Tom Latham, New Zealand’s wicketkeeper-batsman, has said that his main goal is to make the 2015 World Cup which will be held in Australia and New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2012Tom Latham, the New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman, has said that though he has made the ODI and T20 squad for the upcoming Caribbean tour, he will have to compete with the likes of BJ Watling for a role in the side in the future.Latham, who scored 79 from three innings in his debut ODI series against Zimbabwe earlier this year, said that he hoped to repay the selectors’ confidence in him with a solid performance in the Caribbean. “I don’t see myself as the number one keeper at the moment,” Latham told , “but it’s always good to have to make tours, when they look at the make up of the side, as a backup keeper.”Latham, 20, he wasn’t going to focus on becoming a specialist batsman. “I’m definitely keen to keep the wicketkeeping going. It’s between me and BJ I think. They (the selectors) have said I’m a keeping option and I will be doing as much as I can to keep that going, because as my dad (former New Zealand batsman Rod Latham) said ‘it’s just another string to the bow’.”He said that the series against Zimbabwe gave him the confidence to compete on an international stage. “It was pretty exciting,” he said. “I know it was only Zimbabwe but it was still international cricket and being around the guys like Brendon (McCullum), who I really looked up to growing up, was pretty cool.”Though Latham was not picked for the series against South Africa, in March, selectors named him in both the T20 and ODI squad for the Caribbean tour in July. “I want to cement myself in the New Zealand side and play as much cricket for them in all three forms. My main goal at the moment is working towards the 2015 World Cup (in Australia and New Zealand).”New Zealand will play two T20 internationals in Florida, as part of their joint venture with USA Cricket, and will play five ODIs and two Tests on the Caribbean tour which begins on July 5.Edited by Carlyle Laurie

The preview of the second ODI between Sri Lanka and India in Hambantota

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria23-Jul-2012

Match facts

Tuesday, July 24
Start time 1430 (0900 GMT)Thisara Perera will have a bigger role in Nuwan Kulasekara’s absence•AFP

Big Picture

In the latter stages of the first ODI, Sri Lanka’s lower-order batsmen made a push towards the target of 315, but their attempt was too late. The hosts lost by 21 runs but that late charge revealed the fragility of India’s bowling attack, which depends heavily on the batsmen to provide a cushion of runs. When the teams meet again in Hambantota on Tuesday, Sri Lanka’s batsmen will want to time their acceleration better.Bowling has been India’s weaker suit for a while and Sri Lanka’s opportunity lies in exploiting the rustiness that may linger after a six-week break. Apart from Irfan Pathan and R Ashwin, the other Indian bowlers were expensive in the first ODI, but Sri Lanka lost momentum when Kumar Sangakkara had to stabilise the innings. Zaheer Khan bowled some good balls, but also many easy ones. Umesh Yadav generated pace but lacked direction and Pragyan Ojha was worked around. Sri Lanka could take a cue from the way Thisara Perera attacked to plan their comeback.India, on the other hand, will back their strong suit – the batting – to deliver consistently and make up for the weakness in their bowling.

Form guide

(Completed games, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LWWWL
India WWLWW

Watch out for…

In Kulasekara’s absence, Thisara Perera will share the responsibility of leading the bowling attack along with Lasith Malinga. Perera took three wickets in the first ODI and also scored a 28-ball 44 that gave Sri Lanka a glimmer of hope during the chase. At No. 8, though, his skills may be underused.After an indifferent IPL, Virat Kohli started the new season where he had left the old one. Four centuries in five innings – three of them against Sri Lanka – means the Sri Lanka bowlers need to find a way to get past him to test the rest.

Team news

Sri Lanka have included fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep in the squad as a replacement for the injured Nuwan Kulasekara but it is the left-armer Isuru Udana who is likely to make an ODI debut.Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Isuru Udana, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Rangana HerathIndia have a settled batting order, which allowed then to play a fifth bowler in Pathan, who bowled economically in the first ODI. Rohit Sharma squandered another opportunity, but India are unlikely to change much so early in the season.India: (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Pragyan Ojha.

Stats and trivia

• The overall bowling averages of India and Sri Lanka in the last 12 months – 36.43 and 37.97 – are just above that of Zimbabwe in one-day internationals.
• Malinga had an economy of 5.36 in the last 12 months; against India, though, it was 7.52.
• Kohli’s ODI average is 51.33, but it drops to 29.15 in 14 matches in Sri Lanka.

