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Heather Knight made her first Test century as England continued their dogged rearguard action well into the third day at Wormsley

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2013
ScorecardHeather Knight and Laura Marsh put on a record-breaking partnership for the seventh wicket•Getty ImagesHeather Knight made her first Test century as England continued their dogged rearguard action well into the third day at Wormsley. Knight’s 157 from 338 balls was the seventh-highest Test score by an England woman and she was joined by the equally obdurate Laura Marsh in a stand of 156 – England’s best for the seventh wicket and one run shy of the Test record – that went a long way to staving off the threat of defeat to Australia.With six points on offer in these multi-format Ashes, the incentive to win was clear and evinced by Jodie Fields’ decision to declare with her team six down on the second day. But with the prospect of defeat coming at such a price – a draw will give each side two points – England have knuckled down in an attempt to make sure they don’t lose. Australia had extended their lead to 81 by reaching 64 for 1 by the close, making a draw the most likely result.Resuming on a perilous 172 for 6, still 149 runs behind, Knight and Marsh forged on in the same manner in which they had gone about their business on the on previous evening. The pair soaked up 73 overs of pressure before Knight was run out after being sent back looking for a single.Knight was dropped on 105, wicketkeeper Fields missing a chance down the leg side, but by then she had long-since surpassed her previous best innings, in her only other Test, of 19. She hit 20 fours in all and was particularly strong off her pads in making the third-highest individual total for England against Australia.Marsh, 13 from 114 balls at the start of the day, had progressed to 35 when she lost her partner and Katherine Brunt, who hit her first ball for four, went soon after. But Danielle Hazell stuck around for another 20 overs as Marsh went to her first Test half-century, eventually facing 304 balls for her 55. By the time Australia claimed the final wicket, Erin Osborne finishing with 4 for 67, the deficit was just 17.”I’m really pleased, I think when I went in we were pretty up against it,” Marsh said. “I was just really pleased to be able to hang in there with Heather and support her.”It was the job the team needed and I tried to stick in there and be disciplined with my decision-making. It was really helpful to have Heather at the other end for the vast amount of the time I was there because she just played brilliantly and we kept each other going.”I tried to be positive in defence and approach it that way and pick up runs when they became available.”With a slim lead and a potentially tricky couple of hours to negotiate amid rain showers, Australia’s openers began at a similarly watchful pace, reaching 40 before Jenny Gunn removed Rachael Haynes. First-innings centurion Sarah Elliott accompanied Meg Lanning safely to the close but it will take something special from the usually attacking Fields to force a result.

Shahid Afridi and Umar Akmal have been recalled to Pakistan’s ODI and T20 squads for the limited-overs tour of the West Indies later this month

Umar Farooq03-Jul-2013Shahid Afridi and Umar Akmal have been recalled to Pakistan’s ODI and T20 squads for the limited-overs tour of the West Indies later this month. Two notable players who have been dropped from the Champions Trophy squad are wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and allrounder Shoaib Malik.Fast bowler Umar Gul, who last played in March during the South Africa tour, was sidelined again as he hadn’t yet recovered from his knee surgery.The ODI squad features the uncapped 21-year-old wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, as a backup to Akmal, who was picked as the first-choice wicketkeeper. Ahmed Shehzad, the opening batsman, has been recalled to both squads. Zulfiqar Babar, 34, who has been part of the domestic circuit for more than ten years, figures in the T20 squad.Pakistan were let down by their senior batsmen in the Champions Trophy in England as the side failed to pass 200 in their three games – the third match against India was rain-affected – only to be eliminated from the group stage. Malik managed just 25 runs in three matches, Kamran 23 and Farhat four in two. With the pitches in the West Indies expected to be slower, the selectors have gone with one less seamer, dropping Ehsan Adil.Pakistan squads

