Fluent knocks from Usman Khawaja and Phillip Hughes and a sparkling half-century from Brad Haddin led the Australians to a six-wicket win over Somerset

Daniel Brettig in Taunton29-Jun-2013
ScorecardPhillip Hughes came in at No.3 and collected another valuable half-century to press his case for Ashes selection•Getty Images

Usman Khawaja, Phillip Hughes and Ed Cowan were all useful if not quite compelling on a day of sunshine and blue skies at Taunton as they duelled for places in the Australian batting order for the first Ashes Test. Each played fluently until the moment of his dismissal, but none turned their start into the sort of tally captain Michael Clarke and coach Darren Lehmann so desired from their charges.Still, a win is a win and as the first such result in a first-class match by an Australian team overseas since the third Test in Dominica in April 2012, it should not be sniffed at. Brad Haddin, the vice-captain, completed formalities with a second six in an innings that underlined how the tourists’ goal of an outright result has never been in question.Haddin’s was in fact the most arresting batting of all the Australians. He walked out with a potentially tense 56 runs still to get and proceeded to clobber 52 of them himself. Following on from fluent runs for Australia A, Haddin looks more than capable of playing in the top six if required.The Australians made one concession for preparatory needs by keeping Shane Watson from batting in the second innings, even though four wickets fell. He is completely certain of his place, but others less so. Khawaja and Hughes gained most from the final day’s batting, on a surface that had finally begun to wear. Though he did not impress in the first innings, Khawaja was composed and unhurried while compiling 73 runs, including 10 boundaries. Hughes played his shots with increasing levels of self-assurance, benefiting from the gains of day two.However Cowan trudged grimly from the wicket after falling short of a major score, despite looking untroubled until the moment of his dismissal, which for the second time in the match went the way of the tall seamer Gemaal Hussain. It remains to be seen whether he will get another chance to push for his retention in the Test team against Worcestershire next week.Sun blazed over the County Ground as Cowan and Khawaja resumed play in the morning. Runs were soon being collected with efficiency and no great fuss, any edges snuck through the gap between slips and gully running along the ground. Cowan drove attractively through cover and also punched through point off the back foot, while Khawaja rotated the strike more effectively than he has done so at times in the past.So comfortable did both batsmen look that the fall of a wicket was unexpected. Cowan, on 46, flailed at Hussain in search of the boundary to reach his half-century and managed only to edge behind. The dismissal continued a worrying pattern: not since the first Test of last summer against South Africa in Brisbane has Cowan made a first-class century, despite consistently making starts. Australia may be able to afford this kind of recurring issue with one of their openers, but having guaranteed a berth to the hundred-shy Watson they may be hesitant about including another.Hughes walked out at No. 3 as the tourists sought to bolster his confidence further, and it was evident in a rollicking start to his innings including one big six heaved over midwicket from the bowling of George Dockrell. This was the sort of shot Hughes looked afraid to play in India, and he balanced his aggression with plenty of singles while at the other end Khawaja raised his fifty.Lunch came and went, and just when Khawaja appeared to be cantering towards a century, the rough Dockrell had been floating his left-arm spin towards caused him to play for too much spin and snick a catch to slip. Hughes and Clarke prospered for a time, before the former slogged at Dockrell and was bowled. Clarke had played his second pleasing cameo of the match but authored a similarly inattentive stroke three runs later, dancing down the wicket and playing around a ball that did not turn.But Haddin was in a joyful hurry, and he allowed the tour bus a chance to be revved up for Worcester well ahead of the scheduled close. It gathered valuable momentum at Taunton, even if Cowan, Hughes and Khawaja might have preferred more runs to take with them.

Former India batsman Ashok Malhotra was appointed coach of Bengal on Monday, after WV Raman returned to Tamil Nadu to take over as coach.

