Namibia have announced their squad for the Intercontinental Cup match at home against Canada which begins this Thursday. Although some teams, including Canada, have played three matches, this match will be Namibia’s opening match of the campaign.They are due to play a further six matches in the competition that was revamped to a round robin format this year, but these fixtures have not yet been released.The13-man squad includes three of the under-19 side which unexpectedly qualified for the next World Cup – Morne Engelbrecht, Ray van Schoor and Ewald Steenkamp.The four-day match starts on November 25. Engelbrecht and van Schoor had a chance to see what Canada are like, when they, along with fellow squad members Wibur Slabber and Michael Durandt, played for Namibia A in a 50-over warm-up match at Windhoek on Wednesday.Canada won that match easily, by six wickets, but they won’t be expecting an easy time of it against the full side next month. In the Intercontinental Cup, Canada have so far won one and lost two, and the squad they have in Africa at the moment is far from their first-choice side.Deon Kotze was a late inclusion owing to injuries but will probably play owing to his experience in four-day matches.Squad J.B. Burger, Raymond van Schoor, Bjorn Kotzé (capt), Deon Kotze, Gerrie Snyman, Michel Durandt, Nicolaas Scholtz, Tobie Verwey, Ian van Zyl, Kola Burger, Louis Klazinga, Wilber Slabber, Morné Engelbrecht, Ewald Steenkamp.

South Africa 131 for 7 (de Villiers 52*, Patel 2-17) beat New Zealand 129 for 7 (Mills 33*, Pollock 3-29) by three wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

The last time South Africa played a Twenty20 they choked in memorable style against India in the ICC World Twenty20 and nearly imploded again this time before coming through by three wickets with a ball to spare against New Zealand at the Wanderers. AB de Villiers, with an unbeaten 52, kept his cool as the home side did their best to hand New Zealand a morale-boosting win, but it was left to Johan Botha to strike the penultimate ball for four.For three quarters of the match South Africa had everything under control following an impressive performance with the ball. But Jeetan Patel brought New Zealand back into the contest by removing Mark Boucher and Shaun Pollock as de Villiers struggled to find anyone to partner him to the end. With three overs to go they needed 14 but just seven came from the next 12 balls and South Africa started having nervous flashbacks.To add to the tension Vernon Philander was run out on the second ball of the final over and de Villiers, who’d reached his first Twenty20 fifty off 43 balls, couldn’t get the strike. In the end it was down to Botha and he flicked Kyle Mills through midwicket to send the crowd into raptures. Disappointingly it wasn’t a full house, a stark contrast to the ICC World Twenty20 final staged on this ground two months ago, but those present witnessed another match which showed how much fortunes can change during 40 overs.South Africa rested Makhaya Ntini and Andre Nel, and the strength of their reserves was indicated with Pollock collecting three wickets on his return. The home side caught well, although they couldn’t hit a barn door with their attempted run-outs, as New Zealand threatened to fall inside the 20 overs before Mills flayed a defiant 33 at the death.Chasing 130 shouldn’t have proved as testing as it turned out. Jacques Kallis, who was controversially omitted from the ICC World Twenty20, looked intent on showing his aggressive side but picked out fine leg after being rushed by Mark Gillespie’s bouncer, and Graeme Smith’s poor run was extended when he edged Mills.JP Duminy kept the innings on track with a punchy innings at No. 3. He showed a panache for the pull shot and was shaping to take South Africa home on his own when he slog-swept Daniel Vettori over deep midwicket. But the New Zealand captain had his revenge three balls later with a clever piece of bowling to draw Duminy out of his crease.Normally secure in the field, New Zealand’s catching then began to let them down. de Villiers launched Vettori high into the night sky and Mills couldn’t steady himself under the chance at long-off, but that was nothing compared to Gillespie’s howler at midwicket to reprieve Boucher. Patel then made his double incision, trapping Boucher lbw – although there was a doubt – and removing Pollock thanks to a fine catch at deep midwicket by Ross Taylor.The equation reached a run-a-ball as Patel proved difficult to score off, but a meaty six over midwicket from Albie Morkel appeared to seal the result. Not so. Morkel slapped