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Ben Stokes is ready to take on greater responsibility with the ball if that is the role handed to him for the Test matches against Pakistan in the UAE.England will spend the first two weeks of the tour – which includes two two-day warm-up matches in Sharjah – fine-tuning the make-up of their side for the first Test in Abu Dhabi, beginning on October 13, and some of the decisions they face are not simple.Alastair Cook lauded England’s adaptability as the team travelled to the UAE, pinpointing the phalanx of allrounders at his disposal. Stokes is central to that, along with Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Samit Patel while Joe Root’s offspin could also see greater service on this trip.Although the prevailing feeling is that Moeen is favourite to open the batting ahead of Alex Hales, which could pave the way for a six-man bowling attack including four quicks, there remains a chance that England could go with three fast men, which would bring Stokes’ all-round role even more to the forefront of the team. In his 16-Test career to date he has only ever been one of four fast bowlers.”There will be a lot more responsibility on me when I come on to bowl,” Stokes told ESPNcricinfo. “I might not bowl as much as I have in the summer, because it’s more friendly to spinners out there, but when I do get the ball I’ll have to realise how much expectation there is on me as a third seamer because it’s hot, hard conditions to be a seam bowler in the UAE. I like added responsibility and think it brings the best out of my cricket.”Stokes began the last English summer in dramatic style with an all-round display against New Zealand at Lord’s that went down as one of England’s finest. He scored 92 on the opening day after England were tottering on 30 for 4, then struck the fastest hundred on the ground in the second innings, before a thrilling burst with the ball on the final day when he removed the lynchpin pair of Kane Williamson and Brendon McCullum in consecutive deliveries.His next four Tests only brought three wickets before he produced a dramatic display in the second innings at Trent Bridge, claiming 6 for 36 to help England secure the Ashes in barely more than two days. The eye-catching feature of that performance was the prodigious swing, and though it was conventional movement on that day Stokes is also capable of reversing the ball when conditions allow, which is something that could come into play on this tour.”We do a lot of work with reverse swing leading up to tours where it can reverse so we will probably be doing quite a lot of work on that leading up to the Test series. Most of us know the characteristics and skills of reverse swing.”For Stokes, this will be his first taste of Test cricket against Asian opposition in their conditions and even though the prospect of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel looms over Christmas and New Year he believes the first phase of England’s overseas travels will be the most daunting.”We’ve had two series at home in our conditions which we all know, so the big thing for us is we are going to play in foreign conditions,” he said. “UAE will be the most challenging one, last time we didn’t do very well, but you want to test yourself against the best in the world in the hardest conditions.”

Match facts

Friday, April 11, 2008
Start time 15:00 local time (10:00 GMT)

Big picture

Despite having crushed Bangladesh in Lahore, Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan captain, has emphatically stated that his side’s five-match contest against the visitors is ‘not a time-pass series’. Bangladesh have been swept on each of their trips to Pakistan but Malik refused to underestimate them and cautioned against complacency. Pakistan have blooded a few youngsters recently and they want to keep their options open with bigger assignments ahead.Bangladesh, on the other hand, may be wondering just what they need to do to win a game against Test-match opposition. Their recent form is disappointing and their batting lacks depth. Mashrafe Mortaza’s return to bowling form has been important but the lack of support remains a concern.With few teams touring Pakistan due to security concerns the local fans would be hoping for a win to boost spirits in these times of political unrest.

Form guide – Pakistan

Last five matches: WWWWWPlayer to watch: Shahid Afridi biffed 27 from 11 balls to get Pakistan past 300 in Lahore and then bagged 3 for 41 to help skittle Bangladesh out for 129. With the lucrative Indian Premier League kicking off this month Afridi could well use the remaining two games to get into some form with the bat. He averages 33.33 against Bangladesh.

Form guide – Bangladesh

Last five matches: LWWWLPlayer to watch: Dhiman Ghosh, the young rookie wicketkeeper, has been a livewire in his seven ODIs so far, most exceptionally in the first game against Pakistan where he took four catches. His batting has been disappointing, but he has got a good first-class record and is capable of big hits. A promotion up the order – he batted at No. 9 in Lahore – may not be a bad idea.

