Bears leave Trott out of Finals Day squad

Trott not involved on Finals Day

Warwickshire welcome back Ian Bell and Chris Woakes for NatWest Blast T20 Finals Day, but there is no place in their 15-man squad for Jonathan Trott.

While Trott set a T20 record aggregate for the most runs in a 10-match qualifying campaign in 2009, he has played very few games in the format since 2010. And while Warwickshire's director of cricket, Dougie Brown, feels that Trott's form is returning to somewhere near its best, he felt the shortest format of the game had moved on since the last time he played.

"Trotty hasn't played a lot of T20 cricket over the last five or six years," Brown said. "And when he did play it was a dramatically different game.

"His game is more suited to 50-over and four-day cricket, going towards ODI and Test cricket. Whether he would feature in a T20 side for England I would probably doubt, but clearly he has vast experience in all formats of the game but you can only pick XI and you've got to make that call."

Trott actually made his international debut in T20 cricket in 2007. But having played just one T20 match in 2011, he did not play again until June of this year when he was in the early days of his return from a stress-related illness. He struggled for fluency in the two matches he played - including a 38-ball innings of 39 against Worcestershire - and has since been restricted to List A and first-class cricket.

Trott has scored three centuries - two in the Royal London Cup and one in the County Championship - since July 21 but, despite Warwickshire lacking one of their overseas players - Shoaib Malik - and reflecting on the news that their club captain, Jim Troughton, has been forced to retire with a back injury, Trott still missed out to younger men such as Scotland's Freddie Coleman and 22-year-old Jonathon Webb.

"T20 is a very skilful game," Brown explained. "I'm not saying he's not an extremely skilful player. But if you're looking at having players who play 360 degrees - the likes of Laurie Evans and the new breed like Coleman and Webb, who can play all sorts of different, inventive shots - is that Trotty?

"I think he's happy playing four-day and 50-over cricket. He's a great player. A proper player. He's a world-class player when he's at his best and I reckon he's getting back to somewhere close to that."

Bell, meanwhile, has not represented Warwickshire in this format since 2010, and accepts he lacks match-practise in T20 cricket. But he is relishing the opportunity to represent the side he supported as a boy at Finals Day on his home ground.

"It's not always easy for us England players to come back and take the place of people who have been doing well for the club," Bell admitted. "But we're desperate to play as much as we can for Warwickshire.

"Days like this are great. They are the ones you remember when you finish playing and the ones you want to be part of.

"As an England player, you hardly get the chance to play T20. And if you don't get picked by England in T20, you don't play for anyone. I went through a period when I just didn't play any. You need to play T20 regularly to know where you are and your game-plan.

"At the start of the season, when it was announced the games would be on Friday nights, I thought I'd play more. But I've probably played less. It's been hard to do."

Warwickshire also welcome back fast bowler Boyd Rankin from a hamstring injury, but are without Keith Barker, who has an elbow injury but is expected to play the next Championship game, and Chris Wright, who has a stress fracture and will not play again this season.

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IS Bindra to retire from cricket administration

IS Bindra, one of the senior most cricket administrators in India, is set to retire from his official duties. After heading the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) for over three decades, Bindra is set to hand over the reins to DP Reddy.

"I am happy I am withdrawing from the day-to-day running of the PCA affairs when my colleagues still want me to stay on," Bindra told Indo-Asian News Service. "I have spent 37 years as PCA president and I will be leaving a satisfied man with absolutely no regrets. I don't think you can come across such a lovable team to work with, and every Test, ODI or IPL game played at the PCA Stadium in Mohali was conducted with the same zeal and enthusiasm."

Bindra's decision means the BCCI will be without one of the most vocal critics of the current regime. Bindra was at the forefront of the opposition to the manner in which the BCCI, headed by N Srinivasan, dealt with the IPL 2013 corruption scandal. However, his voice went virtually unheard as BCCI members felt he was opposing the measures due to his close association with former IPL chairman Lalit Modi, who was suspended by the BCCI following various allegations of misconduct.

Bindra, a former bureaucrat, also headed the BCCI for three years starting 1993-94. He played an instrumental role in India being awarded the 1987 and 1996 World Cups and was one of the leading faces of the BCCI in the 1990s. Bindra's last high-profile assignment was being appointed the principal advisor to the ICC president during Sharad Pawar's two-year stint in the role.

