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Khan took a four-for while Hasan Joy and Towhid Hridoy scored 80 and 88 respectively

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2021Bangladesh Emerging Team took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match one-day series against Ireland A with an eight-wicket win in the fourth game at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. Pace bowler Sumon Khan took four wickets to help bowl out Ireland A for 182 inside 47 overs, which the hosts chased down with 51 balls remaining.Khan rocked the visitors when he had opener Jeremy Lawlor and captain Harry Tector caught behind off consecutive balls in the 11th over. Curtis Campher was out next, in Khan’s next over, as Ireland slipped to 54 for 4.Khan, who was adjudged Player of the Match, took his fourth in the 47th over when he bowled Peter Chase to wrap up the Ireland A innings. His new-ball partner Mukidul Islam, left-arm spinner Rakibul Hasan and Saif Hassan took two wickets each.Mark Adair top-scored for Ireland A with 40 while Ruhan Pretorius, who made 90 in the second one-dayer, scored 35 at No. 8.Chase bowled Tanzid Hasan and had Yasir Ali caught behind in the fourth over of the chase as the home team slumped to 10 for 2. But that was all the inroads the Ireland A attack could make as Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Towhid Hridoy took Bangladesh Emerging Team home, with an unbroken 176-run third-wicket stand. Joy struck 80 off 135 balls with eight fours while Hridoy hammered nine fours in his 97-ball 88.The fifth and final match of the one-day series will be held in Dhaka on March 14 before the two-match T20 leg.

The South Australia pace bowler earned one Test cap and was unlucky not to play more

Andrew McGlashan01-Apr-2021Chadd Sayers, the South Australia seamer who earned one Test cap for Australia, has announced his retirement from first-class cricket at the end of the season.Sayers, 33, will play his final game when the Redbacks take on Victoria in Melbourne over Easter weekend. With one match remaining in his career, Sayers has 319 first-class wickets of which 278 have come in the Sheffield Shield with South Australia.He will finish as the state’s third-highest Sheffield Shield wicket-taker – and leading pace bowler – behind Clarrie Grimmett (504) and Ashley Mallett (344). He is also among a rare group of players from the current generation never to have played a T20.”I believe the timing is now right for me to step away from first-class cricket at the conclusion of this season.” Sayers said. “I have enjoyed every moment, the highs and lows, and all the memories in between, but I feel that it is time – I now have a young family and there were no guarantees of a contract next year.”It has been an absolute honour to play for my home State of South Australia all this time, and I’m looking forward to taking the field with the lads one last time this weekend.”His best season came in 2016-17 where he claimed 62 wickets at 19.00 which helped South Australia to the Shield final where he claimed 7 for 84 in the first innings. The 61.2 overs he bowled in that match was the most of his first-class career.His career-best match and innings figures came last season against New South Wales when he took 13 for 131. As with all the South Australia bowlers success has been harder to come by this season but he is still the team’s highest wicket-taker with 12 which included the notable return of 29-17-27-3 against Tasmania out of a total of 493.His consistency in domestic cricket kept him around the fringes of international selection. He was included in the Test squad to tour New Zealand in 2016, came close to a debut in the 2016-17 Adelaide Test against South Africa and was also part of the squad at the start of the 2017-18 Ashes.Eventually his Test debut came at the Wanderers, a match overshadowed by the fallout of the ball-tampering scandal that emerged the game before in Cape Town, where he would take both his Test wickets in the space of three deliveries – the first being the notable scalp of AB de Villiers.However, as Australian cricket set about rebuilding and with a strong hand of pace resources Sayers drifted back down the pecking order. Given his ability to move the ball he can consider himself unlucky not to have had more chances, especially an opportunity to showcase his skills in England.”Everyone at SACA congratulates and thanks Chadd for his impressive and unwavering service to the State for the last decade and wishes him well for the next stage of his life, including enjoying time with his young family,” head coach Jason Gillespie said.”Chadd will always be welcome through the gates of Adelaide Oval, and he will remain a benchmark for our bowlers and young players for years to come.”

