american twenty20

Baker to captain USA at ICC Americas Twenty20

	Orlando Baker will lead USA in the Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament size: 310 ©

Veteran allrounder Orlando Baker has been named captain of a new-look USA team for next month's ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This is the second time 33-year-old Baker will lead the country after he served as captain during the WICB Cup 50-over tournament in Guyana in 2008.

Nine players who participated in the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE are not in the current 14-man squad, which will play a double round-robin series against Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands and Suriname from March 18-25. The top two teams from the ICC Americas event will advance to the 16-team ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier which will be played in the UAE later this year.

Naseer Jamali, Nicholas Standford, Timothy Surujbally, Karan Ganesh and Danial Ahmed find a place in the squad for the ICC qualifying tournament after making their senior team debuts in the Auty Cup series against Canada in November last year. Ahmed, a left-arm orthodox spinner who plays club cricket in the Washington, D.C. area, was the most impressive debutant in the series and appears to have ended USA's search for a frontline spinner who can turn the ball away from right-handed batsmen.

Legspinner Saqib Saleem is the only player in the squad for the ICC Americas event who is uncapped at a senior level. He is part of a spin-heavy bowling unit along with Ahmed, off-spinner Abhimanyu Rajp and left-arm orthodox spinners and allrounders Ryan Corns and Barrington Bartley. If Saleem plays, he will be the ninth player to be capped at the senior level from a very rich crop of junior players that played in the 2010 ICC U-19 World Cup in New Zealand. Saleem was among the top 10 among wicket-takers in that tournament.

According to sources, several veteran players could not get enough time off work to participate in the ICC Americas tournament, thus giving the younger players a chance to stake their claim in the national team. Sushil Nadkarni, who captained USA at last year's World Twenty20 Qualifier and was the team's leading scorer in that event and the ICC World Cricket League (WCL) Division Four in Malaysia last September, is one of several players missing out due to work-related issues.

Other national team regulars, such as longtime captain Steve Massiah, Usman Shuja, Timroy Allen, Muhammad Ghous and Aditya Thyagarajan have also faced difficulty getting time off work.

With the ICC Americas event and the ICC (WCL) Division Three being scheduled within five weeks of each other, players have been forced to choose between the two considering difficulties taking leave off work in such a short time to participate in both events.

Nadkarni, Massiah, Shuja, Allen, Ghous and Thyagarajan are all expected to be named in USA's squad for ICC WCL Division Three after being part of the squad that helped USA gain promotion from ICC WCL Division Four last year. All six have all been named in a 17-man squad that will play three, 50-over matches against Bermuda in Florida on March 26, 28 and 29 after the ICC Americas tournament. A USACA spokesman stated that more players may be added to the 50-over squad for Bermuda if they impress during the ICC Americas event.

The most surprising omission from both the Twenty20 and 50-over squads is Aditya Mishra, who served as vice-captain of the team last year in UAE. Mishra scored 62, the highest individual score for USA in the World T20 Qualifier, as an opener in a seven-wicket win over Scotland. He also scored a half-century in a hard-fought loss to Namibia, who were undefeated in the group stage. The right-hand batsman had a role in nine of the team's ten highest partnerships during the tournament. However, his exclusion may have to do with his poor performance at the ICC World Cricket League Division Four in Malaysia last September.

USA T20 squad for ICC Americas Division One: Orlando Baker (captain), Danial Ahmed, Barrington Bartley, Ryan Corns, Akeem Dodson (wk), Karan Ganesh, Elmore Hutchinson, Naseer Jamali, Japen Patel, Abhimanyu Rajp, Saqib Saleem, Nicholas Standford, Timothy Surujbally, Steven Taylor (wk).

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southafrica vs netherland

SA set for Netherlands warm-up tour

	AB de Villiers will bring his South African side to the Netherlands at the end of May ©

South Africa will tour the Netherlands at the end of May as part of their preparation for the Champions Trophy, which they begin on June 6 against India.

They will take part in team-building activities before three days of cricket practise and an ODI against Netherlands on May 31 in Amstelveen. It will be the third ODI between the teams and the first outside of a World Cup. The previous meetings have produced thumping wins for South Africa.

"We feel we have pulled off a real coup in getting one of the top ODI Nations in the World to come to the Netherlands not only to play but also to act as their preparation-base for this major tournament," Netherlands CEO Richard Cox said. "We are looking forward to having some of the household names of world cricket on our doorstep.

"As a result of the Champions Trophy being held in the UK it has given many European countries the opportunity to maximise the chance to play a Full Member through the support of ICC's TAPP funding policy."

