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India’s assistant coach said that the team will have to assess the misfiring batting but praised the impact of Jeffrey Vandersay

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Aug-20241:43

Nayar on batting order change: ‘Perceived as left-right combination’

Dropping a match to this Sri Lanka was a surprise, sure. But the conditions also made for fickle cricket. Abhishek Nayar, India’s assistant coach, has, like the rest of us, not watched Sri Lanka take many games off India lately. But these were his takeaways from the second ODI, which India lost by 32 runs.He also pointed to opposition spinner Jeffrey Vandersay’s excellent lengths, and Sri Lanka’s tenacious lower order batting as reasons for the defeat. For the second match in a row, the pitch took substantial turn, enabling even less-proficient spin bowlers to become threats.Related

• Vandersay six-for gives SL first ODI win over India in three years

• Vandersay brings the vibes back for Sri Lanka

“Was it a shock? I would say yes, there is a surprise,” Nayar said. “But you anticipate and understand that in these conditions the game can turn on its head because there is so much spin on offer.”Even if you look at the last game, it was relatively easy to score against the new ball. As the ball got older, the conditions when batting second got slightly tougher. Sometimes in tough conditions, especially in the 50-over format, this happens.”We want to go back and understand, and rectify, why it happened twice in a row. The day before yesterday, we were able to stitch partnerships. But today we lost quite a few wickets in a bundle.”That bundle of wickets came between overs 14 and 24, when India lost their six wickets – all against Vandersay – for 50 runs. Vandersay had the ball turning big from the outset, as many of India’s spinners also did. But he bowled tight lines too, and kept batters pinned in the crease with his lengths and flight.”They bowled well – I think Vandersay bowled the ideal length in these conditions,” Nayar said. “In such conditions, when the ball is turning – and the way Vandersay bowled today, used his finger, and bowled stump to stump – you get these phases when there is assistance from the pitch. I feel today we should give more credit to Sri Lanka.”India faded dramatically after a fast start to the chase•AFP/Getty Images

When batting, Sri Lanka had been 136 for 6, and potentially looking at a score under 200. But for the second match in a row, Dunith Wellalage produced arguably Sri Lanka’s best innings, hitting 39 off 35 balls from No. 7. Then Kamindu Mendis, a batting allrounder who frequently bats as high as No. 4, also struck 40 off 44 at No. 8. Sri Lanka clambered their way up to 240 for 9, which always seemed a serious score on this pitch.”When you are batting first, there is less pressure,” Nayar said. “When you are chasing, the pressure is more because you have to keep an eye on the run rate, wickets. Whenever you bat first, you often have partnerships. Wellalage batted really well, both in the last game and this game. They scored important runs in the lower order.”India’s own mixing up of their batting order – Shivam Dube pushed up to No. 4, Shreyas Iyer down to No. 6, and KL Rahul at No. 7 – Nayar did not believe was especially radical. Safeguarding a left-right combo at the crease was what they were trying.”My belief is that in any sport, position only matters if you’re playing in different areas of a game. We lost wickets in the middle phase, and that’s where the middle order batters batted. It’s not as if middle order batters batted towards the end.”If you look at numbers like four, five, or six, maybe sometimes it can play games in your head. It was more about keeping a left-and-right combination, keeping in mind that there were offspinners, and a legspinner in the Sri Lanka team.”The thought process was right. When it doesn’t work out, these questions are asked often. But I’ve always believed that if a middle order batter bats as a middle order batter, it is the right decision.”

Heinrich Klaasen produces fighting knock but South Africa miss out on World Cup Super League points

