Amit Mishra, Ashok Dinda and Shami Ahmed are expected to miss out when India name their Champions Trophy squad on Saturday

Amol Karhadkar03-May-2013Three bowlers that featured in India’s squad during the home ODIs series against England in January are likely to miss out on the Champions Trophy, to be played in England from June 5.Legspinner Amit Mishra, one of the stars of the current season of the IPL, is set to be a casualty along with Bengal pace duo of Ashok Dinda and Shami Ahmed when the selectors name the squad in Mumbai on Saturday evening.While fast bowler Umesh Yadav is certain to return to international cricket after breaking down with a lower back injury during the first Test against England last November, Vinay Kumar and Irfan Pathan are front-runners in what would be a five-man pace bowling attack.With the conditions in England not favouring spin, Mishra, who was the reserve spinner for the England ODIs, is likely to miss the cut with R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja available. While Vinay has been ignored by the national selectors since the last year’s Asia Cup in March, Irfan broke down after returning from India’s limited-overs tour to Sri Lanka in July-August last year.This would mean that in the absence of Zaheer Khan, who hasn’t recovered from side strain, India would be able to field the seam attack of Yadav, Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar with Vinay and Pathan being the back-up bowlers. Both Vinay and Irfan have had an impressive IPL campaign so far, and one of them will lose out on a plane to England only if the selectors decide to stick with Ahmed. Dinda, having had a horrendous run with the ball for Pune Warriors, especially in the death overs, is all but certain to be axed from the 15-member squad.In the batting unit, the only major change is likely to be Shikhar Dhawan replacing Cheteshwar Pujara. Having recovered from the fracture that he suffered during his memorable Test debut, Dhawan is all set for another stint in the shorter version. Dhawan, who last featured in an ODI almost two years ago, hasn’t done much of note during his five ODI appearances.Despite being under pressure to retain their places in the squad, opener Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh are likely to return their places in the squad.

Sohail Tanvir, the Pakistan allrounder, is set to join Hampshire for all formats from May 23 until the end of the group matches of the Friends Life t20.

Umar Farooq15-May-2013Sohail Tanvir, the Pakistan allrounder, is set to join Hampshire for all formats from May 23 until the end of the group matches of the Friends Life t20.Tanvir will be Hampshire’s second overseas player and will join Australia’s George Bailey for the defence of their T20 title.Tanvir, 28, is currently out of contention for Pakistan. He was named in the 30-man preliminarily squad for the Champions Trophy but failed to find a place in the final 15. He last featured for Pakistan against India for a T20 International last year in Ahmedabad. Afterwards he was dropped for Pakistan’s tour of South Africa but was recalled for the final two ODIs but never made into the XI.”Tanvir will be playing for Hampshire until the end of the T20 competition,” Umran Khan, Tanvir’s agent told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s a full contract with an understanding to play from May 23 that includes all the formats. He has already applied for a visa.”For the last two years, Hants had tried to sign the flamboyant Shahid Afridi, who had a successful stay in 2011 – taking 17 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 11.17. He was due to return in 2012 but encountered visa delays and never made it.Tanvir, who played for South African side Highveld Lions in last year’s Champions League, was due to play for Worcestershire but that contract was cancelled after visa problems. According to his initial contract understanding with Hants, he will be playing until July 31, so will be available for the Sri Lanka Premier League from August 10.”Initially I am looking at the end of the T20 group stage,” Tanvir said. “But I can miss the two three matches of Sri Lanka League to extend my stay for Hants.”

