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Trevor Penney, the former Sri Lanka coach, has swapped jobs with Lachlan Stevens to become Trevor Barsby’s assistant at Queensland

Cricinfo staff24-Jun-2010Trevor Penney, the former Sri Lanka coach, has swapped jobs with Lachlan Stevens to become Trevor Barsby’s assistant at Queensland for 2010-11. Penney left the same role in Western Australia, which was then taken by Stevens, at the end of the season to move to Brisbane.Penney, 42, has had a busy career after finishing as a player with the English county Warwickshire. He was England’s fielding coach in 2005 and an assistant under Tom Moody with Sri Lanka before assuming the top job there in 2007. After that he joined Moody at Western Australia and Kings XI Punjab in the IPL.”When I was coaching against Queensland they always displayed good team spirit and were certainly real fighters on the field,” Penney said. “I’m really looking forward to working with them. They are young and keen and from what I have encountered already in the first few days, very eager to learn and develop further.”Barsby said Penney would be an integral part in the squad’s build-up to the summer. “Our current focus is on fielding for the group as well as some specialised one-on-one sessions,” he said. “I know Trevor’s strengths will complement that beautifully, as it will when we move into higher intensity work in the next month or so.”

India offspinner Harbhajan Singh feels players should have a say in which team they would like to represent going into the fourth season of the IPL

Cricinfo staff09-Jul-2010India offspinner Harbhajan Singh feels players should have a say in which team they would like to represent going into the fourth season of the IPL. The player contracts signed so far were valid only for the first three years and there is speculation over whether teams will be allowed to retain players ahead of the upcoming season, which will also feature two new teams.”I believe in the Premier League, players have a choice to pick or reject offers to play for a certain team,” Harbhajan said. “If no player is allowed to continue with his team, (the whole team will break).”Harbhajan was concerned team loyalty and fan following would suffer if star players migrated from their current teams. “People associate me with Mumbai Indians. And I have some fan following being a Mumbai Indians player. If all players are going to be auctioned again, there won’t be any team loyalty. But then, big guys are going to set the rules of the new process.”The Pune coach Geoff Marsh is against player retention since it would represent a significant disadvantage to the new franchises. While Harbhajan’s loyalties lie firmly with Mumbai, he does not think playing for Pune would be very different. “I play for the Mumbai Indians. Like Pune, even Mumbai is in Maharashtra. So there is not much difference,” he said.Harbhajan paid tribute to retiring Sri Lankan offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who tipped Harbhajan as the only bowler likely to challenge his Test wicket tally. “No one can touch Muralitharan’s record in Tests. It’s sweet of him to say that. But realistically, I’m nowhere near that. I have learnt so many things from him. We will surely miss him.”

There were times during this innings when watching Mark Wagh bat was rather like watching a dry stone waller ply his craft

George Dobell at Edgbaston 21-Jul-2010
ScorecardMark Wagh’s chanceless hundred edged Nottinghamshire ahead on the second day•Getty Images

