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Thanks to this result, Sri Lanka are out of contention to qualify from Group D

Ashish Pant13-Jun-20241:52

Rapid Fire Review: Rishad changed the course of the game

Bangladesh made a big stride towards securing a Super Eights berth at the T20 World Cup 2024 with a confident 25-run win over Netherlands in the first international fixture in Kingstown in close to a decade.It was a welcome return to form for Shakib Al Hasan, who scored his first fifty in 20 T20I innings to shepherd Bangladesh to 159 for 5. Netherlands made a good fist of the chase, moving to 111 for 3 in the 15th over. But legspinner Rishad Hossain struck three times in four balls spread across two overs to change the course of the game.Related

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With Shakib and Mustafizur Rahman tightening the screws alongside Rishad, Netherlands fell in a heap, losing 4 for 6 in the space of 16 balls. They still had an outside chance with 36 needed off the last two overs, but Mustafizur Rahman’s cutters proved too much to handle in the 19th over. He kept slanting the ball across, and the batters kept swishing and missing. He conceded just three runs in that over, having given away just one in the 17th, and Netherlands were eventually restricted to 134 for 8.

Bangladesh fly away despite Dutt’s strikes

With the Bangladesh top order studded with left-handers, Netherlands brought Aryan Dutt in for his first game of the tournament and he immediately repaid their faith. Introduced in the second over, he removed the Bangladesh captain with his second ball. It was an innocuous length ball outside off, which Najmul Hossain Shanto reverse-swept straight to first slip.Dutt struck again in his next over, with a lot of help from Sybrand Engelbrecht. Litton Das eyed a slog-sweep only to get a top-edge well in front of square. But Engelbrecht, stationed behind square, sprinted to his left , put out a full-length dive and picked up a screamer inches off the turf.Despite the early losses, Bangladesh continued to score at a fair clip. Tanzid Hasan struck Vivian Kingma for two fours and a six in the third over before Shakib picked another four off Paul van Meekeren in the fifth. Shakib then laid into Logan van Beek in the sixth over, smashing him for four fours to take Bangladesh to 54 for 2, comfortably their highest powerplay score of the tournament.1:42

Maharoof: Shakib was prepared for Netherlands’ short-ball tactics

The middle-overs squeeze

Netherlands weren’t backing down, though. Captain Scott Edwards rung in the changes and the bowlers made sure to stick to their lengths. According to ESPNcricinfo’s logs, Netherlands only veered into the full lengths four times in 10 overs from the seventh to the 16th, and Bangladesh’s scoring rate dropped. The pressure told on Tanzid, who mistimed a pull to deep backward square leg in the ninth over, while Towhid Hridoy had his leg stump flattened by Tim Pringle in the 13th. Bangladesh managed only 58 runs in the middle ten overs with five fours and a six, and lost two wickets.

Shakib the glue as Bangladesh end strongly

The last time Shakib scored a fifty in T20Is was in October 2022 against Pakistan. At the T20 World Cup, he hadn’t breached the half-century mark since 2016. But on this crucial day, Bangladesh’s stalwart stood tall.He scored his first seven runs at a run-a-ball, and picked up his once he got the hang of the surface. And even when the runs dried up in the middle phase, he kept rotating strike without panicking. He reached his fifty off 38 balls and hit de Leede for back-to-back fours in the final over to finish unbeaten on 64 off 46 balls, his innings studded with nine fours.There were important contributions from Mahmudullah (25 off 21) and Jaker Ali (14* off seven) as Bangladesh collected 47 runs off the last four overs.Bas de Leede is stumped off Rishad Hossain•ICC/Getty Images

