All posts by h716a5.icu

Adrian Barath, who was recalled to the national side for the final ODI against India, wants to forge a successful partnership with fellow opener Lendl Simmons

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jun-2011West Indies opener Adrian Barath, who has been recalled to the national side for the final ODI against India in Jamaica, is keen to forge a successful partnership with fellow opener Lendl Simmons.”We have come a long way together,” Barath said. “I [have] played with him from my first outing on the first-class stage and we enjoy batting together. I have been playing together with Lendl for a few years now and we have a very good understanding. This will be our first time playing together for the West Indies and I see this as a great opportunity and we will be looking to do the job in the middle.”Simmons, a fellow Trinidadian, has been in good form for West Indies. He is the team’s leading scorer with 171 runs from the four ODIs played against India so far.Barath, the 21-year-old opener, has been undergoing rehabilitation after suffering a hamstring injury that caused him to miss the 2011 World Cup. He recently spent a week practicing at the Sagicor High Performance Centre and said that he was working hard on his physical fitness. “I was with the team when the matches were played in Trinidad, so I had a few hits in the nets with the other members of the squad. I feel I’m in good form and I’m hitting the ball quite well.”During the time off I worked hard on my game and also on my physical fitness. Things have come together very well. It is very good back to be representing West Indies and, as always, I’m looking to put in a good performance out there in the middle.”Though India have an unassailable 3-1 lead in the ODI series, Barath, who has played eight ODIs and averages 32, said the final game would be a good opportunity to get among the runs ahead of the Test series. “Even though we have lost the series, we will be looking to win the match and take some form and confidence into the Test series which starts here next week. As a player you always want to do your best when you take the field, so every match counts.”

Morne van Wyk wants to challenge for a position in South Africa’s top three in limited-overs formats of the game

Firdose Moonda11-Jul-2011Morne van Wyk wants to challenge for a position in South Africa’s top three in limited-overs formats of the game. The 32-year old believes that he “still has a lot of cricket” left in him and could fill the much debated wicketkeeper position.van Wyk, who has been playing first-class cricket for 14 years, was a member of the 2011 South African World Cup squad that crashed out in the quarter-finals to New Zealand. He was selected as a back-up wicketkeeper and played in five of the team’s seven matches, although he batted in the lower middle-order on all but one occasion. He opens the batting at franchise level and he has a List A average of over 40.”I’m a top-order batsman and that’s where the team gets the best out of me,” van Wyk told ESPNcricinfo. “If I bat higher up for the national team will also open up a spot for an extra allrounder, like Faf du Plessis, or a bowler lower down the order.”The brittleness of South Africa’s middle order was exposed during the World Cup and there was criticism over the lack of a traditional big-hitting allrounder at No.7. The balance of the team was further complicated by the fitness of AB de Villiers, which determined how many matches he could ‘keep in. With the additional burden of captaincy and repeated back problems, it’s unclear whether de Villiers will be up to the trio of tasks.Since no long-term replacement for Mark Boucher has been found, van Wyk believes the time is right for him to step in. “I understand that I am definitely behind AB and I am happy to be his back-up,” he said. “It will come down to whether he wants to keep or spread the workload.” If it is the latter, van Wyk thinks his skills as a top-order batsman will put him a step above other glovemen in the country. “I think I am in a different boat to guys like Heino Kuhn and Thami Tsolekile.”Both Kuhn and Tsolekile have been identified as potential keepers for the national team but bat in the middle order, where the likes of du Plessis, Robin Peterson and Albie Morkel will probably play. The addition of an allrounder will assist in balancing the team and van Wyk thinks he can slot it higher up, where his record is better. van Wyk has batted at No. 3 in nine of the 13 ODIs he has played in. He has scored all three of his ODI half-centuries in that position and averages 34.22 in that position compared to 27.58 lower down the order.South Africa’s current top three of Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis, has only one certainty – Amla. Smith has been in miserable form for the past season and, after stepping down from the limited-overs captaincy, is no longer assured of his berth. If Kallis were to discover the elixir of life, he would be the first name on the South Africa team sheet forever, but the realities are starker.The term being used to discuss how Kallis will continuing to participate in cricket at the highest-level is “manage.” It means the allrounder will be phased out gently in order to his prolong his career. While the specifics have not been talked about, it’s likely that Kallis will miss out on smaller series and possibly start playing fewer ODIs.Although it will be impossible to replace the experience of Kallis, someone like van Wyk, who has been around the circuit for almost as long, could ease the transition. van Wyk is a senior player at the Knights franchise, where he “feels part of the machinery.” He has played there for the duration of his career and has “been a part of the growth of some of the younger guys, which has been nice.”Despite his age, van Wyk does not see himself as being in the twilight years of his career. “We have this epidemic in South Africa, where once you reach 30, people think you should be shipped out.” He compared it with Australia, where cricketers have longer careers and said the same should be applied in South Africa, particularly if a player is still fit and hungry like he is. “I am more keen to play international cricket now than I have ever been because I’ve had a taste of it.”

