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Earlier, Quinton de Kock scored a 70-ball 94 but South Africa lost 6 for 31 and were bowled out for 251

The Report by Liam Brickhill06-Mar-2019South Africa lost 6 for 31 this afternoon, but the hosts’ bowling attack then reversed the treatment to dismantle Sri Lanka’s chase under lights at Centurion. Kagiso Rabada led the attack with 3 for 43 and Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje and Imran Tahir all struck twice as the visitors collapsed from 92 for 3 to 138 all out in pursuit of 252. On a pitch that encouraged both seam and spin, South Africa had also been bowled out short of their full complement of overs, and were thankful for Quinton de Kock’s 94 and Faf du Plessis’ 57 as Sri Lanka’s bowlers, lead by Thisara Perera’s 3 for 26 in his 150th ODI, also shared the wickets around.Had Niroshan Dickwella and Avishka Fernando been able to set aside quick runs and simply survive Rabada and Ngidi’s opening bursts, the job would only have become easier for Sri Lanka on a pitch that remained generally good for batting – cracks aside – throughout. But the visiting openers instead sought to go after the new ball, without much success.Dickwella backed away into a wild, top-edged pull that was safely pouched by de Kock in the third over – Rabada’s 100th ODI wicket – and Avishka swiped a four and a top-edged six before he was bowled swinging across the line at Ngidi not long after. Rabada bowled what could be his fastest spell of the summer with the new ball, reaching speeds of as much as 151.8kph.Nortje didn’t find the dry track at the Wanderers on Sunday much to his liking, but there was a little more pace in this pitch and he was off to the perfect start when he found the leading edge of Kusal Perera’s bat with his first ball of the evening. While not quite as quick as Rabada, Nortje topped out at 148kph in his first spell, and also played his part in the field.His direct-hit from short third man found Kusal Mendis short of his ground and run-out for 24, with the batsman furious at the miscommunication with Oshada Fernando that brought his downfall. Oshada soon joined him in the dressing room, trapped lbw by Nortje with Sri Lanka in the mire at 92 for 5.When de Silva chipped Rabada tamely to du Plessis at midwicket Sri Lanka were six down, and South Africa forced the issue by bringing in a slip and a short leg in and coming around the stumps at Akila Dananjaya. Imran Tahir then got to work on the lower order, a double-strike in his eighth over further denting Sri Lanka’s chase.Thisara Perera holed out to deep cover the ball after he had slogged Tahir onto the grass banks over midwicket, and Kasun Rajitha was pinned in front by a quick googly first ball. Rabada and Ngidi returned to deliver the last rites, with South Africa field-testing David Miller as a back-up wicketkeeper as the match reached a swift conclusion.South Africa’s innings had collapsed in similar fashion this afternoon, but the hosts had been given a strong start by de Kock, who missed out on another possible hundred but put together a 91-run opening stand with Reeza Hendricks. He looked set to reach his first limited-overs hundred of the summer when an expansive swipe into the leg side brought only a top edge that was easily snaffled by Dickwella behind the stumps. Du Plessis kept the score ticking over with his half-century, but his dismissal sparked a collapse as South Africa slipped from 220 for 4 to be bowled out with almost five overs of their innings unused.De Kock burst out of the blocks with four boundaries in the arc between backward point and wide long-off in Vishwa Fernando’s first over. He thrashed 11 boundaries inside the first Powerplay, raising a 36-ball fifty – his 20th in ODIs and sixth against Sri Lanka.Hendricks’ departure in the 15th over barely slowed de Kock, and with back-t0-back boundaries off Akila he motored through the 70s. Then he took Dhananjaya on, plundering 15 from his second over of the innings. But with a 14th ODI ton in sight, he fell against the run of play to give Sri Lanka the opening they were searching for.Rassie van der Dussen came and went for just 2, while Wiaan Mulder batted in fast-forward, hitting the first four balls he faced to the boundary, but was then bowled around his legs by Vishwa to leave South Africa wobbling at 176 for 4.Du Plessis and David Miller shored up the innings with a 44-run stand, du Plessis raising his fifty and going past 5,000 runs in ODI cricket in the process. But his dismissal, bowled by a delivery from Thisara that kept low in the 37th over, started the slide in earnest.In the space of just under nine overs, South Africa’s lower order collapsed in a heap. It had been expected that conditions here would suit the side batting second, and all the indications were that South Africa were 30 or 40 runs short of where they could have been. But the all-round brilliance of their bowlers meant that their 251 was plenty, and they will go to Durban 2-0 up.

