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Graeme Hick has not ruled out returning to the England set-up – with his sights set firmly on the 2003 World Cup.The prolific Worcestershire batsman was not selected for either the two-Test series against Pakistan or the following NatWest Series. His form during the winter tours of Sri Lanka and Pakistan had been disappointing despite the team’s overall success.Hick made his England debut a decade ago and has been recalled to the England side no fewer than ten times – and he’s now holping to make it 11.Although at the age of 35 he admits the chances of any further Test appearances may be slim, he believes he still has something to offer the one-day side.”I can’t envisage myself playing Test cricket this summer againstAustralia with the way the side has been selected and the way they are nowlooking,” he said.”I accept that the winter was not the best for me personally although it wasstill one I enjoyed immensely because of the results and being part of anEngland team while it was successful.”Winning in Pakistan and Sri Lanka was special and not something you do veryoften.”I was disappointed to miss out on the one-day games against Australia andPakistan but I think there is still an opportunity or chance that I could stillbe playing in the World Cup next year.”That is my goal, to keep myself fit and be in with a fighting chance forthat, but any international cricket would be great. As long as I am playingcricket well and I am healthy then I will have those aspirations.”

Mohammad Yousuf will have to wait till April 30 to know whether he will be allowed to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The final decision of the arbitration panel hearing the case filed by the unofficial Indian Cricket League (ICL) to block Yousuf from participating in the IPL would not announce its final order till then, ICL lawyers said.The announcement is a setback for Yousuf as, with the IPL slated to begin on April 18, he is likely to miss a major chunk of the IPL even if the panel rules in his favour. ICL legal adviser Hitesh Jain was quoted by as saying that since the arbitration panel had reserved its order for final pronouncement the stay order on Yousuf from playing in the IPL remained.The ICL also challenged Yousuf’s claim that he had returned the advance payment amount he got from ICL to one of its agents in Pakistan.”Our case is that Yousuf has not returned the advance amount to ICL or to an authorised agent of ICL,” Jain said. “The person to whom Yousuf claimed to have returned the money is not ICL’s agent in Pakistan and therefore ICL has not received any money from Yousuf.”ICL still holds that there is a binding contract between ICL and Yousuf and he can’t participate in any competing league during the term of the contract.”The uncertainty surrounding Yousuf’s availability ensured that his services were unsold during the IPL auctions.

The day before the First Test at the Chittagong Divisional Stadium, the one thing more uncertain than the weather is the Indian team composition. Much of it surrounds the batting line-up, from the opening pair down to the middle order, possibly even the choice of keeper.Their squad of 15 has only one specialist opener, Wasim Jaffer; partnering him could be any one of the experienced Indian middle order – Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, and Yuvraj Singh [making a Test comeback after his knee injury kept him out of Tests in South Africa] – or Dinesh Karthik. And if Karthik opens, only Jaffer and Dravid are the other certainties.Asked about the opening pair, Dravid said he would like to keep it a bit of a surprise.The bowling attack is similarly unknown, save the fact that Dravid may go in with five bowlers, given that it is going to be difficult to get 20 wickets on a flat wicket in the hot and muggy weather. “We do have the option of playing five bowlers in these conditions considering the weather, the wicket and what we are trying to achieve in this game,” Dravid said. Zaheer Khan and Anil Kumble look the certainties with the ball, while any two or three of the other bowlers might play.Bangladesh look more certain and announced their 12, the choice made easier by the elimination of Tushar Imran who is ruled out with fever. The selection could very easily have become difficult had Habibul Bashar not recovered well from the fever he had yesterday. Bashar said today he was confident of playing in the Test.One out of Saqibul Hasan and Mehrab Hossain jnr is set to make his debut. If they play two pacers, it will be the sturdier Shahadat Hossain and not the accurate Syed Rasel who will open the bowling with Mashrafe Mortaza.Dravid said that the conditions will be the same for both the teams. Yet, that does not take away the significance of the conditions in the build-up. “The wicket looks pretty bare. It should hold together for the first two- and-a-half or three days,” Dravid said, “It might break up as the game goes on. But initially I expect it to be pretty good and hold firm for a few days at least.”It may prove difficult to get 20 wickets here, and thunderstorms are never too far away either. India, on paper by far the stronger of the two sides, will probably attack