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The Indian government has recommended Sachin Tendulkar’s name for nomination to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Apr-2012The Indian president has approved Sachin Tendulkar’s nomination to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament. Tendulkar met the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday and was offered a seat in the upper house’s nominated category. He accepted the offer and his name went from the prime minister’s office to the home ministry, and then the office of the President, who formally approved the candidature.Tendulkar will fill one of 12 seats in the Rajya Sabha that are reserved for those persons “having special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as literature, science, art and social service.” Tendulkar is the first sportsman to be nominated in this category, which has no election process. (Former Indian hockey captain Dilip Tirkey, who took oath as a Rajya Sabha yesterday, was elected.) Previous nominated MPs, who serve a six-year term, include the musician Ravi Shankar, the singer Lata Mangeshkar and the artist MF Husain.Tendulkar’s nomination had not been expected to meet with much opposition, given his stature in India. The nomination came from the ruling Congress party, which is currently fighting political battles on various fronts. Before meeting the prime minister, Tendulkar and his wife Anjali met the Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who reportedly congratulated him on his hundred international centuries.The reaction from the main opposition party, the BJP, was swift and unambiguous. The party’s chief spokesperson, Ravi Shankar Prasad, said: “Sachin is a great player. We are proud of him. If Sachin is being nominated surely he will devote some time to Parliament.”The BCCI also welcomed the move. “We are happy that Tendulkar’s services as a sportsperson has been recognised,” the Indian board’s chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty told . “He’s been a true ambassador for the country and he deserves it.”However, commentators on the game were less enthusiastic in their response. Sanjay Manjrekar, a former team-mate of Tendulkar’s and now a media analyst, said he was shocked at the news, because he could never have imagined this to be how Tendulkar wound down his career. “My only fear is that this man is not suited for the kind of role he is being given. Until now, I’ve seen no sign of that. Even when the contracts dispute was on, when a players’ association was being formed, it was Anil Kumble in the forefront.” Manjrekar also wondered how Tendulkar would balance his cricket and commitments as an MP.Harsha Bhogle had a similar opinion*. “If the nomination is an honour, I am all for it,” he said. “But if it is an attempt at improving governance in India, then he doesn’t have the experience.”*02:59, April 27: Harsha Bhogle’s quote has been updated.

Stephan Myburgh’s hard-hitting 77 laid the foundation for a thrilling one-run victory by Netherlands over Gloucestershire

06-May-2012
ScorecardStephan Myburgh’s hard-hitting 77 laid the foundation for a thrilling one-run victory by Netherlands over Gloucestershire. The opener made his runs off just 72 balls, with 11 fours and two sixes, as the visitors ran up 239 for 6 after losing the toss.Cameron Borgas, Mudassar Bukhari and Wesley Barresi lent positive support, while Ed Young returned 2 for 31 from eight overs.After falling behind the run rate, Gloucestershire rallied with a brilliant 72 not out off 51 balls from Benny Howell, only to fall agonisingly short as Pieter Seelaar picked up 4 for 42. The home side required 13 off the last over, bowled by Bukhari. Jon Batty hit a boundary, but with three needed to win off the final delivery Howell could manage only a leg-bye.Gloucestershire were left to rue their early batting, which saw them make only 87 for one off their first 20 overs. Alex Gidman, who opened with brother Will, took 69 balls to make 41 and when he was caught in the deep 141 runs were needed off just 16 overs.Howell, signed on a trial basis after being released by Hampshire, did his hopes of a contract no harm by hitting four fours and two sixes but could not quite pull off victory.Earlier, Myburgh had signalled his intent from the start, dispatching the second ball of the match from Will Gidman over midwicket for six. The 28-year-old left-hander went on to dominate an opening stand of 84 with Michael Swart reaching his half-century off 42 balls.Left-arm spinner Young made the breakthrough in the 14th over, bowling Swart playing across the line. Chris Dent followed up by having Peter Borren caught at mid-wicket but Myburgh helped take the total to 152 before also falling to Dent’s offspin.After Borgas and Tom Cooper fell, Barresi and Bukhari added 58 in quick time to boost the total before Barresi was bowled by the first ball of the final over from Ian Saxelby.