Three players named in the squad for Ireland series had trained with RCB and Mumbai

Matt Roller06-Jan-2021Ahmed Raza, UAE’s captain, is not concerned about his side’s fitness or preparation ahead of their four-match ODI series against Ireland, following a 10-month break from international cricket.UAE’s last game took place in February 2020, a 102-run win against Kuwait in the final of the ACC Western Region T20 competition, but players returned to training in June and have been playing domestic cricket over the past few months.Three players named in the squad for the series were also beneficiaries of the IPL’s change in venue for the postponed 2020 season. Raza and young wristspinner Karthik Meiyappan trained with Royal Challengers Bangalore, while seamer Zahoor Khan spent time with the Mumbai Indians squad.”We were one of the first associate teams to hit the ground running,” Raza said at a virtual press conference. “Having some cricket in the last few months has helped us. We haven’t played any international cricket for a long period, but [the pandemic] is something which is new to all of us. We’re really happy to be together as a squad and are just looking forward to playing some international cricket.”[The IPL] was massive. The experience you get over there training with the likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and bowling to them [is great]. We felt like we’d gained a lot when we left the IPL. It’s hard to put into words, but you start feeling different, and you’re different in your approach as well. I hope that whatever we learned in that period, we can showcase in our performances in this series.”UAE go into the series, which sees four games in Abu Dhabi squeezed into a seven-day window from January 8-14, as underdogs: they are six places below Ireland in the ICC’s ODI rankings, and have lost all six of their previous encounters against Ireland in the format.Related

• Two UAE players test positive for Covid-19 ahead of Ireland ODIs

• Ireland could host Pakistan T20Is in England

• Afghanistan-Ireland series to be held in the UAE

They are also a team in transition. Robin Singh replaced Dougie Brown as director of cricket last year, and has managed to spend time with the group despite being stuck in India for several months due to a lockdown and working as Mumbai Indians’ batting coach during the IPL.Their squad is also still coming to terms with the suspensions of five players over the past 18 months due to corruption charges. As a result, the 17-man squad named on Wednesday has a youthful look to it, with Aryan Lakra, Alishan Sharafu, Kashif Daud and Adithya Shetty all winning their maiden call-ups. Chirag Suri and Khan are both fit after injury concerns.”You want to win every game you play, and this series is no different,” Raza said. “We want to win all the games and win the series. We’re playing in our own backyard and looking at the squad, there’s a good mix of youth and experience. We have to keep an eye on the 2023 World Cup down the line. Looking at the four or five youngsters in the squad, they all playing in the Under-19 World Cup and put in performances.”UAE squad to play Ireland: Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Rohan Mustafa, Muhammad Usman, Muhammad Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind

Derbyshire took another big stride towards promotion from Division Two with a thrilling two-wicket victory over Kent at Derby

05-Aug-2012
ScorecardDan Redfern shepherded the tail to secure Derbyshire victory•Getty Images

Derbyshire took another big stride towards promotion from Division Two when eighth-wicket pair Dan Redfern and Tim Groenewald steered them to a thrilling two-wicket victory over Kent at Derby.Redfern struck the winning boundary off Mark Davies in the fourth over after lunch to complete his fifty and take them past their target of 295 following a dramatic morning in which Charlie Shreck threatened to win the match for Kent.Derbyshire went into the fourth day as favourites needing another 127 with eight wickets standing but Shreck took four wickets to reduce them to 236 for 7. But Redfern, who survived a difficult chance to skipper Rob Key when he had scored only one, was well supported by first Tony Palladino and then Groenewald who made 20 out of a stand of 41 to settle a pulsating contest.There was no hint of the drama to come when Usman Khawaja and Wes Durston calmly batted through the first 10 overs of the morning to take their third wicket partnership to 102. But Shreck was rewarded for a tireless spell from the City End of the County Ground when he had Khawaja caught behind for 56 from 137 balls off the last delivery of the 70th over and then removed Durston with his first ball of the 72nd.Durston had scored 55 from 123 balls but Shreck moved one back into him to trap him lbw and then Richard Johnson went for a drive and edged to second slip in Shreck’s next over. Shreck had now taken three wickets in nine balls and the momentum was shifting towards Kent when Matt Coles got one to lift sharply at David Wainwright, who was caught low down at third slip for 2.Jon Clare pulled Coles through midwicket for four but then got a leading edge off Shreck and was caught at mid-off for 12. Derbyshire were now rocking but Palladino, who had bowled so well in the game, helped steady their nerves by adding 21 with Redfern who was striking the right balance between aggression and caution.He cover drove Shreck for successive fours from an over that cost 13 and Groenewald edged the fast bowler to the vacant third man boundary in his next over.Lunch was delayed by four overs to try and finish the game but Derbyshire finally sealed a 19 points victory that takes them 26 points clear at the top of Division Two when Redfern drove Davies for his fifth boundary.

