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Ross Taylor was not wound up by suggestions that South Africa’s gallery of stars will outshine his own

Firdose Moonda in Dunedin 06-Mar-2012If Ross Taylor was fighting with you, there is every chance you might not know it. He does not raise his voice, make exaggerated facial expressions or change his body language. He is far too composed for any of that.It probably makes him the ideal leader for New Zealand as they prepare to take on a South African side that even the New Zealand public thinks they cannot beat. Taylor does not care for that kind of talk. He will not be wound up by suggestions that South Africa’s gallery of stars will outshine his own. “We play international cricket and we’ve got a couple [of big names] on our side as well,” Taylor said. “I’m sure they know about Daniel Vettori.”What about the overriding view that South Africa’s battery of pace bowlers will outgun New Zealand’s line-up, which will include two debutants in Rob Nicol and Kruger van Wyk? “We’ve played against some pretty fast bowlers in the past. It’s nothing different,” Taylor said.Instead, it is South Africa that he thinks will be confronted with unfamiliarity that they should be wary of. “There are a lot of players in the South African team who haven’t played much cricket and haven’t batted in New Zealand conditions, which is completely different to batting in South Africa. We’ve got to use that to our advantage.”Five of South Africa’s squad only arrived in the country on Thursday, including opening batsman Alviro Petersen, No. 6 Jacques Rudolph and wicketkeeper Mark Boucher. The trio would have had just two training sessions before the first match, although both Rudolph and Boucher have been to New Zealand before. Taylor said New Zealand could capitalise on any gaps in their acclimatisation. “A lot of their players haven’t batted here and the lower order didn’t get much of a bat [in the one-day series].”Taylor himself has not batted since he retired hurt during his authoritative century against Zimbabwe in Napier, in January. A calf injury kept him out of the limited-overs legs of both the Zimbabwe and South Africa series and he did not get the chance to bat for Central Districts this past weekend because his side fielded first. He admitted that his first innings in over a month will be an anxious one. “I’ll be a bit nervous,” he said, “but a good nervous.”New Zealand were beaten 3-0 by South Africa in the one-day series but Taylor asked the team to draw on their Test form, which includes a win in Australia this summer. “It was disappointing to lose the [ODI] series, but what will be remembered in 20 or 30 years’ time is how we play in this Test series. Test cricket is the ultimate. I guess after the win in Hobart we’ve captured the imagination of the country and we want to try and build on that.”

Lasith Malinga, the Sri Lanka fast bowler is available for selection for their World Cup, Group A game against Kenya on Tuesday, according to the team’s coach Trevor Bayliss

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Colombo28-Feb-2011Lasith Malinga, the Sri Lanka fast bowler is available for selection for their World Cup, Group A game against Kenya on Tuesday, according to the team’s coach Trevor Bayliss. Malinga, who created a world record at the 2007 World Cup by capturing four wickets off four balls in Sri Lanka’s game against South Africa, missed his team’s first two matches in this edition due to a sore back.But at the media conference on Monday, Bayliss said: “Malinga is available for selection. His physio told us that the first two weeks were the most important and those are up tomorrow. Malinga is fit and it is up to the selectors to pick him or not for tomorrow’s match.”Malinga’s absence in the bowling line-up was clearly felt when Pakistan ran up 277 for 7 and went on to beat Sri Lanka by 11 runs on Saturday.Sri Lanka team manager Anura Tennekoon said Malinga would play against Kenya to give him much-needed match practice ahead of a crucial game against Australia on Saturday. If Malinga does play, either Thisara Perera or Nuwan Kulasekara will have to make room.Coach Bayliss said Sri Lanka did not play to their potential against Pakistan and they would come out in full force to prove a point. “I thought the other night against Pakistan we played some very good cricket for lots of the match. There were a couple of periods where we didn’t play as well as we would have liked. Our guys know we can play a lot better than that. I am sure they will be out to show how good they can play in the match against Kenya tomorrow.”Lasith Malinga has been bowling in the nets, but did not feature in Sri Lanka’s first two World Cup games•AFP

The match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was a close affair, and along with the thrilling tie between India and England on Sunday, gave the World Cup a much-needed lift after a dour start. “Both teams I think probably thought that they should have won,” Bayliss said of Saturday’s game. “Both teams at different stages probably thought they might lose. It was a good game; one of those good games to be involved in. It was very good for the tournament as a whole.”Sri Lanka are overwhelming favourites for the match against Kenya, who have looked out of their depth in the World Cup so far. But Bayliss ensured his team were not taking anyone for granted. “I am sure they [Kenya] will like to put in a better performance than they have done in the last couple of games. Certainly our guys will not be taking Kenya lightly. That’s for sure.”One of the key areas Sri Lanka will concentrate on is building partnerships, the absence of which resulted in their defeat to Pakistan. Their batting line-up is unlikely to change but they may rest Muttiah Muralitharan and play the other two spinners: Rangana Herath and Ajantha Mendis.Bayliss also praised the Premadasa pitch and said that it was the best pitch he’s seen in the four years he has been coach.

