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James Franklin, the Wellington and New Zealand fast bowler, says he isn’t going to try and stake his claims as the next allrounder following the retirement of Chris Cairns.”It’s sad to see the big guy leave and they are huge shoes to fill but I’m not going to go about my cricket any differently,” Franklin, 25, told stuff.co.nz. “With a class player like him leaving there is a bit of an onus on others to stand up and Jake (Jacob Oram) naturally comes to mind.”While not as explosive in his batting as Cairns or Oram, Franklin is seen by many as an allrounder with a technically sound batting approach, capable of batting higher up the order. His clinical hitting in New Zealand’s domestic scene is well known, and in a recent one-day international against Sri Lanka he smashed 18 off the final over. He even has a Test half-century to his name, indicating that he can perform well with the bat. But Franklin maintains that it is premature to suggest that he is a candidate for the job, citing that Cairns’ absence would probably open up opportunities for Brendon McCullum and Daniel Vettori to throw the bat around.During his retirement speech, Cairns himself said that Franklin was one to look out for, calling him `an enormous talent starting to shine’ with `a great future ahead of him. Repaying the tribute, Franklin said he took great encouragement from Cairns’ positive words.”It’s always nice to get that praise from a guy who you rate highly and to have that sort of endorsement was nice,” he said. “I haven’t had a huge amount to do with him but we have toured a few times and he’s been bloody brilliant. Tactically, if you ask him any question, he’s always happy to help you out. He’s a big loss for us, he holds a lot of manna.”

Corey Anderson celebrated his return to the national side with an 87-ball 88, but his effort was not enough to help Northern Districts chase down 279 against Auckland in Hamilton.ND began shakily in the chase, losing Dean Brownlie for a five-ball duck. Daniel Flynn and Daryl Mitchell then laid a strong base, adding 76, before Anderson took over. He struck six fours and two sixes, and was aided by contributions from BJ Watling and Tim Seifert. However, fast bowler Lachie Ferguson dismissed Anderson in the 46th over to tilt the contest in Auckland’s favour. ND ran out of fuel, losing their last four wickets for 21 runs.The match was set up for Auckland, thanks to fifties from Brad Cachopa and Robert O’ Donnell, after they were reduced to 109 for 4 in 20.2 overs. The pair repaired the early damage and then lifted the innings with a 130-run partnership off 142 balls. The stand ended when Scott Kuggeleijn got rid of Cachopa for 93, but O’Donnell ensured that his side passed 250 and eventually finished with 278, which proved 11 more for ND.Peter Fulton’s half-century, followed by a collective bowling effort, led Canterbury to their second successive win in the competition, after beating Otago by 65 runs in Alexandra.Having been inserted, Canterbury lost their openers cheaply before Fulton revived the innings with his 36th List A fifty, which contained 10 fours and one six. Each of the middle-order batsmen had starts but failed to build on it, with allrounder Sam Wells claiming three wickets. However, it was enough to haul Canterbury to 228.Otago’s chase had begun on a poor note with both the openers falling for ducks. It was a sign of things to come with Otago sliding to 163 all out within 40 overs. Hamish Rutherford and James Neesham mounted some resistance with a 45-run fourth-wicket partnership, before No.9 Neil Wagner swung his way to an unbeaten 37. Todd Astle, one of the three bowlers to pick up two wickets, put the seal on Canterbury’s win when he bowled Warren Barnes for a duck.George Worker’s century trumped Luke Woodcock’s, helping defending champions Central Districts to a 32-run win against Wellington at the Basin Reserve.After Ben Smith was dismissed by Dane Hutchinson for 4, Worker and Jesse Ryder added 126 together at a rapid pace only for the middle order to fumble. From 139 for 1, Central Districts slumped to 199 for 6 and Worker soon followed for 114 off 120 balls. Marty Kain’s (22) cameo lower down the order meant that Central Districts were pushed to 241.Woodcock followed three wickets with a counterattacking century, his first in List A cricket, and helped Wellington close to the target from a shambolic 35 for 5. The collapse seeped into the lower order as well as the hosts were skittled for 209. Woodcock hit two fours and six sixes before he was the last man dismissed. Central Districts’ new-ball bowlers – Seth Rance and Bevan Small – claimed combined figures of 17-3-65-7 to trip up the chase.

