All posts by n8rngtd.top

New Zealand Cricket chairman Chris Moller has apologised to Ross Taylor for the manner in which the team’s captaincy changeover played out, but he said there was no need for heads to roll over the saga

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2012New Zealand Cricket chairman Chris Moller has apologised to Ross Taylor for the manner in which the team’s captaincy changeover played out, but he said there was no need for heads to roll over the saga.Brendon McCullum replaced Taylor as captain in all formats last week after Taylor declined an offer to stay on as leader in Tests only, and the way the captaincy issue was handled left Taylor feeling disaffected enough to sit out of the upcoming tour of South Africa. Much of the tension surrounded the relationship between Taylor and the coach Mike Hesson, who recommended changes in the limited-overs leadership.”The board has reviewed all aspects of the captaincy issue and wishes to publicly place on record its apologies to Ross Taylor and his family for the manner in which events have unfolded,” Moller told a press conference in Wellington on Wednesday.Moller also said that “additional material” on the captaincy saga had come to light and would be reviewed by NZC. However, he said there was no need for any sackings over the messy way the changeover was played out in the public.”No heads are going to roll,” Moller said. “here were no hanging offences in all of this. Yeah, the ball’s been dropped, absolutely. Could we have done things better? Absolutely. Are we going to learn from those mistakes? Well we hope so. Is there any reason for anybody to have their heads taken off? No, and that is a decision the board has made.”

Chris Gayle is not playing for Jamaica in the ongoing Caribbean T20 after the selectors decided to omit him from the squad because of a clash with the Big Bash

Nagraj Gollapudi08-Jan-2013Chris Gayle is not playing for Jamaica in the ongoing Caribbean T20 because the selectors decided to omit him from the squad, after the batsman said he would be available only if his Big Bash League franchise, Sydney Thunder, did not make the knockouts of Australia’s ongoing domestic T20 competition.Thunder failed to make it past the league stage of the BBL but, according to the Caribbean T20 playing conditions, Gayle cannot be added to Jamaica’s squad unless one of their players is injured.The WICB had set a December 16 deadline for all the regional teams to send in their squads for the final edition of the Caribbean T20, which will be replaced by the franchise-based Caribbean Premier League next year. Eager to have Gayle in their squad, Jamaica’s three-man selection panel, led by Courtnay Daley, contacted him in December, when West Indies were touring Bangladesh. Gayle was open to the offer, but made it clear that he would be available for Jamaica only after his stint with Thunder. Though Gayle found form in the final match for Thunder with the fastest fifty of the BBL, it came too late in the day.*”When we got in touch with Chris, he said he could only come if his team [Thunder] did not go through,” Daley, the chairman of selectors, told ESPNcricinfo. “So based on our situation we decided to go ahead and name the squad [without Gayle].”Thunder had a dismal run in the BBL, losing all seven games and finishing bottom of the league. Gayle, one of the most destructive batsmen in T20 cricket, made only 72 runs in six innings.According to Daley, the Caribbean T20 rules do not permit squad changes and the only way Gayle can be accommodated is as a replacement in case of an injury to an existing player.Jamaica are also without the services of Marlon Samuels, who is playing for Melbourne Renegades, the BBL leaders with six wins in seven matches. According to Daley, Samuels could not be directly contacted but the selectors had tried to check his availability through Gayle. “We could not reach Marlon directly and asked Chris to relay the message. But Chris did not get back,” he said. “With the Big Bash going on, we could not take a decision. We would have loved to have both Gayle and Samuels.”Unlike Jamaica, defending Caribbean T20 champions Trinidad & Tobago will be boosted by the presence of Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine, who are also part of the Big Bash. Narine, who played for Sydney Sixers, had returned to play in the washed-out tournament opener against Jamaica on Sunday evening. Pollard, who represented Adelaide Strikers, is expected to join the squad on Tuesday. Both players had worked out an arrangement with the Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board and their Big Bash franchises to play in the Caribbean T20. * – 12.30 GMT – Updated following the result of Thunder v Stars

