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Batter returns from injury to rescue team with half-century after familiar top-order slump

ECB Reporters Network13-Jul-2021Middlesex 324 (Robson 154, Davis 5-66) and 176 for 7 (Eskinazi 53*) lead Leicestershire 228 (Ackermann 82, Inglis 49) by 272 runsStevie Eskinazi made an unexpected return from injury to score a vital half-century and strengthen Middlesex’s hopes of forcing a rare LV= Insurance County Championship victory against Leicestershire.Eskinazi, who had seemed unlikely to play any further part at Merchant Taylors’ School after he pulled up in pain while batting on day one, emerged with a runner to salvage Middlesex’s second innings after they crashed to 17 for 4.The 27-year-old blunted the Leicestershire attack and top-scored with a gritty 53 not out as he and James Harris shared a sixth-wicket partnership of 77, lifting Middlesex to 176 for 7 at stumps – a lead of 272.That leaves the Foxes, who were earlier dismissed for 228, with the prospect of chasing an awkward target on the final day.Resuming on 174 for 5, Leicestershire chipped away at the deficit until the introduction of Daryl Mitchell paid immediate dividends, with both Ben Mike and Callum Parkinson caught behind.Wicketkeeper Robbie White claimed his fourth catch of the innings when Ed Barnes, fuelled by the momentum of last week’s career-best 83 not out against Somerset, misjudged an ambitious pull shot against Harris.Foxes captain Colin Ackermann, having spent almost five and a half hours over his watchful 82, eventually fell to an Ethan Bamber delivery that swung away to hit off stump.The Middlesex seamer finished with 3 for 54 when the diving Joe Cracknell caught last man Will Davis low at first slip – but the home side’s lead of 96 was made to look flimsy as their top order crumbled second time around.Davis added another three wickets to his five from the first innings, while Ackermann completed a trio of slip catches, the best of them at shoulder height to remove Josh de Caires.However, Mitchell and White batted sensibly to repair the damage, adding 38 before the New Zealander was adjudged lbw to Mike despite the hint of an inside edge.White, dropped early on by Davis at third slip, went on to make 34 and looked on course for a potential match-winning knock until he chipped Parkinson to backward square leg just before tea.But Eskinazi, having taken almost half an hour to get off the mark, held firm and joined forces with Harris in a resolute stand that combined patience with good shot selection.Barnes eventually pinned Harris lbw for 26 with an inswinging yorker, but Eskinazi carved the last ball of the day for four to bring up his half-century.

“I was very happy with Vidarbha but it’s time for a new challenge,” says decorated domestic coach

