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Yuvraj Singh’s uneasy relationship with the Mumbai crowd continued (file photo)•Associated Press

Harbhajan pays back
Harbhajan can make the captain angry for various things. So when he fumbled to pick the ball neatly for the second time in two overs, he earned Sachin Tendulkar’s wrath, as the Mumbai captain gestured angrily. Harbhajan did silence his critics soon, as he rushed back, fell down but held on to a difficult catch from Irfan Pathan at midwicket. Immediately, he got back on his legs, put his fingers to his lips, asking the crowd that had booed him earlier to stay mum.Missed call alerts
They were perhaps calling in Punjabi. Otherwise, it was difficult to understand the numerous misunderstandings Shaun Marsh and Mahela Jayawardene had during their eventful 49-run partnership, which would have ended even before it began had Marsh decided to remain stranded halfway down the pitch while taking a single. The confusion persisted even as both had the upper-hand against the bowlers. But the miscommunication finally claimed Jayawardene, who rushed to complete the single after Marsh had tapped towards point, but suddenly stopped a few yards into the run.Mumbai boos Yuvraj again
The Mumbai crowd has never been cordial to Yuvraj Singh. In the 2005 Ranji Trophy semi-final between Mumbai and Punjab, Yuvraj climbed into the stands at the Wankhede Stadium, bat in hand, to take on the spectator who was constantly heckling him with personal taunts.Then, during the first IPL in 2008, at the same venue, a disgruntled Yuvraj had to listen to incessant booing from all parts, which only prompted him to go on a wild victory-run after Punjab won the game. On the victory podium he quipped: “The crowds should remember there are players from Punjab who play for India.”Today, as Yuvraj lumbered in to bat, the crowd began to heckle him again. As fate would have it, Yuvraj found a horrendous way to throw his wicket, going for a pre-meditated scoop which finished in the hands of Harbhajan at short fine-leg. The chants only grew louder.Uninformed jockey
‘”Sreesanth (or) Harbhajan Singh”, screamed a ground DJ to stir up the crowd’s attention an hour before the game. Clearly, the man had been paid to read the lines blindly, and so he did, not knowing that Sreesanth had not made the trip to Mumbai for this game.David floors Goliath
Kieron Pollard is 6’4″. Piyush Chawla stands 5’6″ in socks. Still the diminutive Punjab player managed to ground Pollard as he set off to take a tight single. As Pollard rushed out of the blocks from the non-striker’s end, Chawla’s right foot came in the way, unintentionally, and the Trinidadian stumbled, lost his bat and then crawled into to the crease just in the nick of time to finish the run. As Chawla moved in to apologise, Pollard walked the other way.Harsh call, umpire
Let’s say it one more time: every rule in the Twenty20 is meant to make the batsman’s life easy. Apart from a purple cap, the bowlers get nothing much. So when Shalabh Srivastava bowled a fuller-length delivery, marginally wide of left-hander Saurabh Tiwary’s off stump, umpire Shavir Tarapore harshly called it a wide. Srivastava couldn’t believe it. Umpires clearly have a lot on their mind, but at times like these, they could be a little more lenient.

Michael Lumb probably couldn’t have picked a better moment to make an impression. Playing for England Lions against the full side in Dubai he hit the final two balls of the match for four to secure victory with an unbeaten 58. Andy Flower clearly liked what he saw; six weeks later and Lumb has been selected for the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.Until Lumb was included for the Lions tour he hadn’t been involved with the England set-up during the winter having not been handed an Academy place. However, the selectors remembered his outstanding 2009 Twenty20 Cup record where he scored 442 runs at 44.20 including an unbeaten 124. Shane Warne, who Lumb credits with much of his development, didn’t forget either and helped him secured an IPL deal with Rajasthan Royals.At the age of 30, he can fall into the category of late developer but Giles White, the Hampshire cricket manager, believes it’s that time in the domestic game that has allowed him to develop his skills.”His confidence has soared in the last few years, partly through experience and also becoming more senior within the team and getting more responsibility,” White told Cricinfo. “He understands his role at the top of the order and has a gift that others don’t, in that he hits the ball so hard and cleanly.”It’s a talent that comes naturally to him, he’s a natural striker of a cricket ball. Twenty20 suits his style of play; he can hit the bad ball but also find the gaps. He has worked very hard in one-day cricket over the last couple of the years and this call-up is reward for that effort. I think the selectors have got it right with this decision.”Lumb isn’t actually the first to have benefited from that warm-up game in Abu Dhabi. Craig Kieswetter, Lumb’s opening partner, hit 81 and was immediately promoted to the full squad for Bangladesh where he responded with two hundreds – 143 in the practice match and 107 in the final one-dayer at Chittagong.Now there is a chance the pair will join forces again for England’s opening World Twenty20 match against West Indies, at Providence, on May 3 – although Ravi Bopara could also open – and, either way, it will be the team’s 16th opening combination in 26 Twenty20 internationals. White, who has allowed Lumb to develop his game at the top of the order, knows it is vital that players are given a chance to settle into a role.”It’s very important guys are given a run, continuity is the key in any form of the game,” he said. “It’s hard at times with form and injury, but if a person is allowed to settle into a role they are generally more successful. The most successful sides in history have shown that and it gives the player confidence to know he’ll be there for a while.”It has been a pleasing winter for White, who has seen two of his chargers progress into the England set-up with Michael Carberry having earned his Test debut in Bangladesh. “My role as a coach is a dual one to produce England cricketers and to win trophies with Hampshire,” he said. “As a club we are very proud when we have players at the highest level. It’s credit to the support staff we have, but it’s also down to the efforts that the players themselves put in.”

Michael Clarke is wary of New Zealand’s bowling attack and aggressive batsmen as he makes his first tour with his new Twenty20 side. Clarke has won his three matches in charge since Ricky Ponting retired and the Australians signed off with an eight-wicket thrashing of West Indies in Sydney on Tuesday.Shane Bond, the fast bowler, wants to give Australia their biggest test of the summer and Clarke is expecting a tough assignment. “They’ve got a good attack,” Clarke said in Sydney before departing for New Zealand. “They’ve got some good strikers of the ball, Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum, and they’ve got a great captain, Dan Vettori, so we have to be at our best.”The World Twenty20 starts at the end of April and Australia have overhauled their team since they were knocked out at the first stage during the 2009 event in England. Clarke and Cameron White are in charge and Clarke is not getting carried away by the team’s strong start against Pakistan and West Indies.”I feel we’re a long way from where I’d like us to be, but I certainly believe we’re improving, we’ve got a good squad,” Clarke said. The series begins on Friday in Wellington and finishes in Christchurch on Sunday.”It’s really important that we look forward to our first tour as a T20 team and try and continue our success,” he said. “They are our last two games leading up to the World Cup, so I think it’s really important to continue to build that momentum going into the World Cup.”

Aaron Finch is set to make his Sheffield Shield debut for Victoria after being named in a 12-man squad for the match against Tasmania in Hobart starting on Friday. The uncapped batsman Michael Hill is also in the squad with Finch, who made his first-class debut against the touring Indians in 2007-08.The Bushrangers will be without the allrounder Andrew McDonald, who has knee soreness but is expected to be fit for Victoria’s next match. The selectors have also preferred the young left-arm spinner Jon Holland to the veteran legspinner, Bryce McGain, who made his Test debut less than a year ago.In all, Victoria have made five changes to their most recent Sheffield Shield team with Cameron White away on Australian duties and the fast bowlers Steve Gilmour and Will Sheridan left out. Damien Wright will return from a hamstring injury while James Pattinson and Rob Quiney have been added to the group.Rhett Lockyear is in line for his first Sheffield Shield match of the summer after being named in Tasmania’s squad. Lockyear has taken the place of the in-form batsman Alex Doolan, who has been ruled out with a shoulder injury.The Tigers have also regained their first-choice wicketkeeper Tim Paine, who will play his first Sheffield Shield match of the season. Paine missed the start of the summer due to a broken finger but has been back in action for a month, and will take back the gloves from the stand-in Brady Jones.Tasmania are in desperate need of a victory as they sit in second-last place on the competition table with nine points from five games. Victoria are well clear on top with three outright wins from their five matches.Tasmania squad Ed Cowan, Jonathan Wells, Rhett Lockyear, George Bailey (capt), Daniel Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Luke Butterworth, Brett Geeves, James Faulkner, Jason Krejza, Brendan Drew, Tim Macdonald.Victoria squad Nick Jewell, Chris Rogers, David Hussey (capt), Rob Quiney, Aaron Finch, Lloyd Mash, Michael Hill, Matthew Wade (wk), John Hastings, Damien Wright, James Pattinson, Jon Holland.

Ashwell Prince has signed for Lancashire as the county’s interim overseas player for 2010. He will be at Old Trafford until the arrival of Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka captain, following Sangakkara’s international commitments.Prince, 32, played for Lancashire at the beginning of last season when he covered for VVS Laxman and had an impressive run, averaging 52.60 from six first-class matches.He is set to open the batting for South Africa in the final Test at the Wanderers against England and despite his struggles so far the series, where he has made 78 runs at 13.00, Lancashire are thrilled to have a player of his experience available.”We are fortunate that a world-class batsman like Ashwell is available for the start of the season. During his short stay with us last year, he delivered the goods with some outstanding performances and I know he is determined to pick-up where he left off,” said Mike Watkinson, Lancashire’s director of cricket.Prince himself is looking forward to linking up with his former team-mates again. “When Lancashire asked me if I would be interested in returning this season, I didn’t hesitate in saying yes,” he said. “It’s a great club, with excellent facilities and I really enjoyed the camaraderie of the dressing room and the warm reception I received from the supporters.”Peter Moores, the Lancashire coach, said: “Ashwell played an important part in our early success last year with his quality as a player and his ability to perform under pressure. His approach to the game was extremely professional and his enthusiasm to play was a testament to how he conducted himself during his time with us.”

Russel Arnold and former Indian captains have reacted with shock and dismay at the dangerous pitch prepared by the Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) for the fifth ODI at the Feroz Shah Kotla. The pitch was deemed unfit to play, and the game was called off after 23.3 overs during which Sri Lankan players received body blows more than once.”Generally when you find bushes of grass on a pitch it is clearly evident it would behave uneven,” Arnold, who was part of the commentary team, told Cricinfo. “If the ball hits those areas it could prove to difficult. Like the match referee’s report mentioned they did think it was dangerous. They even discussed holding the rest of the game on the adjacent track, but it was under-prepared, with more grass on it. It is just unfortunate and even though it was a dead rubber, Sri Lanka would’ve like to put a fight. It was a disappointing end to a great series.”A concerned Bishan Singh Bedi put the blame solely on the DDCA. “I wonder how a pitch which was not used even for Ranji Trophy matches was used for the one-dayer,” he told . “Action should be taken against them [DDCA] but that is BCCI’s job.” This was the second international match that the Kotla was hosting in two months, to go with the Champions League T20 immediately before that. A day before the first of these matches, the Australian team came to the ground to train and found that the pitches were wet, and there was no curator around.On Sunday, from similar lengths on a strip with grassy patches interspersed seamlessly with bald ones, deliveries regularly either reared up alarmingly or scooted through. The first incident of a batsman being struck was during the 10th over, when Tillakaratne Dilshan was hit on the left forearm by a length ball from Ashish Nehra that surprised everyone. Sanath Jayasuriya was rapped thrice by deliveries rising from awkward spots.Sunil Gavaskar, who was at the venue, said, “There were tufts of grass on the pitch. Playing was dangerous, and physical safety of the players is important. The ball was rising from the good length, which is quite dangerous. Players like Jeff Thomson had the natural ability to bounce the ball, but here it was a different case.”Dilip Vengsarkar, also a former chief selector, said the blame was the BCCI pitch committee’s and asked the board to react swiftly. “It is a shameful incident this kind of pitch is prepared for an international match. [The] BCCI pitch committee must be held responsible and [the] DDCA have to answer a lot of questions. [The] BCCI should take quick action, that is important,” he said.”Some deliveries were rearing up even from the good length, which is not good for cricket. [The] DDCA must refund the entire money to the spectators who came to watch good cricket.”The DDCA, meanwhile, has apologised for the fiasco. “[The] DDCA regrets the inconvenience caused to all spectators and others. We offer our apologies to them. All gate tickets will be refunded,” Arun Jaitley, DDCA’s president, said in a statement. The incident also triggered off crowd trouble as the incensed spectators hurled water bottles and broken chairs into the ground. “The DDCA takes this matter very seriously. We will look into this matter and do all that is required to ensure that such a situation doesn’t reoccur,” Jaitley said.

Promising top-order batsman Dylon Higgins will captain Zimbabwe in the Under-19 World Cup to be held in New Zealand early next year. His deputy will be Peter Moor who appeared in the 2008 edition that was hosted in Malaysia. Spinning allrounder Tino Mutombodzi, will also be participating in his second U-19 World Cup.Batsman Nathan Waller, legspinner Natsai Mushangwe and fast bowler Tendai Chitara, who have been in good form for their respective domestic franchises, were automatic selections to the squad.The team will feature in warm-up matches against local teams in Cape Town, before heading to New Zealand. Coach Kevin Curran put his hopes on the balanced nature of the side and the variety in the spin department. “We have three legspinners and an offspinner,” Curran said. “We will probably play two spinners depending on conditions. In the seam department we have six fast bowlers of which three are allrounders. We’ve got good balance all-round.”Zimbabwe are grouped with hosts New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Canada in the preliminary phase. Curran was optimistic his team would get the two wins needed to progress to the Super Eights. “We should beat Canada easily and try to get another win over Sri Lanka or New Zealand.”Squad: Dylon Higgins (capt), Peter Moor, Gary Chirimuta, Dean Mazhawidza, Andrew Lindsay, Tinotenda Mutombodzi, Nathan Waller, Natsayi Mushangwe, Callum Price, Steve Chimhamhiwa, Richard Muzhange, Simon Mugava, Scott Daly, Mazvita Zambuko, Tendai Chitara.

The West Indians will be able to forget their off-field worries when they open their tour with a four-day match against Queensland on Wednesday. The side has not played since the end of their costly player strike and has since been written off by the former coach John Dyson ahead of the three-Test series starting in Brisbane next week.One of the new faces expected to be on show at Allan Border Field is Adrian Barath, an uncapped 19-year-old opener who stands at 5ft 4in. Barath is likely to open with Chris Gayle in what is effectively a trial for the opening Test at the Gabba on November 26.Barath is from Trindad and Tobago and was part of that team’s strong showing in the Champions League Twenty20, but he will have to lift his standards to cope against the Australians. In 22 first-class matches he averages 46.05 and has scored five centuries, including one for West Indies A against England in January.”I’m confident, I have worked hard and I’m prepared,” he said. “I performed well in the Champions League in India for Trinidad and Tobago and I’m looking to continue. All I want is the opportunity to get out there and show what I am made of.”I am a player who can adapt to foreign conditions. I will play it as I see it.” David Williams, the coach, wants to pick a full-strength line-up to allow his main men to settle ahead of the first Test.West Indies squad Chris Gayle (capt), Adrian Barath, Sulieman Benn, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Travis Dowlin, Brendan Nash, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor, Gavin Tonge.Queensland Ryan Broad, Nick Kruger, Lee Carseldine, Wade Townsend, Chris Simpson (capt), Nathan Reardon, Chris Hartley (wk), Daniel Doran, Alister McDermott, Nathan Rimmington, Luke Feldman, Scott Walter (12th man).

Match facts

Saturday, October 31
Start time 14.30 (09.00GMT)Ricky Ponting’s resources have taken a severe hit in India•Associated Press

Big Picture

Ricky Ponting doesn’t like the idea of a seven-match ODI series. It’s too long, he believes. Now that the first two games in India are out of the way with one win each, he can pretend his team are about to embark on a five-match series. That of course ignores the question of momentum, which is firmly in India’s favour after their 99-run victory in Nagpur. Not a lot went right for Australia on Wednesday and, with injuries still plaguing their squad, they haven’t been able to enjoy a settled build-up to the third game in Delhi. Australia’s main problem surrounds their attack and its inability to contain India’s powerful batting line-up. An injured Brett Lee is flying home and an unfit James Hopes is expected to miss this clash, making India favourites to go 2-1 up.For India, there isn’t much they can improve on their Nagpur effort, although they’ll be keen for Sachin Tendulkar to post his first decent score of the series. MS Dhoni’s remarkable century in the second match, combined with strong efforts from Suresh Raina and Gautam Gambhir, have given Australia plenty of headaches leading into the Delhi encounter. The one key difference between Nagpur and Delhi should be the Feroz Shah Kotla pitch, which is not expected to produce a particularly high-scoring match.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia – LWWWW
India – WLWLW

Watch out for …

Gautam Gambhir: Yes, it was Dhoni who stole the show in Nagpur but in both matches so far Gambhir has contributed substantially at the top of the order. In Vadodara, his 68 from 85 deliveries steadied India after the early loss of the openers, and in Nagpur, he made 76 off 80 balls to set up the platform from which Dhoni launched his assault. The Australians will be desperate to remove Gambhir early at the Kotla; India will look to their No. 3 for another anchoring role.Shaun Marsh: Indian viewers have seen the very best of Marsh during the IPL and Tim Paine’s departure should ensure Marsh opens with Shane Watson for the remainder of the series. He’s most comfortable at the top of the order and will be keen to re-establish himself as one of Australia’s permanent one-day openers following a six-month lay-off that started when he hurt his hamstring during the series in the UAE against Pakistan.

Team news

With no injuries to speak of, India have no reason to alter their line-up. After a 99-run victory, why would you?India (probable): 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Ashish Nehra.The situation isn’t so clear-cut for Australia. Lee’s elbow injury has ended his series and Hopes remains on the sidelines. Australia’s sub-standard bowling effort in Nagpur could bring Moises Henriques and Doug Bollinger into the equation, with Ben Hilfenhaus especially vulnerable having leaked 83 runs on Wednesday. Ponting wasn’t happy with the team balance in Nagpur, which could mean a debut for Henriques, probably at the expense of Adam Voges. Graham Manou will replace the injured Paine but won’t take his batting position and is likely to slot in at No. 7.Australia: (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Shaun Marsh, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Cameron White, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Adam Voges/Moises Henriques, 7 Graham Manou (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Ben Hilfenhaus/Doug Bollinger.

Pitch and conditions

The quality of the Kotla pitch in Delhi was slammed during the Champions League Twenty20, when slow, low bounce made it mighty hard to score runs. For the ODI the pitch is expected to be a bit better, but not much. Batsmen will need to be extra judicious in protecting against straight balls due to the low bounce. In short, don’t expect a repeat of the 354 India posted in Nagpur.

Stats and trivia

• During the Adam Gilchrist years, Australia’s other wicketkeepers barely got a look-in as Brad Haddin held down the No. 2 spot. Things have quickly changed and Manou will be the fifth gloveman Australia have used in ODIs in just over 18 months, after Gilchrist, Haddin, Luke Ronchi and Paine.
• Australia haven’t played an ODI in Delhi since 1998, which means Ponting is the only man in their squad with international one-day experience there.
• MS Dhoni’s 124 in Nagpur was the highest score by any captain against Australia in an ODI, beating Sanath Jayasuriya’s 122 in 2003.

Quotes

“Although we were soundly outplayed the other day, the positive of that was we were one-nil up in the series, so we’re back to level pegging now, back to a five-match series really.”
.”We will try to carry the confidence from Nagpur and build on that rather than think about injuries to the Australians. Of course it’s a big problem for them … but we are focussing mainly on what we have to do well, and of course fielding is a major part.”
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Younis Khan, the Pakistan captain, will meet the national board chairman Ijaz Butt next week to discuss his fitness and availability for the one-dayers against New Zealand in Dubai in November.Younis had fractured a finger just before the ICC Champions Trophy in September, and missed the first game against West Indies before captaining Pakistan for rest of the campaign despite not fully recovering from the fracture.”Younis knows best about his injury,” Wasim Bari, the PCB chief operating officer, told Pakistan’s . “He would be meeting us next week after which it will be decided whether he would be playing in the series against New Zealand.”Shahid Afridi will lead the team in the Twenty20s, a format from which Younis had retired. There were media reports suggesting Afridi will take over in the ODIs against New Zealand, but Afridi denied he had been offered the captaincy. “There is no truth in such reports,” he said. “I had a meeting with the PCB chairman in which a number of issues were discussed but captaincy wasn’t one of them.”Afridi also said he expected Younis to be fully fit in time for the New Zealand series. “I’m expecting Younis to get fit in the next two weeks,” he said. “It would be great for us because he is really a good captain and we enjoy playing under him.”