England seamer Stuart Broad is one step closer to being declared fit for Friday's first Test against Bangladesh.

Broad has been struggling with spasms after injuring his back during the one-day international series.

He was unable to play any part in the three-day warm-up against Bangladesh A but resumed net bowling midway through that match. He bowled a total of 10 overs during England's practice session in Chittagong on Wednesday without feeling any discomfort and will be reassessed on Thursday morning.

The tourists are already without fellow seamer Graham Onions, who is out of the series opener with a back injury of his own.

Vice-captain Michael Clarke has been named in Australia's Test squad for the tour of New Zealand despite returning home during the current one-day international series due to personal reasons.

The New South Welshman returned to Australia just before the third match of the ODI series on Tuesday with his fiancee Lara Bingle at the centre of a much-publicised nude-photo scandal.

Cricket Australia (CA) have admitted they are still unsure whether the 28-year-old right-hander will return for the two-Test series, which begins in Wellington on March 19, but have named him in a 14-man squad that includes uncapped leg-spinner Steven Smith.

"I'm hoping he'll be there, but he hasn't given me a drop-dead date," CA deputy chief Michael Brown said of Clarke's possible return to New Zealand.

"I'm hoping to talk and see him later today (Wednesday), we need to address those issues because Andrew (Hilditch, chairman of selectors) has a team to run, but we also respect that he needs time.

"He only just got home and we want to give him time to make the right decisions. There's no point in forcing any player to go back into a cricket team when he's not comfortable, because the team won't be comfortable to have him, and that's the message the captain has given me.

"Ricky (Ponting) wants Michael back 100% committed to cricket and that's when he wants him back."

The selection of Smith continues the 20-year-old's rapid rise to prominence after he made his Australia debut in last month's Twenty20 encounter against Pakistan in Melbourne.

The leg-spinner has been touted as Australia's brightest slow-bowling prospect and has shown his form with the bat in the Sheffield Shield this season, highlighted by his 177 against Tasmania last week.

Australian Test squad: Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke (vice-capt), Doug Bollinger, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, Ryan Harris, Phillip Hughes, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Clint McKay, Marcus North, Steven Smith, Shane Watson.

Ian Bell has backed Kevin Pietersen to end his poor recent run in Bangladesh with the help of his team-mates.

Pietersen has looked a shadow of his dominant best ahead of Friday's first Test, compiling just 69 runs in seven knocks on tour.

"It's difficult to say what KP is thinking exactly but I know the dressing room were very important for me," he said. "I know what it's like, it's a difficult place to be. But when you have the dressing room behind you there's a much easier way through than when you're on your own."

He added: "Out in South Africa Andrew Strauss was absolutely fantastic for me - the way he spoke to me, the way he backed me.

"The dressing room is exactly the same for Kevin now and I know he is working as hard as he can.

"Watching him over the last few days, he's been in the nets as much as he can and he's desperate to get out there and we're right behind him all the way."

Twenty20 specialist Tillekeratne Dilshan will play for the Sussex Sharks this summer.

Sussex have announced the signing of the Sri Lanka batsman, who took last year's ICC World Twenty20 by storm with a welter of runs at the top of the order.

Dilshan, whose trademark 'Dilscoop' shot became the talk of cricket last June, has been recruited specifically for Sussex's Friends Provident t20 campaign. The 33-year-old's 317 runs at an average of 52.38 won him the player of the tournament award, for powering Sir Lanka to a Lord's final against Pakistan.

Dilshan will join fellow overseas signings Yasir Arafat and Dwayne Smith, who helped Sussex win last summer's Twenty20 Cup en route to the Champions League in India.

Sussex's professional cricket manager Mark Robinson is confident that, in Dilshan, his club have secured the services of a genuine match-winner.

"The recruitment of overseas players is becoming more complex as the international fixture list grows, including the possibility of staging major matches at neutral venues such as the UAE and USA," said Robinson.

"With Yasir Arafat likely to have Pakistan commitments and Dwayne Smith with the West Indies, the signing of one of the world's leading batsman gives us some exciting options.

"We want our main players to have genuine match-winning ability - and we believe we have that with Dilshan, Yasir and Dwayne.

"With that bit of luck always required, I feel our 2010 squad can emulate our 2009 t20 success."

The Pakistan Cricket Board have banned former captains Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf from the national team for life as part of a stunning crackdown on player indiscipline.

Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul Hasan were also handed one-year bans by the PCB who acted on the advice of a report submitted by a six-member inquiry committee set up to investigate the reasons for Pakistan's abject showing on their recent tour to Australia.

Pakistan lost all their matches on the tour, which was also marred by a ball-tampering row involving Shahid Afridi, who was fined and placed on probation for six months over the incident, while the Akmal brothers, Kamran and Umar, were fined at total of five million rupees (£40,000) on grounds of indiscipline.

The PCB released a statement explaining the reasons for the measures handed down to Yousuf and Younis.

"Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, keeping in view their infighting which resulted in bringing down the whole team, their attitude has a trickledown effect which is a bad influence for the whole team, should not be part of national team in any format," the statement read.

Younis stepped down as captain in November last year just prior to the series against Australia after suggesting he had lost command over his players.

Yousuf was subsequently installed captain but Pakistan lost all three Tests, five one-dayers and a Twenty20 international on what turned out to be a dismal tour of Australia.

