All posts by h716a5.icu

Chris Tremlett is to return to England after suffering a recurrence ofa back injury

George Dobell in Abu Dhabi25-Jan-2012Chris Tremlett, the England fast bowler, is to return home from the UAE after suffering a recurrence of a back injury. England will decide upon a replacement for the remainder of the Pakistan series later today.Tremlett, the 30-year-old fast bowler, reported stiffness in his back following the first Test. He will fly back to England on Wednesday afternoon.He is the second man to fly home from this tour. Tim Bresnan hasalready been forced home with an elbow injury. Neither can blame aheavy workload having come in to the tour on the back of lengthybreaks from the game.As a consequence, the England management were in discussions with theLions management in Sri Lanka about replacements. Jade Dernbach andStuart Meaker – both of whom were born in South Africa – are the mostlikely replacements, though it is understood Meaker is not fully fit.Chris Woakes, another option, has only just returned to bowling aftera thigh injury, while Boyd Rankin is also suffering from a minor thighstrain. Jack Brooks and Nathan Buck will also be considered, but Dernbach is the overwhelming favourite.

Subroto Roy, the chairman of Sahara India Parivar, has said the company will not be rigid about its decision to sever ties with the BCCI

Nagraj Gollapudi04-Feb-2012Subrata Roy, the chairman of Sahara India Parivar, has said the company will not be rigid about its decision to sever ties with the BCCI. Sahara has withdrawn its sponsorship of the Indian cricket team and ownership of the IPL franchise Pune Warriors but Roy said he was open to negotiations with the BCCI, in particular to ensure the welfare of the players of the Pune Warriors.”We are not rigid,” Roy said when asked whether Sahara would be willing to reconsider its decision. He said he wanted to make sure the Pune Warriors players would play in the fifth season of the IPL despite Sahara pulling out as owners. “I am really worried about one thing: that my players should get to play. Money I’ll take care of, I am not worried about money.”Roy did not specify, however, how he saw the Pune Warriors players participating in IPL 5. Sahara has asked the BCCI to search for a potential new owner for the team. Asked if Sahara would retain ownership if the players were not transferred and the team was not sold to someone else, Roy said: “It does not depend on me alone. It also depends on the BCCI. We are there to support them [the players]. We are there to adjust many things.”The 11-year-old relationship between Sahara and the BCCI broke down because of several decisions taken by the board that Sahara felt were not fair on them. One among these was the board’s refusal to add the amount of Yuvraj Singh’s contract to the Pune Warriors’ auction purse given his unavailability. Roy, speaking at a press conference at one of Sahara’s hotels in Mumbai, said the reason Sahara waited till the day of the auction to announce their withdrawal was because he was hopeful of a last-minute change of tack from the BCCI.”We were hopeful till this morning,” Roy said. “I talked to the BCCI president last night and my son [Sushanto] had meetings with some of the BCCI officials in Bangalore last night that went on till as late as 10pm in the night. So we were expecting that they would probably consider our very, very genuine request just before the auction.”Roy said his decision was an emotional one and that he, himself, had called N Srinivasan, the BCCI president, to inform him of Sahara’s withdrawal. “It was the first time I had spoken to him. I told him it was my responsibility, as the head of a company, to tell him, the head of the BCCI, of our decision.”Many of the grouses Sahara had with the BCCI originated before Srinivasan was president and, while Roy acknowledged that, he said he told Srinivasan that if steps were not taken to address those “difficulties”, it would be tough for the relationship to continue.While Sahara did renew their sponsorship of the Indian team last year, with the new term lasting till the end of 2013, Roy said the chasm between the company and the BCCI had been widening steadily since the inception of the IPL.”There were so many of these small things. In 2008, when the tenders were open to bids for [IPL] teams we had to submit the paperwork 48 hours before the bid document would be opened. Due to some confusion we got the papers 24 hours before the deadline and our bid was rejected.”Another issue Sahara had with the BCCI was that the number of games to be played in the 2011 IPL – the Pune Warriors debut season – was reduced from 94 to 74. “We said at least give us our due, return our money,” Roy said. Sahara, who had paid US$ 370 million for the Pune franchise, wanted the BCCI to return a percentage of that proportionate to the number of matches the tournament was reduced by.Sahara also wanted all the players to be brought back into the auction ahead of the 2011 season in order to let the Pune Warriors and the Kochi Tuskers Kerala, the other new franchise, compete on a level playing field. However, the IPL allowed the existing eight franchises to retain four players each. “We started with a handicap: 16 of the best players were retained [in fact only 12 players were retained]. Now where could I pick up big-name players from,” Roy said. “We said at least give us the option to have an extra foreign player.” But that too was turned down. The BCCI approach, Roy said, was “very stubborn, very one-sided.”Asked if he was worried that Sahara’s image would take a hit because of the perceived impulsive nature of the decision – it stated its withdrawal in a media release without sending a written notice to the BCCI – Roy said he and his management team were in constant touch with the BCCI over the last month. “This discussion was on for more than a month. We wrote letters. I personally discussed issues with some of the BCCI officials.” He said the impasse had even distracted him from his other businesses.The BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla had said Sahara’s decision was “unfortunate” but the board would only react properly once it got an official communiqué from Sahara. Roy said he was waiting for his advocate to prepare the letter to the BCCI, but would take a decision on that soon. He was unclear in his answer, though, when asked whether the fact that he had not yet formally informed the BCCI of Sahara’s withdrawal meant he was still open to negotiations.