Bangladesh keep chipping away

With 349 runs in nine innings, Michael Levitt came into this tournament as Netherlands’ highest run-scorer in T20Is since the start of 2024. However, he’s had a dismal start to his T20 World Cup with scores of 1 and 0 against Nepal and South Africa. He seemed to change the tide against Bangladesh when he drove Mustafizur through the covers in the first over. Then, when he smashed Taskin Ahmed over the roof at deep midwicket, it seemed his campaign was back on track.But Levitt’s joy was short-lived. In the fifth over, he top-edged a cut off Taskin to Hridoy at point. In the next over, Max O’Dowd smashed a length ball straight back to Tanzim Hasan, and Netherlands ended the powerplay at 36 for 2.Vikramjit Singh hit Shakib for back-to-back sixes in the seventh over and slog-swept Rishad over deep midwicket in the ninth. His sprightly 16-ball knock was cut short when he was stumped, walking past a tossed-up delivery from Mahmudullah. But at 69 for 3 in the tenth over, Netherlands were still in with a chance.

Rishad triple-strike gives Bangladesh the W

Netherlands seemed to be giving Bangladesh a proper fight when Engelbrecht and Edwards were at the crease. The duo ran superbly and got the boundaries at regular intervals during a 31-ball stand of 42 for the fourth wicket.When Rishad was brought on to bowl the 15th over, Netherlands required 56 off 36. The legspinner’s first two overs had gone for 19 and he knew this over could decide the match. It did, in Bangladesh’s favour.With his fourth ball, he got Engelbrecht to top-edge a legbreak straight up, with Tanzim taking the catch at point. Two balls later, he had de Leede stumped with a ball that spun sharply past his outside edge. Mustafizur then got into the act by taking out Edwards, and when Rishad sent back Logan van Beek at the start of the 18th over, the game was as good as done.Dutt struck a six off Rishad later in that over, but he and Pringle had no answers to Mustafizur’s cutters in the 19th. Eventually, Netherlands fell well short of their target. The result does not knock them out of contention, nor does it give Bangladesh a sure-shot place in the Super Eight. It has, however, knocked Sri Lanka out, and given Bangladesh an excellent chance of advancing from Group D.

Renuka Singh’s five-for against England lifted her to No. 5 among bowlers, as Lea Tahuhu moved from tenth to seventh

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-2023Richa Ghosh has become the fifth Indian in the top 20 for batters in the ICC T20I rankings for women following useful contributions in the past week at the women’s T20 World Cup. That’s a career-best for Ghosh in the batters’ table, and she is joined there by Amelia Kerr and Muneeba Ali, who have also reached career-high numbers.Ghosh scored 44 not out in 32 balls in a win over West Indies, and 47 not out in 34 balls in the defeat to England, which gave her enough points to finish the week up 16 spots to 20th despite a first-ball duck against Ireland. Smriti Mandhana (No. 3), Shafali Verma (No. 10), Jemimah Rodrigues (No. 12) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (No. 13) are the other Indians in the top 20.

Full rankings tables

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Meanwhile, Kerr, also the 13th-best T20I bowler in the world, hit a match-winning 66 against Sri Lanka to get to No. 16 in the batters’ list, her best to date. She is also up at No. 3, a one-spot rise, among allrounders in T20Is.Also, another of Ghosh’s India team-mate to make big moves was Renuka Singh, who picked up a career-best 5 for 15 against England. That meant a rise of seven spots to fifth among bowlers.On February 15, Muneeba scored 102 in 68 balls against Ireland to become the first Pakistan batter to score a century in women’s T20Is. That lifted her ten spots to 64th position, the best she has ever been at.Muneeba Ali became the first Pakistan woman to score a T20I century•ICC/Getty Images

Within the top ten for batters, Meg Lanning has moved up one place to fourth after scoring 48 not out against Bangladesh, while Suzie Bates has climbed two places to No. 6 after her 81 not out and 56 against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, respectively.Some distance behind, Tazmin Brits (up six places to No. 21), Amy Jones (up two places to 26th), Orla Prendergast (up eight places to 38th) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (up four places to No. 39) were the other batters to move up.On the bowlers’ table, Lea Tahuhu has not only moved up from tenth to seventh after picking up eight wickets in four games – including a three-for against Australia – but has also breached the barrier of 700 rating points for the first time in her career.Darcie Brown, still only 19, has also entered the top ten for the first time – at No. 8 – while Hayley Matthews has got to the tenth spot after a 2 for 14 against Pakistan.Among allrounders, Ashleigh Gardner remained at No. 1, but Deepti Sharma has dropped a couple of places to fourth, with Matthews and Kerr moving up, and Nida Dar reaching the fifth spot after going up two spots.

