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It’s about as surprising as hearing of another Ashes defeat for England, but Nasser Hussain has been confirmed as England’s Test captain for the coming summer. Hussain, who stood down as one-day captain after the World Cup, will take charge of seven Tests – two against Zimbabwe, and five against South Africa.The England selectors met at Edgbaston yesterday, and agreed that Hussain should carry on the job he began against New Zealand in 1999 – also at Edgbaston, as it happens. Since then Hussain, who was 35 on March 28, has captained England in 42 Tests, winning 15, drawing 12, and losing 15, eight of them to Australia.The ECB said that Hussain’s replacement as one-day captain would be announced by the end of April.

Just minutes after seeing Somerset Sabres beat Surrey Lions in front of a full house at The County Ground Somerset Coach Kevin Shine told me: “After that sort of performance of course we can still stay up. Before tonight our target was to win four out of the five matches left, now it is to win three out of the four.”As he looked over the balcony at the large number of supporters on the pitch below he said: “It was good to entertain a packed house, there was a lovely family atmosphere in the ground, and this year we produced the goods to send them home happy.”What were the highlights of the game? “It was a fabulous effort all round. Ian Blackwell brought us back into the game with his good spell of bowling. One of the features was that we put a good squeeze on them, because at one stage they were looking at 270-plus. We have become better at doing that. We then had a great batting start, ‘Blacky’ came in and went for it from the start, whilst Peter Bowler batted the way that we wanted, and then Mike Burns came in and took it on for us.”

Martin van Jaarsveld helped stabilise a shaky start to the Northerns Titans’ first innings, playing his part in two partnerships on a rain-affected first day of thei Supersport Series match against the Griqua Diamonds at SuperSport Park on Friday.The Titans were on 160 for three wickets when bad light ended play an hour earlier than the scheduled close.The start of play was delayed by an hour and 40 minutes following the morning’s downpour, after which Griquas captain Martyn Gidley sent Northerns in to bat first.Northerns were in trouble early on, losing their first wicket for only seven in the fourth over.Opener Rudi Steyn was the man to go when dismissed for two runs after being caught at silly mid-on by Jason Brooker off the bowling of Zahir Abrahim.The home team were on a miserly 57 when Jacques Rudolph was dismissed for 33, caught in the slips by Grant Elliott off Johann Louw.It was left up to Van Jaarsveld to add some respectability to the innings.His 50-run partnership with Rudolph for the second-wicket was followed by a 101-run stand with Neil McKenzie for the third wicket.The Klerksdorp-born Van Jaarsveld guided Northerns to 109 for two at tea, and claimed his half-century shortly after the break.But the revival ended when Van Jaarsveld was caught at first slip by Mickey Arthur for a 70 in 108 minutes which included 10 fours.McKenzie was not out on 39 and Gerald Dros (2) was his partner when the black rain clouds drifted over the oval and forced a prematureclose with 48 overs not bowled.

Cricket Australia’s security officials will sit in on a security briefing for ICC officials in Dhaka, on December 28 and 29, in view of the Under-19 World Cup that is scheduled to begin in Bangladesh on January 27. CA have not raised any specific concerns in public yet concerning its junior team’s participation in the tournament; the Australian security officials’ visit could be seen as a precautionary step, given the senior team’s tour to Bangladesh was cancelled in October due to security seasons.CA’s head of security Sean Carroll, who had visited Dhaka in September after the Australian government had issued security alerts for their citizens in Bangladesh, will arrive in Dhaka on Monday. Following that visit, CA had eventually cancelled their tour to Bangladesh due to the increased security risk. In November, Cricket South Africa had also cancelled their women’s team’s tour to Bangladesh.The ICC held meetings in Dhaka in November and December regarding security measures being taken for the U-19 World Cup, which is to be held in eight venues in Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet and Cox’s Bazar.An ICC spokesman said the briefings on December 28 and 29 would be a follow up to those previous meetings. “The ICC and the BCB are working together to ensure complete safety and security of the event. In relation to this, and as follow up to the meetings held in November and December, the CA and ICC security officials are visiting Dhaka and receive security briefings on Monday and Tuesday,” the spokesman said.BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said that a visit similar to CA’s was recently made by the security representative of two other boards, so he sees this as a routine visit. He also said that CA will be directing all its communication towards the ICC, who is the tournament organiser. “Reg [Dickason] came during the last ICC visit, possibly for England and New Zealand,” Chowdhury told ESPNcricinfo. “One part of a board’s inspection team is security. So CA can send anyone as a routine matter.”We don’t directly communicate with the participating boards. They have to communicate with the host [the ICC]. If it was a bilateral series, only then the communication is between the two boards.”Chowdhury reaffirmed that the BCB has made plans to provide the highest security levels for the participants. “As the host nation, our concentration is on making the event successful. The level of security offered for this particular U-19 event is unprecedented. There hasn’t been such measures taken for an U-19 tournament in the past and I doubt if it will be done in the future.”

