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When Temba Bavuma’s parents planned their end-of-year holiday to the United States, they would not have thought it may clash with their son’s Test debut

Firdose Moonda in Port Elizabeth24-Dec-20141:25

‘I’m not just playing for myself’ – Bavuma

When Temba Bavuma’s parents planned their end-of-year holiday to the United States, they would not have thought it may clash with their son’s Test debut. But that is exactly what has happened. Bavuma is likely to become South Africa’s second new cap in as many matches after the stars aligned to pave the way for his promotion to international cricket.Little more than a few months ago, Bavuma was regarded as a talented prospect whose chance in the national team would likely come, but not imminently. Since then, the retirements of Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis, JP Duminy’s knee niggle and Quinton de Kock’s ankle ligament tear have fast-forwarded the rate of new batsmen into the South African Test XI. Dean Elgar has been able to establish himself as an opener, Faf du Plessis in the No. 3 spot, Stiaan van Zyl filled in for Duminy and now Bavuma is at the front of the queue.He was the only other reserve batsman in the South African squad as it was originally announced, and in keeping with both the policy of promoting players who spend time with the squad before searching outside and a strategy which is set on using seven batsmen, one source described it as “fitting” that Bavuma plays at St George’s Park. The man himself could not have asked for a better Christmas present.”I’m looking forward to the prospect of making my debut here at St George’s Park. I made my first-class debut here as well so it will be quite nice to make my debut for the national side as well,” he said.Bavuma’s first-class average of 35.95 may not strike as significant enough to merit an international call-up but the 24-year-old’s career has been on the rise since it began six seasons ago. He was the sixth-highest run-scorer in the first-class competition last season and was included in a South Africa A tour to Australia. There, he scored 162 in a match South Africa A won and shared a 343-run stand with Rilee Rossouw, who is also in the Test squad and next in line. Bavuma’s maturity and even temperament have elevated him to vice-captain of his franchise, Lions, and earmarked him for the step-up.Already, he has had a taste of the big time when he came on as a substitute fielder during the first Test. Bavuma was on the field for the entire West Indies innings and took two catches, including an impressive low grab at backward point. “It was quite exciting running on and fighting it out there with the guys. It gave me a sense of what it’s like,” he said. “When you walk onto the field and you look around, there’s more people, the intensity of the play is higher. It feels different.”And it will be even more different this time because Bavuma will officially be on the team sheet and will be expected to do much more than just field. He will bat in the lower middle order, out of his regular spot, but somewhere he has had experience before. “I’ve batted in different positions over my domestic career so I know what to expect,” Bavuma said.Whether West Indies are similarly prepared will show in how they approach Bavuma’s height. At 1.61 metres, Bavuma is seven centimetres shorter than England’s James Taylor, and as a youngster was told he may not be tall enough to play cricket. “I’ve always been short, so my whole game is built around being short,” he said. “There are disadvantages, but there also are benefits. I’ve heard from many bowlers that they struggle to find the right lengths bowling to me. In South Africa, it might be a disadvantage with the extra bounce in the wickets but I’ve played here.”That is not the only aspect of Bavuma’s appearance that will be in the spotlight. If he plays, he will become the first black African batsman to play for South Africa in any format and only the sixth to don Test whites. He follows after Makhaya Ntini, Mfuneko Ngam, Monde Zondeki, Thami Tsolekile and Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who was the last to play in January 2011. That means there has been an almost four-year long wait for a member of the country’s majority population group to play in the nations’ second-most popular sport, after football.”I’ve come to realise there’s a lot of people I do represent. I am not just playing for myself,” Bavuma said. With that comes enormous pressure but Bavuma has a plan for handling it. “I think I’ll just go out and play. I’ll obviously be aware that there are people I represent and they will be looking at me to do well but it doesn’t change the ball game for me.” Somewhere in the United States, will be the two people who most want him to put on a good show and who he may feel he represents most.

