David Warner takes 'full responsibility' for 'very slow' knock as Sunrisers Hyderabad sink further

The Sunrisers captain struggled to get going in a 55-ball innings, scoring just 57

Saurabh Somani28-Apr-20212:25

Trevor Bayliss: ‘There’s no reason why we can’t turn it around like last year’

David Warner will not look back very fondly at the match that got him his 50th IPL half-century and his 10,000th T20 run. Warner struggled to 57 off 55 against the Chennai Super Kings, contributing to a sluggish start as the Sunrisers Hyderabad slumped to a seven-wicket defeat to stay at the bottom of the points table in IPL 2021.”I take full responsibility. The way that I batted was obviously very slow,” Warner told host broadcaster Star Sports at the end of the match. “I was hitting a lot of fielders and [was] very, very frustrated… Look I take full responsibility from a batting point of view. I felt [that with] Manish [Pandey] coming back into the team, the way that he batted was exceptional. And obviously Kane [Williamson] and Kedar [Jadhav] towards the back end there, they put some boundaries away and got us to a respectable total. I felt that we were probably just below par from where we were. But yeah look, at the end of the day, I’ll take full responsibility.”It is not that Warner wasn’t to get the ball away, but he never found the combination of timing and placement right. A lot of his forcing shots couldn’t hit the gaps, and those that did hadn’t travelled sweetly enough off the bat and could therefore be cut off. ESPNcricinfo’s control percentage illustrates both points: Warner was not in control of his shots for 20% of his innings which comes down to 11 balls, a high enough figure anyway given the length of his innings.He was in control for 44 balls, but those yielded only 56 runs. Normally, when a batter of Warner’s ability is in control for that many balls, you would expect a higher yield. But against the Super Kings, he couldn’t pierce the gaps even when he timed the ball well. The lack of runs told on Warner, who audibly indulged in self-recrimination and angry, frustrated swings of the bat after yet another ball had not gone where he wanted it to.”I hit probably 15 good shots to fielders, [as] simple as that,” he said. “I can’t do much about it. They’re the ones that make or break your innings I think. In the first six overs, I hit [to] the fielder four or five times. There was one guy on the leg side, I hit it straight to him with a full toss. It gets frustrating as a batsman when you’re out there. But at the end of the day, I took too many balls.”The Sunrisers’ coach Trevor Bayliss acknowledged that Warner was finding it tough but backed his captain to come good at the post-match press conference.Related

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“Look I think David will be the first to admit he struggled to hit the gaps today,” Bayliss said. “He hit a lot of balls to the field today. Obviously, with David that doesn’t happen a lot. Tonight it did, so yeah that put us a bit behind the eight-ball, but the other guys batted really well in a team effort. Unfortunately, 170 [171] wasn’t quite enough. I thought they bowled pretty well and then obviously batted well.”Warner’s 55-ball 57 was worth only 24 points on ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats. An indication of how low that is, is demonstrated by how much Kane Williamson’s 26* off 10 deliveries was worth, which was nearly double at 44 points.Williamson’s knock, in fact, was worth more than even Pandey’s 61 off 46. Pandey didn’t accelerate enough through the middle overs and at the death. The Sunrisers have top-heavy batting in their playing XI, with Warner, Jonny Bairstow and Williamson expected to do the heavy lifting. Ordinarily, an innings where Warner has faced 55 balls might have yielded 75 to 100 runs for them. But this happened to be one of those days when everything went wrong for Warner.With the team sitting at the bottom of the points table and time to catch up running out, they will need this to be a one-off.

'Indian cricket has lost a real champion' – Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar, Milind Rege and Chandu Borde pay tribute to Bapu Nadkarni

Nagraj Gollapudi and Vishal Dikshit17-Jan-2020In a heartfelt tribute to Bapu Nadkarni, who died on Friday aged 86, Sunil Gavaskar has hailed the former India allrounder’s attitude and cricketing acumen. Gavaskar was in Rajkot, as part of the commentators’ panel for the India-Australia ODI, when he heard the news of Nadkarni’s death.”He came as assistant manager for quite a number of our tours,” Gavaskar said. “He was very encouraging. His favourite term from where we all learnt from was ‘ (hang in there)’. He was gritty despite playing in the days when gloves and thigh pads were not very good, not much protective equipment as you would get hit, but still hang in there as he believed in . You are playing for India. That thing we learnt from him. “Every time he was on a tour he was very very helpful in terms of strategy. At lunch time or tea time, he would say ‘try this’, if you were a fielding captain. He would tell, ‘bring this bowler, or ask this bowler to bowl around the wicket.’ He was fantastic. Indian cricket has lost a real champion.”Gavaskar also recalled Nadkarni’s role in getting Sandeep Patil to bat in India’s second innings in Sydney in 1981, after he had retired hurt following a blow to the head from a Len Pascoe bouncer in the first innings. Patil went on to score 174 in the next Test match in Adelaide.”He [Nadkarni] was the one who kept urging Sandeep that ‘it doesn’t matter, you are here and you should go out and bat again.’ Bapuji was the assistant manager on the tour. It was only because of him that Sandeep went on to score that 174 in the next Test match because Bapuji was constantly there with him.”Bapu Nadkarni with fellow Mumbai and India stalwarts Dilip Vengsarkar and Ajit Wadekar•Getty Images & Hindustan Times

