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[chandikagunawardhana]

Bangladesh look to build on Test success

West Indies v Bangladesh, 1st ODI, Dominica

The current strife in West Indies cricket could yet again benefit Bangladesh. They've tasted more success in ODIs, with upset wins against Test-playing nations in major tournaments, and start clear favourites as they take on a makeshift West Indies team over three games. The 2-0 win in Tests - their greatest achievement to date - should give them the confidence to try and press their superiority. As for the hosts, the feud between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) has shown few signs of abating despite the strike being called off. And with many members of the current ODI squad also featuring in the provisional squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, the incentive to make a mark in the ODI circuit has never been greater.

Bangladesh have had a mixed 2009, winning three ODIs - including one against Sri Lanka - and losing as many. Their two failures against Zimbabwe will be a cause for worry though some of their players seem to have recovered form in the Test series - witness Tamim Iqbal's century in St Vincent, Mahmudullah's sensational debut and Mushfiqur Rahim's consistency in the lower order. The biggest plus is the performance of stand-in captain Shakib Al Hasan, who's been outstanding in both forms of the game, but Mohammad Ashraful's appalling run will be under serious scrutiny.

West Indies will field an outfit more experienced in ODIs than Tests and should anyway be inspired to avenge their recent defeats. There were quite a few positives for the second-string team - it managed a significant first-innings lead in St Vincent and could have leveled the series in Kingstown after Bangladesh were reeling at 67 for 4 in chase of 215. Dave Bernard shone with three half-centuries, while fast bowlers Darren Sammy and Kemar Roach showed they were deserving of a place even in a full-strength squad. While spinners won Bangladesh the rubber, West Indies relied heavily on their pace-attack, and with the pitch in Dominica expected to be conducive to seam bowling, the hosts should be able to compete better.

 

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England 'preying on' Johnson - Pietersen

Mitchell Johnson, the Australian allrounder, came into the Ashes as his team's leading bowler but he has struggled for accuracy, and Kevin Pietersen said England were "preying on" the fast bowler's problems.

"We certainly know that he's struggling," Pietersen told Sky Sports News. "The good thing we're doing at the moment in this England team is that we're preying well on guys that aren't playing well. I think Mitchell Johnson is a guy that the guys are preying on. But he is a fantastic bowler and he might come back really strong at Edgbaston. It's going to be an important thing to get on top of him and get on top of this Australian side."

Johnson took eight wickets at 41 apiece in the first two Tests but was unable to bowl a consistent line and length and failed to build any pressure on the batsmen. Pietersen, however, will not be around to try and dominate Johnson at Edgbaston after undergoing surgery for an Achilles injury, but he was confident Ian Bell, his replacement, would come good.

"Belly [Bell] had a good time of it, then he had a bit of a bad time of it. He has obviously been left out, unfortunately for him, but I think he is a world class player and being left out for so long, that is hard on Belly," Pietersen said. "It will toughen Belly up and he will use this opportunity well. So I don't see Belly struggling at all in the next three Test matches. I hope he doesn't, I hope he comes in and does really, really well."

Bell's last Test for England was the calamitous innings defeat at Sabina Park in February, a result which lost England the series in the Caribbean. Though Bell averages 40 in Tests (3004 runs in 46 matches), his run in the top-order was unconvincing, and he has also struggled against the Australians, against whom he averages only 25 in ten Tests. Pietersen, though, was confident Bell would remedy those figures.

Though England lead 1-0 after two Tests, Australia were confident of winning, especially after the injury to Pietersen. "We still have three whole Tests to play. And that is plenty of time for us to turn this series on its head, especially as the loss of Kevin Pietersen is going to hurt England badly," Ricky Ponting wrote in the Sunday Telegraph. "We all know what an influence Kevin is around their team.

"I said at the start of the series that he would be their go-to man, and the guy who would relish playing against Australia the most. He brings the X-factor to their batting. And a middle order without him in it definitely will not be the same."

Pietersen, meanwhile, will be at Edgbaston for the third Test, which begins on Thursday, supporting his team-mates from the sidelines. "Yeah, I am finding it very difficult at the moment, having to know that I will be at Edgbaston on Thursday. I am going to go and watch the boys and support the boys because I think that is important.