India A climbed to the top of the Quadrangular A-team one-day series table with a comfortable six-wicket win over National Performance Squad (NPS)

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2014
ScorecardFile photo – Ambati Rayudu’s unbeaten 70 had 11 hits to the boundary•Getty ImagesIndia A climbed to the top of the Quadrangular A-team one-day series table with a comfortable six-wicket win over National Performance Squad (NPS). The bonus-point win meant India A had 10 points from three games.The win over NPS was set up by the India A bowlers, particularly Mohit Sharma, who took 4 for 48. Two of Mohit’s strikes – Matthew Short and Travis Head – broke substantial stands for the first and sixth wickets. He then broke into the NPS tail with the wickets of Ashton Turner and Alex Gregory. In between, Karn Sharma and Rishi Dhawan, the replacements for Parvez Rasool and Jaydev Unadkat, chipped away at the NPS line-up. Left-arm spinner Akshar Patel also picked up two wickets, dismissing Sean Willis and Kelvin Smith.India A’s third change to their playing XI, Manan Vohra, made an impact on his first game. Replacing Unmukt Chand at the top, Vohra combined with Ambati Rayudu to consolidate India A’s chase after Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey and Manoj Tiwary were out cheaply. Vohra and Rayudu added 108 runs for the fourth wicket and the side was on the brink of a win, when Vohra was dismissed for 88. His innings came off 95 balls with 12 fours, while Rayudu finished unbeaten on an 80-ball 70.

South Africa secured their place in the series final thanks to a third century in the competition from Faf du Plessis, which formed the spine of a target too tall for Zimbabwe to chase

The Report by Firdose Moonda04-Sep-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
South Africa secured their place in the triangular series final against Australia thanks to a third century in the competition from Faf du Plessis, which formed the spine of a target too tall for Zimbabwe to chase. Du Plessis shared a 103-run stand with JP Duminy for the fifth wicket and led the final assault which helped South Africa take 61 runs off the last five overs to put a place in the final beyond Zimbabwe’s reach.The hosts had to reach the score in 25.2 overs to earn a bonus point and improve their run-rate enough to leapfrog South Africa but at a required run-rate of 10.83 to the over that was always going to be a tough ask. Zimbabwe have only managed over 200 once in the five ODIs they played before this one and, although they crossed the mark again this time, their batting let them down again. Aside from a welcome return to form for Brendan Taylor, who scored his first-half century in six innings, no one else managed to stay at the crease for longer than 41 minutes or score more than 29 runs.This was the last of five ODIs played between South Africa and Zimbabwe over the past three weeks and it was a microcosm of all of them. Zimbabwe were disciplined in the field, after Elton Chigumbura asked South Africa to bat first. Their spinners enforced a stranglehold which kept South Africa quiet for most of the first 45 overs of their innings but, because they lacked the incisiveness to keep taking wickets, one batsman anchored and set up for a final assault. Du Plessis was that that man.South Africa end 11-year wait

3 Hundreds scored by Faf du Plessis in Zimbabwe, the most in ODIs by an overseas batsman. Nine batsmen have scored two each, including Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Yusuf and Chris Gayle. If du Plessis scores a hundred in the final, he will equal Brendan Taylor’s record for the most ODI hundreds scored in Zimbabwe.
11 Years since South Africa have played an ODI tournament final. The last final South Africa played was in 2003, when they lost against England in the NatWest series. South Africa played at least one final a year from 1994 to 2003, but haven’t featured in one since.
1 South African batsmen who have scored three hundreds in an ODI triangular or quadrangular – du Plessis is the first. David Gower, Graeme Hick, Mark Waugh, Saeed Anwar and VVS Laxman are the other batsmen to have achieved this.
38 Number of overs, out of 50, bowled by Zimbabwe’s spinners. It was the ninth time Zimbabwe’s spinners had bowled as many overs, or more. They once bowled 42, against West Indies in 2010. The only team to have bowled more spin in an innings is Sri Lanka, whose spinners have bowled 43 overs four times and 44 overs three times.
2 Number of times AB de Villiers has bowled in an ODI. The only previous time he bowled was for Africa XI against Asia XI in Chennai in 2007. He bowled two overs on both occasions.

