The 25-year-old has played six Test matches for the Baggy Greens, making his debut in the 2011/12 Ashes series down under against England.

Khawaja has never represented his country in 50-over cricket, but has played with and against most of Australia’s ODI squad and insists, despite it being in English conditions, the series will be a tightly-fought contest in which the tourists can come out on top.

“I think it will be a very good series,” Khawaja said. “Australia are playing some really good one-day cricket. We have got a really good balanced line-up and England obviously played really well against West Indies too so it is really hard to call.

“We have got a really good pace bowling attack and we have got a really good batting side, people are in good shape and are well rested.

“But England have had the playing time against West Indies and we are in England so it will just depend on how well the Aussies can develop to the conditions and if they can do that they have a chance of winning the series.”

Khawaja has been part of the Derbyshire dressing room since the start of the FLt20 competition, but with only one win in their first six games, the Queensland batsman believes it will be difficult for the Falcons to qualify for the knock-out stages.

“It is going to be pretty tough now to qualify for the quarter-finals,” Khawaja said. “But we have still got a lot to play for in these four games and if we can get four wins it will be great momentum for us as we get back into the Championship.

“I think everyone is really excited about the Championship. There is about seven or eight games left and they have played exceptionally so far with a couple of superb individual efforts.

“So hopefully the next few games we can get back on track for the Championship gain a few wins and pull further ahead and make it easier for ourselves. But we are taking it one game at a time and we are not getting too far ahead of ourselves.”

Khawaja is Derbyshire’s overseas replacement for New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill who had a startling start to the 2012 domestic season, compiling three centuries and scoring over 500 runs in the four-day game.

But Khawaja insists that this hasn’t put more pressure on his young shoulders as he believes it has given him the extra incentive to perform for a winning cause.

“He (Guptill) performed beautifully but I have come here with high expectations too and I want to perform and score loads of runs, there is nothing else I want to do,” Khawaja added.

“I am prepared to work hard, prepared to give as much as I can and hopefully contribute and help Derbyshire gain promotion in the Championship.

“I have come here with a purpose to perform and it has worked out that Derbyshire are in a good position in the Championship and this has given me the extra incentive to do well, there would be nothing better than to leave here and enter my summer in Australia after securing a promotion with Derbyshire.”

Young seamer Reece Topley comes into the 14-man squad for an encounter that heralds what head coach Paul Grayson believes is a crucial spell for Essex as they enter a period of four games in the next five days.

Kent have named the same 13-man squad that brushed aside Surrey on Sunday.

Off-spinner James Tredwell played an important role in the Spitfires’ demolition of Surrey, conceding just 18 runs from his four overs, and has been rewarded with an England call-up for the final ODI at Headingley Carnegie on Friday.

Lancashire will be missing loan signing Ajmal Shahzad for their North Group tie with defending champions Leicestershire after a scan revealed an intercostal injury.

The Foxes are bottom of the group having lost all three of their opening fixtures and will be aiming to get back to winning ways at Old Trafford.

Derbyshire tackle Durham in the third game at the County Ground in the space of six days.

The Falcons are set to field the same side that fell to a 41-run defeat against Yorkshire on Monday, with Australia international Usman Khawaja and former Pakistan bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan to play once more.

The Dynamos are hoping to bounce back from their seven-wicket defeat to Nottinghamsire on Sunday.

Read the article on ecb.co.uk

Buttler starred with the bat as his unbeaten 58 guided the runners-up of the last three years to a thrilling five-wicket win over the Steelbacks with just one ball remaining in their Midlands/Wales/West Group match at Taunton.

The talented right-hander was delighted to be included in England’s squad for the NatWest International T20 against the Windies, but insists there is not more pressure on him to perform as he looks ahead to this weekend’s game at Trent Bridge.

“It is really exciting to be picked for England,” he told ecb.co.uk. “I am really looking forward to it, but I have two games with Somerset yet before I join up with the squad so another couple of strong performances and hopefully I can get a go on Sunday.

