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Aizaz Cheema, the Pakistan fast bowler, has said Pakistan will have the advantage of being more used to conditions similar to those in the UAE when they take on England there later this month. The pitches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are generally slow and batsman-friendly but Cheema said they were not too different from those in Pakistan and therefore he was confident of taking wickets on them.”Through my life I have played on similar pitches and I earned my place in the national side with the wickets I took on them,” Cheema said after the second day of Pakistan’s training camp in Lahore. “The conditions won’t make a difference to me. I have pace but the main thing is being disciplined in my bowling. If I hit the right line and length it will be a problem for any batsman.”I will try not to give runs in any spell I bowl and will try to take wickets. Our experience of the conditions is more than theirs because there is not much difference in the tracks in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.”Cheema only played in one of the Tests during the three-Test series against Sri Lanka in the UAE last year, with Pakistan picking two spinners for the matches in Dubai and Sharjah. He will face further competition for his place this series with Wahab Riaz, the left-arm quick, returning to the squad. Cheema has impressed since earning his Test cap days before his 32nd birthday. He picked up eight wickets on debut in Zimbabwe and nine over the two Tests in Bangladesh in December last year, and has hit speeds up to 145kph. He recognised, however, that the England batting line-up was filled with quality players and that the series against the World No. 1 Test side would be a stiff challenge.”I can’t pick one name from the England line-up whom I am targeting because on the whole the England side is a quality side. I will try to dismiss whoever comes in.”Pakistan went through 2011 without losing a Test series, and go into this series after beating Zimbabwe away, Sri Lanka in the UAE and Bangladesh away. Cheema said they had not allowed themselves to become complacent, and he and some of the other players had started training just two days after returning from the tour of Bangladesh. “We are doing extensive hard work. Many of us started training just two days after we came back from Bangladesh. The camp in Lahore is helping us keep our rhythm and avoid becoming complacent.”Pakistan have recalled Umar Akmal for the three-Test series against England after leaving him out of the Tests against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Umar continued to do well in the limited-overs formats but after repeated failures in Tests, the selectors suggested he go back to domestic cricket and learn how to play long innings. Mohsin Khan, the chief selector and interim coach, said Umar needed to “stop being selfish”, and convert starts into important knocks. Umar, who averaged 71.00 in the six innings he played in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division Two, said he would not stop playing his shots but would try to do a job for his team at the No. 6 position.”I have played at No. 6 throughout my career, and I enjoy playing under pressure. When you take the team out of a pressure situation, only then can you be called a player for your country.”Nobody is stopping me from playing my shots but I am trying to play according to the situation and I feel there’s a lot of improvement in my batting.”Umar will find it hard to displace Asad Shafiq from the XI after Shafiq scored a century in Chittagong, but if given a chance said he would concentrate on contributing to the team’s cause rather than looking for big scores.”I will try to give 100%. At the number at which I am playing it’s rare to score big totals. You usually get around 50, 60, 70; whatever I can contribute to the total is an achievement for me. When I get promoted up the order, only then can I try to score hundreds.”The first Test between Pakistan and England starts January 17 in Abu Dhabi.

Thilan Samaraweera, the Sri Lanka middle-order batsman, has been added to the Test squad for the tour of South Africa after being initially overlooked. Mahela Jayawardene missed the last ODI and Twenty20 against Pakistan in the UAE because of a knee injury, and although he is in no danger of missing the South Africa tour, Sri Lanka’s selectors wanted Samaraweera as cover.”I had a meeting with the national selectors today and they made a request to add Thilan as an additional player and I have approved that request,” Sri Lanka’s sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage told the .Samaraweera had been dropped for the third Test of the home series against Australia, after which he was left out of the series against Pakistan in the UAE. Duleep Mendis, Sri Lanka’s chairman of selectors, had said Samaraweera would not figure in the long-term plans of the selectors who intended to give more opportunities to youngsters.Sri Lanka play three Tests in South Africa, where they have never won a Test, followed by a five-ODI series. The first Test starts in Centurion on December 15.Sri Lanka squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Tharanga Paranavitana, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Kaushal Silva (wk), Lahiru Thirimanne, Dimuth Karunaratne, Chanaka Welegedara, Dilhara Fernando, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Thisara Perera, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath, Thilan Samaraweera.