National Coach Peter Drinnen said it would be a pleasure to welcome a full member to the Netherlands. "I would like to thank everyone who was involved in making this possible. It is a great opportunity to showcase the game in this country as well as provide an extremely valuable opportunity to our players to measure themselves against some of the best in the world.

"These opportunities are very important for our continued development and I know all parties here in the Netherlands involved in this series will be working hard on and off the park to ensure the South African touring party have a very beneficial stay with us"

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ipl 2013 auction

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z14ytDkslgw

indian premeir league 2013

Chennai Super Kings sign five uncapped bowlers

	UP fast bowler Imtiaz Ahmed (left) is the most experienced of the players Super Kings have signed ©

In a continuation of their auction strategy, Chennai Super Kings have beefed up their bowling department further by signing five Indian uncapped bowlers. The players are UP fast bowlers Imtiaz Ahmed and Ankit Rajpoot, Haryana quick Mohit Sharma, Karnataka pacerRonit More and Tamil Nadu left-arm spinner R Karthikeyan.

Imtiaz is the most experienced of the lot with 15 first-class matches to his name. In the Ranji Trophy this season, Imtiaz was the leading wicket-taker from Uttar Pradesh taking 37 from nine matches at an average of 25.45, including three five-wicket hauls. He was with the Pune Warriors in IPL 2011 but did not get a game.

His UP team-mate Rajpoot made his first-class debut this season against Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy and collected 31 wickets from seven matches at an average of 18.80. He has not played limited-overs domestic matches so far.

Mohit played eight Ranji matches this season, taking 37 wickets, averaging 23.24 runs per wicket. Mohit has also played six List A matches, the last one being a warm-up match against England XI in January before the five-match ODI series. He took two wickets in the match, of Ian Bell and Craig Kieswetter, in eight overs.

More made his first-class debut this season playing two matches, and also has seven List A and one domestic Twenty20 to his name. The lone spinner among the new signings, Karthikeyan, plays for TI Cycles in the first division league of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association.

Stephen Fleming, Super Kings' coach, had said two days before the auction that the team would focus on local seam bowling options. At the auction on Sunday, Super Kings bought three quicks - Dirk Nannes, Ben Laughlin and Jason Holder, allrounder Chris Morris and spinner Akila Dananjaya.

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Indian premeir league 2013

Mushtaq Ahmed set to join Delhi Daredevils

	Mushtaq Ahmed and Kevin Pietersen will work together for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL ©

Mushtaq Ahmed, the former Pakistan legspinner, is on the verge of joining the Delhi Daredevils as a spin-bowling consultant for the 2013 IPL season. Mushtaq signed the year-long contract recently, and is now waiting for the final paperwork to be delivered.

"I have been offered a one-year deal," Mushtaq told ESPNcricinfo. "I have accepted it but the deal is yet to be finalised and is in process as written documentation is currently being exchanged."

After retiring from the game in 2008, Mushtaq has been the spin-bowling coach with the England team. The ECB employed him on a consultancy basis so he is free to work for other organisations when not busy with England.

The Daredevils, who missed out on the finals last year after losing to Chennai Super Kings in the play-off, wanted to beef up their support staff. Before the auction, they had identified the lack of quality slow bowlers as a perceived gap in the squad. South African offspinner Johan Botha and Sri Lankan legspinner Jeevan Mendis were duly bought to join the unheralded Shahbaz Nadeem, the left-arm spinner, who was impressive last year.

Mushtaq will pair up with Eric Simmons, the former South Africa bowler, who is the head coach at the Daredevils. He will also be the second Pakistan player to be involved in a coaching role in the IPL; Wasim Akram has been working with the Kolkata Knight Riders as a fast-bowling consultant since 2009.

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indian premier league 2013

Jaipur back as Rajasthan's IPL venue

	Rajasthan Royals' home games will now be played in Jaipur © AFP  Enlarge

The Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur is set to host all of Rajasthan Royals' home games during the upcoming edition of the IPL. The BCCI will relocate the matches to the original host city of the franchise after having allotted them to Ahmedabad and Rajkot following the prolonged dispute over use of the stadium.

In a meeting between the IPL, Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) and Rajasthan Royals' officials at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai, the RCA acting secretary KK Sharma was told to go ahead with the preparations. "The board gave us the nod during yesterday's meeting and we have started the preparations," Sharma told ESPNcricinfo. "We will work in tandem with Rajasthan Royals to ensure Jaipur stages a grand IPL show yet again."

