Owais Shah earned a measure of revenge over former county Middlesex as he blazed a half-century to guide Essex to a five-wicket Friends Life t20 win at Lord’s

09-Jun-2011
ScorecardOwais Shah reminded his former team-mates what they are missing•Getty Images

Owais Shah earned a measure of revenge over former county Middlesex as he blazed a half-century to guide Essex to a five-wicket Friends Life t20 win at Lord’s. He hit an unbeaten 78 from 50 balls, including five sixes and five fours, to guide his team home with 11 balls to spare.Shah, who spent 15 years at Middlesex before he was surprising released last season, produced some sublime timing and footwork to ease Essex to their second win while his former county remain winless.Chasing 151 for victory, the Eagles made a disastrous start losing openers Ravi Bopara and Mark Pettini without scoring before Shah dictated matters. The 32-year-old initially found support from Matt Walker, in a stand of 33 for the third wicket, before he teamed with Ryan ten Doeschate in a brisk 44-run stand in five overs.When Ten Doeschate was trapped leg before to spinner Tom Smith for 17, the game was nicely poised with the Eagles 78 for 4 at the halfway stage. Scott Styris then departed cheaply, stumped off Smith, but captain James Foster joined Shah in a match-winning partnership of 67 from 34 balls. Foster finished unbeaten on 30 from 18 balls with four boundaries.Having completed their 20 overs with the scoreboard showing 148 for 5, the Panthers were credited with an additional two runs when coaches Angus Fraser and Paul Grayson agreed six had incorrectly been credited as just a four.Neil Dexter top-scored for the home side with a well-constructed 32 and was supported by 29 from John Simpson. Australian opener Chris Rogers also added 25 but none of the home batsmen could find the necessary impetus against an attack that maintained control throughout.New Zealander Tim Southee returned figures of 3 for 21 for the visitors whilst the competition’s leading bowler this season, left-arm spinner Tim Phillips claimed the wicket of Dexter to take his early tally into double figures.

Canterbury’s Michael Papps has quit the province after 12 seasons there and will play for Wellington in the 2011-12 New Zealand domestic season

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2011Canterbury’s Michael Papps has quit the province after 13 seasons there and will play for Wellington in the 2011-12 domestic season. According to a report in , Papps, who has played eight Tests for New Zealand and is currently playing club cricket in the United Kingdom, approached Wellington regarding the move last month. Both provinces confirmed the move on Thursday.An opening batsman and wicketkeeper, Papps made his first-class debut in the 1998-99 season and has since scored 7457 runs in 119 matches with 20 centuries, passing Paul McEwan to become Canterbury’s top run-scorer.Cricket Wellington chief executive Gavin Larsen said Papps would prop up their top order. “We are delighted to have signed a player of Papps’ calibre,” he said. “His domestic record is outstanding and he will add both experience and leadership to our top-order batting.”

A round-up of the first day of matches in the ICC Africa Region Division One Twenty20 2011

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2011Namibia registered a comprehensive 132-run win over Nigeria in the opening match of the ICC Africa Region Division One Twenty20, 2011, at the Kyambogo Cricket Ground in Kampala. Choosing to bat, Namibia piled up an imposing 232 for 6 in their 20 overs, on the back of a blistering 92 from captain-opener Craig Williams. Inclusive of 11 fours and three sixes, Williams’ knock came off just 42 balls. Endurance Ofem was the only Nigeria bowler who went for less than ten an over, but only just, as he finished with 3 for 39 off his four. The chase was off to a very poor start, as Nigeria were reduced to 14 for 4. Only Kunle Adegbola put up any resistance, finishing with an unbeaten, run-a-ball 40, as Nigeria limped to 100 for 6 in their 20 overs.Uganda beat Ghana by four wickets in a low-scoring, close game at the Lugogo Cricket Oval in Kampala. Uganda had the perfect start after being asked to bowl, knocking over Ghana’s top three cheaply to leave them tottering at 6 for 3 in 4.5 overs. A half-century stand between Julius Mensah and Obed Harvey followed, pushing the side to a respectable 101 for 8 in 20. Left-arm seamers Brian Masaba and Charles Waiswa were the pick of the bowlers, claiming five wickets between them in tight spells. Uganda’s chase was off to a similar start, as they were reduced to 10 for 2 before three cameos of 20-odd runs put them on course. A wicket in the 20th over gave Ghana a foot in the door, but Uganda managed to edge home with a ball to spare.Ghana finished day one without a win, losing to Kenya in their second game of the day at the Lugogo Cricket Oval by five wickets. After batting first again, Ghana got to a competitive 140 for 7, with Lawrence Ateak top-scoring with an unbeaten 36. Their innings was held in check by three run-outs, two of top-order batsmen – Francis Bakiweyem and Mensah – who had got off to starts. Kenya’s chase was built on double-digit contributions from all but one of their top seven batsmen, with opener Duncan Allan top-scoring with 37. Ghana managed wickets at regular intervals, but Kenya never looked in trouble, running down the target in the 20th over with half their wickets intact.Namibia, meanwhile, completed their second convincing win of the day, beating Uganda by 59 runs at the Kyambogo Cricket Ground. Batting first, Namibia were off to a quick start with openers Louis van der Westhuizen and Craig Williams putting on 33 in 3.1 overs. Cameos from Sarel Burger and Gerrie Snyman – Namibia’s top-scorer with 41 – followed, which made sure the side posted a sizeable total of 162 for 5. Uganda were always behind, the chase lacking momentum all through. The line-up managed just eight boundaries as they got to 103 for 8. Namibia’s bowlers shared the wickets around, with Louis Klazinga, Wian van Vuuren and Pikky Ya France claiming two each.

