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The rest of the players and support staffers will assemble in Lahore on March 18

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Mar-2021One of the players selected in Pakistan’s large travelling party to Africa for the games in South Africa and Zimbabwe has tested positive for Covid-19 and has not traveled to Lahore, where the rest of the players and support staffers will assemble on March 18. The cricketer in question is expected to isolate at his residence.The PCB had ensured that all players entering Lahore from other parts of the city carry negative test reports after the first round of testing on March 16. The second round of tests would be conducted on Thursday at the team hotel. Players, and others, who return negative results can start training at the Gaddafi Stadium after that.The player who has tested positive is also scheduled to have another test tomorrow at his residence. According to the PCB, he would be allowed to enter the team hotel only if he tests negative, but he has to complete an additional two-day isolation before taking another test, after which – if all is clear – he would be eligible to join the squad.Pakistan named a large squad for the assignments in Africa, where they will play three ODIs and four T20Is in South Africa before moving to Zimbabwe, where they will play two Test matches and three T20Is.The camp formally starts on March 19, with the larger pool of players expected to have a nets session, followed by two intra-squad 50-over matches on March 22 and 24.The white-ball squad will leave for Johannesburg on a charter plane on March 26. The Rest of the players, who will only play the Tests in Zimbabwe, will join the squad later after flying across on a commercial flight to South Africa before boarding a charter flight to Zimbabwe.This will be Pakistan’s first assignment after the PSL was postponed abruptly following seven positive Covid-19 cases.

Callum Ferguson’s century goes in vain as the Redbacks collapsed chasing 345 for victory

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2019A five-wicket haul from Matthew Kelly helped Western Australia to a thrilling victory over South Australia at the WACA with just seven balls left in the game.Following a century from Shaun Marsh earlier in the day and then 123 from Callum Ferguson in the sensational chase of 345 – in 70 overs – a collapse left South Australia needing to survive 44 balls with two wickets in hand in fading light. Adam Zampa and Joe Mennie survived 31 deliveries before Mennie edged Joel Paris behind. Then, with just eight balls left, Zampa inexplicably hooked David Moody with two men catching in the deep behind square, and Paris held on to the catch.South Australia had looked on track to win at 3 for 255, needing just 90 from 91 balls. Ferguson played magnificently as he had done against WA in their last Marsh Cup meeting and threatened to steal the show. His 123 featured 20 glorious boundaries and came from 150 balls after he had entered at 1 for 1 following Henry Hunt’s fall to a stunning one-handed catch from Ashton Agar at point.Ferguson shared a 130-run stand with Jake Weatherald, who made 63, and then a 91-run partnership with Tom Cooper to put South Australia in control.But when he fell to Kelly, chipping a catch to midwicket, the game swung completely. South Australia lost four wickets for just 18 runs with Kelly taking three of them to take his fourth first-class five-wicket haul. The Redbacks abandoned the chase with Mennie and Zampa at the crease but despite Zampa’s 37, they fell seven balls short of escaping with a draw.Earlier in the day, Marsh continued his stunning form, posting his second century of the Shield season and his third in all formats following his match-winning unbeaten hundred in the Marsh Cup final against Queensland.WA were chasing quick runs trying to set up a declaration but needed to be careful not to be bowled out after losing Cam Green and Josh Inglis in quick succession. Marsh had some fortune with a couple of edges finding the boundary but also played some trademark strokes. He got superb support again from Agar, who made 45 not out. WA declared shortly after Marsh reached his 28th first-class century to give their bowlers 70 overs. They only needed 68.5 to take ten wickets.