Quotes

“I guess IPL has been a factor. The Indian players have played a lot against Malinga. But that doesn’t mean that he is bad bowler. He can destroy any opposition on a given day.”

“It was important for us to set up a platform and [so] Sanga [Sangakkara] was trying to build an innings. [But] We never had momentum going into the last 10 overs. We’ll try to refocus and come back strong.”

Chris Gayle, the West Indies batsman, has emphasised the need for a good start for his team in the upcoming five-match ODI series against New Zealand starting in Jamaica

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jul-2012Chris Gayle, the West Indies batsman, has emphasised the need for his team to start the upcoming five-match ODI series against New Zealand on a winning note. West Indies are fresh from a Twenty20 series win over New Zealand in Florida, with Gayle in impressive form, having struck three half-centuries since his return to the side.”The start to this series is very important,” Gayle said on the eve of the first ODI in Jamaica. “From a personal point of view, I want to do well in my home town. I will just look at it as another game. I will look to give the team a good start, look to see what the bowlers are doing, and once I get set, look to capitalise and make it count.”Gayle admitted he’d been relatively slow to start an innings before going on to dominate, something he also experienced in the IPL. “I don’t know why that has been happening. If I get a bad ball early, that can give me the momentum to be more attacking. If that doesn’t happen, you had to adapt to the situation, get the feel and know what the ball is doing. Sometimes as a batsman, things go your way from ball one.”The track at Sabina Park, Gayle said, promised a lot of runs. “The pitch looks good … [it] should be a very good track for batting. I believe there could be some assistance for the fast bowlers early on as well and at some stage you could expect the spinners to come into play. I have played here many times and I’m accustomed to the conditions so we know what to expect.”The last time I walked off Sabina Park I was raising my bat after I got 165 for Jamaica against Windward Islands. That people of Jamaica have not had cricket at Sabina for a while so it is good to have cricket come back to Jamaica. I would love to get a hundred here and raise my bat again.”West Indies were beaten in their previous ODI series, against England, and Darren Sammy, their captain, said there were areas, even in the T20 wins against New Zealand, his team had to improve in. “We’re looking for consistency,” Sammy said. “For the past few series we haven’t started well. In the first game, we bowled a few boundary balls. We started off the overs well, and eased off the pressure in the fifth and sixth balls.”

ESPNcricinfo’s preview of the 2nd SLPL semi-final between Nagenahira Nagas and Kandurata Warriors

The Preview by Andrew Fernando29-Aug-2012

Match facts

Thisara Perera has starred with the bat but Warriors will need him to come good with the ball as well•Ron Gaunt/SPORTZPICS/SLPL

Nagenahira Nagas v Kandurata Warriors, SLPL 2nd semi final
August 29, R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)

Big Picture

Nagenahira Nagas’ four wins in the round-robin have largely followed the same blueprint: the bowling has rallied around Shaminda Eranga, whose quality of performance has closely aligned with the team’s, and when batting, the Nagas have relied on strong contributions from the openers and Angelo Mathews, who has been in fine finishing touch. In the two matches where they have been forced to stray from this gameplan, however, things have come unstuck. In Pallekele, a Mahela Jayawardene special left Eranga and company in tatters, before Uthura Rudras decimated the top order in the next match in Colombo. The Nagas have been impressive despite lacking the kind of marquee players the other teams boast, but they have also been dependant on a few key performers to lift the side.Kandurata Warriors have also relied on a strong attack to put them in the semi-finals, but will be without their player of the tournament Sohail Tanvir, who is in the UAE on national duty, along with their best spinner Saeed Ajmal. The batting is also a concern, particularly as captain Sanath Jayasuriya has been a passenger in the top order. If Thilan Samaraweera can produce another surprisingly explosive start, the Warriors will have a foundation for attacking finisher Thisara Perera to work with.

