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Irish batter available under updated Covid protocols following negative test

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2022Paul Stirling is set to become Islamabad United’s second high-profile surprise return in two days, this time for Friday’s eliminator against Lahore Qalandars. If Islamabad win tonight, they will have brought back the opening pair that lit up the opening stages of the season, for the PSL final on Sunday. Multan Sultans will be awaiting the winner of tonight’s game.A tweak in the PCB’s Covid-19 policy for the tournament that allowed Alex Hales to return for Thursday’s win over Peshawar Zalmi will see Stirling immediately eligible to compete. The franchise confirmed in a tweet on Friday that he had returned a negative PCR test. Before the amendment to the protocols, agreed upon by all franchises, anyone arriving from outside Pakistan would have had to quarantine for three days before being allowed to play.Stirling played the first five games of the PSL for United before leaving for international duty with Ireland. He took part in a T20 quadrangular series in Oman and then in the T20 World Cup qualifiers in which, though Ireland lost in the final to the UAE, they qualified for the World Cup in Australia. Stirling’s performances in Oman were not spectacular – he averaged just over 23 with a strike rate of 111 across five games. In the five games he did play for Islamabad, however, he was averaging 37.40 with a strike rate of 181.55. With Hales in tow, the pair were the most destructive opening pair during that first leg, especially in the Powerplay.Hales had also departed the season early, though in his case he cited the mental fatigue of bio-bubbles as his reason for doing so. But he returned for Thursday’s eliminator against Peshawar, with his 49-ball 62 – his third fifty of the season – helping set up United’s successful chase. The innings earned him the player of the match award.As with Hales, Stirling is expected to follow the same distancing protocols and will be kept apart from the team as much as possible, including not having access to the team’s dressing room, staying in a separate area of the hotel and traveling in a separate car to the stadium.

All 26 players who were part of the 25-day prepratory camp have been named in the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jun-2021The PCB has announced a 26-member squad for the women’s white-ball tour of the West Indies, from which the line-ups for the senior Pakistan Women team and the A team will be selected. Experienced batter Javeria Khan continues to lead the senior side, while spinner Rameen Shamim and wicketkeeper-batter Sidra Nawaz will captain the A sides for the one-dayers and T20s respectively.The senior side will play West Indies in three T20Is and five ODIs, and the shadow side will play West Indies A in three one-day matches and three T20s. All 26 players will be available for selection for all 14 matches, the PCB explained. The tour runs from June 30 to July 18. All matches will be played at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

Pakistan Women’s tour of West Indies schedule

• June 30: 1st T20I and A teams’ T20

• July 2: 2nd T20I and A teams’ T20

• July 4: 3rd T20I and A teams’ T20

• July 7: 1st ODI

• July 9: 2nd ODI

• July 10: 1st A teams’ one-dayer

• July 12: 3rd ODI

• July 13: 2nd A teams’ one-dayer

• July 15: 4th ODI

• July 16: 3rd A teams’ one-dayer

• July 18: 5th ODI

“The Caribbean tour presents a phenomenal opportunity to our core group of cricketers to showcase their performances and further cement places for the 2021-22 season, which promises to be an exciting one for women’s cricket,” Urooj Mumtaz, the chairperson of the national women’s selection committee, said. “These 26 players have been involved in all our high-performance camps over the past nine months and have put in the hard yards under the national coaching staff led by David Hemp. The group has prepared with high intensity and purpose.”Mumtaz added that the limited-overs games for the A side would be an opportunity for the second string of players to “stake a claim in the national side as exceptional performances will be rewarded by players getting bumped up” to the senior side. “I am hopeful that there will be quality cricket on display as we aim to further improve our world standing and continue to push to become top contenders on the world stage,” she said.As part of the team’s preparation for the upcoming assignments, including the 50-over World Cup qualifiers in Sri Lanka in December, the same 26-member contingent had a 25-day preparatory camp in Multan from May 29, before moving to Karachi on June 9 when the temperatures soared in Multan.The PCB said in a statement that the 26 players and support staff had arrived in Lahore on Monday morning and would take pre-departure Covid-19 tests in the afternoon. The touring party will leave for Antigua via London in the wee hours of June 23, and be tested twice in five days thereafter, and then serve a four-day quarantine (room isolation) before beginning training.Pakistan Women have been out of action since their aborted tour of Zimbabwe in February where they won the first ODI before the remainder of the series was called off. Before that, the team had toured South Africa where they lost the ODI series 3-0 and won the third and final T20I to deny the hosts another series sweep.Pakistan Women squad: Javeria Khan, Rameen Shamim, Sidra Nawaz, Aliya Riaz, Aiman Anwar, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Iram Javed, Jaweria Rauf, Kainat Imtiaz, Kaynat Hafeez, Maham Tariq, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (wk), Nahida Khan, Najiha Alvi (wk), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Saba Nazir, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah.

