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The player auction for the 2012 IPL will be held in late January or early February and the teams will have an additional salary cap of $2 million, ESPNcricinfo has learned. The players from the Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise, which was terminated earlier this year, will be part of the auction.According to a formal communication from the IPL Governing Council, which met earlier today in Chennai, the squad sizes for each team have been increased from 30 to 33, with eleven foreign players per squad, up one from the previous limit of 10. However, the number of foreign players that can be part of the final XI will remain at four.The teams will play their games on a home-and-away basis, so each of the nine teams will play 16 games as opposed to 14 in 2011. The changes mean the IPL reverts back to its original format, where all the teams played each other twice, a format that the franchises have always preferred. There were no changes to the play-off format. The two finalists, Chennai and Bangalore, will host the play-offs in 2012.The decision to include the Kochi players in the player auction effectively means the board has decided to stick with nine teams for the time being. The BCCI voted to terminate the Kochi franchise at its annual general meeting in September. At the time board president N Srinivasan said that the governing council would decide on whether to issue a tender for a 10th franchise.Should any of the Kochi players fail to attract the bid, their salaries will be covered by the IPL through the franchise’s bank guarantee worth Rs 156 crores that has been encashed by the BCCI. Among the leading players that will be part of the auction are Muttiah Muralitharan, Brendon McCullum, Mahela Jayawardene and Ravindra Jadeja.An official of one of the franchises was satisfied with the format for the 2012 season but not with the decision to increase squad size. “After Kochi went, the home-and-away format is a logical step,” the official told ESPNcricinfo. “But 33 players is too much. Even 30 were too many. What they are trying to do is to ensure that the Kochi players get hired. If they are not hired, then the IPL has to pay for them. So they are trying to push that cost to the franchises by saying, ‘Some you hire and some we’ll hire’. Otherwise it makes no sense to increase the foreign players’ count to 11. Even ten was too many as you are only playing four.”The governing council also decided that the first window for trading players will be between December 15 and January 20, with a shorter window after the auction. There is no financial cap on trading, though each franchise can add only a maximum of four players to their squad through trading.In other IPL news, Chris Gayle is likely to stay with Royal Challengers Bangalore as a rule that allows the team which hired the replacement player to have the first right over him has been retained. Gayle transformed Royal Challengers’ fortunes after being brought in following Australia fast bowler Dirk Nannes’ injury early in the 2011 season, steering the team to the finals.Also, in a jolt to the IPL, MAXX Mobile, the sponsors for the strategic timeout, have decided to terminate their three-year contract which was signed in 2010. The governing council deliberated on possible action against the company in case it does not compensate the IPL for exiting the contract ahead of the expiry date.

Baroda

Will Yusuf Pathan be able to play some long innings for Baroda?•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

No one expected an inexperienced Baroda side to make the Ranji Trophy final after nine years without the Pathan brothers and Munaf Patel, least of all then coach Mukesh Narula. That they did, and came within touching distance of taking the decisive first-innings lead against a powerful Rajasthan batting line-up, points to the potential in the relatively thin supply-line of one of the four city-based Ranji teams.While they missed key allrounder Irfan Pathan last season due to injury, they were fortunate to have the services of Yusuf Pathan and Munaf whenever they were free from international duty. The Pathan brothers are available this season but Munaf is out for a couple of months with his injured ankle.The trio missed the dramatic semi-final that Baroda won at home against Karnataka inside two days on a sharp turner which drew all-round criticism. One of the less strident voices was that of then Karnataka and now Baroda coach Sanath Kumar, who had maintained that a team had to be good enough to tackle all conditions and not blame only the pitch. Sanath has now spent a few months with Baroda, including the Buchi Babu and Syed Mushtaq Ali tournaments, and he said that they have lots of bench strength.Baroda will be starting with a new opening combination with veteran Connor Williams having retired and the young Jaykishan Kolsawala out with knee trouble. Kedar Devdhar, who had a solid last season at No. 3, will open along with either Aditya Waghmode or Anupam Gupta, who made two centuries in the Buchi Babu tournament. The presence of Ambati Rayudu and Yusuf gives firepower to the middle order.Irfan will share the new ball with the impressive Murtuja Vahora who took 30 wickets last season. Last year’s top wicket-taker Bhargav Bhatt will lead the spin attack. Wicketkeeper Pinal Shah is in his second Ranji season as captain and Sanath said that his control over match situations has improved.With the added spark that the Pathan brothers provide, Baroda have it in them to go a step further than what they managed against Rajasthan. Sanath’s challenge will be to get the rest of the young side to perform at the level it can, something Narula managed capably.What they did last season
Baroda were the only side apart from Karnataka to have three wins in the league stage, hammering Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh by an innings. In between, they lost from a winning position against Uttar Pradesh and conceded the first-innings lead to Karnataka and Orissa. Munaf’s four-for and Devdhar’s century got them the decisive lead in the quarter-final against Railways. Vahora’s five-for made short work of Karnataka in the first innings before Pinal rose to the occasion with a superb 83, the only fifty of the semi-final, allowing the spinners to take over. The experience of Rajasthan proved too much in the final though.Men to watch
After his no-show last year, this is a big season for Irfan. He showed glimpses of his once-trademark boomerang shape in to the right-hander during the IPL and did reasonably well in the Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 tournament. But bowling long spells on unresponsive tracks in the longer format will be different. Irfan has spoken about being a touch nervous about the transition as he prepares to play his first first-class game since February 2010. His progress will be closely watched.Yusuf has lost out to Ravindra Jadeja for the moment in ODIs but has revealed his bigger ambition of playing Tests, saying that “there is more to my batting than just hitting.” Despite seven first-class hundreds and an average of 41.38, the overbearing image of Yusuf is that of a man who can take apart attacks only on the odd day. Can he do something to change that image this season?Vahora has matured enough to be ready for the next level, according to Sanath. Vahora took 30 of his 49 first-class wickets last season, running in hard even in post-tea sessions and pegging batsmen back with pace and bounce. Sanath said his control has developed to the extent that he can now send down eight to ten consecutive yorkers.

Karnataka

A few tall Ranji scores will boost Manish Pandey’s case for national selection•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Karnataka’s glory years in the late 1990s came during a phase when the state was supplying more than its fair share of players to the national side. They then they lapsed into a decade of disappointment. The last two Ranji seasons – a memorable run to the final where they nearly outlasted Mumbai, followed by a semi-final exit on a poor wicket – suggest that Karnataka have turned the corner, but the time has now come to back their resurgence with silverware.Karnataka’s transformation began when they adopted a new direction under coach Sanath Kumar and captain R Vinay Kumar, a move that required some hard decisions including the axing of some senior names. Sanath has now made way for Kartik Jeshwant, but the side’s young core remains intact. Vinay, along with fellow seamers Abhimanyu Mithun and S Aravind, have broken into the national side, while Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey also feature in selection debates. Karnataka continue their thrust for young talent, with KP Appanna taking over the lead spinner’s mantle from Sunil Joshi, who retired earlier this year, while Bharat Chipli returns to first-class action after three years.Joshi was pivotal to Karnataka’s cause in 2010, wheeling his way to 32 wickets at 18.90, making him the third-highest wicket-taker of the season. Aravind (26), Mithun (24) and Vinay (19) were also among the wickets, but the batsmen betrayed a nagging inability to score big hundreds. Amit Verma, who was Karnataka’s leading scorer, managed only one century though he racked up 652 runs, while the team’s highest score all season was Manish Pandey’s 171. It was an aspect of their game that worried Sanath, and could hamper them this time around against sides that bat big and look for decisive first-innings leads.What they did last season
Karnataka’s bowling unit sparkled all year, while their batsmen took turns getting the runs. Uthappa’s 149 set up a comfortable win against Punjab, before Verma led a second-innings fightback to save the game against Haryana. Pandey and CM Gautam punished Orissa to set up a dominant innings victory, while Stuart Binny was the hero in a low-scoring encounter against Himachal Pradesh. Draws in their last two league games ensured Karnataka were one of only three teams to make the knockouts unbeaten. An all-round effort led by Verma and Joshi helped them brush aside Madhya Pradesh in the quarter-final. And then they slipped on a forgettable strip at the Reliance Stadium in Vadodara.Eighteen wickets fell on the opening day as Karnataka were rolled over for 107. Joshi scrapped hard with a six-wicket haul to keep Baroda’s lead to manageable proportions, but the batsmen fell in a heap in the second innings as well, against Swapnil Singh and Bhargav. Two nightmarish days on a shocking wicket was all it took to undo Karnataka’s season, and they will want to be better prepared for such challenges this time around.Men to watch
One breakthrough season, followed by a consistent one puts Manish Pandey in pole position to break into the national side. Another fruitful year will pitchfork him to the level currently occupied by Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane in the pecking order. Pandey’s case is strengthened by his IPL exploits and a raft of big scores in the Emerging Players tournament, but he will know that nothing will shine brighter than big hundreds in the Ranji Trophy.

