Doing everything I can to make a comeback - Fawad Alam

Fawad Alam scored a century in his debut Test for Pakistan in 2009, making 168 out of a total of 320 against Sri Lanka in Colombo after Pakistan were shot out for 90 in the first innings. He finished third on the batting charts in Pakistan's premier domestic first-class tournament in 2011-12, with 945 runs at 67.50 for National Bank of Pakistan. This season, after six matches, he's on top of the run-scorers' table, his 446 runs coming at 51.77.

Yet Alam has only three Tests to his name, the last of which was in November 2009. Three Tests, 27 ODIs and 24 Twenty20s. He is considered more of a limited-overs player, despite not having made much of a mark in the shorter formats and despite his fine numbers in first-class cricket, which show his technique isn't flawed and he has the temperament to succeed in the long form.

Alam quashes the notion that he is a short-format player, and puts his lack of Test caps down to luck. "I've always wanted to be prominent, and I want gain this prominence by scoring heavily. I think my first-class career is evidence enough to dispel this false perception," he told ESPNcricinfo. "I have scored runs in difficult situations and won my national place in 2007. If I am away from the national side, it is perhaps because of my luck; otherwise I have scored enough.

"I don't even buy this point, that I am only getting a chance in the wrong format. Yes, I have more success in longest format of the game, but I have been scoring in all formats. Now I am doing everything I can to make a comeback. You ask in which format? That is what selectors have to decide. I just want to focus on my cricket."

So what kept him from cementing his place in international cricket? He's payed 51 limited-overs games between May 2007 and December 2010. Former and current selectors believe that Alam was short-changed when compared with the other well-established limited-overs players in the team. "In the presence of the [Shahid] Afridi, [Abdul] Razzaq, Umar Akmal it was bit hard for him to step up and match them in limited-overs cricket," a former selector said. "These days ODI and T20 cricket demand some big hitting, which we need to see from Fawad. Otherwise he is good all-round cricketer in the longer format of the game. His temperament is well-suited for multiple days of cricket."

Alam leads National Bank of Pakistan in the President's Trophy, and is clear about the importance of his role as captain. "I believe cricket carries a lot of emotions and the captain is like a mother who always backs even if you are falling and that is a key to thrive. My hundred on debut was the result of Younis bhai's trust in me. Being a captain, he worked hard with me and helped me in the nets. I don't think any captain does that these days - he is legend and a great human being."

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Sunny helps Dhaka Metropolis top table

Left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny took seven wickets to help Dhaka Metropolis defeat Barisal Division before the end of the third day in their National Cricket League (NCL) match in Chittagong. Barisal were pegged back in the contest after they were bowled out for 138 runs in the second innings. Sunny took three wickets, adding to his four in the first innings, while Mohammad Ashraful took three wickets with his off-spin.

Barisal's innings had spun out of control in the afternoon on the second day, after they were reduced to 28 for 5. Salman Hossain, who scored 42, led their recovery briefly in the morning of the next day. No. 8 Fariduddin's 36 was the next best score in the innings.

In the first innings, Fariduddin had shepherded the tail in his 107-ball knock, taking Barisal past the 200-run mark. Dhaka Metropolis replied with 241, mainly through a 105-run seventh wicket stand between Mehrab Hossain jnr and Suleman Khan, both of whom scored half-centuries. Barisal's left-arm swing bowler Syed Rasel took four wickets, but with Dhaka Metropolis facing only 140 to win, even the wily international bowler couldn't do much.

Shamsur Rahman slammed an unbeaten 71 off 60 balls to enable Dhaka Metropolis to gain seven points from the game. They are now at the top of the table with 15 points.

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Nafees keen to make most of West Indies series

Bangladesh's last Test, played almost a year ago, was a memorable one for batsman Shahriar Nafees. Though Pakistan defeated them, he scored 97 in the first innings. The long break from Test cricket will end when they take on West Indies on Tuesday, but Nafees, 26, doesn't want to say much about the skewed FTP. Tackling the West Indies bowling attack, which offers enough variety to keep the free-stroking Bangladesh batsmen on their toes, is more important to him.

"I don't want to bring up the FTP and use it as an excuse," Nafees said on Sunday. "If I don't do well, nobody will remember what I did or didn't do in the last year. If I do well, people will say that I have made a successful comeback.

"We played well against West Indies last year and did well individually against Pakistan. So if a player can continue playing cricket that would only be a good thing. The players don't have control over the FTP, so we have to make the best use of opportunities."

