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With the Asia Cup only days away, John Wright has fired the first salvo for India, warning opponents that the team has been thorough in its preparation for the upcoming tournament.”We have done various research on the opposition teams,” he said. “Particularly, we concentrated on Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Our computer analyst has been of great help. He is providing us data and information on the opposition bowlers and batsmen, besides [on] our own players.”After the tour of Pakistan, India had a three-month layoff from the game, but a series of camps were held to ensure the players stayed fit and match-ready. Wright addressed the issue about India’s batting line-up.”Various people will have various opinions on an issue, but it eventually boils down to the captain as to who should do what,” Wright said, referring to the players’ publicly aired views about India’s openers. “Both [Aakash Chopra and Yuvraj Singh] are outstanding players, no doubt. But if you ask me, frankly I would say the selectors select the team and the captain desides who should bat where. The selectors, vice-captain and myself, as coach, will give our advice, but it’s the captain who will decide the batting order.”

At the end of last week whilst the Sabres were up in Scotland the rest of the squad and some of the Academy students took part in a `Superstars’ competition back at the County Ground.Assistant coach Mark Garaway told me: "We didn’t have any cricket and as the weather hadn’t been so good we decided to end the week with something that would involve some of the players normal fitness routine activities with one or two extras added for fun."The teams of three undertook a range of different challenges including a gym based triathlon, where one of the team sprinted 500 metres, another cycled 500 metres and the third covered the same distance on one of the rowing machines. Other activities were barrel lifting, tyre rolling, and a final multi activity training session.The winning team had a distinctly west country flavour about it and was led by Devonian Matt Wood and included Cornishman Piran Holloway and Ross Dewar who hails from Dorchester, who were all presented with `Mr Universe’ garden gnomes!Winning captain Matt Wood told me: "It was pretty hard work but great fun and a good way to end the week off for us. Hopefully there will be some cricket for me next week and I can’t wait to get back out in the middle again."Somerset Seconds play a two day friendly in Bristol on Monday and Tuesday next week, and then return to Taunton on Wednesday to play Hampshire in a 3 day Second Eleven championship match.

Shane Warne has tipped Australian team-mate Michael Slater to come back stronger than ever from his Test cricket axing.Warne arrived back in Australia tonight from the Ashes tour after staying an extra week in England to promote his new autobiography.He said Slater, who was dropped from the final Ashes Test because of a combination of poor form and personal problems, would sort things out and return a better player.”I think Slats is obviously going through a bit of a time in his life that he needs to sort out for himself and I’m sure he will,” Warne said.”He’s thinking rationally, he knows what he wants. It’s just a matter for him to sort it out.”It’s nothing to do with anybody else – it’s something personal to do with him. I’m sure he’ll sort it out and his cricket will be fine.”He’ll come back stronger and better for sure.”While Slater’s form went into freefall on the Ashes tour, Warne’s form returned to the orbit where it’s spent most of his cricket career.After a dismal tour of India, Warne took 31 Test scalps in England, passed 400 Test wickets and moved into fifth place on the all-time Test wicket-takers list.And he can now add best-selling author to his list of achievements – Warne’s autobiography is now No 1 on The Sunday Times’ best-sellers list in England.Warne also revealed he was still hoping to be a candidate for the Australian captaincy or vice-captaincy once Steve Waugh retired.He said the Australian Cricket Board had told him the door was not closed, despite being sacked as Australian vice-captain last year over a phone sex scandal involving an English nurse.”It’d be a great opportunity to be one of the candidates down the track, but if my time’s been and it’s up to somebody else, then so be it,” Warne said.”I’d like to think I’d be one of the candidates.”But it might be four or five years down the track and it would be past my time and they’d obviously be looking for somebody else.”Warne said he was looking forward to spending time with his family at home in Melbourne and doing “two weeks of nothing”, before gearing up for Australia’s showdown with South Africa and New Zealand over summer.

