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Left-hander will start the season coaching Yorkshire’s batters after quitting red-ball cricket

Vithushan Ehantharajah03-Apr-2024It speaks of the crossroads at which Dawid Malan finds himself that he will start the 2024 season moonlighting as a batting coach for Yorkshire.Even with the T20 World Cup two months away, Malan, the ICC’s No.11-ranked T20I batter – Phil Salt (second) and Jos Buttler (ninth) are the only Englishmen sitting higher – seems unlikely to make the squad for the 2022 title defence. Despite being halfway through his year-long ECB central contract, he is already looking at what comes after.Malan will turn 37 in September and announced during the 50-over World Cup in November that he would be parking first-class cricket to prolong his white-ball career, which includes the T20 Blast this summer. Though he was left out of the white-ball tour of the Caribbean at the end of last year, stints at the SA20 and PSL kept him busy in a winter that began with the 50-over World Cup in India.He returned from Pakistan two weeks ago and, at present, has no plans to hit balls again until the start of May. In the meantime, Yorkshire batters now have an extra sounding board at Headingley, with over 100 caps and centuries in all three international formats. For Malan, it will show him whether coaching is an avenue he would like to pursue once he decides to call it a day.”It’s quite exciting,” said Malan. “I’m going to do a bit of coaching in my off time and help the boys out two or three days a week. I’ll work with the firsts and seconds, whoever is around. I’ll see if I can share some of my knowledge, if anyone wants it, and if it’s something I enjoy for after cricket.”I still feel I’ve got two or three years of playing if things go well and I can still perform, but I want to give back as much as I can now. It’s exciting to be back and give myself a different kind of challenge for this time of year than I usually have.”It’s an unofficial capacity. Whoever is at home, be it first team or second team, I’ll throw some balls and speak to whoever wants to speak to me about batting without treading on any of the coaches’ toes.”Related

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Malan pitched the role to head coach Ottis Gibson last week, who was surprised. Gibson was in for a further shock on Wednesday when Malan also revealed he could U-turn on his first-class retirement this summer if “that itch” comes back, or his summer is limited to just the Blast and the Hundred, in which he was picked up by defending champions Oval Invincibles in last month’s draft after his release by Trent Rockets.”At first I was a little bit surprised because I was thinking: ‘Is he thinking retirement already?'” Gibson said on the initial conversation, before adding: “And then you tell me that he wants to play red-ball cricket, so I’m like, ‘Wow, where is he going with this?'”Nevertheless, Gibson would welcome Malan back into the Championship fold. He has only played 17 first-class matches for Yorkshire since moving north from Middlesex in 2020, but boasts an impressive average of 55.93 from 1,622 runs, with five centuries. Anything resembling that output will go far in helping a young squad surer of their footing – and no longer weighed down by a 48-point deduction – in their push to return to Division One. Ultimately, the caveat to all the above is Malan’s schedule.At this juncture, international commitments look unlikely. Despite top-scoring for England at the 50-over World Cup with 404 runs at 44.88, Malan was left out of Matthew Mott and Jos Buttler’s squads for the Caribbean. Other high-profile batters missed out to preserve them for the Test tour of India at the start of 2024. Malan’s absence, however, felt like moving on outright.Malan was in and out of the Multan Sultans’ XI in the PSL•PSL

Ben Stokes’ decision to pull out of contention for the World Cup could yet open the door for a recall, with Malan fulfilling a similar role as a left-handed anchor. But Rob Key pointed to his recent output in T20Is when explaining his omission from the squads that faced West Indies and his form was middling over the winter.”I’d like to be,” Malan said, when asked if he was in consideration to defend the T20 title he contributed to two years ago. “I wouldn’t say performance would have anything to do with it. In 2023, I had a pretty good year in 50-over cricket and I wouldn’t say I’m old, considering Jimmy [Anderson] is 42 or something like that! I can’t see it being an age thing, and there’s a tournament in a few months’ time.”Obviously I know they might want to go in a different direction. That’s absolutely fine. They’re entitled to do whatever they need to do that they think is the best way to move English cricket in the right direction. I still feel I’m good enough and young enough to do it. That’s out of my control, selection-wise.”Malan was coy about why his time might be up as an international cricketer. He had a conversation with the management following the conclusion of England’s dire ODI campaign in India, but was unwilling to divulge what exactly was said. A meeting with Key in the next fortnight will give him clarity on where his future lies.”I have no idea what they are thinking at the moment,” he said. “We have got appraisals in 12 or 14 days so I’ll probably find out a bit more then. I will just take it as it comes. I am not looking too far ahead or wanting something that might not be there.”If it is, it is; if it isn’t, it isn’t. I have made peace with that. I have a different path that I am looking at at the moment in terms of the last two or three years in my career and if things pop up, they pop up. And if they don’t, they don’t. It’ll be interesting to see where things are and, yeah, it’ll be good to have a good chat with Keysy.”

