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Match facts

Misbah-ul-Haq and Andrew Strauss have both spoken about letting the cricket provide the headlines in this series•AFP

Tuesday, January 17-21, Dubai
Start time 1000 (0600 GMT)

Big Picture

History will hang heavily over this series. Three Pakistan players are serving custodial sentences after being found guilty on match-rigging charges during the 2010 series in England. However much England suggest that the affair is now largely a media obsession and Pakistan provide indications of more stable and contented times, such matters cannot be easily waved aside.That Pakistan recover their strength and reputation is vital for the health of world cricket and England have been reminded of their responsibilities to contest the series in a natural manner and to rise above any resentment, which does exist, over what has gone before without losing the competitive and aggressive edge that has contributed to their rise to the No. 1 Test side in the world.Pakistan are careful not to speak of “home advantage” because Dubai, however much the conditions might be similar to those in Lahore or Karachi, is simply not home. But sub-consciously England feel themselves in an away series, not a neutral one. Their policy of six specialist batsmen, three pace bowlers and a solitary spinner automatically comes under strain on placid surfaces and the loss of Tim Bresnan, the most capable batsmen in their lower order, does not make a change of tack easy.Test series between Pakistan and England have often been wonderfully combative affairs. As long as the pitches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi encourage attractive cricket, it is an appealing prospect.

Form guide

Pakistan: WWDWD
England: WWWWW

Players to watch

Saeed Ajmal has enlivened the build-up to the Test by announcing, Shane Warne-style, that he is about to unleash a formidable new delivery. The doosra – “the other one” – is about to be supported by the teesra – “the third one”.
Whatever the impact of that proves to be, Ajmal will test England’s improvement against spin bowling to the utmost. For England, Stuart Broad will be desperate to escape the run of injuries that have disrupted his progress over the past year. A bruised foot suffered when batting in the nets is unlikely to hinder him, but it gives a further impression of vulnerability that he could do without.

Team news

Any temptation that England felt to abandon their policy of six batsmen disappeared the moment that Tim Bresnan, the sturdiest batsman among the bowling attack, left the tour through injury. To include Monty Panesar as a second spinner would therefore entail perming three fast bowlers from six. In the first Test at least, they are likely to exclude Panesar and stick to a proven formula.
England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Chris Tremlett
Pakistan (probable) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Taufeeq Umar, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Adnam Akmal (wk), 8 Abdur Rehman, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Wahab Riaz

Pitch and conditions

England are bracing themselves for a demanding bowling experience on a benign surface, in conditions that do not offer the fast bowlers much help. The two Tests played at the DICS so far don’t entirely support that view with only one total so far in excess of 400.

Stats and trivia

• England are sure to remain top of the ICC Test Championship if they do not lose to Pakistan by more than a one-Test margin in the three-Test series.
• England have three bowlers – Graeme Swann, James Anderson and Stuart Broad – in the top four of the Test rankings.
• In their last home series against Pakistan, England dismissed the opposition for less than 100 on three occasions.
• Pakistan have won nine, lost 11 and drawn seven of their 27 Tests since their loss of home Tests because of security concerns. Only seven of those Tests have been at a neutral venue.

Quotes

“It’s all a bit smoke and mirrors isn’t it. Just remember, you don’t play the bowler and what he says, you play the ball that comes out of his hand.”
“It’s good to see every player backing the other. The days of infighting and rifts seem to be over.”
“We play our cricket very, very hard. There’s no way Jimmy Anderson, who is a grumpy bowler, is not going to be grumpy. The guys will still be aggressive, that’s what has got us to No 1.”

Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has said Shahid Afridi proved he was a matchwinner in his first match since coming out of a conditional international retirement

