All the New Zealand domestic squads for the 2021-22 season

Each of the men’s sides hands out 16 contracts for the summer

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2021All the domestic squads in New Zealand have now been confirmed with the final contract spots handed out among the six teams who will compete for the Plunket Shield, Ford Trophy and Super Smash.Canterbury dominated the 2020-21 season by winning the Plunket Shield and Ford Trophy while Wellington, with Finn Allen and Devon Conway part of their top order, secured the Super Smash.Here’s how the squads line-up for the 2021-22 summer.NZ = New Zealand central contract

Auckland

Adithya Ashok, Cole Briggs, Mark Chapman, Louis Delport, Lockie Ferguson (NZ), Danru Ferns, Matthew Gibson, Martin Guptill (NZ), Ryan Harrison, Ben Horne, Kyle Jamieson (NZ), Ben Lister, Robert O’Donnell, William O’Donnell, Glenn Phillips (NZ), Ollie Pringle, Sean Solia, Will Somerville, Ross ter Braak, George Worker

Canterbury

Todd Astle, Chad Bowes, Jack Boyle, Leo Carter, Harry Chamberlain, Sean Davey, Cam Fletcher, Andrew Hazeldine, Matt Henry (NZ), Tom Latham (NZ), Ken McClure, Cole McConchie, Daryl Mitchell (NZ), Henry Nicholls (NZ), Ed Nuttall, Will O’Rourke, Fraser Sheat, Henry Shipley, Theo van Woerkom, Will Williams

Central Districts

Doug Bracewell, Tom Bruce, Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver, Joey Field, Greg Hay, Jayden Lennox, Christian Leopard, Adam Milne, Ajaz Patel, Seth Rance, Brad Schmulian, Ben Smith, Ross Taylor (NZ), Blair Tickner, Ray Toole, Bayley Wiggins, Will Young (NZ)

Northern Districts

Peter Bocock, Trent Boult (NZ), Joe Carter, Katene Clarke, Kristian Clarke, Henry Cooper, Colin de Grandhomme (NZ), Matthew Fisher, Zak Gibson, Brett Hampton, Scott Kuggeleijn, Bharat Popli, Brett Randell, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner (NZ), Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi (NZ), Tim Southee (NZ), Neil Wagner (NZ), Freddy Walker, Joe Walker, Kane Williamson (NZ), Anurag Verma

Otago

Matt Bacon, Neil Broom, Max Chu, Jacob Duffy, Josh Finnie, Jake Gibson, Nick Kelly, Anaru Kitchen, Angus McKenzie, Jarrod McKay, Travis Muller, Dale Phillips, Michael Rae, Michael Rippon, Mitch Renwick, Hamish Rutherford

Wellington

Finn Allen, Hamish Bennett, Jakob Bhula, Tom Blundell (NZ), Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway (NZ), Luke Georgeson, Jamie Gibson, Troy Johnson, Callum McLachlan, Iain McPeake, Jimmy Neesham (NZ), Ollie Newton, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Michael Snedden, Logan van Beek, Peter Younghusband

Joe Root 'open-minded' about conditions England expect in Sri Lanka

England pulled off a 3-0 whitewash on their 2018 tour, but their captain is mindful of keeping his expectations realistic

