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It would have been understandable for the vice-captain to get tetchy when overlooked for the leadership with the skipper out injured. Not Brad Haddin, team man

Brydon Coverdale23-Dec-2014″Don’t they want to ask about my keeping?” Brad Haddin joked after his press conference at the MCG on Tuesday. Struggling with the bat, overtaken by Steven Smith for the Test captaincy – it’s no wonder his glovework would have been Haddin’s choice of conversation topic. After all, nine dismissals in the win at the Gabba was equal second to Adam Gilchrist’s 10 in Hamilton in 2000 on Australia’s all-time list.Of course, Haddin was speaking mostly in jest. Sure, he would like more runs – he said so half a dozen times – but he is comfortable with his position, happy to help Smith develop his captaincy on the job. It would have been understandable for the vice-captain to get tetchy when overlooked for the leadership with the skipper out injured. Not Brad Haddin, team man.”I think they have made a very brave and very good decision in giving Steve the captaincy,” Haddin said. “I think it is the perfect time for him, he is on top of his game at the moment which is one thing you don’t have to worry about being captain. He is a good leader, he is only young and he is going to get better and better in the role.”It was an outstanding decision by Cricket Australia. He has got a good core group of senior guys to help him out if he needs it, but things are going well. He’s got his own thoughts on the game, he is a good thinker about it, he still wants to learn. A very good decision.”Asked if he had expected or wanted to be given the job with Michael Clarke out with a hamstring injury, Haddin said he was happy simply to have led the side in the final stages of the first Test. “I would much rather you remember the last two hours I did in Adelaide rather than do it all the time,” he said.Brad Haddin: “I don’t feel in bad touch, I just need to get some runs”•Getty ImagesFor the time being, Haddin might also prefer that Australian fans remember his batting for past achievements than current ones. In last year’s Ashes at home he rescued Australia from first-innings holes in all five Tests, but since then he has managed Test scores of 0, 9, 1, 13, 3*, 22, 0, 10, 13, 0, 14*, 6 and 1.”I think my preparation has been spot on. Leading into this summer I felt better than I did last summer,” he said. “It’s just about getting that luck at the start of your innings. If you get through that first bit you start to get into the rhythm of the game, then you work from there. I don’t feel in bad touch, I just need to get some runs. That’s as simple as it is.”I’m not concerned about it. All my preparation and that has been spot on, I have just been out of runs,” he said. “I am not stressed or too worried about it. The game will turn and it will go my way … I don’t feel it [pressure]. This game turns. I’d obviously like some more runs. I’ve been in this situation before.”While Australia would like more from Haddin at No.7, they also need to work out what to do with the rest of the batting order after Joe Burns was included in the side. Burns has been opening for Queensland since near the start of last summer and Shane Watson also prefers to bat at the top, but one will likely have to slide down to No.6 with Steven Smith and Shaun Marsh seemingly settled at Nos. 4 and 5.”I think if you can bat in the top order in state cricket it holds you in good stead to bat anywhere for Australia,” Haddin said. “That’s where you’re under pressure the most, you’ve got the new ball, you can get trying conditions there [in the Shield].”I haven’t seen too much of Burns play. He seems pretty relaxed and understands his game. He’s asked a lot of questions about cricket. He didn’t know where to sit in the change room. I think he’s suited to anywhere in the order because if you bat in that top three, second new ball at No.6, I think he’ll handle it quite well.”

Craig Kieswetter continued his sparking form to keep alive Somerset’s slim hopes of a quarterfinal spot with an excellent win against high-flying Hampshire

