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A round-up of matches on the opening day of the Under-19 Asia Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Dec-2013Afghanistan Under-19 pulled off a three-wicket victory, after Zia-ur-Rehman’s five-for restricted Sri Lanka Under-19 to 191 for 9. Sri Lanka had made a steady start, with opener Hashan Dumindu scoring 61, but the innings faltered after the first-wicket stand of 64. They lost wickets in clutches, with Rehman jolting the top and lower order while Sharafuddin Ashraf, who took 2 for 30, hurting the middle. Rehman finished with 5 for 33 in ten overs. Afghanistan’s chase also slipped after a steady start: they went from 63 for 0 to 78 for 3 and then limped to 165 for 7. The asking rate was never an issue, though, and the captain Nasir Ahmadzai scored an unbeaten 28, and Ashraf hit 15 off eight balls, to take Afghanistan to victory with 15 balls to spare.Bangladesh Under-19 made short work of Malaysia Under-19 in their opening game of the Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi, winning by nine wickets and 39.4 overs to spare. Malaysia lasted only 25.2 overs after they chose to bat and were dismissed for 50. Ahmad Tajudin Ismail was their top scorer with 15 and the only batsman to score in double figures. Bangladesh left-arm seamer Abu Haider finished with figures of 8-4-8-5. The Bangladesh top order did not waste time in the chase, achieving the target in 10.2 overs. Opener Shadman Islam was unbeaten on 25 off 26 balls.A hundred from Akhil Herwadkar and rapid half-centuries from Sanju Samson and Ricky Bhui led India Under-19 to a match-winning total against UAE Under-19. After India won the toss, Herwadkar made 101, while Samson scored 65 off 47 balls and Bhui 54 off 38 to amass a score of 320 for 4. UAE’s chase never got going and eventually only two of their batsmen made it into the 20s, and neither of them passed 30. Seamer Deepak Hooda took 4 for 21, while spinners Aamir Gani and Kuldeep Yadav took three and two wickets each for India. UAE were dismissed for 131 in 40.1 overs, giving India victory by 189 runs.Pakistan Under-19 batsmen Sami Aslam and Hasan Raza scored centuries to sink Nepal Under-19 by 132 runs. Aslam made a run-a-ball 108 while Raza contributed 100, and the innings was given boost by Zafar Gohar, who scored 50 off 26 balls to lead Pakistan to 311 for 6 in 50 overs. Nepal’s openers added 76 but they took 22.4 overs to do so and the asking rate soared. The innings fell away after Amit Shrestha’s 60 and Nepal were restricted to 179 for 7. Pakistan trialled as many as eight bowlers and left-arm spinner Kamran Ghulam was the best of the lot, taking 4 for 36 in ten overs.

Sri Lanka have recalled allrounder Jeevan Mendis and seamer Dilhara Fernando to their ODI squad for the home series against Pakistan starting in June

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-2012Sri Lanka have recalled allrounder Jeevan Mendis and seamer Dilhara Fernando to their ODI squad for the home series against Pakistan starting in June. Also included in the squad is fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep, who toured South Africa late last year with the national team but had to head back home due to a hamstring tear. Rangana Herath, who didn’t play in the Asia Cup, is back as well while allrounder Farveez Maharoof and Ajantha Mendis do not find a place.Sri Lanka’s limited-overs squads

ODI squad
Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekera, Sachithra Senanayake, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath, Upul Tharanga, Nuwan Pradeep, Dilhara Fernando

T20 squad
Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara (wk),Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushalya Lokuarachchi, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekera, Sachithra Senanayake, Lasith Malinga, Chamara Kapugedera, Upul Tharanga, Isuru Udana

Jeevan Mendis, who also bowls leg-spin, has played 19 ODIs for Sri Lanka, picking up 14 wickets and averaging 19.18 with the bat. He last played for them in the ODI series against Pakistan in the UAE in November 2011. Since then he’s played on the domestic circuit, representing Tamil Union, chipping in with handy contributions in the middle order and taking wickets in all three formats.Pradeep hasn’t played an ODI for Sri Lanka but went wicketless in his only Test, against Pakistan last year. After having to leave from the tour of South Africa, he had a three-month lay-off. Returning to domestic cricket in March this year, he’s played a first-class game and three Twenty20s.Fernando played two Tests and an ODI on the tour of South Africa and was named in the provisional squad of 30 for the upcoming series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Ajantha Mendis, who was part of that squad, has also been left out. Ajantha Mendis hasn’t played competitive cricket since January following a back injury.Sri Lanka play two Twenty20 internationals, five ODIs and three Tests against Pakistan. For the Twenty20s, they brought back left-arm seamer Isuru Udana – who last played for the national team in the 2009 World Twenty20 – and legspinner Kaushal Lokuarachchi, who hasn’t played for the national side since 2007.

