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Nick Compton produced the perfect response to his critics with a century for Somerset on the opening day of their Championship match against Durham

06-Jun-2013
ScorecardNick Compton found some much-needed form with his second Championship hundred of the season•Getty ImagesNick Compton produced the perfect response to his critics with a century for Somerset on the opening day of their Championship match against Durham. Instructed by the England coach, Andy Flower, to go away and get back into some form on the county circuit, the 29-year-old opener hit 139 not out, including 15 fours and a six, to lead his side to a total of 336 for 5 in perfect batting conditions and enhance his claims to a place in the Ashes.Marcus Trescothick and Arul Suppiah both contributed 36, while Dean Elgar (33) and James Hildreth (32) also got out when apparently well set. Graham Onions was the pick of the Durham attack with two for 43 off 18 overs.But it was Compton’s day. After a sketchy start that saw him score only 23 from 87 balls before lunch, he blossomed in the afternoon session to reach a four-hour hundred off 203 balls. He was given one life on 53 when Paul Collingwood dropped a sharp catch at slip off the bowling of young offspinner Ryan Buckley.By then the shackles seemed to have been removed. Compton brought up his half-century off 129 balls with a four and a straight six off successive balls from Buckley and began to look as though he was enjoying his batting again. The second fifty was far more fluent, occupying 74 deliveries. A misfield by Mark Stoneman at mid-off brought Compton his 12th four and the coveted three figures, greeted with a hug from partner Hildreth and warm applause from Somerset supporters.They had good cause to be grateful as none of the other top order batsmen could match Compton’s powers of concentration. Trescothick had breezed to 36 when driving at a very wide ball from Onions and edging a catch to second slip.It was 82 for 1 at lunch and 50 more had been added when the accurate Onions struck again, bowling Suppiah middle and leg stump. Tea was taken at 212 for 3 and straight after the interval Elgar had a wild slog at Will Smith to surrender his wicket, also clean bowled. When Hildreth also moved sweetly into the thirties only to fall lbw playing a across a full ball from Buckley, Somerset were in danger of failing to capitalise on what seemed almost ideal batting conditions.Alex Barrow looked confident enough in moving to 25 before falling victim to the second new ball as his stumps were rearranged by Mark Wood to make it 307 for 5. Peter Trego kept Compton company until the close, but Durham could feel they had stuck to their task well in the soaring temperatures.

Steven Crook starred with bat and ball as Northamptonshire claimed their first home win in one-day cricket for two years with victory over the Warwickshire in the Yorkshire Bank 40.

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2013
ScorecardSteven Crook followed up his 40 with his best List A bowling figures•Getty ImagesSteven Crook starred with bat and ball as Northamptonshire claimed their first home win in one-day cricket for two years with victory over the Warwickshire in the Yorkshire Bank 40.It was a result that may well have ended any hopes that Warwickshire, the trophy winners in 2011 and finalists in 2012, had of progressing in the competition but one that sustains Northants’ aspirations. The club are also currently top of the Division Two Championship table.Northants posted 229 for 9 from their 40 overs, Crook top-scoring with 40 off 29 balls with Chris Wright taking 3 for 47 for the visitors. The Bears then collapsed to 193 all out with Rikki Clarke’s 65 from 76 balls providing the most resistance as Crook took a career-best 5 for 36.This was Northants’ second consecutive win in the competition and their first with the white ball at Wantage Road since they beat Scotland in May 2011.Northants won the toss and chose to bat only for Rob Newton to blast Wright to Jeetan Patel at cover in the second over. David Sales perished on 26 when he played Boyd Rankin’s delivery on to his stumps before Kyle Coetzer edged Ateeq Javid to Warwickshire wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose on 35.Northants lost captain Alex Wakely after he too plundered 35 when Patel’s delivery clipped his off stump and Matthew Spriegel then went for the same score when he was run out by William Porterfield at long-off. Wright then bowled Andrew Hall before James Middlebrook was taken at point by Porterfield off the same bowler.Steffan Piolet claimed two wickets from the penultimate over when Crook was taken at cover by Bears captain Jim Troughton before he castled Trent Copeland.Chasing 230, Warwickshire lost two wickets in five balls in the second over when Crook trapped Varun Chopra lbw for 2 before Troughton, on 4, slashed the same man to substitute Rob Keogh at point. Ambrose was then run out by Wakely from mid-off after trying to run a quick single off Crook from the second ball he faced.Clarke was to reach 50 off 54 balls but Porterfield perished for a patient 47 when he was taken at point by Newton off Copeland to break a fourth-wicket stand of 101.Darren Maddy nudged Spriegel to Northants wicketkeeper David Murphy before the the hosts got the wicket they really wanted when Murphy stumped Clarke to give Hall his first wicket.Crook was brought back into the attack in the 32nd over and soon bowled Piolet for a four-ball duck before pinning Patel lbw for 1. He then completed his first-ever five-wicket haul in one-day cricket by taking out Wright’s off stump before Hall rounded off proceedings by bowling Javid for a bright 31.

