Ricky Ponting needed to have his concerns assuaged by the national selector John Inverarity before he accepted the stand-in captaincy for Friday’s triangular series match against Sri Lanka in Sydney

Daniel Brettig in Sydney16-Feb-2012Ricky Ponting needed to have his concerns assuaged by the national selector John Inverarity before he accepted the stand-in captaincy for Friday’s triangular series match against Sri Lanka in Sydney.Aware that Michael Clarke had strained a hamstring at the conclusion of Sunday’s loss to India, Ponting took the vice-captain David Warner aside in the Adelaide Oval dressing room to say “make sure you’ve got yourself ready to captain Australia in a couple of days’ time”. However Ponting then took the call of Inverarity, who explained that Warner was not yet ready for the position, compelling the selectors to go back to the former captain at the SCG.”I did have a think about it and I had a good chat to John Inverarity about that and what some of my concerns were around that,” Ponting said on match eve. “But I decided to do what they wanted me to do and what I felt was probably right for the team right at the moment.”We’ve got a few of our experienced guys out on the sidelines at the moment, and I know Dave Warner had been named vice-captain at the start of the one-day series and the selectors made it very clear why they haven’t given him the captaincy for this game. I’m excited about leading the team again but hopefully it’s only for a very short period of time.”[My concerns] were all the things that have already been spoken about in the media in the past couple of days. The fact there was a vice-captain named and it looked like I was coming over the top of him and maybe not giving a younger guy an opportunity to captain Australia. They were the things I spoke to John about, but the fact they’d actually asked me, they’d put a lot of time and thought and energy into making me come back into this role, so I agreed to do it and felt and still feel right now that it’s probably the best decision for the team.”Ponting said he would now be spending plenty of time with Warner over the next two days or more – depending on whether or not Clarke returns from his hamstring strain in time for Sunday’s match against India at the Gabba – to impart as much wisdom as he could about captaincy and leadership. Their dialogue had begun when Warner called Ponting upon hearing he had been appointed captain, offering a cheeky rejoinder to the earlier dressing room conversation.Ricky Ponting will stand in for the injured Michael Clarke•Getty Images

“As soon as the game finished in Adelaide I actually dragged [Warner] over and made him sit with me for a few minutes and I said to him then ‘make sure you’ve got yourself ready to captain Australia in a couple of days’ time’,” Ponting said. “Then as soon as the decision was made he was on the phone to me straight away saying ‘don’t worry about me, you better make sure you’re ready to captain the team’, so we’ve had a bit of a chat about it. Davey’s very clear on the direction the selectors have taken, and I’m just going to do the best I can to make sure he gets the most out of the game that he possibly can.”As I’ve always done when I was captain is ask the opinions of the players out on the field at different times in the game and for Friday’s game it’ll be Davey that I’ll be going to a lot to one let him know what my ideas are and what we’re trying to achieve and also try to get some ideas out of him as to where he sees the game at any particular time. I think he came out yesterday and said he enjoys working under Michael and George Bailey in the T20s and for him tomorrow he’s got a chance to work with me and I’m looking forward to that.”Chief among Ponting’s priorities for the match against Sri Lanka is to help refocus a team that struggled for energy and precision in the field in Adelaide – perhaps a hangover from the Perth commute, having played a match on the west coast on Friday night.”That’s the hardest one you have during the summer, there’s no doubt about that,” Ponting said. “When you’re travelling from Sydney to Brisbane like we are this week then it’s not as big a deal. Coming from Perth, we left at one o’clock and arrived in Adelaide about half past six. Then you’re having dinner and up and playing the next day. Probably for the fast bowlers in particular that was the hardest thing that they’ll have to do for the summer.”We’re not using that as an excuse. We knew about that at the start of the summer and we have to gear our training and our preparation around a trip like that. That game’s behind us now. We’ve got to look forward to this week and make sure we’re lifting our standards again.”It should not be forgotten either that Ponting’s own start to the series has been particularly quiet, returning scores of 2, 1 and 6. So amid all the assorted concerns of captaincy, Ponting said he was making sure he paid adequate attention to his own batting, having scaled considerable heights during the Test series against India.”I’ve been doing pretty much the same stuff this series as I was doing towards the end of the Test series,” Ponting said. “To miss out in the first couple of games, you have a reasonable break between games. We’re playing Friday-Sunday right through this tournament so it’s a little bit hard to get some momentum going when you’ve got that big break between games.”Today becomes an important day for me as far as my preparation is concerns to get everything out of it I can. It’s important for the team as well. We started this series really well and our last two performances probably haven’t been at the level that we’d expect of ourselves so we have to make sure that by the end of training today we’ve got ourselves back to a level that’s going to be good enough to dominate the remaining games.”