Lisa Sthalekar, the Australia women’s allrounder who was part of Sunday’s World Cup-winning team, has announced her retirement from international cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2013Lisa Sthalekar, the Australia women’s allrounder who was part of Sunday’s World Cup-winning team, has announced her retirement from international cricket. Sthalekar said she did not want to cut ties with the game following her retirement, but planned to remain involved and help women’s cricket develop further.”To finish my international career by playing in a successful Women’s World Cup in the country of my birth is quite special for me,” Sthalekar said. “I feel that this is the right time for me to retire.”On Sunday, Australia beat West Indies in the final of the World Cup in Mumbai by a whopping 114-run margin. Sthalekar put on a fine show, claiming the big wickets of West Indies captain Merissa Aguilleira and big-hitter Deandra Dottin, and then closed out the game with a spectacular diving catch.It was Sthalekar’s 125th ODI, and she remains the only woman to score 1000 runs and take 100 wickets in the format. She finished with 2728 ODI runs in all, at 30.65, and 146 wickets at 24.97. That puts her at No. 10 on the all-time women’s ODI batting charts, and at No. 3 for Australia. Her ODI wickets’ tally is third-highest in history.In international Twenty 20 cricket, too, she has made quite an impact, taking 60 wickets at 19.35 – the second-highest aggregate among women. Sthalekar also played eight Tests in an international career that spanned 12 years and included two titles each in 50-overs World Cups and World Twenty20s.”Women’s cricket has changed a lot during my time in the game and it’s been an honour to witness this evolution first hand,” Sthalekar said. “We have seen at this year’s World Cup that the standard of women’s cricket across the world has grown immensely in the last few years alone. I would like to continue my involvement in all aspects of the game. Cricket has given me a great deal during my life and I want to be able to give something back, whether it be through coaching, mentoring or other avenues. I am looking forward to the opportunity to help women’s cricket continue to develop.”Off the field, Sthalekar became the first woman to be appointed to the Australian Cricketers’ Association Executive in 2011.Julie Savage, Australia’s chief women’s selector, highlighted Sthalekar’s contributions towards the development side of the game: “Lisa has been a tremendous player for Australia for a number of years and it’s fantastic to see her go out at the top of her game. She also, through her coaching, contributed to the development of the younger players that are now coming through in our group.”So, not only was she contributing on the field, but she was also contributing off the field to the success of Australian Cricket. Lisa will certainly be missed, but through her coaching and development work she’s actually helping to fill the void that her retirement will leave.”

Shikhar Dhawan stroked his way to a breathtaking century, its 85-ball duration the swiftest ever by a Test debutant

The Report by Daniel Brettig16-Mar-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShikhar Dhawan’s century was the fastest by a Test debutant•BCCI