A five star performance from Chaminda Vaas gave Northamptonshire the upper hand
in the County Championship match against Derbyshire at Chesterfield

18-Aug-2011
Scorecard
A five star performance from Chaminda Vaas gave Northamptonshire the upper hand
in the County Championship match against Derbyshire at Chesterfield.The former Sri Lankan Test star bagged his sixth five-wicket Championship haul
of the season to bowl Derbyshire out for 190 and earn his side a lead of 77. Alex Wakely and David Sales then made half-centuries as the Division Two leaders ended day two on 285 for 6, 362 runs in front.The match had been in the balance at the start of the day with Derbyshire 151
runs behind with six wickets intact but Northants struck three times in the
first seven overs to seize the initiative.Lee Daggett set the tone with a brilliant diving return catch to remove
nightwatchman Tony Palladino for 16 before Vaas showed his international class
with a quality spell of swing bowling from the Pavilion End.Dan Redfern advanced to 21 before he played on and the last ball of that over
kept low to bowl Ross Whiteley for a duck. Daggett tempted Jon Clare to play at a widish ball which ended in the hands of second slip and the innings ended when Luke Sutton was caught behind sparring at Vaas who then knocked out Mark Footitt’s off stump.His figures of 5 for 65, which took his championship tally to 57, were his
second five-wicket return in three innings and put his team in a good position. But Derbyshire hit back before lunch when Niall O’Brien was lbw playing across the line at Tim Groenewald.Derbyshire needed a big afternoon session to get back in the game and Footitt
raised their hopes by striking twice in successive overs. He had Kyle Coetzer taken low at second slip and then got some lift to have Stephen Peters caught behind for 32.When Rob Newton slapped Clare to cover, Northants were 91 for four, still only
168 ahead, but Wakely and Sales turned the game with a century stand. Wakely had played soundly for 88 in the first innings and he again showed composure and good shot selection to pick off the bowling while Sales finally hit form with his first Championship fifty of the season.Derbyshire’s bowling lost discipline as the pair scored at five an over and
they had put on 122 when Sales slashed at Groenewald and was caught behind for
65.Wakely was denied a deserved century when he was lbw for 83 to a ball that kept
low from Palladino but Andrew Hall and Tony Middlebrook made sure Northants
closed in a commanding position by adding 60 in 20 overs.

Sri Lankan cricket authorities face formal sanction for Galle’s dustbowl first Test pitch after it was officially rated “poor” by the ICC match referee Chris Broad