A round-up of matches from the sixth match-day of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Mar-2012Group ADawlat Zadran’s five-wicket haul helped Afghanistan demolish Hong Kong by nine wickets in Sharjah and confirm their place in the knockout rounds. Zadran took 5 for 14, and along with Izatullah Dawlatzai, who took 2 for 19, dismantled Hong Kong’s batting line-up with only two batsmen getting into double figures. Irfan Ahmed scored 54 off 52 balls to provide some respectability to the total as Hong Kong finished on 103. Afghanistan’s opener Karim Sadiq did not waste any time as he hit 20 runs off the first over during the chase. After Sadiq’s dismissal for 22, Javed Ahmadi’s 38 and Mohammad Shahzad’s 43 prevented any further damage and finished the game in the 12th over.In another low-scoring game, Netherlands beat Nepal by six wickets in Dubai, also sealing a berth in the knockouts. Nepal, who were put in to bat, had no answers to Netherlands’ bowling as they were reduced to 25 for 5 after 11 overs. Michael Swart took 2 for 13 and Mudassar Bukhari took 1 for 9 to stifle Nepal. That was followed by similar spells by other bowlers as only one boundary was hit in the first 17 overs. Some frantic shots by Gyanendra Malla, who scored 32, and Basanta Regmi took Nepal to 85. While chasing, Netherlands lost four wickets, three of them to Regmi, but maintained a healthy scoring-rate to win the game inside 14 overs.”I think Nepal has played some reasonable cricket in this competition, so we weren’t taking them lightly,” Netherlands captain Peter Borren said. “We bowled pretty well and they were always going to struggle to defend 86. It is going to be really difficult for us. The format of the tournament means, having lost to Afghanistan, if you are first in your group you have a huge advantage here.”Janeiro Tucker’s hat-trick of sixes in the last over helped Bermuda steal a win against Papua New Guinea by five wickets in Dubai. Sixteen runs were required off the last six balls, but Tucker only needed three, the last six bringing up his half-century as well. The chase was setup by Dion Stovell’s 31 off 24 balls and David Hemp’s 30. However, when Rarva Dikana, who had given away 18 runs in his previous three overs, was given the ball in the last over, PNG looked favourites. But Tucker’s last-minute violence earned Bermuda their first win in the tournament. Earlier, PNG had set Bermuda a competitive target of 156, courtesy a 31-ball 49 from Vani Morea. At one stage, PNG were tottering at 105 for 5 after 16.2 overs. But, 46 runs came off the last three to give PNG bowlers a defendable score. A victory for PNG would have given them an outside chance of making it to the knockouts, but this result means that both teams have failed to make it to the next stage.”My personal performance was really outstanding today,” Tucker said. “I haven’t really had a good last four or five games, but today all came together.”Hitting that last ball was amazing. That was always my intention to try to get us to victory in the last over. I guess our strategy for the last couple of games will be pretty much the same as today. We got a victory so I guess we’ve done something right.”Ruvindu Gunasekera scored a 65-ball 95 in Canada‘s 55-run win over bottom-placed Denmark in Abu Dhabi. With the heavy win, Canada are in a strong position to become the third team from the group to qualify for the next stage. Opting to bat first, the team was bolstered by a 109-run second wicket partnership between Gunasekera and Hiral Patel to post 178. In response, Denmark’s Rizwan Mahmood hit 65 and Freddie Klokker scored 40 in a third-wicket partnership worth 84 runs. But Canada bowlers, led by Henry Osinde’s 2 for 16 kept the scoring rate under control as Denmark finished on 123. Canada play Nepal in their last league game and barring a heavy defeat, they should finish third in the table.Group BTwenty20 is a tough format to be consistent in but Namibia have made victory a habit, winning their sixth game in row to stay on top of Group B. Despite being restricted to 120 for 7, Namibia beat Oman by 36 runs in Sharjah. Their total was set up by the captain, Sarel Burger, who made 53 off 44 balls. The defence was headed by Christi Viljoen, who took 4 for 8 in 3.4 overs, and Burger, who claimed 3 for 14 to cap a terrific all-round performance. Oman were dismissed for 84 in 18.4 overs.A half-century by Richie Berrington helped Scotland ease to a seven-wicket win against Italy in Dubai. Italy were restricted to 136, thanks to a combined bowling effort. The Italy top order failed to convert their starts, with Gareth Berg top-scoring with 29. Majid Haq, the offspinner, finished with the best figures: 2 for 16 off four overs. Scotland lost Calum MacLeod early, but the stand of 76 between Berrington and Preston Mommsen put them on course for victory. Berrington’s 67 contained six fours and three sixes. Scotland are currently third in Group B, and a win in their final group game, against United States of America, will guarantee them a place in the next round.”The boys played very well today and bounced back after yesterday’s game against Ireland. It takes a lot of character to come back and win today,” Berrington said. “So, we’re just focusing right now on every game and taking each game as it comes.”It was very nice to spend a bit of time in the middle today and bat through most of the innings. I would have liked to have seen it through to the end, but the boys managed to put a few away.”United States of America slid to their fifth defeat in six games after they were demolished by nine wickets by Kenya in Abu Dhabi. The USA scorecard was littered with single-digit scores, with only their captain, Sushil Nadkarni, passing double figures. Nadkarni made 41 as opener and when he departed, USA were 73 for 6 in the 14th over. Ragheb Aga and and Nelson Odhiambo took three wickets each to dismiss USA in 18.2 overs. Kenya reached the target in ten overs, with Duncan Allan and Alex Obanda scoring 34 each. They will need to beat Uganda in their final group game, and hope other results go their way, to qualify for the next phase.Ireland trounced Uganda by 82 runs in Dubai to put them in the playoff stages of the World Cup qualifiers. Read the full report here.

