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Match facts

Tuesday August 26, 2008
Start time 14.30BST (13.30GMT)

Big Picture

England made a useful start to the one-dayers with a win after losing the Test series to South Africa, who had started favourites to take the one-dayers, too. Kevin Pietersen, who has collected two Man-of-the-Match awards in his two matches as full-time captain, is now looking forward to the return of the man he replaced as leader of the one-day side, as Paul Collingwood comes back after his four-match ban for Tuesday’s day-nighter at Trent Bridge. Pietersen already has Collingwood’s backing: “He’s had a fantastic start. He’s gone out there wanting the captaincy and already he’s making really good decisions. Hopefully he will go from strength to strength, he’s learning all the time.” Meanwhile, South Africa will be keen to level the series and are hoping – however unlikely – that the Morkel brothers will be fit to return.

Form guide

England WLLLW
South Africa LWWWW

Watch out for…

Paul Collingwood Much has happened since Collingwood was suspended during the New Zealand series for a slow over-rate. In that time he has ceded the leadership to Pietersen, who has taken charge of the Test, one-day and Twenty20 sides. Collingwood, like fellow squad members Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara, was sent back to his county on Sunday for some extra practice ahead of the game and he warmed up well with 2 for 26 and an unbeaten 65 for Durham.Morne Morkel If he passes his fitness test, Morkel will be keen to make an impression in what would be his first ODI since March against Bangladesh. It would also only be the 11th of his career but he has already collected 20 wickets.

Team news

Ryan Sidebottom will miss the rest of England’s one-day series against South Africa because of groin trouble. Injury problems had already kept Sidebottom out of the last two Tests and the first of the five ODIs at Headingley on Friday. He has suffered a combination of hip and groin issues since the drawn first Test against South Africa in early July.England are unlikely to call up anyone else, with Steve Harmison having already agreed to make his ODI return and Tim Bresnan also included as cover with Chris Tremlett having a heel problem. Bresnan will play for Yorkshire in their Pro40 match against Kent at Scarborough on Monday but will rejoin his team-mates ahead of Tuesday’s game at Trent Bridge. He appeared in the first ODI on Friday as a substitute, taking a catch to dismiss Johan Botha.England (possible) 1 Ian Bell, 2 Matt Prior (wk), 3 Owais Shah, 4 Kevin Pietersen (capt), 5 Andrew Flintoff, 6 Paul Collingwood, 7 Ravi Bopara, 8 Samit Patel, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steve Harmison.After losing the opener, South Africa are keen for Morne and Albie Morkel to return from injury, with Morne the likelier to play on Tuesday but far from a certainty with his side strain. He bowled six overs in the nets on Sunday, while Albie batted and fielded in drills but is still struggling with a problem with his right shoulder. Both will be assessed in practice on Monday.South Africa (possible) 1 Herschelle Gibbs, 2 Graeme Smith (capt), 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Jean-Paul Duminy, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Johan Botha, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Andre Nel, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Makhaya Ntini.Umpires: Mark Benson, Simon Taufel

Pitch and conditions

This match will be the last international at Trent Bridge before the surface is relaid in September to allow for new drainage. There is an early chance of showers in the morning at Trent Bridge but the day should be set fair by the time the teams take to the pitch.

Stats and Trivia

Pakistan will rely heavily on pace when they take on the West Indies in an ODI series later this month in Abu Dhabi. The interim selection committee, headed by former fast bowler Saleem Jaffar, named a 15-man squad with five fast bowlers for the three-match engagement starting November 12.Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir, Rao Iftikhar Anjum and Abdur Rauf make up the pace options and inevitably, all eyes will be on the first name. Shoaib returned to the national team in the T20 Canada in August, the first time this year he had played for Pakistan after a string of disciplinary scrapes kept him out.He appeared to be short of full fitness at the tournament but two four-day games for Federal Areas in the ongoing Pentangular Cup have confirmed that he is working his way back. He bowled 22 overs in each game, steadily building up the length of his spells and it culminated in a hostile spell yesterday against Punjab in which he ended with figures of 4-14 from 10 overs, seven of which were maidens. From the two games, he has nine wickets.”There has been significant improvement in his fitness and bowling since August and even just over the course of the last two games,” Jaffar told Cricinfo. “He was very good in this game [against Punjab] where his rhythm was back and his stamina was there too.”A series with India in January was also on their minds. “We want him to be with the team and get back into it because the India series is an important one. He is one of the best bowlers around and we expect him to play a big part in that series,” Jaffar said.The performances of the other fast bowlers so far will bring some cheer to Pakistan. Gul has fully recovered from the rib injury he picked up at the Asia Cup in July, taking 6-39 in his only Pentangular game so far this season. Tanvir was the leading wicket-taker with 11 wickets and both Anjum and Rauf have also been impressive. As a result, no place is available for promising fast bowler Sohail Khan, the domestic find last season.The rest of the squad, in essence, picked itself. Mohammad Yousuf was included but reports of him joining the unauthorised ICL raised questions about his availability. “Once we get written confirmation from the PCB (that Yousuf has signed up with the ICL) we will name his replacement but it is likely that Khalid Latif will take his place,” Jaffar told AFP.

