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The injured Bangladesh fast bowlers Mashrafe Mortaza and Syed Rasel will be fit for the Champions Trophy, Dav Whatmore, the coach has confirmed. Mortaza and Rasel missed the first of Bangladesh’s practice games while the second one at Savar was washed out without a ball being bowled.Mortaza, the architect of Bangladesh’s recent 3-0 whitewash of Kenya in an away one-day series, sustained an ankle injury earlier this month while Rasel had a foot injury.Meanwhile, Habibul Bashar, the Bangladesh captain who has recovered from the finger-injury he sustained in Bangladesh’s tour of Zimbabwe in July, regretted that the side could only play one practice game before the Champions Trophy. “We are looking forward to the only practice match in India,” Bashar told , a Dhaka-based daily. Our target is very simple. We want to play in the second round and I honestly believe that we have the ability to make it happen.”It is tough as Sri Lanka are in very good form while West Indies played good cricket in their last tournament and Zimbabwe won the last series against us but still it is not impossible for us. We have to win at least two games if we want to reach the second round that’s why we will try to win all our three games. There have been much talk about the Zimbabwe match but it will not surprise me if we qualify for the main tournament beating the strong opponents.”Whatmore accepted that the most realistic ambition for Bangladesh was qualification, and said that the team was determined to win all three qualifying matches. “West Indies played pretty well in the DLF Cup in Malaysia. They made it to the final. So, for us to make it through to the Champions Trophy proper, it will take really a good effort but we are capable of it.”It would be preferable to get some runs at the top. If we are able to get some good runs without losing too many wickets then that would be a nice start. At times we expose the middle order and the lower order a bit early that is not nice. But this is a young team and have tremendous potential,” he added.The chief selector Faruq Ahmed said the primary goal of the side was to beat Zimbabwe, to whom Bangladesh lost 3-2 in Harare. “We have to do it to prove that we are better than the Zimbabweans,” Ahmed said. “But it will not be easy to beat the West Indies or Sri Lanka as both are playing good cricket.”Bangladesh have to win at least two ties of the qualifying round, which features West Indies, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, but the injury news will be a boost.

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Rahul Dravid led the way with a superb 66 and Shaun Pollock, given the honour of captaining the side, chipped in with a terrific 38-ball 54 as the World XI held off a determined challenge from Victoria to post a narrow 12-run victory in a warm-up match at the Junction Oval in Melbourne.Brad Hodge top-scored with 92, and Michael Klinger chipped in with 62 as Victoria made a bright start in pursuit of 282 for victory. But with the exception of David Hussey, who made 32, none of the other batsmen could make a decisive contribution as the chase floundered. Muttiah Muralitharan ended Hodge’s marvellous innings on his way to figures of 2 for 54, and there were two wickets apiece for Shoaib Akhtar – the pick of the bowlers, in a fiery spell of 2 for 29 – and Jacques Kallis as the World XI staved off embarrassment.That had certainly been on the cards when Cameron White, seen by many as Shane Warne’s legspin successor for Australia, bowled Shahid Afridi to end an 18-run cameo, leaving the World XI reeling at 131 for 6. But Dravid added 64 with Chris Gayle and 53 with Pollock as the Victorian bowling was taken apart in the final overs.There was no hint of the drama to come as Virender Sehwag and Kumar Sangakkara added 63 for the first wicket. But a probing spell from Shane Harwood changed the complexion of the game, with Brian Lara – caught flicking one to square leg – and Kevin Pietersen, caught behind going for a big one, both falling cheaply.Dravid and Gayle started the riposte, taking the total into the realms of respectability before Rudi Koertzen gave Gayle out stumped off the bowling of White. Fortunately for the world’s finest, Pollock provided a devastating sting in the tail. After that, it was the bowlers who proved their mettle, despite Hodge’s announcement of intent to the Australian selectors.

