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The BCCI has moved the Supreme Court challenging the participation of Lalit Modi in the Rajasthan Cricket Association elections

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jan-2014

The BCCI has moved the Supreme Court challenging the participation of Lalit Modi in the Rajasthan Cricket Association elections. The decision to do so was taken by the working committee last week, where it was agreed upon that the board would intervene in the ongoing case filed by former RCA chief Kishore Rungta and would seek clarification from the Supreme Court regarding the BCCI’s resolution to ban the former IPL chairman for life.Modi is expected to return to cricket administration as RCA president, the election for which was held last month. The results will be out on January 6 with the ballots in possession of the Supreme Court till then. The court is monitoring the elections and has appointed a former judge, Narendra Kasliwal, to oversee the process.While expelling Modi on multiple charges of misconduct, the BCCI had said that “he shall not in future be entitled to hold any position or office, or be admitted in any committee or any member or associate member of the board”. Modi, however, got his candidature for the RCA presidency approved by the Supreme Court by exploiting a technicality that the RCA was governed by the Rajasthan Sports Act.The BCCI filed a petition in the Supreme Court holding that that any association that its state bodies maintain with Modi is tantamount to tarnishing of the board’s image. The BCCI’s petition to the apex court also claimed that Modi’s nomination was improper as it was carried out despite the board’s stern objection to the same. The RCA elections were overseen by two Supreme Court-appointed former judges, with Modi allowed to contest as the polls were not governed by BCCI rules. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case on January 6.

Faf du Plessis has described himself as a “morally good person” who does not want to be associated with cheating in his first comment since the ball-tampering episode

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2013

South Africa batsman Faf du Plessis has described himself as a “morally good person” who does not want to be associated with cheating in his first public comment since the ball-tampering episode that took place during the second Test against Pakistan in Dubai last month.South Africa had five penalty runs awarded against them and the ball was changed after the 30th over of Pakistan’s second innings, when the on-field umpires identified du Plessis as the person who changed the condition of the ball. Du Plessis was later booked under law 42 and fined 50% of his match fee after he did not contest the charge.In the immediate aftermath, AB de Villiers had insisted that South Africa “are not cheats.” After du Plessis pleaded guilty and was sanctioned, team manager Mohammad Moosajee read out a statement explaining that they had decided not to contest du Plessis’ charge because they feared doing so would result in a greater penalty. They said calling du Plessis’ actions ball tampering was “harsh,” though the ICC had termed it as such.In his column for South African sports website, SuperSport.com, du Plessis insisted he did not intentionally tamper with the ball and was merely drying it. “We all know in cricket that there is a ball to be worked on and kept shiny,” he wrote. “In the UAE, the added element is that it’s incredibly hot and part of the challenge is keeping the ball dry from the sweat of the bowlers. So, in a team you have designated ball ‘shiners’ and ball ‘workers’, and I’m one of them. It’s usually the guys who don’t bowl or who don’t sweat as much as the others.”There are ways of ‘working’ the ball as much as possible within the rules, such as bouncing the ball on the wicket, trying to bowl cross-seam, and basically trying to scuff the ball as much as possible, naturally, so that it’s easier for the bowlers to grip.”So, I was trying to keep the ball as dry as possible. As the footage showed, I was on the rough side of the ball, and I’ll be the first to admit that I was working it far too close to my zip. That’s obviously what the third umpire saw on TV.”But, when the on-field umpires inspected the ball, there wasn’t a scratch mark or anything untoward on the ball. In fact, it was in excellent shape and wasn’t reverse-swinging at all. Basically, the condition of the ball hadn’t been changed, and that’s why I think my penalty was not as harsh as the sentences given out for other similar incidents.”Harsher penalties for ball-tampering include up to 100% of the players’ match fee and a ban of one Test, two ODIs or two T20s, but du Plessis escaped that. In response, the PCB, whose players have been banned from matches in the past, wrote a letter to the ICC seeking clarification for the inconsistencies in the application of the law. There has yet to be a public comment explaining the different sentences.Du Plessis indicated he wants to put the incident behind him and said he has learnt to “always make sure you are morally on the right side of things.””I pride myself on being a morally good person, and that’s why this past week has been so difficult, as people have been quick to label me a cheat. That’s not the kind of person I am and it’s not the kind of person I want to be associated with.”He also said he has become extra wary during his ball-drying duties. “When someone throws me the ball, I’m afraid to even look at it, and rather just catch it and get rid of it.”