Speaking about England’s decision to rest James Anderson from the final Test against West Indies Andy Flower defended the rotation policy

George Dobell05-Jun-2012It was telling that, not for the first time in this series, it was a man who was conspicuous by his absence who dominated the pre-Test discussion at Edgbaston. Speaking about England’s decision to rest James Anderson from the final Test against West Indies, Andy Flower defended the rotation policy, saying that the demanding fixture list meant it would be “crazy and naive” to think England could utilise just three fast bowlers – Anderson, Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan – over the next couple of years.The move has provoked a varied response. While some have understood that it is simply a sign of the times and more a reflection of England’s hectic schedule than any slight on Anderson or the ticket-buying public of Birmingham, others have reacted as if it were an early sign of the breakdown of law, order and civilization. For example, Ian Botham, the former England allrounder and captain, wrote in his Mirror column that the decision was “complete madness” and “an insult to the English public who pay their money to go and watch the best players in the land represent them on the field”.Either way, it is a measure of the sensitivity of the subject that Flower, the England coach, took it upon himself to come and speak to a section of the media and provide an in-depth explanation of the rationale behind the decision. Flower, while at pains not to be seen to criticise officials at the ECB who have agreed the playing schedule, called the itinerary “incredibly heavy”. He also reminded supporters that rotation was not a new thing – Andrew Strauss, the captain, was rested from a tour of Bangladesh in 2010 – and, while Flower declined to answer any questions about Kevin Pietersen, he did admit that the prospect of players choosing to specialise was an “ongoing issue with the schedules that we’re being asked to undertake”.”We came into this series with one goal and that was to win the series,” Flower said. “We’ve achieved that goal so our priorities do shift. I’m not intending to demean the importance of this Test but, since we won the series already, our priority on the Test front does now shift to the South Africa series. There is also a slight shift to the West Indies one-day series because that series stands at 0-0. We haven’t won that series, we’ve won this one. Part of our decision making is based around those reasons.”If it had been 1-1 going into this third Test, Jimmy would have played. He is not badly injured and he could play this Test if we wanted him to. But it’s 2-0 and we’ve won the series already.”The second point I would make is that the days of us playing our players until they are either worn down significantly, or snap physically or mentally, are over. We think it our responsibility to manage things better than that. It is our duty to make decisions in their interests and the interests of the team. In the past we tended to play the fast bowlers until they were either bowling so poorly we had to leave them out, or they break down. And that doesn’t make sense to us.”Would you enter your prize horse in every race through the year? You wouldn’t. You would target the races you want to win. We’ve won this race already. Would you play your most valuable pitcher in every single game in a baseball season? No you wouldn’t. In fact, you don’t even see them play full games. You pull them out of games because physically it makes sense to do so. Eventually their shoulder or their elbow would go. Does Wayne Rooney play every game for Manchester United? No, he doesn’t because he would break down if he tried to do so. The schedule is really busy, and that’s why we have to make these decisions. It would be ridiculous if we expected our fast bowlers to play in every single game.”These types of decisions are made for the good of the team but also they will extend the careers of bowlers like Anderson. Actually I think it’s beneficial to him. I understand the reasons why he is disappointed but it is beneficial to him in the long run.Graham Onions is one of the players who could come into the England side at Edgbaston•Getty Images