As soon as the score moved beyond 220, Zimbabwe’s chances of winning, not in the overs they needed to get to the final, but overall, were dimmed. Their opening partnership remains brittle, their middle-order soft and their tail brave but inadequate even against a South African attack that was a man short.After a collapse against Australia in their previous match, South Africa chose to bulk up the batting by adding Rilee Rossouw to the XI and had to bench a bowler. Imran Tahir missed out to leave South Africa with just one specialist spinner in Aaron Phangiso. Had Zimbabwe found a partnership as stubborn as the du Plessis-Duminy one, South Africa may have been found wanting but poor shot selection and wavering temperament continue to stunt their progress.They can look to South Africa’s approach as inspiration. When the openers were dismissed in the first eight overs, there was no panic despite the inexperienced player at No.4. Rossouw had two first-ball ducks to his name before this and Zimbabwe could have got through him and into the middle order but he showed more composure this time, particularly against spin.Rossouw used his feet fairly well, brought out the sweep and reverse sweep and left du Plessis to be the aggressor. For all Rossouw’s caution, he could do nothing about the Sean Williams delivery that turned into him as he went back to cut and bowled him but he had acquitted himself well enough to show his promise.De Villiers was run-out cheaply at the non-strikers’ end to give Zimbabwe another chance to take control but Duminy denied them that. He played a Test-match style innings with du Plessis which focused on finding gaps and rotating strike rather than muscling through. They did not breach the boundary for nine overs, including during the Powerplay but importantly, did not lose a wicket in that period either to ensue the foundation was laid.Du Plessis eventually broke the drought in the 43rd over when he creamed Malcolm Waller through the offside and then slammed Nyumbu for six over long-on. As his century approached, fatigue shrouded du Plessis but he knew he needed to provide impetus at the end. Duminy was equally aware of the task.In one eventful Madziva over, Duminy swatted one to the square leg boundary and then recorded his first half-century of the series, then top-edged and was dismissed, du Plessis inside-edged a ball for four to register a hundred in 135 balls and hammered the bowler for six over long-off. South Africa had the freedom to hit out at the end and ended up with a comfortable score on a sluggish surface.Zimbabwe had prepared for a speedy start by inserting Vusi Sibanda in at the top but in his haste he was run out. Sikandar Raza threatened for the umpteenth time and then thew it away while Hamilton Masakadza also got a start he should have turned into something more significant.Taylor was the only one to demonstrate an understanding of the approach required on this pitch with a patient start and careful application of when to attack. Taylor was composed but with Phangiso and Duminy turning the ball and the fear factor of Dale Steyn, Zimbabwe’s middle-order crumbled and with it, their chance to cause another upset.

Australia star Aaron Finch was upstaged on his Yorkshire debut by local boy Alex Lees, who clubbed a superb unbeaten 61 in an eight-wicket win over Derbyshire.

Press Association30-May-2014
ScorecardAdil Rashid strangled Derbyshire with 2 for 19•Getty ImagesAustralia star Aaron Finch was upstaged on his Yorkshire debut by local boy Alex Lees, who clubbed a superb unbeaten 61 in an eight-wicket win over Derbyshire.The world’s No.1-ranked Twenty20 batsman made his much-heralded arrival at Headingley after a spell in the Indian Premier League with Hyderabad, but scored just 19 as 21-year-old Lees stole the show and guided Yorkshire to their first NatWestT20 Blast win of the season.Liam Plunkett and Adil Rashid took two wickets apiece as Yorkshire survived some poor catching to limit their visitors, who are still searching for a first win of the season in any format, to 127 for 6.Derbyshire got off to a flying start and were 28 without loss after the first three overs before Stephen Moore became the first man to fall with Oliver Robinson, on Twenty20 debut, running him out with a direct hit from cover for 18. Robinson’s debut got even better shortly after when he caught the dangerous Chesney Hughes at deep square leg as he attempted to pull Plunkett.Derbyshire were rocking in the eighth over courtesy of two wickets in three balls from Rashid, who first bowled Marcus North round his legs and then had Wes Durston trapped lbw.The clatter of wickets slowed the rate, with just two boundaries in the next five overs, before Plunkett claimed his second wicket, with Lees claiming Scott Elstone, who had earlier been dropped by Jack Leaning, at short-midwicket for 14.Gareth Cross made 20 before he was done by Richard Pyrah’s yorker and Wayne Madsen finished unbeaten on 34 as the visitors posted a seemingly below-par total.Finch made a statement of intent with a six in the first over, but was then kept largely off-strike, briefly by Andrew Gale, who was caught at point by Elstone off the bowling of Mark Footitt for 7, and then by Lees.In fact, Finch faced just nine balls in the first six overs as Lees took charge, hitting six fours in seven deliveries as Yorkshire powered to 70 for 1.Finch fell for 19 when he was caught and bowled by countryman North, but Lees brought up his maiden Twenty20 50 off 30 balls in the next over. He and Jonny Bairstow, with an unbeaten 29 not out then guided Yorkshire home with 36 balls to spare and the minimum of fuss.

