ODI Rankings Update

With the conclusion of three ODI series' involving Australia, England, India, New Zealand and Sri Lanka there has been great change in the ODI Rankings. South Africa who went in to their series against New Zealand as #1 have been the losers falling to #4. India with their 3-2 win against England have regained the top position, while England stay second, and Australia are at 3rd after their split series against Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka are at 5th, while Pakistan and West Indies remain at 6th and 7th respectively. New Zealand after their amazing series win have moved back past Bangladesh into 8th position.

1- India               119
2- England          119
3- Australia        113
4- South Africa  112
5- Sri Lanka       110
6- Pakistan         107
7- West Indies     88
8- New Zealand  79
9- Bangladesh     78
10- Zimbabwe    50
11- Ireland          35
12- Netherlands  16
13- Kenya           11

There are some good series coming up as well in the next few weeks:
February: Australia VS West Indies (5 matches) - Australia
February: New Zealand VS England (3 matches) - New Zealand
February: West Indies VS Zimbabwe (3 matches) - West Indies
March: South Africa VS Pakistan (5 matches) - South Africa

West Indies will have a great opportunity to bridge the gap on the top 6 nations with a good performance against Australia. It really is going to be their best chance with many Australian players being rested/rotated/managed. Meanwhile England will be looking to top the rankings again, but matches against the 8th ranked nation will hurt them more if they lose. Zimbabwe have a good chance to gain some ground on Bangladesh, although the challenge will be stark, after a pretty barren 2012 with little to no competitive international cricket.

*Click on the ratings tab to got straight to the official ICC Rankings page

World Cricket Live Update

South Africa managed to win the last ODI against New Zealand in an absolute thriller. South Africa needed 3 runs off the final ball to win and Ryan McLaren hit a six with an incredible sweep/ramp shot. It really was an unbelievable end to a great game, after New Zealand had made 260 batting first. Graeme Smith made 116 in South Africa's reply, but it really was McLaren's heroics which stole the show. Ultimately though New Zealand did still win the series 2-1 in what was a thoroughly disappointing series for South Africa, after they dominated the same opposition in the Test series.

Meanwhile England restored some credibility with a dead rubber win in the 5th and final ODI against India. The home side were bowled out for 226, which would have been much worse if not for Suresh Raina's 83. England though chased down the total with seven wickets to spare with 16 balls to spare. Ian Bell was not out on 113*.

Sri Lanka beat Australia in the 1st T20I match at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. Despite David Warner posting his highest T20I score of 90, Sri Lanka were never in much discomfort chasing down a below par score of 137 with 5 wickets and 7 deliveries to spare. The second match is tonight at the Melbourne Cricket Ground

SA VS NZ 3rd ODI scorecard: http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-new-zealand-2012/engine/match/567360.html

Ind VS Eng 5th ODI scorecard: http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-england-2012/engine/current/match/565816.html

AUS VS Sri 1st T20I scorecard: http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-sri-lanka-2012/engine/match/573019.html

Life insurance?

I came across this article which really speaks volumes about the security situation in Pakistan at the moment. The PCB have offered $2 million of insurance for overseas cricketers wanting to participate in the Pakistan Super League. The fact that this is even considered suggests that the security situation is not the best. It reminds of me of an article I read last year about the PCB buying bullet proof buses. The fact is bullet proof buses and life insurance are not needed in a safe country. I think the Pakistan Super League has potential (it is in fact run by Haroon Lorgat), but it is unlikely whether any star players will join the competition.

See more details about this story - http://www.espncricinfo.com/pakistan/content/current/story/601992.html

World Cricket Live Weekly Update

Apologies for the break in posts, its been quite a busy week!

The biggest result over the past few days has undoubtedly been New Zealand's series win over South Africa. After winning the first ODI, it was thought New Zealand would struggle to maintain that form, but it turned out they did. Batting first, the kiwis made 279/8 in their 50 overs with Kane Williamson making an unbelievable 145* (his highest ODI score). South Africa did start off well in reply with Smith making 66 and Ingram 79, but incredibly a record five run-outs in the innings derailed the chase. Smith, du Plessis, Behardien on debut, Miller and Kleinveldt were all run out. The South Africans went from an imperious 167/1 to 252 all out, a collapse of 85/9. It really was an amazing win for New Zealand. This incredible series win broke numerous records including:

-Their first series win in South Africa
- First ODI series win since November 2009 *(excluding Bang/Zim)

The last ODI is being played today. It was expected that this match would be a dead rubber, but who would have thought that it would be heavy underdogs New Zealand to have the unassailable lead.

Meanwhile Australia defeated Sri Lanka by 32 runs in the 5th ODI in Hobart, thereby drawing the series 2-2. Hughes scored another ton - this time a remarkable 138 not out. Sri Lanka were in trouble at 108/5, although Angelo Matthews' 67 ensured some nervous moments for the hosts.

After this drawn series, Sri Lanka's tour finishes with a short two match T20I series beginning tomorrow at ANZ Stadium (Sydney), and then moving onto the MCG on Monday night.

Continuing on with the ODI cricket scene, India took an unbeatable lead in their ODI series against England by winning the 4th ODI by 5 wickets midweek. England batted first and made 257, with key figures Cook and Pietersen both making 76. India though made it three wins on the trot with Suresh Raina leading the chase with 89* at a strike rate of 112. This series win was huge for India after some poor form leading up to it against Pakistan. The last match is in two days time at Dharmasala.

With all this ODI cricket, I will post about the movement in the ODI rankings after the conclusion of the South Africa-New Zealand and India-England series'.

Two more injuries for Australia

Australian captain Michael Clarke has rolled his ankle at training and is in serious doubt for the 5th ODI against Sri Lanka at the Bellerive Oval tomorrow. This is really terrible news, as Australia need to win the match to draw the series 2-2. With such short notice on this injury, it is unlikely a cover batsman will fly in, meaning Australia's batting line-up will shorten even more with Glen Maxwell coming in.

e.g.
1 - Warner
2 - Hughes
3 - Bailey
4 - D.Hussey
5 - G.Maxwell
6 - M.Wade
7 - M.Henriques

If this turns out to be true, Sri Lanka could have an absolutely field day bowling to this line-up. A side already struggling with Kulasekera's swing, could be decimated tomorrow, especially if conditions are bowler friendly in Hobart.