Press Association06-Jul-2014
ScorecardIf anybody gets Somerset to the last eight, Craig Kieswetter will•Getty ImagesCraig Kieswetter continued his superb form in the NatWest t20 Blast with a half-century to help Somerset claim a vital 39-run win over second-placed Hampshire in the South Division.Kieswetter, who this week signed a new three-year contract with the county, passed 50 for the sixth time in 10 matches in this season’s competition and his 60 guided Somerset to a score of 155 for 4 batting first at the Ageas Bowl.That was less than the visitors looked like getting at one stage, but proved more than enough as tight bowling and good fielding helped them dismiss Hampshire for 116 with 22 balls to spare.It was only Somerset’s fourth win of the season but it still enabled them to complete the double over 20-over specialists Hampshire and move up to fifth in the standings.Somerset chose to bat first on a blameless wicket but lost captain Marcus Trescothick in the second over, nicking Chris Wood to wicketkeeper Michael Bates for two.Hampshire could hardly have wished for a better start, but Kieswetter then shared stands of 55 for the second wicket with Peter Trego (25) and the third with Alviro Petersen, who was 38 not out at the conclusion of the Somerset innings.Kieswetter’s 60 – which left him second only to Surrey’s Jason Roy in the NatWest t20 Blast runscoring charts – came off 44 balls and included five fours and two sixes before perishing to Matt Coles while attempting another extravagant drive.That left Somerset on 115 for 3 but Petersen and James Hildreth saw their side somewhat sedately through to the last ball of the innings at which point the latter was caught on the mid-wicket boundary to leave Hampshire needing 156for victory.The hosts would have fancied their chances of chasing that target down but suffered a nightmare start as captain James Vince went to the first ball he faced, playing around a Trego delivery to be trapped lbw.The wickets then continued to tumbled as Hampshire’s top order collapsed in an uncharacteristic panic, and midway through the eighth over they were 41 for 6.Jimmy Adams fell to a catch at mid-on, Will Smith lifted Alfonso Thomas to Petersen at midwicket and then came a double run-out catastrophe in the sixth over to swing the match irreversibly Somerset’s way.First Glenn Maxwell was left stranded going for a second and then Michael Carberry, who might have been responsible for Maxwell’s exit, went the same way, beaten by a throw from short fine-leg chasing a cheeky single.When Sean Ervine strayed from his crease when facing leg-spinner Max Waller’s third delivery and was stumped by Kieswetter, Hampshire were as good as finished, and so it proved despite a lower-order fight.Coles and Wood battled bravely in an innings-best stand of 42 for the seventh wicket before Coles holed out to Waller, also at mid-wicket and Hampshire were 88 for 8 when Wood lifted Thomas to Dirk Nannes in the deep.Abbott and Bates took Hampshire past the 100 mark but the end was not long in coming, to the dismay of a large home crowd, as Nannes wrapped things up with the wicket of Bates

Ashley Giles admitted he considered his future as a coach before accepting the job of Lancashire’s new cricket director and head coach on a three-year contract.

Graham Hardcastle08-Oct-20141:41

Giles won’t promise ‘quick fix’ for Lancashire

Ashley Giles decided coaching was definitely his path during his summer in India•PA PhotosAshley Giles admitted he considered his future as a coach before accepting the job of Lancashire’s new cricket director and head coach on a three-year contract. Giles, whose last assignment as England’s limited overs coach ended in late March, takes over a county who have suffered two Championship relegations in the last three years.Giles was unveiled at a press conference at Old Trafford flanked by chairman Michael Cairns, the decision maker in this period of change for the county, chief executive Daniel Gidney and Glen Chapple, who will be his right-hand man.Chapple put his own name forward to take on the coach’s role, but instead he will work under Giles and potentially continue his playing career as a seam bowler beyond his 41st birthday in January. Chapple spent the majority of the summer in charge of first-team affairs both as a coach and captain following the departure of Peter Moores to England in April. Mike Watkinson vacated his role as cricket director earlier this week.With Chapple concentrating on his coaching commitments and only playing when needed, that means one of Giles’s first tasks is to appoint a new captain. Current vice captain and opening batsman Paul Horton is the early frontrunner.”I considered not coming back into coaching, I wouldn’t be ashamed of admitting that,” Giles said, having made his Test debut at Old Trafford in 1998. “But I love working with teams. It is a really good place to be.”I’ve been lucky that the timing has been right. Being out of the game for a few months was healthy. I spent time with the family reflecting on my experiences with England. I was away in India doing some media stuff, and that experience reinforced my desire to get back into coaching. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy that experience, but I love improving players.”My conversation with Michael Cairns and Daniel Gidney happened over the last week or so, and as soon as I started talking to them, to be talking to a club with the history and size of this, it was a fantastic opportunity.”It’s clearly been a difficult six months since Pete left. Chappie has done a fantastic job to do three roles this summer. It gives us a platform to build from. In my discussions, it’s been very much not about a quick fix. I’m sure everyone wants to hear me say we’ll be straight back in Division One, and I hope we are. Most importantly, it’s about building something that is sustainable and is going to be successful over a long period, and that does take time.”Giles also admitted that “I’m over it” with regards to his two years in charge of England’s limited overs teams: “I’m not stupid enough to think we always get what we want and there’s always a fairytale ending.”There will be a lot I’ve learnt from England, about managing players in particular. Managing players at that level is different to managing players at county level. Of course the whole media attention and bubble surrounding international cricket is slightly different, and you get slightly less time to do things you might want to do. It’s also a great environment, and there are a lot of good people there. But it didn’t work out.”A decision will be taken much closer to the start of next season as to how much, if any, cricket Chapple plays. “The position I’ve been offered here, I see as a very challenging one and probably just the right thing for me at this stage.” Chapple said. His official title has yet to be confirmed. “The option of carrying on playing means I don’t just have to say ‘that’s it’. As it stands, I’m very happy.”

