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Flaws in Australia’s World T20 campaign remained evident in a scrappy victory to effectively eliminate Bangladesh from the tournament in Bangalore

The Report by Daniel Brettig21-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:14

Australia’s end bowling a problem’

Flaws in Australia’s World T20 campaign remained evident in a scrappy victory to effectively eliminate Bangladesh from the tournament in Bangalore. Adam Zampa and Usman Khawaja produced noteworthy performances at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, but others were less convincing ahead of more demanding meetings with Pakistan and India.Bangladesh never quite seemed confident enough to push through for victory, particularly after the the loss of Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny due to queries over their bowling actions. Mustafizur Rahman bowled beautifully for his captain Mashrafe Mortaza, however, and in doing so delivered another low score for Australia’s leader Steven Smith, who seems to be wrestling with his game only a matter of weeks after being thrust into the T20 captaincy ahead of Aaron Finch.Even when Glenn Maxwell had taken Australia to a position where they needed only nine from the final three overs, there seemed a certain lack of poise about the chase. Maxwell charged mindlessly at Shakib Al Hasan to be stumped, then second ball John Hastings was dropped when he pushed hard-handed to cover. A further run out chance was offered before Hastings was caught in the deep trying for the winning runs. Untidy was one word that came to mind.Smith owed much to Zampa for bowling an excellent spell through the middle of the innings, just as Bangladesh seemed capable of building on a hesitant start. Australia’s seam attack was not exactly threatening on a slow Bangalore surface, and it was left to Zampa to fashion a trio of wickets – he also had a chance dropped by Mitchell Marsh in his first over. Zampa’s effort, on a surface that did not spin all that much, opened further questions about why the selectors saw fit only to take the seldom used left-arm spin of Ashton Agar to the tournament alongside him.As he had done against New Zealand, Khawaja looked by far Australia’s most assured batsman in these climes. He moved into gear with the sweetest straight six imaginable in Mashrafe Mortaza’a first over of the innings, and found gaps with the sort of ease he has demonstrated since the start of the Australian summer. Khawaja was annoyed to be bowled behind his pads when the target was well in hand, and his exit betrayed the unease of others in a batting line-up conspicuously lacking in his ability to subtly adjust to the slower pace of the ball.Australia had brought Hastings in for Agar in the only change to the side that lost their opening match in Dharamsala after the tour selectors, Darren Lehmann and Mark Waugh, decided against recalling Aaron Finch. Bangladesh replaced Taskin and Sunny with the left-arm spinner Saqlain Sajib and offspinning allrounder Shuvagata Hom, both of whom only joined the team on Sunday night.Mortaza’s team were also missing Tamim Iqbal due to illness, with Mohammad Mithun moving up the order to replace him. Nathan Coulter-Nile bowled usefully with the new ball and Shane Watson found the knack for wickets at the other end to coax catches from Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman. Hastings and Marsh were somewhat more expensive, leaving Smith to call on Zampa.His first wicket was a gift – Mithun arrowing a short ball straight to Watson at deep midwicket – but from there Zampa grew into his spell, and did not buckle when Hom went after him with a towering six followed by another boundary. Next ball he attacked the stumps and won an lbw verdict, and before the spell was over he had also accounted for Shakib, beaten for length and bounce.From there Smith would have hoped for a modest chase, but Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim found pace more comfortable to deal with than Zampa’s spin, and played with some invention to find gaps on the off side and ransack 44 runs from the final three overs of the innings. A target of 157 was at least 20 more runs than Smith would have budgeted for earlier in the evening.Khawaja and Watson began well, before the allrounder skied a chance and was dropped, but failed to take advantage when he chanced a second run next over and was caught short by Sabbir’s excellent return from the deep. While Khawaja purred, Smith spluttered, mixing one straight six with a handful of miscues before finally being bowled between his legs by a Mustafizur delivery that shaped back into him. Missing a ball on that line was most unlike Smith, as other teams will note.Warner sparkled briefly before Khawaja lost his leg stump, and when the vice-captain punched a full toss straight back to Shakib the equation looked briefly troublesome. Maxwell balanced it out with a few keen blows but his seeming inability to stop himself from making rash decisions led to the stumping and a nervy finish against fumbling opponents. Australia may be on the board, but they are a long way from looking like contenders.