Victoria will be without four of their best players for the FR Cup decider on Sunday, when they will try to break their final hoodoo having finished runners-up for the past three years

Cricinfo staff26-Feb-2010Victoria will be without four of their best players for the FR Cup decider on Sunday, when they will try to break their final hoodoo having finished runners-up for the past three years. The Bushrangers are without their captain Cameron White, David Hussey, Dirk Nannes and Clint McKay, all of whom are with the Australia squad in New Zealand, while Tasmania are also missing Travis Birt for the same reason.It has left Andrew McDonald to captain Victoria, who are hosting the final at the MCG for the third time in four seasons. The Bushrangers lost to Queensland in 2006-07 and also last summer, and they went down to Tasmania at Bellerive Oval in 2008-09.They are likely to regain Rob Quiney, who will have a fitness test but is thought to have recovered from an adductor strain and has been added to the squad of 12 that beat Queensland last week. Victoria are chasing their first title since 1998-99 and are hoping to keep alive their chances of winning all three finals this summer, having already won the Twenty20 title and qualified for the Sheffield Shield decider.The Tigers have eased the burden of losing Birt, their second-top run scorer this summer, by calling on the allrounder Luke Butterworth, who is back from injury. The batsman John Rogers has also been included in Tasmania’s 13-man squad after he was left out of the group that beat Western Australia recently.Victoria squad Chris Rogers, Aiden Blizzard, Brad Hodge, Aaron Finch, Rob Quiney, Andrew McDonald (capt), Michael Hill, Matthew Wade (wk), John Hastings, Damien Wright, Glenn Maxwell, Bryce McGain, Darren Pattinson.Tasmania squad Tim Paine (wk), Ed Cowan, Michael Dighton, Rhett Lockyear, George Bailey (capt), Daniel Marsh, John Rogers, Luke Butterworth, Jason Krejza, James Faulkner, Xavier Doherty, Brendan Drew, Gerard Denton.

Benkenstein, Das half-centuries prove sufficient to set Essex up for handsome win