Round robin results

Nagenahira Nagas
Beat: Ruhuna Royals, Kandurata Warriors, Basnahira Cricket Dundee, Uva Next
Lost to: Wayamba United, Uthura Rudras

Kandurata Warriors
Beat: Uthura Rudras, Ruhuna Royals, Wayamba United
Lost to: Nagenahira Nagas, Basnahira Cricket Dundee
Drew with: Uva Next (match abandoned without a ball being bowled)

Watch out for

Angelo Mathews has shepherded three chases so far, and with the Nagas lacking much in the way of firepower in the middle order, he will have to play a key role if his side is to win the competition. Mathews’ reputation as a leader has also been enhanced through the SLPL, as he has marshalled an inexperienced attack successfully. If he can continue to mix his bowlers up effectively and chip in with economical overs of his own, Nagas’ bowling will remain the strength it has been so far.In the absence of Tanvir and Ajmal, Thisara Perera must now don the responsibility of spearheading the Warriors attack, in a tournament that is yet to see the best of him with the ball. He has been a vastly improved bowler for Sri Lanka over the past twelve months, but the steady seamers that have brought him international success have sometimes been wayward in the SLPL. He has, however, been Warriors’ best batsman, and has rescued the side after an early collapse more than once.

Team news

Mushfiqur Rahim has been among the tidiest wicketkeepers in the tournament, and has contributed with the bat as well. He missed the final round-robin game through injury but the Nagas will be hoping he is fit to play on Wednesday.Nagenahira Nagas: (probable) 1 Imran Nazir, 2 Ahmed Shehzad/ Udara Jayasundera, 3 Travis Birt, 4 Angelo Mathews (capt), 5 TM Sampath (wk)/Musfiqur Rahim (wk), 6 Colin de Grandhomme, 7 Angelo Perera, 8 Suraj Randiv, 9 Shaminda Eranga, 10 Kanishka Alvitigala, 11 Ajantha Mendis
In addition to the Pakistan players, the Warriors have also lost Scott Styris to the Friends Life Twenty20 competition in England, and if he does not return in time, the Warriors face the uncomfortable situation of only having two overseas players to field in the semi-final.Kandurata Warriors: (probable) 1 Thilan Samaraweera, 2 Tharanga Paranavitana, 3 Sanath Jayasuriya (capt), 4 Chris Lynn, 5 Scott Styris/ Jeevantha Kulatunga, 6 Thisara Perera, 7 Kaushal Silva (wk), 8 Kaushal Lokuarachchi, 9 John Hastings, 10 Kosala Kulasekara, 11 Chanaka Welegedara

Quotes

“We don’t have big name players, but we play as a team and I think that’s our biggest strength. We’ve proven that we can take on teams with the big players.”
“I’ve worked hard to improve my power and my range of scoring shots, so it’s good to see it paying off.”

India could take heart, confidence and bragging rights after an overwhelming victory over England in their Group A game in Colombo

The Report by George Dobell23-Sep-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHarbhajan Singh took four wickets and was named Man of the Match on his first game for India in over a year•Getty Images

The result may not have great significance in this World Twenty20 but India could take heart, confidence and bragging rights after an overwhelming victory over England in their Group A game in Colombo. England’s confidence, meanwhile, must have been crushed after a defeat that can only be described as humiliating.Both teams had already qualified for the Super Eight stage of the tournament and this result made no difference to the opposition they will face in those games. But, by inflicting such a resounding defeat on the reigning champions and No. 1-rated T20I side, India underlined the impression they have the personnel to challenge anyone in this competition.India, despite resting three members of their first choice side, won by 90 runs with England’s enduring fallibility against spin bowling exposed in brutal fashion once again. Bear in mind that these two teams face each other in a four-Test series in India in the coming months and alarm bells will surely be ringing at Lord’s.England’s first error was to misread the pitch. While India included two specialist spinners, England dropped Samit Patel to make way for the extra seam option of Tim Bresnan. Their ploy of testing the India batsmen with short deliveries was met with a series of cut and pulls that suggested either that England’s bowlers – Steven Finn apart – lack the pace for such a ploy, or that, in these conditions anyway, the reputation of Indian batsmen as flat-track bullies has been greatly exaggerated. The truth probably lies somewhere between the two conclusions.But the defining feature of this match was England’s inability to combat spin bowling. India’s two frontline spinners claimed six wickets for 25 runs in eight overs as England collapsed from 39 for 2 to 60 for 9. At that stage, England were in danger of being dismissed for the lowest T20I score – beating the 67 by Kenya against Ireland – before a last-wicket stand of 20 prevented that one indignity. Still, England’s final total of 80 was their lowest in T20Is, surpassing the 88 they managed against West Indies at The Oval in 2011. The margin of defeat is also the largest, in terms of runs, England have suffered in T20Is and the largest victory inflicted by India.England were struggling even before the introduction of spin. Set 171 to win, a total some way above par on a pitch that was just a little slower than anticipated and did not allow England any time to settle in, they lost Alex Hales in the first over, bowled by inswing as he attempted to heave one over the leg side, before Luke Wright fell in the third over, attempting to pull a delivery too full for the stroke.It was MS Dhoni’s decision to introduce the spin of Harbhajan Singh in the Powerplay that precipitated England’s decline. Harbhajan, playing his first international game for more than a year, produced a wicket maiden to start – Eoin Morgan was bowled by a quicker arm-ball as he made room to cut – before Bresnan top-edged a sweep, Jos Buttler gave himself room but missed and Graeme Swann skipped down the wicket and missed a doosra. Harbhajan finished with 4 for 12, the best figures by an Indian bowler in T20Is.

