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Dinesh Chandimal will captain the President’s XI against the touring South Africans on Wednesday, ahead of what may be his first match as ODI captain against South Africa on Saturday

Andrew Fidel Fernando16-Jul-2013Dinesh Chandimal will captain the Sri Lankan Board President’s XI against the touring South Africans on Wednesday, ahead of what may be his first match as ODI captain against South Africa on Saturday. As the vice-captain of the national team, he could be in line to take the reins from Angelo Mathews, who has been suspended from the first two ODIs courtesy an over-rate offence.Chandimal is Sri Lanka’s Twenty20 captain, but his ODI form has been poor in the last 16 months – he has averaged 18.19 and hit only two fifties in 28 matches. He was dropped from the limited-overs sides during the latter part of 2012, though he retained his place in the national squad, and has been granted an extended run in the XI after assuming the vice-captaincy in February. Although he is viewed as a future leader, a promotion to acting captain may not be automatic, in light of recent results.Both Dimuth Karunaratne, and Angelo Perera, who are in contention for ODI debuts in the series, will also play in the warm-up match, as will Thisara Perera, who was dropped from the national squad for the West Indies tri-series.South Africa play five ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals during their three-week tour.President’s XI squad: Dinesh Chandimal (capt), Kusal Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Mahela Udawatte, Angelo Perera, Sachithra Serasinghe, Chaturanga de Silva, Jehan Mubarak, Thisara Perera, Dhammika Prasad, Vimukthi Perera, Madura Lakmal, Seekkuge Prasanna, Ashan Priyanjan

It hasn’t been an easy week for Ashley Giles, but the win at Trent Bridge and Australia’s problems have offered a boost

George Dobell06-Jun-2013You could understand why Ashley Giles was smiling. After a testing week, he had just seen his England ODI side score 11 more in the last four overs against New Zealand than Australia managed in their entire innings against India. With England and Australia due to open their Champions Trophy campaigns against one another at Edgbaston on Saturday, such statistics were bound to raise spirits.But there is no escaping the fact that the ODI series against New Zealand was an unsettling experience for England’s limited-overs coach. Not only did England lose their proud unbeaten record at home – this was their first ODI series defeat in England and Wales since Australia beat them in 2009 – but their tried and tested method was found wanting and fitness worries further clouded their preparations.The theory was so seductive. In English conditions and with two new balls, it was presumed that England’s method of building a solid foundation when they batted and accelerating in the dying overs would prove beneficial. It was also presumed that their bowlers would find enough movement in the air or off the pitch to trouble opposition batsmen.The evidence to date suggests that those plans might not cover all eventualities. The progress of recent games suggests that the white ball offers the bowler little and that the pitches in the Champions Trophy are going to make them want to curl up in the foetal position and cry.But Giles remains confident. For a start, he pointed out that England were never able to field their strongest XI against New Zealand, but he also pointed out that, partially through necessity, England were forced to explore their options and found that, in the likes of Ravi Bopara and James Tredwell, they had players who enable them to utilise a different method. Both men were originally expected to play only in case of emergency.Perhaps more pertinently, though, he knows that Australia are in poor form and may well be without their captain and best player, Michael Clarke who is nursing a back injury.”It’s disappointing to have lost a series,” Giles admitted. “We’ve let ourselves down in certain departments. There were different areas in the first two games where we disappointed and we’ve certainly not played our A game yet. But maybe we’re saving that?”It’s always a good thing for us when Australia get bowled out for 65. I didn’t chuckle when I saw the score, because I’ve got more respect for them than that. But you’re pleased they don’t get the practice they want and the boost in confidence they’d be looking for. So from a personal point of view you don’t want them playing well.”We want to go to Edgbaston and hope it’s a dull game. We could do with one of them. But they’re tough opposition, they’ll be well prepared and we’ve got to make sure we are as well. If Clarke is missing it’s annoying for him and Australia but it would be good for us.”While the tactic of playing five specialist bowlers did not work in the first two games against New Zealand, it is worth remembering that England were never able to select their first choice five. If James Anderson, Steven Finn, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann are all fit, they may well be in the side against Australia on Saturday. The only likely variation is the selection of Bopara ahead of Bresnan.

