Greg Chappell, India’s former coach, has said that India “weren’t really in Test cricket” on their tour to Australia, and that “Test cricket is pretty tough for them”

Sidharth Monga in Adelaide07-Mar-2012Greg Chappell, India’s former coach, has said that India “weren’t really interested in Test cricket” on their tour to Australia, and that “Test cricket is pretty tough for them”. Chappell was speaking at a promotional event for his book, , at Adelaide Writers Week. It was an interaction full of endearing anecdotes about his playing days until a member of the audience – which might have been close to 200-strong – asked him about India’s apparent disinterest in Test cricket, and how it might adversely affect Test cricket overall, considering how the BCCI controls cricket today.”It was obvious from the start of the tour that the Indians weren’t really interested in Test cricket,” Chappell said. “After the Australians showed that they were going to be a formidable foe, I was very disappointed with the Indians. And having worked with many of them and having been in the dressing room with them, Test cricket was too hard for most of them. They can only make a lot of money playing 20-over cricket. Fifty-over cricket they can sort of put up with.”Test cricket for a lot of, not only India, a lot of subcontinent teams, I think it’s pretty tough. And the challenge for Test cricket is, without the sort of grounding that we [Australians] had as kids, Test cricket is too hard. It’s very demanding mentally, physically and emotionally.”Malcolm Knox, Chappell’s co-writer, then brought the discussion back to the book, and pointed out how Chappell had marked out Virender Sehwag’s fitness and attitude and Zaheer Khan’s fitness as key issues for India. “You can throw in attitude for Zaheer as well,” Chappell interjected.Chappell then spoke about what was wrong with the Indian culture. “The culture is very different, it’s not a team culture,” Chappell said. “They lack leaders in the team because they are not trained to be leaders. From an early age, their parents make all the decisions, their schoolteachers make their decisions, their cricket coaches make the decisions.”The culture of India is such that, if you put your head above the parapet someone will shoot it. Knock your head off. So they learn to keep their head down and not take responsibility. The Poms (British) taught them really well to keep their head down. For if someone was deemed to be responsible, they’d get punished. So the Indians have learned to avoid responsibility. So before taking responsibility for any decisions, they prefer not to.”Chappell said MS Dhoni the Indian captain, was one exception to that rule, but even he seems to have lost to the system. When asked if any Indian captain, when on 329 not out himself, would have declared the innings, Chappell said: “If MS Dhoni would have ever got to 329 in a Test match, he probably would. Look, Dhoni is one of the most impressive young men that I have ever worked with. When he came into that Indian team, you just knew that he was a leader in the making. He was definitely someone who could make decisions, and he didn’t mind putting his head above the parapet, and didn’t mind putting the bigger players in their place. I think he is the best thing to have happened to Indian cricket in recent times.”But looking at him on this tour – I didn’t meet or speak to him at all – but just watching the body language and just watching him on the field, it wasn’t the MS Dhoni that I knew. I think Indian cricket has worn him down as well. Especially captaining all three formats, and India plays about 50% more cricket than Australia does. And Dhoni played four years, captaining three years while being wicketkeeper and their key batsman – one of the best chasers of a target that I’ve ever seen. Very confident, very un-Indian in that regard. There was no false modesty about him. If he thought he could do something, he would take responsibility and say ‘I can do that.'”Chappell also felt Sehwag’s captaincy ambition hurt the Indian team. “Sehwag thought he should be captain after [Anil] Kumble, so there is a bit of a collision there,” he said. “I think Dhoni is getting to a point where Test cricket is getting too hard for him, and the undercurrent around the dressing room cannot help.”Chappell said that Test cricket needed a strong India. “I think Australia and England will always look at Test cricket and try and preserve it,” Chappell said. “South Africa to a lesser degree. Up until this summer I thought India as well. We probably had four major Test-playing countries, and the others would play Test cricket spasmodically.”Because firstly most countries haven’t got the critical mass of players to develop Test cricketers and most of them don’t have the money. Cricket Australia probably spends in excess of 20 million dollars a year in development programmes, which includes first-class cricket – huge investment to develop a Test team. I am not sure many other countries have the will to do that. If the financial circumstances change for Australian cricket, it will be very tough for Australian cricket too.”If of the three formats, one of them is under pressure, it’s Test cricket. In ten years’ time, it might look very different from the way it looks today. And for those who have grown up with Test cricket and hold it in high stead, we are going to probably be a little bit disappointed with the way it goes in the next few years.”Edited by Kanishkaa Balachandran

Warwickshire missed out on the title on the final day of last season, but they held their nerve for the second week running to claim a five-wicket victory over Lancashire to establish themselves among the early division one pacesetters.

