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Match Abandoned 32.5 overs Sri Lanka 146 for 3 (Sangakkara 73*, Samaraweera 34*) v Australia
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKumar Sangakkara’s class stood out as he had time to play his strokes while others struggled•Associated Press

Torrential downpour forced the game to be abandoned after Kumar Sangakkara pushed Sri Lanka to 146 for 3 in 32.5 overs. It was a typical tough scramble of a contest that is expected on a turning track in Sri Lanka. Sangakkara led from the front with a responsible, and skillful, knock to push Sri Lanka towards a competitive total when rain intervened to kill the contest.The way the ball turned and bounced suggested that anything over 250 would be defendable, and it appeared as if Sangakkara was batting with that knowledge in his mind. He had two good partnerships with Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera before the elements took over.Jayawardene had added 44 runs with his captain and they looked in great touch and control. If Sangakkara tried to punch through the line, Jayawardene looked to caress through the covers; if Sangakkara dabbed to the off, Mahela nudged to the leg, and both ran the singles well. The run-rate wasn’t too high but Sri Lanka looked to be in control as the track was increasingly showing signs of aiding turn and bounce.They thrived on quick singles and ironically, it led to Jayawardene’s dismissal. He hesitated after tapping to point and that allowed Steve Smith to fire in a direct hit at the non-striker’s end to catch him short of the crease. Sri Lanka were 75 for 3 at that stage and the pressure escalated on Sangakkara, but he continued on with his serene style.Sangakkara’s class stood out right from the moment he walked out to the middle after Tillakaratne Dilshan combusted early, slashing Shaun Tait to second slip in the second over. Even as Upul Tharanga struggled for timing and looked to be hurried by the pace, Sangakkara seemed to have time to play the ball late. He punched Brett Lee to the straight boundary, laced him through the covers and whipped through midwicket to collect 12 runs from the third over. He then square drove Shane Watson to the boundary, but the shot of the day was a classy on-the-up caressed punch off Mitchell Johnson to the straight boundary in the 12th over. Along with Samaraweera, he ensured there would be no further damage and steered Sri Lanka to a strong position when the ground was deluged by heavy rains.

A flurry of wickets in the middle overs and then again towards the end saw Northern Districts fall six runs short of Wellington’s total at the Cobham Oval in Whangarei. Chasing 244, ND reached 111 for 2 with BJ Watling and Scott Styris both having completed half-centuries, but their runs had come slowly with Watling striking at just 57.54. They paid for their poor run-rate as left-arm spinner Luke Woodcock took three quick wickets, removing Watling, Brad Wilson and wicketkeeper Peter McGlashan, and Jeetan Patel dismissed Stryis, leaving ND in trouble at 139 for 6 with less than 13 overs remaining.Captain James Marshall almost rescued them with his 68 off 48 balls, but he was out to Grant Elliott, leaving ND with 17 to win off two overs with two wickets remaining. Seamer Mark Gillespie and Elliott held their nerve in the last two and took a wicket each to complete Wellington’s first win in the competition. Wellington had reached a competitive total thanks to half-centuries from Woodcock, Stewart Rhodes and Neal Parlane. Woodcock’s 50 came off 49 balls and gave Wellington the momentum they needed towards the end of their innings.

Lou Vincent led Auckland to victory against Canterbury at the Village Green in Christchurch, with his unbeaten 159 off 157 balls. Vincent and Jeet Raval, who smashed 42 off just 28 balls, got Auckland off to a flier in their chase of 296. Vincent kept the momentum going even as four quick wickets fell at the other end, and then found an able partner in Colin Munro, who got 62 off 71. Auckland won by six wickets with 14 balls still remaining in the end. Canterbury had scored slowly in the first half of their innings with opener Rob Nicol taking 127 balls to score 81, but they got 75 runs off the last five overs thanks to Andrew Ellis’ 61 off 30 balls and Tom Latham’s 28 off 14 balls. Auckland are now top of the table with eight points.

