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Carlton Baugh, the West Indies wicketkeeper, has openly questioned Australia’s readiness to battle the spin of Devendra Bishoo after the tourists were made to look ordinary by a modest pair of local slow bowlers in their only warm-up for the Caribbean Tes

Daniel Brettig in Barbados04-Apr-2012Carlton Baugh, the West Indies wicketkeeper, has openly questioned Australia’s readiness to battle the spin of Devendra Bishoo after the tourists were made to look ordinary by a modest pair of local slow bowlers in their only warm-up for the Caribbean Test series.Having struggled to read and play the offbreaks and variations of the IPL-bound Sunil Narine in the limited-overs matches, Australia’s batsmen will soon be pitted against Bishoo, winner of the ICC’s Emerging Player of the Year award for 2011 after a series of wily performances against India’s spin-conversant batsmen at home and away.Bishoo’s four most recent appearances for Guyana in the regional first-class competition have reaped 24 wickets, and his skills are far in advance of those used by Ryan Austin and the part-time wrist-spinner Nkrumah Bonner at the Three Ws Oval. Baugh had little hesitation pointing this out, and also Australia’s periodic difficulties against quality slow bowlers down the decades.”To be honest, over the years Australia doesn’t play spin that well,” Baugh said. “Not taking away anything from them, they’re pretty good players, but tradition follows on from the years that they’re not the best players of spin.”It is pretty interesting because Austin is a natural offspin bowler and Bonner is pretty much a part-time legspin bowler, so it was pretty interesting to see what others can do, especially Devendra Bishoo and other spin bowlers.”Bishoo was hidden from Australia’s view during the ODIs and Twenty20s, and Baugh said this sleight of hand “could be [an advantage], and on Bishoo’s day you never know what can happen”.Watching from behind the stumps as captain of the WICB President’s XI, Baugh saw Michael Clarke make a smooth 30 and Ricky Ponting a brief 13. He reasoned that the visitors’ preference for faster surfaces had contributed to a mediocre first innings of 214 for 9 declared.”Today for them wasn’t the best day in terms of how the wicket was playing, they are accustomed to wickets coming on just like in Australia,” Baugh said. “This wicket wasn’t the best and they struggled a little bit. Hopefully when the Test matches start if we can continue to keep them on that road, eventually we should surprise them.”Our team is growing in confidence and you can see what we’ve been putting in and it’s paying off, so we’re just taking it one step at a time, and hopefully we can be very much competitive, just like the one-day series. They weren’t at their best as you can see and they played a few batters short, but at the same time it is the Australian team and I think we bowled pretty well in patches. To restrict them to 214 even though they had declared, we still got nine wickets and that is a plus for us.”Shane Watson, the touring vice-captain, admitted the Australians were “not entirely” happy with how they had gone in their pursuit of a smooth segue to day one of the series.”We would have liked guys going on to get bigger scores and a bit more consistent batting but the practice matches are here for the guys to adjust to conditions as well as we can and get some time in the middle,” Watson said. “It’s certainly better than training. It’s more to get out of it as much as you can. So far most batters have had enough time in the middle to get their head around their game plans are going to be on these types of wickets.”As for Bishoo, Watson said he was formulating his method to combat the Guyanese legspinner. “I’ve seen a fair bit of him already because there was a chance he was going to play the one-day series and the Twenty20s,” Watson said. “I’ve already had a fair look at his footage so far and I’ve seen the way he bowled throughout the World Cup for the West Indies very closely.”Without playing him I’ve got an idea of what his skills are and how he’s going to bowl, it’s moreso until you get out there and see what he’s doing and whether the wicket is turning before you know how big a challenge he’s going to be. There’s no doubt he’s got some really good skills. It’s going to be a good challenge for our batting group.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings in Dharamsala

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria16-May-2012

Match facts

Thursday, May 17, Dharamsala
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Ben Hilfenhaus has added spark to Chennai Super Kings’ bowling•Associated Press