They have also roped in Joe Clarke as an early-season replacement for Jason Roy

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2020The Perth Scorchers have signed New Zealand batsman Colin Munro for the 2020-21 Big Bash League season. Munro recently missed out on an NZC contract, but remains a highly sought-after T20 cricketer.He is fifth on the ICC’s T20I rankings for batsmen, and his T20I strike rate of 156.44 is the fourth-highest among batsmen with at least 500 runs. He was a key member of the Trinbago Knight Riders team that won the Caribbean Premier League in September, scoring 207 runs, including two fifties, at a strike rate of 133.54.”To jump on board with such a successful, established club that has been playing great cricket since the BBL started was really what appealed to me… it’s going to be pretty special to be part of it,” Munro said.”The Scorchers have some world-class players in their list, so to rub shoulders with them this summer is going to be really exciting.”Munro joins the England pair of Jason Roy and Liam Livingstone in the Scorchers’ overseas contingent. While Munro will be available through the entire BBL season, Roy and Livingstone will miss the first three matches of the Scorchers’ campaign while touring South Africa with England’s white-ball squads.Until Roy arrives, the Scorchers will have the services of the 24-year-old Nottinghamshire batsman Joe Clarke, who has been signed up as a replacement player. Clarke boasts a career T20 strike rate of 149.05, and finished fifth on the run charts in the 2020 season of the T20 Blast, scoring 371 runs at a strike rate of 175.00.

Cricketers not contracted with Sri Lanka Cricket will no longer be allowed to use the board’s facilities, according to a proposal by the board’s executive committee

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2012Cricketers not contracted with Sri Lanka Cricket will no longer be allowed to use the board’s facilities, including medical assistance, the board’s executive committee has decided. SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga confirmed these details to ESPNcricinfo.The decision has so far met with a positive response. “I believe it’s fair enough,” Ken de Alwis, the spokesman of the Sri Lanka Cricketers Association told . “If a player signs a contract, then he becomes an employee of SLC. But if a player does not sign it, then SLC has no obligation to look after his interests.”The SLC will submit the contract proposals to the association.Fast bowler Lasith Malinga didn’t sign an SLC contract last year but received medical assistance from the board when he returned to Sri Lanka briefly for treatment during the current IPL season, in which he’s representing Mumbai Indians. Malinga plays for Sri Lanka in limited-overs internationals but has retired from Test cricket. Nishantha Ranatunga, at the time of Malinga’s treatment, had said: “Though he has no central contract, it is the SLC’s duty to look after the national players.” The latest proposal by the SLC, though, suggests a chance of stance.

Mystery bowler claims 6 for 34 after captain’s knock lays the foundation for win over Northern Diamonds

Graham Hardcastle27-Sep-2020Charlotte Taylor’s game-changing six-wicket haul ensured the Southern Vipers defended 232 to beat Northern Diamonds by 38 runs and claim the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy title at Edgbaston.An enthralling game which swung back and forth throughout saw the Diamonds well placed at 74 for 1 in the 15th over of their chase, only to slip to 96 for 6 in the 23rd as brilliant off-spinner Taylor struck the decisive blows.She had opener Hollie Armitage caught at backward point for 26, Alex MacDonald out hit wicket, Jenny Gunn trapped lbw and Bess Heath caught at deep mid-wicket.The Diamonds were later bowled out for 193 inside 43 overs, with 26-year-old Taylor also trapping Beth Langston lbw and having Netherlands international Sterre Kalis caught at mid-on for 55 on the way to a fabulous 6 for 34 from her 10 overs – the best return from any bowler in the competition. Kalis became her sixth wicket shortly after reaching 50 in the 37th over, and Taylor finished with a competition-high 15 wickets in five appearances.Taylor, who was drafted into the Vipers’ side after the competition had already started, was thrilled with her performance, and the result.”That’s the best I’ve ever bowled,” Taylor said. “I couldn’t have asked for anything better. I’m proving to myself week in and week out that I can play at this level.”Armitage, [Lauren] Winfield-Hill and Kalis got them off to a good start, but we took wickets at key times, and I’m so happy I was able to contribute. Lots of people wouldn’t have seen me play too much cricket, and I think that works to my advantage, especially with my bowling.”This team is so young. Myself, Georgia (Adams) and Carla (Rudd), we’re some of the oldest at 26. And some of these girls are 16, even 15. So for us to win seven games out of seven with such a young side, it’s really impressive and bodes well for the future.”Vipers’ captain Georgia Adams continued her stunning form with 80 off 102 balls, including eleven fours, at the top of the order as she underpinned 231 all out and moved to 500 competition runs in the process.She shared a century opening partnership with Ella McCaughan, who posted 35, having been inserted, only for the Diamonds to drag things back impressively as leg-spinners Katie Levick and Armitage shared five wickets.Georgia Adams lofts one over the leg side•PA Images via Getty Images

