Cricket

Ashes hero Vaughan calls it quits

2009-07-01T10:18:00.000+01:00

Poor form prompted Vaughan to retire
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has confirmed his immediate retirement from cricket at the age of 34.
"It has been an enormous privilege to have played for and captained my country and this is one of the hardest decisions I have had to make," he said.
Vaughan played 82 Tests, 51 as skipper, and scored over 5,700 runs at an average of 41, including 18 centuries.
But by far his greatest achievement was the 2005 Ashes win over Australia which sparked a national celebration.
His omission from the training squad for this summer's series after failing to rediscover his batting form for Yorkshire in county cricket was one of the factors which contributed to his decision to retire.
"I wanted to give it one last effort to get into the Ashes squad. I've given it that shot but haven't been playing well enough," he told a news conference at Edgbaston.
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"I have not played well enough. I have not got the rhythm or form to be picked in the Ashes squad. It has to be best 16 players and I am not one of those.
"Two weeks ago, I was in the garden with my little lad Archie. He bowled a ball which hit a weed and knocked my off stump out of the ground - and when a three-year-old's bowling you out, it's time to move over.
"Wherever I've played this year I felt that warmth and crowd reaction to try to give me one more chance. I now move on and wish the team all the best in an Ashes series they can win.
"I know they have the drive, ambition and abilities to repeat the success from 2005. Winning that series was definitely the high point of my career."
Hugh Morris, the managing director of England Cricket, hailed Vaughan as "among the very best" international captains.
He said: "The way he and (coach) Duncan Fletcher forged a team capable of winning six consecutive Test series stands as testament to his ability to inspire and motivate those around him.

Vaughan was also recognised as one of the game's most stylish batsmen
"He was also a marvellous ambassador for England cricket, off the field as well as on it, and someone who genuinely appreciated the generous support he received from the thousands of England supporters who follow the team at home and abroad."
Andrew Strauss, the current England captain, said he had "learned a great deal" from watching the way Vaughan led the side.
"His ability to identify a new strategy for outwitting the opposition or bring the best out of his own players was a priceless asset," he said.
"But more than anything we as players will miss the enormous sense of fun and enjoyment that Michael brought to the dressing room."
Vaughan made his first-class debut for Yorkshire in 1993 and six years later won his first Test cap during England's winter tour to South Africa.
In 2002/03 he rose to the top of the Test batting rankings after hitting three centuries during the Ashes series in Australia, and was appointed England one-day captain at the start of the following summer.
By mid-summer he had taken on the Test captaincy too, following Nasser Hussain's decision to step down, and after securing a 2-2 draw with the combative South Africans, led England to six successive series victories, culminating in the epic 2005 Ashes triumph.
He missed the return series in Australia in 2006/07 because of a debilitating knee injury and England were whitewashed 5-0 under the captaincy of Andrew Flintoff.
Vaughan was back for the 2007 World Cup campaign in the West Indies but gave up the one-day captaincy after England's elimination.
He hoped to stay in the team in both forms of the game but was never chosen for the one-day side again, although he remained in charge of the Test side and made a century against the West Indies in his first innings for 18 months in May 2007, and also made hundreds in home series against India and New Zealand.

His form subsequently declined and against South Africa last summer he only scored 40 runs in five innings, including two ducks, prompting him to resign the captaincy before the final match of the series.
Only Michael Atherton led England in more Tests - but Vaughan's record of 26 Test wins is the highest by any England skipper.
At county level, he enjoyed his greatest moment in 2001 when, after missing that summer's Ashes series because of injury, he helped Yorkshire win the Championship for the first time since 1968.
"Michael Vaughan is a class act and will be remembered by Yorkshire members and supporters around the world for his beautiful stroke play and, of course, his success in leading England to Ashes glory in 2005," said the county's chief executive Stewart Regan.
"It has been a pleasure and a privilege for me to get to know Michael over the past three years and his presence around the club has been hugely motivational, particularly the younger players."
Vaughan's final game was a Twenty20 Cup defeat by Leicestershire at Grace Road last Friday.
There has been speculation that he may now take up a career as a television pundit, but Vaughan said he had not yet received any offers to join the ranks of ex-England players working in the media.
"I think it is important to have a little break and weigh up my options and decide what to do next," he explained.
Explaining his approach to captaincy, Vaughan described himself as a "good actor".
He added: "Captaining your country is a very special moment and the skill is making sure no-one knows what you're thinking.
"It's very important not to feel the pressure, or outwardly be seen to be feeling it.
"It's very difficult as England captain to completely switch off - but you enjoy it and at the end you've exhausted all your energy because you've given it everything."
Australia captain Ricky Ponting, Vaughan's adversary in the 2005 series, said he was "a bit surprised" by his retirement.
"It is only a couple of months ago that I was thinking he might be named in the first Test squad by England. I thought he might have a bit more to offer international cricket somewhere down the line," he commented.
"Michael was an exceptionally skilled and talented player whose record would stack up against most top order batsmen who have played international cricket.
"He was a distinguished captain who led the side very well. Good luck with what he does after cricket. He was always a highly respected and skilled opponent."

Flintoff fitness vital - Ponting

2009-05-30T21:46:00.001+01:00

Australia captain Ricky Ponting says England may be better off without Andrew Flintoff in their Ashes side, unless the key player is 100% fit.
Ponting said Flintoff was not the force he had been in 2005 when he led England to a 5-0 defeat in Australia 18 months later after an injury comeback.
"Flintoff is obviously very important to England's set-up," said Ponting.
"Maybe, as we saw in 2007, if he's not 100% fit then maybe that sort of impact he can have is not there."
Ponting, whose team are currently based in Nottingham preparing for the ICC World Twenty20, begin their five-Test Ashes defence on 8 July.

He was happy to give his views on Flintoff, who tore knee cartilage while playing in the Indian Premier League in April - and was subsequently ruled out of all England's international cricket until the Ashes.
Whether or not to field Flintoff in the first Test at Cardiff - perhaps on the back of just a game or two for Lancashire - will be "the great decision the England selectors are going to have to make," said Ponting.
"In 2005 and in 2007 we saw two completely different players and that had a lot to do with the level of fitness that he had under his belt going into each series.
"That's where they're going to have a tough decision to make."
Ponting 'very confident' of Ashes success
Ponting said he felt "relaxed, fresh and rejuvenated" after a four-week break from cricket.
And after team-mate Michael Hussey complimented England's new-found strength in depth, the Aussie skipper said his team would pose a severe challenge to the host team this summer.
"England played some very good cricket against the West Indies but the competition and opposition they'll be coming up against us is vastly stiffer than what they've faced in the last few weeks.
"I'm very confident we've got a group of guys here who will be well and truly good enough to win the series. I'm really excited about that."
Australia will be without Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist this summer but Ponting warned that his country's new breed will pose a real threat to England.
"With the transitional phase the team's been going through, where we are at the moment is very positive," he said.
"To see the Phillip Hugheses, Norths, Hilfenhauses, Peter Siddles and those guys come in and have immediate success has been very pleasing for me as captain of the team and one of the more experienced players."

Vaughan & Bell seek England role

2009-04-29T09:27:00.000+01:00

Vaughan and Bell both want the number three role this summer
England announce their first Test squad of the summer on Wednesday, with huge interest surrounding the identity of the man to bat at number three.
Owais Shah has failed to cement the role, despite chances in the Caribbean, so it could be a straight fight between Ian Bell and Michael Vaughan.
Key all-rounder Andrew Flintoff will miss the two Tests against West Indies, starting on 6 May at Lord's.
So wicketkeeper Matt Prior could bat at six in a side containing five bowlers.
Ravi Bopara, one of several England players to have spent the opening weeks of the season in South Africa with the Indian Premier League, will nevertheless hope to get a place in the squad at the very least - having been dropped after scoring a century in Barbados.
The Test squad was set to have been announced on 20 April but the panel, comprising new coach Andy Flower, national selector Geoff Miller, plus James Whitaker and Ashley Giles, opted to watch another round of County Championship matches first.
Bell, yet to score a Test century in 16 Tests at number three, was dropped during the winter tour of the Caribbean but has since scored two centuries for Warwickshire.

