All posts by n8rngtd.top

The batsman missed the final two games of the Super Smash because of a hamstring injury

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2021New Zealand opener Martin Guptill will have to prove his fitness in order to be part of the T20I series against Australia, which begins on February 22 in Christchurch. The 34-year-old Guptill, who had missed the final two games of the Super Smash season with a hamstring injury, assembled with the squad in Christchurch on Friday even as Finn Allen continued to be in the 13-man squad a cover for him.Guptill has not enjoyed particularly good form this summer, making just 46 in three T20Is against Pakistan in December before making three single-digit scores in his last four Super Smash innings. Uncapped 21-year-old batsman Allen, meanwhile, was impressive in the Super Smash, where he was the highest scorer overall with 512 runs in 11 innings, including six fifties.”Finn’s been in outstanding form and he’s certainly an exciting talent,” New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen said in a statement. “Martin’s our incumbent opener and our highest T20 International run scorer, so we’re backing him to do the job at the top of the order, but he will need to prove his fitness and it’s good to know we have a ready replacement in Finn on stand-by.”Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman, who were all part of the T20Is against Pakistan, have been backed to continue in the batting line-up after impressing in their international stints. James Neesham, who underwent a finger surgery last month and returned to the Super Smash on February 6 after gaining fitness, is also part of the squad.Larsen said this series would serve as a good rehearsal for the T20 World Cup, scheduled later this year in India. “Australia will provide a really stern test for our guys who I know will relish the chance to test themselves against the number two T20 side in the world. A five-game series also allows us to really nail down our game-plans and the way we want to play as we look ahead to the World Cup later this year.”We’ve got a great rivalry with Australia. With the prospect of full houses up and down the country, I’m sure this series will be the biggest yet.”Squad: Kane Williamson (capt), Hamish Bennett, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Martin Guptill (pending fitness test), Kyle Jamieson, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips. Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Finn Allen (stand-by for Guptill).

Rival Anand Sanasie along with Calvin Hope withdrew from the election race

Nagraj Gollapudi02-Apr-2021Ricky Skerritt and his deputy Kishore Shallow are set to be elected for a second term to lead the Cricket West Indies (CWI) board. The development comes after the rival pair of Anand Sanasie and Calvin Hope announced on April 1 that they were withdrawing from the contest, thus paving way for Skerritt and Shallow to be elected “uncontested.” A formal announcement will likely be made on April 11, the date to which the CWI annual general meeting was recently postponed.The CWI board elections were originally meant to take place on March 28, but were deferred owing to “lack of a quorum” after representatives from the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) did not show up. Incidentally, Sanasie was the GCB secretary until March 29 before being unseated by a rival faction, lead by Bissoondyal Singh. Hope, meanwhile, is a vice-president at the BCA.Related

• CWI board election postponed to April 11 due to 'lack of quorum'

To constitute a quorum, at least nine out of the 12 voters had to be present. Along with the GCB and BCA, there are four more territorial boards – the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA), Leeward Islands Cricket Board (LICB), Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB), and the Windwards Islands Cricket Board (WICB) – that constitute the CWI board. Each of these territorial board has to nominate two representatives for the elections.While Sanasie and Hope were nominated by the GCB and BCA, Skerritt and Shallow were nominated by the LICB and the TTCB and got the backing from WICB as well as the JCA. On March 28, both Sanasie and Hope did not participate in the AGM, but the latter did take part in the emergency meeting where the next date for the board meeting was confirmed.”Given the unfortunate circumstances leading up to and recent events in Guyana regarding the Guyana Cricket Board, together with the refusal by the leadership of CWI to uphold the highest standards, long-standing traditions and rules for governing the administration of West indies cricket, we, having distanced ourselves from such action of CWI, have decided to withdraw our respective candidacies,” Hope and Sanasie said in a public statement issued on Thursday.Sanasie also issued a separate statement expanding on why he had “reassessed” his stance before deciding to withdraw. According to Sanasie, the CWI elections were being held “without critical requirements outlined” in the board’s constitution being “complied” with. “This attempt, until it was thwarted at the last minute, remains cause for serious concern by those who have an interest in good governance of CWI.”According to Sanasie, Skerrit had met Guyana sports minister Charles Ramson Jr three times before the CWI and GCB elections. Calling the GCB elections as “dubious”, Sansie pulled up Ramson Jr, saying his “actions” were “unjust, irregular, imprudent and hasty” as well being “partisan and compromised” which resulted in Singh’s administration being elected.Sanasie also pointed out that Skerrit had gained an “advantage”. “Prior to the GCB elections Minister Ramson held Three (3) meetings with the CWI President and a select group of Directors, from which the GCB nominated Directors were excluded despite their objection on the one occasion when they were aware of the meeting. The actions of Minister Ramson, at all material times, were deeply partisan and prejudicial, in favour of those who seek control of the GCB for political and personal purposes, and clearly intended to give my opponent an advantage in the CWI Elections. The Minister’s unpatriotic action supported and enabled my opponent to undermine my candidacy.”Sanasie is yet to send a formal withdrawal letter to the CWI corporate secretary, which he said he would be doing shortly. Hope, though, had confirmed to the CWI he had quit the election race.Sanasie urged Skerritt to have the territorial boards included in executive decisions. “I take this opportunity to extend congratulations and best wishes to Mr. Ricky Skerritt since he will be uncontested. I urge that more deliberate efforts be made to strengthen the finances of CWI and to improve in the areas of prudent fiscal management, accountability and transparency. I also urge that greater respect be accorded to Territorial Boards and that there is considerably more inclusivity in executive decision making and corporate governance.”

