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Cheteshwar Pujara and Shikhar Dhawan, neither of whom play for Mumbai, have been named in the Mumbai A squad for the warm-up game against the visiting England side, to be played at the Dr DY Patil Sports Stadium in Navi Mumbai from November 3 to 5.Saurashtra don’t begin their Ranji Trophy campaign until the second round of matches starting on November 9, which freed up Pujara for this tour game. While Pujara has taken over the No. 3 spot in India’s Test side after Rahul Dravid’s retirement earlier in the year, Delhi opener Dhawan will get another chance to show his prowess against a top-notch bowling attack after scoring two hundreds and a half-century in his previous two first-class matches.Dhawan was originally named in the 14-member squad for the first tour game against England, to be played at the Cricket Club of India’s Brabourne Stadium from October 30, but had to withdraw as his wedding is scheduled for the first day of the game.There had been some controversy over the decision to not pick any spinners in the India A squad for England’s first warm-up game. For the second game, the Mumbai selection panel, headed by the national chief selector Sandeep Patil, included one specialist spinner and another part-timer in the squad led by Suryakumar Yadav. Twenty-year-old legspinner Sagar Gorivale will be assisted by part-time offspinner Abhishek Raut.Mumbai A squad: Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Cheteshwar Pujara, Shikhar Dhawan, Hiken Shah, Bhavin Thakkar, Sufiyan Shaikh (wk), Nikhil Patil (Jr), Abhishek Raut, Kshemal Waingankar, Balwinder Singh Sandhu (Jr), Sagar Gorivale, Javed Khan, Neelkanth Parab, Bravish Shetty, Shardul Thakur.

Matthew Maynard has spoken of his pride in his son, Tom, and the hope that a trust set up in his memory may help disadvantaged young cricketers enjoy more opportunities to play the sport.Tom Maynard, the Glamorgan, Surrey and England Lions batsman who was tipped for a bright future in international cricket, died in June. He was 23. In his first interview since Tom’s death, his father, Matthew, the former Glamorgan and England batsman, thanked those who had supported the family in recent weeks and expressed his pride in the “lovely lad” and “great bloke” who had left them so prematurely.Matthew Maynard will be among those participating in a sponsored bike ride between Cardiff and The Oval on Tuesday in order to launch The Tom Maynard Trust. Former England cricketers Andrew Flintoff and Steve James will also take part alongside Surrey chairman Richard Thompson, with the group scheduled to arrive at The Oval shortly before the start of the CB40 fixture between the two clubs that Tom represented, Surrey and Glamorgan.”Hopefully in the future we’ll be able to look back with a smile on our face rather than a tear in our eye,” Maynard told the BBC. “The amount of letters that we’ve had shows how he turned out as a really great bloke. There can be nothing more rewarding for a parent knowing that your lad’s turned out like you hoped them to.”His cricket was going in the right direction but that for us is going by the by. It’s more him as a man. We are just so proud of how he turned out, how he was as a player, how he was as a person. And we always will be. What has made us so proud is how he was to people. That has come across very apparently in the letters. At the moment, they’re making us cry. Hopefully in time they’ll make us smile.”Matthew Maynard drew on an emotional memory to exemplify Tom’s easy-going nature and benevolent spirit. Returning to Cardiff in April 2011, months after he and his father left the club in acrimonious circumstances, Tom, who was booed to the wicket, scored his maiden first-class century. But instead of taking the opportunity to settle scores, Tom simply thanked his family for their support.”He was just a lovely character,” Matthew said. “He never got above his station. Even after success. When he scored that century against Glamorgan last year, the whole family were down at the stadium. It had obviously been a traumatic time for us all, but he just quietly acknowledged the applause. He didn’t do anything to upset any of the Glamorgan members or committee or management. He had moved on from that. It was one of his cooler celebrations. He didn’t want to upset people.”He just had that wonderful way about him, I suppose. If I’d been in his shoes, I’d have gone a bit crazy, but he had his mother’s cooler nature.”Maynard also explained how the out-pouring of grief and support that his family had received since Tom’s death had inspired the foundation of the Trust. “The idea was mooted fairly early on but we weren’t really in a position to sanction at that stage,” Maynard said. “Reading the letters that have come through, people had said how much Tom had helped their child, it kind of made us re-think, I guess. It’s something we believe he would want us to do and it’s had incredible support so far.”It shows how highly Tom was regarded in cricket circles and outside as well. He seemed to have the ability to touch people he had just met. It wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support of Surrey County Cricket Club.”I’ll do my best to finish the bike ride because Tom was never a quitter and he’d hate to think his old man would quit on something. Whether I’ve had enough time to get the miles in I’m not sure, but I’m going to give it my best.”It was clear that Maynard and his family are still struggling to deal with the enormity of their loss, however. “I wouldn’t wish it on anyone,” Maynard said. “It’s not just the two months now, it’s always going to be with us. How we react in future and how we go about it no-one knows. That’s going to be the tough thing. There’s very much an empty feeling in the whole family at the moment. We’re just trying to be as supportive to each other we can be and to take it a day at a time. It’s not been easy.”We just wanted to have an opportunity to thank everyone who’s supported us and reiterate really how proud we are with our lovely lad. That will always be the case.”More details of the Trust can be found at: www.tommaynardtrust.com