Daniel Brettig in Kandy03-Sep-2011Sri Lankan cricket authorities face formal sanction for Galle’s dustbowl first Test pitch after it was officially rated “poor” by the ICC match referee Chris Broad. SLC must provide a written response to his report within 14 days.A hefty fine and “a directive for corrective action” will be the result if the ICC does not deem their explanation sufficient. The pitch was the cause of much conjecture in the lead-up to the match, but by its conclusion both sides agreed it had been far too dry and offered exceedingly rare extremes of spin and variable bounce.”The ICC’s General Manager – Cricket, Dave Richardson, and the ICC’s chief match referee Ranjan Madugalle will now consider all the evidence,” the ICC said in a statement, “including studying video footage of the match and submissions from the host Member Board, before reaching their decision in due course.”Ricky Ponting equated the Galle pitch to the infamous Mumbai surface of 2004 while Michael Clarke said “day one felt like day five” after Australia wrapped up a 125-run victory in the first Test.The Australians’ pride in victory was made more so by the state of the surface, which can be described as a desert in the middle of an oasis. Galle is lashed by frequent rain and the outfield is verdant green, but the pitch prepared for the Test, ostensibly to aid Sri Lanka’s spin bowlers, was tinder dry. Even Tillkaratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka’s captain, expressed surprise at the pitch.When gusts of wind swept across the ground on day four, some officials wondered whether they might take the whole of the pitch with them.Having celebrated his 100th win in Test matches, becoming the first man to achieve the feat, Ponting said he had only seen one other pitch of similar quality in his career. That match, the fourth Test between India and Australia at Wankhede Stadium in 2004, was completed in little more than two days after the first was all but lost to rain.”Yeah [I can remember] one, we had one in Mumbai on which we had to chase 100 in the fourth innings and it was about halfway through the second day and we couldn’t get them,” Ponting said. “I think we all knew when we saw the wicket two days out from the start of this game we knew it was going to be like this.”It was very loose two days out and we couldn’t see how it was going to get any better. So it was a great toss to win and a good first innings total for us and that set the game up.”Clarke, who made an important 60 in the second innings to ensure the fourth innings target would be out of Sri Lanka’s reach, was similarly wide-eyed about the surface, and conceded the toss had gone a long way towards deciding the match.”If you speak to all the batters that’s definitely one of the toughest wickets I’ve had to bat on in a Test match and that was on day one,” Clarke said. “Day one felt like day five of a Test match, so to scratch out 270-odd were crucial runs, we thought that was a pretty good score.”It’s really hard, I hate to see a Test match result determined by the toss, I hate to see any game of cricket determined by the toss, but that was one of the toughest wickets I’ve played Test cricket on. No doubt it was prepared for spin bowling, but I think it might’ve backfired as well.”Dilshan had commented on match eve that the pitch would start to turn after tea on the first day, but it was doing plenty from the first morning, when Rangana Herath’s first ball jumped and turned to kiss the edge of Shane Watson’s bat. If anything the pitch’s venom dissipated a little on days three and four, allowing Mahela Jayawardene and Angelo Mathews add 142 to delay Australia’s win.”This is a challenging wicket,” Dilshan said. “We know when you come to Galle this is a slow wicket, this is a very challenging wicket for Test cricket, but we’ve managed to get the highest fourth innings runs today. It is challenging, not easy.”Normally the Galle track is very dry. We expect a turning and slow wicket in Galle but the thing is this started turning first day, so it was a little bit drier but we expect Galle to be similar to this as we’ve played previous.”Clarke praised the efforts of Michael Hussey, who was named Man of the Match for his 95 in the first innings, when the rest of the batsmen were struggling.”His 95 is worth at least 150 on that wicket, and put us in a great position to win the Test, so I’m thrilled,” Clarke said. “We executed our plans really well. As a batting group we would’ve liked someone to go on and make a hundred, especially in the first innings we found that all of us got a start.”If Huss had a couple of partners I’m sure he would’ve got a hundred, but that’s one thing as a batting unit we can work on. Our bowling unit did a really good job as a group, hitting good areas, we knew on that wicket we were going to get a little bit of inconsistent bounce so we had to be at the stumps as much as we could, and our fielding was fantastic, our energy in the field was the standard we want to see.”

Although David Warner does not think he has ever struck the ball as sweetly as he is doing at the moment, he still sees the potential to go harder after having realised the importance of building an innings, even in Twenty20s

