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Junaid Khan, the Pakistan left-arm fast bowler, has credited the former fast bowler Wasim Akram for helping him develop the incoming delivery against the right-handers

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jan-2013Junaid Khan, the Pakistan left-arm fast bowler, has credited Wasim Akram for helping him develop the incoming delivery for right-handed batsmen, which led to him picking up eight wickets in the three-match ODI series that concluded in Delhi on Sunday.Junaid was most potent in the first ODI in Chennai, taking out four of the top five to reduce India to 29 for 5. He also took two top-order wickets in the second ODI in Kolkata, finishing with 3 for 39. The Indian batsmen had struggled to counter Junaid’s swing and his contributions helped Pakistan take the series 2-1.”I have been a bowler who has relied on bowling outswingers consistently at a good pace. It was Wasim (Akram) who told me to develop the incoming delivery which would be my weapon against the Indian right-handers,” Junaid told .Junaid had dismissed Virender Sehwag with an incoming delivery in Chennai and Virat Kohli in all three matches.”It’s very natural for left-arm fast bowlers to slant it across the right-handers,” Junaid said. “Once a guy like Virender Sehwag gauges the length of the away-going deliveries, you can be murdered. When I did my homework, I found out that Sehwag has a problem with the ball that comes in. I then started working hard on that incoming delivery with our chief bowling coach Mohammed Akram.”This is not the first time Junaid has credited Wasim for his development as a fast bowler. Last June, after taking 5 for 73 on a flat SSC pitch in a Test against Sri Lanka, Junaid spoke of how he was inspired by Wasim’s spell in the 1992 World Cup final, where his two wickets in successive deliveries turned the game Pakistan’s way. Junaid said he had watched the Youtube video of it and Wasim himself had passed on tips on reverse swing. Junaid found appreciable reverse swing in that Test to put Sri Lanka under pressure.In his short career with Pakistan, Junaid has established a reputation for being one of the quickest bowlers in the country. However, he says swing is more important to him than pace.”I don’t want to compromise on pace but swing is the most important aspect of my bowling,” he said. “One might get adjusted to pace but if one has the ability to move the ball consistently at a decent pace, he can create trouble in batsmen’s mind.”He said it was a team effort that helped Pakistan win. “I was never under any kind of pressure to perform. I also got a lot of back-up from the other end as Mohammed Irfan and Umar Gul also bowled superbly. It was certainly a collective effort.”

Bangladesh batsmen Junaid Siddique and Nazimuddin have been dropped from the preliminary squad of 25 for the forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka

Mohammad Isam18-Feb-2013Bangladesh batsmen Junaid Siddique and Nazimuddin, who opened in a Test each against West Indies and scored 31 runs together, have been dropped from the preliminary squad of 25 for the forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka. A few recent performers like Marshall Ayub and Shamsur Rahman were named in the squad.Bangladesh chief selector Akram Khan doesn’t anticipate making too many changes to the Test side, but he admitted to the scarce choices for opening batsmen and pace bowlers.”We don’t have too many options [for the openers], and not many have done well in the recent past,” Akram said. “We are also on a blind spot with pace bowling, unfortunately. We cannot consider them by what we have seen of them so far. It is very difficult to ascertain a fast bowler’s performance by just seeing four overs in the BPL.”Tamim Iqbal hasn’t had a regular opening partner in Tests for the last two years. Nazimuddin and Imrul Kayes have played three Tests each while Junaid played just one against West Indies earlier this season. Anamul Haque could get a chance after playing all five ODIs against West Indies, in which he scored a century. The selectors have also kept Shamsur in the mix.