While the tactic of playing five specialist bowlers did not work in the first two games against New Zealand, it is worth remembering that England were never able to select their first choice five

But this version of the Champions Trophy is only to be played at three venues. And with the demands of television meaning that only pitches in the centre of squares can be utilised, it will not be long before the surfaces wear and the spinners become more important. England could, according to Giles, select two specialist spinners and utilise Joe Root’s increasingly useful offspin, too.”We’ve got options,” Giles said. “I’m not going to say which way we’re going, but when we put the squad together we did think of those options. I wouldn’t rule out at some point that both spinners could play together on the right wickets. They’re two of our best bowlers in one-day cricket.”Part of the issue, as far as Giles sees it, has simply been a lack of confidence from some of his squad. Chris Woakes, in particular, endured a chastening couple of games and, while he remains in the squad, looks unlikely to play much of a part in the competition.”The key bit was getting confidence into them,” he said. “They’ve looked a little edgy – you know the guys I’m talking about – but you do that when you’re not playing the way you’d like to be playing. Saturday’s game is huge and going into it with the confidence of winning was important. We have to attack that game and be confident going into that.”Chris hasn’t played as well as he can and he’d be the first to admit that. So we changed the balance of the side and Chris was one of the guys we left out. It’s really disappointing for him but he’s a big lad and he understands the reasoning. He’s as good as gold and gets on with his job. It doesn’t mean the door is closed: we’ve 15 in that squad and as we’ve seen in the space of a week that a lot can happen with injuries, niggles and form.”Giles was encouraged by the form and fitness of Finn and Broad, but admitted they would both require careful handling through the Champions Trophy and the Ashes. Both men recovered well from Wednesday and, as a result, Boyd Rankin has been released back to Warwickshire.”The big bonus was having Broad and Finn back on the field and looking pretty good and healthy,” Giles said. “We’re going to need to manage all the quick bowlers over the summer. It’s a big summer and a big winter. But they’ve come through the game well and they seem pretty healthy. But it’s an ongoing process managing big lumps who bowl quickly. You’ve got to look after them.”As things stand I’m pretty confident these guys are good. Finn’s condition is one we’ve talked about and we’ve got to manage going forward and just look after him.”The performance of Jos Buttler and Eoin Morgan may well have masked another disappointing England performance with the bat on Wednesday, but Giles insisted that the batting of Ian Bell and co. had provided the middle-order with the platform to express themselves.”It was a much better performance,” Giles said. “I guess all the talk will be about Jos’s innings at the end, but in the build-up to that Bell’s runs and Morgan’s runs were really also very important. The way we batted was much cleaner and crisper and it was quite exciting at the end.”What Jos needed was to do it once in 50-over cricket. It doesn’t mean he’s going to do it all the time but, in T20 cricket, once he crossed that hurdle once he looked a different player. I’m hoping that will happen again. I think playing an extra batter in Bopara might have given him a bit more confidence. It took a little bit of pressure off him and gave him more freedom.”It doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the way we’re going to go. But Jos has shown in T20 cricket he is built for coming in for five overs. He exceeded all our expectations on Wednesday so I’m really chuffed for him.”There will be times when Morgan and Buttler get it wrong and we have to accept that. But they will also win us games. Call them X-factor players, call them hugely skilful, but they will win games. Going into this Champions Trophy, it is so important that they are playing with some of that passion and freedom. There are still bits we didn’t get right but we’re getting better now so it’s positive news.”