Glamorgan seamer Adam Shantry has been forced into retirement aged 28 due to knee problems

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Aug-2011Glamorgan seamer Adam Shantry has been forced into retirement aged 28 due to knee problems.Shantry began his career with Northamptonshire and joined Glamorgan from Warwickshire ahead of the 2008 season. He underwent surgery last winter but the injury has persisted.”It is with great sadness that I announce my retirement from professional cricket,” he said. “Following surgery last year, and after undergoing a successful rehabilitation in Australia during the winter, I returned to first-class cricket at the start of the season.”Unfortunately, as the summer has gone on, it has become apparent that my knees can no longer cope with the demands of professional cricket.”While it is disappointing to leave the game so early, I can look back upon many fantastic memories, and consider myself extremely fortunate to have played with, and against, some of the best players in the world. I have loved every minute of it, and would like to thank every single player, coach, and supporter that has helped make my career so enjoyable.”Shantry had an excellent 2008 season, taking 30 wickets at 18 – the most economical return by a Glamorgan bowler for 40 years, and scored his only senior hundred at Colwyn Bay in 2009.But subsequent seasons have been dogged by injury and he ends his career having taken 90 wickets in 32 first-class matches at an average 24.60. He also claimed 13 List A scalps in 12 games and made a solitary Twenty20 appearance, for Northants in 2004.Colin Metson, Glamorgan managing director of cricket, said: “There is always sadness when a career comes to an end. Adam worked hard during the winter to gain fitness and it’s disappointing it hasn’t worked out for him. He was a hard-working, honest, committed cricketer, qualities that will assist him in the future.”

A round-up of matches from the opening weekend of Kenya’s new East African Cup and East Africa Elite League

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Aug-2011East Africa Elite LeagueThe East Africa Elite League – the new regional Twenty20 competition – finally got underway at the weekend and the first round of matches produced two upsets as Kongonis and Nile Knights, two of the pre-tournament favourites, lost their opening games.Nile Knights travelled to Kampala and lost to Rwenzori Warriors by ten runs after seeming poised for victory before losing late wickets.The biggest surprise came at Nairobi Club where Kongonis skittled Rift Valley Rhinos for 87 , and that in itself was a recovery after they were reduced to 37 for 6. But from 30 for 1, Kongonis lost nine wickets for 37 to lose by 20 runs, former national captain Jimmy Kamande leading the rout with 3 for 10 from his four overs.The only game to go as expected was at Coast Gymkhana where Nairobi Buffalos bowled out Coast Pekee for 99 and then eased to a nine-wicket win with nine balls to spare.East African CupThe following day the same teams met in the opening round of the East African Cup, the 50-over tournament, but this time there were no upsets.Kenya Kongonis put their loss behind them to thrash Rift Valley Rhinos by 162 runs. Rakep Patel (100*) and former national keeper Kennedy Otieno (80) added 134 for the third wicket in a total of 269 for 3, and the visitors limped to 107 in 39.3 overs.Nile Knights also got some measure of revenge with a 54-run (D/L) victory over Rwenzori Warriors. The Knights were in trouble on 112 for 5 before Davis Arinaitwe (55) and Deusdedit Muhumza (78) helped them recover to 292 with a sixth-wicket stand of 95. After a rain break, the Warriors were set 166 from 20 overs, but crumpled to 42 for 6 before eventually limping to 111.The only side to mount a successful chase were Nairobi Buffalos who eased to an eight-wicket win with 12 overs to spare after dismissing Coast Pekee for 161.

Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 competition, the Faysal Bank National T20 has been shifted from Lahore to Karachi owing to the continuing outbreak of dengue in the Punjab province

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2011Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 competition, the Faysal Bank National T20, has been shifted from Lahore to Karachi owing to the continuing outbreak of dengue in the Punjab province. More than 7000 people have been affected since the disease broke out in August.There was growing speculation over the last few weeks that the tournament would be shifted, and after a meeting between the PCB and Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, the decision was taken to move the tournament following a directive from the president himself on Wednesday.The 14-team tournament is scheduled between September 25 and October 2 at Karachi’s National Stadium. The event had been shifted to Lahore after the original venue, Rawalpindi, was deemed unfit to host the event. Last year’s tournament was held in Lahore and the Lahore Lions were the winners.The Twenty20 tournament will feature 14 sides as opposed to last year’s 13; a team from Afghanistan will take part in the tournament for the first time, which means the teams will fight for the top spot in four groups to qualify for the semi-finals.The other participants are Karachi Dolphins, Karachi Zebras, Lahore Lions, Lahore Eagles, Sialkot Stallions, Islamabad Leopards, Abbotabad Falcons, Rawalpindi Rams, Multan Tigers, Quetta Bears, Faisalabad Wolves, Peshawar, Panthers and Hyderabad Hawks.

The ICC has given Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) an official warning for preparing a “poor” pitch in Galle for the first Test against Australia that was played from August 31-September 3

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2011Sri Lanka Cricket has been given an official ICC warning for preparing a “poor” pitch in Galle for the first Test against Australia that was played from August 31-September 3. The ICC’s pitch consultant Andy Atkinson will inspect the pitch at the end of this month and make recommendations about any corrective action required. SLC, for its part, will need to submit a report confirming the recommended corrective action, if any, has been taken prior to staging its next international match in Galle.The Galle Test, won by Australia, lasted four days, with the home team being dismissed for 105 and 253 in its 125-run defeat. The match referee for the game Chris Broad had expressed his concern about the pitch to the ICC. Richardson and the ICC’s chief match referee Ranjan Madugalle, relying on Broad’s report, the SLC’s response and video footage from the game, then made their decision.”We have come to a decision that the pitch prepared for the match should be rated as ‘poor’,” Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager for cricket, said in a statement. “It was clear from the video footage of the match that the amount of turn, especially early in the match, was excessive and there were occasions (even on the first day) where the ball went through the surface of the pitch, bouncing unusually steeply from a good length.”Whilst it is understandable and acceptable for a pitch to deteriorate over the course of the match, for a pitch to exhibit this type of behavior at relatively early stages of the match was not acceptable. Whilst we do not wish to see a pitch that is too heavily weighted in favour of the batsmen, in this instance, the balance was just too much in favour of the bowler.”Richardson said that since this is the first time the Galle pitch has come up for such scrutiny, the penalty was confined to a warning. “Taking into account that it was the first time that a pitch at Galle has been rated as “poor” and given the intention of the curator to prepare a pitch that provided a fair balance between bat and ball, we have decided to impose a warning as the sanction,” he said.”We have also directed that ICC’s pitch consultant Andy Atkinson carry out an inspection of the square with a view to making recommendations to ensure that in future the manner of preparation is in line with what is required to ensure that a better balance between bat and ball is achieved.”The ICC has imposed harsher penalties in the past. The Ferozshah Kotla ground in Delhi was banned from hosting any international matches in 2010 after an India-Sri Lanka ODI in January that year had to be abandoned due to a “dangerous” pitch.

For the first time in his seven months as captain, Michael Clarke faces the possibility of a series defeat