The PCB's general manager for media, Nadeem Sawar, disputed the suggestion that the two players had been banned, rather that they would not be considered for future internationals.

"If you look at the media release, we have not used the word ban, but merely stated that these players would not be part of the national team in the future," Sawar said.

However he added: "At this stage, it would seem that their international career is over. They will not be playing international cricket."

England bowler Graham Onions has been ruled out of the first Test against Bangladesh with a back injury.

The Durham paceman picked up the problem during net practice after joining up with the one-day international squad.

Fellow bowler Stuart Broad also has a back injury and is having a fitness test on Wednesday.

New Zealand coach Mark Greatbatch has all but confirmed he will ring the changes in his side after a dismal display with the bat against Australia yesterday.

New Zealand made a mere 246 on a batter-friendly pitch at Seddon Park in Hamilton that was easily chased down by Australia with six wickets to spare as the visitors went 2-1 up in the Chappell-Hadlee series, and Greatbatch wants to shake things up.

"I would say you are going to see some changes, up the order," he said.

"We are losing wickets early, we seem to have a reasonable run rate, but you could see changes [being made] there."

After New Zealand's inspirational win in the first game of the series in Napier, it is easy to see why Greatbatch was so disappointed in his side's innings.

With Peter Ingram (5) again failing to cope with the step-up from domestic cricket, and only Ross Taylor (62), Gareth Haopkins (45) and Scott Styris (41) showing any decent form with the bat in the match, some questions have to be asked of the top-order.

Greatbatch felt yesterday's game was by far the worst of the series and some work needs to be done if there is to be any chance of another win.

"We got a bit of a lesson yesterday, probably for the first time in the series," he said.

"We need to readjust and go back and look to counteract what they are putting in front of us."

Surrey have signed Pakistani seamer Rao Iftikhar Anjum as early-season cover for Indian leg-spinner Piyush Chawla.

Rao Iftikhar, 29, will be available for Surrey's first three LV= County Championship matches of the summer while Chawla is busy with Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League.

Surrey's professional cricket manager Chris Adams said: "Signing someone with the experience and proven wicket-taking abilities of Rao Iftikhar will allow us to add a bit of quality to the squad and is very much in line with the signings that we have already made since the end of the 2009 season."

He added: "Along with his impressive stats, I believe Rao is the type of bowler who will perform well in English conditions - and with Pakistan touring later in the year, he has a terrific opportunity to lay down a marker for selection.

"He can swing the ball well, has a very repeatable action and consistently bowls in the mid to high eighties. We look forward to his arrival."

Rao Iftikhar said: "Playing for an English county has long been an ambition of mine, and I am very much looking forward to joining Surrey in the coming weeks.

"Some of the greatest Pakistani bowlers of recent times have played for Surrey, and I am honoured to be following in their footsteps."

Andy Flower watched a number of players enhance their Test credentials in the drawn warm-up against Bangladesh A but is still anticipating a major contribution from the man who conspicuously did not.

Kevin Pietersen again failed to produce the big score his team-mates have been predicting since their arrival in Bangladesh with a breezy 20 before being bowled on the sweep. That took his total to 69 in seven innings on tour, a miserable return for a player of his rare talent.

"It's a pity he didn't spend some more time in the middle because I thought he looked quite good for his 20. It was a positive 20, an attacking 20, and that is the way he likes to play," said Flower. "I thought he showed some good signs. He's a world-class player with a great record behind him and we still expect a lot from him in these Test matches."

He added: "I don't really agree with that cricketing phase 'one knock away', but I do think all the hard work he is putting in and the thought he is putting into his game will stand him in good stead in the future."

Flower's batting line-up for Friday may have resolved itself over the course of the match, with Jonathan Trott looking assured enough to take on the opening mantle and Michael Carberry's 40-run return perhaps not enough to earn a Test debut.

But his bowling ranks have been disrupted by back injuries to Graham Onions and Stuart Broad.

Onions has next to no chance of playing but Broad will have one final session to prove his fitness on Wednesday.

"Broad has bowled two spells, one of about six overs at lunch then another of about three overs at tea," said Flower.

"He's improved pretty quickly. Our medical staff and fitness trainer have got him up and running again and he is going to have a proper run-out at practice, then we'll see how he responds."

Hampshire have confirmed the signing of Abdul Razzaq to play for them alongside his fellow Pakistan international Shahid Afridi in the Friends Provident t20 this summer.

The Royals have therefore enlisted two members of the team who helped Pakistan win last year's ICC World Twenty20 in this country.

Razzaq, who has previously played county cricket for Middlesex, Surrey and Worcestershire, also smashed an unbeaten 46 from only 18 balls as Pakistan beat England in a Twenty20 match in the United Arab Emirates last month.

The 30-year-old said: "I've always enjoyed my cricket in England.

"It is a home away from home due to the massive following Pakistani players have there, and I will do my utmost to try and help Hampshire win the tournament."

Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove and first XI manager Giles White both voiced their delight at their latest signing.

Bransgrove said: "Abdul Razzaq is one of the finest Twenty20 performers in the world.

"He will be a great asset to the side and adds even greater depth to an already impressive team.

"We have assembled arguably our strongest ever Twenty20 squad with the clear objective of reaching the 2010 Friends Provident t20 finals day here at The Rose Bowl on August 14."

White added: "Abdul is a proven match-winner and can turn a game with either bat or ball."