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Peter Siddle will be unleashed in the West Indies as a Test match spearhead rather than taking part in Australia’s forthcoming ODI assignments, the national selector John Inverarity has said

Daniel Brettig22-Feb-2012Peter Siddle will be unleashed in the West Indies as a Test match spearhead rather than taking part in Australia’s forthcoming ODI assignments, the national selector John Inverarity has said.In a sign that the selectors are shaping Siddle into Michael Clarke’s equivalent of the kind of role Merv Hughes performed for Allan Border in the 1990s, Inverarity said the panel wanted Siddle to maintain the “lionhearted” standards he set against New Zealand and India, rather than adjusting his plans for the demands of ODIs.In a similar fashion, Hughes played few limited-overs matches for Australia, as the panel then chaired by Laurie Sawle preferred the Victorian fast man to give his all in Test matches, where he commonly took the critical wickets in sharp spells. Siddle now appears to be treading a path similar to the one that took Hughes to 212 Test wickets.”His bowling during the Test matches was outstanding, and we really look forward to letting him loose in the West Indies,” Inverarity told ESPNcricinfo. “He was lionhearted and wonderful [against India] and we look forward to him returning there. But just at the moment he’s not in our short-term ODI plans.”Under Clarke, Siddle has commonly been used in shorter, more incisive Test match spells than those he delivered under Ricky Ponting, also benefiting from the fuller length and discipline advocated by the bowling coach Craig McDermott – Hughes’ former pace partner. Against India he repeatedly broke key partnerships before Ben Hilfenhaus and others cleaned up in his wake, until Siddle had his reward with a Man-of-the-Match haul in the final Test in Adelaide.In his absence, the Australian limited-overs squad is re-assembling in Hobart for Friday’s ODI against Sri Lanka. Xavier Doherty, the Tasmanian left-arm spinner, will play his first international on his home ground, and said there would be a decidedly different feel to the dressing room in Ponting’s absence after he was dropped from the one-day side.”It’s going to be very different,” Doherty said. “Having Ricky around for the last 15-16 years, he’s the guy who’s got all the energy in the group so that role’s probably going to have to shift to someone else now. So it’s going to be a very different feel and probably different for the public to come to watch.”Like Ricky said, if you don’t put the runs on or take the wickets then you leave yourself up for this sort of outcome. It is unfortunate that this is the way it’s gone, but in professional sport that is the way things go.”Doherty has bowled reliably across the series, often entrusted with later overs in the innings, where his variations in pace, accuracy and occasional spin have prospered.”Early on in the tournament I probably took wickets, which is the credit for some of the other guys doing the hard work,” Doherty said. “In the last couple of games it’s probably me doing some of the hard work and they’ve been the ones to get the rewards, so I feel pretty comfortable in the team now, it’s taken a little while to settle in, but I feel like I can do whatever’s asked of me.”As a limited-overs spinner, Doherty said he had been aided by his experiences in Twenty20 matches, which placed greater emphasis on him to be precise every time he delivered the ball.”There’s no doubt that T20 cricket is having an impact on the other forms,” he said. “You have a look at Dave Warner’s progression, Malinga, it’s cut-throat stuff in T20, whereas in 50-over cricket you do get a little bit more leeway so the skills of T20 are definitely rubbing off on some of the other forms. A lot of people have negative things to say about T20 but I think from my point of view it’s all positive.”

South Africa overwhelmed a brittle Sri Lanka by an innings and 81 runs at Centurion with victory sealed before tea on the third day