Kevin Pietersen’s chances of being reconciled to the England set-up and winning a place in their World Twenty20 squad appear to have receded after the ECB and Andrew Strauss confirmed that further discussions between the parties were needed, despite Pietersen’s apology for sending “provocative” texts.Strauss, England’s captain and the subject of the allegedly derogatory texts sent by Pietersen to members of the South Africa squad, said “underlying issues on trust and respect” had to be addressed but that this was unlikely to take place until after the third Test against South Africa, for which Pietersen has been dropped. The deadline for England to submit their World T20 squad is Saturday, the third day of the Test, suggesting that Pietersen will not be recalled, as he desires.After the ECB confirmed the receipt of Pietersen’s apology, Strauss said that there were “broader issues” to be dealt with. He called the selectors’ decision to leave Pietersen out “brave and very correct”, saying that the batsman’s presence at Lord’s would have been “untenable”.”The truth is a lot has happened over the last seven days,” Strauss said. “The England team has been in the news for the wrong reasons. We all want to move forward but there are some underlying issues on trust and respect that don’t get dealt with over night and it’s going to take quite a long time to overcome those. My personal point of view is that I prefer those issues to be dealt with in private, away from the media, without the help of PR companies and press releases and that is certainly the way I’ll be approaching it going forward.”The apology is a first step, definitely, but there is a lot more to investigate with all of this and in truth if there is a way forward those issues regarding trust and mutual respect have to be dealt with and it is not just a one-way process and we need to deal with those behind closed doors.”It’s been hanging over us since Kevin’s press conference after the Headingley Test match. There was a certain amount of relief on Monday that a decision had been made and we can focus on Test. The challenge this week has been to not let it affect us on the field.”Discussions have been ongoing between the ECB and Pietersen’s representatives after the batsman was omitted from the England squad for the third Test against South Africa. Pietersen was dropped for refusing to apologise for the texts, which he has now admitted sending, despite the ECB demanding it as a condition of his selection for the third Test.In a statement, England managing director, Hugh Morris, said: “We are in receipt of Kevin’s apology, but further discussions need to take place to establish whether it is possible to regain the trust and mutual respect required to ensure all parties are able to focus on playing cricket and to maintain the unity of purpose that has served us so well in recent years. Critically, those discussions should take place behind closed doors, rather than in the media spotlight.Kevin Pietersen has apologised for sending “provocative” texts to South Africa players•Getty Images