Shikhar Dhawan could possibly have been out before he had faced a ball in Test matches. The first delivery of the innings slipped out of Mitchell Starc’s hand and landed on the stumps with the debutant out of his ground at the non-striker’s end. There was no appeal, but if made it would have sent many running for the law book and coming back with varying interpretations of two laws: mankading and dead ball.Dhawan, though, felt he was out, and took full advantage of what he felt was Australian generosity with a breathtaking century, its 85-ball duration the swiftest ever by a Test debutant. By the close he was still there on a commanding 185, looking utterly impassable while gathering runs with the kind of rare ease that invoked memories of Mark Waugh’s debut against England at Adelaide Oval in 1991.*Australia’s tally of 408 had been swelled by Mitchell Starc’s 99, but it was made to look laughably puny by how Dhawan set about his task in the company of the neat and tidy M Vijay. They formed a beautifully balanced union that did not take long to become plainly disdainful of the visiting bowlers, and by the close it was comfortably India’s best opening stand against Australia.On the way to what was also the highest total by an Indian debutant, Dhawan’s stroke range was awe-inspiring, no fewer than 33 fours and two sixes streaming from his bat to all parts of the PCA ground. He was most savage through cover, piercing gaps no matter how many fielders Michael Clarke employed to patrol the region.In doing so, Dhawan laid waste to a touring attack that should have been feeling quite haughty about prolonging Australia’s innings on the third morning. The worst punishment was saved for Moises Henriques, Nathan Lyon and most of all Xavier Doherty, who in one over conceded an eye-popping 18, all to Dhawan’s impudent blade.Among the liberties taken in that over was a reverse sweep, conveying just how little Dhawan thought of the visiting spin bowlers. At the age of 27, Dhawan had been made to wait 81 first-class matches, 5679 runs and 16 centuries for this chance, coming in at the expense of Virender Sehwag. The flourish with which Dhawan took it was supreme, and indicated that India have not given up hope of forcing a victory over the remaining two days.Vijay meanwhile constructed another innings entirely suitable to the occasion, settling in quietly and safely in Dhawan’s slipstream but never becoming so tied down as to suggest the Australians had him covered. He too attacked the slow bowlers for a pair of sixes, and it was possible to imagine India have found an opening partnership to last for some time.Clarke exhausted all of the bowling options except his own, though this is at least partly to spare his problematic back. At no point were his bowlers able to deliver spells consistent enough to create pressure, despite the fact that both Peter Siddle and Mitchell Starc extracted reverse swing and there was enough bounce and spin for Lyon, Doherty and Steven Smith.Most of all Australia missed James Pattinson, their most dangerous bowler in the first two Tests and an absentee here for punitive disciplinary reasons. Mitchell Johnson, another suspended bowler, has enjoyed success on this ground in the past, and it is difficult to imagine Clarke not wondering who else he might have called upon had team management not chosen to rule out four players for failing to follow the instructions of management.Only once did Dhawan give the ghost of a chance, a thick edge on 94 flying through the hands of Phillip Hughes in the gully from Peter Siddle’s bowling.The Australians might have had some inkling of how swiftly the runs might flow when India batted after watching their own tail wag furiously. Starc assembled a brave 99, Smith managed 92, and in all 157 runs were added for the final three wickets.For most of his innings Starc played nervelessly, hitting with power and pushing through gaps with finesse, while also defending when necessary. But he tightened up noticeably with one run to get for a hundred, beaten twice outside off stump by Ishant Sharma then edging an attempted drive behind after MS Dhoni brought the field in.In that moment Australia were denied their first centurion at No. 9 since Ray Lindwall in 1946-47, and a rare chance to feel a rush of shared jubilation on this tour. So even during a session in which India were dominated, the hosts still managed to deny the tourists a feeling of achievement.Smith’s innings reached a similarly flat conclusion after he had also played with great assurance at No. 5, demonstrating a steadier approach and straighter bat than he had shown in his earlier Test match appearances in 2010 and 2011. It was a chanceless innings, and took a practically perfect ball from Pragyan Ojha to dislodge him.*07.00pm GMT, March 16: The copy has been updated after reviewing the laws of the game.

Preview of the match between Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mohali

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran15-Apr-2013

Big Picture

April 16, 2013
Start time 1600 local (1030 GMT)Kings XI need runs on the board for their above average attack to defend•BCCI

Big Picture

On paper, Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab appear mismatched on one count- the batting. Kings XI were not tested in their opening game, chasing a paltry 100, but in their next two managed under-par scores of 138 and 124, losing both. A look at their batting line-up explains their apathy. Their captain Adam Gilchrist is struggling for runs, and in trying to break free played a poor shot on Sunday against Rajasthan Royals. Their middle order comprises uncapped Indian players in Manan Vohra, Mandeep Singh and Gurkeerat Singh and expectations from them will always be low, though all have potential. It leaves a heavy burden on David Hussey, who, not surprisingly, was their top scorer in their last two games. Azhar Mahmood is their most experienced player after Gilchrist, but Kings XI cannot afford to leave everything to their middle order and below to bail them out. The top order needs to step up, and give their bowlers a decent total to defend.Knight Riders in contrast have a stronger top order and it makes a difference when the captain fires. While Gilchrist has been under par, his counterpart Gautam Gambhir hasn’t, already piling on 175 runs from four matches. Jacques Kallis’ experience is unmatched, and with Brendon McCullum fit, Knight Riders will find it hard to leave out either Kallis or Eoin Morgan to accommodate him. Having piled on 180 in their last match, against Sunrisers Hyderabad, and winning by 48 runs, it is unlikely they will want to tinker with their line-up, unless they have to.

