Hyderabad awaits Test action

New Zealand started the first Test at Ahmedabad short of confidence and a touch unsure about a few of their players. They ended it on a high, but a couple of concerns remain: Can the opener Tim McIntosh, if he is picked, prove to the world that he is not a walking wicket? Will BJ Watling get some runs at No.3? How will the batsmen handle a track that supposedly has more bounce? The Ahmedabad pitch was flat and the middle order cashed in. Ross Taylor expects the track at Uppal, hosting its first Test match, will have a bit more for the spinners. Hyderabad has hosted three Tests before this, all against New Zealand, at the multi-purpose Lal Bahadur stadium.

India went to Ahmedabad with a couple of worries - the batting form of Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid, and the bowling form of the spin twins Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha. Dravid scored a hundred in the first innings, but Gambhir and the spinners didn't have much to smile about on a batsmen-friendly track. All of them practised hard in the nets in Uppal. As ever, Dravid had a long net session. Gary Kirsten fired down short balls from a tennis racquet and Dravid spent his time swaying away or riding the bounce.

The conditions are slightly damp as there was some rain earlier in the week and It will be interesting to see whether the strip will provide some seam movement on the first day. Some have said that there might be bit more spin on this new pitch but Uppal has traditionally produced batsmen-friendly surfaces. We will have to wait and see how this particular track turns out.

I will speak in detail later' - Zulqarnain Haider

Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider, who went missing in Dubai on Monday, has resurfaced in London and said he will explain the reasons for his mysterious flight from the UAE later. Haider was scheduled to play the fifth ODI against South Africa but had disappeared from the Pakistan team's hotel on the morning of the game without informing the team management.

"I have come here [London] on my own expenses on a one month visa. I will be staying at a hotel on my own expenses," Haider told Geo, a leading Pakistani news channel, after reportedly spending nearly four hours with immigration authorities at Heathrow. "I will speak in detail on the reasons for my decision to leave Dubai and come to London later on."

The PCB's legal adviser Tafazzul Rizvi said Haider was in breach of his contract but the board was "concerned about this whole situation." "He will definitely face an inquiry and disciplinary action whenever he contacts us," Rizvi said.

Rizvi was also quoted by the Guardian as saying that it was too early to involve all of Pakistani cricket. "This is just the act of one individual, and it's not a sensible act," he said. "Even he had threats against him, he should have informed the team security officer."

The drama began shortly before Pakistan were due to play South Africa in the deciding match of their ODI series, when it transpired that Haider had not travelled with the squad to the ground. The first indication that something was wrong came from a cryptic message left as a status update on the player's Facebook page. "Leaving Pakistan cricket because get bad msg fr 1 man fr lose the match in last game." The "last match" reference is possibly to the fourth ODI of the series, a closely-fought thriller in which Haider's unbeaten 19 took Pakistan to victory with one wicket and one ball to spare.

As the day wore on, the situation became more confusing. A TV reporter for Geo said that he had received a text message from Haider earlier on Monday in which the player asked for security for his family and indicated that he might fly to the UK. Television footage showed him arriving at Heathrow later in the day, confirming an earlier PCB statement that they had information he was on his way to the UK.

The PCB, which has set up an inquiry into the issue, said it was working with the ICC's anti-corruption unit following indications that his disappearance could be linked to his performance during the current ODI series against South Africa.

Australia hope to avoid losing record

In the blue corner is Sri Lanka, the happiest team in the world, the one deservedly still celebrating their first series victory Down Under. Slumped in the really blue corner is Australia, the side trying to avoid setting their worst losing streak in history. It is usually the touring teams that feel this low here, but the faded green and golds have lost their sheen. And the Ashes starts in 19 days.

Sri Lanka's breakthrough tour began with a Twenty20 victory and was followed by a great escape in Melbourne. They then ensured Sunday's third ODI would be a dead rubbed with a controlled victory in Sydney. Sri Lanka are a highly professional outfit with men for any conditions, so not much will bother them at the Gabba.