ODI squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal (wk), Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Asad Ali, Umar Amin, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Abdur Rehman, Haris Sohail
T20 squad: Mohammad Hafeez (capt), Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shehzad, Haris Sohail, Umar Akmal (wk), Hammad Azam, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan, Asad Ali, Umar Amin, Zulfiqar Babar, Junaid Khan

Afridi had been dropped from the ODI squad twice in the last six months after hitting a slump with both bat and ball. He was first dropped for the one-day leg of the India tour in January before making a comeback in South Africa, but was left out again for the Champions Trophy. In the 21 ODIs since January 2012, Afridi has picked up 15 wickets at 57.13 and scored 308 runs at 19.25. He had been training at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore over the past couple of weeks, and passed the fitness test.The captain Misbah-ul-Haq defended Afridi’s inclusion but added that he wasn’t necessarily an automatic selection in the XI. Misbah said Afridi was picked as an ‘optional’ allrounder who can bat at No.7 and bowl spin.”He is an option who can help us on slower tracks (in the West Indies),” Misbah said when asked how difficult it was to pick an out-of-form player. “Malik was the one who had been helping us out with six to seven overs and was handy with the bat as well so Afridi has been recalled in place of Malik as an extra allrounder who can roll his arm on turning tracks and contribute quick runs at No.7.”But it doesn’t mean he is automatically in the XI. We first have to look at the conditions and then take a call. We are happy with the selection of 16 players and I will be ready to shoulder the responsibility of any result.”Umar Akmal was dropped from the Test side last year and was subsequently was axed from the ODI side this year. He had been working on his wicketkeeping skills at the NCA over the last two weeks under the coach Dav Whatmore. When asked if wicketkeeping would be an additional burden on him, chief selector Iqbal Qasim said that Umar Akmal was “comfortable with wicketkeeping and the decision had been taken with his consent.””We have also added Mohammad Rizwan as a backup wicketkeeper but Umar will be doing most of the glove work and Rizwan will also be tried but it depends on the situation,” Qasim said.Umar Akmal has kept wicket in seven ODIs and the selectors have hinted at a short-term and experimental role, as his dual role could help the balance of the side.

Shane Watson is eager to move forward from the debacles that Australia had to negotiate in India with the first ever back-to-back Ashes series due to begin

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jun-2013Shane Watson is eager to move forward from the debacles Australia faced in India, with back-to-back Ashes series due to begin later this summer. During the series, which ended in a 0-4 series defeat, the team management axed four players, including Watson, who was vice-captain at the time, after the second Test for failing to complete a task set by coach Mickey Arthur.”Whatever happened throughout India, certainly for me personally, was the lowest point in my cricket career, there’s no doubt about that.” he said. “The decisions that were made were made for a reason and we certainly have to move forward as a team because we’ve got two series back-to-back of the biggest cricket we’ll ever play.”Australia are chasing the urn after England steamrolled Australia in their own backyard with a 3-1 scoreline, all three wins coming without England needing to bat a second time. They now face England in England.”We’ve got a lot of big cricket coming up so we’ve got to put all the things that happened to us in India behind us.” he said. “We’ve got to find ways to get the best out of ourselves as individuals and as a team. If we don’t, then it could be a long 10 months but if we’re able to bring it together then we could have a lot of fun.”Watson was clear in stating the controversial episode ahead of Australia’s last chance to save the series in India could have been avoided.”If I had handed in my homework then I would have avoided it, that’s probably as simple as it was. I look back and I certainly would have done that and I wouldn’t have been in the situation that I was.” he said. “There were certainly periods of time that things had been building up unbeknown to me, things that were really affecting certain people in the group but we’ve had to move because we’ve got so much big cricket coming up and it’s a dream to be part of back-to-back Ashes series.”Whatever’s happened is certainly in the past. For me to be a part of hopefully this next little while of cricket continues to fuel my dream and also continue to realise the privilege I do have to play cricket for my country.”Watson also ruled out any interest in captaining Australia in the Ashes. “At this point in time, absolutely not.” he said “I stepped down as vice-captain for a number of different reasons but at this point in time, it was certainly the best thing for the team. I’m just here to get the best out of myself and help as much as I always do anyway.”

