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Hampshire claimed a quite unexpectedly straightforward victory even though Michael Carberry, so often their match-winning performer in limited-overs cricket, was out of sorts.

Ivo Tennant at the Ageas Bowl30-May-2014
ScorecardOwais Shah made an unbeaten half-century against his old county•Getty ImagesHampshire claimed a quite unexpectedly straightforward victory even though Michael Carberry, so often their match-winning performer in limited-overs cricket, was out of sorts. Doubtless he would wish to have another innings in the one-day series between England and Sri Lanka but Hampshire did not even have to seek his release from involvement at Lord’s. Given that Alastair Cook was properly fit again, he was indeed surplus to international requirements.So Carberry journeyed back to the south coast, only to prod around the crease uncertainly even before he swung Matt Salisbury to deep-square leg. He had not scored. Fortunately for Hampshire, who know their conditions and not least a slow pitch, James Vince is in rather better form. Jimmy Adams, free from the responsibilities of captaincy in this form of the game, was soon driving through the covers to good effect and Owais Shah was in the touch of his salad days. His unbeaten half-century included three fours and three sixes against Essex, his former county.An unattractive lunge at the same bowler resulted in Adams’ dismissal, the ball spooning up to midwicket, but Vince, who may well be regarded as a better bet for England – both in the one-day game and Test cricket – in the years to come, reached a half century off 42 balls with three fours and two sixes, altogether making batting appear a more simple affair than anything that had gone before. Shah, whose fielding earlier had not been altogether sound, gave him ideal support. One swept six off Salisbury was worth the admission in itself. Hampshire won with as many as 16 balls to spare.On a sluggish pitch on which the ball initially did not come onto the bat – although bowlers such as Matt Coles are so adept at slower deliveries these days that it is not always easy to gauge – Essex fell some 30 runs short of what they would have reckoned on achieving. Put in, they only properly dominated a varied attack when Ben Foakes was in partnership with James Foster.Foakes is talented, make no mistake. Even if one did, Graham Gooch, who rates him highly, would correct anyone uninformed. One extra cover drive off Danny Briggs, who was bowling with customary control, was the classiest shot of the innings. When he fell through a leading edge that was held at mid-off, he had made 43 off 34 balls.Foster, whose six over extra-cover off Sean Ervine was the best improvised shot of the night, was unbeaten with 29 from as many balls when Essex ran out of overs. Indeed, the final blow, a pulled six by Tim Phillips off Coles, who might perhaps have been better off completing his spell from the Pavilion end, where he had maintained exemplary control, gave the total more of a respectable look.Other than that, Jesse Ryder was soon caught at third man, Tom Westley swung across the line at Briggs and was bowled, Mark Pettini was bowled by Will Smith lying back and attempting to drive through the off side ring, and Greg Smith was stumped by Adam Wheater off Briggs. Not a particularly distinguished innings, but then run-making appeared to be an exacting task at times. At least it did until Vince came to the wicket. The margin of victory was quite beyond what Essex would have anticipated, given they were unbeaten in this south group. For Hampshire, there is no over-reliance on Carberry.

With losses in their opening games, Dolphins and Chennai Super Kings find themselves with a set of similar challenges ahead of their match on Monday

The Preview by Rachna Shetty21-Sep-2014Match factsMonday, September 22, 2014
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)3:49