Before today, Virat Kohli’s scores against India’s fiercest rivals were 16, 18 and 9. He was thrilled that his Mirpur masterclass has cleared that blot on his CV.

Siddarth Ravindran in Mirpur18-Mar-2012Since Virat Kohli made his debut in 2008, he and India have played just four ODIs against Pakistan. The Champions Trophy game in Centurion when Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Yousuf took the game away from India, the 2010 Asia Cup match in Dambulla where Harbhajan Singh sealed it with a penultimate-ball six, the World Cup semi-final in Mohali, and today’s encounter. Before today, Kohli’s scores against India’s fiercest rivals were 16, 18 and 9. He was thrilled that his Mirpur masterclass has cleared that blot on his CV.”I hadn’t done too well against Pakistan, played thrice before. Even in the World Cup semi-final, I got out and I was really disappointed. Playing against them is always a high-pressure game, all eyes are on that game. It is really satisfying to chase down a big score in a crunch game for us.”Still only 23, Kohli already has so many big innings that he was asked to rate where this stood among his best knocks. “I rate this (equal) with Hobart but yes this is special because of the game today, to get a hundred against a good opposition.” The Hobart demolition job had given India a chance of reaching the final of the Commonwealth Bank series if Sri Lanka lost their final match. The 183 today gives India a chance of reaching the final if Sri Lanka win their final match.Kohli’s innings really skyrocketed once the batting Powerplay was taken after 35 overs. At that stage he was on 110, and India needed 115 to win. Eleven overs and a spree of Kohli boundaries later, he was on 177 and India needed 23 more, raising an outside chance of a third one-day double-century.Virat Kohli’s made 183, his highest ODI score, to lead India’s highest ever successful chase in one-dayers•AFP

