Bell replaces the injured Kevin Pietersen for the third Ashes Test here at Edgbaston after person dropped following England’s upsetting loss to the West Indies in Jamaica Bell, set to return to Test match on his Edgbaston on Thursday, is determined to improve on a humble Test average of 25 against Australia and ease the pain of being dropped.Strauss know the hurt of being dropped from England team but since being recalled in New Zealand last year he scored eight hundreds in 21 Tests..

Bell done a lot of fitness work, scored a lot of runs for Warwickshire, he’s done everything we’ve asked of him and he’s had to excavate pretty deep to do that. So strauss think he’s going to be a better batsman.England are 1-0 in the series with three to play. Pietersen is one of the most aggressive batsmen in world cricket but Strauss asked his top order to play smart cricket.

Strauss said that bell playing well he scores runs pretty quickly, just in a different style to pietersen.A lot has been talk about taking the game to the Aussies, and that’s vital, but what is even more imperative is playing the situations well.However, a middle order of Bopara, Bell and Paul Collingwood could yet be exposed, especially if openers Strauss and Cook are not capable to post a big first innings partnership as they did at Lord’s.Their middle-order has a different feel about it,Ponting said It’s a huge chance to get into middle-order, get them in beside the new ball.

I feel their batting is a little weakened without Pietersen . England know that they will be without Pietersen for the remaining series, they remain confident all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, whose fast bowling on the fifth morning at Lord’s did much to seal victory, will remain fit. Flintoff bowled two good spells, in the nets,and in the pitch and he seemed to come through those okay. Strauss said:It’s the case that you’ve to see how he respond to bowling more than in fact what happen when he’s bowling.

England won two of their last three Ashes Tests at Edgbaston, although four years ago they were given a enormous fright before achieve a two-run victory which helped them bounce back in 2005.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2009 is the biggest cricket tournament scheduled to take place in South Africa on September-2009. It considered as mini world cup. The ICC Champions Trophy will be played by 8 Test teams which have been ‘seeded’ and divided into two groups are A and B.

Group A – India, Pakistan, West Indies and Australia
Group B – South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and England

Schedule:
Tue 22 (d/n) 1st Match, Group B – South Africa v Sri Lanka

Wed23(d/n) 2nd Match, Group A – Pakistan v West Indies

Thurs24 3rd Match, Group B – South Africa v New Zealand

Fri25(d/n) 4th Match, Group B – England v Sri Lanka

Sat26 5th Match, Group A – Australia v West Indies

Sat26(d/n) 6th Match, Group A – India v Pakistan

Sun27 7th Match, Group B – New Zealand v Sri Lanka

Sun27(d/n) 8th Match, Group B – South Africa v England

Mon28(d/n) 9th Match, Group A – India v Australia

Tue29(d/n) 10th Match, Group B – England v New Zealand

Wed30 11th Match, Group A – Pakistan v Australia

Wed30(d/n) 2th Match, Group A – India v West Indies

Fri02(d/n) 1st Semi-Final – A1 v B2

Sat03(d/n) 2nd Semi-Final – B1 v A2

Mon 05 Final

Shakib Al Hasan, yet again, delivered a fine all-round performance to lead his team to a 52-run win, first over West Indies, in the series opener in Dominica. His half-century helped his team post a frightening total on a slow pitch; his tactic of bowling with left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak succeeded on West Indies early in their chase, and his dismissal of Devon Smith helped choke the resistance which threatened to cause an upset.

West Indies showed few signs of learning from their mistakes in the Test series with poor shot selection produced a top-order collapse on a track favouring slow bowlers. Shakib, without hesitation, opened bowling with Razzak, who made a winning return to international cricket after being suspended for a deduce action. Familiar to sharing the new ball – he had opened bowling in the 2007 World Cup – he struck his second ball, Dale Richards in front and returned to bowl Travis Dowlin, who found cutting too close to an arm ball. Razzak stuck to a flat path, varied his pace, got the ball to grip and surprised the batsmen with turn and bounce. The arrival of left-handed Reifer encouraged another trick from Shakib. Mahmudullah – the offspinner who dismissed Reifer on four occasions in the Test series - was brought on, and soon had the West Indies captain swinging across the line to caught at point.

