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He feels players who thrive on external motivation are “really going to struggle” in the IPL this year

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-202011:38

Newsroom: Optimistic, introverted players likely to perform better

Mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton feels players who thrive on external motivation and pressure are “really going to struggle” in IPL 2020, while some of the “mid-range” players will outperform the big names. Upton also said there might be more cases similar to that of Suresh Raina, who withdrew from the IPL after reaching the UAE and returned to India on Saturday.The 13th edition of the IPL will be unprecedented as most matches are expected to be played behind closed doors, and players will be living in biosecure bubbles for nearly three months after most teams reached the UAE about four weeks before the start of the tournament. Living strictly in team bubbles, mostly without families and as many as 13 personnel testing positive for Covid-19 in the Chennai Super Kings camp are new factors players will have to deal with this time.According to Upton, who has coached multiple teams across the IPL, the BBL and the PSL, “funny things” could happen in this year’s IPL, and the teams who handle them well will do significantly better than others.”The big-match temperament players do well when the pressure is on, when there are a lot of people around,” Upton said on ESPNcricinfo Newsroom. “The fact that you are gonna have games in front of empty stadiums now, you are just not going to have that level of pressure. So the players who rely on big-match temperament to deliver results… Someone like Virat Kohli, will he still be as good when you take away that external stimulation and noise and pressure? You are gonna find players who normally fall over when the pressure gets high. They will be able to just carry on batting because there is not going to be the physical presence of spectators.”Athletes who are internally driven, who find the motivation from within themselves, they are going to be fine, they are going to do well. Your typical confidence players, who look for motivation, inspiration or validation from outside, they are really going to struggle. Your optimists are going to do a hell lot better. Your pessimists are gonna struggle. So it depends how many introverts, internally driven, optimists you have got in your team. The more you have got, the luckier you actually are.”Upton also said teams needed to take extra care of the players who relied on the external motivation so that they are in a better state of mind during matches.”[Teams need] to understand who are the extroverts, the confidence players, the externally motivated players, those who are risk-averse, the fear-based, the pessimists. Those are the players we really need to nurture to bring them up to a place where they can be comfortable in their own lives, comfortable by themselves in their hotel rooms without that external validation and stimulation and how can we get those players arriving on the ground and able to focus on the game and deliver in front of empty stadiums.”Sydney Thunder coach Paddy Upton hits a ball•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

‘There are a number of other players who are very much in the same boat as Raina’Upton also warned that we might witness more cases similar to that of Raina in coming days, and he hoped teams were preparing for those situations. The batsman decided to give the tournament a miss due to “personal reasons”, and it later emerged that apprehensions about living in a biosecure environment for the duration of the IPL, players and officials in his camp testing positive for Covid-19, and a personal tragedy were understood to be reasons behind his decision.”There are a number of other players who are very much in the same boat as Suresh Raina and I just hope that the teams are aware of that and are catering for that,” Upton said. “There are coaches who are gonna be struggling, there are support staff who are gonna be struggling in that three-month bio-bubble.”Arriving there already depleted, having navigated, being locked indoors, we are gonna find players who haven’t been exercising, we will see some strangely overweight players, we will see players out of nick. I know some players have been lucky to be able to get into the nets, so they are gonna go ahead.”We need to be predicting these strange things and not have a knee-jerk reaction. When all of a sudden Suresh Raina goes home, we have this knee-jerk reaction and strange comments in the media. Funny things are gonna happen. Smart teams will predict them, put things in place and have that cushion of support system to be able to support players. The teams that do that best are gonna go so far ahead of the other teams that really don’t do that well and they [who don’t do that] are just gonna fall over, unfortunately, in this IPL.”Upton said a factor like money might not have been a “strong consideration” in Raina’s exit and added that his decision needs to be respected.”There are very few players who when cross the rope are motivated by money,” Upton said. “Yes, it’s part of the motivation but I don’t think that’s a strong consideration for Suresh. Whatever he is going home for is more significant than the large amount of money he is not going to be making. So it’s probably not ideal to be drawing that analogy and saying. ‘look, how much money he is missing’. He knows that he has made a decision and we need to really respect that.”