Five wickets from Nathan McCullum helped Otago defend 232 against Central Districts at Fitzherbert Park in Palmerston North and go joint-top of the table with Auckland and Northern Districts. Several of Otago’s batsmen got starts, but only Darren Broom carried on to make a half-century, scoring 63 off 79 balls. McCullum also made an important contribution with the bat, scoring 33 and Neil Wagner hit two sixes in the nine balls he faced at the end. CD got off to a solid start in their chase, reaching 87 for 2. But McCullum, who had already dismissed both openers, took three quick wickets, and Jamie How was run out to leave CD reeling at 104 for 6. A 40-run partnership between Kruger van Wyk and Tarun Nethula put CD back in contention, but seamer Craig Smith came back to take the last three wickets and give Otago a 43-run victory. Smith finished with figures of 3 for 36, while McCullum took 5 for 39.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
VVS Laxman made 96 in yet another second-innings rescue effort•Associated Press

The Durban Test continued to be a cracker, with the game see-sawing on the third day before bad light ended play with the teams level. In the morning, VVS Laxman produced his seemingly customary second-innings gem to defy South Africa’s bowlers and put India in control by swelling the lead towards 300. South Africa then had a dream second session nipping out the remaining three wickets in under 10 overs, before their batsmen began whittling down the target confidently. India were the better side after tea, hustling out two wickets to keep the game finely balanced.

Smart Stats

• Only 20 times has a team scored the highest total of the match in a victorious fourth-innings run-chase. The last team to do this was also South Africa, in Perth in 2008, while India had done it just a week earlier in Chennai against England.

• VVS Laxman’s 96 is the second highest score by an Indian batsman at Durban behind Pravin Amre’s 103 in 1992. Laxman has now scored 199 runs at an average of 66.33 at this ground.

• Laxman’s average in the third innings of a Test is 57.81 with four centuries. In the second Test match of a series, he averages over 52 with seven centuries whereas he has scored just one century at an average of 37.86 in the first match of a series.

• In the Johannesburg Test in 2006 too, Laxman and Zaheer added exactly 70 for the eighth wicket in the second, and came to the crease at exactly the same score of 148 for 7.

• The 70-run stand between Laxman and Zaheer Khan is joint third in the list of highest eighth-wicket partnerships for India against South Africa. The highest is 161 between Mohammad Azharuddin and Anil Kumble in 1996.

• Hashim Amla’s dismissal for 16 meant his average at Durban is just 15.54. Durban and Port Elizabeth are the only home venues where Amla has not scored a century.

