Tag Futebol

Just needed to 'walk in' to change dressing room mood – Shastri

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What did Ravi Shastri have to do to the dressing room atmosphere after Anil Kumble’s exit? “Nothing had changed, no special buttons I had to press. It was just that one play button, and off you went,” he said

Sidharth Monga in Colombo01-Aug-20174:12

This team has already done what big names could not – Shastri

The role of a head coach in the Indian cricket team has never been as ambiguous as it has been since the first murmurs of trouble between Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble began. Kumble himself didn’t have much experience as a coach, but in the one year he spent in the job, he came across as somebody actively involved in working with bowlers, passing on some tips to batsmen, playing a role in strategising and also keeping an eye on the supply line.However, as each passing day conspired to get Ravi Shastri back as the coach, you wondered what India wanted in their coach. Now there are specialist bowling, batting and fielding coaches in the side. If Shastri had not picked them himself, the Cricket Advisory Committee would have enforced through Zaheer Khan and Rahul Dravid. What exactly does Shastri do then?”My role is to be in charge of the entire support staff, and to make sure that we get the boys in some great mental space to go out and express themselves with nothing else on their minds but to go out and play a brand of cricket which you have seen India play over the last three years: positive and fearless,” Shastri said, two days before the SSC Test.When asked how exactly he does that, Shastri shot back: “That is a skill, that is why I am here and you are not there.”Later he said, though, that all he had to do to achieve the right atmosphere in the dressing room was “walk in”. “That was enough”It is instructive that a press conference two days before the middle Test of a series revolved more around Shastri’s role in the team than around the Test or the series. “For me, I don’t carry any baggage,” Shastri said about the winning start in Galle. “For me it was like walking into the dressing room as I had left it. Nothing had changed, and no special buttons I had to press. It was just that one play button, and off you went.”The boys were fantastic in the last Test match but what we are striving for is improvement. There are still areas to improve from the last game. And we have discussed that and what we want from this team as a unit collectively is consistency. Not just where you are good in one game and totally the opposite in the other. Your levels of consistency have to be high.”Shastri was even asked how he makes sure he is not “overbearing” and balancing out the need to speak to players and giving them their space. “When you have been around the game for 37 years, you probably learnt a little bit,” Shastri said. “So that experience is very handy for me in knowing exactly how to deal with the players.”Just walk in, press the play button and using his 37-year experience (as player and commentator), coaching India sounds easy. He was asked how easy it exactly was. “I have been manager, director, now I am head coach, and it’s the same role,” Shastri said. “Absolutely the same role. So there is nothing that I have to change. The fact that you played the game and watched the game for long periods of time without a break does help. So you know what’s contemporary and what’s happening at the moment and you relate with people in that fashion.”I don’t think at this level coaching is needed. At this level, it is all about fine-tuning and getting the blokes in a good mental space to go out and play the game. They know they have reached here because they are good. At times you might need to just fine-tune them a bit because the amount of cricket that’s being played you might just get into the odd bad habit without you realising it. That’s where the experience of having played, probably having watched you can pick it up and pass on the message.”Shastri also said this team had achieved what many Indian greats had failed to achieve. “They have already done things that a lot of Indian teams and a lot of big names couldn’t do in their careers,” Shastri said. “Like, for example, to win a series here [in Sri Lanka] for 20 years. A lot of big names have played for 20 years, they have come to Sri Lanka many times, and they have never won a series. But they [this team] have done that. They have won a one-day series in 20 years, which a lot of teams haven’t done.”This team is used to doing things that a lot of other teams haven’t done, and that too overseas. Forget Australia, I am not even touching the Australia tour, so when you say overseas like South Africa, England, it is a lot of tough cricket coming up. I see it as an opportunity. I am very positive here that this team can do things that probably no other Indian team has done.”

