Jeff Dujon, the former West Indies wicketkeeper, has said it would be a “terrible embarrassment” if West Indies were unable to qualify automatically for the 2019 World Cup

Andrew McGlashan28-Sep-2016Jeff Dujon, the former West Indies wicketkeeper, has said it would be a “terrible embarrassment” if West Indies were unable to qualify automatically for the 2019 World Cup.West Indies are currently jostling with Pakistan for the final automatic qualification spot in the one-day rankings ahead of the series in UAE, which starts on Friday. If Pakistan can repeat their 3-0 scoreline from the T20 series in the ODIs, they will jump ahead of West Indies into eighth place.The cut-off for qualification is September 30, 2017, with the ODI nations who sit outside the top eight then joining the qualifying tournament which is currently scheduled to take place in Bangladesh. West Indies missed out on a place in next year’s Champions Trophy after being pipped for the final berth by Pakistan and Bangladesh.”It would be a terrible embarrassment for West Indies to not automatically qualify,” Dujon, who played in the 1983 and 1987 World Cups, told ESPNcricinfo. “It would be damaging for any team who has tasted what it’s like to be in the top echelon of world cricket.”As someone who played in a very successful era, it’s very embarrassing but it has to be an indication of exactly where we are at and something needs to be done. It hurts.”We can’t be fooled by the fact that we’ve just won two tournaments – the World T20 and the U-19 World Cup – the fact we are still struggling to qualify shows we shouldn’t get carried away with that.”On the eve of travelling to the UAE, Phil Simmons was sacked as coach – less than six months after West Indies won the World T20 – with the WICB citing “differences in culture and strategic approach.” Dujon does not believe a satisfactory explanation has been given for Simmons’ departure, despite the strained relationship he had with the board following comments about one-day selection last year.”The sacking of Phil Simmons was a surprise. I’m not sure we have the real reasons, what we were given were a bit sketchy,” he said during a visit to London for a Lord’s Taverners event honouring wicketkeepers. “It’s disappointing for me that we haven’t been able to find a settled situation in the coaching area which would give the team some direction. It’s a setback. Jason Holder as captain also still has a lot to prove so things are in a pretty unstable situation now.”Simmons’ last engagement was the Test series against India where, although West Indies lost 2-0, there were moments of encouragement, particularly with Roston Chase’s match-saving maiden Test century in Jamaica and the promising returns of young quicks Miguel Cummins and Alzarri Joseph.”The talent is still there, it’s a matter of who is going to work with them to help them develop,” Dujon said. “We are still in a situation where we are trying to solve the problem from the top down rather than the bottom.”A promising move recently is that it seems we are going to have more A-team tours which is vital for development. They are meaningful when you go and play in countries who are better than you, it gives you a better gauge of where you are at. That has to be focus, as expensive as it may be, and hopefully we’ll have a better quality of player coming through to the top level in the next four or five years. Right now, some of the players who have come to the top level are not the complete article.”The Lord’s Taverners is the UK’s leading youth cricket and disability sports charity whose objective is to give disadvantaged and disabled young people a sporting chance

The BCCI has called for a Special General Meeting (SGM) on October 15 in Delhi to discuss the interim order passed by the Supreme Court last week

Nagraj Gollapudi10-Oct-2016The BCCI has called for a Special General Meeting (SGM) on October 15 in Delhi to discuss the interim order passed by the Supreme Court last week. The order had given the board and state associations to respond by October 17 whether they would “unconditionally” comply with the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.This week’s SGM is the second such emergent meeting called by the BCCI in the last two weeks. At the last SGM, on October 1, the BCCI had decided to conditionally adopt some of the recommendations which further infuriated the court.Consequently, the three-judge bench of the Supreme Court alerted the BCCI “not to precipitate” matters during the hearing last Friday. The court also asked the board to stop issuing funds to errant state associations which did not implement the recommendations.Despite the pressing directive and the urgency sought from the court, both BCCI as well as most states associations continued to remain stoic and unaffected. Incidentally, the board’s notice on the SGM only reached the state associations on Monday. Also, president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke are currently in Cape Town attending ICC meetings from October 10 to 14.Officials at both BCCI and state associations ESPNcricinfo spoke to pointed out that certain discrepancies between the July 18 court order passed by the court and the Lodha Committee report that was released on January 4. The board is likely to point out the same during the next hearing on October 17 when the court reconvenes after the holidays.One legal loophole, Shirke pointed out, was whereas earlier in the Lodha report state associations were given one year, the July 18 court order prescribed a maximum of six months to implement the recommendations. Shirke said it only created confusion. “The legal difficulties are that the committee has given the state associations one year,” Shirke told the . “Now suddenly, they have made it deadline-bound. Has the one-year deadline been withdrawn by the SC? We don’t know. It hasn’t been informed. Now, today’s order of the Supreme Court says, as we didn’t submit the affidavit, they had to stop the money. In light of all this, there’s confusion.”In the Lodha report, referring to grounds for sanction and derecognition of a member, the committee had said: “No Member shall be entitled to any grant from the BCCI if its Constitution fails to provide for, or comply with the following within One Year after the Effective Date.” The “following” was essentially the new governance structure suggested by the committee for which the states would first need to amend their constitution.However, a basic reading of the court order makes it clear the court had designated the Lodha Committee to oversee and direct the implementation of the recommendations at both BCCI and state level within a “reasonable” period ranging between four and six months from the July 18 order.BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke has said there is “confusion” over the one-year deadline given by the Lodha report in January and the July 18 court order which prescribes a maximum of six months to implement the recommendations•AFP

