Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain, has accepted that he will now have to serve the rest of his ICC ban

Umar Farooq17-Apr-2013Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain, has accepted that he will now have to serve the rest of his ICC ban after his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was rejected although he remains determined to resume his career in little more than two years.”I have already served two years and eight months and after another two years and four months and I can still play,” Butt told reporters at Model Town Green Ground in Lahore, the place where he started playing cricket. Wearing a black polo shirt and blue jeans, he looked far more confident than in his previous public appearance when he returned home after serving seven months in prison.”I want to play cricket and getting the appeal was the only hope,” he said. “I wasn’t more than 50 percent sure that the decision would come in my favour, but still there was a hope that I would be able to reduce my ban but now there is no way other than completing rest of my ban.”Butt was given a 10-year ban for his part in the 2010 spot-fixing controversy, five years of which were suspended on condition that, throughout that period, he commits no further breach of the ICC code and that he participates, under the auspices of the Pakistan Cricket Board, in a programme of anti-corruption education.However, while Butt “accepted the ban” he to discuss any wrongdoing and shunned away any questions about admitted his part in spot-fixing. “I am here to talk about rejected appeal and not the case,” he insisted. “Our stance which was on day one, is the currently the same.”ESPNcricinfo understands that if during the first five years of the ban Butt doesn’t take part in any educational programme the suspended five years will come into effect. Suspension can be waved only on the condition if he takes part in a PCB anti-corruption education programme. “What I know from my lawyer is that only five years out the ten are effective and I have already spent half of it,” Butt said.He then cited the age of current Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq as a sign that he will have a chance to resume his career. “In the remaining time I want to work hard,” he added. “Obviously it’s a struggling time but it’s always great to rise after fighting with tough times. The captain of the Pakistan team is 39 years old…I will be 30 when I serve the ban in two years time so I don’t find any reason not to play cricket.”

The preview of the game between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab at the Wankhede Stadium

The Preview by George Binoy28-Apr-2013

Match facts

Monday, April 29, 2013
Start time 2000 IST (1430 GMT)Adam Gilchrist has scored only 94 runs in eight innings this season•BCCI

Big Picture

Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab have little in common. Mumbai are big spenders, often splashing cash on the flavours of the season and then benching them; Kings XI are more frugal. Mumbai have some of the world’s most sought after Twenty20 players on their overseas roster; Kings XI’s foreign cricketers might have been sought after several summers ago. Mumbai’s Indian contingent rivals that of Chennai Super Kings as the strongest in the IPL; most of Kings XI’s Indians are too green. Yet, only one win separates the two sides after eight games each, and Kings XI have had the better of previous contests against Mumbai.After much tinkering and inconsistent results, Mumbai seem to have discovered a successful formula for the time being. Benching Ricky Ponting has reunited Dwayne Smith and Sachin Tendulkar, perhaps the most successful of several opening combinations Mumbai have tried recently, and allowed them to play Mitchell Johnson, whose short-ball salvo rattled Chris Gayle on Saturday. They have also batted Kieron Pollard at No. 5 in recent matches. It’s hard to pick chinks in the side that beat Royal Challengers Bangalore, because Mumbai Indians have shed the poor performers from their previous two defeats – Ponting, Jasprit Bumrah and Munaf Patel.Kings XI have not yet made the decision to drop their non-performing captain. Adam Gilchrist said he was close to sitting out of the game against Kolkata Knight Riders but was voted in by the majority of the selection panel. He made a run-a-ball 27 at Eden Gardens, his best score of the season, but looked scratchy. His hand-eye coordination is just not what it once was. Should Gilchrist not play on Monday, Kings XI could play an overseas contingent of David Hussey, David Miller, Shaun Marsh and Azhar Mahmood or Luke Pomersbach. The problem is, Kings XI don’t have a viable back-up for the wicketkeeper’s job.