After Adams and McCaughan shared 100 inside 24 overs, their side’s fourth century opening stand in seven games, the South Coast side were in a dominant position at 150 for 1 in the 32nd over. Adams was particularly strong square of the wicket, reaching 50 for the fourth time in this competition off 68 balls.Maia Bouchier, however, looked more fluent at the crease and was punishing through the covers and over the top on the way to 28. Together with Adams – they shared 50 inside eight overs after McCaughan had feathered left-arm spinner Linsey Smith behind – a total nearing 300 was not unrealistic on a pacy and true surface with a fast outfield.But things changed in a flash. Diamonds captain Lauren Winfield-Hill, back from England’s T20 bubble, brought Armitage into the attack, and she struck first ball with a long hop which Bouchier pulled head high to mid-on, leaving the score at 150 for 2 in the 32nd.Almost 12 overs later, the Vipers were 191 for 8, with Armitage striking again plus three wickets for Levick, who trapped Charlie Dean and Carla Rudd lbw and removed Adams, caught at deep mid-wicket. Levick’s first two overs had cost her 19 and she finished with 3 for 49 from eight.Miserly former England seamers Langston and Gunn both contributed significantly in dragging things back and finished with a wicket apiece.However, there was to be a late twist as the Vipers were boosted by an industrious 37 off 48 balls from Emily Windsor to ensure they went beyond 230.Winfield-Hill rued a number of what she called “soft dismissals” for her side.”A lot of people got themselves out rather than being got out,” she said. “But we’ll learn from that. We just need to be playing in these finals and find a way to win.”They started well with that big partnership up top before we clawed it back in the middle and kept them to a score. At one stage we thought it was a 260 pitch, but in the end they probably got 20 or 30 too many with people down the order chipping in. That proved to be the difference.”

The number of star names on show in the tournament has been a topic of debate but there was concern about stopping local talent