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Former England captain Vaughan had been tipped to regain his place but failed to score notable runs in his first two first-class innings.
The 34-year-old did make his highest score for Yorkshire since September 2007, however, when he struck four fours and three sixes in 82 from 116 balls in a 50-over match against Sussex at Headingley on Sunday.
Vaughan also has a far better record against Australia than Bell, who has never made a century against cricket's toughest opponents.
Bell, 27, told BBC Sport: "Michael Vaughan's record speaks for itself. Of course I can see both sides of the argument.
"I feel in a pretty good place. I've enjoyed coming back to Warwickshire, training hard and scoring the amount of runs I probably needed to to get myself back in the position to get selected. I have given myself the best chance I can to push my position.
"The message I got was to go away and score big hundreds. I've done that."
He said that he had spent his two months on the sidelines in the West Indies boxing on the beach at 6am most days with ECB security adviser Reg Dickason.
"I've been guilty in the past of getting fifties and not going on to get hundreds, so fitness is an area which could help me," said Bell.
"You can get a little bit complacent at times. It was a tough time to watch everyone else but probably I was a bit lucky to have those two months to sit back and think about what I needed to do to get back and get picked by England.
"I still average over 40 but I knew I hadn't performed for three months. When you don't perform as a team there has to be someone who is left out of the side and it was my time.
"By no imagination do I think I have cracked it but I believe I am going to play for England again and my best years are ahead of me."
If England do go with five bowlers, Stuart Broad and James Anderson are certainties, while Steve Harmison - who did take five wickets for Durham against Yorkshire - is likely to be recalled yet again.
With Flintoff, Amjad Khan and Ryan Sidebottom all injured, Sajid Mahmood, despite taking no wickets in Lancashire's first Championship match of the season, and Dimitri Mascarenhas will also be hopeful of selection.
But seam bowlers have struggled at Lord's in recent years, so England may consider going with two spinners, most likely to be Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar.

Injured Khan leaves Windies tour

2009-04-01T21:32:00.001+01:00

Fifth one-day international, St Lucia: West Indies v England Date: Friday, 3 April Play starts: 1430 BST Coverage: Full commentary on Test Match Special on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, BBC Radio 4 Long Wave and BBC Sport website (UK only). Live text commentary on BBC Sport website & mobiles. Also live on Sky Sports

Khan played in the Twenty20 defeat but has not featured in the ODIs
Seamer Amjad Khan is to return home from England's tour of the West Indies because of a cartilage injury.
The Kent player will have treatment back in Britain after being ruled out of Friday's fifth and final one-day international in St Lucia.
Khan flew out to join the Test squad as cover for injuries, making his England debut in the fifth Test in Trinidad.
He then played in the Twenty20 international defeat, but has not featured in any of the ODIs.
The series is level at 2-2 going into Friday's game, for which England duo Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff have been passed fit.
West Indies - whose players' association is in dispute with the country's cricket board, amid threats of strike action affecting the game - have replaced injured spinner Nikita Miller with fellow slow left-armer Sulieman Benn.

Breezing into plush Barbados

2009-03-02T14:17:00.000Z

Well after, to say the least , an eventful week or so in Antigua, the Test Match Special team have moved onto Barbados for the fourth Test in this intriguing series.
There certainly will be quite a contrast between where TMS was broadcast from in Antigua and our surroundings at the Kensington Oval.
The late move to the Antigua Recreation ground meant we were located in a makeshift commentary box which clearly had seen better days.
Although it has to be said that the people at the ground could not have done any more to help us feel comfortable, even though they clearly had much more important priorities to work on ... like getting the rest of the stadium ready for an international fixture with a day's notice!...
Although broadcasting in the open air was a little challenging at times , especially when the wind started to blow , we were able to experience all the excitement of the match -especially the dramatic final afternoon when Sir Vivian Richards simply could not sit down while commentating as he was so caught up in the action.
Here in Barbados we are housed in the magnificent new media centre at the refurbished Kensington Oval which is among others named after our legendary West Indies commentator Tony Cozier. We get fantastic views from our vantage point on the fourth floor not only of the ground but also of downtown Bridgetown and beyond.
This is only my second visit to the Kensington Oval. Two years ago I was here for the farcical World Cup final which provided a fitting climax to a tournament which will not be remembered fondly except by the Australians, who of course lifted the trophy.
After the officials inexplicably failed to interpret the rules correctly we ended up playing out a game in almost total darkness.
My overriding memory of that day was just after the last ball was bowled I went straight out onto the field to try and get some post match interviews.
It was quite literally pitch black out there to the extent that as I walked onto the field I failed to notice a group of performers on stilts almost walking straight into me!
They were part of a closing ceremony which sadly no-one saw because no proper lighting had been organised. It was that sort of evening.
Anyway let's hope things run smoothly this week.
As well as bringing you ball by ball commentary from 1330 on Thursday we also have lots of other interesting things for you.
During the lunch interval on the opening day of the match you'll be able to hear Jonathan Agnew's extensive interview with Giles Clarke, who despite the controversy over the Stanford affair has this week been confirmed as ECB chairman for another two years.
You will also be able to hear a fascinating chat with the man who represents the England players , PCA chief executive Sean Morris, who will have among other things the latest news on Andrew Flintoff and the IPL.
Other highlights include an interview with England's bowling coach Ottis Gibson who is of course originally from here in Barbados.
He'll be telling us about his debut for the island where he had the honour to open the bowling alongside West Indies and Barbados legend Malcolm Marshall.
Gibson's first four overs went for 28 runs, but he remembers getting sympathetic advice from Marshall. He now tries to offer similar words of wisdom to England's fast bowling attack.
Gladstone Small, another Barbados born fast bowler who went on to help England, will also be joining us in the Test Match Special box to share his memories of growing up here and helping to debate while so few recent England players come from the Caribbean community in the UK.
Other guests we are expecting include two of England's most successful spin bowlers Derek Underwood and Phil Tufnell - and as always who knows which other people may wander into the box over the next five days.
So join us from Thursday afternoon - and don't forget to check out the daily TMS podcast with Jonathan Agnew and Geoff Boycott.

England bowlers toil in St Kitts

2009-01-30T12:18:00.000Z

Tour match: West Indies A v England Date: 29-31 January Venue: Warner Park, St Kitts Starts: 1400 GMT each dayCoverage: Regular scorecard updates and daily reports on BBC Sport website
Match scorecard
Report - Tough day for England in St Kitts
England's bowlers were put to the sword on day one of their three-day match against West Indies A in St Kitts, with the hosts 343-2 at close of play.
Eighteen-year-old Adrian Barath (132) and Lendl Simmons (171 not out) put on 262 for the second wicket, with Simmons hitting five sixes and 19 fours.
James Anderson took 1-67 from 20 overs, while Kevin Pietersen took 1-13.
But Ryan Sidebottom, who has not played a first-class game for six months, was the pick of England's seamers.
Sidebottom took 0-40 from 13 overs on a perfect batting track, while Steve Harmison returned figures of 0-60 from 14 overs.

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"It was a fantastic feeling just to be out there," Sidebottom said. "I am chuffed from a personal point of view.
"The wicket is one of the flattest I have played on throughout my career and you just have to keep plugging away.
"There is always trepidation when you come back. As soon as you get a ball in hand you want to go at it 100% but you have to err on the side of caution."
In what is effectively a bowl-off for first Test places in Jamaica next week, Anderson was the only seamer to have any success, removing Kieran Powell in the seventh over.
Simmons, one of a handful of full West Indies internationals in the home side, took full advantage of the conditions to reach his hundred from the first ball after tea.
Fellow Trinidadian Barath followed his lead in spectacular fashion five overs later by lofting all-rounder Paul Collingwood for six.
However, Simmons, whose uncle Phil Simmons represented the Windies for a decade, was the more expansive of the second-wicket pair and, having launched a straight six off Graeme Swann during the morning session, began to pepper the stands once in three figures.
Off-spinner Swann, who finished with figures of 0-96 from 23 overs, was clouted for two sixes in one over and the same fate befell Collingwood soon afterwards.
Barath perished after surpassing his previous career-best of 131 when he cut lazily to point in Pietersen's first over.
England would have claimed a third wicket with the second new ball but wicket-keeper Matt Prior spurned a low chance off Anderson, with Simmons on 159.