Milind Rege, the former Mumbai captain, said Nadkarni was a true allrounder.”Bapu Nadkarni was a great allrounder of Indian cricket and definitely a pillar of Mumbai cricket,” Rege said. “He didn’t get the accolades he deserved. He was one of the lead spinners and then would bat at No. 5 for Mumbai.”Rege reckoned that Nadkarni’s figures of 32-27-5-0 in his famous spell against England in Chennai would never be eclipsed. “Records are meant to be broken, but 21 overs and 5 balls without giving a run will never ever beaten by anybody.”Rege would call Nadkarni ‘Bapu ‘, as a mark of respect. Rege, along with his friend and teammate Gavaskar, learned a valuable lesson from Nadkarni, a characteristic Mumbai cricket is often associated with. “The thing that applies to Mumbai cricket, he would be right at the top. He was not a stylish player at all. With that stance he had, he managed to score important runs including the 283 not out against Delhi in the 1960-61 Ranji Trophy semifinals. He just would not give anything away, he was that .”Off the field, Nadkarni was a soft-spoken man, known to be particular about details. “Bapu was a lovely person,” Rege said. “The gentleman cricketer. Sunil and I played with Bapu when we were 17. He was among the Mumbai greats who nurtured us. He had a great sense of humour. And he could take a joke on himself and laugh it away.”Bapu Nadkarni (fifth from left) during a corporate tour of Pakistan in 1961•SD Rege/ACC Ltd

Chandu Borde, one of India’s leading lights in the 1960s, presented an example of Nadkarni supporting him at what he called a “crucial” time in his career. “It was one of the early Tests of my career,” Borde said. “I do not recollect exactly which one, but it was in Calcutta. I got a telegram from Pune (Borde’s home). It was to inform me that my relative Dayanand, who had played a big role in my cricket during my young days, had passed away in an accident.”Bapu hid the telegram under the pillow while I was batting. Later when I read the telegram I confronted Bapu: “What is this Bapu? Why did you this?” Bapu calmly told me he did not want me to be distracted. It was a crucial match for me. Till then my performances were not exciting or big. This was a crucial innings for me and Bapu did not want me to be disturbed.”Nadkarni, Borde said, always put the team first. “He was, what we in Marathi say an , one who had only friends and no enemies. Bapu was a very good team man, always appreciating his teammates’ performances.”According to Borde, Nadkarni’s upbringing and his family’s interest in sports was a major factor in his open personality. Borde recounted that Nadkarni was good at more than one sport, having played badminton at a high level. As for his cricket: “He was a very useful man to the team, a great contributor, stayed long at the wicket, was a good close-in fielder, and was a very accurate left-arm spinner.”

#BBL08 chatter: Scorchers lose David Willey to shoulder injury

Keep up to date with all the news from on and off the field during the Big Bash

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jan-2019Willey suffers shoulder injury
January 22Perth Scorchers import David Willey has been ruled out of the remainder of the Big Bash League with a left shoulder injury. He will fly home on Tuesday night for further assessment and treatment in the UK.It is understood the injury is not serious at this stage but has been bothering Willey, the England allrounder, since the Scorchers’ loss to the Hobart Hurricanes on December 30 in Launceston.He was ruled out of the Scorchers latest match against the Hurricanes last Friday night and the ECB medical staff have advised him to return home.Willey has endured a frustrating tournament form-wise with both bat and ball coming off limited cricket in the lead-up. He was shuffled through multiple roles with both bat and ball. He batted in three different spots in four innings, including opening the batting, and his bowling role changed regularly in the games he played.Willey has not played for England since the India series last July after a back injury ruled him out of the tour of Sri Lanka.The Scorchers do welcome back some key Australian internationals for their next match against the Sydney Thunder on Thursday at Perth Stadium. Shaun Marsh and Jason Behrendorff both return from ODI duty.Wicketkeeper batsman Sam Whiteman has been ruled out for two to three weeks with a quad injury he suffered in the loss to the Hurricanes. But Josh Inglis appears to have overcome a broken toe and looks set to slot in as a like for like replacement.Vince replaces Denly at Sixers
January 11Sydney Sixers have roped in James Vince for the remainder of the season as a like-for-like replacement for fellow England batsman Joe Denly, who has been called up by England for the Test series in the West Indies later this month.Vince, who recently played for Auckland in the Super Smash in New Zealand, had earlier turned out in the 2017-18 BBL season for the Sydney Thunder. He is set join the Sixers squad ahead of their match against the Perth Scorchers on Sunday at the Optus Stadium.”I’m extremely excited about joining up with the Sixers,” Vince said. “The Big Bash is a fantastic competition to be a part of. The guys are playing some great cricket at the minute and are in a strong position heading into the second half of the tournament.”Hopefully I can hit the ground running and make some good contributions that will help us go all the way this year. Sydney is a fantastic place and the SCG is an incredible ground, I can’t wait to get started.”The Sixers are currently third on the points table and have seven more games left in the league stage.Mark Waugh hits at BBL batting
January 4The quality of batting in this year’s BBL has provoked debate. Melbourne Renegades have yet to register an individual half-century in five matches and on Thursday limped to 9 for 126 against Adelaide Strikers. Not for the first time it was spin causing the major problems as Liam O’Connor, Rashid Khan and Colin Ingram proved a handful.It was enough for Mark Waugh to term the standard of batting against spin as “embarrassing” although he had also noted a couple of days previously that the state of some of the wickets wasn’t helping.Australia had an awful time against spin in the UAE last year when they played three T20Is then struggled against Kuldeep Yadav in the India series in November. Their next T20Is are set to be in India during the limited-overs tour which starts next month so life is unlikely to get easier.Maddinson nears comeback
January 4Nic Maddinson is closing in on a comeback from the broken arm he suffered in the Sheffield Shield last month having surprised himself at the speed of his recovery.Maddinson needed surgery after being struck by a short ball from Jhye Richardson and was unsure whether he would hit the surgeon’s timescale of a return in around four weeks. But he appears on course for that with a comeback looking likely when Melbourne Stars face Perth Scorchers at the MCG on Wednesday.”It seems to be pulling up better and better after everything I do,” he told the . So I thought, why not push it a bit harder and try and play.”

Sri Lanka's players reluctant to visit Pakistan

SLC, however, believes it can have a conversation with the players and convince them to tour the country

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Oct-2017Sri Lanka’s players have indicated strong reluctance to travel to Lahore for the third T20I against Pakistan, by signing a letter that requests the match be moved to a neutral venue. SLC officials, however, are likely to attempt to convince the players to tour. The board will discuss the issue further at its executive committee meeting on Monday.Though the players have not definitively ruled out traveling to Lahore, the mood in the dressing room is one of firm objection. “I don’t think the players will change their stance,” a cricketer, who was among the 40 contracted players who signed the letter, said. Not only were Suranga Lakmal and Chamara Kapugedera physically present on the bus that was attacked in Lahore in 2009, the other players are aware of the trauma suffered by those on board. The current players also believe the 2009 team suffered a singular attack in the world of sport, and are unwilling to be among the first teams to return to Pakistan.SLC CEO Ashley de Silva said player security remained the board’s primary concern, and that “a decision will be made at the ex-co meeting taking into account all the security information”. But other officials, such as president Thilanga Sumathipala, appear very keen on the team traveling to Pakistan. The board is expected to make an appeal to the players over the next few days. The country’s sports ministry is also keen to send a team.Both parties have tread softly so far, out of a desire not to incense the other: the players have stopped short of issuing a categorical refusal; the board has at no stage indicated there would be punishments for players who decline to travel.But for the other major party in the equation – the PCB – a refusal from Sri Lanka’s main players would amount to a setback, given the progress they had recently made in bringing back international cricket to the country. SLC officials were quick to point out that not only have Sri Lanka’s players been promised the same level of security afforded to the World XI team in September, but that the ICC was also content to now send its match officials to Pakistan.If the majority of players are unconvinced by SLC’s overtures, however, the board may consider sending a second-string team comprised of those who are willing to travel. Thisara Perera, who played in the World XI series, is understood to be favourable towards traveling to Lahore again.The chances of a full-strength Sri Lanka team playing in Lahore, however, have diminished with the signing of this letter. For the administrators of both boards, who had all spoken with optimism about this match going ahead, that is something of a problem.

De Silva and Chandimal lead Sri Lanka fightback

Sri Lanka recovered from 26 for 5 on the first day against Australia in Colombo to reach 214 for 5 at stumps. Dhananjaya de Silva was the stand-out with his maiden Test century, compiled in an unbeaten 188-run stand with Dinesh Chandimal

The Report by Brydon Coverdale13-Aug-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDhananjaya de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal rescued Sri Lanka on a gripping first day in Colombo•AFP

