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Kyle Mills, the New Zealand fast bowler, has conceded that the series defeat to Bangladesh has made the team uneasy, but the side is also focused on a long-term goal of the 2015 World Cup

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur31-Oct-2013Kyle Mills, the New Zealand fast bowler, has conceded that the series defeat to Bangladesh has made the team uneasy, but said the side is also focused on a long-term goal of the 2015 World Cup. New Zealand lost the second ODI in Mirpur by 40 runs to concede the three-match series to Bangladesh. The loss was also their sixth successive defeat against Bangladesh in completed matches, dating back to the last bilateral series between the two sides in 2010.”We are trying to build a team towards the 2015 World Cup,” Mills said. “It is in 15 months’ time and that’s the most important thing right now. The conditions in Australia and New Zealand are going to be a lot different from here. Corey Anderson and James Neesham are going to be prepared for the pressure-cooker environment in that tournament. But we have learned a lot in the past few weeks.”Every loss puts pressure on players and management. We have been a good one-day side in the past 12 months, winning series overseas but we lost here. Everyone is going to be on edge, naturally.”It’s an interesting way to view the events in Mirpur over the last three days. The composition of the New Zealand ODI squad suggests they are planning for the 50-over World Cup more than a year away, particularly with their choice of medium-paced allrounders. However, it would be silly to think they weren’t adequately prepared to win in Bangladesh. New Zealand’s last series loss to Bangladesh was a blow to the country’s cricket and New Zealand Cricket intervened after the loss, conducting a review of the tour.In spite of focusing on the big picture, New Zealand went down on Thursday night by 40 runs, a big defeat for a team ranked above Bangladesh. Early wickets didn’t allow the visitors momentum and they failed to put together a decent partnership that would threaten the home side. The batsmen let down the bowlers, who kept things tight on a good batting wicket and bowled Bangladesh out for 247, a below-par score batting first at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.”We didn’t get off to the greatest starts, we lost early wickets. Every time we tried to build a partnership, we lost a wicket,” Mills said. “Ross Taylor and Corey Anderson, and then Brendon McCullum and Taylor, got a partnership going but we lost wickets there. It let us down a little bit.”We did well with the ball. Corey Anderson and James Neesham really stepped up. That’s definitely a total we could have chased down. The conditions were difficult, but the partnerships let us down.”Brendon McCullum has not scored too many runs on this tour and the side would have missed Kane Williamson, out due to injury. But Mills was adamant about the team’s improvement, mainly due to New Zealand’s series victories against South Africa and England earlier this year.”I don’t think it [Bangladesh’s winning streak] is a mental block whatsoever,” he said. “We beat South Africa and England recently on their shores. Bangladesh are a good cricket side in their own conditions. Everyone’s building towards the 2015 World Cup. Conditions will be lot different for them there.”New Zealand’s biggest target now would be to ensure they don’t go down 3-0, which will be a repeat of the whitewash they endured in 2010. The third and final ODI of the series is at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium, a ground on which they have never played a game.”I think we can [avoid the whitewash]. We were not too far in the first game but Rubel got three wickets from three balls. It was obviously disappointing tonight,” he said. “It is a tough challenge here to play in these conditions. We want to end ODI series on a high. Everyone will be up no doubt.”

Chris Rushworth completed a 10-wicket haul in the match as Durham took only 16 balls to wrap up their fifth win of the season on the final day againstDerbyshire at Chester-le-Street.