Kent lost six final-session wickets as they collapsed spectacularly on the first evening of their Division Two match against Gloucestershire

Press Association18-May-2014
ScorecardJames Fuller led Gloucestershire’s surge late in the day•Getty ImagesKent lost six final-session wickets as they collapsed spectacularly on the first evening of their Division Two match against Gloucestershire. Having dismissed their hosts for 252, Kent failed woefully with the bat to slump to 33 for 6 at the close, still 219 runs behind.Not a single visiting batsman managed double figures, with the top four combined making just one. At one point Kent were 2 for 4. Will Gidman took 2 for 1 and James Fuller 3 for 23 as the Gloucestershire bowlers cashed in.Earlier Gareth Roderick had top-scored with 59 for the hosts, a score Kent’s batsmen could only dream of.Rob Key was the first man to go with the third ball of the innings, caught behind by Roderick off Fuller for a duck. Daniel Bell-Drummond, Sam Northeast and Brendan Nash followed in successive overs as a bad start became a horrendous one.Ben Harmison and Darren Stevens soon followed for 8 apiece, leaving Sam Billings was unbeaten with Adam Riley at the close.Kent had started the day in positive mood after they, too, made early breakthroughs with the ball, Mitchell Claydon with two wickets as they reduced Gloucestershire to 23 for 3.But a fifth-wicket partnership of 75 between Hamish Marshall, who made 44, and Roderick, helped the hosts recover, taking the score from 64 to 139.Marshall was bowled by Riley and Roderick caught by Stevens off Doug Bollinger, but useful contributions from lower down the order took the score past the 250 mark. Gidman made 31 and No. 9 Tom Smith 30 before becoming Riley’s third wicket of the innings.

Daniel Christian, the Australia allrounder, will play for Middlesex as one of their overseas players during the NatWest Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Apr-2014Daniel Christian, the Australia allrounder, will play for Middlesex as one of their overseas players during the NatWest Blast. Christian, who helped Hampshire to win the Friends Provident t20 in 2010, is expected to be available throughout the season, with most of the matches in England’s new domestic T20 competition being played on Friday nights.Capped 34 times by Australia, Christan was recently in action at the World T20. The 30-year-old has played 125 T20 matches in his career to date and was a member of the Brisbane Heat side that won the Big Bash League in 2012-13. He has also played in the IPL and for Gloucestershire in county cricket.”When we sat down to identify the type of cricketer Middlesex CCC required for this summer’s NatWest T20 Blast a seam bowling allrounder was top of our list,” Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s director of cricket, said. “We are therefore delighted to have attained the services of such an experienced, talented and dangerous cricketer.”Unlike many of this summer’s T20 signings Dan is available for selection for all of our NatWest T20 Blast Group matches, which was important to us. We believe Dan will offer the team experience and match winning performances; assets that any team would want to have. His recent appearances for Australia highlight how highly regarded he is Down Under too.”Christian, who has scored 1644 runs and taken 106 wickets in T20, will arrive in May ahead of the start of the T20 Blast. Middlesex begin their campaign with back-to-back matches against Essex and Sussex at Lord’s on May 17, with newly appointed limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan set to take charge.”I am delighted to have signed with Middlesex for the 2014 Natwest T20 Blast,” Christian said. “The opportunity to play at the Home of Cricket is a dream come true and I can’t wait to pull on a Middlesex shirt for the first time. Kicking off the tournament with a double-header at Lords against Sussex and Essex in front of what I am sure will be a full house promises to be one of the highlights of my career. I look forward to helping Eoin and the boys challenge for silverware this year.”