"To know that I can't be playing will kill me inside but there is nothing I can do. When I know that I can't support the team and play the way I can play - I can't run - there is nothing I can do about it. I just have to bite the bullet."

 

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Roach five-for keeps Bangladesh down to 246

Bangladesh scored 246/9 from their 50.0 overs in first ODI against West Indies.
Kemar Roach to 44/5 for West Indies.

 

[chandikagunawardhana]

Roach five-for keeps Bangladesh down to 246

Bangladesh scored 246/9 from their 50.0 overs in first ODI against West Indies.
Kemar Roach to 44/5 for West Indies.

Bangladesh won the match..

 

[chandikagunawardhana]

Reifer concerned by top-order batting

Floyd Reifer, the West Indies captain, has said while he is happy with the balance of the team, the top-order batting remains a concern following a 52-run defeat to Bangladesh in the first ODI in Dominica.

West Indies, who lost the Test series 2-0, were chasing 247 and lost their first four wickets for 42 runs in 12 overs before Devon Smith's 65 took them past 100. "We didn't get the start we wanted from the top, and this is something that is worrying us at the moment," Reifer said. "We are not getting enough partnerships at the top of the innings."

After the spinners had been successful in the Test series, it was expected the pitches for the ODIs would favour bounce and pace. The Windsor Park curator had said he would comply with West Indies coach John Dyson's request for faster tracks. However Bangladesh opened with left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, who took 4 for 39 - including two of the first four wickets.

Razzak, who was suspended by the ICC for a suspect bowling action in November and cleared four months ago, said the pitches in the Caribbean favoured spin bowling and he was not surprised when his captain handed him the new ball.

"When I played in the Caribbean in the 2007 World Cup, I also used the new ball, so it's normal," Razzak said. "But this was important for me. I was out of the team for eight months, and now I am back in the side, I am looking to do well."

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan, who scored a half-century, said the team had been confident of the total on the board since the pitch was playing slow and there were four spinners in the XI. "I have been surprised by the nature of the pitches in the Caribbean," Shakib said. "I thought they would have had more bounce and pace. But it suited our spinners, and Razzak came back into the side, bowled well, and did a good job for us."

 

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Johnson's Edgbaston hopes recede

The Australians have recorded their maiden first-class victory on this tour of England, but the path to a Test triumph appears more treacherous by the day. Another dispiriting performance from Mitchell Johnson has cast significant doubt over his mechanical and mental readiness for Edgbaston, and placed the one-time spearhead in grave danger of the axe.

Johnson conceded at least one boundary in each of his first six overs on Sunday; a streak that could have stretched to seven but for the negative tactic to bowl short and wide of the Northamptonshire batsmen in the closing stages of his spell. His main persecutor, Niall O'Brien, is more notable for his work behind the stumps for Ireland than his first-class average of 27.68, but the left-hander was made to look every bit the specialist batsman after thumping Johnson for seven of his nine boundaries en route to 58, scored in better than even time.

Johnson's woes also extended to the field, where he dropped Ben Howgego at mid-on off the bowling of Stuart Clark, but it was his analysis of 1 for 65 from 11.1 overs - ending a match in which he dismissed a solitary tailender, and conceded runs at close to six-per-over against a second-division county line-up - that might have tipped the selection scales against him. Demotion at Edgbaston would represent a stunning fall from grace for a bowler who, barely a month ago, arrived on these shores touted as the world's most dangerous paceman and charged with leading Australia's Ashes defence.

Johnson conceded 45 runs in his opening seven-over burst, and his second spell in the final hour of play proved similarly disappointing. Bowling to the Northamptonshire tail, Johnson watched forlornly as his eighth over was dispatched for 12 runs. His next, a maiden, was greeted with a rousing Bronx cheer from the Wantage Road pavilion, as was his eventual dismissal of David Wigley - concluding a stretch of 35 wicketless overs, dating back to the first innings of the Lord's Test.

"He didn't bowl as well as he would have liked at Lord's," said Tim Nielsen, the Australian coach. "He had some times today when he went for four, five and six an over with the ball flying through gully and slip. That's the nature of the beast.

"The conditions were probably a bit different here to what it was in Lord's. We didn't have our best day or best game with the ball. We also lost 6-30 but we're not calling for five blokes to be dropped form the batting group. That's the game of cricket. Some days you nick them, some days you whack them, other days you bowl all right and some you don't. We've got to keep preparing well and try to do it better each week."