Myles Hodgson at Aigburth22-Apr-2012
ScorecardRikki Clarke’s innings set up Warwickshire winning position•Getty Images

Warwickshire may still be feeling the disappointment of missing out on the title on the final day of last season, but they held their nerve for the second week running to claim a five-wicket victory over Lancashire to establish themselves among the early division one pacesetters.A nervous run-chase against Somerset last week, which was only secured after Jeetan Patel hit 43 off 36 balls to make amends for a batting collapse, was followed by Warwickshire just about reaching their victory target of 70 under great pressure from Simon Kerrigan and Gary Keedy, Lancashire’s pair of left-arm spinners.Yet for all the frayed nerves on the players’ balcony inside Aigburth’s Victorian pavilion, Ashley Giles wore a big grin and rated it as “the best Warwickshire victory” since he returned as director of cricket in 2008. That it was achieved against Lancashire, who won the championship on that dramatic final afternoon last September, was barely noticed.The victory opened up a 40-point lead between Warwickshire and Lancashire, who have now suffered defeats in the opening two games of a season for the first time since 1965.
It is early in the summer still, but supporters are already raising fears they may follow in the footsteps of Yorkshire (2002) and Nottinghamshire (2006) and suffer relegation as defending champions.In a dominant position ever since the 234-run eighth wicket stand between Darren Maddy and Rikki Clarke on Saturday afternoon, there were slight concerns on the final morning when rain delayed the start until shortly before lunch and removed 21 overs from the day’s allocation. It only served to hasten Warwickshire’s determination to secure the victory quickly and they wrapped up Lancashire’s last six wickets in 24 overs.Keith Barker’s increased responsibility in the absence of injured seamers Boyd Rankin and Chris Woakes has allowed him to flourish and he made the early inroads once Gary Keedy, Lancashire’s nightwatchman, had swept Patel’s off-spin to mid-wicket. The extra bounce he extracted from the River End removed Luke Procter for a duck via his glove while Ian Bell ended Gareth Cross’ dangerous cameo of 20 with a superb diving catch at short mid-wicket.Re-signed for Warwickshire primarily as a bowler, Patel came into his own and enjoyed an intense tussle with Ashwell Prince, Lancashire’s South African overseas player. Gaining considerable turn and bounce from the worn Aigburth wicket, he teased out Glen Chapple and Kerrigan to catches close to the wicket to complete his third five-wicket haul in five championship matches for Warwickshire.The key wicket was the dismissal of Prince, who had battled for over two hours for his half-century, but attempted to sweep a fuller ball on leg stump and was bowled around his legs, leaving Warwickshire what looked a modest target.Chapple gave Kerrigan the Pavilion End from the start and he claimed two early wickets, including Bell caught at short extra cover driving on the up. Keedy, brought on from the River End after Chapple had an unsuccessful three-over spell with the new ball, claimed further wickets in successive overs.Tension really started to increase once Darren Maddy, batting with an injured finger, edged Kerrigan to Stephen Moore at second slip to leave Warwickshire still needing 18 runs with five wickets down. Will Porterfield retained his composure to score an unbeaten 22 and the victory was completed with Tim Ambrose cutting Keedy for four.”We can definitely see areas where we can improve,” conceded Chapple, Lancashire’s captain. “Warwickshire are a title-chasing team and although we are under par there is no far for us to go before we are turning sides over.”This year we have started slowly, but a couple of wins and we can get ourselves back in the hunt. It is important to address what isn’t quite right at the moment, but it is not far off.
“We have had a good chat and we know where we need to go. It is a brand new season, being champions is irrelevant, we have said that from the word go. It is up to us to perform.”