A round-up of the matches on the second day of the Faysal Bank Super Eight T-20 Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2013
ScorecardCaptain Mohammad Hafeez led from the front to hit his second Twenty hundred that helped Lahore Lions humble Multan Tigers by 47 runs at the Gaddafi Stadium. With a daunting total in sight, Tigers never looked in control during their chase. They lost their captain Shoaib Maqsood in the first over, caught brilliantly by Aizaz Cheema after he had fumbled it on the first go. Tigers started stuttering early as their top three batsmen departed with only 24 runs on the board.Rameez Alam (45) and Saeed Anwar jnr (11) resisted for a while with a 51-run stand for the fourth wicket, but both got bogged down against the spinners. Despite some late fireworks by Kashif Naved, Tigers kept on losing wickets at regular intervals and were bowled out in the 20th over for 127.Lions, after choosing to bat, lost opener Ahmed Shahzad (2) in the first over as he flicked Rahat Ali straight to Zulfiqar Babar at midwicket. Thereafter, Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed dominated Tigers and added 66 runs for the second wicket before Jamshed was trapped lbw for 26. Akmal brothers, Umar (4) and Kamran (0), were out of successive deliverers – Umar edged one from Rizwan Haider to the keeper, while a mix-up for a single with Hafeez resulted in Kamran’s wicket.Hafeez, however, continued to consolidate. He was dropped three times, twice by the wicketkeeper. Along with Ali Azmat (29), he added 83 for the fifth wicket to take Lions to a formidable total of 175. He reached 102 off 64 balls with 18 boundaries, including two sixes off the last two balls of the innings.
ScorecardShoaib Malik led Sialkot Stallions to a five-wicket victory over Abbottabad Falcons in Gaddafi Stadium. Falcons batted first, but were reduced to 39 for 3 through some incisive bowling from Raza Hasan. Yasir Hameed (43) and Hammad Ali (30) were the only meaningful contributions, as the rest of the batting folded quickly, to leave them 135 for 9 at the end of their 20 overs. Hasan had best figures of 3 for 35.Shakeel Ansar was dismissed for a duck, and Faisal Naved and Shahid Yousuf didn’t last long either as Stallions were at a precarious 18 for 3. An 89-run stand between Shoaib Malik and Adeel Malik categorically took the game away from Falcons. Shoaib Malik top-scored with 68, and Adeel Malik with 36. The chase was finished off by Ali Khan and Mansoor Amjad, as Stallions won with four balls to spare. Falcons have lost two straight now, after losing to Multan Tigers yesterday.
ScorecardYasir Arafat’s four-wicket haul helped Rawalpindi Rams to overwhelm powerful Twenty20 side Karachi Dolphins by eight runs in the final match of the day in Lahore. Dolphins lost their way chasing 158, but bounced back through No.9 batsman Mohammad Sami who smacked a breathtaking 38 off 18 balls. But Rams held their nerves to complete a dramatic victory.Dolphins lost their top order to Arafat earlier who accounted for Khalid Latif (0), Shahzaib Hasan (11) and Asad Shafiq (0) in his first spell of two overs. Fawad Alam (29) along with Sarfaraz Ahmed (26) resisted the tidy bowling in a 40-run stand, but both were out in quick succession. Sami then launched a late attack that included three sixes to revive hopes, but Arafat returned to pick his wicket. Dolphins eventually were bowled out for 149, eight runs short.Rams opted to bat with openers Awais Zia (34) and Naved Malik (12) off to a positive start. But they lost seven wickets for 16 runs towards the end to finish with 157. Anwar Ali was the most successful bowler with four wickets.

