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Ravi Bopara, who relinquished an IPL deal last year to concentrate on winning a place in England’s Test side, has changed his stance by joining a host of England players in the preliminary list for the 2012 player auction.Bopara chose to play County Championship cricket for Essex early last season on the advice of his England and Essex mentor Graham Gooch but his form was patchy and Eoin Morgan, who was unabashed about his preference for IPL, was preferred to him for the final batting spot in the first Test against Sri Lanka.James Anderson, Graeme Swann, Matt Prior and Chris Tremlett are among other England players who appear in the preliminary list for the 2012 IPL auction. Swann and Anderson failed to win a place last year, their appeal not enhanced by a clash with England’s first home Test series of the season.Despite a heavy schedule for England throughout 2012 – they play 15 Tests, 17 ODIs and seven Twenty20 internationals, as well as defending their World T20 title – the players are keen to follow the likes of Morgan and Kevin Pietersen in experiencing IPL and the rewards available.Stuart Broad, England’s T20 captain, might have gained from more experience in 20-over cricket but he has suffered a troubled time through injury and he will have delighted the England management by choosing to rest and recuperate.Strictly speaking, the ECB could prevent any English players from participating in the IPL by withholding no objection certificates, but their resistance seems to be lessening, perhaps after pressure from the Professional Cricketers Association.There may also be a growing recognition that players will want to enhance their earnings and that experience of playing in Asian conditions and against some of the best players in the world should prove beneficial ahead of the World T20 in Sri Lanka in September.The auction will be held on February 4 in Bangalore and the IPL season runs between April 4 and May 27. The involvement of England players is likely to be curtailed by international duty, with their series in Sri Lanka not finishing until April 7 and their series against West Indies starting on May 17.Other England, or former England, players involved in the auction are Luke Wright, who recently made the fastest century in Australian domestic T20s in the Big Bash League, Rikki Clarke, Jade Dernbach, Simon Jones and Mal Loye. Azhar Mahmood, the former Pakistan international who now has a UK passport, is also included.Swann is the only player in the preliminary list for the 2012 IPL auction to command the highest reserve price: US$400,000. Two former Australia spinners, Brad Hogg and Stuart MacGill, are the oldest players on the list, at 41 and 40 respectively. Both their reserve prices have been set at $100,000.A total of 183 players have been listed for the auction that will be held in Bangalore, but that number does not include the players from the terminated Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise. ESPNcricinfo understands they will be included in the final list for the auction.

The Division One final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s first-class tournament, will be played with a pink ball, under floodlights, the Pakistan Cricket Board has said. The final of last year’s tournament was also held under floodlights but was played with an orange ball.Last year, the two teams in the final, Habib Bank Limited and Pakistan International Airlines, practised with both an orange and pink ball before the match. The decision to play with the orange ball was made after receiving inputs from both teams.This year, however, the PCB has decided to use the pink ball in the final, which will be played from December 20-24 at the National Stadium in Karachi, after receiving advice from the ICC.The QEA final will become part of ongoing trials to determine whether Test match cricket can be played under lights, and what ball will be most suited to a day-night Test match. Earlier this year a County Championship match between Kent and Glamorgan at Canterbury was played with a pink ball. The MCC versus Champion County match, which has been staged in Abu Dhabi for the last two seasons, has also been played under floodlights with the pink ball and the 2012 edition will be played under the same conditions.

Bangladesh Women secured one-day international status for the first time with a nine-wicket victory over USA Women in a low-scoring game in Savar. USA won the toss and chose to bat but were bowled out for 78 thanks to 4 for 20 from Khadiza Tul Kubra. Bangladesh then took just 18.5 overs to reach their target with Suktara Rahaman top scoring with an unbeaten 29.Bangladesh captain, Salma Khatun, was delighted with her side’s achievement. “It feels fantastic to have gained ODI status and it means a lot for Bangladesh women’s cricket, things can only get better from here.”