Ashton Agar will return to international cricket for the first time since his memorable cameo in the 2013 Ashes series, after being chosen as the lone spin bowler in Australia’s first ODI squad since winning the World Cup final at home in Melbourne in March.Agar has been chosen with an eye towards the future as the selectors continue to deny Nathan Lyon a place in the limited-overs side. Joe Burns and Marcus Stoinis have also been chosen in the limited-overs squad for the first time, the former expected to replace the injured Aaron Finch as David Warner’s opening partner.As expected, Steven Smith will now captain the national side in all formats, the first time this has been the case since Ricky Ponting retired from T20 internationals in September 2009. Michael Clarke then led the T20 side until he also retired from the format in January 2011 in order to concentrate on Test and 50-over matches.

Australia’s ODI squad for England series

Steven Smith (capt), Ashton Agar, George Bailey, Joe Burns, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), Shane Watson, David Warner
In: Ashton Agar, Joe Burns, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Pattinson, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade
Out: Michael Clarke, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Brad Haddin, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Johnson

Stoinis’ inclusion comes largely as a result of James Faulkner’s four-match suspension from international duty due to a drink driving offence when playing for Lancashire in England’s domestic NatWest Twenty20 Blast competition. James Pattinson and Nathan Coulter-Nile also make international returns, while Matthew Wade will don the ODI gloves vacated by the retired Brad Haddin.”The squad we have selected has a few fresh faces in it as well as some experienced players that will provide us with the right balance,” the selection chairman Rod Marsh said. “Ashton has performed very well with the ball since his return from shoulder surgery including taking five wickets in the recent Australia A game in India. He has played in these conditions over here before and the National Selection Panel believes he has a very bright future.”Joe has impressed us immensely over in India with Australia A. He is a very capable young batsman who has experience opening, and we think he will grab his opportunity with the white ball during this series. Marcus has performed very well in India during the four-day series and we have always liked that option of the extra allrounder in our side, so with James Faulkner’s unavailability, this is a great opportunity for Marcus.”Agar’s inclusion may also be a pointer towards the way the national selectors are thinking in terms of spin-bowling spots for the Test tour of Bangladesh in October. The wrist spinner Fawad Ahmed was taken on the dual West Indies and Ashes tours ahead of Agar but has not performed to the standards the selectors hoped for.Other limited-overs merchants to return to Australian duty will include George Bailey, who gave up his place in the middle order during the World Cup to allow for Clarke’s return from injury and will now reclaim it, while Cameron Boyce will again be granted a chance to bowl in the lone T20 match ahead of next year’s World T20, to be held in India.Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood were not considered for the squad due to their heavy workloads during the Ashes, and Marsh said the selection panel’s preference was for the pair to enjoy full pre-seasons back home rather than lingering in England.”After Test matches both here and in the West Indies,” Marsh said, “we have opted to give both of those fast bowlers the opportunity to have a pre-season build-up in the lead-up to what will be another busy Australian season.”Australia squad: Steven Smith (capt), Ashton Agar, George Bailey, Joe Burns, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), Shane Watson, David Warner, Cameron Boyce (T20I only)

