Mullaney fifty brings Notts home

Nottinghamshire 230 for 7 (Wessels 65, Mullaney 63*) beat Glamorgan 227 for 8 (Rudolph 101, Franklin 3-32) by three wickets
Scorecard

Steven Mullaney and Ajmal Shahzad batted Nottinghamshire to an impressive three-wicket victory in the Royal London One-Day Cup against Glamorgan at Cardiff.

The eighth-wicket pair came together with Notts in trouble at 137 for 7, needing a further 91 runs to win in 14.2 overs. But Mullaney, with an unbeaten 63 from 46 balls, and Shahzad, making 33 not out from 39 deliveries, won the game with nine balls to spare. Mullaney celebrated victory by striking Michael Hogan back over his head for six.

Glamorgan had been indebted to Jacques Rudolph for his century from 130 balls with 10 fours, but their total of 227 for 8 looked a little light until Hogan reduced the visitors to 11 for 3 inside seven overs, sending Alex Hales, James Taylor and Samit Patel back to the pavilion with ducks.

When Riki Wessels was controversially run out for 65, complaining he had been impeded, and Chris Read was brilliantly caught by Andrew Salter one-handed, the victory was far from realistic. But Mullaney and Shahzad stepped up to the occasion and their heroics ensured Notts finished the day top of Group B.

Earlier, Rudolph and fellow opener Jim Allenby gave Glamorgan a useful platform, but after Allenby edged Shahzad to Wessels at slip it heralded a middle order procession. Rudolph batted solidly at one end but between the 18th and 29th over he lost another four partners. The South African had reached his 50 out of Glamorgan's score of 70 for 1 before Will Bragg became the first of three victims for James Franklin.

Franklin, who played for Glamorgan in 2006, struck in his first over to have Bragg caught at mid-off by Shahzad. The left-arm seamer followed that up by bowling Murray Goodwin from around the wicket. And from 99 for 3 in the 22nd over Glamorgan slumped to 115 for 4 when Chris Cooke miss-hooked a Franklin short ball straight to midwicket.

Mullaney, who had bowled well in harmony with Franklin, got the deserved wicket of David Lloyd who edged behind to Read. The ball after reaching his century Rudolph could not keep out a finely bowled Shahzad yorker leaving Glamorgan in trouble at 161 for 6.

But there was worse to come for the home side as Mark Wallace was run out in a mix-up with Graham Wagg attempting a single. Wagg was dismissed three overs later well caught on the mid-wicket boundary by Shahzad off Mullaney, who finished with figures of 2 for 26 from his 10 overs.

Salter took Glamorgan past 200 with four consecutive fours off Harry Gurney as the ninth wicket with Dean Cosker became the highest partnership of the innings.

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Anderson provokes Indian ire again

James Anderson was been involved in another incident with an Indian player, at the end of the fourth day's play at the Ageas Bowl.

Anderson, who faces an ICC hearing on Friday having been charged with a Level Three offence following an alleged altercation with Ravi Jadeja during the Trent Bridge Test, exchanged irate words with Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane following the final delivery of the day.

While the incident in itself amounted to little - Rahane reacted angrily to some comments uttered by Anderson and umpire Rod Tucker stepped in to tell both players to calm down - it does reflect India's irritation with Anderson and underlines the impression that they intend to take a zero tolerance view towards him in the future.

Anderson has, in general, been a great deal less vocal since the charge was made and the incident will have no direct bearing on the hearing. But it will do him few favours as India attempt to outline a pattern of behaviour and Rahane's outraged response will not have been lost on Australian judge Gordon Lewis, who will preside over the hearing.

While attempts have been made to deal with the Jadeja situation without the necessity of a hearing, the India camp have insisted that Anderson overstepped the mark at Trent Bridge - they allege he made physical contact with Jadeja - and feel that his on-field sledging has exceeded acceptable limits in recent years. Anderson faces a ban of up to four Tests if the charge is upheld.

It was a sour end to what should have been a special day for Anderson. Not only was it his 32nd birthday, but he completed his first five-wicket haul in more than a year in the morning when taking the final two wickets of the Indian first innings.

