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Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 2nd Test, Dubai Live Streaming

2011-10-25T23:09:00.001-07:00

Tillakaratne Dilshan kept faith in his batting despite the debacle in the first innings of the first Test and chose to bat first on a flat Dubai track. One of their second-innings heroes from Abu Dhabi, Prasanna Jayawardene, had to sit out because of a groin injury. Kaushal Silva came in ahead of Dinesh Chandimal. They also rested Nuwan Pradeep and included Dhammika Prasad. Just a three-day gap between two Tests

played in extreme heat can be testing for the fast bowlers. Pakistan made one change, going for Abdur Rehman's left-arm spin ahead of the big-hearted Aizaz Cheema.

Sri Lanka 1 Tharanga Paranavitana, 2 Lahiru Thirimanne, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt.), 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Kaushal Silva (wk), 8 Dhammika Prasad, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Chanaka Welegedera, 11 Suranga Lakmal.

Pakistan 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Taufeeq Umar, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt.), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Adnan Akmal (wk), 8 Umar Gul, 9 Abdur Rehman, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Junaid Khan

Twenty20 rankings launched with England on top

2011-10-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

England, the reigning World Twenty20 champions, have topped the ICC's inaugural rankings for the shortest format of the game. England batsman Eoin Morgan tops the batting ratings, Sri Lankan spinnerAjantha Mendis is the top bowler and Australia's Shane Watson the No. 1 allrounder.

England have 127 points and are ahead of Sri Lanka, who have 126 in the rankings, announced on Monday. If England win their T20 against India at Eden Gardens on October 29, they will have a four-point lead over Sri Lanka. If they lose, though, they will slip below Sri Lanka and India.

"The introduction of rankings for international Twenty20 cricket provides real context to the various series played between member countries on an ongoing basis," England's team director Andy Flower said. "Until now we haven't had the chance to play a large number of Twenty20 Internationals so this will offer a benchmark as to who is performing at international level."

The next four teams - New Zealand (117), South Africa, India and Australia - were separated by only six points. Pakistan, who won the World Twenty20 in 2009, were ranked seventh followed by West Indies, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.

Bangladesh, along with Associate Members Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands and Scotland, which have T20 international status, will join the table as soon as they have played sufficient matches (at least eight T20s since August 2009) to qualify for a ranking.

Since August 2009, England played 20 T20s, winning 12, losing six and two no-results. Pakistan played the most matches (24) during the same period, but lost more than 50% of its matches, which contributed to its low rating.

Brendon McCullum and Kevin Pietersen were No. 2 and 3 behind Morgan in the rankings for batsmen, while spinners occupy seven of the top ten spots for bowlers. "I believe spin bowlers have adapted to T20 cricket better than most," Daniel Vettori, who has retired from T20s, said. "To see spinners succeed in a tough environment is great for the game and means bowlers can enjoy Twenty20 cricket, most of the time!"

Watson, the No. 1 allrounder, is followed by Shahid Afridi, David Hussey and Mohammad Hafeez. Abdul Razzaq, at No. 10, is the third Pakistan player among the top ten allrounders.

India v England, 4th ODI, Mumbai live Streaming

2011-10-23T02:58:00.000-07:00

Alastair Cook opted to bat after winning his third straight toss of the ODI series. England, having already lost the series 0-3, handed a debut to seamer Stuart Meaker in place of the struggling Jade Dernbach and also brought in the legspinner Scott Borthwick for Graeme Swann. There was still no place for Ian Bell though.

MS Dhoni was glad to have a bowl on a pitch with just a bit of grass, saying that he would have fielded first anyway considering the possibility of dew in the evening. Fast bowler Varun Aaron, who did not get a game on the recent tour of England, finally got his India debut in place of the injured Umesh Yadav.

India: Parthiv Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (capt. & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, R Vinay Kumar, Praveen Kumar, Varun Aaron

England: Alastair Cook (capt.), Craig Kieswetter (wk), Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ravi Bopara, Jonny Bairstow, Samit Patel, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Meaker, Steven Finn, Scott Borthwick

Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Abu Dhabi, 5th day Live Streaming

2011-10-22T00:12:00.000-07:00

Five dropped catches and four wickets summed up a profligate day for Pakistan, on which their bowlers toiled to create numerous chances only for their fielders - led by Mohammad Hafeez - to spill them. Kumar Sangakkara's fighting century was the only positive for Sri Lanka, and his continued presence their only hope of saving the match.

The bowlers created pressure and some panic but Sri Lanka emerged relatively unscathed, with Sangakkara and Pakistan's fielders taking the match into a fifth day. After four catches had gone down during a 153-run second-wicket partnership that was beginning to hurt Pakistan, they were given an opening via Lahiru Thirimanne's suicidal attempt at a second run. Thirimanne and Sangakkara had survived for more than 50 overs; Sri Lanka then lost three batsmen in little over ten, before an astonishing fifth let-off kept them afloat.

Saeed Ajmal and Junaid Khan, who had both been denied by the slippery hands of Hafeez, took the fielders out of the equation, bowling Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan respectively for single-digit scores. An inside edge off an attempted cut against an offbreak accounted for Jayawardene while Dilshan drove loosely at one that sneaked through the gap between bat and pad.

It was a characteristic burst from Pakistan after a period of frenzy before lunch when their fielding fell apart in a rush of squandered catches. It allowed Thirimanne and Sangakkara to survive a testing first session as the bowlers were let down three times by Hafeez, including twice off successive deliveries from Junaid.

On a pitch that did not offer much even on the fourth day, the bowlers gave Sri Lanka a hard time, producing false shots, going past the outside edge and hitting the pads. The batsmen countered in their own ways, Thirimanne using the sweep to ward off Ajmal, Sangakkara playing straight, and nudging and cutting when the opportunities came.

Junaid produced the first real chance off the last ball of the 27th over when he induced Thirimanne to edge an attempted drive. It went low to first slip where Hafeez grabbed at the ball and grassed it. Hafeez was to deny Junaid and reprieve Thirimanne again, off the next delivery. If anything, this one was easier. Thirimanne had another escape as lunch approached, when he cut Ajmal straight to the gully fielder, who backed away and was hit on the body. It was Hafeez yet again.

Junaid was to suffer a third time when Younis Khan was unsure whether he had taken Sangakkara's edge cleanly after diving forward at second slip. Younis let off Sangakkara once again before lunch, on 56, dropping a tough diving chance at slip off, ironically, Hafeez.

Thirimanne could not capitalise on the good fortune but Sangakkara continued to resist, even as wickets fell. He used the abundant short deliveries to cut and steer for boundaries on the off side and kept nudging and clipping for runs on the leg. Pakistan fed his strengths throughout the day. Sangakkara looted 81 off 42 deliveries square on the off side and another 51 off 33 square on the leg. Yet another cut shot to the point boundary off Junaid earned him his 11th second-innings Test century, off 173 deliveries.

Angelo Mathews could not reprise his first-innings salvage effort, though. Umar Gul - who hadn't bowled after sending down four overs in the morning - trapped him leg-before off the first delivery with the second new ball, after having got Tharanga Paranavitana right away with the first last evening.