Sri Lanka batting coach Marvan Atapattu was confident the team would put behind their dismal batting performance against New Zealand in Cardiff and bounce back in the remaining two Champions Trophy group matches

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in England12-Jun-2013Marvan Atapattu, Sri Lanka’s batting coach, is confident the team would put behind their dismal batting performance against New Zealand in Cardiff and bounce back in the remaining two Champions Trophy group matches against England and Australia.”True, we had a bad batting innings the other day,” Atapattu said. “The spirit was high and the boys were fighting, and we almost got through. But unfortunately, it didn’t happen for more than one reason.”Within the team, everyone wants to win. It’s about experience. Given the reputation of some of these guys, they want to win these two games badly. Nobody would like those reputations to be tarnished playing in England, especially.”Sri Lanka meet England at the Oval on June 13 and Australia at the same venue on June 17. They need to win both games to have a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.Against New Zealand in Cardiff last Sunday, Sri Lanka’s batting collapsed for 138 and they lost by a narrow one-wicket margin. Atapattu, a former captain and top-order batsman, summed up the team’s batting performance by saying that the batsmen needed to bring their experience into play in such situations.”We have the experience, but putting that to work is something. We have spoken about it. [From] time to time, it will happen. Hopefully we will read situations better and think 50-over cricket and bat 300 balls of the innings.”Looking at the total we got, it wasn’t satisfactory. We could have read the situation from the middle. We could have adjusted to settling down to a much lesser target, when you are looking at 230-240 at the fall of the second wicket. Then, the way the wicket behaved and the way we approached it, things went wrong for us.”He regretted the fact that Sri Lanka did not play out their full quota of 50 overs. Atapattu also said that the team had played seven batsmen against New Zealand so that they could set a suitable target but the batting order did not add substantial partnerships.”That’s really disappointing – not batting 50 overs. It’s mandatory we use the full quota of 300 balls. Not to have used it is something that we really regret as a group,” Atapattu said. “We don’t want to go back to the bowlers and expect them to do something. It’s up to the batsmen to take on the responsibility and not expect something from the tail. Everybody has been given a role. Our batsmen will not get a flying start every day. But by playing seven batsmen, we have the cushioning of one extra batsman to get to the target we wanted. We needed to have two partnerships going to get to the total we required.”According to Atapattu, the key to succeeding in English conditions was all about spending time in the middle. “It’s all about spending a little more time to get into a rhythm. As you go along and as you get a rhythm scoring runs will be a lot easier,” he said. “The basic principle of one-day cricket is that you get your best batsmen to bat early in the innings so that you give them ample time and face more balls. But in different conditions, against different oppositions, those options could vary and there are times when you need to be flexible. We are open to it. It is not something where we say, ‘No, this is our batting order.'”Given that context, he said the team had considered pushing some of the younger batsmen up the order but had decided on sticking to a settled batting line-up for this tournament. “It’s something that we have spoken about, but that’s something that we decided to stick with for this tournament and we don’t want that to be a disturbing factor. We would like to see them batting at their positions and doing their best. If they come up trumps the other side of the coin is that the team will do well,” he said.He also admitted that the youngsters in the side needed to be pushed to perform, and it was the job of the coaches and senior players to instill a sense of professionalism in them. “I reckon we, as coaches, become facilitators in front of senior players, and, in the meantime, be pushy with some of these youngsters,” Atapattu said. “At one point, they will realise what’s good for them and what’s not. Our system is such, compared to places like England, Australia or South Africa where you see professionalism setting in very early. For us, it won’t happen. We need to understand that and push these youngsters. Sticking to the basics is important to being a good batsman. If you have a good foundation, from there, you can modify your game to reach any level.”The former Sri Lanka captain also said that the amount of cricket played throughout the year didn’t allow players adequate time to prepare and practice. “Those days have gone. You get plenty of cricket nowadays; all sorts of formats come in. It won’t be ideal, but these guys are professionals compared to our times or 10 years ago. This is where professionalism comes into the equation,” he said.

