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In almost 30 years as a Test-playing nation Sri Lanka have gone from minnows to maestros and, in the last year, halfway back. They have begun a tough tour of South Africa by suffering injuries to key players in the lead-up to the first Test, which starts on December 15 in Centurion. Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka’s second-highest run-getter in Tests, is one of the players in doubt for the first Test after he split the webbing on his right hand during Sri Lanka’s drawn warm-up match against a South Africa Invitation XI in Benoni. He does expect to play a part in the series, though, and said the team would prove a point to themselves and their opposition.”We are in a transition period and are coming to terms with new players coming into the side, especially younger ones,” Sangakkara said. “We know where we stand as a group. It’s important for us to understand that and work with what we have.”In recent times, Sri Lankan cricket has been run by interim committees appointed by the country’s sports minister. The most recent of these interim committees was dissolved in November with board elections set to be held in January next year. Sangakkara said the changes at the administrative level did take a toll on the team. “There has been quite a big change in the sense of personnel coming in and out really quickly. Once we come to an understanding of how we want to build in the future as a side, we will have a lot more settled intent and a settled kind of feel to us.”For now, their intent lies in putting on a competitive performance against South Africa. Their tour began with a rain-hit warm-up match in which openers Tharanga Paranavitana and Tillakaratne Dilshan found form, and Mahela Jayawardene was allowed some time in the middle. Although a shortened tour match was not ideal, Sangakkara said the team were relatively happy with what they got out of the match, particularly from a bowling perspective.The Sri Lanka attack was depleted when Nuwan Pradeep tore his right hamstring after bowling just ten balls on the second day in Benoni, but Dilhara Fernando and Rangana Herath enjoyed fairly successful spells with the ball. “The benefit was in getting out there, getting used to conditions, understanding what lengths to bowl to try to get wickets and really coming to grips with the challenges South African wickets are going to present for the bowlers,” Sangakkara said.Since the retirements of Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka’s bowling has been a major concern but Sangakkara hopes that this tour will help the team move on from that. He said they should focus on finding new talent to take them forward. “You get one Murali and that’s it. It’s important for us to come to terms with that mentally. We are not looking for the next Murali. We are looking for the next best spinner to come and win games for us. He might not take 800 wickets but I think the guys we have on tour are good enough to do a job for us.”In Benoni, Herath played both a containing and an attacking role, and most importantly was successful on a surface that offered no help for spinners. It is that quality that Sangakkara says makes Herath a top-class competitor. “Spin has come to play a major part in all formats of the game, much more than ever before. If you are a good spinner you should know and be able to work on how to take wickets on pitches that don’t assist you.”Although Sri Lanka have been warned against going into a Test in South Africa with two frontline spinners, they may be forced to because of the deluge of injuries that have hit their fast-bowling department. Ajantha Mendis, famous for his variations, is the other spinner in the squad, and Sangakkara said Mendis would have to concentrate on accuracy rather than magic balls. “It’s nice to have that x-factor. But Test cricket is about being disciplined, bowling in the right areas, ball after ball, over after over, and exerting pressure on the opposition.”Sri Lanka remain hopeful that one of either Nuwan Kulasekara or Dhammika Prasad will be fit enough to rejoin the tour, and perform a containing role. With five injured fast bowlers, Sri Lanka have had to answer questions about the fitness of their quicks and Sangakkara agreed that they have to work on their stamina.”The fast bowlers must start working on their bowling loads. They have to get their bodies used to the load that international cricket demands of you.”The series is one that many expect to be decided by the gulf between the two teams’ pace attacks but Sangakkara said there could be more to it than just that. “South Africa has always depended on pure pace and skill with the ball when it comes to fast bowling. But they’ve got a good spinner in [Imran] Tahir. It will be interesting to see whether the wickets will assist them [spinners] enough for them to break open games.”

