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Brendon McCullum has said he is concerned for his predecessor as well as the team as it tries to pull itself together ahead of a tough tour of South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2012Brendon McCullum, who took over as New Zealand captain under controversial circumstances after Ross Taylor refused an offer to remain as the leader of the Test team in a split-captaincy scenario, has said he is concerned for his predecessor as well as the team ahead of a tough tour of South Africa. Taylor has asked for a break and will not be travelling to South Africa.”I’m more concerned now with how the team is handling the situation and where we go from here – how we try and galvanise the unit, rather than my own individual accolade of picking up the captaincy,” McCullum told reporters at a press conference in Lincoln. “I’m obviously worried for Ross and how he is dealing with things at the moment, and obviously how we try and ensure that we pull together this team inside a very short space of time for what is going to be an incredibly tough tour.”McCullum said he had been in touch with Taylor, who said on Friday he felt he never had the support of New Zealand coach Mike Hesson. “I’ve spoken to him a couple of times – two days ago and then left a message with him again this morning – but he obviously needs a little bit of space at the moment as well, and I thought he did a really good job yesterday with the media of being able to deal with some tough circumstances,” McCullum said. “Ross is an integral member of this team and he’s vitally important to us in terms of how we’re going to try and increase our performances. He’s also a very popular member of the team as well and there’s a lot of guys that will be feeling for him at the moment – we will welcome him back when he’s good and ready.”I know it hasn’t been a great process with the way it’s unfolded and I know there is a lot of anger towards it.”I guess from our point of view, we now need to try and move forward and get some faith back into this team and build some rapport with the public because that’s obviously taken a hit over the last seven days.”McCullum was upset at speculation that he may have had a role to play in the entire episode. “That’s probably the thing that has come out through this week that’s annoyed me the most. I guess that cuts right to the bone that someone would question your integrity and your character like that.”I guess it’s been mentioned on a number of occasions and to be totally honest, it is highly insulting, for people to cast aspersions when they certainly don’t know the full circumstances.”From my point of view, I had absolutely no involvement in that recommendation whatsoever. I was asked if I would lead the one-day and Twenty20 teams two days ago, and then yesterday I was asked if I would lead the Test team, after Ross turned it down so about as much involvement I’ve had in this situation.”Relations between Taylor and himself, McCullum said, were very good. “It’s only really been media hype and fiction over the last 16 months, since the captaincy selection of Ross, which tried to drive a wedge between Ross and I.”In terms of the public profile, we’ve got a very good and respectful relationship. We know each other, we’ve played with each other for a very long time and we know each others families.”McCullum hoped to welcome Taylor back to the New Zealand side and sympathised with Taylor for the situation he finds himself in. “I don’t want to sit here and talk about how hard it’s been on me, because it’s certainly been a lot harder on other people, but you know that as long as, through your dealings, that you are honest and you maintain your integrity throughout, then you can look yourself in the eye and know that you’re doing the right thing.”Now Ross is going through some tough times and my thoughts are with him.”When he is good and ready to come back, then we’ll certainly welcome him back, and I’ll be looking to help him as much as I possibly can to reach the standards he wants to reach in this game, to be an integral member of this team and play a vital part in that.”

Electric was the right word to describe Sri Lanka’s fielding in their opening Twenty20 victory, and the articulate Angelo Mathews found it

Daniel Brettig26-Jan-2013Electric was the right word to describe Sri Lanka’s fielding in their opening Twenty20 victory, and the articulate Angelo Mathews found it. His opposite number George Bailey noted ruefully but truthfully that he had never seen a team get outfielded in this format and go on to win the game. Mathews was by contrast delighted with the way his XI had attacked Australia, as bowlers and fielders, taking wickets early and then restricting their scoring.Australia’s tally of 3 for 137 had looked inadequate, even if it had been pulled together largely via an outstanding, controlled innings by David Warner. And the fact Sri Lanka had such a manageable chase could be put down to the hard work put in earlier by Mathews’ alert and agile team, who responded to their captain’s first full match in charge, after a washed-out encounter against New Zealand in October.”We started off brilliantly,” Mathews said. “We were electric in the field and the bowlers bowled very well, I thought Lasith [Malinga] and [Nuwan] Kulasekara were brilliant. They showed their class and they were the ones who pulled us back.”I thought the par score was 150 to 160. It feels great beating Australia. Playing in Australia the Aussies are always competitive, it is a great challenge and the boys did extremely well today.”Australia made only 31 runs from the final four overs of the innings, delivered with great skill and precision by Kulasekara and Malinga. It was here that Mathews and Bailey felt the game was won. “I knew Lasith had two overs and Kulasekara had two overs, I know they’re world-class bowlers and it was totally up to them to make their fields,” Mathews said. “They were absolutely brilliant today.”Bailey doffed his cap to Sri Lanka’s endeavour in the field, and was disconsolate that his side had not been as tight in the field as numerous wild returns and outfield fumbles were compounded by the odd dropped catch.”I thought we ended up a few runs short, but we had that platform set, and to be fair I thought Sri Lanka bowled unbelievably well their last four overs,” Bailey said. “Any side that can bowl to Davey [Warner], set, and deprive him of boundaries, and Vogesy [Adam Voges] too … they executed unbelievably well.”I thought our fielding was disappointing, and that probably cost us 10 runs in fielding, so that adds up in a T20 game, plus some dropped catches. I’ve never seen a T20 game where if you get outfielded you win the game – I think the best fielding side always wins.”Sri Lanka’s only concern is a cut over the eye of Tillakaratne Dilshan, inflicted by a Ben Laughlin bouncer. He will have the wound assessed ahead of game two in Melbourne on Monday.

