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Marcus North, the Australia batsman, has joined Hampshire for 2009 – his fifth county.North represented Gloucestershire in 2007 and 2008, following stints with Lancashire, Durham and Derbyshire. In 12 matches last year, North cracked 900 runs at 50, with one hundred and eight fifties.”He is a very talented and exciting cricketer,” said Rod Bransgrove, the Hampshire chairman, “who I know is relishing the opportunity to score some big runs for Hampshire and really entertain our fans along the way.”Imran Tahir, Hampshire’s overseas player last season, is unable to commit to the whole year, hence North’s appointment, but will be keen to continue where he left off last year. In just six matches in 2008, he picked up 36 Championship wickets at 17.25.”Unfortunately it is not possible for Imran to be with us for the whole year, but in Marcus I feel we have a fantastic replacement for the early part of the season,” said Giles White, the Hampshire coach. “He is proven in English conditions and his all round package will complement the balance of the side in all formats of the game.”

Shaun Tait has looked to his fellow fast bowler Mitchell Johnson for inspiration as he continues his return to international cricket while trying to minimise the stress on his body. Tait walked away from the game last January and this month made his ODI and Twenty20 return for Australia.However, he has battled serious shoulder, elbow and hamstring injuries over the years and his physically demanding action and the effort to maintain his speed is a concern for his longevity. He was rested for Australia’s most recent one-day game, against South Africa in Hobart on Sunday and it continued his off-and-on season.South Australia have this summer taken the unusual step of allowing Tait to nominate which matches he feels capable of playing. Since he suffered hamstring tendonitis in a one-day game seven weeks ago, Tait has been careful not to overload himself.”If I had my way I would like to play every game, but my body is just not able to do that,” Tait told the . “This management I have gone through with the torn hamstring has paid off in the end.”You have to be a bit careful, though. If you have a good relationship with your support staff then you can talk to them, tell them how you feel and you can manage the situation.”Tait will be joined in the remainder of the ODI series by Johnson, who was rested for the opening games. He said Johnson was a good man to look up to, given how he had handled the rigours of international cricket, both physically and mentally.”You sort of got the feeling people were not sure about his ability or if he was up to it,” Tait said. “I think he has answered all those questions with his batting and fielding as well. He is the perfect package. Mitchell has done brilliantly, bowled a lot of overs. He is pretty important to Australia at the moment.”Mitchell is 27 and learning the ropes of international cricket now. I am 25, feel like I have played a lot of cricket and been through a lot, but obviously have a number of years left as well. They say that from 27 to 29 you are at your peak.”