Shakib to tour SL after treatment for injury

Shakib Al Hasan will only be touring Sri Lanka after he has received treatment on a shin injury in Australia, said chief selector Akram Khan.
Shakib has been a regular with the Dhaka Gladiators in the BPL, though he was last week diagnosed with exertional compartment syndrome on his shin bone, a condition that can be caused by frequent running, which leads to pain and swelling.
There was concern about his availability for the Test series in Sri Lanka, and as a result the board has decided to send him to Australia and consult a specialist. He is likely to leave just after the BPL final where he will be appearing for the Gladiators on Tuesday.
“Shakib is going to Australia and based on the report, we will decide whether he will go to Sri Lanka or not,” Akram said. “The sort of player he is, we have to take two players to replace him. We have picked the 25-man squad keeping his situation in mind.”

Among the pace bowlers, Rubel Hossain’s new-ball partner could be any one out of Shafiul Islam, Abul Hasan, Shahadat Hossain, Nazmul Hossain and Rabiul Islam. Shafiul got back to international cricket recently after a lengthy injury break, while Abul and Shahadat got only a wicket between themselves in the Tests against West Indies.The Bangladesh middle order has been a settled one for quite a long time with Naeem Islam likely to continue at No. 4 followed by Shakib Al Hasan (pending recovery from shin injury), Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah and Nasir Hossain.As a result, Akram has all but ruled out any new faces and either one or two of Marshall, Anamul and Mominul Haque are strong cases for inclusion. Marshall has averaged 81.38 in ten first-class matches this season, scoring 1058 runs with four centuries including his highest score of 289 for Central Zone in the Bangladesh Cricket League.”We haven’t thought about new faces because Bangladesh have done well against West Indies recently. I don’t have too many options too, except for some competition among the left-arm spinners.”Marshall has been doing well and is in good form, so this is the right time to pick him. In case of [Anamul Haque] Bijoy and Mominul [Haque], we are keeping them in our mind but we have several players in a few positions,” Akram said.The Test squad is set to be named on either February 22 or 23 for the two-match series which will begin on March 8 in Galle.Bangladesh preliminary squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), Mahmudullah, Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Nasir Hossain, Elias Sunny, Ziaur Rahman, Mashrafe Mortaza, Abul Hasan, Jahurul Islam, Shafiul Islam, Anamul Haque, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Mominul Haque, Shahriar Nafees, Shahadat Hossain, Nazmul Hossain, Robiul Islam, Sohag Gazi, Naeem Islam, Enamul Haque jnr, Shamsur Rahman, Sabbir Rahman, Marshall Ayub.

India opener Shikhar Dhawan is unlikely to play the fourth Test against Australia because of an injury sustained in the field

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2013India opener Shikhar Dhawan, who was Man of the Match for his 187 on debut in Mohali, is unlikely to play the fourth Test against Australia because of an injury sustained in the field. Speaking after his team had taken a 3-0 lead in the series, India captain MS Dhoni said Dhawan “may not play in the next Test. You will get an official word on it.”Dhawan was fielding on the boundary between point and third man during Australia’s second innings on the fourth day, and he jammed his left hand into the ground while trying to stop a Phillip Hughes square drive. He did not field for the rest of Sunday and after the day’s play was taken to hospital in Chandigarh by the physio Nitin Patel.The nature of Dhawan’s injury had not yet been confirmed, though he said he had “hurt his knuckles”, and x-rays suggested it was largely a muscular injury. If the injury persists, Dhawan will be forced to miss the Test in his hometown Delhi, which begins on March 22.Should Dhawan miss the Test, there is a very strong possibility that rather than call up a replacement opener, the Indian selectors would choose to have Ajinkya Rahane fill in for Dhawan.Rahane has been a part of the Indian set-up since the 2011-2012 tour of Australia without having played in a single Test despite the fading form of the established opening pair of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, and India losing six out of ten Tests between Boxing Day 2011 and 2012. At the start of the home series against England late last year, though, chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil had said that his panel were considering Rahane to essentially be a middle-order batsman. Dhawan’s injury may end up giving Rahane the opportunity to do something other than carry drinks for India in Test matches.