A key figure of the Pakistan Super League, its managing director Salman Sarwar Butt, has stepped down and will be replaced by Javed Miandad in the interim

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2013A key figure of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), its managing director Salman Sarwar Butt, has stepped down from his post and will be replaced by the director general PCB Javed Miandad in the interim. The inaugural season of the Twenty20 tournament was indefinitely postponed because of logistical issues.Butt, a banker by profession, was instrumental in setting up Pakistan’s domestic T20 competition, whose first edition in 2005 was sponsored by his then employer, ABN-AMRO Bank. He is an influential figure on the Pakistan corporate circuit and was involved in setting up the PSL since 2011.”Before joining, I had intimated the PCB of my plans and commitments beyond April 2013, which would prevent me from working on future editions of PSL,” Butt said in a statement. “As the league is now most likely to be held after April, I will not be available to work further on this first edition. We have therefore mutually agreed that it would make sense to appoint a successor sooner rather than later.”I would naturally be happy to provide all possible assistance to PCB and PSL even if I am not officially associated with the league, and would remain an ardent ambassador of PSL.”The PSL was supposed to be held between March 26 and April 7 in Pakistan but was delayed to give investors more time to submit bids and also to avoid scheduling conflicts with other cricket tournaments. It was also going to clash with the pre-poll campaigns ahead of general elections, expected to be held in May. The PCB is working on another slot for the league and no precise timeframe has been indicated.”A committee is working full time to find available and appropriate dates and we are hopeful that the process for the sale of various rights will restart soon,” said Butt. “We are constantly in touch with all parties who have shown interest in our League and we hope to announce new dates soon.”

Mohammed Hafeez and Umar Gul turned their tour around to take Pakistan to an emphatic victory and leapfrog three places on the ICC rankings to No.3

The Report by Firdose Moonda in Centurion03-Mar-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Umar Gul finished with astonishing figures of 5 for 6•AFP

Mohammed Hafeez and Umar Gul turned their tour around to take Pakistan to an emphatic victory and leapfrog three places on the ICC rankings to No.3. With the Durban match rained out, Pakistan also claimed the series and a piece of silverware to go along with the bragging rights.With no Dale Steyn to contend with, Hafeez played with freedom and confidence. He became the first Pakistan batsmen to 1,000 Twenty20 runs and notched up his highest score in the format. Timing, placement and an 83-run stand with Ahmed Shehzad helped him set Pakistan up.Gul showed no such subtlety. In the space of six balls, he took four wickets to kneecap South Africa and end the contest. Good lengths to desperate batsmen were his razor blade and he sliced through with precision. Hafeez landed even more telling blows with ball in hand but it was Gul who ensured South Africa were bowled out inside 13 overs and thoroughly outplayed.South Africa’s attack showed little of the same discipline and they were flayed from almost the very beginning. New captain Faf du Plessis battled with the over-rate, the ineffectiveness of his spinners and a more aggressive approach from Pakistan.Nasir Jamshed and Ahmed Shehzad began positively with Shehzad settling in quickly. He pounced on width, the overpitched delivery and the short one to create a launchpad.

Smart stats

• Umar Gul’s 5 for 6 equals his best bowling performance in Twenty20 internationals. He had picked up 5 for 6 against New Zealand at The Oval in 2009. Gul’s effort is also the joint-third on the list of best bowling displays in Twenty20 internationals.

