Paul Harris, the South Africa left-arm spinner, has completed a move to the Lions franchise in a bid to be included in the national squad for the 2011 World Cup

Firdose Moonda08-Apr-2010Paul Harris, the South Africa left-arm spinner, has completed a move to the Lions franchise in a bid to be included in the national squad for the 2011 World Cup. Harris left the Titans after eight seasons with the Centurion-based franchise because a lack of game-time in the limited overs formats of the game.The Titans were unable to guarantee Harris a place in all three versions of the game because of the continued good form of Roelof van der Merwe and Faf du Plessis, whereas the Lions have assured Harris that he will start the season as their first-choice spinner. “Obviously, if I bowl badly, and then I don’t play I can accept that, but at least I know I will be at the frontline at the beginning of the season,” Harris told Cricinfo.He will face stiff competition from the current crop of spinners at the Lions that includes Werner Coetsee and Aaron Phangiso, and Lions coach Dave Nosworthy has said the rivalry among players will be healthy. “There are never any guarantees when it comes to selection and it will be good to have players fighting for positions. We are very happy to give Paul the opportunity to challenge for a spot in the South African team with us and I think our players will also learn a lot from a guy like him.”Nosworthy and Harris will be reunited at the franchise, after the former discovered Harris “languishing at Western Province B” almost ten years ago. Harris played under Nosworthy at the Titans and hopes being with his old coach will trigger a positive reaction. Harris has also informed the national powers-that-be of the reason behind his move and said Corrie van Zyl and Graeme Smith are aware of his intentions to crack the one-day side. “Everyone has been very supportive of my move and told me that they think it will be good for me and my game.”Harris said he has no particular plan to unseat the likes of Johan Botha or van der Merwe at the national level but that he hopes, “by getting game time and taking wickets, I will be able to put my hand up for selection. If I perform well and don’t manage to get selected, then maybe I can just help the Lions win a few trophies,” he said.The beleaguered Johannesburg-based franchise has won only one trophy since the franchise system began and developed the reputation of whipping boys in all three domestic competitions, although they made a surprise entry into the pro20 final in the past season. Harris said he had knowledge of the internal strife that has plagued the GCB since last year. “I am going to just focus on the game and whatever happens behind the scenes is not my issue. I just want to play cricket.” The union is currently awaiting an investigation by Cricket South Africa into issues surrounding the legitimacy of its board.

Sooner or later New Zealand will add another major piece of silverware to their cabinet, to sit alongside the 2000 ICC Knockout Trophy. Here’s their chance

Brydon Coverdale29-Apr-2010

Overview

X-factor: Jesse Ryder can change a match in the space of a couple of overs•Getty Images

Sooner or later New Zealand will add another major piece of silverware to their cabinet, to sit alongside the 2000 ICC Knockout Trophy. There have been plenty of semi-final appearances since then, and they lost the Champions Trophy decider to Australia last year, but there are only so many pats on the back the players can take. They want to hold a big shiny cup. Here’s their chance.Twenty20 is a young game but New Zealand are already veterans in the format, having played more internationals than any other team. Daniel Vettori is in charge of a side that boasts several potential match-winners and in the short, explosive Twenty20 format a few overs of brilliance is enough to turn a game. They also like the slower-paced Caribbean venues, having reached the World Cup semi-finals there in 2007.A 40-run victory in their opening warm-up match against Ireland was positive way to kick off their trip. Notably, they opened with the offspin of Nathan McCullum, which proved a successful move and could be a useful tactic for a team with good spin options. While that game was a breeze, their second practice match, against West Indies, showed their steel as they defended a sub-par total with verve. The two warm-up victories ensure that they go into the tournament full of confidence.

Twenty20 pedigree

In their most recent match, Brendon McCullum dazzled with the second international century in the format and showed off his ability to scoop the ball over the wicketkeeper’s head off the fast men. New Zealand won the one-over eliminator against Australia, which continued an up-and-down year for them in this format: since the previous World Twenty20 they have won three, lost three and tied one. They were eliminated at the Super Eights stage last year, having made the semi-finals of the inaugural tournament.