ECB pay tribute to “a remarkable woman who led an extraordinary life”

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2021Eileen Ash, who was the oldest living Test cricketer, has died at the age of 110 with the ECB paying tribute to “a remarkable woman who led an extraordinary life”.Ash, née Whelan, made her Test debut for England against Australia in 1937 and played seven Tests in total, taking 10 wickets at an average of 23.00 with her right-arm seam bowling before her retirement in 1949. In the middle of her international career, she was seconded to MI6 – the UK’s secret intelligence service – during the Second World War.Ash was a well-known figure throughout her final years. She rang the bell at Lord’s ahead of England’s win in the final of the 2017 Women’s World Cup against India, and two years later the MCC unveiled a portrait of her at the same ground.Related

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Clare Connor, the ECB’s managing director of women’s cricket and the MCC’s president, said: “Our sport owes so much to its pioneers and Eileen was one of them. I am deeply sad to be saying goodbye to her today.”Heather [Knight, England captain] and I went to visit Eileen about six months before the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup – she was 105 at the time – and it was one of the most remarkable experiences. Eileen taught Heather yoga, we played snooker, we drank cups of tea and we leafed through newspapers and scrapbooks celebrating Eileen’s time as a player in the 1930s and 1940s.”She regaled us with some amazing stories, including how she came to have her bat signed by Sir Donald Bradman at a French restaurant in Sydney in 1949. I know neither of us will ever forget that day, it was so special.”Our thoughts and prayers are with Eileen’s family as they come to terms with losing such a wonderful woman and the end of an astonishing life.”

Fast bowler rues English misfortune with the ball as Pakistan take advantage in first Test

Andrew Miller06-Aug-2020Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah might beg to differ after their thrilling displays of unfettered fast bowling, but Jofra Archer believes that this Emirates Old Trafford is “not one to bend your back on” as Pakistan claimed the ascendancy in the opening exchanges of the first Test.Speaking to the media at the close of the second day’s play, Archer insisted that England’s own bowlers had been unlucky rather than outplayed, after a brilliant Shan Masood century had underpinned Pakistan’s first-innings 326, and added that on another day they might have been “eight or nine [wickets] down in two or three sessions”.”I don’t think that it particularly went our way,” Archer told Sky Sports. “A lot of balls today probably beat the bat or got the edge, we had two lbws turned around, one with a feather. I think we bowled well as a unit, but we didn’t have a lot of luck. Most of their singles were a bit suicidal and it only takes one direct hit and then who knows. They were very lucky with the running as well.”Archer himself finished with the creditable figures of 3 for 59 in 22 overs, including two in two balls as he got stuck into the tail late in Pakistan’s innings.However, his performance was arguably more notable for the moments that he wasn’t involved – particularly in the lead-up to the second new ball, when Joe Root opted instead to use his own offspin in tandem with Dom Bess, and again thereafter, when Chris Woakes partnered Bess to bowl a spell of short-pitched deliveries at Shadab Khan – a role that might have been better suited to Archer himself, especially as he hadn’t been called upon for nearly two hours.”It was approaching a new ball, and [Root] he just wanted all of the bowlers to be fresh,” Archer explained. “There was a time last night that I probably got off the hook as well, when the umpires said it was a bit too dark. I probably wanted to bowl then too, but I guess the captain knows best and, to be honest, we’ve got more than enough bowlers here to do a job. I wouldn’t be upset at all if it didn’t start.”Jofra Archer celebrates with Joe Root•Getty Images