“There is always pressure to perform for everyone. It is great to get some runs in front of the Sky cameras but, wherever the game is, you always went to do well; it isn’t really different. There is a game of cricket that needs to be won and that is what you’ve got to do.”

Buttler insists that, despite a tight game, Somerset have the strength in depth to go far in this year’s competition.

“It was a challenging score on a used wicket. We know that we had to play well but we always felt that we were in control,” he added.

“We have to go one step at a time. We have to get to the quarter-finals first and qualify through the group. We have had some great games here and played really well, which is promising, and our squad can get stronger again with Richard Levi and Albie Morkel to come back.

“So we are really positive and really enjoying Twenty20; it is a welcomed break and it is going really well.”

Stand-in Somerset captain Alfonso Thomas believes that Buttler was the difference on the day and insists that the strength of their squad will be key as they aim to go one step further in this season’s campaign.

“He is a world-class player,” Thomas said. “He has just matured so much over the last 12 months and today I think he was the difference for us.

“It was a fantastic effort all round, especially from the boys who came in. We had Arul Suppiah who did a fantastic job for me, and that just shows the character of the Somerset team. We have so much strength and depth at the moment which will hopefully hold us in good stead.”

Watch the interview on ecb.co.uk

Wright has made a sublime start to his first full-season with the Bears claiming 15 wickets at an average just over 20 in their opening four Championship games.

But less than a year ago he had real concern about his own long term future playing 2^nd XI cricket at Essex before his eventual release.

“It was a difficult time for me,” Wright said. “I didn’t really expect it last year to now be playing here for Warwickshire and be at the top of Division One.

“It has been a massive turn around and I am delighted. In a way I was quite fortunate as a day after my release I heard that Warwickshire wanted to bring me in on a loan trial period.

“It is up to me now to make the most of what I am doing here. It is nice to have gone away and done well as at times I did feel that I could have played more at Essex, but that doesn’t matter now and I am determined to just do well for Warwickshire.”

The Bears have enjoyed a near perfect start to the season, with five victories and a draw in their opening six games, as they sit top of the LV=County Championship and remain undefeated in all competitions.

Wright insists they can go one step further and avoid the disappointment that plagued last year’s campaign, and he believes they can take inspiration from this season’s tight Premier League run-in.

“Everyone at the back of their heads is well aware of what we can achieve, especially after watching the Premier League run-in and how we were piped at the post last year similar to United this year,” Wright added.

“The guys remember how it felt to miss out so it would be amazing to go one better and I don’t see why we can’t do that.

“We have played some of the more fancied teams as well and pulled out victories which makes our start even more impressive. We have beaten last year’s champions Lancashire and then Durham and Somerset who were two of the title favourites and we have come away from all with wins. To be honest if it wasn’t for the rain we could have come away with a win at Sussex as well.

“But it is only May and any thoughts about the title are at the back of everyone’s mind at the moment and we are just trying to take each game as it comes.”

Wright believes the sides ruthless nature has ensured that the side can bounce back from adversity as they have done on numerous occasions so far this season.

“We have been in a few tricky spots this season but I think we have a skilful team who have been more clinical than previous years.

“For example the game against Lancashire at Liverpool when we were 81-7, then you had Maddy and Clarky but on that incredible partnership that was just an awesome innings. We have got a strong team who are ruthless and disciplined as well, but it is our high skill level which has really stood out.”

The 26-year-old has formed a formidably partnership with the in-form Keith Barker who has claimed 22 wickets in the County Championship, but Wright believes it is just a matter of time before he enjoys similar success.

“Barks and myself have bowled well together in tandem, and he has had an amazing start to the year and it is just the case of supporting him, bowling in the right areas and seeing what happens.

“But I don’t see myself being just a support bowler, that’s just the way it goes sometimes. It may change and Barks will be bowling economically while I pick up all the wickets, hopefully, that is the plan anyway.”

The 25-year-old has played a key role in the side’s early success, lodging his first championship five-wicket haul against Lancashire in their five-wicket victory at Liverpool.

