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Hampshire’s former Kolpak star signs as overseas player after making quite an impression at Taunton in 2017

Matt Roller06-May-2022Somerset hope that the addition of Rilee Rossouw to their core of talented young batters will take them one step further in the T20 Blast this season after losing to Kent in the 2021 final.Rossouw spent three seasons at Hampshire as a Kolpak player from 2017-19 and blitzed 156 off 113 balls against Somerset at Taunton in the Royal London Cup early on in his time with them. “I remember how the members and supporters reacted to that even though I was playing for the opposition,” he said in Somerset’s press release announcing his signing. “That is something that I’ve never forgotten.”Rossouw left Hampshire after the Kolpak loophole ended with the UK’s departure from the European Union and has spent the last two-and-a-half years on the T20 circuit. After a couple of quiet tournaments, he averaged 39.28 at a strike rate of 167.68 in the PSL this season, taking Multan Sultans to the final and providing a reminder of his abilities.Related

• Kieron Pollard in the running for T20 Blast stint following international retirement

• Chris Lynn finalises Northamptonshire deal for T20 Blast

• Jofra Archer targets T20 Blast comeback after injury nightmare

He will add further firepower to a batting lineup featuring Tom Banton, Will Smeed, Tom Abell and Tom Lammonby, and will be available for the entire competition before joining up with Oval Invincibles for the Hundred later in the summer.Andy Hurry, their director of cricket, said: “Having looked at the strengths and the quality that we currently have within the T20 squad, as well as considering the global, domestic and international cricket concurrently being played during the Blast, including England Test and ODI England fixtures, we felt that adding additional explosive firepower to the batting unit would dovetail perfectly with the very strong group of players within the squad and also enhance our ability to go one step further this season.”Rossouw is Somerset’s fourth overseas signing of the season and it remains to be seen which seamer he joins in their side for the Blast. Matt Renshaw is only contracted for the County Championship and the Royal London Cup and will be in Sri Lanka on Australia A’s tour during June, but Peter Siddle and Marchant de Lange are both under contract for the Blast and will effectively be competing for one spot in the side.

West Indies’ top run-getter in their last two Test series believes he has a similar batting style to that of Rishabh Pant

Mohammad Isam27-Jan-2021Trust Jermaine Blackwood to know what it’s like to bat deep into the fourth innings. His match-winning 95 during the Southampton Test against England last year put him in a category of cricketers who can withstand a different type of pressure: to win an overseas Test by batting beautifully in the fourth innings.It hasn’t just been one innings for Blackwood recently though. He has been West Indies’ top run-getter in Test series in both England and New Zealand, having made 427 runs with a century and three fifties, averaging 42.70 in the combined five Tests. Not to forget, he is on the comeback trail.”I think I have been out of the West Indies team for almost three years,” he said on his routines while being away from the national team. “On the sidelines, I did some work on my mental space. I trained twice a day and hit the gym every day. I put in a lot of hard work to be as fit as possible. I tried to come back as strong as possible. You can see the results. I am better at my shot selection, I am starting to understand my game very well, [and] I want to continue to do the same going forward.”Related

• Da Silva prepares for his time in the limelight

• Roach draws up plans ahead of Bangladesh Tests

• Simmons: West Indies 'need to play spin better'