As was the case in the first innings, Johnson's inconsistent length contrasted with that of Clark, who further enhanced his selection chances with two wickets. Clark might well have made a greater impact in the wickets column if not for the dropped catches from Johnson and Phillip Hughes, but nonetheless appears poised to provide the Australian attack with the pressure-building accuracy it lacked in the two Ashes Tests to date.

Entering the three-day match at Wantage Road, many observers felt Clark would duel with Peter Siddle for a sole pace berth at Edgbaston, only for the crosshairs to shift to Johnson as the match progressed. Siddle, curiously, bowled just four disciplined overs in the second innings, possibly indicating the desire of the Australians to keep him on ice for Edgbaston.

"There's nothing wrong with him," Nielsen said. "He's bowling well, he had a good hit out to start. We wanted to get (the others) some bowling and we had to fit them all in."

Australia's allrounders, Shane Watson and Andrew McDonald, did their future selection prospects no harm, with Watson belting his second half-century of the match in the morning session - this one raised in just 28 deliveries - and McDonald claiming 4 for 15 from 11 overs.

"He played a pivotal role in four Test matches in a row, where we won three of them, against South Africa," Nielsen said of McDonald, who also scored a sparkling 75 at the top of the order in the second innings against Northants. "He offers us flexibility with our bowling in that he can bowl long spells. He's accurate. He does chip in for wickets as we saw today. He got nearly 70 in his last Test innings for Australia. He catches well. He's a ripping bloke around the team. He brings plenty to the table."

 

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Pietersen loss 'massive' for England - Ponting

Ricky Ponting has said the absence of Kevin Pietersen for the rest of the series will be a major positive for Australia as they aim to recover from their 1-0 deficit. Ponting believes without Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff will face enormous pressure to carry the England side to a series victory.

"He [Pietersen] is a massive loss," Ponting told the Australian. "He's such an x-factor in their side, the way he can score quickly and the ability he has to put the bowlers on the back foot by putting extra pressure on them.

"I think Pietersen does leave a pretty big hole in their batting. For us it will be a real positive. It probably puts a bit more pressure on Flintoff to perform. He has to stand up big time now."

Ponting said he had been pleased with how his bowlers had tackled Pietersen in the first two Tests, when he looked well below his best form. He also said Australia might be able to capitalise on any nerves shown by Pietersen's replacement, Ian Bell, on his return to the side at Edgbaston.

"If you look at the way we've bowled to [Pietersen] and the way he's played, he's been one of the England batsmen we've been able to put the most pressure on," Ponting said. "Ben Hilfenhaus in particular has bowled beautifully to him.

"Now England has a much more sound, technically correct, but scratchy player like Bell. If we happen to get him in at the right time he's a pretty nervous sort of bloke as well."

 

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Australian coaches give doosra the flick

Australian offspinners are unlikely to get much local help in learning the doosra after several of the nation's leading spin coaches agreed to banish the delivery. A group including Shane Warne, Terry Jenner and Ashley Mallett decided the doosra should not be taught in Australia.

That conclusion came from last month's spin summit, when Warne, Jenner, Mallett, Stuart MacGill, Gavin Robertson, Jim Higgs and Peter Philpott gathered at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane. The men had doubts over the legality of the doosra, despite the ICC clearing several bowlers to deliver the ball at international level.

"There was unanimous agreement that the off-spinner's 'other-one', the doosra, should not be coached in Australia," Mallett wrote in the Adelaide Review. "I have never seen anyone actually bowl the doosra.

"It has to be a chuck. Until such time as the ICC declares that all manner of chucking is legal in the game of cricket I refuse to coach the doosra. All at the spin summit agreed."

Australia's No. 1 spinner Nathan Hauritz has been working on the doosra for a couple of years without perfecting it, while Jason Krejza and Dan Cullen have also attempted to develop the delivery. However, the spin coaches were keen to encourage Australia's young spinners to bowl aggressively, searching for wickets, rather than becoming too defensive.

The need to encourage young spinners at state level was also an issue and Warne suggested extending Sheffield Shield matches to five days to let slow bowlers learn how to dismiss teams on wearing pitches. The coaches hoped that state selectors and captains would employ specialist spinners more often, especially at a time when there were significant opportunities at Test and one-day level.