The Report by Andrew McGlashan17-Dec-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Sri Lanka’s batsmen followed each swiftly back to the dressing room•AFPSouth Africa overwhelmed a brittle Sri Lanka by an innings and 81 runs at Centurion with victory sealed before tea on the third day when Vernon Philander claimed his tenth wicket of the match. The home side’s bowlers needed just 39.1 overs to dismantle the opposition batting line-up for a second time to reinforce the pre-series predictions that this could be a very one-sided contest.Sri Lanka’s cricket has taken a worrying nosedive since they finished runners up at the World Cup. Even then there were rumblings of discontent and now their on-field performances are suffering. This limp second innings followed previous collapses this year against England at Cardiff (82), Australia at Galle (105) and further problems in UAE against Pakistan. There is no shame in being beaten by South Africa at Centurion – this was their 13th victory in 17 Tests at the venue – but Sri Lanka barely put up a fight. Across two innings the batting lasted 86.5 overs; less than a day’s play.Philander continued to pile up the records with match figures of 10 for 102 to make it four five-wicket hauls in six Test innings. Dale Steyn could easily have had a bagful himself with probing late swing at pace and he regularly beat the outside edge. Morne Morkel continued to be a concern with another erratic display but produced a rising delivery to remove Thilan Samaraweera which will have been a confidence booster. South Africa were also gifted Mahela Jayawardene’s wicket when he contrived to run himself out trying for a run that would have taken him to 10,000 in Test cricket. The confusion summed up Sri Lanka’s state of mind.Facing a deficit of 231 on a surface offering help to the quicks was a daunting prospect and Sri Lanka soon started to crumble. Tillakaratne Dilshan departed first against some skilful seam and swing bowling from Philander who produced a delivery that nipped back then straightened to find the edge low to Mark Boucher. At least this time he wasn’t caught at mid-on.Smart stats

South Africa improved even further on their already outstanding record in Centurion. They have now won 13 out of 17 Tests at the venue while losing just one.

Vernon Philander picked up his fourth five-wicket haul in six innings. He becomes only the fourth player, after Charlie Turner, Tom Richardson and Rodney Hogg, to pick up four or more five-fors in the first three Tests.

This is Sri Lanka’s 11th defeat by an innings in matches played since 2000 and their fourth innings defeat against South Africa in the same period. The defeat margin is also the fifth-largest for Sri Lanka in Tests since 2000.

Sri Lanka last won a Test in July 2010 when they beat India by ten wickets in Galle. Since then, they have gone 14 Tests without a single win with four losses and ten draws.

Sri Lanka were bowled out under 200 in both their innings. This is only the fifth such occurrence since 2000 and the third time against South Africa in the same period.

Boucher’s 65 is only his second half-century since his 69 in Trinidad in 2010. Since then, he has scored just 260 runs at an average of 20.00.

Boucher took six catches in an innings for the fourth time in Tests. The record is seven catches which has been achieved by four different players.

The 61-run stand between Mark Boucher and Imran Tahir is the highest last-wicket stand for South Africa against Sri Lanka. Their highest last-wicket stand overall is 107 between AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel in 2010.

Tharanga Paranavitana had a tortured stay. Steyn thought he’d pinned him lbw first ball which would have completed a split-innings hat-trick, but having persuaded Graeme Smith to use a review the replays showed the ball sliding past leg stump. The opening over was a lengthy affair as Paranavitana also needed considerable treatment for a knee injury then against Philander earned the benefit of the DRS having been given lbw to a ball that pitched outside leg.Next over, though, Paranavitana’s painful stay was ended following a working over by Steyn when he offered a limp edge to leave Sri Lanka 11 for 2. Steyn and Philander were constantly threatening with subtle movement and they would have been a handful against more confident line-ups than Sri Lanka’s. The chances of the visitors offering any prolonged resistance receded further when Kumar Sangakkara completed a poor match by giving Boucher his third catch of the innings as he was defeated by skilful seam bowling.It wasn’t as though South Africa needed a helping hand but they were gifted Jayawardene’s wicket. Although credit must go to Jacques Kallis for swift work from his follow through and a pinpoint throw at the non-striker’s end. It was a wonderfully sharp piece of fielding which so highlighted the gulf between the two teams.The procession continued after lunch when Angelo Mathews, whose presence in the series is in doubt after he picked up a groin strain, became Boucher’s fifth catch and Philander’s third wicket. It was a productive day for Boucher who began by reaching a fifty that he’ll hope will quieten speculation over his future. There was no arguing with the quality of his glovework and six catches in the innings equalled the best haul of his career.Morkel then made his first incision of a difficult match at which point Sri Lanka were threatening to fold for double figures. Thisara Perera resisted for a while until slashing Steyn to slip while Herath launched two sixes into the stands but the end arrived swiftly when Philander claimed the final two wickets. This was the sort of ruthless performance Smith called for before the game and it’s difficult to see how South Africa will be pushed in the remaining Tests.