ECB Reporters Network28-Jul-2024Shane Snater played an incisive role as Essex defeated Gloucestershire by 63 runs in a one-sided Metro Bank One Day Cup contest at the Seat Unique Stadium in Bristol.Called into the side after missing the competition opener against Warwickshire four days earlier, the 28-year-old seamer took three wickets in 13 deliveries in a devastating new-ball burst that fundamentally undermined Gloucestershire’s top order.Chasing a victory target of 263, the home side lost wickets with indecent haste thereafter, five top or middle-order batsmen falling in single figures as last season’s beaten semi-finalists were dismissed for 199 in 36.2 overs, Snater claiming 3 for 39 and Jamal Richards 2 for 33.Ajeet Singh Dale struck a defiant career-best 25-ball half-century and dominated a stand of 85 for the last wicket with Tom Smith, but tail-end resistance arrived too late to save Gloucestershire.Put into bat, Essex had earlier posted 262 for 8, thanks in the main to half-centuries from Luc Benkenstein and Robin Das, who staged a restorative partnership of 88 in 17 overs to rescue the visitors from 86 for 4. Das contributed 52 from 71 deliveries and Benkenstein raised a career-best 67 from 62 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes. Gloucestershire seamer Dominic Goodman returned impressive figures of 4 for 43, his best in List-A cricket, while Singh Dale generated express pace to claim 2 for 50 from nine overs and Tom Smith took 2 for 51 with his slow left arm.Beaten in their opening two fixtures, Gloucestershire face back-to-back away games against Surrey on Tuesday and Yorkshire on Thursday and will very likely need to win both if they are to remain in contention for a place in the knockout stages. Buoyed by their first win in the 50-over competition, Essex will attempt to strengthen their position when they embark upon successive home matches against Leicestershire and Glamorgan on Wednesday and Sunday respectively.A heavy defeat in front of their home crowd appeared an unlikely scenario when Gloucestershire won the toss and Singh Dale removed Nick Browne in the first over. But Feroze Khushi and Tom Westley weathered the storm and mustered eight fours and a six between them in a second wicket partnership of 59 in 61 balls, their burgeoning alliance only foundering when Khushi pulled a short delivery from Singh Dale to mid-wicket and departed for a 29-ball 31. Goodman struck with his first delivery to bowl Westley for 23 and, when Charlie Allison edged behind off Smith, the visitors were 86 for 4, their innings in the balance.Eschewing risk to begin with, Das and Benkenstein combined clever placement and hard running to rebuild the innings, the fifth wicket partnership realising 50 via 52 balls. Initially the more aggressive of the two, Das went to his half century from 64 balls as the innings gained crucial momentum during the middle overs. Smith eventually broke the partnership, Das hitting him high to long on where Cameron Bancroft parried the ball a split second before stepping over the rope to enable Ollie Price to complete a remarkable catch.Although Benkenstein raised his 50 in style, slog-sweeping Smith for six, he was unable to convert a substantial score into a truly meaningful one, lofting Goodman to deep cover and becoming part of a mini-collapse that saw Essex slip from 174 for 4 to 211 for 7 in six overs. Goodman accounted for Noah Thain and Shane Snater on his way to career-best figures, after which Essex were indebted to Ben Allison and Richards, who staged a useful unbroken stand of 23 for the ninth wicket.Any suggestion that Essex might have fallen short with the bat was quickly dispelled as Snater took a wrecking ball to the top order, pinning Miles Hammond lbw, bowling Price and then having James Bracey caught behind to reduce Gloucestershire to 28 for 3 in seven overs.The only one among the top-order batsmen to reach double figures, Bancroft then nicked a catch behind off Ben Allison as the hosts subsided to 33 for 4, summoning memories of the dramatic collapse that served to hand victory to Glamorgan in their previous outing. That soon became 43 for 5, Jack Taylor chopping on as Richards claimed a wicket with his third ball from the Bristol Pavilion end.Charged with the task of rebuilding, Graeme van Buuren and Ben Charlesworth added 30 runs in 7.4 overs before Gloucestershire suffered a further body blow. On this occasion, it was self-inflicted, van Buuren pushing a ball from Thain to mid-on and setting off in pursuit of a single, only to be run out by Das for 21. When Charlesworth holed out to deep square leg later in the same over, Gloucestershire were 76 for 7 and heading for a second defeat in four days.Singh Dale and Smith at least restored a vestige of pride, scoring 63 and 29 not out respectively in a stand of 85 in eight overs, a Gloucestershire record for the last wicket in List-A matches, eclipsing the previous mark set by David Graveney and John Mortimore in a contest against Lancashire at Tewkesbury in 1973.

“I’ve got to keep embracing the responsibility and when the time comes to shine, I’ll do so”

Firdose Moonda19-Mar-2023A career-defining century by a cricket captain should be enough to win a game of cricket, according to Shai Hope. And he wasn’t talking about himself.”Temba Bavuma – an innings like that deserves to be a victorious innings but it just so happened that we came out on top at the end. I must give him credit for the way he controlled the innings. He played the situation well and he really deserved to win the game but there can only be one winner,” Hope said after West Indies successfully defended 335 runs – their highest score against South Africa – in East London.Bavuma slammed a career-best 144, exactly a week after his Test best of 172 last and less than two months after he hit a series-winning 109 in South Africa’s World Cup Super League victory over England in Bloemfontein. He is a player transformed from the one who struggled to score runs during South Africa’s season-opening white-ball tour of India, where he made 11 runs in four innings, and the leader who oversaw their T20I World Cup campaign, which ended in defeat to the Netherlands. Bavuma attributes the change to the simple truth of having more fun.”I’m enjoying my cricket at this point in time,” Bavuma said. “My mind is just a lot clearer as to what we’re trying to do and how we’re trying to do that; feeding off the confidence that I am getting from the players as well as the new coaches.”After his 172 in the Wanderers Test, Bavuma said he felt more backed by red-ball coach Shukri Conrad than he had since he was under the wing of his domestic coach at the Lions, Enoch Nkwe (who also served as South Africa’s interim coach for a trip to India in 2019) and that’s despite being captain in two formats in the interim. In May 2021, Bavuma was put in charge of South Africa’s white-ball sides, albeit with only six ODI and eight T20I caps to his name. While 50-over cricket is clearly his forte, the shortest format proved to be tricky, particularly from a strike-rate perspective and since being relieved of that role, and put in charge of the Test team while keeping the 50-over gig, Bavuma has flourished.His recent innings have shown us a batter who is strong on the sweep and the slog, who has opened up scoring areas both in front of and behind square and who is able to rotate strike well. While it may look like a revelation to those looking in from the outside, for Bavuma, it’s merely a demonstration of “what was always there,” that is now coming through.”It’s just a confidence thing. Confidence is a big thing for any sportsman,” he said. “I am just trying to carry on the form and the momentum I got in the England series. I am hitting the ball quite nicely. I am managing to find gaps, which is a big thing for me as a stroke player. I can only hope that lasts.”Despite his best efforts on Saturday evening, South Africa fell 48 runs short of beating West Indies, a side who are after a new start of their own. After losing 16 of the 20 ODIs they played last year, West Indies are all-but-certain to miss out on automatic qualification to the 2023 World Cup, and need to start winning. Victory in South Africa – their first on the road against a team other then Netherlands and Ireland since they beat Bangladesh in Mirpur in 2018 – “means a lot,” as Hope put it.Temba Bavuma – “My mind is just a lot clearer as to what we’re trying to do and how we’re trying to do that”•Gallo Images

