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The third one-dayer between Afghanistan and Pakistan A, has been moved from Abbottabad to the country’s capital Islamabad

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-2011The third one-dayer between Afghanistan and Pakistan A, has been moved from Abbottabad to the country’s capital Islamabad. Abbottabad, a regular venue for first-class matches in Pakistan, attained international significance on May 2, following a US military operation in the town that culminated in the killing of Osama bin Laden.”The itinerary has been revised and now the Abbottabad match will be played in Islamabad on May 25,” the Pakistan Cricket Board said in a release. No official reason was given for the decision which was taken at a meeting on Thursday between PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and interior minister Rehman Malik. The rescheduled match will now be the series opener, and will be followed by games in Rawalpindi and Faisalabad, on May 27 and 29 respectively.Afghanistan are set to become the first international team to tour Pakistan since militants attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009. The Afghan side, coached by former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif, will arrive in Islamabad on May 24. Afghanistan has made rapid strides in international cricket, progressing in 2009 from ICC Division Five to Division One and securing one-day status the same year. They also won the ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2010, and qualified for the 2010 World Twenty20 in the West Indies.

Everton made an unsuccessful attempt to sign Luka Jovic on transfer deadline day, Fabrizio Romano has revealed. 

The lowdown

It was a largely positive deadline day for the Toffees as they announced the appointment of Frank Lampard as their new manager before sealing the signings of Donny van de Beek from Manchester United (on loan) and Dele Alli from Tottenham.

They finished January with five new additions, having recruited Vitaliy Mykolenko, Nathan Patterson and Anwar El-Ghazi earlier in the month. Only Watford brought in more fresh faces among Premier League clubs in January, and only Newcastle United and Liverpool spent more money (via Transfermarkt).

The latest

At 9:30pm on Monday night, Romano took to Twitter to claim that Everton had made a last-gasp bid to try and sign Luka Jovic from Real Madrid, but their advances were flatly rejected.

The journalist tweeted: “Real Madrid have turned down Everton approaches for Luka Jović today. No chance.”

The verdict

Was it a big blow to miss out on Jovic?

Everton have only scored 24 goals in their first 20 Premier League matches, but that disappointing return can largely be put down to the absence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The Toffees’ top scorer from last season has only been fit enough to start six league games so far this term, which clearly has negated the team’s attacking threat.

Jovic, who has 57 senior career goals at the age of 24, may have been regarded as a more effective backup than Salomon Rondon, who has only netted once in 708 minutes of top-flight football in 2021/22, but the Serbian may not have accepted being a substitute at Goodison Park.

Perhaps the £18m-rated forward, who earns £152,000 per week in the Spanish capital, will be on Everton’s radar if Calvert-Lewin is lured to Arsenal, having been linked with the north Londoners lately.

In other news, Everton also tried to bring this man back to Goodison Park.

The paint has barely dried on the neutral honour board at Lord’s, but already Ricky Ponting is hoping to get more from his bowlers at Headingley.

Brydon Coverdale at Headingley20-Jul-2010The paint has barely dried on the neutral honour board at Lord’s, but already Ricky Ponting is hoping to get more from his bowlers in the second Test at Headingley. Shane Watson and Marcus North were the first two entries on the new bowling board under the headline “other”, to represent neutral Tests, and it’s also a fair description of their place in Australia’s attack.In swinging and seaming conditions, Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Johnson and Doug Bollinger collected six of the 20 wickets and with the potential for overcast weather again, there should be further assistance in Leeds. Johnson bowled well in the first innings but lost his radar in the second, while Bollinger struggled to find any movement.It was the only area in which Ponting was less than fully satisfied during the 150-run victory, which extended Australia’s winning streak against Pakistan to 13 Tests. There were no centuries from the batsmen but in trying circumstances, they still performed much better than their Pakistani counterparts.”If you want to be critical you can probably look at the fact that we got 11 wickets out of Watson and North in the game,” Ponting said. “Our fast bowlers probably tried a little bit too hard I think in conditions that were suiting the quicker bowlers. I think they probably tried to get a bit too much out of the wicket.”That can happen here [in Leeds] as well because you know that this place is a place that can nip about a bit for the seamers – we’ve spoken about that a bit. Otherwise I was pretty happy, our fielding was pretty sharp, I don’t think we put any chances down. It’s just more about getting your head back around playing good solid Test match cricket again.”On a Headingley pitch likely to be tough work for the batsmen, the Australian pacemen will be licking their lips at the prospect of attacking Pakistan’s middle order. Umar Amin and Azhar Ali both showed glimpses of promise at Lord’s but will be in only their second Test, while Umar Akmal is talented but also lacks experience.Kamran Akmal is the only member of the batting group who has played a Leeds Test, four years ago, and he fell twice to Sajid Mahmood for 20 and 0. Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan both made big hundreds in that game and although there is the possibility they will be called upon for the series against England, Pakistan will have to make do with their fresh-looking line-up this week.”Their batters are not that used to batting in conditions like that,” Ponting said. “When you are brought up in Pakistan you don’t generally see the ball seam around and swing around like it did last week. With the inexperience they have got in their batting, their No. 3 and No. 4 spots, guys making their debut last week, we feel we can get the Akmals pretty early as well when they come in if we expose them at the right time.”The one man that will worry the Australians slightly is the new Pakistan captain Salman Butt, who made 63 and 92 at Lord’s, where Ponting said Butt batted as well as he had ever seen from him. With the added pressure of captaincy, Butt will be key for Pakistan with the bat and marshalling his troops in the field and Ponting said the best way of bruising his confidence was to get him out cheaply.”If any pressure needs to be put on him this week it’s going to be with what we do with the ball,” Ponting said. “I think we were a little bit off the mark with what we did with the ball to him last week and he hit a lot of boundaries. I think his first 50 in the second innings he hit 10 or 11 boundaries, so we’ve got to stop that.”

