A 113-run partnership between Pakistan veterans Shoaib Malik – who scored his ninth ODI century with a six to seal victory – and Mohammad Hafeez saw Pakistan canter to a six-wicket win and clinch the three-match series 2-1

The Report by Danyal Rasool11-Apr-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez put on a century stand to set up victory•AFP

A commanding performance to secure a vice-like grip on eighth place doesn’t sound like an especially formidable achievement, but it was a much-needed boost off the back of a troubling few months for Pakistan cricket. A 113-run partnership between veterans Shoaib Malik – who reached his ninth ODI century with the six to seal victory – and Mohammad Hafeez enabled Pakistan to canter to a six-wicket win and clinch the three-match series 2-1.Pakistan’s chase of 234 got off to an eventful start, with a first-ball wicket, a nasty collision between Ahmed Shehzad and Babar Azam, a dropped catch at mid-on and a brilliant grab by wicketkeeper Shai Hope all crammed into a lively first six overs. Babar edged Shannon Gabriel into his stumps less than three overs later, and the upshot from a frenetic opening Powerplay was Pakistan had lost three wickets for 45 and, for the umpteenth time, were looking wobbly.The one positive Pakistan could glean from the situation was that Hafeez and Malik were at the crease together, and with 430 ODIs between them, they represented vast experience, if nothing else. It showed, too, with the pair ensuring they made survival their main priority for the next hour or so amid some testing spin bowling by Devendra Bishoo and Ashley Nurse, and they slowly began to turn the game in Pakistan’s favour.By the time Hafeez holed out to deep square leg, the visitors needed less than 100 to win. Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed then joined Malik at the crease, the pair picking off the poor deliveries with consummate ease in a stroll towards their target. Towards the end, Malik was playing with such ease that he gave himself the chance of a century, which he completed in style with a straight six off Jason Holder. It might not always have been smooth sailing, but in the end, it was unquestionably clinical.West Indies will rue a failure to take proper advantage of the review system for the second game running. When Hafeez was on 39, Nurse, arguably the most consistent performer for his side all series, spun one sharply back into him, the ball striking the top of his front pad. Hawk-Eye showed it would have been given out on review, but Holder decided against going to the third umpire. It was one among a series of errors West Indies committed in the field – dropped catches playing a starring role once again – and by the time Hafeez was finally dismissed, the telling blows had long since been struck.West Indies had managed to scrap to 233 despite being squeezed for runs during much of the first half of their innings. Having slipped to 68 for 3 with a run rate well under four, Hope and Jason Mohammed combined for a 101-run partnership – the first three-figure partnership for West Indies this year – to set their team on course for what was at least a competitive total.The heart of West Indies’ innings was stifled by a sustained spell of pressure from Pakistan’s spinners, a spell that, in hindsight proved decisive. Imad Wasim was the pick of the bowlers, bolstering his credentials as a genuine ODI allrounder following on from his impressive batting performance in the previous match. He was the major reason for West Indies’ sluggishness during the middle overs, consistently bowling on a good line and getting the ball to spin away from the right-handers. Hafeez provided him able support, and their combined bowling figures of 17-1-45-1 aptly told the story of the middle overs.But even when their run rate slipped to as low as 3.34 runs per over, West Indies had one metric in their favour: seven wickets in hand. Inch by inch, Mohammed and Hope began to climb their way back into the contest, Mohammed launching Hasan Ali for sixes in consecutive overs and setting his team up for the final push.However, just as the hosts looked like they were eyeing 250, Mohammad Amir and Junaid Khan took over from Shadab Khan, who had an indifferent day with the ball – despite picking up the wickets of Hope and Jonathan Carter – conceding 57 runs in his eight overs. The quality of Pakistan’s quicks shone through with a splendid bowling performance during the death overs, the two left-armers regularly landing yorkers with surgical precision that the batsmen struggled to get underneath. Only 29 runs came off the last five overs as the momentum West Indies had threatened to build up was punctured severely. Runs in short supply was a familiar theme for the hosts all evening, culminating in a result they – and their fans – have become all too familiar with of late.

Mark Wood enjoyed a successful return for England in the first ODI against Ireland but he admitted his uncertainty after coming back from a third ankle operation

Andrew McGlashan06-May-2017On Friday in Bristol, Mark Wood did what fast bowlers like to do: zipped one through a batsman at close to 90mph, shattering the stumps. But there was added significance for Wood when he removed Paul Stirling because he feared he may never get the chance to do it again.A third ankle operation within a year followed by a rehabilitation that was slow and, at times, lonely allowed his mind to wander. “I thought the dream was gone at times,” he said after a successful comeback outing against Ireland.It was a million miles away from the joy of claiming the Ashes-clinching wicket at Trent Bridge in 2015. That was, of course, “Stuart Broad’s Test” but Wood will always be the man who claimed the final scalp of Nathan Lyon to spark celebrations. Since then, though, joy at international level has been fleeting for him: three more Tests – the same number as surgeries he has had – and a handful of one-day internationals spread over two English seasons.The first of his operations came at the end of 2015 when he left the Test series against Pakistan in the UAE, the second early in the 2016 season and the third at the end of the summer after, gallingly, putting his body on the line to earn Durham a Championship victory that appeared to secure their Division One status only for ECB sanctions to mean otherwise.Three operations on the same part of the body, especially one so crucial to a fast bowler who relies on an explosive delivery stride at the crease, led to a player outwardly so cheerful and upbeat as Wood to have doubts. It was not helped when two possible comeback dates – the one-day series in the West Indies and a Lions tour of Sri Lanka – came and went.”I had questioned at times whether I would actually ever play for England again,” he said. “After the first two operations, I always believed I would get back but then this one, because it [the recovery] didn’t happen at the same rate as it did previously, I was a little bit unsure if I would ever get back to the standard I wanted to set and the pace I wanted to bowl at. It just took a little bit longer than I expected, but it’s good to finally get there.”Wood said he did not feel any pain in Bristol because the adrenalin was surging through his body, but the concerns over his ankle had remained as recently as last month when finishing pre-season with Durham. They manifested themselves more so when he was bowling on his own at a set of stumps and he spent time with the England psychologist, although it wasn’t until he had got through a few spells at the start of the Championship season that his worries were eased.In the most recent of those four-day matches, against Gloucestershire, he tweaked his groin, but he called that “a blessing” because it stopped him thinking about the ankle.”The physios were telling us ‘it’s normal to feel pain, you’re sensitive in that area’. When I am going to nets by myself and having to bowl at cones and stuff, you’re not in the game scenario, the adrenaline’s not pumping. I’m looking for my ankle, ‘is that niggling, is that hurting?’ If I feel anything I could bowl five overs but if I felt one ball, I’d be thinking ‘why is this still hurting?'”Now it’s sort of changed. I spoke with the England psychologist and it was to change my mindset. Rather than looking for pain, [it is] can I still perform with a small amount of pain there? So now, if it doesn’t affect my performance then I am happy. If it was ever to affect my front leg position, if it’s not braced, then I’d be a little bit unhappy but now I deal with it a lot better.”Wood accepts he will probably never be pain free and the ankle will trouble him from time to time. He has had special bowling boots designed to try to stop his front ankle rolling when it slams down in the delivery stride and has also worked with Kevin Shine, the ECB’s lead fast bowling coach, to try and to ensure the leg and foot come through straight rather that splaying to the left and putting pressure on the ankle.He also acknowledges that he probably can’t play every game, but just a short time on from wondering if he would bowl for England again now believes he can withstand the demanding schedule ahead to play a part in Test cricket – including the Ashes – once more.”If you ask me now, I am confident. If you’d asked me before the Durham Championship games, I might have been not sure about how it was going to go. I’m pretty confident now I could get through any sort of international cricket be it Test, one-day or Twenty20.”I wouldn’t say it’s honestly ever going to be totally pain free, I think that’s just the trouble I’ve had – three operations and the way that I bowl, it’s just going to flare up from time to time. Hopefully, that’s the end of the major pain. I haven’t got any bones left in there that are sticking out or anything like that. I’m held together with a bit of tape pretty well.”

AB de Villiers used the build-up to South Africa’s game against Pakistan as an opportunity to state his admiration for Wasim Akram, the best bowler he has seen

