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India’s captain MS Dhoni identified Monty Panesar, the England left-arm spinner, as the main difference between the sides

Sidharth Monga26-Nov-2012MS Dhoni has admitted to being disappointed “to an extent” with his own spinners, but he insisted Monty Panesar was a touch above everyone else, making the big difference. India finally got the square turner they wanted, played three spinners, won the toss, posted a first-innings total that many thought was surplus in these conditions, but squandered it through some ordinary spin bowling.In helpful conditions, Panesar and Graeme Swann took 19 wickets between them in 121.2 overs. India’s three specialist bowlers bowled 113.1 overs for just nine wickets. To say the Indian spinners were outplayed will be an understatement. This is one of the most disappointing performances by an Indian spin unit in favourable home conditions.It can be granted that Panesar’s natural pace is more suited to bowling on such pitches, but Swann adjusted well too, unlike the Indian bowlers. R Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh were especially friendly on a surface where spinners had no business being friendly. Especially disappointing was their tendency to bowl short, not making the batsmen drive, which was where most of the mistakes happened. That is what, according to Dhoni, was the bigger flaw than not being able to adjust to the pace required on the surface.”There is a particular style of bowling,” Dhoni said. “We also tried to bowl fast. We didn’t get the same purchase. It’s the same as two different batsmen. Some conditions suit you, some don’t. I felt the only thing we could have done better is make them drive more than we did. If you bowl short on a wicket that has a bit of bounce, you give them time. Especially the fact that we were getting more purchase when we were bowling a little slow.”However, Dhoni was fulsome in his praise of Panesar. “The way Monty bowled, he was different from other bowlers,” Dhoni said. “All the other bowlers were getting bounce and turn, but Monty bowled at real pace. He bowled at 90-95kph and even above that, and still he got real turn. He had a big impact on the game.”The other spinners got the bounce, but they never looked to trouble the batsmen as much a Monty did. Big credit goes to him. If you get performances like this, margin of defeat can be big. Credit also goes to Pujara from our side, who batted really well. Pietersen and Cook batted really well. They batted off the back foot really well. I wish we were a bit fuller, and made them drive more.”However, Dhoni stood by his demand for exactly the kind of pitch this Test was played on. “I think this was a very good wicket,” he said. “Tests in the subcontinent should be played on such wickets. The toss wasn’t that vital. It started turning from the first day.”Dhoni insisted he would love to get such pitches more often, regardless of the result here. “Of course I will want a similar wicket,” he said. “That’s what our speciality is. What’s the point of playing on a flat track and winning the toss and batting for three or four days over the Test? You want to face challenges in test cricket. These are the kinds of wickets that push you. Definitely all the wickets should be like this.”However, Dhoni’s reasoning for such pitches calls for a much better show from the players in Kolkata. “The best thing about these conditions is, no side is guaranteed a win,” Dhoni said. “You have to play well to win.” If India do get another turner, they will “have to play well to win.”

Dean Brownlie, who made his Test debut for New Zealand today in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, has said he would like to cement a place in the squad ahead the tour of Australia next month

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2011Dean Brownlie, who made his Test debut for New Zealand today in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, has said he is confident his first-class performances would translate into Test cricket. He forced his way into the side by making heaps of runs for Canterbury and New Zealand A during the winter, and believes he is ready for the challenge of Test cricket.”I’ve got lots of advice from the senior players and they’re all telling me not to change anything, to do what I did to get selected,” he said. “I think that’s the key.”I try not to think too much about outside pressures and just try and take it ball by ball, like I always do.”Brownlie was born in Australia and only moved to New Zealand in 2009, qualifying to play for them through his Christchurch-born father, Jim. So he would like nothing more than to cement a place in the squad ahead of the tour of Australia next month.”It would be good, but not just because it’s Australia and I was born there and grew up there,” Brownlie told the . More so my [Perth-based] friends and family can watch me play, and a lot of the coaches I had growing up.”While he is keen to play one-day cricket and has already played two international Twenty20 matches, Brownlie said succeeding in Test cricket was his greatest ambition. “That’s the pinnacle, isn’t it? That’s the hardest test of cricket and of your ability.”A calf injury ruled Jesse Ryder out of the Test and Brownlie could be called upon to bowl a few overs to support the frontline bowlers. He did that in the tour game, picking up the wicket of Malcolm Waller, but didn’t think it would lead his Canterbury coach, Bob Carter, to throw him the ball more often in domestic cricket.”They’ve seen me bowl, and they’re about as unimpressed with it as I am.”