Shahid Afridi’s return to some semblance of batting form – domestically at least – helped him retain his place. As the inexperienced Saeed Ajmal is the only spin option, Afridi’s leg-spin will also prove handy.”It’s an experienced and balanced side. The team was selected after giving due consideration to the opinions of both captain and the coach,” Jaffar said. “It’s unfortunate that we didn’t play a Test match this year, but hopefully the players will be tuned up with this short series against the West Indies before we take on India.The only minor concern is over the health of Nasir Jamshed, the left-handed opener who has impressed on several occasions for Pakistan this year. He has just recovered from malaria and will undergo a fitness test before boarding the flight to Abu Dhabi. “He is 99% okay to go and play,” Jaffer said. In case he doesn’t, Khalid Latif will take his place.

Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, has predicted a close contest in the three-Test series against India, while his counterpart Anil Kumble emphasised his team’s consistency in the run-up to the tour, during a press conference in Colombo to launch the series.”Every time we’ve played them, there has been some really good cricket played by both teams, who possess some good-quality players,” Jayawardene said. “I am sure that the public will have a great series to watch.””We thoroughly enjoy playing India, at home or away,” he said “It’s always been a tough challenge. There is good rivalry with our neighbours.”Jayawardene said his team’s focus was on winning the series and not on stopping Sachin Tendulkar from getting the 172 runs needed to overtake Brian Lara, who has 11,957 runs to his name, as the highest run-scorer. “I don’t think we will try that hard not to give him the record. We are going to treat Sachin in the same manner as anybody else in the Indian camp,” he said. “It will be a great milestone if he achieves it, but our focus will be on the series.He also spoke about his performances against India. “Personally I have a couple of milestones against India. I made my debut against them and also scored my first double-hundred against them. It’s a pretty good team for me to play against.”Kumble was upbeat about India’s prospects considering the players at his disposal and the team’s recent record. “The last time we played Sri Lanka in India we beat them. We are confident,” he said. “We have Zaheer Khan back in the team with his experience of bowling in subcontinental conditions, Ishant Sharma who has really progressed well as a seamer, and Harbhajan Singh is back as well.””We have a good combination and we have done pretty well in the lead up to the Test series,” he said. “In the last one year or so we have been really consistent with our performances. That’s something which we will take forward.”Kumble, who has not played in Sri Lanka since the 1993-94 tour, said the senior members of the team had experience of the conditions there. “The conditions would be pretty similar [to those in India] and the players we have in the team are all quite used to these conditions, especially the batting line-up. They are familiar with what to expect.”He also expected his team’s middle order to cope with the threat posed by Ajantha Mendis, who destroyed India in the Asia Cup earlier this month with figures of 6 for 13. ” We have the quality [to counter Mendis] … our middle order has more than 30,000 Test runs and four of them have played more than 100 Tests,” he said. “It will be challenging and I am sure our batsmen will definitely cope with that. It is something obviously we need to be on the look out for.”Meanwhile, former captain Hashan Tillakaratne has been appointed as the Sri Lankan team’s manager. He replaces Shriyan Samararatne.India play a three-day warm-up match against a Sri Lanka Board XI from July 18 to prepare for the first Test, which begins on July 23.