The pressure is on – Fleming

Big pictureOn most days, having reduced the opposition to 51 for 5, Chennai Super Kings would have backed themselves to canter to a win. Against Kolkata Knight Riders in their opening game of the Champions League T20, however, Super Kings’ early advantage, built up by Ashish Nehra’s strikes, faded against the blitz from Andre Russell and Ryan ten Doeschate.MS Dhoni later put down the loss to the fact that his team did not have enough runs on the board. There were a few close decisions that went against Super Kings, but the top order was also effectively stifled by the Knight Riders’ spin attack. Against Dolphins, the top order will be tested again, this time by the South African franchise’s pacers Kyle Abbott, Craig Alexander and Robbie Frylinck. The trio tied down Perth Scorchers in the Powerplay, giving away just 32 runs in six overs, but they will find themselves faced with a tougher challenge when they run in to bowl against Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith, who are part of one of the stronger batting line-ups of the IPL. Super Kings will hope their top order can set a better platform for a big finish.Apart from needing their top orders to fire, both teams also need their bowlers to maintain pressure after a few tight overs and quick wickets. Against Scorchers, Dolphins gave away 49 runs in the five overs following the Powerplay. Super Kings’ spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja struggled against Knight Riders and the five overs they bowled between them cost 54 runs, giving a struggling chase second wind. Against Scorchers, the Dolphins batsmen showed an ability to come back hard at the bowling and it will be important for Super Kings to apply pressure throughout to avoid another surprise charge.The track at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore is known for being well-suited to batting and that trend may continue during Monday’s game as well. The teams will also have to factor in a chance of rain in the evening.Morne van Wyk’s experience and knowledge of Indian conditions is important but the side also needs runs from him at the top•BCCIForm guideDolphins LWWLW (most recent first, completed matches only)
Chennai Super Kings LLWWLWatch out forAs captain of the side, one of its senior-most batsmen and one half of one of the franchise’s more successful opening partnerships, Morne van Wyk carries the responsibility of being an important player for Dolphins. Equally important for the side is his knowledge of subcontinent conditions gathered from his time with the South Africa team during the 2011 World Cup and during a season of the IPL for Knight Riders.His return to the Super Kings side after having spent most of IPL 2014 sidelined by injury showed why Dwayne Bravo is one of the core members of the team. As a batsman, he switched gears, along with MS Dhoni, to push the total past 150 and with the ball, he sent down a few quiet overs. Bravo did not have a great Caribbean Premier League for Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel, but his early form in the Champions League has looked good.Stats and trivia 30 – The number of sixes MS Dhoni has hit in the last over of a T20 innings during 24 innings for India and Chennai Super Kings In the current squad, Robbie Frylinck has taken the most wickets for Dolphins in T20s. In 34 matches, Frylinck has 35 wickets at 22.97. Kyle Abbott has 33 wickets in 32 games. Yusuf Abdulla is the overall leading wicket-taker for Dolphins in T20s.

How have the two continental giants fared as they’ve made their way to Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations showpiece?

Getty ImagesMatchday One

Zimbabwe came within seconds of holding Senegal in the two sides’ tournament opener, with Sadio Mane stepping up to bag a 97th-minute penalty after Kelvin Madzongwe was penalised for a handball in the box.

The Teranga Lions headed into the game with only 18 players due to injuries and coronavirus diagnoses, but monopolised the possession in a one-sided encounter.

Nonetheless, their game lacked precision and a cutting edge amidst humid, energy-sapping conditions.

For Egypt, things were even tougher, as they were blown away by a rampant Nigeria side, who should have won more convincingly than 1-0.

AdvertisementGettyMatchday Two

Yet another turgid performance from Senegal, as they and Guinea ground out a 0-0 victory with the Syli Nationale slightly edging the possession stakes.

Egypt bounced back from their victory over Nigeria with an unconvincing 1-0 triumph over Guinea-Bissau, who thought they’d nabbed a late equaliser when Mama Balde bagged a goal of the tournament contender after cutting in from the left flank.

VAR ultimately ruled out the stunning effort, denying the islanders a second point, and getting the North Africans back to winning ways.

BackpagePix.Matchday Three

Mohamed Abdelmomen scored the only goal of the game for Egypt as they downed Sudan in a low-key encounter in Yaounde, with the Pharaohs largely faring well with their opponents’ long-ball approach but unable to carve open clear opportunities.

Senegal were even more effectively neutralised in Bafoussam, playing out an underwhelming 0-0 draw against their lowly opponents.

At this stage of the tournament, while both Senegal and Egypt were largely looking solid, neither were truly looking like title contenders.

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Quarter-finalEgypt took their game to new heights when faced with high-flying Ivory Coast, who entered the contest on the back of eliminating reigning champions Algeria in their final group game.

The Pharaohs at times rode their luck, but created over 20 chances and kept the Elephants at bay before progressing on penalties when Eric Bailly missed his spot kick.