Ireland Women retained their ODI status by beating Netherlands Women by four wickets in Savar. The Dutch, batting first after winning the toss, could only post 139 for 9 from their 50 overs, with Kerry-Anne Tomlinson making 34 before being run out by the Ireland captain, Isobel Joyce. Jill Whelan’s 27 was the mainstay of the Ireland innings as they got home with 17 overs to spare. The result means Netherlands lose their ODI status.”We aimed to retain ODI status today so I’m not too disappointed with the team’s performance,” Joyce said. “That being said, we will have to improve if we are to beat Bangladesh and retain ninth place in the global rankings on Saturday.”

Elsewhere, pre-tournament favourites South Africa Women were the victims of an upset as they lost to Pakistan Women by three wickets in Mirpur in the first semi-final. South Africa, ranked fifth in the world, batted first and scored 180 for 9 with skipper Mignon du Preez making 41. In reply, Pakistan slipped to 140 for 7 before 28 not out from Marina Iqbal and 22 not out from Asmavia Iqbal saw their side home with 13 balls to spare.Pakistan will play West Indies Women in the final after they were comfortable 58-run victors over Sri Lanka Women in Fatullah. West Indies won the toss, batted first and posted 235 for 5. A partnership of 70 for the fourth wicket between Deandra Dottin (73) and Merissa Aguilleira (53 not out) helped their side to a commanding total which Sri Lanka, despite an opening stand of 67, never looked like chasing as they lost 7 for 40 with three wickets for Anisa Mohammed, closing on 177 for 7.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsVusi Sibanda threw away a ton that was there for the taking•AFP

Zimbabwe produced passages of impressive Test-match attrition, but let themselves down with the odd moment of madness, allowing Daniel Vettori to give New Zealand a decisive advantage midway into the evening session. Zimbabwe were bowled out 113 runs adrift in the first innings, but clawed back towards parity with two early blows in the second dig, leaving New Zealand effectively 141 for 2, with two days to play.Zimbabwe could have been in a far better position if they hadn’t gifted away three big wickets on either side of lunch. Two of the culprits – Vusi Sibanda and Brendan Taylor – had looked in control until their respective moments of indiscretion, after seeing off an incisive opening burst from the seamers. Their largesse, however, reduced Zimbabwe to a dodgy 198 for 5, before Malcolm Waller reprised his father Andrew’s feat of scoring a debut fifty in Bulawayo to haul them past 300.Sibanda, out seven short of a maiden ton, was the only man to miss out on what turned out to be a day for milestones. Waller’s was the most unusual feat of the lot, but Vettori’s 350th Test wicket, Chris Martin’s 200th, and Brendan Taylor’s fourth successive score of 50-plus on the tour kept the statisticians working overtime.Martin and Doug Bracewell began the day with tight lines, getting the odd ball to shape in. In the second over of the day, Bracewell sneaked one in sharply enough to disturb Hamilton Masakadza’s off stump as he shouldered arms. Sibanda was more watchful, getting across to cover the line and play as often as possible. The first five overs of the day yielded only two runs, before Sibanda shook off the lethargy with two pleasing drives.Taylor endured a thorough test of his technique, as the seamers preyed on his tendency to defend without getting fully forward. Martin had him inside-edging a sharp inswinger, while Bracewell cut him in half with another one that cut in. Taylor was also troubled by a couple of short balls, before easing into gear with a pull shot for four. That boundary signalled the end of the fast bowlers’ opening spells, and the pressure visibly dissipated.Sibanda welcomed Jeetan Patel by launching him for a straight six, before taking him for boundaries through mid-off and point. Taylor swept Daniel Vettori for four, and smote Patel for two leg-side sixes. After having conceded only 23 off the first 13 overs of the day, New Zealand had leaked 41 off the next five.Zimbabwe’s offensive forced Patel out of the attack, and in the absence of suitable back-up options, New Zealand turned to debutant Dean Brownlie, whose first-class career consisted of 17 wicket-less overs. Sibanda couldn’t have asked for more amiable circumstances to bring up his ton but he needlessly cut a wide trundler straight to gully.Vettori probed away with intent in the lead-up to lunch, and made telling breaches soon after the break. Taylor succumbed attempting to sweep the fourth ball of the middle session, after having survived a straightforward appeal in similar circumstances earlier. Taibu perished in Vettori’s next over, charging mindlessly and holing out to mid-on. With the second new ball around the corner, Zimbabwe found themselves in an avoidable mess.The debutant pair of Waller and Regis Chakabva buckled down admirably against Martin’s inswing, and Bracewell’s tight lines. Only 11 runs came in the 10 overs following Taibu’s exit, before Waller smoked Martin through the covers. Vettori was immediately pressed back into service with a newish ball, and Waller welcomed him with a pleasing straight drive, as Zimbabwe averted the follow-on in the 90th over.Vettori continued to attack, with three men close in on the off side, angling in a raft of well-disguised arm-balls. Waller didn’t pick them, but battled through by reading him off the pitch. Chakabva, too, gradually opened up, drilling Bracewell down the ground before cutting Vettori through point. Once again, Patel’s introduction was met with aggression, as Waller teed off for an extravagant straight six.The advantage veered dramatically towards the visitors after tea, from the moment Chakabva ran himself out attempting a risky second. Ray Price, himself an expert in the art of delivering arm balls, shuffled into one from Vettori to bag a duck. Kyle Jarvis then edged Martin into the slips, before Vettori had Chris Mpofu edging to bat-pad. Waller kept hitting boundaries, but despite his efforts Zimbabwe had lost their last five wickets for 29 when Martin rearranged Njabulo Ncube’s stumps with an inswinger.Stumps were in the firing line again five balls later, when first-innings centurion Martin Guptill played all over a straight ball from Jarvis. Kane Williamson survived a couple of tense moments, but Brendon McCullum was not so lucky, trapped in front by Price’s first ball, an armer as good as the one he had fallen to. The two blows will stall New Zealand’s march towards a declaration, while another early strike or two on the fourth day could leave the game delicately poised.