Yuvraj Singh has been replaced by Rohit Sharma in the India squad for the third and final Test against West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2011Yuvraj Singh has been replaced by Rohit Sharma in the India squad for the third and final Test against West Indies. The rest of the squad is unchanged. Yuvraj was unable to convert his starts in the Delhi and Kolkata Tests against West Indies, managing 23, 18 and 25 in three innings. Rohit made a match-winning 175 against Railways and followed that up with 100 against Rajasthan in Mumbai’s first two games of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season.While refusing to comment on selection issues before the announcement of the team for the third Test, MS Dhoni, the India captain, had said today that what mattered was scoring runs. “It does not matter where you score runs,” Dhoni said after the end of the Kolkata Test. “Yes, he [Yuvraj] is going through a tough phase but it’s important to show confidence in him. We all know he is talented.”One more reason is that he has been in and out of the side. It’s very difficult to back yourself. You have that bit of tentativeness. It’s a bit tough on him. But hopefully he will recover and do well for India.”Yuvraj has featured in only 37 Tests over eight years since making his debut against New Zealand in 2003. He was kept out of the Test side by a strong middle order that included Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. Once Ganguly retired, he was given an extended run in the side but couldn’t cement his place.He fell ill before the second Test in Sri Lanka in 2010, and a century from Suresh Raina on debut in that game meant Yuvraj was once again relegated to the sidelines. His Man-of-the-Series performance in the 2011 World Cup put him back in contention for a Test place, but an injury kept him out of the tour to the West Indies and his series in England was cut short by a finger injury he sustained during the Nottingham Test.Raina, who made an unbeaten 204 against Punjab in Uttar Pradesh’s opening Ranji game, was ignored, as was Praveen Kumar.India squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V V S Laxman, Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Umesh Yadav, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Sharma, Varun Aaron

Ishant Sharma has said he will undergo surgery on his injured ankle after the conclusion of India’s tour of Australia tour early next year

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Aug-2011Ishant Sharma has said he will undergo surgery on his injured ankle after the conclusion of India’s tour of Australia tour early next year. Ishant was ruled out of the limited-overs series against England after he sustained a ligament injury to his left ankle during the third Test at Edgbaston.”It [the tour of Australia] is a very important tour and nobody wants to miss it,” Ishant told the . “So I’ll get the surgery done only after the Australian tour. I am going to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, where I’ll stay for a week or 10 days to undergo rehab and seek a proper schedule. At the moment, I’ve been told to do strengthening exercises.”At the time of the announcement of the team for the limited-overs series, a board release said Ishant had responded well to treatment on his ligament “but will need to undergo a course of intensive rehabilitation and training to prevent recurrence of the pain in his left ankle”. Ishant, however, said surgery was unavoidable. “I have a ligament tear in my left foot, and there is also a bone impingement in my left ankle. Surgery is the only way out. But if I undergo that now, my foot will be in plaster for about three months and the rehabilitation in all could take about 6-8 months.”India travel to Australia in December and will play four Tests, two Twenty20s and a tri-series also involving Sri Lanka, with the final game of that tournament slated for February 28. A rehab period of six to eight months means Ishant could miss the IPL, which is expected to be played in April-May 2012, as well as a yet unconfirmed Test and ODI series against Pakistan prior to that. India tour Sri Lanka for three Tests in July, and then host New Zealand for three Tests in August-September. This will be followed by the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka and the Champions League. If Ishant goes through with his plan, he is only likely to be back when India host England for four Tests in November-December.Ishant had a busy Test series in England from the time Zaheer Khan injured himself on the first day at Lord’s. He was the second-highest wicket-taker for India in their 0-4 defeat and said Zaheer’s absence had a bearing on the team’s performance.”You can’t say our morale went down,” Ishant said. “We were always in the game. But if a bowler with 10 years of experience isn’t there, it affects the performance. We had England on the ropes in the second innings at Lord’s, and if Zaheer was there and had taken a couple of wickets, the result could have been different.”Ishant dismissed Kevin Pietersen with a short ball in the second innings of the Lord’s Test, a wicket he will “cherish a lot”. He said bowling in English conditions had been a tremendous learning experience. “Bowling in different venues in different conditions teaches you a lot. In India, you know that after the initial burst, you have to wait for the third or fourth day to get something i.e. reverse swing. In England, if the sun is out and there is no moisture on the track, it gets really very flat and that makes it tough to bowl on.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the second one-day international between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in Harare