• Gul’s strike rate of 2.8 (five wickets in 14 balls) is the best ever in Twenty20 internationals surpassing Mohammad Hafeez’s strike rate of 3.5 against Zimbabwe in 2011 (min four wickets in an innings).

• Pakistan’s win is their fourth in seven Twenty20 internationals against South Africa. The 95-run win is their biggest against South Africa and third-highest overall.

• Pakistan’s total of 195 is their highest against South Africa and their third-highest overall. It is also the fifth-highest total in Twenty20 internationals against South Africa.

• South Africa’s total of 100 is their lowest ever in Twenty20 internationals (matches unaffected by rain). Their previous lowest was 114 against Australia in Brisbane in 2006.

• Hafeez’s strike rate of 168.62 during his 86 is the highest for a Pakistan batsman against South Africa and the sixth highest overall for Pakistan (fifty-plus scores). Hafeez is also on top with a strike rate of 211.53 during his 55 against India.

• During the course of the innings, Hafeez became the first Pakistan batsman to pass the 1000-run mark in Twenty20 internationals. He is the eighth player overall and the third from the subcontinent to pass 1000 runs in Twenty20 internationals.

• For only the third time, three South African batsmen were dismissed for a duck in an innings. This is also the only time that three batsmen have been dismissed for a first-ball duck in an innings in Twenty20 internationals.

Jamshed was hampered by what looked like a hand niggle and could not take off with Shehzad. But his dismissal was the tonic for Pakistan. After he holed out to mid-on, the South African fielders made the mistake that cost them when they missed a double opportunity to run Shehzad out. Hafeez cut the ball to du Plessis at point and Shehzad had charged all the way up to his end. Du Plessis’ throw missed the non-strikers’ stumps but went to mid-on, where Justin Ontong had enough time to run Shehzad out but also missed.Shehzad accepted the invite to capitalise and displayed power and placement in equal quantities. He launched Chris Morris over long-off as an example of the former and beat du Plessis, arguably the most agile fielder around, by opening the face of his bat to guide a slower ball for four in an elegant showing of the latter.Both he and Hafeez found the gaps easily and threaded the ball through fielders. The area behind short fine leg and backward point was a favourite and they scored nine boundaries there between them. When they were at the crease, the run-rate remained above 10 an over and a massive total was in sight.Shehzad eventually fell on his sword when he was run-out but Hafeez continued aggressively with Ontong and cow corner his new target. He nailed it three times in the 14th over to bring up his highest T20 score and set himself up for a century.With the time and the confidence to get there, it seemed nothing would stop Hafeez except himself. In a bizarre twist, he slid onto his stumps as he smashed a Rory Kleinveldt ball over the covers and was out hit wicket.That sparked a mini collapse for Pakistan. They lost four wickets in the space of 19 balls as South Africa’s death bowling showed improvement. Little did they know that they would have to make up for the inadequacies of their batsmen as well.With a storm brewing, South Africa began in a hurry. AB de Villiers’ move to opening the batting appeared to pay off as not even Henry Davids’ early departure unsettled him. He was innovative in his strokeplay and even brought out his own version of the Dilscoop but he had no support at the other end.In one over, Gul derailed South Africa as he had du Plessis caught behind (despite Kamran Akmal fumbling), Chris Morris who was promoted to No.4 was caught at third man going after going for a big shot and Ontong out lbw. At 51 for 4, even if there was weather waiting, it did not matter.De Villiers played on off Mohammed Irfan and Farhaan Berhardien was caught at point to sink South Africa further. It was only a matter of time after that and it did not take very long. Kleinveldt had some fun off Hafeez but holed out to deep extra cover and Robin Peterson’s attempt at a switch hit did not work as he was caught at short fine leg.Fittingly, Gul took the last wicket when Kyle Abbott top-edged to end South Africa’s feeble chase and become the highest wicket-taker in T20 cricket. At the halfway stage, Pakistan’s total of 195 seemed to be 20 short, more because of the rate they were hurtling along at than the conditions, but their bowlers ensured it was more than enough.

Mohammad Ashraful’s career has been marked by surprising innings. This can be added near to the top of that heap.

