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Pakistan maintained their unbeaten record in the competition but were pushed all the way by England in the final group match at Derby.

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Aug-2013
ScorecardPakistan maintained their unbeaten record in the competition but were pushed all the way by England in the final group match at Derby. Set 228 to win, England looked on course for victory but they faltered late in the innings to fall four runs short.Zafar Gohar did the damage with the ball for Pakistan on a wicket which assisted the spinners. His three wickets came at important times as England failed to find the innings to take them through the victory. Gohar’s wickets included Harry Finch after a half-century and then out-foxing Ryan Higgins in the penultimate over which cost just one run. Higgins looked to be taking England home but the dismissal left 11 needed from the final over and Zia-ul-Haq kept his cool.Pakistan had chosen to bat first and posted a competitive total largely thanks to a partnership of 124 for the fourth wicket between Hasan Rasan and Iman-ul-Haq. In reply England added their own century partnership as Jonathan Tattersall and Finch raised 111 for the first wicket. But despite the top three making half-centuries they failed to get over the line.

Money won’t come around for a while, but that should not stop Brendan Taylor and his men from putting up a fight. Especially in these dark times, that is the bare minimum the followers of Zimbabwe cricket deserve

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit26-Aug-2013

Match facts

Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Start time 0930 local (0730 GMT)Brendan Taylor has to rouse his side somehow•AFP

Big Picture

What must a young, upcoming cricketer in Zimbabwe feel right now? He would be told he has to follow in the footsteps of the Flowers and the Streaks. What he sees are the Ervines and the Ballances, who choose to play cricket in another country. He would be told he has to derive inspiration from the exploits of the Zimbabwe side of the 90s. What he sees is a national team struggling to come up with even a single performance that would inspire him. He wants to believe his life can be all about cricket, only cricket. All around him, there are signs that show such a belief is just not sustainable in practice, at least in Zimbabwe.He hears seniors talk about how difficult it is to provide for their families, he sees the national side threaten to stop playing till they are promised better wages. Two days after the board promises, he sees one of his heroes, fast bowler Kyle Jarvis, all of 24, quit international cricket so that he can play the game for counties and franchises and make some money while his body lasts. He spots a chilling sentence in Jarvis’ media statement that thoroughly shakes him up, beliefs and all. “I informed my team-mates yesterday that I would be leaving and they were supportive and fully understood why I was doing this.” Half-prepared to give up the game, he looks around for some hope, some sign that everything is not lost for Zimbabwe cricket, where those who choose to stay on support those who choose to leave.And then Brendan Taylor and his men go down without a fight to Pakistan in the format in which they were supposed to have the best chance of causing an upset. Zimbabwe lost both Twenty20 internationals by considerable margins, their batsmen falling to the Pakistan spinners, who took a combined 4 for 67 and 5 for 75 in the two matches. If they couldn’t compete with Pakistan for 40 overs, what chance do they stand over 100 overs?If they couldn’t stop Jarvis from leaving, what chance do they have of preventing others who give up on the country in the future? If this continues to happen, what chance more and more young, upcoming players won’t quit either Zimbabwe or cricket much earlier than Jarvis did?No money from the board, no fight from the players, no inspiration for the followers. Money won’t come around for a while, but that should not stop Taylor and his men from putting up a fight. Especially in these dark times, that is the bare minimum the followers of Zimbabwe cricket deserve. We can all do with some inspiration.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan WWTLW
Zimbabwe LLLLL

Players to watch

As if all the responsibility of being Zimbabwe’s leading batsman and captain wasn’t enough, Brendan Taylor also dearly needs to rouse his side at this juncture, with both words as a leader and deeds with the bat. That this hasn’t been a productive season for him won’t help, but form as a constraint fades before the enormity of the task in front of him.Nasir Jamshed was dropped from the Test side for this tour after just two games against a tough opponent like South Africa. He’s spoken about how disappointed he felt, and how he plans to make a come back with good limited-overs performances. He could not do much in the T20s, now comes the format in which he’s impressed the most.