West Indies had rely on their Smith, and on Bernard, who struck three half-centuries in the Test , to stage a recovery. The pair started up once Razzak was given rest, using their feet to play the spinners straight while ensure the strike rotating after the second Powerplay. Smith’s scores 65 included just three fours, while Bernard, the more cautious of the two, was prompt to see off any quiet phase with the pressure-relieving boundary. Their stand of 78 came close to evening out proceedings before Shakib made the change, brings himself in 29th over to trap Smith while sweeping across the line.. Bernard scored just one run off Shakib’s over, and out one ball later to put the visitors in control. Though the lower order kept the crowd intrigue, Razzak back with two more wickets to seal the finish. The ample win make a contrast to start of play for Bangladesh. The hosts deliver the best start to the crowd, witness their first international fixture, when Roach got opener Tamim Iqbal to edge first ball.

Ashraful craft an innings of his usual splendor. Along with Siddique, he forged a stand of 74 for the second wicket. Being aggressive, they went for their shots and, despite the early loss, punctually dealt with anything pitched up. Though there were plays and misses from Ashraful, it was not his often irrational style of batting that had proved his undoing on many an occasion. Good balls were treated with care and the loose delivery, the two rare ones from Roach in his fourth over, were hit through cover and over midwicket.

Kevin Pietersen’s contribution in the IPL will come under further analysis after it emerged injury  deteriorate on duty with the Royal Challengers Bangalore. According to Evan, Bangalore assistant coach and physiotherapist, Pietersen experience pain in his right Achilles while jogging along beachfront during the IPL. He has experienced ongoing problems in series against West Indies and Australia, and this week he went through surgery that will secondary him from the last three Tests of the Ashes series.

The ECB, who send senior medical officers Timson and Nick Pierce to South Africa to monitor their IPL-contracted players, outlined a revised training plan for Pietersen, the Bangalore captain, which the franchise medical staff strictly enforced. An ECB spokesperson described as “blatantly untrue” suggestions Pietersen had told to exhortation from running during his stint with Bangalore.Pietersen reported Loughborough before he went to South Africa and passed fit to join Bangalore team. ECB medical staff sent to Bangalore a fitness programme and at no stage Pietersen do anything to oppose that and at no stage he told not to go running.

Kevin Pietersen is the most hard-working and responsible of cricketer and prides himself on physical fitness and prepared for playing cricket. The ECB medical staff  hold him as one of the good examples of a best player who does everything within his power to achieve highest fitness to play cricket.Player participation in the IPL has been a perceptive topic in England since Flintoff damaged his knee playing for Chennai Super Kings; an injury that suffered and then ruled out of the Test and one-day series against West Indies as well as the ICC World T20.

Kevin Pietersen find himself in a race to be fit for England’s Champions Trophy battle in September, after a London-based orthopaedic surgeon warned that he need considerably longer than the estimated six weeks to recover from the surgery he undergone on his right Achilles tendon.”Kevin Pietersen has a serious problem known as chronic tendinopathy, which hasn’t respond to the usual measures of physiotherapy and injections.”Less patients end up needing surgery for this condition and therefore he is most unfortunate.”

Pietersen booked for an operation on Wednesday, after struggling throughout England’s victory in 2nd Test, they took a 1-0 lead in the Ashes with first win against Australia at Lord’s since 1934. He was never comfortable in the field, although he has record against Australia to a terrible 1116 runs in 12 Tests, at an average of 50.72.

The ECB’s Chief Medical Officer, Peirce, said Pietersen been operated by a leading surgeon who had been particularly fly in from Sweden, and that the early signs were that the operation had been routine.

The surgery involved a small scratch and trimming of the blood vessels and nerves around the sore tendon. Kevin look to undertake a comprehensive remedy programme to ensure there is no risk of reappearance. This is expected to be roughly six weeks will be taken at an suitable pace following constant review.

Bangladesh creates history and showed they were all ears in Grenada. Raqibul Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan shared 106-run partnership to charge Bangladesh to their first overseas series win. In afternoon’s play, Darren Sammy exposed to do the unbelievable but Raqibul lifted Bangladesh with a plucky innings before the equally aggressive Shakib joined him to clinch a joyful win.