Captain Sourav Ganguly claimed India were `destined’ to win after his side’s dramatic 10-run victory against South Africa at Premadasa International Stadium on Wednesday night.India looked dead and buried after a record 178-run second wicket stand between Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis left South Africa cruising to victory on 192/1.But when Gibbs was forced from the field with cramps in both hands, South Africa lost quick wickets and then fell behind the run rate as India’s spinners excelled.An emotional Sourav Ganguly said afterwards: “I don’t how we won this game. I don’t have the words to describe it but it was fantastic. We never gave up and were destined to win.”We thought it was a big total because the ball wasn’t coming on to the bat but Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis played well,” said Ganguly. “But we got two wickets in one over from Harbhajan Singh which probably turned the game for us.”He admitted though that Gibbs’ hand cramps were a godsend: “We got an opportunity with Gibbs going off the field…and we grabbed it.”He reserved special praise for left-armer Zaheer Khan, who conceded just 27 runs from nine overs, and Virender Sehwag, the eventual man of the match, who followed a brisk 59 with three wickets at the death.”I thought we did pretty well with the ball,” said Ganguly. “Zaheer (Khan) has been outstanding for the last six months and to go for 27 runs in nine overs on this track was amazing.””And Sehwag can’t do anything wrong,” he added. “Perhaps I should have bowled him earlier.””But I have to give credit to everybody – we fielded brilliantly. The two catches from Yuvraj were some of the best I have seen.”South Africa captain Shaun Pollock was understandably distraught.”It’s basically just not good enough at an international level…we had the game wrapped up but, unfortunately, we didn’t do it and we are out of the tournament,” said Pollock. “We only have ourselves to blame.”He was pleased with his bowlers who had fought back after a brisk Indian start.”I thought that 260 was very gettable and the way we went about it at the start was pretty awesome – we were well in control. But after Herschelle’s cramps we lost our way.””Unfortunately, he had cramp in both of his hands and he wasn’t able to bat again. We tried to get him going again but it was impossible,” he revealed.”All credit to India though. I thought they fought back hard. They didn’t give us any free balls to hit and kept the pressure on us.”We will have to go back to the drawing board and make sure that we don’t make those mistakes again.”He played down the similarities with South Africa’s humiliating exit from the 1999 when they lost off the final ball of the semi-final to Australia: “In that game we needed one run from one ball, here we were behind the run rate in the final three overs.”

The South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) has confirmed thatDamien Fleming and Chris Davies have both withdrawn from the Pura Cupmatch against NSW starting tomorrow.Fleming is being rested following a slight right shoulder strain hesuffered during the recent Pura Cup match against WA. The SACAanticipates he will be fit to line up in the Pura Cup game against theVictoria Bushrangers from November 22.Redbacks paceman, Mark Harrity, will be flown to Sydney to replaceFleming for tomorrow’s game.Davies has a strained right hamstring, and also should be fit to rejointhe squad for the match against Victoria later this month.Right-hand batsman, Nathan Adcock, has been called into the State sideto replace Davies.

Glamorgan Dragons have taken another step towards the Norwich Union League Division One title with a five-wicket victory over Nottinghamshire Outlaws at Colwyn Bay.An unbroken partnership of 54 for the sixth wicket between Dragons’ skipper Steve James and young ‘keeper Mark Wallace took the home side to victory, and a two point lead over Worcestershire Royals at the top of the table. The Outlaws’ place in division one is now held by a thread.James, playing the anchor role with a determined 54 not out, and 20-year-old Wallace, came together with their side wobbling on 173-5 in pursuit of the Outlaws’ 226-7 from their 45 overs. Wallace finished unbeaten on a 32-ball 37.Earlier Ian Thomas hit a fine 64 – his second half-century in the competition this year – to ensure a good start for the Dragons. But when he fell with the score on 111, and Matthew Maynard followed shortly afterwards, the game was in the balance.However, James’ third half-century in the competition this season, and Wallace’s best effort of the year took the Dragons to victory in front of a delighted home crowd.It was a brave effort from the Outlaws. They had set a competitive total based around contributions from the experienced Darren Bicknell (51 from 72 balls) and the youth of the in-form Bilal Shafayat (48 from 52 balls) after winning the toss and deciding to bat.The control of Adrian Dale (nine overs, 3-29) was the main stumbling block for the Outlaws. His medium-pace snared three vital wickets in Bicknell, Nicky Boje and the potentially destructive Kevin Pietersen as the visitors became bogged down in the middle of their innings.Useful late hitting from Paul Franks and Stephen Randall gave the Outlaws total a boost, but the force is with the Dragons and their game against Royals next week has all the look of a title decider.