Captain takes pride in leading from the front as England seal first series win in Asia for six years

Andrew Miller18-Nov-2018Having challenged his players to play “bold, courageous cricket” on their tour of Sri Lanka, England’s captain Joe Root said that he would take immense pride in the manner in which his players backed up their words with deeds to secure their first series win in Asia for six years.Root himself was named Man of the Match for his superb second-innings 124, a performance that epitomised his team’s positive approach to batting in challenging conditions, and he admitted that it was especially pleasing to have been able to lead from the front in precisely the manner that he had called for.”I’m really pleased to back up everything I’ve spoken about and the way that I did it,” Root told Sky Sports. “It’s nice to make a big contribution but the thing that sits well with me is the manner in which I did it. I asked the guys to play a certain way, and I went out and backed it up myself.”However, Root was quick to praise his entire squad for the manner in which they bought into the challenge of taking on Sri Lanka in their own conditions – not just the 11 players who have so far taken the field in the two Tests, but the full 17-man squad, not least the likes of Stuart Broad and Jonny Bairstow, two hugely experienced players who have been surplus to requirements given the specific balance of this team.”Look at the guys we’ve got on the sidelines,” he said. “We’ve got some very exciting young players and a lot of experience, and for Stuart Broad [and Bairstow] to have no played a part in this series shows the strength of the squad, and the adaptability as well. Around the world we could have played a very different side with a similar well-balanced look to it.”It’s nice to be in a position where all 17 guys could walk into the team and it wouldn’t look any less balanced, or out of place in these conditions.”If England’s set-up allowed them to do without some of their most senior campaigners out in the middle, then Root was quick to praise the contributions of two of his most trusted lieutenants, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes. Both are integral members of England’s world-class white-ball squad, and after a match in which England’s fielding standards, particularly the close catching, had made the difference between the two teams, Root insisted that their contributions had been instrumental in raising the overall standards of the squad.”The guys have worked really hard on their close catching, we know how important it is in this part of the world,” said Root. “When you’ve got Jos and Ben in the outfield, the standard does rise, it drags people with them.”They are the sort of characters we have, two senior players who command respect in the way they go about things. Not verbally, but with their actions on the field and the way they train. They set the standard, and when people see that and the success they have on the field, they are very quick to follow suit.”Getty Images

The final morning of the match had dawned with England needing a further three wickets, and Sri Lanka 75 runs, but Root insisted that he and his players had been pretty calm when play resumed, thanks to a belief in the plans that had already carried them to the brink of victory.”We were pretty confident,” he said. “We knew we’d be able to create three chances on that surface, but we also recognised that when partnerships developed it became quite difficult. We tried to stay as calm as possible, trust all the plans we had, and follow through on that, and thankfully it paid off.”That’s not to say there had not been one or two nervous moments in the field as Sri Lanka set off in pursuit of a victory target of 300, and Root conceded that the extended sessions on day four had not helped his team, in the wake of the heavy rainfall that interrupted their own second innings.”The extra 15 minutes in both sessions didn’t help,” he said. “[Sri Lanka’s] two significant partnerships were towards the back of those sessions and they got away from us a little bit. It’s a nice learner for me as captain to do things differently, but ultimately we reassessed things very well and very quickly and put things right.”The credit for the victory ultimately went to England’s trio of spinners who claimed 19 of Sri Lanka’s 20 wickets in the match, with Jack Leach and Moeen Ali sharing nine out of ten in the second innings,”They dealt with the pressure pretty well, and to do it in these conditions as well,” said Root. “To do it in England on pitches you’re familiar with is one thing, but we have guys like Mo who are very good at beating the bat on both sides when there’s more consistent spin. It’s about finding different ways of getting the most out of your skill and expand your game.”You’ve seen a big improvement and development in all three of them to harness and shoulder that pressure. It was really pleasing.”Root’s captaincy also encountered a steep learning curve out in the field, part of which revolved around him unlearning some of the lessons that became apparent to him while batting.AFP