Team news

Pakistan have options with which to rotate their squad but they may hold off until the series is in the bag. Their top order wobbled a bit but they aren’t likely to tinker with Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed – at the start of what has been a promising six-game career – and Younis Khan, who may also have the IPL on his mind. The middle order remains Pakistan’s strength along with an effective and varied bowling attack.Abdur Razzak had a poor outing in Lahore but his one-day success and his experienced means he will stay in the starting line-up. Bangladesh could consider swapping Mahmudullah, who bled 59 runs in five overs and made just 2, for allrounder Nazimuddin.Bangladesh (likely) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Shahriar Nafees, 3 Aftab Ahmed, 4 Mohammad Ashraful (capt), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Raqibul Hasan, 7 Nazimuddin, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza, 9 Farhad Reza, 10 Dhiman Ghosh (wk), 11 Abdur Razzak.Pakistan (likely) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Nasir Jamshed, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Shoaib Malik (capt), 6 Misbah-ul-Haq, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Kamran Akmal (wk), 9 Rao Iftikhar, 10 Umar Gul, 11 Sohail Tanveer.Umpires: Steve Bucknor, Aleem Dar.

Pitch & conditions

The Iqbal Stadium has only once witnessed a total of over 300 but the pitch – which looks firm and brown – is expected to offer good runs to the batsmen. The side that wins the toss should bat first, and hope to shut out the opposition. Inclement weather has often hampered play at the venue – and there was a cloud cover on the eve of the game -but at this time of year it’s not a worry, despite the late start.

Stats & trivia

Shane Warne is in hot water with the ECB following his behaviour in Hampshire’s Championship draw with Kent last week. He has been fined six points under the ECB’s disciplinary code – and if he incurs nine points or more he will be automatically suspended.Warne, Hampshire’s captain, was clearly unhappy when the umpire Tim Robinson gave him out lbw to Ryan McLaren. He lingered at the crease and then turned round to stare at Robinson as he slowly trudged off. As he entered the pavilion he underlined his unhappiness with an audible obscenity.Robinson and his fellow umpire Barrie Leadbeater reported him for two separate Level 2 breaches of the code – serious dissent at an umpire’s decision and using language or a gesture that is obscene or of a serious insulting nature to another player, umpire, referee, team official or spectator.The penalties remain on Warne’s record for a period of two years. The accumulation of nine or more penalty points in any 2-year period will result in an automatic suspension. The ECB refused to comment further on the matter, not that much more needed saying.

Division One

2nd dayYasir Arafat’s three wickets gave Sussex the upper hand on the second day against Kent at Canterbury. Resuming on 355 for 8 Sussex’s tail bashed their way to 399 before James Lewry trapped David Fulton with the first ball of Kent’s reply. Kent soon stumbled to 34 for 3 before Matthew Walker (87) and Darren Stevens (118) rescued a sinking ship with a fine fourth-wicket partnership of 188. Arafat struck back, though, removing both batsmen and Dwayne Bravo, the West Indies allrounder, to leave Kent still trailing by 160 runs.1st dayEd Joyce struck a magnificent unbeaten 158 for Middlesex who dominated the first day against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. However, the visitors were in early trouble when they lost Ed Smith (30) and Owais Shah (10) to leave them in the tricky position of 56 for 2. Enter Nick Compton with whom Joyce put on 71 vital runs for the third wicket. Though Compton fell for 52, Joyce found good support from Jamie Dalrymple (43) and David Nash (35*) as Middlesex closed on 344 for 5.John Crawley and James Adams launched a firecracking assault on Nottinghamshire‘s bowlers at Trent Bridge, each striking unbeaten centuries to leave Hampshire on a majestic 303 for 1. Mike Carberry fell on Nelson, and was unlucky not to make his half-century. He was on 49 when Ryan Sidebottom induced his edge, but by that stage Hampshire were healthily set. Then Crawley joined Adams and together they put on 192 at just under three an over.Anthony McGrath struck is third and highest century of the season to steer Yorkshire out of trouble against Durham at Chester-le-Street. After choosing to bat, Ottis Gibson and Mick Lewis reduced them to 186 for 7 despite a stand of 97 between McGrath and Darren Lehmann. But McGrath found solid support from Jason Gillespie, then Mitchell Claydon contributed a positive 38 in a ninth-wicket stand of 80. McGrath’s ton came off 183 balls and Yorkshire’s day ended on a fine note as Gillespie and Deon Kruis struck with the new ball.