Tim Paine not 100 percent sold on new rule governing player withdrawals

Daniel Brettig in Southampton21-Jul-2019Australia are coached by a former batsman in Justin Langer who had to have a doorway physically blocked by his captain Ricky Ponting in order to prevent him re-entering the field after a serious blow to the head.In a famous episode, Langer was barred from coming out to bat at the end of a thrilling fourth innings chase against South Africa at the Wanderers in 2006, ultimately achieved by Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz with eight wickets down. Langer, despite serious concussion, doggedly put the pads on with 10 runs still to win.”To tell the truth I don’t know what I would have done,” Ponting said at the time. “If we needed two to win and he had to go out and be on strike I was probably going to have to declare or do something like that, which would have been pretty hard. He said to me then he wouldn’t have spoken to me ever again as long as he was alive. If it comes to that again, I am just going to have to knock him out.”He was probably only ever going to go out there if he could stand at the non-striker’s end. We couldn’t risk or afford him having to face any deliveries. Medically over the last couple of days his situation hasn’t changed. It was going to take me and probably a few other blokes to keep him in the dressing room if it had got down to that.”That being the case, it is not so surprising that the captain Tim Paine is less than 100 percent sold on the concept of players being withdrawn and substituted from Test matches due to concussion. Even if Cricket Australia and its sports science division have led the way on pushing for concussion substitutes, ever since the death of Phillip Hughes highlighted the vulnerability of the head in 2014.”I know the rule has come in. I think you’ll be hard-pressed to make guys pull out of a Test match,” Paine said in Southampton. “It’s going to be interesting to see how it works.”We’re all for player safety and improving that space. But it’s new to me as anyone and it’ll be interesting to see how it’s worked and policed. I find it quite fascinating that you can replace a guy halfway through a game. Again, we’ll wait and see how that works.”Approval of concussion substitutes for the Ashes as part of the inaugural world Test Championship was a keynote decision at the ICC annual conference in London following the World Cup.However, it left a few questions open that remain to be answered: will each Test venue have a demonstrably independent doctor on hand to determine concussions at arm’s length from either team? Will decisions be enforceable irrespective of variable symptoms? Will teams either home or touring stock themselves with additional squad members just in case?Whatever the answers, the area will be a source of interest throughout the Ashes, given the batteries of pace assembled on either side. Certainly Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will be eager to match the pace of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins by series end, the better for Australia to prepare by way of a bareknuckle internal trial in Southampton this week.”I think it will be a proper game, Paine said. “Both sides will be looking to win and both sides will have individual players wanting to do really well to press the final case for Ashes selection. We certainly don’t expect it peter out on the second innings or play around with a run chase or anything like that. At the moment it’s a fair dinkum game of cricket and that’s been made really clear.”Over the years the opposition in tour games has, I wouldn’t say it’s got worse but I don’t think opposition cricket boards have helped each other prepare as much as they used to. You’ve had to find different ways in your preparation to make sure everyone is ready to go for Test match intensity. And obviously a series of Ashes magnitude we thought it was a great idea and as close to a Test match as we think we can get it’s a perfect preparation.”Usman Khawaja will be the one name missing from the game, as he recovers from a hamstring strain, although Paine left open the possibility that the Test No. 3 may get a bat towards the end of a self-regulated fixture. There is no question as yet regarding his availability for the first Test in Birmingham.”I don’t think he’s in serious doubt. He’s in a rehab stage so the decision has been made that he won’t at this stage,” Paine said. “There is a possibility, maybe, if something were to happen to someone else he might be right for the back end of the game. But we expect him to be fully fit and available for selection for the first Test.”