A round-up of matches played in the President’s One-Day Cup tournament 2012-13 played on April 7, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Apr-2013Habib Bank Limited won a high-scoring match against Pakistan International Airlines by 27 runs in Karachi. HBL were put in to bat and started inauspiciously as Imran Farhat was dismissed first ball of the innings. Ahmed Shehzad and Younis Khan then put on a 142-run partnership for the second wicket before Shehzad fell to Shoaib Malik leg before. Younish and Asad Shafiq then combined for 118 runs for the third wicket. Younis, recently omitted from the 30-man pool for the Champions Trophy, finally fell for 101, with Shafiq scoring a quick fire 92 off 74 balls. Shahid Afridi played a cameo, scoring 39 off 15 balls, striking three sixes and three fours. Habib finished on 331 for 3 at the end of their allotted overs.PIA lost Agha Sabir for 4, before Kamran Sajid and Shoaib Khan snr put on 92 for the second wicket to help steady the innings. Sajid was dismissed on 48, with Shoaib bringing up 52 before being bowled by Abdur Rehman. Malik scored an aggressive 108 off 76 balls to keep PIA in the chase, but was restricted by the fall of wickets tumbling at the other end. In the end, PIA fell by 27 runs as they were dismissed for 304 in the 49th over.Sui Gas Northern Pipelines Limited pulled off a close two-run win over Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited in their second match of the tournament. Batting first, SGNPL put on a strong batting display as their top three batsmen chipped in with key contributions. Azhar Ali struck his second consecutive half-century for SGNPL, top-scoring with 89 off 102. His innings built on an 83-run opening partnership between Mohammad Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar and a late flourish from Khurram Shehzad took SGNPL to a strong 314 for 5.ZTBL began their chase confidently as Sharjeel Khan and Hussain Talat shared an opening stand of 96. The middle-order built on their start, as Babar Azam and Haris Sohail struck half-centuries. Sohail missed out on his first List-A century, falling to Asad Ali for 99. His innings, which came off 89 balls, included five fours and two sixes. ZTBL struggled once their top four were dismissed and their innings eventually finished at 312 for 6. Mohammad Hafeez was the most economical bowler for SGNPL, conceding 33 runs in his 10 overs of offspin. Bilawal Bhatti took three wickets for an expensive 77 runs.State Bank of Pakistan won a thriller against Water and Power Development Authority by three runs in Ghari Khuda Baksh. SBP were put in to bat, and had contributions from their top- and middle-order, through Kashif Siddiq (11), Gulraiz Sadaf (29), Rameez Raja (23) and Usman Arshad (26). Adnan Raees and Usman Saeed combined for 107 runs for the fifth wicket, with both being dismissed finally for 54. WAPDA’s bowlers took wickets regularly throughout the innings to prevent any substantial partnerships, as SBP finished on 244 all out.WAPDA’s innings started abjectly as they lost both openers with the score on 12. After losing Aamer Sajjad caught behind for 27, Sohaib Maqsood and Mohammad Ayub combined for a fourth wicket partnership of 144. Maqsood finished on 119, as he was dismissed with 37 runs required. Ayub and Naved-ul-Hasan then brought the game very close, falling an agonising three runs short of the target at the end of their innings. Ayub would finish unbeaten on 64.The biggest win of the day came at Gaddafi Stadium, where National Bank of Pakistan hammered Port Qasim Authority by nine wickets. After being sent in, PQA managed to put up 248, thanks chiefly to Khurram Manzoor’s 94. Medium-pacer Imran Khan, who hadn’t taken a wicket in his past four games, took four wickets to be the most successful of the NBP bowlers.If PQA thought they had put up a competitive total, they were made to change their minds by NBP’s openers, Kamran Akmal and Sami Aslam, who put together a 201-run stand that effectively ended the contest. Akmal hit 22 fours as he remained unbeaten on 132, while Aslam fell for 82. NBP finished off the game in the 39th over, with nine wickets still in hand.

