All posts by csb10.top

Match Facts

Ross Taylor wants to add a Test century against Australia to his resume•Getty Images

March 19-23, Basin Reserve, Wellington
Start time 11am (2200 GMT)

The Big Picture

Is there cricket on in Wellington this week? Anyone reading the Australian papers could easily have missed that fact in amongst the round-the-clock Michael Clarke coverage. Nobody will be happier than Clarke when the attention turns to the action on the field come Friday, when Australia begin the first of two Tests on their tour of New Zealand. It is sad that Test series between the two countries have been cut back, while five ODIs and two Twenty20s graced the schedule. But the reality is that over the past couple of decades, most Trans-Tasman Trophy series have been pretty one-sided, with the exception of the nil-all draw in Australia in 2001-02. It will take something very special from New Zealand to change that trend.The Australians are coming off a home summer in which they won five Tests and drew one, and although the competition could have been stronger than West Indies and Pakistan, it’s still a formidable form-guide. Add in the fact that New Zealand’s top order is a potential house of cards and it could be a quick kill again. But with the help of Martin Crowe, the home team’s batsmen have lifted their training regime in the lead-up with longer sessions designed to simulate match conditions.It could be a career-defining series for Tim McIntosh, BJ Watling and Peter Ingram, for whom success against Australia would set them up for the foreseeable future, while failure could send them quickly back to the Plunket Shield. The team’s hopes are more likely to rest on strong bowling and even without the newly-retired Shane Bond and Iain O’Brien, an attack made up of Chris Martin, Daryl Tuffey, Tim Southee and Daniel Vettori could be a challenge in their home conditions.For Australia, the goal is obviously to retain the Trans-Tasman Trophy but in a broader sense to prepare this team for the home Ashes series in nine months. There are only two more Tests, against Pakistan in England, before the urn is up for grabs and plans and team selections will be refined. Part of that process is finding the right personnel, so there will be much interest in how Marcus North bounces back from his slump and how the new faces of Clint McKay, Ryan Harris and Steven Smith perform if selected. Contributing to a winning series would be a good start, but Vettori’s men will do their best to thwart that plan.

Form guide

Australia WWWWD
New Zealand WDLWL

Watch out for…

Who else but Michael Clarke? It will be fascinating to see how he handles the pressure of stepping back in to Test cricket so soon after being hounded by the media over his private life. It is not the first time he has stayed home due to personal reasons. On the 2008 tour of the West Indies, when he rejoined the side after missing a Test due to the funeral of Lara Bingle’s father, he promptly made a century in his first game back. This scenario is different but expect a redoubled effort from Clarke, who is keen to show the time off has not affected the form that brought him his highest Test score in the home summer finale in Hobart.

Given the top order’s inexperience, Ross Taylor will become even more important than usual coming in at No. 4. He has taken on extra responsibility this summer, having captained his country for the first time, and has enjoyed a productive season with 392 Test runs at 56 without making a century. He played well at times in the ODIs against Australia but was guilty on occasion of throwing his wicket away, and he is keen to play some much longer innings. “At Test-match level there’s no time constraints, unless you’re chasing a score,” Taylor said. “I played some howlers of shots and was disappointed with how I went out. I’m just going to go out there and play straight and play my game. They are the No. 1 team in the world and it’s a good gauge of where you are as a player. I’ve scored a one-day hundred against them, I’d love to put a Test match hundred to that.”

