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Jeet Raval’s match-aggregate of 91 in a low-scorer has made him a possible solution to New Zealand’s opening woes, but he is a player that had piqued the selectors’ interest for some time, coach Mike Hesson said. One of the steadier hands in domestic cricket, Raval has averaged less than 40 in only one of the past eight first-class seasons. A correct batsman who favours the leg-side, Raval was an assured presence on debut, both with bat in hand, and in the slip cordon.”For Jeet to make his debut in conditions like this where he’s performed in over the last few years, was great,” Hesson said. “I thought his decision-making throughout was exceptional, especially around whether to leave or to defend. He stuck to his game plan – he’s very disciplined and knows what that is. He was challenged over, and around the wicket. He was tested with short balls and swing. He stood up to all of them. I thought against Yasir Shah he showed he could come down the wicket, pick off his pads, and lap. He never went outside his plan even when he was challenged, which is a great sign.”New Zealand’s other debutant, Colin de Grandhomme, had also been in the selectors’ sights for years. He earned his place in the Test squad after hitting a 144 not out off 147 balls, in an extraordinary chase of 373 in a first-class match, on November 1.”Colin has been a talented player for a long time, but we’ve sort of been waiting for something to click – for him to show that he’s worked out how to play at first-class level first,” Hesson said. “In the last six months we’ve seen some good signs of that, with bat and ball. It was just a matter of time really, whether it be short-form or long-form. He needed to work out his own game plan. People do mature at different stages. In this instance Colin is probably slightly a late maturer, but he’s got plenty of years left in him.”Though de Grandhomme himself admitted batting was his foremost suit, it was with the ball that he made the biggest impression, taking 7 for 64 in the Test, and sparking Pakistan’s second-day collapse which allowed New Zealand to take control of the match. New Zealand had a more experienced allrounder in James Neesham in their squad, but had surprisingly opted for de Grandhomme instead.”No one thought Colin was playing a couple of days out,” Hesson said. “But he was presented with a surface that suited his skill set. He’s been doing that in first class cricket for years, on that type of wicket. We’ve got scouts and selectors all around the country who watch a lot of cricket.”The teams now head to Hamilton, where New Zealand have the opportunity to defeat Pakistan in a Test series for the first time since 1985 – though, said Hesson, the chance to alter that particular record doesn’t necessarily motivate his side.”We’ve had a lot of series recently where if you do this, or if you do that, you could create something. We’ll wait and see. We’ve got to enjoy the last three days which have been an incredibly good performance. We’ll enjoy and suck that up for a little bit. When we get to Hamilton we’ll think about Hamilton.”Both teams are scheduled to travel on Tuesday.

James Anderson only arrived in India on Tuesday night but he retains hopes of being fit to play in the second Test against India.Anderson has not played a game since August having suffered a stress fracture in his right shoulder. But, having been cleared to join the tour last week, he is now keen to prove himself in the nets over the coming days and stake a claim for selection for the Test starting in Visakhapatnam on November 17.”I had a good week at Loughborough last week, bowling to get some overs under my belt,” Anderson told Sky Sports. “Hopefully I can keep that going this week and get some miles into my legs to make sure I’m as fit as I can be and maybe be fit for the second Test.”It is still over a week away so it is hard to say for sure right now. It all depends how the week goes, but I’m sure in the next two or three days we’ll have an idea of whether that is a possibility or not.”At the tender age of 34 I’ve got enough experience to get into match mode quite quickly. Obviously it is not always easy without having any games under my belt, but I think I am able to do that.”While it remains more likely that Anderson will return to the side for the third or fourth Tests, he has been encouraged by the speed of his recent recovery.”We initially thought maybe the fourth Test was a possibility, but the way I’ve progressed over the last three or four weeks has been positive,” Anderson said. “I had a stress fracture of the shoulder blades at the back of my shoulder. It was a bit weird. I think it was just workload thing. I injured the muscle against Sri Lanka in May. The stress fracture has healed now and hopefully that will last.”I bowled 30 overs last week and now it is just about carrying that on and maybe upping the intensity a little bit. The rest is just standing around and getting those miles in the legs and being used to being on your feet for seven or eight hours a day.”Despite being unable to take part in the first Test – Anderson was given Wednesday off and will bowl in the nets in Rajkot on Thursday – he was delighted to be at the ground to see Stuart Broad awarded a silver cap by Andrew Strauss to mark his 100th Test.”I thought I was going to miss it but it is great that I got out here in time and saw him get his cap from Straussy,” Anderson said. “It’s an amazing achievement. He’s been a fantastic bowler for years and I’ve been fortunate enough to play in the majority of his Tests as well. We talk a lot about the game, we know each other’s game inside out and we talk a lot on the field.”We’ve developed a great friendship on and off the field and I’m just delighted that I’m here.”