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2011

Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has said Shahid Afridi proved he was a matchwinner in his first ODI since coming out of a conditional international retirement. Afridi took 3 for 27 in 9.3 overs in Dubai, helping bowl Sri Lanka out for 130 and set up an easy Pakistan victory.”Shahid Afridi is a matchwinner and he proved that today,” Misbah said. “He came on when we needed wickets and also needed to keep the runs down. He bowled a wicket-to-wicket line, didn’t give away runs and also made key breakthroughs. He’s started his comeback well and I hope he continues to perform.”Afridi’s wickets came after Pakistan’s seamers had got a couple of early breakthroughs. Misbah said it had been the constant pressure his bowlers asserted that had been Sri Lanka’s undoing. “The pitch played well and was the same across both innings. Credit goes to our bowlers. We pressurised them right from the start by being disciplined with the ball. The seamers were disciplined early and then the spinners came on and did really well.”Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka captain, said it was once again poor shot selection that was behind the batting failure. Sri Lanka’s batsmen had struggled in the Test series too, getting dismissed for first-innings totals of 197 in Abu Dhabi and 239 in Dubai. Dilshan said it had nothing to do with any technical faults but was down to making bad choices.”Our mistake again was shot selection,” Dilshan said. “It’s not the technique of the batsmen because they are all getting starts but throwing it away with poor shots. There were one or two good balls today, the rest were all bad shots. We knew this was not a 250-280 pitch but felt that with four seamers we could defend something around 220-230. But 130 was obviously too low.”Dilshan had chosen to bat, as he had in the Test at the same venue. There was a little help for Pakistan’s seamers early but Dilshan said it wasn’t the pitch that got Sri Lanka’s batsmen out. The next ODI is also in Dubai, on November 14, and Dilshan said if the game was played on the same pitch he would not hesitate to bat first again.”The track was not bad. If we are playing on the same track in the next match I think batting first will still be the right option.”Dilshan also said Mahela Jayawardene was a doubt for the next game as he had hurt his knee. He said Jayawardene would have a scan on Saturday after which the team would take a call on whether he would be fit for the second ODI.

MatériaMais Notícias

O técnico Jair Ventura espera que a goleada diante do Vitória seja suficiente para recolocar o Santos nos trilhos para, enfim, voltar a engatar uma sequência de vitórias na temporada. Para isso, quer equilibrar a intensidade apresentada no primeiro tempo entre todo o jogo e, assim, conseguir um bom resultado contra o Corinthians, na quarta-feira, em Itaquera.

-Sempre importante vencer. Em nenhum momento senti a diretoria nos abandonando. Se mostraram preocupados como nós com a situação, acreditando no nosso trabalho. Não fazer gols e não vencer, não é o Santos, é só um momento. Esperamos voltar aos trilhos e continuar na série de vitórias. A pressão se dá pelaposição na tabela. O Santos, mesmo com um jogo a menos, não pode estar brigando na zona de baixo. Não adianta falar, temos que fazer. Uma situação que vamos melhorar – analisou, falando ainda sobre a intensidade:

– Caímos de ritmo no segundo tempo. A bola entrou. Foi nosso melhor primeiro tempo (ano) em questão de gols. Tivemos boas chances no segundo tempo, também. Importante a vitória do grupo. Precisamos buscar esse equilíbrio nos tempos.

RelacionadasSantosCrise? Que crise? Rodrygo faz três e Peixe goleia o Vitória na Vila BelmiroSantos03/06/2018

Nos últimos dias, o Santos foi pressionado por sua torcida. Alguns alvinegros foram ao CT Rei Pelé e cobraram o elenco, chegando até a invadirem o local. Para Jair, faz parte do futebol e questões extra-campo não devem ser levadas em consideração.

-No futebol acontecem várias coisas extra-campo e nós profissionais temos que nos preocupar com campo e bola. Voltamos a vencer, vínhamos criando. Falar que tem posse e foi melhor, soa como desculpa. Fizemos cinco, poderíamos ter dividido com os últimos jogos. Voltamos a vencer, foi importante.A pressão na nossa vida é constante. Não é só nesse jogo. Estamos sempre pressionados e procuramos jogar como vínhamos jogando. Conseguimos fazer os gols – disse.

Rodrygo impressiona
O treinador também aproveitou a entrevista coletiva para falar sobre o rendimento de Rodrygo. O garoto marcou três gols e deu assistência. Jair repetiu que para o camisa 43 de apenas 17 anos, o céu é o limite.

– Já falei do Rodrygo diversas vezes. Tem muita qualidade. Preocupou a quantidade de faltas que ele sofreu. Cada falta dura nele dá uma dor no coração. Tirei ele por conta disso. Falei lá atrás: com certeza ele vai chegar muito longe. O céu é o limite – finalizou.

The Northamptonshire Steelbacks and Derbyshire Falcons’ hopes of kick-starting their Friends Life T20 campaigns were thwarted as persistent rain washed out their match at Wantage Road

17-Jun-2011
Scorecard
The Northamptonshire Steelbacks and Derbyshire Falcons’ hopes of kick-starting their Friends Life T20 campaigns were thwarted as persistent rain washed out their match at Wantage Road. Rain began to fall over an hour before the scheduled start of 6.50pm and umpires Richard Illingworth and David Millins called the game off at 7.45.The Steelbacks, will be looking to lift themselves of the bottom of the North Group when they play the Nottinghamshire Outlaws at Trent Bridge on Saturday. The Falcons, who are second-bottom and like their opponents have only won once in this year’s competition, have a home clash against the Leicestershire Foxes to look forward to on Saturday.