Elite Group

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Ajay Jadeja produced an unbeaten 103 as Delhi piled on a massive total at the Roshanara Club Ground in Delhi. Resuming at 258 for 2, Delhi lost Aakash Chopra (78) and Mithun Manhas (95) early in the day. However, Jadeja found an able ally in NS Negi and the two added 81 in quick time. Jadeja, who was elevated to the Delhi captaincy in the beginning of the season, cracked 15 fours in his knock on his way to his 18th first-class hundred.
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The Karnataka batting disappointed for the second successive game as they struggled on the second day at Bangalore. Barrington Rowland, the opener, managed a battling 59 but the rest hardly put up a fight. Earlier in the day, Timil Patel (59) helped Gujarat past the 300-mark and his 66-run partnership with Siddharth Trivedi took them to a competitive 330. Vinay Kumar, the medium pacer playing just his second first-class game, finished with impressive figures of 5 for 83. Gujarat’s total, though, may end up being more than enough.
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After Ravneet Ricky’s century had put them in control yesterday, Punjab were pegged back a bit on the second day at Amritsar. Punjab were kept down to 422, after being 297 for 3 overnight, with only Chandan Madan making an impact with a lively 43. Pankaj Dharmani added 23 to his overnight score before he was lbw to Rajagopal Sathish, the part-time medium pacer. Gagandeep Singh, the opening bowler, then prised out the Assam openers before a 92-run third-wicket stand put the innings back on track. At stumps, though, Assam still had a lot of catching up to do.
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Nikhil Patwardhan’s valuable 80 helped Madhya Pradesh fight back on the second day against Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium. Patwardhan added 94 with the last three batsmen as MP inched past 250 in the face of some disciplined bowling. Mumbai then struggled against Sunil Dholpure, the offspinner making his debut, who snapped up the prize wickets of Wasim Jaffer and Amol Muzumdar and had them hobbling at 87 for 5. Vinod Kambli counterattacked with an 89-ball 68 and, along with Ajit Agarkar (37), helped Mumbai finish on level terms when stumps were drawn.
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Jai Prakash Yadav made a vital 93 and took Railways to 348 on the second day at the Karnail Singh Stadium at Delhi. Yadav added 43 with last man Santosh Saxena before falling to Ranadeb Bose, the medium pacer, who finished with 5 for 67, his fifth five-for in first-class cricket. Yadav then removed both the openers with his medium pace in an economical spell of 16 overs, conceding just 23 and Saxena picked up two more as Bengal were precariously placed at 153 for 4 at the close.
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Yusuf Pathan’s breezy 92 helped Baroda tighten their stranglehold on the second day at the Nehru Stadium at Pune. Pathan, who creamed eight fours and a six, stitched together vital partnerships with the lower-order batsmen and Baroda reached 446 in their first innings. Iqbal Siddiqui, the medium pacer, finished with a six-wicket haul. Maharashtra began well in their chase and were 72 for no loss at the end of the day.
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Sreedharan Sharath compiled his second successive century this season as he took Tamil Nadu to a competitive 353. Unlike his first hundred, which was made in a run-feast, this one was made when the rest struggled. He spent more than eight hours in the middle and put together some useful partnerships with the tail. Rudra Pratap Singh, the left-arm opening bowler, ended up as the most successful bowler with 5 for 96.

Day 3 Queensland Academy of Sport Invitation 201 and 176 (Payne 52, Kapali 4-27) beat Bangladesh 203 for 9 dec (Kapali 55, Hopes 4-35) and 145 (Sarker 33, Bashar33, MacKenzie 3-28) by 29 runs
ScorecardBangladesh were given a look at what their next month is going to be like when they were beaten within three days by the Queensland Academy of Sport Invitation side at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane.The margin was 29 runs, as Bangladesh sought to score 175 for victory, but had five chances been held, two of them off successive Damien MacKenzie deliveries, the end would have come much sooner. Earlier in the day, Bangladesh dismissed the Invitation side after they had added 23 runs to their overnight score.Bangladesh were in trouble right from the start, with Javed Omar completing a pair by giving a return catch to James Hopes. Habibul Bashar joined Hannan Sarker and saw the score through to 42 before Bashar was caught by Nathan Hauritz to give MacKenzie his first wicket of three.Sarker offered much more resistance, spending 155 minutes at the crease before he was the fifth wicket to fall, also for 33, when Bangladesh were only just over halfway to their target. Hesitant and indecisive calling did not help the nervous Bangladeshis in their bid for success as singles went a begging.Alok Kapali had added 45 runs with Sarkar for the fifth wicket, but no sooner was Sarkar out than Kapali followed him to the pavilion for 27. It was left to Khaled Mashud, who had earlier taken six catches in the Queensland Invitation innings, to try and stem the inevitable. Mashud battled for 85 minutes while scoring his 24 runs, but once he was out, it was all but over. Hopes took 2 for 25 from his 15 overs while Chris Simpson polished off the lower-order with 2 for 15 from his 7.5 overs.Click here for Day 2 Bulletin

