Was 'prepared' to lose T20 captaincy - Botha

	Johan Botha is hoping he will be able to play a part in assisting AB de Villiers © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Johan Botha | AB de Villiers Teams: South Africa

Johan Botha, the South Africa allrounder, has admitted to being "disappointed but prepared" after being stripped of the national Twenty20 captaincy earlier this year. Botha was announced as Graeme Smith's successor to lead the Twenty20 team in August last year and was widely tipped to become ODI captain as well, but lost out on both jobs when AB de Villiers was named captain in June.

"The captain must be the first pick in the team and with all the spinners around at the moment it's difficult to say who the No.1 is, so I knew it was unlikely I would become captain," Botha told ESPNCricinfo. Botha's ascendency was forced backward during the 2011 World Cup, when the emergence of Pakistan-born legspinner Imran Tahir and the form of left-arm spinner Robin Peterson left him fighting for his place in the starting XI.

Botha's suspicions that he would not be the next captain were confirmed when Andrew Hudson, convenor of selectors, hinted that the appointment would aim to promote continuity. "I thought they would look for someone who would be able to take over from Graeme [Smith] as Test captain one day and so that would mean looking for someone who plays all three formats, so I knew it couldn't be me - I don't play all formats," he said. Botha has only played in five Tests in his career, as a second-spinner behind Paul Harris.

de Villiers' was unveiled as captain in June, when Botha was overseas, contracted as a Twenty20 professional in the United Kingdom by county side Northamptonshire. Having almost expected it, Botha was able to deal with his emotions maturely. "I was busy playing and so I got over the disappointment quickly," he said.

He is able to acknowledge the credentials of his colleague with no malice and is even hoping he will be able to play a part in assisting de Villiers. "He is a great player and he will do a good job. I think it this will really lift his game," Botha said. "I will give him as much as he can take. It's not every day that you ask for something of the senior players but sometimes you do need them in a match situation and I will contribute then."

More pressing in Botha's mind is wresting back his berth in the side. "I didn't get as many wickets as Imran or Robin in the World Cup but I did my job, which was to contain at one end so guys got wickets at the other end." Botha has been hailed for his ability to boss over the middle overs of the match with the ball and squeeze the opposition for runs. He thinks there is still room for him to play that role in that future. "Morne [Morkel], Dale [Steyn] and Imran are all attacking bowlers and you can't only have that. Even though Lopsy [Lonwabo Tsotsobe] can play a containing role, he bowls with the new ball so batsmen will take him on."

Botha's edge may lie in his all-round ability. "I think my batting will help me stay in contention," he said. During this year's IPL, Botha was promoted to number three in the batting line-up for Rajasthan Royals by Shane Warne and played some match-winning knocks. "I don't think I will be able to bat that high up the order for South Africa, because of the quality of players we have here, like JP Duminy and Colin Ingram, but hopefully my performances [in the IPL] put something into someone's mind." With the lower middle-order exposed for being brittle at the World Cup, the least it could have done was give the selectors an idea of how to strengthen it.

South Africa's first task of the summer will be to take on Australia, a rivalry that has always attracted interest. The last time the two teams played a series, Botha captained South Africa to victory in the Twenty20-leg. Botha is looking forwarded to playing the Australians again, especially because they are likely to have his Royals' team-mate Shane Watson in the mix. "He wasn't in the side the last time we played them and I've seen what he can do; he can win games single-handedly."

Botha marvelled at Watson's solo efforts during the IPL from up-close and is now back home and about to embark on an extreme solo performance of his own. This weekend, Botha will spend 24 hours cycling at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth to raise money for three educational charities. It's Botha's fourth appearance in the gruelling event. How does he plan to combat the inevitable exhaustion that will creep in? "When you're scared of falling off, that's what keeps you on."

Sustaining pressure on Indian batsmen key to series win: Swann

Nottingham, July 27 (IANS) England off-spinner Graeme Swann says if the bowlers are able to sustain pressure on the Indian batsmen, like they did the in the Lord's Test, the hosts can eye winning the high-profile series and becoming the World No.1 Test side.
Swann picked two wickets at Lord's, where his team won by 196 runs with the pace trio of James Anderson, Chris Tremlett and Stuart Broad running through the famed Indian batting.

'We maintained pressure at both ends even though the ball wasn't doing much and made sure each new batsman felt uncomfortable when he came in - which was our game plan all winter too,' Swann wrote in his column for The Sun.

'We try to work with the guy at the other end to sustain pressure and it is great when two guys are bowling well together. If we can maintain that same level of performance over the series, we will really fancy our chances of winning - and maybe even reaching No 1 in the world rankings.'

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar had a forgettable outing at the 'Mecca of cricket', scoring 34 in 12 in the two innings. Swann says the team's strategy on getting Tendulkar cheaply worked.

'We stopped the Little Master, Sachin Tendulkar, from making a big score at Lord's and our aim is to starve him of runs all series. It can't be easy for Sachin because he carries the expectation of the entire Indian nation on his shoulders every time he goes out to bat.