Madushka Balasuriya12-Mar-2020The last time England rocked up on Sri Lankan shores, in late 2018, they had a settled side that had been together for the better part of four years, and were just months away from winning their first-ever World Cup title. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, couldn’t buy a win, and a number of those who played in that series would find themselves out of the eventual travelling squad for the World Cup.A year and a half on, Sri Lanka finally look to have settled on more or less their favoured starting XI, with a pleasing blend of experience and youth. In Mickey Arthur, they also have one of world cricket’s pre-eminent coaches leading the way. England are still a top-quality unit, as showcased by their recent exploits in South Africa, but they are now once again at the start of a rebuild.With the Test Championship final coming up next year and an Ashes tour of Australia in 2021-22, England captain Joe Root believes they once more have something to build towards.”I think for us building towards that Test Championship final would be a huge achievement,” Root said at the pre-series media briefing in Colombo on Wednesday. “It’s something that we’re aiming for as a team, and obviously, we’re also always judged on how well we do in The Ashes as well, so it’s a long process in making sure that we’re always trying to peak when we’re going up against Australia and travelling over there.”Long-term a big focus for us is trying to get some consistency and how we want to go about playing our cricket. Similarly with the guys that we’re going to be selecting, it’s a real opportunity for them to long-term take this team up the rankings, and hopefully play those big moments and big games that really matter.”In the build-up to their World Cup triumph, England’s tour to Sri Lanka in hindsight proved to be a signpost moment for the type of cricket that would eventually win them the trophy. Not only did they win that series in 2018, they decimated the hosts, winning series in all three formats including a 3-0 Test-series whitewash.What made the wins all the more impressive was their manner they came in, as England beat Sri Lanka at their own game. Their batsmen dominated the home spinners, while their own spinners – Jack Leach, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid – wreaked havoc, combining for 48 wickets.This time around, only Leach remains from that vaunted trio, and while Matt Parkinson’s four-for in England’s first warm-up game would likely have strengthened his case for a starting berth in the first Test in Galle alongside Dom Bess – who picked up three in the game – they’re both relatively untested at the highest level. In terms of the batting too, there are many who haven’t played top-level cricket on subcontinental surfaces. As such, Root isn’t getting too far ahead of himself in expecting a repeat performance from 2018.”It is a different team that we’ve brought this time around,” he said. “We’re expecting the surfaces to be slightly different, and we’re quite open-minded about what to expect. But ultimately it gives an opportunity for some of the other guys to show what they’re capable of.”I think last time we came at a different time of year for starters. It was a lot wetter. And I’m sure Mickey [Arthur] and everyone have put their own stamp on things, and are playing cricket very differently.”There were very extreme conditions [in terms of the pitches] last time around as well, and I felt we found a very good way of exploiting that. It probably suited some of the guys that we had on tour, and the way they played their cricket.”I think it’s important to have an open mind coming in to this series. If we just went in and expected it to be exactly the same then we could find ourselves getting stuck, and I think it’s really important that we play what’s right in front of us, and make sure we respect the surface and the opposition. And I’m sure there are one or two guys that want to put their stamp on this team and take it forward.”Matt Parkinson has a laugh during England’s opening tour match in Sri Lanka•Getty Images

For Sri Lanka, this will be an opportunity at redemption, though with Rangana Herath retired and Akila Dananjaya suspended, their spin contingent comprising Dilruwan Perera, Lasith Embuldeniya and Lakshan Sandakan is not as strong as it once was. Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne, however, chose to draw confidence from his team’s performances against New Zealand and South Africa in recent series, where it’s been the seamers more than spinners that have been the cornerstone of their victories.”We didn’t do well in the last series [against England], and they played really well in these conditions. And compared to other countries [we’ve faced at home] they were really good at taking on our spinners. But I think Dilruwan is there, and there are a few talented young bowlers as well. And we saw against South Africa and New Zealand in recent tours that they have a really good mindset.”Sri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur meanwhile believes that the recent ODI-series win against West Indies and the Test-series win in Zimbabwe have been great learning experiences for his players, albeit in different ways.”[The performances against West Indies in the ODIs] is certainly how we want to play our cricket, and I think our selections are going to reflect that going forward,” Arthur said. “But just to go back to the Zimbabwe series, we played on incredibly flat and slow wickets, which just sort of did nothing for the game really, and the game just didn’t move at all. And it was kind of a war of attrition, you had to just wear the opposition down. But we got a lot out of that tour, because we had to focus and had to be really disciplined through those two Test matches.”We find we got a hell of a lot out of that tour which was great for us. Certainly our brand of cricket – and I think that’s the way all teams play cricket now – is you want to take the game forward. But there are times when the session or game requires that you wear the opposition down, and that was very much our focus in Zimbabwe – primarily because of the conditions.”Nailing down that brand of cricket, Arthur feels, has been helped by the settled nature of Sri Lanka’s squad which he now believes has an ideal blend of youth and experience.”I think we’re really confident. First of all you’ve got to stay up with the trends of world cricket, and then you sort of look at the brand you want to play from there, and then you find the players that fit that brand.”We have some very young players, we have some very exciting players, we’ve got some very skilled players, intermingled with a couple of experienced players – Angelo [Mathews], [Dinesh] Chandimal, Suranga Lakmal. We feel we’ve got the balance right.”The first Test begins in Galle on March 19.