Nathi Mthethwa wants more people of colour in leadership positions both in the board and in the team

Firdose Moonda20-Jun-2020Cricket South Africa has come under severe criticism from the country’s minister of sport, art and culture Nathi Mthethwa who questioned the organisation’s commitment to transformation at a parliamentary briefing on Friday. Despite CSA exceeding their transformation targets on the field for the 2018-19 season, Mtethwa was concerned that several senior positions since an overhaul of the board last year were occupied by white men.In December 2019, CSA CEO Thabang Moroe was suspended on allegations of misconduct. His case is ongoing and Dr. Jacques Faul has been in the position of acting CEO since. Under Faul, Graeme Smith was appointed director of cricket, replacing Corrie van Zyl, who occupied the post in interim capacity but was also suspended.Van Zyl has since returned to work, under Smith, who named Mark Boucher the national men’s coach. Boucher displaced Enoch Nkwe, who was working as interim team director and took the South African squad to India, where they were whitewashed 3-0. Nkwe was named as Boucher’s deputy. Boucher also brought in Jacques Kallis as batting consultant and Paul Harris as spin bowling consultant, in addition to Charl Langeveldt (bowling coach) and Justin Ontong (fielding coach).At the parliamentary briefing, CSA President Chris Nenzani was asked if the appointments of Faul, Smith and Boucher represented a regression of the board’s transformation policy given that two of them had replaced black African employees. Nenzani’s response was that the appointments had been made on merit.”I felt insulted with your [Nenzani’s] intervention when you said you only take people on merit,” Mtethwa said. “When we talk of cricket and going to the heart and core‚ you look at the CEO‚ you look at the director of cricket and the coach; you’ll find the deputy being an African.””You look at the batting specialist and you come and say to the nation that there’s nothing wrong and there’s no regression in transformation. I feel particularly insulted. It says that there’s a particular posture that has been taken that says Africans can be elsewhere in other areas that are not core ones. There’s no core area above the top five. It’s only one and that person is the deputy to the coach. I’m not going to be smiling at that kind of statement.”Mtethwa found it incredulous that CSA could not find black African candidates to fill senior roles when it has been 26 years since the official end of Apartheid (1994) and almost three decades (1991) since the country’s black and white cricket boards were unified. “Does it mean that after 26 years‚ there hasn’t been anybody who hasn’t been able to fill one of these positions? The only people with merit are white. I take exception to that.”Since readmission, CSA have had two black African CEOs, Gerald Majola and Thabang Moroe and six (of eight) presidents of colour including Krish Mackerdhuj, Percy Sonn, Norman Arendse, Ray Mali, Mtutuzeli Nyoka and now Nenzani. Apart from Nkwe’s brief stint with the national team, they have had only one other home-grown head coach of colour, Russell Domingo, and only one permanently appointed national captain of colour, Hashim Amla.Although there will be no sanctions against CSA at this point, earlier this month, Mtethwa met with the Eminent Persons Group expressing similar concerns and proposed legislation to address the pace of transformation. “The Minister raised his concern on the leadership and governance matters that have consistently undermined the development and transformation of sport in the country. He highlighted the urgent need for a fundamental discussion of re-imagining sport in the country, a major part of that being transformation,” a sports ministry press release from June 5 said.CSA have long-stated their commitment to transformation and “welcomed” the EPG report when it was released, noting the areas that still needed improvement, especially at school level. “The participation of senior schools from townships (previously disadvantaged black residential areas) amounts to 515 schools of the 1023 participating high schools. The participation of girls in senior schools’ cricket is growing. This growth will accelerate in the foreseeable future,” a CSA statement said.However, the concern lies more at the top where big changes have been made in response to the chaos that engulfed CSA late last year, In the space of a few weeks, their major sponsor Standard Bank opted not to renew their arrangement, three board members resigned and the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) voiced continued unhappiness with the CSA CEO. On December 6, Moroe was suspended, and 10 days later Nkwe was demoted and new appointments made. At the time, an organisation called the Black African Cricket Clubs accused CSA of a whitewash at senior level but Smith responded by providing an assurance of his commitment to transformation.

