Category Uncategorized

The T20I double-headers and the three women’s ODIs have also been advanced by a day

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2021Rawalpindi will host the England men’s and women’s teams for the two T20I double-headers and the three women’s ODIs, instead of Karachi. The two double-headers have been advanced by a day, from October 14 and 15 to 13 and 14, and the women’s ODIs will be played on October 17, 19 and 21, instead of 18, 20 and 22. It will be the first time the England men’s team will tour Pakistan in 16 years.The two visiting sides will arrive in Islamabad on October 9. While the men’s squad will leave for Dubai on October 15 for the T20 World Cup, the women will stay back for the ODIs.The PCB said in a release the matches were rescheduled “due to operational and logistical reasons”. The PCB is yet to announce the timings for the matches.”We are delighted to welcome both the England men’s team for what will be their first tour to Pakistan since 2005, and the England women’s team, who will be touring Pakistan for the first time,” PCB chief executive Wasim Khan said. “Both are additional tours with England men’s side scheduled to return to Pakistan in the last quarter of 2022 for white-ball and ICC World Test Championship fixtures.”England’s men’s squad was originally scheduled to visit Pakistan in January but the two boards could not find space in a crowded itinerary, and moved the T20Is to October as part of the T20 World Cup preparations.The two teams are grouped separately in the T20 World Cup, England in Group 1 and Pakistan in Group 2.

NZC exploring ways to ensure there is no reduction in workforce or pay cuts

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Apr-2020The COVID-19 pandemic has forced New Zealand Cricket to cancel the national women’s tour of Sri Lanka scheduled for later this month, while the long men’s team tour of Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands and the West Indies in June-July appears “most unlikely”.”Clearly, this situation is extremely disappointing for everyone involved in sport,” David White, NZC’s chief executive, said. “Given the bigger picture, and the terrible toll COVID-19 is taking worldwide, we need to look after not only our own people but the greater community good. Cricket in New Zealand has been fortunate in that we were very much at the end of our home summer programme when this crisis struck.”There are also obvious question marks over the men’s tour of Bangladesh and their ‘A’ tour of India in August, but White said that it was too early to comment on them.In measures to prevent a downsizing of the workforce and to ensure there are no pay cuts, NZC is also applying for the government wage-subsidy scheme. This helps support employers adversely affected by the pandemic so that they continue paying their staff during the lockdown.”With the lockdown now in full force, we’re mindful of the difficulties facing our cricket community,” White said. “Our current focus is very much on ensuring the future sustainability of cricket in New Zealand.”NZC to adopt four-day working weekNZC staff and management have agreed to exhaust their leave entitlements over the remainder of the financial year ending July 31 by switching to a four-day working week.”We take our duty of care as an employer seriously and, at this juncture, want to avoid any changes to our employee headcount or remuneration levels,” White said. “However, we’ll continue to closely monitor the effects on the wider cricket family.”NZC plans to be work closely with the stakeholders over the next few months to explore various feasible scenarios for the upcoming season. White said, “Although the future is uncertain, we’re determined to be well-prepared for whatever opportunities arise.”

The performance of the Indian bowlers on their recent Test tour has given the visiting Sri Lankans a lot of confidence

Andrew McGlashan in Brisbane22-Jan-2019Sri Lanka’s bowlers have been urged to believe that they can replicate the success of India’s attack in Australia as they hunt a first Test victory in the country.The Indian bowlers, led by Jasprit Bumrah, were superb as a unit as they secured India’s maiden series victory – 2-1 – in Australia recently. Of particular note was their ability to find reverse swing in the 40-80-over bracket and therefore retain their wicket-taking threat throughout the life of the ball.Sri Lanka come with a far less heralded attack, led by Suranga Lakmal, but have the opportunity to take on a brittle Australia batting line-up that could feature two Test debutants in Kurtis Patterson and Will Pucovski and have other players being shuffled around.Sri Lanka bowling coach Rumesh Ratnayake said they had been studying India’s tactics closely as they prepared for the two-Test series, which includes a day-night Test at the Gabba and a maiden Test in Canberra, which will offer a variety of conditions.”It’s one of the major things we looked at, the areas which they had bowled,” Ratnayake said. “It’s just making the bowlers believe that whatever their bowlers can do and the other teams can do, we also can do. That belief is something we are trying to work on at the moment.ALSO READ: Sri Lanka’s best chance to win in Australia?“In batting and bowling, and even in the fielding, the Indians showed the world every place they go to is a home-from-home. I believe we can take that from the Indians. We came here with the motto to win a Test match – we are going to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa so we would love to win a Test match in a country and Australia is one of them.”Sri Lanka have lost Nuwan Pradeep to a hamstring injury. After Lakmal with 54 Test appearances, the next most-capped seamer is Lahiru Kumara with just 14, but he is generating some excitement and interest in Australia.”He’s an exuberant young boy,” Ratnayake said of the 21-year-old quick. “He’s quick in our terms and might be quick in your terms also, because he sometimes touches 148kph, but he hits it at a pace of 140 on a more regular basis. He’s young, he needs to learn a bit more, but when he’s on fire it’s some of the best spells I’ve seen out of Sri Lanka for a long time, especially in West Indies.”In that series against West Indies, Kumara took 17 wickets at 19.88 including six in the day-nighter in Barbados, which Sri Lanka won to share the series.A shared series on this tour, especially with a victory among the results, would make for significant success for Sri Lanka. A series win would be one of their more famous achievements.”I think it is certainly one of the better chances,” Ratnayake said. “A wounded Australia is a bit of a mystery in any sport really. We understand that and we know that when they are wounded they will be at their best.”

