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John Bracewell believes the Twenty20 format could revolutionise cricket in the same way one-day internationals have changed the game over the past few decades. Bracewell returned to Christchurch on Tuesday after New Zealand’s semi-final exit at the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa and he expressed his satisfaction with the shortest form of the game.”I think it’s got an enormous financial future and I think it has some really good benefits for the game in general in terms of the broad base of the game,” Bracewell told the . “It must have a positive spin-off on kids with the style in which it’s played. There is a great opportunity to revolutionise the whole game of cricket.”Bracewell said 50-over cricket had changed the way Test matches were played and there would be a similar flow-on from Twenty20.”I think this will help the entertainment factor of cricket,” he said. “Test cricket we value greatly, 50-over cricket is the financial driver of the game and now we have Twenty20 which has proved immensely popular.”

After his century at Brisbane in last week’s first Test, Justin Langer told the assembled scribes how grateful he was to have been “under the pump” throughout his Test career. “I’ve had a lot of distractions and people questioning my ability,” he said, “but it’s meant that I’ve had to eliminate all those distractions and become very mentally strong.”A variation on the same theme could apply to Paul Collingwood. England’s perpetual understudy has risen above the doubters to become the linchpin of their batting, no less, and yet still it seems he doesn’t quite fit. Today’s nuggetty knock of 98 not out was typical of the man. At times, in partnership with Ian Bell, he became so immersed in the business of survival that his vigil seemed almost counterproductive. And yet he endured, in the manner that few of his team-mates have come close to matching. And that, ultimately, was all that counted.”Mentally, I think he’s a gutsy cricketer, and I think that’s the difference between him and others who have gone out there in the past,” said Bell, who added an invaluable 60 to England’s cause. “He gives it everything, and he’s not frightened of tough situations. He’s shown already on this tour that when it’s tough he’ll get in there and fight for England.”That’s because Collingwood, like Ashley Giles, has been fighting public perception much longer than he’s been fighting the Australians. He is the fall-guy in England’s batting line-up, the man who makes way when everyone is fit and available, and that inherent insecurity is what keeps him honest in even the toughest of situations. “I’m feeling more secure than I have done in the past,” he said at Lord’s last summer, and that was after reeling off the small matter of 186 against Pakistan.Collingwood is now in his sixth year as an international cricketer, and yet at no stage has he been allowed access to the comfort zone. His Test debut, in Sri Lanka in 2003-04, came as a replacement for Nasser Hussain. His recall at The Oval last summer, after 24 Tests on the sidelines, was as a poor man’s Simon Jones. His retention in Pakistan came about through a combination of Michael Vaughan’s knee injury and Andrew Strauss’s paternity leave. And his omission for Brisbane would have been a done deal had Marcus Trescothick not flown home early.But in the midst of his uncertainty, he has finally started to forge a tidy Test career. This is his 13th consecutive Test since his breakthrough game at Lahore, exactly 12 months ago. On that occasion he scored 96 and 80 in a desperately lost cause, and responded to the realisation that he had blown a golden opportunity by creaming a glorious unbeaten 134 against India at Nagpur, in his next Test. He’s still two runs from achieving a similar feat at Adelaide, but the mental fortitude of the man is already on full display.Australia still think he’s weak though, which is something of a paradox. He was suckered by Warne’s mind games at Brisbane, and Stuart Clark today admitted that Australia would be climbing straight into his head when play resumes tomorrow morning. “Batters get a bit tense in the nineties,” he warned with a glint in his eye. “Hopefully we’ll go there in the morning and keep him out there for a couple of overs and get him out.”All of a sudden though, Collingwood epitomises England’s position in this series. He’s the man with his back to the wall; the man who – along with Bell in 2005 – didn’t quite fit in in the Trafalgar Square celebrations and the mass awarding of MBEs. When Andrew Flintoff instigated a team meeting on the eve of the game, and called for his players to show a bit of “fight”, you can bet it was Collingwood’s inspiration that he was seeking to draw on.In England last summer, it was all too easy – a fit and focussed squad with a sprinkling of destiny guiding their steps. This time it’s different. It’s a bar brawl, not a breeze. That should suit Collingwood down to the ground. He’s not a man who is used to getting things easily.