Chris Martin turned 37 on the day two at Bellerive Oval. His birthday present was a second consecutive strong bowling effort against Australia. This time, his team-mates were just as good. And if they back it up in the second innings, victory over Australia will be theirs for the first time in a generation.To skittle Australia for 136 is the kind of performance Martin has dreamt of for a decade. Before this series, he had played ten Tests against Australia and had taken 15 wickets at 86.53. It was hard to say if he was more embarrassed about his bowling record against them or his batting figures.That started to change in Brisbane, where he took four wickets, and in Hobart he collected three, as did Doug Bracewell and the debutant Trent Boult, while Tim Southee picked up perhaps the most important victim, Ricky Ponting. At no point did they let the pressure drop significantly and as a result, Australia recorded their lowest total at home against New Zealand.The ball seamed and swung, and Australia’s batsmen struggled to handle the movement. After New Zealand were rolled for 150 in their first innings, there appeared every chance the match could be over in three days. The weather might not allow that, but all the same Martin said it had been a long while since he had seen a Test surface with so much in it for the bowlers.”In a Test match it has been a long time,” he said. “If you look around the world there’s not too much variety in pitches. A day’s Test cricket like that definitely makes people watch. It’s difficult. I’ve toured places like India and the subcontinent and it’s always a tough, long day with plenty of runs. But if you’re a connoisseur of swing bowling, seam bowling, then today is a really enjoyable day’s cricket.”By closing the second day with a lead of 153 and seven wickets in hand, New Zealand have given themselves their best chance in ten years of beating the Australians. And although the pitch is expected to become less difficult for the batsmen over the next two days, their advantage over Australia was already alarmingly large.”It’s a tough ask for any top-order batsmen out there today to feel comfortable, to feel in,” Martin said. “It’s one for the bowlers today. I suppose 150 on that pitch on the first day has turned out to be a reasonable score. It’s quite a tough picture to paint with the rest of the Test, with how it’s going to go. I know that sitting here at 150 runs in front we’re feeling good. I don’t know how many runs are needed. We’ll just see how we go tomorrow.”Martin believes Phillip Hughes will be under serious pressure when it comes time for Australia to begin their chase. Hughes will walk to the crease in the second innings playing for his Test future. Three times from three innings in this series he has been caught by Martin Guptill, either at gully or slip, off the bowling of Martin, the angle across him proving hard to handle. His best score in the series has been 10.”I feel like I’ve put the ball in a good spot to him,” Martin said. “He’s feeling for it a little bit and he’s nicked a couple. I suppose for a guy who’s struggling, this isn’t the sort of pitch that you want to feel for your next knock and where your runs are coming from. He’s under pressure, I suppose. We just have to keep bowling in the right spots.”I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing. He’ll be feeling under pressure and that’s never a good place. I’ve felt under pressure for my spot in the past, so it’s always a difficult challenge and one if you get on top of you’re a lot stronger for it.”First though, Australia need to find a way through the rest of the New Zealand order. Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson were both well set at stumps, having judiciously left the ball and played wisely. At times, the Australian fast bowlers strayed startlingly down leg or with bouncers that easily sailed over the batsmen’s heads, and Peter Siddle said it was important to stick to what worked in the first innings.”It’s always nice to get a wicket that is a little bit bowler-friendly, but it’s not always that easy [because of that],” Siddle said. “There’s still a lot of work has to be done by us bowlers, we do have to bowl some good lines, good areas and be patient. Sometimes on these wickets you can tend to go searching a little bit and try too hard and end up with figures that you’re not very proud of.”When the sun does come out and you get a bit of heat on that wicket, to dry it out a little bit, it does quicken up a little bit and does seem a little bit easier to score. Hopefully tomorrow morning the clouds are out and it’s a little bit overcast for us in the first session.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsUmesh Yadav picked up three wickets in the first innings•AFP

