2014 Asia Cup Shifted to Bangladesh

The Asia Cup cricket tournament will be held in Bangladesh for the second time in a row after India, who had earlier agreed to host the 2014 edition, backed out citing a packed international schedule.
Bangladesh had hosted the last edition of the tournament in 2012.
The likely dates for the tournament will be February 24 to March 8.
The decision was taken at the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) board meeting on April 8 in Kuala Lumpur, according to a report.
It is said that India informed the other ACC members that they were trying to finalise the itinerary for the New Zealand tour, scheduled to be held in February-March next year.
But Bangladesh, in order to host the tournament, is learnt to have agreed to postpone a scheduled tri-series involving Sri Lanka and Pakistan around the same time.
There is a possibility that the dates could be changed again as the BCCI have been trying to convince New Zealand Cricket for two Tests, two ODIs and two T20Is, which will enable India to compete in the Asia Cup .
The ICC's Future Tours Programme (FTP) has India scheduled to play three Tests, five ODIs and a single Twenty20 international.

India-Pakistan Champions Trophy

The first lot of tickets for the Champions Trophy India vs 

Pakistan clash at Edgbaston, England, June 15 next year 

was sold out in just three hours after windows opened.

The tickets went on sale Monday, and the 15-match 

tournament's first match was a complete sell-out eight 

months in advance, said an International Cricket Council 

(ICC) press release.

The 2013 edition of the Champions Trophy will be the last, 
the previous having been held in 2009 in South Africa.

Kevin Pietersen Left Out for India Test

Kevin Pietersen has been left out of England's Test squad for the tour of India as the controversial batsman pays the price for the text message scandal that has left his international career in tatters.

Pietersen was dropped for the final Test against South Africa after sending texts to opposition players that contained criticism of then England captain Andrew Strauss.

The South Africa-born star has since met England coach Andy Flower for clear-the-air talks, but there are still issues to be resolved and that meant there was no place for Pietersen on the plane to India.

While Pietersen remains in exile at present, England cricket managing director Hugh Morris left the door open for the 32-year-old to return to the fold in the future.

Strauss retired from all cricket in the immediate aftermath of the Pietersen row and the fall-out from a stormy few months for English cricket continues to be felt.

Pietersen's omission and the selectors' decision to drop Essex batsman Ravi Bopara after poor run of form this year paved the way for two uncapped batsmen to be included in Alastair Cook's 16-man squad for the four-match Test series.

Somerset's Nick Compton and Yorkshire's Joe Root have been called up after both enjoyed impressive seasons in English county cricket.

Compton, the 29-year-old grandson of England great Denis Compton, was the top English batsman in the county championship with an average of 99.

Root opened the batting for Yorkshire, averaging 43.41 and winning the Cricket Writers Club Young Cricketer of the Year award on Monday.

The 21-year-old is being lined up to fill the gap left by Strauss's shock retirement.

The squad includes three spin bowlers, Samit Patel, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann, as England adapt to the demands of playing on the slow pitches in India.

England Test squad for India tour:

• Alastair Cook (Essex, capt)
• James Anderson (Lancashire)
• Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire)
• Ian Bell (Warwickshire)
• Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire)
• Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)
• Nick Compton (Somerset)
• Steven Finn (Middlesex)
• Graham Onions (Durham)
• Eoin Morgan (Middlesex)
• Monty Panesar (Sussex)
• Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire)
• Matt Prior (Sussex, wk)
• Joe Root (Yorkshire)
• Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire)
• Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire)

England's 2nd Tour Game Venue Shifted

The second warm-up game of the England on their forthcoming tour to India has been shifted from the Mumbai Cricket Association's Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) ground to D Y Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai.
Announcing this at a media conference, MCA president Ravi Savant said, "We met BCCI president N Srinivasan this morning and he has agreed to our request to shift the second warm-up game of England from BKC to DY Patil stadium."
The shifting of the match scheduled from November 3-5 was necessitated as there were a lot of security issues relating to MCA's BKC ground, said Savant.
This is one area where lot of people from the suburbs and from in and around Navi Mumbai can come and see the England team in action which otherwise they won't be able to do, he said.
The BCCI president was magnanimous enough to accede to our request, Savant added.
England are to reach Mumbai on October 29 and will prepare for the four-Test series -- considered a grudge rubber by India after their 0-4 rout in the last away series -- by playing three warm-up tour games -- two in Mumbai and the third in Ahmedabad, venue of the opening match of the rubber.
England's tour opener is scheduled from October 30 to November 1 at Brabourne Stadium and the third game is to be held on a ground, just outside the Sardar Patel Stadium at Motera from November 8-11.
The opening Test is scheduled at the Motera main stadium from November 15-19 with the subsequent Tests scheduled in Mumbai (November 23-27), Kolkata (December 5-9) and Nagpur (December 13-17).
England would play two T20 Internationals against India on December 20 (Pune) and December 22 (Mumbai) prior to departing home for the Christmas and New Year break, before returning to play in a five-match ODI series begins from 11 January 2013 at Rajkot.

