All posts by n8rngtd.top

Doug Bollinger claims he’s loud and obnoxious but that hasn’t stopped him slipping completely under the radar of the West Indies camp

Brydon Coverdale in Adelaide03-Dec-2009Doug Bollinger claims he’s loud and obnoxious but that hasn’t stopped him slipping completely under the radar of the West Indies camp. Bollinger will take the new ball against Chris Gayle and Adrian Barath in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval and is certain to let the visiting captain know who he is after Gayle revealed on the day before the match that he hadn’t looked into Bollinger’s credentials.”Two left-armers – we’ll see how well we can go about it,” Gayle said, when asked about facing Bollinger and Mitchell Johnson. “What’s the other guy’s name? Bollinger? Bollinger. This will be the first time I am going up against him. It’s a challenge. I haven’t seen much of him to be honest with you. I’m sure we’ll get some clippings and take a look at him and see what we can make of him.”Most people don’t quite know what to make of Bollinger, who has come in to the side to play his second Test after Ben Hilfenhaus was ruled out with a knee problem. Hilfenhaus was the Man of the Match at the Gabba, where he collected five wickets for the game and made key top-order breakthroughs in both innings.Gayle wouldn’t mind seeing the back of Hilfenhaus, who in both innings trapped him lbw with deliveries shaping back in to the left-hander. It’s an angle that Gayle is vulnerable to early in his innings but Ricky Ponting still felt his attack had the ability to target Gayle’s stumps early in the innings, even without the swing of Hilfenhaus.”The left-armers can still do that,” Ponting said. “That angle that the left-armers create actually does bring the ball back in towards the stumps. If Mitch and Doug aren’t actually bowling genuine outswingers to him then the ball is always going to be pitching in and around off stump and straightening back that way. That’s similar to the way we got him out at the Gabba. We did get him out trying to bowl really straight to Chris at the Gabba and there’s no doubt that we’ll do something pretty similar here.”The addition of Bollinger to Australia’s attack robs it of only a small amount of Test experience, while the visitors have lost Jerome Taylor, their most qualified fast man, to a back injury. West Indies’ green line-up provides Australia’s batsmen with an excellent opportunity at a ground that is always hard work for the fast bowlers. After five Australians made half-centuries in Brisbane but none converted them to hundreds, Ponting was keen to see some bat-raising and helmet-kissing.”One thing we didn’t quite nail last week was the amount of guys that got off to starts and didn’t go on and get the big hundred,” Ponting said. “We’ve spoken about that in our team meeting this morning and it’s something that we want to improve on. We all know how good a wicket this can be to bat on once you get in and get set so with an inexperienced attack, we’d like to think that the experience in our batting should be able to get us through and we should be able to make some big runs in the game.”The one man who did miss out completely in Brisbane was Shane Watson, who is still trying to prove that he can be a long-term Test opener. His duck in Brisbane looked particularly bad because he was trapped leaving a delivery that cut back into him, and Ponting said although Watson was vulnerable to lbws early in his innings, he was confident the allrounder could turn things around in Adelaide.”It hasn’t only been in Test cricket, he’s been out a bit in one-day cricket as well lbw,” Ponting said. “He’s very much aware of that. He works on that all the time. The one up at the Gabba the other day is probably an unusual lbw in the fact you let one go that nips back on you early on. I don’t think there was too much technically wrong with what he did last week. With a good batting wicket here and an inexperienced attack hopefully he’s one of the guys that can make some big runs for us.”While Australia will be looking to Watson and Co to provide the runs, West Indies will rely heavily on their experienced men Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, who is likely to return from a back injury, and Gayle. The West Indies captain just has to hope that the name that troubled him – “Bollinger?” – isn’t written beside his own on the scorecard too early in the innings.

