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Neal Abberley, the former Warwickshire opening batsman who went on to become an influential batting coach, has died in hospital of a heart and lung condition aged 67. Abberley was a mentor to England batsman Ian Bell, who will wear a black armband in the upcoming Test against India at Edgbaston.Abberley, a left-handed top-order batsman, was on the books at Warwickshire for more than a decade and a half but throughout his career was never quite able to nail down a permanent spot in the side. His best period was in the late 1960s and early 1970s when he passed 1000 runs in a season three times, and in 1966-67 toured Pakistan with the MCC Under-25 side, a trip which was ended prematurely when he broke a finger. He was equally unable to command a regular place in the county’s formidable one-day team, although he appeared in two winnings Gillette Cup finals in 1966 and 1968 in what were only his fourth and seventh List A matches – and in neither year had he played in the semi-finals.Over a career that spanned 15 years at the county, he scored over 10,000 first-class runs at 24.47.His lasting impact to Warwickshire, though, came as a coach where he joined the staff in 1981. Ashley Giles, Warwickshire’s director of cricket, told thecricketer.com: “To me he was a mentor, a confidant but, most of all, a friend. We knew he was getting a little bit fragile but we didn’t realise how fragile so his death has come as a shock to everyone.”He gave his life to Warwickshire and there are a lot of players who owe a huge debt of gratitude to him. Without Neal Abberley I would not be Warwickshire’s director of cricket and I would not have played 54 Tests for England. When I first met him I was an 18-year-old triallist and I was still wet behind the ears having come from living at home with mum and dad.”He helped me to grow up. He was old school and it was a tough school at times and a steep learning curve. But Neal was a great influence on me and he set me on the road to where I am now.”The third Test will be the first since Edgbaston’s £32million redevelopment and Warwickshire are expected to fly flags at half-mast during the match.

ScorecardJames Price scored 58 off 37 balls in South Africa Under-19s chase•Getty Images

South Africa Under-19s came from behind to steal victory over England Under-19s by the narrowest of margins, winning off the last ball with one wicket remaining. South Africa were almost out of the huge chase at 148 for 6 in the 32nd over but doughty knocks from the lower order ensured they scrambled home to take an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the seven-match series with two games to go. James Price and Calvin Savage added 48 off 35 deliveries for the seventh wicket while Prenelan Subrayen and Savage put on 66 off 50 for the eighth. England continued to chip away though and when Subrayen fell for 48 off 33, South Africa needed 16 from nine balls. Duanne Olivier applied the finishing touch, slamming two sixes in his unbeaten 22 off 12 balls to take South Africa home with almost nothing left in the tank.England had reason to celebrate when Jamie Overton reduced South Africa to 18 for 2 but the visitors recovered through fifties from Shaylin Pillay and Price after which the lower order took over.England’s best batting performance of the series so far had earlier been built on the back of a 133-run opening stand between the impressive Daniel Bell-Drummond (72) and Sam Wood (57). Sam Kelsall and Aneesh Kapil consolidated with half-centuries before some late hitting carried England to 300, a total that almost proved to be enough.