Did the thought ever cross his mind? “I don’t know, I was just looking at the ball and hitting it,” he said. “It did cross my mind once and I was like, this can’t be real and I decided to focus on the game and react to the ball. It sort of crossed my mind but it was about keep batting, keep hitting the ball.”Another offshoot of the lack of matches against Pakistan is the lack of chances to learn how to read the variations of their top-quality spinners, particularly Saeed Ajmal. “Well I have seen him bowl earlier as well but I can tell you that is not easy to pick him,” Kohli said. “You can watch the videos but still to play him is tough because he can turn it both ways. We had a plan against him, me and Rohit, it kind of worked for us. He is a world class bowler, perhaps the best spinner in the world right now.”While the headlines will belong to Kohli, it was a big day for another young India batsman as well. Rohit Sharma hit a rough patch in the one-dayers in Australia, and had been deprived of opportunities so far in the tournament. He responded with a half-century, and the 172-run stand with Kohli put India on the brink of a memorable victory. “I am a big fan of Rohit Sharma’s batting,” Kohli said. “When he plays a long innings, he is a treat to watch. It is an absolute pleasure to bat alongside him.”Their efforts silenced a largely pro-Pakistan crowd. If Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh on Tuesday, Kohli will get a chance on Thursday to improve his Pakistan record once more.

Back spasms have forced Lasith Malinga, the Mumbai Indians fast bowler, to return to Sri Lanka for treatment, and he could miss up to two weeks of the IPL as a result

Tariq Engineer21-Apr-2012Back spasms have forced Lasith Malinga, the Mumbai Indians fast bowler, to return to Sri Lanka for treatment, and he could miss up to two weeks of the IPL as a result. Malinga last played for Mumbai Indians against Rajasthan Royals on April 11 and missed the match against Delhi Daredevils on April 16.”He is undergoing treatment [in Sri Lanka],” Nishantha Ranatunga, the secretary of Sri Lanka Cricket, told ESPNcricinfo. However, Ranatunga was not certain how long Malinga would be out and said the fast bowler would have to be evaluated by the Sri Lanka team’s physio. It is understood that Malinga is planning to return by April 25 and targeting full fitness for the match against Delhi Daredevils on April 27.Malinga has reportedly not been training since the game against Royals and flew back to Sri Lanka on the morning of April 16. The team spokesperson said that Malinga “required rest and it made sense to send him back home”, but they were hopeful he would return in a few days.The loss of Malinga weakens the attack of Mumbai Indians, who have made an inconsistent start to the tournament and currently sit in sixth place in the points table, having won three of their five games. Malinga is the leading wicket-taker in the IPL and has been in good form again this season, taking nine wickets from four games at an economy-rate of 4.54.Injuries have been a problem for Malinga in recent years. A knee injury he picked up during Sri Lanka’s Australia tour in 2007 threatened to cut short his career and in April, 2011, he retired from Tests in order to spare his knee further damage.

Richard Pybus, the former Pakistan coach, has also been shortlisted by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) as a candidate to coach the national team

Mohammad Isam10-May-2012Richard Pybus, the former Pakistan coach, has been shortlisted by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) as a candidate to coach the national team and will be interviewed on Friday. The board is also set to interview two other candidates later – Nottinghamshire director of cricket Mick Newell and former New Zealand batsman and coach Mark Greatbatch.Pybus arrived in Dhaka on Thursday night with the interview expected to take place the following day. Newell’s lack of international exposure and Greatbatch’s coaching record might work against them. Pybus hasn’t coached an international side since 2003 but his early arrival is a sign of the BCB’s intentions. ESPNcricinfo understands he has a better chance of getting the job.The selection process is different this time with the BCB deciding to interview foreign candidates, unlike Dav Whatmore, Jamie Siddons and Stuart Law, who were not interviewed.”We have made a shortlist of three to four candidates. We will be calling them shortly for interviews and if we like the coach, we will finalise him,” BCB media committee chairman Jalal Yunus told ESPNcricinfo. “We will only decide after speaking to the coaches.”Pybus, who took up coaching in his mid-twenties, was appointed Pakistan coach for their 1999 World Cup campaign while at Border, before returning to the South African provincial side. He coached Pakistan again until the 2003 World Cup and had stints with Titans and Cape Cobras (South Africa), and Middlesex. He was with Cobras until March 2012 and was also linked to the South Africa job last year.Newell also remained in the picture after emerging as the first candidate last week. It was learned the BCB were still in talks with him.Greatbatch, a former opening batsman who played 41 Tests for New Zealand, has a mixed record as coach after retiring in 1998. He had stints at home (Central Districts) and with Warwickshire, and was also the New Zealand coach when they were beaten 4-0 by Bangladesh in 2010. John Wright replaced him the same year.Edited by Kanishkaa Balachandran