Meanwhile, Michael Beer has injured his shoulder and is now in doubt for the 4 Test Match tour of India. With the search for a second spinner already bleak, Beer was the favourite for the position. Now Stephen O'Keefe or Glen Maxwell could find themselves in contention. Despite India's relatively poor test form, neither of these bowlers will inspire any fear whatsover in their batsmen.

Pakistan and Ireland fixtures confirmed

With Pakistan agreeing to play Scotland in 2 ODI's before the Champions Trophy, it was uncertain whether these games were in addition to or in place of the games against Ireland. Turns out it is the former, which is great news for associate cricket. The ground has not been confirmed yet, but the matches will be played on the 23rd and 26th of May. This means that Pakistan will play 4 ODI's against associates in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy. This really is a double win, as the associates get valuable experience against the full members, and Pakistan get accustomed to the UK conditions. Other nations should definitely take a leaf out of Pakistan's book here. Countries could play Ireland/Scotland/Netherlands before a tour of England, instead of games against counties. Although this is done often, it really needs more regularity. Ireland's fixture list is growing though this year, as along with these 2 ODI's, they will play 1 against England in September, a 4 day game against Australia A, and also a rumoured T20I series against Bangladesh. Hopefully the visit by Bangladesh will also include some ODI's and possibly even an unofficial test match. With the extra TAPP funding there is no doubt Ireland would be willing, Bangladesh on the other hand is another question.

Meanwhile in other associate/affiliate news (related to Pakistan), Afghanistan are going to hold a four week camp in February in Pakistan, in preparation for the matches against Scotland in March, including the vital 2015 World Cup Qualifier matches. Apparently Afghanistan will play 12 matches against regional sides, along with Pakistan A (according to Cricinfo). Hopefully Afghanistan and Pakistan can continue to strengthen links between each other. For Pakistan, Afghanistan may be the ideal country to play home matches against - perhaps a combination of ODI's and T20I's.

Ireland/Pakistan - http://www.espncricinfo.com/ireland/content/story/601615.html
Afghanistan/Pakistan - http://www.espncricinfo.com/afghanistan/content/current/story/601658.html

Farcial end in Sydney

The fourth ODI between Australia and Sri Lanka has been abandoned due to a wet outfield, despite no rain falling for approximately 45 minutes. Sri Lanka's chase of 222, was halted at 14/0 after 3.2 overs, with slight but constant rain being present. The rain never really got that heavy, and after an hour and a bit, it had stopped, and the Australian players took the field to warm up. The outfield was damp, but there was certainly no puddles and conditions were not horrible. With nor rain for 45 minutes, it seemed certain that there would be a continuation of the game (perhaps in a 20-25 over game). However at 9:00pm local time play was abandoned.

For the great crowd of 22,521, this was obviously a major disappointment with a chorus of boos ringing around the Sydney Cricket Ground. ODI cricket needs all the support it can get, and an abandonment due to a slightly damp outfield, in spite of fine overhead conditions is certainly not going to help its cause.

Meanwhile in the actual cricket Australia again batted first and struggled, although this time managed to claw to 222/9. Warner made 60 before being wrongly given out lbw (he smashed the cover of it) by Marais Erasmus, with no referrals left. Mitchell Starc accelerated the innings at the end making his first half century in ODI's.

There would have been a great chase in store if play continued, but the abandonment means Sri Lanka cannot lose the series going into the final game. Australia need to win the 5th ODI at Hobart on Wednesday to draw the series 2-2, as otherwise Sri Lanka will become the first team ever to beat Australia in Australia in 2 ODI series'.

Scorecard - http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-sri-lanka-2012/engine/current/match/573017.html

Breaking News: AB de Villiers banned for rest of series

I have just come across an article on the ICC website outlining that AB de Villiers, as captain, has been suspended for two ODI's due to slow over-rates. It was ruled by ICC referee David Boon that South Africa were 6 overs short in their bowling innings. Therefore as a serious over-rate offence, the captain receives two suspension points, which equates to a 1 Test or 2 ODI suspension. (whatever is relevant) The South African playing XI have also had 100% of their match fees suspended. The rules state that they will be fined 10% for the first two overs, and then 20% for every additional over late after that.

This is definitely one of the heftiest punishments for over-rate offences in recent history. It is not often that players have their whole fee suspended. Nonetheless I believe that these punishments are adequate. One of the main bugs of watching cricket is how long the match takes. Cricket needs to be flowing and continuous as much as possible to maintain interest with the crowd and television audiences. To be 6 overs short (after time allowances were taken into consideration) is deplorable, thereby making these suspensions necessary.

More details: http://www.icc-cricket.com/newsdetails.php?newsId=22596_1358669280

 

India take 2-1 lead

India smashed England in the 3rd ODI overnight by 7 wickets enabling them to take a 2-1 lead in the 5 match series. After being beaten comfortably in the last match, nothing improved for the visitors as they were bowled out for 155 within 43 overs. (See my previous post on this game for more detailed first innings details)

India cruised to victory losing only three wickets, despite the early dismissal of Ajinkya Rahane for 0. Other opener Gambhir made 33, while Virat Kohli steered the chase with 77* off only 79 deliveries with 9 fours and 2 sixes. Yuvraj also chipped in with 30 before being bowled by James Tredwell. Tredwell was the best English bowler taking 2/29, with the only other wicket going to Steve Finn. Dernbach was especially expensive going at 9 an over.

India now have the opportunity to seal the series with a win in the next game, whereas England need a win to keep the series alive. After losing in the first game, India have bounced back wonderfully with two impressive performances. Meanwhile England need to stem the momentum flow that the home side have gained over the past two matches.

Cricinfo scorecard
http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-england-2012/engine/current/match/565814.html

The Black caps upset South Africa

In a stunning upset overnight, New Zealand have defeated South Africa by 1 wicket in the 1st ODI. New Zealand bowled the home side out for 208 with debutant Mitchell McClenaghan taking 4/20 off 10 overs. Really great bowling by him! Amazingly part-timer Kane Williamson also took 4 wickets with his off spin. For South Africa du Plessis was the only major contributor with 57, while Ingram made 29, McLaren 33, Kleinveldt 26.

