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The West Indies captain wants West Indies’ tour of Australia to be the new beginning the region desperately needs after another round of strikes and disputes

Peter English13-Nov-2009Chris Gayle wants West Indies’ tour of Australia to be the new beginning the region desperately needs after another round of strikes and disputes. While Gayle was a key figure in the four-month boycott as the side’s captain, he is now charged with leading the reunification process that starts with the three-Test series of Australia.It won’t be easy as the old players mix with the new but one benefit of their marathon trip from the Caribbean to Brisbane, extended by half a day due to a delay in London, was that the 15-man squad has had plenty of bonding time. Before they departed the players spoke about leaving the distractions at home. While they were in the air Viv Richards was saying Gayle would have to change his attitude to show he wanted to be in charge.Gayle is one of the most targeted men in the game, mostly for his love of lucrative one-day leagues over Test cricket. Now he is hoping to focus on peace and unity. “That’s life,” he said of Richards’ comments. “I am trying to move on, it doesn’t make sense to fight with each other. That’s not the real cause to be here [in Australia].”While Gayle is so laidback – even when severely jet-lagged – that he makes hippies seem stressed, he could snap if the criticism continues from the big names back home. “Our main focus is to represent West Indies well,” he said after the side finally arrived in Brisbane on Friday afternoon. “The negativity, I won’t take it on too much unless something might trigger out a line, and then I’ll have to take it on, but that’s the situation. If that situation occurs we’ll deal with it at that point in time.”Since Gayle’s last Test in England in May, West Indies have lost at home to Bangladesh while the main players were on strike over the pay and contractual disputes. He arrived in England a couple of days before the opening match, preferring to boost his bank balance with more games in the IPL, and was soon back-tracking after saying he wouldn’t be so sad if Test cricket died.When asked on Friday what the series in the Caribbean last year – which Australia won 2-0 – meant, Gayle said he couldn’t remember much about it. The critics would say it showed his lack of interest in the game’s traditional format but he did miss two games of that campaign with a groin injury and his head has been in the clouds for most of the week.He does regret the damage caused by the strike that fractured an already split cricket region. “That’s the last thing we wanted to do, bring the game into disrepute,” he said. “Having said all that, it’s after. This is a new beginning and hopefully things can be better from here on in.”As captain Gayle is now working with David Williams, the coach, and Joel Garner, the manager, in moulding the group into a unified unit. However, he knows they are starting from behind following the Bangladesh defeat and their early exit at the Champions Trophy.”It set us back, to be honest,” Gayle said. “But at the same time we have to move forward, trying to forget about what happened in the past. We’re back to square one, it’s a rebuilding process right now. Even though we’re rebuilding we have a good chance of winning.”West Indies squad: Chris Gayle (capt), Adrian Barath, Sulieman Benn, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Travis Dowlin, Brendan Nash, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor, Gavin Tonge

An explosive 72-run partnership between Steven Smith and David Warner swept New South Wales to a win over the leaders Queensland in the FR Cup

Cricinfo staff09-Dec-2009New South Wales 6 for 259 (Smith 75*, Rohrer 57) beat Queensland 258 (Kruger 67) by 4 wickets

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Steven Smith’s unbeaten half-century ensured a positive result for the struggling Blues•Getty Images