Cox stars then Glamorgan receive a Tongue lashing

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ECB Reporters Network09-Jun-2017
ScorecardBen Cox took his chance at No. 5•Getty Images

Ben Cox successfully filled the No. 5 spot vacated by the departed Tom Kohler-Cadmore before Josh Tongue caused mayhem with the ball for Worcestershire on day one of the Specasavers County Championship clash with Glamorgan at New Road.Cox was promoted up the order for the second game running after Kohler-Cadmore’s release – to join Yorkshire – was confirmed yester and he top scored with 93 out of 267 all out in 70.4.Then Tongue blitzed his way through the Glamorgan batting line-up with five wickets in four devastating overs as the Welsh County closed on 76-6.
Cox went to the middle quicker than he would have wanted after Worcestershire had been reduced to 14 for 3 within the first 45 minutes on being asked to bat.He eventually became the last of four victims of Timm van der Gugten who was well supported by new four-day skipper Michael Hogan, Lukas Carey and Andrew Salter with two wickets apiece.But then Tongue got to work with the ball as Glamorgan nosedived from 39 for 0 to 58 for 6.Worcestershire were looking for a positive response after an innings defeat at Sussex had ended a run of four successive victories.But they were immediately on the back foot as Daryl Mitchell, who had scored 534 runs in the previous five Championship innings, lost his off stump to the third ball of the innings from Lukas Carey.Tom Fell (7) was trapped lbw by Van der Gugten who also accounted for Brett D’Oliveira (7) with Aneurin Donald holding onto a sharp chance at third slip.
Cox was in aggressive mode from the start and Joe Clarke (25) partnered him in a stand of 69 in 16 overs before the latter was bowled by Michael Hogan with a delivery which was angled in.Josh Tongue: five wickets•Getty Images

Van der Gugten bowled a lengthy spell during the afternoon session and accounted for Ross Whiteley (6) who was pouched by Donald via another sharp catch at third slip.Cox was joined by Barnard in another productive stand of 59 in 11.4 overs. The former Bromsgrove School pupil looked set for a deserved century but then became the fourth victim of Van der Gugten as Andrew Salter reacted sharply away to his left in the gully. He faced only 99 deliveries and struck 15 boundaries.Skipper Joe Leach (13) was lbw to Hogan and Jack Shantry ((3) was caught down the legside off Carey but Barnard reached an excellent half century off 86 balls with six fours. The ex England Under-19 batsman finally holed out to mid-off off Andrew Salter for 60.Tongue collected two boundaries in an over from Hogan costing 15 runs to bring up the 250 before Salter brought about his dismissal at deep extra cover.Glamorgan openers Jacques Rudolph and Nick Selman put on 39, although not without the odd scare, but then the wickets started to tumble.
Selman (4) was bowled by a ball of full length from Leach – his 30th wicket of the season – and then Tongue worked his way into the Glamorgan order.
Will Bragg (7) was bowled, Colin Ingram (2) gloved a ball to first slip and Donald edged to second slip.The procession of wickets continued as Clarke pulled off a stunning catch at third slip to dispose of David Lloyd (2) while in the same over Van der Gugten (0) was victim to an excellent catch by Cox. Rudolph was left unbeaten on 49 surveying the wreckage from the non striker’s end.

Sutherland extends olive branch to players

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James Sutherland has made the first conciliatory noises since player pay talks with the Australian Cricketers Association broke down last week, stating the two parties “have a lot more in common than they have not”

