World Cricket Live Update

India lead Zimbabwe 3-0 in ODI Series
India have been able to beat Zimbabwe in the first three matches without much fuss. The home side have battled hard but some poor patches of play have cost them dearly. They have lost a few wickets in patches which has left them struggling, and the poor form of captain Brendan Taylor isn't helping. For India Virat Kohli and Shitikar Dhawan have both hit centuries.

Results:
1st ODI: India 230/4 (44.5 overs) defeated Zimbabwe 228/7 (50.0 overs) by 6 wickets
2nd ODI: India 294/8 (50.0 overs) defeated Zimbabwe 236/9 (50.0 overs) by 58 runs
3rd ODI: India 187/3 (35.3 overs) defeated Zimbabwe 183 (46.0 overs) by 7 wickets


Pakistan won ODI series 3-1 and T20I series 2-0
After the ODI series being tantalisingly poised at 1-1 after the tied third match, the home fans had belief that a series win could be possible. Unfortunately for them, Pakistan were able to string some consistent performances together to win the last two games. This included a thriller in the last match where they Saeed Ajmal hit the winning run with only 1 ball remaining. Pakistan have also carried over this form in the T20I series winning both matches.

Results:
4th ODI: Pakistan 189/4 (30.0 overs) defeated West Indies 261/7 (49.0 overs) by 6 wickets (D/L Method)
5th ODI: Pakistan 243/6 (49.5 overs) defeated West Indies 242/7 (50.0 overs) by 4 wickets

1st T20I: Pakistan 158/8 (20.0 overs) defeated West Indies 152/7 (20.0 overs) by 2 wickets
2nd T20I: Pakistan 135/7 (20.0 overs) defeated West Indies 124/9 (20.0 overs) by 11 runs


Sri Lanka lead ODI series 3-1 against South Africa with one match to play
Sri Lanka have simply been too good for South Africa in this series with some pretty convincing wins. This included yesterday's match where Sri Lanka bowled out South Africa for 236 and then preceded to chase it down only losing two wickets. Dilshan and Sangakkara were the heroes scoring 115* and 91 respectively. There was an interesting moment in the 3rd ODI when Sri Lanka's Thisara Perera hit Robin Peterson for 35 runs off one over. It went 6wd66646. The over was the second biggest in ODI history, just falling behind Herschelle Gibbs' six sixes of Daan van Bunge at the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

Results:
1st ODI: Sri Lanka 320/5 (50.0 overs) defeated South Africa 140 (31.5 overs) by 180 runs
2nd ODI: Sri Lanka 223/9 (49.2 overs) defeated South Africa 104/5 (21.0 overs) by 17 runs (D/L Method)
3rd ODI: South Africa 223/7 (50.0 overs) defeated Sri Lanka 167 (43.2 overs) by 56 runs
4th ODI: Sri Lanka 239/2 (44.0 overs) defeated South Africa 238 (48.4 overs) by 8 wickets

World Cricket Live Update

With plenty of cricket on as well as the Ashes I've decided to combine my analysis all in this post instead of single posts.

Ashes: 2nd Test Day 2
England 361 (100.1 overs) and 31/3 (20.0 overs)
Australia 128 (53.3 overs)
England lead by 264 runs

It's a pretty simple analysis of today's play in the Ashes, and that is that Australia were horrible. Their top-order batting once again failed with some horrendous shots and some even worse uses of the DRS. This all came after Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad put on a 48 run stand for the last wicket. Mind you although they played some good shots, Australia's persistence with a bouncer strategy certainly helped.

After finally dismissing England for 361, the Australian openers started relatively well with Shane Watson playing some nice drives. All went haywire though just before lunch when Shane Watson was struck on the pads and given out. He was deadset plumb but decided to review which has certainly not helped his perception by the Australian fans. Chris Rogers I think has to be partly to blame though as Watson did initially look unwilling to review, but I'm guessing Rogers might have said something to encourage him to do so. This certainly came to haunt Rogers as he was dismissed in ridiculous circumstances after lunch. Swann let go of a wild full toss which slipped out of his hands which Rogers preceded to miss completely while attempting a pull shot. Erasmus gave it out and Rogers decided not to refer with the thought that an incorrect referral would leave Australia with none left. Consequently Rogers was out in spite of HawkEye replays later on showing the ball would have missed leg stump by a fair margin.

The collapse continued as Phil Hughes played an absolute shocking shot to be caught behind, and despite an adamant referral he was sent packing. Usman Khawaja was caught after hitting one straight up in the air, while Michael Clarke was gone lbw to an inswinging Broad delivery. Smith was caught in close off the bowling of Swann and Agar was run out in a mix-up with Haddin just before tea. It didn't change much after tea for Australia with Haddin and Siddle following suit. Pattinson and Harris put on the second highest partnership of the innings which is an indication of just how poor Australia were.

Peter Siddle ensured some sort of respectability for the aussies taking three quick wickets before stumps after Alistair Cook decided to not enforce the follow-on. I've got to say despite all the hype about the pitches being played on, the top-order batting all round has been pretty ordinary so far in the series.

Hero of the day: Graeme Swann
5 wickets - an easy choice here.

Villain of the day: Shane Watson
Watson was the highest scorer of the Australian innings which might then  leave people surprised about my choice here. He again failed to go on with a start, but also decided to review his plumb lbw which ultimately dudded Rogers later on as well. Some people may feel it's too harsh to have him as the 'villain' but talk to any Australian supporter, and they will be struggling to disagree with Mickey Arthur that he is a 'cancer' in the team.

Who won the day? England
No point even really answering this as England are well in the box seat. Despite being three wickets down for not many, with Australia's batting line-up even the current lead will probably be way more than enough.