It didn't start well for New Zealand in the chase, with Guptill being run out for a diamond duck. Mind you it was a direct hit from none other than AB de Villiers, who decided to give up keeping in shorter formats before the game. Nicol was gone in the next over, while when Williamson went, the score was 21/3. At this stage most of the crowd, and probably even the South Africans were expecting a kiwi collapse. However Watling dug in for a well made 45, while McCullum (batting at 5) made 26. Apart from this though there were regular dismissals, which left New Zealand at 105/7. Everyone would have been expecting a quick end to the match, but someone forget to give this memo to the New Zealander tail-enders. Nathan McCullum made 24, while Kyle Mills made 26.

Even when the 9th wicket fell, 22 runs were still required. James Franklin though had no fear and took the kiwis to victory with 26 balls remaining. He remained unbeaten on 47*. No.11 McClenaghan survived 6 balls, completing a wonderful debut for him.

This game was an absolute thriller, and proves that low scoring matches can be just as exciting, if not more, than bat dominated games.

No-one gave New Zealand a chance in this game (including me). The fight they showed is what has come to define New Zealand cricket over the years, which just recently has been absent. With a 1-0 lead in the ODI series, hopefully this fight can continue, and New Zealand can put up a challenge in the next 2 matches, or even pull off a miraculous upset series win.

Full scorecard here on Cricinfo
http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-new-zealand-2012/engine/current/match/567358.html

World Cricket Live Update

England after being put into bat have been dismissed for 155 inside 43 overs. The first five batsmen all made starts with no-one going on to a decent score.
Cook - 17
Bell - 25
Pietersen - 17
Root - 39
Morgan - 10
The Indian bowlers were always on top though with each one of the six bowlers picking up a wicket. Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers again with superb figures of 3/19 off 6.2 overs. This should be quite a regulation chase for the home side, with the dew not helping England either.

Meanwhile in South Africa, New Zealand have put the home side on the back foot after winning the toss and bowling first. With a distinctly different side to that in the test series, New Zealand have started the better of the two teams, bowling well to have South Africa at 131/5 after 34 overs. Kyle Mills (1/13 off 5) and Mitchell McClenaghan (2/18 off 8), in his debut mind you, have bowled superbly. Ingram made 29 for South Africa, while not out batsman Faf du Plessis is on 39*.

AB hangs up gloves in limited overs formats

I came across this article which outlined that AB de Villiers has been relieved of his keeping duties in the limited over formats. I think this is really a great move, despite him keeping appearing more desirable in the shorter formats. The fact is de Villiers has a lot on his plate. He is the captain, top order batsman, as well as the keeper. Trying to manage all of this is an extremely difficult task. Adam Gilchrist, although was vice-captain was never seen as a legitimate long-term prospect for captain because of the incredible demands required. At this stage AB is going to continue to keep in tests, with his 169 seemingly buying him some more time to show that he can keep without it adversely affecting his batting.

South Africa VS New Zealand ODI Series starts today!

The ODI Series between South Africa and New Zealand starts today, on the back of a heavy test series mismatch. New Zealand were dominated and lost both matches by an innings. ODI cricket is a different ball game though, and you would have to think that New Zealand would be a little bit more competitive. The ODI rankings would suggest otherwise though with New Zealand at 9th, behind Bangladesh, while South Africa are currently 1st ahead of England.

New Zealand had a very difficult year nonetheless in ODI cricket last year, with only 4 victories from 15 matches. 3 of these were against Zimbabwe and 1 against the West Indies. Excluding Zimbabwe they lost all series played - South Africa 0-3, West Indies 1-4 and Sri Lanka 0-3. Pretty disappointing from a team who prides themselves by their competitive nature and also the fact that ODI cricket would be their preferred format. Meanwhile South Africa won 8 of 13 matches with series results of 3-2 against Sri Lanka, 3-0 against New Zealand and 2-2 against England.

Apart from South Africa's 3-0 defeat of New Zealand in early 2012, they last played in a bilateral series in 2007, in South Africa, where the home side won 2-1. New Zealand did however knock off the South Africans in a major upset in the 2011 ICC World Cup Quarter Finals.

The clear expectation of this series is 3-0 to the South Africans. Interest in apparently already dwindling in South Africa, with more focus being put on the upcoming Pakistan tour. New Zealand though need to fight to ensure that something positive comes out of this tour.

Fixtures
19th January: 1st ODI @ Boland Park, Paarl
22nd January: 2nd ODI @ De Beers Diamond Oval, Kimberley
25th January: 3rd ODI @ Senwes Park, Potchefstroom

India bowls first in 3rd ODI

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has won the toss and unsurprisingly decided to bowl in the 3rd ODI in Ranchi today. It is unsurprising due to the heavy presence of dew which will form later, thus making it terribly hard to grip the ball in the second innings. Therefore England will need to really post a solid total to compensate for the advantage of the team batting second.

India have an unchanged side from the last match, while for England Bresnan returns for Woakes.

Full Teams
India: Rahane, Gambhir, Kohli, Singh, Raina, Dhoni (c), Jadeja, Ashwin, Kumar, Sharma, Ahmed
England: Cook (c), Bell, Pietersen, Root, Morgan, Kiewswetter, Patel, Tredwell, Finn, Dernbach, Bresnan

Sri Lanka stutter in chase, but manage to win by 4 wickets

If you just looked at the margin of four wickets you may think that this match was quite close. On the contrary, it was really a complete blow-out with Sri Lanka bowling out Australia for 74. This was their third lowest ODI total in history, and lowest against Sri Lanka. At 9 wickets down Australia were only at 40, with Doherty and Starc hitting the home side to a slightly more respectable score.

Sri Lanka did stutter in the chase losing six wickets in all. Additionally there were a few dropped catches by the aussies which could have possibly made the game interesting if they were taken. Nonetheless though Sri Lanka were always in control, and wouldn't have played some of those reckless shots if not chasing such a small total.

Kulasekera was the obvious player of the match. This result was great for Sri Lanka, enabling them to take a 2-1 lead in the series, with the next match at the SCG, which is their favoured ground in Australia. Meanwhile for Australia, this match won't help disprove the doubters of the controversial resting policy. ("informed player management" as John Inverarity wants it to be called) They really need to bounce back on Sunday in the 4th ODI for some much needed credibility, and to keep the series alive.