The England selector was hopeful that Ben Stokes’ spell in New Zealand would mean the allrounder was ready for a return to action should the possibility arise

Vithushan Ehantharajah30-Nov-2017England selector Angus Fraser is hopeful of imminent clarity over Ben Stokes and his ongoing police investigation, but acknowledged that the situation is more important than purely having him play cricket again.On Wednesday, Avon and Somerset Police said Stokes’ case was being passed onto the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as they sought charging advice. They also confirmed a 27-year-old suffered a fractured eye socket during the incident which took place on the evening of September 25.The news came soon after Stokes had touched down in New Zealand, having been granted No Objection Certificate by the ECB last Friday to play domestic cricket while he remains unavailable for England duty. On Thursday, Canterbury announced the signing of Stokes as their overseas player. His first game will likely be on December 3 against Otago in the Ford Trophy domestic 50-over competition.While the ECB were caught off-guard at how quickly Stokes cashed in his NOC, Fraser was hopeful regular cricket will ensure that, should the 26-year-old escape punishment, he will be fit for the current Ashes series, or the one-day internationals that commence mid-January.”The news this week, I wouldn’t say it’s taken everyone by surprise,” Fraser told ESPNcricinfo. “But people are coming to terms with what’s happening and are prepared for every eventuality: the police investigation and the results of the police action. Then it moves onto the ECB. I suppose the fact is, when everything falls into line, then Ben is in a position to be able to play cricket, whether it’s in the Ashes or the one-day series that follows.”Fraser was also keen to stress that the fact that England are in the midst of an Ashes series would not colour the judgement of selectors or others set to decide on Stokes’ future. “I think the most important thing is that the matter is dealt with correctly. We can all look at an Ashes series as extremely important, but the future health of the game is very important, too. The decisions that have to be made need to be the right ones not just for now but the for the game moving forward, too.”The CPS will now decide on whether a charge will be brought upon Stokes and what it would be. The process could take anywhere between a couple of weeks and six months as they will seek a number of clarifications, although is expected to be at the shorter end of that timescale. They may even ask for evidence to be resubmitted before determining whether to prosecute, which could mean a decision on whether to press charges may only be made well into 2018.Should the CPS opt not to bring charges then it will be down to the ECB’s own disciplinary committee to decide what action to take. Stokes has missed the two ODIs against the West Indies at the end of last summer, along with the first Test at Brisbane. It has been suggested that the ECB may backdate any punishment handed to Stokes – he will have missed at least two Test matches as well – potentially meaning an immediate return to international action once the charging decision is made.However, Fraser admitted both he and the ECB are still unaware as to what exactly took place that fateful night in Bristol. Much of the ECB’s deliberation will be a fact-finding mission.”You want to know the full story before you react,” he said. “That’s where the ECB are at: everybody wants to know what exactly went on. We’ve seen the footage, we’ve heard reports. But until we know what exactly has taken place, it’s hard to make those sorts of comments. Once we know all the information, I’ll be happy to give my feelings on it.”It has been a testing week for England. An ultimately tame and entirely friendly tete-a-tete between Cameron Bancroft and Jonny Bairstow on the squad’s first night in Australia, brought to light on the final day of the first Test, prompted England’s director of cricket Andrew Strauss to impose a midnight curfew.Naturally, coupled with Stokes’ indiscretion, the Australian media has taken the opportunity to round on England, questioning the culture and characters of those within squad. Middlesex pace bowler Toby-Roland Jones, who was set for a place in the Ashes squad after an impressive start to his Test career this summer before being ruled out by a stress fracture of the back, feels talk of drinking problems or deeper behavioural issues is wide of the mark.”A lot’s been written and maybe pushed the limits of what is reality, to be honest,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a drink in moderation, but the guys generally know where the line should be drawn. It’s a close dressing room and one that benefits from that on the pitch. The go on as a team, they exit as a team.”I guess you’re in these places in a professional capacity and there to perform. But a lot has been written about things, pushing it out to be a little bit worse than it is, let’s say.”Roland-Jones himself has stepped up his recovery from injury and spent the start of the week at the National Performance Centre in Loughborough. He is bowling again but, as of yet, is not putting a date on when he expects to be fully up to speed.