Match facts

South Africa v Australia, November 9-13, Cape Town
Start time 1030 (0830 GMT)Will Mitchell Johnson be as fearsome as he was two years ago?•AFP

Big Picture

Whoever heard of a heavyweight bout scheduled to be played over two rounds? Even before South Africa and Australia begin the first Test in Cape Town, the abiding sentiment among the two teams is that the series they are about to play in will be an incomplete contest. The series was squeezed to two matches from the original three by the Champions League Twenty20 and South Africa’s desire to play T20 internationals in addition to ODIs. With all this in mind, the players’ best avenue to ensuring future series are played over three matches is to make sure the cricket played in these two is vibrant, undulating, and tough.Fortunately South Africa and Australia have a history of providing exactly that over 18 years since they resumed Test match combat in 1993-94. Australia have won a majority of the series between the two sides, but South Africa have also landed plenty of blows, not least in 2008 when they became the first team to win a series in Australia since 1993. Australia responded by winning the return series in 2009, with a formula not dissimilar to the one that will be utilised this time. As in 2009, Australia will enter the series with a less impressive team on paper but a little more match hardness than their opponents, who have not played a Test since January. The agile captaincy of Australia’s new leader Michael Clarke will provide another rich sub-plot.At the top of the order, Phillip Hughes will want to emulate his memorable debut in that series, though mindful that South Africa’ bowlers now have a far better idea of how to bowl to him. Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting will also want runs after a quiet series in Sri Lanka, while Shaun Marsh can stamp himself firmly on the No. 3 spot by performing with similar assurance to that he showed on the subcontinent. With the ball Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson appear an ideal duo for Clarke to attack with, but questions remain over how they will be augmented, with the energy of Peter Siddle competing against the sly mediums of Trent Copeland. Nathan Lyon has a mid-term mortgage on the spinner’s spot, provided he can keep contributing.South Africa have made one significant change, recalling Jacques Rudolph, and are likely to make another by handing spin duties to the legspinner Imran Tahir. His inclusion gives the South Africans arguably the most complete attack they have had since rejoining Test cricket, as an accomplished, attacking spin bowler rather than the finger-spinning fighters – Paul Harris, Nicky Boje and Pat Symcox to name three – before him. Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel have been warming up for the contest, adamant they will not allow Hughes in particular the sort of latitude he had two years ago. Ponting and Clarke will also be in their sights, though greater fireworks may be seen on Johannesburg’s livelier pitch in the second Test.

Form guide

South Africa: DLWDD
Australia: DDWLL

In the spotlight

Graeme Smith gave up the ODI and T20 captaincy to give himself more room to concentrate on Tests, and after an extended break now is his time to make good on that promise. Runs at the top of the order, in a series when the bowlers on both sides are fresh and in decent rhythm on what are expected to be helpful pitches, will be sought after, and Smith will have the added requirement of shepherding a new opening partner. As a leader, Smith will be up against an opposite number in Michael Clarke, who has only led his country in four Tests but has already showed enormous natural flair for the role, and who will endeavour to make his opposite number look flat-footed in terms of tactics, much as he did to Tillakaratne Dilshan in Sri Lanka.Ricky Ponting isn’t one for reading too many stories about himself, which this week is just as well. There have been plenty of questioning pieces written about Ponting, suggesting he is in the twilight of a Test career that has spanned 15 years and has now gone beyond the captaincy, something no Australian captain has done at length in the past 30 years. His batting mechanics remain sound enough, but Ponting’s once faultless shot selection and concentration remains in the clouded zone it occupied during the final months of his captaincy. A long innings could bring it all back, but a few more short ones could bring it all crashing down.

Pitch and conditions

Cape Town’s surface has been the subject of much theorising so far, and early inspection revealed a pitch that offered hope to both the pace bowlers via plenty of grass, but also the spinners thanks to a prominent bare patch at one end. Some rain is forecast for the opening day, but sunnier skies are predicted thereafter.