"Too often state teams are playing a batsman who bowls spin a bit in preference to a specialist spinner," Mallett wrote. "Even at Test level we've seen batsmen such as Michael Clarke bowling at important times. That, in itself, tells us that spin bowling at the top level has fallen dramatically."

 

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Shoaib's international career almost over, says Akram

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram believes fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar's international career is virtually over. Akram said the warning bells had been sounded with Shoaib's omission from Pakistan's list of probables for the forthcoming Champions Trophy, to be held in South Africa.

"I don't think he has got a chance, unless and until some miracles happen," Akram said. "Even though it depends on the captain and selectors, I think Shoaib has fallen out with the selectors and the board itself. The board still supported him and he went to Abu Dhabi and played two of the five games [against Australia] before getting injured again. We all saw that."

Akram also said the emergence of young fast bowlers like Mohammad Aamer had made Shoaib's comeback tougher. "I think Pakistan's bowling unit is doing well and they have to look ahead and think about the future," he said. "They have to back the youngsters who will do the job for them, even if you look at the 2011 World Cup. Also in this year's Champions Trophy and the next Twenty20 World Cup, the team would have to rely on the youngsters. I don't know where you can place Shoaib Akhtar in the current picture of Pakistan cricket."

Akram predicted a difficult future for Mohammad Asif as well. The 26-year-old fast bowler, however, made the cut for the probables for the Champions Trophy, following a tumultuous two-and-a-half years in which he failed dope tests and was embroiled in a detention case in Dubai.

"My advice to Asif would be - learn from your mistakes. I sincerely hope he learns from the 300 mistakes that he has made in the last two years," said Akram. "He's young, talented and one of the best Pakistani bowlers but it will take him some time to return because Aamer is now bowling really well."

He pointed out that international returns were not easy and cited the cases of Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir. "Even Sohail Tanvir was struggling in Twenty20," Akram said. "Umar Gul is phenomenal but I don't think he bowled well enough in the Test matches [in Sri Lanka]. My advice to Gul is: Twenty20 and ODI are fine but if you are to be recognised as a good bowler you have to do well in Test cricket too."

 

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Strauss confirms Bell will bat at No.4

Andrew Strauss expects Andrew Flintoff to be fit for the third Ashes Test against Australia at Edgbaston on Thursday, and has confirmed that Ian Bell will bat at No.4 in place of the injured Kevin Pietersen.

Flintoff, who retires from Test cricket at the end of the Ashes, continues to struggle with a chronic knee injury which has threatened to hasten his retirement. But Strauss has been encouraged by Flintoff's fitness and remains confident that England's allrounder will be fit enough to once again lead the attack.

"All the indications are that Andrew will be fine. We need to see how he goes over the next couple of days during practice," said Strauss at The Oval, where England announced their new team sponsors, Brit Insurance. "But at this stage we are very confident and obviously he will want to build on his performance at Lord's.

"I spoke to him the day after the second Test at a charity dinner and he said then he was recovering well. That's encouraging. He won't have bowled until practice tomorrow but has been in constant contact with our medical team. "When you've had as many injuries as him you get a good indication of how you're feeling. Everything we've heard so far has been positive."

Flintoff produced a typically talismanic final-day effort at Lord's last week, taking five wickets for just the third time in his career as England ended a 75-year wait to beat Australia at the home of cricket. But while England can be heartened by Flintoff's news, another instrumental player, Pietersen, has been ruled out of the series after undergoing Achilles surgery.

Strauss confirmed that his replacement, Bell, will bat at No.4 instead of shuffling the line-up to accommodate him.

"Ian Bell will come in for Pietersen at four. We're very clear on that," said Strauss. "It causes the least possible disruption to other members of the side.

"We're all very excited for Ian. He was left out of the team and had to work very hard to get his place back. "He's done a huge amount of work on and off the field. He's very hungry. We're excited to have him back in the team."

Bell was dropped earlier this year after a string of inconsistent performances, with Ravi Bopara taking his place at No.3. Bopara may not have set the Ashes alight, yet, but Bell - who himself has struggled against Australia in his two previous Ashes appearances - is confident he is in the right frame of mind, and in good enough form, to make the most of this surprise opportunity.