There were times during this innings when watching Mark Wagh bat was rather like watching a dry stone waller ply his craft. While it may be gratifying to see that the old skills survive, it doesn’t always make for the most riveting spectacle.For this was not the graceful, fluent Wagh that was once described (by Robert Brooke, the eminent historian and co-founder of the Association of Cricket Statisticians) as “the most joyous and magical batsman” of the last half-century at Edgbaston. This was Wagh building an innings run by run; Wagh the dogged; Wagh the determined and Wagh the technically watertight. They are not always qualities with which he has been associated.But, in the context of this game, and perhaps the season, this was a magnificent innings. At 131 for 5, Nottinghamshire were struggling to remain on level terms with Warwickshire. More importantly, their bid to keep the pressure upon Yorkshire at the top of the table was in danger of faltering.Yet, in partnership with the admirable Chris Read, Wagh added 156 in 42 overs for Nottinghamshire’s sixth wicket. Not only was it a county record against this opposition, but it earned their team the initiative in a match that could go a long way towards deciding the destination of the championship.Wagh will never now fulfil the potential his talent once suggested he might. He will never play for England and never become a household name. He leaves the game for a career in law midway through next season with a record that suggests he has been a good, rather than great, player.Yet here he came to the crease at the end of the first over of the day and, on a pitch that continues to provide substantial help to the bowlers, gave not even the semblance of a half chance and remained unbeaten at stumps. There was none of the wafting outside off stump that has hindered the likes of Morgan or Cook, none of the leaden feet that have troubled Flintoff or Trescothick, no evidence of the gate between bat and pad that has damaged the prospects of Kieswetter or Denly and none of the playing across the line that has blighted Pietersen’s career. It was, in short, faultless. It’s very hard to think of a better English batsman who has not won a Test cap.Wagh also accelerated dramatically. While his first 50 runs occupied an eye-watering 157 deliveries (despite a 36-over start, Read beat him to his half-century) , his next took just 59. Finally he unleashed some of those flowing cover drives that usually characterise his batting, as well as using his feet to skip down the wicket and deposit Imran Tahir’s leg-spin for fours and a six. It was the 31st first-class century of Wagh’s career, his third of the season (the second in the championship) and his second in two innings since returning to Edgbaston as a Nottinghamshire player.For a man who felt disappointed at the way his Edgbaston career ebbed away in 2006, such feats make an eloquent point. Particularly at a time when Warwickshire’s batsmen are struggling to hit the ball off the square. The only time Warwickshire thought they might have dismissed him in this game came when umpire Peter Willey reacted to a leg-before appeal by adjusting the sunglasses on top of his hat.Read also batted splendidly. Much the more dynamic of the pair, he took a particular shine to Boyd Rankin, pulling a succession of long-hops with relish. Since his last Test, in January 2007, Read averages 57 in first-class cricket. He’s also one of the best limited-overs ‘finishers’ in the county game and remains a ‘keeper of the highest class. Aged 31, many younger men may have jumped in front of him in the England pecking order, but he still has a great deal to offer at international level.The worth of their partnership was put into relief by what happened before and after. Samit Patel played-on to the sixth ball of the day, while Alex Hales’ delightful innings (his 50 took just 50 balls) was ended when he edged his stab at a wide ball. David Hussey edged a steer at one he might have left, Mullaney bottom-edged a pull and Brown was beaten for pace by a full ball.Then, after Carter, excellent at first but increasingly exhausted, made the breakthrough – Read following one angled wide across him and edging to slip – Notts threatened to fold quickly. Swann drove loosely at an outswinger and Broad, unrecognisable from the fellow who was once mentioned as a potential England number six, spooned a leading edge to midwicket. At the time Notts still trailed by 15 runs with just two wickets in hand.But perhaps the killer blow was applied by Andre Adams. Just as Warwickshire thought they’d clawed their way back into the game, the New Zealander bludgeoned six fours and a six in a 26-ball cameo that consolidated Nottinghamshire’s advantage. By the time he fell, Notts had added 242 for their last four wickets and built a lead of 60. On this pitch, that could well prove decisive.

Kevin Pietersen has been dropped by England for the first time in his career and will play out the rest of the season while on loan with Surrey, after the selectors announced two squads of 12 and 14 players respectively for the two-Twenty20 and five-ODI N

