Gloucestershire have signed all-rounder Will Gidman from Durham on a two-year contract.

Gidman, 25, came through the youth system at Bristol before heading north in 2006.

But he has since made just one first-class appearance and has now decided to move back to Gloucestershire, where his older brother Alex is captain.

“I have absolutely loved my time at Durham, but at 25 I need to focus on where I’m going to get the best cricketing opportunities to develop my game,” he told Gloucestershire’s official website.

“I’m keen to push on to try to ensure regular first-class appearances and hopefully I’ll be able to significantly contribute to the side.

“I’ll always have fond memories of the North East, but am very excited to get started at Gloucestershire.”

Gloucestershire director of cricket John Bracewell believes Gidman is capable of making an impact.

“It is great news about the return of Will Gidman after a period of five years away with MCC young cricketers and then Durham,” said Bracewell.

“Will has developed into a fine all-round cricketer and it is fair to say that his experience at a club the likes of Durham has been a great finishing school, which Gloucestershire will reap the benefits of.”

England coach Andy Flower thinks the record low crowd in Cardiff for the second Twenty20 international against Pakistan may have been partly due to faulty scheduling.

Flower’s men chalked up two comprehensive wins at the 15,000 capacity Swalec Stadium, the first in front of 11,000 people on Sunday but only 6,000 turned up to witness the second on Tuesday.

Flower concedes that the ’spot-fixing’ controversy which has forced Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir out of the Pakistan’s limited-overs squad could also have prompted some supporters to vote with their feet by staying away.

But he also senses the England and Wales Cricket Board should think twice before they again schedule two back-to-back September T20s at one venue.

Strange

“It was a strange atmosphere. That must be the smallest crowd I’ve ever been involved in with an England team in this country,” he said.

“To have two Twenty20 games at the same venue at this stage of the season might have been an error. It’s something the ECB might want to look at.”

The corruption crisis which has rocked cricket over the past week, and the poor crowd, combined to provide a damp squib in Wales – even though Paul Collingwood’s world champions returned in triumph to home soil in their first T20 fixtures since they beat all-comers in the Caribbean in May.

Their second success against Pakistan also put them on a world record equalling run of seven consecutive victories.

Yet the dearth of spectators took significant gloss off the achievement.

“It’s a real pity,” added Flower. “Perhaps the weather didn’t help on Tuesday, but no one wants our national side to play in front of such a small crowd.

“The fact that we dominated so completely meant that it wasn’t a great contest for the people who did come either.

“None of us want to see small crowds, but we don’t know what the attendances will be like at the one-dayers yet.

“I hope the English cricketing public will come and support their team.

“We all hope people turn up in great numbers for the last five matches.

“The bottom line for spectators is that they want to be entertained – and whatever problems Pakistan have, they will play attacking cricket, as we will too.”

Hot ticket

The good news for the ECB was is that the first of five NatWest Series one-day internationals against Pakistan on Friday is close to a sell-out already at the Emirates Durham ICG.

“The sales for the next matches at Durham and Headingley are strong – they are expecting close to capacity,” said an ECB spokesman.

That will be especially heartening for staff in Leeds, where crowds for the mid-summer neutral Test between Pakistan and Australia were very disappointing – and the possibility of job cuts was subsequently discussed.

Meanwhile, it seems Flower’s suggestions about scheduling policy may be taken on board by his employers.

“We always review how international matches perform, and I am sure we will look at how our games have performed right across the season – rather than focusing on one individual match,” added the ECB spokesman.

England bowler Stuart Broad insists he has no sympathy for Pakistan ahead of Tuesday’s second T20 contest in Cardiff.

Embroiled in the ongoing ’spot-fixing’ betting controversy, the tourists have had to cope with intense media scrutiny during their preparations for the limited overs series with England.

They have also been left without the services of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir – all three having been charged and suspended by the International Cricket Council over allegations of a plot to defraud illegal bookmakers.

But Broad insists Pakistan now have to try and put the controversy behind them for the time being and refocus their attention to on-field matters.

“Sympathy? No,” he said. “At the end of the day, as cricketers, you’ve got one job – and that’s to perform on the pitch.

“You’ve got to focus on your bowling and your batting, and that’s what we’ve done very well professionally as an England team.”

“There’s always distractions in international cricket – because that’s part of being an international sportsman, probably more than most this week.

“That’s why as players you’ve got to be able to shut things out and focus on what you’ve got to do.

Hype

“I’m sure for the Pakistan team, there’s everyone following them around and there’s a lot of hype around them at the minute.

“That would be difficult to do, but at the end of the day that’s not our problem. We’ve just got to go out there and try to win. In international sport you get distractions all the time, but that shouldn’t affect how you deliver a ball or how you hit a ball.

“That’s all off-the-field stuff.”

Broad is a former county team-mate of Asif’s at Leicestershire and admits he was surprised to see the seamer caught up in the current controversy.

Indeed, he revealed he was planning to catch up with Asif at the conclusion of the one-day series to pick the experienced seamer’s brains, although that now looks highly unlikely.

“He’s a lovely fellow. I got on really well with him and he’s obviously a world-class bowler,” he continued.

“But obviously these allegations have come from the News of the World, and it will be interesting to see how it curtails and when it curtails.

Chat with Asif

“He is a seriously talented bowler. I only played about three games with him, but he was fantastic to learn from.

“Throughout this series I was saying to him ‘at the end of this series I would like to have a chat with you.

“But with him being left out of the squad, it’s probably not going to happen.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s associate manager Shafqat Rana and limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi have both welcomed reports that their country’s tax authorities are to scrutinise players’ financial assets.

It emerged in Pakistan, following the ’spot-fixing’ crisis, that the government is to sanction the assistance of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

Rana is all in favour of a move he suggests was already a possibility long before any Pakistani players were named in connection with the controversy which has rocked cricket for the past week.

“I think it’s a good thing from the government,” he said.

“It was there in their minds before we came over. It will bring things out, so they will be very careful.

“Shahid is of the same opinion that it should be done, and it’s good for cricket.”

England all-rounder Stuart Broad insists the spot-fixing storm surrounding Pakistan has not taken the shine off his Lord’s heroics.

Broad scored 169 – his maiden first-class century – as he shared a record eighth-wicket stand of 332 with Jonathan Trott.

The fourth Test victory, though, was overshadowed after allegations appeared in a Sunday newspaper against three Pakistan players – Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, all of whom have been subsequently charged by the ICC.

Broad, though, insists he will not let his memories of the achievement be tarnished by the accusations.

“It was a world record partnership,” he said. “It got us back in the game and it’s something that I’ll remember very fondly.

“I’m not going to let it be dampened by the allegations.

“It took the delight a little bit out of the win, but we just need to focus on what we’re doing.”

Focus

England moved on from the Test series to claim a five-wicket win in first Twenty20 international in Cardiff.

And Broad claims that the England side have refused to let off-field matters affect them.

“There was a lot of media coverage, but at the end of the day we’re cricketers,” he said.

“We just need to focus on getting our skills right. As a team we did that fantastically this week.

“We adapted to conditions really well. The pitch was spinning the spinners bowled fantastically well and kept us in the game.

“What we’re really pleased with was the standard of our fielding. On the ground we were fantastic.”

It has been claimed that a fourth member of the Pakistan cricket team has been questioned by the International Cricket Council over the alleged ’spot-fixing’ betting scam.

Last weekend the News of the World published allegations that Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were involved in a betting scam that saw the Pakistan seamers deliberately bowling no-balls in the fourth Test at Lord’s.

Now the same newspaper has stated that another, as yet unnamed, member of the side was involved and has already been quizzed by the ICC.

The Metropolitan police have declined to say whether they have spoken to a fourth player over the allegations.

Meanwhile, the newspaper also quotes Pakistan batsman Yasir Hameed as claiming that some of his team-mates were regularly involved in match-fixing during Test cricket, including the second Test against Australia in Sydney last January that saw Pakistan collapse to defeat.

Hameed is quoted in the News of the World as saying: “They were doing it (fixing) in almost every match. God knows what they were up to. Scotland Yard was after them for ages.

“It makes me angry because I’m playing my best and they are trying to lose. Only the ones that get caught are branded crooks.

“They were doing it (fixing) in almost every match. God knows what they were up to. Scotland Yard was after them for ages.”

However, there are now reports in Pakistan that Hameed has denied making the comments to the newspaper.

Butt, Asif and Amir have all been suspended by the ICC pending an enquiry into the ’spot-fixing’ scandal after being charged with “various offences” under their anti-corruption code.

On Friday the trio were released without charge after being questioned by the police over the betting scandal.

Cricket could be on a ’slippery slope’ if the spot-fixing allegations against three Pakistan players are not treated with the utmost seriousness according to Jonathan Trott.

Trott has spoken out after Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt plus bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were charged under the International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption code.

The trio have been provisionally suspended following reports in the News of the World that they were involved in a spot-fixing scam to defraud illegal bookmakers by deliberately bowling no-balls in the fourth Test against England at Lord’s last weekend.

All three players, who have been interviewed as part of a separate police inquiry into the matter, have denied any wrongdoing.

Trott, whose 184 was key to England winning the Lord’s Test and wrapping up a 3-1 series win, called for a thorough investigation during an interview with the Sun.

“Even now, a week later, I find it all so hard to digest, let alone understand,” he said.

Broken man

“I guess some people might be tempted to shrug and say, ‘Oh but it’s only a few no-balls, what does it matter?’ But it matters a great deal.

“This is the slippery slope and we don’t want to go there. The reputation of cricket is at stake and there must be a thorough investigation into these allegations.”

South African born batsman Trott also insisted that he would never become involved in any form of manipulation of the sport, pointing to one of his heroes, the late South Africa captain Hansie Cronje, as a stark reminder of the damage it can cause.

“He ended up a broken man,” Trott added. “And I remember asking myself how people got involved in that type of thing,”

“I just know it is totally against everything I believe in and have worked for – I love cricket and I have sacrificed a lot to make it to this level and I’m determined to stay there.

“And I am too competitive, too much of a winner to ever be tempted to take any liberties.”

England coach Andy Flower has leapt to the defence of Mushtaq Ahmed after the spin-bowling coach saw himself dragged into the ongoing ’spot-fixing’ crisis engulfing cricket.

Speaking at Lord’s on Friday, International Cricket Council chief Haroon Lorgat stated that his body would not have employed Mushtaq after the former Pakistan leg-spinner was named in Justice Qayyum’s 2000 report and found to have had links with illegal bookmakers

That report concluded that he should be “kept under close watch and not be given any office of responsibility (selection or captaincy) in the team or on the board.”

On Friday, Lorgat said of Mushtaq: “The best we can do is just highlight anybody we have got on a list who has been labelled before and I handed this to the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) and cautioned them (about Mushtaq) with a suggestion you need to do due diligence.

“They did their due diligence and they were satisfied with the appointment.

“We suggested they (ECB) had to be vigilant around their own changing rooms.

“We don’t at the ICC, as a matter of fact, employ people we believe may have been tainted in the past but they are entitled to do their own due diligence and make their own decision.”

But those words prompted an impassioned response from Flower who has worked alongside Mushtaq in the England set-up since 2008.

Brilliant

He insists he retains no doubts about the 40-year-old’s suitability or character, stating: “I am very comfortable with Mushtaq. He’s been brilliant for us as a team.

“He’s been a good coach, a good example to our players and support staff – and I’m looking forward to him working with us again when he joins us in Australia.

“I chatted with Mushy on the phone a couple of days ago.

“He’s a cricket coach – that’s what he is – and we’re very comfortable working with Mushy.

“He’s a lovely man, and a good man for our system. I’m quite happy with that.”

Kevin Pietersen will face disciplinary action over his foul-mouthed Twitter response to being dropped from the England team.

Pietersen was recently omitted from the national set-up for the upcoming Twenty20 and one-day series with Pakistan after struggling to find form throughout the summer.

However, the 30-year-old pre-empted the official the England and Wales Cricket Board announcement by posting his displeasure in a Twitter post.

He wrote: “Done for the rest of the summer!! Man of the World Cup and dropped from the T20 side too. It’s a **** up.” The statement was quickly deleted.

England coach Andy Flower says he accepts that Pietersen – who apparently thought he was only writing to a small number of friends – made an honest mistake but still says there will be further action.

“He has (spoken to me). He says he made a bit of a mistake, and I’ll take him at his word,” Flower said.

Hearing

“But still there’ll be a disciplinary hearing about that, because we can’t have situations like that happening.”

The last cricketer to commit a Twitter misdemeanour was England Under-19s captain Azeem Rafiq, whose obscene rant resulted in a one-month ban.

Although Pietersen’s statement was not as rude or personal as Rafiq’s, Flower recognises the need for consistency when dealing with such cases.

He added: “I didn’t connect it at all with that (the Rafiq case). But yes, it is important to be consistent.”

It is thought that the ECB were considering a blanket ban on Twitter but Flower sees no problem with the social networking service, as long as it is used responsibly.

“I don’t quite see it myself. But if that’s what they choose, we want to allow them the freedom to do that,” the former Zimbabwe wicketkeeper said.

“But with that freedom comes responsibility, so they’ve got to use it responsibly. This is an example of not using it responsibly.

“Ideally, we’d like to leave them using it. Probably, after a couple of the latest incidents, we have to have a look at the guidelines along which they use that.”

England have called up Ajmal Shahzad as pace-bowling cover for their NatWest Twenty20 squad, with Stuart Broad suffering a groin injury.

The Nottinghamshire all-rounder suffered discomfort in his groin during England practice at the SWALEC Stadium on Friday and was unable to finish the training session.

An England spokesman explained the decision to call up Yorkshire seamer Shahzad – already in the NatWest Series one-day international squad to take on Pakistan later this month – is purely precautionary.

“We are covering all bases, just in case,” he said. “Stuart just started to feel to feel it a little bit after he got started in practice this morning.”

Broad will continue to receive treatment, but at this stage is not ruled out of England’s first Twenty20 match against Pakistan in Cardiff on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.