Big Picture

Chennai Super Kings are placed fourth on the points table with 17 points and need to win their last league game against Kings XI Punjab to put themselves in a strong position to qualify for the playoffs. A loss, however, would put them at the mercy of the others. Kings XI are also on the brink of elimination after their loss to Delhi Daredevils on Tuesday and would need two wins in two matches plus other favourable results to push them through to the top four.The task for Kings XI is difficult as they face two in-form teams, Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils, and both matches will be played in Dharamsala, negating any home advantage that was available in Mohali. But Kings XI have fought well this season and surprised big teams, including Super Kings in Chennai. If their batting and bowling complement each other, Kings XI have the firepower to down any team. However, they would have to avoid the distraction of losing two of their players to the spot-fixing controversy.Two years ago, Super Kings had arrived in Dharamsala under similar circumstances for their last league match. That day, MS Dhoni had launched an attack on Irfan Pathan’s last over, and from there on, the team went on to win the IPL title. This year, Super Kings have been in must-win situations in the last few games and their batting, which has always been their strength, has finally started to come together while Ben Hilfenhaus has added spark to their bowling.There is a chance of rain in Dharamsala, but both teams would hope that it stays away because in case of a washout, Kings XI will be knocked out while Super Kings’ chances will get trickier.

Form guide

(most recent first, completed games)
Kings XI Punjab : LWWLW
Chennai Super Kings: WWWLW

Players to watch

David Hussey has said that Parwinder Awana has been Kings XI’s find of the season. Awana has continued to impress with the pace he generates off the pitch. He bowled another incisive spell in Delhi where he picked up three important wickets to give Kings XI a chance against Daredevils’ strong batting.Three matches ago, Ben Hilfenhaus was taken apart by Dwayne Smith in Mumbai. Since then, Hilfenhaus has won two back-to-back Man-of-the-Match awards and his pace and late swing has caused problems for all batsmen. The highlight of his last week’s exploits was the wicket of Virender Sehwag, who was beaten by the late outswing and lost his off stump.

Stats and trivia

• In Super Kings’ last three games, Ben Hilfenhaus’ figures read 11-1-61-6.
• Super Kings’ batsmen have scored five half-centuries in IPL 2012, which is the lowest for a team along with Pune Warriors. Royal Challengers Bangalore have 15 half-centuries – the most by a team this season.
  

  Quotes

  “We will take one game at a time and won’t think for the playoffs now. We have to win our next match.”

  “Delhi are a very talented team. But we have shown the fans that we fight till the end and can still chase the finals.”

Ravi Bopara’s unbeaten half-century rescued a difficult situation for Essex at Northampton

06-Jun-2012
ScorecardRavi Bopara battled Essex out of a difficult position•Getty Images

Ravi Bopara’s unbeaten half-century allowed Essex to recover from a shaky start on a rain-affected first day of their County Championship Division Two clash at Northamptonshire.Essex were reduced to 57 for 4 just before lunch but England international Bopara’s 65 not out off 129 balls, including 12 fours, helped the visitors to move on to 138 for 4 before rain brought about an early close at Wantage Road.Northants paceman David Willey took 2 for 23 as the hosts’ attack dominated early on with former Sri Lanka seamer Chaminda Vaas also claiming a wicket.Essex won the toss and chose to bat but they lost Tom Westley for 12 in the fourth over when he edged Vaas to James Middlebrook, who took a simple catch at second slip. Former England batsman Owais Shah then faced just one ball before he was run out by a direct hit at the stumps by Ben Howgego from point after he tried to run a quick single off Vaas.The visitors’ morning then took another turn for the worse when Mark Pettini was judged to have edged Willey to Northants wicketkeeper David Murphy after making 32. Willey struck again in the penultimate over of the morning when his delivery crashed into Ben Foakes’ off stump to dismiss the youngster for a seven-ball duck.Essex struggled to 62 for 4 at lunch, during which the heavens opened meaning the start of the afternoon session was delayed by an hour and a half and 16 overs were lost.In the second over after play restarted, Essex captain James Foster was given a scare before he opened his account when he edged Jack Brooks but Kyle Coetzer put down a difficult chance at third slipBopara, who had originally taken 67 balls just to reach double figures, went on to complete a half-century off 112 deliveries with a straight four off Lee Daggett. But he was also given a second chance after being dropped on 60 by Murphy off the same bowler before rain forced the players off again.Umpires Trevor Jesty and Tim Robinson came onto the field half an hour later for an inspection but the skies began to darken again and a heavy downpour meant play was officially called off at 5.20pm.Bopara will be looking to complete his second century of the week when play resumes tomorrow, with Foster striving to add to his unbeaten 25 off 71 deliveries.

