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Stand-in captain says, “T20 has given people probably a greater understanding of risk and reward” in ODIs

Alan Gardner27-Mar-2021England will go into the final match of their tour of India hopeful of claiming the ODI series 2-1 but already confident that exposure to local conditions will enhance their chances of success at this year’s showpiece white-ball event, the 2021 T20 World Cup.Jos Buttler, standing in for the injured Eoin Morgan as England captain, said that the side took great pride from the way they had stuck to their philosophy of aggression in levelling the series in Pune on Friday, and pointed to the strength in depth that had enabled them to pull off a chase of 337 without the services of two of their best ODI batsmen, in Morgan and the rested Joe Root.With all limited-overs contests being looked at through the lens of the T20 World Cup, to be held in India in October and November, the performances of Liam Livingstone, who struck a composed 27 off 21 balls on debut to help seal victory, and Reece Topley, whose temperament and variations stood out in only his second ODI since 2016, added to the sense of healthy competition in England’s ranks.Related

• India's conservative starts batting first in ODIs hurting them

• 'We don't really fear too much' – Stokes after crushing target of 337

• First ODI: England and India's differing methods of ODI batting

England were defeated 3-2 in the T20I series, having been 2-1 up, but have held their own against India across the white-ball leg of their tour.”The T20s were a great – I don’t want to say exercise – but a fantastic series for learning about playing in this part of the world as a side, with the T20 World Cup looming in the near future,” Buttler said. “I know Eoin and Chris Silverwood talked about building that pool of players who are exposed to international cricket and being exposed to playing against India in India is as hard as it gets in international cricket.”Lots of guys have had opportunities. It was great to see Liam Livingstone make his debut yesterday, brilliant to see Reece Topley to come back in and bowl so well. It’s fantastic for these guys to get exposure and come in and perform in the fashion that we like to play as a side. It’s great to see someone like Liam to fully commit to his way and it’s great to see someone do that on debut.”Another plus has been the form of Jonny Bairstow, who reinforced his credentials as one of the best limited-overs batsmen in the game with an 11th ODI hundred to set up England’s successful chase in the second game. Bairstow’s last seven ODI innings have seen him rack up scores of 82, 4, 84, 0, 112, 94 and 124, giving him an average of 52.41 and strike rate of 108.89 since converting to opener in 2017.His latest effort in Pune also elevated Bairstow to fourth among England’s century-makers in the format, leaving him to suggest that one of his aims was to top the list.Buttler on Bairstow: “That’s fantastic, the form Jonny is in, and there is no reason why he shouldn’t go on and break all those records”•Getty Images

“Jonny has been in unbelievable form for the last few years for us,” Buttler said. “He has been one of the world’s leading batsmen in ODI cricket and it’s been amazing to watch. If those numbers drive him on, that’s fantastic. For us as a side, we all want to push boundaries of what we are all capable of as a team and, of course, individuals want to do that as well.”That’s fantastic, the form Jonny is in, and there is no reason why he shouldn’t go on and break all those records. If you look at his numbers since becoming an opening batsman in ODI cricket, it is quite extraordinary, the averages and the strike rate he manages to score at, it’s fantastic. It’s brilliant to have him in our side and we love watching him play.”He’s our leading player really. It’s just been brilliant to watch the consistency he shows to play in the fashion he does, which is what makes it so impressive. It’s very intimidating to bowl at. I know having played against Jonny in the IPL and in the bowlers meeting [people] saying ‘What should we bowl to this guy?’ [There are] not too many answers to be honest. He’s hugely appreciated within our side and I think everyone knows really just what special player he is.”Amid debate about India’s mode of playing the ODI game, which contrasts with the all-out-attack methods that have seen England secure a World Cup and the ICC’s No. 1 ranking, Buttler echoed the suggestion of Morgan that white-ball cricket is “always on an upward slant” and said the influence of T20 had changed the players’ approach to risk versus reward.”I think the two games are probably as close as they’ve ever been,” he said. “T20 has given people probably a greater understanding of risk and reward, and that’s sort of coming into the 50-over game, especially for us, the six-hitting capability and boundary-hitting capability. The guys’ attitude to risk is probably quite different compared to how it was a number of years ago and I think T20 has sort of made people realise that they can operate at a level above what they used to be able to do for longer periods of time so bringing that into 50-over cricket.”When the conditions suit it’s certainly made for some high-scoring games, but I think one of the beauties of 50-over cricket – go back to the World Cup in 2019, we probably expected to see higher scoring games that we did. So, there are certain times when the game does differ and move further away from T20. But I’d say they are certainly closer aligned than they probably ever have been.”