The PCB has admitted that the endorsement of Zaka Ashraf for next four years as chairman was processed through a “representation process” and not purely a democratic process

Umar Farooq10-May-2013The PCB has admitted that the endorsement of Zaka Ashraf for next four years as chairman was processed through a “representation process” and not purely a democratic process, but said it complied with the ICC’s recommendations. According to the amended constitution, the chairman is still a nominated candidate, though one who is “endorsed” by ten elected members in the Board of Governors.In 2011, the ICC stipulated that its member boards become autonomous and free of interference from governments by June 2013. Removal of government interference had also been one of the Woolf report recommendations approved by the ICC.The PCB’s 2007 constitution was then amended to change the method of appointing the board’s chairman and alter the structure of its governing board. However, the process is still complicated, and the president of Pakistan, who is the patron of the PCB, retains a central role in appointing the chairman. Ashraf defended the transition as “fair and transparent to prevent a malicious candidate to step up to take the office”.”The new constitution complies with the recommendations made by the ICC and has been accepted, appreciated and welcomed by the ICC,” Ashraf told a press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. “It has been a much-needed transition and a necessary step in ensuring the development and better administration of the game of cricket. The key features of the constitution were also discussed individually with the ICC president and CEO and it fulfills the requirements of parameters laid down by them. The PCB is fully compliant.”The PCB has been criticised in the past because its constitution allowed the chairman almost dictatorial powers. The amended constitution hasn’t changed that. The chairman can control and oversee income and expenditure in accordance with the budget approved by the board of governors. The major shortcoming in the new constitution is that the chairman has ultimate power with no recourse to remove him from the post in any circumstances. Also, the incumbent can be nominated for more than one term.”The new constitution entrusts the board of governors [BoG] with greater responsibility and the power to make regulations for the better governance of the PCB. Previously, most rules had to be approved by the federal government,” said Ashraf who insisted that “the constitution has been followed in letter and spirit and the PCB chairman has been appointed through the process defined in the constitution.”The restructured 14-member body includes five elected regional representatives picked on a rotation basis and five elected representatives of service organisations and departments who have the power of endorsement to the nominated chairman. The regions whose representatives accepted Ashraf’s nomination were: Peshawar, Islamabad, Larkana and Dera Murad Jamali while the fifth spot is yet to be filled. Punjab – which has 60% of Pakistan’s population – doesn’t have a representative in the BoG as Ashraf said the regions within Punjab hadn’t completed their own elections yet.The transition, however, was surprising and conducted secretly with the PCB revealing the appointment through a press release, citing it as an internal matter and not a public one. “This is a representative process, that’s why the word nominated as per process has been used (in the constitution),” explained the PCB solicitor, Taffazul Rizvi. “There are certain criteria which are defined in the constitution and the word democracy has a wide range. The PCB election is different from the way general elections are conducted.”It is understood that with the general election due on Saturday, a new government could bring in a change in PCB hierarchy. With his future as chairman uncertain, Ashraf implemented the new constitution and was eventually elected for a new term.”We had to implement the new constitution to meet the deadline given by ICC,” said Ashraf, to justify the abrupt move 72 hours before the general election in the country. “It was expected and we were already working on it from last many months. We didn’t want to delay it, we have to have the new constitution in place before June to satisfy the ICC requirement.”

Mohammad Ashraful and Mominul Haque firmed up their chances of playing the first Test with significant innings on the last day of the tour game in Matara

