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The ECB has ditched the May Test matches which have been a part of the English summer since 2000 by shifting the two-match series against Sri Lanka next year to June with the T20 and ODIs being played beforehand

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2013The ECB has ditched the May Test matches which have been a part of the English summer since 2000 by shifting the two-match series against Sri Lanka next year to June with the T20 and ODIs being played beforehand.Playing Sri Lanka’s Tests in mid-June should help avoid problems of clashing with the IPL, which has created availability issues with some players not arriving until shortly before the first Test, and also opens up the chance for England players such as Kevin Pietersen to have a longer stint at the tournament.This would have been a tougher proposition had England been obliged to play three Tests, as originally suggested by the Future Tours Programme. However, as Sri Lanka Cricket trimmed the home series against England to two Tests, in order to have Sri Lanka players available for the entire 2012 IPL, the ECB is no longer bound to provide more than two Tests on the reciprocal tour.Last time Sri Lanka visited, in 2011, five players including Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene missed one of the two warm-up matches due to IPL commitments and the same situation occurred with New Zealand this year when Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor arrived late.

Sri Lanka in England 2014

Only T20 – May 20, The Oval
1st ODI – May 22, The Oval
2nd ODI – May 25, Durham
3rd ODI – May 28, Old Trafford
4th ODI – May 31, Lord’s
5th ODI – June 3, Edgbaston
1st Test – June 12-16, Lord’s
2nd Test – June 20-24, Headingley

The IPL will start later next year, due to the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh, but is likely to be concluded by early June although it means that the Twenty20 and ODI series of Sri Lanka’s visit will face the scheduling clash and subsequent player availability issues. However, if this type of schedule is maintained in future years it may open up a clear window for the IPL.For next year it means England will have a run of seven Tests in little more than two months next summer with the five-match series against India beginning in early July.Touring teams have struggled to adapt to conditions for May Test matches in England; the only team to win a Test in May (and even that began on May 31) was Pakistan in 2001. England have only lost one other match in their early-season Test series, first introduced against Zimbabwe in 2000, when Sri Lanka levelled the 2006 series at Trent Bridge.0:00

McGlashan: ‘June start will give larger window for IPL’

Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh allrounder, is disappointed with his batting form so far in the inaugural Caribbean Premier League but is glad to have contributed with the ball

Renaldo Matadeen22-Aug-2013Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh allrounder, is disappointed with his batting form so far in the inaugural Caribbean Premier League but is glad to have contributed with the ball. Shakib’s franchise Barbados Tridents will take on Jamaica Tallawahs in the second semi-final in Port-of-Spain on Friday.”I am a bit down about that (batting) but my team-mates support me because they always tell me these Caribbean pitches are not the easiest to adapt to,” Shakib said. “I really want to come good with some runs though.”Shakib has averaged 3.66 with the bat in six innings but has taken 11 wickets at an economy-rate of 5.58, including figures of 6 for 6 against Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel in Bridgetown, which was the second-best bowling performance in Twenty20s. He said the Caribbean pitches had kept him on his toes and his team’s at-times unconventional and cavalier approach had also suited his attacking style of bowling.Despite Barbados losing their last three matches, Shakib felt they were ready to try and recover the form achieved at the start of the CPL, when they won their first four games. “It’s a new game. Whatever happened in the first round, is over and gone. It’s all coming down to these semis so we’re all back to square one. I know we have the talent and we’re confident enough to win the trophy. I want it. That’s my purpose here. Jamaica is the first hurdle but we’re ready.”Shakib said he and Bangladesh team-mate Tamim Iqbal, who played for St Lucia Zouks, had enjoyed themselves in the CPL. “I am getting immense practice ahead of us (Bangladesh) hosting New Zealand (in October). I was able to share my past experience as a captain with the Caribbean guys and I think this is a great move for other players from my country to potentially join. I learnt a lot playing with the likes of (Kieron) Pollard and Shoaib (Malik) and everyone else in our camp.Bangladesh cricket was progressing in the right manner, according to Shakib. “We are coming up in the world and I think once we invest and have more academies, infrastructure and more international experience under our belt, we are on the path to success. I want to take Bangladesh higher on the world scale. I have the motivation, wherever I am.”

