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Bangladesh A, on the back of an incisive spell from Suhrawadi Shuvo, completed a75-run win against England Lions in the third unofficial ODI in Chittagong

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-2012
ScorecardBangladesh A, on the back of an incisive spell from Suhrawadi Shuvo, completed a 75-run win against England Lions in the third unofficial ODI in Chittagong. The win gives Bangladesh A a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.England Lions put Bangladesh A in, a decision that seemingly paid off when Stuart Meaker picked up two early wickets. Thereafter, though, the rest of the top and middle order all contributed to make sure the hosts went past the 200-run mark. Mahmudul Hasan and Shuvagata Hom both made scores in the 40s, while one of the openers, Nasiruddin Faruque, top scored with 53. Bangladesh A lost most of their wickets to left-arm spinner Danny Briggs and run outs – three apiece.The chase of 219 was off to a brisk start, with Alex Hales and James Vince putting on 48 in under eight overs. Once Shuvo broke that stand with his left-arm spin though, Bangladesh A struck with regularity. England Lions lost all ten wickets for 95 runs, folding for 143 in the 35th over. Shuvo, the Man of the Match, finished with four wickets and conceded only 25 runs in 7.4 overs.

Justin Ontong, the Cape Cobras allrounder, has been included in South Africa’s squads for the one-day and Twenty20 international series in New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2012Justin Ontong, the Cape Cobras allrounder, has been included in South Africa’s squads for the one-day and Twenty20 international series in New Zealand in February. Graeme Smith has been left out of the Twenty20 side, and another Cobras batsman Richard Levi will open with Hashim Amla in the format. JP Duminy was chosen ahead of Ashwell Prince in the Test squad, which also includes Robin Peterson in place of Paul Harris.Marchant de Lange, who took seven wickets in an innings on Test debut against Sri Lanka, was selected for his first tour and was named in the Test and T20 squads. Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn were rested for the Twenty20 series.Ontong hasn’t been part of a South Africa squad since the 2009 World Twenty20 in England, where he did not play a game. The last time he played for the country was in March 2009, a T20 match against Australia. However, Ontong averaged 72 in this season’s 1-Day Cup, South Africa’s List A competition, and 76 in the SuperSport Series, the first-class tournament. He played some crucial knocks in the 1-Day Cup, with his three half-centuries all coming at close to a run a ball, and he helped take the Cobras over the line in the final with an unbeaten 37 off 28 balls.”Ontong fully deserves this latest call-up,” Andrew Hudson, Cricket South Africa’s selection convener, said. “He has shown outstanding domestic form this season and I believe he has developed into a more mature cricketer. His finishing ability was a key factor in the Cobras’ success in winning the 1-Day Cup.”He is the complete limited-overs package, being a fine batsman who will strengthen our fielding disciplines and also give us another bowling option.”We have decided to try out some exciting new options in the T20 squad such as Levi, Ontong and de Lange. There are only 11 matches left in this format before we travel to Sri Lanka for the ICC World Twenty20 and this is really the last chance to explore the talent we have at our disposal. Having AB de Villiers fit again for T20 action also gives us a lot more flexibility and better balance.”South Africa will play three Twenty20s in New Zealand, five against Zimbabwe at home and three more in England before the World Twenty20. An ICC trophy is the one thing noticeable by its absence in the South African cabinet and one of coach Gary Kirsten’s foremost priorities is to change that.Smith’s exclusion from the squad suggests he is not in the plans for the World Twenty20. Instead, it looks like Levi, who made an impression at last year’s Champions League T20 and was the third highest run-scorer in the 2010-11 Pro20 competition, will be groomed. Rusty Theron, who is renowned for his death bowling, has also been given another chance.Albie Morkel keeps his place in the limited-overs squad. He was not included in the original squad for the ODIs against Sri Lanka, but was called up as a replacement for Dean Elgar ahead of the first ODI. He was only required to score quick runs down the order and did not take any wickets in the series.Rory Kleinveldt and Elgar, who were both selected for the ODI series against Sri Lanka, were not considered because of injury. Kleinveldt did not play in the series and sustained a quadricep injury after the first match in Paarl. Elgar hurt his knee in the field in a SuperSport Series match and was forced to withdraw from the squad before the series started.Twenty20 squad: AB de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla (vc), Johan Botha, Marchant de Lange, JP Duminy, Colin Ingram, Richard Levi, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Justin Ontong, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Rusty Theron, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Shane Warne, the latest inductee to Australian cricket’s hall of fame, believes David Warner and Mitchell Marsh have the talent and poise to build impressive international careers