The haphazard deployment of Archer is becoming a running theme of his Test career, with Root attracting huge criticism for over-using him in his early Tests – not least on debut at Lord’s last summer where he bowled 44 overs in the match and was touching 96mph in the spell in which he felled Steve Smith with a devastating bouncer.Archer never came close to such speeds today, clocking in the high-80s for the most part. And while Pakistan’s attack leader, Mohammad Abbas, proved with his brilliant new-ball display that pace does not need to be everything if you have the skills to exploit a fuller length, he also said that the decision to throttle back had not necessarily been a conscious one.”It’s not deliberate,” he said. “It’s not every day you’re going to come in and 90mph. I’ve seen Shah started bowling 90 so we’ll see how he goes on later on tomorrow morning or afternoon. No one’s robots so I’ll be very, very interested to see what he can produce a bit later.ALSO READ: Jos Buttler needs to convert after letting Pakistan off the hook“This wicket is not a wicket you’re really going to try to bend your back on. We bowled first and there was a little bit there in the morning but eventually as the game’s gone on…actually it’s spinning on day two so that says a lot about the wicket right now.”Archer did, however, concede that the elbow fracture that he sustained in South Africa might have been at the back of his mind as he settled for rhythm over shock.”I had one injury in pretty much a year of cricket, and it was my first since being in the England team, so I’m very happy to be back, touch wood,” he said. “It’s taken a little bit to trust it. Sometimes you get an ache and think ‘oh no, it’s gone again’, but I’ve got reassurance from the medical staff that it’s not the case.”It’s about putting mind over matter, but everything else is pretty okay. I’ve landed the ball where I wanted to. Everyone’s going to bowl a boundary ball at some point of their spell, but I was more happy with where the majority of the balls have gone.”Archer was speaking for the first time since his breach of England’s biosecure environment during the West Indies series – a transgression that required him to be dropped for the second Test at Old Trafford.”I’m just glad to be back out playing again,” he said. “Whatever happened in the last series is gone.”

The latest round-up of how the Australians are performing in the IPL and county cricket as the World Cup and A squads are named

Alex Malcolm16-Apr-2019Who’s in form and who’s notGlenn Maxwell isn’t warming up for the World Cup in the IPL but rather in Division Two of the County Championship for Lancashire. He failed with the bat in both innings against Middlesex at Lord’s but took a career-best 5 for 40 in the second innings to help Lancashire to a seven-wicket win. Two of his victims were Dawid Malan and Eoin Morgan.David Warner’s stellar form continued with yet another half-century in the IPL against Delhi Capitals although it was his slowest of the tournament. He is the leading run-scorer in the IPL and looks set for a big World Cup campaign.Not many of his fellow World Cup squad members are in the same kind of touch, though. Steven Smith is still battling to find some rhythm. His last two IPL innings for Rajasthan Royals have yielded just 15 and 12 and he’s chewed up 37 balls in the process.Marcus Stoinis played well in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s only win of the IPL to date last week, making 28 not out from 16 balls. Two of his four boundaries came off Andrew Tye, although he was also dropped off Tye’s bowling. Stoinis failed to score against Mumbai Indians on Monday. He also hasn’t bowled in his last three matches after conceding 12 runs per over in his first two.Jason Behrendorff dismissed Virat Kohli again but has been quite expensive in his last two outings after bowling well in his first three for Mumbai.#AsheswatchPeter Siddle wasn’t selected in the Australia A four-day squad for the tour of England but he continued to push his case for the Ashes with a six-wicket haul for Essex against Surrey at The Oval. He ploughed through 49 overs for the match and claimed seven wickets in a draw. He also made 41 not out with the bat.Peter Siddle back in the wickets for Essex•Getty Images