BBC renews radio cricket contract

2008-12-23T11:41:00.000Z

The BBC has agreed a new four-year deal with the England and Wales Cricket Board for the international cricket radio rights from 2010 to 2013.
The new contract, which covers ball-by-ball commentary, ensures that Test Match Special (TMS) is guaranteed on the BBC up to and including 2013.
"Test Match Special is one of the 'crown jewels' of BBC Sport," said BBC Sport director Roger Mosey.
"We're delighted that it will continue for four more years."
ECB commercial director John Perera paid tribute to the work of the BBC and TMS.
"BBC's radio coverage of international cricket has set the standard for broadcasting across the world," he said.

"TMS is an iconic programme which has become a part of the very tapestry of British life.
"We are extremely pleased that we have been able to conclude this deal with BBC Radio and look forward to working with them for the next four years."
The ECB says the deal concludes its major broadcasting contracts until 2013, and Perera expressed satisfaction with the deals.
"All sports are finding the tough economic times trying at present," he added. "So to be able to conclude broadcasting deals with Sky Sports, Five, ESPN Star Sports and now BBC Radio, which together show a cumulative above-RPI rise in revenues, is very satisfying.
"I think that this demonstrates that there is real interest and value in cricket in England and Wales."

Tour of India throws up unexpected distractions

2008-11-26T20:41:00.000Z

Watching England in one-day internationals away from home is rarely easy but, after two heavy defeats in Rajkot and Indore, the next five games and the long hours spent between games on the train are starting to look tougher by the day.But away from the cricket itself the first week of England's epic odyssey across the length and breadth of India has thrown up the usual array of the fantastic that tend to become the norm on a tour of this amazing country.Take my TWO TV appearances for instance...
The first was relatively straightforward. The man from BBC News was so stunned that I had decided to follow KP's troops across the subcontinent in the delights of Indian Railways' Sleeper Class that he came down to film me at Ahmedabad railway station en route from Rajkot to Indore.
Taking a simple snap in India still often draws a sizable crowd so you can imagine the interest that was caused by a TV camera pointing at an Englishman slouched on some baggage destined for a faraway location!My second appearance was far stranger and completely unexpected.After a knock at my hotel door the night before England's opening game I was about to open up and tell the chai boy I didn't want another cup of his delicious tea when in burst five Rajkot police officers accompanied by a TV crew!The hotel manager was with them apologising profusely and explained that they were searching all the rooms in the hotel.I never got to the bottom of what they were searching for but whilst the entire contents of my rucksack were ignored my Dad's 60th birthday card enjoyed specific attention! What viewers would have made of a senior police inspector opening and closing the card to show an elephant playing a shot with a cricket bat goodness only knows! Whilst the interest, or more importantly lack of, in India's Test series with Australia has been well documented this definitely hasn't been the case in this ODI Series so far.In both Rajkot and Indore, and now in Kanpur, hotel beds right across the price spectrum have been increasingly tough to come by.With many of the venues slated for this tour rarely seeing international cricket fans from all over the respective states have flooded to the cities to completely fill hotels that are already very busy coping with the start of India's traditional wedding season.As the manager of my hotel in Indore succinctly put it: 'I wish the city suffered from cricket fever more often'!Interest in the games hasn't stopped at the lack of hotel rooms of course.Both games so far have been complete sell-outs with 32,000 packing into Indore's fantastic Maharani Usharaje Trust Cricket Ground and, supposedly, 18,000 squeezing into Rajkot's slightly less salubrious Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground.Even in an empty ground the view afforded in Rajkot isn't what one would expect from an international cricket venue. The bamboo canes and ropes used to hold up the temporary awnings combined with the permanent barbed wire topped metal fence make watching the cricket difficult enough.But when you add a crowd who have cleverly adopted the 'one-person-out, four-people-in' technique during the first session of play to swell the actual attendance way above 20,000 then watching much of the game becomes virtually impossible.Mind you, when you lose by a whopping 158 runs maybe that's no bad thing!

Antigua lights concern Pietersen

2008-10-27T16:26:00.001Z

Stanford Super Series, AntiguaAll games start at 2130 GMT (BBC commentary details in brackets):27 Oct: Trinidad & Tobago v Midd'x (BBC London website/5 Live Sports Extra)28 Oct: England v Trinidad & Tobago (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)30 Oct: Stanford Superstars v Middlesex (BBC London website)1 Nov: Stanford Superstars v England (BBC Radio 5 Live)

Pietersen may draft in a spinner against the Stanford Superstars
Kevin Pietersen says he is concerned about the lighting in Antigua ahead of England's $20m showdown against the Stanford Superstars on Saturday.
England narrowly beat Middlesex in their opening match of the Stanford Super Series on Sunday, but the game was littered with dropped catches.
Poor visibility was a worry for the England captain, with the players practising in the field after the game.
"I am as concerned about the lights as I am about the wicket," said Pietersen.
England could only muster 121-4 from their allocated 20 overs on a slow wicket and the lights provided a further worry for Pietersen who is keen to avoid a situation where a player is responsible for a key dropped catch against the Superstars.
"It is the same for both teams and that is why I had the boys out in the dinner break and after the game.

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"We spent 20 minutes doing that at the end, there aren't going to be many opportunities to catch, so we will do it again in the break and at the end of the game against Trinidad [on Tuesday] because it is a huge factor.
"There could be someone under a $20m catch on Saturday."
Pietersen also admitted he may have to re-think his line-up for Saturday's multi-million pound encounter after the performances of Middlesex spinners Shaun Udal and Murali Kartik, who stifled England.
It was widely expected that England would stick with the team that claimed a 4-0 one-day series victory over South Africa in the summer but, after having to bowl four overs himself, Pietersen admitted he could draft in a spinner - opening the door for Graeme Swann.
"It's definitely something to consider," he said.
"I am not good enough to bowl as the second spinner so it is an option we will think long and hard about.
"It was not probably something I was thinking too much about at the start of the tournament but having watched the last two fixtures it would be stupid of me not to have a look at it."

England set to reveal Test squad

2008-09-28T20:53:00.000+01:00

Patel, Rashid and Swann are all looking for a passage to India
Spin bowlers and wicketkeepers will have their fingers crossed when England name their squad for two Tests in India on Monday at 1230 BST.
Graeme Swann, Adil Rashid and Samit Patel look the best options to support first-choice spinner Monty Panesar.
Keepers Matt Prior and James Foster, meanwhile, have had superb summers and one of them could replace Tim Ambrose.
In Michael Vaughan's absence, Essex's Ravi Bopara and Owais Shah of Middlesex are vying for the spare batting spot.
The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed on Saturday that there would be no place for Vaughan in the party to play Tests in Ahmedabad and Mumbai in December.
The former captain struggled for runs for most of the summer, whether appearing for England or Yorkshire.
And in the final Test against South Africa at The Oval in August, won under Kevin Pietersen's captaincy, only five batsmen were used with all-rounder Andrew Flintoff at six.

IamaterrierEngland will need at least one more batsman in the squad for India, however, and Bopara - who has had a far better season than his main rival Shah in first-class cricket - may be offered the chance to improve a so far modest Test record.
The make-up of the bowling attack is likely to provoke a longer discussion, especially as England utilised two spinners - Panesar and veteran off-spinner Shaun Udal - to beat India in Mumbai in March 2006.
Panesar has had a tough summer in generally damp conditions, but is bound to be selected.
Whether the selectors are brave enough to pick 20-year-old wrist-spinner Rashid - also a handy batsman - is another matter, however.
Rashid finished the summer with a late surge of wickets - he has 62 from the Championship campaign - and would be a popular choice in many quarters.