So far, only two official Full Members, Vidarbha Cricket Association and Tripura Cricket Association, have adopted the recommendations unanimously. Rajasthan Cricket Association, which is not recognised by BCCI since it elected Lalit Modi (banned by BCCI) as its president, was the first to adopt the recommendations. However, most of bigger state associations remain defiant.A former BCCI office bearer, who is currently head of a state association, was irritated when asked if he was bothered by the last week’s court directive which asked the BCCI to stop issuing funds to the states. “There is no difficulty we – states – face,” he said. “Lodha Committee has given a particular recommendation about the states. In the Supreme Court judgement, para 61, the court has said it accepts the rights of a citizens under Article 19 (1) (c) to form an association and the court will not interfere.”The official pointed out that the court had said the BCCI could not be granted the same immunity under Article 19(1) (c) since it is a private body performing a public function. “The court has now asked BCCI to stop giving funds to state associations that do not comply with the recommendations set by the Lodha Committee. But if I don’t (comply) nobody can touch me. The board will not pay me money, but that money can only be board’s money. If the money belongs to the states, the court cannot stop us.”The official said that if his state association were to host an international match, he has the right to get the money that the BCCI earns from the broadcasting rights. “We are holding the match. BCCI is only negotiating on our behalf.”A senior lawyer, who is well conversant with the BCCI constitution, said the state association president had misread and misinterpreted the clause. The lawyer pointed out he had heard the same reasoning being given by more than one state association. “Everyone has a right to freedom of association under Article 19 (1) (c), but once you have associated the court has said nothing stops it from regulating you (the state association) after you carry out a public function,” the lawyer said.

Despite initial apprehension, South Africa are now anxious to begin preparations for their first day-night Test with the pink ball that will take place in Adelaide at the end of November

Firdose Moonda18-Oct-2016After initial hesitation about playing in a day-night Test, South Africa are now anxious to begin preparations for their first fixture with the pink ball that will take place in Adelaide at the end of November. Although the match is the last in the three-Test tour, it is foremost on South Africa’s mind because their first practice match in Australia which starts on Saturday, will be played under lights and stand-in captain Faf du Plessis is excited about taking on the unknown.”I haven’t faced or thrown the pink ball around so it’s all pretty new to me. It will be nice to see how it plays,” du Plessis said. “I know some of the guys have pink balls in their kit, especially the bowlers. We’ve asked around a little bit and read the stuff other teams have been saying about the pink ball. I’ve got no expectations of it. I’m going in without any experience of it at all.”With a ball that is expected to swing and conditions that should favour seamers, South Africa will likely go into the match without their most experienced batsman and will also need to prepare for that. AB de Villiers was ruled out of the tour after undergoing elbow surgery and even though he is holding out slim hope of being able to recover in time to play that game, du Plessis played down suggestions that de Villiers will rejoin them for the match.”I don’t think so. He’s just had an operation. We’re not expecting it,” du Plessis said. “If it happens, great. If it doesn’t, we’ve got some guys who are capable of putting in good performances.”He wants to play. It’s pink-ball Test cricket, and most of us in the team are not young pups anymore. AB’s a very competitive guy and he wants to put himself out there against the best in the world. So I’m assuming he’ll be in South Africa trying to get ready. But after a big operation like that and from the doctors’ reports that I’ve read it doesn’t seem likely that he will be fit.”Instead, du Plessis will lead South Africa in the two matches before the day-night Test and probably also in Adelaide, where he can call on some happy memories as inspiration. On South Africa’s 2012 tour to Australia, du Plessis debuted at the Adelaide Oval and scored a stubborn century to save the game and keep the door open for an eventual 1-0 series win after a victory in the final Test at Perth where du Plessis top-scored in South Africa’s first innings with an unbeaten 78. He has since played 29 more Tests after that debut series and scored four more hundreds but still the first hundred remains the most special to him.”I walked into the hotel and I had a massive smile on my face because I had such great memories, remembering that night after we saved the Test match, fantastic memories. That was the highlight of my career to date,” he said. “There was obviously the emotion of what went through that match but not just that. I remember drawing this match and moving on to the last one, where things completely changed for us as a team. Australia were dominant for the first two Tests and then moving into that last we finally had an opportunity to be on top.”South Africa consider themselves in a confident position again because they have just come off a 5-0 victory over Australia in ODIs at home. Even though it’s a different format in a different place, their self-belief is soaring.”We had an exceptional series. A lot’s been said about the Australian team but I felt we played consistently good cricket, and we take a lot of confidence from that,” du Plessis said. “We by no means think we’ll rock up here in Australia and it’ll be easy. It never is. Australia in Australia is as hard as the Indian team in India. They’re an extremely competitive team and we’ll have to play good cricket to compete with them but the performances we had in South Africa does bring us here a little bit more confident.”South Africa will play two two-day warm-up matches ahead of the first Test in Perth with the first of those beginning on October 22 in Adelaide. They will have another practice game between the second and third Tests, under lights, in Melbourne.

