Bangladesh’s National Cricket Academy will tour Australia for five limited-overs matches as well as a three-day and a four-day fixture from August 27 to September 13. The teams they will face include Western Australia, Queensland and last year’s domestic first-class champions Tasmania.Mehrab Hossain jnr, the academy captain, was optimistic about the opportunities the tour would present his side. “We will face strong opponents and obviously we are going to play better [level of ] cricket than our domestic competitions,” Hossain told the , a Dhaka-based daily.Khaled Mahmud, the academy coach and former Bangladesh captain, felt it was important to play cricket in a different environment. “I believe that our players can learn many things both on and off the field,” he said. “There are a lot of questions about our technical skill at the highest level and we can take this opportunity to improve our technique.”But not everybody is convinced the tour is a positive step for Bangladesh cricket. Abdul Latif Khan, the chairman of the Bangladesh board’s games development committee, said organising the tour was proving to be very costly for the board and was convinced a better, less expensive, tournament could have been arranged in the subcontinent. According to reports, the board is spending over eight million taka (US$116,449) on the tour.”The new committee was not in a position to rethink the tour but I can assure you [the committee] will be careful about this kind of tour in future,” Khan said.The academy side will play two Twenty20 games and a limited-overs match against the national team on August 21 and 22 and leave for Australia the next day.National Cricket Academy: Mehrab Hossain jnr (capt), Nasiruddin Faruque, Jahurul Islam, Imrul Kayash, Raqibul Hasan, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Sahgir Hossain (wk), Dolar Mahmud, Talha Jubair, Nazmul Hossain, Mahbubul Alam, Mosharraf Hossain, Dhiman Ghosh and Naeem Islam

ScorecardNicky Boje produced a fine all-round display, following three wickets with an unbeaten 74 as Northamptonshire eased to a six-wicket win, continuing Warwickshire’s alarming slump in form. Boje was well supported by Riki Wessels and David Sales as they chased down 231 with four overs to spare.Warwickshire looked like making a game of it when they removed both Northamptonshire openers early, but Boje and Wessels, who clubbed 52 off 29 balls, added 77 to put the chase on course.Boje then combined with Sales, who faced 52 balls for his runs and hit seven fours and a six. Ant Botha claimed two wickets on his Warwickshire debut, but it wasn’t enough.None of Warwickshire’s batsmen went on to produce a major innings, six of them falling between 24 and 41. Jonathon Trott top scored and some late hitting from Nick James and Alex Loudon boosted the total, although Northamptonshire made it appear well under par.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

A sensational spell of 4 for 13 from Rudra Pratap Singh dumped South Africa out of the Twenty20 party as India romped to a comprehensive 37-run victory that sealed a place in the semi-final against Australia. South Africa, previously unbeaten in the competition, again proved masters ofthe choke, falling 10 short of the 126 that would have taken them to the last four and eliminated New Zealand.India, rocked by the withdrawal of Yuvraj Singh before the game with tendonitis of the left elbow, had struggled with the bat themselves, slipping to 33 for 3, but a tremendous 85-run partnership between Rohit Sharma and Mahendra Singh Dhoni propelled them to 153 for 5 on awell-grassed pitch of variable bounce.Rohit Sharma, in his first innings in the tournament, struck some sumptuous strokes through the cover region, making room and lofting the ball cleanly over the infield. He also targetted themidwicket region, finishing the innings with a glorious six over square leg off a Johan van der Wath full-toss. At the halfway stage India had only 57 on the board, but Rohit Sharma and Dhoni amassed 56 in the last five overs as a frown started to crease Graeme Smith’s brow.India’s defence of 153 started in appalling fashion with Sreesanth pushing the first ball down the leg side for four wides, and when Smith clipped one off his pads for four, South Africa had 11 from the first over. That, though, was as good as it would get. RP Singh made the perfect start, trapping Herschelle Gibbs leg before, before a stupendous Jonty Rhodes-like dive from Dinesh Karthik at wide second slip sent Smith on his way.Enter Sreesanth. AB de Villiers survived one vociferous appeal for leg before, but the second one was so plumb that he might as well have walked. And though both Justin Kemp and Mark Boucher started with fours, the runs dried up as a hint of swing led to more flails at air than solidconnections.Kemp was always going to be dangerous, and the manner of his dismissal once again illustrated the value of youth in the side. Boucher tapped and ran, but Rohit Sharma raced in from cover to pick up and throw in a fluid motion that caught Kemp marginally short of the crease.The home support was in shock, and that quickly turned to despondency when RP Singh came round the wicket to deliver a peach that cleaned up Shaun Pollock’s leg stump. At 31 for 5, it seemed like game over. But Albie Morkel had been in magnificent hitting form all tournament, and Boucher held down one end as South Africa watched the asking-rate spiral beyond 10an over.When Joginder Sharma, who bowled fairly tidily, came on, Morkel drove him through cover – the same fate that met Irfan Pathan when he gave a little too much width. Generally, though, the bowling was impeccable, forcing both batsmen to settle for singles and the odd two into the outfield.The momentum shifted slightly when Harbhajan Singh was introduced. Boucher tucked a full-toss off his pads for four, cut one late to third man and then clipped one beautifully between the leg-side fielders; 15 came from the over. But even when Morkel swung Joginder Sharma for a massive six straight down the ground, the asking-rate remained 12 an over.That pressure eventually told when Sreesanth was brought back for his final over and the 17th of the innings. Boucher chopped one back on, and as he walked off, it was apparent that the limit of South Africa’s ambition would be the 126 needed to qualify for the last four.Vernon Philander and van der Wath both went down swinging, stumped by Karthik – who had taken over the gloves once Dhoni felt some back pain early in the innings – off Harbhajan, but the final nail was hammered in when RP Singh produced a magnificent yorker to end Morkel’s defiance at 36.