West Indies were in a fight to prevent a big loss at Eden Gardens, needing to bat close to five more sessions with seven wickets in hand. They imploded in the morning session to get bowled out in 48 overs, three more than what Devendra Bishoo bowled when India batted. Such capitulation was not forthcoming in the follow-on, but a patient Ishant Sharma chipped away at them and got rid of both half-centurions, Adrian Barath and Kirk Edwards, before stumps. West Indies still needed 283 to make India bat again with two days remaining in the match.What happened in the morning wasn’t entirely unexpected, in that spin began the slide and that once Shivnarine Chanderpaul got out cheaply there wasn’t much resistance. Umesh Yadav brought the surprise, removing the two batsmen who got involved in any sort of partnership, Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels.From the moment Pragyan Ojha pitched the first ball of the morning in front of leg and missed off, you knew from the evidence from Delhi that the batsmen would struggle. In his third over of the day, Ojha delivered the simple one-two of a big turner followed by the arm ball. Edwards neither read the arm ball nor came forward, and even though it was a marginal lbw, Edwards’ being caught on the crease did him no favours.Chanderpaul showed more intent, sweeping the third ball he faced for four. Ojha didn’t bowl the next over. And it took the replacement Ashwin three balls to trap the big fish in front. Chanderpaul always leaves the lbw open by shuffling across, and it is a huge credit to how he keeps scoring and rarely gets hit on the pad. This time, though, he missed an offbreak that didn’t turn as much as it held its line. Caught inside the crease, Chanderpaul provided the umpire no dilemma.Bravo and Samuels batted positively, doubling the score from 46 for 4 before Bravo played a lazy shot: a push at a ball just outside off, without getting close to the line. Yadav took the inside edge, and Bravo’s stumps were now only semi-furnished. A peach spread-eagled Samuels’ woodwork soon. This one shaped like it would swing in, pitched on a good length, hit the seam and then held its line. India were into the tail now, with fewer than 100 on the board.

Smart stats

• The lead of 478 is the second-highest conceded by the West Indies and the highest ever lead conceded by them since 1930 against England. Click here for matches where West Indies have batted first and here for matches when they have fielded first.

• India have registered 400-plus leads on four different occasions. On three occasions in the last four years, India have batted first. The only time they batted second and gained a 400-run lead was against Australia in Kolkata in 1998.

• West Indies’ total of 153 is their third-lowest in Tests against India. While they lost when they made their lowest total (106) in Kingston in 2006, they won despite folding for 127 in Delhi in 1987.

• Shivnarine Chanderpaul became the fourth batsman after Clive Lloyd, Javed Miandad and Ricky Ponting to aggregate 2000 runs in Tests against India. His seven centuries are second to Garry Sobers and Viv Richards, who have eight each.

• The 93-run stand between Adrian Barath and Kirk Edwards is the fifth-highest second-wicket stand for West Indies in Tests in India.

• Pragyan Ojha, who picked up 4 for 64 in the first innings, reached the 50-wicket landmark in his 13th Test. Five Indian bowlers including Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh have achieved the feat in fewer matches.