Confirming rumours that have been circulating in the game for some time, Essex have issued a press release to the effect that their new overseas player for the 2002 season will be Zimbabwe’s wicket-keeper batsman Andy Flower.Essex have a splendid record over the years for success with overseas players, going back to the days when they signed Keith Boyce as an unknown youngster before the all-rounder went on to establish himself as a key member of Clive Lloyd’s great West Indian team. Ken McEwan fell into the same category in that he made his name in county cricket during South Africa’s international exclusion, while, more recently, established Test stars like Allan Border, Mark Waugh and Salim Malik have been prolific with the county.Flower will replace Stuart Law who had phenomenal success with Essex before a much-publicised disagreement that saw the Queenslander move to Lancashire for next season.The 33 year-old Zimbabwean is currently listed as the number one Test batsman in the world by the Price Waterhouse Coopers Ratings after a series of consistent scores, which have taken his average to 102 in his last 12 Tests.A colossus in Zimbabwean cricket, Flower has been the cornerstone of his country’s batting in recent years with more than 4,000 Test runs averaging in excess of 50 since making his Test debut in 1992. Left-hander Flower is also a leading exponent in the one-day game who currently enjoys a position of fifteenth in the international rankings. He holds the record for the highest Test score by a wicket-keeper when he made an unbeaten 232 against India last winter.Essex chief executive David East said; “The signing of Andy Flower underlines the commitment by the county to reclaim their status as one of the country’s leading clubs. He will be a terrific asset to us in both championship cricket and one-day cricket and I am both delighted and excited that we have been able to successfully conclude our negotiations to bring the best batsman in the world to Essex on a one-year deal.”During the recent Zimbabwe-England one-day series, there was a much-publicised spat between Flower and the man who will be a new county colleague, James Foster. The England wicket-keeper claimed a catch, Flower stood his ground, and there was a lengthy discussion between the two and England captain Nasser Hussain. All three received reprimands from the ICC match referee.Bearing in mind Hussain’s involvement with Essex, it would suggest that Foster is pencilled in as England wicket-keeper for some time. The fact that Essex have gone for a direct replacement as their overseas player means that they are assuming Foster’s England involvement might make him unavailable for county cricket. At the same time, he is still studying at Durham University and that will also affect his availability whatever international calls he might receive.Flower already has considerable experience of English conditions. Apart international tours with Zimbabwe, he has also spent time playing league cricket in Birmingham and, for one season, was coach to the Oxford University side.Flower will join the county after Zimbabwe complete their final Test against Australia on 7th May, although it is expected that he will have to leave Essex in early September to represent his country in the ICC Knock-Out Competition.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:42