Strengths and weaknesses

Like most sides, New Zealand can claim power-hitting at the top of the order, where McCullum, Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor are the stars. On the slow pitches in the Caribbean, spin could be an important factor and Daniel Vettori will be difficult to get away. The worry is that opposition batsmen might go after their seamers, who with the exception of Shane Bond, lack a bit of venom.

Key men

Brendon McCullum‘s century against Australia was truly a sight to behold, full of scoops and innovation against genuinely quick bowlers. Since the start of 2009 he has averaged 53.72 in Twenty20 internationals and he is the most important player in New Zealand’s top order.Daniel Vettori is usually New Zealand’s best bowler and that won’t change in the West Indies, where the surfaces are unlikely to offer much assistance to the fast men. Batsmen might be content to see Vettori off with a minimum of risk, so his challenge is to tempt them and win some wickets as well.

X-factor

McCullum and Taylor are the best of the batsmen but Jesse Ryder is the one with x-factor written all over him. He hasn’t quite taken off in Twenty20, averaging in the low 20s, but if he gets hold of a few bowlers he may find the small Caribbean grounds to his liking.

Vital stats

Leicestershire kept their slim hopes of a Clydesdale Bank 40 semi-final place alive with a comprehensive seven-wicket win over an out-of-sorts Durham at the Riverside

Cricinfo staff23-May-2010
Scorecard
Leicestershire kept their slim hopes of a Clydesdale Bank 40 semi-final place alive with a comprehensive seven-wicket win over an out-of-sorts Durham at the Riverside. Needing 190 to win after Durham had performed poorly with the bat, the Foxes took just 26 overs to claim their second success of this year’s 40-over competition.Victory was largely the result of some dynamic hitting from openers Jacques Du Toit and Andrew McDonald, who plundered 14 boundaries from the opening eight overs in Leicestershire’s reply. The score had raced to 122 for 2 by the time they both departed and, even at that stage, the result was not in doubt.McDonald made 46 before holing out to Dale Benkenstein at deep midwicket, while Du Toit scored 64 in just 37 balls and hammered two huge leg-side sixes off the same over from Neil Killeen.The South African looked like winning the game himself as he hammered Killeen and Mitch Claydon to all corners of the ground, but his assault ended when he was caught by Ben Harmison on the boundary rope. That gave England hopeful Liam Plunkett his first wicket of the afternoon, and a second followed when Joshua Cobb edged behind.Paul Nixon and James Taylor saw Leicestershire home though, and ensured Durham
remained five points behind leaders Warwickshire in Group C. The writing was on the wall from a very early stage of a one-paced Durham batting effort that never really got going until it was much too late. The hosts made just 114 runs off the first 30 overs, and while they rallied from that point onwards, the damage had already been done.Sam Cliff claimed three early wickets to prevent Durham’s batsmen generating any momentum, luring Phil Mustard into a clubbed catch to mid-on, tempting Michael Di Venuto into a drive that was edged to slip and forcing Benkenstein into a mistimed shot that Du Toit juggled but managed to cling on to at midwicket.Ben Stokes also went cheaply – the 19-year-old’s fine run of form ended when he was trapped lbw for 4 – and when Ben Harmison departed two runs short of a half-century after providing Du Toit with his second catch of the afternoon, Durham were reeling at 110 for 5.They mounted a recovery, largely thanks to the efforts of Gareth Breese and Gordon Muchall, both of whom posted scores in the 40s at almost a run-a-ball. Breese scored six boundaries before lobbing a catch to Matthew Boyce in the deep, while Muchall displayed commendable composure before he became Matthew Hoggard’s only victim in the final over of Durham’s innings.

Cricinfo’s plays of the day from the second ODI between England and Australia in Cardiff

