Cook lauds Broad efforts

England captain Alastair Cook has praised Stuart Broad for his match winning display against New Zealand in the first Test at Lord’s – though the player himself played down his achievements.
Broad ripped through the Black Caps batting line-up on day four, taking 7-44 as the visitors were dismissed for just 68.
It was a surprisingly one-sided end to what had been a closely fought match – shown in the England v New Zealand betting odds at the close on day three.
New Zealand then took four England wickets on the fourth morning to post give themselves a victory target of 239 – a tough but infinitely gettable score. That was before Broad’s intervention, though, with England’s comfortable win ensuring they cannot now lose the two-match Test series.
Speaking after the game Cook was full of praise for the Nottinghamshire paceman.
"He's got all the attributes of being a world-class bowler and when he gets it totally right like he did today he's an absolute nightmare (to face)," said Cook.
"He bowls in the mid to high 90s and swings it away...it's hard to face."
Broad took the man-of-the-match award for his spirited display with the ball, though he was keen to deflect attention away from his performance.
Broad instead wanted to talk about his team-mate jimmy Anderson, who earlier in the match had become just the fourth England player ever to go past 300 Test wickets and would be a handy free cricket bet  to grab more at Headingley next week.
“This award should have gone to Jimmy, he was fantastic in this Test, he picked up his 300th wicket and he's a pleasure to bowl with," he said.
"We knew there was enough there for the bowlers. We talked about getting it full enough to give the ball a chance.
"Lord's is a special place to do it, it's great to be back on that honours board.”

Root looks the real deal

Fourth Slip thought the same thing when Cook started his test career. This fella Root will be opening for England for years. Probably needs the return of KP to force the issue. Simon Hughes on Channel 5 concerned about Compton's technique against high quality bowling.

Kiwis get Southee boost

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has confirmed bowler Tim Southee will be fit for the first Test with England – and has backed Ross Taylor to star with the bat.
Paceman Southee limped out of a tour match against the England Lions at Grace road with a toe injury at the weekend and was forced to consult a specialist.
However, the medical experts have given him the all clear and he will be able to  take his place in the Black Caps side for the first of two England v New Zealand Tests at Lord’s, starting on Thursday.
"Tim's fine. It was very much a precautionary response really from us,” said coach Hesson.
"We sent him down to London for further investigation, and basically the result was as we hoped.
"He's had some treatment to his left toe, and we're very comfortable he'll be right for the first Test."
Hesson has also backed Ross Taylor to play a key role for the Kiwis in the coming weeks.
Taylor controversially lost the captaincy last season to Brendon McCullum - a decision partly influenced by Hesson - and briefly quit international cricket as a result.
He patched up his differences with his coach and returned to the side, but struggled to impose himself in the three match series against Andy Flower’s men at the start of the year.
He goes into the return meetings with greater preparation behind him and Hesson hopes he can lead the New Zealand charge to overturn the Cricket betting odds.
“You get a good delivery every now and then, and you miss out. But Ross is a quality player, who averages over 40 in Test cricket,” he added.
"He's our best batsman. He knows the conditions well, and I expect him to have a big series."

Gul forced out of Champions Trophy

Pakistan will have to do without one of their most important bowlers for the upcoming Champions Trophy following the news that Umar Gul has been forced out of the competition with a knee injury.

The 29-year old initially picked up the problem during last month’s tour of South Africa, resulting in him missing the majority of the five-match ODI series. Further scans upon his arrival back in Pakistan revealed some damage to the bone, meaning the fast bowler will now be out of action for up to 12 weeks, ruling him out of the Champions Trophy in England.

"Gul complained of right knee pain during the South Africa tour. He was rested for imminent damage to his medial meniscus and bone of right knee. On his arrival back to Pakistan he underwent MRI scan which confirmed knee problem. He won’t be fit for the Champions Trophy" a PCB release said.

Losing Gul is a huge blow to Pakistan. The pace bowler has taken 163 wickets in 47 Tests and 167 in 116 one-day internationals, also Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker in Twenty20 internationals with 74 in 52 matches. Gul’s ability to bowl at the death, with his wide variety of deliveries, has made him one of one-day cricket’s most effective bowlers.

