Kevin Pietersen: Named in 14-man England squad for T20 series with New Zealand

Kevin Pietersen has been included in England's 14-man squad for the T20 series against New Zealand.

The two-match series kicks off on 25 June, with Pietersen available for the second game at the Kia Oval two days later.

Pietersen has not played for England since March due to a knee injury but is now set to join the squad if he successfully completes an LV=County Championship game for Surrey on 21 June.

Eoin Morgan will captain the side which includes two players yet to feature for England in any format - Warwickshire pace bowler Boyd Rankin and Yorkshire batsman Gary Ballance.

National selector Geoff Miller, said: "We have selected a squad with plenty of T20 experience as well as young players new to the international game.

"With an intense period of cricket coming up we are conscious that we need to manage the workloads of our players throughout the summer.

"This NatWest series gives an opportunity for players who have performed well in domestic cricket and on the England Performance Programme and with the Lions to step up and test themselves in an international environment.

"New Zealand are a talented limited overs side and with a World T20 competition less than a year away this series gives us a chance to look at a number of different options."

England Twenty20 squad: EJG Morgan (Captain), GS Ballance, RS Bopara, DR Briggs JC Buttler (wkt), JW Dernbach, AD Hales, MJ Lumb, *KP Pietersen, WB Rankin, BA Stokes, JC Tredwell, CR Woakes, LJ Wright. * Pietersen will be available for match on June 27 only.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- The Afghan Taliban are ready to free a U.S. army soldier held captive since 2009 in exchange for five of their senior operatives imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay as a conciliatory gesture, a senior spokesman for the group said Thursday.

The offer follows this week's official opening of a Taliban political office in Doha, the capital of the Gulf state of Qatar.

The only known American soldier held captive from the Afghan war is U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho. He disappeared from his base in southeastern Afghanistan on June 30, 2009, and is believed held in Pakistan.

In an exclusive telephone interview with The Associated Press from his Doha office, Taliban spokesman Shaheen Suhail said on Thursday that Bergdahl "is, as far as I know, in good condition. "

Suhail did not elaborate on Bergdahl's current whereabouts.

Bergdahl's parents earlier this month received a letter from their son who turned 27 on March 28 through the International Committee of the Red Cross. They did not release details of the letter but renewed their plea for his release.

The prisoner exchange is the first item on the Taliban's agenda before even opening peace talks, added Suhail, who was first secretary at the Afghan Embassy in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad before the Taliban government's ouster in 2001.

"First has to be the release of detainees, Sukhail said when asked about Bergdahl. "Yes. It would be an exchange. Then step by step, we want to build bridges of confidence to go forward."

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was expected in Doha ahead of Saturday's conference on the Syrian civil war.

While in Qatar, Kerry is also expected to meet with the Taliban, who opened their political office earlier this week.

But complications set in almost immediately when Afghan President Hamid Karzai became infuriated by the Taliban's move to cast their new office in Doha as a rival embassy.

The Taliban held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday in which they hoisted their flag and a banner with the name they used while in power more than a decade ago: "Political Office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan."

Karzai pulled out of the talks and suspended negotiations with the United States on a bilateral security agreement that would cover those U.S. troops who remained behind after the final withdrawal of NATO combat troops at the end of 2014.

Suhail said the Taliban are insistent that they want their first interlocutors to be the United States.

"First we talk to the Americans about those issues concerning the Americans and us and for those issues implementation is only in the hands of the Americans," he said.

"We want foreign troops to be pulled out of Afghanistan," he added. "If there are troops in Afghanistan then there will be a continuation of the war."

----

Kathy Gannon is AP Special Regional Correspondent for Afghanistan and Pakistan and can be reached at www.twitter.com/kathygannon

Labour need not fear reversing rail privatisation. When parliament is sitting, I spend 10 hours a week travelling on the east coast mainline between Edinburgh and London. These trains used to be run by National Express, but after that company suffered heavy losses and pulled out in 2009, the government established its own company and stepped in.

East Coast, as it's known, has proven refreshingly good at what it does. The trains are clean and punctual. There are more services to places such as Lincoln and Harrogate, and journey times have been cut. The company now carries a million more passengers than it did three years ago. And the complimentary food and drink in first class has been well received by business travellers, attracting them away from short-haul flights.