The captains and coaches of all the domestic teams in India demanded more time between Ranji Trophy matches during the annual captains and coaches’ conclave that was held on Tuesday in Mumbai

Amol Karhadkar05-Mar-2013The captains and coaches of all the domestic teams in India were unanimous in demanding more time between Ranji Trophy matches during the annual captains and coaches’ conclave that was held on Tuesday in Mumbai. This was one of the many suggestions put forth at the conclave that was also attended by technical committee chairman Anil Kumble, BCCI president N Srinivasan, secretary Sanjay Jagdale and Ratnakar Shetty, general manager, cricket development.The 79th edition of the Ranji Trophy was played by 27 teams that were divided into three groups of nine teams each. The number of matches played was also more than previous seasons. In about two months, every team played eight games and, except for a week-long break at some stage, teams often played four-day games with a break of only three days in between. The scheduling not only affected the fitness of players but also resulted in some teams opting for a first-innings lead instead of trying to gain an outright victory.For the BCCI, scheduling remains a tricky aspect, given that a plethora of domestic tournaments are played in a limited time frame. However, Kumble assured teams that their concerns would be addressed.One of the options the technical committee and the fixtures committee may explore is to introduce a four-day gap between matches at least in the latter half of the league stage. “We could have some matches played after a gap of three days, while others could have a four-day break in between. We will have to see how it works,” Kumble told reporters after the two-hour meeting.Former India left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi, who has been coaching the Hyderabad team for the last two seasons, endorsed Kumble’s suggestion.”Ideally, every team would want at least a break of four days before every game but since it’s practically difficult to implement, it would help a lot if the teams got longer breaks in the latter half of the season,” Joshi said. “The fatigue starts creeping in as the tournament progresses. That is where the additional break can be helpful.”While Bengal coach WV Raman suggested that both captains and managers should be asked to submit their assessment of the wicket after every match, a section of coaches felt the teams needed extra motivation to go for an outright victory rather than settling for drab draws after attaining the firstinnings lead. “We have seen several instances of teams opting against enforcing a follow-on, despite gaining a big first-innings lead, and opting to bat on instead. If an additional point is rewarded for enforcing the follow-on, it could make such games more interesting,” Joshi said.Another suggestion, which was backed by almost everyone present at the meeting, was to stage the Ranji Trophy knock-out games at neutral venues.”There was a suggestion and the technical committee will discuss the issue during its meeting,” Kumble said.Mumbai coach Sulakshan Kulkarni suggested that the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the national limited-overs championship, also be staged in a format similar to the Ranji Trophy. While the Ranji Trophy is played in a three-tier league stage followed by knock-outs, the Vijay Hazare Trophy starts with a zonal league that covers five regions. The two top teams from each zone then progress to the national knock-outs.”It pits the same teams against each other in the preliminary stage, like the old Ranji Trophy format,” Kulkarni said.The suggestion, however, is unlikely to be implemented. “It will be a logistical nightmare,” Kumble said.Some of the teams raised concerns over umpiring standards. The major concerns centred around the decision-making abilities of umpires and uniformity in judging the quality of light during matches. “Everyone went by their own experiences and made their suggestions. The teams who were affected expressed their concerns. But the overall standards of umpiring have improved,” Kumble said.The suggestions will now be discussed in detail by the technical committee which could meet in the third week of March, according to Kumble.

The fast bowler Adam Milne has been named in New Zealand’s squad for the ICC World Twenty20, 18 months after he last played for his country

