Abberley dies at 67

Neal Abberley, the former Warwickshire opening batsman and influential batting coach, has died in hospital of a heart and lung condition aged 67.

Abberley was a mentor to England batsman Ian Bell, who will wear a black armband in the upcoming Test against India at Edgbaston.

Over a career that spanned 15 years at Warwickshire, Abberly amassed over 10,000 first-class runs at 24.47. His best season came in 1966 when he scored 1315 runs which was enough to win him a call-up to the MCC Under-25 tour of Pakistan.

His lasting impact to Warwickshire, though, came as a coach where he joined the staff in 1981. Ashley Giles, Warwickshire's director of cricket, told thecricketer.com: "To me he was a mentor, a confidant but, most of all, a friend. We knew he was getting a little bit fragile but we didn't realise how fragile so his death has come as a shock to everyone.

"He gave his life to Warwickshire and there are a lot of players who owe a huge debt of gratitude to him. Without Neal Abberley I would not be Warwickshire's director of cricket and I would not have played 54 Tests for England. When I first met him I was an 18-year-old triallist and I was still wet behind the ears having come from living at home with mum and dad.

"He helped me to grow up. He was old school and it was a tough school at times and a steep learning curve. But Neal was a great influence on me and he set me on the road to where I am now."

The third Test will be the first since Edgbaston's £32million redevelopment and Warwickshire are expected to fly flags at half-mast during the match.

Kasprowicz joins Cricket Australia board

Michael Kasprowicz will become the youngest member of the Cricket Australia board following his elevation to replace Matthew Hayden as a director.

Kasprowicz, 39, will step down as president of the Australian Cricketers’ Association to take on the role as one of the two Queensland directors of the CA board - joining Bryan Phelan OAM.

Under a change in the Queensland Cricket constitution last year, Kasprowicz and Phelan will not be members of the Queensland Cricket Board. They will serve instead solely as CA directors.

"It’s a great honour to be approached to join the board and I’m looking forward to doing the best I can for Australian cricket in the coming months," Kasprowicz said.

"There are some big decisions ahead for the game and I am keen to ensure we do our absolute best to help our game grow and prosper."

Queensland Cricket chairman Jim Holding said that Kasprowicz would bring many important qualities to the national board.

“He remains very much in touch with the game, especially at the elite level through coaching and commentary interests and his work with the ACA," Holding said.

"His role with the Bulls Masters also gives him excellent insights into the grassroots and its health, especially in regional areas of the state."

Kasprowicz was a person of the highest principles who would work diligently for the good of Australian cricket, Holding said.

Kasprowicz, who claimed 113 wickets in 38 Tests for Australia, retired from first-class cricket in 2007-2008 having taken 505 wickets in 115 matches for the Bulls.

He is currently completing an MBA at the University of Queensland Business School where, he is also a University of Queensland Goodwill Ambassador to India.

He has extensive ties with India, being an active member of the Australia-India Business Council for the past four years.

At the recent Asia-Pacific Cities Summit hosted in Brisbane, he was made an honorary ambassador for the city.

Additionally, Kasprowicz runs his own company that specialises in the facilitation of business relationships with Queensland interests national and internationally.

A Level III coach, he was a board member of the Queensland Cricketers’ Club for three years.

A founding member of the Bulls Masters organisation, he has also been the patron of "Kaspa’s Crew" - Queensland Cricket’s volunteer recognition program - for the past decade.

Kasprowicz is the youngest Cricket Australia director since Hayden, who was 37 when he joined the board in 2009.

Zimbabwe triumphant on Test return

Brendan Taylor was adjudged Man of the Match
for his century, after leading Zimbabwe to
a memorable win

A dominant all-round performance by Zimbabwe, capped by their bowlers slicing through the Bangladesh line-up on the fifth day saw them win their comeback Test, after an almost six-year exile from the format. It took just 15 balls after lunch for Zimbabwe to complete their victory after a near flawless morning session from the bowlers. Brian Vitori and Kyle Jarvis created the pressure upfront, leaving the Bangladesh line-up ripe for the picking for Chris Mpofu and Elton Chigumbura.