Kumar Sangakkara’s debut for Durham in his brief stay ahead of the Sri Lanka series was a second-ball duck but Yorkshire ran aground against hundreds from Mark Stoneman and Michael Richardson

Jon Culley in Chester-le-Street06-May-2014
ScorecardKumar Sangakkara makes a second-ball duck against Yorkshire at Chester-le-Street•PA PhotosIt was little wonder that Kumar Sangakkara wasted no time in heading for the nets after his brief debut innings for Durham. When the length of your deal allows for a maximum of four visits to the crease, in what everybody recognises is a useful warm-up for Sri Lanka’s Test series against England, it must be slightly embarrassing if the first of them is a second-ball duck.The Yorkshire bowlers did not bowl as many testing deliveries as they yearned to after setting a formidable first-innings total but Ryan Sidebottom found one for Sangakkara that moved away as he pushed forward and took the edge. It flew to third slip, where Kane Williamson deflected to second slip where Adam Lyth took the catch.Sankakkara’s professionalism in organising that net session was plain to see. And at least there is the opportunity for him to make amends. Durham, eight wickets down, need another 79 to avoid the follow-on, so the odds are that Sangakkara will be required again on the final day. Yorkshire, one way or another, need to take 12 wickets if they are to reap the full reward for their colossal first-innings total.Durham, you suspect, will fancy their chances of securing a draw. They will do so if Mark Stoneman and Michael Richardson play as well as they did in the first innings. There was a century from each: a career-best in each instance.Stokes believes injury on track

Durham’s England all-rounder Ben Stokes says he will learn next week how close he is to a playing comeback as he recovers from a broken wrist.
He has an appointment on May 12 with the specialist who has been treating the injury, sustained when he punched a dressing room locker in frustration following his dismissal in England’s final Twenty20 international against the West Indies in March.
Speaking at the launch in Covent Garden of the new Royal London One-Day Cup competition, Stokes said, however, that his recovery is on track.
“The specialist will give me a better indication of when I can get back in the nets and eventually start playing but I am on track, recovery wise,” he said.
Stokes added that he hoped to find enough one-day form with Durham to convince England he should bat higher in the order in one-day internationals. “I’ve been up and down the order a couple of times and not had a slot set in stone but I’d like to bat higher up,” he said. “Hopefully if I can get some runs for Durham in one-day cricket I will get the chance.”

They have been in no doubt for some time that Stoneman, an elegant left-hander, is an opening batsman of high quality.In Richardson’s case, after scoring two centuries last season batting at No 8, promotion to five — four until Sangakkara came — gives him a clear an opportunity which, on the evidence so far, he is ready to take.Two half-centuries against Northamptonshire augured well and while he was out more cheaply against Somerset there was something to build on in each innings. This time, he made a start and did not waste it, constructing a half-century with care and then pushing on remorselessly. Stoneman was impressive, but Richardson’s was the innings of the day.Stoneman, unlucky in Durham captain Paul Collingwood’s view not to have been on the England Lions tour last winter, completed his half-century soon after the resumption. Scored off only 54 balls, it had been the most fluent of the match to that point.Afterwards, he needed to dig in. The Yorkshire bowlers, who had rather wasted the new ball on the second evening, found better lines and a more testing length, Sidebottom and Tim Bresnan in particular. The latter, making his first appearance after England asked that he be rested until this match, looked in good order, backing up director of cricket Martyn Moxon’s assertion that there is plenty of cricket to come from him. Liam Plunkett, too, attracted attention by cranking it up around 90mph.Even so, Stoneman did not offer a genuine chance until he had reached his hundred, getting there with two leg-side boundaries off Jack Brooks, who was the least effective seamer on the day. It was his ninth first-class hundred. Six have come since August 2012, which explains why Durham now think so highly of him.He was dropped by Adil Rashid at first slip off Sidebottom on 102, after which he went on to reach 131, having hit 17 fours, before a misjudgement against Plunkett cost him dearly, bringing an lbw verdict as he shouldered arms, a reward for Plunkett’s aggressive post-lunch spell.Richardson, whose arrival at 70 for 3 gave him much to do, was excellent in his support for Stoneman. He took twice as long as his partner to reach 50 but then opened up, scoring his second 50 in half the time. He pulled Brooks for six, hit 14 fours and had just hit Rashid over the rope at long-off when, looking for another big blow, he allowed Andrew Hodd the chance of a stumping. By that time, though, he had moved well past his previous best — 129 against Sussex at Hove last September.