West indies set a target of 215, a attacking Raqibul, who had walked in at 29 for 2, was joined by Shakib at 67 for 4 and they batted bravely to grab back the initiative. Sammy took out Raqibul and Rahim, 14 runs away for the victory, Shakib held his nerve to push the team home.

Raqibul fell 42 runs short of the target, it was he who set up the win with smashing performance. He never hit a Test fifty before and had struggled in the first Test due to affinity of playing away the body. Every time West Indies picked a wicket and exposed to charge ahead, Raqibul attacked to keep the hosts on toes. He choose to take the risky route and didn’t waste a single scoring opportunity; and he created a few chances of his own. It was risky at times but someone had to grab the plan back from West Indies and Raqibul decided to shoulder that burden. Apart from Sammy’s superb spell, Raqibul’s battle to Roach was the highlight of the session.

He started with a severe slash over point and remained confident against anything that was pitched up to him. It was a exciting battle as Roach troubled him a bit with short-pitched deliveries and Raqibul released the pressure with a couple of square drives. He flick Sammy and guided him all the way through to third man boundary and thus, preventing West Indies from deploy close-in fielders. And when Ryan Austin, the offspinner, was brought in for the last over before tea, Raqibul dispatch him over midwicket and in the last session, he played a couple of off drives .Raqibul had got a good partner the captain Shakib of bangladesh. He started off bit cheaky with a shot past second slip,a drive past mid-off, and an edge past gully and then get settled down to face the attack.

Shakib took the important role in the final session, excellent boundaries almost at will, and hit a hat-trick of fours against Roach. The first one, was cover drive with that boundary he reach his fifty,followed by a cut shot and a pull shot as Bangladesh moved towards victory.It was the first time Bangladesh bowled out the opposition for less than 250 in both innings. Untill Raqibul and Shakib took the bowling on, it was Sammy who was the star.He builds pressure with a cluster of seam deliveries in the passage outside off and gently makes the batsmen to do a mistake.

At last Bangladesh creates history the scores are West indies 237 and 209 Bangladesh are 232 and 217 for 6 Shakib 96*, and raqibul-65.

The Bangladesh spinners, led by Mahmudullah, had a day to bowl out West Indies for 237 on first day’s play in Grenada. West Indies had gone to a bright start,an attacking fifty from Dale Richards, but Mahmudullah back the initiative with a clutch of wickets. West Indies back through a courageous 95 from Dowlin but West Indies, who have to bat last on this turning track, have a lot of running to do.

West Indies started with a handsome knock from Richards and ended well with a aggressive partnership between Dowlin and Ryan Austin. After they played some poor cricket that led to their downfall, at least four batsmen fell to lame shots: Omar Phillips and Chadwick Walton threw their wickets away, Ryan Hinds played a slack drive, and David Bernard fell to a tame cut shot. You would expect more dedication from a team trying to save the series. Even Richards’ was a soft dismissal and through this series, the captain Floyd Reifer has looked out of his depth against spin.

On a damp pitch delayed the start by 30 minutes, Shakib Al Hasan chose to bowl and everyone must have been surprised at the spin track laid out for them by the curator. Shakib used himself and Enamul Haque jnr for long spells, choosing Mahmudullah in short bursts.

West Indies were smashing at 104 for 1 when Mahmudullah bowled Richards, who had hit a six, to drive loosely back to him by dragging back the length a touch. Two balls later, he done the same mistake from Hinds to lead Bangladesh’s revival. Mahmudullah’s art is not a complicated one; there aren’t any bamboozling doosras, just some steady off spin and it has been working like a treat in this series. In the second session Mahmudullah again who started to do the damage. He got one to rip leg stump to get Reifer

Only Dowlin played sensibly and has obviously played a lot of spin. Unlike some of his team-mates, he was willing to play a patient game,defending his way out of trouble. When a bad ball came he put it away and cuts but for the majority of time, he was caution personified.

At the end of day west all out for 237 and Bangladesh 35 for 1..

