Cricinfo’s preview of the first Twenty20 between Australia and West Indies in Hobart

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale20-Feb-2010

Match Facts

Last time the Australians saw Chris Gayle in a Twenty20 he launched Brett Lee onto the roof at The Oval•Hamish Blair/Getty Images

Sunday, February 21, Bellerive Oval

Start time 1835 (0735 GMT)

The Big Picture

The one-day series has been one-sided but Twenty20 tends to close the gap between teams and Australia are yet to beat West Indies in the format. The prospect of Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, David Warner and Shane Watson striking, and Shaun Tait and Kemar Roach blitzing them at 150kph-plus does hold some appeal.For West Indies, the aim is to finish the tour with some positives ahead of their home series against Zimbabwe and Gayle believes the format gives them their best chance of success. “We’ve got a lot of allrounders in our team so the shorter form of the game definitely can suit us,” he said. “We can be a bit more dangerous in the T20 games.”For Australia, the plan is to see some new players in action ahead of the ICC World Twenty20. Steven Smith, Travis Birt and Daniel Christian should feature either in Hobart or in the second game in Sydney, and there will be Caribbean trips up for grabs if they perform well. They are also aiming to move one step closer to an unbeaten home summer across all three formats.The match is a milestone for Bellerive Oval, which is hosting a night international for the first time after having floodlights installed during the off-season and unlike the ODIs, this game is already a sellout. There is also a curtain-raiser Twenty20 to be played between the Australia and New Zealand women’s teams, part of which will be broadcast in Australia in the lead-up to the men’s match.

Form guide (most recent first)

Australia WNLLL

West Indies WLWLW

Watch out for…

How can you not watch out for Chris Gayle in a Twenty20 match? He is the only man to have scored a Twenty20 international century and last time he faced Australia in the format, he mauled them with 88 from 50 balls in an innings that won him Cricinfo’s award for the best Twenty20 performance of the year. In the past year he has launched balls onto the roof at The Oval and the WACA and into someone’s backyard in Napier. Bellerive residents should make sure their home insurance policies cover not only acts of God but also acts of Gayle.Travis Birt‘s Twenty20 international debut against Pakistan earlier this month was a forgettable occasion as he was bowled trying to paddle sweep his second ball. He will have learnt from that experience and will feel more comfortable in the quieter surrounds of his home ground in Hobart rather than a busy MCG. He is also coming off a wonderful 93 this week that surged Tasmania in to the FR Cup final.

Team news

Australia are fine-tuning their team ahead of the World Twenty20, which starts in late April. There are several fresh faces in a squad that does not feature Ricky Ponting, who has retired from the format, or Michael Hussey, who appears to be out of favour in Twenty20. The allrounder Daniel Christian is hoping to make his debut but in a squad of 14, he may have to wait until the second match in Sydney for his first appearance.Australia (possible) 1 Shane Watson, 2 David Warner, 3 Michael Clarke (capt), 4 David Hussey, 5 Cameron White, 6 Travis Birt, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Steven Smith, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Dirk Nannes, 11 Shaun Tait.West Indies are using the same squad as they had for the ODIs, which means that their options are limited. Travis Dowlin hasn’t covered himself in glory in the 50-over games but the gritty back-up batsman Brendan Nash will find it hard to dislodge him. Kemar Roach should return to the line-up having been out of the past three ODIs.West Indies (possible) 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Travis Dowlin, 3 Lendl Simmons, 4 Narsingh Deonarine, 5 Wavell Hinds, 6 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 7 Kieron Pollard, 8 Dwayne Smith, 9 Darren Sammy, 10 Nikita Miller, 11 Kemar Roach.