Mohammad Akram, the former Pakistan pace bowler, lifted a little of the gloom surrounding his countrymen’s efforts at Test level by producing the best figures in England’s Bradford League first division for 14 years.Akram, in his first season with Undercliffe, took all 10 wickets for 25 runs against Cleckheaton, to become the 28th top division player to claim a full house in the league’s 98-year history.Another former Pakistan international, Iqbal Sikander, was among the wickets for Leigh in the Liverpool Competition as they ended Lytham’s unbeaten start to the premier division campaign.Sikander took five for 42 from 16 overs to reduce the opposition to 82 all out en route to a six-wicket victory.

Former Australian vice-captain David Hookes has been named as Victoria’s new cricket coach at a press conference in Melbourne today.Hookes, 46, has been appointed to a two-year contract and assumes the reins as the Bushrangers’ new mentor from outgoing coach Mick O’Sullivan in the wake of a troubled season for Victorian cricket.Hookes was a late entrant into a race that had seen Jamie Siddons and Matthew Drain emerge as the favourites to assume the position but won the support of officials during a series of talks over recent weeks.”It’s a great feeling to be involved again at first-class level,” said Hookes.”I’m looking forward to working with the players in the squad to ensure that the Bushrangers are again a successful team.”I’ve been in cricket changerooms for (a total of) ten minutes since I retired ten years ago, and that was at the invitation of Greg Chappell.”(But) I felt pretty happy to put my hat in the ring … to find out where I sat in the marketplace, in cricketing terms,” he added of a decision that was also influenced by encouragement from Victorian Cricket Association (VCA) operations manager, Shaun Graf.Hookes was one of Australian interstate cricket’s most outstanding players, amassing 10,439 runs in 136 first-class matches for South Australia with a style of batting that was often marked by its aggression. He was a long-time captain of the state, held the record for being the most prolific run scorer in Sheffield Shield/Pura Cup history, and played 23 Tests and 39 one-day internationals in a career with Australia that also included a stint as then captain Allan Border’s deputy in the early 1980s.He inherits his new job at a crucial time for cricket in Victoria, and flagged a desire today to see the team adopt a far more attacking and ambitious philosophy.The Bushrangers endured a disastrous 2001-02, losing then coach John Scholes to a shock resignation on the eve of their opening match of the season and ultimately stumbling into fifth place on each of the two domestic competition tables.The retirement of captain Paul Reiffel during the season exacerbated the woes, while the omission from the Bushrangers’ senior team of Test off spinner Colin Miller added to a spectre of political in-fighting that has appeared to plague Victorian teams for much of the last decade.Against the background of widespread media criticism from within Victoria, the state’s selection panel was also restructured in the wake of the performance, with elections forcing the removal of long-time members Graf and Neil Buszard.The Bushrangers reached successive first-class finals in each of the preceding two seasons but have been unable in recent years to arrest a trend that has seen the state fail to win a title at that level since 1990-91.Hookes has no formal coaching experience, but has maintained an association with cricket in a role as a media commentator throughout the ten years that have followed his retirement.In a surprise move that shares similarities with South Australia’s decision to allow Greg Chappell to actively maintain his business interests, the VCA will permit Hookes the chance to pursue his burgeoning media career alongside his coaching commitments.

Sri Lanka ambled to victory against a youthful Sri Lanka A side at NCCGrounds on Sunday, their only match practice before the opening game of theICC Champions Trophy starting next Thursday.However, despite overhauling the 200 for nine scored by Sri Lanka A with11.4 overs and four wickets to spare, Sri Lanka’s middle order had to fighthard after a top order collapse left them facing potential embarrassment.Marvan Atapattu (42) and Kumar Sangakkara (25) set a quick early pace,benefiting from their young opponent’s ill discipline with the ball (SriLanka A bowled 36 wides), before four wickets fell for 29 runs and Sri Lankaslipped from 74 without loss to 103 for four.Fortunately for Sri Lanka, Russel Arnold was reprieved early on in hisinnings when he looked to have nicked a catch to wicket-keeper JeevanMendis.Arnold (28) and Mahela Jayawardene (28) then steadied the innings with 52run partnership with Upul Chandana (19*) and Chaminda Vaas knocking off thewinning runs.Watching from the sidelines, Jayasuriya was not entirely happy:”Preparations have gone well but it wasn’t a very good performance today.However, it was our first game since Morocco and I’m glad we had a chance toplay under match conditions.”The best news of the day for the management was the sight of Jayasuriyabatting in the middle for the first time since he dislocated his shoulder inMorocco.Facing four overs after the completion of the match, he was dismissed twiceand looked uncomfortable against the short ball but grew in confidence,hitting two towering leg-side sixes in his final over.He now expects to play on Thursday: “Yesterday was quite painful and I was alittle stiff today when I first started, but its getting better and better.The chances of me playing are good and increasing everyday.”However he still has hasn’t bowled a ball since Morocco: “I have my doubtsas to whether I will be able to bowl if I play. Alex (Kontouri) has not evenlet me try bowling yet.”Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka had bowled and fielded better than they hadbatted, restricting Sri Lanka A to 200 for nine.All the bowlers completed economical spells, although Muttiah Muralitharanwas forced to endure the ignominy of being launched for three sixes by22-year-old seam bowler Thushara Mirando in the later overs.Mendis, highly rated by the Sri Lanka hierarchy, confirmed his potentialwith a patient 43 from 88 balls. Captain Thilan Samaraweera chipped in with32 and opener Michael Vandort scored 31.

