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A day after Australia lost their second ODI in a row Mickey Arthur, their coach, has said that fighting fatigue will be one of the bigger factors in the rest of the triangular series

Sidharth Monga18-Feb-2012A day after Australia lost their second ODI in a row – an “unacceptable” performance – Mickey Arthur, their coach, has said that fighting fatigue will be one of the bigger factors in the rest of the triangular series. Arthur said Ricky Ponting, standing in as captain in Michael Clarke’s injury-induced absence, was a bit jaded, too, after a long summer. Ponting has followed his double-century in Adelaide with ODI scores of 2, 1, 6 and 2, but Australia haven’t even been able to think about resting him because of Clarke’s injury.”It [fatigue] is going to be a factor, there’s no doubt about it,” Arthur said. “We’ve pushed the guys incredibly hard in terms of our intensity, and our expectation around them. Some guys are feeling the effects of that, but we know what the schedule is, we have to make sure we manage the boys correctly, and that we’ve got the guys up and firing come tomorrow.”Australia play the second part of their double-header on Sunday in Brisbane, with a portion of the middle day spent travelling from Sydney to Brisbane. The heat is on Ponting now, and Arthur admitted he faced a challenge. “If I have to be totally honest Ricky is a little bit jaded, like a couple of our Test players that have played all summer,” Arthur said, “but that is the treadmill of international cricket, and they have to find a way to make their performances count and have an impact on the team.”Why not, then, ask the vice-captain, David Warner, to lead the side? “We saw some huge potential in Dave, we want to grow him as a leader, he definitely has that potential,” Arthur said. “He’s not ready yet, and he knows that, and we’ve communicated that to him.”We brought Dave into the vice-captaincy position to be part of our leadership group, and to learn from Michael and I when we strategise our position. In terms of taking guys on the field right now, he’s not ready for that yet, and he understands that. I reckon he could be a great leader in a few years to come. You talk about succession planning, we need to find a leader, and he’s one of those guys on our radar.”Arthur expects Ponting to make the kind of comeback he did in Tests easlier in the summer. “Ricky is a class act, there is no way you can write off a champion like Ricky Ponting,” he said. “He faced those same issues around the first couple of Test matches, and he came through the Test series, had a great series against India, and I hope he turns it around tomorrow.”When asked if Ponting should quit, Arthur didn’t commit either way. “I’d like to see Ricky Ponting in our team all the time, but as I’ve said through the summer, every cricketer’s currency is performance, that’s what gets you into the Australian team,” he said. “A character like Ricky Ponting is someone you want around the team all the time because he’s so inspirational, he’s still our fittest player and hardest trainer, and he trains with the most intensity. He’s a fantastic example to every guy who comes into this team.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the first Test between England and Pakistan, in Dubai