Eden Hazard admits to always returning for pre-season overweight, with the ex-Chelsea and Real Madrid star making sure that he enjoyed his summers.

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Belgian forward faced fitness questionsAdmits to letting himself go at timesRetired from football at the age of 32WHAT HAPPENED?

The former Belgium international regularly faced questions of his physical condition when linking up with training camps ahead of any given campaign. That criticism intensified during his time at Santiago Bernabeu, as form and fitness proved hard to come by in Spain.

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Hazard accepts that he would come back a little heavy, but makes no apologies for that as he was determined to make the most of a break in competitive action. With his body pushed to breaking point during gruelling domestic, continental and international campaigns, he was reluctant to do any kind of serious exercise when there was too much fun to be had.

WHAT HAZARD SAID

Hazard told the hosted by his one-time Chelsea team-mate John Obi Mikel when asked about his supposed weight issues: “It was true. But me, every summer I was putting on four or five kilos because I was thinking you give so much for 10 months, you put your body at the highest level and people kick you, so your time off is your time off. Don’t ask me to do anything. I enjoy being with my family, going to the beach, so don’t ask me to run in those three or four weeks. I can play football on the beach with my kids, no problem, but don’t ask me to run.

“But if you look throughout my career, the first month [of the season] is the bit where I was thinking it’s just the beginning, and then from September and October I was flying, because I needed time to put my body and mind in the best way. So yes, it’s true, I came back after holidays with five kilos, I knew it. As a Belgian guy, we love beers because my country has the best beers in the world, so I’m not telling you I used to drink every day because it’s not true, but sometimes after a good game, one or two is nice.”

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Hazard announced his retirement in October 2023 at just 32 years of age. He had been released by Real Madrid after four forgettable seasons in La Liga and opted against taking on another new challenge despite being linked with clubs around the world.

Mohit Sharma revelled in a “dream” debut after he helped skittle Zimbabwe for just 144 in the fourth ODI in Bulawayo

Liam Brickhill at Queens Sports Club01-Aug-2013Mohit Sharma revelled in a “dream” debut after he helped skittle Zimbabwe for just 144 in the fourth ODI in Bulawayo. Entrusted with the new ball, as he had been through most of the IPL by MS Dhoni, Mohit made the first incision for India with the wicket of Sikandar Raza and then returned to remove Malcolm Waller in the batting Powerplay to snap a stubborn middle-order stand.”Yeah, it all feels like a dream,” Mohit said. “But I have worked on my bowling and it is showing. I am ready to do well in whatever opportunity I am going to get. I was just focusing on keeping things simple and sticking to basics. I did not want to try too many things and it worked for me today.”It was that same formula that first brought Mohit success in the Ranji Trophy with Haryana and it also worked a treat at this year’s IPL, where he emerged as one of the most miserly and effective new-ball bowlers of the tournament. It was also noticeable that, during every Indian nets session on this tour, Mohit consistently impressed with his ability to hit a length on or around off stump with almost every delivery.A correct call at the toss by Virat Kohli supplied Mohit with almost ideal conditions this morning and, apart from a single wide probably brought about by nervous excitement, his first over in international cricket was exemplary. He beat Vusi Sibanda’s bat four times in that first over, and it wasn’t until his third that a run was scored off the bat.It was his stock outswinger that brought his maiden wicket, with Raza feathering one behind, and Mohit’s opening six-over spell yielded just 13 runs. After a brief turn in the middle overs, Kohli brought him back for the Powerplay, with a well-set Waller and Elton Chigumbura having taken 11 runs from the first over under the fielding restrictions. Sharma responded to his captain’s call with Waller’s dismissal, also via the outside edge. A battling 80-run stand was broken, and Zimbabwe quickly subsided.”It is difficult to bowl in Powerplays but we work hard in practice sessions,” Mohit explained. “We create match situations during training and bowl a lot and that has helped in matches. And that is why we don’t feel much pressure in matches. Playing under Mahi [Dhoni] and in pressure conditions has taught me a lot. I am just carrying that experience into the international level.”Everyone already knew that Mohit could do a job with the new ball, and such was the ineptitude of Zimbabwe’s batting that his ability to vary his bowling with slower balls – which, again was on prime display in the IPL – and yorkers has not yet been tested. He’s in no rush to add new strings to his bow, however, and given his successes so far that’s understandable.”After coming into the Indian team I have learnt a lot from bowling coach Joe Dawes. It’s just about sticking to the basics and working on your strengths and improving on that. As far as learning new things in bowling, I can do that later and not in match situations. Now I want to focus on the next game and doing well in that as well.”