Dimuth Karunaratne cleared to bat again after being discharged from hospital

The opener was hit by a short delivery from Pat Cummins and stretched off the ground before going to hospital for tests which came back all clear

Andrew Fidel Fernando and Melinda Farrell02-Feb-2019Dimuth Karunaratne has been cleared to bat again after the fierce blow to the back of his head from a Pat Cummins short delivery which saw him stretchered off the field on the second day in Canberra and taken to hospital. Following assessments he was released on Saturday evening and then came through a concussion test before play resumed on Sunday.*”Dimuth will be at the ground and SLC has cleared him to bat. They have said said there are no concussion issues,” an update on Sunday morning said. The incident happened when, attempting to duck the bouncer in the fourth delivery of the 31st over, Karunaratne turned and tucked in his head. But the ball did not rise as high as he had expected, and struck him seemingly on the top of the shoulder, before hitting the area where his neck meets his skull.Dimuth was wearing a helmet with the rear attachments designed to shield a batsman’s neck, and though it was the equipment that the ball seemed to strike, he immediately collapsed backwards, losing grip of his bat. He lay still on the popping crease, as the Sri Lanka physio and the Australian team doctor rushed on to the field.Although clearly in immense discomfort, Dimuth was conscious throughout the episode, and was seen talking to the medical professionals assisting him. He also moved his hands and fingers.”It was a bit scary at the start, the way he fell back initially but he was okay, throughout he was talking to the umpires and the physio.” Sri Lanka coach Chandika Hathurusingha said after the day’s play.The medical staff put a brace around his neck, transferred him gently on to a stretcher, then drove him off the field, with members of the Australia team showing concern, as well as Dimuth’s own team-mates. Australia captain Tim Paine and Cummins himself watched proceedings closely.”It’s never nice,” Kurtis Patterson said. “You never like seeing that, you want your fast bowlers to be aggressive and try to set them up to get the nick, but you never like it when players go down like that. I haven’t heard but I’m hoping he’s okay, hoping he can come out and bat again tomorrow. All of us were in a little bit of shock but I think everyone is okay, which is good, so hoping he’s okay to bat again tomorrow.”Dimuth is the fifth Sri Lanka player to suffer an injury on this brief tour, with four fast bowlers already having broken down. Dimuth had been batting well, on 46, when he was struck. His opening stand with Lahiru Thirimanne, worth 82, was Sri Lanka’s second-best first-wicket stand in Australia.*9.45amAEDT, Feb 3: Karunaratne’s status was updated after a statement from SLC

Samiullah Khan bowls SNGPL to QEA title

Fast bowler takes eight-for as Salman Butt’s side fold inside 11 overs on fifth day as SNGPL clinch third title in four years

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Dec-2017
ScorecardPCB

SNGPL beat WAPDA by 103 runs to clinch their third Quaid-e-Azam trophy title in four years.The hard work had been done on Sunday, where the core of WAPDA’s batting line-up was dismantled. This left Mohammad Hafeez’s side needing only three wickets to regain the trophy. They faced a hint of resistance on Monday, but weren’t to be denied in the end.Samiullah Khan, the left-arm fast bowler, took all three remaining wickets to post career-best figures of 8 for 62, as Salman Butt’s side’s title defence came to an end.Any thoughts of a competitive final day had been killed off late on the fourth evening in a spectacular 19-ball collapse that saw WAPDA reduced from 86 for three to 86 for 7, with all their recognised batsmen dismissed.Khushdil Shah fell off the third ball on the final day before dogged partnership between Wahab Riaz and Khalid Usman took the hosts past 150. However, Samiullah returned to dismiss Wahab before taking the final wicket in the 11th over of the day to complete a 11-for.For a man who played two internationals for Pakistan nearly ten years ago, it was a sweet career-high in his twilight years.