In the only Test innings that he played during this long break – as a concussion sub for Darren Bravo against India in Kingston in 2019 – Blackwood picked the brains of India captain Virat Kohli, who advised him to focus on spending time at the crease, a dictum he has taken to heart.”I talked to Virat Kohli a few times as well on social media. The last time India toured the Caribbean, I had a chance to talk to him in Jamaica when I was there subbing,” he said, “So after the game, I just had a small conversation. I asked him about how I have a lot of half-centuries and [only] one century. He just said, ‘What will you do when you score a century? How many deliveries did you face?’ I said I faced 212 balls.”He said, ‘That’s it, once you can bat some balls, you’re going to score runs’. So I took a big thing from that. After that conversation, I tell myself that once I can bat over 200 or 300 balls, the way I bat, I can score runs regardless of who I am playing against or where I am playing.”Blackwood also believes he has a similar style to that of Rishabh Pant, and admitted to being impressed by his batting display during the Brisbane Test earlier this month.”I was following the series between India and Australia,” Blackwood said. “During the fourth innings with an hour left, I was saying to myself that once Rishabh Pant is there, you’re going to win. I think we have the same batting style. He looked to score and a player who puts bowlers under pressure. That’s the same way I bat. I was just rooting for him because I know he was under a little bit of pressure. He is a very cool guy.”But without disturbing his own method, he now has to make a whole new set of adjustments for the slow and low pitches in Bangladesh, where the West Indies ODI side were whitewashed 3-0. Blackwood believes that the adjustment has to happen mentally first.”These type of surfaces are very slow. So I have to [prepare] mentally, because technically I can’t do too much work right now,” he said about the Bangladesh pitches. “But mentally I know it is going to be very slow and it will spin. Once mentally I am ready, I am good. Then everything takes care of itself.”I am batting very good in the nets, so I am just looking forward to transfer that in the middle. I can’t really wait to just go out there and play some cricket. I have been in Bangladesh for a while now so I am just eager to go out and play some cricket.”

Decision reached during England’s final warm-up ahead of series which had been set to start on March 19

Andrew Miller13-Mar-2020England’s Test tour of Sri Lanka has been called off at the request of the ECB, due to the growing threat of the the COVID-19 pandemic, but on the understanding that it will be rescheduled at a later date.The news came while England were playing their final four-day warm-up match, ahead of the two-Test series which had been scheduled to get underway in Galle on March 19. Play continued for a few minutes after the announcement, before the players left the field at 3.40pm local time.The match was duly abandoned with the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI on 150 for 3 in their first innings.”After overnight discussions between our teams in Sri Lanka and the SLC, the decision has been made to postpone the series and bring players and support staff home. Our aim will be to reschedule the series,” said an ECB spokesman.The ECB had been in regular contact with the Sri Lankan and British High Commissions, in addition to Sri Lanka Cricket to address a “highly evolving” situation. SLC are understood to have offered to play the series behind closed doors, but the ECB pushed for a full postponement, making the case that their players would not have been in the right frame of mind for a Test series. The decision was, said the ECB, “beyond cricket”.The spread of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka is currently less intense than in the UK, with three confirmed patients to date. However, amid the tightening or closing of borders, and the cancellation of international travel, England’s desire to get home to their families, and their concern for elderly relatives, was a key factor in the decision.”Due to the COVID-19 pandemic worsening globally, and after discussions with Sri Lanka Cricket, we have today made the decision to return our players to the UK and postpone the forthcoming Test series between Sri Lanka and England,” the ECB said.”At this time, the physical and mental wellbeing of our players and support teams is paramount. We will now look to bring them home to their families as soon as possible. These are completely unprecedented times, and decisions like this go beyond cricket.”We would like to thank our colleagues at Sri Lanka Cricket for their outstanding support and assistance throughout this situation. We look forward to returning to Sri Lanka in the very near future to fulfil this important Test series.”The postponement will be a financial setback for SLC – England tours are highly prized, not least because some 3000 fans were due to begin flying in this week. However, the hit will not be as severe as might ordinarily have been the case, because this tour falls outside the contract agreed with the host broadcaster, Sony, even though it forms part of the World Test Championship.And given the WTC points at stake, there is an increased incentive for a rescheduling. However, the exact date may not be pinned down for some time, however, largely because so much of the schedule has been thrown into chaos by the pandemic. At this stage, a potential gap in England’s crowded itinerary could come in January 2021, ahead of their five-Test tour of India.England’s next scheduled Test series is against West Indies in June, but that too is in serious doubt, with Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK’s chief scientific adviser, saying on Wednesday that the anticipated peak of the virus in the UK is “10-14 weeks away, maybe slightly longer”.The first of England’s three Tests against West Indies is scheduled for June 4 at The Oval, a date that is currently 12 weeks away, in the middle of the expected peak period. West Indies’ opening tour match is set for May 22, against England Lions at Taunton.The T20 Blast is scheduled to start on May 28, with the group stage running until July 12.”We are considering the question of banning major public events such as sporting fixtures,” Boris Johnson, the UK Prime Minister said, describing the virus as “the biggest public health crisis in a generation”.MCC v Essex, the Champion County – the traditional curtain-raiser to the English season – had been scheduled to take place in Galle immediately after the Test match, on March 24. However, that has now been cancelled, along with the MCC World Cricket Committee meeting in Colombo, slotted for March 28 and 29.

