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Michael Vaughan is getting all too used to making comebacks. Since the tour of Pakistan in 2005-06 he has been in and out of the captaincy hot-seat on no fewer than seven occasions, although this latest return to the colours is subtly but significantly different. It was not another injury that led to his omission from the recent one-day series against West Indies; it was his acceptance that that aspect of his career had run its course. And it was not yet another stand-in who took his place in the manner of Andrew Strauss and Andrew Flintoff last year; it was Paul Collingwood, England’s officially appointed one-day captain.Fortunately for Vaughan, Collingwood is one of the most grounded men in the game and will doubtless settle back into the ranks for this Test without a moment’s hesitation. But Vaughan would be forgiven for feeling a little on edge as he surveys his troops on Thursday morning. It was from an identical situation in 2003 that he himself inherited the Test captaincy from Nasser Hussain. Hussain, like Vaughan, had surrendered the one-day role after that year’s World Cup, and he went on to endure one last distracted Test at Edgbaston before realising that his command of the dressing room had gone for good.Three days into his latest spell at the helm, Vaughan was showing none of the angst that marked the end of his predecessor’s tenure. “I’m feeling very refreshed,” he announced, after a month’s break in which time he had watched England’s two Twenty20s against West Indies but merely dipped in and out of the 50-over games, much like the rest of the nation’s sports-watchers. A stiff back, sustained during last week’s rain-wrecked Roses match at Old Trafford, caused a murmur of alarm, but otherwise he announced himself to be fully fit – both physically and mentally.”Only time will tell, but the split captaincy has worked to date,” Vaughan said. “I haven’t felt [the team] has moved on [without me], but I think the big test was when I saw Colly lead them out in the Twenty20 game, would I feel any bitterness or resentment? I didn’t feel any of that, so I guess it was the right decision to move forward.”Me and Colly are great mates,” he said. “When I took the England captaincy I said I wanted 11 captains, and we now have two. Strauss has done the job as well, and there’s also Freddie [Flintoff] when he comes back. The more leaders you can have in the dressing room and on the training pitch to drive the team forward, the better.”

For the time being, however, England have been shorn of so many of their established leaders that the sight of two official captains might be something of a blessing. If Matthew Hoggard’s back spasm is as serious as the medical team fear, then England’s attack will have lost the services of their last remaining link to the 2005 Ashes. At least one debutant is expected to feature in Stuart Broad; a second could follow if Chris Tremlett sneaks in ahead of James Anderson, while the most experienced man in the line-up will be none other than Monty Panesar, who was a wide-eyed new boy when the teams last met in India 16 months ago.Vaughan, however, was determined to look on the bright side. ” It’s new and exciting to see,” he said. “It’s a brand-new attack with no Harmison, Flintoff, Giles or Simon Jones. We had a great attack in 2005, but it’s exciting for us all to see how they react to playing in front of a lot of people, against a very good batting team. It’s going to be a great challenge for whoever plays.””We have some good options,” he said. “Tremlett is bowling nicely with his bounce. Broady got a five-for [at Chelmsford], Jimmy got a five-for in the Roses match, and Sidey [Ryan Sidebottom] came in the early season and did exceptionally well. The Indian side are full of experience, more so in the batting, so it will be an exciting challenge for our young four-man attack to come up with plans to outdo them and, if they get the opportunity to be aggressive, to get 20 wickets in a Test match.”In the circumstances, the onus shifts squarely onto England’s batsmen to provide the support required for such an untested attack. And few players have lorded it over the Indians quite so handsomely as Vaughan himself, whose golden summer of 2002 featured 615 runs in seven innings, including 197 at Trent Bridge, 195 at The Oval, and an even 100 in the first Test at Lords – the second of his five hundreds in nine matches on this ground.”I always feel I play quite well at Lord’s, but tomorrow’s a new day, a new game, and I’ve just got to make sure I go out and try and do the basics,” said Vaughan. “Like most times when you play well, it’s about doing the basics well, and once you’ve done that you can elaborate a bit more, and attack the bowlers more. That’s the style of batting I have when I’m playing well, and I felt I was doing that reasonably well earlier in the summer.”Vaughan marked his last England comeback with a memorable century against West Indies on his home ground at Headingley, but he had no hesitation in admitting that the big test of the season was just about to begin. “We know this is a bigger series,” he said. “There is a lot more media, more supporters, and more exposure. It’s a real good challenge for the team to see if we have moved forward from the winter, because we know that’s how we’ll be judged. We’ve played to a similar standard and now we need to raise it again.”

