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We give marks out of ten for West Indies’ 2-1 series loss which saw England reclaim the Wisden Trophy

Nagraj Gollapudi29-Jul-20207Jermaine Blackwood (211 runs at 35.16)

The most improved player for West Indies. Blackwood was the only one who came closest to raising his bat to mark a Test century, missing the landmark by five runs having set up the victory in Southampton. Naturally aggressive, Blackwood learned on the job to not get excited having engaged erroneously with Ben Stokes and losing his head on the penultimate afternoon in the second Test. Finished the tour as Windies’ top run-scorer.Roston Chase (10 wickets at 34.00, 157 runs at 28.16)

Player of the Series mainly for his bowling, but in the Southampton victory, Chase played a significant hand with the bat, providing semblance to the middle order when England were threatening to regain control. Got a five-for in the second Test. His aim was to score a Test century in England, but he was exposed playing back to deliveries coming in. Finished the series caught napping and was run-out.Shannon Gabriel (11 wickets at 32.27, 4 runs at 2.00)

Took the first wicket of the series, ended up being one of most persevering bowlers and the third-highest wicket-taker behind Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes. Started the series stiff, having not played since last September. Remained stiff due the endless workload through the series. Bowled with pain but never showed it as he hit the bat hard and created opportunities.6Kemar Roach (8 wickets at 36.50, 15 runs at 5.00)

Bowled the most overs in the series (116.4). Had the most maidens (31). Was the second most economical bowler behind James Anderson. Yet Roach was not as lucky as others finishing with just eight wickets. He went wicketless in the first Test, but he returned proud to the bowling mark, never allowing the batsman the upper hand. Set an example with endless toil.5Jason Holder (10 wickets at 30.10; 114 runs at 22.80)

It was the West Indies captain who broke England’s back in the first innings with five-for. He swapped the best allrounder position on the ICC rankings with Stokes through the series, Holder failed to play the decisive hand that Stokes managed with the bat. It would hurt the Barbadian’s pride to return home without a Test century. His leadership, too, was under scrutiny especially after he twice inserted England to bat in overcast conditions at Old Trafford.Jermaine Blackwood drives through the covers•Getty Images

4Kraigg Brathwaite (176 runs at 29.33)

Finished the series as a pub quiz question – the batsman who was the 500th Test wicket for Broad and Anderson. Before the series Brathwaite had worked on his technique with former Windies batting great Desmond Haynes. The counselling worked, it seemed, as Brathwaite scored twin half-centuries, both in the first innings of the first two Tests, playing the new ball late. However, the Windes vice-captain failed to cash in on his starts and continued with his string of second-innings failures while struggling with a fraught technique.Shamarh Brooks (195 runs at 32.50)

The most watchable Windies batsman in this series. With an upright, side-on stance Brooks showed composure, timing, placement and good wrist work while making quick starts. However, the promise never lasted long as Brooks struggled to bat for longer or, as in the final Test, played a ball he could have left.3Shane Dowrich (126 runs at 21.00; 7 catches)

Will be remembered for getting hit on the mouth after failing to collect a fast ball from Gabriel in the final Test. It only put under scrutiny his glovework to both types of bowling. Also got exposed with the bat by jumping against the short delivery, which became a weakness as the series progressed.2John Campbell (84 runs at 16.80)

The only left-hand batsman for the visitors, Campbell had his toe bruised by Jofra Arher in the second innings of the first Test. He would return to hit the winning runs, but otherwise Campbell remained a walking wicket despite showing a much more positive attitude in the final innings of the third Test.Alzarri Joseph (59 runs at 19.66; 3 wickets at 60.66)

West Indies head coach predicted Joseph would the difference this series. Joseph got three wickets playing the first two Tests. He has the pace, but he struggled for control and rhythm. According former Windies fast bowler Andy Roberts, Joseph needs to use his body more than his shoulder.Rahkeem Cornwall (12 runs at 6.00)

Replaced Joseph in the final Test as the fast bowler had a sore elbow. Recognised for his bounce, Cornwall started well, but fell silent as England attacked him. Cornwall aims to become a specialist batsman, but his head keeps falling away and he loses balance quickly.1Shai Hope (105 runs at 17.50)

In a chat with Sachin Tendulkar before the series, Brian Lara folded his hands to pray Hope’s talent would flourish during the England series. Hope had not scored a single century since his record twin tons at Leeds in 2017. Hope and everyone in the Windies camp assured the issue was not technical and more mental. Hope finished the series with a highest individual score of 31, amassing just 105 runs in six innings. On the 2017 England tour Hope’s average was 75. This time it was 17. Lara shouldn’t have wasted his time.