So I was perplexed when, in March, following the fiasco over the awarding of the west coast mainline franchise, the government's new schedule of competitions for the country's 16 rail franchises had East Coast out the door first. From my perspective, it makes no sense to rush to re-privatise a successful public sector operator when the performance of many private franchises is mediocre at best.

I've since taken up the case in parliament – tabling motions, writing to ministers, and securing a full debate on this issue in the Commons chamber today. But looking at East Coast has made me think about the structure of the railways in general. And the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that, if Labour wins in 2015, we could and should make changes.

Let's deal with the "should" first.

For a start I can see no evidence that the efficiency of private operators such as First or Stagecoach makes up for the leakage of profits. I don't actually think this is their fault – it's just an inevitable result of bringing the private sector into an industry that will always require some taxpayer subsidy. Because ministers need to ensure that this money is well spent, they will always interfere with how services are run, and this means that within the narrow ambit of individual operators there is little scope for making efficiencies.

About the only thing an operator can improve is its management, and as East Coast has proven, public sector managers can achieve results as good as private managers. And because there aren't any shareholders to pay, all £640m of East Coast's profits from the last four years have been retained and reinvested.

More significantly, the structure of our railways – with private operators running trains and Network Rail managing track and stations – means overall industry costs are up to 40% higher than wholly publicly owned and integrated railways on the continent. This "vertical separation" of train and track has pushed up both fares and taxpayer subsidy.

Now for the "could".

During its 13 years in power, Labour was wary of doing anything that looked like reversing privatisation, even when it wouldn't have attracted much public outcry. When Railtrack collapsed after a series of fatal crashes, Labour replaced it with Network Rail, which, although entirely dependent on taxpayer subsidy, was nominally still in the private sector. Despite rising costs and fares, the structure of the industry was never fundamentally questioned.

I believe a Labour government in 2015 need not be so hesitant.

First, the public have no great affection for the private train operators (with the possible exception of Virgin, but maybe that's because the brand used to sell records).

Second, reversing privatisation need not cost any money. The track and stations are already in public hands with Network Rail. The private franchises could simply be allowed to run their course and, upon expiry, services folded in to the existing public operator, East Coast.

Third, by combining this enlarged public operator with Network Rail, significant efficiencies and savings would be realised, which could in turn be used to cut fares, increase investment, or reduce the deficit – all politically popular ends.

While this isn't Labour policy yet, I hope the leadership considers these arguments in the ongoing policy review. However, the shadow transport secretary, Maria Eagle, has made a start by backing my calls for East Coast to remain public. Hopefully together we can persuade the current government to change course. Then ordinary passengers can continue to benefit from clean and punctual trains.

It was, quite simply, a sustained assault the ferocity of which English cricket, indeed cricket in general, had never before experienced: the 21-year-old Donald Bradman, all 5ft 7in of him, carting the England bowling attack of 1930 – an attack that had won an Ashes series 4-1 in Australia little more than a year before – to all parts of Headingley in a barrage that saw him score 309 runs on the opening day. It is a record that, even in these comparatively switch-hitting, trampoline-batted days of Twenty20-tinged Test match thrash, has never been surpassed.

It seems strange to think of Bradman, now with his own private suite in the pantheon of greats where he looks down on his dominion from a pedestal built of record books and bowlers' broken spirits, as anything other than the batting behemoth he was but in 1930 he arrived in England with only four Test matches under his belt and having already felt the painful blow of the axe. He had made his international debut in the first Ashes Test of 1928-29 in Brisbane (a game which England won by 675 runs) and was promptly dropped for the second. Injuries brought him back into the side and a couple of centuries followed, although England cruised to an emphatic 4-1 series victory.

Plenty in England were unconvinced he was cut out to cope on the country's rain-warped pitches. The Surrey captain Percy Fender, who covered the 1928-29 series, recognised his precocity but felt that "he will always be in the category of brilliant and unsound ones. He does not inspire me with any confidence that he desires to take the only course that will lead him to a fulfilment of that promise."