Australia’s selectors have cast an eye to the future with their Chairman’s XI for Sri Lanka’s first warm-up match in Adelaide starting on Saturday. The side for the three-day match is made up of those who were not picked for the round of state games and has focussed on youth.Ronchi, the aggressive wicketkeeper-batsman, missed out on Western Australia’s Pura Cup team to face Victoria due to Adam Gilchrist’s return, but he has the chance to shine as captain of the XI. Ronchi’s team-mate Aaron Heal, the left-arm slow bowler, will also play after making way for Brad Hogg while Mick Lewis, the veteran of the group at 33, will be back in Adelaide following a successful domestic trip with Victoria’s one-day side last week.Doug Bollinger has been included after being pushed out by Brett Lee and Stuart Clark at New South Wales, who are hosting Queensland from Friday. He was overlooked by the Blues despite taking eight wickets in the Pura Cup win over Western Australia.South Australia have four representatives in Cullen Bailey, Australia’s back-up legspinner who missed the state’s trip to Hobart, Paul Rofe, Tom Plant and Callum Ferguson. The match was hastily arranged following a request from the Sri Lankan management, which felt one warm-up was not enough ahead of the two-Test series in Brisbane from November 8.Chairman’s XI Lloyd Mash, Greg Moller, Phillip Hughes, Luke Ronchi (capt, wk), Callum Ferguson, Tom Plant, Cullen Bailey, Doug Bollinger, Aaron Heal, Mick Lewis, Paul Rofe.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

One side chipped away at history, another kept fighting with their backs to the wall and the series-deciding Test entered an engrossing phase on the third day at Newlands. Countering a distinctly sub-continental type wearing wicket, caught in a web of spin and swing, facing a daunting first-innings score South Africa refused to surrender and kept India’s lead down to 41.India were the dominant side for most of the day, what with the ball ripping across at unplayable angles and the fielders prowling close by. But two tenacious partnerships – one that ate up valuable time, the other that added crucial runs – thwarted them. Jacques Kallis, with good support from an unflappable Ashwell Prince, waded through the uncertainty before Mark Boucher led a lower-order charge that propelled them close to India’s score.It was day when revival followed trouble, when dismissals followed rescue acts. Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla glided through the early stages before falling in quick succession; Kallis and Prince pitched their tents for a little more than two-and-a-half hours until being undone by spin; Shaun Pollock and Boucher cobbled together a plucky stand of 69 prior to India breaking through. The pitch deteriorated through the day, the faster bowlers summoned swing, both conventional and reverse, the ball spun all day long – Sachin Tendulkar got it to dip, turn, soar, crackle and do everything other than sing Bollywood numbers – but South Africa simply didn’t relent.Barring the first ten overs, when Smith continued his aggressive methods from yesterday, South Africa weren’t allowed to express themselves freely. Anil Kumble might not have been as devastating as he would have expected to be, toiling for 42.3 overs, but his persistence produced four wickets. Smith, six short of what would have been a cracking century, was undone by a sensational reflex catch from Virender Sehwag, Prince played on after being beaten by a faster legbreak, and the tail didn’t have much of a chance against scything flippers.The support cast were equally vital: Tendulkar produced a mesmerising spell of legspin that had the batsmen in all sorts of tangles, Sehwag taunted them with breaking it from the off, while Sreesanth removed Hashim Amla to snap up his 18th wicket in the series, equaling Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble for the best performance by an Indian bowler in this country. But everytime India produced an opening, South Africa found batsmen to stem the leakage.

