All posts by h716a5.icu

He has been dropped and has struggled to be as effective as he once was, but Saeed Ajmal says it is all part of a plan and that he needs more time to rediscover his old form

Umar Farooq in Mirpur04-May-2015Saeed Ajmal ran through four batsmen in one hour during a training session under the scorching heat at Shere Bangla Stadium in Mirpur. But he appeared to be bowling for the sake of it and helping the batsmen practice. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s spin coach Mushtaq Ahmed was busy looking after Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar.Ajmal has struggled on his return to international cricket with a remodelled action. He has played only two ODIs and a T20, produced only one wicket in 22.3 overs and conceded runs at 6.57 per over. He was dropped for the final ODI of the three-match series against Bangladesh, and subsequently sat out of the Khulna Test as well. Ajmal, however, said there was a plan in place and he needed time to regain his confidence as a bowler.”For me it’s been a tough last eight months and I knew it will be tough moving forward also,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I’d said prior to coming here that I need time and I am disappointed that I am not able to fulfil the expectations of the nation. But I spoke to the captain and the coach and they have a plan for me. I need time to regain my confidence. It doesn’t come in overnight.”Ajmal has been an important wicket-taker in the past and Pakistan may have banked on that reputation while picking him on the tour. That he was then dropped indicates the management may have lost some faith in him and he is eager to set that right.”I don’t want to play cricket on the basis of reputation,” he said. “I want to play with my head held high and with the same confidence level I had in the past. Things are not going well presently, but you will see in coming days that I have improved. If I am benched, that is the plan and the players playing in place of me are the best and performing well.”It’s true that you can go from bad to good and it’s also true that you can go from good to bad,” he added. “I don’t think I have changed my action significantly, only minor tweaks. I know my doosra is not being effective which is reflecting in my performance. But I am doing my best to get myself back on track as soon as possible. I am bowling with different angles from top and from side and things are improving and I am optimistic that I will be same Ajmal as I was.”Ajmal has been a vital part of Pakistan’s success. Since 2011, he has taken a third of the team’s wickets – 145 off 570. In his absence, however, Zulfiqar and Yasir have picked up the slack. They had contributed 14 wickets apiece during the team’s series win over Australia in the UAE and were again trusted to lead the slow-bowling threat in the drawn Khulna Test.”I think it’s their right to play ahead of me,” Ajmal said. “They have done great without me and spare a thought about Khulna Test where pitch was slow enough to kill the spin, otherwise they are good and have proved their ability.”Yasir, though, said he could have used the kind of help Ajmal can offer. “Sometimes you miss having an experienced partner in the field with whom you discuss [tactics] and seek advice from,” he said. “Like it was tough taking wickets on flat tracks in Khulna where the pitch was unresponsive and we all were struggling to take wickets. So having a player like Ajmal around gives you confidence.”Pakistan are yet to win a game against Bangladesh on this tour and were blindsided by Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes’ world-record 312-run opening stand in the second innings in Khulna. But Ajmal conceded the hosts’ form was so powerful that “any team would have struggled”.”They are at the top of their form,” Ajmal said. “There is no weakness in their combination; their batting, bowling and fielding is clicking at the moment.”They are a developing team and at the moment they can give any team a tough time. We underestimated them. We never thought they will play like that and that’s the reason we are shocked. Yes, in Test cricket we could have done better but the pitch was the main difference. I hardly saw the ball spin on the track but Pakistan is a better side in Tests and we have a plan this time and I don’t see any reason why we can’t beat them.”