Cricinfo staff31-Aug-2010Kevin Pietersen has, as expected, been dropped by England for the first time in his career and will play out the rest of the season while on loan with Surrey, after the selectors announced two squads of 12 and 14 players respectively for the two-Twenty20 and five-ODI NatWest Series against Pakistan that gets underway at Cardiff on Sunday.Craig Kieswetter, the Man of the Match in the World Twenty20 final in Barbados back in May, has also been dropped from the 50-over squad following a loss of form during the mid-season internationals against Australia and Bangladesh. He has retained his place for the T20s, but his wicketkeeping role has been passed over to Surrey’s Steven Davies, who takes the role in both formats ahead of the Test incumbent, Matt Prior.Pietersen, who has fallen out with his county Hampshire after announcing his intention to leave at the end of the season, will play for Surrey until the end of the season, following a loan agreement between Hampshire and Surrey at the request of the England Team management and the ECB. He will play his first match for Surrey on Wednesday, a CB40 fixture against Worcestershire at The Oval, although he was not amused at the decision as he prematurely revealed in a rant on the social networking site, Twitter:”Done for rest of summer!! Man of the World Cup T20 and dropped from the T20 side too. Its a f**k up!!,” Pietersen posted on his account kevinpp24, before deleting it minutes later, but not before it had been picked up by several users and circulated around the internet.Several hours later, his official, ECB-sanctioned, reaction was more measured: “While I’m naturally disappointed to have been omitted from the England squad I fully understand the reasons why and will be doing everything I can to get back into the England team,” he said.”I have no issue with the selectors omitting me from the limited-overs squads and my sole focus now is working on my game ahead of an exciting winter. I would also like to add my huge thanks to Surrey for giving me this opportunity and I hope I can repay them with some runs.”Geoff Miller, the national selector, said: “Kevin Pietersen has been omitted from both squads as we feel that his game would be best served by getting as much cricket under his belt as possible before a long and challenging winter.”The remainder of the county season is an ideal opportunity to do just that and we thank Surrey for enabling Kevin the chance to play and we thank both Surrey and Hampshire for facilitating the loan period for the remainder of the county season.”Kevin has proved on numerous occasions that he is a world class player and we know he’ll benefit from getting more time in the middle to work on his batting and get his game back to the level he has shown throughout his career.”Steven Davies has had an excellent year for Surrey this season and has earned his chance to take on the role as wicketkeeper in England’s limited overs set up. As ever the wicketkeeper’s role is a fiercely contested position in the England team and we’ve no doubt Craig Kieswetter will continue to press for the chance to reclaim his place in the England ODI squad.”England’s 50-over captain, Andrew Strauss, will line up for Middlesex’s CB40 fixture against Derbyshire on Saturday, September 4, before joining up with England’s one-day squad on Wednesday ahead of the first ODI at Chester-le-Street two days’ later.While Ajmal Shahzad has been selected in the NatWest Series squad he will be available to play for Yorkshire throughout the campaign when deemed suitable by the England management.Ryan Sidebottom will play the first half only of Nottinghamshire’s County Championship match against Durham from Tuesday before joining the England Twenty20 squad on Thursday in Cardiff, while Kieswetter will play in Somerset ‘s 50-over tour match against Pakistan at Taunton on Thursday.Meanwhile Ian Bell will also make his return from a foot injury with Warwickshire in their CB40 match against Nottinghamshire on Saturday, September 4.Twenty20 squad Paul Collingwood (capt), James Anderson,Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Steven Davies, Craig Kieswetter, Eoin Morgan, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy.One-day squad Andrew Strauss (capt), James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Steven Davies, Eoin Morgan, Ajmal Shahzad,
Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy.

Two Pakistan cricketers were issued notices by the ICC seeking information nearly a month before the spot-fixing scandal broke during the Lord’s Test last month, ESPNcricinfo has learned

Cricinfo staff07-Sep-2010Two Pakistan cricketers were issued notices by the ICC seeking information nearly a month before the spot-fixing scandal broke during the Lord’s Test last month, ESPNcricinfo has learned. The players are part of the squad in England and were sent notices because they were already under the scanner of the ICC’s Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU). One of them was provisionally suspended by the ICC after being named by ‘s sting operation.The ACSU “had already served notices seeking information from certain players even
before the scam broke out,” a source familiar with the ongoing investigation told ESPNcricinfo. It is also understood that relevant PCB officials were aware of the notices, which were sent immediately after the first Test in Nottingham.ESPNcricinfo was unable to contact PCB chairman Ijaz Butt, who has not made any statements since Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were suspended by the ICC. Yawar Saeed, the Pakistan team’s manager, is not authorised to speak on the investigations and referred ESPNcricinfo to the chairman. Another official refused to confirm or deny that such notices had been received.Although the has today named the two cricketers, there has been no official confirmation of their identities.The notice served to the pair sought certain information and the players were required to respond within 14 days. Failure to do so would in itself constitute an offence under the ICC’s anti-corruption code.Some of Pakistan’s cricketers are facing scrutiny not only from the ACSU but also from Pakistan’s tax authorities who will reportedly probe the finances of the cricketers, a move endorsed by both Shafqat Rana, Pakistan’s associate manager, and limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi. “It was there in their (the government’s) mind before we came over,” Rana said about the tax probe. “I think it’s a good thing, it will open things out so they (the players) will be very careful.”

The 30-day deadline given to the Kochi IPL consortium to settle its ownership dispute is a legal step taken by the board towards terminating the franchise

Nagraj Gollapudi27-Oct-2010

The Kochi mess

April 11: Consortium winning the Kochi franchise gives the BCCI an agreement listing seven investors.
August 19: BCCI receives a letter from Rendezvous Sports World raising questions over the agreement vis-a-vis equity shares and seeking board’s approval to amend the share-holding structure.
September 9: Sunanda Pushkar informs the board that she has transferred 190 shares in Rendezvous Sports to Pushpa Gaikwad.
September 16: Rendezvous informs the board that Satyajit Gaekwad – appointed CEO – would be the sole point of contact for the company and, in a second letter, asks it to ignore any requests from “any of the other consortium members” to modify share-holding pattern.
September 23: Chintan Vora writes saying he, Vipul Shah and Saket Mehta are the only people authorised to represent the business.
September 25: Vora writes again saying that Kochi Cricket Pvt. Ltd. would be formed to take over the franchise from existing entity.
September 29: BCCI president Shashank Manohar sends show-cause notice to the franchise saying the board is concerned that the internal dispute will damage the IPL and asks for document saying dispute has been resolved and a company will be incorporated in a fixed timeframe.
October 27: The BCCI issues a termination notice to the Kochi franchise but gives it a 30-day deadline to reply, explaining why it shouldn’t be scrapped.

The 30-day deadline given to the Kochi IPL consortium to settle its ownership dispute is not a reprieve for the troubled team, but rather a legal step taken by the IPL governing council towards terminating the franchise.A BCCI insider privy to the meeting held in Nagpur on Wednesday told ESPNcricinfo that the Board is not confident the ownership issue will be resolved amicably between the two factions because of the two different replies sent by them to the board’s October 12 show-cause notice. The franchise was asked to form a registered company in order for the board to communicate with one entity, and not different groups in the five-partner consortium. The consortium has not, the Board believes, come close to arriving at a settlement, with the official calling it, “an irretrievable situation.” He said, “The dispute is not so easy to solve”.According to him, the BCCI were forced to issue a notice under the provisions of the original contract signed with the Kochi franchise when it was formed in March. “It is mandatory process where the board is required to give them the notice of 30 days because theirs is a breach that can be repaired, and it is not irrevocable. In case they are able to resolve their issue, they will have to show it to us and prove it is resolved. Otherwise at the end of the notice, it stands terminated,” he said.Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, chaired the meeting today and informed the IPL panel about receiving more than one reply from the two groups in the Kochi franchise. One reply arrived from the lawyer of Rendezvous India Pvt. Ltd, led by the Gaikwad family, and the other from the group of investors led by Mehul Shah of the Anchor Group.”Both were asking different things: Rendezvous stated that the sweat equity (originally granted to them for promoting and investing in the company leading to the bid) is paid equity,” the official revealed. “The rival group was of the view that even it if it was paid equity, they did not want to accept the money.”Gaikwad’s lawyer had stated in the reply that his client was willing to buy out the sweat equity of 25% given for life in the original bid document and convert it into paid equity. The rival faction remained adamant, wanting Rendezvous to exit, with the situation leading to a deadlock.
In that time both factions tried to find a way out. The Shah group told Gaikwad that they would pay 10% of the sweat equity in cash in exchange of their rivals quitting Kochi. Gaikwad’s original counter proposal stated that he was ready to buy out 15% of the sweat equity, but he subsequently raised the offer, saying he was ready to buy out the entire 25% free equity.After that offer was rejected, Rendezvous went back to the negotiation table with a reduced equity buyout offer from 25% to 20%. Shah and the other investors initially agreed to the 20% offer 24 hours before the BCCI deadline, but under terms and conditions unacceptable to Rendezvous. The next day both the groups submitted individual replies through their lawyers.According to the BCCI source, the conflict is serious. “There are four people [investors] who had been brought together by one person [Gaikwad]. When the investors signed the original document they did not know what they were signing into”. The main deal-breaker in the dispute is that Gaikwad wants to retain his control over the cricket which, the BCCI official said, “the investors are completely against. They want him to leave the consortium and hence the deadlock.”The official fears Kochi might eventually run out of steam. “This cannot be solved. While they are saying they are solving the controversy, they are actually doing the opposite.”Should the Kochi franchise be terminated, it will become the third of the ten teams which were expected to participate in IPL4 to be expelled from the league, following the scrapping of the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab earlier this month.It is here, however that the BCCI are trying to cover their legal tracks by issuing them a 30 day termination notice. The case with the Royals and Kings XI was handled very differently with both teams being asked to explain their ownership patterns in May. Kings XI for example sent in their reply in May and received neither response or show cause from the BCCI until their franchise was terminated in October without any notice. Already the Royals have gone to court and King’s XI are expected to follow suit.Should Kochi meet with the same fate, the BCCI would have done so in strict adherence with the terms of their contract with the new franchise.