Warwickshire are in the wrong half of the table and urgently needed this dominating, day-one performance, courtesy of Varun Chopra’s unbeaten ton

David Lloyd at Guildford05-Jun-2013
ScorecardVarun Chopra made his third first-class century of the season•PA Photos

Plenty has been made of Surrey’s struggles so far this season. But Warwickshire are hardly sitting pretty, in the wrong half of the table and urgently in need of this dominating, day-one performance.The defending champions can argue that a horribly long injury list and the usual international calls have played havoc with their plans. Still, they have fallen short of last year’s high standards on a few too many occasions and will hope that Varun Chopra’s towering, so far unbeaten, century proves a significant turning point.Woodbridge Road and big scores generally go hand in hand (Kevin Pietersen blazed an undefeated double hundred here last year and Justin Langer went past 300 not so long ago). But, even so, this was a truly impressive display from Chopra and precisely the sort of innings he needs to keep himself on England’s radar with back-to-back Ashes series just around the corner.Having already played for the Lions this summer, Chopra is clearly in England’s thoughts. Now he has three first-class hundreds to his credit this season (after 163 against MCC and 108 at Taunton) and is pushing hard for ‘first cab off the rank’ status, if and when the national selectors decide to look outside their current Test squad for another opener.Chopra, a couple of weeks away from his 26th birthday, began a little streakily when top-edging Chris Tremlett’s first ball of the match for four over the keeper’s head. And he had a sticky patch in the 30s with Zander de Bruyn appealing unsuccessfully for lbw three times in quick succession. But apart from those moments, and a near run-out, the right-hander was in commanding form – pulling meatily, cutting precisely and, best of all, driving through the covers with delicious timing.Good things often come in pairs, of course, and there is no doubt the return to the side of Ian Westwood not only lifted Warwickshire spirits but also served as a reassuring presence for Chopra.The pair gave Warwickshire five century starts last season and they were at it again today, with Westwood, who had missed four Championship matches because of an ankle injury, supplying roughly half the runs during a scene-setting stand of 153. Bizarrely, 41 of those runs came off four mid-morning overs when Stuart Meaker, especially, and de Bruyn were taken to the cleaners.By the end of the day, no one’s bowling figures looked too flash, not even Jade Dernbach’s. The fast bowler hot-footed it home from Nottingham after being discarded by England, replaced Jon Lewis in the Surrey XI by prior arrangement deep into the last hour, fell flat on his face (literally) after sending down one delivery and wandered off with 0 for 30 from six overs.Chopra, meanwhile, strode away to the dressing room – having struck 28 fours in his unbeaten 187 – with the determined march of a man whose work is not yet done. He re-emerged a little later to admit to having a “sneaky eye” on going past his best of 233.”When you wake up in the morning, see the sun is shining and know you are going to play at Guildford, it has to be good,” Chopra said. “Thankfully, our captain won the toss. I’ve missed out in a few games this season but generally I’m pretty pleased with the way things are going.”Oh, that Surrey could say the same. But while the first day scorecard does them no favours, they stuck at their task reasonably well and have several batsmen – Ricky Ponting among them – who will fancy getting to grips with this friendly pitch and fast outfield.

A tight finish saw Port Qasim Authority sneak past Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) by six runs in a rain-curtailed Groub B tie of the Ramadan T20

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jul-2013
Scorecard
Azam Hussain’s 4 for 17 led Port Qasim to victory by six runs•Pakistan Cricket Board

Port Qasim Authority sneaked past Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) by six runs in a rain-curtailed Group B tie of the Ramadan T20. Needing 21 to win off the final over, Zafar Gohar hit two sixes but fell off the last ball to mark Port Qasim’s second win in as many matchesShahzaib Hasan constructed a good platform for Port Qasim after they lost the toss, scoring nearly twice as many runs as his partner Khalid Latif to power their 55-run opening stand. Port Qasim were cruising at 83 for 1 in 11 overs when three wickets fell in ten balls, including that of Hasan for 48, and returned balance to the match. Afsar Nawaz struck a timely cameo but Hussain Talat, who along with Gohar claimed five of the seven wickets, limited Port Qasim to 145.Rain delayed the start of the chase and curtailed it to 14 overs. ZTBL, chasing a revised target of 112, lost a sluggish Sharjeel Khan in the third over. Eighteen-year old Babar Azam struck 22 off 13 balls but fell eight balls after Shakeel Ansar’s dismissal to leave ZTBL at 43 for 3 in six overs. Azam Hussain, who picked up 4 for 17, dealt a further blow by removing the captain Imran Nazir and Talat in the next six balls. Gohar and Atif Ashraf shared a productive 34-run stand for the seventh wicket but the Ashraf’s fall in the 13th over, still 21 runs adrift, left Gohar with too much to do at the end.