Australia coach calls flat pitches “a huge problem” for game in wake of MCG abandonment

Andrew McGlashan in Perth10-Dec-2019While maybe not the talk of the town, there is plenty of chatter about pitches in Australia. There was the abandonment of the Sheffield Shield game at the MCG and now the intrigue about what will be laid out for the second Test to be staged at the new Perth Stadium. For Australia coach Justin Langer, however, there is just one thing that matters: Test cricket can’t afford flat surfaces.The scenes at the MCG over the weekend were sparked by a pitch that started too soft when the groundsman, Matt Page, went too far after the ground’s recent problems with lifeless pitches. Langer sympathised with what they were trying to do because he believes the nature of surfaces are the biggest factor in the longer formats.ALSO READ: NZ brace for ‘most extreme’ Test in Perth“I see flat pitches as a huge problem for the health of cricket,” he said. “I’ve said this for 10, 15 or 20 years, for the health of Test cricket, first-class cricket and even one-day cricket you want to play on wickets where there’s a contest between bat and ball. It’s been very well documented what happened at the MCG this week, but I know they are trying to push it so they get a contest back because we don’t want to see cricket anywhere in the world, in my opinion, on flat wickets which are batsman-dominated, it’s just not spectacle.”The pink ball under lights is trying to keep some great life in Test cricket, but the most important thing for me is to get the wickets right so there’s a contest between bat and ball. Hopefully everyone around the world, whether it’s spin, seam, swing, pace and bounce, whatever it is, give the characteristic of giving the bowler some hope because we want spectacle in all cricket, it’s entertainment. We don’t want to see really flat wickets.”Although it does not give the full picture of Test surfaces, Australia comes out well this decade in terms of the percentage of drawn Tests in the country with the third lowest (16.98%) behind South Africa (12.76%) and England (14.49%) – excluding Zimbabwe and Ireland as host nations. The issues at the MCG aside, Langer does not believe there is a big problem with the pitches produced in Australia.”We’ve seen [problems] for a few years at the MCG but, I don’t know what the statistics are, but I imagine you get a higher proportion of results here in Australia. I think Australian wickets are going pretty well. There’s a lot of focus on the MCG at the moment because of the last few years of Test cricket, and that’s good that’s happening, because we want to see good wickets. But overall I think the wickets in Australia are excellent.”What we don’t want to do is go the other way where there’s no chance for a batsman. We’ve got to get the balance right. We don’t want to see wickets that are so green that the game is over in two days. That doesn’t make sense either. But when there’s wickets falling and the best batsmen score runs, that’s great Test cricket or great one-day cricket for me.”For the next few days, much of the attention will be on how the pitch in Perth plays. The surface made a promising start against India last year although was only rated ‘average’ by the ICC, probably on the basis of some uneven bounce that was on display, which generated a surprised reaction to many who had watched the Test match.This year the pitch will be baked in hot weather and there is a chance cracks could open up although Langer said they often look worse to the batsman than they really are. The cracks at the WACA became part of cricket folklore, from Tony Greig losing his keys down one to Curtly Ambrose being run out when his bat got stuck to the jagging delivery that bowled James Vince in the 2017-18 Ashes.”Last year against India, it’s exactly what we’re looking for in Test cricket,” Langer said. “There was a result, it was entertaining cricket. It was fast and bouncy. Obviously the conditions are going to be very hot. Traditionally in Perth when it gets hot you get cracks in the wicket. Having played here for a long time they are usually more psychological than having a physical impact on the game. I’m sure there will be cracks that open up and it’s usually part of the drama that is a contest here in WA. I think it’s going to be a very good wicket. Hopefully there is some pace and bounce, hopefully there is a contest because that’s what we need in Test cricket.”With Melbourne to come and then this series finishing in Sydney the talk about the 22 yards will not go away. The SCG has had issues of its own – some related to the other sports that use the stadium – and the pitches for the Sheffield Shield have not had much pace but spin, which the ground has historically been famous for assisting, has played a key role.”It’s pleasing to see we’ve got some unique characteristics to the SCG to an extent again,” New South Wales captain Peter Nevill said. “I thought our last wicket against Western Australia was a fantastic wicket. It’s good to see quality spin and people having to play quality spin. We get criticised enough when we go overseas to the subcontinent [saying] we can’t play spin.”Unless we’re preparing conditions in Australia that allow you to play two spinners, and this is the only venue around the country you can, people aren’t going to be exposed to that and they’re not going to get any better at playing it. I’d love to see the SCG continue to be a spinning wicket and I think the curator needs to be allowed to do so.”And it wasn’t just the view of the home captain. “I think that’d be a pretty good deck to roll out for the Test here,” Queensland skipper Usman Khawaja said. “You obviously want it to probably break up a little bit more, but I think that’s more to do with the weather than the wicket. It’s feeling more like the SCG of old, when I started playing.”