Bindra, along with Jagmohan Dalmiya, changed the face of Indian cricket by sensing the potential of revenue from television rights and roping in private broadcasters, thus sowing seeds of India's financial influence over world cricket.

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USACA T20 MVP stakes claim for national spot

'I'd love to be in national team ASAP - Nisarg Patel

Nisarg Patel, the Most Valuable Player at the USACA T20 National Championship in Florida, is hoping that his performances during the tournament were enough to catch the attention of the USA team management and get a possible call-up to the national team for ICC WCL Division Three in Uganda.

"I would love to be in the men's national team as soon as possible," Patel told ESPNcricinfo. "In order to do that, I have to put in performances. Without performances I'm not going to get anywhere."

Patel, 26, top-scored in two of the three matches played by South West Region and was never dismissed at the tournament. On the opening day, he hit an unbeaten 54 off 29 balls against Central West that included three fours and six sixes. He also took 2 for 14 bowling left-arm spin in an eight-wicket win over North East.

A former junior representative of the USA, Patel played for the country at the 2006 ICC U-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka. He successfully completed bachelor's and masters degrees in pharmaceutical science and took up a job with a US multi-national pharmaceutical company's branch in the UK.

The left-arm spinning allrounder spent the 2011 season playing premier league cricket for Richmond in the Middlesex County Cricket League and then followed it up with two years playing for Chelmsford in the Essex Cricket League. At Chelmsford, he was the first XI's second highest scorer in 2012 and their leading wicket-taker in premier league matches for both 2012 and 2013. He took 31 wickets at an average of 12.96 in 2012 where he was fifth overall in the league and just three behind Buckhurst Hill's overseas pro, former New Zealand legspinner Todd Astle.

"Playing in England is always a good experience," Patel said. "Playing with good international players, county players consecutively for the last six or seven years has been a wonderful experience learning a lot from them. I've moved back this year to the States for good. Hopefully I can pass on that knowledge and experience to other players and teammates."

After accepting a job transfer that put him back in Los Angeles, Patel is aiming to become more involved in the US cricket scene. He feels he can be a meaningful contributor to the national team if given the opportunity.

"The good thing about my job right now is that it's a project management role so it gives you a lot of flexibility time management wise and job hours wise," Patel said. "Obviously it's difficult when you are doing such a high-prospect job and also trying to play professional cricket but I've done it in the past. I've done it in England for a few years and I don't see how there should be any problem doing it in the US as well."

"I've just come back. It's been a good eight months since coming back, scored a few runs and taken a few wickets. Hopefully I can carry on that momentum and hopefully I'll get a call."

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Clarke in doubt for ODI opener

Australia are likely to be without captain Michael Clarke for their first ODI against Zimbabwe after he suffered a hamstring injury at training in Harare on Friday.

Clarke experienced pain in his left hamstring while warming up for the team's first practice session ahead of the tri-series and after having treatment in the dressing room, he took no further part in training.

Australia's first match is against Zimbabwe on Monday, leaving Clarke little time to recover if he was to take his place in the side. Vice-captain George Bailey will lead the side if Clarke is ruled out.

"We will monitor his condition closely over the next 24 hours to see how he responds to further treatment before making a decision on his management," David Beakley, the team physiotherapist, said.

Australia's heavy schedule over the next few months means they would appear unlikely to take any risks with Clarke. It could also guarantee a place in the side for Phillip Hughes, who was a late inclusion in the squad as a replacement for the injured Shane Watson.

Hughes enters the series in remarkable form after scoring a pair of double-centuries against South Africa A, but coach Darren Lehmann said before the team departed that he was no certainty to be part of the XI for the first match.

However, if Clarke misses out, Australia's selectors would have to bring in Hughes due to the dearth of batsmen in the squad. Without Clarke, Australia's batting line-up in Zimbabwe comprises Hughes, Aaron Finch, Bailey, Steven Smith, wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin and allrounders Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh.