Andrew Miller in Cardiff24-Jun-2010Bowler of the day
Stuart Broad missed out on cheap wickets against Bangladesh last month after being sent on a “strength and conditioning” programme by the ECB, which is a fancy way of saying he was dispatched to the gym. All those hours of heavy weights paid dividends today, however, as Broad made a sluggish pitch look deceptively springy with a back-bending spell of 4 for 44 in ten overs. His natural aggression was allied to a splice-jangling length, and none of Australia’s batsmen looked at ease as he ripped out three wickets in his first six overs. Tim Paine may have been strangled down the leg-side, but Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke had no qualms about their dismissals, as Broad set the tone for another energetic England performance.Self-preservation of the day
The use of a short leg is a rarity in one-day cricket. So rare, in fact, that when Luke Wright overstepped during a feisty spell from the River Taff End, he inadvertently highlighted an anomaly in the game’s new Free Hit rules. Under the provisions of Law 24.2, no fielding changes are permissible ahead of a Free Hit delivery, but that prospect left Graeme Swann under the lid feeling distinctly uneasy. He assessed the likelihood of a scorching pull clattering into his ribs (high), divided it by the chances of taking a game-changing catch (non-existent), and after a brief consultation with captain and umpires, trotted off to the boundary’s edge to sit out the delivery (which, as it happens, was toe-ended to point).Non-catch of the day
The aforementioned Free Hit was doubly unfortunate for England, seeing as they would have picked up their fourth wicket in 20 overs had it not been for Wright’s faulty footwork. On 3, Cameron White fenced outside off, and snicked a low chance towards Craig Kieswetter, who responded with instincts he usually reserves for off-stump half-volleys to stretch athletically and low to his right, and cling on one-handed to a screaming catch. Seeing as White went on to anchor Australia’s innings with an unbeaten 86, it had the makings of a costly error.Catch of the day
At the age of 35 and with 347 ODI appearances under his belt already, Ricky Ponting is what you might describe as long in the tooth. But on the evidence of the catch he produced to extract Kevin Pietersen, he’s a long way from becoming a liability in the field. With the legspinner Steven Smith just entering the attack, Pietersen was predictably eager to mark his territory against the rookie, and a bludgeoned leg-side four was the start of his anticipated onslaught. Ponting, however, brought himself into the firing line at short midwicket, and from the very next delivery, he launched himself upwards and backwards to snatch a one-handed chance in his fingertips.Landmark of the day
Paul Collingwood launched his ODI career back in the summer of 2001, and was part of an England team that lost six matches out of six to Australia and Pakistan. He would not have imagined back then that he would go on to become his country’s most capped player in limited-overs cricket, let alone top the run-charts in that format as well. But, having overhauled Alec Stewart’s total of 170 matches during the recent tour of South Africa, Collingwood today eased past his runs tally as well. The shot that got him there was a nondescript pull to fine leg off Clint McKay, as he moved his score for the day to 33, and for his career to 4678. By the end of the match, he was sitting pretty on 4693 and was 62nd on the all-time list.Gamebreaker of the day
Compared to the heights that he reached at the Rose Bowl on Tuesday, Eoin Morgan produced a far from fluent performance, but in the final analysis, it did not matter. Australia improved their tactics against him, in particular by cutting out the driveable half-volleys, but the target was some 40 runs below par and there wasn’t any need for him to go after the game with anything like the same gusto. While he and Collingwood were chiselling away the requirement in an 83-run stand for the fourth wicket, he reached the boundary just once in his first 52 balls. His eventual dismissal for 52 from 64 left the crowd agog in silence, but with the requirement already down to three an over, England’s more-than-competent tail completed the job with room to spare.

Sri Lanka have not included spinner Ajantha Mendis in the squad for the three-Test series against India which begins in Galle on July 18