Willey plays allround role on return to Headingley to seal emphatic victory

ECB Reporters Network20-Jun-2023Former Yorkshire T20 captain David Willey made a winning return to Headingley as his Northamptonshire side dented the Vikings’ Vitality Blast quarter-final hopes by comfortably defending a 181 target thanks to fellow pacer Tom Taylor’s stunning career best five for 28 from four overs.Willey hit a breezy 28 and claimed two wickets with left-arm swing as the Steelbacks posted 180 for six and bowled Yorkshire out for just 102 inside 16 overs. But 28-year-old Taylor was the main man in a 78-run win.This came after the Vikings had slumped to a record low 68 all out in defeat to Derbyshire at Chesterfield on Sunday.Willey’s former team dropped out of the top four quarter-final qualifying places following their fifth defeat in 11 North Group games, while his current charges won for the fifth time to keep their hopes alive with three games remaining.After Willey elected to bat, Germany international Justin Broad’s inventive unbeaten 47 off 32 balls with six fours was the best of a quartet of useful contributions in a Northamptonshire innings which stopped and started.Fledgling leg-spinner Jafer Chohan shone with a career best one for 13 from four overs for the Vikings, who then slumped to 22 for four in reply and couldn’t recover.Ricardo Vasconcelos underpinned an excellent visiting powerplay at 55 for one with 37, though he was the only man to fall when Dawid Malan took a well judged catch at cover off Jordan Thompson.And his wicket with the penultimate ball of the sixth over started a Steelbacks’ stumble.Chohan, 20-years-old and in his 11th T20 game, was at the heart of things having not bowled at Chesterfield when Yorkshire conceded 212 for four against Derbyshire in that aforementioned Sunday loss.He removed Chris Lynn for three off a top-edged sweep, with Adam Lyth taking a well judged catch like Malan’s running around from short fine-leg – 70 for two in the ninth.And more damage followed as Emilio Gay miscued a high catch off Thompson to mid-off for 40 and Saif Zaib was run out by a striker’s end direct hit from Shan Masood at short third – 94 for four in the 13th.That was the first of three run outs in an innings revived by South African-born Broad, aged 22 and in only his third county appearance, and Willey.They shared 60 inside five overs before Willey was run out at the striker’s end coming for a third for 28 off 18 balls following good work at deep midwicket by Bess and thrower Mike.AJ Tye hit two sixes in 12 before falling short thanks to a direct hit from Thompson in his follow through.Northamptonshire’s good end to their innings, including Broad hitting two of the last three balls to the boundary, was then carried forwards with the ball as they reduced the Vikings to seven for two inside 15 balls.Ben Sanderson had Lyth skying to short third, where Zaib took a good catch on the run over his shoulder, and then Willey had James Wharton caught behind.This was not the pitch for a 200 plus total as is the norm at Headingley, and Yorkshire already looked in trouble.Any doubt surrounding that theory was soon removed.Willey bowled Masood as he gave himself room to play through the off-side before Matthew Revis was bowled by Sanderson, another ex-Tyke, in the next over as the score fell to 22 for four in the sixth.Not even in-form Malan’s presence at the crease could revive Yorkshire.Seamer Taylor struck twice in two balls in the ninth over, with Jonny Tattersall caught at third and David Wiese bowled for a golden duck as the score fell to 49 for six.Taylor later returned to bowl Mike and Malan, for 34, and get Thompson caught at wide mid-off. Australian Tye finished things off by bowling Chohan.