Andrew Strauss was formally unveiled as England’s Test captain at a packed press conference at Lord’s, after a tumultuous 24 hours for English cricket surrounding the double departure of Kevin Pietersen and the coach Peter Moores. He was not, however, named England’s one-day captain, a decision that Strauss admitted was still in “a state of flux”.Strauss, 31, was thrust into the hot seat yesterday and spoke of his determination to draw a line under the fractious events of the past few days, while confirming that he “has no problem” working with Pietersen, a “world-class player” whom he firmly believes will support him during his tenure.”I would like to thank Kevin Pietersen for his efforts as England captain. He is one of the greatest players in the world and I am delighted that he has confirmed that he is available to play in all our forthcoming fixtures.”KP has been very supportive of me so far. It’s a tough situation for him and I’m sure he has his own side of the story. I believe he did what was in the best interests of the England team and I have no problems with him as a player. It’s vital we get the best out of Pietersen and I believe I can work with him very closely.”Strauss added that he didn’t believe the dressing-room rifts were nearly so wide as the media have made out.”Clearly from the point of view of the players and some of the management we need to chat and get it sorted out. But I’ve said before we are about playing and winning cricket matches and I’m sure that will unite us. I have some conversations I need to have with some of the players and will happily do that over the coming days.””In situations like this people get pushed into corners sometimes, but my experience of the England dressing-room is that we have always got on well, I don’t think anything has changed that.,” said Strauss. “We have some strong characters in that dressing-room which is what you want, you want characters who believe strongly in what they about.”My job is to manage them and make sure we are all going in the right direction and with the characters in the team I believe firmly that we can do that. The reality is that it is going to take some effort on everyone’s behalves and that’s the reality. You’re not just going to walk in and everything’s going to be hunky dory.”This is Strauss’s second stint as England captain after impressing during a stand-in spell in 2006 when he led them to a 2-0 series-win over Pakistan. At the time, many felt Strauss should have been named the permanent skipper, not a locum. England instead opted for Andrew Flintoff during the 5-0 Ashes defeat of 2006-07, and Strauss’s form subsequently tailed away until he was dropped for the following winter’s tour of Sri Lanka. His back-to-back centuries in Chennai in December marked a fine return to form however and, ultimately, his was the only name in the hat to replace Pietersen.Though he was understandably keen to present fresh, forward-looking views on his and England’s future, he did make mention of the relationship between Moores and Pietersen which broke down so irrevocably. “Towards the back end of the India tour there were signs that Kevin and Peter probably weren’t getting on as well as they could do,” he said. “You’ve got to remember that the cricketers themselves were concentrating on trying to play two Tests and getting back after the terror attacks. There were certainly weren’t signs that his [Pietersen’s relationship with Moores] was as estranged as it turned out.”Asked whether the team felt sympathy with Moores for the manner in which the situation had played out, Strauss said: “Yes and rightly so. Peter Moores put in a huge amount of effort, enthusiasm and determination in taking the England team forward. I don’t think anyone likes to see things end up in this manner. He has shown a lot of integrity and I don’t think he deserves to go out in this fashion. But that’s the way it’s happened. There have been issues that have had to be dealt with and now they have been dealt with.”Strauss takes the helm without a first-team coach – Andy Flower is expected to get the role for the West Indies tour – but said he would leave the selection process of the long-term choice to the ECB. “To be honest with you there are only a few coaches I’ve worked with. Anyone else I’d have no idea who they were and what they were about as people,” he said. “Coaches have reputations I suppose but the ECB have people in charge to make those decisions and I back myself to be able to work with most people.”When Pietersen was appointed in August last year, Geoff Miller, the national selector, made clear England’s intention to have one captain for both roles. With Strauss not part of the one-day side, the possibility of dual-captaincy is again on the cards. “To be honest with you that’s in a state of flux at the moment,” Strauss said. “I have a meeting with the selectors tomorrow to discuss the one-day situation. Clearly there are issues with that. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out I haven’t been playing in the one-day team for 12-18 months. We need to discuss what is best for the team.”Inevitably, thoughts turned to his predecessor Pietersen, who arrived back in London today to a police escort and an army of photographers and later said he would be spending a few days with his family before making any public comment.”KP is a very strong-willed person and that was one of his great strengths as England captain. He had a vision of where he felt English cricket need to go and backed himself to deliver that,” Strauss said. “He wasn’t worried about upsetting a few people along the way. In a way that’s a very positive trait to have, but in another it is going to create confrontation and that’s the way it has worked out.”All I know, knowing him as a person and a cricketer, you need people who aren’t going to take a backward step. That’s how he tried to run his captaincy and things were difficult, there’s no other way to describe it.”

Scorecard
Ashok Dinda continued his form in the Ranji Trophy with another five-wicket haul to clinch a nine-wicket win for Bengal and eliminate Assam. From an overnight 114 for 5, Assam folded for 139 before Bengal knocked off the 19 required runs for the loss of Anustup Majumdar.Dinda had provided the early breakthroughs on day two and needed little time to pick up sixth five-wicket haul. He nipped out the last three wickets after Ranadeb Bose took his match tally to seven.Assam’s left-arm spinner Anand Katti, who took a career-best seven wickets to limit Bengal’s lead earlier in the match, removed Majumdar for 6 but Bengal had little hassle clinching victory.Bengal’s team consultant Mohinder Amarnath appreciated the efforts of the youngsters on a difficult wicket but said there was room for improvement. “The team is a perfect blend of experience and grit,” he told Kolkata-based, the . “It has the potential to do wonders in any given situation. It was a difficult track to bat on and I felt the youngsters, in particular, were good at it. The boys have played a good game here, but there is room for improvement.”Bengal lead Group B while Assam are out of the Ranji Trophy.

Match facts

Nov 13, 2008
Start time 7.30pm (1400 GMT)

The Big Picture

There’s a sense of déjà vu. A best-of-three finals; Lahore Badshahs and Hyderabad Heroes making it past a tough league phase; the only thing seemingly different is that Ahmedabad will host the final instead of Hyderabad.Both teams come in to the clash geared up, with back-to-back wins against two of the frontrunners in the league stage – Lahore beat the Chennai Superstars and Hyderabad saw off the Royal Bengal Tigers – keeping them on their toes. It is perhaps fitting that the only game they played against each other this season, the tournament opener, didn’t go the full distance. (Lahore, chasing 166, were 30 for 2 when the lights went out.)It might be a repeat of the last tournament, but Lahore will be seeking to change one thing: the final outcome. It is just about doubling the prize money; last season, Lahore were highly tipped for the winners’ cheque, but were humbled 2-0 by Hyderabad, losing a bowl-out 3-0 in the second final.Hyderabad’s all-round balance gives them an advantage in this format, but Lahore’s big-name players – Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf and Saqlain Mushtaq – have been pulling their weight in recent games. Add to that the Ahmedabad factor. Hyderabad had the home advantage in their triumph, and Lahore have looked at home in Ahmedabad. They have delivered five wins in five games at the Sardar Patel Stadium, and the vociferous crowd support could be the X-factor in overcoming their strong opponents.

