Tag Futebol

First Test encounter for seven years sets the scene for multi-format series

Valkerie Baynes15-Jun-2021

Big picture

They call it the seven-year itch, and after so long in the Test-match wilderness, India are ready for a change of scene that they and their opponents, England, hope will be anything but dull or scratchy. So rare are women’s Tests that there is a sense of pressure to provide excitement, not least to a live TV audience, as well as to fans who are just beginning to whet their appetites for witnessing the action in person as pandemic-enforced restrictions slowly ease.But more pressing for two professional sports teams is the will to win. England haven’t done so at home to India in eight completed Test matches while India are playing just their second Test since their last meeting in the format in 2014, having also played and beaten South Africa later the same year. In fact, India are on a three-match winning streak in Tests – if you can call it a streak given that that streak began in 2006 – and victory in Bristol would pull them clear of Australia to a women’s record number of Test victories on the trot.Related

• Emily Arlott stunned into silence by news of England selection

• Nat Sciver: England wary of 'fearless' India as they approach Test learning curve

• 'We may not have much practice, but mentally we're prepared' – Harmanpreet Kaur

• Kate Cross: 'We all get really excited when the whites come out'

Both sides boast Test-match experience, with eight members of India’s squad and 11 of England’s having played the format before. The home contingent’s recall may be better given that it hasn’t quite been two years since their last match, the 2019 Ashes affair at Taunton that became a bit of a talking point for petering out to a rather dull draw.News that this match will be played on a pitch used for the men’s T20 Blast last Friday may boost hopes of a result but it doesn’t exactly buy in to the hype surrounding this match, which has been considerable given that the men’s WTC final between India and New Zealand starts on Friday. At least an otherwise iffy weather forecast is clear for the first day of the Women’s Test, offering them a prime chance to turn heads and perhaps even seduce a wider audience.It also sets the stage for more to come with the Test forming the first part of a multi-format series incuding three ODIs and three T20Is.

In the spotlight

Lauren Winfield-Hillwas identified early on in England’s preparations to open the batting alongside Tammy Beaumont. While experienced in Tests – she has played three, including the last time these two sides met – it will be her first since the 2017 Ashes. It also marks a comeback of sorts to the England set-up after struggles with Crohn’s disease caused her to battle for game time over the past year. But with her illness under better control, she has found form in lead-up matches – practice and domestic – which could make her one to watch.Punam Raut made a breakthrough of sorts during India’s 4-1 ODI series loss to South Africa in March. A match-winning century partnership with Smriti Mandhana followed by two fifties and an unbeaten 104 off 123 balls finally showed she has more than one dimension. While her long-earned reputation as slow accumulator is suited to the Test format, showing an ability to step up the scoring rate when needed suggests an emerging adaptability that could prove useful depending on the match situation.

Team news

England have settled on their XI but captain Heather Knight wouldn’t reveal her side before all the players had been told. Knight has spoken glowingly of fast bowler Emily Arlott since before she earned her maiden England call-up to the squad and has been further impressed during practice by her pace and “handy” form with the bat, suggesting she could be in line for a debut that would mark a stellar rise. Knight could be tempted to roll over some of her offbreaks with two left-handers in India’s line-up and having overcome a recent back problem that forced her to put bowling on the backburner in training for a while. She could call up another offspinner in Mady Viliers but left-armer Sophie Ecclestone seems too good a weapon to leave out.England (possible): 1 Tammy Beaumont, 2 Lauren Winfield-Hill, 3 Heather Knight (capt), 4 Amy Jones, 5 Nat Sciver, 6 Sophia Dunkley, 7 Fran Wilson/Georgia Elwiss, 8 Katherine Brunt, 9 Anya Shrubsole, 10 Sophie Ecclestone, 11 Emily Arlott/Kate CrossIndia are expected to opt for three frontline pacers in Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, and either Arundhati Reddy or Pooja Vastrakar. Their main spin option will come down to a choice between Poonam Yadav and Ekta Bisht bowling alongside Deepti Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur. It’s most likely fans will have to wait at least until the ODIs starting next week to see the exciting 17-year-old batter Shafali Verma in action with India’s top order well-stocked with experienced campaigners.India (possible): 1 Smriti Mandhana, 2 Jemimah Rodrigues/Priya Punia, 3 Punam Raut, 4 Mithali Raj (capt), 5 Harmanpreet Kaur, 6 Deepti Sharma, 7 Taniya Bhatia (wk), 8 Jhulan Goswami, 9 Shikha Pandey, 10 Poonam Yadav/Ekta Bisht, 11 Arundhati Reddy/Pooja Vastrakar