Almost inevitably, Pakistan's fielding came to haunt them again as substitute fielder Wahab Riaz put down a mistimed pull by Prasanna Jayawardene off a disgusted Gul. Jayawardene was also fortunate to get away with a close leg-before shout against Junaid but by the end, he had frustrated Pakistan along with Sangakkara for 125 deliveries.

With Sangakkara's effort beginning to rival Taufeeq Umar's first-innings marathon, Pakistan had no one to blame but themselves for what could have been.

Bangladesh v West Indies, 1st Test, Chittagong, 1st day

2011-10-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

A solid performance from Bangladesh's batsmen on a placid track marked the start of the Test series in Chittagong, leaving the bowlers potentially facing more days of hard work. The morning was slightly overcast but the sun didn't take long to break through the clouds, confining whatever assistance was available for the bowlers to the first hour of the day. Deciding to bat without hesitation, Bangladesh, led by half-centuries from Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal, built a platform for a formidable first-innings score but suffered a few jolts along the way, some self-inflicted.

The lack of assistance from the pitch meant Darren Sammy had to shuffle his bowlers, get them to bowl from different angles, change ends and rely heavily on variations. The attacking instinct of a couple of well-set Bangladesh batsmen helped West Indies break through but they didn't do themselves much good by employing defensive fields for far too long immediately after lunch and tea. The spread-out fields enabled the hosts, Mushfiqur and Raqibul Hasan especially, to rotate the strike comfortably - 136 runs came in singles (102) and twos, more than half the score.

Once the sun was out, the swing didn't last long, and movement off the pitch was limited. Tamim's solidity was an obstacle for the West Indies bowlers at one end but Imrul Kayes' occasional extravagance gave them a window of opportunity.

Kayes was beaten a couple of times while trying to drive on the up and his first boundary was an uppish chip over Darren Sammy's head. A change of angle from Rampaul gave West Indies their first breakthrough. He bowled from round the wicket, produced an outside edge from Kayes that went for four, followed by a failed drive. The next ball squared the batsman up, angled in and then nipped away just a hint to kiss the edge.

Shahriar Nafees settled in quickly with a couple of confident shots against Sammy followed by a lovely drive off Fidel Edwards. Nafees survived a close shout for lbw against Edwards, though a good part of the ball appeared to have pitched outside leg, before his stay was cut short by a bloody blow to the nose. Edwards slung down a bouncer from round the wicket that forced its way between the peak of the helmet and the grille, forcing Nafees to retire hurt.

Bishoo, who probed away in search of turn, doled out a few long-hops that Tamim duly dispatched through the off side. There were, however, some signs of encouragement for the spinners after lunch. The batsmen were unsettled by a few deliveries that kept low and experienced the odd moment of discomfort when the ball turned. West Indies made their next breach when Tamim attempted a slog-sweep against Marlon Samuels, and top-edged a catch to midwicket; a healthy dose of slow bowling with the fielders pushed back had allowed the pair to work singles and twos but a rush of blood cost the well-settled Tamim a century.

Raqibul looked assured during his stay, solid in defence and punishing the bad balls, and built a promising stand with Mushfiqur, who was his usual busy self, creating opportunities to score by using his feet, making room against straight deliveries, and running well between the wickets. Bishoo almost had Mushfiqur when he edged one that turned but was let down by Sammy, who failed to get down in time for a low chance at slip. Sammy made amends somewhat when he trapped Raqibul in front with a ball that nipped back in but Bangladesh were still in a strong position.

Despite the wickets, the momentum never swung West Indies' way due to the easy access to runs. Even Shakib Al Hasan's initial scratchiness was offset by Mushfiqur's fluency at the other end. He stepped out of his crease to loft Bishoo and Samuels when mid-on was brought in and employed the sweep, paddle and his favoured cut to ensure there were no extended periods of silence. Shakib grew in confidence, slapping Bishoo through the covers and pulling Sammy for consecutive fours. Having added 79 with Mushfiqur, Shakib then chased a wide delivery from Samuels to be caught behind with stumps in sight.

It wasn't until the 90th over that Sammy took the second new-ball, after Edwards' reverse-swing had been dealt with by Mushfiqur and Naeem Islam. The hosts lost more wickets than they should have in friendly conditions, but will back Mushfiqur to break the trend of well-set batsmen giving it away.

India v England, 3rd ODI Live Streaming

2011-10-20T01:47:00.000-07:00

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Zimbabwe v New Zealand, 1st ODI, Harare Live Streaming

2011-10-20T01:37:00.000-07:00

New Zealand's in-form opening pair of Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill were left waiting for their chance at the crease after Zimbabwe decided to take first strike in the first ODI in Harare. Jacob Oram picked up an illness in the lead-up to the game, which meant allrounder Doug Bracewell got his first ODI cap. Rob Nicol also made his ODI debut in the middle order.

Brendan Taylor believed the dry and grassless pitch would aid batsmen early and spinners later in the day. Zimbabwe were bolstered by the return of opener Vusi Sibanda and wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu, both of whom were unavailable for the Twenty20 series. Chris Mpofu, who was off-colour in the second Twenty20, retained his spot in the XI ahead of Keegan Meth.

New Zealand: 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Brendon McCullum (wk), 3 Jesse Ryder 4, Ross Taylor (capt), 5 Kane Williamson, 6 Rob Nicol, 7 James Franklin, 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Doug Bracewell, 10 Kyle Mills, 11 Andy McKay

Zimbabwe: 1 Chamu Chibhabha , 2 Vusi Sibanda, Hamilton Masakadza, 4 Brendan Taylor (capt), 5 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 6 Forster Mutizwa, 7 Elton Chigumbura, 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Ray Price, 10 Kyle Jarvis, 11 Chris Mpofu

Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Abu Dhabi, 3rd Day Live

2011-10-20T00:06:00.000-07:00

The painstaking efforts of Pakistan's top order put their side in control against a helpless Sri Lankan attack which was remorselessly taken apart on an unresponsive surface, first by the positivity of Mohammad Hafeez and then by the self-denial and accumulation of Taufeeq Umar and Azhar Ali.

After Hafeez had batted with purpose in a productive morning session, Taufeeq and Azhar stonewalled at under two runs an over till tea before displaying some urgency in the final session to leave Sri Lanka deflated in the Abu Dhabi heat. Taufeeq played second fiddle to Hafeez, blocked half-volleys after lunch along with Azhar Ali and displayed refreshing freedom after tea to reach his second century in three Tests. Azhar, mostly bordering on the over-cautious, continued to display the solidity that has marked his short career with another half-century in a partnership which grew to 141 by the end of the day.

South Africa v Australia, 1st ODI, Centurion Live Streaming

2011-10-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

South Africa's interim captain Hashim Amla won the toss and chose to bowl first against Australia under cloudy skies in the first ODI at Centurion.

Australia could not consider Shaun Marsh and Shane Watson due to injury, and so handed limited overs debuts to the allrounder Mitchell Marsh, a day before his 20th birthday, and the 18-year-old fast bowler Pat Cummins.

