All posts by h716a5.icu

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.”

Sri Lanka have not lost a Test series at home to South Africa since 1993. If they are to protect that record, the final day of the tour has to be about all-out attack, says Kumar Sangakkara

Andrew Fidel Fernando at the SSC27-Jul-2014Sri Lanka have not lost a Test series at home to South Africa since 1993. If they are to protect that record, the final day of the tour has to be about all-out attack, says Kumar Sangakkara.”Our objective is to win at all costs,” Sangakkara said. “Our chances are pretty good. It would have been good if all the overs had been bowled today. I thought with the way that the wicket is, Rangana Herath is going to bowl well to the lefties. If we can keep the pressure with Dilruwan bowling from the other end, that would be good. In the second innings we need Ajantha Mendis to contribute as well. If we can get about three wickets in the first session, that will set us up nicely.”What will encourage Sri Lanka is an SSC surface that has deteriorated more than most seen at the venue in recent years. There has been extravagant turn off the footmarks since day three, and the likes of Perera also had balls fizzing off the straight, late on Saturday.”It’s a slightly different wicket here,” Sangakkara said. “Bit quicker than it used to be, probably because they relaid the wicket. There seems to be a lot more rough than I remember at SSC. Good hard rough as well. It’d be interesting to see whether we can exploit that to our advantage.”The weather forecast, though, will not encourage the hosts. More rain is expected on day five, after the weather had cut more than 30 overs from day four’s schedule. However, Sri Lanka will take heart from South Africa’s conservative approach, Sangakkara said.”Even in the first innings I thought they played for time, rather than scoring runs. That allowed us to put pressure on them. We had a few opportunities that didn’t go our way. But the moment they went negative yesterday and today as well, it was going to be a case of us having enough fielders near the bat, and hopefully one or two will start jumping off the glove, or maybe bat-pad. That will give us an opportunity to close in.”Sangakkara also had words of praise for debutant wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella, who scored 72 in the first innings, and had a catch and a stumping to his name by the end of the first innings.”Dickwella looks very organised, and a good prospect in all formats of the game. I have played with him for NCC (Nondescripts Cricket Club) quite a lot and he has got a lot of runs in all formats. It’s just a case of him staying true to what got him here, which is the ability to score runs. He showed a lot of promise. He is a soft spoken guy but he has got a lot of character and toughness in him and I am sure that will come through as he progresses.”

Prosper Utseya, the Zimbabwe offspinner, has been reported for a suspect bowling action following the third ODI against South Africa in Bulawayo

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Aug-2014Recent drive against faulty actions

August 2014 – Saeed Ajmal reported, to be tested in Brisbane

July 2014 – Kane Williamson banned after tests find his action illegal

July 2014 – Sachithra Senanayake banned, undergoes remedial work

December 2013 – Shane Shillingford suspended from bowling, cleared in March 2014; Marlon Samuels prohibited from bowling quicker deliveries

October 2013 – Johan Botha cleared by Cricket Australia after being reported during a domestic match

May 2013 – ECB suspends Glenn Querl, Jack Taylor from bowling

April 2013 – CA bars seamer Cameron Gannon

Prosper Utseya, the Zimbabwe offspinner, has been reported for a suspect bowling action following the third ODI against South Africa in Bulawayo.The match officials’ report, according to an ICC release, “cited concerns regarding Utseya’s arm ball and fast delivery, and concluded that the bowler’s action needed to be tested.” Utseya will need to undergo testing within 21 days, as per ICC regulations.Utseya, who has played four Test matches, 156 ODIs and 29 T20s since his international debut in 2004, has never previously been reported for his action.Utseya is the fourth bowler – and the fourth offspinner – to have been reported for a suspect action over the last few months. Sri Lanka’s Sachithra Senanayake and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson were reported and subsequently banned after being found to have illegal bowling actions. Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal, who was reported during the recent Test series against Sri Lanka, is due to have his action tested in Brisbane.

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.

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.

