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After Jamie How struck 222 on Wednesday, the Ford Trophy was treated to another high-scoring match when Auckland, after posting 383 in Eden Park, beat Wellington by 18 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2013
ScorecardGareth Hopkins scored his second century in less than a week to lead Auckland to an imposing total•Getty Images

After Jamie How struck the joint-second highest List A individual score on Wednesday, the Ford Trophy was treated to another high-scoring match when Auckland, after posting 383 in Eden Park, beat Wellington by 18 runs. The result pushed them to the top of the points table.Auckland, after being put into bat, lost opener Tim McIntosh for 8, before Anaru Kitchen and Gareth Hopkins put together a 218-run stand for the second wicket. When Kitchen fell for a career-best 131 off 107 balls, which included 11 fours and five sixes, Colin Munro was sent in as pinch-hitter, and he struck 38 off 14 balls. The rest of the batsmen chipped in to help push the total to an imposing 383 for 7 at the completion of their fifty overs.Gareth Hopkins scored his second century in less than a week, finishing with a career-best 142. Offspinner Jeetan Patel was the sole bright spot for Wellington, finishing with figures of 4 for 82.Wellington were dealt a big blow early on in their chase when opener Jesse Ryder was dismissed for 9. Opener Michael Papps did his best to anchor the innings, as Wellington strived to build substantial partnerships. Papps combined with Luke Ronchi in a 49-run second-wicket partnership, then followed it up with a fourth-wicket stand of 99 with James Franklin. Wellington tried to keep abreast of the required run-rate, but once Papps fell for 129 in the 40th over, their prospects of victory dimmed. Luke Woodcock struck 66 off 47 balls to help keep the chase alive, but Auckland were able to fish out the remaining wickets, as Wellington fell short of the target.

A round-up of the fourth round of matches in the Faysal Bank One Day National Cup Division One 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Mar-2012Group AFaisal Iqbal cracked an unbeaten century to take Pakistan International Airlines to a thrilling win over Habib Bank at the Gaddafi Stadium. Coming in at 39 for 4 in a chase of 243, Iqbal hit ten boundaries in making 107 off 106 deliveries. Shoaib Malik (44) was the only batsman to support Iqbal in a 94-run partnership after the top order had caved in to Fahad Masood and Aftab Alam. Wickets continued to fall but Iqbal did not give in at the other end as he eventually took PIA home in the final over. Hasan Raza top-scored for Habib Bank with an unbeaten 56 with Ahmed Shehzad contributing 42. Zia-ul-Haq dismissed the Habib Bank openers on his way to 3 for 49.Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited‘s lower order collapsed as State Bank of Pakistan won narrowly by two runs at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. ZTBL were 228 for 6 chasing 240, and lost their last four wickets for nine runs to be dismissed for 237. Hasan Mahmood struck twice while the last two batsmen were run out. Adnan Rasool had given State Bank an opening when he bowled Abdul Razzaq (55) and Imran Nazir (49) who had helped ZTBL recover from 58 for 3. Fifties from Rameez Raja, Rameez Aziz and Gulraiz Sadaf had earlier taken State Bank to 239. Razzaq claimed 5 for 50 but his haul was to be in vain in the end.Water and Power Development Authority‘s lower order held their nerve in a low-scoring game to hand their side a three-wicket win over National Bank of Pakistan at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. WAPDA were tottering at 124 for 7 in reply to National Bank’s 156 but Ali Azmat and Zulfiqar Babar ensured there were no further issues for their side as they patiently brought up victory in the 46th over. Rafatullah Mohmand (47) had lifted WAPDA from 12 for 2 after their bowlers had dismissed National Bank for 156. Azharullah and Imran Khan picked up two wickets each while Babar chipped in with three strikes. Fawad Alam (52) was the lone National Bank batsman to make more than 30.Group BKhalid Usman hammered 50 off 23 to take Abbottabad Falcons to a thrilling last-over two-wicket win against Rawalpindi Rams at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. At 224 for 8, Abbottabad’s chase of 268 was almost over but Usman smashed nine boundaries and along with Inam Khan, who made 10 off seven, carried his side to victory with just two balls to spare. Usman’s effort ensured the starts from Rameez Ahmed (46), Almar Afridi (50) and Riaz Kail (47) were not in vain. Rawalpindi shrugged off an underwhelming start to post 267 for 8 riding on Umar Waheed (62) and Yasim Murtaza (68).Faisalabad Wolves‘ bowlers set up a five-wicket win against Karachi Dolphins in Sargodha. Waqas Maqsood, Naseer Akram and Aqeel Ahmed dismissed Karachi for 154 in the 42nd over. While Maqsood picked up four wickets, Naseer snapped up three of the top five Karachi batsmen. Only opener Khalid Latif (79) managed to resist but he hardly had any support. Faisalabad were themselves struggling at 38 for 3 in their chase, but Hasan Mahmood settled the nerves with a fifty and Zeeshan Butt and Mohammad Salman took over from 119 for 5 as Faisalabad got home in the 40th over.Sialkot Stallions crushed Islamabad Leopards by eight wickets at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot. Mohammad Yasin led the chase of 152 with a breezy 84 upfront. Mansoor Amjad contributed an unbeaten 41 at No. 4 as Sialkot stormed to victory in just 31.5 overs. The win had been set up by the efforts of the Sialkot bowlers, who dismantled Islamabad for 151. Atif Jabbar led with three strikes and it was only due to Faizan Riaz (71) that Islamabad managed to go past 100 after having slipped to 77 for 6.