David Warner will be joined at the top of the batting order by Ricky Ponting, an occasional opener down the years, while Steve Smith and Brad Haddin have added responsibility ahead of the debutant Marsh at Nos 5 and 6 respectively.

The hosts chose their expected XI, leaving out the wrist spin of Imran Tahir and relying on Johan Botha to provide the spin option.

Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Morne Morkel will enjoy the chance to share two new balls rather than one, following the recent changes to ODI playing conditions, with the strong chance of some rain across the afternoon in Pretoria.

South Africa 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Hashim Amla (capt), 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 Jean-Paul Duminy, 5 Faf du Plessis, 6 David Miller, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Johan Botha, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Ricky Ponting, 3 Michael Clarke (capt), 4 Mike Hussey, 5 Steve Smith, 6 Brad Haddin, 7 Mitchell Marsh, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Xavier Doherty, 10 Doug Bollinger, 11 Pat Cummins

Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Abu Dhabi, 2nd Day Live Streaming

2011-10-19T00:07:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka squandered away what seemed to be an inviting proposition in the morning - being put in to bat on a flat wicket under the hot sun against inexperienced bowlers - by refusing to score, and ultimately succumbed against a relentless Pakistan attack. Angelo Mathews, however, batted intelligently with the lower order, as he had done during the recent series against Australia, to lift Sri Lanka from the lows of 114 for 7 before Junaid Khan's maiden Test five-for kept them to a first-innings tally of 197.

Pakistan's bowlers were nearly sold short at the toss by their captain who thought that any chance of taking wickets lay in utilising the scant moisture on a flat and deceptively green-tinged pitch. With a large heart and perseverance, though, they prised out six wickets in the second session after Lahiru Thirimanne's guide to slip off Saeed Ajmal gave them an opening at the stroke of lunch.

Bangladesh v West Indies, 3rd ODI, Chittagong Live Streaming

2011-10-18T03:50:00.000-07:00

The threat of rain loomed over gloomy Chittagong but the weather stayed clear enough for Bangladesh to demolish West Indies for their second-lowest total in one-day internationals. From 33 for 1, Bangladesh's bowlers began to hack through the line-up as nine wickets fell for 28 runs. The strong crowd that turned up despite the wetness cheered as the home side dished out retribution for the two defeats in the series, and for the humiliation in the 2011 World Cup.

kkWest Indies had lost only two and four wickets during their victories in Mirpur but this Chittagong pitch was different. The pace was sluggish, the bounce low and the ball did not come on to the bat. There was turn too. To add to that, rain on the eve of the match had left the outfield soggy, and shots hit along the ground lost speed quickly. Batting conditions were far from ideal, and Mushfiqur Rahim immediately chose to bowl after winning four out of four tosses on the tour.

Danza Hyatt and Kieran Powell, playing because Lendl Simmons had a back problem, struggled to score. They added only 10 runs in six overs before Hyatt lost patience and attempted to loft Nazmul Hossain, who replaced Rubel Hossain, down the ground and edged to slip.

Marlon Samuels, the scourge of Bangladesh on this tour, tried to play like he had in Mirpur. He stayed back in his crease irrespective of whether the ball was full or not and attempted to drive and steer behind point. After 14 quiet deliveries, Samuels tried to carve Shafiul Islam and holed out to Suhrawadi Shuvo at sweeper cover. West Indies were 33 for 2 in the 11th over.

Powell looked the best of the batsmen, which wasn't saying much, as he batted with an upright stance and used his top hand to drive straight and through the off side. He had hit the only boundaries (four) during the mandatory Powerplay, all of them against medium-pace. Spin in the 12th over, however, was a tougher test and Powell was bowled off the second ball he faced from Nasir Hossain. The offbreak drifted into him, pitched on leg stump, and ripped across the outside edge to hit the top of off stump. It was the delivery of the match. The very next ball, Nasir induced a return catch from Pollard. They were his first one-day wickets and Nasir had reduced West Indies to 34 for 4.

Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Abu Dhabi, 1st day Live Streaming

2011-10-18T00:08:00.000-07:00

Misbah-ul-haq, Pakistan's captain, chose to bowl in the series opener against Sri Lanka on a hot and dry day in Abu Dhabi. The pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium was flat and offered nothing for the bowlers during the last Test there, between Pakistan and South Africa in November last year. Misbah said he saw some moisture in the track that could help his fast bowlers early on.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, though, said Sri Lanka would have batted anyway. Nuwan Pradeep, a much-talked about 24-year-old fast bowler, made his debut for Sri Lanka. Pradeep is known for having a slinging action, similar to Lasith Malinga's. Dilshan said he would bat in the middle order, as he did in the Colombo Test against Australia, with Lahiru Thirimanne to open the innings.

Both sides went in with three fast bowlers and one spinner each. Aizaz Cheema and Junaid Khan remained in the Pakistan XI, while Wahab Riaz, who returned for this series after being rested for the tour of Zimbabwe, was left out.

Sri Lanka: 1 Tharanga Paranavitana, 2 Lahiru Thirimanne, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 8 Rangana Herath, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Chanaka Welegedara, 11 Nuwan Pradeep

Pakistan: 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Taufeeq Umar, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Adnan Akmal (wk), 8 Umar Gul, 9 Aizaz Cheema, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Junaid Khan

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Zimbabwe v New Zealand, 2nd Twenty20, Harare

2011-10-17T19:31:00.000-07:00

The brothers McCullum ensured that New Zealand sealed their two-match Twenty20 series against Zimbabwe with a convincing win in the second game. Brendon scored 64 off 37 balls and Nathan took three key wickets with his offspin to wreck Zimbabwe's hope of evening the series. The hosts were more competitive than they had been in the previous game; after an ordinary performance in the field they batted bravely, but the target was too tall for them.

Chris Mpofu started well, with five, precise, back-of-a-length deliveries but indiscipline crept in when his sixth delivery was a legside wide that ended up costing five runs. Kyle Jarvis also had an impressive initial burst with his first ball resulting in a confident appeal for lbw against McCullum. The ball looked destined for middle and leg stump but the umpire did not think so. McCullum was on two at the time and went on to capitalise on his good fortune. The floodgates opened when he clipped Jarvis over mid-wicket for six in the same over.

Another six, off an Mpofu slower ball took New Zealand to 28 without loss when rain interrupted play after three overs. The 20-minute break shaved four overs off the game, reducing it to 18 overs a side. It should also have given Zimbabwe's bowlers enough time to rethink their strategies, but it served only to motivate McCullum and Guptill, who returned to the crease breathing fire.

The better they batted, the worse Zimbabwe bowled. Jarvis could not find the right length; Prosper Utseya tossed it up too much and even Ray Price was guilty of dropping it too short. McCullum took a particular liking to Utseya, smacking him for two sixes in the ninth over to get to the brink of his half-century. His fifty came up, surprisingly, with a single off Elton Chigumbura.