Team news

Australia have a couple of selection decisions to make, firstly over whether North retains his place at No. 6. The claims of Smith are strong, following his outstanding end to the Sheffield Shield season and his usefulness as another bowling option. But it would be strange to bring the incumbent North and not give him at least one Test to turn around his poor form, so it is more likely he will play. The second query surrounds the third fast bowling spot behind Mitchell Johnson and Doug Bollinger. The uncapped Harris might have squeezed ahead of McKay, who debuted in Perth, thanks to impressive one-day form. The only problem is that Harris is carrying a side injury that forced the selectors to fly over Peter George, the tall South Australian bowler. George is an extreme backup only, and should Harris not recover, McKay will definitely make his second appearance.Australia (possible) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Simon Katich, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Marcus North, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Ryan Harris/Clint McKay, 11 Doug Bollinger.New Zealand’s batting line-up is settled for the time being, with Mathew Sinclair’s only chance of resuming his Test career being if there is a late injury. It leaves only one decision – two spinners and three seamers or one spinner and four seamers? It is Jeetan Patel’s home ground, so his experience of drifting the ball in the Wellington wind could be useful. But the pace and bounce in the centre-wicket practice sessions at the Basin Reserve suggested Brent Arnel might be in line for a debut, which was supported by the distinct green tinge to the surface on Test eve.”The nature of the pitch brings Brent Arnel into the equation,” Daniel Vettori said. “We’ll have a good hard look at it tomorrow. If you looked at it now you’d say it’s got a bit of greenness in it and a bit of moisture so you look at the seamers, but we’ll delay that decision as late as we can.”New Zealand (possible) 1 Tim McIntosh, 2 BJ Watling, 3 Peter Ingram, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Martin Guptill, 6 Daniel Vettori (capt), 7 Brendon McCullum (wk), 8 Daryl Tuffey, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Brent Arnel/Jeetan Patel, 11 Chris Martin.

Pitch and conditions

The wind was howling so much on Wednesday that one local reporter joked that it was lucky Shaun Tait wasn’t in Australia’s squad or he might hit 170kph. It was a slight exaggeration but the leading fast men will relish the chance to run in with the assistance of the conditions, while others will toil into the wind. The forecast for Friday is fine and 20C with northerly winds dying out.The practice pitches have been lively and the Test pitch is green, so the new ball will be a challenge for the top-order batsmen. “It will have a bit of drying today,” Vettori said, “but it’s probably going to be a typical Wellington wicket where it’s got a little bit in it early on and then flattens out to a really good Test match wicket.”

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand and Australia have met in eight Tests at the Basin Reserve for two Australian victories, one New Zealand win and five draws
• New Zealand haven’t beaten Australia in a Test match since March 1993, when Danny Morrison helped demolish Allan Border’s men at Eden Park
• Mitchell Johnson and Chris Martin have each picked up 14 wickets in Australia-New Zealand Tests, but Johnson has done it in two games at an average of 11, while Martin has taken eight matches at 74.14
• Daniel Vettori has the most Test runs, centuries, fifties and wickets of anyone in the New Zealand side
  

  Quotes

  “We brought a bit of momentum against Bangladesh and Pakistan but Australia are going to be a different challenge. The batsmen are going to be under scrutiny, especially the top five”
  Ross Taylor“The Kiwis are always tough to play against, no matter which form of the game you’re playing, they’re very disciplined and they just hang in there for long periods of time. We’re going to have to play very well to beat them.”Michael Hussey