Kent step up legal challenge after missing out on promotion

Kent’s chairman, George Kennedy, has confirmed that the club is seeking arbitration with the England & Wales Cricket Board after being overlooked for a place in Division One

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2016Kent’s chairman, George Kennedy, has confirmed that the club is seeking arbitration with the England & Wales Cricket Board after being overlooked for a place in Division One of the County Championship in the wake of Durham’s post-season relegation.Kent finished as runners-up in Division Two this season, which would ordinarily have been sufficient to earn them promotion. However, with the Championship moving to an eight-team top flight from 2017 onwards, the only spot available went to the champions Essex.However, Durham’s 48-point penalty for financial issues, and subsequent relegation, led to suggestions that Kent ought to have been invited to take their place in Division One. Instead, the ECB confirmed that Hampshire, who finished second-from-bottom in the table, would be allowed to stay up.In a letter to the ECB seen by The Times, Kent described the decision as “prejudiced, perverse and contrary to natural justice,” and even went so far as to claim that Durham officials had been told in May that they would be relegated.””We have [sent the letter] – they would have received it yesterday,” Kennedy told PA. “We have asked for arbitration in the situation, and we’ll see what comes of that.”Kennedy added that he had met with Colin Graves, the ECB chairman, last week to discuss the issue.”It was an amicable meeting – we were able to exchange opinions. One or two things have come to light since then, so we thought we would bring it to a head – and that is exactly what we’ve done.””We can confirm receipt of a letter from Kent county cricket club regarding the issue of promotion and relegation,” said an ECB spokesperson.”Last week’s decision to relegate Durham – with Hampshire remaining in the first division of the Specsavers County Championship – was in line with the two-down, one-up relegation and promotion rules for this season’s county championship which were notified to all counties and published prior to start of the 2016 season.”We are currently considering our response to Kent’s letter and will reply to them in due course.”Durham issued a statement denying the details in the Times report: “Contrary to today’s press report, Durham county cricket club can confirm that they were not told in May that the club would be relegated at the end of the season.”

Overseas county games back on agenda

Plans for the county season to start overseas are back on the table as the ECB looks to find a solution to fixture congestion in the domestic season

George Dobell17-Sep-20155:01

Dobell: Spectators haven’t been consulted

Plans for the county season to start overseas are back on the table as the ECB looks to find a solution to fixture congestion in the domestic season.With the ECB’s plans to reduce the County Championship schedule to 14 games per side abandoned for at least another year and clearly unacceptable to several counties, further options will now be considered. And one of those plans, favoured by Sussex among others, is to move part of the domestic programme into March and play the games overseas. Possible destinations include Spain, the UAE, South Africa and various Caribbean nations.While Sussex have suggested only playing “part of a domestic 50-over tournament overseas before the start of the normal season” it is possible that up to two Championship matches and two 50-over matches per county could be played outside England and Wales.When the plans were first mooted, in June 2013, they received a lukewarm reception. But now, as county members reflect on some of the possible scenarios, this may be considered the least bad option.There are decent cricketing reasons for the initiative. It would ensure a symmetrical fixture list in both divisions and it would enable players to gain more exposure in conditions that would favour spin bowling far more than would be the case in early-season England. It would also ease fixture congestion during the rest of the season and allow the time the England team management insist is required for rest, recovery and practice.It is understood that, at the time the idea was first aired, several tourist boards and travel companies contacted the ECB to offer sponsorship or incentives, so the costs may not be as much of an issue as they might appear at first glance. About half of the counties currently prepare for the domestic season with overseas tours. The UAE and Barbados are the most common venues.While county members would be encouraged to travel to watch the games, many would find the cost prohibitive and would naturally resist the reduction in cricket available close to home. But with compromise likely over the coming months, it is one option that will warrant further discussion.

Brendon McCullum blitz draws New Zealand level

England foundered from the start under the lights at Seddon Park, enabling New Zealand to inflict a 55-run trouncing

The Report by David Hopps12-Feb-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHamish Rutherford hauled one into the sponsors’ area and almost felled a couple of stilt walkers•Getty Images