Kent have released their veteran seam bowler, Alamgir Sheriyar, and allowed the opening batsman, Michael Carberry, to talk to other counties.Sheriyar was the first player to make a loan move when he joined from Worcestershire last season but, like Carberry, his first-team opportunities were limited at Kent. Carberry joined Kent from Surrey in 2003 and made just 27 first-class appearances for the county, scoring three hundreds.Kent also announced contract extensions for Min Patel, Martin Saggers, James Tredwell, Robert Ferley and Joe Denly. Wicketkeeper Richard Piesley, 19, has been released.

Going on tour with an A team is a serious opportunity to push for a place in the national team. Michael Tissera, former Sri Lankan captain and current manager of the Sri Lanka A team that will tour England has made it clear that he means business. The 16-member squad that forms the second string of cricketers in Sri Lanka have their work cut out. “We are going to make it quite clear to everyone that the joyrides are over,” said Tissera. “The players must be made to realize that this tour is no joke, not a holiday. That it is serious work and if they want to get into the first team they will have to work very hard.”The Sri Lanka A team will leave on a one-month 10-match tour to England on June 28 and Tissera promises it won’t be a honeymoon. “It doesn’t mean that you go to England, see all your friends, have a ball, play the odd match and come back,” he said. “Those days are gone. Sri Lanka Cricket is spending a lot of money on these A team tours. You have to work on the basis that you are the feeder for the first team and your performances are not only going to help Sri Lanka but individually also.”Tissera, 65 now, has a reputation as a strict disciplinarian, and is by no means new to this job. “They have to realize that they are the next lot on the line and that if do well, they have a fine opportunity to play Test cricket. Some of them have already played the odd Test match. But they must now start pushing the others and they’ve still got a good chance. The World Cup is three years away and there’s a good chance for some of these fellows to push for places in the first team. There’s no question about it that there is talent in the team. It is just that it’s got to be harnessed properly.”Tissera also added that the Sri Lankan board would do well to form a core squad that would train together through the year to ensure some sort of continuity in the A team. “A squad of around 18 players or so must be kept together for a couple of years. Otherwise what happens is you go on a tour and come back and you disperse. Very few of these fellows will do work on their own. You have to be organized. When they are organized they do well. Then you can instill team work.”Tissera believed there was no shortage of talent pushing members of the national team for places. “There should be an organized squad for those who are on the fringe of getting into the A team as well, just like they are trying to do now with some of the chaps like Jeevan Mendis, Umesh Wijesiriwardene, Michael Vandort, Tharanga Lakshitha. They are hoping to put them in the academy to work on their technique so that they can come in at any time.”

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In the June 2003 issue:
A day with Bhajji
Rahul Bhattacharya travels to Jalandhar to meet a youngster who has wrestled with the vagaries of life and come out a winner.