“It’s something we speak about in the meetings. We are just trying to win more cricket games. We didn’t have a successful 2022 and we are trying everything to turn it around,” he said.It also marks a successful start for new leadership. Hope is now in charge of the ODI team, with 105 matches under his belt, and a lot on his plate. Though he did not open the batting in this match – as he has done since 2019 – he batted from the 10th over, kept wicket and captained and described the fixture as a “tiring game for me.”So how will he manage the many roles he has to play in what is a big ODI year for West Indies? “I am definitely going to take it on full speed. It’s about giving my all to the team,” Hope said. “I am getting support from all ends. I have got support from guys off the field and on the field. I’ve got to keep embracing the responsibility and when the time comes to shine, I’ll do so.”And he intends to apply that in all formats. As the ODI series opener played out, shortly after West Indies’ batting let them down in the Test series, there was some talk about whether players like Hope and former captain Nicholas Pooran should be considered for the red-ball team as well. On the evidence of the East London ODI, West Indies could do worse, but there’s also some interesting context to Hope’s exclusion.Like his opposite number Bavuma, Hope only has two Test centuries to his name – and they came in the same match. Hope has not played Test cricket since December 2021. Asked if the longest format is something he’d like to get back to, Hope indicated that hope will win out.”Something that I always preach in the camp: control what you can control. I can’t control what the selectors do, I can’t control things behind the scenes, all I can control is the way I prep, the way I play and the performance I put in on the field,” he said. “If the chance and the opportunity arises, I will take it with both hands.”

Naeem Islam took over captaincy reins from Mehidy Hasan Miraz for the fixture against Sylhet Sunrisers on Saturday

Mohammad Isam29-Jan-2022Chattogram Challengers had a dramatic change in their leadership ahead of their fifth match in the ongoing BPL, after Naeem Islam replaced Mehidy Hasan Miraz as captain for the fixture against Sylhet Sunrisers.Coach Paul Nixon, meanwhile, has departed for the UK on Saturday morning, according to franchise officials. Team manager Fahim Muntasir said that Nixon acted upon an “emergency call” from his county side Leicestershire where he has been the head coach since 2017. But before departing, Nixon advised that Miraz should be replaced as captain to free him up as an allrounder.”We had a full season contract with Nixon, but he has returned after receiving an emergency call from his county side. He gave his observation before leaving, regarding how the team should run. We made the change according to that. He said that Miraz is an important player so he should be freed up, which is why we have changed the captaincy,” said Muntasir.The franchise’s chief operation officer, Yasir Alam, said that Shaun Tait, who had been working as their bowling coach, has been elevated to the head coach position. “Shaun Tait is now the head coach as Nixon has gone to his county side Leicestershire. Nixon told us to replace Miraz with Naeem, an experienced allrounder, as the captain,” Alam said.Miraz took eight wickets and scored 70 runs in his four matches as Chattogram captain this season. Chattogram won two out of their first four matches under Miraz, who was on his second stint as a captain in the BPL. Previously, he led Rajshahi Kings in the 2018-19 BPL.Naeem, too, is leading his second BPL side after being the Rangpur Riders captain during the BPL’s 2016 edition. Regarding the departing coach Nixon, Naeem said, “We had a lot of problems with our big-hitting. The way he helped us in this area, was great. We could have learned a lot more from him if he was with us for longer.”

