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England Lions thrashed Bangladesh A by 191 runs in the second unofficial ODI and sealed the three-match series

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Aug-2013
ScorecardMichael Carberry amplified his claim for a place in the England ODI squad for the upcoming series against Australia after battering Bangladesh A for 146 in the second unofficial ODI in Taunton, while James Taylor also made his mark in the game with an unbeaten century to remind the selectors and Lions coach Ashley Giles, just what he was capable of. The visitors, unable to handle yet another deluge of runs, were eventually crushed by 191 runs, as the Lions took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.Bangladesh were defeated for the seventh consecutive time on tour, and this result was been made even worse by virtue of the fact that their bowlers conceded in excess of 350 for the second straight game as the home side topped Tuesday’s 353 for 4 with another massive score, this time making 367 for 3 after they decided to bat first.Carberry, while at 59, reached an important milestone by crossing 500 runs in both List A and Twenty20 cricket this season. He struck eighteen fours and four sixes in his innings, and added 70 for the first wicket with James Vince.
But his third wicket stand with Taylor was the clincher, as the pair added 185 in just 165 deliveries. Taylor reached his century off the penultimate ball of the innings with a six off Robiul Islam, and ended up on 106 off 100 balls with seven fours and four sixes as the Bangladesh bowlers were handed a hiding.Left-arm spinner Elias Sunny had been the tourists’ most successful bowler on tour, but he was flogged for 95 off his nine overs. Sohag Gazi, Robiul Islam, Al-Amin Hossain and Mominul Haque all went for more than six runs an over, with only Ziaur Rahman bowling tidily and ending with 1 for 41.Captain Jahurul Islam made his first half-century on tour and Naeem Islam scored a 54-ball 31, but with wickets falling at regular intervals, neither batsman was unable to build a significant partnership, as Bangladesh were bowled out for 176 in 44.4 overs.Sussex pacer Chris Jordan was the pick of the bowlers, ending with 4-38, while David Willey, Boyd Rankin, Ben Stokes, Luke Wright and Carberry all notched a wicket each to complete the rout.

Warwickshire’s response provided the measure of Middlesex’s first innings, which may not have been below par to the extent it was suspected after the Division One leaders made hard work of getting their noses in front

Jon Culley at Edgbaston22-Aug-2012
ScorecardIan Westwood scored his second century against Middlesex this season before Warwickshire’s lower order collapsed•Getty Images

Warwickshire’s response provided the measure of Middlesex’s first innings, which may not have been below par to the extent it was suspected after the Division One leaders made hard work of getting their noses in front. With Ian Blackwell, the former England allrounder, coming in at No. 8, Warwickshire’s batting line-up looked irresistibly strong, yet there were more failures than successes and they take a lead of only six runs into the third day, eight wickets down.Yet they had been 175 without loss as Ian Westwood and Varun Chopra again demonstrated their effectiveness as an opening partnership. The two have shared four three-figure stands this season, three of those in the last six innings. Until Chopra fell to a fine, diving catch by Sam Robson at gully off the first ball of Gareth Berg’s second spell, they seemed capable of establishing a lead all on their own.They had ridden their luck at times, in terms of streaky runs off the edge of the bat, but as on Tuesday nothing went to hand. And as the ball aged their authority grew. Chopra, unusually, was the more passive partner, allowing Westwood to take the lead. The left-hander’s first 51 runs spanned 85 balls, to which he added his next 41 at a run a ball, increasing his boundary count from seven to 16. Only in the 90s did he feel he should take stock, facing 22 balls while scoring only six before his 17th four took him to 102.Westwood gave up the Warwickshire captaincy two years ago after enduring a full season without a first-class century. This was his fifth since then and his second in the space of three weeks, both against Middlesex.It seemed to give Warwickshire a platform for a substantial total yet thereafter the innings somewhat lost its way. No subsequent combination was able to add more than 29 and if Chris Wright and Keith Barker are parted quickly on the third morning Warwickshire will have achieved scarcely better than parity.A hailstorm drove the players from the field with a dozen overs left of day two, leaving puddles on the outfield that had not drained more than an hour after the storm had passed, which illustrated the problems the groundstaff still face after such a wet summer.They were not helped in their attempts to protect the square by the umpires’ indecision about when to take the players off, even though dark clouds were looming ominously. Jim Troughton cannot have been impressed either, given that it was in pretty poor light that he was caught at second slip off Tim Murtagh, who is not exactly on the slower side of medium.Others had less obvious excuses. As on day one, anything bowled too short asked to be hit but fuller deliveries posed problems. There were some notable catches, with Steven Crook matching Robson for athleticism at gully when he held a stunner, diving to his right, to give Neil Dexter the wicket of Darren Maddy.It was Dexter’s medium pace, ultimately, that did for Westwood, inducing a chip to mid-off from a mistimed drive, after facing 183 balls for his 120. There was a maiden Championship wicket for the 21-year-old left-arm spinner Ravi Patel, who started nervously but found some confidence after William Porterfield edged to slip.The innings took a sharp downturn after the new ball became available, with Toby Roland-Jones inflicting the most damage and removing three of Warwickshire’s better bets for another substantial score. He had Rikki Clarke caught behind with a ball that found some extra bounce and followed up when Tim Ambrose edged one that cut away late. Blackwell was leg before to one that nipped back and stayed low.

Shaun Tait, the Australia fast bowler, is set to add to his tally of Twenty20 teams after agreeing terms with Zimbabwean domestic franchise Mid West Rhinos

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-2011Shaun Tait, the Australia fast bowler, is set to add to his tally of Twenty20 teams after agreeing terms with Zimbabwean domestic franchise Mid West Rhinos. Tait will play for Rhinos during Zimbabwe’s domestic Twenty20 competition in late November this year.Tait, who signed up to play for the Melbourne Renegades in Australia’s Big Bash League six weeks ago and will also represent Dolphins, the Durban-based South African franchise, for the Pro20 competition early next year, said he hoped his Zimbabwe stint would help boost his match fitness ahead of his Big Bash outing.”That’s the thing with Twenty20 tournaments, you’ve got to pick which ones are at the right time to keep your match fitness up, and rest in between,” he said. ”It’s just [before] the Big Bash, so it’s perfect timing.”The dates for Zimbabwe’s fortnight-long Twenty20 tournament have not been finalised but it is expected that the competition will be completed by December 3, which will allow Tait to travel back to Melbourne well in time to prepare for the Big Bash.Tait retired from Tests in 2008 and quit ODIs too following Australia’s exit in the quarter-final stage of the 2011 World Cup. He then represented Rajasthan Royals in the IPL this year, grabbing six wickets in four games. He was forced to turn down a deal with Surrey earlier this year due to an elbow injury sustained during the IPL. His Zimbabwe deal was set up by his former teammate Jason Gillespie, who has also re-signed as coach of Rhinos.”The way it’s going I’m just going to play [Twenty20] tournaments,” Tait, who is still available to play Twenty20 cricket for Australia, said. “If clubs are keen to sign me, that’s great. I’ve become sort of a freelance Twenty20 player.”

A collapse of rare ineptitude sentenced Surrey to their sixth loss of the championship campaign as they slid to a 238-run loss at New Road

George Dobell at New Road19-Aug-2010
ScorecardIt wasn’t a happy return to New Road for Gareth Batty•PA Photos