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jul-2013Former India batsman Ashok Malhotra was appointed coach of Bengal on Monday, after WV Raman returned to Tamil Nadu to take over as coach.Malhotra is a level III coach, with experience of coaching India A. “Bengal cricket has been struggling for some time. There’s a lot of work to do. I truly believe we have the potential to make it count,” he said. “The real work will begin after we pick the side in September.”As a commentator for last nine years, I’ve been shutting between Delhi and Kolkata. But now, it’s like coming back home. I am so excited to return to Bengal. I personally feel I can give something back to Bengal cricket. I’ve given an opportunity and am looking forward to give my best.”Malhotra expected batsman Manoj Tiwary to come good for Bengal. “Manoj will be out for early part of the season. But once he is back he will deliver. My main worry is the spin department. We have a good bunch of pace bowlers but the spin attack is very weak. So my primary focus will be to build a good spin department.Malhotra said two important aspects of a coach’s job were man-management and ensuring that players who were experiencing a slump were given confidence. “If the dressing room is happy everything will fall into place. The advantage is in the dressing room the coach will speak in Bengali. From my personal experience, I have seen if you interact in mother tongue, then the players open up easily. That’s very important. We have to move as one unit.”Malhotra, a former selector, played seven Tests and 20 ODIs for India, and 156 first-class matches for Bengal and Haryana, scoring 9784 runs at 50.95. He also once held the record for the most runs in Ranji Trophy cricket.

The start of the 2012-13 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League has been deferred for the fourth time. The player transfers/recruitment programme, which was supposed to be held on Thursday, has also been delayed further, possibly till the end of August

Mohammad Isam24-Jul-2013The start of the 2012-13 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League has been deferred for the fourth time. The player transfers/recruitment programme, which was supposed to be held on Thursday, has also been delayed further, possibly till the end of August.This time the reason for the delay is the Dhaka clubs’ reluctance to take part in the recruitment programme before Eid-ul-Fitr, which is supposed to be held in the second week of August. Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) chairman Jalal Yunus however said that the commencement date of the Premier League will not be delayed by too long.”The clubs have asked us to hold the recruitment programme after Eid,” Yunus said. “They wouldn’t be able to make payments during this time. But the league itself will only be delayed by three to four days because it will now most probably begin on September 2 instead of August 29.”We hope to declare specific dates for the player recruitment programme and the start of the Premier Division Cricket League after the board meeting on July 29.”The players’ representative body has criticised the BCB for this latest delay, though, saying the board hadn’t considered the effect the decision would have on the players. Cricketers’ Welfare Association Bangladesh general secretary Debabrata Paul said: “Many of the players are struggling to make ends meet ahead of the Eid holidays. The BCB and the clubs only considered their own interests, instead of the basic needs of the players. They could have held the players recruiting programme tomorrow (July 25).”The BCB’s ad-hoc committee had announced the new dates at its July 3 meeting, but the clubs continued to push the board to change dates. This has been the case since March this year when the league was originally scheduled to be held. Then, the clubs’ objection was the ongoing Sri Lanka tour, which meant all national cricketers wouldn’t be available to play.Some of the clubs also complained about players asking for too much money, so the players’ transfer system was changed, the new programme resembling the American draft system. The old system, which will return next season, had the players and clubs negotiate rather than go through a lottery.The Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League is Bangladesh’s top domestic one-day tournament, played between twelve Dhaka-based clubs. The board granted it List-A status this year, after the National Cricket League’s one-day tournament fell through for the last three seasons.

Essex find themselves in a commanding position at Chelmsford, having bowled Worcestershire out for 102, their lowest score of the season, thanks to a career-best 6 for 29 from Reece Topley

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Chelmsford03-Sep-2013
ScorecardReece Topley’s career-best return fired out Worcestershire•PA Photos