The Report by Mohammad Isam in Matara05-Mar-2013
ScorecardMominul Haque (left) and Mohammad Ashraful shared a 178-run stand for the third wicket•AFPMohammad Ashraful and Mominul Haque firmed up their chances of playing the first Test with significant innings on the last day of the tour game in Matara. The Bangladesh batsmen made best use of a sunny, windy day as their three-day game ended in a draw.Ashraful made 102, his 17th first-class century, and Mominul fell on 99, but missing the landmark wouldn’t deter the young batsman because he made his case for selection for the Galle Test. Mominul batted more than three hours, scoring 99 off 138 balls, and went through phases that were Test-like.He took time to settle down but latched on to anything that made him comfortable. Early on, he used his feet well against the spinners. Mominul was picky against pace, square cutting or driving Lahiru Gamage. He started the second session with a clipped boundary off Kasun Madushanka, and followed up with a cover drive in the same over. He got to his 50 off 74 balls, and then hit a huge straight six against left-arm spinner Dulanjana Mendis. He was batting freely as he neared a fourth first-class century but perished to the pull shot, giving mid-on a simple catch in the final session.Mominul needed to score after a lean BPL to justify his position ahead of Marshall Ayub in this line-up. He was picked to replace Shakib Al Hasan in the side, and thankfully for the selectors the other replacement, Ashraful, also did well.Ashraful left more than he played at in the first session, letting Mominul have a lot of the strike. After lunch he was a different batsman, racing past Mominul to reach 50 when the left-hander was on 47. He moved quickly to his century, off 144 balls, hitting 11 fours and a six. He fell a few minutes later to a terrific catch by Ashan Priyanjan, diving high to his right at first slip.Mahmudullah, the captain Mushfiqur Rahim and Sohag Gazi got some batting practice, making the best of the limited time in the final session. Mahmudullah made a quickfire 56 off 49 balls with three fours and three straight sixes. The fall of his wicket, though, started the fun-phase for Mushfiqur and Gazi as the two added 112 runs in 12 overs. Mushfiqur scored 81 off 69 and Gazi hit 13 fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 82.Opener Jahurul Islam had earlier made a good start but fell for 29 off 74 balls, edging Ishan Jayaratne. Jahurul had been more assured at the crease than Anamul Haque, who struggled to get the ball through the inner circle, and fell for 6.The bowling attack provided less of a challenge to the Bangladesh batsmen, especially on such a good batting pitch that offered almost no lateral movement to the young pace bowlers Madushanka and Gamage. The main spinner, Mendis, is at an early stage in his career and found little assistance in the wicket to challenge the batsmen.

Warwickshire have announced an operating loss of £668,000 for 2012, as the legacy of a rain-lashed 2012 season

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-2013Warwickshire have announced an operating loss of £668,000 for 2012, as the legacy of a rain-lashed season and the development of Edgbaston took the edge off their County Championship success. The figure represents a big turnaround on the £327,000 profit from 2011, although the increased overheads associated with the ground had been expected and the club said it was “satisfied” with the results.Despite Warwickshire’s title victory and a run to the CB40 final at Lord’s, the wet weather struck at particularly inopportune times. Three days of the Edgbaston Test between England and West Indies were washed out, as was the Australia ODI in July and Warwickshire’s lucrative Friends Life t20 fixture against Worcestershire. A further £1.4m hit to the accounts came from a full year of depreciation being included after the redevelopment of Edgbaston.There was a small drop in turnover, from £11.7m to £11.5m, reflecting England’s less attractive Test opponents but earnings before tax and other costs were taken into account fell to £755,000, from £1m in 2011. Unlike the depreciation and loan interest from the Edgbaston upgrade, the poor weather had not been budgeted for, although the club were able to insure against some losses.”It is always very difficult to compare our year on year financial results given the popularity of the Major Match fixture list from one year to the next,” Craig Flindall, Warwickshire’s financial director, said.”The relative attractiveness of staging the Test match against India in 2011, compared with the West Indies in 2012, meant that a reduction in revenue and profits was always expected and budgeted for. The exceptionally bad weather did nothing to improve this situation, however, the club mitigated the impact of the weather by reducing costs where possible and taking out insurance to cover the catering revenue for the ODI and international T20 matches.”Income from conferencing and events increased for the second consecutive year, reflecting the additional revenue potential for Edgbaston outside of cricket. Despite missing out on an Ashes Test, in 2013 the ground will host the Champions Trophy final and a number of group games, as well as an ODI against Australia and FLt20 finals day.The winter has seen changes at Warwickshire, with Dougie Brown replacing Ashley Giles as director of cricket, but further success on the field should help ease any financial concerns.Colin Povey, Warwickshire’s chief executive, said: “2012 was a year that presented us with significant operational challenges but this result shows a growing resilience in our operations. We have made considerable progress in recent times but we need to continue that trend in the years ahead. We already have a clear strategy and solid operational plans in place for 2013 and beyond.”Warwickshire’s loss eclipses the £254,000 deficit announced by Leicestershire last week. The 2012 summer was the wettest in 100 years and made life challenging for several counties, although many are used to tightening their belts and so far Somerset, Worcestershire and Northants have all recorded profits.