“My third point is we have to try to and grow our pool of fast bowlers that are available to the England side. You would have seen through the Ashes in Australia that it wasn’t the same attack that was used throughout that series. When we left Steven Finn out and when Stuart Broad was injured, the guys who came in excelled. Over the next couple of years the schedule is incredibly heavy. It is not only going to be Anderson, Broad and Bresnan who are going to be our bowlers over the next couple of years. It would be crazy and naive to think so. We are going to use other fast bowlers. It is part of growing our pool of fast bowlers.”My fourth point is the possible replacement or replacements we use in this Test match are fine bowlers in their own right who have already performed very successfully in Test matches in England. I don’t see it as devaluing this Test, I see it as a really exciting opportunity for us and for those watching the game. We are making this decision in the best interests of English cricket. We are not trying to overcomplicate, or devalue the game in any way. I perfectly understand why James Anderson is disappointed to be left out and I would be surprised if he felt any different. He is hungry to play. That’s okay.”He will be using this time to get his body in as good order as possible. He is carrying a couple of niggles and this is a chance to get rid of them. If it was 1-1 he would be playing, but it’s not. We make decisions that make us stronger in the medium to long-term. Those are the reasons why we’ve made those decisions. Some people will disagree with them and that’s fair enough. But I hope you can understand the logic behind those decisions.”Flower admitted that Broad may also be left out of the final XI “for similar reasons” and dismissed the idea that either he or Anderson would be selected with a view to improving their Test statistics. “We don’t select people to get their Test tally up,” Flower said. “We make decisions in the best interests of English cricket.”It was also noticeable that, in Anderson’s absence, England spent some time in fielding drills with prospective new members of the slip cordon. Jonathan Trott, Steven Finn, Jonny Bairstow and Alastair Cook were among those who are not always in the cordon to be put through their paces.Anderson’s absence is unlikely to have much effect on last-minute ticket sales at Edgbaston. The weather forecast – grim, as ever this summer, it seems – may prove more relevant, though relatively high ticket prices will not have helped. Warwickshire, in their defence, would point out that various group discounts and ‘kids for a quid’ schemes were available.They may also point out that ticket sales as not as poor as has been suggested in some quarters. As of Tuesday, Edgbaston had pre-sold 52,300 tickets for the Test. While fourth-day sales are poor – around 4,000 – the first three days are respectable (16,500, 14,800 and 17,000 respectively). Indeed, some grounds outside London would need to turn people away with those figures.It is an important game for Warwickshire. Having invested heavily in redeveloping their stadium to an excellent standard – something they were encouraged to do by the ECB – they then missed out in the distribution deal and will not host an Ashes Test in 2013 or an India Test in 2014. While they will host some attractive limited-overs games – not least the final of the ICC Champions Trophy – they do not host another Test after this until 2015. With hefty loans to repay, they need to maximise revenues from this Test.

BJ Watling said his side had gained confidence against a formidable West Indies, but needed to find an answer to Chris Gayle

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2012New Zealand wicketkeeper BJ Watling, who made an unbeaten 72 in a lost cause at Sabina Park, has said his side had improved and gained confidence from the performance in the second ODI. However, he said the key to winning games against West Indies was finding an answer to Chris Gayle.West Indies, riding on Gayle’s explosive century, were on course for a mammoth score before New Zealand’s death bowling restricted them to 315. The visitors then made 260 in the chase, and the 55-run margin of defeat was less severe than those of previous matches.”We have improved the death bowling and I think the boys really finished off the [West Indies] innings well,” Watling said after the game. “We dried up the boundaries at the end and if we can obviously take a couple of wickets at the start, get Gayle out and then put them under a bit of pressure, I think we have got a chance of getting up in the next few games.”New Zealand conceded only 69 in the last ten overs even though West Indies had Marlon Samuels, batting on 71, and Kieron Pollard at the crease and seven wickets in hand. Watling said a tighter bowling performance at the start of the innings was crucial.”They looked at one stage to get 350 but the boys at the end there, they hit the hole, they struggled to find the boundaries like they had in the previous games and we really adjusted quite well at the end,” Watling said. “Obviously, we can start a bit better. If we can get a couple of early poles, if we can get Gayle out early, it’s obviously a bonus.”Gayle has scored 85*, 53, 63* and 125 in two Twenty20s and two ODIs against New Zealand on this tour, and all four have been match-winning innings. “If we can get Gayle out of the equation and make their other players bat, I think we’ve got a good chance of putting them under some good pressure,” Watling said.Watling was pleased with his performance in the Caribbean so far, having scored 60 in the first ODI and 72 in the second. “[I] managed to find a few boundary options and get the ones away so it was pleasing, but it’s obviously in a losing effort which is never too good.”Three New Zealand batsmen went past 50 during the chase of 316 but Watling said half-centuries weren’t enough. “A couple of batters got fifties, so that’s obviously a confidence booster and we’ve got to keep working on it. Fifty is obviously not good enough. Their two blokes got hundreds. Someone in our top five needs to get a hundred and then we build from that.”We do have an inexperienced batting line-up. These guys are on their first tour. Guys have played ten games and we don’t have that Gayle at the moment, and we’re looking to find it.”New Zealand trail 0-2 in the five-match series and will travel to St. Kitts for the third ODI on July 11.