Sri Lanka A cricketer Ramith Rambukwella will be fined 50% of his tour fee after he caused mild panic on a flight by attempting to open the cabin door at 35,000 feet. Sri Lanka Cricket’s executive committee has also asked the board chief to serve Rambukwella with a severe warning for his behaviour, an official release said.The incident had occurred on a flight from St. Lucia to Gatwick airport in London, as the team returned from the tour of the West Indies. Eyewitnesses quoted by the had said Rambukwella appeared to be intoxicated, and wrestled with the cabin door for up to two minutes. Rambukwella, the son of Sri Lanka’s mass media minister, said he had mistaken the cabin door for the lavatory, and suggested he had been half-asleep, which is what prompted the error.After the incident was reported in the media, an initial report was submitted by the A team manager Jayantha Seneviratne, before an inquiry was launched by SLC’s anti-corruption officer, though the incident is unrelated to his usual purview. Bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake is said to have been the primary witness, after several of Rambukwella’s team-mates were unwilling to testify.

The USA Cricket Association (USACA) announced on Friday its intention to stage a Men’s National Tournament at a newly developed cricket facility in the city of Indianapolis, Indiana beginning in 2014. A joint press release by USACA and Indy Parks stated that USACA will host a four-day national championship involving eight regional teams in Indianapolis every summer from 2014-2016.”The 2014 USACA National Men’s Cricket Championship will provide the most talented cricketers in this country with the opportunity to compete in a first class facility against the best in the nation,” said USACA chief executive Darren Beazley. “It will be an important component in USACA’s mission to develop cricket at all levels, from youth to adult, and it will create an occasion to showcase our sport to a non-traditional cricket audience.”Last month, the city of Indianapolis approved plans for a $6 million multi-sport facility to be built on the east side of the city at the site of Post Road Community Park. Plans for the cricket facility were first reported by ESPNcricinfo in 2009. In addition to cricket, the facility will also have sports fields designed for soccer, rugby and lacrosse among other sports. According to a source, the cricket fields will have artificial pitches in order to make the facility easier to maintain for multi-sport purposes.”For over 30 years, Indianapolis has billed itself as the amateur sports capital of the world,” said Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard. “This facility and this tournament puts Indianapolis in a leadership position as the second most popular sport in the world grows in this country.”Despite the mayor’s eagerness over the plan, it has not been met with unanimous approval. “If we’re dependent on them, I’m worried,” Indianapolis City Councilor Christine Scales was quoted as saying about USACA in the . Scales is leading a counter proposal in city government to use the $6 million in funds designated for the stadium to pay for more police officers on the city’s streets instead.Various Indianapolis media outlets reported on Friday that some city officials expect thousands of spectators to attend from across the country for the USACA tournaments. City officials also reportedly are anticipating that USACA’s domestic championships will generate revenue for both the city and USACA through ticket sales and broadcast rights fees.Such ambitious targets would be a giant leap forward from the overall lack of community support shown during the course of recent history in domestic and international tournaments involving the United States regional and national teams. USACA has no scheduled domestic tournaments for 2013 and has not held a 50-over national championship since 2010.The last domestic tournaments USACA held of any kind were in 2011. That year, the inaugural USACA Twenty20 national tournament was shifted from Dallas, Texas to Newark, New Jersey just weeks before the scheduled starting date. Despite Twenty20 routinely billed as a format perfectly suited to the American audience, only a handful of spectators attended. The tournament was infamous for its shoddy organization, treacherous field conditions and administrators who had to be separated outside the boundary after nearly coming to blows.Poor spectator turnout for domestic events has been a routine problem for tournaments staged in Lauderhill, Florida at the $70 million Central Broward Regional Park. After opening in 2008, USACA held their Men’s 50-over National Championship at the 5000 seat stadium in Florida in 2009 and 2010, during which not more than a few dozen people attended. Roughly the same amount of spectators turned out this March for the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament, which USA won 8-0 to clinch a spot at the 2013 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier. None of the matches were broadcast on TV or radio.”Not one of those events puts anybody in the stands,” said Lauderhill Mayor Richard J Kaplan in an interview with ESPNcricinfo in April. “It doesn’t sell one ticket. I don’t need a multi-million dollar stadium with 5000 permanent seats to sit there with nobody using it.”The decision to host national tournaments at a facility with an artificial wicket rather than the natural turf facility offered at the Central Broward Regional Park may drive a bigger wedge between Kaplan and USACA, pushing Kaplan and Lauderhill officials towards carrying out a plan to redevelop the stadium for sports other than cricket in an effort to generate revenue.Kaplan detailed his frustrations over the lack of revenue generating cricket events at the Central Broward Regional Park in a letter to ICC chief executive David Richardson in April. In that letter and a subsequent interview with ESPNcricinfo, Kaplan placed the blame squarely on USACA for not doing enough to promote the sport. He had been pushing for more events with Full Members to be held at the stadium, such as last year’s successful Twenty20 series between West Indies and New Zealand, but said that two revenue generating matches a year are not enough to sustain the facility’s operating costs.”From those games we believe it is [commercially sound], but you can’t have games unless they’re sanctioned,” Kaplan said. “You can’t survive on putting on one event a year, and waiting a few weeks before the event before you even get permission to put it on. That just does not work.”Rumors have been circulating since May that the West Indies and Pakistan have agreed to play a pair of T20 matches in Florida next month following Pakistan’s scheduled ODI tour to the Caribbean, but a USACA official would not confirm that any matches have been agreed to be staged in Florida. No formal announcement has been made by the PCB or WICB either.

