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Club could seek to sell historic Nevil Road Ground after more than 130 years of residence

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2023Gloucestershire County Cricket Club have confirmed they are exploring the possibility of selling their historic home ground in Bristol, and moving to a bespoke stadium outside of the city.The Nevil Road Ground in central Bristol has been Gloucestershire’s base since 1889, when the land was gifted to the club by WG Grace, and has been a regular venue for England men’s and women’s white-ball internationals since the 1999 World Cup.However, in recent seasons, the ground has been beset by drainage issues that caused the abandonment of each of its last four ODIs, including both of its fixtures at the 2019 World Cup, and most recently Ireland’s visit in September.Gloucestershire’s domestic season was similarly disrupted, with their opening fixture of the County Championship, against Yorkshire in April, being abandoned on the third scheduled day without a ball being bowled. According to their most recently published accounts, the club lost £570,000 to the year ending January 31, 2023, having recorded a profit of £92,000 in 2021-22.Due to its central position, the opportunities to overhaul the ground’s existing infrastructure are limited, and following a report in the Telegraph last week, which estimated that the land could be worth £40 million if it was sold to developers, Gloucestershire have confirmed that a consultation is underway.”To ensure the competitiveness and long-term sustainability of Gloucestershire Cricket, we must look at the possibility of relocating the club and are now looking to enter into more active negotiations around a potential move to an appropriate new site,” the club wrote.”Whilst the current ground is still able to deliver the very highest level of cricket and customer experience at Nevil Road, we have to also prepare for the future. As we continue to grow, the strain on infrastructure and facilities at Nevil Road will become increasingly challenging, as will access to and from the ground.”The opportunity to relocate is a highly exciting prospect for the club to explore, one that would allow us to enter the next stage of our history and thrive in the future as we continue to adjust with the modernisation of cricket, how it is delivered and the diversification of the overall business.”The club’s preferred site is close to the M4 in South Gloucestershire, on the outskirts of Bristol, making it “more accessible to larger parts of the county”, and also allowing it to be “purpose-built to host the highest level of world cricket events including ICC fixtures”.Gloucestershire Cricket chair, David Jones, said: “This is a significant turning point for cricket in Gloucestershire and Bristol as we look to secure the club’s long-term future in an ever-changing sporting world.”As well as delivering for our members the modern and low-carbon facilities they deserve in order to showcase an ever-wider range of world class events here in the South West, we are keen to continue our active role in the community to widen participation and inspire the next generation of sports women and men.”We look forward to engaging with our members, neighbouring residents, stakeholders and the public as we continue a journey that WG Grace started many years ago.”Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, and a former CEO of Bristol City Football Club, hailed the club’s “ambitious plans for growth”. With the board currently in consultation with counties over the future of the Hundred, one possibility being tabled is that two new teams will be introduced, including one in the South West, which would potentially add to the rationale of the development.”We are clear on the importance of Bristol, Gloucestershire and the South West to the game and recognise that continued investment at all levels is vital for the ongoing growth of cricket across the region,” Gould added. “It’s fantastic to see Gloucestershire displaying the ambition to provide cricket fans in the West Country with a state-of-the-art sports and leisure arena.”

Their partnership of 149 is the highest-ever against Australia in 11 day-night Tests

