Test Ranking:
COUNTRY RANk
England 1India 2
South Africa 3
Australia 4
Pakistan 5
12 January, 2012
Dhoni Eyes in 2015 World Cup, May quit Tests
PERTH: Mahendra Singh Dhoni has hinted he will quit test cricket if he decides to lead India in their World Cup defence in Australia and New Zealand in 2015. Dhoni, who led the cricket-obsessed nation to 50-overs World Cup triumph last April, said it was still too early to decide if he would be around for the next tournament.
"Well if I want to see the 2015 World Cup in, I'll have to retire from one of the formats," he told a news conference ahead of the third test against Australia.
"It's too early right now. I am not that old. I am just 30. There is still time. We will see by the end of 2013."
Dhoni, who is captain of India's test, one-day internationals (ODI) and Twenty20 sides, carries the extra burden of keeping wicket and said making sure there was a successor ready was a factor in the 2013 deadline.
"What I really meant with that was by 2013 I would have to see where I stand when it comes to my body, whether I will be able to survive for the 2015 World Cup," he said.
"Of course form is a big factor but also, what I need to see is, if I play till 2014 and all of a sudden say I can't survive till the World Cup, then all of a sudden you have a new keeper coming in who has not played more than 30 international games.
"So by end of 2013 I need to decide, okay I'm fit enough to proceed in one of the formats.
"It's not personal interest, it's for the country. What I want is an individual who, if he is taking my place, should have played at least 60 to 100 ODIs before he goes into the World Cup.
"It's what my personal thinking is. We will accordingly see where it is. There's lots of time before that."
Pakistan v England 2011-12
Umar Akmal Recalled for England Test, Malik Drop
Islamabad: Pakistan cricket selectors on Monday recalled fast bowler Wahab Riaz and middle-order batsman Umar Akmal for next month's three-Test series against England.
Former captain Shoaib Malik was dropped from the 16-man squad after he failed to impress in the last three one-day series against Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. He scored only 35 runs and took five wickets in his last eight ODIs.
Riaz, the left arm paceman, last played against the West Indies earlier this year.
Akmal also did not feature in the Test series against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh due to poor form, but returns to face the top-ranked Test team.
Pakistan has performed well despite the loss of three key players - Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer, who were given prison sentences for their part in a spot-fixing scandal.
Under the captaincy of Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan has won three Test series and drew 1-1 against the West Indies since reaching the semifinals of the World Cup this year.
While it defeated Sri Lanka 1-0 in the United Arab Emirates, the other two wins came against lowly ranked teams Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.
Chief selector Mohammad Ilyas said that the series against England will be tough, but hoped Pakistan would keep its winning momentum going.
Pakistan has been forced to play its home series mainly in the United Arab Emirates since gunmen attacked a Sri Lanka team bus at Lahore in 2009, killing six police officials and a van driver.
Dubai will host the first and third Tests starting on January 17 and February 3, respectively, while Abu Dhabi will host the second starting on January 25.
Ilyas said the Pakistan team for the five-match one-day series and three Twenty20 matches against England will be named after the second Test.
Test squad
Former captain Shoaib Malik was dropped from the 16-man squad after he failed to impress in the last three one-day series against Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. He scored only 35 runs and took five wickets in his last eight ODIs.
Riaz, the left arm paceman, last played against the West Indies earlier this year.
Akmal also did not feature in the Test series against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh due to poor form, but returns to face the top-ranked Test team.
Pakistan has performed well despite the loss of three key players - Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer, who were given prison sentences for their part in a spot-fixing scandal.
Under the captaincy of Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan has won three Test series and drew 1-1 against the West Indies since reaching the semifinals of the World Cup this year.
While it defeated Sri Lanka 1-0 in the United Arab Emirates, the other two wins came against lowly ranked teams Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.
Chief selector Mohammad Ilyas said that the series against England will be tough, but hoped Pakistan would keep its winning momentum going.
Pakistan has been forced to play its home series mainly in the United Arab Emirates since gunmen attacked a Sri Lanka team bus at Lahore in 2009, killing six police officials and a van driver.
