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An unbroken 130-run partnership between fourth-wicket pair Peter Handscomb and Hamish Marshall after tea on day three ensured Gloucestershire took charge against Lancashire at Old Trafford.

Press Association12-May-2015
ScorecardPaul Horton’s 168 was essential to keep Lancashire in check•PA PhotosAn unbroken 130-run partnership between fourth-wicket pair Peter Handscomb and Hamish Marshall after tea on day three ensured Gloucestershire took charge against Lancashire at Old Trafford.The visitors gained a of 24 on first innings on the stroke of lunch during today’s third day, which could have been far greater but for Paul Horton who compled a 298-ball innings of 168 – his fifth score above 150 in 12 years of Championship cricket.Gloucestershire built on their slender lead second time around to close with a healthy lead of 230 and a chance to push for what would only be a ninth victory in Lancashire in their history.When fledgling Australian Handscomb and veteran New Zealander Marshall came together in the early stages of the evening, Gloucestershire were 76 for 3 in the 27th over with a lead of 100 and the contest in the balance.Peter Siddle struck twice with the new ball inside the first eleven overs as Gloucestershire’s slipped to 30 for 2, with first-innings centurion Chris Dent one of his scalps. Dent lost his off-stump as he offered no shot before Gareth Roderick, late on one that nipped back appreciably, was trapped lbw. Nathan Buck later picked up his first Red Rose wicket as Will Tavare played on for 34, and Lancashire had their tails up.But Handscomb and Marshall regained the momentum during their 36.5 overs together in what remain decent batting conditions. Both players brought up their fifties inside the last hour of play, with Handscomb’s coming off 99 balls and Marshall’s second of the match coming off 83. They will begin day four on 74 and 71 not out respectively.Not only do Lancashire have to work out a way of bowling Gloucestershire out, they also have to keep an eye on their over-rate as they ended the day at minus two.Earlier, Liam Norwell took two of the four Lancashire wickets to fall for 17 runs to finish with 4 for 95. Horton fell five short of his best score in county cricket – 173 against Somerset at Taunton in 2009 – having shared an 82-run partnership inside 28 overs for the seventh wicket with Siddle. Their stand started during the latter stages of day two, and they took Lancashire to within 41 of Gloucestershire’s total before Siddle was trapped lbw by Norwell for 40, leaving the score at 347 for 7 in the 104th over of the innings.Horton was caught behind in Norwell’s next over with 350 on the board before Craig Miles had Buck caught at second slip and Tom Smith’s left-arm spin accounted for Kyle Jarvis, caught by Norwell running from cover towards point.Gloucestershire batsman Hamish Marshall said: “It’s nice to have finished the day well. Three down for a 230 lead is a position we’d have liked to have been in at the start of the day. We’ve got that. We’ve now got to work out how we can get ourselves in a position to put pressure on Lancashire and win the game.”Siddle and Jarvis are quality bowlers, and they asked a lot of questions in the first innings. In this innings, they got some early poles. It was nice to get a partnership going and put them under pressure. If we can give ourselves some overs with runs on the board, we’ll have a crack at trying to win the game.”Lancashire bowler Peter Siddle added: “I think we batted pretty well this morning to get us into the position we got to, but it was a bit disappointing not to eek a few more runs out and get in front. The way we started with the ball that second dig with a few early wickets, credit goes to their last partnership. They batted well and batted time. They were patient. It’s made for an interesting day tomorrow.”The pitch has played pretty well for the last couple of days really. Day one was a bit up and down, and we thought it was going to deteriorate a lot more. It’s played pretty well. We need a couple of quick wickets. If we don’t get them, it does make it hard for us to get in front of the game.”

The Red Devils have not won any trophy since their Europa League triumph in 2017

It has been more than five years since Manchester United last won a trophy. Under Jose Mourinho's tutelage, the last piece of silverware came to Old Trafford on May 24, 2017, as the Red Devils beat Ajax 2-0 to lift the Europa League title.

Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were on target for the Premier League club as they picked up a comfortable win against the Dutch side.

Since Mourinho's departure, United are yet to win a trophy.

Which players last won a trophy for Manchester United and where are they now?Julian Finney / Getty Images SportSergio Romero – Goalkeeper

The Argentine goalkeeper joined Manchester United from Sampdoria in 2015 and spent six seasons at the club. Last season, Romero joined Italian Serie B side Venezia and in 2022, he signed for Boca Juniors.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesAntonio Valencia – Right-Back

The former Ecuador international joined Manchester United from Wigan Athletic in 2009 and played at the club for 10 seasons. After leaving the Red Devils, he played in Mexico and Ecuador. He retired from professional football in May 2021.

