Tag Archives: ajmal

Ajmal Shahzad released by Yorkshire

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Uncertain future for former England seamer Shahzad after being released by Yorkshire

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UPDATED:

21:55 GMT, 1 May 2012

Ajmal Shahzad's Yorkshire career is over after the England international was made available to rival counties.

It is just over a year since 26-year-old Shahzad last played for his country and although his stock has fallen rapidly in that time, the announcement has come as something of a surprise.

Shahzad was the first British-born Asian to represent Yorkshire in 2004 and the county's high hopes for him looked like being justified when he claimed match figures of four for 63 on his Test debut against Bangladesh in 2010.

International class: Shahzad was an England regular

International class: Shahzad was an England regular

But the revival of Chris Tremlett combined with the emergence at Test level of Tim Bresnan and Steven Finn means he has slipped well down the England pecking order.

He has also played three Twenty20 Internationals and 11 ODIs, the last of which came in last year's World Cup.

Shahzad has taken eight wickets for the Tykes in three first-class fixtures this season at an average of 26.25 and with pace and age both on his side he is sure to create plenty of interest in the domestic game.

A statement released by Yorkshire read: 'It has been jointly agreed that in the best interests of his development, Ajmal will be given the option to play for another club either under a new contract or on loan for the rest of the season, in order to establish himself with a new county.'

New start: Shahzad (seen here batting) is looking to rebuild his career

New start: Shahzad (seen here batting) is looking to rebuild his career

Huddersfield-born Shahzad said: 'I would like to thank both the staff and supporters of YCCC for all the help and encouragement that I have received since I joined the staff, and wish the club lots of success in the coming years.

'I am now looking forward to the next chapter in my career and hope to push for further honours within the game.'

The county's director of cricket Martyn Moxon added: “There has been a lot of discussion over a period of time with Ajmal regarding his cricket and it has been agreed by the club and the player that it is in the player's best interests that he pursues his career elsewhere.

'I would like to wish Ajmal every success in the future.'

Ravi Bopara warns England not to focus on spin

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It's not all about spin! Bopara warns England to be wary of new ball

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UPDATED:

12:50 GMT, 13 March 2012

Ravi Bopara believes England's batsmen must not overplay their recent problems against spin when they take on Sri Lanka.

Bopara was an unused squad member on the recent Test trip to face Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, watching from the sidelines as Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman dismantled England's top order in a 3-0 whitewash.

Eoin Morgan paid for his failures with his place in the squad and Bopara is hoping to get the nod at number six for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka.

Opportunity knocks: Ravi Bopara hopes to feature against Sri Lanka

Opportunity knocks: Ravi Bopara hopes to feature against Sri Lanka

And despite the focus on facing slow bowling, he has warned that England cannot afford to take their eye off the new ball.

'I think we were caught a little bit cold at the beginning of the UAE tour,' he said.

'As the tour went on everybody got better at playing spin, but it's not all about spin.

'In these conditions, with this humidity, the ball will swing around, especially early doors.

Time out: Stuart Broad (right) has a chat with bowling coach David Saker

Time out: Stuart Broad (right) has a chat with bowling coach David Saker

'We've seen in the past Chaminda Vaas has been very successful out here and he is a swing bowler.

'We have to cope with that as well, it's not just about spin.'

Bopara expects to play in Galle on March 26, but fellow all-rounder Samit Patel offers an alternative option should England choose to make use of his steady left-arm spin.

Although this tour represents a big chance for Bopara to establish himself in the middle order, he is refusing to look too far into the future, having earned just 12 Test caps in over four years since his debut.

Take aim: Tim Bresnan warms-up ahead of England's next match

Take aim: Tim Bresnan warms-up ahead of England's next match

'There's so much to think about, but I just have to concentrate on what I need to do in the first Test,' he said.

'I need to go out and score big runs for England, help them win the Test match and then look to the next game.

'That's the only way I can approach it. In the past I've looked to far ahead and that's not the best thing to do sometimes.'

Andy Flower: Deal with spin and we can win in Sri Lanka

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Deal with the spin and we can win, warns Flower as England jet off to Sri Lanka

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UPDATED:

10:54 GMT, 10 March 2012

Lift-off: Andy Flower speaks at Heathrow

Lift-off: Andy Flower speaks at Heathrow

England can expect to do well in Sri Lanka if they can deal with the amount of spin they will have to face, according to team director Andy Flower.

The world`s leading Test side were given a dramatic wake-up call in the United Arab Emirates earlier this year, when they were whitewashed by Pakistan in a three-match series.

An inability to handle spin was their downfall, with Saeed Ajmal in particular dismissing batsmen at will.