Firdose Moonda in Birmingham06-Jun-2017South Africa have produced their fair share of world-class fast bowlers over the years, but AB de Villiers reckons no one matches up to Pakistan great Wasim Akram. He called Akram a one of a kind bowler whose swing skills are unmatched on the current global stage.De Villiers, who was watching coverage of the Australia-Bangladesh game on Monday, saw a television insert featuring Akram during a rain delay and
tweeted: “Amazing footage on Skysports2! @wasimakramlive was one seriously talented bowler. Crazy skill!”Asked before South Africa’s game against Pakistan at Edgbaston whether he thinks anyone in the current Pakistan squad could match Akram, de Villiers took his answer one step further and said no one in world cricket does.”I haven’t seen a bowler as good,” de Villiers said. “It was just nice to watch the programme, and I felt that I needed to just get it out there. I get along with him [Akram] well. He’s at Kolkata with the IPL every year, and we always have nice chats. And to actually get a bit of insight in the programme on how he used to bowl and what he was thinking while he was bowling is really nice. He has obviously shared all of that with a lot of players in the past, not only with Pakistan players but a lot of players at the IPL. But that’s something you’re born with. It’s a natural skill that he was born with.”Akram’s IPL influence may have extended to one of de Villiers’ men. Morne Morkel was a member of the Kolkata squad until the most recent season when he opted to sit out of the event, and has since shown an increased ability to bowl reverse-swing. In the absence of Dale Steyn, who has suffered from a shoulder injury for much of the last two years, Morkel has provided South Africa with a key skill, especially in Test cricket. Against India in Nagpur in 2015 and against New Zealand in Dunedin earlier this year, Morkel moved the ball significantly.The second of those performances was on Morkel’s comeback after nine months on the sidelines with a back problem. He has since also been recalled to
the ODI squad and played in South Africa’s opening match against Sri Lanka, where he bowled first change. His six overs cost 31 runs and came at a
time when Sri Lanka were batting well. Morkel did his bit to pull them back.Still, that does not guarantee Morkel will feature in the rest of the tournament, especially after coach Russell Domingo made it clear that South Africa might opt for an allrounder, depending on conditions and the balance of the XI. Which way they will go against Pakistan on Wednesday it not yet known. By 1pm on Tuesday, South Africa had not seen the pitch which remained under covers.Rather than be perturbed by the possibility of having to leave plans to the last minute, de Villiers was markedly unconcerned. He said he considers South Africa under “no pressure,” despite losing to Pakistan in the last global event – the World Cup in 2015. “We don’t feel any pressure. We are confident going into this game, without being arrogant or overconfident. We feel it’s an opportunity, once again in this tournament to shift the pressure onto all the opposition we might face.”This, carpe diem-like approach, has been the theme of the South African campaign. Both JP Duminy and Wayne Parnell have spoken of “staying in the moment,” something de Villiers admitted has become something of a mantra.”It’s just an awareness of not thinking of the past or the future, as simple as that. If we live in the past, there’s lots of scars that we can think of, lots of bad experiences. Some good ones, as well. The future, it’s something we can’t control as of yet. So it’s just wise to try and stay in the moment with what you’re confronted with,” he said. “It’s just a little saying that I feel is quite powerful for us to focus on the very next ball and not – well, not the very next ball, but
the one that you’re actually dealing with at that moment and not trying to think of how you’re going to finish your over or the few boundaries you just went for. Every bowler has the opportunity to influence the game, and that’s the idea behind it.”And none of them, according to de Villiers, have influenced it as much as Wasim Akram.

A loss for New Zealand would dent their chances of a straightforward entry into the semi-final, while a defeat for West Indies would further hurt their net run-rate, which is already down in the negative

The Preview by Annesha Ghosh06-Jul-2017With one win, one loss, and one washed-out match, New Zealand are tottering at fifth place on the points table. They are coming off a narrow five-wicket loss to Australia, which went down to the penultimate over, but will take heart from the resistance offered by their bowlers in that match. They will also take heart from the form of their opponents – West Indies, finalists in 2013, have yet to win a match and come into this game having been dismissed for 48 against South Africa, their second-lowest total in ODIs.A loss for New Zealand would dent their chances of a straightforward entry into the semi-final, while a defeat for West Indies would further hurt their net run-rate, which is already down in the negative.West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor has stressed that “panic is not in our books”, but has also acknowledged it was “down to business time” for her side, with the threat of falling out of contention for a semi-final berth. “All the teams are in the business mood; we, too, do need to get into the business mood. It’s all about belief, going out there and getting the job done,” she said.No West Indies batsman has made a half-century in the tournament so far and they would look to heed the advice of coach Vasbert Drakes, who emphasised the importance of clarity: “I want the players to be clear in what they want to do, be clear in their decision making, be clear in their thinking.”Their chances of a turnaround will depend heavily on former captain and wicketkeeper Merissa Aguilleira finding form in her 100th ODI appearance, after scores of 1, 6 and 3 so far. Allrounder Deandra Dottin, who followed her 20-ball 29 against Australia with scores of 7 and 0, will also look to summon her might with the bat and deliver breakthroughs with her medium-pace.No West Indies batsman has yet struck a half-century in the tournament•AFP