It left Smith to ponder just what had gone wrong, after miserly bowling from Pollock had reined in the Indian openers. Gautam Gambhir was the aggressor early on, and he enjoyed a reprieve as well, when Philander made only a half-hearted attempt to catch a miscued pull.On his home patch it was Pollock who made the breakthrough, having Gambhir mishit one to Smith at mid-off. And it soon got worse for India as Karthik chipped the first ball he faced to Albie Morkel at square leg.It then became three wickets in four balls when Virender Sehwag’s attempt to guide the ball down to third man ended up in Boucher’s gloves. With the run-rate going nowhere, and two new men at the crease, India were in disarray.Robin Uthappa walloped one mighty six off van der Wath, and was then put down by Philander at mid-on. With Rohit Sharma starting to play his strokes, the mood in the dug-out was starting to lift a little, but then Uthappa drove Morne Morkel on the up to Smith at mid-off.Despite the blip, Rohit Sharma started to time the ball beautifully and the South Africans began to get flustered about errors in the field. Dhoni clouted Albie Morkel over long-on with a tennis forehand, and also benefited from a top edge over the keeper. There was a massive six over midwicket as Morne Morkel overstepped, and it was all India thereafter as a match that they began in a bullock cart ended in a magic carpet ride. For South Africa, another major tournament, and the Chuck Palahniuk novel….

Shaun Tait is due to make his long-awaited comeback from elbow surgery after being named in South Australia’s FR Cup squad to face Victoria on Friday. The problem forced Tait out of Australia’s tours to South Africa and India and prevented him from playing in South Australia’s humiliating Pura Cup defeat to the Bushrangers this week.While Tait is expected to play, Darren Lehmann is still missing after injuring his hamstring in the pre-season. The Redbacks have chosen Andy Delmont, the uncapped allrounder, in the squad after he posted 134 for University in the Adelaide grade competition.Delmont has been working with the new coach Mark Sorell to make his game more consistent. “I am rapt this has paid off and that I have been given this opportunity,” he said.Victoria’s successful Pura Cup debutant Matthew Wade has been overlooked and Adam Crosthwaite is set to take the gloves. Victoria will also be boosted by the inclusion of the fast bowlers Shane Harwood, Mick Lewis and Clinton McKay, while Aaron Finch and Aiden Blizzard could slot into the batting line-up.Wade, Nick Jewell, Dirk Nannes and Gerard Denton were left out of the one-day squad despite being part of the side that thrashed South Australia. Denton and Nannes each took five wickets in the first-class win, while Wade marked his debut with 83 and six catches.Harwood’s pre-season was hampered by a shoulder injury but he has been included in the 13-man squad after a successful performance for his club side on the weekend. A state debut for Finch, 20, would be a pleasing turnaround after he was suspended from the Centre of Excellence in July for keeping his room continually untidy.Cameron White said the additions would strengthen Victoria’s chances in the 50-over format. “It was a pretty emphatic win this week, but then again the Redbacks’ form in the FR Cup has been stronger than the Pura Cup in recent seasons,” he said. “There’s no doubt we’re hell-bent on leaving Adelaide with points in both matches and the inclusion of guys like Shane Harwood, who’s been our best one-day bowler, gives us a great boost.”South Australia squad Matthew Elliott, Daniel Harris, Cameron Borgas, Mark Cosgrove, Nathan Adcock (capt), Andy Delmont, Graham Manou (wk), Mark Cleary, Dan Cullen, Jason Gillespie, Ryan Harris, Shaun Tait.Victoria squad Michael Klinger, Robert Quiney, David Hussey, Cameron White (capt), Aiden Blizzard, Aaron Finch, Andrew McDonald, Adam Crosthwaite (wk), Shane Harwood, Clinton McKay, Bryce McGain, Peter Siddle, Mick Lewis.