Team news

Doubt about AB de Villiers’ readiness after a broken digit has ebbed away, leaving the South African side reasonably settled. Tahir is expected to come in for his Test debut at the expense of Harris, and if he does, there could be a toss-up between Vernon Philander and Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Rudolph will make his return to the Test team at the top of the batting order.South Africa (probable): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Jacques Rudolph, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 Ashwell Prince, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Imran Tahir, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe.Australia’s only major questions surround the shape of the bowling attack, with Siddle and Copeland duelling for the third seamer’s spot behind Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson. Siddle’s good rhythm and fuller length in recent times, added to his solid record in South Africa in 2009, is likely to give him the edge over the ultra reliable but less pacey Copeland.Australia (probable): 1 Shane Watson, 2 Phillip Hughes, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Ricky Ponting, 5 Michael Clarke (capt), 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Nathan Lyon

Stats & trivia

• South Africa’s last Test match was also in Cape Town, against India in the first week of January, a gap of some 305 days.
• Australia have not lost a Test series in South Africa since the South Africans were re-admitted to international cricket. A 1-1 draw in 1994 was followed by 2-1 wins in 1997 and 2002, a 3-0 victory in 2006 and another 2-1 win in 2009.
• In Cape Town, Australia have won three of the four Tests at Newlands since 1994.

Quotes

“The hard thing about Test cricket is maintaining that pressure and intensity the whole time. The more Test cricket you have as a base, you can maintain that pressure and intensity for longer periods.”
“It’s not about the pretty cover drive. You’re not going to get too many chances to hit one of those. It’s definitely a mental battle.”
“Newlands at this time of the year is a little bit of an unknown. I haven’t played too many Tests at this time of the year. The wicket will be a bit different to what we are used to. So far this season, the wickets haven’t been the easiest to bat on. Through the three one-dayers, you saw that no batsmen really got a grasp on things and I expect it to be pretty similar.”

Peter Roebuck fell to his death from his Cape Town hotel room while being questioned by police about an alleged sexual assault, it has been reported. A police statement said the circumstances surrounding Roebuck’s suicide were being investigated.Western Cape provincial police spokesperson Frederick van Wyk was quoted by Reuters as saying that “a cricket commentator committed suicide by jumping from the sixth floor of his hotel.” He died on impact.A report in the , Roebuck’s employers, said he was questioned in his room at the Southern Sun Hotel by a Cape Town detective and a uniformed police officer from the sexual crimes unit from around 9 pm.Roebuck, who the report said was agitated, asked a fellow cricket journalist for help. ”Can you come down to my room quickly? I’ve got a problem,” he said. He asked for help to find a lawyer and for contact to be made with the students he helped to house in Pietermaritzburg, near Durban.Minutes later, the reported, Roebuck fell to his death from a window. It is believed only the uniformed officer was in the room. Paramedics rushed to the hotel but Roebuck was pronounced dead.Police established a crime scene and took personal items from the room, including a laptop.Colonel Vishnu Naidoo of the South African Police Services, told ESPNcricinfo that they suspect no foul play and that it was a suicide. He said there would be an inquest, after which the SAPS would make a statement; he said he expected that to be “next month”.In 2001 Roebuck received a suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to common assault for caning three young South African cricketers he had been coaching. ”Obviously I misjudged the mood and that was my mistake and my responsibility, and I accept that,” he’d said at the time.