Uttar Pradesh

The UP leadership baton has been passed on to Suresh Raina•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Prior to last season, Uttar Pradesh had made three finals and a semi-final over the five previous years. After last year’s slip, though, the winds of change are blowing. Mohammad Kaif, captain for all six of those years, has stepped down. Suresh Raina will now lead the side, although he will also hope that he doesn’t do it for too long, and that he is picked for the Tests in Australia. It can only be good for UP either way: if he gets selected, it will only be through making a bucketful of runs for UP, if he doesn’t, he will at least be there for the business end of the tournament.While Raina will strengthen the batting, and Kaif will want to get back to batting form without the pressure of captaincy, UP’s strength will continue to remain their bowling. They will miss Praveen Kumar, but will like to think they have one of the best domestic attacks in RP Singh, Sudeep Tyagi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Piyush Chawla.The rise of Raina and Praveen, along with a steady support cast including the likes of Kaif, RP Singh and Chawla, has marked the golden age of UP cricket, which started with the title win in 2005-06. Praveen and Raina have hardly looked back since, but RP, Chawla and Kaif have plateaued. This season might be one final opportunity to take an upward turn.What they did last season
Despite being – on paper – one of the top three sides of their group, despite having secured 14 points from their first four matches, UP failed to make it to the quarter-finals from a group of six. When even a first-innings lead might have been enough in one of the two last matches, they registered just one point. In all they managed just one century, and that too came off the bat of Chawla.Men to watch
Raina will harbour Test ambitions, RP Singh will eye redemption after the embarrassing Test comeback earlier this year, but it’s an even more interesting season for Kaif. The selectors’ message has been clear that he is not in their plans, and his own dipping returns haven’t helped either. With 203 runs at 22.55 the last season was one of the worst for him. Once upon a time, against better attacks in Test cricket, he averaged nearly 33. There is no captaincy now and even fewer selection anxieties. Can that push him to find a second wind?

Saurashtra

Can Ravindra Jadeja carry his ODI form into first-class cricket?•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Two years of relative satisfaction, during which Saurashtra qualified for the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy, were blighted by a significant decline in the following two, particularly in 2010-11. A side that came close to being a serious contender for the title slipped to the brink of relegation before it was able to pull itself up and remain in the Super League. Though the pitch at their home ground, the Khandheri Cricket Stadium in Rajkot, has contributed to the regrettable trend of high-scoring draws in the tournament, where first-innings leads are a decisive factor, Saurashtra will hope some more depth in their bowling this year will serve them better. They’ve roped in left-arm spinner Nayan Doshi, as well as seamer Siddharth Trivedi from Gujarat. The absence of key players – Cheteshwar Pujara and Jaydev Unadkat – was a blow to Saurashtra’s chances last year, but their coach Debu Mitra was confident of a better show this time. “I think I have the best available Saurashtra side this year,” Mitra told ESPNcricinfo.Unlike last year, when they played six matches at home, Saurashtra are playing six away games this year and they’ll hope it brings in better fortunes this time round as a spate of high-scoring draws hit them hard the previous season. “This year, my team is in good shape,” Mitra said. “We played quite a few four-day games in Bangalore, then in Chennai at the Buchi Babu tournament and had a 14-day camp.”What they did last season
Saurashtra had a disappointing season in 2010-11, only managing to stay in the Super League by beating Assam in their final league game in an uncharacteristically low-scoring encounter in Rajkot. They suffered one defeat and played out five draws, four of them in Rajkot. Of the five draws, they conceded a first-innings lead in four matches; the other one was rain-affected. Sagar Jogiyani was their highest run-getter, averaging 41 in seven matches; Kotak was second in line. Backing up Jadeja in the bowling was Kamlesh Makvana, who finished with 17 wickets in five games and played a crucial role in the win over Assam.Men to watch
The experience of Shitanshu Kotak will be a huge asset but all eyes will be on Cheteshwar Pujara, who has recovered from a knee injury sustained during the IPL. It put him out of action for five months and cost him his place in India’s Test side. National selection will be high on his mind as he bats this season. Saurashtra won’t have him back in the first round of the tournament but his return could have a major influence on their progress. “Definitely it is a big blow and he’s our best batsman,” Mitra said.Also drawing much attention will be the performance of Ravindra Jadeja, who was Saurashtra’s highest wicket-taker last season. He’s made a name for himself of late in limited-overs cricket for India; how he goes with the bat in the four-day version would be something the national selectors will have their eyes on.