PSL 2023 will be played between February 9 and March 19

Umar Farooq14-Dec-2022Babar Azam will replace Wahab Riaz as Peshawar Zalmi’s captain for the upcoming season of the Pakistan Super League. After trading in Babar from Karachi Kings in exchange for Shoaib Malik and Haider Ali, the franchise continues a transformation that started in 2021 in the hope to form a new core.No team in the league’s history has had as loyal a core as Zalmi’s since its inception in 2016. Daren Sammy, Hasan Ali, Kamran Akmal and Wahab Riaz had worn no other colours until Hasan decided to leave last year. There have been some hiccups though, like the misunderstanding with Akmal and the mid-season benching of their captain Sammy to appoint him as the coach.Related

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• PSL looks to expand salary caps to stay ahead in battle between T20 leagues

• Karachi Kings trade Babar Azam to Peshawar Zalmi, get Haider Ali and Shoaib Malik in return

Zalmi won the title in 2017 and have had a consistent run since, making the finals in 2018, 2019, and 2021 and the eliminator in 2020 and 2022. Wahab has been a stalwart for the team. He is the league’s leading wicket-taker and was retained by the franchise. But at 37 years old, his impact on the field isn’t what it used to be. Earlier this year, he was demoted from the platinum to diamond category of PSL players. Akmal, 40, has been released.Zalmi are in the market for 11 players in the PSL draft on December 15 in Karachi. They have already brought in hard-hitting batter Mohammad Haris along with Babar, and retained Sherfane Rutherford, Aamir Jamal (Brand Ambassador), Salman Irshad and Tom-Kohler Cadmore.For Babar, the PSL journey started with Islamabad United in the inaugural edition in 2016 but he was ignored after two games. Since the following year, he represented Karachi Kings and bossed the charts with an average 43.60 and a strike rate of 121.97 on his way to become the tournament’s highest scorer, racking up 2413 runs in 68 matches. However, his relationship with the franchise started to sour and the team slumped to the bottom under his captaincy, losing nine out of ten games. Kings will be led by Imad Wasim now.PSL 2023 will be played between February 9 and March 19. Four venues – Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Multan – will host the matches, going up from two – Lahore and Karachi – in the previous two seasons, due to Covid-19.

“It all boils down to execution in crunch moments,” says India captain

Nagraj Gollapudi03-Aug-20213:39

A player of Pujara’s calibre and experience should be left alone – Kohli

Having spent two months in the UK, India are “definitely better prepared” for the five-Test series in England, but Virat Kohli believes the visitors cannot cross the line if they don’t find a way to execute their plans in “situations which are not easy”. More than winning the Pataudi Trophy, a feat India last achieved under the leadership of Rahul Dravid in 2007, Kohli said the challenge for his team was to win in “situations which are not ours”.This is Kohli’s fourth tour of England and second as captain. In 2011 he came in as a replacement for Yuvraj Singh during the series, but did not play any Test. In 2014, James Anderson made him feel like the loneliest guy in the world. Four years later, Kohli returned as the best batter across both teams and the only one to make an aggregate of 500-plus runs. India, though, lost the series 4-1 having started on equal footing alongside England.Three years after that, Kohli’s India have been rated as firm favorites by all and sundry against an England side without Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes. In a chat with the Indian media on Monday, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar even said India had the potential to win 4-0 if the conditions were dry in August and September.Related