An under-prepared New Zealand play their tournament opener against Scotland, a team that have arrived in Australia by winning 13 out of 14 qualifying matches

George Binoy in Brisbane11-Aug-2012Of all the Full Member nations at the Under-19 World Cup in Australia, New Zealand have had the least international experience since the previous tournament in 2010. And unlike South Africa, who also didn’t tour extensively, New Zealand’s cricketers have not had an extensive preparatory camp at home. The last week, spent getting used to off-season conditions in Queensland, has been the crux of their immediate preparation.They lost their first warm-up match comprehensively to South Africa before getting past Nepal by 19 runs in the second. They had two unofficial practice games before that as well and won both, against West Indies and Scotland. Considering their senior squad went to the Caribbean without a prior training camp, it was perhaps unfeasible for the Under-19s to expect to have one.”We’ve just come out of winter, so that’s been a challenge,” their coach Matt Horne said of their preparations. “We had selected a wider squad, probably 18 months ago, to work towards this, based around camps, players working in their own state associations. We had a trial process throughout the summer, which finished with selection for a [Quadrangular] series last April in Townsville. We adjusted programmes [to improve performance] and the players went back to their own associations and worked throughout the winter.”New Zealand are familiar with Townsville, where the business end of the World Cup will be held. They were here for a Quadrangular Series involving Australia, England and India in April, when they won one game and lost four. To get to Townsville again, however, they’ll have to finish in the top two of their group in Buderim, which is based further south in the Sunshine Coast.”Ideally, yes,” said Horne, when asked if New Zealand could have done with more exposure. “We’ve had winter and haven’t played for four months. We’re quite well resourced by New Zealand Cricket but we obviously can’t compete with the resources available to some countries. We’re hoping to put a programme in place that is more robust, that allows regular series against different countries.”New Zealand’s tournament opener on Sunday is against Scotland, a team that failed to make it to the previous two Under-19 World Cups but have arrived in Australia by winning 13 out of 14 qualifying matches.”This Under-19 team has had a couple of overseas tours over the last couple of years,” Craig Wright, who’s coached Scotland Under-19 for five years, said. “Obviously finances are tight, but we’re certainly trying to build on what we can do and the experiences we’re trying to give these guys from a coaching and competitive point of view, in terms of touring and getting them to play matches at a higher level.”Scotland had announced their World Cup squad as early as June and at the time Wright had said that players who “made a real contribution to the success of the team up to this point” had missed out. When asked how large the pool of Under-19 cricketers in the country was, he said: “Cricket’s probably a slightly more popular game in Scotland than people give it credit for. But when it comes to picking national teams, we’re probably picking from pools of maybe 20 players who are good enough to play at the international level. There’s obviously a lot more players who are that age who play club cricket.”This Under-19 team, we picked from about 18 or 19 who I felt were good enough to be involved here. So we were picking from a wider pool. It wasn’t a case of picking the best 10 or 11 and a few making up the numbers. We actually had two or three guys who were a little unlucky not to get involved in the squad. It tends to fluctuate; some years you have more strength and depth than others.”Scotland have been training for an extra week on the Sunshine Coast because their summer at home was wet and hindered preparations. They were bruised by Bangladesh in the first warm-up, but their top-order fought hard in the defeat against Australia, with Mathew Cross scoring a century.”We’ve come here focused on trying to play good cricket, trying to be competitive,” Wright said. “We have emphasised the point that the lads should try to enjoy the experience and learn from it. Hopefully the two things will go hand in hand. We hope some of them, as many as possible, go on to represent Scotland at senior level. But it’s very important they take everything they can from this experience, both on and off the field.”Scotland beat Afghanistan in the qualifiers for the World Cup, so they’ll be confident of getting past them again. Pakistan will probably be beyond them, so that leaves New Zealand. An upset on Sunday could make Scotland’s campaign.