Khulna and Rajshahi were both unbeaten going into the match at Bir Shrestha Motiur Rahman Stadium. The absence of Mashrafe Mortaza and Abdur Razzak (both sitting out on the instruction of Bangladesh’s fitness advisor) from the Khulna line-up might have prompted Rajshahi captain Khaled Mashud’s decision to bat first. Dolar Mahmud was not even supposed to play this game, but was drafted in at the last moment when the Bangladesh Under-19 side’s tour to Pakistan was postponed. But armed with the new ball, Mahmud annihilated Rajshahi picking up Junaid Siddique, Naeem Islam and Mushfiqur Rahman in successive balls to record the first hat-trick in the nine-year history of the NCL. His 7 for 39 reduced Rajshahi on the first day to 174 for 9. Khulna matched Rajshahi’s dreariness and couldn’t force themselves into a position of strength. They collapsed from 96 for 2 to 190 for 7 at stumps on the second day against the seamers. In the context, opening batsman Nazmus Sadat’s 95 was outstanding. Bashar declared on 204 for 9 to deny Rajshahi the bowling bonus and then saw his bowlers restrict the opponents to 241. Mashud made 62, his third fifty in the league. Khulna’s target was 241 in 69 overs and that looked distant when Sadat (52) was second man out in the 44th over with just 108 on the board. Tushar Imran, however, got things moving again with 34, before cameos from Ziaur Rahman (26) and Mustafizur Rahman (19) edged Khulna closer. But three wickets in nine balls left the hosts needing seven off the last over with eight down. Mahmud was hero with the bat now, hitting a boundary off the penultimate delivery to take them to their first win.Visitors Chittagong batted first at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium and their disappointing first innings of 200 lacked purpose from the off. Javed Omar, the seasoned Dhaka opener, started slowly before opening up after lunch on day two for a 241-ball 101. He was involved in two crucial partnerships along the way, 104 with Anwar Hossain (62) and 94 for the second wicket with Al Sahariar. Dhaka looked on course to bat Chittagong out of the match as they closed on 300 for 5. Chittagong woke up on the third day, wrapping up the innings at 376, and showed more grit batting again. Tamim Iqbal, also taking advantage of the U-19 tour postponement, followed his first innings 38 with 70 but going in to the last day on 165 for 4, Chittagong needed a minor miracle to avoid defeat. Ultimately, they almost won the match. Captain Ehsanul Haque’s 56 carried the score to 278, which left Dhaka needing 103. What should have been a formality turned in to a battle of nerves as left-arm seamer Kamrul Islam took 4 for 19 including captain Mohammad Ashraful (2). Dhaka were in dire straits at 85 for 7, but refused the umpires’ offer to stop play with the light fading, before Mehrab Hossain (jnr) guided the team home.

Barisal expected on-song opening bowlers Sajidul Islam and Talha Jubair to make an impact on a lively Fatullah pitch and they did. The two combined to remove the top three Sylhet batsmen with the score on 60. In strode Alok Kapali to join captain Rajin Saleh (88) and the two shared a 223-run stand. Any Kapali innings, even brief ones, treat the eyes and this one was special. By close he was unbeaten on 157 and Sylhet were 316 for 4. It was a different story the next day, however. Sylhet quickly slipped to 335 for 9, Arafat Salahuddin taking 4 for 94 before the declaration. Barisal were then introduced to the big, burly Bangladesh U-19 fast bowler Shubashis Roy. With an action similar to Lance Klusener, Roy made his first impression by breaking Hannan Sarkar’s leg stump in two and ended with 4 for 64. Raisul Islam (83) and Abul Bashar (56) made half-centuries. Sajidul and Talha quickly got into the act and reduced Sylhet to 45 for 5 by stumps on the third day. They shared seven second-innings wickets as Sylhet were eventually bowled out for 95 setting a target of 176. In the first over of the Barisal innings, Roy sent back Imran Ahmed and Shahin Hossain without a run on the board and soon Barisal were 17 for 5. It was left to Raqibul Hasan (57) and Man of the Match Salahuddin (76) to repair the damage. They put on 126 before three wickets fell, though Barisal eventually got home with two wickets to spare.