Darren Sammy hit Ojha for a six but Ojha responded with another flighted delivery. The extra bounce on that took Sammy’s edge on the cut. Quick singles have hardly been the thought on the minds of West Indies’ batsman, but for some reason Kemar Roach was caught backing up too far to replicate the Gautam Gambhir dismissal from Delhi. Just in case we didn’t notice this was some kind of a repeat of a show seen sometime earlier, Carlton Baugh fell lbw trying a big sweep off a full Ojha delivery.Fidel Edwards swung a few before the end, but all it did was deny India their biggest lead in Test cricket, which continues to be the 492-run difference they managed against Bangladesh in 2007.The batsmen did well to not carry the repetition of errors into the second innings after having lost their last 25 wickets for 368 runs. They were aggressive but judicious. Barath was clear in his mind. When he went after width, he did so hard, and resisted pushing defensively outside off. Kraigg Brathwaite, though, pushed half-heartedly, giving Yadav his third wicket of the day. Edwards’ arrival brought in Ojha, but this time Edwards was quick to come forward in defence, and also drove at overpitched deliveries. Barath welcomed Ojha with two fours in his first over, and then Edwards hit his fifth over for a four and a six.Like any self-respecting modern captain, Dhoni immediately spread the field, never mind the huge lead in hand. At one point West Indies batted with five fielders on the boundary, and kept picking the easy single. When Dhoni brought the mid-on in for Yuvraj Singh, Barath immediately lofted him over that fielder to reach 49. He spent six balls on that score, and then could easily push one to deep point for the single that would bring up his fifty.The ball had started reversing by now, and after tea Ishant bowled a testing over to Barath. After continuously pushing him back with short-of-a-length deliveries and inward movement, Ishant bowled the sucker ball wide outside off. Barath went after it, the ball moved away slightly, took the edge, and settled with the lone wide slip.Edwards and Bravo, both batting for a second time today, made sure an immediate wicket didn’t follow. Bravo hit Ojha and Ashwin for a six each to get rid of the extra catching men. Edwards was now reaping benefits of a similar approach earlier. His concentration wavered when Ishant came back, and he played across the line of a full delivery that straightened. Through a 34-run partnership, Bravo and Chanderpaul ensured there wasn’t further damage, but their job had only just started.

The PCB has announced that the DRS will be used for Pakistan’s series against Sri Lanka that starts later this month and for their one-day series against England early next year, and that Pepsi will be sponsoring the system, making them the first board to have a sponsor associated with the review system. The version of the DRS Pakistan will be using includes ball-tracking technology provided by Hawk-Eye.”PCB is pleased to be taking a leading role in the use of ICC-recommended technologies for international cricket,” Subhan Ahmad, the PCB’s chief operating officer, said in a statement. “We hope that other partner boards will follow the example of the PCB and use the umpire [decision] review system in their respective future series. The use of the UDRS will bring added value to our forthcoming series. We thank our sponsors Pepsi for once again supporting Pakistan cricket and the PCB in its many endeavours.”Pakistan’s decision to implement the DRS came on the same day the ICC ended the mandatory use of the system and reverted to its pre-June position, by which its use will be subject to bilateral agreements between the participating boards. However, the ICC said it will continue to use support the use of technology and welcomed the PCB’s decision.”We believe that using the Decision Review System will result in getting more umpire decisions correct and we accordingly welcome the PCB’s initiatives and that of its sponsors in securing its use in the upcoming series,” Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager – cricket, said. “The PCB has always led the way in supporting innovation. Its trials of a “pink/orange ball” in day/night conditions during its premier first-class matches is another example. These initiatives are much appreciated.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outRavindra Jadeja’s 78 went in vain at The Oval•Getty Images

India flirted with the idea of a first international win on the tour through three comebacks at The Oval, but England once again proved a touch too strong. James Anderson wreaked havoc at the top, Craig Kieswetter gave England a head start in the chase, and when the India spinners threatened to choke the life out of England’s chase, Tim Bresnan and Ravi Bopara calmly administered the first successful ODI chase under The Oval floodlights.Put in on a green track, India were 25 for 4 and 58 for 5 before Ravindra Jadeja, who arrived in England yesterday, and MS Dhoni put together India’s third-highest partnership of the tour to lend some respectability to the total. Kieswetter charged at India with a blinding half-century, but the slower bowlers pegged England back with three quick wickets. A rain break followed, which took seven overs off the game. England came back confident from that break, but some inspiration in the field got India another look-in. With a measured 60-run sixth-wicket partnership, Bopara and Bresnan made sure India won’t have any trophies to declare at customs when they go back home.The way it all started, though, England would not have imagined such hard work would be needed. A green track was prepared, the toss was won, and Anderson and Bresnan began menacingly. They both bowled just short of a length with movement each way. It was Anderson who produced the wicket-taking deliveries, and the wicket-taking throw.Ajinkya Rahane fatally chased an outswinger in the first over, Parthiv Patel played all over a rare full ball in the seventh, and Virat Kohli edged one outside off in the 11th. Anderson wasn’t content with just swinging the ball around and nicking batsmen out. In between he vindicated Rahul Dravid’s decision to retire from ODIs by catching the latter looking over his shoulder while trying to steal a single to mid-off. Anderson flicked the throw, missed Dravid, who did try to cover the line of the throw, and hit the stumps.Suresh Raina had a horror stay at the wicket, and looked to slog his way out of trouble. One heave failed to connect, another went out of the ground, and the final one – off Stuart Broad – took the toe edge of his bat through to the keeper. India still had 31 overs to bat.