Kieron Pollard’s 46 not out off 26 balls lifted Mumbai Indians to a respectable total before Joseph produced one of the great IPL bowling performances

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Apr-20191:02

I play to win, not for the limelight – Alzarri Joseph

First IPL match ever, 22-years-old Alzarri Joseph steamed in, bowled the tournament’s top run-scorer David Warner – off an inside edge – with his first delivery, and went on to have a debut beyond all fantasies.In defence of Mumbai Indians’ 136 for 7, which had only been made respectable by Kieron Pollard’s 46 not out off 26 balls, Joseph produced one of the great IPL bowling performances. He claimed 6 for 12, consistently rushing batsmen with his deceptive pace. Those figures broke an IPL record that had stood since the very first season, bettering Sohail Tanvir’s 6 for 14.

Joseph’s stunning IPL debut

• Alzarri Joseph’s 6 for 12 are the best bowling figures in the IPL. The previous best was Sohail Tanvir’s 6 for 14 in the inaugural edition in 2008. The previous best on IPL debut was Andrew Tye’s 5 for 17, in 2017.

• Sunrisers Hyderabad were dismissed for 96, which is their lowest total. Their previous lowest was 113, also against Mumbai Indians, in 2015

• The 40-run defeat was the first loss for Mohammad Nabi in eight IPL matches.

• Joseph also became the seventh bowler to take a wicket off the first ball of his debut IPL game, joining a list that includes Wilkin Mota, TP Sudhindra, Ali Murtuza, Amit Singh, Ishant Sharma and Dwaraka Ravi Teja

• Joseph became only the second bowler to deliver a wicket-maiden in his first IPL over. Pat Cummins was the only other bowler to achieve this feat.

Despite being posed with a modest target, even if it was on a tricky home pitch, Sunrisers never got themselves moving. They lost their in-form openers inside the first five overs, and although several batsmen got starts, no one could push beyond 20. Joseph and Mumbai continued to take wickets, and the required rate ballooned. When Rashid Khan fell towards the end of the 15th over, with 49 to get off 25 balls and only three wickets left, the match was effectively sealed.2:05

Failed to capitalise on our good start – Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Joseph’s star turnHad Lasith Malinga been available, there is every chance Joseph would still be awaiting his IPL debut, but boy how he grabbed the opportunity. Joseph claimed two wickets off his first two overs, bowling David Warner off his inside edge with his first ever IPL ball, before having Vijay Shankar caught at point off a top edge soon after the Powerplay ended.His two wickets off successive deliveries in the 16th over, definitively swung the game in Mumbai’s direction. He bowled Deepak Hooda with a full, straight delivery, which the batsman inside-edged onto his stumps. Next ball, Rashid Khan was rushed into a pull shot, which the batsman could do no better than top edge – Joseph himself running through to take a simple chance.The final two wickets were almost just a bonus. Bhuvneshwar Kumar had his middle stump pegged back by another full, straight one. Four balls later, No. 10 batsman Siddarth Kaul was caught behind trying to run Joseph to third man.That Kaul wicket concluded the second excellent away result for Mumbai, who in the last two seasons had been infamously slow starters in the IPL. With this victory to follow the one against Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday, Mumbai have announced they are once again serious title contenders.Pollard’s manic finishFor so much of Mumbai’s own innings, it seemed as if they would not muster a competitive score. They had been a pathetic 5 for 65 after 12.5 overs – four of their top five batsmen having failed to score at a run-a-ball. Pollard, though, eased himself into his innings, hitting 9 off his first 13 balls, thanks to some good fortune (more on that later), before exploding in the 19th and 20th overs.He walloped the first ball of Siddarth Kaul’s final over over long off, before blasting one into the legside stand two balls later, then muscling another into the stand beyond long on two balls after that. Mumbai made 20 off that Kaul over, then 19 off the final one bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, thanks again to some serious luck for Pollard.Alzarri Joseph wheels away in celebration after completing a five-for•BCCI

Sunrisers’ horror dropsVery rarely does Rashid Khan let a catch slip through his fingers, but he did so today, and wouldn’t you know it, it was Mumbai’s eventual top scorer that he reprieved. Pollard should have been out for 8 off 13 balls had Rashid held a straightforward chance at deep extra cover. He would go on to pummel 37 off 13 balls after the drop.According to ESPNcricinfo’s , the drop cost Sunrisers Hyderabad 21 runs, which very much looks like the difference between the two teams.To make things worse, Mohammad Nabi also dropped Pollard off the penultimate ball of the innings – palming the ball over the boundary to give him six, before Deepak Hooda at long off failed to stop a ball that deflected off his body for four.Mumbai’s support actsAlthough Joseph was easily the visitors’ best bowler, the attack actually put in an excellent performance between them. Jason Behrendorrf claimed 1 for 28 from his four overs, Jasprit Bumrah took 1 for 16 from his three, and Rahul Chahar had struck the first blow, removing Johnny Bairstow in the fourth over of the innings. Chahar finished with figures of 2 for 21, later removing Yousuf Pathan as well.

Melinda Farrell26-Jan-2018Pat Cummins believes Australia can take confidence out of their victory over England at Adelaide Oval and carry the momentum of their victory into the final ODI in Perth on Monday. Cummins did, however, concede that the way his side allowed England to fight back after Australia’s blistering start with the ball was “not ideal”.England were left staggering after Cummins and Hazlewood created havoc with the new ball, losing five wickets in the opening seven overs, but Australia were unable to fully press their advantage and a Chris Woakes-led revival helped England to a first innings tally of 196 – a total that had seemed virtually impossible when they had lost their first five wickets for eight runs.Cummins and Hazlewood dominated in the early stages and took seven wickets between them after Australia won the toss and elected to bowl first in humid conditions that proved to be helpful for the seamers before England’s middle order stemmed the fall of wickets and Woakes launched a counter-attack.”It always seems to happen that you get a great start and there’s always someone that gets a few,” said Cummins. “I thought Chris Woakes batted excellent.”He’s been hitting the ball really cleanly in the last few weeks. But yeah it was certainly a perfect start for us. It was a bit of an unknown for us really, we didn’t know what to do when they were five down.”Australia needed just 37 overs to chase down the target but lost seven wickets in the process, with only Travis Head – who came into the side in place of the injured Aaron Finch – able to go beyond a start, eventually falling four runs short of a century.”I think those small totals either go one of two ways really,” said Cummins. “You either blast them out or you get seven or eight down so it was obviously not ideal but I thought someone like Travis Head coming back in the side, he batted beautifully.”England captain Eoin Morgan acknowledged that the result was all but decided in the first 10 overs, but was encouraged by the way his side avoided a complete collapse.”Australia bowled really well, took advantage of conditions and really were relentless with traditional line and length,” said Morgan.”From there it’s a very difficult position to win the game but from there I thought we did rebuild fairly well. To get to 190…we still would have needed something special – something early on or the spinners to catch fire in the middle. It’s never going to go 50 overs.”While England’s aggressive approach to batting since the 2015 World Cup has brought them success in the 50-over format it has also, at times, led to top-order collapses. Morgan acknowledged there is a still a challenge for his team to go hard with the bat without imploding.”We don’t want to lose our positive mindset but it’s a balancing act,” said Morgan. We don’t want to wipe 10 overs out of the game and say, they bowled well but we only got 15-20 runs. We still want to take the game forward. I’d rather probably be 40 for 2 than 20 for 0. We just need to get better at playing that way.”Cummins believes that England’s approach is one that Australia could look to adopt in the run in to the 2019 World Cup.”I think it’s one of those things, the freedom that the English played with in the first couple of games, trying to replicate that. I think that’s really important in one day cricket. I thought we did that ok today.”