Sanath Jayasuriya, the Sri Lanka chief selector, has questioned Thisara Perera’s work ethic as the board denied the allrounder permission to participate in the BBL

Andrew Fidel Fernando03-Jan-2014Sanath Jayasuriya, the Sri Lanka chief selector, has questioned Thisara Perera’s work ethic and asked him to work harder as the board moved to deny the allrounder permission to participate in the Big Bash League. Perera had applied for the no-objection certificate required by players to take part in a foreign league, but Sri Lanka Cricket refused to provide it, largely on the recommendation of Jayasuriya’s selection panel.”We are not giving him permission to play in the Big Bash. He has to work and stay in Sri Lanka,” Jayasuriya told ESPNcricinfo. “The reason is poor form. He’s been in very poor form with his bowling and batting. He needs to work on some things with the coaches in Sri Lanka.”Before he thinks of playing for Big Bash and all these things, he needs to do the work in Sri Lanka, if he wants to become a good allrounder. That’s what the selectors think.”Perera was in Sri Lanka’s limited-overs squad for the December series against Pakistan in the UAE, but was dropped after the third ODI. He hit only 13 runs in the three one-dayers and was wayward with the ball, though he did take six wickets in five matches, including the two Twenty20 internationals.Jayasuriya’s selection panel had already sent Perera a message about his work ethic when it omitted him from the squad for the ODI tri-series in the West Indies in June. Although he made significant gains in the home series against South Africa that followed, he has allowed his game to slip again, Jayasuriya said.”After dropping him from that West Indies series, he played really well. He worked hard on his bowling and batting and everything. But now, he needs to work hard again.”Jayasuriya has designs for Perera to become a Test allrounder, particularly as the selectors do not want to overburden Angelo Mathews with the third seamer’s job in addition to his roles as captain and batsman. Jayasuriya said Perera’s path to regaining form should begin with England Lions’ tour of Sri Lanka in February. Perera has been asked to train with the Sri Lanka A team in the interim.”He doesn’t need BBL match practice,” Jayasuriya said. “If he wants match practice, he can get it during the England A series. I want him to play Tests for Sri Lanka, not just ODIs and T20s. He has that potential, but he needs to work hard.”

Kyle Abbott had a dream Test debut, but his second outing hasn’t yielded the same reward