Valkerie Baynes01-Feb-2023England 346 for 7 (Buttler 131, Malan 118, Ngidi 4-62) beat South Africa 287 (Klaasen 80, Hendricks 52, Archer 6-40) by 59 runsJofra Archer’s maiden ODI five-for crowned his comeback and ensured England would leave with more than a consolation victory after Jos Buttler and Dawid Malan’s perfectly crafted centuries prevented what had looked like a certain series sweep to South Africa.The tourists depart in the knowledge that Archer is back in business after his 6 for 40 in just his second international match after spending the best part of two years out of the game injured. He sealed a 59-run victory despite the best efforts of Heinrich Klaasen and Wayne Parnell, who put on 85 runs off just 54 balls for the seventh wicket, which poses implications for South Africa’s hopes of qualifying directly for this year’s World Cup. They must now beat Netherlands 2-0 in their upcoming series and hope New Zealand defeat Sri Lanka at least once in their three-match series to secure an automatic berth in India.The hosts were on course for a 3-0 series result when England slumped to 14 for 3 thanks to Lungi Ngidi’s three wickets for seven runs in the space of 11 balls. But Buttler and Malan staged a fourth-wicket stand worth 232 runs to take their side to 346 for 7.Half-centuries from Klaasen and Reeza Hendricks and starts by Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma and Parnell kept South Africa in touch but breaking partnerships was key for England and Archer was the chief destroyer.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Bavuma, centurion and Player of the Match as South Africa went 2-0 up on Sunday in Bloemfontein, eased to 22 off 16 balls at the end of the fourth over which included a huge six over deep midwicket off Chris Woakes. At 41 for no loss after seven, England introduced Archer, but it was Woakes who made the breakthrough with a slower ball that saw Bavuma chipping to Reece Topley at mid-off.Archer, back after resting for the second match, claimed just his second wicket of the series when Rassie van der Dussen slashed to Jason Roy at point. Archer’s next ball was a 146kph/90mph bouncer which rapped Markram’s left shoulder and Markram responded by driving the next ball fiercely down the ground for four.With Hendricks opening in place of Quinton de Kock, who was rested after picking up a minor thumb injury in the second ODI, South Africa’s run chase was still in good hands. He reached his fifty off 59 balls and put on a half-century partnership with Markram off 40 deliveries, but then Adil Rashid removed Hendricks, stepping back to try and dig out one that had pitched well outside leg stump before turning back to rap the inside of his left knee and deflect onto his stumps.Markram was looking set and put on 46 runs with Klaasen before he miscued off Archer and found Moeen Ali sitting under the ball at midwicket. That brought in David Miller and he crashed Moeen’s first ball through the covers for four and his fourth down the ground for an effortless-looking six. But then Archer removed the threat with the first ball of his next over, a sizzling back-of-a-length delivery that found Miller’s inside edge and was pouched by Buttler.Klaasen and Parnell then teamed up, Klaasen clubbing Moeen for 14 runs in the 37th over and reaching 80 off 62 before skying Archer to Ben Duckett, running in from deep backward square. Archer took out Parnell’s middle stump to seal his five-for and made it six when he pinged the top of Tabraiz Shamsi’s off stump, ending England’s five-match losing streak in ODIs.Jos Buttler leaves the crease after his century•AFP/Getty Images

At the 10-over mark, England’s scoring rate was going nowhere at 20 for 3 after South Africa had sent the visitors in on a Kimberley ground notoriously difficult to defend upon.Ngidi hit his lengths beautifully at the outset and struck with his sixth ball as Roy mistimed his attempted drive and picked out Bavuma at mid-off. Ngidi struck again in his second over with a shorter ball angled across left-hander Duckett, who nicked to Klaasen behind the stumps. Harry Brook was unable to lift his side off the back of his 80 in the second game, which followed a duck on debut in the series opener, when Ngidi had him caught behind stabbing at a wide delivery outside off stump which found the inside edge.Buttler found the initial going tough, taking 14 balls to get off the mark. Markram saw his fourth ball smashed for six over long-off as Buttler set about raising the tempo. That was after he had narrowly survived being run out chancing a second off Parnell with Miller diving, gathering and firing the ball into Klaasen in one fluid motion, and before Malan’s pull shot off Shamsi burst through Hendricks’ fingertips.Buttler raised his fifty off 64 balls, which was slow by his standards but what his side needed in the circumstances. Shamsi missed the chance to remove Malan when he dived to his right for an attempted return catch but managed only to get a finger to it. Malan then dispatched Parnell over the fence at deep square leg to bring up an even more sluggish half-century (off 79).ESPNcricinfo Ltd