India could have been ahead had Cheteshwar Pujara latched on to a sharp, knee-high catch at backward short-leg to remove Jacques Kallis for a duck. The chance went down, and the performance of Kallis, who has a better statistical second-innings record than Laxman, on the fourth day could decide the fate of the series.Laxman had earlier strung together the two biggest Indian partnerships of the match, first with MS Dhoni and then with Zaheer Khan, to set South Africa the stiff task of chasing 303. South Africa wouldn’t have expected such a tall target when a steepler from Morne Morkel had Cheteshwar Pujara playing on in the second over of the day. Both Morkel and Dale Steyn were getting late swing, and with the odd delivery rearing up, life was hard for Laxman and Dhoni. There were several air-drives and edged boundaries past and over the slips. To South Africa’s dismay, the pair didn’t just survive, but scored quickly as well, with a bunch of fours from Dhoni helping raise 41 in seven overs.Just as Indian nerves were being soothed, Lonwabo Tsotsobe produced the breakthough. He had Dhoni poking at a delivery angling across, feathering an edge to Mark Boucher. Harbhajan Singh fell three overs later, rooted in the crease as he prodded at one from Morkel, and edged to the safe hands of Kallis at second slip.The lead was 212, and South Africa sensed a quick end to the innings, but Zaheer and Laxman tilted the game towards India with a 70-run stand. A long partnership didn’t look likely given the way Zaheer started his innings: looking to swipe nearly every delivery out of the ground, and rarely connecting. Laxman had his share of fortune as well, inside-edging to square-leg to become the first player to make a half-century in the game.A french-cut from Laxman also raced past the off stump, and he carried on unflustered, either by his edges or Zaheer’s impetuous strokes. He worked the gaps to move almost un-noticed towards yet another second-innings century, and with Kallis and Paul Harris bowling, the pressure eased off, and the runs started to flow.Zaheer also played his part. He had sparked India to life with the ball on Monday, and his aggression with the bat paid off today. He didn’t mind the swing-and-misses, or the umpteen lbw appeals – including a dead-plumb one off Steyn that was turned down – and kept going for his shots. The first session ended with India in charge, emphasised by a couple of powerful Zaheer boundaries off the last two deliveries before lunch, but South Africa hit back by closing out the innings for the addition of just 10 runs after the break.The home side had to make the highest total of the match in the final innings, a challenge to which Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen responded by scoring at five an over. Zaheer has generally had the better of Smith in their previous encounters, though this time the batsman blasted four fours off Zaheer’s first two overs to have South Africa racing out of the blocks. The swing and bounce that the South African bowlers had consistently extracted went missing, as Petersen too began to punish the bowling.They had galloped to 63 for 0 an over before tea, when Sreesanth, riled after a verbal exchange with Smith, ended the South African captain’s belligerent innings with a short ball that was top-edged, to revive India’s flagging spirits. There was more for them to celebrate soon after as Petersen fell to Harbhajan and Hashim Amla ended the best year of his career with an appalling shot, chasing a wide one from Sreesanth.Kallis wasn’t his usual rock-solid self, surviving due to Pujara’s drop and then top-edging a pull short of mid-on before making his first run. The light began to deteriorate and both Kallis and AB de Villiers were watchful, except against the rank-bad balls, to guide South Africa to stumps, and set up another riveting day at Kingsmead.

Rawalpindi completed the formalities against Habib Bank Limited on the fourth day at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, winning by six wickets and moving to fifth in the points table. On 265 for 8 overnight, HBL couldn’t put up much resistance, being eventually bowled out for 287, a lead of just 61. Rizwan Akbar, the seamer, finished with a match haul of seven wickets, so did left-arm medium-pacer Nasir Malik. In the chase, opener Naved Malik knocked off 32 runs in quick time and though there was a mini-collapse, four wickets falling for 19, Rawalpindi didn’t have much to get to begin with.The contest between National Bank of Pakistan and Faisalabad at the Sports Stadium in Sargodha ended in a draw, but Faisalabad will be disappointed they didn’t pick three points for a first-innings lead. On 432 for 5 at the end of the third day, with centurion Asif Hussain at the crease, they would have expected to overhaul NBP’s score of 467 with ease but they faltered. Seamer Uzair-ul-Haq grabbed two wickets, Mohammad Talha chipped in with one on the fourth day, Rauf Nazir was run out, No.11 Imran Ahmed was absent hurt and Hussain stranded at the other end, watching his side lose the initiative helplessly. Four wickets fell for 12 runs, Faisalabad were bowled out for 448 and NBP gained a lead of 17 and with it three points. NBP batted again, and their openers Nasir Jamshed and Rashid Riaz struck half-centuries. NBP, with the three points, are at No.4 in the points table; Faisalabad are second from the bottom.Shoaib Malik starred for Pakistan International Airlines against Sialkot at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot with centuries in each innings, his 156 in the second coming under more difficult circumstances. With a lead of 114, PIA had been reduced to 47 for 4 in the second innings but Malik counterattacked, striking 21 boundaries in his 185-ball knock, and was supported by wicketkeeper Anop Santosh in a stand of 124. Sialkot’s hopes of a fightback were dashed, and they had to settle for the tenth place in the points table. PIA gained three points from the match and moved to No.8.

