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A preview of the third India-Pakistan ODI, in Delhi

The Preview by Sidharth Monga05-Jan-2013

Match facts

January 6, 2012

Start time 1200 (0630 GMT)India haven’t been able to duck Pakistan’s barrage•BCCI

Big Picture

India couldn’t have chosen a better venue for the last ODI of the series. It is cold in Delhi. In the morning, there is fog. In the afternoon, light doesn’t stay. A bit like the Indian cricket team right now, caught in the winter, looking desperately for that small window between fog and fading light.This winter has gone on for too long, though. It all began in the West Indies in 2011 when they aborted a chase, and now almost every week they lose another bit of the remaining pride. Test series in England and Australia: lost. CB Series and Asia Cup: not even close to finals. World Twenty20: didn’t even try to make the next round. Then came a home Test series loss to England. And now they are staring at only their second whitewash in a home ODI series, the first since 1983-84. If India lose in Delhi, all they will have left to cherish is bilateral ODI series in Sri Lanka and the fact that an Indian team is always going to win the IPL.On the other side has been warm winter sunshine. Only rarely do you see modern ODI attacks that provide no weak link. Least of all, Pakistan, because you expect – it’s more a fear but it often comes true – at least one of the bowlers to wake up on the wrong side of the bed. Here, all four, plus Mohammad Hafeez, have applied collective pressure, not through defensive bowling but by looking to get batsmen out. The fielding and wicketkeeping, which has often let Pakistan down, has been faultless too. India have had no escape, and it shows in the results.What is more commendable is that they have done so without any warm-up, without much cricket, and with a shaky batting line-up. Now they are one more such display short of sealing the first whitewash in a bilateral ODI series between India and Pakistan.

Form guide (Completed games, most recent first)

India: LLWWW
Pakistan: WWLWL

In the spotlight

India under MS Dhoni turned sitting back into an artform, a successful artform, both with the bat and with the ball. A huge part of their ODI success was that they did well in the middle overs with bits-and-pieces players. Now that comfort has been taken away, and MS Dhoni the tactician has looked rattled. The new regulation of having at least five players inside the circle has been more in tune with Pakistan, whose nature it is to attack.Dhoni, however, has a sore back now, and might not even captain on Sunday. And India don’t even have a clear deputy should he not recover in time. Asked who will captain if he doesn’t make it, Dhoni said, “Let’s hope that I play. We’ll see tomorrow.”*If Dhoni does miss out, India will surely miss Dhoni the batsman, who has almost been the sole fighter, but in a perplexing manner he went from being the boy on the burning deck he was in Chennai to the violinist on the sinking Titanic in Kolkata. Towards the end, he didn’t hit, he didn’t take singles, and just blocked his way through. Was it a message for the rest of the side? We will never know. Being the best ODI batsman in the side, he at least needs to take more responsibility and bat higher in the order so that he is not always firefighting from five down for nothing.The Pakistan XI is too small a place for both Azhar Ali and Misbah-ul-Haq, their only weak link so far. Perhaps they have both Azhar and Misbah as emergency back-up when the more attacking batsmen fail, but so far in the series they have only been part of spells that have taken away momentum from Pakistan. Perhaps they are both still in the side because of the injury to Asad Shafiq and the unreliability of Umar Akmal, but this is not a bad time for them to show they are relevant on their own.

Team news

India will be under pressure to give Ajinkya Rahane a game. Or they might want to give the misfiring openers one final chance before they drop – as is widely being anticipated – at least one of them in the selection meeting that will happen on the same day. In the bowling department, India are not exactly brimming with options.The Dhoni decision will be made on the morning of the match.India (possible): 1 & 2 Two out Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag and Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt. & wk)/ Dinesh Karthik, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Ashok Dinda.Pakistan didn’t make any changes to the combination when the series was alive, but their chairman of selectors, Iqbal Qasim, has hinted at a few experiments now that the series is won.Pakistan (possible): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Nasir Jamshed, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt.), 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Junaid Khan, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Mohammad Irfan.