Daniel Brettig26-Feb-2012Shane Warne, the latest inductee to Australian cricket’s hall of fame, believes David Warner and Mitchell Marsh have the talent and poise to join the rarefied company of the hall’s members by the time their careers are out.On Monday, at the Allan Border Medal ceremony in Melbourne, Warne will be added to the honour roll that began in 1996 and includes such luminaries as Donald Bradman, Dennis Lillee, Ian Chappell and Bill O’Reilly.Speaking about his receipt of the honour, Warne said Marsh and Warner had demonstrated most clearly to him the potential to go on to great things for Australia in future summers. Warner has made a Test place his own this season, while also advancing his case as a potential leader, and Marsh has impressed as an allrounder, though currently sidelined by injury.”We’ve got an exciting bunch of young players in the domestic competition this year,” Warne said. “The stand-out players for me were probably Mitchell Marsh – if we don’t rush him, we’re patient with him, encourage him, let his body develop and start to get a bit more experience, then I think he’s going to be a real superstar in cricket.”David Warner, it was great to see him playing Test cricket this year, I’ve always said that I thought he could play all forms of the game. So David Warner and Mitchell Marsh, those two have been the stand outs for me and I hope they go on to big things.”Warne’s entry into the hall of fame was more or less guaranteed from the moment it was first proposed in 1995 by the Melbourne Cricket Club, his place in the pantheon demonstrated by the unveiling of a Warne statue at the MCG this summer. Nevertheless, Warne was thrilled to join the list, confirming his now comfortable standing with the establishment after plenty of drama and disagreements during his playing days.”To be inducted into the hall of fame is just a massive honour,” Warne said. “It’s a privilege, it makes me feel very, very proud. I’m glad I’m sharing that moment with my children and my family. So many wonderful players have been induced into the hall of fame, to be the only player this time, so soon after my retirement [is special]. To be among those names it’s an unbelievable honour.”I’ve been very lucky to have so many achievements and wonderful moments [while] playing in the Australian cricket team. It was a wonderful group of guys, we managed to win everywhere, home and away, we became the No. 1 team in the world for a long period of time, so there were so many wonderful achievements as a team. But I suppose my personal highlight was my first Test match in 1991-92, walking out onto the SCG, looking up at the scoreboard and it saying ‘congratulations Shane Warne, you’re the 350th Test cricketer playing for Australia’.”As a team, my favourite tours were the 1993 Ashes tour and the 1994 tour to South Africa for the first time – after apartheid and all the problems over there, to go back there was an amazing experience. Winning World Cups, Ashes series … I’ve been very lucky to play in a wonderful era of Australian cricket and make so many friendships.”Looking at Australia’s progress this summer, Warne spoke well of the performances of captain Michael Clarke, who Warne had befriended upon his entry to Test cricket in 2004. He also noted that the emergence of a strong cabal of bowling talent is a firm indicator of Australia’s re-emergence as a global power after several years of mediocrity.”I think it’s an exciting time for Australian cricket. What we’ve seen this summer, India came out and Australia played extremely well, there are a lot of bowlers around …” Warne said. “So I think in the next 12 to 18 months we’re going to see Australia surge back to No. 1 in the world. I think Michael Clarke’s leadership has been fantastic. He’s one of my closest and best friends, but I’m not biased at all. I give him a pretty hard time, I rile him hard and try to help him where I can.”As for his participation in the Twenty20 Big Bash League, Warne said a return next summer was unlikely. “Whether I’m going to play next year or not – I don’t think so, but who knows I might. Eddie [McGuire, Melbourne Stars president] can be quite a persuasive man. But I enjoyed it.”

