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Woakes returns in Warwickshire win

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Jonathan Trott made an unbeaten 41 in his last innings before returning to England duty as Warwickshire registered their second Clydesdale Bank 40 win

13-May-2012
ScorecardJonathan Trott made an unbeaten 41 in his last innings before returning to England duty as Warwickshire registered their second Clydesdale Bank 40 win of the season in quick time against Derbyshire at Edgbaston.Former Derbyshire captain Rikki Clarke took three wickets and held two catches in his old county’s demise for a lightweight 122 and Trott led Warwickshire to a nine-wicket wicket victory with 15.3 overs to spare.While the England batsman took no risks in his build-up to the Lord’s Test against West Indies on Thursday, his innings was played in the shadow of William Porterfield, who struck 10 fours and a six in making 81 not out from 80 balls.With their partnership up and running in the opening over after Varun Chopra’s second-ball dismissal by Tim Groenewald, the second-wicket pair had put on 124 when Trott finished the job with successive boundaries off Chesney Hughes.Warwickshire hit the right note from the outset as Chris Woakes took 2 for 20 in his first appearance since damaging ankle ligaments while fielding against Yorkshire in a pre-season T20 tournament in Barbados.Woakes immediately slipped into a good rhythm, claiming a wicket with his 10th delivery when Derbyshire dangerman Martin Guptill was lbw for 3 – a week after beginning his CB40 campaign with 125 against the Unicorns.Clarke made his initial contributions by holding a couple of slip catches, the first from Hughes in Chris Wright’s opening over and then to give Woakes another key wicket when Derbyshire captain Wayne Madsen went for a duck.Only Wes Durston – another century-maker against the Unicorns – made significant progress with 44 from 54 balls as Derbyshire lost half their side for 82.Taking advantage when Wright dropped sort of a length, he rattled the roof of the Hollies Stand, but Clarke struck with his first ball when Dan Redfern failed to clear Darren Maddy at deep square leg.Redfern’s innings included a bizarre sequence in which Warwickshire held catches off successive deliveries – but without taking a wicket. Redfern planted a no-ball from Keith Barker to Jeetan Patel at deep mid-wicket and, with the batsman crossing before the free hit, Durston drilled the next ball to Jim Troughton at mid-off.After hitting five fours and two sixes, Durston eventually made a tame exit as Troughton pulled down a head-high chance at mid-off for the first of three wickets for New Zealand off spinner Patel.With Clarke accounting for Ross Whiteley and Jon Clare in quick succession, Derbyshire failed to go beyond the 32nd over despite some late hitting by David Wainwright and Groenewald.

Narine replaces injured Roach

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Kemar Roach has been ruled out of the remainder of West Indies’ tour of England with a shin injury and been replaced by Sunil Narine