Sa'adi Thawfeeq09-Jul-2010Fast bowler Lasith Malinga has been named in the 16-member Sri Lanka squad for the three-Test series against India beginning on July 18, setting him up for a return to Tests after two-and-a-half years . However, there was no place for spinner Ajantha Mendis, who tormented India during their previous Test visit two years ago.Malinga played his last Test against England at Galle in 2007 before a knee injury laid him low and forced him out of cricket for nine months. Malinga was cured by Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse’s personal physician Dr Eliyantha White and since then his appearances for his country has been only in limited-over internationals and in Twenty20 Internationals.Malinga’s return to Test cricket was slow because the team physio did not want to push him too early to play in the longer version of the game. However selection committee sources stated that they had got the greenlight from physio Tommy Simsek who has been monitoring Malinga’s progress carefully that he was now fully fit to play in a five-day Test match.”Malinga has nine more days before the first Test against India and we are confident he will be fit to play. He has been bowling long spells at the nets and has shown no side effects,” a selection committee source said. Since making his Test debut against Australia at Darwin in 2004, Malinga has played in 28 Tests and captured 91 wickets.The other members of the fast-bowling department are Dilhara Fernando, Chanaka Welegedara and Dammika Prasad.Offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan who is due to retire at the end of Galle Test has also been named in the squad along with left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and young off-spinner Suraj Randiv who is likely to take Muralitharan’s place for the rest of the series. Mendis, who became a star with 26 wickets in three Tests against India when they visited in 2008, was left out.The Sri Lanka Board President’s team to take on India in a three-day practice match ahead of the Tests was also named. Thilan Samaraweera will lead the side which includes first-choice Test keeper Prasanna Jayawardene and promising batsmen Lahiru Thirimanne, Ashan Priyanjan and Dinesh Chandimal.Test squad: Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Muttiah Muralitharan (vc), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Tharanga Paranavitana, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Angelo Mathews, Prasanna Jayawardene, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath, Dilhara Fernando, Dammika Prasad, Suraj Randiv, Thilina Kandamby, Chanaka Welegedara, Lahiru Thirimanne.Sri Lanka Board President’s XI: Thilan Samaraweera (capt), Upul Tharanga, Lahiru Thirimanne, Thilina Kandamby, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Ashan Priyanjana, Kaushal Silva, Chanaka Welegedara, Dilhara Fernando, Chaminda Vidanapathirana, Sachitra Senanayake, Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Pradeep, Kusal Janith, Dinesh Chandimal

Essex have signed Australian legspinner Bryce McGain until the end of the current county season

Cricinfo staff23-Jul-2010With Danish Kaneria included in Pakistan’s squad for their Tests against Australia and England this summer, Essex have signed Australian legspinner Bryce McGain as a replacement until the end of the current county season.”We have been searching for a new overseas player for a while now,” Essex head coach Paul Grayson told essexcricket.org.uk. “It has not proved easy to replace Danish. With the current weather and the upcoming fixtures at grounds like Southend and Colchester we feel Bryce will be the ideal addition as a spin bowler”.McGain, 38, made his Test debut for Australia against South Africa in March 2009 but he was harshly dealt with, bowling 18 wicketless overs while giving away 149 runs, and has not been considered for national selection since.But he remains a potent force at domestic level, and played an important part in Victoria’s Sheffield Shield triumph in March this year, picking up 4 for 70 in Queensland’s second innings to seal a massive 457-run win.”We can now look forward to the rest of the season having received good feedback from various sources regarding the pedigree of Bryce,” added Grayson. “He had a good season last year with Victoria. We have been scouting around and Bryce is certainly the best available bowler.”He will be able to play across all formats of the game and we will be able to include him in the squad for Sunday’s away game and also the championship game that starts on Thursday next week away at Kent”.

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan has said he is concerned about the long-term repercussions the match-fixing crisis could have on the country’s cricketing establishment

