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Rashid Latif, the former Pakistan captain and wicketkeeper, has been named chief selector of the national team. He will replace Azhar Khan, who was named head of the selection panel for an interim period when the PCB was taken over by an eight-man management committee after Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif dissolved the board of governors on February 10. Latif will take over the role from April 1.This is the third time in less than a month that the chief selector has been changed. Earlier, the PCB, under Zaka Ashraf, had appointed Aamer Sohail as head of the selection panel, which was immediately denounced by the new management committee under Najam Sethi and coordinate member Azhar was put in charge to select the ODI and T20 squads for the tournaments in Bangladesh.Latif was in contention for different roles, including the head of anti-corruption department. He, though, has been given an additional responsibility to assist the board in imparting training and conducting lectures on anti-corruption matters.”I am excited on getting associated with PCB,” Latif said. “I will endeavour to build a strong team keeping in view the World Cup 2015. I will also assist PCB in whatever way I can in anti-corruption matters.”The other selectors in the selection panel are Azhar, Saleem Jaffar and Farukh Zaman. Pakistan’s next assignment will be a home series against Australia in the UAE in October.Latif played 37 Tests and 166 ODIs in a career that spanned 11 years. He last played in 2003 and since than has been engaged with the game, running a cricket academy in Karachi. He is currently working as a government graded officer – as sports head of Port Qasim Authority (also a first-class team). According to the PCB, he will join them on deputation from his parent department.

East Zone

Pritam Das took a four-wicket haul to help Assam defend 137 against Odisha at Jadhavpur University Complex. The right-arm seamer took 4 for 19 to send Odisha crashing to 102. Assam were driven by a third-wicket stand of 50 between Dheeraj Jadhav and Sibsankar Roy, who top-scored with 47 off 29 balls. Deepak Behera got rid of the pair to finish with 2 for 24. In reply, Odisha were off to a poor start, losing two wickets in the second over to Arup Das. The openers Paresh Patel top-scored with 38 but the rest failed to show any resistance as Pritam Das chipped away. After Patel was dismissed in the 16th over with the score on 96 for 7, the innings came to a swift end and Assam recorded their first win.At Eden Gardens, Jharkhand squeezed in a 11-run win over Tripura. Tripura’s chase of 139 hinged on their captain Yogesh Takawale who scored a fifty but their task became improbable in the final over when they lost Takawale for 58, still needing 20 from the last four balls. Jharkhand opted to bat first but lost early wickets. Ishank Jaggi’s departure for 36 left them at 47 for 3 and it was their middle order that chipped in to raise the score to 138. Manisankar Murasingh and Tushar Saha were economical and took two wickets each. Tripura were jolted early in their chase by Jaskaran Singh, who took two wickets. Tripura had lost half their side for 72 in the 15th over and the pressure increased on Takawale. Jaskaran got rid of him to finish with 3 for 27 as Jharkhand registered their first win.

Last year

3rd, CC Div 2; Lost in semi-final, FLt20; 2nd in Group B, YB40.

2013 in a nutshell

Almost but not quite. Essex went close to promotion, made it to T20 finals day and were just a point away from qualifying for the YB40 semi-finals, but fell just short in all three formats. Only Lancashire won more games in the lower division in the Championship and, had Essex won any of their last three, they might have tipped Northants for promotion. They were dogged by inconsistency, though, in all formats. That they made progress was encouraging, but it was not enough to completely shake-off the tag of perennial under-achievers who should, with their talent pool, be challenging more often.There were some notable low points: being bowled out for 20, the lowest score in their history, on a good batting wicket by Lancashire in June was particularly memorable, but the coach, Paul Grayson, was also moved to offer an apology for the “shambolic” and “totally unacceptable” level of performance during the innings defeat against Northants in April.There were stand-out performers: Graham Napier excelled with bat and ball in all formats, while Jaik Mickleburgh grew into the role of opening batsman and recorded a career-best 243 in the victory over Leicestershire. David Masters remained reliable with the ball and Reece Topley, 15 years Masters’ junior, suggested he was a tailor-made replacement.