Pakistan will have to be on form from the very start of the tournament, drawn in a tough looking Group B alongside India, the West Indies and South Africa. Defending champions Australia, Sri Lanka, England and New Zealand form Group A, in a tournament in which Pakistan will know they have as good a chance as any of coming out on top.

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Strauss fires England warning

Former England captain Andrew Strauss has warned his old team-mates against underestimating Australia in this summer's Ashes.

The 36-year-old, who was part of three Ashes winning sides, retired last year after a difficult summer which was overshadowed by the Kevin Pietersen saga and saw England lose the number one ranking to South Africa.

England overcame the loss of Strauss to defy the cricket odds and record a historic Test series win in India before Christmas. However, his experience was missed as Alastair Cook's men struggled to a disappointing draw in New Zealand.

England will have the opportunity to set the record straight when they take on the Black Caps on home soil in May. They will be determined to find some form before the first Test against Australia starts on July 10.

The tourists will not have the same kind of opportunity as they look to bounce back from a 4-0 drubbing in India. Australia will prepare for the Ashes with tour matches against Somerset and Worcestershire.

Michael Clarke's side will go into the five-Test series with an unproven batting line-up following the retirements of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey. However, they have a young bowling attack which will provide a huge test for England's batsmen.

Strauss, who scored over 7,000 runs in 100 Tests, has backed England to win a third home Ashes series in a row but has no doubt Australia will push them all the way.

"I don't think it is going to be that clear-cut. I think Australia are a bit better than people give them credit for at the moment," Strauss told AAP.

"They've got some good players, a good bowling attack which is crucial and Michael Clarke's been on fire.

"It's going to be a close series but in England in particular, with home advantage, England should be too strong."

Giles – England not reliant on Pietersen

England ODI chief Ashley Giles has made it clear the hosts’ ICC Champions Trophy chances aren’t reliant on Kevin Pietersen being in the team. The star batsman is recovering from a knee injury that forced him home early from England’s Test series in New Zealand last month, which could reportedly see him forced to undergo surgery.

With the prospect of back-to-back Ashes series, England may decide not to risk Pietersen in the Champions Trophy in order to ensure the batsman is fully fit going into such an important seven months for this English side.

After over three years without a ODI century, Pietersen hit successive tons in the final two games of England's 4-0 win over Pakistan in February to end his drought. While betting news writers say losing Pietersen for the Champions Trophy would be a huge blow to England’s hopes in the tournament, one-day coach Giles has insisted there is enough strength in depth to fill in for the batsman’s absence.

“We're all hoping Kevin will be OK because he is a key player. But you've got to be confident you can cope without him, otherwise you might as well not turn up,” said Giles to cricket betting news reporters.

“It's not about one player. It's going to take a team effort to win a trophy like that, and different guys must step up to the plate. Kevin Pietersen can change a game in half an hour, but we have others as well.”

There’s no doubt that England are a much stronger team with Pietersen in it, but there are bigger things at stake this year and the selectors will know how important the batsman is to England’s hopes of still being in possession of the Ashes urn at the end of these two series.

Jones - Aussies just not good enough

Former Australia batsmen Dean Jones says the current crop of Aussie players are just not good enough after they were hammered 4-0 by India.

MS Dhoni hit the winning runs for the hosts on Sunday to wrap up victory in Dehli and ensured the Baggy Greens would not claim a consolation to take home with them.

It is the first time Australia have lost a Test series 4-0 since 1970 and ramps up the pressure on everyone involved with the side ahead of this summer’s Ashes series.

Indeed it is not just on the field where there have been problems during this India v Australia series, coach Mickey Arthur’s decision to suspend three players earlier in the series for failing to obey team orders suggests all it not well behind the scenes either.

The squad are bracing themselves for a frosty reception from the media when they return home, not to mention the supporters – Australia is not a nation that takes kindly to losing sportsman.

 Jones, who played 52 Tests for Australia between 1984 and 1992, believes there just isn’t enough quality in the squad compared to the great teams of the past.

"In Australia we are ruthless when it comes to a team not performing up to standard. If this was an Aussie Rules Football team, the coach and the players would have been slaughtered by now," he said.

“It all comes down to preparation. We just aren't good enough at the moment. Be it turning pitches or seaming tracks, this team is not up to the mark.

“The Aussies have been mauled here. Some of the lads will have to go back home and work on their game."
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