Pitch and conditions

Bellerive Oval usually provides a good batting surface and in the two Big Bash matches this summer, the first-innings totals were 194 and 167. The forecast for Sunday in Hobart is fine and 25C.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies and Australia have met in only two Twenty20 internationals and West Indies won them both, in Barbados in 2008 and at The Oval last year
• Australia’s recent record in the format is miserable; until their win over Pakistan a fortnight ago they had lost their previous five completed Twenty20s
• Michael Clarke is one of 24 men who have played at least 20 international Twenty20 games; of those, only Umar Gul, Lasith Malinga and Mark Boucher have hit fewer sixes than Clarke, and only that trio have lower high scores than Clarke’s 37
  

  Quotes

  “We’ve got a good record against Australia, we’re two and zip. The guys are pretty confident. The shorter version of the game we’ve got guys that can destroy any attack – Pollard, Smith and Chris Gayle – so it’s going to be good fun.”
  
  David Williams, the West Indies coach”If you look at the balance of our team and the balance of their team, you’d probably still think that we’ve got a fair advantage over them.”
  
  Ricky Ponting has retired from Twenty20s but will be in Hobart to watch his colleagues

Darren Maddy has suffered a facial injury while batting in the nets during Warwickshire’s pre-season training camp in Bloemfontein.

Cricinfo staff15-Mar-2010Darren Maddy has suffered a facial injury while batting in the nets during Warwickshire’s pre-season training camp in Bloemfontein. Maddy, 35, may need an operation to repair the damage and will see a consultant on Thursday.”It is always nasty to see a player suffer a facial blow but after consultation with the medical staff out here we are positive that Darren will make a quick and speedy recovery,” said Ashley Giles, Warwickshire’s director of cricket.”It is a blow for Madds after missing last summer with his knee but with his determination, I am confident that he will be back playing as soon as he can.”The injury is an unfortunate setback for Maddy, who played in only two County Championship games last season before he snapped a cruciate ligament in his knee. That injury required surgery and ruled him out of the rest of the season, but he had worked his way back to full fitness and had been due to play a full part in Warwickshire’s campaigns this year.

Plays of the Day from the IPL fixture between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai

Siddarth Ravindran at the MA Chidambaram Stadium31-Mar-2010
This was last year in South Africa; Manpreet Gony’s IPL 2010 has been a nightmare (file photo)•AFP

It’s not over yet
Welcome to the IPL, where things are so exciting no one’s even sure when the
game’s over. With seven deliveries remaining and Chennai Super Kings needing
three to win, R Vinay Kumar charged in to bowl. Suresh Raina slapped the
wide full toss served up through covers for two, and umpire Rudi Koertzen
signalled a no-ball – the extra run should have ended the match, but it
didn’t. Raina faced another delivery from Vinay, crashing it for four to
take Chennai’s total five runs beyond Royal Challengers Bangalore’s and giving cricket statisticians something to quarrel about in their next meeting. The extra ball and runs were eventually discounted, and Chennai finished the game on 162.Such is life
With Chennai’s chase off to a cracking start, Harsha Bhogle, in the commentary box, was chatting to Virat Kohli, who was fielding at point, over the microphone. M Vijay slashed the next delivery towards Kohli, who was nutmegged when attempting a
regulation stop. Bhogle asked after the misfield whether talking on-air
had distracted Kohli, to which his reply was: “Shit happens”.Gony baloney
It’s hard to think of a player having a worse tournament than Manpreet
Gony. He’s leaking runs at nearly two-a-ball, being butter-fingered in the
field, and the one chance he had to bat ended in an outrageous swipe that
contributed to Chennai’s choke in
the match against Kings XI Punjab. It continued today, with his three
overs being smashed for 39 runs, and him dropping a straightforward catch
off Robin Uthappa at mid-off. Chennai had let off Uthappa twice in the
teams’ previous encounter, but this time the batsman didn’t turn on the
fireworks as he had at the Chinnaswamy.Vijay runs amuck
There’s already been a game in which Virender Sehwag was outscored by his opening
partner 29-0. It is not so far-fetched when you notice that the one making
the runs is the explosive David Warner. It is a bit more freakish to see
the scorecard reading 38-0 (ML Hayden 0*, M Vijay 37*). Vijay isn’t
exactly renowned for his big hitting, but he showed off his ability to
smash the ball in the fourth over, lashing 24 leg-side runs off Praveen
Kumar. The over read: 0, 6, 2, 6, 4, 6.Keeping the crowd guessing
The last time Chennai played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, they made a mess of a game they
should have won with ease. At one stage today, Chennai had needed 57 off
54 with eight wickets remaining. But some tight Bangalore bowling and the
wickets of MS Dhoni and Albie Morkel left Chennai needing 16 off the final
two overs, and the crowd remembering last week’s collapse. S Badrinath’s
cheeky four turned the crowd gung-ho again, before his dismissal switched
them back to nervy. The very next delivery, though, Raina settled their
worries by clubbing a no-ball for six to start the celebrations.Edgy Kallis
Jacques Kallis may have reclaimed the Orange cap with his fourth
half-century of the tournament, but it wasn’t a classic Kallis innings
today. He started off confidently, but couldn’t find the boundaries as the
innings progressed. In fact, his last three fours were all fortuitous
outside edges to third man. After failing to connect with five out of six
deliveries in a row, he was dismissed attempting a sharp single off the seventh.

