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At last after so long a wiat, England has finally got a leg-spinner prospect in the form of Adil Rashid. Yorkshire player Adil is being so precious for them that they don’t want to expose him too early and he is being trained and coached by Warne’s mentor Terry Jenner.

The insiders at the English country say that Adil Rashid is even better than Warne and Anil Kumble and his leg spin would snatch English glory back and he would be detrimental to Australia in the Ashes.

Andrew Flintoff says he is ready to return for England in the first Test against New Zealand next week despite his dismal form with the bat this season. Flintoff was bundled out for a pair this week in Lancashire’s match against Durham, but his bowling has been sharp since he came back from his fourth ankle operation.

“I definitely feel I could play a Test match now,” Flintoff told the Sun. “I’ve missed a lot of international cricket in the past, so I’m itching to play for England once more. My bowling in both forms of the game has been going very well. The ball is coming out nicely and there have been no ill-effects or twinges in the ankle, which is a big relief.”

Senator Enver Baig, member of the Senate’s sports committee is not going to leave Dr. Nasim Ashraf the chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board in peace. He has been continuously after the affairs of the PCB and this time he intends to make it more harder for them.

Senator Enver Baig is right now investigating the bank accounts and expenditures of the cricket board, and he is of the sure view that the monetary affairs of PCB are very fishy, and that should be probed from the National Accountability Bureau.

Match facts

Saturday, May 10, 2008
Start time 20.00 (local), 14.30 (GMT)

The Big Picture

Chennai and Punjab clashed for the first time in the second match of the Indian Premier League and a century from Michael Hussey ensured that the match was a no-contest. Since then Punjab have hit a formidable run of form, and are on a five-match winning streak, while Chennai took a beating after their top performers left. Punjab’s strength lies in their contingent of effective Indian bowlers – Irfan Pathan, Sreesanth, VRV Singh and Piyush Chawla – which allows them to pack their top order with quality international batsmen to complement Yuvraj Singh.

Shoaib Akhtar, the Rawalpindi Express of Pakistan, which more often than not remains de-railed and has just luckily got a relief from yet another crisis is once again in the media as usual not because of his bowling but because of his controversial statements.

His bickering continuous in the India, where he has reached to play lucrative Indian Premier League. Shoaib Akhtar perhaps thought that all the IPL cheerleaders would welcome him on the airport and would carry him to the hotel. He perhaps thought that Maheesh Bhutt would come himself and would insist on the Hero role in his next upcoming flop buster.

New Zealand Cricket has started its search for a new coach after John Bracewell’s decision to step down when his contract expires next April. Bracewell, who started his term in 2003, stayed in the job despite a strong external push to remove him following the 2007 World Cup and has been given the luxury of picking his exit date.

Bracewell is currently on New Zealand’s tour in England – the first Test starts at Lord’s on Thursday – and the announcement gives the country’s officials plenty of time to find a suitable replacement for the re-developing Test and one-day outfits.

Michael Clarke has forced a change in Australia’s West Indies tour plans after pulling out of the start of the trip due to the serious condition of his fiancé’s father. Clarke was due to make his debut as Australia’s Test vice-captain following the retirement of Adam Gilchrist, but the batsman will not leave with the team on Saturday after being granted compassionate leave by Cricket Australia.

Clarke’s dad Les has Hodgkin’s disease, but it is the condition of the father of Clarke’s fiancé Lara Bingle that is the most concerning. Graham Bingle has had liver cancer for more than a year and Clarke left the team camp in Brisbane before its conclusion on Friday to fly to Sydney.

Rajasthan Royals strolled to the top of the table with an eight-wicket win over Deccan Chargers, who offered little resistance in a match that was effectively decided in the first innings. Deccan posted a below-par 140 and looked listless as Rajasthan’s efficient batting chased the target with four overs to spare.

After their batsmen collapsed in spectacular fashion following Adam Gilchrist’s dismissal, Deccan’s fielders, perhaps hindered by the dust storm blowing across the stadium, failed to save runs and apply any pressure on Rajasthan. Deccan have now lost six matches out of eight and, with six games to play, their chances of making the semi-finals look dim.