Daniel Brettig27-Dec-20163:07

Brettig: Conciliatory words from CA in recent times

James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, has made the first conciliatory noises since player pay talks with the Australian Cricketers Association broke down last week, stating the two parties “have a lot more in common than they have not” and expressing hope for compromises in what are widely divergent positions at present.CA have made it plain in their submission to the players that they want to break up the revenue sharing model that has existed for the past 20 years, limiting it to only the top 20 male players and excluding domestic cricketers and also women from a guaranteed share of the money earned by the game down under.Other contentions, including questions over whether it is “appropriate” for CA to fund the ACA, have raised eyebrows among the players. Bitter exchanges of views over various clauses in women’s contracts culminated in the suspension of talks by CA last week, leaving the players’ delegation all dressed up at the board’s Jolimont headquarters with nowhere to go.Having worked closely on the relationship with the ACA in the past, principally with the former chief executives Tim May and Paul Marsh, Sutherland said he was hopeful that talks would resume in the new year on a less adversarial basis after both sides had time to reflect on the past few weeks. Kevin Roberts, the former board director and now senior executive widely thought to be Sutherland’s likely successor, is leading CA’s delegation this time around.”It was probably an opportune time, the right time, just to take a little bit of a deep breath with a couple of issues circulating, and to be honest we haven’t properly got into discussions or negotiations,” Sutherland told ABC Radio. “It was really just some formalities at the start in terms of putting each other’s perspectives or proposals on the table.”We haven’t gone into any detail with that, I think it’s a long haul in terms of detail we need to go through, but I think the facts of the matter are that both organisations have a lot more in common than they have not, and from that perspective it’s all in the interest of the game, ensuring the game’s better.”And as I’ve said before, the opportunity around these sort of agreements which come around every five years or perhaps a little bit less sometimes, is to come to a better agreement. An agreement that helps the game to be better and helps all the relevant stakeholders to be supported.”The players are seeking the retention of the revenue sharing agreement, which guarantees around 26% of Australian Cricket Revenue (ACR) goes to the players. At the same time they want the definition of ACR to be expanded to counterbalance the inclusion of women in the same MOU for the first time. Last week Australia’s players were addressed by May, who told them about the history of the accord between players and board.”I talked about the historical battles of 1997 and the incredible similarities that are bobbing up now,” May told the . “I told them that they weren’t selfish then. Yes, they wanted a benefit, but also wanted a system to last into the future. You owe it not only to yourselves, but to future generations and to the players 20 years ago.”Meanwhile, Sutherland also stated that a Christmas Day Big Bash League match was becoming increasingly likely, though probably not as soon as next summer. “The more I think about it… then you see the next day, the NBA and the audiences they get… I think the growing sentiment is that that’s a possibility,” he said.”We’d need to think about the right venue for it, and we also need to consult widely. We understand that it’s not just a narrow-minded cricket decision. There’s a lot more to it than that. And we’ll think that through. But I think it is an opportunity and it would be a good thing for the game and for cricket fans around the country.”The Australian cricket team come in a few days before Christmas and they’re here. I know in Women’s Big Bash League, our daughter, she was on a lunch-time flight to Sydney, Christmas Day. It’s part and parcel of what happens as a professional cricketer today, so I think that’s a concern or a matter that we’ll talk through, but cricketers are on the move at that time of year anyway.”

Dunk makes fifty but rain dominates day

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Ben Dunk gave Tasmania a solid start with an unbeaten half-century but it was rain that dominated the first day of their clash with New South Wales at Bankstown Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2015
ScorecardBen Dunk made a half-century before the rain hit•Getty Images

Ben Dunk gave Tasmania a solid start with an unbeaten half-century but it was rain that dominated the first day of their clash with New South Wales at Bankstown Oval. Only 36.4 overs were possible due to the wet weather, and Tasmania finished at 1 for 127, with Dunk on 68 and Alex Doolan on 44.The day began with a moment of concern when Dunk was struck on the helmet by a Doug Bollinger bouncer in the first over, but he was able to bat on. Bollinger claimed an early wicket when Beau Webster was trapped lbw for 9, but it was the only success of the day for New South Wales.Both teams entered the game hoping to put their seasons back on track, Tasmania having lost both of their matches and New South Wales having forfeited the points against Victoria after the match was abandoned due to the state of the SCG turf.Tasmania made some significant changes to their XI, with fast bowler Andrew Fekete and ex-Test wicketkeeper Tim Paine dropped. Last month, Fekete was to be part of Australia’s Test squad for the tour of Bangladesh, which was ultimately cancelled.

Finn makes mark as Middx take charge

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Steven Finn took 4 for 41 to spearhead a second-day Middlesex thrust with the ball as Somerset slipped to 185 for 8 in their Championship Division One match

ECB/PA12-Jul-2015
ScorecardSteven Finn, who will rejoin England’s squad for the second Test at Lord’s, took four wickets•Getty Images