There were evident green shoots of recovery in the subsequent one-day series, though, with England`s leading names dealing with the slower delivery better as they enjoyed a 4-0 whitewash of their own.

And, if they can continue the improvements they showed in the 50-over game, Flower believes they will hold their own in Sri Lanka over the next six weeks.

'The biggest lesson we have had to learn is the skill against spin,' he told a media conference at Heathrow Airport on Saturday morning.

'This is going to be crucial as to how we do. If we can show what we learned from two months in the UAE, we can expect to do well.

'It`s going to be tough. Sri Lanka are a good side and have just played some good cricket in Australia. They're hardened from having played good cricket and are in their home conditions.'

Several respected critics have suggested
England`s claim on the world`s top spot can only be truly validated if
they enjoy success on the subcontinent.

Alastair Cook

Stuart Broad

Next challenge: Alastair Cook (left) and Stuart Broad at Heathrow on Saturday

Their failings against Pakistan did not help their case but, with a tour to India also booked into this year`s diary, Flower knows the opportunities are there to prove the critics wrong.

'It`s a tough challenge, it`s one of the hardest places to go and win,” he said ahead of the departure to Colombo.

'But that is the challenge for us now. We knew going into this year that we had a lot of subcontinent cricket. I`d like to see us improve our skills in that part of the world.

'It's exciting for our experienced cricketers to prove that they can adapt. We also have a very important tour to India this year and the lessons we learn in Sri Lanka will be crucial there.

'I am confident we will perform better than we did in the Tests against Pakistan. It was really good to see how we responded after the Test series. There were obvious signs that our batsmen had learned something'

England play their first warm-up game against a Sri Lankan board XI on Thursday, with the first Test starting on March 26.

Eoin Morgan must work hard for Test recall – Andy Flower

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Morgan must work hard on technique to earn England Test recall, warns Flower

Andy Flower has warned Eoin Morgan there will be no easy return to England's Test side after being dropped for next month's trip to Sri Lanka.

The Dublin-born batsman has paid the price for a disappointing tour of the United Arab Emirates, where he struggled for runs across all three formats against Pakistan.

While Morgan has plenty of pedigree in one-day international and Twenty20 cricket to fall back on, and remains vice-captain of the side in the shortest form, he has yet to prove himself as a Test batsman.

Making his point: England boss Andy Flower at the team hotel in Dubai on Tuesday

Making his point: England boss Andy Flower at the team hotel in Dubai on Tuesday

In 16 matches, and 24 innings, he averages just 30.43 and managed only 82 runs in six knocks in the UAE as spin duo Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman picked holes in his distinctive technique.

He was the major omission from a 16-man party for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka, with his recent understudy Ravi Bopara retained and all-rounder Samit Patel handed the chance to battle for a place.

Morgan was selected ahead of Bopara as Paul Collingwood's replacement last summer despite heading to the Indian Premier League while the Essex man excelled in first-class cricket, but Flower has suggested his route back into the team will not be as straightforward.

'He's had a tough tour of the UAE, we've been here for two months and it's been hard work for him,' said Team Director Flower, whose side secured a 2-1 T20 success over Pakistan on Monday.

'He has got some work to do I think on his Test game and that's going to be quite difficult for him considering his next cricket is going to be IPL cricket.

Dropped: Eoin Morgan will not be in the England Test squad in Sri Lanka

Dropped: Eoin Morgan will not be in the England Test squad in Sri Lanka

'When he comes back he'll have limited exposure to opportunities to get four-day cricket under his belt so he has got to go away and give some serious thought to his method in Test cricket.

'He has been severely tested out there by the Pakistan spinners, as have all our batsmen.'

While demotion will be a bitter pill to swallow for a man who quit his native Ireland in a bid to play Test cricket, there were some encouraging words from Flower, who has previously spoken of highly of Morgan's leadership potential.

'I still think he has a very exciting future in Test cricket,' Flower continued.

'He's only 25 years old and he's a very talented player, a very confident player and a very dangerous player. If he can get his game in order so that the next time he gets a game in Test cricket he can grab it with both hands then he will fulfil his wishes for his cricket career and England will be a better side for it.'

The remainder of the batting unit was as expected, with Patel's steady left-arm spin earning him the nod ahead of the likes of James Taylor, Jos Buttler and Johnny Bairstow.

Floored: Morgan (right) had his technique exposed by Pakistan's spinners

Floored: Morgan (right) had his technique exposed by Pakistan's spinners

Surrey's Steven Davies again travels as back-up for first-choice wicketkeeper Matt Prior, while the importance of slow bowling has been underlined by the selection of Kent's James Tredwell, who previous Test experience came in Bangladesh in 2010.