Players to watch

Sachithra Senanayake played his first IPL match on Sunday, and Knight Riders didn’t regret picking him. The Sri Lanka offspinner opened the bowling and finished with miserly figures of 4-0-18-1. His spell didn’t allow Sunrisers to get away to a strong start chasing a big target. Knight Riders will want to retain him for at least another game.It’s good news for Kings XI that Adam Gilchrist‘s wicketkeeping reflexes haven’t waned, having pulled off two difficult takes against Royals. It will be better news for them if he can score more runs, and improve on his scores of 15, 9 and 0. As a captain and an overseas player, he picks himself. Explosive starts from Gilchrist will be crucial for Kings XI going forward.

Stats and trivia

• Jacques Kallis needs two wickets to become the second-highest wicket-taker for KKR in the IPL. Sunil Narine is first (31) and Rajat Bhatia is second (26).
• Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh hold the record for the highest partnership in the IPL. They added 206 runs for Kings XI against Royal Challengers Bangalore in May 2011.
• Gautam Gambhir is the third highest run-getter in the IPL against Kings XI Punjab with 312 runs from 9 matches at an average of 52.

Quotes

“Last year, trying to get into a winning side was very difficult. I hope I get to play as many games as possible for KKR this year.”
“We did not play our full quota of 20 overs so that did make a difference. Maybe we could have added 12-15 runs in those balls.”

Make them Sir jokes all you want, Ravindra Jadeja is arising again and again this Indian home season

The Report by Sidharth Monga20-Apr-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Michael Hussey’s catch turned Knight Riders’ innings around•BCCI

Smart stats

• Michael Hussey’s 51-ball 40 was the slowest score of 40 or more in the IPL’s history

• Jacques Kallis’ diamond duck was a novel experience for him, having never suffered one in international cricket or previously in the IPL

• Rajat Bhatia’s 10-ball 1 was the second slowest innings in IPL (non-ducks)

• Ravindra Jadeja’s strike-rate today was 257.14; the other Super Kings’ batsmen scored at a combined rate of 81.89.