Smart stats

• The 90-run win is India’s largest in Twenty20 internationals. Their previous best win (in terms of runs) was the 39-run triumph over Sri Lanka in 2012. The defeat is also England’s worst defeat surpassing the 84-run loss to South Africa in 2009.

• England’s total of 80 is their lowest ever in Twenty20 internationals. Their previous lowest was 88 against West Indies in 2011.

• Harbhajan Singh’s 4 for 12 is the best bowling performance by an Indian bowler in Twenty20 internationals surpassing RP Singh’s 4 for 13 against South Africa in 2007. Harbhajan’s performance is also the fifth-best in the World Twenty20.

• The economy rate of the Indian spinners (3.11) is the third-lowest in an innings in Twenty20 internationals (minimum 48 balls bowled).

• Rohit Sharma’s 55 is his second-highest score in Twenty20 internationals. It is also his fifth fifty-plus score overall and his first such score against England.

Piyush Chawla also enjoyed England’s clueless batting. Jonny Bairstow, reading the googly as if it were in Greek, missed a slog-sweep, while Craig Kieswetter, his foot nowhere near the pitch of the ball, was undone by a legbreak and edged to slip. It was, by any standards, a dreadful performance with the bat.Earlier Rohit Sharma helped India plunder 51 from the final four overs of the innings after it appeared they had squandered a decent start. Sharma, who has endured some miserable form in recent times, produced a powerful innings of 55 in 33 balls to lead India to 170 for 4 in their 20 overs.While a partnership of 57 in 7.5 overs between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir had built India a strong platform of 80 for 1 after 10 overs, a tight spell of bowling from Swann arrested their progress. Kohli, in particular, looked in sparkling form. He got off the mark with consecutive boundaries through the covers: the first a gorgeous, front-foot drive off Finn; the second a punch off the back foot off Stuart Broad. Bresnan’s attempts to intimidate him with the short ball were met by an upper cut and then a pull for boundaries.Gambhir lost little by comparison. He took successive boundaries off Jade Dernbach in the second over of the innings, first pulling a long-hop through midwicket before guiding a wider ball to point, while throwing his hands whenever offered any width and crashing boundaries through point off Finn and Broad.Kohli gave one desperately difficult chance. On 25 he came down the wicket and, with that characteristic flick of the wrist, cracked Broad over midwicket where a leaping Swann could only get his fingertips on the ball as it raced to the boundary.Swann was the one man to apply some control for England. Coming on after the six Powerplay overs had realised 52 runs for the loss of one wicket, his four overs conceded just 17 runs and produced the key wicket of Kohli who, beaten in the flight, lofted his attempted on-drive to deep midwicket.It might have been better for Swann. Had wicketkeeper Kieswetter been able to gather cleanly, Gambhir might have been stumped on 26 with the score on 80 for 1. The batsman, deceived in the flight, was drawn down the wicket and stranded when Swann beat him but Kieswetter could only deflect the ball and allowed India to steal a bye.Still, Swann’s spell and the wicket of Kohli slowed India’s run rate. From the halfway stage of the innings they were able to add only 39 from the next six overs as Broad shuffled his bowlers – England’s captain bowled his four overs in four separate spells – to good effect.The final four overs of the India innings brought 51 runs, however. First Rohit Sharma gave himself some room and dabbed a short ball from Broad over the vacant first slip area to the boundary before, next delivery, he took advantage of the short fine leg to pull another short delivery behind square to the boundary. In all the over cost 13.It signalled the acceleration from India. Dhoni punished a full toss from Dernbach through the covers, before Sharma hit two more full tosses – one from Bresnan the other from Dernbach – for four and six to third man and point respectively. Sharma brought up his 50 – from just 31 balls – with a sweep off another full toss from Dernbach.While Dhoni was brilliantly caught in the final over – Buttler, on the boundary, took the catch but, feeling himself falling over the boundary, threw the ball to Hales who completed the dismissal – the damage had been done. England’s bowlers, who contributed eight wides and a plethora of full tosses and short balls, might not attract the criticism of their batting colleagues, but they were little more impressive.