Form guide (last five matches, most recent first)

Hyderabad- WWWLW
Lahore – WWWWL

Stats

• Imran Nazir has 18 sixes, the joint-highest along with Alok Kapali. How much will he dent the opposition’s confidence on Thursday?
• Nicky Boje’s economy-rate of 5.75 is the best in the tournament. Doing the same against a formidable Lahore line-up, though, will be a very tough ask.
• Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has been able to swing games with vital wickets towards the end, and with 17 scalps, is the leading strike-force in the tournament. He took 5 for 22 and forced the bowl-out in that gripping finale last season. Can he repeat those heroics again?
• 135 was the average total in the two finals in the last tournament. It is unlikely that will be the par score in Ahmedabad.

Players to watch

He’s found the , and troubled the opposition with his repertoire of skills, but it is in the final that Lahore need Saqlain to deliver. There are some big-hitters in Hyderabad’s line-up, and small variations could be the difference between a hit and a miss.Abdul Razzaq, the Player of the Tournament when Hyderabad won, has had a quiet tournament with the bat. His 191 runs in nine games have come at a strike-rate of 112.35. He has been doing a good job with the ball, with eight wickets and an economy-rate of 6.55, to follow his 18 last season. Has he reserved that match-winning knock or spell, or both, for the big day?Bengal would have fancied their chances of a place in the final till Stuart Binny took charge in the semi-final on Tuesday. By smacking 45 off 26 balls in a chase of 162, Binny revelled in the pressure. There will be no lack of pressure in the final.While the bowlers have been gunning for Nazir, his opening partner Imran Farhat has put on useful scores in Lahore’s victories over Chennai. A 38-ball 63 and a 24-ball 45 in the semi-final set the foundation for the likes of Yousuf and Inzamam to build on. If the two Imrans get going, it’s unlikely Hyderabad will take the lead on Friday.

Quotes

“Tomorrow’s match will be a crunch match as it is the first game and winning it will give an advantage to the team. But we don’t have any specific strategy or plan for them. The game is the same, just name changes, so we would look to just stick to what we have done so far, just follow the basic plan.”
“They are an international team and have one of the most destructive opening pairs. We know that they can really get them off to a flier but on doing that they also provide a lot of opportunities and we would like to grab those chances with both hands.”

David Morgan, the ICC president, has said that reversing the result of the controversial Oval Test was inappropriate and indicated that the ICC might reconsider the decision. His comments come in the light of a recent recommendation by the MCC, the game’s law-making body, to reverse the result.”It was a decision that was made by the ICC and it’s a decision that I was not happy with,” Morgan said. “I was president-elect and I didn’t believe it was appropriate to change the result of the England-Pakistan match.”The ICC was reacting to a statement by Tony Lewis, the chairman of the MCC’s cricket committee, that reversing a result of a match would set a “dangerous precedent and cricket would only be worse off for this decision.” The Pakistan Cricket Board didn’t comment on the matter, stating that it was an issue between the ICC and the MCC alone.”The MCC World Cricket Committee is a very responsible group,” Morgan said. “It is made up of some of the world’s top cricketers and chaired by Tony Lewis and I would be very interested in hearing what has been reported.”I’ll be very interested to actually read their minutes and I’m sure they will make that available and it’s something we (the ICC) will have to consider very carefully.”Pakistan were accused of ball-tampering by umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove, causing the then captain Inzamam-ul-Haq to stage a protest and refuse to play after tea on the fourth day. Hair and Doctrove, under the laws, correctly ruled the no-show as a forfeit. IInzamam was later cleared of the ball-tampering charges but was banned for four matches for bringing the game into disrepute. England initially took the series 3-0 but it was changed to 2-0 last July during the ICC’s annual meeting in Dubai.