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Aug-2012The fast bowler Adam Milne has been named in New Zealand’s squad for the ICC World Twenty20, 18 months after he last played for his country. Daniel Vettori has also been included after being ruled out of the upcoming Test series in India due to a groin problem, and he will have the chance to test his injury early next month with the same squad to play two T20s in India on September 8 and 11.There was no room for Andrew Ellis, Tom Latham, Daniel Flynn or Dean Brownlie, all of whom were part of New Zealand’s squad for their most recent T20s, in the West Indies. As expected, James Franklin is part of the final 15, having missed the West Indies games because the team management wanted to allow him an extended run in the T20 format in county cricket instead of flying in to the Caribbean for just two games.Others left out from the original 30-man preliminary squad include the fast bowlers Neil Wagner, Andy McKay and Trent Boult, and the legspinner Tarun Nethula. The national selection manager, Kim Littlejohn, said he was pleased to see the return of Milne, 20, who debuted for New Zealand as an 18-year-old in December 2010.”Adam Milne has impressed during his time with the winter development squad and his extra pace offers something a little different,” Littlejohn said. “We are confident he will have an impact in international cricket and will seize this opportunity.”We are thrilled to have Daniel Vettori back in the fold. He brings a huge amount of experience and knowledge of conditions in the sub-continent. The squad also welcomes back James Franklin, who has been playing for Twenty20 cricket for Essex in the county competition.”After their two matches in India, New Zealand head to Sri Lanka for the World T20, where they must first face Pakistan and Bangladesh in the group stage, before learning whether they have qualified to move through into the next phase.New Zealand squad Martin Guptill, Rob Nicol, Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor (capt), Kane Williamson, BJ Watling, James Franklin, Jacob Oram, Nathan McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Kyle Mills, Doug Bracewell, Tim Southee, Ronnie Hira, Adam Milne.

Laxmi Shukla, who picked up four wickets, boosted Bengal who are desperately in search of an outright win after having lost two out of four games this season

Siddhartha Talya at the Brabourne Stadium01-Dec-2012
Scorecard
Laxmi Shukla used the helpful conditions to pick up four wickets•FotocorpThe previous time the Brabourne Stadium hosted a Ranji Trophy game, it produced a run-fest, with the first innings staying incomplete at the end of the third day. The shade of green on the track for this game and some gentle breeze in the morning offered greater hope for the fast bowlers, and it wasn’t surprising that Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary chose to bowl. His team responded well, especially Laxmi Shukla, who picked up four wickets, to boost Bengal who are desperately in search of an outright win after having lost two out of four games this season.Mumbai had their share of fortune on a track that had good bounce with the ball often kicking off a good length, especially when Shukla was bowling. The Bengal fielders chipped in to make life easier on occasions as Wasim Jaffer was the beneficiary of a dropped catch. Though Bengal were not made to suffer much – Jaffer only got so far as 80 in a format he’s dominated by making fielders toil for long hours – he stayed long enough to help Mumbai fight back from 46 for 3 in the company of Abhishek Nayar, with whom he was involved in a century stand.Mumbai again picked themselves up after losing Jaffer and Nayar in the second session, with wicketkeeper Aditya Tare and Ankeet Chavan compiling a 56-run stand as part of a lower-order recovery that also acquired considerable momentum through quick runs. The Bengal bowlers worked hard – Shukla, in particular, bowled an extended first spell of nine overs – but weren’t dominant and faced resistance that took Mumbai to 262 for 7.Jaffer, who missed Mumbai’s first three games of this season while on Haj, said the assistance to fast bowlers will last a while and 300 was a good total on this track. “I don’t think it’s going to flatten out,” he said. “The help for the fast bowlers, especially, will remain for a while. The ball is spinning as well. So, if we go to 300, it’ll be a very good score with the kind of bowling we have and the wicket, probably, will get a bit faster. It was a bit damp today, and the ball was swinging, but I think it’s a decent score. We would have been happier if there were one or two wickets less. But the help will remain in the wicket.”Jaffer batted positively, though that also brought with it some risk on a track with a bit of life. He offered a half-chance at short leg at 5, and was put down by Arindam Das at second slip off Shukla when on 16. Shukla also got the ball to move back in, rapped Jaffer on the pads twice, but there were enough scoring opportunities on offer. Jaffer drove Shukla twice through the covers and used his feet well against the left-arm spin of Iresh Saxena, who was brought on, surprisingly, as early as the 11th over.The early introduction of spin was to provide Bengal an opening, however, through the stumping of Kaustubh Pawar and Shukla struck twice in quick time after that to put Mumbai under pressure. Against a disciplined line outside off, and some away movement, Hiken Shah was caught-behind driving on the up. Rohit fell in a similar fashion, reaching forward to be caught by Wriddhiman Saha diving to his right, for 1, as his counterpart Tiwary, also a possible contender for a place in the Indian side, watched on from mid-off.While the seamers tested the batsmen from one end, Jaffer and Nayar scored freely off the sole specialist spinner, Saxena. Jaffer was strong both sides of the wicket, driving him past cover and going over the top past mid-on and midwicket. Nayar swept well, collecting two successive boundaries through deep square leg and deep midwicket, and even launching Saxena for a six towards cow corner. The stand was broken abruptly in the first over of Shukla’s second spell, shortly after the pair had put on 100 together, when Jaffer got a leading edge to Abhishek Jhunjhunwala at extra cover.It got worse for Mumbai when Nayar dragged one back on from Veer Pratap Singh to make it 172 for 5, but there was some spunk left in the batting.Tare has opened the batting for Mumbai, dropping down this time with the return of Jaffer, and had some close shaves as he repeatedly edged the bowlers over the slips and past gully. Chavan gave him good company in a 56-run partnership before adding a further 20 with Dhawal Kulkarni, who struck Saxena for two straight sixes over long-on.But Bengal remained patient and dismissed the pair before stumps, both edging to slip and one of them, Chavan, giving Shukla his fourth wicket. The innings could have been wrapped up today itself had Ramesh Powar, a capable hand in the lower order, not been dropped by Das, again, at second slip. Captain Tiwary appeared happy at stumps, applauding his team-mates, but the let-offs in the field did consume time and cost runs that Bengal will hope do not affect the outcome.