NKP Salve, who had been the president of the BCCI when India won the World Cup in 1983, has died aged 91 in New Delhi

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Apr-2012NKP Salve, who had been the president of the BCCI when India won the World Cup in 1983, has died aged 91 in New Delhi. He is credited with helping India and Pakistan win rights to hosting the 1987 World Cup.The Indian board hailed Salve’s services to Indian cricket. “His contribution to Indian cricket, as President of the BCCI, can never be forgotten,” N Srinivasan, the current BCCI president, said. “It was during his tenure that we won the World Cup for the first time, in 1983. It was also due to his initiative that the World Cup was co-hosted by India and Pakistan, in 1987. Thus, he was responsible for the World Cup becoming the ‘global’ event that it is today.”Srinivasan extended his condolences to Salve’s family and said Indian cricket “has lost one of its pillars.” In recognition of Salve’s contribution to Indian cricket, the Challenger Trophy was named after him.Kapil Dev, the captain of India’s 1983 World Cup winning team, also expressed sadness over the death of Salve. Kapil said Salve was like a father figure to the World Cup winning team. “He enjoyed an excellent relationship with the players and also ensured that there was a sense of camaraderie within the team at all times,” he told the . “Back in those days, the BCCI didn’t have lots of money. But that didn’t stop Salve from inquiring with us if we needed anything to become better players.”After India won the title, Salve announced a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh for each member of the team. Singer Lata Mangeshkar, who shared a close bond with Salve, was requested to sing in a concert to raise money for the cash awards. “He made a special request to me to do a special programme for the victorious 1983 World Cup team and I could not say no to him. I could not resist his request and many members of the Indian team were on dais for the specially-composed song for the team,” Mangeshkar was quoted as saying in .”Thanks to Salve’s enterprise, Rs 17-18 lakh were raised from the concert for the cash awards” BCCI chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty told the same newspaper. “Salve’s passion for the game was unbelievable and he took great interest in the players’ welfare,” Mohinder Amarnath, former India allrounder, told the .Salve was also a senior political leader of the Congress party, and had been a former union minister. He is survived by his son Harish Salve who is a prominent lawyer, and daughter Arundhati.

Morne Morkel bowled a sensational penultimate over to turn a straightforward chase from Rajasthan Royals on its head and snatch victory for Delhi Daredevils