England’s elite players would have more of a say in the management of their workloads under proposals that are being drawn up by PCA

David Hopps at The Oval19-Jul-2012England’s elite players would have more of a say in the management of their workloads under proposals that are being drawn up by the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) ahead of the redrafting of central contracts next year.If PCA proposals are accepted, England would shift slightly towards the sort of squad system that has become an accepted part of Premier League football, as the most senior and successful players such as Kevin Pietersen were given more licence to miss matches regarded as less important.Angus Porter, chief executive of the PCA, facilitated unsuccessful negotiations last week between Pietersen and his representatives and Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, which failed to end the stand-off which has led to Pietersen’s premature retirement from all England limited-overs cricket.Pietersen wanted rest from more one-day matches and also proposed missing at least one of England’s May Tests to enable him to play a full IPL season.Porter remains adamant that a more formalised rotation system is essential if England’s top players are to maximise their time in the game. The current three-year agreement expires in autumn 2013 and the PCA and ECB are anxious to draw up a new deal before next summer’s Ashes series.”This is an issue we need to get to grips with and one that we will be discussing in the next central contracts negotiation,” Porter said. “We all recognise that with a really hectic schedule managing workloads is important particularly for senior players who have played the longest and who play in all formats of the game.”We need to find a way to provide a little bit more structure to what is already happening – to develop England cricket as a squad game where you not only try to win every game but you try to keep the talent fresh and at the top as long as possible.”Some kind of process that introduces some form of flexibility for those players who have been at the top for a good length of time is desirable and consistent with that.”Porter also pointed to the example of the ATP circuit where leading tennis players are exempt from less prestigious tournaments and so delay their retirement as a result. Roger Federer, who defeated Andy Murray in the Wimbledon men’s final earlier this month, may already have retired without the management of his playing demands.Reducing the amount of international cricket is virtually impossible under the self-perpetuating system where the Future Tours Programme is fixed until 2020 and TV rights have been sold well ahead – Sky TV in the UK have a deal until 2017 with a further two-year option – on the basis of these deals. That only leaves the options of rest and rotation and a more orderly fixture list.”The existing rules work well in some cases – Andrew Strauss is a good example of somebody who has benefited – and less well in others,” Porter said. “It is not inconceivable that they might allow players to retire from Test cricket and play in both forms of one-day cricket.”What central contracts could not resolve, said Porter, was the ECB’s uneasy relationship towards IPL.”I do think the ECB and the other boards have to grasp that nettle, accept the IPL exists and identify a window for it so we do not always have to manage the consequences of an event which without constraint will continue to grow and move around the schedule. It shouldn’t be the most difficult thing in the world.”IPL is this dirty great big thing that is not fixed in time and space in the FTP and until or unless the Boards and the ICC get to grips with it, accept that it is here to stay and identify a window of a sensible length for it, it is impossible for any of us to plan.”That will become increasingly evident between 2014 and 2016. ICC one-day tournaments are scheduled in March and April for each of those years, pushing IPL even later into the year – infiltrating England’s international season to an even greater extent.”Like most traditionalists, I believe that Test cricket is the priority,” Porter said, adding that it was an understandable ambition for England players to want to take part in “the most lucrative, high-profile and fantastic tournament. Being practical about it, IPL is different and is bigger. It is not impossible for us to do something about it if we can get the IPL placed in a window. “Unless accommodation between English cricket and IPL is found, Pietersen, depicted by many as a self-obsessed maverick, might turn out to be the harbinger of a battle-scarred future as future England players are frustrated in their desire to play in cricket’s most glamorous and rewarding T20 tournament.Porter, closer to the negotiations than most, said: “I can’t take issue with either side in the argument. Both have been very reasonable in their points of view and have tried to find some middle ground but you come back to the fact that at the moment there is an irreconcilable issue that IPL clashes with test cricket and the ECB regards Test cricket with absolute primacy. Much as they want to be reasonable they can’t and won’t budge.”