Firdose Moonda in Durban27-Oct-2011For the first time in his seven months as captain, Michael Clarke faces the possibility of a series defeat. Since March, when Clarke was given the full-time responsibility of leading the team, he has achieved ODI series wins against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and was able to wrap up both victories before the final game. Now, with the three-match rubber against South Africa poised at 1-1, Clarke is facing arguably his biggest test.A visibly unruffled Clarke said his Australia outfit are not the only ones feeling the heat ahead of the series decider on Friday. “Both teams are under pressure,” Clarke said at Kingsmead. Instead of focusing on avoiding defeat, Clarke said he is encouraging the team to improve in every match, especially since the No. 1 ranking is secure. “To be the best we can be is the most motivating factor, individually and as a team,” he said. “That’s probably one of my mottos, I want us to try and become better. I guess there’s no better way to do that than to get out in the middle and play against quality opposition.”The standard of Australia’s opposition is high enough to include the world’s top-ranked ODI bowler and batsmen, Morne Morkel and Hashim Amla, which should provide Australia with a good yardstick to measure any progress. Clarke said that while they pride themselves on their status as the best in the 50-over format, they have not paid much attention to the individual positions. “It doesn’t really change much from our side of things,” he said. “South Africa have a strong team and if you look at individual rankings, there is proof of that. But, we have to beat them as a team not as individuals.”There are some individual issues Australia are grappling with ahead of the match. The fitness of openers, Shaun Marsh and Shane Watson, is yet to be fully determined, although the camp has remained hopeful that they will play. Marsh appeared to be back to his best during Wednesday’s net session while Watson also batted well, but did not bowl until Thursday.Michael Clarke: “I’m excited about what lies ahead.”•AFP”He wanted to have a good bat yesterday [Wedneday] and run around,” Clarke said. “The bowling is more for his preparation for the game. He doesn’t feel as though he needs overs under his belt, he has bowled a fair bit in the last six to 12 months.” If Watson does not play, David Warner will keep his place at the top of the batting line-up.With players like Warner, James Pattinson and Patrick Cummins in the squad, Clarke feels the team is building well, and has a good blend of old and new. “Our mix is spot on at the moment,” he said. “I’m excited about what lies ahead, come tomorrow I think we will have a great game.”Australia have a good record at Kingsmead and have won four of the six matches they have played there, a stat Clarke was not aware of. “It’s nice to know and I will make sure the boys know as well,” he said. “It can help your confidence, to walk out on a ground you have had success on.”With two Test matches ahead, Clarke also thinks the team can take some momentum with them into those fixtures, if they win the crucial ODI. “More than anything, you will take confidence into the Test series if you win the one-day series,” he said. “There’s nothing better than winning as a team, it’s a great feeling.”

A century from David Hussey put Victoria on top on the first day at the MCG, where the unbeaten Queensland struggled to contain the hosts’ top order

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2011
ScorecardDavid Hussey was unbeaten on 119 at stumps•Getty ImagesA century from David Hussey put Victoria on top on the first day at the MCG, where the unbeaten Queensland struggled to contain the hosts’ top order. The openers Rob Quiney and Chris Rogers dominated early with a 133-run stand and by the close of play, Victoria had reached 4 for 340 with Hussey unbeaten on 119 and Andrew McDonald on 41.Their partnership had reached 86 after Cameron White was caught behind for 21 off the bowling of Nathan Reardon. Queensland’s leading fast bowler Ben Cutting bowled only nine overs for the day and was believed to be suffering from back soreness after spending much of the past week bowling in the nets at the Gabba trying to win a Test spot.Cutting did collect the wicket of Aaron Finch, whose disappointing season continued with a duck when he was trapped lbw. Quiney and Rogers seemed to enjoy the midday start, both posting half-centuries after White won the toss and chose to bat.Rogers and Quiney are both among the top four run scorers in the Shield so far this summer, Rogers’ 62 taking him to second place and Quiney’s 87 placing him fourth. Rogers was caught behind off the pace of Matthew Gale and Quiney missed the chance for a hundred when he edged behind off Reardon.

AB de Villiers fell one short of his 13th Test century but still believes South Africa already have enough runs to put the match beyond Sri Lanka