Essex find themselves in a commanding position at Chelmsford, having bowled Worcestershire out for 102 – their lowest score of the season, to date. That was thanks to 6 for 29 from Reece Topley, who responded to criticisms of his red-ball prowess with his career best figures.He was boisterous at stumps, talking up Essex’s promotion challenge after a first day that already sees them on the cusp of a first innings lead of 100. Trailing second-placed Northamptonshire by 44 points with a game in hand, they must feel that victory is essential here.Topley is certainly capable of spells faster than he produced today – not that he did not hurry those unlucky enough to face him – but he displayed impeccable control, as Essex systematically worked their way through Worcestershire’s consistent left-right combinations: a combination that occurred through circumstance rather than design, it must be said.His natural arc of the ball, starting from all of eight feet, cut naturally in to the right-hander and away from the left. But it was his variation of length that allowed him to reap the benefits of pushing the batsmen back as he enjoyed success with some superb full balls. Five of his six wickets came from pitched up, swinging deliveries that either found the outside edge, the pad – both in Jack Shantry’s case – or off-stump.He was gifted a wicket by Joe Leach, who failed to get on top of the bounce when he attempted to hook immediately after lunch, with Ryan ten Doeschate taking a routine catch at mid-wicket.His best delivery of the day brought only misfortune. Having removed Tom Fell the ball before, he produced the perfect outswinger to Ross Whiteley who couldn’t help but follow it. Owais Shah had to dive to his left at first slip, but it really should have been taken.Topley eventually got Whiteley for his sixth, as five Worcestershire wickets fell for just 13 runs. Alan Richardson and Dan Lucas combined to take the score into triple figures, before the innings was closed by a stupendous catch from Graham Napier at deep mid-on, Lucas slapping what looked to be a flat-six over his head, only for Napier to time a dive backwards to perfection, sticking his right-hand out to clutch the ball safely.In reply, Essex were one wicket down in the third over, as Nick Browne was bowled after defending a ball from Richardson which then spun back and hit off stump hard enough to dislodge the bail.But the Worcestershire attack could not build on that early good fortune, as Greg Smith came to the middle and quelled any potential resistance with an innings of high quality.He has played some fine knocks this year, in both the long and short forms of the game, and this must match any of them for fluency and clarity of shots. From a perfectly stable base, his drives echoed around Chelmsford, as a sizeable crowd enjoyed an evening session littered with boundaries.His approach eventually rubbed off on opener Jaik Mickelburgh, who went through the last 26 runs of his fifty with six fours, as they put on 158 in 33.2 overs together. And yet, it could have all been so much better for Essex had they not conspired to give away three wickets before the day was up.Mickelburgh top-edged to slip after trying to paddle Moeen Ali’s off spin around the corner, before Smith could not resist trying to clear Richardson at a three-quarters mid-on, to the same bowler.Shah can be forgiven for his demise; leaving a delivery from Richardson on a fifth stump line that jagged back in nastily and hitting him in front, having offered no shot. It was one of the few balls to do anything out of the ordinary.Ten Doeschate gave us a taster for what to expect tomorrow when he planted Ali down the ground for six and the smeared him to midwicket for four – in the last over of the day, no less. A convincing win with full batting and bowling points is well within reach, and is a necessity if Essex are to catch Northants for that second promotion spot.

The county career of Phil Jaques, the former Australia batsman, appears to have come to an end after Yorkshire decided to not renew his contract.

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2013The county career of Phil Jaques, the former Australia batsman, appears to have come to an end after Yorkshire decided to not renew his contract.Jaques’s deal at Headingley expired at the end of the season, following Yorkshire’s draw at The Oval, and he will now take up a coaching role back in Australia with club side Sutherland in Sydney. But he may return to play for Yorkshire for part of a season should an opportunity arise.Jaques, 34, had eight fruitful seasons in county cricket for Northamptonshire, Worcestershire and in two stints at Yorkshire, for whom he was most productive with over 4,000 first-class runs at 51.12.His father was a Yorkshireman and Jaques embraced the family connection, scoring over 1,000 runs for the White Rose in 2004 and 2005. He returned to Headingley in 2012 playing as a British passport holder and made 792 runs at 44.00 to help Yorkshire win Division Two of the County Championship and scored 770 runs at 36.66 this season as they finished runners up in Division One.At the time, his decision to play for Yorkshire with a British passport was a big commitment, changing his status to overseas in Australia. But the tweak made to the eligibility of domestic players by Cricket Australia, the “Robson rule”, means Jaques could now return to Australia as a home-qualified player.”He’s been a great asset to the club during the two spells that he had with us,” Yorkshire director of cricket Martyn Moxon said. “He’s been invaluable not only on the field but off it as well with our younger players; that was one of the reasons we brought him back to help with our young batsmen in particular.”Phil talked about batting and passed on his experience, and the lads picked up bits here and there from him. He talked to us about what he saw technically and whether things needed to change, and I think he fed off us as well with regards to his future career.”Jaques will maintain a link with Yorkshire, with second XI batsman Jack Leaning joining up with Jaques’ club side in Sydney in November. Leaning made his first-class debut this summer and played four matches in the Yorkshire Bank 40.”Phil’s been instrumental in getting that sorted,” Moxon added. “It’s nice to have that connection in Sydney for our young players to get some experience playing over there. I don’t think Phil’s completely given up on the thought of playing, but he doesn’t want to come back to England for a full season. If he does come back it would be for part of a season. Obviously that depends if an opportunity ever arises.”He’s looking to get more into coaching himself. He started last winter back in Australia doing his club side and in the Big Bash. That was a great challenge and experience for him. He learnt a bit from us and he gave our young batsmen some help as well. His nickname is The Pro – and he is. He’s the ultimate professional.”