The matches had been shifted out of Jaipur due to a standoff between the RCA and the Rajasthan state sports council, which owns the stadium. Since the memorandum of understanding (MoU) expired last July, both the parties had a disagreement about the terms of renewal. Since it was getting late, the BCCI had put the two venues in Gujarat on standby and then allotted the games to them.

However, the Rajasthan High Court on Friday directed the sports council and the RCA to come to an agreement for the larger good of the cricket-loving public in Jaipur. So on Sunday, they signed an MoU for five years. RCA paid them Rs 1 crore immediately and handed over eight post-dated cheques of Rs 20 lakh each as rent for IPL games.

As a result, the RCA were handed over the possession of the stadium on Monday. RCA curator Taposh Chatterjee had been working along with his team of groundstff to get the venue in shape for the Royals' first home game, against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders on April 8.

While Rajasthan Royals chief executive Raghu Iyer welcomed the move, saying Jaipur "has always been the preferred home ground for Royals", he said that it would be the BCCI who will be the final authority. The BCCI will take a final call after inspecting the stadium in "around a fortnight's time".

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pakistan vs southafrica

1st twenty20  will be played on 1 march  9:00pm pak time

England vs newzealand

B McCullum hails NZ fighting spirit

	"We showed fighting characteristics" - Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand captain, praised his side's battling qualities - epitomised by Martin Guptill's crucial contribution despite struggling with a hamstring injury - as they pulled off victory in a closely contested first ODI against England.

Twice New Zealand fought back, first restricting England to 258 after they had been 184 for 2 in the 39th over and then recovering from 155 for 5 at an almost identical stage in their innings. McCullum smacked an unbeaten 69 from 61 balls and Guptill, who had retired hurt early in the chase, hit four fours and a six after limping back in with seven wickets down to seal a win that puts them 1-0 up in the three-match series.

"It was pretty satisfying. There were many times today when we were, not out of the game but definitely behind the eight-ball," McCullum said. "I thought we showed some fighting characteristics. It's a really important trait for us that we do keep fighting and scrapping like that."

New Zealand had been anchored by Kane Williamson's 74 but when he and James Franklin fell in quick succession, they were effectively six down with 104 needed from 74 balls. McCullum, who came in at No. 6 to allow Grant Elliot to play mainly as a batsman, put on useful partnerships of 31 and 32 with his brother Nathan and Andrew Ellis, before Guptill hobbled out to help finally kick England's feet from under them.

McCullum said he had been "hopeful" that Guptill would be able to return. "We'd discussed once he came off that he'd look to come in at either nine or ten. We knew that running was obviously going to be limited for him, but he's still obviously a very clean striker of the ball. I think it almost played into our hands a little bit, that he was able to look for the boundary.

	"We lacked match toughness" - Alastair Cook

"He really showed some fighting qualities and he's obviously delighted that he was able to come out injured and play an influential innings for the team."

Alastair Cook admitted that England had failed to ram home their advantage with both bat and ball and said that a lack of "match hardness" had cost them, rather than rustiness, with several players making their first outing of the tour. Fifties from Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott and Joe Root - who earned an ECB increment contract with his eighth appearance of the winter - were not enough, as the other batsmen failed to kick on.

"We got ourselves in position to win that," he said. "But they got themselves over the line, and we couldn't quite manage to put the pressure on them.

"We just kept losing wickets at crucial times, and never really got the partnerships towards the end of the innings - which could have got us up to 280 or 290. We batted well up front, but probably loaded a little bit too much towards the end - put a bit too much pressure on our big hitters. But we got into an okay position to launch; then the guys at the end didn't quite come off."

In the end, it was superior finishing by McCullum and Guptill that proved the difference. "I think both sides would have felt disappointed losing that game," Cook said. "Both sides kind of got themselves in position to win, and someone had to stand up and grab it by the scruff of the neck - and those two did it for New Zealand."

England cricket board

Giles vows to be more "ruthless" as coach

	Ashley Giles wants to do more homework on the other teams in the Champions Trophy ©  Enlarge

Ashley Giles has promised to be "ruthless" in his role as coach of England's limited-overs sides. Giles could reflect with some satisfaction on England's ODI series victory in New Zealand - their first such success in the country in more than two decades - but knows he has some tricky decisions to make ahead of the Champions Trophy in June.