Alex Malcolm25-Jan-2024A superb 149-run rearguard stand from Kavem Hodge and Joshua Da Silva pulled West Indies out of the mire after Mitchell Starc blew away their top order in a spell where he claimed his 350th Test match wicket on a day of momentum shifts at the Gabba.West Indies threatened to waste a golden opportunity after winning the toss on a good batting pitch when they lost 5 for 64 in the opening session with Starc claiming three and Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins picking up one apiece. Unlike in Adelaide, where prodigious sideways movement caused trouble, West Indies’ top order failed to adjust to the extra bounce with five of the top six nicking deliveries they possibly could have left.But Hodge and Da Silva adjusted after the first dinner interval and were immovable for nearly 52 overs through the twilight and evening sessions. Hodge made his highest Test score of 71 off 194 balls in just his second Test match while Da Silva made an excellent 79. Their partnership of 149 is the highest-ever against Australia in 11 day-night Tests, and it was the second-highest stand by any duo across five Tests on sporting pitches in Australia this summer.Both men were resolute with their defence and made excellent decisions outside their off stump as the pink ball softened and the pitch flattened out. Da Silva was tested with the short ball, having been out hooking twice in Adelaide, but was judicious and controlled. Hodge played Nathan Lyon impressively and was compact against the quicks. Any time Australia’s bowlers overpitched they capitalised with controlled drives through cover and down the ground. Hodge also pulled Starc for six over fine leg. Cummins cycled through seven bowlers in the second session, including Marnus Labuschagne, but could not break the duo.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The pair reached their half-centuries after tea, Hodge doing so for the first time in Test cricket while it was Da Silva’s fourth to go with his lone Test century. Hodge then enjoyed some luck as he nicked Cummins at a catchable height through second slip but there was only one slip in place. He then edged Starc to Cameron Green’s left in the gully and he got a hand to it at full stretch but it didn’t stick. No other gully fielder in the world would have touched it.Da Silva’s concentration finally broke three overs before the new ball with Lyon pinning him lbw from around the wicket. Hodge was undone by the new ball. Starc returned to deliver an inswinging pink comet under lights at 139kph only for it to straighten off the seam. Hodge closed the face trying to work through the leg side and the edge flew to the safe hands of Steven Smith at second slip. He got warm applause from the Gabba crowd as he departed.Guyana off-spinning allrounder Kevin Sinclair faced one of the tougher tasks on Test debut facing Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins with a brand-new pink ball under lights. But after receiving his debut Test cap before play from former West Indies and Guyana allrounder Carl Hooper, he batted some of Hooper’s class to finish unbeaten alongside Alzarri Joseph. The pair added 41 in 32 balls to frustrate Australia with thick edges interspersed with some wonderful drives. An edge finally went to hand in the final over of the night with Hazlewood claiming Alzarri Joseph for 32 off 22.Nathan Lyon claimed the wicket of Joshua Da Silva•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Earlier, the top order failed to play with the same discipline as Hodge and Da Silva. Kraigg Brathwaite was the first to fall, lured into a half-hearted drive by Hazlewood who found the edge with a ball that just swung away a touch.Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Kirk McKenzie then steadied the innings briefly with both players looking in good touch. Chanderpaul unfurled two cut shots and a sweet on-drive while McKenzie launched Lyon for six over long-on and thrashed Cummins through cover. But his aggression brought about his downfall as he nicked to slip trying to cut Cummins off the front foot.Starc returned to bag three in quick succession before the first break. Chanderpaul needlessly tried to defend a ball well wide of his off stump and some extra bounce found the outside edge with Smith pouching the catch at second slip.Alick Athanaze then nicked a full wide ball trying to drive to hand Starc his 350th Test wicket, becoming the fifth Australian to reach that milestone. Justin Greaves nicked the last ball before the break with Starc getting a good-length delivery to angle across and catch the edge. Starc finished with four wickets for the day and is just three behind Dennis Lillee on Australia’s all-time list.Australia got through the day unscathed despite some Covid-19 infections running through the camp. Green and coach Andrew McDonald both tested positive on Wednesday after Travis Head had tested positive earlier the week. Head has since tested negative. Green had to stand away from his team-mates during the anthems and while they celebrated the wickets, but fielded at gully throughout the first session. He also bowled in the second session. Khawaja was also declared fit to play having recovered from a blow to the head late in the Adelaide Test and took two good catches at first slip.

The inter-zonal tournament of five three-day matches will be played in Pune between March 28 and April 11

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Mar-2024Red-ball cricket for women will make a return to India’s domestic calendar after six years when the BCCI conducts its Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal Multi-Day Trophy in Pune from March 28. It was in 2018 that a domestic red-ball tournament – of two-day matches – was last held in India for women.This comes not long after India played – and won – back-to-back one-off Tests against England and Australia in December 2023. India had also played Tests on their tours of England and Australia in 2021, but you have to go back all the way to 2014 for the previous instance of India playing a women’s Test, and a women’s Test being held in India, when South Africa had toured.The matches will be hosted by the Maharashtra Cricket Association, with the East Zone vs North East Zone and West Zone vs Central Zone fixtures kicking off the action. North Zone and South Zone have been placed in the semi-finals straightaway following a draw of lots, and will meet the winners of the first two games from April 3. The final will be played from April 9. All the matches will be three-day affairs.Related

