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Nasser Hussain has stepped down as a national selector, to allow someone who watches more county cricket to take his place. Hussain, who retired from one-day cricket after the World Cup, is likely to be succeeded by Michael Vaughan next week. It was felt by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) that having two different captains sitting in on selection meetings would lead to complications.Hussain has also argued that the England team would benefit from extra scouting experience on the selection panel. “[We] have grown increasingly worried about how little county cricket and how few young cricketers we are able to watch because of the hectic international schedule,” wrote Hussain in his Sunday Telegraph column. “At the moment half the selection panel can have very little input when we are trying to work out whether a young player has what it takes to make it at the highest level. This cannot be right.”Hussain played a single County Championship match for Essex last season because of his international commitments. Among the favourites to take the vacant fourth spot on the panel is the director of the ECB Academy, Rod Marsh, who is a regular on the county circuit as he decides on his yearly intake for the academy. Hussain added that he would still like to retain an influence before Test selection, and called for the selectors to keep the policy of consistent selection from the last three years.The former England cricketers, Mike Atherton, Angus Fraser and Vic Marks – all of whom have since turned to journalism – have also been shortlisted to join David Graveney, the chairman, Duncan Fletcher and Geoff Miller on the panel.

Nottinghamshire’s left-arm spinner Richard Stemp has suffered more injury woe and will miss the rest of the season.After being sidelined for over a month with a broken right thumb the 33-year-old broke his left thumb during a comeback match for the county’s second string.Stephen Randall, who has covered in the first team during Stemp’s absence, is likely to be considered for the final CricInfo Championship match of the season, at Trent Bridge, against Hampshire beginning on 12th September.

Everton manager Frank Lampard has made it quite clear that he will offer ‘fresh slates’ to some of his players who have endured a torrid run-of-form over recent months – including new signing Dele Alli.

The former Tottenham man is yet to register a goal or assist since moving to Everton, but the faith shown in him by his new boss is a significant sign that everyone will be getting their chance to impress.

Alex Iwobi is one player who is showing signs of revival already since Lampard’s appointment, having started the last three games despite not playing a minute of club football since mid-December before.

After impressing at home to Leeds just over two weeks ago, the £34m Nigeria international, who has regularly been branded as one of Everton’s ‘worst purchases’ in recent years, was trusted to start against Southampton and then at home to Manchester City on Saturday.

Despite being on the losing team, the overall Everton performance was encouraging – as was Iwobi’s, who completed 76% of his passes against Pep Guardiola’s high-pressing side, as well as creating one big chance.

The 25-year-old also caught the eye when he breezed past one of the best defenders in the world, Joao Cancelo, with strength and pace before winning his team a corner.

His work rate and defensive efforts were also impressive, as he completed more tackles than teammates Jonjoe Kenny, Michael Keane and Mason Holgate combined, as well as making one key interception and clearance to help keep Everton in with a chance.

For a player who has come under intense criticism from his own fans, being regularly called ‘awful’ and a ‘mistake’ of a transfer from critics, it is commendable to see him apply himself in the best possible way and attempt to turn his career in Merseyside around under his new boss.

He has gone from an “embarrassing” player in the words of the Liverpool Echo’s David Prentice, to someone now beginning to show more promising signs.

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While it is clear that we still have not seen anywhere near the best of Iwobi in a Toffees shirt, it’s certain that his attitude looks to be changing, and fans should get behind him over the next few weeks if he continues to work as hard as he has been since the turn of the year.

And in other news: Moshiri suffered an Everton howler over £27m-rated “monster”, Lampard will be gutted…

Ireland have announced their A team to play Denmark and MCC.Andrew White will captain a strong squad – nine of the 13 have senior international experience. The four new faces are Phil Eaglestone, Peter Connell, Andrew Poynter, and Reinhardt Strydom.Eaglestone has impressed opening the bowling for Strabane in the past two seasons, while Connell has played a pivotal role in the North Down attack.Poynter, who is on Middlesex’s books, was part of the Ireland Under-19 team in Sri Lanka last year, and also played for the Under-23 side last week in Glasgow. Strydom has been in prolific form for North County.The Denmark matches are at Stormont on Saturday and Muckamore on Sunday, while the MCC come to Malahide for a three-day match which starts on July 31.Andrew White (capt), Kenny Carroll, Peter Connell, Alex Cusack, Phil Eaglestone, Thinus Fourie, Dominick Joyce, Gary Kidd, Ryan Haire, Andrew Poynter, Reinhardt Strydom, Roger Whelan, Gary Wilson (wk).