A South African side lacking experience in Sri Lankan conditions will square off against the hosts in the first ODI in Colombo

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo19-Jul-2013Match factsSaturday, July 20, 2013
Start time 1430 local (0900 GMT)JP Duminy is one of only two players in the current South Africa squad to have some experience of playing in Sri Lankan conditions•AFPBig pictureOne of the more interesting statistical quirks that has been uncovered in the lead-up to the first match of the series is that only two members in South Africa’s 15-man squad have played an ODI in Sri Lanka before. Robin Peterson played two matches, in 2002 and 2004 but did not bat in either game, while JP Duminy played the entire series in 2004. Neither man has been a part of a victory.Though most of this squad will have played elsewhere in Asia, Sri Lanka’s heat, humidity and pitch conditions are a different enough challenge for South Africa’s inexperience to shape up as a major deficiency. More seasoned South African hands have come to Sri Lanka in the past, and had little to show for their time here, losing nine out of ten completed ODIs against the hosts.On arrival this time, South Africa captain AB de Villiers suggested that perhaps the inexperience was an advantage, as the squad does not collectively bear the psychological burden of previous losses. Given that Sri Lanka, too, are a vastly changed side, he may have a point. Sri Lanka’s middle order is now a liability, even in their own conditions, and the bowling attack lacks the penetration that has daunted touring sides in previous years.The home side are also playing their first two matches under their youngest captain. Dinesh Chandimal has both the talent and intellect to become a fine leader in the future but he has not justified his place in the side over the last two months and is under added pressure to turn his form around. He is in charge of an attack that is without its most dependable seam bowler, as Nuwan Kulasekara has been ruled out of the first two games due to a finger injury.There are tougher first assignments for a 23-year old captain, but Chandimal will need more than just his characteristic on-field effervescence if South Africa’s explosive batting order begins to fire. He does have the experience of the three senior batsmen to fall back on though, and their presence and good form gives Sri Lanka the edge in the first encounter.Form guide(most recent first, last five completed matches)
Sri Lanka: LLWWL
South Africa: LTWLWPlayers to watchAaron Phangiso had a decent outing in the warm-up match, taking two wickets for 39, but, after two mediocre showings, he will be eager to prove he can cut it at the top level and kick-off his international career. The tawny-coloured pitch should be more helpful than the ones he is used to at home and, as South Africa’s most naturally attacking spinner, he might do well to quell the nerves early and focus on good flight. Sri Lanka’s top six may feature three left-handers, which will make the left-arm spinner’s job more difficult.
Shaminda Eranga will want to forget the last over that he bowled in international cricket. Faced with defending 15 runs off the last five balls of the innings, Eranga was flattened by MS Dhoni’s phenomenal finishing. The selectors have indicated he is a talent they would like to develop in both ODIs and Tests and, in Kulasekara’s absence, Eranga would do well to introduce the consistency that has been missing from his bowling so far.Pitch and conditionsDespite cloudy skies for much of the week and an unseasonal deluge two days before the match, the ground staff at the R Premadasa have prepared a surface likely to assist spin, with some likely assistance for the new ball bowlers as well. Showers are forecast for late in the evening, but there is a good chance that there will be enough time to get a result, at the very least.Team newsTillakaratne Dilshan is said to have fully recovered from the calf tear that prevented him from traveling to the West Indies, while a niggle that Lahiru Thirimanne picked up in the Carribean appears to have healed as well. Upul Tharanga will likely open alongside Dilshan, after his 174 not out against India in that tournament, while Angelo Perera may be in line for a debut. Ajantha Mendis’ selection depends on whether Sri Lanka decide they need a second frontline spinner.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Angelo Perera/Thisara Perera, 8 Rangana Herath, 9 Shaminda Eranga, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Suranga Lakmal/ Ajantha Mendis.South Africa continue to wait on Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe, both of whom have a 50% chance of playing, according to AB de Villiers. Morkel felt tightness in his thigh, where he suffered his most recent injury, while Tsotsobe’s problematic ankle has flared up again. De Villiers said South Africa would look to play two frontline spinners whenever possible in this series, but they could end up fielding a an inexperienced pace attack on Saturday.South Africa (probable): 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Alviro Petersen, 3 JP Duminy, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Faf du Plessis, 6 David Miller, 7 Ryan Mclaren, 8 Robin Peterson, 9 Aaron Phangiso, 10 Chris Morris, 11 Rory Kleinveldt/ Morne Morkel.Quotes
Dinesh Chandimal on having the seniors around in his first match as ODI captain
AB de Villiers on South Africa’s record in Sri Lanka

Yorkshire Bank 40 Group B leaders Durham cruised to victory in a rain-affected game against Scotland in Glasgow

11-Aug-2013
ScorecardMark Stoneman ensured no alarms in Durham’s chase•Getty ImagesYorkshire Bank 40 Group B leaders Durham cruised to victory in a rain-affected game against Scotland in Glasgow.Scotland made 161 for 6 in 37 overs and Durham were set a revised 104 from 20, Mark Stoneman’s unbeaten 54 leading them home with almost four overs to spare.The hosts won the toss and after they chose to bat first, their top order all got starts but failed to either push on to a big score or get any momentum going.Opener Hamish Gardiner and Freddie Coleman took 13.3 overs to compile a half-century stand before Coleman was the first man dismissed, bowled by Gareth Breese for 24. Another spinner, Scott Borthwick, accounted for Gardiner but Richie Berrington and Calum MacLeod came together in a resolute third-wicket stand.The scoring rate was still not up to scratch, though, and after a stand of 62 MacLeod was bowled by Ben Stokes for 33, made in 42 balls with three boundaries. The usually belligerent Berrington found the ropes just once in his top score of 39 before hitting his 62nd delivery, from Paul Collingwood, to Stokes.The two allrounders picked up a further wicket apiece, Stokes finishing with 2 for 22 and Collingwood 2 for 25, before wicketkeeper Craig Wallace at least gave Scotland’s total a late boost with 17 at a run a ball.Rain restricted Durham’s reply to half the standard allocation of overs, and a required scoring rate just above five an over was never likely to test them unduly. Captain Stoneman put on 86 in 13.2 overs with wicketkeeper Phil Mustard to take the visitors within sight of victory.Mustard hit three sixes and a four in his innings of 30, from 38 balls, before being bowled by Moneeb Iqbal – who had Gordon Muchall stumped without scoring two balls later.But Stoneman reached a 45-ball half-century containing nine fours, finishing 54 not out from 49, and Stokes came in to hit 13 from eight balls, rounding off victory with his second boundary.

