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England will play a Test in Sharjah for the first time after the schedule for their tour of UAE to face Pakistan in October and November was confirmed. The team will fly out to the Middle East just two weeks after the one-day series against Australia concludes.The trip will include three Tests, which begins on October 13 in Abu Dhabi, followed by matches in Dubai and Sharjah. The Tests will be followed by four ODIs from November 11 to 20, before the tour concludes with a three-match T20 series held between November 26 and 30.The confirmation of the tour schedule had faced delay due to tensions created by the links between Ten Sports, the host broadcaster, and the Essel Group, which has threatened to form a breakaway international league. ESPNcricinfo understands that pressure had been applied by the BCCI on other cricket boards not to play any series in which Ten Sports are the host broadcaster after the PCB recently signed a five-year deal with them.On England’s previous visit to UAE to play Pakistan – during which Pakistan whitewashed the Test series 3-0 but lost both the ODI and T20 contests – the internationals were split between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but Sharjah returned as a Test venue in November 2011, nine years after it had previously hosted matches, and has since hosted matches involving Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

England tour of UAE

September 30, England depart
Oct 5-6, Pakistan A, Sharjah
Oct 8-9, Pakistan A, Sharjah
Oct 13-17, 1st Test, Abu Dhabi
Oct 22-26, 2nd Test, Dubai
Nov 1-5, 3rd Test, Sharjah
Nov 8, one-day practice match, Abu Dhabi
Nov 11, 1st ODI, Abu Dhabi
Nov 13, 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi
Nov 17, 3rd ODI, Sharjah
Nov 20, 4th ODI, Dubai
Nov 23, T20 v UAE XI, Abu Dhabi
Nov 26, 1st T20, Dubai
Nov 27, 2nd T20, Dubai
Nov 30, 3rd T20, Sharjah

The last time England played an international at the venue was during a triangular series in 1999 which formed an odd build-up to that year’s World Cup, which was held in England. On this tour, they will also play an ODI and a T20 at the ground.The tour will be Trevor Bayliss’ first overseas assignment with England and one of his main challenges will be to try and ensure his team do not flounder against spin as they did on the previous trip in early 2012. England, who were the No. 1 ranked Test team at the time, were flummoxed by the spin of Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman as the pair shared 43 wickets across the three Tests.England may not face either on this trip – Ajmal has not played Test cricket since returning from remodelling his bowling action and is currently not involved in any format for Pakistan, while Rehman has not played internationals for a year – but the current spinners, legspinner Yasir Shah and left-armer Zulfiqar Babar, have enjoyed considerable success.The pair caused Australia significant problems in the series in the UAE last year. Yasir, in particular, has 61 wickets in 10 Tests after claiming 24 at 19.33 in the recent series in Sri Lanka.Following the conclusion of the tour, England will return home for a short period before leaving for South Africa – another full tour which includes four Tests, five ODIs and two T20s. That will be followed by the World Twenty20 in India during March.England’s red-ball and white-ball teams have now diverged to such a point that there are very few players that appear in all formats, but the likes of Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and perhaps Moeen Ali could be expected to be first choice for Tests, ODIs and T20s, and may require careful handling from the management.