Pitch and conditions

The match will be played on a pitch used for Gloucestershire’s T20 Blast match against Sussex last Friday, which Knight branded “not ideal” and tried in vain to have changed. The weather could well play a big part with warmth and bright sunshine forecast for the opening day, followed by a high chance of rain, particularly on Thursday and Saturday.Mithali Raj and Shikha Pandey seal victory for India in the 2014 Test•Getty Images

Stats and trivia

• England are seeking their first home Test win against India in eight completed matches
• The game will be Heather Knight’s 100th as England captain
• India will be playing their first Test in 2401 days
• If India win, they will break the record for most consecutive wins in women’s Tests pulling clear of Australia, with whom they are currently tied at three apiece.

Quotes

“You obviously want to be entertaining and want to put on a show, and show off the best of your skills and the best of women’s cricket, but our job first and foremost is to try and win and be successful. That’s at the forefront of our mind, and if we can do both at the same time, even better.”
“You ask any modern-day cricketer, they still want to play the longer format because they eventually know that the format tests the skill of a player.”

Both teams will picked based on performances during the tournament

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Feb-2020The one-off all-star match that was meant to preface IPL 2020 will now be played after the tournament. The match was originally scheduled to be played three days before the IPL, which begins on March 29, but due to operational reasons it is now set to be played after the tournament which ends on May 24. No date or venue has been finalised yet though.IPL Governing Council chairman Brijesh Patel confirmed the development, saying the two teams for the game would be picked based on the performances of the players in the tournament. “It will be after the tournament,” Patel, a former India batsman, told ESPNcricnfo. “We will see the performance of the players and on that basis the two teams will be selected.”The all-star match was originally proposed by the Patel and found support from the BCCI. ESPNcricinfo understands at the last IPL Governing Council meeting, held on January 27, it was decided to have a selection committee in place to pick the two teams. That meeting was attended by the BCCI’s top brass including Sourav Ganguly (president), Jay Shah (secretary) and Arun Dhumal (treasurer).In that meeting, the date for the all-star match was tentatively set as March 25 while Mumbai was picked as the venue, considering the tournament opener between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings was scheduled at the Wankhede stadium on March 29.Subsequently, however, the BCCI realised it did not have much time to get various things in place including the availability of players as well raising a broadcast tender. The IPL begins barely 10 days after the three-match ODI series between India and South Africa, which ends on March 18 in Kolkata.Immediately after the ODIs against South Africa, five Indian players are set to travel to Bangladesh to participate in two T20Is between an Asian XI and a World XI, organised by the Bangladesh Cricket Board to commemorate the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s founding father. The BCCI has not yet announced who will be going, but some prominent India players are part of the list of names approved.One of the officials, who attended the January IPL governing council meeting, said there is ample time now to float the tender and discuss the rights for the all-star match with Star, who hold the broadcast rights for IPL till 2022. It is understood a team lead by Patel was meant to meet up with Star to talk about the tender for the all-star match. That meeting is yet to take place. At the January 27 meeting it was also decided that the proceeds from the match will likely be used for a charitable purpose.