The outcome of the Anderson hearing might also be relevant to the series between Australia and India later in the year. While the England and Australia teams appear relatively comfortable with a certain level of verbal intimidation, it could be that India are taking a stand on the sledging issue.

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Time for Moeen to be given respect

Moeen Ali has 11 wickets at 33 against India. He might not be comparable to Graeme Swann, but it is time he gained the respect he deserves

#politeenquiries: Have England reached the turning point?

The story so far:

Kumar Sangakkara: Headingley, Second Test, England v Sri Lanka:
Sangakkara, set up by a couple of deliveries that have spun gently away from his outside edge, prods forward only to find that this ball is pushed on a little quicker and does not turn. The batsman, one of the best players in the world of spin bowling, calls for a review, but the umpire's leg before decision is upheld.

Lahiru Thirimanne: Headingley, Second Test, England v Sri Lanka:
Thirimanne, having fallen first ball in the first innings and having just watched Sangakkara dismissed by one that went straight one, ensures his pad is well out of the way, only to see his tentative forward defensive stroke beaten by a beauty that drifts in and spin away sharply to hit the top of his off stump.

Virat Kohli: Headingley, Second Test, England v India:
The spinner is introduced into the attack for an over before lunch. It is not a visionary piece of captaincy, but it almost works. Kohli, on 20, plays back to one that is pushed through a little quicker but sees the outside edge dropped by Matt Prior.

Cheteshwar Pujara: The Ageas Bowl, Third Test, England v India:
The spinner struck in his first over once again as Pujara, the man dubbed the 'new wall', is drawn forward, but due to some gentle drift away from the bat and gentle turn into it, plays down the wrong line and edges to slip.

Virat Kohli: The Ageas Bowl, Third Test, England v India:
Kohli falls victim, once again, to a delivery outside off stump that could probably have been left. With some balls turning and others skidding on a little, Kohli lunges forward to cover the turn, but instead edges one that slides straight on.

At some stage, people are going to have start respecting Moeen Ali's bowling.

To claim the occasional wicket might be dismissed as fortuitous. After all, Michael Vaughan once bowled Sachin Tendulkar with a beauty that spun through the gate.

But if it keeps happening, if a bowler keeps dismissing batsman of the quality of those listed above, then he deserves a little more credit. A little more respect.

It was talk of the doosra that excited when Moeen was selected by England. But that delivery, at this stage, was always likely to be a red herring.

It was not an explosive wicket-taker that England were seeking. It was a reliable container with the ability to exploit turning conditions on the rare occasions when they were encountered. It was a bowler who could retain control while the seamers were rested and would not wilt under pressure when the batsmen came at him.

These are early days, but the signs are promising. Here, bowling a tight off stump line and benefiting from a dry, worn pitch, he saw a few balls turn sharply and many others skid straight on through natural variation. He rendered a batting line-up brought up on turning pitches, a batting line-up renowned as fine players of the turning ball, appear timid and vulnerable. And he did it all with the skills of a traditional English offspinner. There has not been a doosra in sight in this game.

Part of Moeen's problem is that he follows in the footsteps of Graeme Swann. Swann raised the bar by which English spinners were judged and may prove, as Sir Ian Botham once did, an impossible act to follow.

But it is unlikely that Swann would have enjoyed the docile surfaces at Trent Bridge and Lord's any more than Moeen. He might have contained more effectively with his dip and his control, but he would have struggled to run through sides on these pitches. In the 2011 series against India, Swann claimed 14 wickets in four Tests at an average of 40.69. Moeen already has 11 in three Tests at an average of 33. Nine of Swann's wickets came in the final Test at The Oval.

Perhaps being underestimated has helped Moeen. In the first innings, he benefited from Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane attempting to dominate him. Routinely dismissed as a "part-time" spinner - generally by part-time observers who have not have visited New Road for a few years - Moeen has dismissed four of India's top six in this Test alone. Only James Anderson of England and Bhuvneshwar Kumar of India have taken more wickets in the series. He is winning the battle of the spinners, too. Ravi Jadeja's eight wickets have come at a cost of 48 apiece.

	Moeen's development might be partially credited to the benefits of an 18-county system. While he made his first professional appearances for Warwickshire, it is at Worcestershire that he has developed.