'And now it is even more intense because he is just one away from a century of centuries.'

Flower unhappy with limited DRS

	Andy Flower: "We all know that DRS is not going to be 100%, but we also know you get more right decisions using it" © Getty Images Enlarge
Related Links News : DRS to be used, but not for lbw decisions Players/Officials: Andy Flower Matches: England v India at Lord's Series/Tournaments: India tour of England Teams: England | India

Andy Flower, the England coach, has said the ICC should have over-ruled India's insistence on using a watered-down Decision Review System (DRS) for the ongoing Test series. He felt the system for the series - which doesn't use ball-tracking technology, and doesn't allow lbw decisions to be reviewed - was "unsatisfactory", a view shared by England bowlers Graeme Swann and James Anderson.

England had several close lbw appeals turned down as they hunted for wickets on the final day of the Lord's Test, including against Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina off Stuart Broad. Though England ultimately completed a straightforward 196-run victory to take a 1-0 series lead, Flower was unhappy.

"It would have been wrong if the outcome of the game was seriously affected by a couple of those decisions. It's unsatisfactory the way it is, no doubt about that," Flower said. "I think the ICC should be stronger in taking a lead on these issues. They are the world governing body and they should lead."

The DRS for this series uses infra-red technology and stump microphones, which meets the minimum standards stipulated by the ICC. Both the ICC and the England board had made it clear before the start of the series that they would have liked to incorporate ball-tracking in the DRS, but for India's refusal.

"We all know that DRS is not going to be 100%, but we also know you get more right decisions using it, so let's not quibble about millimetres here when we know you get more right than wrong and that's why most Test-playing nations want to use it."

Swann advocated the use of ball-tracking to ensure more accurate decisions. "I think we should use the Hawk-Eye tracking device because it has worked well over the last couple of years and can take flashpoints out of the game," he wrote in the Sun. "We all knew Broady's appeal for lbw against Raina was out but umpire Billy Bowden thought there might have been an inside edge. Similarly, Broady's shout against Tendulkar would have been given out on review.

"They could have been massive moments and, if India had clung on for a draw, there's no doubt we would have been very frustrated."

Anderson said that the available technology should be used. "We have used it in the last few series we have played and were starting to get used to the method of using it - when you refer and don't refer. We have enjoyed the fact that at the end of the day more correct decisions were made than the wrong ones. The most pleasing thing was that as frustrating as it was to not have it we managed to not let it affect us and just got on with the job in hand."

The Indian board has long been averse to the DRS and had announced last month that it didn't want the system to be used in the England series. A compromise on the DRS was thrashed out at the ICC's annual conference later in the month. The series against England is the first time India are using the review system in Tests since 2008.

Raja, Cheema, Sohail included in squad for Zimbabwe

	Sohail Tanvir returns to the Pakistan squad for the first time since the New Zealand tour in February © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Aizaz Cheema | Imran Farhat | Rameez Raja | Sohail Khan | Sohail Tanvir | Yasir Shah Series/Tournaments: Pakistan tour of Zimbabwe Teams: Pakistan

Pakistan have rewarded some of their consistent performers in domestic cricket by including three uncapped players - top-order batsman Rameez Raja, legspinner Yasir Shah and seamer Aizaz Cheema - as well as fast bowler Sohail Khan, who has played only one Test, in the squad for the tour of Zimbabwe that starts on August 28. There are also recalls for opening batsman Imran Farhat, who hasn't played for Pakistan since the one-day series against South Africa in the UAE in October 2010, and left-arm fast bowler Sohail Tanvir, who was last included for the New Zealand tour earlier in the year.

The squad seems to be an experimental one, with the bowling attack in particular featuring several new names and missing some of the senior players. Umar Gul, Tanvir Ahmed and Wahab Riaz, who have been Pakistan's three premier fast bowlers in recent times, have all been rested, with Sohail Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Cheema and Junaid Khan making up the pace attack. There is also a change in the spin department with Abdur Rehman being rested and Yasir being given an opportunity.

Pakistan's chief selector Mohsin Khan explained that the fresh look to the squad was an effort to blood youngsters. "We have to bring in young players along with seniors so that they could be groomed," he said. "Because it's a short tour we have selected only one squad for all three formats of the game and have rested Riaz and Gul in a hope to try out some youngsters."

Adnan Akmal has reclaimed the wicketkeeper's spot in the squad, meaning Mohammad Salman, who failed to impress with the bat in the West Indies and Ireland, makes way. Allrounder Hammad Azam also failed to have an impact on those tours and has been kept in the standbys to make place for Raja. Ahmed Shehzad, who was dropped after the tour of the West Indies, has been left out again.

Another development is the inclusion of Shoaib Malik, the former Pakistan captain, in the list of standbys. Malik has been involved in a battle with the PCB, whose integrity committee has not cleared him for selection since the controversial tour of England last year. Mohsin said Malik would only be included if he managed to obtain clearance from the PCB. Meanwhile, legspinner Danish Kaneria, who has taken his fight to get clearance to the Sindh High Court, continues to be ignored.