The Preview by David Hopps16-Jan-2012Match factsMisbah-ul-Haq and Andrew Strauss have both spoken about letting the cricket provide the headlines in this series•AFPTuesday, January 17-21, Dubai
Start time 1000 (0600 GMT)Big PictureHistory will hang heavily over this series. Three Pakistan players are serving custodial sentences after being found guilty on match-rigging charges during the 2010 series in England. However much England suggest that the affair is now largely a media obsession and Pakistan provide indications of more stable and contented times, such matters cannot be easily waved aside.That Pakistan recover their strength and reputation is vital for the health of world cricket and England have been reminded of their responsibilities to contest the series in a natural manner and to rise above any resentment, which does exist, over what has gone before without losing the competitive and aggressive edge that has contributed to their rise to the No. 1 Test side in the world.Pakistan are careful not to speak of “home advantage” because Dubai, however much the conditions might be similar to those in Lahore or Karachi, is simply not home. But sub-consciously England feel themselves in an away series, not a neutral one. Their policy of six specialist batsmen, three pace bowlers and a solitary spinner automatically comes under strain on placid surfaces and the loss of Tim Bresnan, the most capable batsmen in their lower order, does not make a change of tack easy.Test series between Pakistan and England have often been wonderfully combative affairs. As long as the pitches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi encourage attractive cricket, it is an appealing prospect.Form guidePakistan: WWDWD
England: WWWWW
Players to watch Saeed Ajmal has enlivened the build-up to the Test by announcing, Shane Warne-style, that he is about to unleash a formidable new delivery. The doosra – “the other one” – is about to be supported by the teesra – “the third one”.
Whatever the impact of that proves to be, Ajmal will test England’s improvement against spin bowling to the utmost. For England, Stuart Broad will be desperate to escape the run of injuries that have disrupted his progress over the past year. A bruised foot suffered when batting in the nets is unlikely to hinder him, but it gives a further impression of vulnerability that he could do without.Team news Any temptation that England felt to abandon their policy of six batsmen disappeared the moment that Tim Bresnan, the sturdiest batsman among the bowling attack, left the tour through injury. To include Monty Panesar as a second spinner would therefore entail perming three fast bowlers from six. In the first Test at least, they are likely to exclude Panesar and stick to a proven formula.
England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Chris Tremlett
Pakistan (probable) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Taufeeq Umar, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Adnam Akmal (wk), 8 Abdur Rehman, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Wahab Riaz
Pitch and conditions England are bracing themselves for a demanding bowling experience on a benign surface, in conditions that do not offer the fast bowlers much help. The two Tests played at the DICS so far don’t entirely support that view with only one total so far in excess of 400.Stats and trivia England are sure to remain top of the ICC Test Championship if they do not lose to Pakistan by more than a one-Test margin in the three-Test series. England have three bowlers – Graeme Swann, James Anderson and Stuart Broad – in the top four of the Test rankings. In their last home series against Pakistan, England dismissed the opposition for less than 100 on three occasions. Pakistan have won nine, lost 11 and drawn seven of their 27 Tests since their loss of home Tests because of security concerns. Only seven of those Tests have been at a neutral venue.Quotes “It’s all a bit smoke and mirrors isn’t it. Just remember, you don’t play the bowler and what he says, you play the ball that comes out of his hand.”
“It’s good to see every player backing the other. The days of infighting and rifts seem to be over.”
“We play our cricket very, very hard. There’s no way Jimmy Anderson, who is a grumpy bowler, is not going to be grumpy. The guys will still be aggressive, that’s what has got us to No 1.”

Rajasthan and Haryana both stumbled their way through the group stages, and the semi-final between them promises to be a close fight. But fog may spoil the party

Sharda Ugra in Lahli 09-Jan-2012Will it, won’t it? Like a marauding medieval army sweeping over the vast plains of Haryana, the mere premonition of a winter fog has settled over those involved in the Ranji Trophy semi-final starting on Tuesday in Lahli, outside Rohtak.It is home team Haryana’s first Ranji Trophy semi-final in two decades. It is Rajashtan’s first as defending Ranji champions. To have that happen only because it has snowed in the distant Himalayas is of course meteorologically logical. Yet its consequences on cricket can be dire. Should the side batting second not complete 30 overs in their first innings due to bad weather, Haryana will go through on net run-rate.The match venue, Lalhi’s Ch Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium is a fog-magnet, set amid scenic open fields of sugarcane and mustard. Five years ago, when word went around that Virender Sehwag was coming to bat here, 2000 materialised from the neighbouring villages to watch Viru.As the teams practised at the Bansi Lal stadium on Monday, the sun shone after two days of grey misery, and anxiety dissipated. Were the semi-final scheduled to start today, match referee Pranab Roy reckoned that even a 9:30am start would have been possible.It is not as if the weather is part of Haryana’s home advantage. In last year’s quarter-final, in Lahli, they scored 379 for 6 declared in their first innings. Only 195 overs could be bowled in the entire match, and Tamil Nadu, who were 285 for 6 at the end of the game, went through to the semi-finals. They had qualified because they scored their runs at 3.60 an over during the game, against Haryana’s rate of 3.26. The same rule will apply in this year’s semi-final, should at least 30 overs be completed in the team batting second’s first innings. With fog lurking, who wants to win a toss and decide what to do?”The fog is a weather condition you can’t really control,” HCA secretary Anirudh Chaudhry said. “Saying we should not play here is like saying let’s not play in Chennai because it rains there. We are not worried about it.”Neither Rajasthan nor Haryana would want their campaign to end this way. The teams have tumbled their way through the league phase but landed on their feet, each finishing third in their group and somehow squeezing into the knockouts. They have played their best cricket when it mattered most, with minds free of clutter and fog-free game-plans.The semi-final will be a contest between two sets of unheralded triers and, barring a handful of better-known ‘professionals’, largely faceless fighters. If Rajasthan have been a revelation over the past two seasons, then Haryana’s omnipresence at the business end of the Ranji Trophy has surprised many. Amit Mishra, the Haryana captain, said getting to the latter stages of the tournament consistently would help his team earn recognition.”A lot of people don’t know that we have qualified for the knockouts three times in a row now,” Mishra said. “We need such matches to get our team’s profile higher.” By winning the Ranji Trophy last season, after starting the season in the Plate division, Rajasthan showed teams like Haryana how to upset the more-fancied teams. They would not want to be at the receiving end of their own lesson.Mishra, though, stuck to the facts. “I don’t want to get into discussions about underdogs and favourites. They are defending champions and this is our home ground.”Locals say the Lahli pitch is a swing and seam bowler’s delight; in both matches played here this season, however, first-innings scores crossed 300. Haryana coach Ashwini Kumar termed Lahli a “medium-pacer’s track”. Rajasthan captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar said he thought there would be runs in the pitch. “The surface will do a bit at the start but should things should pan out well later for the batsmen,” he said.The biggest blessing for the bowlers, Kumar says, is how clean the air is. “It is completely pollution-free. So bowlers who have the stamina to send down seven-over spells in normal conditions can run in and bowl 10 overs here. The air is so clean.”It has remained so over the course of the last five years, since Lahli’s first Ranji match, in 2006-07. However, a lot else has changed in Lahli, and Rohtak, and certainly in Haryana cricket. Aakash Chopra, the former India opener, played for Delhi in the 2006-07 season, and was involved in the match in Lahli that ended in three days and relegated the home team to the Plate division.He returned this year to find the journey from Rohtak to the stadium quicker, and on a smoother road. The ground has grown into a larger facility, and Chopra is happy to be away from the hotel where players had to pay Rs 10 for a bucket of hot water – free for India players – in the bad old days. Chopra now represents Rajasthan and he will face a new generation of Haryana bowlers in Lahli.Some weather reports promise clear skies over Lahli for the next three days. The Indian meteorological department predicts fog on Tuesday. The other semi-final, Mumbai v Tamil Nadu, may have a star cast, but Haryana v Rajasthan has the makings of a real thriller.