Saurabh Somani25-Mar-2020Chandrakant Pandit, the former India player and one of the most successful coaches in Indian domestic cricket, has decided to move from Vidarbha to Madhya Pradesh for the 2020-21 season. Pandit had coached Vidarbha to back-to-back triumphs in the Ranji Trophy and Irani Trophy in 2017-18 and 2018-19, having earlier achieved Ranji Trophy success with Mumbai too.Pandit, who has also been in charge of Maharashtra and Kerala in the past, said he would always have fond memories of his time with Vidarbha and the support he received from the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA), but it was time for him to embrace a new challenge.”I have coached Vidarbha for three years. Normally I always do my coaching stints for two years or three years. The idea is to always move forward. It’s good to take a new challenge,” Pandit told ESPNcricinfo. “There is no doubt I was very happy with Vidarbha – the way the team has played, the way I got support from the association. From Prashant Vaidya (VCA vice-president and chairman of the cricket development committee) and Anand Jaiswal (VCA president). So it is not anything else, but just to move forward and take a new challenge. I was very happy with Vidarbha. I respect the support I received, and that will always be part of my life.”I had played for MP for six years in the past. So when they contacted, I accepted. Because I was not going to continue with Vidarbha. It was purely my call, nothing untoward (had happened).”This year, MP were coached by Abbas Ali – the grandson of Mushtaq Ali – with Devendra Bundela being the batting coach and Harvinder Singh Sodhi, who has been the coach of the team previously, doubling up as bowling coach and manager.An official with the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association said that it was too early to take a call on whether any of last season’s coaches would continue to be with the team, but confirmed that Pandit had been given a letter of intent to be the MP coach from next season. Due to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown in India, Pandit has not been able to sign the contract formally yet.ALSO READ: Chandrakant Pandit: Less of a general, more of a 12th man“We’ll have to wait till things improve definitely,” Pandit acknowledged. “Ultimately it’s for the good of everyone (staying indoors for now). We have to take care of that. I’ll definitely be contacting players and drawing up plans. It’s like people who are working from home, I’ll have to do that for now till things get better. I’ll have to start planning for the MP team. Though I may not be able to get in touch with the players personally, but definitely, communication with the association, the secretary is there. I can put forward my plans so they can be ready with that. I’ve been talking to them and they have already told me that let things get better and then we’ll start. At the same time I’ll be trying to figure out what are the things I can do.”Pandit’s departure from Vidarbha comes on the heels of Wasim Jaffer also announcing his retirement, leaving a bit of a void in terms of experience in the Vidarbha think-tank. Pandit, however, was confident that the processes put in place would hold the team in good stead.”See whatever we have done in the last three years, we have developed a good, young team,” he said. “There was very healthy competition created. So I hope they maintain that and continue it. I’m sure the young boys coming through – the Under-23 side has won the CK Nayudu Trophy – they will be able to take it forward with whoever takes charge.Vidarbha had come into this Ranji Trophy season as double defending champions, but although they began well, they faltered midway through, and ended up finishing seventh on the combined Groups A and B table, where only the top five teams make it to the quarter-finals. A loss against Delhi in the middle of the season hurt them particularly. Vidarbha declared on 330 for 3, with the lead being 347, to set Delhi a steep chase. It was a declaration made with the intent of going for full points rather than playing safe and getting only first-innings lead points, but Delhi had an inspired fourth-innings chase led by Nitish Rana’s 105* off 68 balls and they hunted down the target.

Dean Elgar says opening the batting in South Africa is the toughest job in Test cricket but that is also what makes it the most satisfying

Liam Brickhill28-Dec-2018Given arguably the hardest job in Test cricket – that of opener in South African conditions – Dean Elgar has forged a reputation as a batsman of extremely durable disposition. His fifty against a bristling Pakistan seam attack – albeit missing Mohammad Abbas’ wiles – on a variegated, helpful Centurion track was vital in setting up South Africa’s 1-0 series lead, but Elgar admitted that despite a target of 149, the chase “could have gone either way”.”Fortune was on our side,” he said after a 119-run stand with Hashim Amla that had to endure several moments of alarm. “We mentioned it yesterday, while we were fielding, that we need so much luck in this game actually. The wicket has obviously had a lot of favour for the bowlers, and as a batting unit you just needed something to go your way.Elgar was the recipient of the most opinion-splitting call of the game when he edged Shaheeh Afridi low to Azhar Ali’s right at first slip, only for the on-field umpire’s soft signal of ‘out’ to be overturned by TV umpire Joel Wilson when replays appeared to show the ball in contact with the ground. Or not, depending on your point of view.”You don’t see a lot when you turn around,” he said. “At first glance, you go on the [fielders’] reaction. The umpires obviously have the final say. Well, the third umpire did. It’s out of my hands. I don’t make any decisions. You’ve got to trust the people in power to make the right calls. And you need a bit of luck to go your way. Thankfully it went our way, and now we’re sitting here at 1-0 going to Cape Town.”Elgar eventually found his groove and even added a little adventure to his knock with a loft straight back over the bowler Hasan Ali’s head to move through the 40s. But it was never easy.”They need to triple my salary, and Aiden’s as well, because it’s hard work in South Africa.” he joked “It’s definitely the toughest place in the world to bat, I can vouch for that now. But that’s what makes the job so satisfying once you get through the tough times. You look back at those tough times and you really enjoy them. The beer tastes a lot better, I can tell you that. It’s very rewarding when you get through those tough times.”Faf du Plessis tosses the ball•Associated Press