Last year it was Chris Gayle for Royal Challengers Bangalore, this year it’s AB de Villiers. Another fiery, match-winning hand from him transformed the game in a matter of two overs

The Report by Siddhartha Talya06-May-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Tillakaratne Dilshan’s 71 put Royal Challengers on track in a big chase•Associated Press

Last year it was Chris Gayle for Royal Challengers Bangalore, this year it’s AB de Villiers. Another fiery, match-winning hand from him transformed the game in a matter of two overs, revived Royal Challengers’ campaign, left Deccan Chargers shell-shocked and entertained the home crowd. Chargers clearly had the upper hand when Tillakaratne Dilshan fell after a half-century, their relatively inexperienced bowling attack punching above its weight. But de Villiers brought them down to earth and reserved special treatment for his South Africa team-mate Dale Steyn in a game-changing 18th over.Dilshan’s 71 had put Royal Challengers on track in a big chase but his wicket, in the 16th over, was one of three in quick succession – a stutter that helped Chargers sneak ahead. But Mayank Agarwal showed plenty of fight, thrashing Veer Pratap Singh and Ashish Reddy, both medium-pacers, for sixes to keep his team in the hunt. De Villiers’ subsequent onslaught snatched the game away from Chargers.The visitors brought back Steyn in the 18th over, with 39 needed, and he erred by dropping short first up, to be dispatched for six over deep midwicket. A slower one was slogged past wide long-on, and an attempt at a yorker went awry as it served up as a full length ball that de Villiers hammered over extra cover for a flat six by making room. If brute power lay behind those shots, the icing was the scoop past short fine. Twenty-three came off that over. With 16 still needed off two overs, five balls was all it took to finish things off. Anand Rajan was thrashed over extra cover and down the ground, before being launched over the deep-midwicket boundary. J Syed Mohammad was given the strike to score the winning runs, and he didn’t waste the chance. It was the only ball he faced in a stand worth 42, off 11 balls.The platform for a successful chase was laid by Dilshan, who was by far the more dominant opening partner and made up for Chris Gayle’s subdued stay at the other end. He played a busy innings, cut the ball well, used the scoop, swept frequently and promptly dealt with long hops. He charged out to Veer Pratap to smash him for six over extra cover and a swept four off Reddy underlined his confidence. The stand grew more threatening for Chargers when Gayle began to open up, swinging Amit Mishra and Rajan for sixes, but his fall in the 11th over triggered a slide.Mishra flighted the ball generously and got what he planned for, thanks to Steyn’s expert catching in the deep that accounted for captain Virat Kohli and Asad Pathan. When Dilshan was bowled, 65 were needed off 28 and Chargers could be spared to think they were in the ascendancy. De Villiers had other ideas, and inflicted a brutal punishment that scarred them further in their disappointing campaign, not allowing them a moment of security in a rarely-reached position of control.That performance consigned Shikhar Dhawan’s third half-century this IPL, opener Daniel Harris’ impressive contribution at the top and Cameron White’s powerful cameo at the end of the innings – each playing an important role in taking Chargers to 181 – to a passing mention in Royal Challengers’ outstanding comeback.