Team news

Captain Misbah-ul-Haq, Abdur Rehman and Asad Shafiq are the additions to the Pakistan squad for the ODIs in place of Sohail Tanvir, Zulfiqar Babar and Sohaib Maqsood, although there was a case for keeping the inexperienced batsman Maqsood around the team for the ODI leg.Pakistan (possible) 1 Nasir Jamshed, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Asad Shafiq/Umar Amin, 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Saeed Ajmal, 9 Asad Ali/Abdur Rehman, 10 Junaid Khan, 11 Mohammad IrfanIn another unfortunate reminder of how things are, Zimbabwe announced their 18-member ODI squad late on the eve of the first ODI, but it remains to be seen what XI features for the game.Zimbabwe (possible): 1 Vusi Sibanda, 2 Hamilton Masakadza, 3 Sikandar Raza, 4 Brendan Taylor (capt & wk), 5 Malcolm Waller, 6 Sean Williams, 7 Timcyen Maruma, 8 Shingi Masakadza, 9 Prosper Utseya, 10 Brian Vitori, 11 Tinashe Panyangara

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan have won 12 of the 15 ODIs they have played in Zimbabwe against the hosts. Zimbabwe were able to win one and tie another, but both those matches were back in 1995
• Shahid Afridi has played 354 ODIs for Pakistan, and needs three games to overtake Wasim Akram. Only Inzamam-ul-Haq is in front after that, with 375 matches for his country

Michael Hussey has become the first player to suggest Gurunath Meiyappan was more than just a cricket “enthusiast” after N Srinivasan and India Cements have distanced themselves and Super Kings from Gurunath

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2013Michael Hussey, Chennai Super Kings’ opener, has become the first player to suggest Gurunath Meiyappan was more than just a “cricket enthusiast” after N Srinivasan and India Cements have distanced themselves and Super Kings from Gurunath, who has been chargesheeted in the IPL betting scandal. In his book, , Hussey has commented that Srinivasan ceded control of the team to his son-in-law.”Our owner was Indian Cements, headed by Mr Srinivasan,” Hussey has written. “As he was also on the board of the BCCI, he gave control of the team to his son-in-law Mr Gurunath. He ran the team along with Kepler Wessels, who was coach.”This comes at a time when the Supreme Court of India is hearing a matter related to the Gurunath betting allegations. Before Mumbai Police first sought to arrest him, Gurunath was often seen in the team dugout, at the auction table to represent Super Kings, represented himself as the team prinicipal on a verified Twitter account, and his IPL accreditation represented him as an owner.Super Kings is owned by India Cements, a listed company of which Srinivasan is vice-chairman and managing director. The BCCI president has maintained that Gurunath had nothing to do with the team, and was just a “cricket enthusiast” who was allowed to travel with them.A two-member probe panel constituted by the BCCI then cleared the Super Kings of any wrongdoing, but Cricket Association of Bihar moved court and procured a stay order against the findings of the panel, the fairness of whose constitution was questioned by the court. The matter is now being looked into by the highest court in India. The next hearing is scheduled on October 7.

Leicestershire have announced the signing of Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal to play in the NatWest T20 Blast as cover for Grant Elliott

ESPNcricinfo staff13-May-2015Leicestershire have announced the signing of Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal to play in the NatWest T20 Blast as cover for Grant Elliott. Akmal will be available to play in four games in June, while Elliott is with New Zealand for their ODI series against England.”This will be my first time playing T20 for a county and I am very excited to be handed this opportunity,” Akmal said. “The club have put their trust in me so I will give my 100 percent efforts to repay their faith.”Akmal was a member of Pakistan’s World Cup squad and has played 170 limited-overs internationals for his country. Elliott and Akmal will share the second overseas slot during the Blast, with former Australia international Clint McKay available across all formats.Leicestershire’s head coach, Andrew McDonald, said: “It is brilliant that we are signing a player of Umar’s quality for when Grant is on international duty with New Zealand. Our fans should get the chance to see Umar at Grace Road on Friday, June 12, and we are all looking forward to him showcasing his skills over the course of the four games.”Leicestershire, who won the last of their three T20 titles in 2011, begin their Blast campaign on Friday against Lancashire. Akmal is expected to play in fixtures against Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Warwickshire and Yorkshire.”It is fantastic to have Umar with us when Grant goes to play for New Zealand,” Leicestershire captain Mark Cosgrove said. “Along with Clint, we have high-class overseas players to supplement the young talent we have here.”