11-Jul-2013
ScorecardChris Rushworth’s 10 for 103 were his first-class best match figures•Getty ImagesChris Rushworth completed a 10-wicket match haul on his birthday as as Durham took only 16 balls to wrap up their fifth County ChampionshipDivision One win of the season on the final day againstDerbyshire at Chester-le-Street.Rushworth, the right-arm seamer, turned 27 today and removed Tim Gronewald, the penultimate wicket to fall, to pick up his tenth wicket in the match. His second-innings 4 for 39 followed 6 for 64 in the first innings.Rushworth’s wicket was the second of three to fall on the final day as Derbyshire’s last three batsmen offered no resistance, leaving Tom Poyntonstranded on 58 not out as they were all out for 192 to lose by a crushing 279runs.Jon Clare went to the second ball of the day, dabbing at a short, wide one fromBen Stokes to be caught behind. Groenewald was also in no mood to hang around, swinging a good-length ballfrom Rushworth high over square-leg before attempting to hook a short balland giving Phil Mustard another catch.The batsman seemed nonplussed by the decision, indicating the ball had brushedhis upper arm, but it left Rushworth with match figures of 10 for 103 – the best match figures of his career.Last man Mark Footitt also came out swinging and was backing away towardssquare leg when Stokes splattered his stumps to finish with 4 for 62.The crushing defeat deepens Derbyshire’s trouble at the foot of Division One. They remain winless and trail Somerset – seventh in the table – by 30 points with seven matches to play. Durham now have the most wins of anyone in the division and are well-placed for a tilt at a third Championship title, currently 10.5 points behind leaders Sussex.

Alan Gardner04-Jul-2014In the Long Room, where the oil paintings on the wall hang heavy with history, there is an air of informality. Current and former cricketers walk back and forth, some with equipment in their arms, most wearing odd bits of kit; members of the press mill about with shirt collars open, not bound by the usual MCC rules on attire. In the middle, a legspin bowler tosses up the ball and a diminutive figure with an unmistakable backlift stretches forward to meet it, bat perfectly straight.It is 200 years since Thomas Lord, entrepreneur, wine merchant and cricketer, settled on the third and final location for the home of the MCC. To celebrate this bicentenary, Lord’s ground – or simply Lord’s, as it is known throughout the cricket world – will on Saturday host an exhibition match featuring a swoon-inducing array of star names. Captaining the MCC side is the most famous of the lot (even if it counts for little in Russia): Sachin Tendulkar.His opposite number in the Rest of the World side is Shane Warne, though the rivalry, as they take questions and share smiles after an outing for the cameras on the pitch, is strictly of the staged variety. Social media has been overflowing with displays of bonhomie between the players in recent days and if the game is an exercise in self-promotion for the MCC, then the preferred medium is selfie-promotion.Warne even tried his hand at self-deprecation. “I want to get him out, which didn’t happen that often; he wants to smash me, which happened a lot,” he says of Tendulkar. In the bosom of England’s cricketing establishment, Australia’s arch-larrikin has come over all coy. “Hopefully I don’t get the chance to bowl to Sachin.” Tendulkar smiles serenely.For Tendulkar, whose retirement at the end of 2013 ended a 24-year soap opera that had been playing on all Indian channels, Lord’s is a home away from home. He used to regularly practice in the nets, under a special arrangement with the MCC, bringing along his son, Arjun, who at 14 is the same age as when Sachin first posed for a picture in front of the terracotta pavilion. In a quiet spot on the Nursery Ground, the Sachinalia that forever accompanies the man can be held in abeyance.”It’s always a special feeling, they have been very kind to allow me and my son to practice here for so many years. We have our private moments – sometimes it’s difficult. We get to spend quality time here, in the nets. The atmosphere is fantastic. However many times you come here, you feel special.”His first visit as an international cricketer, on India’s 1990 tour, produced an enduring image – that of a young Tendulkar plucking the ball one-handed from the sky – although, like Warne and his MCC team-mate Brian Lara, he never made it on to the famous honours boards. Tendulkar is quick to remember a century scored at the ground in 1998, during a memorial match for Diana, Princess of Wales, but Lord’s is one of few in cricket that can match his dauntless reputation. It seems a fitting venue for his first appearance with bat in hand since signing off amid an outpouring of emotion in Mumbai last year.”To be honest, I’ve not played, right from my retirement from the time I got to London,” he says, in that familiar, soft voice. “I started practising ten days ago… It’s nice to be back in gear, play a few balls. That sound is always special, when you connect; I’m still trying to find the centre of the bat. I’ve watched a bit of cricket, I was with the Mumbai Indians during the IPL, but I’ve never felt like going out to bat.”While Tendulkar was serene, posing for photos and signing autographs, Lord’s appeared to have an altogether different effect on Kevin Pietersen, one of Warne’s Rest of the World XI. Declaring that he felt like “a kid in a candy store” to be playing with the likes of Brett Lee, Muttiah Muralitharan, Rahul Dravid and Adam Gilchrist, Pietersen instead looked like he had been made to suck on something rather sour, as he brooded from behind black, reflective sunglasses and again poured out his heart for England.”I’d love to play for England again, I’ve still got hope,” he says. “I’ve got a phone in my pocket and a pretty good resume.” Perhaps, over the course of the weekend, he will slip that resume along with a note saying ‘call me’ under the door of the ECB offices, though it may be another bicentenary before his feelings are requited.Perhaps the reality of being a “genuine out-and-out clubbie, playing once a week” has begun to pall, as Pietersen contemplates winding down his career on a diet of T20 takeout instead of the Test-match banquets he once indulged in. Certainly, he seemed out of sync with what was going on around him, dressed in casual wear and wearing a baseball cap from his fashion label, in the Long Room where the even the starchiest of MCC members rose to applaud his five Lord’s hundreds.His last visit, since being sent into exile by England, was as a guest in one of the hospitality boxes during the Sri Lanka Test. “I’m going okay at the moment. But there’s nothing like playing, I’m still 34, you’ve got the rest of your life to enjoy days drinking and watching Test matches.”He will be at the centre of it all again on Saturday, though he will have to share the stage. Meanwhile, the Lord’s magic remains undiluted.