A round-up of the National Cricket League 2014-15 matches played on January 28, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-2015Dhaka Metropolis trounced Rajshahi Division by 285 runs at the BKSP-3 ground. Mehedi Maruf was adjudged Man of the Match for his maiden first-class century but two others starred for Dhaka Metro, too.Saikat Ali’s five-wicket haul in the second innings bundled Rajshahi out for 174 on the fourth morning. Dhaka Metro had earlier made 302 runs in the first innings riding on Maruf’s 141 off 201 balls, while Sanjamul Islam picked up four wickets for Rajshahi. Dhaka Metro took an 84-run lead when Rajshahi were bowled out for 218 runs. Junaid Siddique and Jubair Ahmed made fifties, but were trumped by Mohammad Shahid and Sharifullah, who took three wickets each.Dhaka Metro pulled their lead to 459 runs after Mehrab Hossain jnr struck his 14th first-class hundred to help the side to 375. Rajshahi left-arm spinner Saqlain Sajib took 6 for 120, but it couldn’t keep their second-innings target down.Saikat took the first four Rajshahi wickets to fall before picking up the ninth wicket of the innings. Sharifullah then wrapped up the game in the 45th over with Farhad Hossain was unbeaten on 85 off 125 balls.Like Dhaka Metro, Khulna Division also got off to a flying start, beating Sylhet Division by an innings and 178 runs next door at the BKSP-2 ground.Khulna declared their first innings on 536 for 8 with Tushar Imran remaining unbeaten on 177 and wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan making 115 runs, his third century in this format.Tushar’s 16th first-class century included 24 boundaries while Nurul struck 13 fours in his 173-ball innings. Khulna had three fifty-plus stands in the first four partnerships before Tushar and Nurul added 238 runs for the fifth wicket. Amit Majumder, Imrul Kayes and Mohammad Mithun also made fifties.Offspinner Sadiqur Rahman and legspinner Alok Kapali took three wickets each for Sylhet, but their reply with the bat wasn’t up to the mark.They were bowled out for 184 runs in 60.2 overs with left-arm spinner Murad Khan taking three wickets. Asked to follow on, they were bowled out for 174 runs in 58.5 overs with Abdur Razzak taking 7 for 71, his 16th five-for in first-class cricket.At the Fatullah Cricket Stadium, Rangpur Division defeated Chittagong Division by 225 runs.Batting first, Rangpur were bowled out for 269 runs with Naeem Islam’s 14th first-class hundred and Suhrawadi Shuvo’s contribution of 62 at No 8. Naeem batted for more than five hours for his 107 off 239 balls with 13 fours and two sixes. Seamer Alauddin Babu took four wickets.Chittagong, however had no answer, and were bowled out for 107 runs in 59.3 overs. Subashis Roy took three wickets while Bishawanath Halder picked up two wickets.Litton Das struck 150 in Rangpur’s second innings, off only 142 balls with the help of 19 fours and four sixes. It was his second first-class century and helped the side hammer 257 for 5 in 49 overs, extending the lead to 419 runs.Shuvo took three wickets while new-ball bowlers Sajedul Islam and Subashis took two each as Chittagong were bowled out for 194 runs in 72 overs.

The pair delivered doubles for their respective sides and were instrumental in securing hard-fought wins

Getty Images1Danny Welbeck | ArsenalWelbeck scored twice and assisted the other goal in Arsenal's 3-2 victory against Southampton.AdvertisementGetty Images2Ayoze Perez | Newcastle UnitedThe Spaniard was directly involved in both of Newcastle's goals against Leicester, assisting one and scoring the second.Getty Images3Christian Eriksen | Tottenham HotspurEriksen netted both goals and also made two key passes in Spurs' 2-1 win against Stoke, which moved them level on points with third-placed Liverpool. ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty4Paul Pogba | Manchester UnitedPogba netted twice in Manchester United's comeback win at the Etihad over their local rivals, with just 97 seconds between his two finishes.

Emma Hayes has revealed the heart-warming response from her son that helped her decide to take the United States women's national team job.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Hayes to leave Chelsea at end of seasonWill take charge of USWNT ahead of OlympicsReveals how son helped her make tough decisionWHAT HAPPENED?

Hayes will leave Chelsea at the end of the current season, bringing 12 incredible and illustrious years at the club to a close. She has helped turn the Blues into the dominant force in English women's football but is now set to take on a new challenge in international football, with the USWNT.

AdvertisementWHAT HAYES SAID

Speaking to about the decision to make the switch, Hayes recalled the moment she spoke to Harry, her five-year-old son, about the possibility of going to the United States. "I asked him, ‘Mummy’s got the chance to go and coach the USA team or we can stay here?’ and his reaction really helped me," she said. "I didn’t know what he was going to say, but he smiled, he hugged me, he kissed me and he said, ‘Let’s go to the USA, mummy, I’m really excited, I want to go to the USA!’ and I almost couldn’t believe it. That was it, that was the endorsement I needed."