Michael Clarke and AB de Villiers have gone joint-top of the ICC Test batsmen rankings after Kumar Sangakkara slipped from the spot

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Mar-2012Michael Clarke and AB de Villiers have gone joint-top of the ICC Test batsmen rankings after Kumar Sangakkara slipped from the spot due to a poor return in the Galle Test. Sangakkara, who had been on top of the rankings for four months, had scores of 0 and 14 in Galle, costing him 37 rating points and three places. Jacques Kallis, who was second in the rankings, also lost points, after missing the Wellington Test, meaning Clarke, who had moved to third after his outstanding series against India, moved to the No. 1 spot. de Villiers joined him there after a couple of important half-centuries in South Africa’s series against New Zealand.Not surprisingly, Vernon Philander has stormed into the top ten in the bowlers rankings, after taking 21 wickets in three Tests in New Zealand and becoming the second fastest bowler to 50 Test wickets. That means South Africa now have all their three frontline fast bowlers in the top ten, with Dale Steyn still leading the rankings and Morne Morkel in tenth place. Also moving into the top ten is Rangana Herath, who, in Galle, took the first 12-wicket match-haul in a Test since Jason Krejza’s in 2008.After losing in Galle, England must win against Sri Lanka in Colombo to retain their No. 1 ranking. Anything less would see South Africa claim the No. 1 spot. If England lose in Colombo, it would open the door for Australia to overtake them, though they would need to beat West Indies 3-0 to do it.

Australia’s coach Micky Arthur has said that Mitchell Johnson will have to compete with Pat Cummins for a place in the playing XI

ESPNcricinfo staff15-May-2012Australia’s coach Micky Arthur has said Mitchell Johnson will have to compete with Pat Cummins for a place in the starting XI during the one-day series against Ireland and England in June and July.Both Johnson and Cummins were recalled to the squad after recovering from foot injuries they sustained during Australia’s Test tour of South Africa in November 2011. “Mitchell Johnson returns and we can’t wait to have him back around the group,” Arthur said. “He may have to wait his turn though, as we are taking such a talented group of bowlers on the tour with us.”Arthur said he was excited with the prospect of seeing Cummins, who took seven wickets on Test debut against South Africa last November, return to top-flight cricket. “The player I am most excited about is Pat Cummins, we all saw what he could do in his one and only Test match and to have him back in the mix is fantastic,” he said. “He has the ability to become one of the best in the world. He and Patto [James Pattinson] will take a huge amount out of this tour.”Arthur hoped the Pattinson-Cummins combination would make their attack a force during the Ashes in 2013. “We hope they both will be firing this time next year when we go to England to claim the Ashes back and drawing on the experience of touring the UK before will certainly give them an edge.”Arthur also expressed support for Australia’s Test batting line up. “I am very happy with where our Test team is headed. Continuity in selection and role clarity is so important in creating team culture and I know that all players now know where and how they fit in,” he said. “We have a settled top six now and, together, this unit has played seven Test matches.”Edited by Carlyle Laurie

Sunil Joshi, the Karnataka left-arm spinner, has announced his retirement from international and first-class cricket

Siddarth Ravindran21-Jun-2012Sunil Joshi, the Karnataka left-arm spinner, has formally announced his retirement from international and first-class cricket. Joshi, 42, hasn’t played competitive cricket in more than a year, and was the coach of Hyderabad last season.His international career lasted between 1996 and 2001, spanning 15 Tests and 69 ODIs. His most famous international performance was his 10-6-6-5 spell against South Africa in 1999. In Tests, he was Man of the Match in Bangladesh’s inaugural match, after an all-round effort, taking eight wickets and also scoring a battling 92 in the first innings.On the domestic circuit, he was a stalwart for Karnataka, finishing as the third highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy, behind Rajinder Goel and S Venkataraghavan. He won the Ranji Trophy three times – 1995-96, 1997-98 and 1998-99. He was also a handy batsman, finishing with 5126 first-class runs at an average of 26.71. With the Karnataka State Cricket Association recently launching its plan to revive Karnataka’s fortunes, it will be players like Joshi that it would be looking to unearth.At a function organised by the KSCA to mark the occasion, Joshi was warmly praised by some of the state’s greatest players, several of whom were his team-mates at both the domestic and international level. Anil Kumble hailed his impact both on the field and off it. “Congratulations on a terrific career, for being a fantastic servant of Karnataka cricket. His determination and dedication was always evident,” Kumble said. “He is an exceptional allrounder whose services will always be missed. Not just stats, he also contributed by supporting and encouraging younger players.”