While there is little doubt that USA misses Sushil Nadkarni’s veteran leadership presence in terms of experience, the gap in talent is not as drastic as initially projected thanks to the emergence of Fahad Babar

Peter Della Penna in Indianapolis04-May-2015When Sushil Nadkarni suffered an injury relapse which effectively ended his international career at ICC WCL Division Three last October, the drop-off in experience and talent was expected to be significant. Nadkarni had been USA’s most prolific scorer since making his debut in 2006 and was an intimidating presence at the top of the order, both for his explosive shot making and his sheer physical stature.While there is little doubt that USA misses Nadkarni’s veteran leadership presence in terms of experience, the gap in talent is not as drastic as initially projected thanks to the emergence of Fahad Babar. Brought as a reserve batsman on the tour to Malaysia, 23-year-old Babar was thrust into the opening slot when Nadkarni went down and has flourished in the limited opportunities he has had to prove himself.After feeling his way around during his first few games at Division Three against Uganda and Bermuda, Babar reeled off scores of 47, 59, 44 and 63 not out to end the tournament. If Nadkarni had been healthy, Babar might not have seen the field at all but instead he wound up as USA’s leading scorer with 247 runs, which was also good enough for fourth overall in the event. Six months later, Babar showed that a Chicago winter and lack of matchplay hasn’t dulled his senses one bit and he picked up right where he left off against Bermuda in Malaysia to strike an unbeaten 78 on Sunday in Indianapolis.”The main thing is I think fitness,” Babar told ESPNcricinfo after USA’s five-wicket win on Sunday when asked what has been the key to his early success with the national team. “I have been working really hard. I have improved my fitness which has helped me a lot and helped me improve my batting today. I think it was a good job by the whole team.”What was also impressive was the calm he demonstrated despite continually losing partners. Such temperament is hard to find young players who lack the experience of someone like Nadkarni but Babar never once look flustered and instead seemed to thrive as the pressure began to mount late in USA’s chase. His maturity was also evident in who he chose to target in the Bermuda attack.”We have played Bermuda before and I know their bowlers well,” Babar said. “I knew they had one good left-arm bowler [Delray Rawlins] but other than that they were okay bowlers so my main focus was to play out the left-arm bowler.”His performance was made more special by the fact that he was able to do it in front of nine family members who made the three-hour drive in the morning from Chicago to get to Indianapolis in time for the start of play. The last time they were able to watch him play in national colors was more than four years ago in Florida for the USA U-19 team. Babar only scraped together 14 runs in four innings at that tournament so today’s effort helped create happier memories than the ones they had to take with them on the 20-hour drive from Fort Lauderdale back to Chicago.”It was a great feeling,” Babar said. “Thanks to my family they have been supporting me throughout. The ICC tournament is happening in our region so it’s a proud moment for us. Other people were supporting us as well which was great to see.”Though Babar is part of a very raw squad which was the only team in this tournament not to have any practice matches in the month leading into Sunday’s opening matches, Babar believes that the energy and enthusiasm in this squad has been uplifting and that it will help them overcome their lack of experience to hopefully finish with a repeat of USA’s tournament title from 2013.”We have won our last two games against Bermuda so the confidence was there,” Babar said. “We have beaten them twice [in Malaysia] and today we did it again. I think it’s a really good team. They’re all new young guys and I think we have a really good chance for winning this tournament.”