The left-armer believes it has been a dream start for a Bears team deprived of the injured Chris Woakes and Boyd Rankin – and reckons they can build a prolific season.

“Bar the injuries, the season so far couldn’t have gone better,” Barker said. “It has been a great start. We have been in situations when we didn’t know how the result would go. It has been a bit close at times, but we dug deep and got the results we needed.

“I think we can have a very good season. We are always seen as underdogs and don’t really mind that as all the limelight is off us. We just go about our business. As long as we concentrate on our game and what we are good at then I don’t see any reason why we can’t be up there again at the end of the season.”

Barker did not expect to feature in the Bears’ opening fixtures but has opened the bowling in the absence of Woakes and Rankin. When they return, the competition for seam-bowling places will be immense.

“All I can do is just keep doing what I am doing and see what happens,” he said. “We have such a good bowling attack, I was wondering if I would get the opportunity.

“Unfortunately for Woakesy he went down and Boyd as well and that meant that I could come in. I’m just trying to make the most of this opportunity.

“They are obviously big performers in our team when they play and you expect them to come straight back in so it’s all down to what Ashley Giles and Jim Troughton think.

“It’s just nice to be in a bowling unit where we can actually give bowlers a rest and others who do come in we know can do well.”

Barker’s performances with the new ball this season have made a few heads turn but he is keeping his feet firmly on the ground – and hands credit to bowling coach Graeme Welch.

“We started working on my action in November and literally broke it down, just using my arms not even actually bowling, just getting my arms to work as one instead of individually,” Barker explained.

“I feel a lot better and a lot more confident. I have to thank Graeme 100 per cent. He has helped me understand a lot about my bowling.

“It would be nice to get an England Lions call up but I am just concentrating on Warwickshire. I am not one to look ahead but it would be a nice bonus.”

No-one knows if Barker will retain his place in the Bears’ four-day squad – but he has given Giles and the rest of the coaching staff a real selection conundrum.

They first removed a strong Somerset outfit for 147, and now they have bowled Durham out twice for below 300 which have helped Warwickshire claim top spot in Division One.

Giles has been overjoyed with the club’s start to the season, and he is pleased to finally beat Durham for the first time since taking charge of the Birmingham club.

“It is nice to just beat Durham that is the first time in five years for me,” he said. “It is certainly something on my list that I wanted to achieve.

“Winning at Liverpool was on my list and beating Durham was too, so we can tick those two boxes. But there is still a long way to go and there are still 12 more boxes to tick.

“Bell batted beautifully for his 120; he lined up the ball well and looked like scoring lots of runs which bolds well for England.

“I have been impressed with the way the guys have gone about their business in this game and all season, the bowling has been really disciplined and has been really impressive.

“After losing Chris Woakes and Boyd Rankin to injury, I and Jim Troughton were a little bit concerned about our attack, but Chris Wright and Keith Barker have been fantastic this season.”

Keith Barker claimed his maiden five-wicket haul at Liverpool, but he went one better at Edgbaston as he claimed 10-wickets in a match for the first time in his professional career.

He has certainly set some tongues wagging and Giles is now in a hurry to secure his long term future to the club.

“No we haven’t signed Keith [Barker], not yet no,” he added. “But I have got a pen in my pocket.

“The contract hasn’t been drawn up yet, but I think we will be talking to him very soon about getting it sorted.

“Barker was very strong and turned down an offer earlier in the year and to be fair he backed himself to do well, and know he will probably take my trousers down [when negotiations begin].”

Since joining he has been the main-stay of their attack. 25 wickets in three-and-a-bit games this season, 67 from 16 last season (average of 22.61) and 68 the year before – including the wicket of Chanderpaul to seal the title County Championship . He was successful in 2008 and 2007, did well at Essex for three seasons before that, and has been winning trophies for Auckland during the English winter since 1997. Combine that with some mighty biffing down the order (good enough to score three first-class tons and eighteen fifties) and spritely fielding and you have a very fine player.