While they are capable of the occasional flash of brilliance, Bangladesh’s problem has been their inability to build on the winning momentum

The Preview by Nitin Sundar07-Oct-2010

Match Facts

Friday, October 8, Mirpur

Start time 9:30am (03.30 GMT)Ross Taylor stands out in an off-colour middle order•AFP

The Big Picture

While the cricketing world had its eyes firmly focused on the riveting action from Mohali, Bangladesh were quietly adding a chapter to their own history in overcast Mirpur. Their victory against New Zealand in the first ODI was their 13th against top opposition. Seven of those wins have come in the last two years and, though the list includes three wins against a depleted-by-dispute West Indies, it indicates a progressive improvement in Bangladesh’s consistency.While they are capable of the occasional flash of brilliance, Bangladesh’s problem has been their inability to build on the winning momentum. Barring those three games in the West Indies, they have never managed to string two upsets on the trot. The euphoria of their other famous win this year, against England in Bristol, quickly evaporated when they were squarely thumped in the following game. Can Bangladesh buck that trend and hold on to their early lead in this series?Heavy rain is forecast over the next few days in Bangladesh, so much so that the National League matches scheduled to start on Sunday have been rescheduled. Even though Bangladesh haven’t managed to string together two wins on the trot against strong opposition, the weather could help them enter the third match of the series with a 1-0 lead.This is not the first time New Zealand have started a bilateral series in Bangladesh with defeat. In 2008-09, they managed to reverse the scoreline with convincing wins in the two remaining games. This series, being a five-match affair, gives them even more elbow room, but that does not mean Daniel Vettori will take Tuesday’s defeat lightly. Despite his singling out Shakib Al Hasan as a threat, New Zealand seemed without a plan against Bangladesh’s talisman allrounder in both departments. Vettori has said the tour of the subcontinent will give his side an advantage when the World Cup comes, but another defeat here will only create self-doubt ahead of tougher tests in India.

Form guide

(five latest completed matches, starting with most recent)
New Zealand: LLLWW

Bangladesh: WLWLL

Watch out for…

Despite their middle order’s stumble against spin, New Zealand were in the game as long as Ross Taylor was at the crease. Bangladesh did well to deny him boundaries, and his dismissal, going for his favourite slog-sweep, tilted the balance in the hosts’ favour. Taylor is unlikely to perish twice on the trot to his pet shot, but can he find a way past the spinners’ stranglehold to make it productive?Shahriar Nafees returned to the ODI side after over two years, but his touch and timing at the top of the order suggested he had never been away. With 1892 runs in 61 ODIs, Nafees is sixth in the list of highest run-scorers for Bangladesh, but of all their batsmen to have scored over 1000 runs, he has the highest average. Bangladesh can do with stability at the top, and Nafees, along with the currently-injured Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes, can give them a formidable top three.

Team news

Bangladesh will be without their first-choice seamers, Mashrafe Mortaza and Nazmul Hussain, who picked injuries during the first match. The squad is, however, not short of fast-bowling options. Left-arm seamer Syed Rasel will expect to make the cut, while the remaining spot could be a toss-up between Rubel Hossain and Shafiul Islam.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Imrul Kayes, 2 Shahriar Nafees, 3 Junaid Siddique, 4 Raqibul Hasan, 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Naeem Islam, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Rubel Hossain / Shafiul Islam, 11 Syed RaselGrant Elliott, BJ Watling and Shanan Stewart contributed two runs between them, in a passage of play that cost New Zealand the opening game. Kane Williamson should expect a call-up, but he is coming off a forgettable streak himself. Daryl Tuffey could be in line to replace Andy McKay whose nine overs went for 51 in the opening game.New Zealand (possible): 1 Jesse Ryder, 2 Brendon McCullum (wk), 3 Ross Taylor, 4 Grant Elliott, 5, 6 Kane Williamson / BJ Watling / Shannan Stewart, 7 Daniel Vettori (capt), 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Daryl Tuffey

Stats and trivia

• Mahmudullah has become the 15th Bangladesh batsman to reach 1000 runs
• Kyle Mills, with 27, has taken most wickets in clashes between these two sides. Vettori comes second with 25. Shakib is the first Bangladesh player in the list, with 17
  