Another week, another Warriors victory. The Eastern Cape side have maintained their unbeaten run in this season’s Pro20 competition and secured a home semi-final by beating the Cobras in Cape Town. The Warriors have four victories under their belts, while no other team from the chasing pack has managed to record more than two wins.At the opposite end of the table lie the Dolphins, who have lost all of their group stage matches and look as though they may bring some light to their dark days in their match against the Cobras. The Cape side slumped to 44 for 5 in the 12th over before Justin Kemp smashed 59 off 45 balls. He was the only notable contributor to the batting as Kyle Nipper (2 for 10) and Johann Louw (2 for 18) kept the Cobras to 116 for 7. The Dolphins chase saw their hopes of notching up a win sink. Vernon Philander (5 for 17) bowled with venom and was well assisted by Rory Kleinveldt (3 for 23). Only Dave Miller with 26 showed any resistance on a sorry looking batting card. The Cobras bowled the Dolphins out for 102 and earned a 14-run win.The results were far more decisive for the Eagles, who lost to the Titans by nine wickets in Kimberley. The Eagles put on 125 for 5 against the Titans, with Boeta Dippenaar’s 36 off 29 balls the top score. The Titans bowlers shared the wickets between them with Pierre Joubert, David Wiese, Faf du Plessis and Shaun von Berg each claiming one each. Blake Snijman clipped the Eagles wings with a devastating, undefeated 89 off 64 balls as the Titans cruised to victory with 15 balls to spare.The Eagles took out their frustration three days later, when they played the Cobras in Paarl. Dillon du Preez (3 for 17) became the joint highest wicket-taker in the tournament so far when he removed Andrew Puttick for 15 to peg the Cobras back early. The Cape batsmen all got starts with Stiaan van Zyl, Henry Davids and Justin Kemp making 20, 16 and 24 respectively. Justin Ontong was the only batsmen to step out of the 20s, scoring 37 off 29 balls as the Cobras ended on 137 for 5.Morne van Wyk soared high for the Bloemfontein based side. His unbeaten 85 off 58 balls, included six fours and four sixes. The Cobras bowlers only had two moments of success: the first when Ontong removed Adrian McLaren for 33 and the other when Philander had Dean Elgar caught for 15. The Eagles won with four balls to spare, to keep their semi-final hopes in flight.Another side that also has a chance at the last four is the Lions who took advantage of an inexperienced Dolphins side, who, during the course of the week, terminated the contracts of five senior players. In Potchefstroom, the Lions had immediate success when Cameron Delport fell to Ethan O’Reilly for a duck. Then Ahmed Amla was trapped in front by Robbie Frylink, who shared the top bowling honours with du Preez, for 4 and Dale Benkenstein for 0. The Dolphins were 8 for 3 before Dave Miller performed lifesaver-like heroics.His 90 off 52 balls propelled him to third highest on the competition’s batting rankings and added some respectability to the Dolphins scorecard. They ended on a competitive 159 for 5. Neil McKenzie (46 off 42 balls) and Vaughn van Jaarsveld (40 off 29 balls) were the backbone of the Lions’ innings. Although neither were there at the end, the Lions were untroubled by the Dolphins bowlers and won with five balls to spare. The match between the Eagles and the Lions on Sunday is effectively a quarter-final, with the team that wins going through to the last four.The best was saved for last, in Port Elizabeth.The Warriors scored the highest total this week – 172 for 9 – an indication of the authority they have in the competition so far. Colin Ingram, who tops the batting rankings, only scored five but Justin Kreush and Davy Jacobs were on hand. Kreusch scored 61 off 45 balls and the captain chipped in with 56 off 30 balls as they flayed the Cobras bowling. Monde Zondeki (2 for 21) and Vernon Philander (2 for 29) were the most successful of the snakes.The experience of Nicky Boje (3 for 10) spearheaded the Warriors’ attack, although it was Garnet Kruger (2 for 35) who took the first wicket. Puttick was out early again, this time for 19. Stiaan van Zyl (29 off 17 balls) also fell to Kruger before the Boje blitz began. After he removed Kemp, Rory Klienveldt and Henry Davids, the meat was taken off the Cobras batting bones. They ended on 153 for 8, 19 runs short of the target. Despite the loss, the Cobras are into the semis, along with the Titans and the Warriors.

As the Associate nations prepare for the World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament, which begins February 9 in the UAE, there is one fixture in Group A that jumps out at you. In perhaps the most intriguing sporting match-up of recent times, USA will face Afghanistan.It’s a match that will reverberate beyond the cricketing world as people try to imbue it with a progressive significance. Amidst all kinds of domestic turmoil Afghanistan have risen rapidly to become one of the best Associate nations and they will be desperate to secure a berth in the main World Twenty20, which takes place in West Indies in April.They were within a whisker of qualifying for the 50-over World Cup last year and have impressed in the Intercontinental Cup, beating defending champions Ireland and the Netherlands.”The match against the USA will be an interesting and exciting one,” said Afghanistan captain Nawroz Mangal. “But it will just be another game of cricket in which both the sides will try as hard as possible hard to emerge winner. Like any other opponent, we respect the USA and know we cannot afford to be complacent against them.”Initially, we started off with a reputation of being a good Twenty20 side because this is the format that is played and popular in Afghanistan. But in the last 18 months, we have shown that we can adopt and excel in any format. Personally, I believe we are a better Twenty20 side simply because we have more experience in the shortest version of the game.”Our group is a tough one with Ireland and Scotland having loads of international experience. But I am quite optimistic that after narrowly missing out on next year’s 50-over World Cup, we’ll be able to qualify for the World Twenty20. We just need a good start in the tournament and our big boys need to fire throughout the next week.”For their part, the USA comes to this event plenty to prove. Having fallen down the rankings in recent years they only made it to the qualifiers as a wildcard entry, along with hosts United Arab Emirates.”We are feeling very positive and very confident,” said USA captain Steve Massiah. “Judging from the way we played in the last tournament, which was the Americas Cup, we feel good. We want to make the most of the opportunity to play in this event and we are all looking forward to it.”Keen observers will notice the name of Lennox Cush in the USA team, he was in the Stanford Superstars squad that defeated England in 2008, and Massiah wants to draw on his experience. “Lennox is very important as he has had the opportunity to play a lot of Twenty20 cricket and was part of that Stanford squad. He is very experienced and hopefully this will rub off on the other players.”