The prospect of expelling the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt as an ICC director was raised at the ICC board meeting in Dubai last week, underlining just how thin the ice is that the Pakistan board is currently skating on. Well-placed observers vary on the degree of the threat but some believe Butt was compelled to accept a series of wide-ranging measures to reform Pakistan cricket without protest because the alternative would have been to face expulsion.The possibility is believed to have been raised by an individual member and not the ICC. It arose from members concerned about a specific potential conflict of interest in the spot-fixing scandal, in which three Pakistani players are allegedly involved. The Pakistan board and Mohammad Asif, one of the three players implicated, are using the same London-based lawyer which, according to the ICC code of ethics for directors, could be interpreted as a conflict of interest.This particular spur, however, is merely part of a much broader canvas of the cricket world’s discontent with Butt. ESPNcricinfo reported last month that the possibility of suspending him had crossed the minds of officials who were unhappy with how Butt had reacted to thespot-fixing crisis and then acted with the ICC and other boards such as the ECB.The focus of the two-day board meeting was on anti-corruption and, in particular, concerns over the health of the game in Pakistan; specifically three broad areas were up for discussion, including an update on the spot-fixing investigations, how the game tackles corruption globally and how Pakistan is to be helped. At its conclusion, the ICC set an ultimatum to the PCB to implement a series of effective anti-corruption measures in its domestic set-up within 30 days [from October 13].The remit of the ICC’s task force on Pakistan has also been broadened to look at ways of improving the structure of governance in Pakistan, “to carry out any reforms,” according to the ICC, “which may be deemed necessary to restore confidence in the administration of the game.”It is understood that the actions of the Pakistan board through the year brought matters to a head. The revoking of punishments handed out after the Australia tour inquiry, in which the PCB found players guilty of deliberately underperforming, worried member boards.The handling of the spot-fixing crisis – in particular its refusal to suspend players – and a spate of statements made in the aftermath by Butt and others have exacerbated matters. The feeling in the cricket world before this meeting, one source said, was that “Pakistan cricket was in denial.” The measures “lay down a path for how that can be dealt with.”The reconstituted task force is expected to sit down this week to begin carving out terms of reference for its operation; at some point ECB chairman Giles Clarke, who is head of the force, is likely to visit Pakistan. There are expected to be “discussions” and “recommendations” in whatever areas Pakistan needs help but the basic governance of the game is likely to feature heavily. “There will be greater scrutiny and monitoring of the way the game is governed in Pakistan now,” an official familiar with the brief said.But first the task force will report on the PCB’s efforts in putting into place those anti-corruption measures. They have to be completed within the 30-day deadline – and there is a full series with South Africa in Abu Dhabi and Dubai to organize in that time – failing which, theoretically, arange of sanctions are available. Action can be taken against Butt’s position on the ICC board and financial sanctions can also be applied; withholding prize money from ICC tournaments, for example. The worst-case scenario, “the last resort,” as one official put it, would be to suspendPakistan’s membership. It is understood that sanctions are likely be against the member and not an individual.The signs, according to an ICC-watcher, are not good even given the ICC’s slow approach to such decisions. “Usually there are various stages to go through when suspension becomes an issue, as was the case with Zimbabwe,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “Task forces do their work, there is much discussion, fact-finding trips are made and so on. But in this case, such is the situation and the concern over Pakistan that things could move quickly. You need a 75% majority to suspend a member so where is the support for the PCB? The threat of suspension is very real.”

Srikkanth Anirudha’s aggressive 77 launched Tamil Nadu to a comfortable 65-run victory against Karnataka in Hyderabad. The win was Tamil Nadu’s fourth on the trot, confirming their progress to the knock-out phase.Asked to bat first, Tamil Nadu’s openers set the stage for a big score as Anirudha’s pyrotechnics were matched by G Vignesh who raced to 42 off 23 balls. Vignesh hit three sixes and five fours as he dominated a 60-run opening stand. Anirudha took over once Vignesh exited, smashing six sixes and four fours before he fell in the 17th over. Karnataka captain Sunil Joshi came unscathed through the carnage, with figures of 2 for 26 in his four overs, while medium-pacer B Akhil bled 67 runs in his spell – equalling the record for most runs conceded in a Twenty20 – as Tamil Nadu finished with 205 for 7.Karnataka lost ground early in the chase as the openers Manish Pandey and Mayank Agarwal fell for a combined contribution of one run. Following L Balaji’s miserly opening spell, Tamil Nadu’s seamers stuck to their task as Karnataka struggled to launch an offensive. Joshi was the only batsman to cross 30 after a shoddy top-order display as Tamil Nadu eased to another convincing win.T Suman’s opening blitz helped Hyderabad surge to 62 for 6 in a rain-reduced five-overs-a-side encounter, a score that they defended by 14 runs against Goa at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.Goa’s decision to field came unstuck against Suman’s fierce onslaught. He hit four sixes and two fours in the 16 balls he faced and scored 38 before falling in the final over from Sher Yadav. Hyderabad lost two more wickets and managed only five runs in that over, but that did not affect the final result.The second over of the chase from Pagadala Naidu pulled Goa back as he snared three wickets conceding just five runs. Sagun Kamat and Robin D’Souza were the only batsmen to cross double figures as Goa struggled to find the big hits. Amol Shinde sealed the result with a nerveless final over that yielded only five runs, leaving Goa well short.Andhra remained at the bottom of the table after their match against Kerala at the Gymkhana Ground was called off due to rain.