The ICC has confirmed that the inventor of Hot Spot, Warren Brennan, raised concerns with them this week over the effect of bat coatings on the technology

Brydon Coverdale in Chester-le-Street08-Aug-2013The ICC has confirmed that the inventor of Hot Spot, Warren Brennan, raised concerns with them this week over the effect of bat coatings on the technology, which detects edges using thermal imaging, but that he was warned against suggesting players were deliberately trying to cheat the system.Although Brennan has not explicitly stated any such worries in public and has declined to comment, he sent a tweet on Monday to former England captain Michael Vaughan that said: “Michael, it’s time you investigate why players are using fibreglass tape on the edges of their bats.”Channel Nine also reported on Thursday that Brennan had raised his “serious concerns” with the ICC about flaws in the system. The Channel Nine report stated that Brennan feared silicone tape on bats could fool the technology by dulling the Hot Spot and ensuring no mark shows up on the edge even if a batsman has nicked the ball.Nine reported that testing was carried out, which showed that a second layer of tape had the dulling effect. Geoff Allardice, the ICC’s general manager of cricket operations, met with team management of both England and Australia in Durham on Thursday, and the ICC has announced Hot Spot will continue to be used for the rest of this series.Allardice confirmed that he and Brennan had met in Melbourne on Friday to discuss the series and Brennan afterwards sent an email raising concerns.”He followed up with an email to me on Monday suggesting that they’d looked at some clips and that coatings on the bat might have been dulling down the Hot Spot mark,” Allardice said. “He made us aware of that. On Tuesday, he did some testing and informed us of that. He also advised us that he was intending to make a media statement.”We talked about the timing of that. It’s his company, his product, he’s free to say whatever he likes in the media. We were expecting to see something either yesterday or today.”We didn’t really talk about the inference that players were doing it deliberately to try and beat the Hot Spot. I think we did warn him that if he made a statement along those lines, if the inference was that the players were trying to cheat the Hot Spot system he would need some strong evidence to support that. There is no evidence to support that assertion and certainly from the comments of the teams you can see that they don’t believe that that happens.”Both Michael Clarke and Alastair Cook have vehemently denied that any of their players have deliberately used tape in an effort to fool Hot Spot and the teams are happy for the technology to continue to be used throughout this series. When Allardice was asked if the ICC would consider changing its playing conditions to prevent the use of such tape on bats, he said “a lot more evidence” would be required before any such move was made.”I think it’s very early days, in that players have had coatings on bats, and manufacturers’ stickers on bats, and reinforcing tape on bats for forever and a day,” Allardice said. “We listened to Warren’s view and there may be something in it but I’d think we’d want to gain a lot more evidence before we’d look at rule changes or anything like that.”This was a theory that he put up on Monday this week. He did some tests that he felt supported that theory. We would like to see some more evidence from on the ground with players in action to support that. At this stage we’ve got no intention of changing the rules in the short term.”