A collapse of rare ineptitude sentenced Surrey to their sixth loss of the championship campaign as they slid to a 238-run loss at New Road.Surrey’s batsmen, displaying a recklessness that would have embarrassed schoolboys, squandered their last six wickets for the addition of 18 runs in just 27 balls on the final morning. It meant they had lost all ten second-innings wickets in the space of just 86 balls.The result was overshadowed, however, by an incident between Worcestershire supporters and Gareth Batty. Batty, who left Worcestershire at the end of last season, had been heckled throughout the match and, after his dismissal in Surrey’s second innings, stopped several times on his way off the pitch to exchange words with spectators.Following a brief visit to the dressing room to remove his pads, he reemerged, walked into seating area and sat down next to one of the more vocal critics. “What have I done to offend you,” Batty began. After several minutes of heated conversation, Ian Salisbury, who is on the Surrey coaching staff, led Batty away. Batty was later spotted in tears being consoled by his team-mates.Batty’s feelings, if not his actions, are understandable. He served Worcestershire with distinction for eight years and, as recently as July last year, captained the county. He could never be accused of giving anything less than his best and he was hardly the only man to leave the club last year. Indeed, his Surrey team-mate, Steve Davies, made the same move but was warmly received here. The antipathy towards Batty, therefore is illogical and mean spirited. I understand that his mother was also the victim of some pretty caustic comments. There’s no excuse for that.As a professional, however, Batty has to develop a thicker skin. He is 32 years old and a veteran of 18 internationals for England. However understandable his actions, he would have been better served turning the other cheek. The criticism he took here is nothing compared to that endured by professional footballers.Worcestershire’s chairman, ‘Percy’ Price subsequently apologised to Batty on behalf of the club. “We’re a friendly club,” Price said. “We don’t want to be known for this sort of thing. All our former players are welcome back and Gareth, who always gave his best, is a fine chap.””It’s quite sad,” Chris Adams said afterwards. “It’s quite sad that he wasn’t afforded respect by the supporters after putting in long service here. It shows a lack of respect.”He’s a feisty lad anyway. He plays with a lot of passion and he wears his heart on his sleeve. He outs everything into his cricket.”Exactly what was said, I don’t know. But I’m sure that when he reflects on it, he’ll be disappointed that he allowed himself to react.”He just really wanted to do well. He’s bowled fantastically at times this season but, Tremlett apart – he hasn’t been backed up by the other bowlers.”Surrey actually started the final day rather well. Davies and Rory Hamilton-Brown thrashed 46 in the first five overs of the morning, with Hamilton-Brown hitting Matt Mason for 14 in three deliveries: two beautifully driven fours followed by a flick over square leg for six.But if the aim was to be positive, it soon spilled over into recklessness. Davies, charging down the pitch and trying to hit Shakib Al Hasan over the top, succeeded only in lofting a catch to mid-off before, two balls later, Hamilton-Brown straight to the man on the long-off fence.It was remarkably gormless cricket. As Adams said later: “There’s no problem taking a positive approach. Hitting over the top to spread the field is fine. But, if you’ve spread the field and continue to play aerial shots, well, you’re mad, aren’t you?”We’ve seven youngsters [under 25] in this side and they’re learning what it means to be ‘positive.’ It doesn’t mean you go out there and play reckless cricket. You can be positive in defence, too.”But, I’ve been asked to do without an overseas player and, with a young side, you’re going to get these peaks and troughs. They’re going to make mistakes and they key is to learn from them. Those that learn the lessons will make it in the game; those that don’t, won’t. At the moment, if Ramprakash doesn’t bat for three sessions, we under achieve.”But the game wasn’t lost on the last morning. We had them 100 for 5 in their first innings, but they scored 300 and, in the second innings, we let them score 180 in a session. We’re far off where we want to be.”Shakib was the main beneficiary of Surrey’s poor batting. Maintaining a calm head despite the early assault, he lured the batsmen into rash strokes by varying his pace and flight. It was his second five-wicket haul in three games and the 11th of his career.Mason also bounced back to claim three wickets. If he was somewhat fortunate to win a leg-before decision against Stewart Walters – it looked far too high – he deserved the wickets of Matt Spriegel, back when he should have been forward, and Batty, who sliced a drive to point.This win revives Worcestershire’s promotion hopes. They are far from the finished article but, with players as young and talented as Alexei Kervezee and Moeen Ali in the side, they can look forward to the future with guarded optimism. It was also a fine start for new captain, Daryl Mitchell. He will not, however, have victory presented to him on a plate quite as easily as this very often.