As well as being tested outside off stump, Elgar was struck several times on the arm and body as he fended at rising deliveries from Pakistan’s quicks. After he was dismissed, he watched the proceedings with an ice-pack on his arm – though he may have swapped that for a cold drink once the game was won.”I might have an armguard for the next game. We’ll just have to see what the wicket’s going to play like. But it’s ok. I’ve been hit there many a time in my career, and it’s never pleasant. I know the guys in the changeroom appreciate the work I do, and that makes it heal a little easier. And it’s always nice to ice it with a nice cold beer knowing that we’ve won the game.”Elgar’s sentiments were echoed by captain Faf du Plessis, who argued that seam-friendly wickets ultimately suit a South African team richly blessed with fast bowlers. “We understand that home conditions are not perfect for batting,” he said. “The wickets that we want to play on are wickets that assist our seam bowling attack. We’ve got the best bowling attack, statistically, in the world, so it would be stupid not to try and make use of that. If that makes life tough for us as batters, and it’s a little harder to score runs, as long as we’re winning games I’ll definitely smile at the end of it.””I think I make it look a lot tougher,” Elgar added. “I think I give the bowlers a lot of false hope, and they’re like ‘I’m in here with Elgar, I can get him out’. Obviously I proved them wrong. But it was tough. Pakistan have really brought some very good seamers. It was hard work. It was right up there as another tough but satisfying and successful day for us. But yeah, it could be a lot easier for us if we go with better batting wickets, which I doubt is going to happen.”Despite his bruises, Elgar also managed a smile during a light-hearted post-match press conference. He has ended the year rather similar to the way he started it against India in January, when he carried his bat on a very testing track at the Wanderers. Elgar suggested that surviving that experience helped him here, but insisted “they’re all tough”, and that the final result made all the difference to him.”Either way, they’re all tough,” he said. “I’d rather bat on this wicket because we won, and that wicket at Wanderers we lost. Different scenarios, but all mightily challenging. But there’s always a rainbow somewhere. The Wanderers experience has potentially helped me through this one.”

A weekly round-up of the Ram Slam T20 Challenge in which Titans leapt to top of the table and Lungi Ngidi impressed with his 4 for 14 against Warriors

Firdose Moonda20-Nov-2017Results Summary Titans leapt to top of the table and remain the only unbeaten side with four wins from four matches in a busy Ram Slam week. Titans’ victories last week included a 38-run triumph over Knights, a 61-run win over Warriors, a seven-wicket mauling of Cape Cobras and the successful return of Dale Steyn to competitive cricket.Steyn’s comeback came in defence of 199 against Knights on Wednesday, where he bowled three overs. The first went for 17 runs but the next two for only eight along with the scalp of Theunis de Bruyn. Though Steyn was the second-most expensive Titans bowler on the night, more economical performances from Albie Morkel, Lungi Ngidi and Tabraiz Shamsi ensured Knights were always behind the required run rate, but they did manage to deny Titans a bonus point.Ngidi stole the show again on Friday in East London where his career-best T20 figures of 4 for 14 shot out Warriors for 111 in 14.2 overs. Titans again put up a decent score – 172 for 4 – without AB de Villiers, who was rested to allow Dean Elgar a game, but their bowling did the rest. Aiden Markram shared the new ball with Steyn and took 3 for 21 before Ngidi ran through an abject Warriors line-up. Only three batsmen made more than 20.But Steyn came into his own on Sunday when he helped Titans restrict Cobras to 119 for 9, with a four-over spell that cost only 16 runs and yielded the wickets of Wayne Parnell and Qaasim Adams. JP Duminy top-scored with 40 but Temba Bavuma was the only other Cobras’ batsman to make a score over 15. Despite ducks from openers Quinton de Kock and Henry Davids, who both fell to Vernon Philander, 51 off 36 balls from Markram led Titans’ chase and they won the match inside 14 overs.Cobras did not have a good weekend on the Highveld and also lost to Lions, who were the only other team to put points on the board last week. Lions got their first win on Friday at the Wanderers, where they chased down 170 against an attack that included Philander, Parnell and Dane Paterson but a fielding side who put down several chances for the second game in a row. Cobras could consider their total a little short despite a 36 from 28 balls from Hashim Amla, 33 from 26 by Parnell, an 18-ball 28 from Bavuma and 55 off 31 balls by captain Duminy. Lions opener Reeza Hendricks started the chase strongly with a 32-ball 42 but it was Mangaliso Mosehle’s brisk half-century that won them the game. Philander’s four overs cost only 26 but none of the other Cobras bowlers went for under eight an over.It was much closer for Lions on Sunday in Potchefstroom, where they restricted Dolphins to 168 for 6, after having them 85 for 5 in the 12th over and 116 for 6 in the 17th, but took it to the last ball to chase the total. Lions started well with a half-century from Rassie van der Dussen, sharing a 158-run opening stand with Hendricks who became the competition’s second centurion with a 72-ball 102. The pair was cruising at 158 for 0 in the 19th over but Andile Phehlulwayo took two wickets in two balls and Dolphins got another two wickets off consecutive deliveries in the final over. Wiaan Mulder hit four off the last ball to secure the win.The other fixture scheduled for this week was between Dolphins and Knights on Friday night in Durban, but the game was washed out.Wayne Parnell delivers the ball•AFP