Derek Shackleton, who played seven Tests for England and took a record 2669 wickets for Hampshire, has died at the age of 83. Only six men have taken more wickets than his total first-class haul of 2857, and none of those operated entirely in the post-war period.Shackleton was a seamer – not fast but metronomic in his accuracy – who was desperately unlucky not to have be called on more by England. Unfortunately for him, he played in an era when Alec Bedser, Fred Trueman and others dominated. “Shrewdly varied, and utterly accurate,” wrote John Arlott, “beating down as unremittingly as February rain”. He was also economical, conceding under two runs an over. Initially he relied on late outswing, but he later developed an equally late inswinger, and he could also cut the ball either way off the pitch.His seven Tests came in two bursts separated by almost 12 years, but he was not as penetrative at the highest level. He played once in 1950 and 1951 and then toured India in 1951-52, finishing with the most wickets but only one more Test. He had to wait until 1963 for a recall, taking 14 wickets at 34.53 against West Indies, including 3 for 93 and a best 4 for 92 at Lord’s.

He made his debut for Hampshire, who spotted him while he was playing services cricket, in 1948 and was taken on as a batsman who bowled occasional legspin. Bereft of quick bowlers, Hampshire asked him to give it a try. He took 21 wickets in his first season and a hundred in his second. In a career which lasted until 1969 he took 100 wickets in a season 20 times consecutively, his haul of 172 in 1962, a year after he had helped the county to their first Championship, being the best. Few bowlers have got through so many overs, and those that have have been spinners.In 1955 he took match figures of 14 for 29 against Somerset (including 8 for 4 in their first innings) and five years earlier took five wickets in nine balls for no runs, but not including a hat-trick; that was about the only achievement that eluded him.In all Shackleton took 2857 first-class wickets at 18.65; his 18 Test wickets cost him 42.66.After retiring he coached and acted as groundsman at Canford School in Dorset and had a brief spell as an umpire in 1979. He was one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year in 1959.

Martin Crowe, the former New Zealand captain, has launched a stinging attack on the current leadership of New Zealand cricket. Unimpressed by Daniel Vettori’s captaincy Crowe, arguably his country’s greatest batsman ever, says it’s high time the left-arm spinner showed why he was selected to lead in place of Stephen Fleming.”Daniel Vettori, Jacob Oram, Brendon McCullum and Scott Styris have all got to put their big money where their busy mouths are – Vettori in particular,” Crowe told stuff.co.nz. “He [Vettori] has to get up to speed ASAP and remind us every day why the selectors felt he’s a better option than Fleming.After inspiring New Zealand to the semi-finals of the ICC World Twenty20, Vettori has had a torrid time at the helm, his side losing both the Test and ODI series away in South Africa, and relinquishing the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy after a 2-0 loss to Australia.Crowe also targeted coach John Bracewell, though he suggested that criticism needs to focus on the players as Bracewell, with renewed backing from the New Zealand board, is not going anywhere.Crowe had called for Bracewell to step down right after the World Cup in April, following New Zealand’s exit at the semi-final stage. He now says that he is tired of Bracewell’s astounding interviews and selections during the short tour to Australia. “Braces this, Braces that – I’m sick of the talk and the headlines about the coach which have dominated for weeks and weeks,” he said. “When I was asked what I thought after we lost the World Cup semi, I said ‘it’s time for a change to keep evolving’ but now we need to forget it.””(NZ Cricket CEO) Justin Vaughan has made his call – his first big one. So have the players. Braces is very lucky to have two years to show NZ he can coach. Not be a smart arse, but be a very good coach.”During the winter all but one player wanted Braces to continue, so the onus is now on them.”They are the ones under pressure. They have what they wanted so now it’s all their heads on the line, series in-series out. Braces isn’t going anywhere I promise you.”Bracewell was handed a two-year extension in July this year, and has been in charge of the side since 2003. And despite the recent losses against South Africa and Australia, Vaughan believes the right man is in charge.”He’s under no more pressure than when he started [four years ago],” Vaughan told the Dominion Post. “But we’ve just played two difficult sides. The results were disappointing but we expect that to improve now. He’s got two home series against Bangladesh and England now, which we should win.”