Bangladesh's batsmen had a tough, but doable, task on a pitch that has not deteriorated and remained good for batting, needing 263 runs with seven wickets in hand at the start of the day. Instead of applying themselves with patience and planning, though, they played a clutch of careless shots, especially as it became evident that their challenge was dissipating. Abdur Razzak's 43-run cameo added a little bit of sunshine to an otherwise dark performance that mirrored their first innings display in terms of execution.

Zimbabwe had done the bulk of their hard labour in the four days preceding the final one, with centuries from two of their stalwart batsmen, Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor. But, it was the new-ball pair of Brian Vitori and Kyle Jarvis who impressed most, especially after being labelled "ordinary" by a confident Tamim Iqbal at the end of day four and they exacted their revenge early on the fifth. Vitori began by demonstrating that he could move the ball into the right-handers as well, while Jarvis bowled with brisk pace and variety, mixing up his full, short and slower balls.

Mohammad Ashraful was up to the task, at least initially. He left well and took advantage of anything overpitched. He batted with the same calm that he had employed in his first innings and was also doing a fine job of marshalling his partner, Mushfiqur Rahim, who showed composed judgment.

Vitori continued plugging away, getting some balls to move away, others to hold their line and after several overs of nagging length, Ashraful could take no more. He tried to push a delivery away but it jagged in late and took the inside edge onto the stumps. With that dismissal, Bangladesh were rattled and Zimbabwe fired up.

Vitori followed Ashraful's wicket with a superb over, beating Mahmudullah's bat twice. The danger for Zimbabwe came when the opening pair was replaced but Mpofu and Chigumbura did not let up. Mpofu varied his lengths while Chigumbura put on an impressive display, bowling as many slower balls as possible.

Mahmudullah was determined to cash in where he could but his over-eagerness started a mini-collapse, during which Bangladesh lost three wickets in 12 balls for seven runs. He tried to cut without any foot movement and was caught behind. Five balls later Shakib Al Hasan, who also played irresponsibly, went to a sharp catch from Taylor at second slip after pushing at a length ball, and then Mushfiqur Rahim's more careful knock ended when he flicked a ball to square leg.

Zimbabwe could smell blood but instead of tracking it down with a killer instinct, they relaxed a little and allowed Abdur Razzak to have some fun. He smoked five fours off a Mpofu over and three sixes off Ray Price, two of them slog sweeps. The cameo ended when Chigumbura, from around the wicket, broke through his defence and bowled him.

Bangladesh had little to hope for after that and their misery ended inside three overs after lunch. Jarvis struck with the first ball, bowling Shafiul with a length ball that pitched on middle and held its line. With just one more wicket to get, Zimbabwe put in six slips for Robiul Islam, who survived a confident lbw shout first up.

He defied the field placing with two fours on the leg side, but was never going to last for any length of time. Jarvis claimed his fourth wicket of the innings, trapping Robiul lbw with a ball that jagged in and hit him on the front pad. As umpire Kumar Dharmasena raised his finger, Zimbabwe's players immediately formed a huddle, a collective show of unity to mark their victorious return to the Test fold.

No central contracts for Afridi, Kamran Akmal

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal do not figure in the latest list of PCB central contracts. Younis Khan, who was banned for disciplinary reasons following a winless tour of Australia in 2009-10 and was out of last year's list, has been awarded a Category A contract this time along with current captain Misbah-ul-Haq, allrounder Mohammad Hafeez, spinners Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman, and fast bowler Umar Gul - the only player retained in the top category from last year's list.

List of contracted players Category A Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Gul, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman Category B Abdul Razzaq, Imran Farhat, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Wahab Riaz, Taufeeq Umar Category C Junaid Khan, Tanvir Ahmed, Hammad Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed, Sohail Khan, Adnan Akmal, Yasir Shah, Rameez Raja, Sharjeel Khan Stipend Category Mohammad Talha, Aizaz Cheema, Zulfiqar Babar, Raza Hassan, Mohammad Ayub Dogar

Afridi had retired "conditionally" from international cricket following his removal as captain after the tour of West Indies, while Kamran, who also was in Category A last year, has been ignored since the World Cup. Afridi was involved in a legal battle with the Pakistan board after he hinted at differences between him and coach Waqar Younis during the West Indies tour; these were confirmed by Waqar and team manager Intikhab Alam in their tour report. Afridi has said he will not go back on his decision as long as the present PCB regime remains in power.