Mohammad Isam in Galle10-Mar-2013Mohammad Ashraful’s career has had several surprises: his debut century against Muttiah Muralitharan, the breathtaking 158 against India, or the wondrous century against Australia. It has always been about how he handled a top spinner or attack with ease, even at the tender age of 16.So the moment Ashraful broke his own record of highest individual Test score for Bangladesh, you wondered how a batsman who had averaged 13.22 in domestic first-class cricket earlier this season, could reach such a height?Unbeaten on 189 in Galle, Ashraful batted for little over eight hours, and faced more deliveries than any Bangladesh batsman ever did in a Test innings. He was mindful of all these records, as you would be after reaching such milestones. Ashraful had to play a more risk-free brand of cricket to reach this stage and you wonder how a naturally aggressive batsman could restrain his instincts for so long on a good pitch.He withstood several challenges in this innings. Ashraful was returning to the Test side after more than a year and was batting at No. 3, a position where he has previously averaged 8.25 and has not batted in since mid-2008.He hardly skipped a beat after Jahurul Islam’s dismissal before tea on the second day. Despite Anamul Haque’s sluggish batting at the other end, Ashraful continued to hit the gaps and ensure Bangladesh didn’t stop scoring runs. When Mominul Haque came in, he played with preservation in mind.They made a fetching pair, of similar height and build, but the combination was broken 43 minutes into the morning of the third day. It would have been easy for Ashraful to play a rash stroke, but this is where he caught many off guard.When Mahmudullah ran down the wicket to be stumped, Ashraful could have settled for an impressive half-century and a place in the team secured. However, as he said later on, he wanted to make sure Bangladesh were not going to subside.With Mushfiqur Rahim, Ashraful found a rhythm that he failed to produce with Mominul. The pair remained unbroken till lunch, Ashraful having reached his first century in over four years. Immediately afterwards, he let the captain settle, feeding Mushfiqur the strike.The surprise of Ashraful’s watchfulness stopped at that point, because as soon as Sri Lanka took the new ball, the shots began to flow. The square drive and the cover drive followed by some chips, clips and nudges against the spinners. Occasionally he would hang back and let the game flow around him. This was not Ashraful’s territory, but he was still there.Some of Ashraful’s comfort was due to Mushfiqur’s presence at the other end. The Bangladesh captain has completely come into his own after taking over from Shakib Al Hasan. He bats at a higher tempo and average, and often looks like a batsman in command of a partnership. He dominated this stand too, scoring 152 out of the 261 runs for the fifth wicket. Mushfiqur has been in form since the 2011 World Cup, scoring 15 points higher than his career average.After this season’s National Cricket League, it was easy to see why Ashraful was falling so far behind in the pecking order. There were promising players like Anamul Haque and Mominul Haque vying for spots, while his Dhaka Metropolis’ team-mates Mehrab Hossain jnr and Marshall Ayub staked claims with domestic runs.You half expected Ashraful to get out at some point during the day. But this was an entirely different batsman, one who batted an entire day for the first time in his Test career.Since he last scored a hundred in 2008, Ashraful had made just one half-century. When he was dropped in December 2011, there was hardly any hope of a comeback because Bangladesh cricket rarely does comebacks. Ashraful, with three centuries in different formats at different levels, found his way back, crawling out of the country’s ever-growing scrap heap of talented batsmen.There was a part of his innings that said a lot about his confidence. Ashraful made Angelo Mathews, the new Sri Lanka captain, employ a deep point, and invariably change that fielder’s position several times. He used width well, but he was also carving with the face of the bat so that the ball travelled downwards past regulation backward point, and he often hit it hard enough to beat deep point.His skill wasn’t a surprise, but it is how Ashraful lived to tell the tale that made everyone take notice.