Dubai will host the first and third Tests starting on January 17 and February 3, respectively, while Abu Dhabi will host the second starting on January 25.
Ilyas said the Pakistan team for the five-match one-day series and three Twenty20 matches against England will be named after the second Test.
Test squad
- Misbah-ul-Haq (captain)
- Mohammad Hafeez
- Taufeeq Umar
- Imran Farhat
- Asad Shafiq
- Younis Khan
- Umar Akmal
- Adnan Akmal
- Azhar Ali
- Umar Gul
- Aizaz Cheema
- Wahab Riaz
- Mohammad Talha
- Saeed Ajmal
- Abdur Rehman
- Junaid Khan (subject to fitness).
South Africa v Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka dismantled in Paarl!!
January 11, 2012
South Africa 301 for 8 (Amla 112, Kallis 72, de Villiers 52, Malinga 5-54) beat Sri Lanka 43 (Morkel 4-10) by 258 runs.
South Africa's season of outlandish results produced another jaw-dropper as Sri Lanka subsided to 43 all out, their lowest total in one-dayers. The shorter format was widely expected to make the one-day series a more even contest than the Tests, but Sri Lanka's 258-run defeat in Paarl was the third largest in ODI history, giving AB de Villiers the perfect start to his captaincy.South Africa's batsmen had earlier enjoyed themselves despite the scorching heat as they ran up 301 after winning the toss. Hashim Amla highlighted why he's the world's top-ranked ODI batsman with his ninth century, and was supported by the two other big guns of the batting - Jacques Kallis provided the early impetus before de Villiers produced the most fluent innings of the match to power South Africa on a pitch where both seam and spin proved elusive in the afternoon.
Lasith Malinga underscored his value to Sri Lanka, with a five-for that reined in South Africa towards the end of the innings, but his sterling efforts proved moot as Sri Lanka lost five wickets in five overs to effectively end the contest.
Two South African bowlers with points to prove were given the new balls and they snuffed out the resistance even before the main man Dale Steyn was called on. Morne Morkel, coming off an indifferent Test summer, started the collapse in the first over as Upul Tharanga attempted a leaden-footed slap which ended as a low catch at backward point. In the next over Lonwabo Tsotsobe, having lost his place as third seamer to Vernon Philander in the Tests, showed how potent he can be by getting the ball to jag in and rear at the batsman. That proved too much for Tillakaratne Dilshan, who also bagged a duck by gloving to the keeper.
The alarm bells were truly ringing when Dinesh Chandimal struggled to get bat on ball, inside-edging an accurate Tsotsobe three times before nicking a loose drive onto the stumps. Morkel then virtually killed off the game in the fifth over: Kumar Sangakkara's attempted upper cut gave de Villiers his second catch, and two balls later Angelo Mathews' awkward fend at a short ball popped to midwicket.
Mahela Jayawardene then made an unforced error in the eighth over, stabbing a wide ball to point as Sri Lanka slid to 13 for 6. The match was long gone, and the immediate concern was over avoiding the ignominy of the lowest score in one-day history.
In that manic Test at Cape Town in November, Australia's last pair had averted the lowest Test total, and this time Sri Lanka's tail did the job. Not that it offered much consolation for Dilshan, who looked shell-shocked in the dressing-room as his team disintegrated. While the pitch certainly provided a bit more help to the bowlers under lights, it was nowhere near as dramatic as the scoreline suggested.
When South Africa batted there had few of the troubles Sri Lanka faced. Malinga extended Graeme Smith's poor run in one-dayers, but till the 40th over, the likeliest cause of a South African wicket was a run-out.
Amla wasn't at his assured best early on, outside-edging a few drives and mistiming some pulls. Kallis, though, batted like a man coming off a double century a week ago, routinely releasing the pressure after Sri Lanka's bowlers put together a few disciplined overs - most strikingly when he thumped Malinga over long-on for an imperious six, ending a run that yielded only 2 runs in 15 deliveries.