A sluggish surface at the MA Chidambaram Stadium produced an attritional first day on which India A took the early initiative through a century stand between KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara before losing five wickets for 94 runs to Australia A’s constricti

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy in Chennai22-Jul-2015
ScorecardKL Rahul hit 14 fours for his 96•K SivaramanA sluggish surface at the MA Chidambaram Stadium produced an attritional first day on which India A took the early initiative through a century stand between KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara before losing five wickets for 94 runs to Australia A’s constricting tactics. When rain brought the first day’s play to a close at half past four, India were 221 for 6.With Varun Aaron missing out due to fever, India went in with an attack consisting of two seamers in Umesh Yadav and Abhimanyu Mithun, and the spin pair of Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha. India’s early progress, after they chose to bat, gave no hint as to how the day would pan out. Rahul eased Gurinder Sandhu for drives to the cover and straight boundaries in the first over, and Mukund caressed two cover-driven fours off Andrew Fekete in the next over before playing all around a yorker.The match settled into a steadier rhythm thereafter, but there were enough bad balls for Rahul and Pujara to score off and keep the score ticking along at more than three runs an over. Rahul flicked Sean Abbott off his toes to the fine leg boundary and took two fours off the left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe’s first over – a flat-bat drive between cover point and short cover, and a dismissive square cut when he pitched short. Pujara soaked up some good bowling early on, but caught up with Rahul as the session wore on, driving Abbott through cover and gliding Marcus Stoinis between slip and gully for two fours in two overs.Both batsmen were in their 40s at lunch, with India 104 for 1 in 30 overs. They both brought up their fifties with boundaries after lunch; Rahul cutting Fekete behind point, Pujara driving Sandhu down the ground.Australia, though, had worked out a plan for their seamers. From start of the second session through the rest of the day, they bowled a nagging stump-to-stump line with five fielders on the leg side – usually a short mid-on and a short midwicket, a deeper mid-on in between, and two back for the hook. Given the slowness of the pitch, the batsmen had to be careful about flicking or driving anything that was not overpitched. It was hardly the kind of test Rahul Dravid, the India A coach, had hoped his batsmen would be exposed to when he had called for quick, bouncy pitches in the lead-up to the series. It was still a test, nonetheless.Fekete got the ball to stop on Pujara twice in two overs. Both times, he jabbed early at the ball while defending from the crease. The first one fell just short of Usman Khawaja at short mid-on. The second one carried to him.Abbott, replacing Fekete after his successful spell, nearly struck in the same manner in the 48th over, Rahul popping one in the air between short mid-on and short midwicket. In between, O’Keefe, and the pressure of playing out 14 dot balls, had sent back Karun Nair, who drove too early and scooped a catch to short cover .Nair’s wicket brought Shreyas Iyer to the crease, and his arrival brought a thrillingly discordant note to the day’s play in a fourth-wicket stand of 55 with Rahul. Seeming to pick up length earlier than most, Iyer cut Abbott for four off a ball that was barely short and only marginally wide, and pulled Sandhu for two fours in one over – either side of deep square leg – when he went around the wicket shortly before tea. But a silly shot was always around the corner; having earlier attempted, unsuccessfully, to paddle Abbott, Iyer was bowled while trying to whip Sandhu across the line.Five overs later, Rahul gave short mid-on another moment in the sun. Trying to flick Abbott off the stumps, he played a touch too early, and fell four runs short of a hundred.Australia continued to constrict: only seven runs came off the ten overs that followed Rahul’s dismissal. The pressure finally told on Naman Ojha; having scored 10 off 55 balls, he saw a bit of air from O’Keefe, went after him, and failed to clear mid-off. The light was fading rapidly already, and Travis Head, brought on to bowl his offspin from the other end, could only send down one ball before the groundstaff raced in with the covers.

UAE’s opening bowlers – Mohammad Naveed and Manjula Guruge – took seven wickets between them to set up a comfortable five-wicket win against Kenya in Southampton

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jun-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Mohammad Naveed finished with figures of 4 for 36•AFPUAE’s opening bowlers – Mohammad Naveed and Manjula Guruge – took seven wickets between them to set up a comfortable five-wicket win against Kenya in Southampton.UAE made good use of their decision to insert Kenya by having them 31 for 3 within nine overs. Collins Obuya threatened with a 47-ball 36, in which he hit seven fours, but the most substantial stand of the innings was 65 between Nelson Odhiambo (24) and Nehemiah Odhiambo(62) for the sixth wicket, but Nehemiah’s dismissal in the 31st over retracted any hopes of a comeback. Kenya lost the last four wickets for 24 as they were bowled out for 171 in the 41st over. Naveed finished with figures of 4 for 36.In reply UAE lost Qais Farooq in the second over for 4, and two more wickets by the end of 11th over as the match evened out. Amjad Ali (49) and Swapnil Patil (38) then added 66 for the fourth wicket to wrest the game from Kenya’s grasp. Nehemiah contributed with the ball as well, taking 2 for 28. Mohammad Shahzad and Amjad Javed chipped in with cameos to help UAE reach the target.