He has enjoyed little luck, either. He saw Kohli dropped off his bowling at Lord's, Herath dropped off his bowling at Leeds and Dhawan and Rahane reprieved in this match when the use of DRS would have assured him more wickets. Playing his fifth Test, he has 14 Test wickets and has taken his bowling average below 40. They are not world-class figures, certainly. But they are valuable and respectable. Ashley Giles finished his career with a Test bowling average of 40.60.

The facts never supported the view that Moeen was a "part-time" bowler. Heading into this match, he had claimed 101 first-class wickets since the start of 2012 at an average of 33.31. That compares to Scott Borthwick (76 at 35.56), Samit Patel (70 at 44.80), Adil Rashid (71 at 38.16), Simon Kerrigan (149 at 29.55) and Monty Panesar (157 at 31.03). Moeen may never be a world beater, but to dismiss him as part time is simply factually inaccurate.

There are still too many 'release' balls - a long-hop here; a full toss there - but gradually Moeen is offering his captain the control he requires in the field and relieving just a bit of the pressure on the main seamers. After conceding five-an-over in two of his first five innings as a Test bowler, he has not done so once in the last five. Three times in the last four innings, he has conceded under three-an-over. He is learning fast how to survive at this level. A great deal of that process is simply learning how to stay on for another over.

There should be a lot more to come from him, too. He has spent many hours in the nets with his friend and county colleague Saeed Ajmal - the value of overseas players in county cricket should never be underestimated - learning the art of the doosra. Some days they will bowl 40 or 50 in succession together, with Moeen gradually increasing the pace of the delivery as well as its accuracy and venom. Saeed, who only started bowling the delivery in his mid-to-late-20s, believes that Moeen will have it mastered within a couple of years.

If England bear with him - just as they will need to bear with the likes of Jos Buttler, Gary Ballance and Chris Jordan in good times and bad over the next couple of years - they should reap a rich harvest.

Moeen's development might be partially credited to the benefits of an 18-county system in England. While he made his first professional appearances for Warwickshire, it is at Worcestershire that he has developed. The club offered him a place in their side as an allrounder in all forms of the game at a time when Warwickshire's then coach, Mark Greatbatch, said he could not see Moeen earning a regular place in his side for another five years.

Moeen's contribution was part of an almost perfect day for England. By wrapping up the Indian innings so quickly in the morning - it took just 25 balls to claim the final two wickets - they gave themselves an opportunity to enforce the follow-on.

Instead they decided - reasonably enough - to give their bowlers another few hours rest.

If that decision might have been perceived as negative, the manner in which they increased their lead was admirably positive. Each of the top five played selflessly with Alastair Cook judging a tricky declaration with something close to perfection. He really has enjoyed a fine match to date.

For the first time in a year, the fragile signs of recovery are visible in the England side.

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Siddle building up his pace and strength

Peter Siddle is confident he is well on the way to regaining his place in Australia's Test team by boosting his strength and speed. Siddle was dropped from the Test side during the tour of South Africa in March and the coach Darren Lehmann said at the time that Siddle needed to lift his pace back up into the 140kph range instead of the low 130s.

A stint in county cricket with Nottinghamshire followed, but Siddle was then brought home early at the request of Cricket Australia, with the aim of working on his strength and speed ahead of October's Test series against Pakistan in the UAE. Siddle said his work was already paying off and he was increasing his strength in his "bum and legs".

"I definitely lost a couple of Ks [kilometres], that's for sure, but you can definitely find it back," Siddle told the Age. "Just with weights and getting strength back in my legs. [When] your bum's not as strong as it could be your legs are falling away and you can't get through the crease as well. Without doing the weights and the pre-seasons, you miss out on that. So [now] it's about getting as strong as you can."

Having Siddle at his best for the two Tests in the UAE will be important for the Australians, given that they will be without Ryan Harris, who is still recovering from knee surgery, while James Pattinson is on a slow comeback path from back stress fractures. Siddle said his drop in pace and strength was the natural result of his heavy workload over the past year, and nothing to do with his vegan diet.