United Arab Emirates leapfrogged into second place on the World Cricket League Championship table with a resounding win over Namibia, giving themselves a shot at direct qualification into the 2015 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2013
ScorecardUAE’s chances of qualifying for the 2015 World Cup depend on Afghanistan’s results against Kenya•ICC/Salim SanghatiUnited Arab Emirates leapfrogged into second place on the World Cricket League Championship table with a resounding win over Namibia, giving themselves a shot at direct qualification into the 2015 World Cup.UAE, who were placed fifth on the table before their two WCL matches against Namibia, edged Netherlands out of the second place with a higher number of wins – nine against Netherlands’ eight victories. The race for the second place, however, is far from over. Afghanistan are currently fourth on the table with 15 points and two games in hand. What UAE’s victory has done is clearly define Afghanistan’s goal for the last two matches: they need wins against Kenya on October 2 and October 4. A loss in any match or an abandoned game would end Afghanistan’s chances of direct qualification.UAE’s win over Namibia on Sunday was their second successive victory with a margin of more than 100 runs. In the second game, Namibia, who chose to bowl, made a good start, dismissing Mohammad Azam for 6 off the third ball of the match. Shaiman Anwar, who has made a habit of helping UAE recover from poor starts in recent List A games, did the same again, constructing a 75-ball 57 and adding 81 runs for the second wicket with Saqib Ali. Anwar is now the leading run-getter in the WCL Championship, with 625 runs from 14 games at an average of 52.08. His UAE team-mate Khurram Khan also leads the run charts of the ICC Intercontinental Cup.UAE lost a few quick wickets after Anwar was out and a steady 45-run, sixth-wicket stand between Mohammad Shafiq and Rohan Mustafa helped them stage a small recovery, taking the team to 177 for 5 in the 45th over. Ahmed Raza and Mustafa then added some quick runs after Shafiq fell to push the team total past 200. Namibia pacer Christi Viljoen, used in short bursts throughout the UAE innings, struck off successive deliveries to dismiss Raza and Nasir Aziz in the penultimate over. UAE’s innings ended for 215 in the next over when Louis van der Westhuizen dismissed Mustafa and Shadeep Silva.Namibia started cautiously but faced a double blow when Silva bowled van der Westhuizen and Stephan Baard off successive deliveries in the fifth over. Xander Pitchers and wicketkeeper Jaen Kotze tried resurrecting the chase, but once Pitchers fell for 29, with the score at 46 for 3, Namibia collapsed. They lost their last eight wickets for 34, even as Khurram Khan and Nasir Aziz missed out on hat-tricks in the 24th and 32nd over respectively.UAE coach and former Pakistan bowler, Aqib Javed praised Anwar and Mustafa for their performances and said that the team had planned to achieve this result.”As usual, Shamin Anwar has done really well and today he becomes the highest run-getter. I’m glad the Khurram Khan is the highest run-getter in the ICC Intercontinental Cup and Shaiman is in the WCL Championship,” Javed said. “I think that we have some good batsmen for the UAE and today Rohan Mustafa, the youngster, was brilliant. I think his improvement in the last six to eight months is amazing. I think he will be a key player for the UAE in the coming years.”Namibia coach Doug Watson said the side’s poor batting form was the main cause of their loss: “There’s probably more pressure on them than us, with what they had to play for, but I think there was pressure anyway because of how poorly we played in the first WCL Championship game. It was a much better performance today, and again, the fielding and bowling was brilliant – it was the batting that let us down.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the group A match between Mumbai Indians and Otago Volts in Ahmedabad

