Sri Lanka attacked from every corner, with seam and spin, to strangle and harass Zimbabwe who just about managed to get past 100. And Tillakaratne Dilshan helped them polish off the target without any trouble

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera01-Jun-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outHamilton Masakadza fought a lone battle for Zimbabwe•AFP

“Frankly today we were rubbish,” said Zimbabwe’s new coach Alan Butcher. And he was right. It was a one-way street in Bulawayo. Only Hamilton Masakadza turned up for Zimbabwe. Sri Lanka attacked from every corner, with spin and seam, to strangle and harass the hosts who just about managed to get past 100. Only Masakadza managed to successfully combine aggressive intent with the required skill that the rain-reduced 26-over game demanded of the batsmen. It was Sri Lanka, led by Ajantha Mendis, who called all the shots and Tillakaratne Dilshan ensured they earned a bonus point and took the top spot with a breezy knock.Mendis bamboozled with his mystery against a team he’s had much success with – 18 wickets from six games before this. Suraj Randiv troubled with his accuracy and Jeevan Mendis, the debutant leg-spinning allrounder, picked up a couple of wickets. Not that the seamers didn’t sparkle.Nuwan Kulasekara turned in an asphyxiating spell with the new ball with figures that read 3-0-7-0 and Dilhara Fernando, as ever, extracted bounce from short of a length to produce an equally tight spell. And it was Fernando who started the demolition job by removing Brendon Taylor.The nature of Taylor’s dismissal set the tone for Zimbabwe today: He stumbled out to the leg side, almost like a tailender, to a short-of-length delivery and had a lame fatal poke at it. It highlighted the urge to attack that the reduced game demanded of the hosts, but also perfectly caught the confusion in the mind of the way to go about it.Zimbabwe also faltered in their strategy. Why was Greg Lamb, a batsman with a strike rate of about 41, sent in at No.3 in a 26-over game? The pitch wasn’t so bad that they needed to stitch one end up. Lamb crawled to a 19-ball 10 which was neither here nor there and only piled pressure on Masakadza.Craig Ervine’s struggles against spin further hurt Zimbabwe. He could only eke out three runs from 18 deliveries of spin from the combination of Ajantha Mendis and Randiv. He couldn’t pick Ajantha Mendis’ variations and couldn’t break free against Randiv’s accuracy. Ajantha Mendis swallowed both Lamb and Ervine and Randiv lured Charles Coventry to hole out to the deep. And more trouble lay around the corner for Zimbabwe as they lost Elton Chigumbura , inside-edging a short delivery from Jeevan Mendis on to his stumps.Watching all the damage unfold was Masakadza. It was he who hit the first boundary with a disdainful pull in the fourth over against Fernando. It was he who hit the first six in an over where he threatened to turn things around for Zimbabwe. He went after Thissara Perera in the eighth over, thrashing him for a four past mid-off and unfurling an imperiously-pulled six to loot 17 runs. However, he too slowed down after that frenetic over. It took him a further 38 deliveries to hit his next boundary, the self-restraint no doubt caused by the alarming rate at which the wickets fell. In the end, he was the ninth wicket to fall when he top-edged a bouncer from Fernando and Zimbabwe soon crashed out for 118.Zimbabwe needed a great start if they were to pull off an unlikely heist. However, Chris Mpofu went for 14 runs in the third over as Upul Tharanga pinged the point boundary for three fours and Sri Lanka seized all momentum. Though Tharanga was run out later, Tillakaratne Dilshan, who had played a watchful, but a good knock against India in the previous game, hastened the end with an aggressive innings. He lofted Prosper Utseya for a six and a four, slog-swept Lamb to the ropes and cut Chigumbura for more boundaries. The chase was over in a blink.