From there, however, Malan went on the attack, carving Parnell to the boundary through backward point and heaving Shamsi for six over wide long-on, Shamsi conceding a second maximum in three balls when Buttler pummelled him over midwicket.The England duo pounced on anything short, and there was plenty from Jansen as he conceded 18 runs off the 34th over – 17 of them to Malan who targeted the leg-side fence, and beyond, three times in as many balls. They brought up their centuries within three balls of each other, Malan to the rope at deep-third and Buttler flicking to the leg side for two. Malan’s second fifty came off just 27 balls and Buttler’s from 42. Malan eventually fell to a leading edge off Sisanda Magala which found Klaasen waiting underneath it at short fine leg.Moeen offered an entertaining cameo, failing connect with his one-handed attempt at a reverse sweep off Shamsi but taking England past the 300-mark that had seemed out of reach earlier with back-to-back sixes, including one off a no-ball from Ngidi. Moeen’s knock ended when Ngidi nailed him with a yorker which tore between his ankles, and Buttler holed out to long-on off Jansen three balls later.

The Bushfire Cricket Bash will take place on February 8 ahead of the BBL final

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jan-2020Sachin Tendulkar and Courtney Walsh will coach the Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne teams respectively in the Bushfire Cricket Bash on February 8.The bushfire relief match will take place ahead of the Big Bash final with the venue to be confirmed on January 31 after the Qualifier is played with the winning team hosting the final. Before that double-header, the Australia and India women’s teams will play their tri-series match in Melbourne and it could be the city hosts the trio of matches if the Melbourne Stars secure the BBL final at the MCG.ALSO READ: Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting to lead teams in bushfire relief matchAlongside Ponting and Warner, Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee, Shane Watson, Alex Blackwell and Michael Clarke have confirmed they will take part in the match.”We are absolutely honoured to be welcoming Sachin and Courtney back to Australia where they both enjoyed a lot of success as players, and we can’t wait to have them involved in what is going to be a special day,” the Cricket Australia CEO, Kevin Roberts, said.The Bushfire Cricket Bash is one of a range of initiatives the sport has undertaken to raise funds for those impacted by the devastating bushfires around the country over the last few months. They have included auctioning Test and BBL shirts and players donating money for sixes hit and wickets taken in various competitions.

Maxwell’s 37-ball 52 gave Australia a glimmer of hope, but another top-order failure meant that Pakistan took an unassailable lead