A “top Championship club” would have to come in for Paul Mullin in order for the Wrexham star to consider a transfer elsewhere, says Brett Ormerod.

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Prolific presence in the lower leaguesFeeling settled in North WalesBecome a star on and off the pitchWHAT HAPPENED?

The 29-year-old striker has established a reputation as one of the most potent frontmen in the lower leagues – with 47 goals recorded across all competitions last season as the Red Dragons won the National League title in record-breaking style. Mullin’s exploits have attracted plenty of attention – with the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series aiding that cause – but he is tied to a contract through to 2026 and feels settled in North Wales, close to his Merseyside roots.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT ORMEROD SAID ABOUT MULLIN

With that in mind, former Wrexham striker Ormerod has told when asked if Mullin could attract interest from higher up the footballing food chain in January: “Maybe so, yeah. Everyone has an opinion of you as a player and for me, the question is about which Championship club would come in for him. If Wrexham get promoted this season, they'll obviously build a squad to make a push for the Championship themselves and if you're somewhere playing football, you're on good money, happy and settled – there's so much to consider. Paul Mullin is playing football and he's happy. I think it'd have to be a top Championship club to get him away from Wrexham. If Wrexham get promoted this year, Paul Mullin should be thinking 'why should I go anywhere else?'. This club is going places, it's got everything. It's got great media coverage, he gets to meet Will Ferrell, which I'm jealous of because he's one of my favourite actors of all time. It must be amazing to be in and around Wrexham right now, however, it does come with its own pressures I suppose.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

While rubbing shoulders with Hollywood superstars – as Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney call the shots at SToK Racecourse – Mullin has also released his own book, ‘My Wrexham Story’. Ormerod added on making the most of new-found fame: “Fair play to Paul Mullin. A football career is short and people get caught up looking at the A-listers. Football is like every other sport, the elite get paid a substantial amount of money and everyone else is trying to make a living out of it. Football is a funny old game, because you can have a great career in the lower leagues on paper earning modest money but retire at 35 having to enter the real world with no real-world experience, a mortgage, two kids and you've got to go and find your way in life. On the flip side, you can be a top prospect at Man City earning big money, not be playing by the age of 24/25 and still be a millionaire. You have to say fair play to Paul Mullin because you've got to make as much money as you can, while you can.”

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MULLIN & WREXHAM?

Mullin has hit a further nine goals for Wrexham this season, taking him to 88 in total through 112 appearances, and he has Phil Parkinson’s side sat among the League Two frontrunners – with the ambitious Welsh outfit setting their sights on reaching the Premier League at some stage.

Manchester United’s transfer habits have been compared to shopping at “Primark and Zara”, with Antony proving that price does not guarantee quality.

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South American forward signed for big moneyLittle value found in that dealRivals showing how business should be doneWHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Devils invested £85 million ($107m) in prising the Brazil international winger away from Ajax in the summer of 2022. Antony registered just eight goals in his debut campaign, with more cost effective forwards – such as 10-goal Brighton star Kaoru Mitoma, who cost his side just £2.7m – overshadowing the South American’s performances.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT COLE SAID

Ex-United striker Andy Cole is puzzled as to how those at Old Trafford continue to get things so wrong, telling of more bemusing recruitment business: “I sometimes have to ask myself what Antony’s strengths are? He doesn't take players on, he doesn’t create chances and he doesn’t score goals. So what are his strengths? We paid a massive amount of money for him.