Cricinfo staff30-Aug-2010Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan has said he is concerned about the long-term repercussions the match-fixing crisis could have on the country’s cricketing establishment but feels it is a chance for the authorities to act in a manner that would discourage future cricketers from considering such activities.”If they are proved, not just in terms of the best players in the team being implicated but from the public point of view, they would not understand the finer points of the game and each time they lose they will think it’s a fixed match,” Imran told Britain’s channel.”Why should Pakistan cricket suffer if some players have indulged in a crime? Why should Pakistani supporters suffer because of that? The people who are found guilty should be removed from the team and replaced and should be punished as an example for future generations to realise that crime does not pay.”Reactions to the issue have come in thick and fast, especially from former cricketers. Matthew Hayden, the former Australia opener, said it was “not in Australia’s DNA to accept any kind of skullduggery”, and felt the scandal highlighted the different cultures that exist in the game. “You have a look at Pakistan which has been wiped out by the recent floods and you put yourself in the position that maybe you can try and get what’s left of your family and salvage the situation,” Hayden told . “We wouldn’t ever dare get involved in corruption but that’s in our country.”Hayden’s one-time Australia team-mate Ian Healy, felt that players involved in fixing did not care enough for their country, and was pleased that they may have been caught in the act. “We’d be stupid to think this is new,” he said. “How long has this lurk been going on? It’s a long time I’m sure, but it’s been caught which is awesome,” said Healy, who also recalled a dodgy victory against Pakistan in the 90s which later came under the match-fixing scanner.”This game in Sri Lanka we thought we were heroes – we were high-fiving fools. It came out a year later that that game was brought into question,” Healy said.Healy, however, said that he felt Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal did not deliberately drop catches during the Sydney Test, which Mahzar Majeed, the man at the centre of the spot-fixing controversy, claimed was also fixed to . Healy said Akmal came to him for advice because he was struggling with his keeping.”He was stiff as a board and extremely tense. You couldn’t drop those on purpose they way he was doing it,” Healy told the . “His technique had gone off, which he told me about two weeks before – the ball wasn’t going into his glove that well for the spinners. I said to him, ‘look, we’ll work on that in Hobart’. I wasn’t going to the Sydney Test. And then he did that. It didn’t look to me as if they were on purpose at all.”Michael Hussey, the Australian batsman who was let off by Akmal in Sydney, also said he felt the mistakes were genuine. “It all happens in a split second,” he said. “Especially the catches off me … they were all up to the stumps. With those sort of catches they either go in or they don’t. I don’t think you can try to drop those.”Former ICC chief Malcolm Speed said there was a “fairly compelling case” for suspending Pakistan from the ICC. “It looks as though it is endemic that several of the team members are involved and have been for some time,” Speed told . “So perhaps they need a rest.”Speed echoed Healy’s views that the unearthing of the scandal was a step forward for the game. “[It’s] great that they’ve been caught in England where there is a very sophisticated legal system that deals with conspiracy and specifically with cheating in sport. So I see that as a major positive,” he said. “I would have liked it to have happened when I was involved with ICC but it didn’t happen at that time.”Ehsan Mani, a former ICC president, called for the PCB to act swiftly. “The allegations have painted Pakistan cricket in a bad light and we need to take swift action to clear the situation, but I don’t think there’s any fear that teams will boycott us [Pakistan],” Mani told AFP. “Lack of action or any cover up will damage Pakistan cricket badly. Match-fixing allegations have been hurting Pakistan cricket and the latest saga is a poor reflection on the board, which has failed to deal with the matter as they have failed to control the players.”

Somerset could only manage two wickets after a delayed start as they failed to make up ground on leaders Nottinghamshire

Andrew McGlashan at Chester-le-Street13-Sep-2010
ScorecardBen Phillips claimed the key wicket of Michael Di Venuto but Somerset couldn’t remove Dale Benkenstein•Getty Images

The weather was always likely to have a say in the Championship race. With Nottinghamshire stuck in the pavilion at Old Trafford, Somerset knew they could make up ground on the leaders but were also frustrated until mid-afternoon at Chester-le-Street. They will have been equally disappointed by a return of two wickets in the 40 overs of play possible as Dale Benkenstein dominated an unbroken third-wicket stand of 99 with Gordon Muchall.Somerset can quite rightly claim to be the team of the season having reached the Friends Provident t20 and CB40 finals, the latter still to be played on Saturday, while maintaining their title challenge to end. For a squad without huge depth, especially in pace bowling which will be boosted next season by the arrival of Steve Kirby, that is a fine effort but they won’t remember the campaign fondly unless they secure at least one piece of silverware.However, competing on all fronts means a team has to battle the fixture list. These two sides, with ECB approval, agreed to play four extra overs on the first three days so that Somerset can leave in time to catch a flight to London on Thursday evening to prepare for the CB40 final at Lord’s.That means 60 overs have already been lost and with Somerset ideally needing a maximum 24 points they need to ensure the game progresses at a good pace. It was a brave decision by Phil Mustard, the Durham captain, to bat first. The pitch was used for the one-day international three days ago and was full of runs that day, but the overhead conditions and morning rain meant there was always going to be assistance for the pace bowlers.Charl Willoughby found swing in his first over and Michael Di Venuto edged short of third slip then two overs later saw another nick fly wide of the cordon which was then immediately strengthened by Marcus Trescothick. Willoughby strayed a couple of times against Michael Stoneman, but then found the perfect line outside off to remove the left hander as he edged through to Craig Kieswetter.Ben Phillips was economical during his opening spell and in his fourth over removed Di Venuto lbw although there was some doubt as to whether the ball pitched outside leg stump. Di Venuto has been Durham’s leading batsman this season – although no one in the side has passed 1000 runs – and it was a valuable wicket for Somerset.After tea Alfonso Thomas bowled a wonderful and, somehow, unrewarded spell when he beat both batsmen repeatedly but couldn’t find the edge. He has taken more than 100 wickets across all formats this season, enough to earn him one of Trescothick’s bats after a pre-season bet, being outstanding during the Friends Provident t20 and has been a key part of helping Somerset to CB40 final.He will bowl much worse than he did here and collect a bag of wickets. Benkenstein was beaten five times in two overs and in the first eight overs after the interval only seven runs were added with Peter Trego also proving hard to score off. The stranglehold was broken when Benkenstein seized on some width from Trego to cut him through point. Benkenstein, the former Durham captain who led the county to their first Championship title two years ago, dominated the scoring as his earlier hard work began to pay dividends.He passed fifty off 77 balls with a trio of shots behind square on the off side while in comparison Muchall struggled painfully, not collecting his first boundary until the 100th ball he faced when he pulled Trego through midwicket. As the sun broke through the pitch looked flat, but Somerset will want clear skies in the morning. And a few quick wickets.