  Quotes

  “We had a reasonable start and to restrict them to less than 230 was a good effort. We expected to win, but we let ourselves down in the second half of our batting effort. “

Gary Kirsten wasn’t about to push any panic buttons after a poor day, though he admitted that a slightly more vigorous wag from the tail would have been handy

Cricinfo staff17-Nov-2009
After a good first day, there was little for India to celebrate on Tuesday•Associated Press

After finishing the first day as much the happier side, day two at Motera was one of hard toil for India. Having lost the last four wickets for 37 runs, the bowling line-up was then slammed to all parts as Tillakaratne Dilshan scored yet another century in his annus mirabilis. It was only impetuous shot selection from Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara that allowed India a route back into the game.Apart from Zaheer Khan, who bowled a tremendous second spell [5-2-4-2], none of the bowlers looked especially threatening on a surface that remained placid and slow. Gary Kirsten, India’s coach, wasn’t about to push any panic buttons, though he admitted that a slightly more vigorous wag from the tail would have been handy.”I think we would have liked a few more runs,” he said. “But I think it was a tremendous effort to get from 32 for 4 to 426. The Sri Lankans batted well. For me, the game’s pretty even at the moment. It’s a good wicket to bat on, we know that, and hopefully it’ll start taking more and more turn as the game goes on. Bowling last on that pitch will suit us.”The pick of the bowlers was undoubtedly Zaheer, returning to the squad after a shoulder injury he picked up during the IPL. After his first 10 overs had cost 41, he came back to restrict the scoring and take the wickets that India were so desperate for. And all that without any hint of the prodigious reverse swing that was such a feature of India’s series victory over Australia 12 months ago. “It’s good to have him back,” Kirsten said. “He’s a very experienced and very clever bowler. For his first time back, I thought he bowled exceptionally well. Hopefully, he can continue to use his skill throughout this match and into the next ones.”Reverse swing is the biggest of those skills and Kirsten admitted that they were “hoping for a bit more”. “In conditions like these, it does help to get the ball to reverse. In the second innings and maybe tomorrow as well, we’ll get a bit more. It’s not an abrasive surface and the outfield’s pretty good. The table around the pitch is pretty green so the ball stays in good condition.”There were encouraging words too for the spinners, though both struggled at times on a pitch where the batsmen had oodles of time to play shots. Zaheer apart, every other specialist bowler in the match has conceded more than 3.5 runs an over, the best indication of how batsmen-friendly the conditions have been. “I thought Harbhajan bowled really well, as good a rhythm as I’ve seen him bowl for a while,” Kirsten said. “He was very happy with his performance today.”Again, let’s bear in mind that it’s a good wicket for batting. And Amit [Mishra] hasn’t bowled for a while. He hasn’t had much game time. He would like his rhythm to have been a little bit better, but that’s going to happen. I’m pretty confident that both of them are going to be a real factor in this Test match.”Mishra was part of the squad for the seven-match one-day series against Australia without getting a game, and his position as national reserve also prevented him from turning out for the first two games of the Ranji Trophy season. “It’s always difficult,” Kirsten said. “You need to have subs. You need to have people around and available if someone does an ankle on the morning of a game. We’ve released two players [Murali Vijay and Pragyan Ojha] to go play Ranji Trophy, so we’ve got 13 players here, which is about as little as you can have. Amit didn’t play at all in the one-dayers, but we needed him there just in case someone picked up an injury.”With no viable all-round options after Irfan Pathan’s fall from grace, and no queue of fast bowlers breathing down the incumbents’ necks, this is pretty much the best XI that India can put on the park. On pitches like this, the fifth-bowling option is always a welcome luxury, but Kirsten was pretty content with the status quo. “We’ve gone in with four bowlers since I’ve been part of this team,” he said. “That’s what allows us to have the best balance. We’ve had a successful run with four bowlers and there’s no reason why it should change. The biggest issue is whether we play the extra spinner of the extra seamer.”In New Zealand, we played the extra seamer. In India, we play the extra spinner. A lot of teams have played successful cricket over many years with four frontline bowlers. We’ve got Yuvraj that can do a job for us, and Veeru who can.”Unless the second new ball can provide quick breakthroughs on the third morning, both may yet be needed over the coming days, with wickets at a premium on a pitch that’s diametrically opposite to the one on which South Africa romped to an innings success 18 months ago.