The warning signs were there – in January 1930 his 452 not out for New South Wales against Queensland in the Sheffield Shield had set a world record – but Bradman's account of his arrival and first few days in England smacks not of a steely-eyed nemesis hell bent on the destruction of the land's medium-pacers but has the ring of no one more than Terry Pratchett's Twoflower, wandering round the country in wide-eyed bliss while unseen pickpockets hover and thin-moustachioed spivs fix their grins and move in for the kill.

There were the seasickness, the "constant bewilderment" at the sights and sounds of England, the gushing amazement of a Wembley Cup final and the sight of the German Graf Zeppelin flying overhead. He asked Neville Cardus for a list of books that "might help him to develop his mind and enlarge his conversation". It would be no surprise to discover a scale model of Stonehenge, a stick of Blackpool rock and an I Love London T-shirt finding their way into his suitcase before the trip was out.

But while Bradman may have arrived a tyro, he departed a tyrant, his supreme dominance established by 2,960 runs at an average of 98.66, scores of 236, 185, 252, 191, 254, 232 and 205, and capped by that insatiable innings at Headingley.

The entirety of England's 1928-29 squad were available for selection for the series. "There existed a general feeling of confidence that the side chosen by the Australian authorities to come to England in pursuit of the mythical Ashes would fail in the object of their endeavours," wrote Wisden's editor, Charles Stewart Caine. In other words, the home side expected to win and to win handsomely.

Only four members of the 1930 Australia squad had been to England before and Bradman was out of his comfort zone – "I found it difficult for instance to adjust myself to the idea of wearing a sweater, blazer and overcoat before a roaring fire awaiting my turn to bat," he wrote of the chilly May conditions. He nevertheless began the tour with 236 against Worcestershire and 185 at Leicester. The 78 that followed against Yorkshire therefore represented something of a flop. "Day after day he cut and drove and hooked bowlers right and left, never raising the ball from the ground," wrote Cardus in Cricket All The Year.

A mammoth 252 against Surrey and 191 against Hampshire meant 1,000 runs in May (despite the weather) and put him in fairly decent nick for the first Test, where he scored 131 in the second innings as England, who enjoyed the better of the conditions, won by 93 runs. That would be his fourth highest score of the series. His 254 in the second Test at Lord's was, thought Bradman, "technically the best innings of my life". "The power and the ease, the fluent, rapid, vehement, cold-blooded slaughter were beyond sober discussion," reckoned Cardus. Australia declared their first innings on 729 for six and went on to win by seven wickets.

Then to Headingley. Australia won the toss and opted to bat but lost Archie Jackson with two on the board. That brought Bradman to the crease and by 12.50pm he had his century, joining Victor Trumper and Charlie Macartney as the only cricketers – at that time – to score Test tons before lunch on the first day.

"Richard Tyldesley at one o'clock actually bowled a maiden over to Bradman: from internal and external evidence I concluded that it was one of the cleverest bits of bowling he has achieved in his hard-working career," reports Cardus in his report from Leeds in the Guardian.

The Australia captain, Bill Woodfull, batted steadily at the other end. When he was dismissed in the afternoon session the pair had put on 192 for the second wicket. Bradman's share was 142. "I imagine the England bowlers were trying to get Woodfull out – leaving Bradman to Providence," writes Cardus. "Not often is an attack reduced to trying to get the stonewaller out while washing its hands of the brilliant player as a problem insoluble, and apparently everlastingly so."

The highest score against England prior to the series, George Headley's 223 in Kingston earlier that year, was steadily constructed over the best part of two days. Bradman had made 219 by tea, hammering 30 boundaries in the process.

The great Cardus, never the most understated, was clearly filing pieces of copy throughout the day and by late afternoon was letting his pen off the leash. "At four o'clock Bradman reached 200, after three hours and a half of cricket which for mingled rapidity and security is unparalleled in my experience." Then: "Bradman arrived at 288 in five hours and a half out of a grand Australian total of 414: no chance to hand had he given and not more than three strokes had he shown which told us it is human to err."

And finally: "From the last ball of the day Bradman, by a superb drive through the covers, a stroke handsome enough for any batsman who has ever done honour to cricket, hit his 42nd boundary. That was a royal way to finish a day which Australia will not forget as long as the game is played and loved there."