Chris Gayle may not have been preparing to dance on the grave of Test cricket, as was the case in England earlier this year, but neither was he moved to defend it

Alex Brown25-Nov-2009Chris Gayle may not have been preparing to dance on the grave of Test cricket, as was the case in England earlier this year, but neither was he moved to defend it. Speaking on the eve of the first Test against Australia – a match that is expected to draw a relatively meagre 40,000 spectators over the five days – Gayle said the recent decline in attendance figures showed many supporters concurred with his infamous assertion that he “wouldn’t be so sad” if Test cricket were to perish.”If you look at what’s happening now, it’s no secret,” Gayle said. “At the same time we’re always going to be committed to whatever cricket we play. I can’t say ‘Test cricket is going to die’ and it just happens like that. It’s just how things have been progressing the last couple of months. Spectators haven’t turned out. They’re more drawn to the coloured clothing at this point in time.”Concern for cricket’s traditional format is widespread, with dead pitches, an uneven distribution of playing talent and an increasingly time-poor society eroding the five-day game’s supporter base. At present, India and Sri Lanka are contesting another batsman-dominated match in Kanpur (an alarming 2,306 runs have been scored over the first seven days of the series at a cost of 72.06 per wicket), Pakistan are conducting a “home” series to low turn-outs in New Zealand and Australia are preparing to play a West Indian side ranked 17-1 outsiders by local bookmakers.Administrators hope a Test championship model from 2012 will help affix more context and meaning to the game, but with just 7% of recently surveyed Indian supporters counting the five-day game as their favourite format, Gayle is looking more prophet than profit-driven by the day.His Australian counterpart, Ricky Ponting, spoke more sentimentally about the issues confronting Test cricket this week, and repeated his call for the world’s groundsmen to prepare more sporting wickets to rekindle interest in the game. “Test cricket, when it was at its most exciting, was all about three or four fast bowlers and lots of bouncers being bowled and lots of hook shots being played,” Ponting said.”The hostility between bat and ball, I think, was the most attractive thing. Now a lot of wickets around the world are very, very similar. Scoring rates are very high, probably too high, and there’s not that real tough contest between fast bowler and batsman.”Ineffective regional governance, and a general failure to adapt to the challenges posed by lucrative domestic Twenty20 leagues, are among the many issues facing Test teams at present, not least the West Indians. A damaging and protracted industrial dispute resulted in a third-string XI turning out for a home Test series against Bangladesh in July, while Fidel Edwards, the Caribbean’s most feared fast bowler, was ruled out of the tour of Australia after ignoring his board’s medical advice and re-injuring himself at the Champions League Twenty20 tournament. His contract has been withheld by the WICB.The Gabba Test will mark the first time Gayle has represented West Indies since the home limited-overs series against India in July, having missed the disastrous Bangladesh campaign and the ensuing Champions Trophy due to strike action. He will lead the Windies onto the Gabba on Thursday barely 24 hours after stepping off a flight from Jamaica – the second time this year he has arrived for a series on Test eve – but holds out hope that the tour of Australia will go some way towards mending relations within West Indies cricket.”This is a situation that we look at as a rebuild,” he said. “We’re trying to get back together. A lot has happned the last couple of months. We’re trying to put our best foot forward, go out as one unit and try to put the past behind us. We’ll give Australia a good fight.”

A round-up of the first day’s play in the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals

Cricinfo staff24-Dec-2009
Scorecard
Mumbai were pushed to the brink by Haryana’s seamers but fought back admirably, thanks to Ajinkya Rahane and Ajit Agarkar who took them to 238 for 5 at stumps on the first day in Rohtak. Mumbai’s decision to bat first seemed to have backfired when Joginder Sharma and Sanjay Budhwar reduced them to 17 for 2. Wasim Jaffer briefly resisted before Sachin Rana broke Mumbai’s backbone, picking up wickets off successive deliveries. Life came a full circle for Rohit Sharma, who followed his majestic triple-hundred in the last league game with a first-ball duck. Mumbai seemed down and out, but Rahane and Agarkar counter-punched with a 174-run stand in 58.1 overs. Agarkar cracked nine fours and a six before Rana made him his third scalp of the day. Rahane however stood firm, carrying on after reaching a well-deserved century, including 14 fours. Ramesh Powar gave him resolute company, blocking out 29 deliveries without scoring.
Scorecard
Tamil Nadu’s batsmen gave them the early ascendancy against Delhi at the Palam A Ground. The hosts’ decision to field first was countered admirably by openers Abhinav Mukund and Murali Vijay who both made fifties and put on a century partnership. Vijay was the first to fall, dismissed by Mithun Manhas after striking nine fours during his 51. Arun Karthik, who came in at one-drop, took over the mantle from his captain and guided his side’s progress through the day. Mukund was sent back by Vikas Mishra after the visitors crossed 150. S Badrinath’s aggressive innings was nipped in the bud before Srikkanth Anirudha continued the good work with Karthik. The latter’s wicket in the closing stages gave the hosts some consolation but they still have a long way to go, given the good form of the Tamil Nadu lower order.Assam 17 for 1 (Gupta 1-1) v Uttar Pradesh 213 (Kaif 56, Konwar 5-79)
Scorecard
Offspinner Arlen Konwar continued his dream-run at this year’s Ranji trophy, picking up 5 for 79 as Assam held sway against Uttar Pradesh in Guwahati. The visitors’ decision to bat first was initially vindicated by their top-order with the first two wickets adding 96 runs. Shivakant Shukla provided the early impetus with a stroke-filled 47 before Mohammad Kaif anchored proceedings with a sedate half-century. Konwar however, changed the complexion of the game completely with his fine spell. He signaled his intentions early in his spell, getting rid of Tanmay Srivastava and Shukla to spoil the good work done by the top-order before coming back to dismiss Parvinder Gupta and trigger a massive middle-order collapse from which the visitors never recovered. Sairaj Bahutule got rid of Kaif and the tail, leaving Amir Khan stranded on 23. Dheeraj Jadhav injured himself on the field and did not come out to open Assam’s innings which faced an early setback when Amit Sinha fell with stumps in sight.

The Pakistan coach, believes the board needs to organise specialist fielding training camps across Pakistan in order to improve standards in the national side

Osman Samiuddin in Hobart18-Jan-2010Intikhab Alam,
the Pakistan coach, believes the Pakistan board needs to
organise specialist fielding training camps across Pakistan in order to
improve standards in the national side.Pakistan’s fielding through tours to New Zealand and Australia has reached
an all-time low and at a conservative estimate they have dropped at least
25 chances through the six Tests. Most of the chances here in Australia have been
critical ones; both Shane Watson and Simon Katich were dropped in the
first session of the series in Melbourne, both scored nineties; Michael
Hussey was dropped thrice at Sydney on the way to a matchwinning hundred;
Ricky Ponting was dropped on zero in Hobart and went on to score a double-hundred.Intikhab and Mohammad Yousuf, Pakistan’s captain, have struggled to stem
the rot, insisting there is no need for a specialist fielding coach but
not offering any tangible solution otherwise. Intikhab has consistently –
and justifiably – called it a grassroots problem, arguing that the lack of
care for fielding at domestic level instills poor habits into players who
make it to the national side.”They should organise 10-20 days fielding camps for the players in which
catching, throwing, fielding and all things are practiced,” Intikhab said.
“We have coaches at every level. Put these camps up in Karachi, Lahore
and Islamabad. Have 15-day camps and just get players from all levels
to practice there every day.”Waqar Younis is currently appointed to the side as a bowling and fielding
coach, but that is, for now, only till the end of this series. There has
been talk of appointing a specialist fielding coach and Pakistan did
benefit a little during the coaching stint of Geoff Lawson, when they had
hired Mohtashim Rasheed as one. But his services haven’t since been
retained.”These camps really need to be organised,” Intikhab said. “Whenever a guy
comes into the Pakistan side, then only they are taught how to field and
the basics of fielding, like how to bend for a ball, how to attack a ball.
We have to emphasise this and work on it otherwise it will not get
better.”