Firdose Moonda in Cape Town02-Mar-20140:00

‘They’ve batted incredibly well’ – Abbott

Kyle Abbott nearly dismissed Michael Clarke on 99 during an intriguing tussle•Getty ImagesKyle Abbott delivered his first ball in international cricket in February 2013. It came after five balls after Vernon Philander broke Pakistan’s opening partnership in Centurion. Dale Steyn and Rory Kleinveldt had applied pressure before that and all Abbott needed to do was follow in that vein.By the end of that day, Abbott had raced past all three of those seamers. Through a combination of swing and accuracy, Abbott finished the day with the second-best bowling figures by a South African on debut and Pakistan were following on. Perhaps Test cricket wasn’t so difficult after all.More than a year later Abbott bowled for the second time in an international match. Australia’s openers had surged to 64 without loss. Steyn and Philander were off colour, Morkel was quick and threatening but had not broken through and Graeme Smith had already resorted to using a spinner. Suddenly, Test cricket seemed a much tougher game.”A year ago I sat here after my first Test, I bowled exactly the same and had seven wickets to my name,” Abbott said. “I probably bowled a bit worse then actually, but that’s the great thing about this game, it humbles you.”Without a single wicket to his name, Abbott has been brought back down to earth even though he had more than 12 months to come down from the high of his maiden outing. There was not much swing to be found on the first day’s cool but dry air and the surface did not have much in it for the seamers so the going was tough against an Australian line-up that were intent on asserting themselves. “It was pretty demanding out there,” Abbott admitted. “But I also think we stuck at it well.”With Morne Morkel assuming the role of the attacker in Dale Steyn’s absence, the rest of the pack were supposed to hold the line. Neither Vernon Philander nor the spinners did that while Abbott came closest. He said he knew there be a little more needed from him given that South Africa were a man down. “He is the world leading bowler so not having him will make a dent in your plans. Graeme [Smith] said this is the card we’ve been dealt and he is going to call a lot more on the bowlers.”Abbott compared the challenge of being without Steyn to being similar to the one he faced this morning, when howling wind threatened to throw him off his line at any moment. He also knew he was better than being blown away and wanted to prove it.For five consecutive overs, Abbott did not give a run away. He bowled just short of a length, a line close to offstump and Steve Smith’s bat, before going up against a nervy Michael Clarke on 99. Clarke elaborately shouldered arms to what could be either the leave or the ball of the day, one that moved back into him and missed the stumps by millimetres.Abbott built pressure for a period, something South Africa were unable to do for most of the first day. Even though it held little relevance in the context, it is a skill he could be called on to perform in future. “What I did this morning is how I’ve got myself into this side in the first place,” Abbott said. “Yesterday wasn’t what I am all about. This morning was a better reflection of what I can bring to this side. I have been told the lines I hit is good enough to keep guys at bay and I hope I can keep doing that.”Through that, he was part of one of the best passages of play on a curtailed day and admitted he enjoyed it. “That was a great period of Test cricket,” he said. “Clarke was looking to pounce on anything remotely short and wide and there were a few balls where he tried to create something but got stopped at gully. He really put my skills put to the Test. There were a few moments where he smiled and nodded and it was just great competition.”It may also serve as evidence Abbott is at the front of queue to fill this role later on, which would be progress for a side that unsure of who its fourth seamer should be before this match. They have tried Ryan McLaren and Wayne Parnell and have thought about using Rory Kleinveldt, so much so that Abbott did not expect to play in this Test series. He was added to the squad only because Parnell was ruled out and considered himself nothing more than cover.On Friday afternoon, Abbott was told he was going to have to be more than that. The news tied his stomach into a knot. “It kind of ruined my dinner plans. I didn’t have much of an appetite,” Abbott said. “The selectors made up their minds that they wanted four seamers and I had played a bit of four-day cricket so that weighed it nicely in my favour.”The same cannot be said of the position South Africa find themselves in now. Australia are closing in on a first-innings score of 500 and time has already been lost in the game. Only two outcomes seem likely and a South Africa win is not one of them.It’s a situation Abbott has not found himself in with the national team before. But he is taking heart from the fact that he has not seen Newlands this flat and if South Africa’s line-up can put up a fight, he wants to believe anything is possible. “We have to bat well, just as they did,” Abbott said. “As soon as we start thinking of a draw or any negative thoughts come in, we won’t be on the right track. Knowing this team, we’re still going to stay positive. There’s a series up for grabs.”