Andrew McGlashan30-May-2012Kemar Roach has been ruled out of the remainder of West Indies’ tour of England with a shin injury and Sunil Narine, the spinner who is uncapped at Test level, has been named as his replacement.Narine has just finished competing in the IPL* where he enjoyed considerable success for the winners, Kolkata Knight Riders, with 24 wickets at 13.50 and an economy rate of 5.47 from 15 matches. On hearing the news, an elated Narine said that he wants to be mentally and physically prepared for the task.”When I got the call for the Test series…words can’t explain how I felt at that moment. The dream was always to play Test cricket and I’m halfway there,” Narine said. “I did well in the West Indies and I did well in India, but the pitches and conditions in England are different, so as a bowler you have to take your time to get ready and prepared.”Narine has played eight ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals, while his first-class cricket he has 34 wickets from six matches at 11.88. Narine has caught the eye with a variety of deliveries to put him in the ‘mystery’ category of offspinner and was expected to be named in the squad for the one-day series against England.Roach, who has been West Indies’ stand-out pace bowler during the Test series, was diagnosed with the injury following the second Test at Trent Bridge which the visitors lost by nine wickets to give England the series. He has been carrying soreness during most of the tour – and has spent time off the field during both matches – and will now aim to be fit for the visit of New Zealand.West Indies coach Ottis Gibson admitted Roach was a major loss but said the decision was taken with a long-term view in mind. “We still have an awful lot of cricket to play this year and we did not want to risk losing as valuable a player as Kemar for a long period,” he said.”He has been outstanding with the ball for us so far this year and we are all gutted by his departure. Kemar made a lot of improvements, after enduring a tough time last year, and gave us some world-class performances during the series against Australia and here in England.”C.J. Clark, the West Indies physiotherapist, added: “Kemar has been carrying this soreness for the last two matches and in view of our upcoming schedule, we would like him to have the time to recover and prevent the onset of a more serious injury. It is always important to balance workload with the body’s ability to repair, and I think it judicious to protect Kemar at this time.”During the first two Tests Roach bowled 68 overs to take eight wickets at 34.25 although he bowled better than the average suggests. At Trent Bridge he roughed up Jonny Bairstow with a series of rapid bouncers before having him caught at mid-on off a leading edge. However, he also suffered major problems with no-balls and twice had Alastair Cook caught behind off illegal deliveries before recovering his rhythm on the third day.Roach is the second West Indies pace bowler to leave the tour following Shannon Gabriel’s withdrawal after making his debut at Lord’s. Gabriel was replaced by Tino Best who arrived shortly before the second Test.West Indies have a two-day tour match against Leicestershire, starting on Saturday, to prepare for the final Test at Edgbaston and Gibson said Best and Fidel Edwards, who played at Lord’s, will have a chance to stake a claim for a recall.”We believe that a very excited Tino and a fit-again Fidel will be able to provide us with the spark that we will miss from Roach’s absence,” he said. “We still have an awful lot for which to play in the final Test, and Tino and Fidel can give us the cutting edge to our bowling if they play.”* 06:30 GMT, May 31, 2012 The story has been edited to remove a reference that suggested Narine had opted to play in the IPL over concurrent international series. </small

Smith sets off on No. 1 mission

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South Africa depart for England determined to become the No. 1 Test side in the world

Firdose Moonda02-Jul-2012There’s a particular type of excitement which accompanies a departure. It may be hope for something better on the other side, curiosity of the unknown or anticipation to try something new. In the case of the South African team, the overriding feeling when they left Johannesburg on Monday was determination to complete a mission they have been building up to for months.Victory over England in the Test series will see South Africa ranked the No.1 Test side. It’s a position that has been within reach but out of their grasp, for almost as long as the rankings have been around. Briefly, South Africa touched the top, for four months in 2009 after their first successful tour to England since readmission. Graeme Smith hopes that this time they can repeat history and make it count for longer.”I don’t think we need much more motivation to beat England,” Smith said, at the team’s departure press conference. “We’ve come close to the top of the rankings for a period of time. We’re hoping this will be the year that we can take ourselves to the next level.”Some will argue that no team deserves it more than South Africa. They have proved themselves in all conditions, having not lost away from home since 2006 in Sri Lanka. At home, they overturned a three summer drought by beating Sri Lanka in January. They have the world’s top bowler, Dale Steyn, in their attack and even though they do not own the top-ranked batsman and allrounder (Jacques Kallis recently lost that spot to Shakib Al Hasan), they’ve regularly had players in the top 10.South Africa have been in this position before. They have left for World Cups with massive public pressure and a favourites tag only to return empty handed. Despite winning important Test series in places where few have left with anything besides bruised egos, like Australia, they have not been able to top the standings for any sustained amount of time. Now, they want it to be different.”We want to become the best cricket team in the world,” Gary Kirsten said, but quickly qualified that he kept that as nothing more than an end goal and was something that occupied his day-to-day planning. “What we need to do every day leading up to those performances is what’s important. We make sure we prepare as best we can to get our best chance of success.”To get ready for this tour, the squad will spend five days in Switzerland with adventurer Mike Horn. Instead of extra net sessions for players who have not been involved in the longest format of the game since March, Kirsten has decided to concentrate on human dynamics. The camp will include activities cricketers are unfamiliar with, such as cycling in the mountains, in the hope it will promote a culture of community.”We want to make sure that we are connected as a unit,” Kirsten explained. “On this tour, it may well boil down to crucial moments in the Test series. And we want to make sure we are prepared for that.”The mental focus has always been an area of concern for South Africa and under Kirsten the focus on togetherness seems to be what will be used to help overcome the usual lapses. Smith even alluded to it when he discussed the less talked about aspect of the series, the batting. “It’s more exciting to talk about guys who can bowl at 150 kph, than about stodgy opening batters,” he said. “But it is a crucial part; putting runs on the board. It’s all about partnerships. The top six need to be really tight and perform well for each other.”Smith expects that England’s strength as a unit will also shine through and is preparing for a different sort of psychological pressure to what South Africa are used to. “They’ve proven over time that they are a methodical, well-drilled team,” Smith said. “They’ll be battle hardened. They play the game hard and no-one wants to give an inch.”Pressure will be applied from all sides, with Smith saying he can already feel the “buzz” from the South African public, who have waited many years to see their cricket side dominate. “You can feel how much that means to the fans,” he said. “We go there with the priority to perform well.”South Africa’s sports minister, Fikile Mbalula, also expected big things from the side. He was there to bid them farewell and issue some instructions. “A visit to England is the absolute highlight of any cricketer’s career. As South Africans, we expect them to maintain their proud record there,” Mbalula said. “The Zimbabwe shame in the tri-series should be forgotten as we place ourselves to break hearts in the Queen’s land.”