Australia are currently on a seven-match losing streak in all forms of the game. The last time they won was the first Test against Pakistan in July. Not since 1996 have they lost seven in a row - England also beat them in seven consecutive Tests between 1885 and 1888 - and they have never been defeated in eight straight. Michael Clarke is in charge of making sure that doesn't happen following Ricky Ponting's decision to miss the match to prepare for Tasmania's Sheffield Shield game on Wednesday.

Australia run out of focus

No moment highlighted Australia's fall from world beaters to stragglers more than when Shane Watson's right knee stopped a certain run-out on Friday night. Watson's leg wasn't the only thing being blamed and the slapstick incident had its owner smiling, in frustration and humour, after arriving in Brisbane today.

For the past two decades Australia have been so well drilled in the field, but when Upul Tharanga ended up at Kumar Sangakkara's end the locals fell apart. And it was not the fresh faces who lapsed, but three seriously senior men.

When Brad Haddin collected the ball all he needed was a vaguely accurate lob to the bowler's end, but he overshot wildly. Michael Clarke backed up well and then made the mistake of aiming at the stumps instead of sending the ball to Watson, or running up to remove the bails himself. While the throw was on target, Watson was too slow to move and was struck an embarrassing, but not painful, blow on the leg. As the ball rolled away from the stumps, Tharanga finally regained his ground and went on to an unbeaten 86.

"I thought I was involved in a game of brandy with a cricket ball," Watson said. "Next time I need to get out of the way." Clarke hasn't offered Watson a free shot as payback, but the blow hasn't changed Watson's belief that Clarke is the best man to lead the team in Ricky Ponting's absence on Sunday.

Australia have lost seven games in a row in the game's three forms but the missed-run-out episode, played over only a couple of seconds, was a snapshot of how deep the problems have become. In the past the team's batting has stumbled and the bowling has been loose, which are often forgivable offences. Results in the field have always been non-negotiable.

Even before Mike Young, the former baseball coach, joined the squad to refine techniques, the work of the fielders was expected to be perfect. The area was used as the team's performance barometer, but as the side's Test ranking has slipped and its one-day reputation has eroded, the pressure they now place on the opposition is seriously low.

Watson insists Australia aren't far off clicking and, like most of the players in the squad, believes their efforts have been close to the standard required. But if they can't win on Sunday it will be the first time the national outfit has been defeated in eight matches in a row.

"It's not an ideal situation for the games we've lost over the last little while, but it is a new era of Australian cricket," he said. "Let's hope we can come together and make sure it is a successful period. It hasn't been for the last little while, but we know we're not far away from getting it right. So we hope people stick by us."

Watson will open at the Gabba - he still calls it his home ground despite moving to New South Wales last year - and will be particularly wary of the Sri Lanka seamers in the bowler-friendly conditions. The visiting fast men have gained significant movement in the opening two matches to hold Australia to 210 on Friday and 8 for 239 on Wednesday.

"The Sri Lankans have bowled very well, especially Nuwan Kulasekara and Lasith Malinga with the new ball," he said. "It's been hard to get them away. Let's hope they get carried away tomorrow night [in the conditions]." Only recently have Australian teams had to start hoping for opposition mistakes.

Tasmania sweep past Queensland

Tasmania jumped to a 10-point lead on the one-day table with a convincing five-wicket win over Queensland in Hobart. The Bulls were dismissed for 75 and 96 in the Sheffield Shield last week and continued to have trouble with the bat, struggling to 9 for 167 in 45 overs.

Only having the best Nos 10 and 11 in the game helped the Bulls get to the end of the innings, with Chris Hartley (27) and Ryan Harris (13) putting on an unbeaten 40 for the final wicket. The visitors had packed their batting line-up but were undone by Brendan Drew (4 for 38) and Gerard Denton (3 for 47).