Hayes was in a difficult moment at the time U.S. Soccer's interest became known as she had just lost her father. However, she praised the federation for its "support" and said that the role was "impossible to turn down" once they had spoken about how best to make it work.

"Truthfully, I was grieving, and I couldn’t think of anything else. I didn’t have any feeling at that point,” Hayes recalled. "So, I just felt like it was hard to make a life-changing decision, at a time that just didn’t feel right, so reaching that decision with almost a compromise to start at the end of this season was, I think, the only way I could have done it. I really can’t say enough good things about US Soccer and the way they’ve supported that decision and made me feel wanted. They’ve made me feel valued enough that they supported it. Once they agreed to all the things that really mattered to me, it was impossible to turn down."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Hayes will certainly not be eased into the USWNT role as her first few weeks in the job will be focused on the upcoming Olympic women's football tournament, with the nation aiming to win a record-extending fifth gold medal. With four World Cup titles also to its name, the U.S. has been the biggest side in international women's soccer for a long time now.

"Without doubt, it is a major reason I accepted the job, to go to an Olympics, a World Cup, and be leading out the most established women’s football nation,” Hayes added. "When the time comes, I will give it absolutely everything I’ve got. I know what the Olympics means to America and I’ve been made aware of that from my time living out there."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

DID YOU KNOW?

Hayes has won 15 major honours in her time in charge of Chelsea. This season, the Blues are still alive in all four of the competitions they compete in, too, so could well add plenty to that total before the manager departs.

Manchester United will be without centre-back Harry Maguire for their FA Cup fifth-round tie against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Maguire unavailable for FA Cup tieVarane & Fernandes also doubtsUnited face Nottingham ForestWHAT HAPPENED?

The defender has been ruled out of the midweek trip to Nottingham, joining Rasmus Hojlund and Luke Shaw on the sidelines, manager Erik ten Hag confirmed on Wednesday. Fellow central defender Raphael Varane and midfielder Bruno Fernandes are also in danger of missing out.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT TEN HAG SAID

Ten Hag told club media: "We have some question marks in our squad. Harry Maguire will not be available. Bruno is doubtful. Also Rapha Varane is doubtful. We have to watch and see what we will have and then pick a team, with the aim of course [of winning]. It's an FA Cup game, so it's about win or lose. Black or white. We have to win and that should be our approach."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

With Maguire out and Varane possibly following, United have only Jonny Evans, Willy Kambwala and Victor Lindelof available to play at centre-back. Lindelof played on the left side of the defence in Shaw's absence against Fulham last week, meaning all three could start.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR UNITED?

The FA Cup represents United's only realistic hope of winning silverware this season. They sit sixth in the Premier League after 26 matches and have already crashed out of Europe, so Ten Hag will hope to have his team fired up despite their fitness issues.

Lendl Simmons felt “free” during his match-winning innings on Saturday, an innings that guided West Indies to an easy win against Zimbabwe in the first Twenty20