The Preview by Firdose Moonda13-Aug-2011 Match facts
August 14, Harare
Start time 0930 (0730 GMT 1300 IST)Brian Vitori has enjoyed a dream run so far – can he and Zimbabwe sustain their success story?•Associated PressThe Big Picture
Zimbabwe’s star is rising with every move they make in this series and they will not want to do anything to disrupt its path. Near-flawless performances with the ball, and equally accomplished showings with the bat – in the one-off Test and the first ODI against Bangladesh – have helped them sell their story of success.If there is a fault, it’s that they have lost wickets in clusters, both in the Test match and with Rubel Hossain’s late strikes in the first ODI. Their middle order has sometimes struggled to string partnerships together. It hasn’t had any impact on their results yet, but there is always a danger that it could, and they will want to ensure they can form partnerships in that area as they do at the top.The bowling has asked questions of the opposition on almost every occasion, with the seamers outshining the spinners. Ray Price and Prosper Utseya may want to challenge their quicks with a wicket-taking performance of their own, especially after they, together with Elton Chigumbura, were guilty of allowing runs to flow freely in the first match.Bangladesh have failed to adjust to conditions and some of the players have even blamed the environment for their poor showing. Their batsmen have lacked application, allowed themselves to be bullied by the bowlers and, at times, displayed a range of shots that would not be out of place in a club match. The openers – Tamim Iqbal in particular – are due a solid stint at the crease.There is an over reliance on Shakib Al Hasan to be the major contributor, with bat and ball, and while he has done a fine job, he cannot be expected to do it alone. Mushfiqur Rahim offered him support in the first one-dayer but the rest of the batting line-up have to start contributing.Consistency is also required from their bowlers, who have managed to get some good deliveries in but have not done so with regularity. Hossain showed promising signs in his second spell in the first one-dayer and Bangladesh will have to learn to not just depend on their left-arm spinners for breakthroughs but trust some of the other bowlers to do the job as well.Form guide (most recent first) Zimbabwe WWLLL
Bangladesh LLLLL
In the spotlight He is the man with the Midas touch and all eyes will be on Brian Vitori to see if he will ever put a foot wrong. After a five-wicket haul on ODI debut, to go with the five wickets he claimed in the one-off Test, Vitori is enjoying a magical introduction to international cricket. He has managed to achieve swing, even on a pitch that looks like it has nothing in it for bowlers, and has bowled a tricky length, using the short ball well. In the first ODI, he didn’t give the Bangladesh batsmen any width, and tight lines meant he was well rewarded.As an experienced player in Bangladesh’s middle order Mahmudullah will need to step up and show his worth after a quiet outing in the Test and the first ODI. There are expectations from him, when he comes in to bat, especially if he is partnering Shakib or Mohammad Ashraful but he has not managed to go past 13 so far. He is not to blame for his under-utilisation with the ball, and has looked competent every time it has been handed to him, but in order to start playing his part, he will have to do a little more in the rest of the series. Team news There’s no need for Zimbabwe to change anything after their commanding performance in the first ODI and they are likely to go in with the same XI. Chigumbura is the one man who may be nervous of keeping his place, in case the selectors decide to give allrounder Keegan Meth a chance.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Brendan Taylor (capt), 2 Vusi Sibanda, 3 Hamilton Masakadza, 4 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 5 Craig Ervine, 6 Forster Mutizwa, 7 Elton Chigumbura/Keegan Meth, 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Ray Price, 10 Brian Vitori, 11 Chris Mpofu.Bangladesh need to find an alternative to left-arm spin and Abdur Razzak may pay the price for an indifferent performance, giving 19-year-old offspinner Nasir Hossain a chance to make his international debut. Although their batting remains the major concern, it’s unlikely that Tamim will get the axe, with Stuart Law reckoning a big knock is just around the corner for him. Junaid Siddique could come in for Imrul Kayes.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes/Junaid Siddique, 3 Shahriar Nafees, 4 Mohammad Ashraful, 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Mushfiqur Rahim, 8 Suhrawadi Shuvo, 9 Nasir Hossain, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Rubel Hossain. Pitch and conditions
Harare can be expected to provide consistent conditions throughout the series, which are traditionally good for batting. With temperatures rising as spring approaches, the sun bakes and flattens the pitch. There will be something in it for the bowlers, but only if they are willing to work hard and hit the deck. Spinners will get some assistance and there is also a hint of reverse-swing but the ground remains true to its reputation of favouring the chasing team.Stats and trivia Bangladesh are almost twice as likely to beat Zimbabwe as they are to record a victory over any other team, according to their historical win/loss ratio. They have won 53.8% of games against Zimbabwe, while managing 27% against the other teams. Rubel Hossain has taken three four-wicket hauls in his 29-match career. Two of them have been at home in Dhaka and the third was in the first ODI in Harare. Hamilton Masakadza has played against Bangladesh 35 times in ten years and has a lower average against them, of 22.47, than his overall average of 27.21. His bowling average is substantially better at 27.08, compared to 33.18 overall.Quotes We have some things to work on in our training session. We want to face a lot more spin in the nets and get the ball to reverse a little.
We should have applied ourselves better in the first match. Now our top-order batsmen have to put on a show in the next one.