MatériaMais Notícias

O peruano Christian Cueva fez seu primeiro jogo com a camisa do Santos e, embora não tenha brilhado, mostrou que pode ser bastante útil ao elenco de Jorge Sampaoli nos próximos meses. O jogador de 27 anos se apresentou à torcida antes da bola rolar, com rápido aceno no gramado, e foi titular durante mais de 65 minutos no Pacaembu, contra o Mirassol. Não fez gols e nem deu assistências para os companheiros, mas fez bom jogo. A equipe venceu com um gol de Jean Mota nos acréscimos.

Logo nos primeiros minutos de partida, Cueva impressionou ao dominar a bola atrás da linha do meio-campo e dar preciso lançamento para Yeferson Soteldo, na ponta esquerda do ataque. Ali, já havia empolgado o torcedor santista presente no estádio.

A movimentação de Cueva funcionou desde a linha de meio-campo até o miolo do setor, enfiado entre a defesa do Mirassol. Por vezes, recebeu a bola de frente e, em outras, de costas para o gol. Logo no início da etapa complementar, um belo passe para Jean Mota empolgou novamente os torcedores. A finalização foi rebatida pelo goleiro rival.

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ELÉTRICO!
O começo da etapa complementar foi bastante intenso para Cueva. Além do ótimo passe para Jean Mota, uma boa jogada de Yeferson Solteldo pela ala terminou com pelo chute do camisa 8 peruano. Não conseguiu, porém, aliviar a ansiedade pelo primeiro gol, já que a bola acabou defendida.

Mais próximo à área, incomodou a defesa do Mirassol sempre pronto para dar o passe ou se movimentar buscando abrir espaços. Acabou substituído aos 19 minutos para a entrada de Carlos Sánchez. Embora sem concretizar a boa atuação com gols ou assistências, deve assumir o posto de titular em pouco tempo no Peixe.Se a primeira impressão é a que fica, esta deixada pelo peruano foi boa!

غاب النجم النرويجي إيرلينج هالاند عن التسجيل في الجولة السابعة والثلاثين من الدوري الإنجليزي، خلال مباراة مانشستر سيتي وتشيلسي.

كذلك لم يتمكن المصري محمد صلاح من التسجيل في الجولة نفسها، خلال مباراة ليفربول وأستون فيلا.

بينما سجل هاري كين لاعب توتنهام هدفًا خلال مواجهة برينتفورد، رغم خسارة الديوك بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف. ترتيب هدافي الدوري الإنجليزي بعد نهاية الجولة السابعة والثلاثين

إيرلينج هالاند، مانشستر سيتي، 36 هدفًا.

هاري كين، توتنهام، 28 هدفًا.

إيفان توني، برينتفورد، 20 هدفًا.

محمد صلاح، ليفربول، 19 هدفًا.

كالوم ويلسون، نيوكاسل، 17 هدفًا.