Amy Satterthwaite took two wickets and slammed an unbeaten 115 to give New Zealand an eight-wicket win in the third ODI against Pakistan Women and take an unassailable 3-0 lead

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Amy Satterthwaite took two wickets, two catches, effected a run out and scored an unbeaten century to lead an eight-wicket rout of Pakistan•IDI/Getty Images

Amy Satterthwaite’s two wickets and fourth ODI century studded New Zealand Women’s dominance in the third ODI, which they won by eight wickets to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series against Pakistan Women. Satterthwaite struck an unbeaten 115 off 101 balls – her second consecutive century, coming on the back of a career-best 137 not out in the second match – as New Zealand chased down 264 in 44.2 overs at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln. That, after Pakistan backed their captain Sana Mir’s decision to bat by putting up 263 for 6, their third-highest total in ODIs and the best against New Zealand in ODIs.Satterthwaite walked out at the fall of Rachel Priest, who had laid a good foundation with New Zealand captain Suzie Bates, putting on 60 for the first wicket. Satterthwaite consolidated with her captain, taking New Zealand to 162 for 2 in the 31st over, before Mir struck for a second time, having Bates caught on 74. Katey Martin joined Satterthwaite and slammed an unbeaten 50 off 45 balls to see New Zealand through. Satterthwaite ended up with 11 fours.”She’s so good to watch. Amy has been outstanding. In South Africa, she really led from the front with the bat and she has just continued to score runs and doesn’t even look like getting out,” Bates said. “And then, Martin at No. 4, pretty new in that role, and for her to show her huge potential at this level and score fifty after fifty, she’s brilliant for the team going forward, and in going into the World Cup, we’ve got two batters in really good form. We’ve asked our top-four in the last few seasons to be consistent and now we’re starting to see that.”We knew it was a really good wicket. Bowling out there, there was no margin for error. No demons in the wicket at all, we just had to play good cricket shots and (there were) plenty of runs out there.”Pakistan used seven bowlers and Mir had the best figures, finishing with 2 for 43 in 10 overs.New Zealand could have been potentially chasing a stiffer target had Pakistan finished better. Ayesha Zafar (30) and Nahida Khan (25) made steady starts, before Javeira Khan (73) and Bismah Maroof, who top-scored with an unbeaten 91, took them to 200 for 2 in the 40th over. The 117-run partnership, Pakistan’s joint third-highest in ODIs, ended with Satterthwaite dismissing Javeira, and though Dar stayed on, regular wickets prevented a late surge with Pakistan scoring just 59 runs in the last 10 overs.Bates, however, still felt New Zealand’s effort on the field could have been better. “Very disappointed with the way we started with the ball and we never really pulled it back. And credit to Pakistan, they batted outstandingly,” she said. “Not taking anything away from them, but I don’t think we had our lines as often as we would have liked and we were perhaps on the backfoot in the field, so there’s a huge learning to take from that fielding performance.”Satterthwaite had a busy day, topping the wickets column and finishing with 2 for 65 in 10 overs, apart from taking two catches and being involved in a run-out. New-ball bowler Lea Tahuhu took 1 for 30 in 10 overs and Bates finished with none for 31 in 10 overs.The fourth ODI takes place on Thursday at Nelson, before the series concludes on Saturday at the same venue.

A strong lower middle order performance from Mumbai has given them a lead of 101 against Tamil Nadu in Rajkot

The Report by Arun Venugopal in Rajkot03-Jan-2017
ScorecardFile photo: Aditya Tare top scored for Mumbai with 83 off 181 balls•AFP

Captain Aditya Tare and Abhishek Nayar, Mumbai’s chief crisis managers this season, roused the lower-middle order with a 121-run stand to nudge their team past Tamil Nadu’s first-innings total. Once the primary target of 306 was achieved, Mumbai’s lower order, piloted by Shardul Thakur’s half-century, proceeded to drive the lead past 100, and left Tamil Nadu jaded and in despair.Thakur first shared a 44-run partnership with Balwinder Sandhu (32) for the eighth wicket before adding 14 runs in the company of Akshay Girap. Thakur continued to grind it out with the last man, Vijay Gohil, and completed his fifth first-class fifty. He put on 27 runs with Gohil, who resisted 36 balls for one run.