Helped by a magnificent hundred by Sohail Idrees and an equally authoritative five-wicket haul by Azhar Ali, Lahore Whites surpassed Karachi Whites by 12 runs in a thrilling high-scoring encounter at National Stadium, Karachi.Batting at number 3, the right-handed Sohail fully capitalized on an excellent 71-run opening stand between skipper Humayun Farhat (47 off 26, 6 fours, 1 six) and Salman Butt (37 off 54, 5 fours), as he hit 101 off 112 balls, which contained 7fours and one six.This good work was continued by Rizwan Aslam (61 off 84), who found a few useful boundaries in the end, taking the Lahore total to 284 for 5 in the allotted 50 overs.Karachi got off to a flier in their run-chase, reaching 97 by the 11th over. Then it was up to a fiery 86 (69 balls, 11 fours) from Saeed Bin Nasir, which took Karachi to 209 in the 39th over, requiring 78 in more than 11 overs.However, it was because of a magnificent bowling effort by leg spinner Azhar (5 for 46 in ten overs), which put the much needed breaks on Karachi’s scoring rate, with the home side losing wickets at regular intervals and eventually getting all out in the 49th over.This is the 16-year-old Azhar’s second consecutive five-wicket haul in the tournament after destroying Peshawar with 5 for 23 in the first match only two days ago.In the second match of this Pool, played at Asghar Ali Shah Stadium, Karachi, Rawalpindi handed Peshawar their second defeat in as many matches, dampening their chances of reaching the semi-final stage of the tournament.Put into bat, Rawalpindi posted a fighting 242 on the board with major contributions, apart from 37 extras, coming from Tasawar Hussain (85 balls, 1 four) and Naved Ashraf (33 off 55, 1 four).For Peshawar, Bilal Marwat, Wasim Yousufi and Ahmed Kundi bagged two wickets each for 58, 30 and 35 runs, respectively.Peshawar batsmen went in search of their target in a confident manner, getting 100 for 2 by the 21st over. However, after the departure of Javed Iqbal for a well made 50 off 59 balls, their middle order just collapsed, as Iftikhar Mahmood, the left-arm leg spinner, bowled superbly for his five wickets, giving away just 23 runs in 10 overs. Peshawar were all out in 49.3 overs for 195, thus, conceding the match by 47 runs.In the third match, played at UBL Sports Complex, Karachi, Bahawalpur earned their first win of the tournament by subduing Islamabad by a narrow margin of two wickets.Helped by a useful 70 by skipper Asif Ali Saeed, Islamabad, batting first after winning the toss, managed 230 before being all out in 48.3 overs.Imran Adil and Amjad Jam bowled well for Bahawalpur, getting three wickets each for 36 and 40, respectively.Requiring 231 for victory, Bahawalpur lost wickets at regular intervals. However, a fine 65 off 84 balls, by Amjad Jam held their innings together. He was ably supported by Mohammad Rashid and wicket keeper Inam-ul-Haq, who got 42 (65 balls) and 33 (41 balls), respectively.Peshawar skipper employed 8 bowlers in a bid to stall the flow of runs, but none could prove effective enough. Only Nisar Ahmed could have his presence felt through figures of 2 for 24. Irfan Bhatti also got two wickets, but his nine overs cost him 60 runs. Ameer Khan and Ahsar Zaidi grabbed one wicket each for 33 and 35, respectively.