England’s second tier of players will experience a busy winter after the Performance Programme squads and schedule up until Christmas was confirmed

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2011England’s second tier of players will experience a busy winter after the Performance Programme schedule and squads up until Christmas were confirmed. The main 17-man squad, which includes call-ups for Surrey pair Jason Roy and Tom Maynard plus Lancashire’s left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan, will train in Loughborough during November before being split onto two trips depending on their roles.The batsmen, spinners and wicketkeepers will head to India while the fast bowlers will be based at Potchefstroom in South Africa. Meanwhile, another 13-man squad of players below the main EPP level will also train at the National Academy in Loughborough before heading to either Sri Lanka or India for more intensive development. There will then be a full Lions tour to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in 2012 with that party due to be named in December.The two squads emphasise the current depth in English cricket with seven of the main EPP squad having already played international cricket including Jonny Bairstow, Scott Borthwick and Chris Woakes who will head to India for the one-day series next week plus Alex Hales and Jos Buttler who have will join for the Twenty20.Of those who have yet to represent England, Maynard and Roy have been rewarded for their part in Surrey’s resurgence. Maynard scored 1022 runs in the Championship and was the club’s leading run-maker in the Friends Life t20, while Roy was Surrey’s most successful batsman in the CB40 with 585 runs. Meanwhile Kerrigan, who had a brief spell with the Lions earlier in the summer, played a key role in Lancashire’s Championship success including figures of 9 for 51 against Hampshire.There is also a strong crop of fast bowlers which includes Ajmal Shahzad despite his difficult season for Yorkshire where he took 25 wickets at 41 in the Championship. Boyd Rankin, the Ireland pace bowler rated as the finest on the county circuit by Marcus Trescothick, is also part of the squad as is Nathan Buck from Leicestershire.”The England Performance Programme provides an excellent opportunity for those players identified as having considerable talent to train together in an England environment throughout the winter and further develop as cricketers,” David Parsons, the performance director, said. “This is an exciting group of young cricketers with all but three players selected for the England Performance Programme this winter having represented England Lions or England this year.”We recognise the need to develop a pool of players who are all capable of playing key roles in international cricket when the need arises and this programme allows us to continue working with those identified as having the ability to perform at the highest level.The other 13-man squad – a third rung in English cricket – includes Tymal Mills, the Essex pace bowler, who is considered to have the potential of bowling very rapidly and Middlesex’s Toby Roland-Jones who has been on the selectors’ radar this season but has struggled with injury.”This programme allows us to work with a group of players who have shown considerable promise both in age group cricket and in county cricket,” Parsons said. “Batsmen and spin bowlers will have training blocks in both Loughborough and Sri Lanka as well as a seven week match play opportunity in Sri Lanka giving players a useful opportunity to develop their skills in sub-continent conditions.”The fast bowlers in the group will undertake a conditioning block in Loughborough before a training camp in India,” he added. “This has been a key stage in the development of a number of young fast bowlers who have gone to represent England Lions and England with Steven Finn, Stuart Meaker, Jade Dernbach and Chris Woakes all benefiting from this programme in recent years.”England Performance Programme Jonny Bairstow, Scott Borthwick, Danny Briggs, Nathan Buck, Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, James Harris, Simon Kerrigan, Tom Maynard, Stuart Meaker, Boyd Rankin, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ajmal Shahzad, James Taylor, James Vince, Chris WoakesDevelopment squad Moeen Ali, Moin Ashraf, Karl Brown, Varun Chopra, Matthew Coles, Matthew Dunn, Tymal Mills, Jigar Naik, Stephen Parry, Toby Roland-Jones, Alex Wakely, Luke Wells, Adam Wheater