Khawaja’s scans clear after he was hit on the helmet by an Andre Russell bouncer that forced him to retire hurt

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2019Steven Smith maintained a promising run of scores ahead of the World Cup by guiding Australia to a comfortable warm-up match victory over the West Indies in Southampton. This was after Usman Khawaja sent a scare through the camp when he was struck on the helmet by Andre Russell.On his way to 76 batting at No. 4, Smith added 53 with his captain Aaron Finch and 109 with Shaun Marsh, who then formed a union with Glenn Maxwell to glide the Australians past their target of 230 with 11.3 overs to spare.It was Smith’s third half-century in as many practice games, having also batted effectively against New Zealand XI in Brisbane before the team’s departure for England, via Gallipoli.”It’s certainly the best seat in the house, he’s going fantastically since he’s come back in and it’s great to see him come in, score some runs and no doubt he’s ready for a big tournament,” Marsh said of Smith. “I don’t really speak too much out there but he’s obviously got a great understanding of the game and you try to feed off that, so he’s been fantastic to bat out there today and I’ve always enjoyed batting with him so it’s good fun.”He’s come back in and done what he usually does, score runs, so it’s fantastic to have them both back in the team and they’re both really valuable players for us. [Smith] has been fantastic since our camp for New Zealand and the way he batted up there, and to come out and bat like he did today was fantastic for us.”Andre Russell checks on Usman Khawaja after hitting him on the head with a bouncer during a World Cup warm-up match•PA Images via Getty Images

Khawaja had earlier gone to hospital for scans on his jaw after suffering a nasty blow from Russell’s bouncer. The opener retired hurt and looked to be in some discomfort, indicating an area on the right side of his head as he walked off the field accompanied by Australian team doctor Richard Saw. He did not take any further part in the match, but was later cleared of any structural damage. Khawaja was expected to take part in a light training session on Thursday.”It was very scary actually, it copped him on the side of the cheekbone I think,” Marsh said. “I think he’s okay so that’s the main thing and hopefully he’ll bounce back pretty quickly. Obviously he’s a little bit shaken, when you do get hit in the head you do get shaken by it, but Uzzy’s a tough cookie and he’ll be fine and ready to go.”Khawaja’s presence at the top of the order had meant David Warner moved down to No. 3. Khawaja was on 5 when he retired hurt and Warner made 12 before he was dismissed by Oshane Thomas.West Indies were bowled out for 229 on the small out ground, as the Australian pacemen Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Nathan Coulter-Nile made frequent use of the bouncer, well supported by the wrist spin of Adam Zampa. Among the bowlers, only Jason Behrendorff (1 for 65 from nine overs) was got at by the West Indies, who were missing Chris Gayle.Marsh’s unbeaten 55 batting at No. 5 gave him a head start in the race for batting berths once the tournament begins on May 30, also recalling his runs against England in the bilateral series the two team played a year ago. Australia’s next warm-up fixture is against the tournament hosts on Saturday.”I’d like to think I’m nice and flexible, I’ve batted from one to six throughout my career,” Marsh said. “So I’m just going to enjoy the next two practice games, spend some time in the middle and see what happens. It certainly does give you confidence knowing you’ve scored runs over here in the past and it was nice to spend some time out in the middle and get my feet moving. Good fun.”Importantly we played well as a team today, I think the bowlers did fantastically well on that wicket and I thought he way Zampa bowled on a smallish ground was fantastic and it was nice to spend some time out there and bat with Smithy as well.”