Asghar Stanikzai and Mohammad Nabi played spirited innings but four wickets for Mitchell Starc helped ensure victory for Australia

The Report by Alex Malcolm25-Aug-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball report
Michael Clarke made 75 after promoting himself to No. 3•AFP

It was a historic night for Afghanistan, being just their second taste of elite one-day international cricket, but any hopes of a fairy-tale victory were dashed by the reality as they were eventually outgunned by an Australia side featuring some of the best cricketers in the world.But the key word is eventually, as Afghanistan proved a more than worthy opponent capable of exposing flaws in this Australia side during a spirited run chase.Australia were in control thanks to the contrasting styles of Matthew Wade and Michael Clarke, who each posted 75, and the indefatigable Michael Hussey (49), as they set an impressive total of 273 on a sluggish surface in oppressive conditions, before the pace and swing of Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson ripped through the Afghanistan top order to leave them reeling at 49 for 4.But this team that has ascended from rubble, through lowly ICC division five cricket to the World Twenty20, showed its incredible fighting spirit, exemplified by Asghar Stanikzai and Mohammad Nabi.The pair combined for 86 to send shudders through the Australia camp, mainly because of the momentum gathered along the way. Nabi, having earlier claimed two wickets with his crafty offspin, took a shining to Xavier Doherty and Glenn Maxwell, clubbing three sixes off the two Australia tweakers. Stanikzai chimed in with a slog-sweep of his own and although they did not turn the strike over as a professional side would the scoreboard moved at a very healthy rate.It forced Clarke into a rethink, having to turn back to Starc. His pace again unsettled the Afghanistan pair and saw Stanikzai offer a sharp chance to mid-on where George Bailey could not hang on. From there Nabi and Stanikzai added 40 in just 36 balls before Mitchell Johnson bowled Nabi through the gate from around the wicket.
Nonetheless the partnership left Australia ragged and rattled. Stanikzai progressed to a well deserved half-century as he bravely battled cramp and fatigue.Clarke again called on Starc in the batting Powerplay. The left-arm quick conceded three boundaries to Stanikzai before the captain took a terrific catch at midwicket to end one of the best innings by an Afghan in ODI cricket and effectively end the match. Starc finished with four wickets and was comfortably the pick of the Australia bowlers.Earlier, after one look at a pitch that resembled a strip of shiny concrete in the middle of the Sharjah Association Ground, Clarke did not hesitate in electing to bat first. His assertion that the wicket looked good for batting, if a little slow, proved prophetic as both Australia openers wrestled with their timing early. Wade, re-acquainting himself with opening in the absence of Shane Watson, found timing particularly hard to come by against the accurate and consistent new-ball pairing of Shapoor Zadran and Dawlat Zadran.David Warner found the going a little easier when he was offered some width from Shapoor. He also took the chance to club the left-armer down the ground. But Shapoor was rewarded for his shorter length when Warner edged an attempted cut to a ball a fraction close, to hand Afghanistan their first wicket inside seven overs.Enter the captain at first drop, a familiar sight for Australia fans in years past, but a rare venture for Clarke. It is only the fifth time he has batted at No. 3 since he succeeded Ricky Ponting as the full-time captain.Clarke took his time to assess the surface but his fluency and class were quickly unveiled. An effortless straight-drive for four was a cut-above anything Warner and Wade had played on a surface lacking pace and an outfield lacking speed. Although he only struck three fours and two sixes in his 75, Clarke’s footwork and placement were a feature throughout as he handled the spinners comfortably.Wade was anything but comfortable throughout his 108-ball stay. The suffocating heat of the UAE, with temperatures hovering above 34 degrees Celsius well after sunset, looked to be getting the better of Wade. But he stuck to his task admirably to register his highest ODI score and provide the perfect foil to Clarke as they combined for a 131-run stand.They were undone by Afghanistan’s most experienced spinners in Samiullah Shenwari and Nabi. Shenwari’s wrist spin was particularly good, save for two rank full tosses that were both dispatched by Clarke. He should have claimed both wickets, having had Wade dropped by his captain Nawroz Mangal at midwicket on 32. Wade eventually fell to a sharp return catch by the offspinner Nabi, before Shenwari became only the sixth man in ODIs to spin one past the advancing blade of Clarke to have the Australia captain stumped.Australia’s debutant, Victoria allrounder Glenn Maxwell, was promoted to No. 4 during the batting Powerplay without success. He holed out to long-on for just 2 before the Hussey brothers did what the Hussey brothers do to tick the total beyond 200. But a brilliant piece of fielding from Gulbodin Naib to run out David hindered Australia’s progression momentarily, before Michael showed how valuable he still is to this outfit with a finishing flurry that only he could have compiled.Hussey and Bailey combined for 53 in five overs. The purity of their striking was made even more impressive by the fact that the wicket was getting progressively slower. It was the third time in four innings that this duo have posted 50 or more together.It was a night of firsts all-round. Not only was it the first meeting between these two nations, it was also the first time Australia were involved in a match in which both 50-over innings were completed under moonlight. The Afghanistan players also took prayer breaks at both drinks junctures as well as the innings break, something also foreign to this Australia side.

The left-arm spinner remains suspended from bowling

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2020The bowling action of Nisarg Patel, the USA allrounder, has once again been deemed to be illegal. Patel, who bowls left-arm spin, had been suspended from bowling since February and has undergone reassessment on his action. Once again, the flex in his action was found to be beyond the permitted 15-degree limit, and so he remains suspended, the ICC said.Patel was reported after USA’s ODI against Oman on February 11 in Kirtipur, Nepal. He bowled seven overs in the game, returning figures of 0 for 37.As per the ICC’s statement, “Patel can apply for a reassessment after modifying his bowling action in accordance with … the regulations.”While he remains suspended from international and domestic cricket organised by the ICC’s recognised National Cricket Federations, the ICC statement said that “with the consent of USA Cricket, Patel may be able to bowl in domestic cricket events played under the auspices of USA Cricket”.

Both sides will be led by captains who are new to the role in Mitchell Santner and Shadab Khan

Danyal Rasool17-Dec-2020

Big Picture

Pakistan haven’t played much cricket in the month since they set off for New Zealand, but that doesn’t mean this tour hasn’t been among the headlines. After three weeks of acrimonious quarantine that included positive Covid test, isolation breaches, threats from New Zealand that Pakistan were on their final warning and counter-threats of Pakistan returning home anyway – the series getting off the ground at all is something of a relief. Which is nice, because in these somewhat cricket-starved times, few boards can bear an expensive cancellation – just ask Cricket South Africa. More importantly, the cricket promises to be really, really good.Of course, Kane Williamson will be missed in the first T20I by New Zealand, still absent following the birth of his first child. In fact, there are several high-profile absentees for the hosts, with Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson and the injured Lockie Ferguson all absent from a notably inexperienced 13-man squad. That might allow Pakistan to look upon the game as an opportunity to start the tour well, though the red-hot Glenn Phillips and experienced hands of Martin Guptill and James Neesham ensure the batting line-up is not entirely wet behind the ears.

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Mitchell Santner will hope for his first complete international as captain after the third T20I against the West Indies was ruined by rain. But it’s the other spinner in the squad, Ish Sodhi, whose contribution may prove of greater consequence. The hosts are fresh off a clutch 2-0 T20I series win against a West Indies side that on paper appears to pack a greater threat than Pakistan, and Sodhi was pivotal to the second win. Varying his flight and pace expertly, he conceded just 26 in his four overs in a game where Southee, Santner and Neesham each went at over 12, and New Zealand themselves managed 238. One such spell in a high-scoring T20I could well turn the game around once more.Perhaps all those absences put together don’t quite make up for the extent to which Pakistan will miss Babar Azam, ruled out of all three T20Is in a huge blow for an already unfancied visiting side. Their squad has its own quota of young players, but doesn’t necessarily correlate with inexperience in their case. Shaheen Afridi is an all-format world-leading bowler despite his tender years, while 22-year old stand-in captain Shadab Khan has morphed into an exciting all-rounder.Mohammad Hasnain and Wahab Riaz should enjoy the pace and bounce Eden Park offers. Mohammad Hafeez appears to have reinvented himself more times than you might care to keep track of, and his form could be a crucial barometer for Pakistan’s showing in the series. And in Haider Ali and Khushdil Shah, Pakistan possess the sort of insouciant power-hitters each elite side needs to have to be competitive at the top in the modern game.

