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Chris Wood’s first half-century of the season ensured Hampshire escaped with a draw and left Glamorgan still looking for their second win in the County Championship this term.

05-Aug-2013
ScorecardNeil McKenzie shared in a healthy partnership that secured the draw•Getty ImagesChris Wood’s first half-century of the season ensured Hampshire escaped with a draw and left Glamorgan still looking for their second win in the County Championship this term.Rain meant only 39 overs were possible, during which time Hampshire overcame a 14-run deficit, built a lead of 108 and in the process lost two wickets. A draw was inevitable as the home side closed on 237 for 4 at Southampton.The result did neither side any good since Glamorgan’s 11-point haul left them still in the bottom two while Hampshire’s promotion hopes receded further with their eight-point return. In addition neither could blame the Ageas Bowl pitch which offered some help to the seam bowlers on the first day, as it often does, but flattened out over the course of the match.Hampshire began the last day on 115 for 2 from 41 overs, still 14 behind and with Glamorgan in urgent need of early wickets before the threatened rain arrived. They did not get them. Liam Dawson and nightwatchman Wood took root as Hampshire required 46 overs to finally clear the deficit.There was still marginal hope for Glamorgan when Dawson was run out for 42 in the 52nd over when Hampshire led by only 40 but they quickly died when the powerful-driving Wood was joined by Neil McKenzie. Wood and McKenzie added another 95 in 29 overs for the fourth wicket as the match limped to a tame conclusion.The 23-year-old Wood made an aggressive 69 which included three successive fours off Graham Wagg but in Wagg’s next over he mis-hooked to Michael Hogan at slip. Wood’s 69 included nine fours and came off 139 balls and at the fall of his wicket, the rain came down to force the draw. McKenzie was 35 not out when stumps were drawn.Glamorgan captain Mark Wallace used eight bowlers in an increasingly desperate attempt to force a breakthrough and the most successful of those was Wagg who finished with 2 for 20.

Adam Wheater has bought himself out of his contract with Essex and will move to Hampshire with immediate effect.

George Dobell01-Mar-2013Adam Wheater, the highly-rated wicketkeeper batsman, has bought himself out of the final year of his contract with Essex and will move to Hampshire with immediate effect on a two-year deal.Wheater, 23, has been looking for other opportunities for some time. ESPNcricinfo revealed in September that he was in talks with Hampshire, among other clubs, but Essex were refusing to let him leave before the end of the 2013 season.He was expected to start the season in Essex’s side as a batsman but had become the county’s third choice wicketkeeper behind long-standing James Foster and England Lions’ keeper Ben Foakes.Wheater feels he will have a much greater opportunity to take the gloves at Hampshire and is expected to displace Michael Bates.If that is the case, Bates, 22, may consider himself unfortunate. While the 22-year-old is a batsman of modest ability – first-class average of 19.66 – he is an exceptional wicketkeeper. He played a pivotal part in Hampshire’s CB40 success last season, taking the final ball stood up to the stumps against the pace of Kabir Ali. He has taken 102 catches in 33 first-class games.But Hampshire manager Giles White insisted Wheater would have to earn his place: “No assurances or promises have been made to Adam but we are delighted that he has chosen to pursue his career at Hampshire.”He will add competition with the gloves and comes with an impressive first-class batting average. We have experienced, first-hand, that he is a young player with great ability and we hope that he is able to fulfil his potential and build on what has been a bright start to his career.”Wheater, who attended Millfield School in Somerset, scored 462 first-class runs from the middle order at 35.35 in 2012.”Over the winter months, Adam made it very clear that he would like to progress his wicketkeeping,” Essex head coach, Paul Grayson, said. “It is always sad to lose a player you have nurtured from a young age but we understand that to progress his career in his preferred role in the team he will need to change club.”