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Kohli, though, was not interested in looking too far ahead. Asked on Tuesday what it would mean to win the Test series in England, he remained impassive.”It is a very relative question,” Kohli said. “I have never really played for any kind of landmark or milestones in my career. Every game in international cricket has been an opportunity for me to test myself and my character and how mentally strong I am and how much skill level I have to be able to sustain at this level for a long period of time. And things are going to be no different this series as well – we are going to play with the same passion, same commitment, same belief that we play every series with.”(The question of) a few series matter more than others – I don’t really believe in these things because then you are really picking and choosing what you want to do. That is not being honest with the game. For us it is all about wanting difficult cricket, wanting tough cricket, and wanting to win in conditions which are not ours. That is the only challenge that I see.”India have been in the country since June 2, arriving early to play the World Test Championship final against New Zealand. They had a three-week break after the final, post which they played a warm-up match in Durham. The time spent has also meant better acclimatisation to the English weather.”We are definitely much better prepared than we have been in the past,” Kohli said. “The situation allowed us to get acclimatised to the weather firstly because it can change quite drastically and quite quickly. At the same time playing under different changes in conditions in terms of weather – whether it is overcast, or it is sunny, how the pitches behave, how the ball travels, how much it swings in the air. All those kinds of things are definitely going to add to our experience which already the team possesses a lot of, having played in England in the past.”It all boils down to execution in crunch moments and that purely comes from belief and how badly you want to be in situations which are not easy. As long as we are looking to embrace that we will find answers to all the questions thrown at us. Otherwise you cannot play at this level for a long period if you are not literally wanting to be in situations which are absolutely opposite to what your comfort zone is.”One of the reasons behind the 2018 series loss was how India lost the key moments to England. Kohli admitted it was an area of concern.”As a team we looked to improve. We haven’t done well and that is one aspect of the game we need to get better, which is understanding when things are not going your way, how to control damage. That’s what Test cricket is all about: you have to go through situations and then eventually capitalise when things turn your way as well. Because you are not going to have all sessions turn your way. When things do not favour you as a team, that’s an area we want to keep improving at and the Test matches that we have done that well we have ended up winning. It all boils down to execution in those difficult moments.”

The Australia keeper-batter says domestic players struggle to combine cricket and a second career

ESPNcricinfo staff14-May-2020Alyssa Healy is concerned at the prospect of a reduction in Women’s Big Bash and National Cricket League matches, saying it could widen the divide between international and domestic players.Amid Cricket Australia’s financial battles due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all domestic cricket is set to come under pressure and it has been reported that cuts could be made to both female competitions as well as the Sheffield Shield.This comes on the back of an historic season for the women’s game in Australia which included the first standalone WBBL and finished with the T20 World Cup final in front of 86,000 people at the MCG – just days before global sport was shut down by the pandemic.ALSO READ: Megan Schutt braced for women’s game to feel impact of Covid-19In a column for the , Healy wrote the chance to build on that success cannot be wasted. She warned that for domestic cricketers the increasing demands of professionalism are not yet matched by earnings but such are the expectations to train almost year-round that many struggle to earn a second income.”Now is the time to seize the moment and improve the WBBL and Women’s National Cricket League even further,” Healy, who is also on the board of the Australia Cricketers’ Association, wrote. “Recent reports that consideration is being given to reducing the number of WBBL games is concerning. Such a move would be contrary to cricket’s aim to be a sport for everyone.”Not only would it defy the growth of the women’s game, but would amplify the divide between international female cricket and the domestic version.”Domestic female players are experiencing increased pressure to train ‘over and above’ their contractual obligations; many training for nine months of the year for a handful of WNCL and WBBL games.”With such expectation and increased demands from state associations and WBBL clubs, there is limited opportunity for many of our female domestic cricketers to build a second career outside of cricket. An increase in demand has not been matched with appropriate remuneration. As a result, many players are finding it very difficult to have a balanced life, which is resulting in an increased level of wellbeing concerns with the stress of finding a second income to cover daily living expenses.”Any reduction in domestic cricket would have to be approved by the ACA and they are set to be firmly opposed.”Reducing WBBL games has… been strongly represented to us recently; that’s not something they want to do,” Alistair Nicholson, the ACA chief executive, told SEN radio. “Domestic cricket is the strength of the game.”