Mohammad Zaka Ashraf, the new PCB chairman, is due to take charge on Monday, ten days after his appointment was confirmed. Ashraf has been winding up affairs in his former job as chairman of the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) but his relative silence on cricketing matters since his appointment has increased the sense of enigma, especially in contrast to the colourful and controversial regime of Ijaz Butt.When he does take charge, Ashraf will find a pretty full in-tray left by his predecessor. At the international level, Ashraf’s job will be to win some credibility back for the PCB, handle the results of the spot-fixing case currently on in London and also balance out the various lobbies in the ICC in Pakistan’s best interests. His immediate task will be to negotiate with the Bangladesh Cricket Board over the choice of the vice-president’s candidate for the ICC. ESPNcricinfo understands that while the PCB is currently involved in internal turmoil, the BCB has already begun working on firming up its choice.Butt’s tenure exposed the loopholes in the PCB’s administration, with the power of the chairman being exercised and exposed with dramatic consequences. There is an anxiety in the PCB offices because the new broom may want to sweep clean, starting with key personnel within the selection committee, the post of director of international cricket – currently held by Intikhab Alam – and the Chief Operating Office Subhan Ahmed. Zaheer Abbas, who was keen on Ashraf’s job, is said to be a leading contender for the COO’s job with Basit Ali finding his way on to the selection committee. The important job of head coach of the national team will perhaps be the single most discussed decision early on in his tenure.Ashraf’s ascent to the highest position in Pakistan cricket is, as always, a political appointment – he is famous for his proximity to President Asif Zardari – but given a fresh twist by the fact that, unlike his predecessors, he has had no links with cricket other than as a normal viewer. It is perhaps why there is some anxiety in the PCB and across Pakistan cricket that Ashraf will apply a more corporate stamp on the game; while possibly free of the upheaval of the Butt years, it may mean no more than a cosmetic administrative reshuffle at a time when foresight and clear decision-making are required.However, there are signs of hope, most significantly from Ashraf’s role as head of ZTBL, whose cricket team signed on several key players – including internationals Imran Nazir, Sohail Tanvir, Yasir Hameed, Rao Iftikhar and Mohamamd Khalil – to establish its name in first-class cricket. Among his peers in the banking and agricultural sectors he is respected and considered to have maintained some degree of integrity; given his political connections, though, genuinely neutral appraisals of the man are hard to find.Instead, comparisons are drawn between his and his predecessor’s cricket experience. Butt played Test cricket and had been part of the national administration since the 1980s, and a figure in Lahore cricket even before that. Ashraf’s slate is comparatively blank but one of his predecessors, Gen Tauqir Zia, says being a ‘cricket insider’ is not a mandatory qualification for the job.”From the administration point of view I don’t think a cricketing background is a must for the chairman,” Zia told ESPNcricinfo. “In our cricketing history and even around the world most of the chairmen or presidents aren’t cricketers; it’s a plus point if you have two qualifications in one person but passion towards the game is must.”Zia then spoke of Ijaz Butt. “He is a former cricketer but the PCB had a poor experience with him. So it’s not really a matter of concern whether you are a cricketer or executive, what’s important is you must be good enough to carry on the administration with the correct strategy and the right frame of mind. You have to be professional enough to deal with any variety of cricketing matters. And, given that you’re working with a large bunch of top sportsmen, you must have extensive man-management skills. “Ashraf will need all those skills over the coming weeks and months to try and tackle everything that is on his plate.

South African players, through the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA), have distanced themselves from the ongoing spat between CSA chief executive Gerald Majola and the body’s president Mtutzeli Nyoka. This comes after CSA said on Friday, at the conclusion of its annual conference, that the national team said Nyoka was a “poor example” because he allegedly breached CSA’s media protocol.”The players are not involved in this issue and have expressed no views in favour of, or against, one side or the other,” Tony Irish, SACA chief executive said. “There have been no letters or statements by the players or by SACA as suggested in some reports.”A letter, written by national team manager, Mohammad Moosajee was presented to the board at their special general meeting on September 8, about his concerns. Moosajee said that he was worried about enforcing protocols and holding the players accountable for their actions in the media if the most senior office bearer of the body is not doing the same.While not stating it explicitly, Moosajee was referring to incidents that have taken place over the past year in the national media. This includes an interview that Nyoka gave to Johannesburg’s biggest talk-radio station, 702, in January in which he called Majola a “liar” and accused him of being dishonest about the IPL bonuses that were paid to Majola and 40 CSA staff. Nyoka has also made various references to corruption in cricket and South African society.The latest development in the CSA saga is a second motion of no confidence in Nyoka, which was tabled at the same meeting. The first attempt to oust the president took place on the eve of the World Cup in February and was said to be a distraction to the players as they entered an important tournament.The national players have not commented on the issue but Moosajee, as manager of the team, has penned the letter to express his concern about the potential for setting a poor media example. He confirmed that the players have “nothing to do with the letter.”Irish said that although the players are not involving themselves in the saga, they would like to see it reach a speedy conclusion. “SACA and the players do however appeal to the leaders within CSA to do whatever they can to resolve the current differences within the organisation in order to prevent further damage to the game.”