While it felt “really nice” to begin his captaincy stint on a winning note, Shikhar Dhawan said after the victory against Kandurata Maroons, he still has much to learn as a leader

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Sep-2013Shikhar Dhawan’s amazing year continued, as he cracked a half-century to set up Sunrisers Hyderabad’s eight-wicket win in his first match as the team’s captain. While it felt “really nice” to begin his captaincy stint on a winning note, Dhawan said after the victory against Kandurata Maroons, he still has much to learn as a leader.”It was my first day as captain. It is completely a new experience for me,” he said. “It feels really nice to win your first match as captain.”But there are still a lot of things that I need to learn. I know I will be making a lot of mistakes initially, but I will have to learn from them. This is part and parcel of the captaincy and I am enjoying it.”One of Dhawan’s questionable decisions was bowling his main slow bowler, legspinner Amit Mishra, for just one over even as Kumar Sangakkara and Lahiru Thirimanne built towards a strong total. The pitch and the opposition prompted that decision, Dhawan said. “The wicket assisted the pacers more than the spinners. Amit Mishra was bowling well but there was hardly anything for him on this pitch.”Moreover, they had a lot of left-handers on their team. That’s why we couldn’t use him much. I felt the fast bowlers had more to offer on this track.” The other legspinner in the side, Karan Sharma, who proved effective in IPL 2013, did not bowl at all.Sangakkara and Thirimanne had added 89 for the third wicket and were increasing the innings’ momentum when Ishant Sharma bowled Thirimanne with a yorker. Ishant, the only bowler in the match to concede less than a run a ball, said he tried to keep the batsmen guessing. “When a batsman is going strong, you have to use all your experience to try and get the better of him,” Ishant told the CLT20 website. “The wicket was very good for batting and so, I knew I had to mix things up a bit.”Instead of bowling all six balls on the same spot I decided to vary my length. [In the over that Thirimanne was dismissed] I tried the fuller delivery, the slower one, bowled a bit short and he hit me for two fours. Off the fifth ball I thought I should bowl a yorker and fortunately I got it right. He tried to go for a big one and got out.”India’s frequent clashes with Sri Lanka helped, Ishant said. “Most of the Kandurata Maroons players are international cricketers and hence we know what field to set to each of them and what strategy to form against each of them. We play a lot against them and we know their games inside out. That really helps.”Ishant had good words for Dhawan’s captaincy. “He has evolved so much as a cricketer in the past one year and his confidence has risen up to another level. That shows in his captaincy as well,” he said. “For instance, today, we were going for runs when Sangakkara and Thirimanne were batting but he created and maintained a very calm atmosphere on the field. He knows he has a good team and he believes in us as much as he believes in his own abilities with the bat.”Dhawan’s 71, in a 121-run opening stand with Parthiv Patel in the chase of 169, capped off his fine day. He found batting a bit difficult to begin with, Dhawan said, but Parthiv’s assured batting eased the pressure on him. “We knew we could chase down the total if we batted sensibly. The ball was coming on to the bat very nicely. The pitch had even bounce. It is not difficult to play shots on this wicket.”But I wasn’t connecting the ball well at the start. At the other end, Parthiv Patel was batting nicely and hitting the ball well. So, I thought I can take my time to settle down. In the end, we performed really well.”

Chris Gayle provided the early thrust and Virat Kohli the finish as Royal Challengers Bangalore chased down 81 in six overs to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in a rain-shortened game

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy15-May-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:32