Sri Lanka: 214 for 5. Hardly an inspiring score at stumps on the first day of a Test. Runs ground out, just a few wickets here and there, Australia probably on top. Nope. This was not the kind of day that can be judged from the closing score. It was a day on which Sri Lanka’s top order capitulated to be 26 for 5. A day on which Dhananjaya de Silva, in his third Test, led the recovery with a brilliant maiden century. And a day that ended with Sri Lanka in command.The runs came slowly, but at least they came. They came with patience, class, respect for good bowling and, yes, a little bit of luck. But the way de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal rebuilt this innings was, for fans of Test cricket, a thing of beauty. Australia’s batsmen could learn something from their approach. By stumps, de Silva was on 116 from 240 balls, Chandimal on 64 from 204, and their partnership was worth 188. They had undone all Australia’s morning work.The dry pitch turned from the first hour. Nathan Lyon picked up two wickets early, then like Jon Holland, bowled well without fortune as the day wore on. Sri Lanka’s three-man spin attack will pose Australia significant challenges. There was little swing, not as much reverse as in the previous two Tests. Australia picked four pace bowlers but used only three. All of the pace wickets came from Mitchell Starc, comfortably Australia’s best player of the series.If Australia’s batsmen have looked bewildered on this tour, the selectors appeared similarly baffled in Colombo. How else to account for shortening their batting order when runs have been their biggest problem? Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja were dropped, Shaun Marsh and Moises Henriques came in. Henriques, with a first-class batting average of 31, an average of 15 in the last Sheffield Shield season, and no first-class cricket since November, was listed at No.5. He did not bowl.The selectors believe Henriques bats well against spin. It is true that he scored 68 and 81 not out against India on Test debut in Chennai in 2013. But he failed to reach double figures in the rest of that tour, a series that also featured clouded selection policies. It remains to be seen how Henriques will handle Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera and Lakshan Sandakan, but his selection was a clear message to the incumbents: learn how to play spin, or you won’t play in Asia.Sri Lanka’s batting has also faltered often in this series, but always there has been someone to rescue them. In Pallekele it was Kusal Mendis with a remarkable maiden Test century in the second innings. In Galle it was Mendis again, with 86 after the score wobbled to 9 for 2 on the first morning. This time it was de Silva, who entered this series uncapped, and by stumps on day one in Colombo sat second only to Mendis on the series run tally.The precarious situation when de Silva walked to the crease cannot be forgotten: 26 for 5. Yes, the series was already won, but suddenly there appeared the very real prospect of Sri Lanka finishing with a humiliation: overhauling their lowest ever Test total, the 71 they scored against Pakistan in Kandy in 1994, seemed a distant goal. And indeed, when de Silva was given out caught at bat pad off Lyon for 5, disaster seemed likely.But de Silva knew he had not hit the ball – hadn’t even got close to it, really. He reviewed the decision of umpire S Ravi and was rightly reprieved and from then on – this was the 20th over of the morning – not a single wicket fell for the rest of the day. There were some nervy moments – Mitchell Marsh spilled a tough chance at gully when Chandimal was 11, two Australian reviews were struck down, de Silva was dropped by Shaun Marsh at cover on 104 – but the batsmen survived.De Silva attacked when given the chance and struck three fours in one over from Starc. He was strong when pulling and flicking off his pads, though his boundaries came all around the ground, including plenty through cover. His fifty came with a lofted boundary over cover off Mitchell Marsh, his hundred with another boundary cut off the legspin of Steven Smith. It took de Silva 209 deliveries to reach his century. It was a proper Test innings.Chandimal was even more circumspect, nudging singles and rotating the strike, playing the perfect foil to de Silva. His fifty came from 165 deliveries, and by stumps he had struck only four fours. Even more than de Silva he showed Australia’s batsmen how a challenging pitch can be handled: with the utmost patience. Chandimal himself had walked out at 24 for 4, a frenetic first hour bringing plenty of wickets.Sri Lanka’s openers continued their disastrous series, Kaushal Silva flashing at Starc and edging to slip for a 15-ball duck, and Dimuth Karunaratne bowled trying to drive Starc for 7 from 34 deliveries. Neither man has reached double figures even once in this campaign from five innings, Sri Lanka’s series triumph having come in spite of their insipid top order. What might they have achieved if the openers had found form too?Lyon was called on in the sixth over of the Test and immediately found some turn. In the 12th over he struck with a delivery that was fullish, quick and spun appreciably, and Kusal Perera managed only an edge to Smith at slip. Lyon claimed another wicket when Angelo Mathews top-edged a sweep and was caught at fine leg for 1.Then Mendis flashed hard at a Starc delivery that angled across him and Smith snapped up his third catch at slip for the morning. Mendis had been the key batsman in the first two Tests, and Australia thought his wicket was the big one. As it turned out, at least two big ones were still waiting to be taken at stumps.