New Zealand will trial the pink ball and day-night format in the Plunket Shield in February, with plans being formulated to play a floodlit Test match against Bangladesh in December 2016.The February 20 round of the domestic competition will feature day-night matches played in Auckland, Hamilton and Napier, as a step on the road towards a proposed night Test against Bangladesh. Lindsay Crocker, New Zealand Cricket’s head of cricket, said December was the right time of year for the concept.”We think probably the best one to try it would be Bangladesh in December,” Crocker told stuff.co.nz. “We think November is a little early so that December series could potentially be one. But we haven’t discussed that with them yet.”That [Plunket Shield round] sits quite nicely with three home teams having lit venues. We’ve identified that as a round that, should this [Adelaide] match go successfully and we’re satisfied that we can try it, then we would [go ahead].”The BCB said it hadn’t been approached yet. “They haven’t told us but if it comes up, it will first go to the cricket committee, then we will take a policy decision on the board level,” the chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury told ESPNcricinfo.David White, the NZC chief executive, said momentum for the format was growing. “In the debate around the ICC chief executives’ table there has been a lot of interest,” White said. “Everyone acknowledges that outside of England and Australia it’s been a challenge for Test crowds and is certainly a concept that people are very receptive to.”The news arrived as Brendon McCullum’s team prepared for the inaugural day-night Test at Adelaide Oval from Friday, with several other nations already showing an interest in a concept that has been pushed heavily by Cricket Australia in recent times.”People are voting with their feet that they’re encouraged by what the pink ball Test match has to offer,” McCullum said before his team’s floodlit training session on match eve. “For us to play in front of 40,000-odd people in a Test match is pretty amazing and we’re really, really excited about it. Hopefully it goes off brilliantly and there’s no challenges and no problems.”If we have that final session on that fifth day under lights and a result is in the balance then it could be anything for Test cricket. It could be something that is outstanding for the game. We’ll find out once the game’s over but we’re relishing the opportunity to test it out.”

Ben Edmondson, Phil Jaques and Brad Hodge are among the in-form Australians who will taste finals action in the county Twenty20 deciders next week. Edmondson, who is not in Australia’s 30-man preliminary World Championship squad, has been one of the best bowlers in a severely rain-affected tournament, with 11 wickets at 10.72 and an economy rate of 6.05.He is equal fourth on the wicket tally as his pace and ability to swing the ball have proved useful for Gloucestershire. Another strong performance from Edmondson on Friday, when he took 2 for 21 from four overs, helped his side into the finals with a comfortable win over Glamorgan at Bristol.Gloucestershire will meet Worcestershire in a quarter-final next Tuesday, with Edmondson set to face his countrymen Jaques and Doug Bollinger. Jaques has only played three Twenty20 games this season, for a solid return of 114 runs at 38. On Friday he top-scored with 38 from 28 balls in a 13-run victory over Warwickshire at Edgbaston, three days after he posted a matchwinning 59 against Somerset at Taunton.Brad Hodge also has the chance to continue building his tally with Lancashire scheduled to take on Warwickshire next Wednesday. Hodge’s Twenty20 opportunities have been limited – Lancashire’s last three games were washed out without a ball being bowled – but his four outings brought 114 runs at 28.5. Hodge’s only half-century came against Yorkshire at Old Trafford, when he scored 57 from 49 deliveries to set up a 30-run win.Jason Gillespie claimed 2 for 19 from his four overs against Derbyshire at Leeds on Friday as Yorkshire secured their place in the finals. Gillespie had a consistent tournament, taking eight wickets at 21.12 and conceding 7.34 an over from seven matches. Yorkshire will meet Sussex next Wednesday.The other final will feature only one Australian, David Hussey, as Nottinghamshire face Kent next Tuesday. Hussey’s Twenty20 form has not mirrored his success in the other county competitions this season but he has still made 107 useful runs at 26.75 for Nottinghamshire.Unlike last year, when Justin Langer, Cameron White and Hussey were three of the top four Twenty20 run-scorers, Australians were less prodigious in 2007. Of all the Australian imports White had the most runs with 190 at 27.14 at a strike-rate of 136. However, that left him ninth on the overall county tally.White did not repeat the pyrotechnics he displayed in 2006, when he struck a then-record 55-ball century for Somerset, but he did produce two impressive innings this season. Against Glamorgan at Taunton White belted 68 from 35 balls, including six sixes, in one of only three victories for Somerset. On Friday at Northampton, White finished the tournament on a high with an unbeaten 50 from 42 deliveries as Somerset enjoyed an eight-wicket win. His captain, Langer, had an uneventful series and totalled 119 runs at 14.87 from his eight innings.Simon Katich reminded the national selectors he is more than just a top-order grinder, ending the tournament with 128 runs at 42.66 and an excellent strike-rate of 147.12. Katich’s Derbyshire did not win a game but he at least was consistent, scoring 31, 26, 39 not out and 26. His team-mate Travis Birt made 104 at 20.8, with a highest score of 40 from 27 balls against Nottinghamshire at Derby.Adam Voges did his chances of a World Championship call-up no harm with 66 not out for Hampshire against Sussex at Southampton. His 47-ball effort featured four sixes but it was his only standout performance and he finished with 106 runs at 17.66 from seven outings.Matthew Nicholson played his part in Surrey’s unsuccessful campaign, conceding only 6.35 an over and claiming 11 wickets at 13.09. His best figures were 3 for 23 against Essex at Chelmsford, but that was in a loss that another Australian had a hand in. Andy Bichel made 35 that day, one of two useful innings he played in Essex wins. He also scored 33 against Sussex and took eight wickets at 24.75 with an economy rate of 7.07. Bichel helped his side finish with a victory against Middlesex at Lord’s, where he collected 3 for 34.