Andrew Strauss launched a stirring fight back to Ricky Ponting’s 150 in Cardiff, carrying his bat first day to hand England the early control in the second Test. Strong off his pads, and strong through point region, Andrew Strauss (161 not out)has to get 16 runs of his highest ever Test score and beyond the 5,000-run in his career. But the consequence of his innings may not be in personal milestones but in its impact on England team which, after the tea break, looked decided insecure against the mysterious Mitchell Johnson and the consistent Ben Hilfenhaus.

The foundations built by Strauss and Alastair Cook during an historic 196-run opening stand were poor performance by a middle order stumble that drew Australia back into the contest. And, in both cases, Johnson was the crucial figure.

In his first 11 overs Johnson conceded 77 runs, including 15 boundaries, to allow England the opportunity to build partnership. Australia head appeared absolutely blunt in his exchanges with Strauss and Cook, guilty of straying both sides of the wicket and fails to find a consistent length before tea.

But a change of session came a change of fate. The ball, which refused to swing suddenly found its arc.His reverse swing slow down a scoring rate that had threatened to twist out of control, and eventually accounted for the wicket of Matt Prior, bowled to a beautiful, delivery.

Strauss, who ground his way to his highest score on home ground, Johnson, Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle may well have detained back all the initiative surrendered in the previouus sessions. As it was, England headed to stumps in a position of strength, perhaps not as strong as they might hoped, after a final session in which four wickets fell for just 109 runs.

Together with Cook, Strauss played the highest 1st wicket partnership by England combination at Lord’s (196) in an Ashes Test.Though Cook fell just five runs short of his ton, becoming Johnson’s 100th Test wicket.

. Hauritz,drops a powerfully return catch by Strauss, dislocated the middle finger on his bowling hand and was taken away for treatment immediately. So the force of Strauss’s drive that Hauritz, upon viewing his twisted finger, immediately signals to the dressing room and almost vomited on the playing surface.

Scans cleared Hauritz of a fracture, and the off-spinner resume his place in the final session. But the Australians will nonetheless significant concerns over Hauritz’s effectiveness over the four days – and also the workload of their fast bowlers, who are playing the second of consecutive test matches.

Extras, misfields all shattered Australia’s morning effort, but by far the biggest disappointment was Johnson, who arrived on these shores trumpet as the best paceman in international cricket.

Siddle, too, fails to compete with the slope of the Lord’s pitch and making difficult for Brad Haddin. Australia’s only charm was Hilfenhaus, who began the match with three consecutive maidens and was pleased in second session with the wicket of Ravi Bopara. He might also had Strauss earlier in the second session, if not for the small detail of his no-ball and Haddin’s turfed catch. Strauss reached his 18th century moments before tea..

The confident of England openers lifted the course of the first session. Cook, is the real aggressor, absorbed the capacity Lord’s crowd in lead-up to lunch by pulling Johnson at every opportunity – not all of them from bad deliveries – and reach his half-century raised from just 73 deliveries.

England’s day tapering thereafter. Bopara’s cheap dismissal and by that of Kevin Pietersen, whose impression is dimming with each innings at present.. Paul Collingwood, the rock of Cardiff, then fell to the careless stroke off Michael Clarke, and was soon followed by Andrew Flintoff, the departing hero, who edged a Hilfenhaus offering to Ponting

Strauss to save for England, and the captain duly grateful. He saw off both the reverse-swinging old, and the harder new ball one to take advantage remained heading into the second day.

At the end of day England score is 364 for 6 Andrew Strauss-161* and Board-7*..

Andrew Flintoff has announced that he will retire from Test match cricket at the end of this Ashes, although he still intend to make himself available for Twenty20 and ODI cricket, and is expected to be fit for second Test against Australia.

Flintoff, who missed 25 matches out of England’s last 48 Tests cricket for a variety of injuries, suffered from another fitness scare for the Lord’s Test, when he reported pain and swelling in the same right knee that required surgery back in April, after he tore his meniscus while playing in the IPL.

” I just thought of overnight, it’s something that has been on my mind for a while in this series,” said Flintoff. “

“I had four ankle injuries and knee surgery, so my body is telling me things, and I’m actually starting to listen. I can’t just play games here and there while waiting to be fit. For my own and for my family’s, I’ve got to draw a line under it.