“It’s difficult, you see the ball spin when you’re batting and it’s really hard work,” he said. “There is that expectation on yourselves at times to go and take clusters of wickets and put them under huge amounts of pressure. But if you over-attack, it can be difficult, you can leak runs, and then the pressure is back on yourselves.”More than anything, you have to get that balance of attack and defence, defend with the field but attack with the ball in hand, that is sometimes a bit more useful.”Root also praised his team’s batting, not merely for producing three centuries in the two Tests to Sri Lanka’s none, but for the intent and the depth that they were able to dredge out of the entire line-up – right down to the contributions of James Anderson at No.11, who helped add 101 runs for the last wicket across two innings.”We’ve made some really crucial partnerships at key times,” he said. “Going back to the start of the second innings, going back to Keaton [Jennings] and Rory [Burns], they kept the scoreboard moving very quickly, and kept them under pressure from the start, and in a calm and controlled manner. That set the innings up beautifully and gave the guys a huge amount of confidence to play their own way and keep the runs coming.”The beauty of this team is the depth of batting,” he added. “Guys like Rashid coming in at No.10 at times, he’s more than capable of big scores in Test cricket, and has more than 10 first-class hundreds. It’s nice to know that the depth is there, but one thing we’ve seen is there is no attitude of ‘leave it to someone else’. The guys have stood up and shouldered that responsibility really well.”Ben Foakes, England’s rookie wicketkeeper, was also singled out for special praise after another match in which his impeccable glovework was matched by a vital performance with the bat.”Foakes has made it look a lot easier than it should look, both keepers have,” said Root. “Both stood back and up, with the ball not carrying at times. It’s been spitting, keeping low, but he’s done phenomenally well, and makes it look a lot easier than it is which is fantastic to have as a wicketkeeper.”His runs have been fantastic as well. His demeanour out in the middle is one of someone who has played a lot more than he has. He has a great attitude towards learning and improving himself.”

Despite Ish Sodhi’s five-for, New Zealand conceded a first-innings lead of 173, and will go into the third day trailing India A by 109 runs with eight wickets in hand

The Report by Shashank Kishore in Vijayawada24-Sep-2017File Photo – Shreyas Iyer’s counter-attacking 97-ball 108 rescued India A from a precarious position•PTI

With the national selectors trying out different options at No. 4 in the one-day set-up, Shreyas Iyer continued to present his case across formats. A month after hitting an unbeaten 140 that helped India A win the tri-series in South Africa, his counter-attacking 97-ball 108 rescued the side from a precarious 114 for 4 and put them on the road to victory on the second day of the first unofficial Test against New Zealand A in Vijayawada.Iyer, who walked in to bat at No. 5, following Karun Nair’s dismissal, amassed 78 of those in little over an hour before lunch to put New Zealand on the defensive quickly. In Rishabh Pant, Iyer found a partner who matched him stroke for stroke. Pant, who was not considered for the longer format during the A tour in South Africa, made an impression immediately, hitting 67 to swell India A’s lead to 173.In their second innings, New Zealand were on 64 for 2 when bad light forced a premature end to proceedings, and they once again wasted a steady start from the openers Jeet Raval and George Worker, who had added 41 runs. The visitors still need 109 to make India A bat again, with the possibility of a three-day finish looming large.The post-lunch session was particularly entertaining as it turned into a mini-contest between Iyer and Pant, both capable of playing audacious shots at different times. While Iyer drove, slapped and walked down the pitch to flat-bat fast bowlers over their heads repeatedly, Pant backed himself to clear long-off and long-on when spinners bowled in his hitting arc. Not even Iyer’s dismissal forced Pant to adopt a circumspect approach, an inside-out hit over long-off against the turn proving there was more to his range than just brute force. His 26-ball half-century was a chanceless fare in which he favoured the straight boundaries – six of his nine fours and both sixes coming in the region.The day began with much promise for New Zealand A as Ish Sodhi, who prised out Priyank Panchal and Sudip Chatterjee late on the opening day, had Nair chop on in the 31st over. The India A captain, who had battled calmly until then shaped to cut but erred in trying to play back to a flipper that cramped him for room. R Samarth, who progressed to make his third successive half-century for India A, then fell into the short-ball trap to give New Zealand more voice.Samarth gloved an attempted hook off Scott Kuggeleijn to George Worker, who was strategically placed at leg slip, to leave India A wobbling at 114 for 4. With the ball still fairly new, the visitors went full tilt with their pace battery. Setting attacking fields came with the risk of conceding runs in pursuit of wickets. On Sunday, however, Iyer’s breathtaking onslaught, which got him into his groove, had a cascading effect as Pant’s fearless innings handed India A a convincing lead.Amidst the carnage, Sodhi held his own, picking five wickets. Initially branded a flat and skiddy bowler, Sodhi, who spoke of having to reinvent his methods, tossed it up to get the batsmen to commit mistakes, even if it came with the risk of being tonked. The delivery that got Iyer proved his efficacy at doing the same. After being hit for a huge six over long-off, he tossed the ball again, but landed it wider, as an another attempt from Iyer at clearing the ropes resulted in a slice to cover. Pant carried on from where Iyer left off, but once he fell, the innings swiftly ended, with Todd Astle, the legspinner, bagging two lower-order wickets.New Zealand A started well in their second innings, with Jeet Raval and Worker blunting the India A attack for over an hour, the focus clearly being on crease occupation over run-scoring. But being circumspect against spin, even to deliveries which batsmen may try to put away most times, resulted in two false shots. Raval misjudged a sweep and was bowled to a Shahbaz Nadeem delivery that spun back in to hit the leg stump, while Henry Nicholls, the captain, was out lbw to Karn Sharma, beaten by sharp turn back in from the rough. Will Young and Worker, however, ended the day without any further hiccups.