Lasith Malinga, the Sri Lanka fast bowler, was named in the 16-member squad for the first three One-Day Internationals against Australia but is likely to miss the series opener at Pallakele Stadium on Wednesday.Chairman of cricket selectors Duleep Mendis said that although Malinga has been named in the squad, he is has been advised to rest. “We have been advised by the team physio to rest Malinga for the first ODI,” Duleep said. “We will consider him for the remaining matches.”Malinga, who retired from Test cricket in April, missed the two Twenty20 Internationals against Australia due to a back injury. He has been under treatment since then but showed that he was on the road to recovery by bowling in the nets prior to being included in the one-day squad.Duleep stated that the selection panel would review the performance of the players in the first three games and if necessary make changes to the squad for the remaining two matches.

ScorecardSouth African allrounder Johan Botha showed his international pedigree at Derby to give Northamptonshire a rare Friends Life t20 victory and end Derbyshire’s faint hopes of reaching the last eight.Botha conceded only 14 runs from his four overs of off-spin and than scored an unbeaten 54 from 48 balls as the Steelbacks cruised past the Falcons’ 133 for 5 to seal a seven-wicket win – only their second in the North Group.Derbyshire needed an unbroken stand of 82 in eight overs from Garry Park (50) and Ross Whiteley, who hit 39 from 26 balls, to give them a respectable total. However, Botha and Rob White, who weighed in with 51, ended the home side’s chances of victory.The Falcons had been struggling to reach three figures after thoughtful tight bowling restricted them to 66 for 5 after 15 overs. Martin Guptill drove the first ball to the boundary but that proved deceptive as the Steelbacks bowled straight and full to frustrate the batsmen.After Wes Durston was caught behind and Greg Smith was leg before wicket padding up, Wayne Madsen was run out backing up before Guptill failed to clear long-off. t the halfway mark, Derbyshire were 46 for 4 and when Chesney Hughes was caught behind in the 12th over, Northamptonshire were firmly in control.Derbyshire did not hit a boundary for 12 overs until Park drove Rob Keogh for six but that broke the shackles as Whiteley swept the spinner high over the midwicket boundary. Whiteley drove Jack Brooks for another six as 67 came off the last five overs, although Andrew Hall strangely ignored strike bowler David Lucas – who had conceded only eight runs from two overs.Northamptonshire were still only chasing a modest total and although they quickly lost David Murphy to a brilliant leaping catch at cover by Guptill, White and Botha steadily chipped away at the target.It might have been different if White had not been dropped by Hughes at slip before he had scored but Derbyshire were never able to exert any pressure on the second wicket pair – who added 109 to take the Steelbacks to the brink of victory.White drove and pulled Jon Clare for three consecutive fours to reach his half-century from 43 balls and Botha reached the milestone in style by pulling Whiteley over the midwicket boundary. White was caught behind cutting at Mark Turner, who then bowled Alex Wakeley. However, the fast bowler then sent down a wide to give the visitors victory with 10 balls to spare.