Daniel Brettig19-Oct-2020Big Bash clubs are set to be permitted a third overseas player in their XIs for the next two tournaments after the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) dropped their longstanding opposition to the move on the basis that it would take away a spot from a local cricketer.Amid an ugly dispute between Cricket Australia and Channel Seven over the value of the BBL’s broadcast rights, the likely change in overseas player regulations – as part of a series of tweaks to the MoU between CA and the ACA – is a late but welcome chance for clubs to improve the quality of their playing lists this year.The likelihood of expanded Australian squads being required for international matches this year due to Covid-19 “hub” restrictions has raised the prospect of weakening BBL playing ranks to a greater degree than usual. It is one of the central complaints from Seven to CA about the BBL after the free-to-air network paid in the region of A$40 million a season for the competition as part of its A$450 million component of the A$1.18 billion shared deal with Foxtel in 2018 to broadcast cricket in Australia for six years.The BBL figure represents almost 60% of Seven’s total deal, which also includes the rights to broadcast all Test matches played in Australia, and runs in contrast to CA’s strategic position where international cricket sits at the top of the pyramid in terms of player payments and other investments by the governing body. CA has in recent weeks also committed to helping to finance “marquee” deals worth more than six figures for overseas players outside existing BBL club salary caps.CA had hoped to hold its first player draft ahead of the 2020-21 season but that was shelved in August amid the complexities created by Covid-19Dawid Malan (Hobart Hurricanes), Alex Hales (Sydney Thunder), Liam Livingstone (Perth Scorchers), Tom Banton (Brisbane Heat) and Tom Curran (Sydney Sixers) are the overseas players to have been announced by their clubs so far either on new or existing deals. Three overseas slots per team would mean an additional 20 players join the BBL from beyond Australia’s borders.Such an influx would help to cover for the likelihood of players such as Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Finch, Adam Zampa and Marcus Stoinis missing large chunks of the BBL due to international commitments. Clubs are eager to sign up David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, a trio who have often missed the BBL in recent years, and may well end up doing so again should they want to rest in between international commitments and scheduled tours of New Zealand and South Africa in early 2021.One area of intrigue will be whether CA finally convinces the BCCI to allow some Indian players to take part in the BBL – the IPL has long been the only domestic T20 event to showcase Indian cricketers, whether they are core members of Virat Kohli’s national team or not.Overseas names, of both the established star variety such as AB de Villiers, Kevin Pietersen, Eoin Morgan and Dale Steyn and emerging talents such as Jofra Archer, Rashid Khan and Sandeep Lamichhane, have been vital to the growth of the BBL over its first nine seasons. But teams have always been limited to having only two overseas players at any one time in their 18-man squads, even though the rules were tweaked in 2019 to allow up to six overseas players to cycle through on shorter deals during a tournament.CA and the broadcasters have been eager to allow for another overseas playing spot, but the ACA’s opposition has remained until recently, when the change was again suggested amid negotiations for a range of provisional alterations to the MoU.In addition to the overseas players clause, the players’ association is also working with CA on plans to use some of this years’ untapped player payment pool cash to provide a range of additional support measures for players, particularly in the WBBL. These would include investment in hub facilities in Sydney, plus greater allowances for player access to their families and other means of mental health assistance during what is sure to be a trying summer.

He wants more players from the state to force their way into Australia squads

Andrew McGlashan26-Aug-2020Chris Rogers, the former Australia Test opener and new Victoria coach, hopes to be able to help Will Pucovski break into the Australia side for the international career he has been on the cusp of for a couple of seasons.Pucovski, 22, came close to a Test debut against Sri Lanka in 2019 and was part of the Australia A set-up ahead of last year’s Ashes series.However, he has had to deal with multiple concussions during his short career – the most recent coming late last season against England Lions when he stumbled taking a run – and has also taken breaks from the game to manage his mental health.In 20 first-class matches, Pucovski has made 1225 runs at 42.24 with a best of 243 against Western Australia at the start of the 2018-19 season which followed a 188-run knock late in the previous summer against Queensland.”Will’s at a really interesting point in his own career,” Rogers said. “Obviously there’s the issues regarding the concussions and so forth but I don’t think anyone’s doubting his ability. It’s about finding out what he thinks he needs to do to take the next step and finding ways to support that.”I think he’s at that age where he’s really come to terms with everything about his game. He’s had some experiences now that have tested him and would no doubt have built a lot of that resilience. It’s going to be a little bit up to him but with a lot of support from the coaching staff as well.”I think he’s a fantastic player. What stands out for me is his mindset. I think that’s really quite impressive for a guy his age. He almost looks like he plays as a very experienced player, so it’s probably helping him develop that as well.”Like any domestic coach, Rogers will be marrying the dual demands of domestic success with producing players for the international stage and he said that having more Victoria names in Australia squads was a key aim of his role.Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell are the Victoria players in the limited-overs squad for the England tour while fast bowler James Pattinson is the only one around the Test set-up although may not make the first choice XI.The batting line-up features Marcus Harris and Nic Maddinson who have had a previous taste of the Australia level: Harris was part of the Ashes series last year but lost his spot after struggling in tough batting conditions, to be replaced by Joe Burns, while Maddinson’s brief Test career came in 2016 with his last white-ball appearance in 2018.Harris would probably be in the frame as top-order cover if enlarged Test squads are needed this season as has been flagged by Justin Langer while two prolific first-class seasons for Maddinson, which have brought 1353 runs at 83.93, has put him back on the selectors’ radar and earned him Australia A call-ups last season. Maddinson withdrew from the squad to face Pakistan in Perth for mental health reasons then scored 52 against England Lions in February.”I think Nic just needs to perform,” Rogers said. “He’s someone who has found his style, how he wants to approach the game and has had some success doing that. It’s important then to support what he does and make sure he’s accountable for his performances. But if he wants to perform for Australia, I don’t think I’m the only one who will tell him that, he just needs to put the runs on the board and he’s doing that. “As a former left-handed opener, Rogers has the ideal skillset to offer Harris any specialist advice he may need. “I have some ideas about how Marcus can go about it and that will be working with him,” he said. “He’s at that right [time] where he should be playing the best cricket of his life and it’s just being there to help him to do that.”The prospect of larger international squads taking more players out of domestic cricket – meaning state depth will be tested – is also something Rogers sees as a good challenge.”It might mean some of the better players in the state teams are unavailable and therefore you have to have your resources tested and opportunities might come for younger players,” he said. “If you look at the Victoria squad – it’s pretty young. I know from when I first moved over it was a vastly different squad, but with that comes so much excitement and opportunity.”