Sussex skipper Michael Yardy scored his first four-day hundred of the season to guide his side to a draw in their County Championship match against Division Two opponents Surrey

12-Aug-2010
ScorecardSussex skipper Michael Yardy scored his first four-day hundred of the season to guide his side to a draw in their County Championship match against Division Two opponents Surrey at Guildford. The left-hander got there in style with a maximum as Sussex reached 275 for 6 in their second innings, the players shaking hands with the visitors 200 in front.It was not enough to prevent his side losing their top-of-the-table status after Glamorgan’s win over Worcestershire put them a point clear, but Yardy will have been satisfied with the outcome after his side had been outplayed for large parts of the contest.Sussex began the final day 39 for 2 and still 36 runs in arrears and made the worst possible start when Chris Tremlett’s lifter flew off the shoulder of Michael Thornely’s bat and was taken in the gully off the first ball of the day. Ed Joyce and Murray Goodwin cleared the deficit but the lead was just seven runs when Ed Joyce was bowled round his legs sweeping the off-spin of Gareth Batty.Sussex suffered another blow just before lunch when Meaker, who was the pick of Surrey’s seam attack, yorked Murray Goodwin to leave Sussex 94 for 5, a lead of just 19. But that was Surrey’s last success for 32 overs as Yardy and Ben Brown, who was playing in only his fourth Championship game, turned things around.Yardy offered one chance on 19 but Matthew Spriegel, who had earlier dropped Goodwin at third slip before he had scored, failed to hold on to a low catch. He played with increasing confidence thereafter and Brown soon settled down to give him excellent support in a partnership of 108 in 32 overs, the highest of this low-scoring game.Surrey took the new ball as soon as it became available and Meaker quickly struck when Brown was caught behind driving loosely for 52, made off 96 balls with five fours.There were still 32 overs remaining and Sussex’s lead was only 127 but Surrey’s hopes of quickly polishing off their tail after tea ebbed away as Yasir Arafat joined Yardy in another productive partnership.Yardy went to his hundred with his second six, struck down the ground off Meaker, and he finished unbeaten on 100 off 157 balls having added an unbeaten 73 for the seventh wicket.Meaker finished with 4 for 86 but Surrey were hampered by the absence of Jade Dernbach who was forced off with a shoulder injury before returning to the attack later in the day.