"When you look at a club like Brighton who signed Mitoma for £2.7 million, then you have to ask what market are Manchester United shopping in when Brighton pays that for Mitoma and we end up paying £85 million for Antony? Are we not shopping in the same market? It’s like Primark and Zara; you think by paying more to shop at Zara, the quality will be better, but it turns out to be the same as Primark, so you end up paying more for the same thing. I look at the transfers we’ve made over the last 10 years and we’ve spent a hell of a lot of money on players that other clubs would have paid less for, so is it a case of Manchester United tax? We can’t continue doing that.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Antony has, against a backdrop of issues off the field, failed to find the target through 12 appearances for United this season and has no assists to his name. Cole, who formed part of the Red Devils’ 1999 Treble-winning triumph, added on that lack of end product: “If I played with Antony, it would drive me mad. As a centre-forward, if you’re playing with someone like Antony and he doesn’t get to the byline and put crosses in, then you’re going to be pulling your hair out. Strikers need crosses, especially Rasmus Hojlund who hasn’t scored in the Premier League yet.

"When Antony cuts in on his left-foot, nine times out of 10 he’s going to shoot. The only chances Hojlund’s going to receive from Antony is if the opposition goalkeeper parries any of his shots from distance. Antony’s had a really disappointing season. I understand he’s had things going on in the background, but that aside, playing football is ultimately what he does and I struggle to see what he has given the team so far. If his form doesn’t improve throughout the season, you never know what will happen. It all depends on how much longer the manager wants to stick with him.”

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

Antony is tied to a contract through to 2027, but United continue to be linked with alternative attacking transfer targets. Mitoma may register on their radar at some stage, with the 26-year-old winger recording another three goals and four assists for Brighton so far in the 2023-24 campaign.

Four Atletico Madrid ultras have been charged for allegedly hanging an effigy of Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr from a bridge before the derby in January.

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Atletico Madrid fans facing chargesAccused of hanging effigy near Real's training groundCould face four years in prisonWHAT HAPPENED?

The four fans are facing charges, per, after hanging the effigy of Vinicius from a bridge near the Real training ground in January. A banner was also unfurled, reading "Madrid hates Real" before the two clubs met in the Copa del Rey.

AdvertisementTwitter – AnonymousTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The Madrid Public Prosecutors office is seeking four years in prison for each individual, who say they are "ideologically identified with the extreme right". Arrests were initially made in May but they have now been charged with intimidation and 'acting against fundamental rights and public freedoms'.

WHAT THE PROSECUTOR SAID

They insist that the hanging of the effigy was racially motivated, saying it was "an unmistakable sign of contempt and rejection of the victim’s skin colour and motivated by a desire to undermine his sense of wellbeing".

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Charges have been brought so the case is now set to be heard. Meanwhile, Vinicius will likely play for Real Madrid against Real Betis this weekend.

Read our updated power ranking of Nigerian players in England’s top-flight

Folarin Balogun

Balogun continues to be uninvolved with the Arsenal first-team, missing Saturday’s 3-0 win over Southampton, and his position does not change.

AdvertisementEberechi Eze – Crystal PalaceEberechi Eze

Eze played no part in Sunday’s 3-1 success over Everton. Thus, he remains in situ in our rankings.

Watford.Peter Etebo

The injured Watford star dropped a place last week but is a beneficiary of Eze not getting game time against Everton.

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Getty ImagesCarney Chukwuemeka

Chukwuemeka supplanted Etebo last week but was not involved in Aston Villa’s 1-0 loss at Liverpool at the weekend, losing the chance to supplant anyone above him.

Legspinner Fawad Ahmed and veteran batsman Adam Voges have both been included in Australia’s squads for the upcoming Ashes tour and the two-Test series in the West Indies that precedes it