Royal Challengers Bangalore set up a clash with Chennai Super Kings for a place in the final as they sent Rajasthan Royals out of the tournament with a commanding performance

The Report by Abhishek Purohit20-May-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:57

Agarkar: Royals needed openers to get some runs

Royal Challengers Bangalore set up a clash with Chennai Super Kings for a place in the final as they sent Rajasthan Royals out of the tournament with a commanding performance.Two of the big three Royal Challengers batsmen failed, but the third, AB de Villiers, made up for that with 66 off 38. Mandeep Singh chose a knockout game to make the first half-century of the season from a Royal Challengers batsman not answering to those three big names. De Villiers and Mandeep added 113 for the third wicket at more than 10 an over to propel Royal Challengers to 180 for 4. On a ground with a highest successful chase of 166 in the IPL, it was too many runs in the pressure of a must-win chase. Royals crumbled without any fight, losing wickets regularly to go down by 71 runs.On a hard and grassy but also two-paced pitch, Royal Challengers lost Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli to Dhawal Kulkarni by the eighth over before reaching 50. Mandeep and de Villiers took a few deliveries to get their bearings before decisively batting Royals out of the match.Mandeep started the counter when he pulled and lofted Kulkarni for consecutive boundaries in the tenth over. Still, Royal Challengers were going at run a ball at the halfway mark. They were to take 86 off the last six overs, Royals’ death-bowling letting them down again as none of those overs went for less than 11.No batsman barring Mandeep and de Villiers was able to time the ball consistently on the Pune pitch. Mandeep was strong on the pull and the cut. Gradually, de Villiers found his hitting rhythm too, against left-arm spinner Ankit Sharma in the 15th over, when he slogged two sixes and powered a four to deep extra cover.James Faulkner went for 42 from four overs to end a disappointing season with an economy-rate of 9.46. Chris Morris had a rare off day too, leaking the same number of runs.With such a stiff target, Royals needed their top order to come good. It wasn’t to be. Shane Watson chased and nicked a wide one from S Aravind in the second over. Sanju Samson’s promotion to No. 3 did not work as Harshal Patel bounced him out. With the asking-rate galloping, Steven Smith grew desperate for the big hit and holed out off David Wiese.Helpless to stop the exit of batsmen at the other end, and struggling to get the measure of the pitch, Ajinkya Rahane departed for 42 off 39 in the 14th over. There was to be no sparkle from Deepak Hooda. There was to be no finishing from Faulkner. There was to be only a heavy defeat.

ESPNcricinfo previews the opening Test of the Investec Ashes which takes place in Cardiff, the scene of a dramatic outcome in 2009

Andrew McGlashan07-Jul-2015

Match facts

July 8, 2015
Start time 11.00am local (1000GMT)

Big Picture

Here we go again. For the third time in two years an Ashes series is about to be played out. Ten years since the Greatest Series Ever (probably) dare we hope for something that will even come close to matching that drama?It all begins in Cardiff – at what was formerly known as Sophia Gardens but is now named after a major power supplier. Whether the series calls for a demand for extra electricity when fans up and down the country rush to put the kettle on at lunch and tea could well depend on how this first Investec Test unfolds.Six years ago the corresponding fixture ended in the pulsating scenes of James Anderson and Monty Panesar repelling the threat – if that’s the right word – of Nathan Hauritz and Marcus North. In those closing overs Mitchell Johnson was stood in the outfield; this time Johnson returns with memories of a 37-wicket haul down under still fresh.Only six of the England team that appeared in the final game of that series in Sydney will play here (name the full XI for the match, it is a good quiz question) while Australia are likely to have eight. Whether that reinforces the ‘Dad’s Army’ tag thrown around in the last few weeks or will become viewed as the value of experience could be a little clearer in five days.There is not as much between the two sides as may have been envisaged a few months ago, but if Australia – ageing side or not – get an early lead in Cardiff they will be difficult to haul in, notwithstanding the fact England lost the first Test in 2005. A win for England and the series could be a classic.But after the 18 months of ups and downs they have had in Test cricket, Alastair Cook, who spent the closing overs of the 2009 match sat in the showers unwilling to move, would probably be content with another draw.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England LWLWD
Australia WWDDW