Full scorecard here on Cricinfo
http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-sri-lanka-2012/engine/current/match/573016.html

Update: Demolition over - Australia all out for 74

The demolition job is complete with Australia being bowled out for 74 inside 27 overs in the 3rd ODI against Sri Lanka at the Gabba. No batsman made double figures, until the last wicket stand between Mitchell Starc (22*) and Xavier Doherty (15) of 34. Without the last wicket stand Australia would have been bowled out for their lowest total in ODI's, which is 70. Nuwan Kulesekera was the chief destroyer with 5/22 of 10 overs, while Lasith Malinga also starred with 3/14 off 7.

The only question left in this game is how many overs it takes Sri Lanka to chase down the total. Geez, I hope the spectators attending get some form of refund from this. What a disastrous performance from the aussies. On the contrary, Sri Lanka's bowling has been absolutely fantastic and they deserve recognition for bowling out Australia for such a low total.

Australia getting destroyed in 3rd ODI

Wow, what a start to the 3rd ODI between Australia and Sri Lanka! And no it hasn't been Warner and Clarke smashing the Sri Lankans to all sorts, but rather the other way round.

Sri Lanka have Australia at 30/6. That's right, 30/6. Nuwan Kulasekera has destroyed the home side's top order with 5/18 off six overs.

Australia's top order currently reads as follows:
D.Warner 4
P. Hughes 3
M. Clarke 9
D.Hussey 4
G.Bailey 0
M.Wade 5*
M.Henriques 2
M.Johnson 0*

You've got to wonder that this really serves the Australian selectors right. You can't chop and change the team every match without it conversely affecting players' form. If this rout continues, it will only throw fuel to the fire of the persecution of the controversial "informed player management system."

By the way the lowest ODI total in history is 35 by Zimbabwe against Sri Lanka in 2004. Although it is unlikely that this will be broken, Australia's lowest score of 70 against England in 1977, and also against New Zealand in 1986 is in serious danger.

Pakistan to play Scotland in May

In excellent news for Scotland cricket, Pakistan have agreed to play 2 ODI's against them in May in preparation for the Champions Trophy. This really is great news for the development of Scotland, with an ODI against Australia as well later in the summer. Pakistan also have to be applauded for their assistance to the associate countries. They played Afghanistan in their first ODI against a full member last year. They also faced off against Ireland in 2 ODI's in 2011 after the 2011 World Cup, and have also agreed to play the Irish in 2 ODI's in late May this year*. Presuming these games against Scotland haven't replaced them, that means Pakistan will play 4 matches against associate countries in the space of a week. This really is superb news, and lets hope other full members take note and do the same. What world cricket needs is more competitive teams, so these odd fixtures against associates are crucial to the development of the world game.

Fixtures
17th May - Scotland VS Pakistan @ Citylets Grange, Edinburgh (ODI #1)
19th May - Scotland VS Pakistan @ Citylets Grange, Edinburgh (ODI#2)

Further information here in this article on Cricket Europe
http://www.cricketeurope4.net/DATABASE/ARTICLES6/articles/000026/002643.shtml

*details of matches against Ireland have not been confirmed

Hafeez wants more tests for Pakistan

http://www.espncricinfo.com/pakistan/content/story/600884.html

I came across this article the other day, and it really does reflect brightly on the Test game. Mohammed Hafeez, the Pakistani Test Vice-Captain has urged his governing body to schedule more tests as he believes it is the ultimate way for developing key players. With the advent of T20, and the new Pakistan T20 League being introduced, this is a really good sign that the experienced players in Pakistan want to play Tests.

Upon looking at the FTP and fixtures for this year, Pakistan should be playing 10 test matches. This includes 3 against South Africa coming up in March, 2 in the West Indies in July, 2 against South Africa, albeit this time a 'home' series, before three tests against Sri Lanka in another home series. As well as this their tour of Zimbabwe which was indefinitely postponed from January, could be played this year, making it 12 matches. If the Pakistan board hear this plea from Hafeez, then hopefully the 2 matches against South Africa could be upgraded to 3. As really, 2 test matches are pointless! Who wants to come away from that with a 1-1 scoreline. The uselessness of these series are reflected the best by Australia's tour of South Africa in November 2011, with a great series restricted to 1-1.

Although 2013, does not appear to be that bad in regards to test matches, 2014 is leaner with none being scheduled until October (against Australia). Hopefully Pakistan can play more test matches, as they are a team with great promise and talent, as evident by their 3-0 clean sweep of then no.1 ranked England last year. They are ranked fourth at the moment ahead of India, and a fair bit behind Australia in 3rd. The upcoming series against South Africa should be great, especially on the back of their two lopsided matches against New Zealand.

India smash England by 127 runs

India have levelled their ODI series against England at 1-1, after a comprehensive win last night. India posted a great score of 285/6 off their 50 overs with solid contributions from the middle order, after twin failures by openers Rahane (8), Gambhir (4). Kohli made 37, Yuvraj Singh 32, Raina 55, Dhoni 72, and Jadeja a not out 61 only off 37 deliveries at a strike rate of 165. His quickfire knock featured 8 fours and 2 sixes. Dhoni's innings was tremendous, amid pressure around his captaincy. Dhoni's ODI career is simply outstanding to now with an incredible average of 52. I'll do a separate post on him later, as he really is an immense player.

England were never in the hunt in the chase thanks to brilliant bowling by the youngster Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who bowled all out for the figures of 3/29 off 10 including 2 maidens. His 8th over proved extremely pivotal, by taking the wickets of Pietersen for 42, and then Morgan for a duck two balls later. In only his fifth ODI, Kumar really showed great poise and thoroughly deserves his great figures. Apart from him, Ashwin took 3 wickets, while Jadeja ended up with superb figures of 2/12 off 7 overs. Jadeja ended up being the Player of the Match as well, for his impressive batting and bowling contributions.

India made a great comeback in this match, after being beaten in the first match. Hopefully for them this is the tide turning and the start of a bit of a roll. This series is delicately poised at 1-1 ahead of the next match on Saturday.

