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Mlukeli Nkala will mark his return to international cricket when he travels with the Zimbabwean cricket team for the one-day series in Bangladesh, the team he last played against. The Zimbabwean side is set to leave on Wednesday (November 22) despite the violent unrest that has hit Bangladesh in the past few days.Zimbabwe will also play a Twenty20 match on November 28 at Khulna, followed by the first ODI two days later at the same venue. After a long lay off due to injury, Nkala returns to a relatively young and inexperienced team, hoping to lay a foundation for a return to Test cricket next year when Zimbabwe are set to resume their ‘Test’ Status.He last played an ODI against Bangladesh on January 31, 2005 at Dhaka, having made his debut against India seven years earlier. He picked up 22 wickets in 47 ODIs and has the distinction of taking the prized wicket of Sachin Tendulkar with his second ball in international cricket, A medium-pace swing bowler who can bat – he hit a century against England Under-9s in 1998 batting at No. 6 and was the leading wicket taker in the 1998 U-19 World Cup in South Africa, ending the tournament with 15 wickets. He subsequently spent a few weeks at the Australian Cricket Academy, working with Dennis Lillee.The 15-man squad has been dogged by injuries, with opening bowler Ed Rainsford and former captain Terrence Duffin, who has undergone surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left thumb and will not be able to resume training until next month, ruled out.In addition to that Tawanda Mupariwa has been carrying a knee injury since the tour of the Caribbean in May while Tafadzwa Mufambisi was hit by a ball on his left forearm during a practice match at the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy and is in plaster.The emphasis will be on slow bowling. In addition to Prosper Utseya, who retains the captaincy, three other slow bowlers – UK-based Sean Williams, Ryan Higgins and Keith Dabengwa – have been picked to take advantage of the normally spinner-friendly subcontinent conditions. Tino Mawoyo is the only uncapped player in the squad. The former Under-19 captain has been in good form in domestic cricket for Harare Sports Club. Other players who are making a return to international cricket include the lanky medium pacer Christopher Mpofu, and allrounder Blessing Mahwire who both missed out on the Champions Trophy in India.Meanwhile, Bangladesh have named a 13-man squad on Sunday for the first three ODIs and their squad included Tushar Imran, who had been overlooked for the Champions Trophy.Zimbabwe squad Prosper Utseya (capt), Gary Brent, Chamu Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Keith Dabengwa, Ryan Higgins, Anthony Ireland, Blessing Mahwire, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Tinotenda Mawoyo, Christopher Mpofu, Mluleki Nkala, Brendan Taylor, Sean Williams.

Zaheer Abbas has denied that he was replaced as Pakistan team manager because of the way he handled the crisis at the Oval, instead blaming internal cricket board politics within the PCB as the reason behind his dismissal.Abbas was criticised for an apparent lack of involvement in the events leading up to Pakistan’s protest and eventual forfeiture. Newspapers repeatedly referred to the image of Abbas speaking on his mobile phone, sitting outside the dressing room while the team devised a course of action to protest the allegations made by umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove.Zaheer was replaced by Talat Ali, who was handed the manager’s post for next month’s Champions Trophy. “This came so suddenly, though I knew that change would be there one day because a team manager is only on a tour-by-tour contract,” Zaheer was quoted as saying by the London-based .”The reason my contract was not renewed was nothing to do with what happened at The Oval, it’s because [PCB director of operations] Saleem Altaf was totally against me and for no rhyme or reason. He had wanted to make Talat Ali manager for so long and he saw this as the right time to make the change,” said Abbas, referring to speculation before the tour to England this summer that Altaf wanted Ali as manager.”They try to say that I was on the phone when this ball issue was taking place but that was my job. I was there to help the media and that was what I was doing.”I have and always have had an excellent relationship with the English media and I wanted to cooperate with them, and overseas media. They reported fairly on Pakistan all tour and I hope some of that was because of my role.”When contacted by Cricinfo, Altaf refused to comment on the issue.