Smart stats

• By going up 2-0, England have given themselves a great chance to register their eighth series win in the last nine ODI series (bi-lateral series only). Their only loss came against Australia when they lost 6-1.

• The 112-run stand between MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja is the fifth century stand for the sixth wicket for India against England in ODIs. Dhoni has been involved in three of the five century stands.

• The 59-run stand between R Ashwin and Jadeja is the highest seventh-wicket stand for India against England. The partnership run-rate of 11.41 is the second-highest for India in a fifty-plus stand against England.

• Dhoni’s 69 is only his second half-century in ODIs in 2011. In ODIs played this year, he has scored 424 runs in 16 innings at an average of 32.61.

• Jadeja’s half-century is his fifth in 36 ODIs and his first since June 2010. He has now scored 613 runs at 34.05.

• India’s total of 25 for 4 is their lowest ever at the start of the fifth-wicket partnership in ODIs against England. Since 2000, they have lost the first four wickets for scores lower than 25 on four occasions.

• The 60-run partnership between Ravi Bopara and TIm Bresnan is the fourth-highest for the sixth wicket for England against India.

By then, though, the ball was moving less, England’s second-string bowlers didn’t provide that much threat, and Dhoni and Jadeja put their legs to a solid test. They didn’t risk losing wickets by trying to hit the bowlers off their rhythm, but they tested every single fielder with every single hit. They took 23 overs to reach the first 101 runs of their stand. England didn’t completely back off during that spell, but there still remained a distinct middle-overs feel to the ease with which the two could find gaps.In the 44th over, with both their fifties reached, they asked for the Powerplay. Even though Bresnan removed Dhoni soon, England wilted a bit in the last five overs, conceding 60 runs. Jade Dernbach’s slower balls became predictable, R Ashwin upper-cut Bresnan, Anderson bowled length, and Alastair Cook didn’t know what to do with the fields. The bowlers didn’t help by not bowling to their field. Ashwin scored 36 off 19.If India had any hopes of carrying some momentum from that big finish into the defence, Kieswetter soon quelled them. He toyed around with Praveen Kumar and RP Singh, charging at them, making room, hitting them over both midwicket and extra cover, scoring 51 off 46. Two of his sixes – over midwicket and extra cover, neither of them a slog – made batting look easy in a low-scoring match. India forced their way back again. Munaf Patel’s accuracy got Cook, Jadeja’s arm ball accounted for Kieswetter, and Ashwin’s carrom ball got rid of Jonathan Trott to convert 63 for 0 to 89 for 3 minutes before rain interrupted play.The rain break took 17 runs off the target while chopping seven overs off and left England just two overs of Batting Powerplay. In theory that should have worked in India’s favour, but Ian Bell and Ben Stokes, who both looked nervous before the break, now came out positive. The damp outfield didn’t help the spinners either. Thirty-six came off the next six overs. India, infamous for slow fielders, wasn’t giving up just yet. Dhoni’s sharp work ran Bell out after the latter had instinctively taken a few steps down the pitch after defending the ball to the on side. Stokes might have hit a huge six over long-on, but his dismissal by Ashwin had a sense of inevitability about it.England needed 85 off 15.2 overs, and India would have fancied their chances when bowling to Bopara, who seems to forever be fighting for his place in the side, and the lower order. Bopara and Bresnan didn’t try anything fancy against the spinners and instead waited for them to run out of overs. They then attacked the quick bowlers. Munaf’s first over back went for 10, and the asking-rate was back under control. Jadeja came back to dismiss Bresnan, but Bopara remained solid for his 40. When he fell in Ashwin’s last over, he had left England just 10 to get off 13.

