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England were given a good workout in the field on the opening day of their first warm-up match of the tour as the tail wagged for the ICC Combined XI

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jan-2012
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Stuart Broad took three wickets in his first three overs but ICC XI fought back on day one in Dubai•Getty ImagesEngland were given a good workout in the field on the opening day of their first warm-up match of the tour as the tail wagged for a ICC Combined Associate and Affiliate XI. First-class best innings from Christi Viljoen and Boyd Rankin revived the innings after England made a rampant start.Stuart Broad claimed three wickets in his first three overs as England took command at lunch but Namibian allrounder Viljoen and Warwickshire bowler Rankin rallied in the lower order with a partnership of 96 to give England a testing final session.Viljoen’s 98 from 189 balls prevented the ICC XI from being blown away. Broad’s wickets were followed by two for Graeme Swann and a wicket for Steven Finn – playing because of Chris Tremlett’s eye infection and an elbow injury to Tim Bresnan.At 91 for 6 at lunch, it was a gentle introduction to the tour for England. But Viljoen added 32 with Afghanistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad, whose half century was the first resistance for the ICC XI. His counter-attacking innings came from 55 balls and included seven fours.The second act of resistance came through Viljoen after James Anderson had Shahzad caught behind after lunch. Viljoen struck 13 fours and a six to take his side to tea on 182 for 8. But Warwickshire’s Rankin also made a useful score after tea to provide another partnership for ICC XI.Broad returned to wrap up the innings by having Viljoen caught by James Anderson two short of a maiden first-class hundred. He finished with 4 for 46 before Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook safely negotiated four overs to close on 16 for 0.The day had begun with Strauss winning the toss after which England used the new ball to good effect. Broad enjoyed his return to an England shirt for the first time since September by removing the ICC XI top three. William Porterfield tried to flick a full ball to leg and edged behind for one before Paul Stirling played on trying to pull. Kyle Coetzer also fell for single figures as he tried to force off the back foot and edged to Steve Davies – keeping wicket in place of Matt Prior who injured a finger in training yesterday.Finn produced an edge from Majid Haq’s loose drive outside off stump, pouched by Swann low at second slip. Swann was introduced into the attack and was struck down the ground for six by Craig Williams before he pushed forward and edged behind to Davies. Swann then lured Mohammad Nabi out of his crease and he missed with a wild hack to be bowled for a second-ball duck.The fightback arrived before Anderson claimed his second wicket having Rankin caught by Finn at point to break the main stand of the innings. Broad then took his fourth as ICC XI were bowled out for a far higher score than might have been expected.

Unicorns left it until the final game of the competition to pick up their first Clydesdale Bank 40 win of the season, beating a dismal Glamorgan side by eight runs at Wormsley

29-Aug-2011
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Unicorns left it until the final game of the competition to pick up their first Clydesdale Bank 40 win of the season, beating a dismal Glamorgan side by eight runs at Wormsley. The result alone did not tell the full story, though, with just three Glamorgan batsman making double figures as they came up short in the chase of a modest 192. Captain Alviro Petersen scored 93, more than half of their eventual 184, with Stewart Walters (60) and Aneurin Norman (15) his only support.James Ord’s 53 had been the highlight of Unicorns’ unspectacular total, and they would not have expected to take the two points at the interval. Chris Cooke ran out Unicorns’ Matt Thornely for 21 early on, and when James Campbell was stumped off the bowling of Michael O’Shea they were reduced to 51 for 2.A 44-run partnership between Ord and Jayden Levitt ended when the latter was trapped by Nick James, with Bradley Wadlan and Keith Parsons quickly following him back to the pavilion. Ord and Josh Knappett then put together a respectable 55 for the sixth wicket, but when Ord fell to Graeme Wagg, it was the catalyst for a collapse that wrapped up the innings.Gareth Rees went to the sixth ball of Glamorgan’s reply, nicking behind off Glen Querl who would end up with 3 for 33. Petersen could only stand and watch as Will Bragg became the paceman’s second victim, and it was only when Walters joined him at the crease that something started to happen.The pair put on 145 for the third wicket, with Walters impressing with an 84-ball innings until he found Querl’s hands off the bowling of Thornely. The wickets began to tumble again, with James going for four, Cooke getting cleaned up by Luke Beaven for a duck and Wagg being pinned in front of his stumps by the same bowler.O’Shea and Mark Wallace were then run out as Glamorgan pressed the panic button and, when Norman went to Querl after a quick swing of his bat, the game was almost up. The Glamorgan performance was summed up by the loss of Alex Jones for another run out, with Petersen still unscathed, carrying his bat for 112 balls, ending unbeaten with six fours and two sixes.