Thilan Samaraweera’s re-emergence as a batsman in Sri Lanka’s ODI side has been one of the more understated, indeed surprising, developments of the last couple of years

Osman Samiuddin in Hambantota18-Feb-2011Thilan Samaraweera’s re-emergence as a batsman in Sri Lanka’s ODI side has been one of the more understated, indeed surprising, developments of the last couple of years. His set-up as a batsman for long innings is no longer in question. But since his return to the ODI side in 2009, after a four-year break, he’s become a sturdy middle-order contrast to a top-order by turns explosive and elegant.Since his return in July 2009, Samaraweera averages nearly 35 in 27 games at a spot where that often means more than it implies quantitatively; he has also made his only two ODI hundreds in this period. And his strike-rate isn’t far from 80, still respectable in this age and by his own standards nearly remarkable.It’s not down to anything in particular, according to him, just a little confidence flowing over from his Test form and some from selectors. “Three or four years back I was not even in the Test team and I got back in late 2008 but since then I got runs,” he said. “Especially after scoring a hundred against India two years ago I got a place in the team which also gave me confidence. I’ve had good communication with selectors and they said that you still have opportunity. Last year I scored two hundreds, so it’s been good far.”A clarity over his role and responsibilities has helped, even if for the modern middle order one-day batsman an ability to map out a late Powerplay clouds issues more than before. “My role is to control the innings in the middle. Last year I did very well and also did well in the last warm-up match, though I didn’t get much opportunity in the West Indies series. All the players know their roles individually, but most importantly it will be on the situation you are facing also.”Because of the Powerplay one has to force the scoring rate to eight or nine an over and it’s easy to hit in the sub-continent so you can score 45 and at times teams also 60. But that all depends on the wicket and how the game is going.”On Sunday, Samaraweera and Sri Lanka will come across two unknowns: Canada and the Mahinda Rajapakse International Stadium in Hambantota, on which no international has so far been played. Both ensure that Sri Lanka’s much-awaited opener will be a “big game.””We had a good long session because we were practising for the first time here and so far, so good. At Premadasa it was a bit up and down, but the groundsman put in a lot of hard work and domestic cricket was played there. They did good job for the last match and it was good. Basically we have to play the Canada match like a big game and if you relax they can upset any team so we have to approach it as a big game. We have stopped talking about that [a new venue]. We have prepared well in the warm-up matches because you have to deal with these kinds of things.”Samaraweera acknowledged the openness of this tournament, more so perhaps in Sri Lanka where surfaces might not regularly concede 300-plus totals in big games. “Lots of people talk about 300 runs as a par score but that could happen in India where the wickets are flat and the grounds are small. Here it will depend on the nature of the wickets. The surfaces we played in domestic matches at Premadasa were difficult and this ground is too big with 90 yard boundaries. 260 might be par in Sri Lanka.”At the moment honestly, we’re planning for the Canada game, because in this type of group you have to plan one game at a time. After the Canada match we have to plan for Pakistan. All three big teams are good, Australia have won the tournament four times and they can still do lot of things. Pakistan is I think really the dark horse and can change the game any time and have firepower. Even New Zealand are good.”

Matthew Hayden and the Mongoose combined in a deadly manner as Hayden smacked 93 off 43 to almost singlehandedly chase down Delhi Daredevils’ 185

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga19-Mar-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Matthew Hayden and the Mongoose combined in a deadly manner•Associated Press