Tim Paine, who did so well for Australia in the off-season, set up Tasmania's chase with a brisk 71 and George Bailey added 51. James Hopes and Luke Feldman picked up two wickets each but the hosts reached the target in the 32nd over. The Tigers moved to 21 points after five games, 10 ahead of Victoria and New South Wales.

Pakistan A tour of West Indies

Denesh Ramdin, the Trinidad and Tobago wicketkeeper who was cut from the West Indies contract list earlier this year, has been named to the West Indies A one-day squad that will play three games against Pakistan A starting on November 9.

"This is an opportunity for Denesh to regain some confidence and form even as he helps to develop younger players by imparting knowledge gained while playing for the West Indies senior team," Clyde Butts, the chairman of the WICB selection committee, said.

Ramdin lost his central contract following "less than favourable" performances over the past year, prompting the T&T board to arrange for him to work under the supervision of former West Indies opening batsman Gordon Greenidge. Ramdin has averaged 15.75 in Tests during 2010, a tick over seven runs below his career average.

In addition to Ramdin, 20-year old Nevis opener Kieran Powell, who has played two ODIs, finds a place, as does Antigua fast bowler Gavin Tonge, who has played one Test and five ODIs. However, Jonathan Foo who was named in the T20 squad, misses out.

"In selecting the team it was to ensure that players who can go on to play immediately for the West Indies team in case of injury to any player on the West Indies squad have cricket under their belt," Butts said. "It was also with a view to the development of young players who show potential for the future, and finally ensuring that players who have done well in regional competitions are exposed to higher level competition."

Pakistan A's tour of the West Indies began on November 3, and consists of two Twenty20s, three one-day matches and two four-day games.

Warmed up for the World Twenty20

Less than a year on and we are about to begin the defence of our ICC Women's World Twenty20 title . This time in the West Indies. We had quite a smooth journey to get here. We flew direct from Gatwick to Antigua, and then just had a short stop while they changed the crew and some passengers got off, then flew onto St Kitts. Much easier than the Aussies, who, I think, have taken four days to get here!

After returning from India, I went back to my day job - coaching cricket at Loughborough University and in schools with Chance to Shine. I ' ve obviously been training in the gym and the nets as well. The team met up for a few training session at various grounds after and then four days before we flew out, we all met up at the National Cricket Performance Centre and got in some final preparation and a practice match against the England Womens Academy team.

Its been good to arrive in St Kitts a few days early as we had three good days of middle practice, a day in the nets and the chance for a gym session and plenty of recovery. We won both our warm-up matches against India and Sri Lanka which has been a good boost for the team , as we head into the tournament with our first game on Wednesday against the Aussies.

There is some strong competition out here. New Zealand have given us a close run in the past and Australia are always tough. We can't dismiss any team really. India proved a tough opposition recently when we were over there and the West Indies beat us when we were out here before Christmas. With Twenty20 you can't write any team off , as it just takes one player to fire or someone to have a shocker to turn a game around very quickly.

The weather is hot and humid, we're all sweating quite a lot! I think most people have got over the jet lag, although we are still going to bed fairly early and getting up early, so maybe not over it as much as I thought. Since we were here a few months ago, things are not unfamiliar. But we've not been out that much, as we have been training hard and focusing on our cricket. We have had a few laughs with some of the locals though, and we have an amusing bus driver who gave us running commentary on the way to the ground yesterday.

Some of the girls have been keeping tabs on the election back in the UK. A couple of the girls are following things, I think, and some managed to vote by post before we came away. There are updates on the TV so no doubt we will keep up with what happens, although Election Day comes in the middle of the tournament, so we will be focusing on the cricket first and foremost.

We are staying at a really nice hotel, its massive and is housing all eight of the womens teams in the tournament. It is set up well with three swimming pools and is right on the beach, so great for the girls who like the sea, I'm more of a pool person myself though.