Technology’s place in reviewing the decisions of umpires became murkier still as it was confirmed Sri Lanka’s limited-overs and Test series against Australia will employ a version of the DRS that utilises Hawk-Eye technology but not Hot Spot.This arrangement, brought about by a combination of the two boards’ acceptance of ball-tracking technology and the unavailability of Hot Spot cameras for the series in Sri Lanka, is almost completely the inverse of the configuration used by England and India in their concurrent Test series.India’s acceptance of Hot Spot but not ball-tracking or pitch-mapping has meant that lbw appeals cannot be referred during the series, while caught behinds and close catches are more thoroughly scrutinised.The Sri Lankan board’s position on the use of technology in the series has been fluid, pending costs and hardware availability, and the final implementation of the system means that lbw decisions will be the most keenly observed.Final confirmation of the use of one technology but not the other arrived after the match referee Javagal Srinath’s pre-series meeting with the two captains, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Michael Clarke. Srinath will preside over the limited-overs matches, in which each team is granted one unsuccessful decision review per innings, before Chris Broad takes over for the Tests, where two unsuccessful reviews per innings are permitted.The DRS and its inconsistent use by various countries will continue during the Australian summer. New Zealand are scheduled to play two Tests against the hosts and will agree to the employment of all available technology for the series, before India’s arrival will mean the removal of lbw reviews and ball-tracking.Elsewhere the one-off Test between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in Harare did not employ the DRS for reasons of cost, a problem that will persist so long as the technology is funded by broadcasters and host boards without recourse to a central fund or sponsorship.