Raja's call-up comes on the back of consistent domestic performance in all formats. He was the leading run-getter in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division One last season, and was top of the run charts again during the recent Faysal Bank Super Eight Twenty20 Cup. His performances in the T20 competition, which included a 97 in the semi-final and a half-century in the final, led to calls for his inclusion in the national side.

Sohail Khan, Sohail Tanvir and Cheema were all recently part of an emerging players camp at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, where they received tips from former Pakistan fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz. Sohail Khan and Sohail Tanvir both brought themselves back into the limelight during the Super Eight Twenty20 competition; the former took 14 wickets in Karachi Dolphins' road to the finals, while the latter captained Rawalpindi Rams to the title. Cheema, 31, earned his call-up through another strong first-class season in which he took 57 wickets in eight games in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

Yasir impressed with his 16 wickets in four games during the Faysal Bank Pentangular Cup at the beginning of this year, and then took 3 for 29 for Pakistan A against Afghanistan in a one-dayer. Farhat also did well in the Pentangular, hitting a century and two fifties, and was leading run-getter in the domestic one-day competition before that.

Pakistan squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Taufiq Umar, Imran Farhat, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Rameez Raja junior, Adnan Akmal (wk), Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Shah, Sohail Tanvir, Sohail Khan, Junaid Khan, Aizaz Cheema.

Standbys: Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Khurram Manzoor, Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Talha, Hammad Azam, Shoaib Malik (subject to clearance from PCB integrity committee)

Long odds for injury-hit India

Match facts

July 29- August 2, Trent Bridge
Start time 1100 (1000 GMT, 1530 IST)

	Is it time to replace a below-par Harbhajan Singh? © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Features : Time for India's batting 'attack' to hunt in a pack Matches: England v India at Nottingham Series/Tournaments: India tour of England Teams: England | India

Big Picture

England's comprehensive victory at Lord's, with a performance hailed by their captain as "outstanding", has put them one step closer to the much-desired No. 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings. Some are already proclaiming them the best team in the world, irrespective of what the rankings say. Others suggest they aren't yet, and that judgment should be withheld until later in the series, given India's remarkable knack of bouncing back after defeats in series-openers.

An injury-hit India presents England with a great opportunity to settle the debate. MS Dhoni's side is crippled by the loss of arguably their most influential player, Zaheer Khan, due to a hamstring problem.

What will make it worse is if Gautam Gambhir, who is still recovering from a blow to the elbow he took in the first Test, joins the injury list. While India at least have a couple of back-up quick bowlers to choose from to replace Zaheer, Gambhir's absence could end up upsetting the batting configuration. One of three makeshift openers will have to be employed - Yuvraj Singh, Rahul Dravid or Wriddhiman Saha - and the experienced middle order, India's biggest strength, could be exposed early to the swinging ball. 

England start as favourites in Trent Bridge, but as India have repeatedly shown, they are a surprisingly resilient side, regularly managing to circumvent problems caused by their relatively weak bowling line-up. Can they do it once again?

Form guide (most recent first)

England WDDWW
India LDDWD

In the spotlight

Harbhajan Singh's place in the XI has rarely come under the scanner, especially after his ascension to the lead spinner's role after the retirement of Anil Kumble nearly three years ago. Now, though, questions are being asked after a run-of-the-mill performance in the Caribbean was followed up with a 1 for 218 at Lord's. While the track for the first Test didn't offer much for the spinners, Harbhajan's inability to keep the runs down hurt a Zaheer-less India. He needs three more caps to complete 100 Tests, a milestone he may not reach in this series unless he turns his form around.

At Trent Bridge four years ago, Matt Prior's career hit one of its lows when he faced a barrage of criticism for the infamous jelly bean saga. Now he returns to the venue acclaimed by some as the best Test wicketkeeper-batsman in the world. With four centuries in the past year and an average that has soared to the mid-forties, Prior has made quite a convincing case.

Team news

The most settled side in world cricket, England's only concern is the hamstring problem that is troubling their tall fast bowler Chris Tremlett. Andrew Strauss is confident Tremlett will be fit to play but even if he isn't, there's a ready replacement in Tim Bresnan. The rest of the XI are certain picks.

England 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Andrew Strauss (capt), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Chris Tremlett/Tim Bresnan, 11 James Anderson

India have more to ponder. The good news for Indian fans is Sachin Tendulkar has recovered from the viral fever that troubled him in the first Test. The bad news is that Zaheer is out and Gambhir could join him on the sidelines. Sreesanth is likely to get his first Test since Cape Town six months ago, and Yuvraj Singh could get yet another shot at reviving his Test career.

India 1 Abhinav Mukund, 2 Gautam Gambhir/Yuvraj Singh, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Sreesanth

Pitch and conditions

This is a ground that is famous for its swing, and teams have struggled to score big in recent years. India's phalanx of experienced batsmen can expect a thorough workout against an on-song England pace attack.

The clouds are expected to stay away this week, with warm and dry weather forecast.