A round-up of the first day of the first round of matches in the Super League of the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2010L Balaji’s 12th first-class four-wicket haul helped Tamil Nadu bowl Assam out for 184 on the opening day at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Assam began cautiously after TN chose to field on a pitch that had plenty of carry, and the openers had seen off 13.3 overs, adding 24 before debutant seamer Sunil Sam made the first breakthrough. Dheeraj Jadhav, Assam’s top-scorer last season, slashed and edged to the wicketkeeper. Sridharan Sriram, the left-hand batsman who hails from TN, could not make an impact against his old team-mates, and became Balaji’s first victim when he cut to gully. Parvez Aziz played offspinner R Ashwin with confidence and had moved to 36 with six boundaries. He also fought through a stream of bouncers before offering S Badrinath a catch off Balaji’s bowling. Badrinath had to dive low and to his left at second slip to take the chance. When star import Amol Muzumdar departed for a duck, nicking Balaji behind, TN sensed an opportunity to shoot Assam out for a low score. The spinners Aushik Srinivas and R Ashwin nipped three wickets between them, while a couple of run-outs added to Assam’s woes as they stumbled to a score under 200. TN’s openers Abhinav Mukund and Srikkanth Anirudha then batted with determination to take their side to 21 without loss by the close.Wasim Jaffer purred along to his 40th first-class century, while Rohit Sharma missed his ninth by seven runs as Mumbai launched their title defence by scoring 340 for 7 on the opening day at the Bandra Kurla Complex against Saurashtra. On a day that would have left both sides reasonably satisfied, there were several important individual performances that stood out. Dropping himself to No. 3 in the absence of the injured middle-order bulwark Ajinkya Rahane, Jaffer carried on his penchant for plundering domestic hundreds, after Jayesh Odedra’s double-strike. At the other end, with the selectors’ eye on his fitness and temperament, Rohit launched himself into the Saurashtra attack with typical elegance. His 93 came off 86 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes, leading Mumbai to 252 for 2 and in sight of a towering score. Then came the third most significant performance of the day, from another India hopeful. Ravindra Jadeja has had his place in the Indian questioned by all and sundry, and he responded with an incisive spell with the game threatening to run away. He dismissed Sharma, Abhishek Nayar and Ramesh Powar, leading Saurashtra’s resurgence in the evening session and left them with an opportunity to finish Mumbai’s innings early on the second day.For more on this match, click here.Opener Arindam Das’ seventh first-class century was the highlight of the opening day at the Feroz Shah Kotla as Bengal posted a dominant 313 for 2 against a Delhi attack that struggled for incisiveness. Ten months after the abandonment of an ODI due to an underprepared pitch, the Kotla track was at its benign best as Das settled down for a big innings, in Shreevats Goswami’s company. The pair raised 133 in 37.2 overs, giving the hosts a taste of what was to come before Goswami fell for 68, the first of Mithun Manhas’ two wickets. Abhishek Chowdhury was more cautious, but it did not affect Bengal’s speed of scoring as Das shifted gears upwards. Manoj Tiwary who came in at Chowdhury’s exit kept the momentum going with an unbeaten 47 off 80 balls. At the other end, Das, kicked on after reaching his ton and finished the day unbeaten on 150. His knock included 19 fours, and he looked good for more when stumps were drawn.For more on this match, click here.Yuvraj Singh managed a half-century but, like the rest of his top-order mates, was guilty of throwing away a start, as Uttar Pradesh held Punjab to 279 for 6 on the opening day at the Bhamashah Stadium in Meerut. Sarul Kanwar began in aggressive fashion after Punjab chose to bat, striking eight fours in his run-a-ball 42. However, after an opening stand worth 56, Praveen Kumar removed Kanwar and Ravi Inder Singh off successive overs, exposing Punjab’s middle order. Uday Kaul rebuilt in Yuvraj’s company, the pair raising 61 for the third wicket before a mini-collapse reduced Punjab to 143 for 5. Karan Goel rose to the occasion, and along with Vishwas Bhalla, lifted his side to respectability with a 72-run alliance. Piyush Chawla prised out Bhalla, but Harmeet Singh counterattacked with four fours and a six in his 29, taking Punjab to stumps along with Goel, who was unbeaten on 56.Gujarat’s top order gave a good account of themselves without managing to dominate the Railways attack, leaving both sides on par at stumps on an attritional opening day at the Karnail Singh Stadium. Every Gujarat batsman got a start in a score of 234 for 4, but only one managed to reach fifty, while most bowlers gained respect without making enough entries in the wickets column. Jay Desai and Priyank Kirit Panchal ground out an opening stand of 58 in 28 overs before exiting on the same score. Niraj Patel and Parthiv Patel showed more urgency in a stand of 74, but both failed to kick on, as Gujarat found themselves unable to reap the rewards of solidity. That partnership, however, eased the pressure on the remaining batsmen. Bhavik Thaker, coming in at No. 5, did better than the top four, ensuring he crossed his half-century and remained unbeaten at stumps. His innings included two fours and a six off consecutive deliveries from Faiz Fazal. Debutant Pratharesh Parmar held up the other end with an undefeated 28 and the pair will want to push ahead on the second day. Parthiv praised his batsmen for their effort. “The wicket was green and two-paced,” he told the . “So, it was a challenge to play the first 30 overs and we did it.”Opening bowler Basanth Mohanty completed his sixth first-class five-wicket haul as Orissa bullied Baroda, reducing them to 99 for 9 on a curtailed day at the Barabati Stadium. After overnight rains delayed the start by half an hour, Orissa captain Shiv Sundar Das had no hesitation in bowling after winning the toss in damp, seamer-friendly conditions. Baroda’s batsmen, star players Yusuf Pathan and Ambati Rayudu included, had no answers against Basanth in an innings where only three batsmen managed to enter double-figures. Things could have been far worse for Baroda if not for Rakesh Solanki’s unbeaten 44. Debasis Mohanty, Alok Chandra Sahoo and Dhiraj Singh complemented Basanth’s efforts with a wicket apiece as Baroda derailed in shocking fashion.Himachal Pradesh’s bowlers contained Haryana on the opening day, as the visitors crawled to 204 for 4 in Dharmasala. After choosing to field, the hosts started well, with seamer Jitendra Mehta removing Nitin Saini for five, but wickets were hard to come by after that. Rahul Dewan held vigil for 40 watchful overs, his 46 pushing the score to 88, before he perished against Ashok Thakur. Manav Sharma and Hemang Badani carried on in the same vein, their partnership of 74 spanning nearly 30 overs before Manav fell four short of his half-century. Badani brought up his 37th first-class fifty, and the first for Haryana, but more importantly, ensured he was unbeaten till the end.

Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain, has said allrounder James Franklin’s performances in the ODI series against India have made him a strong contender for a place in the World Cup squad.

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2010Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain, has said allrounder James Franklin’s performances in the ODI series against India have made him a strong contender for a place in the World Cup squad. Franklin was the visitor’s only bright spark in a series that saw them lose 0-5 and extend their run of defeats without a win to 11. He narrowly missed out on his first ODI century, making 98 not out in the fourth ODI in Bangalore, and got 72 not out in the third match in Vadodara.”Franklin has been in and out of the team but he has performed well on this tour,” Vettori, who is also a New Zealand selector, said. “There are about three guys competing for that [the allrounder’s] place in the World Cup team, but James has proved himself worthy of a spot.”Franklin wasn’t in New Zealand’s original squad for either the Tests or the ODIs. He was flown in as a replacement for the injured fast bowler Hamish Bennett during the Tests, and then took Jesse Ryder’s place in the squad for the one-dayers as well after Ryder injured his calf.Vettori said India’s balanced side was the difference between the two teams. “India scored over us because they struck a balance in every department in the Tests as well as the ODI series. We were not consistent. One day we batted and bowled well but the other day we didn’t. In one-day matches you have to display some specific abilities like the ones India showed.”Vettori, though, was confident there wouldn’t be questions over his captaincy following the poor run. “I think I have led the team as well as I can. We understand the result. They change me if they feel there is a need to do it.” He has captained New Zealand in 73 ODIs.New Zealand’s next assignment is a home series against Pakistan, which will see them play three Twenty20 internationals, three Tests and six ODIs between December 10 and February 5. Vettori said New Zealand needed to perform against Pakistan to regain confidence ahead of the World Cup, but they were more comfortable playing at home. All of New Zealand’s last eleven losses have come on subcontinent pitches. The last time they played an ODI series at home was against Australia in March, a series they lost 3-2. In February, they beat Bangladesh 3-0 at home.India’s tour of South Africa begins with the first Test at Centurion on December 16, and Vettori said India had a good chance of winning. “India have been the leading team in Tests in recent times. They are an experienced side with some remarkably talented batsmen and bowlers. I think cricket fans would be keen that they play some lively cricket and win.”

Celtic are thought to be eyeing a move for midfielder Ahmed Kendouci from Algerian side ES Setif, according to reports, relayed by The Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Kendouci profiled

Kendouci is just 22 years of age and is valued at £1.17m by Transfermarkt, making him his agency’s most valuable star by a considerable distance, so they’d surely be delighted to facilitate a big move.

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He’s capable of playing as a left midfielder as well as in a defensive, central or attacking midfield role, offering the sort of versatility that any manager would love to have in their squad.