Pitch and conditions

Staging cricket in north India is a challenge in winter. Ranji matches have all been hit by fog and bad light. The groundsman, Venkat Sundaram, has been quoted in saying he has always asked the BCCI to not stage matches in Delhi at this time of the year. In fact, Feroz Shah Kotla has hosted only three international matches in January.However, Sundaram says the pitch is ready. The match strip produced a result in three days and a bit in the first-class match between Delhi and Odisha in November, but don’t expect such help for seamers in the ODI.The temperature is likely to swing between 4C and 15C. Fog and dew will be factors too, which is why we have the game starting at noon.

Stats and Trivia

• India have been whitewashed at home only once, by West Indies, who were intent on payback after the World Cup-final loss, in 1983-84.
• Pakistan and Australia are the only teams to have beaten India in a home ODI series in the last 10 years.
• Younis Khan needs 108 runs to become the seventh Pakistan player to reach 7000 ODI runs
• This series is shaping up to be the first in India since early 2007 with not a single score of 300

*1100GMT, January 5: The article was updated after it emerged that Dhoni had a sore back

Stuart Broad may have to live with his heel injury for the rest of his career, with England’s Twenty20 captain admitting he and the medical staff will have to ‘manage’ the problem

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2013Stuart Broad may have to live with his heel injury for the rest of his career, with England’s Twenty20 captain admitting he and the medical staff will have to ‘manage’ the problem to keep him playing at the highest level.Broad has not played since the second Test in Mumbai in November, where his 0 for 60 was his second consecutive wicketless Test and continued a disappointing end to 2012. Broad was subsequently dropped for just the second time in his career.The heel problem prevented his return as captain for the T20 series and he also missed last month’s ODIs, but he is back in the fold for the series in New Zealand. After a trip to Germany to be fitted with specially designed boots he claims he has felt good in training, and took a hat-trick in a warm-up game, but his admission that the problem is unlikely to go away is a cause of concern.”It is going to be a long-term thing,” Broad said ahead of the opening T20 in Auckland. “It is a laceration of the fat pad so is not going to go away overnight.It is something I need to manage. It has been good these couple of weeks, I have found good ways to look after it. It is not going to go away with a week’s rest or a year’s rest.”Broad admits his career path as a fast bowler is an issue on account of the type of injury he has which suggested that he may have to be rested a certain periods.,”If I did pretty much anything else in the world but bowl seam it would not be a problem, I don’t feel it walking or running or batting – it is just fast bowling,” he said. “I do not get too down about it. It is something I have to manage. We have a great management team on the physical side.”We have been speaking to specialists all over the world trying to find out what they can do, but there is no operation or injection suitable for it. It is manageable at the minute.

Bangladesh’s captain, Mushfiqur Rahim, has said it is unlikely that opener Tamim Iqbal will be ruled out of the Galle Test despite pain in his right hand

Mohammad Isam in Galle07-Mar-2013Bangladesh’s captain, Mushfiqur Rahim, is hopeful that opener Tamim Iqbal will play the Galle Test despite pain in his right hand. Tamim’s presence will bolster a top order that has had to be restructured after injuries to Shahriar Nafees and Naeem Islam, and the uncertainty over Tamim’s opening partner in the last two years.Thursday’s nets session was restricted by rain though, meaning the Bangladesh team management could not get an extended look at how the pain might affect his batting. “Tamim had an injury during the Bangladesh Premier League but hopefully he will be fit for the Test,” Mushfiqur said. “He is not 100% fit yet, but hopefully he will come good and play for us.” The team would have another look at where Tamim stands during practice on the morning of the Test, he said.Tamim has played through pain on previous occasions, most famously at Lord’s and in Manchester in 2010, scoring centuries in both Tests. But the team would also be mindful of his value at the top of the batting order, and will hope his playing doesn’t cause him any longer-term harm.Despite his inclusion, Bangladesh wouldn’t be guaranteed a strong batting performance if the batsmen who are strong at playing spin do not counter the threat of Rangana Herath. Mushfiqur acknowledged the importance of dealing with Herath: “The wicket will be good to bat on for the first two days, and then the ball will spin. We have that in the back of our minds. We have some good players of spin, and if they can show their potential, it will be a good Test series. He [Herath] is one of the leading wicket-takers for Sri Lanka in last two years. He is also their main bowler in the attack. We have played left-arm spinners but he is a different type of bowler, so hopefully we will take up the challenge against him.”Mushfiqur has given Mohammad Ashraful the task of batting at No. 3, a position that has not been secured by any of the five batsmen who have batted there since Habibul Bashar’s retirement five years ago. Mushfiqur said: “Ashraful will continue at No. 3, as he has done in the practice match. We need his experience and skills.”No. 3 is the best position, and it is for the team’s best player. If you take a look at other No. 3s around the world, they have great records. We lack in this area, but whoever plays at No. 3 will take the opportunity.” Mushfiqur was also open to the idea of having Mahmudullah batting up the order.There is no extra pressure on the team in the absence of the injured Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur said. “We have played without Shakib for parts of the series against West Indies, so nothing much has changed. I think a bit of pressure can be a good thing, and I am confident we, as a team, can handle it.”