Sri Lanka have been one of the in-form teams in this tournament, quellingwith ease challenges from Kenya and New Zealand, but Pakistan, who beatthem in a warm-upmatch, could offer a tougher challenge. Of late, Pakistan have had themeasure of the Sri Lankans, losing just two of the last ten ODIs betweenthem, and while Sri Lanka will still start off as favourites, there could bean upset on the cards.Bat play: Sri Lanka’s top order has been in rip-roaring form so farin the tournament, scoring 260 against Kenya and then chasing down 164with plenty to spare against New Zealand. Both those games were inJohannesburg, which means they are accustomed to the conditions. SanathJayasuriya has been pick of the lot so far, scoring 149 runs from 88balls. His recent ODI form against Pakistan hasn’t been so flash, though:in his lastten games against them, he only averages 20.50, and the challenge forSri Lanka – and the chance for Pakistan – will be if he falls early.Pakistan’s batting has been iffy so far, struggling a bit against Scotlandand then making a mess of what should have been a comfortable chaseagainst India. The openers, Imran Nazir and Salman Butt, have failed inboth innings, and Mohammad Hafeez might get a look-in at the top of theorder on Monday. Misbah-ul-Haq has been the man in form, and deserves tobat higher than his No. 6 slot.Wrecking ball: Mohammad Asif destroyed India’s top order and stillfinished on the losing side in Durban, but in the excellent battingconditions that have been a constant here, even Asif might struggle. Withslow bowlers doing so well here, Hafeez is a near-certainty to play, andhis canny offspin will bolster Pakistan’s bowling strength.Sri Lanka’s weak link in their game against New Zealand was GayanWijekoon, the left-arm medium pacer who has neither the pace nor theconsistency to cut it in this format. Expect him to be replaced, possiblyby Kaushal Lokuarachchi, who was the 12th man against New Zealand.Keep your eye on: Mahela Jayawardene. He played a little gemagainst New Zealand, scoring 35 from 18 balls, and is in good enough formto play a match-winning hand.Shop talk: Jayawardene has singled out two men from either side to play a key role in the match. “I think much will depend how Jayasuriya handles Asif and if he overcomes him [Asif] then we can make a big difference against Pakistan. The clash between the two best players of both the teams will be a rare exhibition of skills and they [both] can be vital for giving their teams the advantage.”Pitching it right: It doesn’t matter which strip in the square isused, it’ll still be superb for batting. Under light, the ball should comeon to the bat even better.TeamsPakistan (likely): Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Nazir,Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik (capt), Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, KamranAkmal (wk), Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul, Mohammad AsifSri Lanka (likely): Upul Tharanga, Sanath Jayasuriya, KumarSangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Chamara Silva, Jehan Mubarak,Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga,Dilhara Fernando

Australia have made two changes for the second one-dayer of the Rose Bowl series against New Zealand at Allan Border Field on Sunday.The Victorian medium pace bowler Clea Smith will play her first match of the tour, with fellow quick Sarah Andrews also in the starting line-up in what will be her third one-dayer. Andrews made her international debut earlier this year against India.Kirsten Pike and Michelle Goszko make way for the pair; Pike will be 12th man for this match. Goszko made 5 in the opener, while Pike took 1 for 17 from seven overs as Australia squeaked the victory.Play starts at 10.00am and entry is free.Team for second ODI Karen Rolton (capt), Lisa Sthalekar, Sarah Andrews, Kate Blackwell, Melissa Bulow, Cathryn Fitzpatrick, Julie Hayes, Shelley Nitschke, Leah Poulton, Jodie Purvis and Clea Smith.

The ECB has said that it will continue to monitor the security situation in Pakistan after two bomb blasts in Lahore last week killed six people.Although an inspection by security advisors in July cleared Pakistan as a venue for England’s tour next month, David Morgan, the ECB’s chairman, admitted that the board would again have to look closely at arrangements in the light of the latest incidents.”The safety and security of the players and staff is of paramount importance,” Morgan said “I don’t know much about these bombings yet, but we will keep an eye on events. We were satisfied with the inspection, but until I know more about this situation it is difficult to comment further.”The Australian A side were in Lahore at the time of the attacks, and although they were not affected, their one-day match against Pakistan A was moved to the more secure Gaddafi Stadium.