The ACA has questioned the process followed by Cricket Australia in arriving at the sanctions for the players, and whether the severity of the punishments were befitting of the offence

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2018While acknowledging that Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft had made “serious mistakes” by ball-tampering in South Africa, the Australian Cricketers Association has questioned the process followed by Cricket Australia in arriving at the sanctions for the players, and whether the severity of the punishments was befitting of the offence.Smith and Warner were banned from international cricket for 12 months by Cricket Australia, and Bancroft for nine. Smith and Bancroft were also banned from leadership positions in Australian cricket for a further 12 months after the end of their ban, while Warner was banned from captaincy positions for life.The ACA said in its statement that while it was right for the players’ mistakes to be sanctioned, there were “a number of glaring and clear anomalies in the process to date which causes the ACA to query the severity and proportionality of the proposed sanctions.”They were as follows:

• The grading and sanctions proposed are considerably higher than the ICC’s grading and sanctions.
• The disproportion between the proposed sanctions and those previously handed down in world cricket for ‘changing the condition of the ball’ – including by Captains of international teams applying artificial substances
• The activation of CA’s Board as a deliberative body on the proposed sanctions
• That public statements by CA to date have not referenced consideration of contextual factors including the environment in South Africa during the series and the impacts on individual players
• The rush to place players before the world’s media last Saturday night without the benefit of considered and coherent advice

The ACA said that it would continue to provide welfare and legal support to the players.Smith, Warner and Bancroft will have the right to challenge CA’s verdicts and also the duration of their penalties via a CA code of behaviour hearing with an independent commissioner, who can also choose whether the hearing is public or private. Players at the hearing will be permitted to call as many witnesses as they like, and also to have legal representation.

The Perth Scorchers bid the WACA ground farewell with their third Big Bash League title in four years and a vintage performance straight from their tried-and-tested copybook

The Report by Will Macpherson at the WACA28-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:28

Macpherson: Most comprehensive BBL final result ever

The Perth Scorchers bid the WACA ground farewell with their third Big Bash League title in four years and a vintage performance straight from their tried-and-tested copybook. Their nine-wicket win came with 25 balls to spare, comfortably the most emphatic winning margin in a BBL final.Their triumph lifted one of the BBL’s peculiar hoodoos, as they become the first table-toppers to take home the title. The Sydney Sixers, whose women’s team won the WBBL earlier in the day, were the latest – and likely the last – victims of BBL cricket, the WACA way.Just like the final game of the regular season, and the semi-final, the Scorchers’ night could barely have run closer to their well-worn plan. Adam Voges won the toss and bowled, as they prefer to and 28 of 35 captains this BBL season have done. They took wickets in the Powerplay and strangled the Sixers, keeping them to 141. In the chase, their top order did the work in a belligerent Powerplay, then they sauntered home as if they had an early dinner reservation. Which they may well have done – the game was over in the blink of an eye.The plan is for the Scorchers to play next season at the new 60,000-seater Perth Stadium, across the river from the WACA but hulking, seeming bigger at each glance. Just another homogeneous state-of-the-art bowl, there will be no Fremantle Doctor, history or iconic floodlights. A third title (they have now won half of all the BBLs) intensifies the Scorchers’ undoubted aura but with the WACA goes some of the Scorchers’ strength.As much as the Scorchers’ quality and the long journey west, the wonderfully partisan crowds have made the scorching stadium a horrible place to visit; indeed there are vast swathes of Australia’s uninhabitable red centre that are louder than ‘The Furnace’ when the opposition take a wicket, but the celebratory roar is unique in the competition, and the new stadium has plenty to live up to. Every other BBL club aspires for a hostile atmosphere like the WACA’s and a club identity like the Scorchers.Every other club aspires to cricket like the Scorchers’ too. They have had the deepest squad, as evidenced by the fact that they did not need the Marsh brothers here, or Jason Behrendorff, their highest-ever wicket-taker, all tournament. Their team is built on consistency of selection and experience of the competition, and it evolves slowly. They have the clearest – and perhaps even most defensive – gameplan, and are immaculately drilled, too. At the WACA, particularly chasing, they are mighty tough to beat.This always looked a big toss, given Mitchell Johnson’s flying form and the Scorchers’ unrivalled propensity to squeeze. The Sixers, too, had batted first just once all season, and they managed 99 for 9 then. Their batting, marshalled by the specialist finalist Moises Henriques, is suited to the chase.And so it proved. Johnson began with a smile, then four dots, a single and another dot. At the other end, Daniel Hughes looked to tuck into Ashton Turner but soon holed out. Already, Sixers were scrambling, and in the next over Nic Maddinson was run out and Michael Lumb caught behind. It was all eerily reminiscent of the semi-final win over Melbourne Stars. Johnson took 1 for 13, with 16 dot balls. Again, he was on fire.Brad Haddin, as he tends to be these days, was there for a good time, not a long time, powering his way to 38 and adding 57 with Henriques, and particularly tucking into Tim Bresnan and Ashton Agar, who he stuck sweetly down the ground for consecutive sixes. But the eventual Player of the Match Jhye Richardson, selected ahead of Behrendorff, bounced out Haddin (it was very close to a no-ball), then did for Henriques and Jordan Silk in the same over.Johan Botha and the tail wagged, but Sixers’ hopes of 160 and a competitive match went with Henriques. Tim Bresnan, an inspired short-term signing whose T20 value has risen exponentially over the last fortnight, bowled beautifully at the death to nip any chance of a big score in the bud, dismissing Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshius and Botha.It seems generous to call what followed a chase. Sam Whiteman, the flair in a functional top order, came out swinging from the hip, sending Jackson Bird for six to the 60m leg-side boundary and a triptych of violent fours. Ben Dwarshius was then biffed for two sixes behind square. At the other end, Michael Klinger built an innings. The first seven overs brought 70.When Whiteman was stumped, out came Ian Bell, looking determined to be there at the end, cutting with élan and pulling with control. In the course of his unbeaten 71, Klinger made this his most prolific BBL season ever, and again overtook Aaron Finch as the league’s all-time top-scorer. Appropriately, it was he who struck the final blow, lofting Botha high and handsome down the ground. The WACA erupted, one last time.

The Ranji Trophy quarter-final between Jharkhand and Mumbai is likely to be shifted out of Bangalore, in keeping with the BCCI’s attempt to ensure none of the World T20 venues are “fatigued” ahead of the tournament

Arun Venugopal30-Dec-2015The Ranji Trophy quarter-final match between Jharkhand and Mumbai is likely to be shifted out of the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore in keeping with the BCCI’s attempts to ensure none of the World T20 venues are “fatigued” ahead of the tournament.While none of the other six World T20 venues has been allotted a Ranji Trophy knockout game, the KSCA has requested the BCCI to move the quarter-final out of Bangalore. KSCA secretary Brijesh Patel said it was done with a view to give the curators enough time to prepare the pitch ahead of the World T20.”We are going to give rest to our wickets,” Patel told ESPNcricinfo. “There is also the junior team which wants to have a camp here. We don’t have enough time to prepare the wickets for the World Cup, so we have requested the board. We are waiting for the board to respond.”While the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore is slated to host three Super 10 matches, none of the other venues for the Ranji knockouts – Visakhapatnam, Valsad, Mumbai (Brabourne Stadium), Vadodara, Cuttack and Pune – has been allotted any World T20 games. The Chinnaswamy Stadium had also played host to ten matches in the Vijay Hazare domestic 50-over competition recently, including two quarter-finals, a semi-final and the final.A BCCI source said the board was keen to make sure the pitches didn’t suffer from the after-effects of a long cricketing season. “The World T20 begins after a whole season of cricket,” the source said. “The idea is to rest the pitches and let them recover from fatigue so that they are ready for Twenty20 cricket. The BCCI is very keen to make sure the pitches are fresh and ready when the World T20 begins. That is why centres that are not hosting the World T20 have been given the Ranji knockouts, like Pune for example.”On the nature of pitches for the World T20, the source said the BCCI was intent on preparing pitches that were “conducive for T20 cricket.” “It should allow for runs to be scored with good bounce and carry,” the source said. “That is the specific instruction from the BCCI.” It is understood that there have been elaborate discussions on the pitches and overall ground conditions, and preparations are expected to go on for the next two months.Patel, while indicating that the match between Jharkhand and Mumbai would be televised, said the KSCA hadn’t offered any suggestions of an alternative venue. The BCCI source, however said, Mysore was the likely replacement. Alur, another venue in Karnataka, hosted a number of matches in the Vijay Hazare domestic 50-over competition recently, but Mysore is considered better equipped to handle the logistical challenges involved in broadcasting a game.

Michael Clarke is not certain whether he will be fit to face Sri Lanka in Australia’s vital last Champions Trophy group match on Monday but has declared that he “will definitely be back for the Ashes”

Andrew McGlashan14-Jun-2013Michael Clarke is not certain whether he will be fit to face Sri Lanka in Australia’s vital last Champions Trophy group match on Monday but has declared that he “will definitely be back for the Ashes”.Even before David Warner decided to take swing at Joe Root last week, Clarke had enough on his mind as he tried to overcome a recurrence of his back problem which had ruled him out of Australia’s first two matches.Australia’s tournament hopes rest on Monday’s meeting with Sri Lanka at The Oval but it remains uncertain whether their captain will be able to return to the side. Clarke was not with the squad during the first two games – a defeat to England and an abandonment against New Zealand – and his linking back up with the team as they arrived in London was dominated by him dealing with the fall-out to Warner’s night out.However, there was time to ask Clarke about the state of his back and though he tried to make positive noises he was not giving any promises.”It is getting there,” he said. “I can sit here and say I will be 100% fit for the game on Monday. But I have been saying that for the last two games as well.”It is about judging my back every day. It is slowly getting better, there is no doubt about it, but I am as keen as ever to try to get on the field and help this team have some success.”George Bailey has led the side in Clarke’s absence and has struck two half-centuries, but the top order has been unconvincing. Before Warner’s enforced absence, his form had been poor and Shane Watson is also struggling for runs. Phil Hughes battled his way to an unconvincing 30 against England and was run out for a duck against New Zealand.

The delayed Cricket Kenya elections this weekend will go ahead despite a dispute within the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association

Martin Williamson25-May-2012The delayed Cricket Kenya elections this weekend will go ahead despite a dispute within the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA) which threatened to derail the process.In a throwback to the kind of argument which left Kenyan cricket embroiled in acrimonious rows between 2003 and 2005, the NPCA, itself riven by an internal dispute, had sought to again postpone the CK election.Although the NPCA nominated a candidate, it argued that the withdrawal of two of the three candidates it was being asked to choose between was a reason for the delay. This was rejected by CK.Yet again there is confusion over the details and three NPCA clubs – Swamibapa, Premier and Impala – claim that they were unaware of resolutions passed in their names.Some NPCA officials have threatened to boycott the elections. “The issue as to whether NPCA should attend or should not attend the AGM is a matter for the NPCA,” a board spokesman said. “There is nothing that we can do to prevent them from attending. They have complied procedurally with everything they were required to do.”The dispute has all the hallmarks of the way Sharad Ghai and his associates managed to keep control of the old Kenyan Cricket Association until they were ousted in 2005. Since then although Kenya have continued to struggle on the field, its finances, accountability and transparency have become far more stable.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Deccan Chargers in Chennai

The Preview by Sriram Veera30-Apr-2011

Match facts

Sunday, May 1 Chennai
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)With nine wickets to his credit, Amit Mishra is third behind Iqbal Abdulla (10) and Shane Warne (10) in the list of spinners•Indian Premier League

Big picture

They win one and they lose one but Deccan have slowly picked themselves off the bottom and are beginning to inch up in the points table. They were almost a two-man bowling attack, with only Dale Steyn and Amit Mishra contributing in the first half of the tournament, but suddenly, from nowhere, Ishant Sharma announced himself in some style in their last game. Admittedly, the pitch was helpful but Deccan will hope he will rouse himself to greater deeds from here on.As far as their batting is concerned, Deccan have depended heavily on Kumar Sangakkara. Their domestic batsmen have failed, their big signings like Cameron White, Daniel Christian and JP Duminy haven’t quite managed to live up to their billing yet. So, it’s no surprise that they haven’t been consistent so far.Deccan’s opponents Chennai Super Kings have lost three games but it took some exceptional performances, and iffy conditions, to beat them. Paul Valthaty dropped his cloak of anonymity one day, Harbhajan Singh picked his maidenTwenty20 five-for on another day, and rain played a big part in the game they lost to Kochi. They have won all their home games and won their first away game in the last encounter against Pune. They return to Chennai where their spin-heavy attack can be expected to test Deccan’s batting.

Form guide (most recent first)

Deccan: WLWLW (sixth in points table)
Chennai: WWLLW (fifth in points table)

Team talk

Will Deccan Chargers opt for the off-colour Pragyan Ojha at Chepauk? Ojha, who was a star performer in previous IPL editions, has been looted for runs but they might be tempted to give him a go on Sunday. Surely, now, JP Duminy, or even Michael Lumb, will be given a go in place of Cameron White?Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

S Badrinath has been one of the most classically pure batsmen in this IPL. Everything seems to have fallen in place for him this IPL season; he hasn’t been dismissed in his last three games and has harvested runs in some style. Interestingly, he will face Dale Steyn, the man who made him look like a novice in his last Test match. The ball cut in, swung out, reared at the throat, and Badrinath struggled; his critics have used that failure to fuel their arguments. Will there be a mini-redemption for him on Sunday?India loves their quick bowlers because there haven’t been many in their history. And so when Ishant Sharma harassed Ricky Ponting in a furious spell at Perth, they thought they had found a new hero. However, Ishant slowly lost his mojo and with it his place in the national team. He sparkled on a pitch that had something for the seamers against Kochi. Will it be the start of his journey back to the highest level or was it just a one-off?

Prime numbers

• Kumar Sangakkara and Badrinath are the top scorers for their respective sides and both have made 235 runs. Chennai have two other batsman who have tallied more than 200 but Deccan’s second highest run-tally is 144 (Bharat Chipli).
• Doug Bollinger is the only bowler from either of these teams who has an economy rate of under 6 an over (5.93)

The chatter

“Our captain [Sangakkara] is playing beautifully at the moment, Sunny Sohal has done well, [Bharat] Chipli has also done quite well. Mishra’s been outstanding, probably one of the best bowlers in the competition. Everyone’s beating everyone out there. No one’s really slipping away at the top of the table. If we win tomorrow it will be our fourth win and we’ll be pretty close to those top four positions.”

The pool stage is over, the minnows have all been swallowed and only the big fish remain swimming on to Barbados for the Super Eights. Now, the real test begins for New Zealand and South Africa

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale06-May-2010

Match Facts

Thursday, May 6, Bridgetown

Start time 1330 (1730 GMT)Morne Morkel could once again prove a handful on the bouncy Barbados pitch•AFP

The Big Picture

The pool stage is over, the minnows have all been swallowed and only the big fish are gliding on to Barbados for the Super Eights. Now, the real test begins. New Zealand and South Africa bring slightly different form to this meeting, with Daniel Vettori’s men undefeated against a lacklustre Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, and Graeme Smith’s group having lost to India and beaten Afghanistan.Barbados has provided a more lively surface and having played all their games, including the warm-ups, on the slower pitches of Guyana, New Zealand will need to adjust quickly. It might mean a rethink of their tactic of giving the new ball to the spinner Nathan McCullum, who has been a revelation in being named Man of the Match in both their games.South Africa got through with a comfortable win over the Afghans and had a good chance to get used to Kensington Oval. However, while their bowling was excellent there were some question marks over their batting. Although Jacques Kallis has scored more than 100 runs in the two games, South Africa need him to find the boundary more frequently, while a couple of his colleagues got out to lazy shots against Afghanistan.