The partnership between Kallis and Prince that consumed 38.1 overs could yet be the defining act of the match. Neither was in complete control, yet both showed the gumption to hang in there. Kallis was lucky when on 6 – Wasim Jaffer missed a direct hit – and he was forced to grind his way against Munaf Patel, getting it to reverse from wide of the crease, and Kumble. Prince was his customary doughty self, decisive with his footwork and appeared more at sea against the faster bowlers angling it across.Tendulkar, called on to bowl as late as the 87th over, produced the breakthrough, striking in his fourth over when Kallis risked a slog-sweep across the turn. Prince fell to Kumble in the very next over, Gibbs was soon undone by Sehwag and South Africa found themselves at a perilous 281 for 6. That’s when Pollock and Boucher reversed the trend with a 69-run union, unsettling the bowlers with their attacking intent.All three Indian fast bowlers appeared to have run out of steam at the end of the day – Munaf appeared to be struggling with his fitness and couldn’t summon much speed – and the batsmen were quick to cash in. The new ball was taken as late as the 116th over and the bowlers ended up spraying it around, giving away important runs. Zaheer and Munaf were gifted with a wicket apiece, with both batsmen trying to glide the ball to third man and edging, and India managed to eke out a slender lead in the end. It left the game superbly poised, with the series wide open for the final two days.Short cuts

Highlight of the day: When Jacques Kallis thumped a Sachin Tendulkardelivery in the direction of deep midwicket, Indian hearts would have beenright up the oesophagus. The ball headed unerringly towards Munaf Patel,perhaps the worst fielder in international cricket. Along with jubilationas he held on to the chance, there would have been more than one sigh ofrelief.Lowlight of the day: India’s ground fielding was just abysmal, with SwanLake dives and shoddy collection adding plenty of runs to South Africa’stotal. Munaf, with his unathletic awkward gait and his excuse for thethrow wasn’t the lone offender, with Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly alsohaving moments that they would rather wish away.Shot of the day: Graeme Smith looked on course for a rollicking centuryuntil Anil Kumble had his say, but before that, he unleashed two spankingon-drives when Zaheer Khan overpitched. It was hard to choose between thetwo strokes, both of which scorched the turf on the way to the rope.Ball of the day: Along with Kallis, Ashwell Prince was the man bestequipped to bat time and keep India at bay. But the game changed whenDravid brought Kumble on from the Wynberg end. The last ball of the secondover pitched in the footmarks and spun in to take the inside edge on tothe stumps. Suddenly 260 for 3 had become 260 for 5, and India were rightback on top.Catch of the day: He may not cut the most svelte figure on the field, butVirender Sehwag has a knack of picking up stunning catches, and he showedthat today with a sprightly leap to his right at silly mid-on to snaffleSmith.Message of the day: A little fellow just behind the fence after the day’splay had ended gave Smith his opinion with a confidence that only aneight-year-old would possess. While waiting patiently for his miniaturebat to be autographed, he piped up: “I liked the way you batted today,Graeme.” Smith looked up, took stock, laughed and carried on signing.Off the park: Allan Donald devastated more than a few touring sides duringhis time as South Africa’s premier fast bowler, and the pitch prepared forthis game took his breath away. “I’ve never seen anything like it in SouthAfrica,” he said, shaking his head ruefully as the groundstaff swept awayhuge puffs of dust during the tea interval.