"Of all the countries I've played, I've played well apart from against Australia. I know that - it's in the back of my mind," he told Sky Sports News. "This is a different Australian team than I've played in the past, but a very fine one as well. But cricket's a stats game, and I've got those stats to put right and to improve on."

Shane Warne reignited an old friendship with Bell today when he wrote in his Times column that he hoped Bell's return to England colours "will hopefully be greeted with 'welcome back, Shermanator', the nickname I gave him in 2006."

 

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Australia face difficult task forcing a result at Edgbaston

Weather and pitch conditions could conspire against the Australians in their quest for a series-levelling victory at Edgbaston. Rain is forecast for the West Midlands for each of the next four days, with particularly heavy storms predicted for Wednesday, the eve of the third Ashes Test, and Thursday. And even if the players do make it onto the field for extended periods, recent history suggests Ricky Ponting's men could find it difficult to force their way back into the series on a pitch that has played host to 16 draws from its past 20 first class matches.

Only once this season has a county team achieved victory in Birmingham, and then only on account of a sublime fast bowling performance from Graham Onions and Steve Harmison. The Durham pacemen, both of whom have been named in England's 13-man squad for the third Ashes Test, claimed a combined 16 wickets to lead Durham to a win over Warwickshire in June, however the six other first-class matches played at the ground this year have resulted in draws.

One of those matches, England's pre-Ashes warm-up match against Warwickshire, was a rare bright point for seamers at Edgbaston. James Anderson took full advantage of the green-tinged pitch to claim five first innings wickets, however his efforts were not enough to force a result in the three-day contest.

Despite his recent success at Edgbaston, Anderson was expecting a benign Test strip. "It's generally quite slow and low and I'm guessing it will be similar to Cardiff, which isn't great from an entertainment point of view or a bowler's point of view," Anderson said. "To be honest, Test pitches around the world are getting pretty similar. As bowlers we're quite used to it and just have to try and work out how to get 20 wickets on these sort of pitches."

Ravi Bopara was another to have excelled during England's warm-up match against Warwickshire, scoring 43 and 104 retired, and he too predicted a gruelling match against the Australians.

"It might be," Bopara said. "But that's where a good spinner comes in to bowl a lot of overs and produce some good spells where he takes a wicket or two to break up partnerships. I think Hauritz has bowled really well. He started off the tour really well. We certainly don't underestimate him. Again, our boys have had recent success as well. Swann's bowled well against the West Indies and Monty Panesar is back on the scene as well. Facing him in the nets, he's been top drawer. It's probably going to be one of those toils ... and go down to the wire."

The Australians, however, are taking nothing for granted regarding the Edgbaston surface, having famously been duped into bowling first at the ground four years ago in a match England won by two runs. Despite recent comments from Steve Rouse, the Edgbaston curator, stating that recent rain had left the pitch "like jelly", Tim Nielsen, the Australian coach, said his side would reserve judgement on the make-up of their bowling attack until they had closely inspected the surface first-hand.

"We'll have a look at the conditions when we get to Edgbaston and work it out," Nielsen said. "We're hearing that the wicket isn't very progressed in its preparation. We'll have a look at what the weather is doing."

Local bookmakers have installed the draw as the most likely result in the match.

 

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Sri Lanka A prevail in high-scorer despite Umar heroics

Sri Lanka A 348 for 6 (Udawatte 161, Kapugedera 101, Kandamby 59, Razzaq 4-70) beat Pakistanis 333 (Umar 103*, Alam 85, Razzaq 56, Fernando 3-50, Maharoof 3-75) by 15 runs


It was a day of big hundreds as Mahela Udawatte and Chamara Kapugedera lifted Sri Lanka A to a huge total batting first, before another supreme knock from Umar Akmal drew the Pakistanis close. The visitors narrowly missed out in the high-scorer at the Welagedera Stadium, which would have been a big confidence booster ahead of the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka which gets underway on Thursday.