The Report by Danyal Rasool26-Oct-2018It will take something truly special to put an end to this purple patch Pakistan are basking in as far as T20I cricket is concerned. As another top-order collapse saw Australia fall short by 11 runs, it became patently obvious this particular visiting side aren’t that special someone.Pakistan, again, weren’t at their very best with the bat, and it was only a string of medium-sized scores that took them to 147. But it was in the field that their swagger was on full display, with an exceptional bowling performance – and at times an even better fielding one – snuffing out Australia’s chances.It was a final result that made the game look closer than it really was. It wasn’t until the last five overs that Glenn Maxwell and Nathan Coulter-Nile finally took control of the chase and started finding the boundaries with regularity, and it was then that Pakistan found themselves under pressure in the field. They had, however, done enough during the first half of the innings by way of controlling the runs and taking regular wickets to ensure Maxwell’s late salvo wouldn’t imperil their inexorable path to sealing the series -their tenth in a row – at the earliest opportunity.Chasing a target similar to the one they were tasked with on Wednesday, Australia didn’t make quite the calamitous start that saw them lose six wickets on that occasion. That, unfortunately, was all that could be said for it, with the top three falling for a combined 12 runs, and as Mitchell Marsh and Maxwell tried to rebuild, they fell far behind the asking rate.It is when Pakistan have teams on the rack in this very fashion that they’ve sculpted their T20I fortunes on. Imad Wasim was teasingly accurate, conceding eight runs in his allocated quota, while Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali and Mohammad Hafeez almost queued up to torment Aaron Finch’s men. In the field, Pakistan were taking flying catches and inflicting miraculous run-outs. One from Fakhar Zaman may arguably be the best run-out inflicted all year, with Zaman diving forward while throwing backwards at the non-strikers end without even looking at the stumps. He hit middle, with a non-plussed Ben McDermott finding himself trudging back, victim to two sensational run-outs in as many games.Australia were arguably unfortunate at the start of their innings in the manner D’Arcy Short was dismissed. When Finch drove Imad back to the bowler, he got a finger on it as the ball hit the stumps. The third umpire deemed Short to have his bat in the air, but no one could be sure; indeed, certain angles seemed to imply he had it grounded all along.That began a furious and prolonged remonstration from Finch against the umpire that may yet see him part with a portion of his match fee. Australia’s sense of being against it intensified, while Pakistan began to constrict them as the asking rate soared. Soon enough, Maxwell -who had managed to hang around as the rest of his teammates found their stays at the crease prematurely curtailed – realised he’d have to do it all by himself. For the briefest moment, it appeared he’d make a match of it. Twenty-seven came off a couple of overs bowled by Shadab and Hasan, and for the first time Pakistan began to lose their rag slightly. Hafeez dropped a sitter at the cover, and the young Shaheen Afridi lost his bearings and bowled a couple of wides to send the jitters through everyone involved with Pakistan. But when Maxwell – who scored a gutsy half-century – fell in the final over, Australia’s fate had been sealed.Pakistan’s first-innings total was once more set up by Babar Azam and Hafeez, a 70-run partnership between the two taking Pakistan to 99 with six overs still to remain. Neither, however, pushed on to provide Pakistan a flourishing finish, and Australia picked up wickets at regular intervals as they dented Pakistan’s march towards a big total. Coulter-Nile, who was the most disappointing of the three seamers in the first game, was the pick of Australia’s bowlers here: his three big wickets for 18 an instrumental factor in containing Pakistan to under 150.But it is the innings too short to even count as cameos that have made enormous differences in both games. In the first, it was Hasan Ali whose big-hitting meant Paksiatn smashed 17 in the final over to undo much of the good work the visitors had done to seize the initiative. Here, Faheem Ashraf played that role in the final over, with Andrew Tye clobbered for 15, once again robbing Australia of the uplifting finish that would enable them to carry over the momentum to the second innings.It isn’t merely a matter of fortune, though. Winning these small moments has enabled Sarfraz – still unbeaten in a T20I series – to win some big matches over the past two years. Once the final ball had been bowled, Sarfraz raced to the middle of the pitch and let out a roar that was part elation, part relief. Judging by the captain’s reaction, this T20I felt as big as any he has won in the green of Pakistan.

Opener’s 27-ball 77 sets up huge total, before bowlers suppress Karachi’s steady surge to give Peshawar an opportunity to defend their crown