England have never successfully chased a target of such magnitude to win a Twenty20 international and they certainly did not chase this one. They foundered from the start under the lights at Seddon Park, enabling New Zealand to inflict a 55-run trouncing. After all the talk of small boundaries, for England they seemed to be expanding by the moment.The ICC rankings system certainly knows how to lose faith with a side after a bad night’s cricket. England, third at the start of the night, were sixth by the end of it. T20 is a volatile business. The series will be settled in Wellington on Friday.Brendon McCullum had carried the fight for New Zealand, striking 74 from 38 balls and manfully thrusting a daunting total into English faces after they had gained control in mid-innings. England conceded 38 off the last two overs, Stuart Broad and Jade Dernbach the bowlers to suffer, and even though Dernbach silenced McCullum’s belligerence at deep cover on the penultimate ball of the innings, England had nothing to show for some tigerish fielding.Just as striking was the degree to which New Zealand’s fast bowlers outdid their England counterparts. They found movement under the lights never imagined by England earlier in the innings as they preferred the back-of-a-length approach that had served them so well in the opening T20I in Auckland.England, victors in the opening T20I in Auckland when they batted first and made their highest total in this format, opted to chase when Stuart Broad won the toss on a dry, lightly cloudy evening in Hamilton. “Probably should have batted first,” Broad accepted.Ian Butler stood out with an impeccable spell of 2 for 9 in four overs as England’s innings never found any impetus. Butler has had some discouraging times in a career and almost abandoned New Zealand cricket to play county cricket in England but he has had a good season with Otago Volts and this was a night that told of a bowler with appetite restored. James Franklin bowled well, but his four-for largely fell upon him.England never recovered from losing three wickets for 24 by the fifth over. Alex Hales was bowled by Mitchell McClenaghan as he tried to work to leg, Luke Wright edged his sighter to gully, and Jonny Bairstow, cramped as he pulled Butler, got it no further than short-fine leg. When Michael Lumb was bowled off his pads, charging Nathan McCullum’s off spin, England limped to the mid-point at 47 for 4.It all left Morgan facing circumstances that he did not naturally relish, a batsman with too much time on his hands. Morgan likes games to be set up for him, but this one felt more like a set up favoured in American gangster movies.It is not often that Morgan seems overpowered by a situation, but it was the case here. He reached 13 from 22 before he fell to Butler. He needed good fortune to get that far, surviving a stumping chance – a McCullum brotherly combination that went amiss – and was badly dropped off Butler at deep midwicket when Hamish Rutherford battered one to the floor off his chest.By the time Samit Patel was run out by yards, failing to negotiate a single to Trent Boult who hit direct from mid off, England’s innings had entered the realms of black comedy. The only consolation came from Jos Buttler’s maiden T20I fifty. Buttler has been favoured with the gloves ahead of Bairstow as a statement that England wish to keep him in the side. His reputation is built on short, explosive innings, and his 54 from 30 balls in a hopeless task did him no harm.After the somewhat unnatural six-hitting extravaganza in Eden Park, Seddon Park had a more satisfying cricketing feel. It is another compact ground, with straight boundaries around 65m, but a few extra metres and a more logical shape provided a more gratifying setting for another packed house. Even so, after England gave the first over to the offspinner, James Tredwell, it took all of four balls before Martin Guptill smashed him for six into the sightscreen. There were ten sixes in all for New Zealand, five of them to McCullum, their jaw-jutting captain. England, so supreme in Auckland, managed two in reply.Finn had placed a marker a few paces from the stumps in an effort to control his occasional habit of colliding with them. Stay left of that, and you will be okay, seemed to be the message. His thoughts soon strayed elsewhere as Rutherford hauled him into the sponsors’ area and almost felled a couple of stilt walkers.New Zealand rattled along at around ten an over from the outset. Jade Dernbach was wearing a strapping on his heavily-tattooed left arm after being accidentally spiked in practice, presumably denying onlookers the chance to read several ancient Tibetan dictums.Wright, who looks too perky to sit down in a tattoo parlour, came up trumps for the second successive match, his medium pace bringing 2 for 24 to follow his 2 for 29 in Auckland. He arrested an opening stand of 75 in 8.2 overs when Rutherford tried to fiddle one to third man and was caught at the wicket. There was the wicket of Ross Taylor, too, who hauled him to Bairstow at deep midwicket. Acclaimed as the returning hero since ending his self-imposed exile, Taylor has so far amassed more ovations than runs.When Dernbach’s slower balls began to make an impact – Colin Munro hauling to Bairstow at deep midwicket and Grant Elliott having his bails trimmed by a back-of-the-hand delivery, the judder in New Zealand’s innings had become pronounced. But it was nothing like the judder England were about to experience.