Australia begin campaign with six-wicket win

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Defending champions Australia opened their Under-19 World Cup campaign with a comprehensive victory against England

The Report by George Binoy in Townsville11-Aug-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Travis Head helped Australia recover from the loss of four early wickets in the chase•ICC/Getty

Defending champions Australia opened their Under-19 World Cup campaign with a comprehensive victory against England, set up by a powerful fast-bowling performance on a quick pitch in Townsville. Their top order struggled against the new ball during the chase, but that wobble was shored up by Travis Head and the captain William Bosisto, who played mature innings and shared a match-winning partnership.The tournament began in idyllic conditions. The Tony Ireland Stadium on the outskirts of town, surrounded by grass banks, trees and hills, was bathed in sunshine under a cloudless sky. A cool breeze blew through the day to take the edge off the sun. In perfect weather for cricket watching, a fair number of spectators turned up even though this tournament has had little publicity in Australia. Not many cheered when Bosisto won the toss, but that little bit of luck was important given the pace and bounce in the pitch.Australia’s opening bowlers – the left-right combination of Joel Paris and Mark Steketee – struck in their first overs. Paris, bowling with the wind, trapped Daniel Bell-Drummond, who had made 91 in the warm-up against Pakistan and is one of England’s premier batsmen, leg before for a duck with an inswinger. In this extremely professional environment, there was a reminder that the competitors are only young boys when Bell-Drummond came into the grandstand and got a consoling hug from his father, who has made the trip to watch his son play.Steketee, who ran into the stiff wind, took two balls to bowl Ben Foakes, who had made a hundred in the Pakistan warm-up but shouldered arms today to another inswinger. Paris and Steketee bowled with impressive stamina, sustaining pace and bounce through seven-over opening spells. By the time their partnership ended, England were 56 for 3 after 14.There was no let-up in intensity from Australia, though. Gurinder Sandhu, who had taken a five-wicket haul that included a hat-trick in the warm-up against Scotland, bowled faster and with more hostility than his team-mates. He was economical too and had figures of 5-1-9-1 at one stage, having induced an edge from Aneesh Kapil with a short ball.Soon more England batsmen were walking through the grandstand, not to meet family but to review their performance with the team analyst seated on the terrace: a reminder of how professional the boys have to be. Craig Overton held up one end for a while, hitting the legspinner Shane Cassell for boundaries, but the offspinner Ashton Turner broke England in two balls, dismissing Ben Duckett and Sam Wood in succession.Sandhu’s first spell was long too – it included the crucial wicket of Craig Overton for 35 – and he was quick to the very end, hitting the other Overton twin, Jamie, on the body with an accurate short ball in his eighth over on the trot.England lasted only 38.3 overs, which meant Australia were chasing before the lunch break. In those 6.5 overs, Reece Topley broke Jimmy Peirson’s middle stump, which one of the substitutes took off the ground, presumably to keep as a souvenir. Topley was fast but Jamie Overton was faster, getting balls to bounce as well. One flew over the keeper’s head. He and Topley struck again to reduce Australia to 30 for 3 by the time it was time for lunch.Australia lost another quickly after the break – the promising Kurtis Patterson – but things were about to improve. Bosisto did what was needed, to stay at the wicket, while Head scored quickly to take the pressure off. Head had made 87 off 42 balls against Scotland and today he ensured that Australia did not stagnate in a challenging situation.Head brought up his half-century off 52 balls and, shortly after measured celebrations, he lofted Craig Overton over the long-on boundary to seal victory with the first six of the match. It was no mean effort. The boundaries at the Tony Ireland Stadium are large.