Kevin Pietersen has tried to put to bed talk about his future in one-day cricket by insisting that he wants to play for England until at least the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Pietersen is back in the ODI set-up for the series in India, having been rested for the last month of the home season, but is under pressure to perform after a lean two years in the 50-over format.Pietersen is likely to slot back in at No. 4 when the series starts next week following two warm-up matches although in his absence the likes of Ravi Bopara and Jonny Bairstow have staked their claims. Before leaving for the tour Alastair Cook, the one-day captain, spoke about wanting Pietersen involved all the way to the next World Cup but also said that players had to earn their selection with consistent performances. Pietersen hasn’t scored an ODI hundred since November 2008 and over the last two years his average has languished in the low 20s.”I don’t know how many times I need to say it till you stop asking the questions,” Pietersen said. “I want to continue playing until the 2015 World Cup, and then we’ll reassess. No one’s ever guaranteed their place – for their country, for their county, for their club side.”There’s a lot of different permutations and different things that can happen. It’s just a case of enjoying every day, and also realising how fortunate we are. If there’s any place you want to come and play one-day international cricket, it’s here in India.”Pietersen used his break from the game – which included missing the one-dayers against India and the Twenty20s against West Indies – to completely get away from cricket. He moved house in London and spent time with his family, which has become an increasingly important part of his life and the main reason he has admitted to not being a fan of long tours.He has also said that, while retaining the hunger to play all three forms of international cricket, he enjoyed not having a gruelling schedule of training. “I wanted to take a complete break, and get that bug back for training. That’s the first break I’ve had without an injury for England. It was much appreciated.”The hardest part of playing all three forms of the game is turning up on training day and doing warm-ups – I think it takes a couple of years off your career. To not have to turn up to training days was an absolute blessing. But you do miss the cricket, participating and competing – because we’re all competitors.”After he was left out of the one-day squad last month, it emerged that Pietersen had a wrist injury that required some management and he had an injection before leaving for India. “I’ve got something in my wrist,” he said. “I had a cortisone injection a few days ago, and cortisone just before I left. It’s just a case of getting through this tour and seeing where we are at the end.”Pietersen, though, will need to fight through some minor discomfort because England won’t wait for him to rediscover his one-day mojo forever.