The former legspinner will leave his role as the head coach of Pakistan’s NCA with immediate effect

Umar Farooq25-Oct-20181:39

‘Hopefully, I will make a positive difference to West Indies cricket’ – Mushtaq Ahmed

Former legspinner Mushtaq Ahmed has ended his stint as the head coach of Pakistan’s National Cricket Academy to take up a consultancy role with West Indies. He is set to become the assistant coach and is on a contract that will need him to commit 150 days in a year.He was to begin with the India tour, but couldn’t link up with the squad because of visa glitches – Pakistani nationals have found it hard to obtain work visas for India due to strained political ties. His first assignment will be West Indies’ upcoming tour of Bangladesh, where they are slated to play two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is.Mushtaq’s contract with the NCA was renewed for a year in April after weeks of uncertainty. At the time, he was also contemplating offers from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and West Indies but decided to stay back to put himself in the fray to become Pakistan’s spin bowling coach. However, he signed a month-long contract as spin consultant with Cricket West Indies before rejoining the NCA.Having previously worked with England, Mushtaq was Pakistan’s bowling coach for 18 months being replaced by Azhar Mahmood last year. Since then, he’s been an integral part of the NCA set up in Lahore.

Wood has already picked eight wickets and Mayers has displayed two stunning shows of power-hitting

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2023Lucknow Super Giants may have lost to Chennai Super Kings on Monday night after leaking 217 runs, but their bowling coach Morne Morkel sees the rise of their two international players as “a bonus” in the IPL. Mark Wood has already picked up eight wickets after hauls of 5 for 14 and 3 for 49, and Kyle Mayers is only behind Ruturaj Gaikwad on the run-scorers’ list following scores of 73 off 38 and 53 off 22 balls.”There’s a lot to like about Mark Wood. He’s running in, he’s bowling at 150, that aggressive length,” Morkel said after the match. “He’s a strike bowler for us. It’s only his third game in the IPL. He’s still finding his feet in the subcontinent, especially in the IPL, where the margins are quite tough and it’s a lot of quality players. So, for me, it’s just talking through different periods where he’s possibly going to bowl and ensure he’s clear with his plans.”But one thing about Woody is that he’s won a World Cup, he’s got a lot of experience, he’s played for years in the England team that knows the recipe for success. So, yeah, my advice for him is not to over-think it now that he’s playing in the IPL. He’s been picked for a reason – he’s bowling pace; make use of that as best as possible and, yeah, target certain batters to really go and express himself.”Related

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Wood has certainly done that in the two matches this season. Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, Sarfaraz Khan and Axar Patel were among his five against Delhi Capitals, and against Super Kings, he had Devon Conway, Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni.It’s not been a bad start for Mayers either. He is currently top on ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats for Total Impact, with 235.52 impact points, with Gaikwad (212.51) at No. 2 and Wood (156.75) at No. 3. (Click here to read about ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats)”Very happy to see Kyle [perform]. I have played with him a little bit at St Lucia Zouks back in the day [in the CPL]. It’s amazing to see him sort of move on, he’s progressed into a quality white-ball player,” Morkel said. “Saw him in Durban [in the SA20 league] and he played these sorts of innings where upfront he really puts the bowlers under a lot of pressure. And to see him now in top form is also great.”It’s no secret that Mayers’ form has caused a happy headache in the Super Giants camp. After all, he was only the back-up for Quinton de Kock, who should be arriving soon for them after finishing the Netherlands ODIs at home. What happens then?2:50

Did Super Giants get their batting order wrong?

“How we’re going to work that out, luckily that’s not for me to think about,” Morkel said. ” But yeah, it’s fantastic to see him (Mayers) upfront, firing, and playing well and in form.”However, Super Giants fell short in their massive chase despite powering to 79 for 0 in 5.2 overs before Mayers got out. Even though they got close in the end, their Nos. 3 and 4 – Deepak Hooda and Krunal Pandya – fell for just 2 and 9 in the next two overs. On ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time:Out show, Tom Moody, said the fall of the first wicket was the ideal time to send out Nicholas Pooran. Super Giants instead batted Pooran at No. 6, when they were 105 for 4 and needed 113 off the last 10.”They had a good start with Mayers and KL Rahul… got them off to a flier, really more courtesy of Mayers’ beautiful striking. At that point, when the left-hander got dismissed [in the sixth over], Nicholas Pooran had to come in at that point,” Moody said. “Because that was the last over of the powerplay and at that point, MS Dhoni had no choice really but to play a left-arm spinner at some point, whether a Santner or Jadeja. And Pooran has got a phenomenal record against left-arm spin.”I know that he’s selected to be that middle-order finisher but this is a different situation, this is where you’re chasing a huge total, you need your trump card.”