The Report by Arun Venugopal21-Mar-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn a nutshellPowered by Kamran Akmal’s 27-ball 77, Peshawar Zalmi waltzed their way to their second consecutive PSL final, after suppressing a steady surge from Karachi Kings. After Peshawar posted 170 for 7 in a rain-shortened 16-overs a side contest, their seamers teamed up in disciplined fashion to ensure Karachi never outpaced them. Despite half-centuries from Joe Denly and Babar Azam, who stitched together a 117-run partnership for the second wicket, Hasan Ali, Sameen Gul and Chris Jordan choked the flow of runs at regular intervals to crush any aspirations Karachi might have had of a home final.Needing 44 off the last two overs, Denly belted out a few big hits to take 16 runs off Hasan in the 15th over. However, 28 runs off the last over proved a little too steep, even though Wahab began with a no-ball. Karachi were left to rue their inability to accelerate. In the end, they had their strongest finisher Colin Ingram walk in a little too late.Much of Karachi’s discomfort was also a product of some inspired seam bowling from Hasan and Gul early on. Hasan thrived on seaming the ball away from the batsmen late and finished with figures of 4-0-41-1, while Gul conceded only 20 runs from his three overs and removed opener Mukhtar Ahmed, who was brought in for his first game this season. There were backed up by an excellent support cast – Jordan, Umaid Asif and Wahab – that made Azam and Denly work hard for their runs. Captain Daren Sammy didn’t even have to employ left-arm spinner Liam Dawson on a wet day where the opposition’s spinners continually struggled to grip the ball.That, however, wasn’t the only reason Karachi struggled after they put Peshawar into bat. Apart from stand-in captain Mohammad Amir, who finished with remarkable figures of 4-0-16-0, their bowlers fluffed their lines in the face of Akmal’s onslaught. Karachi were also undone by some listless fielding in sharp contrast to the smartness that Peshawar displayed later in the evening.Where the match was won
In taking their time to suss the pitch out, both Peshawar and Karachi began their innings in remarkably similar fashion. Peshawar were on 29 for 0 at the end of four overs while Karachi had scored four runs fewer at the same stage. However, the difference lay in how Akmal and Peshawar took off from there and consistently amped up their scoring rate. The fifth over, bowled by Usman Khan, went for 25 runs and the over after that yielded 15, as Peshawar reached 69 at the end of six overs. They didn’t let the ball drop, as overs six to 10 produced 66 runs.In contrast, Karachi wheezed their way to 37 runs at the end of five overs and never managed the 20-run overs that Peshawar achieved regularly. Karachi did pull it back in the backend as Peshawar only scored 50 off their last six overs, but the belligerent striking at the top had eventually given them enough cover.
The men who won itAkmal was a doubtful starter ahead of the match with a bothersome hamstring. It was thanks to some last-minute repair work from the physio and the trainer that he was able to play. Once on the field, Akmal, like so often during this tournament, set the tempo for the rest of the batting group. He remained true to his methods, and merrily collected boundaries by clearing his front leg and giving the ball a resounding whack. Predictably, a large chunk of his runs came on the leg side, and he finished with five fours and eight sixes.What was more impressive was the manner in which he transferred pressure on to the opposition. Sensing that his opening partner Andre Fletcher was struggling, Akmal counterpunched against Karachi’s bowlers, who had started steadily, and broke their resistance. He disoriented Usman in the fifth over with a sequence of 6,4,4,4,6,1 to open the floodgates. From thereon, it was carnage. It was only after his dismissal off the last ball of the 10th over that Karachi found some respite.Where they stand
Thanks to the win, Peshawar travel to Karachi, where they will meet Islamabad United, the champions of the 2016 edition, in the final. Meanwhile, Karachi would be sorely disappointed at blowing both their shots at making the final, after finishing in the top-two at the end of the league phase.

Wayne Madsen has played many more fluent and attractive innings in his long and illustrious career, but the South African cannot have made a more hard-fought than that which he scored on the first day against Leicestershire

ECB/PA07-Aug-2015
ScorecardWayne Madsen made half Derbyshire’s total on the opening day•Getty Images

Wayne Madsen has played many more fluent and attractive innings in his long and illustrious career, but the South African cannot have made a more hard-fought or more valuable century than that which he scored for Derbyshire on the first day of their Championship match against Leicestershire at Grace Road.Madsen finished unbeaten on 164 as Derbyshire closed on 320 for 8, a score which looked well beyond them after they lost their first three wickets for just 38. In bowler-friendly conditions and on a green-tinged pitch Leicestershire captain Mark Cosgrove put the visitors in after winning the toss, and his seamers found movement through the air and off the pitch.Ben Raine made the early breakthrough for Leicestershire, swinging the ball in to left-hander Billy Godleman to win a leg before decision, and Ben Slater followed soon afterwards, leaving Charlie Shreck’s first delivery and losing his off-stump.It was Shreck’s 50th wicket in the Championship this season, and he should have had a 51st in the same over, when Madsen, on 11 at the time, edged high to third slip, only for Rob Sayer to put down the chance.The 37-year-old Shreck did pick up a second wicket when Tillikeratne Dillshan edged another out-swinger to Angus Robson at first slip. Madsen and Alex Hughes fought their way through to lunch, but after the break Derbyshire lost Alex Hughes, caught behind fending at Clint McKay, and Wes Durston, who edged an attempted drive at Shreck, to leave Derbyshire teetering on 118 for 5.Madsen enjoyed a huge stroke of fortune when on 54 he cut a delivery from Cosgrove to gully, where Ned Eckersley took the catch above his head – only for umpire Paul Baldwin to signal no-ball after seeing Cosgrove had knocked off a bail in his delivery stride.Madsen and Shiv Thakor then compiled a partnership of 71 for the sixth wicket before Thakor – a former Leicestershire player – attempted to turn offspinner Rob Sayer down the leg side, and was given out leg before to give Sayer, making his Championship debut for Leicestershire, his first first-class wicket.Harvey Hosein leant his captain valuable support as Madsen went to his 100, off 203 balls, and though Hosein was then brilliantly caught by Andrea Agathangelou diving to his right at second slip, Tony Palladino and then Mark Footitt hung around as Madsen went through to his 150, and took Derbyshire through to a third batting bonus point.

