The consortium that won the bid for the Kochi IPL franchise has asked the BCCI for more time to sort out their internal disputes

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2010The consortium that won the bid for the Kochi IPL franchise has asked the BCCI for more time to sort out their internal disputes. The Indian board had originally given the consortium 10 days to work things out beginning October 10. At the end of that period, though, the two factions in the consortium wrote to the board asking for an extension.”We consortium partners are very close to resolving our internal differences and would like the BCCI to give us some more time and have also sought this,” Satyajitsinh Gaekwad, the head of Rendezvous Sports, told .  “We have not defaulted on any payment to the BCCI and just want some more time.”Meanwhile the IPL governing council will meet on Wednesday in Nagpur to decide the fate of the franchise. “The only point on the agenda is Kochi,” one of the BCCI officials said on the content of the short notice sent to the panel.Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar is reportedly assisting the franchise in an advisory capacity, something the board said it was not aware of, but will consider at the governing council meeting tomorrow. “We were never informed because this issue was never there,” BCCI vice-President Rajiv Shukla said. “For the first time we are coming to know about this. We will discuss the issue in the meeting tomorrow.”Gavaskar was a member of the governing council for the IPL’s first three years. He declined to continue on the committee this year after the board decided to stop paying the committee members.The Kochi franchise has been controversial from its very inception in March. Rendezvous Sports World, a consortium of five companies, became the tenth IPL franchise after a successful bid of US$333.33m, but almost immediately ran into trouble over the composition of its ownership, after the discovery of a few “secret partners” in the consortium. A new agreement was then signed by both the parties but fresh controversy broke when Lalit Modi, the then IPL chairman, made the ownership details public on his Twitter feed.Six months after the auction Kochi has still failed to resolve its various internal disputes, which revolve around the distribution of shares in the consortium. The investors are unhappy with the promoters, who do not want to give up the rights to lead the franchise. Despite several lengthy meetings over the past few days, the two factions remain at loggerheads.

Daniel Vettori said he was “happy” with the performance but stressed that New Zealand were neither “satisfied” nor “content” with the 0-0 scoreline going into the final Test

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2010Daniel Vettori said he was “happy” with the performance after his side batted through a potentially testing morning session to ensure the series remained level, but stressed that New Zealand were neither “satisfied” nor “content” with the 0-0 scoreline going into the final Test in Nagpur. Mark Greatbatch, the New Zealand coach, had said in anger in the aftermath of the Bangladesh debacle that he would settle for two draws in India but Vettori said that was never the plan.”It was never our intention to come here and draw. If you get into that frame of mind you take a backward step straightaway,” Vettori said. “So we’ve come here to win a Test series and at times we’ve put ourselves in those positions. We still want to push, try and put ourselves in winning positions because not many New Zealand teams have come over here and won. It would be such an amazing achievement for us, for this side.”New Zealand began the final day in Hyderabad 115 runs ahead and with six wickets in hand. All that stood between them and the safety of a draw was the first hour and the threat of the second new ball. Kane Williamson began aggressively, scoring three fours in the first over from Sreesanth, while Brendon McCullum continued his solidity from the fourth evening. The Indian challenge died when Zaheer Khan left the field after bowling three overs to prevent a groin injury from getting worse.”The previous mornings, when it swung around a little bit, the new ball’s been the most difficult time,” Vettori said. “We wanted to get through that first hour, hour-and-a-half, and see where we were at. Brendon and Kane played so well, so positively. But the fact that India were down a bowler probably made it quite difficult for them.”MS Dhoni, the India captain, laid a lot of the blame for India’s inability to force a win on the pitch and Vettori, while not as scathing, agreed it was difficult track to take 20 wickets on. “The wicket had a little bit of pace in it, I think the thing that you want is for it to deteriorate and I think it stayed relatively similar,” Vettori said. “The footmarks didn’t come up and that didn’t allow the spinners to really get into play.”New Zealand were forced to save the game on the final day but on the third, they were well placed to limit India’s lead and surge ahead with a strong second-innings performance. Their chances of taking the upper hand, however, slipped away as Harbhajan Singh swung his way to a century and added 105 with Sreesanth for the last wicket. Vettori said that that period, during which Harbhajan became the series top-run-scorer, was possibly the only disappointment for New Zealand in the Test.”If we look back on it, that’s always going to be the disappointing aspect of the Test,” Vettori said. “To fight so hard before that partnership, I think we had 200 for 7 on the day and Harbhajan played so well and so aggressively and took the game to us and really put us on the back foot. If we manage to get through the Indian middle-order again, we’ve got to be ready for Harbhajan and go pretty hard at him because he’s played so well in these two Test matches.”

Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka captain, has described the rain-hit, three-Test series against the West Indies as probably the worst Test series of his life

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Pallakele05-Dec-2010Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka captain, has described the rain-hit, three-Test series against the West Indies as probably the worst Test series of his life. “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Sangakkara said after persistent rain washed out the fifth and final day of the third Test at Pallakele. The series was drawn 0-0 with the first and second Tests also ending in draws due to bad weather.”It’s pretty frustrating and it’s tough. I haven’t seen rain like this in a long time. It was pretty frustrating to sit in the dressing room and watch the rain.”Sangakkara called for cricket officials to analyse weather patterns properly before hosting Test matches. “It is tough these days because the weather’s all topsy-turvy. It would have been nice to see if we had alternative venues as well to see if one failed and the weather was not great and preparations were not great we could have gone somewhere else.”But the reports I hear is that it is raining everywhere. I don’t know how feasible that would have been. But it’s always nice to have something as a back up.”The positives for the home side, despite the disappointing series which saw them fall from third to fifth in the ICC Test rankings, were the bowling of spinners Rangana Herath and Ajantha Mendis, and the batting of opener Tharanga Paranavitana.”Rangana again proved as the most experienced bowler he can do the job whenever it was required,” Sangakkara said. “He bowled against all left-handers and that’s the major reason why we brought him back. He did a fantastic job for us.”It’s heartening to see Ajantha Mendis has come back very strongly in this Test series and Tharanga Paranavitana keeps growing as a solid opener for us. I hope he continues in that vein and keeps fighting for those runs. Those three were the biggest positives we had.”

Baroda captain Pinal Shah has defended his decision to bowl on a dry, grassless Moti Bagh wicket on the first day of the Ranji Trophy final, saying he expected some moisture to help the seamers

Abhishek Purohit at Moti Bagh11-Jan-2011Baroda captain Pinal Shah has defended his decision to bowl on a dry, grassless Moti Bagh wicket that played low and slow on the first day of the Ranji Trophy final, saying he expected some moisture to help the seamers. Rajasthan adopted an extremely cautious approach, but were strongly placed at 198 for 3, and would have been in an even better position were it not for captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar’s late dismissal.”It looked to be a batting wicket. Earlier we were going to play only two seamers. But in the morning, we felt there was some moisture around despite the grass having been removed,” Pinal said. “That’s why we played an extra allrounder in Abhijit Karambelkar. They have some batsmen who score big, like Aakash Chopra, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Ashok Menaria, and we thought if we could get them in the morning, it would be great for us.”Mukesh Narula, the Baroda coach, told ESPNcricinfo that it was a last minute decision to bowl and explained it was a combination of the conditions and a wariness of Rajasthan’s batting that dictated the choice. “The first thing I noticed this [Tuesday] morning was that there was dew around, and we felt that we could utilise it,” he said. “Also, Rajasthan’s batting has been in good form, and we thought there was a chance they could chase down whatever we would manage to put up.” Having played three seamers, Baroda would have certainly wanted a better return from them than the 46 wicketless overs they bowled. “I think our fast bowlers could have done a much better job today,” Narula said.Rajasthan were pleasantly surprised by Baroda’s decision, as they themselves would have batted first. “I guess the only reason they didn’t bat was because they might have been wary of our seam attack of Pankaj Singh and Deepak Chahar,” Aakash Chopra, the Rajasthan opener, said. “I can’t think of any other reason, as they had removed all the grass from the wicket, which was very dry.”Kanitkar’s wicket towards the end evened things out slightly on a dreary first day, but the Rajasthan captain was satisfied with his side’s approach. “I should not have got out. But I am happy with the way we played,” he said. “It was not an easy wicket to bat on as the ball was keeping low and not coming on. And once they knew we were well set, they stopped attacking, and started bowling to defensive fields.”Rajasthan are eyeing a score of at least 400 now, after the steady start, and Kanitkar felt that despite losing himself and Chopra, they had the batting line-up to pile on the runs. “Ideally, I would be really happy with 550, but a minimum of 400 is needed,” Kanitkar said. “Most of our batsmen have been among the runs. And we are playing the finals, so everyone should be ready to do the job.”Contrary to Baroda’s choice to play an extra seamer, the dry nature of the surface prompted Rajasthan to leave out steady third seamer Sumit Mathur in favour of offspinner Madhur Khatri. “Sumit has bowled his heart out throughout the season. I feel very bad that he could not play this game. But that is what the wicket was demanding,” Kanitkar said.While both sides have gone in with two specialist spinners, Chopra felt the Rajasthan new-ball duo of Pankaj and Chahar could still be dangerous on this track. “Pankaj is six-foot plus, and from that height, on a wicket that is keeping low at times, it [the bounce] can become very uncertain for a batsman,” he said. “And Chahar does not depend on the wicket; he generates a lot of swing in the air.”Baroda are hoping they can get something out of the wicket tomorrow morning. “The first session is important,” Narula said. “If we can get a few wickets, we are right back in the game as they have gone very slowly till now.”