Kendouci has made ten appearances in Algeria’s top flight this season, scoring three goals, and it seems as if he is now on Celtic’s radar after a move for Riley McGree broke down.

The Latest: Celtic links

The Daily Record relayed reports from Algeria regarding Kendouci in a story on Wednesday.

It is believed that the Hoops are looking at a potential move for the versatile midfielder and have even contacted former Rangers man Madjid Bougherra for more information on Kendouci.

The Verdict: Strange…

It seems extremely bizarre that a former Rangers man would be willing to help Celtic when it comes to possible signings.

However, it does seem as if Ange Postecoglou wants another midfielder brought in given the collapsed move for McGree, so there could be some truth into the latest rumours.

The Hoops boss has admitted previously that he’d be willing to explore niche markets when it comes to signings, so perhaps this is one to keep a close eye on even with the strange name-checking of Bougherra.

In other news: Scott Burns drops Celtic transfer update as Postecoglou gets his way once more. 

Waqar Younis has said it will only be a matter of time before Pakistan start winning matches

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Dambulla21-Jun-2010Pakistan may have gone through turmoil in recent months, and suffered a league-stage exit in the Asia Cup, but coach Waqar Younis has said it will only be a matter of time before they start winning matches. Pakistan ended their campaign in Sri Lanka with a 139-run win against Bangladesh in Dambulla, after losing to the hosts and India.”We are very close to being winners,” Waqar said. “We didn’t do badly in the T20 World Cup and even in this tournament. It’s just that one extra step you need to take and start winning the games. I think it will come very soon. We got heaps of cricket after this. I think by the time we finish the England tour, or start the South African tour, we will start winning and we will look good. We still look a good side at the moment and these youngsters need a bit more time.”In the subcontinent and Asia, I know it gets very frustrating very quickly when you are not winning. But now I feel like they look like one team. They look to win but it’s not coming as we have seen in the recent past. But soon it will come.”Waqar said that he was happy with Pakistan’s performance against Bangladesh and with their performance in the Asia Cup. “We are in a rebuilding process, with a couple of youngsters in our side. It’s a great learning curve for them. We didn’t qualify [for the final] but I know the boys performed extremely well. They batted well, bowled well and what they are missing on the field will come with experience.”He also praised the captaincy of Shahid Afridi and his contribution to the team. Afridi scored two centuries in three matches – against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – and signed off with a scorching 124 off 60 balls. “You always need your captain to be performing and the captain to be in form. Afridi played a superb knock. It’s superb that he has scored runs and taken wickets that will really help the future of Pakistan cricket.””Once we start winning it will be a different story. The wins are not coming but Afridi has got it in him. If the captain can go and play this sort of knock that shows that he’s got the leadership qualities. It’s just that a little bit more experience will do him a world of good.”Waqar was also pleased with the way Shoaib Akhtar was shaping up after returning to the national side following a lengthy absence. “Shoaib is still a little rusty and he needs more bowling. We are ready to give it to him in the mode of one-dayers and T20s,” he said. “We’ll go about him gradually and slowly. He bowled well in this tournament, quite fast and he’s become a very intelligent bowler. I think he will come good in the near future.”

England’s coach, Andy Flower, has appealed to the British public to get involved in the forthcoming one-day series despite the ongoing allegations involving Pakistan’s cricketers