A day dominated by the two youngest men to represent Middlesex in first-class cricket ended with Derbyshire in the sort of parlous position that many would have predicted after they had lost the toss and were inserted

Alan Gardner at Lord's17-Apr-2013
ScorecardSteven Finn’s return to action was productive with four wickets•Getty Images

A day dominated by the two youngest men to represent Middlesex in first-class cricket ended with Derbyshire in the sort of parlous position that many would have predicted after they had lost the toss and were inserted. Had it not been for Billy Godleman, who debuted as a 16-year-old for Middlesex in the same match as Steven Finn back in 2005 and made a stoic, 244-ball half-century for Derbyshire here, the situation could have been far worse.In taking 323 minutes, Godleman’s is a contender for the slowest-ever Championship fifty – though he was still half-an-hour quicker than “The Barnacle” Trevor Bailey with his 350-ball effort in the first Ashes Test of 1958-59. Godleman’s innings, assembled in the painstaking manner of a man constructing a model ship in a bottle, was ended six minutes shy of six hours, though it might have felt longer to the smattering of Middlesex members who attended the opening day of the season at Lord’s.”I just love batting,” Godleman said, “I don’t necessarily see it as grinding, although the spectators might have a different view.” When it was suggested he may have set a record, he replied with a grin: “It wouldn’t surprise me, because it was pretty slow.”Godleman is at his third county in Derbyshire, having been released by Essex last year. His first full season at Middlesex, in 2007, brought 832 runs at 38.27 but he has never bettered that return and left his native London at the end of 2009. His Camden twang is still distinct and, although their paths have diverged he refers to Finn – who took 4 for 36 in his first outing of the season – as his “dearest friend”.The innings will undoubtedly long live in the memory – whether those present want it to or not – though it did not provide Derbyshire the platform it might have. Still, Godleman was pleased to have acquitted himself back at HQ. “Lord’s is always a special place but for me specifically, having grown up here and Middlesex being my boyhood club and facing my best friend opening the bowling against me, yeah.”It was a burst of 3 for 11 in six overs from said friend that most severely undermined Godleman’s graft, as Derbyshire’s 132 for 3 at tea rapidly became 150 for 6. In , Laertes warns his sister Ophelia that the “best safety lies in fear” but, having countenanced the danger and avoided it well enough in morning, Derbyshire’s batsmen became comfortably complicit in their demise. Dan Redfern and Chesney Hughes both poked at Finn deliveries they could have left on length, though Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s departure before the interval, pulling loosely to midwicket, was the most surprising.If the morning session had been billed as a horror show, with Division One newcomers Derbyshire put in under cloudy skies against one of the most-vaunted pace attacks on the circuit, it was to prove disappointingly short on video nasties. Finn’s second delivery was a leg-side wide and his opening spell of 7-5-5-0 camouflaged what had been a mixture of the unplayable and the unreachable.Toby Roland-Jones – who took eight wickets in the win over Nottinghamshire last week – was also wayward, though Tim Murtagh should have seen Godleman on his way when he had made just 2 but a low chance to third slip wriggled out of Sam Robson’s grasp.There was one early breakthrough and Wayne Madsen’s eminently preventable run-out foreshadowed the eventual path of the Derbyshire innings. In digging out a Finn delivery, a pinball ricochet sent it via Godleman, the non-striker, towards Chris Rogers at mid-off who was unerring in throwing down the stumps as Madsen belatedly realised his mistake in trying to get off the mark.Wes Durston and Godleman added 83 for the second wicket, the former looking increasingly assured right up until the moment he pulled Finn confidently straight to deep fine-leg and gave the bowler his 300th first-class wicket. That the ensuing collapse unfolded in slow motion was appropriate, though Godleman’s grit may yet prove vital for Derbyshire.