England captain Jos Buttler has said that he wants to show the way for his young side with his own performances in the one-day series against Bangladesh that begins on Friday. Buttler will become his country’s first wicketkeeper-captain in ODIs since Alec Stewart last did the job in 2003.The role becomes more challenging in the conditions in Dhaka where the first match is taking place. The humidity has been quite high, which has made the heat harsher. But there is also rain in the air, at least on the day before the game, which could cause difficulties with selection as there is likely to be slight change in pitch behaviour.Buttler has only previously captained England in one T20 against Pakistan last year so the Bangladesh experience will be the first time he has the role for an entire series. He wants to enjoy the new challenge and is eager to get started.”I think something I really want to try and do is lead from the front with performance,” Buttler said. “I’m desperate to do it. It’s a young and exciting squad and it’s down to me to stand up and lead from the front. It will be a very proud moment. It’s a fantastic honour to lead the side and to walk out as captain. It will be a little bit surreal I guess but I want to enjoy the challenge, take it in my stride and be myself. I want to get on with the job and hopefully lead he side to a series win.”Buttler was made captain after Eoin Morgan pulled out of the tour for security reasons. So did Alex Hales while Joe Root was rested for the limited-overs leg. Places were opened up as a result, and now it appears James Vince and Ben Duckett will bat in England’s top-order in the first ODI. Both batted reasonably well in the practice match against the BCB XI though Duckett got out when his bat flew out of his hand as he attempted a reverse sweep off Shuvagata Hom.Buttler said that Duckett’s runs this county season will give him the confidence to start off his international career and he expects the newcomer to bat just like he did for Northamptonshire this season.Plenty of eyes will be on Jos Buttler during this series•Getty Images

“He’s had a fantastic year, he’s high on confidence and I think the group he’s coming into, he’s played a lot of cricket with the guys in the squad and he’s obviously very important around the guys,” Buttler said.”I expect him to go out there and play the way that’s been successful for him so far. It’s an exciting debut for someone who has really stood up with the volume of runs and the fashion he’s been doing it in. All the guys are very excited for him and I expect him to go out there and enjoy it and relish the occasion and make the most of it.”Buttler believes that the England side has the ability to adjust to conditions. So even though he hadn’t seen the pitch until the press conference at around 3.00pm on Thursday, he was confident that his team would understand the importance of starting well in a short ODI series such as this.”A big strength of England cricket in all forms now is looking at what we do well and concentrating on our strengths so we will be looking at what we can bring tomorrow. Adapting to the conditions will be massive.”We’ve only played one warm-up game and had a couple of practice sessions so come tomorrow we will have to have that ODI intensity and hit the ground running. A couple of times in recent series we haven’t started as well as we’d like to so that’s something everyone is very aware of. This is only a three-match series so each game is absolutely vital. To hit the ground running as best we can, it will be huge.”

Thilan Samaraweera reunited with an old friend on his first day as Bangladesh’s batting consultant. “I divide my career into two,” he said. “First it is from 2001 to 2006 when I was dropped. I became a totally different player when I met Chandika [Hathurusingha].”Samaraweera began with a century on Test debut in 2001 but suffered a drastic dip in form five years later. When he returned to the Sri Lankan side, he averaged over 72 in 2007 and 2008 and peaked with 114.25 from six matches in 2010. Speaking to the media in Mirpur, he said he was looking forward to working with Hathrusingha, who is the Bangladesh head coach, again.”I know what he is capable of and I would love to work with him. He gave me the freedom to express myself. He focused on the technique and mindset, the key to international cricket. I became a totally different cricketer. I think my average was close to between 50 or 60.”Samaraweera was hired by the BCB for the series against England and Afghanistan. His tenure would last 45 days and in that time he has to make sure the Bangladesh batsmen do not feel the drawbacks of not playing international cricket since the World T20 in March.”On the first day I am a bit quiet as I want to get to know the players. There are a few newcomers. I know four to five players as I played against them. Just had a few chats here and there. After another day I will be more comfortable working with this group.”My first priority is the Afghanistan series because I know that when you are not playing for four to five months, the international arena seems totally different than practice. I think the key is to get into the groove of international cricket. I am not worried about talent as the talent is there.”Samaraweera, who had previously worked as a batting consultant for Cricket Australia, was pleased with the amount of progress made by Bangladesh over the last year and a half.”I think the freedom that the coaching staff led by Chandi gave to the Bangladesh players made them believe they could fight against the top teams. You can see in the last 18 months they beat Pakistan, India and South Africa and they also did well in the World Cup in different conditions. More freedom, belief and support from senior to younger players are what a team requires.”I think more about the mental toughness and I can see how much they have changed over the last 18 months in terms of the technical aspects.”