Getty ImagesChris Smalling – Centre-Back

The English defender joined Manchester United from Fulham in 2010 and spent 10 years at the club. In 2019, he was sent on loan to AS Roma and ahead of the 2020/21 season, Smalling made his move permanent with the Serie A club.

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Getty ImagesDaley Blind – Centre-Back

The Dutch full-back joined Manchester United in 2014 from Ajax and spent four seasons at the club. In 2018, he returned to Ajax where he currently plies his trade.

Ligue 1 giants Marseille have officially parted ways with Gennaro Gattuso and drafted in Jean-Louis Gasset as their new manager.

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Marseille sack GattusoAppoint Jean-Louis Gasset as replacementMarseille 10th in Ligue 1WHAT HAPPENED?

The French club decided to sack the Italian coach just two days after they went down 1-0 against Brest in Ligue 1. It was their ninth defeat of the 2023-24 season and leaves Marseille down in 10th in the league. In the aftermath of the Brest defeat, a furious Gattuso claimed that the team had hit "rock-bottom". He added in his post-match press conference: "When you hit rock bottom, you have to take responsibility. It's my responsibility. There is nothing else to say. The table? The truth is that we're going to have to start looking behind us. We can no longer speak about Europe. We just need to take the necessary points to be calm in the standings."

The club have also announced the former Italy international's replacement, with former Ivory Coast boss Jean-Louis Gasset taking charge.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT HAS BEEN SAID

The official statement from the club regarding Gattuso's sacking read: "Olympique de Marseille announces the end of its collaboration with Gennaro Gattuso. Olympique de Marseille would like to particularly thank Gennaro and all of his staff for the flawless investment and great professionalism they have shown on a daily basis and wish them good luck for the future."

After being appointed as the new head coach, Gasset told the club's official website: "It is a huge honour for me to join this legendary club that is Olympique de Marseille. I can't wait to start working with this group to prepare for the next deadlines and give the best of ourselves."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The 70-year-old French coach grabbed the headlines in the recently concluded AFCON as he was sacked midway into the competition by the host nation. The Ivory Coast, who eventually lifted the trophy, failed to make the top two in their group after a humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of Equatorial Guinea on matchday three, which led to Gasset's departure, but they still qualified for the knockout stage as one of the four best third-placed teams.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MARSEILLE?

Marseille will now shift their focus to European football as they are set to face Shakhtar Donetsk in the second leg of their Europa League knockout play-offs tie.

Justice Mukul Mudgal, who headed an independent probe committee investigating corruption in the IPL, has said that players should not suffer as a result of the ongoing case between the BCCI and the Cricket Association of Bihar in the Supreme Court

