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Alex Barrow answered an emergency call earlier this season by keeping wicket for Somerset in several Championship matches. But his rush to the rescue today could prove even more valuable

David Lloyd at Lord's28-Aug-2013
ScorecardAlex Barrow played a vital hand in the middle order•Getty Images

Alex Barrow answered an emergency call earlier this season by keeping wicket for Somerset in several Championship matches. But his rush to the rescue today could prove even more valuable as the county wage an increasingly desperate battle against relegation.Barrow, a batsman first and foremost, took up the gloves in mid-summer while Jos Buttler was on England duty and Craig Kieswetter recovered from a broken thumb. He did the job with such quiet efficiency that most casual observers thought him a natural, rather than a hasty recruit to stumping duties.But it is in front of the wicket that Barrow really needs to make his mark in order to guarantee a long professional career – and this innings, only his second half-century of the season, could hardly have been compiled at a more important time.When Barrow, batting at No. 6, arrived in the middle, Somerset were heading for one of their all-too-familiar slumps. They had been a promising 116 for 1 and a not unreasonable 178 for 3. But with four wickets falling for 33 – three of them, including Kieswetter’s tumbling while Barrow watched helplessly from the non-striker’s end – an inadequate total of around 250 looked top of the range.Not a bit of it, though. Barrow stood firm and then joined forces with the aggressive Piyush Chawla as 107 precious runs were added for the ninth wicket, thereby dealing another blow to Middlesex’s now admittedly slim title chances.The 21-year-old Barrow eventually fell for 65, lbw to Gareth Berg’s nip-backer with the second new ball, but Chawla – the legspinner from India whom Somerset hope will bowl them to safety during the last few weeks of the season – reached the close unbeaten on 58.Chawla’s innings was certainly the most explosive of the day. He straight drove Ollie Rayner and Ravi Patel for sixes at a time when Middlesex’s two slow bowlers were threatening to run through the visitors. His half-century also included seven fours and even when he offered the glimmer of a chance, edging a drive against Neil Dexter, the ball flew so high and fast that Rayner, at slip, did well to get finger-tips to it.By the end of proceedings, Somerset – who started this round of matches just one place off the bottom – could feel satisfied with their day’s work. But, really, it should not have needed those late runs to put a smile on West Country faces.Having won the toss and taken first use of a pitch well towards the Mound Stand, the visitors started sketchily against Tim Murtagh and were fortunate to reach 79 before Nick Compton edged a back-foot force while looking to attack Dexter’s medium-pace.But thereafter, Marcus Trescothick grew in confidence and was middling the ball nicely by the time he completed only his fifth half-century of the season. Surely he would finally crack three figures in what has been a horribly frustrating season?Afraid not. The deserving Murtagh cut him down, lbw, on 64 and then a combination of Dexter, Rayner and Patel reduced Somerset to something close to rubble. At 211 for 7, Middlesex may have thought their job was done – but Barrow and Chawla had other ideas. And big ideas, at that.

The probability of Zimbabwe holding out for a draw was extinguished early on the final morning, not by the expected threat Saeed Ajmal, but by Junaid Khan and Abdur Rehman

The Report by George Binoy07-Sep-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSaeed Ajmal finished with 11 for 118, his second-best Test performance•AFP