India, say hello to the Mongoose, the shorter, thicker bat with the longer handle. You already knew Matthew Hayden, but might have forgotten him momentarily after his ordinary start this year. On Friday, the two combined in a deadly manner. Hayden smacked 93 off 43 balls to almost singlehandedly chase down Delhi Daredevils’ imposing target. Delhi’s innings featured a similarly dominant effort. If Hayden scored 93 of the 142 while at crease, Virender Sehwag pummelled 74 out of 103.That Hayden’s effort was longer meant Chennai Super Kings prevailed in the battle of superb fielding. Three good catches from Chennai’s stand-in captain, Suresh Raina, and a spectacular effort at the boundary from Justin Kemp, a near replica of his ICL catch, kept Delhi under 200. Tillakaratne Dilshan took a blinder charging in from long-on to deny Hayden a century, and Chennai a jitterless finish.Delhi, and their new captain Dinesh Karthik, will wonder if they brought Dirk Nannes back too late – in the 13th over – and why the bouncer was not tried against the Mongoose. It was not as if Hayden necessarily needed the new bat to cause wreckage.By the time he called out for the Mongoose, Hayden had already smashed four boundaries off his first nine balls. That may have given him the confidence to call for the newest beast in town. It was not as if Hayden necessarily needed the new bat to hit the five fours and seven sixes that followed in the next 34 deliveries he faced.His hitting was so clean that it perhaps didn’t need the rumoured 20% extra bat power on most of the occasions. Only the second of three sixes in Dilshan’s over – the eighth of the innings – was mis-hit, but the ball managed to sail over wide long-on. That six also brought up his fifty, off 24 balls, and by the end of the over, he had reached 61, and Chennai 85.More down-the-ground carnage followed in the next four overs, and Hayden had reached 87 off 37 with Chennai needing just 57 off 48, when Nannes was called back. A tight over later, Hayden hit Amit Mishra powerfully down the ground, and Dilshan ran in and caught it inches off the ground. Would it have carried had it been hit with a normal bat?Albie Morkel and Justin Kemp failed to contribute much, and the onus fell on Raina after Chennai lost three wickets for 27 runs. However, he kept picking up boundaries – six of them – whenever the equation started to look tricky, and his unbeaten 49 carried Chennai home with five balls to spare.With the way Sehwag was going, though, Raina’s team was looking at a much bigger target. His 38-ball 74 came as easy as his strolled singles, but Chennai managed to create and latch on to more catching opportunities to slow down Delhi just about enough in the last eight overs.Sehwag’s innings took about as much time as it took David Warner and Dilshan to struggle and get out, managing 21 off 32 between them. Sehwag was in the scoring zone right from the first ball he faced, flicking it neatly to midwicket. He found the middle of the bat and the gaps started appearing from the second ball on. In the first eight overs, he displayed almost the whole array of effective Twenty20 shots: hits down the ground, through extra cover, over wide long-on and midwicket, and the square-cut.The first over he faced from Muttiah Muralitharan, though, was the highlight. He came down the track first ball, Murali bowled flat, he checked his shot. Anticipated a flat delivery next up, he stayed back and opened the face to beat short third man. The standout shot came later in the over when he waited even more and took the ball from in front of stumps, guiding it to the left of short third this time. By the end of that over, eighth of the innings, Sehwag had scored 61 off 28, out of the team’s total of 79.Just in time, Kemp produced the moment of inspiration, jumping at the right time and taking a one-handed catch behind his body at the long-off boundary. Immediately before and after that, Raina produced two good catches to get rid of Dilshan and AB de Villiers.With 7.3 overs still to go, there was time enough for either side to win or lose. Although the balance was retained, the 78 that Karthik, Mithun Manhas and Rajat Bhatia added proved to be inadequate when compared to Hayden and his Mongoose.

Richard Thompson insists 100-ball format will not change before end of current rights cycle

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Sep-2025The tight turnaround between England’s international and the Hundred is a “short-term issue” which ECB chairman Richard Thompson has pledged will be solved for the next TV rights cycle.England’s men played one day before the start and two days after the end of the Hundred this year, leaving all-format players short on relevant preparation for the ongoing ODI series against South Africa. The same scenario will play out in 2026, with the Hundred expected to start two days after an ODI series against India and three days before the first Test against Pakistan.New investors in the Hundred will expect their England players to be available throughout the tournament. Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton and Ollie Pope missed London Spirit’s first game of this season, the day after the fifth Test at The Oval, which their incoming co-owner Nikesh Arora described as “disappointing” while calling for “better planning” by the ECB.Thompson acknowledged that the schedule is too crammed, speaking in his capacity as an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society during England’s third ODI against South Africa on Sunday. “There are no easy answers, but the reality is we can’t have our cake and eat it,” Thompson told Sky Sports.”We want England players to play. This is our premium white-ball competition and we want England players to play in it. What we have to do is find a way of ensuring the schedule before and after the tournament [is better]. Take this year: the gap was a day or two days… That can’t be right.Related

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“If we’re going to get this level of investment, we’ve got to commit to ensuring our England players are available. We don’t want that to be at the expense of the success of England. We need to find a balance, and ultimately we can look at the schedule and we can try and free up time.”We’ve done this deal in the middle of a rights schedule. Come ’28, when we then cut the next deal for the next four years, we can cut this in a different way. We might have a short-term issue here, but we can overcome that.”Ultimately, if a player feels they’re injured, they’re going to rest themselves. They won’t want to play on an injury. England is still everything here. But we are not prepared to accept that you can’t find a halfway house and work with the owners to ensure that the owner will get what they need, and England will get what it needs.”Thompson also said that the tournament’s format will not change from 100-balls-a-side to T20 during the current broadcast cycle, which runs to the end of the 2028 summer, and denied that the sale of stakes in the eight Hundred franchises equates to selling the month of August to private investors.”I can categorically tell you it’s 100 balls next year,” he said. “I don’t think anything will change in this rights cycle. Sky [the Hundred’s main broadcaster] have bought 100 [balls a side]. Sky are not going to want to change that. It’s up to the owners and the ECB to decide what that might be in the future.”This is not English cricket selling off the family silver. This is English cricket bringing in investors to enable us to have a tournament that could challenge the IPL.”