Abhinav, TN fined for slow over-rate

Tamil Nadu captain Abhinav Mukund has been fined 100% of his match fee for slow over-rate, while his team-mates have been docked 50%.
After accounting for stoppages, match referee Sunil Chaturvedi and on-field umpires Virender Sharma and Abhijit Deshmukh found that Tamil Nadu were two overs short during Mumbai’s first innings. This was Tamil Nadu’s fourth over-rate offence this season.

Tamil Nadu wouldn’t have known in the morning, but it was a day of false dawns for them. The first of those arrived in the fourth over when Shreyas Iyer (36) threw his hands at Vijay Shankar’s delivery outside off, and was caught behind. Before he got out, Iyer played some crunching drives down the ground and through the leg side, and scored a boundary in each of the first three overs of the morning. Tamil Nadu had cause to rejoice in his dismissal, but the sight of Nayar and Tare together would have tempered any excitement.What followed was a thoroughly gripping session with Tamil Nadu placing “the bait”, as Tare put it later, and the batsmen not falling for it. Tare was comfortable gliding and cutting the ball, so Tamil Nadu captain Abhinav Mukund installed two gullies – one closer and the other slightly deeper – and a deep point to cut off his strong zone. After Nayar slashed one through gully, the same field was replicated for him as well. There was also left-arm spinner Aushik Srinivas, who followed up his stifling act on Monday with a 11-over spell that yielded only 21 runs. Tare called his spell “brilliant”, and with Shankar reversing the ball at the other end, he said it was hard for the batsmen to break free.Nayar, however, cashed in whenever he could – on a couple of occasions the seamers bowled full, he creamed them down the ground for boundaries. While Nayar and Tare began to pinch a few tight singles and interspersed them with the odd boundary, left-arm seamer T Natarajan attempted to soften them up with a string of good bouncers. But, Tamil Nadu’s fielding was sloppy and lethargic. First, B Indrajith dropped Nayar on 52, off the bowling off his twin brother, B Aparajith. In the next over, when Natarajan got Tare to fend a sharp, rising delivery, Aparajith, at gully, didn’t go for the catch after the ball lobbed up.Aparajith, though, was stringing together a good spell with the ball, and got Nayar lbw with a grubber soon after. Natarajan was finally rewarded for his persistence, getting Tare, whose uppish drive was snared at cover. However, Thakur and Sandhu, on either side of tea, knuckled down to beat Tamil Nadu at the attritional cricket they were trying to produce.”We just felt we had to play intelligent cricket and grind and play the balls in our areas, but they did unsettle us a bit with their bowling,” Tare said later. “Obviously the scoreboard looks good, but it could have been much better. We had the opportunity to bat them out, but from 190 for 5, the way we recovered was good.”The lower order has added a lot of value, with the way Shardul and Ballu [Balwinder] played. Mumbai always have added runs for the last five wickets, and that’s how Mumbai win matches in crucial stages. That tradition of scoring runs down the order is something that we should continue because it puts the opposition down.”Abhinav, for his part, said his team was quite happy playing what he called “boring cricket”. “We were looking to play some tough cricket, and we have played that sort of cricket throughout the year,” he said. “In Rajkot, against Bengal, we gave away only 190 runs in one day and took three wickets. This team is happy doing stuff like that. With their lower order, our goal was to remain patient and not give too many runs. Again, we should have batted at the end of the day at least 10-15 overs at least, but unfortunately that didn’t happen.”He also defended his decision to delay taking the second new ball – Tamil Nadu didn’t opt for one until the completion of the mandatory 100 overs. “It was a no-brainer to delay the hard ball. Even yesterday, the hard ball was going for runs. I delayed it because Aparajith was bowling well and troubling Nayar. I think he bowled quite well.”Both Tare and Abhinav felt their respective sides would go hard at each other on the final two days. “It is going to be a cat-and-mouse game,” Abhinav said.