Stafanie Taylor’s half-century ensured that West Indies Women began the home series against India Women with a commanding eight-wicket victory

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2012
ScorecardStafanie Taylor’s half-century ensured that West Indies Women began the home series against India Women with a commanding eight-wicket victory in the first Twenty20 in North Sound.Chasing only 102, Taylor scored 54 off 52 balls and remained unbeaten as the target was achieved with four overs to spare. Deandra Dottin made 29 off 18 balls. Jhulan Goswami and Archana Das were the wicket-takers for India.The victory had been set up by West Indies’ bowlers, who restricted India to 101 for 9. Anisa Mohammed was the most successful, taking 3 for 20 in four overs, but Taylor’s spell of 4-0-10-1 stifled India. No one apart from Harmanpreet Kaur got past 20 and India’s innings also suffered from three run-outs.

Ross Taylor will undergo surgery on Tuesday on his broken left forearm and will not be able to bat in the second innings of the third Test against South Africa

Firdose Moonda in Wellington26-Mar-2012Ross Taylor will undergo surgery on Tuesday on his broken left forearm and will not be able to bat in the second innings of the third Test against South Africa. Taylor was struck by a Morne Morkel short ball in the 66th over and faced one more delivery before retiring on 18. After being examined by an orthopaedic surgeon, it was determined that the best course of action would be for the New Zealand captain to go under the knife.”This will give him the best opportunity to recover with the actual return date determined by the speed of his recovery from surgery,” Ian Murphy, New Zealand Cricket’s medical director said. “It is not anticipated he will be able to play within the next four weeks but this will depend on how quickly the injury has healed and Ross’s level of comfort.”Taylor’s surgery means there will be no chance for him to pull off a repeat of the heroics Graeme Smith performed when he came out to bat with a broken hand against Australia in 2009, even if New Zealand need him bat. It is also inevitable that Taylor will miss part of the IPL. He was due to turn out for the Delhi Daredevils after transferring to them from the Rajasthan Royals last month.Taylor has had an unlucky run with injuries in Test matches. He tore a calf muscle in January against Zimbabwe and only recovered in time for the Test series against South Africa, where he has been injured again.South Africa are also without one of their star attractions. Hashim Amla was ruled out of the rest of the Test and is recovering from the emergency surgery he had on Friday night after being hit on the groin off an inside edge from Chris Martin. He continued to bat for more than an hour after being struck when he was on 33, but was sent to the hospital for observation when he was dismissed 30 runs later. Amla has been resting at the team hotel while play has continued.The tourists’ other walking wounded is Jacques Kallis The allrounder strained a muscle in his neck during training, which did not recover in time for the match. Kallis went for a scan on Monday in Wellington and was found to have done no serious damage. He should be fit in time to play in the one-off Twenty20 against India in Johannesburg on Friday, which is being held in honour of his service to cricket.