"Footy players play for six months and have six months of pre-season so they're fit and strong by the time the next one comes around," he said. "With cricket it drags on and on. It happened with Mitchell Johnson. He had about three years of non-stop cricket and he started to fade away a bit with his pace, and that was only 18 months ago. Now he is bowling the fastest he has ever bowled.

"People say I'm not as strong, well come and watch me in a gym session, I'm stronger than I've ever been. That is the thing people don't understand. I'm lifting heavier weights than I've ever lifted. I'm moving better, It's just the fatigue; it gets everyone.

"You could go through 150 different Test cricketers who have slowed down in pace because they've played a lot of cricket. Kemar Roach is not bowling as fast as he used to. Is he still eating meat? It's a ridiculous thing. Look at Stuart Broad and James Anderson, they're not bowling as quick as they used to bowl."

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Kohli's weakness grows wider

Virat Kohli's is a game without any other glaring weakness but England have clearly tried to play on the attacking batsman's ego a bit but starving him outside off stump

Not worried by Indian follow-on - Rahane

Trent Bridge
Just after lunch on day one, James Anderson and Stuart Broad bowl eight deliveries at Virat Kohli. Seven of them are outside off, one is short enough to be left alone. The eighth one of those is short of a length and wide, albeit from wide on the crease with the angle making Kohli play. Kohli plays, pushing away from the body, and his bat nudges it through for a catch to slip.

Ageas Bowl
Kohli has had a longer innings than at Trent Bridge. Fifty-three of the 75 balls he faces are pitched on a length or short of it, and arrive at him either outside off or really wide outside off. He has left alone 22 of those. The second ball of the 47th over is short of a length and wide, and he goes after it. The edge flies high to first slip and is not held. Anderson bowls the next over. Five balls outside off, three defended, two left alone. The sixth ball is short of a length and wide, Kohli can easily leave it, but he goes feeling for it, and he edges it through. This is the shot batsmen hate the most: a meek push to a ball that can be left alone; even if you middle it, you are not going to get anything.

Auckland ODI, January 2014
Hamish Bennett bowls two maidens to Kohli comprised almost exclusively of quick short-of-a-length balls that are at the seventh stump or wider. This is an ODI and the asking rate is big, but you can see Kohli is itching to feel the ball on the bat, and eventually nicks off.

Durban, December 2013
Once again, playing at a shortish ball outside off, Kohli is given out caught at the wicket. He is unfortunate, he hasn't hit this one, but he is pushing at a ball that can be left alone both on line and length.

A few similar dismissals might not yet point to a major weakness, but bowlers are increasingly bowling well outside off to Kohli. Dry up the runs, ask Kohli to play out of his comfort zone, on and around off where he cover-drives as well as anyone, and go away from the body if he wants those runs he so itches to get.

Kohli is an aggressive batsman, he loves to get early into an innings and set the tempo. His best innings in Test cricket have been those where he has restrained himself to leave and leave and leave until the bowlers bowl at him. At the Wanderers late last year, when Kohli scored a superlative hundred with the ball seaming around on day one, he didn't play at 16 of the first 28 deliveries he faced. He got himself in, got some runs before lunch, and then when the afternoon session began, he offered no shot to 11 of the first 17 he faced.

This is not as much a technical flaw as it is a habit, in that it is easier to correct than, say, being poor against the short ball. It is unique, too, in that batsmen usually are vulnerable when the ball is just outside off, and not wide of it. And Kohli's is a game without any other glaring weakness. England have clearly tried to play on the attacking batsman's ego a bit. If you bowl at the stumps, he gets solidly behind them, begins to feel confident feeling the ball on the bat and then drives gorgeously. In this series, in five innings, Kohli has managed only 11 runs through that cover-drive of his. The idea has been to not get too close to him either on length or line.

More than half the balls Kohli has faced in the series have been on a length or just short of it, and outside off or well wide of it. "Still two Tests to go. Not sure I can discuss that," Stuart Broad said when asked if they have been bowling wider at Kohli than they would other batsmen. "Let's just say he is pretty strong off his legs so you don't want to bowl too tight to the stumps. You have seen in one-day cricket how successful he is when bowlers bowl tight lines. We have worked - when the ball has not been swinging or the slightly flatter wickets - to just try to dot him up, try to not let him score. He left pretty well today. Apart from the one that he poked at. He will be frustrated with himself. We need to keep our disciplines with him."