Allan Donald, South Africa’s bowling coach, has warned Australia to expect a fully-firing Dale Steyn from the first morning of the first Test of the upcoming series

Firdose Moonda in Johannesburg05-Feb-2014Allan Donald, South Africa’s bowling coach, has warned Australia to expect a fully-firing Dale Steyn from the first morning of the first Test of the upcoming series. Although Steyn has not bowled for five weeks, in which he was given extended rest to recover from a rib injury, Donald insisted Steyn would not require any additional time to get back into the swing things.”We cant afford for him to ease into it. Graeme wants him to be full tilt right from the start,” Donald said, after the second day’s play in the tour match. Steyn bowled 8.5 overs to follow up from the three he delivered on Tuesday and came off a slightly longer run-up than the one he used on day one. Quinton de Kock, who faced Steyn early on, said initially “there was no pace there, he was just working on his areas” but Donald noted Steyn got quicker as the day went on.Steyn got rid of the Composite XI’s tail to finish with three wickets and show heartening signs that his self-belief is ballooning. “The biggest thing when you are coming back from a rib injury is confidence,” Donald said. “You do feel hesitant at first. You need to get back that confidence in getting through your action. But for a guy who hasn’t bowled a ball in a month, Dale is looking good.”Although Donald called Steyn a “freakish sort of guy” who can “slot straight back in” after a layoff, he also said Steyn, like any other bowler, needs to work his way back by slowly increasing his load. “Every day he needs to build,” he said.The comeback should be declared complete on Thursday. Donald said Steyn will have one more spell and promised it will be a nasty one. “He will be bowling quicker, running in harder off a nice long run up with full momentum,” he said. “That will give him that confidence and form that you take into a massive series.”South Africa need Steyn at his best because he will be the spearhead in what has been dubbed a battle of the bowlers, which Donald expects to be as explosive as it sounds. “Michael Clarke has every right to say he rates his attack No.1 because what a hell of a performance over five Tests,” he said, referring to Australia’s Ashes triumph.”They’re a good attack, they showed that against England. They have got variation in their attack and so have we. That’s where it will be fantastic viewing from the side to see how these guys match up against each other.”Steyn’s direct competitor, especially where pace and the label leader of the attack lies, is Mitchell Johnson, who will enjoy the knowledge that four of South Africa’s Test batsmen, including Alviro Petersen and Graeme Smith twice, were dismissed by left-armers in the ongoing warm-up match. Donald called Johnson’s recent form the “best I have seen him bowl in a very long time”.Donald was particularly impressed with the combination Johnson’s speed and control. “He never gave England a sniff, he was so tight with the channels he bowled and his pace through the air,” Donald said. “He softened them up with very good short balls and his follow-up balls were the ones that were very quick through the air. His overall control was the best I’ve seen for a while.”That type of discipline is something Donald was hoping from Wayne Parnell and he believes there was a glimpse of it in South Africa’s second innings. “He showed a lot of intent. There was presence in his run up, which is important,” Donald said. “I thought that stood out today, he had good pace and good control.” Parnell appears the frontrunner to slot into South Africa’s Test XI, which would add another speedster into what is already a cauldron of quicks.With so much fire and brimstone in the lead-up to the series, it is easy to get carried away but Donald said South Africa are aiming for the same kind of calm they achieved when they prepared to take the Test mace off England in 2012. “There is no point jumping in with both feet down people’s throats,” he said, the mixed metaphor only emphasising the point. “This team doesn’t stand for that. We built up very calmly towards England. And it feels exactly the same. It feel eerily the same.”Then, South Africa took a trip to Switzerland in the lead-up to the tour where they spent time with explorer Mike Horn. This time, they will spend two days in Hoedspruit, a town close to the Kruger National Park, where they will assist Mark Boucher in his mission to save the rhino. The getaway is aimed to give them perspective and when they return to fine-tune for the Test, Donald expects them, and the attack specifically, to be more than ready.”This South African attack – from where we started our journey against England almost two years ago, to where we are now – we’ve got what it takes to deliver. We know what we stand for, we know what to expect from each other and whenever there has been big questions asked of us in the past, someone, or the whole attack, has stepped up.” Donald believes it will be more of the same again.

India’s women will play their first Test since 2006 after a four-day contest was pencilled into their tour of England in August.