the game from the off; therein lies Bangladesh’s chance. The longer Bangladesh deny them and stay in the game, the more likely India are to get frustrated and Bangladesh’s chances of causing a big upset will only get stronger. In Dav Whatmore’s last series as the coach, Bangladesh will need the one virtue they have lacked, one that Whatmore has been demanding all through his tenure: patience.Whatmore has been in the news in his own right, of course, having reportedly shown an interest in coaching India. Would such talk, even as the series is on, have any negative impact on Bangladesh? No, says Bashar. “We have never had such problems. He [Whatmore] is a professional; whenever he is on the field, he never lets his coaching suffer,” he said. “We are doing the same thing as a professional team.”The last time Bangladesh played India, their batsmen kept at bay the Indian bowling attack, which wasn’t weaker than the current one. But from 239 for 4, they collapsed to 333, even as Mohammad Ashraful, now the vice-captain, played the innings of that series, scoring an unbeaten 158. They ended up losing that match by an innings. That was three years ago, but the story was the same last year. At Fatullah, Shahriar Nafees had scored another breathtaking century and Bangladesh got 355 for 5 in the first day, but their next 15 wickets fell for 220 runs.This Test will most likely be a battle between the persistence of Indian bowlers and the will of the Bangladesh batsmen. There could be a twist in the tale: if Bangladesh manage to put up a considerable total, they can become the aggressors as they did against Australia at Fatullah.Squads
Bangladesh: Javed Omar, Shahriar Nafees, Habibul Bahsar (capt.), Mohammad Ashraful, Rajin Saleh, Saqibul Hasan, Khaled Mashud (wk), Mashrafe Mortaza, Mohammad Rafique, Enamul Haque jnr, Shahadat Hossain, Mehrab Hossain jnrIndia: Wasim Jaffer, Dinesh Karthik, Rahul Dravid (capt.), Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ramesh Powar, Anil Kumble, Rajesh Pawar, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, VRV Singh, RP Singh

Less than a fortnight after announcing a surprise retirement from Test cricket, Shahid Afridi has reversed his decision following talks with Shaharyar Khan, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman and Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach.Afridi told Cricinfo that both had been instrumental in him reversing his surprising decision. “Bob spoke to me in Abu Dhabi and was quite upset with me for making the decision. He told me that I am one of the main players in the team and squad and that Pakistan really needed me.”Afridi also spoke to Shaharyar a couple of days ago, having initially contacted him because he was about to leave for England. Shaharyar also persuaded him likewise. “I spoke to him initially because I was off to England to play for Ireland but he said to me that I should play on as well as the team needed me. After those two, as well as many other friends and advisors, I decided to take back my decision.”Shaharyar told Cricinfo he felt Afridi had initially decided to retire because of the pressure he was putting himself under every time he went out to bat. “I don’t think it was due to any differences within the team. I think he felt the pressure of having to perform for a crowd every time he went to bat. In Faisalabad and Karachi recently the ovation he has got has been absolutely phenomenal. Some English players told me when they played in Karachi they’d never seen the type of reception Afridi got when he came out to bat. In Faisalabad, people left the stadium when he was out.”Shaharyar added that from the moment Afridi announced his `retirement’, he was determined to speak to him to convince him otherwise. “I had it in mind from the beginning to speak to him and ask him to reconsider. Then we spoke and I said to him that while it is a personal decision and it must be respected, it is disappointing nonetheless. I reminded him that his Test form of late had been brilliant and that while he may not be an automatic selection in the eleven, he is an essential member of the playing squad.”Afridi originally said that he wanted to concentrate on one-day cricket ahead of next year’s World Cup because of an increasingly heavy playing schedule and the lack of family time it allowed him. He maintained that it is still an issue. “I still say there is too much cricket and that our schedules are packed. I think the key is now how we – the PCB and the players – manage it. We have to look at issues like increased rest between matches and tours maybe or ask for rest at the right time but it has to be handled.” Afridi is due to leave for England in a couple of days to play for Ireland in the C&G Trophy.Shaharyar added, “I understand playing schedules are very hectic now but we are trying to work on it with the players. Hopefully, everybody’s concerns will eventually be seen to.” Afridi’s turnaround thus brings to an end a bizarre chapter even in a career as unconventional as his, though it does at least ensure that the Pakistani cricketing tradition of players reversing retirement decisions – think Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram – is well and truly alive.

