Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to break away from the bottom half of the table when they clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Saturday

The Preview by Deivarayan Muthu29-Apr-2016

Match facts

Saturday, April 30, 2016
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)

Big picture

Chris Jordan was an analyst for when Royal Challengers Bangalore played Sunrisers Hyderabad in their season opener at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Three weeks later, Jordan is set to fly to India, and is touted as one of the solutions to the team’s bowling woes after being signed as a replacement for the injured Mitchell Starc.Chris Gayle, meanwhile, has re-joined the squad after his paternity leave, and is expected to regain his berth in the XI. That could leave the team management with a selection headache.With AB de Villiers and Shane Watson certainties, barring injuries, the overseas slots that could be up for grabs are the ones held by Kane Richardson and Tabraiz Shamsi, the South African chinaman bowler. If they decide to play Shamsi, who has impressed in his two outings, Royal Challengers will have to depend on their Indian pacers. That will mean the onus will once again be on the batsmen to do the running.Virat Kohli averages 110 and strikes at 141 in T20s this year. De Villiers has crunched 269 runs in five matches this season, including three half-centuries, at an average and strike rate of 53.80 and 170.25. Yet Royal Challengers are towards the bottom of the table largely because of their bowling.Shamsi has caught the eye with his skiddy googly as well as the bus-driver jig, but Richardson, Varun Aaron, Iqbal Abdulla, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshal Patel, Stuart Binny, S Aravind, Adam Milne, David Wiese have all leaked over nine runs an over.Sunrisers are coming off a batting collapse against Rising Pune Supergiants. The middle order is Sunrisers’ Achilles heel, and it was exposed on the night David Warner endured his first single-digit score of the tournament. The average for Sunrisers’ Nos. 3 to 5 this season is 12.50 – the lowest among all teams. Their bowling, though, looks healthy, especially after the return of Ashish Nehra from a groin injury.

Form guide

Sunrisers Hyderabad LWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Royal Challengers Bangalore LWLLW

In the spotlight

Not only does Mustafizur Rahman snap his wrists for the slower cutter, he also does so for his stock ball. In fact, he rolled his wrists over the yorker that cut in and floored Andre Russell as well as his middle stump. “The Fizz” should make for a mouth-watering duel against Royal Challengers’ blockbuster top three, provided Warner does not hold him back.Chris Gayle has not moved to double figures since his 47-ball ton against England in the World Twenty20 last month. With Jordan all set to join the squad and Shane Watson and Shamsi strangling the opposition, there is pressure on Gayle to fire immediately.

Team news

Sunrisers may consider leaving out left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma for legspinner Karn Sharma.Sunrisers Hyderabad (probable): 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan 3, Eoin Morgan, 4 Aditya Tare, 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Moises Henriques, 7 Naman Ojha (wk), 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Karn Sharma/Bipul Sharma, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Ashish NehraGayle’s return could mean a forced break for Richardson. They may also bring in Varun Aaron and Harshal Patel for Kedhar Jadhav and Yuzvendra Chahal.Royal Challengers Bangalore (probable): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Virat Kohli (capt), 3 AB de Villiers, 4 KL Rahul (wk), 5 Shane Watson, 6 Sarfaraz Khan 7 Stuart Binny, 8 Iqbal Abdulla, 9 Harshal Patel/Yuzvendra Chahal 10 Tabraiz Shamsi 11 Varun Aaron

Pitch and conditions

The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium has offered help to the quicks and grip for cutters and slower balls. Saturday is expected to be a hot day, with a maximum of 43 degrees Celsius.

Stats and trivia

• Mustafizur Rahman has the second-best economy rate (6.18) this season among those who have bowled at least 15 overs
• David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan have made 464 runs of Sunrisers’ 870

Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli struck an unbeaten fifty to seal a chase of 139 against Delhi Daredevils and lead his team into the playoffs

The Report by Alagappan Muthu22-May-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRoyal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli had another outstanding match•BCCI

It seemed a little like grandstanding when Virat Kohli said he “loved” that Royal Challengers Bangalore had to win four out of four matches to quality for the playoffs. That was two weeks ago, when his team was placed sixth and he had recorded his first single-digit score of the season. Since then the lowest Kohli has been dismissed for is 109 and Royal Challengers have racked up the back-to-back wins they needed. Their six-wicket dismantling of Delhi Daredevils on Sunday took them up to second place on the points table, a qualifier at home and a second shot at a place in the IPL final.