Finn puts England in touching distance

On a dramatic second day at Edgbaston, Steven Finn claimed five wickets and ran through Australia so comprehensively that their survival until stumps was an achievement in itself

The Report by Brydon Coverdale30-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTwo years ago Steven Finn was unselectable. Now that statement seems unbelievable. On a dramatic second day at Edgbaston, Finn claimed five wickets and ran through Australia so comprehensively that their survival until stumps was an achievement in itself. They were barely clinging on, though; at 168 for 7 they had a lead of 23, and were relying on Peter Nevill, who was on 36, and Mitchell Starc, who had 7.From the second over of the morning, when Mitchell Johnson unleashed two terrifying wicket-taking bouncers, it seemed as if this day would produce something special. It didn’t feel like being a day of England dominance though. Fourteen wickets fell, seven to each side, but honours were anything but even by the end. Australia could hope that Nevill and the tail might still push their lead up past 100 but England would have to implode not to win from here.In the second half of the day, Finn’s wickets were key, but earlier it was a counter-attacking 87-run partnership between Moeen Ali and Stuart Broad that kept England on top. They ensured a lead of 145 and placed the pressure squarely back on the Australians, who didn’t handle it well. Wickets tumbled, and a two-day finish was not only possible but probable. Australia had not lost a Test inside two days since 1890, but this was 19th-century cricket being played by 21st-century professionals.It threatened to be the ultimate throwback Thursday. A record that has stood since the first Test match in 1877 was in serious danger, as David Warner cruised along at a brisk rate while wickets tumbled around him. The highest percentage of runs in a completed innings remains Charles Bannerman’s 67.34% from Test No. 1 but Warner was on track to break it until he fell for 77.Steven Smith played a shot more of his 2010 self than the invincible 2015 version, an ugly hoicky pull that was top-edged to Jos Buttler and gave Finn the first of his wickets. But the biggest throwback of them all was Finn, who was axed during the 2013 Ashes in England and had not been given a look-in since. Here, it was impossible to imagine dropping him.Steven Finn claimed five second-innings wickets to put England on the brink of victory•Getty Images

Finn’s precise lines, movement and bounce wrecked the Australia middle order after Broad had Chris Rogers lbw for 6 early in the innings. Smith’s dismissal might have been partly self-inflicted, but Finn’s double-strike in the second over after tea was the big moment of the day. First it was Michael Clarke who edged to slip for 3, squared up beautifully by Finn.Then next ball, Adam Voges fell in similar fashion when he pushed away from his body and edged to slip for a golden duck. Edgbaston was becoming Edge-baston. Finn missed the hat-trick but soon had added Mitchell Marsh to his tally, bowled for 6 by a ball that moved in just enough to get through the (admittedly large) gate.Warner was the only member of Australia’s top six who reached double-figures, and it was like he was playing a different game. He crunched boundaries in his usual fashion and raced to a 35-ball fifty as wickets fell around him. But on 77 from 62 balls he fell to James Anderson when he tried to force a ball from outside off through the leg-side gap but top-edged a catch to cover.From there, Australia were going to be lucky to last the day. Their luck turned slightly, as Nevill and Johnson showed some fight and held off England for 18 overs. Most worryingly for England, during that partnership they lost Anderson to a side injury sustained when he was bowling to Johnson. Although the extent of the injury was not yet known, it was a concern for the rest of the series.On 14, Johnson gave Finn his five-for when he miscued a swat to leg and was caught at backward point, but there were no more wickets and the match was destined to trickle into day three. After 13 wickets on day one and 14 on day two, it defied belief that Australia could hold off England for very long when they return on Friday.And yet the day had started so well for them. In the second over Johnson banged in a fearsome bouncer that Jonny Bairstow could only glove through to Nevill for 5. That made Johnson the fifth Australian to reach the 300-wicket milestone in Tests, and it was only two balls before he made it 301. Much like Ronald Reagan, Stokes forgot to duck, or didn’t have time to, and another brutal bumper kissed his gloves through to Nevill.At the other end, Joe Root continued to score with apparent ease, and brought up his half-century from his 49th delivery with a pull off Mitchell Starc. Scoring off Starc wasn’t exactly difficult though. He was about as accurate as a horoscope. Balls were sprayed down leg and wide of off, byes and wides were gifted. But even a horoscope flukes a hit occasionally, and a full, wide ball from Starc was edged to slip by Root for 63.Nathan Lyon struck in the first over of a spell for the third time in the innings when he trapped Buttler lbw for a laboured 9, but he was unable to add to his three-wicket tally despite causing Moeen some headaches before lunch. After the break, Moeen played his natural, carefree style and found boundaries all around the ground on the way to a brisk 59.Josh Hazlewood got rid of Moeen and Broad, and Starc finished the innings by having Anderson caught behind, but England’s 281 was more than double what Australia had managed in the first innings. Finn carried on their good work, and by stumps a 2-1 lead to England seemed inevitable.