Pressure is mounting on the USA Cricket Association to get its internal affairs in order following a strongly worded mail from ICC Americas regional development manager Martin Vieira over its recent handling of the USA women’s team. It has also been rapped for its failure to meet an ICC administrative deadline in the build-up to next month’s ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh.The email, a copy of which is with ESPNcricinfo, was from Vieira to USACA general manager Manaf Mohamed. In it Vieira raised USA’s failure to send a provisional World Cup squad of 18 players to the ICC despite repeated reminders from ICC development officer David Thorley. All provisional squads were due to be submitted to the ICC on September 30 but, according to an email from Thorley, USA is the only country to have failed to comply with the deadline. The last time USACA made any communication to the ICC regarding the women’s team was on September 19.The majority of the squad is locked in a dispute with USACA after refusing to accept the tour stipend they’ve been offered due to the fact that it’s significantly less than what the men’s team receives. Adding to the instability is the replacement of the team coach Linden Fraser with former India allrounder Robin Singh.”If USACA is not concerned let me be frank and say the email below from David Thorley is an absolute disgrace to the Americas region,” Vieira wrote in an email dated October 12. He further admonished USACA over their failure to hold a proper line of communication with officials at ICC headquarters in Dubai about the status of the women’s team. “The region’s image is being tarnished by the poor communication coming from your national association.”Vieira said the ICC Americas regional office had invested a lot of time, money, coaching and other resources to help prepare the USA squad for the tournament in an effort to avoid the embarrassment of repeating the fate of Bermuda, the lone representative from the Americas region at the Women’s World Cup Qualifier in 2008. Bermuda lost all five of their games to finish last, including a shocking performance against South Africa when they were bowled out for 13.However, Vieira fears that all the efforts from members of his Toronto office that went toward helping the USA women’s squad might be wasted due to squabbling and infighting taking place at USACA.”Now just days away from departure we are hearing about problems with teams that can only mean a less than desirable result. Coaches are replaced and the rumours have up to 12 players refusing to go and will be replaced,” Vieira wrote. “I urge you and the USACA executive to take a close look at this issue and give this team and women’s cricket the attention it deserves. In my opinion countries in this region do not have the depth to select ‘B’ squads to represent them at this level.”The USA women’s squad was scheduled to hold a training camp in Florida this weekend. A final 14-player squad must be submitted to the ICC by Saturday, October 15.

Live scorecard
Usman Khawaja was involved in a big opening stand with Phil Hughes on his way to a century•AFP