England’s injured captain, Michael Vaughan, has backed his side to retain the Ashes this winter, whether or not he is deemed fit enough to take part in the series.Vaughan, who hasn’t played for England since undergoing knee surgery in December, has not yet given up hope of a role against Australia. But, he told Sky Sports: “I’m very confident in whoever leads the team to produce a fantastic winter ahead and make sure we retain the Ashes.”England’s results this year have been patchy, and Vaughan admitted: “There is always a slight worry it will take time to adjust to international cricket but the guys who have come in have done really well. You need that bit of luck but if you work hard you get that. The team will do everything in their power to try to emulate last summer.””It is going to be a fantastic series,” he added, having last summer guided England to their first Ashes victory in 18 barren years. “If we can emulate anything like the series last year it should be a great spectacle.”Vaughan is likely to have missed a whole year of international cricket by the time his knee is strong enough to resume playing, but he remained determined to come through the hard times. “I am determined to get back on a cricket pitch sooner rather than later,” he said. “If that is December or January, or if not, I’ve got to be patient.”But I’m determined to make sure that does happen. I’m training for a number of hours each week to make sure that does happen.”

Greg Matthews believes Matthew Hayden has lost his dominant aura, but don’t expect him to be dropped. Matthews told The Sunday Mail Hayden, who made a second-innings 31, had lost his “strut” during 25 innings without a hundred.”My big worry about Matthew is … he’s a superstar, great bloke, great player, Christian, all that ‘you-beaut’ stuff, but his body language is just not what it was,” Matthews, the former allrounder, told the paper. “It’s not as powerful, it’s not as prominent. He’s not out there. That is my real worry, the strut isn’t there, the look in his eyes. I don’t feel his aura at the moment.”Hayden tried to be more patient as Australia chased 282 for victory at Edgbaston last night, but he was undone by Simon Jones and a brilliant catch from Marcus Trescothick. Matthews said Hayden’s record since the Sri Lanka series in July last year was a worry, but he would be “shocked” if he was dropped.”It’s a hell of a trot, he’d be conscious of it and certainly not happy about it,” Matthews said. “It’s my sincere hope that Matt gets some runs soon. Sometimes it’s just one shot and, bang, he could be away again.”Mark Taylor, who went 21 innings without a half-century in a streak ending at Edgbaston in 1997, said Hayden wasn’t badly out of form. “It’s not like he’s out there scratching around and looking terrible,” he said. “He just needs to be a bit more patient to build on the starts he’s getting. The selectors should not even be contemplating dropping Matthew … all he needs is one big knock.”