International Incidents Steyn’s comeback was the talk of the week as he steadily built up from two matches with three overs each to bowling his full quota of four overs in the third match against Cobras. His figures of 4-0-16-2 was the best of his week.There was also promising form from some of the other bowlers on the national repair list. Philander, who was expensive in the first match, put in a much tighter performance against Lions and Titans and started to show signs of being back to his best.However, it was Ngidi who would have made South Africa head coach Ottis Gibson sit up and take note. After going wicketless against Knights on Wednesday, Ngidi took 4 for 14 against Warriors on a traditionally slow, low East London pitch. He also returned 2 for 32 at home against Cobras.In one of the most intriguing battles of the week, de Villiers took 17 runs off Wayne Parnell’s opening over, which went for 19 in total in the Titans match against Cobras.Imran Tahir made a return for Dolphins, who chose to field two spinners in their match against Lions, but between Tahir and Keshav Maharaj, they cost Dolphins 43 runs in four overs. Domestic Dreamers Lions’ batsmen had the most important impact among domestic players. Reeza Hendricks, who has played nine T20Is, the last against England in Cardiff, was not considered for the Bangladesh series but showed that he could still come into contention. He followed up an unbeaten 67 in the opening match with his first T20 century and thrilled with a range of drives that would not have gone amiss on a golf course. Hendricks was particularly harsh against Maharaj, whose only over went for 15.Mosehle has played seven T20Is this year as a stand-in for de Kock and appears to have been identified as a potential reserve wicketkeeper. His batting ability, however, has not shown itself on the highest stage. His half-century against Cobras provided a glimpse. Mosehle’s aggression off the back foot – which included a hook and a hammer over extra cover, both for six – off Philander was particularly impressive as was the way he guided an imperfect Lions’ effort home.Beyond the Boundary Warriors will need to use this competition to say farewell to their coach Malibongwe Maketa, who will leave them at the end of the tournament to take up the job of Gibson’s assistant in the national side. This is the format where they have done Maketa the proudest, reaching the final last summer despite having fewer internationals than anyone else. This season will be trickier for them, because of the presence of all South Africa players in other squads, and they have not started well with two losses from the first two games. However, they will hope things get better before Maketa leaves.