Shane Watson reprimanded

Royal Challengers Bangalore allrounder Shane Watson was reprimanded by match referee Chinmay Sharma for using language or gesture which is deemed obscene, offensive or insulting during a match. Watson admitted to the Level 1 offence (Article 2.1.4 of the IPL Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials) and accepted the sanction. The match referee’s decision is final and binding for Level 1 breaches of the IPL Code of Conduct.

Raipur provided the toughest batting conditions yet for Royal Challengers this season. The pitch had extra bounce, and the boundaries were long enough that top edges and mis-hits didn’t simply skip away. Their bowlers made use of both and strangled Daredevils to 138 for 8. That Quinton de Kock contributed 60 of those runs exemplifies the lack of application from the rest of the Daredevils batsmen.Kohli understood hitting through the line wasn’t prudent. When he had tried to do so in the sixth over, a good length ball from Chris Morris had straightened, kissed the edge and fell short of Karun Nair at first slip. Royal Challengers had already lost Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers. Losing the man who has averaged nearly 100 in T20 cricket in 2016 too could have been catastrophic.Kohli, though, refused to give his wicket away. He concentrated on the singles and twos and barring a pristine on-drive that totally disrespected a good length ball on middle stump and an inside edge to fine leg, the rest of his six fours came off deliveries that were short, down leg or overpitched. He struck the winning runs with 11 balls to spare and his unbeaten 45-ball 54 propelled his average above 100 in 2016.The most pleasing aspect of the Royal Challengers’ victory, however, lay in the efficiency of their bowlers. Left-arm seamer S Aravind made the first blow immediately after de Kock catch was dropped off his bowling. Yuzvendra Chahal did not spin the ball much, but he was able to make it kick up off the pitch. That aspect accounted for two of his three wickets – Sanju Samson was caught behind attempting a late cut and de Kock holed out to long-off.On both occasions the batsman had seemed rather unhappy. Samson felt he did not nick it, but replays suggested the ball had run off the face and into wicketkeeper KL Rahul’s gloves. De Kock was stopped before he left the ground so the umpires could check the no-ball. Replays in this case indicated Chahal had overstepped, but the third umpire Virender Sharma disagreed.Bad luck, however, was a distant second in the list of reasons why Daredevils, having won five out of seven matches at the start of the season, crashed out. Tweaks in selection – some forced by injury and others strategic – didn’t give them continuity. On Sunday, they dropped JP Duminy, who was out of form but had the experience to come good in a crunch match, for Sam Billings, who hadn’t played since May 7.The other change, Morris, worked a little better. He was held back until No. 8 – another questionable move – and struck and unbeaten 27 off 13 balls. His height and hit-the-deck style of bowling had Gayle bowled off the inside edge in the second over. Daredevils built on that in the next over when a Zaheer Khan delivery got big on de Villiers and had him spooning a catch to cover point. At 17 for 2, Royal Challengers needed a partnership. They got one as Rahul lent a hand to Kohli and the 66 runs they added took the team within striking distance of victory.The Daredevils innings had cried out for two batsmen to take responsibility like that. De Kock, brought up on the fast and bouncy tracks in Johannesburg, did well to keep one end ticking along. His six down the ground off Aravind was simple and brutal and a four to fine leg off a ball that had been outside off showcased his inventiveness. But his partners were less adept at coping with the pitch and the nagging bowling.Rishabh Pant nicked off for 1 to Aravind. Karun Nair was caught brilliantly on the boundary by Kohli, who had tracked the ball down from mid-off. Samson played an excellent slog sweep by smothering Chahal’s legspin but fell the next ball. Billings could not get on top of a Chris Jordan delivery and was caught by a diving Gayle at point. Pawan Negi, elevated to No. 6, to hit the legspinner and left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla off their line was dismissed for 6 off 12 and Carlos Brathwaite guided his second ball to point. Daredevils lost five wickets for 36 runs and lurched from 71 for 2 in the 10th over to 107 for 7 in the 17th. A recovery from there was just too much of an ask.