Marnus Labuschagne made a century for Glamorgan, just his fifth in first-class cricket, but it came on a Cardiff pitch that yielded six centuries and just 19 wickets in four days and was criticised by Northamptonshire.Matt Renshaw made 48 not out in quick time to help guide Kent home in a fourth-day run chase at Edgbaston. He also made 39 in the first innings on a surface that was described as “Test quality” by Kent assistant coach Allan Donald. Renshaw again batted at No. 3 in both innings.Cameron Bancroft made scores of 33 and 22 also batting at No. 3 on debut for Durham in a loss to Sussex in Division Two.Did you see?Chris Lynn has become a forgotten man in Australian cricket. After being groomed in the ODI team last year to potentially become a key cog in the World Cup campaign, his name was nowhere in the picture when Australia listed 34 cricketers to tour England on Monday. But he continued his good form in the IPL over the weekend making a blistering 82 from 51 balls for Kolkata Knight Riders against Chennai. He struck seven fours and six sixes in his second half-century in three matches.Injury listNathan Coulter-Nile was due to head to the IPL this week after a short rest at home following the UAE tour but he did not end up travelling and was replaced in the Royal Challengers squad by Dale Steyn. It was only precautionary and not due to any specific injury. He was named in the World Cup 15-man squad and is expected to be fully fit for the camp in Brisbane on May 2.Performance of the weekMaxwell’s five-wicket haul at Lord’s was pretty significant. Not only did it set up a victory for Lancashire, it was the first time he had taken five wickets in a first-class match. Notably, it was also the first time he had taken four wickets in a first-class innings since his Test debut in Hyderabad in March of 2013.

The South African batsman smashed 68 off 36 balls to launch the Strikers to a strong total after a slow start, and their bowlers gave the Renegades barely a sniff in their chase

Alex Malcolm at Docklands22-Jan-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGetty Images

A comprehensive win away from home has secured Adelaide Strikers a home semi-final at the Adelaide Oval, where they are undefeated this season.The win over the Melbourne Renegades had significant ramifications for the BBL but the complete nature of the performance has sounded a warning to the Strikers’ rivals.The Strikers managed to compile an excellent first-innings score after one of their slowest Powerplays, and it was predominantly due to a man-of-the-match display from Colin Ingram. He peppered the crowd with five enormous sixes during a freakish 68 from just 36 balls. Travis Head compiled 58 from 47 but looked pedestrian by comparison.Then the Strikers did what they do best squeezing the life from the Renegades in the chase. Four of the five bowlers conceded less than seven an over and their catching was out of this world. The Renegades have now lost three in a row to remain locked in a four-way battle for the last two semi-final spots.Strikers slow out of the blocksThe Strikers have been measured in their approach to the Powerplays throughout the tournament, aiming for 40 to 50 runs without losing more than one wicket. On a slow Docklands surface they were extremely slow early. They were 1 for 13 from 21 balls having not hit a boundary before Alex Carey opened his shoulders. But Head really battled at the other end. He faced 10 balls in the Powerplay for just eight runs, and five of those deliveries were dot balls. The Strikers scored just 33 in the Powerplay.No Nabi, Mo’ problemsMohammad Nabi’s absence was keenly felt by the Renegades. He had bowled 25.5 overs in seven games, conceding just 5.76 per over while taking eight wickets. No other regular Renegades bowler had conceded less than seven an over. Cameron White gambled with Chris Tremain in the eighth over after a couple of good overs in the Powerplay. Head prefers pace compared to spin and he launched Tremain for a six and a four to get his strike rate up above 100 and the run-rate above six-an-over. The rate plateaued when Carey holed out.Ingram ignitesIngram entered and produced a stunning innings. He scored 10 off his first 10 balls before he started nailing slog-sweeps and wristy flicks to the leg-side boundary. He slog-swept and pulled Brad Hogg for successive fours and gave Head the freedom to hit him for six in a monster 13th over that yielded 18 runs. Ingram did the same to the 140kph speed of Kane Richardson, whipping him into the leg side crowd from way outside off stump. He did it again off consecutive deliveries from Kieron Pollard and once to Dwayne Bravo in the last over. His 68 from 36 balls turned a potential score of 150 into 5 for 173. Head played a good supporting hand but he was overshadowed.Four boundaries in 11.4 oversThe Renegades needed a fast start and bolted to 33 without loss after four overs. Tim Ludeman and Marcus Harris found the boundary four times in 24 balls. But the Strikers did not concede another boundary until the 12th over. Peter Siddle executed his plan to Ludeman, dragging him wider and nicking him off. The Strikers starved Harris of boundaries square of the wicket by bowling straight until he skied one trying to find a boundary. Tom Cooper finally found the fence twice to close out the 12th over but the equation by then was 104 from 48 balls.Bravo c Weatherald b Rashid KhanAfter Cooper and Cameron White fell the game was all but gone, but until the mercurial Bravo and Pollard were removed last rites had to wait. Bravo fell to one of the best team catches you could wish to see. He hit Rashid Khan high, inside-out over wide long-off. Ben Laughlin ran full tilt-along the rope and caught the ball but was hurtling over the rope with no chance to toss the ball up and regain his balance. He instead back-handed the ball nearly 30m towards Jake Weatherald running across from deep cover-point. Weatherald had to change direction sharply to his left but he completed the catch to remove the dangerous Bravo. The last five overs were an anti-climax after such a stunning piece of fielding. Brad Hodge took 17 from the last over to make the margin closer than it was.