Firdose Moonda in Johannesbug15-Oct-2011David Warner, the Australia batsmen, is at his most ruthless when talking about himself. Although he does not think he has ever struck the ball as sweetly as he is doing at the moment, he still sees the potential to go harder after having realised the importance of taking time to build an innings, even in the shortest format.Warner faced only one ball before being run-out in the first Twenty20 international on Thursday, but after back-to-back centuries in the Champions League T20, he looks in ominous form. “In India it was tough and I had to grind my way through to the middle overs and be there at the end,” Warner said. “I feel like I’m hitting the ball really well but if I wanted to be harsher on myself, I could probably hit them better as well.”As one of the most dangerous T20 players, Warner has been stereotyped as a batting brute but he said there is some art that goes into constructing an innings in the shortest form of the game. “You’ve still got to get yourself in, I’ve only just realised that the last couple of months,” Warner said. “When I’ve got myself in I could actually see, not how not easy it is, but how much you can get in the last five overs.” Those are words that signify that Warner intends to bat longer and that can only mean the opposition must brace themselves for more sustained assaults.Warner is not necessarily aiming at becoming the best T20 batsmen in the world, but he “just wants to be recognised as a person in the team who is going to win matches.” In his debut against South Africa, at the MCG in 2009, he was that person. His 89 came off just 43 balls and announced that batting in fast-forward mode was the way he would play his game. Although he has not scaled that score on the international scene, he does have three domestic T20 centuries and has developed his game to include shots like the switch-hit.”Normally just left-handed he is dangerous, but now with the switch-hit, it makes him a unique player and someone you must try to stay one step ahead of,” Johan Botha said. Pioneered by Kevin Pietersen, the stroke can thread uncertainty through the opposition but playing it requires careful timing, according to Warner. “It’s one of those things where if it’s the right time of the game and obviously if we’re not under pressure I can play it,” Warner said. “I’ve to be smart as well and make sure it’s not in a silly point of the game where it’s going to hurt the team.”Warner’s evolution as a T20 player has had some asking whether he has ambitions to play in other formats. He said that he would like to show his ability in the upcoming one-day series. “It’s been two years since I played a one-day game for Australia and I’ve learnt a lot in that time, so hopefully I can be a bit more patient.”For some, changing to a longer version of the game would mean a different strategy in the nets but Warner’s instincts remain the same. “I like trying to get bat on ball so that’s what I try and do,” he said. “I do a lot of throw downs in the nets and when I’m batting, it’s one of those things where if you get out, you’ve got to be strict on yourself, and say if you get out more than once you should actually walk out of there and say that’s a pretty disappointing net session.”Warner also has ambitions of making the leap up to Test cricket but understands that missing out first-class games at home could peg that aim back a little while. “The only way I’m going to get there is if I keep scoring runs,” he said, adding that the ability to be more dependable and less flashy may have to find its way into his game. “I haven’t been consistent enough, a lot of people have said that and I know that for a fact, and that’s one thing now that I’ve shown the last couple of innings, that I’m being more consistent,” he said. “I’m actually getting myself in and not throwing it away. I’ll keep aspiring to be more consistent and hopefully one day I will get that Test cap.”

Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, says it is hard bowling at Eden Gardens and his bowlers did well to take five wickets

S Aga14-Nov-2011″Loose balls are the best balls sometimes,” Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, said with a laugh after a day when his team’s bowling was severely tested on a benign pitch and four of the five wickets to fall were gifted by the batsmen. Led by a Rahul Dravid century, India dominated the day’s play before two wickets in four balls gave the visitors some hope of making significant inroads with the second new ball on Tuesday morning.”It’s always tough to play on this track at Eden Gardens,” Gibson said. “History says that you usually go at an economy-rate of three an over. We are going at 3.8 an over [actually 3.95] and hopefully we can drag it down tomorrow. Our guys toiled hard. We knew it was always going to be difficult to bowl to [Virender] Sehwag early on. I’d give credit to all the guys for being at it the whole day and getting five wickets.”West Indies knew the enormity of the task in front of them within minutes of play starting, with back-of-length deliveries barely rising as high as the batsman’s ribcage. There was a hint of resignation in Gibson’s voice when he spoke about the conditions. “It’s obviously disappointing but that has been the nature of subcontinent wickets over the years. This one hasn’t spun a great deal yet. We spoke about it. Credit to Kemar Roach for coming back, bowling three very good spells and getting a wicket late in the day. Hopefully he can build on that tomorrow.”Roach was included after Ravi Rampaul fell ill on the eve of the game. Offspinner Shane Shillingford, Gibson said, was overlooked given India’s level of comfort with the turning ball. “It was a tough decision. You look at the pitch and feel may be you can play two spinners. But you look at historical evidence too. Indians grew up playing spin. The extra pace of Kemar could help and it worked out quite well for us.”The biggest obstacle was Dravid, whose 119 was his sixth century in the last 12 months. “He is a class batsman and has been that way for the best part of twenty years. He has been in great form this year. I saw a statistic flash on television that he has the most [Test] runs by any batsman this year.”With his appetite, I am sure he will score runs in Australia as well. It was obviously good to take his wicket; that lifted everyone. It’s good that we don’t have to see Dravid walk out tomorrow and take guard again.”That wicket also justified Darren Sammy’s decision to delay the taking of the second new ball. But on a slow surface that has largely negated the potency of the pace attack, West Indian hopes of an upset victory will depend on the performance of Devendra Bishoo. At times on the opening day, that expectation appeared to weigh him down.”It’s something we have spoken about,” Gibson said. “Young Bishoo has been our main spinner for ten months now and done well for us. You also have to take into account that he has been bowling to India, who are strong players of spin. Even Shane Warne didn’t find it easy here. There have been times when Bishoo hasn’t been able to string together as many good balls as he’d like.”Gibson remained confident that West Indies could rattle India’s cage in this game, citing the batting collapse in the first innings in Delhi.This, though, is a different sort of slow pitch, and India spinners, especially the absent Harbhajan Singh, have exploited its vagaries in the past. How West Indies fare will depend entirely on whether they can negotiate R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha better than they managed to in the opening Test.