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has called Dilruwan Perera a “silent hero” after the offspinner became the first Sri Lanka player to take ten wickets and score a half-century in a Test. Perera was both the most economical and the most penetrative of Sri Lanka’s frontline bowlers in the match, taking 10 for 99. In the process he also became the fastest Sri Lankan to 50 Test wickets, achieving the milestone in 11 Tests, to beat Ajantha Mendis, who got there in 12.His second innings’ score of 64 was also higher than any the Australia batsmen have mustered, through the series so far.”We talk a lot about Rangana Herath, but not as much about Dilruwan,” Mathews said after the match. “But he’s just become the fastest Sri Lankan to 50 Test wickets. When Murali was there, we didn’t speak that much about Rangana, so I guess it’s the same thing with Dilruwan. He’s a silent hero. In the last match he didn’t bowl well, but he was very diligent and knows how to bowl in Galle. He worked very hard in training with the coaches. He’s someone we can get a lot of profit from in the years to come.”Perera said he had realised he’d bowled too quickly in Pallekele, and had watched videos of his own bowling, and worked with spin coach Piyal Wijetunge to redress the problem. He took the key wicket of Australia’s top-scorer, David Warner, in each innings, and threatened both edges of virtually every other batsman through the match.”After having a quiet first Test, he backed his potential and came back really hard,” Mathews said. “He was one bowler who the Australians found it really hard to score off, especially on this track.”While much of Australia’s pre-series batting plans appeared to revolve around patience and batting long periods, Mathews said an attacking mindset had helped his team reap victory in the series. Mathews was among the most aggressive batsmen in the match, hitting 54 from 65 balls in the first innings, before making 47 from 69 in the second. Sri Lanka’s highest scorer in the first innings – Kusal Mendis – had progressed at a strike rate of 63.”When you’re playing on extreme conditions you can’t just block the cricket ball,” he said. “You’re eventually going to get out to short leg or lbw. You’ve got to start scoring runs. You’ve got to sweep and reverse sweep. Sometimes you’re still going to make mistakes, but you’ll find a way to score runs and upset the lines and lengths of the bowlers. We had to be scrappy.”Despite having been instrumental to the victory in Pallekele, Lakshan Sandakan bowled only two balls in the first innings, and six overs in the second, though he did pick up two wickets. Mathews said he simply could not find an opportunity to bring the wristspinner on.”Each time I wanted to bring Sandakan, either Dilruwan or Rangana got a wicket, so I couldn’t change them. Dilruwan looked like taking a wicket every single ball, so I had to just keep bowling him. Herath on the other end just keeps the pressure on the batsman all the time. They were bowling brilliantly and Sandakan didn’t get much of a chance to bowl on that wicket.”Having endured a tough seven months until the end of July, and a winless tour of England, Mathews also thanked his team and fans for their support through a tough period.”Well, my team backed me all the way through, so special thanks to them. Also thanks to SLC for backing us right throughout and also the selectors. They said we’ll get a bit of stick when we lose a few games, but if we do our processes right, we will along the way win a few games. To beat the No. 1 team is very satisfying. We also thank the fans for being there with us. It’s never an easy task when you lose games to keep persevering. They kept believing in us and supporting us.”