Joshi’s favourite domestic game

He rated the come-from-behind victory over Madhya Pradesh in the 1998-99 Ranji final as the most cherished moment in his domestic career. “We had conceded the first-innings lead and we had to push for an outright win. We couldn’t sleep all night after the fourth day, as it was raining (and reducing our chances of victory),” he said. “The next morning it had stopped raining, but MP were batting out time.” At tea MP were 130 for 4, and seemingly safe. “After tea, I managed to get Abbas Ali out (who batted four hours for 47) and Vijay Bharadwaj took over, cleaning up the MP tail to win the match with two overs to spare.” The last six wickets went down for 18 runs.

Rahul Dravid called him ‘an ornament to the game’ and highlighted the importance of experienced players like Joshi in the domestic game. “Even 10 years after his last game for India, he was still playing for Karnataka,” Dravid said. “It is people like Joshi who make domestic cricket the breeding ground for talent. His experience and class helps younger players and also rivals.”Dravid also highlighted Joshi’s commitment. “He led by example. I remember a Ranji semi-final against Hyderabad, he bowled the first over of the day and I didn’t take him off till the end of the day. He bowled 45 overs for me.”The tributes all referred to Joshi’s rise from the small town of Gadag in northern Karnataka, and his struggles to make the Ranji team. An emotional Joshi himself recalled the early days. “As a 12-year-old I used to take the Gol Gumbaz express everyday at 3.30am from Gadag to Hubli (a larger town where he practised),” he said about a journey he undertook for several years.When he finally broke into the Ranji team, after several seasons of junior state cricket, his first match didn’t go to plan. “My first cap was in 1992, there was a lot of pressure on me. I made 83 not out on the first day, and bowled a single over before stumps,” he said. “The next day the match was called off due to the Ayodhya riots.” He went on to become the most capped Karnataka player.Roger Binny, the former India allrounder, said Joshi paved the way for other small-town cricketers in the state. “I was the coach when Joshi came into the state team,” Binny said. “He has been an inspiration to cricketers from mofussil areas. In the recent past, Vinay Kumar has also done the same thing.”Javagal Srinath was the last of the state’s legends to pay tribute, and had the audience in splits with his anecdotes about Joshi’s cooking, their Under-22 days and Joshi’s retort after Srinath, not usually a close-in fielder, dropped a sitter at slip during Bangladesh’s first Test (telling him angrily that fast bowlers should always field in the deep).Joshi was presented a memento by the KSCA, and was surprised by a coffee table book showcasing his career that was put together by his family. The evening of bonhomie and respect was the perfect way to acknowledge the end of one of the great careers in domestic cricket.

Kent’s Friends Life t20 hopes ended as they suffered two calamitous run-outs during a 23-run home defeat to Essex under lights in Canterbury

06-Jul-2012
ScorecardKent’s Friends Life t20 hopes ended as they suffered two calamitous run-outs during a 23-run home defeat to Essex under lights in Canterbury. The Spitfires’ fifth defeat of the campaign confirmed the exit of the 2007 champions but Essex, with five wins and 10 points, could still qualify by beating Hampshire in Sunday’s final round of South Group games.Sam Northeast and Darren Stevens were run out in embarrassing fashion in the space of three balls as Kent made an appalling start in pursuit of their 150-run victory target.The hosts lost opener Sam Billings to former Kent seamer David Masters 27 balls into the response and then, with only 21 on the board after the Powerplay overs, Rob Key attempted to accelerate with an ambitious clip to leg only to play around one from James Franklin.Although Essex used six bowlers in the opening 10 overs of the reply, Kent’s top order were seemingly unable to master any of them and limped to the mid-point of their innings on a paltry 42 for 2. They suffered a setback soon after when Northeast, having been dropped at deep midwicket by Tim Phillips, clashed with third-wicket partner Stevens when crossing for a second run and was run out by the return throw by Phillips.Stevens endured a similar fate one run and two balls later when, in calling for a single to cover, he was sent back by Azhar Mahmood and run out by Reece Topley’s throw.Mahmood had only 11 to his name when he perished in attempting a late cut
against Masters, while Alex Blake slogged a brace of sixes in his cameo 16, but fell when aiming another maximum against Topley and Kent’s chances of reaching the last eight effectively went with him.Having been invited to bat, Essex lost New Zealand allrounder Franklin without scoring after he steered the second ball of the night from Mark Davies into the hands of Key at short midwicket.Former Eagles’ captain Mark Pettini then combined with Greg Smith to add an
enterprising 98 in 12 overs for the second wicket, with Pettini the main
aggressor. The diminutive right-hander took 15 from one over of spin by Adam Riley, including a brace of sixes, the second of which landed in the top tier of the Frank Woolley Stand.Pettini scampered to a 36-ball 50 but, with 99 on the board, Smith departed to a catch at deep mid-off against Stevens before Pettini, having been sent back when wanting a single to short leg, fell to a run out from Key’s throw.Stevens struck again by having Ryan ten Doeschate stumped without scoring and, with the overs fast running out, visiting captain James Foster attempted to clear the ropes only to pick out long-on and give Stevens excellent figures of 3 for 13. Owais Shah clipped a last over six against Azhar Mahmood, however, and Essex were comfortably able to defend their total.