The Afghanistan Cricket Board has been allocated $422,000 by the ICC’s targeted assistance and performance programme, as part of a $1 million request for assistance by the board

Umar Farooq18-Apr-2013The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has been allocated US$422,000 (22,400,000 AFN approx.) from the ICC’s targeted assistance and performance programme. The world governing body of cricket approved the grant at its IDI (ICC Development International) board meeting, which concluded Wednesday in Dubai.ACB chief executive officer, Noor Mohammad Murad, said the board had requested a total of $1 million in assistance. “The ICC approved $422,000 for now. They will send a delegation to visit the ACB in two or three weeks, and will decide [from there] whether or not to approve the rest of the money,” Murad told AFP.The money, to be given over three years, is aimed at developing more competitive teams among ICC Full, Associate and Affiliate members. Previously, countries such as the Netherlands, Scotland, West Indies, Zimbabwe and Ireland have received assistance through a similar programme. According to an ICC statement, the funding for the ACB is for the development of the National Cricket Academy in Kabul.Afghanistan became an Affiliate member of the ICC in 2001. In 2009 it attained one-day status till 2015. Over the last two years, the ACB has undergone organisational restructuring in a bid to provide better leadership and find qualified staff to run cricket administration in the war-torn country. They are currently developing their domestic cricket infrastructure, and have signed a two-year deal with the Pakistan board for the development of Afghanistan cricket ahead of the 2015 World Cup.Last year, the Asian Cricket Council decided to nominate Afghanistan for Associate membership with the ICC, with the request being looked into at the ICC’s annual conference in June. At present the ICC provides about $700,000 a year in funding. Based on current distributions, that will rise to $850,000 once Associate status is assured.

The preview of the fourth ODI between Bangladesh and West Indies in Mirpur

The Preview by Mohammad Isam06-Dec-2012Match factsDecember 7, 2012
Start time 1430 (0830 GMT)Marlon Samuels showed the value of grinding it out and it’s up to the other batsmen to follow suit•Associated PressBig PictureHaving got one must-win game out of the way, West Indies are facing another in order to draw level with Bangladesh in the five-ODI series. One wrong step in Mirpur on Friday could make the final match on Saturday a dead rubber and consign West Indies to a series defeat, a backward step after their recent success in international cricket.West Indies made amends for their poor showing in the first two matches in Khulna by changing their approach to batting. In Khulna, the batsmen were guilty of trying to hit out every time they were bogged down. In Mirpur, however, Samuels led the change, by battling more than batting on a pitch that had irregular bounce and lots of turn. West Indies now need their other batsmen – Chris Gayle, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Darren Sammy – to follow the Samuels way. The visitors also had another positive in the third match – Sunil Narine finally found form on this tour with a four-wicket haul.Bangladesh are leading the series 2-1, and despite their struggle in the previous game, they scored 227, an indication of their increasing comfort levels in ODIs. They will be heartened to see the bowling unit put up a fight. A worry, though, is the form of Rubel Hossain, who looked rusty during a five-over spell that cost 42.Form guide (Most recent first)
Bangladesh LWWLW
West Indies WLLWWIn the spotlightBangladesh offspinner Sohag Gazi was wicketless for the first time in an international match, in the third ODI in Mirpur, where he had figures of 9-1-36-0. He has been a revelation for Bangladesh this winter, and will hope that the previous match was a blip in an otherwise encouraging start to his career.Kieron Pollard has become a figure of ridicule in Bangladesh for his comments after the first ODI in Khulna. He hasn’t been in form either and has thrown away his wicket at crucial times. He will be expected to hit a few into the stands at least, if not out of the city, like he threatened to.Team newsMushfiqur Rahim and Bangladesh’s interim coach Shane Jurgensen will not tinker too much with the team combination as it offered balance to the attack. Bangladesh however have the option of playing left-arm spinner Elias Sunny, who was added to the squad for the final two ODIs.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Anamul Haque, 3 Naeem Islam, 4 Nasir Hossain, 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 7 Mominul Haque, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza, 9 Sohag Gazi, 10 Abdur Razzak, 11 Rubel Hossain.West Indies possibly got it right by picking both spinners in their line-up and are likely to continue with the winning combination.West Indies (possible): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Dwayne Smith, 7 Darren Sammy, 8 Devon Thomas, 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Sunil Narine, 11 Veersasammy PermaulPitch and conditionsThe pitch for the third ODI was a challenge for the batsmen, but the one for the fourth game could be a batting paradise. In that case, batting second will be much easier under lights.Stats and trivia The last time West Indies came back from 1-2 down to win a series was against Zimbabwe in the 2003-04 season. Bangladesh have a poor win-loss record in Dhaka – 24 won out of 84 – compared to other venues in the country – 18 wins out of 36.Quotes”We can’t focus on two games so we will take it step by step. We can’t afford to pressure ourselves when we are coming from the back.”
“We will go hard and aggressive to win the last two matches, we are not feeling too much pressure.”