Steven Finn took 4 for 41 to spearhead a second-day Middlesex thrust with the ball as Somerset slipped to 185 for 8 in their Championship Division One match at Merchant Taylors’ School in Northwood.Marcus Trescothick and Tom Abell had put on a battling 76 for the first wicket in reply to Middlesex’s 283, but Finn took two of four wickets to fall for 41 runs as Somerset suddenly found themselves struggling at 117 for 4. Peter Trego was then leg-before to Ollie Rayner for 15, just before heavy rain arrived to drive the players from the field at 3.33pm for an early tea.Jim Allenby, hit under the throat by a short ball from Toby Roland-Jones when 28, fought hard to score 43 before becoming Finn’s fourth victim as he edged low to Rayner at second slip.Finn is due to be replaced in this match by James Harris when he joins up with England’s squad ahead of the second Ashes Test, but he clearly wanted to make a mark before his departure. His third wicket was that of Lewis Gregory, caught at the wicket for 11 soon after a restart at 5.05pm, and he also had Michael Bates dropped on nought by James Franklin at first slip.There was another break of half an hour from 5.37pm as more rain arrived and only 20 minutes of further play was possible before bad light brought a close to proceedings with Middlesex firmly on top despite the loss of 25.3 overs in the day.Running down the slope from the Benham End, Finn first forced Abell to feather a catch behind on 26 and, after Tim Murtagh had induced a thick edge to the keeper by Johann Myburgh, on 1, the England fast bowler produced another beauty to bowl James Hildreth for 4.Trescothick’s determined three-hour 52, from 124 balls, was finally ended by Roland-Jones, who swung one into the left-hander’s pads to have him leg-before.Finn had been a handful for Somerset’s openers in the morning session, striking both Trescothick and Abell on the arm and hand respectively during a fierce new ball spell. Somerset had started their reply this morning, after taking the final Middlesex first innings wicket in the closing overs last night, and Finn hit Abell early on and Trescothick when he was on 16.The cricket was so attritional that Abell’s first boundary did not come until the last over of the morning session, the 29th, when he cut off spinner Rayner’s first ball to the third man ropes. It was the 77th ball he had faced.

Ajmal sweeps Pakistan awards

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Saeed Ajmal, who was a notable omission from the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year award list, has swept the bowling awards at the inaugural PCB annual award function

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2013Saeed Ajmal, who was a notable omission from the ICC Test Cricket of the Year award list, has swept the bowling awards at the inaugural PCB annual awards function. Apart from being named the best bowler in all three categories – Tests, ODIs and T20s – Ajmal also won the PCB special prize for Best Bowler of the Year.”Around the cricketing world, Pakistan over the years has been known for its bowling attack,” Ajmal said. “To be named the best for the year from such a special group, for me this is an out of this world feeling. It took me 16 years to reach at this point in my life.”Bowling in a Test match requires fitness, perseverance and skill. You have to think the batsman out. I am happy that I was rated as the best out of an attack that is considered second to none.”In 2012, Ajmal played six Tests in which he claimed 39 wickets at an average of 20.56, which was the best among the top ten bowlers. His best came in the UAE, where his 24 wickets at 14.70 helped Pakistan demolish England, the then No. 1 side in the world, 3-0. He also bagged 31 wickets in ODIs and 25 in T20s in this period.Nasir Jamshed, who made a comeback to the Pakistan team last year, also won awards in more than one category. He was named Batsman of the Year in both ODIs and T20s, while the prize for the Test Batsman of the Year went to Azhar Ali, who scored 551 runs at an average of 55.10.Mohammad Hafeez, who took over the reins of Pakistan’s T20 team last year, was named the Player of the Year for his successes with both bat and ball. Junaid Khan, the young fast bowler, was named the Emerging Player of the Year.The awards were decided by a jury comprising of Intikhab Alam, Pakistan’s chief selector, Iqbal Qasim and veteran journalist Qamar Ahmed.List of winnersPlayer of the Year – Mohammad HafeezTest Bowler of the Year – Saeed AjmalTest Batsman of the Year – Azhar AliODI Bowler of the Year – Saeed AjmalODI Batsman of the Year – Nasir JamshedT20 Bowler of the Year – Saeed AjmalT20 Batsman of the Year – Nasir JamshedSpecial prize for Best Bowler of the Year – Saeed AjmalEmerging Player of the Year – Junaid KhanLifetime Achievement Award – Imtiaz AhmedMost Valuable Domestic Bowler of the Year – Zulfiqar BabarWoman Cricketer of the Year – Sana MirBlind Cricketer of the Year – Muhammad JamilDeaf Cricketer of the Year – Muhammad ShakilUmpire of the Year – Ahsan RazaCurator of the Year – Haji Muhammad Bashir