3rd ODI: West Indies v Pakistan
Pakistan 229/6 (50.0 overs)
West Indies 229/9 (50.0 overs)
Match tied

In another incredible close match of ODI cricket (who the hell said ODI's aren't exciting) the West Indies have managed to tie with Pakistan. This is amazingly the fourth tie in ODI's in the past two months and Pakistan's second having tied with Ireland in May. The West Indies needed 39 runs off the last three overs at eight down. Enter no.11 Jason Holder who hit 19 off only 9 balls including a six and a four off the last over bowled by Wahab Riaz.

Earlier Misbah-ul-Haq steered the Pakistani innings with 75 while keeper Umar Akmal chipped in with a valuable 40. Lendl Simmons scored 75 for the West Indies in what was a slugglish run chase until the fireworks at the end from Sunil Narine (14 off 5 balls) and Jason Holder (19* off 9 balls).

The series is delicately poised at 1-1 with two matches to play.

ODI Series Preview: Sri Lanka v South Africa 
5 ODI Matches

Sri Lanka and South Africa are about to kick-off a 5 match series, which again has disappointingly left no room for the test series which has been postponed until 2015. This is even more telling now that the Sri Lanka Premier League which was one of the major reasons for this postponment has now been cancelled. Nonetheless its still an important series in the ODI scheme of things with the Cricket World Cup only a year and a half away. 

I read an interesting stat on Cricinfo which was that South Africa haven't played a bilateral ODI series in Sri Lanka since 2004 which is quite incredible really in the current international cricket climate. Therefore South Africa will be wanting to play well in their first ODI series encounter in the country in nearly a decade. The teams are neck and neck in the ODI Rankings with South Africa narrowly holding onto a top four spot with a rating of 110, while Sri Lanka are 5th on 108. Therefore this series will be crucial for rankings points especially for Sri Lanka who will be looking to break into even the top three possibly with a strong series. 

Sri Lanka have just come off the tri-series in the West Indies where they made the final, and before that the semi-finals in the Champions Trophy. South Africa also made the semi's in the Champions Trophy which further consolidates just how close these two sides are. South Africa will be without spearhead Dale Steyn which will certainly help Sri Lanka. South Africa have numerous inexperienced players in their squad, and with home conditions, I reckon Sri Lanka may be have a huge shot of taking this series.

Squads
Sri Lanka (1st and 2nd ODI's): D.Chandimal (c), T.Dilshan, S.Eranga, R.Herath, M.Jayawardene, S.Lakmal, L.Malinga, A.Mendis, J.Mubarak, A.Perera, T.Perera, K.Sangakkara, S.Senanayake, U.Tharanga, L.Thirmanne

South Africa: AB de Villiers (c), H.Amla, F.Behardien, Q. de Kock, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, C.Ingram, R.Kleinveldt, R.McLaren, D.Miller, M.Morkel, C.Morris, A.Petersen, R.Peterson, A.Phangiso, L.Tsotsobe

Fixtures
20th July: 1st ODI @ R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
23rd July: 2nd ODI @ R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
26th July: 3rd ODI @ Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
28th July: 4th ODI @ Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
31st July: 5th ODI @ R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

First Class Match: Zimbabwe Select XI v Australia A

Australia A 226 and 156
Zimbabwe Select XI 142 and 160

This match received some increased publicity due to David Warner being sent from England to play in it. Well, that certainly backfired with Warner being dismissed cheaply in both innings for only 6 and 11. The Australian selectors certainly have a conundrum on their hands with Warner's poor form and limited match practice along with Australia's poor batting form so far in the tests.

Meanwhile Fawad Ahmed bowled well to take 8 wickets for the match to further boost his chances of mid-series call-up to the Ashes. Pat Cummins made a reasonable comback, while for Zimbabwe Kyle Jarvis and Elton Chigumbura impressed with the ball. Zimbabwe next take on India in a 5 match ODI series which they will be hoping to spring an upset or two in.

__________________________________

It certainly is a jam-packed international calender at the moment with lots of cricket on. Obviously the Ashes is taking the majority of the spotlight, but the other nations have some important cricket to play, unfortunately in ODI's only, and not in tests.

Awesome Afridi dominates in comeback match

Pakistan 224/9 (50.0 overs)
West Indies 98 (41.0 overs)
Pakistan won by 126 runs

After an absence in the Pakistani team until their tour to South Africa earlier this year, Shahid Afridi returned to dominate against the West Indies. He scored a quickfire 76 with the bat including 54 runs in boundaries which steered Pakistan to a score of 224/9. The West Indies would have been confident of chasing the moderate target, however Afridi snuffed their hopes with an incredible 7/12 - which is in fact the second best bowling figures in ODI history. With 3 maidens and an economy rate of 1.33, Afridi's bowling was simply remarkable. The West Indies were flattened for 98 and were forced to linger away for 41 overs.

Amazingly it was the first time Afridi took a wicket in ODI's since playing Australia in the UAE last year. It was also his first five wicket haul in 21 matches going back around 18 months to the ODI against Afghanistan. I'm sure all Pakistan fans will be hoping for this to be the beginning of some consistent form from Afridi. He is an incredibly dangerous player when he's on but he's gone through some long patches of poor form in his career, and at 33, he wouldn't want to be having too many of those stretches again.

Nonetheless his performance in the 1st ODI was amazing, and probably one of the best all-round performance in an ODI ever. Hopefully he will be able to back it up in the next ODI starting tonight which if so will put Pakistan in a strong position to take a 2-0 lead in this 5 match series.

West Indies v Pakistan ODI Series set to begin

In the midst of the Ashes, this limited overs series is likely to be overlooked quite easily, and considering the series was originally supposed to include test matches, I can understand its neglect in the cricketing world. Nonetheless the Cricket World Cup is only 19 months away and ODI matches are going to become key for that preparation.