The Report by Firdose Moonda29-Apr-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAjinkya Rahane’s efforts went in vain•AFPMorne Morkel bowled a sensational penultimate over to turn a straightforward chase from Rajasthan Royals on its head and snatch victory for Delhi Daredevils. The victory creates daylight between Daredevils and the rest of the chasing pack, as they remain at the top of the points table.Royals required 15 runs off the last two overs, with nine wickets in hand and victory seemed a foregone conclusion. But, Morkel gave away only three runs in an over filled with yorkers and claimed the wicket of Brad Hodge to set up a tense final over. The fourth ball was fired down the leg side but the umpire, to Hodge’s surprise, didn’t call a wide. It was a crucial decision as only one run separated the teams in the end.Umesh Yadav was tasked with defending 12 runs for Daredevils against the in-form Ajinkya Rahane. Yadav started off with a fast full toss that Rahane missed. Desperation took over as Rahane looked to smash the next delivery, no matter what its length, and ended up mistiming his slices and breaking his bat. Owais Shah stole a single off the inside edge before Rahane hit the first six of the Royals innings, off a full toss to take back the advantage.Two more runs came off the penultimate ball, which left two to get off the final one. Yadav kept it full, Rahane missed but ran anyway and Shah was not quick enough. Naman Ojha hit the stumps to run Shah out and deny Rahane victory, leaving him unbeaten on 84.Rahane and Rahul Dravid are the most successful opening pair in this edition of the IPL and they showed why with a stand of 99 to set up the chase. Rahane started their reply in quietly confident fashion when Rahane flicked the first ball he faced – a poor one on legstump line from Irfan Pathan – for four.Dravid rolled out his vintage drives and showed off powerful pulls as the Daredevils bowlers’ lines and lengths presented no challenge. The two combined in a partnership that looked too easy, Dravid played with Sehwag-esque styled aggression while Rahane, once again, impressed with his timing and poise.By the end of the eighth over, Royals needed less than 100 runs to win and Rahane and Dravid had racked up the same number of runs, 27 each. Rahane eclipsed his captain, reclaimed the orange cap and brought up his 50 with a finesse-filled flick to on the leg-side.Daredevils thought they had some success when Dravid began walking after a cut that was thought to be caught behind but umpire Rod Tucker called him back. Tucker said he gave Dravid out when he saw him walking as it was the end of the over, but the misunderstanding gave Dravid a lifeline. He added only three more runs after that incident and was caught at long-on by a leaping Ajit Agarkar.Rahane was unmoved by the dismissal and marched on, right to the brink of victory. He was only tripped up in the penultimate over and even then did not give up without a fight, as he scooped Yadav for six and very nearly gave Royals victory.Daredevils may have thought their total was not enough after an underwhelming effort with the bat, save for Virender Sehwag’s half-century and a last-over blitz from Nagar. Sehwag became the first player to score four consecutive half-centuries in the IPL and rebuilt Daredevils innings by himself after two early blows.Mahela Jayawardene and Kevin Pietersen were dismissed in the first three overs but Sehwag’s full range of shots was on hand to resurrect matters. He pulled, reverse swept, drove and struck two stunning sixes over long-off and long-on. Just as he threatened to take the innings away from Royals, they dismissed him when Ashok Menaria took a well-judged catch off a back foot cut.Ross Taylor had been an almost absent partner in the stand with Sehwag and was bowled the over after Sehwag departed. Taylor looked to take a Pankaj delivery from outside off and flick on the leg-side but did not make contact and was bowled.Brad Hogg’s wrong un’s and Cooper and Amit Singh’s changes of pace ensured Ojha and Nagar could barely get away. Ojha managed a six before mistiming a shot to long-on but Nagar enjoyed a good last over, hitting two full tosses for six to push Daredevils past 150. In the end, it was enough.

Yorkshire’s match with Hampshire fizzled out on the final day as rain ensured a draw

Myles Hodgson at Headingley19-May-2012
ScorecardMitchell Starc made his first appearance for Yorkshire while on duty as 12th man•Getty ImagesYorkshire may well have made a public declaration of their desire to play attacking cricket in the aftermath of last week’s stunning victory at Bristol but sometimes even the most cavalier of intentions are defeated by the weather and their draw against Hampshire resulted in a more old-fashioned finish.As final days go, there could not have been a bigger contrast between the thrills and spills of Yorkshire’s successful chase of 400 and the sedate close to play at Headingley, with both sides seeming to accept little chance of a positive result almost as soon as bad light and drizzle delayed the start until 12.30pm, losing 24 overs from the day’s allocation.The time lost ensured a traditional final-day’s fare without the prospect of either county winning, and both sides were happy to go through the motions once Hampshire resumed 49 runs ahead on 21 for 1. Yorkshire did make some impression on the scoreboard, Iain Wardlaw finding Jimmy Adams’ edge shortly after a delayed lunch, but otherwise both teams played out time.Hampshire grumbled about the timing of Yorkshire’s declaration the previous day, with captain Adams claiming: “It could have kept more options open if they had declared earlier, but we had to concentrate on our own game to bowl them out and, unfortunately, we weren’t able to do that.” What sort of target Hampshire would have been comfortable setting after the pyrotechnics of Bristol is also open to speculation.Yorkshire were happy to rotate their bowlers, and indeed used seven in total during a day’s play which must have been frustrating for the handful of spectators, who at least had the chance to witness Jonny Bairstow’s maiden Test innings from the Long Room as a result of the delayed start.Once play did resume, Michael Carberry set the tone by taking 35 minutes to hit his first runs of the day and batting for nearly three hours to finish unbeaten on 61, when both sides accepted the draw with Hampshire 219 runs ahead on 191 for 2.At least those present got their first chance to see Mitchell Starc, the Australia left-arm fast bowler, in a Yorkshire sweater for the first time. Denied the opportunity to make his debut earlier through a visa irregularity, he made his first appearance on 12th-man duties having been discounted from making his debut in this match after a gruelling spell of 14 flights in 12 days.”Mitchell has been training and we just thought it was too much of an ask to play him against Hampshire after all the issues and the amount of travel he’s done,” Jason Gillespie, Yorkshire’s head coach, said. “It wouldn’t have been fair to the lad to come in when you want to try and impress for a new team. I don’t think picking him for this match would have given him the best chance to succeed.”He’s a great lad who works incredibly hard and brings that X-factor. He has genuine pace and he can bowl 90mph and swing the ball and anyone who bowls that pace and swings it is going to be a dangerous customer.”Instead, 22-year-old Starc will make his debut in Sunday’s CB40 match against Derbyshire Falcons at Headingley – the first of three such matches in the next week – before making his first Championship start at home to Northamptonshire in a fortnight.Yorkshire are still to determine how long Starc will be at their disposal following his call-up to the Australia A squad to tour England later this summer. Assuming he is not also required for a pre-tour training camp, Starc will definitely miss three Championship matches, up to four CB40 games and a T20 quarter-final, should Yorkshire qualify, so he is keen to maximise his involvement with Yorkshire while he can.”It’s been a bit of back and forth but I’m glad to be here now,” Starc said. “I’ve had a few sessions with the seconds and hopefully I can get out there and play a bit of cricket tomorrow. When I finally got here and got settled the sleeping patterns weren’t too bad. I’m a little bit fatigued but sleeping wise I’m pretty good. I’m just glad to be here, running around and I’m raring to go.”