ScorecardJonathan Trott made his 19th List A hundred (file photo)•Getty Images

Yorkshire Day was not exactly Yorkshire’s day at Headingley where they lost to Warwickshire by 114 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in the Royal London Cup. But in the end there was a silver lining in the grey clouds for both sides as they managed to qualify for the quarter-finals of the competition.Yorkshire, however, having led the North Group for quite some time, had to be content with third place and an away match whereas a well-deserved victory for Warwickshire saw them finish second with a home tie to look forward to.Chasing Warwickshire’s 283 for 6, Yorkshire, who rested Tim Bresnan, lost an over because of two short stoppages for rain and saw their target reduced by a run but they never got anywhere near and were bowled out for 167 in 37.4 overs. When their ninth wicket went down at 148, they could still have managed a home tie if they had made it to 189 but they were still 22 short when Steven Patterson was dismissed.The visitors were indebted to three outstanding individual performances, first Man-of-the-Match Jonathan Trott scored a beautifully constructed 118 and spinners Ateeq Javid and Jeetan Patel then claimed seven wickets between them – Javid leading the way with a career-best 4 for 42.Adam Lyth and David Willey put on a quick 22 at the start of the Yorkshire reply but the former then fell to a great slip catch by Laurie Evans and – with Alex Lees run out soon afterwards – Yorkshire were never in the hunt. Australian Travis Head batted soundly for his 53 from 63 deliveries with five fours but when he was bowled off stump by Javid, Yorkshire were 125 for 6 and sinking fast.Winning the toss, the away side found runs hard to come by in the opening stages against the new-ball pairing of Willey and Patterson and only 16 had been scored by the eighth over when Will Porterfield fell to a tumbling catch to his right by Liam Plunkett at midwicket off Patterson.It stayed tight for a while when Trott came in but he worked the ball around well and made sure that the score kept ticking over throughout his innings. Another fine diving catch, this time by wicketkeeper Andy Hodd brought Plunkett the wicket of Warwickshire’s other opener, Sam Hain, who managed only 10 in 13 overs.Ian Bell came in at 40 for 2 but Yorkshire kept a tight hold on the reins and the visitors managed only 74 from the first 20 overs. Shortly afterwards Trott completed his half-century from 61 balls with five boundaries by taking a single off Plunkett but Bell chipped the next ball from the paceman straight to Willey at cover, having contributed 21 to the third-wicket stand of 52.Trott continued to shine and Tim Ambrose survived a difficult chance on nine when he struck Azeem Rafiq to deep midwicket and Karl Carver made a lot of ground to get to the ball but could not make it stick. Five penalty runs were awarded when a ball from Plunkett to Trott went through to Hodd and deflected off his glove on to a helmet placed behind the wicketkeeper.Trott’s 19th List A century came off 122 balls with nine fours but – with the partnership worth 93 – Ambrose was out for 34, driving Rafiq straight to Will Rhodes at long-on. The end of Trott’s chanceless innings arrived when he hit Patterson high towards the square leg boundary where Jack Leaning positioned himself well for the catch. The former England batsman had received 135 balls and stroked 11 boundaries.At 214 for 5 in the 46th over, Warwickshire needed some quick runs and they were supplied by Clarke and then Evans who blasted his way to 48 not out off 30 balls with three fours and two sixes.Clarke was caught on the boundary edge after Lyth had signalled he did not know whether he had taken the ball cleanly, but Evans’ clean-hitting helped Warwickshire to boost their total as they claimed 104 from the last 10 overs.

ScorecardThings went wrong for Gloucestershire after Gareth Roderick’s century•Getty Images