New Zealand Women take lead in two-match series

New Zealand Women beat Australia Women by six wickets with two balls to spare in the first Twenty20 match of the series in Melbourne on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2013
ScorecardEllyse Perry took two crucial wickets, but it couldn’t prevent defeat for Australia•Getty Images

New Zealand Women beat Australia Women by six wickets with two balls to spare in the first Twenty20 match of the series in Melbourne on Tuesday. The two sides will play the second match of the series later in the day.Captain Suzie Bates led the New Zealand team’s chase of 151, with an important knock of 42. Bates and Sophie Devine set the foundation for a New Zealand win, adding 67 runs for the third wicket, before Frances Mackay and Nicola Browne took their side past the target with an unbeaten fifth-wicket stand of 54.Earlier, Australia managed to score a respectable 7 for 151 after they were reduced to 3 for 15. Left-arm spinner Morna Nielsen and medium-pacer Lea Tahuhu struck early to dismiss Jess Cameron and Lisa Sthalekar in quick succession after opener Alyssa Healy was run out in the first over.The Australia innings recovered following a 75-run partnership between Meg Lanning, who top scored with 76, and Alexandra Blackwell for the fourth wicket. However, Australia again lost a flurry of wickets towards the end of their innings that limited them to 151.

A chance to test squad strengths

ESPNcricinfo previews the fifth ODI between India and West Indies in Chennai

The Preview by Dustin Silgardo10-Dec-2011

Match facts

India v West Indies, December 11, Chennai
Start time 1430 (0900 GMT)Rahul Sharma should enjoy the Chepauk pitch•AFP

Big Picture

Virender Sehwag’s record-breaking double-century in Indore could have one of two effects on Sunday’s match in Chennai. Either fans will still be abuzz with the euphoria that surrounded the feat and turn up hoping for a reprise, or they will believe the zenith of the series has already been reached, and with the result decided as well will struggle to find meaning in the dead rubber.For the India team, though, the match does hold some significance. Injuries to Praveen Kumar and now Varun Aaron, mean Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun will both be on the plane to Australia for the Test series. In Indore, the pair bowled just eight overs between them and were taken for 71 runs, hardly the kind of form you’d want two of your seamers going to Australia in. On a Chennai pitch that has been slow and low through the year, and offered nothing for the quicks, it will be a test of both their mettle to see if they can at least get through a full quota of overs and take some confidence into the big tour of Australia.After the thrashing in Indore, one could forgive the West Indies players if their minds were already on the plane back home. But Darren Sammy’s side have repeatedly shown fight on this tour, highlighted by their performance in the third Test in Mumbai. Through the one-day series so far, West Indies have put on more runs for the last five wickets than the first five and they will believe that if the top order can come good, they can get a total that will challenge India.

Form guide

India WLWWW (Most recent first)
West Indies LWLLL

In the spotlight

There had been a bit of mystery surrounding the logic behind having Rahul Sharma in the India squad for two one-day series and a Test series without giving him a game. In Indore, there was some vindication for the selectors, who had picked Rahul Sharma despite the fact that he has only played 10 first-class games. He impressed with his ability to turn the ball even with a flat trajectory and his variations in pace, and struck three times in his first three overs. The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium has kept low and will be conducive to Rahul Sharma’s skiddy topspinner.Marlon Samuels has got plenty of starts on this tour of India, but is yet to score a century since returning to international cricket after a two-year ban. His only previous ODI in Chennai was in 2007, when he scored 98 and helped West Indies win. As the most experienced batsmen in the ODI team, he will be the one West Indies rely on to turn the form of the top order around.

Pitch and conditions

Rain is always a possibility in Chennai at this time of year. While thundershowers are expected through most of next week, the forecast says Sunday will be sunny.The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium has played low and slow all year. During the World Cup, it was the most difficult of all the Indian pitches to bat on. West Indies were bowled out for 188 in their group game against India in Chennai, with spinners taking six of the ten wickets. The pitch has also produced low-scoring encounters through the IPL and Champions League Twenty20, and it could be a hard grind for the batsmen against spin on Sunday.

Team news

With the series already in the bag, India could experiment with their line-up on Sunday. Irfan Pathan will expect to be given a game but it will be difficult deciding who to leave out as Vinay and Mithun are both headed to Australia and the selectors may want to give them game time. Rahul Sharma deserves another chance after his impressive debut and R Ashwin is the local lad. Irfan could be slotted in as an allrounder, with Ravindra Jadeja being rested. Ajinkya Rahane and Manoj Tiwary are part of the squad without getting a game so far this series. Perhaps one of them could be given a chance in the dead rubber, with one of the middle-order batsmen rested.India (probable): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag (capt), 3 Ajinkya Rahane/Manoj Tiwary, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Parthiv Patel (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja/ Irfan Pathan, 8 R Ashwin, 9 R Vinay Kumar, 10 Abhimanyu Mithun, 11 Rahul SharmaDarren Bravo missed the fourth ODI with a hamstring injury and it is not certain whether he will be fit for Sunday’s game. Whether or not he returns, Danza Hyatt must surely make way after scoring just 62 runs in four innings in the series. Adrian Barath could replace Hyatt if Bravo does not play. Given the nature of the pitch, West Indies may opt to play two spinners, and bring Anthony Martin in for Kermar Roach.West Indies (probable): 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Adrian Barath/ Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Andre Russell 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Kemar Roach/ Anthony Martin, 11 Sunil Narine