Sri Lanka A were off to a horror start once captain Thilina Kandamby opted to bat. Abdul Razzaq struck with the first two balls of the match to send back Upul Tharanga and Kaushal Silva. Sri Lanka A though, mounted a superb recovery as Udawatte and Kandamby put on 114 for the third wicket. Udawatte was at his imperious best during his 135-ball knock, which included 19 fours and two sixes. Kapugedera joined Udawatte in the 20th over, and from then on it was Sri Lanka A all the way. Kapugedera hit six fours and two sixes during his 91-ball stay, and compounded Pakistan's misery further by putting on a massive 222-run stand for the fourth wicket with Udawatte. Both batsmen were dismissed by Razzaq who finished with 4 for 70.

Dilhara Fernando and Farveez Maharoof buoyed by their team's big score, rattled the Pakistani top order during the chase. The visitors had slipped to 29 for 3 before Shahid Afridi (34) and Fawad Alam (85) kept them in with a chance. Following their dismissals, Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan failed to kick on and that left the lower order with too much to do.

But that did not worry Umar, who smashed seven fours and three sixes in a mature display. The 19-year-old grew in confidence through his strokeplay and was lent support by Razzaq, who stroked a blitzkrieg 56 off 29 balls, that pushed Sri Lanka A all the way. But lightning struck twice, with Maharoof and Fernando doing the damage towards the end, as Umar was left stranded on an unbeaten century.

 

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Tampering with ball won't help much - Akram

Wasim Akram has disagreed with Allan Donald's suggestion that ball tampering should be legalised, and said that bowlers wouldn't benefit much even if they were allowed to alter the state of the ball.

Donald had sparked a debate when he told Cricinfo last week that the ICC should let bowlers 'prepare' the ball to redress the balance between bat and ball.

"I don't know what Donald is thinking. He never reverse-swung himself, so probably that's why he said that," he told espnstar.com. "I don't agree with him at all. Reverse-swing comes in late after bowling on a flat track. Whatever Donald is saying about legalising ball tampering, it doesn't matter. The ball will swing anyways and so it's not going to make any difference if you legalise it or not."

Akram, one of the greatest exponents of reverse-swing, also said ball tampering would not be of much help to the bowlers. "[Even] If it's legalised, I don't think it's going to reverse-swing with the new ball. The ball has to be at least 25 to 30 overs old. So, it's just a joke to start off with."

Another of Donald's contemporaries, Indian fast bowler Javagal Srinath, was also against legalising ball tampering. "It is a crime as per the rules of the game and it should not be encouraged," he told.

 

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Shoaib in more trouble with PCB

Shoaib Akhtar has run into more trouble with the PCB after the board accused him of violating his contract by criticising team management in a television interview.

"Akhtar has been served with a show cause notice as he violated the code of conduct," director of operations at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Zakir Khan, told AFP.

Shoaib was withdrawn from Pakistan's squad for last month's World Twenty20 after being diagnosed with genital warts. He claimed the team management was conspiring against him and slammed the PCB for revealing the nature of his ailment, saying he had considered taking legal action against them.

Under the terms of his central contract, Shoaib is not allowed to give interviews without the PCB's permission or to criticise the team management. He has till July 31 to respond to the notice.

Shoaib is already embroiled in a legal battle over a prior code of conduct violation. In April 2008, he was banned by the PCB for five years after lashing out at the administration on being denied a central contract. The ban was later reduced to 18 months by a PCB-appointed appellate tribunal, though he was also handed a fine of Rs 7 million (around US $84,000). The ban was temporarily suspended when he appealed to the Lahore High Court, and the case resumed in court on Monday.

He has not been a regular member of the Pakistan side of late due to fitness and disciplinary issues. Shoaib was left out of the squad for the Sri Lanka series due to uncertainty over his fitness and he was not considered for the 30-man Champions Trophy pool either.

 

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'We play our best, when the chips are down' - Clarke

An Australian cricketers' confidence, at least in public utterances, never wavers. Not in the face of sparse results, a growing list of doubters or being behind in an Ashes series for the second time in consecutive tours. The players are preparing to enter the third Test with an opener who hasn't been able to cope with the short ball, a blunt bowling spearhead and a number of possible permutations over their XI, but with the way they talk it's almost like they own the 1-0 advantage.

There are only positives in the problems of Phillip Hughes and Mitchell Johnson, and opportunities for those who might be so lucky to replace them. Michael Clarke, the vice-captain, said the make-up of the team had not been discussed among the group this week, other than everyone being told by the captain and coach that they could play at Edgbaston. It's not quite a crisis, but with only three matches remaining the time for cheerful chatter must soon switch to on-field action.

