Can Cooper barrel into contention?

Tom Cooper is in elite company. His one-day international average of 48.80 is higher than that of Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke and Dean Jones. It's not quite up to Michael Bevan levels, and of current Australians George Bailey is also ahead of him, but there is no doubt that Cooper's figures are impressive.

The only thing is, all his runs have been scored for the Netherlands. That in turn means the majority have come against other associate nations - his top five scores all been at the expense of either Afghanistan or Scotland. There was an unbeaten World Cup fifty against West Indies in 2011, and 47 against England in the same tournament, but opportunities against top nations are scarce.

Cooper hopes that will change one day, for as much as he has learnt from going Dutch, he would rather wear the yellow of Australia than the orange of the Netherlands. Or, better still, a baggy green. To that end, he hopes that 2014-15 will be a repeat of his strong 2013-14 season, a summer in which he was second only to Marcus North on the Sheffield Shield run tally with 881 at 51.82.

But first comes the Matador Cup, the one-day tournament that begins on Saturday and runs through most of October. Cooper was among the top 10 run scorers in the competition last year, with 294 at 49.00, and his efforts across both formats earned him an Australia A call-up this winter. Now he has to ensure that last year was not an anomaly.

"It doesn't matter if you do well one year and not the next," Cooper told ESPNcricinfo. "The challenge for me this year is to go out and do it all again. I had some decent form in the Australia A series and now just chomping at the bit to get into the season and hopefully re-enact what happened last year."

Cooper's Australia A selection led to an unbeaten one-day century in Darwin, and a pair of first-class half-centuries against South Africa A in Townsville. But he knows that big hundreds are required to take his game to the next level, the kind of scores his South Australia team-mate Phillip Hughes keeps accumulating match after match, season after season.

"That's where I'd like to take my game," Cooper said. "It's just a matter of consistently scoring those runs and once you get a start, turn them into big scores. There's no better example than what Hughesy has done over the last couple of months and forcing his way back into the side. It's unbelievable what he's done. It makes you want to do it yourself."

But there are some things Cooper has done that Hughes has not: played in a World Cup and a World T20. They were opportunities that arrived through the fact that his mother, Berni, is from the Netherlands. In fact, it was her idea that Cooper apply for an EU passport to make it easier to travel in Europe and perhaps play county cricket, and from there he was rapidly propelled into the Dutch side.

"I had no idea up until six or seven years ago, Mum mentioned the idea more for the travel side of things than cricket," he said. "It's been a great opportunity to play in a couple of World Cups and experience things that not many people get to experience in their life. It doesn't get any bigger on the world stage than that.

"Just to compete against the best teams in the world, if you play against South Africa and see how AB de Villiers goes about his game, and just being there watching them play and prepare, and getting to rate yourself at that level. If you do well it gives you a lot of confidence to know what you're doing and that you're somewhere around the mark."

The tournament nature of the World Cup will be reflected in the Matador Cup again this year; it begins on Saturday, when South Australia take on New South Wales at Allan Border Field in Brisbane, and defending champions Queensland host Victoria at the Gabba. Then for the next three weeks, it's all one-day cricket before the Sheffield Shield begins on October 31.

Given Cooper's success in the Shield last summer, and the fact that new Test batsmen such as George Bailey and Alex Doolan have failed to fully grasp their opportunities, it is not out of the question that he could find himself in contention for a baggy green over the next year. If that were to happen, he would have to forgo the Dutch orange, but it would not be a hard decision to make.

"As a kid it's always been a dream to play for Australia," he said "I've been fortunate that I've been able to have so many experiences with the Dutch and get a taste of it. But as a kid, playing for Australia was that No.1 goal that I wanted to do and still want to do."


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Mills declines 'attractive' Essex offer

Tymal Mills, the left-arm fast bowler, has turned down an "attractive" new contract with Essex.

He has had an injury-hit career since making his debut against the Sri Lankans in 2011, managing just 29 first-class matches to date where he has taken 52 wickets at 35.59 although has often been touted as an England prospect.

In 2013 he gave England a scare when he struck Graeme Swann on the hand during the warm-up match involving Essex and was also taken to Australia to bowl in the nets at the start of the return Ashes in an attempt to prepare for facing Mitchell Johnson.

Mills made six Championship match appearances in 2014 before a back injury in late July limited him to just one subsequent outing.

"It is with a heavy heart that I have decided to leave Essex. I want to thank the club for giving me my introduction into professional cricket and in particular to John Childs, for my time spent on the Academy, and then Chris Silverwood, who has helped me no end since turning Professional.

"I am excited for the next chapter in my career and wish the club all the best moving forward."