Few boards had as much riding on the ICC’s annual conference in Hong Kong as the PCB. A change to the rotational policy of appointing ICC presidents would have deprived them of a potential nomination for 2014. The Pakistan Task Team’s (PTT) first report was due to be released, a state of affairs report on the game in the country after a period of extreme turbulence. The proposed constitutional amendment to remove government interference from boards and introduce elections was also under discussion, an amendment which pushes far-reaching, but difficult changes on to the PCB.The meeting was also held against a backdrop in which increasingly over the last couple of years the PCB has found itself isolated in boardroom matters. They have had few allies, and an ongoing cold war with the BCCI has been particularly damaging on and off the field. In this context then, the results of the five-day meeting are not as bad as they could have been for the board. “The meeting has gone extremely well for us,” Ijaz Butt, chairman PCB, told ESPNcricinfo. “There were a couple of main issues for us and we are happy with the developments on those.”A more reasoned assessment came from Subhan Ahmed, the board’s chief operating officer. “It was a reasonably good meeting for us,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “We obviously didn’t achieve 100% of our objectives but overall the meetings went well for us.” The deferment of the change to the rotational policy of appointing presidents was, according to one member of Pakistan’s delegation, “a big victory” and built on “hectic corridor diplomacy”. Officials were surprised with the support they found among Full and Associate members; three other Full Members backed Pakistan’ opposition to the change, on the “principled basis that every country should have a right to appoint a president”, according to the official. The deferment, the official believes, is as good as it being struck off the agenda entirely, which means that Pakistan and Bangladesh are expected to put up their nomination by December 31 this year.The PTT report has also, according to Ahmed, expressed its satisfaction with the work the board has put in, particularly on the integrity issues that arose in the aftermath of the spot-fixing scandal last summer. “They’ve appreciated the work we have put in to accomplish the tasks they had set us last October,” Ahmed said. “That integrity chapter of the PTT and PCB is now concluded.” But the body was set up before the spot-fixing scandal, in January 2009, to help Pakistan combat the lack of international cricket in the country; following the Lahore terror attacks in March that year the body’s mandate grew and over the last year it has taken on governance issues as well. The report has made 63 recommendations on a whole host of matters, macro and micro.For example, the PTT has recommended constitutional changes to the board to make it more democratic – a recommendation that now overlaps with the ICC’s governance amendments. But the PTT has also suggested that the board should appoint a long-term manager instead of on a series-by-series basis. Some of these are likely to not go down too well with the board. Butt said some had gone “beyond the mandate” originally intended for the body. “We will now go back and look at the recommendations that have been made, review them and give our feedback to the PTT. We have some observations on the recommendations,” Ahmed said. It is believed – and the board sought to clarify this – that the recommendations are just that at the moment, and not directives or binding in any way.The trickiest issue on the agenda was the ICC’s proposed constitutional amendment, which called for the removal of government interference from cricket boards and the holding of elections for senior officials. The PCB’s patron-in-chief is the president of the country – in theory a non-political post, anything but in reality and historically – and he appoints the board chairman. There are no elections either and failure to make the changes could result in suspension.Here victory is a relative one, for the ICC has gone ahead and implemented the proposed changes – despite the threat of legal action by the PCB – but has given them, effectively, two years and possibly more to do this. That, too, came from meetings Butt, Ahmed and the PCB’s legal advisor Taffazul Rizvi had with the ICC in Dubai in the run-up to the AGM. “We had discussions with the ICC about this before the meetings and it was there we agreed to set this deadline and that is what has been decided here,” Butt said.Even the results of the FTP negotiations are not as bad as initially expected. Between now and April 2020, Pakistan have 88 Tests scheduled which is considerably lower than the big guns of England, Australia and India but alongside Sri Lanka (88) and ahead of West Indies (84), South Africa (82) and New Zealand (80). This, officials said, was the result of increased efforts over the last year with other boards, an indication that relations with a few members might be improving, albeit tentatively.In March 2012, they are even scheduled to tour India and getting that inked into the FTP is being considered an achievement by the board. If political relations improve, there could be more tours which will add considerably to Pakistan’s schedule.

Match facts

Wednesday, June 8, Port of Spain
Start time 0900 (1300 GMT)Can Ramnaresh Sarwan roll back the years?•Associated Press