Raj’s manager had harsh words for Harmanpreet Kaur in unprecedented outburst, calling Raj’s treatment “completely uncalled for”

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2018The Indian women team’s decision to drop their senior-most player Mithali Raj for their semi-final against England on Thursday – a match they lost – has sparked a controversy with Raj’s manager publicly criticising captain Harmanpreet Kaur on various fronts on Twitter. Raj’s manager, Annisha Gupta, called Harmanpreet a “manipulative, lying, immature, undeserving captain” and also said the women’s team believed in “politics not sport”.”Unfortunately @BCCIWomen believes in politics not sport. After witnessing what @M_Raj03 ‘s experience could do in IndvIre it’s shocking that they went with what pleases @ImHarmanpreet -a manipulative, lying, immature, undeserving captain,” Gupta’s tweet read, soon after India were knocked out of the Women’s World T20.In another tweet, she called Harmanpreet a “manipulative, lying, cheat”.On Friday evening, Gupta confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the unverified Twitter account belonged to her and defended her statements, saying that the harsh criticism came “from the right place”. However, her account was deleted a couple of hours after she confirmed that the tweets were by her.*”I’d like to say that I don’t know what is going on on the inside but, now that the matches are being telecast, we can see who is performing and who is not,” Gupta told ESPNcricinfo. “And we can see the kind of treatment that Mithali has received despite her brilliant performance and despite showing stability and consistency. The kind of treatment she has received is completely uncalled for and there is something deeper than we need to look at than just the statements that have been coming out.”There are statements coming out that they wanted to give younger cricketers a chance but you don’t drop your senior-most, most experienced players in a semi-final against a country like England. It goes beyond giving the youngsters a chance.”When asked if she regretted what she wrote earlier on Twitter, Gupta said: “Maybe I was a little angry but I think it comes from the right place because I don’t stand for unfair treatment. The kind of favouritism that has been shown is very apparent. I think everybody can see the kind of favouritism that is being shown to certain members of the team.”India decided to not include Raj in the semi-final of the World T20 even though she had recovered after missing their last league game against Australia because of a knee injury. Before that, Raj had scored back-to-back half-centuries against Ireland and Pakistan in India’s then unbeaten run in the tournament. But against England, India collapsed from 89 for 2 to 112 all out, without their leading T20I scorer and most experienced player.”We were going with a winning combination,” Harmanpreet said after the loss. “We did really well against Australia. And that is the reason we just wanted to go with the same combination.”Raj has been an integral part of the Indian set-up for several years and even scored an unbeaten century – 105 off 61 balls – in a T20 against Australia A at home just before departing for the World T20. Overall, she also has the best average among Indians in women’s T20Is, and has scored 17 half-centuries in 80 innings. The next best is Harmanpreet with six half-centuries and a century in 82 innings. However, Raj is often criticised for her slow batting in the T20 format. Having played 22 of India’s 25 T20Is this year, Raj’s strike rate stands at 105.89, behind seven of her team-mates.Harmanpreet had been appointed captain of the India T20 team two years ago and there have been reports of a tiff between her and Raj, the oldest player in the team, in the Indian dressing room. During a T20I tri-series in Mumbai earlier this year involving England and Australia, Harmanpreet had even urged the team management to find more players who could run around the field the whole day and not just stand in the 30-yard circle.*1645GMT: The story was updated after her account was deleted

Kagiso Rabada is the most experienced member of a pace attack missing Morne Morkel, but they will be raring to go against a line-up fresh from being bowled out for 90 and without Tamim Iqbal

The Preview by Firdose Moonda in Bloemfontein05-Oct-20171:04

Moonda: Not many options in bowling attack for South Africa

Big Picture

This series is unlikely to be archived among the most compelling of our times but it is an important one. It pits a traditionally strong side that has been going through years of transition against an emerging one that has been steadily building over the same period. Unfortunately, the Potchefstroom Test only reinforced what we already suspect about what a contest between these two sides can provide.In Test terms, there is still a massive gap between South Africa and Bangladesh, even with most of South Africa’s first-choice attack injured. In South African conditions, even those that are less South African than usual, that gap is only widened. Perhaps the only new thing we learnt is that Bangladesh have a good chance of transferring their home improvements abroad but they need to back themselves a little more.Bangladesh showed the best and worst of their batting in Potchefstroom. After achieving their highest total in South Africa, 320, which was only six short of their highest against South Africa anywhere, they were bundled out in the second innings for their lowest against South Africa. Their score of 90 was also the first time they have been dismissed for under 100 in a decade. If anything, they will want to set that right even though the Bloemfontein pitch is set to be more challenging.South Africa should not really want it easier but they do want groundsmen around the country to buy into the idea that when teams from the subcontinent tour, they must be presented with pace and bounce. Even though that will also ask questions of the home line-up, which has battled for consistency in the last year, it is now becoming more about the attack.Kagiso Rabada, who will play his 22nd Test, is the most experienced bowler in the squad, with Wayne Parnell and Duanne Olivier only in possession of nine caps between them. Andile Phehlukwayo has played one Test and Dane Paterson, if he plays, will be on debut. As much as South Africa want to show dominance, this series is also about finding a second wave of bowlers to replace the previous pack. Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel may all be back at some stage but their injury rate means South Africa need to start looking at other options and this series is the start of that search.