Allrounder Tim Bresnan has been added to England’s Ashes squad and could play in the second Test in Adelaide, which starts on December 5

George Dobell02-Dec-20130:00

‘Praying for Bresnan to be fit’

Allrounder Tim Bresnan has been added to England’s Ashes squad and could play in the second Test in Adelaide, which starts on December 5.Bresnan, 28, was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his lower back in August and missed the final Test of the Ashes in England. While he arrived in Australia with the Test squad, his on-going involvement was always dependent on him proving his fitness ahead of the second Test.Having taken four wickets in the England Performance Programmes’ match against Queensland Second XI last week and undergone a thorough fitness test afterwards, he has now officially been added to the squad. He has also been bowling at full pace in the nets for a couple of weeks.Chris Tremlett filled the third fast bowler’s spot normally taken by Bresnan in Brisbane but produced a modest performance. With England also keen to strengthen the batting after a dismal performance in the first Test and the loss of Jonathan Trott, Bresnan, a far better batsman than Tremlett, could be set for an almost immediate return. Both Steven Finn and Boyd Rankin all but bowled themselves out of contention with disappointing performances in Alice Springs.It appears that Gary Ballance will benefit from Trott’s departure and win the chance to bat at No. 6 in Adelaide, with Joe Root or Ian Bell set to move to No. 3. Root, despite an unconvincing performance in Alice Springs, appears the more likely choice, with the England camp reluctant to weaken a strength by moving Bell from the No. 5 position from which he largely defined the previous series in England.

In Colin Munro, New Zealand will have one more allrounder in their armory as they look for victory in their one-off Twenty20 against Bangladesh on Wednesday

Mohammad Isam05-Nov-2013New Zealand may already have three capable allrounders in Corey Anderson, James Neesham and Grant Elliot, but Colin Munro’s performance on Sunday has given the team one more option to bank on, as they look for victory in their one-off Twenty20 against Bangladesh on Wednesday.Munro struck his second ODI half-century in Fatullah- an adventurous 85 which included plenty of reverse hits and blows down the ground. He dominated the 130-run fourth-wicket partnership with Ross Taylor, but eventually tried one reverse hit too many and was caught behind in the 44th over.”It is the way I play,” Munro said. “I have developed that [reverse] shot in the last two-three years. In the subcontinent where world-class bowlers are bowling at you and with the new rules they have backward point open, so it is a really good option.”It was an important innings for Munro because his previous ODI score was a first-ball duck against England in Nottingham in June this year. Although New Zealand had already lost the series going into this game, Munro said that he had a lot to play for.”Some guys said it is a dead rubber so go out there and play with freedom,” he said. “I got a duck in my last international match and so had a lot to prove yesterday. It was very pleasing to score runs in my first game here because I have been working on playing against spin.”Though New Zealand have also had good performances from allrounders Anderson, Neesham and Elliott at different times during this tour, the team hasn’t gelled as a whole. Munro, however, believes that the fight for places in the side could only be seen as a positive.”There’s a lot of competition and it is good for the team. I think the two best allrounders are Corey Anderson and Jimmy Neesham because they can bowl the full quota of overs and can contribute with the bat.”Grant Elliott and myself are more like part-timers in these conditions and at this stage of my career, I need to be realistic and work on areas that I am not good at. I have to keep doing what I am doing. I can’t rely on just one score.”Munro was praised by Taylor after their partnership, and the 26-year-old is now looking for an extended run in the team. “Ross said some good things at the end of the game. It was great batting with him as I think he absorbed the pressure in the middle period well yesterday,” he said. “Hopefully I have put my hand up and said I can play in the subcontinent, and play the first one-dayer in Sri Lanka.”Even Tim Southee viewed allrounders as New Zealand’s biggest strength, because of their ability to control the run-rate with ball, and “clear the fence”. Now New Zealand would be really hoping their strengths translate into a victory in the T20, so that they finish what has been a dismal Bangladesh tour on a high.Munro said the team hadn’t given up yet. “It would be silly of us to have our heads down halfway through a long tour [of the subcontinent]. We have a lot of cricket left, including the Twenty20 game here. If we can win that one and go to Sri Lanka, that would be great for the team.”