Hampshire’s bowlers held their nerve to complete a nine-run win over Sussex at Hove and keep alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the Royal London Cup

ECB Reporters Network27-Jul-2016
ScorecardJimmy Adams’ 92 helped lay the platform for Hampshire•Getty Images

Hampshire’s bowlers held their nerve to complete a nine-run win over Sussex at Hove and keep alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the Royal London Cup.Chasing 269 to win, a fifth wicket stand of 125 in 17.3 overs between Chris Nash and Ben Brown gave Sussex hope after they had been 109 for 4 from 29. But Brown was superbly caught by wicketkeeper Lewis McManus diving to his right after making a List A best of 62 from 56 balls midway through the 47th over.The 48th over began with 31 needed but Brad Wheal conceded just three runs from it and Sussex’s race was run when Chris Jordan, who had just driven the second ball of the 49th over for six over extra cover, was bowled off the next delivery by Ryan McLaren. Sussex required 17 from the final over but Wheal restricted them to seven runs as they finished on 259 for 6 with Nash undefeated on 68 from 74 balls.Hampshire had earlier been indebted to a stylish 92 from opener Jimmy Adams and some late-order hitting by South African allrounder McLaren after they had been put in under overcast skies with the floodlights on from the start.Adams scored his runs from 97 balls with ten fours, and a six off Harry Finch in the same over that he reached his half-century. The opener shared a second-wicket stand of 87 in 15.2 overs with Adam Wheater (42) who was superbly run out by Jordan’s throw on the run from extra cover with only one stump to aim at.Hampshire struggled for momentum for a while after Wheater’s dismissal. Adams was fourth out in the 34th over, one of three victims for left-armer George Garton who surprised Adams with a bouncer which he could only touch to wicket keeper Brown.Garton, fresh from taking four wickets for England Lions on Tuesday, bowled with good pace in three spells down the slope to finish with 3 for 40 and also pulled off a stunning catch at square leg to remove Tom Alsop.In the absence of Bangladesh left-armer Mustafizur Rahman, who is unlikely to play for the county again because of a shoulder injury, Jofra Archer impressed on his first List A appearance at Hove with 1 for 46, occasionally finding some steepling bounce on a good pitch. It needed some robust hitting from McLaren to get Hampshire to a competitive score. He made an unbeaten 46 from 39 balls from No.6 and those runs were to prove crucial.Sussex were 81 for 3 after 22 overs of their reply with Ed Joyce, Phil Salt and Finch all unable to capitalise on starts but their chase was given impetus by Luke Wright, who made 45 from 60 balls. The Sussex skipper looked in the mood until he drove a full toss from Wheal to mid-on and departed mortified by his misjudgement.Brown and Nash took responsibility but fell short and a fifth defeat out of six has left Sussex with virtually no chance of reaching the last eight.