Alfonso Thomas took three wickets for the sixth successive Friends Provident t20 match as Somerset beat Glamorgan by six wickets at Taunton

29-Jun-2010
ScorecardAlfonso Thomas took three wickets for the sixth successive Friends Provident t20 match as Somerset beat Glamorgan by six wickets at Taunton. The most successful bowler in the competition claimed 3 for 11 from four overs as the visitors were bowled out for 138, Mark Cosgrove (75) playing virtually a lone hand with the bat as Murali Kartik took 3 for 18.Somerset reached their target with eight balls to spare, James Hildreth making 45 and Nick Compton 40. Robert Croft was the pick of the Dragons bowlers with 1 for 17 from his four overs. The pivotal over of the game was the 15th of the Somerset innings bowled by Chris Ashling, who had Compton stumped and then Zander de Bruyn badly dropped by wicketkeeper Mark Wallace off a skyer.A single was taken while the ball was in the air and Kieron Pollard then hit Ashling for three mighty sixes off successive deliveries. Although Pollard fell in the next over for 19 off eight balls, his assault had helped reduce the required rate to a run a ball and the pressure which had been growing on Somerset was released.Earlier, Cosgrove had struggled to time the ball throughout his innings but still hit nine fours and two sixes in remaining at the crease until the final over. He had absolutely no support, wickets tumbling regularly at the other end from the fourth ball of the match which saw Jim Allenby miscue a pull shot off Thomas to Mark Turner at mid-on.Tom Maynard flattered to deceive with three fours in his 14, while skipper Jamie Dalrymple was the only other Dragons player to reach double figures in good batting conditions. Kartik destroyed the middle order, sending back David Brown, Gareth Rees and Mark Wallace, who between them scored seven runs. The Indian left-arm spinner employed good variation and got the odd ball to turn.Cosgrove was unusually content to dab and push a lot of his runs, taking 41 balls over his half-century and finally cutting loose in the 18th over with four and six off successive deliveries from Pollard. He eventually holed out at long-on off the West Indian all-rounder. Thomas’ wickets took his tally in the competition to 22 at an average of 10.09.

England Lions continued their unbeaten run to win the A team tri-series in Worcester, beating India A by five wickets in a big chase

Cricinfo staff08-Jul-2010
Scorecard
Andrew Gale top scored with 90 in England Lions’ title win•Getty Images

England Lions continued their unbeaten run to win the tri-series in Worcester, beating India A by five wickets in a big chase. There were five half-centurions in a high-scoring encounter, but the two that stood out were Andrew Gale, who top scored with 90, and Darren Stevens, who smashed 68 off 53 balls to help seal victory with eight balls to spare.England’s decision to field seemed to backfire when openers Abhinav Mukund and Shikhar Dhawan delivered an attacking start by adding 68 in under ten overs. However, from there on, England, led by left-arm spinner Stephen Parry’s three-for on his Lions debut, kept India in check with timely breakthroughs, ensuring no partnership went past the 50-mark.Cheteshwar Pujara, who finished as the tournament’s highest run-getter, anchored the Indian innings with a knock of 87 off 89 balls, containing just six boundaries (four fours and two sixes). With some assistance from the lower order, he helped India post a competitive 278, but his bowlers failed in their defence.England lost captain Alastair Cook, returning after missing three games to a back problem, in the second over but recovered well. Opener Steven Davies struck 55, and added 76 for the second wicket with Gale. While India’s batsmen struggled to build partnerships, England showed no such difficulty.Gale received excellent support from Ravi Bopara in a stand of 68, followed by 71 more with Stevens, whose innings was laced with nine fours and a six. Gale fell in the 42nd over, but Stevens kept England ahead of the required rate and when he was dismissed with the score on 260 the rest just had to hold their nerve. James Taylor did just that in his unbeaten 19 and completed the formalities in the penultimate over.”This has been a really worthwhile series,” Cook said. “The most pleasing things is that every player has contributed at some stage over the series and helped us win. It’s a good opportunity particularly for the younger players to test themselves in this sort of tournament and to see how they measure up against touring sides.”