Both batsmen used the steer to third man and the clip to square leg efficiently to keep the singles coming. They had sauntered to 69 for 1 in 15 overs before opening up in the bowling Powerplay, off which they took 37 runs. With both batsmen looking good, South Africa opted for the batting Powerplay as early as the 27th over, but the 144-run stand was finally broken as Kallis was run out by a direct hit from Jayawardene at cover.
If there were fears that would slow down South Africa, de Villiers brushed them away as he played another of those innings where he seemed instantly at ease on a track where most others take time to settle down. He had a streak of 19 successive singles with Amla before becoming more enterprising, unleashing a series of boundaries through cover and extra cover to get to his half-century in 36 balls. Amla, meanwhile, calmly moved on to his hundred, celebrating the achievement with a gentle wave of the bat and helmet.
At 241 for 2 after 40 overs, South Africa seemed headed for at least 320. A Kulasekara yorker, though, removed the rampant de Villiers, before Malinga worked his magic to rip through the lower middle order.
The South African batting and Malinga's five-for were both completely overshadowed by what followed, in a one-dayer that is destined to be remembered as the '43 all out' game.
Australia v India
January 12, 2012
Once again, Australia arrive in Perth with a 2-0 series lead over India. This time, however, the circumstances are mightily different from those that faced the combatants in 2008. Then the dust was settling from Monkeygate, now the only dust is that of India's fragile batting, which has folded all too easily in four innings so far. Australia's 2008 team were also agitated and distracted by the Harbhajan Singh/Andrew Symonds case, and senior players spent as much time deliberating over that issue as they did worrying about how to defeat India at the WACA. This time Michael Clarke's team is happier, more settled and certainly better focussed on the task of sealing the series. India seem to be lacking the spark that they had entering the '08 match, fuelled as it was by their defence of Harbhajan, who has not made this tour.
Australia: WWLWW (most recent first)
India: LLDWW
Ryan Harris is at once Australia's most capable pace bowler and also the team's most tenuous. His battered body succumbed to a hamstring problem in Sri Lanka then a hip ailment in South Africa, cancelling him out of the Test plans for the remainder of 2011 as the team performance manager Pat Howard decreed that Harris had to get fit enough to bowl for five days on the run. To that end he has been eased back into the squad, training in Melbourne, carrying out the duties of 12th man in Sydney and now into the team in Perth where his nine wickets helped bring England briefly to heel last summer. In the absence of the injured James Pattinson, Harris' speed and swing will ask the most impertinent questions of India's batsmen - provided he can stay physically sound.
The only conundrum for Australia is whether to play the spin of Nathan Lyon or the pace and swing of Mitchell Starc. Though he battled for consistency in his first two Tests against New Zealand, Starc has shown the benefits of time spent with Wasim Akram this week, bending the ball late on a full length, with his high-arm action affording plenty of bounce. Lyon, though, is the sort of spin bowler who may benefit from the WACA's bounce and breeze.
India were aghast at how green the WACA pitch appeared when they first arrived in Perth, but the January heat should allow it to dry out sufficiently to provide a fair Test surface. Close observation has revealed the grass to be of finer consistency than last year's, which may mean less seam movement than was gained during the Ashes match. Either way, there should be plenty of pace and bounce on offer.
"Everyone who comes and watches cricket in Perth wants to see batsmen ducking and weaving out of the way of short balls, batsmen getting great benefit for their shots down the ground, lots of square-of-the-wicket shots being played. If we get a fast, bouncy one [surface] this week, then I'm sure with the batting talent on display you'll see a lot of great highlights throughout."