O’Brien: RCB will feel invincible after winning like that

Rain has followed Royal Challengers Bangalore wherever they have gone this season. It denied them the opportunity to defend 200 against Rajasthan Royals. It reduced two of their games to 10-over slugfests. Against Sunrisers Hyderabad it showed up in spurts, first causing a curtailment to 11 overs a side, and resurfacing to reduce their task to scoring 81 in six overs.It’s hard to tell if it’s easier to score 136 from 11 overs or 81 from six. In any event, Royal Challengers had Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Two of them fired. Gayle gave them the explosive start they needed, and Kohli batted through the six overs to finish the job. It came down to 12 off 4 balls, and Kohli took his side over the line with a couple of stunning placements – opening his bat-face to steer two Bhuvneshwar Kumar yorkers through a tightly packed off-side ring – and a fortuitous winning six – David Warner caught the ball at long-off but stepped on the boundary cushions while doing so.You could say the six-over chase almost reduced the game to pure probability. Gayle cleared his front leg and went hard at everything. This is what you do when the resource allocation – 10 wickets to play with in six overs – allows you to take a risk every ball and the required rate – 13.50 runs per over – demands that you do so. Gayle, being Gayle, connected cleanly more often than not, and after two overs – delivered by Dale Steyn and Bhuvneshwar- he had moved to 35 off 9 balls and Royal Challengers were 41 for 0.A risk is still a risk, though, and Gayle picked out deep midwicket off the third ball of the third over. Next ball, AB de Villiers lifted one straight into long-on’s hands, and Moises Henriques – without doing anything more than simply run up and bowl – had dismissed Royal Challengers’ two most dangerous batsmen in two balls. Henriques had also smashed 57 off 22 – helped along by three lives – to power Sunrisers to 135 for 3 when they had batted.It could have been a match-winning all-round performance, and the likelihood of that increased when Dinesh Karthik ran himself out in comical fashion in the final over – he set off from the non-striker’s end after his bat deflected a straight drive from Kohli straight to the bowler – but Kohli ensured that wouldn’t be the case.It isn’t often that David Warner makes a 30-ball half-century and the batsman at the other end overshadows him. It is even rarer that David Warner makes a 30-ball half-century, the batsman at the other end overshadows him, and he finds himself on the losing side. Sunrisers might console themselves with the thought that they simply found themselves at the wrong end of the lottery that is a curtailed T20 game.Sunrisers made an average start to their innings after choosing to bat, losing Shikhar Dhawan while moving to 27 in their first three overs. Warner picked up a couple of fours in that time, but the seamers were using the slower ball well and forcing a few plays-and-misses.Henriques upped the tempo as soon as he arrived. He did so by keeping a still head and hitting down the ground. He showcased these virtues with two monster sixes off Yuzvendra Chahal’s legspin and a skimming hit over long-off when Ashok Dinda slightly misdirected an attempted yorker. He also enjoyed massive slices of fortune. Mandeep Singh dropped a straightforward chance at long-off, Sarfaraz Khan put down an even easier chance at point, and Harshal Patel, swooping in his follow-through to find Henriques turning back halfway down the pitch, under-armed hastily at the stumps and missed.Henriques moved to his fifty in the next over and Warner, not at his most fluent in the beginning, joined in the fun, switching to a right-handed grip to muscle Chahal for a slog-swept six over point. The rain was beginning to intensify by now, and Kohli and Karthik protested animatedly when the umpires kept the players on the field even when it became palpably heavy during the final over. Royal Challengers were clearly frazzled. Their fielders were finding it difficult to run over the outfield, their bowlers were struggling to grip the ball, and Sunrisers were setting them an outlandish target. But they always knew they had the batting to pull it off.

Azmat Rana, the former Pakistan cricketer, has died due to cardiac arrest in his home aged 63

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2015Azmat Rana, the former Pakistan cricketer, has died due to cardiac arrest in his home aged 63. He played one Test against Australia at Lahore in 1980 and two ODIs against India in 1978. He scored 6001 first-class runs in 94 matches at an average of 47.62, with a highest score of 206*. He also played in 17 List A games, where he scored 442 runs at an average of 40.18.Azmat was the younger brother of Test cricketer Shafqat Rana and umpire Shakoor Rana.Shaharyar Khan, chairman of PCB, offered his condolences on his demise. In a message to his family, Shaharyar said he was deeply saddened at the passing away of Azmat.

Chris Gayle struck nine sixes on his way to an unbeaten 90 off 36 deliveries as Jamaica Tallawahs crushed St Lucia Zouks by ten wickets in Gros Islet for their first win of the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsChris Gayle hit six fours and nine sixes in 36 deliveries•Caribbean Premier League

Chris Gayle struck nine sixes on his way to an unbeaten 90 off 36 deliveries as Jamaica Tallawahs crushed St Lucia Zouks by ten wickets in Gros Islet for their first win of the tournament. Gayle’s blitz came after Tallawahs’ bowlers had restricted Zouks to 118 for 9 despite a decent start.The Zouks openers Johnson Charles and Andre Fletcher put on 39 after being asked to bat before Jerome Taylor broke through in the sixth over. Rusty Theron then stepped up with a return of 3 for 19 from three overs as Zouks failed to get going despite being reasonably placed at 94 for 3 after 15. Theron’s strikes included those of Ross Taylor and Kevin Pietersen – who made 26 off 25 – in the 16th over.Zouks continued to slip as Krishmar Santokie bowled Darren Sammy and Liam Sebastien for ducks in the 17th. Zouks managed 6 for 24 in the last five overs, with Santokie taking 3 for 24 from four overs.Gayle took ten overs to run down the target. His opening partner Chadwick Walton contributed 25 off 25 even as Gayle blew Zouks away, hitting six fours in addition to his nine sixes. He ended the match with four successive boundaries off Sebastien.

