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Both teams will have tricky selection calls to make if Chahal and Nissanka are fit and available

Hemant Brar14-Jan-20233:08

Should India stick with Kuldeep? Should Sri Lanka look to make changes?

Big picture – Why dead rubbers still matter

In 26 attempts across formats, Sri Lanka have never won a bilateral series in India. If you look at it through that lens, Sunday’s ODI in Thiruvananthapuram is inconsequential, with India having already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead. However, in a World Cup year, the teams would like to utilise every opportunity they get.India will be looking to fine-tune their strategy and XI. Should their top three continue playing the aggressive brand of cricket they have adopted so far in this series? Who among the two wristspinners – Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav – is their preferred option? Is Umran Malik ready for the big stage?Sri Lanka, perhaps, are still in search of a couple of pieces to complete their jigsaw. Pathum Nissanka scored 72 in the first ODI but missed the next one because of back stiffness. In his absence, debutant Nuwanidu Fernando scored a fifty to put his case forward. If Nissanka is available for the third ODI, whom do Sri Lanka leave out? It’s a headache they won’t mind.

Form guide

India WWWLL (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LLWLL

In the spotlight – Mohammed Siraj and Kusal Mendis

Mohammed Shami might be the leader of India’s pace attack at the moment, but Mohammed Siraj has had a bigger impact in this series, picking up five wickets at 12.00, with an economy rate of 4.73. He also seems to have grown more aware of his own strengths. In the second ODI, with the new ball not swinging, he switched to bowling wobble-seam and castled Avishka Fernando with a nip-backer to give India an early breakthrough.Kusal Mendis is by far the most experienced batter in this Sri Lanka line-up. He played some handy knocks during the T20I series, and looked good in the second ODI as well before being dismissed for a run-a-ball 34. If Sri Lanka are to challenge India, Mendis will have to bat longer.

Team news – Will Chahal return?

Chahal missed the second ODI with a sore right shoulder. If he is available for Sunday’s game, it will be interesting to see if Kuldeep Yadav once again misses out after a Player-of-the-Match performance.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Umran Malik, 11 Mohammed Siraj.Mohammed Siraj has been both economical and incisive with the new ball for India•BCCI

It will not be easy to keep out Nuwanidu after his composed half-century at the top of the order in the previous game. Given that he bats in the middle order in domestic cricket, Charith Asalanka may have to miss out if Nissanka is available.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Avishka Fernando, 3 Kusal Mendis (wk), 4 Nuwanidu Fernando/Charith Asalanka, 5 Dhananjaya de Silva, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Dunith Wellalage, 9 Chamika Karunaratne, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Lahiru Kumara.

Pitch and conditions

The Greenfield International Stadium has hosted only one ODI to date: India vs West Indies in 2019. Batting first, West Indies were bowled out for 104, and India chased it down with nine wickets to spare. The temperature during the day time should be around 30°C; it will become slightly cooler at night. There is no forecast for rain.

Stats and trivia – Kohli vs Jayawardene

• Virat Kohli (12,588) needs 63 runs to go past Mahela Jayawardene’s ODI tally of 12,650 and move to fifth position among the top run-getters in ODIs.
• In the second ODI, Nuwanidu Fernando became the sixth Sri Lanka batter to score 50 or more runs on ODI debut.
• Avishka Fernando is 11 short of 1000 runs in ODI cricket. If he gets there on Sunday, in his 29th innings, he will be the fourth-fastest to the landmark from his country.

Quotes

“We will have a look at the pitch [in Thiruvananthapuram], we will definitely have a look at some of our guys because there are three ODIs coming against New Zealand as well. So we have to keep the guys fresh. We have got a long season ahead, so we need to keep everything in mind. If need be we will make some changes.”