Venkatesh Prasad, who was one half of the most effective new-ball pairing that India have had in recent times, had expressed his desire to be India’s bowling coach. Prasad has just acquired an advanced coaching certificate from England and, with his own playing days now firmly behind him, would love to work with the new generation of Indian pace bowlers.Indo-Asian News Service quoted Prasad as saying: “If the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) approaches me, I would like to take up the job. If the Board considers me handy, I would love to work with the boys. There are fantastic fast bowlers in the team and it would be great working with them.”Prasad was at his best in the mid-1990s, in tandem with Javagal Srinath, his Karnataka statemate, but he was cast aside by the selectors in 2001-02 after losing both pace and efficacy. Since the switch to coaching, he admitted that he had learnt much about the mechanics that go into the making of a great bowler.”I never knew there was so much of science involved in bowling,” he said. “So much of thought goes into every action. I never understood that bio-mechanics had such an important role to play before I went to England. Now that I have learnt the art, I am ready to share it with the bowlers here.”Prasad was candid when asked about Irfan Pathan, India’s new-ball hope who endured a miserable second half of the season. “He is a young lad with a lot of potential,” said Prasad. “He is very talented and aggressive. But too much of media attention is being a deterrent to his budding career. After a couple of 50s, he is being projected as the next all-rounder after Kapil Dev. This creates pressure.”In his view, Zaheer Khan was still the standard-bearer for Indian pace. “Zaheer Khan is undoubtedly the best Indian fast bowler now,” he said. “He is the most promising and has a great future. He has a perfect run up, a good release and perfect seam position at the time of releasing the ball.”For much of his tenure, John Wright had acknowledged the need for a bowling coach to iron out glitches in the players’ actions and approach. Now, with a new coach poised to take over, the BCCI might well see the necessity of an experienced hand to guide a largely inexperienced pace attack.

North Zone 304 for 7 (Yuvraj 106, Mongia 84, Paul 3-65) v East Zone
Scorecard
Yuvraj Singh stroked a magnificent hundred, but North Zone frittered away their commanding position towards the end of the first day of the Duleep Trophy final at Mohali. Dinesh Mongia partnered Yuvraj in a 197-run stand and, at 285 for 2, North Zone were in cruise control. But Debasis Mohanty and Shib Shankar Paul triggered a middle-order collapse with the second new ball, and inside 20 minutes North were reduced to 288 for 6. After putting North Zone in and being carted to all parts by Yuvraj and Mongia, East Zone were relieved in the end to restrict them to 304 for 7.But the day belonged to Yuvraj, a surprise last-minute inclusion in the XI. He punched his very first ball confidently from the meat of the bat, a contrast to the openers’ patient approach. He survived a huge appeal for caught behind third ball – Paul had already begun wild celebrations before the appeal was turned down. But that was the only uncertain moment in Yuvraj’s whole innings, until the run-out that ended it, and he turned on the boosters immediately after lunch. A crisp sweep was followed by some booming back-foot punches as the ball raced to the boundary.Mohanty and Saurasish Lahiri, the offspinner, dried up the runs with some disciplined bowling but Yuvraj was willing to wait. He finally broke free, creaming one to midwicket, and soon reached 50 in 90 balls. The second half of the innings took only 67 balls, with Utpal Chatterjee the target of Yuvraj’s hammer. As he approached his century, his hitting became totally effortless and he reached three figures with a flicked three to midwicket. He finally fell in the 80th over, as Mongia pushed to the covers and sent him back, only for the direct hit to leave Yuvraj short of the crease (285 for 3)Mongia, who made 84, was hardly noticeable while Yuvraj was stroking away. But Mongia used glides and pushes to good effect. He chipped away the singles, and played the supporting role effectively. Once he had passed his half-century, he drilled some rasping drives, one of them lofted straight over the long-off boundary. He fell soon