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria22-Sep-2013Match factsSeptember 23, 2013
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Mitchell Johnson will have to assume a wider role in Lasith Malinga’s absence•BCCIBig PictureMumbai Indians, the IPL champions, appeared rusty against Rajasthan Royals on a juicy pitch in Jaipur and with only three more matches remaining in the group stage for them, they will need to find their groove immediately. There aren’t any such problems for the team they face next. Otago Volts came to the tournament as virtual unknowns but, given their three dominating outings in the qualifiers, they are now the team to watch out for.Otago came into the tournament well-prepared: they played four Twenty20 matches in eight days in Sri Lanka and won all of them. The effect of match practice was visible in the manner they destroyed Faisalabad Wolves in their first match and Kandurata Maroons in the second. Sunrisers Hyderabad were expected to offer a sterner test, but they too were bulldozed in the final qualifier. Brendon McCullum, the Otago captain, has been in red-hot form and his presence has made an already strong batting line-up appear intimidating. Hamish Rutherford was solid at the top and Jimmy Neesham appeared unfazed by the quality of spin. Add Ryan ten Doeschate’s all-round brilliance and a balanced bowling attack to the mix and it becomes clear why the team has won their last 13 T20s.However, Otago’s success in the qualifiers came on a Mohali pitch which offered some help to their medium pacers. In Ahmedabad, on a batting pitch, against a team with batsmen who hit the ball long, the Otago bowling could come under pressure.Mumbai Indians might have failed to put up a good total in their first match, but they do possess serious batting ability in their ranks and their bowling has enough venom to sting the best. But the two major changes – the absence of Lasith Malinga and the presence of Sachin Tendulkar – to their XI from the latter stages of the IPL, when they displayed their best form, and a lack of match practice are the areas Otago will seek to exploit.Watch out forThe availability of Mitchell Johnson for Mumbai Indians last season relieved the team of the headache of planning the fast-bowling strategy solely around Lasith Malinga. Johnson was excellent with the new ball, picking up most of his 24 wickets in his first spell, which meant that Malinga was preserved for the death overs. In the first Champions League match against Royals, he did generate searing pace and was denied the vital wicket of Sanju Samson by the umpire, but he also went for 38 runs in his four-over spell. Mumbai Indians will hope Johnson takes on the wider role of leading the attack and makes an impression against McCullum & Co early on.Twenty-three-year-old James Neesham doesn’t yet have the stats to make him a sought after player in the T20 market, but his all-round abilities are sure to invite attention. He picked up two wickets in the first qualifier against Faisalabad Wolves, but then shone with two impressive outings with the bat in the next two matches. Against Kandurata Maroons, he formed a useful alliance with ten Doeschate at a stage where the Sri Lankan side was on the ascendency and stayed unbeaten till the end. Against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he was keen to take the legspinners on, lofting them for a couple of huge hits easily. Neesham’s big test will start in the main draw.

England are set to complete their preparations for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane against strong opposition having secured a significant concession from Cricket Australia.

Daniel Brettig30-Oct-2013Australia will expect the reciprocal fielding of strong opposing teams when they tour England in 2015 after the ECB secured a dramatic Cricket Australia backflip over the composition of the XI to face Alastair Cook’s tourists in their final fixture before the first Test in Brisbane.Pressure imposed by the ECB about the strength of the New South Wales team to appear at the SCG from November 13, during a concurrent round of Sheffield Shield matches, has led to CA selecting another near Australia A team for the match, in addition to the four-day game in Hobart that precedes it.Each state will be affected, as Ed Cowan, Phillip Hughes, Usman Khawaja, Aaron Finch and Adam Voges are among those set to appear, in addition to a selection of NSW players. By being named to face the Englishmen a week before the Test rather than playing Shield cricket, it also appears likely that none of the aforementioned batsmen will be part of the Gabba Test squad to be named on November 12.CA’s decision has raised plenty of eyebrows around the states, who are unhappy to be losing first-choice players at such short notice from the Shield. Questions have also been raised privately about why CA was not quite so insistent when their own Ashes tourists faced a weakened Somerset and Worcestershire in Ashes warm-up matches earlier this year.Pat Howard, the team performance manager, has claimed that the change is the result of CA’s desire to give players of interest an additional sight of international opposition, as much as any pressure from the ECB. Neither the Australia A team for Hobart nor the Invitational XI for Sydney will feature too many fast bowlers, as the selectors prefer to keep their powder dry for the Tests themselves.”We feel this match presents a good opportunity to give a core group of talented batsmen from a number of states, further experience against a strong international line-up,” Howard said.”We continue to look for opportunities to develop our batsmen and taking part in matches like this only helps in that area. The ECB is supportive of this plan. It wanted us to field a strong line-up, so we will use the opportunity to promote key players in the Australian system. In return, we look forward to the ECB fielding powerful teams for the touring Australian side in 2015.”We appreciate the cooperation of all the state associations in supporting this plan, particularly as it coincides with the third round of Shield matches.”With a full Sheffield Shield programme every week in the run up to the first Test, England were concerned about facing understrength opposition. According to reports, a complaint was made to CA executive management. A key feature of England’s success on the previous Ashes tour was their vigorous warm-up schedule, with three first-class matches.On their last tour of India, England were denied the opportunity to face any specialist spin bowling in their warm-up fixtures but won the subsequent Test series 2-1.England’s first warm-up fixture is a three-day match against Western Australia Chairman’s XI captained by Michael Beer and including the Queensland batsman Chris Lynn, for which England rested Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad while Cook was ruled out with a back injury.Their preparations for the first Test will then escalate with a four-day match in Hobart against Australia A before what will now be a demanding fixture in Sydney.