The IPL governing council has set August 31 as the deadline for the owners of Deccan Chargers franchise to clear player payments and sort out the financial problems with the banks to avoid any stringent action

Nagraj Gollapudi15-Aug-2012The IPL governing council has set August 31 as the deadline for the owners of Deccan Chargers franchise to clear player payments and sort out the financial problems with the banks to avoid any stringent action. In an emergency meeting called on Tuesday in New Delhi, the governing council confronted the owners of Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited, who hold the rights for the Hyderabad-based franchise, to explain in detail as to why the company had mortgaged the team ownership rights with two leading Indian banks.According to the BCCI officials, the board owns the ownership rights and that no franchise could mortgage the rights on its own.”The governing council asked the owners of Chargers to clear the players’ payments as by this time usually almost 60-70% of the contractual amount usually gets paid. But the franchise had defaulted on that. Secondly, they need to sort out the financial mess with the various banks to make sure the team remains unbothered. We need to protect both the IPL and the players,” a governing council official said.According to the official, the BCCI was concerned after the banks had directly sought the board’s involvement, asking to pay all the money set for the franchise, directly to them as Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited owned them big money. “What is more concerning is the Deccan Chargers owners have hypothecated the intangibles. They have told the banks that the team has a certain market value and based on that they had procured the loans,” the official said.T Venkatram Reddy, the owner of franchise, was present at the meeting, but was adamant that the issue was unnecessarily blown out of proportion. “He outrightly blocked all the allegations by the banks and was confident all issues would get sorted by August 31,” the official said. However, it is understood that the BCCI had already checked with the Registrar of Companies and found out that Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited had accumulated borrowing charges amounting to INR 3200 crore.According to the official, the banks were interested in knowing if they were in any position to sell the franchise on their own since the owners had defaulted to clear the dues. “We don’t know what exactly the amount is but the very fact that the banks have approached us means it is a serious issue,” the board official said.At the two-hour meeting, the Deccan Chargers were told that their immediate step should be to clear player dues over the next fortnight. The 15-day deadline has also given the Deccan Chargers owners the option of giving the presenting the details of the prospective buyers of their franchise to the Governing Council. Officials say that the prospect of the termination of the franchise had arisen “almost 15-20 days ago” however, the BCCI was “keen to be seen to aid the franchises to a limit.”

Ross Taylor, the New Zealand captain, has said he expects the ball to swing in Hyderabad and hopes his pace-strong bowling attack can deliver

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Aug-2012Ross Taylor, the New Zealand captain, has said he expects the ball to swing in Hyderabad and that his pace-heavy bowling attack can surprise India. Taylor said New Zealand will be playing “at least” one spinner and hinted James Franklin, the allrounder, could also be included.”Obviously the overhead conditions might play a bit of a part. It might swing around a bit for the first hour, an hour and a bit,” Taylor said. “We will be playing at least one spinner. But Franklin batting at six gives a good balance to our side and gives us an extra bowling option as well. Every day we have been here so far, it has been cloudy. We are expecting it to swing. It swung in training and hopefully it can swing for five days as well.”The other seamers in the touring squad are Chris Martin, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner.India last played New Zealand at home in 2010. “Most of our batters have played against India here last time, so they won’t be a surprise to MS [Dhoni],” Taylor said. “But it will be a bit of a surprise when he faces some of our bowlers.”New Zealand are under a new coach, Mike Hesson, who took over from John Wright. “Mike has been great for the group. He has brought in a new energy and the way we have gone about our training,” Taylor said. “There is a bit more of a buzz around the team and I think any new coach is going to have different philosophies and theories and the team is responding well to those at the moment.”New Zealand had a poor tour of the West Indies, losing the Tests 0-2. The batting had let them down then and Taylor said the team needed bigger performances. “It’s just about batting each ball and if we do that, we have the best chance to bat for long periods of time. It’s not about scoring 50s or 100s,” Taylor said. “If we have match-winning performances, then hopefully we get the right results at the end of the day.”