The 34-year old former captain retired from all formats in February after a record 251 matches for Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2018Former Australia captain Alex Blackwell has become the first woman in the 159-year history of New South Wales cricket to be elected to the board.Blackwell, 34, retired from all formats in February after a record 251 matches for Australia. She led her country to victories in the Ashes and the World T20, and was even more prolific in domestic cricket. It was only four months ago that she won her 14th Women’s National Cricket League Trophy for New South Wales.”I grew up loving the game and am grateful for all the opportunities that cricket has given me,” Blackwell said. “I want to continue contributing to the game and thank the Cricket NSW members for the faith they have placed in me to do that at Board level.”I have been fortunate to play during a rapidly expanding era in women’s cricket and being the first woman elected to the cricket NSW board continues that journey. Cricket in Australia has never been watched or played by more people, particularly women and girls, and I am keen to help ensure that continues.”There have been other women on the Cricket NSW Board – notably former director Rina Hore and current director Patricia Forsythe – but Blackwell is the first woman to be elected by members.Chief executive Andrew Jones pointed to this development as a consequence of governance reforms. “Until 2016 Elected Directors could only be drawn from a pool of 34 club, Zone and association delegates, all but one of whom were male,” he said. “Now members can nominate anyone for election they believe to be qualified. This important change allows members to elect people the calibre of Alex as directors without them needing to be delegates first.”Blackwell will continue captaining Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League.

The dispute is over an agreement signed in April 2014 to play bilateral games – an agreement that has not been honoured and shows no signs of being so

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Sep-2018The backstory first
In 2014 the PCB offered conditional support to the Big Three’s revamp of the ICC. Under the agreement, which the PCB claims is binding, Pakistan were supposed to play six bilateral series as part of the reworked eight-year Future Tours Programme (FTP) cycle between 2015 and 2023. Four of those series would be hosted by Pakistan, comprising 24 matches across three formats; and the six tours would include up to 14 Tests, 30 ODIs and 12 T20Is.The two sides have not played a full bilateral tour since Pakistan’s last visit to India in 2007. A year later, in the aftermath of the terror attacks in Mumbai, ties became strained. Pakistan did tour India for a limited-overs only series at the end of 2012, though both countries play regularly in ICC events and faced off twice in the recent Asia Cup.They have an agreement you say. So why no play?
According to the PCB, it is only because the BCCI has not been independent enough from its government’s stance of no ties with Pakistan.And the BCCI says what?
They have maintained at every meeting with PCB that it has no authority to allow India to play Pakistan in a bilateral series. That decision lies only with the Indian government. The PCB doesn’t agree, insisting that the BCCI has lacked the will to convince the Indian government. PCB officials argue that if India is allowed to play Pakistan at neutral venues in global tournaments, then why not bilateral series?I’m presuming the ICC has done…
The ICC has maintained a studied neutrality throughout, except in one instance. Last year the ICC chairman Shashank Manohar advised the PCB against taking legal recourse. Manohar is understood to have told the PCB that it would spoil the relations with BCCI “for life” if it pressed legal proceedings against the BCCI.Manohar essentially seconded the BCCI line, saying India could only play Pakistan bilaterally subject to permission from the Indian government. The PCB walked out of that meeting in London, feeling Manohar was “pleading” the BCCI case and not acting in neutral fashion.Which, presumably, left the PCB with no choice but head to the ICC disputes panel?
The PCB felt that the BCCI should not have signed the letter of intent as part of the MoU if it did not have its government’s permission. Having failed to get a positive and concrete response from the BCCI, the PCB finally sent a notice of dispute to the BCCI last May.The PCB has claimed losses of up to USD 70 million from the failure of the BCCI to play two series, in November 2014 and December 2015. The PCB used the prospect of these series to sell its media rights and in their absence, the board claims to have suffered these commercial losses.In addition, the PCB had several good faith meetings as prescribed under the ICC rules. However, those meetings went nowhere, compelling the PCB to adopt this last course of action: the dispute resolution committee. Consequently, the PCB sent a dispute notice to the ICC last November, which will now be heard by an independent committee.Which lucky souls get to hear this case then?
The Disputes Panel is made up of three members: Michael Beloff, chair of the panel, who had previously been part of the ICC tribunal that had banned Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir for their roles in the spot-fixing scandal, along with Jan Paulsson and Dr Annabelle Bennett.Will the decision of the dispute panel will be final?
Yes, the decision, the ICC has pointed out, will be “non-appeallable.”