Middle-order batsman Umar Akmal and opener Imran Farhat were retained in Category B. Also included in that grade werere Abdul Razzaq, demoted from grade A last year, middle-order batsmen Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali, who have been impressive finds for Pakistan in the last couple of years. Left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz, who took a five-for against India in the World Cup semi-final, also featured in grade B.

As expected, there was no place for Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt , the three cricketers banned for their involvement in the spot-fixing controversy, while Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Yousuf and Danish Kaneria, who were not picked for the World Cup, have been ignored. Malik and Kaneria are yet to be cleared by the PCB's integrity committee. Kaneria has not played for the national team since August 2010, after the PCB tightened its anti-corruption programme following the spot-fixing controversy and Kaneria's own entanglement in a corruption case in Essex. Kaneria was cleared by a police enquiry in Essex, but is yet to be cleared by the PCB; he has petitioned against his continued non-clearance.

"As long as Malik and Kaneria are not cleared by the PCB integrity committee, a meeting of which is scheduled for August 15, they will not be considered for the contracts," Intikhab, also the PCB's director, said at a press conference in Lahore.

In Category C were seamer Tanvir Ahmed, who picked up six wickets on Test debut against South Africa, wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal, and the trio who have been picked in the squad for the tour of Zimbabwe - Yasir Shah, Sohail Khan and Rameez Raja. Aizaz Cheema, who has also been picked, was placed in the stipend category.

The contracts are for a duration of six months - July 1 to December 31 this year.

Zaheer ruled out of series

Zaheer Khan, the India fast bowler, has been ruled out of the remainder of the series against England. He will return to India and will be replaced by left-arm seamer RP Singh. Zaheer picked up a hamstring injury during the first Test at Lord's, but the BCCI has now said he not only has a recurring hamstring problem but also a right ankle impingement that will require surgery, followed by a 14-16 week period of rehabilitation. He had been withdrawn from the squad for India's recent Test series in the West Indies due to a right ankle injury.

Zaheer's problems in this series began on the very first day of the series, when he pulled up midway through his 14th over in the first innings at Lord's. The team management indicated Zaheer could be ready to bowl in the second innings, but he was unable to do so and was ruled out of the second Test at Trent Bridge. There were expectations he would return for the Edgbaston Test but he only got through three overs in the Indians' warm-up match in Northampton, and has now been pulled out of the squad.

Since the first Test, Zaheer had been through light training sessions, and there had been indications from the India camp that he would take part at some stage in the series, which only grew stronger when he was named in the side for the tour game against Northamptonshire. However, he left the field after bowling just three overs.

India had also named Zaheer in the squad for the limited-over matches in England, but he will miss those as well, with RP Singh taking his place. RP Singh has not played for India since 2009, with his last Test coming during India's home series against South Africa in 2008. He was part of India's squad when they last toured England for a full series in 2007. India won the three-Test series 1-0, and RP Singh was the third-highest wicket-taker with 12 wickets at an average of 28.91, behind Anil Kumble and Zaheer.

He followed up the tour of England with 13 wickets on India's tour of Australia in 2007-08, but then went wicketless in India's two home Tests against South Africa. His form in ODIs also took a dip; he took three wickets in ten bowling innings from August 2008 to when he was dropped in September 2009, and went for more than six runs an over in eight of those innings. His recent figures in domestic cricket don't make great reading either. In the last two Ranji Trophy seasons he has averaged 31.55, and has been behind several other seamers in the wicket-taking charts. One format in which he has excelled though has been the Twenty20 format; he is the leading wicket-taker in IPLs.

India have now lost three players from their original squad; Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh were withdrawn after sustaining a stomach and finger injury respectively during the Trent Bridge Test. Zaheer's injury though has been the biggest setback for the visitors. Even as he was hobbling off at Lord's, predictions for the series started to swing dramatically in England's favour. His absence from the next two Tests leaves India with an inexperienced bowling attack, with the 22-year-old Ishant Sharma the most-capped of all the bowlers left in the Test squad.