MS Dhoni, who will captain India for the 50th time in Tests, highlighted the importance of knowing one’s limitations and their strengths

Sidharth Monga in Johannesburg17-Dec-2013When he walks out for the toss at the Wanderers on Wednesday, MS Dhoni will have achieved a rare feat: having captained in 50 Tests a team that always plays under the scrutiny and pressure of expectation that the England football team or the All Blacks usually face. Only 32 years old, he often jokes about how he has greyed with the captaincy. There is a reason why no Indian has led in 50 Tests. Rahul Dravid, possibly the best on-field captain India have had, could manage the job for only 25 matches before resigning. Dhoni has obviously done some things right, one of which is that he might not even know that he is going to walk out for a 50th toss in whites.When Dhoni had the seniors – Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag gave him some of their best innings – he did the job perfectly for the most part. He knew all he needed to do was make sure they were in a good space and the performances would be delivered. He managed the off-field stuff well, which captains will tell you is equally important, if not more – remember Ian Chappell’s improvisation of a Bill O’Reilly line that even a collie dog can arrange a batting order and make bowling changes? Towards the end of the seniors’ careers, Dhoni perhaps trusted a good thing for too long, but largely he could do his job staying in the shadow and under the radar.Now, though, begins a new challenge for Dhoni. This is the first time he is captaining a side without any of his big guns. Even Gautam Gambhir is missing. India’s six specialist batsmen have a combined experience of 42 Tests, only three of them in South Africa. Dhoni knows he needs to be more proactive without being overbearing.MS Dhoni’s 50th Test as India captain is the beginning of a whole new challenge•BCCI”It will be quite different,” he said on the eve of the match. “When all the seniors were part of the side, you didn’t really have to worry much about how preparation is going because once you have played international cricket for a long time you know your game. At the same time you know how to prepare well in different conditions. Many of them had toured the same venues quite a few times, be it England, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand.”But with the new set of players, at times you have to guide them as to what needs to be done, and what are the areas where they need to improve,” Dhoni said. “At the same time not getting too technical is also very important. Because you can’t change your technique in five-six-seven days. What’s important is to know your limitation, and at the same time know your strength.”An ideal scenario would have been a gradual phasing out of the seniors, so that some of them were around to take the new batsmen through their paces in away Tests. However, not for nothing is the India captaincy difficult. There are few ideal scenarios. Now all these young batsmen will have to go through this as newcomers. A newcomer, though, will find what Dhoni says reassuring. He is not imposing demands, he is not going to sit and say things would have been better with Tendulkar or Dravid or Laxman around. He is going to guide newcomers on how to prepare, he is going to leave technical matters to Duncan Fletcher, and he will ask that they give their best on match day.Dhoni is also going to ask his bowlers to pull their weight, a demand sometimes not made because the senior batsmen used to clean up after them. “One of the most crucial things to do is to bowl well, because to win Test matches you have to score runs but at the end of the day we need to take 20 wickets,” he said, when asked of the importance of batting well in the first innings. “So I think it will be very important to bowl in the right areas. [You need to] get used to the conditions really well. Try to hit the top of off stump because that’s the ideal length irrespective of where you are playing. It’s a bit of both, but of course we need to bowl really well. If we start well with that, we will carry off the confidence to other departments.”Dhoni will live with his bowlers not having the pace of Dale Steyn or the bounce of Morne Morkel, but he will want them to hit the top of off with the seam upright more often than not.It’s possible Dhoni doesn’t let things such as legacy play on his mind too much. However, after the last two horror away tours put a downer on his good work as captain, his 50th is almost a fresh start for Dhoni when it comes to leading a Test side.

ESPNcricinfo previews the third ODI between England and South Africa at The Oval

The Preview by David Hopps30-Aug-2012Match factsAugust 31, The Oval
Start time 1300 (1200 GMT)AB de Villiers: captain, wicketkeeper and key batsman in the world’s No. 1 ODI side•PA PhotosBig PictureSouth Africa are tempted to smirk at England’s captaincy predicament, with Andrew Strauss’ resignation after the defeat in the Test series still fresh in the mind, and gossip sounding about how much damage Kevin Pietersen’s stand-off with the powers-that-be is causing English cricket. The England dressing room was a sad place in Southampton when Strauss stood down and if the opposition are not at their best it all helps South Africa implant their status as the best side in world cricket.Delve too deeply, however, and before too long they will have issues of their own. Nobody is sure quite how long Graeme Smith will want to continue as Test captain and whether South Africa’s rise to No. 1 in the Test rankings has silenced for the time being his occasional musings that he would like to finish his international career as a respected senior player with no leadership responsibilities.The odds are that Smith is a leader in Test cricket until the day he retires, but that all puts the spotlight on his replacement in the one-day side, AB de Villiers. He has recently taken on the triple role of batsman, wicketkeeper and captain in one-day cricket, but surely to do that at Test level, after Mark Boucher’s tragic accident, would be unthinkable. Comparisons with MS Dhoni, who fulfils all three roles but bats at No. 7, are not entirely valid.This is de Villiers’ third series in charge and in Southampton it all went swimmingly. Already he seems to be confirmed to keep wicket in the Test series in Australia before the New Year. Ranked No. 1 in all three formats or not, those youthful looks could soon be coming under pressure.Form guide (Most recent first, completed matches)
South Africa WWWWL
England LWWWW
Players to watch …Ravi Bopara’s place seems assured in England’s top six because of his ability to share a bowling spot with Samit Patel so that makes it hard to include the new kid on the block, Jonny Bairstow. One way to balance things up would be for England to play five specialist bowlers. The lack of Graeme Swann at No. 9 – he is rested for the last three ODIs – as a dangerous tail-ender makes this less likely, if not out of the question.Robin Peterson, once forced into a stock bowler’s role, now regards himself as South Africa’s attack dog in one-day cricket. When he conceded runs, captains and coaches used to question his ability. Then two years ago, he was given more licence to attack, finished the World Cup as South Africa’s leading wicket-taker and is now established in the side.Pitch and conditionsIt has rained in England seemingly since time began. It is not going to be quick.Team newsSwann’s withdrawal from the rest of the series means a probable return for James Tredwell, while Chris Woakes could oust Tim Bresnan after the latter’s expensive showing at West End.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Ian Bell, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ravi Bopara, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 7 Samit Patel, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 James Tredwell, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steve Finn.South Africa have not taken their media commitments very seriously since the end of their victorious Test series. They were an hour late for the media conference for The Oval by which time pretty much everyone had lost interest so it is hard to know what they will do. Albie Morkel is ruled out, though Dale Steyn could be closer to a return.South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 JP Duminy, 4 Dean Elgar, 5 AB de Villiers (capt, wk), 6 Faf du Plessis, 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Ryan McLaren, 9 Robin Peterson, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe.Stats and triviaEngland’s appointment of Alastair Cook as Test captain in succession to Andrew Strauss ends their unique reliance on different captains for all three formats of the game.Paul Collingwood first suspected that Strauss was planning to retire when he told him he had bought a dog.South Africa last won an ODI at The Oval against England in 1999.Quotes “I jagged one down to him, he ducked under it and fell over. I remember the coach shouting from the back of the net, ‘You just got put on your arse by a 14-year-old!'”
“I like to take wickets instead of containing people. It’s probably the way one-day cricket has gone these days: the only way to control the run rate is by taking wickets all the time.”

New Zealand bowling coach, Damien Wright, has had success during his playing days in Hobart, and his charges are looking to learn from him

Brydon Coverdale in Hobart07-Dec-2011As New Zealand regroup following their loss at the Gabba, they can take comfort from one important fact. The second Test is at Bellerive Oval, and nobody has taken more first-class wickets at the venue than their bowling coach, Damien Wright.In a 14-year first-class career, a decade of which was spent playing for Tasmania, Wright collected 127 victims in Hobart, at an average of 26.92. If anyone is qualified to preach on seam and swing bowling at the ground, it is Wright.When he took on the job in July, Wright was looking forward to helping the New Zealanders understand Australian conditions, from how to play on the different venues to technical knowledge like how to keep the Kookaburra ball swinging all day. His first outing against the Australians was far from unsuccessful: it was the batting and fielding that let New Zealand down in Brisbane more than the bowling.Now, they must adjust from the bouncier Gabba surface to Bellerive, where the ball tends to swing early, but life can become harder for bowlers as matches wear on. There are also breezes from the Derwent River to take into account, all of which the New Zealand fast men hope to learn about from Wright.”It will change, in Brisbane there was a lot more bounce and carry,” the fast bowler Tim Southee said on Wednesday. “We’ll reassess and talk about it after training today. Damien Wright who played a lot of cricket down here will have his knowledge to pass on to us and hopefully we can learn from that.”He’s been great for us. He has played a lot in Australia and has a lot of experience and has played a lot of cricket. I’ve only had a few weeks with Damien. Now he has seen me bowl a bit so he has some things that we’ll talk about today. He’s got an exciting knowledge of cricket. We’ll need that leading up to this Test.”New Zealand can also count history on their side as they aim to provide more fight than in Brisbane. They are the only side ever to deny Australia victory in Bellerive Oval Test matches – and they’ve done it twice. Rain played a part in both those draws, in 1997-98 and 2001-02, but it’s a decent record all the same.”By all accounts it’s more like a New Zealand wicket,” Southee said of Bellerive. It is certainly more so than the Gabba. Hobart is further south than Wellington and has a similar annual rainfall to Christchurch. It could hardly be a more familiar climate for the New Zealanders.But in order to capitalise on that, they will need to grab their opportunities. New Zealand spilled four catches in Brisbane, all behind the wicket and all chances that should have been taken. The culprits were the wicketkeeper Reece Young and slip catchers Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder. Doug Bracewell also gave Michael Clarke a life by bowling him off a no-ball.”No one means to drop catches but everyone drops catches at some point,” Southee said. “We didn’t have lot of luck with the ball. Obviously Dougie bowling Michael Clarke was a massive turning point. I’m sure he’s working on that. Chris Martin bowled well and Doug bowled extremely well in periods. It was just very unlucky with those chances that went down.”But we have a good fielding outfit and we were disappointed to let our standards slip. The guys set very high standards in the field. When things aren’t going so well it’s something we rely on to get us going. We’ve put in some hard work since Brisbane and I’m sure there’ll be a lot of catching [practice] today and tomorrow.”All the bowlers can do is keep creating the chances.

The England seamers, maintaining the fine form that has been a feature of their cricket over the last couple of years, claimed three wickets in the first four overs to gain the early initiative