Trevor Bayliss has promised England will “fight fire with fire” in the Investec Ashes this summer

George Dobell01-Jul-20152:15

‘Wanted option to play two spinners’ – Bayliss

Trevor Bayliss has promised England will “fight fire with fire” in the Investec Ashes this summer.In his first press conference as England coach, Bayliss suggested the team had fallen behind the rest of the world over the last few years and promised a continuation of the spirit shown in recent games against New Zealand. He also confirmed that Moeen Ali remains England’s first-choice spinner.

‘I remember when bombs and bullets were flying’

Trevor Bayliss has admitted his outlook on life was changed by the terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009. Bayliss, the Sri Lanka coach at the time, survived the attack alongside his assistant Paul Farbrace, who will link up with him once again in the England job.
“The short answer is yes, it did change my outlook,” he said. “I certainly remember when the bombs and the bullets were flying around. I thought ‘I can’t believe we’re actually being shot at; keep your head down and your arse up.’
“I actually had my head leaning back on the bus that morning because I had a bit of a headache. I had my eyes shut, so I was a bit slow to react and there was no room left in the middle of the aisle of the bus.
“I jumped down in between the seats and felt some shards of glass come down through my hair. I looked up and could see three bullet holes in the window about a foot above my head.
“To everyone’s credit in the bus there was no shouting. Everyone was very calm. There was no crying, just ‘ooh I’m hit, ooh so am I’ and nothing louder than that for two or three minutes. Then there was a shout to get the bus going and get out of here.
“You just deal with it as best you can and get on with it. My philosophy is that if you worry about it too much it will follow you around. The way I’ve dealt with it has been from that point of view. There was nothing I could do about it.”
That sense of perspective has fed into his coaching. He said that he has some sympathy for Shane Warne’s oft-repeated view that the only coach you need carries the team to the ground in the morning.
“The best players have all been self-reliant,” he said. “One of my philosophies is that the best coaches are the other 10 players in the team. The younger players look up to the older players and learn from them. If you’re watching and listening and asking the right questions, you will learn more about the game than you will from any coach.”

“You’ve got to get out and fight fire with fire,” Bayliss said. “You have to be positive and aggressive. And individuals have to play their own natural game.”If you are going to be successful against Australia it’s certainly not going to be by taking a backward step, or allowing them to dictate terms.”The way the game has been played over the last five or ten years, you could argue that maybe we haven’t kept up to date maybe as some of the other teams. Whether you like it or not, the T20 format and the one-day format do have a bearing on the way the game is played at Test level. It’s that philosophy of being positive and aggressive.”But such an approach will not necessarily lead to changes in the side. Bayliss hinted that the England batting order – with Gary Ballance at No. 3, followed by Ian Bell, Joe Root and Ben Stokes – will remain the same for the first Test in Cardiff, while the slip cordon which missed a few chances against New Zealand – Alastair Cook at first, Bell at second and Root at third – will also remain unchanged.”At the moment the batting order is fairly stable,” Bayliss said. “And we did a lot of slip catching in Spain. Certainly I think Cook, Bell and Root, from what I saw in practice, are our three best slippers.”He said that Moeen remains “at the moment” the first-choice spinner, with Adil Rashid to play, at Cardiff at least, only if England go into the game with two spinners. With the weather warm and the pitch slow, that is a possibility, though the fact that England have not won a home Test with a side containing two spinners since 1985 suggests it is still unlikely.”Moeen, at the moment, is the No. 1 spinner,” he said. “But if we want to play two spinners, we’ve got Adil there and ready to go.”Despite reports elsewhere, Bayliss insisted he had not turned down the head coach’s job previously and, while he did not apply this time, had no qualms from a cricketing perspective in taking the job.”I had some issues around family – my youngest is in her last year at school – but when you get that call from one of the three big teams around the world, I felt very honoured. It came out of the blue. I certainly didn’t put my name forward.”I was quite happy doing what I was doing. I had just re-signed with New South Wales and Kolkata Knight Riders had a three-year deal on the table as well. But when the opportunity came up with a team like England it was very difficult knock back.”From a family point of view it wasn’t necessarily perfect timing but, from a cricket point of view, I had no reservations.”Trevor Bayliss was unveiled as England’s new coach at Lord’s•Getty Images