Though their Blaugrana home kits are iconic, Barca have also delivered some tasty alternative strips over the years

Barcelona's red and blue stripes may be famous, but the Catalan club has shown throughout its history that it can still put together an impressive away shirt. Indeed, the Blaugrana have been toying with creative and colorful designs for nearly 50 years, coming up with some absolute beauties at various points.

From the bright yellow donned by the famous "MSN" attacking trio, to the classic Cruyff diagonal stripe shirt of the 1970s, Barca have donned some classics.

And so following the release of Barcelona's new away kit for the 2023-24 season, GOAL takes a look at some of the best away and third kits to have ever been worn by the Spanish giants…

Getty Images10Ronaldinho's toe poke genius (2003-05)

Ronaldinho loved a long-sleeved Barcelona kit. He had plenty of memorable moments in them, highlighted by a now-famous Man-of-the-Match performance at Santiago Bernabeu that brought Real Madrid fans to their feet.

This shirt, meanwhile, was associated with another iconic moment, the Brazilian's toe-poke finish from outside the box against Chelsea in the 2005 Champions League last 16. Although Jose Mourinho's Blues would go on to win, this kit is associated with one of great European goals.

Advertisement9Catalan stripes (2013-14)

This strip was a special one for local Barca fans. For the first time in the club's history, Barcelona donned a kit based on the Catalan flag. There were other details that connected it to the club's local roots, too, including the "Mes que un club" motto stitched onto the back of the neck lining.

Outside of the local area, the kit split opinion. And as some publications pointed out, the Blaugrana enjoyed limited success in the shirt, going winless in their first five contests wearing it.

Still, its homage to Barcelona's Catalan heritage made the kit important in its own right.

Getty Images8Soon to be a classic? (2022-23)

Can a kit released so recently be considered among the best ever? This gold strip from the most recent season certainly makes a case.

It's one of the best shirts Nike has designed for Barca for some time, with its bold colourway paying homage to some of Barcelona's memorable kits of the early 2000s (more on that later), as well as the 30th anniversary of the 1992 Olympic Games that were held in the city.

And it will be associated with success, too. The Blaugrana won back the Liga title in 2023, an achievement that will forever immortalise this kit.

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Getty Images7R9 in a Kappa classic (1996-97)

Ronaldo only played for Barcelona for one year. And in those 12 glorious months, he donned some memorable kits. The home shirt, an effortlessly cool reimagination of the classic 80s strip, is one of the best ever. And the away one wasn't bad, either.

The Brazilian wore it while playing out one of the best individual seasons in Barcelona's history. Ronaldo scored 47 times in 49 appearances, including 34 in the league. And although his time in Catalunya ended after one year, he will forever be associated with breathtaking goals and classic kits.

Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq will not travel to play in South Africa’s domestic 20-over competition

Firdose Moonda23-Jan-2012Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq will not travel to play in South Africa’s domestic 20-over competition. The Pakistan duo was signed up by the Johannesburg-based Lions franchise, whose chief executive Cassim Docrat confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that neither will participate in the tournament.National duty will keep Afridi away from The Wanderers. Pakistan play four ODIs and three T20s against England between February 13 and 27. Afridi will then play two matches for the Dhaka Gladiators in the Bangladesh Premier League and will likely also be involved in the Asia Cup which is scheduled for March 12 to 22. The South African tournament runs over six weeks from February 15 which will clash with both these events.Razzaq recently had a shoulder injury which kept him out of Pakistan’s end-of-year tour to Bangladesh. He played for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League, alongside Afridi, but has not been performing to standard. He scored 42 runs in six matches and took two wickets for a bloated 123 runs. Docrat said the decision was taken from the Lions side not to pursue the engagement with Razzaq.The withdrawal of the Pakistan pair leaves the South African competition with just one of its four major signings. Shaun Tait, the Australia fast bowler, pulled out of the Durban-based Dolphins squad two weeks ago with an elbow injury. Only Chris Gayle is still confirmed, for the Dolphins, though there was some speculation about his availability following his hefty deal with the Bangladesh Premier League.Gayle was bought for US$ 551,000 by Barisal and will only play a handful of matches in Dhaka. The amount he is being paid by the BPL is reportedly eight times more than the Dolphins are dishing out for him but they have received a guarantee from Gayle’s management.”When I saw that he was involved in the Bangladesh Premier League I called his agent to see if it would affect his South African deal,” Jesse Chellan, chief executive of the Dolphins said. “His agent has assured us that he will be available for the full campaign. He is due to arrive on February 16.”The Dolphins are still searching for a replacement for Tait. Chellan said the BPL has “hampered us,” in the search to find suitable foreign players. Kieron Pollard and Sohail Tanvir were also on the radar of some South African franchises but have both been contracted by the BPL.The Lions are close to signing Dirk Nannes while the Cobras and Titans have secured the services of Owais Shah and Alfonso Thomas respectively. One of the other names mentioned is that of Dwayne Bravo, who was not picked up at the BPL.The six South African franchises are allowed to contract two foreign players each. The yet-to-be-named to seventh franchise, which will be announced this week and will comprise of the best semi-professional cricketers in the country, will be allowed four. However, with the prospects thinning out it seems likely that the tournament will be without the glam factor that a foreign contingent brings, leaving the competition at risk of being the lowest in profile among its counterparts.The IPL leads the pack but T20 competitions in other countries have followed suit. The BBL, the BPL and even Zimbabwe’s Stanbic T20 featured some of the games marquee 20-over cricketers while South Africa’s does not even have a name or a sponsor yet.The ongoing bonus scandal has kept corporates away from CSA over the past summer. They played the T20s and one-day series against Australia without a backer and secured cooking oil manufacturer Sunfoil ahead of the two Tests. Sunfoil have stayed on for the Sri Lanka series and extended their agreement to include the one-day series.Standard Bank sponsored the 20-over competition since its inception but pulled out at the end of last season when they cancelled all their sports sponsorships. CSA are still in negotiations for a replacement but the recent resignation of their commercial manager, Richard Glover, has set them further back. With the competition little over three weeks away, the possibility of the tournament being funded entirely by CSA is looming.A source close to CSA said the body can handle the costs “for now,” although the format of the 20-over competition was altered to cater for a specific sponsor. A seventh franchise was included and the teams will play a double-round of fixtures instead of just one match against each of the other teams as was previously the case. “At least CSA have stuck to the new format and have not downgraded the event just because there is no sponsor yet,” the source said.

Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowlers made best use of a sluggish pitch after a rain-delayed start, keeping Chennai Super Kings to 114, and their batsmen did enough to be ahead of the par score when rain returned to cut the match short