Reeza Hendricks and Wiaan Mulder have been left out of the line-up after being in the mix for the first three fixtures

Liam Brickhill11-Mar-2019Aiden Markram and Hashim Amla will return to South Africa’s squad for the remaining ODIs against Sri Lanka, while JP Duminy is also in line to play his first international cricket for four-and-a-half months as South Africa look to put the finishing touches to their squad ahead of the World Cup.Weight of runs has forced Markram back into contention after he was left out of the first three games, with his outstanding recent form including back-to-back centuries that have helped propel Titans to the top spot on the Momentum One-Day Cup table.

Squad for last two ODIs

Faf du Plessis (capt), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Rassie van der Dussen.

Reeza Hendricks and Wiaan Mulder are the two players from the original squad who will sit the next two games out, with the group growing from 14 to 15 for the ODIs in Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.Captain Faf du Plessis welcomed the return of experienced hands Amla and Duminy, who has made a successful comeback for Cape Cobras after being out of action following shoulder surgery.”We’ve spoken about the balance we’d like, and when you add JP to that you only need five overs from him and your allrounder,” du Plessis explained. “It’s a real good balance that he brings to the table. Obviously, his experience is amazing. The most important thing from JP’s point of view is that he got over his injury. So it’s great that he got runs, but that was the concern from us, just from the leadership group that he goes and plays two games, gets back into cricket. Because we know when he’s back what he brings to the team from a performance point of view. So good that he comes back into the next two games with some nice form.”We know what Hash has got,” du Plessis added. “Hash has played a lot of cricket for South Africa. He’s got an amazing record. But we needed to make sure Reeza got an opportunity this series. If Hash gets another opportunity coming back into the side, hopefully he grabs that with both hands.”The main concern for me with all the players is that you need make sure you put performances on the board to go to the World Cup. It’s about our best and most in-form team that’s going. Everyone in the dressing room knows that, and I believe it’s making us want to raise the bar on our own performance.”Du Plessis’ sentiments were echoed by national selection panel convener Linda Zondi. “Experience is always a key factor in major tournaments such as the ICC Men’s World Cup,” he said. “It is great to see how well JP has regained his best form after being out of action for so long.Dale Steyn celebrates a wicket•Getty Images

“What has also been highly encouraging is see how well the Proteas have played when they have returned to franchise cricket. It is important that they should dominate at this level and that their skills should rub off on our emerging talent. JP, Aiden and Dwaine Pretorius have all made significant contributions to their franchises in recent matches.
“We will use the final two matches in the ODI series to continue to examine all the options that are available to us as far as the World Cup squad is concerned.”Du Plessis added that Dale Steyn, who has been a part of the one-day squad for the series but is yet to play a match, is understanding of the need to field test new players such as fast bowler Anrich Nortje.”Dale understands. Anrich needs to play some games. That is a position that’s still needs to be selected. As far as Dale in concerned, he’s going to the World Cup. So we need to make sure who is our next fast bowler, and if we want to take a next fast bowler,” du Plessis said.”So we want to give Anrich as much opportunity as possible. He’ll definitely get another opportunity out of the next game, and then hopefully Dale in one of the other games.”Du Plessis denied that Steyn’s absence had anything to do with managing the paceman’s workload to keep him fresh for the World Cup. “No, because he’s not going to play a lot of cricket,” the captain explained. “He’s not going to the IPL. So for now his workload can continue, he can keep bowling in the nets. There was a thought of releasing him to go and play in the Titans, but the Titans are playing well and the balance of their side is probably going to stay the same, so we thought best just to keep training with us. He will get one game out of the next two.”

Daniel Sams picked up a four-wicket haul on T20 debut but ended up on the losing side as Arjun Nair and Aiden Blizzard conjured 16 off the last over to drag the Thunder over the line

Alex Malcolm at the Spotless Stadium19-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShane Watson’s best is still better than the rest.But even after a producing a sublime 77 from 46 balls, more than double the next-highest score in the match, Sydney Thunder still needed Arjun Nair and Aiden Blizzard to conjure 16 from the final over to steal the game off the final ball.Daniel Sams, on his T20 debut with just three first-class matches to his name, appeared to have won the game for the Sixers with the ball. In the 18th over of the chase, with just 26 needed, he conceded two singles and a leg bye and removed Ryan Gibson and Watson with consecutive balls.But the Thunder still found a way via a couple of powerful strikes and a fortunate top-edge.Sams’ 4 for 14 aside, spin was the most effective weapon at Spotless Stadium. Having been sent in the Sixers made a blistering start, scoring 55 in the Powerplay for just the loss of Jason Roy.Getty Images