Was there a slightly non-committal tone to questions about Cook’s captaincy? It could probably be interpreted that way. As well as praising only “Eoin Morgan and Paul Farbrace” for getting things “heading in the right direction” in recent weeks, he answered a direct question about how he rated Cook’s leadership with the reply: “I’ve not seen him up close or worked with him before.”But Cook, like the rest of the team, is going to be expected to embrace the new positivity that Bayliss wants to see as the hallmark of England cricket. “With this group of players,” Bayliss said, “you will see a bright, attacking style of cricket being played.”

England have rested fast bowler James Anderson and batsman Jonathan Trott from the ODI series in India in January

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Dec-2012England have rested fast bowler James Anderson and batsman Jonathan Trott from the ODI series in India in January and replaced them with Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler. They have also included batsman Joe Root in the Twenty20 squad for the two matches in December before they return home for Christmas.”Woakes and Buttler replace Anderson and Trott in the India ODI squad as the selectors look to manage workloads,” the ECB said in a statement.Anderson had originally been selected only to play the first three matches of the five-ODI series, but he will now miss the entire contest after playing an important role in England’s 2-1 victory in the Test series in India.Woakes, who is currently playing domestic cricket in New Zealand, has played six ODIs, taking seven wickets at 29.14 and scoring 72 runs. Most of scalps came in one innings when he claimed 6 for 45 against Australia in Brisbane. He spent a lot of time around the squad during 2012 without commanding a regular place.Buttler, the 22-year-old Somerset batsman, only has one ODI cap under his belt. In that match, against Pakistan in Dubai, he collected a second-ball duck.Root was added to the T20 squad that was weakened by the injury to Stuart Broad, who will be replaced as captain as Eoin Morgan. Although Root face 229 balls for his 73 on debut, he also has a more flamboyant side to his game as he showed briefly in the second innings and has demonstrated for Yorkshire in the domestic Friends Life t20.England play Twenty20 internationals on December 20 and 22 before returning home for Christmas and the New Year. They return to India in the first week of January for the ODI series.Twenty20 squad: Jonny Bairstow, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jos Buttler, Jade Dernbach, Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Stuart Meaker, Eoin Morgan (capt), Samit Patel, James Tredwell, Luke Wright, Joe Root, James Harris.ODI squad: Alastair Cook (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter, Stuart Meaker, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes, Jos Buttler.

On a rain-hit day in Canberra, the Indians’ top order did not make use of what could be their last chance to bat in a competitive match ahead of Boxing Day

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Dec-2011
ScorecardVirender Sehwag was out cheaply on a rainy day•Getty Images