Jonny Bairstow brought up his second Test century, before James Anderson and Stuart Broad shared nine wickets to condemn Sri Lanka to the follow-on

The Report by Andrew Miller20-May-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLike Sachin Tendulkar’s Test record at Lord’s, there has always been something incongruous about James Anderson’s bowling statistics at Headingley. The Lancastrian-in-Yorkshire factor aside, it has never made much sense that the most skilful England bowler of his generation should find it so difficult to impose himself at the English venue most conducive to his talents.In seven previous Tests at Headingley, spanning his full 13-year career, Anderson had racked up 19 wickets at 41.36, with a best innings haul of 3 for 91. That performance, however, didn’t exactly cheer him up either. It came during Sri Lanka’s last visit to Yorkshire in 2014, when he left the ground in tears following his penultimate-ball dismissal to Shaminda Eranga.Today, however, Anderson banished his demons in style, producing a sensational 70-ball onslaught of swing and seam, spread across two spells either side of tea, for which Sri Lanka – in their weakened post-Jayawardene and Sangakkara state – had no answer. It would be hard to claim he will ever feel quite as at home here as England’s other main man of the second day, Yorkshire’s own Jonny Bairstow, but this was a performance with a distinctly cathartic feel.Anderson wrapped up Sri Lanka’s innings with figures of 5 for 16 in 11.4 overs, his 19th five-wicket haul in 114 Tests, during which he also overhauled Kapil Dev’s tally of 434 Test wickets to move into sixth place on the all-time list. Among fast bowlers, only Courtney Walsh (519) and Glenn McGrath (563) lie ahead of him. On this form, with a maximum of 13 innings still to come this summer, he could yet move to within striking distance of the top guns before the season is done.Anderson may, however, have to share some of the spoils with his new-ball partner, Stuart Broad. It was a measure of Broad’s current standing as the world’s No. 1 Test bowler that, although this was by no means his most incisive spell in recent months, his unrelenting accuracy allied to subtle seam and bounce were still sufficient to return figures of 4 for 21.Ben Stokes, with a solitary but crucial strike with the first ball after tea, completed the wickets column as Alastair Cook, in keeping with England’s new hard-and-fast attitude, chose to enforce the follow-on for the first time since the Wellington Test against New Zealand in March 2013.In the end, bad light came to Sri Lanka’s rescue as play was abandoned for the play after just two Anderson deliveries in the second innings. But they will need to score more than twice their meagre total of 91 when play resumes on Saturday just to ask England to bat again. And, as a further measure of that challenge, only one batsman in the match so far has exceeded that number of runs off their own bat.That batsman, of course, is Bairstow, whose brilliant 140 followed directly on from scores of 246 and 198 in his last two outings at Headingley for Yorkshire. His innings spanned two distinct phases of England’s own innings without ever wavering from the positive intent he brought to the crease on the first afternoon, when he and Alex Hales had been confronted with a fraught scoreline of 83 for 5.Hales, to his palpable dismay, failed to convert his overnight 71 to a maiden Test hundred – he was eventually caught in the deep off Rangana Herath for 86 after an agonisingly restrained morning’s work that snapped in a moment of uncontrolled violence, much as he tried to snap his bat in frustration as he left the field to a sympathetic ovation. Though the doubts about his suitability as a Test opener haven’t entirely been banished by his efforts, his share in a sixth-wicket stand of 141 cannot be underestimated in a curious England scorecard, in which the next highest score (17) came from the No. 10, Steven Finn.Bairstow, however, was the life and soul of England’s batting. He outscored Hales by three runs to one throughout their morning resumption, and made the most of one clear moment of good fortune, on 70, when Nuwan Pradeep failed to gather a sharp return catch.Hales aside, he received little support until Finn’s improbable cameo – Moeen Ali, low on confidence as an under-used No. 8, came and went for a duck, caught at short leg off Dushmantha Chameera, whose hustling full length then splattered Broad’s stumps via an inside edge.Bairstow simply stared down the track, rather nonplussed by the sudden clatter of wickets. But from the first ball of Chameera’s next over, he drilled a drive into the covers, paused as a wild shy came in at the non-striker’s end, then galloped through with glee as the ball zipped through for overthrows to gift him his second century and his first on home soil. Given his family connection, it was a moment that he may yet cherish even more than his emotional first century, at Cape Town five months ago.England’s eventual total of 298 was quickly put into context when Sri Lanka’s openers came out to launch their reply. Faced with grey skies and a packed cordon, Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva betrayed their anxieties in the very first over, when they hesitated so long over a quick single that they could have ended up shaking hands in the middle of the pitch.Instead, after inching through the first three overs, they waved goodbye to one another in the space of five deliveries. First, Broad straightened one off the seam to kiss the edge of the left-handed Karunaratne, who departed for a 12-ball duck, before Anderson drew level with Kapil on 434 career wickets by finding some extra lift to dispose of Silva for 11.
One over later, and Broad had two wickets in three balls as he went wide on the crease to spear an angled full-length ball into Kusal Mendis’ forward defence, for Bairstow to snaffle the slenderest of deflections behind the stumps.Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews stood firm in a 31-run stand before the interval, as James Vince – funkily introduced by Cook in a bid to emulate Dasun Shanaka’s own debutant heroics – zipped a flying edge through the cordon from the final ball of the session. Straight after the resumption, however, it was Vince’s hands at third slip that made the breakthrough, as Chandimal was forced to play at a pearler from Stokes, and at 43 for 4, the foundations of the innings had been fatally undermined.Mathews, typically, found a means to delay the inevitable, as he counter-attacked with skill and intent in an innings top-score of 34 from 62 balls. But Anderson’s return did him in – after lining up the outswinger he was pinned on the pad by the one that jagged back in. Though replays showed he would have been reprieved on review – the ball struck him outside the line – his bamboozlement was absolute as he chose not to quibble.One over later, Anderson was on a hat-trick as Shanaka’s eventful debut continued with an unplayable outswinger, grazed through to the keeper, and though Herath resisted briefly, he was the next to go, caught high above Stokes’ head at second slip after Anderson went wide on the crease to change the angle to the left-hander.Broad then bagged a brace as Finn, at mid-off, showed improbable agility to cling on to two diving chances in consecutive overs, but with both of England’s gun bowlers on four wickets and just the one left to squabble over, Anderson reclaimed his senior status by strangling the last man down the leg side on review, to give Bairstow a haul of five catches in the innings.That last man, as it happens, was none other than Eranga, the very bowler whose throat-ball two years ago had delivered Anderson his very worst experience at a ground that has rarely favoured him. This performance offered a degree of closure. More, you suspect, will follow over the weekend.