South Africa’s five T20s against Zimbabwe in Harare in June may not be televised as Zimbabwe Cricket is unlikely to be able to afford the costs involved

Firdose Moonda17-Apr-2012South Africa’s five T20s against Zimbabwe in Harare in June may not be televised as Zimbabwe Cricket is unlikely to be able to afford the costs involved. The matches will be played between June 20 and 24, in accordance with South Africa’s request earlier this year. The tour is an addition to the Zimbabwe board’s planned budget, which will impact on its ability to provide television coverage.”It will cost us a lot of money to get a broadcast deal and because this was not part of our initial plans, we have not budgeted for it,” Ozias Bvute, managing director of Zimbabwe Cricket, told ESPNcricinfo. “But South Africa are our neighbours and they requested this from us, so we will host the matches. As long as it is cost neutral, we can make it happen.” So far, the only costs Zimbabwe Cricket will incur are the South Africa team’s hotel expenses.Zimbabwe’s board is on a tight budget and made a loss on all three incoming tours hosted during the 2011-12 season. It remains committed to seeking out more competition as part of the plan to re-establish the team at Test level and will likely also host an A tour later in the winter.The five T20s will not be recognised as internationals but have instead been given practice match status because the visit is not part of the Future Tours Programme. They were organised on special request after Gary Kirsten, South Africa’s coach, asked to play more 20-over fixtures before the World Twenty20 in September. All five fixtures will be played in the afternoon to “accommodate the shorter daylight hours”, according to Zimbabwe Cricket.South Africa will arrive in Harare on June 18 and play one practice game before the back-to-back engagements start on June 20. South Africa have not been to Zimbabwe since August 2007, for an ODI series, and are not scheduled to play Tests against their neighbours until 2014, although they have sent various A teams to play first-class matches and in tri-series, as well as hosted Zimbabwe in 2010.The South Africa visit will mark the end of a five-month break for Zimbabwe, who last played in early February on their tour of New Zealand. Zimbabwe do not have any international engagements over the winter but are due to host Bangladesh in the 2012-13 season.South Africa and Zimbabwe are in the same group for the World T20, which also includes Sri Lanka. South Africa have not won an ICC trophy since 1998 and Kirsten has been tasked with changing that.

Chris Gayle swung six sixes on his way to the orange cap, 500 runs in the tournament and an unbeaten 82 that propelled Royal Challengers Bangalore to the fourth spot

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran09-May-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Orange cap, 500 runs, unbeaten 82. It was Chris Gayle’s night•AFPIt wasn’t the easiest of pitches to bat on at the Wankhede Stadium, and Mumbai Indians possess the most potent bowling attack in the competition, but none of that mattered to Chris Gayle as he swung sixes on his way to the orange cap, 500 runs in the tournament and an unbeaten 82 that propelled Royal Challengers Bangalore to the fourth spot.Victories for Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab on Tuesday and Royal Challengers’ win today has tightened the table again, with only three points separating the five teams in the middle.Mumbai’s batting has rarely been at its best this season, and continued to struggle today. The Royal Challengers bowling has had some off days this year, but turned in one of their more impressive performances as Vinay Kumar’s double-strike in the second over and Muttiah Muralitharan’s two wickets off successive deliveries later in the innings limited Mumbai to 141.With the ball nipping around, it seemed a competitive score, particularly given the strength of Mumbai’s bowling. Gayle and Tillakaratne Dilshan watchfully played out the main threat, Lasith Malinga, and focussed their energy on scoring plenty off the rest.As he has been all season, Gayle was relatively cautious early on. Mumbai had two gilt-edged chances to dismiss him within the Powerplays: first, in the second over when a direct hit would have caught him well short, and then in the sixth over when Dwayne Smith put down a skier at cover. That potentially game-changing drop rounded off a horror outing for Smith, who also flopped with the bat a mere three days after his final-over heroics against Chennai Super Kings.Dilshan was dismissed in the ninth over, and the asking rate began to climb towards nine, but it only took Gayle three deliveries to transform the match. Pragyan Ojha gifted him two friendly full tosses on leg stump which were contemptuously dispatched over the leg side; the second of those had been a no-ball as well, and Gayle dismissed the extra delivery for another six, over long-off for a change. That 22-run over brought the required rate closer to seven. Mumbai were never in the game after that as Virat Kohli found some form and helped Gayle finish it off with two overs to spare.It hadn’t begun well either for Mumbai with Zaheer Khan and Vinay troubling their top order. James Franklin upper cut a catch to third man, and Rohit Sharma was plumb lbw later in Vinay’s over as Mumbai stuttered to 5 for 2 – the lowest score in the IPL after four overs.Sachin Tendulkar then survived a close call for lbw, and was again reprieved when a Kohli throw from backward point was wide. Mumbai finally got some momentum in the sixth over as Tendulkar struck three successive boundaries – the first off the bat in the innings. Just as Mumbai were getting some stability, 21-year-old seamer Harshal Patel dismissed Tendulkar getting him to top-edge a pull.The signing of Smith and the return of Kieron Pollard made the Mumbai batting seem more solid, and when Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik added 44 quick runs, the stage seemed set for a late onslaught from the two West Indians. Murali, though, removed both the well-set Karthik and Smith in the 16th over, seemingly denting Mumbai’s recovery. Harbhajan, however, swung a couple of boundaries off Zaheer and Pollard powered two sixes in the final over from Vinay to lift Mumbai, but not to a total that was beyond Gayle’s reach.