On paper, Senegal had an easier ride, winning 2-0 against nine-men Cape Verde, although the contest didn’t exactly pan out as expected, with the Teranga Lions only taking the lead through Mane after the Liverpool man had suffered a head injury in a collision with goalkeeper Vozinha.

Bamba Dieng finally guaranteed progress in the 92nd minute.

The PCB has defended its decision to name Waqar Younis as the national team’s head coach, a day after Mohsin Khan blasted the appointment process

ESPNcricinfo staff09-May-2014The PCB has defended its decision to name Waqar Younis as the national team’s head coach, a day after Mohsin Khan blasted the appointment process. Mohsin, one of the contenders for the coach’s job, had called the process a ‘total farce’, questioning why he had not been interviewed.Zaheer Abbas, the former Pakistan captain who is now principal advisor to the PCB chairman, explained why Mohsin had not been interviewed. “The procedure is that we usually interview candidates about whom we have no or little information,” Abbas said. “But Mohsin’s case was different; he is quite familiar to us and we are aware of his strengths and weaknesses.”Mohsin had previously been Pakistan’s coach in 2012, when he guided them to a famous 3-0 Test series sweep against then No. 1 England. Mohsin and Waqar were in the race for the top role and on Tuesday, the PCB appointed Waqar, who returned for a second term after his previous stint between March 2010 and August 2011.Another former Pakistan captain, Intikhab Alam, who is now PCB’s director of domestic cricket, also defended Waqar’s appointment. “For the position of head coach we took a lot of other factors into account,” Alam said. “We looked at an applicant’s ability to be inclusive and take players along with him. After reviewing all seven applications on merit, we recommended Waqar Younis.”

A successful chase of a target in excess of 200 is normally furious, full of power and towering shots. Glenn Maxwell and David Miller did it differently for Punjab

The Report by George Binoy18-Apr-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details7:41

Huddle – New-look Punjab have the goods

A successful chase of a target in excess of 200 is normally furious, full of power and towering shots. Glenn Maxwell and David Miller did it differently for Punjab. They hit only five sixes – three of those after the 15th over, by which time Punjab were firm favourites – and turned the game during a 115-run stand that was driven by Maxwell’s surgical placement and Miller’s calm supporting act. Chennai were overtaken with seven balls to spare.There were only four notable performers in the game and all of them were overseas players. Maxwell and Miller’s clinical middle-order partnership came after Chennai’s new openers batted as though powered by rocket-fuel. Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith also scored half-centuries and ransacked 123 in 12.4 overs, but their fierce partnership was not the best batting effort on a scorching Abu Dhabi afternoon.Chasing 205, Punjab had slipped to 52 for 3 in 5.1 overs. Three Indian batsmen had been dismissed – Virender Sehwag, Cheteshwar Pujara and Akshar Patel – and the game hinged on how Maxwell, Miller and George Bailey would fare. Not one to waste time, Maxwell countered R Ashwin’s wide-outside-leg line from round the wicket by reverse-swatting his first ball to the point boundary. That set the tone for an innings filled not only by such unorthodoxy – there were several more reverse-sweeps and pulls – but also by textbook drives and perfectly-timed pushes between mid-off and cover.Maxwell’s placement was largely impeccable. Most of his airborne shots were into gaps in the outfield, but two were not and Chennai failed to catch them. On 37, Maxwell reverse-swept Ravindra Jadeja but the top edge was fluffed by Ashish Nehra at short third man, and on 77 the substitute Samuel Badree put down a chance at deep square leg. Miller also had a let-off – on 17, two balls after Maxwell’s first reprieve – but it was a much tougher chance that Faf du Plesiss put down at short cover.Around the time Maxwell passed fifty off his 25th delivery, Miller had scored only a run-a-ball 21. He wasn’t struggling, however. He was playing an excellent second fiddle, turning the strike over and ensuring the pressure didn’t mount though the asking-rate was approaching two a ball.Punjab needed 113 off 60 balls and took 23 runs off the next two overs. The 13th over from spinner Pawan Negi was the turning point, when Maxwell found the leg-side boundary three times and the cover boundary once to take 22 runs off it. The equation had been hacked to 68 off 42 balls, and Chennai suffered a crippling blow in the next over when Dwayne Bravo dived to try and catch a Maxwell reverse-pull – in vain – and went off the field to nurse an injured right shoulder. MS Dhoni had lost a key death bowler. After Maxwell was bowled for 95, Miller stepped up, carting Ravindra Jadeja for two consecutive sixes in the 17th over to ensure Punjab did not trip close to victory.While Chennai were left to rue their poor catching and bowling, they were buoyed by how seamlessly their new openers settled in. In seasons past, the Chennai method has been for the openers to bat within themselves in the first half of the innings, setting up a platform for the power-hitters to launch from. But McCullum and Smith are the power-hitters.Smith played the supporting role – hitting his first six off his 24th delivery in the 10th over – as McCullum ran riot before and after Bailey dropped him on 22. McCullum did not discriminate, treating the less-known Parvinder Awana and the reputed Mitchell Johnson with the same aggression. The ball disappeared into the stands between deep square leg and long-on frequently as Chennai brought up their best Powerplay score in seven seasons – 70 for 0 in six overs.McCullum got to 50 off 30 balls, Chennai reached 100 off 9.3 overs and Smith brought up his half-century off 37 deliveries. McCullum did slow down after his half-century, scoring only 14 off his next 15 balls before his dismissal, and Chennai lost a bit of momentum during this period. Dhoni remedied that soon enough, and when he walked off for 26 off 11 balls, Chennai were favourites. But nobody told Maxwell and Miller.