Form Guide

South Africa: WLLWL (most recent first)
Bangladesh: : LLWWL

In the Spotlight

On his home ground, Duanne Olivier should be comfortable enough to show what took him to the top of the first-class wicket charts last summer. Olivier took 52 wickets at 18.13 in the 2016-17 season and made his name on his ability to bowl long spells and show the same aggression mid-innings as he did at the start. He hasn’t quite had the chance to do that internationally yet but without Morne Morkel in the team, this could be Olivier’s Test to step up.Mominul Haque‘s 77 was the highest score by a Bangladesh batsman in Potchefstroom, and of all of them he looked the most likely to become the first among his countrymen to score a century in this country. With a calm temperament, confidence against the short ball and his captain Mushfiqur Rahim to help him in the middle order, Mominul may be the difference between Bangladesh competing and collapsing.

Team News

With Morne Morkel out injured, South Africa will need to bolster the attack with one of Wayne Parnell, who last played a Test in January this year, or rookie Dane Paterson. Though local lad Theunis de Bruyn scored 195 in a first-class match two weeks ago, the balance of the side means it’s unlikely he will be included.South Africa (probable): 1 Dean Elgar, 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Temba Bavuma, 5 Faf du Plessis (capt), 6 Quinton de Kock (wk), 7 Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Wayne Parnell/Dane Paterson, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Duanne OlivierTamim Iqbal’s unavailability has opened the door for Soumya Sarkar to return to the top of the order while Subashis Roy may replace Taskin Ahmed in the pace attack.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Imrul Kayes, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Mahmudullah, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), 6 Sabbir Rahman, 7 Liton Das (wk), 8 Mehidy Hasan, 9 Shafiul Islam, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Subashis Roy

Pitch and conditions

Traditionally the Bloemfontein surface is flat but South Africa have made it clear to groundstaff around the country that they want some life in the pitches they play subcontinental sides on. Green grass was spotted on the strip earlier in the week and it has been under covers from the rain since, so there might be more in it than usual. The weather for the match is set to clear, though day two may be affected by showers.

Stats and trivia

• This is the fifth Test to be played at Manguang Oval. South Africa have won all the previous four, including the most recent one against Bangladesh in 2008.
• No Bangladesh batsmen has scored a century in South Africa but there is powerful motivation for at least two of them to change that, Mahmudullah is 116 runs away from 2,000 Test runs while Mominul Haque is 175 away.
• Keshav Maharaj took his 50th Test wicket in Potchefstroom, in his 12th Test. Among South African spinners, he is the fastest to reach the landmark since readmission.
• Dean Elgar needs 16 runs to complete 1,000 Test runs in 2017. He would be the first South African to score that many in a calendar year since Hashim Amla in 2012.

Quotes

“We’ll leave that to the Bangladesh captain.”
“It is only natural for people to talk if you’ve done badly. I am not worried about the outcome. I think about the process. They should do the same, give their best every ball.”