Geoff Lawson has said he had signed up as the head coach of the controversial Kochi team in the IPL, but his appointment could not be confirmed as the franchise is caught in a dispute over ownership

Osman Samiuddin04-Oct-2010Former Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson has said he has signed up as the head coach of the controversial Kochi team in the IPL, but there remains confusion over his appointment – the franchise is in the middle of a dispute over ownership and control among consortium members.Lawson told ESPNcricinfo that the official designation was that of ‘head coach’ over a two-year-period, adding, “I have shaken hands on the deal and will probably be in India late next week to get started.” Yet, in keeping with the recent confusion around the Kochi IPL franchise, team owners – who paid $333.33m for the franchise earlier this year – contacted by ESPNcricinfo would not confirm Lawson’s new job, stating that they were in discussions with other candidates.The Kochi consortium is expected to register itself as a joint venture company following the BCCI’s demands – made at its recent AGM – that the two groups fighting for control reach an agreement.At that meeting, Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, said it would issue a show-cause notice to Kochi because it had received two letters from rival groups of Kochi owners, with each group asking to be recognised as the franchise owner and wanting the other de-recognised. In order to sort out the ownership issue, the BCCI has asked them to be incorporated into a single company within ten days of receiving the show-cause. “If they do that in accordance of the original rules of the IPL ownership, we are okay with the Kochi franchise,” Manohar said.Lawson’s highest-profile coaching job was his 15-month stint in charge of the Pakistan team from July 2007. He helped them reach the final of the inaugural World Twenty20 but his partnership with inexperienced captain Shoaib Malik did not get to blossom as 2008 was a barren year for Pakistan – Australia pulled out of a full tour, the Champions Trophy was postponed and Pakistan were left to play minnows like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

Seamer Ben Phillips will move from Somerset, where he has been since 2007, to Nottinghamshire after signing a two-year contract with the county

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2010Seamer Ben Phillips will move from Somerset, where he has been since 2007, to Nottinghamshire after signing a two-year contract with the county.Phillips enjoyed moderate success last season, taking 29 wickets in 11 County Championship appearances for Somerset, and also played an important role as a first- or second-change bowler in their domestic limited-overs campaigns.”Mick [Newell, director of cricket] didn’t have to sell the club to me at all because I’m well aware that there are a lot of quality players here and that conditions at Trent Bridge will help my bowling,” said Phillips.”I wasn’t actively looking for a move but it was made clear that my opportunities might be limited given the signings that Somerset had made and I jumped at the chance to join Nottinghamshire. I’m delighted to be joining a team that will be in the hunt for trophies and I see this move as a perfect opportunity for me.”Phillips, 36, began his county career with Kent in 1996 before moving to Northamptonshire in 2002. He was a popular member of the team but was never regarded as much more than a bits-and-pieces player. At the end of 2006 he asked to be released from his contract because his family had not settled in the area, and signed a contract with Somerset.He is already well acquainted with several of his new Nottinghamshire teammates having played with Graeme Swann and Graeme White at Northants and having spent time with David Hussey, Darren Pattinson and Paul Franks in Melbourne last winter.”Ben has a solid reputation in county cricket and he can play a big part for us next season,” said Newell. “It was very important that we recruited a bowler who can come into the side and bowl long spells with accuracy and control and Ben is capable of doing that.”