After that Mirpur Test against Pakistan, Nafees was left out of the centrally contracted players' list. He, then ran into trouble in a tournament in Bangalore playing for Bangladesh A, when he showed dissent at an umpiring decision and was sent home. He was handed a suspended ban by the Bangladesh Cricket Board, but was later picked for the A side in September

He hasn't been scoring prolifically in domestic cricket and hasn't performed exceptionally for the A team. In 23 matches in first-class, one-dayers and Twenty20s, he has scored only 528 runs. But Nafees has 2011 in his mind, a year in which he struck five fifties, which included that knock of 97 against Pakistan.

"I am happy, I played well in ODIs last year and got runs in Test cricket. I played regularly in 2011 so I was pretty happy. But I haven't played after a gap, so I have to do well," he said.

But to do well, Nafees will have to come out on top against a strong bowling attack. Sunil Narine is the most talked-about bowler in the West Indies attack but the pace attack will be a challenge to face as well. "They are in good form. Ravi Rampaul, Fidel Edwards and Tino Best are their strike bowlers and they also have some good spinners. We can't just work on one bowler because they are on a high note. We have to take everyone seriously," he said.

Nafees was hit on the face by Edwards in the first Test against West Indies last year (and was struck on his eye by Shahadat Hossain two months ago). Rampaul said short-of-length deliveries will be used depending on the batsmen's weaknesses.

"It's too early to say how the wicket will play, we have some good quick fast bowlers who bowl at 90 miles an hour, and if we put the ball in the right areas we will do well. As a bowling unit we tend to look at the batsmen and at their weakness, if the short ball is one of their weaknesses then we will exploit it," Rampaul said.

Rampaul has toured Bangladesh a couple of times in the past, including in the 2004 Under-19 World Cup, so he should adapt quickly to conditions, which he knows will assist the slow bowlers.

"From past experience, I can say that the wicket in Bangladesh is slow and it helps the spinners. It's basically a wicket where you'll have to use your variation. We have played in all parts of the world. We will just try to stick to the basics and bowl well," he said.

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Cowan, Clarke frustrate visitors

Australia 3 for 214 (Cowan 98*, Clarke 78*, Morkel 2-38) trail South Africa 450 by 236 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A doughty stand by Ed Cowan and Michael Clarke frustrated South Africa and lifted Australia to the firmer ground of 3 for 214 at lunch on day four of the first Test in Brisbane.

Graeme Smith's side began the day in search of quick wickets to press for victory, but Cowan's highest Test score and a determined if occasionally fortunate contribution by Clarke raised the prospect of a stalemate at the Gabba - about the best Australia could hope for after sliding to 3 for 40 on the third evening.

Considered to be under some pressure for his place entering this match, Cowan provided exactly the sort of innings the team required in the circumstances, scoring within his favoured zones and showing sound judgement of when to defend. It was an

In responding aggressively to a perilous position the night before, Cowan and Clarke had tilted momentum their way even before they emerged on the fourth morning. But they had to fight to build on that advantage against refreshed opponents.

After a brief early flurry, runs came steadily rather than swiftly, Cowan pushing singles while Clarke punched a pair of delectable straight drives back past Steyn in between leaving plenty of deliveries wide of off stump.

Cowan had an uncomfortable moment when he cuffed past the stumps and down to the fine leg boundary while trying to leave Steyn, and Clarke was twice the beneficiary of good fortune when his unconvincing attempts at a sort of half-pull shot lobbed into the air but out of the reach of fielders.

Both such strokes were attempted off the bowling of Kleinveldt, who bowled far better than his nerve-wracked first spell the previous evening. Nonetheless, a wicket was not forthcoming, and Smith brought himself on for a rare spell of friendly off spin in the absence of Imran Tahir and the injured JP Duminy.

Clarke looked uncomfortable against the short ball on more than one occasion, once taking his eye off a Steyn bouncer and gloving into the space between the stumps and the slips cordon. But he prospered in other areas, playing with a restraint that showed self-awareness of how important his wicket has become for Australia.

As the adjournment ticked closer Cowan reached the outskirts of a century, gaining four runs when the umpire Asad Rauf failed to detect Morne Morkel's bouncer had skimmed straight off the batsman's helmet. Ultimately he would go to the interval two runs short of a hundred, but happy to wait for them.

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Kallis grinds down Australian bowlers

South Africa 3 for 357 (Kallis 137*, Amla 104) v Australia
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Hashim Amla reached a century and Jacques Kallis sailed well past one as South Africa's batsmen ground Australia's bowlers to 3 for 357 at lunch on day three of the first Test in Brisbane.