Just when it looked as though the rest of New Zealand's batsmen might not get a chance to occupy the crease, Zimbabwe got a breakthrough with the first ball of Jarvis' third over. McCullum tried the paddle scoop and missed.

But the dismissal was a false dawn. Even as it sent one powerhitter back to the dressing room, it brought another one out. Jesse Ryder played carefully for the first few balls he was at the crease and then pulled Utseya over square leg for four to announce his arrival. With McCullum gone, Guptill took over and reached a fifty of his own, without taking many risks. He pummelled Mpofu in the 16th over, before falling to a big shot off Jarvis.

Although the stats do not reflect it, Zimbabwe's bowlers produced a number of good deliveries. Unfortunately for them, they also sent down at least one hittable delivery in every over. Mpofu finally got it right in the final over, when he bowled full and straight and was able to squeeze the New Zealand batsmen, but it was too little, too late.

Zimbabwe will take heart from their chase, which started in promising fashion, was quickly pegged back with early two wickets but then took flight again. With moisture still hanging in the air, Hamilton Masakadza was undone by seam movement from Doug Bracewell and was caught behind. In the next over, Brendan Taylor was bowled by a slower ball from Aldridge.

Instead of allowing the innings to unravel, Chamu Chibhabha and Elton Chigumbura took the fight to New Zealand. Chibhabha, a man known for his ability to hit the ball a long way in domestic cricket, tucked into debutant Graeme Aldridge, who bowled too full at first and too short later. Chigumbura dealt with changes in length and speed in the same fashion, by taking dispatching the deliveries over the boundary and Chibhabha did well to attack the spinners. Their third-wicket partnership of 57 threatened to give Zimbabwe an unlikely chance at victory but Nathan McCullum put an end to any thoughts of a win.

He got rid of Chigumbura after reacting speedily to take a good return catch and dismissed Charles Coventry for a duck in the same fashion. Chibhabha continued to fight hard but, after reaching his highest score in this format, was undone by the two brothers: he was stumped by Brendon off Nathan. With Chibhabha gone, Zimbabwe's chase fizzled out and came to an ignominious end with four wickets falling in four balls in the 17th over, two of them run-outs.

India v England, 2nd ODI, Delhi

2011-10-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

A series of double-strikes at vital junctures in England's innings helped India limit the visitors to a below-par total in good batting conditions at the Feroz Shah Kotla, leaving their batsmen with a modest chase to secure a 2-0 lead in the five-ODI series. India's bowlers struck first at the beginning of the innings, next at the halfway stage and then at the start of the slog, forcing England to revert to a watchful approach when they had been well placed to surge.

Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir made short work of the target, helped by a fast outfield and short boundaries. After surviving a fiery new-ball spell from Steven Finn and helping India build after the early loss of the openers, both batsmen settled down to score with a fluency that had been visible only in patches in England's innings. Their 209-run partnership, during which Kohli raced to a century and Gambhir made a half-century, helped achieve the target of 238 with eight wickets in hand and 13.2 overs to spare.

The ease with which India chased on a dewy evening put their bowlers' effort, and that of Vinay Kumar who took a career-best 4 for 30, in perspective. India inflicted the first double-strike within the first two overs. Alastair Cook hoped to make best use of a pitch he felt would get slower as the match progressed but his duck was a setback to those plans. The fourth ball off the match, from Praveen Kumar, was short and wide and Cook cut it straight to Ravindra Jadeja at point. While Praveen was fortunate to strike with an ordinary delivery, Vinay Kumar produced a sharper ball in the second over to dismiss Craig Kieswetter - it bounced and seamed away from the right-hand batsman and took the outside edge of the tentative prod to a wide first slip.

The second brace of wickets occurred in the 25th and 26th overs. Bopara didn't pick a straighter one from R Ashwin and was lbw and Kevin Pietersen, who had found his fluency after a slow start, drove at and edged a wide ball from Umesh Yadav to give MS Dhoni a low catch.

Despite being reduced to 0 for 2 and 121 for 5, though, England hit boundaries regularly and had partnerships that helped them recover. What they didn't do well was take singles and twos - there were 172 dot balls in the innings. India would have only 108 dot balls in theirs. The first partnership, between Bopara and Pietersen, was worth 73, and the second, between Jonny Bairstow and Samit Patel, 86. All of those batsmen, in addition to Jonathan Trott, began to create problems for India but no one stayed long enough to cause significant damage.

Bairstow and Patel had led England to 207 in the 42nd over, when they also fell in successive overs - the third and decisive double-strike. Patel got a skiddy delivery from Yadav that kept low and struck him plumb in front, while Bairstow was caught on the long-off boundary. He had hit Jadeja hard and far but Kohli took the catch at head height just inside play. England had slumped to 211 for 7 and this time there was no recovery. The tail, which had caused India so many problems in England, did not contribute.

After 8.2 overs of the chase India were 35 for 2. England had been exactly the same in their innings. Tim Bresnan had dismissed Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane, but he wasn't England's most dangerous bowler. Finn was.

Finn clocked speeds of 150 kph and above consistently in his first spell. He beat Kohli with sheer pace after inducing an edge that went past slip for four. In the 10th over, Gambhir edged Finn past his stumps to the fine-leg boundary while attempting a cover drive. With three slips in place there was a huge gap between cover point and mid-off and Gambhir was aiming for it. He tried to steer once again, and Finn watched the outside edge fly wide of third slip once more. There was a third boundary in the over - Gambhir clipped a half-volley off his pads through square leg. Finn's frustration began to show and India began to pull away fast.

The other England bowlers caused no problems. Kohli pulled Jade Dernbach with a trace of arrogant dismissiveness, he drove Ravi Bopara with grace through cover, and Gambhir cut Graeme Swann behind point to bring up the 50-partnership off 42 balls.

Kohli reached his half-century off 45 balls, Gambhir got to his off 62. Both batsmen were level on 58 after 25 overs but thereafter Kohli began to race ahead with frequent boundaries and a constant turning over of the strike. He got to his century off only 89 balls with a deft glance off the pads against Jade Dernbach. He celebrated his seventh ODI hundred with a fist-pump. A few overs later, Kohli was fist-pumping again, after smashing Dernbach through midwicket to finish the game.

Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Abu Dhabi

2011-10-17T19:27:00.001-07:00

This Pakistan team has coped well amid controversy and several off-field distractions. The workings of an embattled cricket board, Zulqarnain Haider's 'disappearance', Shahid Afridi's conditional retirement from international cricket and the information emerging out of the ongoing spot-fixing trial are all unsettling developments but results on the field have been the bright spot for Pakistan cricket in these troubled times. Since the spot-fixing controversy broke out, they have drawn with South Africa, beaten New Zealand away, drawn with West Indies away, beaten Zimbabwe and made it to the semi-final of this year's World Cup.

They now have a new board chairman - whose term, many would hope, will be less calamitous - and a new interim coach who is also their chief selector. In a relatively less chaotic build-up than some series past, Pakistan have had the time to prepare well for this assignment and will back themselves to come out on top in familiar conditions. In Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Abdur Rehman and Saeed Ajmal, they have a strong bowling attack that has the ability to win Test matches. Their batting line-up is less experienced than their opponents but on tracks traditionally known to be batsman-friendly, the extra pace and the variations of their spinners will be much relied upon.