`In a democracy, the majority always rules’
Awe, admiration, revulsion, Jagmohan Dalmiya invites them all in equal measure. His commercial savvy saved cricket from bankruptcy; now they say cricket needs saving from his lust for power. To Dalmiya, though, the idea of a split in world cricket is laughable. Cricket’s prime mover speaks to Sambit Bal in the Talking Cricket interview.A kink in the reading
The laws governing chucking need to be interpreted and applied with consistency, says Michael Holding.Best of Brian
Lara’s top six innings relived. By six writers who were there.Stars of the season
Five movers and shakers from the just-concluded Indian domestic year. Also: how Mumbai won their 35th Ranji Trophy title.Plus
Joel Garner in the Gleanings interview.
Rob Smyth on how Michael Vaughan turned from the new Atherton into the new Gower.Charlie Austin’s Sri Lanka diary
My Favourite Cricketer: Harsha Bhogle on Anil Kumble
The new Wisden Almanack reviewed. Plus, editor Tim de Lisle’s FAQ.Ehsan Mani takes charge
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From Somerset’s first match in the 2001 Cheltenham & Gloucester campaign played against Cambridgeshire in June, to a stunning victory in the Final at Lord’s in September – the fight for the first ever Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy was a hard and very exciting one. With the Somerset team all the way has been leading Westcountry Stockbroker Rowan Dartington, Shirt sponsors for this season and also for the following two seasons.This important sponsorship by Rowan Dartington originally covered the County Championship and the Benson & Hedges Cup. However, Rowan Dartington quickly got caught up in the excitement of the C & G Trophy run, and readily agreed to further their sponsorship to also include the Trophy matches. Our sincere thanks go to Barrie Newton at Rowan Dartington Head Office in Bristol and to all his team throughout branches in the South West. Heres’ to the next one!For further information please contact:
Bath Office – John Downey 01225 424666Rowan Dartington with its strong West Country heritage is proud to sponsor Somerset County Cricket Club and in the first year of a major three year partnership congratulates the team on their outstanding performance to win the 2001 C&G Trophy. Most of the senior management and employees are very sports orientated with Rob Turner, Somerset’s wicket keeper having worked his last five winters with the company – indeed it was no doubt batting of an exceptional standard that led during that marvellous partnership between Rob Turner and Keith Dutch during the semi-final against Warwickshire to numerous boundaries thudding into a Rowan Dartington sponsorship sign! Rob continued this promotional activity at Lords whil€ keeping wicket and during that stirring partnership with Keith Parsons.Graham Rose the Somerset all-rounder has also worked for the Company and Somerset County Cricket Club is proving an ideal vehicle for Rowan Dartington to enhance its corporate profile.Rowan Dartington is the West Country stockbroker with offices across the South-West but has a particularly strong presence within Somerset, with teams of private client executives based in Bath, Taunton and Weston -Super-Mare. Wc offer a complete range of quality, traditional stockbroking services for private clients from dealing, ISAs and PEPs (transfers) through to advisory and discretionary portfolic management while our Corporate Finance team offer financia advice to businesses and their owners.If you would like to know more about the services that weoffer, please visit our web site www.rowan-dartington.co.uk, 01call one of our Somerset branch offices: John Downey (Bath) 01225 424666, Charlie Bracher (Taunton)-01823 257752, or John Scott (W-S-M) 01934 413355.Rowan Dartington & Company – Member of the London Stock Exchange and Regulated by The Securities and Futures Authority.

Fawad Alam could end a five-year hiatus from Test cricket after being named in the 15-man Pakistan squad to face England in the UAE from October. His last Test was against New Zealand in November 2009 but he has been a heavy scorer in first-class cricket. Over the last 12 months, he had made two centuries – 201 and 164 – and five fifties in 14 innings.The man making way is 20-year old Babar Azam. Alam had almost made it to the squad for the Sri Lanka tour recently but his name was pulled out due to logistical reasons and Azam replaced him.

Changes in Pakistan’s squads

For Tests v England
In: Fawad Alam
Out: Ehsan Adil, Babar Azam
For ODIs v Zimbabwe
In: Sohaib Maqsood, Wahab Riaz
Out: Bilal Asif, Ehsan Adil, Mukhtar Ahmed
For T20s v Zimbabwe
In: Sohaib Maqsood, Aamer Yamin, Bilal Asif, Imran Khan jnr
Out: Sarfraz Ahmed, Zia-ul-Haq, Nauman Anwar, Anwar Ali