Offspinner Anisa Mohammed carried her fine form from the ODI series into the Twenty20 format as she helped set up a comfortable four-wicket win for West Indies in the second T20 game in St Andrew’s

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Sep-2011
ScorecardOffspinner Anisa Mohammed carried her fine form from the ODI series into the Twenty20 format as she helped set up a comfortable four-wicket win for West Indies in the second T20 game in St Andrew’s.Pakistan elected to bat, but started poorly losing openers Javeria Khan and Nida Dar – both to Pearl Etienne – with just 10 runs on the board. They never recovered from the poor start and lost their remaining eight wickets for just 55 runs. Mohammed ran through the middle and lower order, picking up four wickets, as Pakistan was routed for 65 in just under 19 overs.West Indies’ chase started poorly as their openers too departed early with the score on just three. Merissa Aguilleira (11) and Deandra Dottin (10) steadied the innings, and Stacy-Ann King, who top scored with an unbeaten 32, stayed firm to carry her side to victory.West Indies lead the four-match series 2-0. The next game will be played at Providence on September 10.

Junaid Khan starred as Lancashire continued their climb up the North Division with a thumping 10-wicket Friends Life t20 win over Derbyshire at Old Trafford

03-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Junaid Khan starred as Lancashire continued their climb up the North Division with a thumping 10-wicket Friends Life t20 win over Derbyshire at Old Trafford.The Pakistan left-arm seamer bowled with pace as he picked up three wickets for the first time in his fledgling career to restrict the visitors to just 81 for eight after captain Luke Sutton had elected to bat first. Lancashire opener Stephen Moore then made a mockery of the visiting total with 54 not out off 33 balls, including four sixes, as the win was secured with 11 overs to spare.This was the hosts second 10-wicket win this summer and only the third of their history. It was also the fastest ever 10-wicket win in the history of English Twenty20 cricket. Junaid, 21, who also took two wickets in Friday’s win over Durham, struck twice in his first two overs today, getting both Wes Durston and Garry Park caught behind by Gareth Cross to help leave Derbyshire 24 for 3 in the fifth over.Junaid also held a tough high chance at mid-on in the next over to help fellow overseas player Farveez Maharoof get rid of the dangerous Martin Guptill for eight. Derbyshire, who started the game level with their hosts on 10 points from 11 matches, never recovered as they posted the lowest total in their 20-over history.Chesney Hughes and Ross Whiteley tried to mount a Falcons’ fightback with a stand of 29 for the fifth wicket but the former played on to Maharoof in the 13th. Lightning spinners Stephen Parry and Gary Keedy also struck, as did Sajid Mahmood, before Junaid returned at the death to bowl Jon Clare and complete figures of three for 12.Left-handed Hughes top-scored with only 16 as the woeful Falcons recorded the fifth lowest total in English Twenty20, making only four boundaries in the innings. Moore then blazed a trail at the top of the Lancashire order in reply.Moore and Tom Smith posted 28 off the first three overs, the former racing to 32 from 18 balls, including straight sixes off Durston’s off-spin and Clare’s medium pace. Smith survived a rare drop from New Zealand’s Guptill off Durston and the batsmen brought up their 50 stand in the sixth over, their fifth in this season’s competition.Moore hit his third six off Clare before Smith got in on the act by slog-sweeping Hughes. Moore’s fourth six, also off Hughes, brought up a 32-ball half century as Derbyshire were put to the sword.