The selectors have rectified an error they had made in selecting the injured Saurabh Tiwary for the upcoming Challenger Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Sep-2013The selectors have rectified an error they had made in selecting the injured Saurabh Tiwary for the upcoming Challenger Trophy. Tiwary had undergone a shoulder operation about three weeks ago, and is not expected to take field for the next month or so. His Jharkhand team-mate, Ishank Jaggi, replaced him in the India Red squad.Interestingly, Jaggi had been involved in a somewhat similar fiasco in the past. Two years ago, after having been named to represent Rest of India in the Irani Cup, Jaggi was withdrawn on fitness ground. The Jharkhand Cricket Association took exception to that BCCI explanation, and reported that Jaggi had been fit and been part of the Jharkhand Ranji preparatory camp. K Srikkanth led the selection panel back then.This time, though, the selectors, led by Sandeep Patil, could be given some leeway. This year’s Challenger Trophy will be played during an extremely busy period for Indian fringe players. Four sets of Indian cricketers were ruled out of selection because of the clashing Champions League T20. Another A team was selected to represent India A against West Indies A, which, too, clashes with the Challenger Trophy. In all, the selectors picked five teams on September 10: India A for one-dayers, India A for the first four-day game, India A for the following two four-day games and two Challenger sides.

Sri Lanka have declined Pakistan’s proposal to play a day-night Test during their December-January tour to the UAE

Andrew Fidel Fernando16-Aug-2013Test cricket will continue to await its first day-night encounter after Sri Lanka’s team management declined Pakistan’s proposal to play a day-night Test during their year-end tour to the UAE. Sri Lanka Cricket cited its players’ lack of practice with the pink ball as the source of their reluctance.”Since the national team players have not practiced under lights and with the new pink ball, the executive committee decided to stand by the decision taken by the national team management, to inform PCB that SLC is not willing to play a day-night Test match as requested by PCB,” a SLC release said.SLC president, Jayantha Dharmadasa, had been positively disposed to the idea of Sri Lanka being part of the first day-night Test, but others closer to the team had strong reservations. The series against Pakistan will be Sri Lanka’s first Test outing against a top-eight opposition in almost a year, and SLC’s decision is understood to have also been influenced by their desire to safeguard their team’s chances in an important series.PCB spokesman Nadeem Sarwar had told ESPNcricinfo that the PCB’s interest in pioneering day-night Tests was grounded in an attempt to revive interest in the longest format. “The major aspect in our discussion with SLC is the correspondence on the colour and brand of the ball. The venues are definitely ideal and there is no dew factor involved in December and January,” Sarwar had said.MCC has trialled day-night first-class matches, with a view to fine-tuning the colour and characteristics of the ball in order to make it fit for international cricket. Day-night Tests are not only likely to stoke viewer interest in the format, but as a result, the matches are also expected to be more lucrative for broadcasters and advertisers. Last year, the ICC approved day-night Tests, but left it to member boards to agree on the hours of play, and the colour and brand of the ball. Only the PCB has so far shown interest in playing day-night Tests. It has also experimented with day-night long-form cricket twice by playing the first-class Quaid-e-Azam trophy final in January 2011 and December 2011 under lights with an orange ball.Sri Lanka’s tour of Pakistan begins in December, and comprises of two Twenty20s, five ODIs and three Tests. Either Abu Dhabi or Dubai would have hosted the day-night Test, if SLC had agreed to it.

Trent Boult’s temperament is unlike that of a subcontinent tail-ender, as was evident from his patient knock, Bangladesh spinner Abdur Razzak has said