Luke Wells and Ben Brown both made big hundreds as Sussex piled on the runs against Glamorgan on the third day of their Specsavers County Championship match at Hove

ECB Reporters Network04-Jul-2016
ScorecardLuke Wells was in the runs for Sussex•Getty Images

Luke Wells and Ben Brown both made big hundreds as Sussex piled on the runs against Glamorgan on the third day of their Specsavers County Championship match at Hove.Wells scored 181 and Brown an undefeated 159 as they shared a partnership of 294 in 73.1 overs, the second-highest for the fifth wicket in Sussex’s history.But a turgid pitch still looks like being the only winner. After declaring with a first-innings lead of 217 on 552 for five, Steve Magoffin
trapped Nick Selman lbw in the seventh over but Mark Wallace and nightwatchman Owen Morgan saw Glamorgan to 30 for one at stumps, 187 behind.Glamorgan paid a heavy price for handing Wells a life on 56 when he was missed at second slip by Aneurin Donald off Tim van der Gugten. He didn’t offer a chance thereafter as he reached his third hundred of the season.Brown gave him excellent support as he rediscovered the form which brought him 1,031 Championship runs in Division One last season, but their task was made easier by a surface on which batting was relatively straightforward.Glamorgan plugged away but their fast-bowling spearhead Michael Hogan was restricted to 10 overs as he continued to recover from mild concussion when he was hit on the helmet on the second day.Graham Wagg did remove Luke Wright for 19 when the Sussex captain lost his off stump playing no shot but Sussex accumulated remorselessly after that as Wells and Brown set a new record for any wicket against Glamorgan, beating the 281 by John Langridge and Harry Parks at Eastbourne in 1938.Wells guided van der Gugten through the vacant slip area for his 10th four to reach his century and Brown got to his off the last ball before tea when he cut slow left-armer Morgan to the point boundary.As Wells inevitably tired towards the end of an innings which ended four minutes short of seven hours, Brown upped the tempo after tea as Sussex sped towards their declaration.A dab to the third-man fence took him to 150 for only the second time in his career. Wells then struck a straight six – only the 16th of his career – before offering a sharp return catch to Morgan off the next ball. Wells’ 181 came off
343 balls and he also hit 18 fours.Brown’s 159 not out was only four short of his career best and came off 225 balls with 15 fours and a maximum.With skipper Jacques Rudolph nursing a badly bruised hand, Glamorgan’s 46-year-old coach Robert Croft was among five substitute fielders employed.