Kohli has scored just 73 over these five innings, and will be under pressure after he came to England as the best batsman in the Indian line-up. Kohli has been working hard. Two days before the Test began he was in the nets before the rest of the team arrived. What he will be annoyed with is that he has fallen twice to a tame poke well outside off. The one he got at Lord's, with Anderson angling in towards off and then having it move away from just outside it, was a good delivery. That dismissal shouldn't concern him. This one should. Trent Bridge should. Watch out for those wide ones when he comes in to bat next.

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Indiscipline could cost West Indies cricket - Roberts

Darren Sammy believes that Tino Best still has a part to play in the St Lucia Zouks' 2014 CPL campaign despite his disciplinary problems. Best and Shoaib Malik were fined following a clash on July 23, with both players pleading guilty to their respective charges.

Sammy maintained that Best had a lot to offer the regional game, but needed to live up to his seniority as a West Indian international after concerns were raised by Best's franchise mentor Andy Roberts.

"Tino is a special character. The more I've played with him, the more I grew to understand him and the person he is," Sammy said. "In any cricket game, you want to play in the true spirit of the game. I hope it gets better because he's not a young man. But he's still integral to our team."

Sammy believes that while Best's reputation precedes him, the bowler is one who can be reined in and utilised to the franchise's advantage.

"Once we control him and use his head a bit more wisely, he's a good asset for us. The cricket is being played on the field. We've spoken to Tino and I see all of you [the media] all pointing towards Tino Best, but there were two guys involved in the incident. It was not just one person.

"Everybody keeps jumping on Tino, Tino, Tino. It takes two hands to clap. We've dealt with it the best way possible and we're moving on now."

The CPL management had also stated that there were investigations into an incident at the hotel stemming from the fall-out of the Best-Malik clash, with sources indicating that the Barbados Tridents captain Kieron Pollard was involved.

Pollard had also exchanged words with Best on the field after the Malik incident. Roberts confirmed that he had spoken to Pollard over the fracas at the hotel. Further speculation was fuelled when Sammy confirmed that the management opted for Best not to travel to Trinidad for the weekend game against Red Steel.

Roberts was worried that the indiscipline in West Indies cricket could erode their talent-pool, and hinted that it may have been Pollard who had instigated the incident.

"Not for a lack of trying, I've spoken to Tino," he said. "Many people have, over and over again. Cricket is also a mental game, not just about talent. After the hotel incident, I spoke to Pollard about it and he was apologetic."

Roberts said that the team needed to focus on consistency and playing well in pressure situations as opposed to sledging and other on-field antics.

"This sort of thing could hurt Tino's career on a regional and international level. It's been happening for years now and he needs to learn. Back when I played, we didn't do much talking. We just did our jobs with the ball and had a glare. You need to be mentally strong and disciplined. You can't be taught that. Either you have it or you don't."

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England rediscover their swing

Instead of the joyless England side we have seen in recent times we saw a team with renewed vigour and belief and they go into the final two days with a chance of forcing victory

#politeenquiries: Is Kohli no more than a flat track bully?

It was the sort of draining day on which tempers can flare and disagreements brew. It was the sort of pitch on which seamers can lose heart and sides - particularly those without a win in almost a year - can lose confidence. And India have the sort of batting line-up which can make bowlers wish they had become plumbers or matadors or, most of all, batsmen.

But despite the climbing temperatures and the rising total, England's bowlers produced one of their best performances of the summer on the third day at the Ageas Bowl. And, whatever the bald figures on the scorecard might show, England's senior bowlers led the way admirably.

It was not perfect. Perhaps James Anderson could have pitched the ball up another six inches; perhaps a couple of tough chances might have been taken in the slips and certainly Chris Jordan looks nervous upon his return to the team - dropping a man after two Tests can do that.

But on another flat pitch offering little to bowlers of any description, England can feel well satisfied that they go into the final two days of the game with a chance of forcing victory.