Prior to England’s practice session on Wednesday, Flintoff gave the team talk in a sombre atmosphere, and afterwards Collingwood immediately came up and shook him hand. An said”Andrew that these four Tests will be last in Test

The knee injury that exposed his participation at Lord’s followed a brave performance in the first Test, in which Flintoff bowled 35 overs but once again under-rewarded with figures of 1 for 128. Strauss hopeful on Wednesday Flintoff will pass through a fitness test and available for selection, and he was seen skipping during England’s warm-up in the indoor nets, before padding up for batting practice, then sending down a few pacey overs on the nets.

“The indications are that he’s going to be fine,” Strauss said. “He had a good bowl today, we just need to see how he reacts to what he did today before we can be 100% sure. At this stage we are hopeful but we can’t be sure.

A match in which finally ended in an definite seven-wicket win for Sri Lanka, as they sealed their first home series win against Pakistan with a convincing performance at the P Sara Oval. Pakistan were left to another batting collapse of enormous proportions, one in which they lost nine wickets for 35 to go from a commanding 285 for 1 to 320 all out. That set Sri-lanka target of 171 knocked off in a mere 32 overs to ensure a three-day result.

That seemed a possibility when play started this morning, and seemed even less likely when Fawad Alam and Younis Khan were monitoring their 200-run second-wicket partnership in the morning. Pakistan wiped 150 run with aplomb, and were building a substantial lead of their own; the pitch was flat, offering little assistance for pace or spin, and the Sri Lankans appeared completely deflated. Sri Lanka got a very small glimmer when Younis thrown his wicket attempting a reverse sweep against the part-time offspin of Tharanga Paranavitana with the second new ball just two overs away, and from there it went horribly wrong for Pakistan.

Surprisingly, it was Rangana Herath who take the new ball, and surprisingly, he strike immediately, removing Mohammad Yousuf with his second ball. That trigger a collapse, as seven more wickets fell in the next 92 deliveries. Pakistan recovered brilliantly from first-innings debacle, but there was no escape route this time around.

Nuwan Kulasekara struggled for seam and swing in the first 80 overs, but with the new ball in overcast conditions, he suddenly found blown up inswing, trapping four batsmen lbw. Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Abdur Rauf and Saeed Ajmal all got their front foot too far across, though Misbah was unlucky as the ball seemed to miss leg stump.

Herath, meanwhile, effective with the straighter one as he was with the one which turned. The lack of turn accounted for Yousuf, Shoaib Malik and Umar Gul, while turn and bounce ended Fawad’s exceptional innings of 168, the 2 nd-highest by a Pakistan debutant. His four wickets with the new ball gave him figures of 5 for 99.

At lunch, although, no one could have seen the end coming, as Fawad and Younis reduced Sri Lanka’s bowlers and fielders to a completely dispirited lot, adding 116 in 28 overs for the loss of just one wicket.

Sangakkara’s tactics were puzzling – the second over of the day was bowled by Paranavitana – and when he did turn to his main bowlers, the results weren’t much better. Ajantha Mendis had a shocker, either dragging the balls too short or serving half-volleys, and leaked 38 in six overs, including five fours.

It was all going accurately as Pakistan would have wanted it to, till Sangakkara gave the second new ball to Herath. The collapse that followed seem to completely take the fight out of Pakistan, for when they took the field to defend 170, they were flat and dull. Gul and Mohammad Aamer bowled on both sides and got none of the movement that Kulasekara had managed earlier in the afternoon. The aggressive Malinda Warnapura cashed in, getting a flood of boundaries with pulls and flicks to ensure that Sri Lanka never felt the pressure of chasing an itchy target against an attack known to trigger collapses.

The opening partnership added 60 in ten overs, and even when that pair was separated, with Paranavitana playing a sweep, Pakistan were never in the contest as Sangakkara carried on from where he had left off the innings. Younis brought back Gul for a late spell, hoping for some reverse swing but Gul managed neither. A lofted six by Sangakkara off Malik brought down the target to just 11, but he wasn’t in the middle to celebrate his first series win as captain, falling off the next delivery. With Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera around, though, that hardly matter.