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New Zealand have chosen their 30-player preliminary squad for the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in June. The only two members of the squad that reached the final at the recent Women’s World Cup not to be included were Beth McNeill and the recently retired captain Haidee Tiffen.The coach Gary Stead said over the next few weeks the group would be whittled down to a final squad of 14 to be announced in early May. “We are planning to hold a camp between 24 and 26 April, where we’ll play a few Twenty20 games and allow players match time before the squad is finalised,” Stead said.”We’re fortunate to have the core of our squad from the ICC Women’s World Cup available – although Haidee Tiffen will be missed. It’s also good to see players coming into contention after good performances in this season’s State League Twenty20 competition.”New Zealand preliminary squad Suzie Bates, Amber Boyce, Kate Broadmore, Nicola Browne, Saskia Bullen, Sarah Burke, Abby Burrows, Emma Campbell, Rachel Candy, Amanda Cooper, Sophie Devine, Anna Dodd, Lucy Doolan, Maria Fahey, Victoria Lind, Frances Mackay, Katey Martin, Aimee Mason, Sara McGlashan, Prashilla Mistry, Michelle Mitchell, Megan Murphy, Rachel Priest, Kate Pulford, Sian Ruck, Amy Satterthwaite, Sarah Tsukigawa, Megan Wakefield, Anna Wilkins, Kelly Winkley.

Match facts

April 25, 2009
Start time 12.30pm (10.30GMT)

Big Picture

Rohit Sharma has continued from where he left off in 2008•Getty Images

Deccan Chargers, last year’s winners of the wooden spoon, are the form team this season and lead the league after two matches. Their opponents at Kingsmead, however, are likely to present a tougher challenge than did Kolkata Knight Riders and Bangalore Royal Challengers.Despite a star-studded batting line-up Deccan were last season’s whipping boys and the reasons for a disappointing performance were their batsmen failing to fire collectively and a weak bowling attack. Their two victories in the tournament so far have been set up by at least two top-order batsmen performing in the same innings. The purchase of Fidel Edwards and RP Singh’s ability to swing the new ball has boosted their bowling attack as well.Mumbai beat the formidable Chennai Super Kings in the opening game of the IPL but their second match, against Rajasthan Royals, was washed out in Durban, leaving them with three points after two games. They possess one of the most complete bowling attacks in the tournament – Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga backed up by Harbhajan Singh and Dwayne Bravo. Their batting line-up – Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya, JP Duminy, Dwayne Bravo and Abhishek Nayar – will present Edwards and Co with their sternest Test yet.

Form guide

Mumbai: One match isn’t much to go by but it appeared as though Tendulkar plans to play the anchoring role while the other batsmen played around him. He constructed a match-winning 59 not out against Chennai while Nayar provided the thrust towards the end by hitting Andrew Flintoff for three sixes in an over. Lasith Malinga was struggling with injury problems last season, bowled a crucial spell of 3 for 18, while his Sri Lankan team-mate Jayasuriya chipped in with 2 for 34 after a cameo with the bat.Deccan: The batting has revolved around Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs and Rohit Sharma so far. Gilchrist may have retired from international cricket but some of his leg-side sixes against Bangalore brought back memories of the assault against Sri Lanka in the 2007 World Cup final. Sharma and Gibbs have shown chemistry on the field, where they compete and feed off each other’s success, and they’ve been able to contribute with the bat as well. The key bowlers for Deccan have been their new-ball operators: Edwards hustles the batsmen with pace and bounce while RP’s found the swing that made him a threat during the World Twenty20 in South Africa. They’ve been backed up superbly by Pragyan Ohja, who’s becoming adept at luring batsmen out of the crease and having them stumped.

Watch out for

Rohit v Harbhajan: Rohit’s scored 88 runs off 62 balls in two games without being dismissed. He’s thrived during the middle overs and scored 53 off 37 balls against the spinners. He clobbered Anil Kumble for three sixes in an over and will look to dominate Harbhajan in the same way.