Lisa Sthalekar feels Australia have done some “damage” to their traditional rivals on the psychological front

Abhishek Purohit in Mumbai08-Feb-2013After winning successive tight finishes against England, in the World Twenty20 final and today in the World Cup, Lisa Sthalekar feels Australia have done some “damage” to their traditional rivals on the psychological front. England had fallen short by four runs in Colombo; the margin was two runs in Mumbai, a win the veteran Sthalekar ranked “pretty high” among victories she’s been involved in.”We’d like to believe we’ve done a bit of damage in the tight finish here and the World Twenty20 victory,” Sthalekar said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to play in a few matches where it’s been tight but in a World Cup against the English girls, to win with such a tight finish, it was really important for us as a team, building momentum through to the World Cup. And that probably ranks pretty high.”England have never beaten Australia in an ODI on neutral territory. Today’s defeat was their 14th. Their captain Charlotte Edwards, though, did not think the narrow losses in the World Twenty20 final and today meant Australia had gained any psychological advantage. Edwards said England had a “great record” against Australia but was disappointed with her batsmen’s failure to chase 148.”Two poor decisions [lbws against her and Laura Marsh] definitely doesn’t help when you are opening and then in a key partnership,” Edwards said. “There was also some poor shot selection through our middle order. Nos. 3, 5, 6 and 7 played 12 balls between them. When you are in a position where you are three down you need to stand up. They didn’t today.”There was no reason to fret over the batsmen, though, according to Edwards, who backed her middle order, especially the talented Sarah Taylor, to come good. Taylor has made 35, 0 and 0 so far. “Individually they have all stood up at times. Collectively maybe we haven’t batted as well. I think India is the only game we have collectively batted as we would have liked to. So yes, our bowling is brilliant, our batting is something that we need to improve on but I am not worried.”Sarah Taylor hasn’t scored runs in the competition so far but she is dangerous and hopefully there are big things to come from her so I am not too concerned. She got a good ball the other day. Sarah normally hits them through the covers. I have no doubt she is too good a player to go through too many games without scoring so hopefully with two big games to come she will fire for us.”The England bowling gave no headaches to their captain as they routed Australia for 147 with sustained, controlled swing and seam, especially from Anya Shrubsole. It drew praise from the opposition, with both Australia captain Jodie Fields and Sthalekar lauding the efforts of the England attack. “The English bowlers bowled really well,” Sthalekar said. “You had Anya who was hooping them in. The ball with which she got Jess Cameron was pretty spectacular and then you had Katherine Brunt who was going the other way as well. We’ve got bowlers who do similar things as well and the conditions here really helped the swing bowlers early.”Australia now have six points and are in a pretty safe position in the Super Six while England, with two points, would be under pressure to win both their remaining games against South Africa and New Zealand.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings in Dharamsala