The captain was proud of the way his squad rallied to end the tour on a high and hoped it would be a spark for more consistent performances away from home

Peter Della Penna in Lauderhill06-Aug-2018Saturday night in Florida, Bangladesh faced long odds to defeat the reigning T20 world champions.Not only were they 1-0 down after a series-opening loss in St Kitts, but Bangladesh were heading to a venue for the remaining matches where West Indies were not only undefeated but had recorded two of their three highest totals in the format: 209 for 2 against New Zealand in 2012, and 245 for 6 against India in August 2016.A little after midnight on Sunday, Bangladesh etched a page in their own history books by completing a remarkable comeback courtesy of a Lauderhill sweep of West Indies to win the T20I series 2-1. With 2.5 overs to go in the match and West Indies well behind the par score in the chase, a second rain interruption occurred, but the majority of the overwhelmingly partisan Bangladesh crowd stayed back even after the match was called off. They were rewarded with a victory lap through the rain led by captain Shakib Al Hasan who paid tribute to the crowd for giving his squad an emotional lift in a series win.”So many Bangladeshis, they came from different parts of the US,” Shakib said at the post-match presentation. “They were supposed to fly back today but they stayed back because we won yesterday. Thanks to them because we never felt like we were away from home. Obviously, it was a long series and in the end the support we got, I think they played as 12th man.”Shakib was declared the Man of the Series for the role he played in a stirring pair of victories in Florida. The captain scored 84 runs and took a combined 3 for 41 in eight overs across the final two wins, his bowling figures especially impressive considering the traditionally high-scoring venue. He said his 60 off 38 balls while batting first in the second T20I spurred him on to deliver with the ball as well.”I think I was batting well throughout this series,” Shakib said. “I was hitting the ball well. I think that gave me a lot of confidence. That helped me bowl well and captain well. I was planning to prepare myself as well as I can to perform well and as I said, really proud of the boys the way they showed their character.”Everyone, even the guys who are not playing put the hard yards, they are always in the game for the team. Whenever they are needed, they try to help the team out so nothing more I can ask from the team.”The captain was especially proud of the way the rest of the squad stepped up after being behind in the series heading into Lauderhill. The openers provided fiery starts with Tamim Iqbal scoring 74 off 44 in the second match and Liton Das hammering 61 off 32 in the decider. Mustafizur Rahman also took three wickets in each win.Nazmul Islam took 3 for 28 in the second match but suffered a freak injury on the third ball of his spell the next day when he got tangled up with Chadwick Walton at the non-striker’s end while attempting a diving stop to a straight drive from Marlon Samuels. Walton momentarily lost his balance after Islam’s dive resulted in a collision and he inadvertently stepped on Islam’s left hand, with the spikes producing a nasty gash to force Islam off the field for the rest of the night. But Soumya Sarkar stepped up to fill in his overs and struck two balls later to get Walton. It was emblematic of a collective team effort.”After losing the first game, we showed a lot of character,” Shakib said. “We had the belief that we can win matches. Everyone had that belief that we can come back strongly and win matches. We played against the world champions and the way all the boys showed their character, we take a lot of confidence from here on. Because our record doesn’t show this, it’s a great performance especially in T20 so from now on hopefully we can kick on.”The T20I series win was part of a limited-overs double for Bangladesh, having won the preceding ODI series 2-1 as well. Considering the way West Indies dominated Bangladesh in the two Test matches to start the tour in a 2-0 sweep, Shakib was proud of the way his squad rallied to end the tour and hoped it would be a spark for more consistent performances away from home.”We have been doing really well in ODIs for the last three-four years,” he said. “Since the 2015 World Cup I think we have been really good. This T20 series will give us a lot of confidence that we can beat the big teams and we know now how to win matches, especially tight, tight matches.”We kept on losing so many matches that went close but now we are starting to win. This is the confidence we can take. Obviously, we need to work on our Test cricket but obviously back home we are doing really well. Just now we have to go overseas and try to do our best and get some results.”