The Report by George Dobell26-Mar-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMahela Jayawardene’s 30th Test hundred was a vital innings for his side•Getty ImagesA masterful century from Mahela Jayawardene helped Sri Lanka fight back against England on the first day of the first Test in Galle. Jayawardene, unbeaten on 168 at stumps, batted for all but two overs of a hot and humid day to ensure his side were not completely overwhelmed. None of his colleagues made more than 27 and between them, they contributed just 111.Both sides will reflect on a day of missed opportunities. While England – with the notable exception of Monty Panesar – were impressive in the field, Sri Lanka may well come to rue that a series of batsmen played a part in their own downfall. Two of them were run out, one was caught at cover as he attempted a slog-sweep that reeked of inexperience and at least one more was drawn into driving at a delivery he would have been better served leaving well alone. England applied the pressure expertly, but Sri Lanka proved more brittle than expected.England, meanwhile, will regret four missed chances off Jayawardene – the two from Panesar almost comical – and a failure to finish off the innings much earlier. At 191 for 7, a total of 300 should have proved beyond Sri Lanka. Such profligacy could come back to haunt England.If it does, it will be largely thanks to Jayawardene. Only seven men have scored more than his 30 Test centuries, but he would have been frustrated at his colleagues’ failure to take advantage of winning the toss. It should have proved invaluable: on a pitch that is already offering a surprising amount of assistance for the spinners and is expected to deteriorate further.Jayawardene deserved better. With his patience, his shot selection, his concentration and his technique, he provided the perfect example for his team-mates to follow. Three times he came down the wicket to thump sixes over long-on – once off James Anderson and twice off Graeme Swann – though generally he contented himself with waiting for the poor ball and putting it away with clinical precision.England did allow him four moments of fortune, however. When he had 64, Anderson was unable to cling on to a desperately tough chance at first slip off the bowling of Swann (Sri Lanka would have been 138 for 6 had it been taken) before, on 90, Anderson missed a much more straightforward chance off his own bowling.Then came two moments of vintage Panesar. Jayawardene, on 147, pulled directly to him at backward square and Panesar parried the ball for four. Worse was to follow. Panesar dropped a much simpler chance at mid-on off Stuart Broad when the batsman had 152. It provided a reminder of why Panesar, for all his skill as a bowler, has spent so much of his career on the outskirts of the international team.At first it appeared Sri Lanka might be blown away as they lost three wickets in the first four overs. Lahiru Thirimanne became Anderson’s 250th Test wicket in the bowler’s 67th Test – he is just the sixth England bowler to reach the milestone – as he prodded at one angled across him, before Kumar Sangakkara suffered the third first-ball dismissal of his Test career after he was drawn into a loose drive. Broad then took the edge of Tillakaratne Dilshan’s bat with a beauty that bounced and left him off the seam.Thilan Samaraweera was run out backing up after the bowler, Anderson, managed to lay a hand on a fierce return drive from Mahela Jayawardene only to see the ball deflect on to the stumps at the bowler’s end. It was, some might say, an unfortunate end to a promising innings, though Samaraweera was backing up unnecessarily far.Dinesh Chandimal, meanwhile, presented Samit Patel – preferred to Ravi Bopara (whose side strain would have prohibited him from bowling) or Tim Bresnan – with a maiden Test wicket as he miscued an ugly slog-sweep to cover and miscued to cover. It was the shot of a young man who had almost forgotten the art of batting for long periods of time; not surprising, perhaps, when you consider that he has not batted in first-class cricket since the first week of January.Then Suraj Randiv, looking quite comfortable and with a role to fulfil in supporting his captain, was run out by a direct hit from Andrew Strauss. It was a marvellous bit of work from England’s captain, who threw from about point, but it was another piece of sloppy cricket from a Sri Lankan side that has barely had time to draw breath after tours to South Africa, Australia and then Bangladesh. Not that Randiv, perhaps guilty of over enthusiasm, could use that excuse: he has been playing first-class cricket in Sri Lanka.With Herath, too, departing to an unnecessary sweep, only Prasanna Jayawardene could consider himself blameless. He fell victim to a wicked reverse-swinging inducker from Anderson.There were concerns that England would miss a third quick, but the polished performance of their frontline bowlers – and the fragility of the Sri Lankan batting – suggested the selectors’ gamble had been vindicated.Anderson, in particular, was excellent. Gaining conventional swing with the new ball and reverse swing with the old, he scarcely bowled a loose ball throughout and, when he took the wicket of Prasanna Jayawardene, he drew level with Brian Statham on 252 Test wickets. Only four England bowlers – Ian Botham, Bob Willis, Fred Trueman and Derek Underwood – have more.Patel could also reflect with pleasure on his first day of Test cricket. While both frontline spinners went wicketless, Patel struck twice. He is not the biggest turner of the ball, but he bowls straight with just enough variation to keep the batsmen honest.Perhaps it was the heat, perhaps it was the lingering issue of his ankle injury, but Broad appeared to struggle as the day progressed and England will be uncomfortable with the speed that runs were leaked after they claimed the second new ball. While the pitch is far from a minefield, it is highly unlikely to grow any easier and England – fresh from their travails against Pakistan’s spinners in the UAE – may struggle to shake the worry that they have squandered their best chance to take a firm grip on the series.

Andrew Flintoff, the man whose greatest years as a Test cricketer coincided with England’s last sustained run of excellence in five-day cricket, believes the team of 2011 is a better outfit than the 2005 side that won six series in a row