The allrounder said he was fully fit but MSK Prasad clarified that they wanted him to play at least two games before getting him back in the national side

Sidharth Monga in Delhi25-Oct-2018MSK Prasad, India’s chairman of selectors, has said Kedar Jadhav was not picked for the last three ODIs against West Indies because of his fitness history.”We did not pick Kedar because of his history of fitness,” Prasad was quoted as saying by . “There have been occasions earlier when he has come back fit and then broke down, a case in point being the Asia Cup last month.”Jadhav’s hamstrings – “compromised”, as his Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming described it during commentary – have caused him issues for a while. He injured himself in his first IPL match this season and missed the entire tournament, and then reinjured himself during the Asia Cup.When the team was announced for the first two ODIs against West Indies, Prasad had said at the press conference that Jadhav was on course to come back after the first two matches. Fit again, Jadhav was playing a Deodhar Trophy match in Delhi on the day he was left out of the India squad. Jadhav batted, bowled and fielded in the Deodhar game, running twos without any apparent trouble; he was shocked when told moments after the match that he was not part of the India squad.”I didn’t know [that I have not been selected],” Jadhav said in a press conference minutes after the match. “Obviously, I have to see [why].”When asked if he was surprised, because his form was not a concern and he had proved his fitness at both the NCA and Kotla, Jadhav said: “Let’s see. I don’t know. You are the first one to tell me this [that I have not been picked]. I have to see why they have not picked me.”Prasad clarified that they wanted Jadhav to play at least two games before they select him for India, given his fitness history, but Jadhav’s team was eliminated and he won’t get that chance. “Actually, we were thinking that if India A won today, then Kedar would have got another match, which would have given us a fair assessment of his match fitness,” Prasad said. “Maybe we could have added him as an additional player (in Indian team) before the fourth ODI as the Deodhar final is on Saturday. Players need to understand that there is a process that we follow while selecting the team.”Jadhav said that he was fully fit. “The rehab was good, I cleared all the fitness tests, I was cleared match fit, which is why I was playing here,” Jadhav said. He ran hard in his 25-ball 41, pinching three consecutive twos in the last over of the innings. He bowled and fielded too, although he did leave the field for a few minutes before coming back on. However, it is unlikely there was any assessment made on the day because the team was announced at around 3.30pm IST. Three selectors were watching the match at the Feroz Shah Kotla, so it is unlikely the selection meeting took place today.”They pick you only if you clear all the tests [at NCA] and you are completely fine,” Jadhav said.Jadhav said there was no need for doubts despite his repeated injuries, as long as there was clearance from the NCA. “Only if you have followed all the rehab, all the fitness rules, all the exercises do they clear you at NCA. As long as they clear you, you shouldn’t be having any doubt when playing on the field. You should express yourself. When I get clearance from NCA, I don’t hold myself back to play or to dive or to bowl.”Whatever injury it might be, when you are playing well, batting well, bowling well, it sets you back,” Jadhav said. “You don’t know how long you will be out for, and when you do come back whether you will rediscover the touch you were in. And you lose out on the matches in between. It hurts, but then you have to accept it and move on.”The three remaining matches against West Indies are the last ODIs India play this year. Jadhav is now expected to turn out for Maharashtra against Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy at the start of November.

Luis Reece has had a fine T20 season and Derbyshire needed him again after an uncertain display against Durham

ECB Reporters Network15-Aug-2017Luis Reece carried Derbyshire Falcons to the brink of the NatWest T20 Blast quarter-finals with 66 from 49 balls that sealed a three wicket win over the Durham Jets at Derby.Reece scored his fourth T20 fifty as the Falcons survived a late wobble inspired by Durham skipper Paul Coughlin to chase down 162 with three balls to spare. Derbyshire go second in the North Group with two matches to play.Stuart Poynter had made a competition best unbeaten 61 from 32 balls as the Jets recovered to 161 for 7 but Reece again played a decisive hand to turn the game.Durham’s innings began badly with Keaton Jennings run out by a direct hit from midwicket in the first over and Graham Clarke lbw going back to Wayne Madsen in the third.Michael Richardson went for a duck in the fourth when Hardus Viljoen side-footed the ball into the stumps in his follow through and although Tom Latham twice pulled the South African for four, the Jets hopes of a substantial total were dented when he swung Matt Henry into the hands of deep midwicket in the last over of the powerplay.Jack Burnham and Paul Coughlin added 38 before the Jets skipper was caught behind trying to pull Ben Cotton and the Falcons looked in control when Burnham was caught at third man in the 17th over.Luis Reece has had a fine NatWest Blast tournament•Getty Images