Moeen Ali’s 33-ball 61 in vain as England fall short in last-ball finish

Danyal Rasool01-Sep-2020Pakistan 190 for 4 (Hafeez 86*, Haider 54, Jordan 2-29) beat England 185 for 8 (Moeen 61, Riaz 2-26) by five runsA 100-run partnership between two men two decades apart in age saw Pakistan eke out their first win of the tour on the day before they are due to return home. It denied England a sixth consecutive T20I series win, while Pakistan pick up a first away win in any format since the ODI World Cup last year. The 39-year old Mohammad Hafeez was the standout star of the win, caressing an unbeaten 52-ball 86 to power his side to 190, while a valiant fightback, spearheaded by Moeen Ali’s 33-ball 61, fell just five shy of powering England to a stunning win.It was a series that came down to the final ball, quite literally, and when Tom Curran lifted Haris Rauf for a gorgeous six over extra cover off the penultimate delivery, England needed one more such blow to seal a series win. Babar Azam panicked, while a swarm of fielders rushed to pester the fast bowler with all kinds of advice. He blocked it all out and sent down an unplayable yorker at 90mph to secure the win, the final two balls a microcosm of Pakistan on tour, and Pakistan in general. One minute down, next minute up.It was Hafeez, perhaps unfairly lumped in with Shoaib Malik as an example of the visitors’ failure to adopt modern T20 practices, who provided the ballast to get the innings back on track after a faltering start. With Moeen having removed Fakhar Zaman early, and Curran knocking Babar’s stumps back soon after, England were enjoying the perfect Powerplay. Hafeez stablised the innings while Haider Ali, with the impudence of youth, went hell for leather, but once he lofted Adil Rashid for a six over midwicket, he roared straight into top gear. Helped, at times, by England bowling to his strengths and missing their lengths, Hafeez plundered 69 off the next 34 balls to spearhead the innings, taking them to within touching distance of the total that proved just short on Sunday.Pakistan began this tour two months ago in a protective bubble, but when, on the final day, they removed the bubble-wrap off their youngest squad member, they discovered quite the player residing within. Haider began his T20I career looking like a man who knew how this format needed to be played, clearing his front leg off the second ball he faced, depositing it over cow corner. Time and again, when England appeared to set a field willing to yield a single to him in that area, he declined the deal, opting to go over the top instead. Having sat out and watched England ease to a target of 195 two days ago, he didn’t need complex statistical information to recognise a boundary would be handier than a single. Within no time, he had become the first Pakistani to score a half-century on debut, one that came in just 28 balls.Wahab Riaz gets a hug•AFP

Pakistan decided to leave out Mohammad Rizwan, so often sensational behind the stumps, in favour of Sarfaraz Ahmed, for a greater perceived ability with the bat. But while he didn’t feature in the first innings, but when a key moment arose, Sarfaraz froze. Quite literally, and somewhat inexplicably, when Shadab fooled the out-of-form Moeen to leave him stranded outside his crease, Sarfaraz failed to gather properly. Time stood still as Moeen looked back and watched helplessly, waiting to see the bails whipped off, while Sarfaraz appeared to cradle the ball, unable to get it to his hands, and then to the stumps. With England so far behind in the game, it seemed like a comedic footnote. When Moeen stormed to a half-century half an hour later, no one in green was grinning.While the defeat might sting, Moeen’s return to form may yet prove the biggest positive for England. When, in the 16th over, he hit three sixes in four balls off Shadab, expending less energy than it presumably takes most people to butter bread, the idea this was a man out of form and bereft of confidence stretched credulity. When he displayed his T20 smarts with a couple of sneakily stolen boundaries off Shaheen Afridi in the 18th, to bring England within touching distance of victory, he seemed indispensable. Now, he may well be.England’s first ten overs with the bat, though, was perhaps what cost them most dearly. With the game being played on a fresh pitch and a very short boundary on one side, the hosts would have fancied a chase of 191, but that became significantly more challenging when Afridi bowled Jonny Bairstow with a perfect outswinging yorker that took the base of the off stump with it. Dawid Malan fell trying to clear the square leg boundary, only for Fakhar Zaman to pluck it out of the air on tiptoe, but Tom Banton kept the momentum going. With his captain Eoin Morgan, he struck up the sort of partnership that might have put them back on track, notably never letting the normally economical Imad Wasim settle, spanking four fours off his first seven balls.It would all end horribly, though, with Morgan, in the form of his career, dismissed in the worst possible way. Brilliant work in the circle saw Azam cut off what should have been a boundary, and Morgan, cantering towards the other end, found himself stranded mid-pitch. It put even more pressure on Banton to ensure he went deep, but he fell five balls later to Haris Rauf, trapped in front and ruled lbw on review. It meant asking a shade too much of the lower order, even if, on a tour where social distancing dominated the conversation, England got uncomfortably close.