Sri Lanka - who have a new coach in Geoff Marsh - haven't won a Test since July 2010 and with the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga, their ability to bowl the opposition out in the five-day format has been questioned. They certainly have the batsmen to put up big scores - and they'll be looking to cash in on the usually placid tracks in the Middle East - but can they put sides under pressure and take 20 wickets with their current bowling line-up? Rangana Herath has emerged as the lead spinner following Murali's exit but doubts remain over how well the pace attack can complement him. Suranga Lakmal, Dammika Prasad, Chanaka Welegedera, Angelo Mathews and the uncapped Kosala Kulasekara and Nuwan Pradeep are their pace options, but their counterparts from Pakistan have proved a more potent combination. In conditions that have usually favoured batsmen, it could be the better bowling line-up that decides the series.

Form guide

Sri Lanka: DDLDD
Pakistan: WWLDW

Spotlight

Umar Gul: As Pakistan's most experienced bowler, Gul will have to bend his back. He'll know that the performance of the bowlers could well make the difference in this series and his extra pace, nip and accuracy will be a key weapon in Pakistan's arsenal. He'll need the support from his fellow bowlers though; the weather in the UAE can be quite unforgiving, so it'll be as much a battle of stamina as of skill. He played for Sussex and pulled in a few good performances in the Twenty20 competition, and also had a first-class game for Habib Bank prior to this series.

Rangana Herath: He may have to become his side's workhorse much as Murali had done in Tests. He'll have to bear the heat and bowl plenty of overs and his variations could come in handy against a relatively inexperienced Pakistan batting line-up. He's adept at changing lengths and imparts a significant amount of turn on tracks that are conducive. He also has the left-arm spinner's doosra - the one that turns in much like a chinaman would but without the wrist action. His team has the batsmen to pile on the runs but whether or not he can prove a matchwinner with the ball remains to be seen.

Team news

Shoaib Malik's been picked in the Test squad but will Pakistan go ahead with Asad Shafiq in the absence of Umar Akmal, who's been dropped for this series. It'll also be interesting to see if Pakistan go in with three seamers. Aizaz Cheema had an impressive Test debut in Zimbabwe, and leaving him out will be a tough call.

Pakistan (likely): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Taufeeq Umar, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Adnan Akmal (wk), 8 Umar Gul, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Aizaz Cheema/Abdur Rehman (up the order if picked)

Sri Lanka will also have to decide whether to go in with three seamers or play two specialist spinners. They have Suraj Randiv in their ranks. They are without seamer Shaminda Eranga for this series - he's out injured - and have called in the untested Kosala Kulasekara to take his place.

Sri Lanka: 1 Tharanga Paranavitana, 2 Lahiru Thirimanne, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 8 Kosala Kulasekara/Suraj Randiv, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Chanaka Welegedera, 11 Suranga Lakmal

Pitch and conditions

The previous Test - and the only one played at the venue - was a high-scoring one involving Pakistan and South Africa. Misbah, Shafiq and Azhar Ali were all among the runs and the track played flat for the bulk of the game. Both teams wouldn't mind a spicier pitch than the one used the previous time to give their bowlers an opportunity to strike in the trying heat of the desert.

Spot-fixing controversy

2011-10-17T19:25:00.001-07:00

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt told a court on Monday how he confronted his agent Mazhar Majeed about text messages he had sent him to fix elements of a Twenty20 match against South Africa at the 2010 Twenty20 World Cup.

Butt's comments came on the afternoon of the ninth day of the alleged spot-fixing trial at Southwark Crown Court. It was the first time he had taken the witness box after the prosecution closed its case.

Former opening batsman Butt was questioned about text messages he had received from Majeed, who was his agent from 2006 until 2010, relating to fixing. Butt first gave the background to the messages, which came on the back of a losing tour of Australia when they lost every single match in 2009-10.

"He would say before a game 'give me something'," Butt told the court. "I didn't like it and I felt bad about it. We are not what you are thinking of us. We don't lose intentionally. But it didn't make any difference to him."

For the match against South Africa, Majeed texted Butt asking, "in seventh and eighth over, one fall (wicket) in each, this will only work if you score in the first two overs and no wickets". Kamran Akmal opened the batting with Butt. The message was recovered from police on behalf of the prosecution.

Butt added, on when Majeed would raise such topics: "I would get rid of the conversations in my own language and say 'thik he'." At this stage Butt utilised the services of the female interpreter standing by his side for the first time. She explained that what he was saying meant 'Okay, let's move on'.

Despite Butt's intentions to deter Majeed's messages, they didn't stop. His lawyer, Ali Bajwa QC, asked him to explain messages found on Majeed's phone that were sent to him. One such message read: "Give us one in the seventh and one in the eighth." Bajwa asked Butt if he remembered receiving the messages at that time. He said "Well it is my phone so I must have read them". But when Bajwa asked him if he knew what the message meant, he responded "No".

In the event, on that May 10 game, Butt was dismissed second ball trying to pull Dale Steyn. Bajwa asked Butt if he was captain at that time so to determine to the jury whether he had any influence on events in the match and Butt said, "No".

The court had already heard from written evidence given by the Pakistan team's then security manager, Major Khwaja Najam Javed, that Majeed was in the Caribbean at the time for the tournament with his family.

Butt then explained that he confronted Majeed on the day of this match and he told him: "We are not like these messages you are sending me. You must understand that I must report these things if they come up. He said I am your friend and I have known you many years and I am just checking if you are doing something dodgy or not.

"I took his word for this explanation. He said he was trying to test me with something non-serious. I took his word for that. In four years there was nothing like this - something very serious. Anyone in my place would have had suspicions about it. I did not expect this thing to come up. I had known him many years and he had never done this thing before.

"I didn't report it to the ICC because this is someone I had known for quite a length of time now and he meant what he said to me in his explanation. I had worked with him a couple of years. This is someone I know, if it (happened) the way he explained it to me there was no way the ICC should find out. The only way of working with him was to have good relations so I took his word."

Just before proceedings broke off for the day, Bajwa quizzed Butt on the maiden over that, the prosecution alleged, Butt had agreed to but, subsequently, did not play out at The Oval in the third Test, the match before Lord's. Majeed said: "You know the maiden yeah, do one more." Butt, after said saying 'yeah' to the initial mention of a maiden, eventually snapped and said, "Bro just leave it". That was known from the prosecution's opening.

Butt, who told the court "it is not hard to play out a maiden in a Test match at The Oval" after the prosecution suggested he failed to achieve it, said of the latest corrupt question from Majeed: "I just wanted him to leave this conversation. He started the same thing over and over again. The way he was showing off, like he thought I would do him a favour. I was slightly suspicious."

The case continues.

Zimbabwe v New Zealand, 2nd Twenty20, Harare Live Streaming

2011-10-17T06:44:00.000-07:00

New Zealand were put in to bat as they aim to seal the two-match Twenty20 series against Zimbabwe in Harare. The start of play was delayed by rain for 25 minutes but no overs have been lost.

