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It’s been a rarity in recent times to see a full-strength India XI on the field during a Test match. At the Motera stadium on Thursday, MS Dhoni may finally be able to call on the best available, and with no injuries or niggles to complain of on the eve of the game, it was a prospect that he was looking forward to. “We have important series coming up,” he said. “After this, we go to South Africa and then we have the World Cup. If you see the last few series we’ve played, more often than not we’ve missed key players.”The lack of continuity has been most keenly felt in the pace-bowling department. Zaheer Khan missed the three Tests in Sri Lanka, but has otherwise shouldered most of the pace burden, with no consistency at the other end. “Fast bowling is a demanding job,” Dhoni said. “If a batsman is only 70 or 80 percent, you can still gamble and play him, but with a fast bowler you can’t do that, especially when you’re playing with two seamers and two spinners. If you’re missing one bowler, it gets very difficult to get through 90 overs in a day.”New Zealand have lost eight of their last 15 Tests, and won only two, and were blanked 4-0 in a one-day series in Bangladesh recently. But according to Dhoni, there was no danger of India disrespecting their opponents or taking victory for granted. “It will be a big mistake to take any side lightly,” he said. “They’ve got players who have performed everywhere they have played. Whatever happened [to New Zealand] in Bangladesh, we’re not really thinking about that.”His own side have been ranked No.1 for nearly a year now and haven’t lost a series since Sri Lanka in 2008. “Over the last couple of years, we’ve done well abroad too,” said Dhoni when asked if he felt more pressure on home turf. “That’s one thing with the Indian cricket team. The expectation level keeps on going up. It never comes down. Once you achieve a certain level, you’re expected to maintain that or do better as a team. I think Indian cricketers have done well to manage the expectations and the extra pressure.”It doesn’t matter if you’re playing Australia, New Zealand or Bangladesh. We set ourselves short-term goals. When it comes to a particular game, a lot depends on the toss.”Talk of the No.1 ranking was greeted with the usual nonchalance. “Winning games is closer [to my heart],” he said. “When you win games, the ratings take care of themselves. What the players and support staff are bothered about is how we do on the field, whether we’ve prepared well and planned for the opposition. At times in international cricket, you will be outplayed. But if you’ve done everything that you can, we accept that.”He did suggest, however, that the winning habit did much for team spirit. “When a team has lost a few games and pressure is applied, if they don’t start well, they tend to fragment or go in different directions,” said Dhoni. “When a team’s used to winning, it sticks together and waits for an opportunity to do well or go back into a game.”That has been illustrated in each of India’s last three Tests, when they’ve had to chase in excess of 200 to win games. At the P Sara Oval and the Chinnaswamy Stadium, they did so comfortably. At Mohali, VVS Laxman’s genius helped them creep over the line in an incredibly tense finish. “I would certainly love to win the toss [laughs], but that’s one good thing that has happened,” he said. “In the fourth innings, batsmen have to play cautiously and even if set, one odd delivery can get you. It adds to the confidence of the batting unit.”The one man in that unit under a little pressure is Rahul Dravid, who hasn’t had the best time of it in 2010. “He’s a great player, and has always bounced back from situations like these,” said Dhoni. “Once he’s set, we’re hoping he gets a big score. He’s looking very good in the nets, so we expect runs from him.”There were encouraging words too for Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara, prominent in that Bangalore victory but certain to miss out on places in the XI here. “Vijay and Pujara were replacing Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman,” he said. “When you have players like that coming back, they find a place in the playing XI. But I don’t think it’s demotivating. Vijay has always done well for India. And Pujara batted really well in the second innings in the last game.”India have now lost the toss in 10 successive Tests [Dhoni captained in nine of them, missing Chittagong through injury] and the spin of the coin aside, there will also be much attention devoted to the pitch, which has seen scores of 76 and 760 in the last two games played at the Motera. “Hopefully, it will be a turner,” said Dhoni with a smile. “We’ll have to see before the start of play. It has less grass when compared to the Sri Lanka game [November 2009] and a lot less than the South Africa game [April 2008]. It looks like a normal Indian track.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outBrendon McCullum saved the Test in some style•AFP