Abdur Rehman finished with match figures of 14 for 101 as Somerset clinched runners-up spot in Division One

13-Sep-2012
ScorecardAbdur Rehman finished with match figures of 14 for 101 as Somerset clinched runners-up spot in Division One with victory over relegated Worcestershire by an innings and 148 runs at Taunton.Rehman took 5 for 36 as the visitors stumbled to 152 all out in their second innings, Alexei Kervezee top-scoring with 76 and Peter Trego claiming his 50th first-class wicket of the season.The hosts took 23 points to Worcestershire’s two as their players guaranteed themselves a share in a £162,000 cheque for finishing second behind champions Warwickshire.Somerset had batted on at the start of the day before declaring their first innings on 512 for 9, with a lead of 300. Nick Compton finished unbeaten on 155, just six short of 1,500 first-class runs. Compton, who faced 322 balls and hit 15 fours and a six, was left with a first-class average of 99.60 when the declaration came. Six more runs would have left him averaging 100.Moeen Ali returned figures of 4 for 143, but by far the best Worcestershire bowler was Alan Richardson, who claimed his 500th first-class victim when pinning Alfonso Thomas lbw for 17, and finished with 4 for 100 from 41 overs.A three-day finish always looked likely and Worcestershire lost two wickets in scoring 39 before lunch. Phil Hughes edged Trego to wicketkeeper Steve Snell and Daryl Mitchell was caught at slip off Rehman.The Hughes wicket sparked wild celebrations among the fielders as they all mobbed Trego for whom it was a notable milestone in his career. The 31-year-old all-rounder had never threatened to take 50 wickets before, but has bowled more overs than ever for Somerset because of injuries this season.After lunch there was a predictable procession of batsmen. Thomas trapped Neil Pinner leg before for 14 and Craig Overton struck in his first over as Marcus Trescothick took a sharp catch at second slip to send back Moeen for 24.Rehman then produced perfectly pitched turning deliveries to bowl Aneesh Kapil and Brett D’Olivera, both pushing forward defensively, before Ben Cox fell to a brilliant catch at mid-wicket by Arul Suppiah as he pulled a short ball from Steve Kirby.It was 129 for 8 when Chris Russell was snapped up at leg-slip by Trego off a Rehman arm-ball, having made only a single. Kervezee stood defiant, reaching his half-century off 64 balls with six fours, although he was steadily running out of partners as Nick Harrison played on to Thomas and departed for a duck.Kervezee was the last wicket to fall, pouched at slip by Trescothick off Man-of-the-Match Rehman.

Tim Bresnan said that Kevin Pietersen’s return for his first England appearance in almost three months was no different to having a player come back into the side following an injury