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2014India’s women will play their first Test since 2006 after a four-day contest was pencilled into their tour of England in August.In the women’s game the Test format has been exclusively played by England and Australia since 2008; the last Test not involving one of those sides was when South Africa played Netherlands in 2007.India’s previous Test was also against England, at Taunton, when India won by five wickets. Anjum Chopra made 98 in the first innings then England collapsed to 99 all out as Jhulan Goswami took 5 for 33, before the home side hit back through a hundred by Charlotte Edwards to leave a target of 98. India slipped to 74 for 5 in the chase before securing the victory.The Test is part of an itinerary that will also include three one-day internationals before England face South Africa in three Twenty20s. The third ODI will be played at Lord’s on August 25 while the final T20 will be part of a double-header alongside the men’s T20 between England and India at Edgbaston on September 7.Clare Conner, the head of women’s cricket for the ECB, said: “The recent Women’s Ashes Test in Perth was a wonderful demonstration of women’s cricket at its best, and I expect a similarly tight contest when England take on India at Wormsley in August.”Last summer saw record numbers of spectators through the gates to watch England regain the Women’s Ashes, and this year’s international schedule presents a similarly exciting proposition for cricket fans up and down the country to see some of the best women’s cricketers in the world in action.”Cricket South Africa were delighted to have been invited for three T20s which will all be televised live.”This is excellent news not just for our national women’s team but for all women’s cricket in South Africa,” Haroon Lorgat, the CSA chief executive, said: “The privilege of our team competing in England in such a high profile series against one of the undoubted leaders in the women’s game is setting new standards for our women’s cricket.”It is a well-deserved honour and shows the enormous strides we have been making and I am sure this news will inspire and motivate all our players on the eve of the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh. Playing on the same famous international grounds as the England men’s team will surely be a wonderful experience for our women’s team.”

A score of 137 wouldn’t have appeared a match-winning one at the halfway stage of the match, but Afghanistan’s bowlers made Pakistan fight till the final ball

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAsghar Stanikzai was bowled by Bilawal Bhatti•Getty ImagesA score of 137 wouldn’t have appeared a match-winning one at the halfway stage of the match, but Afghanistan’s bowlers made Pakistan fight till the final ball. Pakistan preserved wickets through their chase and though they lost only four, they were made to sweat against a side brimming with confidence having recently sealed their berth in the upcoming World T20. Mohammad Hafeez kept Pakistan afloat with an unbeaten 42 to set up a six-wicket win in the first ever T20 between the two countries.At the start of the penultimate over, bowled by Hamid Hassan, Pakistan were still comfortably placed needing 16 with a set Hafeez on 32. Sohaib Maqsood’s run out off the fourth ball gave Afghanistan hope but Hafeez calmed the nerves in the Pakistan camp with a streaky, under-edged boundary past the keeper off the last ball to bring the equation down to six from six.Shahid Afridi pushed the first ball by the seamer Dawlat Zadran to midwicket for a single but Hafeez left the next, expecting it to be called a wide. Afghanistan had a chance to run out Hafeez off the third when he took a risky single to cover and nearly gave up. Zadran then employed the bouncer against Afridi but it backfired with the umpire penalising him for height. Afridi slogged and missed the next ball and stole a bye. Hafeez pinched a single to point, levelling the scores before the last ball. Zadran banged in another bouncer but it cost Afghanistan dear as it was signaled a no ball.The finish was an anti-climax from the way Pakistan started. The openers Ahmed Shehzad and Sharjeel Khan had added 49 in 7.4 overs before Shehzad was caught at deep midwicket off Samiullah Shenwari. Shehzad dominated the stand with six fours. Sharjeel, on debut, made a steady 18 before he was caught at point off the off spin of Mohammad Nabi.Afghanistan tightened things up conceding only 15 off the next three overs and no boundaries. Hafeez broke the drought when he launched Shenwari over long-on in the 14th over, leaving Pakistan 49 to get off the last six. Two more sixes, by Umar Akmal, brought the equation down to 27 off 23, comfortably in Pakistan’s favour. However, immediately after launching Dawlat over long-on, Akmal dragged the next ball onto his stumps to give Afghanistan relief. However, Hafeez’s presence meant that Pakistan still held the edge, despite Afghanistan’s comeback.The pressure began to mount with 21 required off 14, but a four to deep midwicket by Hafeez released the pressure and the captain took it upon himself to stay till the end and avoid a repeat of their shocking collapse against South Africa in an ODI at the same venue recently.Earlier, a combined performance by Pakistan’s bowlers restricted Afghanistan to a middling total. Afghanistan struggled to get going at the start, the score reading a sorry 8 for 2 after five overs. Asghar Stanikzai broke the shackles with two sixes in one over off Zulfiqar Babar but he fell soon after, bowled by Bilawal Bhatti.The middle order, led by Najibullah Zadran, made starts but regular strikes kept them in check. Afghanistan had recovered well to score 92 in an eight-over period, ending in the 15th over. However, Pakistan clawed back by dismissing Najibullah for 38 and Afghanistan managed only 37 off the last five overs. In the final analysis, a few more could have made the difference.