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt is likely to have an informal discussion on the Pakistan Task Team’s (PTT) report with the ICC’s top brass and PTT members during the Lord’s Test between England and India beginning on July 21. It will be the first, albeit unofficial, meeting between the PCB, the ICC and the PTT since the report was published.”The chairman will be going to Lord’s, although there is no formal meeting scheduled there,” PCB’s chief operating officer Subhan Ahmad told . “But it is likely he will have informal discussions with ICC president [Sharad Pawar] and chief executive [Haroon Lorgat], and Giles Clarke, the head of the Task Team, and some of its members.”The Pakistan board, in its reply to the PTT’s recommendations, had pointed out that apart from a short visit by Dave Richardson, the report had been prepared without the Task Team actually visiting Pakistan. It, the PCB response said, raised “serious questions on the observations given in the report”. There have been reports of Clarke and Lorgat visiting Pakistan, and it could be one of the issues that come up at Lord’s, according to Ahmad. “So far we have no official intimation about the Task Team visiting Pakistan soon, but at Lord’s this could be discussed by the ICC and the Task Team with our chairman.”We told the task team many times that they needed to visit Pakistan while compiling their report,” Ahmad said, adding that the board would still welcome any proposed trips by members of the panel to Pakistan.In a further sign of a potential thaw between the board and the ICC over the matter Ahmad said the board had only dismissed the recommendations it felt were redundant or based on inaccurate information. “The constructive recommendations and proposals by the task team which are good for Pakistan cricket are under consideration,” Ahmad said. “We are looking at ways to implement them soon.”Ahmad dismissed suggestions that the PCB’s initial cold response had soured relations with the ICC. “We appreciate the ICC and task team’s intentions to help and support Pakistan cricket. Our relations remain very good and there is no confrontation on this matter,” he said.The ICC set up the Task Team, following the attacks on the touring Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009, to look into reviving Pakistan’s reputation as an international cricket host. Since then, the parameters of the PTT have grown to take in integrity and governance issues. At the ICC’s annual conference in June, the PTT had presented a 38-page report listing 63 far-reaching recommendations, which included changes to the board’s administration, to the process of selection, managerial appointments, the central contracts pool and even the kind of ball used in domestic cricket.

Nic Maddinson hopes that some words of wisdom from his childhood idol Justin Langer can help him star during the Australia A tour of Zimbabwe. At 19, Maddinson is the youngest member of the squad, which departs on Saturday for a series of one-day and four-day games, but he’s already achieved plenty in his short career.There have been two cricket trips to India and one to New Zealand, where he helped Australia win the Under-19 World Cup, and last summer he became the youngest New South Wales player to make a century on first-class debut. He completed the feat at 18 years and 294 days, and by the end of the season he had a second hundred to his name.His arrival on the scene was reminiscent of Phillip Hughes, who three years ago became the youngest man to make a century in a Sheffield Shield final. But whereas Hughes has an unconventional style, Maddinson plays with a more classical technique, similar to his close friend and housemate Usman Khawaja.Perhaps Maddinson can now add some Langer-style mental toughness to his elegant game – not that he has struggled for concentration at the crease so far in his career. Langer is Australia’s assistant coach and has been working with the Australia A players during their camp in Brisbane, and Maddinson said it was a thrill to pick the brains of one of his heroes.”The partnership that him and Hayden had, as a young left-hander it was something that I looked up to,” Maddinson told ESPNcricinfo. “A few years ago when I got the opportunity to start opening, he was definitely an idol. I’ve had the opportunity the last month to do some work with him up at the Academy. It’s been excellent and something I’ll take in to the tour.”I’ve talked to him about the approach to batting and how he goes about things, a few of his experiences. Talking away from cricket and different tours and what goes on. It was excellent for me to see him because he was my idol. It was great to learn from him about cricket in Australia and how he came through the system and went on in his career.”One characteristic Maddinson shares with Langer is the desire to bat for long periods of time. When he was called into the New South Wales Shield side last season, he jumped at the chance to open with his club team-mate Phil Jaques, and went on to compile 113 during 206 minutes at the crease with Jaques and Khawaja there to support him.”I just love having the ability to bat all day and go at your own pace,” he said. “That was where I got the opportunity to open, which is what I like to do. Having Hughes and Warner and Jaques and Katich and Watson around, when I got the opportunity to open I just wanted to do well and prove that I could do it at that level.”During the past month in Brisbane, Maddinson has also impressed Tim Paine, the Australia A captain. Paine hadn’t met the young opener before, but was immediately struck by Maddinson’s level-headed nature, and what he described as “a quiet, unflappable demeanour”.”He’s your typical left-hander,” Paine said. “He looks pretty elegant when he hits the ball. He hits the ball very late and watches it very closely. I think he’s going to be a pretty handy player to have in our top three. It looks like his position where he’ll be batting on this tour is going to be No.3. He just looks like a quality player already at a young age.”It’s been a rapid rise for Maddinson, who moved to Sydney from Nowra on the south coast of New South Wales, where his father is a plumber and his mother a hairdresser. If he performs well in Zimbabwe, higher honours could await in the near future, but equally he knows that with the glut of openers in New South Wales, simply establishing himself in the state side next summer is enough of a goal.”It was a massive surprise to be picked for Australia A,” he said. “I was really honoured to be named in the 25 and looked around the squad at other guys who have played a lot of state cricket and are doing really well, so I thought I wasn’t going to get the opportunity to play.”My main goal for the year is cementing my spot and contributing and hopefully being able to win the Shield at the end of the year for New South Wales. Simon Katich is going to be back full-time this year. It’s going to be hard work. If I get the opportunity to open I’d love to do that again.”One thing that Maddinson can count on is being given opportunities. And if he grabs them, he’ll be one step closer to following Langer into Test cricket.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
On the fourth day Ravi Rampaul and Darren Sammy were spot on, as West Indies registered their first Test win in over two years•AFP

