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2011-03-14T03:07:00.000-07:00

Gary Cristen Continue's His Role as Coach For Indian Cricket Team Upto 2011 World Cup

2010-02-05T04:45:00.000-08:00

Gary Cristen Continue's His Role as Coach For Indian Cricket Team Upto 2011 World Cup.Actually his role agreement as coach for indian cricket ends in this march month of 2010, But BCCI wants to continue him as a Indian cricket team Coach upto 2011 World Cup, How ever under guidence of Cristen Indian Team performance is Good and getting lots of Win serieses.

Key players ruled out as teams start afresh

2009-12-20T22:17:00.000-08:00

The build-up to this game has been dominated by the two-match ban handed down to MS Dhoni for India's appallingly slow over-rate in Nagpur. With Dhoni out of the fray, Sri Lanka's own woes have been obscured. Angelo Mathews, who clinched victory in Nagpur, is the latest to join the incapacitated list, with Thissara Perera flying in to take his place, and it's still uncertain whether Lasith Malinga will be risked after missing the first two games. The missing-in-action theme has affected India too, though Yuvraj Singh is expected to be fit to shore up a middle order that will sorely miss Dhoni's remarkable consistency.

The bigger concern for India is the fielding, or lack of it. The number of catches dropped has gone into double-figures, and the ground-fielding was equally dismal in the last game. Both seniors and juniors have been equally culpable, and Mike Young would have watched with some horror from the dressing room as even the basics were ignored.

Sri Lanka haven't been exceptional in the field either, but they do have two batsmen, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara, in prime form. There was also a fine debut for Suraj Randiv, and a moderately successful return to the limelight for Ajantha Mendis, whose dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar set India back in Nagpur. India's bowling woes are more focussed on the opening overs, where not one man has been able to put the slightest pressure on Upul Tharanga or Dilshan. Old-ball mastery won them the game in Rajkot, but raggedness with the new one left them with too much to do in the second match.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)

India - LWLLL
Sri Lanka - WLLLW

Watch out for...

Yuvraj Singh: Ever since he established himself as one of the bulwarks of India's one-day batting, rarely has a series gone by without Yuvraj playing at least one defining innings. An injured finger and flu kept him out of the opening two games, but if his Twenty20 blitz in Mohali was any guide, he certainly isn't lacking form. Against an attack missing Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan and Mathews, his nonchalant heaves over midwicket could well prove decisive.

Spinners: The slow blowers have traditionally enjoyed Cuttack. When India beat West Indies in the run-up to the last World Cup, India's contingent took six wickets in a low-scoring encounter, and last year it was Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj that were the difference in a free-scoring match with England.

Team news

Dinesh Karthik will take Dhoni's place, while Virat Kohli, despite a sprightly 54 in the last game, will have to make way if Yuvraj recovers fully. There could also be a rejigging of the pace attack, with Zaheer and Ashish Nehra both far more comfortable with the old ball. Praveen Kumar lacks the pace to hustle batsmen early on, especially in conditions where there's little or no movement, and that could see Ishant Sharma take his place.

India: (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag (capt), 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Yuvraj Singh/Virat Kohli, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Ashish Nehra.

Given their injury concerns, it's hard to predict Sri Lanka's line-up. But Mathews' absence does pave the way for Sanath Jayasuriya's return, especially in low and slow conditions where his left-arm spin could be a big factor. Suranga Lakmal didn't impress much on debut, and there could be a recall for Nuwan Kulasekara. The big plus though would be Malinga's return. In Fernando's absence, Sri Lanka have lacked a bowler who can hurry the batsmen.

Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilina Kandamby, 6 Sanath Jayasuriya, 7 Suraj Randiv, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara/Suranga Lakmal, 9 Ajantha Mendis, 10 Chanaka Welegedara, 11 Lasith Malinga.

Pitch and conditions

A bright, sunny day is predicted, and it won't be excessively cold at night either. Teams only one score in excess of 300, and the conditions could make for a tight game with moderate scores rather than Rajkot-like ones.

Stats and Trivia

Teams average 33.65 runs per wicket at the Barabati Stadium, the sixth-highest for grounds in India that have hosted more than ten ODIs.

However, the scoring rate in Cuttack is among the lowest in the country with 4.72 per over.

Quotes

"There is no extra pressure as a captain with everybody contributing for the team."
Virender Sehwag isn't losing any sleep over his new role for the next two games.

"We made a lot of mistakes on the field and picked up more injuries but still gave the opposition a hard run."
Kumar Sangakkara applauds his troops for rising above the mess.

England escape in grandstand finale

2009-12-20T22:14:00.000-08:00

England 356 (Swann 81, Harris 5-123) and 228 for 9 (Pietersen 81, Trott 69) drew with South Africa 418 (Kallis 120, Swann 5-110) and 301 for 6 dec (Amla 100)

Paul Collingwood completed the job he had begun at Cardiff in the opening Test of the Ashes, and the No. 11 Graham Onions repelled a fiery final over from Makhaya Ntini, as England survived a massive collapse against the second new ball to cling onto a draw and move onto the second Test in Durban with the series still level.

In a sensational finale to the match, England had been coasting to the draw at 172 for 3 after tea, following a restorative 145-run stand between Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen that spanned the entire second session, and settled England's nerves after they had been dicily placed at 27 for 3 inside the first hour of an eventful day.

But neither man was able to see out the job. Pietersen produced a total brain-freeze to run himself out for 81 in the second over of the final session, but it was the debutant seamer, Friedel de Wet, who transformed a meandering finale and set South Africa up for a sensational new-ball heist. In seven overs of unplayable intensity, he claimed 3 for 11 including the key scalp of Trott for 69, and after a collapse of 5 for 13 in 11.1 overs, only Collingwood's determination and Onions' unexpectedly watchful technique stood between England and the abyss.

While Trott and Pietersen had been in situ throughout a docile afternoon, such a sensational denouement was seemingly out of the question. South Africa's captain, Graeme Smith, was so bereft of ideas that even the injured Jacques Kallis was brought out of mothballs for an exploratory spell. But then, in the second over after the break and with a century there for the taking after four months out of the side following Achilles surgery, Pietersen launched into a suicidal quick single into the covers, and kept running straight into the dressing-room as his motionless partner, Trott, blinked incredulously from the non-striker's end.

Pietersen has a penchant for daft dismissals when well set, and given what had happened to England during three of his most memorable giveaways - at Edgbaston in 2008, and Sabina Park and Cardiff earlier this year - those of a superstitious disposition were advised to look away.

	Graeme Smith salutes his team but regrets a missed opportunity

At first, however, his rush of blood had little impact on the contest. Trott, with his feet rooted in his crease and with not even half an eye on his slowly mounting score, found in Collingwood the perfect partner to mimic such methods, and for 20 further overs they withstood all attempts at further breakthroughs. But all throughout the day, there had been one final opportunity lying in wait for South Africa, and when Smith called for the new ball with 16 overs of the day remaining, de Wet and his fielders responded with pure inspiration.

Ntini was given first use, and he served notice of the jitters to follow when he called for a third-ball review as Collingwood padded up to a ball that was just skimming past off stump. It was de Wet's skiddy bounce, however, that opened the floodgates, as he speared a vicious lifter into Trott's right thumb, for AB de Villiers at third slip to pull off an outrageous one-handed take as he dived full-length to his left.

Trott was gone for 69 from 212 balls of grit and guts stretched across more than five hours, but de Villiers' brilliance sent a jolt of adrenalin through his team-mates. Of all the pressure situations into which he could have been pitched, the scenario facing Ian Bell was the last thing he needed after his first-innings humiliation. De Wet sensed his unease and tormented his outside edge, and Mark Boucher behind the stumps pulled off South Africa's second blinder in the space of four overs - this time low to his right.

The sight of Matt Prior at No. 8 was far more reassuring to England's anxious fans on Centurion's grassy banks, but de Wet by now was unstoppable. With low bounce presumed to be the deadliest weapon on this surface, the debutant instead startled Prior with a fizzing lifter off the seam to hand Boucher his second catch of the spell, and de Wet his third scalp in 20 balls. Stuart Broad was the next to go, caught behind for a fifth-ball duck as Paul Harris was cannily introduced to mix up the pace, and not even the last of England's reviews could save Graeme Swann as Morne Morkel slid another unplayable grubber into his front pad.

	Andrew Strauss is a relieved man at the end of a tense day

At 218 for 9, the runs on the board were utterly irrelevant - all that mattered were the 19 deliveries that remained to be negotiated in the match. That tally was 50 fewer than England's last pair had negotiated at Cardiff, but Onions, with a career average of 6.33 in five Tests, inspired barely any more confidence than Monty Panesar had done on that incredible final day in July.

And yet, Onions did what he had to do - he got determinedly behind the line of the ball after Collingwood flicked a four through midwicket when all he'd been seeking was a single to keep the strike, and he even jammed his bat down on another grubber from Ntini this time, who was handed the final over of the match on a whim from his captain, Graeme Smith, but could not produce the killer delivery to wrap up his 100th Test in style. The final delivery of the game was blocked solidly outside off stump, as Onions pumped his fist in quiet celebration and Collingwood - almost forgotten at the other end despite an invaluable 26 not out from 99 balls - permitted himself a wry grin of satisfaction.

At Cardiff, Collingwood had been the tortured soul in the changing room, unable to influence the closing stages of the game having battled so hard to set up the rearguard with his doggedly brilliant 74. Today, that role belonged to Trott, who had arrived at the crease in the third over of the day following the extraction of the nightwatchman, James Anderson, and launched his innings with such introspection that he took 63 deliveries to reach double figures.

Trott's initial cageyness was understandable, given that the first hour of each innings had been the business period for wicket-taking, and when Alastair Cook was caught at leg slip from the first delivery he faced from the spin of Harris, England were 27 for 3 and reeling. With his nerves more apparent than had been the case at any stage of his Ashes debut last August, Trott struggled to stamp his authority on the proceedings, and showed a particular reluctance to commit to the front foot, a tactic he had used to such good effect during his century on debut.

Instead, it was Pietersen who took the initiative and injected some urgency to England's innings. He had one big let-off on 39 when de Wet overstepped for a plumb lbw appeal, but by taking on the drive, he released the pressure of the close-catchers at his end, and enabled Trott to focus on his more gritty approach to survival, which rarely involved fewer than five men round the bat. For three hours and 43 overs, their blend of passivity and aggression drew the sting clean out of the contest. But then came Pietersen's Red Bull run, and suddenly a meandering finale mutated into a thriller for the ages.

Hughes and Siddle in Boxing Day squad

2009-12-20T22:12:00.000-08:00

has won a recall to the Australian squad and is on standby for Ricky Ponting while Peter Siddle has also been included in the 13-man outfit for the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan. Hughes has not played a Test since being dropped after two games in the Ashes series, but the opening batsman has convinced Andrew Hilditch's panel he is the man to replace Ponting if he does not recover in time from the left elbow problem he suffered in Perth.

Ponting, who was struck trying to duck a Kemar Roach short ball, hopes to play but the selectors are being cautious after a run of injures. The physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said Ponting, who has been in a hyperbaric chamber to speed up the healing, was having on-going treatment for the problem. "We'll need to wait until he bats at training later in the week to determine his fitness for the Test," Kountouris said.

Siddle missed the Perth win with a hamstring strain but will play a domestic one-dayer for Victoria on Wednesday to build up his fitness. Clint McKay, who debuted at the WACA, holds his place while Ben Hilfenhaus misses out again following a knee problem that ruled him out of the final two Tests against West Indies.

"Ben bowled eight overs in club cricket on Saturday," Kountouris said. "However, after bowling again at training on Sunday, he reported knee pain once again." Kountouris predicted Hilfenhaus would need a "more extensive rehabilitation" before he overcame the problem.

Phillip Hughes Hughes scored 122 in the first innings of New South Wales' Sheffield Shield game on Saturday, but fell for 7 today in an innings that didn't change the thoughts of the selectors. He has scored 403 runs in nine Shield innings and re-found his form this month following a difficult period when it seemed he was unsure whether to follow his natural instincts or conform.

After scoring two centuries in his second Test, Hughes was set for a long stay in the side, but he was removed following troubles with the short ball and Andrew Flintoff in England. Shane Watson came into the team and if Hughes plays at the MCG there is likely to be some serious reshuffling to the order. Some of the options include Hughes, Simon Katich or Michael Clarke batting at three, while Watson could move down to the middle order.

Australia squad Shane Watson, Simon Katich, Phillip Hughes, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Marcus North, Brad Haddin (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle, Clint McKay, Doug

Siddle out, Chanderpaul, Barath and Hauritz in doubt

2009-12-14T21:52:00.001-08:00

Australia and West Indies have both been hit by a series of injuries the day before the third Test in Perth, with Peter Siddle ruled out, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Adrian Barath unlikely, and Nathan Hauritz also in doubt. The problems have left Australia with one confirmed debutant, the Victoria fast bowler Clint McKay, who will replace his state team-mate Siddle.

Siddle was under a cloud during the week after suffering a strain to his left hamstring in Adelaide and on Tuesday he woke up with some soreness following a lengthy spell in the WACA nets the previous day. It was enough for the Australians to err on the side of caution and Siddle, who will fly home to Melbourne, will aim to be available for the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan.

"The deal was that for him to come up here and play this game it would have to be a seamless period and have no pain, no stiffness, no feeling at all of anything wrong," Australia's physio Alex Kountouris said. "He bowled yesterday and this morning he woke up and it's a little bit stiff."

It means a definite debut for McKay, while the Tasmania fast bowler Brett Geeves, who was added as a 13th man in the squad, is also a chance to play if Hauritz fails to recover from a finger injury. Hauritz took a blow to the finger while fielding at training on Tuesday and although he did bowl afterwards, he suffered some soreness and will not know his fate until the morning of the match.

The selectors are considering flying in an extra spinner as cover, and their options will include Jason Krejza, who last year struggled against South Africa at the WACA and duly lost his place. However, Ricky Ponting said such a replacement would not necessarily step straight into the starting line-up.

"There'll be a chance of that," Ponting said of a four-man pace attack. "Geeves flew in last night and trained with us this morning. There'll be that possibility but I've said for a while it's always my preference to go into a Test match with a specialist spin bowler but we'll wait and see what happens."

West Indies are likely to have two changes with the key batsmen Chanderpaul and Barath both in serious doubt. Chanderpaul is still struggling with a finger problem after being struck on the hand in Adelaide, while Barath hurt his hamstring during the second Test. Travis Dowlin is expected to come in and open with Chris Gayle in place of Barath, while Chanderpaul's spot is likely to be taken by Narsingh Deonarine.

"It's not looking too good but we'll see what happens tomorrow," Gayle said. "Those two guys are the worry for us right now. It's a big blow going into the final Test match but having said that whoever gets that opportunity, hopefully they will make the best use of it."

Sri Lanka bowl without Murali and Malinga

2009-12-14T21:51:00.001-08:00

Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to have a bowl on a lightly-grassed pitch in Rajkot. Without the flu-stricken Lasith Malinga and with Muttiah Muralitharan not deemed fit enough, it was a gamble of sorts, especially against an Indian side strengthened by the return of Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, who were rested for the two Twenty20 games.

There was also a recall for Praveen Kumar, who played no part in the Twenty20 games. Sri Lanka also tinkered with their batting line-up, opting to open with Upul Tharanga and leaving Sanath Jayasuriya to bat in middle order, where he first started nearly 20 years ago.

Yuvraj Singh missed out with a finger injury sustained in the last Twenty20 game, and there was an opportunity for Virat Kohli to press his claims. The onus though was clearly on India's top order to combat the early movement and prevent the sort of batting debacle that cost them the recent series against Australia in Guwahati.

India had a formidable recent record against Sri Lanka in recent times, but with a 9am start, Chanaka Welegedara, Nuwan Kulasekara and Dilhara Fernando had a chance to even the scores.

India: 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra.

Sri Lanka: 1 Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Thilina Kandamby, 7 Sanath Jayasuriya, 8 Angelo Mathews, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Dilhara Fernando, 11Chanaka Welegedara.

NZ openers steady chasing 208

2009-12-14T21:49:00.000-08:00

Tea New Zealand 46 for 0 (Watling 27*, McIntosh 13*) and 471 need 162 runs to beat Pakistan 223 and 455 (Yousuf 89, Umar 77)

Chasing a target of 208 from a minimum of 43 overs, New Zealand took the safety-first route and sent in the regular openers who eased them to 46 without loss at tea on the final day in Napier. Kamran Akmal had earlier led Pakistan's resistance after the departure of Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal to stretch the lead to 207.

It was an enthralling day's play; Pakistan were nervous and edgy in defence, New Zealand were patient and did not over attack. Pakistan adopted the go-slow approach but since it's not a game that comes naturally to their players, it was absorbing to watch. The moment that captured their dilemma came when Akmal hit a four and shook his head, seemingly unhappy about his shot selection. It was a stunning hit over extra cover; he knifed through the line of a length delivery from Chris Martin and as the camera panned on him, he was shaking his head and admonishing himself. It was a risky shot in the context of the game, with the team trying to secure a safe lead before thinking of anything beyond and he knew it. However, the shot was a natural, almost reflexive, reaction from an attacking batsman and it was that kind of a battle that Umar and Misbah too fought without success.

Misbah's failing was greater than that of Umar for he was not only the more experienced but also some one who can, in theory, play the patient game more easily. And he had started well, nudging, pushing and leaving anything that he didn't have to play. However New Zealand kept closing in on him with their relentless discipline and you could sense a feeling of claustrophobia setting in. And the brain freeze eventually came when he faced up to Daniel Vettori for the first time in the day. He went for an almighty heave - his critics would call it a dirty old slog - missed it completely, and was done in by a quick stumping from Brendon McCullum with his back foot still on the line.

Unlike yesterday, Umar was more sedate this morning. Iain O'Brien and the close-in fielders teased him to have a go but he carried on with his defensive approach. Occasionally, though, the impishness in him threatened to crack open the lid of self-control. There was a hoick against O'Brien and a couple of plays and misses but no damage was done till he came up against the new ball, when he feathered an edge to McCullum. A brain freeze by Mohammad Aamer at the stroke of lunch threw open all possibilities yet again. It was the third ball of the last over before the break and with several close-in men hovering around him, an under-pressure Aamer, who had played out 52 balls with caution until then, went for the big shot against Vettori and holed out at deep midwicket. Kamran tried his best to ensure that a Pakistan loss was taken out of the equation but he was eventually left stranded and at tea, anything was still possible.

The umpire is right (even when he’s wrong)

2009-12-13T21:47:00.000-08:00

UDRS! It sounds like the cry of a Bulgarian shot-putter as he lets fly. Or perhaps the first word that David Boon uttered as he disembarked at Heathrow airport in 1989.

In fact, this collection of letters stands for Umpire Demoralising Review System, an entirely new method of making cricket more complicated that is completely unrelated to the previous Player Review System, which everyone hated. You can tell it’s different because it has a completely different name, apart from the last bit.

Lots of intelligent and learned cricket folk are asking questions about UDRS. Questions such as: How does it work? Come again? Run that by me one more time? No, still not got it, could you write it down? But the only question I want to ask is: does it enhance the sofa-dweller’s viewing pleasure? Sadly, I have to say that the answer is no.

First, the details. As far as I can make out, this is how it goes. Umpire A makes a decision. Players may challenge this decision by screaming, pouting, or stamping their feet on the ground. If Umpire A remains unconvinced, a captain may, by indicating inverted commas with his forefingers, initiate the referral process.

Umpire A will then talk to Umpire C. Umpire B may also talk to Umpire C, but not without being introduced. Umpire C will watch his television. He is not allowed to tell Umpire A what he sees there, but may pass on information by implication, insinuation or cryptic clues. After a short half-hour delay, Umpire A will then shrug his shoulders to signal that the referral process has been successfully completed.

Naturally the ICC thinks it works. Apparently the correctness of decisions has gone up by 6% since it was introduced. They know this thanks to the Deciderator 2000, a calculator the size of Jesse Ryder housed in a disused storage closet in downtown Dubai. But the ICC aren’t the only ones with access to the latest technology. Thanks to the Hughes Confusometer, I have measured a staggering 350% increase in bafflement and bewilderment since UDRS was introduced.

It has also subtly altered our relationship with gadgets. Once they enhanced our experience, getting us closer to the game than the mosquito perched on Shane Watson’s faceguard. But since it has been officially sanctioned, technology has become omnipresent. The current series in Australia has featured a heart-rate monitor, a traffic-light themed lbw wizard, Hotspot, slow-mos, Snicko, Hawk-Eye, and a special device to warn us when Bill Lawry has nodded off. You have to stay on top of it all because it has become part of the game. As a result, watching a Test match these days is like sitting in the NASA control room during a space-shuttle launch.

I’ll be honest. I like the simplicity of the chap on the field being right. Even when he’s wrong. It isn’t perfect. It isn’t always fair, but then life isn’t fair, and unlike life, a game of cricket really doesn’t matter all that much. At this point I could go on about taking the rough with the smooth, suffering slings and arrows, greeting triumph and disaster and so on. But I can picture the tapping of thousands of fingers on thousands of keyboards, typing words like “old” and “fashioned” and “Who is this Neanderthal?”

So if this is the future of cricket, let’s dive in head first, rather than timidly dipping our toes in Lake Technology. For a start, why involve players in the messy business of making decisions? They aren’t cut out for it. It is tricky enough for some of them to arrive at the right ground at the right time wearing the right trousers. Let them concentrate on dropping catches, bowling wides and styling their hair.

The umpires should retain control of the means of adjudication and should be tooled up with all the latest gear. I propose that the ICC commission full-metal body suits for arbiters. These should feature state of the art Hawk-Eye-enabled visors, Snickometer antennae, and heat-detecting scanners. Optional extras to include a no-ball sensor, a tea-maker, and a hook upon which players can hang their sweaters and caps. Once they’re suited up like Judge Dredd, there would be no doubt where the authority lay.

Faisal falls after erasing deficit

2009-12-13T21:46:00.000-08:00

Pakistan 223 and 278 for 3 (Yousuf 75*, Umar 0*) lead New Zealand 471 by 30 runs

Pakistan threatened to shoot themselves in the foot by gifting wickets to Martin Guptill - yes, you read that name right - before they rallied through a 128-run stand between Mohammad Yousuf and Faisal Iqbal. If the morning belonged to Guptill, the afternoon session, interrupted by rain, saw Pakistan making slow but steady progress.

Iain O'Brien and Daniel Vettori bowled as well as they could on a flat pitch but Yousuf and Iqbal stood firm. It looked almost inevitable that Yousuf, who missed out in the first innings, will collect some handy runs on this flat track. Vettori used the crease well, varied his pace cleverly and utilized the arm-ball intelligently but Yousuf handled him with aplomb. He moved forward or back as the length demanded of him and picked the arm ball on most occasions.

There was one piece of action which perfectly caught the spirit of the contest between the two: Yousuf came down the track but Vettori cleverly slowed up the pace and shortened the length. However, Yousuf waited to adjust to the lack of pace and though he couldn't reach the pitch of the ball, he didn't panic or lunge out; instead he almost nonchalantly wafted through the line and found enough power and timing to lift it over long-on. And barring an edge off Chris Martin that flew between the keeper and wide first slip, he was pretty comfortable against the seamers. He unfurled his square and cover drives and rotated the strike with wristy dabs.

Faisal wasn't as solid as Yousuf but he fought on to score a valuable fifty. His iffy footwork meant he was caught at the crease a few times and forward when he should have been back but he soldiered on. He was even dropped on 48 when he edged O'Brien straight to Ross Taylor but he punctuated his nervy shots with a few extravagant cover drives. It was that kind of knock where he delighted and frustrated you equally before he fell, guiding Martin to Taylor, who held on this time. The afternoon was a calm affair if you compare it with the events that preceded it.

If that late great English fast bowler Fred Trueman were alive and commentating on this game this morning, we would surely have heard his legendary phrase: "I just don't know what's going off out there". Nothing Pakistan do shocks anyone anymore but even their die-hard followers would have raised their eyebrows when Guptill, who has not bowled a ball before this game in Test cricket and has just a solitary first-class wicket, removed the openers in quick succession to leave Pakistan wobbling in Napier.

It was a bizarre, fascinating, and hence funny, little first session of play. What made Vettori to open the bowling with Guptill? More importantly, what were Pakistan openers thinking? Not much if you go with the evidence. When Guptill tossed the third delivery of the day outside off stump, there wasn't anything in its trajectory that made you feel, 'hold on we are on to something here'. It was a gentle, perhaps a bit loopy, delivery that floated ever so harmlessly outside off but Salman Butt scooped it back to the bowler. The bottom-hand had kicked in too much and he couldn't keep his off drive down.

Batsmen do make mistakes and irregular bowlers have from time immemorial picked up lucky wickets like this but surely Guptill can't do it again. Wrong. He flighted, nay floated, a full toss in the seventh over of the day. Farhat, who seemed muddled after Butt's dismissal, moved down the track to try snap out of the nightmarish start to the day but ended up patting the full toss straight back to Guptill. Surprisingly, there was no visible surprise from Guptill when he took the catch. Perhaps he was too shocked to be merely surprised. It was that kind of a day.

Injured Yuvraj Singh likely to miss first ODI

2009-12-13T21:41:00.000-08:00

Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh's participation in the opening match of the ODI series against Sri Lanka is in doubt after he complained of pain in his little finger on the left hand while fielding during the second Twenty20 in Mohali on Saturday. A final decision will be taken on Monday, the eve of the match in Rajkot.

"The team management will give every possible opportunity to Yuvraj play the first ODI but the final call would be taken only tomorrow," a team source said, adding that it could take upto three weeks for him to recover, effectively ruling him out of the five-match series.

Yuvraj, who took 3 for 23 in Mohali, didn't bowl his full quota of overs and bowled only three before he was taken off after the 17th over. However, the injury didn't affect his batting as he slammed an unbeaten 60 off 25 balls, hitting five sixes, to help India comfortably chase down 207 with five balls to spare.

He was taken to a clinic in Rajkot late on Sunday evening after complaining of pain and later took an X-ray. Niranjan Shah, the president of the Saurashtra Cricket Association, told PTI that a final decision will be taken after examining the report submitted by the orthopedic surgeon.

He could be replaced by batsman Virat Kohli, who was called-up a cover for Gautam Gambhir, who was suspected to have been struck with swine flu on the eve of the Mohali game, which was later diagnosed as negative.

Geeves called as Siddle's standby

2009-12-13T21:39:00.000-08:00

the Tasmania fast bowler, has been added to the third Test squad as cover for Peter Siddle and will join the team in Perth on Monday night. Siddle had a strong workout in the nets at the WACA today but will have to wait to see how his hamstring injury responds before his spot in the side is secured.

Geeves, a 27-year-old right armer, will join Clint McKay as the second uncapped bowler in the squad for the series-deciding third game, but Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, expects Siddle will be cleared. "[But] in order to ensure there is sufficient cover, a decision has been made to have Brett Geeves available as a standby player in Perth," Hilditch said. "Brett gets his opportunity on the back of his recent strong performances in Sheffield Shield cricket and because the panel feels he will be well-suited to the conditions at the WACA should an opportunity present itself."

Geeves toured with the limited-overs team to South Africa earlier in the year, and has appeared in two ODIs and a Twenty20 international. However, his prospects seemed to suffer when he was not called up for the injury-hit visit to India in October and November.

Five wickets in Tasmania's Sheffield Shield win over Western Australia last week helped remind the selectors of his worth. In 39 first-class games he has taken 134 wickets at 34.41 and is well-known in Australian cricket circles for his lively blog. The country's fast-bowling stocks are being tested with the contract holders Ben Hilfenhaus, Brett Lee and Stuart Clark on the injured list.

Urgent Kallis turns to oxygen aid

2009-12-10T23:07:00.000-08:00

Jacques Kallis is facing an uphill battle

Jacques Kallis is using an oxygen chamber to try and speed his recovery from the fractured rib that has threatened his participation in the opening Test against England at Centurion Park.

Kallis suffered the injury during the Champions League Twenty20 in October and was ruled out of the recent one-day series. It is a race against time to get him fit for the opening five-day encounter, with some suggestions that he may struggle to make the starting XI in any capacity or be unable to bowl during the four-match series.

However, South Africa coach Mickey Arthur was not ruling out one of his key players and was still holding onto hope that he can play a part with the ball. He echoed Mike Proctor's view after the convenor of selectors said Kallis was 50-50 to appear at Centurion Park, although Arthur was more positive about Kallis' prospects as a batsman.

"We certainly haven't ruled him out of bowling during the series and we are still working hard with him ahead of the first Test," Arthur told Cricinfo. "He has been using an oxygen chamber to try and speed the recovery and is doing extensive rehab every day.

"At the moment the best-case scenario is that he bats and bowls at Centurion which is probably 50-50, the next best is that he just bats which is probably around 60-40 and the worst case scenario is that he is only fit for Durban."

Kallis would not be the first player to use oxygen therapy to aid recovery from injury. Simon Jones underwent similar treatment in 2005 when he was trying to be fit for the final Ashes Test although the process was ultimately unsuccessful for him. The benefit of the chambers is that they can supply 100% pure oxygen which helps the body fight injury compared with the normal air which contains only about 20% oxygen.

Kallis played in the second Twenty20 international against England before the extent of the rib injury was confirmed. He will be fully assessed when the South African squad meets up in Potchefstroom on Friday for a three-day training camp. "Our priority was the Test series which is why he was pulled from the one-dayers so he didn't do further damage," Arthur said. "We will have a far better idea of where we stand on Sunday."

Arthur also confirmed that Dale Steyn was progressing well after his hamstring injury and that the paceman bowled six overs in the nets on Wednesday. Steyn was ruled out of the final two ODIs but now looks set to lead the pace attack alongside Makhaya Ntini, who will reach 100 caps, and probably Morne Morkel.

New Bingo Games

Non-contracted players face tight deadline

2009-12-10T23:06:00.000-08:00

Non-contracted Pakistan players hoping to be in the next IPL auction will have to contact the league directly to be put into the pool for the next edition of the league. Four Pakistan players already have contracts with franchises but they stand suspended for now, after failing to obtain the relevant paperwork and clearances in time. They can only play if their franchises choose to cut another foreign player from the squad, but for any other player hoping to line up a spot, the process appears more straightforward.

"Suspended players need only go to their franchises," Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, told Cricinfo. "All others just write to me and I will then put their names into the auction."

The auction is due to take place on January 19 next year, but all requests and paperwork will have to be handed in by December 31. Theoretically, a number of Pakistan players would make for attractive acquisitions after their stirring run to win the World Twenty20 in June this year.

Besides the four on suspended contracts - Kamran Akmal, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul and Misbah-ul-Haq - seven others played in the IPL during the first season; Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Asif, Salman Butt, Shoaib Akhtar and Younis Khan. New players who have impressed since, such as Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamer and Umar Akmal, might also be in the running.

But in practical terms it may not be so easy, even if the IPL says it is "excited" by the prospects of Pakistani participation next season. Franchises may well be put off by the uncertainty of acquiring a Pakistan player during a period where relations between India and Pakistan are particularly turbulent. And in any case, the cream of the squad is currently on a tour of New Zealand and Australia, making the process of applications that much more difficult.

After Pakistan players were not allowed to participate in the second IPL earlier this year by their own government, the door to their return was left a little ajar yesterday. That too was only after all parties negotiated their way through a serious bureaucratic tangle, which culminated in the Indian ministry of external affairs clearing visas for the four suspended players. "We are excited that they can participate," Modi said. "They need to write individually and not through agents by end of the month. The sooner the better."

O'Brien and openers lift New Zealand

2009-12-10T23:05:00.000-08:00

New Zealand 47 for 0 trail Pakistan 223 (Farhat 117*, O'Brien 4-35, Tuffey 4-52) by 176 runs

Don't be fooled by the score. It was indeed a flat track in Napier but Iain O'Brien was on a mission to make his last Test memorable and Pakistan's top order, as ever, was in a self-destructive mood. Imran Farhat, though, lifted Pakistan from the depths of 59 for 5 and resuscitated his career with a fighting century but New Zealand will be more than pleased with their efforts, especially after a dogged batting display from the openers, on the first day of the final Test.

Until Farhat produced his hundred, and Tim McIntosh and BJ Watling stitched together New Zealand's highest opening partnership of the series, it was all O'Brien. At one point his figures read: 4.2-4-3-3. He was hostile throughout his spell, consistently bowling over 140 kmph, and was always accurate but, even so, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that even he would have been slightly surprised by the results.

On a flat pitch, Pakistan's top order contrived to implode yet again by playing poor cricket. Only one batsman, Misbah-ul-Haq, was taken out by a difficult delivery; the rest were simply not good enough. Tim Southee claimed the initial breakthrough when Salman Butt left a gaping gap between bat and pad to lose his middle stump, after which O'Brien took over. And how.

O'Brien sussed out quickly that Faisal Iqbal was a sitting target because of his awkward feet movement and aimed one at his throat, forcing an ugly fend to the slip cordon. He tied up Yousuf with his disciplined lines and lengths before hurling one short of a length outside off stump. Yousuf thought it would be the ideal chance to break the shackles but was done in by the extra bounce and edged it to second slip.

It was the recurring theme of a bizarre morning. O'Brien tied up edgy batsmen with his discipline before delivering the knock-out blow with some thing extra. Misbah got a gem early in his innings: The ball held its line outside off and Misbah couldn't help edging it behind.

Pakistan's debacle was exemplified by Umar Akmal's dismissal. It was a short-of-length delivery that straightened well outside off stump. It could have been left alone or cut to the point boundary but Umar, the best of the Pakistan batsman in this series, just hung his bat out and guided it straight to gully.

Fortunately for Pakistan, though, Farhat couldn't have chosen a better moment to resuscitate his career. It would be churlish to dismiss Farhat's effort as streaky, though there were several play and misses and a couple of curious slogs which would have raised blood-pressure levels in the dressing room, but that's how he seems to play. There were spurts where Farhat seemed to lose concentration and went for pressure-reliving big hits and there were phases where he looked to be in control. Or something resembling it at least.

The fact that the last century by a Pakistan opener outside the subcontinent was Salman Butt's effort in Sydney way back in 2005 would make fans overlook Farhat's iffy patches and remember the good things from the knock. Amid nervous slashes, Farhat played a couple of off drives - the one in the seventh over against Chris Martin being the shot of the day - and a few well-timed cover drives. There was a flamboyant square drive too, on a bent knee for added effect, a crunchy pull shot and he definitely got better in the second session, during which he seemed surer of where his off stump was. He grew increasingly bolder and played big shots against Daniel Vettori to reach his hundred. Farhat found support in Mohammad Aamer in the afternoon and proceeded to lead Pakistan out of shambles.

Farhat's knock, and perhaps more importantly Aamer's defiance, revealed two truths: The pitch was a true, firm surface that did offer bounce but not much movement, and the other Pakistan batsmen didn't apply themselves. Luckily for them, Farhat refused to fade away without a fight. He added 69 runs with Aamer and 35 with Umar Gul before Daryl Tuffey hastened the end with a triple strike post tea. Tuffey terminated Gul's defiance and removed Mohammad Asif for a first-ball duck before he took out the enterprising Danish Kaneria. However, till Farhat did his thing, it was O'Brien who owned the morning and Ian Smith was moved enough to say on air: "Someone offer his wife a job here ... we don't wanna miss this fella!"

The icing on the cake for New Zealand was the performance from their openers; McIntosh, who has been lbw a few times in this series, took care not to get the front leg in line and BJ Watling didn't embarrass himself on debut. Their 47-run stand capped a near-perfect day for the hosts.

No home-and-away for new FTP

2009-12-08T21:12:00.000-08:00

New details of the proposed post-2012 Future Tours Programme have emerged with David Morgan, the ICC president, stating the home-and-away component of the current model could be scrapped. All teams at present must play each other twice in Test and one-day series over a six-year cycle, but Morgan said the new FTP could reduce the mandatory requirement to one series.

Such a move would allow national boards greater flexibility in arranging bilateral "icon" series, and could lead to an over all reduction in scheduling depending on their maneuverings. Morgan was hopeful the relaxation of the home-and-away requirement would appease player unions, who have been outspoken in their criticism of the demands currently placed on elite cricketers.

"The process is similar but the results will be different," Morgan told Cricinfo of the draft FTP. "I can't elaborate, but at the moment it's a requirement that in any six year cycle each full member has to play the other home and away in a minimum of two Tests and three one-day internationals. I believe there will be a relaxation of that. Perhaps not in the number of games, but there's the possibility of instead having to play everybody home and away in a fixed cycle, you may either play them away or home.

"The FTP essentially is a basket of bilateral agreements between the ten full members with some consideration given to the more proficient associate countries like Ireland and the Netherlands. That set of bilateral arrangements is continuing. I firmly believe that it is very important to consult with the players. Where FICA [Federation of International Cricketers' Associations] is recognised, which is in the majority of countries, we are very happy to liaise and discuss things with Tim May and his team. I find them a responsible body."

FICA last month called on the ICC to scrap the FTP in its current format and enlist the services of independent consultants to devise a new scheduling system. In a letter addressed to the chief executives of cricket's ten full-voting countries, which has been obtained by Cricinfo, May, the union's chief executive, proposed an annual Test and one-day championship he believed would add context and attract renewed interest in the game.

The notion of a Test championship model has been supported by a number of cricketing bodies, Cricket Australia and the Marylebone Cricket Club among them. FICA's proposal would see the top eight nations split into two four-team conferences, with semi-finals and finals to be played every three years. The fourth and final year of the proposed cycle would be referred to as an "icon year", and include the World Cup as well as high-profile bilateral series such as India-Pakistan and the Ashes.

"We believe that the model of bi lateral ad hoc series that have been cricket's structure for the past century (and again from 2012-2020) is fast becoming an outdated model, and will be unable to cater for the changing cricket landscape," May wrote. "It is unusual for FICA to request the ICC and its member boards to review a decision of the ICC board, however, we are of the firm opinion that there are serious flaws in the proposed 2012-2020 FTP that will severely threaten the primacy of international cricket in future years."

The likelihood of such a model being adopted appears remote, however, with chief executives gravitating toward an FTP similar to that currently in operation, with the exception of the home-and-away requirement. Following a two-day board meeting in Johannesburg in October, the ICC issued a release stating an in principle agreement had been reached on the draft FTP.

Sri Lanka aim to put Test thrashing behind them

2009-12-08T21:10:00.000-08:00

It would be easy, in the immediate aftermath of India's comprehensive Test series victory, to bill the hosts as favourites to win the two Twenty20 internationals against Sri Lanka. It would also be presumptuous because there are significant changes in personnel and the format is one in which India have struggled since the delirious high of World Twenty20 glory in 2007.

The Indian players are stars in their respective IPL teams but their results have been ordinary when playing together as an international side: in nine Twenty20 internationals since 2008, they have lost six and won three. The first victory was a remarkable come-from-behind effort inspired by the Pathan brothers in Sri Lanka, the other two were against Bangladesh and Ireland during a woeful World Twenty20 campaign in England this year.

The two significant problems India had in England, however, will be missing from these two games. Virender Sehwag, who had an injured shoulder during the World Twenty20, is back and in frightening form, and the other batsmen's weaknesses against the rising delivery are unlikely to be exposed on the flat and true pitches in India.

Gary Kirsten, the India coach, had said after they were eliminated from the World Twenty20 that there were holes in the Twenty20 set-up and teams had worked out strategies to effectively negate India's strengths. The next World Twenty20 is in May 2010 and the opportunities to formulate, fine-tune and effect plans are limited.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, had a terrific World Twenty20 and were unbeaten until the final, which they lost to Pakistan. They were the tournament's most vibrant team: the evergreen Sanath Jayasuriya and Tillakaratne Dilshan's daring improvisations gave them fast starts, while the combination of Murali, Mendis and Malinga was simply too much for most opponents to handle. Since then, however, Sri Lanka have lost three matches on the trot - one to Pakistan and two to New Zealand, that too at home.

Their Test bowlers were battered by the Indian batsmen and Sri Lanka will welcome the addition of Lasith Malinga's pace and yorker-bowling skills to their attack. Jayasuriya will join Dilshan to form a destructive, match-winning opening combination. The question, though, is whether Ajantha Mendis will be able to exercise any control over a batting line-up that treated him with disdain over the last month.

Form guide

(most recent first)

India - LLLWW
Sri Lanka - LLLLW

Watch out for

Lasith Malinga: When he's bowling well, Malinga can unleash yorkers at will and his low point of release makes it extremely hard for batsmen to get under his deliveries. In the World Twenty20, he developed a slower full-toss and, while the delivery sounds rather harmless, it foxed several batsmen and left stumps flattened.

India's middle-order: The middle-order was shuffled frequently during the World Twenty20 and their performances were disappointing. Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma and Yusuf Pathan struggled against the short ball.

Team news

India have rested Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh from the Twenty20 internationals which means the bowling line-up is likely to be Ashish Nehra, Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma and Pragyan Ojha. There's is a doubt over Sreesanth, though, because the bowler has an upset stomach. If he is unfit one of the rookies - Sudeep Tyagi, R Ashwin and Ashok Dinda - could get a look in.

India (possible): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Pragyan Ojha, 9 Sreesanth, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Ashish Nehra.

Murali injured ligaments in a couple of fingers while training during the third Test and is likely to be rested from the Twenty20 matches.

Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Chamara Kapugedera, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Kaushalya Weeraratne, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Ajantha Mendis, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Chanaka Welegedara.

Pitch and conditions

There's no rain forecast in Nagpur but the difference between day and night temperatures are significant which means dew could be a factor in the evening. The pitch is the same as the one on which India scored 354 in an ODI against Australia in October so expect more runs.

"It's a late evening start. We may see dew come into effect," MS Dhoni said. "But by the time dew comes in the game may be over. It won't be that big a factor. Overall it [pitch] will be good for batting, but in Twenty20 its very tough to predict. All of a sudden you look to go aggressive and lose quite a few wickets at quick intervals and you are not able to get big runs."

Stats and Trivia

Both teams will be coming into this game on losing streaks - Sri Lanka have lost their last four (before which they had won six in a row) while India have lost their last three. Overall, Sri Lanka have a slightly better win-loss record, 14-9 in 23 games, compared to India's 9-7 in 18 matches.
India have played only once at home and once against Sri Lanka, and have won both games - they beat Australia by seven wickets at the Brabourne Stadium in 2007, and Sri Lanka by three wickets in Colombo earlier this year.
Sri Lanka have preferred batting first in Twenty20 games, winning nine and losing five. When batting second, they've won five and lost four. For India the numbers are almost the same - 5-4 when batting first, and 4-3 when chasing.
Tillakaratne Dilshan is the leading run-scorer in Twenty20 internationals among batsmen from these two teams, with Sanath Jayasuriya in second place.

Quotes

"We have to try and put the Test series behind us. We have a lot of hard work to do all around to keep improving and we have a good opportunity in these two Twenty20 games. The motivation is always there, but we need to start from scratch."
Kumar Sangakkara wants his team to get over the 2-0 defeat in the Test series.

"Considering we are playing in India, it would be a bit different for the bowlers, as the batsmen would go after them from the very first ball. It looks to be a small game, just four overs, but the amount of effort that's needed, that's what it is all about."
Dhoni says his bowlers might have more trouble making the transition from Tests to Twenty20.

Ponting wary of dangerous Roach

2009-12-08T21:09:00.000-08:00

Any bowler who can regularly send down six consecutive 150kph rockets is a man to respect. Kemar Roach did exactly that at the Adelaide Oval, where his speed was as impressive as Sulieman Benn's bounce. Although he finished up with slightly disappointing match figures of 3 for 159, Roach gave the Australians plenty to think about as they battled out a draw.

Had he converted a couple of his tricky second-innings deliveries into wickets, Australia might not have escaped a defeat that ensured they will hold the Frank Worrell Trophy at the end of the series. As it stands, Australia head to Perth for the third Test with a 1-0 advantage but the captain Ricky Ponting said Roach would be a serious challenge on what is traditionally Australia's quickest surface.

"He'll be a handful in Perth," Ponting said. "As you can see, every spell he's bowled, almost every ball he's bowled, is hovering around 150kph. We knew that he was capable of that. He's hit his areas really well. He hasn't sprayed the ball around too much. He's bowling well for them at the moment."

Roach doesn't have the height of the great West Indies fast men of yesteryear like Curtly Ambrose and Joel Garner, but his skiddy action is still tough to face. Ponting had trouble against him in the first innings and was hurried up by a quick delivery that he tried to pull, but only managed to send a catch to Dwayne Bravo at midwicket.

"Someone who is pretty short at that pace can get the ball to skid onto you pretty quickly off the wicket with not much bounce," Ponting said. "We've played him pretty well here [in Adelaide]. The ball reverse-swung for them in both innings. He's a handful, there's no doubt about that. He's someone who could play a fair bit of Test cricket for them in the future."

The WACA might not be the fast-bowling paradise it once was, but Roach stands out as the most fearsome of the seamers in an attack otherwise made up of medium pacers like Bravo and Darren Sammy, and the medium-fast Ravi Rampaul. Roach is only 21 and is still learning his craft, but Ponting said the Australians would need to continue to show him plenty of respect.

"Anyone that's bowling that sort of pace will trouble any batter, especially later in the game when the bounce gets a bit variable," Ponting said. "That's when you're at your most vulnerable against guys who bowl at that sort of pace."

India's spell at the top not in their hands

2009-12-07T01:36:00.000-08:00

The lack of Tests in India's upcoming schedule could limit the duration of their No. 1 ranking

Ironically, India have risen to the top in a format some would accuse them of neglecting - and their low frequency of Tests could cause them to lose their crown sooner rather than later. They are only the third team, after Australia and South Africa, to reach the summit of the ICC's Test rankings since they were introduced in 2001 but their time there could be brief because of a schedule that contains only two Tests in the next 11 months.

Which means the duration of their reign will be determined by how their closest rivals, South Africa and Australia, fare in the next few months. "It is a bit of a concern, as we play only two Test matches in the next six months, so it will be tough for us to maintain the position," MS Dhoni said after India's victory in Mumbai. "I can't do anything about the schedule. It is good to play Test cricket, at the same time we are here to play whatever cricket we are asked to play."

Before their 2-0 victory, India were ranked third with 119 points after Sri Lanka and chart-toppers South Africa (122). The two consecutive innings victories in Kanpur and Mumbai earned India five points, taking them two clear of South Africa, while Sri Lanka slipped below Australia to fourth place.

During the period in which India have only two Tests - against Bangladesh - to maintain a hold on their No. 1 position, South Africa play at least four and Australia eight. A 2-0 win against Bangladesh isn't likely to give India too many ratings points either, so they could be overtaken depending on how South Africa do against England, and how Australia go against West Indies and Pakistan at home, and in the away series in New Zealand and against Pakistan in England.

What is certain is that India will end 2009 as the No. 1 Test side because even a 3-0 victory for Australia in the ongoing series against eighth-ranked West Indies will give them only one point, taking their tally to 117, and no improvement in position.

India's immediate threat is South Africa, but they will have to beat England by a 2-0 margin or better to reclaim the No. 1 spot. A 2-0 or 3-1 victory for South Africa will take them marginally ahead of India, 3-0 will given them 126 points, and 4-0 will extend their lead over India by three. However, if England win 1-0 or 2-1, South Africa's tally will reduce to 117, increasing India's lead by seven points.

If South Africa fail to recapture the top spot against England, India's reign will receive an extension because even if Australia blank Pakistan 3-0 at home, following a 3-0 win against West Indies, their ratings points will increase only by three to 119. They will then need to win in New Zealand and beat Pakistan in England - an away series for Australia - to move up the ladder.

Gayle century swings game West Indies' way

2009-12-07T01:34:00.000-08:00

West Indies 451 and 8 for 284 (Gayle 155*, Johnson 4-85) lead Australia 438 by 296 runs

Chris Gayle has more than his share of critics, often due to an impassive appearance that is sometimes taken for apathy, but he proved how much he cares about his team's results with a patient century in Adelaide. Gayle's first Test hundred against Australia gave West Indies a 296-run lead with a day to play and on a turning pitch Australia will have their work cut out against the spin and bounce of Sulieman Benn.

In the past century, no team has made more than 239 in the fourth innings to win an Adelaide Test and if Gayle doesn't declare overnight, Australia might need to beat the all-time record of 315. West Indies finished at 8 for 284 with Gayle, who batted throughout the day, on 155 and Ravi Rampaul yet to score after Benn skied a catch in the final over off Mitchell Johnson.

A draw remains the most likely result, especially with the possibility of some final-day showers, but Gayle at least significantly slashed the odds of West Indies going 2-0 down with one match to play. Following Australia's innings victory inside three days in Brisbane, Gayle and the team management kept their players in the dressing rooms for a long discussion, during which they resolved that the same result could not be allowed to happen again.

Dwayne Bravo, Brendan Nash, Benn and Kemar Roach have all stood up in Adelaide and on the fourth day it was the captain's turn to lead from the front. A late challenge from Johnson, who snared Bravo and Denesh Ramdin in one over on the way to 4 for 85, couldn't mask the fact that for most of the day Australia's bowling lacked bite. West Indies could have accelerated quicker in the final session to increase the pressure on the hosts but they remain in a strong position thanks to their captain.

It was an innings of uncharacteristic restraint from Gayle, who for most of the day resisted his urges to hit over the top, and instead scored most of his boundaries along the ground with well-timed straight drives or clips through the leg-side. Australia tried to tempt him early in the day with Marcus North and Nathan Hauritz bowling an outside off-stump line but he was happy to leave, and apart from trying to force a couple of shots into the turf and back past Hauritz, his patience held up.

His century came from 179 deliveries and it prompted a display of clear emotion from the usually poker-faced Gayle, who beamed towards the dressing rooms and swung his bat in joy, having never before passed 71 against Australia. Late in the day he began to suffer cramps but was still willing to sprint for singles and keep his team moving, and it wasn't until his 257th delivery that he registered a six, with a pull over midwicket off North.

Wickets gradually fell around him but nowhere near regularly enough for Australia's liking. They thought they had Gayle on 26 when they asked for a review of a leg-side take by Brad Haddin off Johnson but replays showed the ball had come off Gayle's leg. Australia had already burned a review on a caught-behind appeal against Adrian Barath and were left to rue their poor judgment when Nash later padded up to Doug Bollinger, who kicked the turf in disgust when Asad Rauf turned down a strong appeal. The action led to Bollinger being reported by the match referee Chris Broad.

It was that sort of day for Australia, frustration upon frustration, as they felt decisions went against them and their spinners failed to have the same impact Benn had enjoyed on the third day. There was turn and bounce for both slow men and one Hauritz delivery that ripped back viciously to Bravo suggested that Benn will be a handful on Tuesday.

Peter Siddle was clearly not at full fitness due to hamstring tightness and bowled only eight overs, while Bollinger, Johnson and Shane Watson battled hard with little success for most of the day. Watson delivered a searing, swinging yorker that clipped the leg stump of Nash (24), after Bollinger trapped Shivnarine Chanderpaul directly in front for 27.

Ramnaresh Sarwan fell for 7 when he sent a leg-side catch to Haddin off Johnson and Barath (17) was unfortunate to be run out at the non-striker's end when Gayle's straight drive was adjudged to have touched the bowler Hauritz before crashing into the stumps. It was the only thing Gayle did wrong all day.

Watling called to boost struggling New Zealand

2009-12-07T01:32:00.000-08:00

The in-form BJ Watling is in line for his Test debut after replacing Peter Fulton for the series-deciding third Test against Pakistan in Napier from Friday. New Zealand's selectors avoided wholesale changes after they were dismissed for 99 and 263 in the loss in Wellington on Sunday, with Watling the only new face in the 13-man outfit.

"I had a fair idea I was in the mix but you are always shocked and excited when you get the call-up," said Watling, who played two Twenty20 internationals in the UAE last month. He has performed well in the State Shield and scored 90 and 136 in the most recent rounds of the Plunket Shield. The selector Mark Greatbatch said Watling showed outstanding potential as a developing batsman.

"He's a quality young player with good technique," Greatbatch said. "With the series at one-all we need to regroup and we believe Watling can add strength at the top.

"There was a lot of discussion about the batting line-up, but this was not a time for wholesale change. We are aiming to give guys the opportunity to succeed."

Fulton managed 42 runs in the opening two games, which was only marginally worse than the return of Grant Elliott and slightly better than Tim McIntosh. Ross Taylor has been the key local batsman in the series, scoring 280 runs, including 97 in the second innings in Wellington.

Greatbatch added that New Zealand might make some changes to their batting order, pushing Flynn - who batted at No.3 in Wellington - down the order, and Guptill to No.3 from his opening slot.

New Zealand squad Tim McIntosh, Martin Guptill, Daniel Flynn, Ross Taylor, BJ Watling, Grant Elliott, Brendon McCullum (wk), Daniel Vettori (capt), Daryl Tuffey, Iain O'Brien, Chris Martin, Jeetan Patel, Tim Southee.

Series in sight for improving England

2009-12-04T01:44:00.000-08:00

Preparing for the puddles: Stuart Broad warms up on Durban beach © Getty Images

India lose wickets but lead crosses 200

2009-12-04T01:27:00.000-08:00

Tea India 629 for 7 (Sehwag 293, Dravid 74, Laxman 62, Tendulkar 53) lead Sri Lanka 393 by 236 runs

In the fourth over of the day, Muttiah Muralitharan got one to dip on Virender Sehwag. For a change Sehwag ended up playing in front of his body and scooped it back to Murali, who took it after a juggling act. Having added nine to his overnight 284, Sehwag - the fourth man to be dismissed in the 290s - was given a standing ovation and the cricket came out of a trance. The ball started turning again, the bowlers bowled to a plan again, the scoring settled to a more human rate, and India moved - albeit slowly - towards a big first-innings lead. Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman scored fifties, but they and Rahul Dravid would feel they missed out on centuries.

When Sehwag got out he had put India 63 ahead. Dravid, after surviving an edge that the umpire missed, followed him, edging Chanaka Welegedara to the keeper having added 12 to his overnight 62. In between those wickets, though, Tendulkar played his shots, vertical-sweeping Murali twice just to the left of the keeper and pulling and driving against the turn for two other boundaries. By the time Dravid got out, Tendulkar had reached 22 off 26 but he slowed down after that, knowing he needed to make sure India batted just once.

The slowing down was also because Rangana Herath and Murali found some rhythm. Murali even bowled a maiden - his first in 75 overs from the second innings in Ahmedabad. He kept VVS Laxman quiet by bowling from round the stumps, with a strong leg-side field, and India scored 49 runs in 18 overs between Dravid's dismissal and lunch. In the last over before lunch, there was reason to cheer for Sri Lanka: the innings run-rate came below five.

Post lunch Tendulkar crossed 50 for the 97th time in Tests. Laxman opened up after a dry spell, taking 12 runs off one Welegedara over that included the Laxman drive from outside off to wide of mid-on. In the next over, though, Nuwan Kulasekara breached Tendulkar's defence with an offcutter.

Laxman continued punishing Welegedara and went from 27 in 64 balls to 50 in 79. But soon, looking for a big shot off Murali, he was done in by a doosra.

The story of the first two sessions, though, was Herath. Easily the pick of Sri Lankan bowlers, he had the batsmen guessing, mixing his offbreaks and straighter ones to good effect. The carrom ball stayed in the batsmen's minds too, but it seemed everyone - the umpires, his own keeper, his slip fielders - had conspired against Herath.

First he failed to convince the umpire of that edge off Dravid. Then he managed a close lbw shout against Tendulkar when the batsman was 35. The umpire thought it would have missed leg, Hawkeye said it would have just hit. Then he had Yuvraj Singh groping as if blindfolded. When Yuvraj finally stepped out and missed another arm ball, Prasanna Jayawardene, arguably the best keeper to spin, couldn't collect it. That miss cost them only 15 as Yuvraj sliced the same bowler to three-quarters mid-off. But that wasn't the end of Herath's rotten luck: two balls later he got MS Dhoni to edge one and Mahela and Dilshan - at slip and second slip - saw it go through that little gap.

Herath's misfortune was bad enough; that he got the odd delivery to turn and bounce was worse for Sri Lanka, who were 236 in arrears at tea.

Asif and Kaneria make it Pakistan's day

2009-12-04T01:25:00.000-08:00

Pakistan 264 (Kamran Akmal 70, Vettori 4-58, Tuffey 4-64) and 64 for 2 lead New Zealand 99 (Asif 4-40, Kaneria 3-6) by 229 runs

It's a venue that Pakistan's bowlers have enjoyed more than those from any other side over the last two decades, and they celebrated the Basin Reserve's fiftieth Test in fitting style, destroying New Zealand's top order with another clinical performance that left them superbly placed to level the series. After extending their first innings to 264, thanks largely to Kamran Akmal's enterprising 70, the bowlers immediately got down to business, exploiting the conditions and the huge flaws in the techniques of the New Zealand batsmen, bundling them out for 99 and taking their overall lead to 229 by stumps.

Save for a brief four-over period when New Zealand took the last three Pakistan wickets and a spell just before close of play, the day belonged entirely to the visitors. Mohammad Aamer did his now customary trick of taking a wicket in his first over - is he the new first-over specialist after Daryl Tuffey? - and consistently bowled in the mid-140s, Mohammad Asif operated in his usual channel around off and seamed the ball both ways, Umar Gul was the perfect first-change bowler offering New Zealand no respite, while Danish Kaneria befuddled the lower order with his bag of tricks.

While the four-pronged bowling attack gave little away, New Zealand put in yet another shambolic batting display, as their poor defensive techniques and shot selection were ruthlessly exposed. None of their batsmen came to terms with the ball seaming around in both directions, and they made it worse for themselves with some poor strokeplay. None was more guilty than Brendon McCullum, who chased his first ball - a wide one - and edged to second slip when New Zealand had already lost five wickets with little on the board.

From the moment Aamer started his first over, it was clear New Zealand would have their hands full. His fourth ball to Guptill swung back and rapped him on the pads; the next one left him, clipped the edge, and New Zealand's opening pair had failed to last the first over for the third time in three innings.

That was one of two overs Pakistan bowled before lunch and the slide continued after the break. Asif flummoxed Tim McIntosh and forced an inside edge to short leg, and should have had Daniel Flynn in similar fashion had Salman Butt not dropped a regulation catch. Ross Taylor was the only batsman to play with confidence - he raced to 30 from 40 balls, showing decisive footwork and driving confidently through the off side off the fast bowlers. His judgement failed him, though, when Gul slipped in an indipper that took the off stump after Taylor left it alone.

Peter Fulton was a walking wicket once again, shuffling indecisively to a straight and full one on the stumps, but New Zealand really crumbled after tea, going from 85 for 4 to 99 all out in the space of six overs. It's a fate that has often befallen New Zealand sides of the past against Pakistan, and this time it was Asif who started the slide. Flynn's painstaking knock ended when he was trapped in front of off by one that straightened - the review failed to save him - and when McCullum fell next ball, Asif was on a hat-trick. Vettori averted it, but was, for once, unable to lead another rearguard effort as Kaneria snuffed out the tail in a trice. More than just the three wickets he got, what would have worried Vetorri was the amount of turn he extracted from the second-day pitch.

Apart from Taylor, the one batsman who was comfortable batting on the surface was Kamran Akmal, who showed plenty of skill and aggressive intent in his 70. His 64-run stand with Gul - the largest of the innings - kept New Zealand in the field much longer than they would have liked in the opening session. Both batsmen went after the bowling, with Kamran lacing drives confidently through the covers to bring up his second half-century of the series. When New Zealand did get Rudi Koertzen to raise the finger against Kamran, the lbw decision was overturned on review, with replays suggesting it would have gone over the top of the stumps.

Throughout the day, the bounce on the track kept the bowlers interested: the last 30 minutes was a huge test for Pakistan's batsmen, with O'Brien, who bowled an inspired spell, exceeding 140 kph, peppering the batsmen with plenty of short deliveries, and getting Butt with one such delivery that had him all tangled up and gloving to Taylor in the slips.

Imran Farhat was consumed by the pace and movement too but, despite that lion-hearted effort, the story of the day remained New Zealand's abject collapse. In their last two Tests at this ground, Pakistan have had one bowler winning them the match - it was Wasim Akram in 1994 and Shoaib Akhtar in 2003. The spoils were shared this time around, but the end result could be just as emphatic for Pakistan.

Bravo hundred cheers West Indies up

2009-12-04T01:08:00.000-08:00

West Indies 6 for 336 (Bravo 104, Chanderpaul 62) v Australia

Bravo third Test century ensured a healthy total for West Indies but their fighting efforts were overshadowed by a controversial umpiring review that ended Shivnarine Chanderpaul's push for a hundred. West Indies must win to keep the series alive and Bravo's 104 gave them hope, although on a good batting surface six opening-day wickets wasn't a bad result for Australia.

At stumps, West Indies had moved to 6 for 336, which augured well for a better contest than in Brisbane. Darren Sammy provided some late-afternoon highlights with a pair of sixes down the ground off Nathan Hauritz and he was 44 not out at the close, with Brendan Nash also on 44, having earlier retired hurt.

Bravo rode his luck to reach triple figures after being dropped three times but Chanderpaul's fortune ran out when he was on 62. Chanderpaul was given out caught-behind off Shane Watson and was the victim of a successful review for Australia after Mark Benson initially denied Australia's appeal.

Hot Spot did not carry the right angle to show an edge but a camera view from the long-on region seemed to show a slight deflection as the ball passed the bat. It was far from conclusive evidence and nor was the decision a blatant shocker - those are the calls the review system is designed to eradicate - but the third umpire Asad Rauf was convinced and sent Chanderpaul on his way.

Chanderpaul had earlier survived a similar review off Doug Bollinger on 38, when again the evidence was inconclusive despite the Australians being utterly convinced that he had edged the ball. The eventual dismissal was a major blow for West Indies and things went from bad to worse when in the same over Denesh Ramdin played on to give Watson his second wicket.

Watson was pleased to redeem himself after his comical mishap gave Bravo a reprieve on 59. Bravo hooked Peter Siddle and Watson tried to snare the catch at deep square leg but stumbled back and lobbed the ball up as he realised he would step over the boundary. He tried to reclaim the catch after jumping back into the field of play but stumbled and parried the ball over for six.

Bravo had already been dropped twice on 46, though both were tough chances - a caught-and-bowled that rocketed back to Siddle and an edge off Hauritz that ricocheted off Brad Haddin and was missed by Michael Clarke at slip. Bravo wasn't about to be discouraged from playing his shots and brought up both his half-century and his hundred with drives that sailed over the bowler's head and away to the boundary.

But Bravo was being far from irresponsible in his strokeplay; he was patient and waited for his opportunities, and a crunching, classic cover-driven boundary off Watson was especially attractive. It was his first Test century in four years, since he made 113 in Hobart in 2005-06, and though he eventually missed a straight ball from Hauritz and was bowled, it was just the sort of innings that West Indies needed to lift their spirits after their innings loss at the Gabba.

He had the perfect ally in Chanderpaul, who had looked out of sorts in Brisbane but here compiled his first half-century in his past eight Test innings. As expected, Chanderpaul scored the majority of his 54 runs behind the wicket but also drove well and enjoyed a lovely clip off his toes for four through midwicket off Mitchell Johnson.

The 116-run stand was comfortably West Indies' best partnership of the series, which made it all the more frustrating for them that it was ended in such debatable style. The pair had come together after Nash retired hurt on 20 during the lunch break, having been struck on the arm by his former flat-mate Johnson in the final over before the interval.

It left West Indies in a spot of bother after they lost three wickets in the opening session, including Ramnaresh Sarwan, whose return from a back injury ended on 28 when he drove Johnson on the up to Clarke at point. The early damage came from Bollinger, who had been waiting 11 months for his second Test and picked up two wickets in his first five overs.

Bollinger's first two went for 18 as Chris Gayle, who had chosen to bat, launched an early assault. The bowler's confidence improved when Adrian Barath (3) pushed a catch to gully and the major prize followed when Gayle tried to cut too close to his body and was surprised by extra bounce, which was unusual for an Adelaide pitch, and was caught behind for 26.

There was no doubt about that decision. If only the same could have been said later in the day.

We won't let Proteas turn tide - Prior

2009-12-03T01:12:00.000-08:00

Confident England are primed to withstand South Africa’s bid for a series-squaring fightback in the final one-day international in Durban.

England’s victory in Port Elizabeth last weekend means they are assured of a drawn series at worst after Friday’s day-nighter at Kingsmead.

But wicketkeeper Matt Prior today made it clear England’s intention is to attack, and prove they can win consecutive matches - something they have found difficult to achieve in the recent past.

“The way the team is building and moving forward is hugely positive,” said Prior. “We go into Friday full of confidence.

“It’s going to be a very, very exciting game. But we also know that the South Africans will come out fighting.

“They will be very, very determined, wanting to make sure we don’t win the series, so we have to be prepared for that.”

England have won seven out of their last eight completed ODIs against South Africa yet, against other opponents, have established a strange trend of failing to build on victories.

But Prior believes England's fresh approach under a new regime has given them their best chance yet of a concerted surge up the one-day international rankings.

The wicketkeeper-batsman, who made his debut five years ago under the captain-coach axis of Michael Vaughan and Duncan Fletcher, has 52 caps to his name.

But, in a developing team shorn, temporarily at least, of the talents of the injured Andrew Flintoff, Prior senses a telling new approach - with Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss at the helm.

Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss have fostered a "really enjoyable" atmosphere within the squad, according to Prior

He cites honesty as one of the keys, under team director Flower, to a side he hopes are capable of becoming the best in the world.

"Andy's done a fantastic job since the day he came in," said Prior. "The team is just going from strength to strength and it's a pleasure to be part of it. It's great fun, just really enjoyable."

The atmosphere on tour in South Africa appears to be a far cry from some of Prior's previous experiences.

"I've been on tours before where it's been hard work, you've really missed home and each day's dragged," he recalled. "That is really not the case here."

Prior senses a true team ethos is at the heart of England's positive vibes, and seems to be relishing the variety as well as industry in training drills, which this morning involved a fitness test session on the beach and regularly entails imaginative middle practice with built-in specific match scenarios.

"When it's enjoyable that's often when you play your best cricket," he suggested. "You've got a squad of guys all pulling together in the same direction and wanting to win this series - and passionate about that.

"It's absolutely fantastic. Everything's just gone up three or four levels, and I think that's showing in our performance on the pitch."

The moment he thinks a 'new' England was born was once the squad realised how much hard work was required.

Kevin Pietersen is put through his paces during the sort of training session which is keeping the players stimulated

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"What has happened is there has been a huge amount of honesty in this team, individuals, senior players and coach and captain themselves," Prior revealed.

"'This is where we are in world cricket; this is what our stats say, black and white, where we're at'.

"That was such a great starting point to actually say, ‘Crikey, we're not actually as good as we think we are - we have to improve’.

"When you get that stark realisation it makes everyone very, very hungry and determined we do improve - because we want to be part of the best team in the world."

As for his own place in that team, Prior is content batting at six, although he reckons his talents would be better suited at four or five.

He is conscious nonetheless that a batsman of his Test pedigree – he averages in the mid-40s - must have the capability to help win one-day matches.

"I've not had a great deal to do this series, with the bat," he pointed out. "There was an opportunity at Newlands which unfortunately I didn't take.

"I feel very comfortable with the role I have in the team with the bat - and I'm just waiting for an opportunity, hoping I can put in that match-winning performance.

"The role I have at six will give me opportunities to win games of cricket down the bottom order and take responsibility to get this team over the line.”

Under-fire West Indies hope for change of fortune

2009-12-03T01:08:00.000-08:00

Things couldn't have gone much worse for West Indies at the Gabba, where their innings loss within three days suggested a huge gap between the teams. To add to their problems, the strike bowler Jerome Taylor has been ruled out of the rest of the series with a back injury, leaving an already young and developing attack even greener. The only bright spot was the debut of the opener Adrian Barath, whose 104 in the second innings was a supremely positive sign for a team that otherwise was out of sorts. At 1-0 down, their chances of regaining the Sir Frank Worrell Trophy are very slim but at the very least the team must produce a more competitive effort in the second Test.

An Australian victory over the next five days will mean Ricky Ponting's men retain the trophy after winning it 2-0 in the Caribbean last year but as well as the result, there are several interesting sub-plots developing for the home side. Shane Watson's duck at the Gabba means if he fails again the pressure will build to drop him down the order. Michael Hussey's first Test half-century won't save him from questions over his future if he doesn't score decent runs in Adelaide. And in the absence of the Man of the Match from Brisbane, Ben Hilfenhaus, who is injured, the Australians will unleash a self-described "loud and obnoxious" Doug Bollinger for his second Test.

Another three-day result is extremely unlikely at Adelaide Oval, where runs in the middle flow as freely as the beer on the hill. The short boundaries square of the wicket give bowlers little room for error and the pitch doesn't tend to play serious tricks. Any sixes that land where the western grandstand used to be could result in a short delay - the stand has been largely demolished since last year's Test and is still a building site.

Form guide (last five Tests, most recent first)

Australia - WLWDL
West Indies - LLLLL

Watch out for

Brad Haddin stamped himself as a Test batsman at this venue last year when he brutalised New Zealand with 169. He looked in fine touch at the Gabba without going on to post a big score. He is the kind of player who can change a match a short space of time and West Indies' bowlers will need to be on target to keep him quiet.

Chris Gayle's supreme power square of the wicket makes him a dangerous proposition at Adelaide Oval. He will barely need to get hold of a pull or flick to see it sailing over the boundary. His record at the venue isn't great - his only two international innings there have brought him 11 runs in a pair of one-day internationals in 2004-05 - but Gayle will be extra keen to lead by example after his disappointing returns in Brisbane.

Team news

Hilfenhaus has been rested due to his ongoing knee problem and Bollinger will come into the XI. That is the only change to the successful side, with Victoria's Clint McKay preparing to carry the drinks.

Australia 1 Simon Katich, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Marcus North, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Doug Bollinger.

Ramnaresh Sarwan batted at training on Thursday and is likely to return to the side having missed the Gabba Test due to a back injury. Despite providing some much-needed fight in Brisbane, Travis Dowlin is likely to be the man to miss out. Their other task is to find a replacement for Taylor and the selectors were deciding between Darren Sammy and Gavin Tonge, with Sammy's batting ability perhaps giving him the edge.

West Indies (possible) 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Adrian Barath, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Brendan Nash, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Sulieman Benn, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Ravi Rampaul.

Pitch and conditions

The Adelaide Oval surface holds few demons and good batsmen can play through the line with confidence in the bounce, and pounce on shorter balls knowing the square boundaries are in their favour. There is more grass on the pitch than usual, which pleased Ponting when he inspected the ground on Thursday. "It is always a good sign in Adelaide," Ponting said. "It generally means that there'll be a bit more pace and movement and carry early on in the game, which is always good." The weather throughout the Test is expected to be fine and partly cloudy, with temperatures hovering in the mid 20s.

Stats and Trivia

Australia have lost one Test at Adelaide Oval in the past 14 years - against India in 2003-04
Despite the Gabba result, don't expect another three-day encounter - not since West Indies beat Australia in 1951 has an Adelaide Test failed to reach a fourth day
Michael Clarke will be especially looking forward to the Test - three of his past four Test innings at Adelaide Oval have been centuries
Adrian Barath's 104 on debut at the Gabba made him the youngest West Indian to score a Test century - he was almost exactly a year younger than the next on the list, the great George Headley

Quotes

"Everyone is going to be disappointed. We played terrible cricket. That's the scenario at this time. We're just trying not to listen to too much negativity."
Chris Gayle "One thing we didn't quite nail last week was the amount of guys that got off to starts and didn't go on and get the big hundred. We've spoken about that in our team meeting this morning and it's something that we want to improve on."

Vettori and Tuffey rattle Pakistan

2009-12-03T01:07:00.000-08:00

Stumps Pakistan 161 for 6 (Umar Akmal 46, Vettori 3-42, Tuffey 2-32) vs New Zealand

The weather took time to clear up and New Zealand took time to wake up, but by the end of a shortened, disrupted first day at what was the Basin Reserve's 50th Test, both had taken firm hold of this match.

Incessant rains over the last few days had forced both sides to practice indoors in the run-in and a wet outfield delayed the start until lunch. Overcast conditions, a pitch only just uncovered and some bounce quickly lulled Daniel Vettori into sending Pakistan in after winning the toss. And after an unusual first bout of Pakistan control, New Zealand struck back to leave Pakistan at 161 for 6, bad light stopping play early.

Pakistan made two changes to their batting order after the limpness of their first Test display, bringing in Salman Butt and Misbah-ul-Haq to solidify their spine. But the inherent timidity in their senior players - and the ineptitude of some - surfaced again, as they lost the opportunity of a rare opening platform. A familiar story of uncertain prods outside off, awkward encounters with short balls, airy swishes and brain-dead shots unfolded thereafter, 60 for none dwindling to an inadequate first day total.

On balance New Zealand deserved their reward, if only because they came back so well after Butt and Imran Farhat had made Vettori's decision to bowl first look misguided early. Whether Vettori himself would have expected to end up with three wickets on a pitch offering as much turn as an ice-rink might to an early 90s Anil Kumble is open to question, but the spark for the revival was provided by the pacemen.

Things had looked difficult more than halfway into the afternoon session. First up, everyone seemed to agree that there would be mischief in the air and pitch. There wasn't. Chris Martin and Daryl Tuffey - looking every inch a man returning to Tests after nearly five years - had been tight, nothing more. Nothing moved off the pitch and the bounce was true and good. Not that it made much of a difference to the openers, as roused as two turtles on Valium.

Carefully, reluctantly, they battled through, the odd boundary signaling growing comfort, but they never broke away decisively. A nervy equilibrium had been reached by the time they put on a second fifty stand in six Tests as a combination; they have a century partnership as well, which in Pakistan's context makes them Haynes-Greenidge-esque. It had taken time - the first hour produced 32 runs and the 50 came up just before the second drinks break in the 24th over - but the situation was quite dory, if not entirely hunky.

It was only after that break, however, that New Zealand finally got with it. Martin, Tuffey and Iain O'Brien may not match Shane Bond for impact, but they are persevering, under-rated men. Having bowled either the wrong line or length initially, they returned to more basic plans. Tuffey went short, and O'Brien reaped the benefit, Butt pulling loosely straight up to the skies. Fear - and Vettori - now took hold, as the captain lodged himself at one end, and let the pacemen relish the right lengths at the other.

In one over came two realisations; Farhat remembered first that he is not perhaps, after all, an international batsman of any quality, lazily cutting to slip. And then, that Vettori's arm ball is deadly, as he trapped Mohammad Yousuf. As is the way, the ball suddenly began to swing and cut a little, though perhaps that was because both O'Brien and Tuffey hit proper lengths.

In a move that confirmed many sad things about Pakistan, bluntest among them that none of their senior batsmen had the guts to front up at that spot, Umar Akmal was thrown in at one-down. Reports from New Zealand yesterday suggested that all senior batsmen had refused to move there, so Umar, presumably, was offered for sacrifice. He was a changed man and O'Brien was just about to have him for brunch, leaving him rooted with movement and surprising him too often with bounce, before tea rudely intervened.

Umar sped along after tea, like some crazy, brave firefly glowing madly but always in danger of going out. Just when he seemed to be settling, however, Tuffey undid him with a peach that hit off. As the bowlers continued to probe, fear was replaced by stupidity, as two men supposedly more experienced holed out to shots that should condemn at least one of them. Faisal Iqbal will wonder which God he ever upset if Pakistan continues to think Shoaib Malik worthy of more Test opportunities than him; Malik's slap to mid-off should, ideally, put an end to that farce.

Just before bad light intervened, there was enough time for Misbah to prove again that all the world's MBAs and domestic experience cannot take iron out his tendency to getting out at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way. Vettori would have been smiling anyway at the way the day turned, but Misbah's ugly sweep would have left him laughing.

Sehwag and Vijay start aggressively

2009-12-03T01:05:00.000-08:00

Lunch India 92 for 0 (Sehwag 53*, Vijay 38*) trail Sri Lanka 393 (Dilshan 109, Mathews 99, Paranavitana 53, Harbhajan 4-112) by 301 runs

India's opening combination had changed but the Kanpur story seemed to be repeating itself as M Vijay and Virender Sehwag launched into the Sri Lankan bowlers after India had taken 27 minutes to dismiss their batting on the second morning. Angelo Mathews raced from 86 to 98 in no time but, having endured anxious moments on that score, he ran himself out when coming back for the second run that would have got him a maiden hundred.

Vijay, playing his second Test, both because of Gautam Gambhir's unexpected absence, started positively, flicking Chanaka Welegedara over square leg in the first over. Vijay dominated the strike in the first three overs, and when Sehwag got a full over to face, he started with an on-drive off Nuwan Kulasekara, wide of mid-on.

Whatever little swing the new-ball bowlers got had disappeared by then, and Sehwag unleashed an array of cuts, cover-drives, on-drives and flicks. The only blip after that came when Welegedara got one to seam away from him in the ninth over. By then both openers had reached 20, and India 41. With Vijay batting sensibly, but not slowly, it hardly seemed Gambhir was missing.

Sehwag soon overtook Vijay and widened the gap between the scores. Rangana Herath, bowling before Muttiah Muralitharan, was not welcomed kindly. Sehwag lofted him for a six in the first over, chipped him over mid-off when he saw a long-on in place, and then Vijay cover-drove him for four in the next over.

Kulasekara came back for another spell but didn't have an impact. Herath, meanwhile, was hit for another six, and Sehwag reached his fifty off 54 balls. It was a sign of the times that when Murali came on to bowl, in the last over before lunch, he had a long-on in place. As if to reiterate his presence, Vijay drove the last ball before the interval, against the spin, for a four that took him to 38.

Anderson leads rout of South Africa

2009-11-30T00:54:00.000-08:00

England 121 for 3 (Trott 52*) beat South Africa 119 (Petersen 51, Anderson 5-23) by seven wickets

South Africa's batsmen veered from the sublime to the ridiculous in the space of three days, as England demonstrated the staggering extent of their inconsistency in one-day cricket by following one of their heaviest thumpings with arguably their most dominant display of the year.

Led by James Anderson, who overcame a knee complaint to produce the first five-wicket haul of his one-day career, England routed South Africa for 119, their lowest-ever total in a home ODI, before knocking off the required runs in 31.2 overs and for the loss of three wickets. In so doing, they claimed a 2-1 lead in the five-match series, and ensured at least a share of the spoils with the final match coming up in Durban next Friday.

Even by England's recent rollercoaster standards, this was quite a turnaround in fortunes. At Newlands on Friday, they had lost a vital toss in perfect batting conditions at Newlands, and looked on helplessly as South Africa rampaged to 354 for 6, the highest total in 43 matches between the countries.

At St George's Park this morning, however, their lack of balance in the absence of Jacques Kallis was ruthlessly exposed. Graeme Smith was very content to bat first after winning the toss once again, but Andrew Strauss admitted he had been tempted to bowl anyway, on a grassy pitch and under some appreciable cloud-cover. Sure enough, his seam bowlers, led by Anderson, made full use of the conditions.

As is so often the case, the early scalp of Smith was to prove critical to the momentum of both sides. After serving up a first-ball wide, Stuart Broad found a fuller length with his second legitimate delivery, and trapped Smith lbw for 2 as he fell across his stumps. Though Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers were subsequently served up a range of short balls to get their respective innings up and running, the need to pitch the ball up was soon drummed into the bowlers, with devastating effect.

Amla came into this game with a brace of half-centuries to his name, but he couldn't build on that record, as Anderson kept the ball right up to the bat, and Graeme Swann was perfectly positioned to intercept a wristy flick to short midwicket. Four overs later, JP Duminy gifted Anderson his second scalp, as he misjudged the pace of a slower-ball bouncer, and looped a gloved pull into the grateful hands of Matt Prior behind the stumps.

De Villiers, South Africa's form batsman following his scintillating 121 at Newlands, betrayed his team's uncertainty with a sketchy innings that might have ended on 9 from 19 balls when he drove loosely at Broad but bisected the two men lurking in the covers. Instead, he was nailed lbw in Tim Bresnan's first over of the match, a full-length delivery that Hawkeye suggested would have taken out leg stump.

Jonathan Trott's second half-century guided England home © Getty Images

Luke Wright, one of England's best bowlers of the series to date, loosened the shackles a fraction as Alviro Petersen and Mark Boucher clubbed him for two fours each in consecutive overs, en route to a 23-run stand for the fifth wicket that seemed to have steadied South Africa's jitters. But then, back came Anderson for another spell, and after a run of 15 consecutive dot-balls had been broken by a single to fine-leg, he struck with the fifth ball of his new spell, a beautiful full-length outswinger that took the edge of Boucher's off stump.

Ryan McLaren, struggling for form and smarting after a first-ball duck in the run-glut at Newlands, then deepened South Africa's gloom by taking on a hint of width from Anderson, and smearing a sharp chance straight to Paul Collingwood at backward point. Strauss, in the mood for wickets, sensibly allowed Anderson to complete his quota of overs, and he was rewarded with the scalp of Johan Botha, who flinched at a beautiful lifter outside off, and grazed an edge through to Prior.

Anderson's spell duly came to an end after 27 overs - 10-2-23-5 - and with South Africa reeling at 85 for 7, all that remained was the mopping-up of the tail. Petersen, who has cemented his place in South Africa's middle-order with scores of 64 and 51 not out in his previous two innings, demonstrated a cool head for a crisis with his third half-century in a row. But he couldn't bat at both ends at once, and Collingwood, whose bowling has been a revelation on this tour so far, duly claimed the 100th wicket of his career as Strauss pulled off a blinder at backward-point, before nailing Morne Morkel lbw from round the wicket four overs later - a marginal decision that Hawkeye nevertheless suggested was correct.

A mowed four through cow corner carried Petersen past fifty, but with just the dubious talents of Charl Langeveldt alongside him, he was obliged to chance his arm, and with one ball remaining of the 37th over, he advanced down the pitch to Broad and took on the long-on boundary. But Wright at mid-on timed his leap to perfection and plucked a stunning full-stretch chance with the fingertips of his right hand. It was an effort that summed up England's day.

The only way South Africa were going to get back into the contest was by claiming quick wickets, but Strauss and Jonathan Trott repelled them with a 74-run stand for the first wicket, with Trott in particular displaying some excellent timing as he anchored the chase with an unhurried half-century. England's response wasn't entirely plain-sailing, however, and in an interesting precursor to the Test series, Morkel troubled Strauss with some kicking bounce outside off from round the wicket. He could even have got his man for 12, but a huge appeal for caught-behind was turned down by umpire Jerling.

It was eventually left to the spinner Botha to make the breakthrough, as he cramped Strauss for room on the cut and pinned him lbw for 32, and Botha made it two in two overs when Kevin Pietersen ended a frantic mini-innings with a clip to midwicket, only moments after being badly dropped by Morkel at fine leg. Collingwood, for once, failed to make an impression as McLaren had him caught behind for 2, but Eoin Morgan joined Trott to guide England to the finish in an unbroken 38-run stand.

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'I'm not going anywhere' - Gayle

2009-11-30T00:51:00.000-08:00

will not quit as West Indies captain but acknowledges the three-day defeat in Brisbane was "downright embarrassing". Gayle, writing a column in the Courier Mail, said he knows some critics think he is not right for the job.

"I've got a message for those people - I'm not going anywhere," he said. "I have been chosen as captain and it's a job I will continue to do to the best of my ability. My heart is in it and I feel really strongly that I am the right man to lead the West Indies through this challenging period."

West Indies were beaten by an innings and 65 runs at the Gabba after being dismissed for 228 and 187 in the opening game of the three-match series. The second Test starts in Adelaide on Friday and the tourists will be without the fast bowler Jerome Taylor, who is due to be sent home with a back injury sustained on the opening day.

''Jerome Taylor is not available for the rest of the series," the manager Joel Garner told the Age. We have spoken about it, and the selectors will make a determination [about a replacement]."

The problem adds to the issues for West Indies that include coming together after a long players' strike, which led to a Test series loss to Bangladesh, and an apparent preference in some of the big names for lucrative limited-overs tournaments instead of Tests. Gayle said this year he wouldn't be so sad if the five-day format died.

However, Gayle insists he has the support of his struggling squad. "A lot has been happening over the past eight months but I am not into negativity," Gayle said. "Negative energy is the last thing we need right now because we are just starting to try to regroup as a team. With my captaincy coming under fire, the really heartening thing for me is to see how I have respect from each and every one of the players in our squad. It makes my job easier to know that each individual supports me and it helps me get the best out of the players."

Gayle said the side had to be honest about its failures at the Gabba. "To lose 15 wickets in a day on a beautiful batting track is simply not good enough and there are no excuses for that," he said. "We all know where we went wrong and after thinking about it for a while and coming up with some answers we have to try to get it out of our system as quickly as possible. We can't afford to be too hard on ourselves, the Test series is still up for grabs and we have to be strong and positive if we are a chance of beating Australia."

Murali may quit before 2011 World Cup

2009-11-30T00:50:00.000-08:00

the Sri Lankan spinner, has said he may quit international cricket before the 2011 World Cup in the subcontinent.

Murali, on his fourth tour to India, his final overseas tour, is struggling to come to terms with the placid Indian pitches and a strong batting line-up which has treated him harshly in the series so far. In the second Test, in Kanpur, he went for over 100 runs for the second time in two Tests in the series, and so far his five wickets have cost him 396 runs, at an average of 79.20.

"I am 37 years old and I can't bowl as much as those days because I get tired after 15-16 overs. But I will try and play a little bit of one-day cricket - that's only 10 overs to bowl. If I find everything is not going well I might retire from both forms of the game before the World Cup," Murali said. "Everything depends on how much my body can take. In Test cricket it's a little bit harder because I have always been a threat to other sides [but] at the moment it's not looking like that because others are playing me well. I think I made the right decision to retire from Test cricket at the end of the West Indies series next year.

"Two to three years ago it was not like this. Now you have niggles here and there and my groin is not the same as it used to be. We got the worst bowling conditions in the last two Tests. We didn't have the bowlers, that was one of the factors. But that's the way cricket goes, everything won't work in your favour."

Sri Lanka are struggling in the series because Murali has not been able to give them the breakthroughs he usually does. "I've played only eight Tests this year: two against Bangladesh, two against Pakistan, and two against New Zealand when I really did well bowling in the second innings of the second Test with a groin injury," he said. "Whenever the side wanted a breakthrough I got it for them in the New Zealand series. I don't know why it's not happening here.

"You have to give credit to India also for playing well. Whatever we were expecting didn't happen. Even the spinners didn't do well in any Test because everyone was not up to the mark and the wicket was not assisting them."

Sri Lanka are yet to win a Test in India, but Murali said that he won't be too disappointed if he had to return home without a Test victory in India. "Every cricketer has to go through disappointments. Everything you want to happen in life won't happen; something will be missing. Looking back I can say what an amazing career I have gone through but if we can't win in India that's it. Life has to go on."

Already the leading wicket-taker in Tests, he needs 12 more wickets in a possible three Tests to reach 800, but he said he was not targetting personal milestones. "I am not really focussing on finishing off my career taking 800 Test wickets. My focus is on winning matches. I don't believe in numbers. Eight hundred is just a number everyone will forget once you retire. It's a number to have in your mind. It is good if I get it but if I don't, still I will be happy and go out knowing I had a great career."

Sreesanth gives India total control

2009-11-26T21:45:00.000-08:00

Sri Lanka 229 (Mahela 47, Sangakkara 44, Sreesanth 5-75) and 57 for 4 (Samaraweera 1*, Mathews 2*) trail India 642 (Gambhir 167, Dravid 144, Sehwag 137, Herath 5-121) by 356 runs

Indian cricket's prodigal son Sreesanth returned to international cricket in style with a five-for, and six wickets overall, to leave Sri Lanka staring at defeat in the second Test in Kanpur. Sri Lanka, forced to follow on after tea, were tottering in the second innings still 356 runs adrift with six wickets standing.

Though India's spinners and Sri Lanka's batsmen - the senior-most duo contrived a run-out while following on - contributed to the collapse, most of the work was done by Sreesanth, playing his first international game in 19 months. For nine successive overs in the first session, and for seven on the trot in the second, he ran in hard, hit the deck and found life in a slow pitch. He led the way in the second innings too, removing Tillakaratne Dilshan with a leg cutter, before Sri Lanka started to disintegrate against spin.

Mahela Jayawardene and Prasanna Jayawardene offered some resistance with a 60-run partnership in the first innings but Sri Lanka threatened to implode without much fight in the second. Tharanga Paranavitana was trapped by an arm-ball from Virender Sehwag and Kumar Sangakkara chopped a topspinner from Harbhajan on to the stumps.

However, the decisive moment of the collapse, and something that exposed the visitors' mindset, was the run-out of Mahela, the first-innings top scorer. Sangakkara pushed the ball to the right of a straightish midwicket and called for a suicidal run but Mahela had no chance to beat the throw from Yuvraj Singh. Perhaps the fact that they had lost nine wickets in just over two sessions and yielded their biggest-ever lead to India had knocked the fight out of them.

Or perhaps it was just Sreesanth. Green Park was where he played his last Test 19 months ago before disappearing from the sports pages and becoming an occasional feature on Page 3. Today, he stormed back, lifting India with spells that read 9-2-28-3 in the first session and 7-2-18-2 in the second.

His bowling was sublime through the day but the high point of his redemptive journey was the delivery that gave him his fifth wicket, a peach that cut away from the middle stump line to take out the off stump of the clueless Rangana Herath. The celebration was muted: a folding of palms in prayer and gratitude, the right hand raised to accept the high-fives from his team-mates and the face slowly creasing into a smile. It wasn't dramatic, it wasn't the usual Sreesanth theatrics that make him perhaps the most complex cricketer in this side. Today, those signature self-exhortations at the top of the run-up were rarely seen, as was any special celebration after a wicket.

It was all about the bowling. If he troubled the batsmen with seam movement in the morning, he found some reverse swing post-lunch with the old ball and continued to harass the batsmen. He got the big breakthrough of the second session when he terminated the fighting partnership between the two Jayawardenes. Prasanna had taken an aggressive route, slog sweeping and driving the spinners and, though he faced Zaheer Khan, he didn't have to play Sreesanth till he reached 35. Sreesanth probed Prasanna with 11 testing deliveries that included leg cutters, inswingers and a lovely inswinging yorker but Prasanna stood firm. However, Prasanna chased the 12th, a short and wide one, and got a thin nick through to the keeper.

That was a recurring theme. Sreesanth would severely test the batsmen with a cluster of good deliveries and would invariably pick up a wicket with one slightly wide from the stumps. His pace wasn't frightening (135 kmph was the average), there were no fiery bouncers and he didn't swing it around corners, but what he did was land each ball on a probing line and length, and cut it either way just enough to test the batsmen. He had his share of luck too - two batsmen played on off the inside edge - and Sri Lanka's batsmen didn't tailor their techniques to the demands of the pitch.

Instead of playing as close to the body as possible on a pitch with variable bounce, the batsmen erred by playing away. Tharanga Paranavitana was set up by a bouncer that crashed into his shoulder before he pushed at one cutting away from him. Sangakkara, who faced 24 deliveries from Zaheer Khan today, fell in the first over he faced off Sreesanth. Sangakkara played out three straight deliveries but was lured into a cover drive by a full and wide one, and ended up dragging it on to his stumps. Thilan Samaraweera was the next to go, pushing hard and early at a length delivery cutting away from him.

Not everything went Sreesanth's way though. He produced an edge from his best delivery but it didn't get him a wicket. Jayawardene, on zero, pushed at one that cut away late and got an edge but neither MS Dhoni nor Sachin Tendulkar at first slip went for the catch. It was the wicketkeeper's catch. Jayawardene got another reprieve on 25 when he edged a late cut off Harbhajan to first slip where Rahul Dravid couldn't hold on to a sharp chance. The same thing happened in the second innings too but it didn't matter on either occasion as Mahela couldn't carry on for long.

It was not a completely solo show by Sreesanth, though, as the debutant Pragyan Ojha kept things tight, allowing Dhoni the luxury to attack from the other end. Ojha also got the big wicket of the first innings when he beat the top scorer Mahela in the flight and produced a mishit to mid-on. Ojha also hastened the end of the Sri Lankan innings post-tea by trapping Muttiah Muralitharan in front but Sreesanth was undoubtedly the star today.

Pakistan threaten to run through NZ

2009-11-26T21:43:00.000-08:00

Tea New Zealand 429 and 115 for 6 (Taylor 59, Asif 2-23, Aamer 2-24) lead Pakistan 332 (Umar 129, Kamran Akmal 82, Bond 5-107, Martin 3-63) by 212 runs

Rousing spells from Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif evoked New Zealand's famous second-innings collapses against Pakistan, and the visitors held the momentum going into the final four sessions of the Test. Aamer bowled two superb spells of swing bowling, the conventional variety leaving New Zealand at 0 for 2, and the reverse leaving the middle order befuddled even if it didn't get him a wicket. Asif took 2 for 2 in his spell before tea, which very nearly could have been three. When rain forced an early break New Zealand led by 212 with four wickets in hand.

Pakistan improved in previously slack areas: fielding and reviews. Khurram Manzoor hit the only stump he could see from square leg and ran out Ross Taylor, the only man who looked like he could score runs. Asif successfully challenged an lbw decision to dismiss Tim McIntosh, and nearly got another against Grant Elliott overturned in unique circumstances. New Zealand were 113 for 5 when a reversing delivery caught Elliott in front, but Asif couldn't get the decision from Billy Doctrove. The replays revealed a marginal no-ball, a minute part of his heel landing behind the line and then sliding onto it. If this was unique, Peter Fulton - low on form and confidence - did the bizarre. Suspecting an inside edge when given lbw off Umar Gul, he walked back unimpressed, holding his bat upside-down, but was only reminded of the existence of reviews by his team-mates when he was about to cross the rope.

Fulton was the fourth man out, with the score on 91, minutes after Taylor's attempt at arresting the all-too-familiar slide was ended in a misunderstanding. Yes, no, yes, no, and he was run out for 59 out of the 87 runs scored in the day. He was edgy, uncomfortable, and fortunate at times but still battled and scored quickly. Playing and missing against Aamer, getting hit twice on the body, edging to short of slip twice, Taylor even resorted to slogging Gul out of the ground. But just when he looked comfortable in the middle, having crossed 50 in just 69 balls, the run-out happened.

That doesn't take away, though, from the quality of bowling on display. Martin Guptill, on a warmer, stiller day, kept McIntosh - on a king pair - away from Aamer and took strike. But because it was warmer, Aamer got the ball to swing for the first time in the match. Four balls into the innings, New Zealand were 0 for 1 for the second time, the ball swinging in enough to take the inside edge onto the stumps. Daniel Flynn continued his horror Test - eight runs and a crucial dropped catch in the first innings - when he played across the line to a straight delivery, and was caught dead in front.

After the wickets of Taylor and Fulton, Aamer came back for a spell of reverse-swing that evoked Wasim Akram. From round the wicket he angled the ball into Elliott, and got it to move away repeatedly. Not just by fluke. McIntosh, who avoided the pair but didn't care much about scoring, survived twice shouldering arms to deliveries that jagged back in. After a spell of 4-2-2-0 from Aamer, Asif took over and did that extra bit to get the wickets.

The McIntosh one pitched just within the stumps and straightened a touch, and the confidence and awareness showed in the review. Moments after the other review fiasco, he ended Brendon McCullum's painstaking stay with a beauty, pitching one just short of a length, just outside off, and getting it to move away a touch. Rain, then, was a relief for New Zealand who had scored just eight runs in their last 13 overs. It was down to Daniel Vettori to dig New Zealand out of that hole. Again.

Gayle flies early in West Indies' reply

2009-11-26T21:41:00.000-08:00

Tea West Indies 0 for 41 trail Australia 8 for 480 dec (Katich 92, North 79, Hussey 66, Ponting 55, Hauritz 50*) by 439 runs

Chris Gayle showed some serious intent as West Indies raced to 0 for 41 at tea following Ricky Ponting's declaration at 8 for 480. The captain Gayle arrived in Brisbane the day before the game and quickly shook off any batting rust with four boundaries in his 27 during a six-over surge.

Ponting surprised with his closure 35 minutes before tea after Marcus North and Nathan Hauritz added to the clump of local half-centuries. But it was West Indies who sparked a sleepy day into action.

Gayle opened with three crunched fours forward of point off Ben Hilfenhaus, prompting Ponting to take out a slip and put a man on the boundary, and he backed up by flicking Peter Siddle to square leg in a style only seen here when men from the Caribbean tour. There was a moment of danger when Gayle appeared to hurt his leg taking a single but after a short delay he returned to his cameo.

The debutant Adrian Barath was almost run-out attempting his first run in Tests, but his third scoring shot, an off-driven boundary off Siddle, was more satisfying. In the same over Barath (11) was lucky to escape when Siddle over-stepped and the edge was taken by a flying Brad Haddin.

North was patient throughout his display and was annoyed when he lapsed against the tireless Dwayne Bravo, who led the attack in Jerome Taylor's absence and collected 3 for 118 off 32 overs. What West Indies didn't need after picking up Haddin and Mitchell Johnson in the first session was Hauritz to produce his maiden fifty, although it did show how good the pitch was.

While North was careful in his 79 off 157 balls, Hauritz was happy to play his shots and peaked with a couple of pulls in an over from Bravo. Hauritz, who was dropped on 5 at second slip, is appearing in his first game at the Gabba since he was a Queensland representative and will hope his 50 not out will boost his bowling on a ground that hasn't been friendly to his offspin.

Australia resumed on 5 for 322 and North was watchful as he succeeded in pushing his team towards a significant total. Happy to nudge, leave and defend, he perked up with a crunching straight drive off Kemar Roach for four in the same over he was struck on the arm by a nasty short ball. It was hard work for North, who added 27 in the first session and was hit again on the arm by Bravo after lunch. He swung his bat in frustration at being tricked into following a wider ball from Bravo and Denesh Ramdin took a smart catch lunging to his left.

Haddin, who re-started on 9, felt he had found his groove with a breath-taking straight six off Bravo that followed a cut four, but he gave Ravi Rampaul his first Test wicket on 38 with an edge to Ramdin. The dismissal ended an 84-run stand with North and gave West Indies hope of a quick finish to the innings.

Johnson (7) called for a review after Ian Gould gave him out caught behind to Sulieman Benn. It was clear Johnson had brushed his pad in the defensive push, but the replays were not conclusive about an edge, so under the new guidelines the original decision stood and he left with Australia 7 for 386.

West Indies were already starting from behind with Taylor unable to bowl due to a left hip problem. He suffered the injury on the opening day and joins Ramnaresh Sarwan on the squad's injury list.

Paul Collingwood inspires England win in South Africa

2009-11-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

Second one-day international, Centurion:
England 252-3 beat South Africa 250-9 by seven wickets

Paul Collingwood put in a brilliant all-round performance as England won the second one-day international against South Africa by seven wickets.

Collingwood hit an unbeaten 105, took a superb catch off AB de Villiers and had figures of 2-24 from six overs.

The 33-year-old found able support from Jonathan Trott, who hit 87 and bowled seven tight overs for 21 at Centurion.

Alviro Petersen and Hashim Amla hit half-centuries, but the hosts failed to end a miserable run against England.

England went into the match having won the last five completed meetings in this format, but with a much-changed line-up from the teams' last clash.

In September, England hit 323 to progress to the Champions Trophy semi-finals, but form and fitness meant only five of that team took to the field, Owais Shah not even in the touring party despite top scoring on the day with 98.

Collingwood, though, remained. He hit 82 in the Champions Trophy win, but eclipsed that by recording a fifth one-day international century in his record 171st appearance as England opened a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series following Friday's washout.

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Blessed with neither the physical attributes nor natural ability of players like Flintoff and Botham, Collingwood is still so much more than a throwback to the distant age of "bits-and-pieces" all-rounders

More importantly he combined with Trott to suggest that for all the changes, England might have stumbled towards more of a long-term winning formula. The pair shared 13 overs, taking 2-45 and then recorded a 162-run partnership in good time to take the game away from the hosts.

Not that England should get too carried away. This was still a hard-fought win, the style of match set in the early overs with both teams feeling the other out at the belated start of a long winter of one-day and Test cricket.

James Anderson and Tim Bresnan found a hint of early swing, but South Africa looked relatively untroubled until Bresnan angled the ball across Graeme Smith and the South African skipper edged behind to Matt Prior.

Having nabbed the key wicket of Smith, England soon sent AB de Villiers on his way, South Africa's number three brilliantly caught off Anderson by Collingwood diving to his left in the gully.

That though, was to be a rare highlight in terms of England's catching and although South Africa's total was at best a par score, it could have been lower still had England not wasted a succession of chances.

Andrew Strauss was the worst culprit, dropping three presentable chances close in on the off-side, the first, off the bowling of Sajid Mahmood, giving JP Duminy a life on 23.

Duminy took advantage of Adil Rashid's lack of form, switch hitting a four and then lifting a six through the leg side, but he perished the following over, edging an attempted cut to Prior to give Luke Wright a thoroughly-deserved reward for a tight spell.

Duminy's departure allowed Strauss to bring on Collingwood and Jonathan Trott as South Africa, wary of a lengthy tail and with relative international novice Alviro Petersen joining Amla at the crease, looked to consolidate.

But their plan was to be ruined by poor stroke selection as the batsmen seemingly engaged in a contest to see who could be first to hand their wicket to Collingwood.

In the space of four balls, Petersen survived an lbw shout to a ball destined for middle and leg, got a third life when Collingwood inexplicably dropped a simple return catch and then watched as Amla prodded straight to Strauss at mid off to depart for 57.

Petersen hit a straight six off Collingwood in an attempt to relieve some pressure, but the bowlers held sway with the Durham man going at four an over and Trott racing through seven overs for just 21 runs.

Ryan McLaren did little to justify his promotion up the order, wafting a wide Anderson ball behind to Prior and 10 runs later South Africa were in serious trouble as Albie Morkel attempted a launch into the leg side off Collingwood and was superbly taken by a sprinting Eoin Morgan to leave the score at 165-6.

Six wickets should have become seven, Strauss the culprit both times as Petersen survived on 39 and 47. The first chance off Trott was sharp, Strauss unable to hold on as he dived in the covers, but the second off the bowling of Collingwood should have been a regulation take.

To compound the error, the drop deprived Collingwood of a 100th one-day international wicket and delayed his confirmation as the first Englishman to reach the dual landmark of 100 wickets and 4,000 runs.

In-between his moments of luck, Petersen showed glimpses of class with a pull for four off Trott and leg-side flick off Andersen, but he finally departed on 64, Bresnan taking potential dropped catches out of the equation by sending down a delivery that clipped the top of off-stump as South Africa laboured towards respectability.

To defend their total, South Africa needed early wickets and Dale Steyn nearly delivered inside the first over, beating Trott's outside edge with a stunning delivery first ball.

At the other end, Strauss appeared untroubled, twice wandering down the pitch to dismissively drive Charl Langeveldt to the fence before he tried the trick once too often and sent a leading edge to de Villiers.

On England's last tour to South Africa, Kevin Pietersen announced himself on the world stage with three centuries in six innings, finishing with an average of 151.

On this occasion, short of cricket in the build-up, the South African-born batsmen arrived to a chorus of boos, played one glorious shot through midwicket and then played across the line and saw his leg stump uprooted by Morkel.

Having dominated the middle overs with the ball, Trott and Collingwood looked to do the same with the bat, though it was heavy going until Colllingwood drilled Steyn for two fours to take England past the 100 mark in the 23rd over.

Collingwood celebrates on reaching a superb century - his fifth ODI cricket

Trott brought up his first ODI half-century in only his second outing three overs later, but the attacking intent came from Collingwood, a free hit off Langeveldt hit for a straight six as he advanced towards his own half century.

The occasional rush of blood from Collingwood aside, England remained happy to milk the singles, forcing Smith to try the part-time spin of Duminy before calling on Steyn as soon as the new ball became available.

But, to use a sporting cliché, the faster it arrived the faster it disappeared, Collingwood disdainful in launching Steyn down the ground for four and then swatting through the legside to overtake his partner, the 150 partnership arriving in the following over.

Collingwood hit a second six off Roelof van der Merwe, but with South Africa looking resigned to defeat they finally broke the partnership, Amla diving forward to take Trott in the deep off Langeveldt.

However, any lingering hopes of a home win were eradicated when Morgan hit two fours on arriving at the crease and also survived being caught off a waist-high full toss, the delivery called a no ball after a referral to the third umpire.

The only question remaining being if, and when, Collingwood would reach three figures.

A scampered two took him to 98, a pull to 99 and, after Morgan dispatched McLaren for a six and four, he heaved through the onside to bring up his century off 108 balls before Morgan drilled the winning runs through the onside to finish on 22.

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Taylor and Guptill recover, build on

2009-11-23T20:41:00.000-08:00

Tea New Zealand 171 for 3 (Taylor 85*, Guptill 60, Aamer 2-45) v Pakistan

Ross Taylor and Martil Guptill dug deep into their reserves of patience and judgement, and a bit of luck, to thwart the menacing Pakistan seamers, but Guptill once again fell to the pull just when it seemed the batsmen could start dominating the ball. It was a pitch made to order for seam bowlers, and all three of Pakistan quicks made life miserable for batsmen in the first session, reducing New Zealand to 27 for 2 before the 117-run partnership.

Mohammad Aamer, who struck first ball of the match with a yorker, came back and broke the threatening partnership. He combined well with Mohammad Asif, playing his first Test in more than two years, and Umar Gul. They bowled near-perfect lengths in the first session, bowling just short of a length and outside off, and letting the seam do the rest.

Aamer must have grown up - not sure if it is the appropriate term for the 17-year-old - watching Pakistan bowlers demolish New Zealand in New Zealand with swinging yorkers, and he did the same. It swung late into Tim McIntosh who got hit on his boot. The ball then went onto the bat, and through to the stumps.

Guptill looked to counterattack and use the short straight boundaries. It worked, as Pakistan looked for swing early on and bowled too full. New Zealand raced to 22 in four overs, Guptill to 18 off 17. Driving down the ground, and guiding through third man were the preferred shots. All three Mohammads combined superbly then: Yousuf put in a fourth slip to block the third-man gap, and Asif and Aamer pulled back the lengths a touch, having realised there was no swing to be had. It worked immediately: Asif caught Daniel Flynn on the crease, and the inside edge made it 27 for 2.

Then followed a testing period during which both Taylor and Gaultill played out of their skins. Taylor kept getting beaten outside off with Asif getting it to seam either way. Thrice he took his eyes off Aamer's deliveries, and took body blows. When Umar Gul bowled seven consecutive maidens, he hardly scored; his score read 2 off 29 and 6 off 44 at two different stages of the innings.

Guptill too had to get used to not getting anything to drive, and with the third-man gap plugged, scoring became an afterthought. Gul drew Guptill forward on the defence, and then suddenly mixed in the shorter ones. One such short delivery that seamed away a touch got the edge, but Imran Farhat dropped it at first slip. Five runs later, it was Gul who was doing the dropping: at the fine-leg boundary, a top-edge off Aamer, and Guptill had survived twice on 26.

After those two lives, both Taylor and Guptill opened up, and simultaneously Pakistan relaxed a bit too. Taylor punched well of the back foot, and Guptill got the driving length too. Post lunch, Yousuf didn't get the seamers to work in tandem. Saeed Ajmal bowled 13 straight overs in the second session. Given that there wasn't much wind, the move seemed a bit inexplicable. While Ajmal went at around two an over, he did make the batsmen feel comfortable, when compared with the examination that the seamers had put them through.

Guptill reached his first Test half-century, and Taylor - despite that uncharacteristic start - overtook Guptill at the 50-mark. Unlike Guptill, Taylor managed to play forcing shots off the back foot too, and during one period of acceleration that included a slog-swept six, he went from 19 off 74 to 51 off 97. Things would have been rosier for New Zealand had Aamer not struck in the first over of his third spell. He first hit Taylor in the back of the head, and then got Guptill to top-edge another.

Mendis and Sreesanth in as India bat

2009-11-23T20:40:00.000-08:00

Toss India chose to bat v Sri Lanka

On a pitch that is likely to break up over the next couple of days, MS Dhoni won the toss and chose to bat in the second Test in Kanpur.

Though there was some grass cover on the pitch at Green Park, it was the obvious decision to make as the surface had a few cracks that the experts reckoned would widen and break up. The spinners are expected to come into play but the seamers too can be among the wickets on this surface with variable bounce.

India have made two changes: Sreesanth, whose last Test was here in 2008, replaced Ishant Sharma and Pragyan Ojha came in for Amit Mishra, who took just one wicket in the Ahmedabad Test. Sri Lanka have gone in for three spinners as they have brought in Ajantha Mendis for the injured Dammika Prasad.

India: 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 VVS Laxman, 7 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Pragyan Ojha, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Sreesanth.

Sri Lanka: 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Tharanga Paranavitana, 3 Mahela Jayawardene, 4 Kumar Sangakkara (capt), 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 8 Ajantha Mendis, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Chanaka Welegedara.

Mitchell Johnson reveals Ashes demons

2009-11-23T20:38:00.000-08:00

Mitchell Johnson has spoken for the first time of the personal turmoil that led to his stunning meltdown during the Lord's Test. In a frank and revealing interview, Johnson - the ICC's player of the year - conceded that a tabloid spat between his mother and fiancee played on his mind throughout the match, culminating in a performance so awry as to convince him he would be demoted for the ensuing encounter at Edgbaston.

Johnson's match return of 3 for 200 from 38.4 overs in the second Test played a significant role in Australia's eventual 115-run defeat to England. At the time, team-mates and staff sought to play down the link between Johnson's delicate family situation and his errant bowling, however he has moved to set the record straight on the eve of this week's Test against West Indies.

"I'm probably going back on myself a little bit," Johnson said. "I said in the past that I'd blocked things out. I guess it started off with the personal side of things. That probably really did get to me. I was denying it at the time, and copping it from the crowd didn't help, but mentally I've probably learned to be a lot stronger and just concentrate on what I'm doing out in the middle. This is what I have to do for a living and I have to leave everything behind me when I'm out there.

"I think that I block things out pretty well normally. It was just the Ashes: the whole hype of it and the personal things that came out. It was mostly through Lord's where I felt that pressure. Obviously I was a little bit disappointed in some of the games I played in. I'm not always going to be at my best. I think I probably put a bit too much pressure on myself with how well I did in in South Africa. Coming into that series I probably relaxed a little bit as well."

Johnson flirted with the selectorial axe after Australia's shock defeat at Lord's, their first at the venue in 75 years. Stuart Clark's precision appeared the ideal alternative to Johnson's waywardness, but Andrew Hilditch's panel pulled a major surprise by instead dropping Phillip Hughes and installing the relatively untried Shane Watson at the top of the order.

The move to call-in an allrounder provided Ricky Ponting with insurance in the event of another Johnson blow-out, and underlined the lengths Australia's selectors were prepared to go to accommodate their fragile fast bowler. That unexpected show of faith, Johnson said, went far to restoring his confidence for the final three Tests of the Ashes series and beyond.

"I definitely thought I wasn't going to play the Edgbaston Test," he said. "I was quite nervous about it. I'm glad I got that opportunity again. You just can't take anything for granted. I am glad I got that opportunity because who knows, I could have been back playing state cricket, which might not have been a bad thing. I could have been working on different things with my bowling. I'm glad I've been given that chance. I don't know what the selectors were thinking, I don't know what Ricky was thinking, if they were going to drop me or not. Just in my mind, I just thought that was going to happen.

"For those guys to have that confidence in me just gave me confidence as well. It made me think a lot more positively about what my role was in the team, so it definitely helped. I had a lot more confidence in Egbaston and then Headingley. I think sometimes I think a bit negatively with my bowling, and it can get me in a bit of trouble, obviously."



	I definitely thought I wasn't going to play the Edgbaston Test. I was quite nervous about it. I'm glad I got that opportunity again. You just can't take anything for granted. I am glad I got that opportunity because who knows, I could have been back playing state cricket, which might not have been a bad thing. An unexpected show of faith went far to restoring Johnson's confidence

Johnson also admitted to mechanical problems during the Ashes series - low arm height and awkward wrist position among them - but insisted all could be attributed to a clouded state of mind. "It got technical because I was thinking about it, but in the end it was more of a mental thing," he said. "I had to concentrate on my bowling - where I wanted to bowl the ball and what I wanted to do, how I wanted to get these guys out. I just wasn't doing that. Definitely in the Lord's Test I was thinking about everything possible - I was thinking about my front arm, release point, swinging the ball, just everything. I probably concentrated more towards the end of the tour. I just forgot about off-field stuff."

The Australians are gearing for their first Test series since their Ashes disappointment, and Johnson is expected to headline an attack similar, if not identical, to that which slumped to defeat at Lord's. He is convinced the chastening experiences of four months ago have hardened the resolve of Australia's youthful bowling unit, all of whom are determined to re-establish themselves as an international force against West Indies from Thursday.

The first Test at the Gabba represents an unusual homecoming for Johnson - he originally hails from Queensland, but these days makes his home in Perth. He hopes his previous experiences of the Gabba wicket for Queensland and Australia will convince Ponting to restore him to the new ball role taken away from him in England earlier this year.

"I'm playing for my country, I'm a fast bowler and I'd love the new ball," said Johnson, who has taken 13 wickets at 12.69 in two Tests at the Gabba, including a nine-wicket haul against New Zealand last summer. "That's one of my goals: to open the bowling for Australia.

"Hopefully I can bowl a little bit fuller than I probably have in the past if I get the new ball or whatever it may be. You've got to be a touch fuller, just like the WACA. That's when you get your nicks and your lbws."

South Africa fretting over bowlers, says Donald

2009-11-16T22:37:00.000-08:00

The West Indians will be able to forget their off-field worries when they open their tour with a four-day match against Queensland on Wednesday. The side has not played since the end of their costly player strike and has since been written off by the former coach John Dyson ahead of the three-Test series starting in Brisbane next week.

One of the new faces expected to be on show at Allan Border Field is Adrian Barath, an uncapped 19-year-old opener who stands at 5ft 4in. Barath is likely to open with Chris Gayle in what is effectively a trial for the opening Test at the Gabba on November 26.

Barath is from Trindad and Tobago and was part of that team's strong showing in the Champions League Twenty20, but he will have to lift his standards to cope against the Australians. In 22 first-class matches he averages 46.05 and has scored five centuries, including one for West Indies A against England in January.

"I'm confident, I have worked hard and I'm prepared," he said. "I performed well in the Champions League in India for Trinidad and Tobago and I'm looking to continue. All I want is the opportunity to get out there and show what I am made of.

"I am a player who can adapt to foreign conditions. I will play it as I see it." David Williams, the coach, wants to pick a full-strength line-up to allow his main men to settle ahead of the first Test.

West Indies squad Chris Gayle (capt), Adrian Barath, Sulieman Benn, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Travis Dowlin, Brendan Nash, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor, Gavin Tonge.

Queensland Ryan Broad, Nick Kruger, Lee Carseldine, Wade Townsend, Chris Simpson (capt), Nathan Reardon, Chris Hartley (wk), Daniel Doran, Alister McDermott, Nathan Rimmington, Luke Feldman, Scott

Doubts creep in for aching Lee

2009-11-16T22:30:00.000-08:00

Lee's latest setbacks

2006-07
Tears ankle ligaments in New Zealand, misses 2007 World Cup
2008-09
Suffers giardia during India tour
Broken foot leads to more surgery
2009
Side strain rules him out of first three Tests of Ashes tour and not picked for final two
2009-10
Elbow problem sends him home from India one-day series and recurs in Sydney on Sunday

Self-belief has been one of Brett Lee's best assets along with extreme speed. Throughout his Test career, which began with a wicket in his first over, Lee has known what was going to happen next, whether it be achieving a milestone or pin-pointing a date for his return from a well-managed injury. This time, coming to the end of an awful year, he is unsure what his body will allow him to do next.

The bone spur problem in his right elbow means he will probably face surgery and be out for up to three months, ending his chances of appearing in a Test this summer. Previously he would have accepted the setback with a grimace and headed for the surgeon, physio and fitness trainer to plot a way back.

Following his recovery from foot surgery at the start of the year came a side strain that kept him out of the Ashes in the middle of it, and with this latest problem he is starting to doubt whether he will play a 77th Test or take a 311st wicket. His last appearance was at the MCG last December when he limped off to the surgeon.

"At this point in time I do not need to make a call," he said at the SCG. "I still want to play for Australia but that all depends on how the operation takes place and then how the fitness is and how much I want it." He finds the prospect of not playing Test cricket "scary and challenging", but as he accepts this injury his mind switches from being desperate to play on to thinking about signing off.

Desire has never been a problem before, not when he thought his career was over after breaking the same elbow in 2001, or when he was sitting behind Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and Stuart Clark in the pecking order during the fourth Ashes Test in Leeds. He was fit, ready and shattered when the team was named, but he still wanted to field under a baggy green. Now he craves - and needs - a break.

"I have had setbacks before and I can't see why I cannot come back from this, but I also, to be honest, need to get away from the game for a little while to work out what my future holds," he said. "I want to have this forced rest and if surgery needs to happen that means anything from six to 12 to 14 weeks away from the game, which would be the perfect opportunity for me to get away from everything and work out what I want from cricket."

He sounded like Shaun Tait when he stepped off the international circuit due to mental and physical exhaustion caused by the depression of so many comebacks. It won't just be care for Lee's 33-year-old body that will be needed over the next couple of months.

Another issue pecking at him has been being away from his young son Preston for the long periods demanded of a player wanting to appear in all forms of the game. Since the start of last year's India tour Lee has been troubled by personal problems as well as fitness ones.

"The hardest things for me over the past 12 months were getting injured during the Ashes but, most importantly, being six months away from my little boy, that has been really tough," he said. "They are all things I need to weigh up." Don't expect him to be flying out of Sydney any time soon.

While any comeback will be subject to a number of fitness and family conditions, one thing is not negotiable. "If I can't bowl fast then I won't bowl," he said. His job has led his body to this rickety condition but he has always refused to follow the method of Dennis Lillee, who extended his career by slowing down and focussing on swing and seam.

For Lee it has always been about speed. "When you try to bowl 155kph for over 16 or 17 years, there is a lot of wear and tear on the body," he said. "I will try to get the elbow right.

"If I don't play another game for Australia or play another game of cricket again then yes, I am very pleased with what I have achieved. It's more than I would ever had expected at the age of 10. But I still think there is a lot of cricket left in me yet, which is why I am not making any call on my future."

First session goes to Sri Lanka again

2009-11-16T22:24:00.000-08:00

Lunch Sri Lanka 37 for 0 (Dilshan 18*, Paranavitana 18*) trail India 426 (Dravid 177, Welegedara 4-87) by 389 runs

Like on the first day, Sri Lanka won the first session by a fair distance, getting Rahul Dravid for no addition to his overnight 177, taking four wickets for 41, and then batting out a testing 35 minutes before lunch circumspectly but without loss.

Chanaka Welegedara got the big wicket of Dravid early, and while the Indian tail threatened to run amok for a brief while, smart tactics and bowling from Sri Lanka will please them for having taken the last four wickets for 41 runs. India did close to the best comeback from a similar score: in 1998-99 West Indies went from 34 for 4 to score 431 against Australia in Jamaica.

The way Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan started against the pace of Welegedara and Dammika Prasad, driving, cutting, and upper-cutting with ease, it seemed they would get much more. Despite Dravid's played-on dismissal - fifth man out of seven to get out either lbw or bowled - the runs started coming at the same pace as yesterday.

Harbhajan hit both the pace bowlers for boundaries through covers before Zaheer upper-cut back-to-back deliveries from Prasad for fours. Twenty-one runs came in the first six overs, despite a maiden bowled to Dravid, and Kumar Sangakkara immediately went in for an in-and-out field, drying out easy boundaries, making the tailenders play normal cricketing shots.

Introduction of spin at both ends further stifled them, as even good shots would get them just ones. An arm ball from Rangana Herath, more a finger ball actually, breaking in sharply after pitching, got Zaheer although it did seem too close to missing the leg stump to be given. That capped off a quiet spell of 5.2 overs for eight runs, the quietest of the match.

Harbhajan looked stifled and started getting adventurous, his second attempt at a reverse-sweep off Muttiah Muralitharan making him the seventh man to get either bowled or lbw. Harbhajan scored 22, Zaheer 12. In the same over, Murali beat Ishant Sharma with a doosra and Prasanna Jayawardene ended the innings with a quick stumping.

Indian new-ball bowlers didn't get the kind of swing that Welegedara got, but they came out with a plan. Tillakaratne Dilshan's favourite scoring options were blocked, and Zaheer welcomed him with three consecutive bouncers first up, with deep point, deep fine leg and deep backward square leg all in place. Dilshan showed he had other aspects to his game too, cutting out aggressive shots and taking singles after hitting straight to Ishant Sharma at mid-on. Dilshan's partner, Tharanga Paranavitana, had a more uncertain start, slashing outside off when not given scoring opportunities.

Two of those slashes carried over the infield, and then when Harbhajan was introduced just before lunch, he square-cut confidently. Dilshan stepped out to Harbhajan immediately, looking to unsettle him. In the last over before lunch, Dilshan opened up, crashing Zaheer for two boundaries through cover, emphasising as to who was in control on the second morning.

Pietersen raring to go

2009-11-11T23:33:00.001-08:00

Kevin Pietersen spoke to ECBtv after arriving in South Africa

Kevin Pietersen has arrived in South Africa feeling physically and mentally refreshed, but England's star batsman will not be rushed back into action as he takes his final steps towards full fitness.

The 29-year-old has spent a large part of the last three months recuperating from surgery to his right Achilles tendon – an injury that forced him to miss the last three Tests of this summer's npower Ashes series.

But today Pietersen, who sported customised trainers made specially to protect the injury, looked more than comfortable during an hour-long net session at the Wanderers.

The Hampshire batsman faced several net bowlers as well as ECB spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed, and also ran between the wickets, while there was even time to rehearse his now prominent switch-hit.

It was his first outdoor net session since July and after arriving for the two-and-a-half-month tour yesterday, he says he is raring to go.

Kevin Pietersen admitted to feeling "really good and excited" at the Wanderers, in his first England net session since July

Pietersen will not feature in two Twenty20 international matches against South Africa this weekend, but has set his sights on a return to action in the 50-over warm-up match with South Africa A on Tuesday ahead of the one-day international series.

“I’m excited to see the guys again today, to go down to the Wanderers and have my first outdoor net since July – I feel really good and really excited,” he said.

“The fitness is not too bad. I’ve done some rigorous training over the last six weeks, I’ve done a lot of work at Lord’s in the last week before I flew out yesterday and I’m feeling good, I’m feeling fresh mentally.

“I had a bad day on my Achilles yesterday, but I think that was just purely down to the flight. I’ve woken up feeling really good today.

“I’m certainly not going to rush things, I tried that a while back. I got an infection in the wound.

“I enjoyed the break to refresh my batteries, to get myself right and ready to know that I can compete again and want to compete again.

“But I hated getting injured because I wanted to continue playing to be a part of what was a successful summer. So that was where I was at, but now to be back in an England tracksuit is great.”

First Pietersen had to endure the Achilles problem that forced him to miss out on over half Ashes, before an infection caused further complications and saw him forego the ICC Champions Trophy.

“I’ve just treated this break as something to get my head right, to get myself back in love with the game, ready, fit and raring to go again. I feel good now.”

“I hated missing fixtures for England, I really wanted to be part of a successful Ashes campaign. I wanted to be part of the one-dayers and try to affect that in a hopefully positive manner against Australia.

“I thought that guys were brilliant here in South Africa (during the Champions Trophy), so I missed out on a lot of cricket that I would have been playing."

Pietersen hopes for time in the middle against South Africa A on Tuesday, which would be his first since the Lord's Ashes Test

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England impressed in their first two 50-over practice matches, but completed their warm-up programme with a disappointing four-wicket loss to South Africa A in a Twenty20 match last night.

The tourists play the first of two Twenty20 internationals against the Proteas on Friday, followed by a five-match one-day series and four Tests.

Pietersen is hoping England can continue with the momentum of the Ashes, unlike their post-2005 lull, which saw them lose in Pakistan.

He added: “I think the team looks like they’re really on fire to do some good things out here in South Africa and to be really competitive.

“I’m very encouraged to hear all the positive things that have been said to me by the players over what’s happened in the past couple of weeks.

“I just don’t want us to make the same mistake we made in 2005 where we sort of went on a downhill slope after what was a fantastic summer.

“I think we’re all encouraged and all really keen to make sure that this is a really successful campaign post such a successful Ashes as well.”

SCG in fight to retain Ashes Test

2009-11-11T23:31:00.000-08:00

The famous Sydney Cricket Ground could lose its Ashes Test in 2011 as doubts resurface about venues in the city.

Test cricket has been played at the SCG since 1882 but the ground's capacity is 44,000, compared to the 80,000-seat ANZ Stadium, home to the 2000 Olympics.

Cricket NSW considered switching to the bigger venue in 2004 before settling on a new deal with the SCG, but that ends in September and new talks are planned.

"It's about finding the best deal going forward," NSW boss Dave Gilbert said.

"I know Test cricket will be a difficult one to do at this stage - and you have to weigh up tradition and history and the drama at the SCG - but when I was a kid growing up at the SCG, rugby league Test matches and union Test matches were only ever at the SCG, but not anymore.

"If you're a 15-year-old kid, you've only ever known big sport events to be played at ANZ Stadium - that's not meant to be an inflammatory comment, it's a fact.

"ANZ is focused on getting a major cricket match to its venue. If you take the heat and emotion out of it, as CEO of Cricket NSW, I have to do what is best for cricket to generate revenue to keep this game going, and this is what this process is about."

The Olympic stadium is situated in Homebush Bay in the western suburbs of Sydney, with the SCG more centrally located, some two miles from the Central Business District.

606: DEBATE

Should historic venues have precedence?

NSW have played Twenty20 matches at the Olympic stadium for the last two years, but Australia batsman Simon Katich was unsure about the possibility of an Ashes Test being held there.

"It would be a surprise if there wasn't an Ashes Test at the SCG but who knows?" he said. "The game's changing all the time, so you never know which direction it could head."

However, the SCG Trust, which looks after the ground and also the adjacent Sydney Football Stadium, remains confident of keeping major internationals at the historic ground.

"There has been no discussion with Cricket NSW at this stage so we're not sure what they're bringing to the table, but we look forward to all international cricket remaining at the SCG," spokesman Greg Campbell said.

Younis quits, says he's lost command

2009-11-11T23:28:00.000-08:00

has given up the captaincy of Pakistan once again, and taken a temporary break from the game altogether, after failing to overcome a long-running rift with a group of players. Effectively, after Younis informed the Pakistan board chairman Ijaz Butt of his decision, it signaled a victory for player power over an unpopular captain.

"I met the chairman today and told him I needed to rest," Younis told Cricinfo. "I told him I feel as If I have no command over this team. And if a leadership has no command over its players, what is the point of continuing to lead? I also told him that the last 3-4 months have been very trying times for me, not just with the cricket but all that has happened outside it. I need time to get myself together now."

At least eight or nine players in the current squad have been unhappy with Younis as captain for a while and had made their concerns clear to Butt immediately after the Champions Trophy. The loss to New Zealand in the three-match ODI series, in which Younis failed with the bat, cranked up the pressure, with a number of voices in Pakistan calling for his ouster. Today Younis decided that he had lost "command" over the team and carrying on was not an option.

The PCB immediately named Mohammad Yousuf, senior batsman and one-time stand-in captain, as the man to lead the side in a three-Test series in New Zealand beginning later this month. Kamran Akmal, the wicketkeeper, will be his deputy.

The PCB's no-frills press release stated simply that Younis had asked for a rest and Butt is reported to have said that they did not object to the decision. "We did appoint Younis captain until the 2011 World Cup, subject to his performance and fitness, but we have no objection to him asking for a rest, and I don't think it's turmoil in Pakistan cricket," he said.

Revolt within the ranks

Pakistan's history is no stranger to such player revolts. In 1981-82, almost the entire XI decided they were not going to play under Javed Miandad's captaincy. A second XI was picked, Miandad stayed on but soon stepped down of his own accord, paving the way for the start of Imran Khan's captaincy.
In 1992-93, Miandad was again sidelined by his own players during the ODI series in Australia, which led to Wasim Akram taking over. And not long after, Akram was pulled down by a group of players led by his own vice-captain and fellow fast bowler Waqar Younis.

Younis' tenure, which began earlier this year, has been crippled by a lack of support from his players. Ostensibly his resignation last month, after the Champions Trophy, was over the match-fixing allegations leveled against his side, but as the affair progressed it became increasingly clear that Younis was trying to outmanoeuvre a group of players who were not with him. It worked briefly, as the board made him captain till the 2011 World Cup, with enhanced powers over selection, but the players' support has clearly not been forthcoming.

Younis refused to go into further detail over which players had revolted but it is believed the group is led by Shoaib Malik and includes other seniors such as Shahid Afridi and Kamran Akmal. Sources close to Younis say that he was particularly disappointed in the manner in which some players were dismissed in the last ODI against New Zealand.

Though Pakistan ultimately lost by seven runs, their batting had collapsed to 101 for 9 - effectively losing those nine wickets for 54 runs - until a miraculous last-wicket stand took them nearly all the way. But the way established batsmen were dismissed - in a rash of pull shots - on a placid pitch has led Younis to conclude that it was done to undermine him.

"He was really unhappy with the shots some of the batsmen played and he feels as if they did it deliberately to undermine him," one source told Cricinfo. "He just feels as if he is knocking his head against a brick wall, telling batsmen, senior guys, how to play and them just not listening. He is tired of the constant fighting within the team, especially when it is not clear what they are all fighting or upset about. Nobody has gone to him directly to say anything and that has upset him the most. It isn't so much the pressure of his own failures that has brought him down as this."

Younis's immediate future is unclear. It is believed that he wants to continue playing international cricket and will return to Pakistan and play some domestic cricket to set himself up for the Australia tour, beginning at the end of December. A return to captaincy seems highly improbable; neither is the PCB likely to offer it to him, having been burnt so many times, nor is he likely to take it up, given his experience this time round.

As a result, Yousuf's elevation marks a remarkable comeback for the batsman, who only recently was in exile from the national team for his involvement with the ICL. He has led Pakistan in the past, twice in Tests in Australia - both lost - and once at home against South Africa in 2003-04, which Pakistan won. Incidentally, he was also a replacement captain for Younis once before, for all of a day, when Younis walked away from the post ahead of the 2006 Champions Trophy, only to be convinced to come back.

The buzz in Pakistan suggests that former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has also played a hand; in recent days, Inzamam has been publicly vocal about the need to dispose of Younis, openly pushing the candidacy of Shahid Afridi as ODI captain. According to some reports, Yousuf contacted Inzamam - the pair are very close - before accepting the job. Some are even touting Inzamam as the next coach for Pakistan.

Pakistan look to make amends for ODI debacle

2009-11-11T23:27:00.000-08:00

After a riveting end to the ODI series, which New Zealand won 2-1, the focus turns to the Twenty20s, which Pakistan will feel they are better placed to trump. Pakistan conceded the ODI series in typically erratic fashion, making a meal of a chase of 212 before a phenomenal fightback staged by Mohammad Aamer and Saeed Ajmal ensured the game was settled in the final over. They will be disappointed by a fifth consecutive ODI series defeat, especially one they were well poised to win, but the Twenty20 games in Dubai present an opportunity to redress that.

Pakistan have a far superior record in Twenty20s this year - they won the World Twenty20 and overall have seven wins in nine games. New Zealand are no slouches themselves - they beat Sri Lanka 2-0 in what was their only highlight of a disappointing tour in September- but their success in Abu Dhabi couldn't hide their struggle against spin. Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi, with their wily variations, nibbled away at New Zealand while proving economical. With the pair, and possibly Shoaib Malik, likely to gobble a major share of the 20 overs, the New Zealand batsmen, who gave up 12 wickets at 22.42, face a serious challenge.

Pakistan face their own demons with the bat; the terrible shot selection that brought their downfall in the ODI decider prompted Afridi to liken his batsmen to "club cricketers", and the comparison will only be reinforced in the event of a repeat.

Form Guide

(most recent first)

New Zealand - WLLWW

Pakistan - WWWWW

Watch out for

Ross Taylor has proved destructive in the death overs in this format. His exploits in the IPL and the Champions League Twenty20 are well known but his performances on the international circuit - he averages 23.68 in Twenty20 internationals against 34.31 overall - have been less successful. He'll want to change that.

Mohammad Aamer staged one of the great comebacks in limited-overs cricket with his unbeaten 73. His ability to clear the ropes matched with a sound technique represented a talent more deserving that a No.10 position in the batting order.

Team news

Imran Nazir, Fawad Alam and Sohail Tanvir have joined the squad for the Twenty20 series. Mohammad Yousuf, who stands in for Younis Khan as captain for the Test series, sits out along with Salman Butt and Wahab Riaz.

Pakistan (possible): 1 Kamran Akmal (wk), 2 Imran Nazir, 3 Shoaib Malik, 4 Shahid Afridi (capt), 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Fawad Alam, 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Mohammad Aamer, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Iftikhar Anjum/Sohail Tanvir, 11 Saeed Ajmal.

New Zealand will be without Kyle Mills and James Franklin, nursing shoulder and back injuries respectively. Jacob Oram is also unavailable - he's flown back home to attend the birth of his child. With only 12 players to choose from, they are likely to draft in Ian Butler and Nathan McCullum.

New Zealand (possible): 1 Brendon McCullum (wk), 2 Aaron Redmond, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Daniel Vettori (capt), 7 Neil Broom/BJ Watling, 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Ian Butler, 10 Shane Bond, 11 Tim Southee.

Quotes

"We didn't play well in the one-day series but it's gone, it's history, it's a new day now and tomorrow (Thursday) will be a new day too."
Shahid Afridi has moved on from the ODI debacle

"Pakistan have proved they're a great Twenty20 outfit - they're the world champions - and they've got the wood over us in the last few outings."

Vijay and Karthik lead strong Tamil Nadu reply

2009-11-11T23:19:00.000-08:00

Tamil Nadu 198 for 2 (Vijay 91*, Arun Karthik 87) trail Gujarat 343 (Parthiv 166, Balaji 4-51, Srinivas 4-75) by 145 runs

Tamil Nadu dictated terms on the second day in Ahmedabad with a strong batting performance, led by half-centuries by M Vijay and Arun Karthik. Tamil Nadu ended the day 145 adrift of Gujarat's 343, but lost only two wickets, with Vijay going strong with an unbeaten 91. Earlier, Aushik Srinivas and L Balaji took four wickets each to keep Gujarat from piling on a massive score. Resuming on 275 for 5, the overnight pair of Parthiv Patel and Timil Patel progressed steadily to 316 before a lower order collapse gave Tamil Nadu the initiative. Srinivas and Balaji bowled well in tandem as Gujarat lost their last five wickets for 27 runs. Parthiv went on to score 166. Tamil Nadu got off to a bad start when they lost S Anirudha for a duck in the second over but it was smooth sailing from there on as Vijay and Karthik played positively. Karthik progressed at more than a run a ball at one stage and looked set to score a century but was stumped on 87 off Niraj Patel. Vijay, who was named in the Indian Test squad against Sri Lanka, was particularly strong against the spinners and his innings included nine fours and a six. With this start, Tamil Nadu look well placed to take a first-innings lead.

Punjab 221 and 59 for 3 (Khader 2-17) lead Hyderabad 193 (Quadri 73*, Ablish 4-70, Harmeet 3-52, Gony 3-58) by 87 runs
Scorecard

Punjab's seam trio of Harmeet Singh, Luv Ablish and Manpreet Gony combined to bowl out Hyderabad for 193 and secure a first-innings lead of 28 against Hyderabad in Mohali. Harmeet and Ablish's early strikes had Hyderabad tottering at 54 for 5, and there was further trouble for the visitors when they lost the experienced VVS Laxman for 26. The score at that stage read 89 for 7, but a fighting unbeaten 73 by Syed Quadri helped Hyderabad fight back. Quadri added 52 with MP Arjun and 47 with Ashwin Yadav. Gony took three lower order wickets to bowl Hyderabad out before they could get closer to his team's total of 221. The Punjab top order however faltered in the second innings and ended the day with an overall lead of 87. Mohammed Khader, the left-arm seamer, got rid of the openers. Pankaj Dharmani was unbeaten at stumps on 10, but it was a significant day for his career as he crossed the 7000-run mark in the Ranji Trophy.

Himachal Pradesh 34 for 0 trail Railways 419 (Sanyal 92, Goud 58, Sarandeep 7-120) by 385 runs
Scorecard

Sanjib Sanyal led Railways' lower order effort with 92 to post a strong 419 against Himachal Pradesh at the Karnail Singh Stadium. Sarandeep Singh, the offspinner, was rewarded with seven wickets after sending down close to 57 overs. Railways lost Yere Goud early for 58 but that's when Sanyal came in and took control, supported by Akshay Girap and Karan Sharma. Sanyal hit eight fours and a six before he was the eighth wicket to fall, caught behind off Sarandeep. The Himachal openers began cautiously, adding 34 in 20 overs before stumps

Heavy showers ensured no play was possible for the second consecutive day between Mumbai and Orissa at the Brabourne Stadium.

Group B

Delhi 154 and 93 for 2 (Dhawan 43*) trail Karnataka 260 (Dravid 78, Narwal 4-71, Suyal 4-67) 13 runs
Scorecard

Rahul Dravid led the way for Karnataka with a half-century to secure a first-innings lead of 106 against Delhi at the Roshanara Club Ground. Delhi only managed 154 on the opening day so it was a question of how long Karnataka could extend their lead. Dravid was the cornerstone of Karnataka's effort with 78, an innings which included 11 fours. The lower order then continued to frustrate Delhi, with the last-wicket pair of Abhimanyu Mithun and S Aravind adding 47. The seam-bowling pair of Sumit Narwal and Pawan Suyal took four wickets apiece. The Delhi batsmen put in a much better effort in their second innings, ending the day with a deficit of 13.

Saurashtra 125 for 3 (Mehta 44*) trail Uttar Pradesh 395 (Parvinder 122, Dhurv 5-107, Jobanputra 4-82) by 270 runs
Scorecard

Saurashtra's Rakesh Dhurv and Sandeep Jobanputra took nine wickets between them but Uttar Pradesh held the upper hand in Rajkot as they posted 395 and halted Saurashtra's effort with three wickets. Parvinder Singh added only two to his overnight score when he was dismissed by Jobanputra. The lower order then put together partnerships to frustrate the home side. Dhurv, the left-arm spinner, took his fifth five-wicket haul. Saurashtra didn't get off to the best of starts, losing three wickets for 59, but Pratik Mehta and Shitanshu Kotak steadied the innings with a stand of 66.

Bengal 102 for 3 (Arindam 52*) trail Baroda 307 (Pinal 63, Swapnil 43*, Lahiri 3-29) by 205 runs
Scorecard

A decent effort by Baroda's lower order - led by Pinal Shah - lifted the score to 307 against Bengal at the Eden Gardens. Shah hit 63 and he was supported by Swapnil Singh, who made an unbeaten 43. Sourav Sarkar, Saurasish Lahiri and Laxmi Ratan Shukla all took three wickets apiece. Bengal were under a bit of pressure when Irfan Pathan struck to leave them at 73 for 3. But Arindam Das held firm till stumps with an unbeaten 52, with Sourav Ganguly on 15 for company.

Denly acknowledges Strauss influence

2009-11-08T20:43:00.000-08:00

Joe Denly hailed the effect of captain Andrew Strauss on his own batting form after getting amongst the runs in England’s second tour match in South Africa, against the Warriors at the De Beers Diamond Oval.
The Kent opener hit 82, with his skipper carrying his bat for an unbeaten 117 as the pair put on a match-winning 175-run partnership.
Together they dominated the home side's bowling as England chased down a 255-run victory target with 9.1 overs to spare.
It was welcome time in the middle for Denly - whose last half-century for his country came during the NatWest Series against Australia - on the back of an inauspicious ICC Champions Trophy campaign.
“It was brilliant to get ourselves off to a good start like that and the more I bat with Straussy the more I enjoy it,” Denly said. “He is great to bat with and he is a very experienced player.
“He is in great touch at the moment and that makes life easier for me when he is batting that well. I think the right and left-hand combination works well at the top too.”
Competition for batting places is currently intense, with Jonathan Trott staking his claim in the opening game with a man-of-the-match display – he hit 85 – and the inclusion of Test opener Alastair Cook in the one-day set-up.
The impending return of Kevin Pietersen this week is also likely to up the ante, but Denly was just pleased to finally get back amongst the runs.
He continued: “It was nice to get out there and spend some time in the middle.
“It is important to get some runs under your belt before the international games start and just have as much time out there as you can.”
Denly, whose 85-ball innings included seven fours and two sixes, also revealed that batting in Kimberley was not as easy as it looked.
He added: “It was quite tricky to begin with because the pitch is a bit slow and they were bowling cutters which were hard to get away.
“It was really about getting used to the pace of the pitch.
“Once I did that I felt the more time I spent out there the easier it became for me to time the ball and in the end I was feeling very comfortable.”

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Beefy to the max

2009-11-08T20:41:00.000-08:00

Odds of 500-1... Lillee had a tenner... the golf clubs were already in the boot... a few booming edges... pure village green... into the confectionery stall and out again ...
Botham's Ashes: the images and the yarns are as well-worn as the pages of a boy's first mucky book: the blind fury of those hook shots that nearly launched him off his feet, that square cut through point off Lillee, the irresistible force of his bowling action, enormously strong but still lithe. It is all as vivid as any childhood memory.
So, too, that famous picture of him in the Headingley dressing room, shirt off, the grinning man of the match raising a bottle: the king of the world. Or the more brooding shot taken the night before (145 not out overnight), about to light an atypically modest, slim cigar. He looks distant, solitary: perhaps he is reflecting on the magnitude of his achievements and what they could mean. Maybe he is just working out what his first pint will be. What a summer: 149 not out, 5 for 1, 118: the numbers need no elucidation to any cricket fan, for our memories will never fade.
But it must be an illusion. I was five in 1981, too young to understand follow-ons or 500-1 shots or square cuts or cigars. I fancy I watched it on the telly and sensed the thrilling mood. But even this might just be the false memory of endless replays throughout rain breaks since, and documentaries at lunch, the anecdotes as comfortingly over-familiar as the events themselves.
Beefy's glory days might have been 1981 but Botham's Ashes, for me, were 1985. Hitting Craig McDermott for a straight six first ball at Edgbaston, a four, a block and another straight six: it was just so daring, so glorious. By now I understood the game enough to know that McDermott was Australia's danger man - he already had 25 wickets in the series - and that it was our champion against theirs. And I suppose I grasped that England were pushing for quick runs before a declaration, but Botham's down-and-dirty 18 dwarfed David Gower's regal 215 in my view.
Botham the Batsman initially captivated me before Botham the Bowler, although his 31 wickets outshone his 250 runs (no ton) in the six Tests. But playing cricket in the park, it seemed absurd to be anything other than an allrounder: why would anyone choose half a sport? The other England players, redundant in one or other discipline, seemed mere water carriers.
I became a supporter of his Somerset and, as a nerdy cricket writer, I am now contractually obliged to describe how I assiduously searched Ceefax / the newspapers / in the entrails of pigeons for tales of my idol's derring-do. Actually the media, other than the TV, that most fuelled my hero worship were the Ian Botham Sports Annuals, hardbacked treasure troves of exquisite mid-'80s Wallydom. Beefy with an electric guitar - close personal friend Eric Clapton giving a few tips; Beefy at the golf - close personal friend Seve Ballesteros, etc; driving a car round Brands Hatch, grinning in an aquamarine shell-suit, flying a plane, mullet flapping like a giant Shredded Wheat.

In a restaurant I remember asking my dad about the mysterious adult protocol of tipping and needing to calibrate his answer only by checking: "How much would Ian Botham tip?" Botham would, my dad said, be attended by the head waiter himself, and might be expected to tip perhaps £50

In the 1985 edition the cover pictures of Botham did not even feature him in cricket gear: he had transcended that particular sport. Certainly to me he represented much more than just cricket; he seemed to symbolise all-round achievement in any area of life. He was the benchmark by which almost all forms of success were measured. In a restaurant I remember asking my dad about the mysterious adult protocol of tipping and needing to calibrate his answer only by checking: "How much would Ian Botham tip?" Botham would, my dad said, be attended by the head waiter himself, and might be expected to tip perhaps £50.
The power vacuum created by football's wretchedness meant he was the biggest sports star of the day, and his antics were sweet meat to the news desk as well as the sports. But it was more than just very high profile that ensured he defined the era: if Botham did not exist, it would have been necessary for Margaret Thatcher to invent him. From the doldrums of 1980 or so - recession, union excess, the Loony Left, Argentina - a new hero emerged. He was self-propelled, utterly determined, without fear or remorse, he would drag England with him whether we bloody well liked it or not.
And as the '80s wore on, sure enough, the crash: Maggie had her Black Monday, Beefy his romps, punch-ups and pot. What had seemed buccaneering self-belief was now interpreted as boorishness. By the end of the decade, he was a (very large) shadow of his former self: the 1989 Ashes brought 62 runs at 15 and three wickets at 80.
Yet we believed, kind of, that he was still capable of the odd good day even into the 90s, his mere presence keeping the dark ages at bay for a while. The undeserved irony was that the promise of Beefy magic contributed to the hopelessness, by drawing the eye from the yawning systemic cracks, while the futile search for a replacement muddied the selectorial waters for a generation.
Even when he was ineffectual - even when he had actually retired - he was still the most important English cricketer. He was inspirational - and not just on the sports field - and his faults made him human. As for his superhuman deeds, well, we will always have our memories. And everyone else's too, of course.

The rise of the English South Africans

2009-11-08T20:35:00.000-08:00

In the middle of October I saw this thread on the 606 message boards: "Not a wind-up attempt, but as your side is half full of South Africans, if you had to choose an English XI, who would be in it?
"I was about to do my own XI but when I checked Stephen Moore for Strauss's spot I found out he's from Jo'burg. So I thought about Ed Joyce, and he's born in Dublin! Can't find an opener."
Of course this might simply be light-hearted banter, but there remains an undercurrent of xenophobia from some England fans directed at certain England players, and in my view it is very much misplaced.
Surely, the rich history of English cricket has been enriched by the foreign imports. And in the case of South Africans, the trickle began a long time ago, with Basil D'Oliveira in 1966, continued with Tony Greig six years later, moved through the aggressive middle-order pairing of Allan Lamb and Robin Smith, and finally arrived at Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott.
And it's not just been South Africans. Andy Caddick, whose New Zealand twang is still just about detectable, was the hero last time England won a Test in Australia, Graeme Hick was a Zimbabwean, the Hollioake brothers Australian, while Gladstone Small, Phil DeFreitas and Devon Malcolm all came from the Caribbean. England's captain at the start of this decade, Nasser Hussain, was born in Chennai, India.
Go back further in time, and there are many other instances. Surely, to attach too much significance to any perceived recent trend, to get too worked up about the dwindling numbers of English-born players in the England dressing-room, is to attach too much nationalism to the simple pleasure of supporting the English team.
It is, in any case, an exaggeration to say England's probable starting XI for the first Test in Port Elizabeth is "half full of South Africans". The focus is on four players - in other words barely a third - and two of them can be swiftly exonerated.
Skipper Andrew Strauss was born in Johannesburg, but left South Africa at the age of six. He first learnt the game in Australia, as it happens. Matt Prior was 11 when he left South Africa, and proudly claims to have lost his accent "within a week".
Pietersen and the new man in the squad, Trott, clearly have stronger links with proteas, braais and springboks. So let's home in on them.
Pietersen made a brave decision as a young man to emigrate after KwaZulu-Natal had told him they could not guarantee him a place in their side. Trott was born in Cape Town and played for South Africa at both under-15 and under-19 level before using his British ancestry to gain a place in Warwickshire squad.
This graph shows the rising value of the runs provided by South African-born players
Respected cricket writer Neil Manthorp - who has emigrated the opposite way, from England to South Africa - says there will inevitably be plenty of mention of certain players' roots in the coming weeks.
"There will be jokes about how Trott and Pietersen won't need to be in their hotels, that they can stay with their parents. We might get a bit bored of the jokes but it will be a lot more humorous than four years ago. There was genuine anger then."
Indeed. Pietersen, the 2005 model, with upturned skunk hairdo and comments freely distributed about the perceived iniquities of racial quotas, was easy prey for some rough barracking on his first tour four and a half years ago.
But he has matured since then, and Manthorp confirms Pietersen's own suspicions, that South Africans are ready to shed much of their animosity towards him. Besides, the jeering did not work - the boy from Pietermaritzburg took three one-day centuries off the Proteas on his first tour.
When he left Cape Town, Trott was "not the most popular sort of guy, difficult to get on with," says Manthorp - and feels the 28-year-old may be something of a target from the crowd at the third Test, if not in the way the more vocal Pietersen was in 2005.
It is already becoming hard to work out just who Trott's friends are. He was targeted for criticism from Michael Vaughan in the ex-England skipper's new book. Why? Trott was spotted by Vaughan celebrating with the South Africans who had beaten England in the 2008 series. Inevitably, Strauss has already been forced to defend Trott's corner.
But if there is a certain type of English fan who bridles at the presence of Trott and Pietersen in the side, then is there a certain type of South African worried about the talent drain towards the English shires?
It's doubtful. Pietersen, who famously struggled to get into his school's first XI, is regarded as something of a freak, a player whose talent did not blossom until he had abandoned KwaZulu-Natal for Nottinghamshire.
And of the current crop of South African youngsters who have done the maths and realised how much easier it is to break into one of 18 county sides as opposed to the six franchise teams in their own country, only one - the Somerset wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter - looks like a probable international prospect. The 21-year-old was recently parachuted into England's winter performance programme, and qualifies to play for the national side in February.
Somerset's 21-year-old wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter qualifies for England next February
Around two years ago South African followers did get a bit concerned, with the Kolpak loophole making it even easier for counties to register an almost limitless supply of their countrymen, but that fear has been eased by the Proteas' ascent to the top of the Test rankings ladder.
And as it happens, Kolpak contracts are becoming a distinct rarity, with most South Africans in future summers probably having to unearth a European grandparent or two to gain a county contract.
Furthermore, South Africa's under-19 side is performing well and the academy is well regarded.
Manthorp is unequivocal: "Proponents of positive discrimination will say there are a hell of a lot more kids coming through. It's a hard world, if you're white and don't like it go play in England.
"The reality is cricket at school and club level in South Africa is still active and strong, whereas every time I come to England I see more and more clubs close, and more schools where the game is no longer played. The game there is certainly in decline."
It is a depressing view which the England and Wales Cricket Board will dispute, as they continue to talk of their commitment to delivering funds to the grass-roots of the game.
But the irony is that because of the apparent lack of high-class homegrown players, there are more places at the counties for immigrant South Africans - or imports from anywhere else, provided they meet the increasingly complicated entry criteria.
These players, in turn, help raise the standard of county cricket - despite the ECB's reservations - and as a result the counties should eventually deliver better-prepared candidates for the international game.
So just remember that when Pietersen, Trott and Kieswetter celebrate winning the World Cup in 2015.
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Bollinger and Johnson seal series

2009-11-08T20:29:00.000-08:00

Australia. 172 for 4 (Watson 49, Hussey 35*) beat India 170 (Jadeja 57, Praveen 54*, Bollinger 5-35) by six wickets
All odds seemed against them - four key players were missing before the trip and they lost four more during the series - but Australia showed admirable spirit and skill to clinch the series with a game to spare. On a slightly damp pitch in Guwahati, Mitchell Johnson found his mojo and combined with Doug Bollinger to bundle out India for 170 before Shane Watson gave a solid start to the chase to ensure Australia cantered to a series win.
Bollinger was at the top of his game today on a track conducive to his style and found his mark immediately, nipping out two wickets early and snapping twin dangerous partnerships later en route to 5 for 35. Johnson - back in the side after missing the last game - scythed through the top order to leave India, who chose to bat, tottering at 27 for 5 before Ravindra Jadeja featured in two fighting partnerships. First was a slow repairing job with MS Dhoni, then a violent one with Praveen Kumar to raise hopes of a revival, but Bollinger returned to remove both batsmen to ensure that Australia wouldn't have too many to chase.
Were the conditions so English that the ball was swinging wildly? No. Was the pitch aiding alarming movement? No. There was just a bit of movement, in the air and off the pitch, and Australia exploited it superbly to bundle India out.
Johnson, whose inability to swing the ball into the right-handers had blunted his threat in the recent times, found that inswing today and immediately looked a different bowler. With a slightly round-armish action which helped him to tilt the ball back in, Johnson gnawed away at the batsmen at disconcerting pace.
The start wasn't flattering - his second delivery was whiplashed for six over point by Virender Sehwag - but Johnson bounced back in the same over to start the demolition job. It was a full delivery, Sehwag shaped for his big drive but the ball curved in to thread the gap and splayed the stumps.
Egged on, Johnson went from strength to strength and unfurled his full repertoire: rapid pace, extra bounce, a slinging round-arm, and consistent line and length. He removed Gautam Gambhir with a delivery on middle and off, to which the batsman shaped to work it to the on side as if he expected it to angle in to his pads. But, to his horror, the ball straightened to hit off stump.
Johnson went on to trouble Yuvraj Singh in the corridor before he dismissed Suresh Raina after harassing him with his bounce. The set-up was obvious - bowl a few short balls and push him back before slipping in that fatal full delivery - but Raina fell for it again. Perhaps the ball stopped on him a bit, but he was late in getting forward to a full delivery and ended up flicking it straight to short mid-on.
If Johnson created an opening with his incisive bowling, Bollinger ensured India didn't come back into the game with consistent seam bowling. There is nothing flashy about Bollinger and you know what you will get from him: a steady line and length, changes in pace, and an ability to bowl to his fields. Today it was enough to get him the big wickets of Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj and Dhoni.
He induced Tendulkar into pushing one straight back to him and bowled Yuvraj with a slightly freaky dismissal. The ball ricocheted off Yuvraj's pad over his right shoulder and as Yuvraj, clueless about where the ball went, turned behind to place the bat back inside the crease he pushed it back to the stumps. Then he returned for a second spell and got Dhoni and Harbhajan in one over, before terminating Jadeja's resistance with the first ball of a third spell.
Dhoni, who was fortunate to survive a caught-behind decision against Bollinger when he was 0, was given out lbw to the same bowler to a delivery that was missing off stump. The final margin would have been far bigger as India were wobbling at 75 for 7 but Jadeja and Praveen, who caned Clint McKay for 28 runs with several audacious hits over mid-off and mid-on, played the best knocks of their respective careers to increase the target. Ultimately, however, they could only save India from total embarrassment.
The chase could have been tricky on a pitch that was increasingly aiding turn but Watson stole the show with positive batting. He stretched forward to the spinners, ensured he kept his pads away from the line and played several skillful shots. There were two fours in particular that stood out, both against Jadeja. They were arm-balls, fizzing towards the top of off, and Watson brought his bat down at the last minute to crunch them past first slip.
Harbhajan created a minor scare by removing both Watson and Ricky Ponting in quick succession but in the absence of a big target and with India possessing only one quality spinner, Mike Hussey and Cameron White slowly but surely pushed Australia to a worthy series win.

Taibu ton saves face in defeat

2009-11-08T20:28:00.001-08:00

South Africa 295 for 5 (Amla 80, de Villiers 51, Morkel 50*, Price 3-44) beat Zimbabwe 250 for 5 (Taibu 103*, Matsikenyeri 86, McLaren 3-51) by 45 runs
South Africa began their season with a 45-run victory over neighbours, Zimbabwe, at Benoni yet were left with plenty to ponder after a battling century from Tatenda Taibu in a record sixth-wicket stand of 188. The game was done as a contest when Zimbabwe fell to 48 for 5, but Taibu and Stuart Matsikenyeri refused to roll over and plundered the home attack with Taibu reaching his second ODI hundred in the final over.
In their first outing since making an early exit from the Champions Trophy, South Africa's reshaped batting unit produced a solid effort as they piled up 295 for 5 after Hashim Amla top-scored with 80 alongside a fluent run-a-ball 51 from AB de Villiers and a powerful 39-ball fifty by Albie Morkel. With Ryan McLaren striking twice on debut and Dale Steyn claiming two in four balls the game was heading for swift end, but South Africa lost their intensity.
Taibu and Matsikenyeri exposed the bowling attack with Zimbabwe's highest sixth-wicket stand and their second largest partnership in ODIs. South Africa's bowling was a concern for them during the Champions Trophy and this performance will have done little to alleviate those worries ahead of the England series.
Wayne Parnell's return can't come soon enough with Dale Steyn still appearing short of a gallop. Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Charl Langeveldt are vying for spots against England, but neither made an outstanding case in this outing while, despite a lively innings, Morkel continued to look unthreatening with the ball at this level.
After struggling with the bat in Bangladesh - and slumping for an embarrassing 44 all out on one occasion - Zimbabwe will take great heart from their fighting effort and it could well encourage a shuffle of the order for the next game with Taibu and Matsikenyeri both making strong cases for promotion.
Unlike the bowlers, South Africa's batsmen appeared in reasonable fettle. There was a hint of early-season rustiness about some of the top-order dismissals as deep fielders were picked out, but it meant that others benefited from time in the middle. The finish to the innings will have pleased Mickey Arthur and Graeme Smith as Morkel exploited the batting Powerplay alongside the recalled Alvrio Petersen to the tune of 58 runs.
After Smith had picked out deep midwicket, Amla and de Villiers both moved along comfortably against the slow bowlers in significant innings for the second-wicket pair. Amla is currently Kallis' understudy alongside Smith and is expected to make way against England so runs here makes the selectors' job a little harder.
de Villiers, meanwhile, has been moved up the order to No. 3, with Arthur wanting to give him more time to build an innings and improve on a slightly disappointing return of three centuries in 89 ODIs. He certainly had time today to register hundred No. 4, moving effortlessly to a 48-ball half-century, before picking out long-off where Mark Vermeulen held a well-judged catch. Amla was set to bat through the innings when, much to his disgust, he deposited a long hop from Graeme Cremer down deep midwicket, and three overs later Mark Boucher's laboured effort ended with a miscued drive to long-off.
Morkel gave himself a few overs to settle then the Powerplay was taken. The first two over went for just five each, but then the boundaries started to flow with the next three costing 48. Morkel collected three sixes, including a tracer-bullet blow flat over long-on during his second ODI half-century to go alongside the 97 he made in the previous meeting between these two sides. Petersen, playing his first ODI since March 2008, supported well with a sprightly effort in a stand worth 86 from 10 overs.
Having struggled on the slow, low pitches of Bangladesh, it was little surprise that Zimbabwe slumped and the top order was soon in tatters. Vermeulen picked out mid off and McLaren made an almost immediate impact with the ball as he trapped Chibhabha leg before with his third delivery. McLaren soon had his second courtesy of a fine, low catch by Boucher to his right and Steyn collected two in four balls as his pace prove too much for Hamilton Masakadza and Elton Chigumbura.
Then came the unexpected reply from Zimbabwe's middle order as South Africa were made to toil. Taibu, who swung a six off Tsotsobe, reached fifty off 71 balls and Matsikenyeri took 68 balls as he climbed into Johan Botha with a over costing 16. McLaren also came in for some punishment as his ninth over cost 17 and although it was all academic in terms of the result South Africa left the fielding knowing there is plenty of room for improvement.

Kumar Sangakkara targets 'last frontier'

2009-11-08T20:26:00.000-08:00

Sri Lanka have made six tours to India over the last 27 years, played 14 Tests, and are yet to win one. It's a record Kumar Sangakkara is keen to rectify as his team arrived in Mumbai for a three-Test series beginning on November 16, followed by two Twenty20 internationals and five one-dayers.
Sangakkara, however, said his side, No. 2 in the Test rankings, was "under no pressure" to scratch India off the list of countries (South Africa and Australia are the others) where Sri Lanka have never won a Test. "We know we haven't won here and for us we need to try and change that," a sleepy-eyed Sangakkara said, in his first interaction with the media in India on Sunday afternoon. "We are here to relax, enjoy and not worry about history, and try and put as much pressure on the Indians as possible."
The pressure, Sangakkara felt, would be on India after the defeat against Australia in the ongoing home one-day series. He said it would be interesting to see how India reacted from the defeat against an under-strength side, saying that "some react positively while some don't".
Sangakkara, who took over the captaincy from Mahela Jayawardene at the ICC World Twenty20 in June, is building a cohesive unit capable of performing in all conditions. Sri Lanka are formidable at home but their overseas record is mediocre. Their lack of success in India is strange, especially since the conditions here are similar to those in Sri Lanka.
Posting large totals is critical to winning Tests in India, and Sri Lanka's batsmen have been unable to do so in the past, with 420 in Kanpur in 1986 being their best effort. Their present batting line-up could be challenged to surpass that score as only three players - Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sangakkara - have Test experience in India.
Things are not bright on the bowling front either. Even Muttiah Muralitharan has taken only 31 wickets in eight Tests and his average of nearly 40 in India is his worst in any country after Australia. And in Lasith Malinga's absence, their fast-bowling attack comprising Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara, Dammika Prasad and Chanaka Welegedara lacks menace and experience. Sangakkara, though, was of the opinion that his relatively inexperienced attack could be at an advantage.
"Inexperience is sometimes a good thing as the Indian batsmen have not played our fast bowlers regularly in the longer form of the game which can work to our advantage." He said sometimes a "fresh perspective, attitude and enthusiasm could be an added bonus".
Sangakkara is banking on 22-year old allrounder Angelo Mathews to give the team flexibility and balance. "We have a great option in Angelo Mathews who gives us the flexibility of playing three spinners on a spin-friendly wicket because of him being a frontline fast bowler and a batsman," Sangakkara said. "We could even go into the game with three out-and-out fast bowlers, with Mathews in support, and one spinner or even two fast bowlers and two spinners."
It will be interesting, however, to see which two spinners Sri Lanka field in the first Test against India in Ahmedabad beginning on November 16, especially with Sangakkara stressing the importance of "performance and current form". Murali is likely to be a certainty for one spot, and Ajantha Mendis had spectacular success against the Indian batsmen in Sri Lanka. It is the left-arm spinner, Rangana Herath, though, who has been Sri Lanka's most successful slow bowler in recent matches.
In his last four Tests at home, Herath took 23 wickets against Pakistan and New Zealand. Murali did not play against Pakistan while Mendis proved expensive - his five wickets cost 43 each. Against New Zealand, Murali's returns were 13 wickets at 24 apiece while Mendis' three victims came at an average of 45. Sangakkara said that Herath having to play "third fiddle to the other spinners made him hungrier to do well". Sri Lanka could do with more healthy competition in India during the coming weeks.
This series, from November 8 to December 27, begins with a three-day warm-up game against the Board President's XI at Mumbai's Bandra-Kurla Complex before the first Test. The second Test will be in Kanpur before the teams head back to Mumbai for the third game.

2009-11-03T19:29:00.000-08:00

INDIA Vs AUSTRALIA

Ireland in hot pursuit of Full Member status

2009-11-03T19:12:00.000-08:00

Ireland have announced an ambitious plan to ascend to Full Member status within the ICC. The Irish will seek to become the ICC's eleventh Full Member nation, and the first to rise from the Associate ranks since Bangladesh in 2000.

Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland's chief executive, has sent a letter to the ICC stating his board's intention to apply for Full Membership - a potential pathway to Test cricket - and to seek clarification on the process. The ICC have since informed Ireland of the council's criteria and expectations, and the matter will now be discussed at the next chief executives' meeting, scheduled for later this month.

"There's a long way to go," Deutrom told Cricinfo's Switch Hit podcast. "Traditionally, applications have taken two, three or more years. There are clearly a large number of hoops we have to jump through. In terms of challenges that are facing us, yes, there is clearly an awful lot of work we need to do just to fulfill the compliance and existing criteria.

"It perhaps sets in motion a process that allows others to see the levels they need to reach in order to fulfill the same ambitions. It shouldn't be easy. Test cricket is regarded as the pinnacle of the game and it's quite right that those trying to ascend to Test cricket, or just Full Membership without necessarily involving Test cricket, have to ensure that they are coming up to some pretty rigorous criteria."

Ireland's cricketers have mounted a strong case for consideration as a Full Member nation with a string of solid performances in the four-day, 50 and 20-over formats, but still face a difficult task convincing existing members of the political and commercial benefits that their elevation would bring to the game. Unlike Bangladesh, the most recently-elected Full Member, Ireland does not boast a large population and player base to draw from. Bangladesh also provided India and its allies with another regional partner - and vote - at the ICC table. Ireland's introduction could potentially upset that balance.

The difficulties encountered by Ireland's cricketing administrators were highlighted earlier this year when a television rights package could not be negotiated for the home ODI against an England side less than a week removed from winning the Ashes. Attendances for other international matches have been modest, as cricket struggles to gain a foothold in a nation already absorbed by Gaelic football, hurling, football and rugby. Despite such obstacles, Cricket Ireland has evolved commercially to the point that ICC funding only accounts for 30% of the board's total revenue.

If the ICC is serious about its long-espoused aim of expanding the game beyond its traditional strongholds, Ireland might be in with a chance. Full Member funding would better equip Ireland to retain its top players - the defections of Ed Joyce and Eoin Morgan to England were evidence of Associate cricket's glass ceiling - and offer a progression path for other aspiring nations to follow.

"In terms of television, there is no doubt whatsoever that that was an issue last year," Deutrom said. "We had television for our game in 2006 when Ireland played England and in 2007 when India and South Africa were here. We didn't get a broadcaster for 2009. I think there were some financial problems involved in that. I think the problem by and large, from what broadcasters say to me, is that they don't like to do deals on a one-by-one basis. They prefer to package things up. If we were in a situation whereby we were embedded in the Future Tours Programme, then we would have sufficient home cricket to be able to go out and talk to another broadcaster.

"From a political perspective, I would regard many people on the chief executives' committee and the board as extremely fair-minded. I hope this doesn't come across sounding naive, but I think the decision should hopefully be made on its merits and not on the basis of any political alliances."

Ireland's recent performances have raised hopes that they could prove competitive at the game's elite level. In 41 one-day internationals since 2006, the Irish have won 17 matches, highlighted by their three-wicket triumph over Pakistan at the 2007 World Cup. Ireland won eight consecutive completed matches against Scotland, Kenya and Canada before suffering a narrow three-run defeat to England in their most recent ODI. That sequence included victory in the World Cup qualification tournament in South Africa earlier this year, which they capped with an emphatic nine-wicket demolition of Canada in the final.

Ireland have proven similarly competitive in the 20-over ranks, winning four of their eight completed matches including a six-wicket victory over Bangladesh at the World Twenty20 in June that propelled them into the Super Eights stage of the tournament. They are currently vying for their fourth consecutive Intercontinental Cup crown, and remain unbeaten in four-day competition since 2004.

"The key area where we see the strength of our proposal would be the performance on field of the senior men's squad over the last couple of years," Deutrom said. "In all three forms of the game we've proven ourselves above our associate rivals.

"If you think about the reasons why (players) are going (to England), it's because they want to be as good as they can be. They want to be able to find the vehicles and the forums to be able to express their abilities. In that way, we need to make sure that our players are aware of our ambitions. If we just happen to bump along as an associate and say, 'We're the No.1 associate now, that's all we're going to be forever,' I think we're going to lose more and more players. Our ambitions are surely to make sure that cricket is as successful as possible in Ireland ... and to that extent we need to make sure that our players are aware that that is exactly where we're going.

"Even if it's obviously too late for the likes of Eoin Morgan and Ed Joyce, what we're saying to the next rung of Irish players coming through is: we are ambitious, we are interested in going for Full Membership but it may take some time, and we are doing our very best to put in a contract system that allows you to consider playing cricket as a career in Ireland in the same way as you might want to play cricket for England and to complement your county career."

Sparkling Pandey kicks off season in style

2009-11-03T19:10:00.000-08:00

Karnataka 372 for 5 (Pandey 194*, Dravid 97) v
Manish Pandey kicked off the 2009-10 Ranji Trophy Super League in style with an unbeaten 194 off 238 deliveries, his maiden first-class century, against an Uttar Pradesh comprising RP Singh, Piyush Chawla and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. And it wasn't all fair going in Meerut: he joined Rahul Dravid in the 13th over of the day with Karnataka at 27 for 3. All three medium-pacers - RP, Bhuvneshwar and ICL returnee Shalabh Srivastava - had taken a wicket each by then, including Robin Uthappa's for zero.

That was the last piece of joy for a long time, though, as Dravid and Pandey punished UP with a 273-run fourth-wicket stand, Dravid contributing 97 before getting run out. Bhuvneshwar followed that wicket with another quick one but at 327 for 5 Pandey took charge again and saw the day through with an unbeaten 45-run stand with B Akhil off just 8.1 overs. One hundred and fourteen of Pandey's runs came in fours and a six. RP and Chawla had a disappointing day, managing just one wicket between them, for 146 runs in 32 overs.

Delhi 300 for 2 (Dhawan 122*, Bhatia 70*, Chabra 65) v Baroda
Scorecard
Shikhar Dhawan's patient unbeaten century in Vadodara took Delhi to a position of strength against an attack missing Irfan Pathan. Dhawan batted through the day and shared two important partnerships with half-centurions Gaurav Chabra and Rajat Bhatia to carry Delhi to 300. This was Dhawan's seventh first-class century, and Chabra's second half-century in his second first-class match.

After their captain Aakash Chopra fell for an uncharacteristic 18-ball 21, Dhawan and Chabra batted sensibly, adding 134 for the second wicket. Murtuja Vahora managed to break the partnership before tea but Bhatia and Dhawan would make sure that would be the last success for Baroda. At stumps, Bhatia looked set for what could be a 10th first-class century.

Bengal 52 for 2 trail Maharashtra 179 (Ansari 52, Bose 5-67, Dinda 3-65) by 127 runs
Scorecard
A sensational opening burst followed by the wicket of the well-set Azhar Ansari gave Ranadeb Bose his 22nd first-class five-for, and gave Bengal an opportunity to push for a first-innings lead against Maharashtra and perhaps an outright victory.

In the morning session Bose ripped the heart out of Maharashtra's batting line-up, reducing them to 53 for 4. Ashok Dinda followed on those strikes to put Maharashtra in further trouble, at 110 for 7, but that's when Ansari, making his debut and batting at No. 8, started a comeback along with Kiran Adhav. Left-arm spinner Shibsagar Singh broke that 49-run partnership and Bose came back to dismiss Ansari and complete his five-for.

Bengal lost Deep Dasgupta, making his comeback from the ICL, in the second over. Ansari capped a good day with bowling figures of 7-5-7-1, the wicket being that of Arindam Das who scored 38 of Bengal's 52 runs. Wriddhiman Saha and Manoj Tiwary were in the middle at stumps.

Group A
Punjab 242 for 9 (Ravi Inder 104, Agarkar 4-41, Zaheer 3-45) v Mumbai
Scorecard
A defiant Ravi Inder Singh, with his fourth century in just 14 first-class matches, kept defending champions Mumbai, whose attack includes Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar and Ramesh Powar, at bay, although Mumbai would like to believe they have the upper hand having taken nine wickets on the opening day. Things could have been much worse but for Ravi Inder: the next best score was 30 not out by Manpreet Gony.

Zaheer and Agarkar reduced Punjab to 133 for 5 before Ravi Inder rallied the tail around. He added 45 with the debutant Gaurav Gambhir for the sixth wicket, 22 for the seventh with Rahul Sharma and 33 for the eighth with Gony. Agarkar, though, had the final say, dismissing Ravi Inder and Harmeet Singh in quick succession, and handing Mumbai the ascendancy.

Railways 242 for 4 (Bangar 111*, Fazal 70) 242 for 4 v Tamil Nadu
Scorecard
Sanjay Bangar, with his 10th first-class century, and Faiz Fazal, who has moved from Vidarbha to Railways, kept Tamil Nadu joyless for a healthy part of the day at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi. After an 80-run second-wicket stand, R Ashwin took two quick wickets to bring Railways down to 139 for 3 but the old firm of Bangar and Yere Goud thwarted the charge there itself.

Goud was his stubborn self, scoring 14 runs off 100 balls in a partnership of 76 runs. Meanwhile Bangar went along fluently, striking at more than 50 runs per 100 balls, and hitting 14 fours and two sixes in his innings. L Balaji stayed wicketless for 16 overs.

Gujarat 237 for 7 (Parthiv 83, Dhiraj Singh 4-88) v Orissa
Scorecard
Parthiv Patel rescued Gujarat from a precarious 89 for 4 with an attacking 83 but Gujarat went on to lose the initiative after Parthiv's wicket on a day that momentum shifted this way and that. Debasis Mohanty and Dhiraj Singh gave Orissa a perfect start before Parthiv counterattacked.

Along with Rujul Bhatt, Parthiv added 89 for the fifth wicket. Parthiv attacked and Bhatt consolidated as the game threatened to slip out of Orissa's hands. But in the final session, Dhiraj removed both the batsmen within 16 runs of each other. A run-out followed, and Gujarat were struggling at 203 for 7. To provide a final twist to the day, Ashraf Makda swung his bat merrily to end up on an unbeaten 31 off 23 balls, including four sixes.

Hyderabad 237 for 6 (Abhinav 70*, Malik 2-58) v Himachal Pradesh
Scorecard An unbeaten 70 from wicketkeeper Abhinav Kumar lifted Hyderabad from 74 for 4 to a respectable score by the end of the first day in Ahmedabad. Swing bowlers Vikramjeet Malik and Ashok Thakur got Himachal off to a usual good start. Himachal were also helped by a run-out early on. Only T Suman managed to impress in the top order, falling short of fifty by five runs.

Abhinav and Arjun Yadav, though, wrested the momentum with a 47-run fifth-wicket stand. But it was the partnership between Abhinav and Syed Quadri that truly brought Hyderabad back into the contest. They added 77 for the sixth wicket, Quadri missing the half-century by three runs. Another stubborn stand for the seventh wicket followed: Abhinav and MP Arjun were yet to be separated and they added 39 runs in 21.4 overs.

All-round Afridi leads rout

2009-11-03T19:08:00.000-08:00

Pakistan 287 for 9 (Latif 64, Afridi 70, Kamran 67*) beat New Zealand 149 (Redmond 52, Vettori 38, Afridi 2-46) by 138 runs
Who needs the captaincy when you are in this kind of form? Shahid Afridi's supposed desire to lead Pakistan in ODIs and his rift with captain Younis Khan has dominated the chat in Pakistan since the Champions Trophy, and his all-round performance tonight to dismantle New Zealand - along with the captain's duck - will do nothing to quell further talk. But why burden yourself with leadership hassles when you can turn in the kind of man-mountain performance Afridi did, first resuscitating Pakistan from a disastrous start with the bat and then nearly taking a hat-trick as his side romped home to a 138-run win at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Afridi's day had begun halfway through Pakistan's innings, when having won the toss, they were making a mess of things. Shane Bond had bowled an opening five-over spell of refreshingly attacking intent, of real cunning, occasional pace and much guile. Each ball he bowled, it seemed, was geared only to take wickets, not save runs. With the rest of Bond's colleagues chipping in, Afridi turned up to find his side limping around at 75 for 4.

Much like a magician he turned it into an ominous 287 for 9 with his innings opening up the floodgates for his lower order, in particular Kamran Akmal, who plundered New Zealand relentlessly at the death. In all, 137 runs came in the last 15 overs and 206 off the last 25, and Afridi was the culprit.

It was a calm hand by his standards, pretty brutal by any other, and the kind of innings Twenty20 has brought out of him. In its entirety it was mature, particularly in the realisation that he need not go at it helter-skelter from the off and that if his forearms are somehow aligned to his brain then mountains can be moved.

Indeed there was never a miscue or hoick to begin, just urgent nudges and grunted pushes to revive Pakistan's comatose run-rate. Once Khalid Latif, drafted in as opener, pulled a boundary for nearly 12 overs in the 29th, he freed Afridi's mind. Soon Afridi was dancing out to hoist three sixes in two overs of spin from Daniel Vettori and Nathan McCullum.

The flurry of boundaries is an Afridi trait, but once out of the way he reverted - pleasingly - to taking well-placed singles and doubles, managing the occasional boundary. Shane Bond was muscled over long-off for one such, to bring up his fifty off 37 balls, which was still sedate for him. He went soon after biffing a couple more, but not before, with a tranquil Latif, having revived Pakistan. Latif looked as threatening as a butterfly, without being as pretty, but he stuck around for what was a valuable fifty. And he was at his most effective when Afridi was going for it, simply because he ensured that Afridi got much of the strike.

Akmal, relieved of opening and for Afridi's ballast, gleefully looted runs over the death, putting on 86 with Abdul Razzaq in just over seven overs - driving, scything and squeezing a parade of sixes and fours en route to a stunning 43-ball 67.

With the momentum, Pakistan's pacemen worked their way through the top order, crippling the chase at the very off. Umar Gul may have been the main beneficiary in terms of wickets, but Mohammad Aamer's opening spell - much older than the 17-year-old body and mind that produced it - was the key. At whippy pace, he gnawed away at both Brendon McCullum and Aaron Redmond over after over, regularly beating them for pace and inward movement and ultimately setting the tone of who was to boss the chase.

Inevitably, though, Afridi had to have the final word. Daniel Vettori and Aaron Redmond had gamely kept New Zealand within a sniff, though Redmond's ponderous fifty - unlike Latif's earlier - did not have anyone going crazy enough around it. After an indifferent, hurried first spell, Afridi got the pesky Vettori to drag on an attempted sweep, and with his next ball trapped Nathan McCullum. Another umpire might have even given the hat-trick - incorrect as it may have been - but denying Afridi in this kind of mood took some standing. New Zealand found it beyond them.

India out to hurt injury-hit Australia

2009-10-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Australia's lead-up to their second clash against India in Nagpur will be more structured than the approach to the first, when their pre-match plans were affected by the late arrival of the New South Wales players participating in the Champions League final and their game-time strategy hit by the loss of Brett Lee and James Hopes during India's chase. This time their bad news has come in advance - Lee and Hopes are out with elbow and hamstring problems, and there are doubts over Mitchell Johnson, who hurt his ankle, as well, although coach Tim Nielsen was hopeful about his participation - yet they will be challenged to repeat the win they recorded at Vadodara.
India, on the other hand, are likely to be boosted by the return of Yuvraj Singh, who had broken his finger during the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa. Among the several problems India faced in Vadodara - a scattergun bowling attack, a mis-firing top order, and a less-than-electric fielding unit - was inexperience in the middle and lower order. Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja are promising emerging talents but fielding both players in the same XI doesn't inspire much confidence. Yuvraj's inclusion will solve that problem.
Wedneday's game will be the first one-day international in Nagpur since the new stadium was built on the city's outskirts in Jamtha. It had hosted the deciding Test of the India-Australia series in 2008 but that match was blighted by poor crowds largely due to the inaccessibility of the venue. One-day cricket, however, is a far bigger draw than the five-day version and only the commute, especially back to the city after the match ends at night, could prevent a packed house at the one of India's best stadiums.
Form guide(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia - WWWWWIndia - LWLWL
Watch out for ...
Virender Sehwag: He hadn't played international cricket since the tour of New Zealand earlier this year and his first two balls in Vadodara reminded everyone of what India had missed. Sehwag cracked Lee through point and midwicket for fours and added another boundary, against Peter Siddle, a ball later. However, he didn't carry on and his brief innings - 13 off 11 balls - would have merely whetted his appetite.
Yuvraj Singh: On his day, Yuvraj is among the most destructive one-day batsmen, and his days tend to happen more often at home than abroad. Yuvraj averages 43 at a strike-rate of nearly 95 while playing in India, compared to an average and strike-rate of 39 and 84 overseas. In his last one-day series in India, he devastated England, hammering 325 runs in five innings at a strike-rate of nearly 130.
The batting Powerplay: Both teams struggled after taking it in Vadodara. Australia managed only 33 runs off theirs, taken between 43 and 47, and lost three wickets. India were worse. They opted for it in the 35th over, lost Gautam Gambhir first ball, and scored 32 for 3 during the fielding restrictions.
Nathan Hauritz: Watch out for Hauritz? Really? His seemingly gentle offbreaks are always under-rated but he bowled a valuable spell in the first ODI. He kept the run-rate down during the Dhoni-Gambhir partnership and had figures of 7-1-15-1 before getting hit by Harbhajan Singh towards the end of the game. He was not the most heralded spinner in the series but he was the best one on show in Vadodara.
Team news
India have a few changes to ponder over. If Yuvraj returns, it will be at the expense of either Kohli or Jadeja. However, Yuvraj's return adding strength to the middle order could also result in India fielding the extra specialist spinner in Amit Mishra if the pitch is conducive for slow bowling. In that case, both Kohli and Jadeja could miss out. The other player likely to miss out could be Praveen Kumar, who leaked 77 runs off ten overs in the first game. Despite his success with the bat, his spot could go to Munaf Patel.
India: (probable) 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Ishant Sharma, 10 Praveen Kumar/Munaf Patel, 11 Ashish Nehra.
Assuming Johnson will be passed fit, Australia have to replace Lee and Hopes. The contenders are Doug Bollinger, Ben Hilfenhaus, Jon Holland and Shaun Marsh. Either Bollinger or Ben Hilfenhaus is a certainty for the third fast bowler's spot, and considering Australia got by with Hopes bowling only two overs in the first game, they could strengthen their batting and give his spot to Shaun Marsh.
Australia: (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Tim Paine (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Shaun Marsh, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Adam Voges, 7 Cameron White, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz 10 Doug Bollinger/Ben Hilfenhaus, 11 Peter Siddle.
Pitch and conditions
Deciding what to after winning the toss in India is usually a no-brainer. Most teams prefer to bat, and take advantage of a slowing pitch as the game progresses. However, the decision in Nagpur may not be so clear cut. The pitch is expected to be flat and excellent for run-making but dew in the evenings could make captains think twice before batting first, especially if there are a few slow bowlers in the line-up. Dhoni said that one of the matches during the recent Challenger Trophy was severely affected by dew and he said the organisers were trying to minimize its effect on the game by spraying the ground with chemicals.
"It looks like a good wicket. And if there is dew, they will spray the outfield, may be use the super-sopper as well during the drinks break," Nielsen said. "But yes, it will be a bit more difficult with dew around especially for spin bowlers who will find it hard to grip the ball. It will have an impact. For the team batting second, the difficulty in chasing will be reduced a bit with dew around so the team batting first needs to make a competitive total."
Stats and trivia
Ricky Ponting is the highest run-scorer in ODIs in 2009, having scored 1005 runs in 24 matches with two centuries and seven fifties. Michael Hussey is third with 926 at an average of 42.
MS Dhoni has the best average for anyone who's played atleast 10 matches in 2009. Dhoni's scored 768 runs in 21 matches at an average of nearly 70.
Shane Watson has the distinction of having scored the most hundreds and ducks in 2009. He's scored three centuries to date, and also been dismissed for duck four times.
Mitchell Johnson is the leading wicket-taker in 2009, with 39 wickets in 26 matches at an average of nearly 30 apiece.
Quotes"Brett is certainly out of tomorrow's game but Mitchell Johnson's woken up a lot better today morning than we thought he would be when we drafted the media release yesterday evening. We will see how he pulls up through the training session today and all the indications are that he might well be available tomorrow morning. At this stage, Mitchell is not completely out."Tim Nielsen is keeping his fingers crossed on Johnson.
"We have not been great with our death bowling. If you see the last game, the first few overs - 42nd over onwards - it was good and in the 50th we gave away one run. In between there was a span of four overs when we gave away 50-52 runs."MS Dhoni knows India's bowling at the end of the innings is a problem.

Australia survive for tense victory

2009-10-25T22:41:00.000-07:00

Australia 292 for 8 (Ponting 74, Hussey 73, White 51, Paine 50, Ishant 3-50) beat India 288 for 8 (Gambhir 68, Harbhajan 49) by 4 runs

If the best way to spark interest in a seven-match ODI series is to stage a brilliantly tense opener, then Australia and India achieved their goal in Vadodara. Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey set up what looked like being a comfortable Australian win until a lively, crowd-lifting partnership from Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar threatened to snatch victory for India.
In the end, nine were required from the final over and Peter Siddle held his nerve to confirm a four-run margin in Australia's favour. The key moment came when Harbhajan (49) was bowled from the second ball of the 50th, trying to launch a boundary off Siddle. Six from the last ball was too much for Ashish Nehra to produce.
The feisty 84-run stand from Harbhajan and Praveen was unexpected after India fell to 201 for 7 with ten overs remaining, when they needed more than nine an over. Shane Watson won't want to watch the replay of his final overs; he became predictable with his full tosses outside off and when he sent down the 49th of the innings it cost Australia 20 runs.
Ultimately, Australia got off the hook, largely because India had let themselves down in the field and through the middle overs of their own innings. Although Praveen, with his unbeaten 40 from 32 balls nearly got them home, his ten overs earlier in the day had cost 77 and Australia's batting contributions were even and widespread.
Ricky Ponting thinks a seven-match one-day series is too long; Michael Hussey would play cricket 365 days a year if he could. Both men looked sharp at the start of this tour in setting up the challenging total of 292 for 8. Ponting and Tim Paine built the platform before Cameron White and Hussey drove the total higher, and all four men posted half-centuries.
In reply, only Gautam Gambhir fired up properly out of India's top order. Gambhir had fought his way to 68 from 85 deliveries when he fell to the first ball of the batting Powerplay, which was also the first delivery with the changed ball after 34 overs. Mitchell Johnson found some dip and a hint of swing that trapped Gambhir in front of middle stump and the chase was threatening to derail.
Prime Numbers
9The number of 50-plus scores for Michael Hussey in ODIs in 2009. In 26 innings this year, he averages 42.09, at a strike rate of 92.05.
84The partnership for the eighth wicket between Praveen Kumar and Harbhajan Singh. It's India's highest for that wicket in ODIs.
58The number of runs India scored in the last five overs. Harbhajan contributed 32 of those.
50The number of wickets for Brett Lee in ODIs against India, which is the highest by an Australian against India. Steve Waugh is next, with 43 wickets in 53 games. Lee's 50 have come in 29 games, at an average of 20.70.
8The number of Man-of-the-Match awards for Hussey in ODIs. It was his first, though, against India. Of the teams against which he has played at least ten ODIs, New Zealand is the only one versus whom he hasn't won the award.
580The total number of runs scored in the match, which fell short of the record at this ground by a single run. In the match between India and West Indies in 2002, India scored 290, but lost by five wickets.
The runs had been well restricted by Brett Lee and Peter Siddle in the middle overs and Gambhir and MS Dhoni were under pressure to make full use of the Powerplay, with the required rate climbing to 7.87. A pair of wickets to Johnson slowed India further.
That Johnson bowled even a single delivery was a positive for Australia after he rolled his ankle early in the fielding effort and appeared to be in significant pain. He left the field briefly and returned to have an impact, although the loss of James Hopes to a leg injury after he sent down two overs will be a concern for the remainder of the series. Australia had the bowling options to cover for Hopes and the part-time spin of Adam Voges accounted for Virat Kohli, who had combined with Gambhir for a 58-run stand until he skied a catch for 30.
Gambhir was comfortable rotating the strike and found the boundary six times, also clearing it once with a strong strike over wide midwicket off Hopes. He was at the crease at No. 3 thanks to the return of Virender Sehwag, who opened with Sachin Tendulkar, although neither of the veterans could make it to the ten-over mark.
But whereas India's two most experienced players failed, Australia's two most capped batsmen stepped up to guide their team. Ponting's 74 was the innings that set the tone but it was Hussey's 73 from 54 deliveries that kept things on track and ensured a healthy total when India threatened to fight back late in the innings.
Australia took their batting Powerplay from the 43rd over and it brought 3 for 33 (India's would later result in 3 for 32) after the powerful White skied a catch for 51 from the second delivery. It was important that Hussey bat until the end and he did survive to the final few balls, accumulating his runs in typically anonymous and understated fashion.
One exception came in the penultimate over when he launched Praveen for a monstrous straight six that left the ground and was so impressive that Hussey was even caught by the TV cameras raising his eyebrows and mouthing "that's big" to his partner. But for the most part, Hussey pierced the field along the ground and ticked the score over with hard, tireless running between the wickets.
He followed the lead of his captain Ponting, who was fierce against the fast men, punching off the back foot and going over the top when the occasion warranted. Few batsmen in the world would have the confidence to hook a fast man after walking down the pitch and being surprised by a bouncer but Ponting did just that, launching Praveen over the boundary for six.
Praveen felt the brunt of Ponting's form and he was also whipped through leg by Paine, whose 50 was important in setting up Australia's effort. Ishant Sharma was more dangerous with a fuller length that allowed the ball to swing and his 3 for 50 was well deserved.
Nehra collected two wickets and bowled reasonably, while Ravindra Jadeja's figures improved when he trapped Ponting plumb lbw. But ultimately India had too few contributors while the Australians all played their part.
The only visitor who didn't contribute was the umpire Mark Benson, who sat out of the match through illness. He missed a classic of the 50-over format.

Katich rates Champions League win near the top

2009-10-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

The captain Simon Katich ranks New South Wales' Champions League Twenty20 win as one of the proudest moments of his career. Katich, who said the thrill of reaching the semi-finals of Celebrity Masterchef was almost as good as a century for Australia when it aired last week, arrived back in Sydney on Sunday following his side's US$2.5m victory over Trinidad and Tobago in Hyderabad on Friday.
"I'm very proud of everyone," Katich said in the Daily Telegraph. "We needed everyone firing and everyone did a great job right through the tournament. It's certainly one of the proudest moments I've had in my cricketing career.''
Katich, who has played 43 Tests and 45 ODIs, was praised for his captaincy during the tournament, which included opening the bowling with the spinners Nathan Hauritz and Steven Smith during the last two games. The moves were successful and they finished off the inaugural event with a 41-run victory.
Stuart Clark was another key performer, taking nine wickets at 12.44, and he said the win was his third most satisfying achievement in the game. "I think international cricket is always the pinnacle," he told the Australian. "The Ashes series in Australia is my greatest cricket memory and achievement, I only played one game in the [2007] World Cup, but for most people that is second and this to me runs third, but it is a very close battle between one, two and three."
He said the successes were great for different reasons. "This win meant so much for all the NSW people sitting at Moore Park and for all the young guys in our team, some who may never play international cricket," he said. "This is the highlight of their careers and they will thoroughly remember it."
Clark has tipped Smith and Moises Henriques for big things following their efforts in the two-week tournament. "Moises' improvement shows day by day and he is going to be an Australian player as soon as there is a spot available," he said. "Steve Smith is on his way too. You would think the writing is on the wall for a 20-year-old who can bowl leg breaks, given there are not too many leg-break bowlers around in the country. Then there is Phil Hughes and David Warner, sometimes they need a bit of guidance but they are super players with super talent."
The squad is due for a let down over the next week as they return to Australian domestic duties. Their first game of the summer is against Western Australia at North Sydney on Sunday in the FR Cup.

Delhi prevail in low-scoring contest

2009-10-19T23:32:00.000-07:00

Delhi Daredevils 114 for 6 (Shah 39*, Karthik 23, Ontong 2-8) beat Cape Cobras 84 (Nannes 3-19) by 30 runs

The spate of low scores at the Feroz Shah Kotla continued on Monday with the Cape Cobras collapsing in their chase of 115 to lose by 30 runs, in the bargain posting the tournament's lowest total. The good news for them, though, was that they finished second in League B and will play their semi-final against Trinidad and Tobago in Hyderabad, avoiding the dodgy Kotla pitch. There was good news for Delhi Daredevils, too - they were already out of the tournament but ended on a high and gave their fans something to cheer.
With the pitch behaving as expected - the ball coming on slowly and the bounce uneven - bowlers from both teams stuck to a plan similar to that adopted by other teams here. While pace helped Cobras restrict Delhi's batsmen, the home team relied on their spinners to turn the tide and pick up the big wickets - Herschelle Gibbs, JP Duminy and Justin Ontong. Gautam Gambhir, aware of the tricky pitch, opted to open the bowling with Tillakaratne Dilshan and the turn was evident in his second delivery as he trapped Gibbs in front to one that shot in from outside off. Duminy, charged with the responsibility of guiding the innings after Henry Davids' departure, was castled by Amit Mishra to one that kept extremely low, and Ontong was bowled through the gate, deceived by Dilshan's flight.
Strangely enough, though, the flow of each innings was altered by run-outs that prevented a par score on this track. Dinesh Karthik's attacking 23 was ended by an all-too-familiar blunder by his partner Owais Shah, while Henry Davids' dismissal off a direct hit from Pradeep Sangwan at short third man - after putting on an aggressive 27 with Duminy - proved decisive in getting Delhi back in the game.
Meanwhile, Dirk Nannes went about his job with typical efficiency; having uprooted Andrew Puttick's off stump in his second over, he delivered immediately on return for his second spell. Ryan Canning was bowled while attempting a pull and Claude Henderson failed to dig one out of the blockhole. At 78 for 8, there was only one result possible and Yogesh Nagar made swift work of the tail.
Delhi's score was boosted by Shah, who made amends for Karthik's dismissal with some aggression at the death. He broke a 10-over boundary drought with a six over long-on off Ontong, and helped snatch 35 off the last four overs to give his bowlers something of a target.
Karthik had launched a counter-attack after the Cobras seamers - who kept a tight line and offered little width - had reined in Delhi by dismissing the openers. After seeing off three overs amid the pressure of a declining run-rate, he stepped up to dispatch Kleinveldt for three consecutive fours. Each delivery varied in length but Karthik adapted brilliantly; a short one was pulled over midwicket, a good-length delivery was driven on the up and a slower ball bowled full was clattered over extra cover. His dismissal pegged back Delhi further, but Shah's surge towards the end of the innings took them to what turned out to be a match-winning total.
While the Hyderabad semi-final between T&T and Cobras promises to be a high-scoring one, the two Australian teams, Victoria and New South Wales, will be wary of what is likely to be on offer in Delhi, with the pitch spoiling a game designed for big hits.

Younis 'happy' to return as captain

2009-10-19T22:37:00.000-07:00

Younis has taken back his resignation, paving the way for his return to the Pakistan captaincy, satisfied that the environment in which he will continue leading the side is now more conducive than before.
Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, said on Monday that the board had rejected the resignation Younis handed in last week. At the same time he offered Younis the stability that he has wanted since becoming captain in February this year, saying that, if fit, he will captain Pakistan till the 2011 World Cup.
Younis said he was overwhelmed with the support he had received in the week after he handed in his papers at a National Assembly committee hearing in Islamabad. "I am very happy right now," Younis told Cricinfo. "The faith that the chairman and the board has placed in me again, it's good to know. The support that I have received from the board and the country through this time has been fantastic."
There were believed to be various reasons behind Younis's resignation, though he never openly stated them. It is believed that as well as the suspicions of match-fixing raised in the aftermath of Pakistan's Champions Trophy semi-final loss to New Zealand, murmurs about factions in the team and management working to undermine Younis spurred the move.
Younis met Butt last week and it is understood that he set down some conditions which would have to be implemented before he could come back. Stability of tenure was one, though those close to Younis insist he didn't want an assurance till the 2011 World Cup. A streamlining of the selection process, as well as changes in the team management were thought to be the other conditions.
Younis refused to go into details, however, maintaining only that, "the environment is good right now and I am very happy with it. All that has happened over the last eight months, all the effort is worthwhile now." Younis said he expects to be fit for Pakistan's next assignment, an ODI and Twenty20 series against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Clarke keen to play IPL next year

2009-10-19T22:35:00.000-07:00

Australia's new Twenty20 captain Michael Clarke will consider seeking an IPL contract next year as he aims to gain more experience in the shortest format. Clarke will lead Australia at the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies in May and he knows there is plenty of improvement required from his team in Twenty20 cricket.
Under Ricky Ponting, the Australians crashed out in the first round of this year's tournament and Ponting later retired from the format, leaving Clarke and new vice-captain Cameron White in charge. Clarke's own Twenty20 record is modest - he has played 25 matches without scoring a half-century - and an IPL stint could help him boost his form.
"There have been reasons why I haven't taken part in the last couple of IPLs," Clarke told a press conference at the SCG on Monday. "I've always said that it's a competition I would love to take part in at the right time. If the timing is right, if my body is healthy and I'm feeling good and a team wants me, it could be a great opportunity to prepare for what's going to be a huge Twenty20 World Cup."
Clarke knows finding a team willing to sign him could be easier said than done, given his Twenty20 record and his decision to pull out of the past two IPL auctions. Also working against him is the fact that he and several of his Australian colleagues will be unavailable until the final three weeks of the IPL due to their tour of New Zealand.
In any case, he must find a way to lift his men for the World Twenty20 against teams and individuals with far more experience in the format. Clarke, who is eyeing the No. 3 spot in the Twenty20 order following Ponting's retirement, said he would sound out his vice-captain White for Twenty20 advice - White has played 50 games over the past five years.
"I'll be looking to Cameron White as vice-captain and a lot of the other senior players who have played a lot more Twenty20 cricket than me," Clarke said. "It [Twenty20 ] is an area of our game that we're trying to work hard on and it's great to see New South Wales and Victoria over in the Champions League doing very well.
"I've played 19 games for Australia and the first half were about entertainment. We didn't know how seriously to take it. It's definitely changed over the last couple of years. No doubt cricketers in general take Twenty20 cricket a lot more seriously because it's a competition that's here to stay."

Terrific T&T blaze into semi-finals

2009-10-18T23:22:00.000-07:00

Trinidad & Tobago 213 for 4 (Barath 63, Simmons 40) beat Eagles 189 for 5 (Rossouw 44)

Trinidad and Tobago, powered by a fearless batting performance, secured the final spot in the semi-final line-up of the Champions League. Their batsmen thrilled the Hyderabad crowd by playing a shot a ball during a relentless assault on the Eagles that propelled them to 213 for 4, the highest total of the tournament. And it wasn't even Kieron Pollard who devastated the bowling, although he did contribute at the end; the damage was inflicted by Adrian Barath, William Perkins and Lendl Simmons. To seal their place in the final four, T&T's bowlers just had to ensure Eagles didn't reach their target in 14.2 overs. They did that, but only after overcoming an early scare.
The Eagles were perhaps the most unheralded team at the start of the tournament. But despite the lack of international players in their ranks, they were tenacious, punching above their weight, keeping calm in tense situations, and progressed into the second round. Rilee Rossouw led the charge today, blazing 44 off 19 balls, and propelled the Eagles to 50 off only 3.4 overs. They pillaged 77 runs from the Powerplay and raced to 100 off 56 balls. However, their desperate pursuit of runs forced errors and Rossouw's dismissal, with the score on 81 for 2, ended Eagles' slim chances of reaching the target before the 15th over. They continued to fight manfully, pushing for what would have been an impressive consolation victory, but eventually fell 24 runs short.
T&T's enterprising style of play in India had already made them the most exciting side of the tournament, but today they turned the intensity up several notches. Their batsmen didn't merely try to time their shots and find gaps in the field, they wound-up and swung hard, aiming to smash the ball with every ounce of power they could summon. Adrian Barath, playing his first game because Darren Bravo was unfit, scored 63 off 41 balls and blitzed 64 off the Powerplay with Perkins. Lendl Simmons then blazed to 40 off 25 balls, Pollard chipped in with 23 off 13, and the spectators were treated to T&T's newest finisher, Navin Stewart, who ransacked 33 off 11. There were 13 sixes and 18 fours in all in the innings, and the carnage left the Eagles shell-shocked.
The Eagles' hopes of restricting T&T to a total they could achieve in 14.2 overs began to vanish in the first over. Perkins was the pace-setter, cover-driving Victor Mpitsang through cover, clearing the boundary in the same region, before slashing over the third-man boundary. Barath didn't take long to join in, carving Mpitsang over the backward point boundary as well. Cornelius de Villiers, Eagles' best bowler in their last two games, wasn't spared either. Soon, the opening partnership was a blur of flashing bats and balls speeding through and over the infield.
The Eagles received fleeting relief when Thandi Tshabalala beat Perkins' cut with a slow offbreak, but normal service resumed the very next ball. Tshabalala greeted Simmons with a friendly full toss and watched it disappear over long-on. With his confidence soaring, Simmons square drove the next ball for four and stamped out any thoughts of an Eagles fightback. Barath had been the quieter partner until then, because he hit relatively fewer boundaries initially, but he opened his shoulders to swing Tshabalala over long on and reached his half-century off 34 balls.
Boeta Dippenaar had been forced to make frequent bowling changes right through and he brought de Villiers back in the 14th over. It cost the Eagles 20 runs. Barath carved the first ball over the point boundary and drilled the last straight down the ground. In between those shots, Simmons sent the ball speeding to fine leg and cover point. Simmons fell soon after - he was Ryan McLaren's first wicket of the tournament - and Barath and Pollard followed in subsequent overs. The damage had already been done, though, but the only player from Tobago in the XI wasn't going to relent. Stewart had replaced Samuel Badree in the XI, and was promoted ahead of Daren Ganga and Denesh Ramdin to give the innings an explosive finish. He did precisely that, ransacking 27 runs off the penultimate over bowled by du Preez, ensuring that the Eagles would need a miraculous effort to win, never mind qualify for the semi-final.
There aren't too many ways to go about chasing 214 in 14.2 overs, and Rossouw began by smacking the last two balls of Ravi Rampaul's first over down the ground for four. He improved on that against Dwayne Bravo, lofting the last two balls of his first over for monstrous sixes on the leg side. Morne van Wyk also wasted no time, dispatching Rampaul to the midwicket and square-leg boundary before scoring a hat-trick of fours against Sherwin Ganga. It was adrenalin-saturated action and Rossouw, who was dropped on 31 by Daren Ganga off Simmons, heaved the same bowled over the midwicket boundary.
The breakthroughs eventually came off tame deliveries. Sherwin Ganga delivered two straight full tosses, both van Wyk and Adrian McLaren played across the line and were trapped in front. Rossouw continued to fight a losing battle; one attempted six didn't come off and he was caught on the deep midwicket boundary, easing T&T's nerves.
The 24-run victory was T&T's third win in League A, and they topped the group with six points, setting up a semi-final clash against either Victoria or Cape Cobras in Hyderabad.

Clark and Lee bowl NSW into semis

2009-10-18T23:20:00.000-07:00

New South Wales 112 for 4 (Warner 40) beat Somerset 111 for 7 (Clark 3-15) by six wickets
On a pitch that offered bounce and some movement, Stuart Clark led a disciplined bowling performance to restrict Somerset to a below-par 111 which New South Wales knocked off without breaking a sweat in Hyderabad. With this crushing win NSW have joined their Australian counterparts Victoria in the Champions League semi-finals.
It was a must-win game for NSW and they came to the party in style. Brett Lee bowled with fire, Clark was as canny as ever and David Warner unleashed hell as NSW sealed the chase in 11.5 overs. Warner got them off to an explosive start, carting boundaries all around the ground. There were couple of cut shots that stood out for his dexterity in finding the gap in a packed off-side field but the highlight was a six off Omari Banks, the offspinner. Warner backed away a touch and was actually beaten in flight but lunged out to chip it all the way over the extra-cover boundary. While the batsmen indulged themselves, the win was set up by some fine bowling from Clark and Lee.
Clark was steady as ever with his back-of-a-length deliveries, getting them to cut either way. He was introduced into the attack in the fifth over and swung into action immediately with a double strike. He induced Craig Kieswetter into holing out to mid-on and had Justin Langer swinging without control to deep midwicket.
In the next over, Clark got one to kick up from short of a length and had James Hildreth top-edging an attempted pull to fine leg. Arul Suppiah was run out in the same over and Somerset slipped from 24 for 0 to 39 for 4, a position from which they never recovered. Clark could have had another wicket but he dropped Zander de Bruyn off his bowling.
It might have been Clark who did the major damage, but the platform was laid by a hostile spell from Lee, who didn't shy from using short deliveries and troubled both the openers. He got away swing and bounce as he went hard at them. Doug Bollinger gave away a few fours but Lee yielded just four runs from the first two overs. The pressure eventually told on the openers who tried to break free against Clark and threw their wickets away. Lee returned in the end overs to pick up a wicket and kept a lid on the scoring.
This tournament is the farewell song of Langer, who is retiring from competitive cricket after this game, but nothing has gone right for him. The reflexes seems to have slowed down and today, he was beaten for pace on quite a few occasions. However, there was one little moment that reminded you of the past: Bollinger had served him a short delivery on the free hit and Langer swiveled to unfurl a crunchy pull to the midwicket boundary.
But there was little else to celebrate for Langer and his men as the ruthless NSW machine rolled along without any trouble.

Masakadza ton sets up massive win

2009-10-18T23:19:00.000-07:00

Zimbabwe 329 for 3 (Masakadza 178*, Mutizwa 55, Taylor 52) beat Kenya 189 by 142 runs
If Kenya were expecting Zimbabwe to go easy on them in this dead-rubber, Hamilton Masakadza put any such doubts to rest, storming to a career-best unbeaten 178, the 11th-highest score in all ODIs. He tore into the Kenyan bowling attack as the hosts piled up 300-plus for the second time in the series, and followed up with a splendid performance in the field.
Once captain Prosper Utseya chose to bat, the opening partnership between Masakadza and Forster Mutizwa set the tone for Zimbabwe. They tackled the opposition bowlers with aggression, putting on 127 by the 25th over before offpsinner Jimmy Kamande provided the long-awaited breakthrough, getting Mutizwa stumped for 55.
Mutizwa, having struck seven boundaries during his 65-ball stay, made way for Brendan Taylor, the hero from the last match. Taylor continued strongly, playing the perfect support role to Masakadza, who grew more dangerous with each boundary. The 102-run stand for the second wicket had effectively dealt a blow to Kenya's chances of a consolation win, as Taylor made merry, smashing three fours and three sixes during his breezy innings.
Even as Taylor departed, caught by Collins Obuya off Nehemiah Odhiambo for 52, Masakadza continued undeterred. He reached his century and powered on in style. Malcolm Waller contributed 19 to the third-wicket partnership of 92 before falling to Odhimabo. But the day belonged to Masakadza, who kept up the momentum and his unbeaten 167-ball effort, studded with 17 fours and five sixes, ensured Zimbabwe put up an imposing total.
In reply to a massive target Kenya stumbled at the top and from 85 for 5 there was to be no miracle. Chris Mpofu bowled well with to take 3 for 44, striking once at the top and twice down the order. Ray Price was called on at first change and stifled the batsmen with another parsimonious outing; his figures of 7-3-15-2 accounted for two big top-order wickets. Jimmy Kamande's 37 was the top score of a disappointing batting card and Kenya were all out for 187 in 39.3 overs.

Eagles qualify after thrilling eliminator

2009-10-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

Sussex 119 for 7 (Gatting 25, de Villiers 2-20, du Preez 2-23) tied with Eagles 119 for 4 (Rossouw 65, Chawla 2-17, Hamilton-Brown 2-15) Eagles win one-over eliminator by nine runs

The eliminator came into play for the first time in the Champions League, Eagles and Sussex slugging it out during one super over each after being tied at the end of a dramatic regulation 40 overs. The tie-breaker lasted all of eight balls as Cornelius de Villiers bagged two Sussex wickets off his first two deliveries to hand Eagles a nine-run win.
It should have never got this close. The Eagles were cruising in their pursuit of 120, needing a mere 48 runs off 54 balls with all ten wickets intact to qualify for the second round, when their innings unraveled sensationally against an inspired performance from Sussex's slow bowlers. They were left needing 12 runs off the final over, and five off the last ball, when Ryan McLaren clubbed Yasir Arafat to the deep midwicket boundary to tie the match and bring the one-over eliminator into play. The Eagles managed only nine from the over but de Villiers, entrusted with the defence, uprooted the off stumps of Dwayne Smith and Rory Hamilton-Brown with the first two deliveries to secure a victory that should have been achieved without so much sweating.
For the major duration of the chase, while Riley Rossouw was compiling his attacking half-century, the Eagles were favourites. However after the 13th over, when they needed 42 off 42 balls with nine wickets in hand, Morne van Wyk holed out to long-off and Sussex fielders perhaps sensed the beginning of a choke. The equation climbed to more than a run a ball as the slow bowlers consistently found the blockhole and the fielding lifted. In three overs since van Wyk's dismissal, Eagles managed only 16 and lost Boeta Dippenaar. The pressure started to build on Rossouw and, when on 65, he top edged a heave off Hamilton-Brown and was caught, leaving Eagles 14 to get off eight balls.
Rossouw never took his pads off after returning to the dug out and watched as McLaren edged Arafat past the keeper to reduce the equation to five off two balls. Arafat followed it up with a fantastic yorker off the fifth but McLaren heaved the final ball for four to give Eagles a lifeline.
Such a tense finish was unimaginable when Rossouw was batting, on seemingly a different surface from the one that Sussex struggled on. He hit his second delivery, off Luke Wright, past square leg for four and then lofted over mid-off. Michael Yardy bowled different bowlers in each of the first four overs to try and mix things up but it didn't work.
Rossouw targeted the on side for the bulk of his runs. Against Smith's gentle medium pace, he cleared his front leg and smashed one over the bowler's head. Against James Kirtley, he got down on his knee and swung over wide long-on, and gave Arafat the same treatment after chipping down the track. Prior to this game, he had a highest score of just 11 and Rossouw couldn't have picked a better occasion to score his maiden Twenty20 fifty.
He was lucky to be let off twice though. On 37, the wicketkeeper Andy Hodd failed to collect the ball after Rossouw was already a couple of yards down the pitch. And shortly after reaching his fifty, he survived a run out after being sent back. Sussex will look back at those two reprieves and wonder what could have been.
Sussex would have fancied their chances after making only 119, a defendable total on a typically slow and low pitch at the Kotla. A couple of hours ago, Wayamba had successfully defended 118. Their openers came out with a plan to get off to a blazing start before scoring became difficult against the slower bowlers. With the strong possibility of the old ball keeping low, the strategy was to chip down the track, get close to the pitch of the ball and muscle it over the infield.
It didn't work consistently though. Wright, making his first appearance in the tournament, bashed two sixes but swished at de Villiers and lost his off stump. de Villiers then took an exceptional reflex catch off his own bowling to get rid of Hamilton-Brown. With van Wyk standing up to the stumps, Sussex found it difficult to hit with confidence and at one stage there was a 32-ball boundary drought. However, Sussex lifted again and reached 119, which turned out to be one run too little to make it through from Group B.

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Victoria lose but qualify to next stage

2009-10-13T22:40:00.000-07:00

Wayamba 118 for 9 (Vandort 42, Kulatunga 41, Harwood 3-14) beat Victoria 103 for 4 (Hodge 44*) by 15 runs

The Twenty20 format is supposed to be about big hits and large crowds. There wasn't much of either at the Feroz Shah Kotla as Victoria qualified for the next stage despite losing to Wayamba, who were eliminated in a low-scoring scrap on a sluggish pitch. Both teams competed in the go-slow stakes: Wayamba making the fewest runs in the Powerplay (16) in Champions League Twenty20, and Victoria taking until the 13th over to reach 50.
After a disciplined performance from their bowlers had kept Waymba to 118, Victoria were never really in danger of elimination, as they needed only 84 to make it through. The Sri Lankan side remained in contention till the start of the 18th over of the second innings: Victoria were still 11 adrift of assured qualification, but allrounder Andrew McDonald put the issue to rest by powerfully driving the first three balls of legspinner Kaushal Lokuarachchi for four.
The first inkling that Wayamba weren't going to be easily rolled over was in the third ball of the chase. Chanaka Welegedara pulled off an astonishing reflex caught-and-bowled, plucking a full-blooded Rob Quiney drive low to his left, changing direction in his follow-through.
Victoria seemed to be back in cruise control when Brad Hodge slammed a six over long-on in the fourth over and Aiden Blizzard swiped a boundary to midwicket three balls later. However, Blizzard was bowled next delivery by Welegedara, bringing together Hodge and David Hussey, the two leading run-getters in Twenty20s.
They hardly looked like the most accomplished of Twenty20 batsmen, though, as Wayamba's attack maintained a disciplined line and length. Much-improved left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, in particular, sent down some shooters, balls which barely bounced after pitching on a length. Hussey scratched around for a 22-ball 7, and was lucky to not be stumped when stand-in keeper Mahela Jayawardene missed a low delivery from Herath. Hodge batted through the innings, but never really came to terms with the conditions, finishing on an unbeaten 44.
Wayamba's batsmen had similar problems, hardly displaying any power in the Powerplays. The top order mistimed plenty of strokes, and adding to the lack of boundaries was panicky running; several suicidal singles were pinched but Victoria just couldn't get a direct hit.
After Mahela Udawatte was caught plumb in front by Peter Siddle in the second over, Wayamba sent in Michael Vandort, a man with the uninspiring Twenty20 strike-rate of 89.38. He struggled to match even that for much of his innings, eating up 17 Powerplay deliveries for his first four runs. Giving him company was Jeevantha Kulatunga, who while not playing fluently, was certainly more at ease than Vandort.
It was Kulatunga who provided some momentum in Wayamba's best phase of the innings: the five overs immediately after the Powerplay, in which they scored 47 runs with some crisp straight hitting. Vandort also got going once the spinners were on, and the pair took their side to 85 for 1 after 14 overs.
Just when it seemed Wayamba could make the most of the one advantage of the initial slowness, the many wickets they had in hand, the batting unravelled. Clint McKay, the star against Delhi Daredevils, took the wind out of the opposition again, removing both set batsmen in one over. His fast-bowling team-mates, Shane Harwood and Andrew McDonald matched him, by snaring two each in an over, leaving Wayamba at 105 for 7.
At that stage it seemed the match would turn out to be another demonstration of the might of the Australian domestic teams. However, Wayamba fought back splendidly to pull off a surprise win. That didn't stop Victoria from making it to round two, to which both Australian sides have carried over two points as well.

West Indies closer to peace deal

2009-10-13T22:38:00.000-07:00

The West Indies players' strike is almost over after the region's board and players' association reached agreement over their bitter contract dispute on Tuesday. A three-day meeting between Julian Hunte, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president, and Dinanath Ramnarine, the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) chief executive, led to "nearly all outstanding matters" being "settled amicably", meaning a full-strength team should be available to tour Australia next month.
There have been fears West Indies would send another second-string outfit, like the one which was beaten in a Test series by Bangladesh, for the three-Test contest, but the hosts can almost throw out their back-up plans. A joint statement from the WICB and WIPA confirmed they were on the verge of a peace deal.
"Both parties are pleased that the agreement reached creates an environment to engage in building a genuine partnership that can ensure the long-term development and progress of West Indies cricket," the statement said. Two issues remain unresolved, with the concerns over the 2009 India tour and team rights referred to arbitration.
On Thursday the parties will start negotiating a long-term memorandum of understanding and have committed to finish it by the end of the year. West Indies' full-strength side last played a Test in England in

Owais Shah Left Out of England Cricket Squad

2009-10-12T22:44:00.000-07:00

middle order batsman Owais Shah is a surprise omission from England's OneDay Squad to tour South Africa next month. Shah has been one of the most consistent performers for England over the last couple of years in One Day cricket but appears to have been made a scape goat for England's recent poor performances in the shorter form of the game. Shah played a superb innings in the recently concluded ICC Champions Trophy, he smashed 98 from just 89 balls against the hosts South Africa. That innings included an astonishing six 6's. Essex batsman Alastair Cook will replace Shah in England's One Day Squad. Cook has been one of England's best Test Batsmen over the last few years but he is yet to cement a place in the One Day team.Cook has been one of England's best Test Batsmen over the last few years but he is yet to cement a place in the One Day team, he now has been given the chance to establish himself in both 50 over and 2020 cricket for England. It is hard to see Shah upsetting the odds and getting back into the England Squad.
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Oram retires from Test cricket

2009-10-12T22:35:00.000-07:00

Jacob Oram has announced his retirement from Test cricket but will continue to play one-day and Twenty20 matches for New Zealand. Oram cited his ongoing injury problems as the reason behind his decision and he hoped that by cutting back his workload he would be able to extend his international career.
Oram, 31, recently returned home from the Champions Trophy in South Africa with a hamstring problem, the latest in a long and wide-ranging list of injuries. His troubles have included back and foot worries and have limited him to 33 Test appearances over a seven-year career.
He had spoken in the past of the options available to him to prolong his career and he said his preference was to give up Tests rather than abandon bowling. Oram has now done just that, following the lead of another injury-prone allrounder Andrew Flintoff.
"The last few years have shown that my body cannot handle the strains and stresses that come with being an allrounder, playing all three formats for up to ten months a year," Oram said. "For the sake of longevity I have had to make a decision that will decrease my workload, so I can concentrate all my efforts on the shorter forms of the game.
"The decision to choose limited-overs cricket over Test cricket has a lot to do with playing opportunities. The Black Caps play a lot more limited-overs cricket than Tests, and there's also the opportunity to continue playing in world events such as the World Cup, World T20 and Champions Trophy, as well as the IPL."
Another factor was the impending arrival of Oram's first child, due next month, which will give him extra incentive to spend plenty of time at home. Oram will remain on a New Zealand Cricket central contract and has his sights set firmly on the 2011 World Cup, although he said that ideally he would like to play for a couple of seasons beyond that.
On the Test scene, Oram scored 1780 runs at 36.32 and collected 60 wickets at 33.05. A powerful and clean striker of the ball, Oram struck five Test centuries, remarkably each time in the first Test of a series, and his highest score of 133 came in a crushing loss to South Africa in Centurion in April 2006.
It was an innings that Oram described as both his best and his worst. "You know you're not looking as good as you would like," he said at the time, "and your feet aren't moving as well as you would like, and you're not hitting the ball where you would like. But 133 is damn satisfying."
Oram struggled to have as much impact with the ball and his peak came early in his career when he collected 4 for 41 against India in Hamilton in his second Test. It was as close as he ever got to a five-wicket haul and in his last five Tests he managed only one wicket.
Oram did enjoy spending some time in the top five of the ICC's allrounder ranking list last year and he considered his bowling such a key part of his game that he was unwilling to give it up. He said he had attempted to delay as long as possible a decision about his future career.
"However in light of my latest injury at the Champions Trophy it has became clear to me that now is the time to sacrifice something to try and stay in the game longer," Oram said. "I have really enjoyed my Test career and I leave that format with many fond memories. I would be lying if I said I had no regrets, however these feelings were not powerful enough to make me reconsider this decision."
Justin Vaughan, the chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, said he understood Oram's decision. "Jacob has made a tremendous contribution to our Test team over the past seven seasons, and his experience will be missed," Vaughan said. "But we fully understand the difficulties he's faced with injuries and we hope this decision will help him prolong his playing career with the Black Caps."

Bangalore storm into second round

2009-10-12T22:34:00.000-07:00

Bangalore 188 for 2 (Kallis 73*) beat Otago 108 (Kallis 3-18) by 80 runs
The stakes were high, the task unambiguous: the winner would progress to the second round of the Champions League, the loser would to go home. And Jacques Kallis chose this stage to deliver a tremendous performance, one that ensured Bangalore's qualification, and Otago's elimination, from the tournament: his unbeaten half-century was the bedrock of a destructive batting exhibition, and his three-wicket opening spell knocked the stuffing out of the opposition's chase.
Bangalore's batsmen were barely troubled as they motored towards a formidable score. Their total of 188 was methodically constructed: the openers Robin Uthappa and Kallis denied their opponents the early breakthrough and built a launch pad, which Virat Kohli and Ross Taylor used to accelerate from during the final overs. Bangalore's innings was shaped by two half-century stands, 75 between Uthappa and Kallis, and 59 between Kallis and Kohli, and they left much of their ammunition - Rahul Dravid, Mark Boucher and Roelof van der Merwe - unused. Uthappa and Kohli were the aggressors during those partnerships but Kallis provided propulsion during the final overs and finished unbeaten on 73. Taylor made a late entrance and stole the limelight by clobbering 32 off 11 balls, ransacking 25 runs off the final over from Otago helpless bowlers.
It wasn't crash, bang and wallop from the word go though. Uthappa and Kallis took their time settling in on a pitch that was on the slower side, playing watchfully, choosing orthodoxy over adventure during the initial overs. And when the boundaries began to flow, they were results of proper batsmanship. Uthappa cover drove Neil Wagner on the up for his first boundary before targeting the wide long-on region for a four and a six off Dimitri Mascarenhas and Ian Butler. He then went straight, hitting with power twice over the bowlers' heads for fours. Bangalore scored 46 off the Powerplay, and more importantly had lost no wickets. Kallis had remained quiet during this phase but brought up the 50 partnership with a cut off Butler to the backward-point boundary.
Craig Cumming brought on his only specialist slow bowler - Nathan McCullum - in the ninth over and watched Uthappa dispatch the offspinner over midwicket for six, and reverse-sweep him for four. Relief for Otago, although fleeting, came from Aaron Redmond's legbreaks, when Uthappa got a leading edge and was caught by a diving Cumming at cover. Uthappa's departure brought in Kohli, whose 32 off 19 balls included scorching drives through cover and straight down the ground. He began the acceleration, but holed out to long-off, after which Kallis broke free from his anchor's role by lofting Butler and Wagner over the long-off boundary.
With Kallis taking charge it seemed as though Taylor, who received an unprecedented and massive cheer from the Bangalore crowd, would not get the opportunity to showcase his skills but that changed after he took strike for the last five balls of the innings. He pulled the first from Butler to the midwicket boundary, and deposited the second into the crowd behind long-off. The suffering was too much for Butler, who had been struggling with a knee problem, and he went off the ground, leaving Warren McSkimming the responsibility of bowling the last three balls. Taylor carted the first and last of those over the square-leg boundary, providing the innings a rocket-fuelled finish. Otago suffered because of the sameness of their bowlers - primarily medium-pace without quality spinners - but Bangalore had no such problems.
Although Kallis had made an invaluable contribution with the bat, he was overshadowed during the initial partnerships and at the end by Taylor's blitz. However, he came to the fore once again during his opening spell - four overs on the trot - which accounted for Otago's top three batsmen and effectively ended the contest. With clever and frequent changes of pace, Kallis struck a body blow in his second over when he foxed Brendon McCullum to hole out to mid-on. A ball later Kallis sent down a quick bouncer that had Redmond succumbing to cover.
Hamish Rutherford briefly lifted Otago's gloom by hitting Vinay Kumar for three fours in an over but Kallis returned to snuff out his innings with a slower ball and completed a maiden over as well. His outstanding figures of 3-1-6-3 were spoilt just a little by two boundaries in his final over but, by the time Kallis was finished with bat and ball, there was no way back for Otago. They crumbled thereafter, collapsing for 108, against a team that was determined not to become the first casualty of the Champions League Twenty20. Fittingly it was Kallis who performed the final act, catching Neil Wagner on the long-on boundary to spark off celebrations.
It's a hard road ahead for Bangalore, though, for their loss to the Cape Cobras means they won't be carrying forward any points to the next stage.

Whatmore to be Kolkata coach

2009-10-12T22:31:00.000-07:00

Kolkata Knight Riders have lined up Dav Whatmore as coach, putting an end to months of speculation and uncertainty after the exit of John Buchanan. Whatmore, who guided Sri Lanka to the 1996 World Cup title, has been given the job more than three months after the team sacked Buchanan following two disastrous IPL seasons in which they finished sixth and eighth.
Whatmore is head of the BCCI's National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, but KKR sources told Cricinfo that the Indian board, which also runs the hugely successful Twenty20 league, has allowed him an early release to take up the new assignment as soon as possible. Whatmore was not available for a reaction - he is away in Australia on vacation -- and Joy Bhattacharya, the Kolkata team's director, declined to comment.
Kolkata zeroed in on Whatmore after meeting a number of candidates, including John Wright, Richard Pybus, Dermot Reeve, Duncan Fletcher, Lalchand Rajput, WV Raman and Ashok Malhotra. The Knight Riders have also lined up Wasim Akram as a consultant to guide their bowling attack, Vijay Dahiya as assistant coach, and are expected to recall Sourav Ganguly as captain though a formal declaration can be expected only after they officially announce the coach's appointment.
The Kolkata management had informally sounded out Whatmore in June and followed it up with an interview in August at the Mumbai residence of Shah Rukh Khan, the Bollywood star, who co-owns the Kolkata franchise along with Jay Mehta, a businessman.
Whatmore, 55, played seven Tests for Australia and brings to the IPL an impressive record. Apart from the 1996 World Cup title, he guided Bangladesh to two historic wins in the 2007 World Cup against India and South Africa, and also coached Lancashire to title wins in the NatWest and Sunday League in 1998. Last year, he was coach of the India under-19 team that won the junior World Cup in Malaysia.
In 2007, he was on the verge of being appointed India coach before the BCCI think tank changed its mind at the last minute and opted for Gary Kirsten; the Indian board subsequently got Whatmore on board as director of cricket at the NCA.
But more than the records, what might work for Whatmore in Kolkata is his low-profile, hands-on approach and man-management skills, especially the ability to motivate players from the subcontinent and help them raise their performance, as his record with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh showed. His experience with the Indian board's academy may also come in handy as Kolkata have long-term plans of starting a full-fledged facility of their own.
Buchanan's tenure with Kolkata was marred by controversy after the former Australian coach unveiled his multi-captaincy theory that generated a lot of debate worldwide and then replaced Ganguly, the local icon, as captain with Brendon McCullum. McCullum will not be available for most of the next IPL - from March 12 to April 25 - and will play instead for New Zealand against Australia in the home series in March.

Tyagi and Munaf take India Red to title

2009-10-11T22:16:00.000-07:00

India Red 85 for 3 beat India Green 84 (Munaf 4-21, Tyagi 3-20) by 7 wickets
Sudeep Tyagi and Munaf Patel blew away India Blue for a paltry 84 before the India Red batsmen knocked off the target without much fuss to lift the Challenger Trophy in Nagpur.
Tyagi started the demolition job with a fine spell of seam bowling. He was off radar during the Irani Cup, often bowling very short, but he was on song from the first ball today. He varied from back of a length to full and punctuated his offcutters with the one that straightened outside off. Tyagi struck first ball with a peach of a delivery that pegged back from outside off to knock out the off stump of Naman Ojha, who had shouldered arms.
He then got one to cut back in from a fuller length to nail SS Kumar in front before troubling Harbhajan Singh with his bouncing offcutters from short of a length. Suddenly, he hurled one fuller to catch Harbhajan on the crease and knocked out off stump. If Tyagi can consistently reprise his today's efforts, he will be knocking on the selectors' doors.
Those three wickets had broken Blue's back and Munaf, who bowled first change today, settled in his rhythm quickly to cause further havoc. There is an opening in the Indian team and Munaf, sensing that, has been bowling really well right from the Irani Cup. Today, again, he operated at his best. He again hit the full length and found enough movement, nothing visually alarming but just enough, to cause trouble.
He probed Wasim Jaffer's weakness on the front foot by repeatedly drawing the batsman forward before he sneaked one in to get an lbw verdict. Yusuf Pathan gifted his wicket to Munaf with a fatal drive to mid-off and Abhishek Nayar dragged one from outside off onto the stumps. Munaf went on to collect Sreesanth's wicket with a bouncer though it appeared to have gone off the arm guard for a catch behind the wicket.
The third seamer, Ishant Sharma, tried to hit a fuller length but offered enough width outside off time and again to relieve the pressure but R Ashwin, the offspinner, bowled well to prevent Blue from breaking free. He beat Dhoni in flight and induced an airy drive to mid-off before he harassed Nayar with his off breaks and straighter ones. Nayar never looked comfortable against Ashwin and threw his wicket away to Munaf. Ashwin grew in confidence and even slipped in a carrom ball which squared-up Jalaj Saxena though didn't get him a wicket. Ishant returned to terminate the innings with a double strike.
Shikhar Dhawan and M Vijay got Red off to a steady start, negotiating a good spell from Sreesanth. Vijay, who was dropped by Ojha off Sreesanth when he pushed at a length delivery that shaped away, fell to Harbhajan but Dhawan hung around long enough to ensure the target would be reached without much alarm.

2009-10-11T22:12:00.000-07:00

New South Wales cruise into second round
New South Wales 130 for 2 (Hughes 62*, Henriques 51*) beat Sussex 95 for 8 (Henriques 3-23) by 35 runs
New South Wales, the champions of Australia's Big Bash, were the first team from Group B to secure passage, with points carried forward, to the second round of the Champions League. They did so by showing tremendous adaptability in both their matches on slow Delhi pitches with low bounce. Phillip Hughes and Moises Henriques quickly assessed what a competitive total would be on such a surface - only 130 was needed today - and their bowlers, fast and spin alike, bowled a dangerous stump-to-stump line, snuffing out Sussex's chase with early wickets and extremely few Powerplay runs.
The game was won for NSW during the 90-run partnership between Hughes and Henriques. Hughes played the patient innings while Henriques used the long handle to telling effect. Both batsmen reached half-centuries but, despite being extremely well set, were unable to provide the slog-over thrust needed to take the total towards 150. That they were unable to do so was more an indictment of how difficult batting was on this surface than a criticism of their power-hitting skills.
Just how tough Sussex's chase would be was evident in Brett Lee's opening over of the chase. Bowling fast and straight, Lee pitched one on a length: the ball stayed low, ripped through Ed Joyce's defence, and crashed into the middle of off stump. The total of 130 had suddenly grown in stature.
NSW's innings was in strife at 40 for 2 and they had reached only 50 at the half-way stage when the acceleration came. Hughes hit the first six in the 11th over, muscling Piyush Chawla with a flat bat over long off, and Henriques, who was dropped at cover a few balls later, struck the second, slog-sweeping over deep midwicket. NSW took 17 runs off the 11th over and appeared to be back on track. Henriques had struck three sixes during his cameo against the Eagles and began to do a repeat, launching Rory Hamilton-Brown over extra cover and clearing the long-on boundary off James Kirtley.
The batsmen scored 45 runs between overs 10 and 15 and, with eight wickets in hand, a score of 150 was probable. There were no boundaries in the last four overs, though, the most eventful delivery being the beamer from Dwayne Smith that crashed into the wicketkeeper's helmet, and NSW had to settle for less.
It isn't often that a team scores merely 130 in a Twenty20 match despite having eight wickets in the bank but it was that sort of a pitch. It got lower and slower as the day wore on; the batsmen struggled to find timing and had to stay vigilant to keep out the occasional shooter. Robin Martin-Jenkins' first delivery of the match set the tone as it thudded into the bottom of David Warner's bat. The Sussex bowlers rarely wavered from the straight-and-narrow line, hoping they would hit if the batsmen misjudged the pace and bounce. It was a method NSW's attack would implement with success.
After Brett Lee's searing opening spell of 2-1-3-1, which included Joyce's wicket, Doug Bollinger and Henriques kept the batsmen quiet. Sussex had scored only 26 off the Powerplay and, so when Simon Katich gave the ball to Steven Smith as soon as the fielding restrictions were lifted, Rory Hamilton-Brown charged the young legspinner immediately. He advanced and swung across the line but was beaten by flight and turn, leaving Daniel Smith with an easy stumping.
The chase was floundering at 26 for 2 and Dwayne Smith adopted a similar approach against Steven Smith. He swiped repeatedly across the line and was beaten. He eventually connected and sent the ball rapidly to the long-on boundary but Sussex needed him to contribute substantially. However, on a pitch that needed batsmen to remain watchful and balanced, Dwayne Smith moved towards leg to manufacture room to guide Bollinger to third man. He missed and was bowled. Sussex's bad situation grew worse when Henriques struck with successive deliveries to reduce them to 64 for 5 and it became dire when two more fell with the score on 68.
Henriques ended an excellent match by dismissing Andy Hodd and finished with figures of 3 for 23 to go with his match-winning half-century.