Chennai Super Kings, the IPL champions, and Mumbai Indians will be part of the same group in the Champions League Twenty20 starting September this year

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-2011Chennai Super Kings, the IPL champions, and Mumbai Indians will be part of the same group in the Champions League Twenty20 starting September this year. The tournament, which runs from September 23 to October 9, will be preceded by a qualifier phase from which three teams will progress to the main round to compete with seven others. The qualifiers will be held in Hyderabad between September 19 and 21, while the main tournament will be spread across three cities – Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata.The ten teams in the tournament proper will be divided into two groups of five, with Chennai, Mumbai, New South Wales Blues, Cape Cobras and one team from the qualifier phase comprising Group A. Group B includes Royal Challengers Bangalore, Warriors, South Australia Redbacks and two teams (ranked 1 and 3) from the qualifier round. Bangalore take on Warriors in the tournament opener at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals (in Bangalore and Chennai), and the winners play the final in Chennai.The teams in the qualifiers are divided into two groups of three. Kolkata Knight Riders, a team from England and Auckland, champions of the HRV Cup, form Group A. The Caribbean T20 champions Trinidad and Tobago, another team from England and one team from Sri Lanka make up Group B. The top teams in each pool followed by the next highest ranked team will progress to the Champions League.The new Future Tours Programme (FTP) includes an official window for the Champions League, enabling international stars to participate in the competition, jointly organised by the boards of India, South Africa and Australia.

Umpiring in the World Cup has run into fresh controversy with William Porterfield criticising Asoka de Silva’s decision to give Gary Wilson out lbw despite replays showing he had offered a shot and was hit outside the line

Nagraj Gollapudi in Mohali11-Mar-2011Umpiring in the World Cup has run into fresh controversy with Ireland captain William Porterfield strongly criticising Asoka de Silva’s decision to give Gary Wilson out lbw despite replays showing the batsman had offered a shot to a delivery that replays clearly indicated had hit him outside the line. Porterfield’s comments – unusually sharp for a team captain – came after a match which, he said, turned on that decision.”I am still trying to understand it myself. The feedback we have got so far is that the ball hit him outside the line and the umpire judged him [to be] not playing a shot. I don’t know how many people agree with that,” Porterfield said after Ireland’s 44-run defeat against West Indies.The ball in question, delivered by West Indies captain Darren Sammy, pitched outside the off stump and cut in to hit the outside of Wilson’s front pad. Wilson was trying to nudge it but failed but the Sri Lankan official thought he was offering no shot and raised his finger instantly. A surprised Wilson asked for a review. Third umpire Bruce Oxenford told de Silva that the ball had hit outside off and would, according to HawkEye, go on to hit the outside of the off stump. Replays on the big screen made that clear as also the fact that Wilson was actually trying to play the shot. Disappointed and confused, Wilson asked de Silva to refer the review this time. It was an extraordinary moment, which bordered on the comical, as de Silva went back to Oxenford once again. In the end, de Silva stuck to his stand and Wilson charged out, furiously shaking his head.”If you see the replay on the big screen he could have still been able to reverse his decision from there. It was clearly seen he was playing the shot. (And) even though he [de Silva] judged that (wrongly) in the first place he saw the replays on the big screen,” Porterfield said. He said that he did not have much time to discuss the issue with Wilson, who was not “in a great state of mind” when he came off the ground. “The word we are getting at the minute is the umpire went back upstairs to check if he hit the ball before the impact on the pad and if it was pad first, or bat first. Surely if you are asking if it was pad first or bat first, you know he is playing a shot. In my opinion they got it wrong.”Asked if the DRS was proving to be a nuisance rather than a help, Porterfield said he would not blame the reviews per se. “I would like to say it (DRS) was working but if you get a decision like that then I don’t know. When you have all the technology, it is supposed to eradicate the mistakes and for me that did not happen this time.”Interestingly, Porterfield – speaking at the post-match press conference – had to stop briefly as Phil Simmons, the Ireland coach, walked in to have a few private words with a team official, who in turn relayed the message to Porterfield. The exchange, the media was told, was “off the record”.Porterfield admitted that Wilson’s wicket was the turning point in Ireland’s chase. Wilson had showed a wise head in the company of Ed Joyce, sharing a vital 91-run partnership for the fourth wicket. After Joyce departed Wilson took the onus on him and was playing fluently. Ireland needed 77 from 51 balls and the batting Powerplay was yet to be taken when Wilson was ruled out. “It was the pivotal moment in the game. It was not one of the things that cost us the game as there were other things we did,” Porterfield said. “But it was a pretty crucial decision. He was going well. If we had taken the Powerplay we never know especially with Cusy [Alex Cusack] and John boy [Mooney] to come there.”One man who was more than happy to see the back of Wilson was Sammy. “I was happy that we got him out. That was the main focus for us, he back in the pavilion,” he said.But at the time of the incident, Sammy was intensely chatting to Wilson after de Silva’s original decision. Asked if he saw Wilson’s point, Sammy said personally he would not have argued with the umpire. “Umpires have been in charge ever since I started playing cricket. He did what he had to do,” Sammy said. So what was he was making Wilson aware of? “I personally tried to tell him you know what, at the end of the day, the umpire said you are out so don’t hang around because you don’t really make an issue and get fined. We learned as a team that if the umpire says you are out, unless he tells you to hold on, you walk. You can always give your feedback in the captain’s report.”Incidentally, Ireland were fined. But for another crime. Apparently they had bowled an over short and as a consequence Porterfield was penalised 20% of his match fee while the rest of the team had to take a 10% cut.