Ricky Ponting is gleeful about the prospect of a pacy pitch
Once again, Australia arrive in Perth with a 2-0 series lead over India. This time, however, the circumstances are mightily different from those that faced the combatants in 2008. Then the dust was settling from Monkeygate, now the only dust is that of India's fragile batting, which has folded all too easily in four innings so far. Australia's 2008 team were also agitated and distracted by the Harbhajan Singh/Andrew Symonds case, and senior players spent as much time deliberating over that issue as they did worrying about how to defeat India at the WACA. This time Michael Clarke's team is happier, more settled and certainly better focussed on the task of sealing the series. India seem to be lacking the spark that they had entering the '08 match, fuelled as it was by their defence of Harbhajan, who has not made this tour.The hosts, of course, are not entirely without problems. The inexperienced top order was brushed aside by Zaheer Khan in Sydney, and will need to fight for traction in Perth, while the spinner Nathan Lyon will want to be more impactful than he had been in Melbourne and Sydney. That is, if he is chosen - a well-grassed surface is tempting Clarke and the selectors to consider including Mitchell Starc as well as Ryan Harris for the Test, as a four-man pace attack provided Australia with their only win of last summer's horrid Ashes campaign.
India, meanwhile, have happy memories of the victory in '08, but appear far less galvanised than four summers ago. Ishant Sharma returns to the place where he first made his name, twice dismissing Ricky Ponting in that match, the second time at the end of a spell remembered by all who saw it. So far on this tour he has bowled better than his figures suggest, and may need to bowl a fraction fuller on the bouncy WACA deck to gain the wickets his team needs from him. Among the batsmen, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman are under particular pressure to offer decent support for Sachin Tendulkar, who has looked in fine touch so far, even as he is continually dogged by the barrier of 100 international centuries.
Form guide
Australia: WWLWW (most recent first)
India: LLDWW
Players to watch ...
Ryan Harris is at once Australia's most capable pace bowler and also the team's most tenuous. His battered body succumbed to a hamstring problem in Sri Lanka then a hip ailment in South Africa, cancelling him out of the Test plans for the remainder of 2011 as the team performance manager Pat Howard decreed that Harris had to get fit enough to bowl for five days on the run. To that end he has been eased back into the squad, training in Melbourne, carrying out the duties of 12th man in Sydney and now into the team in Perth where his nine wickets helped bring England briefly to heel last summer. In the absence of the injured James Pattinson, Harris' speed and swing will ask the most impertinent questions of India's batsmen - provided he can stay physically sound.
Depending on what you read, Virender Sehwag is either the reason India's tour is going badly, or the best man to pull his team-mates out of their current slumber. His fearless approach to batting has so far looked chancy in Australia, resulting in one Melbourne innings that was exciting but edgy and three cheap dismissals thereafter. Sehwag has battled to find his best batting rhythm against a concerted attack on his off stump, and can expect more of the same in Perth. However the WACA ground is a place where free-spirited openers can score with tremendous speed once they get going - see Roy Fredericks' effort in 1975-76 for ultimate proof - and Sehwag is well and truly due for a major score.
Team news
The only conundrum for Australia is whether to play the spin of Nathan Lyon or the pace and swing of Mitchell Starc. Though he battled for consistency in his first two Tests against New Zealand, Starc has shown the benefits of time spent with Wasim Akram this week, bending the ball late on a full length, with his high-arm action affording plenty of bounce. Lyon, though, is the sort of spin bowler who may benefit from the WACA's bounce and breeze.
Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Ed Cowan, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Ricky Ponting, 5 Michael Clarke (capt), 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Peter Siddle, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Ben Hilfenhaus, 11 Nathan Lyon/Mitchell Starc.
Virat Kohli and VVS Laxman are expected to hold their spots ahead of Rohit Sharma, while Vinay Kumar's fast medium may be considered if India decide on an all-pace attack.
India (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman 6 Virat Kohli, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 R Ashwin/Vinay Kumar, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Umesh Yadav.
Pitch and conditions
India were aghast at how green the WACA pitch appeared when they first arrived in Perth, but the January heat should allow it to dry out sufficiently to provide a fair Test surface. Close observation has revealed the grass to be of finer consistency than last year's, which may mean less seam movement than was gained during the Ashes match. Either way, there should be plenty of pace and bounce on offer.