As he set out for the tour of England last week, holding for the first time the poisoned chalice that the West Indies captaincy has become, Ramnaresh Sarwan itemised his priorities. “Consistency, cohesion and camaraderie” was the alliteration used by Ezra Stuart in his report to summarise Sarwan’s stated priorities for the challenging campaign ahead.It might have stated the obvious since no international team has been as unpredictable as West Indies over the past decade or so and certainly none more divided. But the points had to be accentuated.The new captain could have added fitness and discipline as other areas requiring attention but there is a new, belatedly appointed trainer to start focusing on the former and new manager Mike Findlay has made early reference to the latter.Twice in his chat with the media, Sarwan used the phrases “very important” and “most importantly” to stress the need to “play well as a team and play as a collective unit”. It has been clear for some time, but more than ever during the recent World Cup let-down, that the West Indies were not pulling together, that they were not truly a team.Given Lara’s absence, the proximity of the World Cup debacle and the ludicrous itinerary that offers only this weekend’s match against Somerset as preparation for four Tests in a month, an immediate reversal of the 4-0 whitewash endured in England three years ago is an unrealistic expectation.What can be achieved are more commitment, cohesion and camaraderie, and a more serious approach to fitness and discipline. Even then, the benefits of such change will take time to materialise. Their implementation depends largely on the encouragement and guidance provided by Sarwan and his senior lieutenants – Daren Ganga, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle and Corey Collymore.With 101 Tests and 13 years in international cricket, Chanderpaul is by far the senior statesman now that Lara has gone. But his role is likely to remain what, except for a brief, uncomfortable stint at the helm, it always has been: batting for as long as possible. The leadership is now in the hands of a younger brigade.Ganga, Sarwan’s deputy, has shown his qualities in leading Trinidad and Tobago to two double-titles in the past three seasons. Gayle, like Sarwan, in his eighth year of international cricket, is nearing the veteran stage, while Collymore is an equally seasoned campaigner with as much to contribute in the nets and team meetings as in the middle.Potentially, Gayle can be the most influential of the group, not only as opening batsman and spinner, but as exemplar. When the West Indies were last in Australia in 2005, Steve Waugh was of a similar view.”The current Windies unit lacks urgency and vibrancy and is therefore reactive, not proactive,” the former Australian captain wrote in his newspaper column. “The good news is that it takes just one player to initiate change by hustling between overs and to liven up proceedings with a bit of chat out on the field, especially if it is a senior player.”Waugh singled out “the highly talented Chris Gayle who has the presence and ability to influence those around him”, adding the caveat that Gayle would have to alter his attitude to do so. It is amazing how little has changed in the interim, both in the team and in Gayle himself. But it is not too late.

With his omnipresent sunglasses, glittering gold chain, changing hair-styles and super-cool demeanour, Gayle is widely perceived as the quintessence of the present-day West Indies cricketer – all style, little substance. It is not an entirely unearned impression, but Gayle is a significant all-round cricketer with a solid record. What is more, he is a spark who can lift spirits, off and on the field, a crucial consideration on a tour such as this.The counterbalance is occasionally evident, never more so than in his lacklustre performance in the World Cup, typified by a manifestly indifferent attitude. It would have been hardly surprising had he been dropped because of it, but he was not the only one affected by the malaise that permeated the entire team and was plain to see from well beyond the boundary. The selectors would have been swayed more by Gayle’s role in less discordant times, more recently in the Champions Trophy in India six months ago when he was Player Of The Tournament.For all the frozen footwork, a basic defect for an opener, he remains the most destructive batsman in the team. If his average of 38.71 is a little short of the accepted statistical standard for leading Test batsmen, it is hardly atrocious. And he did average 50 in the 4-0 Test whitewash in England three years ago.Batting is his forte, of course, but his off-spin is not to be undervalued, as he himself believes it has been. “In the bowling department, I think I have been underused on most occasions,” he wrote in his diary on an internet site last December. “I am not a scapegoat bowler in this team to be used only when things are difficult. Things can be handled a bit better in that scenario.”Perhaps Sarwan will take note, especially in this series when Gayle offers the only contrast in an attack, as ever, based on pace and seam. It is noteworthy that one of Gayle’s two five-wicket returns in a Test innings, 5 for 34 against England at Edgbaston three years ago, was on the day when Sarwan was in charge in the absence of an ill Lara. Sarwan was also leading in Lara’s absence when Gayle’s belligerence, highlighted by his shoulder-to-shoulder clash with Michael Clarke, visibly energised West Indies in their first round Champions Trophy win over Australia last October.The problem is that such dynamism has been too spasmodic, inevitably followed by long lapses into inertia. The team requires more of it more regularly.