Several international players, including Adrian Barath, Kirk Edwards, Assad Fudadin, Nikita Miller and Nelon Pascal, have been picked in the 13-man West Indies A squad for the one-day series against India A

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2012The West Indies selectors have picked several players with international experience in the 13-man A squad for the three-match one-day series against India A in Grenada. Batsmen Adrian Barath, Kirk Edwards and Assad Fudadin, all of whom played for West Indies in the recent Test series in England, have been selected, and so has left-arm spinner Nikita Miller.Miller, who last played for West Indies in the 2011 World Cup, was preferred over Sulieman Benn, who was Man of the Match in the first of the two Twenty20s against India A last week. Fast bowler Nelon Pascal, another international, was also drafted in.Veerasammy Permaul, who led West Indies A in the Tests against India A, returned to the squad to take over the captaincy from Kieran Powell, who did the duty during the Twenty20s.Wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich was called up as a replacement for Devon Thomas, who was ruled out with a knee injury.West Indies A won the three-match unofficial Test series against India A 2-1, while the Twenty20s were tied 1-1. The first one-dayer will be played on June 27.West Indies A squad: Veerasammy Permaul (capt), Adrian Barath, Nkrumah Bonner, Jonathan Carter, Shane Dowrich (wk), Kirk Edwards, Assad Fudadin, Jason Holder, Delorn Johnson, Nikita Miller, Jason Mohammed, Nelon Pascal, Kieran Powell.

Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford said that the home team will need to “work hard” on the fifth day, as the Test is evenly poised at the end of the fourth

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Pallekele11-Jul-2012Graham Ford, the Sri Lanka coach, has said that the Pallekele Test is evenly poised and the home team will need to “work hard” on the fifth day. Pakistan finished the day 188 runs ahead with two wickets remaining.”It’s fairly even,” Ford said. “We are slightly ahead on points at this stage but there is a lot of cricket to be played tomorrow.”First, we have to get them out and that’s going to be our No. 1 priority. Our players have a lot of respect for the game and for the quality of the opposition, so they know that they have to work hard tomorrow; nobody is starting to think that the series win is guaranteed. Test cricket is about the hard work and the real challenge, and hopefully our boys will enjoy that challenge tomorrow.”Sri Lanka, who won the first Test in Galle and drew the second at the SSC, are looking for their first Test series win in nine attempts. In Pallekele, where the weather was expected to be a factor, the second day was lost due to rain. However, the pitch, which allowed plenty of seam movement and made batting difficult, has made sure that all results remain possible on the fifth day.”It’s swayed back and forth quite a bit, which is what everybody wants to see. So, from that point of view, it’s been good. The first morning, it [the pitch] certainly had quite a lot in it for the seamers. Even yesterday morning there was a lot in it for the seamers; fortunately we had two batsmen who got in and dug in deep and did a fantastic job neutralising what was going on out there.”In the first innings, batsmen from both teams struggled against the moving ball. However, the Pakistan batsmen scored comfortably in patches on the fourth day and Ford expected that the pitch, which has eased out, should help Sri Lanka’s chances.”Pakistan has got three quality seamers who caused some problems for us in the first innings. The surface, as it is now, makes it easier to face them. Certainly Pakistan found batting a lot easier a second time round, hopefully it will be easier for us second time round as well.”Pakistan started the day at 27 for 1, 84 runs behind Sri Lanka, and Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar Ali scored freely to reduce the deficit. Sri Lanka were fortunate to get Hafeez’s wicket just before lunch, but Ali had looked solid. In the second session, there was a century partnership between Ali and Asad Shafiq that threatened to take the game away from the hosts.”We would have loved to have got into them this morning and get more wickets down by lunch. At tea-time we were quite concerned but you have to give credit to the way they played. They played extremely well and our seamers found it a bit tougher on that surface in the second innings.”In the final session, Sri Lanka managed to claw back after taking four wickets for 24 runs. Ford said that the wickets fell in part due to the lower-order batsmen being on strike.”The lower order [has] less skilful players and the likelihood of them establishing a partnership is less likely. I don’t think it was the conditions, [though] maybe the cloud may have come on a bit in the evening, which might have helped in the swing and movement off the wicket, and also the new ball being available at the time.”