But Poynter had already lofted Imran Tahir for six and he drove and pulled two more from Cotton in the 19th over to reach 50 from 28 balls.A full toss from Henry was dispatched over deep point for his fourth six and when he late cut the last ball for four, 35 had come from the final two overs.The Falcons lost Billy Godleman in the second over despite replays showing James Weighell was perilously close to a no ball and after Matt Critchley pulled Chris Rushworth for six, he miscued to midwicket to reduce the home side to 33 for 2 in the 5th over.As one of the leading batsmen in the competition, Madsen’s wicket was key and he moved smoothly to 24 but then swung Ryan Pringle to wide long on.Reece, badly dropped at deep cover on 21, pulled Jennings for six but the Jets were building pressure which told when Alex Hughes top edged a pull in the 15th over.Reece took two fours from Weighell as 16 came from the 16th over, Henry pulled Usman Arshad for six, and although wickets fell in the closing overs, they had done enough.

South African pace bowler Kagiso Rabada proved an instant hit with Kent supporters by claiming two wickets on debut to help steer Spitfires to a tense 10-run win over NatWest T20 Blast rivals Sussex Sharks in Canterbury

ECB Reporters Network30-Jun-2016
ScorecardKagiso Rabada struck twice on his Kent debut•Getty Images

South African pace bowler Kagiso Rabada proved an instant hit with Kent supporters by claiming two wickets on debut to help steer Spitfires to a tense 10-run win over NatWest T20 Blast rivals Sussex Sharks in Canterbury.On a two-paced pitch that made boundary hitting tricky for both sides, Kent successfully defended 166 for 6 with Rabada claiming 2 for 31 and Fabian Cowdrey 2 for 8 to seal their sides third south group win.After collecting his Man-of-the-Match award 21-year-old Rabada said: “It was a great start for my debut and I’m just happy that I could contribute and that the team has won. It’s a good start for me and hopefully we can get some momentum from this.”It was quite a good wicket but most of the guys felt we fell a bit short runs wise, so credit to all the bowlers because we made it tough for them to score and got wickets at crucial times.”Visiting skipper Luke Wright said: “I was delighted, after the start Kent had, to restrict them to that total. I’d have taken that total any day, so it’s disappointing now and feels like we let that one slip away. But credit to their bowlers, I felt they executed their plans really well.”Also credit to Sam [Northeast] for his decision to bring on Cowdrey when he did. You never know how it’ll go when you bring on a part-time bowler, especially with someone like Ross Taylor batting. But it proved a gutsy decision.”Needing to score at 8.35 an over to surpass Kent’s modest 166, Sussex openers Wright and Chris Nash had faced only eight deliveries when a low sun glinting through the gap between the Pavilion and the Frank Woolley Stand caused a stoppage in play for 17 minutes. As the players stood in the middle waiting for the sun to drop, the irony was not lost on a Kent side who have lost 1,216 overs to inclement weather in all forms of cricket this summer.On his Kent debut, Rabada struck with his 11th delivery by pegging back the off stump of Chris Nash with a 90mph yorker.’Bad light’ came into play again at the opposite end of the ground as this time the setting sun reflected off the windows of the Sky Sports commentary box to dazzle the batsmen and cause a further 10-minute delay.Six balls after the resumption Wright attempted to uppercut against Rabada to be caught superbly on the run at third man by David Griffiths.With James Tredwell bowling frugally, Sussex still required 100 to win with 10 overs remaining, but that was the cue for Taylor to cut lose by taking 17 off a Darren Stevens over.Kent hit back when, in his first over, Cowdrey had Phil Salt caught at cow corner then, Cowdrey’s arm ball wrapped Taylor on the pads flush in front to send him packing one short of his 50.Matt Machan launched into a leg-side six off Griffiths leaving Sharks to score 32 to win off their final two overs. Mitch Claydon conceded nine off the penultimate over, leaving Rabada with 23 to defend in the last.Batting first after winning the toss, Kent made a watchful start through Tom Latham and Joe Denly, who appeared content simply to see off the pace of Tymal Mills.The Kent openers took a brace of boundaries off Nuwan Kulasekara, the Sri Lanka seamer making the first of his three appearances for Sussex, but still seemed too circumspect.Ajmal Shahzad dropped short allowing Latham to clip the first six of the night over midwicket as Kent reached 48 without loss after their six Powerplay overs.   
Sussex hauled the run-rate in further to restrict Kent to 89 fwithout loss at the innings mid-point and spark the loss of three wickets in seven balls.After helping to set a record opening stand in matches against Sussex worth 90, Denly’s 40-ball knock for 44 ended with a sliced drive high to deep cover off Nash then, four balls later, Northeast holed out to long-on to make it 99 for 2. The rot continued as Latham clipped off his legs to be caught at deep fine leg for 48.Sam Billings should have gone for 12 when he miscued a Danny Briggs full-toss only for Salt to spill a comfortable throat-high chance at mid-wicket. The drop cost only 10 runs when Billings miscued his next full toss to long-on where Machan pocketed the chance to make it 130 for 4.In his second stint down the Nackington Road slope Mills mixed his pace and lengths superbly to bamboozle Kent’s big-hitting duo of Stevens and Alex Blake.Frustrated by the lack of boundaries, Stevens launched into a straight drive against Jordan to pick out Kulasekara at long-off.Mills conceded his sole boundary of the night in his final over, but wrapped up his excellent four-over stint of 1 for 15 by yorking Cowdrey for a duck. Blake’s unbeaten 36 was full of miscues and mishits as Kent mustered 166.

