he’s not wanted in the subcontinent having previously been the favourite for the role

Andrew McGlashan in Hobart19-Jan-2011England have been very clear on their selection plans in recent times, but the one area that has caused them plenty of headaches is the limited-overs wicketkeeper and at the 11th hour they have gone back to Matt Prior for the World Cup. Steve Davies will now spend the next three weeks travelling around Australia knowing he’s not wanted in the subcontinent having previously been the favourite for the role.It has been one of the mysteries of English cricket in the last few years as to why Prior has never established himself in the one-day team despite having all the skills to be the ideal man. He will open the batting alongside Andrew Strauss, beginning in the second one-day international at Hobart, where his clean striking should make him perfect for the role. Yet from 55 ODIs, in 27 of which he has been used as an opener, he averages 25.38 and during his last stint in the side he batted in the middle order.England’s squad for the one-day series against Australia was named in mid-December and a month has proved a long time in cricket. Prior timed his Ashes form well, finishing the series with 85 in Melbourne and 118 in Sydney, then joined Victoria for the Big Bash which meant he was never far from Flower’s view.”The circumstances have changed,” Andy Flower, the England team director, said. “Matt Prior did very well out here for the Test matches. He is a combative aggressive cricketer and he fits our aggressive fielding unit. So those are the reasons why he’s been picked for the World Cup.”It was a tough decision,” Flower added. “We always knew the timing of the World Cup announcement would be tricky. It’s not ideal one game into a seven-match series. Steve Davies was picked in our last one-day series in England and he did OK against Pakistan.”We picked him for this series in Australia because of the conditions out here. But as we get closer to the World Cup we’ve made that adjustment and we want Prior to get a few games under his belt before we get out there so he’s going to be arriving in Hobart [on Wednesday].”Another aspect in Prior’s favour will have been his near-faultless work with the gloves during the Ashes series and he is now a world-class keeper. Davies is solid, but the subcontinent can be a tough place for wicketkeeper’s and in one-day cricket, where the smallest margins matter, it could prove valuable to have Prior’s class behind the stumps.This isn’t the first time Flower has been involved in significant selection calls around a global tournament. At the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, James Anderson missed out for the entire campaign when it was decided Ryan Sidebottom’s left-arm angle and control of yorkers was a better option. Flower has a ruthless streak and Davies has just found that out.”Of course he’s disappointed, any player would be disappointed to be left out of the England side,” Flower said. “It means a lot to our players. They’re very difficult decisions to make because they affect people’s careers, but those are the harsh realities of playing professional sport and Steve and others that are left out will have to accept it.”The other marginally contentious positions in the final 15-man squad were the back-up bowlers, but it was widely expected that Ajmal Shahzad, preferred ahead of Chris Tremlett or Chris Woakes, and James Tredwell, the Kent offspinner, would get the nod.With England’s plans revolving heavily around two spinners they need a frontline option in reserve should illness or injury strike, and Graeme Swann will also miss the warm-up period to be at the birth of his first child, while Shahzad has impressed in his brief international appearances so far.”We wanted to make sure we not only had two frontline spinners or a third in case of injury or illness out there,” Flower said. “Spin will play a significant part in the World Cup, there’s no doubt. Shazhad was very impressive in the last game that we played in Melbourne. He’s been in and around our squad for a while now, just getting tastes of international cricket and hasn’t secured a spot yet. We think he shows a lot of potential. He can reverse swing the ball which will be important on the subcontinent and he’s a good competitor.”At the other end of the experience scale is Paul Collingwood, England’s most capped one-day cricketer, who was dropped for the first match against Australia following his poor Ashes and Twenty20 form. Andrew Strauss said Collingwood needed time away from the spotlight and Flower believes the allrounder, who is also on paternity leave in the build-up to the World Cup, still has a crucial role to play.”He missed out the last game but his experience, his credentials as a player, the energy he gives in the field and the quality of his fielding and obviously the all-round capabilities with bat and ball make him a strong contender,” he said. “The reason why he was left out in the first place was he was struggling recently and needs a little time to reassess but he’ll be back in the side.”Now that the final 15 has been named preparations can swing into full gear for the tournament which starts on February 19. England’s first match is against Netherlands, in Nagpur, three days later and Flower said there will be a duel focus to the rest of the one-day series in Australia.”It’s a balance of both,” he said. “This series is important in its own right. It is very important series for our preparation for the World Cup. Some of our training will evolve around subcontinent-type methods and certainly we’ll be working towards that. I think our one-day cricket has improved significantly over the last couple of years and I believe that we can do well.”