Mohammad Amir, Pakistan’s left-arm quick, has signed as overseas player for Essex for the first half of the 2017 season

George Dobell08-Nov-2016Mohammad Amir has signed as overseas player for Essex for the second half of the 2017 season.Amir, the Pakistan left-arm swing bowler, is expected to be available from the end of the Champions Trophy in mid-June. Essex hope he will help them adjust to life in Division One of the County Championship – they were promoted at the end of 2016 – and Amir, who married recently, now has family in the London area.Essex had been in particular need of pace-bowling reinforcements, after the retirements of Graham Napier – their leading wicket-taker in 2016 – and David Masters. The attack is likely to be led by Jamie Porter, 23, who has only played two full seasons of Championship cricket.Chris Silverwood, Essex coach, said: “We are thrilled that Mohammad has decided to join us for half of the 2017 campaign. He showed a real desire to be a part of the Club and the fact we have him for two competitions is a real bonus. He is still only young but has proved himself at International level already, so it is a real coup to get this signing completed.”Amir returned to Test cricket in England earlier this year, having served a five-year suspension for spot-fixing. He took 12 wickets in the series against England, but often bowled better than his final tally suggested, as he confirmed that his lengthy ban had not unduly undermined his potential.”I am very excited about becoming part of the Essex family,” Amir said. “Chris Silverwood and Ronnie Irani have both been very supportive over the summer. I’m hoping I can carry on Essex’s success this season and achieve more for the club in 2017.”

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.”

Matthew Wade’s chances of playing in the third Test in Mohali appear slim after he struggled through wicketkeeping, fielding and running drills on the eve of the match

Brydon Coverdale13-Mar-2013Matthew Wade’s chances of playing in the third Test in Mohali appear slim after he struggled through wicketkeeping, fielding and running drills on the eve of the match. If Wade is ruled out due to his ankle injury it will leave the Australians with only 12 men available. Brad Haddin would keep wicket and the only real decision for the selectors would be which of the three spinners – Xavier Doherty, Nathan Lyon and Glenn Maxwell – to leave on the sidelines.The indications at training were that Maxwell would be the one to miss out. At the end of Australia’s practice session, Maxwell looked downcast during a lengthy on-field chat with the coach Mickey Arthur, and he was not present at a sit-down meeting of the spinners shortly afterwards when the spin coach Steve Rixon chatted to Lyon, Doherty and Smith on the boundary edge.The small pool from which to select is a stark contrast to the first Test in Chennai, when Australia had a group of 17 players available. But the team management’s decision to make Shane Watson, James Pattinson, Mitchell Johnson and Usman Khawaja sit out for disciplinary reasons has left them with few options for the Mohali Test, starting on Thursday, which the Australians must win to have any chance of retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Wade sprained his right ankle while playing basketball on Saturday and scans concerned the Australian medical staff enough that Haddin was flown to India as cover. On Wednesday, Wade trained for the first time since suffering the injury. His movement was clearly hampered during wicketkeeping drills with the fielding coach, Steve Rixon, and he also struggled to move freely during outfielding work and while running between the wickets.That work was followed by a lengthy discussion between captain Michael Clarke, Rixon, selector on duty Rod Marsh, team doctor Peter Brukner and physio Alex Kountouris. Wade left the fielding session to bat in the nets but looked despondent as he made his way into the team rooms after completing his training. Earlier in the day, Clarke had raised the possibility of Wade playing as a batsman only if he was unable to keep wicket.But the more likely scenario now appears to be that Haddin will take the gloves and bat at No. 6 in his first Test since January last year. If Wade is ruled out it will mean Phillip Hughes will certainly retain his place in the side and Steven Smith will be included for his first Test since Australia’s miserable 2010-11 Ashes series. The decision to sideline Watson, Pattinson, Johnson and Khawaja could cost Australia in this match but Clarke said it provided an opportunity.”There’s no doubt that somebody’s loss is somebody else’s gain and a big part of international cricket is getting a chance,” Clarke said. “A lot of people talk about young players – he should be picked, he shouldn’t be picked, is he good enough? The only way you find out if he’s good enough is if he gets an opportunity. A few guys who are going to get a chance in this game have been waiting for this opportunity and now it is about grabbing it with both hands.”The Mohali pitch remained under a hessian cover on Wednesday but the Australians had inspected it on Tuesday and Clarke said it did not appear to be the pace-friendly kind of surface he had seen at the venue in the past.”I saw the wicket yesterday,” Clarke said. “I haven’t seen it today yet but I imagine it wouldn’t have changed much. There’s not much grass to cut off and it was quite dry yesterday so it’s probably even drier today. I think the conditions are going to be very similar to what we’ve seen in the first two Test matches.”There’s no real surprises there. I’ve played some cricket here in Mohali and generally they leave a bit of grass on the wicket and it’s nice for fast bowlers but I’m not surprised that all the grass has been cut off. That’s part of international cricket. The positive of that is at least we’ve experienced it in the first two matches.”Possible team 1 David Warner, 2 Ed Cowan, 3 Phillip Hughes, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Steven Smith, 6 Brad Haddin (wk), 7 Moises Henriques, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Xavier Doherty, 11 Nathan Lyon.