Andrew Miller at Cardiff08-Sep-2010England’s coach, Andy Flower, has appealed to the British public to get involved in the forthcoming one-day series despite the ongoing allegations involving Pakistan’s cricketers, after their six-wicket victory in Tuesday’s second Twenty20 at Sophia Gardens was marred by one of the poorest attendances ever seen for a home international.Only 5,821 tickets were sold for second match in three days in Cardiff, which is barely a third of the ground’s 15,000 capacity. The midweek scheduling didn’t help the ticket sales, nor did the autumnal weather, but the sense of anticlimax was exacerbated by Pakistan’s collapse to 89 all out, their lowest total in 40 Twenty20 internationals.”It was a strange atmosphere,” admitted Flower. “That must be the smallest crowd I’ve ever been involved in with an England team in England [sic]. It’s a real pity. Perhaps the weather didn’t help on Tuesday but no-one wants our national side to play in front of such a small crowd. And the fact that we dominated so completely meant that it wasn’t a great contest for the people who did come either. It was great for us to dominate but not a brilliant match for the crowd.”This time last year, England were being thrashed 6-1 in a dreadfully received seven-match one-day series that took place only days after the completion of the Ashes, and though England are the side in the ascendancy on this occasion, their opponents are in such disarray that a similarly one-sided conclusion to the summer would appear to be on the cards.”There’s inevitably a bit of a gloomy atmosphere at the moment, and with the sullying of cricket’s name and reputation that’s understandable,” said Flower. “It’s a pity because we are playing some outstanding cricket. We have got on with our jobs in a professional manner. We have won two games comfortably and for the skills of the bowlers in particular to be overshadowed so completely is sad.”It’s fair to say it was the same in the Test series too,” he added. “Not just at Lord’s but throughout there were some great performances, like Trott and Broad’s partnership and some others, but they have been overshadowed by controversy. I’m sure the players have some strong views on the issues the game is facing but they have gone about their work and put those issues to the back of their minds, and that’s a tribute to them.”In the aftermath of Tuesday’s second match, England’s Twenty20 captain Paul Collingwood reminded the ECB that he and his fellow international cricketers had been warning of the dangers of overkill for the past ten years. It was a stance that Flower appeared to back in a thinly veiled criticism of the scheduling.”To have two Twenty20 games at the same venue at this stage of the season might have been an error,” he said. “It’s something the ECB might want to look at. None of us want to see small crowds but we don’t know what the attendances will be like at the one-dayers yet. Hopefully the English cricketing public will come and support their team. We’re playing some good cricket and I think our ground-fielding and bowling in the Twenty20 matches provided really good entertainment. We all hope people turn up in great numbers for the last five matches.”He denied, however, that his players were just longing for the summer to come to an end. “The guys are really looking forward to the one-day series,” he said. “They love playing for England and they are highly motivated and proud to represent their country. All the other stuff that is being alleged I think has highlighted our guys’ appreciation of representing their country in a fair and proud manner. Sometimes you can forget simple things like that and I think this business has emphasised to them how proud they are and the responsibilities they face.”Pakistan, meanwhile, face a struggle to raise their game despite the furore that is surrounding them, but Flower insisted that that was not his team’s concern. “That’s a situation that we can’t do too much about at the moment,” he said. “The bottom line for spectators is that they want to be entertained and whatever problems Pakistan have, they will play attacking cricket as we will too. So I’m very hopeful some good cricket will be played in the 50-over games.”

James Anderson is set to fly back to England for the second time in a month, after the England management decided to rest him from both Twenty20 internationals and the first three of England’s seven-match ODI series against Australia that gets underway ne

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jan-2011James Anderson is set to fly back to England for the second time in a month, after the England management decided to rest him from both Twenty20 internationals and the first three of England’s seven-match ODI series against Australia that gets underway next week.Anderson has been the spearhead of England’s successful Ashes campaign, claiming 24 wickets at 26.04 to set his side up for their first series win in Australia for 24 years. He claimed four-wicket hauls in the first innings of both innings victories at Adelaide and Melbourne, as well as at Sydney, where England wrapped up another triumph.He flew home for a week between the second and third Tests in mid-December to attend the birth of his second daughter, and the management have decided that it is in the team’s best interests to give him a further chance to spend time at home before the second half of their winter campaign gets underway.”James Anderson will be returning to the UK for a complete break from cricket for ten days,” said England’s coach, Andy Flower. “He has had a heavy workload so far this winter, playing in all five Tests and we feel that he will benefit from a short rest period to ensure that he is fresh for the second half of the Australia ODI series and the World Cup which follows shortly after.”Anderson will leave for the UK on January 8 and will return to Australia on January 22 ahead of the fourth ODI in Adelaide on January 26. Steven Finn will remain with the England squad in Anderson’s absence before joining the England Lions tour of the West Indies.Meanwhile Craig Kieswetter has been ruled out of the Twenty20 series due to an abscess and will undergo minor surgery. Kieswetter’s last match against Australia was the World Twenty20 final in Barbados, in which he won the Man of the Match award for a hard-hitting half-century. He has been replaced by his opening partner in that game, Michael Lumb, who is currently playing for Queensland Bulls.”It is unfortunate that Craig has been ruled out of the Twenty20 series,” said England’s national selector, Geoff Miller, “but having performed well during his time with the England Performance Programme this winter he will have an opportunity to make a full recovery and then continue to push for further international honours when he tours with England Lions later this month.”Michael Lumb has already demonstrated his ability in Twenty20 cricket and it is good to have him back playing cricket again after a long term injury. We are delighted to be able to call a player of his calibre into the squad.”