South Africa’s World Cup ambitions could be damaged by the ongoing spat between CSA’s chief executive Gerald Majola and the body’s president, Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka, according to sports minister Fikile Mbalula

Firdose Moonda23-Jan-2011South Africa’s World Cup ambitions could be damaged by the ongoing spat between CSA’s chief executive Gerald Majola and the body’s president, Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka, according to sports minister Fikile Mbalula. “Anything that has to do with internal politics will have a negative impact on our campaign,” he said at a press conference in Centurion on Sunday.The minister met with the CSA board sans Nyoka, who was invited but chose not to attend because he had other plans, during the fifth ODI between South Africa and India at SuperSport Park to flesh out recent developments in the tussle between the top brass, especially because of its timing. “Government is concerned and shocked that on the eve of the important ICC calendar event the sport of cricket in the country is thrown into disarray by personality issues,” Mbalula said.The row between Majola and Nyoka intensified last week when, on Wednesday, Nyoka was served notice of a motion of no confidence being tabled against him. The presidents of all 11 CSA affiliates signed the document which was delivered to Nyoka in the form of a letter. On Thursday, Nyoka called Majola a liar during an interview with Johannesburg-based TalkRadio702. Nyoka said Majola had deceived him about bonuses that were paid out after IPL2.”Gerald lied to me, he misled me,” Nyoka said on air. “He’s the only person who told me, ‘Listen, I know you might have doubts about when and whether I’ve taken money or not. I want to relieve you of that burden and show you this document I’ve signed with the IPL. There is nothing here that says anything about me receiving millions’.”Majola and 39 other CSA staff members collectively received R4.7 million (US $7671, 428) in bonuses paid out after the IPL in 2010 and the Champions Trophy in 2009. CSA’s auditors, Deloitte, found a discrepancy in their financial statements in August last year and a commission of inquiry was put in place to investigate. The commission was initially supposed to be an external one, chaired by former Chief Justice Pius Langa, but was moved internally, something Nyoka was not in favour of. The internal commission, chaired by vice-president AK Khan, cleared Majola of any wrongdoing.Nyoka has indicated that he believes the internal commission was a cover-up and lacked credibility and said so while on radio. “The issue is not going to go away,” he said. “They will never be able to bury the truth. Sport belongs to the public. Cricket is not a secret society. We are not in Stalin’s Russia.”Majola’s only response has been to say that he is consulting with his lawyer about the allegation made by Nyoka on radio. CSA have rallied behind their chief executive, issuing a release of “reassurance” on Thursday. South Africa captain Graeme Smith came out in praise of Majola on the same day. “Gerald Majola has always backed the team to the hilt in every possible way,” Smith said. “The players have great faith in him and he must take his share of the credit for the successes we have enjoyed over the last period of time.”It was this comment by Smith that attracted the attention of the sports ministry. A report in the said Mbalula told a commercial radio station that Smith should stay out of “politics” and concentrate on the cricket. Mbalula said at his press conference on Sunday that Smith made the statement in response to a “question that came directly to him” and that he was “simply stating his support for the leadership.” Despite being satisfied with Smith’s reasoning for answering the question, Mbalula said that “it is advisable that the players do not get involved.”Mbalula also cautioned against panic on the state of the game in the country, saying that the “house is not coming down” and the problems in CSA are “not insurmountable.” The ministry’s involvement in the matter is set to continue and they will meet with CSA again on February 12. “CSA will present the ministry with a report on the actions of the president as well as the commission of inquiry that looked into the bonus scandal,” Mbalula said. That is also the date set for CSA’s special general meeting to finalise the proposed motion of no confidence in Nyoka, who had earlier told the that if he received written notice of a vote of no confidence, he would step down in a “dignified manner”, but has shown any sign of resigning since getting the letter.

Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, is aware England will be hurting after their loss to Ireland and will look to come back in the game against South Africa on Sunday

Firdose Moonda in Chennai05-Mar-2011While Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, was waxing lyrical about the merits of having a varied bowling attack and the advantage of an attacking spinner, an abrupt sound silenced him. It was an electronic sheep bleeting its way out of someone’s cellphone.”Well, that’s just beautiful,” Smith said before guffawing in his usual meaty fashion. If he’d been gearing up for a match against Australia, it may have been considered sabotage instead of a big joke, but with Smith’s new, relaxed attitude, there’s a good chance it wouldn’t have fazed him even then. Smith hardly moved a muscle in anger when he was asked about South Africa’s first real test of the World Cup.”England and South Africa is always a big game, it’s always been competitive,” Smith said. “I expect tomorrow to be no different.”After brushing aside West Indies and Netherlands, both of whom South Africa had lengthy unbeaten records against, they now face an England side that has beaten them in seven of the last eight completed one-day matches between the two teams, including in a series in South Africa. Smith refused to read too much into that bit of history, saying the reason for England’s success against his men was really, quite obvious. “They played better than us in those eight games.”Since England last played South Africa, they have lost almost as many one-day games as they’ve won – losing 12 and winning 14. They notched up series wins against Bangladesh, Australia and Pakistan but much of the good work was undone when they crashed to a 6-1 defeat in the post-Ashes one-day series in Australia, and have yet to settle at this World Cup. “They are a very proud team; they’ve had some really good ups in the last two years and their performances have been credible over the last while,” Smith said.More pressingly for England, they’ve just come off the event’s first upset: a three-wicket loss to their little brothers Ireland and although they don’t have the same instincts that scream ‘backlash’ like Australia do, they’ll still feel as though they have something to prove. That something could come against the team they knocked out of the 2009 Champions Trophy.Graeme Smith has not scored a one-day century since September 2009•Associated Press

Smith was aware England would be determined to fight back. “The Ireland game would have hurt them a lot. It was terrific for the spirit of the World Cup but they will be looking to bounce back.” This was not a man bracing for a backlash, it was a man who had anticipated it and who knew it was coming.There’s always been a psychological element to matches between these teams, intensified by the number of South African-born players in the England side. While that story has become old, with Smith saying it was “about the fiftieth time I’ve had to answer that question,” he did say South Africa would try to capitalise on whatever mental frailties conceding 959 runs in three matches may have caused in England’s bowlers. “Maybe we can take advantage of that lack of confidence,” Smith said, referring specifically to the opening pair of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.Smith and Hashim Amla will be the two batsmen best placed to hurt Anderson and Broad, but Smith has problems of his own. In his last 23 one-day innings, he has not scored a century and while he has a 92 and a 77 under his belt against Pakistan and India respectively, he has looked awkward in the tournament so far. “I’ve got starts in all the warm-up games, and it will be nice to turn one of those into a big score.” That was all he was willing to say, preferring to steer away from analysis of individuals and concentrate on the group.South Africa have the advantage of having been in Chennai just three weeks ago. It was the first stop on their tour and the place where the World Cup preparations started. Smith said he was looking forward to the warmer climate. “Being in Chennai is more like the real India, the warmth, after coming from the cold.” Delhi and Chandigarh, where South Africa played their first two matches of the tournament, had temperatures hovering between 20 and 25 degrees while Chennai was topping 35.India is also a place where South Africa have been more successful than England, winning seven out of 13 matches to England’s six out of 23 in the last ten years. That may not be on either captain’s mind going into the match, but it may be something they can keep in the bank for next time.