Form guide

(most recent first)Mumbai Indians WWLLW
Kings XI Punjab LWWLW

Watch out for …

Mumbai’s new-ball attack is likely to comprise Lasith Malinga and Johnson. They are not among the season’s top wicket-takers but they pose a challenge of international quality to top orders that don’t. Malinga has only five wickets in six games but has an economy-rate of 6.16. Johnson has nine wickets in seven games, and while he may not be the most miserly, his effectiveness as an impact bowler was showcased during his spell to Gayle at the Wankhede.David Miller’s inclusion has added considerable firepower to Kings XI’s batting line-up. He averages 72 and has a strike-rate of 137 after four innings. His only real failure came at the spinner-friendly Eden Gardens; the quicker Wankhede surface will be more to Miller’s liking. Given that there are few other in-form batsmen in Kings XI’s line-up, it is vital that Miller is not held down the order for longer than is necessary.

Stats and trivia

• Of the ten matches between these two teams, Kings XI have won six and Mumbai have won four. Kings XI have won two out of three games at the Wankhede.
• Shaun Marsh averages 65.40 in six games against Mumbai, while Pomersbach has a high score of 79 not out in two innings against them.
• Pollard averages only 14 at a strike rate of 128 in six matches against Kings XI. Malinga has had success against Kings XI – 13 wickets in six games and an economy of 6.

Sachin Tendulkar was thrilled that Mumbai Indians finally won their first IPL title

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2013Sachin Tendulkar was thrilled that Mumbai Indians finally won their first IPL title, after beating Chennai Super Kings in the finals. Tendulkar, who has been with Mumbai for all six years of the IPL, announced his retirement from the IPL moments after his team was crowned champions.”I have waited for this for six years and six years is a long time.” he told the IPL website. “But it’s never too late. This has been an outstanding season for us; we have thoroughly enjoyed every moment with each other. It’s been really solid. The goal for this season was to win the trophy and I am glad that we have been able to do that.”Tendulkar captained Mumbai the last time they reached the finals in 2010. He was also the tournament’s leading batsman that season, as his team topped the league table. “It was good to reach the final [in 2010] but this year we made it till the end.” he said, “Whoever is the captain, it doesn’t matter as long as we lift the trophy. That is what you play for and Sunday was that moment.”Tendulkar, who did not feature in the playing eleven that won the trophy after tendon damage to his wrist, was overjoyed with Mumbai’s achievement. “It’s a different feeling to get your hands on that trophy and I can’t wait to celebrate with the team. We’ve really worked hard for it. After two and a half months of sheer hard work we have been able to win this trophy. It’s a wonderful feeling.”It still remains to be seen whether he has played his last game for Mumbai or whether he will represent them in the Champions League T20.

Michael Lumb struck a composed fifty as Nottinghamshire began their Friends Life t20 campaign with a comfortable win at Trent Bridge. Chasing 178, the home team eased to victory with 14 balls to spare

28-Jun-2013
ScorecardMichael Lumb’s fifty came in just 29 balls•Getty Images

Michael Lumb struck a composed fifty as Nottinghamshire began their Friends
Life t20 campaign with a comfortable win at Trent Bridge. Chasing 178, the home team eased to victory with 14 balls to spare, aided by potent early cameos from Alex Hales and Riki Wessels.David Hussey and James Taylor saw the home side over the line with an 84-run
partnership to the delight of a healthy crowd of 7,390. Hussey played fluently
throughout for an unbeaten 49 with Taylor (37 not out) content with a supporting
role.Leicestershire had started strongly with openers Niall O’Brien and visiting
captain Josh Cobb sharing a 40-run partnership. Cobb struck Nottinghamshire’s new New Zealander Ian Butler out of the park with
a lofty off-drive but Butler made an instant reply with a length
ball that evaded Cobb’s swipe and removing middle stump to end the
opening stand.A delayed toss under grey skies influenced Hussey’s decision to insert
Leicestershire but the visitors found some favour from the damp ball early on. Hussey’s wild throw at the stumps with O’Brien short of his ground evaded the
back up for four overthrows as the Outlaws were briefly troubled.Samit Patel drew Joe Burns to charge down and mistime an intended drive over
extra cover to allow Chris Read a routine stumping before Leicestershire reached
82 for 2 after 10 overs.In a frenetic 11th over, Shakib Al-Hasan hit Jake Ball for consecutive
boundaries before offering a chance to Hussey which evaded his grasp after a
fingertip deflection.Al-Hasan (31) continued to attack but Patel stayed cool under the high ball to
accept a return catch before Hussey bowled O’Brien (47) and had Matt Boyce
stumped in consecutive balls as momentum shifted in the 14th over.Butler had a short-pitched delivery gloved by Shiv Thakor (8) on his return and
Michael Thornley (8) quickly followed. Ned Eckersley’s last ball six gave Leicestershire 177 runs to defend but
expensive spells from Nathan Buck, Rob Taylor and Thornley dashed their hopes.