With a 100% record from three matches it was the moment of truth for Khulna and Rajshahi. Khulna batted first and had moved to 97 for 2 by the 19th over before wickets started falling at regular intervals. The end effort was a poor 187 with Shakib Al Hasan making 52, his third half-century in four matches. Syed Rasel got the Khulna crowd all excited by getting Junaid Siddique, Jahurul Islam and Farhad Reza in his opening burst but Naeem Islam’s 66 and Farhad Hossain’s 43 ensured a 5-wicket victory.Mosharraf Hossain’s elevation to No. 3 in the batting order is working well for Dhaka. His 69 and a cheeky 45 from Ashraful were instrumental in getting Dhaka to 253 for 9. Chittagong’s batsmen, when in the mood, can make targets like these look simple, even without Tamim who is serving a four-game ban. Tamim’s brother, Nafees made 50 while his opening partner Mahbubul Karim (48), Nazimuddin (38), Aftab Ahmed (34) and Faisal Hossain (52) were on top of the Dhaka bowling throughout. Some injudicious shots towards the end resulted in a slight wobble and a last-over finish, but Chittagong won by three wickets.In a match where both teams were searching for their first victory, middle-order batsman Golam Mabud’s 116-ball 100 was the only significant innings for Sylhet who made 225 for 9 after being sent in. That proved good enough as Raquibul (87 not out) fought a lone battle for Barisal and ran out of partners in a 14-run loss.Player of the week Alok Kapali
It was an emotional Alok Kapali who took the field against Barisal. He had just left his ailing father, who had suffered a stroke, at the hospital and was determined to give him something to cheer. His 168 had all the class of the teenage prodigy he once was and something better in the form of concentration and a determination to play as straight as possible. When Sylhet batsmen were falling like nine pins in the second innings, Kapali made 32 out of 95.

Points table

National Cricket League

Note: Points include bonus points for batting and bowling and points for the first-innings lead in the drawn gameNational Cricket League one-day

Karen Rolton is on target to be the second player in the history of the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) to score 4000 runs. Rolton, the Australian captain, needs just 18 runs to reach the milestone first achieved by former captain Belinda Clark.Rolton will lead the South Australia Scorpions on their away trip to Sydney next week, which will feature a practice match v ACT, prior to the WNCL matches against New South Wales.Two new players join the squad: fast bowler Leanne Davis, and Tegan McPharlin, the middle-order batsman. Both players have been chosen following strong grade/district performances.England’s Jenny Gunn, who plays grade cricket in Sydney, will also play for the Scorpions for the second successive year.

Pakistan’s hopes of restricting India on the second day suffered a significant blow as Shoaib Akhtar, their leading strike-bowler, will be allowed to bowl only after spending 205 minutes on the field. He took the field at the start of the second day and, if he doesn’t go off, will be allowed to bowl at 1.38 pm.Shoaib, who was suffering from back pain, bowled only ten overs on the first day before leaving the field for the final time after the 32nd over, shortly after lunch. He was taken to hospital for an MRI scan after suffering back pain during the first day of the final Test against India in Bangalore. The scan revealed no injury but he was experiencing muscle spasms.In the absence of Shoaib and with Yasir Arafat, Mohammad Sami and Danish Kaneria tiring, Younis had to resort to part-timers to help finish day’s overs. He brought himself on to bowl and also used Yasir Hameed and Salman Butt in tandem. They bowled 12 overs in all and conceded 50 runs as Yuvraj Singh and Sourav Ganguly accumulated runs with ease against a toothless attack.According to the laws of the game, if a player is absent from the field for 15 minutes or longer, he shall not be permitted to bowl until “he has been on the field for at least that length of playing time for which he was absent.”