Warwickshire overcame a defiant innings by Leicestershire prospect James Taylor to register their second win in the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition at Edgbaston

02-May-2010

ScorecardWarwickshire overcame a defiant innings by Leicestershire prospect James Taylor to register their second win in the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition at Edgbaston.After piling up 321 for 7, the Bears had restricted the Foxes to 235 for 7 when the umpires took the players off in the 35th over because of bad light. The conditions failed to improve and, with Taylor stranded on 92 after facing 77 balls, Warwickshire secured a 41-run victory under the Duckworth/Lewis method.Earlier, they topped and tailed their highest 40-over total – comfortably beating 301 for 6 against Essex at Colchester in 1982 – with high-octane batting performances by their new-ball bowlers.Pinch-hitter Neil Carter launched the innings with 68 from 38 balls in a partnership of 96 in 14 overs with Jonathan Trott (33) and Chris Woakes closed the innings with an unbeaten 49 from only 16 deliveries.After the early mauling by Carter, who pulled sixes off Nathan Buck and Andrew McDonald, Leicestershire continued to suffer as Ian Bell, less explosive but more stylish, made 72 from 58 balls. This included six fours and a sweep for six off Claude Henderson.It seemed the worst was over for a beleaguered bowling side when Warwickshire lost five wickets for 62 in reaching 234 for 7 by the 35th over, but Woakes and Tim Ambrose (31 not out) added 77 from the last 35 balls.Woakes targeted the shortest boundary with great success. Two of his four sixes went into the building site, where the new pavilion is under construction, and another landed out of the ground on Edgbaston Road. The young all-rounder also hit four fours in a remarkable innings largely compiled to the discomfort of three bowlers. Buck and Australian all-rounder McDonald conceded 135 runs between them and Wayne White’s eight overs cost 86.White’s afternoon went downhill after he knocked out Carter’s middle sump with his second ball and Buck later paid a price for his two wickets. Trott was well held by Taylor at deep square leg and Rikki Clarke was bowled, middle and leg, for 23.Only the older hands came out of the battering with reasonable figures. Matthew Hoggard tempted Darren Maddy into chasing a ball outside off stump and Bell and Jim Troughton were both dismissed reverse sweeping Henderson’s left-arm spin.Carter and Woakes were soon back on centre stage, dismissing Leicestershire’s openers, Will Jefferson and Jacques Du Toit, in the first 10 overs. Paul Nixon took up he challenge with 40 from 33 balls. The left-hander shovelled three sixes over the leg-side boundary before top edging to Bell at mid-wicket in Imran Tahir’s second over. The talented Taylor helped Nixon put on 73 in 10 overs and went on to hit three sixes and six fours, but Tahir kept Warwickshire on course with 3 for 47.