The PCB has lodged a request with the ICC to host the World Cup qualifying tournament in 2018

Umar Farooq18-Apr-2013The PCB has lodged a request with the ICC to host the World Cup qualifying tournament in 2018, which will determine the final places at the following year’s event in England, as they attempt to revive international cricket in Pakistan.There have been no international games in country since March 2009 when the buses carrying the Sri Lankan team and ICC officials were attacked on their way to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. There have been tentative steps to try and bring visiting teams back, but Bangladesh’s withdrawal from their tour last year confirmed how much concern remains.Pakistan has had two ICC events removed from them in recent years with the 2008 Champions Trophy shifted to South Africa and they were taken off the 2011 World Cup due to the ongoing security problems. The PCB had previously shown interest in hosting the 2014 World Twenty20 which was awarded to Bangladesh and now wants to push again for an event.”There is a ICC event in 2018 and Pakistan have requested it should be given an opportunity to host the event,” Ashraf said at Lahore airport on his return from recent ICC meetings in Dubai. “We have also asked them to evaluate the security situation when the time comes, but keep the slot for us. They have agreed and have given it to the committee and when the time comes they will assess the security situation and will decide accordingly.”Pakistan was previously part of a global event when it co-hosted the 1996 World Cup alongside India and Sri Lanka. Ashraf admitted that a lot of work remains to convince teams that touring Pakistan is a viable option.”I have talked with three to four presidents of cricket boards and they are reluctant when they hear the name of Pakistan especially after the Bangladesh ran away last year,” he said. “They think when Bangladesh did not come how could they tour? We are talking with another country and they have asked us to send the request. We are trying their women’s team or Under-19 team so that something starts and the confidence level is developed.”

A match of three comeback appearances with potential for an emotive tale was sterilised by a docile pitch that produced a tame draw as Surrey batted out the final day with ease

Alex Winter at The Oval27-Apr-2013
ScorecardA match of three comeback appearances with potential for an emotive tale was sterilised by a docile pitch that produced a tame draw as Surrey batted out the final day with ease.Chris Tremlett got back on the road to an international return, Chris Jordan produced results that his former employers could never draw from him and Rory Hamilton-Brown leaped a significant hurdle in his rehabilitation from the horror of last season.A low-key return was perhaps the best outcome for Hamilton-Brown. He made 39 in stylish fashion, fielded well and will be relieved to have got the week out of the way.”Rory and I had a chat before this week,” Sussex’s professional cricket manager, Mark Robinson, told ESPNcricinfo. “We wanted to make sure he had plans for every eventuality that might have happened in this game. There would have been some nerves but some excitement as well. He’s ticked the box now of coming back here and he’s handled himself really well. So it’s another part of the healing process dealt with for him.”Hamilton-Brown would have liked a longer bat on a pitch that refused to yield even into the fourth day. It was very slow and didn’t deteriorate. One ball carried through to the slips in the whole game. Unless the pitches mature through the season, Surrey will struggle to win matches at The Oval.They may have to wait for much joy at home but Surrey have been used to playing a waiting game in recent years. Their promotion in 2011 came from a charge in the latter part of the campaign and last season they rallied late with victories over Middlesex and Nottinghamshire at home to survive.This year is another fresh start for them but they have to be taken seriously. Their bowling resources are unmatched, with Stuart Meaker, Jon Lewis, Matthew Dunn, George Edwards and Gary Keedy left out this week. Their batting stock is less plentiful but Graeme Smith hinted at the form that will make a significant impact, Gary Wilson made a fine hundred and they have young players with potential, plus Ricky Ponting to step in when Smith is away.Vikram Solanki contributed his second half-century of the match on a friendly surface•Getty Images