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Bracewells star in big NZ A win

New Zealand A 369 for 6 (M Bracewell 106, Elliott 103*, Rutherford 98, Taylor 3-69) beat Scotland 272 (Gardiner 82, Haq 54, Berrington 50, D Bracewell 4-50)
Scorecard

New Zealand A went on a run-spree against Scotland as they amassed 369 for 6 in Edinburgh with hundreds from Michael Bracewell and Grant Elliott plus Hamish Rutherford's 98.

The total was enough to secure a comprehensive 97-run victory but Scotland did not fold in reply despite being two down inside three overs as Hamish Gardiner top-scored with a combative 82.

New Zealand A were quickly out of the blocks and had 89 on the board when Rob Taylor broke the opening stand with his second delivery, bowling Tom Latham as he aimed a drive through mid-on.

Rutherford eased along at a run-a-ball but fell two short of his hundred when he picked out long-on and his frustrations were clear as he left the field. It ended a second-wicket stand of 106 with Bracewell who had reached fifty from 51 balls the delivery before Rutherford departed.

Bracewell was given a life on 68 when Majid Haq spilled a return chance and the final 10 overs produced some severe punishment for the Scotland attack. Bracewell's second fifty took 35 deliveries and he carried his sixes tally to four and when he became Taylor's third wicket, Elliott took over to power towards his hundred in the closing stages of the innings.

Elliott was on 83 when the last over began but collected a six followed by a four then reached three figures off the final ball of the innings.

Scotland's chase began poorly as both openers fell to Doug Bracewell for ducks; George Munsey was given lbw and captain Calum MacLeod bowled by one which seamed. Bracewell added a third in the ninth over when he bowled Craig Wallace to leave Scotland 53 for 3.

Gardiner and Richie Berrington then added 99 for the fourth wicket. Gardiner, who registered his highest one-day score, was closing in on a hundred when he was bowled by Hamish Bennett, who was unable to complete his spell as he limped off with an injury.

As the match drifted to a conclusion, Haq clubbed a spritely half-century before becoming the last-man out.

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Broad knee surgery confirmed

Giles: I would be very concerned as a coach

The ECB has confirmed that Stuart Broad will undergo surgery on his right knee on September 4 to try and overcome the persistent tendonitis which has been managed for much of the last year.

Broad had conceded during the Old Trafford Test against India that an operation would be required and was seen by a specialist from Sweden after the series had finished earlier this week.

As expected he was not named in the one-day squad for the series against India. The estimated recovery time is around three to four months which is likely to rule Broad out of the one-day series in Sri Lanka during November leaving the triangular series in Australia during January, ahead of the World Cup, as the target.

A brief ECB statement said: "The ECB medical team confirmed that England pace bowler Stuart Broad is to have surgery on his right knee on Thursday 4 September. A rehabilitation and recovery programme will be determined following the operation."

Broad's knee has been an ongoing issue but has flared up particularly badly at various stages, including on the tour of West Indies were he was forced to sit out games then again early in the recent Investec series against India which raised doubts as to whether he would be able to see out the five Tests.

In the end Broad was able to complete the series and played a key role in England's turnaround as they secured a 3-1 result. He took 6 for 25 at Old Trafford and finished the series with 19 wickets at 23.00.

During the Old Trafford Test he was also struck in the face by a bouncer from Varun Aaron which squeezed between the grille and the helmet leaving him with a fractured nose although specialists said surgery was not required.

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Notts hold nerve after Hales ton

Nottinghamshire 306 for 9 (Hales 104, Taylor 62) beat Warwickshire 302 for 7 (Trott 108, Ambrose 98, Fletcher 4-44) by one wicket
Scorecard

An Alex Hales century and a four from the final ball of the match from Luke Fletcher helped Nottinghamshire secure a one-wicket Royal London Cup victory over Warwickshire at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.

Warwickshire, thanks to Jonathan Trott's century and Tim Ambrose's 98, posted 302 for 7 from their 50 overs, and Nottinghamshire needed century knock from England new-boy Hales to wrap up victory at the death.

The outcome means that both sides now qualify for the quarter-finals, although the win means that Nottinghamshire will have home advantage in their last-eight match, whereas Warwickshire will have to travel.