Tammy Beaumont and Nat Sciver displayed all of their international experience in steering Surrey Stars to their first Kia Super League victory

ECB Reporters Network04-Aug-2016
ScorecardTammy Beaumont struck 47 in Surrey Stars’ chase•Getty Images

Tammy Beaumont and Nat Sciver displayed all of their international experience in steering Surrey Stars to their first Kia Super League victory, chasing down the 135 set for them by Yorkshire Diamonds with six wickets in hand and 11 balls to spare.In front of 2250 people at The Oval, England opener Beaumont compiled an assured 47, contributing to stands of 65 for the first wicket with Bryony Smith and 57 for the third with Sciver, who was unbeaten on 29 when clobbering the winning runs behind square leg.Earlier, Alex Hartley was crucial with the ball. The visitors had gotten off to a flyer, 72 without loss at the half way mark with Hollie Armitage and Lauren Winfield batting with ease. It was the left-arm spinner who removed them both in the space of three balls, Winfield caught and bowled for 29 then Armitage bowled for 43.It was the catalyst for an excellent second ten overs for the hosts, restricting the Diamonds to 5 for 62 in that period. Hartley was the clear stand out with 2 for 18 from her four overs without conceding a single boundary, while seamers Sciver and Rene Farrell bowled with considerable control at the death of the innings.Surrey’s fielding also improved dramatically, after twice dropping early chances Sciver executed a superb direct hit run out of dangerous Australian Beth Mooney, her throw released in one motion after completing a diving stop.In reply, Surrey’s innings followed in a similar fashion to the first, the openers able to see off the initial threat from England spearhead Katherine Brunt before 19-year-old Smith took the quick for three consecutive boundaries in the fifth over to turbocharge the chase.Her 50 stand with Beaumont was raised in 35 balls, and the score was 65 before Yorkshire made their first breakthrough when Smith was deceived one of Jenny Gunn’s myriad slower balls, a top edge taken at short third man.A sharp stumping from Mooney, also off the bowling of Gunn, removed No. 3 Cordelia Griffith shortly thereafter, bringing Sciver to the crease to join Beaumont with a further 62 needed at just under a run a ball.But it was the pace of Brunt that again helped the batting side when it mattered most, 13 taken from the 14th over (including three wides) to take Surrey score beyond 100, making the final result a relative formality.After the hard work was done Beaumont holed out with five required for victory, appropriate reward for offspinner Steph Butler who impressed in her first game of the tournament.With two losses to start the start their season, Yorkshire now have no margin for error. Their next fixture is at Southampton on Monday against the Southern Vipers.Meanwhile for the winners, after squaring their ledger at one and one they play the Western Storm on Sunday at Bristol.

From the moment Port of Spain woke up to 2.15pm, when any hope of a resumption of play evaporated, no rain fell at Queen’s Park Oval. Yet not a single ball was bowled

The Report by Sidharth Monga19-Aug-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Port of Rain: There was little rain but the wet outfield accounted for the whole second day’s play•AFP

From the moment Port of Spain woke up to 2.15pm, when any hope of a resumption of play evaporated, no rain fell at Queen’s Park Oval. Yet not a single ball was bowled despite the sun beating down on the ground till 2pm.The umpires came out for inspection after inspection after inspection, but didn’t find the outfield to be fit for play. There was no super sopper to assist the ground staff nor was the whole ground covered when it rained. The eventual downpour at 2.15pm, 15 minutes before yet another inspection, accounted for any remaining hopes.With only 22 overs possible on the first two days, with forecast not great for the rest of the Test and given the facilities available at Queen’s Park Oval, only an unbelievable three days could produce a result. India needed to win this Test to retain their No. 1 Test ranking and not lose it to Pakistan. West Indies were 62 for 2 after 22 overs, all bowled in the first session on the first morning.