It was only a run-a-ball 27, but for Paul Collingwood it felt like riches and he hopes the innings at Adelaide will kick-start his search for career-saving form

Andrew McGlashan in Brisbane 27-Jan-2011It was only a run-a-ball 27, but for Paul Collingwood it felt like riches and he hopes the innings at Adelaide will kick-start his search for career-saving form. He has had an awful tour of Australia with the bat, making 83 runs in the Ashes before retiring from Test cricket, and lost his one-day place at the beginning of this series until Kevin Pietersen’s groin strain gave him an early return.When he came back into the line-up at Sydney he was bowled second ball by Xavier Doherty from a delivery that hardly spun, which confirmed the seriousness of his problems. It was his bowling that kept him in the team for the next match and he batted at No.7, but he at least managed to feel the ball on the bat during a vital 56-run stand with Michael Yardy.The fact England took the batting Powerplay also meant Collingwood had no choice but to try and free himself up rather than dwell on his troubles. “It was a nice situation for me to come in, I had to be positive,” he said. “It was just good to get past 20. I hadn’t done it for a while. It was a good feeling and obviously contributing with the ball later on. I was happy with my game.”I’m the first to admit that I haven’t been in great form and that’s my role in the side,” he added. “I’m trying everything possible to get back into good nick. I know from past experience that getting back into a good run of form can be pretty immediate. Maybe after an innings like yesterday when I hit a couple out of the middle of the bat it might just click. I’m really confident it is just around the corner.”There was one moment that reminded people of what Collingwood is capable of when he swung Brett Lee over midwicket for six. The strong bottom hand came in, as it has so often during his career, and Collingwood believes even just one shot can make a huge difference.”Things like that can click you back into form,” he said. “The mental side of the game is huge. David Boon, when he was at Durham back in 1998, he came out with a quote that international cricket is 90% mental and 10% technique and at the time I didn’t understand what he meant by it.”But the more I’ve played international cricket the more I understand that statement. Confidence is a huge factor, all the things that you take into your batting is very mental. Hopefully there will be less tension going out into the middle next time around and more confidence and that can do me the world of good.”Collingwood’s bowling, the main reason he was picked at Adelaide, was also vital to England’s 21-run victory as he bowled seven overs for 22 and claimed the wicket of Michael Clarke, who is struggling almost as badly as Collingwood. However, he doesn’t want his mixture of medium-pace and cutters to define the closing stages of his international career and is desperate to move himself back up the order to where he has scored most of his 5006 runs.”Hopefully I can get back into better form and gradually get back up the order. That would be the ideal team,” he said. “But whatever way you can contribute to England winning you go out there and do it. I guess I was just happy to be in the side, the way that the form has been going with that bat. I feel as though I can do a fifth bowler role, I have done in the past. I’m just happy to be in the side and contributing well.”