New Zealand prevailed in a close encounter in the play-off for seventh place against England, winning by two wickets in the final over at the Village Green in Christchurch. Chasing 229, the hosts were in trouble at 153 for 7 but Logan van Beek’s unbeaten 51 off 46 balls saw them through those tense moments. Several England batsmen failed to convert their starts but they still managed a competitive total. Jack Manuel was the top scorer with 43. Harry Boam, Tim Johnston and Ben Wheeler took three wickets apiece. New Zealand were jolted early in their chase at 37 for 3 before Craig Cachopa and Corey Anderson added 100 for the fourth wicket. But a double-strike by Nathan Buck and a run out set New Zealand back. van Beek and Boam, batting at No.9, ensured a consolation win for the hosts.Noor Hossain’s all-round performance was the highlight of a one-sided encounter in the ninth place play-off semi-final between Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea at Palmerston North. Noor made a brisk 66 to push Bangladesh to 253 and later took four wickets to bundle out PNG for a paltry 85. After opting to bat, Bangladesh were led by Saikat Ali’s 61 but were in a spot of bother at 125 for 6. Tasamul Haq and Noor began the lower-order revival with a stand of 80 for the seventh wicket. Noor hit eight fours and a six in his brisk knock which came off 50 balls. It was a cakewalk when Bangladesh took the field, bundling out PNG within 33 overs. Only four batsmen managed double figures and Noor cleaned up the lower order to finish with 4 for 11.