Stats and trivia
- Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey are the only current members of the Australian team to have taken part in the 2008 Perth Test
- By contrast, India have retained Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, MS Dhoni and Ishant Sharma
- Tendulkar returns to the scene of one of his most celebrated centuries - 114 against Craig McDermott, Merv Hughes, Mike Whitney and Paul Reiffel on a speedy pitch in 1992
- A win or a draw would return the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australian hands for the first time since 2008
Quotes
"Everyone who comes and watches cricket in Perth wants to see batsmen ducking and weaving out of the way of short balls, batsmen getting great benefit for their shots down the ground, lots of square-of-the-wicket shots being played. If we get a fast, bouncy one [surface] this week, then I'm sure with the batting talent on display you'll see a lot of great highlights throughout."
Ricky Ponting is gleeful about the prospect of a pacy pitch
"It's always nice to come and play in these conditions. It's like an Australian team coming and playing on a rank turner in India, and winning a Test match. We would like to do the same thing again."
Rahul Dravid summons the spirit of '08
Rahul Dravid summons the spirit of '08
11 January, 2012
Bresnan ruled out of Pakistan series!
The 26-year-old paceman, who still has soreness in the elbow which was operated on last month, already missed England’s opening three-day tour match against an ICC Combined XI which they won by three wickets in the United Arab Emirates on Monday.
England play a Pakistan Cricket Board XI in the second side match, also to be played in Dubai, from January 11-13.
Bresnan took 16 wickets in the three Tests he played against India at home last year – a series which lifted captain Andrew Strauss’s men to number one in Test rankings.
South Africa v Sri Lanka, 1st ODI, Paarl
Amla ton pushes South Africa to 301
50 overs South Africa 301 for 8 (Amla 112, Kallis 72, de Villiers 52, Malinga 5-53) v Sri Lanka
South Africa's batsmen enjoyed themselves in Paarl despite the scorching heat as they ran up 301 on an easy-paced track. Hashim Amla highlighted why he's the world's top-ranked ODI batsman with his ninth century, and his two big partnerships with Jacques Kallis and new captain AB de Villiers powered South Africa on a pitch where both seam and spin proved elusive. Lasith Malinga then underscored his value to Sri Lanka, with a five-for that reined in South Africa towards the end of the innings.
It was Kallis who provided the impetus early on, as Amla searched for his customary fluency. Amla had several outside edges and mistimed pulls, but Kallis had few of those problems. A 15-ball spell that yielded only two runs was broken by an imperious Kallis six over long-on.The pressure on Amla was also eased by Dilhara Fernando's wayward first over - after Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara had kept South Africa to 25 for 1 in six overs. Fernando sprayed a delivery for five leg-side wides and then presented a short ball, which Amla slashed to the point boundary in an over which cost 15.
Both batsmen used the steer to third man and the clip to square leg efficiently to keep the singles coming. They had sauntered to 69 for 1 in 15 overs before opening up in the bowling Powerplay, off which they took 37 runs. Ajantha Mendis proved ineffective as Amla, shaking off the early edginess, lashed him for three boundaries in two overs.
With Amla starting to unleash his trademark crisp drives through the off side, and Kallis carrying on from his double-century in the third Test, South Africa opted for the batting Powerplay unconventionally early. Kallis took consecutive cover-driven boundaries off Malinga to suggest a glut of runs while the fielding restrictions were on, but Kallis was run out soon after by a direct hit from Mahela Jayawardene at cover. There had been a similarly dangerous single attempted a few overs earlier as well, but on that occasion Amla survived as Tillakaratne Dilshan missed from point.
There was hardly a lull after Kallis' exit. Amla and de Villiers put together a 19-ball streak of singles before de Villiers became more enterprising, powering South Africa ahead with a series of lofted shots over cover and extra cover for fours. On a surface where the new batsmen needed time to get in, de Villiers raced to 50 off just 36 deliveries. Amla, meanwhile, calmly moved on to his century, celebrating the achievement with a gentle wave of the bat and helmet.