Jack Leach spun Somerset close to a two-day victory with the ECB pitch inspector looking on but they will have to return on the morrow after Rikki Clarke and Chris Wright finally fashioned Warwickshire resistance on a turning surface

ECB Reporters Network07-Sep-2016
ScorecardChris Rogers top-scored with 58 to give Somerset the edge•Getty Images

Rikki Clarke and Chris Wright produced an unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 70 as Warwickshire set up the prospect of an exciting third-day finish to the Specsavers County Championship match with Somerset at Taunton.The visitors closed day two on 131 for 8, needing a further 53 for victory, having been 61 for 8 at one stage, chasing a target of 184. Left-arm spinner Jack Leach claimed 5 for 33 from 18 overs.Clarke was unbeaten on 42 and Wright 38 not out, having come together with their team on the verge of defeat. Both hit sixes in a defiant and positive partnership.

Brown rues ‘soft’ dismissals

Dougie Brown, Warwickshire director of cricket: “Rikki Clarke and Chris Wright have shown what is possible on this pitch if batsmen are prepared to apply themselves. Again there were too many soft dismissals in our innings. The wicket has been tricky to bat on but by no means unplayable.”
Jack Leach, Somerset spinner: “It was a great day for me because first I went past 50 first class wickets for the season, then 50 Championship wickets, before ending up with a five-for. It has been a crazy two days of cricket and Rikki Clarke and Chris Wright have batted really well. The ball has tended to do more for the bowlers in the morning sessions.”

Earlier, Jeetan Patel had finished with 5 for 86 as Somerset, from an overnight 41 for 1, were bowled out for 211 in their second innings, skipper Chris Rogers top-scoring with 58, the only half-century of the match so far.After 21 wickets had fallen on the first day, ECB Cricket Liaison Officer Phil Whitticase was sent to view the second day’s play.It was batting errors, rather than any great terrors in the pitch, which accounted for the vast majority of wickets. There was assistance for seam and spin bowlers on both days, but also a large number of soft dismissals, which both sides will reflect on with regret.Somerset led by 13 runs when play began and had progressed their second innings to 70 when Marcus Trescothick, on 25, had his off stump uprooted by Patel.James Hildreth made only a single before falling lbw to a Chris Wright delivery that nipped back off the seam. But from 75 for 3 Somerset prospered, Rogers reaching a 123-ball half-century, and Peter Trego hitting sixes off Patel and Josh Poysden.The home side looked well placed at lunch, which was taken with their score 128 for three. But Patel began the afternoon session by gaining lbw verdicts against Trego (31) and Rogers after a fourth-wicket stand of 55.Leg-spinner Josh Poysden weighed in with 3 for 52 as only Dom Bess (25) offered much lower order resistance.Although the ball was turning, Warwickshire would have fancied their chances when their second innings began.
Instead a mixture of good bowling and inept batting saw them slump to 49 for 6. Leach ripped the heart out of the innings by sending back Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell for a combined contribution of five runs before having Alex Mellor caught at short-leg for 22.Bess removed Sam Hain and Keith Barker, both pouched by Marcus Trescothick, who with the second dismissal equalled the record number of catches in first class cricket by a Somerset outfielder, 393, set by Jack White during a career that ended in 1937.But just when it seemed Somerset were sure to wrap up victory, Clarke and Wright produced the biggest stand of the match, putting the state of the pitch firmly in perspective.

Mumbai batsman Hiken Shah has challenged his suspension from official cricket by the BCCI in the Bombay High Court

Amol Karhadkar08-Aug-2015Mumbai batsman Hiken Shah has challenged his suspension from official cricket by the BCCI in the Bombay High Court. The board had suspended Shah with immediate effect in mid July after he was found guilty of having “approached” a Mumbai team-mate.On behalf of Shah, advocate Som Sinha filed a writ petition in the court last week. A two-judge bench of Justice VM Kanade and Justice BP Colabawalla heard the matter on August 4. The judges didn’t grant any immediate relief to the petitioner but have asked the BCCI to file a written reply to the objections raised by Shah’s counsel. The case will next be heard again on August 11.ESPNcricinfo understands that Shah’s petition is based on the fact that he has been suspended without providing any details in writing about his alleged breaches. Shah is also understood to have noted in his plea that he had been granted permission to travel to the UK to play for the minor counties.While announcing Shah’s suspension, the BCCI release had noted: “Hiken Shah made a corrupt approach to one of his colleagues from first-class cricket, who is also a member of one of the IPL teams. The approached player immediately informed the incident to his franchise team. The franchise team followed the process of informing the incident to the Anti-Corruption Unit of the BCCI. Based on the information, BCCI President, Mr Jagmohan Dalmiya, instructed ACU to conduct an immediate inquiry into the matter.”After a detailed inquiry into the reported incident, the inquiry commissioner found Hiken Shah guilty of committing breach of Articles 2.1.1; 2.1.2; and 2.1.4 of the BCCI Anti-Corruption Code for participants and recommended their provisions to the BCCI President.”Shah, meanwhile, had stressed he was innocent. “All I will say is I am innocent and I will fight to prove it,” he had told ESPNcricinfo.