Paul Grayson, the Essex head coach, told the club's website: "We are of course disappointed that Tymal has decided to leave the club, especially as he is one of our own from the Essex Academy.

"There was an attractive new contract offer on the table for him but he has decided to reject and continue his career with a new club."


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Marshall 57 sets up series-clinching win

Bangladesh A 239 (Marshall 57, Litton 46, Muzarabani 4-33) beat Zimbabwe A 208 (Sibanda 37, Waller 52) by 32 runs
Scorecard

Bangladesh A clinched the three-match unofficial ODI series over Zimbabwe A with a 31-run win in Fatullah. They made a successful comeback to win 2-1, going down by 17 runs in the first game and winning the second one by six wickets.

Batting first, the home side were bowled out for 239 runs in 50 overs with captain Marshall Ayub scoring 57 off 78 balls with six fours. After the openers Soumya Sarkar and Litton Das added exactly 50 for the first wicket, Marshall saw three more wickets fall until joined by Mosaddek Hossain in the 28th over.

They added a 54 for the fifth wicket before Marshall was out 61 balls into the partnership. Mosaddek made 25 while Farhad Reza and Nurul Hasan contributed 32 and 19 respectively. For Zimbabwe, pace bowler Taurai Muzarabani took four wickets while Tafadzwa Kamungozi picked up two.

In reply, Zimbabwe A slipped to 68 for 4 in the 17th over and the innings never had any momentum as only one batsman carried past 50 and no one put together a decent partnership until the ninth-wicket pair of Luke Jongwe and Tafadzwa Kamungozi added 44 runs. Malcolm Waller top-scored with 52 while Jongwe made an unbeaten run-a-ball 35. Elias Sunny and Mominul Haque took three wickets each for Bangladesh A.


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Rohit set to miss West Indies ODIs

Rohit Sharma, who missed the Champions League Twenty20 due to multiple injuries, will be unavailable for the limited-overs' leg of India's home series against the West Indies. Rohit is likely to be available for the three-Test series, starting October 30, that follows the five ODIs and one-off T20.

Rohit was initially ruled out for four weeks, which meant he could have recovered in time for the last two ODIs and the T20 game. But though his fractured finger has healed, it is understood he will take three more weeks to recover from his shoulder injury. Sharma is being monitored by BCCI physios at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.

It is also understood that neither the player nor the selectors are willing to rush him back to international cricket considering the major assignments that follow the West Indies series. The selectors and the team management believe Rohit will be a vital cog during India's winter tour to Australia and the World Cup to be staged in Australia and New Zealand in February-March. As a result, he will not be considered for selection for the first leg of the series against West Indies. The ODI and T20 squads will be named on October 4.

Ajinkya Rahane, who scored his maiden ODI century while filling in for Rohit in England, should continue to partner Shikhar Dhawan at the top of the order, while the selectors are likely to persist with Murali Vijay as the back-up opener.

Rohit could be asked to prove his match fitness before he is selected for the Test series. If he recovers as per schedule, Rohit could feature in the Duleep Trophy semi-final if West Zone beat East Zone in their quarterfinal. If West Zone do not qualify for the Duleep semis, Rohit might be selected in the Board President's XI, which will face the West Indians in a three-day tour game in Kanpur from October 25.

Rohit played only one of India's five Tests in England and had to cut short his tour after fracturing his finger in the field during the second ODI.


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Bird, Arafat sign for Hampshire

Hampshire have announced two overseas signings for 2015, with Jackson Bird joining for the first half of the season and Yasir Arafat set to play limited-overs cricket.

Bird, who has played three Tests for Australia, will be available in all formats for three months ahead of his potential involvement in the Ashes. His ability to swing the red ball will be valuable in April and May, with Hampshire returning to Division One of the Championship. Bird was due to play for Northamptonshire this season but was prevented from appearing by injury.

Arafat will make Hampshire his sixth county - equalling Marcus North's record for an overseas player - and be available for Royal London Cup and T20 Blast games. Arafat played for Sussex in 2014 and has previously turned out for Kent, Lancashire, Somerset and Surrey.

The former Pakistan international, a regular in T20 competitions around the world, is married to an Englishwoman and lives in Kent but Giles White, Hampshire's director of cricket, suggested Arafat's "qualification status may allow him to play as a local during his time with us".

"We're delighted to have Jackson and Yasir on board for next season - they will both add a lot of quality to our bowling attack and hopefully they will help us build on a successful 2014 season," White said.

"Jackson comes highly recommended and at a time of the year that is likely to suit his style of bowling, we are looking forward to having him about and hope he has a positive influence on our return to Division One. Yasir has the flexibility to play all of our one-day cricket, boasts an excellent record and has committed to the club for further campaigns."