Warwickshire’s response provided the measure of Middlesex’s first innings, which may not have been below par to the extent it was suspected after the Division One leaders made hard work of getting their noses in front

Jon Culley at Edgbaston22-Aug-2012
ScorecardIan Westwood scored his second century against Middlesex this season before Warwickshire’s lower order collapsed•Getty ImagesWarwickshire’s response provided the measure of Middlesex’s first innings, which may not have been below par to the extent it was suspected after the Division One leaders made hard work of getting their noses in front. With Ian Blackwell, the former England allrounder, coming in at No. 8, Warwickshire’s batting line-up looked irresistibly strong, yet there were more failures than successes and they take a lead of only six runs into the third day, eight wickets down.Yet they had been 175 without loss as Ian Westwood and Varun Chopra again demonstrated their effectiveness as an opening partnership. The two have shared four three-figure stands this season, three of those in the last six innings. Until Chopra fell to a fine, diving catch by Sam Robson at gully off the first ball of Gareth Berg’s second spell, they seemed capable of establishing a lead all on their own.They had ridden their luck at times, in terms of streaky runs off the edge of the bat, but as on Tuesday nothing went to hand. And as the ball aged their authority grew. Chopra, unusually, was the more passive partner, allowing Westwood to take the lead. The left-hander’s first 51 runs spanned 85 balls, to which he added his next 41 at a run a ball, increasing his boundary count from seven to 16. Only in the 90s did he feel he should take stock, facing 22 balls while scoring only six before his 17th four took him to 102.Westwood gave up the Warwickshire captaincy two years ago after enduring a full season without a first-class century. This was his fifth since then and his second in the space of three weeks, both against Middlesex.It seemed to give Warwickshire a platform for a substantial total yet thereafter the innings somewhat lost its way. No subsequent combination was able to add more than 29 and if Chris Wright and Keith Barker are parted quickly on the third morning Warwickshire will have achieved scarcely better than parity.A hailstorm drove the players from the field with a dozen overs left of day two, leaving puddles on the outfield that had not drained more than an hour after the storm had passed, which illustrated the problems the groundstaff still face after such a wet summer.They were not helped in their attempts to protect the square by the umpires’ indecision about when to take the players off, even though dark clouds were looming ominously. Jim Troughton cannot have been impressed either, given that it was in pretty poor light that he was caught at second slip off Tim Murtagh, who is not exactly on the slower side of medium.Others had less obvious excuses. As on day one, anything bowled too short asked to be hit but fuller deliveries posed problems. There were some notable catches, with Steven Crook matching Robson for athleticism at gully when he held a stunner, diving to his right, to give Neil Dexter the wicket of Darren Maddy.It was Dexter’s medium pace, ultimately, that did for Westwood, inducing a chip to mid-off from a mistimed drive, after facing 183 balls for his 120. There was a maiden Championship wicket for the 21-year-old left-arm spinner Ravi Patel, who started nervously but found some confidence after William Porterfield edged to slip.The innings took a sharp downturn after the new ball became available, with Toby Roland-Jones inflicting the most damage and removing three of Warwickshire’s better bets for another substantial score. He had Rikki Clarke caught behind with a ball that found some extra bounce and followed up when Tim Ambrose edged one that cut away late. Blackwell was leg before to one that nipped back and stayed low.

Graeme Smith, South Africa’s captain, praised an “incredible” innings from Hashim Amla and the exemplary performance of his bowlers