If Pakistan are to turn the corner – and time is of the essence, with the World Cup less than four months away – the senior batsmen have to do some serious introspection

The Preview by Nitin Sundar30-Oct-2010

Match Facts

October 31, Abu Dhabi

Start time 15:00 (11:00 GMT)Hashim Amla will be keen to do better than the 35 he managed in the opening ODI, given his good form•AFP

The Big Picture

Pakistan’s batting is going through one of its worst phases, not far behind the shambolic Sharjah Test in 2002 against Australia when their 20 wickets scrounged a total of 112 runs. For 30 overs of Friday’s game, Pakistan seemed to have overcome their woes: Younis Khan and Mohammad Hafeez resorted to the old-school formula of conserving wickets and setting up a late surge, a method that has been the cornerstone of Pakistan’s many memorable one-day successes. However, the middle order imploded once again; Shahid Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq exited to strokes whose replays should have made them cringe, while Abdul Razzaq fell fending lethargically at one that angled in. The fact that some of their most accomplished players were at the forefront of the collapse suggests the current phase is a crisis of confidence and attitude, more than a question of talent.Pakistan’s senior batsmen have to do some serious introspection, and they don’t need to search too hard to find inspiration. After nine months of upheaval, when he possibly visited tribunals and disciplinary committees more often than the batting nets, Younis walked into the middle overs with the assurance of someone completely at ease with his methods. Inevitably, there was some rust – he survived a palpable lbw shout, and managed only two boundaries in the sapping conditions – but unlike his colleagues, the rust was restricted to the physical aspect of Younis’ game, while his mind remained uncluttered. Can Afridi rally his team-mates to follow Younis’ example?Having sealed three easy wins on the trot, South Africa’s main concern will be that they are not being stretched enough in subcontinental conditions, ahead of the World Cup. Their batsmen were challenged more by the elements than by Pakistan’s attack in the opening ODI, and the question mark over Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis’ availability for Sunday could even things a bit. Lonwabo Tsotsobe has been the star of the tour so far, but even he will be a little surprised by the success his honest off-cutters and in-duckers have courted. The conditions, and a look at the schedule, may prompt South Africa to consider rotating their players, but they won’t want to give Pakistan an opportunity to draw level either.

Form guide

(most recent first)
South Africa: WWWWW
Pakistan: LLWWL

Watch out for…

While Pakistan’s middle-overs batting has been a problem, their bowling in the same period, led by Saeed Ajmal, has been impressive. Ajmal’s doosras and changes in length often had Kallis and JP Duminy groping without conviction. Only AB de Villiers seemed to have a measure of his guiles, before he too fell to a floater. Ajmal can pose a huge threat if he has the cushion of runs. Are Pakistan’s batsmen listening?Going by his recent appetite for runs, Hashim Amla will be disappointed with his dismissal after a quick 35 on Friday. His last ten innings have included four centuries, and two near-tons. Sunday could be the day when the ‘Monk’ graces the Middle East.

Team news

Smith and Kallis are both under observation as they recover from a finger injury and cramps respectively. Kallis had to be administered an intravenous drip after suffering dehydration on Friday, and Albie Morkel will fancy his chances of replacing him. X-rays have revealed Smith has not endured a fracture but, given his history with finger injuries, South Africa may want to give him time to recover completely. The lack of a specialist replacement opener in the squad, though, could make things interesting vis-à-vis the batting order. Colin Ingram might be forced to open if Smith does not make the cut.South Africa (possible): 1 Graeme Smith (capt) / Colin Ingram, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 AB de Villiers (wk), 4 JP Duminy, 5 Jacques Kallis / Albie Morkel, 6 David Miller, 7 Johan Botha, 8 Morne Morkel, 9 Robin Peterson, 10 Lonwabo Tsotsobe, 11 Charl LangeveldtWhile Pakistan need massive changes in their approach, they don’t have too many resources available to make changes to their line-up. Umar Akmal, who was excluded for the first game, may return in place of Fawad Alam.Pakistan (possible): 1 Asad Shafiq, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Fawad Alam / Umar Akmal, 6 Shahid Afridi (capt), 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Zulqarnain Haider (wk), 9 Umar Gul, 10 Shoaib Akhtar, 11 Saeed Ajmal

Stats and trivia

• During the course of his half-century in the first game, Kallis hit his 129th six, the most by any South Africa batsman. Afridi, with 276 sixes, sits atop the overall list
• It has been more than four years since Razzaq either scored a fifty or took more than two wickets in an ODI innings
• de Villiers has so far amassed 806 runs this year, the joint third-highest behind Tillakaratne Dilshan (866) and Cameron White (813). Amla is four runs behind de Villiers

Quotes

“Losing players from your top eleven is never easy. I sincerely hope they are cleared and are available to play for Pakistan because they are key players.”
“I must say I have been working very hard to get where I am now.”