An explosive 72-run partnership between Steven Smith and David Warner might have sparked New South Wales’ domestic campaign after they swept past the leaders Queensland in the FR Cup. The Blues, who won only one of their opening four games, were wobbling at 5 for 169 when the pair came together and took off.Smith showed his aggressive range in top scoring with 75 from 84 balls, with seven fours, while Warner flexed with 34 off 24 before he was yorked by James Hopes. That ended the stand, which came at nine an over, and left the visitors wanting 18 from 26 deliveries. Smith was joined by Daniel Smith and the victory came with four wickets and 13 balls in hand.The hosts had felt in control after Phil Jaques (8) and Philip Hughes (6) went in Chris Swan’s impressive comeback, and even when Ben Rohrer was creeping towards 57 they had control of the contest. However, the bowlers were unable to keep up the pressure as the innings continued and the result ended a five-game winning streak. They remain on top with an eight-point buffer over Victoria, who have played two fewer matches, while New South Wales moved four points closer to the fourth-placed Tasmania.A hobbling Nick Kruger held together Queensland’s innings after they were shocked to be 3 for 26 having chosen to bat. Kruger needed a runner midway through his innings due to a hip problem suffered hitting a boundary down the ground, but he pushed through the pain to reach his first domestic half-century, finishing with 67 off 103 balls.The partnerships he shared with Nathan Reardon (41) and Craig Philipson (49) were crucial in reviving the Bulls and some late contributions helped them to a competitive total. Stuart Clark, who felt his side eased off at the end of the innings, joined Josh Hazlewood and Moises Henriques in picking up two wickets.

Nathan Hauritz experienced the greatest pain he had felt on a cricket ground when he caught and bowled Mohammad Yousuf, but soon was enjoying five-wicket hauls in back-to-back Test wins

Peter English07-Jan-2010Nathan Hauritz, one of Australia’s final-day heroes at SCG, must have felt like he was meeting with his doctor.How’s your chest? “No bruise, just a small mark.”And your thumb? “It’s okay. It’s still a bit sore but I’ve had all the medical checks and everything like that.”And your head? “Not too bad, we had a few beers with the boys, but unfortunately the finger stopped me having too many more. I’ve just got to look after it.”The nail of Hauritz’s left thumb was ripped off when Mohammad Yousuf charged at the offspinner and muscled a thumping drive that also crunched into his chest. “I didn’t really catch it in the end, it just hit my body and stayed there,” Hauritz said. “I hardly saw it, to be honest, it was just lucky that it hit my body because it would’ve went for four.”There were many moments on the final day that changed the course of the game, but Hauritz’s chest take ensured Australia’s stunning comeback and led to a 36-run win and a 2-0 series success. Yousuf, the captain, had taken Hauritz for three fours in his previous over and was looking dangerous, but when he departed the threat had gone and Pakistan were quickly on the way to being dismissed for 139.In the moments after Yousuf’s thunderball Hauritz was more worried about the pain in his thumb. His team-mates weren’t. As Hauritz lay on the pitch after being forced to the ground by the ball, Ricky Ponting mockingly rolled Hauritz on his side to put him in the recovery position. The ribbing continued during the night of celebrations.”Every time they had a beer they opened it and called me hard as nails,” Hauritz said. “It’s pretty soft, I guess, in the end. It’s one of those things that happens.” Blood from the cut had seeped through the bandage and was still visible the morning after the game.He said the pain was the greatest he had felt on a cricket ground, but he was soon experiencing the most extreme pleasure after taking 5 for 53 and bowling Australia to victory in back-to-back Tests. “The agony went pretty quickly,” he said after watching Misbah-ul-Haq cut to gully and then mopping up Mohammad Sami, Danish Kaneria and Umar Gul. The haul was responsible for concluding Australia’s dramatic turnaround, which started with Michael Hussey and Peter Siddle’s partnership of 123 for the ninth wicket, leaving Pakistan needing 176 to win.”It’s something I always wanted to be part of, on a fourth- or fifth-day wicket at the SCG, spinning the team to victory,” Hauritz said. “The celebrations last night were proof of that.”Usually a bowler who has taken 12 wickets at 24.08 in two Tests would be given more respect at the next meeting, but Hauritz is not expecting any relief in Hobart from Thursday. “Every time I come on to bowl they look to absolutely take me everywhere,” he said. “It’s definitely a big challenge. I don’t expect any different in Hobart and Hobart is one of the most difficult wickets to bowl spin on.”What the wickets have done is provide him with confidence and a belief that he belongs in the Test team. The five-for in Melbourne was his maiden collection in first-class cricket and he has always been worried about his place. In between times he has picked up groin and heel complaints but providing all his ailments are taken care of, he can enjoy the feeling of having a secure position.