Form guide (most recent first)

New Zealand: WWTLW
South Africa: WLWLL

Watch out for…

The conditions suited the slower bowlers in Guyana but the first day of games at Kensington Oval proved the fast men will be a handful. That is good news for Shane Bond, who is the quickest of New Zealand’s attack and could therefore become their key weapon in the Super Eights.South Africa will look to Morne Morkel for pace and bounce once again, after he devastated Afghanistan’s inexperienced top order on the same surface. New Zealand’s batsmen are more adept, but Morkel’s height makes him a tough proposition on any pitch that offers him assistance.

Team news

Despite the change in venue, New Zealand’s coach Mark Greatbatch said it was unlikely they would alter their winning team. There will be some pressure on the top order to perform, after Jesse Ryder was the only man to really fire against Sri Lanka, while opportunities were limited in the shortened game against Zimbabwe.New Zealand (probable) 1 Brendon McCullum, 2 Jesse Ryder, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Daniel Vettori (capt), 7 Jacob Oram, 8 Gareth Hopkins (wk), 9 Nathan McCullum, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Shane Bond.The comfortable victory over Afghanistan should mean South Africa also take an unchanged line-up in to their first Super Eights clash. The experiment of Kallis opening with Loots Bosman was abandoned after the loss to India, and Graeme Smith will be expected to walk out first once again.South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Loots Bosman, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 JP Duminy, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Roelof van der Merwe, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Charl Langeveldt.

Pitch and conditions

The first day of action in Barbados resulted in 21 of 34 wickets falling to fast bowlers. Batsmen struggled to adjust to the extra pace and bounce after the slower surfaces in St Lucia and Guyana.

Stats and trivia

• The teams have met in four Twenty20 internationals. New Zealand won the first one, back in 2005, and South Africa have triumphed in the three since then
• During the victory over Zimbabwe, Brendon McCullum became the first man to reach 1000 career runs in Twenty20 internationals and the first man to strike 100 fours
• Daniel Vettori and Graeme Smith are the two most experienced captains in Twenty20 internationals
  

  Quotes

  “We’re going to have to up our ante with our batting. It’s going to be a key area.”
  Mark Greatbatch, the New Zealand coach, wants more from his top order.

He is set to feature in domestic cricket between two ODI series, against South Africa and New Zealand

Daya Sagar02-Dec-2025Virat Kohli is set to return to domestic cricket for Delhi in the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy, the domestic 50-over competition, the DDCA has confirmed.Kohli, 37, plays only one format now for India – 50-over cricket – and since the BCCI has made it a mandate for contracted India players to feature in domestic cricket, Kohli will represent Delhi when the tournament starts on December 24 in Ahmedabad.”He will definitely play a few games, but not sure about the entire tournament,” DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma told ESPNcricinfo. “It will depend upon his India matches too.”Related

• Kohli dictates South Africa's reality from within his bubble

• Kohli: 'If I'm arriving somewhere I'll arrive at 120%'

Kohli recently struck his 52nd ODI century, against South Africa in Ranchi, and was named the Player of the Match for his knock of 135 that was studded with seven sixes.Once the last ODI of the ongoing series finishes on December 6 in Visakhapatnam, Kohli will have enough time before the start of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. However, it is not clear yet if he will play all of Delhi’s seven league matches, which will go on till January 8, just three days before the start of the ODI series against New Zealand in Vadodara.Delhi will play five league matches in Alur, on the outskirts of Bengaluru, and the other two at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kohli’s home ground for his IPL team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).Kohli last played 50-over cricket for Delhi in September 2013, in the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy which had India Blue and India Red as the other two teams. The last time Kohli played the Vijay Hazare Trophy was in the 2009-10 season. He led Delhi in both those tournaments.In the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy – the domestic 20-over competition – Delhi have won two of their four games under the leadership of Nitish Rana.