Both Australia and New Zealand are fresh off Test series’ at home, but while the home team will have a full-strength team at their disposal, New Zealand will have to make do with the absence of key personnel

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale03-Dec-2016

Match facts

December 4, 2016
Start time 1420 local (0320 GMT)1:57

‘We can beat anybody’ – Williamson

Big Picture

In 2004, the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy was struck. In 2010, it was struck off. Not officially, of course, but the idea of an annual one-day series between Australia and New Zealand was quietly forgotten. It was as if these neighbours, until then welcoming each other with open arms, had fallen out over some petty matter like a tree hanging over the back fence. When they crossed paths at someone else’s place, they would nod politely – as when the trophy was put up for grabs in their match at the 2011 World Cup in India – but neither would invite the other into their home. But at the World Cup last year, they kissed and made up, decided that actually that tree had plenty of tasty fruit, and why couldn’t they just share it, after all.As a result, having gone nearly six years without a standalone Chappell-Hadlee series, we now have three in the space of 12 months. In February, New Zealand won at home. The teams now meet in Australia, and next February, they again play in New Zealand. It is curious scheduling for both sides. New Zealand rushed to Australia the day after winning a home Test series against Pakistan, but at least they can stay in white-ball mode for a while: their next commitments are home ODIs and T20s against Bangladesh. Australia have switched almost as quickly from Test mode, but unlike New Zealand, they must hastily change back into a Test mindset as soon as these three games are over, as they host Pakistan for three Tests.In the meantime, we can sit back and enjoy what should be a fine one-day series. If the World Cup final last year was a bit of an anticlimax, the pool game in Auckland showed how thrilling contests between these two teams can be. It was a low-scoring affair, dominated by the pace and swing of Mitchell Starc and Trent Boult – both of whom will be playing in this series – and it went down to the last wicket. Both teams have had significant personnel changes since that World Cup, though: from that match alone, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Grant Elliott, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson have all retired.New Zealand enter this series missing some important players: Ross Taylor is recovering from eye surgery, while Adam Milne, Mitchell McClenaghan and Corey Anderson are all out injured. But they could unleash the pace of Lockie Ferguson, who at his best can hit 150kph, and still have some fine names throughout their batting and bowling groups. Australia come in at full strength, with Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc back after resting from the tour of South Africa, and Steven Smith’s men will be keen to put the focus back on the cricket after the Glenn Maxwell-Matthew Wade controversy in the lead-up.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)


Australia: LLLLL
New Zealand: LWLWL
Australia will be buoyed by the return of Mitchell Starc, who was rested for the South Africa tour•AFP

In the spotlight

Glenn Maxwell hasn’t played an ODI since the tour of the West Indies in June, having been left out of the squad for the tours of Sri Lanka and South Africa. If he wanted to slip quietly back into the side for this series, his pre-match comments on Matthew Wade and the Victorian batting-order have ended any hopes of that. Maxwell might just find himself under even more pressure to perform as a result – if he even finds himself in the XI at all.Martin Guptill is the No. 8-ranked ODI batsman in the world, boasts the second-highest score in ODI history (237*) and has struck 14 international centuries across formats. And yet, not a single hundred has come against Australia in 40 innings in Tests, ODIs and T20s. But Guptill’s last one-day series against Australia hinted at progress: he scored 90 in Auckland and was the leading scorer from both sides across the three-match Chappell-Hadlee series. But with Taylor injured and McCullum having retired since, the pressure is on Guptill once again to stand up as a senior batsman.

Team news

Australia have stressed that they will pick their strongest XI while this series is alive, and will refrain from resting fast bowlers as they did on the tour of South Africa. That should mean an attack based around Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. The main question is the balance of the middle order and allrounders, with Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell and James Faulkner potentially vying for just two positions. The uncapped Hilton Cartwright, named in the 14-man squad, has been released to play in the Sheffield Shield.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 George Bailey, 5 Mitchell Marsh, 6 Travis Head/Glenn Maxwell, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Adam Zampa, 10 Pat Cummins, 11 Josh Hazlewood.New Zealand have plenty of bowling options to choose from, with the uncapped Ferguson having a chance of playing.New Zealand (possible) 1 Tom Latham, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Henry Nicholls, 5 Colin Munro, 6 James Neesham, 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Matt Henry/Lockie Ferguson/Colin de Grandhomme, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent Boult.