West Indies eyeing vital ranking points as series moves on to Barbados

Andrew Miller05-Nov-2024

Big picture: The battle of experience vs potential

It’s been an unlikely clash of ideologies in the Caribbean so far. In Thursday’s one-sided rout, the value of experience was writ large across Evin Lewis’ matchwinning onslaught: despite missing out on ODI cricket for three years, his muscle memory was keenly attuned to the challenge, as he rode out England’s new-ball threat to demolish his opponents in barely 25 overs. In the process he rushed past his 2000th run in the format, which is more than twice the tally of England’s most experienced batter in the format [checks notes] … Adil Rashid.That battle-hardened narrative had seized an iron grip on the series by the halfway mark of Saturday’s second match. Shai Hope is clearly a fine cricketer, but who could have imagined that his ODI record would one day rival those of Chris Gayle, Brian Lara and Desmond Haynes? And yet, his 17th hundred in the format was exquisitely paced as ever, dripping with the sort of belief in better times that England’s T20-trained top four can only guess at attaining, given how rarely they’ve been asked to tough it out through the fallow middle overs of a 50-over game.Hope encountered nine different bowlers in the course of his innings, which is surely a record of some description. On the one hand, this was a tribute to England’s wealth of options, as a new generation of cricketer arrives on the scene with two professionally serviceable strings to each bow. On the other, it was proof that more is less, as Liam Livingstone’s management became ever more muddled with each new switch in the field.But then, all of a sudden, those old certainties crumbled and a brand-new narrative took hold. One in which the power of responsibility surged into England’s experience void, to set up an improbable series finale.Sam Curran had batted higher than No. 7 just once in 32 ODIs prior to this campaign, and Livingstone higher than No. 6 just twice in 30. But both men answered the hour of need with precisely the sort of gumption that the management had hoped to coax out of this experimental squad.Curran’s run-a-ball 52 was significantly more valuable than it appears on paper, providing the ballast through the middle overs that enabled England to take the chase deep, before Livingstone, the unlikeliest of England’s six captains across formats this summer, dropped bomb after bomb after bomb. He hit nine sixes in total, a tally exceeded by just three England players in a 50-over contest. And if you squinted at the final scorecard, once a daunting target of 329 had been hunted down with overs and wickets to spare, you could almost believe we were back in the team’s pre-2019 heyday, when such feats of self-assurance were a daily occurrence.So, which philosophy will seize the day – and the series – in Barbados? The stakes are significantly higher than they might have seemed three days ago, with West Indies eager for a first series win since England’s last visit 11 months ago, not to mention vital rankings points as they plot their route back to the top table after missing out at the 2023 World Cup.As for England, Marcus Trescothick’s gleeful embrace of his captain spoke volumes as the players left the field in Antigua. England’s interim coach admitted last week how tough it has been to strike the right balance between nurturing the squad’s newcomers and cultivating the winning culture that this white-ball set-up once took for granted. An unlikely opportunity now presents itself for both aims to be achieved in one hit.

Form guide

West Indies LWWLL
England WLLWW

In the spotlight: Shimron Hetmyer and Jordan Cox

Shimron Hetmyer had licence for violence on Saturday afternoon, and he took it … albeit briefly. There were 10.1 overs of the innings remaining when West Indies’ No. 6 strolled out to the middle – the sort of scenario that he habitually relishes in the T20 format. This time, however, his team had 234 for 4 on the board already, and he did his bit to propel them past 300 with three sixes in his first ten deliveries. But then he holed out in search of a fourth, and trooped off for 24 from 11 balls. It was nevertheless the second-highest of his seven innings since his return to the ODI set-up in July 2023, after his 32 from 30 balls, also against England, in December. Much like his England counterparts, his unfamiliarity with the format would appear to be holding him back, but the talent and potential is undeniable.It’s a big few months for Jordan Cox, one of the most fascinating characters on the fringes of England’s international set-up. His restless ambition is palpable – by his own admission, almost to the point of arrogance – but the England management like what they see on the whole. This opportunity to bat at No. 3 in the rebooted ODI line-up, ahead of three guaranteed Tests as Jamie Smith’s wicketkeeping understudy, means he’s got until Christmas to make a real case for his long-term inclusion in their plans. Four matches into his England career, however, he’s struggling to make much headway. Despite a confident projection of belonging out in the middle, he’s managed 21 ODI runs from 50 balls on this tour, and was bounced out in rather gullible fashion by Shamar Joseph on Saturday. His fabled fielding was off the boil too, which is perhaps a suggestion of pre-occupation. He’s not blown his chance yet, but with so many key batters missing on this tour, he could find himself thrust back down the pecking order unless he shows his true colours soon.