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2014Justice Mukul Mudgal, whose independent probe committee carried out a four-month long investigation into corruption in the IPL, has said that players should not suffer as a result of the ongoing case between the BCCI and the Cricket Association of Bihar in the Supreme Court.Responding to the Supreme Court’s proposals to change the leadership of the BCCI on Thursday, Justice Mudgal said the recommendations were a “punishment” for IPL offences.”I can’t totally comment on them [the proposals] because this depends on what the Board’s response is,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “But it’s a punishment for the IPL offences and the Supreme Court will take a look after the BCCI’s response and see what punishment should be imposed on the teams. Perhaps all the players should not suffer.”Mudgal pointed out that the suspension of Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings, whose players and team officials faced arrests over alleged involvement in betting and spot-fixing, had only been suggested by the court.”It has not been ordered. I’m sure the court will look at all the ifs and buts and the pros and cons before actually passing any order,” he said. “This [the proposals] is only to elicit the response of the BCCI, according to me… There are clean players, too. I’m sure the court will take that into consideration.”Mudgal, a cricket fan for the last six decades, said that despite corruption in the IPL, it could not be assumed that “all matches are fixed.” He said: “There are bad fish but not everybody should be painted with the same brush. We have some extremely dedicated players who sincerely work hard.”In the Supreme Court on Thursday, there were several references by the CAB’s defence counsel Harish Salve, to the many overlapping roles being carried out during Srinivasan’s term as BCCI president and often leading back to him. These related not merely to Srinivasan’s positions as board president, managing director of India Cements and, through that, owner of the Super Kings franchise in the IPL. There were also several India Cements officials holding positions in the BCCI administrative structures and the company also employed MS Dhoni as a vice-president.The conflict of issue, Mudgal said, had been brought into his report even thought it was not in the committee’s terms of reference.”Since so many people deposing to us referred to it, we only summarized their depositions and gave it to the court and without expressing any opinion whether there was a conflict of interest or not,” he said. “It wouldn’t have been proper for us to do so.”When asked whether the conflict of interest due to Srinivasan’s “many hats” turned out to be the central issue in court, Mudgal said: “Perhaps, it could be. But it’s the court’s decision and not our recommendation. All the people who were not directly connected with the BCCI had mentioned it, so it was surely something that deserved to be brought to the notice of the court and that was our duty.”Talking about Justice AK Patnaik, who has been heading the bench in this case for the last eight months, Mudgal said that while he had not sat with the judge on the same bench (as he belonged to another high court), Patnaik was “a judge of great constitutional knowledge and one of the most popular judges of the Supreme Court. He is a kind, compassionate judge.”Mudgal found his experience on heading the probe panel to be a “process of learning.” According to him, the opportunity to interact with “people involved in the game gives you a slightly different perspective from what you have had as a spectator.” He admitted his opinion about Indian cricket “did change much” while working on the investigation and he had “learnt more” on the panel which was “a good education.” He was not, however, surprised by the presence of corruption in sport. “I’ve been a judge for about 15 years, I have seen all facets of human behavior – murder, etc,” he said. “So was I surprised? No.”

Will Gidman scored his first century of the season to press his case as one of the country’s leading allrounders

Vithushan Ehantharajah at the Ageas Bowl09-Jul-2014
ScorecardWill Gidman made his first century of the season•PA PhotosAt the end of the 2011 season, in which he took 51 wickets and scored more than 1000 runs in the Championship, Will Gidman gave a magazine interview. Affable, engaging and painfully down to earth, when it was over, he had a question of his own.”Was that okay?” After being assured all was well, a relieved Gidman added: “I haven’t done one of these all season.” It is a story that just about sums up Gidman and the situation he continually finds himself in.Quite how a player goes through a debut season unparalleled by anyone else who has played the game – he was only the seventh player in history to achieve that double – without piquing the interest of the media is stunning. Least of all someone who had spent the previous four years working more shifts at Sports Direct than he had first-class runs.His bowling average for the last four seasons has not been higher than 22 and only once has he averaged less than 30 with the bat. The stats do not lie – as a bowling allrounder, his effectiveness and consistency are peerless. Had he been playing for a more “fashionable” county, calls for international recognition would come on a weekly basis. As it is, he doesn’t even have a Twitter fan page.The most amazing thing about Will Gidman is his profile, or rather, lack of. His figures might even be too good; often he is lazily used as proof about the divide between first- and second-division cricket. The proof being that how can a bowler from Gloucestershire, who no one ever mentions for higher honours, constantly posts such incredible stats. To watch him puts it all into perspective.His action is smooth and efficient, making full use of a slender frame to whip through the crease and send the ball down at a pace quick enough to disturb. As a batsman, his square game is tight and rarely will he stray from it.Here, the path had been set by Gloucestershire’s wasteful top order. With the top four registering sizeable scores, he knew runs would come with little risk. He came to the crease at 254 for 4 and accumulated well with some well-controlled pull shots and some finessed reverse sweeps. Against Will Smith, turning the ball away from him, he used his reach and feet to hit him over cover. There were two points of alarm, both when he was a run away from milestones.On 49, a vicious David Balcombe short-ball hit him on the glove. Then, on 99, he pushed the ball back down the pitch, towards Michael Carberry, who was at a three-quarters mid-off, and set off for a poorly judged single. A quick pick-up and release had him dead but the lack of accuracy saved his blushes and allowed him to return for a second run, allowing him to record his first century this season. He currently averages 56.44 with the bat and 19.65 with the ball.There was an odd atmosphere at the Ageas Bowl. None of it was down to the local crowd, who are knowledgeable sorts, happy to take in a day of graft after the success they have witnessed so far this season.The North End is currently a building site. Once finished, it will most likely be referred to as the Hotel End. At the moment, its most recognisable feature is the media centre, slotted into the middle of the stand, up above a level rooftop. By the time England and India roll into town, it will be hospitable.The rest is far from completion: an array of hallways and passages, held together by a combination of bricks, mortar and scaffolding, with rectangular holes prepped for windows. It is through these holes that southern winds shoot through to create a howling effect that lingered throughout the day.Various members of the Hampshire attack added their own howls intermittently, as they slogged away on a track so flat it could be used as a spirit level. For them, it was a deeply frustrating day, where the deliveries that managed to beat the batsmen often beat the bat.It was only Sean Ervine who experienced anything resembling joy. Asked to bowl for 14 overs, he nagged away respectably and elicited errors from Will Tavare and Hamish Marshall. Both could and should have registered centuries, but had to settle for 86 and 56 respectively.As it stands, the easy batting conditions suggest that Hampshire can, at the very least, bat out the final day for a draw. Whatever happens, the performance of Will Gidman could determine their fate.