A round-up of the Group A matches in the WICB Regional Super 50 played on February 10, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2017Windward Islands recorded a comfortable six-wicket win over Kent at Coolidge in their final match of the Regional Super50. Kavem Hodge, who had spent most of the tournament batting at No. 6 for Windwards, struck his maiden List A fifty after being promoted to open the batting to chase Kent’s 205.Hodge got the Windwards chase going in the right direction after the early fall of Johnson Charles for 5 by adding 54 for the second wicket with Devon Smith (32) and another 86 for the third wicket with Sunil Ambris. Hodge ended with 68 and Ambris 48, just two shy of what would have been his seventh fifty in eight games during group play. Ambris ends the round-robin stage with 423 runs at 70.50, second overall behind Leeward Islands captain Kieran Powell’s aggregate of 509 at 84.83.When Hodge fell in the 40th, 31 runs were still required for victory. Captain Liam Sebastien and Kyle Mayers knocked off the rest of the runs, securing victory with 13 balls to spare. Kent had stumbled to 35 for 5 after choosing to bat at the toss before a 104-run sixth-wicket stand between Will Gidman and Adam Rouse salvaged their innings. Shane Shillingford eventually dismissed both men for 94 and 40 respectively and Kent’s tail fought until the 49th over before they were bowled out with seven balls left in the innings.Trinidad & Tobago rolled past West Indies Under-19 by 182 runs at North Sound to set up a first-place showdown with Leeward Islands on Sunday. The win over West Indies U-19 moved T&T to 6-1 in Group B, the same record as Leewards though T&T trails Leewards by two points due to the bonus point structure in round-robin play. The winner of Sunday’s match will top Group A and most likely face Jamaica while the loser will probably face Barbados, who hold a five-point advantage at the top of Group B heading into the final round of group matches.Kyle Hope, Jason Mohammed and Denesh Ramdin each struck half-centuries in T&T’s total of 290 for 5 after West Indies U-19 opted to bowl. Hope made 70 off 98 balls, adding 58 for the first wicket with Kjorn Ottley before teaming up with Mohammed to add 74 for the third wicket. Mohammed top scored with 84 off 73 balls and produced a 92-run fourth-wicket partnership with Ramdin before falling late in the innings. Ramdin took T&T through to the finish, ending on 60 not out off 42 balls to ensure the target would be well out of reach for West Indies U-19.Left-arm spinner Khary Pierre continued his fine tournament by doing most of the damage during a seven-over middle overs spell of 3 for 6 that accounted for top-scorer Emmanuel Stewart for 20 and captain Kirstan Kallicharan for 16. West Indies U-19 were eventually bowled out for 108 in 29.2 overs. Their final game is a rematch with Kent, the only side West Indies U-19 has beaten in the competition.

Adam Milne has fully recovered from the injuries that forced him out of cricket for nearly a year, and is set to prove his fitness in the Plunket Shield

Andrew McGlashan24-Feb-2017Adam Milne can’t bear the thought of not being able to bowl quickly. The 24-year-old New Zealand fast bowler is coming to the end of his latest injury rehabilitation and is desperate to play a game of cricket: something he has been unable to do for nearly a year.Milne hasn’t played for New Zealand since the World T20 in India, and his last competitive outing was at last year’s IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore before a hamstring injury ruled him out of the tournament. That followed missing the 2015 IPL due to the heel problem which ended his World Cup at the quarter-final stage.The hamstring injury was followed by elbow surgery – the latter being the most concerning problem for Milne as it was the second time he had needed it operated on – and then he hurt his side while bowling in a New Zealand net session late last year.But after all that, he is almost ready to hurl the ball down again at upwards of 140kph. He doesn’t know any other way.”If I didn’t have that, I’d take a look at cricket. I’d still want to play, but it would be tough knowing that you can’t bowl quick. Once you have that you want to use it all the time. I still feel I can ramp it up when I want to,” he told ESPNcricinfo in Wellington after training with the New Zealand one-day squad. “It takes a while to get the rhythm and the feeling back, but I know if I want to turn it up, it’s in there.”Milne could have been forgiven for having doubts about his profession, but he has learned to love the hard graft that comes with having to bounce back from a string of injuries.”It’s been very frustrating, I’ve had a bit of a tough time of it so looking at coming out the end of it is pretty exciting. There’s always a little bit of doubt, but I actually enjoy the training, rehab and getting the strength back,” he said. “I take a lot of pride in my fitness levels so once I get into a plan of coming back I quite enjoy the process. I think if I didn’t have I would probably struggle quite a lot mentally.”Milne has worked his way from almost a standing start, a three-step run-up, and is now coming in off the full length. However, there is only so much you can prove in net sessions.His ODI record does not jump out – 31 wickets at 40.61 – but New Zealand want to make the most of someone with his raw pace. Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, said he remains in contention for the Champions Trophy although needs to find time in the middle.He was due to play for a New Zealand XI against the South Africans in their T20 warm-up match but that was washed out and now, with domestic one-day cricket having now finished for the season, he is targeting four-day Plunket Shield cricket before returning to the IPL.”It’s always good to be told you are in the frame. It’s been hard, I’ve been out of international cricket since the World T20, so I’m happy that they’d consider me going forward,” he said. “I know in myself that I have the confidence that I’ve played at this level over a few years.””Hopefully I’ll play a few of the four-day games, in what capacity in terms of overs I’m not sure but I definitely want to play. I don’t want to restrict myself and say I won’t play until the IPL because that is a bonus.”Milne has not played a first-class match since December 2015, but even in the midst of his run of injuries it has never crossed his mind to focus purely on white-ball cricket. He has hopes firmly set on earning a Test cap.”I can understand why players give up red-ball cricket, it is tough on the body, but I feel with my action and the way I bowl I could play a four-day game or a Test match and go through different gears. As a youngster, I’ve always wanted to play Test cricket and to be able to pull on a New Zealand Test cap would be a special moment for myself and my family.”For now, though, he’ll just look forward to playing a match of any sort again.