The 34-year old former captain retired from all formats in February after a record 251 matches for Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2018Former Australia captain Alex Blackwell has become the first woman in the 159-year history of New South Wales cricket to be elected to the board.Blackwell, 34, retired from all formats in February after a record 251 matches for Australia. She led her country to victories in the Ashes and the World T20, and was even more prolific in domestic cricket. It was only four months ago that she won her 14th Women’s National Cricket League Trophy for New South Wales.”I grew up loving the game and am grateful for all the opportunities that cricket has given me,” Blackwell said. “I want to continue contributing to the game and thank the Cricket NSW members for the faith they have placed in me to do that at Board level.”I have been fortunate to play during a rapidly expanding era in women’s cricket and being the first woman elected to the cricket NSW board continues that journey. Cricket in Australia has never been watched or played by more people, particularly women and girls, and I am keen to help ensure that continues.”There have been other women on the Cricket NSW Board – notably former director Rina Hore and current director Patricia Forsythe – but Blackwell is the first woman to be elected by members.Chief executive Andrew Jones pointed to this development as a consequence of governance reforms. “Until 2016 Elected Directors could only be drawn from a pool of 34 club, Zone and association delegates, all but one of whom were male,” he said. “Now members can nominate anyone for election they believe to be qualified. This important change allows members to elect people the calibre of Alex as directors without them needing to be delegates first.”Blackwell will continue captaining Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League.

A win ensures India cannot lose the six-match series, but injury-hit South Africa return to Newlands, a place where they’ve won 28 of the 33 ODIs played

The Preview by Firdose Moonda in Cape Town06-Feb-20185:21

Cullinan: 250-270 will be a good score

Big Picture

India find themselves in the same position that South Africa were in after two matches in the Test series – 2-0 up with a trophy in their sights – but there’s more than just one match to play. A victory at Newlands will guarantee India at least a share of the spoils but the way they are playing suggests they want much more.South Africa have been ravaged by both wristspin and injury, and have already reached the point where they need to do something drastic to avoid a complete downhill spiral. Kagiso Rabada stressed the need to “speak the right language” in the changeroom and to keep believing they are still in it. While Rabada comes across composed, there must be some panic in the ranks, especially because the batsmen just aren’t putting up good enough totals.Exactly why South Africa struggle against wristspin may take longer than this series to figure out, but for the moment, their issues appear to have been caused first by a tendency to play tentatively, as all but Faf du Plessis did in Durban, and then by an overcompensation in attacking. Their approach in getting forward is better than the one of staying back but the hosts need to be more selective in their shots and astute when picking the variations.It will take time and experience to overcome what seems to be a long-running concern but South Africa only have 10 days. Four matches will be played between Tuesday and February 16, and South Africa need to win them all. They don’t actually to win them, though, because this series has been talked of as the start of ‘Vision 2019’ and so they may chalk up their defeats to learning and let it be.From their position of dominance, India will only want to keep playing the attractive, aggressive style of cricket that has put them in this position. As Rabada said, “When you’re winning, you don’t ask yourself too many questions.”