Scott Styris’ second ball to cover before Taylor and Lou Vincent combined to run out Philander in the final-over panic. Although New Zealand ultimately couldn’t pull off the heist, their fightback should have at least boosted spirits ahead of the one-day series.Their earlier efforts had been depressingly familiar as the batting slumped to 98 for 7. Brendon McCullum slapped a wide delivery straight to point and Jamie How picked out cover after a promising start in his first outing of the tour. Pollock was the beneficiary on both occasions, making the most of an outing in international colours after missing the recent Tests. Smith was confident enough in his bowlers – or dismissive enough of New Zealand’s chances – to keep a slip, or sometimes two, throughout much of the innings.Morkel bowled a nippy spell to keep the pressure on as Taylor fell in familiar fashion, pushing away from his body and sending an edge to slip, and collected Gareth Hopkins in his final over when the reserve wicketkeeper limply guided a wide ball to point. Vincent scratched around for 20 balls before trying to reverse sweep a low full toss from Botha, whose impressive economy was helped by batsmen tied to their crease.Styris played an almost lone hand with his 30, but it wasn’t until Mills opened up in the closing overs that New Zealand showed real intent. It is no coincidence that Mills wasn’t involved in the Test hammerings. He cleared long-off against Dale Steyn and in the final over creamed Charl Langeveldt straight down the ground with a little help from the altitude. In the final reckoning it hadn’t quite given New Zealand enough to play with, but if they show the same spirit the one-day series could be a worthwhile contest.

Steve Harmison is in line for his first Test appearance since the West Indies series in June, after Peter Moores, England’s coach, conceded that Matthew Hoggard’s prospects of being fit in time for Sunday’s second Test at Colombo are extremely doubtful. Though Hoggard batted in England’s training session at the Premadasa Stadium on Friday, he has not attempted to bowl since injuring his back during Sri Lanka’s second innings at Kandy, and Moores conceded that time was running out.”His back’s still sore,” said Moores. “It’s got better as backs do, but tomorrow’s the key day. He’s going to have to bowl tomorrow to be available for selection.” The likelihood of that happening, however, is slim in the extreme, and worryingly for England, Hoggard is not the only seamer in the wars. Ryan Sidebottom missed training with a stomach complaint, while James Anderson bowled with strapping on the left ankle he injured during the warm-ups.Both men are still expected to be fit for selection, which leaves a straight choice between the experienced Harmison and the rookie Stuart Broad, who has yet to make his Test debut. From the evidence of their performances at nets, there was only one man showing any relish for the contest. Harmison was listless for long periods of his spell, and spent several minutes between deliveries discussing his action andrun-up with Moores and the bowling coach Ottis Gibson. Broad, on the other hand, plucked out Michael Vaughan’s middle stump with a seaming delivery, and was lively and eager to impress throughout.Even so, the indication from the England camp is that they are prepared to trust in the greater knowhow of Harmison, for what has become a must-win match. “We’ve seen Steve over the last two weeks, not just in the last few net sessions,” said Moores. “He’s an experienced Test-match cricketer, and in Steve we’ve got someone whocreates bounce, creates pressure, and is someone who Sri Lanka won’t like to face.”The final point is the crucial one as far as England’s permutations go, because their seam attack at Kandy was lacklustre once the friendly first-day conditions had evaporated. “Our line and length wasn’t too bad, but we’ve got to be a bit more savvy and streetwise,” said Moores. In Harmison, England have a cricketer whose reputation for devastating menace precedes him. If he doesn’t play in this contest, there seems little point in ever calling on his services again.Moores, though, gave the impression of a man who was prepared to disregard the evidence before his eyes, and trust Harmison’s big-match instincts to kick in on the day. “Whenever you play someone in a Test match, you never quite know what you’re going to get,” he said. “There’s always an element of risk. Steve worked hard during the last Test match, but one of the challenges during Tests is that you bowl by yourself in the middle. He needs time against batters, so netting today was good.