England squeeze into lead as wickets tumble

England’s batting has been so ineffably weak in this Test series that even the sight of a Pakistan side bundled out for 99 was not about to fill them with resolve

The Report by David Hopps03-Feb-2012

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKevin Pietersen looked confident before falling again to left-arm spin, Abdur Rehman trapping him lbw for 32•Getty Images

England’s batting has been so ineffably weak in this Test series that even the sight of a Pakistan side bundled out for 99 was not about to fill them with resolve. Where once they were steadfast now they are overwrought. All logic suggested they should have ended the opening day of the third Test in a position of authority but logic left this series long ago.It is the first time that Test cricket has been played in winter in the UAE and the pitches have been enlivened from their usual moribund state as a result but not remotely to the extent that the scores suggest. Every day brings something more bizarre. This should not by any stretch of the imagination have been a 16-wicket day.Pakistan avoided their lowest Test score against England thanks only to 45 from Asad Shafiq, the one batsman to pass muster as England’s new-ball pair, Stuart Broad and James Anderson, made full use of encouraging conditions. Pakistan began the final Test imagining they could whitewash England in a Test series for the first time. It is quite something to be dismissed for fewer than 100 on a decent-enough surface and still be in the match.An England innings has become something fantastical. The DRS has sapped their resolve. It was introduced to reduce umpiring mistakes, and it has achieved its purpose, but in this series at least, it has shifted the balance of the game fundamentally. Umpires in this series are giving most marginal calls to the bowler, too many marginal calls. Batsmen are confused about their technique and spinners are bowling straight and imagining themselves as superheroes. It will right itself in time; the authorities are not fond of three-day Tests.This series has already produced more lbws than in any three-Test series in history – 35 and counting. There were eight umpiring reviews and the Australian Simon Taufel, who has mused about retirement more than once, had an uncomfortable day as he had several decisions overturned.Almost unnoticed, Andrew Strauss reached the close of a bewildering day unbeaten on 41, an England captain labouring to add a major batting contribution to his undoubted leadership qualities. Overlook a flirt with a sweep or two and he stood alongside Shafiq and Kevin Pietersen as the most secure batsmen on an insecure day.Memories of England’s batting debacles in the first two Tests must have preyed on Alastair Cook’s mind as he fell to the sort of hesitant jab against Umar Gul that Australia, in England’s victorious Ashes series barely a year ago, must have dreamed of. Gul also had Trott lbw: a dodgy decision by the umpire, Steve Davis, which England failed to review.Then came the curiosities. Kevin Pietersen looked in good trim but fell to left-arm spin once more, a marginal decision that might have been designed to taunt his pre-match assertion that his record against this type of bowler was “not a train crash”. Ian Bell was out to Saeed Ajmal for the fourth series, straying out of his crease and stumped fortuitously by Adnan Akmal off a blur of pads and gloves – that is how his brother Kamran used to do it. Eoin Morgan, his reputation as a good player of spin now in tatters, was trapped on the back foot by a quicker, flatter one. And finally Matt Prior, desperate not to be struck on the pads, was bowled by one that turned.Pakistan were no better. By drinks on the first morning, England had five Pakistan wickets; shortly after drinks came round again in the afternoon they had them all. This was far from a fast bowlers’ feast but Broad, England’s outstanding player of the series, and Anderson made full use of a little swing and some unexpected bounce.Broad’s new-ball return of 3 for 12 in six overs included two overturned decisions for Taufel as England successfully resorted to DRS. The dismissal of Mohammad Hafeez was the most controversial of the day.England were searching for a lbw decision but there seemed to be little conclusive evidence to overturn Taufel’s decision. Indeed those blessed with the eyes of a hawk and high-definition TVs insisted there was a slight mark on hot spot that should have reprieved Hafeez. Shavir Tarapore, the third umpire from India in his fourth Test, gave him out, causing Hafeez to slap his bat in unconcealed disgust.In the seconds a fielding side has to decide on a review, the captain, Andrew Strauss, mentally dons a business suit, calls a meeting, studies a report, draws conclusions and lays out a systematic process. The sense is of clipboards, posh pens and PowerPoint presentations. Misbah tries to do the same for Pakistan but he is a bit short of reliable middle management.In England in 2010, Pakistan collapsed for 72, 76 and 80, three batting disasters at Edgbaston, Lord’s and Trent Bridge that count among their eight lowest Test scores in history. They no longer had to contend with a surly English summer but they did face the debilitating effect of a series already secured.Their collapse began in the first over, Taufeeq Umar defeated by Anderson’s inswinger. There were few demons in the ball from Broad that dismissed Azhar and Younis Khan’s jab at a wide, rising ball, even allowing for the unexpected steepness of the bounce: another poor shot in a career nearing its end.Misbah and Adnan, who should also have been run out by Morgan, both turned to DRS without success to try to stem the flow of wickets. Rehman’s slog at Graeme Swann, in his solitary over, was the worst batting moment on a day replete with them. Shafiq was ninth out, trying to cut Panesar and getting struck on the pad in front of middle.For Pakistan the morning had brought back bad memories of their first Test in the UAE. Against Australia in Sharjah ten years ago they were dismissed for 53 and 59 – their two lowest Test scores. Misbah, Taufeeq and Younis were all in the top six then. In some ways little has changed in Pakistan cricket. In other, more significant ways, everything has changed.