Daren Ganga, the Trinidad & Tobago, believes the fund-raising charity Twenty20 against Guyana in Port of Spain will be an emotional affair for both sides

Cricinfo staff19-Jan-2010Daren Ganga, the Trinidad & Tobago, believes the
fund-raising charity Twenty20 against Guyana in Port of Spain will be an emotional affair for both sides. The match, to be played on January 20, is to aid victims of the catastrophic earthquake which struck Haiti last week and Ganga expected a full house at the Queen’s Park Oval.”My team-mates and I were saddened and overwhelmed by the enormity of the disaster that has befallen the people of Haiti from the awesome earthquake,” he said. “We needed no persuasion to play in the charity match for our suffering and unfortunate CARICOM (Caribbean community) brothers and sisters.”Ganga believed T&T’s success at the inaugural Champions League Twenty20, where their stunning run to the final not only won Indian hearts but also brought alive the tournament, would similarly bring the crowds to their feet in the upcoming match.Guyana’s captain, Sewnarine Chattergoon, was equally sentimental when asked about the disastrous situation in Haiti and his team’s decision to take part in the fund-raising event. “The Guyana Cricket Board, the team management and us the players acknowledge unhesitatingly how critical it is to show solidarity and support for our fellow Caribbean families in their moment of need and desperation,” he said.The International Red Cross estimates that about three million people were affected by the earthquake, which devastated the capital Port-au-Prince and caused an estimated 45,000-50,000 deaths.The two teams to be involved in the charity match are currently playing each other in a historic first-class four-day game at the Sir Vivian Richards Ground in Antigua.T&T squad: Daren Ganga (capt), Lendl Simmons, William Perkins, Jason Mohammed, Imran Khan, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Samuel Badree, Sherwin Ganga, Dave Mohammed, Ravi Rampaul, Navin Stewart, Daron Cruickshank, Rayad Emrit, Richard Kelly.Guyana: Sewnarine Chattergoon (capt), Travis Dowlin, Assad Fudadin, Rajindra Chandrika, Narsingh Deonarine, Royston Crandon, Vishaul Singh, Esuan Crandon, Veersammy Permaul, Derwin Christian, Devendra Bishoo, Brendon Bess, Trevor Benn.

The ANZ stadium in Sydney, the venue of the 2000 Olympics, could play host to one of England’s fixtures on their Ashes tour later this year, after the ICC Board gave the green light for international cricket to take place at the venue

Cricinfo staff11-Feb-2010

Other decisions taken by the ICC

• ICC will conduct “urgent product research and analysis” into providing greater context to Test, ODI and Twenty20 cricket, including a look at day/night Tests

• Ian Bishop and Mark Taylor reappointed to the Cricket Committee as media representatives, Kumar Sangakkara and Tim May as current player representatives; Gary Kirsten takes over from Mickey Arthur as national coaches’ representative

• A meeting with broadcasters in March will aim to refine the UDRS, which, it was reported, had seen 97.44% correct decisions (up from 91.3%) in 13 Tests

• ICC Security Task Force’s recommendations – in the wake of the Lahore attack – unanimously accepted by the board. Recommendations include full-time security manager for each member

• Relocation to Lord’s was discussed but ICC will continue due diligence before reaching any decisions