The probability of Zimbabwe holding out for a draw was extinguished early on the final morning, not by the expected threat Saeed Ajmal, but by Junaid Khan and Abdur Rehman. On a wearing pitch with turn and uneven bounce, Zimbabwe’s batsmen were simply ill equipped to combat a situation where only longevity at the crease, and not runs, mattered.Ajmal returned for a second spell late in the first session and cut through the tail, striking twice in an over to complete the fourth ten-wicket haul of his Test career. Pakistan took the nine wickets they needed during an extended session, and while they were always favourites to close out this contest, they might have expected Zimbabwe to be less feeble.With the luxury of runs, Misbah-ul-Haq deployed his catchers: three slips and a gully for Junaid, and a slip, a leg gully, a forward short leg and a short midwicket for Ajmal. As Zimbabwe’s batsmen prodded tentatively off front foot and back, the cries from these men grew louder.Junaid ensured Pakistan’s wait for success was brief. In his first over, he delivered one that angled into the right-hander from round the wicket but the ball did not bounce as much as Hamilton Masakadza thought it would from short of a length. He held his wrists around waist height, playing no shot, and the ball crashed into the bat near the gloves and popped up to gully. In his next over, Junaid trapped Vusi Sibanda lbw with one that kept lower. Zimbabwe were 19 for 3 before the coffee had cooled.Zimbabwe’s batsmen had a torrid time against Junaid. He sprinted in from round the wicket, targeting the stumps with the angle, and got several deliveries to beat the bat by straightening or seaming away from the right-handers. He did not take another wicket, though.Malcolm Waller and Sikandar Raza had begun to stitch a partnership together when Misbah replaced Ajmal with Abdur Rehman in the first over after the drinks break. Waller drove Rehman’s second ball to the straight boundary and then swept the third in the air and was caught at square leg.Zimbabwe’s middle-order batsmen got starts and they played shots but they could not last. Raza, another relatively set batsman, was caught at short leg, giving Rehman his second wicket and reducing Zimbabwe to 58 for 5.Elton Chigumbura was Zimbabwe’s last significant line of defence, and he found the boundary occasionally through the sparsely populated outfield. His last four came by pushing hard at a flatter ball from Rehman and edging past first slip. Rehman bowled a similar delivery next ball but slowed his pace, Chigumbura pushed forward again and this time the edge went straight to slip.Ajmal’s twin strikes came just before the scheduled lunch break, which prompted the umpires to extend the session by 15 minutes. It was only a matter of time. Towards the end of that extension, Rehman darted a flat one into Tinashe Panyangara’s pads.With Zimbabwe nine down, the umpires kept the players on for a little longer. Ajmal had the final word, taking his 11th wicket to give Pakistan their first Test win since February 2012, and Dav Whatmore’s maiden victory as their coach.

Michael Clarke’s career-long back problem has flared up again towards the final days of Australia’s tour of England, leaving in doubtful for the deciding one-day international at the Ageas Bowl

Andrew McGlashan15-Sep-2013Michael Clarke’s career-long back problem has flared up again towards the final days of Australia’s tour of England, leaving in doubtful for the deciding one-day international at the Ageas Bowl, while Shaun Marsh has already been ruled out with a hamstring injury.Clarke’s back forced him to miss the Champions Trophy at the beginning of Australia’s summer-long stay in England and although he played throughout the Ashes there was often talk that it was causing more worries than were made publicHe will be given every chance to prove his fitness for the final ODI, but coach Darren Lehmann has said there is too much at stake in the future for him to be risked if there are any doubts. It also raises the question as to whether Clarke will be part of the one-day tour to India in October, which comes little more than a month before the return Ashes begins.”It’s a big game but if he’s not right, we won’t risk him,” Lehmann told . “It’s an important series but we’ve got another one-day series and an Ashes series coming up.”Clarke scored a superb hundred at Old Trafford to set up Australia’s victory – the ground where he also made a century during the Ashes – but did not appear completely at ease in the middle during his 22 in Cardiff on Saturday. He was discomforted by the bounce of Boyd Rankin before falling, slightly unluckily, lbw to Steven Finn.Australia could, therefore, be fielding a very different top order in a match that Lehmann has termed a “grand final”, as they aim to finish a difficult tour with some silverware. Marsh, who has made 0 and 25 in his two innings for the series, picked up a hamstring strain in the fourth match – the latest occasion his career has been interrupted by injury – which is likely to offer a last-ditch opportunity to Phillip Hughes, who has been on the sidelines since he was dropped after the second Test at Lord’s.”We’ll look at the pitch but I think that’s the probably the way we’d go,” Lehmann said. “It gives him an opportunity. He’s playing really well and working on his game and that’s all we can ask. He’s ready to go. Hopefully he gets his chance and away he goes.”Australia were well placed to seal the series with a match to spare when Clint McKay took a hat-trick in Cardiff to leave England 8 for 3, and they later reduced the home side to 144 for 6 but were beaten by Jos Buttler’s calculated late assault.”It gets down to a grand final set-up now, which is great,” Lehmann said. “That’s what we want the players put under most of the time, although you would have loved to close out the series.”We’re certainly playing the right brand of cricket, we just made a couple of elementary mistakes. Apart from that, we’ve pretty much played how we want to play. Now the case is we want to finish on a high and get moving on.”McKay, who removed Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott and Joe Root to complete a star-studded hat-trick, admitted it was a tough defeat to take after having had England on the ropes. ”The boys are a bit flat,” he said. ”We had a massive opportunity to take this series home and unfortunately we couldn’t deliver. But we’ll bounce back and fight hard again on Monday.”