Brad Williams is hopeful that a back injury which has cut short his Zimbabwe tour after only five overs is not a recurrence of the more sinister stress fractures that plagued his early years.Williams felt a pain "like somebody jabbed with a needle" during his first over of the opening one-dayer in Harare. He struggled on for five overs before leaving the field and will arrive home tomorrow."In my last over I was really gritting my teeth," he said. "It felt very similar to when I was a youngster and I had stress fractures. But it would be very unusual at my age to have stress fractures."Alex Kontouri, the team physiotherapist, has recommended that Williams return home for diagnostic scans. "Brad is experiencing significant pain in his lower back and there simply isn’t enough time remaining on this tour to investigate the problem fully," said Kontouri. "With his history of back problems, we felt it would be wise to send him back to Australia rather than stay in Zimbabwe when there are just a few days of the tour remaining."He was treated for back pain earlier in the tour, but after rest and treatment following the tour match the condition improved. That the pain has flared up again is a concern."Williams was downbeat but philosophical. "It’s disappointing because we have been waiting so long to begin this tour," he said. "Basically I’ve been here for two weeks, bowled just five overs in match conditions, and now this happens. It’s a real let down. By going home early hopefully I can get the problem solved, making sure that I’m fit and available for selection against Sri Lanka next month."With Glenn McGrath returning after 10 months on the sidelines, Shane Watson also on the comeback trail and Williams striving to make himself a team regular, the injury couldn’t have come at a worse time. No replacement will be sent over, with Watson, Ian Harvey and Brad Hogg all in contention to get a run in these evening’s second match.

After their glum-faced humiliation against India the smiles returned to SriLanka’s players on Saturday as they booked themselves into the World Cupsemi-finals with a 74 run victory against Zimbabwe at Buffalo Park.Needing to 257 to win after opener Marvan Atapattu, the Man of the Match,scored a polished and hard-working tenth one-day hundred, Zimbabwe werebowled out for 183 in 41.3 overs.Sri Lanka will now face tournament favourites Australia in the firstsemi-final at Port Elizabeth on Tuesday, a venue that promises to suit theirspin-based attack.And despite Australia’s aura of invincibility and Sri Lanka’s earlier Super Six thrashing, Sanath Jayasuriya believes that his side has a chance against the world champions, saying afterwards: “History suggests that the ball will turn and anything can happen on the day.”Jayasuriya’s side had looked in firm control of this match after winning animportant toss and then producing a solid batting performance, thecornerstone of their large total being provided by Atapattu who carried his bat throughout the innings.The patient right-hander compiled significant partnerships with Jayasuriya(41 in 12.2 overs), Avishka Gunawardene (83 in 18 overs), Aravinda de Silva(51 in 10 overs) and Kumar Sangakkara (52 in 6.2 overs).But Sri Lanka’s opening bowlers took a pounding early on and Zimbabwe wereon target for victory whilst stalwart left-hander Andy Flower, who had earlyreleased a statement confirming his retirement from international cricketafter the World Cup, milked Sri Lanka’s spinners easily.Zimbabwe were 140 for three in the 29th over of the innings and thepossibility of Flower, Zimbabwe’s outstanding cricketer during the pastdecade, who had nudged and nurdled his way to 38 from 50 balls, bowing ofthe game with a match-winning innings loomed increasingly large.However, a poor lbw decision by umpire Brian Jerling off the bowlingof Aravinda De Silva handed Sri Lanka back the initiative. Flower stoodaghast and replays showed him to be justifiably aggrieved as the ballclearly hit his bat.Sri Lanka then tightened the screws, grabbing two more quick wickets.Tatenda Taibu was bamboozled by a fizzing off-break from MuttiahMuralitharan and Andy Blignaut tapped a simple catch to de Silva at shortcover to leave Zimbabwe on 151 for six.Grant Flower, who scored 31 from 52 balls, tried to glue the inningstogether but the runs dried up as Jayasuriya, so well versed in the art ofdefending totals on slow turners, rotated his spinners cleverly.Rookie all-rounder Sean Ervine added 27 in 36 balls with Flower beforeChaminda Vaas, whose first five overs leaked 40 runs, pegged back his middlestump with the second ball of his third spell.Heath Streak came to the crease stocked full of confidence after his battingheroics against New Zealand as Zimbabwe started the final ten overs needing79 runs for victory.But the match lurched to a quick conclusion as Streak holed out in the deepand Jayasuriya clung onto a stinging return catch from Flower.Vaas wrapped up the match when he bowled Douglas Hondo to take his 20thwicket of the tournament, equaling Geoff Allot and Shane Warne’s recordWorld Cup tally.Earlier, Sri Lanka’s batsmen had eschewed their normal free-flowing stylewith the bat, opting instead for a strategy of steady accumulation afterwinning the toss and batting first.Even the normally explosive Jayasuriya struggled to time the ball on theturgid surface, facing 44 balls for his 22 and waiting until the 11th overbefore finding the fence.The skipper eventually nicked a catch behind before Avishka Gunawardenejustified his inclusion ahead of the out-of-form Mahela Jayawardene with 41from 62 balls.Atapattu played the sheet anchor role perfectly, patiently waiting for runscoring opportunities and running hard between the wickets, before reachinghis second hundred of the tournament in the final over of the innings,finishing with 103 from 127 balls.The right-hander was well supported by the middle order, particularly deSilva and Sangakkara, who added impetus to the innings after Gunawardene wascaught off a leading edge.De Silva maneouvred the ball around expertly for his 25 before edging anattempted late cut and Sangakkara made the most of Hondo’s spilled chance atmid-wicket, crashing 35 from 25 balls.Heath Streak, the Zimbabwean skipper, was the pick of the bowlers – eight ofwhom were used during the course of the innings – claiming two for 40.