In the spotlight

It is fascinating to see a new generation of Test cricketer emerge. In this series the head-to-head between Joe Root and Steven Smith should be compelling. Smith’s promotion to No. 3 means his role has evolved a little, while Root is England’s engine room at No. 5. Both have been through Ashes traumas – Smith in 2010-11 when England thought he was a bit of a joker and Root in 2013-14 when he was eventually dropped – but the pair are now at the top of their games. Smith has scored 1052 runs in his last six Tests and Root, since his recall last June, has made 1318 runs at 82.37. Both also bowl handy part-time spin, are superb in the field and don’t mind the odd word or two.There has not been this much talk of the Mitchells in England since Phil was shot in EastEnders. Australia might have three of them, and at least two. Mitchell Johnson comes with the recent Ashes history, but it is Mitchell Starc with the compelling recent form which has seen him translate his World Cup menace into red-ball wickets. His 2013 Ashes series was underwhelming, but the consensus is that Starc is now ready to rule the world. And, if the pitch is flat in Cardiff, he can take the 22 yards out of the equation with one of the finest yorkers in the current game.

Teams news

In 2009, England were sucked into playing two spinners in Cardiff. Ultimately they were grateful as Panesar helped save the day, but his pairing with Graeme Swann was not fruitful. They are unlikely to go down that route again despite the presence of Adil Rashid. The recent (British) heatwave has abated somewhat in South Wales, so four quicks with Moeen Ali – and some Root – is the most likely attack. Meanwhile, Gary Ballance and Ian Bell both begin the series under some pressure.England 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Adam Lyth, 3 Gary Ballance, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Joe Root, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Moeen Ali, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Mark Wood, 11 James AndersonTwo Marshs, one Marsh or no Marsh. That appears to be Australia’s selection conundrum. Has Chris Rogers, who missed the two Tests in West Indies with concussion, done enough to force his way back past Shaun Marsh and has Shane Watson done enough to keep his place ahead of Mitchell Marsh? The answer to both would appear to be yes.Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Chris Rogers, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Adam Voges, 6 Shane Watson, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Nathan Lyon

Pitch and conditions

Keith Exton, the Glamorgan groundsman, said he does not expect a “sporting” pitch although there was a decent matting of grass left on the surface and the forecast of an overcast first morning could make the toss interesting. However, the weather is set fair and is expected to warm up during the weekend.

Stats and trivia

• Four of the top 10 Test run-scorers since January 2014 will play in this Test: Smith, Warner, Root and Ballance
• Each team is likely to have three players who appeared in the 2009 match on this ground (Cook, Broad, Anderson; Clarke, Haddin, Johnson)
• Dean Cosker, the 37-year-old Glamorgan left-arm spinner, will be one of England’s substitute fielders for the first two days of the Test. Cosker was once viewed as an England prospect, reaching England A level between 1997 and 1999.

Quotes

“There is a lot written about my captaincy and it is important I sometimes get on the front foot. If you look back at previous teams, they were more methodical. Maybe there’s more opportunity to be on the front foot with the players we’ve got now.”
Alastair Cook“We’ve been fortunate enough to have a lot of success as a team, winning away from home has been the area we’ve addressed and said we want to be more consistent. Beating teams in their own backyard is always the toughest part of our game and I’m sure this series will be no different.”

Canada offspinner Nikhil Dutta, who has chosen to remain in the CPL with the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, has been replaced by Hiral Patel in the Canada squad for the ICC World T20 Qualifier

Peter Della Penna03-Jul-2015Canada offspinner Nikhil Dutta, who has chosen to remain in the Caribbean Premier League with the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, has been replaced by Hiral Patel in the squad for the ICC World T20 Qualifier beginning next week in Ireland and Scotland. Dutta’s absence is a big blow for Canada – he was their leading wicket-taker at the ICC Americas Division One T20 tournament in May with 12 wickets at an average of 9.41 and an economy rate of 4.91.Dutta is the second Associate player to drop out of the qualifier after obtaining a CPL contract, joining USA’s Steven Taylor. But while Taylor has been on the bench for all five games played by the Barbados Tridents, Dutta has played in the three games so far for the Patriots, taking two wickets at an economy rate of 8.18.