Eoin Morgan scored 58 in his first County Championship appearance of the
season for Middlesex but Sussex are 211 runs ahead at 109 for 5 in their
second innings and remain in control of the Division Two top-versus-bottom match
at Uxbridge

23-Jul-2010
Scorecard
Eoin Morgan made a positive 58 but could not make Sussex pay with more•PA Photos

Eoin Morgan scored 58 in his first County Championship appearance of the
season for Middlesex but Sussex are 211 runs ahead at 109 for 5 in their
second innings and remain in control of the Division Two top-versus-bottom match
at Uxbridge.Morgan’s innings was the highlight of Middlesex’s 350 all out, but he was
bowled just before lunch attempting to pull a quicker ball from off spinner
Ollie Rayner that also seemed to scuttle through a little low.It was a disappointing end to a bright 85-ball knock from 23-year-old Morgan,
whose first scoring shot was a lofted on-drive for six off Monty Panesar and who
later also hit Rayner down the ground for a second six to go with his six
fours.England’s Irishman is expecting to be named on Sunday in the squad for the
opening Test against Pakistan at Trent Bridge, which starts next Thursday, but
first he might have to play another significant innings for his county if
Middlesex are to prevent second division leaders Sussex from gaining victory on
the final day.At the close of day three Sussex were in sight of building a potentially
match-winning lead, despite some effective new-ball bowling from Steven Finn and
Toby Roland-Jones, who took over the mantle when Iain O’Brien limped off the
field with a leg injury.Finn, indeed, opened the innings with a marathon 16-over spell – four before
tea and twelve more afterwards – and was fiery enough throughout to suggest that
his fitness for next week’s first Test is not in any doubt at all.Corey Collymore was Sussex’s best bowler as they worked their way steadily
through the Middlesex batting order following the home side’s resumption on 127
for 2.John Simpson did not add to his overnight 58 before being well held by a diving
Rayner at second slip off Collymore, but Morgan and Dawid Malan then put on an
attractive stand of 103 until Panesar bowled Malan through an over-ambitious
slog-sweep.Neil Dexter and Gareth Berg held up Sussex for a while, but Berg was bowled by
medium-pacer Michael Thornely and then Collymore and Lewis Hatchett cleaned up
the innings with the second new ball.Dexter edged Collymore to second slip, Shaun Udal was caught at the wicket to
give impressive left-armer Hatchett his maiden Championship wicket, Roland-Jones
had his off stump removed by Collymore and Finn was castled by Hatchett.That earned Sussex a first-innings lead of 102, but if they thought they would
romp away from Middlesex with the bat in the final session then they reckoned
without the fine combined effort of Finn and Roland-Jones.From 36 without loss at tea, Sussex lost four wickets for 29 runs as both Chris
Nash and Ed Joyce fell to a pumped-up Finn after Mike Yardy had played on to
Roland-Jones, who then sent back Matt Prior cheaply even though the England Test
wicketkeeper looked baffled to be given out caught behind the stumps.Murray Goodwin hit 35, and added a hard-fought 40 for the fifth wicket with
Thornely, before being trapped lbw by Middlesex captain Dexter.

An unbeaten 92 from Middlesex captain Neil Dexter frustrated Derbyshire hopes of chasing down victory on the final day of their County Championship Division Two match at the County Ground