The ECB hosted Tony Greig’s memorial service in Trafalgar Square, an occasion at which his promotion of Kerry Packer and Word Series Cricket was only lauded

Ivo Tennant24-Jun-2013Last summer, a few months before he died, Tony Greig was invited by the MCC to give its prestigious Cowdrey lecture at Lord’s. Now, in death, he has been honoured by the other cricketing body who once outlawed him in England. To the gratitude of his widow, the ECB hosted his memorial service in Trafalgar Square, an occasion at which his controversial promotion of Kerry Packer’s rebellious World Series Cricket – the breakaway movement which changed cricket forever – was widely praised.Here was a service and reception at which the leading Packer-ites of the 1970s, Richie Benaud, John Snow and Derek Underwood among them, mingled happily with the odd foe. Doug Insole, a leading administrator in that era, was present. Michael Holding, whom Greig reckoned would once grovel before his England team, gave a reading. Jeff Thomson was there, the only member of the congregation not to wear a tie.Dennis Amiss spoke movingly in St Martin in the Fields church, Trafalgar Square, of Greig’s qualities of friendship and loyalty, but inevitably it was Benaud, with his lifelong gift of unearthing the telling phrase, who captivated his distinguished audience. “Players in those days were fine men who had families, wives, children and mortgages,” he said. Then – after one of those characteristic pauses – “never forget the mortgage.”Pre-Packer, Benaud said, “players were paid peanuts and were treated with minimal respect if they asked for more. Tony felt strongly that there should be a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. If I had to choose one word to sum him up, it would be ‘strong’. If two, it would be ‘very strong’. ” He concluded on the occasion by saying, “there is sadness but his advice would have been, ‘just get on with it’, so that is what we shall do.”Amiss said he had never heard Greig say a bad word to anyone – “except the Aussies, of course”. He recalled his outstanding century in Brisbane against Thomson and Dennis Lillee on England’s 1974-75 tour of Australia and how he would goad fast bowlers, be they Australians or West Indians, notably at The Oval in 1976. After describing how he had upped his pace and uprooted one of Greig’s stumps in that final Test, Holding, the most gentle of cricketers off the field, was reading from Corinthians.Greig’s daughter, Beau, sang “Amazing Grace”. There followed a stout defence of his stance over World Series Cricket by Vivian, his widow, who was critical of both administrators and the media of that era. She spoke of his enticing to WSC six England players who were at the end, or coming to the end of their Test careers, which was not strictly true: Underwood and Alan Knott, Greig’s greatest supporter, were at the peak of their careers and Bob Woolmer had still to attain that, but her sentiments were understood and accepted.Not least by Giles Clarke, the chairman of the ECB, the body that has succeeded the Test and County Cricket Board of Greig’s time. Clarke, who was present, told her that “we have not properly recognised him”.The old players in the congregation – Geoff Boycott wearing a hat bearing his own signature, Mike Brearley, Keith Fletcher, John Lever, Tony Lewis, Pat Pocock and Mike Selvey among them – would doubtless have endorsed Underwood’s view that Greig remains under-rated as a cricketer. “That was partly because Ian Botham came along, but Tony’s ability to score a century against Lillee and Thomson in Australia and then make a nine-hour century in India showed that he could play in all conditions. And he was one of the best captains I played under.”Greig died last December, aged only 66. To a younger generation who had not seen him play cricket, he would have been best known as an exuberant, over-the-top commentator. He had told his second wife, whom he had known for 33 years, that by delivering MCC’s ‘Spirit of Cricket’ lecture at Lord’s last year, he had hoped to achieve “acceptance and understanding”.To his public, according to Vivian, “he could make anyone feel special”. And to his children, he was a father “who would tell them such exciting bedtime stories that they couldn’t go to sleep.”