Nottinghamshire 191 and 68 for 3 (Gallian 40*, W Smith 1*) lead MCC 168 (Sidebottom 4-42) by 91 runs
Scorecard

Wickets continued to tumble at Lord’s on the second day of the season-opener between MCC and Nottinghamshire. After being reduced to 191 all out, yesterday, Nottinghamshire fought back by dismissing MCC for 168 and gaining a 23-run lead. However, the procession of batsmen wasn’t finished as Nottinghamshire struggled a second time, losing three top-order scalps before rain brought an early close.Ryan Sidebottom started the second day of ball dominating bat by removingMonty Panesar, the nightwatchman, early to join to his dismissal ofAlastair Cook on the first evening. He added Alex Loudon and Ed Joyce in quick succession and after seven overs – six of which were maidens, he had 4 for 3. Mark Ealham chipped in with Ravinder Bopara, but from 43 for 5 Rikki Clarke and Luke Parker, a young Warwickshire batsman, staged a fightback.The pair added 57 and hit nine boundaries between them before falling within the space of seven runs to Ealham. Steven Davies, the wicketkeeper, who held four catches on the first day, then launched another counterattack. He cracked eight boundaries in his 37-ball 42 and continued to mark himself down as one to watch this summer. His fun was ended when Greg Smith claimed his first wicket by jagging a ball sharply back into him.The end of the innings came swiftly but was notable for a brilliantpiece of glovework from Chris Read, who flung himself in front of first slip to grab an outstanding catch off a flying edge from Tim Bresnan. John Stephenson didn’t last long, slashing a sharp catch to gully and the Nottinghamshire seam attack had laid down a marker for early season.Bresnan, though, struck back for MCC as the ball continued to swing under overcast skies. He bowled Darren Bicknell in the opening over and then had Russell Warren – who completed a poor match with the bat – caught behind for 4. David Hussey and Jason Gallian added 44, finding the boundary with regularity, until Bopara claimed Hussey for the second time in the match.With the match interestingly poised the rain, which delayed the start yesterday by three hours, descended over Lord’s and play was unable to restart after tea. But the rush of wickets means unless there is more bad weather tomorrow, or the batsmen dominate for the first time, this match could be over inside three days.

7
Kevin Pietersen
The only Englishman with the desire to compete as an equal to the Aussies and in the end, even he was ground down by the futility of his resistance. Spent too long loitering at No. 5 in the order, however, which invariably meant that the fate of the innings had been determined before he got to the crease. His hubristic dismissal at Adelaide was his only real embarrassment, however. He could hardly be blamed for being fed up by the end of it all.6
Paul Collingwood
If Adelaide was heartbreaking for England as a team, then spare a thought for the forgotten star of the show. Paul Collingwood gave his heart, soul and everything in between to become only the third English batsman to score a double-century in Australia, and then, when he had nothing left to give, his still gave it second-time around, clinging on for dear life while Shane Warne demolished his life’s work on that dreadful final morning. He made 329 runs at 109.67 in those first two Tests, and 104 at 17.33 in the last three. Nuff said.6
Monty Panesar
What difference might Monty have made had he played from the start? It’s all conjecture really. His magnificent impact at the WACA was diluted by two performances at Melbourne and Sydney in which he bowled to defensive fields and paid the price with two wickets at 71. What Monty did provide, however, was the sort of joie de vivre that was so palpably missing at Brisbane and Adelaide. England took the field in those matches like condemned men to the scaffold. What they really needed were competitors like Panesar, who genuinely wanted to get stuck into the contest.6
Matthew Hoggard
He was slightly slow on the uptake at Brisbane, but from the moment he found his length in that match, Hoggard resumed his role as England’s most reliable seamer. With a bit of support from his colleagues, his performance at Adelaide ought to have been a series-leveller. Four years ago, he was bludgeoned off a length by Hayden and Co. but he returned older, wiser and with the experience of the subcontinent to guide his tactics. Was sorely missed at Sydney, where a side-strain ended a run of 40 consecutive Test appearances.