Brendon McCullum reaped rewards for his hard work on day four, milking a tired bowling unit to get to the third-highest score in second innings in Tests in India. The game was headed for a draw the moment Zaheer Khan left the field again – he had been out of action for a good part of the fourth day due to an abdominal strain – after bowling just three overs in the morning session.New Zealand, the No. 8 side in the world, have now held India, the No. 1 side, to four consecutive draws; in two of those India have done the surviving. India, who seemed to have given up surprisingly early in the morning, have now conceded 400 or more in at least one innings of their last seven Tests.There were two outside chances for the game to come to life, but both were duly thwarted. Cheteshwar Pujara dropped McCullum at forward short leg when the batsman was 148, and the lead 185. That was the only chance Harbhajan Singh had created in 26 overs until then.The next time Harbhajan created an opportunity, some excitement was manufactured, with Kane Williamson given out lbw erroneously to an offbreak certain to miss the leg stump. Williamson was on his way to becoming only the seventh man to begin his Test career with back-to-back centuries. He had survived the tense moments last evening, started the day with three boundaries in the first over, and then settled in for an innings full of his trademark back-foot punches.When he got out, though, New Zealand were 223 ahead, and there were 57 overs to go. For those who hope or fear too much, a collapse could still direct the game towards a result. McCullum and Daniel Vettori, though, took 20 runs off the next four overs to disappoint the hopeful and the fearful.It may have seemed like milking because of the ease with which McCullum got his runs, but he did it with some style and nonchalance. India tried to pack the leg side and bowled round the wicket, only to see him casually reverse-sweep them for boundaries. They were not exactly reverse-sweeps, he was so confident he just bent the knees half way and guided them past point. His maiden double-hundred he brought up with the “McScoop”, having scored his last 24 runs off 19 balls. That spell of hitting also included a six over long-off off Pragyan Ojha and two reverse-swept fours off Suresh Raina.

Smart Stats

• Brendon McCullum, during the course of his double-century, went past his previous highest of 185 against Bangladesh at Hamilton in 2010.

• McCullum’s double-century was only the second by a New Zealand batsman in India and is third on the list of top scores by New Zealand batsmen against India.

• McCullum’s double-century is the fifth in the team second innings in India. The highest is VVS Laxman’s 281 at Kolkata in 2001.

• Harbhajan Singh has conceded 305 runs and picked up six wickets at an average over 50 in the series so far. On the other hand, he has scored 295 runs with two centuries.

• Gautam Gambhir scored his first runs in the second innings after three ducks in his previous three outings.

• Virender Sehwag scored his first second innings half-century since November 2009, when he made 51 against Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad. He averages just over 30 in the second innings and over 70 in the first innings.

As McCullum’s good friend and former Kolkata Knight Riders team-mate Chris Gayle moved assuredly towards a triple-century in Galle, a triple was on here in Hyderabad too. There were 32 overs to go to the start of the mandatory overs, and there was no way New Zealand were going to declare without letting him have a go at the highest score by a New Zealander – 299 by Martin Crowe.Hence McCullum’s charge towards the record books. He reversed-swept another boundary, played the chip over midwicket, crashed Sreesanth back past him, and then cut him furiously to get to 225.It was after this that Sreesanth achieved slight personal redemption, removing McCullum with a slower legbreak. Then he bounced Tim Southee, who had hit him three times with bouncers when he was batting. Some softening-up and eye-balling later, Sreesanth bowled Southee.Perhaps to keep their tail away from any more bouncers, New Zealand declared during tea, and bowled 17 overs before the last hour. Virender Sehwag, usually bored in such situations, helped himself to a quick fifty, giving the crowd some entertainment.

Opener Shoaib Khan jnr’s aggressive half-century was the highlight of an abbreviated second day in the QEA Division Two final between State Bank of Pakistan and Khan Research Laboratories at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Only 23 overs were possible as the start of play was delayed due to a wet outfield following heavy overnight rain. No play was possible of the first day because of rain and wet ground conditions.KRL won the toss and elected to field but it was SBP who got off to a solid start with their openers Shoaib and captain Kashif Siddiq putting on 52 runs. Shoaib was the aggressor in the partnership, scoring freely, while Siddiq managed just 6 runs in 40 balls before he was trapped lbw by Yasir Arafat. Shoaib was joined by Adnan Raees and the duo carried SBP to 79 for 1 at stumps, with Shoaib on 63 off 74 balls with nine boundaries, while Adnan was on a more sedate 7 off 26.