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria16-May-2012Match factsThursday, May 17, Dharamsala
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Ben Hilfenhaus has added spark to Chennai Super Kings’ bowling•Associated PressBig PictureChennai Super Kings are placed fourth on the points table with 17 points and need to win their last league game against Kings XI Punjab to put themselves in a strong position to qualify for the playoffs. A loss, however, would put them at the mercy of the others. Kings XI are also on the brink of elimination after their loss to Delhi Daredevils on Tuesday and would need two wins in two matches plus other favourable results to push them through to the top four.The task for Kings XI is difficult as they face two in-form teams, Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils, and both matches will be played in Dharamsala, negating any home advantage that was available in Mohali. But Kings XI have fought well this season and surprised big teams, including Super Kings in Chennai. If their batting and bowling complement each other, Kings XI have the firepower to down any team. However, they would have to avoid the distraction of losing two of their players to the spot-fixing controversy.Two years ago, Super Kings had arrived in Dharamsala under similar circumstances for their last league match. That day, MS Dhoni had launched an attack on Irfan Pathan’s last over, and from there on, the team went on to win the IPL title. This year, Super Kings have been in must-win situations in the last few games and their batting, which has always been their strength, has finally started to come together while Ben Hilfenhaus has added spark to their bowling.There is a chance of rain in Dharamsala, but both teams would hope that it stays away because in case of a washout, Kings XI will be knocked out while Super Kings’ chances will get trickier.Form guide (most recent first, completed games)
Kings XI Punjab : LWWLW
Chennai Super Kings: WWWLWPlayers to watchDavid Hussey has said that Parwinder Awana has been Kings XI’s find of the season. Awana has continued to impress with the pace he generates off the pitch. He bowled another incisive spell in Delhi where he picked up three important wickets to give Kings XI a chance against Daredevils’ strong batting.Three matches ago, Ben Hilfenhaus was taken apart by Dwayne Smith in Mumbai. Since then, Hilfenhaus has won two back-to-back Man-of-the-Match awards and his pace and late swing has caused problems for all batsmen. The highlight of his last week’s exploits was the wicket of Virender Sehwag, who was beaten by the late outswing and lost his off stump.Stats and trivia In Super Kings’ last three games, Ben Hilfenhaus’ figures read 11-1-61-6. Super Kings’ batsmen have scored five half-centuries in IPL 2012, which is the lowest for a team along with Pune Warriors. Royal Challengers Bangalore have 15 half-centuries – the most by a team this season.Quotes”We will take one game at a time and won’t think for the playoffs now. We have to win our next match.”

“Delhi are a very talented team. But we have shown the fans that we fight till the end and can still chase the finals.”

Yorkshire will start favourites against Worcestershire in their Friends Life t20 quarter-final as they target a first trip to finals day