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Aug-2011Andrew Flintoff, the man whose greatest years as a Test cricketer coincided with England’s last sustained run of excellence in five-day cricket, believes the team of 2011 is a better outfit than the 2005 side that won six series in a row and regained the Ashes for the first time in 18 years.England’s current run of form has carried them to a 2-0 series lead against the current No. 1 Test team in the world, India, and if they maintain or improve that two-match margin in the remaining two Tests of the series at Edgbaston and The Oval, they will themselves climb to the top of the world rankings.In Flintoff’s estimation, however, that handover has already been achieved. “England are the best team in the world already,” he said. “Not just in ranking, but also in strength. They have got everything. I don’t see why they can’t dominate for a long time. They have strong enough players to do it. Australia and West Indies did it and England should be able to do it for the next few years.”The key difference between 2005 and 2011 is the breadth of the squad that England are able to call upon. Six years ago, England’s first XI was formidable, with players such as Flintoff and Simon Jones peaking at precisely the right moment in their careers. However, they lacked the reserves to maintain their rise towards the top. Jones went lame with one Ashes match remaining and never played again, while the subsequent losses of Marcus Trescothick, Michael Vaughan and Flintoff himself for long periods led to a long slide back towards mediocrity.”This is a better side than the one we had in 2005,” said Flintoff. “The strength of it and the depth is incredible. In 2005 we had 11 players who had a memorable few weeks and played at their best for a period, but we never played together again.”In the past 12 months, England have demonstrated a formidable pack mentality, particularly when it comes to their fast bowlers. When Stuart Broad was injured during the Ashes, he was replaced superbly by Chris Tremlett, who had himself risen to become the leader of the attack by the end of the recent Sri Lanka series. Then, when he suffered a back spasm on the eve of the Trent Bridge Test, Tim Bresnan – another Ashes reserve – stepped in to seal the match with a career-best 5 for 48.”This side have a squad and they are so strong in and out of the side,” said Flintoff. “We’ve seen them replace players without blinking and it has made no difference to the performance and that has been happening for a while now.”There are no weak links. They are playing with a confidence and a swagger that goes with being the best. They’ve got every department covered and if someone gets injured then another one comes in and does a job.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the Champions League Twenty20 qualifier between Auckland and Somerset in Hyderabad

The Preview by Nitin Sundar19-Sep-2011Match factsAuckland v Somerset, September 20
Start time 20.00 (14.30 GMT)
Auckland faced heartbreak in their first game, but their opponents on Tuesday are the ones really having the blues•AFPBig PictureAuckland have less than 24 hours to bounce back from their utterly deflating loss to Kolkata Knight Riders. Twenty20 games are rarely lost from 60 for 1 in the ninth over while chasing 122 for a win, but somehow Auckland managed to stuff it on Monday. Victory won’t guarantee anything, but another defeat will shut the door on their chances of taking home anything between an extra $200,000 and $2.5 million. That’s a lot of money for a New Zealand-based side to pass up, sitting as they do in a world far from the commercial hub of cricket.Their joust with Kolkata proved that Auckland have the team to pull off a win, and would have also given them pointers on how to tackle the slow-and-low conditions in Hyderabad. Their chances are considerably brightened by the circumstances in which their opponents have turned up for the event. Only three days ago, Somerset were in a different time-zone, shuddering to another defeat in a final, leaving them with a fifth runner’s-up spot across formats in two years of domestic cricket. In addition to being demoralised and bleary-eyed, they have arrived without their captain, Marcus Trescothick, while Kieron Pollard has chosen to play for Mumbai Indians. It gets worse – Craig Kieswetter and Jos Buttler are unavailable for the qualifier on account of England duty. Both teams are clearly saddled with varying degrees of adversity – who will stay afloat on Tuesday night?Team newsIn Trescothick’s absence, Alfonso Thomas will lead Somerset, and his IPL experience with Pune Warriors will come in handy. The absence of several key players makes predicting their top order a bit of a lottery. The side is also endowed with more than its share of slow spinners.

Auckland may want to stick to their XI, though they will be concerned with Colin Munro’s inability to score quickly in the middle overs.Watch out for …Martin Guptill faced the ignominy of getting dismissed before facing a ball against Kolkata, and will be eager to make amends against Somerset. He was one of the top run-getters in the Friends Life t20, with 476 runs in 14 innings for Derbyshire, and will want to extend that run in the Champions League.Murali Kartik has fashioned a reputation for himself in Twenty20 circles, and it is largely founded upon his county exploits. This time, he is likely to be the designated leader of the attack, and Somerset will rely heavily on his local expertise.Key contestPeter Trego is known to hit a long ball against the spinners, as Amit Mishra would testify. Ronnie Hira is a left-arm spinner who is unafraid to toss it up even if batsmen try to go after him. Sparks could fly when they go head to head.Stats & trivia Arul Suppiah had the best individual figures – 6 for 5 – by any bowler in the Friends Life t20 James Hildreth, with 346 runs, was the second-highest run-getter for Somerset in that tournamentQuotes”We always thought scoring against the new ball is crucial in these conditions.”