Suzie Bates blasted her way to an eighth ODI ton to help New Zealand make light work of their 189 target after Holly Huddleston’s third five-for paved way for a crushing win

The Report by Shashank Kishore24-Jun-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSuzie Bates hit 11 fours and one six in her unbeaten 109-ball 106•Getty Images

New Zealand had never lost to Sri Lanka in nine previous ODI meetings. They had bowled Sri Lanka out for under 150 in eight of those games. For a while on Saturday in Bristol, they may have wondered if the tide had turned. Chamari Atapattu and Chamari Polgampola put together 92 for the second wicket as Sri Lanka progressed serenely to 141 for 1. Then, a moment of brilliance on the field from Suzie Bates – a tumbling catch low to her left to see off half-centurion Atapattu – triggered an alarming slide. Sri Lanka lost eight wickets for 46 and eventually huffed and puffed to 188 for 9. It was inadequate against a power-packed batting line-up.Starring with the ball was Holly Huddleston, the medium-pacer, whose use of the crease, angles and subtle changes in pace fetched her a five-wicket haul – her third in ODIs – on World Cup debut. “To start off like that was obviously a dream come true,” she said. “I just wanted one or two [wickets]. I would’ve been happy with that and then they just kept coming which was awesome.”Huddleston did not play a single game for New Zealand between September 2014 and October 2016 and she took a little time out to explain how she had worked her way back to international cricket.”Being dropped was obviously hard to take. But I kind of looked at myself and said, ‘okay, what do I need to do to get back into the team?’ and fitness was one of them and I worked really hard on my fitness and then I wanted to play more cricket so went to Middlesex last year and this year and having more game time and having Sanjay Patel, who was the coach, he really just brought the enthusiasm back to my bowling which has obviously sparked my return back to the White Ferns.”After her bowlers had set up a small chase, Bates blasted a century during the course of an unbroken second-wicket stand of 170 with Amy Satterthwaite as New Zealand cruised to an emphatic nine-wicket win in the 38th over.Apart from being lacklustre with the ball, Sri Lanka were poor in the field, with wicketkeeper Prasadini Weerakkody reprieving Bates on 65 off Shashikala Siriwardena. Inoka Ranaweera, the captain, employed as many as seven bowlers; only Sripali Weerakkody managed to come back with something of note, stifling two in-form batsmen briefly with her mix of seam-up and fast offspin to finish with figures of 6-0-17-0.While Huddleston was the pick of New Zealand’s bowlers, the 16-year-old Amelia Kerr was equally impressive with her loopy legspin. The degree of control she maintained, even when Atapattu and Polgampola going strong, shone through on a flat deck where the batsmen had no hesitation in hitting through the line.Sophie Devine, the allrounder, played no less a role with the ball, breaking the second-wicket stand to expose an anxious middle-order that came out playing million-dollar strokes when Sri Lanka needed a period of consolidation. They ended up losing four wickets for eight runs in 27 balls.New Zealand lost Rachel Priest in the sixth over, but Bates, cautious initially, found her bearings to muscle 11 fours and a six in a near run-a-ball knock. Satterthwaite bossed the bowling as well, before retreating to watch from the other end as her captain gunned down the target in her quest for an eighth ODI century.”In the lead up to this, I hadn’t felt that great out in the middle and I just wanted to be patient and wait for the ball,” Bates said. “There’s a lot we can improve on; I thought Sri Lanka batted really well early on and whenever we gave them any width they put it away.”But the way we came back with the ball was really pleasing to keep them below 200, then to get the target with just one wicket down will give us some momentum.”Sri Lanka captain Ranaweera admitted her team had a few holes to plug. “We didn’t want to bat first but we lost the toss and New Zealand made it hard for us. Our batting, bowling and fielding all needs to improve before the next game.”