Matt Prior has provided a boost for the England team by coming through a long training session unscathed a few days ahead of the first Ashes Test

George Dobell in Brisbane18-Nov-2013Matt Prior has provided a boost for the England team by coming through a long training session unscathed a few days ahead of the first Ashes Test.Prior has been an injury doubt for the game, starting at the Gabba on Thursday, after sustaining a tear to the left calf muscle during the tour match against Australia A in Hobart. But by batting for about an hour against a variety of bowlers in the nets and then taking some catching practice, Prior provided a strong hint that he will be available for selection.Prior was one of only four members of the England squad – Jonny Bairstow, Graeme Swann and Alastair Cook were the others – to attend a voluntary net session at the Gabba on Monday. Despite strapping to his left calf, injured while batting and later diagnosed as a grade 1 tear, he played with confidence in the nets and, perhaps keen to make a point to the watching Andy Flower, darted the first few yards of imaginary quick singles on several occasions without any sign of discomfort. Prior ended the session by giving photographers a thumbs up and saying “I’m fine” before having some catching practice on the outfield.While it was a hugely encouraging session for Prior, it may still prove a little premature to conclude that he will definitely play in Brisbane. It has yet to be seen how he responds to the session and, with it having been only 10 days since he sustained the injury, the selectors may be uneasy to risk him at the start of such an important series for fear of aggravating the problem. Bairstow, batting fluently in an adjacent net, stands by.Some might argue that Bairstow has a strong case for inclusion anyway. He averaged 29 with the bat in the Ashes in England compared to Prior’s 19 and kept nicely in the second innings of England’s victory in the warm-up game in Sydney.But in such a pivotal game, England want their most experienced players. Prior, the team vice-captain and a veteran of 72 Tests including the series here in 2010-11, remains, despite his relative dip in form, a key figure with the bat and in the field. His astute use of the DRS might prove a factor, too. If England are satisfied that Prior is 100% fit, there will be no selection dilemma: he will play.The wicketkeeping selection is one of two issues the selectors have yet to resolve ahead of the first Test. While Michael Carberry, leaving the ball with the precision required to prosper in Australia, has secured the opening berth and forced Joe Root back to the No. 6 position for a while, there is still doubt as to the identity of the third seamer.While there are, on the face of it, three candidates – Steven Finn, Chris Tremlett and Boyd Rankin – it seems most unlikely that Finn will be included. While his wicket-taking record remains admirable, his propensity to leak runs is incompatible with England’s strategy and renders him needing to improve his control if he is to break back into the side.Matt Prior took the chance for an optional net to try and prove his fitness for the first Test•Getty ImagesTremlett, by contrast, may have lacked potency – he endured a modest county season and has taken just the one wicket in two games on this trip so far – but remains a reliable man to perform the holding required to balance England’s attack. With his height, his skill and his control, he can be relied upon to maintain the pressure built up by James Anderson and Stuart Broad and should enjoy the extra bounce in the Australian wickets.Those whose memories of Tremlett are limited to Test cricket will wonder what the fuss is about: he has invariably looked a fine quality performer at this level and, on the tour of 2010-11, was arguably England’s most impressive bowler.The intervening months have not all been kind, though. Tremlett has suffered a couple of serious injuries and, though he has worked hard to recover his strength and match fitness, there is little evidence to suggest he has recovered the nip that made him such a dangerous bowler.Boyd Rankin may yet warrant selection as a compromise selection. While his form on the tour so far has been patchy, he has more pace than Tremlett and more control than Finn. He has never bowled in Australia prior to this trip and is taking a while to find the correct length, but Ed Cowan, the Australian left-hander, reckoned one of his spells in the latest tour game “screamed ‘Test bowler” and he might prove a more aggressive choice. But, in a side who tend to play ‘safety first’ cricket, Tremlett remains the most likely selection.Whatever happens, England’s struggle to settle on a third seamer underlines the value of Tim Bresnan. While the unglamorous holding role performed so often by Bresnan rarely wins many headlines, the difficulty England have had finding a replacement for him has provided a reminder of his value. He is now bowling at full pace in the nets and, all being well, will make his return in the two-day game at Alice Springs that comes before the second Test in Adelaide. Tremlett or Rankin will have to bowl impressively in Brisbane if they are to deny him a quick return to the side.While the rest of the squad took the time to enjoy the local attractions or a round of golf, Cook could have been forgiven for wishing he had joined them. He enjoyed a tough net session, being beaten several times by the net bowlers and losing his off stump to a beauty from Swann that lured him down the pitch and turned past his outside edge.Generally, however, England are in good shape, and the promising performance of Prior will have provided further reassurance that, days before the serious business begins, they remain on track.