ماركوس راشفورد، مانشستر يونايتد، 16 هدفًا.

مارتن أوديجارد، آرسنال، 15 هدفًا.

جابريل مارتينيلي، آرسنال، 15 هدفًا.

أولي واتكينز، أستون فيلا، 14 هدفًا.

بوكايو ساكا، آرسنال، 13 هدفًا.

ويمكنكم متابعة ترتيب هدافي الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، موسم 2022/23، محدث بشكل مستمر من هنا.

فاز الفريق الأول لكرة الطائرة بنادي الزمالك “سيدات” على نظيره الجيش الرواندي بنتيجة 3-0 في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما على صالة “نابل” بتونس، ضمن منافسات الجولة الأولى للمجموعة الرابعة لبطولة إفريقيا للأندية التي تستضيفها تونس خلال الفترة من 12 إلى 23 مايو الجاري.

اقرأ أيضا.. نوران سعد لـ بطولات: الزمالك لم يكن متراجعًا في دوري الطائرة.. وهدفنا البطولة القارية

وجاءت نتائج الأشواط كالتالي:-

25/18
25/16
25/11

ويتواجد فريق “سيدات طائرة الزمالك” في المجموعة الرابعة بجانب: “ليتو بطل الكاميرون والجيش بطل رواندا والجمارك بطل نيجيريا”.

يذكر أن البطولة تقام بمشاركة 16 فريقا تم تقسيمها إلى 4 مجموعات حيث ضمت كل مجموعة 4 فرق، على أن يتأهل أول وثاني كل مجموعة لدور الـ8.

ويطمح فريق “سيدات طائرة الزمالك” في حصد لقب البطولة الإفريقية لتحقيق الثنائية بعد حصد لقب كأس مصر.

ويتكون الجهاز الفني لفريق “سيدات طائرة الزمالك” من؛ أحمد فتحي مديرًا فنيًا، ومحمد أنور مدربًا مساعدًا وإكرامي هيكل مدربًا وسمية أخصائيًا للعلاج الطبيعي وشادي فهيم محللًا وهبة حسنين مديرًا إداريًا.

A round-up of the seventh round of Ranji Trophy’s Group C matches on December 17, 2012

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Dec-2012
ScorecardThe match between Services and Jammu and Kashmir is poised for an exciting finish after another day of see-sawing fortunes in Delhi. J&K managed to put up a fight in their second innings, adding another 133 runs to their overnight 136 for 6, and sniffed an opening when their bowlers reduced Services to 7 for 3. But Yashpal Singh and Soumya Swain shared a recovery stand to inch closer to the target., They ended the day on 71 for 4, needing another 63 runs.J&K, after being virtually out of the contest on the second day, began the third positively as their unbeaten batsmen Manik Gupta and Ram Dayal stuck for the first 22.5 overs of the day. Both batsmen got to half-centuries but couldn’t carry on. A target of 134 didn’t seem likely to test their opponents, but Services’ top three departed quickly.
ScorecardIn a tight battle for first-innings lead, Goa edged past Himachal Pradesh, ending the third day on 347 for 8, nine runs ahead of Himachal’s 338. Middle-order batsman Reagan Pinto and opener Swapnil Asnodkar played two crucial knocks — 85 not out and 80 respectively – to help Goa take the lead. But it looked unlikely when they were 193 for 6 after losing five wickets for 33 runs at one stage.Asnodkar and No. 3 Amogh Desai resumed at 118 for 1, and the team had progressed to 160 for 2 when Asnodkar got out. This led to a slide, but vital stands between Pinto and Shadab Jakati, and later between Pinto and Saurabh Bandekar helped them recover.
ScorecardTripura face a tough final day and are in with a chance of saving the game against the dominant Kerala. They face a deficit of 203 runs to make Kerala bat again, after a poor day at the Maharaja Bir Bikram College Stadium. Pacer Unnikrishnan Manukrishnan registered his best figures in his short first-class career when he added two more wickets to his overnight tally of four wickets, and with another newcomer Sandeep Warrier, who took three wickets, helped bowl Tripura out for 127.After being enforced the follow-on, Tripura were again in trouble at 7 for 2, but a 63-run stand briefly halted the one-way traffic, before another wicket fell. Sreesanth, coming back from surgery to his toe, took his first first-class wicket since November, 2011.
ScorecardAmol Muzumdar scored his third century this Ranji season to firmly put his team in command after the third day of the game against Jharkhand in Dhanbad. Starting the day at 132 for 4 , Muzumdar built on his stand with AG Pradeep and later found support from Duvvarapu Shivkumar and Rajesh Pawar to help Andhra put up 410 giving them a 153-run lead. Jharkhand were 20 without loss at stumps.Muzumdar struck 20 fours and two sixes in his 275-ball 180. He is now among Ranji’s top ten run-getters this season.