Andrew Strauss will not return to action for Middlesex this week after he and the ECB decided on further rest following the series against South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2012Andrew Strauss will not return to action for Middlesex this week after he and the ECB decided on further rest following the series against South Africa.When the ECB announced player availability last week Strauss was set to play the Championship match against Worcestershire at New Road, which starts on Tuesday, following a short family holiday after the end of the Test summer. Middlesex have their final first-class match against Lancashire, at Lord’s, next week.Strauss had a poor series with the bat, scoring just 107 runs six innings, and also had to contend with the situation surrounding Kevin Pietersen and his omission from the final Test at Lord’s.Strauss and Pietersen, who will be in action for Surrey against Somerset this week, are due to meet shortly in the first stages of talks to try and resolve the situation which has led to major doubts as to whether Pietersen will be able to continue his international career.Following the 2-0 loss against South Africa, which led to England losing the No. 1 Test ranking, Strauss said he wanted time to think over the future and talk with Andy Flower, the team director, but remained confident he would continue to lead the team. 10.00am August 28: This article was amended to correct the location of Middlesex’s match against Lancashire

ESPNcricinfo previews the final game in Group C between Sri Lanka and South Africa

The Preview by Firdose Moonda21-Sep-2012

Match facts

September 22, 2012
Start time 1530 local (1000 GMT)Morne Morkel and the South African attack will be hoping conditions remain favourable for bowling•AFP

Big Picture

Both sides have got their bullying out of the way, having beaten Zimbabwe by 82 runs and 10 wickets respectively, and Sri Lanka and South Africa are now ready to do business. That may sound odd considering that both having both already qualified for the Super Eights but neither have been challenged properly yet and will want to test themselves before a tough next round.Sri Lanka will be happy with the form of one of their most important bowlers, Ajantha Mendis. His 6 for 8 are figures unlikely to be repeated but Mendis showed he is back in a big way. He deceived the Zimbabwe batsmen with an assortment of carom balls and googlies and while the South African line-up may not be so easily hoodwinked, some of them are known to have a weakness against spin.South Africa’s middle order remains untested after only Richard Levi and Hashim Amla batted against Zimbabwe and they are yet to face any pressure, a catalyst for some of their worst major tournament showing. Sri Lanka will look to target that area of the opposition’s game because every other part of it seems solid.South Africa’s seamers were effective on the Hambantota pitch and even though their spinners were not called into action too much, they have enough options available to them to be able to afford one bowler having a bad day. The hosts have similar variation in their ranks, with enough allrounders to have all bases covered and with the advantage of their middle order having had a decent run.By all accounts the match-ups between the teams pre-empts a much closer contest than the group has seen so far. Even though it will not be decisive in terms of who the team play in the next round it will be important in determining who has more might for the big duels ahead.

Form guide

South Africa WLWWW (completed matches, most recent first)

Sri Lanka WLLWL

Watch out for

After captaining Sri Lanka to series defeats in South Africa last summer, Tillakaratne Dilshan may be pleased to see them on his home turf. Relieved of the armband and with a new opening partner, Dilshan seems to be enjoying his freedom and looked ominous against Zimbabwe. He had the full range on display, including the “Dilscoop” and will want to show South Africa some of what he is capable of but did not manage to do earlier in the year.Dale Steyn started the tournament with a delivery that measured 140 kph on the speed gun and does not show any sign of slowing down. Although Steyn called the Hambantota conditions “slippery” he acknowledged that it made a welcome change to play on a subcontinental pitch that has something in it for the seamers and will want to exploit that while it lasts.

Team news

Sri Lanka have an injury worry with their strike spinner, Ajantha Mendis, picking up a side strain after the Zimbabwe game. His fitness will be assessed on the day of the game. If he sits out, the offspinner Akila Dananjaya could be in line for his international debut.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dilshan Munaweera, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 4 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 5 Lahiru Thirimanne, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Shaminda Eranga, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Ajantha Mendis/Akila DananjayaSouth Africa will also not have many reasons to change a winning XI, unless the stomach bug returns. After giving Zimbabwe a work over in their opening match, South Africa’s bowling attack would seem to need no tinkering. Their middle order remains untested and either Faf du Plessis or Justin Ontong could be brought in but they may want to give the current XI a run against tougher opposition.South Africa (probable): 1 Richard Levi, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt & wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Albie Morkel 8 Johan Botha 9 Robin Peterson 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Dale Steyn

Pitch and conditions

Both batsmen and bowlers have described the Hambantota surface as difficult to get in on but have admitted that there remains something in it for the quicks. Another hot, humid day awaits with temperatures around 28 degrees Celsius and a bit of rain about for the afternoon and evening so the bounce and carry seen so far will likely stay around on the same pitch used for the first match – one that took much more turn than the one used last evening.