The Bulletin by Firdose Moonda07-May-2011
Scorecard and ball by ball details
Iqbal Abdulla kept Chennai in check•AFPKolkata Knight Riders’ bowlers made best use of a sluggish pitch after a rain-delayed start, keeping Chennai Super Kings to 114, and their batsmen did enough to be ahead of the par score when rain returned to cut the match short. Both captains thought the weather would have little impact on the pitch and identified it as a good batting strip, but were proved wrong.On a slow, low wicket that didn’t allow the ball to come on, Brett Lee and Iqbal Abdulla exploited the conditions perfectly. It was only S Badrinath’s carefully crafted half-century that held the Chennai innings together. Both Lee and Abdulla bowled tight lines, with Lee using the slower ball well, and didn’t give the batsmen room to break away.Lee bowled a three-over spell up front, instead of the usual two, and while he pulled the noose at one end, another wicket fell at the other. Pressure built and M Vijay succumbed. Abdulla saw him charging down the track, dropped one short and was offered an easy caught-and-bowled.Yusuf Pathan, who didn’t allow any release, took the pace off the ball and had Suresh Raina caught at midwicket. Rajat Bhatia also permitted no let-up and after nine overs, Chennai had not scored a single boundary.The first one came in the 10th over, off Yusuf, when Badrinath had had enough, and smacked it low and flat over long-on. Michael Hussey had stayed with Badrinath through the tough patch but his labour ended in the next over when he was offered a short ball by L Balaji and pulled it straight to Eoin Morgan at midwicket.Albie Morkel was promoted to number five and gave himself some time to get in and the Kolkata bowlers maintained the stranglehold. After eight balls, he had the opportunity to sink his teeth into Jaidev Unadkat, who was only brought on in the 15th over. The pace bowler seemed to misread the pitch and bowled too quick, getting dispatched for consecutive fours before he pulled it back with some slower balls. Morkel was dropped in the same over by Lee, trying to launch Unadkat over the leg-side.While Morkel was attempting to hit big shots and even appeared to get an edge in Lee’s final over but was not given out, Badrinath was sculpting his half-century. He became more comfortable after he had got in and picked the balls to hit. Morkel had more of the strike in the last two overs but only one of his many swings got to the boundary.It wasn’t easy for Kolkata to chase, especially with R Ashwin making use of some turn. He bowled Eoin Morgan in the second over and also got the important wicket of Gautam Gambhir, although the fielder deserved more credit for the second. Gambhir had danced down the track and sliced the ball in the air towards extra cover. Suraj Randiv ran from point to take a tough diving catch.Jacques Kallis was the immovable rock for Kolkata. He coped well, given the conditions and struck two classic boundaries. Along with Manoj Tiwary, Kallis looked comfortable enough to see Kolkata through and had the rain not come down, he probably would have. Nevertheless, he had done enough to put Kolkata firmly in front when play ended.

A pair of fighting half-centuries from Phillip Hughes in his first match for South Australia wasn’t enough to stop Queensland open their Sheffield Shield title defence with a comfortable win at the Gabba

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2012
ScorecardPhillip Hughes made 95 and 83 in his first match for South Australia but it wasn’t enough to prevent a Queensland victory•Getty ImagesA pair of fighting half-centuries from Phillip Hughes in his first match for South Australia wasn’t enough to stop Queensland open their Sheffield Shield title defence with a comfortable win at the Gabba. The 191-run margin was confirmed after Luke Feldman and Ben Cutting led a strong performance with the ball from Queensland, who dismissed South Australia for 271 in their second-innings chase of 463.The Redbacks began the day two wickets down and needing a minor miracle to avoid defeat, and the loss of Callum Ferguson for 44 to Cutting didn’t help their cause. Hughes departed soon afterwards for 83 to add to his 95 from the first innings, a fine output in his first game since moving from New South Wales, but with precious little support from the rest of the order it would have taken a couple of big centuries from Hughes to keep South Australia in the contest.Feldman (4 for 50) ran through the middle order and was at one stage on a hat-trick, as the Redbacks lost 5 for 18 in less than five overs, before Nathan Lyon (21) and Joe Mennie began a tail-end resistance. Mennie struck his maiden first-class half-century and finished on 79 not out from 74 deliveries as the fight ran out for the Redbacks.South Australia did not win a match in last year’s Sheffield Shield competition and have finished on the bottom of the table for each of the past three seasons. This loss extended their poor record to no wins from their past 17 Sheffield Shield matches.