Bhajji-Zaheer May be Rested for England ODIs

Off-colour Harbhajan Singh may not be considered for selection while pace spearhead Zaheer Khan may be rested when the national selectors meet on Saturday to pick India's squad for next month's ODI series against England.
Harbhajan who sustained a Grade-I abdominal tear has been advised four weeks' rest and is unlikely to get fit in time for the shorter formats beginning with a lone Twenty20 game on August 31 and followed by the five one-dayers from September 3.
According to Board sources, senior pacer Zaheer Khan may be rested for the ODI series keeping in mind the tight schedule of the national team that includes Test series against the West Indies and Australia.
Yuvraj Singh who fractured his left index finger is another doubtful case as it is still not clear as to how much time it would take for him to regain full fitness.
While veteran Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag are likely to be available, Parthiv Patel is likely to replace Wriddhiman Saha as the second keeper as he is considered a better batsman.
Mumbai youngster Rohit Sharma who was awarded the man-of-the-series in West Indies is another certaintyalong with Tamil Nadu off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel have also sealed their places in the squad. Left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra who had recently bowled at the India nets before Lord's Test will certainly be an option for the selectors as he has submitted his fitness certificate to the Board.
Paceman Ranganath Vinay Kumar was also in the reckoning for a place in the squad considering that conditions in England will favour the quick bowlers.
However there is certainly going to be some debate as to who will be the reserve batsman in the squad. Yusuf Pathan, Manoj Tiwary and Ajinkya Rahane are fighting for that particular slot.

Taylor To Leads in Zimbabwe's Test Return

"They have come a long way in the last six months especially," he said. Brendan Taylor was handed the responsibility of leading Zimbabwe back into Test cricket after a six-year hiatus when he was named as captain in a 14-man squad for the one-off Test against Bangladesh which starts on Thursday. 
It will be Zimbabwe's first Test since they were thrashed by New Zealand on home soil in 2005. 
Political turmoil with the cricket administration and a string of humiliating performances led them to suspend their involvement in Test cricket although they have continued to play one-day internationals and T20 internationals at the highest level. 
The 25-year-old Taylor, who was fast-tracked into the national side as an 18-year-old back in 2003 during an earlier crisis in Zimbabwe cricket, is one of a clutch of players who have experience of the Test arena. 
He is joined by the likes of Hamilton Masakadza, who made a century on debut at the age of 17 against the West Indies ten years ago and former captain Tatenda Taibu whose 24 Tests make him the most capped of the Zimbabwe squad. 
Left-arm spinner Ray Price brings the experience of 18 Tests while Elton Chigumbura, Christopher Mpofu, Vusimusi Sibanda and Prosper Utseya have 16 between them. 
Experienced one-day player Craig Ervine is in line to make his Test debut but there is no place for Foster Mutizwa who made a battling 87 not out on Monday as a Zimbabwe XI beat the tourists in the three-day warm-up game. 
Zimbabwe's first Test in six years is being used as a yardstick to see whether they are ready to return fully to the Test circuit although chairman of selectors Alistair Campbell suggested judgement should only be made after they play Pakistan next month and New Zealand later in the year. 
National coach Alan Butcher, the former England batsman, said he thought Zimbabwe would be a balanced side, strong in all departments. 

Bangladesh have not played a Test for 14 months since their tour to England last year. 

Squad: Zimbabwe: Brendan Taylor (capt), Regis Chakabva, Elton Chigumbura, Craig Ervine, Kyle Jarvis, Hamilton Masakadza, Tinotenda Mayoyo, Keegan Meth, Christopher Mpofu, Raymond Price, Vusimusi Sibanda, Tatenda Taibu, Prosper Utseya, Brian Vitoriu.