With Shane Watson, David Warner and Matthew Wade unavailable, George Bailey may step in as specialist captain in the ODIs at the MCG on January 11 and Adelaide Oval on January 13

Daniel Brettig05-Jan-2013George Bailey is expected to add the stand-in captaincy of Australia’s ODI team to his leadership of the national Twenty20 side when the squad for the first two matches against Sri Lanka is named on Sunday, with Michael Clarke set to be given time to recover from the hamstring strain he has carried through two Tests.As Shane Watson remains unavailable due to a calf injury, and David Warner and Matthew Wade are also expected to be given time off after a demanding Test match schedule, ESPNcricinfo understands George Bailey will have the chance to enhance his standing as a specialist captain, in the ODIs at the MCG on January 11 and Adelaide Oval on January 13.The national selector John Inverarity’s high opinion of Bailey’s captaincy and leadership skills may yet see him surprise many by being included in the Test squad to tour India, though he will need some substantial scores over the next month to press that case after making an indifferent start to the Sheffield Shield season with Tasmania.Michael Hussey’s international career may not go on past the SCG Test as the selectors look to try others for the future, with the likes of Aaron Finch to be considered. Phillip Hughes has also a chance to be handed his ODI debut after a strong run of scores in the format over the past year, while Brad Haddin may be recalled to don the gloves in the ODI series during a period of break for Wade.Depending on the progress of his hamstring, Clarke may then return for the third match of the series in Brisbane on January 18. The national selectors are conscious of not over-stretching Clarke after the events of last summer’s triangular series involving Sri Lanka and India, when the captain returned swiftly from one hamstring strain and then suffered one to his other leg. That injury kept him out of the limited-overs portion of the West Indies tour that followed.This time around Australia’s next assignment following the limited-overs leg of the summer is a Test series in India, meaning Inverarity’s selection panel is far less likely to risk a less than fully-fit Clarke – to lose the team’s captain and best batsman to injury for Test matches in the subcontinent would most likely be disastrous.Since leading Australia to the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, Bailey has been a quiet participant in the Australian summer, failing to make a Shield century and contributing only a trio of cameos to the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League (BBL). But he showed a cool head when introduced to the ODI team in 2012, making runs in difficult circumstances in the West Indies and then being the only batsman to enhance his reputation during the dire ODI tour of England in June and July.In 13 limited-overs appearances for Australia to date, Bailey has 445 runs at an eminently respectable 40.09 and a strike rate of 77.50 with a trio of half-centuries and a top score of 65. His ascendance to the captaincy of the Australian T20 team without previously playing an international match had been the source of much debate, something dredged up again recently when Shane Warne questioned Bailey’s quality as a batsman during a BBL joust in Melbourne.A pair of edges by Bailey when facing Warne led the former Australia legspinner to remark while miked up to the broadcasters: “You would think the Australian Twenty20 captain would smack me out of the park, wouldn’t you? Rather than keep nicking me?”Bailey responded to the taunt with good grace, and will now have the chance to audition for further national duty. The possibility that runs and victories against the Sri Lankans could mean a place in the Test squad to travel to India is not out of the question.