West Indies will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing end to their tri-series with Sri Lanka and winners India. They won their first two matches before losing the next two to miss the final. Before that they missed out on the semi-finals for the Champions Trophy, despite some close matches. The West Indies defeated Zimbabwe earlier in the year but a 5-0 smashing to Australia in February, and a 3-2 series loss to Bangladesh late last year has meant they have had a disappointing time of it in ODI cricket. All of this is on the back of their World Twenty20 which led many people to believe a resurgence in West Indies cricket was happening.

Pakistan meanwhile have just finished a disappointing European tour where they were comprehensively outplayed in the Champions Trophy. Before that they only just beat a determined Irish side 1-0 (including a tied match) as well as beating Scotland 1-0. Before that though they just loss against South Africa 3-2, and beat India 2-1 late last year. They will be hoping to bring some back some of that form against the West Indies in this series.

These sides are ranked 6 and 7, although there is an 11 disparity with Pakistan on 101 and West Indies on 90. Pakistan will be looking to gain some ground on Sri Lanka who are 5th on 108, while the West Indies will want to give themselves some breathing space from New Zealand who are only one point adrift in 8th.

The West Indies did defeat Pakistan in the Champions Trophy by 2 wickets so they will take some confidence from that going into the series. They've only played one bilateral series against each other in the last four years and that was after the Cricket World Cup in 2011. Despite West Indies being the hosts Pakistan prevailed 3-2, which they will hoping to do again this time.

I think this will be a closely fought series as both sides are evenly matched. They are also both severely inconsistent as evident by their recent results I mentioned above, and therefore I think it will be the team to show the most consistency both in matches and over the whole series who will win.

Squads
West Indies (ODI #1 and #2): Dwayne Bravo (c), T.Best, Darren Bravo, J.Charles, C.Gayle, J.Holder, S.Narine, K.Pollard, K.Roach, D.Sammy, M.Samuels, L.Simmons, D.Smith
Pakistan: M.ul-Haq (c), A.Rehman, A.Shehzad, A.Ali, A.Shafiq, H.Sohail, J.Khan, M.Hafeez, M.Irfan, M.Rizwan, N.Jamshed, S.Ajmal, S.Afridi, U.Akmal, U.Amin, W.Riaz

Fixtures
ODI #1: 14th July @ Providence Stadium, Guyana

ODI #2: 16th July @ Providence Stadium, Guyana

ODI #3: 19th July @ Beausejour Stadium, St Lucia

ODI #4: 21st July @ Beausejour Stadium, St Lucia

ODI #5: 24th July @ Beausejour Stadium, St Lucia

Last edition of the Champions Trophy all set to go!

The Champions Trophy has been  a much maligned competition over its duration. It started off as a knock-out tournament, went on to include heavily underprepared associates (cough...cough... USA), and has finally settled on its best format. The top eight teams, the major cricketing nations in a short and sharp tournament where all games matter. This last edition wasn't even meant to be in the schedule for 2013, however remained due to the inability for the World Test Championship to get up and running. In 2017 though, the Test event will occur (we think) which has caused the ICC to signal that each format of the game should have one major tournament. It's definitely the right move, however the fact that now there will only be a one-day tournament every four years means greater potential for more T20 matches.

Anyway I move back to the Champions Trophy, and there is much excitement around this year's tournament. All the sides are relatively closely matched and any team could win especially in the tournament format where every game counts. Below I run through the teams and their chances.

England
The hosts are one of the favourites, however their series loss to New Zealand will increase the doubts around them. Home conditions will help especially over the subcontinent teams. Good chance for the final I reckon.

India
They mauled Australia in their last warm-up match a couple of days ago, and will use this tournament to try and take some of the spotlight off the drama back in India. Should make the semis.

Australia
With Michael Clarke in severe doubt with a back injury, and their frailty against swing bowling being highlighted against India, I sense they might struggle. Don't think they will make the semis to be honest.

South Africa
The perennial under-achievers in global tournaments, however they have won a Champions Trophy. Expected to do well and could challenge for the final, although Steyn's potential absence will hurt.

Sri Lanka
In contrast to above, Sri Lanka have over-achieved to an extent (to outsider's expectations) in global tournaments, however I don't think they'll make the semis here though.

Pakistan
Pakistan were lucky to get away against Ireland and are unpredictable; so are therefore quite difficult to assess. Could be anywhere from first-round losers to finalists.

New Zealand
Darkhorses as usual. Series win over England will give them huge confidence. Will be looking at the group match against Australia to try and land a semi-final spot.

West Indies
Their T20 World Cup win last year has so far failed to translate into any dominant ODI form as of yet. Don't think that will turn around yet.

Full Fixtures

Group A

Saturday 8^th June

England VS Australia @ Edgbaston, Birmingham

Sunday 9^th June

New Zealand VS Sri Lanka @ Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Wednesday 12^th June

Australia VS New Zealand @ Edgbaston, Birmingham

Thursday 13^th June

England VS Sri Lanka @ Kennington Oval, London

Sunday 16^th June

England VS New Zealand @ Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Monday 17^th June

Australia VS Sri Lanka @ Kennington Oval, London

Group B

Thursday 6^th June

India VS South Africa @ Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Friday 7^th June

Pakistan VS West Indies @ Kennington Oval, London

Monday 10^th June

Pakistan VS South Africa @ Edgbaston, Birmingham

Tuesday 11^th June

India VS West Indies @ Kennington Oval, London

Friday 14^th June

South Africa VS West Indies @ Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Saturday 15th June