Division Two

Day TwoAndy Flower was Essex‘s mainstay as they closed on 265 for 4 in reply to Gloucestershire‘s 394 at Bristol. He reached his century with a clip for four to the long-leg boundary as he ended on 114 not out to make a fine return to action following a recent back injury. Gloucestershire had earlier added 39 to their overnight score of 355 for 8 with Ian Fisher (45) and Jon Lewis (38) dispatching a flurry of boundaries at the start of the day. The home side narrowly missed out on their final batting point, however, as Lewis was first stumped by James Foster after advancing down the track to James Middlebrook before Fisher edged low to Ravinder Bopara at second slip off Andy Bichel.Essex lost Varun Chopra early in their reply, caught nibbling behind. Mark Pettini (59) fared better but chipped to square leg after sharing a stand of 111 for the third wicket with Andy Flower. In-form captain Ronnie Irani laboured for 12 off 69 balls before giving a catch to short-leg as Fisher claimed his second wicket. Fisher, the slow left-armer, had less success against the Flower combination, however, as they took their side to the close with an unbeaten stand of 74 for the fifth-wicket with Grant Flower on 28 not out.1st dayAli Brown made another fine century to help Surrey make a solid 328 on the opening day against Northants at Northampton. Mark Ramprakash added yet more runs to a mighty first-class haul, with a half-century, and there were runs, too, for Rikki Clarke, who was out three short of his fifty. But Northants stuck to their task with Matthew Nicholson picking up 4 for 84 to dismiss them before the close. Bilal Shafayat fell for a duck early doors, bowled by Mohammad Akram (1 for 1), but that was the end of the drama for the day, with Northants closing on 27 for 1, still 301 runs behind.Marcus North’s exquisite century put Derbyshire in a strong position on the opening day at Taunton. They closed on 374 for 9 and were helped to that total by Chris Taylor; he added 145 runs with North for the third wicket to pick their team up from an early wobble at 30 for 2. Taylor eventually fell to Andrew Caddick, who bagged three wickets, while North was undone by Simon Francis, who also took three.HD Ackerman led the way for Leicestershire with an unbeaten 177 as they recovered from a wobble to take the opening day honours against Glamorgan at Cardiff. Leicestershire lost wickets in clusters to find themselves on 178 for 5 midway through the afternoon. Ackerman and Paul Nixon then combined in a sixth-wicket stand of 160 to turn the innings around. Ackerman took 168 balls over his century, while Nixon showed all his fighting qualities during a 123-ball 60.

The Indian cricket board has presented the ICC Council with a formal appeal asking that the dispute concerning the six-match ODI ban slapped on Sourav Ganguly be referred to arbitration. The letter, signed by Ranbir Singh Mahendra, the board president, was addressed to Ehsan Mani, the president of the ICC.Mahendra confirmed to PTI that the request had been sent but refused to disclose the contents. The letter is the latest move by the BCCI in its two-month standoff with the ICC over the ban handed out to Ganguly by Chris Broad, the match referee, for the India’s slow over rate in the Ahmedabad one-day international against Pakistan on April 12.

While the cricket world concentrated on the first Test at Lord’s, a few miles to the south, one of domestic cricket’s oldest rivalries was attracting an unforeseen outbreak of handbags at two paces.Middlesex against Surrey does not come close to being in the top flight of sporting rivalries. Often spectators have to pinch themselves to remember that what they are watching is an all-London battle rather than just another county game.Fred Titmus’s move from Lord’s to The Oval at the end of the 1976 season was greeted with a few tuts and general surprise (he redeemed himself by returning home in 1979). But Mark Ramprakash’s defection at the end of 2000 was far more acrimonious, and on his return to Lord’s he was booed to the wicket. The rancour persists. When he reached his fifty at Lord’s earlier this month one member turned to another and asked if Ramprakash had been forgiven. A cry of “bastard” aimed in Ramprakash’s direction from nearby in the pavilion seconds later answered that.After that match – which Surrey lost – Middlesex reported what they viewed as suspicious treatment of the ball by Surrey’s bowlers to the ECB. The authorities ruled that there was no evidence to support the claim, but the ill-feeling was there for all to see when they meet last week at The Oval.Tempers spilt over in public on Friday. Play had been delayed by a combination of heavy overnight rain, a broken water super-sopper, and then in the penultimate over of the day words were exchanged between Jon Batty, Surrey’s captain, and David Nash, the Middlesex wicketkeeper. As the pair squared up, the eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation was ended by the swift intervention of Jeff Evans, the umpire, who zoomed in from square leg.The match ended in a draw, and the ramifications of the standoff will no doubt become clear in due course. But there will be an added element of spice when the two sides meet again in front of around 15,000 at Lord’s in July 15 in the Twenty20 Cup.