India have expressed dissatisfaction with the location of their hotel in Dhaka, but the BCB has convinced them against moving to a different hotel for the remaining duration of their tour

Mohammad Isam and Alagappan Muthu17-Jun-2015India have expressed dissatisfaction with the location of their hotel in Dhaka, but the BCB has convinced them against moving to a different hotel for the remaining duration of their tour.This is a rare case of an international cricket team not being happy with their hotel. India are currently staying at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon, which is hosting the Bangladesh team too. This is where touring teams usually stay. On their previous trips to the country India have lodged at the same hotel. India’s prime minister Narendra Modi also stayed there during his recent visit to Dhaka.ESPNcricinfo understands that the main reason for India’s wanting to move to another hotel was the location. India first requested the BCB to shift their hotel on the washed-out second day of the Fatullah Test. The BCB convinced them to remain at Sonargaon, only for the team management to bring up the issue once again four days later. On Tuesday, Biswarup Dey, India’s team manager, told a Dhaka-based newspaper that the team would prefer staying in Gulshan.”The decision could be taken tonight [Tuesday],” Dey told . “We can’t just change hotels. It would be hard to get room booking so suddenly. Plus there’s also the issue of security.”The main problem is the location. It is definitely not the same to stay here [Sonargaon] and Gulshan. This area is very crowded. The boys can’t just get out. There are many restaurants near Gulshan. It would have been convenient there.”On Tuesday, an India source told ESPNcricinfo that the team is unlikely to shift hotels, given the logistical issues involved.This is the first time a visiting team has brought up this issue in Dhaka, and possibly the first time India has complained about a hotel. It is possible the amount of time the team has had to spend in their hotel – with rain allowing only 184.2 overs of play over the five days of the Fatullah Test – added to their displeasure. In all, India will have spent 18 nights at their hotel by the end of their tour. The last ODI will be played on June 24 with the provision of a reserve day for the wet weather.

Essex batsmen Mark Pettini, Nick Browne and Tom Westley all scored fifties as the Eagles eased to a six-wicket win against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl.

PA/ECB04-Aug-2015
ScorecardReece Topley’s four wickets kept Hampshire on the back foot•Getty Images

Essex batsmen Mark Pettini, Nick Browne and Tom Westley all scored fifties as the Eagles eased to a six-wicket win against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl.The top three all collected half centuries as Essex chased down 209 simply and moved above Hampshire in Group B of the Royal London Cup. Reece Topley, 4 for 26, was the pick of the bowlers as Hampshire had two collapses.After losing the toss and bowling Hampshire out for 209, Essex openers Pettini and Browne sprayed the home side’s attack around the Ageas Bowl.Browne, on just his fifth List A appearance, had previously only scored nine format runs but freely spread the ball around – reaching fifty in 47 balls, including nine boundaries. He departed for 69, bowled by former team-mate Liam Dawson, after a 122-run opening stand.Pettini batted slower than his partner but reached his half century in 74 balls as Essex never got out of first gear in an easy chase. The batsman got Essex to within 43 within victory before he was stumped off Will SmithWestley got himself in quickly and smashed Mason Crane for back-to-back boundaries and completed a trio of top three fifties, from 50 balls.Westley charged Crane to be stumped by Wheater and Jesse Ryder was bowled but Ravi Bopara and Ryan ten Doeschate saw the visitors home with 48 balls to spare.Earlier the home side had rushed to 31 in six overs before Michael Carberry was caught cutting to point in a staccato 6 from 19.The next delivery, opening partner Jimmy Adams was out in odd circumstances, as he clipped his own wicket with his trailing foot while attempting to steer down the leg side after a lively 23.Vince was bowled by Jamie Porter two overs later and three balls later Wheater, against his former county was castled in an instant replay of the skippers wicket.Hampshire had scored just five runs in 19 balls for the four early wickets to leave them up against it.Joe Gatting and Dawson attempted to add some much needed runs as the pair put on 32 runs, with the former top edging over the top four for but Topley had his revenge next ball when he fired straight to Bopara at mid-on.Where Gatting failed Smith succeeded, moving past 50 for the sixth wicket with Dawson from 71 balls. Dawson scored his 2000th List A run before he reached a ninth format fifty in 69 balls in a classy knock.Smith followed his partner to the landmark in six balls fewer as the Hampshire middle order rebuilt after a stodgy start The duo collected a 100-run partnership from 123 balls before Smith was caught behind attempting to cut to end the 124 run stand.That wicket started a 32-ball collapse where Hampshire fell from 192 for 5 to 209 all out. Chris Wood was run out by almost the length of the pitch in a horrible mix up with Dawson before Topley comprehensively bowled Crane.Dawson, was dismissed top edging a hook short to Browne at short fine leg – for a magnificent 85 – before Fidel Edwards was the final man to go when he mistimed a pull to Pettini to give Topley his fourth wicket.