Deccan Chargers have signed five Indian uncapped cricketers for the 2012 IPL, one of whom isTanmay Mishra, who is currently playing for Kenya

Dustin Silgardo18-Feb-2012Deccan Chargers have signed five Indian uncapped cricketers for the 2012 IPL, one of whom is Tanmay Mishra, who plays for Kenya. Mishra, who was born in Mumbai, has never played a first-class or List A game for any Indian side; but a spokesperson for Chargers explained that since he holds an Indian passport*, Mishra is eligible to be bought as an Indian uncapped player.This also means Mishra will not have to be counted among the four foreign players each franchise is allowed to play in an IPL game.Chargers have also signed Uttar Pradesh batsman Tanmay Srivastava, who was part of the now dissolved Kochi Tuskers Kerala last year, Orissa batsman Biplab Samantray, Madhya Pradesh medium-pacer TP Sudhindra and 21-year-old Hyderabad opening batsman Akshath Reddy.Mishra, a 25-year-old middle-order batsman, was one of the few bright spots for Kenya during the 2011 World Cup; he scored two half-centuries, including an innings of 72 against Australia in Bangalore. On the day Chargers announced they had signed him, Mishra scored 70 not out in Kenya’s win against Ireland in a World Cricket League Championship in Mombasa.Reddy and Sudhindra have both earned IPL contracts on the back of impressive Ranji seasons. Sudhindra was the leading wicket-taker in the Elite division with 40 wickets at an average of 18.70. Reddy, in his second season, scored 524 runs at an average of 65.50, with three centuries.Samantray scored his maiden first-class century in the 2011-12 Ranji season, an innings of 171 against Uttar Pradesh, while Srivastava, at just 22 years old, has already played 45 first-class matches and 26 List A matches, and has six centuries in each format. He played seven matches for Kings XI Punjab spread across the 2008 and 2009 editions of the IPL, but did not have much chance to contribute with the bat.* February 18, 2012 18:16 GMT: This article said Tanmay Mishra held dual citizenship of India and Kenya. This has been corrected.

Where other teams might falter as all around them crumbled, Pakistan perform in spite of the shambles