Form guide

New Zealand WWLT(L Super Over) T (L Super Over) (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan WWWWL

In the spotlight

After comments by Haider Ali that he’d been told to somewhat rein in his attacking instincts, you can feel sure the closest thing to his counterpart in the New Zealand side, Glenn Phillips, will absolutely not be doing any such thing. Having decimated the West Indies with the fastest T20 hundred by a New Zealand batsman (46 balls), Phillips spoke about the joy of “producing freedom in my performance”. That is the philosophy that has allowed Phillips to emerge as perhaps the most lethal attacker in New Zealand’s batting line-up. Having followed up those exploits with a first-class hundred for the A side, Phillips is not going to have a shortage of confidence.With Babar Azam forced out, Shadab Khan finds himself thrust suddenly under the microscope as his stand-in. Having shaken off a niggle of his own, he will be fit to lead the international side out for the first time in his career. That may bring about its own pressure on a tour where there’s enough of it already, but the 22-year old has led Islamabad United for a couple of years now, and has that experience to draw on. It goes without saying his stint with the ball will be pivotal, but perhaps the more interesting question surrounds what position he may come out to bat after enjoying a power-hitting role in the top four with Islamabad this season. He was immensely successful at it, and should he back himself to reprise that role on Friday, watch out for an absorbing tactical battle.

Team news

With most of New Zealand’s absences in the bowling department, how they line up on that front should be interesting. There could be a debut for 26-year old Otago quick Jacob Duffy, with Scott Kuggeleijn and Blair Tickner partnering.New Zealand (possible): 1 Martin Guptill 2 Tim Seifert 3 Devon Conway 4 Glenn Phillips 5 Mark Chapman 6 James Neesham 7 Mitchell Santner (capt) 8 Todd Astle 9 Ish Sodhi 10 Scott Kuggeleijn 11 Blair Tickner/Jacob DuffyPakistan’s biggest decision is the way they go about replacing Azam at the top of the order. Hafeez may be promoted, but with young opener Abdullah Shafique in the squad, Haider and Shafique could make for a fresh pair at the top.Pakistan (possible):: 1 Haider Ali 2 Abdullah Shafique 3Shadab Khan (capt) 4 Mohammad Hafeez 5 Iftikhar Ahmed/Faheem Ashraf 6 Khushdil Shah 7 Mohammad Rizwan 8 Imad Wasim 9 Wahab Riaz 10 Haris Rauf 11 Shaheen Afridi

Pitch and conditions

Eden Park has one of the shortest boundaries in world cricket, as well as one of the flatter surfaces for T20 cricket. Expect a run-fest, with no chance of rain playing spoilsport.

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan have won on the two most recent occasions these sides have played at Eden Park, with New Zealand’s only win coming 10 years ago in 2010.
• Hafeez needs 41 more runs to overtake Shoaib Malik as the highest run-getter for Pakistan in T20Is.
• Santner and Sodhi have each played the same number of T20Is (47) and taken the same number of wickets (54).

Head coach advises batsman not to rush his comeback after going through medical report.

PTI01-Nov-2020India’s head coach Ravi Shastri has revealed that Rohit Sharma’s medical report stated “he could be in danger of injuring himself again” and advised the batsman not to rush his comeback.Rohit, who is recovering from a hamstring injury he suffered in the ongoing IPL, was left out of the India squad for the upcoming Australia tour on a day when he was seen hitting the nets for Mumbai Indians, sparking speculation on the status of his fitness. Shastri said the call not to include Rohit in the squad was taken by the selectors after going through his medical report.”It’s being handled by the people in charge of the medical part of it. We don’t get involved in that. They have submitted a report to the selectors and they have gone about their business.”I have no say, neither am I a part of the selection. All I know is the medical report which says he could be in danger of injuring himself again if he is not careful,” Shastri told Times Now.The tour of Australia comprises three T20Is, three ODIs and four Tests. The series is scheduled to start on November 27.Shastri further advised Rohit not to make the same mistake he made during his own playing days.”There is nothing more frustrating for a player than getting injured. Sometimes you know, you want to get out of that room of yours and try and see how quickly you can come back,” he said.”And therein lies the grey area. Therein lies the problem where you want to go and play, you want to test yourself. But only you will know at the back of your mind whether you are 100%, whether there is a chance going at it again.” The BCCI is currently monitoring Rohit’s progress and there is a possibility that he may play for Mumbai later in this IPL.”What I fear, I have been through that as a cricketer myself. I finished my career in 1991 when I went back to Australia when I shouldn’t have. If I had taken a break for three or four months, I could’ve played five years longer for India.”So, I speak from experience. It is a similar case. I wanted to go. Doctors told me don’t go. It was greed. I was in tremendous form so there was this eagerness to go back. I hope Rohit’s case is not that serious and the same with Ishant (Sharma).”Ishant, who plays for Delhi Capitals, also got injured during the IPL. Shastri said the Indian team is bound to miss players of Rohit and Ishant’s calibre.”Both Ishant and Rohit will be missed in Australia. Both were missed in New Zealand too. Ishant played a huge role in our win last time (in Australia) and Rohit played a huge role in the home series against South Africa (last year).”Both these players have had a huge role to play for us to be at the top of the WTC standings.”In Rohit’s absence, KL Rahul has been made the vice-captain. Shastri was not surprised with the selectors’ decision.”It is not surprising at all. He captained the side in New Zealand (during the T20I series) when Virat and Rohit were not on the field.”

Pucovski became the first Shield batsman since Dene Hills in 1997-98 to make consecutive double-hundreds

Andrew McGlashan09-Nov-2020Will Pucovski’s “burning competitiveness” has helped him forge back-to-back double-centuries in the Sheffield Shield over the last two weeks, as the calls grow louder for him to be elevated to the Australia Test squad to face India. Pucovski, though, is shutting out talk of international honours just yet.Just nine days ago, he had finished unbeaten on 255 for Victoria against South Australia as part of a tournament-record opening stand of 486 with Marcus Harris. And today, on the second morning against Western Australia, Pucovski became the first Shield batsman since Dene Hills in 1997-98 to make consecutive double-hundreds, thus making it three in a career that is just 22 games old.He admitted there were stages on Monday where he started to feel the effects of hours in the middle but was soon able to refocus, and it wasn’t until facing his 733rd delivery of the season that he was finally dismissed.”You don’t get the chance to make 200 very often. So when you’re in that kind of position, there’s that inner burning competitiveness where you just go, ‘Gee, it would be pretty cool to get two doubles on the trot’,” he said.”You do get that build-up of fatigue over a week or two. There was probably a stage yesterday where I felt myself losing it a bit, but managed to switch back into gear which felt really good. [And so did] just knowing that I can switch back on and get back into that zone.”It’s [about] getting into my batting bubble and routines and for the first time in a couple of weeks, I felt myself just leaving that a little bit. But it was only for a very short period. It’s one of those things where I’ve developed the process now that I know how to get myself back into that space. I’ve been really happy with how I’ve been backing my instinct and just playing off intuition. The more I can do that, more regularly the results will hopefully come.”ALSO READ: Australia Test squad: who has staked their claim for a call-up?Pucovski was only told shortly before Victoria’s first game this season that he would be opening the batting. It wasn’t a position he sought out, but he does not see a vast amount of difference from coming in at first wicket down.”I wouldn’t say I actively wanted to do it, but was happy to do it when the idea was posed to me,” he said. “I wasn’t that fazed to be honest. It’s probably a good thing – you get out there straightaway, so not much time to sit there and watch the game. Just get stuck into it.”Australia’s Test squad will be named after this round of Shield matches – the last to be played in the Adelaide hub – is completed. With Queensland’s Joe Burns also struggling, there is increasing momentum behind Pucovski partnering David Warner at the top. Even ex-players have started lining up to call for his selection, but he is ignoring all the plaudits being sent his way.”To be honest, I’ve deleted every cricket app and most social media off my phone… I haven’t really read anything about it, it’s something that’s completely out of my control so all I can do is present myself every day and hopefully do well.”Even when approaching his latest landmark on Monday morning, his main concern was not getting too carried away, although he did allow himself the acknowledgement of a job well done.”I had a horrendous photo for my hundred yesterday, so I needed to make sure I wasn’t going too nuts to make sure the 200 photo was better,” he said. “It’s probably just that satisfaction that you’ve done a lot of hard work in the off-season on a variety of different things. Doing a two-week quarantine now almost seems worth it, especially if we can get a win.”

The impressive thing, from an England perspective, is the lack of denial following the back-to-back Test defeats to Pakistan

George Dobell in Dubai31-Jan-2012If the first step to recovery is the acceptance of a problem, then England might just have embarked on the road to rehabilitation.England arrived in the UAE as the No.1 ranked Test side and with a glowing reputation. Two Test defeats later, however, and England’s flaws have been revealed. England may remain, officially, the best ranked Test side, but the title has a hollow ring at present.It leaves England at a crossroads. Overcome their issues with Asian conditions and, in particular, high-quality spin bowling, and this period may yet come to be remembered as little more than a blip. Fail to overcome the spin threat and they will slide down the rankings. How they respond to that challenge may well define the legacy of this side.The impressive thing, from an England perspective, is the lack of denial. The team held a meeting before training on Tuesday – an echo of events of early 2009 when they were humbled in Jamaica – where they accepted that it was time to face facts: they have a significant challenge and their currents methods are not working.It was a point made eloquently by Ian Bell. In many ways, Bell’s problems in this series are a microcosm of the side’s issues. He arrived in the UAE with an excellent reputation, on the back of a wonderful year but has, to date, looked all at sea against Saeed Ajmal, in particular. Bell is averaging just nine and has been dismissed by Ajmal’s doosra three times in four innings.”There is no point saying we were great the last two years and nothing is wrong,” Bell said. “We all know we haven’t played good enough cricket here and we would be stupid just to carry on what we’re doing.”There’s no point in looking back and saying how great we were against Australia or how great we were against India. It is about now and the next challenges. We have a lot of cricket in the subcontinent and we have to get better; individually and as a unit. We can’t keep looking back and patting ourselves on the back – that’s all gone.”Bell was the man dropped after that humiliating reverse in Jamaica, but feels there are few parallels between that situation and England’s current problems. Instead he hopes that England’s success over the last couple of years should give them the confidence to face this new obstacle and insists that the side are relishing the challenge.”It was the right decision to drop me,” Bell said. “I hadn’t scored runs for a while. It’s a different scenario now. I’ve played consistently well now for two years and we’ve had two bad Test matches. So, I’m looking to put in a good performance in this next Test. I don’t think I’ve lost my confidence that’s for sure. I can look back on some good things over the last two years.”The final piece of this England team is to win in the subcontinent. There’s no doubt we’re not doing things quite right and that we’re going to have to get better. It’s exciting, as well. We’ve been given a real whack here and it’s nice to know in Test cricket that there are still challenges for us.”My preparation has been good. We knew what we were going to come up against. I knew I would be starting, in most innings, against spin,” he added. “I still feel I’m hitting the ball nicely. I just haven’t been able to get past that initial hard stage of batting – that first 20-ball period. That’s the danger time, you need to work hard to get to the period where it becomes a bit easier and you can begin to pick the different deliveries. In three of my innings, I’ve been knocked over quite early.”All credit to Pakistan. They have played very well. They have bowled particularly well at new batsmen. They’ve bowled at a good pace; it’s really quick spin. You have to work hard. Batting in the subcontinent you have to get through those first 20-25 deliveries, then things seem to come that little bit easier. So far I haven’t really got through that so I’ll be desperate to work hard to stay in there and survive, then go on to get some runs. I’d love to use my feet to the spinners, but I’ve not been in there long enough to do that.”Bell is realistic enough to know that there is little time for England’s batsmen to learn. The third Test begins on Friday and, barely a week after the conclusion of this tour, England will face similar challenges in Sri Lanka. He makes no promises of success, only assurances of hard work and good intent.”We all sat down and spoke about what we have done and the mistakes we’ve made,” Bell said. “And about how we want to get better. We are all desperate – as a group – in wanting to win Tests in the subcontinent. We can achieve that. It is the last thing that we need to do – we need to start scoring runs in the subcontinent. If we can do that we can start moving forward again.”We need to improve. That might not happen by the next Test but we have Sri Lanka coming up and India, so we have to talk about it now. We have to be honest. There is no point putting it off until Sri Lanka or India because we might make the same mistakes again.”

ZImbabwe’s success against Ireland sees them approach a limited-overs series against Afghanistan with confidence high

The Preview by Liam Brickhill15-Oct-2015

Match facts

Friday 16 October
Start time 9.30am local (0730 GMT)
Mohammad Shahzad has been bulldozing his way through the warm-up games [file picture]•ICC/Donald MacLeod

Big Picture

Zimbabwe’s packed schedule has already moved swiftly through two limited-overs series since the end of September, and now the national side heads down to Bulawayo for their third series in as many weeks, this time against Afghanistan. The hosts will have to hit the ground running, as Afghanistan have already been in the country for over a week preparing for these games, and have enlisted former Pakistan batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq as their head coach. The last time these teams met, the one-day series was shared 2-2, and the upcoming games are also likely to be closely fought.That series, in 2014, is also surprisingly the only time that Afghanistan and Zimbabwe have played each other in international cricket. Zimbabwe’s batsmen scored heavily in the opening two games of that tour, but tailender Dawlat Zadran inspired victory in the third, hitting four sixes in a seven-ball innings to win the match in the final over, and Zimbabwe crumbled in the fourth.The contrasting approaches and styles of play apparent in that series, and generally in the two sides, will make for interesting watching over the next two weeks. Afghanistan have a quicker, if more erratic, bowling attack than the hosts, and they will certainly try to hit more sixes. Zimbabwe’s style is more conservative, and with home advantage and greater experience they should be able to dominate a lengthy five-match series, and will arrive in Bulawayo buoyed by their success against Ireland.Afghanistan’s warm-up games were played at the Bulawayo Athletic Club, rather than Queens Sports Club, where the internationals will be held. Nevertheless, conditions there will be similar to those at Queens, and Afghanistan laid down a marker by winning their first two matches against a Chairman’s XI of reasonable strength before Regis Chakabva’s 92 in the third match set up a 34-run win for the Zimbabweans. Afghanistan will be pleased by their progress, as well as by the chance for a significant amount of top-level competition: they’ve not played an ODI since the World Cup in March.

Form guide

(Last five matches, most recent first)


Zimbabwe LWWLW
Afghanistan LLLWL

In the spotlight

Mohammad Shahzad wasn’t in Afghanistan’s squad for the World Cup, missing out due to concerns over his fitness, but he came back into the side for the World Twenty20 Qualifiers in July and bulldozed his way through the early stages of that competition with typical derring-do. He has played with the same style in Afghanistan’s warm-up matches in Bulawayo, cracking 78 and 72 in the first two games, and if Zimbabwe’s bowlers make the mistake of feeding his mighty swings into the leg side Shahzad could help to power Afghanistan to a big total.Craig Ervine’s languid batting style suggests a batsman who has always got time to move fluently through his strokes. He never seems to be in a rush, nor over-hit the ball, even when he is hitting sixes. That style will be in total contrast to many of the opposition’s top order, and this year it has brought Ervine 494 runs at 54.88, including two hundreds. He played a leading role in both of Zimbabwe’s wins over Ireland, and if his gammy hamstring holds together he will be the anchor around which Zimbabwe can build match-winning totals.

Team news

Zimbabwe will have a good idea what their best combination looks like, having played so much cricket recently, but these games will be their first in Bulawayo this year and the change in conditions may mean a little tinkering with the bowling combinations.Zimbabwe: 1 Chamu Chibhabha, 2 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 3 Craig Ervine, 4 Sean Williams, 5 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Tino Mutombodzi, 8 Wellington Masakadza, 9 Luke Jongwe, 10 Tinashe Panyangara, 11 Taurai Muzarabani.Afghanistan have tested a number of different batting and bowling combinations in their warm-up games, as well as two different captains, and they will likely settle on an XI heavy on pace and power hitters.Afghanistan: 1 Noor Ali Zadran, 2 Nawroz Mangal, 3 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 4 Asghar Stanikzai (capt), 5 Mohammad Nabi, 6 Samiullah Shenwari, 7 Najibullah Zadran, 8 Mirwais Ashraf, 9 Dawlat Zadran, 10 Aftab Alam, 11 Shapoor Zadran.

Pitch and conditions

Bulawayo is in a drier part of the country than Harare, and the pitch at Queens Sports Club has a reputation for being flat and hard. That usually leads to pace onto the bat and plenty of runs, though the pitch can also deaden and play slower and lower when it’s stripped of too much grass. There are thunderstorms predicted in the city on Friday, so there’s a chance of rain before the weather clears again over the weekend.

Stats and trivia

• Hamilton Masakadza, who is not currently part of Zimbabwe’s squad, is the only batsman to have scored 1,000 or more runs in ODIs at Queens Sports Club. He has scored 1,009 runs at 34.79 in 30 innings at the ground.
• October is usually the hottest, driest month in Zimbabwe and that is certainly true of Bulawayo. This, of course, affects the conditions, often resulting in hard, dry pitches. In six ODIs played in October at Queens since 1997, the average first innings score is 273.
• This ground was the scene of Zimbabwe’s highest run chase in ODIs when, in 2011, they chased down New Zealand’s 328 to win by one wicket in the last over with Malcolm Waller scoring 99 not out.
• No Afghanistan batsman has hit an ODI hundred this year.

Quotes

“I’m extremely hopeful that the lads will continue with the great form and desire that they’ve shown in the last few games. The chances of doing well become better if everyone is on the same page.”
“Inzamam is a cricket legend and everyone is excited that he is with us for this tour.”