2014 prospects

At full strength, Essex look strong in all formats. The addition of Monty Panesar provides the spin bowling resource they have so often lacked in recent times, while the limited-overs batting, in particular, looks powerful. The problems arrive if they are afflicted by injuries or when England call-ups occur. Essex have lost several players in the last few seasons – the likes of Adam Wheater, Maurice Chambers, Varun Chopra and Chris Wright – who would have been coming into their prime now and there may well be times in 2014 when they miss them. Owais Shah has also departed, while Ryan ten Doeschate and Ravi Bopara will be absent with other commitments at times during the season. Without them, there is a thinner look to the squad that could make a long season, with challenges in all three competitions, hugely testing. There seems to be a good chance an overseas batsmen will be recruited a few weeks into the season, but it may just prove that Essex have already missed their best chance of success over the last few years.

Key player

Panesar’s signing is a risk. Aged 31, there is no obvious reason why he should not rediscover the bowling form that made him such a successful international bowler only 18 months ago. If he does, Essex will have found themselves a gem who will bowl many overs, retain control in the field and should remain dangerous on pitches offering assistance. But if Panesar has not conquered the demons that marred his stay with Sussex, Essex will have a high-maintenance, unpredictable character who will require a great deal of management in their dressing room. There is also the danger that, if he does rediscover his best form, England will recall him. His signing might limit opportunities for 24-year-old leg-spinner Tom Craddock, too.

Bright young thing

Blessed with a powerful physique, unusual pace and a skiddy left-arm action, 21-year-old Tymal Mills has many of the raw attributes required to go on and flourish at the highest level. Called into the Ashes party as a net bowler – as close as like-for-like to Mitchell Johnson as England could muster – he surprised several well-established players with his pace and led at least one to suggest he should be in the Test team. Yet Mills claimed only six first-class wickets in the season and, for all the talk of his potential, has to gain greater consistency if he is to flourish as an international cricketer. But while many think 20-year-old Topley may be the one with the brighter future, Mills is one of the more exciting prospects in the English game at present and will remain of great interest to the national selectors.

Captain/coach

There were times in 2013 when it seemed Paul Grayson was under pressure to retain his position as director of cricket with Essex. But the club values stability and loyalty and stuck by Grayson. There were some changes in the off-season, though: ten Doeschate has been appointed as captain of the limited-overs teams with James Foster retaining the job in the Championship. All three will be under a bit of pressure to go a step further than the team managed in 2013.

ESPNcricinfo verdict

Essex should be considered serious promotion challengers and will remain dangerous in limited-overs cricket. Anything less than promotion and a place in the knock-out stages must be considered a disappointment.

Sri Lanka’s selectors have relieved Dinesh Chandimal of all his leadership positions, appointing Lasith Malinga as the T20I captain and Lahiru Thirimanne as vice-captain across all formats untill March 2015.Chandimal had had a poor run in limited-overs cricket, particularly in Asian conditions, but had maintained a good record in Tests, averaging 63.75 in 10 innings, since being named vice-captain in February last year. His across-the-board demotion, however, is a strong indication the selectors feel Chandimal must devote himself solely to improving his batting.Though his on-field leadership had reaped positive results, Chandimal has shown little batting promise in T20 cricket, in which he averages 13.30 after 20 innings. He had initially impressed in the ODI team, but his returns even in that format have subsided after he had been named vice-captain. Since Februrary 2013, Chandimal has averaged 25.55, with a strike rate of 72, largely batting from lower in the order than he prefers.Chandimal had chosen to leave himself out of the XI for the semi-final and final of the recent World T20, leaving Malinga to lead the team to victory, and had been replaced in the XI by Thirimanne, who struck an important 44 in the semi-final.The selectors had made Chandimal the youngest Sri Lanka captain in any format, at 23, following largely impressive returns in Australia in January last year. Chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya had said at the time that Sri Lanka sought to develop a young leadership core, in preparation for the looming retirements of former captains Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan. Jayawardene and Sangakkara had in any case indicated they would not accept leadership roles in the twilight of their careers.Thirimanne has impressed with the bat in recent months, picking up a Player-of-the-Tournament award for top-scoring at the Asia Cup. His tournament aggregate of 279 included a century in the final. Averaging 49 from 14 innings in the top three, he has been a more reliable ODI selection than Chandimal, particularly in the past year.Sri Lanka embark on a full away tour of England next month, before full home tours against South Africa and Pakistan follow in July and August. They have six Tests, eleven ODIs and at least two T20 internationals scheduled for the next four months.

ScorecardTim Bresnan picked up three wickets and a couple of catches as Yorkshire got on top•PA Photos

Optimism abounds in the Broad Acres. Yorkshire began this game five points adrift of Middlesex at the top of the Championship, once again sensing that this could be their year. There has also been the announcement this week of what one Yorkshire newspaper headline delectably referred to as an ambitious “£50 redevelopment plan” for Headingley. No wonder the chairman, Colin Graves, was pictured alongside the story, smiling broadly. That really is Yorkshire value for money.Sunday starts to the Championship have been well received in Yorkshire and a goodly crowd recognised good value, too, in watching Yorkshire shunt aside Nottinghamshire for 205 in only 56 overs of a constantly entertaining day. They have lost Liam Plunkett to England but they have Tim Bresnan back in the fold. If their young batsmen offset the absence of Joe Root and Gary Ballance, they have enough strength to compete.At 139 for 8, Yorkshire could have closed out Nottinghamshire for 150 and all but settled matters. Instead, Notts are still in the game, if only just, and they will be desperate for good bowling conditions on the second morning. “If you are going to cock your first innings up, you want to cock it up with 250,” said Mick Newell, Notts’ coach and now England selector. “But it could have been worse and we will know how much we are in the game this time tomorrow.”Newell also did his utmost to play down his captain’s contumely. Chris Read addressed their batting collapse with his usual elan before his innings ended when he was run out for 30. It was quite a mishap: a collision with the bowler, Steve Patterson, which caused him to run wide, a frantic dive for the crease and a rise to his feet to find the umpire Martin Saggers brandishing a finger with theatrical certainty.Read had just “lost his bearings”, according to Newell; you are less likely to charged by the ECB for losing your bearings compared to losing your rag. As for the ball, the sub fielder Josh Shaw dived to parry it from mid-off to mid-on where Jack Leaning threw down the stumps. Read, shorn of bearings, and turning round to express a sense of grievance, was helpfully advised of the direction of the pavilion steps by Yorkshire spectators just in case he wandered off in the direction of Bradford.”Hitting Patterson made him bear off to the right and he lost his bearings a bit. It wasn’t a dig at Martin, it was more the situation he had found himself in,” Newell said. “It was more because he bumped into Patto, but a batsman has to find is way to the other end. He wasn’t blaming Patterson. The bowler was looking the other way. He just felt it was unlucky, a bit unjust. He had no suggestion to Yorkshire that it was unfair.”Read counterattacking is always a delight. He flirted with the slips on several occasions and would have flirted with gully if Yorkshire had one. Jonny Bairstow dropped a challenging inside edge off Patterson and jarred his left side in the process.Read’s energy can be contagious. Michael Lumb had batted with discipline against his former county, eager to underline the obvious truth that he is a much better player than when he departed. Suddenly, he began risking one-handed drives on the up. Richard Pyrah dropped him at short extra cover, off Patterson, from such a shot before he fell, on 49, gloving Tim Bresnan down the leg side. Ajmal Shahzad, also burning to prove himself, made nought.Notts’ top order departed in little more than an hour on a pitch offering some seam movement and decent carry. There was a four-ball duck for Samit Patel among the departures and while it was tempting to speculate that he was suffering a hangover from his exclusion from England’s Test squad – he failed to get on top of the bounce and slapped Jack Brooks to backward point – his record at Headingley is not a good one.Newell, part of the England selection team that left him out, now has the tricky situation of resetting his goals with Notts. “One of the challenges for me is to retain a relationship with a player when I am part of a selection panel that hasn’t picked him,” he conceded, “but my view is it is up to him how he reacts to that. He knows he has been discussed a lot in all forms of the game and if he maintains his form that will continue.”Read’s tomfoolery was followed up by a rumbustious ninth-wicket stand of 65 in 11 overs between Peter Siddle and Luke Fletcher, which ended when Fletcher deposited Adil Rashid high to Bresnan at long-on; Andre Adams then drilled him to the same fielder, a tougher chance, well taken. Fletcher is certainly a big unit these days. If he was a fridge, it would need three men to get him off the lorry and they would leave you to carry him into the house yourself on the grounds off Health and Safety.

Zaheer Khan wants Ishant Sharma to take over from him as the leader of India’s fast-bowling group. Ishant, according to Zaheer, has enough experience to be able to guide his fast-bowling colleagues during India’s five-Test series in England. Of the six frontline seam bowlers in India’s squad, Ishant is the only one who has toured England before. Zaheer, who has been part of three England Test tours, missed out on selection with a side strain.”It is Ishant who has played the most number of matches and he has been around for a while,” Zaheer told ESPNcricinfo. “It is time he steps into that role. For Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] and [Mohammed] Shami, it is their first (England) tour so they will look to Ishant and [bowling coach] Joe Dawes for inputs to perform in those conditions.”Despite having played 55 Test matches, Ishant hasn’t really shown signs that he could be looked at as the bowling captain. He has only played four Tests in England, during India’s 2011 tour, during which he took 11 wickets. Incidentally, it was Praveen Kumar who led the attack – after an injured Zaheer limped out of the tour after just 13 overs in the first Test – and finished the series as India’s best bowler, with 13 wickets in three Tests.Ishant was India’s best bowler in the two-Test series in New Zealand earlier this year, with 15 wickets at an average of 25.13, and bowled diligently during the South Africa tour before that. Zaheer, though, was present on both tours to mentor Ishant and Shami.Zaheer was impressed with Shami, who he said possessed “very good pace” and complemented the rest of India’s seam attack very well. “I was also impressed by someone like Mohammed Shami, who was able to perform the pace bowler’s role very nicely,” Zaheer said. “For a successful bowling unit you require a good fast bowler with very good pace and Shami has that. And that helped me cope with my workload. You do need a balanced bowling attack. You can’t have bowlers with similar styles. It was a perfect combination we had, I felt. Ishant, being a very tall guy, adds that extra bounce on helpful pitches. If conditions are suitable for swing, I come in and also bring the experience.”Shami was once again the pick of the bowlers in the Indians’ first warm-up match, a three-day game against Leicestershire that finished in a draw. Although Shami remained wicketless, he hurried the batsmen with his speed and movement and was able to make use of the overcast conditions much better than his senior partner Ishant. Ishant started with a no-ball – he finished with an embarrassing count of seven in just nine overs – and was constantly riled by Indian fans from the sidelines. Zaheer pointed out that a long series always provide the potential to settle in, and it would help India’s fast bowlers to play as many matches as possible. “If you hit a good rhythm a series like this is the best thing that can happen to a bowler,” he said. “Play as much as possible. It is important to get the confidence of bowling in those conditions and the two practice matches are crucial for the bowling unit to get used to the conditions and hit the ball in the right areas.”Zaheer said he would dearly miss being part of the Test series, having been part of three England tours in the past and played a key role in winning the 2007 series with 18 wickets. During the New Zealand tour, Zaheer said, the team management had told him to stay prepared for the England tour and manage his workload accordingly. He suffered a side strain during the IPL, however, and is still four weeks from being able to bowl again.”That was the whole plan (playing in England),” Zaheer said. “I have been working towards this tour for the last year. I was focusing on Test matches. Even through the IPL my routines were working towards the England tour. Considering all that it was disappointing to miss out. I just hope that Indian team does well on English soil.”

India’s first day on a cricket field since the loss at the Ageas Bowl, and what would have been a demoralising verdict for them in the James Anderson hearing, began with a longish huddle at Old Trafford on Monday afternoon. Arms around each other, regrouping after having taken a beating on the field, in the court, and – they certainly believe – in a corridor at Trent Bridge. At one point, fielding coach Trevor Penney could be seen speaking animatedly in the huddle. Others spoke too. Wonder if someone said, “Boys, how the hell do we take 20 wickets here?”While what happened between Ravindra Jadeja and Anderson remains an issue, India will know you win Test matches by taking 20 wickets or playing teams led by Garry Sobers or Michael Clarke. India have done so only four times in their last 15 away Tests. On three of those four occasions, those 20 wickets have cost India more than their batsmen were able to score. The other successful instance was on this tour, at Lord’s, but the two architects of that win – Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar – were out of action on the first day of India’s pre-Test training.During their customary pre-nets footballs game, both Ishant and Bhuvneshwar took up goalkeeping duties. Ishant has been ruled out of fourth Test, MS Dhoni has already said, but Bhuvneshwar, who had a swelling on his ankle, remains a matter of interest. When the nets began, Ishant took up umpiring duties, ironically because he is guilty of bowling more no-balls than most in the world today. Bhuvneshwar bowled a few deliveries gingerly, off a short run, and pulled out in five minutes or so.Seen from outside, the signs cannot be good: the Test begins on Thursday. However, seeing how India called up replacement for Wriddhiman Saha but not an extra fast bowler – Umesh Yadav is available, for example – the educated guess would be that they are confident of his being fit in time for Old Trafford. That Ishant is still with the team, and that a replacement has not been called for, would mean they are hopeful of his return in time for the Oval Test. The team, however, will not say what the injuries are.Even if Bhuvneshwar is fit for Old Trafford, India will need a much-improved performance from Mohammed Shami, who has taken five wickets at 73.20 apiece. His economy rate of 3.81, too, has been the worst among specialist bowlers. No specialist bowler’s wickets or overs have cost more per unit in this series. However, Shami looked really good at the nets on Monday, bowling at a good pace, repeatedly beating specialist batsmen. M Vijay was hit high on the thigh pads often, Cheteshwar Pujara had his poles uprooted, and Shikhar Dhawan was squared up and beaten around off.That might not be the only cause for concern for Dhawan, though. For the first time since India reached Nottingham, Gautam Gambhir had a hit pretty early on in the nets. It was a clear sign that Dhawan – after six failures – cannot take his place for granted. India have left open that option of bringing Gambhir in. Gambhir last played a Test for India in early 2012, in Nagpur against England.Gambhir is not the only option India seem to have left open. R Ashwin, who in the eyes of the experts and public has become a better spinner with every passing day out of the Test team, was more active in the nets than usual. He had a decent bowl at the start, and also got a longish hit with the bat. If he does come in, as almost everyone has demanded by now, he will do so in place of either Jadeja, who looked ineffective at the Ageas Bowl, or Rohit Sharma. Ashwin’s last Test was Johannesburg, where he bowled 42 wicketless overs, 36 of those in the second innings.India have options, and they could prove you wrong, but in the absence of Ishant, this side does not look like one that will take 20 wickets for fewer runs than what their batsmen score. That is one reason that could make India think of stacking their batting up, and retain Rohit. Unless Dhoni looks to bowl that extra bowler for more than 10-12 overs, he will be better off with that specialist batsman at No. 6.For the first time in the series, you could not tell from India’s nets what combination and players they are looking to play. Gambhir and Dhawan netted next to each other. Ashwin and Jadeja bowled with each other. Rohit and Ashwin batted one after the other. Bhuvneshwar did not bowl. Varun Aaron and Pankaj Singh could not be ruled out. You could tell India were not in a desirable situation when it comes to picking the XI, but at least they were back on the field, and laughing and joking at the end of the session.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Mervin Mathew’s 3 for 15 set up a shock seven-wicket victory for St Lucia Zouks over Jamaica Tallawahs on Saturday at Warner Park in St Kitts. The Zouks registered just their second win of the season while the Tallawahs wasted a chance to leapfrog the Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel into sole possession of first place in CPL 2014.The Tallawahs got off to a decent start after being sent in to bat as Chadwick Walton bashed five sixes on his way to top-scoring with 48 opening the innings. However, no one else in the top five made it past 10. Darren Sammy caused some middle-order damage with the wickets of Owais Shah for 8 and Adam Voges for 4.Mathew made further inroads with the wickets of Nkrumah Bonner for 10 and Andre Russell for 18 to deprive the Tallawahs their best chance of a strong finishing kick to the innings. Mathew dismissed Jerome Taylor on the first ball of the 20th for the last Tallawahs wicket as they were wiped out for 143, a paltry total considering the tiny boundaries at Warner Park.After Daniel Vettori removed Johnson Charles in the fifth over of the chase for 16, Andre Fletcher and Kevin Pietersen produced a 60-run stand for the second wicket as the Zouks coasted toward the below-par target. Pietersen’s mere presence underscored how badly he was missed throughout the earlier part of a season in which the Zouks middle order routinely folded cheaply. Fletcher played with increasing freedom and finished with a game-high 49 off 35 balls before he fell leg before to Russell in the 13th.Pietersen only made 23 by the time he was dismissed in the 16th to make it 119 for 3, but the stability he provided took pressure off the rest of the Zouks squad. Henry Davids (29 not out) and Sohail Tanvir (20 not out) finished off the match with ease as Tanvir clubbed two sixes in the 18th to finish off the game with 15 balls to spare.