Smith and Bollinger help NSW win season opener

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Steven Smith and Doug Bollinger helped New South Wales claim the first victory of the Australian domestic season, a 27-run win over Western Australia at the WACA

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Sep-2012
ScorecardSteven Smith was left unbeaten on 99•Getty Images

Steven Smith and Doug Bollinger helped New South Wales claim the first victory of the Australian domestic season, a 27-run win over Western Australia at the WACA. Smith made an unbeaten 99 to set up a strong total of 5 for 281 before Bollinger collected 4 for 67 from 13 overs to ensure the Warriors did not chase down the target, despite the best efforts of Mitchell Marsh with 78.In what was the earliest start to an Australian domestic season, the Warriors won the toss and sent the Blues in, and the debutant opener Scott Henry provided a steady hand with 66 from 105 balls. Mitchell Johnson, playing his first domestic one-day game for Western Australia, claimed two wickets, including that of the national captain Michael Clarke caught at slip for 1, but Smith and Moises Henriques proved the keys.Smith must have been close to being part of Australia’s squad in Sri Lanka for the World Twenty20, but instead found himself in Perth trying to prove his value to the national selectors once again. He blasted 11 fours and one six in his innings and was left one short of his maiden one-day century, while Henriques was even brisker in his scoring.He made 78 from 45 balls including five sixes, and the Blues took 50 runs off Johnson’s final four overs. Nathan Coulter-Nile also struggled to contain Henriques and Smith in the dying stages, conceding three sixes in his final over to finish with 2 for 69 from 12 overs. In reply, Western Australia needed a strong start but lost Liam Davis and Adam Voges to Bollinger in the early stages.Shaun Marsh (37) and the debutant Sam Whiteman (31) provided something for the Warriors to build on but too much was left for the end, and despite Mitchell Marsh’s 78 from 65 deliveries, the target was too tall for the Warriors. Bollinger collected another two wickets later in the innings and Western Australia were dismissed for 254 in the 50th over.

Dhawan, bowlers give India A easy win

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A collective bowling performance, and dominant batting by Shikhar Dhawan gave India A a smooth eight-wicket win over Bengal in Rajkot