The ANZ Stadium in Sydney, the main venue of the 2000 Olympics, could play host to one of England’s fixtures on their Ashes tour later this year, after the ICC Board gave the green light for international cricket to take place at the ground.The decision was confirmed in a press release on Thursday morning, following a recommendation from the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee, and it redraws the battlelines between Cricket NSW, who have staged domestic 20- and 50-over matches at the ANZ for several seasons, and the SCG Trust, who are determined to keep their historic ground as Sydney’s foremost venue.The current tenancy agreement, which was signed in 2004, expires at the end of 2010, leading to the outside possibility that the ANZ, with its 80,000 capacity, could seek to poach the traditional New Year Test from the SCG. Although the more likely scenario is the awarding of one of the seven ODIs that follow the Test series, Dave Gilbert, the Cricket NSW chief executive, told Cricinfo back in November that they would be keeping all options open.”ANZ is focused on getting a major cricket match to its venue,” Gilbert said. “I know Test cricket will be a difficult one to do at this stage – and you have to weigh up tradition and history and the drama at the SCG – but when I was a kid growing up at the SCG, rugby league Test matches and union Test matches were only ever at the SCG. Not anymore.”If you’re a 15-year-old kid, you’ve only ever known big sport events to be played at ANZ Stadium – that’s not meant to be an inflammatory comment, it’s a fact. If you take the heat and emotion out of it, as CEO of Cricket NSW, I have to do what is best for cricket to generate revenue to keep this game going, and this is what this process is about.A spokesman for ANZ Stadium said the venue’s primary focus was to attract ODI and Twenty20 international cricket, but would not rule out a bid to poach Test matches from the SCG.

The same attack that had looked largely innocuous for the first two sessions suddenly found its bite post-tea, and India’s coach credited the bowlers for the remarkable turnaround

S Aga14-Feb-2010Just what is it with the Eden Gardens and dramatic collapses? Nearly a decade ago, in the match that few in this part of the world will ever forget, Australia were in complete command at tea on the opening day. Matthew Hayden had biffed his way to 97 in typically muscular fashion and the scoreboard showed 193 for 1. Four balls after the interval, he went to hit Harbhajan Singh against the turn and found Hemang Badani at deep midwicket. Six more wickets fell in the final session, with Harbhajan taking a hat-trick, as Australia closed on 291 for 8.On the final day of the same game, Waugh’s side plummeted from a relatively secure 161 for 3 at tea to 212 all out. That collapse changed the course of an enthralling series, but what we witnessed in 25 overs after tea today was an even more drastic reversal of fortune.Alviro Petersen’s debut innings had ended shortly before tea, but there’d have been few alarms in the dressing room with the score a rudely healthy 228 for 2. But two indiscreet shots, from the two men who were the foundation of the victory in Nagpur, and everything changed. Hashim Amla misjudged a pull off Zaheer Khan, and Jacques Kallis top-edged a slog-sweep off Harbhajan that VVS Laxman took brilliantly over his shoulder while running towards fine leg.”When you looked at it at tea, we were in trouble,” said Gary Kirsten, India’s coach. “Let’s be honest about that. All credit to the bowlers for turning it around. They showed tremendous resilience. They have bowled pretty well this series without the rewards. When you’re picking four bowlers every Test, it’s an enormous workload on them. We’ve got to give them credit for the way they run in Test after Test. This is our fourth on the trot.”Perhaps the key passage of play had come just before the tea break, when Ishant Sharma gave a glimpse of what he can do when the rhythm is right. He went wicketless in a four-over spell that cost 12 runs, but Amla, who had eased to a hundred with few alarms, suddenly appeared troubled. Zaheer, who replaced Ishant, continued the good work, putting together an outstanding spell either side of the interval – 6-3-11-2.”We’ve felt that he’s just on the edge of doing some good stuff again,” said Kirsten of Ishant’s spell. “We know that he’s an exceptionally talented bowler and he’s just coming back to some really nice form. He bowled a nice aggressive spell. He wanted to get his pace up closer to the 140s where he wants to be. He was letting the ball go beautifully today. It was a very important spell because more than getting wickets, it set the tone for what we wanted to achieve after tea.”Suddenly, the same attack that had looked largely innocuous for the first two sessions found its bite. More importantly, chances were grabbed, and the stumps hit to catch the dangerous AB de Villiers out of his ground. “If you’re not getting wickets because the ball’s doing a bit, you’ve got to build pressure,” said Kirsten. “And there’s no better way of building pressure than getting a few wickets.”It happened to us in the first Test. We were going nicely with the bat, we lost a wicket and pressure was created. We did that in this game. We mustn’t always be looking for assistance to get wickets. When you can create pressure by doing some creative things on the field, which I thought we did today, batsmen play very differently.”Harbhajan Singh’s pitch map from Hawk-Eye•Hawk-Eye Innovations