Gloucestershire clinched their second win in three County Championship Division Two games with a 45-run success over Kent at Canterbury

29-Apr-2011
ScorecardGloucestershire clinched their second win in three County Championship Division Two games with a 45-run success over Kent at Canterbury.Will Gidman proved the West Country hero with a return of three for 37 including the scalp of Azhar Mahmood, who had looked capable of seeing Kent home to an unlikely victory target of 291.Mahmood, the former Pakistan Test all-rounder, hit 10 boundaries in a 119-ball innings of 70 as injury-hit Kent made a brave tilt at their target. Number 10 Robbie Joseph, hampered by a thigh strain, came out with a runner to help the cause and then last man Joe Denly, who broke his thumb in the field on Tuesday, emerged to try to help Azhar to the winning line.With 45 needed Azhar worked across a good length ball from Gidman only to be given out leg before and give Gloucestershire their 21-point win. Resuming on their overnight total of 52 for 2, Kent appeared to be set for the long haul as Martin van Jaarsveld and Geraint Jones dug in, adding only 49 in the opening hour.In all, the third-wicket partners added 64 in just under 19 overs before Kent’s run chase quickly unravelled with the loss of four wickets for seven runs in the space of 16 balls. Jones (40) missed an expansive drive to be bowled by promising left-arm seamer David Payne then Darren Stevens (three) was squared up on the back foot by Hamish Marshall to spoon a catch to short extra cover via a leading edge.Van Jaarsveld’s 89-minute stay for 32 ended when he opened the face and attempted a run-down to third man against Payne, only to be superbly caught one-handed at second slip by Ian Cockbain to make it 124 for five.After a change of ends, Cockbain was in action again to catch the very next ball at slip, this time at the second attempt, after James Tredwell’s firm-handed push at a Marshall leg-cutter. Azhar and Adam Ball (13) survived until lunch but soon after the resumption Ball’s audacious attempt to pull through mid-wicket against Ian Saxelby ended up in the hands of Jon Lewis at mid-on.Simon Cook then joined forces with Azhar to add an entertaining 70 in 20.4 overs for the eighth wicket but, with 69 still needed to win, Cook got an inside edge to a Gidman delivery that jagged back off the seam and Jonathan Batty pulled off a sharp catch.Batty was again at his best to hold on to a thin edge off Gidman from Joseph, then opening bat Denly emerged as an emergency number 11 despite his fractured thumb as Kent pushed all the way. But it proved in vain as the hosts ended up with just four points from the match.

Former England batsman Owais Shah has signed a two-year deal with Essex as he looks to rebuild his career

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2010Former England batsman Owais Shah has signed a two-year deal with Essex as he looks to rebuild his career. Shah, 32, was released by Middlesex at the end of last season in controversial fashion, finding out about his departure in the press – something the club later apologised for.Having been with Middlesex all his career it was an unceremonious ending but he signed off by making 117 against Worcestershire at Lord’s in his final game for the club. Since making his debut in 1996, Shah has made over 14,000 first-class runs and played six Tests for England.His move to Chelmsford was widely expected and, despite being out of international cricket for over a year, Essex coach Paul Grayson still believes Shah has an England future.”Owais is the sort of high quality batsman that we have lacked since Ronnie Irani and Andy Flower retired,” Grayson said. “He’s probably one of the top three batsmen not currently playing international cricket alongside Mark Ramprakash and Marcus Trescothick.”It’s a fresh challenge having been with one club for so long. Hopefully we can help him get his England place back which is what he tells us he wants.”