A cloud cover is likely to loom over County Ground for a major part of the day, which could assist the medium-pacers early. However, considering spinners have bagged 21 wickets as opposed to the 10 by the seamers in the three matches played so far at the venue, it’s unlikely New Zealand would risk tweaking with their four-spinner attack, led by the offspin-legspin pair of Anna Peterson and Amelia Kerr.New Zealand allrounder Amy Satterthwaite, who had returns of 6 for 17 – the best T20I bowling figures – with her medium-pace at this ground in 2007, could also find purchase with her offspin should the match be played on a used pitch. In assessing the challenges West Indies may pose, Satterthwaite echoed coach Haidee Tiffen, underlining the need for her side to guard against the mercurial nature of the opposition. “They are a dangerous side and a quality side as well and must be hurting with their start and we know that they’ll come back strong. They showed that in the way they won the World T20 title last year, so they know how to win games,” Satterthwaite said.West Indies’ resources in the bowling department are limited. Having lost their fast-bowling strike bowlers Shakera Selman and Shamilia Connell to injuries, their effectiveness revolves largely around Taylor’s offbreaks – she is the side’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament, with three dismissals. West Indies will look to left-arm spinner Shanel Daley and offspinner Afy Fletcher to back Taylor up in their pursuit of their first win on the tour so far.

Opening batsman Heino Kuhn will likely be named in South Africa’s Test squad to play in England next month

Firdose Moonda23-Jun-20170:44

Quick Facts: Heino Kuhn

Opening batsman Heino Kuhn will be named in South Africa’s Test squad to play in England next month, ESPNcricinfo has learnt.Kuhn, who scored a century in the ongoing unofficial Test against the England Lions on the back of an unbeaten 200 against Hampshire last week, will be joined by his A squad team-mates Theunis de Bruyn, Temba Bavuma and Duanne Olivier but it remains to be seen if Stephen Cook will keep his place.Cook was dropped for South Africa’s last Test, against New Zealand in Hamilton, and was replaced by de Bruyn, a regular No. 3. Selection convener Linda Zondi confirmed in the aftermath that de Bruyn would not be considered for a permanent place the top two, which suggests his inclusion in the squad is as back-up, especially as South Africa are unsure if Faf du Plessis will play in the opening Test as he awaits the birth of his first child. That means Kuhn and Cook will be competing for the same spot.Kuhn was 13th on the first-class run-charts last season with 527 runs at 43.91 with one hundred and three fifties but topped the list last summer. He scored 1126 runs at 62.55 with four hundreds and four fifties and missed out on selection after Cook, who had been the leading batsman the season before and in the top 10 for seven seasons prior to that, was preferred. Cook scored a century on debut and has two other hundreds to his name but has gone through lengthy lean patches, especially on away tours. He had scored just 75 runs in four innings before his hundred in Adelaide and 17 runs in four innings before being benched in New Zealand.In preparation for the England series, Cook has been playing county cricket for Durham and has scored 348 runs in seven matches at 26.76 with two fifties. In contrast, his Test opening partner Dean Elgar has is the fifth-highest run-scorer overall in Division 1 and has notched up 517 runs at 47.00 for Somerset in six matches with two hundreds and two fifties.This month, Heino Kuhn has hit 200* against Hampshire and 105 against England Lions•Getty Images

In addition to his ability to open the batting, Kuhn will also more than likely serve as the back-up gloveman to Quinton de Kock. Though Kuhn no longer regularly keeps wicket for his franchise, the Titans, he has done the job for several of his 12 years as first-class cricketer and most recently donned the gloves for the entire domestic one-day cup when Heinrich Klaasen was called up for national duty in New Zealand. Kuhn’s move from wicket-keeper batsman to specialist opener came last summer under Mark Boucher’s guidance after Boucher identified the opener’s spot as the only possible gap in the South African side.Kuhn’s selection suggests that South Africa will remain unsettled when it comes to their top two for a while yet. Neither Kuhn, who is 33, nor Cook, who is 34, can be considered a long-term solution but they may be placeholders for another member of the A side, who is expected to miss out this time. Aiden Markram captained the four-day side and scored a century against Hampshire and 71 in the first innings against the Lions but it appears he will have to wait his turn for a national call-up.South Africa’s Test squad will be announced at the conclusion of the A match against the Lions. The A team are headed towards a hefty defeat and after losing to Sussex and in the fifty-over series, there will be questions about the depth of South African cricket following a spate of Kolpak signings last summer.