India VS Pakistan @ Edgbaston, Birmingham

Finals

Wednesday 19^th June

Semi Final #1 @ Kennington Oval, London

Thursday 20^th June

Semi Final #2 @ Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Sunday 23^rd June

Final @ Edgbaston, Birmingham

 

World Cricket Live Update

Pakistan 230/8 (48.4 overs) defeated Ireland 229/9 (50.0 overs) by 2 wickets
The ODI Series between Ireland and Pakistan came to a thrilling conclusion last Sunday as Kamran Akmal and tail-ender Wahab Riaz won the match for Pakistan. The visitors were in dire straits at 17/4, and also 133/7, but the wicket-keeper and fast bowler put on a show scoring around 90 off the last 10-12 overs. Ireland had earlier managed 229/9 on the back of Ed Joyce who became only the second player behind Eoin Morgan to score an ODI century for two different countries. Ireland's score was definitely under-par, however they more than made up for it with the ball, as Trent Johnston and Tim Murtagh ran through the top order. Unfortunately for the Irish they couldn't capitalize and they will be kicking themselves after a great chance for the first ODI series win by an associate against a full member nation.

England (354 and 287/5dec) defeated New Zealand (174 and 220) by 247 runs
After matching England for three of four innings in the first match, New Zealand had high hopes to remain competitive and perhaps pinch a win in the second test. They failed to do this though as England finetuned their Ashes preparations with a convincing 247 run win. Joe Root scored his maiden test century, while Alistair Cook made 130 in the second innings. Their bowlers were superb with Graeme Swann picking up 10 wickets for the match. New Zealand, on the other hand, were quite disappointing in the batting department, scoring lower than both England's totals in their innings. Their first innings of 174 was incredibly disappointing with no.10 and 11 Wagner and Boult scoring nearly a third of the runs.

The teams play a short three match ODI series in preparation for the Champions Trophy tournament which starts next week. I will post a preview of what will be the last ever edition of this tournament sometime in the next coming days.

Netherlands v South Africa @ Amstelveen
The single ODI between Netherlands and South Africa has just started with South Africa winning the toss and batting. They lost two early wickets but have now steadied to be 67/2 after 14 overs. Colin Ingram is unbeaten on 21, while JP Duminy is on 14. Mudassar Bukhari picked up the breakthrough of Petersen, while debutant Paul van Meekeren dismissed Hamish Amla. Hopefully the Dutch can continue to fight and make a match of this.

Kevin O'Brien and Paul Stirling secure thrilling tie against Pakistan

Irish World Cup hero Kevin O'Brien and the man who scored a breathtaking century two years ago against the same opposition have led Ireland to a tie in the 1st One Day International overnight. In a rain-affected match, Ireland were chasing a D/L revised target of 276 in 47 overs. Opener Paul Stirling repeated his feats of two years ago with another century - a run a ball 103 which featured 12 fours and a six. It was Kevin O'Brien though who gave the chase some momentum with a rapid 84* off only 47 balls. Ireland needed 13 runs off the final three balls with O'Brien hitting a six, a two, before a four off the final delivery of the match tied the scores.

Earlier, Pakistan's innings was constantly interrupted with rain, however kudos to the ground-staff for their great work in ensuring that hardly any play was lost. Nasir Jamshed retired hurt after a back injury, while fellow opener Imran Farhat made a scratchy 9 off 34 balls before being dismissed by Alex Cusack. Mohammad Hafeez and Asad Shafiq wrestled the momentum back from Ireland with a stand of 188, before Shafiq gave Cusack his second scalp. Hafeez continued on though scoring an unbeaten 122* at more than a run a ball. In the end though it will be the innings of O'Brien which will be remembered from this match which secured Ireland their first positive result (tie/loss) against a full member on Irish soil.

The second ODI which is now the series decider is to be played on Sunday.

Pakistan move onto Ireland

After rain forced the abandonment of the second ODI against Scotland, Pakistan have moved onto Ireland for another two match series. Pakistan won that first ODI against Scotland, however it wasn't without a scare after they were 115/5 and also in the second innings when Scotland were 52/1 chasing 231. Their bowlers eventually did manage to get on top running through the Scottish line-up bowling them out for 135 to seal a 96 run win.

Ireland will no doubt offer a much bigger challenge, so Pakistan would want to be on top of their game to avoid a second loss to the Ireland side. Weather hopefully holds up with the farcial circumstances last year in the Ireland and Australia match.

Good news for world-wide cricket fans with Google and Cricket Ireland teaming up to provide a live stream via Youtube of the match. This is excellent news to try and showcase the Ireland cricket team on an international scale.

Link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsRRHwOHuK4

Pakistan's European tour about to begin

Pakistan's short tour of Scotland and Ireland is set to begin tonight. Pakistan organised 2 ODI's each against Scotland and Ireland as preparation for an assault on the Champsions Trophy to be played in England in June. Pakistan has probably been the country most willing to play the associates, so kudos must be go to them for playing these matches.

Pakistan will be a formidable opponent for the European associates. Scotland may struggle, however Ireland will be hoping to spring an upset. With their campaign to get test status by 2020, they will be hoping to remind the ICC powerbrokers just how good a team they are.

Full Fixtures:

17th May: 1st ODI - Scotland v Pakistan @ Grange Cricket Club, Edinburgh, Scotland
19th May: 2nd ODI - Scotland v Ireland @ Grange Cricket Club, Edinburgh, Scotland

23rd May: 1st ODI - Ireland v Pakistan @ Clontarf Cricket Club, Dublin, Ireland
26th May: 2nd ODI - Ireland v Pakistan @ Clontarf Cricket Club, Dublin, Ireland

Test Rankings Update

With the New Zealand and England series ending the other day in an incredible draw, there is now a bit of a break until the next test assignments. Zimbabwe do host Bangladesh in April for a two test match series in a bottom of the table clash, but for the test purists, they will have to wait until May for any substantial action.