A round-up of the Faysal Bank T20 matches on March 28, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-2013
ScorecardMisbah-ul-Haq’s unbeaten 85 off 47 balls took Faisalabad Wolves to a seven-wicket victory over Karachi Dolphins at the Gaddafi Stadium. The victory ensured Wolves reached the semi-finals, while the Dolphins were ruled out of the final four.Batting first, Karachi lost opener Fakhar Zaman in the first over, but Shahzaib Hasan (51) and Khurram Manzoor (42) added 100 runs for second wicket to take Dolphins to a commanding position. Offspinner Khurram Shahzad broke the partnership, and the Dolphins lost three wickets quickly to be reduced to 157 for 8.In reply, Faisalabad began nervously, with Farrukh Shehzad and Khurram Shehzad out cheaply, leaving Misbah and Ali Waqas (39 off 40 balls) to do the repair work. The two added 67 for third wicket; Waqas smacked four boundaries, including two sixes, before being caught brilliantly at long-on by Anwar Ali, who dived forward to pouch a blinder.Faisalabad needed 69 off 45 balls. But Misbah kept his nerves to steer Wolves home safely with Imran Khalid (18); they added 73 runs for the fourth wicket. Azam Hussain and Akbar-ur-Rehman took one wicket each.
ScorecardSohail Tanvir’s all-round performance led Rawalpindi Rams to a 20-run victory over Bahawalpur Stags in a rain-affected match. Rawalpindi were put in to bat first in overcast conditions. Naved Malik (29 off 24) and Awais Zia (26 off 13 balls) put on 43 runs for the first wicket. Bilal Khilji (3-24) snapped two quick wickets to slow them down, but Umar Waheed’s run-a-ball 20, and Sohail Tanvir’s 28 off 16 balls helped Rawalpindi post an imposing total.Bahawalpur lost wickets regularly in reply. Besides Imranullah Aslam (15) and Kashif Siddiq (45), no other batsman scored in double figures. Seamer Hammad Azam was the most productive bowler for Rawalpindi, taking three wickets, as Bahawalpur were eventually bowled out for 96.
ScorecardIn a topsy-turvy contest, Lahore Lions limped to a three-wicket victory over Abbottabad Falcons. Abbottabad, after choosing to bat, lost wickets in a hurry. Besides Sajjad Ali and Hammad Ali, both of whom scored 20, the rest in the line-up didn’t provide much resistance, and Abbottabad were eventually bowled out for 94 off the final ball of the innings. Offspinner Adnan Rasool was the wrecker-in-chief, taking four wickets.In reply, Lahore lost an early wicket, that of opener Nasir Jamshed for 7, but a 51-run stand between Ahmed Shehzad and Umar looked to be taking them to an easy win. They then lost six wickets for 22 runs, but eventually reached their target in 17 overs.

Preview of the match between Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Delhi

The Preview by Nikita Bastian09-May-2013

Match facts

May 10, 2013
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)A top-two finish slipping through Royal Challengers Bangalore’s fingers?•BCCI

Big Picture

When Royal Challengers Bangalore left the comforts of home about a fortnight ago, they had won six games out of eight, were at the top end of the points table and were considered a shoo-in for the playoffs. In the four matches since, they have lost three times. As a result, they’ve dropped to the crowded middle of the table and have a growing list of doubters. Delhi is the second-to-last stop on their road trip, before they head to the newest venue on the IPL map, Ranchi, and then it’s back home for two games to finish the league stage. They will want to score points in their final two matches on the road, not just to shore up their chances of a playoff spot but to boost their confidence ahead of those big games, none of which will be at the Chinnaswamy.What should worry Royal Challengers, more than their failure to win away games this season, is their response to David Miller’s assault in their previous match. Arguably Miller’s 38-ball hundred was one of the finest innings in an IPL chase, but Royal Challengers seemed to lose focus soon after the onslaught began, even before their total of 190 seemed to be seriously under threat. Virat Kohli dropped one, their bowlers fed him length balls regularly, AB de Villiers misfielded …They’ll have to deal with many more such pressure situations going into the final stretch of the tournament, and they’ll be hoping to cope a lot better than they did on Monday.Delhi Daredevils are out of the race for the playoffs. For them, it’s all about finishing a disappointing campaign on a relative high, and spoiling a few parties on the way.

Form guide

Royal Challengers Bangalore: LWLLW (most recent first)
Delhi Daredevils: LLWWL

Players to watch

Virat Kohli is being groomed for the Indian captaincy. This tournament is his first stint in charge of a senior team, and if this was a yardstick to judge where his leadership skills stand at the moment, he has probably been found wanting in handling the mental side of things until now. He had that ugly spat with India team-mate Gautam Gambhir early in the tournament, he let the Wankhede crowd get to him, he dropped that key catch – was there a touch of complacency as the expert fielder lined up with Miller’s skier? – in the Kings XI game and was then seen arguing with umpire about a questionable no-ball in the midst of onslaught. Like his team, Kohli, too, faces the bigger pressure tests as this tournament progresses. He’ll need to keep a tight rein on his emotions if he’s to come out on top in them.Mahela Jayawardene has 259 runs at 21.58 in 12 games, with a strike rate of 105.71. As much as his team has not been able to get away in this tournament, neither has Jayawardene. Will he continue to play, or become the latest captain to drop himself? With Daredevils out of contention and Sri Lanka eager to bring some of their out-of-form players home early from the IPL, to allow them to prepare better for the Champions Trophy, Jayawardene cannot be blamed if his focus has shifted a bit already.