Mushfiqur’s effort laid to waste a compelling all-round effort from Marlon Samuels that did its best to overcome his team-mates’ inability to master the conditions

The Report by Nitin Sundar11-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe former captain bowled well, and the new captain batted nervelessly to set up Bangladesh’s win•Associated PressMushfiqur Rahim began his captaincy tenure with a nerveless, unbeaten 41 off 26 balls, as Bangladesh completed their first win against West Indies at home. With four required to win off the last two balls, Mushfiqur lashed Ravi Rampaul for a huge six over deep midwicket to provide the closing twist in a game that swung dramatically in front of packed stands.Mushfiqur’s effort laid to waste a compelling all-round show from Marlon Samuels that did its best to overcome his team-mates’ inability to master the conditions. Samuels battled through a typically stifling spell from Bangladesh’s spinners to score a half-century and give his bowlers something to defend. His seaming team-mates then let him down to allow Bangladesh’s top order easy runs, but Samuels hit back with the wickets of the two most experienced home batsmen – Shakib Al Hasan and Mohammad Ashraful – in an economical spell. Samuels, however, bowled out in the 13th over and West Indies somehow contrived to let Bangladesh’s bottom half get 62 off the last seven overs.There were striking similarities in the way the two innings panned out. Like their Bangladeshi counterparts earlier in the day, the West Indies fast bowlers were too short with the new ball. Like the West Indies openers, Imrul Kayes and Tamim Iqbal capitalised with a flurry of early boundaries that set them up for the middle overs. Both line-ups lost steam rapidly in the middle overs before staging recoveries.Kayes looked in fine touch, punching and cutting when provided with width, but Anthony Martin got him to hole out in the eighth over to give West Indies an opening. Samuels struck with the next ball, sneaking an armer through Shakib’s defences to dismiss him for a first-ball duck. Alok Kapali then gifted debutant Carlos Brathwaite his first wicket with a mindless slog to leave Bangladesh at 53 for 4 at the halfway mark. With the resolute Mahmudullah out with fever, the Bangladesh middle order faced a dodgy chase.For a brief while, Ashraful showed signs of steering Bangladesh home, but perished off the last ball of Samuels’ spell. Mushfiqur kept Bangladesh afloat by hitting Martin for a six in the 15th over, but Naeem Islam succumbed to Darren Sammy’s slower ball to give West Indies the edge once again. It boiled down to 20 off the last two overs, and Brathwaite was handed the 19th over – bowling sides’ banana peel in the recently concluded Champions League.Brathwaite’s lack of pace and insistence on sticking to length deliveries meant he had to maintain exemplary lines. He missed his mark twice, and Bangladesh found boundaries on both occasions. Nasir Hossain swung a straight ball to midwicket, and Mushfiqur dabbed a wide one through third man as Bangladesh looted 14 off the over. Rampaul managed to dismiss Hossain and keep things tight for four balls of the final over, before Mushfiqur signed off in style.Earlier, Shakib and Abdur Razzak asphyxiated West Indies with a typically restrictive spell of left-arm spin, but Samuels seemed to be batting on a different pitch. Samuels walked out at No. 3 and began the international leg of the tour with two sixes off his first three balls against the habitually short Rubel Hossain. The first was a sumptuous swivel-pull over backward square leg, and the second an astounding pick-up shot that carried over backward point. Lendl Simmons found some fluency of his own, sweeping Shakib for four before planting Razzak beyond the midwicket boundary, but his exit exposed the deficiencies of the flat-footed middle order.Andre Russell edged Shakib into the covers and Dwayne Bravo missed an armer from Razzak that skidded on, before Darren Sammy tried to loft a ball that was too full and holed out to long-off. Danza Hyatt, meanwhile, missed a lap shot to be trapped in front, as West Indies went into tailspin, but Samuels kept counter-punching.He settled in after the turbo-charged start, gauging the conditions with a series of nudges and pushes off the spinners, even as his team-mates floundered. Having moved easily to 23 off 18 balls, Samuels opened up again with a cover drive off Naeem Islam in the 12th over, before guiding Shakib through point, both for fours. Samuels continued to upset Naeem’s lines, walking outside off and lashing him with the spin for his third six, before repeating the dose when Shakib dropped short. By the time he was out in the final over, Samuels had lifted West Indies to a respectable score, but it wasn’t enough against the rampant Mushfiqur.