Royal Challengers Bangalore will target their second successive win at home when they meet Kings XI Punjab, who remain entrenched to the bottom of the table

The Preview by Arun Venugopal05-May-2015

Match facts

Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)2:19

O’Brien: Kings XI will be spectacular if they fire

Big Picture

Kings XI Punjab might wonder how their campaign has so rapidly spun out of control, after their heartwarming march to the final last year. With only five games to go, they are nailed to the bottom even as once fellow stragglers have moved up to form a cramped mid-section of the points table. It’s a no-brainer that they will have to win all their games from now on, and hope for other results to be favourable.If Kings XI were to examine the whys of their barren run, the simple answer would be their inadequate batting. They have failed to cross 150 in each of the four games they have lost on the trot.Only David Miller has managed decent contributions in the last two matches, with captain George Bailey not making his starts count. Manan Vohra being indisposed meant they had to play Virender Sehwag, who has managed 2,1,1,1 in his last four innings.Royal Challengers Bangalore don’t have such pressing issues, but will desperately seek two points with their second consecutive win at home. They rested Chris Gayle in Chennai, but they might decide against it for this clash. With their last two home games affected by rain, they will hope the weather remains kinder despite thunderstorms being forecast.

Form guide

Royal Challengers Bangalore LWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Kings XI Punjab LLLLW

Watch out for…

Dinesh Karthik has done very little of significance with the bat, managing only 93 runs from six innings thus far. Despite producing the odd flashy dismissal behind the stumps, Karthik has underachieved in the middle order. He was batting well in the company of his captain, Virat Kohli, against Chennai Super Kings, but once again couldn’t kick on for a more substantive score. Attracting Rs 10.5 crore in the auction, there will be pressure on him to provide more bang for buck.M Vijay has encountered problems of a similar variety. While he has never particularly looked out of touch, 197 runs from eight innings is underwhelming for an opener by any standards. The batting-friendly surface and short boundaries at Chinnaswamy are ideal for him to create a strong base for his team.

Stats and trivia

• Royal Challengers have lost four of their six games against Kings XI at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
• Chris Gayle has scored the most runs – 427 from eight innings, including a hundred – for Royal Challengers against Kings XI.

Quotes

“It’s just that batsmen are really trying very hard, but it’s not coming off. Because of that we are not able to chase down the scores which we generally have the capacity to chase down.”

Fast bowler Rubel Hossain has replaced Shahadat Hossain in Bangladesh’s squad for the only Test against India, beginning on June 10

Mohammad Isam03-Jun-20151:00

Isam: Bangladesh have a very settled squad

Fast bowler Rubel Hossain has replaced the injured Shahadat Hossain for the only Test against India, beginning on June 10 in Fatullah. As this was the only change in Bangladesh’s 14-man squad, questions lingered on the batsman-heavy combination.Rubel was ruled out of the second Test against Pakistan last month with a Grade 1 left-side strain after he felt discomfort while bowling in the first Test. His replacement at the time, Shahadat, twisted his right knee after bowling just two balls in the second Test, which ruled him out for six months. Rubel was passed fit last week along with Tamim Iqbal (knee), Shakib Al Hasan (shin bone), Mushfiqur Rahim (finger) and Shafiul Islam (hand).