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong10-Oct-2013Abdur Razzak bowled 55 overs in his comeback Test innings, after which he was left having to defend Bangladesh’s helplessness in the face of a tenth-wicket stand that forced them to do a lot more work than New Zealand’s score of 342 for 9 had suggested was needed.Trent Boult and BJ Watling added 127 runs, holding up the home side for nearly two-and-a-half hours, the latest example of a worrying trend. Since 2001, there have been 36 fifty-plus partnerships from the seventh wicket onward against Bangladesh, including seven century-run stands.”Everyone thinks that such a last wicket partnership can be deflating,” Razzak said. “But it doesn’t really happen. Someone can play well, it is quite natural. During last year’s West Indies series, Raju [Abul Hasan] got a century at No. 10. The wait for the opening batsmen is harder. They are tired after fielding more than 150 overs and as it is, batting second is always harder in a Test match.”Watling recorded his second century in Test cricket while Boult reached a maiden half-century and became the 15th No. 11 batsman to reach the landmark in Tests. Robiul Islam, who opened the bowling for Bangladesh, bowled only 13 overs in the innings. His new-ball partner Rubel Hossain didn’t bowl a single yorker, focusing mainly on a shorter length after getting the wicket of Bruce Martin with a bouncer earlier in the day.”You always just try to get blocks of ten runs at a time, try to weigh them down and then you just keep going,” said Watling. “We played some good cricket and put them under pressure and I think we played with a lot of patience. It was great fun batting with Trent [Boult] out there. I thought he played extremely well. He waited for his ball and played some nice shots through the onside. We managed to put a good partnership together, which was pretty much needed because I think 400 is pretty much par on that wicket.”Watling handled Sohag Gazi well while Shakib Al Hasan, who bowled the most to the pair, was not at his best even against Boult, although he tried every line, angle and length.Razzak bowled 16 wicketless overs at the pair, after which part-timer Mominul Haque finally dragged Watling out of the crease to end the innings. There were times when Tamim Iqbal and Anamul Haque looked visibly down as they saw a No. 11 score an unbeaten half-century and their troubles only grew when both got out cheaply in Bangladesh’s first innings.Razzak praised Boult for his patience, which he said is unlike the temperament of subcontinent tail-enders. Boult has, in fact, been involved in his third 50-plus partnership this year alone but this his personal best score in first-class and Test cricket.”The last batsman [Trent Boult] didn’t try to do anything. I think his first drive was after he had got to 27. Before that he had scored most of his runs through edges and nudges as he defended the ball,” Razzak said. “The ball didn’t turn as well, so it was quite easy to play the straight deliveries. Plus Watling was a set batsman, the sort that is hard to get out on this surface. We gave it our all but it took us a long time to get the wicket.”

Durham poised to go top of the First Division: preview of the next round of LV= Championship matches