A round-up of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy South Zone matches played on April 2, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Apr-2014Goa moved to the top of the South Zone table with their second win in two matches, beating Kerala by two runs in Visakhapatnam. Sent in to bat, Goa’s openers impressed for the second match in a row. Sagun Kamat made his second half-century of the tournament, scoring a 44-ball 55, while Swapnil Asnodkar made a 44-ball 64, an innings that included five fours and three sixes.No one else contributed much to the score, though, and Goa lost seven wickets for 59 runs to go from 90 for no loss to finish at 149 for 7. Kerala used nine bowlers, giving everyone a go apart from Jafar Jamal and their wicketkeeper Sanju Samson.Kerala lost wickets regularly in their chase, but opener VA Jagadeesh kept them going with a 43-ball 42 before Padmanabhan Prasanth, coming in at No. 8, smashed an unbeaten 22-ball 43, with two fours and four sixes, to bring Kerala to within three runs of victory with two wickets in hand. Medium-pacer Harshad Gadekar was Goa’s most successful bowler, with figures of 3 for 16 in four overs.Unbeaten half-centuries from Akshath Reddy and Hanuma Vihari propelled Hyderabad to a nine-wicket win over Karnataka in Visakhapatnam. Chasing 141, Hyderabad lost Dwaraka Ravi Teja in the third over of their innings, but didn’t lose a wicket after that as Akshath and Vihari put on an unbroken 122 to seal the win with 15 balls remaining. Akshath was unbeaten on 69 off 48 balls, with seven fours and two sixes, and Vihari on 64 off 49, with nine fours.Batting first after winning the toss, Karnataka were bowled out for 140. They got that much thanks primarily to Robin Uthappa, who scored a 45-ball 64 even as wickets kept falling around him. When Uthappa was out in the 15th over, Karnataka were 92 for 6. From there, their captain Vinay Kumar ensured they set a challenging target, striking 34 from 16 balls, with the help of two fours and three sixes. Medium-pacer Ashish Reddy and part-time offspinner Vihari took two wickets each.A four-wicket haul from left-arm spinner Rahil Shah gave Tamil Nadu a 32-run win, by the V Jayadevan method, over Andhra in Vizianagaram. Shah opened the bowling and took the first three Andhra wickets as they slipped to 19 for 3 chasing a revised target of 159 in 17 overs. Opener Koripalli Sreekanth made a 28-ball 42, but no one else made a sizeable contribution as Andhra were shot out for 126 with 10 balls remaining.Sent in to bat, Tamil Nadu had moved to 39 for 1 after six overs when rain stopped play. The match was then reduced to 17 overs a side. After play resumed, opener M Vijay scored a 40-ball 54 and extended his second-wicket partnership with B Aparajith to 97 from 59 balls. Aparajith made a 33-ball 41. Both fell in the space of five balls, before Dinesh Karthik struck 27 off 10 balls, with a four and three sixes, to power Tamil Nadu to 157 for 7. Seamer D Shivkumar was Andhra’s most successful bowler, with figures of 3 for 26.

Two county academy players, Gavin Main and Andrew Umeed, have been selected in Scotland’s squad for the Under-19 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jan-2014Two county academy players, Gavin Main and Andrew Umeed, have been selected in Scotland’s squad for the Under-19 World Cup. Fast bowler Main, who recently signed for Durham, and Warwickshire batsman Umeed were among the 15-man squad, which will be led by Ross McLean and also includes 16-year-old spinner Ryan Brown.McLean, Main and Umeed, along with Nick Farrar, will all be playing in their second U-19 World Cup. Scotland are the only European Associate featuring in the UAE, having beaten Ireland in the final of the qualifier, and will look to improve on their best U-19 World Cup finish of 12th in 2012.Glamorgan’s Ruaidhri Smith, who was controversially ruled ineligible for Scotland’s regional qualifying campaign last year despite having played at the previous Under-19 World Cup, has not been included due to university commitments.The Scotland squad are due to take part in a week-long training camp in Sri Lanka, as well as warm-up matches against Afghanistan and England, ahead of the start of the tournament on February 14. They will face India, Pakistan and Papua New Guinea in Group A.”The players have earned the right to test themselves against the best players in the world at their age group,” Scotland’s U-19 head coach, Craig Wright, said. “They performed with impressive consistency in the qualifying tournament last year and now have a fantastic opportunity to show what they are capable of on the World stage.”McLean said: “We definitely believe Scotland can cause an upset. We have players in the squad who played in the last World Cup, so have a better understanding of what to expect and will be drawing on that experience.”Scotland U19 World Cup squad: Ross McLean (capt), Alex Baum (wk), Ryan Brown, Will Edwards, Michael English, Nick Farrar, Chayank Gosain, Gavin Main, Zander Muir, Abdul Sabri, Chris Sole, Kyle Stirling, Andrew Umeed, Mark Watt, Stuart Whittingham

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.