Jos Buttler smashed an unbeaten 72 from 45 balls as Somerset strengthened their chances of reaching the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals with a 15-run win over Gloucestershire at Taunton

08-Jul-2011
ScorecardJos Buttler smashed an unbeaten 72 from 45 balls as Somerset strengthened their chances of reaching the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals with a 15-run win over Gloucestershire at Taunton.A sell-out crowd saw the home side slip to 40 for three after losing the toss before Buttler, who hit three sixes and seven fours, added 57 in 7.4 overs with James Hildreth who made 34. Kieron Pollard then clubbed 31 not out to help put on a further 73 in 6.3 overs in a total of 170 for four.David Payne, who dismissed Marcus Trescothick second ball, was the pick of the Gladiators bowlers with 2 for 27. In reply, Gloucestershire were going well on 114 for two after 14 overs, Kevin O’Brien having made 34. But Hamish Marshall fell for 54 in the closing overs as the visitors collapsed to 155 for nine, with Murali Kartik taking two for 16.O’Brien and Marshall had put on 51 for the first wicket in just five overs. O’Brien hit five fours and a six in facing just 18 balls, while Marshall went on to face 44 deliveries, hitting five fours. It was spinners Kartik and Arul Suppiah, who took one for 21, who swung the game Somerset’s way, both extracting plenty of turn from the pitch.Pollard did his bit with three for 25 from his four overs, while Lewis Gregory claimed two for 35 and was responsible for three catches and a run out. Earlier, Buttler and Hildreth had been content to milk singles and twos as they launched Somerset’s recovery.But once Hildreth was caught behind off Jack Taylor, having faced 35 balls, Buttler went on the attack in devastating style. The 20-year-old has not been in the best of form this season, but that did not show as he struck the ball sweetly.Pollard would have been run out when he had made only a single had wicketkeeper Richard Coughtrie not dislodged the stumps before Hamish Marshall’s throw reached him.The big West Indian went on to strike one ball from Muttiah Muralitharan into the River Tone with a massive six over long on, to the delight of a sell-out 7,000 crowd who were able to celebrate a home success.

Captains rarely evoke sympathy. Darren Sammy does, because of the context of West Indies cricket

Sriram Veera in Port of Spain05-Jun-2011Captains rarely evoke sympathy. Darren Sammy does, because of the context of West Indies cricket. If he were captain of any other “weaker” side, it wouldn’t be this bad. It’s the burden of West Indies cricket, with its glorious past and strong leaders, which puts him under pressure. He almost doesn’t fit. It’s our fault really, for judging him based on nostalgia of West Indian glory, but it is he who bleeds.Apply salve on the wound and carry on with his chin up is all that Sammy can do. “My family sends up prayers and the blessings come down,” he says. “The almighty looks out.” When humans are criticising, he has no choice but to dive into his faith to look after himself. Before the series began, Sammy was asked about his place in the Test side. “I go out and do what I have to do. Check the stats and stuff, I have done quite well as a Test cricketer. Whenever I step on to the field, I have West Indian cricket at the heart.”He is not West Indies’ best bowler, he is not their best batsman but Sammy is their captain. It’s his cross to carry and Sammy has decided to simply focus on his game. He says all the right things. Yet cracks show in his visage. There’s a gaping Chris-Gayle sized hole to fill. Through the World Cup, Sammy often mentioned how Gayle was a motivational figure and how he sought his advice.Darren Sammy: “Everyone is entitled to their opinions but I have the support of my team”•Associated PressThis is when Sammy’s sympathetic figure helps. Not many in the Caribbean blame him for the Gayle fiasco. The heat has been turned on the board, the coach Ottis Gibson, and Gayle himself. “What can poor Sammy do? He is just doing a job that he has been asked to do, and he is doing it to the best of his ability,” says a fan. “It’s not his fault that he became the captain but he is trying his best to do justice.”It’s that sentiment that evokes sympathy. Sammy didn’t become captain because of his ambition. He became captain because the WICB was wary of the ambitions of other men, who have fallen out of favour. It’s a situation similar to when Raj Singh Dungarpur, then the BCCI president, caught Mohammad Azharuddin, shy and unambitious at the time, unawares with an often quoted line from cricket lore: “” (Do you want to be the captain?). Azharuddin, though, was in a different league as far as cricketing skills go compared to Sammy.Sammy knows all he can do is to keep doing his stuff. Shut out the world. Pull down the blinds. And keep improving his game. “I have enjoyed the captaincy. Everyone is entitled to their opinions but I have the support of my team,” he says. “I believe in my ability and try my best. I can be more consistent with my performances and I am striving to do that.”The question, though, is still resonating in the Caribbean. Is the team more united under Sammy? Is he being the captain best for West Indies cricket? Or is he just a stopgap solution?