“A successful conclusion to this process is in everyone’s best interests and is required for Kevin Pietersen’s potential selection in all forms of the game to be considered. At the moment we have an important Investec Test match to focus on and therefore ECB will make no further comment until such time as is appropriate.”South Africa have publicly described the text interactions as “banter”, a word Pietersen echoed in his apology, whilst acknowledging the “upset and tension” the situation had caused.Pietersen said: “I did send what you might call provocative texts to my close friends in the South Africa team. The texts were meant as banter between close friends. I need to rein myself in sometimes. I apologise to Straussy and the team for the inappropriate remarks at the press conference and for the texts. I truly didn’t mean to cause upset or tension particularly with important games at stake.”Strauss has seen the build-up to his 100th Test overshadowed by the Pietersen imbroglio but was diplomatic about having to become involved. Pietersen has been in negotiations over his international workload with the ECB for some time – leading to his now-reneged retirement from limited-overs internationals earlier this year – but until his outburst in the wake of the Headingley Test, Strauss had not been party to the process.”I wasn’t involved in Kevin Pietersen’s dispute with the board in any real way but once the players got involved it was very important that I got involved for the very reason that the feelings in the dressing room, the way the players interact with each other, the values we have as a group, are of vital importance to me and I’m not willing to turn a blind eye to that.”It’s going to be a long process. It is not the sort of thing that happens overnight. Unfortunately we have to address this issue. It is not one that we can sweep under the carpet. In order to move forward we need to address these issues head on and try and find some resolution to those.”It is a broader issue than just the text messages. A lot has happened over the last week or so. It’s about trust and mutual respect and any team that operates successfully needs to have that. And that is something we need to work on. It is not between me and him, particularly. The text messages sound like I was involved with it, but it is a broader issue, it is about the team and Kevin and how we interact with each other.””He is a world-class player, I don’t think anyone would deny that, and when he is playing well and everything is happy in the dressing room he is a great asset to the side but that is not where we are right at the moment and I think the selectors made a brave and very correct decision for this particular Test match that he didn’t play because without the resolution to the issues that we need to resolve things would be a bit untenable in the dressing room for this game.”England must win the third and final Test of the series in order to defend the No. 1 Test ranking and Strauss admitted the side’s preparations had not been ideal.”It’s going to be testing,” he said. “As England captain things are sometimes thrown your way in a way that you have not necessarily been prepared to deal with.”We have to look at the best way of moving forward and quite frankly for the next five or six days it is not going to be in the forefront of my mind. I have to concentrate on my batting and leading the side out in the middle and we will address these issues come the end of the Test match.”Adversity can bring you slightly closer together. We have seen that before with us on a number of occasions. That is going to be the test of us this week. I have got every confidence that we can win this Test match. This is a great opportunity for us to show some strength and resolve and come through.”

India Under-19s almost pulled off a dramatic chase of 288 against Pakistan Under-19s but fell one run short at the Kinrara Academy Oval in Kuala Lumpur. Needing 17 to win off the final over, Rush Kalaria, who was batting on 24, started with a six but was caught at long-off off the next ball. Two boundaries and a single came off the next three, leaving India needing two off the final delivery. Mohsin Sayyed, however, could only drive it back to the bowler, giving Pakistan their second victory of the competition.Vijay Zol was unbeaten at the other end on 109. Zol’s stands with his captain Unmukt Chand and Akshdeep Nath were the backbone of India’s innings. He had also added 51 in five overs with Kalaria for the seventh wicket to keep up with the asking rate after India had lost 3 for 32 to slip to 226 for 6.Pakistan on the other hand paced their innings wel. A stand of 213 for the second wicket between Man of the match Sami Aslam, who scored 121, and Imam-ul-Haq, who scored 88, guided them to an imposing total.The group B contest between Sri Lanka Under-19s and Bangladesh Under-19s was not such a high-scoring match. Having made 363 against Qatar on the opening day, Bangladesh slumped to 83 for 8 in their chase of 184 and were finally bowled out for 140 after a 55-run stand for the ninth wicket. Sri Lanka’s spinner Amila Aponso took four wickets to rip through the Bangladesh middle order and he was well supported by offspinner Tharindu Kaushal, who took three wickets.It was a bowlers’ match and left-hand batsman Sandun Weerakkody was the only half-centurion, scoring 69. Bangladesh legspinner Noor Hussain took four wickets, and medium-pacer Dewan Sabbir three.Malaysia Under-19s were also bowled out for 140 by Nepal Under-19s and were beaten by 107 runs in their group A match. A five-wicket haul by Rahul Vishwakarma ensured the hosts were outclassed; they had been reduced to 111 for 8 at one stage.Nepal’s innings of 247 revolved around Sagar Pun, who had an 84-run partnership with R Pulami Magar and the first-wicket stand of 74 between Subash Khakurel and Pradeep Airee. Pun eventually made 71, enough for Nepal to put the game beyond Malaysia.Afghanistan Under-19s produced a commanding performance with bat and ball to thrash Qatar Under-19s by 191 runs. They amassed 308 and then dismissed Qatar for 117.Afghanistan had significant partnerships for the first and second wickets, and their middle order contributed as well. Shabir Noori and Noor-ul-Haq scored half-centuries but no one went on to make a hundred.After that batting performance, Javed Ahmedi, Noori and Aftab Alam ran through the Qatar line-up. A third-wicket partnership of 53 between Taha Muhammed and Tamoor Sajjad was the only stand of note as Qatar wickets kept falling at regular intervals.