Warne has been in the news over the past week for off-field altercations rather than on-field wizardry

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran19-May-2011Match factsFriday, May 20, MumbaiStart time 2000 (1430 GMT)Shane Warne’s final hurrah coming up•AFPBig PictureFour years ago, Shane Warne’s glittering international career came to an end after he helped Australia whip England 5-0 to regain the Ashes, and he contentedly signed off noting that his team owned every major trophy on offer. The finale of his IPL career has been diametrically opposite, with his inconsistent side, Rajasthan Royals, eliminated early and Warne himself has been in the news over the past week for off-field altercations rather than on-field wizardry.There have been glimpses of the old bewitching loop and cricketing nous but that hasn’t been enough to inspire his team to reach the play-offs. Rajasthan have little at stake in Friday’s match against Mumbai Indians and the highlight for cricket aficionados will be the last chance to see the celebrated Warne v Tendulkar rivalry.Mumbai have been off the boil in the past couple of matches and have lost their seemingly nailed-on spot at the top of the table, slipping down to third. There is still an outside chance that Mumbai may not make the play-offs, a possibility they will look to eliminate on Friday.Form guide (most recent first)Mumbai Indians LLWWW (fourth in points table)
Rajasthan Royals LLLLW (seventh in points table)Team talkThe bowling hasn’t been much of a worry for Mumbai, and it is the batting packed with headliners that has struggled over the past week. It’s likely they will re-jig the order instead of making too many personnel changes.With Rajasthan out of the tournament, it is hard to predict what strategy they will follow. In their previous game, they made an unprecedented six changes, leaving out usual starters Ross Taylor and Johan Botha.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team Selector.In the spotlightAndrew Symonds has had a poor IPL so far, and one of the reasons he remains in the XI is the lack of proven overseas alternatives in the Mumbai squad. His combination of talent and temperament is exactly the spark Mumbai need to right their recent failures.Prime numbersShane Warne has the unwanted record of most ducks in the IPL – sevenSachin Tendulkar has nearly a 1000 IPL runs more than any other Mumbai batsman, batting for Mumbai – a majority of Rohit Sharma and Andrew Symonds’ IPL runs have come for Deccan ChargersThe chatter”We didn’t play well. We didn’t bat well. We played way below our potential. We are quite aware of that. It’s quite an important game for us and we need to win it.”