After 18 years as an international cricketer, the world’s top-ranked Test allrounder Jacques Kallis, was finally named one of Wisden’s Cricketers of the Year

Firdose Moonda12-Apr-2013After 18 years as an international cricketer, the world’s top-ranked Test allrounder Jacques Kallis, was finally named one of Wisden’s Cricketers of the Year. It may seem surprising that it took so long for the publication to honour Kallis, but given that its awards are confined to performances in England, their time lag was justified.Until last July, Kallis’ record in England was modest. He averaged less than 30 and only had one century, scored in Manchester in 1998. He had done better with the ball, with 35 wickets at 27.51, but the 2012 tour improved those statistics dramatically. He scored 262 runs in three Tests, including 182 at the Oval, which saw his batting average in England surge to 35.33 and he added four crucial wickets to his tally, including Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell in the first Test.Kallis played an important role in South Africa taking the No.1 rankings off their opponents. For Kallis, to be included in the list was simply recognition for his role in ensuring the team finally summited after bubbling under for so long.”It’s a great honour, I had a pretty good season with South Africa and it’s nice to be rewarded for that,” he told Kolkata Knight Riders’ official website. “But I don’t play the game for those accolades. I play games to win for the team I am playing for. As much as it is a nice accolade, it’s nice that the team had a good year as well.”Kallis also contributed to South Africa’s series win in Australia with a hundred in Brisbane and at home against New Zealand and Pakistan. What is most noticeable is that he has begun to score at a quicker rate, playing the longest form of the game more aggressively.His continued ability to maintain standards of excellence has earned him praise from many quarters, including Brendon McCullum, his KKR team-mate. “I’d say he is probably one of the five cricketers of all time,” McCullum said. “He is a freak, so much talent and he is such a humble guy as well. He deserves every bit of the accolades he is getting because he is such a great guy, such a great team man and it’s a great privilege to play with him.”KKR are the most recent beneficiaries of Kallis’ skill. He opens both the batting and the bowling for them and Trevor Bayliss believes he will be vital to their title defence. “He just keeps doing it, batting and bowling. It’s incredible – the longevity he has shown at the very highest end of world cricket,” he said.With age creeping up on him, Kallis is being carefully managed by South Africa. His bowling loads are monitored and he no longer plays bilateral ODI series. While he knows he is in the twilight years, Kallis hopes to be able to keep going – not because he wants to continue to stack up achievements but because, to borrow from Cyndi Lauper, he just wants to have fun.”I’m getting on in life now but I’m still hungry; still enjoying it and there is still lots to achieve in the game. As long as I wake up in the morning happy to play this game and wanting to get results for the team I am playing for, I will carry on for as long as the body holds out,” he said.”I am not really one for setting personal goals. I prefer setting goals for the team. My personal targets would be to make the correct decisions for the team as many times as I can and hopefully Knight Riders will come out on top again.”

Tim Ambrose said he was “enjoying cricket and enjoying life” after making a first century since opening up about his battle with depression

Alex Winter at Edgbaston19-Apr-2013
ScorecardTim Ambrose crashed a century from 122 balls to put Warwickshire in a dominant position•Getty Images