The 288 was noticeable as it eclipsed Tip Foster's previous Ashes record, though it was not until the second day that Bradman went past Andy Sandham's score of 325 against West Indies earlier that year. When at last he was caught off the bowling of Maurice Tate he had amassed 334 in 383 minutes and 448 balls. Though that was a record for less than three years – Wally Hammond smashing 336 against New Zealand in early 1936 – only Brian Lara (twice) has made bigger scores against England. And, indeed, it was the pace of the innings that had taken the English breath away.

It would be the start of a love affair between Bradman and Headingley. He returned in 1934 to score 304 and in four matches (and only six innings) at the ground he scored four hundreds, 963 runs in total and averaged 192.60. Only at the MCG did he score more centuries. Though plenty of players have thrived on particular home pitches – Lara at the Rec, Jacques Kallis at Newlands, Mahela Jayawadene at Colombo's Sinhalese Sports Club, for example – there can be few who have found such a welcoming 22 yards on foreign soil.

More immediately it could only help Australia to a draw and a rain-affected match at Old Trafford also ended with no result. It was 1-1 entering the final Test at The Oval. England scored 405 in their first innings but were still beaten by an innings and 39 runs thanks in no small part to Bradman's 232, his third double-century in seven innings in the series.

While Bradman's own recollections, even at the end of the tour, tended to focus on events outside the game ("the beauty of the countryside", "our meeting with His Majesty King George V and Queen Mary at Sandringham; my talk with the Prince of Wales at The Oval; Harold Williams singing in Hiawatha at the Royal Albert Hall"), his batting had left England a pale, shaking shell.

"It is not too much to say that he took England and the whole cricket world by storm," wrote Wisden. "Those who had seen him play in Australia were fully prepared for something out of the common but little would we dream that his progress would be of such a triumphal nature." The Ashes were back in Australian hands and they had Bradman's bat to help keep them there.

England were going to have to come up with something rather drastic …

The only dampener during a breezy swansong for the Champions Trophy has been the rain. Pessimistic forecasts for Thursday's semi-final in Cardiff and Sunday's final at Edgbaston are pregnant with the threat that at best Duckworth-Lewis will have a significant bearing on the tournament's denouement and at worst we may have to resign ourselves to an anti-climactic repeat of the 2002 washout. It would be such a shame if it fizzled out because, in the Spin's estimation, this has been the most enjoyable ICC tournament hosted by England and Wales since the 1983 World Cup.

On Tuesday, many a fond heart will turn to Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Kris Srikkanth, Mohinder Amanath, Yashpal Sharma, Sandeep Patil, Kirti Azad, Roger Binny, Madan Lal, Syed Kirmani and Balwinder Sandhu in appreciation on the 30th anniversary of India's bits-and-pieces-in-excelsis victory over West Indies at Lord's. Only the final that year and India's astonishing comeback to defeat Zimababwe in their second group meeting matched the drama of Australia's twin victories over South Africa in 1999, but for entertainment and competitiveness this farewell Champions Trophy, similarly played out in a preponderantly gloomy June, has surpassed the last World Cup played here, this tournament's previous visit in 2004 and the World Twenty20 five years later.

Every game apart from the wash-out between Australia and New Zealand and Pakistan's defeats by South Africa and India have remained compelling long into proceedings. New Zealand's Mitchell McLenaghan has been a revelation with the ball on English pitches, bettering his eight wickets in three matches during the ODI series against the hosts to take 11 against Australia, Sri Lanka and England with his nippy seamers. Ravindra Jadeja, celebrated here last week, has taken nine at 10.77 to lie second in the table of leading wicket-takers from the group stage, but it is the highest runscorer, the India team-mate whose look Sir Jadeja is emulating, Shikhar Dhawan, the sparkling opening batsman with the twirlable Snidely Whiplash moustache, who has emerged as the Champions Trophy's most richly treasurable player.

The days when you could read about an international player long before you had seen him have disappeared so the capacity for one to surprise or for you to form your own subjective replica by using imagination has diminished because the temptation to click on a highlights reel is too seductive. Dhawan, though, could not possibly have resembled the portrait established in the Spin's mind's eye any more during the moments between hearing about his staggering innings of 187 on Test debut against Australia, his century coming off 85 balls, the fastest by a player in his first game, and turning to YouTube.