Vincent Barnes, Duncan Fletcher, John Buchanan and Richard Pybus are four other names understood to be on the six-man shortlist

Firdose Moonda11-Apr-2011Gary Kirsten, Vincent Barnes, Duncan Fletcher, John Buchanan and Richard Pybus are understood to be on the six-man shortlist for the South Africa coaching job. Tom Moody and Stephen Fleming are also rumoured to be in contention for the position.Kirsten, who ended his tenure with India after winning the World Cup, is said to be the favourite, but has reportedly not submitted a formal application. Insiders have confirmed that he is on the shortlist and has been in contact with CSA chief-executive Gerald Majola. Kirsten had said he wanted to take some time off after his stint with India ended, which may be why he hasn’t officially applied.South Africa’s next series is scheduled for October, against Australia, which would allow Kirsten a five-month break. Kirsten is understood to have shown interest in the position and CSA may have placed him on the shortlist to keep him in the running, despite the fact that he has not applied. Majola said in an interview in Colombo that CSA would not consider anyone who wasn’t on the shortlist.Although Kirsten is the popular choice, CSA are also considering other candidates, including the long-serving assistant coach Barnes. He has been in the national set up for the past eight years, since the 2003 tour to England, and had applied for the head coach’s position when Mickey Arthur was appointed in May 2005. Barnes started off as the bowling coach and has been credited with being part of the reason behind the success of the likes of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Barnes’ obvious advantage is that he has worked with the national squad for a significant amount of time and has been a part of their recent successes, such as the series wins in England and Australia.Fletcher has also been involved with the current crop of players, having joined as a batting consultant in the 2009-10 season. He previously coached England and was at the helm of their Ashes triumph in 2005. Buchanan also has much lauded international credentials to his name, having won three Ashes series and two World Cups with Australia. He is most recently known for his controversial coaching methods which involved a proposed captain-rotation policy at Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.Pybus is the only one who is working in the South African domestic set up. He took Cobras to a double title this season, winning both the first-class SuperSport Series competition and the Pro20. Having previously been involved with Titans and the Border province, before the franchises were formed, Pybus has an intricate knowledge of local cricket and has seen many of his charges progress to national honours. He coached Mark Boucher, Makhaya Ntini, Steyn, both Morkel brothers and Paul Harris, among others. He is known for his diverse, out-of-the-box thinking and was also head coach of Pakistan during the 1999 World Cup.All six candidates, whose names cannot be officially released for confidentiality reasons, will undergo a rigorous interview process by a six-man panel appointed by CSA to choose the new coach. The committee consists of Majola, Andy O’Connor, chairperson of the cricket committee, Boeta Dippenaar, cricket association representative, Andrew Hudson, convenor of selectors and Corrie van Zyl, outgoing coach. Johann Coetzee, a human development consultant and consulting psychologist, was added to the panel last week and.Interviews will be held on May 16 and 17, and the panel will make its recommendations at a board meeting on May 28. CSA hope to appoint the new coach at the beginning of June.

Virender Sehwag acknowledged that players like him or Adam Gilchrist or Sachin Tendulkar could do anything if they batted for a substantial period