West Indies are still missing three members of their squad as their tour match against Sussex got underway

The Report by George Dobell at Hove06-May-2012
ScorecardFile photo: Adrian Barath hopes to adapt quickly to English conditions•AFPIt was surely fitting that the West Indies tour should start with a depleted day’s play and under a cloud. In bitterly cold and damp conditions, the tourists’ batsmen enjoyed – or experienced, anyway – a brief snatch of cricket before rain returned and, for the second day in succession, play was abandoned mercifully early. It means the West Indies now have only five days cricket in which to acclimatise to English conditions ahead of the Test series.That is for those of the squad that are here. Three of them – Assad Fudadin, Narsingh Deonarine and Marlon Samuels – have still not arrived in the country, with the first two held up by “visa problems” and Samuels delayed by “a travel problem”. The West Indies tour management insist they are not concerned by the delays, but this is hardly ideal preparation. With poor weather in the UK expected to continue well into next week, some of the squad will have very little chance to adjust to the unique conditions ahead of the Test series.”We are not concerned about the late arrival of the three players and we are extremely hopeful that they will all be here ahead of the game against England Lions,” a spokesman for the West Indies team said. But the use of the word “hopeful” is just a little unsettling.It would be easy to criticise the WICB – it pretty much always is – but there may some be some mitigating factors. For a start, the West Indies squad was only named a few days ago and, bearing in mind that the Border Agency in the UK has recently undergone a significant – and somewhat controversial – restructuring, it is entirely possible there is a backlog at their end.In the 18 overs of play that were possible, the West Indies scored 46 runs but lost two wickets. With the damp outfield soon preventing the ball from swinging and bowlers struggling to retain their footing on a surface that quickly became skiddy, the lack of pace was the main problem for the batsmen.Adrian Barath, leaving the ball well and appearing compact and tidy, looked comfortable until he missed one that hit his thigh pad and dribbled on to his leg stump, while Kieran Powell looked less at ease but battled through and will have benefited from the experience.Kirk Edwards was even less comfortable. He survived a simple chance to Luke Wells at slip from the second delivery he faced – hanging his bat out at one he should have left – and, though he punched one pleasing drive through mid-on for four, soon felt for another one he should have had no business with and gifted a catch to slip.Since making a century on debut at the Gabba, Barath’s career has stalled, as a Test average of 23.60 underlines. He knows this is an important tour for him.”Over the past year or so, I haven’t really had the sort of performances I’d like,” Barath said afterwards. “But I’m going to have to put that behind me. It’s all about learning from my mistakes in the past, and building from it, and learning from team-mates like Shivnarine Chanderpaul about these conditions. He’s played a lot of cricket here, scored a lot of runs and has a lot to offer.”I’m working on playing the ball a bit later and leaving a lot more balls. It’s about learning fast, and I have a lot of responsibility. I was a bit unlucky, but the time I was out there I felt really good.”The weather has also been far from ideal from a Sussex perspective. The club worked hard to market this fixture and were expecting 10,000 spectators over the three days. With a beer festival and steel band inside the ground, the atmosphere could have been excellent had the weather been a little kinder. As it was, when the Barmy Army’s trumpeter, Billy Cooper, blasted out Jerusalem it seemed tinged with irony. The land may be green; it certainly doesn’t feel very pleasant.Meanwhile Sussex are waiting to hear news on Luke Wright who is undergoing tests in India to ascertain whether he has contracted Dengue Fever. Wright has been playing for Pune Warriors in the IPL. The club are also currently talking to Ajmal Shahzad, the unsettled seamer released by Yorkshire, with a view to bringing him to Hove.