Agarkar: India need to sort out batting order

South Africa defended 86 runs off the last ten overs to ensure Quinton de Kock’s first international century of 2015 and fourth in seven innings against India was not in vain. De Kock stood out after the rest of South Africa’s line-up was tied down by spin. India dragged them from 205 for 2 to 270 for 7, and then found themselves in a similar position but with less time to bat and more runs to get.In the 44th over India were 206 for 3 and South Africa’s seamers had the hosts’ middle order firmly in their grip. Unlike India, who used flight to flummox, South Africa stuck to their short-ball strategy and Morne Morkel reaped most of the success. He took two of the next three wickets, of Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, to reduce India to 216 for 6 and silence their challenge.In energy-sapping heat, de Kock’s performance was made even more impressive as he ushered a new opening partner into some form, struggled through the Indian squeeze and cast aside cramps to anchor the South African effort. He had support from Faf du Plessis, whose third half-century in as many matches helped post the highest partnership of the match – 118 runs for the third wicket – to ensure that the late wickets did not stop South Africa from posting a competitive total.India would have believed they could chase it down and were on track with Kohli and MS Dhoni at the crease but lost momentum as the innings wore on. A shuffling of the batting line-up, which saw Rahane come in at No. 6, meant that India ran out of batsmen when they needed them most.South Africa’s ability to adapt has advanced to altering their own gameplans which they did when they promoted David Miller to open the batting in a bid to assist him through his lean patch. The idea seemed to be to shield Miller from as much spin as possible but it also meant de Kock, who was only recalled to the side at the start of this series, had to operate as the senior partner.He took charge immediately with the first shot of aggression off his blade; a free-flowing drive which became the hallmark of his innings. While India’s seamers adjusted their lengths, de Kock and Miller were able to find the boundary five times in the opening seven overs and forced Dhoni to play his trump card early.Harbhajan Singh was brought on in the eighth over but the openers had settled well. De Kock brought up South Africa’s 50 with back-to-back straight drives and Miller grew in confidence, especially with his footwork. But he fell for 33 as he sliced Harbhajan to backward point where Rahane took a tumbling catch.Hashim Amla batted out of position at No. 3, struggled to find fluency and was stumped for the second match in a row. De Kock fought through a boundary drought which extended from the 14th over to the 21st and seemed to show even more patience than his senior partner, du Plessis. Again, the waiting game proved worthwhile for du Plessis, whose 50 came off 52 balls. Dhoni used a fourth spinner in Suresh Raina to try and tie South African down further but the visitors still seemed set for a total over 300, especially with de Kock at the crease.His century came when he charged against Mohit Sharma and smacked a slower ball through the covers to suggest the time had come for acceleration but then India intervened. Du Plessis tried to repeat a scoop shot that had gone over Dhoni’s head for four but skied it to a running short third man, de Kock was run-out trying to meet AB de Villiers’ demand for stealing a single and the captain was trapped lbw at the start of the 41st over.India took three wickets for five runs and South Africa had only one recognised pair left. Both JP Duminy and Farhaan Behardien have been in good form, but India’s spinners did not let them get too far away.De Kock spent the first 30 overs of the Indian reply rehydrating and by the time he got back on the field, the advantage was swinging back towards South Africa after India seemed to be cruising. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan built a solid start despite both offering chances that South Africa put down off Duminy in the eighth over.Dhawan succumbed to mounting pressure again when he tried to drive Morkel through the off side but got an edge through to de Villiers, who was keeping in de Kock’s place.Kohli was promoted to No. 3 as India looked to mimic South Africa in giving him enough time to find his way back to form and their move paid off better than South Africa’s. Kohli struck his first ODI fifty since the World Cup and batted with an authority which suggested he would see India though.With Rohit at the other end, India progressed steadily, taking advantage of a South African attack that seemed to be allowing matters to drift. Rohit reached fifty with a massive six off Imran Tahir and India’s 100 came up four balls later. Although their going was laboured, it seemed headed in the right direction until Duminy saw Rohit coming, dropped the ball a touch shorter, and completed the catch in his follow through as the batsman coaxed a gentle dab back to him.Dhoni joined Kohli in the hope of injecting some impetus into the innings. He took on Steyn with some success but was more cautious against Tahir and Kagiso Rabada who managed to tire India down. They conceded 11 runs in five overs from the 32nd over to the 36th, during which Kohli scored fifty, to prompt de Villiers to bring on one of his premier pacers again.Morkel started to make things uncomfortable for India in his second spell but it was in this third that he caused real damage. He had Dhoni caught at short third man, looking to upper cut a short ball to change the course of the chase. Tahir removed Raina, who racked up a second successive duck, with a googly that he sent to long-off and then Morkel finished India off. In two balls, he had both Kohli and Rahane caught at deep midwicket, playing identical slogs.India left the tail too much to do with 55 runs required off the last five overs and found themselves chasing the series, yet again.

Match facts

January 15, 2016
Start time 1900 local (0600 GMT)1:42

Pakistan’s well-rounded pace attack could pose New Zealand with a sterner test as both teams would look to fine-tune their preparations for the World T20