Tim Ambrose said he was “enjoying cricket and enjoying life” after making a first century since opening up about his battle with depression. His dashing 105 gave Warwickshire a big lead and a chance to push for victory on the final day.Last September was the first time that Ambrose had revealed the troubles that saw him miss almost half the 2010 season. But now almost entirely free from the “soaking wet duvet” that had covered him, he is in a good place and part of a lower-order that makes Warwickshire extremely hard to kill off.Ambrose was needed to claw his side back from 64 for 4 as Warwickshire’s top-order again showed its fragile nature. They lost a fifth wicket with the lead at 225 but Ambrose and Rikki Clarke shared a century stand in 138 balls that whipped away the opportunity Durham sensed after their morning’s work.For Ambrose, it was a century dedicated to his grandfather Nick who underwent a recent heart operation. The news was positive and Ambrose will Skype him with his own good news.”I’m enjoying cricket and enjoying life and that’s the important thing for everyone,” Ambrose said. “I felt good all pre-season. As soon as I picked a bat up in late February I’ve felt in great nick. I said to the guys on the first morning of this game, is it wrong that I want someone to get out so I can have a bat? I haven’t had a hit, in Abu Dhabi the guys piled on the runs and against Derby the rain got in the way so now that I’ve had the chance, it’s nice to convert it.”Ambrose was usurped by Matt Prior at both Sussex and in the England Test side and it was his exclusion from the England team in 2009 that triggered his lowest ebb. He played 11 Tests and made a century against New Zealand, averaging just under 30. His last match came when Prior flew home from the West Indies when his wife was pregnant, cementing Ambrose’s place as Prior’s perennial understudy.International cricket is now as much of an issue to deal with as his depression and he can focus on delivering another title for his county. His runs last year, 623 at 44.50, were part of a lower order that was essential to their success.”We’ve talked among ourselves about the engine room,” Ambrose said. “With myself, Rikki, Chris Woakes and Keith Barker, there are a lot of runs there and it’s something we’re very proud of. When we get into trouble we’ve got the guys to get out of it.”Ambrose and Troughton ensured disaster was averted but Ben Stokes produced a quick, reverse-swinging spell from the Pavilion End that reignited Durham’s hopes. Stokes found an edge from Ambrose that narrowly evaded first slip and trapped Troughton lbw. But Clarke survived the burst and struck two fours in three balls to see Stokes off and end Durham’s best hope of a target within range.It was disappointment for the Durham head coach, Geoff Cook, who chose to praise Warwickshire’s lower order rather than his bowlers who had put the match on an even keel at 64 for 4. Ian Westwood and Will Porterfield fell to good deliveries that swung just enough before Varun Chopra was strangled down the leg side from Stokes’ first delivery. And when Laurie Evans pulled to mid-off the engine room was being revved up for duty.They delivered. Warwickshire reached a safe position through Ambrose and Clarke but, given the way runs have been accumulated with ease and at pace on all three afternoons of the match when the ball has softened, Troughton was very cautious in his declaration and ensured that Durham would have to score at over four-an-over to chase 413.They pulled out with five overs remaining in the day and with the seventh ball of the innings, Chris Wright found a little movement back into Keaton Jennings to trap him for a golden duck.

Joe Root produced arguably the most substantial innings of his fledgling career to banish the pessimism that had fallen prematurely upon Yorkshire’s season

David Hopps at Chester-le-Street27-Apr-2013
ScorecardJoe Root played one of the most impressive innings of his fledgling career•Getty Images