An NZC official Greg Barclay has said the board is remaining vigilant about the threat of an alternative cricket structure but that there was no danger of its players being poached

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2015A New Zealand Cricket board member Greg Barclay has said NZC is remaining vigilant about the threat of an alternative cricket structure but that there was no danger of its players being poached by another rebel establishment.”I don’t think our players are under threat at the moment,” Barclay, NZC’s representative at the ICC, told . He said the reports were “hype and speculation” at present and he was not aware of any approaches to players or venues in New Zealand to host any matches.”It is quite possible that anyone organised could pick it up and run with it, and if they do it and don’t do it right, it would be particularly damaging to cricket. There is nothing more we can do at the moment. It is business as usual. The real question is what does it all mean? Why are they doing it?”Last week Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards had also described the reports as “highly speculative” and said CA would work with the ICC and other countries to protect the global interests of the game.An ICC committee – comprising its chairman N Srinivasan, ECB’s Giles Clarke, and Edwards – was set up to investigate the apparent new moves made by the Indian billionaire Subhash Chandra, owner of the Essel Group and also Zee TV, whose subsidiary Ten Sports owns home international cricket television rights for numerous Full Member countries including Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Chandra was the driving force behind the Indian Cricket League, a Twenty20 tournament that preceded the IPL but was crushed by the BCCI for being unsanctioned cricket.

Ehsan Mani, the former ICC chief, feels that though the two matches to be played this weekend will boost Pakistan’s reputation as a viable host for international cricket, they won’t be enough to convince Test teams to play in Pakistan yet