28-Aug-2010
ScorecardAn unbeaten 92 from Middlesex captain Neil Dexter frustrated Derbyshire hopes of chasing down victory on the final day of their County Championship Division Two match at the County Ground. By the time Dexter chose to declare his side’s second innings at 221 for 7 half an hour after lunch, bottom-of-the-table Derbyshire were left needing an unlikely 303 to win in 53 overs.
Chris Rogers led the Derbyshire charge after tea with 96 but the home side fell well short at 189 for 6 as the contest finished in a draw.The clatter of 21 wickets on the previous day breathed life back into a match that had lost four full sessions to the weather but Derbyshire needed to quickly wrap up the Middlesex second innings on the final morning to stay in with a realistic chance of snapping a winless streak stretching back to late April.They did break through in the sixth over of the day when Gareth Berg was caught by wicketkeeper Steve Adshead off Steffan Jones to make it 98 for 5 – but Dexter proved far tougher to shift. He did lose another partner before lunch, when Tom Smith was bowled by left-arm spinner Robin Peterson for 33, but by then the Middlesex lead overall was 258 and time was against Derbyshire.With his primary concern to allow Derbyshire little hope of winning the game and so increase his side’s chances of avoiding the wooden spoon, Dexter stretched that lead beyond 300 but resisted the temptation to push on for his own century. He left the field having struck 10 fours and a six and having made virtually sure that Middlesex would go home with at least a draw.Derbyshire laid a solid base at 56 for nought when a shower forced an early tea, though Wayne Madsen was dropped on one by substitute fielder Dan Housego at point at the beginning of the second over.Rogers, his side’s top scorer with 75 in the first innings, was the main cause of concern for Middlesex again as Derbyshire came out after tea to chance their arm. The openers pushed their stand on to 131 before Madsen skied a sweep at the bowling of veteran spinner Shaun Udal and was caught at midwicket by Owais Shah for 41.That was to prove the end of the Derbyshire challenge and after Rogers was caught behind reaching for a bouncer from Toby Roland-Jones at 156 for 4, two more quick wickets meant a Middlesex victory could not be ruled out. Peterson and Adshead saw out the remaining 13 overs but Middlesex finished the happier of the two counties.

Pakistan’s one-day captain, Shahid Afridi, has issued a public apology on behalf of the three players suspended by the ICC

Cricinfo staff04-Sep-2010Pakistan’s one-day captain, Shahid Afridi, has issued a public apology on behalf of the three players suspended by the ICC after allegations of spot-fixing during the fourth Test at Lord’s. Speaking to the press after the visiting team’s training session ahead of the first Twenty20 against England in Cardiff, Afridi also distanced himself from the events of the last week and insisted that his team were focused on the remaining games of their tour.”I think it is very bad news,” said Afridi. “On behalf of these players – I know they are not in this series – but on behalf of these boys I want to say sorry to all cricket lovers and all the cricketing nations.”Afridi also revealed that Mazhar Majeed – the man alleged to be at the centre of the spot-fixing scandal – had accompanied the team on various tours in the past. “This guy has been travelling with the guys in the West Indies and in Australia,” he said. “I saw him on the tours. I didn’t know anything about this.Afridi, who took no part in Pakistan’s Test series against England after stepping down as Test captain after a 150-run loss to Australia at Lord’s earlier this summer also guaranteed that the limited-overs leg of Pakistan’s tour would continue despite any further revelations in the ongoing investigation into allegations of corruption in cricket.”I told the boys don’t read the newspapers tomorrow, just focus on cricket. I know the Pakistan people are very upset. We all love cricket. As a team all we can do is to play good, aggressive cricket and maybe when we go back home the things will settle down. It is a big challenge for me as a captain but I think we are all ready and focused.”Myself and the coach have already told the boys: ‘Don’t talk about this issue, we are here to play cricket.’ It is none of our business and we are here to play cricket. The boys know that. They want to win and motivate themselves – and as a captain, that is what I want.”

Ryan Sidebottom is on his way back to Headingley after signing a three-year deal with Yorkshire