It may not have been regarded as the most significant result of thesummer but Lancashire have gained important momentum from last week’sbattling draw at Edgbaston to deliver their best batting performanceat Aigburth this season.

Myles Hodgson at Aigburth23-May-2012
ScorecardAshwell Prince spent almost five hours at the crease for his century•Getty ImagesIt may not have been regarded as the most significant result of thesummer but Lancashire have gained important momentum from last week’sbattling draw at Edgbaston to deliver their best batting performanceat Aigburth this season.Seven matches into their title defence and still without a victory isnot the start Lancashire had anticipated, particularly afterstrengthening their mis-firing batting line-up by re-signing SouthAfrican batsman Ashwell Prince. But they showed character in abundanceto turn around their fortunes from another shaky start.Deciding to bat first after winning the toss, they slipped to 55 for3 and were facing yet another failure to record a competitivetotal in a season where they have passed 300 only twice in the last 10innings. Building on the spirit developed against Warwickshire lastweek, when the saved the game after following on 360 runs behind,Prince’s first century in county cricket since 2009 ensured theyfinished on top at the end of an absorbing first day’s play.”We needed this,” admitted Prince, who finished unbeaten on 121 aftera disciplined innings spanning nearly five hours at the crease. “Wehad to dig deep at Warwickshire, we didn’t want to roll over.”If we are honest we put in a way below par performance in the firstinnings there on a good pitch. This is what we needed to do tokick-start our season.”Having battled through the first hour’s play, Lancashire providedMiddlesex with encouragement when Stephen Moore pushed to cover andset off on a quick single only for Joe Denly’s brilliant throw to runout Paul Horton. Karl Brown lasted only two balls before falling inthe next over, rewarding Tim Murtagh’s excellent new ball spell byedging behind.To compound Lancashire’s disappointment at having their solid startundermined, Moore was all too eager to make up for a run of 15 firstclass innings without a half century by mis-timing an attempted hookoff Gareth Berg to long leg.Having been dismissed for 250 and 124 in the first innings of theirprevious two matches at Aigburth this season, Lancashire knew theyneeded a partnership if they had any hopes of posting a competitivescore against a Middlesex line-up including Eoin Morgan, who wasplaying his first championship match since July, 2010.They were provided with a 176-run stand between Prince and StevenCroft, who were both forced to play within themselves for longperiods. They compensated for a 23-over spell without a boundary byscampering between the wickets and both used their feet to combatOllie Rayner’s off-spin intelligently.”Steven has played very well this season and he always seems to cometo the party when the team needs him and he did it again,” enthusedPrince. “It was a nice partnership and I enjoy batting with him.”He’s really maturing as a batsman. We really had to knuckle down andget a partnership together to get ourselves out of a bit of trouble. He played the situation perfectly.”Croft, a naturally aggressive batsman, hit only one four and a slogsweep for six off Rayner in his half-century, but fell for 78 to thefirst delivery with the new ball when he edged Murtagh behind.Prince remained defiantly, however, and progressed to his firstcentury in county cricket since scoring an unbeaten 135 againstNottinghamshire at Old Trafford three years ago, reaching the landmarkwith a push for three through mid-wicket off Corey Collymore.”I have been close a few times this season so it is nice to get overthe milestone of getting a hundred,” he conceded. “People won’trealise that the last 10 times I have been passed 50 I haven’t beenable to convert and that has been on my mind. It has been afrustrating season for me back home, so it is a bit of a relief.”

Greg Smith took five wickets in two overs in a thrilling climax as Essex collected their first Friends Life t20 success of the campaign with a three-run victory against Kent at Chelmsford.