Will Gidman was left stranded on 99 not out but he and Matt Coles ensured Kent picked up the fifth batting bonus point they desperately wanted

David Hopps at Hove01-Sep-2016
ScorecardWill Gidman was left stranded on 99 not out (file photo)•PA Photos

This was a bonus point that mattered. There really are such things. Will Gidman knew it. It had been his sole objective for five hours. On the dressing room balcony, Kent’s players could think of little else. While some spectators gazed upon a Hove ground clad in sunshine, and indulged in the bittersweet regret of the first day of September, the professionals were doing sums. Essex were too far ahead at the top of Division Two already. Not a point could be wasted.A lap of the Hove ground on a gorgeous afternoon. Kent’s prospects of achieving 400 had looked meagre when they closed the first day at 211 for 5, 15 wickets lost in all, seam bowlers in command. But Gidman and Darren Stevens had batted through the morning unscathed and, although Stevens’ poles had gone walkabout to the first delivery with the second new ball from Steve Magoffin, Sussex’s angular metronome, Kent were 38 short with 10 overs left and seven down.From the darkest recesses of a dark bar, a barman with no view of the game waved to attract attention. Just hoping he might sell a lager. He would not see Matt Coles, a muscular smiter, nodding anxiously at Gidman and promising that Conscientious was his middle name.Only four runs added from two overs. Fielders repeatedly hit. On the balcony, Daniel Bell-Drummond fiddled with his sunglasses and looked unperturbed. The hotchpotch of stands were well populated. Kent had drawn the biggest Championship crowd of the season. They watched patiently, mixing cricket talk with family worries. “Good stop… Nell’s out of hospital.” An elderly man dropped his scorecard and winced slightly as he picked it up. A snatch of an REM song – “Will you live to 83, will you ever welcome me?” – briefly came to mind.

I should have had a whack – Gidman

Will Gidman: “It was a bit unfortunate not to get to a hundred. Mitch Claydon did his best and I should probably have had a whack earlier on to be honest, but I was pleased with the innings. It would have been nice to get over the line but it wasn’t to be.

Hove is a wonderful ground to watch square of the wicket even for those who prefer to sit behind the arm. There are beaches which shelve less fiercely than the rush of the ground towards the sea end. The tilt of the ground adds an extra dimension, especially when the pitch is near the edge of the square. A fast bowler dashing down the slope can be a terrifying prospect. Ajmal Shahzad is not terrifying but Gidman ignored his bouncer all the same with two men back. Coles stole a boundary off Ollie Robinson, a bowler with an air of breeding, but forced to do the hard yards uphill.A light plane passed overheard, glinting in cloudless skies, drowning the distant clamour of the gulls. Henry Hawk, a kite brought from Devon, to try to keep the seagulls at bay, swayed gently by the side of the south-west stand. The scorecard showed the balls gradually being whittled away. A man in the Players Club rose from his seat, in search of a coffee or a comfort break. Another suddenly grabbed his binoculars and looked on intently – the focus of his interest hard to know.Still 28 needed from six. Wickets now could scotch the plan. “Danny Briggs,” announced the Sussex scorer, Mike Charman, sitting in for the regular PA announcer with aplomb. Few spinners possess such gentle rhythms, but Briggs’ switch from Hampshire has been a challenging one. The pitches rarely turn, certainly not for Briggs, and the boundaries are short. His bowling in four-day cricket is the epitome of niceness, with all the negatives the word can convey. Coles missed a sweep and settled for a maiden. Briggs knew he was not going to settle for another one.From a marquee at the Sea End, Martin Corry, a former back row forward for Leicester and England, gathered pace in a speech for the Wooden Spoon charity. Kent sought to gather pace with him. Laughter burst from the marquee: the speech was going well. Gidman edged Shahzad at catchable height wide of first slip. Kent, 22 needed from four, were not quite as confident.In the Life Members stand above the media box, a man in a Joyce replica shirt fiddled with his shoelaces. Across the ground, spectators had set their deckchairs upright. It was here, about 25 years ago, where I had hoped to introduce myself to the ‘s football correspondent, David Lacey, only for him to doze, deckchair on the lowest setting, through the entire afternoon session with that morning’s paper on his lap.Briggs bowling to Coles might have been a mix-up of Olympic sports: the grace of a gymnast met by the primal threat of a wrestler. Coles finally opened his shoulders and heaved him to long-on, where he was caught to cheers – but only by a spectator 10 rows back. A four followed, slogged flatter this time.All this tension for a point. A point that might prove not to matter if Essex scoot the division by 40 points. Or which might prove to be priceless on the last afternoon of the season when the sides are locked at Canterbury and Kent are scenting a table-turning victory.Six from three overs; a woman in a flowery sunhat returned to her crossword, confident the job was as good as done. Gidman had the luxury of digging in and playing out a maiden. “Come on Briggsy,” Sussex exhorted, but Coles now looked twice the size. He reverse-swept the first ball for four and stole a single into the leg side off a glove. On 399, Briggs clamoured for lbw as another reverse from Gidman this time went awry, but the appeal was lost, the leg bye taken.”Come on Sussex, show some fight,” came a cry from the crowd. The game was lost; the pressure released, Kent’s lead would soon be rushing past 300. In the marquee, Corry’s speech done, the audience was laughing and applauding. Kent’s captain, Sam Northeast walked down the steps from the dressing room and hollered congratulations. Kent were now laughing and applauding, too.Gidman would be left stranded on 99 not out, missing his sixth first-class century in frustrating fashion, Magoffin claiming a five-for as Mitch Claydon drove a slower ball to mid-off. Sheepish apologies followed.For five-and-three-quarter hours, Gidman had steeled Kent’s ambitions. Few will gush over their evening meals about what they had witnessed, especially in Sussex. His wagon wheel suggested he struck only two off side boundaries, one of those the edge past slip, one authentic stroke against Robinson – but some insisted they had seen more, and anyway he had achieved his objective. September is upon us and Kent are not giving up without a fight.