In the sort of touch he exhibited for the Australians on Friday against a Sri Lanka Board XI at the P Sara Oval, Colombo, Usman Khawaja radiates the ease that only the very best batsmen possess. Calm, judicious and still in defence, Khawaja never hesitated to score when the opportunity arose, and a chanceless 101 retired was his fitting reward, as the Australians took the lead with five wickets in hand and a day to play.Captain Michael Clarke stroked a fluent, unbeaten 68 and had Peter Siddle for company at stumps. Khawaja’s century, following an opening stand of 153 with Phil Hughes (76), throws up questions as to who would man the No. 6 spot for Australia in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle, starting on August 31. The post is notionally assigned to another left-hander, Shaun Marsh, who made only 12.Should the selectors on tour assent to the directives of the Argus review, which stressed the need to reward performance above all else, they would have to choose Khawaja. But Marsh’s experiences in the Twenty20 and limited-overs matches so far on tour, while mixed, gave him a more comprehensive sight of the bowlers he is likely to face in the Tests. It is also felt that Khawaja’s best fit is towards the top of the batting order, where Hughes, Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke are presently ensconced.Further, the Board XI attack Khawaja tamed was presentable at best, its most striking analysis returned by a batsman, Tharanga Paranavitana (1 for 10 in seven overs). Others, potentially Rangana Herath and Ajantha Mendis, will set greater traps next week.The only other question swirling around the tourists’ batting concerns Michael Hussey, who continued an indifferent run of scores on this tour by leaving his crease to be stumped in the final session. While Hussey’s omission from the first Test XI would be inconceivable, Khawaja’s poise was such that a way may need to be found to squeeze him in sooner rather than later.Australia’s openers had resumed at 26 for 0, and after two maidens to start the second morning Khawaja announced himself with a regal push to the cover boundary. It was a stroke typical of much that would follow. Hughes, who started swiftly, gradually slowed as Board XI’s bowlers gave him less to thrash through the offside.Hughes managed one straight drive that sped to the rope, and overall played a useful acclimatising innings in conditions that demand significant orientation. What he loses in terms of aesthetic when compared to Khawaja, Hughes makes up for with hunger for runs. During this knock, he passed 5000 runs in first-class cricket.Eventually the stand was broken, Hughes missing an attempted flick to leg and losing his leg bail to Paranavitana. The next man in was Hussey, proof that the tour hierarchy agreed he needed a long innings after scores of two not out, 63, duck and six in the ODI series. After an edgy start, he connected with one solid pull shot, and went to tea with Khawaja perched on 92.On resumption Khawaja did not linger. He clouted his second six, this time over midwicket after the first had been driven straight, and two singles later was saluting the dressing room and a tiny crowd upon reaching his century. It had taken 271 minutes and 208 balls, included eight fours and two sixes, and made as strong a case for Test selection as Trent Copeland’s 5 for 47 the day before.Within moments Khawaja was shuffling off retired, to give others the chance for a bat in the evening session. Marsh managed one elegant straight drive and a strong-armed cut behind point, but soon he was departing too, having edged a Dilruwan Perera off break behind. Hussey, followed, beaten through the air and off the pitch.Brad Haddin was also dismissed cheaply, nicely held in the gully for 16, but Clarke played with elegance and timing to place him in the right frame of mind for his first Test as the fully-fledged Australia captain.