Surrey County Cricket Club is delighted to announce that the first team squad will be joining the Surrey Cricket Trade Fair at the Surrey County Cricket Centre in Guildford.The players will train between 5pm – 7pm and the session can be watched from the public gallery.Between 7pm – 8pm those at the Trade Fair will be able to meet the players and have their photograph taken with the Frizzell County Championship Trophy.The Trade Fair starts at 4pm today and will offer a 20% discount on all merchandise purchased on the night from exhibitors including Slazenger, Gunn & Moore, Gray Nicolls, Kookaburra, Newbury, Readers, Hunts County, Woodworm and Nike Eye Wear.Paul Sheldon, Chief Executive, stated:”This is a fantastic opportunity to meet the players and buy cricket equipment for the forthcoming season at a heavily discounted rate. The players always enjoy the chance to meet their young fans and take Surrey Cricket outside the AMP Oval.”

• It was the 1739th ODI in cricket history.
• It was India’s 472nd and New Zealand’s 383rd match.
• It was the 60th match between these two sides. The record nowreads : New Zealand 27, India 30, abandoned 3.
• Umpires Peter Manuel and Gamini Silva were officiating in their34th and ninth match respectively.
• Ganguly’s figures (3-32) was the second best by an Indian captainagainst New Zealand. The best still remains with Kapil Dev who hadreturned the figures of 3 for 26 at Perth on January 18,1986 and atLaunceston on February 2, 1986.
• Adam Parore was getting dismissed without scoring for the 16thtime in his career.The duck was Parore’s 13th as wicketkeeper. He hasnow equalled Pakistan’s Moin Khan’s tally of ducks. Now only SriLankan Romesh Kaluwitharana has aggregated more ducks in a career thanthese two as a keeper- 21 in 162 matches.
• The duck was also Parore’s second against India. He has now joinedfive other New Zealanders – Richard Hadlee, Mat Horne,Ian Smith,Daniel Vettori and Bryan Young – to aggregate two ducks against India.
• The eighth wicket partnership of 43 runs between Dion Nash andDaniel Vettori was New Zealand’s best for this wicket position againstIndia. This obliterated the previous highest of 39 (unbeaten) atBrisbane on December 21, 1980.
• Dion Nash just failed to beat Scott Styris’ record of playinghighest innings for New Zealand against India at number eight. Styrishad made 43 at Hyderabad on November 8,1999. Chris Harris had alsomade unbeaten 42 against India at Auckland on January 16,1999.
• The catch of Yuvraj off Chris Harris was the 100th for Adam Parorein his 167th match. His tally includes the five catches taken in thefield. Parore became first New Zealander and 20th player in the worldto do so.
• Dion Nash was winning his maiden award in his 75th match.