It’s been a rare good week for Zimbabwe cricket with their victory over West Indies in the opening ODI at Harare, but off the field things are not so rosy.A report by Malcolm Conn in today’s Australian newspaper claims that Peter Chingoka, the Zimbabwe cricket chairman, and Ozias Bvute, the board’s controversial managing director, could face charges under the ICC’s code of ethics next year.In the summer the ZC executive was slammed in a leaked private report from Malcolm Speed, the ICC’s chief executive, although publicly the ICC maintained the same hands-off approach that it has for several years. However, Speed’s comments regarding the accounts were damning, concluding: “It is clear that the accounts of ZC have been deliberately falsified to mask various illegal transactions from the auditors and the government of Zimbabwe.”In June the ICC appointed KPMG to carry out an independent forensic audit, which has recently finished, and which Conn claims to have seen. It reveals “alarming but unsurprising irregularities in ZC’s finances, including millions of dollars in ICC dividends that remain unaccounted for,” the paper said. “There has been a lack of co-operation and documentation from ZC, with Chingoka and Bvute constantly changing their explanations for transactions. This includes numerous transactions involving UK bank accounts that have not been adequately justified.”Stakeholders inside Zimbabwe, almost all of whom have been removed from office in recent purges instigated by Chingoka, have long maintained there were glaring irregularities in the accounts but the board has steadfastly refused to address their concerns. The board’s recent AGM, the one forum where such matters could be raised, was by invitation only and ZC even struck off life vice-presidents to avoid them being able to attend.The ICC’s code of ethics states that “each director shall act in an honest and ethical manner. In order to facilitate the transparent operation of the ICC, conduct that gives the appearance of impropriety will also be unacceptable.”The ICC won’t comment other than to say the report will be considered when the ICC executive meets again in February, but the Australian suggests that there is enough evidence to have Bvute and Chingoka removed from their ICC positions.Chingoka has been ZC chairman since 1992 and as the senior member of the ICC’s executive has used his contacts and experience to deflect much of the criticism aimed at the running of the sport in the country. Bvute was brought in by Chingoka in 2002 and many critics maintain the rapid decline of the game can be traced to his arrival.

Stephen Fleming could end his Test career earlier than expected with the home series against England looming as a possible farewell for the former captain. Fleming had been tipped to continue until the return tour of England, which finishes in June, however a report in the said that now seemed unlikely.The paper said Fleming’s wife was expecting their second baby in June, which might contribute to an early call. That would leave the selectors with more headaches ahead of the England trip, with their Test line-up already losing Nathan Astle, Scott Styris, Shane Bond and the fringe players Craig McMillan and Hamish Marshall in the past 13 months.John Bracewell, the coach, said it he was not bothered if Fleming chose to say goodbye in the third Test against England in Napier in late March. “My understanding was that Stephen wanted to go on and play the England series in England,” Bracewell told Monday’s . “But it doesn’t surprise me and doesn’t particularly concern me.”It’s always disappointing to lose experience, but it’s also an exciting time for selectors to pick and see the development of youngsters. The young men we’ve selected in this particular round so far have shown some great attributes for the international game. There are kids out there who want a crack.”Fleming’s departure would mark the end of a significant era in New Zealand Test cricket, as he is the country’s most capped player, highest run scorer, longest serving captain and leading catcher. He held a similar swag of records in one-day internationals when he ended his career in that format last year.