Full scorecard here on Cricinfo
http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-england-2012/engine/current/match/565813.html

India bat first in 2nd ODI against England

MS Dhoni has won the toss and decided to bat first in today's one day international against England at Kochi. Shami Ahmed comes in for his 2nd ODI for Ashok Dinda, while for England paceman Chris Woakes replaces Tim Bresnan who apparently has picked up a slight niggle*

This really is a big game for India, as coming back from 2-0 down in the series will be an extremely tough ask. They really need to get some momentum and form after their struggles of late.

Full Teams:

India: Rahane, Gambhir, Kohli, Singh, Raina, Dhoni (c), Jadeja, Ashwin, Kumar, Sharma, Ahmed
England: Cook (c), Bell, Pietersen, Root, Morgan, Kiewswetter, Patel, Tredwell, Finn, Dernbach, Woakes

*courtesy of Cricinfo

South Africa clean up the kiwis

South Africa defeat New Zealand by an innings and 193 runs
SA 525/8d
NZ 121 and 211 (f/o)

New Zealand started Day 4 hoping to hold off South Africa's charge for victory for as long as possible, but their resistance was futile, as they lost the last six wickets inside 20 overs, consequently losing by an innings and 193 runs. Brownlie only added nine runs to his overnight score before being dismissed by Kallis. Meanwhile the other not out batsman BJ Watling made 63 before being bowled by Steyn in the second over of the new ball. New Zealand ended up being bowled out for 211, only 90 more than their first innings score. All South African bowlers contributed with Steyn taking three wickets, Morkel two, Kleinveldt two, Peterson two and Kallis one.

Overall although this domination by South Africa was expected, it is still disappointing for New Zealand. Two innings defeats in two tests is not a good result at all for New Zealand cricket, as at least some positives could be taken from the tour if they fought a bit more. In the test format there is no respite for New Zealand with their next five matches being against England (three at home and two away). Although the probable return of Ross Taylor will help, any win will be a major surprise. Before this series they were in 8th on the Test Rankings 13 points adrift of the West Indies. Over the year or two, I really do not see anywhere but down the table for the New Zealanders.

The 1st ODI  of the 3 match series starts on Saturday, with New Zealand desperate to end the series om a high. Although given New Zealand are 9th on the ODI rankings (South Africa 2nd), an even bigger mismatch could be on the cards. I will post a preview to the series later in the week.

Full scorecard to the second test here on Cricinfo
http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-new-zealand-2012/engine/match/567357.html

Rest over for top Australian stars

Captain Michael Clarke, David Warner and Matthew Wade have all been included in the team for the 3rd and 4th ODI's against Sri Lanka on Friday and Sunday. Khawaja, Finch and Steve Smith have all been dropped. Moises Henriques comes into the squad as a surprise call-up, while the two Mitchells (Johnson and Starc) return for debutants Cutting and Richardson.

The surprise obviously is the selection of Moises Henriques. John Inverarity labelled him a "genuine all-rounder." He last played a ODI in November 2009, which was his last international match. His form in the Ryobi Cup so far has been good, without being spectacular. He has scored 135 runs at 33.75, and taken 6 wickets at 35.50 in 4 matches. It is no doubt that he is viewed a player with tremendous potential, but I'm not exactly sure whether he has earned this call-up. I'm guessing he will play at #6 and offer Clarke more options as a fourth seamer. Consequently Maxwell may find himself out of the team with his quiet form in the past two games. If the selectors decide to play Watson in the Sheffield Shield, instead of in the ODI Series, prior to the tour of India, then Henriques may find himself having an extended run in the team.

Full squad: Clarke (c), Bailey, Doherty, Henriques, Hughes, D.Hussey, Johnson, Maxwell, McKay, Starc, Wade, Warner

South Africa still in charge

South Africa have maintained their control of the 2nd Test against New Zealand by taking 8 wickets on Day 3. After starting the day at 47/6, New Zealand managed to recover somewhat and get to 121. This was on the back of BJ Watling who made more than half of the visitor's score with 63. Steyn led the South African bowling attack taking five wickets for only 17 runs off 13 overs. A superb innings of bowling for Steyn!

After having the follow on enforced (no surprises there), New Zealand made it to 157/4 at Stumps. Martin Guptill scratched around for 48 off 122 balls, after which Williamson and Flynn both got dismissed cheaply by Peterson and Kleindveldt respectively. At 84/4 another sub 150 score could have been on the cards, but both Brownlie and first innings top scorer Watling put on a unbeaten partnership of 73. Brownlie is 44*, with Watling on 41*.

Hopefully these guys can continue to fight it out today. New Zealand still trail by 247 runs, so eradicating that deficit will be the challenge (an incredibly tough one mind you!)

Full scorecard as at the end of Day 3 here on Cricinfo
http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-new-zealand-2012/engine/current/match/567357.html

Sri Lanka level series with crushing win

Sri Lanka won the second ODI last night against Australia on the back of a brilliant unbeaten century by Lahiru Thirimanne, which was his first in 50 over cricket. Australia despite dismissing Tharanga on the third ball of the innings were never in the hunt after posting a disappointing total of 170. Dilshan supported Thirimanne well with 51 (off a suprisingly slow 88 balls), while Lahiru ended up on 102* after a boundary to bring up his ton and also the win.

One interesting point of the match was Kane Richardson, the debutant, who was sensationally banned from bowling again in the match after receiving three warnings for running on the pitch. It is unlikely that he just started doing this in the this match, so it is disappointing that no domestic umpires picked him up on it. Hopefully he can remodel his follow through so he can play more international games in the future.

Full scorecard for the match here on Cricinfo
http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-sri-lanka-2012/engine/current/match/573015.html

Aussies bowled out for 170

Despite a rearguard half-century by Brad Haddin, Sri Lanka are the clear favourites at the half-way point of the 2nd ODI at the Adelaide Oval. Haddin, who could in fact come out of the team for Wade next week, scored 50 off 67 balls including 4 fours and a six. Ben Cutting on debut supported him well with 27.

A controversial moment came when the Sri Lankan players appealed for a caught behind from Clint McKay off Perera. The umpire gave it not out, before Mahela Jayawardene immediately decided to refer it. Third umpire Richard Kettleborough took around 4-5 minutes to examine the footage and audio. There appeared to be no hot spot and no clear edge on the audio, while on Snicko (shown later on Channel 9 - not used for DRS), there was a slight deviation just after the ball passed the bat. This perhaps suggested it was the sound of McKay's foot on the pitch. I have no clue how this decision could have been overtuned as there needed to be substantial evidence to do so. It will be interesting to hear the reason for the reversal.

With only 171 runs needed for the win Sri Lanka are the favourites. Two debutant bowlers for Australia will also help the visitors' cause. Don't rule out Australia, but a quality ODI team like Sri Lanka should really coast to this win.

Australia VS Sri Lanka 2nd ODI Update

Sri Lanka have decimated the Australian top order with extremely good bowling. Currently Australia are in tatters at 91/6 after 28 overs. Kulasekera has figures of 1/10 off 6, while Matthews has taken 2/21 off 9, Perera 1/21 off 6 and Malinga 1/21 off 4. Bailey and Hussey were so far the only Australian batsman to get into double figures. Bailey made 26 before hitting a pull shot straight to midwicket, while Hussey made 29 before another ridiculous run-out. I really don't know how such a simple skill of running between the wickets is being this problematic for a world class team. It is just not good enough! Mind you credit has to go to Dilshan for his direct hit.

The selection of Steve Smith for Khawaja really has to be questioned. Yes pick Smith, in order to give him an opportunity, but why drop a batsman for him. If Smith is going to be in the team, then Maxwell should have been the man out. A middle order of Bailey, Hussey, Smith and Maxwell just doesn't provide enough batting depth.

Sri Lanka have undoubtedly stepped up from their disappointing performance in Melbourne. If they can keep Australia to less than 150 then they really should cruise to victory. Australia would be hoping to get to at least 150 to have a target to bowl to, but the combination of an experienced Sri Lankan batting line up and an inexperienced Australian bowling line up means Sri Lanka are heavy favourites to level the series at 1-1.

Another one bites the dust! (Sri Lanka edition)

Sri Lanka have been forced to play their fourth keeper of their tour of Australia after Dinesh Chandimal was deemed not right to play after getting a hamstring strain in the first match. Therefore Kushal Perera comes into the side for his international debut. He is only 22 but is a young talent who is also known for his attacking batting.

Australia made three changes to their victorious team with the injured Starc going out for Cutting, but also Johnson out for Kane Richardson, while Steve Smith comes in for Usman Khawaja. This is rather unfortunate for Khawaja after he was run out for 3 in the first game. This change also gives Australia less frontline batsman with Bailey moving up to 3, Hussey up to 4, thereby leaving Smith at 5 and Maxwell at 6.

Australia's bowling attack of McKay, Cutting, Richardson and Doherty will be severely tested, and Sri Lanka should be looking to take advantage of their collective inexperience.

Deja Vu for New Zealand

After South Africa compiled 525/8d, New Zealand stuttered once again crawling to 47/6 by stumps on Day 2 of the second test. Steyn, Kleindvelt and Robin Peterson took 2 wickets each, decimating the New Zealand top order. Brendon McCullum was the only batsman to offer any form of resistance, and lasted 97 minutes for his 13, but got out to the spinner, after surviving the pace battery.

Earlier Faf du Plessis scored 137, while Dean Elgar scored his first test century making 103* before Graeme Smith declared the innings.

I cannot see any way New Zealand can recover in this match as they are still 278 runs behind the follow on target. Honestly there is a good chance that the match could be in fact over today given the kiwi batting line up. It's really disappointing for world cricket to see New Zealand being dominated like this, but  they are simply not even in the same stratosphere as the no.1 ranked South Africans.

Another one bites the dust!

Australia's fast bowling injury curse has struck again with young gun Mitchell Starc ruled out of the 2nd ODI against Sri Lanka starting tomorrow. He apparently felt soreness in his calf after last night's win, and management have decided not to risk aggravating the injury any further. Despite this the team hierarchy feels confident that it is only minor and Starc could in fact play in the 3rd or 4th ODI starting next week.

Kane Richardson has been called up to the squad thanks to his impressive Ryobi Cup and Big Bash form this summer. The South Australian took 10 wickets at 17.80 in the 50 over domestic competition in only 4 matches, while more recently has also taken 10 wickets for the Adelaide Strikers in the T20 format of the game. In spite of this, he is unlucky to make his debut, as Ben Cutting who didn't play the first match, is likely to play.

South Africa VS New Zealand 2nd Test update

Lunch Day 2: South Africa 390/5

After a short rain delay New Zealand started the better of the two sides by taking the wicket of Day 1 centurion Hashim Amla for 110. Boult got his first wicket of the innings, although it has got to be said, Amla was quite unlucky, as it was a catch to the keeper down legside. Nonetheless South Africa resisted the New Zealand fight and managed to not lose a wicket for the rest of the session. Faf du Plessis is on the verge of a ton, sitting on 99* at lunch. Dean Elgar is with him on 31*.

If New Zealand cannot get into the tail quickly, then South Africa could pile up an even bigger score of 500+. Even still knowing New Zealand's rather frail batting, even a score around 450 may be enough for the South Africans to only bat once in the game.

South Africa have the ascendancy after the 1st Day

Despite a spirited showing by the New Zealand bowlers, South Africa managed to end Day 1 in control with 325 runs on the board for the loss of only four wickets. Hashim Amla is not out on 106*, while at the other end Faf du Plessiss is 69*. These two picked up where Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers left off who made 54 and 51 respectively. Credit though has to go the New Zealand bowlers who managed to stop Smith and AB from going on, as well as getting the early breakthroughs of Petersen for 21 and Kallis for 8. Doug Bracewell picked up 2 wickets for the visitors while Wagner and Patel managed 1 apiece.

Overall it was a great day for South Africa but they still need to remain focused to get a large total of around 500. New Zealand need to come out firing in the first session and pick up the early wickets of Amla and Faf as otherwise, any chance they have of winning the test match will be gone.

Full scorecard of the 1st day's play is here on Cricinfo
http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-new-zealand-2012/engine/current/match/567357.html

England win in close match!