Keaton Jennings has been retained as captain for South Africa Under-19’s tour of England in July 2011

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-2011Keaton Jennings has been retained as captain for South Africa Under-19’s tour of England in July 2011. Jennings is part of a 15-man squad that will play seven youth ODIs, starting at Edgbaston on July 16 and travelling on to Northampton, Arundel Castle in West Sussex, Taunton and Canterbury.The touring group also includes Quinton de Kock, who was Man of the Series award during Zimbabwe Under-19’s tour of South Africa in January this year, Malcolm Nofal, who has displayed plenty of all-round potential for the Gauteng Strikers, and several players with first-class experience. Ray Jennings, Keaton’s father and the former coach of the national side, will be head coach on the tour, while Shaheed Alexander and Geoffrey Toyana are his assistants.The tour will form an important part of the team’s preparation for the Under-19 World Cup, which will take place in Australia next year. Eleven players in this squad are eligible to play.”This tour is a very important component of the CSA [Cricket South Africa] Pipeline process,” said CSA Schools Cricket manager Niels Momberg. “This group were all identified some years ago and put through various levels of coaching and playing levels.”SA Under-19 squad Keaton Jennings (capt), Gihahn Cloete, Quinton de Kock (wk), Corne Dry, Rabian Engelbrecht, Malcolm Nofal, Lesiba Ngoepe, Duanne Olivier, Shaylin Pillay, James Price, Diego Rosier, Calvin Savage, Prenelan Subrayen, Regardt Verster, Lizaad Williams.

A round-up of action from the World Cricket League Division Three tournament in Hong Kong

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2011Papua New Guinea rolled United States of America over by seven wickets, with 44 overs to spare, in one of the most one-sided games in the tournament at the Hong Kong Cricket Club. PNG won the toss and had USA on the mat immediately, with Hitolo Areni sending Lennox Cush back for a duck. Steve Massiah seemed to be at ease with the conditions, stroking four boundaries in his 18, but things were about to fall apart spectacularly. Carl Wright succumbed against opening bowler Loa Nou, before Areni sent messiah back to reduce USA to 25 for 3. Six of the remaining eight batsmen failed to open their accounts as USA crumbled from a precarious 37 for 4 in bizarre fashion, to be bowled out for 44 in the 21st over. Seamer Rarva Dikana was the main tormentor, finishing with dream figures of 4 for 1 from 4.2 overs. PNG were in a rush to end the game, lashing boundaries and losing wickets, before Christopher Kent hit two sixes to seal PNG’s third win in three games.”We didn’t expect to bowl the USA out so cheaply this morning and all credit has to go to our bowlers and the way they performed today,” captain Dikana said after the game. “I don’t think the USA batsmen played badly, I just think they didn’t know how to read our bowlers and our fielding was particularly strong.”A win is a win for us, but I would have liked it if we hadn’t lost those three wickets to make it to the target. However, by losing those three wickets it means those batsmen have something to focus on in our next game – by improving their performances for us. We can’t rest on our laurels though, we’ve another match tomorrow and we’ve got to focus on our own game and be ready for the next challenge.”Oman authored a major recovery from 63 for 6 to overhaul the target of 241 set by Italy with seven balls to spare at Kowloon Cricket Club. Italy’s effort after electing to bat was guided by captain Alessandro Bonora’s unbeaten 124, that included ten fours and four sixes. After the early loss of Andy Northcote, Bonora laid the platform in a 84-run second-wicket stand with Damian Fernando, off 22.1 overs. The middle order faltered after Fernando’s exit for 46, but Bonora kept firing from one end to lift his side to a strong score.Oman’s chase was initially crippled by Italy’s opening bowlers, Vince Pennazza and Gayashan Munasinghe, who ripped open the top order. Oman looked down and out when No. 8 Awal Khan joined Sultan Ahmed in the middle. The pair kick-started a resurgence with a 59-run stand in 11.3 overs. Sultan’s exit did not allow Italy to run through the tail, as Amir Ali batted with rare composure for a No. 9 batsman. He added 99 with Awal and took Oman to the brink before Peter Petricola ended Awal’s resistance for 81, at 221 for 8. Rajesh Kumar held his nerve to help Amir tie the scores before perishing, in what was the final twist in the riveting match. Amir, however, hit a boundary off the next ball to seal a memorable win for Oman.”We’ve lost two games now, both of which were games that we could have won if we had applied ourselves better,” a disappointed Bonora said. “We simply did not complete the basics – bowling, fielding and even batting. I may have scored 124 runs for our 240 but it was still not enough on this pitch. We need to regroup ahead of tomorrow’s game against Hong Kong. We both have one win each and tomorrow’s game is almost like a semi-final as whoever loses falls into the relegation battle.”On the other hand, Oman captain Hemal Mehta was thrilled with the result. “We were definitely the most challenged in this game – Italy didn’t let us take wickets easily and credit has to go to Bonora for his knock,” he said. “It was outstanding and if we’d got him out early then we would have seen a much lower score on the board.””Sultan Ahmed and Awal Khan had a great partnership and after Sultan departed and Amir Ali and Awal paired up, their run partnerships really made the difference for us. We can’t be complacent though, tomorrow we’ve got USA who we know will be wanting to bounce back after being bundled out for 44 so we need refocus to face them at HKCC.”Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s bowlers sparked a dramatic collapse to set up a comfortable seven-wicket victory against Denmark at the Mission Road Ground.Having worked their way to a respectable 71 for 2, Denmark lost eight wickets for 31 runs in 15.4 overs. Najeeb Amar made the key breakthrough removing Denmark captain Michael Pedersen for 34 and struck again four overs later to snare his brother Carsten for 6. Amar broke the back of the top order when he dismissed Rizwan Mahmood for 24 and by that point the floodgates were open. No other batsman reached double figures as new-ball pair Irfan Ahmed and Aizaz Ahmed shared five more wickets – each bowled – to speed through the lower order.The modest chase was never going to be too much of a bother and despite losing Roy Lamsam for 19, Hong Kong barely broke sweat. Coutney Kruger struck six boundaries in an unbeaten 40 and Mark Chapman hit a breezy 29 from 33 balls – with a six and two fours – to take the home side to the victory line. Chapman fell on the brink but with over half the innings left, it was never going to be costly.”It’s obviously great to finally get a win in the tournament and hopefully we can carry this momentum through to the next game against Italy,” Irfan said. “I just seemed to be able to get things right for us when it came about to claiming the wickets with the ball moving easily in the conditions at Mission Road. We kept things tight and it paid off for us today and we showed what we are capable of doing as a side.”