The allrounder and wicketkeeper-batter have had a fruitful time batting together

Andrew McGlashan07-Sep-2022It feels like there is something significant stirring in Australia’s middle order.Not for the first time this year, Cameron Green and Alex Carey joined forces to define a match. They had done it twice before at crucial junctures: in the third Test against Pakistan, they added 135 to build what became a match-winning first-innings total, and during the opening Test against Sri Lanka, they added a quick 84 on a spiteful surface to ensure a decisive lead.On Tuesday in Cairns, they combined to turn what appeared a likely defeat into a gripping victory, putting on 158 for the sixth wicket after Australia had been in a mess at 44 for 5.Related

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They have now batted together twice in ODIs and have already added 239 runs for the sixth wicket, albeit the 81 they accrued against Pakistan in Lahore came in a heavy defeat.Their runs against New Zealand came after Carey had been pushed down from No. 4 to No. 6 and Green moved a slot higher than originally listed to No. 7 after Australia’s early collapse. There is the natural complementary element of a right-hander and a left-hander, but there is clearly something that is clicking between the two when they join forces.”Batting with Kez [Carey] is awesome,” Green said. “He just puts so much pressure back on the bowler. He’s always looking to score and I think that complements both of us. We are both guys who like to rotate the strike and obviously a left and right combination. Hopefully there’s a few more [partnerships] with him in the future.”Green had to battle severe cramps in the closing stages of the chase – he said on Wednesday that it was a problem he has had to deal with throughout his career and when he played Aussie Rules football as a youngster – but for the most part had appeared unflustered by the challenge in front of him.”We enjoy batting together, we work really well,” Carey said. “He scores pretty freely at the other end and we just bounce off each other nicely. You saw that he can come in any time so that’s a great feather in his cap. He’s a really calm character with bat, ball and in the field. Just goes about his business. We know how good he is but [he’s] taking this format [up] another step.”Green has become part of Australia’s ODI side as they experiment with a deep batting order. Having played Ashton Agar in the last two matches against Zimbabwe following Mitchell Marsh’s injury, they reverted to that model by recalling Marnus Labuschagne in Cairns. It means that on some occasions, Green’s immense batting talents won’t be fully utilised, but having a Test-class batter to rescue Australia last night was key against the moving ball.Despite it being just his 11th ODI, in the post-match presentation Green said his first half-century was a “monkey off his back” and he explained that it was more about having a template to use again. “Everyone wants to get that first one so you have an innings to look back on, so I can see how I went about it and replicate it in the future,” he said.It feels inevitable that as the years go on, Green will move higher – No. 4 would not be over promotion when the vacancy arises – but for now he is focusing on expanding his white-ball batting, particularly power-hitting early in an innings, and will get a chance with the T20I side on the upcoming tour of India.”[Hitting from ball one] is definitely something you have to work [on],” he said. “Doesn’t really come naturally to anybody, maybe a few of the best in the world, but it’s something everyone has to work on. Building your innings slowly comes a bit more naturally to most people.”Everyone aspires to be [a three-format player] but will just have to wait and see how heavy the schedule is, how much time you get to actually improve your T20 game.”