Bangladesh Test squad

Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Shuvagata Hom, Taijul Islam, Mohammad Shahid, Rubel Hossain, Jubair Hossain, Litton Das, Abul Hasan

Mushfiqur, too remains a wicketkeeping doubt though chief selector Faruque Ahmed said they are hopeful he will be fit in time for the India Test. He also said that they selected 14 players for the first Test instead of 13, at the behest of the BCB’s cricket operations committee.
“We have seven days before the first Test,” Faruque said. “I won’t say that Mushfiqur won’t play but it was important to keep a back-up. We prefer having a second wicketkeeper-batsman. Litton [Das] was in the squad for the Pakistan series.”The cricket operations committee asked us to take 14 players. We planned to take 13 but there is no domestic cricket at the moment, so it was thought that one boy can stay with the team.”The more pressing matter was the continued selection of Shuvagata Hom, who batted at No 8 and bowled harmless off-spin against Zimbabwe and in both Tests against Pakistan. There is still doubt about his role in the team, because he has mainly earned his keep as a batsman in the domestic arena but has been handy as a bowler during the 2014-15 season.Faruque said that Shuvagata is being considered as the second-best offspinner in the country behind Sohag Gazi, who, they feel, still needs time to get attuned to his new action after he was allowed to bowl last February.”We haven’t been able to achieve a desired bowling attack in Test cricket. We don’t have many options when it comes to offspinners. We had Sohag Gazi who got banned for his bowling action. He has batted and bowled well in domestic cricket but we want to pick him only when he is used to his new bowling action.”Shuvagata is our second-best offspinner. He got nine wickets in the last BCL match so he is our favoured choice among the offspinners,” Faruque said. “It is important to have variety in the bowling attack. We have left-arm spinners in the team so we kept an offspinner. It is not necessary that he will play but it becomes easier to pick him in the XI if he is in the squad.”Regarding legspinner Jubair Hossain, Faruque said that he was picked after being recommended by captain Mushfiqur and coach Chandika Hathurusingha. He added that he was not aware of reports that the captain and coach went to BCB president Nazmul Hassan to push for Jubair.”We select the team after discussing with the team management. The coach and captain had made a strong recommendation about him. They have a plan with him. We have included him as a result. I don’t know if they [captain and coach] went to him [BCB president] or not. We had a meeting three-four days before the team was announced.”Faruque admitted that their strength lay in their batting, although they picked seven batsmen instead of eight in the likely XI to play against India, and that their current bowling attack may not yet be well-equipped to take 10 wickets in Tests.”I feel that the bowling attack we have in Test cricket, it won’t be realistic to say that we have the ability to take 10 wickets. We are improving, but our main strength is batting. We should pick a team which can’t lose at home. We will discuss this thought process with the team management. I think playing seven batsmen is good enough. Mushfiqur and Shakib are allrounders.”

Rory Burns has made his return to action for Surrey two weeks after his sickening collision with Moises Henriques against Sussex at Arundel which left both players in hospital

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2015Rory Burns, the Surrey batsman, has made his return to action two weeks after his sickening collision with Moises Henriques against Sussex, at Arundel, which left both players in hospital.Burns suffered lacerations to his face in the incident and was knocked unconscious although had come around by the time he left the ground in an ambulance.In his first innings back he made 21 opening the batting in the County Championship against Gloucestershire at The Oval before being caught behind off Liam Norwell. Earlier in the week, Burns had said he did not have any recollection of the moment of impact on the outfield during the NatWest T20 Blast fixture.”I don’t remember any of the collision,” he told . “I remember the ball going up and thinking I probably have to put my foot down to try and get there – I got there, remember diving, but don’t remember me and Moises colliding. Apart from that, I remember the whole game then waking up and seeing the paramedics.”The headaches have died down now, the stitches are out and scarring up nicely so I’m on the mend.”Henriques suffered a broken jaw in the accident and damage to his teeth but Burns said he is making good progress”I’ve seen him a couple of times, he’s in good spirits. He came off slightly worse with his jaw and his teeth but he’s on the mend.”

Mid-June is arguably too soon to write off a team’s prospects for the season. Nevertheless, the final morning of Somerset’s tussle with Nottinghamshire at Taunton looks set to be a seminal one for the county.