Big Picture

New Zealand have batsmen in a record-breaking mood. Pakistan are hoping reignite their T20 game after losses against England. There is a World T20 in two months. But none of this is as compelling as the return of one of cricket’s exiles. Friday will mark a major step in Mohammad Amir’s quest for redemption.Every no-ball he delivers over the next few years will probably bring to mind that infamous second day at Lord’s, in 2010. But he seems a little more mature now. In this recent interview, Amir spoke of having a fast bowler’s anger “in the blood”, yet of having accepted the fact that even his team-mates have a right to express displeasure at his inclusion. He spoke of “learning about life” during tough times, and of wanting to convince his critics, and win over fans.Most of all, he spoke of having changed, only, let us hope that does not extend to his bowling. He had been one of the world’s most absorbing talents during his brief pre-fixing career. Pakistan fans will remember sublime Test spells in England, in Leeds against Australia, and at The Oval against England. Or his superb use of the short ball in the first over of the 2009 World T20 final, where tournament top-scorer Tillakaratne Dilshan was first subdued, then overcome. In a brush with top-level T20 cricket at the Bangladesh Premier League in November, the skill in Amir’s wrist, and the rhythm in his legs seemed not to have deserted him. Unlike the many volcanoes in Auckland’s city limits, Amir’s dormant days are finally over.There are trials to come, beyond the fast bowler’s usual plight of having to stay fit and take wickets. A major tour of England in the middle of the year promises to be a media circus, and on that front at least, New Zealand has been a relatively relaxed place in which to begin his reintegration. Maybe when he starts to bowl again, if he bowls just like he used to, cricket may find it easier to forgive him.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)

 New Zealand: WWWLW
Pakistan: LLLWW

In the spotlight

Corey Anderson is still playing as a specialist batsman as he continues to recover from back injury, but he has been handed a new role with the bat. Moved up to no. 4 in the order, he is now charged with batting freely, and maintaining the top order’s momentum, as Ross Taylor – when he plays – is expected to provide insurance at no. 5 . Anderson is an increasingly versatile player, but his progress in an unfamiliar role in this series may determine whether New Zealand stick with this top order combination for the World T20.With Umar Gul having had injury problems, and played only one T20 in the past year, Wahab Riaz appears the de-facto leader of the Pakistan attack. He had had a southern summer of resurgence last time he was in these climes, taking 16 wickets at 23 at the World Cup. One of his better spells had come at Eden Park, during Pakistan’s fervent defence of 232 against South Africa. It may be up to Wahab to set the example in bowling those slightly shorter lengths that are generally more successful at the venue.

Teams news

Legspinner Todd Astle would prefer to make his T20 debut in a larger ground, but he may play in the team over Mitchell Santner, whom New Zealand have already had a look at. Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Mitchell McClenaghan and Trent Boult are also playing for three spots between them. Tom Latham may play for the rested Ross Taylor.New Zealand (probable): 1 Kane Williamson (capt), 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Colin Munro 4 Corey Anderson, 5 Tom Latham, 6 Grant Elliott, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Todd Astle, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Mitchell McClenaghan, 11 Trent BoultAnwar Ali and Gul are likely competing for one place. If Pakistan prefer experience, there’s little doubt as to who they would choose. Sohaib Maqsood was hit in the neck at training, but is expected to be fit to play.Pakistan (probable): 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Sohaib Maqsood, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 7 Shahid Afridi (capt), 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Anwar Ali/Umar Gul, 10 Wahab Riaz, 11 Mohammad Amir

Pitch and conditions

The drop-in pitch at Eden Park is usually full of runs, but can turn, at times. The weather is expected to be dry, if a little cloudy, with temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius.

Stats and trivia

• Amir took 14 wickets at an average of 12.64 and an economy rate of 5.56 in the Bangladesh Premier League in November-December last year. He has 23 wickets in 18 T20 internationals.
• The first T20 at Mount Maunganui is the only occasion in which Corey Anderson has batted in the top four in 11 T20 innings.
• New Zealand have played 11 T20s at Eden Park, and won six of those games.

Quotes

“I would say you’d like 100-metre boundaries, but I guess that presents its own challenges. If you restrict you can create chances to take wickets. In this format you know anything is possible.”
“Before coming here we had a fitness camp as well, for a couple of weeks. Everybody worked really hard. If you have a hard fitness training camp, what it does is bring us all together. That’s important for any side. It helps to understand each other more. All the juniors and the seniors – it’s no different at the moment. We’re all pumped up and trying to give 100 per cent.”