20-Jun-2012Essex 158 for 6 (Foster 51) beat Kent 155 (Smith 5-17) by 3 runs
ScorecardGreg Smith took five wickets in two overs in a controversial climax as Essex collected their first Friends Life t20 success of the campaign with a three-run victory against Kent at Chelmsford.Kent’s chase was going steadily until the start of the 17th over, at which point they were 118 for 3. From that point, Essex hoover up seven wickets for the addition of 37 runs, including three sixes with Smith finishing with 5 for 17.A six-run penalty against Essex for a slow over-rate moved Kent’s chase closer but with four runs officially needed to win off the final ball, Graham Napier bowled last man Mark Davies.Confusion about the score in the closing stages added to the uncertainty with Kent insisting they actually needed two runs from the last ball and Matt Coles saying as he left the ground that he had scored eight runs, not six as shown in the scorecard.His view was supported by other independent statisticians and left scorers and statisticians anxious to study video evidence.Prior to the tense finale, Foster’s innings was the main attraction. Foster hit four sixes in a top score of 51 in 27 balls as Essex posted 158 for 6, with James Franklin’s 39 the next best contribution. He arrived in the 11th over with only 69 on the board and brought much-needed impetus to his side’s cause with a swashbuckling knock.His effort included four sixes and two fours before he departed in an eventful final over sent down by Kent’s pace bowler Matt Coles. It cost 24 runs including one delivery that cost eight runs when Foster despatched a no-ball for six. Foster also hit another six in the over, as did Adam Wheater before he was bowled.Thanks to that onslaught, Essex amassed 53 from the final four overs, Coles conceding 46 from his full allocation.James Franklin was Essex’s other main contributor, striking six boundaries in his 39. He was bowled by Adam Ball after sharing in a stand of 53 in eight overs for the second wicket with Graham Napier, who was run out in the same over for 20.Kent’s hopes of launching their reply on a solid foundation were ruined by David Masters, playing against his former county. In his third over, he bowled Rob Key for five and had Azhar Mahmood leg before with his next delivery. Although Kent reached the halfway stage without further loss, they had progressed to only 61.Darren Stevens fell for 21 but opener Sam Billings and Brendan Nash brought about an acceleration with a fourth-wicket stand of 54 in seven overs.Medium-pacer Smith then made a dramatic impact in the 17th over, removing Billings for 59, an innings containing four fours and two sixes and spanning 55 balls, and Nash with successive deliveries.He then bowled Geraint Jones for a single but Kent made a tremendous effort to reach their target despite the clatter of wickets.Sam Northeast hit two sixes while compiling 14 before he too became a victim of Smith, who also removed Matt Coles on his way to career-best figures.

Key moments from the fith day of the 1st Investec Test between England and South Africa at The Oval