Prior may replace ex-Sussex team-mate Ambrose behind the stumpsThe Notts pair of Swann and Patel, both in the one-day squad, are more conservative selections. Off-spinner Swann has the advantage of turning the ball the opposite way from Panesar and is the more experienced candidate, while left-armer Patel provides batting strength.
Among the potential keepers, Ambrose is the man in possession of the gloves and has an ECB increment (second-tier) contract, but he had a disappointing summer with the bat.
Essex's Foster - whose first Test tour with England was the 2001 trip to India - is recognised as the supreme gloveman on the circuit at present, and he hit 912 runs this season in the Championship at an average of 50.66.
Prior's batting numbers are similar, and stand up well given that, unlike Foster, he has faced Division One bowling.
He is not quite as tidy behind the wickets, but has improved a lot since last winter and has already been chosen for the one-day side, which will take on India prior to the start of the Test series.
With just two Tests to be played, England may choose not to take a second wicketkeeper.
Although that would be seen as a gamble if the first-choice keeper were to be injured on the morning of the match, Australia have not named a reserve keeper as cover for Brad Haddin for their upcoming four-Test tour of India.
England's one-day squad will be in India from early November to play seven matches across the country, with the Test specialists expected to join them ahead of the warm-up match in Baroda which starts on 5 December.
Possible England squad: Kevin Pietersen (capt), Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Matt Prior (wk), Stuart Broad, Steve Harmison, James Anderson, Monty Panesar, Ryan Sidebottom, Ravi Bopara, Adil Rashid.

Rhodes plays down Jones concerns

2008-08-20T11:50:00.001+01:00

Injured Simon Jones is not expected to play again this season
Worcestershire director of cricket Steve Rhodes has played down the seriousness of the latest injury setback to star paceman Simon Jones.
Injuries have prevented the 29-year-old from playing for England since the 2005 Ashes series and Jones now requires surgery on a knee cartilage problem.
"It is a wear-and-tear injury. I am confident he will be fine in the long term," said Rhodes.
"Simon is a bit down. He is sick to the back teeth with injuries."
Jones was one of the stars of England's 2005 Ashes campaign, playing the first four Tests and taking 18 wickets as his reverse swing baffled Australia.
But an ankle injury ruled him out of the series-clinching match at The Oval and the problems quickly began to mount for Jones, with a serious knee injury keeping him out of action for almost two years.
A move from Glamorgan to Worcestershire in October 2007 seemed to have changed his luck as Jones shone with 42 championship wickets at an average of only 18.02 and began to be talked about in England terms again.

JAMES_WWFCJones was included in England's preliminary 30-man squad for the Champions Trophy in September but a scan has revealed Jones needs minor surgery to clean up his knee.
"He's disappointed not to reach some of the targets he set himself, such as 50 championship wickets this season," added Rhodes.
"But the arthroscopy is just a service really and the result of a career as an impact fast bowler."
Rhodes added: "He has done marvellously for us. He has given our attack something it didn't have. He has been an aggressive, impact bowler and I've been delighted with him.
"He has made the England selectors notice him and to make the initial squad for the Champions Trophy was a fantastic effort.
"The goal was to get him through to the end of the season and we almost got there but if you had asked me at the start of the season, I'd have settled for what we've had from Simon during the past four months."

ECB hopes for Twenty20 compromise

2008-07-28T10:26:00.000+01:00

Kent won the 2007 Twenty20 Cup, but have two ICL players
The England and Wales Cricket Board is confident Middlesex and Kent will be allowed to compete in the new Twenty20 Champions League tournament.
The ECB has been warned English sides will be frozen out if they fail to adhere to rules on player eligibility.
But ECB chief executive David Collier believes a compromise will be reached.
"I would be bitterly disappointed if all four nations aren't represented by their two top teams," he told BBC Radio 5 Live on Sunday.
Organisers of the Twenty20 Champions League say teams will only be allowed to take part in the multi-million pound event if they do not use players who have featured in the rebel Indian Cricket League.
Middlesex, winners of Saturday's Twenty20 Cup, do not have any ICL players in their ranks, but Kent, who were runners-up, do, namely Azhar Mahmood and Justin Kemp.
At present, the ECB has said it is unwilling to give its backing to the Champions League in its current format.

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It says it is unhappy with several aspects of the proposal, including the ban on ICL players, which might prove unworkable in England because of existing employment legislation.
Another sticking point is the number of overseas players teams are allowed to field. Some countries permit more, others less. That, says Collier, is unfair.
The ECB is also understood to want a greater say in the running of the Champions League and a bigger financial stake in the competition.
"It is quite complex," said Collier. "We will be discussing with our counterparts in Australia, South Africa and India to try to iron out the last few items within the rules and regulations.
"We've got three or four areas to resolve but we're confident the Champions League will take place in September/October."
The ECB's stance has not gone down well with Lalit Modi, one of the driving forces behind the Champions League and the vice president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
He is remaining firm on the ICL issue saying the tournament could go ahead without any English teams taking part.
"We have everybody on board going forward, apart from the ECB, who have some reservations in terms of structure and ownership," he told Radio 5 Live.
"We hope the ECB will be part of it, but if they are unreasonable or unable to adhere to the rules and regulations of the tournament then it will be unfortunate but they will not be able to participate.
"We have a final meeting with our members in Bombay on Wednesday and hope to make an announcement then. We will go ahead, with or without the ECB."

The popularity of Twenty20 cricket has soared since its inception in 2003, prompting a glut of tournaments on the domestic and international calendars.
As well as the IPL, ICL and Twenty20 Cup, England have agreed to play five lucrative Twenty20 matches in the Caribbean over the next five years after signing a deal with Texan-born businessman Sir Allen Stanford.
A new Twenty20 English Premier League is to start in 2010, too, while there are plans for a rival to Modi's Champions League competition.
Modi is unconcerned that the calendar may become too congested.
"There are many cricket tournaments that take place around the world - the ECB have another one with Stanford - but each one caters to a different market," he said.
"Does Stanford help or hinder us? Neither of the two.
"He is doing something to develop cricket in his part of the world and he has a concept in place where his team plays English teams and the winner takes all.
'I'm sure they'll have a market for it and it may be appeal to certain fans around the world. But, at the end of the day, we welcome competition.
"I would welcome the EPL, too. Most countries are going to be launching some sort of domestic Premier League concept. Our concept is very different to what is being proposed by the ECB."

Zimbabwe gathers ICC vote support

2008-06-30T15:33:00.001+01:00

The UK government wants cricket to take a hard line against Zimbabwe
Support for Zimbabwe appears to be growing in the sub-continent ahead of this week's International Cricket Council meeting in Dubai.
The England and Wales Cricket Board has already stated it will not host a tour by Zimbabwe next year.
And Cricket South Africa has also cut its ties with Zimbabwe because of the political situation in the country.
But India and Pakistan have indicated they will not support any move to expel Zimbabwe from the ICC.
"There is no reason to remove Zimbabwe," said Niranjan Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
"We understand England's position because their government wants Zimbabwe out but we will back Zimbabwe to stay in the ICC."

The Pakistan Cricket Board, meanwhile, has made it clear that it will send its A team on a tour to Zimbabwe in August as scheduled, irrespective of any action taken by the ICC, who have a board meeting on Wednesday and Thursday.
And the Press Trust of India has quoted a PCB spokesman as saying: "We don't think Zimbabwe cricket should face penalties because of political issues in that country. We will not support any sanctions."
Seven of the 10 full ICC members would have to vote in favour of expulsion for such a proposal to go through - and Zimbabwe itself is one of the 10.
If India and Pakistan line up alongside them, it would only require one more vote in Zimbabwe's favour for the proposal to be defeated.
If, however, Zimbabwe Cricket retains its full member status, England's hopes of hosting next year's ICC World Twenty20 tournament could be put in jeopardy.
Although the ICC would not take punitive action against the ECB for preventing Zimbabwe touring in the light of a formal government instruction, refusal to allow a full member to take part in the World Twenty20 could result in the tournament being moved elsewhere.
Such a move would be a huge financial blow to the ECB, with huge crowds expected at the three grounds chosen to host matches. The tournament schedule has already been published and tickets went on sale at 1000 BST on Monday.
The UK government will reassess the situation if the ICC insists that Zimbabwe play in the World Twenty20 but is holding a firm line in its calls for a boycott because of the close links between Zimbabwe Cricket and the regime of president Robert Mugabe.
Culture secretary Andy Burnham told BBC Five Live's Sportsweek: "The first step is we'll meet the ECB, listen to their report back of the meeting and consider the arguments.
"If we haven't held sway we would listen to the arguments of the other ICC members but our position is completely clear.
"We think, in the current circumstances in Zimbabwe, it isn't right for any tour to take place."
However, he added: "I would not want to be in a position of overruling a governing body in sport. I vigorously defend the independence of our sporting bodies and will always to that."