But the game is not entirely safe. With England reluctant to enforce the follow-on even if it is an option, Alastair Cook will face an intriguing test of his captaincy if he has to make a declaration on the fourth afternoon. His bowlers are keen to put their feet up for a minimum of 40 overs on day four.

Cook will know his team needs the best part of four sessions to bowl out India on this surface. But he will also know that setting such a proficient ODI side anything less than 400 in around 120 overs is something of a risk. However much England need the victory, the thought of going 2-0 down in this series is likely to have a sobering effect.

Such issues can wait. After three days, England can feel encouraged that, for the first time since the change of coach, there appeared to be signs of progress in the development of the new-look team.

While it would be wrong to read too much into a couple of days of cricket, it does seem that a slight change of approach - a temperamental as much as a tactical change - has seen England playing a more positive, more effective brand of cricket.

Certainly that was the view of Stuart Broad. On the day that Broad, who bowled immaculately, and Anderson, who bowled with pace and skill, became one of a select group of fast bowlers to take 500 Test wickets in partnership with one another.

Many regard them as the third such fast-bowling partnership to reach the landmark pair after Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh and Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis - although it is a somewhat notional statistic and it can also be contended that Jacques Kallis should also be included twice for his partnerships both with Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini.

Instead of the joyless England side we have seen in recent times - a side that have sometimes seemed resigned to spending several sessions in the field even as they mark their run-outs for the first time - we saw a team with renewed vigour and belief. We saw a team with a short-leg instead of a square leg. We saw a team retain a full slip cordon instead of a third man and sweeper and we saw a team use the short ball, not so much to avoid being driven, but as a shock delivery to prevent the batsmen simply propping forward.

True, the results were not immediately apparent. But to take seven wickets in a day on this pitch was no mean effort. With Anderson gaining swing throughout the day and using the short ball effectively, Broad maintaining a McGrath-like line and length and Chris Woakes, improved in discipline and pace, adding reliable support, pressure built upon the Indian batsmen leading to what might appear, out of context, some inexplicable strokes. The accumulative effects of scoreboard pressure and demanding bowling should never be underestimated.

Broad also credited the advice of the coach, Peter Moores, with inspiring the revived performance.

"Before this Test, Mooresy came to a few of us and said 'just go and express yourself'," Broad said. "He said 'Don't worry about having to take responsibility, just go and play, like it's your first Test'. I think that's shone through a little bit. I know it freed me up a little bit. Everyone was having a laugh; everyone had smiles on their faces and I think that showed in our cricket. We kept the energy up throughout the whole day. We were brilliant."

It is not surprising that England had lost confidence in recent times. The disappointment - shellshock, even - of their Ashes defeat and the departure of several players who had become fixtures in the dressing room had sapped some of the belief out of the side. If players as reliable as Jonathan Trott and Matt Prior could fall to the ravages of time and fate, then no one was safe.

But such thoughts had to be banished. And Broad, at least, felt the side were working their way back towards the more positive brand of cricket that earned them success against India in the 2011 series.

"Personally, I am an attacking cricketer and maybe I had fallen into a defensive mindset," Broad explained. "Today was about leaving the past behind and just going and expressing yourself.

"I think maybe the senior players have put too much pressure on themselves after what, since the Durham Test, has been a pretty tough run. Maybe we got a bit uptight.

"We went to Australia and had a tough time of it. Maybe my own mindset had become quite defensive. I had to bowl defensively in Australia and maybe I brought that it into the start of this summer.

"But you saw, I used a short leg today. I had that attacking mindset. I'm at my best when I'm attacking and playing with flair. I'm an attacking player who fell into a defensive mindset thinking square leg will save runs but actually, let's get some wickets."

It was noticeable, too, that Anderson has been a far less vocal cricketer since being charged by the ICC. Gone is the muttering at the batsmen; gone is the posturing; gone is everything other than the skilful bowler with more than 350 Test wickets. It has not rendered his bowling any less potent.

"We're in a great position in this Test," Broad said. "We hope the wicket will deteriorate a little bit. But we created pressure throughout the day and, though it looked as if Moeen Ali picked up his wickets with freebies, I think that was out of the pressure he'd developed. We got our rewards at the end of the day."