Seamer Graeme Aldridge debuts for New Zealand in place of Kyle Mills. Kane Williamson also missed out and Rob Nicol was been brought into the starting XI.

Zimbabwe are still without Tatenda Taibu, who injured his finger during warm-ups on Thursday. Forster Mutizwa will keep wicket as Regis Chakabva has been left out, while seam bowler Chris Mpofu has been brought in to partner Kyle Jarvis.

The bowlers will have their work cut out for them because the pitch appears good for batting and a score of around 160 would be par on the surface. Zimbabwe generally prefer chasing and so have picked that route as they aim to stop a losing streak that has lasted for nine international matches.

Zimbabwe: Hamiltom Masakadza, Chamu Chibhabha, Brendan Taylor (capt), Forster Mutizwa (wk), Malcolm Waller, Charles Coventry, Elton Chigumbura, Prosper Utseya, Ray Price, Kyle Jarvis, Chris Mpofu

New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (wk), Martin Guptill, Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor (capt), Rob Nicol, James Franklin, Nathan McCullum, Jacob Oram, Doug Bracewell, Luke Woodcock, Graeme Aldridge

India v England, 2nd ODI, Delhi Live Streaming

2011-10-17T03:48:00.001-07:00

England's captain Alastair Cook chose to bat on a pitch he thought would get lower as the match progressed at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. MS Dhoni, however, said he was going to bowl had he won the toss because of the dew that could hinder bowling under lights.

Both teams fielded unchanged XIs from the first ODI, which India won by 126 runs in Hyderabad.

India: 1 Parthiv Patel, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Vinay Kumar, 11 Umesh Yadav

England: 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ravi Bopara, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Steven Finn, 11 Jade Dernbach

West Indies v Bangladesh

2011-10-17T01:02:00.000-07:00

West Indians eased to a comfortable 65-run win over Bangladesh Cricket Board XI and the abject surrender of the home batsmen, many of whom are in the Bangladesh squad, to the West Indies' bowling attack would have given a genuine boost to the visitors. West Indians still have areas of concern - their batting against spin in particular - but Ravi Rampaul soothed their nerves after they struggled to 217 for 9 in 45 overs.

Rampaul took his time to settle into a rhythm but with the slightly older ball, he hustled the batsmen with his steep bounce and pace. Alok Kapali mustered 41 before Rampaul had him guiding one straight to Denesh Ramdin in the 31st over, the batsman clearly beaten by pace. Naeem Islam's attempt at a pull shot was embarrassing as he only top-edged the ball to the covers before Nasir Hossain's swish had him caught behind, both off Rampaul. He took his fourth by removing the last man Robiul Islam, as the hosts were bowled out for just 152 in 41 overs.

Mohammad Ashraful had given the BCB XI some momentum when he struck six boundaries in his 29-ball 32, but he had an immovable object at the other end - Shahriar Nafees meandered to 16 off 51 balls before sweeping an Anthony Martin leg-stump delivery down square-leg's throat.

While the BCB XI batsmen struggled to cope with the short ball, West Indians had a tough time handling the slow, turning one. They were stuck in one of two gears after being put into bat: too watchful or going for broke at every opportunity.

With the start of the innings going nowhere, Lendl Simmons wound up at the first sight of a loose delivery in the seventh over, only to see his ferocious square-cut go straight to Nasir Hossain at point, while Kieran Powell misread the wicket and was caught at long-off going after Naeem's offspin despite having already having been dropped earlier trying the same shot.

A 59-run stand between Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels followed but that too flickered between a very cautious approach and bravado. Bravo eventually missed his half-century by three runs when he was caught straight down the ground after he hit five sweet boundaries and a six in his 74-ball knock. Samuels's innings ended similarly when he chipped it right down long-on's throat while Danza Hyatt's first outing in the subcontinent ended lasted just 19 deliveries.

The next partnership gave the visitors some respectability as Denesh Ramdin and Darren Sammy added 57, out of which 23 were taken from one Robiul over, but the manner of Ramdin's dismissal left everyone at the ground bemused. He miscued a double-bouncing Ashraful delivery into the hands of long-off, where Shuvogoto Hom ran in to take a good catch.

Ashraful's surprise introduction was the result of Naeem having to keep wicket after Sahagir Hossain was injured in the 21st over, but it was productive as his combination of slow cutters got him three wickets in two overs. It was Kapali, however, who was the pick of the bowlers, the leg-spinner picking up 2 for 32 from his nine overs.

Zimbabwe v New Zealand, 2nd Twenty20, Harare

2011-10-17T00:56:00.000-07:00

The heady heights of a Test win must be a distant memory for Zimbabwe, even though it was only two months ago that they beat Bangladesh in their comeback Test. They have now lost nine international games on the trot and are coming to terms with what looks like it will be a long, hard slog to prove they are worthy of Test status.

Though they are inexperienced at Twenty20 cricket, this may be the format most likely to provide Zimbabwe rare wins against Test-playing nations. The brevity of the game means there is not much time for a better side to make the difference in quality count, and an individual performance or a single phase of play can often be enough for an underdog to cause an upset.

Zimbabwe's problem in Twenty20 cricket seems to be the inability to get off to quick starts with the bat. They had an opportunity to beat Pakistan after they kept them to 141 in Harare during the recent home series, but the top order floundered and left the middle order too much to do.

From the strength of the side New Zealand put out in the first Twenty20 international it is clear they are not treating this series as one to test new players; not surprising considering their embarrassing 0-4 defeat to Bangladesh just a year ago. They have beaten Zimbabwe by 10 wickets in both their last two encounters, the first being in the World Cup, but even if Zimbabwe do break through the opening pair, a middle order featuring Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder and James Franklin looks imposing.

Form guide

(most recent first)
Zimbabwe: LLLLL
New Zealand: WLWWL

Spotlight

With Brian Vitori out injured, 22-year-old Kyle Jarvis has been entrusted with being Zimbabwe's spearhead. Spin is Zimbabwe's strength at home but if Jarvis can provide a couple of early strikes it will make Ray Price and Prosper Utseya's task easier. Jarvis will have to quickly forget the 32-runs-in-three-overs mauling he was subjected to on Saturday.

Brendon McCullum grabbed the headlines in the first Twenty20 with his 81 off 46 balls, but his brotherNathan McCullum once again showed why he is fast becoming one of New Zealand's most-important players in the limited-overs formats. With Daniel Vettori having retired from the shorter formats, Nathan McCullum is New Zealand's lead spinner, and this tour is a chance for him to adapt to that role.

Pitch and conditions

The pitch for the first Twenty20, at the same ground, was flat, and Zimbabwe's score of 123 was well under-par. Brendan Taylor had said at the toss his side were aiming at 160, but the way the New Zealand openers went about things, even that may have fallen well short. Pakistan smashed 198 in a Twenty20 here in September, and with the weather in Harare surprisingly cool for this time of year, conditions should be good for batting.