Inzamam-ul-Haq has planned to request the Pakistan Cricket Board to employ a bowling coach, among other support staff. The News reported that he would make the demands during the PCB’s next meeting, on June 4.Inzamam, who lead Pakistan during the series against India, saw his bowlers break down during the series, and he believed the injuries cost the team dearly. He was insistent that a professional team back up would prevent similar problems in the future, and said that professionals should be employed soon, so the team was ready for the Asia Cup, which begins in July.”Injuries have been a major problem for us in the past, and hit us badly in the series against India. We need to overcome this problem,” Inzamam said. “We are planning to have a 22-day training camp, ideally from June 20. And I want the board to provide us with a bowling coach, a qualified physiotherapist and a trainer who can be with us in the camp and work with the players.”He also made clear his preference of the support staff’s age, and said that it didn’t matter where they came from. “I don’t care if the physio and trainer are from Pakistan. I am not asking specifically for foreigners. What I want is they are young and well-versed with the modern requirements of the sport. Look at all the other teams today. They all have young qualified physios and trainers attached with them. Cricket is now a science."During the series against India, it was pointed out that the Indian team had an efficient support staff, and suggestions were made that Pakistan were unprofessional in their approach to the game. And when Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami failed to swing the ball and had problems with no-balls, the calls for a bowling coach became vociferous. It was a move that Javed Miandad first disagreed with, before grudgingly accepting. Inzamam, on the other hand, was all for it. “I would like someone like Daryl Foster helping out the players. I have also spoken to Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram and they have said if the board offers them a proper assignment they will do it. But for the time being I have also requested them to come and work with the bowlers in the training camp for 22 days.""I am asking for a bowling coach and have asked Waqar and Wasim to come and help out Sami, Shoaib, Shabbir and the other bowlers … [and help them regain their] ability to swing the ball."With the Asia Cup barely two months away, Inzamam underscored the importance of doing well in the tournament, and said that the confidence the team took away from there could be used for the Champions Trophy in England. “I think we badly need to do well in the Asia Cup, in fact win it. Because we need to get our own confidence back but also restore the confidence of the nation. We have to perform much better in the Asia Cup because you have the world’s top two teams, India and Sri Lanka, competing in it.”

JOHANNESBURG, March 20 AFP – When Chris Scott sits down to watch the World Cup final at the Wanderers on Sunday, few people will realise what a big part this virtually unknown man has played in the outcome of the game.For 32 years, except for a three-year break from 1996, Scott has been the groundsman at Wanderers and there is nothing he does not know about the famous venue.”I know just about every blade of grass here,” Scott said ahead of the final.His face is weather-beaten by hours under the African sun and his numerous pictures of famous tussles between South Africa and arch rival Australia, bears testimony of his commitment to prepare a perfect pitch.”I like to think of these grounds as a stage. The players are the actors, and I am a stage manager. Once play starts, however, I stay in the background,” he said.At Wanderers, there are 10 pitches with different wickets having been used for the five World Cup games which have already been played.Made from a special clay and compacted by hours of rolling, the preparation of the middle is an exact science.One of the most important aspects is to get the moisture content just right.”If the moisture content is too high, you get a soft pitch, which gets damaged by the batsmen, the bowlers and the ball. If it’s too dry, it can crack, giving the ball an uneven bounce,” said Scott.The amount of grass growing also plays a huge roll on how it will perform.Wanderers has traditionally been a fast pitch, favouring medium and speed bowlers.For the final, however, Scott is planning a batsman’s pitch which he hopes will produce total scores in the region of between 250 to 280 runs.”I want to give the 32,000 spectators and the 1.25 billion people watching on television a batting spectacular,” he said.A testament to Scott’s ability was three years ago when, after only one day of play during a rain-drenched Test against New Zealand, he was named man of the match.”It’s probably the only time ever a groundsman has been awarded that particular honour,” said Scott.But the World Cup has been the highlight.”For 32 years I have waited for a World Cup final to be played here. The final is the be-all and end-all of cricket. The pressure on a groundsman is immense to do it right,” he said.”For me its a dream and a nightmare come true.”