Mohsin Khan is back bowling in the nets, and Langer expects him to be fit for LSG’s game against KKR on Sunday

Himanshu Agrawal11-Apr-2024Mayank Yadav is unlikely to play Lucknow Super Giants’ next two games, head coach Justin Langer said on the eve of LSG’s next fixture, against Delhi Capitals, adding that he expects the fast bowler to be “back bowling again soon”.Mayank had walked off the field after bowling just one over in LSG’s previous match, against Gujarat Titans on Sunday, and the update from the team’s chief executive the following day was that Mayank had experienced “soreness in lower abdominal area”, and would have his workload managed.”He felt a little bit of tightness at the top of his hip leading into the last game, but that was about a one-out-of-ten pain, and we thought that there were clinical signs,” Langer said in a press conference on Thursday. “Everything through the doctors and the physios seemed perfectly okay. He bowled that first over [against Titans] and started feeling something in his hip.Related

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“But we had an MRI scan, and there is a very, very small swelling in there. So we are very hopeful he’ll start building himself up and be back bowling again soon.”LSG have an away game just two days after hosting DC, against Kolkata Knight Riders in a day game at Eden Gardens. Langer said that the short turnaround and the travel made it all the more difficult for Mayank to recover.”That’s the plan [to have Mayank fit for the match against Chennai Super Kings on April 19]. We want him to play every game if possible,” Langer said. “But he’ll be working towards it; he’s working very hard every day to be ready for whatever our next game is. He won’t play tomorrow; it’s unlikely… with the very short turnaround, it’s unlikely that he plays these two games. But he’s certainly working towards playing whenever he possibly can.”

Langer expects Mohsin Khan to play against KKR

Mohsin Khan is another fast bowler whose fitness LSG have been sweating on.Mohsin played the first two games of the season, bowling his share of four overs both matches, but he injured his hamstring after that and has missed LSG’s next two matches. Langer ruled Mohsin out of the game against DC on Friday, but hinted that he could be back against KKR.”He’s out there bowling now. He had a little bit of disc flare up in his back,” Langer said. “He and Mayank are very important to us. He [Mohsin] has gone through all the treatment – it’s really good to have an excellent medical staff. He’s bowling today in the middle.”He might be available tomorrow, but more than likely – and hopefully – we’ll be looking at the Kolkata game, where that extra pace will be valuable. But he’s on the right path – fingers crossed.”

Danni Wyatt reels in easy target with 59* after Bell’s 3 for 26 restricts West Indies

Valkerie Baynes12-Dec-2022Lauren Bell followed her star turn in England’s successful ODI campaign with a three-wicket haul as West Indies’ batting struggles carried over into a heavy defeat in their first T20I and Danni Wyatt reeled in an easy target with an unbeaten half-century.Bell, who took a crucial 4 for 33 as England thumped West Indies in their second ODI on Tuesday, was rested for the third match, another resounding win as the tourists swept the series 3-0. But she returned for just the third T20I of her career and ended with 3 for 26 from her four overs to help contain West Indies to just 105 for 7.West Indies were thumped by more than 100 runs in each of their 50-over matches, bowled out in all three with a highest total of 165. After slumping to 19 for 3 inside the first five overs in Antigua on Sunday, they never recovered and Wyatt was positively brutal in taking England to victory by eight wickets in just 12.4 overs.Bell backs upEngland could scarcely have hoped for a better start. Bell had a hand in the first two dismissals, bowling Aaliyah Alleyne for her maiden T20I wicket with her fifth ball, the 11th of the match after Katherine Brunt had opened the bowling in her first international since the Commonwealth Games bronze-medal playoff in early August. Bell then held on when Kycia Knight chipped Nat Sciver straight to mid on in the next over.Hayley Matthews tried to ramp Brunt and lost her off stump and, despite a couple of chances going begging, England continued to keep West Indies under immense pressure. Heather Knight had Under-19s batter and debutant Djenaba Joseph stumped by Amy Jones to make it 38 for 4 after eight overs. Rashada Williams, West Indies’ top-scorer in the ODIs, steered Bell to backward point and set off for a run, foolishly challenging Wyatt’s arm as she threw down the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Next ball, Shemaine Campbell scooped Bell straight down Lauren Winfield-Hill’s throat at mid-on and the hosts were in disarray.Run-outs the only way for WISophia Dunkley continued the opening partnership she forged with Wyatt after Tammy Beaumont was dropped from the T20I side during the English summer and, while she managed just three runs off the first nine balls she faced, four boundaries off Chinelle Henry in the third over had her cruising. That was until a messy run out after she skied Cherry-Ann Fraser to midwicket and ran halfway down the pitch before turning back and, despite wicketkeeper Kycia Knight fumbling the throw-in, Campbelle managed to gather running in from the slips cordon and fired onto the stumps as Dunkley dived in vain.Winfield-Hill, playing her first T20I since February 2020 after losing her ODI spot early this year and her ECB central contract for the coming season, was put down on nought by Matthews diving full-stretch to her right at slip. Having come in at No. 3 with teenage allrounder Alice Capsey back home after breaking her collarbone in the first ODI, Winfield-Hill managed a run-a-ball 15 before she was removed by Cambelle, throwing in from backward point for another run out, West Indies’ only mode of dismissal as their bowlers went wicketless.Wyatt seals winDespite those hiccups, Wyatt had England in complete command. From 51 for 1 after the powerplay, including her six off Matthews in the third over, she swung Fraser through the midwicket region for back-to-back fours to move into the 30s. Wyatt brought up a 29-ball fifty with a six off Karishma Ramharack and she sent Shabika Gajnabi over extra cover to the rope to draw within three runs of victory.Fittingly, Wyatt hit the winning runs to finish unbeaten on 59 off 34 balls with a strike rate of 173.52. It followed her half-century in the opening match of the one-day series and rounded off a successful stay for the visitors in Antigua. The tour now moves to Barbados for the remaining four T20Is from Wednesday.