Kuldeep Yadav has said bowling to MS Dhoni was challenging but he was not scared to be hit for a boundary

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Apr-20171:20

‘Wasn’t afraid of bowling to Dhoni’ – Kuldeep

Kuldeep Yadav could feel the pressure of bowling to MS Dhoni on Wednesday evening. Despite being a spinner, Kuldeep was picked by Gautam Gambhir to bowl the 18th over of Rising Pune Supergiant’s innings with Dhoni and Steven Smith in a partnership of 35 runs from 21 balls. One batsman had regained his touch of smashing sixes in the end overs and the other has not gone out of form since landing in India for the Test series.”If you are a spinner there’s always pressure on you,” Kuldeep said after the match. “As a spinner, I believe that you can put the opposition under pressure by picking wickets. Like in the last over I took two wickets and they were under pressure. Bowling the 18th over is always tough; the captain needs to believe in you for that.”Kuldeep’s first ball to Dhoni in the match, in the 16th over, had been pulled for a flat six over midwicket. In the 18th over, Kuldeep deceived Dhoni with a googly. Dhoni stepped out to get to the pitch of the ball, but it turned away, beat his bat and was stumped.”Bowling to Dhoni is always challenging and I could feel the pressure,” Kuldeep recalled. “But I wasn’t scared that he would hit me for a six or a four. I flighted the ball and I was focused on getting him out.”Three balls later, Kuldeep had Manoj Tiwary on strike, Rising Pune’s best batsman this season in terms of strike rate (with at least five innings). Kuldeep had conceded only three runs in four balls until then in the over and he had Tiwary stumped even though the batsman did not step out to hit him. Kuldeep bowled another googly, Tiwary leaned forward to tuck the ball to the leg side with the spin but the ball went the other way and Tiwary’s back foot was outside the crease.Kuldeep, however, said the conventional legspinner was still his stock delivery as he used the wrong’un and the flipper mainly to get wickets.”It (googly) is only a variation and you can use it in T20s to confuse a batsman when he is attacking,” he said. “But I really believe in my chinaman bowling rather than the wrong’un and flipper. I back my stock ball more and I’m mainly a chinaman bowler; the wrong’un is a variation you use to pick wickets or stop the runs. But my main delivery is chinaman delivery. Obviously, the wrong’un gets you wickets and the batsmen keep wondering if the ball will come in or go out, they find it difficult to pick, especially the overseas batsmen. So if you dismiss Indian batsmen like that, it’s a big boost for confidence.”Kuldeep has so far gone wicketless in just one match this IPL and has collected eight wickets, joint with team-mates Nathan Coulter-Nile and Umesh Yadav, who have had the advantage of a pacer-friendly relaid pitch at Eden Gardens.Kuldeep has had an impressive run since the beginning of the domestic season. He was the highest wicket-taker and the leading run-scorer for Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy; he topped the wicket-takers charts in the Duleep Trophy too, with 17 wickets in three matches, and he shone on his Test debut with 4 for 68 against Australia in Dharamsala.”If you play the entire season and you’re highest run-getter or the highest wicket-taker, it becomes easier to play on the next level because of the momentum you are carrying,” Kuldeep said. “If you aren’t playing domestic cricket you might lack in some places. I’ve played Duleep Trophy, one-dayers, T20s, India A, so this season has been really helpful for me which is why I have a lot of confidence.”Knight Riders will play their next match against Delhi Daredevils on Friday.

A match-winning knock from Rob Nicol, followed by a triple strike from Mitchell McClenaghan set up Auckland’s 20-run win against Otago, as they lifted the Georgie Pie Super Smash title in New Plymouth

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2015
ScorecardMitchell McClenaghan broke the back of Otago’s chase with three wickets in the sixth over•Getty Images

A crucial contribution from Rob Nicol, followed by a triple strike from Mitchell McClenaghan set up Auckland’s 20-run win against Otago, as they lifted the Georgie Pie Super Smash title in New Plymouth. It was, their fourth in domestic history.Otago’s openers – Hamish Rutherford and Anaru Kitchen – added 50 in 33 balls and were well on their way to the target of 167 before McClenaghan took three wickets in four balls to change the course of the final.After choosing to bat, Nicol anchored Auckland’s innings with a 54-ball 77, including eight fours and three sixes, and formed significant stands with the middle order, the largest being 50 for the third wicket with Brad Cachopa, to help post a total of 166 for 6.Robert O’Donnell provided the innings with the required impetus and momentum with a 10-ball 19. Warren Barnes returned figures of 3 for 33 while Kitchen was most economical, conceding 21 in his four overs.The chase began in sprightly fashion before Auckland roared back into the game with regular wickets. James Neesham (21 off 17) and captain Nathan McCullum (35 off 21) provided brief resistance but with the required run-rate skyrocketing and wickets tumbling, it was a task too far. Donovan Grobbelaar also picked up three wickets in five balls to ensure there wasn’t a late resurgence.”He’s a big occasion player and he stepped up for us there. I felt that they were at parity and it was touch-and-go in terms of someone cleaned up and carried on through, and he just came in and devastated them to be fair, and they never really recovered from that,” Auckand captain Rob Nicol said while speaking about McCleneghan’s triple-wicket maiden that sent back Otago’s top three.