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The tournament will begin just over ten days after the final of the ongoing second edition of the WPL slated for March 17 in Delhi.There has been a clamour in recent times for more women’s Tests to be organised, with only the occasional Test match – featuring Australia, England, India and South Africa – played currently. For India, this means playing a format of the game they have little experience of.Before the Test against England last December, Smriti Mandhana, speaking at a press conference, had said, “[Our] bodies are not used to playing four back-to-back days of cricket because we generally play T20s and ODIs which have gaps. More than physical part, being there [on the field] for four days mentally, trying to focus on each ball [is important].”At the time, she had expressed hope that the BCCI would consider restarting the women’s domestic red-ball competition, saying, “As the number of Tests increase, we may see a new domestic tournament for long-form cricket. Domestic structure is always according to international demands.”More recently, Meg Lanning had taken a somewhat stronger stance on the matter. “It’s really difficult to prepare for a Test match. In my career, we were playing once every two years. It takes us two days to work out how to play it again, and then the Test is over,” she had said. “If you really want the games to be a good contest and more nations to play and players to understand the game a little bit more, I think we probably need to play more. Or you go the other way and you don’t play any at all and you focus on the short-format stuff.”

Willey had earlier pulled out only from the start of the tournament, but has now made way altogether

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Mar-2024Lucknow Super Giants have called up fast bowler Matt Henry to replace David Willey in their squad. Willey had pulled out of the start of this year’s IPL due to personal reasons, but has now withdrawn from the entire tournament.England’s left-arm quick Willey was bought by LSG at his base price of INR 2 crore (approx. US $239,856) at last year’s mini-auction in Dubai after spending the last two seasons with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Willey had already been on the road for two months in the lead-up to the IPL, having represented Abu Dhabi Knight Riders and Multan Sultans in the ILT20 and the PSL, respectively.Before that, Willey was in India, where he played the World Cup.Henry, who was bought by LSG for INR 1.25 crores, enters the IPL on the back a successful home summer in Tests against South Africa and Australia. Before that, he was the third-highest wicket-taker from his side at the ODI World Cup, where he took 11 wickets at 28.63.Overall, Henry has played 131 T20s, where he has grabbed 151 wickets. But only two of those matches have previously come in the IPL, which he played for Kings XI Punjab in 2017. He bowled five overs across those matches, and managed only a solitary wicket.Henry had also given his name for this season’s auction, but had gone unsold. He has earlier been part of Chennai Super Kings’ squad, although didn’t get the chance to represent them.

Williams joins them for his base price of INR 50 lakh

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Apr-2024Delhi Capitals have signed South Africa fast bowler Lizaad Williams as a replacement for Harry Brook, who withdrew from IPL 2024 following his grandmother’s death.Williams has joined Capitals for his base price of INR 50 lakh. This will be his first stint in the IPL.Williams will bolster Capitals’ pace department, which comprises his compatriot Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Jhye Richardson and Mukesh Kumar. They also have two pace-bowling allrounders in Mitchell Marsh and Sumit Kumar.Related

• Hamstring injury rules Delhi Capitals' Mitchell Marsh out for at least a week

• Harry Brook withdraws from IPL 2024 following grandmother's death

Capitals also had in their ranks Lungi Ngidi, but he withdrew from the tournament as he continued his recovery from the lower-back injury he suffered during the SA20 earlier in the year.Williams has 106 wickets from 83 T20s, with a bowling average of 19.76. He made his South Africa debut in April 2022 and has played two Tests, four ODIs and 11 T20Is.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

He was part of South Africa’s squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup, and made one appearance against Bangladesh.He took 15 wickets for Joburg Super Kings in the SA20, finishing fourth in the wicket-takers list.Williams’ arrival is timely for Capitals, with Marsh suffering a hamstring injury that has ruled him out for at least a week.Capitals currently lie at the bottom of the points table, with four defeats in five matches.