Stats and trivia

• Ajantha Mendis’ six wickets against Zimbabwe on Tuesday saw him leapfrog Lasith Malinga as the highest wicket-taker for Sri Lanka in T20s. Mendis’ 46 wickets have come at an average of 9.84.
• South Africa have the best win-loss record of all teams in T20s. They have played 48 matches, won 31 and lost 16.
• Mahela Jayawardene needs six more for 1000 runs in T20 internationals.
  

  Quotes

  “South Africa are a good unit, but probably their lower middle order a little inexperienced. What we need to do is focus on our strengths. If we play to our strengths we’re going to give them a very good game rather than falling into their trap.””I don’t think there will be any drop in intensity for the Sri Lanka game. We’re in the beginning stages of a very, very big event, a tournament that we really want to win. You have to play well in every game and improve in every game.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians Champions League T20 match in Johannesburg

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria19-Oct-2012

Match facts

October 20, 2012
Start time 1730 (1530 GMT)Dwayne Smith has provided the boost to Mumbai Indians’ batting upfront•Getty Images

Big Picture

Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians are not yet out of the tournament, but by the end of Saturday’s round of Group B matches, at least one team will join Kolkata Knight Riders on the list of knocked-out teams. The match between the two IPL giants is preceded by a game between Lions, who are playing at their home ground, and Yorkshire. If Lions win, they will join Sydney Sixers as the second team from the group in the semis. However, if Yorkshire sneak out their first win, the winner of the match between Super Kings and Mumbai Indians will get a two-day lifeline, while the loser will be knocked out.Both teams are evenly matched, having put 150-plus totals every time they have batted and having given away 150-plus runs every time they have bowled. The batting and bowling for both teams have been patchy and the thrust has mainly come from their overseas players. Big Indian names – such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh – are yet to produce a performance of note. Playing against each other, which they have done quite often, gives both teams an even (perhaps their best) chance to get the valuable four points to avoid the bottom finish.However, irrespective of the permutations within the table, on Saturday, weather permitting, an IPL team will win. It has been that kind of a tournament for Twenty20 cricket’s high flyers. A short format means that the teams’ fates are decided even before they have got a chance to adjust to the markedly different conditions from what they are used to. That also means their best cricket could be round the corner now that they have spent more than a week in South Africa.

Watch out for…

Faf du Plessis has scored 43 and 25 in two innings at the top of the order. His familiarity with the South African conditions has allowed the other batsmen to play around him in the first six overs when the pitches are at their most responsive. If he can provide a strong start, the middle-order is likely to find the rest of the familiar Mumbai Indians’ attack fairly comfortable to negotiate.While Sachin Tendulkar has struggled as an opener, Dwayne Smith has teed off from the word go. He opened the match against Yorkshire with a couple of huge hits and like du Plessis for Super Kings, he will have the responsibility of neutralizing the threat from Doug Bollinger and Ben Hilfenhaus.

Stats and trivia

• Suresh Raina is the only batsman in the two teams to score a half-century in the tournament. He made 57 against Sydney Sixers
• Mumbai Indians have won seven of their 12 matches against Super Kings. In their only meeting in the Champions League, they beat Super Kings by three wickets.

Quotes

“We’ll be sending our masseurs and physios to the Yorkshire team to help them sort out all the hamstring problems of their fast bowlers. We want Yorkshire to get on the park fit for their game against the Lions and surprise them.”

England will continue their policy of rotation for the T20 and ODI series against India