Virat Kohli was once again the architect of a successful Indian chase, one that clinched the ODI series for India – they took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series

The Report by Siddhartha Talya31-Jul-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Manoj Tiwary claimed his best List A figures – 4 for 61 – to help set up India’s comfortable victory•AFPVirat Kohli was once again the architect of a successful Indian chase, one that clinched the ODI series for India – they took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match competition. Kohli anchored India’s response to 251, and was helped along by Suresh Raina, who struck his third half-century of the series, each of which came in an India win. Both had their moments of fortune, just when Sri Lanka had fought their way back, but once set, they approached the target confidently, never allowing the required-rate to go above six and often being imperious in their shot-making. A game that promised to be close at one point eventually produced a comprehensive winner.Sri Lanka had edged ahead when Manoj Tiwary was trapped in front trying to sweep Jeevan Mendis to make it 109 for 4. Kohli had survived a run-out chance when on 19 and after he lost Tiwary, it was Raina who went through some jitters. An appeal for caught-behind was turned down when on 2, a run-out was missed when he was on 19 and Mahela Jayawardene dropped a sitter at slip two balls later. Kohli then survived a close shout for lbw while on 77, and was put down after his century – though, by then, India’s task was all but complete. Sri Lanka’s fielding, though occasionally impressive, was below-par for the bulk of the game – they leaked at least 11 runs in overthrows.Those lapses could have been decisive but were rare incidents of discomfort for the two batsmen. On a track favourably disposed to batting, such moments of anxiety were easy to put behind, as both Kohli and Raina drove assuredly through the line, used their feet well against spin and found it easy to step up and go over the top when a victory seemed within striking distance. Kohli played the supporting role when Virender Sehwag was going strong, was an equal contributor in a rebuilding stand with Tiwary and took the lead in the company of Raina. The transition from one role to the other was seamless.Smart stats

India won their third consecutive bilateral series in Sri Lanka. Their last loss in a bilateral series in Sri Lanka came in 1997, when they lost 3-0.Since 2006, India have gone on to win all five bilateral series against Sri Lanka (home and away).

The six-wicket win is MS Dhoni’s 22nd against Sri Lanka in 38 matches. He goes past Imran Khan on the list of captains with the most ODI wins against Sri Lanka.

Virat Kohli’s century is his eighth in chases and 13th overall. It is also his fifth century against Sri Lanka. Among India batsmen, only Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir have more centuries against Sri Lanka.

Only Tendulkar (14 centuries) has more hundreds than Kohli has (13) before turning 24. Chris Gayle is a distant third with nine centuries.

Kohli’s average of 61.02 is the best among batsmen who have scored 1000-plus runs in chases in ODIs. He is already joint-sixth on the list of batsmen with the most centuries in ODI chases.

The 146-run stand between Kohli and Suresh Raina is the third-highest fifth-wicket stand for India against Sri Lanka. The highest fifth-wicket stand of 223 between Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja also came at the R Premadasa stadium.

The partnership run-rate of 7.82 during the stand is the second-highest for a fifth-wicket stand (100-plus partnerships) and the seventh-highest overall for India against Sri Lanka. The same pair holds the record for the best run-rate (13.09), which came during their 120-run stand in Hobart earlier this year.