Gary Ballance, nephew of former Zimbabwe batsman Dave Houghton, announced his arrival on the Zimbabwe cricket scene with a magnificent 135 not out to lead Mid West Rhinos to a two-wicket victory over Mashonaland Eagles at Kwekwe

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Oct-2010

ScorecardGary Ballance, nephew of former Zimbabwe batsman Dave Houghton, announced his arrival on the Zimbabwe cricket scene with a magnificent 135 not out to lead Mid West Rhinos to a two-wicket victory over Mashonaland Eagles at Kwekwe.His innings proved the difference between the sides after Mashonaland Eagles had played the better cricket through the match. Their batting was more consistent, their bowling more accurate and their fielding better but Ballance’s hundred snatched the game from their grasp.Mid West Rhinos asked the visitors to bat first but could not find the bowling strength to take advantage of it. Taurai Muzarabani strove manfully, but the others were not able to keep the runrate in check. They had a lucky break when Friday Kasteni ran out Simbarashe Gupo early on, but the next three batsmen all weighed in with fifties.Cephas Zhuwawo’s 57 off 62 balls gave Mashonaland Eagles a breezy start, but he was overshadowed by Forster Mutizwa’s cameo 50 from 37 balls. Between them Prince Masvaure was more sedate but anchored the innings solidly with 62, helped no end by the generous Mid West Rhinos fielders who dropped several chances.Chasing 248 looked a daunting prospect but Ballance made it look easy. Tottering after two wickets fell quickly for 21, he shared a vital stand of 123 with his captain Vusi Sibanda, who hit a fine 58 off 55 balls.Had Ballance fallen, Mashonaland Eagles would have taken the match but he stayed to the end, hitting another boundary to win the match with three balls to spare in the final over. He faced only 121 balls and hit 12 fours and three sixes.

Persistent rain in Goa could lead to a washout, making this the first time since the 1979-80 tour, and the short trip in 1996, that Australia will leave India without a single victory

The Preview by Sriram Veera23-Oct-2010

Match Facts

Sunday, October 24, Margao

Start time 09:00 (03:30 GMT)Australia’s middle order will revolve around Michael Clarke and Callum Ferguson. Will rains allow Ferguson a game, though?•Associated Press