Giles' main issue is how to accommodate the return of Kevin Pietersen - rested for the ODI series in New Zealand - into the Champions Trophy side. England's decision to rest players from ODI series - Pietersen in New Zealand and Jonathan Trott in India - allowed Joe Root an opportunity which he grasped impressively, leaving England wrestling with the issue of fitting six batsmen into five available spaces for the June event. While Alastair Cook is certain to play alongside a wicketkeeper and five bowlers, the remaining five batsmen - Pietersen, Trott, Root, Ian Bell and Eoin Morgan - would appear to be competing for four places.

But if anyone feared sentiment may play a part in the decision making - two of those five, Bell and Trott, are former team-mates from his days with Warwickshire - Giles was quick to dispel such doubts.

"I have to be more ruthless as a coach," Giles said. "You are not being nasty, but you've got to make strong decisions. When you drop someone, you always look them in the eye. Sometimes it will fall to the captain, sometimes I might do it, but all you can do is to be honest. If your performance isn't good enough, I'm going to tell you. I don't expect you to like it, but it doesn't change the conviction behind the decision. Players are selected to perform and ultimately we have to pick the side that we think will win games.

"The most difficult decisions are when you leave players out and you never do that lightly. If you don't step in, and everyone else can see you should be doing it, you lose respect quite quickly.

"With the Champions Trophy being in English conditions we have the opportunity to do really well. I'll go away and look very closely at Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, the other teams in our group. But we don't want to get too cute with the game. The formula with which we play is pretty simple but homework on the opposition, like bowling very straight to Ross Taylor, is important."

Giles also plans to speak to the coaches at many of the counties to ensure that their plans and those of England are in harmony. Most pertinently, he will speak to Somerset about their wicketkeeping plans. At present Jos Buttler, now first-choice with the gloves in ODI and T20 cricket, is denied the gloves at Taunton by Craig Kieswetter. Giles hopes to persuade the club to reverse that policy with a view to providing Buttler with more experience.

Somerset are likely to oblige. Not only do they have a record of accommodating England - they drafted Andrew Strauss into their team in 2011 when he required match practice ahead of the India series - they also have a strong relationship with Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, who was previously chairman of the club. The fact that they are keen to host ODI cricket may not be irrelevant, either.

"I will be speaking to Somerset about both players," Giles said. "Obviously we have a responsibility to Craig, who I'm sure wants to get back playing for England but Jos is keeping for us now.

"Craig wasn't left out of the squad, it was by mutual consent really. The opportunity had gone for him. With Jos taking the gloves and Jonny Bairstow being next in line it made sense on both sides for Craig to go home and get his game in order.

	Ashley Giles: "I can't tell Somerset what to do, but it's pretty obvious that Jos [Buttler] needs to keep wicket now" ©   Enlarge

"I hope to speak to most of the directors of cricket at counties about the players involved this winter and how we think they can improve. I can't tell Somerset what to do, but it's pretty obvious that Jos needs to keep wicket now. It is a very different situation for Somerset, though, because they have a duty to help Craig get back into international cricket. I don't envy their position and Jos, Somerset and Craig will have to discuss it."

Somerset would be understandably reluctant to lose either Buttler or Kieswetter. Both were schooled locally and have long careers ahead of them in the game. But, in the long-term, it could be that one of them feel the need to leave for more opportunity elsewhere.

Nor is the issue just at Somerset. Ben Foakes, the England Lions keeper, also requires first team cricket if he is to progress, but is currently denied the gloves at Essex by the continuing excellence of James Foster. Giles may also reflect on the situation at Warwickshire, where Trott tends to open the batting in domestic limited-overs cricket and Bell comes in at No.3; a reversal of their England roles.

While Giles will now return to the UK, his work as England's limited-overs coach continues. Firstly he will stop off in Australia where England Lions are struggling against their Australian counterparts while, following a full series debrief with Cook, Giles will further the planning ahead of the Champions Trophy allowing Andy Flower to concentrate on England's Test plans.

"Cooky is an exceptional bloke," Giles said. "I hope we don't agree on everything because it would be dull but we're singing from a similar hymn sheet on most stuff.

"We had three hours when we talked about a number of things going forward. By the time he gets home a lot of time will have passed so it was important we knocked around ideas and I'll take them home to work on. It was a really good chat.

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austraila vs india

Chennai knock Dhoni's best - Chappell

	MS Dhoni's knock was the difference between India and Australia in Chennai, says Greg Chappell ©  Enlarge

Former Australia captain Greg Chappell has rated MS Dhoni's double-century in Chennai as his best in Tests. Dhoni's knock of 224 tilted the scales in India's favour, according to Chappell, and helped them to a 1-0 lead in the four-match series against Australia.