5
Ian Bell
Bell had a twin problem on this tour – making starts and converting starts. On four occasions he passed 50 without going onto a hundred; on four occasions he failed to get into double-figures in the first place. But this was a huge personal series for the one man with a massive point to prove after his traumas in 2005. He stood firm amid the wreckage of England’s first innings at Brisbane, and even earned the admiration of his old tormentor, Glenn McGrath. His sheer appetite for runs could make him England’s kingpin come 2009.5
Alastair Cook
He is young and he will learn, but this was a torrid baptism for a man who only turned 22 on Christmas Day. Glenn McGrath and his bowl-alike Stuart Clark dismissed him in seven innings out of ten, invariably probing that troublesome corridor outside off stump – in fact his failings were remarkably similar to those of Marcus Trescothick in 2002-03. Unlike Trescothick, though, Cook did record a gritty hundred at Perth. It was the fourth of a career that began only in March. Come 2009, he will still only be 24, which is younger than the youngest Australian on display in this series.4
Andrew Flintoff
There was only one way that Flintoff was going to lead his side, and that was by example. Alas he was over-stretched and under-prepared for the ordeal that came his way. His ankle undermined his bowling, his batting was so out-of-sorts that England’s tail began at four-down, and the rest of his game fell away like needles from an unsold Christmas Tree. He found no words of inspiration in either the dressing-room or his increasingly banal press conferences, and was helpless at the crunch moments in the field – not least the Adelaide run-chase. But he was badly let down by his senior colleagues as well. On the first day at Brisbane he led with a stirring bowling performance … but no-one followed.4
Chris Read
Given his belated chance for Melbourne and Sydney, Read proved everything that we already knew about him. His glovework was exemplary and he twice equalled the Ashes record for dismissals in an innings (six). His batting, however, was unconvincing at best, with three single-figure scores out of four, and a soothing 26 not out when the pressure was off in the second innings at the MCG. Fletcher couldn’t rate him any less highly if he tried although, barring any Jones-esque meltdowns, he now has until the end of the World Cup to convince his many doubters.

3
Andrew Strauss
The most improbable failure of the series … and he had some competition. Maybe Strauss was missing Trescothick’s meaty strokeplay at the top of the order, because his approach seemed as muddled as some of the umpiring decisions that hastened his demise. In South Africa two winters ago, he had passed 600 runs for the series by playing precisely within his limitations – with barely a hint of a hook or a pull. This time he was flailing at everything, all too aware of his duty to set the tone for England’s innings. Nine starts, but not one score in excess of 50.3Ashley Giles
Deep down, he never wanted to be involved, and nor – sadly – did anyone in the country want him to be involved. Whether he was Fletcher’s pick or Flintoff’s pick is immaterial. Giles had not played in a first-class match for a year when he was thrown into the Gabbatoir on November 23, and mentally he wasn’t even close to full fitness. His candid newspaper diaries were arguably the best read of the tour, but what they revealed was a tortured soul whose personal doubts translated into an on-field performance notable only for what he didn’t do at Adelaide – ie, hold onto that catch.3
James Anderson
Redeemed himself partially with a spirited new-ball performance at Sydney, but for the first two Tests he was as nakedly out-of-sorts as he had been at Johannesburg in 2004-05 – and that is saying something. Just another of England’s odd picks in the series, although when the pressure was off in the tour matches at Adelaide and Perth, he zipped in with pace, swing and panache. Still young enough to come good in the future. He would benefit from a long chat with Hoggard about how to recover from such a chastening tour.

2
Steve Harmison
When asked at the start of the series for three factors that would define England’s defence of the Ashes, Mike Atherton presciently offered: “Harmison, Harmison and Harmison.” In the absence of so many key performers, Harmison was the one man who had the height, pace and talent to rip the throat out of Australia’s ageing batsmen. Instead, he served up that grotesque delivery at the Gabba, as a prelude to a supine performance. We all know he hates touring, but honestly. The man has now played 50 Tests.2
Sajid Mahmood
Nobody’s quite sure what Mahmood was doing on this tour. He didn’t play when he ought to have done, at Brisbane and Adelaide, when he was still a man with some memory of his part in the series win over Pakistan. And then, when he was thrown in at Perth, Melbourne and Sydney, he was rarely allowed a spell of more than two overs in any Test. Admittedly, he was targetted mercilessly by the Australians, but if he’d been given the same sort of indulgence that Harmison received, he might have had a chance to bowl himself back to form.2
Geraint Jones
Hard as it is to believe, Jones’s selection for Brisbane did make some kind of sense. He was, after all, a man with experience of the unique pressures of an Ashes series, and it was thought that his cross-batted style would come into its own on the bouncier wickets Down Under. What wasn’t taken into account, however, was the undiluted glee that his presence caused the Australians. Derided as a “club pro”, he was dissected mercilessly, and at Perth, he slumped out of the contest with the most miserable pair imaginable.