At 241 for 2 after 40 overs, South Africa seemed headed for at least 320. A Kulasekara yorker, though, removed the rampant de Villiers, before Malinga worked his magic to rip through the lower middle order. Albie Morkel's cameo, which included a stunning pull for six off Fernando, was halted at 25, Amla edged to the keeper and Faf du Plessis was bowled as the final six overs produced only 34 runs.
It still presented Sri Lanka's experienced batting a huge challenge, especially as the track was expected to slow down in the evening. There had also been concerns over the quality of floodlights at Boland Stadium, which could be another factor working against Sri Lanka.
PCB XI v England XI, Tour match, Dubai
Cook stars as England declare
January 11, 2012
PCB XI 23 for 0 trail England 269 for 9 (Cook 133, Shah 5 for 76) by 246 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
Alastair Cook carried his form of last year into 2012 with the first century of England's UAE tour. Cook's 133 was a vital knock as five wickets for Yasir Shah restricted England on day one in Dubai.
Shah's leg spin removed England's middle order as Ian Bell and Eoin Morgan recorded further low scores. England were reduced to 121 for 5 before Matt Prior made 46 from 57 balls. Graeme Swann's 24 also helped England to a competitive total.
But England were indebted to Cook's 36th first-class hundred. His record against Sri Lanka and India in six Tests in 2011 was 738 runs at 73.80 and, after 76 in the first-innings against ICC Combined XI, he continued in that vein, marshalling England after Mohammad Talha had reduced them to 14 for 2. Captain Andrew Strauss was caught behind for three before Jonathan Trott fell leg before for a third ball duck. Ian Bell was also dismissed for a duck - part of Shah's haul of 5 for 76.The legspin of Shah removed England's middle order. Kevin Pietersen, who took 10 balls to get off the mark, had got England moving with five fours in his 78-ball 38 but he was bowled in the first over after lunch having shared 83 with Cook. Bell was then trapped leg before second ball and Shah also removed Morgan, whose 11 was his third failure of the tour after 1 and 3 against ICC XI.
With England in trouble, Matt Prior got a partnership going with Cook and the pair added 90. Cook went past 50 from 92 balls while Prior was his breezy-self, striking seven fours in 46 from 57 balls before Tahla returned to have him caught behind.
Swann, who had a scan on his quadriceps after the first warm-up match, played a useful part in making 24 as he and Cook put on 46. But when Swann fell caught behind off Shah, England's innings came swiftly to an end. Shah completed his five-for by having Graham Onions caught for one before Cook was caught behind off Tahla and England declared.
There was time for eight overs of the PCB XI innings and Onions, playing the first time for England since January 2010 against South Africa, took the new ball. He conceded 13 in his three overs. Chris Tremlett also opened the bowling, having recovered from his eye infection, and there was also time for unsuccessful overs for Swann and Monty Panesar.
Ajmal to unveil special delivery against England
Saeed Ajmal, the Pakistan offspinner, has confirmed he will unveil the "special delivery" he has been working on during Pakistan's upcoming Test series against England in the UAE. Ajmal had said in August, before Pakistan's tour of Zimbabwe, that he was saving the variation for the England series, and has now said he will try it but will revert to his existing variations if it does not work."I am working on a special delivery," he said at Pakistan's training camp in Lahore. "I won't tell you about it but you will know it when you see it. If it does not prove to be reliable then I will shift my focus back to the deliveries that have brought me success and I will keep that variation for the next series."
Ajmal was the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket in 2011, with 50 wickets from eight games at an average of 23.86, and was a key factor in Pakistan winning five of those Tests. He took 18 wickets during Pakistan's last series in the UAE, against Sri Lanka in October-November last year, and said he recognised he would have an important role to play against England.
"We are going fully prepared and are working on special plans for their batsmen. I am aware of the weight of responsibility on me and am ready for it. In Dubai, the ball does break on the second and third day so hopefully I can play an important role. In Abu Dhabi it's difficult because it's a batting track."