"He has played several memorable knocks in one-day cricket, but this was the best I have seen him play in Test matches," Chappell told The Times of India.

"I have seen him smack a yorker-length delivery from James Anderson for a six. It requires special talent. His success on a crumbling Chennai track stems from his ability to strike the ball hard on pitches where the ball tends to keep low. Had he scored just 124, the match would still have been in the balance. The manner in which he attacked a tiring Australian attack, shielding the tailenders, truly makes him a match-winner."

This was India's seventh win in the last 21 Tests, five of which have come against West Indies and New Zealand. India lost eight consecutive overseas Tests, and conceded a series at home to England for the first time in 28 years. Chappell accepted that the Indian team looked average on their tour of Australia last summer but maintained that Dhoni's captaincy shouldn't be under doubt.

"It is true that the Indian team under Dhoni looked below par during their tour Down Under, but he has answered his critics in the best possible way. In my book he remains the best man to lead India in all forms of the game.

"At a time when players all over the world are struggling to cope with their workload, it is amazing how Dhoni manages to play every game with the same intensity. That he has done it successfully now for five years speaks volumes about Dhoni's fitness, mental strength as well as his commitment. India are lucky to have him."

Although Australia crumbled under Dhoni's onslaught to eventually lose by eight wickets, a few of their players had impressed. One of them was the debutant Moises Henriques, who scored half-centuries in both innings, finishing with an unbeaten 81 in the second dig to help prevent an innings defeat. In Henriques, Chappell saw the makings of a long-term allrounder.

"It was good to see Henriques coming good at last. He has been on the fringe for a while. I hope he can be the allrounder that Australia have been looking for, particularly after a question mark over Shane Watson's ability to contribute with the ball."

Regardless of the result of the first Test, Chappell felt the series wouldn't be one-sided.

"It will be a close series, but thanks to Dhoni, India do have a significant advantage."

india vs austraila

'I missed bowling in Chennai' - Watson

As India's batsmen piled on runs in Chennai, Watson was itching to take the ball confirming in his mind that giving up bowling wouldn't be a permanent move

	Shane Watson: "The decision I made is more a longer-term decision to get some running and conditioning into my legs, so when I start bowling again, my body has more chance of handling it" © sikander Enlarge

If Shane Watson's commitment to playing as a batsman only on this tour was ever going to be tested, standing in the field for 154.3 overs during India's the first innings in Chennai was the time. As the runs piled up for India and Australia's attack struggled for impact they missed Watson's bowling, and Watson missed being part of it. But he said while the possibility of bowling later on the tour had crossed his mind, he knew that for the sake of his fitness and form, he had to stick to his plan.

Over the past few years in Test cricket, Watson has had a happy knack of breaking partnerships and an unhappy habit of breaking down. His most recent injury, the problem with his left calf that ruled him out of the third Test against Sri Lanka in January and the one-day series that followed, prompted him to declare that he would give up bowling for the Test tour of India to concentrate on his batting, and on stringing together as much cricket as he could.

Having missed the whole of the previous Australian Test summer due to calf and hamstring injuries, and then the Brisbane and Adelaide Tests against South Africa, Watson decided his best option was to temporarily give up bowling. As India's batsmen put on a series of frustrating partnerships in Chennai, Watson was itching to take the ball and he said the experience had confirmed in his mind that giving up bowling would not be a permanent move.

"That was a time that reaffirmed to me that I do want to bowl," Watson said. "That was a time where if I hadn't have made the decision not to bowl for this tour that I could have had some input on the game at a crucial time in the match. That to me was the first time over the last month since I came back that I missed bowling.

"The decision I made is more a longer-term decision to get some running and conditioning into my legs, so when I start bowling again, my body has more chance of handling it. I do appreciate the decision but it certainly reaffirmed to me that I'm never going to give up bowling. It excites me having some input on the game, especially when what I do could have an influence on a certain part of the game."

For the time being, Watson's plan is to resume bowling during the second half of the IPL with the ultimate goal of being able to contribute with the ball during Australia's Ashes tour of England in July and August. He said while the thought of bowling at some point on the Indian tour was tempting - he has taken 12 wickets at 33.41 in his past six Tests in the country - he was resigned to the fact that his existing plan was a better long-term idea.

"That thought has gone through my mind a few times but I suppose we do have to stay on course," Watson said. "There were reasons why I made that decision - to try and get my body conditioned enough to get back into my bowling.

"I know I've needed two or three months just to be able to get some conditioning into my body, to then hopefully hold together for the next period of time once I get back bowling again. There is a big reason why I'm not bowling at the moment - in between the Test matches to get some running into my legs to continue to build that resilience, so I can hopefully just stay together."