With Graeme Swann, Monty Panesar and Patel also involved, England's spin contingent for the matches in Colombo and Galle is the largest in recent memory.

Tredwell is a like-for-like replacement for Swann, who is likely to be complimented by a rejuvenated Panesar.

'I'm pretty sure Sri Lanka will produce spinning conditions for us,' said Flower. 'James Tredwell is in the side as cover for Graeme Swann – we think the off spinning position is a very important one and he's there in case Swann goes down with injury or illness.

'I couldn't see them both playing in the XI and Samit Patel gets his first chance in the Test squad. He will be competing for the No 6 batting spot with Ravi Bopara and it gives us the option of playing a fifth bowler.'

The two-Test tour opens with a game against a Sri Lanka Board XI, which starts on March 15.

England then meet a Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI on March 20 with the first Test starting six days later in Galle. The second Test in Colombo is scheduled for April 3.

Batting coach Graham Gooch, who recently signed a full-time contract with the side, will lead an advance party of seven to Sri Lanka, with the remainder of the squad following on March 10.

England call up Samit Patel for Sri Lanka Test tour

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England all-rounder Patel to get his first taste of Test action

Samit Patel looks set to earn his
first call-up for an England Test squad, a significant sign
that he is finally winning his battle of the bulge.

Patel, who last year returned to the
one-day squad after a two-year exile because of problems with his weight
and lack of fitness, will almost certainly be the most notable
inclusion in a 16-man party for the two-Test tour of Sri Lanka.

Impressive: Samit Patel appears to have won over coach Andy Flower

Impressive: Samit Patel appears to have won over coach Andy Flower

The talented batsman and left-arm spinner has played a solid supporting role in England's successes here in the one-day and Twenty20 series victories over Pakistan and finally looks to be winning coach Andy Flower round.

Flower again questioned Patel's desire to reach 'the minimum' fitness levels expected in an interview with Sportsmail in November but the Notts all-rounder has improved sufficiently to achieve his biggest vote of confidence to date.

Patel looks sure to travel to Sri Lanka in just 11 days time as the third spinner in England's squad along with Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar but it is as a batsman that he is more likely to succeed in Test cricket.

Focused: Patel helped England to ODI and Twenty20 successes

Focused: Patel helped England to ODI and Twenty20 successes

He is a wristy player well suited to
the sub-continent and showed that he can play Saeed Ajmal, who took 39
wickets in all forms of cricket against England on this tour of the UAE,
by hitting the mystery spinner for a straight six during England's win
on Monday.

The biggest
remaining question that the selectors had to answer before naming their
squad on Tuesday is whether Eoin Morgan retains his place after a
wretched time against Pakistan.

Morgan, believed to be such a key player against spin, was all at sea against Pakistan's array of spinners and had a top score on tour of just 31 in 17 innings in all forms of cricket.

Struggle: England's Eoin Morgan had a top score of just 31 in 17 innings on tour

Struggle: England's Eoin Morgan had a top score of just 31 in 17 innings on tour

The Irishman is a player very highly regarded by England but it could be that he misses out now with Yorkshire's Jonny Bairstow the enterprising candidate to replace him in the squad.

Ravi Bopara, who was in the England Test squad to face Pakistan but who did not play in the three matches, is surely first in line to replace Morgan in the team for the first Test in Galle on March 26 because of the continuity that England so desire.

Otherwise the Test squad virtually picked itself with only the injured Chris Tremlett missing out. England are determined not to make panic changes after one bad series but they will send Andrew Strauss, Ian Bell and Matt Prior to Sri Lanka a week early for extra batting practice in the sort of conditions that troubled them in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Pakistan v England: Third ODI live scorecard

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Pakistan v England: Follow the latest score from the third ODI in Dubai

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England are out to wrap up the series when they take on Pakistan in the third one-day international in Dubai today.

Leading 2-0, victory will hand them the series to make up for the whitewash in the Test matches.

Alastair Cook lost his first toss of the series, though, and England therefore found themselves beginning with ball rather than bat for the first time too.

Click HERE for the live score from Dubai

Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Umar Akmal, Adnan Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Aizaz Cheema.

England: Alastair Cook (captain), Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, Ravi Bopara, Eoin Morgan, Craig Kieswetter, Samit Patel, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Steven Finn and James Anderson.

Umpires: Aleem Dar, Pakistan, and Simon Taufel, Australia.

TV umpire: Kumar Dharmasena, Sri Lanka.

Match referee: Jeff Crowe, New Zealand.