Former internationals such as Brian Lara will play in the Masters Champions League (MCL), a franchise T20 tournament for retired cricketers set to take place in the UAE in February 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jun-2015Former internationals such as Brian Lara will play in the Masters Champions League (MCL), a franchise T20 tournament for retired cricketers set to take place in the UAE in February 2016.The tournament will be made up of six teams in its first year, with a total of 90 players taking part – 15 members per squad. The players must all have been former international cricketers who are now retired from all forms of the professional sport.The MCL has received a 10-year approval from the Emirates Cricket Board, and inaugural matches of the tournament will take place over two weeks in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.”Our ultimate vision is for the MCL to become the natural next step for all international players retiring from the professional game to extend their careers in a masters league,” MCL chairman Zafar Shah said.Adam Gilchrist, Brian Lara, Wasim Akram, Ramiz Raja and Danny Morrison were present at the official launch of the tournament.

A brilliantly unorthodox 96 from Sarfraz Ahmed and a seventh Test century from Asad Shafiq turned the Galle Test around on a fourth day that exposed Sri Lanka’s bowling limitations

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy20-Jun-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details0:45

Pakistan on top after day four

A brilliantly unorthodox 96 from Sarfraz Ahmed and a seventh Test century from Asad Shafiq turned the Galle Test around on a fourth day that exposed Sri Lanka’s bowling limitations. Having been five down and 182 behind at the start of the fourth morning, Pakistan were bowled out 45 minutes into the final session, having taken a 117-run lead. Their bowlers then struck twice to leave Sri Lanka a tricky job to get through the final day unscathed.Sri Lanka’s openers saw out eight tight overs from Pakistan’s new-ball pair before Wahab Riaz struck the first blow, angling one across at three-quarters pace and inducing Kaushal Silva to stretch out for a drive and edge to third slip. Dimuth Karunaratne and Kumar Sangakkara played vigilantly for the next eleven overs, and looked secure enough to confirm that the pitch, rather than deteriorating, had slowed down a touch. But the bowling was always probing, and the wicket-taking ball was always around the corner. Yasir Shah produced it, getting extra bounce to get Sangakkara to pop one to short leg off the glove as he stretched forward to defend. At stumps, Karunaratne was batting on 36 with the nightwatchman Dilruwan Perera for company.Sarfaraz struck 13 fours in his 86-ball blitz; the lofted drive that took Shafiq from 96 to 100 was only his fourth. Their contrasting methods proved equally effective during their 139-run stand, and showed why they have already become Pakistan’s most successful sixth-wicket pair. Shafiq’s defence was impeccable, and he minimised Sri Lanka’s hopes of inroads at his end even when Sarfraz was blazing away at the other.Shafiq didn’t change his game too much while batting with the lower order; he simply took the singles on offer against the well-spread fields and let his partners do the bulk of the scoring. Shafiq scored 51 runs in the post-lunch session; between them, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar made 88, profiting from some tired, unimaginative Sri Lankan bowling.The seamers bounced the lower-order batsmen, and while there was one moment of acute discomfort – Dhammika Prasad smacking the back of Yasir Shah’s helmet while he took his eyes off the ball – the tactic also leaked runs. Yasir pulled hooked to the square leg boundary, and Zulfiqar backed away from his stumps to shovel the short ball over midwicket and mid-on or carve the ball square on the off side. Zulfiqar grew in confidence as he spent more time at the crease, and soon brought up his maiden Test fifty by launching the offspinner Dilruwan over long on.By the time Shafiq was stumped running out of his crease to Dilruwan, the last four wickets had stretched Pakistan’s score by 182 runs. But they couldn’t have done it without Sarfraz, who dramatically altered the state of the game with his thrilling attack in the morning session.Last year, Sarfraz was the only Pakistan batsman who got on top of Rangana Herath during their tour of Sri Lanka. Where his team-mates were consumed by the thought of survival, he was constantly looking for runs, and challenging him with his unorthodoxy, often taking guard outside leg stump.He made three fifties and a hundred in the two Tests, and the confidence from all those runs was apparent right from the third over of the morning, when he took a big stride forward to sweep Herath to the backward square leg boundary and followed it up with nimble footwork two balls later to get down the track and inside the line to drive inside-out through extra cover.Sarfraz had a unique and effective response to all of Sri Lanka’s bowlers. He stood outside leg stump when the offspinner Dilruwan Perera bowled from around the wicket and took an off-stump guard when he bowled from over the wicket, enabling him to get to the pitch of the ball easier when he tossed it up wide of off stump.Against the fast bowlers, who hinted at reverse swing in the first hour, he took guard outside his crease – sometimes six inches outside, sometimes so far ahead of it that his feet may have straddled a second crease twice the distance from the stumps. From this position he clipped Dhammika Prasad against the around-the-wicket angle, and then used the pace to dab the ball to the third man boundary when he changed angle and dug it in short.The scoring was rapid, comfortably over four an over even though Shafiq relied almost entirely on his defence at the other end. Sarfraz was on 15 and Shafiq on 14 when the day began. When Shafiq struck his first boundary of the day – a rasping square-cut off Nuwan Pradeep in the ninth over of the morning – he moved to 23. Sarfraz by that time had waltzed past 50.Both batsmen looked entirely secure in their methods, and Sri Lanka’s bowling – as cause or consequence – seemed to lack bite. Sri Lanka’s tactics were also a touch puzzling, particularly their use of their main weapon. Herath went out of the attack after only one full over (and the remainder of the third evening’s incomplete final over), and by the time he returned, both batsmen were comfortably set, and the deficit had been cut down to 116.The same method that had brought Sarfraz his runs also led to his downfall when he was within reach of his fourth Test hundred. Prasad sent down a full ball outside off and Sarfraz stretched out to try and sweep him. It would have been breathtakingly audacious had it come off, but he only managed to drag the ball off his inside edge onto off stump.