Australia’s captain Steven Smith admits it will be difficult to fit Usman Khawaja into Australia’s limited-overs teams despite his dominant recent performances across all formats of the game.Khawaja’s unbeaten century in Adelaide on Thursday night, to guide the Sydney Thunder into their first Big Bash League final appearance, was the latest standout innings in a summer of many. Since a tour match against a New Zealand XI in Canberra in October his scores across all forms have been 111*, 21, 11, 174, 9*, 121, 109*, 144, 56, 62 and 104*.Smith spoke glowingly of the way Khawaja was playing, and noted that he had also improved greatly in terms of areas like fielding and running between the wickets, two skills considered even more pivotal in ODIs and Twenty20 matches than Tests. However he pointed to a strong and settled 50-over batting line-up as evidence that Khawaja will be difficult to accommodate, even in his current form.”He has certainly got the capabilities to be able to play for Australia in those formats,” Smith said. “It’s a very tough side to break into at the moment, we’re playing some very good cricket as it is, we’re up 4-0 in this series. I’m sure if he does get an opportunity he’ll take it with both hands.”I think he’s continually improving and working on those parts of the game. Fielding’s very important for an Australian team, we hold ourselves to very high standards and he works extremely hard on it, so hopefully he can continue getting better at it, but he’s going okay at the moment.”I thought he batted beautifully again last night, it was great to see him score another hundred and get another Sydney side into the Big Bash final. If he comes in and gets an opportunity, I’ll see where he’s best suited. I think the order’s pretty settled at the moment, so we’ll wait and see how that all pans out.”One circumstance that may allow Khawaja to squeeze into the Australian limited-overs batting order is a schedule that does not allow any room for a first-class warm-up fixture before the looming Test series in New Zealand. Cricket Australia have scheduled a Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and Western Australia in Lincoln near Christchurch as a way of providing some preparation, however Khawaja’s status as a Queensland cricketer means his best avenue may be to play in the ODIs that precede the Tests.A fellow Queenslander, the opener Joe Burns, is in a similar predicament, and the team performance manager Pat Howard has suggested there is a possibility of changing the ODI squad with an eye towards the New Zealand Tests. Smith, however, appeared to need further convincing about this concept.”I’m not sure about that,” Smith said. “NSW and WA are playing a Shield game in New Zealand as well, so everyone’s been playing a lot of cricket, the conditions aren’t too dissimilar to what we get here if the wicket’s got a bit of grass on it, and guys are playing plenty of cricket, so I think we’ll be plenty prepared for that tour.”As far as I’m concerned I want to win every series we play. It’s another opportunity for guys to play away from home as well. We’ve been playing some very good cricket at home and I want to win another one-day series away. Its about having the best guys on deck to do that.”Nevertheless, Smith has already made one concession towards future assignments by promoting the allrounder Mitchell Marsh to bat at No. 3 against India at Manuka Oval in order to grant him time in the middle. Other such compromises may yet be required if the likes of Khawaja are to be given their best chance of succeeding in New Zealand, a series that offers Australia the chance of pouching the No. 1 Test ranking.”It was about giving Mitchell a bat,” Smith said of Marsh. “He hasn’t had much of a bat this summer, we’ve got some big series coming up in New Zealand, so I would’ve liked him to spend some time in the middle. For us going forward it’s just about trying to win games and it’s whatever the best line-up is to win a game.”Glenn Maxwell is a doubtful starter for Saturday’s final ODI due to knee soreness after he sustained a knock while batting in Canberra, meaning the selectors will have a choice between Scott Boland and Shaun Marsh for the final spot in the hosts’ XI.

Ben Hilfenhaus, the Tasmania fast bowler, has been drafted into Australia’s squad for the first Test after Shaun Tait’s elbow injury flared in his Pura Cup return. Tait had an elbow operation in May and the recovery prevented him from touring South Africa and India with the one-day sides before the latest bout of pain.Alex Kountouris, the Australia physio, described the injury as a minor setback, but Tait’s series of problems is a worry for Australia ahead of a busy home season that starts with the Test against Sri Lanka in Brisbane on Thursday. Tait developed the right-elbow soreness while playing in South Australia’s loss to Tasmania, where Hilfenhaus picked up three wickets.Hilfenhaus, who is capable of high-speed outswing, was the form domestic bowler in 2006-07 with 60 wickets at 25.30 and he was rewarded with Tait’s spot on the limited-overs trips. “Ben richly deserves his opportunity after a magnificent Pura Cup season last year,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said. “He also impressed all with his involvement around the Australian squad in the one-day international series in India.”Hilfenhaus played in the Twenty20 match in Mumbai and will need an injury to one of Brett Lee, Stuart Clark or Mitchell Johnson to catapult into the starting XI. However, he will continue his grooming as a capable replacement when the inevitable injuries hit as Australia embark on a crammed campaign, starting with six home Tests followed by tours to Pakistan and the West Indies.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Match package
Bulletin – South Africa complete whitewash
Verdict – Pollock defies the critics
Quotes – ‘We haven’t come to grips with the conditions’ – Chappell
Quotes – ‘Our bowlers were fantastic’ – Smith
Short cuts – AB’s blast and a good-luck message
Stats – Smith gets out of a rut
News – Indian fan taken into custody
Audio – Ravi Shastri – There was just one team on the park
GalleryPreview package
Preview – India face a test of character
News – Slings, arrows and the short stuff