Cricket Scotland chairman Tony Brian believes the exposure they had against Full Member opposition, including finalists Australia and New Zealand, has played a big role in their success since

Peter Della Penna07-Sep-20152:44

‘World Cup proved we could compete with the big boys’ – Cricket Scotland chairman Tony Brian

After six weeks in Australia and New Zealand in February-March, Scotland came away from the World Cup with the same number of wins as their previous two forays: zero. Looking past raw results though, Cricket Scotland chairman Tony Brian believes the exposure they had against Full Member opposition, including finalists Australia and New Zealand, has played a big role in their success since.Scotland started the summer with a 275-run win in a four-day match against UAE, then secured first-innings points in a rain-hit draw with Afghanistan in the Intercontinental Cup. They beat Ireland comfortably in a pair of T20Is in June and swept Nepal 2-0 in the first round of the WCL Championship. In between all that was their biggest success: they co-hosted the World T20 Qualifiers and came out co-champions alongside Netherlands.”Sharing the trophy was a great result and coming as the top seed [among the Associates] going into the T20 World Cup was a wonderful achievement,” Brian told ESPNcricinfo. “I think if you talk to the guys, you’ll find they learned so much from the Australia and New Zealand World Cup and they actually learned they could be competitive with the big boys. As a result, they’ve taken a lot of confidence in their own skills and abilities to perform at the top level.”I think we began to see in this T20 Qualifying tournament the benefits of that and the impact of that as they really began to perform on a big stage in front of sizeable television audiences. I think it’s fair to say they were among the best two teams on show in the World T20 Qualifier and I’m still not sure we put our A game properly together. “Scotland’s summer programme wraps up over the next week in Holland where they’ll face Netherlands again in a four-day Intercontinental Cup match, followed by two WCL Championship matches on September 14 and 16. A tour of Hong Kong beckons in January – including a four-day I-Cup match, two ODIs and possibly some T20Is as well – before the World Twenty20 in India in March.Brian, however, is keen to see Scotland with some extra preparation, particularly since the three Asian qualifiers – Oman, Afghanistan and Hong Kong – are due to get game time during the Asia Cup T20 qualifier in the UAE.”We’ll probably do one or more camps in the Middle East or subcontinent,” Brian said. “We’re still working on that but that’s the initial discussions so far. Equally we have to recognise that we have our women playing in the T20 qualifying World Cup in Thailand in November and our Under-19s playing in their own World Cup in Bangladesh in February. So we’re looking to how we can make sure we make best use of the money so that all our teams get a really good shot at tournaments they’re going in for.”Scotland are eager to get more Full Member fixtures•ICC/Sportsfile