ESPNcricinfo previews the first ODI between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Pallekele

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran31-Oct-2012

Match facts

November 1, 2012
Start time 0900 local (1430 GMT)Weather remains the big concern ahead of another game in Pallekele•Associated Press

Big picture

Cricket fans in Sri Lanka must be fed up with the weather. Over the last few months, it has become a habit to keep one eye on the sky. When Pakistan arrived late May, the first two T20s in Hambantota went smoothly without a cloud around. It was hardly a sign of things to come as the teams made their way away from the dry zone for the rest of the series. The groundstaff were on their toes through the ODIs and Tests against Pakistan, the SLPL and the World Twenty20. In fact, the SLPL final itself had a farcical end because of the elements.Questions were raised as to why administrators in their wisdom would think of organising series during the monsoon. But the current congested cricket calendar doesn’t offer much choice. With leagues like the SLPL being shoehorned whenever there is a gap, the weather patterns for those specific weeks seem irrelevant. All one can do is hope for the best.The pattern didn’t change when New Zealand arrived in Pallekele for the one-off Twenty20. Everyone saw it coming – soon after the World Twenty20, rains swept the country. The game got off to a delayed start and only 14 overs were possible in the first innings, as New Zealand limped to 74 for 7. Sri Lanka could only play two overs before the weather had the final say. The forecast isn’t encouraging for Thursday’s first ODI either, at the same venue.The tour, for all practical purposes, is yet to begin. New Zealand shouldn’t read too much into their showing on Tuesday, despite their familiarity with the venue during the World Twenty20. They were put into bat on a damp pitch which hadn’t been exposed to prolonged sunshine in the lead-up. Any batting side would have been challenged in conditions like that. The pitch was under the covers through the eve of the match and another seaming pitch is expected.Sri Lanka have had a mixed year as far as ODIs are concerned. Despite the highs of reaching the CB Series final in Australia, and beating a strong Pakistan 3-1 at home, the losses have outnumbered the wins (16 to 11). They fell well short of expectations when India visited for a short series and one of the main factors then was the way the Indians got on top of their best bowler, Lasith Malinga. The upcoming five matches are the only remaining ODIs the team will play this year before heading to Australia. It’s a chance to improve their record, if the weather permits.Another aspect to look forward to, from the point of view of ODIs in general, is the new rules introduced by the ICC recently. Bowlers will be allowed two bouncers an over and the Powerplay overs have been culled by five. Besides the mandatory ten Powerplay overs at the start of the innings, the remaining five should be taken by the batting side before the 40th over, with a maximum of three fielders allowed during the batting Powerplay.

Form guide

(Completed matches, most recent first)Sri Lanka : LLLWL
New Zealand: LLWLL

Player to watch

Jeevan Mendis has proven to be a useful allrounder in Sri Lanka’s limited-overs plans over the last few months. The home series against India in July was his most productive with the bat, with scores of 45* and 72 in the lower middle-order. He has played an effective supporting role to the specialists with his clean hitting in the death overs and legspinners.Nathan McCullum has just tasted victory in the Champions League and his confidence is high after playing a leading role in Sydney Sixers’ crushing win against Lions. McCullum is no stranger to opening with the new ball. His captain Brad Haddin sensed that spin was the way to go, and McCullum responded with 3 for 24 to wreck the top order. If he can be as effective against the likes of Tillakaratne Dilshan, it could give New Zealand early momentum.

Teams news

The fast bowler Adam Milne has been ruled out of the game because of a stomach bug.New Zealand (likely) 1 Rob Nicol, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Brendon McCullum, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Kane Williamson, 6 James Franklin, 7 Jacob Oram, 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Ronnie HiraSri Lanka will be boosted by the return of the regular captain Mahela Jayawardene and Malinga, who were rested from the T20. Given the seaming conditions, Sri Lanka may play just one specialist spinner, among Rangana Herath and Akila Dananjaya.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Dinesh Chandimal/Lahiru Thirimanne, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Rangana Herath/Akila Dananjaya, 11 Lasith Malinga

Stats and trivia

Delhi and Tamil Nadu, both on equal points at this stage, take on each other in the Ranji Trophy group match at Kotla

Sharda Ugra23-Nov-2012On most occasions and in many ways, Delhi and Tamil Nadu have little in common. When they meet at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Saturday, though, much around them will be similar. This will be the fourth Ranji Trophy group stage game for both sides. Not only are they on equal points, Delhi and Tamil Nadu could also be equally piqued at having come away from one draw with a single point.Tamil Nadu’s opening match against Odisha in Cuttack had the better part of the game washed away due to rain. In their last match, Delhi couldn’t get across the line to snatch the first-innings points against an obdurate Baroda at home.The sole point of difference, though, is that Tamil Nadu have not been beaten this season. Delhi, a full-strength one no less, were defeated by UP in their season-opener in Ghaziabad. The best way for Delhi to put up any gap on the points table between the visitors and themselves is an outright win. Delhi certainly have the bowlers to do it; their most experienced and skillful, Ashish Nehra, however is an uncertain starter, even though he trained with the team on the eve of the match.Delhi’s winter has set in and theoretically, seaming conditions are said to be on offer in the first session of play. The main question, though, will be about which kind of Kotla pitch turns up at the game on Saturday: the familiar 22 yards that are respectfully built over a medieval graveyard or the oft-promised-but-never-seen Gabba-model with bounce and carry?In the past few seasons, when seeking an advantage for their seamers or getting their ground ready for an international fixture, Delhi have often shifted their Ranji venue to the Roshanara Club north of the city said to have the liveliest of pitches in the city. But no more, they say, because results have not really gone in the home team’s favour. Of the nine matches played at Roshanara, for which the DDCA has had to pay the private club a daily fee, Delhi have won merely three. Of the three matches played after that last win in December 2010, Delhi have been beaten by Railways, and have drawn against Mumbai and Haryana. It would appear that Roshanara has now lost its allure. All it remains now is for Kotla to gain some.Delhi have increased their squad to 15 with the introduction of Vaibhav Raval, who has scored three consecutive centuries for Delhi under-25s. At the time of reporting, M Vijay had not yet been released from Indian team to play for Tamil Nadu.

Round-up of the third round of the Logan Cup matches

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2012
ScorecardA century by Mark Vermeulen and an effective second-innings bowling performance led to Mid West Rhinos’ 323-run victory over Mashonaland Eagles in Harare. The contest was even after the first innings, with Rhinos gaining a slender lead of 20 runs. But Vermeulen, opener Vusi Sibanda – who scored 89 – and captain Brendon Taylor guided them to 433 for 7 before declaring the innings 25 overs into the final session on the third day. Eagles were derailed by six wickets from seamers Neville Madziva and Ed Rainsford, and folded after 46 overs on the final day.After being put in to bat, Rhinos were struggling after regular strikes from Eagles but half-centuries from Vermeulen and Simon Mugava, and a knock of 42 from middle-order batsman Malcolm Waller, guided them to 265. Eagles’ reply progressed similarly as No. 7 Prosper Utseya, who scored 77, No. 9 Kyle Jarvis, who had taken four wickets earlier, and opener Chamu Chibhabha led them to 245. Seamer Michael Chinouya claimed five wickets, following on from the ten-for he took against Rocks last week.The balance of the game shifted when a 144-run second-wicket stand between Sibanda and Vermeulen was followed by a 134-run stand between Vermeulen and Taylor. At 304 for 2, Rhinos were in a position to set a huge target for their opponents, which was ultimately 435. Eagles couldn’t bat to save the game or try for an improbable win, and ended up crashing to a big defeat.
ScorecardAn unbeaten 188 and five wickets by allrounder Glen Querl helped Matabeleland Tuskers to an easy ten-wicket victory in Bulawayo. A 228-run first-innings lead, helped by Querl’s ton and seamer Chris Mpofu’s six wickets, helped them gain the big win despite a strong second innings by Rocks.Mpofu ran through the top order and the lower order to help dismiss Rocks for 152 in their first innings. The last six wickets fell for 21 runs.Tuskers built on that performance to set a strong total. Querl, who came in to bat at No. 3, played an aggressive knock, making his first first-class century and led Tuskers to a massive lead. He scored at a strike-rate of 84.68 and ran out of partners, remaining unbeaten 12 short of his double-century. His two major partnerships, both worth more than a 100 runs, came with opener Terry Duffin, and with wicketkeeper Charles Coventry.Rocks were in danger of losing by an innings but that didn’t happen thanks to a much-improved batting performance in the second innings. Wicketkeeper Richmond Mutumbami and Prince Masvaure scored half-centuries, with Masvaure remaining unbeaten at the end of the innings. However, with no one going on to score a big century, the small target of 65 wasn’t going to challenge Tuskers, who eclipsed it without the loss of any wicket in the 16th over of their innings.