England have pulled off a 9 run win against India in the 1st ODI in Rajkot overnight. After England piled on 325/4, India made a great chase of it with nearly every batsman making a contribution. Openers Rahane 47 and Gambhir 52 set the platform, while Yuvraj Singh who made 61 off 54 accelerated the run chase. Suresh Raina made a run a ball 50, while captain MS Dhoni hit 4 sixes in his quickfire knock of 32 off 25 balls. Unfortunately when he was dismissed by Dernbach in the 45th over, India's chances severely diminished. The home side ended up on 316/9. James Tredwell was the pick of the bowlers for the visitors picking up 4/44 off his 10 overs, as well as the Man of the Match Award.

This win ended England's losing streak of 13 in ODI's against India in India. After taking the first match, they should feel quite confident of taking the series and thereby maintain their #1 ODI ranking.

Full scorecard here on Cricinfo
http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-england-2012/engine/current/match/565812.html

Attendance Watch: Australian Summer

After all the doom and gloom about the 'second string' squad selected for the start of the ODI series, a pretty healthy crowd of 27,461 turned up to watch Australia's massive win. This would have to be considered a massive plus considering the week of negative publicity which preceded the game. The game was never going to top the recent 46,581 who attended the Big Bash derby game, but it is still ahead of all the other Melbourne Stars home matches for the season. Although by the first ball only 15,000 people were in the ground, many more people flowed in throughout the afternoon and then in the early evening after work. This attendance sits very comfortably with recent figures for ODI matches against Sri Lanka at the MCG.

2^nd March 2012: 28,901

3^rd November 2010: 19,309

29^th February 2008: 22,524

22^nd February 2008: 27,860 

 

Even in relation to recent ODI's at the MCG against other opposition it stacks up quite well.

 

5th February 2012: 29,959 (India)

16th January 2011: 34,845 (England)

19th February 2010: 15,538 (West Indies)

7th February 2010: 25,463 (West Indies)

6th February 2009: 28,251 (New Zealand)

Although it has to be said without the many thousands of Sri Lankan supporters, the attendance would have been significantly lower. Kudos to the Sri Lankans for turning out in force, as well as providing a great atmosphere!

 

Ultimately the attendance should be recognised as quite good and with the next match at the Adelaide Oval being a sellout (17,000 max. due to construction works), let's hope for more well attended matches for the rest of the summer.

Australia smash Sri Lanka by 107 runs

Australia has proved its naysayers wrong by smashing their more experienced counterparts by the hefty margin of 107 runs. Phillip Hughes scored a ton on debut, while George Bailey and David Hussey ensured the score would reach 305. Nonetheless many of those runs were hardly needed with Sri Lanka only making 198 before being bowled out in the 40th over. Dinesh Chandimal played well for his 73, as did Dilshan for his 51, but a calamitous middle order collapse of run-outs really set them back. McKay was the pick of the bowlers for the aussies with 4-33 from his 8 overs. Phillip Hughes though was Man of the Match for his debut ton.

A pretty disappointing match for the Sri Lankans who had high hopes that they could win considering their recent good form at the MCG and also the home side's inexperience. Ultimately though these factors proved irrelevant with this so called 'Australia B' team winning comfortably.

Next match: ODI #2 @ Adelaide Oval - Sunday 13th January

Full scorecard here on Cricinfo
http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-sri-lanka-2012/engine/current/match/573014.html

World Cricket Live Update

With three matches of cricket running concurrently there is plenty of live world cricket happening around the globe.

Starting with the ODI in Melbourne, Sri Lanka have just imploded suffering three run outs in less than five overs. First Dilshan was run out by some good fielding by Usman Khawaja. Then in the 30th over Glen Maxwell forced two run outs in two balls. Matthews went first for 12, and then Thirmanne followed for a diamond duck. Really disgraceful running from Sri Lanka, just after Dilshan and Chandimal had got them back into the game. Sri Lanka are currently 162/5 from 34 overs with a required run rate of 9 per over. Very unlikely but you never know!

Moving onto the Test match in South Africa where the home side won the toss and chose to bat. New Zealand in the end only decided upon the 1 spinner. Doug Bracewell managed to pick up Alviro Peterson for 21 in the 10th over, but Smith and Amla have steadied the ship to take South Africa to 69/1 after 20 overs.

England's first innings has just concluded in India, and they have posted a mammoth score of 325/4. All the batsmen contributed to the score including Cook 73, Bell 85, Pietersen 44, Morgan 41, Kieswetter 24* and Patel a quickfire 44* of 20 balls at the end. Patel and Kieswetter took 38 runs off the last two overs.The Indian bowlers struggled on the flat pitch with Ashok Dinda picking up two wickets. It will be a challenge for India, but they are definitely not out of the game.

Australia make 305/5

Australia made 305/5 on the back of a brilliant century by debutant Phillip Hughes in the 1st ODI against Sri Lanka at the MCG today. Hughes made 112 off 129 balls in the process becoming the first Australian to score a ton on debut in a One Day International. Around Hughes, stand-in skipper Bailey made an excellent 89 off only 79 balls to steer the chase. Meanwhile at the end David Hussey (in a way not too dissimilar to his brother Mike) brought the innings home by smashing 60* off 34 balls. For Sri Lanka no bowler took more than one wicket with there being no real standout.

It will be a tough chase for Sri Lanka, but they definitely have the ability to do it. If they can get on  top of Australia's relatively inexperienced bowling line-up then they have a massive shot!

England off to steady start in ODI against India

After winning the toss and batting, England are off to a great start against India in the 1st ODI of the 5 match series. Ian Bell made a brisk 50 off 60 deliveries, with Cook supporting him well. As of 16 overs England are 0/82 with Cook on 25* and Bell on 55*.

The teams are as follows:

England - Cook, Bell, Pietersen, Root, Morgan, Kieswetter, Patel, Bresnan, Tredwell, Finn, Dernbach
India - Gambhir, Rahane, Kohli, Y.Singh, Raina, Dhoni, Jadeja, Ashwin, Kumar, Sharma, Dinda

The new Australian top-order

With usual opening pair David Warner and Shane Watson not playing, the top order for Australia has a distinctly different feel ahead of the 1st ODI against Sri Lanka today. With Michael Clarke also being rested, the batting line up undoubtedly lacks experience, but not form. George Bailey confirmed yesterday that the three debutants would come in first, with Aaron Finch and Phillip Hughes set to open, and Usman Khawaja to bat at 3. 