The RM Lodha committee has sought an additional five months to complete the second part of the task assigned to it by the Supreme Court that deals with recommending changes to the BCCI’s constitution and manner of functioning

Nagraj Gollapudi21-Jul-2015The RM Lodha committee has sought an additional five months to complete the second part of the task assigned to it by the Supreme Court that deals with recommending changes to the BCCI’s constitution and manner of functioning. The committee submitted an application in the Supreme Court on Monday stating that a further five months may be given to complete the rest of the work. It is likely to be listed before the court next week.The Lodha committee was primarily tasked with determining the quantum of punishment for Gurunath Meiyappan, Raj Kundra and their respective franchises. Last week the committee delivered its judgement by banning Meiyappan and Kundra for life and suspending the owners of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for two years.But while delivering its seminal and wide-ranging order on corruption in the IPL earlier this year, the Supreme Court had also asked the three-man independent panel – comprising Lodha, a former Chief Justice of India, along with retired Supreme Court judges Ashok Bhan and RV Raveendran – to “examine and make suitable recommendations to the BCCI for such reforms in its practices and procedures and such amendments in the Memorandum of Association, Rules and Regulations as may be considered necessary and proper.”The court wanted the committee to suggest amendments to the processes followed by the BCCI “with a view to preventing sporting frauds, conflict of interests, streamlining the working of BCCI to make it more responsive to the expectations of the public at large.”The committee initiated that process in April when it sent an exhaustive, pointed and incisive 82-point questionnaire to various high-ranked BCCI officials, both past and present. The questions were split into eight sections, including an understanding of how the BCCI and its stakeholders function, the basis and formation of the board’s various committees, the election process, players’ welfare, conflict of interest and transparency in the IPL.

A preview of the second South Africa-New Zealand T20 in East London

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran22-Dec-2012

Match facts

December 23, 2012
Start time 1800 (1600 GMT)New Zealand will have to rethink their approach with the bat•Gallo Images

Big Picture

Being “aggressive” is easier said than done. New Zealand found out the hard way at Kingsmead on Friday. It was a risky approach from a side fielding four debutants. They wanted to make a statement with a positive approach with the bat, but by the end of nine overs, six were back in the pavilion. Brendon McCullum, the captain, admitted it was a flawed approach, and that New Zealand needed to respect the fundamentals first and earn the right to be aggressive. The cricket was of low quality, compounded by shambolic fielding. That South Africa won with 47 balls to spare only highlighted the gulf between the two sides. South Africa too went in with an experimental line-up with three debutants, but they weren’t tested. With just 87 to chase, the South Africa captain-coach duo of Faf du Plessis and Russell Domingo couldn’t have asked for an easier beginning to their new leadership roles.McCullum said the pitch at Kingsmead was two-paced, with the odd ball keeping low. It needed some patience from the batsmen before launching their shots. The teams will hope for better batting conditions at East London. New Zealand have shown the resilience to bounce back after a horror defeat – most recently in the Test series in Sri Lanka – so South Africa should guard against complacency. From New Zealand’s perspective, they would want to wipe the slate clean and treat this as the first game of a two-match series.