Nicole Bolton starred for Australia with 124 off 152 balls to become the highest scoring debutant for Australia in women’s ODIs as the hosts kept their Ashes hopes alive.

Raf Nicholson in Melbourne23-Jan-2014
ScorecardNicole Bolton made the highest score by an Australian on debut in a women’s ODI•Getty ImagesNicole Bolton starred for Australia with 124 off 152 balls to become the highest scoring debutant for Australia in women’s ODIs as the hosts kept their Ashes hopes alive.England’s chance of sealing the Women’s Urn in the second ODI slipped away in a middle-order collapse. They were bowled out for 240, well short of the 267-run target.Bolton’s innings saw Australia post a highly competitive total of 266 after Meg Lanning won the toss and chose to bat. Bolton, replacing Elyse Villani as opener, was positive from the very beginning and dominated the strike, as, in stark contrast to their performance in the first ODI on Sunday, Australia raced to 39-0 in the space of 9 overs.England struck in the 10th over to remove Lanning, bowled by Danni Hazell for just 5, but they struggled to find the right line to the left-handed Bolton, often attempting to bowl round the wicket, with even Jenny Gunn failing to dry up the runs in her usual way. Bolton capitalised on their early indecisiveness, driving and pulling her way to a 65-ball half-century, as she built up a partnership with Jess Cameron, who also looked solid.Bolton could easily have been out on 5 edging to Gunn at third slip, but it was one of a number of chances missed in a shoddy day for England in the field that also saw several run-out chances go begging. Bolton was dropped again, pulling a ball to Natalie Sciver at midwicket when on 28. Cameron was also dropped, by Anya Shrubsole in the 31st over, hitting the ball straight to her at wide mid-off.Fortunately for England, Cameron was dismissed in the following over, mistiming a ball of Hazell’s over midwicket where it was caught by Greenway and she went for 44. But the partnership was worth 95, taking Australia to 134 for 2 in 32 overs, and England were left ruing their missed opportunities.Bolton remained at the crease until the 43rd over, when Natalie Sciver, the pick of England’s bowlers with 2 for 23, eventually removed her for 124, having her bowled as she attempted a reverse sweep. But Australia continued to accumulate runs even in the dying overs, as England failed to contain Alex Blackwell, who hit a speedy 56 off 47 balls as the wickets of Perry, out lbw for a first-ball duck to Kathryn Cross, Alyssa Healey, caught of the bowling of Sciver by Wyatt at deep-backward square leg for 4, and Jess Jonassen, stumped for 13, tumbled around her.Blackwell herself was not dismissed until the last over, as she drove straight into the hands of Brindle at cover. By this time the asking run rate for England was over 5 an over, a difficult ask.England’s run-chase began disastrously after Holly Ferling, entrusted with the new ball for the first time in her career, struck immediately, clean bowling Charlotte Edwards for a first ball duck. Ellyse Perry, demoted to first-change, then struck in her first over as Lydia Greenway was given out lbw for 4.England fought back as opener Heather Knight and Sarah Taylor, batting at No. 4, added 84 in the space of 16 overs. Erin Osborne, brought into the attack in the 14th over, went for 11 runs off her first over, including a glorious six over long-on by Knight, in an over which epitomised the temporary loss of control by Australia’s bowlers.Knight went on to make 55 in 68 balls before being stumped coming out of her crease attempting to drive Julie Hunter. But Taylor and Arran Brindle continued to frustrate the Australian bowlers and Taylor’s 13th ODI fifty came in the 29th over with a glorious straight drive. Ahead of the par score for most of the innings, for a time it looked as though England would cruise home.But Bolton returned to the fore and provided the turning point with a direct hit from midwicket to run out Taylor for 63. A flurry of wickets followed as Australia’s spinners came into their own: Jonassen had Brindle lbw for 19 attempting a sweep and Erin Osborne removed Danni Wyatt, caught by Jonassen at mid-off attempting to hit over the top. Osborne’s 50th ODI wicket followed in the 39th over, as Jenny Gunn was caught hitting out to Lanning at midwicket.Sciver gave England some hope as she batted the last 10 overs, reaching a 38-ball half-century in the 46th over. But batting with the tail, as the required rate crept above 8 an over, was always going to be a difficult task. The last three wickets fell after Perry was brought back into the attack in the 44th over, with Sciver herself the last to go in the second ball of the 47th over, miscuing a ball of Osborne’s to Ferling at backward-square leg.England still lead the series by 8-2 on points but this was a disappointing result for them nonetheless. Australia still require victories in all four remaining matches if they are to regain the Ashes; but today, their first win over England in eight successive encounters, could well provide the momentum which they need to turn this series around.