Make them Sir jokes all you want, Ravindra Jadeja is arising again and again this Indian home season. After he took three wickets – mostly poor batting from Kolkata Knight Riders – to reduce the hosts to 119, he came out to see his team-mates had messed the paltry chase so much that they now needed 40 off 27. Just like that, he smoked sixes down the ground, fours through cover, and on a sluggish track where almost every batsman apart from Gautam Gambhir struggled, Jadeja took Super Kings home with an unbeaten 36 off 14. There were five balls still to go.In his recent column, Gambhir spoke of how the turbulence inside resulting from how his side snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in their previous match was much stronger than the choppy flight he had. His team went on to prove him wrong, showing turbulence much greater than Gambhir can imagine, chaos much greater than the honking cars in Kolkata can create. Kolkata Knight Riders were going swimmingly at 46 for 0 when Gambhir fell, and they all managed enough panic over the next 10 overs to throw their wickets away to be reduced to 91 for 8. They fought hard from there, but it wasn’t enough.Super Kings will claim, and not without reason, that the panic was initiated by their superb fielding, but it wouldn’t justify the ordinariness of Knight Riders’ batting and the diabolicalness of their running. First the superb fielding, though.In this clash of the last year’s finalists, Knight Riders went without the man who won them that final, Manvinder Bisla. The struggling Yusuf Pathan opened in Bisla’s absence, and on a slow and low pitch he could put behind the nightmares of the bouncers from Mohali. The two cut and pulled well, but when Gambhir didn’t bother keeping the cut in the sixth over down, Michael Hussey dived to his left at square third man boundary to pull off a special catch.Two balls later, S Badrinath matched Hussey’s effort. Yusuf had hit to the right of Badrinath at point, and Jacques Kallis called him through for a single. Badrinath swooped on it, fielded it one-handed, and threw off-balance to knock the only stump visible to him. Kallis gone without facing a ball. He has never scored a diamond duck in international cricket. Soon Eoin Morgan failed to read a Dwayne Bravio slower ball, and holed out.That brought together the two men that lost Knight Riders their previous match: Yusuf and Manoj Tiwary. The association lasted two balls as Tiwary ran Yusuf out. Bravo could claim about as much credit as Tiwary. He bowled, saw the ball pushed towards deep midwicket, and hared two-thirds of the way to the boundary, slid and fumbled. That fumble meant Tiwary finally went for the second after he had left Yusuf stranded mid-pitch. Bravo recovered, and even when on his knees he let rip a bullet throw to Dhoni. Knight Riders 55 for 4 after eight overs.After that it seemed there would be a run-out every second ball, but what followed was poor shots and in no time four more were back. Sunil Narine slogged two sixes, and gave himself and Sachithra Senanayake something to bowl at. They were helped by the failed Super Kings experiment of opening with R Ashwin. The visitors then found themselves in a rut they couldn’t get out of. The slow pitch made it difficult to build momentum. Then came Jadeja.He danced down to L Balaji and lofted him straight into the sightscreen. Hussey, who fought hard for his 40 off 49, fell, leaving 31 to get off 19. Jadeja proceeded to pull Balaji over short fine leg for another four. Knight Riders had an ace up their sleeve with one over from Narine to go, but Jadeja took his revenge and slogged him over long-on for six the first time he faced him today. If this blow wasn’t what did it, Yusuf dropped Jadeja at backward square leg to finally lose it for Knight Riders. Jadeja finished it off with another high six off the first ball of the last over.

Chris Dent scored a maiden one-day century to help Gloucestershire to an exciting seven-run victory over Glamorgan in a high-scoring Group C clash

19-May-2013
ScorecardChris Dent’s previous highest score in one-day cricket was 36•Getty Images

Chris Dent scored a maiden one-day century to help Gloucestershire to an exciting seven-run victory over Glamorgan in a high-scoring Group C clash.Dent’s 151 not out led Gloucestershire to 288 for 5 from their 40 overs at the SWALEC Stadium, before Mark Wallace (118 not out) and Graham Wagg (54) saw Glamorgan fall just short.On an easy-paced pitch Dent was able to help Gloucestershire punish Glamorgan’s attack after being put into bat by Marcus North. The visitors lost Hamish Marshall early on but they were nevertheless not hanging about with Dean Cosker’s first two overs conceded 19 runs.Gloucestershire lost captain Michael Klinger for 40 from 47 balls, caught off a leading edge at cover, but the 100 came up in only the 16th over with Dent bringing up his 50 off 39 balls. Former England paceman Simon Jones, playing his first game of the season, did peg Gloucestershire back briefly by bowling a maiden to Dent, whose previous List A best was just 36.Gloucestershire reached the halfway stage in a good position at 120 for 2 but they lost Alex Gidman to Will Bragg, who claimed his first wicket in one-day cricket. Dent, though, continued his assault on the Glamorgan bowlers and brought up his century off 89 balls, including 10 fours and two sixes.In the final 10 overs Gloucestershire racked up 110 runs, with Dent remaining instrumental as he put on 73 with James Fuller in just 24 balls.Glamorgan made a disastrous start to their run-chase with Bragg out for a duck, trapped lbw to James Fuller’s second ball, and then having Chris Cooke removed by the same bowler for 15. Glamorgan’s hopes looked dashed when North was run out for 5 with a direct hit from Benny Howell, leaving the hosts on 27 for 3.But Wallace and Jim Allenby launched a recovery, with a slog sweep for six by the latter bringing up the Glamorgan 100 in the 17th over. Wallace shared in partnerships of 95 with Allenby in 12.3 overs and then 67 with Murray Goodwin. But it was the Wallace-Wagg alliance that so nearly brought Glamorgan victory.The pair put on 82 in 8.4 overs to bring the prospect of victory ever closer. Glamorgan had needed 100 off the final 10 overs, but that was brought down to 60 off six overs and then 31 off three overs as Wallace reached 100 off 98 balls and Wagg struck three big sixes.But with 18 needed off eight balls, the pressure mounted on Glamorgan and Wagg holed out to Marshall at long-on off Fuller. And the 17 required from the final over proved too much for Wallace and Will Owen as Gloucestershire held on for the win.