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details A collective bowling performance, and dominant batting by Shikhar Dhawan gave India A a smooth eight-wicket win over Bengal at Rajkot’s new Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium. A target of 194 proved to be too meagre for India A’s strong batting line-up. Eventually, only four batsmen were required to achieve the target, with more than 12 overs to spare, led by Dhawan’s innings. Dhawan batted right through the innings, and finished the game with a boundary through extra-cover, a shot that took him to 99.Opener Robin Uthappa was his more dominant partner at the top, but when he departed in the seventh over, Dhawan and the in-form Ajinkya Rahane added 150 runs to control the chase, making the contest one sided. Rahane’s 63, which contained five boundaries, was his fourth fifty in seven domestic games across all formats. The stand was broken by offspinner Jayojit Basu, but by then it was too late for Bengal as India A only needed ten more runs to win.Bengal’s innings was anything but dominant, and stuttered all the way through, led by effective bowling spells by the seamer Ishant Sharma and spinner Pragyan Ojha. The duo accounted for seven of Bengal’s wickets as apart from a recovery stand of 84 between wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha and No. 8 Arnab Nandi, there was nothing much the batsmen could offer. Saha, who last played international cricket in January, started his innings sedately and defended solidly in the first half of his innings, but as wickets kept falling around him, attacked assuredly towards the end. His 65 only rescued Bengal from further trouble when they were reduced to 92 for 6 at one stage.Ojha started the rot, claiming two of the first three wickets to fall, the other being a run out. He bowled with precision, allowing his deliveries to grip the surface well, and reaped rewards, claiming 3 for 40 in 9.1 overs. But the major damage was done by Ishant, who took four wickets, and was economical at 3.22 runs per over in his nine overs. It was his second domestic match since his return from an ankle surgery that had ruled him out of the IPL, his last international appearance for India being the Adelaide Test against Australia in January this year.India A take on India B in the next match of the Challenger Trophy on Sunday.

Smith ready for 'unique challenges' in Australia

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South Africa’s preparations for their three-Test tour of Australia have hit a speed bump with their request for the three-day practice match in Sydney to be played at venue closer to the first Test in Brisbane being turned down

Firdose Moonda27-Oct-2012South Africa’s preparations for their three-Test tour of Australia have hit a speed bump. The team management asked for their three-day practice match in Sydney to be played at venue closer to the first Test in Brisbane, without success.”We tried hard to move it from Sydney but we haven’t had any luck,” Graeme Smith, the South Africa Test captain, said prior to the team’s departure. “But we’ll have to get stuck in and make it count no matter where we play it. We are not going to be able to use that as an excuse.”With no Test matches between the two countries taking place over the festive season, South Africa will play at the Gabba for the first time since readmission. They have only ever played three Test matches at the venue, the last one being in 1963, and lost two of them.Despite the hiccup in preparation, Gary Kirsten believes the squad will be ready to take on Australia. “We went to England in the same way. We wanted to prepare really well. We didn’t want to say too much, we wanted to make our performances count because in a three-match series, one session can make a big difference,” Kirsten said.As was the case with South Africa in England earlier in the year, they may be accused of being undercooked in Australia. Of the touring party, six have not played any competitive cricket since the squad returned from England. Smith, Dale Steyn, Hashim Amla, Robin Peterson and JP Duminy were given time off, while AB de Villiers has been recovering from a chronic back injury. Morne Morkel, Thami Tsolekile, Alviro Petersen, Jacques Kallis, Faf du Plessis and Jacques Rudolph all took part in the Champions League T20, while Vernon Philander, Rory Kleinveldt and Imran Tahir have played some first-class cricket.But Kirsten has maintained that action on the field is not as important as the mental aspect of getting ready. Smith believes the team has done as much as they can in that regard. “We know we are going to face some unique challenges in Australia and we will be ready for them,” he said.One of those will be going up against the man who put the foundations in place for their ultimate rise to No.1: Mickey Arthur. Under him, South Africa won in both England and Australia in 2008 and 2009, and his knowledge of the South Africa team may give Australia the advantage. Smith does not see it as too much of a hurdle.”As a South African, It’s not something new that we have had to face [one of our own in another team]. I suppose, if we can put Australia under pressure, we know how Mickey is going to be reacting in the change room. But if I lose sleep over what Mickey is telling Australia that will affect the team,” he said.The other challenge is the battle of the pace attacks. As was the case ahead of the tour to England, this series is being dubbed the battle of the quicks and South Africa have chosen to go in with only their top three and one backup in Kleinvedlt. Some of Australia’s options have been on display in the Champions League with Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins providing a taster for the big meal.The difference between the two packs could be lack of certainty about who will line-up in Australia’s, according to Smith. “We know Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle are their two main guys and they may rotate the youngsters. So it’s also a little bit of an unknown, in terms of who they are going to play,” Smith said. “It’s all guys that we have come across before, though. We have got a really good pace attack as well and hopefully they can attack. Brisbane and Perth could be quite fiery from the sounds of things. We know our attack has the opportunity to exploit things.”While there was suggestion in Australian media that Smith said the South African bowlers will target Ricky Ponting, Smith has denied making any such comments. “I don’t look to put his head on a mantelpiece. He has done well and he deserves all the respect in the world. Our job is to go there and make sure that he doesn’t perform,” Smith said. “With our bowling attack, we need to be able to put all the Australia batsmen under pressure. We do have a proven bowling attack that has travelled the world and done well, so we are not going headhunting.”Instead, South Africa will focus on stopping an Australian side that Smith said will be bullish. “They are on a momentum shift and an upward curve, and they would believe they are going to beat us there, but it’s well known that we’ve got some really quality players as well.”