He typifies the dashing Indian batsman of the IPL era – powerful, physically confident, bold and with the swagger of someone who feels he epitomises the spirit of the age of the game in which he is playing. Dhawan looks at home because he is at home. Some Indian fans will tell you that it is not unusual for cricketers brought up in Delhi – Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Ishant Sharma and Dhawan – to consider themselves born of the purple and have innate capital swank. Indeed, Dhawan has not only inherited Sehwag's position in the team but also his intrepid swashbuckling, an approach to the game built on technique but also with a natural born dandy's audacious devotion to panache.

It has taken him nine years to flourish in the India side since scoring three centuries during the Under-19 World Cup in 2004. He had played one ODI match in 2010 and four on India's tour of the Caribbean in 2011 before the three Champions Trophy group games and it was the hard work he put in after letting Delhi down with a soft dismissal in a Ranji Trophy defeat by Railways in 2011 that earned him the wrath of the coach, Manoj Prabhakar, that has been his making. He had always been flamboyant but nonchalance turned it too often into flashiness in the past. In the 2011-12 and 2012-13 domestic seasons he matured, adding focus and determination to his talent.

On the morning of his Test debut at Mohali in the third Test against Australia in March, his team-mate Sachin Tendulkar was chosen to award him his cap. "We have known you as a very gutsy player in domestic cricket, now we hope to see you as a gutsy player in international cricket, so show us some guts," said Tendulkar as he handed it over. Because the first day was rained out, India did not get to bat until a few minutes before lunch on the third day and by the end of it Dhawan was 185 not out. He played a series of scintillating cover drives, using his feet to caress the ball between point and mid-off, pulled forcefully and twice sashayed down the pitch to launch the spinner Nathan Lyon for six.

In the opening Champions Trophy game against South Africa in Cardiff it was his elegant footwork that again made him stand out initially. Middle-order batsmen emboldened by the Twenty20 game occasionally give quick bowlers the charge in the 50-over version, but to see an opening batsman, in his first proper innings in England do it en route to scoring 114 against South Africa, was astonishing and admirable. More so was his imperturbability when Ryan McLaren hit him with a knee-folding, lacerating blow to the head that left him with a cut above his right ear. He did not buckle, gave his head a couple of shakes and carried on hooking, driving and dancing until he was caught in the deep for 114 off 94 balls. Asked if he had thought of coming off when skulled by McLaren, he said: "It's my nature. Courage comes normally to me. I am used to it."

Dhawan was equally insouciant and exuberant against West Indies and Pakistan, scoring 102 not out and 48, but on Thursday India face a pair of Hall of Fame batsmen in Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, whose technical and tactical excellence and experience are enhanced by their flawless mettle. Both have played themselves into tremendous form and if anyone can stall the remarkably swift progress made by this remodelled India team – merely three survivors remain from the XI who won the World Cup final meeting of the two only 26 months ago – it is Sri Lanka's abidingly magnificent veterans. The second semi-final promises to be a cracker. So rain, the Spin begs of you, please sod off.

Intel is entering its key tablet and smartphone market, with Arm's move into servers not certain to make up the difference. Now a new competitor is emerging in Nvidia, and analyst Anil Doradla at William Blair said:

We believe the [Nvidia] announcement marks the entrance of a viable competitor in the graphics space to Arm. Over the past few years, Arm has emphasized its Mali graphics cores and has emerged as the primary competitor to Imagination Technologies. While Mali is still a fairly small portion of Arm's overall business (and Imagination Technologies remains the market leader), we believe Nvidia's licensing model could prove to be a credible competitor to Arm's graphics segment momentum.

Arm is down 37p to 798.5p as the market slumps on poor Chinese economic data and Ben Bernanke's comments that the US Federal Reserve could begin easing its bond buying programme later this year.