ScorecardRob Key tried to set up a chase for his team but it proved beyond them•Getty Images

Despite a brace of declarations that raised hopes for an enthralling last day run chase, Kent’s encounter with Division Two rivals Northamptonshire petered out into a dull draw.The floodlights were on in gloomy Canterbury when the skippers shook hands at 5pm with Kent on 112 for 1 following an uninspiring pursuit of their victory target of 262 from a minimum of 60 overs. Kent captain Rob Key, having posted an unadventurous half-century from 114 balls, was unbeaten with 55 while Ben Harmison kept him company for two hours, limping to 27 not out.Northamptonshire’s sole success, and the only wicket to fall on the fourth and final day, came 16 overs into the chase when on loan left-hander Scott Newman missed out on an attempted sweep against James Middlebrook to go leg before for 16. There was little to applaud thereafter.In declaring his side’s first innings on their overnight score of 280 for 6, to concede a 138-run deficit, Kent skipper Key challenged his Northamptonshire counterpart Andrew Hall to make a game of it by setting the hosts a target. The visitors eventually did so, but only after Key, in tandem with the very occasional seam-bowling of Newman, had served up some buffet bowling that allowed Northamptonshire openers Middlebrook and Stephen Peters to help themselves to unbeaten half-centuries.Middlebrook pulled one big six off Harmison in his 95-ball 50, while Peters took a further 17 deliveries to reach the landmark, with six fours. The declaration finally came at the lunch interval with Northamptonshire on 191 without loss, leaving Kent the remaining 60 overs to chase their target.Sadly for the modest last-day crowd, their quest never made it out of first gear as Kent settled for a draw, a fifth stalemate preserving their unbeaten record from six championship starts. Northamptonshire, meanwhile, have now gone four games unbeaten after losing their opening two matches of the season, the second of those in the reverse fixture with Kent at Wantage Road back in April.

The ECB has toughened its qualification rules for England cricketers by extending the minimum residential qualification period from four to seven years with immediate effect. The new stipulation, which has been voted in by the ECB board at Lord’s, will apply to players who arrive in England and Wales after their 18th birthday.The tighter regulations aim to put more emphasis on England players being developed through the England system, although overseas players settling in England before their 18th birthday will still only need to complete a residential qualification of four years.The purpose of this two-tier policy is to reduce allegiances of convenience as overseas players win opportunities in county cricket and, as a result, decide to seek England qualification. But it could also conceivably force many young players approaching their 18th birthday into a premature decision about where their future lies – with South Africa bound to be particularly affected.The ECB has long abandoned the notion of birthright, which is increasingly viewed as unsuitable to an age of global mobility, but it aims to prove a sense of belonging by the fact that players have come through the system, whether in schools, universities or cricketing academies.As so often, ECB regulations are not as simple as they first appear. There is a rider in the case of non ICC full-member countries, where qualification can still be reduced to four years at the ECB’s discretion. Cricket Ireland will be particularly disappointed by that, with its players now potentially more vulnerable to approaches than players in full-member countries.The new rules do not apply to women cricketers.The key provisions are as follows:(i) All players who are already qualified for England will remain so – provided they continue to meet the existing regulations.(ii) All players who begin residence in England or Wales before their 18th birthday will need to complete a residence period of four consecutive years.(iii) Players who begin residence in England or Wales after their 18th birthday will need to complete a residence period of seven consecutive years. *Full regulations