When Claire Taylor struck a matchwinning 156 at Lord’s this summer, it was a shame that her feat of eclipsing Viv Richards’s fastest one-day hundred at the ground in the 1979 World Cup final wasn’t to be recognised in the official record books.But Lord’s has taken the onus upon itself to honour Taylor’s achievement and on Thursday the ECB gave her a champagne reception before presenting her with her very own honours board at the ground which is installed by the Compton Stand.Taylor is the first female cricketer to be honoured with such a board at Lord’s which marked her 156 from 151 balls, as England swept to victory against India. She also received a commemorative bat.This step is the latest in a long line of very encouraging news for the women’s game this year. One highlight came over the summer, when Taunton became the official home of women’s cricket, providing a base for international matches and domestic finals for the first time.

ScorecardAn unbeaten 66 from Samit Patel put Nottinghamshire within touching distance of a lead against West Indies A. However, rain had the final say on the second day and now leaves the match heading for a draw.Trailing by just 100 overnight, Nottinghamshire lost Darren Bicknell in the first over the day without adding to their overnight score. He edged Daren Powell to Patrick Browne, the wicketkeeper, and the same combination then brought the downfall of David Allenye as West Indies pegged back the home side.However, Patel soon hit his straps and added 52 for the fourth wicket with Joshua Mierkalns, a 20-year-old, who is making his first-class debut. Mierkalns fell to Dave Mohammad but Patel had time to pass his half-century before the rain arrived.

Reports that the multi-million dollar deal between Allen Stanford and the ECB is under threat because of problems with Stanford’s black bats were dismissed as “rubbish” by an ICC spokesman.It was claimed that Stanford’s trademark black bats, which are central to his marketing strategy, would be outlawed by the ICC and, as a result, he would withdraw his offer to put up to US$100 million into matches in the Caribbean and London.However, matches played by Stanford are not under the jurisdiction of the ICC, who oversee international cricket, and, as such, the sides involved can agree to their own playing conditions and amendments to the laws.The Times quoted a source close to negotiations between the ECB and Stanford as saying that “we have been told that the ICC put forward this recommendation about the colour of the blades at the request of the BCCI”. The ICC spokesman pointed out that coloured bats were not even discussed by the cricket committee.

Kevin Curran, the former Zimbabwe coach, has been appointed head of the country’s cricket academy. Curran’s coaching tenure began in September 2005 and ended with the recently concluded home ODI series against South Africa, after which he was replaced by Robin Brown, the former Zimbabwe captain.In an interview to , a Zimbabwe daily, Curran reflected on his years in charge of the side and what the new role meant for him.”When my contract ended, Zimbabwe Cricket asked me to rebuild and restructure the academy,” Curran said. “It was a new venture and new challenge for me and one that would allow me to spend more time with my young family – something I have not managed to do of late because of all the travelling of international cricket.”Curran coached Zimbabwe for 42 one-dayers since taking over from Phil Simmons; in that period, the team won nine games and lost 28. Disputes between the board and its players led to the exodus of seniors like Heath Streak and the vacuum created by their departure saw the team plunge in world rankings. A self-imposed one-year suspension from Test cricket followed.Despite the lows, Curran reflected on the positives and said he’d observed a genuine improvement in performance over the last two years.”Everyone who has played for the country since I took over has improved in the true sense of the word,” he said. “I am not one who looks at negatives. Coaching a young and inexperienced side, as I was doing, demanded constantly looking at the positives. I was presented with the youngest international squad in the history of the game and I am very proud of the way they have all developed.”Curran dismissed reports of a rift with Tatenda Taibu, the former captain who returned to the side after a premature retirement in November 2005. Taibu made an immediate impact on his return and made a fighting century in the third one-dayer against South Africa as Zimbabwe made a fist of the target of 324.”Tatenda was not my player for very long because he left after I had just taken over. However, he came back a month ago and since then he has played his best cricket. His averages have more than doubled, his work ethic been outstanding, and he is one of the fittest in the team. He is always the last in the nets and is an excellent role model for our young team.”If he can maintain this rich vein of form, he will develop into one of the finest cricketers Zimbabwe has produced. I cannot afford to have clashes or differences come between me and a player because I need all players to perform well for my team as that is what I am judged on.”Curran said that his last series in charge was one of the best moments in his coaching career. Zimbabwe recovered from a dismal 72 for 7 to post 206 in the first match in Bulawayo and then posted 247 and 323 in the next two.”During the last series against South Africa, ranked second in the world, all the players showed their class. They showed character and passion – something for which I have been working for some time. These players were really at the top of their game. Their future is bright as results will follow if they continue in this vein.”