Form guide

South Africa: LLWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India: WWWWL

In the spotlight

An XI bereft of experience will need more from Hashim Amla than usual, both in terms of runs and guidance, particularly against spin. Of those left in the line-up, Amla is the most accomplished against the turning ball but even he has managed only 39 runs in the series so far. Not only will Amla want to contribute much more but he will have to lead by example to minimise the spin threat.He has not had the opportunity to contribute much with the bat or behind the stumps so far but in MS Dhoni India have what South Africa lack: an elder statesmen, a purveyor of advice and a presence that inspires confidence. Dhoni has enjoyed the best view in the house as the spin twins have operated, and has had a say in setting strangling fields. And the best may still be on the way. If South Africa give India something meaty to chase, you can be sure he will be among those standing up.

Team news

In Quinton de Kock’s absence, Heinrich Klaasen will debut at Newlands but South Africa also need a replacement opener. Aiden Markram, who in his third match was given the responsibility of captaining, will play his second match as captain and will partner Amla at the top. JP Duminy will have to move into the No. 3 spot, with Klaasen slotting in lower down, but then South Africa have to decide whether they’d prefer an extra batsman in Farhaan Behardien or an extra bowler in Andile Phehlukwayo. The second specialist spinner, Tabraiz Shamsi, is likely to be left out.South Africa: 1 Hashim Amla 2 Aiden Markram (capt) 3 JP Duminy, 4 Khaya Zondo, 5 David Miller, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 8 Chris Morris 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Morne Morkel 11 Imran TahirIndia didn’t make any changes from Durban to Centurion after concluding that there was no need to mess with a winning combination. They’re still winning, so it’s likely they will be unchanged.India: 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Ajinkya Rahane, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Pitch and conditions

Newlands produced the most agreeable pitch of the Test series, at least as far as the South Africans are concerned. The hosts will be looking forward to getting back to a happy hunting ground. Rabada mentioned the possibility of some nip for the seamers, but history regards this as a batsman’s venue. The average first-innings score in the last six ODIs is 311. Wednesday is predicted to be a hot day with temperatures reaching 30C in the afternoon.

Stats and trivia

• Among South Africa’s major grounds, Newlands is their most successful. They have won 28 out of 33 matches at the venue, a win percentage of almost 85
• The last time India beat South Africa in a bilateral ODI series was in February 2010
• Of the batsmen in South Africa’s current squad, JP Duminy has performed best at Newlands with 301 runs in eight matches at 37.62 and three fifties. Hashim Amla has only 190 runs in six matches here, at 31.66 with two fifties

Quotes

“There are a few problems. I wouldn’t say there are a lot. Sometimes when you do badly it seems like there’s a lot more going on. Failure is going to happen.”

Ireland’s premier men’s domestic competition, the Hanley Energy Inter-Provincial Series, gets underway on Monday

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Apr-2016Ireland’s premier men’s domestic competition, the Hanley Energy Inter-Provincial Series, gets underway on Monday, with Northern Knights hosting the defending champions, Leinster Lightning, at Stormont.The competition, now in its fourth year, involves three teams competing across all three formats, with the third of them, North-West Warriors, set to get their season underway against Leinster at Merrion on May 13.In light of Cricket Ireland’s newly launched strategic plan, which aims to build on a decade of achievement at international level to broaden the sport’s appeal domestically, this season’s Inter-Pros take on an added layer of significance.”The Hanley Energy Inter-Provincial series is the bridge between club and country and showcases the best of Irish cricket talent throughout the season,” said Dennis Cousins, the commercial director of Cricket Ireland.”Cricket Ireland are greatly appreciative of the support from Hanley Energy which enables us to make each series bigger, better and more competitive.”Leinster Lightning completed the clean sweep of three trophies in 2015, winning the Hanley Energy Championship, 50-over Cup & 20-over Trophy, but will face stiff competition from the Warriors and Knights across all three formats.Monday’s action at Stormont gets underway at 10.45am, and admission is free. The matches will be scored live on ESPNcricinfo.