As England threatened to suffer only their fourth wicketless day in Test history, England’s bowling coach, David Saker, must have been tempted by the vacant director of cricket role at Warwickshire

George Dobell in Nagpur15-Dec-2012On wearing days in India like this, with England for a long period looking as if they would spend a day in the field without taking a wicket for just the fourth time in their history, their bowling coach David Saker could be forgiven for contemplating different challenges.Like the chance, for instance, to replace Ashley Giles as Warwickshire’s director of cricket. Saker has not applied for the position, but he has confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he would be interested in exploring the opportunity if he was approached. Warwickshire are understood to be keen to talk.”In many ways it would be ideal for me,” Saker said. “But I have an amazing job with England that I love and I would hate to leave it before the 2015 World Cup. Maybe it comes a couple of years early, but I would love to have a conversation with them.”The attraction for both parties is obvious. Saker, appointed as England bowling coach in April 2010, is highly regarded in the England set-up, has an excellent relationship with England’s Warwickshire duo of Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott and is keen to broaden his coaching horizons beyond the limits of specialised bowling coaching.He also lives near Birmingham and has a young family that he sees all too infrequently due to the demands of touring – the same sort of personal issues which caused England’s coach, Andy Flower, to negotiate his withdrawal from day-to-day involvement in the limited-overs formats.A straight-talking, good-natured Australian whose ability to mentor and communicate with players is in contrast to some modern, laptop-based coaches, he would appear to be a very good catch.

Bear fight: who will succeed Giles?

Andy Moles aged 51
First-class career: 1986-1997 (230 matches)
A highly experienced coach, Moles was also part of the highly successful Warwickshire team of the mid-90s and came close to being appointed director of cricket after the departure of John Inverarity at the end of 2005. Although he has enjoyed relatively successful spells as an international coach with Kenya, Scotland and New Zealand, all have ended under a cloud. While his experience and passion for the club should be a major advantage, some perceived baggage might – perhaps unfairly – count against him.
Dougie Brown 43
First-class career: 1989-2007 (209 matches)
As an allrounder, Brown played ODIs for England and Scotland and won multiple trophies in a long career with Warwickshire. He coached Namibia in the 2003 World Cup and moved into a coaching role at Edgbaston – as academy and assistant coach – following his retirement as a player in 2007. Hugely popular with players and supporters at the club, he was short-listed for the role of England bowling coach in 2010.
Graeme Welch 40
First-class career: 1994-2006 (171 matches)
Probably the favourite for the role. Welch, a former allrounder with Warwickshire and Derbyshire, has made an excellent impression as bowling coach with Warwickshire and is credited for the development of the club’s coterie of fine fast bowlers. A lack of coaching experience with batsmen may count against him, but Welch is well-liked by Warwickshire’s players and is believed to have been one of two options chosen by Giles, to succeed him.
David Saker 46
First-class career: 1994-2003 (72 matches)
The England bowling coach cites the Warwickshire role as his ideal job. Close to his home and offering the opportunity to broaden his coaching experience beyond the role of being a specialist with bowlers, the role would also enable Saker to limit his touring commitments. His lack of Warwickshire pedigree may be a major impediment, but Saker is close to the club’s England duo Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott and has developed an excellent reputation in his role with England.