A win ensures India cannot lose the six-match series, but injury-hit South Africa return to Newlands, a place where they’ve won 28 of the 33 ODIs played

The Preview by Firdose Moonda in Cape Town06-Feb-20185:21

Cullinan: 250-270 will be a good score

Big Picture

India find themselves in the same position that South Africa were in after two matches in the Test series – 2-0 up with a trophy in their sights – but there’s more than just one match to play. A victory at Newlands will guarantee India at least a share of the spoils but the way they are playing suggests they want much more.South Africa have been ravaged by both wristspin and injury, and have already reached the point where they need to do something drastic to avoid a complete downhill spiral. Kagiso Rabada stressed the need to “speak the right language” in the changeroom and to keep believing they are still in it. While Rabada comes across composed, there must be some panic in the ranks, especially because the batsmen just aren’t putting up good enough totals.Exactly why South Africa struggle against wristspin may take longer than this series to figure out, but for the moment, their issues appear to have been caused first by a tendency to play tentatively, as all but Faf du Plessis did in Durban, and then by an overcompensation in attacking. Their approach in getting forward is better than the one of staying back but the hosts need to be more selective in their shots and astute when picking the variations.It will take time and experience to overcome what seems to be a long-running concern but South Africa only have 10 days. Four matches will be played between Tuesday and February 16, and South Africa need to win them all. They don’t actually to win them, though, because this series has been talked of as the start of ‘Vision 2019’ and so they may chalk up their defeats to learning and let it be.From their position of dominance, India will only want to keep playing the attractive, aggressive style of cricket that has put them in this position. As Rabada said, “When you’re winning, you don’t ask yourself too many questions.”

Form guide

South Africa: LLWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India: WWWWL

In the spotlight

An XI bereft of experience will need more from Hashim Amla than usual, both in terms of runs and guidance, particularly against spin. Of those left in the line-up, Amla is the most accomplished against the turning ball but even he has managed only 39 runs in the series so far. Not only will Amla want to contribute much more but he will have to lead by example to minimise the spin threat.He has not had the opportunity to contribute much with the bat or behind the stumps so far but in MS Dhoni India have what South Africa lack: an elder statesmen, a purveyor of advice and a presence that inspires confidence. Dhoni has enjoyed the best view in the house as the spin twins have operated, and has had a say in setting strangling fields. And the best may still be on the way. If South Africa give India something meaty to chase, you can be sure he will be among those standing up.

Team news

In Quinton de Kock’s absence, Heinrich Klaasen will debut at Newlands but South Africa also need a replacement opener. Aiden Markram, who in his third match was given the responsibility of captaining, will play his second match as captain and will partner Amla at the top. JP Duminy will have to move into the No. 3 spot, with Klaasen slotting in lower down, but then South Africa have to decide whether they’d prefer an extra batsman in Farhaan Behardien or an extra bowler in Andile Phehlukwayo. The second specialist spinner, Tabraiz Shamsi, is likely to be left out.South Africa: 1 Hashim Amla 2 Aiden Markram (capt) 3 JP Duminy, 4 Khaya Zondo, 5 David Miller, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 8 Chris Morris 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Morne Morkel 11 Imran TahirIndia didn’t make any changes from Durban to Centurion after concluding that there was no need to mess with a winning combination. They’re still winning, so it’s likely they will be unchanged.India: 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Ajinkya Rahane, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Pitch and conditions

Newlands produced the most agreeable pitch of the Test series, at least as far as the South Africans are concerned. The hosts will be looking forward to getting back to a happy hunting ground. Rabada mentioned the possibility of some nip for the seamers, but history regards this as a batsman’s venue. The average first-innings score in the last six ODIs is 311. Wednesday is predicted to be a hot day with temperatures reaching 30C in the afternoon.

Stats and trivia

• Among South Africa’s major grounds, Newlands is their most successful. They have won 28 out of 33 matches at the venue, a win percentage of almost 85
• The last time India beat South Africa in a bilateral ODI series was in February 2010
• Of the batsmen in South Africa’s current squad, JP Duminy has performed best at Newlands with 301 runs in eight matches at 37.62 and three fifties. Hashim Amla has only 190 runs in six matches here, at 31.66 with two fifties

Quotes

“There are a few problems. I wouldn’t say there are a lot. Sometimes when you do badly it seems like there’s a lot more going on. Failure is going to happen.”