“The real challenge comes when he pulls on an England shirt again and goes out to play for his country,” said Moores. “We all know that nets are different. You get fantastic net players who can’t translate that in the middle, so we can only take so much from that. You have to take stuff from how the player is around the team – how he’s talking, how he’s feeling. Steve’s doing everything right, both on the fitness and technical side, and if he’s the best man for the job, he’ll play.”Another omission for Broad would be a tough break for a player who has been waiting patiently for his debut since the start of the English summer, but at the age of 21, there is no question that his chance will come before long. Moores, though, wasn’t going to be rushed into giving him that first call-up. “The challenge with Stuart is to know when to release him into Tests,” said Moores. “There’s no doubt he’s pushing very hard. He’s playing well and offers some options with the bat as well, and he’ll be very much talked about in selection, as will everyone.”Broad’s willowy frame is a concern for the team management, however. He has the height to be a fast bowler, but so far lacks the meat on his bones that will make him a durable England prospect. “He’s adaptable, he’s got a knack of getting wickets, and he’s getting stronger all the time,” said Moores. “But part of Stuart’s thing is getting the physical strength to deliver his skill over a decent length of time, in what are pretty harsh conditions.”He’s earned his right to be in this squad because of how he’s performed,” said Moores. “He’s probably physically ready to bowl three spells a day over five days, but he’d be pushing the limits of it, to be honest. Mentally, for a young bloke, he’s very strong and I think he’s got a Test match in him, but whether he’d be able to play three on the bounce, I don’t know yet.”Both men could yet be called upon if Sidebottom and Anderson fail to recover fully from their respective ailments. England do have previous in that regard, having purged their entire new-ball attack between the first and second Tests in Sri Lanka four years ago, but Moores implied that Hoggard’s enforced absence would be sufficient change among the seamers. “I saw enough from the England team that we can still win the series,” he said. “If we play to our ability, and put them under pressure. The challenge is to do that, and sustain the pressure over longer periods with bat and ball.”

With a host of international stars expected to light up the field at the National Stadium, Habib Bank Limited (HBL) will take on Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) in the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premier first-class tournament.While this will be HBL’s fifth final appearance in the 50 years that the tournament has been played, they have only won it once, and that too 30 years ago. The march to the final, having lost only one match in the process, was made possible on the back of strong all-round performances.Featuring only one batsman in the top 50 this season – Hasan Raza with 735 runs in 10 matches – HBL were boosted by the inclusion of Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi in the 15-man squad for the final. While Afridi has played two matches for HBL this season – scoring a quickfire 70 and 33 – Younis was forced to miss the entire domestic season due to international commitments. Taufeeq Umar (284 runs at 71) and Imran Farhat (171 runs at 43) did start the season well for HBL, but were later banned from playing domestic due to their involvement in the Indian Cricket League.In the field, HBL have been brilliant; Mohammad Aslam and Fahad Masood have taken 78 wickets between them and have been key ingredients in HBL’s route to the final. The inclusion of Danish Kaneria and Abdur Rehman – who took eight wickets on Test debut against South Africa at this ground last year – might signal the omission of Dilawar Khan, the Peshawar-born legspinner who has 28 wickets in five matches. While Rehman has only bagged a solitary wicket in the only domestic match he played, Kaneria already boasts a tally of 17 wickets from three.SNGPL have already achieved the credible feat of reaching the final in their debut first-class season. Their star has been the 17-year-old Umar Akmal, younger brother of Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran, who has scored 849 runs in eight matches at an astonishing average of 94 with a strike-rate of over 90. His unbeaten 248 against Karachi Blues remains the second highest score of the tournament and was nearing his second double before the last league match was called off after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Mohammad Hafeez (639), Khurram Shehzad (594) and Yasir Arafat (524) have been notable performers with the bat and SNGPL will welcome the return of Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s backbone in the last six months.Samiullah Khan Niazi, on the fringes of an international debut during the last few years, has been devastating with the ball – 43 wickets at an average below 19 in nine matches. While SNGPL’s bowling line-up will not scare tooo many, the medium-fast duo of Imran Ali and Asad Ali will be hoping to add to their joint tally of 64 wickets.Keep an eye on