Malcolm Speed, the former ICC chief executive, has added his voice to the call for world cricket to be run by an independent commission instead of the existing board structure

Brydon Coverdale15-Apr-2011Malcolm Speed, the former chief executive of the ICC, has added his voice to the call for world cricket to be run by an independent commission instead of the existing board structure. However, while he believes a governance model without vested interests would be good for the ICC, Speed does not anticipate such a move being made.”I think an independent commission would be great, but I don’t expect it to happen,” Speed told ESPNcricinfo. “For it to happen, the member countries would have to vote for it, and I don’t think they’re going to give up their seat at the table.”During my time there, there was a proposal that the board be restructured so that there be two boards, one as a smaller executive board and then the bigger board that included all the countries. That was fine until we started talking about who might be on it and who might not be on it, and it just disappeared off the agenda.”One of the problems caused by a structure in which member nations are guaranteed representation at board level is that the system can become too politicised. Speed said one of the major challenges for the ICC in future would be to ensure that India used its power at board level and its financial clout for the good of the game.”I think the two big challenges are balancing the three forms of the game and accommodating India’s position as the financial superpower of the game,” Speed said. “It will be difficult. It will require goodwill on the part of the Indian administrators and the leaders from the other countries. From time to time, I think there will be disagreement which will require the leaders of the other countries to stand up to India from time to time.”But Speed said the idea that the ICC was often split along lines of geography or race was not correct. “That’s sometimes overdone. From time to time countries would come together when they had a common view, but it wasn’t as if there was a constant pairing of Asian countries and African countries all with the same view.”Sometimes, for instance, Pakistan would take quite a different view from India on key issues. The sense of there being an Asian bloc that votes together on all issues certainly wasn’t the case in my time.”Speed, who has recently released his book of memoirs, , said he remains philosophical about his being removed as chief executive after his refusal to back the board’s position on Zimbabwe. Speed was sent on “gardening leave” for the final two months of his tenure after a board meeting in Bangalore, in April 2008, made it clear that he had lost the support of the majority of the ICC directors.In the book, Speed recounts the events that led to his departure from the ICC, which came after the board considered a KPMG audit of Zimbabwe Cricket’s finances. Speed writes that the audit found Zimbabwe Cricket’s financial records had been falsified for the 2005 financial year, but the board ignored a recommendation from its own audit committee to have the matter referred to the ICC’s ethics officer.”I asked for my disagreement to be minuted … I felt ill. The whole issue had been swept under the carpet,” Speed wrote of the meeting, which took place in Dubai in March 2008. He added that some members of the board, including the then vice-president David Morgan and New Zealand’s Sir John Anderson, had also agreed that the issue be referred to the ethics officer.However, the board decided against that course of action, and Speed declined to attend the press conference that followed the meeting, where he and the ICC president Ray Mali had been scheduled to speak to the media. A month later, Morgan and Speed negotiated the terms of Speed’s departure from the ICC.”I’m philosophical. I think I was philosophical at the time. It’s an occupational hazard,” Speed said this week. “It wasn’t surprising. I thought once I’d refused to go to the press conference there was a risk I’d be asked to leave. It didn’t surprise me, although I was surprised that it happened the way it did.”In his book, Speed describes several clashes he had with Mali, especially over Zimbabwe, and he said their relationship had “fractured completely” in November 2007. Speed writes that at the Bangalore meeting six months later – a meeting he did not attend – it became clear that Mali and other board members wanted him out.Three years on from his departure, Speed said he was “very pleased” to observe from the outside the success of the 2011 World Cup, and that the game appeared to be “in an extremely healthy position”.

The ICC has given the PCB a hard rap on the knuckles and decided to monitor closely the running of the game in Pakistan