CWI and PCB to hold meeting to determine fate of tour after all remaining touring party members have been tested again

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2021West Indies’ ongoing tour of Pakistan has been cast into doubt with five more members of the touring party testing positive for Covid-19. The five include players Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, and Justin Greaves, along with assistant coach Roddy Estwick and team physician Dr Akshai Mansingh.Cricket West Indies (CWI) confirmed that all three players will be unavailable for the remaining games – one T20I on Thursday and three ODIs – and that all five members who tested positive will remain in isolation for 10 days. They will not be allowed to join the main group until they return negative tests. Once all remaining members of the touring party have been tested again, CWI and PCB officials will meet to determine if the tour can continue.Related

• Cottrell, Chase, Mayers test positive for Covid-19

• Shadab's all-round display seals Pakistan's series win

With Sheldon Cottrell, Roston Chase and Kyle Mayers having already been ruled out due to positive Covid-19 tests earlier, and a finger injury to Devon Thomas (sustained during the first T20I), the West Indies are now short of six players, raising questions over the viability of the tour continuing.That leaves the tourists with only 14 available players to choose from in their T20I and ODI squads, with the batting particularly hard hit. Only Nicholas Pooran, Brandon King, Shamarh Brooks and Darren Bravo remain available among specialist batters.Cottrell, Chase and Mayers had returned positive results in the initial tests that were done after the team’s arrival in Karachi on December 9. The trio missed both the T20Is that have been played so far, with Pakistan taking a series-winning 2-0 lead after winning both. The third T20I is scheduled for Thursday, December 16.West Indies were already without many of their senior players for the tour, due to rest, injuries or personal reasons, with none of Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Evin Lewis or Fabian Allen available.

Kiran Carlson and Billy Root lead Glamorgan reply after triple-century partnership

ECB Reporters Network09-Aug-2020Kiran Carlson and Billy Root led a powerful Glamorgan fightback after centurions Jake Libby and Brett D’Oliveira had earlier rewritten the record books for Worcestershire in the Bob Willis Trophy encounter at Blackfinch New Road.Libby and D’Oliveira set a new partnership record for Worcestershire for any wicket against their Welsh opponents of 318 out of a total of 455 for 8 from their 120 overs and then Ed Barnard dismissed Glamorgan openers Nick Selman and Charlie Hemphrey. But Carlson and Root batted with plenty of fluency in the final session in each completing half-centuries and their unbroken stand was worth 137 in 44 overs by the close when the Glamorgan total stood on 181 for 2.Carlson ended on 76 off 147 balls with 12 fours and Root faced 134 deliveries with six boundaries and at the close was unbeaten on 53. It was an encouraging contrast for Glamorgan to last week’s opening BWT encounter at Taunton when they were bowled out for 131 and 166 in suffering a 289-run defeat to Somerset.The Libby-D’Oliveira stand surpassed the previous Worcestershire best of 287 by Graeme Hick and Tim Curtis for the second wicket at Neath 34 years ago.Libby also achieved his career best score, beating his 144 for Nottinghamshire versus Durham four years ago, and went onto make 184. He batted for more than seven hours, faced 319 balls and struck one six and 18 fours to take his run tally to 286 in three knocks since a winter move from Nottinghamshire.D’Oliveira advanced to 174 before he was dismissed and clearly enjoys facing the Glamorgan bowlers. The 28-year-old scored a double-century against them in 2016 at Cardiff and another hundred batting at No. 9 at the same venue last season – in addition to nine wickets. He faced 262 deliveries hit one six and 21 boundaries.Worcestershire resumed on 309 for 3 and Libby and D’Oliveira were initially watchful against the second new ball attack of Michael Hogan, who picked up three wickets on day one, and Timm van der Gugten.The scoring rate gradually quickened and Libby went past his previous highest score when he clipped van der Gugten through midwicket for two. He completed his 150 with a cover drive for three off Hogan.The new partnership record was achieved with a chop for two off spinner Kieran Bull by D’Oliveira who then reached his 150 with a single off the same bowler. After such dominance by bat over ball, it came out of the blue when Libby gave Bull the charge and was stumped at 388 for 4.Worcestershire secured their fifth batting point with seven balls to spare of the 110 overs before late wickets were sacrificed in the chase for runs. Riki Wessels was caught and bowled by Graham Wagg and D’Oliveira’s splendid knock ended when he tried to steer Wagg down to third man and departed to a fine low catch by keeper Chris Cooke.Wagg (3 for 66) claimed a third scalp as Ed Barnard holed out to Hogan at long-off. Worcestershire Club captain Joe Leach swatted Bull over the midwicket boundary for six before he was caught in the deep attempting a similar hit to the next delivery.When Glamorgan launched their reply, Selman and Hemphrey looked secure in advancing the total to 39 but the situation changed after Barnard’s introduction to the attack.The last ball of his first over accounted for Selman, who nicked a delivery which moved away from him through to keeper Ben Cox. It became 44-2 when Hemphrey was leg before to the England Lions allrounder in his third over.But that was the last success of the day for Worcestershire as Carlson and Root joined forces and batted impressively. Root cut Barnard for two fours in an over and Carlson completed his half-century with a boundary off Charlie Morris and in the process also brought up the 100 partnership in 29 overs.