So a highly successful international career?     No – I don’t understand why though. He made his one and only Test match appearance against England at Eden Park in 2002, a match that New Zealand won and in doing so squared a three-match series 1-1. So you would assume Adams didn’t have he best of games? Wrong again. He took 6 for 105, the six being Vaughan, Flintoff, Giles, Hussain, Foster and Hoggard, but was never picked again. In era where New Zealand have remained just about competitive, and only just, it really does seem like they missed a trick with Adams. A highly effective bowler in all conditions, but especially those that offer a little for the seamer, like Trent Bridge and the majority of New Zealand’s home Test match grounds.

My assumption is that Adams for too long was labelled a one-day player. Not because of amazing success in one-day cricket, he bowling and batting averages are far stronger in first-class cricket (the opposite is the case for many bowlers), simply because he could whack a ball at number 8 or 9. That is why his international career reads 1 Test match and 42 ODI’s. His ODI performances were solid but he did not set the world alight – one-day cricket is not his strongest suit.   If he was a rabbit with the bat like Chris Martin, his record might have read 42 Test’s and 1 solitary ODI.

I hope England learn a lesson from Adams’ career, and apply that knowledge to the career of Chris Woakes, the Warwickshire bowling-allrounder. Woakes currently averages 33 with the bat and 24 with the ball in First-Class cricket, and 18 and 35 in List A. He has played 4 ODI’s and 0 Test’s. He like Adams, will always be a stronger 4/5 day performer because of the type of seamer he is. Unless the selectors realise this, Woakes will have to bat like Hoggard and Fraser to ever get a chance of playing a Test for his country.

Samit Patel

Hugely talented and, for quite a chunk of his career, huge to look at, Patel was selected for the tour to Sri Lanka. He did well, didn’t look out of his depth, but failed to make a telling contribution that would secure a place. England’s decision to bat him at seven showed a lack of faith in his batting, strange for guy who averages 40+. His bowling is accurate, and would be useful in a containing role in England, unless they are playing on an absolute bunsen (bunsen burner – turner). He’s fielding has always been considered a week link, he’s certainly no Paul Collingwood, but does have a fairly safe pair of hands. His improved ODI form as well as solid start in Sri Lanka, in my opinion should be enough to keep him in the side. Poor start to the season in difficult conditions at Trent Bridge will though count against him.

Ravi Bopara

The Essex man is still only 26, despite seemingly being around for ever, and already has three Test hundred’s to his name in just seventeen innings’, a fair return. Combine this with some useful medium-pace (quicker in pace than Collingwood, but not as canny) and solid fielding – he should be a shoe in. It is questions about temperament and ability to playing bowling of the highest order that remain. It was Shane Warne, in his role as a pundit who first questioned Bopara’s mentality, often seen as over-confidence, at the start of the Ashes series in 2009, Bopara was ruthlessly exposed and replaced by Trott in the fifth-and-final-test (who exceeded Bopara’s run total in 1 single innings). Fantastic hundred against Yorkshire at Leeds in very trying conditions has greatly enhanced his chances.

James Hildreth

Born in Milton Keynes, and educated in Glastonbury, you would want him batting at any cricket festival. Excellent to watch, scores runs all round the wicket, and his hockey days have left him with a style reminiscent of AB DeVilliers. Score more runs per season, on average, than anybody else mentioned on this page. His main strength is his ability to score daddy hundreds, when he gets in, he stays in, scoring double and even treble hundreds. There are no question marks about his character either, he’s an astute thinker who has captained both England Lions and Somerset. Questions do still linger about his ability to score difficult and important runs. Last week at Nottingham with Somerset already in command  and in good batting conditions, he compiled a terrific ton at almost a-run-a-ball. The week before, in a very tight game, on a seaming pitch,  that Somerset ultimately lost, Hildreth contributed 0 and 3, bowled on both occasions by left-arm seamers. Hildreth needs to play a match defining innings and soon to have a chance of selection (preferably away from Taunton).