Akmal, if he plays. His participation is in doubt due to his call-up to the Under-19 squad but his inclusion will only cause problems to HBL purely from his penchant for scoring quick runs. Others on offer are Afridi – Karachi is one of his favourite grounds – and Younis after his dazzling century in the first Test against South Africa on this ground.Pitching it right
The National Stadium pitch is a gift to all. While it offers assistance to fast bowlers on the first morning, it gradually settles down to aid batsmen over the next few days before the crumble makes it interesting on the last two days. With plenty of boundaries expected, the ball will roughen up quick and reverse-swing post-tea will form part of proceedings on a daily basis. Mid-20s temperatures will ensure fast bowlers can bowl effective, long spells, especially with spin expected to tie up one end.Teams (from)
HBL – Rafatullah Mohmand, Khaqan Arsal, Younis Khan, Hasan Raza, Shahid Afridi, Aftab Khan, Humayun Farhat (wk), Kamran Hussain, Abdul Rehman, Danish Kaneria, Fahad Masood, Sajid Shah, Aslam Qureshi, Farhan Iqbal, Dilawar HussainSNGPL – Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Saleem Mughal, Azhar Shafiq, Yasir Arafat, Hafiz Majid, Ali Niazi, Umar Akmal, Imran Khalid, Adnan Rasool, Adnan Akmal, Farhan Asghar, Arsalan Mir, Tauqeer Hussain, Samiullah Khan Niazi, Asad Ali, Imran Ali, Asim Butt, Faisal Rasheed, Adil Raza

Ricky Ponting says the Australian players were “flabbergasted” by Shaun Tait’s decision to walk away from cricket indefinitely. Tait said physical and emotional exhaustion were the reasons for his move and Ponting said his team-mates had not seen the signs of Tait’s struggles.”Obviously Taity has been run down for a long period of time,” Ponting told the . “We never saw it. He is just the happiest bloke to have around the change-room. It’s hit me like a ton of bricks. We’re all flabbergasted.”Tait was one of Australia’s leading players at the World Cup in the Caribbean but after having surgery on his right elbow during the off-season he had trouble getting back to his peak. He was given limited first-class outings before his ill-fated return to Test cricket at the WACA, where he took no wickets and rarely looked threatening.”A lot of people might think cricket is five-star hotels and living,” Ponting said. “It is very hard work to maintain that for a long time. You could probably ask Phil Jaques about coming in and not understanding how demanding cricket at the highest level really is.”The fact people thought Jaques had the mumps after playing back-to-back Tests was significant. It’s no fluke. You get run down and tired. It’s having a body and mind that can deal with it, and it isn’t easy.”

Cricketers rely on “feel” and Australia’s catching is currently badly out of touch. During the Test series against India the cordon was under-performing and the problems continued in the opening match of the CB Series when two edges were grassed in the same Mitchell Johnson over.The Australians are convinced there is not a problem with the amount or quality of their training, but there has been a recent addition to their methods. International teams have started wearing black, fingerless gloves to soften the impact of the repetition and most of the local players have been using them in the lead-up to matches.Michael Hussey is a fine fielder who has had some troubles over the past couple of weeks – he missed a reasonably comfortable offering at second slip off Gautam Gambhir on Sunday night – and is open to the idea that the accessory can reduce a player’s feel for the ball. “Maybe a little bit,” he said. “We practise very hard and we do a lot of catching as part of that.”You do build up some hotspots on your hands. If you do have hotspots and you favour a certain hand, then you are practising with the wrong technique. That’s probably one of the reasons why we use the gloves, so we can protect our hands and practise the right technique.”Australia’s previously exceptional standards have lowered since the exit of Shane Warne from first slip and in the subsequent restructuring a number of players are in unfamiliar international positions. Hussey, who spent much of his time in the gully after Matthew Hayden’s move to Warne’s old spot, was standing at second slip on Sunday night beside Ricky Ponting, who also spilled a tough chance off Gambhir, and Adam Gilchrist.Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds had unsuccessful stints next to Gilchrist during the Test series when a trend that started in Perth grew worse when eight – including some extremely difficult ones – were put down in the final game in Adelaide. Gilchrist’s drop of VVS Laxman convinced him it was time to retire.Under John Buchanan’s old guidelines the team wanted to catch 50% of one-handed diving takes, but that figure has been well out of reach. “It’s been a bit disappointing, I must admit,” Hussey said. “It’s not something we’re panicking about because we work that hard on our catching.”The guys in those positions have pretty good hands, I think it’s just a case that we’ve had a bit of a change and we’re in new positions. It just takes a little bit of time.”However, Hussey said the players fielded regularly in those spots during their state careers. “So they should be comfortable,” he said. “We are continuing to practice hard and will hopefully we become better at it.”