Chris Hartley, the Queensland wicketkeeper, has signed with the Brisbane Heat for the Twenty20 Big Bash League, and will serve as understudy to Brendon McCullum during the tournament.Not known for particularly fast scoring, Hartley was set targets for off-season improvement by the Bulls and Heat coach Darren Lehmann, and was signed once he had reached them.”We gave a number of the players some specific things we thought they needed to work on during the off-season and Harts more than met expectations,” Lehmann said.”He showed that he can play the sort of game we want in T20 and his batting has been as good as anyone in the Queensland squad so far in our preparations.”It’s also good to have another ‘keeper in the squad in the event that Brendon McCullum has to miss a game. And Harts is just one of those people you want to have around the group. He’s incredibly dedicated and has a sharp cricket brain.”Hartley’s signing is the Heat’s 15th ahead of the BBL, bolstering a squad that includes the likes of McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Daniel Christian, Ryan Harris, James Hopes and the previously retired opener Matthew Hayden.The squads so far
Adelaide Strikers Aiden Blizzard, Cameron Borgas, Lee Carseldine, Tom Cooper, Adam Crosthwaite, Theo Doropoulos, Brendan Drew, Callum Ferguson, Daniel Harris, Michael Klinger, Nathan Lyon, Aaron O’Brien, Gary Putland, Kane Richardson. Overseas players: Kieron Pollard.
Brisbane Heat Ryan Broad, Nick Buchanan, Daniel Christian, Ben Cutting, Peter Forrest, Ryan Harris, Chris Hartley, Nathan Hauritz, Matthew Hayden, James Hopes, Chris Lynn, Michael Neser, Chris Swan. Overseas players: Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori.
Hobart Hurricanes Travis Birt, Mark Cosgrove, Xavier Doherty, Luke Feldman, Evan Gulbis, Ben Hilfenhaus, Michael Hogan, Phil Jaques, Matt Johnston, Jason Krejza, Nick Kruger, Ben Laughlin, Rhett Lockyear, Tim Paine, RIcky Ponting. Overseas players: Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Owais Shah.
Melbourne Renegades Ryan Carters, Aaron Finch, Shane Harwood, Aaron Heal, Jayde Herrick, Michael Hill, Brad Hodge, Glenn Maxwell, Andrew McDonald, Brenton McDonald, Dirk Nannes, Nathan Reardon, Will Sheridan, Shaun Tait. Overseas players: Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi.
Melbourne Stars George Bailey, James Faulkner, John Hastings, Jon Holland, David Hussey, Alex Keath, Clint McKay, James Pattinson, Rob Quiney, Peter Siddle, Chris Simpson, Adam Voges, Matthew Wade, Cameron White. Overseas players: Luke Wright.
Perth Scorchers Tom Beaton, Michael Beer, Mark Cameron, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ben Edmondson, Michael Hussey, Simon Katich, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Marcus North, Luke Pomersbach, Nathan Rimmington, Luke Ronchi. Overseas players: Paul Collingwood, Herschelle Gibbs.
Sydney Sixers Ed Cowan, Pat Cummins, Brad Haddin, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Brett Lee, Nic Maddinson, Ian Moran, Peter Nevill, Steve O’Keefe, Ben Rohrer, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Dominic Thornely, Shane Watson. Overseas players: Michael Lumb
Sydney Thunder Sean Abbott, Tim Armstrong, Nic Bills, Doug Bollinger, Luke Butterworth, Scott Coyte, Tim Cruickshank, Matthew Day, Luke Doran, Ben Dunk, Jason Floros, Phillip Hughes, Usman Khawaja, Craig Philipson, Daniel Smith, David Warner. Overseas players: Fidel Edwards, Chris Gayle.