A day which some thought would confirm Essex as favourites to take Division Two’s single promotion place eventually did so but not without suggesting the type of resistance the leaders must overcome if they are to prevail.After a long day which warmed and brightened and even, at its best, confirmed the arrival of summer, Ryan ten Doeschate’s batsmen need another 197 runs with nine wickets in hand to clinch a victory that would give them a 23-point lead at the top of the table. Essex are in a dominant position but the loss of Jaik Mickleburgh’s wicket three overs before the close will have reminded the visitors that there is still serious work ahead of them.But the rather pleasant state of affairs for supporters travelling from Colchester and Clacton followed two very fruitful sessions for home loyalists in which Gloucestershire’s batsmen had made light of a 78-run first-innings deficit and had themselves established a decent lead of 153 runs with seven wickets in hand at tea.Gareth Roderick’s century and Chris Dent’s increasingly assured 72 had fortified the hopes of those frequenting the hopes of those in the Churchdown and Charlton Kings marquees that Essex might be set a stiff target on the final day of this match.However, once the openers were out, ten Doeschate’s bowlers greedily exploited the weakness of Gloucestershire’s later batsmen and the home side lost their last eight wickets for 62 runs with Matt Quinn removing four of the top seven batsmen to end with a match analysis of 11 for 63, comfortably the best of his career.Graham Napier also showed what a loss he will be to Essex when he retires at the end of the season by making short work of the Gloucestershire tailenders. The combination of Quinn’s hostility and Napier’s movement finally broke the home side.Foster took three catches off Napier and Quinn won a lively red-blooded exchange with Craig Miles, who whacked him for six over midwicket before giving a catch to ten Doeschate at leg slip next ball. Michael Klinger was left undefeated on 53 and three of Gloucestershire’s batsmen scored nearly 80% of their team’s runs”The clock hath ceased to sound…shadow is round the eaves / The long day closes” wrote the lyricist Henry Fothergill Chorley in his famously gloomy part-song collaboration with Arthur Sullivan. As Nick Browne and the nighwatchman, Jamie Porter, made their way off the College Ground at ten past seven, one could see what he meant but the Essex players will not give a hoot about hard work should they be celebrating a victory on Saturday afternoon.Nevertheless, it felt rather more than eight hours since grey cloud had lain quilted over the College Ground on the third morning of this game. That, of course, should not have brought either warmth or comfort to Gloucestershire’s cricketers. The change in atmospheric conditions had helped cause their ruination in the first innings and they probably longed for the benevolent sunlight enjoyed by Dan Lawrence on Thursday evening. Instead, they would have to bat in double-maths weather with no prospect of a visit to the tuck shop.But conditions which augured only struggle instead brought affluence in the first half of the day as Roderick and Dent put on 148 runs for their side’s first wicket in 31.3 overs. The warmth that had helped Quinn to make hay on the first afternoon was lacking. So instead of struggling against a late-swinging ball, the openers prospered on the cool, rain-haunted morning.Roderick cover-drove Porter to the schoolchildren on the boundary in the third over and that was the first of six crisp fours struck by Gloucestershire’s captain on the way to a 43-ball fifty, his sixth half-century of the Championship season. The last of these, a clattering pull off a short ball from Quinn also wiped out the deficit with which the home side had begun the day. The layered members in front of the pavilion applauded generously, although this may have been have been as much to warm themselves as to salute the landmark. ” ‘Ee gave ‘im some ‘ammer” said one.Either side of a half-hour break for drizzle, the openers put on 88 in the first session and were pleasantly settled when Nottingham and Cleeve Hills were reduced to grey shapes as more rain fell and the umpires called for an early lunch. Then the hills disappeared entirely and only the leaves on the trees persuaded one this was not October.Nevertheless, the cricket brought happiness to the primary school children from Northleach, Amberley and Thrupp and to the folk in the marquees sponsored by the Churchdown Club and Gloucestershire Arms. The former, rebelling against killjoy injunction, were both seen and heard whereas the latter’s comments could be made out ever more distinctly as the afternoon drifted on and hospitality did its work. Essex’s more frivolous appeals were treated to ribald mockery.The jocular mood was stilled a little when Ravi Bopara bowled Dent off the inside edge when the batsmen was only half-way through his shot and quietened even more when Graeme van Buuren was caught down the leg side for 25 by James Foster off Quinn. Then Roderick, after completing his first century of the season off 134 balls, was leg before to Bopara and the home side were 228 for 3.The ale still flowed in the tents, of course – this is the Cheltenham Festival and enjoyment has never been dependent upon success. But it should be the Essex players who are savouring their pints tomorrow afternoon