Brydon Coverdale and Daniel Brettig30-Mar-20152:29

Coverdale: Fawad, Voges picked on current form

Legspinner Fawad Ahmed and veteran batsman Adam Voges have both been included in Australia’s squads for the upcoming Ashes tour and the two-Test series in the West Indies that precedes it. Peter Nevill has been confirmed as the backup wicketkeeper to Brad Haddin, while there was no room for Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner or Joe Burns.Shaun Marsh was preferred to fellow Test incumbent Burns and joins his brother Mitchell Marsh in the 17-man Ashes squad. Peter Siddle was named in the group after being dropped from the Test side during the summer and he is expected to feature in the Tests in the Caribbean, with Ryan Harris staying home for the birth of his first child and joining the touring party for the Ashes.Fast bowler James Pattinson was deemed unavailable for the West Indies tour after suffering an injury to his left hamstring during the Sheffield Shield final, and he will be assessed by medical staff over the coming weeks. Pattinson’s breaking down in the Shield final did not prevent Victoria’s win, which came thanks in large part to Fawad’s eight-wicket haul in the first innings.As an asylum seeker from Pakistan, Fawad’s Australian citizenship was rushed through in 2013 to have him available for the Ashes but he was not chosen for that tour, and had to settle for debuts in ODI and Twenty20 international cricket. However, his legspin has bewitched batsmen all over Australia this summer and he topped the Shield tally with 48 victims at 24.85.The selectors have also included the leading run scorer this season. Voges plundered 1358 runs at 104.46 in the Shield this summer to make himself almost impossible to ignore, and his experience will make him a valuable member of the squad. Voges was first part of a Test squad when he was called up during the 2006-07 Ashes in Australia, but nearly a decade later still does not have a baggy green.Nevill’s selection as the backup wicketkeeper ahead of Matthew Wade, who was chosen for the 2013 Ashes, comes after a summer in which he piled up 764 Shield runs at 76.40, including a career-best 235 not out against Tasmania in Hobart last month. Nevill toured the West Indies in 2012 when Brad Haddin flew home for personal reasons, but is yet to debut for Australia in any format.”Basically the white ball’s been put down and we’re into red ball cricket,” National Selector Rod Marsh said. “We’re not playing it at home, and obviously we’ve been a powerhouse at home in recent series, but we haven’t done that well overseas and it’s time we got that right. We’ve hopefully picked sides that will be very, very good overseas and we hope to win both the series in the West Indies and we’d be delighted if we won the Ashes – that would be a fair 12 months I reckon.”Fawad Ahmed has been named in Australia’s Test squad•Getty ImagesMarsh explained that Voges’ sheer weight of runs had pushed him ahead of Joe Burns, who played the last two Tests of the home summer but will now travel with Australia A to India, where he has never played before, to gain experience with an eye towards 2016 and series away to Sri Lanka and India.”He had a magnificent Shield season, absolutely no doubt about that,” Marsh said of Voges. “I looked at him on four or five occasions, maybe more, this year. and I thought ‘I don’t know how anyone is going to get this bloke out’. He was that dominant, but it wasn’t only the fact he made 1300-odd runs, it was the way he made them. It was as good as any Sheffield Shield batting I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen some good stuff.”Pure weight of runs, and the way in which he got those runs [put Voges ahead of Burns]. You could just see Test player written all over him. Mark Waugh saw him bat, Trevor Hohns saw him bat, I saw him bat, all the state coaches, all the state talent managers. Everyone said the same thing – surely we can’t all be wrong.”It’ worked out quite nicely for Joe in a lot of ways in as much as he will be going to India, where he’s never played cricket, he’ll have two four-day matches and five one-day matches in India, and I reckon that will be very good for his overall development as a batsman.”Although none of the inclusions were especially surprising, it was notable that neither Faulkner nor Maxwell made the squad after both playing key roles in Australia’s recent World Cup triumph. Ashton Agar was also considered a possible candidate for the second spinning position, but Fawad’s credentials this summer were too strong.”Forty-eight wickets is a pretty good season, and it wasn’t only the fact he got 48 wickets, it was the way he bowled,” Marsh said. “He bowled beautifully all summer and him being a legspinner as opposed to a finger spinner probably also gave him a slight advantage because, believe it or not, Australia’s always looking for legspinners. We have a proud history of legspinning in this country, and we want that to continue.”He doesn’t bowl too much rubbish, and he creates a lot of pressure. He’s able to have men around the bat in most instances and he keeps asking the batsmen questions. That’s what most good spinners do, you need to be able to remain on as a legspinners. It is all very well ripping the ball, but if you bowl two full tosses, two long hops, it’s very hard for the captain to keep you on. He maintains good economy and he asks many questions of both left and right-handed batsmen.”Cricket Australia has also named its list of 19 contracted players for the 2015-16 season, with Siddle the notable exclusion from last year despite being named in the Test squads. Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh and Pat Cummins have all joined the list from outside the contract list named this time last year for the 2014-15 season.George Bailey retained his contract despite effectively being viewed as an ODI-only player, and being dropped from the side during the recent World Cup. Clarke’s retirement from one-day cricket could pave the way for Bailey to return as a regular member of the team when they next convene for a series later this year.Australia A squads have also been named for a series of four-day and one-day games in India throughout July, with Usman Khawaja named to captain the team in both formats alongside Matthew Wade as his deputy.Test squad Michael Clarke (capt), Steven Smith (vice-capt), Fawad Ahmed, Brad Haddin, Josh Hazlewood, Ryan Harris (Ashes only), Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Peter Nevill, Chris Rogers, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Adam Voges, David Warner, Shane Watson.Contract list George Bailey, Michael Clarke, Pat Cummins, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, James Pattinson, Chris Rogers, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Shane Watson.Australia A four-day squad Usman Khawaja (capt), Matthew Wade (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Andrew Fekete, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Steve O’Keefe, Gurinder Sandhu, Marcus Stoinis.Australia A one-day squad Usman Khawaja (capt), Matthew Wade (vice-capt), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Cameron Boyce, Joe Burns, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Callum Ferguson, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Gurinder Sandhu, Adam Zampa.