Umar Farooq19-Oct-2012With the arrival of a team led by former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya in Karachi, international cricket of sorts is set to return to Pakistan. Ehsan Mani, the former ICC chief, feels that though the two matches to be played this weekend will boost Pakistan’s reputation as a viable host for international cricket, they won’t be enough to convince Test teams to play in the country yet.The International XI includes South African fast bowlers Andre Nel and Nantie Hayward, and West Indies players Jermaine Lawson and Ricardo Powell. They face a Pakistan All Stars XI team in Twenty20 matches at the National Stadium in Karachi on Saturday and Sunday. There has been no international cricket in Pakistan since March 2009, when the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked.”I do not think that these matches will have an immediate impact in persuading ICC Full Member teams to tour Pakistan but it is a step in the right direction,” Mani told ESPNcricinfo. “The International XI is a small but significant step in the confidence building process to assure overseas players and teams that Pakistan is open for cricket and it is safe for overseas players to come to Pakistan.”Without doubt Pakistan is desperate and in need of international cricket in their backyard; youth development is on hold as no team even at the youth level is ready to tour, the PCB has suffered a budget deficit for years, stadiums are getting rusty, fans are deprived. At a time when Pakistan is a no go-area for major international teams, though a side comprising international players have arrived in the country, the PCB has disassociated itself from the tour.They have stressed that the games are unofficial and are unsanctioned, and have left Sindh sports minister Dr Mohammad Ali Shah to deal with most of the arrangements.”I was disappointed to read that the PCB had disassociated itself from the matches; it appears that PCB is covering itself in case something goes wrong,” Mani said. “This gives totally the wrong message. The PCB should have been very much involved, including assuring itself that adequate security arrangements are in place. It is disgraceful that the initiative to convince players to come to Pakistan is not being led by the PCB but by the Sindh government.”The PCB’s approach to bringing international cricket back to Pakistan is flawed,” Mani said. “It tried to first persuade and then bully Bangladesh to tour Pakistan. The PCB does not seem to understand that before a full international tour can take place, teams such as the International XI should tour Pakistan to provide a degree of comfort to the ICC Member countries.”Pakistan cricket chief Zaka Ashraf, though, has said the revival of international cricket is his top priority but apparently accepted the goal is tough to achieve in the near future. While talking to ESPNcricinfo last month, he called the approach of the cricketing world towards touring Pakistan as ‘rigid’.Mani said the PCB needed to be fully aware of the steps necessary for the return of international tours to the country. “The PCB clearly does not understand the politics of cricket and the pressures on certain countries not to tour Pakistan by others with a different agenda.”The PCB also does not appear to have agreement with the ICC on what assurances the ICC will require before a team and ICC officials consider it safe to come to Pakistan,” he said. “It does not help that no PCB official or member of the security agency mandated to provide security to the Sri Lankan team in 2009 has been made accountable and punished for the disastrous lapse of security which put at risk the lives of players and officials and cost the lives of security personnel and destroyed international cricket in Pakistan.”

England’s Test series against South Africa next year, which could be another battle for the No. 1 ranking, will be in direct competition with the Olympic Games and played over just three matches

Andrew McGlashan28-Sep-2011England’s home Test series against South Africa in 2012, which could be another battle for the No. 1 ranking, will be in direct competition with the Olympic Games and played over just three matches. The ECB also confirmed that West Indies will visit for a full tour and Australia for five ODIs.South Africa’s visit in July and August has been squeezed because of the London Olympics, which will be staged for two weeks from late July and brings with it a series of restrictions about competing sporting events, and also by a visit from Australia for a one-day series. The first Test, at The Oval, will be played a week before the Games and the last, at Lord’s, which is an Olympic venue, takes place shortly after it has finished. The Headingley Test has the task of battling head on with the Games.In 2008, series between England and South Africa were given ‘icon’ status which, at the time, meant a five-Test series. The 2009-10 series in South Africa, however, had only four matches and was shared 1-1, with the hosts fighting back to win the final Test in Johannesburg.At a time when the primacy of Test cricket is a major debate, having such a marquee series reduced to three matches doesn’t bode well and suggests boards are paying no more than lip service to the principle that money doesn’t rule. The proximity of the Olympics is out of the ECB’s control but 13 ODIs, including another stand-alone five-match series against Australia, is unbalanced especially in a country where Test cricket is well attended.After the Tests, South Africa will play five one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals in England. They will act as preparation for the World Twenty20 that starts a week later in Sri Lanka with England as defending champions.England’s home season begins on May 17 with the first Test against West Indies, at Lord’s, followed by further matches at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston. West Indies then play three ODIs and a single T20. Both West Indies and South Africa have two warm-up matches before their respective Test series begin, although South Africa’s match against Somerset will be a two-day game followed by a three-day outing against Kent before the first Test.England will also play Scotland in an ODI on August 12 as part of the arrangement whereby they play them and Ireland in alternate years. A venue for that match has still to be confirmed.Cardiff, which was handed a 2015 Ashes Test as the major matches were allocated for a four-year period, will host the domestic Friends Life t20 finals day for the first time on August 25. The CB40 final takes place at Lord’s again on September 15.Key datesMay 17-21 – 1st Test v West Indies, Lord’s
May 25-29 – 2nd Test v West Indies, Trent Bridge
June 7-11 – 3rd Test v West Indies, Edgbaston
June 16 – 1st ODI v West Indies, Rose Bowl
June 19 – 2nd ODI v West Indies, The Oval
June 22 – 3rd ODI v West Indies, Headingley
June 24 – T20 v West Indies, Trent Bridge
June 29 – 1st ODI v Australia, Lord’s
July 1 – 2nd ODI v Australia, The Oval
July 4 – 3rd ODI v Australia, Edgbaston
July 7 – 4th ODI v Australia, Durham
July 10th – 5th ODI v Australia, Old Trafford
July 19-23 – 1st Test v South Africa, The Oval
August 2-6 – 2nd Test v South Africa, Headingley
August 16-20 – 3rd Test v South Africa, Lord’s
August 24 – 1st ODI v South Africa, Cardiff
August 28 – 2nd ODI v South Africa, Rose Bowl
August 31 – 3rd ODI v South Africa, The Oval
September 2 – 4th ODI v South Africa, Lord’s
September 5 – 5th ODI v South Africa, Trent Bridge
September 8 – 1st T20 v South Africa, Durham
September 10 – 2nd T20 v South Africa, Old Trafford
September 12 – 3rd T20 v South Africa, Edgbaston