Aaqib Javed, the former Pakistan fast-medium bowler, has been appointed chief coach of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced.A PCB spokesman said that Aaqib’s appointment as the head of coaching at Lahore’s NCA would be highly beneficial for the young players training at the academy. “Aaqib brings to this position vast experience as an international cricketer and as a professional coach,” said the spokesman.Aaqib, 34, played the last of his 22 Tests in 1998, having taken 54 wickets. He was an under-recognised part of a much-feared Pakistan pace attack of the 90s, overshadowed mostly by Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. He did however forge a more successful one-day career, taking 182 wickets from 163 matches.He was part of Pakistan’s triumphant 1992 World Cup squad and once held the record for the best bowling figures in an ODI – 7 for 37, including a hat-trick – which he achieved against India in Sharjah in 1991.Aaqib has stayed attached with international cricket since his exit nine years ago and has attended several coaching courses and workshops in recent years. He completed a PCB Level-2 Coaching Course (2003) and has participated in Asian Cricket Council (ACC) High Performance Course (2004). He has also attended the Cricket Australia/ACC Cricket Skills course for fast bowling and batting, held in Bangkok (2004-05).Aaqib has successfully completed assignments as fast bowling coach at the Lahore Regional Academy at Sheikhupura (2001), head coach of Lahore Region at Muridke (2002) and fast bowling coach at NCA (2004-05).His stint as fast bowling coach was widely acknowledged as a successful one, having worked with and improved several young fast bowlers, including Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul, Mohammad Khalil, Mohammad Irshad and Samiullah Niazi.Aaqib has also coached several national age-group teams and under him Pakistan won the Under-15 Asian Championship in 2002 and the Under-19 World Cup in 2004. He also had a successful coaching stint with the Pakistan ‘A’ squad.

The Australians will no doubt celebrate their series win in typically exuberant fashion, and the man leading the way will be Andrew Symonds. His scores in the last four matches have been 87, 89, 75, and, on Sunday a 107 not out in Nagpur. Ricky Ponting was understandably overjoyed with Symonds’ contribution but spoke about the contribution of others in the team at the post-match press conference.”This series has been a good contest and today was really good one. We got the wickets when we needed them. The game can change very quickly in this part of the world,” said Ponting. “Today we kept partnerships going and Symonds played a really sensible innings. I think his innings was the defining moment. He has been confident and has been a changed player from what he was five-six years ago.””But we had a number of meaningful contributions, it wasn’t just Symonds,” said Ponting. “[Brad] Hogg picked up four wickets and Mitchell [Johnson] and Brett [Lee] bowled really well too.”Symonds, for his part, said that the fall of wickets at the other end motivated him to stay focused and play cautiously. “If you look at our innings, wickets fell at times when ideally we didn’t want them to fall, and this meant I had to knuckle down a bit and help build a big total. It was a special innings and I really feel proud about it.”Ponting also felt the total of 317 was a good one, given the conditions, but with a fast outfield and a good batting pitch India were always in with a chance. “In the break I told my spinners that they’d have to bowl really well and they did that,” said Ponting. “That made the difference as we pulled back the runs in the middle overs.”After India’s strong first-wicket partnership of 140, their best of the series so far, Irfan Pathan was sent out to bat at No. 3, and this surprised quite a few people, including Ponting. “Sending Pathan at No. 3 was a bit surprising. The way we look at it is that we always want our best batsmen at the top of the order.”Mahendra Singh Dhoni, for his part, said that it was extremely difficult for batsmen who were new at the crease to score quickly after set batsmen had been dismissed. “We lost couple of wickets at the wrong time. Sachin [Tendulkar] and Sourav [Ganguly] got out at a time when we would have liked them to go on and we never got any partnerships after it,” he said. “The asking rate was always high and it is difficult for a batsman who has just come in to score at that rate.”Dhoni also conceded that India had struggled to get their game all together in the course of the series. “I think we never performed well in all three aspects of the game – batting, bowling and fielding – in one game. The only time we did well was in Chandigarh, when we did well in all aspects, and the result was in our favour.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