“Our Test team has been an established team for years now and it is hard to make room for any new player,” Haroon Rasheed, Pakistan chief selector, told ESPNcricinfo. “Fawad Alam was in our plan for months now after his performance and we know he had been knocking at the selectors’ door for years in fact. We have added him to the squad in a bid to get ourselves ready for the transition after Misbah as we obviously need to have guys like him when our seasoned players fade away.”Pakistan received a boost in the fast bowling department as well. Wahab Riaz has recovered from the hand injury he sustained in Sri Lanka and replaced Ehsan Adil. Left-arm quick Junaid Khan has kept his place in the Test squad as well despite seeming off-colour in Sri Lanka. Junaid did not play Pakistan’s last Test in Pallekele, but kept himself busy playing for English county Middlesex over the summer.According to Rasheed, Wahab and Junaid might be suffering a dip in form but are among Pakistan’s major investments during the ongoing transition. “They are our investment and we would like to persist with them,” Rasheed said. “Both might have been low in confidence for some time now but we aren’t judging them on the basis of T20 performance. At the top level they will definitely come hard and with a different state of mind. We have named Junaid in the A team so that he can get ample time to get himself ready for the Test series.”Pakistan decided that Yasir Shah, the top-ranked spinner in the world, and Zulfiqar Babar were enough as far as slow-bowling resources were concerned. The two are vital replacements for Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman, who had been Pakistan’s major assets for years in the UAE.Haris Sohail, another long-term investment Pakistan have made since 2013, missed out due to his patellar tendinitis injury. He had been undergoing rehabilitation for the injury for over a month at the NCA but failed to get himself cleared by doctors. “He is definitely one of the players who makes an automatic selection but he has not recovered ahead of the Zimbabwe series,” Rasheed said.The PCB also announced the limited-overs squads for the Zimbabwe series from September 27. Batsman Sohaib Maqsood found a place in both the ODI and T20 squads after recovering from injury. Uncapped fast bowler Imran Khan jnr and allrounder Aamer Yamin received their maiden Pakistan call-ups, with Anwar Ali rested for the T20s to help him recover from a minor groin strain. Bilal Asif was another uncapped allrounder chosen for the shortest format, but he had already toured Sri Lanka with the Pakistan ODI side.Among the more familiar names, batsman Umar Akmal and left-arm quick Sohail Tanvir were for only the T20s. Sarfraz Ahmed will miss the T20s to perform Hajj, allowing Mohammad Rizwan to keep wicket.”We have rested Anwar to give another talented allrounder Yamin a chance as part of our rebuilding,” Rasheed said. “He played a couple of outstanding innings to show his ability and we would like to take him ahead with our plan.”We meant to reward the outstanding performers from the recently concluded T20 Cup. But at the same time we are (keeping) continuity in the rebuilding phase of the Pakistan team by retaining majority of players who were part of the successful last tour of Sri Lanka.”Test squad Ahmed Shehzad, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Fawad Alam, Asad Shafiq, Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Younis Khan, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Wahab Riaz, Imran Khan, Rahat Ali, Junaid KhanODI squad Azhar Ali (capt), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Sohaib Maqsood, Shoaib Malik, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Mohammad Rizwan, Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Wahab Raiz, Yasir Shah, Rahat Ali, Mohammad IrfanT20 squad Ahmed Shehzad, Mukhtar Ahmed, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi (capt), Sohaib Maqsood, Shoaib Malik, Aamer Yamin, Mohammad Irfan, Bilal Asif, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Imran Khan jnr