after Yuvraj, driving uppishly into the hands of Laxmi Ratan Shukla at cover (285 for 4). Mongia later said: “Considering the way I was dismissed, with the ball stopping on me, I expect the wicket to become slower as the match progresses. It will turn from the third day and I am happy we are bowling last.”Mithun Manhas soon fell, padding up without offering a shot, and Joginder Sharma edged one from Paul that was taken by a lunging MS Dhoni behind the wicket (288 for 6). Ajay Ratra and Gagandeep Singh survived a few nervy moments towards the end of the day, with edges falling short of the fielders and balls beating the bat a number of times. Gagandeep eventually fell to what became the last ball of the day, and North Zone will need some stiff tailend resistance tomorrow if they want to reach 350.The first session was a struggle too, but the openers, Aakash Chopra and Gautam Gambhir, hung on grimly. The first hour contained some raucous appeals, and the sight of both openers letting the ball go past them unimpeded. Mohanty and Paul found the right length on a few occasions, and Chopra was lucky to survive when he was caught half-cock in the second over and rapped on the pads. The first boundary came as late as the 13th over, when Gambhir pulled Mohanty to square leg.Appeals for lbw were never too far away, but East muffed three crucial opportunities in the field. Chopra was dropped at second slip when he was 13, trying to slap a slightly wide delivery, and two easy run-out chances were missed. East finally got both wickets in quick succession, inevitably leg-before: Chopra (27) missed a straight one from Paul, and Gambhir (46) was beaten by a quicker one from Lahiri that might have missed leg stump (88 for 2). Devang Gandhi admitted: “Our bowlers were a bit wayward in the morning,” although he quickly added, “but they brought us back into the game in the end.”Mongia was disappointed that his team had squandered a decent start, but was optimistic about his bowlers’ chances: “After being put in to bat at Mohali, a score of 304 is a really good effort,” he said. “The ball was keeping low towards the end, and that will encourage our bowlers. They have come back into the game, but we have put the runs on the board.”The first session tomorrow should be interesting. North Zone have four medium-pacers raring to go – among them Ashish Nehra, who is itching to prove his fitness.

"As James has said, I was shocked and absolutely devastated to be informed by ASDA yesterday that a test sample which was collected in Australia on the 22nd of January indicated the presence of a prohibited substance.The full process of analysing and testing procedures are not complete until my B sample is fully examined in Australia later this week.I am shocked because I do not take performance-enhancing drugs and do not condone them in any way shape or form.I am proud to be in the shape I am in at the moment and that is due to nothing other than hard work and looking after myself with diet.I did take a fluid tablet before my comeback game in Sydney which I did not know contained a prohibited substance.The tablet actually dehydrates you and gets rid of any excess fluid in your body, and as I understand, it is not performance enhancing.I have decided to return home in the best interests of the team in their World Cup campaign and to address the situation personally, which the ACB are very supportive of.As I said I have never taken any performance enhancing drugs and am confident that this matter will be cleared up very soon.ASDA has conducted random tests for a long time now in conjunction with the ACB and my previous tests have always come back negative. So will any future ones.I have spoken to my team-mates, and they are very supportive.I wish them luck for the rest of the tournament. Whether I play a part will be decided shortly.Once all the testing and analysing has taken place there will be a hearing with the Australian Cricket Board’s anti doping Committee.Until then I will just have to deal with the situation as best I can.I would like to thank the World Cup squad for their collective support and friendship.I believe that they have the talent and the spirit to retain the World Cup with or without me.I wish them luck.As James has said, it is not appropriate to go into further details at the moment and I apologise that circumstances mean that I cannot answer questions right now."