Jasprit Bumrah’s discipline and wickets shared among the rest meant that the Australians lost 6 for 54 in 77 balls in the final overs

The Report by Daniel Brettig13-Mar-20195:01

India’s middle order still a concern?

A decade ago Australia won an ODI series in India despite a surfeit of injuries. Numerous stronger sides have left empty handed since then, so it was with a great deal of satisfaction that Aaron Finch’s team sealed this victory from 0-2 down, the first time an Australian side had ever done so in 50-over matches, with a disciplined, determined and tactically astute defence of 272 in Delhi.Being 0-2 down is something the Australians have become used to in more than one sense over the past year, missing the names of David Warner and Steven Smith from their team sheet as a result of the Newlands scandal.But there was much to be savoured in winning a series over one of the World Cup fancies in the final assignment before the Smith and Warner bans expire at the end of this month. Their reintegration meeting in the UAE later this week will take place in the afterglow of a first series victory in seven attempts dating back to January 2017, at the same time inflicting India’s first home ODI defeat since 2015.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Tellingly, two of the men to stand up in the former leaders’ absence were those who were directly replacing them: Usman Khawaja gliding to a second century of the series to further press his case for World Cup inclusion, and Peter Handscomb providing more than useful support having been promoted to No. 3 after Shaun Marsh was dropped. Finch and the national team coach Justin Langer have spent some months feeling like they were short of viable options; now they find themselves spoiled for batting choice.Equally the Australian effort with the ball and in the field showed an expanding tactical and technical repertoire, as Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon combined artfully as spin bowlers on a slow, low Feroz Shah Kotla pitch, only a matter of weeks after it appeared that Langer and company had belatedly acknowledged the need to find wicket-taking spinners for the middle overs. Masterful too was Pat Cummins, giving barely anything away, while Marcus Stoinis returned from injury to enjoy his He-Man moment when coaxing an edge from Virat Kohli.India had not lost any ODI series at home since going down 3-2 to South Africa in October 2015. That result arrived only a matter of months after Australia won the previous World Cup so was not considered a major reverse. However this defeat, on the cusp of the IPL, has left India with precious little time to iron out an increasing number of wrinkles. By contrast the Australians can now look forward to a further five matches against Pakistan.Marcus Stoinis is fairly pleased with his work, don’t you think?•Getty Images

India’s chase, and defeat from 2-0 up for the first time in history, opened more than a few questions for Kohli and the coach Ravi Shastri, not least team balance after only three specialist batsmen were selected. With Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli dismissed cheaply, Rohit Sharma seemed weighed down by the task before him, twice offering chances spurned off Zampa’s bowling before charging wildly to be well stumped by Alex Carey. MS Dhoni’s resting for the final two matches provided opportunities for others in India’s middle order, but they were far from taken.All this was after Khawaja’s dismissal in the 33rd over of Australia’s own innings had seen the game change markedly. Jasprit Bumrah’s discipline and wickets shared among the rest meant that the team lost 6 for 54 in 77 balls just as they were looking to accelerate. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravindra Jadeja were the chief wicket-takers for India, while Ashton Turner and Stoinis were irritated to have failed to go on from their starts. Jhye Richardson and Cummins put on a pesky 34 runs in 2.4 overs and ultimately ensured the Australians would be happy with their total.Despite Australia’s record-breaking chase in Mohali, led by Turner, Finch chose to bat first and attempt to put scoreboard pressure on India, who also made a couple of changes, calling in Jadeja and Mohammed Shami while dropping Yuzvendra Chahal and KL Rahul.Shami and Bhuvneshwar floated the ball full in the early overs in search of swing, but slipped obligingly into the driving zones of Khawaja and Finch as the tourists made a fluent start. Khawaja in particular was punishing on balls either too straight or too short, while Finch was for the most part content to bat in his partner’s slipstream. Neither batsman was overly troubled as they rattled to 76, and it took an excellent delivery from Jadeja, spinning past the outside edge of Finch’s bat and clattering off stump, to separate them.Adam Zampa is starting to bamboozle more and more batsmen in international cricket•Getty Images