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2013Lendl Simmons felt “free” during his match-winning innings on Saturday, an innings that guided West Indies to an easy win against Zimbabwe in the first Twenty20 in North Sound. Simmons was returning to the side after being left out of the preceding ODI series, and he said he relished compiling the knock of 63 not out.”I enjoyed my knock today, that’s the way I like to play. It was good coming back into the team. I was feeling like myself again,” Simmons said after the match. “I came into this game in good form and it was matter of me going out and expressing myself. Once I got myself set, I looked to bat as deep in the innings as I could.”Simmons had last played for West Indies on the tour to Bangladesh in December. After that he had a satisfactory Caribbean T20 for Trinidad & Tobago, finishing the tournament fourth on the overall runs charts with 182 runs at 30.33.On return, Simmons opened the innings and batted through, ending the chase of 131 with a straight six in the 17th over. After a couple of sixes in the Powerplay, he slowed down a bit, going from 18 off 13 to 26 off 31, before launching once again. His 63 runs came off 49 balls and included six sixes.”It is always nice to have a good understanding with your batting partner and [the other opener, Johnson] Charles said the small target could be tricky, so he said one of us should ‘go at it’. I said ‘let’s both go at it’ in the first six overs,” Simmons said. “The sensible thing to do was to go with the breeze rather than against the breeze, so I decided to target those boundaries.”Simmons, who has a career strike-rate of 69 in ODIs and 122 in T20s, said he knows he does not have a reputation as a big-hitter, but he trusts himself to dispatch the balls that suit him. “I am not seen as one of the power-hitters in the team, but when I get [bad] balls I know I can clear the boundaries. I decided to rotate the strike here against the offspinner [Prosper Utseya] and I said to [Dwayne] Bravo I would look to take the attack to the bowler at the other end [North End]. It worked for us today.”Dwayne Bravo was involved in an unbroken 85-run stand with Simmons, which took West Indies home with eight wickets and 23 balls to spare.Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor said his team’s below-par batting performance was “frustrating”. Zimbabwe have been struggling to get off to solid starts with the bat all tour, with a top opening stand of 39 in four limited-overs games. Here they slumped to 28 for 3 in the fifth over, before Craig Ervine and Malcolm Waller attempted to repair the innings with a 60-run stand. None of the lower-middle order could build on the partnership though, leaving Zimbabwe with just 130 to defend.”It’s very frustrating that our top three batters are not getting starts,” Taylor said. “We can’t rely on our middle order to bail us out every time, but Waller and Ervine batted really well today.”We made it hard for ourselves, too many dot balls. It’s frustrating, we’re not playing as well as we can as a unit.”The one positive for Zimbabwe was fast bowler Chris Mpofu, who took both West Indies wickets while conceding 14 runs in his four overs. His performance came after a poor one-day series, in which he took two wickets at 61.00 with an economy rate of 6.65. Taylor had words of praise for him: “Chris is a good character, a strong character, and we knew he’d bounce back.”The teams will play the second Twenty20 on Sunday at the same venue.

The figures might be unremarkable, but Boyd Rankin produced an unusually fine spell of fast bowling on the first day of Warwickshire Championship match with Somerset

George Dobell at Edgbaston21-Jun-2011
Scorecard
Elegant isn’t normally a word you associate with Ian Westwood. He is a batsman with many qualities: determination, certainly; bravery, absolutely; grim determination, frequently. But elegant is not a description that springs to mind.Here, however, on the second day of Warwickshire’s Championship match against Somerset, Westwood produced an innings that could only be described as elegant. His confidence boosted by a couple of three-figure scores in second XI cricket, Westwood timed the ball unusually crisply and produced a series of resounding cuts and pulls that would have delighted any batsman.It was an important innings, too. Westwood has already played a key role in earning Warwickshire a substantial first-innings lead in the match and given his side an excellent opportunity to revive a season that director of cricket, Ashley Giles, admitted was “at a crossroads”.In partnership with Varun Chopra, Westwood posted 202 for Warwickshire’s first wicket. It represents the club’s highest opening stand in first-class cricket and the first time Warwickshire have recorded a double-century first-wicket partnership since 2000. Warwickshire’s lead is already worth 136 and they have established an excellent platform from which to push for victory over the final half of the game.Westwood also needed this performance from a personal perspective. He had not scored a Championship century since September 2009 and, since relinquishing the captaincy at the end of last year, has struggled to justify his place in the side in any form of the game. This was his first score of more than 50 this season.It cannot have been an easy time for him. At the end of last season, when he had dropped himself from the limited-overs team, Westwood was relegated to the role of spectator as Ian Bell captained Warwickshire to victory in the CB40 Trophy at Lord’s.Here, however, he was untroubled against the seamers and dealt with the left-arm spin of Murali Kartik with calm and composure. The only semblance of a chance he offered came when he was on 99 and Chopra sent him back as the pair considered a quick single. Had Lewis Gregory’s throw from cover hit the stumps, Westwood would have been denied his ninth first-class century and his sixth in the championship.He’s probably never played better. Steve Kirby, as deserving a fast bowler as you could find in England, was reduced to howls of anguish as Westwood cut him to ribbons and pulled him to distraction. Only 17 of Westwood’s 129 runs came in the V from mid-off to mid-on. Chopra, meanwhile, leant into a series of languid cover drives that bore the hallmark of real class.Though Chopra finally fell, playing across a straight one, and a weary Westwood was stumped as he advanced down the pitch and missed, William Porterfield consolidated the host’s position with his third Championship half-century of the season.Perhaps Somerset squandered their slim chance to fight their way back into the game. Porterfield was missed three times before he had reached 30, with Kartik dropping a straightforward chance off Arul Suppian when the batsman had 23.Craig Kieswetter also put down a tricky chance. Before Porterfield had scored, he edged one from Kartik which the recently recalled England keeper could not clasp. It wasn’t the easiest chance, but it does resurrect the question of whether Kieswetter – for all his raw talent – is quite ready for international cricket.Warwickshire lost Jim Troughton – enduring a bit of a grim run of form – while Somerset also claimed the wickets of Rikki Clarke, who missed a sweep, and Darren Maddy, who edged one that left him, right before the close. But, while such strikes will have lifted Somerset spirits, they will know that the damage was long since inflicted. They face an uphill fight to clamber their way back into this game.Somerset’s seamers stuck to their task pretty well. Kirby was, as ever, whole-hearted, while Charl Willoughby claimed the 800th first-class wicket of his career when Tim Ambrose edged a loose drive.Maybe Kartik was not quite at his best. He found some turn, but his line wasn’t as tight as we have come to expect and it took him some time to find his rhythm. Perhaps that is not surprising: he hasn’t played a first-class game since mid-January.Meanwhile it was announced that Kieswetter and Warwickshire’s Chris Woakes will be pulled out of this game after the third day to report for England duty.