There was no way Andrew Strauss was going to get into the festive spirit and reveal any of England’s plans ahead of the second Test against South Africa at Kingsmead, but with an uncertain forecast for the first couple of days – Durban was overcast and drizzly on Christmas Eve – an unchanged line-up is an increasing possibility.England’s late collapse at Centurion has left the home side in bullish mood, especially as they were without the injured Dale Steyn, and the South African camp has not been shy in pointing out where the visitors’ problems exist. Particular reference has been made to the batting line-up, but Strauss is a captain who refuses to respond to opposition taunts – even during pantomime season.”I’m not sure he’s [Graeme Smith] taken part in any of our meetings,” Strauss said. “We’ll want to have a good look at conditions before we decide on the balance of our side. You still take the same principle into every Test match – which is going to be the best side to allow you to win?”The key debate revolves around whether to stick with six specialist batsmen and Matt Prior at No. 7, especially after Ian Bell’s limp contribution of seven runs in the first Test. “In some ways, it was important we had six batsmen at Centurion. But obviously it put some pressure on our bowlers as well,” Strauss said. “We’re very mindful of picking the right side for the conditions here.”Sometimes you’re looking into the crystal ball a little bit, because you’re not entirely sure how the wicket is going to play and what conditions will be later on in the match. We’ve got three options available to us. We hope we’ll be in a position by tomorrow afternoon to be pretty clear in our own heads but we certainly want to see how the wicket is looking closer to the game.”There are no injury concerns among England’s bowlers, despite their heavy workload at Centurion, but the stifling humidity in Durban means three quick bowlers will be pushed to the limit and would leave Graeme Swann needing to bowl plenty of overs. An unchanged side would also offer a reprieve for Bell, but he isn’t the only batsman feeling the heat.Alastair Cook’s first Test since remodelling his technique with guidance from his mentor Graham Gooch wasn’t a success with scores of 15 and 12. He hasn’t scored a Test half-century since the 94 he made in the first innings against Australia, at Lord’s, and has made just two hundreds in the last two years.”I’m happy with the way he’s playing and with some of the adjustments he’s made,” Strauss said. “But in cricket, there are times when it’s tough. I’ve been through it and just about every member of our batting unit has been through it at one stage or another.”I know Alastair has the character and temperament to come through it. That’s the most important thing. Ultimately it boils down to how much you’re willing to guts it out and I know Alastair will do that.”Cook’s technique will be given another stern working over if, as expected, the overhead conditions assist swing bowling. It is looking increasingly as though he will also have to battle a fit-again Steyn as South Africa’s attack closes in on full strength.”At Centurion there was obviously the variable bounce that the new ball brought. Here, it might just be the swing. Kookaburra balls can swing for 25 overs maybe, so it is still going to be fairly new-ball orientated.”That’s usually the case in most countries that play with a Kookaburra ball. So we openers have an important job to do and clearly we’ve got to hit the ground running when we bowl as well. The Durban wicket is one that does offer the bowlers something, and there’s a bit more bounce in it than other wickets.”However, it isn’t all doom and gloom in England’s batting order. Kevin Pietersen’s second-innings 81 was his most confident Test innings since the century he made against West Indies in Trinidad back in March, and if he needs extra motivation the prospect of success where he grew up should be more than enough.”I think his life has moved on a long way from when he was here as a youngster,” Strauss said. “He might have a little bit more of a point to prove as he often does in South Africa. The way he batted in Centurion, I’m quite confident he’s got something special for us this week.”If the rain stays away and Pietersen continues to build on his return to form this could become a Christmas to remember for Strauss.

New Zealand women’s star bowler on their Northern Hemisphere tour last winter, Rachel Pullar of Otago, has ruled herself out of consideration for the New Zealand team for the World Series of Women’s Cricket that starts at Lincoln University at the weekend.Pullar’s absence will be a significant blow for the TelstraClear White Ferns as they attempt to compete with Australia, India and England in the four-way series. It is understood she intends on travelling overseas.She was easily the most dominant bowler on New Zealand’s tour, taking 21 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 6.76.Also missing from the side is Fiona Fraser who has a back problem that has ruled her out for the remainder of the summer while Anna Corbin shattered a thumb at practice last week and is also out for the rest of the season.With Kathryn Ramel’s retirement, New Zealand will only be able to call on four players who remain from the CricInfo Women’s World Cup-winning side of 2000 – Emily Drumm, Rebecca Rolls, Haidee Tiffen and Nicola Payne.What that does, however, is provide more opportunities for the New Zealand A players who are taking part in a series of warm-up games, starting with a match against New Zealand at the High Performance Centre tomorrow.Two members of the squad of 14 will be added to the New Zealand side for the match. Other games follow against India on Wednesday, Australia on Friday and England on Saturday.The first match of the WSWC is to be played at Bert Sutcliffe Oval on Sunday between New Zealand and Australia.The New Zealand squad for tomorrow’s game is: Nicola Payne, Rebecca Rolls, Emily Drumm, Kate Pulford, Haidee Tiffen, Aimee Mason, Frances King, Nicola Browne, Louise Milliken.White Ferns coach Mike Shrimpton said there were five or six names on the selectors’ short list but the A team had everything to play for. The key thing for the selectors would be assessing which players were best equipped to make the step up.”There’s no shortage of talent, it’s just knowing who to pick,” he said.