Dominic Sibley is an exciting prospect. Just 17, he scored 299 runs at 49.83 for England Under-19s in South Africa over the winter and Zafar Ansari, who made 72 for Cambridge against Middlesex this week, will also become available. Arun Harinath missed this game after being hit on the hand by Tremlett in the nets but suffered only bruising and should be fit for Surrey’s next match at Middlesex.Injuring his team-mates might not have been Tremlett’s main aim for his first Championship match since July 2012 but he ran in gamely, looking fit and well, only wishing he had more help from the wicket. He should do at Lord’s, venue for Surrey’s next match.He and the Surrey bowling unit have benefitted from a full-time bowling coach in Stuart Barnes, who joined from Gloucestershire in the winter. Previously Martin Bicknell, now chief scout, filled the role only on a part-time basis.”It’s just nice to have someone around all the time,” Tremlett said of Barnes. “His knowledge of the game is brilliant and he’s always there with his camera and his ideas. We’ve got two batting coaches here, in Chris Adams and Ian Salisbury, so it’s nice to have a bowling coach on your side. He’s added a lot and we’re working well as a bowling unit.”But they were unable to prevent a strong Sussex batting order from compiling a large total that built on their solid opening-round victory at Headingley. That they had a chance to win here, having not triumphed at The Oval for 19 years, was a positive note on the form guide.The addition of Jordan, who took five-wicket hauls in both opening matches, adds bite to the attack and they will get plenty of chances to win matches from a batting line-up that looks as strong as any in Division One.”We have grown a little bit,” Robinson said. “We’ve lost a lot of players in the past few seasons, seven in five years, and big players, the last one being Murray Goodwin. But this group can potentially be together for a while now and they’ve become quite tight as a group. We had a great pre-season and have taken that into the early games.”We’ve felt we’ve had a good batting order for the last few years. They haven’t quite performed as we’d want but these first two games they’ve played really well. We’ve batted well in both innings and they’re all in good nick and now, all batting in the positions they want to as well.”Steve Magoffin is an injury concern ahead of Sussex’s next match, on Wednesday against champions Warwickshire. He only bowled five overs on the final day and will be assessed on Sunday.

Somerset bounced back to winning ways in the Yorkshire Bank 40 by beating Glamorgan by three wickets with 10 balls to spare.

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jun-2013
ScorecardPeter Trego’s 72 from 66 balls was a strong start to the chase•Getty Images

Somerset bounced back to winning ways in the Yorkshire Bank 40 by beating Glamorgan by three wickets with 10 balls to spare.Responding to Glamorgan’s 245 for 9, which included an unbeaten 75 from Ben Wright, the hosts looked well placed as Peter Trego hit 72 and Dean Elgar made 51. But they slipped to 203 for 7 before Craig Meschede and Max Waller both hit career-bests to see Somerset home.After being put into bat, Glamorgan openers Will Bragg and Mark Wallace added 31 before Meschede had Wallace caught by wicketkeeper Barrow. Jamie Overton entered the attack in dramatic fashion with two wickets in his first over. His first delivery had Chris Cooke caught at short midwicket by Elgar and four balls later, Bragg clipped him to Trego at third man. Meschede claimed his second wicket when Jim Allenby edged a wider one which Barrow dived to catch with his right hand.Waller tightened Somerset’s grip on proceedings when Murray Goodwin drove him straight to James Hildreth at short midwicket and the visitors found themselves 97 for five in the 21st over. Marcus North drove Overton to the boundary but on 46 was caught at gully by Hildreth.When Wagg was run out by Waller with a direct hit in the 30th over Glamorgan were on 143 for 7 as Dean Cosker came to the wicket to join Wright. Cosker drove Steve Kirby to the boundary to bring up the 150 soon after which Wright went to his half-century with a boundary to third man off the same bowler.The eighth-wicket partnership was worth 89 when Elgar brought it to an end, Cosker caught at mid-off by Overton for 37. Three balls later Elgar had Michael Hogan caught at long on by Hildreth as Glamorgan ended their innings on 245 for 9, Wright not out 75 from 57 balls.In reply, Marcus Trescothick and Trego added 41 before the Somerset captain was caught at mid-off from the bowling of Wagg for 13. Nick Compton scored four before being caught at first slip trying to cut Simon Jones.Trego went to his 50 with three consecutive fours off Cosker as he and Elgar started to dominate proceedings. Elgar brought up the Somerset 100 with a lofted boundary off Allenby.Trego had moved onto 72 when he was was bowled by North, his third-wicket partnership with Elgar adding 95 runs. Elgar went to his maiden Somerset 50 in the 27th over but one run later was caught at deep mid-wicket by Wright off Cosker.Hildreth was lbw five balls later and Cosker, who took 3 for 41, struck again with the first delivery of his next over when Suppiah was bowled for six.Meschede hit 24 off the 33rd over bowled by Jones, which included two sixes to bring Somerset right back into the game.When Barrow was bowled by Wagg, the young allrounder was joined by Waller and the pair stayed at the wicket together to see Somerset to 246 by which time Meschede was unbeaten on 40, with Waller not out 25.