Australia are closing in on a series-levelling victory at the WACA after ripping out five England wickets during the final session to back up Michael Hussey’s 116 which continued his phenomenal series

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan18-Dec-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJames Anderson can only look on as Ryan Harris celebrates Paul Collingwood’s last-ball dismissal•Getty Images

Australia are closing in on a series-levelling victory at the WACA after ripping out five England wickets during the final session to back up Michael Hussey’s 116 which continued his phenomenal series. Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris both struck in the final five minutes of play to finish with two apiece while other scalp, the key one of Kevin Pietersen for 3, went to the hardworking Ben Hilfenhaus as England lurched to stumps on 5 for 81.Those final few moments did huge damage to England who were already struggling. Jonathan Trott had played well for 31 before fencing at Johnson and, in a sign of how fortunes have changed, Ricky Ponting parried the ball at second slip only for Brad Haddin to snap up the chance. Ponting immediately left the field for treatment on a finger so missed the final-ball drama when the out-of-form Paul Collingwood edge Harris to third slip, the ball after nightwatchman James Anderson declined a single to take the strike off Collingwood.Hussey and Shane Watson, who fell five runs short of his hundred, were chiefly responsible for building Australia’s strong position as they extended their fourth-wicket stand to 113. After that, England staged a fightback with Chris Tremlett claiming his maiden five-wicket haul as the last six wickets fell for 55 but, despite the positive talk of a repeat of South Africa’s 414-run chase in 2008-09, history was always unlikely to repeat itself.Australia were mightily pumped up for the final session, knowing the quick bowlers could go full throttle. Ponting wasn’t afraid to switch the bowlers around and it was a change of ends for Harris that brought the first breakthrough when Alastair Cook was struck on the back leg. Cook asked Andrew Strauss if it was worth a review, but wasn’t supported by his captain. The ball would have clipped the bails.

Smart Stats

• Shane Watson’s 95 was the fourth time he has fallen in the nineties in his career. He has two centuries and 14 fifties.

• Michael Hussey’s century was his second of the series and the 13th of his career. He averages almost 61 in home Tests but just over 39 in away Tests.

• The 113 run partnership between Hussey and Watson was the third century stand for the fourth wicket for Australia against England in Test matches at Perth.

• In 11 innings since June 2010, Kevin Pietersen has scored 477 runs with one century and two fifties. He has scored less than 10 in five of these innings.

• Of the ten previous occasions that Australia have set a target over 300 at Perth, they have gone on to win on seven occasions and drawn twice. The only loss came against South Africa in 2008.

Johnson had been brought on in the sixth over and offered a couple of boundary balls, then tightened up to off stump and found Strauss’s edge which flew comfortably to Ponting at second slip. Whereas Hussey had given a lesson in what to leave, England’s batsmen were far less certain.Pietersen also chased a wide delivery that he poked to first slip to give Hilfenhaus his first wicket since the third ball of the series. Pietersen had escaped a pair with a pull to fine leg but hadn’t settled when he hung his bat out, although it was nothing less than Hilfenhaus deserved for a probing spell. For Pietersen it was his lowest contribution when he has batted twice in a Test. Like his team, it’s been quite a comedown from Adelaide.Throughout the match it has been tough for batsmen when they first come in, which emphasises the importance of the lone hundred so far from Hussey. His latest masterclass made him the first batsman to hit six consecutive fifty-plus scores in a Ashes Tests, a run dating back to his futile hundred at The Oval in 2009. He also became the leading run-scorer in the series, overtaking Cook, and made this the most prolific series of his career. Not bad for a player who nearly lost his place before it all started in Brisbane.He brought up his hundred with a crunching pull, the manner in which many of his boundaries arrived as England maintained the plan of feeding his strength. He was barely troubled by any of the short-pitched offerings, which although working against some of his team-mates were a futile and wasted effort to Hussey.Hussey has an impressive conversion rate of fifties to hundreds, but the same can’t yet be said of Watson. He’d barely put a foot wrong during his innings, unfurling some thumping drives against Steven Finn as he moved carefully to 95 and within sight of his third Test century. Tremlett then got one to hold its line on middle which Watson missed, but the batsman called for a review thinking he’d hit the ball.It was a small window for England, which looked to have become a little bigger when Steven Smith was given caught at slip off an inside edge by Billy Doctrove, but this time the UDRS worked in Australia’s favour when no nick was detected and the ball was also heading over the stumps. It was a skittish innings from Smith, who could also have been run out, before Tremlett’s move to round the wicket worked as Smith gloved down the leg sideHaddin began with a sweep for six over midwicket against Swann, who only bowled five overs in the day and struggled, but got an inside edge into the stumps to give Tremlett a fourth. The lower order couldn’t offer Hussey much support as Johnson drove to cover, Harris pulled to deep midwicket and Siddle edged to third to slip to hand Anderson his 200th Test wicket.Hussey finally departed to the pull, when he picked out deep square-leg to give Tremlett a deserved five-wicket haul, but his innings had set up victory that will arrive on Sunday. And from the position Australia were in on the first afternoon, that’s an astonishing turnaround.