Sri Lanka’s sports ministry has dissolved Sri Lanka Cricket’s (SLC) interim committee and appointed a panel, headed by former SLC chairman Upali Dharmadasa, for the next six months. The other members of the new interim committee are Prakash Shaffter, Nimal Perera and Sidath Wettimuny, the former Sri Lanka opener. Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Sri Lanka’s sports minister, said the outgoing committee, headed by Somachandra de Silva, had wanted to resign after the 2011 World Cup.”The previous interim committee stayed on for more time after the previous World Cup because of my request,” he said. “There were shortcomings as well as successes in that committee.” There had been allegations of corruption and mismanagement of funds against the outgoing committee.The dissolution comes a day after the ICC, at its annual conference in Hong Kong, gave all cricket boards a one-year deadline to free themselves from any government or political interference. Aluthgamage said he wanted to restore democracy to Sri Lanka Cricket by holding elections in early 2010. He said the new panel would act as a stepping stone towards appointing the right person to head SLC.”I don’t have any personal agenda. Let me appoint a correct person democratically to head the cricket board next year. I appointed the present committee only for six months, so as to take time till we can pave the way for someone who is respectable, does not depend on the sport and really loves the sport to take over cricket administration.”Aluthgamage said the financial crisis in Sri Lanka cricket was one of the first things the new panel had to attend to. “One of the main tasks is to keep an eye on the finances. We are in a financial crisis after the World Cup. We spent more than we budgeted for.”He said the SLC’s cash problem would ease with a government grant and a government loan in the offing.SLC has undergone tough times in recent months, incurring a debt of $23 million over the construction of stadiums in Hambantota and Pallekele for the 2011 World Cup. In addition to that, there have been allegations of corruption and pressure to hold elections following a petition filed by Asoka Mendis – the president of the United Southern Cricket Club – against the appointment of an interim committee by the sports minister without the prior approval of the member clubs, which he claimed bypassed the electoral procedure.On Wednesday the ICC launched an investigation into “black marketeering” of World Cup tickets, after its executive board received a confidential report criticising the handling of ticket sales in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Australia’s new pace bowling coach Craig McDermott believes empathy can be his most valuable addition to the dressing room, after a career he admits had plenty of “bad days at the office”.Handed a Test debut at 19 in 1984 and then shuffled in and out of the Australian team until he re-emerged at his fittest and most incisive to make a place his own in 1990, McDermott knows very well the range of emotions and anxieties that can grip a young player. He was appointed to replace Troy Cooley as the man to guide the current crop of fast bowlers while preparing the way for the next, and is in a pivotal role for a pace battery that was made to look very ordinary indeed during the Ashes.”Everybody has a bad day at the office and I certainly had my fair share of bad days at the office when I was playing cricket,” McDermott told ESPNcricinfo. “I was dropped a number of times, re-selected a number of times and then stayed in the team for a seven-year period straight towards the end, so I’ve been through all the roller-coaster stuff and you’ve got to have a plan A, plan B and plan C.”We’ve got a number of young players in and around the team now and some young quicks who may get a guernsey over the next one or two years. So I think it’s good to have somebody there who can actually talk them through the nerves and the butterflies in the dressing room where you walk in there for the first time and you’re standing next to Ricky Ponting at 150 Tests. (For them) it’s the opposite end of the scale there by a big margin.”There’s a lot of feelings and emotions to help those younger guys through, and even guys who’ve played 10 or 15 Tests, it’s not a lot of games and they’re still settling in; there are some things off the field that you can give them advice on.”Allan Donald was the most high-profile applicant for the job, but McDermott’s coaching apprenticeship at Cricket Australia’s Centre of Excellence gave him worthwhile knowledge of Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and James Pattinson among others, all expected to push for Test spots in the near future. He has also spent time with Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris and Ben Hilfenhaus during the Ashes, and has “some ideas of my own” about their faltering progress during that series.”I’ve had a little bit to do with most of the guys during the Test series against England before the first Test and on a couple of other occasions on very short camps and then in Bangladesh,” said McDermott. “I’ve found it quite easy to fit back into the dressing room scene because I’ve been there before myself. It certainly has changed a little bit from when I was playing and it’s all for the positive and I really enjoyed Bangladesh with the new squad and under a new captain.”I think it’s going to be a difficult period for Australia, we’ve got tough series, Sri Lanka, South Africa and then India out here, which all adds up to a tough summer. We’ve got our work cut out, but I’m sure if we do the work and execute correctly I’ve no doubt we can come up trumps.”Truism though it might be, hard work is a key to McDermott’s coaching philosophy, because it was by that route that he pushed himself back into the Australian team and stayed there as the spearhead of the attack before Glenn McGrath emerged from Narromine. He was perhaps the first Australian cricketer to commit himself fully to the fitness regime of a professional athlete, and reaped handsome results whenever he wasn’t struck down by freak injuries: a twisted bowel ended his 1993 Ashes tour, while a badly sprained ankle culled him from Mark Taylor’s 1995 Caribbean triumph. McDermott isn’t sure Australia’s bowlers are as fit as they need to be, in order to avoid the fatigue that can blur the mind and cause the ball to be sprayed around.”That becomes part and parcel of planning, the top of end of the game is actually more in the head than in the body,” he said. “You’ve got to be physically fit no doubt, extremely fit to be a fast bowler for a long period of time, but certainly the mental side of the game, it is very important to be able to think batsmen out and spot their weaknesses, and to be able to execute your skills, being able to pursue those weaknesses in batsmen.”It’s okay putting one ball or two balls in the right spot, but you’ve got to do it 25 times in a row to build up pressure. Execution only comes with hard work and practice and being fit enough to be able to execute for long enough, you don’t want to have fatigue come into it.”I think we’ve got a number of players who can do that, we’ve just got to make sure we do the work and making sure we’re physically fit enough to execute for long enough to create problems for batsmen. Glenn McGrath was strong, fit and bowled a lot of balls in the right spot, there’s no secret to that. It’s been no secret that’s the way to get batsmen out since WG Grace.”