Tim Bresnan could not be making better use of his first competitive outing since breaking down with a stress fracture to proclaim that he has no wish to sit out the entire Ashes series.

David Hopps28-Nov-2013
ScorecardTim Bresnan took 4 for 31 for the England Performance Programme•Action PhotographicsTim Bresnan could not be making better use of his first competitive outing since breaking down with a stress fracture to proclaim that he has no wish to sit out the entire Ashes series.Nobody really expects Bresnan to be a serious contender for a place in the second Ashes Test, but with every day that passes, he is at least making them revisit the assumption.He will join the Test squad following this England Performance Programme fixture, where Bresnan followed up a half-century (57 from 62 balls) on the opening day with 4 for 31 in 10 overs on the second day against a Queensland 2nd XI. There are a few England players who would have given a lot for such figures with bat or ball at the Gabba, where they suffered a drubbing against Australia in the first Test.But England rarely shift from their preconceived plans and it is highly doubtful that they have ever contemplated playing Bresnan in Adelaide. On the roads around Australia, one often sees signs asking tired drivers undergoing long journeys: “Do you have a Plan B?” England’s tendency will be only to consider Plan B when the wheels are falling off and smoke is pouring out of the engine.It is difficult to gauge the worth of Bresnan’s display against a Queensland 2nd XI – “solid” was one word routinely bandied around by Australian observers who felt he was still some way down on pace – and England’s team director, Andy Flower, and coach David Saker are both in Alice Springs. He struck in the first over, having Dom Michael caught behind, and two other wickets came in the close-catching cordon.Joe Burns, the one Queensland player of note in the side, also escaped Bresnan’s clutches, falling just short of an unbeaten hundred as his side were dismissed for 156 at Allan Border Field. EPP squad then reached the close on 156 for 5 to secure a lead of 376 with a day remaining.”He looked pretty good,” Burns told Brisbane’s . “He was swinging it a bit and bowling within himself a little bit but you could see he still had that effort ball. It certainly felt as if he was still building but he was not too far away.”It was another satisfying day for the Performance squad. They declared on their overnight 376 for 9, content that arguably the two most highly-regarded batsmen in the squad, Middlesex’s Sam Robson, who retired on 102 and Moeen Ali of Worcestershire, who made 83, had made a favourable impression.Bresnan had not played a competitive match since he broke down in the fourth Ashes Test at Chester-le-Street in August. His inclusion in Adelaide looks improbable, especially as the first drop-in Test pitch at the now multi-purpose stadium could well be a stamina-testing experience for both bowling attacks.But his 24 wickets in five Ashes Tests mean that Australia hold him in high regard, none more so than the coach Darren Lehmann, who played alongside the younger Bresnan at Yorkshire. His hopes will be growing that he can make a contribution later in the series, certainly in Melbourne over Christmas, where he bowled the defining spell three years ago during the Test in which England retained the Ashes.He has rarely attracted the plaudits during his 21-Test career, but after England’s heavy defeat at the Gabba, his batting average of 30 and bowling average of 32 are looking more than ever the sort of dependable all-round figures England could do with.Another all-round option that is a genuine possibility for the second Test is Ben Stokes. He made his international debut in the one-day series against Australia in England and will look to stake his claim for a Test debut in the No. 6 slot during England’s two-day match in Alice Springs, alongside batsmen Jonny Bairstow and Gary Ballance.”Everyone is going to go out there and make sure they put their hand up and prove a point that they want to be out here and be in that second Test match,” Stokes said. “There’s probably three guys who’ve got the chance to try and get into that number six. Whether it’s me or not, Gary or Jonny, but we’ve got this next two days to go out there and really try to get in there.”England are yet to name their final XI for the Alice Springs tour match but are expected to rest Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Stuart Broad and James Anderson as they try to gather the evidence they need about how best to rebalance their side now that Jonathan Trott has returned home with a stress-related illness and they have gone 1-0 down in the series.*November 28, 12.45 GMT: This article was updated to reflect the England team for Alice Springs

The match between NBP and SNGPL was called off after the completion of the first innings on account of heavy rain

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jul-2013Match abandoned
ScorecardWith the match having already been reduced to 14 overs-a-side because of inclement weather, the fixture between National Bank of Pakistan and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited was called off after the completion of the first innings, on account of rain. SNGPL posted 145 for 2 in their allotted overs, with Azhar Ali top-scoring with 72 off 39 balls, and Ali Waqas (57*) supporting him in a 112-run stand for the second wicket.