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-2015Division OneMiddlesex v Durham (Lord’s, starts Saturday)Durham return to Lord’s for the first time since their Royal London One-Day Cup triumph against Warwickshire last September needing only six points to go top of the early-season Division One table with the leaders Sussex not in action this week.Their coach Jon Lewis has named an unchanged 13 for the third consecutive match, but will hope to have Mark Wood available to strengthen his bowling options for next week’s home game against Nottinghamshire. Middlesex are also in buoyant mood after making 405 for five on Wednesday, the fourth highest fourth innings run chase in their history, to claim an improbable first win of the season against Somerset at Taunton, and could also go top with a convincing win.Adam Voges, who made a crucial contribution with 132, will be making his penultimate appearance as captain before joining Australia’s squad in the West Indies. Steve Finn is available, with England’s squad for next Friday’s one-day international in Ireland not due to gather until Wednesday night, and is likely to team up with Tim Murtagh, who has recovered from the back twinge he suffered in Taunton, before they face each other in Malahide.Worcestershire v Somerset (New Road, starts Sunday)Craig Overton and Alfonso Thomas are set to make their first appearance of the season for Somerset in a meeting between two counties who are joint bottom of the table after losing their first two matches. Overton, who has been working his way back from a calf injury sustained on the England Lions tour of South Africa, is set to replace his twin brother Jamie, who has had scans on a heel problem that limited him to seven balls as Middlesex scored 405 for five to inflict the second of Somerset’s defeats at Taunton on Wednesday.Tim Groenewald also drops out of the squad. Worcestershire have had a week to recover from their consecutive defeats by Yorkshire and Sussex, but they have not beaten Somerset in six Championship matches since 2006, when Graeme Hick scored a century and Ben Smith a double.Division TwoEssex v GloucestershireGloucestershire have not won a Championship match at Chelmsford since 1930, and will arrive as rank outsiders against an Essex team who remain on a roll despite being denied the chance to press for a seventh consecutive win by a washout of the last day of their game against Surrey at the Kia Oval.They are still missing Tom Westley with a broken thumb, as well as Ravi Bopara at the Indian Premier League, but Nick Browne and Daniel Lawrence shone in Kennington in their absence, Lawrence becoming the third youngest player in history to score a Championship century. Gloucestershire name an unchanged squad with Gareth Roderick, their Durban-born wicketkeeper, aiming to extend a run of making a half century in each of his four innings this season.Glamorgan v DerbyshireGlamorgan are boosted by the availability for the first time this season of Michael Hogan, the tall Australian seamer who has given them such good service over the last two summers, but missed their opening draws against Leicestershire and Surrey with a hamstring injury that also denied him a Sheffield Shield final appearance for Western Australia. Andrew Salter, the promising off-spinner from Haverfordwest, is also added to a squad that includes the former Derbyshire seamer Graham Wagg.Derbyshire have lost their opener Billy Godleman for two matches, suspended for throwing the ball dangerously close to a Gloucestershire batsman in their win at Bristol, and that could hand a first chance of the season to Chesney Hughes. Martin Guptill, who smashed a spectacular double century in that game as well as taking three brilliant catches, will be making his farewell appearance before linking up with New Zealand for their tour opener against Somerset in Taunton next week.Kent v LeicestershireLeicestershire may be established as the whipping boys of county cricket, with Wednesday’s home defeat by Northamptonshire their 19th in 34 Championship matches since their last win in September 2012. But it is Kent who currently prop up the Division Two table having taken only seven points from defeats by Essex and Lancashire in their first two games. They will see the visit of Leicestershire, against whom they have a 10-match unbeaten run stretching back to 2003, as the perfect chance to win their first home game of the season for the first time since 2007.Darren Stevens generally relishes playing against his home county, having played for them for eight seasons before joining Kent in 2005. Leicestershire are again without Atif Sheikh, the left-arm seamer who injured his shoulder in their opening draw against Glamorgan, and may consider one or more of several players who have impressed for the second team, including Matthew Boyce and Jigar Naik.Northamptonshire v LancashireLancashire have won four consecutive Championship matches against Northants, two in 2013 when the counties were promoted together from Division Two, and two last year when they both went straight back down. They have also started the season with two consecutive wins under their new coach Ashley Giles, despite losing their new captain Tom Smith with a back injury.He will again be missing this week, so Steven Croft continues as skipper. Nathan Buck, the seamer signed from Leicestershire who has yet to make his Red Rose debut, is again included in a 12-man squad. Northants could displace them from the top with a victory, having drawn their first game against Gloucestershire then beating Leicestershire at Grace Road.But they will have to do so without David Willey, who is given a break to prepare for a possible England debut in next Friday’s one-day international against Ireland in Dublin. He is likely to be replaced by the former Lancashire all-rounder Steven Crook

Windward Islands wicketkeeper Andre Fletcher has reportedly been arrested at the Douglas Charles airport in Dominica on possession of ammunition, Dominica News Online reported

ESPNcricinfo staff29-May-2015West Indies and Windward Islands wicketkeeper-batsman Andre Fletcher has reportedly been arrested at the Douglas Charles airport in Dominica on possession of ammunition, (DNO) reported on Thursday.According to the news report Fletcher, 27, had been in Dominica practicing with the Windward Islands team and was leaving the country when he was arrested. DNO reported he would appear in court on Friday.Lockhart Sebastian, the Windward Islands manager, said he was aware of the arrest, according to the report. “I will support him, I will not abandon him … that is the job of a manager,” he was quoted as saying by DNO.Fletcher, a national of Grenada, has played 15 ODIs and 22 Twenty20 internationals for West Indies; his most recent appearance being in a T20 game against South Africa in Durban in January this year. He has played 60 first-class matches and was a regular in the Windwards Islands side during the 2014-15 season.