Brendan Taylor has called upon his side’s senior players, particularly the batsmen, to “front up” and shoulder the responsibility in the final two matches of the series against India

Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo31-Jul-2013Brendan Taylor has called upon his side’s senior players, particularly the batsmen, to “front up” and shoulder the responsibility in the final two matches of the series against India. Though their fielding has hardly been flawless, in all three games so far Zimbabwe’s batting, as a unit, has been the major disappointment.”We’re not trying to complicate things,” Taylor said before a nets session in Bulawayo. “We don’t want to dwell on things too much. We don’t want to put the players under too much pressure, but the fact is that we do need to turn up and put in better results.”Our bowlers haven’t done much wrong. They’ve been in good form and if we’d held our catches they would have had a lot more reward. They’ve been doing the right things. I think the batters need to back them up a little better, and certainly in the field we could be sharper.”Taylor himself hasn’t been blameless in Zimbabwe’s poor showing. With just 35 runs in three innings, he hasn’t given his team the runs they need. As Zimbabwe’s premier batsman and a vital cog in the middle order, totals are built around him and chases rely on his input.Taylor may fancy his chances of finding some form at Queens Sports Club, where he’s second only to Grant Flower in terms of runs scored. In 23 innings at the ground, Taylor has 799 runs at an average of 38.04 with a century and six fifties.”It has always been a very good batting surface and it has been harsh on the bowlers,” Taylor agreed, “but during the winter period, the morning session is crucial and bowlers have to try and capitalise then. You have to be batting at your best to get through that. I don’t want to take anything for granted, but if you do give yourself a good opportunity and give yourself a bit of time out there it certainly does get easier and you can certainly reap the rewards.”Time in the middle isn’t something any of Zimbabwe’s batsmen have had too much of recently. The team spent 10 weeks in a training camp to prepare for India’s visit, with a three-day game against Australia A their only serious match practice. Lack of fixtures is, of course, a perennial problem for Zimbabwe, and Taylor suggested that the current series and visits from Pakistan and Sri Lanka later this year represented vital opportunities for exposure and experience.”That’s something we’ve been crying out for for a long time and fortunately we’ve got India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in a three-four month period, so that’s fantastic,” he said. “But we need to be touring more, we need to be playing a lot more.”We can’t ask for a better period than the one we have right now and we need to make sure that we turn up as individuals and as a team because the world’s watching, and we need to show the world that we’re a good enough side – and we are. But it’s time for individuals to step up. The senior players, the most experienced players, need to front up and make it happen.Despite the 3-0 scoreline, Taylor insisted that getting his troops motivated for the final two matches wouldn’t be a problem. “We know we’re up against a good side and we probably are expected to lose, but we know if we play our best cricket we can win.”We should have won the second one-dayer and we let that slip. We’re very lucky to have the job that we have, so motivation is not an issue. The guys are still working hard and trying to cover all bases pretty well. Tomorrow is just a new day and we’ll be up for it more than ever.”