Kolkata lose, but qualify alongside Somerset

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Somerset out-fielded and out-bowled Kolkata Knight Riders to push them to the brink of elimination, but an ice-cool Ryan ten Doeschate hauled them alongside their opponents into the main draw of the Champions League

The Report by Nitin Sundar21-Sep-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRyan ten Doeschate could not carry Kolkata to a win, but he did enough to steer them into the CLT20’s main draw•AFP

Somerset out-fielded and out-bowled Kolkata Knight Riders to push them to the brink of elimination, but an ice-cool Ryan ten Doeschate hauled them alongside their opponents into the main draw of the Champions League. Kolkata needed 153 to qualify after Somerset had waltzed to an imposing 166 for 6 and, at 57 for 4 in the 10th over, seemed to have lost the final spot to Ruhuna. ten Doeschate however pulled off a special heist to ensure there will be four IPL teams in the main draw.Ruhuna ended up the biggest losers of the day, and Kolkata celebrated jubilantly despite falling short 12 of victory, but Somerset deserved the most praise. They arrived for the tournament bleary-eyed and dispirited, two days after losing their fifth domestic final in two years, and without many of their first-choice players. If they were knackered, they didn’t show it: Peter Trego batted with freedom, Roelof van der Merwe was typically tigerish with bat and on the field, and the three-pronged spin attack was ruthless to the end.Kolkata were at the other end of the spectrum, and their struggles were epitomised by the inability of Manoj Tiwary and Shreevats Goswami – batsmen bred on slow tracks – to force the pace against spin. That Kolkata had lost the in-form Manvinder Bisla and captain Jacques Kallis early did not help matters, and things became worse when the legspinner Max Waller disloged both Tiwary and Goswami. Thereafter, ten Doeschate owned the night.He announced himself with a lofted drive that Nick Compton palmed over the ropes at long-off, but that was the closest he came to being dismissed. With the asking-rate hovering out of reach, he dabbed Trego through point before whipping Arul Suppiah over midwicket for six. Yusuf Pathan was surprisingly subdued in his brief stay, but by the time he exited it was clear that the wicket that mattered was at the other end.Shakib Al Hasan’s stay was ended by a blinder in the outfield from van der Merwe, who single-handedly underlined the difference in fielding standards between the sides. Rajat Bhatia then held his nerve in a 30-run stand that took Kolkata close, while ten Doeschate continued to produce the fireworks with an audacious whip over midwicket for his third six. van der Merwe dismissed both batsmen in the final over, but it wasn’t enough to stop Kolkata.Earlier, Somerset showed they had better methods against spin than their county rivals Leicestershire had displayed earlier in the day. Trego went after Iqbal Abdulla despite not always managing to reach the flight, and his enterprise forced Jacques Kallis to rely on seamers more than he would have liked, a move that played into Somerset’s hands.They moved to 56 for 1 after eight overs, at which point Trego shifted gears against Bhatia’s mind-numbingly predictable lack of pace. Trego lost his balance while pulling him for four before cutting late for another boundary. The next over went for 17 as van der Merwe exploded against a raft of long-hops from Yusuf. Jaidev Unadkat gave Kolkata some respite when he got van der Merwe pulling to midwicket, and James Hildreth with a slower ball, but Trego bustled along unfettered, scoring his boundaries with a series of correct strokes. Unadkat was drilled through the covers, Jacques Kallis pulled through midwicket, and the Kolkata shoulders began to droop in a hurry.Trego was starved of strike a touch in the end overs, but it did not seem to matter as Compton ramped Lee for six and stole a couple of inventive boundaries. More importantly for Somerset, Kolkata stayed generous right to the last over, with Unadkat making a hash of a regulation save at midwicket, and Lee getting a wicket of a no-ball. Kolkata’s fielders had done themselves no favours, but the itinerary that gave them the chance to play the last innings of the qualifier stage was about to.