At the very last chance to test their combination before the World Cup, India will field their full-strength batting line-up in a 50-over game for the first time in 15 months

Siddarth Ravindran in Chennai15-Feb-2011At the very last chance to test their combination before the World Cup, India will field their full-strength batting line-up in a 50-over game for the first time in 15 months. The batsmen had faltered against Australia on Sunday but will be bolstered by the return of Sachin Tendulkar against New Zealand.Tendulkar had missed that warm-up game because of a niggle but will play on Wednesday, in what will be his third one-day match since his double-century against South Africa in Gwalior a year ago. He had a long batting session on Tuesday morning during India’s practice, and also spent time working on his fielding, showing no signs of the hamstring injury that forced him to return home midway through the one-day series in South Africa a month ago.Tendulkar will displace Gautam Gambhir from the top of the order to No. 3, the position at which Virat Kohli had much of his recent success. Kohli’s form swept him to second spot in the ICC one-day rankings, but even that hasn’t ensured him a place in the starting line-up. Wednesday’s game will give Kohli a chance to show his prowess lower down the order, perhaps at No .6, a position where another contender, Suresh Raina, is considered a better bet.The other player in India’s squad to miss the first warm-up, Zaheer Khan, will sit out of the sold-out game against New Zealand as well. MS Dhoni was quick to emphasise that Zaheer, who has been injury prone, would be fit in time for the World Cup opener against Bangladesh on February 19. “He has a very, very mild groin strain, nothing to worry about,” Dhoni said. “We can give him rest, so we are giving him rest, and will use him when the proper tournament starts.”Zaheer didn’t bowl in the nets on Tuesday, though he batted for 45-minutes and also tested himself with a series of short sprints under the supervision of physiotherapist Nitin Patel. Zaheer is the only fast bowler guaranteed a starting place, and his absence gives the others – Ashish Nehra, Sreesanth and Munaf Patel – who had little work against Australia another opportunity to audition for the World Cup.India had sneaked to victory two days ago despite the below-par score and the initial ineffectiveness of the seamers because their spinners demolished the Australian batting. Piyush Chawla, the legspinner who was the most debated selection in India’s World Cup squad, was the star, ripping out the middle-order during a spell of 5-0-9-4. Under Dhoni, India have generally played three-seamers and one-specialist spinner, with a spinning allrounder and part-timers combining for the remaining ten overs. Another strong performance from Chawla will leave Dhoni pondering the inclusion of two specialist slow bowlers, especially on turning tracks, and only two quicks.In the previous World Cup tune-up at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, South Africa had crushed Zimbabwe by eight wickets after bundling them out for 152. Their captain, Graeme Smith, had been critical of the pitch, terming it “slow and dead” and “under-prepared”, and called for better surfaces in the actual tournament. Dhoni wasn’t sure how the Chennai track would play but urged the Indian side to lift their performance. “We need to pick up a bit of intensity on the field,” he said. “This being the last warm-up game, the intensity should be a bit up on the field [compared to the game against Australia].”

On paper, this is a match between two lowly ranked sides in the ODI hierarchy, but it will have huge implications in terms of progress to the next round

The Preview by Sidharth Monga24-Feb-2011

Match Facts

February 25, Mirpur

Start time 14:30 local time (08:30 GMT)
Ed Joyce is back in the Ireland set-up after playing the 2007 World Cup for England•Associated Press

Big Picture

For the last week, it has been somewhat quiet in Dhaka, but come Friday it won’t be so. On paper, this is a match between two lowly ranked sides in the ODI hierarchy, but it will have huge implications in terms of progress to the next round. Bangladesh know it will be near impossible to make the quarter-finals, something the passionate fans and the team want desperately, if they fail to beat Ireland. Ireland also harbour ambitions of making the next round, and they know this is their best chance of beating a Test side. They also know they will need to beat at least two of them if they are to extend their stay in the event.The implications of this game, however, are deeper than that. On one side is a team many believe got Test status too early and too easily, and is still struggling to justify it 11 years on. On the other side is a team many believe has done enough to at least merit a full-time ODI status: Ireland have beaten Bangladesh in the two major events the teams have played each other in. With Ireland also rests the flag of the beleaguered Associate nations, because they have been the best Associate side over the last four years or so.Bangladesh might have lost to Ireland in the world events, but they will take heart from having beaten them 3-0 the only time they have met each other in Bangladesh. A similar trap – a low and slow pitch – is likely to be laid. Given the conditions will obviously suit the Bangladesh spin army, and the kind of crowd that this match will attract – something Ireland will never have encountered before – the hosts will start favourites. That said, it will be tough to keep a spirited side down, a side that gets one chance in four years to show the world what it is capable of. That is motivation enough.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
Bangladesh: LWWWL
Ireland: WLLWL

Pitch and conditions

Expect a surface that will assist the Bangladesh spinners. It might be difficult to prepare a square turner in Mirpur, but it is likely to stay low. The expected dew played a role in Shakib Al Hasan’s decision to put India in last week – a tactic that backfired – and Shakib says he isn’t expecting much dew now. He said there hasn’t been much dew around. William Porterfield, the Ireland captain, though, said there was a little bit of dew when the team practised under lights two nights before the match.