Several current and former England players took to Twitter to express their disgruntlement at the decision by Nottinghamshire not to let the Barmy Army trumpeter, Billy Cooper, play his instrument at Trent Bridge

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2013The build-up to the start of the Ashes, already reaching a fevered pitch, now has its cause celebre, after several current and former England players took to Twitter to express their disgruntlement at the decision by Nottinghamshire not to let the Barmy Army trumpeter, Billy Cooper, play his instrument at Trent Bridge.The first Investec Test will begin on Wednesday but the strains of Cooper’s trumpet – playing “Jerusalem”, or the Countdown theme music during a review – will be absent. Cooper revealed on Friday that he had been refused permission to play, tweeting: “Just to clarify that Trent Bridge have said I can’t play at the 1st test. Very disappointed. ECB were supportive but it’s up to the ground.”Kevin Pietersen called it an “absolute DISGRACE” on Twitter, while former England captain Michael Vaughan encouraged his followers to tweet the hashtag #LetBillyBlowhisTrumpet in an attempt to get the decision overturned. Matt Prior and Charlotte Edwards, the England women’s captain, also voiced their support for Cooper, while the majority of fans were voting in his favour on ESPNcricinfo’s poll.
Cooper, a professional musician, has become a fixture with the Barmy Army group of supporters who follow England home and away, with his well-judged interludes becoming popular with spectators. On England’s last Ashes tour of Australia, he was an audible presence at all five of the Tests and the decision to ban him four years earlier sparked similar controversy.
However, a Nottinghamshire spokesman said on Saturday that there were no plans to change the county’s policy, which was in force in 2005 when England just held their nerve to beat Australia in the dramatic fourth Test. “It is not personal against him or his trumpet,” he said. “It is just a long-standing policy position. There is no chance of a change of mind.”

The lobby urging the England selectors to add Gary Ballance to their roll call of Yorkshire players can shout a little louder after he maintained his extraordinary consistency

Jon Culley at Headingley02-Aug-2013
ScorecardGary Ballance celebrates a very important century•Getty Images