A too-thin layer of sunblock was about the only mistake Trent Copeland made on his first day as an Australian cricketer as he knocked over Sri Lanka Board XI’s top order on his way to figures of 5 for 47. If those figures are an accurate indicator of his quality, and based on the calibre of the victims it is difficult to argue that they aren’t, there are likely to be many more days in an Australian shirt to come.Chief among his victims was Thilan Samaraweera, the middle order batsman with an average of 54.08 in Tests. Copeland reckoned that was the most satisfying of his wickets, but there was also Tharanga Paranavitana, the Test opener, and Angelo Mathews, the allrounder who was recently named Sri Lanka Test vice-captain.”Samaraweera is a guy who is entrenched in their middle order and he’s averaged 60-odd in Test cricket for the last few years,” Copeland said. “To build some pressure on him and get him to play a loose shot like that – it probably wasn’t the best ball I bowled all day, but that’s something I aspire to do is take Test wickets, so for me he is a Test player and it is something I can measure myself against.”I’m absolutely stoked to have played my first real game as an Australian cricketer and to have taken five wickets is absolutely astonishing. We’ve still got a second innings to play in this game and I’m just absolutely enjoying where I’m at the moment. Opening the bowling for an Australian side, getting some nicks through to Brad Haddin and talking to Michael Clarke about field settings and stuff like that, it’s a little bit beyond my wildest dreams. I said to myself I needed to make an impression when I got here and hopefully I have done.”The Board XI began in a manner that might have frustrated a less focused touring side, scrapping to 82 for no loss before Copeland struck with the last ball before lunch. Regular wickets ensued once play started after the interval and by stumps the Australian openers were in firmly entrenched at the crease.”I think it was all about patience,” Copeland said. “We spoke before the game and at length at lunch about the lengths we were going to bowl and about being patient and I suppose I got the rewards. The boys all bowled well and in different patches I got rewards where the other guys were bowling well as well.”Early on it [the pitch] was a little bit tacky and seamed around a little bit, but overhead conditions and the on-field conditions allowed the ball to go reverse a little bit for us, so that’s a good sign and something we can expect over the Test series, so getting used to bowling a little bit of reverse swing is always going to be helpful, but yeah conducive to fast bowling is about results.”It’s not about how much swing you get, I think it’s just about being patient and you get the rewards when you build some dots and build some pressure. People obviously know I can bowl long spells and today was a really good hit-out, getting out there today and bowling some long spells. It’s hot over here, the wickets are flat, the opposition are very talented, so you’ve just got to be able to bowl, and bowl and bowl until you get them out.”Reverse swing was cited as one area of Australian deficiency in the pages of the Argus report, but Copeland said the tourists had managed to get the ball swinging against the shine on a dry pitch and wicket square. Peter Siddle, not the best of the bowlers with figures of 0 for 55 from 11 overs, was nonetheless important as the custodian of the ball.”Peter Siddle did most of it today, he’s one guy who doesn’t sweat too much and keeps the ball dry and looks after it,” Copeland said. “But it doesn’t matter where you play in the world you’ve got to look after the ball, whether it is for genuine swing or reverse. But I think we got our head around how we can make it go reverse and when we do we’ve got some good bowlers to take advantage plus two good spinners to bowl at the same time.”As for the only mistake of his day, Copeland’s red face is not something that should be seen too many more times this tour. “I’m a little bit sunburnt, but I’ll learn from that, I’ll put some more on tomorrow,” he said. On the evidence of his bowling, Copeland is among the fastest of learners.

Match Facts

August 10-14, Edgbaston
Start time 11.00 (1000GMT)Tim Bresnan is certain to keep his place after Chris Tremlett was ruled out injured•Getty Images

The Big Picture

In 1981 the race riots were an undercurrent throughout a summer where England claimed a famous Ashes series victory. Thirty years later the unrest which began in London and has now spread elsewhere has overshadowed the build-up to a Test match where England can go No. 1 in the world with victory over India.The England team were locked in their hotel on Monday evening, while India were keeping tabs on the situation, but the match is expected to go ahead as planned at a new-look Edgbaston which has undergone extensive redevelopment. The hosts are a win away from taking over from India at the top spot in Test cricket and they will take some stopping in their current form.India have been a major disappointment during the opening two matches except for the herculean efforts of Rahul Dravid and occasional bursts from their pace bowlers. The batsmen have failed to reach 300 in four innings, while the support bowling for the quicks has been awful and the fielding often poor. For a side that came with such a mighty tag it has been quite a fall from grace.MS Dhoni, himself in a poor run of form, and coach Duncan Fletcher have a major challenge. They will hope the return of Virender Sehwag can provide an x-factor but he’s played hardly any cricket recently, falling for 8 against Northamptonshire over the weekend. Still, he has never been a player to value warm-up matches too highly.Despite England’s outstanding performances it is now that they could be at their most vulnerable. They have a recent track record of losing their way when a major target is there for the taking; at Headingley in 2009 and Perth in 2010 they stumbled with the Ashes up for grabs before recovering to claim the prize while last summer against Pakistan they lost at The Oval having been 2-0 up. This time they’ll be desperate not to leave the series open.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
England WWDDW
India LLDDW

Watch out for…

India have sent out their SOS – Send our Sehwag. After three months on the sidelines with a shoulder injury Virender Sehwag has returned to action although it remains to be seen how effective he can be. His shoulder is still causing trouble and he’s also suffered partial deafness. Yet he has the ability to open some old scars. His 83 off 68 balls in Chennai was the key innings in India’s successful run chase during the 2008 series against England. Sehwag is the type of batsman who can score a hundred in a session and give a struggling team belief. Still, it’s asking a huge amount of one cricketer.Another batsman returning to Test cricket, although under different circumstances, is Ravi Bopara. However, with Jonathan Trott unlikely to be absent for long it is set to be a one-off chance for Bopara to show his game has matured to make him a viable option in the Test team. He’ll slot in at No. 6, a more natural position than No. 3 where Australia found him out, but still needs to convince he has the technique and temperament for the top level. However, having narrowly missed out to Eoin Morgan earlier in the summer he knows he’s still the next in line.