Handscomb was quickly into stride however, maintaining the momentum from his Mohali innings by finding the boundary while rotating strike expertly with Khawaja, who was soon saluting his second century of the series. It was his third in international cricket since he returned from knee surgery with a hundred against Sri Lanka in Canberra last month.At 175 for 1 with 17.1 overs left, a major score seemed likely, but when Khawaja picked out Kohli at cover, causing the Indian captain to hurl the ball into the turf as he released his frustration, the game began to shift in momentum.The ball was ageing, the pitch slowing, and new entrants to the crease found the going harder. Glenn Maxwell shaped to hit Jadeja inside out but could not clear cover, Handscomb’s innings ended when he was surprised by extra lift from a Shami delivery he wanted to run down to third man, and Turner’s follow-up innings to Mohali ended when he miscued Kuldeep Yadav to long-on after he had lifted the left-arm wristspinner for six.At the other end Stoinis soaked up 16 dot balls out of 27 faced before dragging Bhuvneshwar onto the stumps, but Richardson and Cummins were able to pull together a priceless stand in the closing overs to push Australia’s total past 270. From a point where Kohli’s men had looked likely to need to beat the previous record chase at the ground – 281 in 1982 – they were ultimately left with a target of more modest dimensions.Kedar Jadhav punches through covers•Getty Images

Much depended on how the hosts could start, and though there was a sprinkling of boundaries against the new ball, Cummins’ dismissal of Dhawan opened up the opportunity to hunt Kohli’s wicket while the ball was still new. Cummins and Richardson were unable to find a way through, but Stoinis, bowling across the seam and finding extra bounce, did the trick by finding a thin edge through to an exultant Carey.Rishabh Pant threatened for a while, but was becalmed and then dismissed by Lyon’s offbreaks, prodding at a delivery that turned and bounced, offering a catch to Turner at slip. Vijay Shankar also made a start, only to sky Zampa to Khawaja at deep midwicket, and when Rohit was dropped off consecutive Zampa deliveries – first a thin edge through to Carey and then a catch by Maxwell at cover – Indian frustration was clear.Zampa did not have to wait long to celebrate, for in his next over Rohit ran down the wicket, was beaten between bat and pad and clearly stumped by Carey after he had stayed admirably low with the ball. Ravindra Jadeja had not scored when he stretched forward and was beaten by a Zampa wrong’un with Carey again in position for a stumping, this time achieved by the barest of margins as the left-hander’s foot was deemed to be stuck on the line and not behind it.That left India 132 for 6 and seemingly in quicksand. Bhuvneshwar and Kedar Jadhav got the equation down to 50 off 25 balls with a nifty union of 91 that brought the crowd to life and had Finch nervously drying the ball as late evening dew began to settle.But Cummins returned to have Bhuvneshwar miscuing to mid-off, and the very next ball Jadhav was well pouched by a running Maxwell off Richardson, leaving Stoinis to complete formalities by knocking out Kuldeep’s middle stump. At the boundary’s edge Langer, so frazzled for much of the past 10 months, raised two arms in triumph.

The Hurricanes had lost their last three matches, lost their leading scorer D’Arcy Short to international duty, dropped Tymal Mills, but they still managed to dethrone the defending champions