Andrew Strauss, the England opener, made 39 on his debut for Northern Districts in New Zealand’s State Shield competition on Sunday and announced he felt “invigorated”, but his breezy innings couldn’t prevent his side sliding to another defeat.Strauss announced his decision to join Northern Districts in December, after he was dropped by England for their tour of Sri Lanka. He was subsequently recalled to the Test side for their forthcoming tour of New Zealand, and could also feature in England’s one-day set-up.”This is almost like a fresh start for me, and there is nothing better than coming into a Test series feeling motivated, fresh, comfortable with your game,” he told BBC radio’s . “That final ingredient – being mentally switched on – is the only thing that holds most players back. I feel really refreshed and invigorated after having three months away. I’m really excited about 2008, hopeful it’s going to be a big year for English cricket and myself.”Batting first, Northern Districts got off to a confident start with Strauss reaching 39 from as many balls. After cracking eight fours, he was bowled by Bradley Scott to prompt a mid-order slump in which Northern Districts lost 5 for 32.Set 225, Otago were ushered to victory by another Englishman, Alex Gidman, the England A captain, who made 54 from 78, before Neil Broom took them home with a bristling 42-ball fifty.England’s tour of New Zealand gets underway with a tour match against Canterbury on February 2, preceding two Twenty20 Internationals and five one-dayers. The first Test in Hamilton begins on March 5.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

A hundred from Mohammad Yousuf and a fine all-round performance by Shoaib Malik led Pakistan to a comprehensive seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. Yousuf and Malik put on 141 for the third wicket to steer Pakistan’s chase, with Yousuf’s 14th century the first in what has been a horribly one-sided Mobilink Cup. Malik’s 88 added to the three wickets he took earlier to restrict Zimbabwe to 244.The pair came together after Pakistan’s newbie openers had gone by the 15th over. Malik had already settled by then, returning to the one-down role he had once made his own, with Younis Khan resting. He averages over 40 from 34 innings at No.3 and it was immediately easy to see why so many argue for him to move up the order. He was off the mark immediately, clipping off his toes for four and in the next over he drove and cut Gary Brent for a couple more.Soon after, he twice cut Elton Chigumbura and then did likewise to Brent five overs later. Having grabbed the initiative then and with no real pressure, Malik’s calculating approach came out, as he dabbed and nudged runs for fun. A swift fifty was brought up, and though he lofted Ray Price over the boundary and welcomed Hamilton Masakadza with a brace of boundaries soon after, he was more than happy to play second fiddle.Yousuf, meanwhile, began regally, picking up singles when he felt like it and only occasionally breaking sweat to find the boundary. It seemed for a while as if he wasn’t even there, at least until a late dab to third man in the 27th over brought up the fifty partnership.He made his presence known after it, twice depositing Masakadza over wide mid-on to bring up his own fifty. His pace picked up to such an extent that only 34 balls later, he was bringing up an effortless hundred, the highlight of which was a magnificent loft over long-on off Price. The only blemish on a flawless innings was a mix-up with Malik, which prevented the captain from reaching a hundred of his own.It didn’t prevent Malik from taking the Man-of-the-Match award. He had already excelled earlier, prompting a slump as Zimbabwe – not for the first time in this series – let slip a position of considerable strength after opting to bat. Sean Williams and Tatenda Taibu had rescued the innings early, with an intelligent 85-run partnership, but just when much was promised, Malik dismissed both, and Brendon Taylor, during eight mid-innings overs.The pair have been Zimbabwe’s best batsmen this series and it was soon apparent why. Taibu repeatedly came out of his crease to neutralize the early swing which so bewildered the openers, most effectively when he drove Kamran Hussain past mid-off for the day’s first boundary. He cut twice soon after, but the real spurt came from Williams in the 14th over.Hussain tired after an impressive opening spell and Williams took toll, twice flicking him through midwicket for three and driving over point to bring up Zimbabwe’s 50. He then targeted Shahid Afridi, driving him elegantly through extra cover to mark the fifty stand, before cutting and lofting him for six an over later.Taibu provided typically impish support and at that stage, until Malik brought himself on little was of concern. But in his second over, Williams inexplicably chipped back two short of what would have been his third fifty of the series. Taylor went in Malik’s next over and the drive quickly petered out of the innings. Taibu fell immediately after getting to his ninth half-century and runs soon slowed to a trickle.Singles were grudgingly given up, boundaries even more so. Chigumbura and Chamu Chibhabha battled well without any great urgency and it was only at the death, through Keith Dabengwa, that Zimbabwe rallied. He took 19 off the last over, part of a 33-ball 45, to drag Zimbabwe to a competitive score. Competitive, but no more.