A round-up of the matches from the first round of the second phase of the National Cricket League 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2011Khulna kicked off the second phase of the National League with an eight-wicket win over Rajshahi in a low-scoring encounter that lasted just two days at the Narayanganj Osmani Stadium in Fatullah.They moved to the top of the table with 92.84 points after bowling out Rajshahi twice for 129 and 149 and leaving themselves a low total to chase in the second innings. The game belonged to the bowlers and in particular 21-year-old lanky medium-pacer Al-Amin Hossain who finished with match figures of 9 for 58. He found adequate swing and used his height to good effect on the first day when he broke Rajshahi’s back with the key wickets of Junaid Siddique and Farhad Hossain.In the second innings, he repeated the dose on Junaid and Farhad but also added Mizanur Rahman, Farhad Reza, Jubair Ahmed and Sanjamul Islam to his tally as the defending champions were pinned to the mat. Khulna themselves batted poorly in the first innings, taking only a 30-run lead but it was more than enough.

The game at the Sylhet Divisional Stadium started in the same vein as the one in Fatullah when Dhaka Metropolis were bowled out for just 129 in the first innings, though ultimately they drew with Sylhet.Sylhet’s seamer Abu Jayed was at his best once again, picking up six wickets for just 25 runs in the first innings. After Sylhet grafted for 107.3 overs to score 263 in their reply, the wicket flattened out.Dhaka Metro took full advantage as they batted out nearly two days to earn a draw. Mehrab Hossain Jnr scored an unbeaten century, his first of the season, while Asif Ahmed, Shamsur Rahman and Marshall Ayub went close to the three-figure mark. Sylhet were set 347 to win from 50 overs but they used it as batting practice with Imtiaz Hossain and Shaker Ahmed hitting half-centuries.