The lobby urging the England selectors to add Gary Ballance to their roll call of Yorkshire players can shout a little louder after he maintained the extraordinary consistency that has been the feature of his season by scoring his third century in the space of eight Championship innings. It enabled Yorkshire to emerge from a difficult opening day in respectable shape.Under the watchful eye of England selector James Whitaker, who has been tracking his progress with interest for more than just the last few weeks, Ballance made 112 runs in around four and three-quarter hours to check Warwickshire’s ambitions. With the help of a disciplined half-century from Alex Lees, again showing maturity beyond his 20 years, Ballance prevented what might have been a one-sided day after Warwickshire’s stand-in captain, Varun Chopra, had won the toss and opted to bowl first on a green-tinged track.The defending champions had arrived in Leeds having at last looked as if they were recapturing last season’s form and the quartet of seamers at Chopra’s disposal by no means let him down, maintaining a high work rate for much of the day and, they would contend, not enjoying the best of luck given the number of times ball beat bat, especially in the morning session. Even so, they still had Yorkshire 26 for 2 after Adam Lyth and Andrew Gale departed in quick succession, the latter without scoring.But Ballance is in wonderful form. In 13 innings in the Championship, he has scored 52 or more eight times and averages 61.69, his three hundreds including a Championship-best 141 at Scarborough would have attracted rather more attention had Gale not scored 272 in the same innings.Ballance’s supporters at Headingley argue that he might have been considered as Kevin Pietersen’s potential replacement for the current Test match, citing better statistics than James Taylor. The latter’s prior experience was always going to give him an edge in that argument, but Ballance is not far away. He was named in the provisional squad for the Champions Trophy, took part in England nets ahead of the Test against New Zealand at Headingley in May and was selected for the Twenty20 series against the same opponents, although he did not play. A call-up for the one-day series against Australia after the Ashes looks a real possibility.”Over the whole season I’ve felt in good touch and I think my current form is probably up there with the best I’ve had in my career,” Ballance said. “I’ve worked hard over the last few years, so it’s probably come about through getting more experience at first-class level, having more responsibility and playing week in, week out.”It’s given me some confidence that I’ve been noticed and hopefully I can keep scoring runs for Yorkshire and you never know where that will take me in the next few years. I think one-day cricket is probably my strongest form of the game at the moment and if I can get in by scoring runs in all forms, that might be my way in.”He had extra responsibility here in the absence of Phil Jaques and Joe Sayers, who are both injured. It left Gale a batsman short and the early losses pushed Ballance into the fray earlier than has been usual. Yet he thrived, encouraging Lees to reveal his own ability to play through difficult conditions with discipline. Keith Barker, Chris Woakes, Boyd Rankin and Rikki Clarke make up a formidable seam attack but while they played and missed a few times neither Lees nor Ballance offered a chance until Lees edged Woakes to first slip soon after lunch.Adil Rashid fell to a poor shot, caught behind attempting to uppercut Rankin, and Clarke deservedly took the wickets of Azeem Rafiq and Andy Hodd. But there was no shifting Ballance, who drove handsomely on both sides of the wicket in amassing 13 fours before choosing the perfect moment to hit Jeetan Patel over the top for six, moving from 94 to 100 in doing so.Barker curtailed his progress eventually, dismissing him leg before in the fifth over with the new ball. It seemed at that moment that Yorkshire might fall away quickly, with not much more than 250 on the board, handing Warwickshire the initiative. But Steve Patterson and Jack Brooks took it back by adding 27 in the final eight overs.

Mahela Jayawardene is set to join the Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Aug-2013Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka batsman, is set to join the Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League. He tweeted on Thursday morning that he had received a call-up from the franchise. The Sri Lanka batsman will replace South Africa’s Davy Jacobs, who was ruled out following an injury.Jayawardene is expected to fly out to the Caribbean on Thursday afternoon, ahead of T&T’s game against the St Lucia Zouks in Kingston on Saturday. “It’s going to be a long trip to get over there, but I am looking forward to meeting up with the guys as soon as possible and hopefully helping us secure a berth in the CPL semi-finals this coming weekend,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I’ve always loved playing cricket in the Caribbean, so I am really looking forward to a short stint with T&T Red Steel.”He will be the second Sri Lanka player to feature in the CPL, with Muttiah Muralitharan turning out for the Jamaica Tallawahs. Jawayardene joins Ross Taylor and Kevin O’Brien as one of the franchise’s overseas players. Australian batsman Aaron Finch had earlier withdrawn from the squad to lead Australia A on their tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe.T&T, usually the powerhouse of regional T20 cricket in the Caribbean, suffered a poor start to the franchise-based CPL, losing three consecutive games before producing two wins. With two games to go in the league phase of the tournament, they sit fifth out of six teams on the points table. Their remaining matches are this weekend, against St Lucia – the only team below them on the points table – on Saturday and the Jamaica Tallawahs on Sunday.