Nic Maddinson looked in phenomenal touch, taking Watson to task in his only over. Watson turned to Fawad Ahmed and the legspinner spun a web. He removed Maddinson in a wicket-maiden in the seventh over of the innings.Nair overcame a nervous start to combine with Fawad to take 3 for 5 in 15 deliveries in the middle of the innings to grind the Sixers to a halt.Sam Billings salvaged the sinking ship with 32 from 21 to help the Sixers to a slightly-above-average total of 149.Sams started beautifully showcasing all his skills in the first over. A quick bouncer to Jos Buttler preceded a full and straight delivery and then the three-card trick, an off-cutter slower ball that forced Buttler to check his shot and pop up a return catch.Kurtis Patterson placed enormous pressure on Watson by striking at just 78 in his innings of 29. But Watson was unfazed. The veteran showed the value of continuing to play cricket at lower levels despite stepping away from two formats of the professional game.His two hundreds in Sydney grade cricket this summer helped prepare him for his masterclass tonight. He struck the ball with trademark power and authority. He showed the controlled hitting and calmness that made him one of the best T20 players on the planet in his prime.His dismissal to Sams came as a shock, but he wasn’t deceived so much as he failed to elevate his cover drive high enough.But Blizzard and Nair found the 24 required from the last 13 balls, mainly at the expense of Sean Abbott who gave up three boundaries in the last over.

USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake has picked the team’s batting as the area in need of the biggest improvement ahead of their opening match in the WCL Division Four

Peter Della Penna20-Oct-2016USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake has picked the team’s batting as the area in need of the biggest improvement, heading into their first match at the World Cricket League Division Four – the ICC’s 50-over tournament for Associates and Affiliates – in Los Angeles. USA lost the first two games in the recently-concluded Auty Cup against Canada, before chasing down 222 to win by two wickets in the final match. Dassanayake said they could have performed better with more consistency in the batting.

Santhanam doubtful for WCL Division Four

USA allrounder Srini Santhanam is likely to be ruled out of the WCL Division Four, after a recurrence of the right shoulder injury that has plagued him over the last three years. Santhanam re-injured the shoulder at the five-day national camp in Indianapolis last month. He was fit enough to bowl six overs in USA’s 34-run loss to Canada in the Auty Cup opener, but aggravated the injury when firing in a throw from the boundary, and missed the final two games.
“Srini is definitely injured and he’s not going to be 100% before the tournament, but we are taking medical advice from the physio and Srini’s family doctor,” USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake said. “We are going to wait for those reports and how they advise us, but it looks it’s very doubtful that he’s going to be 100% fit.”