David Hussey has not given up on his ambition of playing Test cricket, despite losing his Cricket Australia contract during the off-season. Although the incumbent Test No. 6 Marcus North is wobbling, time is against Hussey, who at 33 is already three years older than his brother Michael was when he made his long-awaited Test debut back in 2005.But while younger men such as Usman Khawaja and Callum Ferguson are on the selection panel’s radar, Hussey continues to pile up runs at domestic level. He was the leading run scorer in the Sheffield Shield last summer and he hopes that if he can repeat the effort this season he might make the selectors think again.”I still think there’s a massive opportunity to play Test cricket and one-day cricket for Australia,” Hussey told ESPNcricinfo. “I’ve done reasonably well in Twenty20 cricket so hopefully that stands me in good stead for one-day selection. In terms of Test cricket, all I can do is keep making runs and hopefully become the leading run scorer in Sheffield Shield cricket again.”Despite a formidable first-class record of more than 11,000 runs at an average in the mid-50s, Hussey is often pigeon-holed as a limited-overs specialist. It’s a description he has always disliked, although for the time being Twenty20 is the only format in which he is part of Australia’s side.However, Hussey’s most recent one-day international appearance resulted in a century against Scotland last August, and he is hopeful of a return to the 50-over squad. He is one of several fringe ODI batsmen aiming for a place in Australia’s World Cup title defence next February, after he was a key player in helping Australia reach the ICC World Twenty20 final earlier this year.”It’s the ultimate in one-day cricket, playing against the best in a World Cup,” Hussey said. “For me, I desperately want to be part of it. I’ve never been part of a World Cup before, so I know I want to put every foot right to gain selection.”

ScorecardLeicestershire dominated the second day of the County Championship game against Gloucestershire at Grace Road to keep alive their slim chances of promotion. After dismissing Gloucestershire for 159 Leicestershire moved into a commanding position by reaching 147 for 1 at stumps to lead by 283 runs.Greg Smith was still there at the close on 70 having shared stands of 69 with Matt Boyce and 78 with Jacques Du Toit to complete an impressive day for the home side. But it was a feeble batting performance from Gloucestershire who still harbour hopes of snatching the second promotion place from Division Two. After the start was delayed for 45 minutes because of early morning mist and damp conditions, Gloucestershire lost their last eight wickets for 105 runs in 45 overs.It would have been an even lower total but for a determined innings of 61 from Hamish Marshall. The next-highest contribution came from opener Jonathan Batty who made 29. Batty began the day on 24 with Gloucestershire 241 behind at their overnight 54 for 2. But having added five runs to his score Batty was caught behind off Matthew Hoggard to bring to an end a third wicket stand of 71 with Marshall.It proved to be the last partnership of any substance as the Gloucestershire innings subsided in the face of some accurate bowling from Leicestershire’s seamers and spinners. Nathan Buck picked up his third wicket of the innings when he squared up Alex Gidman to find the edge and provide wicketkeeper Tom New with another comfortable catch.Marshall however remained defiant reaching 50 off 72 balls with eight fours. But the turning point came when Nadeem Malik dismissed both Marshall and Chris Taylor in the last over before lunch leaving Gloucestershire in disarray at 117 for 6.It was turgid fare after the break as Gloucestershire scored 38 runs in 21 overs before spinners Claude Henderson and Jigar Naik both took two wickets in an over. Henderson caught and bowled James Franklin for 23 and then had Jon Lewis lbw. Naik then brought the innings to an end by having Ed Young taken at slip and Anthony Ireland caught at mid-on.Naik finished with 2 for 9 off 3.5 overs while Henderson conceded only 17 runs in 18 overs for his two wickets. Buck claimed 3 for 47 and two wickets fell in an over on four occasions.Leicestershire tightened the screw even further as Smith and Boyce confidently put together a partnership of 69 that ended when Boyce mistimed a pull off Franklin and was caught at mid wicket. But there were no more alarms as Smith reached 50 off 89 balls and, along with Du Toit, steered Leicestershire safely through to the close and into a match-winning position.