Mohammad Amir picked up 2 for 15 in 2.1 overs on his return to competitive cricket, as Rawalpindi Rams easily beat Abbottabad Falcons by six wickets in the Super8 T20 Cup in Faisalabad

ESPNcricinfo staff11-May-2015

Group A

Mohammad Amir picked up 2 for 15 in 2.1 overs on his return to competitive cricket, as Rawalpindi Rams easily beat Abbottabad Falcons by six wickets in the Super8 T20 Cup in Faisalabad. Amir struck off his first legitimate ball, sending Sajjad Ali’s off-stump cartwheeling back in the second over, before also bowling Mohammad Naseem out for 3 in the first ball of the last.Rams, choosing to field, had Falcons at 23 for 2 in the fourth over. After a brief rain delay, Fakhar Zaman and Adnaan Raees put on 64 for the third wicket to take the team past 80, but Falcons’ last seven batsmen could add only 22 run between them as they folded for 109. Rams’ right-arm seamer Hammad Azam was their stand-out bowler with figures of 4 for 12.Rams’ chase received a setback when Mohammad Nawaz fell for 9 in the third over, but Naved Malik’s 25-ball 39 and Zahid Mansoor’s unbeaten 32 was enough to see their team home with three overs to spare, despite losing three more wickets in the middle overs.In an interview to before the game, Amir thanked his fans and supporters for backing him over the last four years.”I am completely ready mentally and physically to play in this tournament and am feeling totally relaxed,” he said, before revealing that he had already signed up for a departmental team to play the 2015-16 domestic season.”There have been some offers for me to play in domestic T20 leagues around the world but this would be in contravention of ICC conditions so we have had to decline and just concentrate on playing domestic cricket in Pakistan. My immediate focus is simply to prepare for the first-class season ahead and to leave the decisions for any recall to international cricket in the hands of the selectors.”Half-centuries from Nauman Anwar and captain Shoaib Malik helped Sialkot Stallions gun down 168 with 11 balls remaining against Peshawar Panthers at the Iqbal Stadium. Stallions lost Mukhtar Ahmed in the second over of the chase, but Nauman and Malik counterattacked with a second-wicket association which yielded 141 runs from 14 overs to all but win the game. Nauman blasted seven fours and three sixes during his 45-ball 65, while Malik’s unbeaten 95 off 49 balls featured four fours and nine sixes. Left-arm seamer Imran Khan was the only Panthers bowler to go at under six an over, ending with figures of 4-0-18-2.Earlier, Panthers, opting to bat, were buoyed by a fifty from Israrullah (59) to make 166 for 6. Israullah and his opening partner Rafatullah Mohmand put up an 88-run stand, and Panthers were soon well set at 118 for 1. However, two wickets in the space of two balls in the 15th over hurt their momentum, as the middle and lower order struggled to score in the same intensity as the openers.

Jacques Kallis is expected to play his first franchise game of the season when Cape Cobras host Dolphins in the Franchise 1-Day Cup today

Firdose Moonda30-Nov-2011Jacques Kallis is expected to play his first franchise game of the season when Cape Cobras host Dolphins in the Franchise 1-Day Cup today. Kallis moved back to his home franchise after three seasons at the Eastern Cape-based Warriors, but he has not had the opportunity to play domestic cricket this year because of international and IPL commitments.After returning from the Champions League Twenty20, where he played for Kolkata Knight Riders, Kallis played the home series against Australia. He scored two half-centuries in three ODIs but managed only 58 runs in four innings during the Tests. Given the domestic schedule, Kallis will be able to play for Cobras only in the one-dayers. Richard Pybus, the Cobras coach, said he will do whatever he can to give Kallis the necessary match practice.”From a big picture perspective, it’s critical that national players are playing domestic cricket whenever they can,” Pybus told ESPNCricinfo. ” There is a lot of cricket for them coming up, so we have to be able to manage guys like Jacques over a long season and make informed, judicious decisions about how much they should be playing.”For Pybus, Kallis’ return to Cobras is an advantage because many of the young players look up to him as a local hero. “We win all-round because the youngsters want to play alongside him, the standard of cricket is lifted when the national players are involved and it becomes more attractive for the public to watch,” Pybus said. “It’s his cricketing home. He is playing for a team that he has an emotional connection with.”Although Kallis’ Test performances, particularly with the bat, were not a reason for major concern, there were aspects of his game that could do with polishing. Kallis was roughed up by 18-year old fast bowler, Pat Cummins, who used his pace and the short ball effectively. He was also ineffective with the ball against Australia, taking one wicket in 28 overs at an average of 121 in the Tests.Pybus said he had offered Kallis assistance if the allrounder wanted it ahead of the Tests against Sri Lanka, which begin on December 15. “I have asked him if there is anything he would like me to have a look at, but Jacques knows his game,” Pybus said. “He knows what he is doing.”Cobras are on top the Franchise 1-Day Cup table and victory against Dolphins on Wednesday will guarantee them a home final. The second and third placed teams will square off in the only semi-final to determine the other finalist.