Martin Crowe will assist the new national coach Mark Greatbatch as a batting advisor to some leading players, with a particular focus on Test cricket

Cricinfo staff07-Feb-2010Martin Crowe, the former New Zealand captain, will assist the new national coach Mark Greatbatch as a batting advisor to some leading players, with a particular focus on Test cricket. Crowe has already been working with batsmen such as Ross Taylor and Tim McIntosh as part of a programme in which players choose their own mentors.”It’s nice to be asked, finally,” Crowe told . “It’s only for Test matches and getting players up for Test matches, including Ross Taylor and Tim McIntosh. Mark will guide me where he feels I can be of use. It’s not an appointment as such, but in my spare time away from the Rugby Channel I will do the odd bit helping our guys prepare for Tests.”Greatbatch was pleased to have Crowe’s services. “We’ve got an initial focus on the longer form of the game, which we need to do if we’re going to get our Test ranking up. Martin will be doing some hard yakka, talking about the game, talking about game-plans and goal-setting.”Although it’s an informal role, Crowe said he would focus on training the batsmen to stay in for longer periods of time. “You have to be technically aware of what you need to do to stay in – that’s the key to batting in Test matches, staying in, which means eradicating ways of getting out, delaying your dismissal for as long as possible.”He was also in favour of a set-up that gave the captain more power, such as the one in New Zealand where Daniel Vettori plays a central role in the functioning of the team. “I’m a big believer that the captain has to be driving things,” Crowe said. “We’ve lost half a generation of Test players, particularly in the batting area, because the coach [John Bracewell] was everything. That’s not the way cricket is designed.”What they are doing now is just an open, transparent way to do things. The captain has to be accountable and has to bring out the best in his players on the field and Dan has a good grasp of that. It’s just that over the past few years we’d got used to the coach driving everything. Paddy [Greatbatch] is a big believer in working behind the scenes because that was how he was brought up, so this set-up’s got a good feeling to me.”

Hampshire have signed Abdul Razzaq, the Pakistan allrounder, to strengthen their squad for the domestic Twenty20 tournament

Cricinfo staff08-Mar-2010Hampshire have signed Abdul Razzaq, the Pakistan allrounder, to strengthen their squad for the domestic Twenty20 tournament.He will be joining his team-mate Shahid Afridi and Ajantha Mendis, the Sri Lankan spinner, who was one of the leading wicket-takers at the World Twenty20 in England last year.”I’ve always enjoyed my cricket in England as it is a home away from home due to the massive following Pakistani players have there,” said Razzaq. “I will do my utmost to try and help Hampshire win the tournament.”Razzaq has extensive Twenty20 experience, having played his first game in the format during a stint with Surrey in 2003. He captained Lahore Lions to the final of the RBS Twenty20 Cup last season, scoring 109 against Quetta Bears along the way.His familiarity with English conditions – he has also played for Worcestershire and Middlesex, as well as participating in the World Twenty20 last year – will also prove valuable.”Abdul Razzaq is one of the finest Twenty20 performers in the world,” said Rod Bransgrove, Hampshire’s chairman. “He will be a great asset to the side and adds even greater depth to an already impressive team. We have assembled arguably our strongest ever Twenty20 squad with the clear objective of reaching the Finals Day here at The Rose Bowl on August 14.”In an effort to raise the profile of England’s Twenty20 Cup competition, counties will be able to include four overseas players in their squads in the coming season but only two will be allowed in each game.

If any of the England squad harboured a temptation to take the tour of Bangladesh lightly, then Matt Prior’s predicament at the start of the series was just the sort of scenario to sharpen the collective focus