Team news

Deccan have won two out of two games and have no reason to change a winning combination.Deccan: 1 Adam Gilchrist (capt/wk), 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 VVS Laxman, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Venugopal Rao, 7 Ravi Teja, 8 Harmeet Singh, 9 Pragyan Ojha, 10 RP Singh, 11 Fidel Edwards.Mumbai’s team also has a settled look to it but the one change they could make is to replace medium-pacer Rohan Raje with Dhawal Kulkarni.Mumbai: 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Sachin Tendulkar (capt), 3 Shikhar Dhawan, 4 JP Duminy, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Abhishek Nayar, 7 Harbhajan Singh, 8 Zaheer Khan, 9 Pinal Shah (wk), 10 Dhawal Kulkarni/Rohan Raje, 11 Lasith Malinga.

Head-to-head record

Mumbai were ambushed by Gilchrist in their first match in 2008. Gilchrist smashed 109 off 47 balls to set up Deccan’s ten-wicket victory. However, Deccan’s top-order collapsed in the second match against Mumbai, slipping to a 25-run defeat in Hyderabad.

Quotes

“The whole approach has been positive, we have made some changes in the support staff and they have injected lot of enthusiasm and encouraged the players to enjoy there games. Players have responded well so far but its still so early in the tournament. All we can ask players is to hop in and commit and so far we have done that.”

Owais Shah still doesn’t believe he has had a fair chance to prove himself at Test level after losing his place following the tour of West Indies. With the success of Ravi Bopara at No.3 the chances of a recall look extremely slim, but Shah is determined to use the upcoming one-day cricket to make a statement to the selectors.He was finally given his long-awaited chance of a spell in the Test team after Ian Bell was dropped following the defeat at Sabina Park in February. He hit a half century on his recall in Antigua, but failed to make the most of his opportunity in the rest of the series as he twice ran himself out in ideal batting conditions.”I still believe I haven’t had a proper shot at Test cricket,” he said ahead of the first ODI against West Indies. “I’ve had one Test match, a year out, another Test match, a year out and then I’ve had three in a row. I’d like to have a proper run but again I’ve got to earn that run, which I believe I will.”Perhaps I didn’t quite set the world on fire,” he added about the West Indies tour. “A lot was expected, especially batting at No. 3, the media loves talking about that position, perhaps because we’ve had a lot of problems in that position over the years. I was kind of hoping I would get at least five or six Test matches in a row to say ‘here’s your chance, let’s see what you can do’.”Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work out that way but I am as determined as ever and I think I will force my way back into that team.”However, he has all but given up on a place in the Ashes side, well aware that England aren’t going to be making changes to the batting line-up for the first Test in Cardiff. “What I’ve got to do is perform against West Indies in this one-day series, the Twenty20 World Cup and then I go back to county cricket to try to churn out the runs,” he said. “I have done it for years and I will carry on doing it because I believe I am still good enough to play Test cricket and I’d like to get a proper shot at it.”Shah found out about his Test omission while he was with the Delhi Daredevils at the IPL. He didn’t manage to get a game during his four-week stint but has no regrets about the decision to join, despite it meaning that he couldn’t play any early-season county cricket. He doesn’t feel that turning out for Middlesex in April would have made any difference to the selectors’ decision.”I don’t think me coming back and scoring a load of runs would have got me the nod ahead of Ravi. The England selectors, they know what I can do, I’ve been doing it for years. I don’t think getting runs in a four-day game would have made a massive difference.”They made a decision to go with Ravi, he played very, very well and was the man-of-the-series. He deserved all the recognition he’s getting. All I want to do is now concentrate on getting back into the Test scene by scoring loads of runs this year.”And he still believes he learnt valuable lessons from his time in South Africa which he will be able to take with him into next month’s ICC World Twenty20. “It wasn’t actually that frustrating because I got an opportunity to watch and learn,” he said. “I really did learn a fair bit regarding Twenty20 cricket, how teams approach it and what sort of tactics that are used.”Also watching some of the best batsmen in the world, [Virender] Sehwag, [Gautam] Gambhir, [AB] de Villiers and [Tillekeratne] Dilshan and just hanging around with the likes of Glenn McGrath and stuff. You grow up watching those guys, so it wasn’t such a bad experience.”Unlike his Test position, Shah’s one-day and Twenty20 role in the England side is more secure after establishing himself over the last couple of years as a key part of the middle order. With Kevin Pietersen’s injury he could find himself moving up to No. 3, the position he bats for Middlesex, and is confident of his limited-overs ability.”I like to think I am one of the main guys in the one-day team but most importantly you’ve got to perform. That’s something I take a lot of pride from but I want to use that as a stepping stone to the main stuff because, let’s be honest, we all want to play Test cricket when we are young.”