Unmukt Chand will lead India A in the upcoming tri-series against Australia A and South Africa A while Ambati Rayudu has been named as captain for the unofficial Test series against South Africa A

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2015Unmukt Chand, the former Under-19 captain, will lead India A in the upcoming tri-series against Australia A and South Africa A, while Ambati Rayudu has been named as captain for the two-match unofficial Test series that follows against South Africa A.Legspinner Karn Sharma, who missed the recent Zimbabwe tour due to a fractured finger, was picked in both squads and Karnataka batsman Karun Nair was chosen as the vice-captain for both the tri-series as well as the unofficial Tests against South Africa.Himachal Pradesh batsman Ankush Bains, 19, was selected on the back of a strong domestic performance – 568 runs in 11 first-class matches at an average of 47.33, with a highest score of 156. Saurashtra batsman Sheldon Jackson was picked after a stellar 2014-15 Ranji Trophy season, during which he made 819 runs in eight matches.Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Amit Mishra and KL Rahul, who were part of the India A squad for the unofficial Tests against Australia, were not available because of the Test series in Sri Lanka beginning on August 12.Robin Uthappa and Manoj Tiwary, who played in all the ODIs against Zimbabwe, were not picked for the tri-series.All the matches of the tri-series will be played in Chennai between August 5 and August 14. The two-match series against South Africa A begins three days later on August 18 in Wayanad, Kerala.India A squad for tri-series: Unmukt Chand (capt), Mayank Agarwal, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair, Kedar Jadhav, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Parvez Rasool, Karn Sharma, Dhawal Kulkarni, Sandeep Sharma, Rush Kalaria, Mandeep Singh, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Rishi Dhawan.India A squad for unofficial Tests: Ambati Rayudu (capt), Karun Nair, Abhinav Mukund, Ankush Bains, Shreyas Iyer, Baba Aparajith, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Axar Patel, Karn Sharma, Abhimanyu Mithun, Shardul Thakur, Ishwar Pandey, Sheldon Jackson, Jiwanjot Singh.