Watch out for…

Tamim Iqbal struggled against India while the other two left-hand batsmen in the top order got off to good starts. Tamim decided to fight, and didn’t hit out. One school of thought suggests that is just the kind of defeatist mentality Bangladesh need to get rid of – the tendency of batsmen going for batting practice when the target is big. The other school of thought, Bangladesh’s, suggests Tamim started hitting the ball well by the end of the innings. Tamim said he was feeling better about his form after that scratchy knock, and we can expect the real Tamim in the next game.Ed Joyce is back in green. After playing a crucial role in Ireland’s qualification for the 2007 World Cup, Joyce chose to play for England and pursue a Test career, which is not possible with Ireland. He didn’t savour the journey his home team embarked on in the Caribbean, nor has he managed to represent England in Tests. Now he is back, and is welcomed with open arms. “If I can bring something in terms of calmness in the middle of the innings where, perhaps, it wasn’t there before, that would be nice to offer,” he told last week.

Team news

Bangladesh have had injury scares coming into the match, but Imrul Kayes is fit despite getting hit in the forearm in the nets on Wednesday. He batted in the nets on match eve, and will open with Tamim. However, Shafiul Islam, who took a bad fall during fielding practice on Wednesday, is not a sure starter. That could prompt Bangladesh to think more of their traditional strength, and perhaps go with four spinners. There has also been talk that Mohammad Ashraful might be back, but at No. 7, as a Powerplay specialist.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Junaid Siddique, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Raqibul Hasan, 7 Mohammad Ashraful, 8 Mahmudullah, 9 Naeem Islam/Suhrawadi Shuvo, 10 Abdur Razzak, 11 Rubel Hossain.Ireland will be happy to welcome back Boyd Rankin (coming back from injury) and Joyce (coming back from England). That gives them real decisions to make when they sit to pick the XI, but expect two spinners in it.Ireland (probable): 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Andre Botha, 4 Ed Joyce, 5 Niall O’Brien (wk), 6 Kevin O’Brien, 7 Andrew White, 8 John Mooney, 9 Trent Johnston, 10 Boyd Rankin, 11 George Dockrell/Albert van der Merwe..

Stats and trivia

• Bangladesh lead the head-to-head against Ireland 4-2.
• In the 2007 World Cup, Ireland had only two professional cricketers; this time they have only two who don’t play cricket full time.
• Since August 2009, Tamim has averaged 37 as opposed to a career average of 30, and has gone at a strike-rate of 94, which is also a huge improvement over his career strike-rate of 79. Two of his three centuries have come in this period.
  

  Quotes

  “[Ireland might have beaten us at world events], but when they played at Mirpur in 2008, we beat them three games in a row. So we have the home advantage. I don’t think they like to play in these conditions.”
  .”Obviously 2007 was quite a while ago. We won on that occasion, but it’s going to be different in these conditions as opposed to what it was in the West Indies. Bangladesh are playing at home, they have got the home support, they have got the home conditions, so it is a completely different occasion.”

The Sri Lankan cricketers playing in the 2011 IPL have been asked to report to Colombo by May 5 to prepare for the tour of England

Sa'adi Thawfeeq13-Apr-2011The Sri Lankan cricketers playing in the 2011 IPL have been asked to report to Colombo by May 5 to prepare for the tour of England. The squad is due to depart for England on May 10 whereas the IPL goes on until May 28.”For the past two months or so they [the Sri Lankan players] have been playing one-day and T20 cricket and it is time they switched on to playing the longer game,” said Duleep Mendis, who replaced Aravinda de Silva as the new chairman of selectors after the World Cup. “The first half of the English summer is not going to be easy and we want the players to report for training and to concentrate on getting used to the change of playing white balls to red.”Eleven Sri Lankan cricketers are involved in the IPL, including Tillakaratne Dilshan, who is likely to lead Sri Lanka in England after Kumar Sangakkara resigned after the World Cup. Dilshan plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore along with fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep.Former captains Sangakkara (Deccan Chargers) and Mahela Jayawardene (Kochi Tuskers), Suraj Randiv and Nuwan Kulasekara (Chennai Super Kings), Dilhara Fernando and Lasith Mallinga (Mumbai Indians), Angelo Mathews (Pune Warriors) and Muttiah Muralitharan and Thisara Perera (Kochi Tuskers) are the other Sri Lankan players in IPL.Sri Lanka begin their tour of England on May 14 and play three Tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 international.