Ryan Harris was sent for surgery on his injured left ankle on Wednesday and is likely to be out for three to four months, but he hasn’t entirely given up hope of being fit for the World Cup. That is a supremely optimistic goal for Harris, who broke down while running in to bowl during his 29th over on Tuesday and hobbled off the field with what was later confirmed as a stress fracture in the ankle.It was a major disappointment for Harris, who has made a strong start to his Test career and has collected 20 wickets at 24.40 in five matches, including nine during Australia’s win at the WACA this month. At 31, it won’t be easy for Harris to force his way back for Australia’s next Test series, especially given that he will carry a painful problem with his right knee for the rest of his career.”He’s obviously disappointed, albeit a little bit optimistic this morning,” Australia’s captain Ricky Ponting said after England retained the Ashes with an innings win. “I think he’s actually having surgery as we speak. It looks like it could be a few months. I had a chat to him this morning and said ‘it looks like it’s going to be hard for you for the World Cup’, and he didn’t rule that out. He’s that sort of character. As you saw the other day, if he’s even got one leg to run on, he’ll do it.”It would be a remarkable recovery if Harris was able to take part in the World Cup on the subcontinent, which begins in just over seven weeks. A more realistic goal for Harris is to be in contention for Australia’s next Test tour, in Sri Lanka in August, which will be followed by a Test series in South Africa before the 2011-12 home summer.But by then, Australia could be looking to the future, with younger fast men like Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Trent Copeland and James Pattinson all likely to push for international action in the next couple of years. Harris has been one of the quickest bowlers during the Ashes Tests and he is regarded as a genuine wicket-taker, and also has 41 ODI victims at 16.12.”It’s a massive blow for him and a massive blow for the team as well, because he has been a great performer in every game that he’s played, really,” Ponting said. “He’s a lion-hearted bloke that has got exceptional qualities to be a very good international bowler, as we’ve all seen, not just over the last couple of weeks but since he debuted in the one-day team a little while ago.”Harris wasn’t asked to bat during Australia’s second innings, as the final wicket fell with the deficit still standing at 157 runs to make England bat again. He was heading off for an operation after the Test, while his team-mates were commiserating following their failure to regain the Ashes on home soil.”Ryan was reviewed by a specialist in Melbourne this morning,” Trefor James, the Cricket Australia doctor, said. “The specialist confirmed that the best management for the stress fracture of his left ankle would be to undergo surgery. This surgery will occur today and we expect Ryan’s recovery time to be three to four months.”The injury means there will be at least one change to Australia’s squad for the final Ashes Test in Sydney next week, where the spinner Michael Beer is likely to make his debut after being 12th man in Perth and Melbourne. Doug Bollinger would be the most obvious candidate to come in to the pace attack, but four fast men are not usually the preferred attack on the SCG surface.

Durban two weeks ago was a big moment for India. They came here battered from Centurion, and in conditions that VVS Laxman described as “some of the most challenging I have encountered in my career”, managed to win only their second Test in South Africa. And it came during series everyone was talking about, the series everyone seemed to be living for. Fittingly, for once, back home in India, it was the Tests that were the end of the world. Now that the ODIs are upon us, on the eve of the first match, it comes almost as a realisation that India have managed to beat South Africa in South Africa in this format only on one more occasion than they have in Tests. And they have made more attempts, 20 one-dayers as opposed to 15 in Tests.Difficult as it may sound, it is time to put that incredible Test series behind, and start focussing on setting this record right too. South Africa, in comparison, have done much better in India, winning nine and losing 13 to the hosts. If other opposition were to be included, they have won more than they have lost in India, which can’t be said of India in South Africa, despite wins against Namibia, Netherlands and Kenya that boost the number a bit.”We did lose all the games [the last time India played a bilateral one-day series in South Africa],” MS Dhoni said. “There’s only one way to go – you can only go up from there. But as I say it’s not about the past. The Test series was very different from 2006, and as we always say, we have a completely different side. We have quite a few youngsters who are into the grooming phase, which means at the end of the day, it’s a win-win situation for Indian cricket.”Playing ODIs in South Africa is a unique challenge in a way. The pitches offer good bounce and aid stroke-play, while the outfields are rarely large or slow, but there is enough seam movement on most occasions to keep the fast bowlers in the game. From afternoon to night, the weather can easily go from summer to winter at most of the venues.”You have to start respecting the bowlers right from the very start,” Dhoni said of the one-day conditions in South Africa. “The white Kookaburra ball does a bit initially, which means if you see the new ball off, the older ball comes on to the bat nicely, which means you can play your strokes. Most of the grounds are not very big.”It’s good to bat during the day time. It does slightly less compared to the evening session. Under lights the ball does a bit more compared to the afternoon session. The toss becomes a bit crucial. But even after winning the toss you have to do the basics right.”India aren’t ideally placed in terms of their squad strength, with Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir out as precautionary measure for the World Cup that will follow this five-match series, and Praveen Kumar returning home after injuring his elbow on the eve of the first match. This has been the case with the India team for a while: they haven’t been able to play a full-strength side since the five-match series in New Zealand in early 2009.”It would have been good to feature the main XI,” Dhoni said. “Since last February, we haven’t played the full XI that maybe featured in the first game of the World Cup. But we are risking injury. We have to save quite a few players. We have a fair amount of niggles. We don’t want to miss any of the key players just before the start of the World Cup. Most of them have missed the whole season. I don’t mind them missing one more series as long as they are available right through the World Cup.”We live in an age where every bilateral limited-overs series is becoming more meaningless than the previous one. This one is not too different, in that it draws its entire context from being a preparatory event for the World Cup. Stuck as it is between an awesome Test series and the World Cup, this series will need the best of India, to survive in isolation.

Abdur Rehman, the left-arm spinner, has been ruled out of Pakistan’s next World Cup match against Canada on Thursday after suffering a leg injury. Misbah-ul-Haq has also picked up a minor hamstring strain but isn’t too much of a concern.Rehman took 1 for 63 in Pakistan’s 11-run victory against Sri Lanka on Saturday but now requires a five-day break. “Rehman sprained his leg while fielding in the match against Sri Lanka and had to put on a strapping in order to bowl. It’s an adductor muscle rupture,” Intikhab Alam, the Pakistan manager, told AFP. “We don’t want to risk Rehman and will wait for him to recover.”Rehman’s absence is likely to mean a chance for offspinner Saeed Ajmal who has yet to play a match in the competition. The other bowlers in the squad who didn’t play against Sri Lanka were the left-arm pace duo of Wabah Riaz and Junaid Khan.Although Misbah’s problem isn’t considered a major worry he may still be rested for the Canada game with the opposition unlikely to cause an in-form Pakistan too many problems. Misbah hit 83 off 91 balls against Sri Lanka to continue his strong start to the tournament after he made 65 against Kenya.If Misbah does miss out and Pakistan retain the same balance to their team Asad Shafiq, the 25-year-old batsman, is the other option in the squad.

Pakistan’s limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi and other senior members of the team may be rested for the upcoming West Indies tour that begins on April 18.”I am yet to decide on the West Indies tour,” Afridi said at a press conference following Pakistan’s World Cup exit. He also hinted at rest for other seniors in the side, but the PCB is yet to respond.Pakistan have had a draining schedule in recent times, starting with the World Twenty20 in April 2010 followed by the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and a tour of England, which included full series against Australia and the home side. Next was another full-fledged bilateral series in the UAE against South Africa, and a long tour of New Zealand, before the team returned to the subcontinent for the World Cup. In addition to their gruelling on-field commitments, the Pakistan team also hurtled from one off-field controversy to another, including the spot-fixing scandal and Zulqarnain Haider’s mysterious exit from the team hotel in UAE.The West Indies tour includes a Twenty20, five one-dayers and two Tests, and allows the players less than three weeks for rest.