Andrew Miller in Chittagong03-Mar-2010If any of the England squad harboured a temptation to take the tour of Bangladesh lightly, then Matt Prior’s predicament at the start of the series was just the sort of scenario to sharpen the collective focus. Prior set off from England in mid-February looking like England’s No. 1 wicketkeeper in all formats, only to encounter the formidable figure of Craig Kieswetter during the squad’s stop-over in the Middle East.By the time England touched down in Dhaka, Kieswetter had been drafted in as a 16th member of the full ODI squad, as Andy Flower spoke openly of bedding him into the side in time for the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean. For a while, it seemed there could be room for only one wicketkeeper-batsman in the starting line-up, but the incumbent Prior responded impressively as Kieswetter’s debutant nerves got the better of him, and in the series-sealing victory at Dhaka on Tuesday, his 42 from 58 balls proved invaluable in a two-wicket win.”A little bit of pressure always helps I suppose,” said Prior, for whom the scenario evoked familiar memories. “I’ve never been someone who shies away from competition, because ultimately I believe the best man plays, and that’s how it is. I started my career with Tim Ambrose at Sussex, and Timmy and I had that mentality back then that we work together, work very hard together, and push each other.”It’s no different now,” he added. “I like to think of myself as a big team man and a big team player, and to make them feel a part of the team, and I greeted Craig no differently to how I’d greet anyone else in the squad. It’s competition, but if it means we have to perform, it’s a good thing for English cricket, and hopefully it’ll make me a better cricketer. I just want to play in a winning England team, and if having a hard-hitting batter like Craig at the top of the order is going to help, then I’m all for it.”Kieswetter’s initial outings for the England ODI side have been tinged by nerves, as he compiled a chancy 19 in the first match, followed by a streaky 4 in the second, but having arrived in the country with a hard-hitting 143 from 123 balls in the first warm-up, nobody doubts the potential he brings to the No. 1 position. Instead, the onus has been on Prior to reinvent his own game, having been tried and tested in a variety of positions further up the order, before his latest incarnation as a finisher at No. 6.”I see no reason why there should not be a place for both of us in the team, with me keeping and batting at No.6, while he’s opening the batting. But it’s all down to the performance,” said Prior. “Whatever position I’m in, I enjoy the challenge of being in the game, and batting at No. 6 you go in at crucial times. Those positions can sometimes be the main places for getting a team over the line or not, so you take on the challenge and embrace it.”At the start of the series, there was some speculation that Prior might lose the gloves to give Kieswetter a chance to practice the full wicketkeeper-batsman role ahead of the World Twenty20, but that notion has been shelved, and rightly so, for if there’s one aspect of Prior’s game that has been nigh on flawless of late, it has been his glovework. But now, he says, it’s time to revert to working on his first love – batting.”During the South Africa tour, and certainly for the last few months, I’ve put a lot of emphasis into my keeping,” he said. “But there are only so many hours in the day, so the thing that’s had to give way was a bit of time on my batting. It was a choice I made, rather than me not being bothered, but after South Africa I thought, hold on a minute, I feel in a good place with my keeping, I feel I’ve put the hours in and worked really hard, but I’ve got to maintain my batting as well.”The efforts he’s put in so far paid dividends for England on Tuesday in a vital fifth-wicket stand of 90 with the Man of the Match, Eoin Morgan. Together they hauled England out of a hole at 108 for 4 in the 24th over, as England went on to clinch the series by two wickets in an exceptionally tense finale.”Going in in that sort of situation was a good test, and pleased with how I played and how I managed to play the spinners,” said Prior, who was forced to manipulate the ball into gaps, and dispense with the hard-handed cuts and drives that are his stock-in-trade as a Test-match counterattacker.”I played okay and it was a good partnership, but I was disappointed with when I got out,” he added. “It was a big time for pushing singles, and in the future I’d like to be the one getting the not out, and making sure there aren’t any hiccups or twists and turns.”I think it’s easy to say it’s only Bangladesh, but they know how to play and bowl in their own conditions, and they are not a walkover by any stretch of the imagination,” he added. “That first hundred from Tamim Iqbal was a fantastic knock, and Mushfiqur Rahim played brilliantly the other night. It’s not just about turning up and beating a weaker team, nowhere near.”

Plays of the Day from the IPL fixture between Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals in Delhi