Ticket deals for 2024 are being put in place by MLS outfits, but watching Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will come at a serious cost to supporters.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Argentine icon remains a star attractionPulls in audiences wherever he goesEntrance passes do not come cheapWHAT HAPPENED?

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner completed a stunning move to the United States in the summer of 2023. He made an immediate impact in new surroundings, with a historic Leagues Cup title delivered at DRV PNK Stadium – allowing Messi to become the most-decorated player of all-time.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Unsurprisingly, the Argentine icon has become a star attraction in America – with A-list guests flocking to catch a glimpse of him in action. Clubs have also taken advantage of his global appeal by hiking their prices whenever the 2022 World Cup winner is in town.

DID YOU KNOW?

That will remain the case next season, with plans being put in place for the 2024 MLS campaign. Columbus Crew are said to have standard entrance passes available for $40, but will charge between $382 and $679 for a home date with Messi and Miami. The New York Red Bulls have also revealed that they will offering fans a deal that includes merchandise and a ticket to their first home fixture – unless of course that game is against Inter Miami, in which case the offer will roll over to the second home match.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT NEXT?

American supporters should get used to such an approach, with interest in Messi showing no sign of subsiding, and Inter Miami have already announced a price rise of between 46 and 82 percent when it comes to season tickets in Florida – with the cost of said passes now ranging from $800 to $10,000.

Haroon Lorgat, outgoing chief executive of the ICC, has confirmed he would be open to an offer from CSA subject to a complete restructure of the board