Match Facts

April 25, Gros Islet, St Lucia
Start time 0930am (1330 GMT)Saeed Ajmal was a constant threat to West Indies’ batsmen in the first match, and is sure to be a handful in conditions that will continue to suit the spinners•AFP

The Big Picture

West Indies’ joy after their win in the opening Twenty20 of Pakistan’s tour was short-lived as they crashed to an eight-wicket drubbing in the opening one-day international at Gros Islet. After the buzz and energy of their performance in the Twenty20, the hosts looked badly behind the pace for much of the game on Saturday and a fatal misreading of the pitch backfired when the seamers were carted for 162 runs in 29.3 wicketless overs, allowing Pakistan’s batsmen to canter to victory on a spin-friendly wicket.Monday’s game, played at the same venue, will give West Indies a chance to rectify some of their mistakes. The question of team balance is a delicate one for them, however, and the inclusion of both captain Darren Sammy and Dwayne Bravo when it might be argued that only one of the two similar allrounders should slot in at No. 7 in a balanced XI throws the team’s ballast off centre. West Indies looked a batsman light on Saturday, but it’s likely that legspinner Anthony Martin will be brought in for the second ODI – probably at the expense of allrounder Andre Russell – meaning that there will be even less batting firepower, heaping more pressure on a top order shorn of its most experienced members.The lack of bite in the seam attack on docile pitches also doesn’t bode well for the Test series that follows the one-dayers, and for the sake of success in both formats West Indies are going to have to find a way to take more wickets. The one area of concern for Pakistan – and it’s a relatively minor one for a team that has moved seamlessly on from defeat in the tour opener with a commanding performance by both the batsmen and an impressive trio of spinners – can also be found in the seam department. Wahab Riaz gave away 11 wides and three no-balls on Saturday, while Junaid Khan also sent down six wides, and without the help of extras West Indies would not have passed 200.Such inconsistency is unforgivable on a pitch that offered minimal movement for the quicks either through the air or off the pitch, but so masterful was the performance from Pakistan’s slow bowlers – in particular Saeed Ajmal, whose variations proved impossible to pick – and so composed were their batsmen, three of whom scored half-centuries, that ultimately it barely mattered. West Indies will be motivated to regain some pride and level the five-match series, but it is Pakistan who start as firm favourites. .

Form guide

(most recent first)West Indies LLLLWPakistan WLWWW

Watch out for…

Darren Bravo has only played 21 ODIs, but due to circumstance and and his own undeniable talent (not to mention a resemblance to a certain former West Indies great) he has already become a vital cog in West Indies’ middle order. His half-century in the first game held things together, and he looked set to take a heavy toll on the bowling at the death before he was cut down by an amateurish run-out.
Pakistan have a bowler perfectly capable of dealing with the Bravo threat, however. Saeed Ajmal beat the outside edge of Bravo Jr.’s bat no less than five times in his first over on Saturday, and deserved more than just one wicket as he weaved webs of doubt in the minds of all the batsmen with his .

Team news

West Indies are almost certain to hand a debut to Martin, an Antiguan legspinner, but it’s not clear who he might replace in the XI. Andre Russell seems the most likely candidate, as he conceded 36 runs in five wayward overs in the first match. That leaves the batting even lighter, but West Indies only have five specialist batsmen in their squad and all of them played in the first match.West Indies (possible): 1 Devon Smith, 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Kirk Edwards, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Carlton Baugh (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Devendra Bishoo, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Anthony Martin
Pakistan’s successful start to the ODI series means their side doesn’t really need any tinkering, and it’s unlikely they’ll risk disturbing their equilibrium. Young allrounder Hammad Azam was not called upon with either bat or ball on Saturday, but it would be very harsh if he was not given another chance to prove himself in the second match.Pakistan (possible): 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Asad Shafiq, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Hammad Azam, 7 Mohammad Salman (wk), 8 Shahid Afridi (capt), 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Junaid Khan, 11 Saeed Ajmal.

Pitch and conditions

The St Lucia surface lost pace noticeably over the course of the Twenty20 match that opened the tour, but appeared to flatten out when Pakistan were chasing down their runs with ease on Saturday afternoon. It remains a welcoming track for spinners, however. Another warm day is expected, and while the rain stayed away in the previous games there remains a slight risk that it could intrude upon proceedings later on.

Stats and trivia

• One man who could solve multiple problems for West Indies in both the batting and spin-bowling departments has taken more wickets and scored more runs in ODIs at this ground than anyone. Chris Gayle has scored 444 runs and taken 11 wickets, but unfortunately it’s unlikely he’ll be back any time soon.
• The two men behind him on that run-scoring list are none other than Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
• West Indies have played three ODI’s against Pakistan in St Lucia and lost all of them, Pakistan winning by 40 and 22 runs during the 2005 series won 3-0 by the visitors and by eight wickets on Saturday.
• Pakistan’s top-scorer in the first match, Misbah-ul-Haq, has scored the most runs without hitting a century in ODIs among current Pakistan players. Out of all current players, only Elton Chigumbura, Stuart Matsikenyeri and Daniel Vettori have more ODI runs without a ton.