Osman Samiuddin13-Oct-2010Taking note of the continuing decline in the governance of cricket in Pakistan, the ICC has given the PCB a hard rap on the knuckles and decided to monitor closely the running of the game in Pakistan. After a two-day board meeting at the ICC’s HQ in Dubai – the first since the spot-fixing scandal that rocked the world of cricket – the message of the world governing body to one of its leading members was clear: sort out the game’s administration or face the consequences, potentially in the form of sanctions.A wide-ranging series of measures has been approved by the ICC requiring Pakistan to not only toughen its approach to corruption within the game but to also work alongside the ICC’s task force on Pakistan “to carry out any reforms which may be deemed necessary to restore confidence in the administration of the game” in that country.In this statement lies an implicit recognition and acknowledgment of the administrative mishaps in Ijaz Butt’s two-year tenure, as well as the breakdown in relationship between the board and ICC. Under Butt’s administration, the ICC has seen a full member attacked by terrorists in Pakistan, an incident that took international cricket away from the country. That almost led to a legal battle between the PCB and ICC and, though it was averted, the PCB didn’t even file a report on the incident to the ICC until well over a year later.The ICC’s task force, initially set up to examine ways to bring international cricket back to Pakistan and cushion against subsequent financial losses, has been “reconstituted” for this purpose; in effect, it’s brief has been widened to go beyond and look at ways to work with the PCB in improving governance. Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman who heads the task force, is believed to have played a crucial role in the meetings to broaden the force’s role. Peter Chingoka, the ZC chairman who has also extended a helping hand to the PCB by offering his national side as the first tourists to Pakistan since the terror attacks, has been appointed to the team, which also includes Ranjan Madugalle, Ramiz Raja, Mike Brearley and Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager.The spot-fixing scandal that erupted during the tour to England this summer has also brought its own specific repercussions. The Pakistan board refused to initially suspend the three players at the centre of the scandal, eventually compelling the ICC to do so. That sparked another war of words between Butt and the ICC, the former claiming the latter had acted with undue haste as the police investigation was ongoing. Matters took a bizzare twist when Butt claimed there was “loud and clear talk” of England’s players taking money to lose an ODI this summer. He was forced to retract the statement after the ECB threatened legal action and the whole affair prompted some within the ICC to consider the possibility of suspending Butt from his ICC directorship.It is against this backdrop that the ICC has told the PCB that “it must act and be seen to be acting to uphold the zero-tolerance attitude to corruption in sport.” Pakistan now has 30 days to conduct a thorough and far-reaching review of their “player integrity issues” and report back to the task force.In the review, the PCB must show that it has introduced a domestic anti-corruption code, in line with the ICC’s own code. Not all member countries currently have a domestic code but the ACSU has only requested all members to implement a domestic code that mirrors the ICC’s, a sign of how seriously it is considering the problem in Pakistan. The PCB has also been asked in that time to implement an education programmes for players, a “proper, accountable and robust disciplinary process for the sport” and a process to deter and detect corrupt elements within the game, “whether it be players, officials, agents or any other individual.”In effect, the PCB has been asked to take measures which should’ve been taken ten years ago after the Qayyum commission report, a decade in which the clouds of corruption have hovered consistently over Pakistan cricket. Failure to do so could lead to sanctions according to the ICC, though the nature of these have not been specified. The worst case scenario – and an extremely unlikely one – is that Pakistan is suspended as a full member, though it is thought a likelier option might be to find ways to deal with officials other than Butt.With Butt’s recent statements in mind, the board has also been told not to take any action “which might put themselves in a conflict of interest position as regards the allegations” that are currently under investigation, or to make “public comments and disclosing confidential information which undermine the integrity, reputation and image of the game and/or any ongoing disciplinary or criminal investigation/proceedings.”All of which is likely to place further pressure on Butt, who has already been facing severe criticism domestically from across the spectrum. Rumours were rife last week that he was about to be replaced, though that has come to nought.