Meanwhile Imagination, which fell on Wednesday as profits dipped due to a slowdown in licensing, is down another 11.2p to 313p. Liberum Capital analyst Eoin Lambe said:

Following [Wednesday's] share price drop, Imagination's valuation is now more sensible. We are turning more constructive on [US acquisition] MIPS and Imagination's emerging intellectual property (IP) blocks. However, the sign of increased competition in the graphics IP market from Nvidia leaves us at a hold recommendation [and] 330p price target. ]]> http://www.ramadan.com/business/arm-drops-on-worries-about-nvidia-competition.html/feed 0 http://www.ramadan.com/business/dixons-sales-rise-after-collapse-of-comet.html http://www.ramadan.com/business/dixons-sales-rise-after-collapse-of-comet.html#comments Thu, 20 Jun 2013 08:45:33 +0000 Angela Monaghan http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/jun/20/dixons-sales-rise-collapse-comet Dixons Retail, owner of Currys and PC World, ended the year with £42.1m of net cash, having started it with £104m of net debt. Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA Dixons Retail said it was on the road from "surv...]]> Dixons Retail, owner of Currys and PC World, ended the year with £42.1m of net cash, having started it with £104m of net debt. Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA

Dixons Retail said it was on the road from "survivor to winner" as it benefited from the explosion of tablet sales and gained market share following the collapse of its rival Comet.

The owner of PC World and Currys said it was boosted by a strong performance in the UK and Ireland in the year to 30 April, with sales up 7% as televisions, white goods and tablets were popular purchases.

Pre-tax losses narrowed to £115.3m from £118.8m a year earlier, and the retailer said underlying pre-tax profit rose 15% to £94.5m once the impact of restructuring its troubled European online PIXmania business was stripped out.

Dixons ended the year with £42.1m of net cash, having started it with £104m of net debt. The return to a cash-positive position was a year earlier than expected, and "an important psychological milestone" according to the chief executive, Sebastian James.

Shares rose 2.6% in early trading after the results beat analysts' expectations.

James added: "We have returned to growth for the group as a whole, and also to a net cash position, marking an important milestone in our transition from survivor to winner.

"I am pleased with the progress we have made, even though I am, of course, impatient for us to achieve even more, even faster, particularly in focusing on markets where we are, or can be, a leader."

Group sales rose to £8.44bn in the full year from £8.19bn, and James said there were "glimmers" of hope for retailers although the economic backdrop remained tough.

He said less than a third of UK households owned a tablet device, leaving a lot of room for further sales and "another big tablet Christmas" in 2013.

The retailer has taken around a third of Comet's business since it went into administration in November, and James said he was confident those customers would be retained.

He considered a 4% drop in sales in southern Europe "pretty robust", particularly as the bulk of its sales are in Italy and Greece, which remain mired in financial crisis.

"Dixons continues to gain more than its share of the Comet business and eliminates losses overseas. There is also the added bonus of cash on the balance sheet a year earlier than expected," said Philip Dorgan, analyst at Panmure Gordon. "We retain our buy recommendation."

Group costs fell by £45m during the year, part of a two-year drive to reduce costs by £90m.

Fawad Ahmed could make Australia's side for summer's Ashes series

Fawad Ahmed's hopes of representing Australia in the forthcoming Ashes series in England has moved a step closer after a Bill amending the Citizenship Act was passed through both Houses of the Commonwealth Parliament.

The promising spinner is unavailable for selection to the country's Test team as he is not yet an Australian citizen and does not hold an Australian passport.

However, once the Bill is given Royal Assent by the Governor-General, Ahmed can be considered for Australian citizenship.

A spokesman for Cricket Australia said: "This is pleasing news for us and is a big step forward in a process that will help enable Fawad Ahmed become an Australian citizen.

"Once the Bill becomes law, Ahmed will be considered for Australian citizenship, subject to the normal tests and assessments that any citizenship applicant would go through."

According to the ICC's Player Eligibility Criteria, Ahmed cannot represent Australia until he is a citizen of the country and when he becomes eligible for an Australian passport.

The ICC's rules do not prevent a player from representing national 'A' teams.

Ahmed has already represented Australia A on their tour of the British Isles.

Ahmed was born in Pakistan and Australia's chief selector John Inverarity said: "It is likely that his passport will be through in time for him to be considered for the squad.

"He is a fine young man who has handled himself extremely well so it's a very interesting story and he is a very good leg-spin bowler."

Ahmed is being tipped to play in this summer's Ashes series against England.