The BCCI has adopted a new digital X-ray based method for the age verification of players

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2012The BCCI has adopted a new digital X-ray based method for the age verification of players. The board believes that this will eliminate the cases of fraud during player selections at various age-group tournaments, the reported. Approximately 900 cricketers below the age of 16 will be tested under the new method, which has been globally accepted as the “most accurate” among various age-determination methods.The new method, knows as the TW3 (Tanner-Whitehouse3) bone maturation process, allows accurate estimation of a player’s age by the analysis of x-rays of the lower end of the forearm of the players.”This is a one-time test and it’ll not be repeated in a player’s entire career. Once he is certified as below 16 years for an under-16 tournament, his age will accordingly be calculated for the higher age-group tournaments like under-19 and under-25,” BCCI consultant and Sport medicine expert Ashok Ahuja said.”The age shown by TW3 method could vary by six months, either more or less. So, for borderline cases, players who are up to four months older than 16 years would be allowed to play in under-16 tournaments, but not older than that.”The TW3 method will replace the currently used Greulich & Pyle (GP) method, which was adopted by the BCCI seven years ago. The GP method age estimations were accurate in the range of two to four years.

Two wickets for Luke Fletcher put Durham in trouble on a curtailed first day at Trent Bridge

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge15-Aug-2012
ScorecardLuke Fletcher enabled Notts to cope without Andre Adams•Getty Images

As is the way of things, by the time play would have been ending the clouds were high and the sky was clearing nicely to the west, promising an evening as clear and calm as the morning had been. In between, Nottinghamshire endured the frustration of a promising start thwarted as they seek victory in a match they believe they must win to retain realistic prospects of regaining the County Championship they surrendered to Lancashire last year.Only in the morning session was play possible yet it had been a productive one against expectations for Nottinghamshire, who faced a Durham side apparently on the up while having to deal with the worst absenteeism they have faced all summer. Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad do not really count in that regard, but with James Taylor now in the senior England fold and Samit Patel still involved at Lions level, their batting is clearly undermined. To make matters worse, two of their first-choice bowling attack, Harry Gurney and Andre Adams, are injured. Given that he has taken 54 wickets, more than any bowler in the Championship, the loss of Adams, to a hamstring injury suffered at Taunton last week, is a serious blow.Yet, having won the toss and put Durham in on a wicket that was well grassed in the middle at least, their progress was better than they may have anticipated.Luke Fletcher, who has had injuries and fitness issues and had not played in the Championship since April, was recalled, eager to impress. He did so, too, taking two of the four wickets. Fletcher opened the season with seven in a win over Worcestershire at New Road yet took only one more in 61 overs in the three subsequent matches, hastening his return to the Second XI and allowing Gurney and Andy Carter to overtake him in the pecking order.With Gurney nursing a hip injury, it was always likely Fletcher would return and he ran in with a clear sense of purpose. In a soundly economical opening spell, his first reward came with a ball that swung just enough to make Will Smith look foolish for offering no stroke. When he returned in the half-hour before lunch his fourth delivery was good enough to deny Mark Stoneman a half-century, the opening batsman pushing at one that took the edge and offered Chris Read his second catch.The first by Read had seen off Phil Mustard, who was slow to leave the crease after driving a little loosely at a ball from Carter. Perhaps he was unsure there had been contact, or else it was simply disappointment, after a confident start, that his plan to build on back-to-back centuries in 40-over matches had been denied so soon.All this had taken place to the accompaniment of the drone of a police helicopter and the wailing of sirens as a drama was unfolding barely half a mile away, where armed robbers held up a local Post Office. Happily no one was hurt.Such distractions cannot help a batsman’s concentration, although it ought not to have played a part in Smith’s dismissal. Keaton Jennings, the 20-year-old former South Africa Under-19s captain who is playing in his second Championship match, may have had more of an excuse. He was leg before when he missed a ball from Ben Phillips that appeared not to deviate significantly.It is left to Dale Benkenstein and Paul Collingwood to bring their experience to bear regardless of objects in the sky when play resumes. Nottinghamshire, who are 21 points behind Warwickshire and 10 behind second-placed Sussex, may get Swann or Taylor back, in which case either Graeme White or Steven Mullaney will make way, although it is more likely that Durham will benefit from the release at Lord’s of Graham Onions, for whom Mitch Claydon will stand down.