The visitors have won their last two matches, while Sunrisers have slipped to the bottom half of the table after successive losses

The Preview by Saurabh Somani13-Apr-20194:42

Middle-order hasn’t taken its opportunities – Moody

Big picture

The league stage is already halfway done, and in a reversal of trends from IPLs past, Delhi Capitals are in a better position than Sunrisers Hyderabad. Capitals have a two-point advantage, though Sunrisers have played one game less. The key is recent form, though. Capitals have won their last two matches, while Sunrisers have lost both the games in the lead up to this one, and have slipped from near the top of the table to the bottom half.

Form guide

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Lost to Kings XI Punjab by six wickets, lost to Mumbai Indians by 40 runs, beat Delhi Capitals by five wickets
Delhi Capitals: Beat Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets, beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by four wickets, lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by five wickets

On paper, Sunrisers have a well-rounded side that has most bases covered. However, their middle order has proved to be brittle, and once teams have found a way past the opening combine of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, they have managed to control the rest of the batting. Of course, going past Warner-Bairstow isn’t the easiest thing, but Sunrisers must be mindful of covering the gap if the two do fall cheaply. To that end, the fit-again Kane Williamson might provide the solidity Sunrisers need, but his inclusion will mean that Mohammad Nabi has to sit out. Sunrisers might not be comfortable taking that call, but it could be the one they need to take to bolster the batting. Another possible change they might want to look at is bringing in the young and talented Abhishek Sharma – who played for their opponents last season – in place of Yusuf Pathan.Capitals too might want to ponder some of their playing XI choices, particularly the place of Rahul Tewatia. They haven’t really made use of his lower-order hitting or his legspin much, and they too have a batting order that fizzles a bit after the top order. Shikhar Dhawan’s return to form augurs well, but against a team that has as dangerous a bowling attack as Sunrisers, some extra batting insurance in the lower middle-order wouldn’t be out of place.

In the news

• After a tepid start to IPL 2019, Dhawan found form in Capitals’ last win, against Kolkata Knight Riders, and will now face up against his old franchise.
• Williamson and Khaleel Ahmed are both back to full fitness, though whether they can be fitted into the XI is yet to be seen. Perhaps two losses on the trot will open up slots for their return.

Kane Williamson has had to sit out because of a shoulder injury•BCCI

Previous meeting

It was just ten days ago, with the Sunrisers bowlers setting up a modest chase for their batsmen. Bairstow got the chase off to a rollicking start, and despite a bit of a wobble in the middle, Sunrisers had enough in the tank to get past Capitals.

Likely XIs

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1 David Warner, 2 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Vijay Shankar, 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 Abhishek Sharma, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Sandeep SharmaDelhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Colin Ingram, 6 Chris Morris, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Keemo Paul, 9 Rahul Tewatia, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Ishant Sharma

Strategy punt

• Of the frontline batsmen who are expected to be in the XI for Sunrisers, nobody has a strike rate of more than 125 against Chris Morris. Using him first up could tie down the explosiveness of the top order, and give Capitals the flexibility to rotate Ishant Sharma and Kagiso Rabada. Or even punt on Sandeep Lamichhane, who most of the Sunrisers haven’t played much of.
• Sunrisers might want to delay Rashid Khan’s introduction into the attack. This has been Rashid’s most economical season in the IPL so far – he’s conceding runs at just 5.8 – which indicates how batsmen are playing him with caution. However, three of the five wickets he has got so far have come at the death, where he still goes for only 6.7 per over.
• Ishant has been a revelation this season. His economy rate (7.4) is the best he has had in the tournament since 2013. Capitals have used him largely in the Powerplay overs, where his strengths – hitting the deck, getting the ball to move off the pitch – come into play much more. His weaknesses – he doesn’t bowl yorkers or do change-ups of pace too often – are not as much of a factor because Capitals have not bowled Ishant at the death at all. Continuing with that plan for Ishant is the way to go.