South Australia’s progress to the semi-finals has made it a crucial Sunday for the other four teams in Group B. Lions will start as clear favourites against Guyana in the first game tomorrow

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit18-Sep-2010

Match facts

Sunday, September 19
Start time 1330 (1130 GMT)

Big Picture

Neil McKenzie has been in good touch in the Champions League•Getty Images

South Australia’s qualification to the semi-finals has made it a crucial Sunday for the other four teams in Group B. If the Lions lose to Guyana and Mumbai Indians beat Royal Challengers Bangalore, the last group game between the Lions and Bangalore will become a virtual quarter-final, with net run-rate also coming into play. The Lions would want to avoid that situation with a win at the Wanderers over a Guyana side that has struggled in its first two games.It is hard to believe that this is the same side that beat Trinidad & Tobago on their way to the Caribbean T20 title less than two months ago. T&T had an unbeaten run to the final of the inaugural Champions League last year with a style of play that was distinctly Caribbean. The only thing distinct about Guyana has been their inability to compete with the IPL sides, who themselves haven’t done well against better opposition. Defeat will put Guyana on the flight back home and even a win will barely keep them alive, given their woeful net run-rate.While the batting that clicked in the Caribbean T20 – particularly Travis Dowlin, Jonathan Foo and Sewnarine Chattergoon – looked out of touch against Bangalore, the bowling was mauled by Mumbai’s Kieron Pollard. It will be hard for Guyana to recover from that thrashing within three days.Weekend scheduling means the Lions have had six days off after their previous match. Their bowlers have gone for almost nine an over so far, putting pressure on the batting. And but for Shane Burger’s twin strikes against Mumbai, they might well have been in a situation similar to Guyana’s. Still, the home team will start as clear favourites tomorrow.

Team news

Shane Burger missed the match against South Australia due to injury and should be back for this game.Lions (probable): 1 Alviro Petersen (capt), 2 Jonathan Vandiar, 3 Richard Cameron, 4 Vaughan van Jaarsveld, 5 Neil McKenzie, 6 Robert Frylinck, 7 Zander de Bruyn, 8 Thami Tsolekile (wk), 9 Shane Burger, 10 Aaron Phangiso, 11 Ethan O’ReillyFast bowler Paul Wintz replaced offspinner Lennox Cush in the previous match, and was smashed for 46 runs in four overs. Cush should regain his place in the XI.Guyana (possible): 1 Travis Dowlin, 2 Sewnarine Chattergoon, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan (capt), 4 Narsingh Deonarine, 5 Chistopher Barnwell, 6 Robert Crandon, 7 Jonathan Foo, 8 Derwin Christian (wk), 9 Lennox Cush, 10 Esuan Crandon, 11 Devendra Bishoo

Watch out for …

Guyana are heavily dependent on Ramnaresh Sarwan, their only world-class batsman, and he knows it. He has to fire if Guyana are to have even a remote chance of winning.Neil McKenzie delighted with his strokeplay against Mumbai and was looking good against South Australia till a brilliant piece of fielding led to his run-out. Guyana’s bowling should not pose too many worries.

Key contests

Devendra Bishoo v Lions’ batting: The legspinner was Man-of-the-Series in the Caribbean T20 and took three wickets against Mumbai, including that of Sachin Tendulkar. How the South Africans tackle him could determine Guyana’s chances.

Stats and trivia

• Travis Dowlin has made five of the six half-centuries for Guyana in T20s.
• Neil McKenzie has made the most T20 runs for Lions, 914 from 36 games at a strike rate of 123.34.