Imran Tahir has been fined 30% of his match fee and has been given two demerit points following a heated exchange with David Warner during the fifth ODI, the ICC said on Thursday

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2016South Africa legspinner Imran Tahir has been fined 30% of his match fee, apart from being given two demerit points, following a heated exchange with Australia batsman David Warner during the fifth ODI in Cape Town, the ICC said on Thursday. The hosts have also been fined for maintaining a slow over rate during the match.An ICC release said that Tahir had shown “a lack of respect” towards the on-field umpires by ignoring their requests to stop verbally engaging with Warner around the 38th over of Australia’s chase. Tahir was found to have violated Article 2.1.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which deals with behaviour that is “contrary to the spirit of the game”.Two demerit points were also added to Tahir’s record, in keeping with Article 7.3 of the revised Code. If Tahir gets four or more demerit points within a two-year period, these points could be converted into at least two suspension points, which could end up in a ban from one or two matches. According to the ICC’s rules, two suspension points equate to a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whatever comes first.South Africa captain Faf du Plessis was docked 20% of his match fee, while the other players were fined 10%, after they fell one over short of their target once time allowances were taken into consideration.If South Africa commit another over-rate offence within the next 12 months, with du Plessis as captain, it will be deemed as his second offence and he will face a suspension.Both du Plessis and Tahir pleaded guilty to the offences and accepted the sanctions imposed by match referee Chris Broad. The charges were laid by on-field umpires Shaun George and Joel Wilson, third umpire Nigel Llong and fourth official Adrian Holdstock.

India will look to lift themselves to force the series into a decider in Mumbai while South Africa will be keen to wrap up the series and set the tone for the Tests

The Preview by Firdose Moonda21-Oct-2015

Match facts

Thursday, October 22, 2015
Start time 1330 local (0800GMT)5:11

Manjrekar: India need to look at new bowling talent

Big picture

There comes a time in every chase when the players are under so much pressure that unless they catch up, the game is over. For India, that time is now.After trailing South Africa in both limited-overs’ formats, India face the prospect of a second successive series defeat unless they draw level in Chennai. To do that, they will need a more convincing batting performance particularly in the death overs, where they have lacked aggression. Simply put, they have to ensure they compete over 50 overs, not just 35, because South Africa have demanded that level of commitment from them.The tension in the twilight exchanges of the three matches so far has made for absorbing viewing and neutrals will hope there is more to come so that a grand finale is set up for the fifth game. But South Africa won’t be advocating excitement of that kind.They will want to secure their second trophy of the tour before the final match. Not only will that tick the box of dominating an opposition in their own backyard but it will set the tone for the Tests, where South Africa are the authority on traveling, having last lost a series away from home nine years ago. Victory in Chennai will allow the players that aim to continue that legacy, particularly the fast bowlers, a chance to rest and South Africa’s bench strength to be tested in Mumbai.

Form guide

(last five completed games most recent first)
India LWLWW
South Africa WLWWL

In the spotlight

With just three runs from the three matches so far – and all of those in the first game – Suresh Raina will be aware that he needs to step up. He has been dismissed for ducks in his last two innings and has not contributed a fifty since the World Cup. With India’s middle-order being prone to meltdowns, Raina will have to be in the runs soon to help solve the problem.Hashim Amla is 22 runs away from being the fastest to 6000 ODI runs but he may be more concerned with the speed with which he hits top gear after a quiet tour so far. Amla has bubbled under with small starts but is struggling to push on and has been uncharacteristically stumped off the spinners in the last two matches. If he can shake the rut, South Africa’s line-up will be in full flow again.

Team news

India altered their squad as the series heads into its decisive stage and added S Aravind in place of Umesh Yadav and the left-arm seamer could find himself in the XI. The three-spinner strategy worked well for India and if they stick with it, they may have to leave out another seamer as well.India: (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Ajinkya Rahane 4 Virat Kohli, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 S AravindJP Duminy’s hand injury, which has ruled him out of the rest of the series, presents South Africa with a puzzle in the allrounder’s department. Dean Elgar, Duminy’s replacement, only arrived early on Wednesday morning and may need time to acclimatise, which could allow Chris Morris his first chance in the ODI series. David Miller may have to return to the middle order as a result, unless Khaya Zondo is given a debut ahead of him. With all the tinkering in the batting department, South Africa are unlikely to fiddle with their bowling combinations unless Morne Morkel, who picked up a quad injury in the third ODI, is unfit. Kyle Abbott is in reserve if needed.South Africa: (probable) 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 Farhaan Behardien, 6 David Miller, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Dale Steyn, 9 Morne Morkel/Kyle Abbott, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Imran Tahir

Pitch and conditions

Dale Steyn said he expected a slow wicket that may take turn but there are rumours of some extra bounce, which will be a welcome surprise for the visitors. Chennai will warm up to 34 degrees, a couple cooler than Rajkot and Kanpur, but humidity will be a factor. This match will be officiated by two local umpires because Aleem Dar was withdrawn over security concerns following the anti-Pakistan protest at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai. Umpires Chettithody Shamsuddin and S Ravi, who is from Chennai, will stand.

Stats and Trivia

• Though MS Dhoni is not from Chennai, the city is an adopted home to him because of the Super Kings franchise and he seems to have embraced it as a favourite venue. He averages 153.50 in ODIs at Chepauk, where he has scored two undefeated hundreds.
• The last ODI played in Chennai was between India and Pakistan in December 2012.

Quotes

“We want to take wickets as a spinning unit and whoever is bowling at any point of time, we want to attack, we want to have a lot of catching fielders in place. “
“We’ve been to a lot of different cities since arriving and it’s arrive, play, practice, go – that kind of thing. It’s on the go all the time. The boys have needed the rest.”

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.”

New Zealand staved off collapse for 87 overs, but gifted South Africa an opening to push for the win, when they lost five wickets for 33 on day four in Wellington

The Report by Andrew Fernando26-Mar-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Vernon Philander bagged his sixth five-wicket haul in his seventh Test•Getty Images