SLC has agreed to pay its national cricketers a share of its earnings from ICC events over the next 12 months

Andrew Fidel Fernando13-Mar-2014SLC has offered its national cricketers a flat fee for ICC tournament participation, as well as further tiers of incentivised payment, in response to the players’ demands for a 20% cut of the gross sum received by SLC for global events.SLC’s proposal represents a significant stride towards settling the ongoing contracts standoff, but the players are yet to agree to the revised terms for the two ICC tournaments on the horizon.The team has been offered a guaranteed $500,000 for its participation in the imminent World T20 in Bangladesh, with a further $250,000 to be earned if they reach the final, and another $250,000 if they win the tournament.Both nominally and proportionally, the incentives are better for next year’s 50-over World Cup. There, the board has offered $750,000 for participation, $250,000 for a semi-final placing, another $250,000 for a final berth, and $750,000 more if Sri Lanka win the World Cup.The figures had been deliberated at an executive committee meeting on Thursday, after the players and board had met for negotiations on Wednesday. SLC CEO Ashley de Silva said the board had presented these figures to the players, and were hopeful of a positive response from the team. The parties seek a solution before the team leaves for the World T20 early on Sunday.”We have conveyed our decision to the captain Angelo Mathews and the vice-captain Dinesh Chandimal,” de Silva said. “They will also discuss it over with the senior players. They were quite happy with it, but so far we haven’t got any feedback from them.”The response was good when it was conveyed to them, so hopefully, I think it should be okay.”De Silva did not specify the sum the board expected from the ICC for these events, but said that if the team reached the final of each tournament, they would be paid close to 20% of the figure the board had itself received. He also said the board would leave the decision of how this money should be divided within the squad, to the discretion of the captain.The proposed delineation of the ICC fees payments to players further extends the board’s recent policy of incentivising player pay. This year, the cricketers’ base salary had also been tied to performance, with all players receiving a 7% hike on last year’s pay, thanks to their top ranking in Twenty20s (5% increase) and top five ranking in ODIs (2% increase). Individual players had also received a one-off bonus based on their individual rankings, with Kumar Sangakkara taking a sum equal to 10% of his annual salary, thanks to his top five ranks in both Tests and ODIs.The players had received 25% of the net fee paid by ICC to SLC under their 2012 contracts, but that payment had been stricken from agreements last year, after the board resorted to locking its players out. The players had agreed to sign last year’s contracts on the understanding their share of the ICC events fee would be reintroduced in future years. However the parties came to a standoff once again this month, after SLC failed to offer a share of the ICC payment in this year’s contracts.The board also announced a payment of $100,000 to the players for winning the Asia Cup, on Thursday, as a gesture of goodwill.SLC has not offered its women’s team a guaranteed payment for participation in the 2014 World T20, but has put in place incentivised bonuses. SLC proposes to pay the team $50,000 if they reach the semi-finals, $25,000 for a place in the final, and a further $25,000 for winning the tournament.