Brendon McCullum was happy setting Pakistan 261 in 72 overs, in the hope that temptation might get the better of Misbah-ul-Haq’s previously impervious side

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2014Hesson ‘pleased’ with spinners’ performance

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson is optimistic about his bowlers’ performance – both seamers and spinners – who took 15 wickets in the second Test in Dubai, compared to only five in the first Test in Abu Dhabi. Hesson said the seamers’ outing in Abu Dhabi was only an “aberration.”
“They are two quality bowlers [Tim Southee and Trent Boult] who in the last couple of years have performed everywhere,” Hesson said. “It was a bit of an aberration in Abu Dhabi where they weren’t able to create anything but they still bowled tightly enough. Those guys have gone away and worked on a few things and tried to find ways of creating opportunities. I thought the way they kept chugging in today was exceptional, and over the last five days was great.”
Hesson said his spinners were not used to bowling on subcontinent pitches but he was pleased with the way they had adapted in the two Tests.
“Our spinners aren’t used to bowling on conditions with footholes playing such a part,” he said. “Pakistan spinners beat us off the wicket and at home traditionally we try and beat guys in the air. When you have footholes to hit, it’s very hard to change the method that you’ve trained your whole life. I thought the way Ish [Sodhi] and Mark [Craig] have adapted over the last couple of Tests is pleasing but they are still striving for consistency of pace as well.
“[Yasir] Shah and [Zulfiqar] Babar don’t give away lot of freebies so you’ve got to scrap hard for your runs. And that’s something that our spinners are learning, these guys are little more experienced than us but we are getting better.”

When your opponent has chased down a score of 300 at more than five runs an over in recent memory, most captains could be forgiven for approaching a second-innings declaration with caution. Brendon McCullum is happy to describe himself as an “eternal optimist”, however, and preferred to dangle the carrot of victory in front of Pakistan rather than take the draw that would keep alive New Zealand’s chances of levelling the series.No matter that Pakistan had chased 302 in 57.3 overs in Sharjah at the start of the year to overcome a defensive-minded Sri Lanka; McCullum was confident enough to set them 261 in 72 overs, in the hope that temptation might get the better of Misbah-ul-Haq’s previously impervious side.With Pakistan 75 for 4 and tea some way off, McCullum’s gamble looked to have been well-judged. Asad Shafiq’s dogged innings, in partnerships with Younis Khan and Sarfraz Ahmed, made sure Pakistan would hold on to their 1-0 lead but New Zealand could draw strength from denying the hosts a fourth straight Test victory while maintaining their chances of squaring the series in Sharjah next week.”When you’re making those kind of decisions, you look at the history of what’s happened, how the opposition team has responded in situations like this and try and get a bit of information, rather than having to come up with a willy-nilly score,” McCullum said. “So we looked at all of that stuff, the strength of their line-up, and we thought if we keep them semi-interested, that would give us our greatest opportunity.”We didn’t want to hand it to them, that’s for sure, because we worked far too hard throughout the game to make a reckless decision. But the one we came up with kept them interested but also kept us interested and gave us enough time if we’d been able to knock over the top order. Credit to them but we’ll walk away pretty happy as well.”Having posted 403 in their first innings, New Zealand were looking at a significant lead when Pakistan were reduced to 312 for 9. However, Sarfraz battled his way to a century during a last-wicket stand worth 81, which McCullum said prevented New Zealand from “dictating play a little bit more”.New Zealand were then wobbling at 125 for 5 in their second innings but recovered through Ross Taylor’s century. In keeping with his reputation for positive captaincy, McCullum chose to declare New Zealand’s innings nine down, after a brief salvo from Tim Southee took the target above 250, to give the visitors their best chance of victory.”I thought it was a pretty fair declaration, there was enough there for the batting team to stay interested if they got off to a good start and there was also enough time for us if we’d been able to knock over the top order reasonably quickly to be able take 10 wickets on a wearing track,” McCullum said. “From our point of view, we’re trying to win Test matches and hence we went down that route rather than looking to try and bat out more of the day. I thought it was a brilliant Test match and, whilst there was no winner, a really good advert for Test cricket.”It almost deserved a winner, it was that good a Test. We’ll hark back to that 10th-wicket partnership where if we’d been able to make inroads at that point we’d have been able to go on and dictate play a little bit more. But it wasn’t to be and credit has to go to Sarfraz, I thought his innings under an immense amount of pressure was outstanding, the way he shepherded the lower order through to that score.”In times gone past there’s probably a tendency for us to have gone into our shell after losing some of that momentum but I thought the way we came out and played positively and with some intent, looking to try and win the Test match was a real credit to us. It’s a really good sign from my point of view because it shows that a young team is prepared to play aggressive cricket to get some wins in the column. The wins are what you remember most – we’ll remember a lot out of this Test match but it would have been great to get across the line. It was certainly a gamble worth taking.”McCullum conceded that “winning the toss helped”, breaking Pakistan’s run of batting first and racking up match-winning scores, and he will hope to call correctly again at the start of the third Test, as New Zealand seek to extend an unbeaten run in series stretching back to May 2013. More runs from Taylor, after a relatively dry year, would also aid their chances.”Ross’ innings was brilliant,” McCullum said. “The game was teetering. For him to come out, he’s been a little bit lean on runs in the series, to have that utter confidence in his game, his proactive-ness put some pressure back on Pakistan. To keep doing that in trying circumstances takes a lot of courage and it was great to see him get a hundred and get us into a position where we could make a bold declaration. That was a big feather for us as well, delighted for Ross and delighted for the group, we’ll take a lot out of that innings and the way we responded.”