ECB chief opposes franchise plans

2008-04-29T19:40:00.000+01:00

Giles Clarke feels the 18 first-class counties should remain
ECB chairman Giles Clarke has revealed he is strongly opposed to any plans to merge the 18 first-class counties into a smaller number of "city franchises".
The option has been put forward by the Professional Cricketers' Association as an answer to the Indian Premier League.
But Clarke said: "Franchise sport has simply never worked in the UK.
"Tradition and history rather than Bollywood stars and glitz are what persuade supporters to return week in, week out, to our grounds."
Speaking at the ECB's AGM on Wednesday, Clarke said his vision of an English Premier League would be based on the traditional model rather than new teams.
PCA chief executive Sean Morris said in an interview last Friday: "When you look at the broadcasting deal that will drive it, and for sponsorship partners and for fans, does playing 18 teams really stack up?"
I hope to give more details in the days and weeks ahead, but I can guarantee that everyone in the game - from playground to Test arena - will benefit
Giles Clarke
But Clarke refuted the concept of a slimmer league structure along the lines of the IPL, which features eight teams.
He said "Some of the ideas spouted in the media have been frankly ludicrous.
"Can you, I was asked by a leading television executive, imagine cricket lovers rushing down St John's Wood Road to see a franchise called Vodafone Team London owned by an ageing rock star?
"There has never yet been a successful Team London in any sport and nor is there likely to be any support for a Team Manchester or Team Leeds from traditional areas of rivalry such as Liverpool or Sheffield.
"When ECB launched their own Twenty20 Cup it was on the back of extensive spectator research and financial analysis.
"This is an exercise we will repeat before launching any new competition because we have said this tournament must be robust, spectator-friendly and economically sustainable."

Some of the individual counties' chief executives and chairmen favour a smaller number of teams, while others agree with Clarke.
American billionaire Sir Allen Stanford told BBC Sport last Thursday he was ready to invest heavily in an English version of the IPL, which he felt could be worth as much as £500m.
Clarke said: "I thank Sir Allen for his interest in cricket in England and Wales, and most of all I thank him for believing the ECB is the right vehicle through which to expand his patronage in cricket.
"I hope to give more details in the days and weeks ahead, but I can guarantee that everyone in the game - from playground to Test arena - will benefit from this deal."
The issue of sledging in modern-day cricket was also addressed by Clarke, who warned Test players must be role models.
He did not rule out the use of yellow cards "for repeat offences of sledges" in amateur cricket.

Flintoff hit by fresh ankle worry

2007-09-02T10:04:00.000+01:00

Flintoff has only just returned to action after a knee problemEngland all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is to see a specialist after suffering fresh problems with his left ankle.
He missed Sunday's one-day game against India at Headingley, but England hope he will rejoin the squad in time for the match at The Oval on Wednesday.
Flintoff underwent a third operation earlier this year.
But he experienced further discomfort following last Thursday's win over India at Old Trafford, having missed the previous game with a sore knee.
A team spokesman insisted on Saturday, however, that the two problems were unrelated.

India thwarted by Bresnan century

2007-07-13T21:48:00.000+01:00

Bresnan played a variety of shots in his chanceless centuryA superb unbeaten 116 from Yorkshire all-rounder Tim Bresnan guided England Lions to 379-8 after the opening day of the tour game with India at Chelmsford.
The 22-year-old hit 15 fours and a six in his second first-class century.
He shared 129 in 31 overs with Stuart Broad, who added 50 to halt a slide in which three wickets fell for 11 runs.
After skipper Andrew Strauss was clean bowled for one by Zaheer Khan in the fifth over, Kent opener Joe Denly made an impressive 83 containing 16 fours.
Strauss won the toss and elected to bat in cloudy conditions, on a ground where Essex and Nottinghamshire accumulated almost 1500 runs in two innings in the last match.
India were led by Sachin Tendulkar with Test captain Rahul Dravid rested due to a calf injury.
Strauss looked out of sorts from the start, however, and just a single from 17 balls before his off-stump was sent spiralling out of the ground did little for his confidence ahead of the first Test against the tourists starting at Lord's on 19 July.
Shah, who enjoyed a successful return to England's one-day side against the West Indies, hit two fours in his 11, but he went at a short ball from Shantha Sreesanth and found the hands of Zaheer running around at fine-leg.

Strauss failed to shake off his poor run of form
Playing in just his 13th first-class match, Denly caught the eye with some attractive drives, smashing five boundaries in a single over from Zaheer.
The 21-year-old Kent opener took just 49 balls to reach his half-century and continued to make hay with 76 runs in the morning session.
South-African born Warwickshire batsman Jonathan Trott, who made his England debut against the West Indies in the recent Twenty20 series, played a more reserved innings in support and reached 25 by lunch.
Denly was not so fluent after the interval, with the introduction of Ramesh Powar's spin, and a charge down the wicket saw him comfortably stumped by Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Zaheer then found his rhythm and tempted Trott into driving at a ball outside off-stump, the edge caught at waist height by Sourav Ganguly at first slip.
Two wickets then fell in six deliveries as India looked to wrap up the innings.
First wicket-keeper Tim Ambrose (4) got a feather of a top-edge trying to drive Zaheer square, the catch taken by Dhoni, then Yorkshire teenager Adil Rashid offered Powar an easy return catch without scoring.
Essex all-rounder Ravi Bopara helped to rescue the situation with Bresnan, who launched Powar for the only six of the day over mid-wicket.
Bopara shared 40 in 10 overs with Bresnan before his attractive innings of 29 containing four fours was ended in the final over before tea.
Tendulkar brought himself into the attack and with his fifth ball tempted 22-year-old Bopara to push a sharp catch off the face of the bat to short-leg.

Denly's growing reputation was further enhanced by a fine knock
Broad took advantage of two reprieves early in his innings to justify his promise as a batsman with some clean hitting until spooing a low catch to point. Having moved into the 90s with two fours in three balls, Bresnan passed three figures with three boundaries in an over from Zaheer.
India's cause was not helped by rangy teenage seamer Ishant Sharma, who sent down a total of 15 no-balls in a troublesome 12-over spell.
England captain Strauss was delighted his young batsmen had got the team out of an awkward situation on the opening day.
"I thought we showed a lot of character in that final session, hopefully we can build on that," he said.
Of centurion Bresnan he said: "He has made some useful scores for Yorkshire and he got stuck in."
Strauss was also delighted with opening partner Denly, aged only 21.
"He really took the game to them and it's good to see a guy who hasn't played at this level before play with no fear," the skipper said. "This is a showcase even under a little bit more pressure than you have in a normal county game. Joe took it to them and has come out of it with a great deal of credit."
Strauss, who made only one half century in the Test series against the West Indies, admitted that his form was a concern, but was confident he would soon be back in the runs.
"The more runs I can get before the Test match the better and another low score wouldn't be ideal," he said.
"It's hard work trying to grind out runs when you're not in the form you'd like to be but it only takes one innings or a couple of shots even to turn things around."