Despite an unimpressive performance by the top order, leading to Pakistan finishing the opening day nine wickets down, batsman Azhar Ali felt his side was in a reasonably good position

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2013Despite an unimpressive performance by the top order, leading to Pakistan finishing the opening day nine wickets down, batsman Azhar Ali felt his side was in a reasonably good position. Zimbabwe’s bowlers held control in the opening session, reducing Pakistan to 27 for 3, before Azhar and captain Misbah-ul-Haq saved their side from further embarrassment with a stand of 93 for the fourth wicket.Azhar top-scored with 78 and it was a typical workmanlike innings from him, coming off 185 balls. He admitted though that Pakistan should have respected the conditions better in the morning session, as the seamers managed movement and awkward bounce. A ninth-wicket stand of 67 between Saeed Ajmal and Junaid Khan took Pakistan close to the 250-mark.”It was a hardworking innings on a slow track,” Azhar said. “I had to work hard for my runs because they bowled in the good areas. And I think we ended up in a reasonably good position.”With some moisture on the pitch, we had a plan to get through to lunch. But we lost three early wickets which didn’t help. We could have done a bit better.”Pakistan batted positively after lunch as the pitch started to settle. Azhar, who batted cautiously as he approached his fifty, said that Misbah’s calming influence was helpful. After Misbah fell against the run of play, the responsibility grew on Azhar. He looked set for his fifth Test century but fell chasing a wide, away-swinging delivery from Shingi Masakadza and edged to slip. Azhar didn’t hide his annoyance, swinging his bat at thin air as he walked off with Pakistan at 182 for 8 with an hour left in the final session.”I was looking for some runs and they tried to bowl away from me,” Azhar said. “I should have kept my cool a little to get the hundred. It would have been nice to get another hundred. “Since his debut in 2010, Azhar has played 15 of his 28 Tests (including the ongoing Test) in venues outside the subcontinent and the UAE. He credited coach Dav Whatmore for helping him adjust to conditions where batsmen are challenged.”The coach has really helped me with my technique, especially with teaching me how to handle things in different places we play in,” Azhar said. “In international cricket, you have to improve day by day, you have to come up with new plans and you have to keep thinking.”Having described the pitch as “slow” on day one, with the seamers collecting seven wickets, Azhar expects the pitch to take more turn as the game goes on, bringing Ajmal and Abdur Rehman into play.

Surrey went down tamely in the end, their optimistic plan to take 10 Warwickshire wickets in less time that it took to concede 281 runs falling a long way short

Jon Culley at Edgbaston20-Sep-2013
ScorecardEngland allrounder hit an unbeaten 79 to help Warwickshire to victory•PA Photos