Stats that matter

• The last time Capitals won against Sunrisers in Hyderabad was back in 2016 – the year Sunrisers won the trophy. That remains the only time they have beaten Sunrisers at home, having the lost three other times.
• Bhuvneshwar needs one more wicket to get to the 100-wicket mark for Sunrisers.
• This is Sunrisers’ 100th IPL match.

Having struck the joint-fastest T20I hundred, Rohit Sharma was pleased that despite a high percentage of boundaries, his innings centred on conventional cricketing shots

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2017Rohit Sharma’s record 118 against Sri Lanka in Indore on Friday – the joint-fastest T20I hundred – included 10 sixes, the most by an India batsman in a T20I game. That took his tally of sixes across formats in 2017 to 64, the highest by a batsman in any calendar year. While a look at the numbers alone may suggest Rohit is a six-clobbering automaton, the reality is that the big hits aren’t so much a product of brute force as they are of stunning timing, one example being the six that he clipped over midwicket off Dushmantha Chameera in the 13th over.Rohit admitted after the match that his game wasn’t a power-dominated one, and he instead relied on timing and picking gaps. In Indore, he was also focused on relentlessly targeting the short square boundaries.”I definitely don’t have so much power. I rely a lot on timing the ball more than anything else,” he said. “I know my strengths and my weakness. I try and play with the field a lot. When the field is spread after six overs, I try and see where I can find my boundary options. I want to score all around the park and not just one area. It’s important that I try and explore the fielding the opposition keeps for me.”In all formats, I try and do that. You can’t just hit in one area. You become predictable then. It’s always important to score runs all over the field and that’s my strength.”Rohit’s second T20I hundred was largely made up of conventional strokes. His 43-ball 118 had 108 runs come off boundaries, giving him a boundary-percentage of 91.52, the highest for any T20I innings of 30 balls or more.”I didn’t play any of those flamboyant shots. I was just trying to hit the balls in the areas that I was looking to hit,” he said. “All the shots which I played pleased me because it takes a lot of effort to pull it off. Even when you defend it, you should like it as well. It’s not only about hitting boundaries and sixes. The ball that you hit in the gap should also make you happy.”I was thinking of scoring runs, not any particular target. In all the formats, I don’t look to get to a particular milestone. My job is to go out there and score as many as possible. Not just 100s or 200s or 300s. I go out there to make sure I get my team into a good position. My job is to do that. There are times when you don’t get runs. There are times when you get runs. Never do I ever walk out thinking that I want to score a century or a double-century. I just want to give my best and get the team a victory.”BCCI

In his first full series as stand-in captain, Rohit led from the front with a double-hundred in Mohali as India went on to win the ODI series 2-1. With the T20I series, too, already in the bag, he was asked if his batting had remained immune to the pressures of captaincy. He disagreed, and said the defeat in the first ODI in Dharamsala, where India collapsed to 112 batting first, had put him under a lot of pressure.”In Dharamsala, we were in a position where the team could have folded for the lowest score possible,” he said. “After that game, I was thinking quite a bit about my captaincy and my team. I was thinking that I was leading for the first time and I had been put in such a difficult situation.”There’s a lot of pressure on you always. Wherever you play, or any opposition you play, there’s always pressure. We’ve won the series but each and every match is important. It’s crucial to use each and every opportunity. When you captain for the first time, there is obviously pressure. I don’t know when I’ll lead India again so, for me, every match, every series and every moment on the field is important.”Rohit felt India’s successful showing against Sri Lanka would help the team’s momentum ahead of the South Africa tour.”When you travel overseas, the last series does have an impact,” he said. “The momentum you create, the winning rhythm of the team does give a lot of confidence. But once you go there, how you adapt yourself – technically and to their conditions – remains important. Even their fast bowlers will be much different than Sri Lanka’s.”When you travel overseas, the skills and mindset need to be changed, nothing else. You can carry the confidence you have generated from the recent success in the Test, ODI and T20 series, so as a team we are on a high and the confidence will help us in South
Africa.”