Form guide (Completed games, most recent first)

South Africa WLLLW

New Zealand LTLTL

In the spotlight

Doug Bracewell was among only three New Zealand batsmen to get into double figures on Friday, but in his primary role as a fast bowler, he had a poor outing, giving 21 off two overs before being taken off the attack. Bracewell was a familiar face in a largely unrecognisable attack, and he will need to rediscover his best.Rory Kleinveldt didn’t have the happiest tour of Australia, but back in familiar home conditions he was the best bowler at Kingsmead with figures of 3 for 18. He struck with his first ball, and then removed the dangerous McCullum with a short ball pulled to fine leg. He later spoke of using the bouncer as a dot ball or a wicket-taking option.

Team news

The South Africa allrounder Chris Morris limped off the field after aggravating a quad injury that has ruled him out of the two remaining games. It leaves the hosts with only 12 players to pick from, since no replacement has been named for Morris. South Africa had already decided to rotate their senior seamers in this short series, with Dale Steyn getting a break before the Tests. Morne Morkel comes in for the remainder of the series so he should take Steyn’s place.South Africa: (likely) 1 Richard Levi, 2 Henry Davids, 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 Quinton de Kock (wk), 5 Farhaan Behardien, 6 David Miller, 7 Robin Peterson, 8 Ryan McLaren, 9 Justin Ontong/Aaron Phangiso, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Rory KleinveldtNew Zealand will need some experience in their batting and bowling. Martin Guptill and Trent Boult, who missed the first match due to illness, should walk in to the line-up if they recover in time.New Zealand: (likely) 1 Rob Nicol, 2 Peter Fulton/Martin Guptill, 3 Brendon McCullum (capt & wk), 4 James Franklin, 5 Colin Munro, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Nathan McCullum, 8 Jimmy Neesham, 9 Doug Bracewell, 10 Ronnie Hira, 11 Mitchell McClenaghan

Stats and Trivia

• This will be the first T20 to be held in East London.
• Of the ten completed domestic day-night T20 games at this venue, seven were won by the team batting first.

Quotes

“We 100% believe that we can win the next game, we’ve just got to fine tune a couple of areas. I can’t fault people for being overly keen to want to get into a series.”
“We put a lot of emphasis that we’re a young side, so we want to have a lot of energy and we want to have a good presence.”

Ramnaresh Sarwan, the West Indies batsman, has hit out at the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) for leaving him out of its team for next month’s Caribbean Twenty20 Championship

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2011Ramnaresh Sarwan, the West Indies batsman, has hit out at the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) for leaving him out of its team for next month’s Caribbean Twenty20 Championship.Guyana announced their 14-man squad on December 6 and the board said in a statement that Sarwan had not been selected because they were not certain he would be fit to play. Sarwan, however, said he had personally kept the board updated on his recovery”First of all, I would like to make it crystal clear that I have recovered from my injury and I am working on my match fitness,” Sarwan told the . “In regards to the board being unsure about my recent injury, I say that is total c**p.”I had spoken to the president of the board [Ramsey Ali] and informed him about the status of my injury, I had also spoken to the chairman of selectors, Mr. Reyon Griffith, and so from that point of view they were well informed.”The injury had forced Sarwan to miss West Indies’ tour of Bangladesh and India, and he has not played competitive cricket for almost five months. In addition to Sarwan’s injury issues, the GCB said that he had not played in the domestic T20 tournament that was used to pick the Caribbean T20 squad.Sarwan, who is currently in Canada, accused the GCB of being inconsistent with their selection policy, since he had not played the domestic tournament leading up to the Super50 one-day series back in October either.”When I was named in the 14 to represent Guyana in the 50-over tournament, I also did not play in the inter-county competition which was used to pick that team,” Sarwan said. “Everyone knew how hard I worked with the trainers and everybody in Guyana and how much I wanted to play in the 50-over competition. I am wondering why we couldn’t go through the same process?”I got the experts who treated me to send an e-mail to me which I forwarded to the GCB on the status of my injury. I think it’s important for them (GCB) to release that letter to the public so they can see the latest update on my injury.”