Visitors inched close to series-levelling win after setting hosts 254 on tricky pitch and reducing them to 76 for 4

Danyal Rasool26-Jan-2025West Indies are inching closer to a series-levelling win after reducing Pakistan to 76 for 4 at stumps on the second day in Multan. The hosts are still another 178 runs away from victory. Earlier, West Indies had produced their best batting performance of the series, led by a half-century from their captain Kraigg Brathwaite to take control. They further solidifying their position when the lower order produced several useful contributions.In the 24 overs West Indies had with the ball in the final session, they inflicted four bruising body blows, including a last-gasp dismissal of Babar Azam that brought nightwatcher Kashif Ali to the crease. In pursuit of a steep target, made especially more awkward by the nature of these surfaces, Pakistan ran into headwinds early. Within 16 deliveries, both openers were gone. Shan Masood was out lbw playing for turn against Kevin Sinclair as the delivery carried on with the arm and rapped into his front pad. Mohammad Hurraira, too, played for phantom spin against Gudakesh Motie, and paid for it with his front leg in front of the stumps and an easy decision for the umpire.Babar and Kamran Ghulam staved off the worst of Pakistan’s fears to puncture the swell of optimism coursing through West Indies’ veins by gradually rebuilding from the ruins of that start. Ghulam was fortunate to be put down off the eighth ball he faced, but the pair found a way to hang on, putting run-scoring on the backburner for a few overs as they bedded in. Babar began to look brighter as his innings went on, and his continued presence began to feel like it would play an outsized role in the outcome of this match.But the partnership was broken when Ghulam failed to get to the pitch of a delivery from Jomel Warrican, and skied it to backward point. That is when the rebuild began anew. With Saud Shakeel, Pakistan’s best player of spin, at the other end, he and Babar were shepherding the day through to the finish.But Sinclair inflicted what at the moment felt like the knockout blow. A touch of extra bounce and a hint of more turn at Babar found a chunk of the inside edge, which deflected off the pad to short leg. West Indies’ slightly wild celebrations belied the magnitude of the moment.Kevin Sinclair had Babar Azam caught at the stroke of stumps•AFP/Getty Images

Brathwaite had challenged his side to be more aggressive, and led from the front. The tempo was set when he launched Sajid Khan over long-on for six in the fifth over, before consecutive boundaries to start off Noman Ali’s spell. It sent the message that the spin duo wasn’t going to have things their way, and Brathwaite kept reinforcing that in offence and defence. Abrar Ahmed, too, saw his second ball whipped through midwicket for four.But Mikyle Louis, Brathwaite’s opening partner, was neither as positive nor looked as comfortable. That was how Pakistan got back into the game: they drew Louis into a prod towards the off side, and Shan Masood took a straight forward catch at short extra cover.Debutant Amir Jangoo, though, took a leaf out of his captain’s book. Brathwaite slapped Noman for six over long-on, but found himself slowed down as he approached his half-century. Jangoo, though, motored along nicely, and when he helped himself to two boundaries off Abrar in an over, West Indies, in total control, had their lead inching towards three figures.But Pakistan’s spinners were bringing them back into the game. Brathwaite survived two raised fingers off consecutive deliveries with successful reviews, but fell the next over when he tried to charge Noman and ended up getting beaten by extra turn. It was a manner of dismissal almost identical to the one that would snare Kavem Hodge in the minutes before lunch.In the meantime, Sajid, too, was getting into the game. He had dismissed Jangoo shortly after Brathwaite went walkabout, forcing the issue with a sweep when he appeared to have misjudged the flight and the pitch of the delivery. It ended up taking a feather off the bottom of the bat to slip, and West Indies were left with two new batters at the crease.Tevin Imlach and the lower order dug in for West Indies•Pakistan Cricket Board

The final over before lunch saw Pakistan strike a fifth time. Noman landed the ball in the footmarks and ripped it back into the pads of Alick Athanaze. An enthused appeal, needed partially because Pakistan had burnt all three reviews, was successful.Pakistan continued making inroads when a miscued reverse sweep from Justin Greaves found backward point. But as the visitors have done all series, their lower order dug in. Tevin Imlach and Sinclair did not take too many risks as they worked to build up a conventional Test partnership, and the runs appeared to follow. The duo batted for nearly 14 overs as Pakistan rotated through their bowlers, and the quest for a wicket became increasingly desperate.The breakthrough came in unlikely fashion when Sinclair somehow played all around a Sajid delivery from around the wicket, throwing his head to the skies in frustration. Imlach succumbed shortly after to fast bowler Kashif Ali, who was naggingly accurate on the brief occasion he was called upon.Yet again, however, the bottom two partnerships found ways of contributing. Motie combined with Warrican to add a further 27, before Kemar Roach, injured taking a splendid catch on Saturday, limped out to add a few more crucial runs. He got his side past 250 before Sajid finally wrapped the innings up. The sense, however, was that it was already too late.