Pakistan may have a 100% record halfway into the group stage of the but concerns about the balance of the side refuse to go away

Osman Samiuddin in Pallekele06-Mar-2011Pakistan may have a 100% record halfway into the group stage of the World Cup but concerns about the balance of the side refuse to go away. On Thursday, they completed an ultimately comfortable, but mostly tense, 46-run win against Canada, but their batting flopped under grey skies as they were bowled out for 184 in just 43 overs. In the end, Pakistan were indebted to captain Shahid Afridi, who ripped through Canada’s chase, ending with his second five-for in three games.The opening pair of Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad were separated early for the third straight game, but it was the inability of the lower middle order to rally that will be of greater concern. Pakistan have selected a deep batting line-up, with Abdul Razzaq coming in as low as number eight, to guard against precisely the kind of top order stutter they suffered against Canada. They have persisted with selecting only three specialist bowlers, relying on allrounders such as Razzaq and Hafeez to complete the fifth bowler’s ten overs: so potent has Afridi been that he is increasingly a specialist bowler.”Everyone has the right to give his opinion but we have not closed our eyes and ears,” Intikhab Alam, the team manager, said on Sunday after a practice session. “The team management is doing its homework and whatever is in the best interest of the team they do it. In a cricket match 7-8 players do not perform every day. It is two, three players who get the job done.”The side takes on New Zealand in Pallekele on Tuesday and a win would all but ensure a quarter-final spot. The teams recently played a six-match ODI series in New Zealand, which Pakistan won 3-2 (one game was washed out) but conditions here will be starkly different to those in New Zealand in January. For one, the venue is at considerable altitude. “This place is 2000 ft above the sea level and altitude affects the breathing so we’re working hard on that,” Alam said.”It’s a tough game against New Zealand. We won the series against them but here the conditions are different. We will try to keep our 100 per cent record intact.”As has been the case through the tournament, Pakistan underwent another focused practice session. On Monday, Alam said, the team will do batting and fielding practice only in order to give some players enough recovery time. Abdur Rehman, who missed the game against Canada with a leg injury, did train with the side and will bowl on Monday, though Alam said, “It’s too early to say with which combination we will go into the game against New Zealand.”

For 20 overs of their own innings and the last five of Sri Lanka’s, Zimbabwe were on some kind of level footing. But for the business ends of any game, the start and the finish, they were nowhere