A round-up of three matches of the SuperSport Series 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Dec-2011South Africa batsman Colin Ingram and offspinner Simon Harmer led the Warriors to a139-run victory over the Cape Cobras in a low-scoring encounter in Paarl. Ingram made a first-innings century and an unbeaten 92 in the second, while Harmer took a career best 11 for 149, including 8 for 72 in the second innings to wrap up the match and hand Warriors their second victory of the year.Having chosen to bat, the Warriors slipped to 51 for 3 before Ingram and Arno Jacobs steadied the ship with a 95-run partnership. After Jacobs fell for 28, Wayne Parnell battled for two hours and 22 minutes for 33 in the process of adding 102 with Ingram as they took the score to 248 for 5. Ingram pushed on to 140, easily the highest-score in the game, before the Warriors were bowled out for 320 in the first session of the second day. Beuran Hendricks and Robin Peterson took four wickets each for the Cobras.The Warriors made early inroad into the Cobra’s top order before 68 from Justin Ontong and 62 from JP Duminy revived the innings. However, their departures triggered a collapse and it took No. 9 Rory Kleinveldt, who made 42, to push past 200 to 239.Having taken an 81-run lead, Warriors slipped to 106 for 6 and it was left to Ingram to once again prop up the side. He battled for over three hours for his 92 as Warriors managed 211 to leave Cobras needing 293 for the win. Peterson took another four wicket to finish with eight for the match.The Cobras began the final day needing 273 for victory but lost opener Andrew Puttick in the second over of the day, when he edged one to the keeper of Andrew Birch. Harmer then took over, taking the next four wickets, including that of JP Duminy for 7, as the Cobras slid to 75 for 5 at lunch. Justin Kemp, who laboured to 22 from 88, and Dane Vilas, who made 57, provided some resistance but Harmer was in irressistable form. He had Kemp lbw and then removed Robin Peterson in the same over for a duck to take his side to the brink of their second victory.
He wrapped up the win by ending Vilas’ stay for 57 to finish with 11 for 149 in the match.Half-centuries from Jonathan Vandiar and Stephen Cook carried the Lions to nine-wicket win after the Titans could only manage 210 in their second-innings at Benoni. The Titans won the toss and chose to bat. Martin van Jaarsveld and Faf du Plessis made 80 each, while Henry David made 71, to set up their total of 354. Legspinner Eddie Leie was the pick of the bowlers for the Lions, taking 5 for 93.Openers Stephen Cook and Alviro Peterson led the Lions reply, adding 181 before Peterson was caught behind for 115. The rest of the top order, however, failed to stick around as they slipped to 266 for 5. When Cook fell for 109 to leave them 296 for 7, it looked like the Titans would claim the first-innings lead. But No. 8 Thami Tsolekile made 61 and No. 10 Chris Morris made 27 to push their side to 407 and take a 53-run lead.Heino Kuhn was solid at the top of the order in making 59, but Lions made regular inroads as Leie picked up a second five-for to finish with 10 for 146 for the match.Peterson fail in the first over for a duck, but Vandiar made 81 and Cook completed a fine match with an unbeaten 71 to seal the win.Knights maintained their unbeaten run and position at the top of the table, drawing their encounter with Dolphins at Bloemfontein. The Dolphins were set a target of 319 but managed to hang in there with 245 for 7.The Dolphins put the opposition in and they responded with 340. Morne van Wyk was the top scorer with 340, while the wickets were shared between the seam duo of Mthokozisi Shezi and Robert Frylinck. Quinton Friend, the right-arm seamer, took a five-wicket haul to give the Knights a 100-run lead. One of his wickets was the top scorer Daryn Smit, who missed his century by five runs. None of the others passed fifty.van Wyk was amongst the runs again as he struck 53 and added quick runs with Dillon du Preez to build on the Knights lead to 318 before the declaration. Dolphins’ Imraan Khan and Divan van Wyk began steadily, adding 109 for the first wicket. However, they were set back by three quick strikes, two of which were courtesy du Preez. Smit carried on his good touch from the first innings with a patient unbeaten 56 to ensure his team survived. The Dolphins were at the bottom of the table with three defeats and no outright win.

Alistair Cook scored the first hundred of England’s UAE tour making 133 before England declared on the first day of their second warm-up match against a Pakistan Board X1.

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2012

ScorecardAlastair Cook continued his form of last year into 2012 with 133 before England declared on day one•Getty Images

Alastair Cook carried his form of last year into 2012 with the first century of England’s UAE tour. Cook’s 133 was a vital knock as five wickets for Yasir Shah restricted England on the opening day of their final warm-up match in Dubai.Shah’s legspin removed England’s middle order as Ian Bell and Eoin Morgan recorded further low scores. England were reduced to 121 for 5 before Matt Prior made 46 from 57 balls. Graeme Swann’s 24 also helped England to a competitive total.But England were indebted to Cook’s 36th first-class hundred. In 2011 he scored 927 Test runs at 84.27 and, after 76 in the first-innings against an ICC Combined XI, he continued in that vein, marshalling England after Mohammad Talha had reduced them to 14 for 2. Captain Andrew Strauss was caught behind for 3 before Jonathan Trott fell leg before for a third-ball duck. Ian Bell was also dismissed for a duck – part of Shah’s haul of 5 for 76.The legspin of Shah removed England’s middle order. Kevin Pietersen, who took 10 balls to get off the mark, had got England moving with five fours in his 38 but he was bowled in the first over after lunch having shared a stand of 83 with Cook. Bell was then trapped leg before second ball and Shah also removed Morgan, whose 11 was his third failure of the tour after 1 and 3 against the ICC XI.With England in trouble, Prior got a partnership going with Cook and the pair added 90. Cook, who was dropped twice in the second half of his innings, went past 50 from 92 balls while Prior was his breezy self, striking seven fours before Tahla returned to have him caught behind.Swann, who underwent a scan on his quadriceps after the first warm-up match, played a useful part in making 24 as he and Cook put on 46. But when Swann fell caught behind off Shah, England’s innings came swiftly to an end. Shah completed his five-for by having Graham Onions caught before Cook edged behind off Tahla and England declared.There was time for eight overs of the PCB XI innings and Onions, playing the first time for England since January 2010 against South Africa, took the new ball. He conceded 13 in his three overs. Chris Tremlett, having recovered from his eye infection, sent down two overs and there was also time for a brief appearance from Swann and Monty Panesar.