Sunderland have joined the race to sign Hull City’s James Scott ahead of this summer’s transfer window.

What’s the word?

That is according to reports via Portsmouth.co.uk, who state that Sunderland, amongst the likes of Derby, Portsmouth, Accrington and Hibernian are all keen to secure his signature.

As per the report, the Hull man may get a chance to prove himself to boss Shota Arveladze, who reportedly wants to see the player in action before deciding the next chapter of his career.

Imagine him and Stewart

21-year-old Scott, who has scored 15 goals in his career so far, has endured a somewhat difficult start to his career as a professional.

After scoring £1.5m.

Having registered six returns in the form of terrific” by former Mackems boss, Jack Ross.

His first 16 appearances for the Edinburgh outfit saw zero returns for the club, but in the final few games, he has demonstrated his ability, having managed hat-trick against St. Johnstone in the final game of the campaign.

It means he has scored four goals in five fixtures in the Scottish Premiership Relegation Round and has given clubs like Sunderland the inclination to look towards the Scotsman, who could form a formidable partnership with fellow countryman Ross Stewart.

Despite his incredible haul of 59 chances, with nine of these classed as big chances this campaign.

Scott, who was described as “perfectly placed” for his second goal against St. Johnstone, has been operating in a Hibernian side that have drummed up just 33 big chances this term, whilst Sunderland have managed to create almost double that with a tally of 64.

It goes without saying, a two-man Scottish partnership between Stewart and Scott could make for an unstoppable duo who could bolster the Black Cats, offensively speaking.

Scott’s finish to this season bodes well for his start to the next.

In other news: Neil can save Sunderland millions by unleashing 19y/o who can “make something happen”

Mike Hussey’s place in Australia’s World Cup squad is in doubt after it was confirmed he suffered a hamstring tear while batting during the six-wicket win over England on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2011

Mike Hussey’s place in Australia’s World Cup squad is in doubt after it was confirmed he suffered a hamstring tear while batting during the six-wicket win over England on Sunday.Scans on Hussey’s left hamstring have revealed the left-hander has ripped part of a tendon off the bone near the gluteus muscle on the upper thigh. While the injury will certainly curtail Hussey’s involvement in the seven-match one-day series against England, it also casts doubt over his selection for the World Cup with Australia due to name their 15-man squad for the tournament, which starts on February 19, by Wednesday.Australian team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris confirmed that Hussey had sustained “a significant left hamstring injury”, adding: “The course of management for this injury will be determined in the next 24 hours.””Our main focus is trying to get prepared for that World Cup, that is my main focus as well and I would really like to be part of that,” Hussey had said before scans revealed the extent of his injury. “If that meant missing a couple of games as a precaution then I am sure that is an option we would have to look at.”Reports in the Australian media have suggested that Cricket Australia officials are understood to be seeking clear clarification on selection and replacement regulations before announcing their World Cup squad. It appears that Hussey could be named in Australia’s initial squad and possibly replaced if he does not regain full fitness as the start of the tournament draws near. If he is not named initially, he can only join the squad later if another player is injured and forced to withdraw.

ScorecardMark Cosgrove finished unbeaten on 90•Getty Images

Tasmania comprehensively dominated the first day against Western Australia, where Mark Cosgrove almost made as many as the entire Warriors side. At stumps, Cosgrove was unbeaten on 90 with Alex Doolan on 48, as the Tigers moved on to 1 for 146 and extended their lead to 38 runs following their excellent bowling effort.James Faulkner skittled the Western Australia top order after George Bailey sent the visitors in, and Luke Butterworth also helped run through the Warriors, who were dismissed before lunch for 108. Marcus North, fresh from his Test axing, could only manage 2 before he was trapped lbw by Faulkner, who finished with 3 for 15.Faulkner had kicked off the chaos by throwing down the stumps in his follow through to have Wes Robinson run out for 9, and he soon got rid of Liam Davis, who top-edged a pull on 20, and Adam Voges caught behind first ball. The Warriors were lucky to even reach triple figures after crashing to 9 for 62; only a last-wicket stand between Ryan Duffield and Michael Hogan saved their blushes.It looked like Tasmania might struggle just as much when Hogan struck in the third over with Ed Cowan caught at slip for a duck, but Cosgrove and Doolan steadied proceedings. Michael Beer ended the day with 0 for 27 from eight overs after being released from the Test squad to get some overs under his belt.