West Indies A moved into a strong position in their second unofficial Test against Pakistan A thanks to opener Kieran Powell, who fell two runs short of his maiden first-class century

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2010
Scorecard
West Indies A moved into a strong position in their second unofficial Test against Pakistan A thanks to opener Kieran Powell, who fell two runs short of his maiden first-class century on the second day at Arnos Vale.Powell, a 20-year-old from Leeward Islands, was involved in two substantial partnerships: first with highly rated opener Kraigg Brathwaite for 60 runs, and then 91 with Guyana’s Assad Fudadin for the third wicket. Powell hit three sixes and five fours in his 98, which follows a half-century in the drawn first game against Pakistan last week. Jonathan Carter guided West Indies after Powell was dismissed, finishing the day unbeaten on 44, with Denesh Ramdin, the out-of-favour West Indies wicketkeeper, for company.West Indies’ bowlers had earlier polished off the Pakistan tail. Resuming on 239 for 7, the visitors added another 22 runs before being bowled out.

A round-up of the third day’s play in the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals

Cricinfo staff27-Dec-2009
Scorecard
Gaurav Chabra’s watchful century along with another heroic effort from wicketkeeper Puneet Bisht ensured Delhi held their nerve to enter the final four of the Ranji Trophy. Delhi finished 27 runs ahead of Tamil Nadu’s first-innings total, to seal their passage after proceedings on day three at the Palam A Ground had nicely set up the final one.Rajat Bhatia powered on with overnight batsman Chabra as the fifth-wicket partnership yielded 122. Tamil Nadu sensed an opportunity when Bhatia was run out six short of a well-deserved hundred in the 24th over of the day. But Bisht hit a well-compiled fifty to tilt the balance in favour of the hosts. Chabra brought up his hundred, hitting 12 fours en route, while Bisht struck 11 fours and a six during his 119-ball stay. The 96-run stand took Delhi into the comfort zone, and they finally declared short of 500.It was a much-needed ray of sunshine on a day when their association came under flak for an ill-prepared surface for the final ODI between India and Sri Lanka at the Feroze Shah Kotla.
Scorecard
Just as he did on the first day, Ajinkya Rahane stole the limelight, scoring his second hundred in the match and taking defending champions Mumbai into the semi-finals with ease. Haryana’s bowlers were made to look ordinary as the Mumbai batsmen got some much-needed batting practice in Rohtak.Beginning the day on 119 for 3, with first-innings points in the bag, Sahil Kukreja and Iqbal Abdulla kept the charge up. But with Kukreja departing after adding 18 to his overnight score, the stage was set for Rahane. An 85-run partnership for the fifth wicket followed, with Abdulla bringing up his half-century, comprising four boundaries and a six. Rahane was unstoppable though, getting to his 11th first-class century. He hit seven fours and a six as the match was called off after 75 overs, with Haryana well and truly out of contention.
Scorecard
The first-innings points were enough for UP as they looked to make their fourth final in five seasons, triumphing over Assam in Guwahati. A fluent century from Assam’s new recruit and captain, Amol Muzumdar, proved to be the only joy for the hosts, as the target of 337 proved to be too much at the end.Resuming on 256 with one wicket in hand, the visitors managed just 16 runs as Dhiraj Goswami picked up Shalabh Srivastava to end with a five-for. The target was always going to be challenging and the UP bowlers looked set for another field day. RP Singh and Praveen Gupta got them going, by dismissing the Assam openers. In fact, Gupta’s left-arm spin proved to be the undoing of three batsmen as Muzumdar struggled to put on a defining partnership.The fifth-wicket stand of 83 with wicketkeeper Kunal Saikia proved to be the highest of the innings, and Muzumdar soon combined with former Mumbai team-mate Sairaj Bahutule to put on 72 for the sixth wicket. But two more wickets for Piyush Chawla meant Muzumdar had to be content on an unbeaten 119, including 12 boundaries, as Assam finished 77 short.