ESPNcricinfo previews the one-off T20I between New Zealand and South Africa at Eden Park

Andrew McGlashan at Eden Park16-Feb-2017

Match Facts

February 17, 2017
Start time 7.00pm local (0600GMT)Glenn Phillips will make his debut at the top of the order for New Zealand•Getty Images

The Big Picture

New Zealand have dispatched Pakistan, Bangladesh and Australia at home this season but the visit of South Africa is the meat of their summer. We should know a fair amount more about Kane Williamson’s New Zealand by the end of March.Whether the tour actually gets going on Friday night is another issue. Rain lashed Auckland on the final practice day – it has already disrupted South Africa’s first few days here with the warm-up match washed – and it currently appears touch-and-go if it will clear in time for a full match.One-off T20s are pretty meaningless in the grander scheme of things, especially so far away from the next World T20, and Faf du Plessis said pretty much that at his arrival press conference. However, cricket should be about the spectators as well as the players and, if the weather plays ball and the crowd swells into the ground, it should be a lively Friday evening.The only part of South Africa’s home season that did not go to plan was the T20 series against Sri Lanka when a second-string side were overturned 2-1. This time the side will closely resemble the powerhouse one-day unit; whether that translates into the performance remains to be seen.For New Zealand in T20 there is a sense of getting a glimpse at the future. Tom Bruce came in against Bangladesh, left-armer Ben Wheeler returned and Tom Blundell also featured. Blundell has made way for the fit-again Luke Ronchi, but 20-year Glenn Phillips has been rewarded for his stellar Super Smash tournament.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand WWWLW

South AfricaLLWWL

In the spotlight

Colin Munro has lost his place in the ODI squad after two failures at the hands of Australia, but two international innings previously he had notched his maiden hundred with 101 off 57 balls in the second T20 against Bangladesh. That century came in the middle of two ducks in the same series, then a brief trip to the BBL was not hugely successful before his twin failures against Australia. His last outing in domestic cricket was at least a half-century, but he remains a hit or miss player.Quinton de Kock was one of a host of first-choice players given the Sri Lanka T20 series off and how he was missed at the top of the order. Although one half-century in 29 innings may seem a little underwhelming for someone who has played all but three of those as an opener (he has, though, passed 25 in 17 of those innings) he can light the powderkeg for an innings as was witnessed at the World T20 against England when he scored that lone fifty.

Team news

The 20-year-old Phillips will open in the absence of Martin Guptill, while Kane Williamson indicated that Nos. 3 to 5 in the order would remain the same as the Bangladesh series. That could mean a decision between Jimmy Neesham and Colin de Grandhomme although much will depend on if the game is reduced due to rain.New Zealand (possible) 1 Kane Williamson (capt), 2 Glenn Phillips, 3 Colin Munro, 4 Tom Bruce, 5 Corey Anderson, 6 Colin de Grandhomme, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Ben Wheeler, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent BoultSouth Africa will make a late decision over the fitness of David Miller after the finger injury he picked up against Sri Lanka. If he is fit to play it would likely mean Farhaan Behardien, who captained South Africa in their previous series, missing out.South Africa (possible) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 AB de Villiers, 4 Faf du Plessis (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller/Farhaan Behardien, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Wayne Parnell, 9 Andile Phehlukwayo, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Imran Tahir

Pitch and conditions

Eden Park equals endless mentions of short boundaries. Yes, they are still short straight. It doesn’t mean batsmen always take advantage, though. While the weather forecast is poor there is the potential for it to clear up during the afternoon and the ground does have top-quality drainage. The pitch is unlikely to suffer although if there is play under cloudy skies the ball could swing, while a damp ball would be hard for the spinners.

Stats and trivia

• These two teams have played 14 T20Is against each other: South Africa lead 10-4
• Despite the often-referenced short boundaries, the average score batting first in T20Is at Eden Park is a fairly modest 166. The highest total, made twice, is 214 by Australia (in the first ever T20) and England in 2013.
• Phillips will play for New Zealand before he has played a first-class game for Auckland.