Trott scored 108 from 121 balls with 11 fours, and Ambrose scored 12 fours as he fell just two runs short of a ton, as the pair added 176 for the third wicket for Warwickshire.

Fletcher, with career best one-day figures of 4 for 44, was the only member of the home attack to maintain a modicum of control and his final burst accounted for both members of the huge stand.

Nottinghamshire replied with a centurion of their own as Hales scored 104 from 90 balls with 12 fours and three sixes, sharing in a huge third-wicket stand as he and James Taylor, who made 62, added 138 together.

However, the match hinged on the final delivery of the evening. With the scores tied, Fletcher followed up his performance with the ball by driving Oliver Hannon-Dalby for the winning boundary, to the delight of the majority of the 4,000 crowd.

Trott and Ambrose had joined forces at 32 for 2 after Warwickshire had elected to bat first. Clipping his first ball away for a majestic four, Trott immediately looked in good touch as the partnership quickly gathered momentum.

Both players had reprieves though. On 12 Ambrose appeared to have nicked Ajmal Shahzad behind. Nottinghamshire celebrated collectively but the batsman remained rooted and umpire Neil Bainton awarded in his favour.

Trott's 'life' was more clear-cut. On 36 he clipped James Franklin to Samit Patel, in the short midwicket position but the chance went begging.

Ambrose fell during the batting Powerplay, yorked by Fletcher but Trott advanced to his 17th one-day century shortly afterwards, arriving at the landmark from 115 balls with 10 fours.

A catch at deep midwicket eventually accounted Trott and Fletcher grabbed his fourth wicket thanks to a smart piece of wicketkeeping as Chris Read stumped Rikki Clarke, standing up to the pace bowler.

Michael Lumb lit up the start of Nottinghamshire's reply, hitting a punishing 36 from just 21 balls before playing on to his stumps off Clarke. The same bowler then had Steven Mullaney caught behind, enabling Taylor to join Hales at the crease. Richard Jones replaced the opening bowlers and let a beamer slip towards Hales at the start of the 13th over, an over that eventually cost 16.

Taylor hit Recordo Gordon into the Fox Road Stand for the first six of the evening just before Hales reached his 50 and the opener celebrated by hitting both Richard Jones and Ateeq Javid for maximums of his own.

Hales purple patch of form took him to his third century of this season's tournament and his fourth in all competitions in the last two weeks. An unlucky deflection from his back pad onto the stumps saw off the opener, gifting Gordon a fortunate wicket but it gave the visitors a massive way back into the contest.

Taylor fell for 62 and Nottinghamshire then lost three further wickets in the batting Powerplay before the equation came down to 22 needed from the last two overs.

Gordon thought he had bowled Shahzad but replays showed that a no ball had been delivered and the resultant decision was costly as 18 came from the penultimate over. Once Shahzad had been run out it was left to Fletcher to score the winning runs to take Nottinghamshire through.

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Rudolph's record eclipses Wright

Glamorgan 330 for 3 (Rudolph 169*, Rees 60, Goodwin 59) beat Sussex 323 for 3 (Wright 127, Finch 92*) by seven wickets
Scorecard

Jacques Rudolph eclipsed a superb hundred by Sussex's Luke Wright with an even better one of his own to ease Glamorgan to victory in their final Royal London game at Hove.

Rudolph made a career best 169 to guide his side to a seven-wicket win as they chased down a Duckworth-Lewis adjusted target of 329 with eight balls to spare. Rudolph's innings was also the highest score in List A matches by a Glamorgan batsman, beating Sir Viv Richards' 162 against Oxfordshire in 1992.

Wright had earlier taken full toll of some wayward Welsh bowling to score 127 from 115 balls - his second century in four days - before Rudolph shredded the Sussex attack to score his third century in this season's competition.

Rudolph was on 131 when he made his only blemish, but Yasir Arafat dropped a difficult return catch in his follow-through as he tried to intercept a waist-high straight drive. Otherwise, Rudolph gave a masterclass in timing and placement as he followed earlier hundreds against Somerset and Nottinghamshire to take his competition aggregate to 575 runs.

On a superb pitch, a weakened Sussex attack, which included 18-year-old Academy product Fynn Hudson-Prentice on his debut, found there was no margin for error.