The Report by Alex Malcolm01-Feb-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHobart Hurricanes became the first team in BBL history to score more than 200 against Perth Scorchers, and thus the first team into this year’s BBL final. They dethroned the defending champions in staggering fashion.Before today, The Hurricanes had lost their last three matches, lost their leading scorer D’Arcy Short to international duty, dropped their highly touted import Tymal Mills. But they dismantled the Scorchers infront of 52,960 hostile fans at the new Optus Stadium in Perth.Matthew Wade made a sensational 71 off 45 balls at the top of the order to set up a record score in BBL knockouts, outshining Australia wicketkeeper Tim Paine in the process. Ben McDermott and Dan Christian clubbed 87 runs off the last six overs to pound the Scorchers into submission.Mills’ replacement Tom Rogers knocked over the Scorchers’ top three with extra pace and bounce. The Scorchers’ deep batting line-up folded under the weight of the enormous chase. The Hurricanes now wait to see whether they will travel to Adelaide or Melbourne for Sunday’s final.Agar’s absence one too many
The Scorchers have been able to absorb the loss of Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Andrew Tye, Jhye Richardson and David Willey at different stages throughout the tournament. But Ashton Agar’s loss was the straw that broke the camel’s back. He has been the Scorchers’ most economical bowler this season, conceding just 5.74 per over, but more than that he balances their pace-heavy attack.The Scorchers opted to use Mitchell Marsh as their fifth bowler and paid a heavy price. Firstly, he took the new ball to try and get through an easy over first up. He was wayward and got hammered for two boundaries by Wade. Secondly, it gave Wade a start before facing Mitchell Johnson and he capitalised. He smashed six more boundaries to all corners in 12 balls, including four off Johnson. While his team-mates struggled to adjust to the pace and bounce of the pitch, Wade batted with incredible fluency. Agar’s absence hurt the most in the four overs post the Powerplay. Wade and George Bailey struck a boundary an over and scored at 9.5 for four overs in a period where Agar normally concedes less than a run a ball.McDermott mauls the Scorchers
Wade’s innings set the game up but at one stage he appeared to need to go very deep to ensure a competitive total. At the end of 12 overs he had scored 69 of the Hurricanes’ 105 runs. He needed help, and McDermott provided it. McDermott got going with a six over mid-off off his ninth delivery. Wade fell in the 14th over but McDermott upped the ante. He launched Marsh, Johnson and Richardson into the stands five more times. Marsh ended up conceding 53 from his four overs. The power of the striking against such velocity stunned the Scorchers’ fans into silence. McDermott made 67 from just 30 balls. Christian continued his outstanding form with another superb cameo to set the Scorchers a mammoth target.Getty Images

Rogers the replacement
Rogers had only played two T20s prior to this semi-final. He gave up 50 runs in three overs on debut against Sydney Thunder and then took 1 for 29 in four overs against the Scorchers at the WACA. But Mills had bowled himself out of the team on form and Rogers was the first cab off the rank. He bowled the right lengths on a surface where anything slightly astray got punished. He hurried Michael Klinger into pulling to short fine leg after bowling four dots to him. He forced Cameron Bancroft and Shaun Marsh to pull to the long boundary and both men picked out a deliberately placed deep square leg. Rogers had 3 for 17 in three overs in the Powerplay and the Scorchers were 3 for 51.Bailey and Archer atone
Bailey and Jofra Archer were two of the chief architects of the calamitous loss to Melbourne Stars last Sunday that had nearly cost the Hurricanes a semi-final berth. During the eighth over of the Scorchers’ chase, two brilliant pieces of fielding all but sealed the Hurricanes place in a BBL final for the first time. Mitchell Marsh hooked Christian towards fine leg, where Archer charged in from the rope and dived forward at full stretch to take an incredible catch inches above the turf. Two balls later Ashton Turner hit a ball to Bailey at mid-off and took him on. Bailey accepted the challenge and produced a direct hit that ran Turner out by miles. Adam Voges and Hilton Cartwright never got going and both men fell before the end of the 10th over ,leaving the Scorchers at 7 for 68. They would never recover. Christian finished with 4 for 17 to cap another excellent all-round display.

Misbah-ul-Haq is expected to leave New Zealand on Sunday evening following the death of his father-in-law

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Christchurch20-Nov-2016Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq will miss the second Test in Hamilton, as he returns to Pakistan following the death of his father-in-law. Batsman Azhar Ali will lead the side in Misbah’ absence, the Pakistan Cricket Board has announced.Misbah and his family, who were also in Christchurch, had received news of his father-in-law being admitted to intensive care early on Sunday morning. They will make the trip back to Pakistan together. Misbah had only briefly taken the field during New Zealand’s chase, and is scheduled to leave the country on Sunday evening.His departure is a significant blow to Pakistan. Apart from having led the team in 50 Tests, Misbah has been a middle-order rock, never averaging less than 40 across the six most recent calendar years.”Misbah’s been exceptional throughout the years and we’ll miss him definitely,” Azhar said following the loss in the first Test at Hagley Oval. “We have to cope with that now and whoever comes into the side will take that opportunity and give us runs, as well as the stability he gives us in the middle.”No replacement has yet been named to the squad, but Misbah’s place in the XI is likely to be filled by either Mohammad Rizwan or Sharjeel Khan, who are the extra batsmen with the squad in New Zealand.Misbah had previously missed only one Test since he was appointed captain in 2010: he was unavailable for a 2012 Test in Galle, due to a suspension for slow over-rates. He had made scores of 31 and 13 in the Christchurch Test.