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2012Graeme Smith, South Africa’s captain, praised an “incredible” innings from Hashim Amla and the exemplary performance of his bowlers after a difficult first day, in condemning England to a huge defeat in the first Test.Smith, playing in his 100th Test, led his team to a victory that puts them 1-0 in the three-match series and takes South Africa a step closer to the No. 1 Test ranking. The tourists had been lacking something on day one, when England racked up 267 for 3, but roared back to dominate the rest of the match.”It’s an extremely proud moment for all of us,” Smith said. “To achieve a victory in what is the first Test of what is a big series, and play as well as we have … in the context of the first innings to come back and win the game is an incredible achievement.”I don’t think we were that terrible on day one, we lacked maybe a little bit of X-factor. We found that on day two, when maybe the conditions suited us. We found the intensity that maybe we lacked, we got a couple of plans right and all credit to our bowlers, they set the tone in this Test match and managed to finish it off on a really good batting wicket.”We felt coming into this Test that we were ready, we just needed to get ourselves into the contest. We managed to do that on day two, each player contributed, it was fantastic the way the guys played. I must give credit to Hash, it was an incredible achievement for him. A performance like that really means a lot to all of us and we’re extremely proud of him.”South Africa must win the series to regain the No. 1 spot they last occupied in 2009. The second Test begins at Headingley on August 2, with Smith hoping to confirm a first series defeat at home for England since South Africa’s last visit four years ago.”We’ve got a batting unit that’s been around for a period of time now, been successful in conditions around the world,” he said. “We know we’re going to Headingley and the conditions are going to be different. The team is very motivated to prepare as well for that Test match and understand it will be different at Headingley and we’ll need to play a slightly different game.”We believe we’ve got the players who can adapt and mentally we’ve got a lot of experience of what we need to do to be successful there.”

Mohnish Mishra, one of the five players suspended by the BCCI pending an inquiry into accusations of corruption, has said that he made the statements recorded during sting operation casually, only with a view to ‘develop his value’

ESPNcricinfo staff16-May-2012Mohnish Mishra, one of the five players suspended by the BCCI pending an inquiry into accusations of corruption, has said that he made the statements recorded during sting operation casually, only with a view to “develop his value”.The television channel had recorded at least three players allegedly seeking more lucrative IPL deals – including extra money that would have violated league regulations – with other franchises through an undercover reporter posing as a sports agent. Following the Indian board’s suspension order, Mishra’s franchise, Pune Warriors, also suspended him.”I sincerely apologise for the embarrassment caused to Sahara [the franchise’ owners] due to such frivolous and incorrect statements,” Mishra reportedly said in a letter addressed to his franchise. “I have not received any amount in cash from Sahara.”Sahara’s Sushanto Roy said in a release that the franchise supported the BCCI’s decision to suspend Mishra. “We strongly condemn his irresponsible conduct, and are suspending him with immediate effect till further investigation happens. He will not take any further part in the IPL. We appreciate the stand taken by the BCCI.”The franchise, Roy said, has not made any extra payment to Mishra or any other player. “We reiterate that Sahara has never paid any amount in cash or otherwise to Mohnish Mishra or any other player, over and above the maximum amount permissible by BCCI, and neither do we believe in this practise of giving black money.”Apart from this accusation, also played a recording of a phone conversation of an alleged current IPL player negotiating a fee for bowling a no-ball, accompanied by footage of a player bowling a big no-ball in a limited-overs match.Along with Mishra, TP Sudhindra, Shalabh Srivastava, Amit Yadav and Abhinav Bali were also linked to the accusations and suspended. The voice in the phone conversation was alleged to be Srivastava’s.Srivastava had said on Wednesday that he is not guilty. “I fail to understand whatever is being said about spot-fixing. Also if they [the channel] are showing all the video clips, why aren’t they showing the clip where I allegedly am demanding Rs 10 lakh?” he told . “The voice in that telephonic conversation is not mine. It is very easy to frame anyone with a doctored audio clip.”Srivastava also said he was not even part of the Kings XI playing squad this season due to a long-standing knee injury. “I have not played for Uttar Pradesh in both the 2011 and 2012 seasons due to a knee injury,” Srivastava told . “I have not been playing IPL matches because of this, I am not even in the squad of 15. I am in Lucknow for the past one month, so how can I fix matches?”I am resting at home so how can I promise somebody to bowl no balls? All allegations against me are false and this is an attempt to destroy my career. I am not even playing, so how can I fix matches? I won’t get intimidated by all this and come out clean. I will present my case in front of BCCI officials, if I am asked to. I have already spoken to Kings XI officials and they have promised to support me through this.”

