Shane Watson believes that the absence of Tim Bresnan, as well as the advice he received from Michael Clarke, will help him overcome his lbw issues

Brydon Coverdale18-Aug-2013Shane Watson hopes that a batting masterclass with the captain Michael Clarke, and the absence of his tormentor Tim Bresnan, will help him overcome his lbw issues in the final Test at The Oval. Australia’s lacklustre batting effort during the tour match against England Lions may influence the selectors ahead of the final Test, but the Australians hope that what happened off field might have just as much impact as they search for ways to prevent another Test capitulation.On the eve of the Northampton game, Watson spent a long session in the nets facing throwdowns from the official batting coach Michael di Venuto, while Clarke served as an unofficial mentor and yelled advice from the other end of the pitch. The goal was clear – to find a way for Watson to play as close as possible to his natural game while preventing a dismissal that comes equally naturally, the walking-across-his-stumps-lbw that has brought his downfall four times in this series.”I’ve been having a chat to Michael over the last week especially about the way that I’m getting out, lbw at the moment,” Watson said after the Northampton match. “I’m getting a lot of different information about the ways that I can try to get that right. Michael just more so jogged my memory of a few things that I was doing a couple of years ago, more so with Greg Chappell, and making sure I was taking it back to the basics and having someone throw the ball slowly and making sure I was getting myself in the right position.”Michael’s advice has been excellent. He has been through a similar thing at some stage in his career. It’s good to be able to get his advice. He’s certainly one of the best players in the world and has been for the last couple of years. He has been through all those different challenges throughout his Test career, so it’s nice to be able to get his advice.”Watson and Clarke have not always seen eye to eye in the Australian camp – former coach Mickey Arthur’s leaked legal documents certainly confirmed those reports – but both men insist they work together well, and a smoothly-running Watson in the middle order would be of significant benefit to the team’s hopes. Watson showed some good signs in the first innings at Chester-le-Street, when he supported Chris Rogers with 68, but another lbw in the chase added to his trouble.The good news for Watson is that Bresnan has been ruled out of the final Test due to a back injury, and while both James Anderson and Stuart Broad have also trapped Watson lbw once each in this series, Bresnan has done it twice. It was Bresnan who did the job in the second innings of the fourth Test and Watson knows that even in the absence of Bresnan, he must find a balance between playing his natural game and planting his front foot too much.”I let myself down in the second innings to get out that way again,” Watson said. “I know how they will attack me. Bresnan is the one who has given me the most trouble with that angle and unfortunately for him, but fortunately for me, he won’t be playing. He has bowled nicely and done a great job.”Watson had hoped to put some of his training into practice during the tour match against the England Lions but he found himself largely facing the left-arm spin of Simon Kerrigan, against whom he clubbed 36 of his 45 runs. He was out hooking James Harris to fine leg, which denied him the chance to work on his technique more against the fast men.”Mainly [my aim] was to try and face some quicks to work on a technical thing that I’ve been working on, getting my front leg out of the way more than anything, or getting my bat in the way,” Watson said. “It wasn’t too much of a practice against that today unfortunately. But being down here and being able to do a lot of work on that in the nets alone, I have got a lot out of these last few days anyway.”

Andrew Strauss, Angus Fraser and Nasser Hussain have all confirmed they are not in the running to replace Hugh Morris as managing director of England cricket