Cheteshwar Pujara dipped into an imprint that has defined his standing as a Test batsman, and provided the critical nudge that advanced Saurashtra’s position in the Ranji Trophy semi-final in Vadodara

Arun Venugopal in Vadodara14-Feb-2016
ScorecardCheteshwar Pujara hit 15 fours and a six in his unbeaten 116 to help Saurashtra nudge ahead•AFP

Cheteshwar Pujara dipped into an imprint that has defined his standing as a Test batsman, and provided the critical nudge that advanced Saurashtra’s position in the Ranji Trophy semi-final in Vadodara, even if only slightly. Pujara’s unbeaten century, his 31st at the first-class level, that spanned over five hours and saw him rebuild, consolidate and drive the innings forward helped Saurashtra end Day 2 on 254 for 5, which amounted to a lead of 20.Pujara played central roles in two partnerships, the second of which was an unbroken 93-run alliance with Chirag Jani that helped Saurashtra set themselves up for a bigger lead. Pujara was also the recipient of some luck as he was dropped on 37 by wicketkeeper KB Arun Karthik off Krishna Das, after he got a thick inside edge.For Assam, the Das duo of Krishna and Arup produced long, tireless spells without any discernible drop in efficiency.It was Arup, the quicker of the two, who left the batsmen frazzled early on. Avi Barot, the slightly thick-set opener, counterpunched with some robust drives on the rise but his partner, Sagar Jogiyani, was clearly in trouble against Arup’s pace. The inevitable happened in the 13th over as a length delivery from Arup had Jogiyani moving gingerly, and his reticent poke was held by Gokul Sharma at first slip.Krishna, meanwhile, was testing the batsmen by bowling outside off stump to a 7-2 field with a straight-ish mid on to boot. He wasn’t averse to trying out different angles, which accounted for Barot, who was trapped lbw. This was followed by a relative lull in the proceedings as Pujara and Arpit Vasavada sought to establish order. At one stage, Krishna had bowled nearly 15 overs on the trot and conceded only 23 runs, but Pujara was willing to wait.It was Sheldon Jackson, though, who forced the pace as he drove the seamers for boundaries on either side. With Assam’s bowlers persisting with a shorter length, Pujara fancied the cut. But when they compensated for it by bowling straighter, Pujara brought his wristy flicks, propelled by a strong yet supple bottom hand, into play.As the day neared its end, he hiked his scoring rate, moving from 87 to 98 in one over. This time he brought out the whole range; the back cut, the flick and the on drive with a rapid, forceful downswing. Within no time his hundred was being cheered on by a small crowd.Assam, for their part, sought to extract the most out of their seam bowlers, their prime wicket-taking options, but in that ended up overworking them. It wasn’t until the 51st over that left-arm spinner J Syed Mohammad was employed, and he struck with his fifth ball as his quirky, round-arm finish accounted for Jackson, who was evidently thrown off rhythm.The batsman’s attempted drive off a wide delivery lobbed up to point. Similarly offspinner Swarupam Purkayastha was introduced only with a few overs left in the day. Arup later admitted that they could have bowled a lot fuller, especially with the older ball.Assam, however, had begun the morning with gusto as overnight batsman Amit Verma and Goswami galloped along to 41 runs in eight overs. At 234 for 7, they must have surely fancied at least 30 more runs, but it took Saurashtra and Jaydev Unadkat all of one over to snuff out Assam’s first innings.Goswami, who scored 22 off 34 balls, played one onto his stumps, and two balls later it was Krishna’s turn to walk back to the dressing room. Verma was the out the very next delivery two short of his hundred to give Unadkat his sixth wicket, his second five-for in as many matches.