Rudolph lost opening partner Jim Allenby, who was caught and bowled by Lewis Hatchett, in the seventh over but he ticked over at a run a ball thereafter to ease to the 16th List A century of his career.

Gareth Rees helped him set up victory with a second-wicket stand of 173 in 26 overs before Rees was sent back by his partner looking for a single into the leg side and beaten by Ed Joyce's throw.

It gave the hosts a glimmer of hope but that was soon extinguished by former Sussex player Murray Goodwin, who took four boundaries off Hatchett in an over during the second power play as he raced to a 26-ball half-century.

Arafat had Goodwin lbw playing across the line for 59 in the 44th over after a partnership of 100 in 10.3 overs for the third wicket, but Glamorgan needed just 25 more at that stage and Rudolph fittingly hit the winning runs with his 17th boundary. He also struck three sixes in the 150 balls he faced.

Wright certainly did not deserve to be on the losing side after scoring his fifth hundred of the season in all cricket to take his aggregate in the one-day formats to 993, as Sussex piled up 323 for 3 from 48 overs. He also became the first Sussex batsman to score a hundred in all three formats in the same season. It was a chanceless ninth List A hundred of his career and also his highest one-day score for the county.

Wright added 71 for the first wicket with Chris Nash and 99 in 18 overs with Craig Cachopa but the acceleration came when Wright and Harry Finch, in only his second List A appearance, plundered 79 in nine overs. Wright was eventually caught off a big top edge aiming to drive down the ground, having faced 115 balls with 14 boundaries and four sixes.

Finch upped the tempo and his unbeaten 92 contained 12 fours and two sixes as he plundered 71 from 55 balls in an unbroken fourth-wicket stand with Machan. However, in the end Sussex's highest one-day score against Glamorgan was not enough to subdue the peerless Rudolph.

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Many questions for Pakistan's batting

Following yet another Pakistan batting collapse, it's time to take a good long look at team composition and strategy

The tale of the Pakistani batting slump is nothing new. A combination of poor shot selection, insecurity, lack of confidence and a fear of Rangana Herath led to a familiar story repeating itself at the SSC. Pakistan was given a target of 271 to chase down in four sessions but it took only one session for their batting to unravel to an extent where victory was only a remote possibility.

The famous victory in Sharjah this January is a one-off in recent years as Pakistan have rarely been strong chasers. It isn't a lack of ability, but more about losing it within their mind.

On day three, Grant Flower tried to make sense of Pakistan's problem, but Herath dominated his answers; several times he applauded Herath and put Pakistan's first-innings collapse down to his skills. Perhaps his responses reflect the sense prevailing in the dressing room, that the opposition can dictate their fate.

Flower was also confident Pakistan could do well the second time around. That did not happen; their top order did not look comfortable at all. Sarfraz Ahmed is the only positive Pakistan can take forward. The average opening partnership in their previous 13 Tests is 26.15, and the experiment with Ahmed Shehzad and Khurram Manzoor does not seem to be working. Both have been guilty of throwing their wickets away with poor shot selection. While Shehzad will be persisted with, Manzoor is not likely to get too many more chances.

Azhar Ali suffered a dip in form in 2013 and was replaced by Mohammad Hafeez, but his impactful hundred in Sharjah pushed him up the pecking order once again. Expectations of him grew as well, but he hasn't been able to meet them. He resisted hard while scoring 32 in the first innings, before falling to an inadvisable shot to Herath in the second.

Younis Khan, apart from his 177 in Galle, has scored just 34 in three innings. Being a senior player, the attempted sweep which led to his dismissal today, with the side already reeling, could be termed erratic. Captain Misbah-ul-Haq has scored 67 at 16.75. He is having a hard time as captain, too, with Pakistan not having won a Test series since beating England in the UAE in early 2012. A 2-0 defeat here could be decisive for him.

While the defeats must hurt, what could hurt Pakistan more is if they do not learn from them. It is vital that the team management gets the team selection right. The likes of Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq seem to be the future for Pakistan, but Umar Akmal and Fawad Alam could probably work well too. The captain and coaches have also rarely been critical of the batting in public.