Abhishek Purohit06-May-2011Five days ago, Virender Sehwag had come up against a pitch in Kochi that was keeping so low that batsmen were being dismissed boot before wicket. Sehwag responded with 80 off 47 deliveries, when survival was a lottery for others. Five days later, Sehwag came up against his own team-mates in Hyderabad. His fielders forgot to hold catches. His bowlers chose no-balls to take wickets. His batsmen took turns at pressing the self-destruct button. Sehwag responded with 119 off 56, when it would have been easy to throw it away with a shot in anger and frustration.Delhi Daredevils needed 144 from 13 overs. They won with an over to spare, and the margin would have been wider had Sehwag not been dismissed in the 17th over. Twice in three games, Sehwag has shown that he is to Delhi what Sachin Tendulkar was to India for a large part of his career. The show begins and ends with Sehwag. The man knows it, and is candid enough to acknowledge that he is special. “Batsmen like Warner, or me, or Gilchrist or Tendulkar, can do anything if we play for so many overs,” Sehwag said. “I told my boys, just play fearless cricket.”Fearlessness is one of the foundations of Sehwag’s batting. Discretion, however, is not a measure that he applies in abundance, especially in the shorter formats of the game. When both virtues combine, his batting scales another level. On such days, his targeting of the weak links in the opposition bowling attack is almost predictable. Inevitably, Ishan Malhotra and Bharat Chipli disappeared for 43 in two overs.On such days, he also realises that the contest between him and the cream of the opposition attack need not be a gladiatorial showdown. Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma were given the respect they deserved on a bouncy pitch, though Sehwag still managed four boundaries off them.Spin and Sehwag have a tempestuous relationship. It brings the best and worst out of him. Predictably, Amit Mishra was taken for 37 in 14 deliveries. Predictably, the two dropped catches also came off Mishra.”I was telling myself that just play through the spell of Steyn and Ishant. They don’t have a fifth bowler and I have played Amit Mishra a lot in the nets,” Sehwag said. “I knew I could come hard at them. I just thought let me play my shots and if we can get momentum, we can do this.”Despite their indifferent performance, Sehwag did not think it was correct to blame his team-mates for not pulling their weight. “We have played ten games, and I have clicked only in three. So I have not been consistent, and I can’t really blame the others. I have more responsibility. The others are not that experienced; only Venugopal Rao is a bit experienced. They will take time; it takes time to build a good team.”Even as Delhi’s campaign has now come down to them needing a win almost every time they step out on to the field, Sehwag has carried his heavy responsibility as lightly as only he can. In five days, he has overcome a minefield on one occasion and on another a team that seemed intent on scoring own goals. Today, he scored 102 more runs than his side’s next-highest scorer in the game, James Hopes. “That’s the kind of player he is mate,” Hopes said. “He is as good as it gets in world cricket.”

Stuart Clark, the fast bowler who took 94 Test wickets for Australia, has stepped back from his playing commitments to focus on his new administrative role.

Daniel Brettig18-May-2011Stuart Clark never retired from Australian duty, and he has not retired from first-class cricket either. Instead he is prioritising a new administrative job at the head of the Sydney Sixers Twenty20 team, only to be called on by New South Wales in times of crisis.The decision to step back from the Blues arrived exactly a week after Clark had been appointed general manager of the Sixers, the sort of role he had envisaged for himself in the future, but not as soon as now. Having weighed up the various scenarios, Clark chose to help establish one of the eight new Big Bash franchises, while keeping his sharp eye on the progress of the Australian game.He will be observed from above as a prospective addition to Cricket Australia’s board or management, having occupied a position on the executive of the Australian Cricketers Association.Before the home summer, Clark is available to take part in the Blues’ last T20 Champions League campaign, at least partly because Brett Lee and Doug Bollinger may yet be tied to their Indian Premier League teams at the tournament. Club cricket will also remain part of Clark’s life, as he seeks to maintain a traditionally tough school against the notion that grass-roots standards have slackened off in recent years.”I couldn’t keep playing cricket fulltime and doing the job, it would just not be fair to the job or to the cricket,” Clark told . “I thought I’d always have an involvement in the game. Obviously I’d done quite a bit of study and all the rest of it, which has given me an idea about doing something in sport.”I never thought I’d end up doing it straight away I thought I’d probably get out of cricket, but this is just such a good opportunity that I thought I’d be silly not to take it. I’m really focused on this one and trying to get as much out of this job and seeing where it takes me. I’m not quite sure whether it (the future) is in cricket or out of cricket, wherever it may be I don’t know.”Clark’s career for NSW was speckled with tight spells and trophies, with his rich four years in the Australian team hanging neatly as the centrepiece of a career that had looked decidedly nondescript until his 30th year. Chosen for his first Test in South Africa in 2006, Clark took nine wickets and the match award on debut. In all he played 24 Tests and took his 94 wickets at the parsimonious average of 23.86, but after the 2009 Ashes the selectors decided to go with a younger batch of bowlers. He has claimed 393 first-class victims at 27.52, and captained New South Wales for much of last summer in the absence of Simon Katich.”At the age of 29 or 30 I thought I’d never play for Australia,” said Clark. “I had four years of playing cricket for Australia, I played Test cricket and achieved prettymuch everything I could. So I’ve got no grudges against anyone.”Clark’s firm relationships with many in Australian cricket has afforded him a handy start to the task of recruiting players for the Sixers. Less familiar are the commercial concerns of a team that may yet be 49 per cent the property of a private investor, opening up plenty of posers for team management.”It’s really demanding, I was in Melbourne yesterday with CA, I’ve got plenty of stuff to organise,” said Clark. “The easier stuff to organise at the moment is the playing stuff because I know the guys, I can speak to the guys, I know their managers. It’s the commercial part of it that’s taking a lot of time because from my understanding this is going to be a big event that takes a lot of planning.”As for the lack of melodramatic farewells, Clark assumed the posture of a dedicated numbers man.”It’s just not me mate, to be fair, I’m just not that sort of person,” he said. “I don’t want the big speech with the big farewell or anything like that. It’s not my style, not what my personality is. Cricket’s been good to me and I don’t need to do one of those speeches.”