Zimbabwe have named a full-strength squad led by allrounder Elton Chigumbura for the three-ODI series against Ireland that begins on September 26 in Harare

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2010Zimbabwe have named a full-strength squad led by allrounder Elton Chigumbura for the three-ODI series against Ireland that begins on September 26 in Harare. Zimbabwe last played an ODI series in June and have made just one change to their squad, replacing allrounder Andy Blignaut with Shingirai Masakadza, a seamer and useful lower-order batsman.The 15 also includes the experienced Tatenda Taibu and Hamilton Masakadza, who has been a prolific batsman at the top of the order and is in form. He recently starred with 90 and 41 for his domestic team Mountaineers in its win against Mashonaland Eagles in the Logan Cup.Ireland confirmed their decision to tour Zimbabwe in August after the African country had staged Intercontinental Cup fixtures involving Kenya and Afghanistan as well as a tri-series featuring the hosts, Sri Lanka and India in June. Things have been looking up for Zimbabwe in the recent past with former players like Jason Gillespie and Shaun Pollock giving cricket in the country a vote of confidence by taking up coaching assignments with domestic teams.Zimbabwe has been in self-imposed isolation from Test cricket since 2006 when it didn’t have the players to field a competitive team, but the country’s cricket board recently laid out an 18-month plan to return. However, Zimbabwe did suffer a setback in August when Scotland refused to tour for their Intercontinental Cup game scheduled for October, following government advice that cited insufficient progress in political reform and the rule of law as reasons to stay back.Zimbabwe’s most recent ODI assignment was a satisfying one, as they beat India – albeit depleted – twice in the tri-series and qualified for the final, where they were trumped by Sri Lanka. The Ireland tour comprises four games, all at the Harare Sports Club, including an Intercontinental Cup fixture on September 20.Zimbabwe squad: Elton Chigumbura (capt), Graeme Cremer, Chamu Chibhabha, Charles Coventry, Craig Ervine, Greg Lamb, Hamilton Masakadza, Shingirai Masakadza, Chris Mpofu, Ray Price, Ed Rainsford, Vusi Sibanda, Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Prosper Utseya.

Lou Vincent, the former New Zealand batsman, expressed his disappointment at being ignored by the national selectors despite doing very well in domestic cricket and is considering a permanent move to UK.

Cricinfo staff02-Mar-2010Lou Vincent, the New Zealand batsman, expressed his disappointment at being ignored by the national selectors despite his success with Auckland in the domestic Twenty20 competition and thinks he still has it in him to play for his country.Mark Greatbatch, the New Zealand coach, said Vincent was not considered for the upcoming ODI series against Australia because he did not commit to New Zealand cricket. Vincent, however, denied Greatbatch’s contention and said he had attempted to clear the air with the coach.”I made it perfectly clear to Greatbatch. I want to play for New Zealand. I want to be considered for the Twenty20 World Cup. That’s my niche, that’s my specialty. I’ve definitely proved to the world and to the New Zealand selectors I’ve still got what it takes,” Vincent was quoted as saying in .Vincent last played for New Zealand in December 2007 before he was dropped from the side. After suffering from a bout of depression that threatened to end his career early, Vincent gave up his New Zealand contract to play in the Indian Cricket League. After moving on from the ICL, Vincent had been living in the UK before heading back to New Zealand in the hope of returning to the top flight.With the selectors continuing to ignore him, Vincent is considering taking up club cricket in the UK. Though his chief interest lies in playing for New Zealand, Vincent is aware that he could qualify for England in less than two years.”I came back to New Zealand to prove that I wanted to play cricket again and to tell the selectors that I want to play for New Zealand again. And I guess the ball is in their court. And yeah, if all else fails I might play against the Black Caps at the next Twenty20 World Cup for England,” Vincent said.