Surrey went down tamely in the end, their optimistic plan to take 10 Warwickshire wickets in less time that it took to concede 281 runs falling a long way short as Ateeq Javid and Chris Woakes built a magnificent partnership that saw the home side’s requirement met with more than 25 overs to spare of the final day.Javid, a neat right-handed batsman of only 21 years who has come into his own in the second half of the season, played superbly, applying himself with considerable patience and diligence on the third evening, with his side 19 for 2, and again as the final day unfolded and Surrey momentarily glimpsed a chance when they removed Laurie Evans and Rikki Clarke in the morning session.Evans threw his wicket away by chasing a wide long-hop from Stuart Meaker and Clarke deflected a drive on to his own stumps, at which point Warwickshire were still 155 from their target, a point at which another wicket or two might have had them looking at their long tail and getting jittery.But Javid never wobbled for a moment, and once Woakes was settled and timing his shots confidently the scoreboard was seldom static and Surrey’s morale steadily weakened. The pitch offered nothing that the spinners, Gareth Batty and Zafar Ansari, could use to much effect, and the threat posed by the quicker men was never more than fleeting. Chris Tremlett, who has ended doubts over his future by signing a one-year extension to his contract, did not look like a bowler champing at the bit, even with an Ashes squad due to be announced.Thus ended a grim year, the second in a row, for Surrey, who reached the final of the FLt20 but saw little else for their investment in a squad that has, at different times, seen Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting, Kevin Pietersen and Hashim Amla pulling on a Surrey sweater.The departure through injury in May of South Africa captain Smith, who had been hired to bring order and purpose to a dressing room still feeling the pain left by the Tom Maynard tragedy, was a severe blow, effectively requiring the plans for the season to be redrawn. Within a few weeks came the sacking of team director, Chris Adams, but Alec Stewart, the executive director who has been in temporary charge since then, offered no excuses.”We did not look like a relegation squad on paper but we don’t play on paper,” he said. “If you look at the lack of batting points, the lack of times we haven’t bowled sides out – the win column says one and if you only win one game you are going to finish near the bottom.”Losing Graeme Smith was a blow. You don’t want to lose your leader, no side would want to lose their captain, no one would want to lose someone of the calibre of Graeme Smith. He had only been there three games or so but had a huge impact, not just as a batsman — we knew he was a fine player, a fine leader – it was the impact he had on the dressing room.”But that’s not an excuse. We lost him. Other sides lose players, other sides lose their captain for a while. We have not played well enough. You can’t stand here and defend something you can’t defend.”We needed to have played better. It was not a question of one person not being here. Collectively the performances were not good enough, which is why we are sat rock bottom.”Stewart accepted that there would be some supporters of other teams who would revel in Surrey’s demise, burdened as they are with the label of county cricket’s fat cats. He questioned whether it was entirely fair but took it is as inevitable.”There are plenty of people out there who will be pleased to see us go down,” he said. “We are looked upon as a big club, we have been tagged as this cheque-book county. But people forget there is a salary cap.”There is expectation of Surrey but who brings that expectation? Is it from within Surrey, or from outside of Surrey because it is a Test match ground, because it is London, because as a club it makes a lot of money, with the Test match revenues, the T20 revenues and the way they market the club? That’s maybe a reason. There is the history as well.”You have to look at the here and now and the immediate future, and the future is to make sure we have good people, who can improve as individuals, and good people at the top who can help nurture those younger players through.”For us now it is about how you plan for one to five years, so that you don’t come up and go down again, and stay strong for a length of time.”I don’t want to stay in Division Two for longer than one year but when you do get promoted you want to make sure the foundations are there so that you can stay in the first division and then challenge at the top end rather than trying to survive at the bottom end.”Permanent replacements for Adams and first-team coach Ian Salisbury will be announced in the coming weeks, Stewart said. “We are getting closer, but there was never any rush. Stuart Barnes in the head coach role has been outstanding, with his work ethic and his attention to detail, and David Thorpe, our team analyst who has been involved with our academy, has stepped up well.”They have done all they can, the players have done all they can in their work ethic. That has not been transferred to the middle, with bat and ball.”The future, meanwhile, looks brighter for Warwickshire. Failing to defend their title has been a disappointment, but an understandable one given terrible luck with injuries, a headache that has not yet lifted after Jamie Atkinson broke a thumb, giving them another problem over who keeps wicket.Yet Javid and Woakes, both former players with the inner-city Aston Manor club, have given them the chance to finish their season in the top three for the third year running, should they condemn another team to relegation with a win at Derby next week.

England’s team to play Ireland in Dublin next week will contain several of the next generation making an impression in the county game, including up to six debutants

Alan Gardner28-Apr-20151:24

‘A peek into England’s future’

England’s post-World Cup renewal will begin against Ireland in Dublin next week with a team containing several of the next generation making an impression in the county game. There could be as many as six ODI debutants in the side, to be captained by James Taylor, including Kent’s explosive wicketkeeper-batsman Sam Billings, Somerset allrounder Lewis Gregory and Surrey’s Cambridge graduate Zafar Ansari.The other uncapped players are David Willey, the Northamptonshire allrounder and son of former England batsman Peter Willey, Hampshire’s stylish top-order batsman James Vince and Surrey’s Jason Roy, who made his T20 international debut last summer.