Losing only Amla's wicket in a session extended by half an hour, the visitors progressed calmly in the face of an improved bowling effort by the Australians, which began with the second new ball and ended with a neat display from Nathan Lyon. Peter Siddle defeated Amla on 104 though South Africa's No. 3 would have been reprieved had he reviewed the dismissal.

Kallis found another determined ally in AB de Villiers, and eased to his highest Test score in Australia. Given the full day lost to rain, South Africa may be expected to push on a little more aggressively for runs after the break, though they may also choose to influence the outcome of the series by wearing down Australia's three pacemen.

Facing up to a second new ball that had been due since Friday evening, Amla and Kallis began carefully, as Ben Hilfenhaus and James Pattinson found a far better length than they had on the first morning. Amla was particularly reserved, but on 99 lashed out at Pattinson and the boundary sliced through gully had him saluting a third hundred against Australia in as many Tests.

Amla's celebration was muted, his intent to go well beyond the century mark, but on 104 Siddle pinned him on the crease with a delivery seaming back. Australia's appeal was beseeching, Asad Rauf's finger was raised, and Amla exited without calling for a review. Had he done so, the decision would have been reversed, as ball tracking showed a path going over the stumps after Amla was struck on the knee roll.

De Villiers announced his arrival by punching his first ball down the ground, and with Kallis he set about establishing another partnership of deliberate intent. Kallis reached his century by pushing Hilfenhaus through midwicket, and continued to bat with unhurried insouciance. At one point he shaped to avoid a Pattinson bouncer before waving his bat at it as he crouched, but it was a rare lapse.

Nathan Lyon delivered a teasing spell in the 45 minutes up to lunch, finding turn as well as bounce, and encouraged Michael Clarke to bring himself on before the interval, coaxing a couple of airy shots from Kallis though no wicket. Australia had bowled far better than they had done on day one, but only one wicket for the session left them with another long afternoon ahead against South Africa's imposing bats.

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All-round Hafeez thumps United Bank

Star-studded Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited thrashed United Bank Limited by an innings and 216 runs in Rawalpindi. Mohammad Hafeez hit 193, just three shy of his career best, Misbah-ul-Haq made 109 and Ali Waqas 95 as SNGPL racked up 455 for 5 declared. Misbah has now made successive hundreds, after his 110 in his side's previous game. Hafeez's best in this tournament so far was 95 against Khan Research Laboratories in October. Before hitting 32 fours in his 193 off 301 deliveries, Hafeez had also picked up 4 for 13 as United Bank crumbled to 165 after being inserted by Misbah. Only opener Abid ali (82) resisted for United Bank, who plummeted further in the second innings. Asad Ali grabbed a career-best 7 for 42 to blow them away for just 74, with five batsmen registering ducks, and eight failing to get into double digits.

Wahab Riaz took a first-class best 7 for 29 as National Bank of Pakistan thumped State Bank of Pakistan by an innings and 31 runs inside three days in Lahore. Coming on as first change and after Imran Khan had made the first breakthrough, Riaz scythed through the State Bank line-up to dismiss them for 136 in reply to National Bank's 304. Fawad Alam enforced the follow-on and this time, the wickets were shared among four bowlers. While Riaz and Hammad Azam picked up three each, Imran and Uzair-ul-Haq took two apiece as State Bank managed 137. Byes contributed 18 and 23 to State Bank's totals in both innings. National Bank's 304 had earlier been set up by fifties from Sami Aslam (89) and Qaiser Abbas (66).

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England confident on Finn fitness

Steven Finn, the England fast bowler, is expected to be available for the first Test against India and he has said his looking to put pressure on Stuart Broad and James Anderson for the new ball.

Finn limped out of England's opening tour match after just four overs with a thigh strain suffered in the field but has been taking a full part in training sessions and could share the new ball with Anderson on Thursday if Broad has not recovered from a bruised heel. Whoever is selected, both Finn and Broad will be short of match practise.

Finn made his England Test debut against Bangladesh in March 2010 and played in every Test that calendar year until being dropped for the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne. Despite his height, pace and wicket-taking ability, he was criticised for being expensive, something Finn feels he has addressed.

"I suppose when I started, I was a little bit expensive, " Finn told Sport magazine. "But I still managed to take wickets, which is probably what kept me in the team. My economy rate in Tests, 3.66, isn't terrible - but it's not great either. I set myself very high standards, and it's probably not up to scratch by those standards."