The rumbling debate over the number of expats included in several leading Associate sides has resurfaced after comments from Syed Ashraful Haq, the chief executive of the Asian Cricket Council, that some of them should not enter next year’s Asian Games.Haq’s remarks came because of a change of rules regarding eligibility for the Games which state only passport holders of the participating countries can take part. For some that would leave them fielding second or third XI teams. UAE, for example, only had two eligible players in their side at the recently-completed ACC Twenty20 tournament.Asked if UAE should send a side to the Games, Haq said: “My conviction is that they should not … they should not undermine the tournament.”They cannot send a team who cannot play the game. They cannot bowl out a team like India or Pakistan and then get bowled out for 10. It will undermine the whole game and also jeopardise our chances of taking the game forward. It takes out all the countries from the Middle East.”Haq’s comments brought a predictably stinging response from the man managing the all-Emirati side. “I have worked with Ashraful Haq for many years and have never heard him give a good piece of advice,” Abdulrazzaq Kazim told the local National newspaper. “Why should we listen to him now? We will go. Of course, if we play against India or Sri Lanka or Pakistan, we will lose. But if we don’t go, from where will get the experience? It is of benefit for us to go and play there.”Dilawar Mani, chief executive of the Emirates Cricket Board, endorsed that view. “Of course we are not in the same level of the elite teams but if China can field a team as the host, why not the others,” he told the newspaper.It seems unlikely the UAE will not send a team, but Haq’s comments have raised a genuine question being asked by many. If a team consists almost entirely of expats, can it be considered truly representative?

Group B

Scorecard
After Manish Pandey on day one, it was the turn of another youngster, Abhmanyu Mithun, to shine in the Karnataka-Uttar Pradesh match in Meerut. Pandey failed to add to his overnight 194, kick-starting a collapse that took Karnataka from 372 for 5 to 405 all out, but Mithun claimed a five-for on debut to put Karnataka within two wickets of a first-innings lead, and another good bowling effort of an outright win.Shalabh Srivastava took three of the Karnataka wickets to fall this morning, including Pandey’s. Bhuvneshwar Kumar managed the other two. The decisive spell of the day, though, came from the 20-year-old right-arm medium-pacer Mithun, who dismissed Tanmay Srivastava and Mohammad Kaif in the same over. Kaif scored a three-ball duck. Mithun peppered the UP batsmen with bouncers, and they found his pace and ability to get the ball to jump from a length hard to handle. At 157 for 8, Amir Khan and Praveen Gupta then applied themselves and took UP to stumps without further damage. They still need 42 to avoid the follow-on, and are facing an uphill struggle to draw the match with two days to go.
Scorecard
Shikhar Dhawan scored his maiden first-class double-century as Delhi continued to pile on the runs against a weakened Baroda attack. Already missing Irfan Pathan, Baroda had to do without the services of Salim Veragi, their opening bowler who was called twice for a suspect action. To add to Baroda’s woes, left-arm spinner Rajesh Pawar was also no-balled for his action, increasing the burden on Yusuf Pathan, who sent down a mammoth 46.4 overs.Resuming on his overnight 122, Dhawan shared two fruitful partnerships with Mayank Tehlan and Yogesh Nagar. After Delhi lost a well-settled Rajat Bhatia in just the second over of the day, Dhawan found a good partner in Tehlan. The two added 119 for the fourth wicket. Dhawan then added 73 with Nagar, and finally fell with the score at 500. His 224 included 23 fours and two sixes. Delhi lost the next five wickets for 91. In reply the Baroda openers, Connor Williams and Satyajit Parab, saw out the always-uncomfortable spell of nine overs before stumps without loss.
Scorecard
Abhishek Jhunjhunwala made a welcome return to the official fold, and along with his friend and co-mainstay of Bengal batting two years ago, Manoj Tiwary, took his team to a big first-innings lead over Maharashtra. In reply to Maharashtra’s 179, Bengal started the day at 52 for 2 but lost Wriddhiman Saha early. But even as wickets kept falling at regular intervals, Tiwary took Bengal past Maharashtra’s total.After Tiwary’s fall, Jhunjhunwala batted aggressively, and despite little contribution from the tail took Bengal’s total over 300. The last four wickets added 104 runs, but only 21 of those came from the tailenders. Jhunjhunwala was the last man out, falling five short of his century. Maharashtra got off to a steady start in their second innings, but still had a long way to go to salvage one point from the match.Group A