Stats and Trivia

• Royal Challengers and Daredevils have faced off 10 times in the IPL, with Daredevils winning 5 times, Royal Challengers winning 4 times, and 1 tie (their previous encounter this year, in which Royal Challengers won the Super Over). However, Daredevils last beat Royal Challengers in IPL 2010
• Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli have the second-highest partnership in T20 cricket – an unbeaten 204 – and it came against Daredevils, in Delhi, last year

Quotes

“Twenty20 cricket is about one big score, one big partnership. We have not done that consistently.”

If not, perhaps, quite a perfect day for England, but a day when several pieces of their pre-Ashes jigsaw fell into place with a satisfying click as they proved they have a Plan B to their bowling attack

The Report by George Dobell26-May-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsNick Compton’s failure was the only obvious downside of an otherwise quite perfect day for England•Getty Images

If not, perhaps, quite a perfect day for England, but a day when several pieces of their pre-Ashes jigsaw fell into place with a satisfying click.Most pertinently, this was a day when England proved their bowling attack had a Plan B. While it is routinely suggested that, when the ball does not swing, the England bowling attack looks toothless and one dimensional, here they showed that they have what it takes to damage opposition sides when there is no such help.With James Anderson and Stuart Broad – the destroyers of New Zealand at Lord’s – struggling to gain the same seam or swing movement, it was left to Graeme Swann and Steven Finn to find another way through the tourists’ batting. With Finn generating impressive pace and maintaining a hostile line and length and Swann demonstrating beguiling drift and sharp turn, England ended the day having inked in their first choice bowling attack for the Ashes.Swann cannot have the fondest memories of this ground. He had never previously taken a Test wicket here and, a year ago, was dropped for the second Test against South Africa. But in a spell of three wickets for one run in seven balls he not only dismantled a disappointingly fragile New Zealand middle-order but proved that he was back to his best after elbow surgery had forced him out of the Tests in New Zealand.As so often before, Swann struck in his first over. Gaining a surprising amount of turn, Swann beat Dean Brownlie’s somewhat loose stroke with one that turned through the gate to hit the top of off stump. Next over, having set-up Martin Guptill with some flat deliveries, Swann tossed one up, drew the batsman forward and again turned one through the gate to hit the top of off stump.Two deliveries later, Kane Williamson was out too. Moving across his stumps to negate Swann much in the way demonstrated by Hashim Amla in 2012, Williamson was beaten by turn and struck on the pad. While Marais Erasmus turned down the appeal, England reviewed and were rewarded.It was the first of two decisions overturned from England reviews in the session. While Tim Southee was originally given not out following a leg before appeal from Broad – the umpire quite reasonably unable to say whether ball had hit bat or pad first – reviews showed it had struck the pad first and was going on to hit leg stump.Moments later Swann had Doug Bracewell taken at silly point, prodding forward to one that turned and took bat and pad, before Broad had Brendon McCullum, clearly struggling with a bad back after being forced back into service as wicketkeeper, caught behind as he poked at one that seamed in a little.

Swann ignoring weather forecast

Graeme Swann defended England’s decision not to enforce the follow-on after demolishing New Zealand for the second time in a week.

New Zealand survived only 43.4 overs at Headingley, to be dismissed for 174, only a few days after collapsing to 68 all out at Lord’s.

“It was a pretty unanimous decision,” Swann said. “There is a lot of cricket left in the game. The best way to win that game, we felt, was to put a fatigued New Zealand side back into the field. The bowlers weren’t too happy to go back out bowling and you can’t blame them. We want to build a formidable lead and let the pitch deteriorate and the footholds develop and give us the best chance of bowling them out in the second innings.

The prospect of rain on the final day did not unsettle Swann. “I always ignore British weather forecasts,” he said. “If you start looking at that you are missing the point. If it rains all of Tuesday, it rains all of Tuesday. I can’t remember ever sitting in a professional dressing room where a two-day forecast has been believed. It was supposed to be nagging it down all last week at Lord’s and we played.”