It was a Made-in-Guyana triumph, but given West Indian cricket’s recenttravails, it might as well have been made in heaven. A magnificentunbeaten 115 from Ramnaresh Sarwan, incidentally playing his 100th ODI, provided the momentum for the pursuit of 246, and a classy half-century from ahamstrung Shivnarine Chanderpaul proved as decisive as West Indies took a2-1 lead in the five-match series with an impressive four-wicket victoryat Basseterre.As in the two games at Sabina Park, the inaugural international at StKitts too went down to the final over, bowled by S Sreesanth with six runsstill needed. Dwayne Bravo’s run out gave India a glimmer of hope, butcrucially, Rahul Dravid misfielded the fourth ball, allowing Sarwan acouple where there might not even have been one. The next ball wassummarily dismissed to the cover fence, setting the seal on anothermatchwinning innings from Sarwan, whose 106-run partnership withChanderpaul made all the difference.India, though, have no one to blame but themselves, after a battingimplosion that saw a paltry 77 runs scored in the final 22 overs. WhenBrian Lara asked for the final Powerplay, they were cruising at 168 for 2,with Virender Sehwag in sight of three figures, and Mohammad Kaifproviding solid support. A total of 300 was plausible, but once Bravothudded a reverse-swinging yorker into Sehwag’s boot, the game started todrift out of India’s reach.Mahendra Singh Dhoni biffed and missed his way to 15 before hesitancebetween the wickets, and a smart bit of fielding from Gayle, sent himpacking. Thereafter, with the ebullience and skill of Yuvraj Singh – ruledout with back spasms – badly missed and with Kaif unable to break out ofaccumulation mode, it was an eminently forgettable procession. MarlonSamuels and Gayle put the ball on a spot, batsmen were unable to work itinto the gaps, and as the field closed in, they compounded their woes withsome suicidal dashes between the stumps.

It could all have been so different. Having lost Dravid in Ian Bradshaw’sopening over, India made all the early running thanks to Sehwagrediscovering his effervescence and Suresh Raina’s accomplished cameo.With the bowlers either offering too much width or pitching too full,Sehwag crashed strokes through the offside with impunity, while Raina’soff-drives were struck with a panache that recalled a certain SouravGanguly in his prime.Sehwag slashed one six over point of Bradshaw, and followed that with animmense shot over mid-on off Bravo, even as Kaif chipped and ran to turnover the strike. It seemed pretty effortless till the slow bowlers cameon, when the gentle tourniquet soon became a choke.Needing just under five an over, Sarwan walked in with the innings in somedisarray after two marginal lbw decisions had taken the sheen off a steadystart from Gayle and Samuels, opening for the first time. Samuels wasgiven out to Sreesanth’s bowling, and when Agarkar sent back RunakoMorton without scoring, 246 looked a long way away.But Sarwan started with a crashing off-drive off Agarkar and a crisp cutoff Sreesanth, and after good fortune directed an inner edge wide of thestumps and down to the fence, he laced a gorgeous cover-drive off astrangely off-colour Irfan Pathan. Desperate to stem the tide, Dravidturned to spin, but while Harbhajan Singh was accurate and economical,Ramesh Powar was targetted from the start. Sarwan twice thumped him overlong-on for six, and Gayle then revealed how powerful he could be with animmense stroke that struck the roof.With options dwindling, Dravid turned back to Agarkar, easily the pick ofIndia’s bowlers. When he got Gayle to edge one, and Harbhajan outfoxedLara, it was certainly game on, but Chanderpaul made light of a musclestrain to caress some lovely shots, including a sensational straight six offAgarkar, en route to a 58-ball 50.At the other end, Sarwan was just imperious. Having romped to 50 in just41 balls, he was much more circumspect as the game neared its denouement.Dravid’s decision to try Sehwag tilted the match, and also gave Sarwan hiscentury – his third in the one-day game and his first against India – with a precise late cut and two runs scampered to midwicket sparking considerable celebration in the stands. And though Chanderpaul departed soon after, the other Guyanese hero remained to the end. If lastSaturday was all about Bravo holding his nerve, this was very much theSarwan show. Whisper it softly, but the Calypso Kings might just be on theroad to recovery. As for India – red-hot favourites to take the series -they find themselves with no margin for error heading into the final twogames.