Match Facts

Thursday, July 29, 2010
Start time 1100 (1030 GMT)Steven Finn is back after his conditioning programme but can he recapture his form?•Getty Images

The Big Picture

Test match cricket continues to come thick and fast as Pakistan finally take on the home team on this tour. Their three-wicket victory against Australia has sent a surge of confidence through a young side and the next four Tests promise to be an enthralling contest with England eager to build momentum ahead of the Ashes series.Andrew Strauss has been at pains to stress that minds will remain fully focused on the task in hand – and England would be careless to underestimate the challenge posed by Pakistan – but some individuals will be playing for their Australia tour. Topping that list is Eoin Morgan, who earns another chance following Ian Bell’s broken foot, and has this series to prove he should be the reserve batsman. However, Jonathan Trott, forever it seems under pressure, will also be heavily scrutinised and Alastair Cook shouldn’t escape the pressure.The batsmen will certainly have to be on their toes because Pakistan can boast a potent attack. Mohammad Aamer, the 18-year-old left-armer, lit up the series against Australia with his late swing and he formed a telling opening duo with the skilful Mohammad Asif. Throw in Umar Gul and Danish Kaneria and the bases are certainly covered. But this could be a series to test their depth because four more Tests in four weeks is a tough ask – unless, that is, Pakistan’s attack can do similar damage as they did against Australia at Headingley.However, with Pakistan there is always that inherent unpredictably and the ability to explode. They almost did in their run chase last week and the batting remains woefully inexperienced. Umar Akmal really needs to show he wants to give Test cricket the respect it deserves and he would do well to take a leaf out of Azhar Ali’s book after his impressive resistance at No. 3. England’s bowlers will fancy making inroads but Steven Finn will hope his time away strengthening hasn’t burst his bubble and there is serious pressure on James Anderson to prove he can perform in all conditions.Salman Butt has done an impressive job to ensure the wheels didn’t fall off after the defeat at Lord’s and Shahid Afridi’s retirement, but with Pakistan the next crisis is only one defeat away. Contests between these two teams have rarely been short on controversy, either, but let’s hope this time it’s the action on the field that has everyone talking. One way or another, though, don’t take your eyes off it.

Form guide

England WWWWL
Pakistan WLLLL

Players to watch out for

Kevin Pietersen has had a funny old season. He arrived back from the World Twenty20 on top of the world, in every sense, but since then has enjoyed some difficult times. A limited contribution against Bangladesh was almost expected – it was hardly a series to stir his competitive juices – but he continued to struggle in the one-dayers against Australia which ended with him injured. Then, when he ideally needed a hit-out before the Tests, Hampshire turned round and declined to pick him following Pietersen’s public airing of his desire to leave. It all leaves him short of match practice, but Pietersen has often been able to lift himself for the big occasions. The prospect of facing a strong attack and the build-up to the Ashes could be just what he needs to rekindle the magic. But it needs to happen soon.Rarely has there been a young bowler so talented as Mohammad Aamer who appears completely at home in Test cricket. If he was an English cricketer he’d still be playing in the second team for a county, but that isn’t how Pakistan operate. If you are good enough, you are old enough. He made the Australians look like novices and England have had their problems against left-arm quicks. The question for Aamer is how his body will handle the strain throughout the series, but there is no doubt that when he is on the field he will cause England a whole heap of problems.