Pitch and conditions

The only ODI at the SCG last summer was a high-scoring affair in which India chased down 331 to beat Australia. There has been spin on offer at the ground in the Sheffield Shield this season, but expect the one-day surface to be good for batting. The forecast for Sunday is for a fine day and a top of 28 degrees centigrade.

Stats and trivia

• The world’s joint top ODI wicket-taker in 2016 is fit and available, but has been left out of Australia’s squad for this series: John Hastings, who has 29 victims at 24.13.
• Martin Guptill needs 45 runs to reach the 5000-run mark in ODIs
• The Chappell-Hadlee series has not been played in Australia since February 2009

Quotes

“We’ve both come off playing Test matches, so we’ve got to be adaptable and turn things around with the white ball. We’ve played pretty well here in Australia in one-day cricket, hopefully that will continue.”

A round-up of the Ranji Trophy Group C matches on October 22

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2015
Scorecard File photo: Ravindra Jadeja picked up his fifth consecutive five-for•Associated Press

Twenty wickets fell after Saurashtra elected to bat on the opening day in Rajkot. Saurashtra were bowled out in 42 overs with left-arm spinner Mehdi Hassan and offspinner Vishal Sharma picking up nine of the ten wickets between them.Opener Sagar Jogiyani was the only batsman on either side to pass 50, and he was the seventh man out with the score on 89. Saurashtra lost their last six wickets for 40 runs.Hyderabad lasted only two balls longer than the hosts, but eked out a 46-run lead. Hyderabad’s major contribution came from K Sumanth, who scored a 52-ball 41, including four fours and two sixes. Ravindra Jadeja claimed his fifth-consecutive five-for, while offspinner Kamlesh Makwana picked up the remaining four wickets.Saurashtra batted eight overs for 10 runs without losing a wicket in their second innings.
ScorecardSagun Kamat’s unbeaten hundred held Goa’s innings together after Rishi Dhawan’s 17th first-class five-for had them in trouble early on.After being inserted by Himachal Pradesh in Dharamsala, Goa were reduced to 19 for 4 in the ninth over, Dhawan picking up three of those wickets, including two in one over. Kamat and Snehal Kauthankar, however, revived the innings with a patient 156-run partnership.Dhawan provided the hosts with breakthroughs when he removed Kauthankar and Rahul Keni in the space of three overs to reduce Goa to 175 for 6. Kamat, however, added 57 runs with Rituraj Singh, and then put on an unbroken partnership of 33 with Shadab Jakati to help Goa finish the day on a position of relative comfort. Kamat played 252 balls and struck 17 fours and a six.
ScorecardParvez Rasool’s eighth first-class century and captain Mithun Manhas’ 96 helped Jammu & Kashmir end the first day on a strong note in Agartala.Electing to bat, the visitors were down to 58 for 3 before Rasool and Manhas put on 207 runs in 53.1 overs to put them in command. Manhas was caught behind in the 77th over off MB Murasingh four short of his 26th first-class hundred, but Rasool, who faced 178 balls and smashed 18 fours and three sixes, remained unbeaten.
ScorecardHalf-centuries from Rohan Prem and VA Jagadeesh helped Kerala finish the opening day in a comfortable position in Palam, despite scoring at well below three runs per over.Electing to bat, Kerala lost their first wicket in the 20th over with the score on 45 when seamer Poonam Poonia had Akshay Kodoth caught. Services’ next breakthrough arrived after 48 overs when Jagadeesh, who had added 100 runs with Prem, gave Rajat Paliwal his second catch of the day off left-arm seamer Vikas Hathwala.Prem and Sachin Baby (32*), however, ensured there were no more casualties for the visitors.