Three rising stars

Sam Billings (Kent) is another among a number of England wicketkeepers with destructive batting potential, not just Jos Buttler but the somewhat maligned Jonny Bairstow, too. Made England’s provisional squad for the 2015 World Cup when Craig Kieswetter withdraw with eye problems.
David Willey (Northants) was dubbed, tongue in cheek, as “the Northants Botham” by his captain Alex Wakely after an inspirational display in the T20 final in 2013. He hits hard and bowls brisk left-arm. Has even received an occasional nod of approval from his father, the taciturn former England allrounder turned umpire Peter Willey.
Lewis Gregory (Somerset) finished the 2014 season as one of the most improved players in county cricket. A former captain of England U-19s, he graduated through Devon age-group teams, primarily as a batsman.
David Hopps

There is also a return for Tim Bresnan, who has not played for England in any format since the 2014 World T20, while Alex Hales, recently critical of his handling by the team management, will have the chance to reassert himself as one of the country’s most exciting limited-overs talents.Although England have only named an XI to travel to Dublin, it is expected that several non-playing members of the Test squad will be added after the final match begins in Barbados on Friday. Jonny Bairstow, who last played an ODI in 2012, has already been named while Adil Rashid and Mark Wood are also candidates.After England’s humiliating World Cup, when they were knocked out during the group stage, changes were a certainty – though the proximity of the fixture to England’s tour of the Caribbean, where the third Test will conclude three days before the Ireland game, has also significantly affected the make-up of the side.Only three of the World Cup 15 are included – Taylor, Alex Hales and Steven Finn – although nine members of that group are currently in the West Indies. Eoin Morgan, who was given the ODI captaincy after Alastair Cook’s removal weeks before the tournament, is at the IPL along with Ravi Bopara, while Chris Woakes is injured.Taylor only broke into England’s one-day side on the tour of Sri Lanka that preceded the World Cup, having made a compelling case at domestic level, but his leadership qualities have been noted at Nottinghamshire, where he captains the limited-overs sides, and with the Lions.”To be given the opportunity to lead your country is a huge honour,” he said. “There are still some very experienced and talented cricketers in that team who I’d have been delighted to have as my captain, so it is a privilege and one I’m going to relish. It’s going to be brilliant leading an England team in a one-day international. We know it will be a tough game against Ireland and this match provides a great chance for us all to show we can play a huge role in limited-overs cricket in years to come.”Sam Billings netting with England Lions in Benoni last winter•Gallo Images

Ireland, who performed conspicuously better than England in Australia and New Zealand, may infer more second-class treatment at the selection of such an experimental side but, after the grim showing in 50-over cricket over the winter, England’s fans should find plenty to be enthusiastic about among the group.Ansari, who opens the batting for Surrey in Championship cricket, bowls slow left-arm and could fulfil the spinner’s role – although it is understood England plan to play Rashid. Billings, who scored 458 runs at an average of more than 100 and a strike rate of 154.20 in last season’s 50-over Royal London Cup, will compete with Bairstow for the gloves, but either could still play as a specialist batsman.Left-arm seamer Willey has been tipped for an England call-up since starring on T20 Finals Day in 2013, when he scored 60 from 27 balls and then took a hat-trick to help Northamptonshire to an unexpected triumph, before injury affected his progress last year.Finn and Bresnan – who has begun the season in good form for Yorkshire after making a change to his action – will lead an otherwise inexperienced attack. Boyd Rankin’s good form for Warwickshire has been offset by the need for an injection on a back problem, while Nottinghamshire left-armer Harry Gurney is also injured.England’s national selector, James Whitaker, said: “We are expecting a very competitive match against a talented Ireland side and this fixture gives us a great opportunity to look at players who have performed well in county cricket and for the Lions. We are starting to identify players we believe can make a real impact in limited overs cricket in the next four years as we build towards the World Cup in 2019 and these players have a huge opportunity to stake a claim for further opportunities this summer.”James Taylor has played with many of these players with England and England Lions and his experiences leading Notts make him an ideal captain to lead a young and dynamic side with Eoin Morgan currently in India at the IPL.”We will add a number of players to the squad once the side for the final Test against West Indies has been selected.”England squad: James Taylor (capt), Zafar Ansari, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Sam Billings (wk), Tim Bresnan, Steven Finn, Lewis Gregory, Alex Hales, Jason Roy, James Vince, David Willey