ESPNcricinfo previews the Super Eights game between New Zealand and West Indies in Pallekele

The Preview by Sidharth Monga30-Sep-2012

Match facts

October 1, 2012
Start time 1530 (1000 GMT)Only one out of Ross Taylor and Darren Sammy will be smiling on Monday evening, and there’s a good chance that smile might be wiped off by the end of the night•West Indies Cricket

Big Picture

New Zealand players may have had a gastro problem or three, but surely they and West Indies have received the best of Sri Lankan hospitality? For, on Monday, they’ll hope like hell that the hosts beat England.New Zealand have no points so far, and their only entry point is if they beat West Indies and England lose too, to force a three-way tie at two points. If that happens, New Zealand will stand a good chance of making it to the semi-finals: their net run-rate of -0.268 is already better than West Indies’ -0.621, and not too worse than England’s -0.115. If it all goes to plan for New Zealand, their own net run-rate will improve, and England’s will take a beating, bridging that gap.Theoretically West Indies can be a part of a three-way tie even if they lose, but their poor net run-rate after the thrashing from Sri Lanka means it does them no good. In theory, West Indies too will have two avenues if they beat New Zealand: an England defeat later will give them a clear passage, while it will be a three-way tie with England and Sri Lanka should England win. Again, though, West Indies’ net run-rate is likely to keep them third-best should the hosts lose.So, for both the sides, the endeavour will be to win without worrying too much about the net run-rate and hope Sri Lanka keep up their good form later in the day. However, if only the second match is rained out, it will be bad news for New Zealand and good for West Indies. Neither of them can afford a whole washed-out day. If only the first game is washed out, New Zealand go out, and West Indies will again hope for a Sri Lanka win.

Form guide

New Zealand LLLWW (completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LWLWW

Watch out for

Ross Taylor finds himself under pressure not just for his lack of runs, but also his tinkering of the batting order. Monday will provide him one last chance of not only redeeming himself in this tournament, but to get a measure of retribution after a highly disappointing tour of the Caribbean earlier this year.Darren Sammy hasn’t exactly endeared himself to the West Indies fans with his selections either. At the heart of West Indies’ problems has been a glut of bits-and-pieces allrounders, and not enough specialist bowlers. That was one of the reasons they lost after making 191 against Australia. It didn’t help that even those three specialist bowlers against Sri Lanka didn’t include Samuel Badree, who helped set up the win against England with four overs for just 20 runs. Sammy’s captaincy, and his place in the side, are under scrutiny at best of times. Only a qualification to the semi-finals will be able to silence those voices, that too temporarily.

Team news

New Zealand will be hoping for a return to wellness for Jacob Oram, in whose absence Doug Bracewell played against England, and played little part in the match while the contest was alive. Oram spent whole of Saturday unwell and throwing up throughout the day, and New Zealand are hoping it’s a “24-hour thing”. It’s unlikely New Zealand will look at any other changes.New Zealand (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Rob Nicol, 3 Brendon McCullum (wk), 4 Ross Taylor (capt), 5 James Franklin, 6 Kane Williamson, 7 Jacob Oram/Doug Bracewell, 8 Daniel Vettori, 9 Nathan McCullum, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Kyle Mills.For West Indies, Badree should come back, not least because New Zealand are not the best players of spin. The question is, will he replace a specialist bowler or one of the many allrounders?West Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Dwayne Bravo, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Darren Sammy (capt), 7 Andre Russell/Fidel Edwards, 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Samuel Badree.

Pitch and conditions

On Saturday, Pallekele finally showed signs of assistance to spin, with a drier track. The rain has stayed away so far, and hopefully it will for one more day.

Stats and trivia

• When Chris Gayle fell for 2 against Sri Lanka, he had scored fewer than 50 for the first time in five efforts. That is a record he shares with Brendon McCullum.
• Kieron Pollard has never won been Man of the Match in his 28 T20Is.
  

  Quotes

  “I’d rather see Brendon McCullum at the top. I don’t think he is quite assured of how he wants to play the game coming in at No. 3, because if New Zealand lose a wicket, he has to play a slightly different game. Perhaps get Ross Taylor in at No. 3, and give him more time to bat.”
  “It’s a must-win for us now. The good thing for us is that we are playing New Zealand. We just played them in the Caribbean, we have a pretty good idea of what this side is made up of.”