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Rumeli Dhar’s 66 helped India win their first-ever Twenty20 international © Getty Images

India won the opening match of their tour of England at the County Ground in Derby, with an eight-wicket victory against the hosts in their first ever Twenty20 game. Rumeli Dhar, the Indian allrounder who opened the batting along with Sulakshana Naik, was named Player of the Match for an unbeaten 66 off 69 balls.With six fours in her innings, Dhar made up for Naik’s early fall and pushed the score close to the target with an 86-run partnership with Mithali Raj, the Indian captain.The Indian bowlers were hardly overworked in England’s innings as five English batsmen ran themselves out while adding 45 runs to the total. Jenny Gunn, the middle-order batsman, top scored for the side with 38 and was the last wicket to fall, having taken the total score to 105. Jhulan Goswami bowled well, giving away only three and a half runs an over and taking two wickets for fourteen runs.The two teams are further scheduled to play five one-day internationals and two Tests.

Shabbir Ahmed: showing positive signs under Bob Woolmer © Getty Images

Shabbir Ahmed, the Pakistan fast bowler, is showing improvement as he works with Bob Woolmer, the national coach, to remodel his bowling action, which was declared illegal by the International Cricket Council recently. Instead of being sent to Australia for remedial work, Shabbir has worked with Woolmer on reducing the degree of straightening in his bowling arm.”Woolmer has reported back that Shabbir has responded well to the work done on his action so far,” said Saleem Altaf, the director cricket operations, to . “He has reported that there is a definite improvement in Shabbir’s action and hopefully the need to send him abroad for rectifying his action will not arise.”Shabbir was called for the third time in his career during the first Test against West Indies in Barbados two months ago. Further tests on his action in England confirmed that his elbow extension exceeded the 15-degree limit set by the ICC, and subsequently, he was suspended from international and domestic cricket for an indefinite period.”It’s not right to take any decision to send Shabbir abroad in a hurry; first we want to see how things go after his sessions with Woolmer and then if there is still a need to send him to Australia we’ll do it,” Altaf continued. “Woolmer is confident as he has watched Shabbir’s action closely and feels that it can be improved.”The position is that if we play Shabbir today and his action is reported again it means he’ll be suspended from international cricket and we don’t want such a situation so we are taking it step by step.”

Hampshire select from 12 for the upcoming Frizzell Championship match starting on Wedneday 28th April against Leicestershire.John Crawley is still absent with a calf strain, and is left out of the squad.Hampshire and skipper Shane Warne will be looking to build on their good start to the season.Hampshire 12: Derek Kenway, Michael Brown, Lawrence Prittipaul, Michael Clarke, Will Kendall, Nic Pothas (wicket-keeper), Dimitri Mascarenhas, Shane Warne (captain), Shaun Udal, Chris Tremlett, Alan Mullally and Billy Taylor.

Gloucestershire County Cricket Club announces today that Acorn Recruitment will be their shirt sponsor for 2003.Chief Executive, Tom Richardson says, "We are really pleased to be going into partnership with Acorn Recruitment because we feel that both companies will benefit from the strengths of each other. They are a dynamic company and we think it’s a very good fit."The sponsorship is for 2003 but we hope that with success it will be one that is extended."Acorn is one of the UK’s fastest growing recruitment, training and development and employment services companies, with plans to expand and open offices in Bristol and the West.Acorn’s Managing Director, Matt Southall says, "We are looking forward to a great summer – both on the cricket field for Gloucestershire and off it as Acorn launches its recruitment, training and managed services across the West of England. Gloucestershire is an ambitious club with fine traditions – we’re proud to be associated with them."For further information please contact :
Jane Lobb, Executive Assistant on Tel: 0117 9108000.For further information on Acorn please contact:
Kate Geiss, Howell Petersen 01633 255015