Mick Newell has withdrawn from the running to be the next Bangladesh coach

George Dobell29-May-2012Mick Newell has withdrawn from the running to be the next Bangladesh coach. Newell, the director of cricket at Nottinghamshire, had been shortlisted as a candidate to replace Stuart Law in the role but has now informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) that he is not available for family reasons.Newell’s withdrawal leaves Richard Pybus as the overwhelming favourite to land the job. While the BCB have a shortlist of names that includes Mark Greatbatch, Dermot Reeve and Kepler Wessels, Pybus remains their preferred candidate. Law stood down in order to take the role of high performance coach at Australia’s Centre of Excellence. Shane Jurgensen, who had been the bowling coach, has been appointed as interim Bangladesh coach.”It is hugely flattering to be linked to such a job and, in many ways, it is a very attractive opportunity,” Newell told ESPNcricinfo. “But I just felt that the time was not quite right for me. I have twins aged eight and didn’t think they were at the age where they would understand if I was away for 10 or 11 months of the year.”The other thing was that I knew that if I took the job, I would probably never coach Nottinghamshire again. I’ve worked for the club for 30 years and I’ve been coaching there for 10 years. It doesn’t get much better than working for Nottinghamshire and I would have to think very carefully before leaving.”Negotiations between 47-year-old Newell and the BCB never progressed to the point where finances or length of contract were discussed. Instead, Newell, who has twice (2005 and 2010) overseen Nottinghamshire winning the County Championship, asked for some details about the position and then made his decision.”My questions were about how they saw the role of the head coach and support staff. We never talked about money. They responded and, after 24 hours having a think about things, I decided that the time wasn’t quite right for me to pursue this.”It is a role that would be of huge interest at the right time. I hope I haven’t ruled myself out of contention in the future as coaching an international team remains something I would like to do. I’d love to coach England at some stage – I’m sure any coach will tell you they want to work with the best players they can but, due to the age of my children, I have notified the BCB that I am not available for this role.”