Quotes

“I’ve been working really hard. It’s not easy to go in every series and try to perform but as long as I’m doing well for the team, as long as the captain and boys are happy, then I’m happy.”
“We want to hit the ground running tomorrow night. It’s a shame about the build-up and the weather, but we’ve been in camp for a while and every team has been playing a huge amount of cricket so nice to come off a little break.”

UAE picked up their first win in a first-class game since September 2013, and their maiden win of the 2015-17 Intercontinental Cup with a nine-wicket triumph over PNG

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Mohammad Naveed took two wickets in the first innings and four in the second•AFP

Lega Siaka’s career-best 142 not out was not enough to prevent a nine-wicket defeat for Papua New Guinea at the hands of United Arab Emirates in their Intercontinental Cup match in Abu Dhabi. It was UAE’s first win of the competition, and their first since September 2013 in first-class cricket, also by the same margin. In the interim, they had lost three of their four matches – two of them by heavy margins – and drawn the other.”It’s an awesome feeling,” Dougie Brown, the UAE coach, said. “There has been a lot of work that has gone into this in the past three months, and all the credit for embracing the work and the vision we have presented goes to the players.”It was a pretty flat wicket. I thought the way the guys stuck to it with the ball and in the field was absolutely exceptional. Dominic Tello [UAE assistant coach] deserves a lot of credit for the hours he has put in, but the guys deserve most of the credit because they are the ones putting in the hard work.”UAE dominated the match right from the first day. Having chosen to bat, PNG were quickly in trouble as seamers Mohammad Naveed and Qadeer Ahmed dismantled the top-order to leave them 33 or 3. From there, it was all downhill. Jack Vare and Chad Soper, PNG’s Nos. 8 and 9, scored 38 each to lift them from 110 for 7 to 194. The new-ball pair of Naveed and Qadeer shared five wickets and spinners Imran Haider and Ahmed Raza took the rest.UAE gained a 247-run first-innings lead, courtesy a 63 from Rameez Shahzad and centuries from Muhammad Usman and Saqlain Haider. Both raised their maiden first-class centuries – both were playing their third game. Usman was dismissed for 103, while Saqlain remained unbeaten on 102 when UAE declared at 441 for 8. Legspinner Mahuru Dai took 4 for 126, his best returns in first-class cricket.”I think I’m right in saying the team haven’t scored 400 before in a first innings,” Brown said. “For them to get that and for us to be in a position where we can declare, to give ourselves the best part of five sessions to try to win the game, was fantastic.”PNG managed to make UAE bat again courtesy Siaka, who scored nearly 50% of his team’s second-innings runs. Siaka began day four on 51, having taken PNG to 152 for 4 (effectively minus 95 for 4) in the company of Sese Bau. Bau fell early, ending a fifth-wicket stand of 67. Thereafter, it was all Siaka until he ran out of partners. Legspinner Haider, who scythed through the top half of PNG’s line-up, and Naveed took four wickets each for UAE.UAE needed a mere 42 to win. They lost Laxman Sreekumar for 4, before Shaiman Anwar blitzed an unbeaten 32 off 19 balls as UAE knocked off the runs in just 5.5 overs.Dipak Patel, the PNG coach, put the defeat down to lack of first-innings runs, but added there was plenty to learn from it.”In the first innings we didn’t get enough runs,” Patel, the former New Zealand spinner, said. “There is a lack of experience among our batsmen. We are still learning. This is only the fourth time they have played a four-day game.”The natural instinct for our players is to play shots. We can take a lot out of it, particularly the classy knock by Lega Siaka in the second innings.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the first ODI between England and Ireland at Bristol

The Preview by Andrew Miller04-May-2017

Match facts

May 5, 2017
Start time 1100 local (1000 GMT)3:41

‘If I bowl to him, it’s another wicket’