Kevin Pietersen won"t let DRS ruin his career

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I won't let DRS ruin my game, says defiant KP as clock ticks on ODI career

Kevin Pietersen has blamed the decision-review system for the run of woeful form that threatens his England one-day place at least, but vowed to conquer his biggest challenge.

Pietersen is enduring his worst spell since he exploded on to the international scene seven years ago and desperately needs runs during the rest of this tour, starting with Saturday’s third one-day international here in Dubai, if he is to have a future in 50-over cricket.

He says he is remodelling his technique to cope with technology that, on this tour at least, has overturned the tradition of batsmen receiving the benefit of the doubt.

Looking to improve: Kevin Pietersen has failed to impress as an opener

Looking to improve: Kevin Pietersen has failed to impress as an opener

As a sandstorm raged in Dubai, Pietersen
addressed the storm created by his inability to cope with the spin of
Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman on this tour.

‘I’ve played a lot of cricket for England but this has been very hard,’
he said. ‘Batters have had to worry about the DRS, worry about the ball
hitting your pad and having to change technique to try to counter it.
The benefit of the doubt is certainly not with the batter now, which is
quite sad.’

Pietersen insists that even though he has appeared a distracted, almost
isolated, figure at times here he is relishing a battle he has to win,
even though he still has credit in the bank in Test cricket after
averaging close to 70 last year.

DRS woes: Pietersen is not a fan of lbw technology

DRS woes: Pietersen is not a fan of lbw technology

‘We think it’s tragic that this is happening but I’m actually at a stage
of my career where it’s quite nice,’ he said. ‘It’s something for me to
really go hard at and try to perfect. I’ve been having real good
conversations with Andy Flower because we talk proper batting.

‘It’s not as simple as saying I’ve just got to use my bat rather than
pad because you have to check the line of the stumps. Batters now think
they have four or five stumps to try to defend. But it’s fun. It’s new
and I’m loving coming to training and learning this stuff. And it will
only really affect things in the sub-continent. In England, where the
ball bounces and comes on to the bat, it won’t be the same.

‘The wheel’s not in my favour at the moment. All batsmen need to get
runs, of course they do, but if you get them, you get them and if you
don’t, you don’t. That’s how I look at it now. I’m 100 per cent
confident that the wheel will turn again. Only a cricketer will
understand me when I say that I feel in very good form. I’m just not
getting the rub of the green and I’m working on something. It’s not a
complete remodelling of technique. It’s very simple. I’m going in at the
moment and if I can get to 20 I’m hoping it will be a case of “see you
later” for the bowlers.’

Frustration: Pietersen throws his bat in the air after being dismissed by Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal

Frustration: Pietersen throws his bat in the air after being dismissed by Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal

Pietersen, who wants to open the batting in one-day cricket permanently,
says that umpire Simon Taufel, who has reservations about DRS, said
sorry for giving him out lbw to his old nemesis Rehman in the final
Test.

‘Simon came and apologised to me the next morning in Dubai. He asked me
if he was still on my Christmas card list and I said, “Don’t worry about
it, it’s fine”. He’s given a decision he wouldn’t have given before
Hawk-Eye and the benefit of the doubt has gone to the bowler. It
shouldn’t be umpire’s call when it’s just clipping the leg-stump. It
should be not out. I really think it’s very unfair.’

Pietersen, who believes that Rehman in particular will be nowhere near
as effective away from sub-continental conditions, insists he has a
fatalistic approach to the remainder of his England career and the
criticism he attracts. ‘What will be will be. I have absolutely no
interest in criticism these days. I used to. But now people can say what
they want because my skin is very, very thick.

Practice makes perfect: Pietersen during an England nets session

Practice makes perfect: Pietersen during an England nets session

‘Fitness and form are two huge things in a sportsman’s life and at the
moment I’m very fit. As soon as form catches fitness we’ll have much
better press conferences.’

The rest of this tour will go a long way to defining the next chapter of the eventful Kevin Pietersen story.

Pakistan v England: Second ODI live scorecard

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Pakistan v England: Follow the latest score from the second ODI in Abu Dhabi

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England return to the Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi looking for more of the same after beating Pakistan by 130 runs in the ODI series opener on Monday.

Alastair Cook hit a career-best 137 before Steven Finn ripped into the Pakistan top order as England laid down an early marker in the four-match series.

England won the toss and chose to bat.

CLICK HERE FOR THE MATCH SCORECARD

Pakistan
Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq
(capt), Umar Akmal (wk), Shahid Afridi, Abdur Rehman, Umar Gul, Saeed
Ajmal, Aizaz Cheema

England
Alastair Cook (capt), Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, Ravi Bopara,
Eoin Morgan, Craig Kieswetter (wk), Samit Patel, Stuart Broad, Graeme
Swann, James Anderson, Steven Finn

Cricket: Lions fail to bite in Abu Dhabi

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Lions fail to bite in bizarre warm-up for Ajmal in Abu Dhabi

England found the perfect solution to their batting problems on Friday — they faced up to English bowling.