Big Picture

The first ODI epitomised everything that is going wrong with West Indies cricket. It began with the openers: in Chris Gayle’s absence, the uncalled-for timidity from Lendl Simmons and Kirk Edwards ended up giving credence to Sunil Gavaskar’s comparison of Munaf Patel to Glenn McGrath. Once the spinners came on, the middle order shut shop. Nothing captured West Indies’ woes more succinctly than the number 169 – their dot-ball count on Monday.Ramnaresh Sarwan, who has collared better Indian attacks in tougher circumstances in the past, was restricted to poking and jabbing in hope. Marlon Samuels also was a pale shadow of the batsman who thumped a fierce century against India eight years ago. The result was a score as underwhelming as the bowling attack that tried to defend it, and an easy win for India, despite their own skittish approach to the chase. West Indies will need a huge lift in all departments – including their lethargic out-cricket – if they are to match the Indians.Twice in two games on tour, India’s top order has faltered. The depth in their line-up opened up escape routes on both occasions, but Duncan Fletcher will want more application at the top. Parthiv Patel has a wide range of shots, but will be expected to put a bigger price on his wicket, after perishing to a needless run-out in the first ODI. Shikhar Dhawan looked ill at ease against seam and spin, but to his credit he managed to scrap his way to a half-century. S Badrinath knows how long it has taken him to get a second chance in the India side, and will try to make the opportunity count. And despite finishing in sublime fashion, Rohit Sharma will want to revisit his alarming shot-selection early on. In short, there is plenty of room for improvement from both sides.

Form guide (most recent first)

West Indies: LWWLL
India: WWWWW

The spotlight

Amit Mishra goes about his work with such quiet efficiency that he rarely gets noticed. On Monday, he easily out-bowled Harbhajan Singh without getting the reward he deserved. There was loop, flight, drift and variety, and at times the West Indies batsmen were just not good enough to edge him. R Ashwin breathes down Mishra’s neck for the spot of second spinner, but his rhythm on Monday should give him another chance. Mishra now needs wickets to back his case for the rest of the series.Over the past year or so, Dwayne Bravo has struggled to live up to his own standards, especially with the bat. In the first one-dayer, he was beginning to get into his groove when he walked past a Harbhajan drifter. When Bravo is in good form, he is a fine player of spin, and the dominance is founded upon his sure footwork. Will he be able to reprise that fluency in front of his home crowd?

Team news

India are unlikely to fiddle with the two-seamer, two-spinner combination given the lifeless nature of the pitch at Queen’s Park Oval. Manoj Tiwary might come up in team discussions, but S Badrinath has earned at least a couple of opportunities to fail in the middle order. Ishant Sharma, too, is likely to be eased into action later in the series.India (possible): 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 S Badrinath, 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Suresh Raina (capt), 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Praveen Kumar, 11 Munaf Patel.West Indies will seriously consider bringing in Kieron Pollard to inject some urgency in the middle order. While Anthony Martin gave a good account of himself with the ball, it is tough to imagine West Indies succeeding against India with two specialist legspinners in their XI.West Indies (possible): 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Kirk Edwards, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Kieron Pollard/Andre Russell, 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Carlton Baugh (wk), 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Devendra Bishoo/Anthony Martin.

Stats and trivia

• This will be the 98th one-dayer between these two sides. India have won 40, and West Indies 54
• Among the players in this series, Ramnaresh Sarwan (1319) has scored most runs in India-West Indies matches
  

  Quotes

  “When you play for India it is a given that fans and media would talk about your performance. I have no problem with it. But yes I have worked extremely hard over my fitness in the last three months and I want this tour to count for me.”

Scorecard
Paul Dixey scored the first County Championship half-century of his career to help Leicestershire salvage a draw against Gloucestershire at Grace Road. The 23-year-old wicketkeeper, released by Kent at the end of last season, made an unbeaten 72 in sharing an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 111 with Jigar Naik to deny Gloucestershire victory on a tense final day in the Division Two clash.Following on 181 runs behind, Leicestershire were deep in trouble when they slumped to 134 for 5 with seamer Will Gidman claiming three of the wickets. But Dixey and Naik stayed together for 31 overs, and the teams shook hands on a draw at the start of the final hour, with Leicestershire at 245 for 5, leading by 64 runs.Although Dixey has a first-class century to his name for Durham University against Lancashire, he never played a championship game for Kent, and has been taken on trial by Leicestershire this season. He is currently standing in for the injured Tom New, and this valuable innings will have done his chances of securing a contract at Grace Road no harm at all.Dixey faced 112 balls and struck 10 fours and a six, while Naik provided excellent support with an unbeaten 32 off 106 balls. The sixth-wicket pair changed the course of a game that looked to be in Gloucestershire’s grasp from the moment Ian Saxelby bowled last man Nadeem Malik in the third over of the morning. That left Leicestershire, all out for 323, still needing another 181 runs to avoid an innings defeat.They were soon on the back foot with Gidman having opener Matt Boyce caught low down at mid-wicket in the 11th over. Will Jefferson followed a few minutes before lunch, trapped lbw as he tried to work offspinner Kane Williamson away on the leg side.Three more wickets fell in the afternoon session, with Saxelby finding the edge against Kadeer Ali, and Gidman claiming the wickets off Josh Cobb and Andrew McDonald. Cobb was out lbw, and McDonald taken by wicketkeeper Jon Batty as he tried to drive on the off side.At that stage Gloucestershire looked firm favourites to clinch victory, but Dixey and Naik pulled things round with some sensible and solid batting. Dixey reached his maiden half-century by sweeping Vikram Banerjee to the boundary, and then illustrated his growing confidence with a superb six off Williamson that brought up the century partnership.The draw earned Leicestershire seven points, while Gloucestershire collected 11.