Team news

With Trott and Chris Tremlett ruled out England don’t face any last-minute selection issues. Steven Finn is part of the squad but won’t keep out Tim Bresnan after his outstanding display at Trent Bridge. Bopara is likely to bat at No. 6 on his Test return which means Morgan moving up one spot.England (probable): 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ian Bell, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 James Anderson.India know they’ll be without Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh for the rest of the tour, but will at least be able to welcome back Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir to strengthen the batting and allow everyone to play in their usual positions. Given Suresh Raina’s problems against the short ball Virat Kohli, who replaced Yuvraj, may be considered while Amit Mishra is still favourite to come in for Harbhajan despite talk of a four-man pace attack.India (probable): 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 MS Dhoni (c) (wk), 8 Amit Mishra, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Sreesanth.

Pitch and conditions

The surface was very green in the days leading up to the game and although some grass will be taken off there should still be plenty to encourage the seamers. However, Steve Rouse, the Edgbaston groundsman, said there won’t be much pace. The ground has had problems with wickets this summer and one Championship pitch was ruled ‘poor’ and cost Warwickshire eight points. The forecast, meanwhile, is mixed with rain expected to be around at times.

Stats and trivia

• England have won four out of five Tests against India at Edgbaston although the two teams haven’t met on this ground since 1996, when Nasser Hussain and Sachin Tendulkar scored hundreds.
• Kevin Pietersen averages 60.57 at this ground but the next best among the fit England batsmen is Andrew Strauss’s 32.10.
• For a full stats preview click here

Quotes

“Even in the two Tests we’ve played, there are moments when we’ve really had our backs to the wall. We’re not expecting anything different from them, we’re going to have to work very hard and hopefully earn the right to get on top in this Test match.”
“If he nicks it and doesn’t walk it may be different, but apart from that he’s quite good.”

The world’s No.1 allrounder and bowler, Australia’s Shelley Nitschke, has announced her retirement from international cricket. Nitschke, 34, will bow out after the quadrangular series final against England in Wormsley, and she will leave at the peak of her game, having won the past three Australian Women’s International Player of the Year awards.Her value to Australia’s team cannot be underestimated; as well as being the highest-ranked bowled and allrounder in the world, she is third on the international batting rankings table. A win in the decider against England would be the perfect way to cap off the career of Nitschke, who made her international debut seven years ago.”There are a couple of highlights that really stand out, those being the 2005 World Cup win in India and the 2010 Twenty20 World Cup victory in the West Indies which were are very memorable experiences and were great to be part of,” Nitschke said. “My plan has always been to go out when I was still playing well and on my terms. I’m happy with my career and achievements and the time feels right. I’m certainly not getting any younger.”I have had a tremendous amount of support throughout my career from friends outside the game, coaches, team-mates, my parents and my partner have always been really supportive and I thank them all for their help and advice along the way. I have thoroughly enjoyed representing my country and cherish every moment that I’ve had around the team and I wish them all the best.”I’m now looking forward to getting back into full-time work, perhaps having some time to play other sports as well and having more time to spend with my family and friends.”An opening batsman and left-arm spinner, Nitschke was named the ICC International Women’s Cricketer of the Year in 2010. Michael Brown, the acting CEO of Cricket Australia, said Nitschke had been a wonderful ambassador for women’s cricket in Australia and would be sorely missed from the national side.”Shelley Nitschke has been a standout allrounder at world level for quite a few years now and her abilities with both bat and ball have greatly contributed to the success of the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars,” Brown said. “Her service for women’s cricket in Australia has been outstanding both as a player and an advocate for the game.”She has dedicated herself to cricket in the most professional way and her record at international level speaks for itself. She will certainly be sorely missed.”In 79 ODIs prior to the quadrangular final, Nitschke has scored 2032 runs at 34.44 and has taken 97 wickets at 21.88, making her Australia’s all-time third leading wicket taker behind Cathryn Fitzpatrick and Lisa Sthalekar. She has also played six Tests and 36 Twenty20 internationals, and is the world’s leading T20I wicket-taker and Australia’s top run-scorer.