Cricket Australia will not disclose its list of 30 probables for the Champions Trophy, breaking the norm followed by all countries ahead of ICC tournaments

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Apr-2013Cricket Australia will not disclose its list of 30 probables for the Champions Trophy in England this June, breaking the norm followed by all countries ahead of ICC tournaments. It is understood that CA approached the ICC for clarification over the rules about squad announcement and then requested that the 30-man squad, which will be pruned to 15 in a month’s time, not be made public.”Custom and practice is that countries announce their provisional squads 60 days before the first ball is scheduled to be bowled in the tournament,” an ICC spokesperson said. “But this isn’t compulsory.”Pakistan have already released their list of 30 probables, and other countries are expected to do so by the end of the week. Australia have been grouped with England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, and play their first game on June 8, against the hosts.

Junaid Khan, the Pakistan fast bowler, who sustained a knee injury during the recently-concluded England series, will not be available for the Asia Cup when the new selection committee chaired by Iqbal Qasim sits tomorrow to pick the squad

Umar Farooq02-Mar-2012Junaid Khan, the Pakistan fast bowler, who sustained a knee injury during the recently-concluded England series, will not be available for the Asia Cup when the new selection committee chaired by Iqbal Qasim sits tomorrow to pick the squad. PCB sources have indicated that Junaid is likely to be out of action for three weeks.ESPNcricinfo understands that Junaid picked up the injury during training ahead of the second Twenty20 in Dubai. MRI scans revealed a fracture of the patella. Junaid had played a total of three matches on the tour – one Test, one ODI and one Twenty20 – and accounted for just one wicket.Junaid, 21, who graduated from the same Under-19 batch that Mohammad Amir came from, is also a left-arm fast bowler but his fledgling career has been hurt by injuries in the last few months. Incidentally Junaid was picked for the England series after he had freshly recovered from the abdominal tear he picked during the ODI series against Sri Lanka last year, which ruled him out for six weeks.

England were put through a tough two-hour fielding session the day after arriving in Chennai ahead of their crucial World Cup match against South Africa on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Mar-2011England were put through a tough two-hour fielding session the day after arriving in Chennai ahead of their crucial World Cup match against South Africa on Sunday. Their catching has been poor during the tournament with three further drops proving costly against Ireland as Kevin O’Brien ambushed them with the fastest World Cup century.Andrew Strauss had a chance to end O’Brien’s innings on 91, a steepling chance running round from mid-off, and while that was tougher than some England have dropped it continued the slip in standards since the end of the Ashes. Earlier in the innings Matt Prior dropped a sitter when Paul Stirling top-edged a pull and Michael Yardy spilled a firmly-struck caught-and-bowled opportunity.The three-wicket defeat against Ireland now means England probably need to win two of their final three matches to make the quarter-finals and that will need a significant improvement in the fielding, bowling and late-order batting. Although Jonathon Trott and Ian Bell added 167 for the third wicket there was no flourish at the death as the final five overs brought 33 runs.Still, a Test-class bowling attack should have been able to defend 327, especially with Ireland 111 for 5, even though the Bangalore surface was a beautiful batting strip. England set themselves very high standards in the field – Richard Halsall, the fielding coach, is rightly credited with doing superb work – and their World Cup campaign will only survive if they return to that level.However, despite the humbling experience of Wednesday evening Trott, who top-scored with 92 and equalled the record for the least number of innings to reach 1000 ODIs run alongside Viv Richards and Kevin Pietersen, insisted the response in the dressing room had been measured rather than panicked.”Obviously we would have liked to have won the game, being in the position we were – and we were very disappointed. But we have three very winnable games ahead of us, and a huge chance to qualify for the quarters and to peak at the right time and towards the important time.”Obviously the Test-playing nations you are expected to have good battles against, and win all the others,” he said. “So to lose against a team like Ireland, who played really well towards the end of their batting innings, was very unexpected but a good wake-up call for the team. We now know what lies ahead of us and the job in hand and what we have to do to be able to progress.”Ireland’s successful chase from a poor position – and, to a lesser extent, England’s tie against India last weekend – showed how no total is safe on a flat batting surface. But having removed half the Ireland side it was alarming how quickly the bowling fell apart and Trott knows it’s vital that the team don’t lose focus at any point during their next three matches.”We have got to play 100 overs of good cricket – especially in today’s climate and how quickly games can change, how quickly people can take the game away from you on these flat wickets. We have got to be on the ball all the time,” he added. “I think we can’t look too much at the game we have just lost. I think it would be foolish if we looked backwards. We want to go forwards in this competition – and it starts on Sunday with South Africa.”Playing against South Africa will bring the usual references to Trott’s past. They didn’t see the best of him on the 2009-10 tour, his first overseas trip with England, but can expect to confront a far more rounded player on Sunday. Trott, meanwhile, respects Graeme Smith’s team but only sees them as another opponent.”They are obviously a well-drilled side,” he said. With Imran Tahir now in the team, they have a few more options in the spin department – and they seem to have a few powerful batters as well. They are a good all-round team but definitely on the day of the week we hit our straps we can compete – and they are very beatable.”Pietersen, Graeme Swann and Paul Collingwood sat out England’s extended fielding session on Friday with various niggles picked up in Bangalore but all are expected to be available for the South Africa match. However, Collingwood’s position will come under scrutiny because the middle order is lacking power which could mean a return for Ravi Bopara.