Michael Vaughan has a “gut feeling” that corruption is still rife in international cricket, following speculation that Bob Woolmer’s murder may have been linked to a forthcoming book that was to lift the lid on the match-fixing scandal.”If I’m honest then yes, I do think it probably does go on,” said Vaughan. “I’ve never ever experienced it with anyone in my team or any players which I’ve played with, and I’ve never played against anyone I thought was doing it.”It’s not something that I’ve studied but my gut feeling is that there is still some form of corruption in the game. It’s very hard to clear the whole world of cricket of this, which is a huge statement to make, but it’s my gut feeling on it.”Vaughan’s first meaningful contribution as an England cricketer came in the infamous Test against South Africa at Centurion in 1999-2000, when he scored 69 to help secure a two-wicket win. The double-innings forfeiture that had enabled the rain-affected game to reach a conclusion, however, only came about after the South African captain, Hansie Cronje, had been bribed by a bookmaker.”I played in the Centurion Test, but I was just a young lad playing a game of cricket and never felt anything untoward was happening,” said Vaughan. “I’ve never been approached about it and hopefully to God I never will be because we don’t want to see any of that in the game.”It’s all speculation and it’s very hard to comment on any of these issues, but personally there have never been any incidents, nor have I been involved in any conversations regarding the fixing of a game of cricket.”Vaughan added that, amid all the rumours and conspiracy theories, the thoughts of his team remained with Woolmer’s widow, Gill, and two sons, Dale and Russell. “They are the people I feel sorry for,” he said. “Over the last five days speculation has spread around the Caribbean and his family have had to suffer and they are who we are thinking of at this minute.”Someone’s life has been lost and someone’s family have to suffer because someone has been murdered and I hope that is something that never happens again.”

The Jamaican authorities have ordered an inquest to be held into the murder of Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach. Woolmer’s family was informed that his body would remain in Jamaica till the inquest was over.Coroner’s inquests are held in cases of sudden or unexplained deaths.The reported that according to the Commissioner of Police, Lucius Thomas, the coroner had directed the inquest be held “as soon as possible”.According to Les Green, the police officer heading the Major Investigation Task Force, no date has yet been set for the inquest. “We don’t know when it will begin at this point,” Green told the on Friday.But a release from the government’s public relations arm, the Jamaica Information Service, stated that the coroner gave an assurance that the inquest, which is to be held with a jury, would be conducted “as soon as practical”.The police also denied reports appearing in the foreign press that a man was arrested in connection with the case in Jamaica on Thursday night and that phone numbers of Pakistan and Indian team members were found in a cellular phone taken from the man.TVJ, a local television channel, reported that Darren Lifsun, the Pakistan team physiotherapist, and Murray Stevenson, the trainer, would stay back in Jamaica till the inquest is completed. “We promised the family to stay until everything is sorted out,” Lifsun told AFP. “The police informed the family first, then us, with everything, and then we told the team.”Woolmer died on March 18 in his hotel room in Kingston and five days later the cause of his death was confirmed to be asphyxia as a result of manual strangulation. The Pakistan team were fingerprinted and asked to provide DNA samples as part of the investigations.