Match facts

Thursday, April 14
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Deccan Chargers’ middle order needs to step up•AFP

Big picture

A revamped Deccan Chargers have had a tough time in this early phase of the tournament with two defeats in two games. They were beaten comfortably by Rajasthan Royals and fell short by nine runs chasing 163 against Kolkata Knight Riders. On each occasion their batting has let them down – while batting first in their opening game, they managed a modest 137 while pressure got to them in a tight chase against Kolkata. Their opponents, Royal Challengers Bangalore, began the competition on a promising note but are reeling from a humbling defeat at the hands of Mumbai Indians.One team is desperate to clinch first points and ensure its campaign takes a turn for the better, the other is eager to prevent a slide after an encouraging beginning. Deccan need their foreign players, their captain Kumar Sangakkara, JP Duminy and big buy Daniel Christian to step up in the middle order, which has underachieved in each of their two games. The trio have got starts but the team has paid a price for their failure to push on.For Bangalore, AB de Villiers and Tillakaratne Dilshan have kicked off well but the rest, particularly Virat Kohli, will aim for more runs. They lost Dirk Nannes early in the previous game and Mumbai Indians had no trouble chasing down 140; the rest of the bowling, including Zaheer Khan struggled, but against Deccan’s struggling batting line-up they have a chance to make amends.

Team talk

The end of the Australia-Bangladesh series means Cameron White will return to the Deccan Chargers squad but it is unlikely he will be part of the XI tomorrow. Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha bowled well in the previous game, but it’ll be interesting to see if they leave one out to accommodate someone like Harmeet Singh, who has a wonderfully deceptive slower ball, to bring some variation into their bowling.In the likely absence of Nannes, Bangalore might be prompted to rope in Nuwan Pradeep, the exciting fast-bowling prospect from Sri Lanka. Their lower order hasn’t had a chance to bat, with Cheteshwar Pujara waiting for his turn at No. 7. Could he receive a promotion ahead of Asad Pathan?Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

Shikhar Dhawan is an attractive strokemaker and Deccan bank on him to control proceedings from one end. But too often he can be flashy or concede his wicket playing a rash shot. He got a start in Deccan’s opening game, making 24 off 15, before throwing it away by holing out in the deep. He had an impressive opening IPL for Delhi in 2008, providing solidity at the top and Deccan would expect no less from him this time.Virat Kohli has scores of 24 and 12 in his two games thus far. He looked at ease in Bangalore’s opening game against Kochi Tuskers Kerala, striking some delightful fours before being trapped in front. Against Mumbai, he was kept quiet and eventually nicked one to the keeper. Along with AB, he forms the backbone of Bangalore’s batting line-up; one has stepped up, Kohli yet has to.

Prime numbers

• Pragyan Ojha is one of only two bowlers – the other being RP Singh – to pick up 50 wickets in the IPL. He’s played 46 games, averaging 22.62 though has been expensive, conceding 7.19 an over.
• Kumar Sangakkara effected 11 dismissals as wicketkeeper in the IPL last year, in 13 matches, third after Adam Gilchrist and Dinesh Karthik.
  