For two sessions, with both spinners seemingly incapable of bowling a maiden, the decision to go in with two slow bowlers and leave Sreesanth out had looked decidedly dubious. Amit Mishra was unlucky with a couple of leg-before shouts, and Harbhajan far from amused after Laxman dropped a straightforward chance at slip when Amla had made just 60. But there were too many four balls, and too little pressure, especially with a debutant at the crease.”We’d always like to have a third seamer, and two spinners,” said Kirsten, explaining the omission of Sreesanth. “But the balance of our team doesn’t work that way. We either have to opt for three seamers and one spinner or two and two. We felt that an extra spinner on this wicket is going to be important.”And after the criticism that Harbhajan Singh has received in recent times, Kirsten was understandably delighted with his efforts after tea, with both Ashwell Prince and JP Duminy quickly joining Kallis in the pavilion in a passage of play that utterly changed the complexion of the game. “I thought Harbhajan bowled really well in the last game, and I thought the South Africans played him very well,” he said. “Even though he was in good rhythm, he needed to come up with ways to get wickets. I’ve been very confident that his rhythm has got better and better as the series has gone along. When the confidence is going and the rhythm’s good, he’s going to get wickets.”The [Dale] Steyn menace looms large on day two, but Kirsten was quietly confident that there was nothing in the conditions to worry his batsmen. “We didn’t feel it took too much turn,” he said. “We didn’t feel that it offered that much assistance to the seamers. There’s a long way to go in the Test, but it looks a fairly good wicket at the moment. There was a lot less grass on the wicket today than there was yesterday, otherwise we would have gone for three seamers.”There was little encouragement in the Nagpur pitch either, but Steyn still ended up with a 10-wicket haul. It’s advantage India for the moment, but on a pitch where there’s been enough bounce for those willing to hit the deck hard, it would be foolhardy in the extreme to discount South Africa. Back in 2001, India were dismissed for 171 after Waugh had stretched Australia’s innings to 445 all out. If Monday sees that kind of drama, the roof might just come off a stadium that’s already half rubble.

Cricinfo staff15-Mar-2010Chris Hartley, the Queensland wicketkeeper, has been named the Sheffield Shield Player of the Year following an outstanding season with bat and gloves. Hartley accepted the award at the MCG on Monday before turning his attention to Wednesday’s Shield final against Victoria.Hartley collected 17 votes during the season to pip Damien Wright (16), the Victoria bowler, and New South Wales’ Phillip Hughes (14) for the top prize. The Bulls have relied on Hartley throughout their campaign and his 774 runs are a record for a Queensland wicketkeeper in a season. He also took 41 catches to be behind only Luke Ronchi on the list of dismissals.Victoria’s Brad Hodge was the FR Cup Player of the Series while David Warner and Kieron Pollard shared the Twenty20 prize. South Australia had another trophy-free campaign on the field but they were recognised with the Benaud Spirit of Cricket honour for their hard but fair play. New South Wales collected the women’s version of the award.South Australia’s Dan Christian, who made his Twenty20 international debut last month, was the Lord’s Taverners Indigenous Cricketer of the Year and Steve Davis won the Cricket Australia Umpire award. Sarah Elliott, Victoria’s middle-order batsman, was the WNCL Player of the Series while Alex Blackwell, the Australia captain, was recognised for her exploits in the Twenty20 tournament. The Australian Cricketers’ Association teams were also named at the function.ACA four-day team of the year Ed Cowan (Tas), Phillip Hughes (NSW), Michael Klinger (SA), George Bailey (Tas, capt), Usman Khawaja (NSW), Steven Smith (NSW), Chris Hartley (Qld), John Hastings (Vic), Ben Cutting (Qld), Trent Copeland (NSW), Peter George (SA), David Hussey (Vic, 12th man).