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2012Tim Bresnan said that Kevin Pietersen’s return for his first England appearance in almost three months, after a destabilising episode that threatened to see the batsman cast into the international wilderness, was no different to having a player come back into the side following an injury.Pietersen was part of the England XI taking on India A in a three-day tour match and took a catch off Bresnan’s bowling to help remove Ajinkya Rahane in the first session. Pietersen last featured for England in the second Test against South Africa at Headingley at the start of August but Bresnan described his team-mate as the “same old Kev” and said it was good to have him back.”For the lads it’s nothing different to having a player come back to the squad who has been missing for a while,” Bresnan said. “There’s not been much made of it. Everyone in the know of what’s being going on, they’ve sat down and spoke about things and I guess a few of the senior players have spoken, but for the rest of the boys it’s pretty much been like having someone who’s been injured come back in the side, it’s not been exceptionally different.”It’s been the same old Kev. The energy in the field he showed today, all day, it was just Kev to be honest. It’s been good.”Despite losing Steven Finn to a thigh problem early in the day, England’s bowlers made regular breakthroughs after being asked to bowl in their first tour outing. Bresnan was the pick of the attack, with 3 for 59, while Graeme Swann also picked up three wickets as India A closed on 369 for 9, Manoj Tiwary top-scoring with 93.”Overs under the belt is key in warm-up games, especially when we’re playing Twenty20 cricket for quite a spell over the last month or so,” Bresnan said. “So definitely, get a day out there, get a day in the legs, a day in the field.Tim Bresnan was England’s most successful bowler on day one against India A•AFP

“You can get value for your shots out there, if it’s past the infield, it’s pretty much four. There’s not much margin for error short or full so I think that’s a bit of rustiness but you expect that first day out.”They played nicely, Tiwary played lovely but it seems like a nice wicket to bat on and obviously we’ll know more after we have a go on it but it wasn’t doing particularly much. And they dug in for a partnership when the going was good so that’s part of what cricket’s about.”The biggest stand of the day came when Tiwary put on 110 with Irfan Pathan for the seventh wicket. Tiwary was eventually the eighth man out, the first of two in two deliveries for Bresnan, who said that he had enjoyed bowling with the SG ball. “We’ve been using them a bit in Dubai the last couple of day,” he said. “I like the balls here, they’re nice to bowl with, swing a bit early on and reverse a bit later on, the spinners like them. It’s a lot like a Dukes, but not a Dukes.”

Graeme Swann, England’s premier spinner, has flown home ahead of the final tour match against Haryana to spend time with his daughter who is unwell. He is expected to return before the first Test on November 15.