Two years on from the inaugural Hundred draft the England allrounder is in the form of his life

Matt Roller23-Jul-2021There were raised eyebrows when Birmingham Phoenix used their first pick of the Hundred’s inaugural draft in October 2019 to sign Liam Livingstone, but with the tournament finally underway nearly two years on, it looks like a shrewd piece of business.The other seven men’s teams in the competition opted to use their first picks of the draft to sign overseas players, but with the pandemic and the international schedule prompting a swathe of last-minute withdrawals, only two of the first seven picks – Rashid Khan (Trent Rockets) and Sunil Narine (Oval Invincibles) – are still with the teams that initially signed them.Livingstone, meanwhile, comes into the tournament on the back of what he has labelled the best week of his career, following his breakthrough in international cricket via a record-breaking 42-ball hundred in England’s first T20I against Pakistan last Friday. The series served as vindication for those involved in planning for the draft.While it was impossible to foresee the raft of withdrawals caused by the pandemic and restrictions on international travel, the Phoenix decided that their prospects of winning future editions of the tournament would be better if they form a strong domestic core and filled gaps with overseas players, rather than relying on their stars – following the model of recruitment that has proved successful for the IPL’s most successful sides, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.”When we came out of the velvet bag last, that meant we knew that to an extent, the real cream of the overseas talent would have gone by the time we made our first pick,” Craig Flindall, the Phoenix’s general manager, explained. “We were very strong from the outset about trying to create longevity, and we thought that was based around strong domestic players, rather than the overseas players who might not be available and come in and out.”Related

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Having already signed Moeen Ali as a ‘local icon’ before the draft, the Phoenix set about finding another top-order batter who could provide a realistic bowling option, giving them more freedom and flexibility in how they picked both their squad and their final XI.”We were looking for a top-order batsman who bowled a little bit and thought he could complement Moeen Ali really well,” Daniel Vettori, the assistant coach at the time who will fill in for Andrew McDonald as interim head coach this season. “We also thought that if we went with an overseas player in that spot, would they be available?”To be fair to Andrew and Dan Weston [the Phoenix’s analyst], they saw Liam’s upside as well. All those factors combined allowed us to get to this position now where we’ve got one of the best English T20 – or 100-ball, hopefully – players in the comp. That gave us so much balance in our selections further down the line.”While Livingstone has – in all likelihood – played himself into England’s T20 World Cup squad thanks to his recent performances, the wealth of batting options available leave his place in the starting XI unclear. As a result, he knows that performances over the next four weeks could be crucial for his hopes.”It’s the last big tournament before World Cup selection so there’s a lot riding on it for a lot of people,” he said. “I think there’s no secret to the way that Morgs [Eoin Morgan] wants us to play our cricket.”He basically said go and take as many wickets and score as many runs as you can. The way we’ve played our cricket over the last couple of years will probably suit the way that the Hundred’s going to be played. There’s obviously a big tournament coming up [the World Cup] but for now we’ve got the Hundred to concentrate on.”Liam Livingstone smashed his maiden international hundred against Pakistan•Getty Images

Having joined up with the squad on Thursday afternoon, he does not yet know where he will bat for Phoenix. Finn Allen, the New Zealand batter, is certain to open, with Daniel Bell-Drummond and Moeen Ali other candidates to join him, and it may well be that after his success in a middle order role last week, Livingstone is best served in the long term by slotting in at No. 4.As for his own form, Livingstone admitted that it felt “strange” for things to have clicked so quickly for him after 10 days of self-isolation following the third Bristol ODI, and hoped that his career-best form could extend into the new competition.”It’s strange,” he said. “I’ve probably never had a better week in my career, for obvious reasons, but it’s only been three games of cricket. Before that, we had 10 days in isolation. It’s nice to come out of a period of 10 days away from cricket to come straight into it and play the way I did.”It’s always been something I’ve struggled with, going into tournaments or changing formats, starting too slowly and having to catch up. It’s obviously been a great week for me and I’m looking forward to taking that confidence forward into the Hundred.”