The Big Picture

“My god I have never seen rain like this before,” John Hastings, the Australia allrounder, tweeted on Saturday afternoon. “Chances are slim.” He was right. It poured for five hours on Friday evening and rained again on Saturday morning. The forecast threatens more bad weather; if the game is washed out it would be the first time since the 1979-80 tour that Australia will leave India without having won a single game, including any tour matches. There was also a short tour in 1996 (one Test and one warm-up game) where Australia drew the tour game and lost the Test.If the rains stay away and the drainage facility at the stadium, reportedly substandard, surprises to give us a game, Callum Ferguson will replace Michael Hussey. Ferguson hasn’t played a single Test match but they say he will be the captain in the future. Do such wild expectations terrify a young talent? “That would be the highest honour as a cricketer you could possibly get,” Ferguson said. “I just desperately want to get my baggy green first and see where we go from there.” Before that Test debut, though, he will strive to shine in one-dayers. He had impressed in the 25 ODIs he played before his career was halted by an injury sustained in the 2009 Champions Trophy final. He has to do it all over again now, returning after knee reconstruction surgery.Will Australia be tempted to give David Warner a game? Shaun Marsh was a bit scratchy in the last ODI and his technique was different from the serene version that was on show during the IPL in India. Back then, Marsh chose to remain as still as possible and play beside the line of the delivery, but he was seen shuffling all over in the previous match. Warner gives Australia an aggressive option at the top for barring Cameron White, who too can be a slow starter, the batting line-up is filled with batsmen whose strike-rates hover around the 75 mark. Time will tell whether the plan is to play Marsh along with the powerful Shane Watson during the World Cup. Visakhapatnam marked the promising debut of the 20-year old left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc. With his high-arm action he managed to extract some bounce on a life-less pitch and beat the bat of Yuvraj Singh a few times.The match also eased a couple of India’s concerns. Virat Kohli has now definitely moved ahead of Rohit Sharma in the pecking order, while R Ashwin put up a promising display with the ball. Kohli will hope he can get a couple more big knocks before Gautam Gambhir returns from injury. Ashwin impressed with his control and repertoire against two good players of spin – Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey. He will, however, want to improve on his poor fielding if he wants to firmly shut the door on his competitor Ravindra Jadeja.

Form guide

(most recent first)

India WLWLW
Australia LWWLL

Watch out for…

Tim Paine struggled to adapt to the slowness of the Visakhapatnam track. He tried to force the pace but went too hard at the ball. In the Tests, though, he showed signs of being a batsman who waits for the ball to come on against the seamers, and doesn’t try to hide his bat behind the pads while playing spin. If he can return to that mode, Paine is likely to do well in the third ODI.You could sense that Yuvraj Singh was desperate to finish the game at Visakhapatnam. He revived the innings with a calm approach and looked to be in complete control. He didn’t let the pressure of the high asking rate to get to him and continued to steady the chase in Kohli’s company. His end, though, revealed the inner turmoil. He scored six runs off his last 18 deliveries and was run-less for his final six. The pressure proved claustrophobic: when Shikhar Dhawan, runner for Kohli, refused a risky single, Yuvraj slogged at the next delivery and was bowled. This fascinating inner battle between the adrenaline-fuelled Yuvraj and the calm senior version has been a constant feature over the years. Which one will dominate in Goa?

Team news

Vinay Kumar leaked runs in the end after a steady start – he went for 31 runs in his first seven overs but bled 41 in his final two – and India will consider replacing him with Munaf Patel who was economical in the Sri Lanka tri-series.
India (probable): 1 M Vijay, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Saurabh Tiwary, 8 Praveen Kumar, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Vinay Kumar / Munaf Patel, 11 Ashish Nehra.Ferguson is certain to play, while Warner will hope to replace Marsh in the Australia side.Australia (probable): 1 Shaun Marsh / David Warner, 2 Tim Paine (wk), 3 Michael Clarke (capt), 4 Callum Ferguson, 5 Cameron White, 6 Steven Smith, 7 James Hopes, 8 John Hastings, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Clint McKay, 11 Mitchell Starc.

Pitch and conditions

The rains have affected the pitch preparations. Australia’s coach Tim Nielsen believes it would play slow. “I’m not sure it has seen a lot of sunshine,” Nielsen said. They can roll a bit more tomorrow, if the sun comes out. The wicket may be a bit slow but it could be a good batting wicket.”

Stats and trivia

• Shaun Marsh made his name in India during the IPL but hasn’t had a great time against India. His career batting average is 37.33 but it slips to 28.80 from five games against India. It’s not all gloom, though, as his only ODI ton came against them.
• Yuvraj Singh has picked up 84 ODI wickets at an average of 40.73 and an economy rate of 5.05 in his career. He has struggled against Australia, though. He has taken only six wickets at an average of 92.66.
• Yuvraj’s batting record against Australia is not the best either. He averages just 28.28 from 34 games as compared to his career average of 36.83. His captain MS Dhoni averages 40.58 (career average is 50.28) from 24 games against them, while his strike rate drops from 88.34 to 74.11.
  

  Quotes

  “I have never seen rain like this in India.. It does not look good for our game on Sunday.”