Stats and trivia

  • Virender Sehwag has never scored back-to-back centuries in ODIs. Seven of his 15 one-day hundreds have been succeeded by single-digit scores.
  • Out of the four ODIs played at Chepauk this year, three have been won by the side batting first. The average second-innings total in matches that the team chasing lost is 193.

    Quotes

    “I have been interacting with Eric Simmons [the India bowling coach] regarding variations and that has helped me a lot. I am also learning a lot while playing alongside Ashwin. It looks like a turning track. I would definitely like to do well again and ensure a 4-1 series victory for us.”

Poor batting on day one cost us – Vettori

New Zealand’s poor batting display on the first day of the third and deciding Test cost them the match, according to Daniel Vettori

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2010On New Zealand’s 1999 tour of India, the heat, the noise and the crowds had all started to take their toll on the visitors. In the second Test, Rahul Dravid was further adding to their woes by doing what he does best – batting long. As former New Zealand fast bowler Dion Nash tells it, a butterfly suddenly landed in the middle of the pitch, and Dravid pulled away from the strike. While the rest of the players watched in “collective horror”, Adam Parore stormed down the pitch and stomped on the insect. Dravid turned around and said loudly, “Oh no, he has kicked the butterfly, that’s bad luck for you guys”. It was indeed, for New Zealand went to suffer a big loss. The frustration of a typical Indian tour had had its effect on Parore.This time around, there has been anything but frustration in New Zealand’s camp heading in to the third Test. They even threatened to win the first Test, and comfortably drew the second. But just when everyone had forgotten the whitewash in Bangladesh that preceded this tour, they collapsed in this Test. India were allowed to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, admittedly with a little bit of help from the umpires.New Zealand’s performance today wasn’t all that surprising. The ball turned and bounced, and with two umpiring howlers going against them, they didn’t have much of a chance to save the game. It was their batting debacle on the first day on a true surface that was the real surprise, especially since it followed their creditable batting performances in the first two Tests, albeit on flat tracks.”I can only look at the overall performance and say it was poor in this Test as compared to the first two Tests,” Daniel Vettori said. “We were exceptional then because we grinded it out and put in good performances. In this part of the world, the first-innings runs keep you in the game, and then it’s up to your bowling attack to take wickets but that didn’t happen here. I think after winning the toss, scoring just 193 put us under a lot of pressure.”We might never know whether it was because New Zealand play better when they are the underdogs, which they were in the first two Tests, and stumbled here because they went in with higher expectations, or whether Brendon McCullum’s last-minute injury completely unsettled the team. The second day was the best for batting on this pitch, and their bowlers couldn’t make much headway. Their chance came on the third day morning; the ball was still hard and they removed Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, and Suresh Raina, but Vettori was left to rue their inability to dislodge the pair of Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni.”We bowled so well and took three wickets but couldn’t capitalise on that. Dhoni and Dravid played exceptionally well. There were lots of niggles for us but I think India showed us how to bat, especially in this Test.”Their fight evaporated after the 193-run stand between Dravid and Dhoni. In the first Test at Ahmedabad, after a hard day’s work when New Zealand had fought hard to push India on to the back foot, Sreesanth came to meet the press. After giving credit to the opposition, he couldn’t help himself, saying “Let’s see how they play on a proper turning track. I think they will struggle”.Today, they did exactly that, and collapsed in a heap. “Any time you lose, you surrender too early,” Vettori said. “We knew we had to be positive this morning but couple of dismissals… There was a period where India bowled well but once you get through the new [hard] ball, it’s a wicket where you can bat on for a long time. We are disappointed with our performance.”On the eve of the game, Vettori had said that they would be judged on how they performed in the final Test. India were without their best bowler Zaheer Khan and New Zealand had won the toss, but everything went pear-shaped from then on. “A loss is a loss. It should hurt us as much no matter the situation. To win the toss we were pretty happy with that. If we had gone through that period- just 58 overs were bowled – and come in the next morning, which was the best day to bat as India proved, but we made things difficult the way we batted on the first day.”