Former Kerala captain and junior national selector M Balan Pandit has died in Ernakulam, Kerala on June 5, aged 86

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jun-2013Former Kerala captain and junior national selector M Balan Pandit has died in Ernakulam, Kerala on June 5, aged 86.A wicketkeeper-batsman, Pandit began playing first-class cricket in 1946 and represented Kathiawar, Kerala and Travancore-Cochin. In a career spanning 46 first-class matches, Pandit scored 2,317 runs including five hundreds at an average of 29.70.He was a wicketkeeper for Kathiawar in the match against Maharashtra, in December 1948, when Bhausaheb Nimbalkar scored an unbeaten 443 runs, the highest first-class score by an Indian batsman.In a Ranji Trophy match in 1959 against Andhra, his 14th for Kerala, Pandit scored an unbeaten 262, which was the record individual score for Kerala before Sreekumar Nair hit a triple century against Services in 2007.As a wicketkeeper, he completed 35 catches and three stumpings during his first-class career.As an administrator, Pandit was a member of India’s junior selection committee and was also the chairman of Kerala’s selection committee. He also served as vice-president of Kerala Cricket Association.

A disciplined bowling performance from Scotland helped them to a 35-run win over Kenya in Aberdeen

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA disciplined bowling performance from Scotland helped them defend a middling score of 114 as they bowled out Kenya for 78 in the first T20 of the two-match series in Aberdeen. Scotland won the toss and elected to bat, with the openers putting on 40 for the first wicket. But Kenya fought back with a clump of wickets, two of them in the same over – 14th, bowled by Tanmay Mishra – reducing Scotland to 69 for 5 in the 15th.Preston Mommsen, the Scotland captain, and Moneeb Iqbal briefly resisted with a sixth-wicket partnership of 35. Scotland eventually reached 113 for 6 in their 20 overs, with Mishra returning with his best T20 figures of 3 for 25.Kenya started inauspiciously, losing a flurry of wickets to be reduced to 29 for 5 in the ninth over. Every one of Scotland’s bowlers picked up a wicket as only three Kenyan batsman were able to register double-digit scores. Kenya’s innings was wrapped up off the penultimate delivery of the 19th over to give Scotland a convincing 35-run win. Gordon Goudie was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3 for 22.

West Indies and Pakistan have given us tough, hard-fought cricket along with the usual doses of excitement when we least expected them, setting it up for one, final tussle

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit23-Jul-2013

Match facts

Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Start time 0900 local (1300 GMT)Will Chris Gayle adapt his style?•WICB