Hashim Amla has called on South Africa’s top six to take the responsibility for run-scoring and not leave it up to the lower order to finish games in the ongoing ODI tri-series in the Caribbean. South Africa are carrying a longer tail than usual in the tournament, and the lower order has failed to contribute in the three matches so far, but Amla said it was not up to the tail-end batsmen to get the team over the line.”As a team we have always backed ourselves for somebody in the top six to take it through and bat as deep as possible,” Amla said, ahead of South Africa’s match against West Indies on June 15. “Obviously we are very disappointed after our last game. We got ourselves into a very good position to win it and we didn’t quite take it through. We lost some wickets at crucial times and that cost us. Hopefully we don’t make the same mistake in the next game.”In their loss against Australia last Saturday, South Africa collapsed from 210 for 4 to 252 all out, losing 6 for 42. They had previously lost 7 for 28 in the opening defeat against West Indies and 6 for 91 in the victory against Australia. In the three matches so far, there were only two instances of a batsman in the bottom six getting into double figures: Farhaan Behardien’s 62 and Kagiso Rabada’s 15 in the game South Africa won.Effectively, that means South Africa’s tail begins when JP Duminy, who has not scored an ODI half-century in nine innings, is dismissed. Although Behardien has shown an ability to contribute, he has not done so consistently and Wayne Parnell has been unable to replicate the domestic form that led to his recall to the national side. The bowlers follow Parnell in the line-up, which leaves South Africa with no option but for the top six to pile on the runs, especially as they don’t have much in the way of reserves.The only additional batsman in the squad is Dean Elgar, who was brought in to replace the injured Rilee Rossouw, but including him in the XI is tricky. If Elgar were to come in, South Africa would have to leave themselves short in the bowling department. Another option is to lengthen the batting by including Chris Morris, possibly at Parnell’s expense. Morris has recovered from a hamstring niggle and is available for selection but, as a lower-order allrounder, the responsibility cannot be left to him alone.”It’s the responsibility of the batsmen. That’s what we enjoy doing and that’s what we would like to do,” Amla said. “We didn’t manage to do it in this game and I guess that does happen occasionally where you are not going to get it right, but we want to get it right as often as we can.”At least South Africa know conditions in Basseterre will assist them in their quest for more runs, although Amla warned not to expect some of the towering totals that have come to define one-day cricket recently.”It is a good wicket. It’s a higher-scoring ground than in Guyana, where 200 was a good total. Here 260 seems like a good score,” he said. “In this day and age, where we’ve seen scores of 350 in one-day cricket, it’s sobering to see 250 being a difficult score to get.”Australia managed 288 in their win against South Africa on Saturday, but their 265 was inadequate against West Indies on Monday. Amla believed if South Africa could get somewhere close to the 260-run mark, they would give themselves a chance. “The key is to try and get the team to score around 250 or 260. It’s a good enough wicket that you can to chase it down if you bat well.”If South Africa are faced with a higher chase, Amla said he expected the lower order to come into play. “In many games even chasing scores like 280, you end up needing your No.7, 8 and 9 to contribute a little bit,” he said. “It’s not a matter of batters or bowlers, it’s a collective effort to turn it around in the field as well as with the bat.”All the talk about the need for a better showing is because halfway through the round-robin stage, South Africa are at the bottom of the table. They have won only one match, though they have played one less than Australia. South Africa will now take on a buoyant West Indies, who are fresh off a victory over Australia, on Wednesday. With a maximum of 15 points still up for grabs, South Africa are by no means out of contention but, having failed to score as many runs as they would have liked, they know they are up against it. “We are all extremely hungry to turn it around and get back to winning ways but it’s still early in the competition,” Amla said.