Finn took 46 wickets at 26.23 from his debut until the Perth Test in December 2010. "The criticism of my knack of leaking runs hasn't been unfair but I was young at the time and I'd back myself now to be able to hold an end up and not give away as many runs. I feel like I've learned and developed a lot over the last 18 months.

"I've proved in limited-overs cricket for England that my economy rate has been as good as anyone's. I go at 4.67 runs an over in one-day internationals, and my T20 rate, 6.70, is okay as well and there's no reason why I can't transfer that into Test cricket."

Finn has forced his way back into the England bowling attack and has benefitted from the help offered by Anderson - whom he is aiming to start alongside in the first Test. "The guys who have opened the bowling for the past two or three years have been exceptional," he said. "Broady and Jimmy have both been brilliant, so I think it would be hard for me to knock either of them off their perch.

"I'm not saying it's not something I'm aspiring to, though, because I've enjoyed taking the new ball in one-day and T20 cricket - and it's something I've done for Middlesex since I was 18 or 19 years old. It's something I'm accustomed to and really enjoy."

Finn is keen to test himself in subcontinental conditions again, having been one of few bright points for England during their ODI tour of India in October 2011. He took eight wickets at 31.62 with an economy rate of 5.27, when England as a team went at 5.88 an over during the 5-0 defeat.

"I've always enjoyed bowling on subcontinent pitches because you need a different set of skills and I think that suits me," he says. "You need to be able to reverse-swing the ball, your changes of angles on the crease are important, and having that bit of pace also helps on those sorts of wickets.

"There's definitely room for aggression, too. We saw that India struggled with the short ball when they came over to England last summer, and just because the wickets are slower there's no reason why you can't still use it."

Finn will resume his battle against Virat Kohli, a batsman in exceptional recent form, against whom Finn has played since he was 17. "He's not invincible," Finn said. "And we have a very good track record when it comes to getting the big men out."

Another big man is Sachin Tendulkar, who could end his Test career at the end of the forthcoming series. "There's been talk of that," Finn said. "The bloke averages 55 in Test cricket and obviously still loves the game; but you can't play the man - you have to play only the batsman in front of you, no matter what his name is. It would be nice to say I was the last person to take Tendulkar's wicket in Tests - definitely something to tell the grandkids."

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Law in line to mentor batsmen

Stuart Law is expected to take over as Australia's batting coach for the remainder of the series against South Africa if Justin Langer is confirmed as Western Australia's new coach. Langer is likely to be put in charge of the Warriors after the end of the Brisbane Test, and Australia's management has already sounded out Law, an assistant coach at the Centre of Excellence, about filling the post for the Adelaide and Perth Tests.

Law was working with the Australians in the nets ahead of the Gabba Test and he could be the front-runner for the full-time role if Langer departs. Prior to joining the Centre of Excellence, Law served as the coach of Bangladesh and was Sri Lanka's interim coach after the 2011 World Cup, having first joined them as an assistant in 2009.

"I've had word from both Pat Howard [Cricket Australia's team performance manager], and the Australian team management that providing that Justin takes the West Australian job they would like me to be around the group for the summer for the preparation stages of each Test match," Law told the Sun-Herald.

"To be the national team batting coach would be a huge honour. I'm actually flattered that I'm even thought about in this position. I'm relatively new to coaching, I've been coaching international cricket for three years, but I've got a lot of knowledge. I've played a lot of cricket in all sorts of conditions against all sorts of opponents. There is no better environment than coaching around the likes of the Pontings, Clarkes and the Husseys and Warners of the world."

Although Langer has not officially taken the job as Western Australia's coach, he is expected join the Warriors after completing his national team duties in Brisbane. The state's mentor, Lachlan Stevens, quit last week, soon after the captain Marcus North also announced his resignation.

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Derbs, Northants plan Barbados pre-season

Derbyshire will head back to the Caribbean to prepare for their first season in Division One of the County Championship since 2000 and have vowed to maintain their youthful selection policy.

Last season's pre-season trip proved successful as Karl Krikken's young side, featuring several homegrown players, went on to win promotion for the first time. They will fly out to Barbados for the fourth consecutive year on March 11, 2013 for 12 days, playing practice matches against local opposition and other counties, including Northamptonshire. Two two-day fixtures, a 40-over match and a Twenty20 tournament at the Kensington Oval are scheduled.

"Barbados is a tried and tested pre-season venue and it provides ideal preparation ahead of a challenging domestic campaign," Kirkken, Derbyshire's head coach, said. "To be guaranteed good weather and consequently time on the field is extremely important for our players at this critical time of year. We've certainly felt the benefit from previous visits.