With this in mind, I thought now would be a good time to reflect on each team's form in the past five months (since November) and their current positions on the ranking table. I'll also detail the test series which will be played later this year.

South Africa
8 matches
6 wins 2 draws 0 losses
Captain Graeme Smith has just received the test mace and the $450,000 cheque that goes along with it. They thoroughly deserve these accolades as they have comprehensively beaten all team that they have played. The critical series against Australia in Australia was a challenge but a superb performance at the WACA sealed a hard fought 1-0 win. Their home summer was flawless with a 2-0 and 3-0 thumping of New Zealand and Pakistan respectively.

India
8 matches
5 wins 1 draw 2 losses
All of India's 8 matches have been played at home, and their results can be split into two categories. Their 1-2 defeat to England was disappointing and it showed that they had some things to address. Meanwhile their 4-0 hammering of Australia, although helped by the implosion of Australia, showed that they are still a force to be reckoned with in their home conditions.

West Indies
4 matches
4 wins 0 draws 0 losses
These results look sensational, but some context is needed. Their matches were played against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. So they were expected to win these four matches, but the ruthlessness they displayed at times is a sign that West Indies may be on a significant rise in test cricket.

Australia
10 matches
3 wins 2 draws 5 losses
Australia have come through an incredible rough trot after being hammered by India. Players being sent home, selection inconsistencies an rumoured player unrest have destabilized the team. The retirements of Ponting and Hussey would not have helped. All this was on the back of a decent home summer with a narrow 0-1 loss to the South Africans and a 3-0 cleansweep of Sri Lanka.

England
7 matches
2 wins 4 draws 1 loss 
England's win over India was a historic achievement and they thoroughly deserved their win with some outstanding performances. They have crashed back to Earth though, with a 0-0 draw against New Zealand. They were only one wicket away from losing the series, which would have been a major disappointment for England.

Sri Lanka
7 matches
2 wins 1 draw 4 losses
Sri Lanka's form has not been good, and there are signs that they may be on a downward trend in test cricket (their board's cancelling of tests will not help this). They were upset by New Zealand in Sri Lanka to draw the series 1-1, and were completely outplayed by Australia down under. The fact that they could only just beat Bangladesh shows where they are at.

New Zealand
7 matches
1 win 3 draws 3 losses
Despite only 1 win from the past 7 matches, things are starting to turn around for New Zealand. Their win in Sri Lanka was amazing, although was overshadowed by the Ross Taylor captaincy saga. Despite being smashed by South Africa, their performance against England showed that they have some good players coming through the ranks.

Bangladesh
4 matches
0 wins 1 draw 3 losses 
Bangladesh's form has actually been quite impressive. They posted their then highest test score in the first match against the West Indies and should have probably won that game. Their draw in the first match against Sri Lanka (while making 638) was a major highlight for them.

Pakistan
3 matches
0 wins 0 draws 3 losses
Pakistan have only played the one series which was against South Africa away. They were destroyed by the no.1 side with a real low-light coming when they were bowled out for 49 in the first test.

Zimbabwe
2 matches
0 wins 0 draws 2 losses
Zimbabwe played tests for the first time in over a year with a series away against West Indies. As expected they were brushed aside with relative ease, but the experience shall be good for them.

Some statistics from this in general are:
30 matches played (over the last 5 months)
2 four match series
4 three match series
5 two match series
Thought I'd include this breakdown as I really hate two match series. Who wouldn't have loved an extra match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand or even between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, giving Bangladesh the opportunity to play for a drawn series.

Of the 30 matches played, 7 have been drawn, which is around 23%. I reckon most of these were on roads of pitches. Adelaide comes to mind, as does matches played in Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

The current rankings are as follows: (up to date as of now)

1 - South Africa    128
2 - England           114
3 - India                112
4 - Australia         110
5 - Pakistan          104
6 - Sri Lanka         92
7 - West Indies      92
8 - New Zealand   83
9 -  Bangladesh      1

The divide between South Africa and the rest is really prominent now, and really proves just how dominant they have been over the past five months. Australia have slipped from nearly being no.1 to now down to no.4. While West Indies have improved their ranking to 92 and are now within striking distance of leap-frogging Sri Lanka into 6th position. Bangladesh picked up a ranking point, while Zimbabwe are still unranked, although they could find themselves on the table after the Bangladesh series.

Test Calendar for the rest of 2013:
April: Zimbabwe VS Bangladesh (Zimbabwe) - 2 match series
May: England VS New Zealand (England) - 2 match series
July/August: West Indies VS Pakistan (West Indies) - 2 match series
July/August: England VS Australia (England) - 5 match series
October: Bangladesh VS New Zealand (Bangladesh) - 2 match series
October: Zimbabwe VS Sri Lanka (Zimbabwe) - 2 match series
October: Pakistan VS South Africa (UAE) - 2/3 match series
November - January: Australia VS England (Australia) - 5 match series
December/January: South Africa VS India (South Africa) - 3/4 match series
December/January: New Zealand VS West Indies (New Zealand) - 3 match series
December/January: Pakistan VS Sri Lanka (UAE) - 3 match series

The two Ashes series are the main highlight, although Australia's problems could mean the series' aren't as closely fought as everyone would like. All the other nations are left to pick up the scraps with a glut of two match series. Although there is hope that Pakistan could play South Africa in a three match series, while Cricket South Africa are considering a four match series against India. The Bangladesh VS New Zealand series should be closely fought with the improvement of Bangladesh.

Let's hope for some exciting matches as well as some brilliant individual performances. On a side note it will be interesting to see whether Sachin Tendulkar continues playing, as India do not play another test series until South Africa in December. 

World Cricket Live Update

Apologies for the break in posts so below I have summarised the most recent results on the international cricket scene:

• New Zealand and England drew Test Series 0-0
• India whitewashed Australia 4-0 to end a horrendous tour for the visitors
• Sri Lanka secured a 1-0 series victory in their home test series against Bangladesh
• Sri Lanka lead their ODI series against the same team 1-0 with one match to play, after the second encounter was rained out
• West Indies completed their series whitewash with a 2-0 result in the test matches, after a 3-0 and 2-0 win in the ODI and T20I series respectively
• South Africa won the deciding game to seal a close ODI series with Pakistan 3-2

 

• Ireland clean-swept their tour of the UAE with a win in their Intercontinental Cup match, two World Cup Qualifiers and single T20I
• Kenya won both both WCL Championship matches against Canada, as well as the first class match, while the T20I series was drawn 1-1
• Scotland were smashed by Afghanistan with the Afganistan team winning the two WCQ's, the Intercontinental Cup match and the two T20I's

World Cricket Live Update

Plenty of cricket going on at the moment so here is an update on live world cricket!

1st Test: New Zealand VS England 
Match Drawn
New Zealand 460 drew with England 167 and 421/6
England despite being dominated by New Zealand in the first test have managed to hold on for a draw. After letting New Zealand get a lead of 293, England came back strong with both openers Cook and Compton scoring centuries. For Compton it was his first test century and would have helped silence some of the doubters. Nightwatchman Steven Finn managed to stick around the next morning to make his highest test (and first-class) score of 56. Trott also contributed and made 52. Neil Wagner again impressed with a three wicket haul. If the first day wasn't washed out, New Zealand would have really had a great chance to push for a win. Nonetheless they would be impressed with the way they played. England would be happy that they managed to escape with a draw after their inept batting display in the first innings. With the series still 0-0, the next test starts on the 14th.

Full scorecard here: http://www.espncricinfo.com/new-zealand-v-england-2013/engine/current/match/569243.html

1st ODI: South Africa VS Pakistan
South Africa won by 125 runs
South Africa 315/4 and Pakistan 190 
Apologies for not posting a series preview for this; I just haven't had the time. In summary for South Africa it is an important series as it is their last major matches before the Champions Trophy. After their loss to New Zealand they will be hoping for an improved performance. They have slipped to 4th in the rankings so will be hoping to get back near the top. For Pakistan they will be hoping to put on a better show after a 3-0 whitewash in the test series. They are ranked in 6th in ODI's and they will be also be wanting to put in a good performance ahead of the Champions Trophy in a few months.

Back to this match, and South Africa really dominated. They piled up 315/4 off their 50 overs with Colin Ingram making an unbeaten 105*. De Villiers made a run a ball 65. They took their batting powerplay immediately in the 11th over which was a nice change from the usual in ODI cricket of wating until the 36th over. Pakistan were never really in the hunt and were struck out for 190 in 36.2 overs. Rory Kleinveldt took four wickets in a good spell.

The next match is in four days.

Full scorecard here: http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-pakistan-2013/engine/current/match/567368.html

1st Test: Sri Lanka VS Bangladesh
Bangladesh lead Sri Lanka by 27 runs
Bangladesh 638 and Sri Lanka 570/4dec and 41/1

On the road of a pitch in Galle, Bangladesh piled up their highest test score of 638. Mohammad Ashraful could not go on to make a double (he was dismissed on 190), but it was his captain Mushfiqur Rahim who did going on to make an exact 200. It really was a unbelievable innings and he became the first Bangladesh batsman in test history to score a double century. Nasir Hossain coming in at no.7 picked up where Ashraful left off and even managed to score a ton himself. The Sri Lankan bowlers were ineffective but they did manage to restrict Bangladesh's lead to 68.

Shahadat Hossain has picked up the early wicket of Karunaratne but unless something unthinkable happens this test will end up drawn.

Current scorecard and Cricinfo commentary here: http://www.espncricinfo.com/sri-lanka-v-bangladesh-2013/engine/current/match/602472.html

1st ODI: Kenya VS Canada
Canada 227/8 (50.0 overs)
Both of these teams lie in the bottom three of the World Cricket League Championship. Although it is still mathematically possible, it is virtually impossible for these teams to finish in the top two to automatically qualify for the World Cup. In all honesty both Kenya and Canada will need to focus on keeping their ODI status by finishing in the top four of next year's Cricket World Cup qualifier, or even by just finishing in the top eight and keeping their High Performance Program funding.

Canada managed to score 227/8 on the back of a 72 by opening batsman Ruvindu Gunasekera. Raza-ur-Rehman also scored a 70 in his ODI debut. Elijah Otieno picked up 4/33, while Nelson Odhiambo secured two wickets, including of dangerous batsman Rizwan Cheema for 2. Kenya will like their chances of chasing down the total, but it will be close.

Full scorecard here: http://www.espncricinfo.com/wcl-championship-2011-13/engine/current/match/592266.html

World Cricket Live Update

Plenty of international cricket happening at the moment, so let's get straight into it.

New Zealand - 63/3 off 22.3 overs (ODI #3)
In the deciding ODI, Alastair Cook decided to bowl first, confident in his side's ability to chase down a total to win the series. While the English are unchanged, New Zealand replaced Trent Boult with Andrew Ellis. The kiwis got off to a very shaky start as they lost 3 wickets for only 11 runs. Finn was the chief destroyer with 2 wickets, while Anderson picked up Williamson. Since then though, the home side have recovered somewhat as Ross Taylor and Grant Elliot have shared an unbeaten 52 run stand. They would like to pick up the scoring rate though, as a run rate of 2.8 per over, is well under par on the small Eden Park ground in Auckland. Currently the score is 63/3 off 22.3 overs.

Live scorecard here on Cricinfo: http://www.espncricinfo.com/england-v-new-zealand-2013/engine/current/match/569242.html

Australia - 316/7 (Stumps Day 1)
Starting with the first test between India and Australia, Michael Clarke's unbeaten 103* helped save Australia's blushes (once again) on Day 1 in Chennai. Australia got off to an alright start with David Warner and Ed Cowan putting on 64 for the first wicket. Cowan then got stumped for 29 trying to repeat a six he hit the previous over. Hughes chopped on for not many, which left Watson and Warner to try and get a partnership going. After being 126/2 at Lunch, Watson fell almost straight away after the interval for 28, while Warner was gone lbw for 59, giving Ashwin his fourth wicket. Wade gave Ashwin his five-for, which left Australia reeling at 153/5.

Step in Michael Clarke, as once again the captain rescued his side with some brilliant strokeplay and resilience. Moises Henriques was exceptional on debut making a well composed 68, proving the selectors right in picking him. Unfortunately though he fell towards the end of the day, while Mitchell Starc (newly promoted to no.8) also was dismissed. Peter Siddle hung around to allow Clarke to post his 23rd Test century off the second last ball of the day. For India, Ashwin was the hero claiming six wickets with some really intelligent spin bowling. Jadeja also chipped in with the wicket of Starc. At Stumps on Day 1, its an incredibly even game, but if Australia's tail can hang around and support Clarke, then Australia could get an advantage with a score over 350.

Full scorecard here on Cricinfo: http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-australia-2013/engine/current/match/598812.html

South Africa - 334/6 (Stumps Day 1)
In the third and last test match of the series, Graeme Smith won the toss and decided to bat first. There were some team changes though, with injuries to fast bowlers Umar Gul and Junaid Khan, forcing Pakistan to debut Eshan Adil and also play second gamer Rahat Ali. Kallis for the home side was also left out with a calf problem. Despite an attack light on experience, it was Pakistan who started the game better, dismissing Petersen and Smith inside 10 overs. Amla and du Plessis settled the ship putting on 69 for the third wicket, before Faf gave the debutant his second wicket of the morning. Amla made 92 before being caught behind off Rahat Ali. Elgar didn't last long, while Robin Peterson was run out after getting a start.

At 248/6, South Africa had some work to do, and it was AB de Villiers who took the home side to Stumps unbeaten on 98*, while Vernon Philander did well to get to 45* in support. It was a good recovery by South Africa, but Pakistan should not be too disheartened. They would be hoping to limit South Africa to under 400, and then getting off to a good start with the bat in their first innings.

Full scorecard here on Cricinfo: http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-pakistan-2013/engine/current/match/567365.html

West Indies (337/4) defeated Zimbabwe (181/9) by 156 runs
After not playing an ODI for around 12 months, and lacking any form of competitive cricket, it is hard to expect a side to play well in their first outing back. The fact that it is Zimbabwe makes it even harder to imagine. Therefore things went as expected in the first ODI of the series in Grenada overnight. Zimbabwe were simply outplayed from the first to last ball of the match. They were no match for the powerful West Indies batsmen, with Johnson Charles and Kieran Powell sharing a 168 run opening stand. It came in only 28.4 overs as well! Powell was dismissed, but Darren Bravo carried off where he left off. Meanwhile Charles was finally dismissed for 130 (his highest ODI score) which sparked a mini collapese as both Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo fell for not many. Darren Bravo continued on and smacked his way to his first ODI century off only 71 balls. It included 9 fours and 2 sixes. Its incredibly difficult to find the best bowler for the Zimbabweans, as although Mpofu took 2 wickets, he was smashed for 83 off his 10 overs. Legspinner Natsai Mushangwe (in only his second ODI) bowled alright and finished with 1/56 off 10 - the lowest economy rate out of all the bowlers.

Zimbabwe had no hope in the chase of the mammoth 337, and were 34/4 at one stage. Captain Brendan Taylor needed to contribute, if any hope of an upset could eventuate, but he was dismissed by Tino Best for 8. Craig Ervine made 41, while Malcolm Waller posted a half century and therefore top-scored for his team. I guess the fact that they weren't bowled out could be taken as a plus for the African side, alongwith Ervine and Waller's performances. Narine picked up 3 wickets for the West Indies, while Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell picked up two apiece. No-one is expecting Zimbabwe to win the next game, but hopefully for their sake, they can improve on this performance.

Full scorecard here on Cricinfo: http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies-v-zimbabwe-2013/engine/current/match/593983.html

South Africa crush Pakistan

South Africa have continued on their dominating test form with a 211 run win over Pakistan. Dale Steyn was the chief destroyer picking up a five for in the second innings to give him 11 for the match, only the 5th time he has taken 10 wickets or more in a match.

South Africa's second innings (after Graeme Smith decided not to follow on) was brisk, but still very aggressive with scoring being done at over 4 an over. They managed 275/4, with de Villiers on 103* and Amla on 74*, before Smith decided to declare considering the threat of rain on the last two days.

Pakistan would have hoped for this to be true, but it proved otherwise as they were dismissed before lunch on Day 4. It was though a much improved performance compared to their 49 in the first innings, as they managed to get to 268.Misbah ul Haq top scored with 64.

The visitors have a tour match before the next test, so would hope that gives them some time to gain some form. Nonetheless with a hungry South African line-up, it is looking quite unlikely that anything other than a 3-0 whitewash may happen. Let's hope Pakistan prove me wrong.