Pakistan opener Taufeeq Umar heaped praise on Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq who took Pakistan to a commanding 235 for 4 with an unbeaten 128-run stand

Andrew Fernando at Seddon Park08-Jan-2011Pakistan opener Taufeeq Umar heaped praise on Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq who took Pakistan to a commanding 235 for 4 with an unbeaten 128-run stand. Pakistan were wobbling after having bowled New Zealand out for 275 in their first innings earlier, but Misbah and Shafiq ensured the visitors were in front at stumps on day two at Seddon Park, as they played out the initial tough period before the runs started flowing towards the end.”Misbah and Asad played brilliantly, and because of that we are in the driving seat right now,” Taufeeq said. “I think as a senior player, Misbah helped Asad along in the innings, and they really showed us how to bat on this wicket.”The first target is 275, and then we can see from there. If Misbah and Asad continue to play well, we are looking at a lead of about 100.”Taufeeq believed the Pakistan bowlers should be given credit for keeping New Zealand down to 275 on a pitch he describes as “a paradise wicket for batsmen.” Pakistan immediately ended the eighth-wicket partnership between Kane Williamson and Tim Southee which had frustrated them the previous evening, getting the breakthrough in the first over of the day when Southee was dismissed for 56.”Last night Southee played well, but we came in with a plan this morning to bounce Southee out and to give [Williamson] the single, so we bowled really well.” Both Willamson and Brent Arnel also fell to short deliveries soon after, as Pakistan wrapped up the innings with a barrage of hostile bouncers.Taufeeq, who scored his first half-century since 2003 after an aggressive counterattack in the morning session said he never gave up hope on playing for Pakistan after a four year hiatus and a stint in the ICL. “I never thought my [career was over]. I had to come back, I always thought like that. I was training hard, and I stayed positive and I told myself I had to play for Pakistan again, which helped me a lot. “New Zealand fast bowler Arnel was confident his side could regain control of the match by making early breakthroughs on day three to put Pakistan under pressure. Arnel was the best of the New Zealand bowlers on a tough day for them, picking up the wickets of Taufeeq and Younis Khan in the second session. “We’re in a position now with the new ball coming up first thing in the morning,” Arnel said. “If we can get a couple of early ones like they did this morning, we can get right into their tail. If we can set up the game that they might only be 20 or 30 ahead, then it’s game on for us to bat big.”Arnel also said he enjoyed bowling in tandem with Northern Districts team-mate, Tim Southee as the pair tied Pakistan down after lunch. “If you check our history, we bowl together quite well. It was quite a good period for us and we got the reward. We were great in patches and showed signs of penetrating them quite well. If we can break the partnership as soon as possible tomorrow, one becomes two and hopefully becomes three and maybe we can knock off the tail.”Arnel defended the New Zealand attack who seemed to stray towards the pads, claiming it was part of their plan to bowl straighter, despite the ease with which the Pakistan batsmen played the ball off their legs, especially in the evening session.”There were some plans in place with the ball tailing a wee bit, and we were trying to get them to work the straight ones and perhaps get an lbw. But sometimes your plans can backfire and it looks like you’ve bowled a bad ball. There were a few that were too straight.”There was also concern for Daniel Vettori, who battled illness throughout the day to deliver 22 miserly overs for 29 runs. Vettori had undergone blood tests in the morning to check for various illnesses, but remained on the field for all but 15 minutes of the Pakistan innings. Dave Currie, the New Zealand manager, was unable to confirm the exact nature of Vettori’s malaise, stating that he had “a bit of a fever and was a little listless out in the field. Clearly he’s not a million dollars, he’s well enough, but we aren’t sure what the problem is. He’s had the blood tests and we’ll have the results in a couple of days.””He’s a very tough guy,” Arnel said. “Maybe a lot of other guys would be in their hotel room sleeping it off. He’s a courageous leader and to be out there and bowling like that, it’s magnificent.”