There has been no shortage of advice for David Graveney and the other England selectors since the eight-wicket defeat by Australia at Lord’s.Drop Stewart says Dennis Lillee. Pick Tufnell demands the CricInfo poll. Drop yourself, Geoff Lawson urged Graveney.And as well as all the conflicting advice, the selectors have the odd injury problem to take into account. Unavailable are Graham Thorpe, Michael Vaughan, Matthew Hoggard and now Ashley Giles, who will have an operation on his bothersome Achilles tendon on Monday and will be out of action for four to six months.And it seems increasingly unlikely that skipper Nasser Hussain will miss his second consecutive Test because of a fractured finger. Hussain said yesterday: “It started feeling better two or three days ago, but themoment it goes in a glove or around a bat, it’s in a lot of pain. The physiotells me that will die down in a week or so, then I’ve got to get in the netsand get playing. Ten days maybe, I don’t know.”Which means Michael Atherton will step into the breach again and lead England out at Trent Bridge on Thursday. But who will be the other ten behind him?The batting needs bolstering but it is unlikely that the selectors will follow Lillee’s advice; instead it seems that Ian Ward will be the player whose place is threatened when the squad is announced tomorrow.Graveney has been to Lord’s for the Middlesex-Durham game to view two contenders – Owais Shah and Paul Collingwood. And Usman Afzaal, who played in the First Test but made way for Thorpe at Lord’s, sent a timely reminder to the selectors yesterday with a hundred, albeit against Derbyshire. However, the fact that the Third Test is at his home ground and the current England philosophy rails against picking people for only one Test might work in his favour.On the bowling front, Darren Gough and Andy Caddick are in desperate need of support and the whole attack has lacked variety so a spinner could appear at Nottingham. Now Giles is out of the equation it looks like a toss-up between Robert Croft and Phil Tuffnell. The latter would be the people’s choice – although Tufnell himself might not exactly relish bowling on a Trent Bridge shirtfront – but Croft is probably the likelier to get the selectors’ nod.Hussain said: “Tufnell is a fine bowler, has played a lot of Test matchesfor England. We’ve got to show consistency in selection. There are people whohave done us proud in the last year or two, and we’ve got to make sure they arefit and we’ve got to select the best side available for Trent Bridge.”We have three Test matches left; none of us have given up, people might havegiven up on us, but none of us have given up. We’ve got to show both theAustralian side and our own public that we are better than we are playing at themoment and we’ve got three Tests matches to do that.”After Dominic Cork failed to work his magic at Lord’s, the Derbyshire captain will probably be left out of the squad, making way for either Alex Tudor or Chris Silverwood. Tudor made an excellent comeback from injury in the Benson and Hedges Cup final while Silverwood is not even in the Yorkshire side at the moment so the Surrey man will probably get the vote.But another paceman in with a chance is Alan Mullally who did his case no harm at all with his performance against the Australians for Hampshire; a left-armer would also add more variety to the attack.Possible squad: Hussain (captain), Atherton, Trescothick, Butcher, Ramprakash,Afzaal, Stewart (wicket-keeper), White, Tudor, Croft, Caddick, Gough, Mullally.