Harbhajan Singh, who was alleged to have gestured and spat at a section of the Sydney crowd yesterday, will not be in the dock after match referee Jeff Crowe viewed all the evidence on the incident, and subsequently felt there was no need for action against him.”I have investigated the alleged incident with Cricket Australia’s ground security officials after reading newspaper reports and viewing related photographs that have been published. After reviewing all available information, I conclude that there is no need to take any action against Harbhajan Singh,” Crowe said in a press statement.Earlier, India had rejected the accusations against the spinner Harbhajan, following reports of the incident in the first final of the CB Series in Sydney. Indian officials felt it was a further attempt to unsettle Harbhajan.”This is the imagination of the Australian press, which has been trying to add pressure on Harbhajan at every moment,” Bimal Soni, the India team manager, said. India want to keep the focus on the on-field action ahead of the second CB Series final in Brisbane after they won the first decider at the SCG on Sunday.The and the both quoted members of the crowd who claimed Harbhajan had made monkey gestures towards them and spat in their direction. The papers also said Harbhajan was being abused by spectators.

It’s incredible to think how long it’s been since Michael Vaughan was victorious in a foreign land. Last summer he became England’s most successful Test captain of all time, and today he duly notched up his 23rd victory in 44 Tests. But he’s not been able to sit down in an overseas press conference and reflect on the glory of his team’s efforts since January 2005, when England overcame South Africa in an incredible final-day onslaught in Johannesburg.Vaughan, as I recall, was incredibly peevish as he faced the press that day, berating the “so-called experts” who had written off England’s hopes of saving the match, let alone winning it. That was the game when Matthew Hoggard came of age as an England stalwart, with 12 wickets in 52.3 overs, including seven in two sessions as England stole the series from under South Africa’s nose. It was also the game that demonstrated the intensity of resolve that England would need to win the Ashes back later that year.Fast forward three years and two months. Hoggard is not even in the side any more, England no longer possess a record to match the “Played 15, Won 13, Lost 1, Drawn 1” that they took with them from the Wanderers, and as for intensity, well, it’s hard to imagine that a match tally of eight dropped catches and a missed stumping would have got them very far in those heady days.And yet, it was enough to see off a New Zealand side that had themselves let their standards drop after the near-perfection of their performance at Hamilton, and as far as Vaughan was concerned, that was quite good enough for now. “We’ve answered Hamilton in a positive fashion, with a good Test match on a decent pitch,” he said. “We couldn’t give you the perfect performance, our catching wasn’t as good as [last week], but overall things are a lot better than they were.”They certainly are. England’s victory brings to an end a barren run of seven games without success, dating back to the start of last summer’s 1-0 series defeat against India. They’ve won overseas for the first time in almost exactly two years, since that outlandish victory in Mumbai in March 2006 which Andrew Flintoff marshalled with a bit of inspiration from Johnny Cash. And whatever the flaws they’ve shown in the series so far, they go to Napier tomorrow with a chance to complete a remarkable comeback.”It sets the series up brilliantly now, at 1-1,” said Vaughan. “We’ll be trying hard [to win in Napier], but a week in cricket is a long time as this has just shown. What we’ve tried to do in this game is respect the game, play as well as we can and we’ve come out with a victory. We’ll aim to do exactly the same over the next week.”First though, there are a few pent-up frustrations that England need to, and doubtless will, get out of their systems. “We’ve got to make sure we celebrate today – it’s been a long while since we’ve won a game,” said Vaughan. “We’ll celebrate properly and then make sure we get our heads on and train very hard leading into that game in Napier.”It was an interesting priority for Vaughan to point out. There weren’t many celebrations to be witnessed, for instance, when England won that Johannesburg Test, but back then the circumstances were entirely different for a settled and ruthlessly focussed side – the endgame was all that mattered. For this young squad, the bonding process is every bit as important. Stuart Broad and Tim Ambrose, both of whom had pivotal roles, have never before tasted success in Test cricket, and even Anderson has been waiting around since Mumbai for a slice of the glory.