The absence of Kevin Pietersen from the England team is “terribly sad” according to Eoin Morgan

George Dobell13-Nov-2014The absence of Kevin Pietersen from the England team is “terribly sad” according to Eoin Morgan.Morgan, who has captained the England limited-overs sides on several occasions, suggested Pietersen could have “his best years ahead of him” and said he would “love to be there playing cricket for England” with him.”It’s great having played with Kev and having in the team and learning from him,” Morgan said.”It’s terribly sad that he’s not in the team at the moment considering he’s still so young and had potentially his best years still ahead of him.”I would love to be out here playing cricket for England with Kevin Pietersen but the fact of the matter is he’s not involved anymore.”While he accepted that Pietersen was not universally popular within the England camp, Morgan dismissed the importance of such factors and insisted it was more relevant that players performed on the pitch.”Not everyone is popular in a cricket team,” Morgan said. “Everyone individually commands respect through their performance and there is trust and relationships that you build.”But that’s absolutely fine. In every walk of life you make friends with people who other people aren’t friends with. Was it awkward being friends with him? Certainly not.”When asked whether Pietersen’s accusation of bullying within the England environment – a claim made in Pietersen’s recent book – was fair, Morgan was non-committal. While admitting that he had yet to read the book – “I’ve heard it’s brilliant,” he said with a smile – he accepted that there were times when the bowlers’ frustration with fielders had been obvious. But he insisted he “can’t remember if it went too far or not.””You’re certainly aware of things like that particularly when you don’t bowl and you’re a specialist fielder,” he said. “It’s a difficult one because you have a bowler who had maybe been hit for four or a catch dropped and it’s hard for him to disguise his emotion. There a bit of give and take with both sides.”I can’t remember if it went too far or not. The issue was raised and it was dealt with.”Morgan’s words are significant not just because they suggest that Pietersen was not “disengaged” – to use Paul Downton’s expression – from the entire team, but because it is quite possible that Morgan will be appointed permanent one-day captain within the next few months.If England endure a poor World Cup – and they are hardly approaching it as one of the bookies’ favourites – it would be no surprise if Alastair Cook stepped down and a successor found. Such a scenario just might offer a sliver of encouragement to those who harbour hopes of a Pietersen recall.Investec, the specialist bank and asset manager, is the title sponsor of Test match cricket in England. Visit investec.co.uk/cricket or follow us @InvestecCricket