Round-up of the Dhaka Premier Division matches played on January 4, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2015Prime Bank Cricket Club clinched their maiden Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League title after beating Abahani by nine wickets. They have become the eighth club to win the league, the country’s most popular domestic competition.Prime Bank were already holding a two-point advantage over Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club before the final round of Super League matches, but they still needed a win in Mirpur on Sunday to confirm the championship. After the first phase had ended, this encounter was touted to be the virtual final after both Abahani and Prime Bank were chasing each other at the top of the points table. But after Abahani’s one-wicket loss to Kalabagan Krira Chakra in the last round of matches, they were out of the race altogether.Prime Bank’s path in this game was made even smoother when Abahani were bowled out for 160 runs in 44.2 overs. Nasir Hossain made 55 but it was Farhad Reza’s 4 for 17 in 9.2 overs that did all the damages.Soumya Sarkar, who took two wickets, then made 97 off 91 balls with seven fours and as many sixes to seal Prime Bank’s chase. They won with 22.3 overs to spare, with Saikat Ali making 58 not out and the opening pair added 155 runs for the first wicket.Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club finished second in the competition with a three-wicket win over Mohammedan Sporting Club at BKSP-3.Batting first, Mohammedan made 220 for 9 in 50 overs with Mohammad Mithun top-scoring with 45. Shafiul Islam and Asif Ahmed took three wickets each.The Doleshwar openers, Rony Talukdar and Mehedi Maruf, once again gave them a good start, adding 117 runs in 22 overs. Maruf struck six fours and a six in his 82-ball 58 while Talukdar’s 63 came off just 61 balls with five fours and two sixes.They stuttered slightly before reaching the 221-run target in 48.5 overs. Mohammad Nabi, the Afghanistan captain, took two wickets for Mohammedan, who finished in sixth position.In the day’s third match, Anamul Haque’s 150 helped Kalabagan Cricket Academyto a 38-run win over Legends of Rupganj in Fatullah.Anamul struck seven fours and ten sixes in his 146-ball knock as KCA made 288 for 3 in 50 overs. Apart from Anamul, Nafees Iqbal made 52 while Imtiaz Hossain struck 42.In reply, Rupganj were restricted to 250 for 6 in 50 overs as Junaid Siddique top-scored with 50, and all their batsmen, who were dismissed, reached double figures. Bishawnath Haldar took two wickets.

In a major setback for Uttar Pradesh, pace bowler RP Singh is likely to miss the rest of their quarter-final against Karnataka

Nagraj Gollapudi in Bangalore08-Jan-2014In a major setback for Uttar Pradesh, pace bowler RP Singh is likely to miss the rest of their quarter-final against Karnataka. RP pulled up in his run-up in the third over after lunch (his second), stopping on the verge of delivering the ball. He had a quiet word with umpire Amesh Saheba, threw the ball to his team-mate Piyush Chawla and walked off. According to the team management, RP informed them that he had pulled his hamstring.Earlier in the over RP had walked gingerly back to his bowling mark. With his last ball before he walked off, RP had bowled a short delivery that Robin Uthappa had pulled into the hands of Amit Mishra at deep square leg. However, even before the catch could be completed, Saheba had called it a no-ball, RP having crossed the line. RP had shrugged in disgust.Uthappa, who was on 58 then and managed to reach his century later, confirmed that he had spoken to RP, who told him he would not be playing the rest of the match. “I don’t think RP will be playing the rest of the four days. I spoke to him and he won’t be available for the next four days,” Uthappa said after play. “He is out with the injury I had. I can relate to how painful it must be.”Mishra agreed, saying RP’s participation was now in doubt. “He is in too much pain. We will have to wait [on his fitness],” Mishra said.Although RP was not available for comment, he was spotted going to the National Cricket Academy at the tea break and, once again, immediately after the day’s play.Although RP had not picked up a wicket, in his two spells he had posed a lot of difficult questions for the batsmen, including a couple of confident lbw appeals against Uthappa. He had been appointed UP’s captain on the eve of the match and being the strike bowler, he was their go-to man with the ball.In his absence, Uthappa said Karnataka had a good chance to dominate and make the semi-finals. “Them being a bowler short is an advantage for us. It gives us that much more of an opportunity to go out there and consolidate and put up a big score,” Uthappa said. “The thing about knockout games is to immediately secure a first-innings lead to progress to the next level, and that is what we need to do tomorrow.”