Minutes after the stumps today, the team had packed up its stuff and left the ground. The media had requested that coach Waqar Younis attend the press conference, but they were told none of the Pakistan contingent would be taking questions. Even if they do not do so for the media, one hopes that Pakistan is answering the many questions that persist over their batting for themselves.

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Hales 'like nobody else we have' - Morgan

Eoin Morgan believes Alex Hales is a unique talent within the English game and has the potential to flourish in all three formats having witnessed at first hand one of his most destructive innings.

Hales, who has England's lone T20 international hundred, is expected to be named in England's one-day squad to face India on Monday, and is in line to make his ODI debut at Bristol on August 25, as they search for a top-order combination that can provide the firepower to challenge at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. He had previously been set to come into the one-day side in West Indies earlier this year but picked up an injury and was then called in as cover against Sri Lanka but remained behind Michael Carberry in the pecking order.

He has been in prolific form of late, in the last month hitting two Royal London Cup hundreds, including a ferocious 141 off 96 balls against Middlesex at Lord's, and a century for England Lions against Sri Lanka A, a marked contrast to his fortunes earlier in the season when he was forced to briefly go on loan to Worcestershire having lost his place in Nottinghamshire's Championship side

It was the innings at Lord's that Morgan, Middlesex's limited-overs captain, was able to witness from close range having previously watched as Hales made 96 and 94 in the Championship clash between the two teams, and it reinforced his belief that he can have a successful international career in more than Twenty20.

"He's unbelievably destructive and stakes a huge claim to be selected in all three formats," Morgan told ESPNcricinfo. "His form at county level has been phenomenal and he's like nobody else we have around, with the combination of how hard he strikes the ball and the ability to take the game away from opposition.

"I've witnessed Championship form against him and he was very impressive. It was the first time I'd seen him in Championship cricket and to see where he has come from since the start of the season when he had to go to Worcestershire on loan is a huge credit to him. He has ridden the wave in recent weeks."

The make-up of England's top order is an often debated subject and the selectors have been reluctant to move away from the Alastair Cook-Ian Bell pairing which has become established over the last few years, believing they have the ability to move through the gears as needed even though the middle order, of which Morgan is part, are often left needing to up the ante whether chasing or setting a target.

If Morgan's comments are any judge, England are not about to rip up their play book - Hales splitting the Cook-Bell alliance could be as radical as it gets - although he did add that valuable lessons were learned during the one-day series in Australia at the start of this year which England lost 4-1.

"We are building for a World Cup in Australia and New Zealand were a par score will be 300-320 on the majority of grounds but before that we have the series against India, in English conditions, where going hell for leather up front just would not be helpful at all. You take a lot of risks with the conditions [in England] and two new balls.

"We've had a formula that has worked in England and now we need to find a balance between having success here and also winning in Australia."

Morgan also believes that the way England's calendar has been structured to allow them to focus solely on one-day cricket from now right through to the World Cup gives them an excellent chance of correcting a dire record in the tournament going back to 1992 - the last time it was held in Australia and New Zealand.

"It's fantastic, really. An ideal lead into the World Cup. It puts great emphasis onto one-day cricket and it gives a great opportunity to build a squad that is good enough to win a World Cup

"It's an opportunity we haven't had in quite a long time. With that, though, comes a lot of expectation and rightly so. We've a fantastic squad of players and the one-day series in Australia during the winter was a great learning curve and gave us a chance what we need squad-wise and attributes-wise for a side to be successful in those conditions.

"I think conditions will suit us. The batting wickets are some of the best in the world and I don't think the bounce is alien to us at all. During that one-day series we had chances to win but there were just areas of the game, and moments within them, that we lost at crucial moments. The fact we made the mistakes then gives us the chance to correct them."

It appears unlikely that England will perform a complete cull of the one-day squad that lost to Sri Lanka earlier this season. Moeen Ali's success with the ball may earn him a spot while Steven Finn, who has been in the squad for the last two Tests, is favoured for a recall.

Possible squad Alastair Cook, Alex Hales, Ian Bell, Gary Ballance, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, James Tredwell, James Anderson, Steven Finn

Eoin Morgan was speaking at an ECB Club open day event at Maidenhead & Bray CC in partnership with Waitrose

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