Two spectators were detained at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong for racially abusing a South African player on the second day of the first Test

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong22-Jul-2015Two spectators were detained at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong for racially abusing a South African player on the second day of the first Test. BCB security released them two hours later, however, because they were minors and admitted their mistakes.”We are aware of such an incident,” BCB’s security committee member-secretary Mohammad Ali said. “They were two minors, around 10 or 11-year olds. They saw one or two South Africa players and made some racial comments. We were informed by the match referee and when I went there, the police had already detained them. But we couldn’t really arrest them or take any more action. They were crying and admitted that they did abuse the players.”A South Africa team spokesperson said they were aware of such an incident but it had been “handled by the match officials and venue security”.The incident became public knowledge when the stadium’s PA system read out the ICC’s anti-racism code several times during the lunch break. There were a few more such announcements in the next couple of hours. The venue manager Fazle Bari said he was asked to make the announcements after the incident.”Several announcements were made to raise awareness among the fans and inform them about the consequence of any kind of abuse. After that, not one has repeated it,” he said.

Ishant Sharma and Dinesh Chandimal have been handed one-match suspensions for their behaviour in the SSC Test

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-2015Ishant Sharma and Dinesh Chandimal have been handed one-match suspensions for behaviour that breached the ICC code of conduct during the SSC Test, while Dhammika Prasad and Lahiru Thirimanne were fined 50% of their match fees.This means that Ishant (who received “two suspension points”) will miss India’s first Test against South Africa, in Mohali, in November. Chandimal (“one suspension point”) will miss Sri Lanka’s opening ODI in the home series against West Indies.Chandimal was penalised, an ICC release stated, for a breach relating to “inappropriate and deliberate physical contact with a player”. The incident occurred in the 76th over of India’s second innings, when Chandimal made what was deemed to be deliberate physical contact with Ishant, who was batting at the time, even while the batsman was in the middle of an exchange of words with bowler Dhammika Prasad.The ICC release said Thirimanne had also got involved at this time, despite two warnings from the umpires not to, and he hence was fined. Prasad too was fined for his role in this incident.India captain Virat Kohli, however, said after the game that this particular incident was to India’s benefit, as it charged up Ishant. “I was very happy with the incident when he was batting because it happened at the right time for us – we had to bowl yesterday and they made him angry and it couldn’t have happened at a better time for us,” Kohli said. “The timing was absolutely perfect and everything fell in place for us as far as being aggressive is concerned. And the way he bowled in the second innings, he didn’t concede a boundary for 19 overs. And that’s the kind of pressure he created on those batsmen because of one incident. So it had to be controlled but in the end it benefitted us.”Ishant received his suspension for a separate incident in the final innings of the Test, wherein he gave Sri Lanka opener Upul Tharanga a send-off after dismissing him. By doing so, he had breached the ICC codes relating to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batsman upon his/her dismissal during an international match”.Ishant had also been fined for two separate incidents during the second Test, a total of 65% of his match fee for having given send-offs to Thirimanne and Chandimal. Hence he received a suspension this time. Another such breach in the next 12 months could have him suspended for a fixed period going up to a year.All four players admitted to their offences after the game, and so there was no formal hearing.Match referee Andy Pycroft said after the match: “Monday’s incidents were not good advertisements for international cricket. These experienced cricketers forgot their fundamental responsibilities of respecting their opponents as well as the umpires, and got involved in incidents which were clearly against the spirit of the game. Their actions cannot be condoned and must be discouraged.”Chandimal was not directly involved in the incident between Prasad and Sharma, but came into the conflict and made deliberate physical contact with Sharma, and had the umpires not intervened, the situation could have escalated.”As regards Sharma, he had been put on notice after being charged twice for send-offs in the previous Test. Any repeat of this action within the next 12 months will potentially see him suspended for a much longer period.”

England have embarked on what will be a hugely significant and demanding six months in the development of a free-spirited but still often raw side