Andrew Miller at Taunton16-Jun-2015
ScorecardTom Abell helped Somerset begin their big chase strongly•Getty Images

Mid-June is arguably too soon to write off a team’s prospects for the season. Nevertheless, the final morning of Somerset’s tussle with Nottinghamshire at Taunton looks set to be a seminal one for the county.Pick off the remaining 127 runs required for victory, having been set a daunting fourth-innings chase of 401 against Nottinghamshire, and the confidence of such an achievement could course through the veins of a beleaguered team. But trip up, having at one stage been cruising on 197 for 1, and it would surely count as the most crushing of their five defeats in seven games this season.Somerset’s fightback was set in motion by their bowlers who, since shipping 300 runs in claiming their first three wickets of the match fought back with spirit to claim 17 wickets for 300 more in 65 subsequent overs. But at 274 for 5, with Jim Allenby and Peter Trego already at the crease, it will be down to those bowlers plus Michael Bates, the wicketkeeper, to haul them over the line.”It’s been an intriguing day’s cricket,” Matthew Maynard, Somerset’s director of cricket, said. “I think we played some excellent cricket today. The old bowling attack have done themselves proud. We did brilliantly to get ourselves into this position and, at the end of the day, we are still in a position where if we can get a couple of partnerships together and see off the new ball, it’s going to be a very tight finish tomorrow.”But a late collapse of 4 for 46 runs in 13 overs left Maynard conceding that Nottinghamshire had reclaimed the initiative going into the final day. “We’ve lost clusters of two or three wickets, where in the past we would have lost four or five,” he said. “I always try and look at the positive side of it. It would have been nice to have lost one fewer wicket in the evening session. That extra wicket just puts us behind in the game.”For all the spirit they showed on a testing day, however, Somerset’s composure proved about as robust as the surface tension on a millpond. For as long as Marcus Trescothick and Tom Abell were in harness, adding 129 for the first wicket with their contrasting but complimentary styles, the size of their chase caused barely a ripple of alarm.Even Trescothick’s departure, caught and bowled by a diving Samit Patel for 65, failed to create the sort of splash it might have done in his pomp five years ago. But the loss of Abell, 17 overs later was another thing entirely. For 307 deliveries, spanning two innings, 148 runs and scarcely a false stroke in six and a half hours of crease occupation, Abell had been a model of technical excellence and restraint, with confident footwork, a composure way beyond his 21 years, and with a sniper’s eye for a scoring opportunity.”He’s got a fantastic temperament and a natural ability, and that’s what distinguishes a lot of real, top players,” Maynard said. “He’s got that in abundance. To bat all the way through one innings and go out there again, for an hour short of three full days on the pitch, it’s a terrific achievement.” But, on 72, Abell succumbed to virtually his first false stroke of the match, a loose drive at Will Gidman to be caught at a very precisely positioned Steven Mullaney at straight mid-off, and the effect was like plunging a tombstone into Somerset’s troubled waters.One over later, James Hildreth, who became the first man to 1000 first-class runs this season in the first innings, chased a wide half-volley to hole out to the same combination for 4, and Somerset lost their third wicket in the space of five overs when Tom Cooper swung wildly to Patel at mid-on to hand a first wicket of the innings – and eighth of the match – to the debutant offspinner, Matthew Carter.Somerset’s reaction to their sudden predicament was not dissimilar to England’s new-found attitude to one-day cricket. Swing hard, swing fast, and slurp up the target before before drowning in the sheer weight of runs.Johann Myburgh proved a qualified success in this approach, thumping eight fours and a six in making 56 from 89 balls before he too fell to Carter via a brilliant, instinctive grab from Mullaney at slip after Wessels had parried the initial edge. But Tom Cooper was less successful. He completed a miserable match with a slogged duck to mid-on.By the close, Allenby and Trego had restored their team’s fragile hopes with a hard-earned 31-run stand for the sixth wicket, although Trego was lucky to receive a life on 9 when Brendan Taylor at slip missed a sharp edge off Ben Hilfenhaus.”Once you’re in it’s a nice wicket to bat on but it’s hard to get in at times,” Maynard said. “We’ve had some good partnerships with the bat, which is key, we need to try and build a couple more tomorrow.” Somerset’s season may depend on it.