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2010Ryan Sidebottom is on his way back to Headingley after signing a three-year deal with Yorkshire.Sidebotoom, 32, left Yorkshire in 2004 when he moved to Nottinghamshire where he was a key part of their Championship winning sides in 2005 and 2010. In that time he also enjoyed a resurgent international career after playing a single, wicketless Test against Pakistan in 2001.He announced his retirement from international cricket at the end of the 2010 season after a series of injury problems and made clear his intentions to leave Nottinghamshire after being unable to agree terms with the club. Though money was not a concern, Sidebottom wanted the security of a three-year contract while Nottinghamshire were only willing to offer a full two-year deal.It is a significant loss for Nottinghamshire after Sidebottom took 27 wickets at 21.55 from his eight first-class games this season. In the dramatic conclusion to Nottinghamshire’s successful Championship season Sidebottom played a crucial role edging Nottinghamshire beyond 400 to secure a final bonus point, before claiming the wicket of Karl Brown to help the county take the crown.Yet for Yorkshire, who almost pipped Nottinghamshire to the title, it is a major boon to have a senior paceman at the club. Sidebottom fits into the policy at the club of trying to build a predominantly Yorkshire-born team and offers both experience and stability, after a season where Yorkshire’s new-ball pair, Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad, were both involved with the England side.”I have enjoyed my time at Trent Bridge and with England enormously, but I’m a Yorkshire lad and the opportunity to return to Headingley Carnegie to end my career was something I couldn’t ignore,” said Sidebottom. “The Yorkshire side has some real quality and under Martyn Moxon and Andrew Gale made real strides forward. I want to give the county everything I can over the next three years and if we can reward the Yorkshire public with a trophy or two that would be fantastic.”Martyn Moxon, the Yorkshire coach, echoed the excitement and sees Sidebottom playing an important role in developing fast-bowing talent at the club. “I am delighted that Ryan has chosen Yorkshire ahead of many other interested counties,” he said.”I think that proves Ryan’s Yorkshire pride in that he wants to return to Headingley Carnegie in 2011 and add his experience and talent to our bowling attack. He provides us with proven consistency and wicket-taking ability at county level and will provide Andrew Gale with a senior bowler of real quality to turn to next season.”

Manoj Badale, co-owner of Rajasthan Royals, has said he doesn’t understand why the board did not give the IPL franchise a chance to defend itself

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2010Manoj Badale, co-owner of Rajasthan Royals, has said the team has provided the BCCI and the government with all the information they had asked for but was not given a chance to defend itself before being expelled from the league.”That seems to us at least unfair,” he told the news channel . “It seems surprising to us that these issues, all of which were communicated, all of which were documented for the past three years, are suddenly brought up when there is regime change as opposed to being brought up in time.”Badale said he met with BCCI president Shashank Manohar last week and was told the team would be treated fairly. He did not reveal any other details of the meeting, however, saying it was a private conversation and not something he wanted to discuss with the media.While the franchise issued a statement in the wake of the announcement saying it would be considering legal action, Badale told another news channel, , that in his experience these things get resolved around a table, and it is only if negotiations fail that legal action will be considered. He also defended his franchise’s record of transparency.

The ripple effects

The ramifications of the case go far beyond these two franchises. Rajasthan had close ties with the English county side Hampshire, who on Monday issued a statement clarifying that no final deal had been signed as yet. The ties with Hampshire were part of a four-nation “global sporting franchise” planned by Rajasthan, but the plans are now presumably on hold.

“We voluntarily chose to submit an enormous document with the Foreign Investment Promotion Board back in July 2009, which went into extraordinary detail about our ownership structure.”The IPL governing council ejected Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab from the league this past Sunday on charges of transgression of shareholding and ownership norms that threatened to “shake the very foundation of the tender process”.The two franchises are now considering their options. A statement from Rajasthan Royals hinted at legal redress without explicitly mentioning it. The Punjab franchise said its legal team was studying the BCCI’s decision, which it also called unfair and not in the IPL’s collaborative spirit, and hoped for negotiations to settle the issue.