Ian Blackwell has signed a two year extension to his playing contract with Durham. Blackwell, 33, moved to Durham after a nine-year spell with Somerset in 2009 and has since consistently contributed with the bat and ball in all formats of the game.”I’ve really enjoyed playing in such a competitive side especially having really settled at the club during my time here,” said Blackwell.”There’s real ambition within the squad and after winning the Championship once with Durham already I definitely want to be making even more of an impact as we look to secure more success over the coming years.”Blackwell was named Durham’s Player of the Year at the end of his first season with the county after helping them to defend their Championship title with 801 runs at 40.05 and 43 wickets at 23.53.He then received their Bowler of The Year Award in 2010 and currently averages over fifty in this season’s County Championship in addition to taking 20 wickets.”Ian has been a great addition to the team over the past three seasons, producing match winning performances and contributing to Durham’s continued development on the field,” added Head Coach Geoff Cook.”We’re pleased that he has decided to commit to the club for another two years, not only for his performances on the field but for his spin expertise which he can share with our younger players as the club plan for the long term future.”

Match abandoned
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Rain stopped the dead rubber after 10.1 overs•Associated Press

And so it’s Delhi Daredevils who finish at the bottom of the pile. A heavy downpour forced the game to be abandoned after Delhi struggled to reach 56 for 3 after 10.1 overs against Pune Warriors.Delhi just lurched along aimlessly before the rain saved them from further embarrassment. David Warner offered brief respite to the Delhi fans with a pulled six off Alfonso Thomas and a six over long-on against IPL debutant James Faulkner. That was it, and Pune controlled the rest of the game. Pune, in their first IPL season, finished ninth in the league, ahead of Delhi on net run-rate.Faulkner had a good night bowling his left arm seamers. He delivered a lovely slower yorker – released from back of the hand – to knock out Warner and bowled a couple of jaffas that kicked up from a length at Matthew Wade. Another IPL debutant Shrikant Mundhe struck in his first over to end the misery of Naman Ojha, who had missed more than he connected. Mitchell Marsh produced a yorker to terminate Wade’s limp innings. Then the clouds opened up. Game over.

Trinidad and Tobago wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin is hopeful that his strong showing on the domestic circuit will earn him a recall to the national side.”I have been working hard over the last couple of months,” Ramdin told the . “The selectors said that I haven’t been getting runs but so far I scored runs in the middle and I am just waiting for a call.”Ramdin was the third-highest run scorer for T&T in the Regional four-day competition, making 460 runs, at an average of 41.81 with one century from eight games. He was also the leading wicketkeeper in the competition with 27 dismissals.”Any player [who gets dropped] will want to go out there and look to prove himself. I went out there and did it with the gloves. I tried to score 500-600 runs; I fell short by a bit. I think the break was good for me. I came back home and I did a lot of fitness work.”Ramdin, who has played 42 Tests, 81 ODIs and 22 Twenty20 games for West Indies, last featured for them during the home series against South Africa in May-June 2010. He had a disappointing run in that series making 34 runs from five ODIs and 63 runs in three Tests. Ramdin lost his place to Carlton Baugh for West Indies’ tour of Sri Lanka later that year and was also cut from the West Indies’ central contract list. This prompted the T&T board to arrange for Ramdin to work with former West Indies batsman Gordon Greenidge.Ramdin said he had viewed his batting footage from when he was in form and was working on a few things that had helped him. “I am missing it a bit [playing for the West Indies], but I am just waiting and using my time wisely and when I get the opportunity, hopefully, I can play for the next seven or eight years straight.”Ramdin received support from T&T Cricket Board president Azim Bassarath who questioned the wicketkeeper’s exclusion from the national squad despite his strong showing on the domestic circuit. “What more must Denesh Ramdin do to attract the attention of the regional selectors? What more must a cricketer do to show he is able, fit, ready and in form?” Bassarath said during the press launch of the TTCB Premiership Twenty20 Cricket Festival at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain.