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In a home season that will feature high profile opponents in India and Australia, the Boxing Day Test returned to South Africa’s cricket calendar

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2013India tour of South Africa

18 November: T20 Tour match, India v SA Invitation XI, Potchefstroom (Day/Night)

21 November: 1st T20 International, Johannesburg (Day/Night)

24 November: 2nd T20 International, Cape Town (Day)

27 November: 1st ODI, Durban (Day/Night)

30 November: 2nd ODI, Port Elizabeth (Day)

3 December: 3rd ODI, East London (Day/Night)

6 December: 4th ODI, Centurion (Day/Night)

8 December: 5th ODI, Johannesburg (Day)

12 December: 6th ODI, Bloemfontein (Day/Night)

15 December: 7th ODI, Cape Town (Day)

18-19 December: India v SA Invitation XI, Paarl

22-23 December: India v SA Invitation XI, Pietermaritzburg

26-30 December: 1st Test, Durban

2-6 January: 2nd Test, Cape Town

15-19 January: 3rd Test, Johannesburg

Australia tour of South Africa

5-8 February: Australia v SA Invitation XI, Potchefstroom

12-16 February: 1st Test, Centurion

20-24 February: 2nd Test, Port Elizabeth

1-5 March: 3rd Test, Cape Town

9 March: 1st T20 International, Port Elizabeth (Day)

12 March: 2nd T20 International, Durban (Day/Night)

14 March: 3rd T20 International, Centurion (Day/Night)

The traditional Boxing Day Test returns to South African shores for the 2013-14 season with India scheduled to play the first of three Tests in the home summer. CSA cancelled the fixture last season and opted to play three T20s against New Zealand over the festive period instead in the hope of attracting bigger in-stadium audiences. Although the matches were sell-outs, there was a public outcry about the lack of a Test match and with India visiting this season, the administrators have reinstalled the fixture and handed it back to its usual home, Kingsmead in Durban.But before they can get to that, India will play two T20s and seven ODIs between November 18 and December 15. The matches have been spread around the country with so-called smaller venues like East London and Bloemfontein playing host to ODIs. Newlands Stadium will also host a fifty-over match after not having one last season.After two warm-up matches, India will play three Tests, which are to be held in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg and will conclude the tour. Administrators are hopeful Sachin Tendulkar will bring up another milestone during the second of those games. “The Indian players have always been very popular in South Africa and their maestro, Sachin Tendulkar, has currently played 198 Test matches,” Naasei Appiah, CSA acting CEO said. “It would be wonderful for his 200th Test match to be in front of a packed New Year’s crowd at Newlands. The last time he played a Test match there his battle with Dale Steyn thrilled a global audience.”South Africa’s busy period continues with Australia visiting for three more Tests that take place between mid-February and early March. “Any series between Australia and South Africa in any sporting code always promises a spectacle of note and a contest worthy of some of sport’s most famous moments,” Appiah said. “Australia will be battle-hardened after successive home and away Ashes series against England.”The Australians will kick off their tour with a warm-up fixture in Potchefstroom before Test matches in Centurion, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. St Georges’ Park keeps their Test fixture after successfully hosting New Zealand last year. The venue had not seen the longest format match for five years prior to that. Newlands, by virtue of its significant Test crowds, is the only venue that will host two Tests. Australia’s tour has no ODIs but three T20s, which South Africa hope to use as preparation for the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.South Africa’s season begins before these two major tours though. Their limited-overs sides embark on a five ODI and three T20 visit to Sri Lanka at the end of this month for Russell Domingo’s first assignment as head coach. They also visit the UAE to play Pakistan for fixtures that are yet to be decided in October.The main talking point ahead of the series is the fitness of Test captain Graeme Smith, who is recovering from ankle surgery. Smith returned home from Surrey in May when the recurring problem with his ankle flared up again. At the time, he was said to need four to five months of rest. Team manager and doctor Mohammed Moosajee said Smith’s rehabilitation is “progressing well,” and they are hopeful he will be available to play against Pakistan and are determined to have him ready for the home summer.

Pace bowler Mike Reed registered his maiden County Championship five-wicket haul as Glamorgan had much the better of the first day

17-Apr-2013
ScorecardMichael Reed continued his impressive early-season form•Getty ImagesPace bowler Mike Reed registered his maiden County Championship five-wicket haul as Glamorgan had much the better of the first day of their Division Two clash against Worcestershire in Cardiff.Reed, 24, claimed 5 for 27 in 15.5 overs with Worcestershire bowled out for only 123 in their first innings. Skipper Daryl Mitchell and Moeen Ali top-scored with 20 apiece. Reed’s fellow seamer Michael Hogan also recorded figures of four for 33.In reply Glamorgan’s openers – Ben Wright and Will Bragg – only faced 13 balls between them for no score before bad light stopped play with only 65.2 overs possible on the opening day.Hogan and Reed went through the top order to reduce Worcestershire to 59 for 5 by lunch – losing four wickets for only five runs.It vindicated captain Mark Wallace’s decision to put the opposition in after he won the toss and was a turnaround from the opening match of the season where Northamptonshire dominated until wet weather forced a draw.Australian Hogan claimed the first wicket of the day in the seventh over when opener Matthew Pardoe was caught at leg slip by Wright. Worcestershire looked like they had weathered the early storm reaching 55 for one before losing four wickets in the space of 3.5 overs before lunch.Mitchell went edging a ball from Reed to Stewart Walters at second slip before Sri Lanka’s Thilan Samaraweera went for a duck trapped leg before by Hogan. With their backs up Glamorgan took two more wickets in successive overs with Wright claiming a second catch at leg slip to dismiss Ali to give the impressive Hogan his third victim.Three balls later Reed had Alexei Kervezee leg before for 2 as Worcestershire lost four wickets in four overs with only five runs added. Glamorgan’s bowlers did not stop there. Reed claimed his third wicket after lunch bowling wicket-keeper Michael Johnson, while the medium pace of. Jim Allenby bowled Neil Pinner as Worcestershire were reduced to 85 for 7.Hogan bowled Gareth Andrew for 9 before Dean Cosker caught David Lucas in the gully to give Reed his fourth victim as Worcestershire struggled to 102 for 9. Reed rounded off a fine five-wicket haul after bowling Chris Russell.Glamorgan began their innings but the players went off for bad light at 4.30pm and they did not return

ESPNcricinfo previews the deciding Test between New Zealand and England in Auckland

The Preview by David Hopps21-Mar-2013Match factsFriday, March 22, Eden Park, Auckland
Start time 1030 (2130 GMT previous day)Jonny Bairstow is in line for a recall to England’s middle order•Getty ImagesBig PictureThere is a Test series up for grabs in New Zealand, but England’s thoughts are never far away from the important summer that lies in wait. Their hosting of the Champions Trophy offers them a chance to break their duck in a 50-over ICC tournament and then there is the little matter of back-to-back Ashes series. There is no point pretending otherwise – it is on everybody’s mind.Three back-to-back Tests in New Zealand are bound to leave England a little queasy. Every time James Anderson frowned in his run up in the second Test in Wellington, awful visions appeared of him missing an entire summer with an as yet undiagnosed injury. But Anderson came through 37 grueling overs, largely into the wind, with nothing more than a few back and heel niggles and with the help of the rain that washed out the final day confirmed that he felt okay again. He is only five wickets short of 300 but the slightest concern about his fitness would tempt England to play safe and rest their most prized bowling asset; Graham Onions was one of only three players who had optional nets on Tuesday.And what of Monty? He was outbowled by Bruce Martin at the Basin Reserve and before this series few people in England had even heard of Bruce Martin. As Graeme Swann’s sidekick in India, Panesar shared in one of the finest spin-bowling feats in England’s Test history. As a lone spinner in New Zealand, his ability to block up an end allowed England to rotate their fast bowlers (and, no mean feat, probably helped to keep them fit in the process).Accusations that New Zealand have been intent solely on a nil-all draw are somewhat unfair. If the pitch in Dunedin was a drudge, Wellington provided a decent Test surface. New Zealand have been competitive, not remotely the pushovers that some imagined as they have battled back from the mess of the Ross Taylor ousting; they can take pride in that. Indeed, their professionalism has been so exemplary it invites the New Zealand public to consider whether the replacement of Taylor with Brendon McCullum was actually more logical than it has so far cared to admit.Form guide New Zealand DDLLW
England DDDWW
Players to watch …Brendon McCullum has led from the front for New Zealand throughout this tour. His counter-attacking half-century in Wellington (are his innings ever anything else?) was his fifth in consecutive innings. However, his form is too good for him not to convert into a hundred. If the surface at Eden Park does have more pace and bounce as suggested McCullum is one of the New Zealand batsmen best equipped to deal with it. Beating England after all that has happened – what an achievement that would be.Jonny Bairstow has played one first-class innings in seven months and now England have confirmed he will be pitched into a deciding Test. No surprise, then, that while most of the squad had a day off on Wednesday he was working in the nets with Graham Gooch. It has been a difficult for months for Bairstow – form and family issues impacted his tours – but this is a chance, albeit an unexpected one, to play a key role for England.Team newsKevin Pietersen will not only miss the final Test in Auckland but the whole of the IPL because of a knee injury which has been ruled out of all cricket for up to eight weeks. Instead of the adulation which he laps up on every visit to India, he faces a lengthy rehabilitation with a view to regaining match fitness in time for the Champions Trophy and the Ashes series which follows. Bairstow will deputise. For New Zealand, a third Test in quick succession will tempt them to shuffle their pace attack with the possibility that Doug Bracewell may get an outing instead of Trent Boult.New Zealand (probable): 1 Peter Fulton, 2 Hamish Rutherford, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Dean Brownlie, 6 Brendon McCullum, 7 BJ Watling, 8 Doug Bracewell, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Bruce Martin, 11 Neil WagnerEngland (probable): 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Nick Compton, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Joe Root, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Steven Finn, 10 James Anderson, 11 Monty Panesar.Pitch and conditionsDrop-in Test pitches are regarded with such suspicion – somewhere between an artificial surface and the real thing – that discussing their likely behaviour still seems a little unreal. A couple of days to help the seamers before the pitch flattens out was one analysis. As for the weather, temperatures at the end of the summer have slipped a tad, but a maximum of 23C and a good deal of sunshine is the forecast.Stats and triviaEden Park has staged 47 matches since 1930 and many suspect this may be its last. Its straight boundaries fall well short of the 70m minimum distance from the centre of the pitch, but ICC regulations allow any ground approved for international cricket before 2007 cricket to be exempt. So that’s alright then. New Zealand have beaten England only once in 15 attempts at Eden Park (10 have been drawn). Daryl Tuffey was the star of their win in 2002 with nine wickets in the match and his 6 for 54 in the first innings was a Test-best analysis. England have won deciders on this tour over both 50 and 20 overs. England have never won a 50-over ICC trophy; if they tell you they have not even given the Champions Trophy, to be played in England in June, a second thought, greet it with suspicion. Quotes”The confidence within the group is building nicely but there’s also a realism that we will have to perform outstandingly well for five days. England stepped up in those previous two deciders and we went missing so this will be a good challenge to see if we’ve progressed as a team.”
“In an ideal world a pitch with more pace and bounce would make for a more exciting wicket. But whichever pitch we get in Auckland we’ll try to find the best way to win the game.”

With the win in Hyderabad, MS Dhoni has become the most successful Indian captain in Tests

Sharda Ugra05-Mar-2013Victory in the Hyderabad Test has made MS Dhoni the most successful captain in Indian cricket, with 22 Test wins and two world titles in the limited-overs game – the 2007 ICC World T20 title and the 2011 World Cup.At the end of the Hyderabad Test, where India stomped over Australia by an innings and 135 runs taking an unassailable 2-0 lead, Dhoni waved away his numero uno standing as India captain, and said it was “over-rated and hyped.””If you see our dressing room right now, we are not bothered about who has won how many matches. What’s important is to win Test matches. The more consistent we become the better it is for the side. I don’t think this number really matters for us. What’s important is that the last two matches we have done really well.”A Dhoni media briefing can be a wide-ranging explanation of tactics, glimpses of personal philosophy and more importantly, a reflection of the team management’s thinking. Post-Hyderabad this is what it looks like: Virender Sehwag’s position in the squad is a bit iffy, Harbhajan Singh is safe and if Cheteshwar Pujara pays too much attention on performing outside India, he won’t relish the present.Asked if Sehwag was on borrowed time and would be persisted with, Dhoni called the question a “difficult one.” He said a ‘wait and watch’ was necessary before the selectors meet to pick the team for Mohali and Delhi. “You have to create a balance… You also need to see what situation we are in, because we will be touring abroad and we don’t have that many Test matches after this series. In between we hardly play any Tests and we go off to South Africa… I won’t really like to comment.”It was not as ringing an endorsement as was enjoyed by Harbhajan Singh, who Dhoni said had “shown improvement” in his last three Tests. Harbhajan, he said, had given him a very important option due to the number of left-handers in the Australian line-up.

I felt he bowled well in the second innings in Chennai and he has shown improvement in this game. He is bowling in one area which is very important. Of course you will have one lead spinner, but when it comes to the second spinner you may have to choose horses for coursesMS Dhoni on Harbhajan Singh

“He played against England and people weren’t happy. I could also not make him bowl the amount of overs that I would have liked to. That’s the case with three spinners. Often one of them will be slightly under-utilised.”He believed the pressure of Harbhajan playing his 100th Test was “was always there on him. What’s important is how he has overcome that. I felt he bowled well in the second innings in Chennai and he has shown improvement in this game. He is bowling in one area which is very important. Of course you will have one lead spinner, but when it comes to the second spinner you may have to choose horses for courses.”In an interview to the BCCI’s official website, Pujara had said that he would judge himself on how he performed in ‘tough overseas conditions.”Asked if this attitude was important for a young player to have on his team, Dhoni replied, “I think he watches too many media channels because that’s what really happens. I have always said you need to be in the present. Of course he has set his own standards but what is important to enjoy what you have done. What he has done or what anyone has done. No point in saying you have done well in India; go out and do it and we will judge you as a batsman.” While Pujara may himself have made that comment himself, Dhoni said, “but that’s my point – we all love to comment that way, but it’s also important to enjoy the moment. You have done well; so enjoy the moment. That will be my suggestion to him. He will score runs… that’s a different story.”India’s marked difference in recent performance home and away, Dhoni said, was a reflection of the variety of conditions that made Test cricket challenging. “You have to realise 80 or 70 per cent of the matches you play in your home conditions. You have to be good there. As I always say, once you go abroad the conditions are totally different and that’s a challenge. That’s what improves our Test cricket over a period of time. I think the sides that have players who have toured the sub-continent or of us who have played in other countries, they have been able to perform quite consistently.””I feel it’s still a challenge, that’s what is special about Test cricket. You go abroad, you have different conditions, you come to the sub-continent, the wicket becomes slow and low. If everything becomes the same, Test cricket won’t be challenging.”He said India had lifted itself off from the series loss against England by putting in an all-round effort in all disciplines. “Against England we were not at our best. We were not scoring enough runs, we were not putting huge totals on the board for our bowlers to be aggressive. All these things play a crucial part. You can’t just rely on your batting or bowling, as a unit you have to do well. Once you score runs, automatically you will see bowlers doing well. It works the other way as well, if the bowlers are bowling well it creeps into your batting also.” In the current series using a fifth bowler in Jadeja had worked well at home.When asked what his advice would be to Michael Clarke, Dhoni said his only piece of advice would be that, “screaming [at his team] won’t really help”. But he added he wouldn’t want to “poke his nose because it’s a bit unfair. You need to respect your opponents… you don’t give Australians bit more advice as they are very competitive and they can come back strongly in the series.” He said Australia could take back positives from the series that they would have a pool of players the next time they travelled to the subcontinent who would be, “better equipped to handle the conditions. I think it’s a win-win situation for them. Just that they have to be a bit patient.”The difference the Hyderabad pitch made for the spinners was that it had started to turn once the ball got old. In the second session on day one, India were unable to find turn and couldn’t break the Michael Clarke-Matthew Wade partnership, “That session we struggled a bit. All of a sudden the ball became soft and once we came back after tea, we saw that spinners were able to get a bit of turn and put pressure on the opposition.”India used that knowledge to impose themselves on Australia in the second innings on Monday evening. “We bowled close to 32 odd overs and gave away 72 or 73 runs. We had runs in hand, and we were waiting for the ball to turn soft. It’s one of the reasons why we wanted Ishant with the semi-new ball today. He got us that important breakthrough and because of that we were able to put pressure on their batting.”

Despite beating Australia for the first time, and qualifying for their maiden World Cup final, West Indies captain Merissa Aguilleira said her team hadn’t produced its best

Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai13-Feb-2013Despite beating five-time world champions Australia for the first time in an ODI, and qualifying for their maiden World Cup final, West Indies captain Merissa Aguilleira said her team hadn’t produced its best performance yet. And West Indies had just defended 164 to win their last Super Six match in Mumbai, knocking out England and New Zealand.”Since we have come to this World Cup, we haven’t brought forth our A game,” Aguilleira said. “The final is definitely the place to bring our A game. Yes, we had a few misfields and there is lot of room for improvement, not just on the field, but batting wise as well.”After choosing to bat, West Indies were dismissed in 47 overs by a disciplined Australian attack. They were 59 for 5 at one stage and could have been out for a lower score had Deandra Dottin not scored 60 at No. 7. Aguilleira said the difference between Dottin and the others was her natural ability to hit the ball hard. “That’s a god-given talent and I think she is using it well. She is not using it enough, but she is using it.”Australia lost wickets regularly too, but they also had steady partnerships that kept swinging the match in their favour. However, when three important middle-order batsmen fell in quick succession, Aguilleira said she could sense panic in Australia’s players.”I felt some panic happening in their camp and that’s the time we started to attack even more. We realised that as long as we bowl in the right areas, we can get wickets and that’s exactly what happened. You really need bowlers to bowl as tight as possible. The bowlers made it easier for me by doing exactly what they are supposed to do.”West Indies had to win this match to qualify for the final, because the gap between their net run rate and that of the other contenders was marginal. “The atmosphere in the dressing room was high because we knew how important this match was, not just for us but for the people of the Carribbean and our fans as well,” Aguilleira said. “We have a lot of people supporting us. We knew that we could make it to the final and that’s exactly what we did.”Amid all the questions after the match, she admitted with a beaming smile that she was overjoyed. “I’m overwhelmed right now. Words can’t express the way I’m feeling right now. We got to thank god for it, we had been through a lot as a team and hope his blessings continue to shine on us.”Aguilleira said West Indies now had a better idea of Australia’s game, which would help them prepare for the final. “We understand them much better having seen them and I think they understand us as well. We made mistakes in some areas and those are the things we need to work on. Since we have a few days, we will work on areas such as not giving their batsmen much width because they are strong whenever they get a chance to free their arms.”Australia’s captain Jodie Fields gave the credit to the West Indies players. “Their bowling was very disciplined and they put the ball in good areas,” she said. “Their spinners took it to our batsmen and that helped them win the game today. They bowled with disciplined, tight lines and fielded very well today. The pitch was a bit slow and also turning a lot, so it was hard to score.”West Indies complemented their bowling with sharp fielding, which resulted in three catches and three run-outs. The run-outs occurred not just because of good fielding, but also because of poor running. “We had to score runs and sometimes you have to take those risks and to West Indies’ credit they got a few run-outs. They are great fielders, Deandra Dottin was really good at point today and Daley and others backed each other up.”Australia had been undefeated in the World Cup until now and that’s how they wanted the record to be. After losing to West Indies, who they will meet again in the finals, Fields said they have time to prepare and work on their shortcomings.”I don’t think it’s ever good to have a loss. We definitely came out today to win the match and wanted to go through the tournament undefeated. We have to go and focus on our training. Since we are going to play them in the final, at least we got a chance to look at their game and hopefully we can bring it back on Sunday.”

Bottom-of-the-table Leicestershire had promotion hopefuls Hampshire on the rack at the end of the second day of their Division Two game

22-Aug-2012
ScorecardBottom-of-the-table Leicestershire had promotion hopefuls Hampshire on the rack at the end of the second day of their Division Two game at Grace Road. Captain Matthew Hoggard took four wickets and Alex Wyatt and Wayne White three each as the hosts bowled out Hampshire for 181 to secure a first-innings lead of 175 runs. By the close they had increased that to 243.Sean Ervine top scored for Hampshire making an unbeaten 58, while David Balcombe hit 31 in a ninth-wicket stand of 50 – the biggest of the innings.It took Hampshire just over five overs to wrap up the Leicestershire first innings, with Chris Tomlinson taking both wickets. He yorked Hoggard and had Wyatt caught behind as the home side added 22 runs to their overnight 334 for 8.Shiv Thakor scored 14 of the runs to finish unbeaten on 85. It was a Championship-best score for the talented 18-year-old. Tomlinson was the pick of the Hampshire attack, claiming five for 69 in 24.3 overs.There was still plenty of help from the pitch for the seamers and the Leicestershire bowlers took full advantage, giving the Hampshire batsmen a torrid time. Hoggard, Wyatt and White did all the damage as Hampshire were all out in 57 overs. It was only Ervine’s gritty effort and the ninth-wicket stand that enabled Hampshire to avoid a complete rout.They lost their first five wickets for 99 runs in 34 overs, Wyatt and Hoggard ripping through the top order. Wyatt produced an impressive first spell of 2 for 9 in four overs, dismissing Neil McKenzie lbw and removing Simon Katich for a duck, courtesy of a stunning catch at cover by Thakor.Hoggard had Michael Carberry lbw offering no shot and bowled Jimmy Adams with a fine inswinger, before Wyatt picked up his third wicket by trapping Liam Dawson lbw. Then White took over, claiming the next three wickets in 25 balls at a cost of 14 runs. Michael Bates was bowled for a duck, Chris Wood out lbw without scoring and Kabir Ali bowled off an inside edge.But David Balcombe joined Ervine in a stand of 50 before Hoggard returned to snap up the last two wickets. He bowled Balcombe for 31 and had Tomlinson caught behind to finish with figures of 4 for 27.Although Hampshire were 175 behind, Leicestershire did not enforce the follow on. Openers Will Jones and Mike Thornely fell cheaply but Ramnaresh Sarwan and Ned Eckersley took them to 68 for 2 by the close and a lead of 243.

The preview of the first ODI between Sri Lanka and India, in Hambantota

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran20-Jul-2012Match factsSaturday, July 21
Start time 1430 (0900 GMT)Umesh Yadav returns to strengthen India’s pace attack•AFPBig PictureYet another India v Sri Lanka series is upon us. While the Indian team has racked up its frequent flyer miles with regular trips to Sri Lanka over the past few years, they start this series in an unfamiliar location. The stadium at Hambantota, a port town in southern Sri Lanka, was built for the World Cup and India haven’t played a game there yet.The ground recently hosted a couple of Twenty20s during Pakistan’s tour and, if those matches are anything to go by, the bowlers should enjoy themselves. With Zaheer Khan back spearheading the attack, and Umesh Yadav providing the pace, India’s bowling looks in better shape than it did in their previous ODI series, the Asia Cup in Dhaka.One advantage India will have over the home side is that the team comes in with six weeks of rest, a rare luxury in recent years. On the other hand Sri Lanka, especially their IPL players, have been playing almost non-stop since their previous home season began last August. With the SLPL starting days after this series ends, and the World Twenty20 following soon after, Sri Lanka’s players have a while to go yet before they can think of a rest.Form guideSri Lanka WWWLL (Completed games, most recent first)
India WLWWLWatch out for…In the 15 months since last year’s World Cup, Virender Sehwag has played only nine ODIs due to a combination of injuries, the controversial rotation system and being rested. In those matches, he blasted the record-breaking 219 in Indore, but hasn’t otherwise crossed 30.Sri Lanka’s batting order has undergone plenty of changes over the past few months. Will they again push Jayawardene to the top of the order or stick with Upul Tharanga, who had a poor series against Pakistan? And if Jayawardene takes a middle-order place, will it be his usual position at No. 4, or will he go one spot lower as he did against Pakistan?Team newsOne of the questions India will have to address is whether to play Irfan Pathan as an allrounder at No. 7, or go in with a specialist batsman at that position. If they do pick a specialist batsman for that position, it will likely be Manoj Tiwary, who has spent plenty of time on the bench over the past few months. Dhoni hinted that they will pick Irfan for the first game. “He gives us the liberty of playing with five specialist bowlers,” he said. “We can play two spinners and three seamers because Irfan can also bat.”India: (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Pragyan OjhaSri Lanka have experimented with a whole lot of spinners over the past couple of years, but are still to zero in on a permanent slow bowler for their limited-overs side. The squad for this series includes Jeevan Mendis, who impressed with bat and ball in the one match he got against Pakistan, and Rangana Herath, who has cemented his place as lead spinner in the Test side but isn’t yet as secure in the shorter forms.Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Rangana HerathStats and trivia Upul Tharanga averages 37.12 against all teams in ODIs since the start of 2010, but only makes 11.76 an innings against India in that period. Lasith Malinga leads the ODI wicket-chart for 2012, with 36 scalps. Virat Kohli’s ODI average of 50.56 puts him fifth in the all-time listQuotes”We have had the match practice and the guys are in pretty good form, we will try and continue that. For the Indians, it’s a different story, they have to get back to a rhythm. On the other hand, they are fresher than us after us going through six months of continuous cricket.”

“[Managing Zaheer’s workload] is important but I don’t think we need to think about it from the very first game. We need to also get him match-fit.”

With Chennai Super Kings needing five runs to win off the final delivery, Rajat Bhatia bowled a full toss which Dwayne Bravo heaved over the long-on boundary

The Report by George Binoy14-May-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDwayne Bravo was mobbed by his team-mates after winning the match for Super Kings with a last-ball six•AFPWith Chennai Super Kings needing five runs to win off the final delivery, Rajat Bhatia, who had bowled MS Dhoni and conceded only four from the previous five balls, bowled a full toss. Dwayne Bravo, who had missed a heave off the fifth ball, heaved again, and this time he hit the ball high into the night sky. Kolkata Knight Riders’ captain Gautam Gambhir, fielding in the circle, kept his eyes fixed on the ball as it began its descent, and grimaced as he watched it fall agonisingly out of reach of his fielder at long-on, and just over the boundary. The Super Kings were out of the dug out, craning their necks to see where the ball landed, and once they saw it was a match-winning six, there were several streaks of yellow speeding to embrace Bravo. He was standing there with arms aloft, having taken Super Kings to No. 4 with only one league game remaining.Had the match been tied, it would have been less of a surprise, for Super Kings’ chase had followed a pattern eerily similar to Knight Riders’ first innings.In pursuit of 159, Michael Hussey and M Vijay added 97 runs in 10.1 overs before Sunil Narine, who continued to confound batsmen with his variations during his spell of 4-0-14-2, dismissed both of them in the space of three balls. Hussey had demonstrated impeccable timing on a pitch that demanded application, hitting four sixes in a half-century that threatened to make short work of the chase, before he top-edged a sweep. Vijay was bowled trying to cut a straight one.When Knight Riders had been sent in after losing the toss, Gambhir and Brendon McCullum had set off at breakneck speed, adding 99 in 11.2 overs before they were dismissed in the space of five deliveries. Gambhir scored his sixth half-century of the season and took charge of accelerating his team’s innings while McCullum played second fiddle, relatively speaking. They were setting Knight Riders for a formidable total when McCullum was run-out and Gambhir was bowled after the ball came off his inside-edge and pad, gone for 62 off 43 balls.With the Knight Riders openers gone and two new batsmen at the crease, Super Kings began to drag the run-rate back, by striking regularly. The hosts slipped from 99 for 0 to 128 for 5. Jacques Kallis was unlucky to be given caught behind while sweeping, because the ball came off the arm, and Yusuf Pathan hit his customary solitary six before holing out to Bravo on the long-on boundary. Bravo caught Manoj Tiwary there soon after and Knight Riders were eventually kept to 158.Super Kings went down the same path. After the Hussey-Vijay stand, they were slowed down and then lost Suresh Raina to a run out in the 14th over. MS Dhoni played out four consecutive dot balls against L Balaji as the gap between runs required and balls remaining began to grow. Balaji conceded two runs off the 14th over, and Bhatia five in the next. Super Kings now needed 44 off 30 balls.After the 17th over of the first innings, Knight Riders had been 127 for 4. After the 17th over of the chase, Super Kings were 127 for 3. They lost Faf du Plessis to the first ball of the 18th. With 27 needed off the last two overs, Dhoni changed the course of the chase. He nearly beheaded Marchant de Lange, such was the ferocity with which he clubbed the first ball to the straight boundary. The next was a full toss that disappeared through deep midwicket and the third was a towering six over long-on.Super Kings were favourites, needing only nine to get off the final over, but Dhoni was bowled off its second ball, missing Bhatia’s slower ball. Bhatia went on to bowl three more exceptional deliveries, but his last was the full toss that allowed Super Kings to move to No. 4 in the league.

Mark Ramprakash has been dropped by Surrey for their next County Championship match against Somerset

ESPNcricinfo staff15-May-2012Mark Ramprakash has been dropped by Surrey for their next County Championship match against Somerset following a poor start to the season which cumulated in a pair against Worcestershire last week.Ramprakash, 42, has scored 62 runs in eight Championship innings and his pair at New Road, completed when he was caught down the leg side off Richard Jones as he was out twice in a day, was just the third of his first-class career.Chris Adams, the Surrey cricket manager, said it was not a decision he took lightly. “We have not selected Mark Ramprakash for the game against Somerset which was a very difficult decision to make,” he said. “Mark has had a tough start to the season and has not made the impact with the bat that he would have wanted to.”But you do not score the amount of runs that Mark has without knowing your own game and I know he will work hard to find his form again. The challenge now for Mark is to push hard to regain his place for the remainder of the season.”The difficult start to this season followed a 2011 campaign that was also below Ramprakash’s usual high standards. He was hindered by injury during the year and made 700 runs at 33.33 in 13 Championship matches with one hundred.

Wriddhiman Saha plundered a defensive Central Zone for 26 boundaries, and made East Zone favourites to win their maiden Duleep Trophy title

The Report by Abhishek Purohit in Indore13-Feb-2012
ScorecardWriddhiman Saha showed how much confidence a decent performance in a demanding situation generates in a player. A couple of weeks after resisting the might of the Australian fast bowlers in Adelaide, Saha plundered a defensive Central Zone for 26 boundaries, and made East Zone favourites to win their maiden Duleep Trophy title.Saha is arguably the finest wicketkeeper in the country at present, and is also known to be a plucky batsman. Less than a week ago, he had made 124 against North Zone in Delhi. Today, he displayed a different dimension of his game, playing stroke after aggressive stroke with freedom. He drove with poise, clipped with balance, lofted with control and pulled with power. Central Zone were left clueless; Piyush Chawla, the captain, had no answers and allowed the game to drift away from his side.The Holkar Stadium pitch lost much of its zip after the first day. There was some bite during the first hour, but Central Zone were luckless as their fast bowlers beat the outside edge several times but could not produce the edge. After surviving the initial burst from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rituraj Singh, Anustup Majumdar threw it away on 52, mistiming a pull off TP Sudhindra to mid-on.The match was open at 107 for 4 but East Zone pulled ahead through two productive partnerships. Saha put on 109 with his captain Natraj Behera and 87 with Biplab Samantray. Central Zone hardly looked like breaking though during both partnerships and it was another rash stroke that brought them a wicket. Behera, on 46, backed away to cut a Chawla googly and was bowled off the last ball before lunch.Already 83 runs behind, Central Zone were content to wait for the second new ball. The old Kookaburra helped neither the spinners nor the fast bowlers and the fields for the spinners revealed Central Zone’s defensive mindset.Jalaj Saxena, who bowls quick offbreaks, deployed a seven-two leg-side field after a long discussion with his captain Chawla. Having a long-on, deep midwicket and deep square leg is an admission that the fielding side is waiting for a mistake from the batsmen. Bowling long hops to that field considerably reduces the chance of that mistake happening. East Zone were in no mood to help Central Zone; they kept pulling for fours on the leg side despite the skewed field.Chawla had needed the cushion of a sweeper cover when East Zone were three down for not many on day one; it was no surprise that he kept the man on the boundary whenever he bowled today. Singles were granted by default. With Saha on 94, Chawla offered him another long hop. Saha hammered it over deep midwicket to bring up his seventh first-class hundred with a six.Central Zone took the second new ball as soon as it was available but had to wait until the 96th over for a wicket, when Bhuvneshwar trapped Samantray lbw from around the stumps. East Zone soon slipped from 303 for 5 to 325 for 9 but Central Zone were in store for more punishment.Chawla still allowed Saha easy singles off the fifth and sixth deliveries of overs. Ashok Dinda walked out to cheers from the handful of spectators and hit his first ball for four through point. He proceeded to slog a quick 24 and almost broke the glass screen of the old media box with a massive six. The last-wicket partnership was worth 45 before Saha was stumped off Chawla, bowling outside leg from around the stumps.The lead was now worth 237, and Central Zone had no choice but to take the initiative if they were to make a comeback. They promoted Jalaj to partner Naman Ojha ahead of the dour Vineet Saxena. Central Zone motored to 48 in 11 overs by stumps, but with the pitch having eased out, the odds were against the hosts.