Only 31 overs were possible in which Nyamhuri picked up his maiden Test wicket

Himanshu Agrawal29-Dec-2024Rain had the final say on the fourth day in Bulawayo as only 31 overs were possible with the first of two Tests between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan headed to a draw. Zimbabwe managed to end the mammoth 364-run third-wicket partnership between Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi – both of whom batted the entire third day – with the former falling on 234. He added just three runs to his overnight score before left-arm quick Newman Nyamhuri, on debut, managed to have him caught at gully.Shahidi was still batting on 179 while Afsar Zazai was in sights of his maiden Test half-century, finishing unbeaten on 46 as the pair added an unbroken 87 for the fourth wicket.Rahmat fell in the second over of the day, when he drove at one far away from his body and edged it to Ben Curran after adding just three to his overnight tally. Nyamhuri bowled it from around the stumps and floated it wide; Rahmat could not resist. That ended what is the eighth-highest third-wicket partnership in men’s Tests.Both Nyamhuri and Blessing Muzarabani got seam movement – and at times even extra bounce – but Shahidi and new batter Afsar Zazai remained watchful. Each time the line was wide, neither batter shied away from lofting or slashing at the ball. Shahidi reached 150 in the 131st over, when he clipped Nyamhuri wide of fine leg. Largely, both quicks kept it tight.The first boundary of the day came only in the 137th over. Trevor Gwandu angled one across to Shahidi, who played a lovely drive to bisect cover and mid-off. Thereafter, it was Zazai who kept finding the boundary, while Shahidi looked much calmer at the other end.Three overs later, Zazai hit his first boundary through midwicket when Sean Williams pitched one short. In the 141st over, Zazai threw his bat at a full and wide one outside off from Gwandu, only for the ball to fly for four over gully. After two overs, Zazai cut Gwandu for another boundary just after his partnership with Shahidi had crossed fifty.Zazai picked up his only six by pulling Williams over square leg. Sensing he was picking up pace, Zimbabwe slowed things down through Muzarabani, Brandon Mavuta and Brian Bennett. Afghanistan managed only 14 runs from the next seven overs, and that ended the morning session.Shahidi drove the second delivery after lunch for four to deep extra cover, but only two overs were possible in the afternoon. Seeing ominous grey clouds form, the umpires stopped play at 12:53pm sensing a heavy downpour, which arrived soon.The rain eased an hour later with the ground staff starting to peel the covers off. But that effort proved futile with another downpour starting. That spell of rain was relentless and stumps were called at 4:35pm.

The 34-year-old is “not giving up” hope of a West Indies comeback, but has decided to take a break from the game

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2023Darren Bravo has decided to take a break from cricket following his non-selection in West Indies’ squad for their three-match ODI series against England next month. The 34-year-old, who last played for West Indies in February 2022, continued to be left out despite topping the run charts in the 2023-24 Super50 Cup, where he scored 416 runs at an average of 83.20.It is not yet clear how long Bravo intends to step away from the game.”I’ve taken some time to ponder and wonder what’s my next step moving forward as a cricketer,” Bravo wrote on Instagram. “At this point in my career it’s not easy or should I say it takes a lot to continue to find the energy, the passion, commitment and discipline to be able to perform to the best of my ability and put myself in a position to make my return to international cricket.”Related

• 'The system failed again' – Dwayne Bravo on brother Darren's exclusion from WI ODI squad

• Sherfane Rutherford, Matthew Forde receive West Indies call for England ODIs

Apart from the senior ODI side, Bravo has not found a place in either the West Indies Academy squad that is playing a home series against Ireland Academy or the West Indies A squad that is touring South Africa for three unofficial Tests.”Without any level communication I’ve been left in a very dark place,” he further wrote. “At the moment there’s three teams representing the region in multiple formats/series. That’s approximately 40-45 players and if I can’t be in any of these teams after competing in our regional tournaments and scoring runs, therefore they are basically telling me that the writing is on the wall.”I’m not giving up but I believe it’s best to step away just for a bit and maybe make some room for a young and upcoming talent. I will end by wishing each and everyone [sic] all the very best. “I’ve lived my dream.””