Jon Culley24-Jul-2012Never good enough to reach finals day in nine years of trying, never good enough even to earn a home quarter-final, Yorkshire will at least enjoy that privilege when they face Worcestershire at Headingley. Unless the form that has won them seven from eight completed matches in the North Group deserts them at the critical moment, it is hard to imagine that Yorkshire will not go to finals day in the Friends Life t20 in Cardiff on August 25, and possibly as favourites.The Yorkshire transformation has been by some margin the eye-opener in a competition that has found it difficult to attract attention in a damp and chilly summer amid a congested calendar of sport. Some say it is down to the experience brought together in a management trio teaming Jason Gillespie and Paul Farbrace with the established wisdom of Martyn Moxon, others that the signing of two overseas players at the hungry end of their international careers has been the key.While both of those arguments have their strengths, there is another that can be tossed into the debate, namely the appointment of Azeem Rafiq as temporary captain after Andrew Gale dropped out with a hip injury after the third group match. Aged only 21, which made him the youngest player in the county’s history to captain the senior side, Rafiq’s elevation might be seen as shrewd judgment or a lucky gamble but there is no doubt it has paid off handsomely.Given that he had led England sides and Under-15 and Under-19 level and captained Yorkshire in second XI and pre-season matches the gamble was smaller than some might have supposed, although his senior experience was naturally quite limited.Yet Gillespie claimed “it took about five seconds” to conclude that Rafiq was the right man for the job and after five wins from seven completed matches with him in charge, including a comprehensive six-wicket win over strongly fancied Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, it is hard to criticise the Yorkshire hierarchy for making a hasty judgment. When the now recovered Gale returns to lead the side against Worcestershire it will be with a fulsome endorsement of his stand-in.”What I like about Azeem is that I see a bit of myself in him,” Gale said of Rafiq, whose heritage also makes him the first cricketer of Asian origin to captain Yorkshire. But it is not only the “aggressive, up-and-at-’em in-your-face” approach that has impressed Gale. His tactical judgment has also met with approval.”When I am out on the pitch, he comes to me all the time suggesting things,” Gale added, in his weekly newspaper column. “Some lads suggest things and you think: ‘No, that’s not right.’ But what I’ve found nine times out of 10 is that what he suggests is what I’m thinking. I think we’re on the same wavelength.”Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of professional cricket, believes keeping to a pre-meditated game plan made it easier for Rafiq but that he took on the responsibility impressively nonetheless. “He’s got a good cricket brain, and he keeps calm under pressure, which you need to do as a captain,” Moxon said. “We’ve got a set plan on how we want to play, which makes it easier for him in the sense of the bowlers knowing what we’re trying to do. But he’s a great motivator in the field.”It is extraordinary to recall now that Rafiq’s debut for Yorkshire in 2008 cost them a Twenty20 Cup quarter-final after his appearance in a group stage win over Nottinghamshire. Then an academy player, he was selected in good faith but questions over his eligibility led to Yorkshire’s quarter-final against Durham being postponed moments before it was due to begin and ultimately their effective disqualification after the result at Trent Bridge was reversed.If that were a controversy not of his making, the same cannot be said of the error of judgment he made two years ago when an outburst on Twitter against coach John Abrahams on being dropped from an England Under-19 side on disciplinary grounds led to a one-month ban from all cricket. Clearly he has acquired some maturity since then.Worcestershire, having qualified as one of the two best third-placed sides from the group stages, are also bidding to reach finals day for the first time in the 10 years of Twenty20. They might appear to have weaker credentials than Yorkshire, but they emerged from a strong Midlands/Wales/West Group headed by Somerset and Gloucestershire, finishing level with Warwickshire on 11 points but with a better net run rate.What’s more, they possess the 2012 competition’s highest run scorer in opener Philip Hughes, who has hit three half-centuries in an aggregate of 322 from seven innings. Yorkshire, on the other hand, have been well served by several players.Opening batsman Phil Jaques has shared two hundred-plus partnerships – 118 with Gale against Leicestershire at Headingley and 131 with Adam Lyth in the concluding group match against Derbyshire, also at the Leeds ground. David Miller, the 23-year-old South African who forms one half of their overseas duo, hit 28 runs in the last two overs against Durham at Chester-le-Street to finish 74 not out from 35 balls and shared a stand of 91 in 7.1 overs with Gary Ballance against Lancashire at Headingley, in front of a crowd of 10,350.The Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc, 22, meanwhile, is the competition’s leading wicket-taker with 18 and has been particularly effective at the end of an innings. There is a question mark over Starc’s availability for finals day after he was called up to Australia’s one-day and Twenty20 squads for their series against Pakistan in the UAE, which includes a one-day international against Afghanistan in Sharjah on August 25.Nottinghamshire’s surprise home defeat to Yorkshire did not preclude them also securing a home quarter-final with Hampshire in the other Wednesday tie. It was their only defeat in 10 North Group matches and, with Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Riki Wessels, Adam Voges, Samit Patel and James Taylor presenting as the strongest top six in the country, they will start as strong favourites, although Glenn Maxwell, the batsman named in Australia’s provisional squad for the World Twenty20, could be a dangerous opponent, especially with Darren Pattinson, a key Nottinghamshire bowler in this competition, failing to recover from a groin injury suffered in a CB40 match on Sunday.

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has said his side should be proud of the fact that they managed to put pressure on India, despite losing an evenly matched Bangalore Test by five wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Sep-2012New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has said his side should be proud of the fact that they managed to put pressure on India, despite losing an evenly matched Bangalore Test by five wickets. After losing the first Test in Hyderabad by an innings, they fancied their chances of squaring the series in Bangalore by setting a target of 261. India stuttered, but got over the line on the fourth day after being reduced to 166 for 5.”I think we have made huge progress in this Test. The score we operated with in the first innings (365) was more than competitive,” Hesson said. “To get a first-innings lead against a quality Indian side showed that we’d made some improvements there. In the second innings the conditions were a bit tougher, we made a couple of errors at crucial times, we also could have fallen over but we didn’t. We took on some players with fearful records.”In the end, we set them a challenging a total that gave our bowlers a real chance. Sure we would have wanted more (runs). We still have to keep that positive mindset.”The defeat was New Zealand’s fourth in as many Tests since the tour of the West Indies in July-August. New Zealand are at No.8 in the ICC Test rankings, above Bangladesh. Hesson admitted, thoughk that the players were disappointed they couldn’t close out the game.”We are ranked where we are for a reason, but I thought there were good signs in all areas of the game in Bangalore,” Hesson said. “No one likes to lose and the dressing room was quite gutted because we put a top side under pressure, which many sides haven’t been able to do in India in a long time. To put ourselves into that position and not get over the line was frustrating.”The players are extremely hard on themselves, individually and collectively. Some talk about the inadequacies in other players to try and help them. We’ve got a good leadership group that’s learning to lead. We’re trying to get the guys to evolve so they can challenge each other and start to ask tough questions.”New Zealand left out their most experienced seamer, Chris Martin, for Tim Southee, whose 7 for 64 were the best figures for a New Zealand bowler in India. Southee’s efforts helped New Zealand gain a slender first-innings lead of 12. Hesson said leaving out Martin was a “tough call” but insisted that he was definitely in the mix for future selection.”We thought Chris bowled well in Hyderabad but we thought Tim was ready to go. He had been bowling beautifully and someone had to miss out. Chris has a lot of experience and helps pull the whole bowling group together.”Hesson said the side had a lot to learn in terms of decision making out in the middle, especially in Hyderabad, where New Zealand failed to pass 200 in both innings.”We lost a number of wickets in the first Test because we were indecisive, whether it be to play, or leave, to push for a single or to attack. If you make the wrong decision and commit to it sometimes you can get out of trouble. We tried to ensure we didn’t make those mistakes from Hyderabad in this Test.”Hesson said the players had done their best to simulate match conditions at the nets. “We have competitive nets. We create an environment in our net situation where the guys are under pressure. Very difficult of course to replicate 40,000 screaming Indians.”