West Indies’ two-run defeat to Zimbabwe in the one-day series opener has left the captain shaking his head at the mode of dismissal for some of his main batsmen

Cricinfo staff05-Mar-2010West Indies’ two-run defeat to Zimbabwe in the one-day series opener, after the tourists won the one-off Twenty20, has left the captain Chris Gayle shaking his head at the dismissals of three key batsmen. West Indies, chasing 255, came up short by two runs after they lost Kieron Pollard and Dinesh Ramdin to loose shots and then Dwayne Smith in a double-wicket final over, and that left Gayle a frustrated leader.”In the Australia series, I saw improvements in the likes of [Kieron] Pollard and Smith. To come here … and the way they went about it, I must say I am very disappointed in those two guys and Ramdin,’ Gayle said after the match. “Those guys were key for us and the way they went about it was a terrible display. It is very disappointing and sad to see how they went about it.”Smith was bowled by the debutant Shingirai Masakadza with four runs needed off the last three balls, while Pollard and Denesh Ramdin had succumbed to loose shots as Zimbabwe turned up the heat on West Indies. “When you do crap, it’s definitely crap and there is no excuse,” said Gayle. “Guys have to take responsibility out there in the middle. It is just sad and disappointing.”Gayle handed credit where it was due, aware that rankings – Zimbabwe sit below West Indies on the ICC’s table – mattered little. “Zimbabwe are here to win. There is no way we can under estimate them. We saw what they have to offer in the Twenty20,” he said. “Zimbabwe have beaten Australia. It is not a team that we are taking for granted. They are here to win just like us and credit must go to them. The way they pushed and ran hard between the wickets showed how hungry and determined they are.”Prosper Utseya, the Zimbabwe captain, was delighted with the result, but hoped that his side could sustain the form for the rest of the tour. “I’m very proud of the guys. It was a very good team effort, and it was important that we keep the momentum going.”I said after we won the toss it was the average score when West Indies played here last year against England, so we just believed in ourselves that we could get 250, and with the way we’re bowling at the moment it would be enough,” Utseya said.Despite inflicting two shock defeats on the hosts, Utseya was guarded against complacency. “West Indies are still a good side. We still respect them. For us to beat them, we need to make sure that we play hard, remain focussed, pay attention to the small things, and remain disciplined.”Zimbabwe found an unlikely hero in debutant Shingirai Masakadza who came back after going for ten runs off the first two balls of the final over to finish off in style, striking twice and conceding just one off the last three. Utseya was all praise for the youngster’s composure in the tight finish.”He managed to remain calm under pressure, and that was key, so he can learn from that going into the next game. Of course, he will have many more moments like this in his career,” Utseya said.

Nissanka’s ton got Sri Lanka within sight of victory but the remaining batters couldn’t quite get them across the line

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Sep-20252:05

Is captaincy affecting SKY’s form?