Southee hat-trick sinks Glamorgan

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Tim Southee returned the best figures by an Essex bowler in the Friends Life t20 as Glamorgan suffered a five-wicket defeat at Chelmsford

08-Jul-2011 by five wickets
Scorecard
Tim Southee returned the best figures by an Essex bowler in the Friends Life t20 as Glamorgan suffered a five-wicket defeat at Chelmsford.The right-arm paceman included a hat-trick in his four-wicket final over as he finished with 6 for 16 from his permitted four overs, and Glamorgan reached a total of 144 for 9.The performance of the New Zealand bowler followed the feat of Somerset’s Arul Suppiah against Glamorgan earlier in the week, when he established a world record in the Twenty20 format with six wickets for five runs. Nick James, Stewart Walters and Alex Jones were the hat-trick victims of Southee as the Welsh county collapsed after moving into three figures in the 15th over with only two wickets down.Gareth Rees, with 38 from 34 balls, was Glamorgan’s top scorer, while the other main contributor was Walters, whose 37 arrived from 33 deliveries. Essex did not find the going easy in pursuit of victory, losing three wickets for 36 in the first six overs.Adam Wheater fell lbw to Simon Jones after striking three boundaries, Southee was caught in the deep off Alex Jones, and Owais Shah was trapped lbw by Will Owen. Essex would have found themselves in worse trouble if Walters had accepted a catch at deep backward point offered by Mark Pettini with the total on 44.Pettini made good his escape to take the total to 87 with Matt Walker before both were out in quick succession. Pettini was caught at long on for 33, attacking Alviro Petersen, while James held a superb return catch to remove Walker for 28.Essex came to the final five overs still 49 short of their target, but Scott Styris ensured they could achieve victory with five balls to spare. He struck two sixes in an over from Simon Jones, and also cleared the ropes twice against Alex Jones as he finished unbeaten with 42 from 21 balls.But Essex did not get to the winning post without a touch of controversy. With 10 required from eight deliveries, Styris was caught on the long-on boundary by Alex Jones, but as Glamorgan celebrated, the umpires, after conferring, deemed the delivery, from Mike O’Shea, a no-ball because it was above waist-high.

Can Ponting lead Australia out of their spin woes?

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ESPNcricinfo previews the game between Australia and New Zealand in the 2011 World Cup

The Preview by Sriram Veera24-Feb-2011

Match Facts

February 25, Nagpur
Start time: 09:30 local time (04:00 GMT)
Where are the runs hidden?•Associated Press

Big Picture

It’s almost as if there is malicious glee that follows Australia’s so-called decline. Ashes lost? Yay! Ricky Ponting accidentally breaks a TV set? What irresponsible behaviour! Australia are struggling against spinners? Wonderful! In some ways, it’s human nature to gloat at Goliath’s fall. At the centre of the storm is Ponting, trying hard to regain his batting form, trying to hide the Ashes blot in his CV with another World-Cup triumph. In Australia’s previous victorious campaigns, Ponting has led from the front with the bat but this time a question mark hovers around that possibility. Australia’s campaign in this edition of the World Cup could well revolve around Ponting’s form at No. 3. He got couple of hard-earned fifties in the warm-up games and looked to be slowly progressing towards recovering his touch.The bowling is led by another ageing campaigner, Brett Lee, who is scripting a remarkable comeback. Much has been written about Australia’s attack which stands out for its naked violence. The feeling is that they will either scythe through the opposition or fail to control the run-flow on these batting tracks.On the other side, there is New Zealand, who are playing this game under the grim background of the Christchurch earthquake. “For a lot of the guys, coming to training has allowed them to take their mind off things,” Daniel Vettori said. New Zealand have had a poor build-up to the World Cup, but they started the tournament with a crushing win against Kenya. Their batting line-up looks quite strong with the likes of Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill, Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor and Scott Styris and it’s their bowling which looks a bit iffy. Will their seamers be able to adapt to these tracks? Much will depend on spinners Vettori and Nathan McCullum, who is likely to open the bowling with the new ball. New Zealand will hope that the pitch will take some turn and they can poke at Australia’s vulnerability against spin on these slow tracks. It should be an interesting battle.

Form guide

(Most recent first for the last five completed games)
Australia: WWWWL
New Zealand: LWLLL

Watch out for…

Shane Watson’s revival began here in India during the inaugural edition of the IPL. He adapted brilliantly and transformed himself into a smashing opener and took that form and confidence to the international stage. On Indian tracks, he likes to get on the front foot and scythe through the line. With Brad Haddin yet to learn the art of converting starts and with Ponting yet to get a regain his form completely, much will depend on Watson to set a solid platform.Nathan McCullum is not a bowler who causes sleepless nights to batsmen but he could play a crucial role if Vettori decides to give him the new ball. He is accurate and spins the ball just enough to pose some problems. How he handles the pressure of bowling against Watson, Haddin and co might well decide how New Zealand fare with the ball.