The one-day series between England and New Zealand is one of the most eagerly awaited in years by local fans who are still unsure how good Daniel Vettori’s team is. Recent performances have given little away and the side to play England has a new look.Since the last time the teams met, when New Zealand won convincingly at the World Cup, the home side is missing five players and the regenerating team lost the Twenty20 series 2-0. The two most notable absentees are Stephen Fleming and Shane Bond. Fleming, who retired after 280 matches and 8037 runs, left a big gap when he departed, but the loss of Bond is bigger.Bond, who has terminated his New Zealand contract and joined the Indian Cricket League, has been the spearhead whenever he has been fit to play. In 67 ODIs he has taken 125 wickets at the phenomenal average of 19.32 and his departure is as significant as when Richard Hadlee stepped down in 1990. Justin Vaughan, the New Zealand Cricket chief executive, felt the departure of Bond was by far New Zealand’s biggest loss to the ICL and was a concerning development for the international game. The upshot is they now lack a genuine fast man.The others not included since the previous encounter are Lou Vincent, who has been dropped, Craig McMillan has retired and James Franklin is injured. In another major blow, Vettori may not be fit for the beginning of the series. He rested from the two Twenty20 matches with an ankle injury and is in doubt for the first ODI.Brendon McCullum, the stand-in captain, said Vettori would be sorely missed. “Dan’s injury is quite a big blow to the make-up of our bowling stocks,” he told NZPA, “and also just the general team.”With the loss of experience, the remaining senior players must step up if New Zealand are going to retain third place in the ODI rankings. Scott Styris, Brendon McCullum and Peter Fulton will need to score their share of runs, while Chris Martin and Kyle Mills will lead the bowling attack.Although Styris has just announced his retirement from Tests, he must now lead the ODI batting line-up. He has an impressive recent record in ODIs and this will need to continue if New Zealand are to compete with England. “The rigours of international cricket have become increasingly demanding,” he said, “and I would like to extend my career by focusing on the shorter versions of the game.”The niggles and injuries he has suffered by playing first-class cricket over recent years have made it difficult for him to get on to the park. “I am really enjoying both one-day and Twenty20 cricket,” he said, “and am looking forward to being heavily involved with New Zealand on our journey to the World Cup in 2011.”While his fitness to stay involved in the first-class arena was a concern, there are no worries about his productivity in limited-overs affairs. Styris excelled at the World Cup, making 499 runs at 83.16, and followed that up in South Africa where he averaged 62.Among the bowlers, Mills has a good ODI record and much will depend on him as they try to cover for Bond. He has already shown his ability to take wickets without having Bond at the other end. In the three match ODI series in South Africa late last year he took nine at 11.33, while he captured another nine against Bangladesh at 12.55. England will offer a greater challenge to his improvements.Martin, on the other hand, has a less than impressive record, but has come of age in Tests over the last few years. In the shorter version of the game, he has played just 15 matches and faces a steep learning curve against an England team of young and experienced batsmen. His omissions over recent seasons have been due to his high economy rate of 4.95 runs per over and it must be brought down closer to four for him to be useful over the next five matches.

The New Zealand opening combination will be another interesting focus of the series. If the young Auckland batsman Jesse Ryder opens with McCullum, there could be fireworks from the beginning. Ryder’s selection has met a mixed reaction. Adam Parore, the former New Zealand wicketkeeper, is a critic and told he had seen Ryder on the evening news and “there was no room for fat players in international cricket because the days of David Boon are gone”.But Hadlee, the chairman of selectors, believes Ryder can form an explosive opening partnership with McCullum. “He has certainly dominated New Zealand A tours,” Hadlee said, “and deserves an opportunity.”His performance is as highly anticipated as the series itself due to the debate over his selection and because he has been involved in a number of disciplinary problems off the field. One of these was when he signed to play for Ireland last year as an overseas professional and failed to turn up to the match against Surrey at the Oval.If the opening partnership can succeed and the bowling attack can get some quick wickets, New Zealand have a good chance of winning the series. But if not, their fans may decide they are no longer a team of the quality that drove them to a world cup semi-final.The 2-1 loss in South Africa was disappointing, but very few teams come away from there satisfied, and the victory was only the second New Zealand success in that country. On the way home Vettori’s men faced Australia in the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy and were comprehensively beaten, something most teams encounter.The next assignment was a home series against Bangladesh, who were annihilated as expected. This is why the jury is still out on Vettori’s regenerating team. With the arrival of England, there are no expectations either way, so the fans will finally have a chance to decide how good, or bad, their national side is.