FOURTH NPOWER TEST, RIVERSIDE:England v West IndiesPlay starts Friday 1100 BST

2007-06-15T09:46:00.000+01:00

Hoggard will add extra control to England's pace attack
Matthew Hoggard and Ryan Sidebottom could be the key figures for England in the fourth Test against West Indies.
Hoggard is fit again following a groin strain and eager to join forces with former Yorkshire team-mate Sidebottom at the Riverside.
"If we can get the ball swinging, which it tends to do here, we can really put them under pressure," said Vaughan.
But dreadful weather kept the players indoors on Thursday, and the forecast for the opening day is very poor.
News conference: England captain Michael Vaughan
After that, however, brighter conditions are expected.
England hold a winning 2-0 lead in the series after their 60-run win at Old Trafford last week and the return of Hoggard - a "beautiful bowler of a swinging ball", according to Vaughan - for local boy Liam Plunkett will be the only change.
Hoggard, 30, and Sidebottom, 29, shared 53 wickets when Yorkshire won the County Championship in 2001.
And Hoggard said: "Ryan's done really well - it will be rolling back the years.
"It's a while since I've opened the bowling with him, but we enjoyed it last time we did it and I'm sure we'll enjoy it this time."
Vaughan expects England to be stronger after a tough match in the third Test.

England's players were confined to the indoor nets on Thursday
"They fought very hard, but we got asked a lot of questions and answered them in the right manner. It got a little bit tight at the end and your team definitely grows quicker when you win a game like that," he said.
England's main concern is the form of opener Andrew Strauss, who some felt was lucky to be given another chance after averaging 15 in the series so far.
"It's just not happening [for him] at the minute, and when you go through spells like this as a batsman, you've just got to dig in there, keep believing, keep going through your routines, and it will change.
"He got two decent deliveries at Old Trafford , swinging back into the left-hander, pretty quick deliveries as well, but I'm sure there's score around the corner," Vaughan told BBC Sport.
The England skipper has urged spinner Monty Panesar, man of the match at Old Trafford with 10 wickets, to carry on appealing with as much enthusiasm as ever.
606: DEBATE
If Hoggard and Sidebottom get the ball to swing, it will be interesting to see how West Indies cope
SK
Words were exchanged between the Northants slow bowler and umpire Aleem Dar - and the same umpire is on duty at Chester-le-Street.
But Vaughan said: "We all love Monty Panesar - he appeals, he celebrates with a high-five, he misses the odd high-five and he's brilliant for the game.
"We don't want that taken away. He's entertaining a lot of people - let him continue."
West Indies, meanwhile, are hoping fast bowler Fidel Edwards can raise his game another level after some promising signs that his pace and bounce can upset England's batsmen.
Edwards played his first Test of the series at Old Trafford, and though he is unlikely to get the same response from the surface at the Riverside, coach David Moore remains confident.
"Fidel came in and bowled on a wicket that was hard and had a lot of bounce. He'd been short of top-quality cricket, so he needed some time to find his feet."

Fidel Edwards has the speed to unsettle England's batsmen
But skipper Daren Ganga was less impressive, with scores of five and nought, falling early to Steve Harmison both times.
Moore said: "Daren's an excellent tactician and excellent captain.
"Unfortunately we haven't seen the best of his batting yet, but over the last six to eight months he's been averaging 40-plus, so I'm hoping his batting will come good for us."
Ganga, meanwhile, urged his team to maintain self-belief despite not winning any of their last 19 Tests.
He said: "It's very difficult for young players coming into a team that is not winning and having to put in a big effort time and time again and getting nothing at the end of it.
"We all have to ensure we have the right work ethic and believe strongly that we are going to win."
This is the third Test - and biggest to date - to be staged at the Riverside, after easy wins for England against Zimbabwe in 2003 and Bangladesh two years later.
England (from): Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Michael Vaughan (capt), Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Matthew Prior (wk), Stephen Harmison, Ryan Sidebottom, Matthew Hoggard, Monty Panesar, James Anderson.
West Indies (from): Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga (capt), Devon Smith, Runako Morton, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Darren Sammy, Jerome Taylor, Fidel Edwards, Corey Collymore, Daren Powell
Umpires: Billy Bowden (NZ) and Aleem Dar (Pkn).

Second Test, Headingley, day one (lunch):England 91-2 v West Indies

2007-05-25T14:11:00.000+01:00

Vaughan played some fluent strokes on the first morning
Captain Michael Vaughan made a cautious start as England reached 91-2 at lunch on the first day of the second Test against the West Indies at Headingley.
Vaughan, who came to the crease after Andrew Strauss fell for 15, struck four fours to reach 25 on his Test return.
He shared 53 with Alastair Cook, before Cook fell lbw to Chris Gayle for 42 off the final ball of the session.
England recalled seamer Ryan Sidebottom after a six-year gap, while West Indies were without injured Shiv Chanderpaul.
Vaughan, returning to the Test arena after an 18-month absence because of a series of injuries, chose to bat as early cloud gave way to sunshine.
Strauss might have gone first ball when he fended a short ball from Daren Powell uppishly but Daren Ganga was deeper than the standard short-leg and could not gather diving forward.
Powell and new ball partner Corey Collymore were inconsistent again and Strauss latched on to two loose deliveries to despatch trademark square cuts.

Strauss succumbs to a wide delivery from Powell
A routine outside edge failed to carry to first slip, Gayle receiving a painful knock on the shin that was to require treatment in the pavilion.
But Strauss added only a single before his main strength proved his undoing in the ninth over as he attempted another cut at an even wider one from Powell and got a bottom edge to wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin.
Vaughan took 34 balls to record his first boundary, swivelling to pull Powell through mid-wicket.
Contrasting, consecutive boundaries quickly followed off Taylor, a thick edge through the gully followed by a sumptous, classical off-drive as the captain began to find his touch.
Cook, who has yet to score a duck in Test cricket and has been dismissed in single figures only five times in 28 innings, comfortably moved towards his fifth half-century.
Gayle was given the almost customary pre-lunch over of spin, but far from being a token of uneventfulness, it brought the languid Jamaican reward.
Umpire Asad Rauf continued his policy of giving spinners lbw decisions that often used to be denied them when he gave Cook out propping forward defensively.

Vaughan doubtful for Lord's Test

2007-05-04T22:12:00.000+01:00

Vaughan had scored 72 in Yorkshire's first inningsEngland captain Michael Vaughan is likely to miss the first Test against West Indies on 17 May after suffering a broken finger during a county game.
He was playing for Yorkshire against Hampshire when he was hit by a rising ball from Australian Stuart Clark.
He has an undisplaced fracture to the middle finger of his right hand.
"It looks like he might be out for three to four weeks, but it's too early to say with absolute certainty," said Yorkshire physio Scott McAllister.

"It's desperately bad luck for Michael after the succession of problems he's had to contend with, and we will be monitoring his progress over the next few days," he told the Yorkshire Post newspaper.
However, the England and Wales Cricket Board have not yet ruled the 32-year-old out of the match.
"Vaughan will undergo further assessment ahead of the first Test match against the West Indies at Lord's on May 17," read a brief ECB statement.
Vaughan has not played a Test match since December 2005, having sat out the whole of last summer and the winter Ashes series following knee surgery.

He suffered a hamstring problem after making his comeback during the one-day series which followed the Tests in Australia, but recovered in time to play in all England's matches at the recent World Cup.
The match against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl was Vaughan's first since returning from the Caribbean and he looked in good form making 72 on the opening day.
He was 16 not out in the second innings when he was struck by Clark and forced to retire hurt. The fracture of his right middle finger was later confirmed by x-ray.
If Vaughan is ruled out of the first Test at Lord's, England will face a dilemma over who should replace him as skipper.
Andrew Flintoff led the team in the Ashes Tests, but was stripped of the vice-captaincy for disciplinary reasons during the World Cup and is unlikely to be elevated again.
It may therefore come down to a straight choice between Andrew Strauss, who stood in for Vaughan during last summer's series against Pakistan, or Paul Collingwood.
"To get mentioned with the captaincy is obviously a great feeling. But Michael's been doing a fantastic job. He may yet be fit for that first Test so we'll just going to have to wait and see," said Collingwood.
"I've done a few games for Durham a couple of seasons ago.
"I enjoy the challenges of captaincy but, as I've said, hopefully this will be in the future and hopefully Michael Vaughan will be fit."