Firdose Moonda and George Dobell23-Jul-2012 Interest of the day
Test cricket has flirted with extinction but it is likely that it will not get there for a long, long time. If you needed any proof of its vitality you need only have disembarked at the Oval underground station at around 10.30 on Monday morning. The train was packed and the touts were doing a roaring trade. Fifth-day tickets were a fifth of the price of the other days and school holidays had started but it was a working day and England up against it, which might have lessened the support base. Nothing of the sort happened. When play started, two-thirds of the seats were filled and after four sold-out days, more than 100,000 people had seen some play at The Oval.Drop of the day
AB de Villiers did a handy job in the first innings, when he held on to every catch that came his way but the same cannot be said of the second. With South Africa five wickets away from a series lead, Imran Tahir sent down a venomous legbreak, with enough turn and bounce to take the edge off Ian Bell’s block. Bell was half forward, the catch was fairly simple and de Villiers had two attempts to complete it but could not hold on to register his first fluff behind the stumps. Bell was on 20 at the time and went on to make a stubborn half-century so vital to England’s cause that he received a standing ovation.Celeb-spot of the day
With Olympic fever raging in the air, there was every chance the five rings themselves would make an appearance. They did not quite make it to The Oval but an Olympian did: South Africa’s 4 x 100 metre gold medallist Ryk Neethling, who will compete at the London Games was in attendance when South Africa wrapped up a famous win. The timing of the Games has meant the national cricket team has received support from people who do not usually get to watch them. Two days earlier, the country’s sports minister Fikile Mbalula, who is in the United Kingdom to set up the South African athletes village, was also at the ground to congratulate Graeme Smith on his century in his 100th Test.Contrast of the day:
The dismissal of Matt Prior, top-edging a sweep to slip, produced wildly-contrasting emotions in the batsman and bowler. Matt Prior, aghast at the sheer awfulness of his stroke, was rooted to his crease, head in his hands, coming to terms with the injury he had inflicted upon his team. Imran Tahir, meanwhile, celebrated with the unbridled enthusiasm that has made him such an endearing player. By the time Prior dragged himself from the crease, Tahir was at deep fine leg running in circles and bellowing with joy.Over rule of the day:
England’s last hope died when Stuart Broad, a man with a Test century to his name, was caught down the leg side. It was an interesting decision by the TV Umpire, Kumar Dharmasena. While the on-field umpire – Asad Rauf – had given a ‘not out’ decision and there were no obvious signs of contact from Hot Spot, Dharmasena made his decision partially on the evidence of the stump microphones, which did suggest contact with the glove, and partially on replay evidence which, while not conclusive, was certainly suggestive. He was probably right, but whether there was enough evidence to overrule the on-field umpire was a moot point.Concern of the day:
Amid all the South African celebrations, there was just one area of concern for South Africa: the performance of AB de Villiers as a stand-in wicketkeeper was increasingly unconvincing. He dropped Ian Bell, on 20, standing up to Imran Tahir and his failure to reach the stumps in time to collect JP Duminy’s throw – not the first time in the match that de Villiers failed to do this – also cost South Africa the chance of running Bell out on 28. England were unable to make South Africa pay for the error but, when the tourists select their team for the second Test, they may reflect that their top six is perfectly adequate and they could so with the specialist keeping skills of Thami Tsolekile. If that is the case, it may prove bad news for Duminy. Perhaps if Duminy’s throw had hit, de Villiers error may have gone unnoticed?

Ireland fast bowler Boyd Rankin has announced he will retire from international cricket at the end of the year as he bids to play Test cricket with England

Ger Siggins08-Aug-2012Ireland fast bowler Boyd Rankin has announced he will retire from international cricket at the end of the year as he bids to play Test cricket with England. He is the third leading Irish player to do so, following Ed Joyce and Eoin Morgan.Rankin, 28, from Co Derry, has played 79 times for Ireland and was a star of the 2007 and 2011 World Cups. “There’s been lots of sleepless nights recently,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “It was a very difficult decision, but I will be retiring from playing cricket for Ireland after the World Twenty20, as I feel I can’t continue to play the amount of cricket I have been playing with Warwickshire, England Lions and Ireland over the last few years.”I have genuine ambitions of playing Test cricket and I have to give myself the best chance to do that by reducing my workloads as a fast bowler and concentrating on playing cricket for Warwickshire.”Rankin’s contract with Cricket Ireland expires at the end of December, so he is available for selection for the World Twenty20, which starts in Sri Lanka in September. The Cricket Ireland selectors meet this weekend to finalise the squad, which will be announced next week.Rankin has signed a new three-year deal with English county Warwickshire – whose director of cricket is England selector Ashley Giles – and it is understood that the county put pressure on the 6’8” bowler to retire from international cricket with Ireland. He had returned from Ireland’s World Twenty20 qualifier in March with a stress injury to his foot which has ruled him out of his county’s season until mid-July.Giles complained in March: “It’s extremely frustrating that we’ve lost Boyd to this kind of injury. But he has had an extremely large workload over recent months. We will need to manage this to ensure that it doesn’t become a regular occurrence.”Previously, Rankin had played for England A in 2011, and was in the touring party to Bangladesh this January before, again, having to return home with injury.”I’ve decided to retire for several reasons, and among them is a need to reduce my workload,” Rankin said. “Something had to give and unfortunately it had to be Ireland.”It has become increasingly difficult to play for three different sides throughout the year as it leaves me with little time for rest and recovery.”Rankin has taken 110 wickets for Ireland. First capped as a teenager in 2003, he came into prominence during the 2007 World Cup where he was Ireland’s leading wicket-taker. His height meant he could achieve steepling bounce and among his 12 victims were Younis Khan, Michael Vaughan, Ed Joyce, Stephen Fleming, Herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers.Previously with Middlesex and Derbyshire, Rankin joined Warwickshire in 2008 and has taken 128 wickets for the county in 41 first-class matches. In 2011 he claimed 55 scalps, leading to his promotion to the England Performance Programme.