Joe Root produced arguably the most substantial innings of his fledgling career to banish the pessimism that had fallen prematurely upon Yorkshire’s season and leave Durham contemplating the sort of defeat that Riverside folklore had deemed all but impossible. Root got out with the scores level, to a ball delivered by Callum Thorp off a few paces, but as he had 182 at the time and Yorkshire won by four wickets from the next ball, he will be forgiven that.History was entirely on Paul Collingwood’s side when he declared Durham’s second innings late on the third day and left Yorkshire needing 336 for victory. No opposing side has ever successfully chased a target of that magnitude in Chester-le-Street and this was April, with the trees still barely in leaf and the council mowers leaving ruts in the nearby parks.But Root, young of body but mature of brain, has already displayed a prodigious appetite for big challenges. Durham will rue two close calls that might well have turned the game as he neared his century. Had he been adjudged run out on 87, when Mark Stoneman struck direct from point, or given out caught off the glove by Paul Collingwood on 93, when he skittishly reverse-swept Will Smith, the story might have been very different.But it was not. Those blips apart, his certainty was striking. When Yorkshire secured the fourth-largest run chase in their history with 6.1 overs to spare – all of them achieved in the past eight years – Root was gingerly strapping off his pads, protecting a finger battered by Chris Rushworth during his six-hour stay, after guiding Yorkshire to a victory that few imagined was within their compass. An enterprising unbeaten half-century by Adil Rashid also played its part, allowing Root the liberty to play within himself after tea.Collingwood, Durham’s captain, was magnanimous in defeat. “We have seen an exceptional innings today by Rooty. I really think it’s so impressive how a young lad can play an innings like that. We threw everything at him and he came through it. He has a steady head and a superb technique. The rhythm of his innings, everything about it, was exceptional. I’ve got absolutely no qualms about the decisions. The run-out was probably too close to call and, as for the catch, I was appealing for lbw as well.”I still don’t know the pitch well enough and as a home captain I should do. This has taken me by surprise. In the past year we have bowled sides out for less than 150 repeatedly to win games on similar-looking pitches. Unfortunately this pitch just seemed to die in pace.”One of the enduring images of England’s winter is of Root blocking. He blocked in Nagpur and he blocked again in Auckland. Measure it in terms of sun block and his entire winter was factor 50. It was rarely pretty, but he fulfilled his protective role perfectly. On this occasion, he made do with factor 15 and let himself live a little.Sometimes you watched this mere slip of a lad committing every sinew to England’s cause in the winter and feared he might never play a shot again. Thrown into England’s ranks so young, his game was narrowed down into an obsessive battle for survival.Root placed the innings above his double century against Hampshire last season, a defensive innings between the showers to save a game. “I set out my stall at the beginning of the season to start to win matches for Yorkshire and I’m really pleased I managed to contribute,” he said. “England definitely stood me in good stead. I have definitely grown because of it. I just try and play the situation and if that means bat long, I try to bat long. The pitch was a lot deader than it was on the first couple of days.”Yorkshire lost three wickets by lunch. Chris Rushworth removed Adam Lyth and Phil Jaques – the latter to a fifth-ball duck – in the space of one over, and Andrew Gale has also perished, an attempted cut at Keaton Jennings which flew to Collingwood at slip.Then Jonny Bairstow’s love-hate relationship with the pull shot continued. It got him out twice in the match, Ben Stokes was the bowler second time round as Bairstow again tried to pull with control and picked out the finer of two catchers. But Root reached his hundred, only his fifth in first-class cricket, with an off-drive against Scott Borthwick and by tea the rate was down to 3.5 runs an over.Stokes, looking fit and fired up, found a bit of swing ahead of the second new ball to dismiss Gary Ballance, who was caught at the wicket with 102 needed. But Rashid played with attacking intent, so enabling Root to tick along and – almost – bat through to victory. When the second new ball came, Yorkshire’s target was down to 53 from 24 overs – and Root lashed Rushworth’s first delivery with it to the cover boundary. It was some statement; it was some innings.

Matthew Fisher became the youngest post-war county cricketer when he was picked for Yorkshire against Leicestershire aged just 15 years and 212 days.

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jun-2013Matthew Fisher became the youngest post-war county cricketer when he was picked for Yorkshire against Leicestershire aged just 15 years and 212 days.Yorkshire were forced to turn to Fisher for their Yorkshire Bank 40 fixture at Scarborough to deal with an injury crisis that saw four teenagers make up the bowling attack. Ryan Gibson, 17, Ben Coad, 18, and 19-year-old Wilf Rhodes were also in the XI.It highlighted Yorkshire’s problems. They were forced to field a threadbare bowling attack last Sunday against Gloucestershire. Tim Bresnan is with England, Liam Plunkett and Jack Brooks have been injured and the workload Ryan Sidebottom and Steven Patterson have been forced to endure in the Championship meant they needed resting.Mercifully, Plunkett, looking very old at 28, returned from a thigh strain to face Leicestershire. But he lined up alongside a team-mate 13 years his junior.Born in York, Fisher has developed through the Yorkshire age-group teams and plays for Yorkshire Academy in the Yorkshire Premier League, where his 25 overs this season have gone for 3.48 runs an over. He has also played for Yorkshire 2nd XI and took 6 for 25 earlier this week against Leicestershire – the second-best figures for Yorkshire in the 2nd XI trophy.”Matthew deserves his call up into the squad,” Yorkshire first-team coach Jason Gillespie said. “We monitor the progress of all our players and the feedback I have received on the way Matthew has been playing has been excellent. He is very young, but he has the ability to be successful.”The youngest player to appear in a first-class match also turned out for Yorkshire when wicketkeeper Barney Gibson played against Durham MCCU at the age of 15 years and 27 days in April 2011. The aptly-named Charles Young is the youngest ever
to appear in a county game, for Hampshire against Kent in 1867 aged 15 years and
131 days.