Uncapped opening batsman Niall McDonnell has been included in Ireland’s 14-man squad for the upcoming two-match ODI series against Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-2011Uncapped opening batsman Niall McDonnell has been included in Ireland’s 14-man squad for the upcoming two-match ODI series against Pakistan.The squad includes 13 of the 15 players who were part of Ireland’s World Cup campaign. The two players to miss out are left-arm spinner George Dockrell, who dislocated his shoulder during the World Cup match against Netherlands on March 18, and still hasn’t recovered from the injury, and allrounder Andre Botha, who announced his retirement from internationals earlier this month.Former New Zealand batsman Hamish Marshall, who became eligible to play for Ireland in April, was not considered because of a fractured right thumb sustained while playing for Gloucestershire against Middlesex earlier this month.McDonnell, 31, scored a century for Ireland A against MCC in August last year and reacted with delight to his call-up. “I can honestly say that I can’t find a word to describe how I felt when Peter Gillespie rang me,” McDonnell said.”I suppose it was a mixture of excitement, raw nerves and a little trepidation at being involved at this level. It’s a dream come true in many ways and the prospect of batting with the likes of Paul Stirling, William Porterfield or Ed Joyce is some motivation.”Coach Phil Simmons said a strong performance against Pakistan would boost Ireland’s chances for the 2015 World Cup with a decision still pending on a qualification tournament for the tournament.”Everyone is aware of the importance of these games, not just in terms of ranking points but also in the bigger scheme of things with a decision pending on a qualification tournament for the 2015 World Cup. Two more strong performances against Pakistan will help in that regard.”The 2007 World Cup win against Pakistan was the catalyst for the exponential growth for Irish cricket. I can see no reason why we can’t repeat that success on home soil given the talent we now possess in our ranks.”There aren’t a lot of surprises [in the squad] as we haven’t had any cricket since the World Cup finished. We’ll train hard in the build-up to the game, and hopefully the conditions at Stormont will suit us. The county players have been playing some excellent cricket, and most of them seem to be in really good form which is encouraging for Irish cricket.”The two ODIs will be played on May 28 and 30 in Stormont.Squad: William Porterfield, Alex Cusack, Trent Johnston, Nigel Jones, Ed Joyce, Niall McDonnell, John Mooney, Kevin O`Brien, Niall O`Brien (wk), Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Albert Van der Merwe, Andrew White, Gary Wilson.