England boast an extraordinarily balanced XI, while Pakistan have got here with bursts of timely inspiration

The Retropreview by Andrew Miller24-Mar-2020

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After 38 matches and 32 days, it all comes down to this, at the ‘G. England v Pakistan in the World Cup final, in front of a crowd that is expected to push 90,000. At some stage on Wednesday evening, Graham Gooch or Imran Khan – two of the most senior statesmen in the world game – will hoist the Benson & Hedges crystal-globe trophy to confirm the new first-time world champions. What a tantalising prospect we have in store.If, after the spectacle we’ve been witnessing for the past month, pyjama cricket still isn’t quite your thing, then fear not, the two teams will be back in whites soon enough, locked in a five-match Test series during the English summer – one that is sure to have an extra piquancy given how much will have been won and lost in the coming hours.But, even for die-hard traditionalists, it would be hard to dispute that cricket’s World Cup has come of age during its maiden staging in Australia and New Zealand. A festival of the sport that began, almost as an afterthought, in England in 1975 and was rattled off in a fortnight, has now grown to become a powerhouse competition in its own right.And in the country where floodlit cricket was pioneered, 15 long years ago, by Kerry Packer and World Series Cricket, the concept has stepped up another level this month – the coloured clothing, white balls and black sightscreens providing a sneak peek into the sport’s future as a 21st century spectacle. And thankfully, the cricket, by and large (and give or take the odd rain rule), has lived up to its heightened billing.Even in what proved to be a subdued and ultimately futile campaign, the hosts and holders, Australia, played a massive part in ramping up the excitement. After crashing to chastening losses to their Southern Hemisphere rivals – New Zealand in the opening match and South Africa in their thrilling return to the sporting big-time – the Australians’ tooth-and-nail battle to save their skins was compelling. But an agonising one-run win over India gave way to one final Botham-ing against England, and after that, they were always playing catch-up.And so we are down to two. And while it’s customary to quibble about the exact identity of a tournament’s finalists, no two teams epitomise the spectacle of the 1992 World Cup better than England, the early tournament pace-setters, and Pakistan, the late-charging thoroughbreds, whose respective campaigns have utilised all the permutations that the tournament’s excellent round-robin format was designed to make possible.Gooch’s men hit the ground running with five wins and a hugely significant no-result (more of that in a moment) in their first six matches, but they’ll need to blank out the slight nagging suspicion that they have peaked a week or two early. With qualification to the last four already secure, a distracted pair of defeats against Zimbabwe and New Zealand dented their aura a touch, and while they still have enviable depth in their batting and bowling stocks, injuries and fatigue after a long winter are encroaching.Mind you, if ever there was an occasion to dredge one’s last ounces of energy, this is it. And while some of the squad, notably Robin Smith and Chris Lewis, are young and talented enough to lead the line in Asia in four years’ time, for several old warhorses – Gooch, Ian Botham, Allan Lamb, Derek Pringle – there can be no more tomorrows. Each of them has been in a losing World Cup final dressing room before – in Gooch’s case, twice – and each knows how long the regret can linger.England boast an extraordinarily balanced XI•PA Images via Getty Images

Pakistan, by contrast, have had to grift and graft their way back into contention after looking for all the world as though their tournament was over following three losses in their first five. But, led imperiously by Imran, who would probably back himself to unite the subcontinent given half a chance, Pakistan then thumped Australia in a massively significant showdown in Perth, and have scarcely looked back. Breezy victories followed over Sri Lanka, again at the WACA, and the table-topping New Zealand in Christchurch, and few could argue that they have hit their stride at precisely the right time.Unlike England, who boast an extraordinarily balanced XI in which every player has a first-class century to his name, Pakistan have got where they need to be with bursts of timely inspiration rather than any sort of coherent plan. And let’s not forget either their burst of divine intervention in Adelaide, when against these same opponents, Pakistan were routed for 74, only for rain to sweep to their rescue with elimination staring them in the face. The point they salvaged there proved just enough to vault them into the last four, and now here we are. Maybe Allah will be smiling on them after all …Back on the field, Wasim Akram’s travails with the new ball have epitomised Pakistan’s yin-and-yang campaign – in a tournament for swing bowlers, he’s got the ball to talk too much on occasion up front. But hand him an ageing Kookaburra and watch the mastery take root. With his fellow king of reverse swing Waqar Younis missing the tournament with a stress fracture of the back, he’s got the stage and the talent to bid for immortality.Whatever transpires at a packed MCG, it’s been a month to remember. The emotional return of South Africa, and their every-bit-as-emotional departure; the home-spun endeavour of New Zealand, raised to the brink of glory by Martin Crowe’s class with the bat but foiled in the final analysis by his cruel hamstring tear, allied to Pakistan’s soaring faith in youth. And the galvanisation of Gooch’s one-day wonders – a team whose sky-blue shirts will surely retain a special place in their fan’s affections, whatever transpires on the day.
But, for God’s sake, let’s hope it doesn’t rain …