After 35 wickets – 31 to spinners – fell in two days at the Moti Bagh Stadium, groundsman Vishvjeet Sinh Padhiyar said batsmen from both sides played like “in the IPL”

Nagraj Gollapudi29-Nov-2013Thirty-five wickets have fallen at Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara in days. That is, in six sessions of play. Importantly, 31 of those 35 wickets have been claimed by the spinners. No other match in this Ranji Trophy has seen so many wickets fall in so short a time. Madhya Pradesh have already lost five wickets, chasing an improbable 337 for victory against hosts Baroda. It is easy then to wonder if the Moti Bagh pitch is fair or unsporting. While the ground’s curator and the visiting coach are not too fussed about the track, the BCCI seems to have taken note of the flurry of wickets, and an inspection is likely.According to the groundsman, Vishvjeet Sinh Padhiyar, neither the umpires nor the match referee had shown any concern about the pitch. But Sanjay Patel, the BCCI secretary, who is from Baroda, while saying there was nothing alarming about the pitch, admitted that he had asked the board’s ground and pitches committee to submit a report on it.”The BCCI ground and pitches committee will write to the Baroda Cricket Association asking for a report for certain. The ball is turning too early,” another senior board official said. “The BCCI directive has been to ask curator to prepare pitches where there should be gradual wear and tear. Such pitches need to be looked into by the ground and pitches committee.”Padhiyar, though, said the slew of wickets was because most of the batsmen from both sides played like “in the IPL”. Padhiyar has been with Baroda for four years and he felt that the key to succeed was to stay at the crease. “The ball was taking turn. The bounce was good. Baroda made 244 in the second innings. [In contrast] Madhya Pradesh batsmen did not show the patience,” he said.To support his opinion on the pitch, Padhiyar pointed to the 72-run final-wicket partnership between Yusuf Pathan, who hit a century, and Baroda No. 11 Munaf Patel. He also cited the example of the match previous at the ground, where Railways got the better of Baroda by an innings and 48 runs. “Arindam Ghosh and Mahesh Rawat just stood resolute to play for one full day and barely score 150 runs, even when the ball was turning,” Padhiyar said. Even Uttar Pradesh, who beat Baroda in their first home match, showed more patience, Padhiyar stressed.Mukesh Sahni, Madhya Pradesh coach, said the pitch was turning and the bounce was occasionally uneven, but he did not blame the curator for his team’s plight. Instead, he agreed with Padhiyar’s remarks and put the onus on his batsmen, who he said committed unnecessary errors. “The wicket is not proper in terms of the spin it took straightaway from the first session but it is fine as both teams played on the same pitch,” Sahni said. “We played bad shots.”One of the biggest hurdles for the BCCI’s ground and pitches committee, which is headed by Daljit Singh, is a shortage of manpower. The BCCI reduced the committee’s strength from 12 members to five, which, it is understood, is proving to be a restraint considering Daljit’s panel has to monitor 108 group matches in this Ranji Trophy. It is learned that the West Zone member on the panel, Dhiraj Parsanna, will be asked to do an inspection of the Moti Bagh pitch.