New Zealand Cricket has confidently dismissed suggestions in the Sunday Times’ that New Zealand players had agreed to meet with a bookmaker to discuss opportunities to fix cricket matches

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-2012New Zealand Cricket has confidently dismissed suggestions in the that New Zealand players had agreed to meet with a bookmaker to fix matches. The newspaper, on Sunday, released the results of an investigation it had conducted into fixing and quoted an Indian bookmaker as saying he had turned down the chance to work with New Zealand players because it was not worthwhile with more lucrative match-fixing opportunities on offer in the IPL.”We have complete confidence that the claims made are baseless and have no credibility,” NZC chief executive David White said in a statement responding to enquiries about the article. “The sources are not credible and the accusations are unsubstantiated making them irresponsible, damaging and untrue.”The integrity and reputation of the game is paramount and NZC have absolute confidence that our players share these ideals. We have been in contact with the ICC anti-corruption unit and this is now a matter for them to follow up on.”The article claims that their undercover reporters’ meetings with alleged bookmakers has revealed that fixing is still rife in cricket despite the recent imprisonments of four cricketers for spot-fixing. The ICC has routinely promised that it will investigate the claims uncovered by the newspaper’s investigation.Edited by Dustin Silgardo

England batsman Ian Bell expects the occasional flashpoint in the series against Pakistan which starts next month

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Dec-2011Ian Bell, the England batsman, expects the occasional flashpoint in the series against Pakistan that starts next month, but knows both teams have a responsibility to compete in the right spirit.Contests between England and Pakistan have a history of courting controversy and this tour takes place in the aftermath of the spot-fixing verdicts, with Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir given jail terms after being exposed by the in 2010.Relations between the teams became increasingly strained during the one-day leg of that series but Andrew Strauss has previously spoken about how it is time to move on from spot-fixing. For their part Pakistan have a new-look team which has enjoyed a very successful 2011 although a number of players remain from the England tour.”It’s a slightly different Pakistan squad to last year. They are trying to prove lots of people wrong,” Bell told the . “It will be a tough series and I am sure that at some point there will be an incident or two. But it’s important we ensure that this series is remembered for the right reasons not for anything controversial.”Bell is also aware that England didn’t cover themselves in glory during the one-day series against India in October when the team was criticised for their attitude in the field as they slumped to the 5-0 whitewash.”We didn’t put ourselves in a great light in the one-day series India with some of the stuff that was going on and we need to make sure that this series is played in the right way. Hopefully that will happen. It’s important for both sides to be ambassadors for the game and we need to make sure that it is played in the right way.”Pakistan have finished 2011 as one of the in-form teams in the world, which bodes well for a tight tussle against England who start the series as the No. 1 Test team. Pakistan will have the advantage of greater knowledge of the conditions, having played ‘home’ Tests in UAE over the last two years, but Bell thinks inconsistency remains a real possibility.”Pakistan have great individual players, they always have done, but they are unpredictable,” he said. “On their day they can beat anyone but they can always lose to anyone. You never quite know what you are going to get with them.