Another of Cricket Scotland’s aims is to make sure its administration can keep up with the strides made by the team. New chief executive Malcolm Cannon began his tenure on September 1 and Brian believes his background in marketing may help in creating a more professional environment and in securing sponsorship opportunities.”I think we’re at a very important stage for cricket in Scotland,” Brian said. “We’ve reached a level which is a good level but now we have to push on to the next level both in playing terms and in terms of professionalising the whole operation so that we really can justify the excellent performances that our players put on the field and expand those.”We’ve got a new chief executive starting who comes not from a cricket background but from a marketing brand background. We have lots of people in the organisation who know cricketing and player issues inside out. We need to bolt onto that some real marketing professional and brand development expertise so we can move to the next level.”One mission yet to be accomplished is scheduling Full Member fixtures. Cricket Ireland has had reasonable success with them – Australia played an ODI recently in Belfast and will welcome Pakistan and Sri Lanka for 2 ODIs each next summer – and Cricket Scotland wants to catch up.That task is made slightly tricky with Scotland – in addition to fellow Associates Hong Kong, UAE and Papua New Guinea – not included in the ODI rankings table to be used for 2019 World Cup qualification. These teams will have to play a qualifying tournament regardless of their WCL performance to stay in contention for a World Cup spot. However, Brian said Cricket Scotland has come to terms with that decision by the ICC and is doing what it can to attract Full Members regardless.”It’s a competitive world,” Brian said. “Afghanistan and Ireland did better than us over the critical period. We just have to do better the next time around when rankings are decided. In terms of games with other Full Members, it has been an issue and a difficulty but we’re beginning I think – and I’ve talked to Warren [Deutrom] and Ross McCollum at Cricket Ireland – we’re beginning to see a little bit of movement.”I think some of the Full Members realise that it’s incumbent on them to open their doors a little more and we’re hopeful we’ll get more. We’re in discussions with two or three Full Members at the moment about possible games. Whether they’ll come about depends on their touring programs but hopefully some of it will come about.”

Yasir Shah revelled in his matchwinning 6 for 26 in the opening one-day international against Zimbabwe

Liam Brickhill in Harare01-Oct-2015Yasir Shah revelled in his matchwinning 6 for 26 in the opening one-day international against Zimbabwe, crediting a helpful pitch, his control and the Zimbabweans’ inability to read his variations for his success.”When I was coming here today from the hotel, my plan was very simple: just to bowl wicket-to-wicket and control my line and length, because this was my first game on this tour,” Yasir said. “That worked for me. The first thing was for me to control my line and length. In between that, there are varieties. I think the Zimbabwean batsmen weren’t able to read my variations when I was bowling googlies or flippers or legbreaks, and that was troubling them a lot.”Yasir’s figures were the second best by a Pakistan spinner in ODIs, and the best ever by a spinner in Zimbabwe, but he humbly suggested that there were greater heights to be scaled and that there would always be room for improvement.”First of all thanks to almighty Allah for this performance, but obviously there is always room for improvement,” Yasir said. “I just try my level best whenever I play. It doesn’t matter what the result is in the end, good or bad, I’ll keep making the effort because when I started playing cricket I never thought that this was going to happen. I’ll definitely keep trying to be better. If things come my way I’m grateful to Allah and I’ll always keep trying hard.”Yasir has some experience of touring Zimbabwe, having been part of the 2011 tour here. His first international wickets were Vusi Sibanda and Tatenda Taibu in the third ODI of that series, which also marked his international debut, but he bowled four wicketless – and expensive – overs in the T20Is that followed. Yasir admitted that he was already finding the spin-friendly conditions on this trip much more to his liking.”Four years ago when I played over here, the conditions were very different,” he said. “The pitches favoured the batsmen more. But now I feel that there’s much more assistance for the bowlers. The ball is spinning and it doesn’t come onto the bat as comfortably as it did before. So conditions have definitely changed a little bit.”Opening batsman Brian Chari debuted for Zimbabwe in this match, and though he survived a fearsome opening spell from Mohammad Irfan he lasted just two deliveries against Yasir. “It was really skidding through,” Chari said. “He’s quick through his action and it’s actually a bit difficult to read his fingers when he’s bowling with that quick arm action.”I don’t think sweeping would be a good option to Yasir Shah,” he added. “If we can use our feet a little bit better to get to the pitch and cover the spin, I think we can work him out. We should use our feet a bit more, rather than going back and staying in the crease to the spinners.”But Yasir said that even if the Zimbabweans do use their feet more to him in the remaining games, his awareness and variations will still give him an advantage. “If someone comes down the track at me and uses their feet, I have another plan to respond to them. I’m used to it as a spinner. The Zimbabweans were under a lot of pressure, and whenever they did try to use their feet I always had something to counter that.”