Firdose Moonda at SuperSport Park16-Dec-2011AB de Villiers fell one short of his 13th Test century but still believes South Africa already have enough runs to put the match beyond Sri Lanka. On a pitch that has offered something to the bowlers throughout, South Africa currently lead by 209 runs with a wicket in hand.de Villiers was dismissed for 99 after lashing at a wide ball and being caught at point by Sri Lanka’s substitute fielder Dimuth Karunaratne. He had a brief consultation with the umpire on the field and then walked off. Replays showed that there may have been some doubt about whether the ball had carried, but de Villiers chose not to review the decision.”I was hoping that the umpires would go upstairs,” he said. “But, like Jacques Kallis always does, I wanted to ask the fielder. Rod [Tucker] asked me if I wanted to go upstairs and I said, ‘No, let’s ask the fielder.’ We did ask him and he said he caught it. I haven’t seen the highlights or the replay but it’s history now. I still back the fielder, if he said he caught it, that’s it.”Sri Lanka’s batting coach Marvan Atapattu was less philosophical about de Villiers’ decision. “That’s a nice gesture but I’m not quite sure. I asked the fielder about it and he said he was pretty sure it was a clean catch. I myself, looking from inside wasn’t very sure whether he caught it,” Atapattu said, confessing that we would probably have had it reviewed. “After all, he was on 99. Personally, I wouldn’t have [relied on the fielder], to be very honest.”The one run that separates de Villiers from a milestone may not make too much difference, because the South African No.4 believes his team has scored enough runs to only bat once. Their lead grew steadily as the day wore on and de Villiers said the team is hoping to extend it even further tomorrow morning. “We don’t want to go and bat again, which shouldn’t happen if we bowl really well,” he said. “I would like us to get a big lead. There’s more than enough time left in the game.”

“These are the most experienced six batsmen that we have to represent Sri Lanka. It’s their responsibility to put runs on the board over and over again, for as long as they play for Sri Lanka.”Marvan Atapattu

South Africa’s last wicket pair of Mark Boucher and Imran Tahir has already put on 39 runs, with Tahir striking some massive blows at the end of the day. “Immi (Tahir) surprised all of us,” de Villiers admitted. “We all know he is an attacking player but to actually hit the ball in the middle of the bat was quite surprising.”He had more serious words for Boucher’s performance, which came with the wicketkeeper under pressure to justify prolonging his career. “He has been under a bit of pressure and to come through like that on a difficult wicket in a very difficult situation and to wag with the tail was unbelievable.”Boucher started slowly but combined with de Villiers for a seventh-wicket stand of 33 and Vernon Philander for 41 for the eighth-wicket, something that de Villiers says was the hallmark of South Africa’s innings. “The highlight for me was the partnerships,” he said. “It’s easy for me to say I played a big knock and had a big influence on the game, which I did, but other boys also did pretty well.”Sri Lanka, on the other hand, failed to build on the two half-century partnerships they had and Atapattu wants to see a more convincing showing by them in the second innings. “There is no rocket science in batting on wickets like this,” he said. “It’s just that we didn’t do it consistently. We need to be positive. The wicket is not the best batting wicket that you get. I would have thought that it will get better as the game progresses but I didn’t see anything significantly better than yesterday, so there can’t be a drastic change tomorrow.”de Villiers agreed that it would remain tricky for the batsmen and said South Africa’s bowlers will again relish the prospect of producing on a seamer-friendly surface. “I can’t wait to see our bowlers on this wicket. If Angelo Matthews can get it to bounce and hit my gloves, I can wait to see Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander on this track,” he said. “If we do the basics well, there’s more than enough to work with.”Despite the assistance of the pitch, de Villiers said South Africa will be wary of players like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene who “can score double-hundreds”. And Atapattu is looking forward to those very men to step up after a year of disappointments in the Test arena.”There have been more than a couple of batting failures in the last six months, but there are no excuses,” he said. “These are the most experienced six batsmen that we have to represent Sri Lanka in Test match cricket, they have put runs on the board before and it’s their responsibility to put runs on the board over and over again, for as long as they play for Sri Lanka.”

The expressionless demeanour of Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s redoubtable captain, will cause a restless night for an England bowler or two in Abu Dhabi