The probe committee conducting an inquiry into corruption in the IPL questioned Ajit Chandila and Siddharth Trivedi, two Rajasthan Royals players, on Thursday in Delhi

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2013The probe committee conducting an inquiry into corruption in the IPL questioned Ajit Chandila and Siddharth Trivedi, two Rajasthan Royals players, on Thursday in Delhi. Chandila is one of three players accused of spot-fixing, while Trivedi had been in trouble for not reporting a bookie approach to the authorities.The committee also met with officials of the Delhi police during the initial rounds of questioning, which are concerned with basic information about the IPL’s functioning and the general atmosphere around the event. From December 6 to 8, the committee will interact with the Mumbai Police, officials of ICC-ACSU, Right To Information activist Naresh Makwani, who had filed a complaint against the BCCI for match-fixing and spot fixing, and several individuals whose names are not known.So far the committee has spoken to individuals in Delhi and Mumbai and it will move to Chennai after their interviews are concluded in Mumbai.The committee’s co-ordination between the Delhi and Mumbai police led to them to acquire the chargesheets and the transcripts of recordings of their investigations. The BCCI has also made available all documentation around the IPL, including rules pertaining to accreditation given to various officials.The probe committee’s brief covers the corruption charges against Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan, who is the son-in-law of BCCI president N Srinivasan, CSK team owners India Cements, and Rajasthan Royals team owners Jaipur IPL Cricket Private Ltd, as well as a larger mandate of allegations around betting and spot fixing on IPL matches and the larger involvement of players.There is a possibility that at the end of the first rounds of interaction, the committee may frame a series of further questions and ask the respondents whom they have met with to return for a second round of meetings. It is expected that the committee may end its inquiry and come out with its findings some time in February. It is also possible that the committee may make recommendations to the court for better governance and more transparent functioning in the IPL.