Category Uncategorized

Matt Renshaw earlier converted into a century while all the Australia A middle order chipped in

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Apr-2023Wes Agar and Spencer Johnson made early inroads for Australia A on the second day in Lincoln before the New Zealand A middle order fought back.The visitors had declared at tea on 370 for 6 which included a hundred from Matt Renshaw alongside half-centuries for Tim Ward and captain Nathan McSweeney.Related

• Spencer Johnson on Ashes radar after being named in Australia A squad

• Renshaw pushes Ashes claims by dominating opening day against New Zealand A

It did not take long for Agar, who played two ODIs in 2021, to strike with the new ball when he found the outside edge of both openers, Sean Solia and Henry Cooper, during his opening spell.Johnson, the left-arm quick who has had a rapid rise this season after breakout performances for Brisbane Heat and South Australia, was more wayward – he sent down a bouncer that went for five wides in his first over and twice left wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson unable to prevent four byes – but when he returned for a second spell he had Dean Foxcroft caught on the leg side.That left New Zealand A in trouble on 47 for 3, but captain Tom Bruce and Cole McConchie stitched together an unbroken stand of 62 until bad light brought an early close.Mitchell Swepson’s seven-over spell was his first bowl in first-class cricket since early December since when he played the BBL and was then an unused member of the Test squad in India.Australia A had resumed on 155 for 1 and Renshaw converted his 92 into a second consecutive hundred for the A side after the one he made against West Indies in Canberra, playing under the Prime Minister’s XI name.He eventually fell for 112, trapped lbw from round the wicket by Scott Kuggeleijn, and when Ward might have had visions of joining him with a hundred he lost his off stump shouldering arms to Solia.All of the middle order chipped in as Australia A scored at a decent rate during the afternoon – the 60-run stand between Peirson and Campbell Kellaway coming in under 12 overs.

The spin duo took seven wickets between them to dismiss West Indies for 176, and Rohit Sharma’s fifty helped ace the chase in 28 overs

Sidharth Monga06-Feb-20221:19

Chopra: Chahal cast a web around the West Indies batters

Led by the spinners’ seven wickets between them, India cruised to a six-wicket in the series opener that lasted just 71.5 overs on a pitch offering turn and variable pace. This was the first time since January 2019 that India’s spinners took more than five wickets in an ODI, but India will be equally impressed that their fast bowlers too created an impact to help restrict West Indies to 176.The returning Washington Sundar started the damage, Yuzvendra Chahal broke the back of the batting with four wickets, but either side were hostile spells from Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. The 46 dot balls that India bowled in the powerplay were the highest by them since the 2019 World Cup, thanks largely to Siraj’s opening spell of 5-2-13-1. Krishna took a wicket apiece in his later spells.Related

• Snub no deterrent for crafty Yuzvendra Chahal

• Jason Holder, the batter, sets the benchmark for West Indies

• Washington Sundar shows he can do more than dry up runs on India return

• Pollard wants WI to bat entire 50 overs during the India series

• Rohit on Kuldeep and Chahal: 'Want to get them back together'

India went into their 1000th ODI with a new-look attack. Take out the Sri Lanka tour with a second-string side, and this was the first time India went into an ODI with neither Bhuvneshwar Kumar nor Deepak Chahar in the XI since December 2020. Instead India picked bowlers who hit the deck hard, something England have done to create a point of difference in limited-overs cricket. Outside the spinners cashing on a helpful surface, Siraj and Krishna delivered just what India would have hoped.This wasn’t the only change in approach. Albeit chasing a small target, new captain Rohit Sharma scored 46 runs in the first 10 overs, the highest he has done in ODIs. One of India’s issues in ODIs of late has been that their top order is too conservative, which makes it imperative they bat a majority of the innings otherwise it leaves too much to do for the middle order. With a host of their opening batters missing, it was going to be interesting to see how Ishan Kishan goes in this small window, but it was Rohit who took the initiative early on, giving India such a head start that a hiccup in the middle wasn’t enough to bother them.The day began with Siraj bowling hard lengths at good pace. After a tight start, Shai Hope drove him for successive boundaries in the third over, the only times he had pitched up. The third ball was similar length but delivered with the wobble seam, nipping in upon pitching and taking the inside edge onto the stumps.After three overs of Krishna, Rohit went to Washington, who is quite used to bowling with the field up in T20 cricket. The first ball he bowled to Darren Bravo, the initial line suggested angle into the pads, Bravo accordingly closed the face for a single, but was beaten by turn so big that there was no lbw appeal as the ball would have missed the off stump.Once there was turn in the pitch, Washington’s accuracy was going to be difficult to negotiate for West Indies. Bravo faced the first 13 balls from him, somehow surviving, but the right-hand opener, Brandon King, fell to the first he faced. Closing the face early, he got a leading edge to short midwicket. In the same over, Bravo fell lbw to one that didn’t turn, often the delivery that does the damage on turning pitches.India didn’t turn greedy. They never bowled the spinners in tandem. After Washington’s spell of 6-1-21-2, Chahal came on with even more devastating results. The first ball Nicholas Pooran faced from Chahal he looked to sweep, the ball fell short of his reach and he was trapped in front. Chahal then teased Pollard with a loopy slow delivery first up, drawing a big drive and going through the gate with the wrong’un. He got the inside edge from Holder on the hat-trick ball, but it fell short of short leg.Soon, Chahal bowled the perfect legbreak to take a scratch off the defensive bat of Shamarh Brooks. At the other end, Krishna kept the pressure on with the variable bounce he drew from the middle of the pitch. In the 23rd over, one short ball stayed low to nearly trap Akeal Hosein lbw, but the next one stood up with tennis-ball bounce, taking the edge through to Rishabh Pant.Jason Holder and Fabian Allen, though, rescued the innings somewhat with a 78-run partnership, but Washington came back to draw a return catch from Allen in the 38th over. A final bit of satisfaction for India would be that Krishna came back to take Holder out with that hard length he has been kept in the side to bowl.West Indies didn’t have much to work with, but it was also clear they didn’t bowl with the discipline of Siraj and Krishna. Roach strayed into the pads, Holder overpitched, and Rohit got into his work. Soon he began to manhandle Roach, skipping down, chipping, pulling.It was Alzarri Joseph who stemmed the flow with a nipbacker to trap Rohit lbw for 60 off 51. In the same over, an unusually chancy Virat Kohli top-edged to long leg after hitting two boundaries. Kishan found a deep fielder looking to hit a six, and Rishabh Pant was run out by a Suryakumar Yadav straight drive. Yet, despite losing four wickets for 32 runs, India were in control thanks to that quick start from Rohit.With no asking-rate pressure, Suryakumar and Deepak Hooda saw India through with 22 overs to spare.

A more permanent appointment is expected at the board’s annual general meeting on September 5

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-2020Cricket South Africa (CSA) has appointed Beresford Williams as acting president of the board following the resignation of Chris Nenzani on Saturday, with a more long-term appointment expected when the board’s annual general meeting is conducted on September 5.The decision came a day after Dr Jacques Faul resigned as acting CEO of the board, not long after the organisation revealed that Nenzani had stepped down from his position over the weekend and COO Naasei Appiah had been fired. Faul, who was seconded from the Titans in December 2019, was due to return to his role with the franchise on September 15, but opted to leave his post four weeks early.While Faul was not available for comment on Monday evening, ESPNcricinfo understands that he chose to leave his post following a heated board meeting in which his position became untenable. An acting CEO is expected to be named imminently, with Appiah, who is fighting his dismissal in court, making himself “available” on a radio show minutes after news of Faul’s resignation was made public. Company secretary Welsh Gwaza, who was at the board meeting and was unable to divulge any information, is one of the names being mentioned for the acting role.In a statement, CSA said: “Dr Faul has put in place a detail transitional plan that will ensure the organisation makes a seamless transition to a new Acting CEO, that the Board will advise on shortly. The Board is for ever grateful for the outstanding commitment and leadership that Dr Faul has made and continues to make to CSA and the game of cricket.”Nenzani stepped down three weeks before his term was due to end, following increasing pressure in the face of administrative upheaval.A CSA statement, issued on Monday morning, gave no reason for Nenzani’s exit, and thanked him for his time in office. “Mr Nenzani has provided valuable leadership, insight, assistance and direction in advancing the game of cricket with a focus on achieving transformation and access for the majority of the South African population,” the statement read.Not everyone feels that’s enough, though. “Given what has happened over the last nine months, the president owes stakeholders an explanation for why he is stepping down now,” Andrew Breetzke, SACA CEO, told ESPNcricinfo.Nenzani had been in the position since 2013 and served two three-year terms, the second of which was extended through a change in CSA’s constitution in 2019. That gave Nenzani an additional 12 months, to see CSA through a difficult period. But he has since said he regretted staying on.

The duo’s half-centuries meant Bismah Maroof’s 63 went in vain for Pakistan, leaving the series tied at 1-1

The Report by Liam Brickhill18-May-2019Lizelle Lee and Marizanne Kapp both scored fifties as South Africa chased down Pakistan’s 128 for 5 with one ball to spare in the second Twenty20 International in Pietermaritzburg. Together they added 96 runs for the second wicket to chase down a total that had been built around Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof’s 63 not out. Although Lee fell moments before the match was won, Kapp remained unbeaten after registering her maiden T20I half century, hitting the winning runs.South Africa were well ahead of the asking rate when Kapp joined Lee in the middle in the fifth over, but tight spells from Pakistan’s attack meant that no boundaries were scored between the fifth and 12th overs. A steadily climbing required rate touched 8.55 before
the pair opened up once more and broke the shackles with a flurry of boundaries.Lee was first to her fifty, reaching the mark off the 45th ball she faced in the 17th over. South Africa needed just 12 off the final two overs, but Sana Mir ended her spell with a tight, five-run over to leave Nida Dar with seven to defend. Kapp swatted Dar’s
first ball for four to raise her fifty, and a single off the next ball put Lee back on strike.With two runs still needed and three balls remaining, Lee slogged a full toss out to Iram Javed at deep backward square, but the batting pair crossed while the ball was in the air, leaving Kapp on strike. A fierce straight drive ricocheted off non-striker Chloe Tryon, the ball bouncing into the gap beyond mid off, and a sprinted two brought victory for the hosts.Kapp’s match-winning knock meant that Maroof’s 63 – her second consecutive fifty-plus score – went in vain. She had entered the fray in the seventh over of Pakistan’s innings, after Umaima Sohail and Javeria Rauf had added a steady 36 in their opening stand.Maroof was soon into her groove, ticking into the 30s at better than a run a ball, but her partners at the other end struggled to give her consistent support, with Sohail’s 23 the next best score. Shabnim Ismail gave away a miserly seven runs in her first three overs,
which included a maiden, but elsewhere Maroof found opportunities to score, taking two boundaries off Kapp’s third over and following that up with back-to-back fours off Masabata Klaas.A single off Kapp brought up a 39-ball fifty for Maroof in the 19th over, and she ruined Ismail’s figures a little with two more boundaries to end the innings, but Pakistan’s total was not quite enough to overcome the hosts. After South Africa’s series-levelling win, the teams will meet again at the same venue on Sunday.

For a few moments, West Indies looked in danger of losing to Papua New Guinea, chasing a target of 201. But their captain Jason Holder took charge to lead the team across the line

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2018
ScorecardCarlos Brathwaite is beside himself with joy•IDI via Getty Images

For a few moments, West Indies looked in danger of losing to Papua New Guinea, chasing a target of 201.Chris Gayle was not playing. Their other firebrand opener, Evin Lewis, fell in the second over. They slumped to 58 for 4 to spur the possibility of a spectacular upset. But the captain Jason Holder came out and took charge, scoring an unbeaten 99 off 101 deliveries to seal his team’s second win in as many matches.Prior to the start of the Qualifier, West Indies coach Stuart Law had expected low-scoring scraps. “It is not going to be making 300-plus and then bowling teams out. It is going to be working out how to get to 180 to 220 and then deciding how to get the 10 wickets. We have to lower that target just to make sure we are safe to play better cricket or make better decisions out in the middle and get the job done.”Although they were the ones chasing against Papua New Guinea on Thursday, the same principles applied. Shai Hope came in to bat in the second over and played a Test-match innings, scoring 49 off 115 balls while his captain took care of the big-hitting at the other end. Holder began with back-to-back fours. He cruised to his fifty off 65 balls, then leapt from 70 to 93 in the space of two overs and was eyeing a maiden ODI century as the game reached its climax. He was 98 not out. West Indies needed one run to win. Holder was content taking the single and walking off with the win.As a result, PNG were knocked out of the tournament. Their captain Assad Vala had top-scored with 57 off 89 balls, but was one of only four batsmen who managed double-figures. Carlos Brathwaite was the reason for such a state of affairs, picking up his first five-for in ODIs and instigating a collapse which pinned PNG down from 151 for 4 to 169 for 9.

Mohammad Shahid picked up an injury in BPL on Saturday but hopes to recover in time for the Tests against New Zealand in January

Mohammad Isam27-Nov-2016Mohammad Shahid has been ruled out of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League after injuring his right knee during Dhaka Dynamites’ 32-run win against Comilla Victorians on Saturday. He was hurt trying to field a ball near the boundary where he fell badly.The injury also put him in doubt for Bangladesh’s training camp in Australia in mid-December ahead of their tour to New Zealand, as he has to rest for the next two weeks notwithstanding the full recovery period.According to BCB’s chief physician Dr Debashish Chowdhury, Shahid had a scan but more medical tests would be required to determine the length of his rehabilitation after the rest period.”Shahid had a scan today after getting hurt on Saturday,” Chowdhury said. “We haven’t seen the report but primarily we know it is a partial ACL tear. He has to rest for the next two weeks, during which he will receive treatment. Further tests will tell us what we should be doing in the coming weeks.”A lot of the recovery will depend on the player, but the rest period is pretty much same for everyone. But how the player does after the rest period, will depend on each individual.”Shahid said that he had not given up hopes for the Tests against New Zealand in mid-January. He had missed the two Tests against England due to a side strain.”I will need rest for two weeks and then I will work for four weeks,” he said. “I hope to play the Tests against New Zealand, I am not losing hope. I have enough time. I don’t want to miss the series, having already missed the England series.”Shahid’s replacement has not been named yet.

Craig McMillan says the players should embrace the day-night Test, in the knowledge that it may be a format of the game they are soon playing far more often

Daniel Brettig20-Nov-20153:29

‘Trying not to think about the pink ball too much’ – McMillan

Craig McMillan remembers the inaugural Twenty20 international, played in 2005 between Australia and New Zealand on a warm summer’s evening at Eden Park. He remembers the colour, the crowd and the retro uniforms. He also remembers that the players all thought it was a bit of a joke, and that none could foresee the T20 explosion to follow.This time around as New Zealand’s batting coach, McMillan knows the inaugural day-night Test at Adelaide Oval will be another leap into the unknown. Once again, there will be some level of scepticism among players about the concept. But McMillan is adamant that they should embrace it, in the knowledge that it may be a format of the game they are soon playing far more often.”It was a different feeling, almost a carnival atmosphere,” McMillan said of the T20 game ahead of a pink ball warm-up match against a Western Australia XI at the WACA Ground. “Perhaps it wasn’t taken as seriously as what it should have been. No one had the inkling in eight years time it was going to be the norm and part of the calendar.”That’s why it’s important we prepare properly and we look forward to this, because we just don’t know in three or four years’ time where cricket is going to head. I think it’s important, as a sport, that we’re always looking to encourage different groups, different people to come to the game, and this is certainly a way of doing that.”Ticket sales for the Adelaide Test have been strong, compared to “Ashes levels” by Cricket Australia. McMillan said the prospect of crowds in the region of 50,000 on the first couple of evenings was something the tourists were eager to embrace, even as they took time to adjust to the vagaries of the pink ball and evening air. Then there is the momentum New Zealand built through a highly resilient display in Perth.”I don’t know how the Australians are thinking, all I know is talk of 50,000 on the first day of a Test match, for us, is very exciting,” he said. “We generally don’t play in front of crowds like that in terms of Test cricket. There is a lot of excitement. We’ve heard a lot about the Adelaide Oval, its redevelopment and how it looks. Everyone we’ve talked to says what an amazing stadium it is.”We’re certainly more happy with our performance in the second Test than the first. I think guys have gained a lot of confidence individually and as a group from the performance in Perth. With this being a little bit of an unknown because it’s a different situation – it’s at night, it’s a different ball – there’s an excitement. I think there’s not a lot between the two sides, so it all adds up to an exciting Test match ahead.”One of McMillan’s primary responsibilities right now is to bolster the confidence of the opener Martin Guptill, who is still working to bring the free-flowing elements of his limited-overs batting to the Test arena. To play with freedom is invariably easier said than done, and Guptill must overcome the anxieties associated with spells in and out of the Test team before he can muscle the ball around as he has done so often in ODIs.”Gupps has spent a fair bit of time at the crease and I don’t think he’s too far away,” McMillan said. “Over the last six months coming back into the Test side – he spent some time out – and I don’t think he’s too far away from actually closing that gap between his one-day game and his Test game.”One of the important things I talk to Gupp about is encouraging him to play similar to his one-day game. There’s not a lot of change with the way he should play. He’s still working through it. He’s a quality player at the international level and I don’t think he’s far off producing some of the innings we know he can produce at the top of the order.”New Zealand will try as many options as possible during the two-day fixture, with Trent Boult and Tim Southee both expected to bowl under lights with the pink ball to re-familiarise themselves with it after two daytime Test matches. McMillan has seen predictions of a well-grassed Adelaide surface in order to preserve the condition of the ball.”I’m expecting a bit more grass than what we’ve seen in the last two Test matches,” he said. “Historically Adelaide has generally been pretty flat and at times hasn’t turned. But I wouldn’t be surprised to maybe see more grass and even a hint of green grass on the surface. Certainly more than what we’ve seen in the first two Tests.”To a degree, yes [surprised at flatness of pitches]. I think on previous tours of Australia there’s certainly been a little bit more there for the bowlers at different stages. Certainly the last two Test matches have been taxing on both bowling attacks. So giving everyone a bit of a break over the last couple of days has been really important.”Western Australia XI squad: Ashton Turner (capt), Tom Beaton, Will Bosisto, Ryan Duffield, Marcus Harris, Josh Inglis, David Moody, Liam O’Connor, Joel Paris, Andrew Tye, Jonathan Wells, Sam Whiteman (wk)

Marcus North hit a brilliant 137 not out as Glamorgan made it two wins from two matches in this season’s Yorkshire Bank 40 by overpowering a below-par Middlesex by 26 runs at Lord’s.

06-May-2013
ScorecardMarcus North, seen here for Perth, made his ninth List A hundred•Getty Images

Marcus North hit a brilliant 137 not out as Glamorgan made it two wins from two matches in this season’s Yorkshire Bank 40 by overpowering a below-par Middlesex by 26 runs at Lord’s.Glamorgan skipper and former Australia batsman North led from the front. He hit 16 fours and three sixes in his 98-ball innings and featured in an unbroken stand of 156 in just 16.3 overs with Jim Allenby, who scored 69 not out from 50 balls.Opener Will Bragg also contributed a 72-ball 62, riding some early luck against the new ball after Middlesex had decided to bowl first on an excellent surface.Bragg’s partnership of 86 in 16 overs with North got the Glamorgan innings going again after they slid to 38 for 2 when Mark Wallace was caught at first slip and Chris Cooke, later in the same over, was run out by Joe Denly’s direct hit from cover.Dawid Malan, Chris Rogers and Paul Stirling all briefly threatened to do something spectacular at the top of the Middlesex batting order but Will Owen took three wickets in 18 balls from the Pavilion End, after Allenby had initially removed Rogers.And, with slow left-arm spinner Dean Cosker also putting in a tight spell, it was only a matter of time from 110 for 4 – despite Berg’s late hitting – before Glamorgan’s victory was confirmed. Berg made a brave 75 from 57 balls but it only served to reduce the margin of victory.It was a fine effort by Glamorgan, who had totalled 285 for 7 from their 40 overs in the previous day’s 28-run win against Yorkshire at Colwyn Bay but then had to endure a near five-hour journey to London from north Wales before waking up to prepare for this match.Rogers, fresh from his match-saving County Championship double hundred against Surrey, produced some eye-catching strokes in his 22 before being caught off a leading edge at cover, but Malan had already survived a stumping chance on 35 when he fell at the same score, lifting a catch to point off Owen.Denly went for 11, caught at the wicket driving loosely at a wider ball from Owen, who then struck a crucial blow for his team by bowling the hard-hitting Stirling for 36 through an ugly legside heave.Neil Dexter drove one six over long on against Michael Hogan in his 24, but Hogan soon had him caught at deep cover and Berg was then left with only the tail for company. He hit Owen for two defiant sixes but saw wickets continue to tumble as John Simpson was caught at deep mid-off, Josh Davey was held at deep midwicket and Toby Roland-Jones also hit a catch into the deep. Berg was finally ninth out, bowled by Hogan after hitting six fours besides his two sixes.The North-Allenby partnership was far too much for Middlesex. Hardly anything got past the bat, once they both got their eye in, as they took full advantage of a superb batting pitch and Middlesex’s attack was beginning to look very ragged by the time the overs ran out.The last five overs of the innings brought 60 runs and, in all, 180 runs were plundered from the last 20.3 overs only for the loss of Bragg, who was athletically held by a diving Tom Smith at backward point off Davey.North’s first six was swung over midwicket off a Dexter full toss, just before Glamorgan’s 200 arrived in the 34th over, and he later added a powerful hit into the grandstand off Roland-Jones’s penultimate ball of the innings.Allenby, too, produced some meaty blows as he went past 50 from 39 balls, including a full-blooded club over wide long on from a couple of steps down the pitch against an astonished Corey Collymore.

Andy Flower, the England team director, is keen to ensure lessons are learned on the team’s recent overseas tours are not limited to the senior squad and get passed down the chain to younger players.

Andrew McGlashan08-Apr-2012Andy Flower, the England team director, is keen to ensure lessons are learned on the team’s recent overseas tours are not limited to the senior squad and get passed down the chain to younger players. Flower was boosted by the strides made by the batsmen in Sri Lanka as they fought back to level the series with a convincing eight-wicket win in Colombo following the whitewash against Pakistan in the UAE.The success was set up by Kevin Pietersen’s barnstorming 151 but Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott and Andrew Strauss all played important innings. But the revival was started by Trott in the second innings in Galle when his 112, although not able to prevent defeat, showed how batsmen can succeed by playing to their strengths.England’s other representative sides – the Lions and Under-19 team – also toured Asia over the last six months with mixed results. The Lions lost in Bangladesh but won in Sri Lanka, while the Under-19s were beaten 5-2 in a one-day series in Bangladesh. Flower wants all levels of the professional game to work together to improve England’s cricket in these conditions.”It is our job, not only to embed all those lessons but also to continue building on want we’ve learnt,” Flower said. “We also need to pass on those lessons to younger English cricketers so that when they are playing international cricket they don’t make the same mistakes as ours did this winter. I think that’s quite important.”It has been a tough winter but our focus has never wavered, our determination has never wavered and I think you would probably have see that best in the field. I think that was a good indication of where the group was. Yes it’s been tough but it’s brilliant to come back and level the series. It’s a real pity that it’s not a three-Test series – both Tests were excellent matches played on good pitches.”England almost left it too late to put in a complete batting performance and while Flower acknowledged it was a lengthy phase of trial and error, the end result has left him very hopeful of what can be achieved in the future.”We all want instant results but the world doesn’t work as easily as that but I do think it’s exciting watching excellent cricketers still have the capacity to learn and improve themselves,” he said. “I think good sides and good players have that capacity and are humble enough to open themselves up to new learning experiences. And I think we did see evidence of our guys learning in the second dig in Galle and out here.”Eoin Morgan was the one batsman to pay with his place after the Pakistan series and there will be focus on Ian Bell and Strauss when England resume action against West Indies in May. Bell has had a poor few months with just one half-century, in the first innings in Galle, to show as reward and his dismissal in Colombo – pulling a long hop to midwicket – was an inglorious way to finish.Strauss, meanwhile, struck an important 61 to lay the foundation alongside Cook in Colombo but has now one Test hundred in 50 innings. From within the team there remains no doubt over his position – something reiterated by Flower – yet he could still do with a productive summer against West Indies and South Africa. Bell, too, will not be dropped although will need to convince the selectors that he has the game to succeed in India next winter with Flower insisting no one is immune to scrutiny.Heading into the home season, No. 6 is the likely spot up for grabs if England revert to their regular balance of six batsmen, a keeper, three quicks and a spinner. Ravi Bopara was the spare batsman on the two recent tours after picking up a side strain in Sri Lanka being overlooked for Samit Patel.”Not one player owns a position in the batting order,” Flower said. “There’s competition for all places. Of course some are more secure than others but I don’t want to comment who’ll bat at six against the West Indies as I need to talk to the selectors. We’ll be having a selection meeting later this month and that’s when we’ll be discussing it in greater detail.”Neither would Flower be drawn on whether he thought the top six that played in Sri Lanka was the ideal combination for India at the end of the year. “I think it’s a little early to say that this batting unit will be there at the end of the year, we don’t know how things are going to pan out,” he said. “Yes, this batting unit is good enough to score heavy runs in India but part of our job is to ensure it isn’t a closed shop and if there are other players in England, we want them pushing the top seven here, constantly. That will drive our standards upwards.”

Kochi’s IPL debut will be against a Bangalore outfit that is virtually unrecognisable from last year, barring Virat Kohli

The Preview by Nitin Sundar08-Apr-2011

Match facts

Barring Virat Kohli, the Bangalore side is unrecognisable from last year•AFP

Saturday, April 9
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)

Big picture

Surprise, surprise! After being in the news for all the wrong reasons for the best part of a year, Kochi is finally going to play a game of cricket. It all started off with a seemingly harmless tweet from Lalit Modi. From there, the Kochi controversy morphed into an unstoppable avalanche that knocked Shashi Tharoor out of the Indian cabinet of ministers, and Modi off his pedestal as the IPL commissioner. If the franchise’s off-field giant-slaying abilities are anything to go by, their on-field opponents better watch out.The Kochi consortium might be tangled in an unintelligible ownership mess, much like a batsman who can’t read Muttiah Muralitharan’s doosra, but the team is filled with players known to take ownership of the sides they play for. Captain Mahela Jayawardene and Murali will still be smarting from Sri Lanka’s loss in the World Cup final. Brad Hodge will have a point to prove to the selectors of the Australian team. VVS Laxman will have a point to prove to himself, that he can flourish in Twenty20 with the finesse he brings to the purest form of the game. And then, there is Sreesanth who, when he sets his mind to it, can produce deliveries that force batsmen of Jacques Kallis’ calibre into performing back flips at the crease.Kochi’s IPL debut will be against a Bangalore outfit that is virtually unrecognisable from last year, barring Virat Kohli. Among the new names is Tillakaratne Dilshan, who gave Kohli the most vociferous of send-offs after dismissing him in the World Cup final. The team also brings Daniel Vettori and AB de Villiers together, just over a week after they confronted each other in a charged-up World Cup quarter-final. Dale Steyn has been lost in the auction, but Zaheer Khan and Dirk Nannes have come in. Bangalore have picked a strong bunch of foreign players, but seem a trifle short on quality local batsmen. After two very good seasons that ended in heartbreak, will Bangalore finally find a path to IPL glory?

Team talk

Barring fitness concerns, Bangalore’s overseas picks are automatic selections. Captain Vettori will surely play the in-form Dilshan and de Villiers, while Nannes should relish sharing the new ball with Zaheer. There is a question mark over who Dilshan’s opening partner will be, and the toss-up could be between Mayank Agarwal and Jonathan Vandiar, though the latter’s inclusion would mean having to leave one of the other foreign players on the bench. Abhimanyu Mithun and Mohammad Kaif are likely to get a game.Brendon McCullum and Jayawardene should form an interesting contrast at the top for Kochi. Murali, if fit, should walk into the XI, while Thisara Perera could get a game in the lower-middle order, giving the side a distinct Sri Lankan flavour. RP Singh and Ramesh Powar are expected to complete the bowling line-up.

In the spotlight

Saurabh Tiwary and Cheteshwar Pujara represent two sides of the same coin. Tiwary stands back in the crease and thumps the ball with fierce arms, looking for midwicket with the assiduity of a left-handed MS Dhoni. Pujara, on the other hand, invokes Rahul Dravid in his temperament and technique, keeping his drives down, and finishing with his leading elbow high and showing the full face of the bat. Both met with success in the previous IPL, for different teams, and earned call-ups to the senior team, in different formats. This year, they could form crucial additions to the middle order of the top-heavy Bangalore line-up.Ravindra Jadeja has it all to do, once again. He was branded a ‘superstar’ by Shane Warne at the end of IPL 2008, and went on to earn a permanent spot in the Indian one-day line-up. Things have fallen apart for him since, starting with being banned for the 2010 IPL season after trying to negotiate a contract by himself. He has fallen out of the radar of the India selectors now, and a solid performance here will go a long way in re-establishing his oft-questioned credentials as an allrounder.

Prime numbers