Samaraweera, Perera take Sri Lanka to second successive win

Rarely does a centurion get overshadowed in a match of middling scores. But though Thilan Samaraweera finished with an accomplished unbeaten 105, the headlines were stolen by Thissara Perera, who celebrated his third cap with a power-packed 15-ball 36

The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran05-Jan-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outThilan Samaraweera smashed 11 fours en route to his second ODI century•Associated Press

Rarely does a centurion get overshadowed in a match of middling scores. But though Thilan Samaraweera finished with an accomplished unbeaten 105, the headlines were stolen by Thissara Perera, who celebrated his third cap with a power-packed 15-ball 36. From needing 54 off 39 balls when he arrived at the crease, Sri Lanka romped home with two overs to spare, as India’s quest for yorkers merely resulted in one too many no-balls and full tosses. Chanaka Welegedara’s five-wicket haul had killed India’s batting momentum at crucial times, and with the dew playing such a factor in the evening, 279 was not quite enough.After taking Zaheer Khan through cover to get off the mark, Perera transformed the game in Ashish Nehra’s seventh over. He had been India’s best bowler, but Perera pierced the off-side cordon, flicked behind square and then nonchalantly hoicked the free hit for six in the same direction.
Samaraweera got to his hundred straight after, but was then more than content to watch the fun from the other end.Zaheer was then carved through the covers twice, as he made light of being struck in the ribs, and a meaty club through wide long-on finished off matters well ahead of time. Sri Lanka had been given a brisk start by the new opening pair of Upul Tharanga and Lahiru Thirimanne, the debutant who replaced Tillakaratne Dilshan, but once India conceded just 16 in the five overs of bowling Powerplay, the onus was very much on the old hands to see it home.Tharanga had set the tone with a casual loft for four off Zaheer, and then two then took 16 from an over that also featured wides down the leg side. With runs leaking, MS Dhoni gave the ball to Sreesanth, only for Thirimanne to reveal glimpses of his potential with three cracking drives through the covers. It was too good to last though. In Sreesanth’s next over, he got into a tangle trying to pull off the front foot and the ball ballooned to midwicket.Soon after, Harbhajan Singh was introduced and Tharanga chipped his fourth ball straight back. But Samaraweera came in and wrested the initiative with deft cuts and a paddle for four. And with Kumar Sangakkara unafraid to come down the pitch and chip over the infield, the innings quickly revived. By then the towels were out, and the Indian focus was as much on keeping the ball dry as it was on taking the wickets needed to win the game.Samaraweera was the primary aggressor, scooping Sreesanth for four in an over that cost 16, and Sri Lanka were cruising when Sangakkara, who had eased to 60, stepped out and lofted Harbhajan Singh straight to cover. Thilina Kandamby then top-edged a wild swipe to midwicket and when Suraj Randiv backed up too far, they were in trouble. Perera, though, ensured that India would get no reprieve.Earlier, Yuvraj Singh had marked his return to the XI with 74 from 84 balls, while Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja all contributed decent cameos after Virender Sehwag had played a typically effervescent hand. He cruised to 47 from 30 balls before playing too early at one bowled with fingers rolled across the seam from round the wicket, and after his exit, India had to build steadily on a surface where the ball didn’t always come on to the bat.Sehwag had announced his intentions from the outset, off-driving Welegedara for four, but there was an early setback for the Indians as he sneaked a yorker underneath Gautam Gambhir’s bat and on to the base of leg stump. With Sehwag taking Suranga Lakmal for three fours in an over, and Virat Kohli playing a lovely straight drive, the 50 of the innings came in just the seventh over. The game changed, though, in the space of two eventful overs from Welegedara.Sehwag had scythed two off-side fours and been caught behind off a no-ball by the time Kohli tried too cute a deflection to a ball pitched outside off stump. Having conceded 18 in that over, Welegedara came back in the next to have Sehwag caught at mid-off by Thirimanne. India had taken 76 from the first Powerplay, but only 13 came from the bowling one as the bowlers kept a leash on the new batsmen. Both Yuvraj and Dhoni clipped boundaries through point, but with Randiv getting pretty sharp turn, and Kandamby filling in with part-time spin, the runs were no longer coming at Sehwag pace.When Muthumudalige Pushpakumara went off injured after a dive in the outfield, Sangakkara had to turn to his occasional bowlers, and Yuvraj quickly cashed in, pulling Samaraweera for four and then heaving Kandamby for two consecutive sixes to reach his half-century. At that point,
Perara, deputising for Chamara Silva, was called on, and Dhoni’s attempt to force the issue only found Sangakkara’s gloves. Soon after, he induced a miscued pull from Yuvraj, and by the time the batting Powerplay was taken after 43 overs, there were only 225 on the board.They took 14 from the first of those overs, bowled by Welegedara, but with Jadeja going four-six-four-four against Thilan Thushara, the innings finally had some energy. But back came Sri Lanka again, with Welegedara castling Raina and Zaheer, and Harbhajan playing a hideous stroke to point. By the time Jadeja holed out in the final over, all hopes of 300
had long since disappeared, leaving Sri Lanka with a chase that they timed to perfection.