Pakistan batsman and ODI captain Azhar Ali has backed fast bowler Mohammad Amir’s presence in the side for the tour of England, where the latter was charged for his involvement in the spot-fixing controversy in 2010, and has said that toughest phase in the bowler’s career is over. The PCB has submitted a visa request for Amir to clear his selection for the tour, before the team’s departure on June 18. Pakistan are set to tour England for four Tests, five ODIs and a T20I from July and are also scheduled to play two ODIs against Ireland.Azhar, along with senior allrounder Mohammad Hafeez, had opposed Amir’s return to the Pakistan side last year. The two players had refused to join a conditioning camp in December and the PCB later revealed it had turned down Azhar’s offer to resign over Amir’s inclusion in the camp. Azhar and Hafeez agreed to return ‘unconditionally’ to the camp after meeting with PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan.”[What happened in] 2010 is in the past and now we need to look forward,” Azhar said, when asked about Amir’s possible presence in England. “It has been a while now since he has been with us. It could have been tough, had he come in straight on such a tour, but now, after playing with us for a long time, things have settled. Even he isn’t under pressure because he has already made his comeback a few months ago and the toughest phase is over for him. I know England was the place where the incident [in 2010] happened but hopefully he can handle the pressure like he did on his comeback. But still if anything happens, we, as a team, will handle it.”The ECB has also indicated that it is supporting Amir’s visa application. “We understand Mohammad Amir has been selected to play in the forthcoming series in England. Any decision on his entry into the UK is ultimately one for the UK Government. We have spoken to the Pakistan Cricket Board and will provide any support the Government needs in making its decision. Support could also mean information and background,” a statement from the England board said last week.In November 2011, Amir – along with Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif – was sentenced in a London court on charges of conspiracy to accept corrupt payments and conspiracy to cheat at gambling after a plot was uncovered in a sting operation to bowl deliberate no-balls in a Test against England in 2010.Amir was given a six-month jail sentence and served half of it at the Portland Young Offenders Institution in Dorset. In January 2015, Amir was allowed to return to cricket ahead of schedule by the ICC, even as his five-year suspension period formally ended on September 1.The fast bowler has impressed since his return to cricket, playing international matches as well as Pakistan’s domestic competitions, the Bangladesh Premier League and the Pakistan Super League. Amir has taken five wickets in two ODIs and 11 wickets in as many T20Is in 2016, including a memorable 3 for 18 against India in the Asia Cup in February. He is part of the ongoing skills camp and is expected to feature in team that is likely to be announced later this week.Azhar, who made his international debut in England in 2010 against Australia, was confident his team that the team, currently ranked No. 3 on the Test rankings, had the ability to do well on the tour. Pakistan last won a Test series in England against the hosts in 1996. More recently, however, they have been beaten England in the UAE by 3-0 (January 2012) and 2-0 (October 2015) margins.”The England tour has always been challenging but the belief of doing good is important and we all have it,” he said. “If you have belief, then it will help you practically in the field. In Test cricket, we have been doing well with a settled and confident side. Conditions might be difficult there but every player has an aim to do well in the conditions to make Pakistan win.”The Pakistan team in the past has always been a competitive side. We either won or gave them tough competition. Previously in 2010, we had a very young side but this time we have experienced players both who were part of the tour that time, and some players who missed. So overall we have a good team to compete. Our bowling has always been good and England’s batting had always appeared vulnerable against them, so the idea is to utilize the combination.”Pakistan could face some trouble with the opening slot after Hafeez suffered a knee injury last week. The selectors could look at Sami Aslam, Shan Masood and Khurram Manzoor to fill the slot, but Azhar, who has settled in at No. 3, has said he is ready to open in Hafeez’s absence.”Hopefully things move accordingly to the plan,” he said. “A Test team has a settled order in which every player is consistent with his number. But in case anything happens then not only me but anyone is ready to play accordingly.”Pakistan will be training in Hampshire for almost a month before the Test series kicks off and are also scheduled to play tour matches, and Azhar believed this would give the team enough time to acclimatise to weather and pitch conditions.”We have the commitment and belief that we can win there and that’s the only thing the Pakistan nation should expect from us. We have trained hard and are even going to England well before the series starts, which will further help us adapt to the conditions.”Every player is important but the team obviously is depending on senior players. However, if every player contributes according to his role then I don’t see any reason Pakistan can’t do better. Talent is there, the middle order is experienced, specially Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis [Khan] , so I have full confidence that we can do well.”

Middlesex have announced that they are on the hunt for an overseas player in their bid to avoid relegation from Division One of the County Championship, with Pieter Malan leaving the club early after a poor season with the bat.Malan, who won three Test caps for South Africa in early 2020, re-signed for the summer after helping Middlesex secure promotion at the end of last summer but has struggled for form. He managed 221 runs at 14.73 across his eight Championship fixtures, with more ducks (five) than half-centuries (two).He also played eight games for them in the Blast, scoring 206 runs at a strike rate of 137.33, and did not feature in their One Day Cup campaign, with opportunities instead afforded to younger players. He has now returned to South Africa to captain Boland in domestic cricket.Alan Coleman, Middlesex’s director of cricket, said that Malan “would be the first to admit that this season has been a struggle for him on the field”. He added: “It most certainly isn’t through lack of effort and hard work on his part… however, sometimes things just don’t work out.”Middlesex, who sit third-bottom in Division One and are locked into a relegation battle with Kent and Northamptonshire, confirmed in a statement: “[We are] now looking for a replacement to feature in the run-in to the end of the season, with four crucial County Championship matches remaining.”Kemar Roach is returning to Surrey•Getty Images

Meanwhile, south of the River Thames, Surrey have secured the return of Kemar Roach as they look to secure a second successive Championship title. Roach took 18 wickets in five appearances for them earlier this year before returning home, but is coming back to South London for the run-in.Surrey are 17 points clear of second-placed Essex heading into the final month of fixtures, and will be without three fast bowlers on England duty in Gus Atkinson, Sam Curran and Reece Topley – though Curran and Topley have featured in one Championship match between them this season.Roach said: “Surrey is a second home for me and I’m looking forward to getting back down to business ahead of three massive games. We know what the goal is for the team and I’m going to give everything to help achieve it.”