India - England Cricket News December 2005

England in Pakistan

England switching focus to India

Dec 22 2005

England's cricketers have flown home from Pakistan with plenty to think about following defeats in the Test and one-day series. They will not have much time to rest as they head to India in mid-February. Michael Vaughan (knee), Ashley Giles (hip) and Kevin Pietersen (rib) all had to return home early from Pakistan. Batsman Andrew Strauss missed a Test in Pakistan to fly home for the birth of his son and England face a similar scenario in India with star all-rounder Andrew Flintoff's wife expecting a baby on 20 March. Vaughan backs the policy of allowing players home leave in such circumstances. Vaughan admitted England, who have slipped below India in the ICC Test rankings, had under-performed in Pakistan.

Jones to head off to India early

Dec 21 2005

Fast bowler Simon Jones will head to India before his England team-mates in an attempt to be fit for the Test and one-day series in March.
Jones is recovering from ankle surgery and is currently able to bowl at 80% of his normal speed. He has been attending the England Academy at Loughborough to get himself fit after missing the Pakistan series. He said he was raring to go in India, where he enjoyed bowling for the England A team in 2004. "We played against some good players but not as good as Tendulkar etc but I did enjoy bowling and I bowled reverse swing early doors and it suited me," Jones added. He admitted to feeling "gutted" at the news Cooley will be leaving the England camp when his contract runs out in May to join Australia. "Not only is he a great bowling coach he is also one of my good friends as well in the England squad," Jones commented. "It's not a nice thing to happen but I agree he wants to move on with his life and I will support everything he does. "He is the best bowling coach I have ever worked with but we will give the next person our best support."

Gough interested in England role

Dec 19 2005

Darren Gough says he is interested in taking a coaching role with the England team but admits he is a long way from having the right qualifications. Gough is one of the names linked with England's vacant bowling coach job following the departure of Troy Cooley. England coach Duncan Fletcher says he would welcome any application while paceman Steve Harmison is keen for Gough to take the job. Gough, who has taken 235 wickets in 157 one-day internationals, has retired from the England Test side and was overlooked for the one-day series in Pakistan because he wanted to spend more time with his family. And despite his success on the dance floor, the 35-year-old has not given up on returning to the one-day line-up for the series with India next March.

Chappell expects England revival

Dec 19 2005

India coach Greg Chappell believes England will have learnt from their failures in Pakistan and provide a sterner test for his side next March.
And he is also worried that Pakistan's confidence will be high for India's visit early in 2006. Former Australia captain Chappell put England's 2-0 Test series defeat down to the batting collapse that saw them losing the opening match in Multan. "I wouldn't read too much into it. I still think they're a good side - they showed that against Australia," he continued. "But for a poor session or two on the final day of the first Test the Pakistan tour could have been very different." Chappell refused to criticise England's policy of only playing two warm-up matches before the Test series began, a policy similar to his own on tour. "Three weeks of preparation wouldn't necessarily be any better. In the modern era you've got to adjust pretty quickly," he added. "I'm sure there are better ways to do it but I'm not sure you can lay the blame anywhere. "Australia struggled in the subcontinent until they had been here four or five times in quick succession and finally learnt what it took to be successful."

England in Pakistan 2005-06 Series Scedule

Date	Match	Venue
Oct 31 - Nov 2	England vs Patron's XI	Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi
Nov 6-8	England v Pakistan A	Bagh-e-Jinnah, Lahore
Nov 12-16	1st Test	Multan
Nov 20-24	2nd Test	Faisalabad
Nov 29 - Dec 3	3rd Test	Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Dec 7	1 Day Warm Up	Bagh-e-Jinnah, Lahore
Dec 10	1st ODI	Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Dec 12	2nd ODI	Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Dec 15	3rd ODI	Karachi
Dec 19	4th ODI	Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi
Dec 21	5th ODI	Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi