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They may not have enjoyed the preparation they hoped for against spin bowling and they may be without their only genuine fast bowler, but England go into the first Test of the series against India confident, composed and, most of all, united. It might have seemed barely possible a few weeks ago but, at this stage, Kevin Pietersen appears to have returned to the squad seamlessly.It is true that the real test of England’s team spirit is yet to come. That will come on hot afternoons when things do not go their way; when disappointment or frustration tests patience to the limit.But, going into the first Test in Ahmedabad on Thursday, England can feel satisfied with the progress they have made. As recently as September, the divisions within the squad appeared so deep that some predicted that Pietersen would never appear in international cricket again. And, whatever the rights and wrongs of the Pietersen affair – and most reasonable observers would accept that there was fault on both sides – the fact is that England are a stronger side for his inclusion.Indeed, such has been the success of Pietersen’s “reintegration” that Matt Prior, the England wicketkeeper, has said that the spirit within the squad has never been better. While Prior and his colleagues know that the next few weeks offer one of the sternest challenges to any cricketer, they at least go into their series feeling confident in their preparation and their unity.”We go into this Test match feeling fully prepared that we’ve covered every base,” Prior said. “We’ve had a very good and long preparation phase this time around. We have been able to hit a lot of balls and play a lot of cricket on these types of wickets. We have given ourselves the best chance. We have prepared as well as we can. It’s now down to performing on the pitch.”There are certain things that we do now in our net sessions and in our training and our thought processes that are very different to other England teams I’ve toured with. If you keep doing what you always did, you keep getting what you’ve always got. I think the records speak for themselves: how long it’s been since England last won out here.”So to come out here and win in that environment would be even better. All these little challenges lead to something that, if we could pull it off, would be a fantastic honour to be part of.”It may be tempting to dismiss Prior’s words as pre-series spin but they have a ring of truth. It has been noticeable that Pietersen has been more involved in on-field laughter and, off the pitch, that he has been working with other batsmen in the nets. His local knowledge and contacts have been utilised, too, by a squad of whom 10 have never toured India before. It is not a different Pietersen – a chastened, cowering Pietersen – but the same confident man as before; just one who now fully understands his role within the squad.”We wouldn’t want KP to change too much because it is how he is that makes him special as a player,” Prior said. “If Kev suddenly came as this shy, introverted character I would be more worried. I want him to go out and express himself. I’m glad he’s come back the same KP as he was. The important thing is this group all pulling together in the right direction and Kev, the character that he is, pulling with us makes us a far stronger team and that is happening right now.”Kevin is in our team and in our squad. It is as good as it has been since I’ve been in this England side.”Prior is one of the few to emerge from the Pietersen debacle with his reputation enhanced. It was Prior who attempted to break the deadlock by phoning Pietersen and initiating a frank but constructive conversation and, over recent months, he has grown into the role of a key leadership figure in the England set-up.”I like that role,” Prior said. “I genuinely believe that it’s the team in big situations that win you games and get you out of holes. It’s about 11 blokes pulling in the same direction rather than one or two or three individuals. Obviously individual performances always help. But it’s the group that is stronger than anything. That is why I feel so strongly about the team pulling together.”The loss of Steven Finn is substantial. He is developing into a hostile and skilful fast bowler and, in practise on Sunday, bowled with such pace that Richard Halsall, the England assistant coach who was keeping wicket, described the experience as “genuinely quite scary”. But, reasoning that it would be unwise to go into a Test with two bowlers under something of an injury cloud, England have decided to go with Stuart Broad.”It’s a setback,” Prior said. “I’m sure the coach and captain would want to choose from every player who’s out here but we have lot of strength in depth in the squad. It’s one thing that’s made our squad so strong over the last couple of years.”The key to the series may well prove to be how England deal with the Indian spinners. And, perhaps, how they deal with the scars of the series against Pakistan in the UAE when all their”That series is always in the back of your mind,” Prior admitted. “But, as an international sportsman, you have to be pretty thick skinned and able to move on. I hope we learn from our experiences and mistakes and take them forward into these Test matches.”I think it’s going to be tough. But out of those tough challenges come your great rewards. Winning the Ashes in Australia was a tough challenge but it felt even better at the end of it because it was tough. If it was easy it’s not as much fun if you come out on top.”

Yorkshire remain hopeful they will have Tim Bresnan available for the Friends Life t20 Finals Day despite the ECB announcement on Wednesday that he would not be freed from England duty.Finals Day is staged in Cardiff on Saturday the day after England take on South Africa in the opening one-day international at the same ground. Jonny Bairstow has already been confirmed as being available for Yorkshire, while Craig Kieswetter, the Somerset wicketkeeper, is also allowed to play.”The club understands that Tim’s involvement in Finals Day depends on decisions to be made by the England management following the NatWest ODI on Friday,” a Yorkshire statement said. “The club remains hopeful that Tim will be able to represent Yorkshire on Finals Day but will also respect any decision made that furthers the chances of the England national side.”When Bresnan was left out of the final Test against South Africa he linked up with Yorkshire for their Championship match against Derbyshire and also played the CB40 against Sussex.The Friends Life t20 has endured a difficult season, especially during the group stages which were badly affected by the weather, and the appearance of England players would be an added attraction to the day. Matt Prior and Luke Wright will line up for Sussex while Danny Briggs, the left-arm spinner named in the World Twenty20 squad, is part of the Hampshire set up.The other significant availability news confirmed by the ECB is that Kevin Pietersen can play for Surrey for the remainder of the season but James Anderson will not be free for Lancashire’s final Championship match of the summer, against Surrey at Aigburth, where he would have gone head-to-head with Pietersen in what could be a relegation decider.Anderson was left out of the World Twenty20 squad so will end his international season after the one-day series against South Africa, but the ECB have opted to begin is time off straight away after that.Elsewhere, Andrew Strauss will see out the season with Middlesex after a short family break following the end of the Test series against South Africa. He will play Championship matches against Worcestershire and Lancashire.

ScorecardJack Taylor and David Payne took two wickets each as Gloucestershire dominated a rain-reduced first day of their Division Two clash with Glamorgan at St Helen’s, Swansea. Only 27 overs were possible but Glamorgan were still reduced to 64 for 6.This was the first time the two sides had met this season with their previous three matches – a four-day game and two T20 contests – all washed out. No play was possible until 3pm because of heavy rain but they did manage to get the toss in, which Glamorgan won.But captain Mark Wallace probably had second thoughts about batting first as his side were reduced to 19 for 4 within 14 overs. Three of those wickets fell in the space of four balls.The early damage was done by left arm seamer David Payne who trapped Gareth Rees with a ball that ducked into him from outside off-stump. That left the home side 12 for 1 in the eighth over. Gloucestershire captain Alex Gidman made the bold move to bring on offspinner Jack Taylor as early as the 11th over, and it paid dividends.Taylor, on a pitch that was showing signs of early turn, took two consecutive wickets at the end of his second over. Stewart Walters was well caught by Dan Housego at short leg before Marcus North, Glamorgan’s overseas batsman, went caught behind first ball attempting to sweep.Two balls later Payne trapped Will Bragg leg before in similar fashion to that of Rees. But just as the fifth-wicket pair – Jim Allenby and Ben Wright – seemed to be rebuilding the innings Ian Saxelby broke through to bowl Allenby. It left Glamorgan 56 for 5 and in the next over Wallace was bowled leaving a ball from Rob Nicol’s part-time offspin.Only 16 balls were possible after tea before the umpires took the players off the field for bad light, which turned into rain, and play was called off for the day at 5.35pm. With six wickets falling so quickly the pitch inspector David Hughes was expected to stay overnight to have a look at the action on day two.Meanwhile, Huw Waters, the Glamorgan seamer who has taken 31 first class wickets at 18 apiece this season, has been given permission to speak to other counties as he is out of contract at the end of the season.

Nottingham, July 7, 2007. Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels had a 15-run partnership during a 93-run victory against England. Little did they know then that it was the last time they would bat together in an ODI for five years. Both batsmen were kept out of the West Indies side for different reasons but on July 7, 2012, Gayle and Samuels, both Jamaicans, renewed their association and marked the occasion with centuries against New Zealand at Sabina Park.Gayle made 125 off 107 balls, his 20th one-day century, which took him past Brian Lara’s West Indies record of 19. For Samuels, the unbeaten 101 was only his third hundred but it was his first in the Caribbean. Their 129-run partnership for the third wicket was the highest in West Indies total of 315 and set up a 55-run victory.”I played exactly the way I wanted to today,” Samuels, who was Man of the Match, said. “Chris set the stage with his power at the top of the innings and then I was able to come in and add the finishing touches. It was an enjoyable day for me and the team. It was special to do it with so many people who have done so much for me in my life watching.”It is my first hundred in the Caribbean, the others have been away. The others have been out of my ‘comfort zone’ … but this one has been in my ‘comfort zone’. It’s been a while since I last batted with Chris, so batting with him today was wonderful.”Gayle hit nine sixes in his innings and could have gone on to make a huge score had he not been dismissed in the 38th over. He too had praise for Samuels. “I felt he [Samuels] played really well and I’m happy for him,” Gayle said. “He is a quality player and to see him get a hundred after I got one earlier in the innings is something special.”Gayle was also pleased with the manner in which West Indies had kept New Zealand under pressure from the start of the game. “We have been playing good cricket against New Zealand from the start of the series in Florida last week and we have continued that good work here in Jamaica,” he said. “What was really pleasing to see was the way we controlled the game from the start and turned up the tempo at the right time. We were strong in all departments, and the bowlers did another good job for us today.”West Indies lead the five-match series 2-0 and the teams will travel to St Kitts for the third ODI on July 11.

ScorecardBen Stokes made a century that has given Durham an outside chance of victory•Getty Images

This is turning into a wonderfully unpredictable cricket match. On the first two days its uncertainty was spiced by the fallibility of the batsmen in conditions which favoured the bowlers; today, however, one’s doubts about the outcome were fostered principally by Durham’s Ben Stokes, whose first century since his 185 against Lancashire on this ground a year ago has given his side a chance of taking the spoils tomorrow.However, only the very rash or the very rich are betting any money on it. For, indeed, the game changed again in the last hour as Lancashire’s second-wicket pair, Stephen Moore and Karl Brown, took their side confidently to 56 for 1 at the close. Phil Mustard’s men need nine wickets for their first Championship win of the season; Glen Chapple’s batsmen need 144 runs to reach the same landmark. It should be a morning to savour.Without Stokes, though, matters would already have been decided in Lancashire’s favour. He came to the wicket ten minutes before lunch with his side on 65 for 3, still three runs in arrears. Chapple’s attack was boisterously in the ascendancy and the he added the key wicket of Dale Benkenstein with the last ball before the interval.Lancashire’s bowlers came out for the afternoon session knowing that a decent half hour’s work would almost certainly decide the match. Stokes and Paul Collingwood strode out to the middle secure in the knowledge that their side’s chances largely depended upon their partnership. It was the batsmen who just about produced the better goods in a terrific two hours’ cricket.Chapple’s first ball caught Collingwood a painful blow on the hand. It was a portent of the tests to come. But gradually the Durham pair prospered. The 36-year-old Collingwood managed to avoid edging the Lancashire skipper to the four slips and a gully posted to capitalise on any error, while his young partner – Stokes celebrates his 21st birthday on Monday – carefully unfurled an array of shots which has had the England selectors beating a path to Durham’s games.In over two hours the pair added 132 for the fifth wicket, which was only Durham’s second century stand of the Championship season. Collingwood played and missed a number of times; he was dropped by Prince at second slip off the impressive Ajmal Shahzad when only 27; he rarely looked at anything like his best. But just as he has done for 18 seasons since making his Durham debut, he shrugged his shoulders and got on with the job of a being a professional cricketer. That this was his first Championship fifty this season was testament to the tough time he has had and the application he displayed.At the other end Stokes was playing with increasing fluency and taking the fight to the skilful Lancashire seamers. The young Durham batsmen took 91 balls over his first fifty but only a further 57 in reaching a century, an achievement which included 13 boundaries, some of them hit with stunning power on both sides of the wicket.”Ben played fantastically well and we’ve given ourselves a chance in the game,” Collingwood said. “From where I was standing out in the middle the ball was doing plenty and wickets tend to come in clusters on wickets like this. My innings wasn’t pretty – not many are – but it was needed. Ben showed a lot of maturity in showing which shots to play and he had a really good rhythm to his innings.”The measure of the importance of the Collingwood-Stokes stand was made even more apparent after the departure of the senior partner, lbw to a full length ball from Kyle Hogg, just before tea. The bottom five in the Durham order made 14 runs between them but at least stuck around long enough for Stokes get his century and the total reach 267. That was a lead of 199 – unthinkable riches at the end of the morning session.Most of the damage was done by Simon Kerrigan, who had to wait until the 59th over of the innings for his first bowl of the game but who took 3 for 37 in his short spell. That bag included that of Stokes who was dropped three times during his all-out attack after reaching his century but then holed out to the safe hands of Hogg at backward square leg. Nonetheless, after a year much of which has been lost to injury this most exciting of young batsman can now look forward to a summer in which he can build on this achievement.The optimism of Durham’s supporters increased a little when Paul Horton fell lbw to the first ball of the innings but Brown and Moore saw to it that Graham Onions was unable to capitalise on his early success. Nevertheless, this game will still be in the hazard come the morning.

Match facts

Saturday, April 21, Delhi
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Time is running out for Sourav Ganguly the batsman•AFP

Big picture

After losing a tight contest against Chennai Super Kings on Thursday night, Pune Warriors have flown two-and-a-half hours north to Delhi for their third consecutive away game. Warriors made an impressive start in the tournament with three wins out of four, but are now showing signs of homesickness. They have lost three consecutive away games and slipped to the fourth position after being on top for a while. That they are confronting a red-hot Delhi Daredevils team doesn’t make their task any easier.One of the concerns for Warriors is the form of their captain, Sourav Ganguly, who has scored only 85 runs this season. In Chennai, he faced 14 deliveries from the slow bowlers, his perceived area of strength, to score eight runs. He fell to left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati, managing to get the ball as far as mid-off. Against Daredevils, he won’t have the luxury of facing much spin. Expect Virender Sehwag to unleash his fast bowlers on Ganguly.Daredevils were lucky to get away with a win on Thursday against Deccan Chargers. Kevin Pietersen scored an unbeaten century after being dropped thrice while other big names faltered. Although they are at the top of the table, Sehwag would want himself and his team to put up a strong batting display to dispel doubts.

Players to watch

Ashish Nehra returns to his original home ground and his experience of playing at Kotla and with Sehwag will be important when Warriors devise their plans. Nehra made a good comeback in the previous match, picking up two wickets, after his horror last over in Bangalore.Shahbaz Nadeem is flourishing under Sehwag. He has picked up five wickets in the last two matches while bowling at an economy of four. Nadeem’s form has ensured that Daredevils haven’t missed Roelof van der Merwe, allowing them to play Ross Taylor in his place.

2011 head-to-head

Daredevils played Warriors twice in 2011. They won a high-scoring game by three wickets in Navi Mumbai and the other was washed out.

Stats and trivia

• Irfan Pathan has bowled six maiden overs in all seasons of IPL, which is second behind Praveen Kumar’s eight
• Robin Uthappa has 33 dismissals, some way behind Adam Gilchrist who leads the list for most dismissals, 50, in IPL history
  

  Quotes

  “The leadership he has brought to the team is fantastic. He is highly motivated and he wants to contribute. He is a knock away from showing what a world-class player he was.”

  “Facing him in the middle during practice, I found him very hard to hit.”

South Africa have declined a proposal from Bangladesh to play three ODIs and five Twenty20 matches in May. Cricket South Africa (CSA) met with the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) on Tuesday and they decided that the international schedule for 2012 would not allow for the series to take place.”As much as we would like to help another cricket country, it is not going to be possible,” Jacques Faul, CSA’s acting chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo. “With the volume of cricket to be played this year, sometimes rest is more important.”SACA had indicated on Monday that they would not support the idea of a series against Bangladesh because of the crowded calendar. On consultation with the medical and administrative staff of the national team, including team manager Mohammad Moosajee and coach Gary Kirsten, CSA felt the same way. “We agreed with SACA,” Faul said. “We have a big year ahead and our players are scattered over the IPL and county cricket, so we cannot play this series.”South Africa are due to play Zimbabwe in five Twenty20 practice matches in Harare between June 20 and 24, before heading to England for a tour of over two months. They will then play the World T20 in Sri Lanka and also travel to Australia in October-November, before hosting New Zealand at the end of the year.The Bangladesh board had approached CSA with the request last week, after their tour to Pakistan was postponed by a court order. Their August visit to Zimbabwe was also moved because of work being done to the pitches in Harare and Bulawayo. It left Bangladesh without any international cricket until the World Twenty20 in September.With the IPL only ending on May 27, South Africa would have had to play without some of their key players if the Bangladesh series was to take place. CSA decided it would not fit in with their plans to consider the series, which would have had to be played in South Africa. The Bangladesh summer is deemed too hot for cricket while South Africa would have struggled to find a venue as well, with the Highveld (Johannesburg and Pretoria) and Cape Town unable to host matches in winter.

Amanda Samaroo, a 19-year old allrounder from Trinidad & Tobago, has been recalled to the West Indies Women squad after an absence of more than two years, for the home series against Sri Lanka Women from April 22 to May 10. Samaroo’s last international was a Twenty20 against England Women in November 2009.Natasha McLean, 17, was the only new face in the 14-player team led by Merissa Aguilleira. McLean, who plays for Jamaica Women, replaced wicketkeeper Kycia Knight, who along with Shaquana Quintyne was unavailable for the series due to exams. Britney Cooper was also ruled out because of a finger injuryWest Indies Women will play three ODIs and five Twenty20s against Sri Lanka Women. Two T20 matches will in Barbados and the other three in Trinidad. Sri Lanka are ranked seventh in the T20 format, whereas the hosts are fifth. All the one-dayers will be held in Barbados.Squad: Merissa Aguilleira (capt), Stafanie Taylor (vc), Shemaine Campbelle, Shanel Daley, Deandra Dottin, Pearl Etienne, Stacy, Ann King, Natasha McLean, Anisa Mohammed, Subrina Munroe, Juliana Nero, Amanda Samaroo, Shakera Selman, Tremayne Smartt

Dolphins held their nerve to beat Impi in a tight game at the City Oval in Pietermaritzburg. After opting to bat, Dolphins reached a competitive score of 151 thanks to steady contributions from captain Imraan Khan (34) and Vaughn van Jaarsveld, who top-scored with 43. The pair added 59 for the fourth wicket; Dolphins were 42 for 3 at one stage. Supported by a couple of handy cameos from the middle order towards the late overs, Dolphins managed a score they were just about able to defend.Impi began their chase positively, openers Khayelihle Zondo (54) and Adrian McLaren adding 46 in quick time. At 122 for 2 in the 17th over, with Zondo and a set Paul Collingwood (42) at the crease after having added 65 for the third wicket, Impi were in control. But Imran Tahir dismissed Zondo and Robert Frylinck went on to pick up four wickets, including Collingwood, to restrict Impi, who lost five wickets for 23. Impi needed six to win off the last two balls but could only manage three and lost their second straight game.Knights overcame Titans in a high-scoring encounter at SuperSport Park in Centurion. Titans were asked to bat first and they would, presumably, have been happy with a score of 165 in 20 overs. They lost two wickets inside the first two overs but Jacques Rudolph staged a mini-recovery, making a quick 43. The situation was still tricky for Titans when Rudolph fell to make it 69 for 4 but Farhaan Behardien counter-attacked, smashing 70 in 44 balls, including four sixes, to boost them. His effort, sadly for him, was in vain.Knights were pegged back early, losing three for 39, but they remained in contention throughout, thanks to captain Morne van Wyk’s positive approach at the top. His partnership of 97 with Reeza Hendricks was a match-winning one. Both hit half-centuries to lead their team’s revival, but were dismissed with the job yet unfinished. After van Wyk went in the penultimate over, having scored 62 off 50, Ryan McLaren and Werner Coetsee completed the task with four balls to spare.