Team news: Few surprises in prospect with series on the line

West Indies could think about bringing back Alzarri Joseph after his namesake Shamar was expensive on debut in the second ODI.West Indies: 1 Brandon King, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Keacy Carty, 4 Shai Hope (capt & wk), 5 Sherfane Rutherford, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Roston Chase, 8 Alzarri Joseph/Shamar Joseph, 9 Gudakesh Motie, 10 Matthew Forde, 11 Jayden SealesEngland’s temptation to tinker will be tempered with a series on the line.England: 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 Will Jacks, 3 Jordan Cox, 4 Jacob Bethell, 5 Liam Livingstone (capt), 6 Dan Mousley, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Jamie Overton/Saqib Mahmood, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 John Turner

Pitch and conditions: Weather a factor again

Five years ago, England and West Indies tallied 724 runs in an ODI at Kensington Oval, but there have only been two scores above 300 in 11 games since then. Hope said beforehand that the surface “looks like it has a bit of moisture currently”. A forecast for thundery showers could once again lead to interruptions.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies have won 19 of their previous 42 ODIs at Kensington Oval, including each of their last two appearances against India and England in 2023.
• England boast a winning head-to-head with the hosts in Barbados, with seven victories and six defeats in 13 previous encounters since 1986.
• England pulled off their highest successful ODI chase at the ground in 2019, reeling in a target of 361.
• England are seeking their first bilateral ODI series win since beating Ireland in September 2023.

Quotes

“I’m always preaching consistency. In order to consider us an elite team we’ve got to be consistent, we’ve got to string performances together. It can’t always be one game or two games in a series, we’ve got to make sure we seal it, play good cricket all the way through.”
“After the first game, we spoke about how much time we had and even with the ball, being a bit more patient. It’s not learning on the job but it’s learning from your mistakes and I thought we did that pretty well from the first game. If we can win 2-1 it would be a big achievement for a young group.”

PCB chairman says cricket committee headed by Misbah-ul-Haq will be part of the process to decide whether changes are needed

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2023PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf has said that “no concrete decisions” have been taken regarding the composition of Pakistan’s coaching and management staff, addressing speculation over whether there would be changes made under the new PCB administration.In an interview with Cricket Pakistan, Ashraf said the decision would be made on the recommendation of a newly-formed cricket committee headed by former captain and national coach Misbah-ul-Haq.”I don’t think it matters whether coaches are local or foreign,” Ashraf said. “There’s no concrete decision on whether to change coaches as of now. I’ve created a committee headed by Misbah-ul-Haq. That committee will look at all cricketing matters and will consult any cricketers they want to be a part of it. When they give us their final analysis, I’ll get involved in the discussion and we’ll make a joint decision that is in the best interests of Pakistan cricket.”It is the first time there has been any official communication from the PCB about the fate of the Pakistan men’s coaches since the recent tour of Sri Lanka, where Pakistan won the Test series 2-0. Over the past week, ESPNcricinfo understands there were robust internal discussions on the fate of the coaches and team manager, with some reports suggesting an immediate change was inevitable.Mickey Arthur was appointed Pakistan team director in April, with Grant Bradburn, who previously served as Pakistan’s fielding coach, becoming head coach the following month. Rehan-ul-Haq, who was general manager of Islamabad United for all eight seasons in the Pakistan Super League, was appointed team manager of the national side. Each of those appointments took place during Najam Sethi’s interim six-month stint as PCB chairman.While the committee is yet to formally convene, Misbah has in the past made clear his disapproval of some of the coaching arrangements. He called the PCB’s pursuit of Arthur under Sethi “a slap on Pakistan cricket”, and had replaced Arthur as Pakistan head coach in 2019.The simmering unrest comes ahead of a busy time for the Pakistan side, who return to Sri Lanka to play a three-ODI series against Afghanistan, before co-hosting the Asia Cup. They are then set to travel to India for the World Cup. The PCB has repeatedly said travel to India for the World Cup will be contingent on government approval and mutual agreement on appropriate venues, a point Ashraf repeated in this interview.

