Yardy wants some runs
Sports Reporter
England A captain Michael Yardy shrugged off his miss from the World Cup squad and wanted players from his team to be prepared for bigger things to come.Facing the media for the first time since arriving in Dhaka on Wednesday, Yardy agreed that the series against Bangladesh A will be useful as a breeding ground for potential last-minute replacements for the team bound for the West Indies. "In case of injury, some players can be called up from here to join in the World Cup squad," said Yardy at the official press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. "But it is not just about the World Cup. These players are eager to play in Tests and one-day internationals for England in future. So this tour is a learning experience for all of us. Hopefully when we will tour the subcontinent with the national team we will utilize this experience." The left-handed batsman struck his first-class highest of 257 for his county side against visiting Bangladesh back in 2005. But his personal aim was to get back to the first time as he missed out on the Caribbean touring party for the biggest cricket tournament. "As a captain, I want to lead the team well and set example by playing good cricket. Beside that I want to get back in the national squad as early as possible. For that I have to score some big runs in this tour," said the 27-year old captain. England A boasts five players with international experience but Yardy confidently said that all of his players were key to performance. Coach Peter Moores however mentioned the likes of wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Prior and fast bowler Stuart Broad and skipper Yardy as the men to look out for in the tour. Mentioning the challenge of coping with the conditions here in Bangladesh, Moores said, "The condition is obviously different from ours. The first part of any tour for the touring side is to get used to the condition. We will also try to do that. We are also interested in the wickets, speaking to the curators here. That wicket out there (in Mirpur) looks like a good one which might have a bounce early on and some turn later." England A play their three-day practice match against BCB National Academy at BKSP today.
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