South Africa A 47 for 0 (Bosman 22*) beat Sri Lanka A 45 (Steyn 5-20) by 10 wickets
ScorecardDale Steyn bowled South Africa A to a thumping ten-wicket victory in their opening one-day match at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, taking 5 for 20 in seven overs as Sri Lanka A were routed for 45 in just 21.4 overs. South Africa’s openers, Andrew Puttick and Loots Bosman, then rattled off the required runs in a mere 29 balls.After winning the toss and choosing to bowl first, South Africa were given the perfect start when Steyn trapped Avishka Gunawardene lbw for a first-ball duck, and the Sri Lankan innings scarcely improved after that. Tyron Henderson also struck in his first over, and when Steyn struck again to make it 4 for 3, the Supersub, Jehan Mubarak, was already strapping his pads on.Mubarak, however, was unable to stem the tide, falling for a fourth-ball duck, and the only double-figured contributions came from Jeewan Mendis and extras, both of whom made 11. Albie Morkel, South Africa’s Supersub, wrapped up the innings with two wickets in 16 balls, and a crushing result was already in the bag.

Ricky Ponting, Australia’s captain, has played down the comments made by Adam Gilchrist about the state of the Darwin pitch, on which Australia beat Sri Lanka by 149 runs in the first Test.Gilchrist led the Australians in place of Ponting, who didn’t play in the match due to family reasons, and he labelled the pitch as not up to Test standard. However, Ponting had a different opinion on the matter: “You don’t want drawn Tests. We need players who can adapt and play to different conditions.”He added, “There’s no doubt we were spoiled last year. Last summer the pitches were as flat as I’ve seen in Australia. The West Indies last year was exactly the same. You don’t want batsmen dominating the ball as much as they did last summer. Better cricket wickets will make it a better spectacle for the fans and more enjoyable to play.”However, cricket and the state of the Darwin pitch were far from Ponting’s mind this week. His Aunt passed away during the Test, and he insisted he had no regrets at missing the match. “It’s been a pretty tough week for me and my family, but as far as it being a tough decision to miss the Test, it wasn’t a tough decision at all,” Ponting said. “Fingers crossed I’m going to play a lot more Test matches, but I’ve got only one family, so that was where the decision was made.”He also brushed aside any fears that he might be under prepared for the second Test, starting at Cairns on Friday (July 9). “I won’t be going in cold,” he said. “I had a really good workout for a few days in Brisbane. I got a lot out of that and I’ll be able to do that the next few days here as well. As it turned out the batsmen didn’t get too much time in the middle anyway, so I don’t think I’ve missed out on too much.”

Cricket Victoria is pleased to announce the 2002/03 State Selection Panel was re-elected last night for two years, until the completion of the 2004/05 season.The decision, made at last night’s April Delegates meeting, was a ground breaking one as it was the first time the State Selection Panel had been re-elected for a period of longer than twelve months.Cricket Victoria’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ken Jacobs, said the decision demonstrated faith and support for the job the selectors had done in the recently completed season. “It was agreed by all delegates that the selection panel be given a two year period in which they can continue to work with our coaching staff to develop a playing list that they believe will bring success to Victorian cricket in both the Pura and ING Cups”.He added ” the selectors were very diligent in their approach in ensuring the best sides were picked to represent the Bushrangers and we congratulate them for their commitment to the task”.The Victorian State Selection Panel comprises Michael O’Sullivan (Chairman), Ray Bright, John MacWhirter and coach David Hookes.

England’s short tour of Zimbabwe in September and October has been thrown into doubt following the recent unrest in the African country. England are due to play five One-Day Internationals against Zimbabwe before they fly onto India and then New Zealand this winter.The unrest in Zimbabwe has seen more than 50 white-owned farms attacked and their houses looted, raising questions about the safety of the England cricket team.Gareth Thomas, the Labour MP and secretary of the all-party parliamentary sports group, told The Times: “To play cricket matches in a country where the Government is clearly condoning violence against its opponents must be questionable.”Unless the situation improves dramatically this tour should be cancelled.”John Read, the England and Wales Cricket Board spokesman explained that they were concerned with what is happening in Zimbabwe, but still insured that the England tour will not be postponed.He confirmed: “We are still planning to go ahead but this is being reviewed daily. We will be guided by the Foreign Office.”A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: “We are in close touch with the cricket board. The situation is being monitored.”