ACA one-day team Michael Klinger (SA), Phil Jaques (NSW), Brad Hodge (Vic), George Bailey (Tas, capt), Lee Carseldine (Qld), Travis Birt (Tas), Matthew Wade (Vic), John Hastings (Vic), Xavier Doherty (Tas), Ben Cutting (Qld), Nathan Rimmington (Qld), Daniel Christian (SA, 12th man).

ACA Twenty20 team Shaun Marsh (WA), David Warner (NSW), Brad Hodge (Vic, capt), Tim Paine (Tas), Kieron Pollard (SA), James Hopes (Qld), Chris Simpson (Qld), Daniel Christian (SA), Aaron Heal (WA), John Hastings (Vic), Shaun Tait (SA), Brad Knowles (WA, 12th man).

Andrew Symonds’ sparkling 54 gave Deccan a defendable total, which they protected with an inspired fielding performance led by Rohit Sharma and disciplined bowling

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera18-Apr-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Deccan Chargers won five games in a row to qualify for the knockout stage•Indian Premier League

They were the IPL’s nomads, they needed to win five games in a row to reach the semi-finals, and things looked heavily loaded against them. But Deccan Chargers, the defending champions, made it. On a slow pitch at Feroz Shah Kotla, Andrew Symonds’ sparkling 54 gave Deccan a defendable total, which they protected with an inspired fielding performance led by Rohit Sharma and disciplined bowling. Paul Collingwood kept Delhi in the chase until the end but he lacked the firepower, and support, to pull off a victory.It boiled down to Delhi needing 17 runs in the final over and Chaminda Vaas bowled exceptionally, mixing his slower ones with near-perfect yorkers. Deccan had earlier wobbled at the start before the Symonds show and slowed to a crawl post his fall to reach 145 for 7. It was a slow pitch, better than the previous tracks in Delhi though, and the chase was unlikely to be a stroll for the hosts. And it wasn’t.Rohit, who contributed only 11 the bat, took a couple of breathtaking catches to tilt the game Deccan’s way. He flew low to his right at first slip, grabbing a one-hand catch to remove Virender Sehwag. In the seventh over, he flung himself to his left at short midwicket to get rid of Gautam Gambhir. Both his catches, however, were created by clever bowling. Vaas, who replaced Ryan Harris, had deceived Virender Sehwag with a slower off cutter and Pragyan Ojha had beaten Gambhir in flight, forcing him to drag the ball squarer than intended. Between those wickets, Tillakaratne Dilshan had fallen while trying to paddle scoop. The slower one from Harmeet Singh trapped him in front as he moved across.The loss of three quick wickets had derailed the chase and, considering Paul Collingwood’s recent struggles against spin, Delhi depended heavily on Dinesh Karthik. When Mithun Manhas was run out after a mix-up with Collingwood, Delhi needed 78 off 49 deliveries. Karthik entered the fray but didn’t last long. The delivery from Ojha landed on middle and off stump and turned just enough to go past Karthik’s bat and hit off. Collingwood hung around for a while and was even dropped couple of times by, of all the people, Rohit and Symonds but couldn’t finish it off.It was an inspired bowling performance from Deccan but if it wasn’t for a superbly-crafted knock from Symonds, the bowlers would not have had much to defend. The story of their innings was summarised after the first time-out in the tenth over. Amit Mishra bowled with a slip and a silly point to the new batsman Mitchell Marsh, but when Symonds came on strike most fielders were back patrolling the boundary. Delhi were on the attack and knew only one man posed a threat. Marsh preserved his wicket and allowed Symonds to play a fine knock.Symonds initially reserved his aggression for Amit Mishra. The legspinner troubled Symonds with his googlies, which he picked only off the pitch, but he would time and again counterattack with a muscled hit. He moved down the track to lift a legbreak over long off, followed it by biffing a googly into the same stand and slugged a flighted delivery from outside off over long-on. In between, he edged a legbreak between the keeper and first slip and just when Mishra was seemingly on the ascent, Symonds would break free. Symonds crashed Tillakaratne Dilshan’s offbreaks for two sixes and even played a delicate late cut against Paul Collingwood to collect a boundary.Deccan had reached 116 for 4 in the 15th over and things were set for a final assault when Symonds fell. Mishra had just switched to bowling from round the stumps to Symonds and had his man chipping straight to long off. Delhi applied the squeeze from then on, just as they had done in the first half of the game, but the total proved beyond their reach.