George Dobell07-Nov-2012Graeme Swann, England’s premier spinner, has flown home ahead of the final tour match against Haryana to spend time with his daughter who is unwell. He is expected to return before the first Test on November 15 in Ahmedabad.”This is a personal matter and we would ask for everyone to give Graeme and his family privacy. We will not be making any further comment at this time,” the ECB said in a statement.The development means England will be without three of their first choice four-man attack in the final warm-up match ahead of the first Test against India with Stuart Broad and Steven Finn both suffering from injury.Neither Broad or Finn are expected to play in the match against Haryana that starts on Thursday, meaning that, even if they recover in time for the Test that starts on November 15, they will have had very little preparation. Finn, who has a thigh strain, managed just four overs in the first warm-up match before he was forced from the pitch, while Broad, who has a bruised heel, missed the first game and bowled only 10 overs in the second. Finn’s injury is thought to be the more serious and he must be considered most unlikely to play in the first Test.England may also decide to rest James Anderson for the final warm-up match. Anderson, Broad and Finn were expected to play as part of a three-man seam attack in the Test series. With Anderson, who has played in both of the first two matches, the last man standing, his importance to the team has grown even further. England have called-up Surrey fast bowler Stuart Meaker as back-up and it is likely that he will come into the team to play Haryana. Graham Onions and Tim Bresnan are the other seamers with the squad.”It’s unlikely that Broad or Finn will be considered for this game,” Graham Gooch, England’s batting coach said. “They’ve both got injuries, and I don’t think they’re going to be ready for this game.”With a bruised heel, it is something that can be very annoying and can take time to clear up. You’ve got to see how it goes each day, whether it gets better with the rest – keep checking it and see how it comes on. There’s no other way of going about it really.”There was better news for England in the form of Kevin Pietersen. England were given a day-off on Wednesday, but Pietersen was among three players – Meaker and Samit Patel were the others – to take advantage of some extra batting practise. Certainly Gooch has been impressed by Pietersen’s determination to prove his worth upon his return to the team.With fences mended and differences made up, Pietersen’s determination is renewed and his motivation high. “I know Kevin is focused,” Gooch said. “I’ve seen the way he’s been practising. A fit and strong Kevin Pietersen is a player to be reckoned with.”He’s looking forward. What’s in the past is in the past. The only thing that counts is what’s in the future – what he’s going to do, how he’s going to interact with the team, what sort of performances he’s looking to give.”I don’t think it’s an issue with Kevin. All the things have been done and dusted. From my conversations with him and from the way he is working, he’s looking forward to this tour.”While it is anticipated that England’s batsmen will face a trial by spin in India, Gooch is taking nothing for granted against India’s seam attack. But as well as preparing batsmen for the cricketing challenges, the England management also prepared them for the noise and hostility they anticipate by playing crowd noise from loudspeakers and the team psychologist, Mark Bawden, occupying the net next to the batsmen and testing their ability to ignore distractions by clapping, appealing and shouting.”We’re not majoring on spin,” Gooch said. “That’s not the only type of bowling we’re going to face. They’ve got two very good opening bowlers, two out of three from Umesh Yadav, Zaheer Khan or Ishant Sharma, and two spinners.”Our build-up has gone to plan. People have got runs; there’s been some wickets. Some of our players have learned a little bit in the couple of weeks we’ve been here.”Nowadays, when you are trying to stimulate players with training, you come up with different ideas. There’s a bit of noise there, a little idea to make it slightly different. You’re looking to motivate, to push the players to get the very best out of them. You come up with different ideas. It’s not a major thing, just something that’s a little bit different.”I think coming to India is one of the greatest challenges. It’s a wonderful place to play cricket. The enthusiasm for the game – with the advent of the IPL – has created even more excitement. We know India are a top side in their own country. Not long ago they were rated number one, and you don’t do that without putting on consistent performances. But we’ve come here to win the series; we’ve not come here to make up the numbers.”While only one new face – probably Nick Compton – is anticipated in the team for the first Test, there is likely to be an opportunity for another specialist batsmen in the second Test with Ian Bell expected to return to England to be present at the birth of his first child.”It’s going to be quite a difficult selection,” Gooch said. “Our guys are pretty much all experienced Test players: Alastair Cook; Jonathan Trott; Kevin Pietersen; Ian Bell and Matt Prior. There will be maybe one new face.”Nick Compton and Joe Root are two very good players, obviously at different levels of their career. One has been in the first-class game for quite a while. Compton has gained experience and found his mark. He has found the way he can score runs and been very successful over the last couple of years for Somerset.”The other lad is obviously a young, exciting player. He has a good technique from what I’ve seen – this is the first time I’ve seen him close up – and he bowls a bit. So it’s going to be quite a difficult selection.”Then you’ve got Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow, Samit Patel all bidding for places. But I like competition for places. You want that. You want people to be putting their hand up and saying ‘I want that place in the side’.”

Faf du Plessis will lead South Africa in the three Twenty20 internationals against New Zealand in December

