Agencies/London


England batsman Eoin Morgan feels his decision to focus on county cricket rather than put his hand up for the IPL could reap rewards come the time to select the England Test side for their next series.
While Morgan has not often played Test cricket recently, he feels that the current gaps in the side could work in his favour if he scores enough runs domestically over the next six weeks in the County Championship for Middlesex.
Morgan told Sky Sports: “There are some great opportunities knocking around with the transition that English cricket is going through at the moment and it seems like this is a good opportunity to come back and enjoy my cricket at the start of the year.
“There are five games in six weeks and to play continuous Championship cricket without any Twenty20 or one day cricket in between is great. There’s great continuity in it and if I get some runs in that period and put myself in some form them maybe I’m in with a shout.”
When asked where he saw himself playing, he said: “If I were to get back in, certainly my role will be in the middle order. It’s getting in and allowing myself to express myself, and ultimately score a weight of runs.”
The batsman went on to say that despite being seen as a limited-overs specialist, and conceded that he didn’t have the best long format record, he still had the desire to score more tons in Test whites.
He said: “I probably haven’t had that much success in four-day or even Test cricket. But again, when given the chance I absolutely love my time in the Test side. I scored two centuries, which are the highlights of my career to date. That hunger is still there to play Test cricket, hence why I’ve come back early.”

It’s getting increasingly tough for bowlers, says Ajmal
Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal, widely regarded as the world’s best off-spinner, says that life is becoming increasingly tough for bowlers in limited-overs cricket. The 36-year-old believes the Twenty20 format and rule changes in 50-over matches have made a real difference.
“Times have changed and there is hardly any respect for bowlers these days. The attitude and approach of batsmen has become more brazen and it has become very difficult for bowlers,” Ajmal told Reuters in an interview. “Cricket is very fast nowadays and as a bowler you are always under pressure.”
Ajmal pointed out that batsmen were now playing attacking shots unimaginable a few years back.
“Batsmen can attack in T20 or 50-over cricket from the start and as a bowler you need to keep coming up with something new in every match,” he said.
Ajmal, who has taken 169 wickets in 33 tests, 182 in 110 ODIs and 85 in 63 T20s, explained that it was now commonplace for teams to get 100 or more runs in the last 10 overs of the two shorter formats of the game.
“T20 cricket is made for batsmen while in ODIs the five fielders inside the circle rule has brought pressure on the bowlers,” he added.
Ajmal is to play for English county Worcestershire until July when he will return home to prepare for Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka.

Crucial Indian board
meeting in Mumbai today
The Indian Cricket Board’s all-powerful Working Committee is to meet in Mumbai today at its headquarters to find a pathway to satisfy the latest directive of the Supreme Court in the case related to corruption in last year’s IPL.
The apex court, while turning down N Srinivasan’s fresh plea to return to the helm of the Board’s affairs as its elected chief, has ruled that he cannot be given back the BCCI’s reins till he comes out clean in a probe conducted against him and 12 others including India-capped cricketers, whose names have been mentioned by Justice Mudgal Committee report.
On April 16 the Supreme Court had said the BCCI should conduct a probe against Srinivasan and 12 others in the betting and spot fixing scandal. The Emergent WC meeting, to be held two days before the next hearing of the case in the apex court, has been convened following demand from state units.