“We’re only 1-1 with a game to play, so we won’t go over the top, but it’s just nice to be sat in the dressing-room with a victory under our belts,” said Vaughan. “We were all desperate to win a game of cricket. We felt we were working hard, we wanted to get the series back on track, and I can only say how delighted I am for that set of players and the management. We’ve not won many games and we’ve all been working very, very hard, but there’s still a long way to go before we can say we’re a proper team again.”It’s an “exciting” time to be around the England camp. That’s Vaughan’s buzzword at any rate, one that pops up with the same sort of frequency as “focussed” did in his previous incarnation as captain. Apart from telegraphing his continued enthusiasm for the job, the word describes both the erratic nature of England’s recent results and the sense that, as yet, no-one is quite sure what to expect of the players at the team’s disposal.Take Ryan Sidebottom, for instance, who has currently taken 16 wickets at 17.50 for the series. He and Vaughan played together at Yorkshire, and for England at Lord’s in 2001, but then their paths diverged until the Headingley Test last May, when an injury to Hoggard created an opening for a tight and hard-working swing bowler. He’s not looked back since, taking 45 wickets in 11 consecutive appearances, including three five-wicket hauls.”We’ve all been surprised,” said Vaughan. “It’s his pace which is very impressive. His control is exactly want you want, and I think he’s got a really good cricket brain as well. You put that into a package as a bowler and you get a decent finish. He’s getting all the rewards now for all the hard work he’s put in over three years. Hopefully that will continue for a long, long while and he can have a sustained international career.”He’s our most experienced bowler,” added Vaughan. “I guess it proves bowling all those overs in the county game, and really knowing his game before he played at the international level can help. He never needs telling, he always knows what’s required in the situation, which is very handy for a captain.”Vaughan’s former charges never needed telling either. They just got on with their jobs and did them to the utter limits of their abilities. A solitary victory proves nothing about the long-term viability of this new-look side, but small steps are all that England can hope for at this stage of their re-development.”We’re not going to get too excited about it just yet,” said Vaughan. “But it was exciting to be out there with a young attack with a bit of pace.” Now that they’ve got the bandwagon rolling again, you sense that England won’t be harking back to past glories in a hurry.