Firdose Moonda13-Dec-2012Faf du Plessis will lead South Africa in the three Twenty20 internationals against New Zealand in December. AB de Villiers, South Africa’s regular limited-overs captain, is part of the squad but won’t captain because his workload will be managed over the summer.The T20 squad has four new players, including a new wicketkeeper to relieve de Villiers of his burden. Quinton de Kock, who turns 20 on Monday and was part of South Africa’s most recent under-19 World Cup squad, will don the gloves.De Kock is seen as one of the options for a permanent wicketkeeper to replace Mark Boucher in all formats. “We need to find a long-term solution because ultimately we [want] to find a top-six batter in the mould of an Adam Gilchirst to do the job in Tests,” Andrew Hudson, convenor of selectors, told ESPNCricinfo.”AB may eventually end up batting No.4 in Tests, when Jacques Kallis is not around, and if he has to take on a more senior batting role, we will need someone else to keep. It will be nice to try Quinton out – he has shown glimpses of talent and we are going to have a look at him in the shorter versions. But, that’s not to say to the other keepers in the country that we have passed them by, the door is still very much open.”But it seems to have closed on Thami Tsolekile. Lions’ gloveman was nationally contracted in February and touted as Boucher’s replacement, but has not played since then. A source close to team management said Tsolekile would be given a run against New Zealand, but the selectors have decided otherwise. He travelled to England and Australia but was left out of the Test squad, which was also named today.Despite all indications to the contrary, Hudson said Tsolekile remains in the plans. “He has not fallen out of favour. If anything were to happen to AB, he will play.” De Villiers has had a history of lower-back problems which recurred after the England series in August, but he has declared himself fully fit.

South Africa squads

Twenty20 squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Farhaan Behardien, Henry Davids, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, Rory Kleinveldt, Richard Levi, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Aaron Phangiso, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Test squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Jacques Kallis, Rory Kleinveldt, Morne Morkel, Alviro Petersen, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Jacques Rudolph, Dale Steyn.

He played for Titans in their one-day cup playoff match on Sunday, and although he admitted to being “a bit stiff,” he maintained that he experienced no pain. In fact, he said being in the field in that match (Heino Kuhn had the gloves) was harder on his body than wicketkeeping.He will have to embrace fielding in the shorter formats though, with de Kock set to take over that role as part of a more youthful T20 squad. Richard Levi has been retained in the squad but with Hashim Amla rested, could open the batting with du Plessis or new-comer Henry Davids. The Titans limited-overs captain made a name for himself during the Champions League T20 as an aggressive batsman and is second on the one-day cup batting charts.The CLT20 also shone a spotlight on left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso. He finished as the joint second highest wicket-taker and bowled miserly spells for the Lions. Phangiso has been picked as an additional slow-bowling option to Robin Peterson. Johan Botha, who has relocated to Australia, was not considered for selection.The Lions reached the final of the Champions League Twenty20, and will also play in the final of the one-day cup, so it’s no surprise that their players are getting recognition. Allrounder Chris Morris, who travelled with the South African squad for the unofficial T20 tri-series in Zimbabwe in June, is also part of the national squad. Morris, also a big hitter, has bowled consistently in the mid-140kph this season and is the only fast-bowling all-rounder in the squad.Wayne Parnell, who has been working on his batting, is also in the squad along with fellow left-arm seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe. There has been a recall for middle-order batsman David Miller in the absence of the injured JP Duminy.Hudson said South Africa will use the series against New Zealand to concentrate on their combinations, with an eye on the 2014 World Twenty20. “The mix is going to be key. There will be some of the older players that maybe we will move on from. Going into the tournament in two years’ time, we want to have a mix of core and some youngsters. We need some flair and we need to bring something different to the party as opposed to just a regular side,” he said.The Test squad, though, is focused on consistency, with the same squad that defeated Australia in Perth retained for the two fixtures against New Zealand. Jacques Rudolph, who was dropped for the final match, has been picked but is unlikely to play. “We will probably look to play Dean [Elgar] and Jacques is the reserve batsman,” Hudson said.The only casualty besides Tsolekile is legspinner Imran Tahir, whose performance in Adelaide has left him needing to do some soul searching. Tahir finished with figures of 0 for 260, the most expensive figures without a wicket in Test history and was replaced with Robin Peterson, who took six wickets in Perth. “Robbie has just gone ahead of Imran, but he remains part of our plans in future,” Hudson said.South Africa have two injury concerns. Jacques Kallis is recovering from a hamstring strain, but is expected to be fit to play in the Tests as an allrounder, and Graeme Smith has bruising on his elbow. Smith was hit in the nets in the lead-up to the one-day cup playoff and will not be fit to play in the final for the Cobras, but the team management is confident he will be ready for the New Year’s Test.