Former England batsman Mal Loye has been appointed head coach of the BCB’s High Performance for two years

Mohammad Isam25-May-2015Former England batsman Mal Loye has been appointed head coach of the BCB’s High Performance (HP) for two years. The first programme for 22 players will begin in June and will run till the end of September of this year.Loye, who played seven ODIs for England in 2007, ended his first-class career in 2011. Having previously coached at the Wellingborough School in Northamptonshire, Loye is likely to arrive in Bangladesh in the next few days. He will work under the National Cricket Academy’s new director of coaching Paul Terry, who was appointed earlier this month by the BCB.The HP chief Mahbubul Anam, also a BCB vice-president, made the announcement during the programme’s launch in Mirpur on Monday. He also announced the 22-member High Performance squad, which includes four international players Sabbir Rahman, Mohammad Mithun, Jubair Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman.The HP was in function between 2003 and 2007 but faded away in the subsequent years due to change of leadership in the BCB. The programme has been touted to be a bridge between the national team and emerging cricketers. The main aim is to ensure the best prepared players in international cricket, which Stuart Karpinnen, the HP’s general manager, said was a realistic goal.Mahbubul said that the board will set aside US$1 million as operational budget for the HP programme and also informed that there will be a number of consultants from home and abroad who will work at the HP in the near future. He added that the HP will coordinate constantly with the national team’s coaching staff.”The HP committee will include the cricket operations committee chairman and game development committee chairman. The programme will go hand in hand with the national team because it will be important for players falling back in the national team and for players who are looking to graduate into the national team,” Mahbubul said.He assured that the uncertain nature of Bangladesh’s domestic cricket will not affect the HP’s main function. “This is unfortunate that we have an unfixed domestic structure. We definitely need to fix it, and that is one of the top priorities of the board, to have a definitive schedule of tournaments so that we can plan everything better.”The HP programme runs in the off-season. It starts from June and ends in September. During these four months, the HP runs uninterrupted,” he said.They have also planned to keep the specialisation programmes flexible in tune with the domestic competitions, he said. “The elite programme for the fast bowlers, which has to run beyond the programme for eight months, is flexible and will be slotted in when there is no domestic cricket.”Knowing that the domestic calendar shifts, the coaches have to discuss with Paul to do short programmes. Eight weeks won’t be at a stretch, so that we utilise those periods when there is no cricket in the cricket season. We have decided to remain flexible taking into account of unscheduled tournaments,” he said.Karpinnen said they hoped that a majority of national players would have worked with the HP programme in 6-12 months while within two years, the programme is likely to prepare at least two cricketers vying for positions in the national team.Apart from the programme for the 22 players in the main HP programme, there will be six other specialist programmes, called elite programmes, for incumbent national players of the three formats and elite programmes for fast bowling, batting, spin bowling, fielding and wicketkeeping. These camps will run throughout the year for a few weeks at a time.Sarwar Imran (fast bowling), Zafrul Ehsan (batting), Wahidul Gani (spin bowling) and Golam Mortuza (wicketkeeping) have been appointed as coaches to work under Terry and Loye. The coaching staff will include Brett Harrop as rehabilitation manager, physiotherapist, strength and condition coordinator and performance analyst.Terry said that the new head coach Loye will be working directly with the players while Terry himself will coordinate with Loye and the rest of the local coaching staff.”I will be working closely with him and all the other coaches to set up the programme,” Terry said. “Mal’s responsibility will be to run that programme. My role will be to assist him and in the planning. I think the local coaches will be the most important here. We need to work closely with them.”High Performance squad: Rony Talukdar, Litton Das, Shadman Islam, Tasamul Haque, Mahmudul Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Mossadek Hossain, Mohammad Mithun, Taibur Rahman, Jubair Hossain, Saqlain Sajib, Nihaduzzaman, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Jayed Chowdhury, Subashis Roy, Mehedi Hasan, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Dewan Sabbir, Nurul Hasan, Jabid Hossain, Irfan Sukkur.