Much of Ajmal's success in 2011 accrued from the inability of batsmen to read his doosra. Often in games, Ajmal bowled almost as many balls that turned the other way as regular offbreaks, leading to some apprehensions about him going the way of Saqlain Mushtaq in losing the ability to bowl his stock delivery. He also bowls with a flatter trajectory than most offspinners, but said that was because he was not comfortable flighting the ball.
"If I bowl with flight I cannot bowl well. If I bowl at a quicker speed I can then use variations in pace. If I take 90% of my wickets with the doosra why should I not bowl it? Whether you bowl a doosra or an offbreak, the ball should be bowled on the right line and one should take a wicket with it."
Ajmal's style of bowling is in stark contrast to England's offspinner Graeme Swann's, which is based on beating the batsman in the air and repeatedly landing his stock delivery on the right length. Though Swann took just 27 wickets in the eight Tests he played in 2011, he remains the highest-ranked spinner in the ICC Test rankings, and Ajmal said there would be healthy competition between the two of them through the series. "Swann is a good bowler and has even been the No. 1 bowler in the world. He has his own variety, I have my own."
Pakistan lost just one Test in 2011, and have won their last three Test series, though two of those have been against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Ajmal, though, pointed out that his best performances of the year had come against stronger opposition.
"Whomever you play against, you have to work for your wickets. Sri Lanka are a top team and I was Man of the Series against them. West Indies [against whom Ajmal took 17 wickets in two Tests] are not a bad team either - we have never beaten them in an away series. Bangladesh was not that good a team but only nine of my wickets came against them."
We play good, fair cricket - Misbah
January 10, 2012
Misbah-ul-Haq, successor as Pakistan captain to the disgraced Salman Butt, has appealed to England to forget the spot-fixing scandal that has blighted his country's cricketing reputation and expressed confidence that there is no chance of a repeat.Pakistan and England meet for the first time in 17 months since a plot by Butt and the two Pakistan fast bowlers, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, to bowl deliberate no-balls for financial gain were uncovered in a sting operation by the now defunct tabloid, the News of the World.
The players were banned by the ICC and three months ago received lengthy jail sentences at Southwark Crown, leaving Pakistan and England to approach a three-Test series in the UAE fearing lingering resentment.
Misbah, flanked by Pakistan's team manager Naveed Akram Cheema at an arrival media conference at the ICC offices in Dubai, asked England to give Pakistan a fair chance to recover their reputation.
"I think both teams know we just have to forget the past," he said. "Our area of concern is to play good cricket, fair cricket - and that's what we can do. In a year and a half, our performances show that - the way we are behaving on the field, the way we are conducting ourselves.
"Credit goes to the team and all the players after a difficult time - everybody just stuck to the task, gathered their thoughts and just wanted to prove to the world that we were good players and a good team. Our target is just to play cricket in the true spirit. We want good relations, and to play really good and hard cricket."
Cheema was also adamant that Pakistan have put their house in order. "The Pakistan Cricket Board has introduced a code of conduct - an anti-corruption code - and all these guys have been told. We are following this code in letter and spirit. I think with those rules and regulations in place, the chances [of spot fixing] happening again are not there. I'm absolutely confident about that."
Some England observers have looked askance at Pakistan's selection of Wahab Riaz, who was omitted while legal proceedings took place against his former team-mates, but who has now been recalled.
"As far as Wahab was concerned, I think all those who were involved in the unfortunate incident have been imprisoned," Cheema said. "Nothing special has been pointed out against [Wahab] - neither from the ICC nor elsewhere - and until something is found these are mere speculations. As far as the PCB is concerned and Wahab is concerned, there are no allegations which we have received."
Coincidentally, Misbah and Cheema were speaking within minutes of an MCC World Cricket Committee media release in Cape Town, calling on the ICC's anti-corruption and security unit to impose life bans on any captain, vice-captain or coach found guilty of corruption.
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Umar Gul during a practice match at the ICC's Global Cricket Academy , Dubai, January 12, 2012