Sohail Tanvir has said his experience with Rajasthan Royals back in 2008 helped him captain Rawalpindi Rams to victory in the Faisal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2011Sohail Tanvir has said his experience in the IPL with Rajasthan Royals back in 2008 helped him captain Rawalpindi Rams to victory in the Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup. Tanvir, who was the leading wicket-taker in the first IPL and scored the winning runs in the final, made special mention of Shane Warne, his captain at Rajasthan.”My experience of playing under Warne helped me,” Tanvir told the . “As a captain you must be on your toes when you need to make important decisions. I gave my players much-needed confidence and they performed to the best of their ability.”One of the features of Rawalpindi’s run in the tournament was that they relied on their young players to perform at crucial times, something Warne has always encouraged at Rajasthan. Jamal Anwar, Rawalpindi’s 20-year-old wicketkeeper, was their leading run-getter in the tournament and Man of the Match in their upset of Lahore Lions in the semi-finals. Raza Hasan, the 18-year-old left-arm spinner, took the second-highest number of wickets in the tournament with 11 at an average of 11.27 and economy rate of 6.20.Tanvir gave Hasan the responsibility of bowling the Super Over in the final, against Karachi Dolphins, and he delivered, giving away just seven runs to secure victory for Rawalpindi. “I was supposed to bowl the Super Over but I gave it to Hasan only because of his high confidence.”Rawalpindi were underdogs in the tournament, but won convincingly against favourites Lahore before holding their nerve in the thrilling final against Karachi. Tanvir said the best thing about the Twenty20 format was that it gave everyone a chance. “This is a modern format of the game and is tough. We were the underdogs but still managed to win through hard work. This is the beauty of Twenty20.”

Sohail Khan, the seamer who has been included in the Pakistan side for Zimbabwe in the absence of some senior fast bowlers, is confident of using the opportunity to cement a regular place

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-2011Sohail Khan, the seamer who has been included in the Pakistan side for Zimbabwe in the absence of some senior fast bowlers, is confident of using the opportunity to cement a regular place. Sohail, who was discarded in early 2009 after a solitary Test and four ODIs, believes he is better prepared to shine at the highest level in his second coming.”I think my debut came a little early and I failed to impress on the chances that I got,” Sohail told the . “It was a good lesson for me though and I learnt a lot about the game, my fitness, my ability as a fast-bowler and helped me gain overall control of my bowling.”No one likes to be dropped from the side and there are only two outcomes: you either succumb to the degradation or vow to improve and make a comeback. In the last two years, I’ve learnt how to build myself. I used to train more than required and that affected my fitness levels. And for that, I have high regard for Aaqib Javed who helped me attain that. Making a comeback is always a challenge and I did everything required to make it happen.”Sohail’s inclusion comes on the back of impressive results in the recent Super Eight Twenty20 competition. Aizaz Cheema, the 31-year-old seamer, also benefitted from solid domestic performances, after missing out on the tour of West Indies on fitness grounds.”This is a valued opportunity for me,” Cheema said. “I’m desperate to perform given that I have ample domestic-level experience and enjoying optimum fitness. My aim is maintaining accuracy while bowling fast. I’m 31 and mature enough to understand the responsibility that comes with representing Pakistan. The opportunity to play for the country is something which does not come easy and I know how much hard work is required to get to that point.”Sohail Tanvir and Junaid Khan are the other fast bowlers in the squad as the Pakistan selectors chose to rest more established names like Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz. The tour will comprise a warm-up game, a solitary Test starting September 1, a three-match ODI series and two Twenty20s.

Alastair Cook, England’s ODI captain, has warned his team-mates that “no player is guaranteed a place in his side” as England prepare for the one-day series against India

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2011Alastair Cook, England’s ODI captain, has warned his team-mates that “no player is guaranteed a place in his side” as England prepare for the one-day series against India that starts on Saturday.Kevin Pietersen is being rested for this series and reports emerged on Friday that he will not play for England until January – which would rule him out of the tour to India in October. Pietersen made just two ODI half-centuries in the previous two years but the England management insisted he had been rested, and not dropped, from the current series.”Kevin’s omission is part of our policy of monitoring the workload of players.”‘ Cook told the Daily Mail. “He also has a wrist injury that has to be sorted out. It gives a fantastic opportunity for someone else at four, but Kevin is very much part of our one-day future.”Yet Cook told reporters, “There is no guarantee for anything, because we haven’t had that selection meeting for India,” and when asked if he would prefer someone like Pietersen in his side, Cook repeated “There’s no guarantee for anything.”Pietersen’s absence was an opportunity for Ben Stokes to come into the squad, though it is more likely that Ravi Bopara will feature down the order and Ian Bell be promoted. Unlike the Test arena, where Bell has made himself into one of the best in the world, he is yet to seal his spot in England’s one-day team.