In committing to his long-term plan to stay on the field, Watson took advice from Cricket Australia's medical staff as well as his personal physio, Viktor Popov, and it was made after discussing the idea with the captain Michael Clarke. The bowling issue came to a head after the Hobart Test against Sri Lanka, when Watson bowled 47.4 overs, easily the most he had ever sent down in a game, and he struggled with his calf in the next Test.

"I took a lot of information in at the time, especially through the summer having the same calf injury again and also the amount I bowled in Hobart, that was the most I've ever bowled in my career in four or five-day cricket," Watson said. "I knew my body could handle it, it was more so backing up to handle it again. I had to get the right conditioning in my legs, things like running technique, doing all those things to give myself a better chance to hold together my body when I'm bowling.

"But I also need to be more careful in the future about the overs I do bowl. One, I have the chance to do it more consistently and have less chance of injury but also there were times when it affected my batting, more so in Test cricket over the last 12 to 18 months, especially when I was opening. There were a number of reasons why I made that decision, most importantly is trying to score some runs in Test cricket as well."

bangladesh vs Srilanka

Bangladesh tour of Sri Lanka, 2012-13

Sangakkara in squad for tour match

	Kumar Sangakkara injured his finger during the Boxing Day Test and hasn't played any cricket since © sikander images  Enlarge

Kumar Sangakkara has been named in the squad for the Emerging XI that will play a three-day warm up match in Matara against Bangladesh, while offspinner Akila Dananjaya misses out due to injury.



"I've started batting in the nets this week and have had a good week of practice, so the match against Bangladesh is a good opportunity to get some match practice," Sangakkara said. "As long as I pull through ok, I will play in the Galle Test."

Sangakkara has not played competitive cricket since fracturing his index finger during the Boxing Day Test. He is the only player above 23 in the side captained by middle-order batsman Angelo Perera.



Offspinner Dananjaya had been named in the preliminary squad for the match, but has been left out after straining his finger while taking a return catch in the latest round of first-class cricket. He will be rested for one to two weeks, but is likely to be available for the limited-overs leg of the Bangladesh tour. Allrounder Ramith Rambukwella takes his place in the Emerging XI squad.

Batsmen Ashen Silva and Kithuruwan Vithanage, who are also in the Test squad, have also been included for the fixture, but 19-year-old offspinner Tharindu Kaushal misses out, and may instead be given a Test debut in the two-Test series. Kaushal is the leading wicket-taker in the ongoing first-class tournament, having bagged 31 wickets at 13.22, with four five-wicket hauls in four matches. He had also been named in the Test squad for the home series against New Zealand in November, before he'd played any first-class or List A cricket, but didn't get a match in the series.

The Emerging XI is coached by former Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman Romesh Kaluwitharana.

16-man squad: Angelo Perera (capt), Kithuruwan Vithanage (vice capt), Kumar Sangakkara, Ashen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Udara Jayasundera, Shehan Jayasuriya, Ashan Priyanjana, Ishan Jayaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Kasun Madushanka, Chaturanga de Silva, Dulanjana Mendis, Ramith Rambukwella, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Gamage,

paksitan twenty2o squad for southafrica

Twenty20 squad: Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Amin, Zulfiqar Babar, Asad Ali, Junaid Khan. - See more at: http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-pakistan-2013/content/story/605654.html#sthash.WkLFWh8R.dpuf

paksitan cricket board

'My height was an advantage but I didn't know how to use it'

Mohammad Irfan, the 7ft 1in fast bowler, is a product of rural Pakistan, and comes from the small town of Gaggu Mandi, which produced another tall former Pakistan quick, Mohammad Zahid. Irfan is possibly the tallest known cricketer in the world today, beating England county players Anthony Allom, Paul Dunkels and Will Jefferson, who were all 6ft 10in. Irfan spoke to ESPNcricinfo about his journey from a PVC factory to the Pakistan dressing room.

	"I have played a lot of first-class cricket and bowled lengthy spells, so I believe I can do well in Test cricket as well" ©

We've heard about you working in a plastic factory in the past. 
I was born into a poor family. In lower-class families, we usually quit studying to start working early. In my case, I completed my secondary education because I had six brothers who were already working. But after completing my matriculation, I also joined the factory.

We belong to a labour-class family, and this is what my father and his father did. I have two sisters and five brothers. One of my brothers died some ten years back, and I am the youngest but the tallest of all. If it hadn't been for the support of my mentor Nadeem Iqbal, I might still be working in the factory and living an anonymous life.