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Satterthwaite and Tahuhu back for New Zealand

Amy Satterthwaite and Lea Tahuhu will return to the New Zealand line-up after being chosen for September's tour of the West Indies. A 14-player squad has been picked for the trip, which includes four ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals.

Satterthwaite and Tahuhu have replaced Katey Martin and Frances Mackay in the only changes from the squad that played in the World T20 in Bangladesh earlier this year. Coach Hamish Barton said both players deserved to be back in the squad.

"We gave Amy and Lea some areas to work on and we've been really impressed with their commitment to do what has been asked of them," Barton said. "Both of them have shown in the past that they're world-class and they've still got a lot to offer. They've worked incredibly hard to get back in the side and I'm confident they'll take this opportunity.

"We've got a number of exciting young players in the side and this tour will be a huge step in their development. However it's equally important to have players with experience and knowledge of the conditions and we have that too, so we've got the right mix."

Squad Suzie Bates (capt), Sam Curtis, Sara McGlashan, Sophie Devine, Katie Perkins, Amy Satterthwaite, Rachel Priest, Felicity Leydon-Davis, Morna Nielsen, Holly Huddleston, Lea Tahuhu, Hayley Jensen, Maddy Green, Georgia Guy.

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Pankaj singed by tough debut

After striving so long to play Test cricket, Pankaj Singh's luck deserted him and then his discipline too

Highlights: Pankaj Singh's frustration grew after a serious of close shaves went against him on Test debut

Pankaj Singh's wicket column was empty. Two days at the new job. No returns. Many times he stood in the field, hands on hips with a helpless expression. He would walk back to his bowling mark shaking his head when luck did not smile on him. You could understand his frustration.

It was a tough initiation for the man who had cried his heart out at the turn of the New Year, asking the selectors to give him one chance at playing Test cricket. On Sunday the dream became reality when Pankaj was handed his Test cap by former India captain Sourav Ganguly.

On Monday, Pankaj sprinted in from backward short leg full of energy and renewed hopes. He settled in quickly, with his fourth delivery whistling past the outside edge off Ian Bell's hanging bat. The next ball, Bell once again was lured into playing and missing as once again the ball seamed away, missed the edge and MS Dhoni caught the ball at waist height.

Bell should not even have been there, if you asked Pankaj. In the first over after the second new ball was taken late on Sunday afternoon, Pankaj, bowling from Northern End, had managed to bend a delivery which seemed to be going down leg but swerved into Bell's pads at the very last moment. Not only did it catch Bell by surprise but even the umpire, Rod Tucker, was caught off guard. Pankaj shrieked out a prolonged appeal, nearly squatting, but Tucker remained unimpressed.

While picking up his hat Pankaj checked with Tucker, who might have noted the ball would have gone down the leg side at first sight. According to Hawk-Eye, the ball would have gone on to hit the top of the middle stump. Pankaj had bowled with decent control and intensity on his first day of work, proving he was a capable replacement for the injured Ishant Sharma. He would have had the wicket of Alastair Cook, too, had Ravindra Jadeja not dropped the chance.

First ball of Pankaj's second over today, Bell was forced to play at an outswinger, but the resultant edge zipped past the empty fourth slip pocket. Pankaj grimaced. It was a similar expression he had displayed at the end of the hard day's work at stumps on Sunday. After he had delivered the final ball of the day, Pankaj bent over with his hands on his knees out in the middle of his pitch with an exhausted and helpless look.

You could not help but feel for Pankaj. He had strived hard to reach the international stage. His journey started in a rural village in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh before he moved down south where he worked part-time at a sweet shop in Bangalore while pursuing dreams of playing top-level cricket. He moved to the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai before heading to play domestic cricket for the west state of Rajasthan, where he has grown into their best bowler, leader and mentor to youngsters.

Pankaj was the central architect of Rajasthan winning the Ranji Trophy title in successive years in 2011 and 2012 seasons. He has been the most consistent, high-performing fast bowler in the last five years in Indian first-class cricket.

Yet Pankaj continued to be ignored by the selectors, who did not even deem him fit to play on India A tours. No selector ever told him what they expected of him or what they needed him to work on. Each time a team was announced, Pankaj would just swallow the pain and get on with the job. With such a compelling back-story, Pankaj, at 29 years old, was bound to be emotional on his debut.