BCCI president Anurag Thakur today slammed former selection committee chief Sandeep Patil for revealing confidential details about Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and others

PTI27-Sep-2016BCCI president Anurag Thakur today slammed former selection committee chief Sandeep Patil, saying it was “unethical” on his part to reveal certain confidential details about Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and others after his tenure ended earlier this month.Thakur stopped short of saying that action will be taken against Patil but said “right people in the BCCI” will speak to him soon over the issue which has created a major controversy.Patil, a former international cricketer, recently disclosed that the selection panel would have dropped Sachin Tendulkar before he eventually quit international cricket and that it had also considered removing MS Dhoni from ODI captaincy ahead of the 2015 World Cup.”Let me make it very clear. Sandeep, being a former chairman, should not have made these comments. When he was the chairman, he replied differently to the same questions. But after that [his tenure], it was different. It was totally unethical of him to do that,” Thakur told .”One should refrain from making such unethical and unwanted comments in this area [selection matters]. It is because he has been trusted to become the chairman, because he has played enough cricket. There were four more selectors with him; they did not say anything. He should have avoided that,” the BCCI president said.Asked whether any action was being contemplated by the BCCI against Patil over the breach of confidentiality, he said, “The right people in the BCCI will speak to him soon.”Thakur went to the extent of saying such a breach of confidentiality would make it difficult for any of future employers of Patil to trust him.”Any organisation, if they hire him, will think ten times that after leaving the organisation, he will speak about the organisation,” Thakur said.Patil’s four-year tenure ended when the panel announced the 15-man squad for the ongoing Test series against New Zealand.

Middle-order batsman Babar Azam and left-arm spinner Mohammd Nawaz have been selected in Pakistan’s Test squad for the first time, for the first Test against West Indies

Umar Farooq08-Oct-2016Middle-order batsman Babar Azam and left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz earned maiden Test call-ups, for the first Test against West Indies in the UAE. Azam’s selection came right after he scored three consecutive centuries in Pakistan’s 3-0 ODI whitewash over West Indies.Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Hafeez and Shan Masood were the players left out of the group that went to England this summer, as Pakistan named a 14-man squad for the Dubai Test from October 13. Younis Khan had already been ruled out of the fixture, Pakistan’s maiden day-night Test, because he was recovering from dengue.The squad contained only five specialist batsmen in Azhar Ali, Sami Aslam, Azam, Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq, meaning Pakistan are likely to play Sarfraz Ahmed at No. 6, and allrounder Nawaz at No. 7 or go in with five specialist bowlers.Chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq acknowledged that Pakistan have been struggling to find quality allrounders and hoped Nawaz could be the answer. “We have been searching for one who can bat in the lower order and bowl as well. And if you look at Nawaz, he has got a good first-class record. It shows he has been promising with the bat and has competed as a bowler.”Nawaz has 1440 runs and 44 wickets, including three centuries and a seven-wicket haul, across 29 first-class matches.

Changes to the Test squad

• Out – Younis Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Hafeez, Shan Masood

• In – Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz

Azam, 21, was picked in the squad after a prolific run in one-day cricket for Pakistan this year, scoring 656 runs in 11 innings at an average of 59 and strike rate of 95. He made his ODI debut in the home series against Zimbabwe in May 2015, and has 886 runs in 18 matches. Azam averages 41.13 in first-class cricket, having scored 1522 runs in 41 innings for five different teams.Hafeez played three Tests on the tour of England, making 102 runs in six innings, before he was dropped for the last match at The Oval, which Pakistan won to draw the series 2-2. He played the one-off ODI against Ireland and the first one against England before he suffered a leg injury and returned home. After recovering Hafeez was asked by the selectors to play in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy, Pakistan’s first-class competition, and he made 68 in both innings of his first game for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines.Inzamam said this was because they didn’t want the players sitting on the bench for too long. “Those who are good but weren’t able to perform in England, we made them to play in first-class cricket. We didn’t want them to waste their time on the bench but rather they play some cricket get themselves back into form.”Hafeez earned a spot in the PCB Patron’s XI against the West Indians in Sharjah, but he made a duck in the first innings and was left out of the Test squad.This meant Pakistan were going into the series with only one specialist opener – Aslam. The selectors felt with Azhar having performed the role in their most recent Test and with it being a home series, they were covered.”See this is our home series and if we need anyone we can bring them over,” Inzamam said. “And if you recall, in the England series, it was Azhar who opened the innings so it’s fine. He knows he will open again.”Squad Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Imran Khan, Mohammad Amir, Rahat Ali, Sami Aslam, Sarfraz Ahmed, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz

Following his side’s 3-0 defeat to India, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said he is disappointed but was thankful for the experience, which he felt would help the players take their game forward

Sidharth Monga in Indore11-Oct-20163:06

‘Ashwin is best in exposing conditions’ – Williamson

After losing all the Tests in a series they would have been hopeful of doing well in, Kane Williamson managed to retain some humour, but he knew his side was done in by a mix of difficult conditions for them, the quality of their opposition in those conditions, and their own lack of application at times. In packed schedules nowadays, you hardly get time to acclimatise, which means you don’t have too many second chances. The most disappointing aspect for New Zealand will be that when they got a surface in Indore that resembled classic Indian pitches, they couldn’t bat for long enough. It didn’t help that they never won a toss, and India always were in the ascendency.When asked about R Ashwin’s hold on him – the leading wicket-taker of the series took out Williamson all four times he batted – Williamson joked: “He didn’t get me out 27 times. He got a few other blokes out too.”On a serious note, Williamson did make a mention of the conditions. “He’s a good bowler,'” Williamson said of Ashwin. “We’re always learning playing internationals. I guess it’s a new thing, personally as well. Come over here with so much rough, which is nice to bowl into. I suppose I was a victim of it a few times. I guess, when you are put in that situation where you are dismissed in a similar situation, you are able to learn and try to improve from that. The conditions guys are exposed to, and the quality of bowling, in a backhanded way, we can be thankful for those experiences that help move your game forward.”Even before the season began, India had a good chance of going unbeaten through a long season of 13 home Tests. New Zealand, on paper, seemed the team likeliest to challenge India, which will now make India look invincible this season. Williamson, though, felt – and it did bring out some laughs – that the toss can be crucial in these conditions. The previous home season had a shift in the pitches India play on, and they have won all seven tosses since then.”Winning the toss would be helpful, I think,” Williamson said, when asked what advice he could give to the teams that are following him in India’s home season. “Which is a challenge in itself: South Africa lost every toss as well. Certainly have to be at your best. Whether you win the toss, lose the toss, India were far superior in this series. It depends on the surfaces. Every surface has been different in this series, they were different in the South Africa series. Whether it is a good one… it is important to spend time at the crease, creating pressure. Batting first would be nice. It would help, certainly, in being more competitive. This India side is a very good team, and they certainly know these conditions better than anyone.”Williamson said that while the conditions were more difficult when they batted in Indore, this was a pitch where they could have played more assured cricket. Speaking on finding the right balance between defence and attack, Williamson said: “It is a challenge, certainly on wickets very conducive to spin that make attacking tough as well. Sometimes, being positive when it is doing a little bit more is the way forward. It is up to the individual how they want to skin it, but in this Test, which was probably a little bit more like Test matches of old where it’s that war of attrition and you have to play long game like India showed, as opposed to Test matches prior, where 300 was a very good score, where you go out there and play positively and you get them before they get you, here was a little bit different.”They exploited conditions better than us. They played very patiently with the bat, and batting was not easy when it came our time. Not just because conditions had deteriorated, but the very good bowling attack they have. Important that we come away from here, although frustrated, having learnt a huge amount as a young group being exposed in these conditions.”Williamson didn’t shy away from giving India the credit and said he was disappointed his team couldn’t adapt quickly enough, but added that in conditions so challenging he felt the need to send players early for more experience.”The more you can play in these conditions, the better you’ll be,” Williamson said. “That has to be a given. The more experiences you get in any conditions, it is a good thing. People talk a lot about county cricket and then, when you go to England, you certainly are far more aware of what to expect. I suppose this is no different. If guys can have more experience in these conditions, it will certainly be helpful.”When asked if he felt his side had spent enough time here before the series, Williamson brought up the practical issue of the packed schedules. “I suppose there is always those discussions,” Williamson said. “Another tough point as well is that you are playing so much international cricket, it is tricky to get that extra preparation you would like. So, you are having to learn on the job a bit, which is the nature of the beast, but at the same time, it is an important thing. Whether it’s ‘A’ teams where guys are able to get extra time to come over, particularly in these conditions where you are playing more and more cricket. India’s home summer this year is 13 Test matches. So you are playing more and more in these conditions.”New Zealand now have the five-ODI series to look forward to, which will be played on flatter surfaces. Williamson hoped the team doesn’t carry the scars of losing the Tests into that series. “Disappointing to lose the Test series,” he said. “At the same time, the guys are looking forward to the change of format. It will be tough again. We know India are a very good side at that as well. It’s exciting. We know that wickets will more than likely be quite different again.”We have got to adapt. Go out and play with that freedom, knowing that when we do play with that freedom, we play our best cricket. There will be a little bit of scarring coming out of a three-nil Test defeat. Obviously winning is a lot better than losing. Unfortunately we have lost a few on the trot, but nice to have new personnel come in who are fresh and looking forward to the one-day series.”