An accomplished maiden half-century from Joe Root put Yorkshire in a strong position on day one against injury-hit County Championship leaders Nottinghamshire

04-May-2011
ScorecardJoe Root made sure Nottinghamshire’s bowlers had a tough day in the field•Getty Images

An accomplished maiden half-century from Joe Root put Yorkshire in a strong position on day one against injury-hit County Championship leaders Nottinghamshire.After Adam Lyth and Joe Sayers had both hit 50s in a century stand for the first wicket, former England Under-19 international Root built upon the solid foundations to compile 89 from 186 balls, hitting 13 fours. Root only offered one chance – dropped at gully off Steven Mullaney on 88 – as he put on 107 for the fourth wicket with Jonny Bairstow, who also made an unbeaten 50, as Yorkshire closed on 291 for 3.Nottinghamshore, missing four front-line seamers and with all-rounders Andre Adams and Paul Franks requiring injections to be fit for the match, face an uphill struggle to maintain their 100% start to the season.The hosts were forced to draft in former Somerset fast bowler Ben Phillips for Charlie Shreck after the seamer was ruled out overnight with a knee problem. Phillips had only recently recovered himself from an ankle injury, and the veteran was left to toil away as Yorkshire batted first on a glorious sunny day.Lyth and Sayers were both untroubled in the opening session and although the Notts attack bowled with discipline, they did not receive the usual assistance from the Trent Bridge wicket. The lunch interval prompted a change in fortune as both openers were dismissed in the space of three balls at the start of the afternoon, Sayers edging Luke Fletcher to first slip for 50 off 122 balls with six fours.Lyth then got in a tangle playing a rising delivery from Franks, spooning his attempted pull shot to mid-on for 57 in an 103-ball innings featuring 10 fours. And although Andrew Gale was brilliantly caught 20 overs later by Adam Voges, running around from slip in anticipation of a sweep off the spin of Samit Patel, the remainder of the day firmly belonged to Yorkshire.Root, playing only his sixth first-class match, batted with assurance from the off, hitting boundaries off front and back foot, while Bairstow was similarly confident in hitting seven fours and one straight six off Patel.Nottinghamshire had an opportunity to deny Root his maiden hundred late in the day when he pushed at a good length ball from Mullaney but the thick edge was dropped by Neil Edwards at gully, leaving Yorkshire perfectly placed to push on for a match-winning total.

Zaheer Khan, the Indian seamer, has singled out his stint with Worcestershire as the “turning point” in his career and encouraged young Indian bowlers to play county cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-2011Zaheer Khan, the Indian seamer, has singled out his stint with Worcestershire as the “turning point” in his career and encouraged young Indian bowlers to play county cricket to prepare themselves better for international cricket. Zaheer, who was the joint-leading wicket-taker in the 2011 World Cup won by India, joined Worcestershire in 2006 after a phase in which he had struggled with injury and was left out of the national team. He topped the Division Two wickets list that season, picking up 78 in 16 games at 29.07.”In many ways it was [the turning point], Zaheer told the magazine . “The stint at Worcestershire helped me understand the game, why I am playing and other things in terms of preparations for matches and bowling on different kinds of wickets.”It was really important for me to play at the highest level, and to get back into the Indian side. I always knew I had the potential to perform but somehow I was not able to deliver. It was a great learning curve.”Upon his return to England in 2007, this time leading India’s pace attack, Zaheer topped the wickets list again, picking up 18 wickets in the Test series, including nine in India’s win in Trent Bridge.Zaheer said county experience helped players become more independent and professional and said he’d spoken to some of India’s younger bowlers, including Ishant Sharma, about playing county cricket. “I was advising all the young bowlers, like Ishant,” he said. “When you are at home, in many ways you are taken care of. But when you play a county season you have to do everything yourself and still be prepared for the game. That brings in a great sense of professionalism.”You also get a great understanding of cultures, and that definitely improves your social skills since you are out of your comfort zone. That itself is a great learning for any person, not just a cricketer.”Zaheer has been rested from India’s upcoming ODI series in the Caribbean. Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel and R Vinay Kumar comprise the pace attack.