New Zealand staved off collapse for 87 overs, but gifted South Africa an opening to push for the win, when they lost five wickets for 33 on day four in Wellington. Only two edges past the keeper allowed the hosts avert the follow on, and at stumps South Africa led by 274 runs, with 10 wickets remaining and an opportunity to crack New Zealand again on the final day of the series. Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen scored at five runs an over late in the day, hinting a declaration might come early on day five, to give their bowlers a chance to clinch the series 2-0.Vernon Philander became the fastest man to 50 Test wickets in 116 years, as he bagged his sixth five-wicket haul in his seventh Test. His 6 for 81 was all the more impressive for the lack of movement at the Basin Reserve. Rarely straying from his impeccable off-stump line, Philander threatened even when his team-mates seemed flat and the batsmen well set. He removed Daniel Flynn to claim the first scalp of the morning, dismissed Martin Guptill on the stroke of lunch, then returned to crush the lower order with second new ball. Sharp and accurate, but uncomplicated, no side yet has learnt to play him – not even New Zealand, who might have devised new plans, having suffered so severely at his hands in Dunedin and Hamilton.New Zealand’s reply was dealt a blow when Ross Taylor took a Morne Morkel bouncer on the wrist. Morkel had intimidated, bruised and winded Taylor throughout the series, but seems to have delivered the knockout blow in Wellington. A golf-ball sized lump on the end of Taylor’s forearm hid a fracture to his ulna, and he will only bat again if the situation is dire for New Zealand – perhaps not even then.Despite Taylor’s injury though, New Zealand had laid the foundations for a competitive reply. At 219 for 3 (effectively 4, with Taylor having retired hurt), eclipsing the follow-on target seemed a foregone conclusion. South Africa had stuck rigidly with a plan to bowl back-of-a-length and, at times, New Zealand seemed to be handling it. Williamson and Brownlie both pulled powerfully when the lifters didn’t quite get head-high, and they had little trouble swaying away or ducking under the rest.South Africa’s perseverance eventually paid off though, and it made plain once again the definitive trait of the series: New Zealand have fought hard to get themselves in good positions, but South Africa have been the more patient side – sticking to their modes of attack until New Zealand make the errors and gift it all away.The pull shot had been productive for Brownlie, but ended his promising 59-run stand with Williamson when he top-edged a Philander short ball to Dale Steyn at fine leg. Williamson rebuilt momentarily alongside Vettori, but was undone by another short one – this time from Steyn himself, who moved it slightly away to take Williamson’s edge. Vettori was the exception, hitting a full delivery to gully, but Doug Bracewell resumed the pattern, deflecting a short ball onto his stumps for nought. Kruger van Wyk top-edged another pull before Mark Gillespie’s edges saved New Zealand the ignominy of following on. Even he fell to a short ball. After having seemed so comfortable, six New Zealand wickets had fallen for 56 and three in a heap with the score on 263.New Zealand’s woes might have been even greater, had they not been given five reprieves earlier in the day. Martin Guptill provided the early substance to the reply with his first 50 of the series, but he had been given three lives.Steyn and Morkel put New Zealand’s overnight pair through a harrowing interrogation first up, testing technique and temperament with searing pace and movement through the air. Steyn drew several plays and misses with a series of outswingers to Martin Guptill, failing only to extract first blood. It was a surprise no batsman was bleeding at the other end either, where Morkel fired in bouncers at close to 150 kph.Guptill and Daniel Flynn were intimidated into caution, having steadily introduced aggression into their play the previous evening, and though the pair applied themselves in periods, only luck prevented their early demise. Twice Guptill was dropped in the gully, Steyn fuming as JP Duminy spilt both chances diving to his left, while Flynn was hounded by Morkel – an inside edge flying whiskers wide of off stump amid a bruising chain of bouncers.Flynn eventually lost his wicket to Philander, before Guptill got his third life on the fence where deep square leg had wandered too far infield to intercept his pull. Brendon McCullum also got a chance, Duminy spilling another catch off a now-furious Steyn, before he departed attempting to pull – he managed only to give the keeper a straightforward take.South Africa’s reply was predictably belligerent. Petersen hammered two fours off the first over of the innings, and the pace rarely relented thereafter. Twos were run hard to the outfield, and though acting-captain McCullum retained the slips in the opening overs, more defensive fields were set towards the close. Smith waltzed down the pitch to slam Gillespie into the crowd to bring up the team’s 50, and soon no less than seven men patrolled the fence for the hosts. The cut-off time for the evening came before the full quota of overs had been bowled, ending a day that again promised much for New Zealand in periods, but ultimately left them in a tangle thanks to one burst of poor cricket.