Some baffling tactical decisions and a powerful century from M Vijay resulted in Delhi Daredevils elimination

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran25-May-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
M Vijay and the rest of Super Kings’ batsmen ransacked the Daredevils bowling•AFPThe questions everyone was asking after the toss were: why is the virtually unknown offspinner Sunny Gupta making his IPL debut in Delhi Daredevils’ biggest game of the season and why was purple cap holder Morne Morkel dropped? The questions resonated through the game and will haunt the Daredevils management for long, as one of the biggest tactical goof-ups in IPL history meant another season of dominance at the league stage ended without a win in the playoffs.M Vijay clubbed a century and Chennai Super Kings took their toll of the weakened Daredevils attack to run up the highest score of the tournament. The decision to leave out Morkel had been based partly on wanting to strengthen an already intimidating batting line-up but the target was too much to ask even of Daredevils’ superstars.Super Kings came into the competition boasting a batting unit littered with match-winners but they rarely clicked together in the league phase. In the playoffs, though, they have been a transformed side. Two days after mauling Mumbai Indians, their batsmen fired again leaving Daredevils bowlers utterly clueless. Gupta was taken for 47 in his three overs and Varun Aaron conceded 63 in his four, the most expensive figures in IPL history.Much of the punishment came at the hands of Vijay, who hasn’t had the best of tournaments. A poor run at the start of the season left him with the unwanted distinction of being the only retained Indian player to be dropped in 2012. Super Kings backed him after leaving him out for a few games, and he repaid the faith with a big-match innings that has put them in their third final in a row.The hammering started in the first over, as Gupta’s first two deliveries were driven to the long-off boundary by Vijay. Normally a player who favours the leg-side, his lofted drives through the off side were the highlight of the innings. Even with Michael Hussey sensibly pushing the ball around and letting Vijay go for the big hits, Super Kings motored to 68 in eight overs.Hussey fell soon after but by the time Virender Sehwag came on to bowl in the 11th, Vijay was unstoppable. That over kickstarted another phase of heavy scoring: first a six to midwicket that was brilliantly caught by Ross Taylor who stepped on the rope as he landed, then a powerful cut behind backward point for four, followed by a boundary to long-on and a six over cow corner. After that second six, Vijay was at such ease that he was sharing a joke with non-striker Suresh Raina. Two overs of mayhem later, when Vijay safely guided a ball to third man, he was gesticulating in frustration for having taken only a single off the delivery.Daredevils didn’t help matters with their shoddy catching. Sehwag was awfully leaden-footed to a miscue from Raina to cover while David Warner, possibly their best fielder, grassed MS Dhoni at long-on. The bowling from Daredevils wasn’t particularly poor – there weren’t too many hit-me full tosses or gifted-away deliveries down the leg side – but was merely run-of-the-mill length stuff that was no worry to Super Kings’ marauders. Morne Morkel’s control was sorely missed.Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo played mini-versions of their powerhouse efforts against Mumbai Indians while Vijay went on to his century, which he celebrated with gusto pointing to the back of his shirt and showing his relief to put an indifferent run firmly behind him.Facing with a massive target, Daredevils had another surprise in store: for the first time this season, Sehwag didn’t open. Mahela Jayawardene came out at the top of the order and, though he stuck around for a characteristically elegant half-century, the game was virtually done within the fourth over of the chase as both Sehwag and David Warner were dismissed.Super Kings’ batting may grab all the headlines, but their fielding has also been top-class this season, highlighted by Vijay’s sharp catch to dismiss Warner and then the running take by Hussey to send back Sehwag.Ross Taylor slogged a couple of sixes over midwicket but his over-reliance on that stroke cost him as he miscued a wide delivery to mid-on. Jayawardene was left with too much to do, and after he was bowled after missing a reverse-sweep, there was no one to stop Daredevils from sliding to the biggest defeat of the season.