Sri Lankan allrounder Sanath Jayasuriya has signed with Worcestershire as their overseas player for five Twenty20 matches this summer

Cricinfo staff25-May-2010Sri Lankan allrounder Sanath Jayasuriya has signed with Worcestershire as their overseas player for five Twenty20 matches this summer. He will replace allrounder Steve Smith, who was called-up to Australia’s limited-overs squads for the forthcoming tour of England.”Sanath will bring a wealth of experience to the squad during a critical part of the forthcoming T20 campaign gained from playing all around the world, including the IPL and the recent World Twenty20 in the West Indies,” Steve Rhodes, Worcestershire’s director of cricket, said. “His left-arm spin and powerful batting can only benefit our efforts in this competition and there is no doubt he is still one of the most exciting cricketers in world cricket. He is a proven match-winner and I have no doubt he will prove to be a great entertainer for our supporters.”Jayasuriya will depart for England after obtaining a clearance from Sri Lanka Cricket. At 40, Jayasuriya is one of the oldest international cricketers on the circuit, having played 110 Tests and 444 ODIs since his debut in 1989. However, he hasn’t been able to hold his place in the Sri Lankan limited-overs teams recently after hitting a rough patch with the bat. With the reputation of being a destructive opener, his inconsistency has led to him dropping down the order to No.7, and being used primarily as a bowler.He recently entered politics and won a parliament seat in the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.Worcestershire failed to make the semi-finals last year’s Twenty20 Cup, finishing fifth in the Midlands/Wales/West Division.

He will link up with Ricky Ponting in the US, even as he fights for a spot in Australia’s T20 World Cup squad

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Apr-2024Steven Smith has been confirmed as a signing for Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise Washington Freedom ahead of the second season of the tournament which begins on July 4. The move had been widely tipped, with Smith having signed as a brand ambassador for Freedom last year, and with Australia’s international schedule allowing a clear window for him to participate through July.New South Wales (NSW), Smith’s domestic team in Australia, have a high-performance partnership with Freedom, although NSW coach Greg Shipperd was replaced by Ricky Ponting in February.”I’m super excited about joining the Washington Freedom for season two of the MLC,” Smith said in a video posted on the Freedom’s social media channels. “I can’t wait to meet all of my new team-mates and play in front of some incredible crowds in America. I’m also really looking forward to working with Ricky Ponting again, and his amazing staff.” Freedom recently announced the signing of Rachin Ravindra, the New Zealand allrounder. They retained two overseas players from the 2023 season in Marco Jansen and Akeal Hosein.Smith, who owns an apartment in New York, has previously said it would be “pretty cool” to play in the USA.However, he faces a fight to earn a spot in Australia’s final 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup, which will be held in June, having been unable to play much T20 cricket in recent times. Since his prolific return to the BBL for Sydney Sixers in the 2022-23 season, where he made 346 runs at a strike rate of 174.74, Smith has played two T20Is in India, two matches in last season’s BBL and as many games against New Zealand in February, where he made 11 and 4 while opening the batting.But after the New Zealand series, he said he was relaxed about whichever way the selection call for the T20 World Cup fell, with Australia having to name their initial squad by May 1.Related

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“I think they’re pretty settled up top – to be honest – with [Travis] Head, [David] Warner and [Mitchell] Marsh in the top three,” he had told AAP. “I’m not really sure what [selectors] want to do. I’m not really too fussed either way. If I’m there, I’m there; if I’m not, I’m not.”Smith joins Adam Zampa (Los Angeles Knight Riders), Spencer Johnson (Knight Riders) and Tim David (MI New York) as confirmed Australian signings for the second season of MLC, with more expected to join for the tournament which starts immediately after the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies ends on June 29.