England name Moores as new coach

2007-04-20T21:22:00.000+01:00

Moores led Sussex to Championship glory in 2003England have named Peter Moores as the permanent successor to departing head coach Duncan Fletcher.
Moores, currently the National Cricket Academy director, will start on 1 May.
The appointment comes less than a day after Fletcher decided to step down after eight years in the role following England's exit from the World Cup.
"Peter has been identified for some time as a leading candidate as a future England head coach," said ECB chief executive David Collier.

The 44-year-old coached Sussex to their first County Championship title in 2003 and took charge of the National Academy in 2005.
He has coached England A and worked with most of the current England team but has neither played nor managed a team at the highest level.
It was thought his main rivals for the job were Sri Lanka's Tom Moody, Bangladesh's Dav Whatmore and New Zealand's John Bracewell - who all have experience at the top level.
But Moores said: "It is an honour to have been appointed as head coach and to succeed Duncan, who has been an outstanding coach of the England team.

An emotional Fletcher informed the England players on Thursday
"I have enjoyed my two years at the National Academy and my role with the England teams.
"The challenge of this new role excites me and I look forward to meeting up with the players on their return to the United Kingdom and to leading England to success in both Test and one-day cricket."
Collier added: "The ECB has developed a contingency and succession plan for all key management positions and this is part of that.
"Peter is highly respected as an innovative and inspiring coach and is an ideal person to accept this appointment.
"In addition to the preparation of the Test team for the npower Test series versus the West Indies in four weeks' time, Peter will also commence the important work of preparing a new strategy for one-day cricket."
The appointment was backed by England captain Michael Vaughan, who said: "He's obviously got a great record at Sussex and he's done really well at the Academy. He's got a great enthusiasm for the game, he's forward-thinking and I really do think it's a great appointment for the English game.
"He's got a great opportunity. The England team and the English game has got a lot of talent and we have to find the character and attitude to match that - but we have got a lot of talent to work with."
One player who could benefit from Moores's elevation is Sussex's wicket-keeper/batsman Matt Prior, who dismissed fears about his former coach's lack of international experience.
"His personality, enthusiasm for the game, and his ability to motivate individuals make him stand out," he told BBC Five Live.
"As for experience - look at what John Buchanan has achieved with Australia.
"It would be very easy to pin that on him but people should look at the positives he could bring to the England team."
In a vote on the BBC Sport website, a clear majority 68% of nearly 8,000 respondents said Moores was the right man to take over as England head coach, with 32% disagreeing.

'No threats of death' to Woolmer

2007-03-23T21:34:00.000Z

Bob Woolmer had coached Pakistan since 2004
The family of murdered Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer says it was unaware of any threats to his life.
In a statement, the family also said it had no knowledge of Woolmer's involvement in match-fixing, the source of some speculation in the media.
Jamaican police probing Woolmer's death say they could be searching for more than one attacker.
Woolmer, who was 58, was strangled in his room hours after Pakistan lost to Ireland in the cricket World Cup.
The defeat dumped Pakistan - a talented but erratic team ranked fourth in the world - out of the competition.
Police say Woolmer may have known his killer or killers, and are studying video footage from the Pegasus Hotel in the Jamaican capital, Kingston, where he was killed.
Family 'devastated'
Flanked by Woolmer's widow, Gill, and their sons, Dale and Russell, Woolmer's agent, Michael Cohen, read a statement to reporters outside the family home in Cape Town, South Africa.
BOB WOOLMER TIMELINE

1. 17 Mar: Ireland beat Pakistan2. 18 Mar, 10.45am: Woolmer found unconscious in hotel room3. 18 Mar, 12.14pm: Pronounced dead at hospitalPhoto: Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center.
"To the best of the family's knowledge, there is absolutely nothing to suggest Bob was involved in match-fixing," Mr Cohen said.
"Contrary to reports, we can confirm there is nothing in any book Bob has written that would explain this situation and there were no threats received."
Reports in the media have suggested Woolmer might have been working on a book exposing illegal gambling in cricket matches.
The statement said the family were devastated by Woolmer's death and were struggling to come to terms with it.
A post-mortem examination established that the former England player died as a result of "manual strangulation".
Members of the Pakistan team and staff have already been interviewed, and plan to return home at the weekend.
Lines of inquiry
Suspicions that the coach may have known anyone who attacked him have been raised after it emerged there were no signs of forced entry at his hotel room in Kingston and none of his possessions was taken.
Bob was a large man - it would have taken some significant force to subdue him
Mark ShieldsDeputy police commissioner
Woolmer was found unconscious by staff at the Pegasus Hotel on Sunday morning.
The deputy commissioner of the Jamaican police, Mark Shields, said this might now be a hunt for more than one killer, and urged the perpetrators to hand themselves in.
"Bob was a large man. It would have taken some significant force to subdue him," he said, adding that police were ruling nothing out and had "lots of lines of inquiry".
"I have to say at this stage that it looks as if it may be somebody who's somehow linked to him, because clearly he let somebody into his hotel room and it may be that he knew who that person was," Mr Shields told the BBC.
Mr Shields also "unequivocally dismissed" Indian television reports that arrests had been made.
"That's nonsense, as far as I'm concerned. There's actually no truth in that," he said.
The BBC's Andy Gallacher in Kingston says that Bob Woolmer's murder has stunned the cricketing world and left the World Cup in disarray.

England soundly beaten by Aussies

2007-03-10T08:07:00.000Z

World Cup warm-up, St Vincent, Australia: 200-5 (40.5 ovs) bt England 197 (48.3 ovs) by 5 wkts
Scorecard

Watson made short work of the modest victory targetEngland succumbed to a five-wicket defeat against Australia in the final World Cup warm-up match at St Vincent.
Shane Watson and Adam Gilchrist shared 140 within 24 overs, and though both fell in consecutive overs, the target of 198 was reached with 55 balls left.
Michael Vaughan (62) won the toss and shared 116 for the second wicket with Ian Bell (56) as England scented a fourth successive win over Australia.
But others did not master a slow pitch as two fours came in the last 24 overs.

With a modest total to defend England needed a good start in the field, and Monty Panesar's misfield at fine-leg, which allowed Watson a boundary in the first over from James Anderson, did not provide it.
Jon Lewis conceded three no-balls in his first two overs and was flicked over mid-wicket for six by Watson in the sixth over.

Flintoff looked completely out of form in St Vincent
Sajid Mahmood's attempted slower ball summed up England's day, trickling way down the leg-side, bouncing in front of Paul Nixon and away for five wides, his opening two overs costing 20.
With Vaughan off the field as expected to rest his hamstring, Paul Collingwood found himself in charge when Andrew Flintoff also went off having experienced more discomfort with his ankle.
One of Collingwood's first decisions was to introduce Panesar, and he struck when Watson's cut was smartly taken low at point by Kevin Pietersen.
Mahmood was fortunate in the next over when another delivery heading down the leg-side was glanced by Gilchrist and well caught by a diving Nixon.
Panesar might have had a second wicket when Liam Plunkett just failed to cling on to a one-handed diving attempt at deep mid-off when Michael Clarke lofted a drive.
With 42 still needed, Jamie Dalrymple found some gentle turn and Ricky Ponting got an inside edge into his stumps as he tried to make room to cut.
Flintoff returned to bowl with no obvious ill-effects, but Australia ticked off the runs and appeared to be coasting.
With eight needed Brad Hodge got a leading edge to give Collingwood a return catch, then two runs later Mike Hussey played down the wrong line and was bowled by Lewis for a duck.
Any thoughts of a collapse were quashed when Brad Haddin dispatched a full toss from Collingwood over square-leg for six to end the match in style.
England again decided to omit Andrew Strauss and Ravi Bopara for the 13-a-side game, and it now seems unlikely either will feature in next Friday's opening World Cup group game against New Zealand.
Australia were boosted by Gilchrist's return, the keeper having arrived in the Caribbean late following the birth of his third child.