Quite suitably, it took an up and down day to end an up and down Test, a cracker between two faltering sides. At the end West Indies had wrapped up their first and most significant Test win in over two years, since they beat England at the start of 2009. Ravi Rampaul and captain Darren Sammy were at the centre of it, taking eight wickets between them to lead the side to a 40-run win in Providence. Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal battled but Pakistan had been outplayed, their batting as brittle as ash.Though Sammy took five wickets, Rampaul was actually the key, the best fast bowler in this Test by some distance. Devendra Bishoo’s arrival has taken the limelight away from Rampaul, for whom, in a normal non-dysfunctional cricket set-up, this would be hailed as a breakthrough performance. He’s bustled in all game, with pace, intelligence and movement.He was terrific yesterday and began similarly today, generating incoming swerve and then more off the surface. Asad Shafiq’s charmed but vital hand was defeated early by one such delivery, coming in and going through. He gave little away in that first six-over spell. Then, after lunch as the ball softened and got old, he raced in for a spell of subtle reverse swing, dismissing the stubborn Abdur Rehman in his second over back.In between, Sammy took over, playing a real captain’s hand. Bishoo and Kemar Roach had looked particularly flat in the morning, so Sammy brought himself in and at his gentle pace, immediately started getting some inswing. The key intervention came in his third over – two wickets in three balls turned around what was becoming Pakistan’s morning. He found enough late in-drift to first trap Misbah and then Mohammad Salman lbw; the latter’s leg-before took the total number of such dismissals in this Test to a world-record 18.After tea he picked up three more in a similarly simple manner: pitch on a length on off and bring it in. Umar Gul was first and then came the killer blow, Akmal. The pair were trapped in successive overs before Saeed Ajmal was bowled to cap the win.With Misbah and Umar putting on a breezy 52 in the morning, the game had been shifting into Pakistan’s control. But the fragility of their batting is swiftly becoming legendary, especially in chasing small-ish targets. Misbah continued his extraordinary revival as captain-batsman with a seventh fifty in eight Test innings, employing a familiar method designed to frustrate and exhilarate equally. Most deliveries he blocked, as you might with the Most Exaggerated Forward Defense in world cricket.But he does possess a keener mind than most Pakistani batsmen and his mini-assault in the morning on Bishoo was well-conceived. Having been tied down against him through the Test, he suddenly lofted him straight for a big six. In the next over, he lofted him through midwicket for a boundary and the field spread, Bishoo a little rattled.With him, Akmal provided such easy impetus that the surface was forgotten about. He’d already cut a faltering Bishoo, before producing a sumptuous drive on the up off Rampaul. Soon he began to look so good, cutting square, picking through the leg side as well as driving to bring the target under 100, that a rash dismissal felt inevitable, as it so often does with him.At lunch, he was still around though, poised between his most significant Test innings and yet another pretty but futile hand, and the game was just about still on. Post lunch, he went soon enough, another of the latter in his bag, and one of Pakistan’s more shocking recent Test defeats was sealed.