New Zealand’s regular captain Brendon McCullum has suggested that he could play as an opener during the 2015 World Cup, even as the side look for a settled combination before the tournament in February-March

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2014New Zealand’s regular captain Brendon McCullum has suggested that he could play as an opener in the 2015 World Cup as the side looks for a settled combination before the tournament in February-March.In 13 innings this year, New Zealand have tried out four opening pairs with Martin Guptill and Jesse Ryder having played the most games. However, with Ryder out of contention for a World Cup spot, the second opener’s slot has seen a few shuffles. James Neesham was tried out during the home series against South Africa and with Guptill injured for the first two ODIs of the ongoing series against Pakistan, New Zealand opened the batting with Anton Devcich and Dean Brownlie. Brownlie was given the axe on Guptill’s return though.McCullum expressed confidence in the New Zealand middle order, which has also contributed to the argument to possibly promote himself.”We’ve got a No 3 and No 4 [Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor] who I believe are as good as any No 3 and 4 in the world,” McCullum told . “Then a guy like Luke Ronchi scoring runs significantly down the order who can close out games and we’ve got experience and hitters too.”[Opening] probably suits my game as well, there’ll be no stone unturned, we’ll definitely be having a go. I also think Guppy [Martin Guptill] and I go well as a combination.”McCullum has opened in 84 ODIs, scoring 2480 runs at 33.06 – better than his career average of 30.05 – and has struck three of his four ODI hundreds in that position. McCullum and Ryder are the third-most successful opening partnership for New Zealand in ODIs – with 1069 runs in 22 innings – and the McCullum-Guptill pair have made 795 runs with an average of 44.16. His last ODI innings as an opener came during the 2011 World Cup and since then he has played in the middle order.Even as he looked at playing as an opener in ODIs, McCullum said that he will drop down the order to his No. 5 spot for the home Tests against Sri Lanka, which start from December 26 in Christchurch. McCullum had opened the innings in the recent Test series against Pakistan, where he also scored 202 in Sharjah, but insisted that move was to allow the side to play a specialist bowler.”It’s back down to No. 5 for me in this Test series. It was a horses-for-courses option in Sharjah, we needed the extra bowling option over there,” he said. “I think you need to have a couple of players in the group who are quite fluid and it’s easier to do for the captain, there’s a bit more experience and a bit less pressure.”

Left-arm spinner Gohar took five wickets and opener Aslam made an unbeaten 72 to lead Pakistan U-19 to an eight-wicket win over UAE U-19

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2013
Scorecard
Left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar took five wickets as Pakistan Under-19 ran away to their third win on the trot, beating UAE Under-19 by eight wickets in Sharjah. Pakistan bowled UAE out for 104 before opener Sami Aslam powered them to their target with an unbeaten 66-ball 72 inside 20 overs.Sent in to bat, UAE began well, with openers Chirag Suri and Shivank Vijayakumar taking them to 45 after seven overs. Gohar came on at this point and struck with his first delivery, getting Vijayakumar caught at slip for 22. Gohar took his second wicket in his third over, trapping Suri lbw for 34.Wickets fell regularly after that, and only one of the remaining UAE batsmen got into double figures – Qazi Ayub, who made 11 – as Gohar and left-arm seamer Mohammad Aftab ran through their lineup to bowl them out in 30.3 overs. Gohar finished with figures of 5 for 18 in 10 overs, while Aftab took 3 for 43 in 8.3. Legspinner Karamat Ali, meanwhile, chipped in with two wickets.Pakistan Under-19 captain Aslam – who, at 17, has already played 14 first class matches – set off in a hurry, starting the chase with three fours in the first over off Mavuru Aditya. UAE dismissed Hussain Talat and Imam-ul-Haq to leave Pakistan 35 for 2 after 7.1 overs but the left-handed Aslam continued to punish their bowling , scoring successive boundaries off Qazi Ayub and smacking Aditya for three successive sixes to go from 39 to 57.Pakistan reached their target off the penultimate ball of the 20th over, with Saud Shakeel contributing 16 to an unbroken third-wicket partnership of 70.