India won the Super OverIn regular play, Pathum Nissanka’s 107 off 58 balls and Kusal Perera’s 58 off 32, cancelled out a rapid 61 from Abhishek Sharma, and a 49 not out off 34 from Tilak Varma. India hit 202 for 5. So did Sri Lanka.In the Super Over though, Sri Lanka were very clearly out of steam on all fronts. First, they didn’t send Nissanka out to bat, choosing Kusal Perera (who sliced one to deep backward point first ball), Dasun Shanaka (who struggled with Arshdeep Singh’s wide yorkers), and Kamindu Mendis (who has never been an explosive T20I batter) out instead.Between these three, they managed a total of two runs. Suryakumar Yadav would almost laughingly put the first ball of their Super Over – bowled by Wanindu Hasaranga – through cover, to claim three first ball. This meant India went through to the Asia Cup final undefeated, and were really only tested in this match, in which they rested Jasprit Bumrah and Shivam Dube.Perhaps their aura had lost a little of its shine, but India pushing through to a victory even when Sri Lanka’s top order was batting beautifully, will be something India will take heart from ahead of the final against Pakistan.India’s innings, meanwhile, had gone smoothly. Abhishek produced another spectacular start, striking up a 59-run partnership with Suryakumar who contributed only 12 off 13 to that stand. Later, Tilak and Sanju Samson would put on 66 together.Pathum Nissanka celebrates his maiden T20I century•AFP/Getty Images

Nissanka’s 127-run partnership off 70 balls, however, was the biggest of the tournament. It got Sri Lanka within sight of victory. But the remaining batters couldn’t quite get them across the line.What happened in the Super Over

• Sri Lanka are required to bat first in this Super Over, but Nissanka, their best batter of the tournament, is not picked to come out straight away. (We’re sure, at this stage, that he will come in if a wicket falls, though.)
• Perera and Shanaka are sent in instead, with Arshdeep tasked with bowling this over, in the absence of Bumrah.
• Perera slices the first ball, a wide yorker, to deep point, where substitute fielder Rinku Singh takes a good running catch.
• Kamindu Mendis, who does not have a track record of scoring quickly against high-quality opposition comes out next, even though Nissanka is just sitting there in the dugout. Predictably Kamindu struggles to get more than an edge to the next Arshdeep ball, and they scramble a single.
• Shanaka can’t really hit Arshdeep’s wide yorkers either, and attempts a bye off the fourth ball.
• Arshdeep appeals for the caught behind while wicketkeeper Sanju Samson runs Dasun Shanaka out at the striker’s end.
• But because Arshdeep has appealed for the catch, the umpire gives Shanaka out. (The umpire’s finger is raised only after the run out is completed, but according to the rules, the out decision effectively overturns the run out.) Shanaka awake to this loophole, immediately asks the umpire: “It’s a dead ball, right?”, just after he reviews the caught behind decision.
• It turns out Shanaka is correct as per the laws. Because he had been wrongly been given out caught behind, he is exonerated from the run out, even though the stumps were broken before the umpire’s finger was raised.
• Shanaka gets to live another ball and perhaps propel Sri Lanka to a competitive Super Over score.
• Shanaka top edges one to deep third very next ball, ending Sri Lanka’s Super Over.
• India score three first ball and win.

Abhishek Sharma rocks the powerplayAlthough opening partner Shubman Gill was dismissed off the ninth ball of the innings, the tournament’s best batter still scythed his way through the powerplay. His best powerplay over came against Dushmantha Chamera. Abhishek came down the track and crashed him over long off off thifd ball, before raising the fifth ball over short fine leg’s head, then slicing the next one over short third.Abhishek Sharma brought up his third successive fifty•Getty Images

It only took Abhishek 22 balls to get to fifty. By the end of the powerplay, India were 71 for 1. Abhishek eventually miscued a Charith Asalanka half-tracker to deep midwicket, in the ninth over. His 61 came off 31 balls.Nissanka’s sublime inningsNissanka had scored heavily in the group stage, but had been quiet in the first two Super Four games. In this match, he exploded. He hit Hardik Pandya through point for four first ball, lifted other seamers over deep midwicket, and hooked others over backward square leg. He hit his fifty off 25 balls, and just continued to attack through the middle overs, as Perera also scored rapidly.Nissanka became Sri Lanka’s fourth T20I centurion (among men) at the end of the 17th over, when he thumped Arshdeep into the sightscreen. He got there of 52 balls. His eventual 108 off 58 is Sri Lanka’s highest individual T20I score.