“It’s always good to get a win going into the World Cricket League against Canada, but, overall, we could have done better in the first two games,” Dassanayake told ESPNcricinfo. “Especially in the second game, we had a chance at winning. Overall, we were improving every game. First game, we were very low, did lots of mistakes. Second game, we were better, and [last game] I think bowling and fielding were up there. We want some good performance in the batting, but there are lots of areas to improve.”The batting still needs to settle down. We have a very decent bowling attack. I’m happy about that. Fielding, there’s a few things we need to fix, but I’m not that nervous because the guys are putting a lot of effort, and I’m pretty sure we’ll get there. Batting, when you take the seven batters we have in the squad, they are quality, they can do the job. But, coming out from club cricket to this level may have made a huge impact.”Opening batsman Fahad Babar topped USA’s scoring charts in the Auty Cup with 148 runs, including two half-centuries. But, apart from him, Akeem Dodson was the only member of the original squad to score a fifty in the series. Ravi Timbawala, who came in as a replacement player for Sunday’s match and is currently not a part of USA’s squad for WCL Division Four, had USA’s best score with an unbeaten 73 in Sunday’s win. Incidentally, Elmore Hutchinson, a left-arm medium pacer, topped the batting averages at 59, albeit with two unbeaten knocks of 21 and 37. Dassanayake said the players are still adjusting to the rigours of 50-over cricket, given most of their local leagues are 40-over competitions.”They are used to playing a lot of 40-over cricket, so that mentality has to change. I think they’re working hard towards that, but I would still say that we are slightly behind on those areas. Next 10 days, we’re going to work hard and come to the level we want to be to win this tournament.”Dassanayake also said the team was affected by the absence of Timroy Allen and Ali Khan during the Auty Cup. Allen withdrew to attend to a personal matter, while Khan was nursing a left hamstring strain sustained at a five-day national camp in Indianapolis. Both are expected to return for Division Four, and Dassanayake was sure they’d make an impact.”Timroy is going to be one of the most important players in this tournament for us. The last three games, after Srini [Santhanam] got injured, it was tough for us to balance the team. On Friday, we went with an extra bowler and were a batsman short. [Sunday], we played an extra batsman and were a bowler short. When you go like that, it’s kind of a risk where we don’t know how we’re going to end up. I would say, on Friday, if we had that extra batsman, maybe we would have won that game in that 20 runs.”So, Timroy coming into the team is going to solve a lot of issues. As a top allrounder, he can even bat early in the order, and he can contribute 10 overs. Ali is always, when somebody bowls at 135-plus at this level, is always going to be very effective. In these types of wickets and conditions, he is capable of picking up early wickets and then very good bowling in the death overs. I’m sure both of them are going to make a huge impact by coming into the XI.”Half of the USA squad secured enough time off work to stay on in Los Angeles after the Auty Cup, while the rest went home. They will return to Los Angeles on October 23 for five days of training ahead of their first Division Four game, against Bermuda on October 29. USA will also have a warm-up match on October 25 against a Southern California Cricket Association XI. Dassanayake is hopeful that he can maximise the time he has with the players and translate it into positive results.”Even though we could have done better in the last three games, I’m confident with the talent and ability that I have with these 14 players, and I’m confident going into the tournament,” Dassanayake said. “But in saying that, this team has to do certain things well to win that tournament, and I’m just trying to have time with these players. That’s my toughest job.”

Brendon McCullum will miss New Zealand’s pink-ball preparations ahead of the first ever day-night Test due to his role as a witness in the Chris Cairns perjury case

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2015Brendon McCullum will miss New Zealand’s pink-ball preparations ahead of the Test series in Australia, which is scheduled to include the first ever day-night Test, due to his role as a witness in the Chris Cairns perjury case. The New Zealand captain will be in London to testify in the case, for which proceedings begin on Monday, while the rest of the team has a two-day training camp under lights with the pink Kookaburra ball in Hamilton.Opening batsmen Tom Latham, speaking to , said the team will not lack direction in McCullum’s absence. “We’ve got plenty of leaders in the group, there’s plenty of senior players so we’ll go about our business as if we would if he was there,” Latham said. “Kane [Williamson] has captained us a little bit in the past, and there are plenty of other senior players.New Zealand play three Tests in Australia, starting on November 5, the final of which be a day-night match in Adelaide from November 27.The case against Cairns has been brought by the Crown Prosecution Service in the UK, stemming from what it believes to be criminal acts committed by Cairns during the 2012 libel case against former IPL chairman Lalit Modi. Cairns has been charged with perjury – effectively lying in court. Apart from McCullum, other high-profile witnesses called up to give evidence include former New Zealand players Stephen Fleming, Shane Bond and Andre Adams, and New Zealand Cricket CEO David White.

James Harris, the most sought-after player of the winter in county cricket, is one of four uncapped players in England’s provisional 30-strong squad for the Champions Trophy.