A few fitness reports could be the difference between a “largely unchanged side” and a “slightly different one” when the selectors meet in Bangalore on Monday to pick India’s squad for the first two Tests against South Africa.India’s heartening performance in the recent Test series in Australia would normally have resulted in a status quo, but the long tour took its toll on several players, some of whom could miss out on the three-Test series against South Africa, starting in Chennai on March 26.According to a report submitted by outgoing team physio John Gloster at the end of the Australia tour, Sachin Tendulkar needed a minimum of two weeks’ rest. However, Tendulkar quashed the notion of missing the series by declaring he was fit. Rahul Dravid has also recovered from the finger injury he sustained in the Adelaide Test while VVS Laxman, who recently suffered a cut in the webbing between his fingers, is also expected to be available for selection.It means the core of the batting is expected to be the same [Virender Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Sourav Ganguly] but the selectors will still have some key issues to address. The five-member national selection committee, led by Dilip Vengsarkar, will consult Anil Kumble, the Test captain, and Gary Kirsten, the newly appointed coach, during the meeting.Pace puzzle
Ishant Sharma, who made a fine impression in Australia, is a doubtful starter after being advised complete rest for three weeks by Gloster. He has a problem in the big toe of his landing foot as well as an inflammation in the right forefinger. He was examined indoors during a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy, the results of which will be sent to the board, who in turn will intimate the selectors.Zaheer Khan has already been ruled out, which means RP Singh – recently back from a hamstring injury – will be expected to lead the attack, with Sreesanth and Irfan Pathan supporting him. Pathan, not a regular in Tests, would be expected to make the cut after his impressive all-round efforts during India’s win in Perth. Munaf Patel remains an option in case India are looking for a fourth seamer. However, with the series expected to be played on tracks favouring spin, he’s more likely to be a back-up alternative.Batting back-up
Wasim Jaffer is likely to retain his spot in the squad, despite a poor series in Australia where he was dropped for the final Test, but the selectors will have to take a call on a third opener. There is a view that there is no need for a third opener for a home series – with the selectors in a position to call up reinforcements at any point – but there is a thinking that another opener could also act as a back-up in case of a middle-order requirement.Dinesh Karthik, till recently a first-choice opener, remains a contender – his wicketkeeping skills bolster his chances – but Gautam Gambhir’s recent one-day heroics put him in the fray too. Both can bat in the middle order if needed and it will be interesting to see which of them, if any, make the cut.The Yuvraj question
The selectors are also expected to dwell on the issue of Yuvraj Singh. The Gloster report advised him an ideal period of three weeks’ rest, which may automatically rule him out of the first two Tests. There was a suggestion that he could undergo a fitness test at the NCA on Monday but it’s still not certain that he will be there.There is also a growing concern about Yuvraj’s attitude and Vengsarkar recently came down hard on him. “I am disappointed as I always had expectations from him,” he told a weekly magazine. “Yuvraj needs to be more consistent. He is a great talent but he has to perform to his potential.”His exclusion – because of either fitness or form – will open up a slot for a middle-order batsman. A third opener, if picked, could double up for this role but there is also a chance of a specialist middle-order batsman being chosen. Rohit Sharma has done his chances no harm with some composed knocks in the recent CB Series and a few other domestic performers could be in the reckoning as well.Spin variables
Harbhajan Singh may miss out because of a hamstring injury, for which he was advised two weeks’ rest. Murali Kartik is expected to get a call-up, especially if the selectors decide to trust in spin. The pitches for the series are likely to favour spinners, given South Africa’s vulnerability against them. Harbhajan’s absence might open up another slot – one that might be filled up by legspinner Piyush Chawla or even Amit Mishra, another loopy legspinner who’s second on the domestic wicket charts this season, with 46 wickets in 11 first-class games.Probable 14-man squad: Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble (capt), Sreesanth, RP Singh, Murali Kartik, Yuvraj Singh/Gautam Gambhir/Dinesh Karthik/Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh/Piyush Chawla/Amit Mishra.

As expected, Ireland defended their Intercontinental Cup title at a canter at Grace Road, thumping an unprepared and outclassed Canadian side in a little over five sessions. In Windhoek two years ago, an inspired declaration set up a remarkable victory over Kenya. At Leicester, they barely broke sweat.The one-sided final should not, however, disguise the fact that this competition continues to go from strength to strength. The ICC receives no end of brickbats, but this is one thing that is has got right and for that it deserves a pat on the back.There have been teething problems. A skewed points system in the first two years seriously disadvantaged sides who suffered from the weather, but those were amended this time round. There was still a feeling that the group stages were a bit of a lottery and that the strongest sides did not necessarily win through to the final.As a result, the 2007-08 tournament will undergo another major overhaul. Gone are the group stages and the final, and in their place we have a simple league format where each side plays the others once. Critics may argue that it’s not truly reflective of each side’s status unless they all meet on a home-and-away basis, but given tight budgets and the amateur status of most of the players, there have to be limits.The increase in matches from a minimum of three in a year to seven in two years can only be good for the development of the game. Kenya recently sent a side to Zimbabwe to participate in the Logan Cup, the domestic first-class competition. While there was no doubting their ability, they came unstuck by their lack of familiarity with four-day cricket and often failed to press home advantages. The skills required for the longer game differ considerably from the one-day cricket which they almost exclusively play.The Intercontinental Cup gives batsmen the opportunity to build an innings and teaches bowlers that it’s not all about containment and wicket-taking does matter. In short, it allows the cream to rise to the top. It also provides a shop-window for players to try to impress potential employers.The main flaws are financial. Canada would almost certainly have lost to Ireland even if they had all the preparation in the world. But some of their side went into the match not having played for months, and the demands of their full-time jobs meant their acclimatisation to English conditions was almost non existent. Only better funding can address that, and at least one leading Associate aims to go semi, if not fully, professional within the foreseeable future. Some monetary issues will be eased in 2009 when the income from the ICC’s media deal with ESPN kicks in, resulting in a much bigger slice of the pie for all Associates.There is also a worry that eight countries is too many. Four or five are there or thereabouts, but there is not strength in depth and with Bermuda in freefall, one of the up and coming countries appears to have done an abrupt about-turn and are heading south.The 2007-08 competition, which starts in Toronto in five weeks, should sort the wheat from the chaff.