In all they have lost 10 points to over-rate offences in the current WTC cycle

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jun-2022England have been docked two World Test Championship (WTC) points and their players have been fined 40% of their match fee for maintaining a slow over rate in their epic win in the second Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. This adds up to a total of 10 docked points for the side in this WTC cycle; they had lost eight points during the second Ashes Test in Brisbane last year.Related

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The hosts were ruled to be two overs short, after allowances were taken into consideration, by the on-field umpires Michael Gough and Paul Reiffel, third umpire Rod Tucker and fourth umpire Martin Saggers. Captain Ben Stokes pleaded guilty to the offence, with match referee Richie Richardson imposing the sanction without the need for a formal hearing.England’s WTC points tally had risen to 42 after their win, before coming back down to 40. Importantly, their points percentage – the key criteria in determining where teams sit on the WTC table – fell from 25 to 23.80, putting them at eighth spot on the WTC table – behind New Zealand.England had scripted a stunning victory at Trent Bridge, with Jonny Bairstow and Stokes putting on a dominating 179-run stand to help chase down 299 on the last day, having been reduced to 93 for 4 at one point. Bairstow blazed his way to 136 off 92 balls, his 77-ball hundred falling just one ball shy of England’s 120-year-old record for their fastest Test century. Following Bairstow’s dismissal, Stokes and Ben Foakes guided England home, the highest successful Test chase at Trent Bridge. Stokes remained unbeaten at the close with 75 off 70 balls.In accordance with the ICC’s rules relating to over-rate offences, players are fined 20% of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time. As per the WTC playing conditions, a side is penalised one point for each over short.

Alex Carey and Mark Steketee have been included for the South Africa tour which is still awaiting final approval from the two boards

Andrew McGlashan27-Jan-2021Matthew Wade has been dropped from Australia’s Test squad for the series against South Africa, and will instead tour New Zealand with the T20I side when the concurrent trips are due to take place in February and March, while Travis Head has been given a “a vote of confidence” by the selectors to earn back his spot.The South Africa tour, which is set to include three Tests, is still awaiting final sign-off between the two boards with the series currently expected to begin in early March. The squad to New Zealand is due to depart on February 7.Alex Carey has been included in the Test squad while Queensland quick Mark Steketee has also been called up with Jhye Richardson, who had been tipped for the South Africa trip, heading to New Zealand instead.The T20I squad includes a host of names who have impressed during the BBL including 19-year-old legspinner Tanveer Sangha who has starred for Sydney Thunder. Josh Philippe and Riley Meredith are the other uncapped players.Related

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Wade had a disappointing series against India where he made 173 runs at 21.26 and his shot selection came under particularly scrutiny in the final two Tests when he moved back down to the middle order having helped fill the opening void in the absence of David Warner and Will Pucovski. Head, who was dropped midway through the India series, is now likely to return to the No. 5 position.”Matthew in our view hasn’t done enough…over probably quite a few Test matches now,” national selector Trevor Hohns said. “I’m not being unfair to him, he would recognise that fact as well. He’s holding down a batting position at No. 5, sure he put his hand up to have a crack up the top, but holding down a specialist batting position he hasn’t quite done enough. As a senior player we expect a little bit more.”In Travis’ case he, to us, has a little bit more up side and we have given him a bit of a vote of confidence to try and win his spot back. We know Travis works very hard on his game and we consider he can probably improve so much to the extent that he can fight his way back.”Pucovski ended the series on the sidelines again due to a shoulder injury following an impressive debut at the SCG, but he and Warner are likely to form the opening partnership going forward although Hohns did not rule out Pucovski being considered for the middle order.It has been determined that Pucovski does not need surgery on his shoulder and is on track to be fit for the tour. James Pattinson, who suffered a rib injury while at home over Christmas and was withdrawn from the Test squad, has returned to grade cricket. If the Sheffield Shield resumes as planned next month it is expected he will have one match for Victoria before the tour departs.The majority of the 19-man test squad were involved in the India series but Carey now has the chance to firmly establish himself as the eventual successor to Paine.”When presented with the challenging task of selecting two concurrent Australian men’s squads for overseas tours, we picked our first-choice Test squad given the importance of the proposed series against South Africa,” Hohns said. “It is testament to the depth of Australian cricket that the NSP has been able to select two Australian men’s international squads of such quality.”Ben Oliver, the head of national teams, said: “We do not envisage replicating concurrent Australian men’s tours in the future, but we appreciate the need to do so now to assist our friends around the world during this challenging period for international sport and given the additional time requirements of mandatory quarantine periods.”T20I squad Aaron Finch (capt), Matthew Wade (vc), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, D’Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Adam ZampaTest squad Tim Paine (capt), Pat Cummins (vc), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner

The visitors are yet to taste defeat on the white-ball leg of their Caribbean tour

The Preview by Hemant Brar13-Aug-20197:52

Ganga: India need not pre-determine their No. 4 batsman

Big Picture

In the second ODI at Queen’s Park Oval, chasing 270 in 46 overs, West Indies needed 91 off 71 at one stage with six wickets in hand and a set batsman in Nicholas Pooran at the crease.Percentage cricket for a few more overs was perhaps the way to go, but Pooran played a shot that was a microcosm of West Indies’ problems in ODI cricket. Skipping down the track in a premeditated manner, he ended up mistiming a pull to Virat Kohli at midwicket.Pooran’s wicket triggered a collapse and the hosts slipped from 179 for 4 to 182 for 8, with the result all but decided.At 23, Pooran is a young man with a bright future and the promise of winning many games for his team but West Indies will be hurting after squandering the opportunity to go 1-0 up in the series.However, it wasn’t all gloom for them. Their bowlers had brought them into the match by conceding just 67 runs in the last ten overs. Come Wednesday, West Indies will have another chance – this time to level the series – as the two teams face each other at the same venue for the final ODI.India, on the other hand, will be aiming to finish the white-ball leg of the tour undefeated. As far as their search for the No. 4 batsman is concerned, it looks like Rishabh Pant has his captain’s backing for now. Though he didn’t quite convince during his 20 off 35 balls in the last match, Pant should once again slot in at No. 4.Shikhar Dhawan is yet to strike form after his return from the hand injury that cut his World Cup short, but it’s far from a worry for the team management at this moment.

Form guide

West Indies LWLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India WLWWL

In the spotlight

From the start of 2018 to the start of the World Cup, Shai Hope scored 1460 runs in 28 ODIs at an average of 66.36. More than half those runs came in just eight innings, while opening the batting. At the World Cup, where he batted mostly at No. 3, Hope had lukewarm returns – 274 runs at 34.25. After being dismissed for 5 in the second ODI, Hope will look forward to getting back among the runs.Bhuvneshwar Kumar clings onto a return catch•Associated Press

Fifteen wickets in five innings. A bowling average of 6.73, a strike rate of 14.0. Only Curtly Ambrose has more wickets than Bhuvneshwar Kumar at Queen’s Park Oval. With the game in the balance, it was his three wickets in seven balls that turned the second ODI in India’s favour. India will be hoping for an encore from the swing bowler.

Team news

Evin Lewis, who struggled with his calf injury during the second ODI, has recovered well after a day’s rest and should be part of the playing XI. Fabian Allen is also fit and most likely will replace Oshane Thomas who went for 32 in his four wicketless overs on Sunday.West Indies (probable): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Roston Chase, 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Carlos Brathwaite, 9 Fabian Allen, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Sheldon CottrellWith the series still not decided, India might once again field an unchanged XI.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Shreyas Iyer, 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Kuldeep Yadav

Pitch and conditions

The weather is expected to be humid once again, with a forecast for showers throughout the day. Although teams batting first have won five of the last six completed ODIs here, the chance of rain might tempt the captains to bat second.The match will be played on the same pitch as the last one.

Stats and trivia

• As an opener in ODIs, Hope has scored 860 runs at an average of 95.55 and a strike rate of 92.47. Batting elsewhere, his 1672 runs have come at an average of 38.00, with a strike rate of 69.00.
• In his last 20 ODIs, Kuldeep Yadav has taken only 29 wickets at an average of 32.62. Prior to that, he had 67 wickets in 33 games at an average of 20.07.
• Currently on 96 wickets from 53 ODIs, Kuldeep has a chance to break Mohammad Shami’s record (55 matches) for the fastest Indian to 100-ODI wickets.

Quotes

“The preparation is good going into the last game. The previous game we cut the preparation short [because of the rain] but today we got a full practice [session] in. The boys are in good spirits and we are looking forward to go out there tomorrow and win the game and draw the series.”