He showed no signs of rustiness, and was standing up to the stumps to seam bowlers Nathan Bracken, Glenn McGrath and Stuart Clark.
Bracken was entrusted with the first over and immediately found some away swing, albeit at a gentle pace.
But Tait proved a different propostion with his pace through the air and surprised Ed Joyce, who was trapped in front for five in the second over.
Tait also bowled two wides and was taken out of the attack after two overs, with four bowling changes made in the first 15 overs.
Vaughan showed glimpses of his best form with some delightful strokes, including three fours off Mitchell Johnson in the left-armer's second over.
He pulled a good length ball from McGrath to the boundary in imperious fashion, much to the chagrin of the veteran seamer.

Brad Hogg made the breakthrough, luring Bell out of his ground, and in his next over he accounted for Vaughan, the England skipper skewing a cut to Shane Watson at gully.
As Ponting completed his powerplays at the start of the 29th over, Pietersen became the third wicket to fall in 15 minutes.
Attempting to turn Tait through mid-wicket, he got an inside edge onto the pad and the ball looped gently to Hogg running in from cover.
Flintoff looked all at sea, particularly against Hogg's chinamen, and having scratched his way to 13 from 31 balls, he top-edged to deep mid-wicket.
One run later in the next over, Collingwood, who earlier just eluded the field with a top-edge, mis-timed another pull and found mid-on.
Clark took his third wicket when Plunkett tried to force the ball away on the off-side and got an inside edge into leg-stump.
Tait accounted for Mahmood in similar fashion and collected his fourth scalp with a pacy yorker that trapped last man Lewis.

Shoaib and Asif to miss World Cup

2007-03-01T08:37:00.000Z

Shoaib (left) and Asif will not travel to the Caribbean with PakistanPakistan pace bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif have been ruled out of the World Cup due to injury.
Shoaib has been unable to recover from a knee injury that forced him to be sent back from South Africa in January.
Asif has been carrying a niggling elbow problem since that tour, and neither will be fit enough for the tournament starting on 13 March.
Yasir Arafat and Mohammad Sami will replace the pace duo and join the squad in the Caribbean at a later date.
"It is a big blow for us, but I am confident that Yasir Arafat and Mohammad Sami will live up to the expectations," team coach Bob Woolmer said.
"They will join the team in a week's time and we hope to overcome our injury problems with a united team effort."
Pakistan play hosts West Indies in the opening match of the World Cup on the first day of the tournament.
The squad flies out to the West Indies later on Thursday.
Their withdrawal has nothing to do with doping
Pervez MirPakistan Cricket Board
Shoaib (knee and hamstring) and Asif (elbow) have been in the news for doping issues as well as injury-related matters.
They both tested positive for nandrolone last September but had lengthy doping bans quashed on appeal in December after claiming they had not knowingly taken the banned substance.
The World Anti-Doping Agency is in turn contesting that appeal result in the Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Pakistan Cricket Board asked all its players to submit for drugs tests by 28 February.
Shoaib and Asif did not do so, raising unsubstantiated speculation that they still had traces of nandrolone in their system.
But PCB spokesman Pervez Mir insisted: "Their withdrawal has nothing to do with doping.
"They were due to feature in dope tests once they regained full fitness but for us the chapter is now closed.
"We did our best and waited because [captain] Inzamam[-ul-Haq] wanted them in the team as they are our best bowlers.
"But reports of their injuries were not good and we could not have waited any more."
Arafat is an all-rounder who bowls medium pace and has played just seven one-day internationals, while Sami is an experienced paceman.

Tuffey earns New Zealand recall

2007-02-12T22:57:00.000Z

Tuffey has been kept out of action with a shoulder injuryFast bowler Daryl Tuffey has been recalled to New Zealand's 15-man squad for next month's World Cup in the West Indies after a two-year absence.
Tuffey edged out Test fast bowler Chris Martin and all-rounder Andre Adams to replace the injured Kyle Mills.
He last played a limited overs match for New Zealand against Australia in February 2005.
Injuries have kept him out since but New Zealand coach John Bracewell remains confident of Tuffey's fitness.
"We wanted an up front, outswing, new-ball bowler and Daryl fitted the bill," Bracewell said.
The other 14 members of the New Zealand squad, which will be captained by Stephen Fleming, were all involved in the recent Commonwealth Bank series against Australia and England.
Craig McMillan retains his position, despite not enjoying the best of form in the series.
Tuffey's call-up re-establishes his successful new-ball partnership with Shane Bond.
Bond's pace and Tuffey's ability to swing the ball in the early overs of limited overs matches became a useful formula for New Zealand before Tuffey's string of injuries.
New Zealand will face England, Canada and Kenya in Pool C of the World Cup, in a group based at St Lucia.
New Zealand squad: Stephen Fleming (captain), Daniel Vettori, Daryl Tuffey, Shane Bond, James Franklin, Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, Brendon McCullum, Craig McMillan, Michael Mason, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Lou Vincent.

England worry over bowling pair

2007-01-25T20:42:00.000Z

One-day series, Adelaide: Australia v EnglandMatch starts 0315 GMT Friday

Lewis (ankle) and Anderson (back) could both miss outOpening bowlers Jon Lewis and James Anderson are both injury doubts for England going into Friday's one-day match against Australia in Adelaide.
Anderson (back) and Lewis (ankle) both missed Thursday practice but Anderson's MRI showed no stress fracture.
"There is a difference between having a stiff back and the sort of pain I was getting when I had the stress fracture.
"It is one of those things you expect as a fast bowler. The scan was just a check that everything was OK," he said.
Any two of young seamers Chris Tremlett, Sajid Mahmood or Liam Plunkett could play in their place.
"The players who have come in are capable of stepping up to the plate," said veteran Paul Collingwood.
"Tremlett had a bit of an outing in Brisbane and looked pretty impressive."

Collingwood hopes a re-match with Australia at the ground where he hit a historic Ashes double hundred in December will help him overcome his own poor form.
Since then he has made 104 in six Test innings and only 63 more in four one-day matches.
"The form has tailed off but I am working as hard as I always do." he said.
"Every player goes through dips in form but you are only one score away from getting that back and that is what you have to keep believing."

We are big enough and have played enough games to say we have to go out there and perform
Paul Collingwood
Going into the Australia Day match, Collingwood's form has come in for scrutiny because of injuries around him in the batting order.
Captain Michael Vaughan (hamstring) is expected back for Tuesday's match against New Zealand in Perth but Kevin Pietersen (rib) is out for the rest of the tournament.
"I have obviously been thinking about it, trying to improve, trying to get some runs on the board and do my job for the team," said Collingwood.
"It is a good ground for me personally getting a big score like that."
Opener Andrew Strauss is also struggling, with an average of under 20 so far in the one-day Commonwealth Bank Series.
England's batting reached a low point at the ground on Tuesday as the tourists were bowled out for 120 in defeat to New Zealand.
They now probably need at least two wins from their four remaining matches to reach the best-of-three series finals.
"Embarrassed is the wrong word to use, we were pretty disappointed," said Collingwood of the 90-run defeat.
"We are bowling pretty well at the minute and as soon as we get both forms of the game in place at the same time hopefully we will win games.
"We need to stand up and be counted, simple as that - we are big enough and have played enough games to say we have to go out there and perform."
You need someone in your top three or four to make big scores - we did in the first game, but haven't since then
Ricky Ponting
The second Ashes Test, when Collingwood hit 206 in the first innings but was part of a batting collapse in the second, is arguably the closest England have come to beating Australia all tour.
Thursday's game will be their ninth international meeting in the last two months - after a 5-0 Test series whitewash, defeats in the Twenty20 international and the first two one-day meetings.
Australia's pace bowlers have been the stars of the one-day series so far, with Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson rotating in the attack.
But captain Ricky Ponting wants his batsmen to overcome two poor outings and get back to their best.
In their past two matches, they were in early trouble at 48-4 and 77-4, with Mike Hussey coming in at number six to steer them to victory both times.
"We haven't been chasing big totals and we've managed just to scrape across the line," Ponting complained.
"We did in the first game, but haven't since then. You need someone in your top three or four to make big scores."