Andrew Hall and Matthew Spriegel will leave Northamptonshire at the end of the season after not being offered new contracts as the county prepares for life back in Division Two of the Championship.Hall, the former South Africa allrounder, has been with the county since 2008 and captained them between 2010 and 2012 while Spriegel arrived at Wantage Road from Surrey in 2012.Hall is Northamptonshire’s leading Championship wicket-taker this season with 30 scalps at 39.23 while he has also scored 556 runs at 26.47. Spriegel has also been ever-present in the side, scoring 494 runs at 22.45 and taking eight wickets 47.25.Heading into the final month of the season Northamptonshire face certain relegation, sitting 77 points adrift of Durham in eighth place having lost 10 of their 12 matches. The defence of their T20 title ended in the group stages and they also missed out on a quarter-final spot in the Royal London Cup.Northamptonshire’s chief executive, David Smith, said: “These are always difficult decisions to make regarding players futures, but they are always made in the best interests of moving the club forward over the next few years.””The club wishes to place on record its sincere thanks to both players for their commitment throughout what has been a difficult summer for everyone connected with Northants Cricket.”

Kevin Pietersen is immune from potential ECB disciplinary action over his autobiography after Surrey cancelled his registration but the fallout could yet have a detrimental effect on his chances of continuing his cricket career in England is due to be launched on October 9 and Pietersen could have faced a charge of bringing the game in disrepute for details of his sacking by the ECB in March and events on the disastrous Ashes tour last winter. Now, as a free agent, the ECB will be unable to punish Pietersen.Pietersen also does not have to seek the ECB’s permission to play in the Big Bash in Australia or the IPL – consent that may have been refused following revelations in Pietersen’s book. He has signed a two-year deal to play for Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash and is also likely to return for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL.The confidentiality clause that followed the cancellation of Pietersen’s central contract expired on October 1 and his book is set to shed light on the acrimonious end to his time in the England team and the “text-gate” incident during England’s series with South Africa in 2012 which threatened an end to his international career.Pietersen’s contract with Surrey ended on August 30 and despite voicing his intentions to play county cricket during September, Surrey decided not to consider him for the final weeks of the season.He is expected to enter discussions with Surrey over a return in 2015 but any return to county cricket could potentially leave Pietersen open to retrospective disciplinary action by the ECB as well as bring tension between Surrey and the governing body. Although it might be premature to pronounce that his county career is over, its continuation might be regarded as problematic at best.Pietersen’s 2014 summer consisted entirely as a freelance T20 cricketer, firstly for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL where he made only one half-century in 11 innings. He fared even worse for Surrey in the NatWest Blast, averaging just 22.50 over 12 innings. He also played twice for St Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League, scoring 23 and 7, having arrived at the tournament when his team were already knocked out.Surrey’s current chief executive, Richard Gould, is the favourite to fill the equivalent role at the ECB, after David Collier stood down at the end of the season. Gould will be anxious to delay any decision on Kevin Pietersen until the result of the ECB recruitment process is known.