Quotes

“The Pakistan spinners bowled some good balls, but to be a great player you have to find a way to score off the good balls not just the bad balls.”
“I was very happy when West Indies won the toss and chose to bat because I thought the pitch would help our spinners. I think our spinners have been doing a great job for us in the last few months, and they again set things up for us.”

Match facts

Tuesday, May 3 Hyderabad
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Gautam Gambhir, the most expensive player at the IPL auction, has delivered the goods for Kolkata•AFP

Big picture

In the last three years, Kolkata provided moments of hilarity, a chaotic management model, and a sense of pathos. Everything changed this year and here they are hovering at the top. Their batting was solid in the first half of the tournament and their bowlers have won the last two games for them. Brett Lee has sizzled, L Balaji has almost turned the clock back to his past, Iqbal Abdulla has continued his form from the last domestic season, Jacques Kallis has continued to be solid and Yusuf Pathan has been steady and the bowling department has prospered. Three men – Gautam Gambhir, Kallis, and Manoj Tiwary- have tallied over 220 runs, and Yusuf Pathan and Eoin Morgan have not been really required to flex their muscles yet. Things are looking good for Kolkata.Deccan continue to tease their fans. They win, they lose and that sine-curve has put them in the middle of the table. “It is pretty simple,” Kumar Sangakkara said. “We have six games, we have to win five of them to stay alive in this competition. It is a great challenge. We are playing well, but we have to convert that extra 10 or five per cent to try and win a game.” Their bowling is getting better but their batting has spluttered. They haven’t fired as a batting unit; one or other batsman has sparkled but they haven’t clicked as a collective. The greatest debacle has been Cameron White and his continued presence in the playing eleven has raised a few eyebrows.

Form guide (most recent first)

Kolkata: WWLLW (third in points table)
Deccan: L WLWL (seventh in points table)

Team talk

Surely, now, Deccan will drop Cameron White? He has been scratchy and has invariably killed the momentum of the innings. Dale Steyn will come back and JP Duminy is likely to continue in the place of White.Mark Boucher, who replaced the injured Brad Haddin, didn’t get to play in the last game. Will they play Boucher for Sreevats Goswami?Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

Manoj Tiwary is slowly proving to be the finisher for Kolkata. He has accumulated 228 runs at an average of 114 and with a strike rate of 113.43. He always had the shots but this season, the shot selections have improved and he has showed an increasing ability, and keenness, to shoulder responsibility. His captain Gautam Gambhir is a happy man: “Tiwary is in very good nick and has matured as a player.The sign of a mature player is to continue what one is doing.When one is immature, one ends up losing form, playing bad shots. Tiwary knows the value of being in good form.”What has happened to Shikhar Dhawan? It’s not that he is the most talented domestic batsman out there but he is not as bad as his stats show him to be in this IPL. He has just lasted 130 balls from eight games, despite playing as an opener, and has a 17-run average. He is better than this. Will he manage to engineer a turn around?

Prime numbers

• Amit Mishra has two ducks in this year’s IPL, the second highest after Raiphi Gomez (3) in that inglorious list. With five ducks in all the editions of IPL, Mishra is second behind Warne (6). Deccan’s Pragyan Ojha also has five ducks.
• Jacques Kallis has three fifties this IPL season. He holds the record for most number of fifties (13) in the history of IPL.

The chatter

“[Mark] Boucher is someone who can give us a lot of options. We can bat him up the order and he can be a good finisher as well. He is also a very good wicke-keeper. He has immense international experience. He also has IPL experience.Whatever is the best playing XI, we are going to try them out..”
“Sourav brought luck. He was sitting far away from me, so we could not talk today. But definitely I will talk to him soon … Even if we don’t win this time, I would be okay because this time we are playing well as a team. Gautam (Gambhir) and all the young boys are trying and playing hard.”
Shahrukh Khan, the owner of Kolkata franchisee, on spotting Sourav Ganguly at Eden Gardens in their last game