Andrew McGlashan30-Sep-20151:46

England look to smooth rough edges

So England’s crammed year of international cricket moves to its next stage. With a young team, Ashes regained, the white ball not something to be feared and spirits lifted the squad embark on what will be a hugely significant and demanding six months in the development of a free-spirited but still often raw side.The UAE is the first destination: a neutral venue, but one in which Pakistan feel very much at home. Three years ago England arrived fresh from the triumph of reaching No. 1 in the world under Andrew Strauss’ leadership, only to come a cropper in the Test matches: whitewashed 3-0, defeats by 10 wickets, 72 runs (chasing 145) and 71 runs (despite bowling Pakistan out for 99). The next month will be about a challenge of the spinning ball – both playing it and bowling it – men around the bat and temperatures that could nudge the 40s.Alastair Cook was still Strauss’ lieutenant in 2012, now he is a captain with his authority and standing restored after a summer where he has shown immense character and fortitude – plus a willingness to adapt, a facet that will be tested again on this tour. He is one of just five survivors from the Test squad of the previous trip – alongside Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Steven Finn (who did not play) – and in an era when overseas wins are tough to come by he is aware of what lies ahead.”It’s definitely going to be a tricky tour with their history in terms of how strong Pakistan are and their record in the UAE,” Cook said. “I think they’ve played six or seven series and haven’t lost a series. That shows what is in front of us. The great thing is in Test cricket is trying to win away from home. It’s getting harder and harder.”In 2012 it was the batting that cost England. They crossed 300 once in six innings and did not score an individual hundred in the three Tests. The bowling, led by Anderson and Broad then allied with the spin twins of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar for the latter two matches, more than held its own (Pakistan only topped 300 twice) but the batting line-up proved hapless against Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman, who combined to take 43 wickets.Neither will be around this time, but they have been handsomely replaced by Yasir Shah, the legspinner who became the fastest Pakistan bowler to fifty Test wickets, and left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar. New faces, same threat for England.”You do learn lessons but it happened quite a few years ago. And this is a very different side. Only four of us are going back,” Cook said. “I think also that the pitches have changed a little. The matches seem to be a lot higher scoring than they were in 2012.”Clearly, in the modern way of international cricket, we’ll do some homework on the bowlers and the Pakistan team in general. We haven’t faced many of them, it is quite a different bowling attack to what we have faced in the past. I certainly haven’t faced a couple of them. The legspinner clearly has done incredibly well so far in his short career.”England faced a trial by spin the last time they played Pakistan in the UAE•Getty Images

A point which Cook recalled from the previous series was the manner of dismissals. There were a combined 43 lbws across the three matches – the joint most for any Test series – with England batsman falling 22 times and Pakistan’s 21.”The one thing I remember is that skiddy, back-of-a-length spin that is difficult to face. Rehman and Ajmal bowled well, quick spin, I think there was a world record number of lbws. Trying to force yourself to go forward was quite hard. With DRS now, you can’t just get your pad in the way and say you’re a long way down. If it’s in line, you’re out. We’re going to have to make sure we defend using our bats.”Although Ajmal and Rehman proved the trump cards three years ago, England were not cast adrift when it came to bowling spin: Swann and Panesar shared 27 wickets, Panesar taking 14 in two matches. This time they cannot match such quality in the spin department. Moeen Ali, with 45 Test wickets at 36.04, is the lead man and is likely to be joined by the uncapped Adil Rashid. Samit Patel, a late addition to the squad, has four Test wickets while Joe Root is the other supplementary offering.”I’m confident they can take the wickets, but in a different way to Monty and Swanny,” Cook said. “Mo has had a fantastic start to his international career with his all-round contribution. He’s not an out-and-out spinner in the way that Swanny was, he provides a lot of all-round value. Same as Rash. Monty’s Test record when he played was fantastic but Rash can also bring runs. That’s a real string to his bow. So we have a different balance to the side this time.”The hints appear to be, therefore, that Moeen is favourite to open alongside Cook and Rashid will earn a Test debut, probably as part of a six-man attack alongside four quick bowlers. Anderson, Broad and Ben Stokes are certainties, leaving the final decision between Mark Wood’s skiddy pace and Finn’s height and bounce. The former’s qualities could be more suited to conditions.However, England only have two two-day matches in Sharjah, the first starting on October 5, to get their game back into sync and make final decisions on the composition of the XI for Abu Dhabi. “That’s what we’ve been given. Would we want more? Absolutely,” Cook said. “The guys have just finished the one-day stuff against Australia and we’re now going to the UAE. But that’s what modern cricket is and it’s up to the players to adapt. That’s why it is so hard to win away.”The first Test begins on October 13, followed by matches in Dubai and Sharjah – the first time England will have played a Test at that venue. A four-match ODI series and three T20s make up the tour.