Toby Roland-Jones observed Yorkshire’s deserved status as newly-crowned county champions and treated it with unexpected disdain as he summoned a freewheeling maiden first-class century from no 10

Tim Wigmore at Lord's11-Sep-2015
ScorecardToby Roland-Jones struck a maiden hundred from No 10 against the champions•Getty Images

Toby Roland-Jones observed Yorkshire’s deserved status as newly-crowned county champions and treated it with unexpected disdain as he summoned a freewheeling maiden first-class century which belied his position at no 10 in Middlesex’s batting order.Roland-Jones channelled the cavalier tailender of yore, but with far more class. His defence was solid, his driving sumptuous. One flick to the midwicket boundary off Ryan Sidebottom with the third new ball was played with a particularly wonderful flourish as he rose up to meet the ball with disdain.There had been loose talk of a Yorkshire win within two days. Instead, with three days done, Middlesex lead by 380 runs after Roland-Jones followed a hundred of considerable defiance from Nick Compton, an opener still driven by hopes of an England recall.The spirit of Roland-Jones’s innings was encapsulated by the manner he hurtled towards his landmark. Needing 18 from the final two overs of the day, he fashioned half that total from Jack Brooks. Yorkshire then entrusted the day’s final over to Jake Leaning, an occasional Yorkshire offspinner with only 21 overs to his name all season. A push to long on for two was followed by a six flicked over midwicket. Roland-Jones was on 99, with four balls to get the run he needed.”I was trying not to think too much and not have too many things running through my head. I just happened to get one outside offstump – that was a pretty special feeling,” he said, reflecting on creaming Leaning through the covers to reach his century.Shades of Steve Waugh’s last ball hundred against Richard Dawson, another Yorkshire offspinner of rather greater ambition, in the Sydney Test in 2003 perhaps? “It’s a pretty surreal feeling,” he said. “It will take a while to sink in.”Together with James Harris, who was in more austere during a ninth-wicket partnership of 146, Roland-Jones ensured that the work of Compton was not wasted.Compton arrived at the crease at 1.37pm on Thursday. He took one day and nine minutes to be dislodged. When he was dismissed, he trudged off wearing the look of a child being dragged away from his favourite TV programme. Despite making a chanceless 149, Compton was evidently was far from satisfied. It was a snapshot of the adhesiveness that marks him out as one of the hardest men to prize out in the county game. And it reflected, too, a sense of his personal disappointment.The England selectors have made their reservations about Compton palpable. After a season that has been middling compared to those that led to his Test debut, he surely needed a better return than 1100 runs at 40.74, admirable though those numbers are, to make the selectors reassess his suitability.Perhaps no amount of runs against Yorkshire would have been enough to persuade the selectors, but Compton played with an assurance and solidity to suggest his previous highest first-class score, 254 not out, was far from unreachable. That the ball from James Middlebrook appeared to be sliding down the legside would not have made Compton feel any better.Still, in his pristine offdriving, in defiance of Yorkshire slips poised for the shot, Compton had highlighted how refined his game is. If solidity is his trademark, growing assertiveness also marked this innings: after taking 65 balls over his first 20 runs, his next 129 came in 196 deliveries. It was enough for Compton to dream of an England recall.”I woke up yesterday and decided to turn my phone off and make sure I put on a performance,” he said. “They say timing is everything in life don’t they? I certainly hope that’s the case. I wanted to get a big total in this game and I’m glad that I was able to turn it on when I needed to.”I was also delighted for Toby to get his maiden hundred, because he can bat really well. It was good for him and for team morale. We are second in the championship table and we wanted to show why we are second in this match.”Yorkshire enjoyed the day rather less, even as they revel in a Championship title secured even more emphatically than the last. After Sussex cruised to 493 for 7 at Hove this was the second time in three games Yorkshire have been neutered by a combination of a docile wicket, cloudless skies and tenacious batting.They also have disturbing memories of their defeat against Middlesex at Lord’s in April last year when Joe Root, skippering Yorkshire for the first time, gained the dressing room nickname “Craptain,” famously declaring on another flat surface and watching with growing disbelief as Middlesex rattled up a record 472 for 3 to win the match.If Yorkshire are to become the first side in 48 years to win a hat-trick of County Championships, they will have to overcome such obstacles: teams are becoming increasingly prone to preparing flat wickets when the Tykes come to town.As Middlesex progressed to their highest-ever total against Yorkshire, surpassing 527 made at Huddersfield in 1887, Yorkshire had reason to bemoan their success in producing players for England. Although it helped little when they played at Hove, both Liam Plunkett and Adil Rashid would have added variety to an attack that suffered for its rather one-paced feel. The zest and combativeness of David Willey will surely help, but Yorkshire need to prepare for plenty more days on wickets like this next season.The sight of Yorkshire attempting to manufacture a wicket – at one stage using three short extra covers and two short midwickets to try and remove Harris – was testament to how placid the pitch has begun.