Thami Tsolekile is with the Test squad, but Heino Kuhn staked his claim to be considered with a century for South Africa A to rescue them against Ireland

Andrew McGlashan09-Aug-2012
ScorecardAlthough AB de Villiers is keeping wicket in the Test series against England following the injury-forced retirement of Mark Boucher, it may not be a long-term solution for South Africa.Therefore it is a chance for the next group of wicketkeepers to show their presence. Thami Tsolekile is with the Test squad, but Heino Kuhn staked his claim with a century for South Africa A, rescuing them against Ireland.South Africa A were 101 for 5 when Kuhn came to the crease and that soon became 135 for 7 as Stuart Thompson claimed three wickets. Kuhn, who has played five Twenty20 internationals, resurrected the innings in a stand of 131 alongside Rory Kleinveldt who made 74.Kuhn struck 11 fours and a six in his hundred, the 13th of his first-class career, to suggest that his name should be at the forefront of the selectors’ minds. At 28, Kuhn should be coming into his prime as a wicketkeeper-batsman and if there remain lingering concerns about Tsolekile’s batting, he could be a viable alternative.It was not such a good day for Kuhn’s top-order team-mates when the match finally began following two washed out days. There was little surprise when Ireland put South Africa A in to bat and the seamers soon made inroads. Thompson and Max Sorenson reduced them to 34 for 3 inside the first hour, before Justin Ontong provided some stability.Kevin O’Brien, the Ireland captain for this match, chipped in to remove Farhaan Behardien and Sorenson claimed Ontong for his third scalp. At that point Ireland will have sensed a chance to dismiss South Africa A for under 200, but Kuhn halted the home side’s momentum.Kuhn’s hundred brought a declaration and the South Africa A bowlers nipped out two wickets before the close. Quinton Friend struck in his third over to bowl Andrew Balbirnie and Wayne Parnell, the left-arm seamer, claimed John Anderson but was expensive in his four overs.

Karbonn Mobiles has become the third telecom company to sponsor the Champions League Twenty20 in four years

Tariq Engineer07-Aug-2012Karbonn Mobiles has become the third telecom company to sponsor the Champions League Twenty20 in four years, having signed a deal today with ESPNSTAR Sports (ESS), the event’s commercial and broadcast partner. Karbonn replaces Nokia, who withdrew their sponsorship after just one year.Nokia had replaced Bharti Airtel, the tournaments inaugural sponsors, in 2011. Airtel had signed a five-year deal worth $40 million reportedly to sponsor the event in 2009, but withdrew its sponsorship two years into the deal. ESS paid nearly $1 billion in 2008 for the 10-year-broadcasting rights for the tournament.The deal gives Karbonn the “rights to on ground title sponsorship with all its entitlements,” and the tournament has been rechristened the Karbonn Champions League Twenty20, according to a statement from ESS. Pradeep Jain, the managing director of Karbonn, said the tournament should help the company break through the clutter of advertisers and products and create the “right visibility amongst our target audience”.The revolving door of title sponsors highlights the troubled start the CLT20 has had, in contrast to the IPL. The event’s scheduled first season in 2008 was cancelled because of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November that year. When the tournament did make its belated debut as a 12-team event in 2009, it was hurt by a more nagging problem – fans in India, cricket’s largest market, showed little interest in non-IPL teams. That year the CLT20 drew an average television ratings point (TRP) of 1.06 (one TRP represents 1% of viewers in the surveyed area in a given minute), compared to an average TRP of 4.1 for the 2009 IPL, according to TAM Sports, a division of TAM Media Research, a television ratings agency.In an effort to boost viewership, the number of IPL teams in the tournament has been increased from two to four over the years. In the first year, only the two IPL finalists qualified for the world’s richest club cricket tournament. This year, all four teams that made the IPL playoffs were given direct entry to the main draw. The CLT20 also added a qualifying tournament last season. While viewership has increased with the changes, the average TRPs are still below 2. In comparison, the IPL has delivered ratings of at least 3.45 in each of its five seasons.The fourth edition of the CLT20 will be played across four venues in South Africa: Centurion, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Eight teams have already qualified for the main tournament, while a further six teams will complete in the qualifying stage from October 9 to October 11. The top two teams from the qualifiers – one from each group of three – will then join the other eight in the main tournament, which begins on October 13.