A round-up of the first day of the second round of matches in the Plate League of the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2010Group AHyderabad bounced back from their mauling against Rajasthan in dominate the first day against Jharkhand at the International Cricket Stadium Complex in Ranchi, having bowled the hosts out for 200 before ending the day at 50 for 0. Jharkhand chose to bat, but only Saurabh Tiwary (45) and Shiv Gautam (48) managed to make any impact, the pair adding 83 for the fifth wicket. It was only because the visitors conceded 40 extras that Jharkhand were even able to get to 200. Alfred Absolem, Vishal Sharma and Pagadala Naidu were among the wickets, while two dismissals came through run outs.Deepak Chahar was among the wickets again as Rajasthan knocked over Goa for 216 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Chahar followed up his record-making debut with 4 for 67, and fellow new-ball bowler Pankaj Singh took 5 for 58, to give Rajasthan the upper hand. Chahar struck early once again, when he bowled Advait Katkar for 2. Pankaj then got rid of Goa captain Sagun Kamat, getting him to nick one behind for 25. The middle-order trio of Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan, Ajay Ratra and Rahul Keni all got starts, but none of them were able to extend their innings, with Keni’s 40 being the best of the bunch. Vidyut and Keni fell to Pankaj, while Chahar dismissed Ratra, as Goa slipped to 141 for 5 and then 183 for 9. It took a 33-run partnership for the last wicket between Robin D’Souza and Harshad Gadekar to carry them past 200. In reply, Rajasthan were 48 for the loss of Aakash Chopra’s early wicket.Tripura laboured to 218 for 6 against Madhya Pradesh at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. Yogesh Takawale faced 18 deliveries before departing without scoring to leave Tripura 0 for 1. Rajib Saha and Biswajit Dey then took the score to 70 before Dey was dismissed by seamer Devendra Bundela. Saha completed his half-century but was snapped up soon after by Bundela for a well-made 53. Rajesh Banik and Nishit Shetty then added 52 before Shetty’s departure triggered a mini-collapse in which Tripura lost three wickets for 27 runs. Captain Rajib Dutta and Timir Chandra then played out the rest of the rest of the day, putting on 44 together. Bundela was the pick of the bowlers, taking 3 for 31 from 16.5 overs.Group BKerala‘s bowlers ran through Jammu & Kashmir, bundling them out for 173, and vindicating their decision to bowl first at the Perintalmanna Cricket Stadium in Malappuram. Prasanth Parameswaran did the early damage, removing Ian Dev Singh and Arshad Bhatt, both of whom failed to trouble the scorers, to reduce the visitors to 4 for 2. A 66-run partnership between Asif Jeelani and Javed Ahmad steadied the innings somewhat, but three quick wickets had J&K reeling at 80 for 5. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, and it took a 44-run stand between Abid Nabi and No. 10 Sameer Khajuria to take the visitors to 173. Parameswaran was the most successful bowler, taking 4 for 55. In reply, Kerala had moved to 19 for 0 by stumps.Suraj Yadav’s second career five-wicket haul helped Services bowl Andhra Pradesh out for 223 at the Rural Development Trust Stadium in Anantapur. The visitors won the toss and chose to field, and Yadav struck early, bowling Prasad Reddy for 15. Hemal Watekar and Satyakumar Varma took AP to 81 before Amrinder Singh dismissed Watekar for 48 from 77 balls, with seven fours. Varma was the next to go, caught off the bowling of Nishan Singh for 33. Five overs later, Yadav took two wickets in two balls, to leave AP struggling at 131 for 5, and the home side needed a 49-run stand between Manoj Sai and AG Pradeep for the seventh-wicket to give their score some degree of respectability. At stumps, Services were 23 for 1, having lost Pratik Desai for a duck.Only 13 overs were possible in the game between Maharashtra and Vidarbha at the Golf Club Ground, but it was enough time for the hosts to reduce Vidharba to 42 for 3. Shrikant Mundhe caught opposing captain Akshay Kolhar (0) in front of the stumps before Samad Fallah had Amit Paunikar caught for 12. Mundhe picked up the victim of Amit Deshpande (6) as well, to leave the vistors stuttering at 24 for 3, before Alind Naidu and Azhar Sheikh shepherded them to stumps.