How can India stop an opposition as strong as England with a bowling attack that appears feeble by comparison? In the absence of a strike bowler, an experienced spinner and a specialist death bowler like Jade Dernbach, India clearly appear to be at a disadvantage.It would not be wrong to define the Indian fast bowling line-up that featured at the Rose Bowl as a one-dimensional attack: they all bowl at the same pace, deploying mostly the same approach. Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel and Vinay Kumar all bowl in the 78-80mph pace bracket, which is barely threatening. Both Praveen and Vinay rely on swing while Munaf combines accuracy with bounce and a cunning change of pace to buy his wickets.But on Wednesday evening, on a wet surface the Indian fast bowling trio failed miserably. Their lack of success exposed not only R Ashwin, the lone specialist spinner, but also the second line of attack of Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli, who combined to do the fifth bowler’s duties.In the face of such modest pace, against which they could not only pick the balls but also the areas they wanted to hit to, the England opening pair of Craig Kieswetter and Alistair Cook rushed off the block confidently. So unafraid was Kieswetter that he started advancing down the track audaciously virtually every ball. There were a few false starts initially, but then unlike Usain Bolt, Kieswetter had a second chance.England haven’t had much trouble with India’s attack•Getty Images

England had dashed to 56 for 0 at the end of five overs; India took the bowling Powerplay immediately, but the England pair added another 19 runs in the next two overs. By the tenth over the hosts had pretty much sealed the match. MS Dhoni, India’s captain, agreed when he highlighted India’s fast bowling weakness.”It became a difficult once the ball got wet,” Dhoni said, searching for reasons more than excuses. “None of our fast bowlers are really genuinely quick. They look to swing the ball and when it does not swing as it is wet it becomes difficult.” The wet ball, Dhoni pointed out, only carried on to the bat nicely, allowing the batsman to counter them easily.As Kieswetter and Cook overwhelmed the Indians with their explosive batting, Dhoni used every means to try and stop them. He thought introducing Ashwin inside the first five overs could at least slow down the England run rate. But the offspinner was clobbered by Kieswetter for 16 runs in his first over, including two massive sixes.”Once Vinay Kumar and Praveen Kumar went for runs I thought it would good to give the offspinner a chance, thinking that would make the difference but even he went for quite a few runs,” Dhoni said. “In the first five overs nothing worked for us.”The absence of Yuvraj Singh, who performed the duties of the fifth bowler during the World Cup so successfully, has hurt India severely. Yuvraj’s canny change of pace and an aggressive line of attack not only restricted the batsmen from scoring freely but also fetched key wickets. Dhoni said that was the difference in the two defeats, first in the Twenty20 at Old Trafford and now at Rose Bowl.But with Yuvraj out of the series due to injury, and a part-timer like Ravindra Jadeja missing today’s match due to visa issues that delayed his arrival, India have been forced to rely on Raina and Kohli for some overs. Today their four overs cost 35 runs and Dhoni was satisfied with that considering the assault the England openers meted out in the first ten overs.”It is not about the players who are not part of the side,” Dhoni said. “It is very important that the five bowlers that we have got and the two spinners make a real difference in the series.”He now expects Jadeja to fill in the breach left by Yuvraj. “When you have the fifth bowler you can manoeuvre the bowlers. But with Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina it is becoming difficult to manoeuvre the bowling. Those are the four overs where you do not want to give away too many runs. But if your first four bowlers are going for too many runs it becomes more difficult.”The Indian selectors never explain their reasoning to the public, so no one will ever know why they did not think of Jadeja as the fifth option when they picked the ODI squad. It makes them appear precious, and such an attitude is only hurting Indian cricket.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThere was no stopping Ajantha Mendis today•Associated Press