Marlon Samuels batted steadily, bowled economically and took two wickets to lead Jamaica to a 47-run win in a Twenty20 game against the USA in Lauderhil

Cricinfo staff23-May-2010
ScorecardMarlon Samuels batted steadily, bowled economically and took two wickets to lead Jamaica to a 47-run win in a Twenty20 game against USA in Lauderhill. Samuels’ half-century led Jamaica to 145 for 3 and then the bowlers restricted the hosts to 98 for 9.Jamaica lost opener Donovan Pagon for 13 after getting sent in but Samuels, who made an unbeaten 52, and Wavell Hinds added 54 for the second wicket to put the innings on track. The acceleration was provided by Danza Hyatt, who came in at No. 4 and smashed 48 off 22 balls before falling to the last ball of the innings. Hyatt helped add 72 runs off 46 balls for the third wicket with Samuels.USA’s chase slipped from 26 for 0 to 39 for 5 in the space of four overs and there was no recovering from such a collapse. Wicketkeeper Ashhar Mehdi top scored with 28 in a total of 98. Samuels, Bevon Brown, Krishmar Santokie and Hyatt all took two wickets each to ensure a Jamaican victory.

Bangladesh A gained a very slender four-run lead on what was a slow third day where only 176 runs were scored in nearly 80 overs

Cricinfo staff25-May-2010
ScorecardBangladesh A gained a very slender four-run lead on what was a slow third day where only 176 runs were scored in nearly 80 overs. Faisal Hossain’s exact 100 took the hosts to 272, before Omar Phillips led West Indies A to a lead of 105 with seven second-innings wickets in hand.Resuming on 205 for 5, Bangladesh lost their last five wickets for 67 runs, with only Faisal offering resistance. The offspinner Shane Shillingford struck in quick succession to get rid of Saghir Hossain and Suhrawadi Shuvo. Faisal reached his century off 197 balls before he was caught by the wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton off Gavin Tonge. Shillingford and Odean Brown took three wickets apiece to wrap up the innings.The Bangladesh seamers, Syed Rasel and Nazmul Hossain, took two early wickets to set West Indies back, but Phillips and Brendan Nash steadied the innings with an unbeaten stand of 52 for the third wicket.West Indies will look to accelerate on the final day and put up a competitive score, but it remains to be seen if there’s enough time in this match to enforce a result.

Kumar Sangakkara has called for a more equitable distribution of Tests in the new Future Tours Program that will govern the international calendar post 2012

Cricinfo staff11-Jul-2010Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka captain, has called for a more equitable distribution of Tests in the new Future Tours Program (FTP) that will govern the international calendar post 2012. Sri Lanka had only two Tests scheduled in 2010 – a home series against West Indies – until a three-Test series was arranged against India a few months ago.”All sides should have an equal opportunity to play Tests,” Sangakkara told . “We are lucky India are touring us, but the opportunity for Sri Lankan players to fulfil their Test dreams are getting more and more limited.”Sri Lanka have not played a Test series outside Asia since the tour of Australia in 2007. They have not been to South Africa for a Test tour since 2002 and the Tests in England in 2011 will be their first there in five years. Sri Lanka’s lack of foreign opportunities is highlighted by the fact that Mahela Jayawardene has played only four Tests in Australia in a 13-year career.”The FTP must be drawn up in a way that some of the best sides tour more than just once in five years,” Sangakkara said. “They should be meaningful tours that also make economic sense.”There have been plenty of requests from players and coaches for an IPL window in the international calendar, something Sangakkara also asked for. “We need a proper FTP to avoid players having to choose between their country and commercial interests. A proper FTP will focus on competitive tours, on nations competing with each other, ultimately making it attractive for consumers.”