Umar Gul became the first bowler to claim five-wickets in a 20-over international and, according to Daniel Vettori, the first to achieve reverse swing.Vettori’s stunned expression at the post-match press conference at The Oval spoke volumes for Gul’s bewitching influence over his side. The sixth bowler used by Younis Khan, Gul’s entry in the 13th over of the innings paid immediate dividends, with Scott Styris and Peter McGlashan falling to his third and fourth deliveries. Gul sent Nathan McCullum’s leg-stump cartwheeling in his next over, then closed with the dismissals of James Franklin and Kyle Mills – again in consecutive balls.Gul finished with the astonishing figures of 5-6 from three overs, and the satisfaction of having entranced a New Zealand side four days removed from pushing South Africa, the tournament favourites, to the wire at Lord’s.”I’ve never, ever seen someone reverse the ball after 12 overs,” said Vettori, a 13-year international veteran. “He managed to do that and that made a real difference.”He obviously bowled really well. He got the ball to reverse, and I don’t think in the history of Twenty20 cricket anyone’s got the ball to reverse. That made a massive difference today, and with his pace and his accuracy as well as the ball reversing he was a difficult proposition.”I really don’t know (how). It’s the first time I’ve ever seen it happen.”Younis said the explanation lay in the bowler’s action and the nature of Twenty20 cricket where the ball is hit hard and often. “Gul is effective during the middle overs. He has the pace, the reverse swing, a good action for it. Actually he has a very good action for reverse swing.”This is not the first time he has done it for us – the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup also he was leading wicket-taker. The good thing about his bowling is that he bowls in the middle and there is a lot of hits on the ball and the ball all the time goes in crowd and hits the wall and these kind of things and sometimes that is a factor for us.”Gul, meanwhile, credited his devastating form to the influence of two of Pakistan’s finest exponents of reverse-swing bowling. “I have really developed my yorker by watching videos of Waqar and Wasim,” he said. “They have really helped me.”In Twenty20, you have to be able to bowl the yorker, bouncer and the slower ball. Now I want to be the highest wicket-taker in the tournament. My captain just told me to go and get wickets and that’s what I did.”

David Nash, the Middlesex wicketkeeper, has announced that he will retire at the end of the season.Nash, 31, has represented Middlesex since he was 17 and replaced Keith Brown as the club’s long-standing keeper at the end of the 1997 season. He showed immediate promise with both bat and gloves, but never quite threatened to break into the England team with the likes of Chris Read and James Foster battling for the position.Nevertheless, Nash has made more than 5,600 first-class runs at over 35, with 11 hundreds and 27 fifties, which is more than respectable given the toil a county wicketkeeper endures, and his wit and cheerful demeanour made him a favourite with the club, fans, and fellow professionals.”To have played in the Middlesex team for the last fourteen years has been a huge privilege and honour,” Nash said. “Joining the club as a ‘slightly less bald’ nine-year-old colt, way back in 1987, was truly something special for me, and in all the many years I’ve been at this fabulous and famous old club I’ve worn the club shirt with pride each time I’ve stepped out onto the pitch.”I’ll also be donning a suit, as I have a job lined up in the city for a couple of days a week, and in that capacity I hope to still be able to help Middlesex, as I look to relieve some of those over-paid city boys of a few of their ill gotten shillings, by investing in Middlesex hospitality and sponsorship packages at Lord’s.”Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s managing director of cricket, added: “David has been one of the most recognisable and popular characters in county cricket over the course of the last decade. His effervescent nature and constant banter behind the stumps and in the dressing room will make him a hard man to replace.”David brightens up every room he walks into and I am sure he will be as successful away from cricket as he was in it. One-club cricketers are few and far between in the modern game and every one at the club would like to thank him for 14 years of loyal service.”