Day-night Test cricket has once again become a possibility after the ICC annual conference in Kuala Lampur

Firdose Moonda28-Jun-2012Day-night Test cricket has once again become a possibility after the ICC annual conference in Kuala Lampur. All Full Members were approached and asked if they would be open to the idea of hosting a day-night Test and there seems to be interested from some quarters. CSA’s acting chief executive, Jacques Faul, called it “one the exciting ideas” to emerge from the meeting.”We were all encouraged to try and host a night Test,” Faul said at a press briefing on his return home. “In our case, it’s something the board will have to approve first before anything else can happen. Then, we’ll have to convince the players, the coach and the opponents.”Although Faul admitted the idea is something CSA may “want to try”, he said he would not be happy to rush into it without some form of trial run. “If we do it, we will start off with a first-class match. I’m not brave enough to just get into a [international] night game without testing it,” he said. Pakistan is the only country that have played first-class cricket under lights, with the final of the Quaid-e-Azam trophy being played as a day-night fixture for the last two seasons.Faul said there was significant feedback from the Pakistan experiment to pique the interest of some other countries, including South Africa. “There weren’t any negative comments about it,” he said. “The pink Kookaburra ball is good enough, is what we have been told.”Should South Africa decide to sample the concept, Faul said they will look carefully into which grounds they can use, with a particular focus on weather. “Night cricket is a funny thing, because it means playing in different conditions,” he said. “I am a little scared about the dew factor at certain grounds at certain times of the year.” South Africa’s Highveld venues as well as the coastal ground in Durban, where humidity is high, usually have significant amounts of dew during the summer months.The specifics of day-night Test cricket are already being talked about in some form. Faul said the idea would be to start at 4pm and play until around 10pm, meaning playing time amounting to an hour less than is currently the norm. “It’s speculation for now,” Faul said.He admitted the most important aspect would be getting players to agree to participate in the idea but, he said, he believed it could revolutionise the longest format of the game. “It will be interesting to see how the players react to it but I think it could be very beneficial,” Faul said. “I think that might be the way forward. I might not see it taking place at every venue or against every team, but it definitely has the blessing of the ICC executive’s committee.”

Eoin Morgan will captain England Lions in their two-match series against Australia A next month