AB de Villiers has admitted South Africa’s senior batsmen are not pulling their weight in the one-day series against England

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's02-Sep-2012AB de Villiers has admitted South Africa’s senior batsmen are not pulling their weight in the one-day series against England, and singled himself out as a prime example, after the home side took a 2-1 lead at Lord’s following another unconvincing performance from South Africa’s top order.Since Hashim Amla made 150 in Southampton no South Africa batsman has posted a half-century in the next two games at The Oval and Lord’s and both innings have struggled for momentum despite solid opening partnerships from Amla and Graeme Smith. At Lord’s they slipped from 100 for 1 in the 25th over when Amla was bowled by Ravi Bopara, to 115 for 4 which meant rebuilding was needed, only then to lose their way again from 166 for 4 and finish their allocation eight down.As at The Oval the key moment came when de Villiers fell to James Tredwell, this time stumped with his foot on the line, and despite a forceful 31 off 20 balls by Robin Peterson they could not post a total to seriously challenge England.With Amla twice cut-off when set for sizable innings following his monumental display in the second match, South Africa’s batting has looked light in the absence of Jacques Kallis – rested for this series. While that was with a view to the World Twenty20, it is also giving South Africa the sight of a slightly uncomfortable future although de Villiers defended the talent available.”The guys who have come in, they can play,” he said. “I’ve seen them win matches for their teams back home on the big stage in finals and stuff like that. But they are inexperienced and when you have inexperience in your team you need the senior players to take control, including myself. Getting out for 20s and 30s isn’t good enough at this level it’s as simple as that.”We had the opportunity in our batting to kick on with some of our partnerships and that’s where we went wrong today. That’s two in a row and there’s a bit of pressure on our top order now. We’ve really got to step up to the plate and make it count – myself included. We got into nice partnerships but didn’t convert like England did.”While victory in this series is gone, South Africa do not want their batting to be dragged down ahead of the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka; although Kallis will be back to bolster them. De Villiers said the players will discuss their problems before the final match at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.”We are under pressure and will have a batting meeting about where we can improve. I’d like to think the whole of the top six can play as a unit but we haven’t been performing well. Going forward we need more partnerships, that’s where you get momentum and we haven’t had enough of that. We’ve had one partnership in every game. There’s no excuse, the guys are batting in the places they feel comfortable.”For much of South Africa’s visit it has been the England captains fielding the tricky questions, but Alastair Cook was able to reflect on convincing back-to-back victories which have turned the series around after a poor performance in Southampton that threatened to engulf the final few weeks of the season.”Clearly after what’s happened this summer, we could have let our heads go down – a bit of a case of ‘here we go again’,” he said. “We admitted we didn’t get it right at the Ageas Bowl, and we’ve bounced back really well. We’ve still got a series to win but I’m very proud of what we’ve done this weekend in back-to-back matches. It’s an encouraging sign that after a heavy loss, we’ve stayed true to ourselves and played so well.”It was another far from faultless performance in the field with two catches put down and a clear run out chance missed, but the England’s bowler’s sustained pressure on South Africa’s struggling middle order throughout and rarely let the run rate get near five an over.”We didn’t quite get our rewards early,” Cook said. “A couple of chances went down but what was really pleasing was we stuck to our task, kept trying to apply pressure and picked up wickets at crucial times.”Cook also confirmed that the extent of Jonathan Trott’s hand injury, sustained after a blow from Dale Steyn early in his 48, will be known on Monday after the batsman has X-rays. Trott was in clear discomfort throughout the innings before falling lbw. If he is unavailable for the final match of the series it would open the door for Jonny Bairstow to finally get a chance to bring his impressive form to the 50-over side.

Ian Bell returns to county duty on Thursday looking to put a testing winter behind him and re-establish his credentials as one of the world’s leading middle-order batsmen