ESPNcricinfo previews the third one-dayer between India and West Indies in Ahmedabad

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran04-Dec-2011

Match facts

Monday, December 5
Start time 1430 (0900 GMT)Can West Indies lift their performance and close out a match to keep the series alive?•AFP

Big Picture

It’s been more than a month since West Indies landed in India but they are yet to win a game. They haven’t been pushovers though, and have made India work hard for victory in most of the matches. Their captain, Darren Sammy, has regularly lauded the never-say-die spirit and character of his team, but another defeat on Monday will leave them with only dead rubbers to break their duck. West Indies’ ODI successes in their previous two home series have also come only once the trophy was lost.India have far less to worry about. While the form of the openers is a little concerning, most of their experiments have paid off. They can’t complain too much about the manner in which their new-look pace attack has fared in the first two matches, Rohit Sharma has played two match-turning innings on his comeback, and Ravindra Jadeja has flourished as an allrounder at No. 7. The team management would like some runs for Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina, though, before the series is over.The massive crowds at the previous two matches in Cuttack and Visakhapatnam have sparked off talk about how India needs to play more at smaller cricketing centres. With the scheduling once again ignoring the weekend, it will be interesting to see what the response is on Monday in Ahmedabad. The Sardar Patel Stadium has already hosted three World Cup matches this year, including a high-profile India v Australia quarter-final. Will the fans show up for a one-day game in which the biggest names on both teams are missing?

Form guide

India WWWWW (Most recent first)
West Indies LLLWW

In the spotlight

When India toured the West Indies earlier this year, Suresh Raina was the captain of the side, on the back of crucial innings in the quarter-final and semi-final of the World Cup. He failed in the one-dayers in the Caribbean, but had a more fruitful time against England. Still, Virat Kohli’s outstanding form all year, and Rohit’s recent resurgence means Raina could find himself out of the XI when MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh return. He needs a solid innings or two in the remainder of the series to make his case for a place in the starting XI for the Australia tri-series.It’s only two months since Denesh Ramdin made his comeback to the West Indies side after more than a year on the sidelines, partly as a result of not scoring runs. His batting in the few chances since his return haven’t merited him a position as high as No. 6 in the line-up, and he needs to tighten up his keeping as well – dropping Kohli early on proved very costly for West Indies in the second ODI.

Pitch and conditions

The track at the Sardar Patel Stadium will allow the bowlers to extract pace, curator Dhiraj Parsana said on the eve of the match. “The wicket here has always been good for batting, but the bowlers would also have a good time I believe, as they would be able to get good pace,” Parsana said. “The side that wins the toss should bat first.” However, dew could be a factor here, prompting the captains to decide otherwise. “Efforts have been made to keep the [effects of] dew to a minimum,” Parsana said. “We have stopped watering the field three days prior to the match and have also sprayed [the outfield with] a special kind of chemical.”

Team news

For the home side, the person whose place is most under the scanner is Parthiv Patel. The lack of an alternative wicketkeeper in the squad, though, will keep Parthiv in the XI for only his second international game at his home ground. It is unlikely there will be any experimentation in the make-up of the side that won the first two games.India (possible) 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Virender Sehwag (capt), 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 R Vinay Kumar, 10 Varun Aaron, 11 Umesh Yadav.West Indies have to decide whether they need to play two specialist quicks when they have three medium-pace bowling allrounders – Darren Sammy, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell – in the side. There’s also Lendl Simmons to turn to in case a few overs of medium-pace are needed. Marlon Samuels alone isn’t enough for the spin department, particularly in the subcontinent. How they will find a place for an extra spinner remains to be seen.West Indies 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Adrian Barath, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Danza Hyatt, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Andre Russell, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Sunil Narine/Ravi Rampaul.

Stats and trivia

• India have now won 11 successive one-dayers at home, comfortably a record, beating their previous longest victorious streak of seven matches between 1981 and 1983
• Viat Kohli is now 57 short of Jonathan Trott in the race to be the highest run-getter of the year in one-dayers
• West Indies have played India at the Sardar Patel Stadium four times, winnings on three occasions
  

  Quotes

  “It’s difficult to say I am satisfied when you are losing. But we have shown a lot of spirit and created opportunities to win.”