How difficult has your life been?
To be honest, I had started enjoying my routine at the PVC factory. I had been promoted to the role of a foreman. I had accepted the fact that I had cricket in my life, but only for entertainment. I was earning enough money for myself and my family. I wanted to earn a respectable livelihood. I dreamt of playing at the national level, but that's a dream every amateur cricketer has.

How did you get into cricket? And what does it mean to you to be the tallest cricketer?
It took nearly a decade to find a real purpose for my height. I don't know if playing cricket is the best I can do with it, but I am comfortable and I am working hard to give myself a new life. Representing your country is a dream every child has, but only a few are able to convert their dreams into reality. I am one of them. Playing at the national level is not about money, it's about the honour.

I started playing cricket with a tennis ball but was always attracted to hard-ball cricket. I joined a cricket club in my village. I used to play in shalwar kameez and school shoes, because I didn't have cricket shoes or trousers and shirts. In fact, I had never worn those. I managed to find a pair of cricket shoes with the help of my friends.

pakistan vs southafrica

Shahid Afridi makes ODI comeback

	Shahid Afridi is expected to play his first ODI since September last year © sikander khan Enlarge

Shahid Afridi has made a comeback to Pakistan's ODI squad for the series in South Africa, after being omitted for the tour of India in December last year. The selectors chose him because of his previous success as a legspinner against South Africa, despite him being out of form at present. Batsman Asad Shafiq and spinner Abdur Rehman were the other inclusions for the five-match series that begins on March 10.

The players left out from the ODI squad that went to India were Anwar Ali, Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail and Zulfiqar Babar. There was only one change to the Twenty20 squad, with Wahab Riaz replacing Sohail Tanvir, who was part of the team that had travelled to India.

The inclusion of Afridi generated plenty of debate and the chief selector Iqbal Qasim had to answer a barrage of questions. Qasim said that this series was Afridi's "last chance and he has to perform."

"He [Afridi] played against Afghanistan, basically we wanted to assess his fitness and he is fully fit," Qasim said. "They [South Africa] are playing well against fast bowling and our pacers are struggling, so having variety in spin will prove beneficial. The decision to pick Afridi is based on his quality of right-arm leg spin.

"I am not saying go and play him in the XI, my mind says we have to have some variety. Our task is to select the best lot to play against South Africa and Afridi has a role to play with his variety in his bowling."

Afridi was dropped from the ODI squad last year due to his poor form both with ball and bat. In his last 12 international innings across ODIs and T20s, he averaged 7.00 with the bat. He failed to make an impact for Pakistan A and the Hyderbad-Karachi team in the recently concluded home games against an Afghanistan XI. However, he is the most successful Pakistan spinner against South Africa, with 26 wickets in 27 ODIs.

Riaz, 27, last played for Pakistan 11 months ago in the Asia Cup but is having a productive ongoing first-class season. He was selected for the recent tour of India but did not play a game. He was preferred over Aizaz Cheema and replaced Tanvir in the T20 squad because of his ability to bowl over 140 kph.

ODI squad: Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Imran Farhat, Abdur Rehman.

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srilanka vs bagladesh

Bangladesh pick Mominul for Sri Lanka Tests

	Mominul Haque has been drafted in Bangladesh's Test squad for the first time © sikander khan Enlarge

Left-arm spinner Enamul Haque jnr has returned to the Bangladesh Test squad after more than three years following his selection in the 15-man squad to tour Sri Lanka next month. Seamer Robiul Islam and batsman Jahurul Islam have also been recalled, while Mominul Haque has made it to the Test squad for the first time.

The major name that is missing is Shakib Al Hasan, out injured and about to undergo surgery to correct a shin injury. Elias Sunny was not included while Junaid Siddique and Nazimuddin were not in the 25-man preliminary squad, which was announced on February 18.

Enamul and Mominul have been taken to replace Shakib, according to chief selector Akram Khan who opted for prior international experience when replacing the allrounder.

Enamul has taken 105 first-class wickets in the last two seasons, the highest in the National Cricket League this season. His last Test appearance was in a Bangladesh win, and where he took six wickets. But he made way for a three-man pace attack against India thereafter, though he was in the Test squad, and indifferent ODI form had him excluded for the next three years. This time he was picked ahead of Mosharraf Hossain and Saqlain Sajib, left-arm spinners who have also done well this season.

In the case of Mominul, it was his recent ODI experience against West Indies which won him a place for a possible middle-order spot. He pushed aside Marshall Ayub, the season's most prolific batsman in first-class cricket, Akram saying it was a "50-50 call".