Former England allrounder takes 1 for 21 before unbeaten 56 to defeat Derbyshire

ECB Reporters Network30-May-2024Veteran all-rounder Ravi Bopara hit an unbeaten 56 from 42 deliveries as Northamptonshire Steelbacks made a winning start to their Vitality Blast campaign in a final-ball thriller against Derbyshire Falcons.Former England all-rounder Bopara, 39, shared a partnership of 67 from 52 balls with 38-year-old Zimbabwe international Sikandar Raza – both making their experience count on their Blast debuts for the Steelbacks.Although Raza (38 from 27) fell to Zak Chappell with 25 still needed, Bopara – a Blast winner with Essex in 2019 – kept his head to steer Northamptonshire over the line along with Lewis McManus, who levelled the scores with a boundary off Luis Reece and struck the final ball for a single.Earlier, David Lloyd had top-scored for the Falcons with 41 from 22 as they posted 162 for 7 at Wantage Road, with Steelbacks skipper David Willey taking 1 for 17 from four overs.Teenage seamer Raphy Weatherall, one of three other T20 debutants for the Steelbacks, made the initial breakthrough after Derbyshire had been inserted, with Harry Came chipping his second ball tamely to midwicket.It was a tougher start for another of that quintet, former Falcons seamer George Scrimshaw, whose first over disappeared for 17 as Lloyd gave the visitors’ innings some impetus during the powerplay.Lloyd and Reece added 55 from 32 before the medium pace of Bopara (1 for 21) stifled the scoring rate along with left-arm spinner Freddie Heldreich, who claimed the key wicket of Lloyd as he mistimed a reverse sweep to point.But Willey looked unplayable at times, bowling tightly throughout his four overs and capturing wickets from successive deliveries as he ripped out Brooke Guest’s leg stump before having Ross Whiteley caught behind.Wayne Madsen (37 from 33) was bowled by Scrimshaw’s slower ball to reduce Derbyshire to 123 for seven, but they were lifted again by Chappell, who promptly belted his first two deliveries over the fence.With Northamptonshire’s laborious over rate forcing them to bring in an extra fielder for the final 15 balls, Chappell (18 not out from nine) and Alex Thomson (22*) gave their side something to defend.Northamptonshire stuttered at the start of their reply, with Pat Brown having South Africa international Matthew Breetzke caught at midwicket by the diving Reece and Willey skying Chappell into the hands of backward point.Ricardo Vasconcelos – whose unbeaten hundred had saved his side from defeat in their last Championship game – seemed to have transferred that form to the Blast with a knock of 42 from 31, punching two boundaries from Blair Tickner and slog-sweeping Thomson out of the ground.But the wily Brown tempted him to hole out to deep extra cover and it was left to Bopara and Raza to rebuild the innings, whittling the target down until the latter suddenly upped the ante, blazing Brown for enormous sixes in successive balls.Although Chappell had Raza caught at mid-off, Bopara bludgeoned Tickner for a straight maximum before Brown (three for 33) gave away just four in the penultimate over to leave the Steelbacks needing 14 from the last.But Bopara slammed the first of those six balls over the midwicket fence to bring up his fifty before McManus applied the finishing touch.