Play in the final session of the Pura Cup match between New South Wales and Western Australia has lasted only nine overs after rain and thunderstorms hit the NorthSydney Oval this afternoon.After being dismissed for 226 in their first innings just on the point of tea, the Blues went out in search of early wickets to give themselves a chance of capturing twopoints in bowler friendly conditions. When the players left the field at 4:48pm the Warriors were 1/37 following the dismissal of Mike Hussey (1) who continued agenerally disappointing run this season.Ryan Campbell (30) was scoring at a rate of better than a run a ball prior to stumps, amassing his runs off twenty-nine deliveries in an innings which included fiveboundaries. Simon Katich joined Campbell following Hussey’s dismissal and is unbeaten on six.Nathan Bracken made the early breakthrough when he bowled Hussey.Don Nash was the Blues bowler to bear the brunt of the Campbell onslaught, conceding thirty off his opening five overs. Bracken, meanwhile, had the far morerespectable figures of 1/7 alongside his name from his four overs.Today’s play saw eleven wickets fall for 263 runs in an up and down day for both teams. After early wickets fell, the Blues were struggling at 5/49 before a middleand lower order revival, headed by Brad Haddin (87) and Mark Higgs (34), swelled the score to 226.

The first ball Virat Kohli faced in a tight and ultimately successful chase at SCG should have gone for four runs. Instead, the ball was called dead because it hit the spidercam on its way to the boundary. In the last Test that India had played at the SCG, Steven Smith dropped a sitter from KL Rahul because he was distracted by the spidercam. The ball might have even flicked the cable. India eventually won the fifth ODI, but who knows if Australia would have been held to a draw had Rahul not gone on to score a century in the Test last year?MS Dhoni, India’s limited-overs captain, has called for balance when it comes to intruding the field of play for TV gimmicks. He has also spoken about other gimmicks that have mushroomed with the advent of Twenty20. “I am quite a traditional guy,” Dhoni said. “I have always felt that… anything that disturbs the game of cricket I don’t like it. It all started right from the T20 where people would be like, ‘Why don’t you wear a mic?’, ‘Why don’t you wear a camera?'”I have always felt there is a need for balance. At the end of the day it is a spectator sport, people watching on television, but at the same time four runs can matter, especially when it is a close game. Those four runs can be crucial. Everyone gets penalised, why not have the same system for the spidercam? Say, ‘Okay if you get hit, 2000 dollars per hit.’ Let’s make it interesting.”People [broadcasters] are striving for more. When you have got out and walking off, the cameraman goes right under your face. The same way the spidercam is right next to you. You have seen players, they are like, ‘What is happening?’ It makes a lot of noise. At the end of the day it is also about the spectators. If spectators are not there, cricket won’t be played. It is a mix and match; 2000 dollars per hit is a good option.”During the Sydney Test last year, the camera was moved higher and away from the field of play rapidly after the incident. This time, though, the upper-cut from Kohli was not even a skier. Back then, a joint statement from Channel Nine and Cricket Australia said: “We have spoken about the matter involving spidercam and the dropped catch before lunch and it’s clear the ball did not hit the camera or its supporting wires. Captain Steve Smith was distracted by one of the wires in his eye line. Both CA and Nine will continue to work together on the use of spidercam in the broadcast coverage and will take on board any player feedback as necessary. As it stands, if any player has a concern about the placement of spidercam they can ask the umpires for it to be moved.”Dhoni’s larger point about the intrusion into the players’ space might hold some resonance too, especially shoving cameras up their faces when they have just got out or doing interviews just after their dismissals. Such interviews were the centre of conversation when, earlier in the Australian summer, Chris Gayle infamously made a female reporter uncomfortable in an interview as soon as he had walked off the field.