So given their situation, why do the tourists have such confidence in a swift comeback? "It's the Australian way, I guess," Clarke said. "We play this game for one reason: to win. We love the game we play, we'll be out there on Thursday backing ourselves 100% to win this game."

Times of trouble spur Australians more, they claim, and there have been series full of them over the past year. It is virtually impossible to speak to a player in the squad without them mentioning the tour of South Africa, where they beat the hosts to maintain their No. 1 ranking. However, on current results that series is the exception, not the light to guide them through a blip.

"We play our best cricket when the chips are down, we are 1-0 down and we'll take the positives out of that," Clarke said. "We know where we let ourselves down over the past two Tests and we know the areas we want to improve. I'm certain if we play our best cricket we will win this Test."

Four years ago the Australian selectors were slow to act as Ricky Ponting's squad lost the Ashes 2-1. The refurbished panel, which is led by Andrew Hilditch, has also shown a tendency to let things slide rather than make a firm decision when it comes to their respected players. It happened with Brett Lee and Matthew Hayden during their home summer and appears to be occurring again with Mitchell Johnson, who has been a shadow of the hero who turned up in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. All Johnson's team-mates expect him to do an excellent job if he plays at Edgbatson.

The closest Clarke came to admitting things haven't gone exactly to plan came when he said "things could be better". "We could be 1-0 up, there are things we need to improve with bat and ball," he said. "We need to be playing our best cricket to beat England in these conditions."

Despite losing Kevin Pietersen, England remain inspired by the Andrew Flintoff wave that rose in the second innings at Lord's. Flintoff is sleeping with an ice machine to ensure his problem knee is ready for back-to-back Tests and the Australians are wary of him.

Clarke is the most qualified batsman to deal with Flintoff, having not been dismissed by him in 12 Tests. The statistic surprised Clarke - "I didn't know that, touch wood, hopefully Thursday's not the day" - but he does not expect Flintoff to carry England to victory.

"He's an amazing player and has been for a long time, but I'm not disappointed that I won't have to face him after this series again in Test cricket," Clarke said. "It's always a contest. I hope Andrew is fit and ready to go and can finish the series, he certainly deserves that. Unfortunately, I think he's going to be finishing as a loser when we win the series." Of course, an Australian player would say that.

 

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Mushfiqur named vice-captain for Zimbabwe tour

Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh wicketkeeper, has been appointed vice-captain for the tour of Zimbabwe starting next month. Shakib Al Hasan, the stand-in captain for the current tour of West Indies, will continue to lead the side in the absence of Mashrafe Mortaza, who's down with a knee injury.

It's the perfect reward for Mushfiqur, who was steady with the bat scoring 133 runs at 33.25 in the recently-concluded two-Test series against West Indies.

Bangladesh will play five ODIs in Bulawayo from August 9 to 18.

 

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Dowlin helps Windies accelerate

West Indies 226/5 after 45.0 overs in 2nd ODI against Bangladesh.
Travis Dowlin 87*

 

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Shakib lauds boys, Reifer asks for time

Bangladesh celebrated their 200th ODI with their first ODI series win against West Indies, and Shakib Al Hasan, their stand-in captain, yet again played a major role in helping them achieve that feat. "I can't explain the feeling," Shakib, who was named Man of the Match for his crucial 65, said at the end of the game. "The boys have tried their best. The team has been supportive throughout the series, and so have the support staff, and we have done well."

Shakib was involved in two crucial partnerships in Bangladesh's chase of a challenging 275. He added 74 for the fourth wicket with Mohammad Ashraful, who, like Shakib, scored his second successive half-century. A 48-run stand with wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim followed, which appeared to have sealed the game for Bangladesh before a flurry of wickets threatened to deprive them of victory.

West Indies' performance marked a major improvement from their previous game where the spinners had proved their undoing. "This was a good win, though," Shakib said. "It was much tougher. They really tested us, and they played our spinners really well."

The hosts were able to overcome the spin threat, thanks largely to a maiden ODI century from Travis Dowlin, who was involved in a steady stand of 62 with Devon Smith for the third wicket, and then opened up to help smash 98 in the last ten overs with support from the lower order. West Indies had thrown Bangladesh the challenge of chasing down their highest score for an ODI win, and Floyd Reifer, the captain, thought his team had managed enough. "We thought that 274 was a brilliant score," Reifer said. "Travis played really, really well for his hundred."