Kevin Pietersen has been omitted from England’s 30-man squad for the ICC World Twenty20, apparently ending chances of a limited-over return

George Dobell18-Jul-2012Kevin Pietersen has been omitted from England’s provisional 30-man squad for the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka later this year, despite his insistence that he was available for the event. The announcement suggests Pietersen is unlikely to end his premature retirement from limited-overs internationals in the near future.Pietersen, who was player of the tournament when England won the WorldT20 in the Caribbean in 2010 – the only global trophy they have ever won – has always maintained his desire to play in England’s defence. Last week he said he would also be open to an ODI return if his schedule could be lessened. “I would love to play for another three or four years in all forms of cricket,” he said.Under the terms of England central contracts, a player cannot be considered for one format of the limited-overs game unless they are available for both. While Pietersen’s comments suggest he is prepared to play all formats, the England management still consider him ‘retired’ as he remains reluctant to commit to the team’s full schedule.Andy Flower, the England team director, responded to the news that Pietersen’s representatives were in talks with the ECB by saying that the situation had not changed and that a return was unlikely. He appears to have got his way, with Alex Hales, who scored 99 on his return to the T20I side against West Indies in June, likely to continue as opener.The final squad will be cut to 15 by August 18, ahead of the start of the tournament in mid-September. England’s first game will be against Afghanistan on September 21, with India also in Group A. While there is scope for players outside the 30 to be named in the final 15, it can only happen in exceptional circumstances. That usually means injury.While there is no place for Pietersen, there are recalls for England’s ODI captain, Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, who has recently made a successful return to the ODI side, Michael Lumb, who opened for England in the Caribbean in 2010, and Gareth Batty, who enjoyed a good domestic T20 season with Surrey. Joe Root, the young Yorkshire batsman, is also included for the first time, as is Lancashire’s Steven Croft, alongside other young players such as Ben Stokes, James Taylor and Jos Buttler.Matt Prior, England’s Test wicketkeeper who has continued to impress in limited-overs cricket at domestic level, is also an intriguing selection and offers a potential alternative to Craig Kieswetter.Provisional squad Stuart Broad (capt), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Gareth Batty, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Scott Borthwick, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Steven Croft, Steven Davies, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Craig Kieswetter, Michael Lumb, Stuart Meaker, Eoin Morgan, Graham Onions, Samit Patel, Matt Prior, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Graeme Swann, James Taylor, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes, Luke Wright

Herschelle Gibbs, the former South African batsman, has signed for Durham for the 2012 Friends Life t20

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2012Herschelle Gibbs, the former South Africa batsman, has signed with Durham for the 2012 Friends Life t20. Gibbs will again link up with former England batsman Paul Collingwood after the pair played for Perth in Australia’s Big Bash League.Gibbs helped Perth reach the final of the BBL and will be hoping to guide Durham further than their quarter-final defeat against Hampshire last season. He has scored 3,050 runs in T20 cricket and has previous experience in the FLt20 with Glamorgan in 2008 and Yorkshire in 2010.”Durham are really committed to their on the field development and have real ambitions to progress in T20,” Gibbs said. “There is some massive talent in the dressing room and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve. I’ve been performing pretty well in the T20 format and I think I can offer some real variation to the side.”Gibbs plays a powerful brand of cricket, highlighted by his top one-day score of 175 from 111 balls which helped South Africa chase down a world-record target of 435 to beat Australia at Johannesburg in 2006. During his previous stint in the FLt20 he made his first T20 century, scoring 101 from 53 balls for Yorkshire against Northamptonshire at Headingley.”It is a real coup for us to bring a player of Herschelle’s calibre to our set up for the FLt20,” Durham head coach Geoff Cook said. “It just goes to show that Durham’s reputation as a progressive and successful club can attract quality players who want to help us win trophies. I’m confident he will add an extra dimension to our batting line up and some real personality in the middle.”