A senior Indian politician, Digvijay Singh, has requested Sharad Pawar, the Indian board president, to stop opposing the Indian Cricket League and help promote it.”Instead of taking a confrontationist stand you should act as a facilitator for the ICL to succeed. I am sure the objective of the BCCI is not to make millions but to popularise the game of cricket,” wrote Singh, a general secretary of the ruling Congress party. “I am sure you will prevail upon the hardliners in the Board and make them understand sentiments of millions of cricket lovers in India.””I don’t know why he is pre-empting this. It’s almost like apartheid. The BCCI is there for cricket and cricketers and not to look after [its own] members only,” he told .Singh also stressed there was no hidden agenda in his letter, which was written in his personal capacity; he had, he said, written it as a cricket lover and not with the intention of taking on Pawar. He said he felt Pawar was being pressurised by his colleagues to take a confrontational stand towards the ICL.

The colour of the traditional baggy green cap will be used on Australia’s one-day uniforms this summer, but another icon tone has been dumped to allow the change. Gold shirts and trousers have been sent to the opportunity shops after a sun-fading reign as the dominant hue in home series fashion.Greg Chappell’s 1980-81 teams staged the “canary yellow” pyjama revolution and Australian sides have stuck with variations of it as the predominant colour through Southern Cross stars and horizontal stripes, thunderbolts striking over Craig McDermott’s chest in 1992-93 and the Spiderman style of 2003-04. In this summer’s currently name-less tri-series the only gold patches will belong to the players’ names and numbers, the stars on the Southern Cross logo and the manufacturer’s stripes on the shoulders.When the squad uses the kit for the first time against England on January 12, the Australians will show off the same dominant colour as Bangladesh, South Africa, Pakistan and Kenya, but it’s unlikely the rest of the world’s teams will be green with envy. At the first showing the kit appears to have been picked up from surplus stock of army-style casual gear during the squad’s pre-season boot camp.Designed in consultation with the players, the new-age uniforms include fabric colour-matching to an original baggy green cap, no collar, a “sun protection neck line” and a “mesh zip neck”. “It feels great,” Ricky Ponting told at the SCG launch. “It’s very light-weight. In the conditions we play in around the world it’s important that you have the right technology and materials in your shirt.

“The guys won’t have to be flicking their collars right up through the game. The zip at the front will enable the collar to stay up and keep the sun off the back of our necks, which is obviously very important.”Player kits change as often as venues for spring fashion parades and the view of Alan Barnes, the former Australian Cricket Board secretary, becomes more outdated every season. “Pardon me,” he said during the original forays into non-white fashion, “but I’ve always thought people watched cricket for the play, not the décor.”This season Cricket Australia, the swankier, 21st century version of the ACB, is using the uniform in money-making and patriotic schemes – it wants to ensure the local crowd is not out-cheered or out-numbered by England fans during the Ashes. As part of CA’s “Go Off in Green and Gold” campaign, which was also launched today, every person who buys a replica shirt will have the opportunity to stand in one of three huge photos with the Australian team in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

Andrew Flintoff has spoken of his astonishment at the hostile response by the Australian media, following Australia’s Ashes defeat earlier this month. Speaking to reporters before boarding a flight to Melbourne, for next week’s Super Series against Australia, he said the Australian media’s criticism of their cricket team has been unduly unfair.”They are the world’s No. 1 nation and rightly so, as they’ve dominated for 10 years or so,” Flintoff told the . “We have played good cricket for two years and, while we won the Ashes, it was hardly a whitewash.”Since losing the Ashes, the Australian media, including former players, have taken pot-shots at the Australian team, with Ricky Ponting’s leadership again being questioned. Flintoff remained bullish, however, reminding reporters that England were a side very much in the ascendancy, and considered his team’s chances of retaining the Ashes in 14 months excellent.”We have to continue to prove ourselves, and let me tell you we have great belief that the England squad is on the verge of greatness in coming years,” he added.”We back our ability and most of us are 27 or 28 and just approaching our prime, so anything is possible. We’re certainly getting closer to Australia.”Before this summer’s Ashes series, many questioned whether Flintoff had the skill and tenacity to compete against Australia. His only previous encounters had been in a clutch of one-day matches, which were largely forgettable performances. However, after his series-winning and country-binding performances in 2005, he is excited at the opportunity to face Australia so soon after the dust has settled on this summer’s Ashes.”It is a great honour for me to be involved in this series and I’ll be going hard at it. It will be good, hard-fought cricket.”Flintoff and the World XI face Victoria in a practice match on Sunday, before the first one-day match against Australia gets underway at Melbourne, on October 5.