McLaren in South Africa squad as injury cover

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Allrounder Ryan McLaren has been called up to the South Africa squad for the ongoing Test series in Australia, as cover for the injured Jacques Kallis and Vernon Philander

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2012Allrounder Ryan McLaren has been called up to the South Africa squad for the ongoing Test series in Australia, as cover for the injured Jacques Kallis and Vernon Philander. While Philander was left out of the XI for the Adelaide Test – the second of the three-match series – with a stiff back, Jacques Kallis picked up a hamstring injury during the game that is likely to prevent him from playing in the next.”There are injury concerns around both Jacques Kallis and Vernon Philander,” Cricket South Africa selection convener Andrew Hudson said. “So we have specifically gone for an allrounder, as a like-for-like replacement. Ryan can comfortably bat at No. 7, in addition to his seam-bowling skills.”McLaren has played one Test for South Africa against England in 2010, where he took 1 for 30 and scored 33 not out. He is one of the only genuine allrounders in the South African franchise system. He has played extensively for South Africa A and has been in and out of the national one-day squad, with his most recent outing being against England in September.McLaren will leave for Australia on Monday evening. The third, in Perth, begins on November 30.

Three wicketkeepers for SA's 'A' side

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South Africa’s A side to play New Zealand next Tuesday has been stuffed with three wicketkeepers to keep options open for a long-term replacement for Mark Boucher. Justin Ontong will captain the side

Firdose Moonda13-Dec-2012South Africa have stuffed their A side with three wicketkeepers for their Twenty20 practice match against New Zealand next Tuesday. The front-runner is Cobras’ Dane Vilas, who was part of South Africa’s unofficial T20 squad that toured Zimbabwe in June. Also in the mix is Davy Jacobs of the Warriors and Mangaliso Mosehle of the Titans.Jacobs returned to professional cricket after an absence of a season due to a severe hip injury. He has had a successful comeback and has already scored two centuries in the first-class competition, where he lies second on the run charts, and two half-centuries in the one-day cup besides wicketkeeping.Heino Kuhn has kept wicket ahead of Mosehle at the Titans, but Mosehle did the job at the under-19 World Cup in 2008. His century and two half-centuries in the one-day cup have got him noticed by the national selectors.With Mark Boucher having retired earlier this year, South Africa are trying many of their options for a long-term replacement over the course of the summer. Quinton de Kock will play in the T20 squad with the three in the A squad bubbling under.There are also some familiar faces making a return. Left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe is back into the frame as well as middle-order batsman Vaughn van Jaarsveld who has enjoyed good form in the one-day cup.Dolphins’ quicks Kyle Abbott and Craig Alexander join Lions’ fast man Hardus Viljoen in the pace attack. The allrounders’ role has been handed to David Wiese, who put in a sterling performance in the CLT20 semi-final. The only player who is also part of South Africa’s T20 squad is Aaron Phangiso, the left-arm spinner who earned his maiden national call-up earlier today. The side will be captained by Justin Ontong.South Africa A squad: Justin Ontong (capt), Kyle Abbott, Craig Alexander, Davy Jacobs, Mangaliso Mosehle, Aaron Phangiso, Roelof van der Merwe, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Stiaan van Zyl, Dane Vilas, Hardus Viljoen, David Wiese

Death bowling a worry for India

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Preview of the second one-day international between India and England in Kochi