India
Rahul Dravid lbw b Bradshaw 0 (1 for 1)
Suresh Raina b Bradshaw 26 (62 for 2)
Virender Sehwag lbw Bravo 96 (174 for 3)
Mahendra Singh Dhoni run out (Gayle) 15 (211 for 4)
Mohammad Kaif run out (Chanderpaul) 63 (216 for 5)
Irfan Pathan c and b Samuels 1 (219 for 6)
Ramesh Powar b Sarwan 1 (224 for 7)
Venugopal Rao run out (Edwards) 12 (233 for 8)
Ajit Agarkar c Lara b Bravo 8 (243 for 9)
West Indies
Marlon Samuels lbw Sreesanth 11 (30 for 1)
Runako Morton lbw Agarkar 0 (31 for 2)
Chris Gayle c Dhoni b Agarkar 40 (116 for 3)
Brian Lara c Dravid b Harbhajan 5 (131 for 4)
Shivnarine Chanderpaul lbw Pathan 58 (237 for 5)
Dwayne Bravo run out (Pathan) 1 (241 for 6)

The Irish Cricket Union have announced a squad of 12 for their opening game against Scotland in the InterContinental Cup. Ireland, the holders, begin the defence of their trophy with a home tie at Stormont in Belfast from August 9-12.Boyd Rankin is again absent from the squad, but the Irish are boosted by the availability of their star batsman Eoin Morgan, and wicketkeeper Niall O’ Brien. There is also a place in the 12 for leg spinner Greg Thompson, who has been in action for Ireland A against the MCC in Malahide this week.Irish coach Phil Simmons said of his squad: “Unfortunately Boyd hasn’t fully recovered. He bowled last week, but experienced a little bit of pain. Greg Thompson has impressed me greatly with his legspin. He turns the ball a lot away from the bat, and he’s a wicket-taker, which is exactly what we need.”Tom Hayes, the chief executive of Bank of Ireland Corporate Banking said: “I’d like to wish the Irish team every success as they begin their quest to win the trophy for a third successive time. It’s been a marvellous year for Irish cricket, and as official team sponsor, Bank of Ireland is proud to be part of it.”Squad Trent Johnston (Railway Union, capt), Andre Botha (North County), Alex Cusack (Clontarf), Thinus Fourie (Merrion), Dave Langford-Smith (Phoenix), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Kyle McCallan (Waringstown), Kevin O’ Brien (Railway Union), Niall O’ Brien (Northants), Greg Thompson (Lisburn), William Porterfield (Rush), Andrew White (Instonians)

Vikram Solanki, the England opener, says he is looking forward to facing Shoaib Akhtar when the five-match one-day leg of England’s tour to Pakistan gets underway on Saturday.Solanki, one-day crickets’s first Supersub , and Shoaib were team-mates at Worcestershire this past season, and Solanki had the opportunity to witness the fast bowler up close: “Shoaib is a very interesting character – quite a unique type of guy,” Solanki told BBC Sport. “Changing from 90 miles an hour to slower deliveries was quite impressive. He has exceptional talent.”Shoaib’s short appearance for Worcestershire was marred by controversy after John Elliott, the club chairman, criticised his attitude, stating: “It’s all about team spirit and getting the dressing-room right and when you’ve got a bloke like Shoaib in there, it can cause mayhem.” Solanki referred to Elliot’s comments as “unfortunate”, adding that “Shoaib has obviously worked very hard on his fitness and bowled exceptionally well in the Tests.”Shoaib was a revelation in the three-Test series against England, bagging 17 wickets, many of which came at crucial moments. His batting was also a marked improvement over past displays, a fact praised by the media and the Pakistan team management.Solanki, who wasn’t part of England’s squad for the Test series in Pakistan, believed he had a good chance of adding to his 41 one-day appearances. “I am just pleased to be here – it’s fantastic to be part of the squad,” he said. “Obviously, I’d like to play a full part and make best use of the opportunity.” His last appearance in English colours was an unbeaten 53 from the No. 8 spot against Australia at The Oval during the 2005 summer.