Sri Lanka’s players might have often heard that the sport they play is a great leveller, but they might not have thought the highs and lows could come in such quick succession

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Aug-2013Match factsTuesday, August 06, 2013

Start time 1900 local (1330 GMT)Thisara Perera’s form hasn’t quite continued in the T20 series•Associated PressBig PictureSri Lanka’s players might have often heard that the sport they play is a great leveller, but they might not have thought the highs and lows could come in such quick succession. Four nights after Sri Lanka had embarrassed South Africa 4-1, they are pondering their own humiliation. The world’s top-ranked Twenty20 side is one game away from being whitewashed at home. If they fail on Tuesday, they will lose that ranking and slip to third, behind Pakistan and South Africa, who will rise from fifth.
The scripts for both games so far were remarkably similar, and make Sri Lanka’s problem clear. South Africa batted first, stumbled early, then surged late. Sri Lanka also lost early wickets, but were kept in the hunt by Kumar Sangakkara. In the end he could not compensate for his team-mates’ impotence and South Africa won handily. Sri Lanka’s young batsmen have been under pressure throughout the tour, and have largely misfired. If they cannot muster a performance worthy of the faith afforded in them by the selectors, the team will have cause to embark on some soul searching.Their opponents, meanwhile, have finally come to terms with the pace of the pitches in Sri Lanka and seem to also have managed to get a grip on Ajantha Mendis’ variations. South Africa have been rejuvenated in the field under Faf du Plessis, who has had a knack for using his bowlers cleverly, and Imran Tahir’s insertion has also given the attack a dimension that it lacked in the ODIs.Though the word “revenge” has grown unfashionable in sport, South Africa will be out to make their tour’s outlook a little more even, with a third commanding performance. The toss will be important again, but for the first time since arriving in Sri Lanka, they might even be favourites to win the match.Form guide(most recent first, last five completed matches)
Sri Lanka: LLWWW
South Africa: WWLWLPlayers to watchThisara Perera was effective with both bat and ball in the ODI series, but has only bowled one over in the Twenty20 series, and has not been at his explosive best with the bat. There is talk that he is the most underutilised player in the Sri Lanka team, batting as low as he does, but if he is to move further up, he will have to play match-winning cameos with more consistency than he manages now.
David Miller has been among South Africa’s more comfortable batsmen in Sri Lanka’s conditions throughout the tour, and has not been too shy to attack the same spinners who wreaked havoc on the men around him. His 36 off 21 in the last match lifted South Africa to their first challenging total of the tour, and he may be key to their hopes again, if the misfiring top order falls cheaply.Pitch and conditionsThe Hambantota Stadium’s evening gusts had a major effect on Sunday, with batsmen picking certain areas of the ground to hit to, and swing bowlers benefiting from some extra assistance. The wind has been a feature of the ground since its debut, as has the pitch that has proven difficult for batsmen.
The weather is expected to be fine for the match.Team newsIt is difficult to predict whether Sri Lanka will stick with their plan to play only three senior batsmen. The prospect of being whitewashed might spur them to play their best XI, but Kusal Perera also showed signs of reclaiming some form in his 21 in the last match, when he was given wrongly given out. There is also a chance Lahiru Thirimanne is the man to make way.
Sri Lanka (probable): 1. Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2. Mahela Jayawardene/Kusal Perera, 3. Dinesh Chandimal (c), 4. Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 5. Angelo Mathews, 6. Lahiru Thirimanne, 7. Thisara Perera, 8. Nuwan Kulasekara, 9. Sachithra Senanayake, 10. Lasith Malinga, 11. Ajantha MendisSouth Africa will not want to meddle with their attack, and though Henry Davids and Quinton de Kock have not scored runs at the top of the order, they are likely to remain in the side as well.South Africa (probable): 1. Quinton de Kock (wk), 2. Henry Davids, 3. Faf du Plessis (c), 4. JP Duminy, 5. AB de Villiers, 6. David Miller, 7. David Wiese, 8. Wayne Parnell, 9. Morne Morkel, 10. Lonwabo Tsotsobe, 11. Imran TahirStats and trivia Kumar Sangakkara is the leading run-scorer (98 runs) in this series, just as in the last one. Sri Lanka also have the leading wicket-taker, in Sachithra Senanayake (five wickets) In six Twenty20s in Hambantota, the side batting first has lost only once – when South Africa played Zimbabwe in the last WorldTwenty20Quotes”The plan against their spinners was to be confident and try and unsettle them. Even though they might get wickets, we still tried to unsettle them. I think it’s working. We played Mendis really well in the last two games.”



“That they didn’t do well against the spinners in the ODI and Ajantha is a very good bowler in T20 cricket. That’s why he bowled his full quota.”