Hampshire have proved more than a few times this season that it pays not to write them off and here they did so again to win on the last ball

The Report by Alan Gardner15-Sep-2012
ScorecardChris Wood was the pick of the Hampshire bowlers as they scrapped their way to a second one-day trophy•PA Photos

Hampshire have proved more than a few times this season that it pays not to write them off and here they did so again, denying County Champions Warwickshire despite Ian Bell’s 81 to steal a heart-stopping victory at Lord’s.With the scores tied, Neil Carter, playing his final match for Warwickshire, failed to collect the required single off the bowling of Kabir Ali to give Hampshire the trophy by virtue of having lost fewer wickets. Following their last-over win against Yorkshire in the Friends Life t20, this must surely have been the most dramatic one-day double in county cricket’s history.Bell had seemingly done enough to take Warwickshire home, passing fifty for the fourth time in a domestic one-day final. But Hampshire are more than the sum of their parts and when Bell picked out Michael Carberry at deep square leg with 27 required they had the crucial wicket. Just as during the 2005 C&G Trophy final, Bell’s half-century against Hampshire was to be in a losing cause.Until then, he had guided the chase in phlegmatic style. Wickets fell around him but although 83 were needed from the final ten overs, and 52 from the last five, Bell exuded a sense of control. Even when he departed, Chris Woakes took up the challenge and, with seven required from the last six balls, Warwickshire appeared to be the favourites. But Ian Blackwell was bowled and despite Carter’s shovelled four off the penultimate delivery, Ali, like Chris Wood in Cardiff three weeks previous, held his nerve, beating the bat before sprinting off to be engulfed by his team-mates in celebration.It was a poignant moment for Ali, born in Birmingham but discarded by Warwickshire at a young age, and came after he had dropped Bell earlier in the innings, a difficult chance at long leg when the batsman had 41.Wood was also magnificent, his concession of just a single and a leg bye from the 35th over, in which he also dismissed Rikki Clarke, a crucial point in the match. His 3 for 39 followed 3 for 26 in the FLt20 final and, having scored his maiden first-class century the day before that, it is fair to say he has had quite a month.This has not been a stellar year for Bell, by his his own high standards, but one-day cricket has been his tonic. Put him in a snooker hall and he would likely chalk up a 147, such has been his affinity for the white ball. A conversion to opener for England’s ODI side brought a century and four fifties and it seemed as if his season would end with a match-winning hundred in a one-day final at Lord’s. It wasn’t to be.Warwickshire, mssing the services of William Porterfield, at the World Twenty20 with Ireland, curiously preferred Darren Maddy as Varun Chopra’s opening partner. Bell had previously guided them to victory in the 2002 B&H Cup final – scoring 65 not out batting at No. 3 – and against Somerset in the CB40 in 2010 – when he scored 107 at No. 4 – but it was to be his 54 in vain seven years ago that provided the precedent.With Hampshire in dark blue and Warwickshire in black, both offset by yellow piping, there was little to tell the sides apart visually. In such a tight finish, even the scorers had trouble – Carter was not stumped off the last ball, as he appeared to have been in the frantic finale. The association was more than kit deep, too: both had won a title already this season; both had won Lord’s finals of recent memory (Hampshire in 2009, Warwickshire in 2010); and both line-ups featured veterans from 2005.Hampshire were led to victory by a Sean Ervine hundred that day and he made his side’s most vibrant contribution with the bat this time around. After the final-day draw that sent last season’s Championship pennant to Lancashire, Warwickshire fans will likely swear off holidays to the New Forest for a while.Even with an attendance of 16,000 and a fair proportion of the white seating left empty, Lord’s still jostled and thrummed with the excitement of a crowd that seemed demob happy, eager to drink from the county cup one last time. Children played kwik cricket on a section of the nursery ground, young men in ties mingled with old men in baseball caps, while the interval entertainment was provided by a troupe of schoolgirls performing a dance routine on the outfield. The atmosphere was lively and expectant and the spectators were treated to a denouement that will resonate long in the memory. The one-day competition needed a final like this.Put in to bat under milky blue skies after Warwickshire won the toss, Carberry and James Vince set about the task with the sort of cold-blooded violence that marked their decisive 129-run opening stand in the semi-final against Sussex. Carter started with a leg-side wide that set the tone and neither he nor Woakes could curb the enthusiasm of Hampshire’s openers.Vince pushed his “Michael Vaughan” buttons early on, strictly come dashing out of the crease a couple of times and threading one exquisite drive between extra-cover and mid-off. Having taken Carter for successive boundaries, however, he pulled the next ball flat to deep square leg. Carberry, meanwhile, left-hooked Woakes for six over deep midwicket during an over that cost 14 but he too departed tamely soon after. From 70 for 2 after 11 overs, Warwickshire steadily obtained a handle on the scoring rate, as spinners Blackwell and Jeetan Patel wheeled away in bright sunshine.A dogged innings from Hampshire’s captain, Jimmy Adams, kept the scoreboard ticking but it was left to Ervine and Simon Katich to haul Hants up towards 250, as they turned on the tap in the final overs. Carter was handled without a trace of sentiment as the fifth-wicket pair put on 69 from 43 balls before Ervine was cramped for room after making a breezy 57.It was becoming difficult to get Carter’s selection, other than on nostalgic grounds, until the final over, when he could not be got at, conceding just four singles. In the end, however, it was Carter’s inability to get anything on the last ball of the day that proved decisive.