Opener - Aaron Finch (26 years old)
Ryobi Cup 2012/13:  497 runs @ 99.40
List A: 1834 runs @ 41.68
An explosive batsman who has been in outstanding form this Australian summer in the Ryobi Cup and Big Bash competitions. He thoroughly deserves his chance.

Opener - Phillip Hughes (24 years old)
Ryobi Cup 2012/13: 323 runs @ 80.75
List A: 2446 runs @ 48.92
Originally deemed to be a Test specialist by the selectors, a mountain of runs in the English summer which then continued into the Australian summer has given him an opportunity.

No.3 - Usman Khawaja (26 years old)
Ryobi Cup 2012/13: 257 runs @ 51.40
List A: 1033 runs @ 39.73
Likewise to Hughes, Khawaja was also thought to be a Test  player only. However his form in the Ryobi Cup, and the resting of players has provided him with the opportunity to stake a claim for future tours.

These three batsmen are the top three leading run scorers in the Ryobi Cup so far this season and thoroughly deserve this chance in the ODI team. Despite key players like Clarke, Warner and Watson likely to return soon, any runs made by Finch, Hughes or Khawaja should give them a good chance to remain in the team and therefore stake a claim to play in the Champions Trophy later this year in England.    

  

South Africa VS New Zealand 2nd Test

2nd Test: South Africa VS New Zealand @ St George's Park, Port Elizabeth

This test provides New Zealand with an opportunity to establish some credibility after their horrendous performance in the 1st Test. After being bowled out for 45 the New Zealand batsmen need to stand up and build their innings.

In relation to the teams Philander is out for South Africa due to a hamstring injury and is replaced by Rory Kleindvelt. For New Zealand Franklin is also out with a hamstring, thereby handing Colin Munro his first cap. Neil Wagner or Bruce Martin will come into the side for Chris Martin, ultimately depending on whether they decide to play a second spinner or not.

Hopefully New Zealand can put up more a fight in this match, and with the absence of Philander will assist them in this. South Africa will be hoping for a complete performance to clean sweep the series 2-0.

The link to the complete Cricinfo preview to the match is below

 http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-new-zealand-2012/content/current/story/600341.html

ODI Cricket in Australia

It would seem that ODI Cricket is at the moment the least preferred format amongst the fans in Australia. With test cricket still going strong and T20 cricket exploding, the 50 format has been forgotten somewhat. This has not been helped at all by the National Selection Panel resting top players Michael Clarke, David Warner and Matthew Wade from the first two matches of the series against Sri Lanka. Many past players have criticised this move in the past week. Stuart MacGill and Brett Lee have both slammed the selections. The general thought amongst the public is that this is a second string Australian side.

These negative thoughts over the past week would have undoubtedly deterred some people from attending the series. Another major factor is the pricing. General reserve tickets cost $35 for an adult and $73.50 for a family for the ODI tomorrow at the MCG. These prices are ridiculous and will not encourage people to attend.

The MCC have predicted between 25,000 and 30,000 for tomorrow’s game. All in all if that eventuates that would be a pretty good attendance considering the negative publicity surrounding the series. To give those figures some context here are the most recent crowds at the MCG against Sri Lanka in ODI’s:

2^nd March 2012: 28,901

3^rd November 2010: 19,309

29^th February 2008: 22,524

22^nd February 2008: 27,860

Average: 24,649

 

Australia VS Sri Lanka ODI Series starts tomorrow!

After Australia dominated the test match series 3-0, Sri Lanka will be looking forward to striking back in the limited overs formats. The Australian selectors have chosen an inexperienced squad for the first two ODI's with the likes of captain Michael Clarke, David Warner and Matthew Wade being rested. With both Shane Watson and James Pattinson unavailable due to recovering from injuries, there are few experienced heads in the Australian team. George Bailey (the T20 captain) takes the ODI captaincy despite having only played 13 matches. Mitchell Johnson has played the most matches with 112.

Meanwhile Sri Lanka have a relatively experienced squad, in spite of Kumar Sangakkara being unavailable. The side features mainstays of Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Tharanga, Dilshan, Matthews and Malinga. Lasith Malinga has been in great form of late in the Big Bash including a 6/7 a couple of weeks ago.

Australia are coming off mixed 2012 ODI form. After winning the Commonwealth Bank Tri-Series in March, they drew 2-2 with the West Indies, got smashed by England 4-0 in England, and then managed to defeat Pakistan 2-1 and Afghanistan in the United Arab Emirates in August/September. In fact the aussies have only won 4 out of their last 10 matches (excluding no results). Sri Lanka have also had mixed form winning 6 out of their last 10. After the CB Series Final, Sri Lanka failed to win a game in the Asia Cup, won 3-1 against Pakistan, lost 4-1 to India, before beating New Zealand 3-0 in a rain-interrupted series in early November.

Sri Lanka amazingly have had the better of Australia of late in Australia. They have won 6 of the last 10 including a 2-1 series win in November 2010. Both teams are ranked close on the ODI table with Australia in 4th, narrowly in front of Sri Lanka in 5th.

Ultimately the series should be close, but with Sri Lanka's experience and good form in Australian conditions, it would not be surprise me at all if Sri Lanka end up coming out on top.

The Squads:

Australia (ODI #1 and #2): Bailey (c), Cutting, Doherty, Finch, Haddin, Hughes, D.Hussey, Johnson, Khawaja, McKay, Maxwell, Smith, Starc

Sri Lanka: Jayawardene (c), Matthews (vc), Chandimal, Dananjaya, Dilshan, Eranga, Herath, Kulasekara, Lakmal, Malinga, A.Mendis, J.Mendis, K.Perera, T.Perera, Tharanga, Thirimanne

Schedule:

ODI #1 - 11th January @ MCG, Melbourne
ODI #2 - 13th January @ Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
ODI #3 - 18th January @ Gabba, Brisbane
ODI #4 - 20th January @ SCG, Sydney
ODI #5 - 23rd January @ Bellerive Oval, Hobart