Big picture

A decade has already elapsed since Ireland’s stunning awakening at the 2007 World Cup. Their elimination of Pakistan, and qualification for the competition’s Super Eights, counts among the greatest upsets in sporting history, while their encore against England at Bangalore four years later was arguably an even more complete team performance.And now, some 11 years since their accession to full ODI status, an occasion that was marked by an inaugural encounter with England at Belfast in 2006, they have finally been invited over for a reciprocal tour.Leaving aside, for a moment, the fact that this weekend’s twin ODIs against England at Bristol and Lord’s are a cause for celebration, it does make you wonder why Ireland’s nearest neighbours have taken quite this long to wake up to the fact of their existence.There have been fundamental points of political difference over the years – perhaps best exemplified by the heritage of England’s current captain, Eoin Morgan, not to mention other current Ireland players who have just happened to make their England debuts against the country of their birth down the years (oh, okay then, Ed Joyce in 2006, and the absent Boyd Rankin seven years later).Instead, rather than risk a dilution of their own status and support, previous ECB regimes have chosen to treat Ireland as a feeder nation, and cherry-pick the best of their assets, when a more enlightened set of leaders might have nurtured their ambitions for the greater good of the sport.But all of that is in the past now. The curtain-raiser to the English season in Bristol is a special occasion that stands as testimony to Ireland’s determination to be seen as equals, both in terms of their professional attitude at boardroom level and their reputation for over-achievement on the field of play.That said, these two matches couldn’t really have come at a more awkward juncture for a team undergoing a painful first transition. Most of the players who carried them to this level are on the wane or already retired, while the new generation has not yet bedded in at the levels now expected of one of the flagship Associate nations.In addition, they are about to go toe to toe with an England outfit that has never treated white-ball cricket with such seriousness, bordering on reverence. The 2019 World Cup is the ultimate goal for Morgan’s men, but next month’s Champions Trophy is a vital staging post and a very real opportunity to secure that elusive maiden 50-over global title.Even in the absence of several first-choice players, England will expect to win both games at a canter – not through the habitual arrogance that has tended to creep into such fixtures in the past, but through the necessity of living up to their tag as Champions Trophy favourites. It’s a situation that Ireland might well savour – the lower the expectations, the higher the incentive to land that giant-killing blow. But England are an impressive 50-over team with a serious game-face right now. Defeat in either of these contests would be a shock to rival any that Ireland have amassed down the years.Ed Joyce is one of several Ireland players to have also represented England•Getty Images

Form guide

England WWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Ireland LWWLL

In the spotlight

The bench-strength of England’s batting is among the biggest reasons why they are being touted as Champions Trophy favourites, with a host of players competing for a limited number of berths, and disappointment inevitable for an unlucky few. And to read the runes of England’s squad announcement, Jonny Bairstow has more ground to make up than many, with Sam Billings earmarked to keep wicket in the absence of Jos Buttler, in spite of Bairstow’s solidity as the Test No.1. If that development has made him a bit grumpy, maybe it’s a tactic that will pay off. A blistering innings of 174 from 113 balls for Yorkshire against Durham on Wednesday was a timely reminder of his talents, to say the least.Tim Murtagh has not been a fixture for Middlesex in their Royal London campaign to date, but his intimate knowledge of, and skill in, English conditions will be an invaluable asset, both with the new ball and as a mentor to an otherwise young Irish attack. At the age of 35, he’s as long in the tooth as many of the veterans who remain from the earliest days of Ireland’s ODI status, but having qualified for the country through his grandparents in 2012, he has plugged a vital gap in their ranks, following the retirement of Trent Johnston, and the absence of Rankin, initially with England and latterly with injury.

Team news

With Buttler, Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes missing from these matches due to their IPL commitments, there is a limited opportunity for the selectors to experiment, with Billings and Bairstow the obvious beneficiaries in the middle order. However, it has been Eoin Morgan’s stated policy since the turn of the year to pick the side that is as close as possible to his Champions Trophy starting XI, so it would be a surprise to see many liberties taken in the line-up. The absence of a seam-bowling allrounder may tempt them to go in with one spinner, especially as a host of their quicks are on the comeback trail and need game-time, but the top four is set in stone.England: (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Sam Billings, 7 Moeen Ali/Adil Rashid, 8 David Willey, 9 Liam Plunkett, 10 Jake Ball, 11 Mark WoodKevin O’Brien’s return from a hamstring injury is a welcome boost for an Ireland team who will need their veterans to rise to one of their biggest occasions in recent times. That said, his brother, Niall, could conceivably give way to Andy Balbirnie, with Gary Wilson taking the gloves. Murtagh will lead the line with his intelligent swing bowling.Ireland: (probable) 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Ed Joyce, 4 Gary Wilson, 5 Niall O’Brien (wk), 6 Kevin O’Brien, 7 Stuart Thompson, 8 George Dockrell, 9 Tim Murtagh, 10 Barry McCarthy, 11 Craig Young

Pitch and conditions

Morgan felt that the pitch had a touch less grass on it than he might otherwise have imagined but, with the weather set to be overcast, England’s most full-throttle batting may not come immediately to the fore.

Stats and trivia

• Bristol is set to host its 14th ODI, and 16th international fixture all told, following two T20Is in 2006 and 2011.
• Of those, England have featured in 10 of the last 11 ODIs, dating back to 2001, but their record is inauspicious. The last of their three victories came against West Indies in 2009. The following year they lost to Bangladesh for the first time in their history.
• England’s last two fixtures at Bristol have failed to be completed. The match against India was abandoned in 2014, while there was no result against Sri Lanka last year.

Quotes

“We’re not at the level we were. We’ve been hit by four or five big retirements and that’s made life very difficult for us.”
“No, that’s very cheeky. No chance, no chance.”