Steven Finn has been ruled out of the first Test against Pakistan with a “bone stress injury” to his left foot

Andrew McGlashan in Abu Dhabi12-Oct-2015Steven Finn has been ruled out of the first Test against Pakistan with a “bone stress injury” to his left foot.Finn reported soreness after England’s second warm-up match against Pakistan A in Sharjah in which he claimed 4 for 16 in 15 overs to put himself firmly in contention for Abu Dhabi. He bowled in training on Sunday but overnight the pain became worse.Alastair Cook confirmed he had “absolutely” been in the frame for the final XI for tomorrow’s first Test. With James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes all certain to feature, Finn and Mark Wood had been in a head-to-head for the last pace-bowling slot.After months of well-documented problems with his bowling action, Finn returned to the Test side against Australia at Edgbaston where he claimed 6 for 79 to help England claim a 2-1 lead in the Ashes. Although England hope to have him available later in the series, the compressed nature of the matches must make that unlikely. More realistically, as one of a handful of players who is part of all three formats, he will be targetting full fitness in time for next month’s ODI and T20 legs of the tour.”It’s a bitter blow for him, he bowled really well in that warm-up game and over the last 12 months he has made huge strides back to where we’d like him to be,” Cook said. “We’ll monitor him over the next period of time and hopefully he could be right or the second Test but we’ll have to wait and see.”Steven Finn was firmly in contention for a Test place before his foot injury•Getty Images

Finn’s absence firms up England’s attack for the opening Test with Wood, who impressed in the first warm-up match, completing a six-man unit which will include Adil Rashid on debut.Rashid, who took three wickets in the second two-day match, will follow in the footsteps of Ian Salisbury, Chris Schofield and Scott Borthwick to become England’s fourth Test legspinner since 1971, when Robin Hobbs played the last of his seven matches. His debut had been earmarked even before the tour began with coach Trevor Bayliss, who is keen on a twin-spin attack, giving Rashid the encouragement to be an attacking bowler.”Adil’s made really good strides since the West Indies tour,” Cook said. “He has his one-day experience and is feeling a bit more comfortable around the group. It’s a tough art to master, but he’s got over 400 first-class wickets, so he can definitely bowl. I know he’s looking forward to his opportunity. Yes, there can be some bad balls along the way, but he can also bowl some jaffas.”While it was also confirmed that Moeen Ali will open the batting, Cook did not cement the full XI although the likely outcome is Jonny Bairstow retained at No. 5 with Jos Buttler keeping hold of the wicketkeeper’s position.”We’ve got a lot of tough selection calls to make,” Cook said. “A lot of people are pushing and it’s made my and Trevor’s job very hard to get the right XI.”Cook added that James Taylor was “doing all he can” to force his way into the side after making an unbeaten 61 against Pakistan A to follow up his productive one-day series against Australia which helped earn him a spot for this tour.”He’s been brilliant since he’s come back into the one-day side. A lot of people said because of his size he couldn’t play the short-pitched bowling or the quick bowling. He’s also a really good player of spin. That’s what we want – people pushing for selection, but you’ve also got to respect the guys who have done a good job as well in the team.”