The Report by David Hopps25-Jan-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq played carefully to prevent England completely dominating on day one in Abu Dhabi•AFPThe expressionless demeanour of Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s redoubtable captain, will cause a restless night for an England bowler or two in Abu Dhabi. But before sleep sets in and Misbah stalks their imagination, England will be content after the opening day of the second Test.Misbah’s cussed resistance stabilised Pakistan after they lost 4 for 103, riches that England could not have dared to anticipate after losing the toss. By the close, Misbah had batted 220 minutes for an unbeaten 83 and did not look remotely sated. England will rue the let-off they gave him on 30 when Monty Panesar turned one from around off stump to find the edge but James Anderson uncharacteristically was slow to react at slip and missed the chance.When Misbah was provoked into aggression, it was Panesar who provoked it. Misbah struck him for four sixes, all more-or-less straight, in two batches of two, the last two remarkable for the fact that he unleashed them off successive balls in the final over of the day. Panesar was left with 1 for 91 by the close, Graeme Swann’s three cheap wickets still identifying him as very much the senior partner.Their almost-forgotten double act had dominated the morning. They were together again in a Test for the first time in two-and-a-half years and to mark the occasion both had a wicket to their name by lunch, Swann bowling Taufeeq Umar in his fourth over, Panesar dismissing Mohammad Hafeez in the same fashion in his seventh.Abu Dhabi is the driest Test ground in the world, with less than 100mm of rain a year. What little moisture there was initially came from England’s spinners salivating. Both found appreciable, if slow, turn while the ball retained its hardness; in Abu Dhabi everybody wants to bowl with the new ball. Panesar looked slightly tense, pulling the occasional ball down short, but both he and Swann beat the outside edge enough to rally England’s spirits.The England management had stroked the pitch at length before play; stroked it, stared at it and finally accepted the inevitable. Fielding only two quick bowlers goes against the grain for England and they agonised until the final minutes but Abu Dhabi demanded it and Panesar made his first Test appearance since he stoutly blocked out for the draw against Australia at Cardiff in July 2009.Panesar came on as early as the 10th over; Swann joined him three overs later. Both Pakistan openers fell to balls that slid on without turning. Taufeeq was guilty of misjudgement as he allowed a ball from Swann to strike his off-stump. Hafeez was undone by a quicker arm-ball from Panesar. He had been dropped the previous ball, Panesar failing to clutch a firm return catch down by his bootlaces, bringing a momentary appearance of his sad-clown expression.The pitch flattened as the day progressed. That will tempt England to call for Jade Dernbach as replacement for Chris Tremlett, who is flying home with a recurrence of back trouble. The belief is that Dernbach’s greater variety could be an attractive proposition.The desert was a comparatively cool 18 degrees and there was cloud cover about. England fans had been instructed to show decorum and keep their shirts on. They needed little encouragement. One or two even huddled in blankets. Only Newcastle United football fans would have disrobed in such weather.Taufeeq had one uncomfortable moment when he deflected a ball from Anderson into his grille, seeking to turn the ball into the legside, but the pitch was so slow it rested against his face like a disorientated butterfly. It was not long before Stuart Broad and Anderson began to mentally reduce their likely number of overs in the day. Two wickets for Broad in an excellent afternoon spell kept them busier than they might have imagined.Broad flogged life from the pitch in an excellent nine-over spell, seaming deliveries back to strike the off stumps of Younis Khan and Azhar Ali. There was slackness about the intended on-drive that caused Younis’ downfall. Azhar played straighter but with the same result.Misbah had reason to ruminate, sensing that Pakistan’s discipline during their 10-wicket victory in the first Test in Dubai was no longer quite as evident. He was intent at restoring order, ticking off his younger partner Asad Shafiq for an occasional flight of fancy.Even in Misbah’s defensive posture there was room for him to hoist successive deliveries from Panesar over long-on for six. Shafiq also struck Panesar over the rope at long-off but that came with quicksilver feet. Misbah is not the type to take to the dance floor, preferring to watch and wait, but he showed no indications of wanting to leave early.Shafiq’s ambition finally got the better of him when he fell lbw to Swann, attempting a slog-sweep, a decision that Pakistan failed to overturn by DRS. An over before the new ball was due, it was a headstrong shot.Anderson viewed the advent of the second new ball so seriously that he refused to accept the ball plucked from the box by Ahsan Raza, the third umpire, from Pakistan. “Not the one I chose,” was the gist of Anderson’s comments – he chooses cricket balls as seriously as some people choose modern art – and there was a long delay and an early drinks break before he got what he wanted.The new ball did not bring a wicket for Anderson – Misbah narrowly survived an appeal for lbw after England unsuccessfully resorted to DRS and Andrew Strauss dropped Adnan Akmal, chest high, at slip – but Akmal fell lbw to Broad and Swann nipped in with a third wicket, bowling Abdur Rehman for nought with one that turned, to round off England’s day.