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran14-Jan-2013

Match facts

January 15, 2013
Start time 1200 local (0630 GMT)India need their fast bowlers to bowl yorkers more consistently•BCCI

Big Picture

If the pitches and outfields for the rest of the series are going to be like what was served in Rajkot then the bowlers, especially India’s, better take cover. In 12 balls, England leapfrogged from 287 to 325, and as a result of those two overs at the death, they had made just enough to secure a match-winning total. Though India did well to run them close, falling short by nine runs, the positives were overshadowed by overs 49 and 50 in England’s innings, that hemorrhaged 38 runs.That India’s most experienced bowler, Ishant Sharma, was partly responsible for those runs says a lot. Ironically, his death bowling had been effective in the previous ODI, when India snatched a low-scoring game against Pakistan in Delhi. Take a look at his figures in Rajkot, and it’s easy to miss his two maidens among the ten overs that leaked 86. Ishant wasn’t solely at fault, for all of India’s bowlers haven’t been as consistent as they should be.Death bowling has been a problem for India since Zaheer Khan’s slump in form. In good batting conditions, yorkers are the bowler’s best weapon but India’s attack hasn’t been able to deliver them consistently. Not that England set the best example either. Steven Finn and Jade Dernbach went in excess of six an over in their ten overs, while Tim Bresnan leaked 8.37 in his eight overs, though he picked up two wickets. The captain Alastair Cook defended the trio, saying the conditions left little margin for error. Spin came to England’s rescue in the form of James Tredwell, who not only took four wickets but went for less than five an over. India’s relatively more experienced spin attack wasn’t as effective, picking up just one wicket. Not the first time, after the Tests, an England spinner upstaged India’s spinners.The Rajkot ODI was a change from the trend of low scores in the Pakistan ODIs. While it benefited the likes of Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh, who got some runs and confidence, the fast bowlers were battered. More sporting conditions would allow for a better assessment of the side as a whole.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
India LWLLW
England WLWWL

In the spotlight

Twenty-one, 38, 9, 27, 0, 6, 7, 15 – a breakup of Virat Kohli‘s scores across T20s and ODIs since his century in the Nagpur Test against England. Apart from the first four scores, made in the T20s, the remaining four are worrying, considering that he bats in the top order and has more time to build an innings. Kohli was found out by the moving ball against Pakistan and in Rajkot he edged a straight one to the keeper. His place in the lineup may not be in doubt, but India are missing a big contribution from him.Ian Bell has been shifted around the batting order in his one-day career but of late he has found a second wind as an opener. Bell filled in at the top after Kevin Pietersen was dropped last year and in 12 innings he averages 57.63 with a century and five fifties. If there was one positive to emerge from the Pietersen drama, this is it. Bell has given the Indian bowlers a few headaches, with scores of 91 and 108 in the warm-up games and 85 in Rajkot.

Team news

Cook confirmed that England will keep with their top seven, giving Joe Root another chance. Root didn’t get to bat in Rajkot, but bowled nine overs of spin for 51. The only change could be in the pace attack.England (possible) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Ian Bell, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 6 Joe Root, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 James Tredwell, 10 Jade Dernbach, 11 Steven FinnIndia could also make a change to their seam line-up. MS Dhoni said after the first ODI that they would like to test Shami Ahmed’s death bowling skills at some stage. India opted for Ashok Dinda in Rajkot as he was more experienced.India (possible) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Ashok Dinda/Shami Ahmed.

Stats and trivia

  • England have played only one ODI in Kochi, losing by four wickets to India in 2006. Pietersen is the only survivor from that game.
  • India have won four of their six matches in Kochi.
  • Virat Kohli is 86 shy of 4000 ODI runs.

Quotes

“The way we have learned to tackle the spinners is incredible. It’s a big credit for us.”
“Whenever the batsmen don’t do well, bowlers cover up for them and vice-versa. I don’t believe in blaming one area of the game. I think the bowlers are putting in all the hard work, and the way they won the match for us against Pakistan (in Delhi) was commendable.”