Warwickshire have attracted several other very good candidates. The 2012 county champions have an excellent stadium, a strong squad and, despite a difficult year financially, pay well.Giles, who resigned to become England’s limited-overs coach in the New Year, is known to have favoured an internal appointment – probably the club’s current bowling coach, Graeme Welch or perhaps the club’s academy coach Dougie Brown – but the chief executive, Colin Povey is keen to explore the market in more detail.Povey was reluctant to be drawn on the subject but, when asked about Saker replied: “People have to pick up phones and have conversations.”Saker’s departure would be a blow to England. Not only do the bowlers speak highly of his help in analysing opposition batsmen’s weaknesses, but it was Saker who instigated the successful recall of Chris Tremlett ahead of the Ashes of 2010-11 and Saker who is credited with helping Steven Finn develop from a promising but raw youngster into a world-class fast bowler. England’s record this year is far from unblemished but, with one or two exceptions, it has been the batsmen who have let the bowlers down.His departure to follow that of Flower would be unlikely to destabilise a settled dressing room unduly, but it might serve as a warning to the ECB about the unsustainable burden they are placing on the shoulders of players and coaches in expecting them to fulfil a relentless international schedule.England’s touring programme might also limit the number of potential candidates applying to replace Saker. It just may be that Giles’ relationship with Welch, the former Derbyshire and Warwickshire allrounder who has performed such sterling work developing Warwickshire’s excellent crop of fast bowlers, could effectively engineer a job swap: Saker to Warwickshire and Welch to England.There is little Saker could have told his bowlers that would have made much difference on the third day at Nagpur. England did not bowl badly. They simply came up against admirably determined opposition on a desperately slow wicket. James Anderson and Graeme Swann, in particular, could feel pretty satisfied with their performance, if not the results of it, though concerns remain about Tim Bresnan’s form.

Michael Clarke has defended Australia’s selection process throughout the summer, declaring that the policy of resting players with minor niggles made sense due to the evenness of Australia’s talent base

Brydon Coverdale17-Jan-2013Michael Clarke has defended Australia’s selection process throughout the summer, declaring that the policy of resting players with minor niggles made sense due to the evenness of Australia’s talent base. Clarke has returned to the one-day team for the third match against Sri Lanka in Brisbane on Friday after being left out of the first two games to rest his hamstring.It was one of several times during the summer that Australia omitted men who could have played but were kept on the sidelines as injury precautions. Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus sat out of the Perth Test against South Africa after their heavy workloads in the previous Test, and with both men suffering minor injuries, and a month later Mitchell Starc was rested from the Boxing Day Test, although it was not until this week that it was revealed he had bone spurs in his ankle.Clarke conceded that at times during this season the public had not been made aware of injury niggles to players who were rested, although he said the team was wary of revealing information that might be used by the opposition. However, he said all the decisions made by the selection panel made sense given what the selectors knew about the players’ fitness levels.”There’s a lot that is spoken about within the group that people outside the group probably aren’t aware of,” Clarke told reporters in Brisbane. “We’ve probably seen some cases throughout the past 12 months where guys have not been 100% fit or had little niggles that probably haven’t been communicated as well as they needed to be to the media, and in essence to the public.”The Perth Test match was a great example. Call it resting Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus [but] the facts were they just weren’t fit enough to perform at their best. The two guys who we brought in for Siddle and Hilfenhaus [John Hastings and Mitchell Johnson], we were confident that they could do a better job at 100% than those guys at 70 or 80%.”Such decisions have brought severe criticism from a range of former players this summer, including Shane Warne, Brett Lee and Ian Chappell. But Clarke said he believed rotating out players who had minor injury worries made sense in the current era, whereas during the days when Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting were in charge of a dominant side, it would not have been a sensible move.”The issue where the Australian team now is compared to where it was ten years ago, is ten years ago you had four, five, six, seven great players in one team, so if they were 80% fit, they were still good enough to win a game for Australia,” Clarke said. “Where we sit now as a team is, it’s a lot different to that.”The gap between the 11 players that take the field and the 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th player is quite close, so if you’re not 100% fit to perform at your best, it’s not worth the risk for the team for you to take to the field and let the team down.”What the public wants to see is the best possible Australian team on the field, every game, and honestly I think we’re trying to do that. I really do. I think the risk of playing someone when they’re not 100% fit, if they do get injured, can put them out for six weeks, six months.”