It is also easy to understand his eagerness to make an impact. It is like being in the first week of job. It is natural you want to impress - more yourself than others. You want to feel that you have earned your job.

Credit to him, on the first day Pankaj did not show nerves. He bowled tidily and mostly followed his captain MS Dhoni's instructions. After every over Dhoni would share insights and tips with the debutant. It was important to tell the bowler he had his captain's confidence. Giving Pankaj the second new ball was a cue.

	A decent percentage of Pankaj's 258 first-class wickets for Rajasthan was of batsmen who can easily get distracted. International batsmen are a different breed. Pankaj would have learned that lesson by now

Yet Pankaj was a lost soul on Monday, especially after lunch. It did not help his cause that Dhoni never allowed his bowlers to settle into a rhythm, as Pankaj bowled six one-over spells in the second session. Pankaj, broad-shouldered, 6ft 4in tall, uses a lot of his body in his action. He relies on rhythm to plot his wickets. So Dhoni's out-of-the-box method did not especially aid Pankaj.

However, it was not Dhoni's fault that Pankaj strayed in his lines and lengths. Too many times today he lost control by either spraying it short and wide or down the leg side, offering easy shots for Bell and Gary Balance in the morning and later Bell and Jos Butler in the afternoon.

For Rajasthan, a decent percentage of Pankaj's 258 first-class wickets was of batsmen who can easily get distracted. International batsmen are a different breed. Pankaj would have learned that lesson by now. His duel with Bell was a fascinating example. Bell had played and missed frequently but any room he got from Pankaj he punished the bowler: like the solid, back-foot square drive in the morning, standing high on his toes, that raced to the boundary and pushed Pankaj back into his corner.

Pankaj was desperate. But he needs to understand being successful is not only about taking wickets. It is also about working for your bowling partners. Whenever he was thrown the ball, he needed to be disciplined, especially on a placid and slow pitch, to not lose the momentum which would only put pressure on the rest of the bowling. It was important to stick to the off-stump line and bowl the channels - a simple, monotonous chore, yet one that has proved effective for every successful fast bowler. What stands in Pankaj's favour is he has employed that same method on unresponsive, flat pitches in India for the last decade.

It is easy to get frustrated. It is easy to feel you are on your own when you finish as the second most-expensive bowler without a wicket in your first outing. But Pankaj is not alone there. Michael Holding recollected his debut Test in Brisbane in 1975 tour of Australia where he finished wicketless.

That is the truth in Test cricket: it can be a lonely place when things are not going your way. As a debutant you want to feel belonged on your first days at work. But you need to clock a lot of mileage before you get to that spot.

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ECB defends Moeen's 'Save Gaza' wristband

The ECB has defended Moeen Ali for wearing wristbands with the slogans "Save Gaza" and "Free Palestine" during the third Investec Test between England and India at The Ageas Bowl.

Moeen, a devout Muslim who welcomes the position of role-model and says he wears a long beard as he "wants people to know I am a Muslim", first wore the wrist bands when batting in England's first innings. He had not informed the ECB that he was going to wear them and continued to wear them in the field on the second evening.

He has not been asked to remove them, but he could face sanctions from the ICC if they decide he has contravened their clothing and equipment regulations.

According to section F of the relevant ICC code: "Players and team officials shall not be permitted to wear, display or otherwise convey messages through arm bands or other items affixed to clothing or equipment unless approved in advance by the player or team official's Board. Approval shall not be granted for messages which relate to political, religious or racial activities or causes."

An ICC spokesman confirmed they were investigating the matter. Moeen, playing just his fifth Test, faces a maximum penalty of a fine of up to 50 per cent of his match fee if he is deemed to have committed a Level One offence.

But an ECB spokesman insisted Moeen's stance was "humanitarian not political" and stated that "the ECB do not believe he has committed any offence." It was also pointed out that, on the third day of the current Test, the entire England team, Moeen included, will wear shirts sporting the Help for Heroes logo. Help for Heroes describes itself as "a UK military charity… formed to help those wounded in Britain's current conflicts."

There will also be a minute's silence observed by both teams to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War at 10.56am.

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