West Indies came into the game with five bowlers, and problems with two of them affected them at the death. Kemar Roach conceded 18 runs in the 42nd over, the first of the batting Powerplay, and bowled his second beamer of the game, which sent him out of the attack. The wicketkeeper Devon Thomas, as a result, had to step in to complete his spell while Darren Sammy bowled with an injured hamstring.

"We knew coming into the game with five bowlers we were taking a risk, and it did not help that we lost three of our bowlers at critical stages," Reifer said. "But I thought we played well and put in a big effort. There have been a lot of positives, which the guys can take from this series. It's a young team, and we all need to be patient with them."

The teams head to St Kitts for the final ODI and a Twenty20 international to round off the tour.

 

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Ponting ponders spin options

Mitchell Johnson's chances of playing at Edgbaston may have firmed but Australia's captain Ricky Ponting said the soggy conditions had given them plenty to think about regarding the position of the spinner Nathan Hauritz. As the selectors ponder whether Stuart Clark can squeeze into the line-up, Ponting said Australia's research into Edgbaston didn't make for happy reading for the spinners.

"We've checked the stats for county games this season and spinners are averaging about 60 or 70 per wicket," Ponting told the Australian. "The numbers aren't compelling and with all this weather around, the curator claims it will be a typical English seamer."

Hauritz would be unlucky to miss out, having picked up nine wickets in the first two Tests, and he would be a valuable man in Australia's armoury if they bowl last. Ponting said it was unlikely he would choose to send England in after he did that at Edgbaston in 2005 and England scored 407 on the first day and won the match.

"You can get a bit carried away and look into things too deeply," Ponting said. "There aren't many pitches you don't want to bat first on, and if that's the case you're bowling last and you want a spinner. We just have to make sure we get our thinking right.

"The beauty of our team is that whatever we do we've got plenty of options, with Michael Clarke, Simon Katich and Marcus North all able to bowl part-time spin. Marcus North showed he is more than capable of stepping up, with a good, long spell at Lord's when Nathan Hauritz was injured."

However, North hasn't picked up a Test wicket this series and it would be a gamble to rely on him as the leading spinner. He has also struggled to turn the ball as sharply as Hauritz, who is aiming to string together three consecutive Test appearances for the first time in his career.

 

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Warne to captain All-Stars at the Gabba

Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Matthew Hayden will once again play at the Gabba after Cricket Australia confirmed the trio would be part of the All-Stars Twenty20 match to launch the 2009-10 season. Warne will captain the All-Stars line-up, which will play against a full-strength Australian XI on November 22, four days before Australia's first home Test of the summer.

"I can't wait to be playing back on Australian soil with Pigeon and Haydos and the rest of the crew," Warne said. "As the All-Stars captain I'm really looking forward to working with Australia's new and upcoming players. It will be a great experience to take on the Aussie team and should be a very fun and exciting match for all."

The concept of an All-Stars match was launched last year, when Adam Gilchrist and Justin Langer joined an All-Stars team otherwise made up of leading domestic Twenty20 players under the Australian Cricketers' Association banner. Gilchrist's team beat the Australians and the game provided an entertaining opening to the season.

Australia's previous three summers have featured gripping Test series against England, India and South Africa, and with the less powerful drawcards of West Indies and Pakistan visiting this season, the big-name trio of Warne, McGrath and Hayden should help attract plenty of attention. McGrath said he was keen to get back on the field in Australia after being limited to IPL appearances recently.

"The All-Star match is a great start to the summer and I'm really looking forward to getting back out on Aussie soil," McGrath said. "The match is going to support the Cricket Cares initiative so I encourage all cricket fans to get on board and come along to the match, or watch it on TV."

Hayden, the most recently retired of the three stars, is also looking forward to the chance to play again at his home venue in Brisbane. "I have really enjoyed my Twenty20 post-retirement, and this is a great way to play a game I love in my home town," Hayden said. "This match is the perfect way to launch the summer and a great way for me to support the ACA."

The match will support Cricket Cares partners the Shane Warne Foundation, McGrath Foundation and Movember Foundation.