Nick Compton

A solid player for a good few seasons now, Compton has suddenly burst into life and amassed an amazing 685 runs runs already this season (we’re still in April!). Grandson of the legendary Denis Compton, this chap you would think has the perfect credentials as an England cricketer. Yet his was born in Durban he only arrived in the UK as a teenager, with so many South Africans already in-and-around the England side, this may count against him, I see no reason why it should though. If he can continue his fine form, and Strauss continues to play find-and-seek with his, an opening higher up the order may come his way later in the season.

Will Gidman 

Would be a left-field selection. If England are after a genuine all-rounder, which they say they are, Gidman has to be considered. A relative unknown until last season, and late to blossom, he amazed Gloucestershire fans with over a 1000 runs at 46 and 51 wickets at 21, at truly monumental effort. Brother of Alex, Will has started this season in much the same vain, 16 wickets at 16-a-piece. The nippy seamer will need to maintain this form over a sustained period to get any kind of recognition, and it may be in one-day cricket that he gets his chance, but it is in the longest format where this style of cricketer is at his best. Playing Second Division will be held against him. A player very similar to Rikki Clarke who also should not be ignored.

Many Bear’s fans would have been worried after the news of lengthy injuries to bowling duo Chris Woakes and Boyd Rankin, but fears quickly vanished as the Warwickshire attack tore through the Somerset top order.

South African Vernon Philander’s late cameo saved the blushes of the Sabres’ batsman who after winning the toss elected to bat first on what at first seemed to be a batsman friendly pitch.

The Warwickshire reply ended on 111-3, with Varun Chopra unbeaten on 40 at stumps in what was a thrilling start to the new season.

Winter signing Chris Wright produced an inspired first spell of bowling to remove opener Arul Suppiah, thanks to a good low catch in the slips from Rikki Clarke, to claim their first wicket of the 2012 campaign.

Wickets either side of a rain interval for Keith Barker soon followed. First the wicket of former England Test batsman Marcus Trescothick for nine and then James Hildreth was clean bowled first ball as Somerset slumped to 14-3.

The morning was dominated by good swing and seam bowling from the opening pair, and was duly finished off by Rikki Clarke who got his season off to a good start with two wickets.

After a calamitous run-out, which saw both Philander and Adam Dibble stranded at the same end, the South African Test bowler began to free his arms hitting a couple of sixes from the favorable bowling of Darren Maddy.

Philander finally fell to the Warwickshire man for 38 as Somerset were all out for 147, Wright claiming the final wicket, and his fourth, in a promising start for the club.

The Warwickshire reply was immediately halted by some more early-season rain. When play finally got back underway, Ian Westwood was adjudged LBW off Philander to a delivery that stayed low.

Some good stroke play by Chopra got the scoreboard ticking, but his partner Porterfield  was soon back in the pavilion after glancing a leg side delivery through to Craig Kieswetter.

Jim Troughton was the final, and the thirteenth wicket to fall on the day, after he inside edged a Dibble delivery onto middle stump for seven.

Maddy’s introduction helped stabilise the innings as Chopra, who earlier collected his first county cap for the Bears, looked at ease at the crease and he was able to finish off what was a very good start to the season for the Birmingham club.

The 25-year-old all-rounder burst onto the County scene with Warwickshire in 2009 and has claimed 28 wickets and scored 558 runs in only 17 First-class matches.

Now he is hoping to stake a claim for a regular County Championship place and hopes to even progress enough to grab the attention of the England selectors.

“I want to establish myself into the four-day squad, I think I have already done that in  one dayers, I now have to keep on top of that and keep pushing for the four day squad,” he said.

“Hopefully then I can go on and possibly get an opportunity in the England side.

“I would love 50 wickets this season, but first it is just about playing and doing well in each game and if the wickets come and I can come close to that then great, but if I don’t I will just look at how close I have come and see how I can get there next year.”

Barker, who’s godfather is former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd,  has the luxury of not only playing under a former England international in Ashley Giles, but also plays along two of the Country’s best batsmen.

“You do learn a lot playing and training with the likes of Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell,” he added. “Trott has his own ways and Bell is a great person to have around on and off the field, you can learn a lot just watching them.”