Jamie Alter at the Feroz Shah Kotla31-Mar-2010
Shaun Tait had an utterly forgettable day•Kanishkaa Balachandran/ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Nervy start
Early signs were that Rajasthan Royals were on going to have their task cut out. Shane Warne again opted to start the innings with Yusuf Pathan’s offspin, and Virender Sehwag thumped a six and four to get the crowd going. In the second over, bowled by Sumit Narwal, the previous game’s centurion David Warner was dropped on 1 by Siddharth Trivedi at mid-on. Warne then gave the ball to Adam Voges for some left-arm spin and Sehwag smacked two boundaries.How quickly the tables turn
A high-octane fourth over snapped Delhi’s momentum. Narwal had his revenge first ball of the next over when beat Warner’s bat with a lovely yorker. Immediately, he set off in wild and understandably animated celebrations, sort of like what Monty Panesar used to do in his days playing for England, only minus the goofy leap and inability to connect palms with the nearest fielder. Two balls later the bowler was again buzzing all over the place after Sehwag top-edged a skier to deep square leg.Ojha to the rescue
During the aforementioned double-wicket over, the Rajasthan wicketkeeper Naman Ojha’s alertness saved his side five runs. Gautam Gambhir charged Narwal and got an inside edge. The ball beat Ojha and was headed at the helmet placed a few yards behind him, but he turned and sprinted after it, then dived forward to stop it hitting the helmet. Talk about a speedy recovery.Colly’s gotta go
Start as you mean to go on, goes the old adage. That’s just what Paul Collingwood tried to do after Delhi were jolted by the loss of their dynamic openers. He made excellent contact to the first ball faced, pulling Shaun Tait for six, and followed up with two boundaries. With a strike-rate of 200, Collingwood was run out by some excellent fielding. Gambhir struck the ball to Voges’ right at point, but Collingwood was hesitant initially and a late reaction sent him packing. After a blazing start, Collingwood had problems switching gears and was out for 16 from eight balls.A much-needed over
Delhi’s innings had been deprived of momentum from the start, and just when an excellent stand was shaping to explode, Gambhir was dismissed to leave the hosts at 148 for 6 after 17 overs. Enter Shaun Tait, who Warne said at the toss had been eager to really flatten Delhi with his pace. Who was left deflated was evident after the over, which cost 20. Tait began with a beamer that flew away for five runs, and a well-set Dinesh Karthik carted the last three deliveries for boundaries.All hot air
Tait’s evening finished with him becoming the proud owner of the most expensive spell in this IPL. Andrew McDonald hit the first ball for four, and Karthik dumped the fifth for six. But off the ball before, Karthik had refused a single to cover. It transpired that Tait had said something to Karthik, and clearly the batsman had something to respond with. Tait did pick up a wicket with the final ball of the innings, but with figures of 1 for 53, out of which Karthik scored 27, it was evident who had bragging rights.Good arm
Delhi’s assistant coach Eric Simons rates Sarabjit Ladda, the legspinner drafted into the squad this season, as a real talent. Ladda hasn’t returned that praise with a bag of wickets so far, but he used his right arm to good affect. Voges clipped a slower ball past midwicket but some hesitancy saw him shoo back Abhishek Jhunjhunwala after he was a ways down for the second. Ladda, having sprinted across in the deep, returned a sharp and flat throw to Karthik who broke the sticks with Jhunjhunwala well short of his crease.Time-out or time waste?
Just what was the point in taking the two-and-a-half-minute strategic break after 16 overs of Rajasthan’s woeful chase? At the juncture the game was done and dusted with the visitors on 111 for 8 and needing 78 runs from 24 balls. There was nothing strategic happening in the middle during the time-out, apart from a few swigs of coolant, a dab of the towel here and there, and a punch of the gloves.What possibly could Tait have been told – to try and make up some of the 53 runs he’d bled with the ball? Two balls after the interval and Ladda had Paras Dogra stumped. Chalk that down to a good ole’-fashioned swing-and-miss rather than the result of any strategy. The IPL needs to reconsider this policy in one-sided matches such as this.

The World Twenty20 kicks off with two teams that look good on paper but haven’t quite hit their straps in the format

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale30-Apr-2010

Match Facts

Friday, April 30, Providence

Start time 1300 (1700 GMT)In conditions expected to favour slow bowlers, Nathan McCullum’s offspin could play a key role•Associated Press

The Big Picture

The World Twenty20 kicks off with two teams that look good on paper but haven’t quite hit their straps in the format. Sri Lanka have the potential to be one of the most dangerous Twenty20 sides in the world, yet have lost five of their last six games. New Zealand boast several match-winners, but lose more than they win. Daniel Vettori’s men have the advantage of recent form, having succeeded in both their warm-up games while Sri Lanka lost to South Africa.Whatever happens, don’t be surprised if the scores are low in Providence, where the slow surface has been difficult to score on during the practice matches. Adding to the challenge for the batsmen, both teams have high-quality spinners who will relish the conditions. Nathan McCullum has opened in both New Zealand’s warm-ups and will be a handy ally for Vettori, while Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan need no introduction. Although it is a pleasant change seeing batsmen forced to work hard, the one disappointment about the lack of speed and potential dominance of spin is it reduces the chances of a Dilscoop v McScoop battle.