It left Swann with the best figures – 4 for 42 – by an England spinner in a Test in Leeds since John Emburey took 5 for 82 against Australia in 1985 and had New Zealand pondering over the wisdom of going into the game without a specialist spinner and with two left-arm seamers whose foot marks had provided rough for Swann to exploit.But if Swann takes the plaudits, it was Finn who made the initial breakthrough. After New Zealand’s openers had batted with fluency in reaching 55 without loss, Finn claimed the first three wickets in a sustained spell of hostile fast bowling.After prompting an error from Peter Fulton, caught and bowled off the leading edge as he tried to work a ball that bounced more than he expected into the leg side, Finn persuaded Hamish Rutherford to push at one angled across him which resulted in a sliced edge to gully and then forced Ross Taylor to play-on. It was due reward for a wonderfully sustained spell of bowling where Finn had cramped Taylor for room, struck him twice on the body and finally provoked the false stroke.New Zealand’s last pair of Neil Wagner and Trent Boult thrashed 52 runs in 27 balls – Wagner thrashed four fours in an over off Broad before Boult thumped Swann for a four and two successive sixes in the next over – but when Anderson returned to end the innings, New Zealand had conceded a first innings lead of 180.Perhaps surprisingly given the far from promising weather forecast, England decided not to enforce the follow-on – with day one washed out the follow-on target was 150-behind – and opted instead for another bat.Alastair Cook, cutting and driving with freedom, was at his most fluent against an attack lacking Trent Boult, who was absent with a side strain. The England captain raced to his half-century off 63 balls and dominated an opening stand of 72 in 20 overs.But the only obvious downside in the entire day for England was the failure of Nick Compton. He was clearly mindful of the vultures circling around him and laboured for 45 deliveries for his seven runs before falling to a bat-pad catch at short-leg. It is only three Tests since he registered back-to-back Test centuries, but it seems some have short memories.Jonathan Trott found life little easier. Struggling to deal with the rough outside his off stump and some tight seam bowling, he managed only 11 off 69 deliveries, and, though he had helped Cook stretch the lead to 296 by stumps, England hardly forced home their advantage in the final 90 minutes. Still, it is England’s policy – rightly or wrongly – to not allow the possibility of weather disruption to influence their game plan and, with nearly 200 overs left in the game, they remain in an overwhelmingly dominant position.

ESPNcricinfo previews the first match of the West Indies tri-series between West Indies and Sri Lanka

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria27-Jun-2013

Match Facts

Friday, June 28
Start time 0930 (1430 GMT, 2000 IST)The crowd will be behind Dwayne Bravo as he leads the team for the first time at home•WICB Media/Randy Brooks Photo

The Big Picture

Ideally, West Indies and Sri Lanka should have been playing a Test series at the moment, but economic forces have meant that not only have the Tests been scrapped, but a third participant – India – has joined to make it a tripartite ODI competition. It’s not all gloom though. A triangular competition can produce more twists and turns than a monotonous five-match series and a closely-contested first match between these two contrasting teams could be the caffeine kick the fans in the subcontinent need to follow a series being played halfway across the planet.For Sri Lanka, Tests or no Tests, it’s a big tour. It’s not often that they travel to the western edge of the cricketing world – this is only their sixth trip to the Caribbean, including the 2007 World Cup – and the last time they were here five years ago, they drew the Test series 1-1 but failed to win anything in the three-match ODI series. A team in transition, Sri Lanka have had mixed results this year under the new leadership of Angelo Mathews. The big positive came in Australia where they drew the five-match series, but they suffered a setback at home soon after, failing to win the ODI series against Bangladesh. They found their A-game during the Champions Trophy, making it to yet another semi-final of a big tournament, before bowing out to India.That run in England was largely based on their senior players repeatedly leading the team to safety. What was keenly awaited, but never came in England, was an innings, a spell, or a moment of brilliance from the new generation of Sri Lankan cricketers. Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Perera, Shamida Eranga – the list is full of promise that is yet to show its worth. In this series, on the slow-low pitches of the Caribbean, against two tough opponents and away from the peering eyes of the media, they have a glorious opportunity to make some progress.West Indies are a strong side in limited-overs, or so it seems because of the presence of a number of power-packed players. However, most of these players have earned their reputations playing in faraway lands for an assortment of teams. The truth is, West Indies, much like Sri Lanka’s younger generation, has teased with sporadic flashes of brilliance for far too long. Yes, they won the T20 World Cup, but soon after they lost an ODI series in Bangladesh, before Australia blanked them in a five-match series.They were at touching distance of a semi-final place in the Champions Trophy, but even there, they didn’t impose themselves with either bat or ball. One silver lining for them is that they have tasted some success in home conditions. However, given the strength of the other two teams, West Indies won’t mind considering themselves underdogs.