Despite another fine innings by Michael Klinger, Essex gained sweet revenge for their defeat at Bristol last month by beating Gloucestershire by 18 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jun-2015
ScorecardMark Pettini scored 68 as Essex staved off Michael Klinger•Getty Images

Despite another fine innings by Michael Klinger, Essex gained sweet revenge for their defeat at Bristol last month by beating Gloucestershire by 18 runs in their NatWest Twenty20 Blast South Group clash.Klinger, who scored an unbeaten century in that first meeting, made his presence felt again with 104 not out – but it was not enough to save his side from defeat as they replied to Essex’s 181 with 163 for 7 at Chelmsford.Graham Napier played an important part in Gloucestershire’s woes with some hostile bowling that brought him three wickets for 30 runs from his four overs – and he received good support from off-spinner Tom Westley (2 for 27).Klinger was left ploughing a lone furrow as he completed his half-century from 32 balls – he was unable to call upon meaningful support as wickets tumbled at regular intervals around him.He moved into three figures with an on-driven six at the expense of fellow Australian Shaun Tait , one of three such massive blows in an innings which also brought him 10 fours. In all he faced just 64 deliveries while gathering his second unbeaten century in successive matches against the Essex attack.Gloucestershire fell well short of their target as Essex claimed their third victory in this season’s competition to keep alive their hopes of reaching the quarter-final stage.They had been given a super start by opener Mark Pettini, who shared in an opening stand of 46 in 4.1 overs with Jesse Ryder and one of 68 in eight overs with Westley.Essex had look set for a much more formidable score when they reached the halfway stage on 98 for 1 but they managed only 28 in their next five overs, during which they lost three wickets. One of those was Pettini, stumped by Geraint Jones off Kieran Noema-Barnett for 68 from 44 deliveries – including 10 fours and a six.Essex were then revived by James Foster and Napier, both of whom struck two sixes in their efforts. Left-arm spinner Tom Smith had halted the home side’s progress by removing Westley, Ravi Bopara and Nick Browne at a cost of 26 runs in his four overs.James Fuller and David Payne, with two for 22 and two for 25 respectively, were the visitors’ other main wicket-takers in a match watched by a near-capacity crowd of around 5,000.

Adam Wheater has said he received no assurances of a first-team place as wicketkeeper at West End despite claims made by Paul Grayson

Ivo Tennant05-Mar-2013Adam Wheater, who last week bought out his contract with Essex in order to join Hampshire with immediate effect, has said he received no guarantees of a first-team place as wicketkeeper at West End, despite the claim by his former coach, Paul Grayson, that this was the reason behind his decision to move counties.”I think Paul was trying to cover his own back in saying that,” Wheater said during a press conference before flying to Barbados with his new team-mates for a pre-season tour. “I am on a two-year contract and have been given no assurances.” He will compete with Michael Bates for the gloves at Hampshire.In Essex’s press release, Grayson was quoted as saying Wheater was their “third-choice keeper”, behind James Foster and Ben Foakes, and that “Hampshire have given him assurances that he will be their first-choice at the club.” Nigel Hilliard, the Essex chairman, supported Grayson, however. “I have no reason to believe Paul was lying,” he said.Although Hampshire allegedly did not make a formal approach to Essex and had previously attempted to tempt James Foster to join them, Hilliard did not want to take issue with them. “All sorts of approaches are made for players and we would not want to stand in the way of a player who was keen to leave,” he said.Wheater, 23, saw little prospect of keeping wicket regularly for Essex given that he expects Foster, the club captain, to play on for several more years. “The attraction for me in joining Hampshire is that they have a young side who are going in the right direction and are not too far from my family in Epping,” he said. “I have been looking at places to buy round Southampton but haven’t found anywhere yet.”He said “three or four” other counties had been interested in signing him, but he had not had any serious discussions with any of them. He has joined Hampshire, he emphasised, to become a wicketkeeper-batsman. “I would have become more frustrated at Essex if James Foster had not been such an unbelievably good wicketkeeper. I talked to him before leaving – we were born in the same hospital and went to the same school – but he could not be seen to be advising me to go.” Wheater would not divulge the payment he had to make to Essex to buy out his remaining year’s contract.There is no doubting Wheater’s ability with the bat – he made 2,463 runs for Essex at 39.09, a significantly higher average than Bates has mustered – and his wicketkeeping can only improve under the tutelage of Bobby Parks, but his signing is nonetheless a controversial one. Hampshire pride themselves on the young cricketers they have brought on over the past few years, one of whom is Bates, who has kept wicket to Danny Briggs’ left arm spin since they were ten years old.Bates, 22, signed a two-year contract with Hampshire in the autumn and is arguably the most talented young wicketkeeper in the country. His batting is improving if not yet consistent – he made his maiden first-class century last season – and the acquisition of Wheater will do little for his self-belief or the confidence of academy cricketers who will feel a natural progression to the first team is constantly under threat. Nor will it please the members, who doubtless would prefer to see the club develop and promote their own players rather than sign up outsiders, as in football.Tellingly – and modestly – Wheater said that Bates remains the better wicketkeeper. “We know each other from playing against each other at regional level,” he said. “I have benefited from playing for Essex as a batsman, and I would be happy to play for Hampshire as a specialist batter, but my trade is a wicketkeeper-batsman,” he said.It could yet be the case that Hampshire will alternate between the two for first-class and limited-overs cricket. One particular match which would have heightened their interest in acquiring Wheater occurred at Chelmsford last year when Essex, needing 360 to win, slumped to 222 for 7 before his innings of 98 brought them to within two runs of victory.Hilliard, who believes that Foster is the best wicketkeeper in the world, let alone the country, feels the specialist stumper will return to prominence in due course, regardless of whether or not he can bat. Keith Fletcher, the great sage of Essex cricket, is not so sure. “Neil Smith, who played in our first championship-winning side, would not play now,” he said. “David East might struggle to get in, even thought he played some important innings.”And, he added – alarmingly for the likes of Bates – “even the days of Bob Taylor have gone.”