After leading India to safety with his fifth double-century, Sachin Tendulkar spoke about how demanding it was to bat for so long after fielding for two days

Sidharth Monga at the SSC29-Jul-2010Sachin Tendulkar had just reached his double-century. He was into the ninth hour of his innings. He had been on the field for the whole match, except for perhaps one session. He had had a few visits from the physio. The tea break was approaching. Twice in the next two overs, MS Dhoni hit shots slightly wide of the outfielders. And Tendulkar hared across for the twos, running as though they were his 199th and 200th runs. That was perhaps the most impressive aspect of the 95 runs Tendulkar added today to his overnight 108. If a run was there to be scored, he was there to score it.After Tendulkar had helped India to relative safety on day three, today ceased being a battle between bat and ball. There was hardly anything to trouble Tendulkar. It had come down to endurance, and the need to bat as long as possible to try and prevent his bowlers from having to bowl in the humidity.Tendulkar spoke about the physical challenge of batting for 516 minutes after having fielded for more than five sessions. “It’s been challenging,” he said. “Of course the conditions are tough. Yesterday when I got into the dressing room, I had a long ice bath. I was in the ice tub for a while. Then I did some stretches, had an early dinner, and I was in bed by 8.30.”I just relaxed as much as possible. Because I went off to sleep early, I was up early morning, sort of relaxed a bit and stretched a bit in the morning. When you are off the field time flies in between. When you are off the field, go back to the hotel and sleep, when you wake in the morning, it’s time to go back to the ground again. But that’s what Test cricket is all about. For almost all four days, I have been on the field. It’s been demanding on the body, but it’s held up pretty well.”Another moment that stood out in what was largely an error-free effort was when Suresh Raina brought up his debut hundred. There was as much joy on Tendulkar’s face as on Raina’s. Like Virender Sehwag said, it was difficult to tell who the debutant was. They then spoke for what seemed a longish period between deliveries.”I was very happy for him,” Tendulkar said of the moments after Raina got his century and before the next ball. “Many guys doubted whether Suresh was a good Test player or not. He has done well, I am very pleased. The way he batted was fantastic. All I told him was, ‘Enjoy this moment. You have earned something special. This will always be the highlight of your career. You will have many more hundreds, you will achieve many more things in your life, but this will always be something special.'”Admittedly this was a flat track – Tendulkar didn’t try to suggest otherwise. But he also knew that – until the follow-on was avoided -India were one mistake away from getting into big trouble. He had to curb the temptation of looking for runs, especially because the track and the bowling were ripe with runs.”It was tough. There were times when you felt you could go over the fielders,” Tendulkar said. “But also the Test match was poised critically. It was an important phase, and one mistake would have cost us quite a bit. So I felt it was important to just try and control all those temptations, and play a percentage game.”Those joyful shots came at intervals. His scoring-rate never fell though he eliminated risks. With not much life left in the match, everybody’s thoughts turned to the elusive triple-century. This was a good chance: there was enough time left, all he needed was for MS Dhoni to stay with him.The error from Tendulkar arrived, though. Just after tea, the first ball of Tillakaratne Dislhan’s spell turned a bit extra and Prasanna Jayawardene pouched a bat-pad offering. Tendulkar later said that the triple-century was not on his mind.”I have always gone out and played,” he said. “People look at records, not me. I would want to score as many runs as possible. Whenever it comes, it comes. It is never too late. I will keep trying, but that is not the end of the world to me. There are many more things to cricket, and that is where the focus is. It’s not on records. If it has to come, it will come.”Whatever milestones he passed during the course of the innings – be it the most 150-plus scores, be it drawing level with Steve Waugh’s 168 Test caps, or be it yet another double-century – saving the Test was his top priority. To keep the series alive. And he was a satisfied man at the end of it all. And when he is satisfied, so is the rest of India.