Former Pakistan international Yasir Hameed has said he would like to take part in the next season of the IPL, after missing out this season due to the ban on Pakistan players.”I’m looking at what happens with the IPL with great interest as there were a couple of franchises who were thinking about signing me at the last auction. But sadly, with Pakistani players not being allowed to take part, that fell through. I hope that Pakistani players like me are given the opportunity to play in future competitions like the IPL and the American Premier League when that starts,” Hameed told .Hameed also expressed disappointment at being dropped in the 30-man Champions Trophy squad. “I’ve been working really hard this season in domestic cricket and was hoping that the selectors would give me a chance by naming me in the squad for the Champions Trophy,” he said.Hameed said that one of the selectors told him “not to give up” and that “his time will come” since he would be starting a new domestic season with PIA.The 31-year old last played an ODI for Pakistan in November 2007.

Making a statement
Bringing up hundreds with a six has become a popular method for new Australian batsmen this year. Phillip Hughes started the trend in Durban during his second Test and Marcus North continued it at Headingley by slog-sweeping Graeme Swann to midwicket to leap from 96 to 102. North had already ripped off his helmet and raised his bat before the ball landed in the stands. It was his third century in his sixth match.Almost a hat-trick
Ben Hilfenhaus was a couple of centimetres away from three wickets in a row when Ian Bell pushed at a perfectly delivered outswinger – and just missed. It was a stunning over from Hilfenhaus, who started by taking Andrew Strauss lbw when he played back and was hit on the left leg. Ravi Bopara went to the same dismissal but there was debate over whether the ball hit bat or pad first, and if it struck him outside off stump. While Bopara moped back, Hilfenhaus and the Australians whooped. It wasn’t long before some England supporters in the Western Terrace were singing: “We’re s*** and we’re 1-0 up.” Not for long.Silencing Stuart
Stuart Broad was feeling perky after bowling Peter Siddle with a fine delivery that clipped the top of off so he started chatting to Stuart Clark. Not the best decision. Clark is a powerful swinger and, having warmed up by launching Graeme Swann over the sightscreen, he pulled a Broad short ball into the crowd. It could have been a fluke, so Broad tried another one with his next effort and suffered the same result. That kept Broad quiet, but he did return in the following over to collect his fifth wicket when Clark played on trying another heave.Freddie watch
No sign of the great man here today but a plane reminded everyone of his predicament. “Get well soon Freddie,” it read. The longer this game goes the more England will be desperate to have him fit for the final Test at The Oval.Angry Anderson
It hasn’t been the best game from James Anderson. His first run left him with a sore hamstring on Friday and it seemed to hamper him at times on the second day. Another bruise came when Michael Clarke fired a straight drive at him and it thudded into his shin, deviating so much it ended up at wide mid-off and the batsmen ran two. His figures of 0 for 89 from 18 overs didn’t soothe any pains.Baby bonus
He’s had one only opportunity on tour but Andrew McDonald is back on track for a moving delivery. McDonald left Leeds on Friday night to fly home for the birth of his first child in Melbourne and the 28-year-old is not due back until Thursday. It’s unlikely he’ll be needed for the final Test at The Oval but he may be called on for the two-day match against the England Lions in Kent next weekend. McDonald took four wickets and scored 107 runs in two innings against Northampton in the lead-up to the third Test.Fancy band
Saturday was dress-up day at Headingley and the winner at the ground was a Kiss tribute act. They received their prize a few metres away from where Geoffrey Boycott and Ian Botham had been inducted into the ICC’s Hall of Fame. Unsurprisingly, Boycott was given the loudest ovation of the award winners.