Porterfield to captain Intercontinental Cup XI

Ireland captain William Porterfield has been named captain of the ICC’s team of the tournament for the group stage of the Intercontinental Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2010Ireland captain William Porterfield was picked as captain of the ICC’s team of the tournament for the group stage of the Intercontinental Cup. The team includes five players from Afghanistan and Scotland, the tournament finalists, and was selected by a panel of experts named by the coaches and captains of the seven participants.”This was by no means an easy task this year with so many teams providing worthy candidates for the team of the tournament,” said the ICC’s high-performance manager Richard Done, who chaired the panel. “Afghanistan feature heavily in the side, unsurprisingly, since they have had a good tournament so far.”The team – which will be presented with specially struck medals – comprises players from six countries with four of the XI from Afghanistan. Three are from Ireland and there are two players from Kenya and one each from Netherlands, Zimbabwe and Scotland.To be nominated, players must have appeared in at least three out of his team’s six Intercontinental Cup round-robin matches. The coaches and captains were also asked to nominate a captain from the players they picked.The ICC also announced the team of the tournament for the group stage of the ICC Intercontinental Shield. Eight players from UAE and Namibia – the finalists – feature in the team, and UAE captain Khurram Khan will be captaining the XI.”The majority of the team is made up of the two finalists, Namibia and UAE, which is a reflection of the hard work the players have put in throughout the Intercontinental Shield,” Done said. “This is the tournament’s first year and we’ve seen good progress from all the four teams involved in the event. The sides’ skills have improved continuously with the regular games and playing the four-day format.”The XI – picked along the same lines as the Cup side – also includes three players from Uganda and one from Bermuda. To be nominated, players must have appeared in at least two out of his team’s three ICC Intercontinental Shield 2009-10 round-robin matches.ICC Intercontinental Cup XI: William Porterfield (Ireland, capt), Noor Ali (Afghanistan), Steve Tikolo (Kenya), Vusi Sibanda (Zimbabwe XI), Andrew White (Ireland), Muhammad Shahzad (Afghanistan, wicketkeeper), Hamid Hassan (Afghanistan), Trent Johnston (Ireland), Nehemiah Odhiambo (Kenya), Mohammed Nabi (Afghanistan), Mohammed Haq (Scotland), 12th Man: Peter Borren (Netherlands)ICC Intercontinental Shield XI: Arshad Ali (UAE), Raymond van Schoor (Namibia), Khurram Khan (UAE, captain), Craig Williams (Namibia), Ewald Steenkamp (Nambia),Lawrence Sematimba (wicketkeeper, Uganda), Louis Klazinga (Namibia), Amjad Javed (UAE), Dennis Tabby (Uganda), Fayyaz Ahmed (UAE), Frank Nsubuga (Uganda),12th Man: David Hemp (Bermuda)

Perren walks away from Queensland

Clint Perren, who has not played a game for Queensland since last summer, has announced his retirement from representative cricket

Cricinfo staff22-Dec-2009Clint Perren, who has not played a game for Queensland since last summer, has announced his retirement from representative cricket. Perren, a 34-year-old right-hander with 82 first-class appearances, will move with his family to live in England in March.Perren first appeared with the Bulls in 1998-99 and was only the second Queenslander to play 100 one-day matches, bringing up his century last season. In his first-class career he scored 4737 runs at 35.35 with 10 centuries, including a career highest score of 224.He headed the run-scoring aggregate for the Bulls across the Pura Cup, FR Cup and Twenty20 competitions in 2006-07 and was a member of successful Shield campaigns in 2000-01 and 2005-06. “I gave myself the chance to break back into the team at the start of the season but quickly realised that there were other things in my life that were of greater priority,” he said. “I made the decision a little while ago and I’ve got no regrets about calling it a day.”