Ajantha Mendis turned tricks beyond the grasp of six Australian batsmen as Sri Lanka completed an eight-run victory for a 2-0 sweep of the Twenty20 series at Pallekele.Playing his first, but surely not last, match against the Australians on this tour, Mendis plucked 6 for 16, the best figures in international T20 history, including three of the four wickets to fall for four runs in a frenzied 16-ball phase in the middle overs. All this after Shane Watson’s belligerent 57 from 24 balls seemed to have set the visitors up for a series-levelling victory.The pivotal moment of the evening came thanks to Angelo Mathews’ remarkable feat of athleticism, when he collected a David Warner heave on the edge of the midwicket boundary, and then threw the ball back into play for Mahela Jayawardene to complete the catch.Watson was close to lbw in the first over of the chase, the umpire ruling that Nuwan Kulasekara’s extravagant inswing would have taken the ball past leg stump. After three overs of pace, Australia were rolling nicely at 30-0, but their momentum would increase violently against the spinners.Dilruwan Perera’s first ball was reverse-punched past cover by Warner, before Watson began to target the arc between long-on and midwicket in much the same manner as he had done to record-breaking effect against Bangladesh in Dhaka in April. Five times he cleared the ropes, and by the time Mendis’ introduction brought a skier and a wicket, Australia needed a decidedly manageable 87 from 85 balls. Watson had not, however, done enough to put the result beyond question.The Sri Lankans sensed something when Warner followed, brilliantly pouched on the boundary by Mathews who then threw the ball – in the split-second he had before going over the rope – towards an alert Jayawardene. Shaun Marsh again looked all out of sorts against spin and was stumped for a duck wandering down the wicket to Mendis, who went on to complete a dual-wicket maiden.Next, David Hussey played around Rangana Herath to be bowled, leaving the visitors in dreadful trouble despite a manageable required-rate. Cameron White and Steven Smith tried to keep their heads from spinning, but were initially unable to do more than poke the slow bowlers around in the face of occasionally extravagant turn.A pair of sixes to White seemed to push the innings back into a state of health, but as if on cue Mendis returned to bowl a dancing Smith and a groping Brad Haddin off consecutive balls. Mitchell Johnson eluded the hat-trick, but eventually became Mendis’ sixth victim. White reached the final over needing 15 for victory, only to be bowled off an edge by Thisara Perera, and the task proved beyond Australia’s last pair.Earlier, Sri Lanka were unable to conjure the partnerships they managed in game one, but Jayawardene’s 86 provided a centrepiece to stand with Tillakaratne Dilshan’s effort on Saturday. Hampering the hosts’ batting was an outstanding spell by John Hastings, who returned 3 for 14 from his four overs. Brett Lee also nabbed a trio of victims.After enduring a couple of nervy moments, Jayawardene surged through the gears, driving through the covers and then playing an easy pitching wedge down the ground for boundaries. Two more Jayawardene strokes sent the new ball whistling through square leg and point before Lee won an lbw verdict against Dilshan with a delivery that might have flicked leg stump, but that did not stall Jayawardene’s flurry of shots.White used Steve O’Keefe for a solitary over before replacing him with Johnson, just as he had done in the first game, and the formulaic approach suited the Sri Lankans. Jayawardene punctured a packed offside field three balls in a row before White posted a deep cover.O’Keefe was recalled to the attack as the fielding restrictions ended, and after his over quelled some of the scoring, Smith’s introduction reaped Dinesh Chandimal’s wicket. Thisara Perera, promoted ahead of Kumar Sangakkara, collected one boundary from an O’Keefe misfield, before slicing Johnson to third man, and on 53 Jayawardene appeared rather more lbw than Dilshan had been. However Smith’s appeal was denied, and the next ball was swept for six. At times Jayawardene’s placement seemed so precise, he appeared to be mocking Australia’s fielders, and Sangakkara soon joined the attack.Their stand of 46 was broken by Hastings, who followed up a tidy first over by coaxing a miscalculation from Sangakkara. Jeevan Mendis did not last the over before cuffing on, and at 123 for 5 Australia had wrested the upper hand. In his next over, Hastings splayed the stumps of Angelo Mathews, sapping the innings of further momentum.Dilruwan Perera miscued O’Keefe down the ground, where Smith held an admirable catch diving forward, though Jayawardene remained for the final over. He was caught off a ball declared a no-ball for height, and picked up a boundary through the leg side before perishing off the third delivery.Lee’s finish was, however, spoiled by the concession of five wides from what should have been the final ball of the innings, and his error was made more significant by the closing margin of a rollicking match.