Form guide

England WLLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan WWWWL

In the spotlight

With his high-born lineage, Imran was bound to evoke the majesty of the tiger in rallying his cornered team, but Javed Miandad, Karachi’s natural-born streetfighter, has probably had something more down and dirty in mind while leading the charge in his inimitably pugnacious fashion. While Pakistan as a whole have had a rollercoaster ride to the final, Miandad himself has been a pillar of indomitability at No. 4, with four half-centuries to date and only one score below 30 (albeit that came against England in that infamous escape in Adelaide). And whether he’s been aping Kiran More’s incessant appealing behind the stumps or anchoring the semi-final chase to allow Inzamam-ul-Haq to cut loose at the other end, his ubiquitous presence has been tournament-long proof that you can never write Pakistan off.For a man who is indisputably England’s greatest all-round cricketer, Ian Botham has long had a curiously underwhelming one-day record – at least until this, his farewell to the true glory days. Prior to his belated arrival in New Zealand (after completing his stint as the king in ), Beefy had amassed 1738 runs at 22.35 and 122 wickets at 29.14 in 99 ODIs – steady but far from swashbuckling. Since then, however, he’s turned on the bravado, compiling a career-best 79 in Christchurch before mocking the Australians on their home patch in Sydney with his best ODI figures of 4 for 31, not to mention another buccaneering fifty. He goes into the final as England’s leading wicket-taker for the tournament with 15 wickets at 17.60, and with a licence to have a go in his pinch-hitting role alongside Gooch at the top of the order. And if Botham’s sense of occasion is anything to go by, we can expect another concerted bid to steal the show.Imran Khan has led imperiously as Pakistan have climbed out of an early-tournament hole•PA Images via Getty Images

Team news

England wait anxiously on the fitness of two key players, Smith, who trapped a nerve while practising before the semi-final, and Pringle, who missed the South Africa semi-final with an intercostal injury. Pringle, in particular, has been an immense factor in England’s canny use of the two new balls, finding teasing swing allied to impeccable line and length to deny any opposition batsmen any liberties, and though Gladstone Small is an able deputy, his absence would be a huge blow. Smith, meanwhile, will surely find a way back into the starting XI, either in place of Lamb, who’s yet to make a big contribution in his three games, or – perhaps more likely, given Lamb’s big-match experience and their wealth of allrounders – Dermot Reeve, whose sparky cameo in Sydney doesn’t quite justify his retention, though his medium-pacers are a useful go-to option.England (possible): 1 Graham Gooch (capt), 2 Ian Botham, 3 Alec Stewart (wk), 4 Graeme Hick, 5 Neil Fairbrother, 6 Robin Smith, 7 Allan Lamb, 8 Chris Lewis, 9 Phil DeFreitas, 10 Derek Pringle/Gladstone Small, 11 Richard IllingworthThe spectacular coming-of-age of the new boy wonder Inzamam in the semi-final has justified one of the key decisions Pakistan took to arrest their free-falling form in the early part of the tournament – namely the promotion of Imran himself to No. 3, to provide a sheet-anchor in the event of early wickets, and a foil for the in-form Miandad. It’s a gamble to rely on an explosive finish to your innings in an ODI, but at least it’s a plan, and with the likes of Saleem Malik and Ijaz Ahmed (a likely recall in place of the second legspinner) still to produce telling displays in this tournament, Pakistan know they have untapped resources to call upon. With the ball, so much rests on their three key spearheads – Akram, Aaqib Javed and Mushtaq Ahmed. After that, it’s Imran living on fading glories, and not a lot else.Pakistan (possible): 1 Aamer Sohail, 2 Rameez Raja, 3 Imran Khan (capt), 4 Javed Miandad, 5 Inzamam-ul-Haq, 6 Ijaz Ahmed, 7 Saleem Malik, 8 Wasim Akram, 9 Moin Khan (wk), 10 Mushtaq Ahmed, 11 Aaqib Javed

Pitch and conditions

There’s a threat of rain in the air in Melbourne, and given everything we have learnt about the rules for adjusted targets in this tournament, it’s hard to see how either captain could risk bowling first if they won the toss. But the pitch looks very true, and will surely hold up across 100 overs, even under lights, when the threat of dew could add a further jeopardy for the chasing team.

Stats and trivia

• England have reached at least the semi-finals in each of the previous four World Cups, and Gooch has played in each of their previous two finals in 1979 and 1987. But they have yet to lift the trophy.
• Miandad, with 379 runs at 63.16 in eight matches so far, needs another 78 in the final to overhaul New Zealand’s Crowe as the tournament’s leading run-scorer.
• Only Australia’s David Boon has matched Rameez Raja’s tally of two hundreds in the tournament to date. Raja’s came against West Indies in Pakistan’s opening match and New Zealand in Christchurch.
• With 15 wickets apiece, second only to New Zealand’s Chris Harris (16), Botham and Akram are locked in a tight battle to be the tournament’s leading wicket-taker. Mushtaq (13) is poised to leapfrog both of them.