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their interest in midfield gem Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

What’s the talk?

According to The Mirror, PIF are planning a bid to sign the Denmark international from Tottenham at the end of the season.

The report claims that they want to add the defensive midfielder to their team as he is high up on their transfer wishlist and are plotting a £30m swoop for his services.

Eddie Howe must get it done

The Magpies head coach must seal a deal for the former Southampton man as he would be a fantastic addition to the squad.

He is not a flashy, skilful, player who will get fans off their seats – like Allan Saint-Maximin – but he can be as important to the team, if not more so. Hojbjerg is a player who can provide a solid base for the attack-minded players to work from and has proven his quality at Premier League level.

Jose Mourinho, who knows a thing or two about winning in England, previously lauded the Dane’s style of play as he said:

“Physically he’s very, very strong and technically he’s much better than people think. Because sometimes people think the guy that is good technically is the guy that does the backheel. The guy that is good technically is the guy that does something wonderful. But these are not my words. These are words from coaches of 30, 40 years ago. Simplicity is genius.

“And the guy is so simple in everything he does with the ball. And I think he’s a phenomenal player. Congratulations, Mr. [Daniel] Levy [Spurs chairman].”

Hojbjerg, who has also been dubbed a “monster” by Morten Bisgaard, has been exceptional in the Premier League this season as he has averaged a superb SofaScore rating of 7.16 for Spurs. The 26-year-old has made an impressive 3.6 tackles and interceptions per game whilst completing 89% of his attempted passes, showing that he is reliable on the ball and excellent at winning possession back for his team.

He has racked up 178 appearances in the top-flight for Southampton and Tottenham combined and this means that he has experience as well as quality. Hojbjerg knows what it takes to perform in the division, as shown by his statistics this season, and he still has room to improve at the age of 26.

This is why he would be an excellent, sensible, addition to bolster Howe’s midfield. The midfield destroyer would be the ideal equaliser to the panache Bruno Guimaraes shows off in the middle of the park, with his simplicity, and the Magpies must now get this deal over the line.

AND in other news, Keith Downie drops exciting £50m Newcastle transfer claim that’ll delight supporters…