From the summit of playing South Africa at one of world’s finest cricket grounds Afghanistan now step back to the Associate level which they are beginning to dominate

Andrew McGlashan at Kensington Oval06-May-2010Eliminated but far from embarrassed. Afghanistan need feel no shame at all as they depart the World Twenty20. Getting here was one of the sporting stories of all time and they certainly haven’t disgraced themselves against India and South Africa. Now their coach, Kabir Khan, wants the cricketing world to embrace Afghanistan and help them sustain their development by inviting the team for one-day and Twenty20 matches.Afghanistan can’t play matches at home – and it will be years until they can – and facilities are limited to one grass pitch so it will need wholehearted philanthropy from the global game to help. They currently have ODI status and Khan called on the top nations to give his side a chance in limited-overs matches to ensure the players’ growth can continue.”They have to play a lot more than a game or two. We’ve got ODI status and we can play Twenty20 internationals against any country in the world so the teams need to invite us,” Khan said. “They could invite players for training camps, they could invite them into the domestic games as professional or semi-professional, we don’t mind, but they should play cricket.”We want all the big cricket countries to help us in that. We’ve got talent, the boys are quite ready. They are quick learners and we expect that all the cricket nations watching us will help in that regard.”Khan hopes that being on television in front of millions will have been the ideal shop window for a number of his players and that they might attract interest from overseas. “It was good to see them on the television and they have been exposed,” he said.”As a coach that’s what I’m happy about because we want them to play tough professional cricket in other countries with a contract in South Africa, Australia, England or India. The main aim is to play for their country, but to get professional cricket they have to play the top countries. If you want to get used to facing the likes of [Dale] Steyn or [Morne] Morkel, or anyone on top of the world, they have to play against them in domestic cricket.”When the Afghanistan chase crashed to 32 for 8 against the type of pace bowling they’d never seen before it appeared they would leave with the unwanted record of the lowest Twenty20 international score. However, spirit and fight oozes through the line-up and gutsy innings from Mirwais Ashraf and Hamid Hassan, who earlier bowled superbly to take 3 for 21, hauled them above Kenya’s 67.”They were really quick, bowling at 90mph and there was swing as well so it was very difficult for our batsmen to face them,” captain Nowroz Mangal said. “They got early wickets and took the game from us.”And there was some style about the lower-order display, too, as the ninth-wicket pair hit four sixes between them, including one by Ashraf, off Albie Morkel, that cleared the Garry Sobers Pavilion and bounced into the net area. That followed a highly accomplished bowling display where South Africa were made to work hard for each of their 139 runs with Jacques Kallis’ 34 the top score as Mangal led from the front with three fine catches.Hassan lived up to his billing as the team’s poster boy with a display of death bowling as good as anything in the tournament so far. He, along with allrounder Mohammad Nabi, are two Afghanistan players who have had a taste of cricket overseas after they both were part of the MCC Young Cricketers scheme, while Nabi also plays domestically in Pakistan.”As a coach I am quite satisfied with their performance against the two top nations in the world – cricket wise and facilities wise – and they performed well,” Khan said. “Against India there was all sorts of pressure on them; there was television, there were the big stars, there was the crowd and they coped with it very well. Today, to restrict a batting line-up like South Africa to 139 is a big achievement so there are all sorts of pluses for them.”The key is they need to be exposed to that pressure again and again and then they’ll get used to it. On a bowling machine you can put it to 90mph but you can’t have Dale Steyn bowling at you and swinging the ball. So you have to face those bowlers to get the experience. Because my team are quick learners when they play against South Africa or India again they will do much better.”From the summit of playing South Africa at one of world’s finest cricket grounds Afghanistan now step back to the Associate level which they are beginning to dominate, but this experience will have left with them with a lifetime of memories. Now they want some help to make sure they come back again.