There was little progress on or off the field at Grace Road as rain washed out the third day of the County Championship match between Leicestershire and Surrey

George Dobell at Grace Road26-Aug-2010There was little progress on or off the field at Grace Road as rain washed out the third day of the County Championship match between Leicestershire and Surrey.Leicestershire’s acting chief executive, Mike Siddall, denied that a full board meeting would take place during the day, stating that “as there’s no cricket, the board members have not come to the ground.” However, it is understood that all members of the board, except the under-fire chairman, Neil Davidson, are to meet informally.That distinction is important. As an informal meeting, there will be no need for minutes. It is understood that the board is split on the issue and at least one member has threatened to resign if Davidson remains in position.A compromise solution has been rejected. It was suggested that Davidson could step down as chairman but retain a place on the board, but Leicestershire’s players have dismissed that option. There’s little doubt where Siddall’s sympathies lie, however. “Neil Davidson has done masses for this club,” Siddall said. “But sometimes, in circumstances like this, people don’t see both sides.”It simply isn’t true that all employees are against Neil. A number of people I’ve spoken to don’t want to be associated with what’s going on. Some of the young players have just been whipped into a state of mass hysteria.”Siddall also explained why the board rejected a members’ petition calling for a Special General Meeting. “These things have to be right,” he said. “The original petition was on a number of pages and several of those pages didn’t have any heading on them. It became clear after a members’ forum that a number of people had signed the petition but weren’t fully aware of what they were signing. A number of members have withdrawn their signature.”But we do remember that we are a members’ club and, if we receive another request for an EGM that is properly presented, we’ll welcome it.”

Kent captain Rob Key praised the character of Sri Lankan Malinga Bandara after the under fire wrist-spinner bagged season’s best figures of four for 42 to help skittle Hampshire for 204

07-Sep-2010
ScorecardKent captain Rob Key praised the character of Sri Lankan Malinga Bandara after the under fire wrist-spinner bagged season’s best figures of four for 42 to help skittle Hampshire for 204. In a must win game for both these relegation threatened sides, Kent lost opening batsman Sam Northeast for a third ball duck in reply but will go into day two on 15 for 1, trailing by 189.Bravely batting first despite heavy overnight rain in Canterbury and early morning cloud cover, Hampshire’s top-order found the going tough despite the weakened Kent attack. Without seven potential new ball bowlers through injury or departure, Key was forced to turn to military-medium seamer Darren Stevens and rookie paceman Matt Coles to open his attack.The pair, and Stevens in particular, performed wonders in restricting the visitors to barely two runs an over in the opening session. Stevens send down 15 overs unchanged from the Nackington Road End, seven of them maidens, and gave the hosts their first opening after 22.5 overs with the wicket of his former team-mate Michael Carberry who feathered a defensive push to the keeper to make it 37 for 1.With so few pace alternatives, Key turned to spin well before lunch and reaped the rewards when James Tredwell then Bandara bagged early wickets. Tredwell had Australian Phil Hughes (1) caught at slip then Bandara followed suit, having Liam Dawson snaffled to the last ball before lunch when edging an airy drive to give Martin van Jaarsveld one of four slip catches in the innings.Hampshire attempted to up their run-rate after the interval but, just as they looked set to crack on so Kent nipped out another wicket. Simon Cook claimed two in an over soon after the resumption to account for Michael Bates and Sean Ervine then Tredwell accounted for top- scorer Jimmy Adams for a stoic 84.Having faced 222 balls and batted four-and-a-half hours – following his marathon innings against Lancashire last week – Adams edged an attempted sweep onto his boot, only to see the all lob gently into the gloves of Geraint Jones. Bandara, dropped to the Kent second string only a fortnight ago after taking only 10 championship wickets at a princely sum of 604 runs, then ran through the tail and end the Hampshire innings by 4.20pm, much to Key’s delight.”My players have given everything for me this season, they’ve been top drawer and ‘Banda’ is amongst that group,” Key said. “It’s not been easy for him to be left out of the team when he’s perceived as our overseas pro, but he’s understood that there have been times when we just couldn’t go into some games with two spinners.”We have struggled getting out the tail-enders in recent weeks and ‘Banda’ did that brilliantly today, he stepped up to the plate when we needed him most.”