Sehwag to Join India on Wednesday in England

Dashing opener Virender Sehwag will fly to England to reinforce the embattled Indian team for the last two Tests, the Indian cricket board said on Tuesday.
Sehwag, 32, whose brilliant strokeplay has propelled India's batting in the past, missed the previous series in the West Indies and the first two Tests in England because of shoulder surgery in May.
He was selected as the 17th member of the touring squad for England, but was allowed to join his teammates a fortnight late.
Sehwag's fitness will be tested during a two-day match against Northamptonshire from August 5 which precedes the remaining back-to-back Tests at Edgbaston and The Oval.
Sehwag's return will boost India, who crashed to a humiliating 319-run defeat with a day to spare in the second Test at Trent Bridge on Monday to hand England a 2-0 lead in the four-match series.
The tourists, who lost the first Test by 196 runs, must now win at least one of the remaining two Tests and avoid defeat in the other to prevent England from taking over as the number one-ranked team.
Sehwag's regular opening partner Gautam Gambhir, who missed the second Test with an elbow injury, is also expected to be fit for the third Test.
Sehwag has scored 7,694 runs in 87 Tests at an average of 53.43 with 22 three-figure knocks, including two triple centuries.

Dravid-Laxman Keep Hold as India Chase 458 to Win

India need 378 more runs to register a miraculous victory in the 1st Test as they finished Day 4 at 80/1 after hosts England set 458-run target at Lord's.
Rahul Dravid and Venkatsai Laxman held firm as India eyed a record-breaking chase in the first Test after Matt Prior's unbeaten century had swung the match back England's way at Lord's on Sunday.
India, at the close of the fourth day, were 80 for one in their second innings. They needed a further 378 runs in a minimum of 98 overs on Monday's final day to reach their victory target of 458 - a run-rate of 3.85 an over.
This is the 2,000th Test of all-time and no side has ever scored more in the fourth innings to win such a match than the West Indies' 418 for seven against Australia in Antigua in 2002/03.
Dravid, who made an unbeaten century in India's first innings, was 34 not out, having opened in place of Gautam Gambhir who was njured fielding at short leg earlier in the day, and Laxman 32 not out at stumps. The two experienced batsmen's stand was so far worth 61.
It didn't look as if India would have to make fourth innings history when Prior came in with England having collapsed to 62 for five. But the wicketkeeper stuck with his natural game and made 103 not out off 120 balls, including a six and five fours.
It was Prior's sixth century in 44 Tests and second in as many at Lord's following his 126 against Sri Lanka last month. Stuart Broad, who'd led England's attack with four for 37 in India's first innings, gave Prior excellent support in an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 162 at nearly a run-a-ball as India's depleted attack toiled on a sunny day.
Broad, who bats left-handed but bowls right, demonstrated his all-round ability with a fluent 74 not out off 90 balls including nine fours. Prior pulled Suresh Raina for six to go into the 90s before a cover-driven four off the part-time spinner took him to his third Test century at Lord's - he also made 126 not out at the ground on debut against the West Indies in 2007.
As soon as Prior got to his century, England captain Andrew Strauss declared on 269 for six and with 30 overs left in the day's play. Broad's joy continued when he struck third ball to bowl Abhinav Mukund for 12, the left-hander playing on to him for the second time in the match.
India were again down to just three frontline bowlers as left-arm quick Zaheer Khan remained sidelined with a hamstring strain. Fellow seamer Ishant Sharma still rocked England with three wickets for one run in 16 balls before lunch on his way to four for 59 in 22 overs.
Kevin Pietersen had made a superb 202 not out in England's first innings 474 for eight declared. But on Sunday he was out for one when he feathered a steepling Sharma delivery to India captain and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Five balls later Ian Bell fell in similar fashion for nought.

Brief scores
England 474 for 8 dec and 269 for 6 dec (Prior 103*, Broad 74*, Ishant 4-59)
India 286 and 80 for 1 (Dravid 34*, Laxman 32*, Broad 1-12)
Status India need 378 to win

Live Cricket Score Eng Vs India first Test Match - Live from Lords

After the success tour of West Indies, India will take on English team.

India will play 4 Test Match, first Test will played at Lords.

Thu Jul 21 - Mon Jul 25 
15:30 IST 
1st Test - England Vs India
Lord's, 
London

Squad for England against India for 1st Test

Andrew Strauss (c),Alastair Cook (vc),James Anderson,Ian Bell,Tim Bresnan,Stuart Broad,Eoin Morgan,Kevin Pietersen,Matt Prior (wk),Graeme Swann,Chris Tremlett Jonathan Trott

Squad for India against England for 1st Test

MS Dhoni (c/wk),Gautam Gambhir (vc),Rahul Dravid,Harbhajan Singh,Zaheer Khan,Praveen Kumar,VVS Laxman,Amit Mishra,Abhinav Mukund,Munaf Patel,Suresh Raina,Ishant Sharma,Sreesanth,Sachin Tendulkar,Yuvraj Singh