It is tempting to look at these matches – two Twenty20 internationals between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, being played in the USA – as precisely the reason why tournaments like IPL prosper

The Preview by Sidharth Monga21-May-2010

Match Facts

Saturday, May 22, Start time 1530 (1930 GMT)
Sunday, May 23, Start time 1200 (1600 GMT)
Can Mahela Jayawardene win new fans with his methods that are far removed from what the USA expects from its baseball hitters?•AFP

The Big Picture

It is tempting to look at these matches – two Twenty20 internationals between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, being played in the USA – as precisely the reason why tournaments like IPL prosper. Twenty20 is the best vehicle for the globalisation of the game, which somehow – rightly or wrongly – seems to be a big concern for the administrators. The ICC sees the USA, with a team full of Asians and a country boasting enough immigrants to constitute a crowd for a match, as a prospective market. Since the two teams had been to the Caribbean, why not have them stop over on their way back.Yet, on another level, there is much to suggest that this series is yet another example of the ICC sanctioning an ill-timed series, one without context. It hasn’t been even a week since the end of the World Twenty20, and the fatigue, even for the slam-bang format, was evident among the audience during the bilateral series earlier this week between West Indies and South Africa. It would have been foolish to expect anything but in the first place: there is only so much Twenty20 people can take.In any event, it is going to be a huge weekend for cricket in the USA, especially as a venue. Already the series has been cut short because of poor floodlighting. It is the first time two Test teams are playing in America, and how the matches go from an organisational point of view will have a bearing on the future of international cricket in the USA.There has also been concern over whether New Zealand and Sri Lanka, small countries with small diaspora, will be able to attract enough supporters, leave alone taking the game to the natives, which should be the real aim. The onus will be on the teams to play attractive cricket; it is not easy to make a pitching-obsessed nation fall in love with bowling. They can’t turn up jaded, like West Indies and South Africa did, three days after the World Twenty20 final.

Form guide (most recent first)

New Zealand LWLWW

Sri Lanka LWLWW

Watch out for…

Mahela Jayawardene and Daniel Vettori are the complete antitheses of hitters and pitchers from baseball. If they are both at their best, who knows the Americans might just see the light.
The pitch and conditions are a complete unknown. “There’s a New Zealand groundsman here looking after it [the pitch] and preparing it,” said Ross Taylor. “To be honest, we don’t really know what to expect.” Isolated thunderstorms are also forecast for the weekend.

Team news

Between the World Twenty20 and now, New Zealand have lost Jesse Ryder to another injury, and Shane Bond for good. Gareth Hopkins has a knee injury so Brendon McCullum is likely to keep wicket, while offspinning allrounder Rob Nicol is set to make his debut.New Zealand (possible): 1 Brendon McCullum (wk), 2 Aaron Redmond, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Jacob Oram, 7 Daniel Vettori (capt.), 8 Rob Nicol , 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Ian Butler, 11 Andy McKay.Sri Lanka should retain their combination from the World Twenty20 before Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya take a break.
Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Mahela Jayawardene 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt. & wk), 4 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 5 Chamara Kapugedera, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Chinthaka Jayasinghe, 8 Thissara Perera, 9 Suraj Randiv, 10 Thilan Thushara, 11 Lasith Malinga.

Stats and trivia

• Brendon McCullum, at 1081, is the highest run-getter in T20Is. Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, with 743 and 711 runs, are numbers four and five on the list.
• New Zealand have won four out of their seven games against Sri Lanka, including their latest victory in the World Twenty20.
  

  Quotes

  “Miami is a new place for all of us. Most of the guys haven’t been to the States. We’ve had a look around, went to a baseball game. It’s something different, going out of your routine of playing against top nations in venues you’re quite familiar with. It will be good fun.”
  
  
  “We’ve been waiting a long time for this. This is part of what we’ve been calling Destination USA. We took, with the board’s help, a view to try and bring in the best teams in the world and show that the United States is open for business as far as cricket is concerned.”