South Africa seamer Kyle Abbott played a big role in Hampshire's 2014 promotion campaign, taking 36 wickets at 20.33, and Hampshire could attempt to re-sign him for the second half of next season. Abbott's availability will be dependent on his involvement with South Africa, who are scheduled to tour Sri Lanka and Bangladesh during the English season.

"Kyle Abbott is someone we will continue to keep in touch with as he fitted into the group exceptionally well this year and has voiced a desire to return if international commitments allow," White said.


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Umpire Ghouse dies aged 83

Mohammad Ghouse, who officiated in eight Tests and two ODIs in the 1970s and '80s, died in Chennai on Monday.

Ghouse, 83, made his first-class debut as an umpire in a Ranji Trophy match in 1968-69 and went on to officiate over 18 seasons. His first Test as an official was in his hometown, between India and New Zealand, in 1975-76.

Ghouse officiated at a time when the system of neutral umpires didn't exist. As a result, he was involved in a controversy when England protested against his appointment for the Mumbai Test in the winter of 1981. When India objected to David Constant's appointment for the first Test in England the following year, it was considered to be payback from the Indian establishment.

After Ghouse retired as an umpire, he served as the chairman of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association's umpires sub-committee and as a BCCI match referee. On behalf of TNCA members, president N Srinivasan expressed "profound sorrow and grief" at his demise.


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Prince set to play on for Lancashire

Ashwell Prince, the former South Africa batsman, is set to reverse his decision to retire and instead play on with Lancashire in 2015. Prince, who was Lancashire's leading run-scorer this season despite their relegation, had previously announced that this would be his final campaign.

"As a player, you feel partly responsible for going down," he told the Manchester Evening News. "There's still a bit of fight left in the old boy so I'd like to help the club get back to where they belong."

Prince's Lancashire team-mates had been attempting to get him to change his mind after another season topping the county's Championship run-scoring list. He has scored more than 4000 runs for Lancashire since first representing them in 2009 and made his highest first-class score of 257 not out against Northamptonshire at Old Trafford in June.

Having not played a Test for South Africa since 2011, Prince was able to return to Lancashire as a Kolpak player in 2013 on a two-year deal. His status was at the bottom of an ongoing disciplinary case involving the Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale, who is accused of racially abusing Prince.

The controversy surrounding the ECB's pursuit of Gale has not deterred Prince, who had announced his planned retirement in March, from changing his mind.

"When you arrive in April, having had five back-to-back seasons home and away, it's quite taxing on the body," Prince said. "At the start of the summer, I was quite tired. I thought, at the end of the season, that's definitely going to be it. But I'd like to think there's a bit of life left. There's definitely some fight left."

Lancashire, champions in 2011, were relegated the following season and went straight back down this year after winning Division Two. The club have yet to appoint a successor as coach to Peter Moores and may also have to replace Glen Chapple as captain, if the 40-year-old decides to retire. They will, however, be able to build their batting around the ever-reliable Prince for another season.

"It's not going to be easy," Prince said. "There's been some big clubs trying to get back up into the first division. Fortunately, the last time we went down, we came straight back up."


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Sunil Narine reported for suspect action

Kolkata Knight Riders offspinner Sunil Narine has been reported for a suspected illegal bowling action following his side's 36-run win over Dolphins in the Champions League Twenty20 Group A match on Monday evening in Hyderabad.

The charge was laid by on-field umpires Anil Chaudhary and Chettihody Shamshuddin along with third umpire Kumar Dharmasena and specifically relates to Narine's quicker ball. Under CLT20 guidelines, Narine may request for an official assessment from the BCCI's suspect bowling action committee. Narine has been placed on the tournament's 'warning list' but will still be able to play. However, if he is reported again while still on the warning list, he will be suspended from bowling for the remainder of the tournament.

Narine claimed figures of 3 for 33 in his four-over spell during the win over Dolphins. The Knight Riders next match will be in the tournament semi-finals on October 2. He is the fourth bowler to be reported during the tournament, joining Mohammed Hafeez and Adnan Rasool of Lahore Lions and Prenelan Subrayen of Dolphins. Being reported in the CLT20 has no impact on a bowler's participation in international cricket.

Narine is currently the leading wicket-taker in this year's CLT20 with 11 wickets in four games at an average of 7.45, also the best in the tournament. He also has the most wickets in the six-year history of the CLT20, accumulating 38 in 19 matches, eight more than Dwayne Bravo and Doug Bollinger. Narine's career bowling average of 8.81 in the CLT20 is almost a full eight runs better than Lasith Malinga, the next best bowler on the list who holds average of 16.40 for his 25 wickets, while Narine's CLT20 career economy rate of 4.61 is more than a full run better than Brett Lee in second place at 5.71.