The top two ODI teams in the world will look to this series to sort out any issues ahead of next year’s World Cup

The Preview by Varun Shetty11-Jul-2018

Big Picture

If England’s long-term ODI project needed one last tryout ahead of next year’s World Cup, there can hardly be a better dress rehearsal than facing cricket’s other formidable ODI team at home. There’s a plethora of staggering batting and bowling numbers around both England and India, but the larger picture is that this is a contest between No. 1 and No. 2, with the possibility that those positions could be either one’s by the end of the series.For now, it is England, with their explosive openers and robust middle order who come in as the better-ranked side. They have lost only four of the 21 ODIs they have played in the last 12 months, with the most recent string of those wins coming in the 5-0 thrashing they handed to Australia.Those would be grounds to be favourites against any other team, but as the T20I series – with largely the same players – showed, the competition is likely to be neck to neck and winning will depend on how the teams maneuver crucial short phases, the kind that are expected to belong to match-winners.And there’s no shortage of those on either side. England’s batting depth narrowly edges India, but the visitors have their bowling sorted more than the hosts, as evidenced in their domineering series wins against South Africa in the limited-overs series earlier this year.On flat surfaces, both these teams can be destructive. What will we see when they take on each other on England’s characteristically flat surfaces? One can only predict that whatever it is, it won’t be dull. What’s more? We’re back to Trent Bridge, where England scored a record-breaking 481 less than a month ago.

Form guide

England WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India WWLWW

In the spotlight

Virat Kohli is rarely outside of the spotlight, but there is tremendous significance in this tour for him on a personal front. While his numbers in England are up there – an average of 52.46 in 19 games – he hasn’t done well against England in the country – an average of 32.33 in 10 games. You’d bet on him doing better than that average considering his three centuries in six innings this year, but there is the possibility that India could look to solve their No. 4 dilemma by dropping their captain into that slot like they had during the T20s. In ODIs, he last batted there in October 2015: will Kohli risk that move in his pursuit to win every session of the tour?Jonny Bairstow has made a century against every team he has faced this year, and is currently top of the charts with 864 runs in 16 innings. His opening partner, Jason Roy, has made three ODI hundreds this year and is the only other international batsman to make more than 700 runs in the format. Both of them have been striking at greater than 100, and have struck a combined 174 fours and 45 sixes between them. With Jasprit Bumrah out of the ODI series and Bhuvneshwar Kumar battling a stiff back, how the openers do against India’s inexperienced pace line-up can set the tone for how the middle order tackles the wristspinners.Virat Kohli and Eoin Morgan pose with the trophy•Getty Images

Team news

Ben Stokes is expected to come straight back into the England XI after missing the Australia series. Alex Hales should make way for him, especially given he has injured his side. Dawid Malan was called up as Hales’ cover, and his availability will be reviewed on a game-by-game basis.*England (probable): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 David Willey, 9 Liam Plunkett, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood/Jake BallBhuvneshwar Kumar is doubtful for the opening ODI after he was rested for the final T20I in Bristol due to a back injury. He went to the ground on a day of optional training but did not participate in any warm-up exercises or net sessions. Rohit Sharma said that Bhuvneshwar was “fine” but a final decision would only be taken on match day. Siddarth Kaul, who had a hit in the nets, could take Bhuvneshwar’s place and accompany Umesh Yadav in the pace attack.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 KL Rahul, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Dinesh Karthik/Suresh Raina, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Siddarth Kaul, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Umesh Yadav

Pitch conditions

The temperature continues to stay in the early twenties. It’s the middle of a long, dry summer in England and there are no signs that it will end tomorrow. It should suit perfectly for a run-fest on the same ground that produced the highest ODI score last month, even though the same strip is not going be used.

Stats and trivia

• England have a win-loss record of 46-19 since the 2015 World Cup; India are the only team that comes close, with a 39-19 record in the same period
• MS Dhoni is 33 runs away from 10,000 ODI runs

Quotes

“India have been a really strong team in this format for a long time. They won last time they came over here. I know it was a very different side they played against but it is a really good marker to see where we’re at.”
“When you’re playing on pitches like this, you want to bat second. This team likes chasing down targets. I’m sure England would like the same. We’ve noticed the last series they played here, it was high scoring. This very ground was where they scored 480 runs. I’m expecting nothing less than a high-scoring series.”
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