Yorkshire are close to a deal with Mitchell Starc, Australia’s up-and-coming fast bowler, as their coach, Jason Gillespie acts to strengthen the club’s pace bowling resources after an indifferent start to their Division Two campaign.It took Gillespie just one Championship match to decide that Yorkshire needed an overseas fast bowler if they are to regain their Division One status at the first time of asking. Although Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of cricket, said there was “nothing definite”, discussions are well advanced over Starc’s arrival at Headingley.Starc, a left-arm quick capped three times at Test level, is with the Australia squad in the West Indies but he has not been selected for the first two Tests. He was also omitted from Australia’s party for the preceding one-day series and so could be bursting for some cricket when the final Test ends in Dominica on April 27.Gillespie needs no reminding of Headingley’s reputation for favouring swing bowlers and Starc, 22, is eager to hone his skills in swinging the ball after benefiting early in the New Year from some guidance from the former Pakistan allrounder, Wasim Akram. Whether Yorkshire, deep in debt, can afford him, however, remains to be seen.Moxon said: “We are looking at a few options and I’m hoping that something might happen in the next few days. At the moment, however, we’ve got nothing definite. The problem with trying to sign an overseas player is that the process, invariably, is never straightforward.”It was in our thoughts anyway to look for an overseas player, but I think that has been probably stepped up a bit after the first game. We weren’t at our best with the ball against Kent. The lads are working hard and trying very hard, but we have struggled to maintain that pressure with the ball.”Starc’s Australian representatives would not confirm negotiations, but the 5 Oceans Management website is clear that he is eager for an opportunity after an inactive Caribbean tour, stating: “Unfortunately Mitchell has not been required in a game yet, but he is keeping very fit, constantly training hard in the nets and learning new skills around the Australian team. Hopefully an opportunity presents itself soon, as Mitchell is sure to take it with both hands.”It was a ninth-wicket stand of 153 between Kent’s Matt Coles, who made a maiden first-class hundred, and Mark Davies that convinced Yorkshire that for all their financial woes they would have to act. Another problematic game against Leeds/Bradford MCCU, which at one stage Yorkshire looked like losing, added to the county’s fears.Iain Wardlaw, who struggled against Kent, is likely to be replaced by Steve Patterson as Yorkshire reshuffle their pace attack against Essex at Headingley on Thursday.

Match facts

Sunday, April 15, 2012
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Knight Riders are riding high with consecutive wins•AFP

Big picture

Both Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab are on the upswing, with victories from their most recent games, but Knight Riders are in a better position, at No.4, having played, and won, an extra game. They are back at Eden Gardens, where they edged out Rajasthan Royals in a low-scorer. The spin trio of Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine and Yusuf Pathan exploited a slow, turning pitch, to keep Royals down to 131. With L Balaji and Jacques Kallis to back the spinners up, Knight Riders look a strong bowling unit.Kings XI got the boost they needed in contrasting conditions in Mohali, which provided bounce and movement for the quicks. Kings XI will still be without the allrounder Azhar Mahmood, whose visa doesn’t allow him to travel outside of Chandigarh and Delhi. That puts them at a disadvantage in their away games, considering he’s a sought-after T20 freelancer. Kings XI have boosted their squad with two overseas fringe players – Ben Cutting (Australia) and Kyle Abbott (South Africa) – following injuries to Stuart Broad and R Sathish.

Players to watch

Shaun Marsh is yet to nail his position in Australia’s squads, but for Kings XI, his selection is automatic. In a team lacking star value, Marsh’s role at the top is crucial in terms of supporting the retired Adam Gilchrist. He sat out the match in Pune with an injury and Kings XI realised again how much they had missed him, when he hit an unbeaten 64 and guided the chase against Pune Warriors in the return match, .Figures of 3 for 17, including a Man-of-the-Match performance, should help Shakib Al Hasan get an extended run in the line-up for Knight Riders. With Tamim Iqbal yet to get a game for Warriors, Bangladesh fans have Shakib to cheer for at the moment.

2011 head-to-head

These teams played each other just once. It was a low-scorer at Eden Gardens, as Knight Riders easily chased 120.