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.

Kyle Mills has warned against underestimating Zimbabwe, after the tourists suffered heavy defeats in the one-off Test and the first ODI

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2012New Zealand seamer Kyle Mills has warned against underestimating Zimbabwe, after the tourists suffered heavy defeats in the one-off Test and the first one-day international. Ahead of the second ODI in Whangarei, Mills said he expected Zimbabwe to be better acclimatised with the seamer-friendly conditions and be more competitive in the remaining games.”There’s no doubt they are going to come back a lot better, harder and stronger in Whangarei,” Mills told. “That’s the general theme in most series around the world. The waters are tested in the first game but as the series progresses, both teams get a better read on each other and what they’re trying to do and get a better understanding of individual strengths and weaknesses.”Zimbabwe lost the Napier Test by an innings and 301 runs within three days, their worst ever Test defeat. They were rolled over twice on the same day, for scores of 51 and 143. The Test finished on the third day, with a bulk of play on the second day lost due to rain. The team fared marginally better in the first ODI in Dunedin, bowling out a new-look New Zealand for 248, but the batsmen failed yet again, scoring 158.Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor top-scored with 58 but the next-highest was Raymond Price’s unbeaten 26 at No. 10.During New Zealand’s tour of the country last year, the hosts pulled off a surprise win in the dead-rubber third ODI in Bulawayo, successfully chasing down 329 in a thrilling climax. A victory in Whangarei will give New Zealand the series, with one match to go, but Mills said the hosts are capable of bouncing back to keep the series alive.”It’s a must-win game for them and they did that up in the series in Zimbabwe as well – they progressively got better,” Mills said. “It’s really important we stay on our game in Whangarei because there’s no doubt they will be a lot stronger and mentally prepared for it.”

Kevin Pietersen has said that England’s hectic schedule leading up to the World Cup is “ridiculous”

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2011England batsman Kevin Pietersen has termed his side’s hectic schedule leading up to the World Cup as ‘ridiculous’. England will leave for the World Cup in the subcontinent just three days after their ongoing tour of Australia, which began in October last year.”Our schedule is ridiculous going into this World Cup,” Pietersen told . “It has been for England teams for a very long time, and that’s probably why England have not done well in World Cups.”Pietersen also criticised the format of the six-week long tournament, saying the gaps between matches were too long. “How can the England team play once and then in six days’ time play again, and then in six days’ time play again,” he asked. “It’s ridiculous but there’s nothing we can do about the schedules. I wouldn’t say we’re going to be knackered because it’s going to be the World Cup, and we all want to win this World Cup.”Despite being unimpressed with the itinerary, Pietersen felt that England had a good chance of following up their maiden ICC title victory in last year’s World Twenty20 with their first World Cup triumph. England have shown vast improvement in the limited-overs format in the last two years, winning nine of their previous ten bilateral ODI series before losing steam early to concede the ongoing seven-match ODI series against Australia.Pietersen credited England’s resurgence to enhanced skills in all departments of their game. “The batsmen have improved, the fielding is top-notch, our catching is incredible, our bowling is so skilful. I just think our skill levels are really, really good.”