"This was a tough selection, because we had to pick two players to replace Shakib," Akram said. "Enamul won the left-arm spinner's position ahead of Mosharraf Hossain and Saqlain Sajib. He is in form and has Test experience. Mominul was also a tough call but we need a left-hander in the middle order, so Marshall Ayub, despite his two double-hundreds, misses out."

"I have spoken to Marshall on the phone, told him why he wasn't taken this time. But the door is still open for him, he should continue to perform as he has been. It is unfortunate that we had to leave him out."

Jahurul returns to the squad after playing three Tests in 2010, but he has played ODI cricket recently. Both he and Robiul have been kept as additional options, although the former has a good chance for a place in the top order, said Akram. "He [Jahurul] could be one of the top three with Tamim [Iqbal] and [Shahriar] Nafees.

"Robiul has trained in the National Cricket Academy during the BPL and he has played in the BCL. But we are not sure about Shafiul Islam, and in general we are facing a challenge to form a pace attack," he said.

The two-Test series in Sri Lanka will be Mushfiqur Rahim's first away Tests as captain after he took over in October, 2011. He will lead the middle order, which will include Naeem Islam, Mahmudullah and Nasir Hossain while it is now likely that Anamul and Jahurul will battle for the position of the other opener with Tamim Iqbal. Shahriar Nafees' BPL performance saved him a place in the squad after an indifferent showing in the Tests against West Indies.

Offspinner Sohag Gazi is also going to be a part of the first overseas Test series, and will be an automatic choice after an impressive start to his career late last year, but the pace attack will have to be assembled in Sri Lanka as only Rubel Hossain looks like a first-choice.

Bangladesh will begin the series with a three-day match against Sri Lanka Development Emerging Team at Matara from March 3 to 5, before the Test series, which begins in Galle on March 8. The second Test will be played in Colombo from March 16.

Bangladesh vs Srilanka

'Our best chance in Sri Lanka' - Mushfiqur

Mushfiqur Rahim believes his team can reverse their fortunes on this tour of Sri Lanka © sikander khan

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim has said he wants to correct Bangladesh's woefully poor record in Sri Lanka. They have lost all eight Tests played there since 2001, but he believes the current team is capable of making a difference this time.

"The tour is a big opportunity if we can play to our potential," Mushfiqur said. "We don't have a good record in Sri Lanka. So to do well we have to continue playing the way we have in the last 12 months."

Mushfiqur hoped to use the momentum from Bangladesh's last international series, where they pushed West Indies in the Tests and beat them in the ODIs. He was also encouraged by the dearth of experienced bowlers in Sri Lanka and the major injury concerns for the home side, although Bangladesh are also without their most effective player, allrounder Shakib Al Hasan.

Mahela Jayawardene has been ruled out of the Test series after dislocating the middle finger on his left hand, while Sangakkara has only just begun batting in the nets after sustaining a fracture on his left index finger during Sri Lanka's Australia tour. Jayawardene has been replaced by Thilan Samaraweera, who himself has twisted his knee and is an injury concern, but Sangakkara is likely to be named in the 15-man Test squad in a few days.

"There are sporting wickets in Sri Lanka hence we have to apply ourselves," Mushfiqur said. "They are going to miss [Mahela] Jayawardene which will be a big loss for them. Kumar Sangakkara's participation is also uncertain, so they will be weaker without two of their best batsmen. Their bowling attack is not extraordinary. They haven't won many Tests after [Muttiah] Muralitharan and [Chaminda] Vaas retired. So this is our best chance to do well in Sri Lanka."

Mushfiqur would also like to improve Bangladesh's away record as a whole. "There haven't been [many] instances of [us] doing well abroad. We haven't played consistently and there usually have been lots of changes in the squad. There are some new faces this time too, but this is a very promising side.

"We did well in our last series against West Indies. I don't think anyone gave us a chance, but we were consistent and ended up winning the ODI series."

Bangladesh are also travelling with several players on their first Test tour, especially the young batsmen Anamul Haque and Mominul Haque who impressed during the ODI series against West Indies. Mushfiqur has asked the younger players to view this tour as a start, and not just a reward for their performances so far.

"They deserve a place in the Test squad. They have done well for the A team, and also during the BPL. Some of them have made good ODI debuts, so I hope they bring [a similar] performance to the Test side. For those who have been recalled, it is reward for their performance over the last year and a half. But they shouldn't think this is the end, this is just the beginning."