On a rain-hit day in Canberra, the Indian top-order batsmen did not make use of what could be their last chance to bat in a competitive match ahead of the Boxing Day Test. They slipped to 4 for 84 against the CA Chairman’s XI, after play had begun two hours and 40 minutes late, before a positive partnership between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma steadied the innings.Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid were rested for this tour match, while Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni and Zaheer Khan were included in the thirteen after sitting out of the first game. Ishant Sharma, whose fitness is still doubtful, also missed out.After choosing to bat on a gloomy day – there was an interruption for bad light soon after the play finally began – the Indians lost Sehwag for a run-a-ball 12, caught off the bowling of Peter George. Gautam Gambhir, like he had in the first tour game, fell after getting a start. He was bowled for 24 by Jason Behrendorff, who was the most economical of the Chairman XI bowlers with figures of 1 for 8 in nine overs. Ajinkya Rahane, India’s reserve opener on the tour, also failed for the second time in two innings, and when he and Gambhir were dismissed in quick succession India had crawled to 3 for 53 in 21 overs.VVS Laxman showed signs of repairing the innings with Virat Kohli. Laxman struck a couple of fours – including a well-timed on drive – before missing one from left-arm spinner Jon Holland while trying to work it to the leg side. Holland had replaced Doug Bollinger from the Telopea Park end, after the fast bowler – who’s looking to work his way back into Australia’s Test team – had failed to pick up a wicket.Rohit Sharma was dropped first ball at short leg, after pushing at a delivery. Kolhi, who’s in a race with Rohit for the No. 6 spot in India’s batting line-up, counterattacked. He too had a bit of luck early on, edging wide of the slip cordon, but he made the most of it, driving through the covers, pulling and punching down the ground for boundaries.Kohli brought up his fifty, and Rohit too began to show some aggression. He drove twice through the covers and lofted the ball over long-off to bring up India’s 150. The pair added 78 off 104 balls before stumps – though Rohit was dropped once again, by Usman Khawaja in the slip cordon off legspinner Cameron Boyce – to take the Indians to 4 for 162.The Chairman’s XI captain, David Warner, left the field a couple of times during the day to get treatment for a sore back, though it wasn’t deemed a serious problem.

Sri Lanka have sprung a couple of surprises by including Sanath Jayasuriya and Chaminda Vaas in their 30-member preliminary squad for the 2011 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2010Sri Lanka have sprung a couple of surprises by including Sanath Jayasuriya and Chaminda Vaas in their 30-member preliminary squad for the 2011 World Cup. Seamer Nuwan Pradeep is the only uncapped player in the list, which will be pruned to 15 ahead of the tournament to be hosted in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.Jayasuriya has rarely featured in Sri Lanka’s plans in recent times, and managed just 15 runs in six outings during the 2010 World Twenty20 in West Indies. The two-match T20 series against New Zealand that followed was his last international assignment; he has since been ignored for all formats of the game. Vaas, who, like Jayasuriya, was a part of Sri Lanka’s successful 1996 World Cup side, has been out of the national team since July 2009, and last played an ODI in August 2008.All 14 teams participating in the tournament have to announce their preliminary line-ups by December 19, and zero in on the final fifteen before January 19 next year.Preliminary squad: Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Dinesh Chandimal, Tharanga Paranavitana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Thilina Kandamby, Chamara Silva, Chamara
Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Farveez Maharoof, Jeevan Mendis,
Muttiah Muralitharan, Suraj Randiv, Rangana Herath, Malinga Bandara, Lasith
Malinga, Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dilhara Fernando, Suranga Lakmal,
Dammika Prasad, Chaminda Vaas, Chanaka Welegedara, Nuwan Pradeep, Thilan
Thushara

Stuart Clark will be joining Kent as an overseas player for the first half of next season. Clark, who has also enjoyed brief stints with Hampshire and Middlesex, had been set to fill the overseas role for Kent last summer before being recalled by Australi

Cricinfo staff06-Jan-2010Stuart Clark will be joining Kent as an overseas player for the first half of next season. Clark, who has also enjoyed brief stints with Hampshire and Middlesex, had been set to fill the overseas role for Kent last summer before being recalled by Australia during the Ashes.”Stuart is a tremendous character and has the ability and experience that we are looking for”, said Graham Johnson, Kent’s chairman of cricket. “He is a genuine wicket-taker and will bring a great amount to the side. He has a positive outlook and will prove a great addition.””We are delighted to finally sign Stuart,” added Paul Farbrace, the county’s team director. “He is an attractive signing for us because he is not playing in the Indian Premier League and will be available for the first half of the summer. He is an exceptional bowler and will offer a lot, both on and off the field.”Clark has represented his country 24 times in Test matches, taking 94 wickets at a miserly 23.86, but was discarded after Australia’s unsuccessful Ashes campaign. While conceding that his international career is in all likelihood over, the 34-year-old has identified a county stint as a new career objective.