Gareth Hopkins could slot into the No. 6 position with Brendon McCullum likely to open and keep wickets in the ODI series in South Africa, according to the selection manager Richard Hadlee. That might leave Jamie How on the sidelines after he was recalled to the limited-overs squad for the first time in 18 months.Hadlee said Hopkins was good enough to justify his selection as a batsman, despite his List A average of 23.62 and highest score of 82. “We regard him as specialist batsman so we feel he can hold his place in the top six,” Hadlee told the . “We also see him as someone who can close an innings in much the same manner as Brendon McCullum has done for us.”He’s got there on merit. His decision-making and shot execution were very good on the recent A tours and on that basis he came into contention. His attitude to the game is also magnificent so it is good reward for him.”The departures of Stephen Fleming and Craig McMillan from the one-day squad, combined with Peter Fulton’s knee injury, leaves New Zealand with a different-looking top order. They have reportedly slated McCullum to open with Lou Vincent, to be followed by Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Jacob Oram and Hopkins.How said he was not sure what his role would be in South Africa but was hopeful of getting a chance after the disappointment of being overlooked for the Test portion of the tour. “It’s always good news to hear your name read out, especially since it had been a while, but I was a little disappointed not to make the Test side,” How told .”I know the selectors had their reasons, but it doesn’t stop you being disappointed. I’d like to think that my game suits both [formats] and proving that is definitely the aim. It just so happens that my opportunity to prove that has come in the one-dayers and I have to make the most of it.”

Confusion surrounds the future of Zimbabwe’s wicketkeeper-batsman Brendan Taylor after reports that he has been playing club cricket abroad despite a ruling by Ozias Bvute, the board’s managing director, that nationally contracted players were forbidden from doing so.Taylor, who is reported to be playing on a three-month contract in the Netherlands, is said to have had a blazing row with Bvute which led to him refusing to play in the Logan Cup, Zimbabwe’s domestic competition.Taylor has been named in the Zimbabwe side to meet India A later this month, but rumours persist that he will not play. “I don’t think he will play for Zimbabwe again,” a source close to the player told Cricinfo, “but thatdepends on Bvute.”Taylor is no stranger to clashes with authority, and unlike many team-mates, he does not rely on income from the game.The return of Tatenda Taibu as wicketkeeper-batsman – assuming he does sort out his own differences with the board – reduces the reliance on Taylor and the board may well seize the opportunity to ditch him and send a clear message to others who are thought to be considering their futures.Were Taibu and Taylor to be unavailable, then the keeping place would probably go to Tafadzwa Mufambisi, another player overlooked because of his attitude.

Somerset 282 for 6 (Hildreth 98*, Gazzard 58, Phillips 4-43) beat Essex 278 (Bopara 91) by four wickets
ScorecardRavi Bopara sent the England selectors a timely reminder of his talents with a fine innings of 91 but Essex still fell to a four-wicket defeat to Somerset in the Pro-ARCH Trophy in Abu Dhabi.Bopara hit ten fours and a six during his 104-ball stay at the crease that was ended by a terrific stumping down the leg side by Craig Kieswetter off the bowling of Peter Trego. Essex were 93 for 4 at one stage before James Foster (40), Tim Phillips (41) and James Middlebrook (30) hauled them up to the respectability of 278 on a benign pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.It was Somerset’s debut in the competition, having arrived in the Middle East without Marcus Trescothick on Saturday. But they hit the ground running with the bat and didn’t hesitate during the chase, even after falling to 151 for 5 with the required rate loitering around six per over.Trego (22) and Carl Gazzard (58) opened the innings superbly with an first-wicket partnership of 48 but after Phillips (4 for 43) had smashed through the middle order, Somerset’s aspirations of becoming the first team in the tournament to win a match batting second were only rescued by James Hildreth, whose unbeaten 98 not only clinched the match but will no doubt interest the England selectors as a sign of his growing maturity.Hildreth switched comfortably between nudger and blaster to steer Somerset home, enjoying the strong support of Omari Banks (27) and Steffan Jones (30*) but he was denied the century he so richly deserved when Jones thumped successive boundaries through extra cover off the bowling of Ryan ten Doeschate to seal victory with eight balls to spare.Defeat for Essex was their second in three nights, having also fallen to Lancashire, and they return to Sharjah for their final match in the PRO-Arch Trophy on Thursday, against Sussex.