Mohammad Hafeez has urged the PCB to schedule more Test matches for the national team because he believes it is the format that helps produce quality cricketers

Umar Farooq14-Jan-2013Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan’s Test vice captain, has urged the PCB to schedule more Test matches for the national team because he believes it is the format that helps produce quality cricketers. In the last five years, Pakistan have played 35 Tests, more than only Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. England, in comparison, played 63.”It’s unfortunate that we get less Test matches,” Hafeez said in Karachi. “We played three Tests in January [2012] and then three in June, and again after six months we will play in South Africa, which is hard on us. I would urge the board to take up this issue and try to schedule more Test matches for us because I believe players only develop by playing Test matches.”Test cricket produces good quality cricketers, like we have found Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq. We need to promote Test cricket but if we play only six Tests in a year then it will be tough. I think PCB needs to fight for more Tests in the next fixture because you get quality cricketers from Test cricket.”According to the ICC’s FTP, Pakistan are scheduled to play 88 Tests between 2012 and 2020. They will play ten Tests in 2013 and then face a five to six-month break before hosting Australia for three Tests in October 2014. Pakistan have had to play their home Tests at off-shore venues such as England and the UAE after the Sri Lankan team was attacked by terrorists in Lahore in March 2009.Pakistan’s last Test series was in Sri Lanka in June and July and they head to South Africa later this month for a three-match contest, which begins on February 1. Their previous tour to South Africa was in 2007, and of this current squad only Hafeez, Younis Khan and Faisal Iqbal were in that tour party.”A Test series in South Africa will be challenging because the conditions are different. We played there in 2007 but this time we are carrying an entirely new combination,” Hafeez said. “We are going there ten days in advance and have a side match before the Test so it will give us some good preparation. They have a good combination of batting and bowling but we too are going there after winning our series in India, which has lifted our morale a lot.”Pakistan selectors on Friday named two rookie fast bowlers – Mohammad Irfan and Ehsan Adil – for the South Africa tour, along with Junaid Khan and Umar Gul. “It’s a decision of the selection committee,” said Hafeez, accepting his “side is short of another fast bowler” but he was confident this attack, which includes spinners Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman, would fare well in South Africa.”We have an emerging bowler in Junaid Khan and then Umar Gul is very experienced,” Hafeez said. “Mohammad Irfan is also progressing well.”