ESPNcricinfo previews the third ODI between New Zealand and Zimbabwe in Napier

Firdose Moonda08-Feb-2012Match factsFebruary 9, Napier
Start time 1400 (0100 GMT)Can Malcolm Waller lift a flagging Zimbabwe like he did in Bulawayo in October?•AFPBig PictureNew Zealand have the opportunity to make a statement as loudly as was possible against an opposition that have been overawed, intimidated and just plain outplayed. Victory in Napier will give them their first whitewash in two years and their boldest statement in that time.A whitewash against Zimbabwe will have to be measured in its context, and given the cowering nature of their opposition, that context is not very rich. Still, it has served as the best preparation they can get for the main course – South Africa, whom they play in just over a week’s time.New Zealand have used the series to integrate new players into the side. They settled their batting line-up and rotated their bowlers, to toy with combinations and look ready to launch their new unit into action against one of the best sides in the world.Zimbabwe may be wishing they never left the comfort of Harare but they still have three matches – this ODI and two Twenty20s – to play before they head home. They have not allowed any of their good signs to show on the tour and have been prone to ill-discipline in all three departments. Most worryingly, their lapses in the field are an indicator of how low their confidence has dipped.Energy and commitment in the field has always been a sign of strength for Zimbabwe and a way to measure how positive they were feeling. After numerous dropped catches – including letting all of New Zealand’s top four off the hook in the second match – and misfields it’s clear they are distressed by their poor showing.The only thing they can do is stop it from getting any worse. That does not necessarily mean avoiding defeat but it simply means putting on a respectable showing. In the last match, their target was to bat 50 overs and they did it, they will have to see out the rest of the series with similarly small goals in mind and take satisfaction out of achieving those.Form guideNew Zealand WWLWW (most recent first)
Zimbabwe LLWLLIn the spotlightTarun Nethula has been touted as a potential partner, or even replacement, to Daniel Vettori in the Test arena but John Wright made it clear that he would have to prove himself in the ODI side first. He went wicketless is his first outing, going for 55 runs in his 10 overs in Whangerai, and will want to show his ability to get among the wickets in a three-pronged spin attack in Napier.The last time New Zealand had thumped Zimbabwe in two matches, in October last year, Malcolm Waller stepped up to make sure it didn’t happen a third time. Waller scored a valiant 99 as Zimbabwe chased a record 329 in Bulawayo – their biggest morale booster since making their Test return. He is an aggressive allrounder who is not afraid to hit the ball hard and take the game to the opposition. With the situation Zimbabwe are in now, they will need someone with courage and confidence, two words that perfectly describe Waller.Team newsLeft-armer Michael Bates finally gets his nod in the final 12, with Tim Southee dropping out. Legspinner Tarun Nethula is likely to get a second match, which would mean Kyle Mills sits out. Nathan McCullum will be back in the starting XI in place of the injured Dean Brownlie, who has a fractured finger.New Zealand: (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Rob Nicol, 3 Brendon McCullum (capt & wk), 4 Kane Williamson, 5 Tom Latham, 6 Nathan McCullum, 7 Andrew Ellis, 8 Jacob Oram, 9 Tarun Nethula 10 Doug Bracewell, 11 Michael BatesAfter a second opening flop, Zimbabwe may want to tinker with the top two and bring in Tino Mawoyo and the expense of one of Stuart Matsikenyeri or Hamilton Masakadza. They are likely to go in with a similar bowling attack, the only probable change being Keegan Meth in for one of Elton Chigumbura or Prosper Utseya.Zimbabwe: (probable) 1 Stuart Matsikenyeri/Tino Mawoyo, 2 Hamilton Masakadza, 3 Regis Chakabva, 4 Brendan Taylor (capt), 5 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 6 Malcolm Waller, 7 Elton Chigumbura, 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Shingi Masakadza, 10 Ray Price, 11 Kyle JarvisPitch and conditionsDescribed by locals as a “typical McLean Park belter”, the strip is expected to be packed with runs. The weather is expected to be mostly sunny with a high of 24 degrees Celsius.Stats and trivia The last time New Zealand whitewashed a team was when they beat Bangladesh 3-0 in the 2009-10 season at home. Tatenda Taibu will play his 150th ODI in Napier.Quotes”We started incredibly well the other day, so if we can get some partnerships at the top it puts us in a position where we can be a little bit more flexible and try to attack at certain times.”