A brilliant century from Nick Gubbins anchored Middlesex on an attritional first day of their County Championship decider at Lord’s

George Dobell at Lord's20-Sep-2016
ScorecardThe days have gone, thankfully, when a late-season performance in a key game at Lord’s could sway selection for an England tour.But, as Nick Gubbins pulled Ryan Sidebottom for six to bring up a century of the highest class, you wondered whether the selectors might have been convinced had this innings come a week or two earlier.The selectors will have seen plenty of Gubbins, of course. Not only is one of them, Angus Fraser, his county director of cricket but, having largely developed along the same route (same school; same county) as Andrew Strauss, who sits in on selection meetings in his role as managing director of the England team, he has long been identified as one to watch. They have selected him in the Lions squad, too.But, on a testing surface, in a big game and against a fine attack, Gubbins produced an innings that demonstrated technical and temperamental excellence. Not for the first time, either: this was his fourth century of an outstanding Championship season that has brought more than 1,300 runs and saw him awarded his county cap at the start of the lunch interval. Sooner or later, an England cap will surely follow.It is too early to say whether it will prove to be the innings that secures Middlesex their first Championship trophy since 1993 – this title race remains wonderfully poised – but it does seem fair to state that he kept his side in contention. On a day when nobody else scored more than 22 and in conditions which most seamers would relish, his unbeaten 120 stood out like a giant among pygmies.Might it be relevant that this game was played in front of the TV cameras? It shouldn’t matter, but it probably does. Having now impressed a wider audience – including some influential voices at Sky – perhaps Gubbins’ case will pushed as vociferously as that by some with the ‘right’ agent or ‘right’ supporters in the media?It is Gubbins’ all-round game that is so impressive for a man of just 22. Lots of young batsmen play pleasing strokes. Lots can score a flash fifty and the odd century. And there are several with a strong defensive technique and the determination to bat all day. But there are few, very few, who put both together as well as Gubbins or play within themselves with such maturity or confidence.So, while he does have the patience to leave the ball all day and the discipline to play straight as often as appropriate, he also has the strokes to punish bowlers. A highlights reel might focus on his front-foot driving through cover, which is certainly pleasing, but it is his back-foot strokes that mark him out: early in the day he forced Jack Brooks for three through cover – an exquisite shot that most batsman would have been happy to defend or allow themselves to be lured into playing across the line – while there were a couple of those characteristic clips off the hips – a stroke played to a good length ball on off stump – that must make bowlers wish they had taken up another profession. And, when Sidebottom dropped short, he was pulled for six without fear or fuss. This fellow can really bat.There were times he struggled. Tim Bresnan, who bowled magnificently well from the Pavilion End, beat his bat a couple of times as he moved the ball down the hill and then came perilously close to bowling or trapping him leg before when he persuaded it to nip back. But it bodes well – for England and Middlesex – that Gubbins did not become flustered by the challenge. He shrugged off the beatings and played the next ball with the same unflustered, phlegmatic confidence that was once the hallmark of Graham Gooch.He will face different tests at the highest level – not least, he will be subjected to more short-pitched bowling than was seen against this attack or on this surface – and this is his first really good Championship season, but if bookies took bets on the identity of future England captains, the odds on Gubbins would be short.Yorkshire will rue some missed chances, though. The most expensive saw Gubbins, on 22, put down by Azeem Rafiq at point off the bowling of Steven Patterson, but there were other blemishes that saw Adam Lyth, at second slip, drop a tough chance off Dawid Malan, on 19, and Gary Ballance (at third slip) put down an easier chance offered by James Franklin on 1.Perhaps Yorkshire may consider themselves unfortunate, too. A couple of leg-before shouts must have been perilously close while replays suggested Gubbins should probably have been given out on 96, caught down the leg side off Sidebottom. They bowled with skill and persistence, though, and by keeping the run-rate under three have ensured they remain very much in contention.This was another outstanding showcase of the standard of Championship cricket. Not only are Yorkshire without several of their England players, but they decided to leave out Liam Plunkett – they reasoned the movement of David Willey would be more valuable on a slow surface like this – while it says something for Eoin Morgan’s peripheral role at Middlesex that he was not even considered for selection. He has not played a Championship match all season. It would be no surprise if he never plays another one.After Sam Robson, whose season has deteriorated after a fine start, was pinned on the boot – reward for a well-directed yorker as much as punishment for falling over to the off side, Nick Compton was, for the second successive match, dismissed by a delivery he left. Dawid Malan, after a few gorgeously-timed strokes, played on as he pushed at one without sufficient foot movement, while Stevie Eskinazi also played on as he pushed at from Brooks that may have kept a fraction low. John Simpson, having been beaten outside off by deliveries that left him, was dismissed by one that nipped back into him; outstanding bowling by any standards.This is no classic Lord’s surface. Conditions provided assistance to bowlers throughout – 14 overs were lost to poor light at the end of the day – and a less resolute batting line-up could have been routed. Gubbins’ fortitude ensured Middlesex remained in the race on a day when their challenge could easily have fallen away. With three days left, it’s still too tight to call.