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal do not figure in the latest list of PCB central contracts. Younis Khan, who was banned for disciplinary reasons following a winless tour of Australia in 2009-10 and was out of last year’s list, has been awarded a Category A contract this time along with current captain Misbah-ul-Haq, allrounder Mohammad Hafeez, spinners Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman, and fast bowler Umar Gul – the only player retained in the top category from last year’s list.

List of contracted players

Category A
Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Gul, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman

Category B
Abdul Razzaq, Imran Farhat, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Wahab Riaz, Taufeeq Umar

Category C
Junaid Khan, Tanvir Ahmed, Hammad Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed, Sohail Khan, Adnan Akmal, Yasir Shah, Rameez Raja, Sharjeel Khan

Stipend Category
Mohammad Talha, Aizaz Cheema, Zulfiqar Babar, Raza Hassan, Mohammad Ayub Dogar

Afridi had retired “conditionally” from international cricket following his removal as captain after the tour of West Indies, while Kamran, who also was in Category A last year, has been ignored since the World Cup. Afridi was involved in a legal battle with the Pakistan board after he hinted at differences between him and coach Waqar Younis during the West Indies tour; these were confirmed by Waqar and team manager Intikhab Alam in their tour report. Afridi has said he will not go back on his decision as long as the present PCB regime remains in power.Middle-order batsman Umar Akmal and opener Imran Farhat were retained in Category B. Also included in that grade werere Abdul Razzaq, demoted from grade A last year, middle-order batsmen Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali, who have been impressive finds for Pakistan in the last couple of years. Left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz, who took a five-for against India in the World Cup semi-final, also featured in grade B.As expected, there was no place for Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt , the three cricketers banned for their involvement in the spot-fixing controversy, while Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Yousuf and Danish Kaneria, who were not picked for the World Cup, have been ignored. Malik and Kaneria are yet to be cleared by the PCB’s integrity committee. Kaneria has not played for the national team since August 2010, after the PCB tightened its anti-corruption programme following the spot-fixing controversy and Kaneria’s own entanglement in a corruption case in Essex. Kaneria was cleared by a police enquiry in Essex, but is yet to be cleared by the PCB; he has petitioned against his continued non-clearance.”As long as Malik and Kaneria are not cleared by the PCB integrity committee, a meeting of which is scheduled for August 15, they will not be considered for the contracts,” Intikhab, also the PCB’s director, said at a press conference in Lahore.In Category C were seamer Tanvir Ahmed, who picked up six wickets on Test debut against South Africa, wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal, and the trio who have been picked in the squad for the tour of Zimbabwe – Yasir Shah, Sohail Khan and Rameez Raja. Aizaz Cheema, who has also been picked, was placed in the stipend category.The contracts are for a duration of six months – July 1 to December 31 this year.