The result was a damp squib of a one-day warm-up match as England coasted to a contrived victory over their own second-string Lions side which will mean little when they again come up against Pakistan and Saeed Ajmal on Monday.

While Pakistan took part in a proper one-day international under lights against Afghanistan in front of a packed crowd in Sharjah, the next generation of England players were being exposed here by their seniors.

Back in the runs: Kevin Pietersen looked in better form on Friday

Back in the runs: Kevin Pietersen looked in better form on Friday

Not exactly a case of daylight robbery, but it was odd that England did not take the chance to replicate conditions they will face in their four-match day-night series.

England bowled first at the early start time of 9.15am, when there was moisture in the surface and zip off the pitch, but it was disappointing to see emerging talents like Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, James Vince and Alex Hales failing to make any sort of impact.

There has been nothing wrong with England’s bowling throughout this chastening tour and Steven Finn and Jade Dernbach, two seamers who played no part in the Test series, took six Lions wickets between them on a helpful Sheik Zayed Stadium pitch where Tim Bresnan managed five overs on his return from injury.

So poor was the effort of a Lions team coming off the back of a successful tour of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka that they could muster only 96 all out, albeit 24 more than England scored when last here.

That was such a paltry target for an England team in desperate need of time in the middle that the management abandoned their policy of playing ‘proper’ warm-up games and set themselves the challenge of 230 in 50 overs.

Turning his arm over: Samit Patel bowls in Abu Dhabi on Friday

Turning his arm over: Samit Patel bowls in Abu Dhabi on Friday

Even that was a sign of fragile English confidence because they should have tried to reach in excess of 300 to give themselves a real taste of what will be in store against Pakistan.

Instead, their need to make sure they recorded a victory, any victory, was betrayed by their very English 50-over chase, one the seniors completed by seven wickets with 25 balls remaining.

It was encouraging to see Kevin Pietersen responding to his new one-day opener’s role by playing authoritatively for his brisk 41, even though the Lions tried to fox him by opening the bowling with a left-arm spinner in Danny Briggs.

Alastair Cook, a success in his new role as one-day captain last summer, was efficient in his 68 off 91 balls, Ravi Bopara came in at No 4, hitting 36 off 45 and Jonathan Trott did what he always does in batting at his own pace to lead England home with an unbeaten 75.

But given the task ahead, it was hardly the test England needed.

Meanwhile, in a proper game of cricket…

Looking good: Younis Khan on his way to a half century (above) and Pakistan supporters celebrate in Sharjah (below)

Looking good: Younis Khan on his way to a half century (above) and Pakistan supporters celebrate in Sharjah (below)

Pakistan fans

Worcestershire re-sign Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal

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Not you again! County batsmen set for torrid summer as Pakistan spinner Ajmal re-signs

Worcestershire have re-signed England's Test destroyer, Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal, for part of the 2012 season, the county have confirmed.

Ajmal is linking up with Worcestershire as their second overseas player for the Friends Life T20 campaign.

He will join forces with Australian Test batsman, Phil Hughes, who is with Worcestershire for the entire 2012 season.

England's destroyer: Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal (left)

England's destroyer: Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal (left)

Ajmal spent the second half of last season at New Road and helped the Royals to avoid instant relegation from Division One of the LV County Championship after being promoted for the first time.

He also picked up 16 T20 wickets at an average of just over 11 runs apiece and is currently ranked the second best T20 bowler in the ICC world rankings.

Ajmal has showed his potency in the New Year by taking 24 wickets in Pakistan's 3-0 whitewash victory over Andrew Strauss's side in Dubai. This included career best Test figures of 7-55 in the opening game of the series.

Game for a laugh: Ajmal (left) shares a joke with coach Mohsin Khan in Sharjah

Game for a laugh: Ajmal (left) shares a joke with coach Mohsin Khan in Sharjah

Worcestershire director of Cricket, Steve Rhodes, said: 'Saeed showed last summer when playing for us what a quality bowler he is.

'His recent performances against England only serve to back this up.

'We are delighted that he has agreed to return to New Road for a second time.'

Ajmal said: 'I really enjoyed my time at New Road in 2011 and look forward to returning this summer to help inspire the club to Twenty20 success.'

The 33-year-old verbally agreed to return to Worcestershire after talks before and after Christmas and has now put pen to paper.