Big Picture

Tough, hard-fought cricket, along with the usual doses of excitement when you least expect them. Star player makes umpteenth comeback, walks in at 47 for 5, cracks 76 off 55 and then takes other-worldly figures of 9-3-12-7. Home side rebound from the thrashing with a convincing win in the second game, then follow it up with a last-ball, last-wicket train robbery of a tie when they are all but derailed. West Indies and Pakistan, true to reputation, have given us what they were expected to.And the Caribbean has given us another ODI series with twists and turns, following the tri-series also involving India and Sri Lanka. The balance between bat and ball, the absence of which renders so many one-day contests into one-dimensional batting gluts, has set this series up for one, final tussle between the two sides.In what has become unfortunately recurring due to the forced change in the West Indies home season, rain influenced the result of the fourth game. It arrived while the Pakistan chase was on, and imposed a revised target. West Indies found their three specialist bowlers had already bowled most of their quota; Pakistan had lost only their openers. Although the conditions and the situation were more in favour of the chasing side than the defending one, it must be said that more than those two, Pakistan’s self-destructing tendency often proves to be their undoing. That they didn’t succumb to any of the three is creditable, and irrespective of what happens in the final game, they have maintained their record of not losing a bilateral ODI series in the West Indies since 1988. They have, in fact, won the last two, in 2005 and 2011; even another tie will suit them fine.A lot has been said about West Indies’ improvement, recent and continuing, in limited-overs cricket. The improvement, however, does not seem to be translating itself clearly into results yet. In the past year, away series losses to Bangladesh and Australia, the latter a 0-5 whitewash, have been followed by an early exit from the Champions Trophy in England, and failure to make the final of a home tri-series. They are now faced with the task of winning the fifth match to avoid losing another home series to Pakistan. It is also crucial for Dwayne Bravo’s fledgling captaincy that he comes out of this scrap with a tied series.

Form guide

West Indies LTWLL (most recent first, last five completed matches)
Pakistan WTLWL

In the spotlight

This is Chris Gayle‘s worst year in ODIs, after his debut year in 1999, with an average just above 20. In a way, he is to the Caribbean what Shahid Afridi is to Pakistan. The star who towers above the rest of his team-mates, peerless in fan following. You don’t drop Afridi without expecting a backlash from the public; the same applies to Gayle. At 33, though, he is at an age where similar batsmen such as Virender Sehwag, batsmen who rely more on timing or power than on technique, have found it difficult to reinvent themselves in the face of dwindling returns. He was demoted to as low as No. 5 in the previous match and made 30 at a strike-rate of 65. How will he respond to this late challenge in his career?Mohammad Hafeez needed that fifty in the previous game. He’d gone 11 innings for a lone score of 50-plus, a century against Ireland. While Hafeez’s bowling in limited-overs is always handy, he is also a top-order batsman, and the Twenty20 captain. Given the long struggle to prove himself that Hafeez’s career has been, you sense that the feeling of insecurity somehow still lurks somewhere inside, and is likely to worsen matters when the runs are not coming. It also does not help that Hafeez is a rhythm player, and when the rhythm deserts him, it really does. Has he regained it after that 59?

Team news

West Indies demoted Gayle and chose Devon Smith to open instead in the previous game. Another failure for Smith followed, but it will be unfair on him if he gets just the one chance.West Indies: (probable) 1 Devon Smith, 2 Johnson Charles (wk), 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Chris Gayle, 6 Lendl Simmons, 7 Dwayne Bravo (capt), 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Sunil Narine, 11 Jason HolderGiven Ahmed Shehzad’s continuing struggles, Pakistan have the choice of opening with Asad Shafiq, who’s batted at the top before on a few occasions. Umar Amin played the tour match against Guyana but hasn’t got a game yet in the series. He is another option.Pakistan: (probable) 1 Nasir Jamshed, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Umar Akmal (wk), 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Junaid Khan, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Mohammad Irfan

Stats and trivia

• Dwayne Bravo has the worst economy-rate in the series – 6.44. Hafeez has the best – 3.24
• Including the fourth game, Gayle has batted at No. 5 only eight times in 248 ODI innings

Quotes

“I had a good talk with Dr Scott Hamilton [West Indies’ sports psychologist] and I was trying to refresh my memory of the way my style of play is. My style of play is give myself a chance and push it around, and then I can definitely make up at the end.”