Rain has now become the dominant aspect of this Test – and the series – with a third successive day completely washed out in Dhaka

The Report by Firdose Moonda02-Aug-2015Play abandoned
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Dane Vilas and JP Duminy walk across a wet outfield in Mirpur•AFP

Rain has now become the dominant aspect of this Test – and the series – with a third successive day completely washed out in Dhaka. No play was possible even though the covers were removed and the ground was prepared for a 1pm inspection. An hour before the umpires were due to determine whether it was fit for any action, the heavens opened.The match is still in its first innings and only 88.1 overs have been bowled, all on the first day. Dale Steyn, who became the 13th bowler to 400 Test wickets on the opening day, is yet to complete his 17th over. Given the match situation and the time lost, a drawn game and a shared series seems the only likely scenario.Before the series started, Bangladesh opener Imrul Kayes said a draw would be a “big achievement” for the team, considering they are ranked ninth on the Test rankings, while South Africa are on top. Bangladesh may not have wanted to share the spoils in this way.South Africa would also be disappointed with the outcome. These two Tests were the first of 10 they will play in the next seven months and the only long-format fixtures ahead of their high-profile tour of India later this year.

A list of stories and videos on the subject of Michael Clarke’s retirement from cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-20152015August 24
Mark Nicholas – Clarke pulls his final few tricks
August 23
Ian Chappell – Clarke second only to Taylor as captain
News – Clarke’s parting plea for better Test pitches
Press conference – ‘I didn’t let the emotions get to me’ – Clarke
August 22
Daniel Brettig – Lyon is Clarke’s greatest legacy
August 19
News – ‘I can’t wait,’ says Clarke on retirement
Daniel Brettig – Clarke’s career ever so near to greatness
Simon Barnes – Where’s the love for Clarke?
Russell Jackson – A fan’s notes
Brydon Coverdale – Gutsy in Cape Town, resilient in Adelaide
Video – Clarke’s chance for glorious finale
Press conference – Clarke looking to finish on a high
Clickbait – The Michael Clarke highlights
August 18
News – Clarke leaves behind a ‘legacy of aggressive, entertaining cricket’ – Mark Taylor
Illustrated report – ‘A bloody good bloke to boot’
Gallery – Clarke’s career in photos
Video – Chappell: Tactically, Clarke was second only to Taylor
Video – Boycott: Australia won’t miss Clarke because of his recent form
August 14
Numbers Game – The highs and lows
August 11
News – ‘Baggy green culture eroded under Clarke’ – John Buchanan
August 10
Video – Chappell: Not surprised Clarke’s career has been a short one
August 9
Press conference – ‘Clarke will be remembered for courage’ – Sutherland
August 8
Jarrod Kimber – A battle for greatness and love
Press conference – ‘Been lucky enough to captain Australia’ – Clarke
Video – Ponting: Clarke put his heart and soul into the game
News – Clarke removes captain’s mask
News – Clarke announces retirement after Ashes
Video – Brettig: Clarke left with little choice
By the numbers – A statistical look at Clarke’s recent poor form
August 7
Video – Australia fans call for Clarke’s retirementAugust 5
News – Clarke is not retiring
August 4
News – Stubborn Clarke digs his heels in

Pakistan and Zimbabwe share a few of the same concerns heading into these one-day games. Brittle top-order batting has been a problem for both teams, as well as an inability to rotate the strike when boundaries aren’t forthcoming

The Preview by Liam Brickhill30-Sep-2015

Match facts

Thursday, October 1
Start time 9.30am local (0730GMT)Azhar Ali has arrived to take charge of Pakistan’s ODI team•Associated Press