Osman Samiuddin in Pallekele10-Mar-2011The day before this game, Elton Chigumbura couldn’t stop asking for his top order, and his openers in particular, to start performing. At least seven times in a short press conference, he stressed the need for Zimbabwe to go through the first 15 overs with wickets in hand, something they had failed to do against Australia and New Zealand.Chigumbura got what he wanted against Sri Lanka, probably much more than he wanted. Charles Coventry was dropped and Regis Chakabva moved up to open with Brendan Taylor. For one ball short of 20 overs, in contrasting fashion, the pair took on Sri Lanka, and even rattled them a little. Taylor especially was a sight, driving with such authority and fluidity that he looked better than the two century-making openers of the day. Chakabva held up the other end, occasionally stealing a boundary, but mostly making Taylor look even better.But once the first fell, the rest crumbled into a messy heap; ten wickets for 72 in only 19 overs. It isn’t much good your top-order getting runs if the rest are going to fall like that. “Chasing a bigger score is always hard,” Chigumbura said. “To maintain the run-rate especially with our team was going to be difficult. But it’s something we can work on. Like I said yesterday, our openers played pretty well and putting on a hundred partnership is a positive for the team. Hopefully we carry on from that and improve on those weaknesses after that first partnership.”For those 20 overs and the last five of Sri Lanka’s innings, Zimbabwe were on some kind of level footing. But for the business ends of any game, the start and the finish, they were nowhere. The surface was probably better to bat on than the one New Zealand and Pakistan played on, but the basic lack of incisiveness in Zimbabwe’s attack came through. Until Chris Mpofu dismissed a tiring, flailing Upul Tharanga in the 45th over, they had gone nearly 80 overs without a wicket, including the ten-wicket loss to New Zealand.Brendan Taylor answered his captain’s call for application at the top of the order•AFPIt didn’t seem the kind of form – or surface – to win the toss and bowl on. “No regrets at all [on the decision to field],” Chigumbura said. The decision was made, Chigumbura said, based on the “the dew factor. With our spinners I thought it was going to be better to bowl first for our spinners to grip the ball. It was a good wicket to bat on. Dilshan and Tharanga both batted pretty well and like you saw with our batting, for the first 20 overs our opening batsmen played really well, so it was a good track to bat on. You can’t really take three or four wickets first-up on that.”Theoretically Zimbabwe are not out of the race for the World Cup quarter-finals just yet. They will fancy their chances of beating Kenya and from the established sides in the group a schizophrenic and suddenly unsure Pakistan probably offer the widest glimpse of an upset. A 139-run defeat as big as it seems but Chigumbura saw reasons to believe, in the attitude at least.”It’s a big loss but I think the approach that we took was positive,” he said. “Though we were all out we were going for the score. If you wanted to play for a better score or better defeat we could’ve lasted 50 overs. But we were all positive going for it, so it’s something we have to improve on where we went wrong today.”And in the bigger picture, for a side realistically aiming for a return to Test cricket sooner rather than later, experience of surfaces and conditions in India and Sri Lanka will be priceless. This was Zimbabwe’s first ODI in Sri Lanka since September 2002 and the games in India their first since 2006. “Playing in these conditions your line has to be different from other continents and the way you have to bat, more straight than across. We’ve learnt that, but we have to apply all those things we have learnt and put it together for a good game against Pakistan.”

Barcelona have no intention of executing the option to buy clause in Adama Traore’s contract loan contract from Wolves.

What’s the word?

That is according to the latest report from the ever-reliable Fabrizio Romano, who has claimed that the Catalan-based side do not intend to pay the €30m (£25.5m) fee that was negotiated when the player signed on loan from Wolves.

Taking to Twitter, Romano stated: “The only way to keep him [at Barcelona] has always been a swap deal, with no money included in the negotiation with Wolves.

“As of today, there are chances for Adama to come back at Wolves and then leave again.”

Wolves fans left confused

The latest update from Romano will leave the Old Gold faithful confused as to how they should be feeling.

On one hand, his return to the Molineux could serve as a major boost for both the club and the player, with the Spaniard-of-Malian-descent surely out to prove Xavi wrong.

On the other hand, Lage’s side have drastically struggled to create chances this season, having created just 35 chances this season – the third worst in the league –  and Adama’s direct approach can shake up the Old Gold’s frontline once more.

Traore played around half of the season for Wolves before leaving to join Barcelona on-loan and registered an average of seven successful dribbles per 90, which to this day is still the highest metric amongst the entirety of the Premier League – with Newcastle United’s Allan Saint-Maximin’s average of 4.9 dribbles per game the nearest threat.

Raul Jimenez has certainly looked like a shadow of his former self without his partner Adama pinging crosses into the box. So if Adama was to stay, you could certainly expect a boost in creative numbers at the Molineux next season.

Though as Romano stated in his latest update, “there are chances for Adama to come back at Wolves and then leave again.”

After suffering for game time for the Blaugrana recently, Adama has been affected, with a report from Spanish outlet, Sport, claiming that the 26-year-old was “very upset after not even warming up against Mallorca.”

With Wolves’ reported desire to sign Ez Abde from Barcelona and Ousmane Dembele out of contract at the end of the season, La Masia youth product may just get a second opportunity to show Xavi exactly what he is made of in what would be a second consecutive loan spell for the forward.

In other news: Agent links: Wolves eyeing move for sensational “discovery”, Imagine him and Jimenez