Stuart Broad has insisted that Kevin Pietersen will be welcomed back into the England dressing room

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2012Stuart Broad has insisted that Kevin Pietersen will be welcomed back to the England dressing room whenever the management decide the time is right for the batsman’s return.Pietersen is currently preparing for the Champions League T20 with Delhi Daredevils in South Africa. He is due to fly back to the UK for a round of meetings with senior England players as part of his ‘reintegration’ process that began when he signed a four-month contract last week.Broad said he had not spoken to Pietersen since the Headingley Test against South Africa, where the situation escalated following his post-match press conference and a few days later Pietersen was omitted for the final Test at Lord’s. If the next few weeks go smoothly, he is expected to return for the tour of India, after having been left out of the original squad.”I’d have no problems playing with him or having a beer with him. It’s not an issue,” Broad told reporters in London. “Once the England management has decided when he’s available to return, he’ll be welcomed back into the changing room.”We know he’s a great cricketer, he’s won a lot of trophies and has been a really good team-mate for England, certainly ever since I’ve been playing for them. We know that when KP’s focused on playing for England and he’s happy, he’s a really dangerous player.”Broad was also caught up in the controversy, when it involved the parody Twitter account that Pietersen took offence to under the belief that some of the England players were involved. Broad is friends with the person who admitted being behind it, Richard Bailey, but issued a statement denying any involvement in the account.”The team have no issues with KP coming back if the management decide he’s ready to,” Broad said. “It’s in their hands at the moment. There are some meetings going on behind closed doors and we’re waiting to see the outcome of those.”But from the team’s perspective his integration will be easy. Ultimately we’re playing cricket and we want guys who will score runs and take catches to help England win. Whatever’s happened has happened. We pride ourselves on being a strong dressing room and I’m sure that if he came back for India or New Zealand, or whenever it is, that things will be fine within the team.”Although Pietersen made himself available for all England cricket via a YouTube video the day before he was dropped – reversing his retirement from limited-overs cricket from earlier in the year – he followed the World Twenty20 from a TV studio rather than the dug-out as England were eliminated in the Super Eights stage.One of the major problems for England during the tournament was not being given a solid start in the Powerplays. In their first three matches, against Afghanistan, India and West Indies, they lost at least one wicket in the first over, and for the final Super Eights match against Sri Lanka, they juggled the batting order by omitting Craig Kieswetter.”It’s hard to tell if the results would had been different had he been there,” Broad said. “Obviously he’s a fantastic Twenty20 cricketer who did wonders for us when we won the World Twenty20 in 2010.”In June, when I found out he’d retired from the white-ball format, as captain I was hugely disappointed because I thought he’d be an integral part of our World Cup defence.”It would be hard for me to say we didn’t miss someone of his experience at the top of the order so I was disappointed when he did pull out. But the situation went towards the management side of things and it turned out he couldn’t be there.”