  The chatter

  “We need to bat smarter, make less mistakes.”

  “I think this competition is about momentum. In such a short period of time between games, if you can get on that (winning momentum), it’s going to make things a lot easier.”

Duncan Fletcher may have coached the England team for eight years but there’s still a “hell of a lot” about them that he “doesn’t know at all”, offspinner Graeme Swann has said. Fletcher was named India’s new coach, replacing Gary Kirsten, and his first assignment is likely to be the tour of England later in the year.Swann, who was not in Fletcher’s good books when he first played for England in 2000, said any presumptions from the coach about knowing it all about England had the potential to backfire.”Fletcher knows a few of our players better than some other coaches would,” Swann told the . “But there’s a hell of a lot of our team he doesn’t know at all. I think that will work to our advantage, because he might be trying to double guess us a little bit and come a cropper.”Swann made his ODI debut on the tour of South Africa in 2000, when Fletcher was coach, but lost favour with the team due to his off-field behaviour. He played his first Test almost eight years later. “If I was a coach 10 years ago, I don’t think I would have picked me, and I wouldn’t have particularly liked me being on that tour,” Swann said. “If you’re my sort of character, you soon become quite irksome to the people around you if you’re not backing your talk up on the field.”I was just a young upstart tourist, and it was a good job I didn’t play because I wasn’t good enough. I’d probably have been found out and cast aside for good, and never been given my eventual second chance.”There are several players in the current England set-up who’ve either not played under Fletcher or done so only occasionally. Jonathan Trott and Steven Finn made their debuts after Fletcher left, while Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan and even Swann gained prominence much later.”It’s nice for him to come back to England, because he’s got a fine record with the England team,” Swann said. “Now he will get a chance to pit his wits against this new England side during the summer. Technically, though, I don’t think it helps him much to know a few of our players, because there’s so much footage available that you can work anybody out.”Even James Anderson, who Swann believes could be the key against India, played only 16 of his 57 Tests under Fletcher. “If the ball swings like it did last year and Jimmy bowls as well again, there’s no team in the world that can touch us,” Swann said. “I think we will give India a very good run for their money, if not beat them.”

Stumps
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
The bowlers dominated the opening day of the Logan Cup final between Mountaineers and Matabeleland Tuskers at Mutare Sports Club, with 14 wickets falling for 251 runs in the course of the day. Mark Mabuza’s 54, and some stubborn lower-order resistance, took Tuskers to 195 after they had been reduced to 118 for 7. Mountaineers had the ascendancy after the first innings, but in less than a session swing bowler Keegan Meth brought his team strongly back into the game with four quick wickets to reduce Mountaineers to 56 for 4 at stumps.Mountaineers had their full team fit and available, but Matabeleland Tuskers were badly depleted, especially in their top-order batting. Their regular captain Gavin Ewing has a dislocated shoulder, so Keith Dabengwa took over the reins. Terry Duffin and Sean Williams are yet to recover from injuries they picked up during the World Cup, while the English professionals Paul Horton and Adam Wheater, who had both done outstanding jobs for the franchise this season, have gone back to England for the start of the county season. Williams has only played three matches for the team, but the others are the four leading run-scorers for Matabeleland Tuskers in 2010-11 – a very serious blow.After Tuskers won the toss and decided to bat on a hot, sunny day, the makeshift opening pair of Mark Mabuza and Brad Staddon began in defensive fashion, digging in deep, although both had lucky escapes when mistimed pulls dropped clear of the fielders. They seemed to have weathered the new ball and were starting to look actively for runs when, after almost an hour, Staddon’s forward defence was beaten by a ball from Shingi Masakadza that took the edge and was taken by the keeper. Charles Coventry took a single from his first ball and from his next, the first bowled in the match by Natsai Mushangwe, he went for an extravagant drive and was caught at the wicket, a soft dismissal.Wickets fell regularly thereafter, and 71 for 4 at lunch became 103 for 6 when Mabuza was finally out for 54, scored off 130 balls. He had played the anchor role very capably, but found no partner able to assist him for long. The seventh wicket went down at 118 and a total of 150 looked unlikely when Chris Mpofu came in at No. 9, but it proved to be the start of a fightback that was as good as anything that could be imagined considering the personnel involved. Mpofu played a good defensive role while Tawanda Mupariwa took any scoring opportunities on offer, choosing the right ball to hit and making 34 off 66 balls before being out just before tea.After the interval Njabulo Ncube swung merrily to reach 29 off only 17 balls, his best score in first-class cricket, and finally holed out on the long-on boundary playing the stroke that was intended to take his team past 200. Despite the low score, the pitch had given the bowlers little or no help: their success came partly due to their own determination and persistence, and partly due to the largely unnecessary disintegration of the depleted Tuskers batsmen.Mountaineers were also to make surprisingly heavy weather of their batting, as Tuskers bowlers fought back with great determination. Tino Mawoyo did not look comfortable and was struck on the helmet by a ball from Mpofu. Soon after, he edged a ball from Meth to second slip. Meth, in the opinion of the Tuskers coach Dave Houghton, has been the best bowler in the country this season (an opinion backed up by statistics), the only one who can swing the ball consistently either way, and he it was who brought Tuskers back into the game.Bernard Mlambo did a good job in scoring 22 runs until he was beaten playing forward to Meth and trapped lbw. Next ball, Jon Beukes unwisely padded up to a ball swinging in and was also adjudged lbw. Mountaineers were battling on 38 for 3, and not long afterwards Meth also removed Donald Tiripano before the close for 7, taking 4 for 14 in his nine-over spell. He did not remove Hamilton Masakadza who is still there on 18, however, and much will depend on how he continues on the second day.