  “McGrath is my hero. I am inspired by him and trying to bowl like him.”

England women’s captain Charlotte Edwards has called for more Test matches in the women’s game ahead of her team’s departure for an Ashes tour of Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Dec-2010England Women’s captain Charlotte Edwards has called for more Test matches in the women’s game ahead of her team’s departure for an Ashes tour of Australia. Unlike the men’s team, who play a five-Test series on trips down under, England’s women will play three one-day internationals, five Twenty20s and just one four-day Test.”Having watched a lot of the men’s Tests I’m kind of envious that we don’t get to play three- or five-match series because I think that is a true test, real Test match cricket,” said Edwards. “But it’s not the way at the moment. The Twenty20 and ODI formats have been deemed more important. But hopefully in the long-run we can start getting a three-match series, which will make our Test cricket a lot more enjoyable.”Janette Brittin, the former England opening bat, has more Test caps than any other player but took part in just 27 Tests between 1979 and 1998. In comparison, Sachin Tendulkar has played 175 Tests and 50 men have played 100 Tests or more.”We don’t play any Tests or four-day cricket domestically, so it’s really difficult for us to say what we prefer because we don’t play enough of it,” added Edwards. “In 14 years I’ve played 12 Test matches. I think ODI and Twenty20 cricket is the way the women’s game is going and we fully understand that. Especially Twenty20, that’s what most TV stations want to cover now these days, so we have to go with that. When I play for England it’s all important, but hopefully in the future we can play more Test cricket.”Edwards spoke ahead of England’s departure for Australia for a defence of the Women’s Ashes, which will coincide with the men’s series. England won the 2007-08 Ashes series in Australia 2-0, and retained the women’s urn with a drawn series in 2009.”It’s a hard act to follow at the minute, the men, but also we’ve been really successful in Australia so we’re going out there with a huge amount of belief and confidence that we can play well,” said Edwards. “We also know we’re going to come up a very good Australian team, but we’re ready for them.”They’re quite a young side; they’ve picked a few young players but from all accounts some very talented players. I think we’ll be very evenly matched. We know a lot about them and they know a lot about us, and Ithink at the moment we’re the best two teams in the world so it’s going to be one of our toughest tests out there this winter, but one we’re really looking forward to.”England depart for Australia after an unbeaten tour of Sri Lanka, during which several newer players gained valuable experience. Fast bowler Katherine Brunt, who missed that trip in order to undergo strength and conditioning training, has returned to the squad for the Ashes, as has Left-arm spinner Holly Colvin, who took time off for her university studies, and right-handed batter Beth Morgan.”That tour to Sri Lanka has really been crucial for this tour to Australia, to give the likes of Fran Wilson, Danni Wyatt, Susie Rowe and Heather Knight the opportunity to play some cricket before this Australia trip and to get them gelled into the team has been vital. We’re also bringing back Katherine brunt and Holly Colvin for this trip as well, so we’re going out there as strong as we possibly can.”The 1st and 2nd Twenty20 matches of their trip will be played directly before England men play Australia on January 12 and 14, at the Adelaide Oval and the MCG respectively.

India were declared winners of the Tri-Nation Under-19s Tournament in South Africa after the final against South Africa was rained out in Johannesburg

Cricinfo staff05-Jan-2010India were declared winners of the Tri-Nation Under-19s Tournament in South Africa after the final against South Africa was washed out in Johannesburg. This was the second match between the two teams that was abandoned due to rain after the last league match met a watery grave on Sunday.India dominated the tournament from the outset having gone undefeated in the league phase. The hosts got off to a winning start against Sri Lanka but lost the momentum, crashing to defeats against them and India.Paceman Saurabh Netravalkar was adjudged Player of the Series for his excellent returns. Netravalkar picked eight wickets including a five-wicket haul against Sri Lanka, making him one of the players to watch out for in the upcoming Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Buddika from Sri Lanka and Colin Ackermann for the hosts gave good accounts of themselves with the bat and will take confidence into the tournament.