Stats and trivia

ScorecardAn unbeaten century and four wickets from allrounder Laxmi Ratan Shukla helped Bengal beat Mumbai at the Feroz Shah Kotla, and lift the Vijay Hazare Trophy for the first time since the tournament’s inception. Mumbai had scored 295 at the Kotla in the semi-final, on Saturday, but could only manage 248 this time, after Shukla prevented the top-order batsmen from kicking on from starts, and repeated strikes in the middle overs prevented an acceleration.It was still a competitive total, though, and Shukla came in after Bengal had crawled to 69 for 2 in 17.5 overs. He took control of the chase, and, after losing a couple of partners, found company in Anustup Majumdar, who scored 50 not out off 45 balls. The pair shared an unbeaten 107-run partnership to take Bengal home in 46.1 overs. Both were aggressive: Shukla hit 12 fours and two sixes in his 106 not out off 90 balls, while Majumdar struck seven boundaries in his half-century.The partnership came after Sourav Ganguly’s 38 off 53 balls and Shreevats Goswami’s 42 off 73 had left Bengal behind the asking-rate. When Wriddhiman Saha was dismissed for 11 in the 33rd over, Bengal were 145 for 4 and the match was still even. Shukla and Majumdar took it away from Mumbai, whose spinners were expensive.Mumbai chose to bat, after the strategy had worked in the semi-final, and had a bright beginning thanks to Wasim Jaffer’s 61 off 48 balls, which included 10 fours and a six. They were 83 for 0 in the 13th over when Shukla bowled Jaffer. Shukla then dismissed Ajinkya Rahane and Anup Revandkar to slow the run-rate down. The dangerous Abhishek Nayar was dismissed for 11 and Bengal kept chipping away at the wickets after that. Suryakumar Yadav held one end up, and scored 50 off 68 balls, but once he was dismissed, Mumbai’s lower order failed to make significant contributions, and they were bowled out in 49.2 overs, Shukla taking the final wicket.

Western Australian wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi will pursue a career in New Zealand in a bid to win a place in their national side. Ronchi has told his Western Australia team-mates of his decision and he will finish his commitments with the Warriors this summer before heading to New Zealand next season.Ronchi, 30, played four one-day internationals and three Twenty20s for Australia in 2008 and 2009 when he was second in line to Brad Haddin, but he lost his place in the state side towards the end of 2008-09. He has struggled to hold down his Sheffield Shield spot since then, although he has made two Ryobi Cup hundreds this season.In the national setup, Ronchi has been overtaken by Matthew Wade and Tim Paine, and probably others like Peter Nevill, and his chances of further games for Australia were slim. Ronchi will qualify to play for New Zealand having been born there, although his family moved to Perth when he was six years old.Under the ICC’s qualification rules, Ronchi will be eligible to play for New Zealand next January, having last played for Australia in January 2009. The ICC condition states: “Where a male player is seeking to qualify to play for a Full Member, he must not have participated in an international match for any other Full Member during the immediately preceding four years.”Ronchi may yet be able to play for the Perth Scorchers squad at the Champions League Twenty20 later this year as the tournament will be held before New Zealand’s domestic season begins. Ronchi said he knew the move was a risk but he felt it was his best chance to play international cricket again.”I am heading across the Tasman with no guarantees but at 30 years of age I feel that I still have a lot to offer at the very highest level and I am looking forward to making the move with my family,” Ronchi said. “I have been around so many outstanding players, coaches and administration staff in my time at the WACA and I can’t thank them enough for the support they have provided to me over the past decade.”Ronchi has chosen a good time to push his case, with New Zealand having sifted through five wicketkeepers in all formats over the past two years. Gareth Hopkins and Reece Young have both been tried and discarded, while Brendon McCullum no longer takes the gloves in Test cricket.BJ Watling was behind the stumps in New Zealand’s last Test, while the South African-born gloveman Kruger van Wyk was also in the squad for the Test against Zimbabwe. But Ronchi will need to prove himself in New Zealand’s domestic cricket before he will be considered for higher duties, and having not scored a first-class century since 2009-10, his chances might be more likely in limited-overs cricket.A powerful striker, Ronchi scored what was then the fastest century in Australian domestic one-day history in 2006-07 when he reached triple figures in 56 balls against New South Wales. In a first-class game the following summer he struck a 51-ball ton against Queensland, his second fifty coming in a remarkable 11 deliveries, and his 22-ball fifty in St Kitts in 2008 was then the equal third-fastest half-century by an Australian in an ODI.