England do the needful after three-hour rain delay as eyes turn to St Lucia

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jun-2024Jos Buttler admitted that – for one night only – he would be an Australia fan, after his England team did the needful against Namibia, albeit in deeply stressful circumstances in Antigua.Needing a win of any description to keep their T20 World Cup hopes alive, England had to endure a three-hour rain delay at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, as a series of torrential downpours threatened to wash out their final group-stage fixture, and hand Scotland a pass to the Super Eight, even before their own clash with Australia – an eventual five-wicket defeat with two balls remaining – could get underway in St Lucia.But with the cut-off time looming, the clouds finally broke, and an 11-overs contest was able to get underway – which in turn was reduced to 10-a-side after another short break for rain. Buttler duly lost the toss, and was then bowled for a four-ball duck as Namibia’s seamers found the sweaty conditions to their liking in the powerplay. But with Harry Brook’s 47 not out from 20 balls leading the way, England reasserted their dominance to secure a 41-run win.”It’s a big relief,” Buttler said at the post-match presentations. “It was certainly a stressful day when the rain was coming down. But I thought we put in a really good performance. I think everyone managed that situation well. We were well prepared when we did play, and we played well.”I thought that was a really good score on that wicket,” he added, after England recovered from a dicey 13 for 2 in the third over to post a competitive 122 for 5. “After I got out, I was thinking 85-90 might be a really good score, with the way the ball was sticking in the wicket. But credit to [Jonny] Bairstow and Brook, a fantastic partnership with great cameos from Moeen [Ali] and Livi [Liam Livingstone]. They are class players.”The victory still would not have been enough if Scotland had managed to cap their impressive form in the tournament by overturning Australia in their final Group B match, which was due to get underway some two hours after England’s match had finished. Asked by Mike Atherton at the presentation whether he would be supporting Australia in the circumstances, Buttler replied: “Absolutely…”With that contest eventually going the way of Australia – albeit not without a stiff challenge from the Scots – England will progress to the Super Eight without a clear idea of where their form is at. Their frustrating run of recent fixtures has included two wash-outs against Pakistan in England last month, a 36-run loss to Australia in Barbados, and three matches against Oman, Scotland and Namibia in which they have batted for a total of 13.1 overs.”That’s just how it is,” Buttler said. “I think everyone’s dealt with everything that’s been thrown at us really well. Sometimes when you haven’t had a chance to spend much time in the middle, you can create things in this format. So credit to those guys, they’ve been hitting the ball well and they put together a vital partnership today. We’ve done all we can do. We’ll see what happens.”

Alsop, Simpson post hefty century stand to put contest out of Spitfires’ reach

ECB Reporters Network12-Jul-2024Sussex Sharks have thrashed Kent Spitfires by 88 runs in Vitality Blast at Canterbury.The Sharks have one foot in the quarter-finals after recovering from 64 for four to post 203 for four, thanks to an unbroken stand of 139 between Tom Alsop and John Simpson.The hosts’ hopes had soared after Jas Singh took two wickets in three balls, but Alsop hammered Kent with 87 from just 41 deliveries, while Simpson played the anchor role with 53 from 39.Tawanda Muyeye hit an elegant 45 from 25 balls, but James Coles took four for 12 as the Spitfires wilted in the face of an ever-steepening run rate, collapsing to 115 all out with 3.4 overs remaining.It was a demoralising evening for the Spitfires, who squandered yet another promising position and remain rock-bottom of the South Group.
Their decision to field looked suspect when Marcus O’Riordan’s first over went for 17, all of which were scored by Harrison Ward.Singh, however, changed the outlook, bowling Ward leg stump and getting Tom Clark caught by Jack Leaning at mid-off for a second ball duck.Tom Rogers clean-bowled Coles for 14 and Nathan Gilchrist then removed Daniel Hughes for 16, victim of a staggering overhead catch by Sam Billings.It was as bright a spell as Kent have enjoyed in the Blast all season but from 64 for four Alsop joined Simpson to stabilise Sussex before they mounted an all out assault in the death overs.They were 79 for four after 10 overs, and 151 for four after 15, giving them a platform to launch an assault in the final five. Kent missed the cut off by a minute and with an extra fielder in, Joey Evison’s 20th over went for 21 as Kent’s fielding, so tight for the first half of the innings, went to pieces, with catches dropped, run outs missed and the body language betraying a team whose morale is in freefall.After hitting a career-high 73 at Essex on Thursday night, Muyeye got off to an explosive start, but he lost his opening partner Daniel Bell-Drummond for two when he was lbw to Ollie Robinson.Brad Currie then removed O’Riordan for a three-ball four, caught by Nathan McAndrew at mid-wicket.The run rate did for a succession of batters. Muyeye played some wonderful strokes but perished when he flicked Coles to Currie on the square leg boundary.Feroze Khushi skied Jack Carson to McAndrew for 22, Sam Billings was bowled by Coles for 14 from seven and Joey Evison dragged an Ollie Robinson bouncer onto this stumps and was bowled for six.Coles took two wickets in four balls in the 14th, bowled Rogers for one and Gilchrist for a duck.Jack Leaning straight-drove Currie to the boundary where he was caught by when Ward threw the ball to Alsop before going over the rope and the rout was confirmed when Singh chipped Carson to Hughes.