Team news

Zimbabwe went in with just three specialist bowlers in the first T20I, and after their part-time seamers went for 58 runs off five overs, they may consider bringing in either Chris Mpofu or Keegan Meth for a batsman. Tatenda Taibu did not recover from an earlier injury in time for the first game, while Vusi Sibanda missed the first T20 as his mother died on the morning of the game. Taibu, if he is fit, will replace Regis Chakabva.

Zimbabwe (probable) 1 Hamilton Masakadza, 2 Chamu Chibhabha, 3 Brendan Taylor (capt), 4 Forster Mutizwa, 5 Malcolm Waller, 6 Elton Chigumbura, 7 Regis Chakabva/ Tatenda Taibu (wk), 8 Keegan Meth, 9 Prosper Utseya, 10 Ray Price, 11 Kyle Jarvis

New Zealand should go in with the same side, with 21-year-old allrounder Doug Bracewell getting another chance after making his international debut on Saturday.

New Zealand (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Brendon McCullum (wk), 3 Jesse Ryder 4, Ross Taylor (capt), 5 Kane Williamson, 6 James Franklin, 7 Nathan McCullum, 8 Jacob Oram, 9 Doug Bracewell, 10 Kyle Mills, 11 Luke Woodcock

Stats and trivia

Zimbabwe have not beaten New Zealand in any international match since January 2001
In 14 Twenty20 internationals against Test-playing nations, Zimbabwe have scored more than 150 while batting first just once
Brendon McCullum has the most runs in Twenty20 internationals for any batsman, with 1181 runs in 41 innings

India v England, 2nd ODI, Delhi

2011-10-17T00:53:00.000-07:00

The first one-day international was a rude awakening for a young England team and already the talk has begun of 'here we go again' when it comes to their one-day record in India. The warning signs are certainly there - three years ago India won the first ODI in Rajkot by 158 runs to begin their march to a 5-0 scoreline before the series was curtailed - and it will be a major test of the Alastair Cook-Andy Flower combination to respond to the opening result. A five-match series gives the visitors time to fight back, but that recovery has to start in Delhi otherwise there will be too much daylight between the teams.

Back on home soil, with time to move on from the defeats in England, India looked much more like the marauding force that took the World Cup. For Duncan Fletcher (and, to a lesser degree, MS Dhoni) the India team is a long-term project as a rebuilding phase begins and he'll be heartened by some of the performances. Put coloured clothes on Suresh Raina and he's a world-beater, R Ashwin is a promising spinner, Umesh Yadav has a bit of pace and the fielding is showing signs of improvement.

Then there's the captain himself. Dhoni is a phenomenal cricketer and not only because of that helicopter shot that keeps depositing balls into the stands. He just keeps on going. Straight after the England tour - which pushed him to the limit - he was leading Chennai Super Kings at the Champions Trophy and now there's this series. Then West Indies arrive for a full tour before a trip to face Australia down under. He's had one break this year, but after his struggles on the early part of the England tour, is back to delivering consistently with the bat.

However, despite the positive signs for the hosts, this series isn't yet beyond England. They have shown, time and again, their ability to bounce back from disappointment. This is a team made of stern stuff. But they need to play smart cricket and think on their feet. The fast bowlers didn't react to Dhoni's onslaught in Hyderabad, while the middle-order collapse against spin wasn't a new phenomenon. The batting order continues to vex minds - for, example, where is Jonathan Trott's best position and should Ian Bell play? - while Samit Patel hasn't really done enough since his return to the team. Flower has made tough calls in the past, but he has also remained calm under pressure. This situation calls for both traits.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)

India WLTLL
England LWTWW

Spotlight

In the absence of Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin has become India's senior spinner in one-day cricket. Tall, able to extract bounce and with a well-disguised carrom ball, he caused England plenty of problems in the opening game. None of the batsmen appeared to be able to pick his variations and were often left waiting to play off the pitch which leaves precious little time to adjust. Harbhajan may well be back before too long, but Ashwin has more than earned an extended run.

Kevin Pietersen has insisted he knows the secret to turning around his one-day form and England need him to prove it in Delhi. Shuffled back up to No.3 on Friday with a tough target to chase, he never settled while making 19 and appeared more troubled by the pitch than many. When the ball bounced, or kept low, Pietersen's reactions made sure everyone knew the ball must have done something alarming. Throw in his poor fielding display, where he let through three boundaries, and it was a performance to suggest all is not quite right.

Team news

There is little reason for India to tinker with their side after such a comprehensive performance. The initial squad was selected for the first two matches so it will be interesting to see if any changes are made for later in the series.

India (probable): 1 Parthiv Patel, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Vinay Kumar, 11 Umesh Yadav

England tend not to rush into changes after one defeat so the odds favour them giving the same side a chance to make amends for the opening display. However, legspinner Scott Borthwick and seamer Chris Woakes showed form in the warm-ups and are options to strengthen the bowling attack possibly at the expense of Samit Patel.

England (probable): 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ravi Bopara, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Steven Finn, 11 Jade Dernbach

Pitch and conditions

The Feroz Shah Kotla stadium regained its international status in time for the World Cup after the ICC suspended the venue following the abandonment of the India-Sri Lanka ODI in December, 2009. The old wicket was a flat track full of runs, and while the new strip is not as lifeless, it is unlikely to give the bowlers much joy.

Stats and trivia

England have played two ODIs in Delhi (it would have been three but the 2008 match was cancelled) and they have a 1-1 record. In 2006 they lost by 39 runs but in 2002 clung on for two-run victory which kept them alive in a series they would finish sharing.
In his last four ODI innings, MS Dhoni has hit 284 runs for just once out which has lifted his average back over 50

Quotes

"We were outplayed by the Indians on this occasion. They out-fielded us - something that doesn't often happen to us - and we didn't deserve to win the game. But one down in a five-match series, we're going to look to do something about that in Delhi."

Australia in South Africa 2011-12

2011-10-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

Australia is not gambling with the future of the young New South Wales fast bowler Pat Cummins by rushing him into the Australia Test squad for the tour of South Africa, the outgoing chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch has said.

Still only 18, Cummins has enjoyed a meteoric rise, and will now stay on in South Africa for the whole tour after impressing all who have viewed him in the two Twenty20 matches between the visitors and South Africa. He has played only three first-class matches, the last of which was the Sheffield Shield final between NSW and Tasmania.

Cummins' 48 overs to return 3 for 118 in the first innings of the final was the probable source of a back complaint that kept him out of two winter tours - Hilditch revealed Cummins would have been a likely visitor to Sri Lanka if he had been fit. But it also demonstrated his ability to sustain his pace and discipline over long periods.

There has been something of a debate between NSW Cricket and Cricket Australia over the best way to handle Cummins' development, but Hilditch said there was not a trace of doubt among the selectors about his readiness for Test match duty.

"I don't think it's a gamble, we think he is going to be real good and it's definitely in our view the right time to bring him into the squad," Hilditch said in Adelaide. "We have got to be careful, we are building it up in the sense that he's 18 and he's in the Test squad for Australia so it's a massive thing, but we don't want to put too high expectations on him.