Allen Stanford, who was due to appear in a Houston court on Thursday, was hospitalised with an irregular heartbeat and high pulse.Stanford, who sponsored the Stanford Twenty20 tournament in the Caribbean as well as the one-off fixture between England and Stanford Superstars, is facing charges of fraud totalling US$ 7 billion. The charges include seven counts of wire fraud, ten counts of mail fraud, conspiracy to obstruct an investigation for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), obstruction of an investigation by the SEC and conspiracy to commit money laundering.Stanford, a Texan billionaire, was arrested in June and was scheduled to appear in a Houston court for a hearing on whether he could get a new attorney. In the same courtroom on 27 August, Stanford’s former finance chief, James Davis pleaded guilty on three counts: conspiracy to commit mail, wire and securities fraud; mail fraud and conspiracy to obstruct a securities and exchange commission investigation.

ScorecardQueensland’s fast bowler Scott Walter picked up six wickets but Western Australia remained on top after two days at the WACA. The Bulls had reduced their deficit to 319 by the close, with Ryan Broad on 56 and Wade Townsend on 23, but they faced an uphill battle to take a first-innings lead.Queensland were frustrated throughout much of the day by Steve Magoffin, the Western Australia nightwatchman who was dropped three times in his 78. He had support from the allrounder David Bandy, who finished unbeaten on 59 when the declaration came at 9 for 406.In his second first-class game, Walter was the most impressive of Queensland’s bowlers and collected 6 for 121 as the Bulls tried to cover for the loss of Ashley Noffke, who in his first Sheffield Shield match for Western Australia made 21. The Warriors had lost Marcus North early in the day for 107, having added two to his overnight score.In reply, Broad guided a solid effort from the Bulls. They lost only one wicket before the close of play as Nick Kruger was caught off the bowling of Brett Dorey for 2.

Tim Nielsen, Australia’s coach, believes there are no guarantees over Michael Clarke’s troublesome back in the long-term and he won’t be rushed into the one-day squad in India. Clarke, who missed the Champions Trophy with the injury, said this week his progress was slow and steady. He has not been picked for the limited-overs tour with the team management preferring him to concentrate on being ready for the opening West Indies Test next month.Nielsen expects the problem will continue to hamper Clarke, Australia’s Test and one-day deputy and Twenty20 leader. “I don’t think we can ever guarantee that [his back will be fine], the issues are with discs and things with his back, so I’m not sure they’re ever going to be 100% perfect,” Nielsen told AAP. “He’ll have to manage it and he basically gets daily treatment on his back and his body when he’s away and playing and travelling, as do most of the blokes.”He said it was important Clarke was at full fitness before he returned. “There’s no point bringing him back half-baked and hoping we can nurse him through,” Nielsen said, “because there’s nothing surer that it’d be a recipe for disaster for him.”Australia need Clarke’s experience as they continue their rebuild and aim for some confidence-boosting success over West Indies and Pakistan in the Test arena this summer. The team is plotting its way back after a 2-1 loss to England in the Ashes, a journey which started well with a win in the Champions League.However, Australia’s schedule remains packed and the Australians won’t have a break until the middle of next year, increasing the likelihood of Clarke missing more matches. “We’re hopeful if we get him enough time to make sure he comes back 100% fit, or as good as he can possibly be, then that’ll minimise the chances of it flaring up quickly,” Nielsen said. “We hope we can come home from India in a month and we’ll see him smiling up there in Brisbane and ready to go for the first match as good as he can possibly be.”Clarke’s new role as Twenty20 captain makes it harder for him to be rested during the packed schedule. “He’s not an old man,” Nielsen said, “so we’ve got to be very careful that we don’t flog him to death as a 28-year-old as he is now.”