Quotes

“I want my team to play today like a cornered tiger, you know when it’s at its most dangerous.”
Imran Khan first issued that rallying cry ahead of their critical group-stage win over Australia at the WACA. But it worked then, so it’s hard to see him changing his T-shirt in a hurry.“Paraded in, sat down – really don’t want to be there. Got my mind a million miles away.” RetroLive

Quinton de Kock is also set to return for South Africa, on a SuperSport Park surface that is likely to enthuse fast bowlers from both sides

The Preview by Danyal Rasool24-Jan-2019

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It’s disappointing that a competitive series has been thrown into focus for non-cricketing reasons, but there is little doubt Sarfraz Ahmed’s controversial taunt will hang over tomorrow’s proceedings like a dark, grey cloud. With match referee Ranjan Madugalle having spoken to the Pakistan captain as the ICC investigates whether Sarfraz’s comments were racist in nature, a series that has so far been played in great spirit could see its tetchiest encounter yet in Centurion.As far as cricketing matters go, South Africa will be buoyed by an excellent win under trying circumstances in Durban, and reinforced by a pair of first-choice players, Quinton de Kock and Dale Steyn, returning to the ODI squad. De Kock will look to continue the form that saw him top the run charts in the Test series, while Steyn, on the quicker surface at Supersport Park, will seek an explosive start to a year in which he will look to cap a glittering career with a World Cup winners’ medal.Both teams have cracks ripe for exploiting. The second ODI contained plenty of drama, but barely concealed beneath that was the fact that both teams have plenty of work to do before considering themselves ready for the World Cup. South Africa appeared shaky chasing down a fairly straightforward target, and it required significant fortune early in that sixth-wicket partnership between Andile Phehlukwayo and Rassie van der Dussen to ensure the hosts did not go 2-0 down.Pakistan had their No. 10 to thank for the game even being mildly competitive, their reduction to 112 for 8 the result of a continued failure to cope with the short ball. Even their supposed strength – an ability to play spin – was shown up by Tabraiz Shamsi, who did a wonderful job standing in for Imran Tahir, laying waste to the lower middle order. In Centurion, the quicker South African bowlers could be even more of a handful for Pakistan’s top order. With a middle order comprising Shoaib Malik, Shadab Khan, Hussain Talat, and Sarfraz Ahmed, there is rustiness, inexperience or poor form to be found wherever one looks.

Form guide

South Africa WLWLW (last five completed games, most recent first)
Pakistan LWWLL

In the spotlight

Cricket fans were denied one of the game’s classic mismatches when Mohammad Hafeez decided to retire from Test cricket ahead of the Test series in South Africa. That meant there would be no rerun of the Steyn vs Hafeez contest in whites, which was so emblematic of Pakistan’s struggles here in 2012-13. With Steyn back in the ODI side, that individual match-up is set to be back on display, and just a few of the numbers around it illustrate its perverse intrigue.In 28 meetings in all international cricket, Hafeez has scored 158 runs against Steyn while being dismissed a staggering 15 times. Only one batsman, Mahela Jayawardene, has fallen prey to the same bowler, Saeed Ajmal, more often since 2002. Though Steyn has wreaked most of that damage in Test cricket, five dismissals for 58 runs in ODIs suggest that mental baggage exists across formats. Hafeez will look for a fresh start having not faced his since 2013.Dale Steyn dismissed Mohammad Hafeez for the 15th time in international cricket•Associated Press

Team news

South Africa have Steyn and de Kock returning, with uncapped left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks also called up as coach Ottis Gibson looks to try out a number of players ahead of the World Cup. Duane Olivier, Dane Paterson and Heinrich Klaasen will not feature in the remainder of the ODI series.South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Reeza Hendricks, 4 Rassie van der Dussen, 5 Faf du Plessis (capt), 6 David Miller, 7 Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Tabraiz Shamsi, 11 Beuran HendricksNotwithstanding any action by the ICC, Sarfraz is set to play and captain Pakistan at Supersport Park. Hussain Talat is likely to retain his place despite a poor first outing with the bat, because of the pitch’s partiality to fast bowling, keeping out Imad Wasim once more. Shan Masood may be pushing for an ODI inclusion given the top-order struggles of Fakhar Zaman, but wholesale changes are unlikely.Pakistan (possible): 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Fakhar Zaman/Shan Masood, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Babar Azam, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Hussain Talat, 9 Faheem Ashraf, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Shaheen Afridi

Pitch and conditions

A flat pitch conducive to big totals is expected tomorrow, with the winner of the toss looking to bat first. However, the extra pace (this was the spiciest of the three surfaces in the Test series) should keep fast bowlers from both attacks interested, particularly in the early stages.

Stats and trivia

• Shoaib Malik boasts an impressive ODI record in Centurion. In four innings here, he’s amassed 242 runs at 121.00, with a century and a fifty.
• Kagiso Rabada needs five wickets to complete 100 in ODIs. If he achieves the feat tomorrow, in his 60th ODI, he will become the third-fastest South African to the landmark, behind Imran Tahir (58 matches) and Morne Morkel (59).