George Dobell09-Oct-2013Andrew Strauss, Angus Fraser and Nasser Hussain are among a host of potential candidates who have all confirmed they are not in the running to replace Hugh Morris as managing director of England cricket.Speculation had linked several former England players with the role that becomes vacant in January but Hussain has now made it clear that he has never applied or been approached for the job and Strauss has confirmed that, after a period of consideration, he has decided the time is not right for him to move into administration.”I’m flattered that some people have put my name forward but no thanks,” Hussain told ESPNcricinfo. “I have not been approached for the job, I have not applied for the job, I have just signed new contracts with Sky and the Mail and am very happy doing what I am doing.”Fraser took a similar stance. Having made a fine impression as director of cricket at Middlesex, he admits he met David Collier and Giles Clarkes, the chief executive and chairman of the ECB, and the job was of fleeting interest. But ultimately he has committed himself to Middlesex.”I have not applied for Hugh’s position and will not be doing so,” Fraser told ESPNcricinfo. “Because of the news coverage of me being a possible replacement and having thought about applying I met David Collier and Giles Clarke separately to listen to what they had to say and inform them of where I am at face to face rather than just leaving an empty unexplained void.”I wish to stay at Middlesex because I have not come close to completing what I want to achieve with the club and because I still enjoy the day to day contact I have working with and trying to develop players.”Strauss admitted the job had been of interest but, having thought about it, decided taking on such a role barely 18-months after retiring as a player might be a problem. While he suggested he would like such a position in the future, he said he was enjoying his media work at present and would be reluctant to give that up.”I think it is a great job, an important job, one that needs to be done properly,” he told the “But is it the right time for me? I’m still close to the players. And there are a lot of other things I would like to pursue.”I don’t just want to be an observer forever. But I enjoy the balance I have at the moment. I loved being in the commentary box. I didn’t miss the pressure that Alastair Cook was under. That was very familiar to me.”Mike Atherton, another former England captain who has enjoyed a smooth transition into the media, also confirmed he had not been contacted by the ECB about the position, while Nick Knight told ESPNcricinfo he was “surprised” to see his name connected with the role.”It sounds like a great job, but not a job for me,” he said. “I have not applied and nor will I be.”Clare Connor, who has head of women’s cricket at the ECB arguably has the role most similar to that of Morris, also ruled herself out of the running.”I thought about it long and hard,” Connor told ESPNcricinfo. “And, yes, some senior colleagues did encourage me to apply. I also spoke to Hugh about the role and eventually came to the conclusion that the time was wrong for me. I have unfinished business in the women’s game.”There is a misconception in the media that this role is as MD of the England team, but it’s much broader than that. It involves strategy across men’s and women’s cricket, about the performance centre, about managing science and medicine and all the talent pathways. It is a vast job and a wonderful opportunity to make a difference. I probably would be interested in a few years.”But what I would say is that, perhaps only five years ago, it probably would have seemed absurd to suggest a women could fulfil such a role. It shows how far we have come that it has been seriously considered without gender being an issue.”

Half centuries from Stefanie Taylor (86*) and Deandra Dottin (69*) set up West Indies women’s 18-run win (D/L method) over Sri Lanka women and gave their team a 2-1 lead in the four-match series

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Deandra Dottin, who scored an unbeaten 69, registered her second fifty of the series•ICC

Unbeaten half centuries from Stafanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin set up West Indies Women’s 18-run win (D/L method) over Sri Lanka Women to give their team a 2-1 lead in the four-match series.Opting to bat, Kycia Knight (34) and Hayley Matthews (22) put on 49 before Matthews was bowled by left-arm spinner Sugandika Kumari. Five overs later, Kumari struck again to remove Knight and captain Merissa Aguilleira in the space of three balls.Taylor, who scored nine boundaries in her 112-ball 89 not out, and Dottin then put on an unbroken 151-run stand in 28 overs for the fourth wicket to steer West Indies women to 215. Dottin’s 69 not out, her second half-century of the series, included five fours and a six.Sri Lanka women slumped to 58 for 3 and then 99 for 4 in reply before rain halted play in the 25th over. They lost Eshani Lokusuriyage to Taylor in the first ball after resumption. Then, Nipuni Hansika, who remained unbeaten on 50 off 71 balls, and Dilani Manodara added 41 runs in 8.4 overs as Sri Lanka women pursued a revised target of 189 in 40.2 overs. However, after Manodara was bowled by Afy Fletcher, Sri Lanka women lost wickets regularly to finish on 170 for 8.Taylor later said it was an important victory as it gained them valuable points on the ICC women’s championship table.

Mashrafe Mortaza bemoaned the lack of big scores from the top and middle order, and lack of wickets in the last 15 overs of the chase for the 77-run defeat against India in the third ODI

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur24-Jun-2015While India’s 317 never looked like a threatening score, Bangladesh, at the same time, never looked to be in the game in the third ODI. Leading 2-0 against a higher-ranked side should have given the hosts more confidence of bowling them out for a third consecutive time, but their failure to do so also contributed to giving away runs at crucial times.This year Bangladesh have bowled out opponents six times in 12 ODIs, winning each time. This is no coincidence as they have looked formidable against reputed batting line-ups. In the third ODI against Pakistan as well, Bangladesh were playing with a 2-0 lead in the series. They had very little at stake but Mashrafe Mortaza shuffled his bowlers beautifully to bowl Pakistan out for 250 before the 50-over mark.On Wednesday, except for Shakib Al Hasan’s nine overs and Mustafizur Rahman’s middle spells in the batting Powerplay, the bowling lacked sting. Mashrafe conceded 76 runs for his three wickets while Arafat Sunny and Rubel Hossain conceded lots of runs for no rewards. Shakib and Nasir Hossain didn’t bowl their full spells.But it seemed Bangladesh were half-expecting India to bounce back with a 300-plus score after conceding the series. Mashrafe bemoaned the lack of big scores from the top and middle order, and lack of wickets in the last 15 overs of the chase for the 77-run defeat. But it was always an uphill task to chase such a score on this slow and lifeless pitch.”I will not name a particular batsman because everyone made mistakes,” Mashrafe said. “Most of the top and middle order made 25, 30 or 40. We needed a 60 or 80. Until the 35th over we were ahead of India, it was just the number of wickets in hand that was the difference.”We would have had lesser problems while chasing if we had wickets in hand. The pitch was really good. After 35 overs when we lost six wickets, we were definitely on the back foot. So overall this was a big mistake from our side. Hopefully next time it will be much better.”Two batsmen got out in the 40s, 30s and 20s each. Much of the focus was on Mushfiqur Rahim today as the other two top batsmen in the side – Tamim Iqbal and Shakib – had already made runs in this series. Mushfiqur has been dealing with a finger injury and didn’t keep wickets in the second and third ODIs. Mashrafe, however, said that they were not at all concerned about him and expected him to bounce back soon.”I don’t think there is any problem with Mushfiqur’s mentality,” Mashrafe said. “If you always expect something from a player it will be difficult. Sometimes he is bound to do badly. I am concerned if he is a little over-focused. There is no chance for him to be less focused.”He didn’t keep wickets because of his finger. If it breaks and he is out for two or three months, it will be bad for us. He is an amazing batsman and he can have a bad patch. The way he sees the game as a part of his life, it is obvious that he will score big soon.”Mashrafe also rued the lack of rain, which was no surprise as he had decided to field under leaden skies, to get the most out of the DLS method.”We fielded because of the rain,” he said. “There was 51 per cent chance of rain and the DLS is favourable when you are chasing. But unfortunately it didn’t rain.”

Two wickets immediately after tea brought Pakistan back on level terms after a century stand between Kaushal Silva and Kumar Sangakkara had steered Sri Lanka into a position of strength

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy18-Jun-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details0:44

Fernando: Sri Lanka driven mainly by Kaushal Silva

Two wickets immediately after tea brought Pakistan back on level terms after a century stand between Kaushal Silva and Kumar Sangakkara had steered Sri Lanka into a position of strength. Silva batted through till stumps to end the day unbeaten on 80, and he and Angelo Mathews will begin day three looking to extend Sri Lanka’s score as far as they can on a pitch that is already showing lavish signs of turn and uneven bounce.Pakistan created enough chances through the day to justify Misbah-ul-Haq’s decision to bat first – a “situational” one, he said at the toss, to try and make up for the first-day washout – but only had three wickets to show for it. Wahab Riaz had a wicket chalked off for overstepping when he had Dimuth Karunaratne caught at slip in his first over of the morning, and soon after had Silva put down by Yasir Shah at backward point. Azhar Ali dropped Sangakkara off Yasir during the middle session, a difficult chance straight off the face of the bat.Soon after tea, when Sangakkara had tucked Yasir into the leg side to join Silva on a half-century, Pakistan must have wondered when their next chance would come. Their spinners were getting help off the pitch, but it was slow turn for the most part and the batsmen were looking comfortably ensconced.It was Wahab who broke the partnership, with a quite stunning piece of bowling. He had attacked Sangakkara with the short ball – and struck him once on the front shoulder – during a brief skirmish before lunch, but had only sent down four overs in the middle session.Now in the third over of his post-tea session, he produced one that just straightened from back of a length to beat Sangakkara’s defensive prod. It was an excellent delivery, and he bettered it next ball, getting it to deviate in a similar manner from a fuller length and finding the edge through to slip as Sangakkara aimed a drive at it, on the up.It was Wahab who had taken the first wicket as well, off a short ball that hurried through to find the inside edge of Dimuth Karunaratne’s attempted pull. Between the dismissals of Karunaratne and Sangakkara, the second-wicket pair batted for 37 overs.Pakistan only had to wait six overs for their next wicket, and it was a soft one: Lahiru Thirimanne, waltzing down the pitch to Mohammad Hafeez, popping one tamely to mid-on. It wasn’t a wicket earned, technically, but it was reward enough for Pakistan’s tight bowling right through the day.Apart from one lapse – when he slashed too eagerly at Wahab to be put down by Yasir – Silva was equal to it, largely avoiding the drive and capitalising whenever the bowlers dropped short. Six of his 12 fours came from either the cut or the pull. Zulfiqar Babar and Yasir tested him with sharp turn and bounce on a few occasions, but he played close to his body and with soft hands – one edge fell well short of Younis Khan at slip, and the balls that spun especially sharply missed his bat entirely.After getting through the initial short-ball barrage from Wahab, Sangakkara settled into a familiar rhythm, and it seemed through the post-lunch session that only harebrained running could get him out. On one occasion, he scurried unwisely out of his crease on a couple of occasions after pushing Junaid into the covers while on another, he had to dive home and undergo the third umpire’s scrutiny after responding hesitantly to Silva’s call for a single to the leg side.Otherwise he played percentage cricket, keeping his famous cover drive under wraps on a slow pitch and letting the ball come on to work runs through mid-on and midwicket. Out of the ten scoring shots he played through the off side, eight came off Mohammad Hafeez, the only bowler who turned the ball away from him.

Cameron Bancroft led Australia A’s charge at the MA Chidambaram Stadium with a solid ton, to leave Australia A with a formidable lead on the second day of the second unofficial Test against India A

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu in Chennai30-Jul-2015
ScorecardCameron Bancroft’s 150 helped Australia A dominate the hosts on the second day on the unofficial Test•K Sivaraman

Cameron Bancroft led Australia A’s charge at the MA Chidambaram Stadium with a solid ton, and added a brace of century partnerships with Usman Khawaja and Callum Ferguson to leave Australia A with a formidable lead on the second day of the second unofficial Test against India A. His 150 off 267 balls first formed the spine and later the muscle of Australia A’s reply as India A were sent on the run, despite B Aparajith’s maiden five-wicket haul in first class cricket. Australia A capped the second day with a lead of 194.

I was lucky in the beginning – Aparajith

Cameron Bancroft’s century helped Australia A strengthen their grip on the second official Test in Chennai but B Aparajith’s maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket gave the hosts some late spark.
Though Aparajith believed that having Marcus Stoinis stumped for 10 off 32 balls was a lucky break, he was satisfied with the way be bowled in a second spell which yielded three wickets in eight overs for 27 runs.
“I am really happy but I think I was a bit lucky in the beginning. The first wicket, that gave me the confidence,” Aprajith said.
“Before that, it was an okay start for me. After the first wicket, I got confidence. After that, the second spell was a better spell and the last four wickets I took, I was really happy with it. The first spell was not as good as I thought but the second spell was better.”
Aprajith also admitted that he would have been happier had he struck earlier in the day. Each of Aprajith’s five wickets came in the last session.
“Maybe if it was earlier, I would have been more happier. But somethings, we need to be patient. I think in Chennai wicket, you can’t run through a side in one session or 35 or 40 overs.”

Bancroft stood tall and punched through the covers. When the bowlers erred short, he was quick to camp back, unleashing strong cuts and pulls towards the locked I,J,K stands. Bancroft even played a pin-point straight drive off Shreyas Gopal, beating the bowler and mid-on. But the strike, which brought up his hundred was the pick of the lot. He stepped out, manufactured his own length, met the pitch and sent an Aparajith delivery soaring over the sightscreen to ping the roof. Bancroft pumped his fist and hugged Ferguson; the crowd applauding his effort on a typically slow Chennai pitch where the ball often stopped on the batsmen.India A’s bowling veered from disciplined to loose, as Australia A began the day at 43 for 0. Varun Aaron was in his second over when he had Khawaja poking at one that flew between the wicketkeeper and slip. The next ball spat from a length and hit Khawaja on the glove. The batsman then shrugged off the early jitters with a steady diet of sweeps and flicks against Pragyan Ojha, who had largely stuck to a middle-and-leg line in his first spell.There was a great buzz in the crowd when Pragyan’s second burst of the day produced three wickets in 19 minutes, just before lunch. After having to switched from the Pavilion End to Pattabiram End, Pragyan looped the ball further up and got some purchase from the pitch as Australia A were reduced to 123 for 3 in 38 overs.Khawaja was the first to depart when he was pinned lbw by a signature Pragyan slider, which ended a 111-run opening stand. Joe Burns then left his crease and played to mid-on with Abhinav Mukund taking a smart leaping catch. Peter Handscomb nicked to Virat Kohli at slip for a two-ball duck.The buzz faded, however, when Shreyas Iyer dropped Ferguson at short leg on 14. He juggled and aimed to grab it on the rebound, but to no avail. Soon after, Ferguson was reprieved on 25 when Kohli reacted late at slip and fluffed a sharp catch.Ferguson reached 54 off 103 balls before India A finally managed to hold onto a catch. He shaped for a pull only to top-edge a Gopal googly to Karun Nair at deep square leg. However, Bancroft ensured that the lead ticked past 100 before tea.Aaron darted it short and offered room in the second session and so did Gopal as the Australian batsmen settled in. Aparajith and Gopal began bowling from round the wicket but they were tamed by regular sweeps and trips down the track, the hallmark of Australia A’s approach against spin.Marcus Stoinis perished when he jumped out and was out stumped in the eighth over after tea. The breakthrough was a result of brief indecision. The ball was tossed over to Gopal before it was belatedly given to Aparajith, who seemingly got good turn as the day wore on.Matthew Wade found his bearings with a violent slog-sweep and then laid into a cut, socking Mukund on the shin at short leg. He hobbled off the field and did not return but, two balls later, Wade was bowled by Aparajith. In his next over, he had Bancroft lobbing one to leg-slip, bringing an end to the 367-minute knock. Each of Aparajith’s five scalps came in the last session of the day.Gurinder Sandhu added more cushion by clouting two fours and four sixes during his 27-ball 36, and India A were left wilting in the heat, literally and figuratively, for the second day in a row.

Rohit Sharma, whose batting position is always a topic of discussion, said that he was ready to bat wherever the team wanted him to besides backing his strokeplay

Sharda Ugra at the SSC31-Aug-20154:09

‘Won’t shy away from playing my shots’ – Rohit

Rohit Sharma’s batting position is a heated topic of discussion in Indian cricket, with the common choices being No. 3, No. 5 and outside the XI. He has been persisted with through the Test series in Sri Lanka, and has ended the series scoring more runs – 202 – than any other Indian batsman barring his captain Virat Kohli. Rohit’s 50 on Monday came alongside two fifty-plus partnerships, with Kohli for the fourth wicket and Stuart Binny for the fifth, after India had been left wobbling at 7 for 3 at the start of their second innings.Rohit said he was ready to bat wherever the team management wanted him to: “See it’s really what captain and management wants from this order. My preference is to bat wherever team asks me to. If you ask anyone, they are not going to say this is my number. Nowhere it is written in the world that No.4 belongs to this person, No. 3 belongs to this person. If you understand well and good.”When pressed further to name his favourite position, he said: “As a batsman you want to bat as up the order as possible to get more opportunities, to face more balls, and score big runs. Again, the management felt I should bat at five and they came and spoke to me and I was okay to do whatever they want me to do. The same thing happened to me in ODIs as well, they felt I should open because of whatever abilities I have. So I agree to do what they want me to do. I cannot have my own preference. It’s a team game and you do what the team wants from you.”Fitting Rohit into the batting order has been tricky issue for the team, particularly given the competition for the middle-order spots. When Rohit was asked about feeling the pressure of this kind of a situation in every innings he played, he said: “The pressure I feel will be on the management and the captain to decide the XI, not on me. I have to play my game when I get an opportunity. That’s how I look at it.”Like he had in his last two innings in Colombo, Rohit was dismissed shortly before an interval. On Monday, he was out pulling Dhammika Prasad to long leg with around 15 minutes left to go to lunch.Rohit, though, stressed he would back himself to play his shots instead of just hanging around when asked what he thought of the public perception that he was far too frequently, ‘throwing his wicket away.'”If you look at the game carefully the first morning I played that same shot with Pradeep bowling from that end, and I played a very similar shot which got me four runs. I am sure all of you sitting here, must have clapped… that’s how it works. I will back myself and whenever I bat I have an intent to score runs, not to just be there and survive. That’s how I want to play my cricket and to stay ahead of the bowlers’ mind. That’s what I try and do always. Sometimes, that ball could have gone a little behind him, it could have fetched me six runs. Went straight into his hands. It’s unfortunate. But that’s my shot. I will keep playing it, it gets me runs also. As I said, I am not going to shy away from playing shots.”Rohit shares a prickly relationship with the media and said once again that he paid no attention to any external opinion about his batting or himself: “I have zero expectations outside. What happens (outside) is irrelevant to me, you know because what happens outside is not going to help my cricket. What is going to help my cricket is me working hard, doing what I have been doing in the nets and getting better as a player everyday. And I will stick to it.”It has happened to me in the past and you know till you play it will keep happening as a sportsman no one goes through a very clean patch. They will have some sort of up and down in their career. I am no different and I can say things have been up and down, but as long as I am enjoying my cricket nothing can stop me. I am really enjoying with the boys, enjoying the victories we are having and yeah I am a very positive person. I look to think ahead what is ahead of me and going into this Test match again I wanted to make a contribution. You will not score a hundred all the time. Any sort of contribution that can help your team is more than enough for me.”

Wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad scored his second consecutive half-century, building the first innings platform for Afghanistan in a 22-run win

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Mohammad Shahzad top-scored for Afghanistan with 72•ICC/Donald MacLeod

Wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad scored his second consecutive half-century, building the first-innings platform for Afghanistan in a 22-run win. Shahzad, who scored 78 in Afghanistan’s 70-run win on Thursday, top-scored on Saturday over the same opposition with 72 off 94 balls in his side’s total of 226 after being sent in to bat first.Shahzad added 74 runs for the third wicket with Asghar Stanikzai in the best partnership of the innings. Stanikzai’s 36 was Afghanistan’s next best contribution after Shahzad but both men fell within three deliveries of each other with the score on 149 to trigger a middle-order collapse that saw Afghanistan lose four wickets for just two runs, going from 149 for 2 in the 32nd over to 151 for 6 in the 35th.Tendai Chisoro and Tapiwa Mufudza combined to do the damage for the hosts, taking two wickets each in that segment of play. Chisoro eventually finished with 2 for 29 in his 10 overs while Mufudza ended with 3 for 57 in his 10 to lead the Zimbabwe Chairman XI in the field as Afghanistan were bowled out with an over to spare in their innings.Afghanistan came out on fire in the field as a trio of seamers – Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Mirwais Ashraf – and left-arm spinner Amir Hamza took two wickets apiece. The hosts were in danger of being bowled out for under 100 with the score 95 for 9 just past the halfway point of the chase. However, Chisoro and fellow tailender Donald Tiripano produced a remarkable 109-run 10th wicket stand that nearly took the home side to an improbable win with just 23 needed off the final six overs.Mohammad Nabi finally struck on the first ball of the 45th over to clinch the match though, bowling Chisoro for 63. Tiripano finished unbeaten on 44 in the loss.Afghanistan play the Zimbabwe Chairman’s XI in the third 50-over tour match on Monday before the first of five ODIs between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe begins in Bulawayo on October 16.

Regis Chakabva and Malcolm Waller both scored hundreds and shared a 199-run partnership, as Zimbabwe A built a huge lead going into the final day against Ireland at the Harare Sports Club

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Malcolm Waller hit 10 fours and three sixes during his 118•Associated Press

Regis Chakabva and Malcolm Waller both scored hundreds and shared a 199-run partnership, as Zimbabwe A built a huge lead going into the final day against Ireland at the Harare Sports Club.Ireland, who began the day at 292 for 6, could add only 61 runs to that score. John Mooney, the No.8 batsman, chipped in with a valuable 30, but received little by way of support from the other tailenders, as Ireland fell 40 runs short of taking the lead. Fast bowler Trevor Garwe was the pick of Zimbabwe A’s bowlers, collecting 4 for 61.Zimbabwe A’s openers Hamilton Masakadza and Peter Moor began the second innings brightly, adding 40 inside seven overs, but a mini-collpase led to the hosts losing three wickets for just 34 runs. Chakabva and Waller, however, led a counterattack, batting together for 45 overs, and guided Zimbabwe A towards the 300-run mark. Chakabva hit eight fours and six for his 101, while Waller’s 118 featured 10 fours and three sixes. Both batsmen fell towards the end of the day, but Zimbabwe A still ended strongly at 320 for 6, with a lead of 359 runs.

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.”