ESPNcricinfo previews the first ODI between India and New Zealand in Guwahati

The Preview by Sriram Veera27-Nov-2010

Match Facts

Sunday, November 28

Start time 08.30 (03.00 GMT)
The five-match series will be the last chance for both teams to test themselves in the subcontinent before the World Cup•AFP

The Big Picture

This is the last opportunity for the two teams to play one-dayers in Indian conditions, before the World Cup. In that regard, this is an important series for them to get their combinations right, ahead of the big tournament.India’s stand-in captain, Gautam Gambhir, and Suresh Raina will want some runs for themselves, but it’s the comeback of Yusuf Pathan that will be closely monitored. He was touted to be the answer to India’s search for a big-hitting allrounder in the lower order in ODIs, but never quite managed to replicate his IPL success on the international stage. And later, even in the IPL, his weakness against short-pitched deliveries was exposed. He was released from the ODI squad and has now returned after scoring some big runs in the domestic circuit. All eyes will be on him as he could be a tremendous asset, considering the World Cup is in the subcontinent. But does he have the game to do it? This New Zealand series will let us know. It will also be an important series for R Ashwin, the offspinner.Usually, teams sport a settled side in Tests and experiment with young players in the ODI team. New Zealand does the opposite. Right from the John Bracewell-era they have been a better ODI outfit than a Test one and have an experienced squad for this series. Six of the seven replacements, that include the likes of Scott Styris, Daryl Tuffey, and Kyle Mills, are in their 30s. Jamie How, 29, who had a pretty decent outing in the Champions League held in South Africa in September, makes a comeback after nearly two years. New Zealand started the Test series short of confidence but ended it with enhanced reputations.

Form guide

(most recent first)
India: WLWLW
New Zealand: LLLLL

Watch out for…

Ross Taylor had a pretty average Test series. He got starts but rarely carried on. He has the game to turn it around quickly and he will be the key player in the middle-order in the absence of Jesse Ryder.Ashwin has impressed many with his performances in pressure situations in the IPLs. It was a puzzle why his IPL captain MS Dhoni hasn’t given him more breaks in the national team. Ashwin’s time seems to have come now. Can he capitalise? He has the carom-ball and several other variations, but does he have the discipline over his stock ball?

Pitch and conditions

This will be the last international game to be played at the Nehru Stadium in Guwahati as the Assam Cricket Association is building a new ground on the outskirts of the city, which will host all future international games. The curator Sunil Barua copped a lot of criticism after the last ODI played on the ground, when a dicey pitch let Australia dismiss India for 170. “This is the best wicket I’ve ever made. It will suit batting,” Barua said this week. “All I can say is it will be a lively and sporting wicket. There will be a good total if a team bats the full quota of overs.” Barua said that he had given the pitch a top-dressing with special clay collected from outside to ensure less wear and tear. Dew is likely to play a role as there will be an 8.30 am start.

Teams

James Franklin has replaced Jesse Ryder and Ashish Nehra, who cleared a fitness test, was brought in for Praveen Kumar, who is suffering from fever. There is a question mark over Brendon McCullum, though; though Vettori said he’d keep wickets if fit, the player himself, in a newspaper column, said his back was “not too good” and “it would be sensible to give Sunday’s game a miss”.New Zealand (probable): 1 Jamie How, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Kane Williamson, 7 Daniel Vettori (capt), 8 James Franklin/Nathan McCullum, 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Daryl Tuffey/Andy McKay
India (probable): 1 M Vijay, 2 Gautam Gambhir (capt), 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Yusuf Pathan 7 Saurabh Tiwary, 8 Wriddiman Saha (wk), 9 R Ashwin, 10 Vinay Kumar/Munaf Patel, 11 Ashish Nehra.

Stats and trivia

• Scott Styris is one of the seven New Zealand batsmen to have scored over 4000 runs in ODIs.
• New Zealand have won only six out of their 16 completed games in 2010, and have lost their last six consecutive games.
• Nehra averages 30.52 in the ODIs but does a lot better against New Zealand against whom he averages 22.47 from 16 games. His economy-rate too climbs down to 3.87 (his career rate is 5.12)

Quotes

“Honestly I’m not thinking about the World Cup at the moment. I don’t want to lose focus and don’t want to think much. The idea is to stay pressure-free. My job now is to perform in the first two matches.”