Team news

Ajmal Shahzad has been ruled out of the squad with an ankle injury which has meant a late call for Tim Bresnan but he’s unlikely to make the final eleven. England’s four-man attack policy is a glimpse into their Ashes planning and it’s Anderson who has most to prove in the current unit. Morgan, though, is the player with most to gain and Pakistan’s attack should give his technique a solid working over.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steven FinnIt’s always hard to tell whether Pakistan will pull a rabbit out of the hat, but after their Leeds victory it doesn’t seem likely they will make any changes. A two-spinner option could be tempting but Gul is a handy third quick alongside Aamer and Asif. The batting looks thin, but without recalling Younis Khan or Mohammad Yousuf there aren’t many other options.Pakistan (probable) 1 Salman Butt (capt), 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Umar Amin, 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Mohammad Aamer, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Danish Kaneria, 11 Mohammad Asif

Pitch and conditions

Trent Bridge has a history of favouring the swing bowlers which will suit both attacks and if there is warm weather reverse swing will also become a weapon. The forecast is good for the opening day, but rain is forecast for Friday – although the bowlers won’t mind seeing cloud cover.

Stats and Trivia

• The two sides haven’t met in Nottingham since 1967 when England won by 10 wickets.
• Almost half the Tests between England and Pakistan – 36 out of 67 – have been draws.
• None of England’s bowling attack have previously faced Pakistan in a Test.

Quotes

“In some ways it is a precursor because there’s a lot of attention towards the Ashes and we can understand that. It’s wrong to look at any series and look beyond it. All we can do is play well in the series, win the series and go from this series to Australia with a lot of confidence.”
“We need to work very hard, work on every opportunity we get and make use of the conditions as far as possible. That way we can try to give England a tough time.”

The Bombay High Court has dismissed suspended IPL chairman Lalit Modi’s petition asking it to quash the BCCI’s proceedings against him and appoint an independent panel to hear his case. The High Court heard arguments from both sides yesterday and issued its ruling today.The decision means Modi is required to attend the disciplinary committee meeting to be held in Mumbai tomorrow. The committee had summoned Modi to appear before it to discuss the charges against him, which BCCI chief-executive Ratnakar Shetty expects him to do in the wake of the court’s decision. “We don’t take this verdict in terms of victory or defeat,” Shetty told . “We followed a procedure and it was challenged by Mr Modi in the court. The court has given its directive and he has to appear before the committee.”However Modi’s lawyer, Mehmood Abdi, said his client will not be attending the meeting as he is out of the country. “Mr Modi is abroad and he would be represented by his duly authorised representative to plead to the requisition and reconstitution of the disciplinary committee.”According to Abdi, the division bench of Justices B H Marlapalle and Roshan Dalvi refused to enter into the merits or demerits of the case, but has placed the onus on the board to decide the composition of the disciplinary committee. “The High Court has put the ball in the court of the BCCI,” Abdi told Cricinfo. “The BCCI will consider the demand for recusal at the [disciplinary committee] meeting tomorrow.”Modi has demanded the removal of interim IPL chairman Chirayu Amin from the panel, claiming he holds a grudge against Modi for revealing that he was part of a failed bid for one of the two new IPL franchises. During the hearing on Wednesday, Modi’s lawyer Virag Tulzhapurkar argued board vice-president, Arun Jaitley, should not be on the panel either because he had voted to ratify the charges against Modi at the board’s special general body meeting on July 3. The third member of the panel is Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.Modi moved the High Court against the BCCI last week following the board’s vote to ratify the charges against him and refer them to its disciplinary committee.Modi was suspended immediately following the conclusion of IPL 3 and charged with financial irregularities relating to the bidding process for IPL franchises, the mid-over ad sales and the sale of theatrical rights. He was also charged with colluding to set up a rebel league in England.