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Chakabva ton sets up Zimbabwe A win

Zimbabwe A 253 for 6 (Chakabva 132, Sibanda 52) beat Bangladesh A 236 (Islam 66, Sarkar 56, Kamungozi 4-24) by 17 runs
Scorecard

Regis Chakabva's maiden List A century helped Zimbabwe A to a 17-run win over Bangladesh A in the first one-day match in Fatullah. This is the visiting side's first win on tour after going down 2-0 in the two-match unofficial Test series.

Chakabva's 132 off 144 balls, with 13 boundaries and three sixes, was the backbone and enforcer of Zimbabwe A's 253 for 6 in 50 overs.

During his stay, Chakabva added 83 for the opening wicket with Brian Chari, 42 with Timycen Maruma for the third wicket and 120 for the fifth wicket with the captain Vusi Sibanda, who struck 52 off 67 balls with four boundaries and a six.

The home side were dealt an early blow when Abul Hasan, making a comeback from a back injury that put him out for 18 months, had to go off after bowling just 2.5 overs due to a neck injury. Legpsinner Jubair Hossain and Mominul Haque took two wickets each.

In reply, Bangladesh lost most of their top order by the 11th over, after which one of the openers, Soumya Sarkar added 63 for the fourth wicket with Naeem Islam. Sarkar made 56 off 80 balls while Islam top scored with an 85-ball 66 that had five boundaries. Islam added 56 for the fifth wicket with Mosaddek Hossain who fell short of a fifty by just one run.

He added 70 rapid runs for the seventh wicket with Elias Sunny but once the latter fell in the 48th over, Bangladesh A had a mini-collapse that stalled the momentum created by Sunny and Mosaddek and ultimately cost them.

For Zimbabwe A, legbreak bowler Tafadzwa Kamungozi took four wickets while Tawanda Mupariwa and Cuthbert Musoko also chipped in with three and two wickets respectively.


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BCB allows Nadir Shah to officiate in match

The Bangladesh Cricket Board allowed umpire Nadir Shah to officiate in a domestic T20 match on September 28, 18 months after giving him a ten-year ban on allegations of corruption. Shah stood in the semi-final of the Dhaka First Division Cricket League T20 competition, a BCB-run tournament.

Shah had been banned in March 2013 based on charges alleged by a TV sting operation in 2012.

The BCB said that, during the last four months, it had been awaiting an ICC directive on Shah, although it did not announce a lifting of the ban.

The ICC, on the other hand, said it had nothing to do with the BCB's decision to ban Shah. An ICC spokesman said: "Nadir Shah was banned for 10 years by the Bangladesh Cricket Board and not by the ICC. This is neither an issue of the ICC nor its ACSU.‎ The ban has been imposed by the BCB, so it is an issue for it."

Sailab Hossain Tutul, member-secretary of the BCB's umpires committee, said there was no ICC restriction on Shah and the board had informed the ACSU that he would be allowed to umpire in domestic matches. "There was no ICC restriction on him. It was the BCB's suspension and the BCB has withdrawn it," Tutul said. "The BCB withdrew the ban on him in the board meeting after the World T20 [in May].

"We had informed ACSU in February-March this year that we are allowing him to umpire in domestic [cricket]. But they didn't reply. The [BCB's] executive board withdrew it. He wanted mercy. He was considered for his length of service."

Tutul also said that Shah had been assigned the match soon after he arrived in Bangladesh after spending three months in the US.

"There was no cricket in the interim [since May]," he said. "When the domestic season began here, he was abroad. We gave him this opportunity as soon as he arrived back in the country. From now on, he will get more matches to officiate."

Shah was given a standing ovation by the match referee, scorers, umpires, players and officials of Indira Road Krira Chakra and BKSP in the semi-final. He said that Tutul had informed him of the lifting of the ban last June, while he has also received a letter from Bangladesh Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association (BCUSA) which informed him of the BCB's decision.

"I am still waiting for the letter from BCB," Shah told ESPNcricinfo. "But I got a letter from the umpires association (BCUSA) which helped me umpire in California earlier this year. Back in June, Tutul called me to say that my ban has been lifted by the BCB."

Shah's ban had come after a sting broadcast by India TV, claimed to have "exposed" several first-class umpires from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan who were allegedly willing to give decisions favouring players for a fee. In the sting conducted in July and August 2012, the reporters claimed to belong to a sports management company and promised the umpires officiating assignments in events of all kinds around the world, largely domestic Twenty20 leagues.

All three national boards announced investigations following the broadcast. The BCB conducted a detailed investigation into the matter, with two committees being formed, after which Shah was banned and another Bangladeshi umpire was acquitted.


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