Changes to other squads

• Netherlands: Roelof van der Merwe, who made himself available for Netherlands last week, has been picked in place of 20-year-old seamer Vivian Kingma

• Namibia: Wicketkeeper-batsman Michau du Preez has replaced Zhivago Groenewald

Even though Cricket Canada received clearance from the ICC to replace Dutta with the hard-hitting Patel, Dutta may face obstacles regarding his involvement with the Patriots for the duration of the CPL season. According to ESPNcricinfo sources, the board has attempted to revoke Dutta’s ‘No Objection Certificate’ to play in the CPL after he stated his desire to keep playing for the Patriots rather than join the 15-man squad in Scotland, for which he was originally selected.ESPNcricinfo contacted Dutta in St Kitts on Thursday and he confirmed that he was facing opposition from his home board and his NOC could be revoked. “They have sent a mail saying my NOC has been revoked Tuesday night, even though they told me before coming here that I will have a choice whether to play CPL or go (to the) Qualifier,” Dutta said.ESPNcricinfo also reached out to the Canada board for comment on Thursday. A board official deferred comment on the matter to Cricket Canada president Vimal Hardat. “It was an internal decision after carefully going over the intent and deliberation from the player of not wanting to represent Canada even though Cricket Canada sent the players to the CPL camp,” Hardat responded in an email. “The purpose to send players was to not only showcase our talent pool to the CPL but also prepare players for the qualifiers. It was a hard decision that has been taken and we have replaced Nikhil Dutta with Hiral Patel.”Patel, 23, announced himself at the 2011 ICC World Cup by hitting an audacious half-century against Australia. However, he has struggled for form since then. He has not played for Canada since the 2013 ICC World T20 Qualifier in the UAE, where he played in five of eight matches and scored 61 runs at an average of 12.20 with a best of 18 and also took four wickets at 21.00.

Imran Tahir has joined Nottinghamshire until the end of the season, replacing Ben Hilfenhaus as the club’s main overseas player

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Aug-2015Imran Tahir has joined Nottinghamshire until the end of the season, replacing Ben Hilfenhaus as the club’s main overseas player. Hilfenhaus returned to Australia last month after suffering a hip injury.Nottinghamshire will be Tahir’s fifth county, having previously played for Hampshire, Warwickshire, Yorkshire and Middlesex. He is expected to make his debut in the Royal London Cup fixture against Essex on Sunday and will be available to play in the Championship as well, either side of his South Africa commitments.”Imran is experienced, he’s played lots of cricket in England and we know how effective international-class spinners can be during the business end of a county season,” Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, Mick Newell, said. “We were always open to replacing Ben with a spinner, Imran was available and looks a good option for us.”We’ve started to play on some increasingly dry pitches this season, surfaces on which an extra spin option might help us win some matches. With the signing of Imran, we’ll have that in most of our matches between now and the end of the season.”Tahir is an experienced campaigner in county cricket, having taken almost 200 wickets across all formats for Hampshire, who he last represented at the back end of the 2014 season. He has also represented South Africa in Test, ODI and T20 cricket and was a member of the team that got to the World Cup semi-final earlier this year.”We see him as someone who can have success for us in both red and white ball cricket,” Newell said. “A world class legspinner is a valuable commodity to any side in any form of the game, particularly one of Imran’s quality and experience.”We’ve built some momentum with the cricket we have played in recent weeks. Hopefully this addition will help us maintain that through to the end of the season.”Nottinghamshire were joint bottom of the Championship at the end of June but have risen to mid-table after two wins from their last three games. They missed out on a T20 quarter-final after a rain abandonment in their final match but have started well in the Royal London Cup, with two wins and a no result so far.Dan Christian, who signed as Nottinghamshire’s second overseas player for the NatWest T20 Blast, has been filling in for Hilfenhaus during the Royal London Cup and will continue to be available when Tahir is on international duty. South Africa play New Zealand in two T20s and three ODIs between August 14 and 26, which Tahir is expected to be involved in.