Continuity is a word seldom associated with Pakistan cricket, so when onediscovered that seven members of the Pakistan A squad that triumphed overSri Lanka in the unofficial three-Test series, also played in the Under 19World Cup here last year, one felt obliged to comment, because the converseis true of Sri Lanka.Not a single member of the Sri Lankan team in the final Test Match, played in the Youth World Cup; a tournament in which they had defeated Pakistan in the semi-finals, before losing to India in the final. Ian Daniel, who played in the First Test Match in Dambulla, and Akalanka Ganegama, who played in the first two Test Matches, were the only representatives in the entire series.Indeed, for Pakistani players, the route into the national side is clearer.The Under 19 team side is a natural feeder into the A team and then fromthere one can progress into the national team.For Sri Lankan cricketers, however, the process is confused – there is nonatural progression from the Under 19 team to the A side. Worse, no oneseems to quite know what the A team is.Sri Lanka used 22 players in this three-match series, an unwieldy numberthat smacks of selectorial indecision and almost certainly hampered theperformances of individuals involved and contributed to the team’s eventualdownfall.With the squad being chopped and changed with alacrity, the players wereforever looking over their shoulders and were put under unbearable pressureto perform. Privately they admitted to unsettling feelings of insecurity.According to the team management, the selectors rationale was that theywanted to give an opportunity to as many players as possible. This serieswas to act as a stepping to the future when a leaner squad of approximately16 could be picked for forthcoming A tours.It is true that many players were given an opportunity, but it is thequality of that opportunity that poses the problem. With an overbearingimportance attached to each innings played and with the omnipresent threatof the axe should they fail, it is no wonder that the batsmen failed to liveup their potential.Sure, the selectors are looking for strong-minded players, but one cannotexpect even the most battle hardened young cricketers to flourish in such anenvironment of flux. Continuity of selection breeds confidence and anenvironment conducive to personal success.One wonders as to what poor Hemantha Devapriya, the A-team coach, said tohis batsmen before each match. Perhaps it was: “Good luck machang butremember, if you don’t score today, you will probably be dropped because theselectors think you may be a good player but they are not very sure.”Is it really true that the selectors could not identify a squad of 15players for the Test series? If they have not seen enough of the playersinvolved then the obvious question is, why not? A stable squad would havebeen preferred by the players and would have provided a clearer indicationas to the potential of each player.As it stands, the selectors have gained few insights from this three-matchseries. The now know that Thilan Samaraweera deserves to be promoted aheadof Kumar Dharmasena; they will realise, perhaps reluctantly, that AvishkaGunawardene is head and shoulders above the other upcoming batsmen; and thatMichael Vandort is an exceptional slip fielder and a promising batsman.Apart from those three, we know little more. Those that have failed were notgiven a proper chance, so a judgment now would be premature. This is true ofIan Daniel, Jeevantha Kulatunga, Dammika Sudharshana, Shantha Kalavitigodaand Malintha Warnapura.In the defense of the selectors they did they need to balance the needs ofthe national team. For several of the 24-man national squad this A tourprovided an ideal opportunity to gain valuable match practice against a highquality opposition. In normal circumstances the likes of Kumar Sangakkara,Tillakaratne Dilshan, and Indika de Saram may not have played.Clearly a decision has to be made: the A team is either a vehicle for thenational players to practice or it is a gateway to the senior side, a meansof providing experience to an emerging crop of players.In fact, the situation is crying for a complete overhaul of thedevelopmental system. The concept of an A team has become confused. Is itthe Sri Lankan second team, a natural feeder into the test team? Or is it acollection of young players, a true developmental team, who are unlikely toplay for the national team immediately, but could so in a couple of years?The obvious solution, in a country such as Sri Lanka where the domesticcricket is so poor, is to have two developmental sides: an A team which iseffectively a Sri Lankan 2nd XI and an Academy side, which provides astepping stone from the Under 19’s to the A team, and offers young playersan exposure to a high standard of cricket at an early age.A proper Second XI or A team is crucial because it will help to bridge thegapping divide between first class and international cricket. The Second XIwould play touring teams in Sri Lanka and could tour the likes of Australia,South Africa and England to gain greater experience. In the spirit of Asianco-operation there could even be regular tournaments with our neighbours.The Academy Side would also play touring sides in their warm-up games andtour abroad to play against the Academies that are springing up all over theworld. The important point is that the squad members get a greater exposureto a higher standard of cricket at an earlier age, something that is notpossible in the present hybrid system because the youngsters are crowded outby more established players. Even if they do get an opportunity, it is oftenshortlived.The root of the problem is, of course, domestic cricket, but that is adilemma that could take time to adequately resolve. In the meantime thesetting up of an Academy and A team is essential if Sri Lanka’s youngcricketers are to realise their full potential.

Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited, the owners of the team which has been suspended for two years in the IPL, has filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court asking for the Lodha Committee order to be set aside in so far as it relates to Super Kings. The court subsequently asked both respondents – the BCCI and India Cements – to file a response by August 27.A Super Kings insider confirmed the development, terming the writ as a “substantive challenge to the punishment.”The case is being argued by Dushyant Dave, a senior Delhi-based advocate, who has hitherto not appeared in cases relating to the franchise, has been engaged to pursue the matter. The source also clarified that the affidavit, running to 36 pages, was different from an appeal. Legal experts say that while an interim relief is unlikely at this stage, a notice may be ordered on the BCCI, listed as first respondent, seeking its response.After lying low for more than a month since being suspended by the RM Lodha Committee, Super Kings have made their first move. While sources from Super Kings had all the while suggested their appeal would be contingent to the BCCI working group’s report, the affidavit seems to have taken even those close to the franchise by surprise.Meanwhile, the BCCI working group, studying the Lodha panel verdict, is aware of the Super Kings writ, but a board official said it would not put spanner in their works. He said the working group would not await the court’s decision and instead go ahead with its decision which would be revealed to the BCCI working committee on August 28.The writ, a copy of which is in the possession of ESPNcricinfo, alleges the Lodha Committee order went against the “fundamental principles of natural justice and fair hearing”, and had “led to grave miscarriage of justice.””The Justice Lodha Committee had failed to note that the very reason for appointing a high level committee comprising of former judges of apex court was that they could look into the findings of the Mudgal committee,” Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited, the petitioner, stated in the affidavit.”The Supreme Court had categorically held they were not sitting in appeal over the findings of the Mudgal committee nor were they inclined to look into the materials which were placed before the said committee. The Justice Lodha committee always had the authority to call for the material forming the basis of the justice Mudgal committee reports as observed by the apex court in its recent order dated 7.8.2015.”Having held that the offence under Article 4.1.1 of the Anti Corruption code was extremely grave, at least the degree of culpability of the franchise ought to have been considered by the Committee.”

Bowler of the day“I don’t have too many secrets,” claimed Daniel Vettori on the eve of the match, and it’s true, he’s not a bowler of the mysterious variety, a la Warne, Murali or even Harbhajan. Even so, England struggled to make head or tail of his subtle variations of pace and flight, and he conceded his runs at less than one-and-a-half an over, while ripping out two priceless wickets in Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen. He allowed himself a good look at the track during his second-day 88, and demonstrated a knowhow that none of England’s bowlers came close to matching. All in all, he’s having a pretty good game.Crass dismissal of the daySo many to choose from, but Strauss’s has to take the biscuit, seeing as it came just three balls after lunch, at a time when he had done the hard graft and could look forward to a lengthy afternoon of accumulation. Strauss was recalled to bolster a batting line-up that mustered a solitary century in their last series in Sri Lanka, but he himself has now failed to reach three figures in 26 attempts. Vettori floated one up into the blockhole, Strauss launched himself into a reckless drive, and the ball dipped, bit and span into the stumps.False dawn of the dayWhen Kevin Pietersen launched his third delivery, from Jeetan Patel, straight back over the bowler’s head for six, it was easy to assume that the tempo of his innings had been set. Not a bit of it. That shot was entirely out of keeping with what followed. Pietersen didn’t reach the boundary again for another 90 deliveries, and only three times in all in a 131-ball stay that was his slowest ever for any score above 30.Debut of the dayTim Ambrose has been anonymous in this match so far, which in wicketkeeping terms is a very good thing. He kept flawlessly for 138.3 overs of New Zealand’s innings, then finally appeared for his first Test innings with England precariously placed on 245 for 6. By the close he was still sitting pretty on 23 not out, an innings of compact certainty that bodes well for his future. He endured an agonising first 18 deliveries, as Patel and Vettori denied him that cathartic maiden run, but in the end he tucked Vettori off his hips for one, then celebrated with boundaries from each of his next two deliveries.Scoreline of the dayEngland reached the close on 286 for 6, which was almost identical to New Zealand’s first-day 282 for 6. Paul Collingwood will have to convert his overnight 41 into a rare England century, and Ambrose will have to emulate New Zealand’s No. 8, Daniel Vettori, if they intend reaching parity before the second innings gets underway. Because the men to come, with all due respect to the obdurate Ryan Sidebottom, are not in the class of New Zealand’s lower order.Hymn of the dayThe Barmy Army were pretty subdued for most of England’s travails, but they had clearly put their down time to good use when they finally burst into voice after tea. “Ambrose. We’ve got Tim Ambrose,” they declared. “Just like Ambrosia. They made good custard. When we were kids.”