Kohli began his innings with an audacious pull off Lasith Malinga but in a partnership of 49 with Tiwary, after India were 60 for 3, struck just one boundary. Both ran well between the wickets, pressing for twos with the field spread out and Tiwary appeared to be in the groove, flicking a couple of fours through the leg side. His first batting stint this series was preceded by the loss of Sehwag and Rohit Sharma in quick succession. Sehwag, after appearing set for a long knock, was caught smartly at extra cover off a leading edge and Rohit, nervous from the outset and fighting for his place in the XI, was lbw when playing across to debutant seamer Nuwan Pradeep. The umpire’s call to double-check for a no-ball only prolonged his anxiety, but he knew soon he’d fluffed another chance.Raina was shaky to begin with but a generous dose of length deliveries gave him several opportunities to free up. After being dropped, he gradually settled in by picking off singles as Kohli was becoming increasingly dominant at the other end and eventually, in the batting Powerplay, accelerated with a sliced boundary over point off Pradeep before dispatching him for a straight six. At the start of that over, India needed 78 off 14 overs. After Raina had kick-started India’s race to the finish, Kohli made the rest of the innings a one-man show.With the fielding restrictions still on, Kohli entered the nineties, smacking Thisara Perera over midwicket, followed by a six over the sightscreen. He reached his 13th ODI century with a pull off Malinga before thrashing Rangana Herath to different parts of the ground for four fours in an over to all but seal the game. Extra cover, square leg and deep midwicket were his preferred scoring areas, the bowlers having no answers against his powerful, and skilful, wristwork.Though Sri Lanka finished on a high in their innings, they would, presumably, have fallen short of their desired score after choosing to bat. India’s decision to leave out a frontline bowler in Rahul Sharma – instead of the struggling Rohit – to make way for Tiwary raised eyebrows but, as it turned out, Tiwary played a crucial role in restricting the hosts.Dinesh Chandimal was going along fluently but his knock was cut short when he swung a Tiwary long hop straight to deep square leg. The innings began to stagnate when Jayawardene miscued a sweep off Sehwag shortly after and India’s part-timers proved so effective that Zaheer Khan, their best bowler, bowled just six overs. Angelo Mathews consumed 32 deliveries for his 14 before holing out, Mendis was bowled playing the reverse-sweep and Perera was caught in the deep – all off Tiwary. This slide undermined an opening stand of 91 between Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga, and India’s non-regular bowlers picked up five wickets in 22 overs, conceding 112. Tiwary was an unlikely bowling hero for India; the stars with the bat had already built a solid reputation.

With England leaving out three frontline bowlers for the final one-day international against West Indies the issue the issue of rotation has again been brought to the fore

Andrew McGlashan20-Jun-2012

With England leaving out three frontline bowlers for the final one-day international against West Indies the issue of rotation has again been brought to the fore. It has ignited the debate about whether the game is being cheapened, especially for those who have paid considerable amounts for tickets to the match at Headingley.Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann – the three players missing Friday’s ODI – are the only first-choice picks across all three formats for England following Kevin Pietersen’s limited-overs retirement and Ian Bell, who is now back in the 50-over side as Pietersen’s replacement, understands that some of the public will be disappointed at not seeing a number of the star names.”Of course, I have some sympathy,” said Bell. “It has slightly weakened our attack, but I still think it is a team that can go out and beat West Indies. There’s no doubt people want to come to see the Broads, Andersons and Bresnans. But they will be seeing young, exciting guys who will be big players for England over the next few years.”Andy Flower, the England coach, has been firm in his explanations of why he is taking such an approach which included resting Broad and James Anderson from the final Test against West Indies. With England facing another five ODIs against Australia, followed by a full series in all formats against South Africa, then another hectic away season he believes that key players cannot play every match.Bell agreed there was a balance to strike. “There’s a heavy schedule coming up,” he said. “We need to look after these guys. The key to our success in one-day cricket is having five out-and-out world-class bowlers. So if we want to beat the Australians, we want these guys fit and fresh and ready to go. For the three guys who play in all three forms of the game … it’s going to be crucial.”So far this season it has only been the bowlers or allrounders who have been rested although Andrew Strauss was among the first players given time off by Flower when he missed the Bangladesh tour in early 2010.Although Bell sees the merits of rotation for the bowlers he has no desire for any downtime himself, especially after hitting a rich run of form which has seen him return to ODI colours with scores of 126 and 53. One of the major reasons behind England’s defeat against Pakistan earlier this year was the rustiness of the batsmen after a two-month break, with Bell suffering particularly badly in the UAE, and he does not want to risk a repeat.”Going into the UAE series, we’d had two or three months off – and I felt I’d lost my rhythm completely,” he said. “So batting-wise, for me if I’m batting the better I play. It’s out of my control if Andy was to give me a game off. But personally, from a batting point of view, if I’m out in the middle scoring runs, I want to stay scoring runs – definitely.”