The big picture

Pakistan have had a topsy-turvy year in ODI cricket. They made the quarterfinals of the World Cup, but never really looked like threatening for the title, losing to India, West Indies and Australia along the way. They were then whitewashed by Bangladesh, before surging to an emotional victory in the historic home series against Zimbabwe. After that they scrapped to their first bilateral series win in Sri Lanka since 2006, and after the high of their 2-0 win in the T20Is, they start favourites against Zimbabwe on Thursday.Conversely, there has generally been a sameness to the tenor of Zimbabwe’s one-day campaigns. They have looked good, and more often than not been competitive, but in 15 matches this year they have only won two. The second of those was their stunning victory over New Zealand in their highest successful chase at Harare Sports Club. But what happened next is typical of the side. Zimbabwe are probably one of the only teams that could register a record chase and a ten-wicket defeat in the same series. In fact, they are playing the only other team for whom such peaks and troughs are the norm: Pakistan.Indeed, the T20I series showed that there isn’t a great deal to separate these teams in these sorts of conditions. They have also seen a fair amount of each other this year, with Pakistan prevailing in yet another match that Zimbabwe have won at the Gabba during the World Cup before the Zimbabweans performed entertainingly, but without success, during their tour to Pakistan in May.Pakistan and Zimbabwe also share a few of the same concerns heading into these one-day games. Brittle top-order batting has been a problem for both teams, as well as an inability to rotate the strike when boundaries aren’t forthcoming. With the bowling attacks looking in fine fettle, the opening ODI could be decided by whichever side is able to coax more industriousness out of their batsmen.

Form guide

Zimbabwe LLWLL (Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan LWWLW

In the spotlight

Sean Williams was one of the few batsmen for whom rotation of the strike did not appear to be a problem in the T20 games, and given the 360 degree range of his strokes in limited-overs cricket he could be vital to Zimbabwe’s batting success on a slow wicket. Williams hasn’t scored quite as many runs as Zimbabwe have needed from him this year, and he’s also yet to make a one-day hundred.After an early blunder against Bangladesh, Azhar Ali appears to have settled well into his role as Pakistan’s one-day captain. He scored heavily against Zimbabwe at home, and continued to contribute as Pakistan took their away series against Sri Lanka 3-2. With Pakistan’s top-order wobbles in the T20s, Ali should bring some stability, and he will look to stamp his authority on this series as quickly as possible.

Team news

They weren’t officially part of Zimbabwe’s squad on Wednesday, but Matabeleland Tuskers opener Brian Chari, legspinning allrounder Tino Mutumbodzi and medium-pacer Tawanda Mupariwa all trained with Zimbabwe the day before the first ODI. The idea of opening the batting with wicketkeeper Richmond Mutumbami had been discussed within the team prior to this series, but that seems unlikely now and the player himself is apparently unwilling to make the move. Chari could play, but it’s unclear how many changes Zimbabwe will want to make to their XI.Zimbabwe (possible): 1 Chamu Chibhabha, 2 Brian Chari, 3 Craig Ervine, 4 Hamilton Masakadza, 5 Sean Williams, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 8 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 9 Tino Mutumbodzi, 10 Graeme Cremer, 11 Tinashe Panyangara.Pakistan have welcomed a number of new players to their squad, including one-day captain Azhar Ali. He and the other new members of the squad spent Tuesday and Wednesday training and acclimatising to conditions. Ali will slot straight into the opening position, while the Twenty20 matches will have given Pakistan a good idea of what sorts of combinations they will need to succeed. Pakistan have also made it clear that they would like to have a look at offspinner Bilal Asif before their series against England, and he could strengthen their spin attack in helpful conditions.Pakistan (possible): 1 Azhar Ali (capt), 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 6 Aamer Yamin, 7 Bilal Asif, 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Yasir Shah, 10 Wahab Riaz, 11 Mohammad Irfan.

Pitch and conditions

There was stark contrast between the bone-dry, off-white pitch and the lush green outfield as the groundsmen made their final preparations on Wednesday afternoon. Expect another dry surface that could play a little slow and low, and will aid spinners and quicks with a skill-set to suit the conditions. The early start could mean swing in the morning, but that won’t last much more than an hour. The weather is expected to be hazy, but warm.

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan’s openers have registered more 50-plus stands than anyone else in 2015. Their first wicket averages 56.95, the highest for any team in 2015. Pakistan’s openers have added 1139 runs in 20 innings, including four hundreds and six fifty stands.
• Of the 51 ODIs between these sides, Pakistan have won 45 and Zimbabwe three. There have also been two games with no result and one tie.
• Of Zimbabwe’s current squad, Hamilton Masakadza has scored the most runs against Pakistan, with 476 in 14 innings at an average of 34, including four fifties.

Quotes

“It’s not a quick fix. The answers come from two or three different sources. But initially it has to come from within. That’s the major area.”
“They’ve been training today, and they’ll train again tomorrow as we try to get them used to the conditions.”