The Sri Lankan umpire Asoka de Silva and Steve Davis of Australia have been promoted to ICC’s Elite Panel, following the body’s decision to expand the pool from 10 to 12 umpires.de Silva, the former legspinner who played 10 Tests and 28 ODIs between 1985 and 1992, was one of eight full-time umpires selected for the ICC’s Elite Panel when it was first introduced in 2002. de Silva has stood in 33 Tests and 76 ODIs after making his debut in 1999 and has served previously on the Elite Panel between 2002 and 2004.Davis, 56, has stood in 11 Tests, 71 ODIs and three Twenty20 Internationals having made his top-level debut in 1992.”Their promotions are a result of perseverance, hard work and commitment and I am sure these two umpires will serve as an inspiration to the other international umpires who are striving hard to break into the Elite Panel,” Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager, said. “For Asoka, it will be his second time in the Elite Panel and he has returned after performing outstandingly on the international panel over the past 12 months.”Asoka brings with him a combination of playing and umpiring skills and that combination is one that we believe will serve him well in the months and years to come.”Steve has served an apprenticeship on the fringes of the Elite Panel and his elevation reflects not only his consistency during recent years but also his excellence over the past year in particular.”I have no doubt that the elevation of these two quality umpires will strengthen the Elite Panel.”de Silva was understandably delighted in his promotion, adding: “It has required a lot of hard work leading to good decision-making on a consistent basis and I am glad my efforts have been recognised. I am now keen to ensure I maintain the high standards I have set myself.””I am thrilled to be appointed to the Elite Panel,” Davis said, “as it has to be the aim of every umpire to be appointed to this select group. I have worked hard for this and now I look forward to concentrating on umpiring on a full-time basis. I have always enjoyed the company of those umpires already on the Elite Panel and now I have the chance to work with them all on a more regular basis. I am really looking forward to the challenges ahead.”

Western Australia have named a fresh looking 20-man squad for 2008-09 after a year of change during which several of their senior players departed. Liam Davis, Paul Davis, Arron Crawford, Wes Robinson and Matt Johnston earned their first full contracts, while four new rookies were also included.The list of departures is extensive and includes the recent retirees Adam Gilchrist, Justin Langer, Mathew Inness and Darren Wates. Brad Hogg has not officially given up state duties but has been left out while he contemplates his future, while Chris Rogers has moved to Victoria. The Warriors also axed the allrounders Sean Ervine and Shawn Gillies and the left-arm fast bowler Danny McLauchlan.Among the new rookies is Mitchell Marsh, 16, a younger brother of the Cricket Australia-contracted batsman Shaun Marsh and the son of former Australia opening batsman Geoff Marsh. A right-hand batsman, the youngest Marsh has represented his state at Under-17 and Under-19 level and this season broke the record for most runs in the Perth schools competition, the Darlot Cup, where he scored 739 runs at 105.57.Liam Davis was bumped up from a rookie deal after an impressive start to his first-class career in 2007-08. An opening batsman, Davis played three matches and scored a century and a fifty and will become a key player with the loss of Langer and Rogers.Johnston also received a promotion from the rookie list having shown promise in the FR Cup last summer until a wayward throw broke his jaw and forced him off for surgery that disrupted his season. The fast bowler Paul Davis, 27, made his limited-overs debut in February while Crawford was welcomed back to the list having lost his rookie deal last year.Robinson, 27, was included following an outstanding club season during which he made 865 runs at 61.78 and collected 12 wickets at 17.80. He also picked up the Olly Cooley Medal as the best player in Perth’s grade competition.The new rookies include Nicholas Death, a former ACT under-age representative who grabbed 46 wickets in club cricket in 2007-08. The batsman Marcus Stoinis and the bowler Chris Thompson also picked up their first rookie contracts. Josh Mangan, Michael Johnson and Christopher Wood held on to their rookie deals while Chris Hansberry and Patrick Molinari were omitted.Tom Moody, the Western Australia coach, said the youthful group would help the Warriors look to the future. “We are very fortunate to have a wealth of local talent in Western Australia and I am thrilled that we have managed to secure some of that talent on our contact list,” Moody said. “Our main focus in the selection process was to reward performances while also keeping a keen eye on youth so we can continue to develop for the future.”Squad David Bandy, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Arron Crawford, Liam Davis, Paul Davis, Brett Dorey, Theo Doropoulos, Ben Edmondson, Aaron Heal, Clint Heron, Michael Hussey (Cricket Australia contract), Matthew Johnston, Trent Kelly, Steve Magoffin, Shaun Marsh (CA), Marcus North, Luke Pomersbach, Wes Robinson, Luke Ronchi, Adam Voges (CA).Rookies Nicholas Death, Michael Johnson, Josh Mangan, Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Thompson, Christopher Wood.