Form guide (most recent first)

New Zealand TLWLL

Sri Lanka LWLLL

Watch out for…

At 40, Sanath Jayasuriya is easily the oldest player in the tournament (Murali, 37, is next) and he’s also the only parliamentarian. Twenty20 might be a young man’s game but Jayasuriya put his stamp on the World Twenty20 in 2007 and again last year, and only a fool would write off a cameo this time around, especially on the small Caribbean grounds.Nathan McCullum could be an important player for New Zealand in this competition. No, that’s not a misprint. We do mean Nathan, although as the leading all-time run scorer in Twenty20 internationals Brendon is clearly pretty useful as well. But on the slow Guyana pitch, opening the bowling with Nathan’s offspin could make or break New Zealand. A couple of clean strikes from Sri Lanka’s openers and plan B might be implemented, but a few early wickets and he could help New Zealand progress.

Team news

Sri Lanka’s line-up is anyone’s guess; they haven’t played a Twenty20 international since December last year and have had only one practice game in the Caribbean. Mendis, Murali and Lasith Malinga did not take part in the warm-up and the uncapped Dinesh Chandimal was tested. One certainty is that Mahela Jayawardene will open for the first time in a Twenty20 international for his country, after the captain Kumar Sangakkara confirmed the move this week.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Mahela Jayawardene, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt, wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Sanath Jayasuriya, 7 Chamara Kapugedera, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Ajantha Mendis, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan.All the New Zealand players were given an opportunity during the two warm-ups but it’s hard to see Rob Nicol, Aaron Redmond or Ian Butler finding a place in the starting line-up. The return of Kyle Mills after a long-term injury could spell trouble for Tim Southee, despite Southee’s wonderful bowling in the one-over eliminator against Australia when New Zealand last played a Twenty20 international.New Zealand (possible) 1 Brendon McCullum, 2 Jesse Ryder, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Jacob Oram, 7 Gareth Hopkins (wk), 8 Daniel Vettori (capt), 9 Nathan McCullum, 10 Kyle Mills/Tim Southee, 11 Shane Bond.

Pitch and conditions

Sri Lanka’s only warm-up was in Barbados, while New Zealand have had two games to get used to the Guyana conditions. The fast bowlers will have to work hard, while batsmen will need to concentrate against slower medium pacers like Scott Styris and the spinners. “The pitches are really difficult to bat on, are very different to back home, and nothing like the other tours I’ve been on here,” Styris said. “It’s going to be tough going.”

Stats and trivia

• These two teams have met twice in the Caribbean, both times during the 50-over World Cup in 2007, when Sri Lanka won in the Super Eights and again in the semi-final
• Sri Lanka and New Zealand have played each other six times in Twenty20s, for three wins each
• Ajantha Mendis has a phenomenal Twenty20 international record of 25 wickets at 9.76 with an economy rate of 5.30.
  

  Quotes

  “They’ve got a good team and everyone talks about the unorthodox nature of some of their bowlers. Fortunately for us we’ve played them a number of times, and the fact we’ve played a couple of games here while they haven’t, hopefully that’s an advantage.”
  
  Daniel Vettori

Steven Finn has been rewarded for his man-of-the-match winning performance in the first Test at Lord’s with an incremental England contract for 2009-10

Cricinfo staff04-Jun-2010Steven Finn has been rewarded for his Man-of-the-Match performance in the first Test at Lord’s with an incremental England contract.Finn, 21, took nine wickets in the victory at Lord’s and receives a contract after making his Test debut in Bangladesh in March, before starting the home series against the same opposition in good form. Contracts are awarded automatically on a points-based system, with each Test earning a player five points. Finn, now in his fourth Test, has the required 20 points in a 12-month period to qualify.Andy Flower, the England coach, will now be able to manage Finn’s workload directly and withdraw him from county games for Middlesex as and when the England management see fit.