Warwickshire scenting big victory as Hannon-Dalby strikes three times in second innings

ECB Reporters Network30-Aug-2024Will Rhodes marked his penultimate home game as a Warwickshire player with a double-century to put his side in total command of Kent in the Vitality Championship at Edgbaston.Rhodes struck a chanceless 201 (295 balls, 32 fours) to lift Warwickshire to 420 and a first innings lead of 264. Such a high-class innings from the former captain suggests that Durham, for whom he has signed a three-year contract, will welcome a player heading into his peak as a player.Rhodes’ six-and-a-half hour marathon laid a foundation for his side to press hard for their first championship win of the season. Needing 264 to avoid an innings defeat, Kent closed the second day on 157 for three as Olly Hannon-Dalby (three for 26) took his championship wicket tally this season to 43.Kent’s multitude of problems continues to mount. Their bowling attack, nobly led by George Garrett (three for 76) and Matt Parkinson (three for 94), was deprived of Grant Stewart by a shoulder injury while Tawanda Muyeye could not open the batting as he was unable to field due to a knee injury.When Warwickshire resumed on the second morning on 207 for three, their progress was immediately brisk. Rhodes struck the first ball of the day to the boundary and five fours from his first 17 balls faced in the session took him to a 151-ball century.Jacob Bethell edged Charlie Stobo to wicketkeeper Harry Finch but Rhodes and Barnard rattled up a century stand in 150 balls. Kent are having the sort of season where every time you think nothing else can go wrong something does, and so it proved when Stewart pulled up in his delivery stride, flexing his shoulder, first ball after lunch and left the field.The fifth-wicket stand reached 145 in 34 overs before Barnard lifted Parkinson to mid off. The last six wickets then fell for 46 as Warwickshire, miles ahead already, threw the bat. Michael Burgess pulled Joey Evison to deep mid-wicket, Michael Booth lifted Parkinson to extra cover and Michael Rae larruped the spinner for six but was then stumped off him. Garrett finished the innings by having Rhodes caught at deep square and knocking out Hannon-Dalby’s off stump.Kent started their second innings after tea with 43 overs to bat in the day and lost Ben Compton in the fifth of them when he edged a loose drive at a wide ball from Hannon-Dalby to wicketkeeper Burgess. Harry Finch, opening in Muyeye’s absence, and Daniel Bell-Drummond added 116 in 29 overs without many alarms but Lady Luck then truly turned her back on Kent in the closing overs.Bell-Drummond was adjudged lbw to a ball which appeared to be passing well down the leg-side. Finch (38, 96) departed in equal disbelief at being given out caught at slip off his shoulder. Lady Luck, it appears, has a real downer on Kent right now.

The opener could be out of action for around two weeks with a groin injury

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2024Bangladesh will be without Mahmudul Hasan Joy for the start of their two-Test series in Pakistan with the opening batter suffering a groin injury*. The Bangladesh team management expects the injury to take around two weeks to heal, a timeframe that rules him out of the first Test in Rawalpindi, which is scheduled to run from August 21 to 25.”Joy had complained of pain in the right groin on 14 August while playing for Bangladesh A in the four-day match against Pakistan A,” team physio Bayjedul Islam Khan said. “He underwent an MRI followed by physical assessment and it has since been confirmed that he has a Grade 1 adductor strain in the right groin.Related

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“He has begun his rehab. Such injuries usually take about 10 to 14 days to recover from. He will not be available for the first Test but we hope to have him fit for the second Test which starts on 30 August.”Mahmudul scored 65 out of a Bangladesh A total of 122 in the first innings in Islamabad, and didn’t bat in the second innings as they finished with 153 for 5 on the last day. The injury is set to upset a relatively settled opening combination, with Mahmudul and Zakir Hasan having batted at the top of the order in each of Bangladesh’s last five Tests. Of the other batters in the squad, Shadman Islam is likely to take Mahmudul’s place should he not be available for selection.Bangladesh’s 16-member squad trained at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore from August 14 to 16, and were scheduled to travel to Islamabad on August 17. Both Tests will be played in Rawalpindi after ongoing construction work in Karachi forced a change of venue.*