"He's certainly in our view one of the most exciting prospects that have come along for some time, certainly if we're going to get back to the top of Test cricket I would imagine he's going to play a big role."

The two T20 matches in South Africa provided confirmation of what the selectors had felt when they made Cummins the youngest-ever holder of a Cricket Australia contract. In those games, Cummins returned figures of 3 for 25 and 2 for 26, encouraging the call to keep him on tour and put him in line to be Australia's youngest Test debutant since Ian Craig was chosen as a 17-year-old in 1953.

"We thought in the Shield final he showed that he can produce in the longer form of the game, so it's a combination of things," Hilditch said. "He has obviously got explosive speed for a young man, I would expect he'd get bigger, stronger and quicker, but also execution under pressure has been exceptional in Twenty20 cricket and hopefully that is going to convert to Test cricket."

In South Africa, Cummins has made quite an impression on the Australian squad, earning high praise from Cameron White and Shane Watson after his T20 debut. Watson said Cummins' level head had been noticeable.

"There's no way he will let it get to his head," Watson said. "Deep down he knows that it's a really special gift that he's got, to bowl that fast at such a young age."

White said Cummins had bowled "like a seasoned pro" and was the difference between victory and defeat in Australia's first match of the tour.

There was a strong possibility that Cummins and Pattinson would be considered for the first home Tests of the summer against New Zealand, but Cummins' rapid progress has outstripped that scenario.

Cummins' selection in place of the young Victorian quick James Pattinson is the only change to the squad that enjoyed a 1-0 series success in Sri Lanka.

"James is very unlucky to miss selection," Hilditch said. "He is a very good young fast bowler who has done well in his limited opportunities at international level to date.

"We're sure he'll return to the Sheffield Shield and place plenty of pressure on those in the Test squad ahead of what is a very demanding domestic summer of Test cricket."

Squad: Michael Clarke (c), Shane Watson (vc), Michael Beer, Trent Copeland, Patrick Cummins, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Phil Hughes, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Ricky Ponting, Peter Siddle.

South Africa v Australia, 2nd Twenty20, Johannesburg Live Streaming Score card

2011-10-16T05:03:00.000-07:00

South Africa were rusty in the first game, which was to be expected after such a long lay-off. They missed chances in the field and, JP Duminy aside, didn't hit their straps with the bat. But on a better batting pitch in Johannesburg, they will be able to use the pace from Australia's fast men and feel the ball coming off the bat. Hashim Amla now has a match under his belt as the country's captain and he will lead with more confidence at the Wanderers. The key for the hosts is to produce a more consistent performance - Duminy, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe played well in the series opener, but they cannot be expected to carry the side.

Cricinfo Latest News

2011-10-16T03:28:00.000-07:00

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Bangladesh v West Indies, 2nd ODI, Mirpur

2011-10-16T03:12:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh became only the fourth ODI side to score 200 after having lost three wickets for under five, but that wasn't enough to avoid the series defeat to West Indies. Mushfiqur Rahim avoided an encore of 58 all out from the World Cup and Nassir Hossain gave them late runs to have something to bowl at, but the West Indies top order made short work of the short chase. Lendl Simmons registered his ninth fifty-plus score in 11 innings, anchoring the chase, as Danza Hyatt and Marlon Samuels provided the momentum from the other end.

That West Indies scored only two runs off the first 22 balls they faced suggested that they could afford to do so because of the small target but also clearer thinking, unlike the Bangladeshi batsmen. Bangladesh's has been a long struggle for middle ground against good attacks. Chasing big totals, they often tend to be too defensive once Tamim Iqbal gets out, as was the case two days ago. Their response to it was to bat first and go bang-bang. Nothing in between.

Playing recklessly on a track hardly offering any seam movement, Bangladesh wasted little time in registering their second-worst ODI start, 1 for 3. Imrul Kayes, usually guilty of getting stuck in chases, cut and edged the third delivery he faced, the fourth of the innings. Tamim sliced the second ball he faced to third man. Both had to make an effort to reach the ball. Mohammad Ashraful found an innovative way to apply for the assistant coach's position when he decided to give perfect catching practice to second slip off the fifth ball he faced. He did that almost stylishly, leaning back, opening the face late, guiding the ball straight to second slip, off the face. No batsman tried to get his eye in, none moved his feet closer to the line of the ball, but all tried to attack. With every edge you could hear the hush in the crowd.

Shakib Al Hasan counterattacked, as is his wont. His first two boundaries came square on the off side, off Kemar Roach's round-the-stumps angle. A touch carried away, Shakib now tried to go square off Ravi Rampaul's over-the-stumps bowling, with hardly any foot movement. The angle induced the edge, and the memories of March came back.

On his 27th birthday, Rampaul happily accepted two gifts at the top, and Roach benefitted like boy who usually benefits by just being beside the birthday boy. The two, though, followed the four early wickets with testing spells to Kapali and Mushfiqur. The first four wickets came without having to strive for them, but it took 14.3 overs and many accurate bouncers to dislodge the next man, Kapali. Perhaps it was because the batsmen grew less muddled in their approach.

Mushfiqur traded graft for flash, and found support from the other end. He added 40 with Kapali, who, it must be said, undid all his good work by top-edging Roach in what could have been last over. He and Rampaul had already bowled 12 out of the first 18 overs, and Darren Sammy surely couldn't have afforded to attack much longer.

Naeem Islam was dropped in the next over, when he refused to learn from an edge through vacant slip. He drove away at the following ball, but Sammy missed him. A soft return catch to Samuels ended a charmed but threatening 57-run stand, and at 115 for 6 it seemed Mushfiqur might be playing a lone hand.

In Nasir, though, he found a solid partner. Nasir batted just like Mushfiqur: keeping the good balls out, looking for the singles, and pushing for twos. Towards the end he exploded, scoring 24 off the last 14 balls he played. Add Abdur Razzak's 25 off 19, and Bangladesh still had a target that could be interesting if they were extraordinary with the ball, and if the pitch misbehaved.

Neither happened. Bangladesh were steady at best, the pitch true. Simmons and Hyatt took their time before Hyatt's block-or-tonk approach began eating into the target. He hit four sixes and two fours in his 39 before Rubel Hossain caught him low and diving forward at long-off off the bowling of Shakib, who had earlier dropped the same man off Rubel's bowling.

Simmons, though, played maturely, like a man determined to stay there till the end. All he needed was a punch here, a pull there, a nudge here, a deflection there. He hit only one four and one six in his first fifty runs. It helped that the target was low, and that Samuels batted smoothly, staying leg side of the ball, piercing the off-side fields with ease, even against the turn, even from outside leg.

Simmons accelerated after reaching fifty, raising the possibility of a hundred, but fell lbw to Shakib with 39 still required. Samuels, who had slowed down a touch to allow Simmons a best chance to go for the hundred, now opened up well and proper, scoring 36 off the next 17 balls to seal West Indies' first series win over a Test opponent since 2008, when they beat Sri Lanka at home.