Andrew Fernando03-Feb-2011Few sports teams are as enigmatic as the Pakistan cricket team. Over the last twelve month the captaincy has changed hands so many times it is enough to make fans dizzy, and the side has been at the centre of a spot-fixing scandal that has cost them their two premier fast bowlers. Yet, somehow, they continue to impress on the field. Where other teams might falter as all around them crumbled, Pakistan perform in spite of the shambles. They are are still to name a captain just two-and-a-half weeks shy of the World Cup, another sign of their dysfunction, but the manner in which they’ve rolled New Zealand in the one-day series sends out a message that none of the more fancied teams can afford to ignore them.Three victories on the trot have allowed many players find their roles within the team. Unable to trouble batsmen with extravagant pace or movement, Abdul Razzak has taken up the task of tying down one end with the new ball while the likes of Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul attack from the other. In Napier, his seven-over opening spell included three maidens and cost 16 runs. In Hamilton, he was only required to bowl four overs, but a tight spell from him meant New Zealand’s explosive top order couldn’t get ahead of the required run rate early. Shahid Afridi’s canny legspin has not only kept things quiet during the middle overs, but has broken vital partnerships that have threatened to take the game away. Mohammed Hafeez meanwhile, has chipped in with a few miserly spells of his own in Saeed Ajmal’s absence. In Umar Gul, Pakistan have one of the finest merchants of reverse swing, and as Wahab Riaz proved today with a terrific late-swinging toe crusher to uproot James Franklin’s stumps, he’s no picnic with the old ball either.”Anything over 90 miles is hard to play, especially on a pitch like this when the ball wasn’t exactly coming on the bat in the second innings,” Waqar Younis said after the win in Hamilton. With Gul Wahab and Akhtar in the World Cup squad, Pakistan have three bowlers who are constantly pushing the 145 kph mark, with ample high quality spin options in their ranks as well. “Maybe we were about twenty runs short today, but the bowlers covered it beautifully. Mohammad Hafeez and Afridi bowled well and they picked up wickets at the right time.”The batting too has begun to fall into place for Pakistan. In the last three games, each of the openers has made a hundred. Misbah-ul-Haq, in the form of his life, has provided stability and sense to the innings alongside Younis Khan. And as New Zealand found out twice in Christchurch, first in the Twenty20, and more recently in the one dayer – Pakistan’s middle order allrounders are capable of slamming an attack helpless within the space of a few deliveries. Whether by design or not, some semblance of a gameplan seems to be developing for Pakistan – the openers set off rapidly before Younis and Misbah use their experience in the middle overs to provide a platform for the likes of Afridi and his cohorts do their best to bring down the stands by repeatedly launching six ounces of leather at them.Despite the uncertainty over the captaincy issue and the ignominious distractions that have preceded it, Pakistan seems surprisingly settled and focused. Waqar Younis thinks that it may actually be because of the public embroilment that the team has endured over the past few months that it is performing so well as a unit.”I think [the controversy surrounding the team] has had a positive effect,” Waqar said. “Not only in this series but in the last series against South Africa we played positive cricket in both the Test matches and one -dayers. In a way you could say it geed us up an pulled us together because reading all that rubbish in the newspapers every morning gives you a bit of togetherness. With the amount of controversy we’ve had in the last year, it’s good see guys making a comeback and scoring runs. It’s good to see the unit really getting together and putting up a good show. “It’s difficult to gauge just how much momentum Pakistan will take into the World Cup, primarily because they are not a side that sustains winning impetus over a long period of time. They are instead a team that turns things around in a single innings or a sparkling spell. But the format of this World Cup could play to their strengths. Several major upsets aside, Pakistan are almost guaranteed a place in the quarter finals, and from that point it’s three victories to the title. They may not be a side that dominates an entire six-week tournament, but few would put it past a rampant Pakistan to win three games in a row in the final stages.Waqar remained hopeful ahead of the tournament. “It’s every team’s dream [to win the World Cup] and we are on the right track at the moment. If we can deliver similar goods over the six weeks, you never know. We’re positive.”

Victoria will head into the Sheffield Shield final as the favourite after finishing the regular rounds with a nine-point advantage

Cricinfo staff12-Mar-2010
ScorecardDamien Wright had eight wickets for the game in an important warm-up for the decider•Getty Images

Victoria will head into the Sheffield Shield final as the favourite after finishing the regular rounds with a nine-point advantage. The Bushrangers warmed up for Wednesday’s decider with an innings-and-46-run victory over Tasmania, who were brushed aside for 114.The Tigers, who are currently fifth, suffered a horrible start to be 6 for 18 after Darren Pattinson and Damien Wright grabbed three wickets each. Alex Doolan’s 7 was the highest score of the top five and three wickets went on 16, including the retiring Dan Marsh. Tim Paine gained some ground and was last out for 28, while Brendan Drew (40) and Xavier Doherty (19) helped out.Wright had 3 for 11 off seven overs, giving him eight wickets for the game, and Pattinson returned 3 for 15 off 12 in impressive displays. Bryce McGain, the legspinner, chipped in at the end with 3 for 57 as he hopes to hold his spot ahead of Jon Holland for the final.Matthew Wade’s 50 pushed Victoria to 382 in the morning and they now have an extra day to prepare for the decider against Queensland at the MCG. It will be a repeat of last year’s final, when a draw gave the Bushrangers the trophy.