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:32

Bishop: Bravo has a great attitude

Darren Bravo’s hot bat put Barbados on ice as Trinidad & Tobago secured their second straight Nagico Super50 title with a 72-run win in front of a small but noisy crowd on Saturday night at Queen’s Park Oval. Bravo made 97 off 104 balls, his third straight fifty in the tournament, as Barbados had few answers for an aggressive T&T batting unit.Despite playing in only three matches, Bravo’s 274 runs at an average of 91.33 put him at No. 1 for both categories in the tournament. His value was immense both in the semi-final win over Guyana and in the final against Barbados, helping T&T avenge a loss to end group play.Evin Lewis and Kyle Hope got the hosts off to a confident start after being sent in, cruising through a wicketless power play before Lewis was caught behind off Carlos Brathwaite in the 12th over for 25 to end a half-century stand. It was the first of three such partnerships on the day as a deep T&T lineup offered little respite for the visitors.Bravo, who was named Man of the Match for his efforts arrived in the 17th over and didn’t depart until the 49th, given out caught behind chasing a wide delivery from Jason Holder. By that stage though he had put T&T in a commanding position.Bravo brought up his half-century off 69 balls in the 38th over having spent much of the innings blunting the left-arm spin tandem of Sulieman Benn and Jomel Warrican. Benn entered Saturday’s final tied for the tournament wickets lead with 14 in six games including two four-wicket hauls but could only snare one man on the day, Jason Mohammed for 31 after the T&T captain had added 75 with Bravo for the fourth wicket.With the score 177 for 4 to start the final 10 overs, Bravo and Denesh Ramdin stepped on the accelerator by taking on Holder and clattered him for four boundaries over his next two overs. Holder was forced to turn elsewhere for help and it took Brathwaite to end the 57-run stand with a slower ball to Ramdin. Holder returned in the 49th to claim Bravo three short of a ton but the damage had been done.The Barbados chase stuttered from the start – Dwayne Smith gone in the second over slashing Marlon Richards to Rayad Emrit on the boundary at third man – and they were four down by the end of the opening ten-over power play. Emrit took two of those wickets, including the prized scalp of Kraigg Brathwaite who chased a wide inswinging delivery only to chop onto his stumps.With the fall of Shane Dowrich in the 20th over, the visitors were reduced to 80 for 6. Shai Hope continued to battle in making 50 and put on a 59-run stand with Carlos Brathwaite. By the time Hope fell, the score was 149 for 9 in the 35th over. A 49-run 10th-wicket stand only served to make the margin of defeat look respectable but in reality Trinidad & Tobago brushed off Barbados in much the same fashion as they had Guyana in last year’s final.

Andrew Symonds was apparently the target of racist abuse during the fifth ODI against India in Vadodara on Thursday after being subjected to monkey chants while fielding on the boundary. According to a report in the , the incident occurred during the second half of India’s innings at the IPCL Sports Complex, but the police and the state cricket administration denied the allegation.Sources within the Australian squad confirmed to the paper the abuse took place, but have referred the matter to the local authorities, who may face an inquest from the International Cricket Council. “Like any cricketing centre in India, we would never tolerate this kind of behaviour,” Makarand Waingankar, the chief executive of the local Baroda Cricket Association,” said. “Racism should not exist in India at all.”We are a cosmopolitan country, with many religions and dialects living peacefully together. This is the cultural city of Gujarat, and it would be a shame if that was to be spoilt by a few people.” The fifth ODI was also marred during Australia’s surge to victory when a section of the crowd pelted the playing area with bottles.The local police had another explanation, though. “The crowd was chanting ‘Ganapatibappa Moriya’ [a chant to Lord Ganesha] after Indian wickets kept falling. They did not expect their team to lose and did not spare some of the Indian players either. But none uttered a single word against any Australian player,” Vadodara Police Commissioner PC Thakur told . The secretary of the Baroda Cricket Association repeated that line, saying, “The crowd chanted hoping for some divine intervention and none of them passed any racial remark against any Australian.”The ICC took measures to stamp out racism last year after the South Africa team complained of crowd abuse during their tour of Australia. Under the new code, spectators who are found guilty of racial abuse could face life bans and the venues are subject to fines and the loss of international status.

England have been encouraged to target Glenn McGrath during the Ashes by both the bowler and Ricky Ponting. McGrath showed he was approaching peak form during Australia’s semi-final win against New Zealand on Wednesday and quickly began talking about the England series.”I think [Michael Vaughan] targeted me last time, and I knocked him over four or five times,” he said in . “So I’m happy with that.” Ponting agreed with McGrath’s feelings when he said: “Let them go for it, that’s all I’m going to say.”McGrath was criticised in the lead-up to the semi-final but said it did not affect him and that he still had room for improvement before the opening Test on November 23. “To me, it’s all about how I feel I’m going,” he told the paper. “And if I’m happy with the way I’m progressing then that’s all that matters. I’ve got a little way to go.”He said he has “put a little piece of the puzzle back together” in each game he has played since returning from a long lay-off to be with his sick wife. “It’s feeling pretty good at the moment, and I was happy with [the semi-final],” he said. “There were a few little errors I can still improve, but it’s looking pretty good. If I keep doing that, there’s a few more games until the Ashes and I shouldn’t be too far off 100%.”