Scorecard from the 1st Test (Cricinfo)
http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-pakistan-2013/engine/match/567363.html

World Cricket Live Update

These past few days have been filled with lopsided results with West Indies and Pakistan getting destroyed by Australian and South Africa respectively.

Firstly, in the 1st ODI in Perth, the West Indies were shot out for 70 within 23.5 overs. Only 3 batsmen scored above 7, with 'extras' being the unofficial highest scorer with 17. Mitchell Starc swung his way beautifully to best figures of 5/20 off 6.5 overs including 3 bowled. Clint McKay also bowled superbly with 3/10 off 7, while debutant James Faulkner picked up 2/14. It really was an abject performance by the West Indians, which was made worse when Glen Maxwell (promoted to opener) smashed a quickfire 51* off only 35 balls. Amazingly 48 runs out of the 51 came in boundaries (9 fours and 2 sixes). Finch was the only batsman dismissed going for 10, enabling debutant Jason Holder to pick up his first international wicket. The chase was completed within 9.2 overs.

This match produced some incredible records including:
- West Indies' score of 70 is their third lowest in ODI's (lowest against Australia)
- The match only lasted 199 deliveries, which is the shortest completed match in Australia, and second shortest overall (only top 8 nations included)



Meanwhile in the 1st Test between South Africa and Pakistan, there were high hopes for Pakistan to provide the hosts with a stern challenge. This was looking likely after they bowled South Africa out for 253. Kallis was the only batsman to score a 50, while part-time spinner Mohammad Hafeez incredibly managed to pick up four wickets. Even Younis Khan picked up what was his 7th wicket (in 79 tests). Pakistan managed to claw to Stumps on Day 1 unscathed, suggesting that the home side could have a fight on their hands.

Enter Dale Steyn
6 wickets for 8 runs off 8.1 overs with 6 maidens

This caused Pakistan to be bowled out for 49. Yes that's right 49.

Yes they are the correct figures, 6/8 off 8.1 overs with an amazing 6 maidens. In fact there was only three scoring shots off his bowling. It really was an incredible spell of test match bowling with some superb outswingers obliterating the Pakistan top order. Azhar Ali and Misbah ul-Haq managed to put on 24 for the fourth wicket. There was some controversy though with the dismissal of Misbah ul-Haq. There was a half-hearted appeal for a caught behind off Kallis, with keeper AB de Villiers not even appealing initially at all. South Africa reviewed it, and a miniscule edge appeared on Hot Spot, before disappearing almost instantly. Amazingly the decision was overturned, which infuriated Misbah, as well as the Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore. Pakistan had the wrong end of the stick in relation to the DRS, with there appearing to be some inconsistent decisions made by third umpire Steve Davis.

Nonetheless, despite this controversy, Graeme Smith decided not to enforce the follow on, and by Stumps on Day 2, South Africa are 207/3. De Villiers is not out on 63*, while Amla is also not out on 50*. Smith made 52 before edging to the keeper off Umar Gul.

Pakistan's total also produced some records which they probably don't want to learn of:
- Their score of 49 was their lowest in tests (after 53 in 2002 against Australia, where they also scored 59 in the same match)
- Since the beginning of 2009, Pakistan have been bowled out for under 100 six times.
- The completed number of overs (29.1) is their fifth shortest


Scorecards here:
Australia VS West Indies
http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-west-indies-2013/engine/current/match/573022.html

South Africa VS Pakistan
http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-pakistan-2013/engine/current/match/567363.html

Full list of statistics and records from these matches
AUS VS WI
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/current/story/603007.html

SA VS PAK
http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-pakistan-2013/content/current/story/603147.html

*Stats and scorecards courtesy of Cricinfo

South Africa VS Pakistan Test Series Preview

On the back of a dominating performance against New Zealand, South Africa now host Pakistan for a 3 match series, who should pose a much greater challenge. The first test is also the occasion for Graeme Smith's record 100 test matches as captain. The first day of the test has been named "Biff Day" reflecting Smith's nickname. Graeme Smith is the first South African captain to lead the side in 100 tests. Outstanding achievement!

South Africa have had a pretty good start to the 2012/13 Test season with 3 wins, 2 draws and no losses. Their win against Australian in early December secured their no.1 ranking. Pakistan meanwhile have not played a test match since July 2012, where they lost 1-0 to Sri Lanka away. However before that they did cleansweep the then top ranked English side 3-0, albeit in familiar conditions in the UAE. South African conditions will prove much tougher for the Pakistanis. In their last series in South Africa (amazingly six years ago) they lost 2-1. In the more recent head to head battle though, they drew with South Africa 0-0 in November 2010 in the UAE.

South Africa will no doubt start favourites for this series, but there is quite high hopes for Pakistan to put up a good performance. They are now ranked at no.4 (above India), so would even expect themselves to play well.

Squads:

South Africa (1st Test): Smith (c), Amla, de Villiers, du Plessis, Elgar, Tahir, Kallis, Kleinveldt, Morkel, A.Petersen, R.Petersen, Philander, Rudolph, Steyn

Pakistan: Misbah ul-Haq (c), Abdur Rehman, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Eshan Adil, Faisal Iqbal, Haris Sohail, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Irfan, Nasir Jamshed, Rahat Ali, Saeed Ajmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Tanvir Ahmed, Taufeeq Umar, Umar Gul, Younis Khan


Fixtures
1st Test: 1st February - 5th February @ New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
2nd Test: 14th February - 18th February @ Newlands, Cape Town
3rd Test: 22nd February - 26th February @ SuperSport Park, Centurion


Ultimately for fans of live world cricket, let's hope for an awesome high-quality test series!

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

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

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.