It was a day of anticlimax for a packed house on Sunday as the Ormeau ground inBelfast hosted its last major game of cricket. The international betweenIreland and the touring Australians was cut short when rain ended play afterjust 23.4 overs.In a game intended as a send-off for Ormeau before it is turned into a housingdevelopment, Australia had reached 86 for the loss of one wicket before raindescended on the ground after 100 minutes of play. As the rain became morepersistent, the match was finally abandoned at 3.30pm.Approximately 4000 people had turned up for this game, which had been a selloutwell in advance.The Australians were sent into bat by Irish captain Kyle McCallan, with MatthewHayden and Justin Langer opening the batting for the tourists. Hayden got awayto a brisk start, but Langer was struggling for form, and was out for 22,caught by Dom Joyce at point off the bowling of Conor Armstrong. This wasalmost certainly Langer’s final innings of this Ashes tour, with the Fourth andFifth Test the only remaining matches on the Australians’ itinerary.When the rains came, Hayden was unbeaten on 52 from 74 deliveries, while SimonKatich, who will almost certainly make his Test debut at Headingley on Thursdayin place of the injured Steve Waugh, was on 5.Most impressive of the Irish bowlers was 21 year-old right-arm seamer AdrianMcCoubrey who, despite bowling three wides, conceded just 15 runs from hisseven overs.With the Australians returning to England planning to extend their 3-0 Ashesseries scoreline to 5-0, Ireland have a busy, if more mundane, program ahead ofthem this month as they try to put the disappointment of missing out on the2003 World Cup behind them. The Irish, too, head off to England today to takepart in the oddly-titled Triple Crown tournament, an annual four-teamcompetition also including Scotland, Wales and an England Amateur XI. Theirfirst game will be against Wales at Horsham on Tuesday. Then, on August 29,Ireland will play Wiltshire in the first round of the new split-season formatof the C&G Trophy.

Australia will risk the fitness of Josh Hazlewood rather than recalling Peter Siddle in a calculated gamble to seal the Trans-Tasman series at the WACA Ground, before it reaches the experimental day/night match to follow in Adelaide.The captain Steven Smith conceded on match eve that Hazlewood’s bowling workload had been high enough for the selectors to consider withdrawing him from a Perth Test set to be played in typically scorching temperatures. That move would have reduced Hazlewood’s chances of injury and also allowed Siddle to bowl on a venue where he has enjoyed considerable success.However it has been decided instead to keep Hazlewood in the team following his useful contribution to the opening victory at the Gabba, a decision made in large part due to his strong record when playing ODIs for Australia at the ground. While yet to play a Test in Perth, Hazlewood’s record of 10 wickets at 11.9 in four limited-overs matches played a large part in swaying the selector on duty Rod Marsh and coach Darren Lehmann.”It was talked about,” Smith said. “Josh’s loads are quite high at the moment – he’s bowled quite a lot over the past month or two – so it was definitely spoken about. But we think he’s going to do a great job out here in Perth. He bowled really well last time he was here, against the South Africans in the one-dayers, so hopefully he can do a good job for us out here this Test match.”We’ll see how we’re going [after that]. There’s a reasonable gap between this Test and the next one. Obviously a six-Test summer as well so there’s a lot of cricket. We’ll wait and see how he pulls up after this Test match. [Siddle] was talked about. He’s bowling really well at the moment. But we won the last Test match with this line-up, and we’re going in with the same one.”Hazlewood’s height is expected to make him a major threat to New Zealand’s top order, who must adjust once more to a fast and bouncy pitch after Brisbane gave them some impression of what the WACA would be like. Smith agreed it was to Australia’s considerable advantage that no member of the New Zealand side has played a Test in Perth – the last meeting between these two countries in the West was as far back as 2001.”I guess that probably helps us a little bit, I think it’s a place that takes a little bit of getting used to,” Smith said. “I think as a batsman it takes a little bit longer to get in. I guess probably at a lot of grounds around the world it’s 20 or 30 balls to get in, I reckon here it’s probably more 40 or 50 to feel like you’re in. Once you get in it’s one of the best places in the world to bat. It’s nice to know that some of their players haven’t played here and we’ve got a lot of experience here.”While understandably happy with the way the Australian top order batting functioned at the Gabba, Smith has addressed his team on two areas that he felt were not up to standard last week. These were the home side’s catching, which gave up four chances across the two New Zealand innings, and also bowling that was lacking in consistency at times, particularly against the excellent Kane Williamson.”We set ourselves really high standards in the field and we let ourselves down a little bit in that department,” Smith said. “So that’s something we’re going to be working on. This is one of the best places in the world to field in the slips – you get a lot of time to see the ball because you’re generally quite deep, so hopefully we can hold our catches this match.”And with our bowling, I’ve sort of addressed that – our lengths were a little bit too short with the new ball in Brisbane. The guys found it quite hard from both ends because the wickets was a bit more raised than it normally is, so guys were finding it hard to find their rhythm. I don’t think they’ll have that problem out here so hopefully they can get their lengths right from ball one.”Australia have chosen to rest their players following this match rather than offering them additional practice against the pink ball to be used in Adelaide. By contrast, New Zealand’s squad will take part in a day/night warm-up fixture at the WACA against a WA Invitational XI to prepare them for the third Test. Smith and Australia are hoping it will not be billed as the series decider.