Richard Levi hit a century off the Gloucestershire attack to lead Northamptonshire to a comfortable 17-run FLt20 victory at Cheltenham

16-Jul-2013
ScorecardRichard Levi smashed a century from just 59 balls•Getty Images

Richard Levi hit a century off the Gloucestershire attack to lead Northamptonshire to a comfortable 17-run FLt20 victory at Cheltenham. The powerful South African blasted 110 not out off 62 balls, with 15 fours and four sixes, as his side ran up 206 for 3 after losing the toss.In reply, Gloucestershire plunged to 21 for 3 as David Willey claimed 3 for 5 from his first two overs. Alex Gidman, who hit 49 off 19 balls, and Ian Cockbain (60) ensured respectability, but they were never seriously in the hunt and closed on 189 for 6.The result means Northants join Glamorgan on eight points from five games at the top of the Midlands/Wales/West Group, while Gloucestershire can forget the quarter-finals, having lost five of their first six matchesAfter taking a few deliveries to gauge the pitch, Levi loosed off a series of meaty cuts to go with his trademark leg-side shots. He lost opening partner Kyle Coetzer to the first ball of the fifth over, caught by Gidman at midwicket off Tom Smith for 15 with the total on 31.It was 49 for 1 at the end of the six overs of Powerplay and with two runs added, Cameron White, on 10, was caught on the deep midwicket boundary by Dan Christian pulling a delivery from Benny Howell. Alex Wakely then helped Levi add 89 for the third wicket in 8.4 overs, hitting two straight sixes in an over off the left-arm spin of Chris Dent in his 24-ball 35, which helped take the score to 140 for 3.The Northants captain was annoyed with himself for giving a catch to long-off in the 16th over, giving Howell a second wicket. But there was no dislodging Levi, who moved to his century with his fourth six, hammered over midwicket off Dent in the 19th over. Crook joined the party with two sixes of his own, one of them bringing up the 200 in the final over, bowled by David Payne. Left-arm spinner Smith escaped the carnage with creditable figures of 1 for 25 from his four overs.Gloucestershire were left with a mountain to climb after Willey sent back Hamish Marshall, Michael Klinger and Chris Dent inside four overs. At the halfway point the hosts had only made 65 for 4 but Gidman at least made a fight of it with four sixes and four fours as the only home player to match Levi’s power.Cockbain played well without reaching the necessary tempo and got to fifty off 43 balls in the 19th over, but by then the cause was lost.

The Irish Police is searching for Sharyce Saili, a Zimbabwe cricketer, who went missing after the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 qualifiers, which concluded in Dublin last week

Ger Siggins06-Aug-2013The Irish Police is searching for a Zimbabwe cricketer, Sharyce Saili, who went missing after the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 qualifiers, which concluded in Dublin last week.Saili, who has played 26 matches for Zimbabwe since 2008, was last seen in the team’s hotel shortly after their Shield final against Thailand on July 31. Saili, a right-arm fast bowler, was booked to fly home last Friday morning, but was reported missing.The Garda Siochana – the Irish Police force – says it has found no trace of the cricketer.Zimbabwe finished sixth of the eight teams in the qualifiers after losing to Thailand. It was soon after that game that Saili was last seen in Croke Park Hotel, where all the teams and officials were staying.Saili, who is a salesperson in her hometown Harare, finished second on the wicket-takers list, taking seven wickets in five matches, including a career-best 3 for 15 against Japan.Saili has not updated her Facebook page since her disappearance. On the day she was last seen, she posted the following message: ‘A strong woman is one who is able to smile this morning like she wasn’t crying last night.’