George Dobell18-Apr-2012Ian Bell returns to county duty on Thursday looking to put a testing winter behind him and re-establish his credentials as one of the world’s leading middle-order batsmen.Bell enjoyed a prolific 2011, registering five Test centuries and averaging 118.75 in the calendar year. That all changed over the winter as Bell, struggling against the spin of Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal in particular, averaged 8.50 in three Tests in the UAE and 27.66 in the two on England’s tour of Sri Lanka. He was also omitted from the limited-overs squads that played against Pakistan.Bell, who turned 30 earlier this month, retains a hunger to reclaim a place in all formats and was keen to return to county duty as early as possible. He takes his place in the Warwickshire team that finished second in last year’s Championship and which travels to Liverpool to take on the current champions, Lancashire. Tom Smith remains unavailable for the hosts with a hamstring injury.Andrew Strauss, another man looking to recover his form after a testing winter, also returns to county duty. The England Test captain will be joined in the Middlesex side by Steven Finn – who is pushing for inclusion as the third seamer in England’s Test team – for their Division One match against Durham at Lord’s. Chris Rogers will captain Middlesex as Neil Dexter has temporarily stood down in order to concentrate on finding his form with the bat.Paul Collingwood, who missed the defeat against Nottinghamshire due to a virus, has recovered sufficiently to be named in a Durham squad containing eight players with international experience. There is still no place for Steve Harmison, however. England’s former spearhead is currently playing second-XI cricket as he seeks full match fitness.Somerset will be without the injured pair of Gemaal Hussain and Adam Dibble for their game against Nottinghamshire, who have won both their first two games, at Trent Bridge. Surrey are without Jacques Rudolph, who misses the game against Worcestershire for family reasons.In Division Two, Ravi Bopara will replace Mark Pettini in the Essex side to take on Yorkshire at Headingley, with Charl Willoughby also included in the squad for the first time following his move from Somerset.Edited by Alan Gardner

Rajasthan Royals are under Rahul Dravid’s leadership this season and have strengthened their batting, which was their weakness in 2011

Tariq Engineer03-Apr-2012Big pictureRahul Dravid will lead Rajasthan Royals after retiring from international cricket•AFPThe key to Rajasthan Royals’ 2012 season will be how they handle the transition at the head of the team. Shane Warne, their inspirational captain and face of the franchise, retired. The man who succeeded Warne is a cricket icon of equal standing but of different temperament. Warne was loud, aggressive and loved being the centre of attention. Rahul Dravid is quiet, restrained and simply goes about his business.What the two have in common though is the ability to lead by example and a deep knowledge of the game. Now that Dravid has retired from international cricket the IPL is his sole cricketing focus, and if anyone can manage the change in culture with as few hiccups as possible, it will be him.Last season was a mixed bag for the Royals, who started strongly and were in contention for a place in the playoffs before fading towards the end. A controversy over the pitch at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, which resulted in the disciplining of Warne, was a distraction, but the side’s slide exposed the lack of depth in their batting. To the Royals’ credit, they have gone some way to address that weakness with the additions of Brad Hodge, Owais Shah and Dinesh Chandimal, who can double up as wicketkeeper and might prove to be the steal of the 2012 player auction.The loss of Warne will also be felt by the bowling attack, and the team will be hoping Brad Hogg, who had success in the Big Bash and the Bangladesh Premier League, can at least partially fill the void. Sreesanth potentially bolsters the seam department, but he hasn’t played competitive cricket for six months and is unpredictable.Key playersJohan Botha was a revelation up the order in 2011 and his unexpected form with the bat was crucial to the Royals’ early success. He also opened the bowling to great effect and the team will need more of the same from him to compete this year.Warne was one of two players retained by the Royals in 2011. The other was Shane Watson. The Australia allrounder will only arrive at the end of April, after the tour of the West Indies, but if the Royals can get off to a good start in his absence, Watson could provide a crucial late spark to help them qualify for the playoffs.Big names inThe Royals bought Chandimal, Sri Lanka’s newest batting sensation, for only $50,000 at the auction. They needed a wicketkeeper who can bat and they got him cheap. Chandimal’s ability and consistency was on show in the recent triangular series in Australia and he should add steel to the Royals middle order.Big names outRoss Taylor, the team’s self-described “finisher”, was traded to Delhi Daredevils on the last day of the trading window. Taylor had a decent tournament in 2011 without producing anything special, and the franchise quickly found a replacement in Shah.Below the radarA transformed Stuart Binny was Karnataka’s go-to man in the Ranji Trophy last season as the allrounder reaped the benefits of a new attitude and a commitment to fitness. He made 742 runs at an average of 67.45 and a strike rate of 83.46. He also took 20 wickets at an average of 20.10. If Binny can bring the same attitude to the IPL, the Royals might not miss Watson as much during the first half of the tournament.AvailabilityAustralia’s ongoing tour of the West Indies means Watson is unavailable until the Test series ends on April 27.