Form guide

(Most recent first, last five completed matches)
West Indies TLWWW
Sri Lanka LWWLL

In the spotlight

Upul Tharanga was a regular in the side after making his debut in 2005, but lean returns in 2011-12 and the rise in the reputation of Perera, saw the latter edge Tharanga out for the home series against Bangladesh. A sparkling debut by Perera meant Tharanga was left waiting for an opening in the side, which has now come due to Tillakaratne Dilshan’s injury. Tharanga can take encouragement from the fact that there are places in the batting order still up for grabs – Perera’s form has disappeared too – and that there are at least four matches to make his case.The appointment of Dwayne Bravo as the captain of the ODI side raised a few eyebrows around the world, but Bravo brushed doubts aside saying it was part of rotation policy. He promised proactive captaincy with ‘strange’ tactics before the start of the Champions Trophy, but the team missed out on a semi-final spot when Kieron Pollard lost his wicket off what proved to be the last ball of the innings. Bravo was at the non-striker’s end then and walked off dejected. However, having spent some time in England as a leader, Bravo has a chance to establish his style of leadership in home conditions.

Team news

Mathews had said the injury to Dilshan would be an opportunity for others to step up and the most likely player to lend solidity at the top could be Tharanga. Although the pitches in the Caribbean are not going to be markedly different from the ones laid out in England this season, Sri Lanka could include either Sachithra Senanayake or Ajantha Mendis or both in their squad.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Kusal Perera, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Dinesh Chandimal, 7 Lahiru Thirimanne, 8 Ajantha Mendis, 9 Sachithra Senanayake, 10 Nuwan Kulasekara, 11 Lasith MalingaWest Indies settled into a combination that worked for them in England after the suspension of Denesh Ramdin. Although Ramdin is available for selection, West Indies are unlikely to disturb that arrangement, which means that Darren Sammy is likely to remain in the team while Johnson Charles will keep wickets.West Indies (probable): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Johnson Charles (wk), 3 Devon Smith, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Darren Bravo, 6 Dwayne Bravo (capt), 7 Kieron Pollard, 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Tino Best/Kemar Roach, 11 Ravi Rampaul

Pitch and conditions

Wet weather is expected to further interfere with the cricket. However, the warmer temperatures and the subcontinent-like pitch conditions will suit Sri Lanka’s game.

Stats and trivia

• Upul Tharanga is 46 runs short of completing 5000 runs in ODIs. He has scored 12 centuries and his average is marginally better than Mahela Jayawardene’s.
• West Indies’ head-to-head record against Sri Lanka at home stands at 4-4
• Only two batsmen – Brian Lara and Sanath Jayasuriya – have scored hundreds in Sri Lanka-West Indies matches in the West Indies.

Quotes

“It’s to put those little mistakes that we made in England away. We felt we had a good opportunity to win that tournament and we want to win this one and prove ourselves right.”
“West Indies and India are two very good teams in the shorter format of the game and I think that we really need to play some good cricket to win against them.”

Ravi Bopara has described Bob Willis’s accusation of ball-tampering by England during the Champions Trophy as “annoying, sad and depressing”

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jun-2013Ravi Bopara has described Bob Willis’ accusations of ball-tampering by England during the Champions Trophy as “annoying, sad and depressing”.Willis, the former England captain, claimed England had been scratching the ball to promote reverse-swing during their defeat to Sri Lanka at The Oval. The England coach, Ashley Giles, issued a firm denial at the time and now Bopara has also rubbished the allegation.”We were doing well in that tournament and I felt it was unacceptable to make that sort of noise,” Bopara told the “It was annoying, sad and depressing, especially in the middle of a global competition.”When England are doing well, why does something negative have to come from it? Why not just get on the wave with England and enjoy it?”Willis, as a pundit on Sky Sports, claimed that an unnamed England player was scratching the ball after it was changed during the group match defeat to Sri Lanka at The Oval – officially because it had gone out of shape. Willis said umpire Aleem Dar was “on England’s case” after Dar and his colleague Billy Bowden had initiated a ball change that England appeared unhappy with.Bopara was often responsible for looking after the condition of the ball, so an allegation of tampering could be regarded as a personal slight. But the ICC saw no reason in the umpire’s report of the match for any investigation.England found great success with reverse swing during their victory over Australia at Edgbaston – which George Bailey said he had been “very surprised” at – but struggled without any reverse movement against Sri Lanka. It was conventional swing that aided them in victories over New Zealand at Cardiff and in the semi-final against South Africa.”We’ve learned over the last 12-18 months that we need to look after the white ball as well as we do the red ball,” Bopara said. “We discussed as a team how we were going to shine it. You have to look after them to make them ‘talk’.”You want that seam to be standing up as long as possible; you want one side to be very smooth, which helps with lateral movement. If you can make the red ball swing, you should be able to do the same with the white one.”