Abdul Qadir, the former Pakistan legspinner, has suggested Pakistan play their international fixtures at neutral venues given the security situation in the country. Pakistan have hosted international teams at neutral venues in the past, but former captains Ramiz Raja and Intikhab Alam felt the PCB should not adopt the same approach this time.The Pakistan board recently inked a US$9 million contract with Dubai Sports City, which will see the team play limited-overs games over three years at the under-construction Dubai Sports Stadium. Ehsan Mani, the former ICC president, had also spoken out against the move to play at neutral venues. “By offshore series Pakistan can perhaps get the TV rights money but there will be no crowds and sponsorships,” Mani told the Voice of America. “If there was no cricket played in Pakistan, it will be loss to cricket, loss of Pakistan cricket in the longer run.”But Qadir said it wasn’t easy to guarantee security to foreign players, especially after the bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad where teams usually stay. “We can’t provide accommodation to foreign teams in forts, and in the present scenario I believe Pakistan should arrange Test matches against other teams at places like Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, and we could generate revenues,” Qadir told the .The ICC were forced to postpone September’s Champions Trophy after five teams expressed their unwillingness to visit Pakistan and more recently the West Indies board called off its women’s tour to the country and declined a invitation for the men’s team to play two Tests. Australia had also postponed its tour of Pakistan earlier in the year and haven’t visited the country since 1998, but Ramiz and Alam felt neutral venues weren’t the right alternative.”Passion will not be there if we opt to play at neutral venues,” Ramiz said. “The conditions will be alien for both teams, especially for us as we will lose the home advantage.” Alam had a different reason. “We should not play at neutral venues because then it will set a wrong precedent and even teams like Sri Lanka and India would prefer to play against us at neutral venues.”Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup successfully in June-July, with India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE and Hong Kong taking part in the tournament besides the hosts. However, Pakistan haven’t hosted a Test this year – Bangladesh and Zimbabwe played five-ODI series. India are scheduled to visit early next year.”The main problem is how to break the myth of foreign teams to tour Pakistan and see whether it’s right for other teams to pick and choose tours,” Ramiz said. Australia decided to tour India despite recent bomb attacks in the country, and are slated to play the third Test in Delhi, where blasts have taken place in the past month.Ramiz said the PCB should invite a World XI for the three limited-overs games in order to promote a “soft image” of Pakistan. “At the moment organising bilateral series with any country is a little bit difficult in Pakistan, but if the PCB invites a World XI and pay them well, it might help them to change the world opinion about Pakistan.”

Chris Rogers will return to Derbyshire as captain next year following a productive campaign with the county this season. Rogers played a Test for Australia in January and is keen to fight back to international level after his strong county spell.He took over as Derbyshire’s captain when Rikki Clarke stepped down in August and immediately guided the side to a strong win over Middlesex. His own form has been outstanding and with more than 1200 County Championship runs he has been one of this year’s most prolific scorers.”It was an easy decision to agree to captain next season,” Rogers told the . “I’ve enjoyed it and there is a lot to like about what is happening here. I’ve done it a bit back home and it’s never really been a problem. If anything, I’ve probably played better with it because it gives me that extra bit of responsibility and focus.”From a personal point of view it’s been good and I’ve enjoyed working with the guys. I still want to play for Australia but it feels a bit of a way off at the moment and this is a good career for me. I want to captain and this is a good opportunity to see what I’m made of in terms of captaincy.”John Morris, the head of cricket at Derbyshire, praised Rogers not only for his prolific scoring but also for his leadership. “Since taking over the reins leading the side midway through the season,” Morris said, “Chris has also proved to be an excellent leader and his experience will be vital to us in 2009.”

Monty Panesar has signed a new two-year contract with Northamptonshire, committing himself to the club until the end of the 2010 season.”I am really happy here at the club and especially enjoy working with David Capel and the coaching staff,” Panesar said. “There are exciting times ahead for English cricket with the Ashes tour next year and also for Northamptonshire, and I am pleased to be a part of it.”The Northamptonshire chief executive, Mark Tagg, commented: “Monty is a key member of our plans going forward and we are all delighted he will be continuing his association with a club that he has been on the professional staff since 1999 and as a capped player from 2006.”

Scorecard
South Africa Academy bounced back from their narrow loss in the first game to thump the Bangladesh Cricket Board Academy by an innings and 63 runs inside three days in Pretoria. Roelof van der Merwe was the star of the show with a half-century and seven wickets to his name in the hammering.Bangladesh were forced to follow on after van der Merwe, a left-arm spinner, induced a collapse to bowl them out for 163 in reply to South Africa’s 416. Their highest partnership of 39 between Marshall Ayub and Shamsur Rahman was broken by van der Merwe, when he dismissed Ayub to take the first of six wickets in the innings. In his next over, he had Rahman, Bangladesh’s top scorer in both innings, caught for 37.Day two begun with South Africa comfortably placed on 339 for 5, as their first three batsmen had chipped in with half-centuries each. van der Merwe had himself contributed an unbeaten 57 and in the first 19 overs of the day the South Africans added 77 more – van der Merwe contributing 22 – after which they picked up 11 Bangladesh wickets in 65.5 overs – van der Merwe taking six.Trailing by 217 runs, Bangladesh began day three by losing two wickets in the first ten overs. Rahman batted for more than two hours for his 45 in the second innings but with wickets steadily falling at the other end, and more than a day to bat out, it was a futile effort. After he fell to CJ de Villiers, Bangladesh lasted only 40 more balls. de Villiers and Basheeru-Deen Walters picked up five wickets each for the match.Now with honours even, the two Academy sides will meet for three one-day games between August 20 and 24.