Women’s cricket is again at the forefront of innovation with the announcement that the first trial match for the new pink balls will be a state game in January. Women’s cricket paved the way for overarm bowling; it introduced the World Cup, and held the first international Twenty20 and now it is to help in important test situations.The first match will be Queensland and Western Australia on January 10, a curtain-raiser for the men’s Twenty20 between Queensland and Tasmania at the Gabba.The MCC is considering introducing fluorescent pink balls to county one-day cricket if trials are successful, according to a report in . The logic is that a pink ball may be seen more easily, and a fraction earlier, by a batsman than a white one.The new balls, made by Kookaburra, will also be tested at Lord’s indoor school this winter and will be used in university and 2nd XI matches next year. If scientists at Imperial College, London, can get the balls to keep their colour, they could be used in one-day county cricket next year and even eventually in one-day internationals.The MCC, which is responsible for the laws of cricket, has been testing different colours for the last year. Its head of cricket, John Stephenson, is responsible for the innovation and he told : “Paint tends to flake off white balls and we have asked Kookaburra to produce a batch of pink ones because these show up so much better.”The challenge is to produce a ball which retains its colour – I doubt it will be any more expensive to produce or buy. I have asked Mike Gatting, the ECB’s managing director of cricket partnerships, to use them in county second XI one-day matches, but we shall start by trying them in fixtures such as MCC v Europe and in the university matches we sponsor.”My aim would be to use the pink ball in Twenty20 cricket in 2009 and thereafter in one-day international cricket, but this will be dependent on trials and what the ECB thinks.”

Sri Lanka have landed in Australia in a buoyant mood and are confident of posting their first Test win in the country during the two-match series. Despite losing a one-day contest to England already this month, Mahela Jayawardene, the captain, believes the squad is good enough to compete with the new-look hosts.”We’re confident we can play good cricket and if we play good cricket we will be in with a very good chance of winning some matches,” he said shortly after the team flew into Adelaide. “If I can finish 1-0, I will take that. If I can finish 2-0, I will take that, too. But the most important thing for us is how we compete. To beat Australia you need to be with them for four days. You can’t compete for one-and-a-half sessions and expect to win.”Sri Lanka have arrived during a debate in Australia about crowd behaviour and Jayawardene hoped racism would not overshadow the Test series, which begins in Brisbane on November 8. However, Trevor Bayliss, who coached New South Wales before accepting the Sri Lanka job, expected at least some racist taunts during the tour.”There are idiots in any crowd,” he said. “I don’t know whether you’re going to stop that 100%, but the majority of the crowd realise it’s the wrong thing to do. I think there will be one or two idiots, put it that way.” Sri Lanka had crowd problems in Adelaide the last time they toured and Muttiah Muralitharan is expected to be targeted by the home crowds as he looks for the nine wickets to overhaul Shane Warne’s record of 708.”Murali has not played here for ten years in a Test match and he’s geared up,” Jayawardene said. “He sees Australia as one of the places he has to challenge himself. For him to prove himself that he’s taken so many wickets around the world, he’s looking forward to the challenge.”Muralitharan will play in the tour-opener on Saturday, which is a hastily-arranged three-day warm-up against a Chairman’s XI at Adelaide. It is one of two practice matches before the first Test and Sri Lankan officials requested the extra game having learned from previous tourists who had come unstuck in Australia through insufficient practice.Sri Lanka certainly need the preparation after surprisingly losing at home to England. They recovered to win the last match of a close series, which finished 3-2, and gain some momentum heading to Australia. “The main positive thing was our bowling attack,” Jayawardene said. “All four fast bowlers bowled well.”But the disappointing factor was how we batted throughout that series. We learned a lot, we needed to brush up. But the guys have been working very hard. It was a very good series. We just couldn’t turn it around.”They won’t be underestimating Australia, even though they have lost Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer. “They probably lack a bit of experience and that’s an area we can look forward to,” Jayawardene said. “But we can’t take them lightly at all. They’ve got a very good batting side as well.”We have to be very aggressive against Australia. We want to concentrate to our strengths. We will be aggressive but not to the extent that we will get involved with any silly incidents.”Sri Lanka have been criticised for being unable to deal with the faster surfaces in Australia, but Jayawardene insisted this was in the past and they had shown they could compete here, in the one-dayers at least. “We’ve proved we can handle pace and bounce against quality opposition and it’s a good testing ground for us to see how far we’ve come.”He also warned that teams should not underestimate Sri Lanka as a Test side. “We’ve competed well in the last 18 months – beating New Zealand in New Zealand and England in England. This is another place for us to challenge ourselves and see how far we’ve come as a Test team. That’s a goal we set ourselves three years ago. We’re pretty strong at home but for us to compete away from home we have to be very strong.”