A round-up of the second day of the eleventh round in Division One of the Quaid-E-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jan-2011Ali Azmat’s half-century combined with some strong lower-order batting helped Water and Power Development Authority post a challenging first-innings score of 369 for 9 declared against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. Azmat led all batsmen with 79, laced with 12 boundaries, as the last five wickets added 222. He was ably supported by Sarfraz Ahmed, who made 33, and Umaid Asif, who made 47, whil Kashif Raza chipped in with an unbeaten 31. Left-arm spinner Zohaib Khan was the best of the bowlers, taking 3 for 45.Both teams are still in the hunt for a spot in the finals, but probably need an outright win to get there, so ZTBL opener Yasir Hameed came out swinging the bat with intent. He had reached 18 from 21 balls, with three fours, before seamer Umaid Asif had him caught behind. At stumps, ZTBL were 34 for 1.Rain continued to play spoilsport on the second day of the game between Sialkot and Rawalpindi, with only 29 overs being bowled, but that was enough for the Rawalpindi bowlers to reduce Sialkot to 16 for 4, before the hosts staged a semi-recovery to end the day on 89 for 5 at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot. Rizwan Akbar produced a devastating opening spell to remove three of the top four batsmen, claiming two wickets with two balls, while Sadaf Hussain prised out Sialkot captain Mansoor Ajmad. Majid Jehangir and Shehzad Malik then added 49 to stem the rot somewhat before Jehangir was caught behind off the bowling seamer Nasir Malik for 34. Shehzad and Nabeel Malik then managed to avoid further damage, with the former on 22 and the latter on 14. Rawalpindi are currently tied second in the points table with Water and Power Development Authority, and potentially need a big win to qualify for the finals.A half-century by Mohammad Kashif got Islamabad back into their game against Multan on a curtailed day at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Islamabad were in trouble after they lost two quick wickets on the second morning to leave them at 48 for 4 in response to Multan’s 244. But, Kashif’s 61 and contributions from Imad Wasim and Kamran Hussain helped them recover to 189 for 6 by the end of the 46 overs that were played on the day. Multan seamer Tahir Maqsood dismissed overnight batsman Zeeshan Mushtaq and then got Faizan Riaz for a duck next ball. Kashif and Farrukh Hayat shared a 54-run partnership before Hayat was run out. Kashif got his runs quickly, hitting 10 boundaries in his innings. For Multan, who have lost all of their ten games so far this season, the match is a last hope to gain some pride, while Islamabad can finish no higher than eighth even if they win.Karachi Blues managed to take a 72-run first-innings lead against Faisalabad by the end of the second day at the National Stadium in Karachi. It didn’t look like that would happen after the first few overs of Karachi’s innings. Faisalabad fast bowler Ahmed Hayat ripped out three early wickets to leave them 3 for 3, and facing a top-order collapse. Unfortunately for Faisalabad, Hayat could only bowl five overs in the day, and Rameez Raja (2) counterattacked, racing to 67 off 55 balls. Most of Karachi’s middle-order batsmen got starts but left-arm spinner Hasan Mahmood kept chipping away at the wickets, picking up five in the end, as Karachi were all out for 264. The lead was pushed past the 50-run mark thanks to a 57-run tenth-wicket stand between Babar Rehman and Malik Aftab.Habib Bank Limited continued to be frustrated by the conditions as only nine overs were bowled on the second day of their match against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. HBL reached 19 for 0, but with no play on the first day as well, the win they need to make absolutely certain of their spot in the finals is unlikely. The good news for HBL is that Rawalpindi and Pakistan International Airlines’ matches have also been affected by rain. PIA, Rawalpindi, Water and Power Development Authority and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited are the four teams who have a chance to catch up with HBL. WAPDA and ZTBL are playing each other, which also helps HBL’s cause.There was no play in the game between National Bank and Pakistan International Airlines for the second straight day.