ESPNcricinfo previews the first T20 at the Ageas Bowl

The Preview by Alex Winter28-Aug-2013

Match facts

August 29, Ageas Bowl
Start time 1830 (1730 GMT)Stuart Broad returns to lead England with seven months to go until the World T20•Getty Images

Big Picture

Any event in the aftermath of an Ashes series has got its work cut out to capture the imagination but a short, sharp Twenty20 series has got a chance, with the World T20 next March adding much-needed relevance. Australia will also be extremely keen to take something home and recent history suggests they are a good bet to do so, with the last three Ashes winners struggling in the limited-overs matches that followed.But Australia may have to wait until the ODI series to find much-craved success because England’s T20 squad is largely fresh and eager to impress selectors ahead of a global tournament. There are potential places in the ODI team at stake too, with England likely to continue rotation of the players involved in more than one format until preparation for the 2015 ODI World Cup begins in a year’s time.Australia also need to reverse a poor recent record in bilateral T20 series. Since June 2010, they have only won five of 19 matches. That they managed to defy that form with a run to the semi-final of the World T20 in Sri Lanka was down to a remarkable tournament from Shane Watson and a good showing from the now-retired Mike Hussey.George Bailey returns to lead the side along with a host of one-day specialists including Mitchell Johnson, the mere mention of whom draws guffaws from England supporters, but his good showing in the Champions Trophy suggests he could earn their respect.England also change captains with Stuart Broad taking the reins. He has a squad full of players in form having recently played in the Friends Life t20 and closing rounds of the Yorkshire Bank 40. Michael Carberry heads that list after over 500 runs in the Flt20 and is in line for a first international appearance since his solitary Test in Chittagong three years ago. Ravi Bopara has also found his touch and will use the limited-overs internationals to stake a claim for a place on the Ashes tour as a potential No. 6.

Form guide

England: LWLWW
Australia: LLLLL

Players to watch

It’s a big few weeks for Jos Buttler with the jury very much out on how effective his swashbuckling batting actually is. He will be mostly judged on his performances in the ODIs where there is more doubt on his ability to bat for a long period, but he will like to get in credit during this series. His recent showings in T20s for England – two good knocks in New Zealand and good contributions in India before Christmas – plus Matt Prior’s loss of form also give him some leeway.Mitchell Starc endured a difficult Ashes series, coming in-and-out of the side and struggling for rhythm. One-day cricket appears to be his strength and his best statistics both internationally and domestically are found in Twenty20. He was superb at the World T20 in Sri Lanka, third-highest of the wicket-takers with 10 dismissals.

Team news

England’s T20 squad is largely at full-strength with a host of options in the batting order. Michael Carberry has been called up following a super domestic season and should play one of the two matches in this series. Joe Root gives England another spin option alongside James Tredwell, with the choice of fast bowlers looking between Jade Dernbach and Boyd Rankin.England (possible) 1 Alex Hales, 2 Michael Lumb, 3 Luke Wright, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Joe Root, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Stuart Broad (capt), 9 Steven Finn, 10 James Tredwell, 11 Jade DernbachAustralia have an inflated 18-man squad for this series, which will be trimmed to 15 for the ODI series. Adam Voges had a limited Flt20 for Middlesex with the bat but was their most economical bowler and, unless Fawad Ahmed is given a debut, Voges will be relied upon for some slow bowling with Glenn Maxwell also an option. There’s a choice between Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh for the No. 3 slot with Finch having the better record from his handful of internationals.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Aaron Finch, 4 George Bailey (capt), 5 Adam Voges, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Clint McKay

Pitch and conditions

The Ageas Bowl has produced some cracking pitches for T20, none more so than for the Flt20 quarter-final which yielded over 400 runs. No rain is forecast which bodes well for a good evening for a sell-out crowd.

Stats and trivia

• Memories will turn back to 2005 when England beat Australia in the only T20 by 100 runs and was seen as a watershed moment for English cricket.
• The only other international T20 staged at the Ageas Bowl was in 2006 when Sri Lanka edged England in a tight contest in one of Marcus Trescothick’s last international games.
• T20 is still a young game; this will be only the second time Australia have played England in a T20 in England. Both fixtures in 2009 were washed out by rain.
• George Bailey, parachuted in as Australia’s new T20 captain in February 2012, has scored only one half-century in his 16 international T20s.

Quotes

“These guys have performed throughout the county season to get a chance at international level. They wouldn’t be in the squad if they’re not good enough to play and the squad will be very focused on beating Australia.”
“I’ve no doubt they’d have Mitch in their sights for a couple of those Ashes games particularly given the grounds and his record at some of those grounds.”
George Bailey, Australia’s T20 captain, tips Mitchell Johnson
for a Test recall this winter.