Firdose Moonda14-May-2012Haroon Lorgat, outgoing chief executive of the ICC, has confirmed he would be open to an offer from CSA subject to a complete restructure of the board. The organisation may soon have to search for a new boss following the suspension of Gerald Majola in March and Lorgat, along with current acting CEO Jacques Faul, are among the top candidates.Majola’s suspension after ministerial inquiry chaired by judge Chris Nicholson found that he had breached the Companies’ Act when R4.7 million (US $ 671, 428) was paid to staff in bonuses following the successful hosting of the IPL. Nicholson found that CSA lacked sufficient corporate governance and recommended a complete overhaul of the composition of the CSA board, something Lorgat sees as crucial to whether he will consider a role at CSA.”I thought I would initially take some time out from cricket after leaving the ICC but I have been heartened by the early progress I see at CSA,” Lorgat told ESPNcricinfo. “With their Board now committed to restructure, I would be happy to consider a formal approach.”Nicholson studied the Woolf report and Australia’s Crawford and Carter report to learn about the latest governance issues in sport. The central tenet he took from both was the principle of independent directorship. “Both [reports] are emphatic that the role of the independent directors is crucial in areas of high risk to the ethics and governance of the game,” Nicholson’s report read. “Similar sentiments are applicable to CSA.”Lorgat was in charge of the ICC when the Woolf report was compiled and is in favour of greater independence at board level. “With the huge growth experienced in all sports over the last decade and the potential for much more, it is imperative that sports governance models keep pace with the expectations of all stakeholders,” he said. “The playing and commercial aspects of the game have transformed enormously but sadly the same cannot be said about the governance and administration standards.”CSA’s board comprises 22 members, 11 of whom are the presidents of the provincial affiliates. A further three are black African representatives while the eight others are directors, four of whom are independent. Nicholson recommended a smaller board with more outsiders. The Woolf report suggested a 14-member board for the ICC while Crawford and Carter said Cricket Australia’s Board should have a maximum of nine non-executive directors. “A larger board according to them wastes time with procedure, inhibits proper discussion and allows individual directors to shirk their responsibilities without being noticed,” Nicholson said.Nicholson said the advantages of using “outsiders” instead of people who become administrators through the cricketing ranks (starting from club level) will benefit a professional body like CSA. “Lord Woolf and Crawford and Carter emphasise the importance of the Board consisting of competent persons with skills that can contribute to the overall vision of cricket,” he said. “They suggest that an analysis of cricket administrations round the world might suggest a predominance of ex-players, accountants or some other category with an insufficient mix of expertise to guide the complex business of cricket administration.”The recommendation for CSA was to form a 12-member board with nine independent directors. “The advantages include a disinclination to favour any province out of proportion to its deserts and a tendency to advance a more national perspective,” Nicolson said. The recommendation also included a clause that for a director to be appointed, voted off or any major cricketing decision to be taken at least two-thirds of the provincial affiliates should be in favour.In accepting the recommendations of the Nicholson report, CSA agreed, in principle, to restructure its board. An eight-person steering committee, consisting of four current board members and four people who have had previous experience in cricket, was named in March to discuss the restructure, which is expected to take place at the next AGM in September. If a new CEO is to be appointed, it would also happen in September, even though Majola’s disciplinary hearing is scheduled to be complete by May 31.The current board have held on to their positions after their most recent meeting with the country’s sports minister, Fikile Mbalula, on April 26, despite speculation they may have been asked to resign en masse. Mbalula said he was impressed that they had shown commitment to the Nicholson report’s recommendations and had taken steps, such as putting together the steering committee and launching a transformation fund for development, to implement Nicholson’s recommendations.

England face an important few days as they try to formulate their bowling attack for the first Test against Pakistan following the loss of Tim Bresnan

Andrew McGlashan10-Jan-2012England face an important few days as they try to formulate their bowling attack for the first Test against Pakistan following the loss of Tim Bresnan. He flew home on Tuesday having been ruled out of action until at least the one-day series while there are lingering problems with other members of the squad.Graeme Swann, the offspinner, is due to go for a scan on a leg problem that kept him off the field on the final morning against the ICC Combined XI but Andrew Strauss said he wasn’t overly concerned. Chris Tremlett is still struggling with the eye infection he picked up during the early days of the tour.Graham Onions, the Durham paceman, has now been made an official member of the squad and could play in the final warm-up match against a Pakistan Cricket Board XI so that Strauss and Andy Flower have options available to them for the first Test next week. If Swann isn’t risked ahead of the series it would also allow Monty Panesar an outing.Onions was back involved with England squads towards the end of the last season but hasn’t featured in a full international since January 2010 against South Africa after which he suffered a career-threatening back injury that required surgery.”I wouldn’t say when I was playing I took it for granted. But you turn up and have the ball in your hand and then all of a sudden, as happened to me in Bangladesh, you get injured,” he told reporters in Dubai. “That’s quite hard to take. But I’m here now and I want to make a difference as part of this team. They weren’t number one when I was playing. I want to be part of that side.”James Anderson and Stuart Broad are certainties for the first Test barring any late injury problems so Onions is in contention for the third fast-bowling spot along with Tremlett and Steven Finn. Finn bowled 27 overs against the ICC XI and took three wickets as he tries to return to the Test side for the first time since the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s. Tremlett was the man in possession at the start of the India series before injury allowed Bresnan his opportunity.