David Hopps04-Apr-2013James Harris, the most sought-after player of the winter in county cricket, is one of four uncapped players in England’s provisional 30-strong squad for the Champions Trophy.But once again England remain determinedly opposed to Matt Prior’s return to one-day international cricket as the Sussex wicketkeeper batsman does not even make the 30 despite a series of attacking displays for England in the Test arena.His one-day record is mediocre, although arguably he is a much superior player these days. Measured against that was the desire of England’s selectors to follow a consistent path and, as much as they desire a first England win in a major ICC 50-over event, to leave Prior to concentrate on reaching the start of the Ashes series in perfect fettle.Prior made a bristling unbeaten hundred in the Auckland Test to give England a face-saving draw against New Zealand last month, and a share of the series, but it has not swayed the conviction of England’s selectors that Jos Buttler or Craig Kieswetter offer better options in the 50-over format.Harris will be one of the most eagerly-studied players in early season as he seeks to make a big impression with his new county, Middlesex, who won the battle for his transfer fought out by a dozen counties after he left struggling Glamorgan.Harris is joined in the squad by the Warwickshire opening batsman, Varun Chopra, Yorkshire’s belligerent middle-order batsman Gary Ballance, and the Warwickshire seam bowler, Chris Wright.Although none of the four have strong chances of making the cut when the final 15 is named by the May 5 deadline, the long list is nevertheless more intriguing than the conservative list of 30 players announced earlier this week in the England Performance squad.Geoff Miller, the national selector, said: “This is a balanced squad which will provide the selectors with strong options in all areas and reflects players’ performances for both the senior England teams and the England Lions and EPP squads over the winter period.”With this country hosting the tournament for the first time since 2004, there will be every incentive for England to perform well and we anticipate intense competition for places in our final squad which will be named early next month.”England have never won a 50-over trophy at a major ICC event. The Champions Trophy features the best eight ODI teams in 15 matches between June 6-23 at The Oval, Edgbaston and Cardiff.With just over two months until the opening game in Cardiff, additional tickets for all 15 matches will go on general sale at 10.30am on Monday 8 April, via icc-cricket.com or 0844 249 2013.England provisional squad for Champions trophy
Alastair Cook (Essex), James Anderson (Lancashire), Gary Ballance (Yorkshire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Danny Briggs (Hampshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Jos Buttler (Somerset), Varun Chopra (Warwickshire), Rikki Clarke (Warwickshire), Jade Dernbach (Surrey), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), James Harris (Middlesex), Craig Kieswetter (Somerset), Stuart Meaker (Surrey), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Graham Onions (Durham), Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire), Kevin Pietersen (Surrey), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), James Taylor (Nottinghamshire), James Tredwell (Kent), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire), Chris Wright (Warwickshire), Luke Wright (Sussex), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

A round-up of the One Day National Cup Division Two matches

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2012Group AHalf-centuries by Ali Khan and Yasir Arafat helped Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) beat Lahore Lions by six wickets at LCCA Ground. The Lions chose to bat first but could muster only 212 for 7, led by Fahad-ul-Haq’s 90. He hit eight fours in his knock, off 124 balls. KRL didn’t get off to the best of starts, losing their first three with 37 on board. After Bazid Khan’s departure, KRL were at 95 for 4, but didn’t lose any further wickets as Arafat and Khan added an unbeaten 118 to seal the game. Khan remained unbeaten on 87 while captain Arafat managed to reach his fifty as well.KRL will meet Lahore Eagles in the semi-finals.United Bank Limited (UBL) beat hosts Peshawar Panthers by four wickets in a low-scoring match at Arbab Niaz Stadium. A combined bowling effort by UBL kept the Panthers to a modest 159. Mohammad Rizwan was the top scorer with 36. Rumman Raees, the left-arm seamer, and the spinners Misbah Khan and Kashif Bhatti shared eight wickets between them to round off the innings in the 42nd over. UBL got off to a shaky start, losing two with just three on board, but Tahir Mughal’s 67 ensured they were out of danger.UBL will meet Quetta Bears in the semis.Group BNasir Awais, the Hyderabad Hawks offspinner, finished with astonishing figures of 5 for 10 off 4.2 overs to send Karachi Zebras crashing to 86 in Hyderabad. The Hawks knocked off the runs but lost five wickets in the process. Only four Zebras batsmen passed double figures as Awais ran through the lower order to round off the innings before the 30th over. The Zebras must have sensed their chances of a surprise win when they had the Hawks in trouble at 28 for 4, but Rizwan Ahmed remained unbeaten on 31 to steer the team home.Fifties by Usman Salahuddin and Adnan Raza helped Lahore Eagles to a five-wicket win over Quetta Bears at National Stadium. Taimur Khan hit 64 at No.6 to help the Bears recover from a poor start at 33 for 4. Taimur hit eight fours in his knock but the Bears could only manage a modest 207. Mohammad Saad hit 49 to give the Eagles a good foundation. Salahuddin made 66 while Raza made an unbeaten 62 to see the team through and seal their semi-final spot.