Team news

New Zealand have chosen their playing 12. Kyle Mills, Kane Williamson, and Luke Woodcock will miss out.New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Brendon McCullum (wk), 3 Jesse Ryder, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 James Franklin, 6 Scott Stryis, 7 Jacob Oram, 8 Daniel Vettori, 9 Nathan McCullum, 10 Hamish Bennett, 11 Tim SoutheeAustralia (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Brad Haddin (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 David Hussey, 6 Cameron White, 7 Steve Smith, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Jason Krezja, 10 Brett Lee, 11 Shaun Tait..

Stats and trivia

  • Ricky Ponting is the player who has played the most World Cup games. He has played 40 matches, going past Glenn McGrath’s 39 appearances. He has also led Australia 23 times, the second-highest by any World Cup captain, after New Zealand’s Stephen Fleming (27). Australia are yet to lose a World Cup game under Ponting.
  • In the game against Zimbabwe, Ponting became the fourth batsman in the World Cup to be run out on five occasions. The others are: Inzamam-ul-Haq (9), Asanka Gurusinha (6) and Javed Miandad (5)
  • Australia have faced New Zealand 123 times and have won 84 games. In India, these two teams have played against each other seven times, with Australia victorious in all seven.

    Quotes

    “Nothing really changes from any team you’re playing in the subcontinent, you try and bowl straight at the wickets and you know you’re going to have to score a lot of runs. There’s no mystery to what we’re going to try to do, but the key when you come up against these big teams and big players is having the presence of mind to execute time and time again. That’s the toughest thing when you’re coming up against good players.”

Hampshire sign Kabir Ali

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Hampshire have completed the signing of Kabir Ali, following Worcestershire’s decision to release him from the final season of his contract after a long-standing dispute

Cricinfo staff22-Jan-2010Hampshire have completed the signing of Kabir Ali, following Worcestershire’s decision to release him from the final season of his contract after a long-standing dispute.”Hampshire is a fantastic club with great ambition on and off the field and I am really excited about joining them,” said Kabir. “I have been working very hard on my fitness this winter and feel confident that I can play a major role for the Team this summer.’The decision brings to an end an acrimonious stand-off between Kabir and Worcestershire, whom he had asked for permission to move to Hampshire on a three-year deal following the club’s relegation from the first division of the County Championship. But, with his contract at New Road not yet fulfilled, Worcestershire asked for a £60,000 compensation to be paid by the club that signed him.As no county was prepared to do so, Kabir was due to remain at Worcestershire for the 2010 season, despite the departures of other big names such as Stephen Moore, Gareth Batty and Steven Davies. In October Mark Newton, Worcestershire’s chief executive, said “Kabir has already told us that if he remained with the club he would give 100% next season and we know that he will.”Yet as the season drew closer, the dispute had clearly not been resolved as Kabir failed to turn up to the pre-season training. Kabir defended his actions saying: “I was entitled to have 12 days annual leave and I took them. I never refused to train.” Yet, with no sign of resolution, Worcestershire decided to release him. “Kabir has been with the club for 10 years and we are very sorry to see him go,” said the club’s chief executive, Mark Newton.Hampshire, however, are delighted to have landed a bowler who has captured 429 first-class wickets at an impressive strike-rate of 44.8. ‘I am thrilled that Kabir has confirmed that he will be joining Hampshire,” said the first-team coach, Giles White. “His domestic record is superb and he will be a huge asset to the side. We hope that he will bring further success to the Club and in doing so reignite his international career.’Hampshire’s chairman, Rod Bransgrove, said: “Kabir is a dangerous and exciting cricketer and I am delighted that he has chosen to re-ignite his career here at Hampshire. Our squad is coming together nicely with a great blend of youth and experience and, with the new developments at The Rose Bowl well under way, this is a fantastic time to be a supporter of Hampshire Cricket.’The man himself tried to draw a line under the acrimonious end to his time at New Road saying: “I enjoyed my time at Worcestershire immensely and have made a lot of good friends. But the club were going through a difficult time with players leaving and I needed a fresh challenge.”