Although Ireland-England at cricket does not match the level of the corresponding rugby clash in the Six Nations, this biennial meeting is becoming something of a grudge match

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan02-Sep-2013Match FactsSeptember 3, Malahide
Start time 10.30am (0930GMT)William Porterfield and Eoin Morgan pose with the trophy•Getty ImagesThe Big PictureThis is more than just another one-day international. Although Ireland-England at cricket does not match the level of the corresponding rugby clash in the Six Nations, this biennial meeting is becoming something of a grudge match, especially since that heady evening in Bangalore, which is forever etched in Irish cricket history.This match, regardless of the result, will also mark a historic occasion for Ireland with a record 10,000 sell-out crowd expected at the new stadium in Malahide outside of Dublin.The Irish have a point to prove. Or, rather, want to continue proving their point. There is a strong feeling their credentials are still not taken seriously by Full Member nations – there continue to be grumbles, some not entirely fair, about the ECB’s role – as they maintain their push for Test status by 2020.As in 2011, England are not sending over a full-strength side although that is not a one-off decision for this match – key players, including captain Alastair Cook, will also miss the Australia one-day series. Eoin Morgan captains the side as he did two years ago, which is another subject to spark debate, while the possible presence of Boyd Rankin in the England attack will stir the emotions.Ireland had long-since accepted that they had lost Rankin, but to see him make his international debut in a T20 (a format he rarely plays for Warwickshire) and potentially begin the second phase of his ODI career against his former team-mates has not sat easily with many around Dublin and beyond.Away from the debate about poaching players and the politics of world cricket Rankin is one of a number of England players eager to catch the eye. Gary Ballance, the Yorkshire batsman, is in line for an ODI debut while Jamie Overton, the Somerset fast bowler, will become England’s youngest debutant since Brian Close if he makes the final XI.Players on both sides will know each other well: Rankin could end up opening the bowler against Ed Joyce, a role reversal of the 2007 World Cup when Rankin bowled Joyce with his first ball when the latter was playing for England. William Porterfield, Niall O’Brien, Gary Wilson, Paul Stirling, Tim Murtagh and George Dockrell are all established county players, while Kevin O’Brien has just returned from the Caribbean Premier League. Points to prove, for a lot of people.Form guide (Most recent first)
Ireland TWLTW
England LWWLWWatch out for…Trent Johnston has decided to call time on his career at the end of this year, a surprise to many who expected him to continue until at least the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh. But the knees and various other ailing body parts can only take so much. He has been a wonderful servant of Irish cricket; opening bowler, captain, motivator, spokesman, politician. A victory here would be a fitting send-off.Two years ago, in the corresponding fixture, Boyd Rankin opened the bowling and claimed the wicket of James Taylor. This time they are in the same squad. If Rankin makes the XI, his second ODI debut will come after a record of 37 matches and 43 wickets at 32.34 for Ireland. A potential new-ball spell against Joyce and his county team-mate William Porterfield could be one of the highlights of the match.Team newsEngland could hand out four new ODI caps – Michael Carberry, Jamie Overton, Chris Jordan and Gary Ballance – while giving Rankin his first appearance in 50-over cricket for the Three Lions. Quite what combination of pace bowlers they go for remains to be seen, but Steven Finn, with his experience, should lead the line. Danny Briggs was preferred to James Tredwell in the Twenty20s, but Tredwell’s recent ODI form has been impressive.England (possible) 1 Michael Carberry, 2 James Taylor, 3 Ravi Bopara, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Gary Ballance, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 James Tredwell, 9 Jamie Overton, 10 Boyd Rankin, 11 Steven FinnApart from missing Alex Cusack through injury Ireland will be at full strength. Their side is packed with international and county experience; Tim Murtagh has helped compensate for the loss of Rankin – while George Dockrell is the latest player Ireland are desperate to protect from English interests.Ireland (possible) 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Ed Joyce, 4 Niall O’Brien (wk), 5 Gary Wilson, 6 Kevin O’Brien, 7 Andrew White, 8 Max Sorensen, 9 Trent Johnston, 10 Tim Murtagh, 11 George DockrellPitch and conditionsA new pitch on a new ground so something of the unknown as Malahide hosts its first one-day international. However, Phil Simmons said that in some of the domestic matches played there the keeper has been standing a fair way back. There is good news on the weather front – after damp days for the 2009 and 2011 fixtures – with a dry, bright day forecast.Stats and trivia England will field no more than four players who appeared in the Champions Trophy final against India In the four ODIs he has played this year, Joyce is averaging 133 including a career-best 116 not out against Pakistan. Joyce also averaged 57.57 in the YB40 for Sussex If England do hand out four new caps, it will be their most since they picked four new players against Zimbabwe, at Harare, in 2001-02Quotes”I think we have brought a strong side, a young and very talented side. Given opportunities, hopefully they will show they are world-beaters.”
“If you look through their side, there are some pretty exciting young players in there. If you look at the performances of all those lads, especially in country cricket, they have all got a future in the game.”