"It's an intense itinerary and one that gives us the best possible chance of hitting the ground running for first division cricket in 2013."

Despite the step up in the Championship, Derbyshire will trust their young squad and resist temptation to greatly increase the playing budget. During his time as academy coach, Kirkken nurtured many of the players recently given a chance in the first team - such as Dan Redfern, Ross Whiteley and Tom Poynton - and who have now signed extended contracts.

"Hopefully there are more contracts in the pipeline," Krikken said. "We would like a top-three batter - we're talking to Usman Khawaja about coming back, and we have a back-up shortlist, but not many are making moves right now.

"But again, we're not panicking because I've already got 16 players I believe to be wholly reliable, who complement each other's abilities, and who instinctively put the team's interests before their own - something that hasn't always been the case at Derbyshire."

Captain Wayne Madsen also signed a new three-year deal as Derbyshire look to continue the careful management that has seen consecutive years of profit under the chairmanship of Chris Grant, and gradual improvement on the field, culminating in last season's Division Two title.

They reeled off four wins in the opening seven matches of their successful campaign and put the bright start down to their pre-season tour. Derbyshire were not the only county to reap the benefits of a West Indies warm-up: Hampshire, the CB40 and FLt20 champions, Warwickshire, who won the County Championship title and promotion-winning Yorkshire all prepared for the 2012 season in Barbados.

Joining Derbyshire next year are Northants, who will be hoping for a similar early season boost to the one they enjoyed after touring South Africa in 2011. Despite not winning a match on the trip, they blazed a trail in both the County Championship and CB40, going unbeaten in 12 matches before the FLt20 badly derailed their season. A similar trip was cancelled at the start of this year, with Northamptonshire ultimately finishing second-bottom in Division Two.

Newly appointed captain Steven Peters told BBC Sport it will give them a "noticeable advantage" for next season. "We're at a disadvantage if we start the season and we haven't been away," he said. "It's more valuable than seven or eight sessions back home."

Northamptonshire's trip is being partly funded by the players, as well as donations from the Northants Supporters Club. The squad will fly out on March 11 and return on March 23.

Head coach, David Ripley, added: "Once again there will be an early start to the season, which means it is crucially important that the lads can get as much cricket as possible beforehand. With uncertain weather conditions in March, sometimes outdoor practice can be limited in England. We all saw how the team hit the ground running following the last pre-season tour to South Africa in 2011."

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India begin preparatory camp ahead of England Tests

While the visiting Englishmen played their third warm-up game of the India tour in Ahmedabad, India's Test side eased into its three-day preparatory camp for the upcoming series with a short practice session at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) in south Mumbai. All members of the squad, barring Harbhajan Singh, whose flight was delayed, arrived at the CCI in the afternoon, along with coach Duncan Fletcher, and batted and bowled for a little more than an hour after a short game of football. With the World Twenty20 and Champions League T20 having consumed most of September and October, this was the first outing for India's Test side in nine weeks, the first after the New Zealand series at home.

The fitness of Zaheer Khan, who had lasted all of 13.3 overs on India's tour of England last year, was again in focus. Zaheer had pulled up sore, pointing towards his groin, on the third day of Mumbai's Ranji Trophy opener against Railways last week, and had walked off the field. He didn't bowl or field on the fourth and final day, but Mumbai captain Ajit Agarkar had said Zaheer's problem was just cramp. Today, while the other quick bowlers in the India squad, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma, bowled through the mini-session, Zaheer spent the majority of his time on the massage table. He eventually did bowl for a while but was clearly not extending himself. On the other hand, Ishant and Umesh, especially, bowled with pace and rhythm.

The batsmen took to the nets as per the batting order in batches of four, with Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Cheteshwar Pujara and Sachin Tendulkar starting off. Pujara looked in fine touch, defending and attacking confidently, though the bowling was below par at times. With various age-group matches going on in Mumbai at the moment, it was difficult to assemble decent young net bowlers. Two of those bowlers, though, managed to hit Tendulkar's stumps once each with the batsman appearing a touch tentative. Tendulkar did loft R Ashwin crisply a few times and soon left the nets to receive a few throwdowns.

Next in were Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane and MS Dhoni. Gambhir and M Vijay, the reserve opener, continued to bat into the fading light after the rest were done. After Gambhir walked off eventually, Vijay hit a few more for a while against the local spinners and was the last player to leave the nets. The squad will have a full training session tomorrow.

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