Andrew McGlashan27-Jul-2012Eoin Morgan will captain England Lions in their two-match series against Australia A next month. The 13-man squad for the four-day matches at Old Trafford and Edgbaston includes three others with Test experience while every player has previously represented the Lions.Morgan, Samit Patel, Jonny Bairstow and James Tredwell have Test caps to their name, while Craig Kieswetter, Stuart Meaker, James Taylor and Chris Woakes have also played one-day internationals.The inclusion of cricketers who already play regular international cricket – such as Morgan, Kieswetter and Patel – shows how seriously the selectors are taking the matches ahead of the back-to-back Ashes series next year rather than using it as a chance to purely blood youth.However, they stopped short of naming any of the current Test reserves such as Graham Onions or Steven Finn who are both in the mix to face South Africa at Headingley. The Australia A squad, which is led by Ed Cowan contains considerable experience, most notably Mitchell Johnson.For Morgan the series is a chance to restate his Test credentials after his poor series against Pakistan earlier this year which led to him being dropped for the following tour of Sri Lanka. Since then Patel, Bairstow and now Ravi Bopara have been given middle-order roles in the Test team. However, Morgan showed impressive form in the recent one-day series against Australia including a match-winning, unbeaten 89 at Lord’s.With Bopara making an uncertain return to the Test side against South Africa and Bairstow struggling against West Indies earlier this season the No. 6 spot is yet to be cemented and a strong finish to the summer – with the Lions and Middlesex – will put Morgan back in contention.Elsewhere the squad is a mixture of experienced county cricketers – Patel, Tredwell and the leading run-scorer of the season Nick Compton – plus young players who have already been integrated into the England set up. Taylor and Joe Root, who recently scored a double hundred in the Championship, are among the next generation of batsmen vying for an opportunity while Stuart Meaker is one of the quickest bowlers in the country.Tredwell is accompanied in the spin department by Lancashire’s Simon Kerrigan who was part of the squad to face the West Indians earlier this season but did not make the final XI at Wantage Road. From the team that won that match by 10 wickets, Michael Carberry (injury), Jack Brooks and Jade Dernbach are not in this squad along with Ian Bell who used that game as Test preparation.Although the selectors see these two matches as crucial to the development of Test players they are likely to create further tensions with counties who will lose key names for Championship matches as the competiton enters its final third.Squad
Jonny Bairstow, Matt Coles, Nick Compton, James Harris, Simon Kerrigan, Craig Kieswetter, Stuart Meaker, Eoin Morgan (capt), Samit Patel, Joe Root, James Taylor, James Tredwell, Chris WoakesFixtures
August 7, Old Trafford
August 14, Edgbaston

Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited (DCHL), the owner of the IPL team Deccan Chargers, is in advance talks to sell the franchise, its chairman TV Reddy has said

Tariq Engineer31-Aug-2012Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited (DCHL), the owner of the IPL team Deccan Chargers, is in advanced talks to sell the franchise, its chairman T Venkatram Reddy has said. The group has been forced to consider selling the team to raise funds to help it tide over a liquidity crisis brought on by a poor expansion strategy.”We will sell our cricket team Deccan Chargers, which will sort out most of the immediate requirements,” Reddy told the in an interview. “We are at an advanced stage of negotiations to sell Deccan Chargers. And then the company will be back in action. The newspaper business will not be sold.” The group reportedly needs an infusion of about Rs 500 crore (US$90 million approx.) to get through the current crisis.DCHL had appointed Religare Capital to handle the deal to sell the team back in June. Chargers have not paid all its players in full following the 2012 IPL season and the BCCI had set August 31 as the deadline for all player payments to be made.One potential complication for the sale is the board’s contention that it holds the ownership rights and that no franchise can mortgage the rights without its consent. At an emergency meeting on August 14, the IPL governing council confronted the owners and asked them why the company had mortgaged the team ownership rights to two leading Indian banks.According to Reddy, the company tried to expand its newspaper business too quickly and are now paying the price for that approach.The Deccan Chargers franchise was bought by DCHL for $107 million in the first IPL team auction in 2008. At the time, it was the third-most expensive franchise, after Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. During the second team auction in 2010, the Pune franchise was sold to the Sahara group for $370 million while the now dissolved Kochi franchise was bought by a consortium for $333 million.If the owners succeed in selling the team, they would be the second in the IPL to sell at least a part of the franchise. In 2009, Rajasthan Royals, then the reigning IPL champions, sold an 11.7% stake in the franchise for approximately $15.4 million to Shilpa Shetty, the Bollywood actress, and her partner Raj Kundra, a UK-based businessman. That put the valuation of the franchise at around $140 million, more than double the $67 million the owners, Emerging Media, paid for it in 2008.Chargers won the IPL in 2009 but have largely struggled since then. They finished eighth out of nine teams in 2012, winning just four games under the leadership of Kumar Sangakkara, the former Sri Lanka captain, and Cameron White, the Australia batsman.