Tottenham seem to be at a crossroads at the moment. They don’t have their new stadium yet, they crashed out of two competitions in a week, and some of their players are being linked away from the club. 

What’s worse is that manager Mauricio Pochettino could well be leaving the club soon, not only due to the interest from rival clubs, but because he may be growing bored of the lack of trophies and progress Tottenham seem to be making.

One man that could bring a completely radical new approach to Tottenham is former Man United boss José Mourinho. Now we are not saying that the Portuguese is going to join Tottenham, or even linked with a move to north London, but it is a possibility that Daniel Levy may need to think about should his current manager leave.

This would be a controversial call, as Mourinho is a very divisive figure, but here are the pros and cons of Mourinho joining Tottenham:

Pros Status

Whether he is popular or not, there is no denying that Mourinho is one of, if not the most well-known manager in the world.

If Tottenham were able to attract the Portuguese to their club, it would send a huge message to the rest of the world. Some fans would even argue that they would suddenly be put in the same conversation as Chelsea, Man United, Real Madrid and Inter Milan- all European Giants that Mourinho has managed.

This would be a very good move for Tottenham’s global appeal.

Track record

Pochettino has made Tottenham into one of the most attractive teams to watch in England, and indeed Europe. He has overseen some very successful performances and seasons as a whole but there is one glaring blemish on his career so far and that is his lack of a trophy. He has made it to semi finals and indeed a League Cup final, but still has nothing.

Mourinho is almost stylistically the opposite of the Argentinian, creating boring and defensive teams to some, but he has undeniably had a lot of success. He could bring a winning mentality that Spurs have perhaps lacked in recent years. 

At every club he has been with, he has got silverware which to many Tottenham fans is all they may want. He could be the missing piece in their puzzle and toughen up a traditionally fragile team.

Cons Man management

For a long time there was no questioning the methods and style of Mourinho as it was hard to criticise a manager that had been successful in every club and country he had managed in.

But he started to turn a few heads with Man United, particularly regarding his man management.

He fell out with a number of players and oversaw a drastic drop in form by many of them. This was surely one of the leading factors in his sacking and he now has a job to prove that he is not a negative effect on others.

On the other hand, Pochettino has a great rapport with all his players and any senior figure at Tottenham will be wary of the Portuguese’s arrival.

Outdated

There were also questions during Mourinho’s spell at Man United whether he was becoming outdated as a manager. As teams like Man City, Liverpool and Tottenham play progressive football, Mourinho’s Man United look like they were from a different era.

Perhaps he is past his sell by date and Tottenham would not want to risk devastating a team that play so positively under Pochettino.

Verdict

Given the way that Mourinho tarnished his reputation at Man United, this is a risk that Levy should avoid. Whether fans agree with Mourinho or Paul Pogba after their ongoing feud, it is an environment that Tottenham just cannot afford to create.

That being said, Tottenham do need to look to a manager like the Portuguese in terms of their winning mentality if the situation does arise when they need a new manager. But this is a potential disaster they should avoid.

Graham Napier’s superb bowling and Jaik Mickleburgh’s unbeaten century enabled Essex to enjoy the better of their second day against Leicestershire.