In an effort to promote literacy and reading during the World Cup, the ICC has entered into a partnership with Room to Read, an organisation that promotes education in developing countries. As part of the efforts to underline the important of reading, a player from each of the fourteen teams competing in the tournament were asked to name their favourite book, and the exercise threw up some interesting surprises.Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh)
by JK Rowling
“I was actually imagining myself as Harry Potter. That’s the power of the writer. I thought I could do anything. It was such an engaging tale that I was reading it day and night, at every break.”Shane Watson (Australia)
by Andre Aggasi
“I have read many books but my favourite out of all of these is Andre Agassi’s autobiography, . Throughout the whole book he describes the thoughts and feelings going through his mind so unbelievably well. It is like you, as the reader, are in the moment with him. An amazing man with an amazing story.”Zubin Surkari (Canada)
by Keith Richards
“Being a closet rocker, this book was a great look into the life of someone society has labelled a rebel or trouble-maker. On the contrary, his life, although extreme and at times dangerous, started in humble beginnings in what seemed a normal family upbringing with a massive passion for all varieties of music. The book however quickly reassures you about the myth that is Keith Richards and delivers full value on his many years of experience and that of the Rolling Stones. A great read and a window into the life of a real music entertainer.Luke Wright (England)
series by R L Stine
“They were my absolute favourite books growing up and they were the first books I really enjoyed reading when I was about 10. Sometimes scary, sometimes funny and always exciting, the books follow kids dealing with monsters, ghosts and strange goings on. A brilliant read.”Virat Kohli (India)
by Andre Agassi
“I like Andre Agassi’s autobiography. The author tells the story of his remarkable career, which featured many ups and downs. The best part about the book is that at no point does the author try to project himself as a superhuman. He is as human as you and me, but a champion and an inspiration.”Ed Joyce (Ireland)
by George Orwell
“I first read when I was about 14 and I can’t remember loving reading something as much as I did this book. It was scary and clever in equal measure and I think I finished it in a couple of sittings. I love being able to go back to a book and discover it anew and I must have read it 10 times since. Concepts such as ‘doublethink’ and ‘big brother’ were of course introduced in this book and it is interesting to see how these ideas have played out in the years since the book was first published in 1949. Definitely a must-read!”Steve Tikolo (Kenya)
by Nelson Mandela
“Nelson Mandela is a legend and an icon who is admired all over the world. When I heard that his biography was out on sale, I told myself this was a book I must read. I have always admired him for his humility and the sacrifices he made in life for the people of South Africa so they could have a free country where everyone lives freely as brothers and sisters. When I read the book I was deeply moved and learned a lot of lessons that have helped me in life.”Shahid Afridi said he is inspired by reading about Prophet Muhammad•ICC

Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)
by Muhammad Zakariya Kandhlawi
“This book did affect me as a human being, as well as a Muslim, since the first time I read it in 2003. This book is about the simple life of our Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and his sayings. He spent his whole life as a role model for humanity, showing them the right pathway to help and care about others.”Wayne Parnell (South Africa)
by Stephen King
“I love the thrill and the suspense in his novels. His style of writing has a way of involving the reader, so you can kind of feel like you are in the novel, and there is nothing better than a book that you just can’t put down. The reason I fell in love with his books is because when I was younger, my mother and I would spent a lot of time watching movies that recreated his books. As I got older and started reading at school, I chased after his books and became very fond of them.”Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka)
by John Maxwell.
“Maxwell has identified 13 choices that we need to make so as to maximise our talent which I found to be very enlightening. This includes teamwork, which divides the effort and multiplies the effect. So, I find the book thought-provoking considering its relevancy in helping me to be the very best that I can be as a cricketer and human being.”Sulieman Benn (West Indies)
: The authorised biography of Clive Lloyd
“Clive Lloyd is one of the greatest West Indian cricketers of all time and his book gave me a good idea of the challenges he faced and how he overcame them. Reading about his performances and the thinking that went into his game provided me with a good idea of what it means to represent the West Indies and what playing for the West Indies means to the people.Peter Borren (Netherlands)
by Pascal Mercier
“I loved this book because it was so thought-provoking. While reading it, one cannot help but question one’s own life and the reasons for and the consequences of the decisions we make.”Kane Williamson (New Zealand)
series by Lee Child
“The books I’m reading at the moment are my favourite – the series. I enjoy biographies and autobiographies but I like the action and crime of the Jack Reacher books and they are a great read. I used to read a little bit at school and neglected it through college but have recently got right back into it and am glued to these books.”Graeme Cremer (Zimbabwe)
by Lance Armstrong
“I like this book because I found it inspirational. I read it about a year ago. It is a sports autobiography so I found it particularly relevant to me and my career to see how another sportsman overcame the difficulties he faced in the sporting arena. I found his attitude of resilience in the face of illness and extreme challenges to be particularly motivating.”

Scotland’s development programme has been named the best in Europe at the ICC Development Programme Awards for 2010. Scotland won the ‘Best Overall Cricket Development Programme’ award for significant achievements in all aspects of the game – in junior cricket, women’s cricket, in new strategies and the creation of new pathways.”This award is a tremendous endorsement of what we have been striving to achieve over the past few years,” said Steve Paige, Head of Community Development for Cricket Scotland. “It also recognises the important value of the contributions volunteers play in developing cricket at grassroots level.”Last year, we saw some fantastic achievements within our community programmes: 468 schools competed in our schools cups. We had 56 primary schools festivals. We educated more than 300 teachers in introductory programmes and 110 umpires attended introductory courses, with 58 taking Level 1 exams. We delivered courses to 134 physical education students and now we have over 450 active UKCC coaches.”And our development team around the country have been doing a splendid job in growing the game and ensuring we have sustainable structures in the clubs, so they can support all the children and adults that want to play the game.””These very well deserved awards are in recognition of the great work which is ongoing in our Associate and Affiliate member countries; all involved should be very proud of themselves,” added ICC Regional Development Manager Richard Holdsworth.The Pepsi ICC Development Programme Annual Awards promote excellence in cricket development and recognise exceptional performance and service to the game in the ICC’s 95 Associate and Affiliate Member countries. Nominations were received from national bodies, clubs, associations, teams, schools and individuals. The European regional winners will now be put forward for the Global Pepsi ICC Development Programme Awards.