Alex Winter28-Nov-2012England’s policy of rotating their squad will continue in the T20 and ODI series against India either side of Christmas.Graeme Swann has been omitted from both squads while Steven Finn will only take part in the ODIs in January. Kevin Pietersen is back in England’s ODI squad but he will also miss the T20s.Stuart Meaker could be in line for a T20 debut, as the only player uncapped in T20s in the 13-man squad which doesn’t include a specialist wicketkeeper. Jonny Baristow, who kept in England’s World T20 defeat to Sri Lanka in Pallekele, will take the gloves again.Bairstow replaced Craig Kieswetter behind the stumps after a poor run of scores but Kieswetter retains his place in the 15-man ODI squad which shows further signs of England’s desire to protect the workload of their players ahead of back-to-back Ashes series.England took the opportunity to rest several players during the summer, with both James Anderson and Stuart Broad sitting out the third Test against West Indies and Swann being rested for the final three ODIs of series against both Australia and South Africa.The ECB had also been in discussions to manage Andy Flower’s workload, culminating in Ashley Giles’ appointment as limited-overs coach.”We are constantly looking to manage the workload of players as effectively as possible and this winter is no different,” national selector Geoff Miller said. “So there are number of players who are being rested for parts of the winter programme to enable them to take part in fitness and conditioning programmes in preparation for a busy 2013.”We know that playing limited overs cricket in India can be challenging but the T20 and ODI series provide an excellent opportunity for these players to show that they have learnt valuable lessons from the last ODI series against India and improved as players in subcontinent conditions.”England were whitewashed 5-0 on their ODI tour of India in October 2011 but showed improvement outside of the subcontinent with series victories over Pakistan in the UAE, a comprehensive defeat of Australia at home and a drawn series with South Africa.Of the side that lost the fifth ODI against South Africa at Trent Bridge, the most notable absentee is Ravi Bopara, who endured a horrendous series with scores of 16, 0, 6 and 0. His exclusion, and Pietersen’s return, could spell the end of his international career. The loss of form followed personal problems which saw him withdraw from England’s Test squad after 0 and 22 in the opening Test.Bopara’s place will be taken by Pietersen who was successful against Pakistan in the UAE in his new role as opener with Alastair Cook, striking two centuries in England’s 4-0 series win. But when Pietersen announced his one-day retirement, Ian Bell was installed at the top of the order and also found form with 370 runs at 41.11 against Australia and South Africa.The majority of Bell’s ODI career has been spent at No. 3, where he has scored 1,649 runs at 37.47. But Jonathan Trott has made No. 3 his own, suggesting Bell could move to No. 4, where he has only batted for 14 matches, allowing Eoin Morgan to move back to the No. 5 spot and best fulfil the finisher role he is tasked with.But outside of the top five, England have plenty to debate. Do they persist with Kieswetter as wicketkeeper in the middle order, despite his poor record – 203 runs in nine matches – or trust Bairstow with the gloves, allowing them to benefit from his undoubted talent with the bat.The makeup of the bowling attack will also vary with conditions. It will be led by Steven Finn, who announced himself on the world stage with his performances in England’s ODI tour in India last October. Finn went on to lead England’s attack with 13 wickets in the UAE and consistently ripped through the Australian top order last summer. Anderson and then Broad will compliment Finn as the second seamer, with Jade Dernbach in reserve.James Tredwell, who successfully deputised for Swann against Australia and South Africa, will be England’s leading spinner with Hampshire’s Danny Briggs, who made his international debut with 2 for 39 against Pakistan in Dubai, the option as a second specialist spinner and Samit Patel, the only other player to come out of the last Indian tour with credit, the allrounder at No. 7.Tim Bresnan could provide another seam option, and extend the batting order, if Briggs is not required.England T20 squad
Stuart Broad (c), Jonny Bairstow, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jos Buttler, Jade Dernbach, Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Stuart Meaker, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, James Tredwell, Luke WrightEngland ODI squad
Alastair Cook (c), Jonny Bairstow, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter, Stuart Meaker, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, James Tredwell, Jonathan Trott, James Anderson (first three matches), Stuart Broad (final two matches)

An opening stand of 154 between Chris Hartley and Usman Khawaja set Queensland on the path to a 30-run victory over New South Wales in Canberra

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2012
Scorecard
An opening stand of 154 between the captain Chris Hartley and the opening batsman Usman Khawaja set Queensland on the path to a 30-run victory over New South Wales in the domestic limited overs match in Canberra.Hartley and Khawaja laid a platform for the Bulls’ eventual total of 6 for 292, its dimensions ultimately proving out of reach for the Blues despite a doughty rearguard from Ben Rohrer.NSW lost regular wickets in their pursuit as Cameron Gannon picked up a first five-wicket haul of his domestic limited overs career, before Rohrer added 81 with Josh Lalor in a mere 56 balls to give the Bulls a fright.The match was the last of the Australian domestic summer before the states break for the Twenty20 Big Bash League, which commences on December 7.