18-Jul-2013
ScorecardJaik Mickleburgh continued his mid-season resurgence•Getty ImagesGraham Napier’s superb bowling and Jaik Mickleburgh’s unbeaten century enabled Essex to enjoy the better of their second day against Leicestershire.The hosts finished on 216 for 4 at Chelmsford, in reply to an all out total of 365 by Division Two’s bottom side. The morning session saw Napier, with his brisk pace, produce a sensational spell after the visitors had moved beyond 350 with only four wickets down.Napier got rid of the overnight pair of Ned Eckersley and Matt Boyce after they had put together a century partnership, and he went on to rip through the tail, claiming five wickets in the space of 15 deliveries at a personal cost of just three runs.With offspinner Greg Smith chipping in with the wicket of Ollie Freckingham, the visitors lost their last six wickets for as many runs after they had resumed on 328 for 4 and moved to 359 before they were blown apart.Napier embarked upon his destructive trail by having Boyce caught behind for 54 to end a stand of 147. He then ended the fine innings of Eckersley by deceiving him with a slower delivery – but not before the right-hander had moved to a career-best 147.That effort contained 17 fours and two sixes and embraced 277 deliveries, andNapier followed-up those successes by having Josh Cobb caught, and bowling both Anthony Ireland and Alex Wyatt.It gave him figures of 5 for 77 from 20.3 overs and followed his 7 for90 when the counties met at Grace Road in their previous Championship match.Napier’s performance came on a day when fellow paceman David Masters missed the action after being caught up in a traffic jam following a pile-up on the M25. The former Leicestershire bowler did not arrive until after lunch – by which time the Essex reply was well under way.Mickleburgh and Hamish Rutherford put the Essex innings on a firm foundation with a stand of 61, before the New Zealander was guilty of a careless stroke against Ireland to be caught by Wyatt at deep backward square leg.Smith quickly followed when he edged to Joe Burns in the slips to provide offspinner Sykes, who was making his debut, with the first Championship wicket of his career.Owais Shah perished when he pushed forward against Wyatt to be caught behind just before the 100 was raised and Ryan ten Doeschate lazily drove Freckingham to mid-off.Amid the setbacks, Mickleburgh grew in confidence and punctuated the field with several well-timed strokes as he set sail for his first century of the summer.He eventually got there by cover driving Shiv Thakor to the boundary, his 13th, and by the close he had added another three boundaries to move to 121.Keeping him company was Ben Foakes, who will resume tomorrow on 25 and has so far helped the opener add 65 for the fifth wicket.

After listless performances in the first two Tests in the UAE, Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal has called for pitches that provide more support for spinners

Umar Farooq in Sharjah14-Jan-2014After listless performances in the first two Tests in the UAE, Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal has called for pitches that provide more support for spinners. He rued the lack of help from the surfaces in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, after managing only five wickets in those two matches but has vowed to bounce back in the Sharjah Test.He was wicketless in the second innings of the first Test for 49 overs, conceding 115 runs, and had to wait another 28.2 overs in Dubai to take his first wicket, making the stretch 77.2 overs. In a 32-Test career, Ajmal has never had to wait as long for a wicket: his previous longest wait was 41.1 overs, in the first innings against England at Lord’s in 2010 and he ended with figures of 2 for 126 from 44 overs.”I have been playing in Dubai for the last six years, but haven’t seen such a bad response here,” Ajmal said in Sharjah. “The ball used to turn in Dubai during the previous matches that we played, but this wicket was good for fast bowlers and was not supporting the spinners. I did a lot of hard work but couldn’t get a result, but I have never been disappointed with my cricket and will try to perform.”The PCB had flown their own curator to the UAE along with Intikhab Alam to help the local curators prepare the pitches in UAE for the series but Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq said the tracks are not the type they wanted for the series. For Sharjah there are two pitches being prepared, and Ajmal suggested the tracks will be batsmen friendly.Since May 2011, Ajmal has bowled 1931.3 overs – the most by any bowler in international cricket during the span – but isn’t worried about the workload. “We don’t play that much Test cricket there’s no workload,” he said. “I was rested for Afghanistan match, I did rest in South Africa, I was rested during the series against the West Indies so whenever team management gives me rest I do get and whenever they think I should play I am completely positive with this.”No there’s no pressure either, it’s cricket and there are ups and downs,” he insisted. “I don’t feel that if the performance is not good in the last two matches I should be disappointed, I am doing the hard work and will bounce back. The ball isn’t spinning and they are playing cautiously, if I had got some spin the result would have been different, they are relaxed while facing me and keep the bat inside and that’s why they are playing me well.”When asked a good bowler is always a good bowler, regardless of any sort pitch is, he replied: “The wicket was very slow and whatever abilities I had used it, but I didn’t get any support even on day five. The ball didn’t spin but yes it shouldn’t be a problem and I am not disappointed, I always play positively and I will do better.”