South Africa batsman Dean Elgar believes his team will avoid complacency at Bellerive Oval, a venue at which they have never played a Test match

Firdose Moonda in Hobart10-Nov-20162:32

‘We are guarding against complacency’ – Dean Elgar

South Africa are not going to follow Graeme Smith’s lead and dismiss Australia as being low on confidence. In fact, they are bracing for a backlash from the wounded hosts.”If he has said that I’m sure that’s just his personal dig,” South Africa’s opening batsman Dean Elgar said. “I don’t think there is a culture issue within the Australian side. We know they’re still a dangerous team and they can bounce back in the second Test.”Asked whether he thinks Australia have lost some of their bite, Elgar would not be drawn into a slanging match. “Yes and no. We know that the Australian side is still a very dangerous side. Them being beaten in the first Test is working in their favour because they can bounce back, and we’re aware of their bouncebackability. It’s just human nature to withdraw into yourself because of what you’re going through. But they can bounce back hard.”To that end, South Africa are spending the build-up being drilled hard both in the nets and in the analysis room. “Complacency is a big thing for us,” Elgar said. “That’s something we’ve addressed as a team. It’s a new Test, a new challenge and a new venue for us.”South Africa have never played a Test in Hobart before, and the last of their five ODIs at this venue was in 2009. Of the current squad, only Hashim Amla and JP Duminy played in that match, while batting and bowling consultant Neil McKenzie and Charl Langeveldt were part of previous ODI teams at Bellerive Oval. They won’t be able to draw too much from that but have be trawling through the scorecards of previous matches to try and gauge what awaits.0:24

Dean Elgar expects Australia to bounce back in Hobart

The last two Tests have seen Australia post big scores in the first innings against West Indies and Sri Lanka but the one before that was a low-scoring thriller against New Zealand. The pace and bounce of the WACA is a thing of the past but there may still be plenty for the bowlers. Two days before the Test, the pitch was a violent shade of green but much of that grass will be shaved off. What won’t change is the overhanging cloud, at least not for the rest of this week. There will be swing on offer and for South Africa, that may also mean reverse-swing.Josh Hazlewood commented on how effectively South Africa managed to get the ball to reverse in Perth, much to Australia’s envy, and Elgar was sure they would try to do it again. “It is an asset for us if the ball can reverse but also, for a bowler to be able to bowl with the reversing ball is a massive skill,” Elgar said. “We’re fortunate if that most if not all of our bowlers can bowl with the reversing ball, which works in our favour quite nicely. In Perth the ball reversed in both innings for us when we were bowling and it proved to be a massive asset for us.”Elgar maintained that South Africa’s working of the ball does not venture into troublesome territory, even though Hazlewood had noticed their habit of throwing the ball onto the pitch to scuff it up. “We’re trying to throw it into the turf and scuff one side up,” Hazlewood said “They’re pretty well drilled on it and get that side nice and rough and the other one shiny.”But it is “not a deliberate tactic”, according to Elgar. “When you’re on the boundary, there are rules that you are allowed to bounce a ball in from the boundary,” he said. “All teams around the world use that tactic these days. If you are allowed to use it to your advantage all teams are welcome to do it. But obviously within the rules and regulations of the game.”Those are things Smith, who retired more than two years ago, does not have to think about anymore and it’s allowed him to say some of the things he may have been thinking in his playing days. Smith spoke about Australia being a country where you had to earn respect as a player and you could only do that through performance. That’s what South Africa did in Perth and hope to continue in Hobart, but Elgar would prefer they didn’t make too much of a big noise about it.”Having a lot guys put up their hands and make a big play for the team is very important to us,” Elgar said. “It’s very important for us to have those different kinds of players in the team. We don’t talk about it at all. It just comes out naturally.”