After being obliterated during the two-Test series, Daniel Vettori is taking comfort from New Zealand’s limited-overs pedigree as they prepare for the Twenty20 international and three one-dayers against South Africa.An injury-hit New Zealand were routed by an innings and 59 runs inside three days at Centurion following a record-breaking 359-run defeat in the opening Test at the Wanderers. But the shorter formats will allow New Zealand to compete on more level terms with the home side. New Zealand are ranked third in one-day internationals, one place behind South Africa.”Our one-day form is markedly better than our Test form,” said Vettori.”We do have some confidence in our game. We’re obviously missing a few guys from our last set of one-dayers in the World Cup but because guys play so much cricket there’s a chance to turn things around.”Of the team that reached the World Cup semi-finals in April, Shane Bond and James Franklin are injured, while Stephen Fleming and Craig McMillan have retired. However, Vettori should have the services of key allrounder Jacob Oram who missed the second Test with a hamstring injury.Following Friday’s Twenty20 at the Wanderers, the three ODIs will be played at Port Elizabeth, Durban and Cape Town where conditions are not expected to be as bowler-friendly as the Tests. South Africa’s recent one-day form, however, is strong after their impressive 3-2 series win in Pakistan.
Ishant Sharma, the 18-year-old Delhi medium pacer, is likely be sent to South Africa ahead of the final Test at Cape Town.Sharma, currently playing in only his fifth first-class match, is likely to join the squad before the final Test. With Irfan Pathan being sent back to India to play domestic cricket, and Munaf Patel yet to regain full fitness from an ankle injury, Sharma may be asked to step in and fill the breach in the squad, should the need arise, through another injury.When contacted, Niranjan Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, would neither confirm nor deny the story. “If the need arises for a replacement, and the team management feels the shortcoming, then the selectors will discuss the matter over the telephone and decide on a replacement,” Shah told Cricinfo. Dilip Vengsarkar also echoed his views, telling reporters in Durban that Sharma won’t be joining the team.Rahul Dravid, speaking at the toss ahead of the second Test, said that Munaf was not yet fully fit, but did stress that he was only “two or three days” from where the team wanted him to be, suggesting that he would be fit in time for the next Test.However, it is learnt that the preparations to get Sharma across to South Africa are already under way. “We want him [Sharma] to see what happens at the highest level,” said a senior Indian board official and an unimpeachable source, who did not want to be named for obvious reasons. “We believe it will be good for his development.” Although this goes against the grain of what the board secretary told Cricinfo on the record, it corroborates all the other indications received from the team management and sources in South Africa.Should he go, it is unlikely that Sharma will figure in the playing eleven, but it is believed that he is being sent to South Africa to get a feel of international cricket and the Indian dressing-room and to obtain firsthand guidance from Greg Chappell, the Indian coach, and Ian Fraser, a member of the support staff.Sharma plays for the Rohtak Road Gymkhana Club in Delhi and, though in his debut first-class season, has a couple of Under-19 tours under his belt. He’s currently playing for Delhi against Saurashtra in Rajkot, where he has 3 for 117 from 36 overs; prior to this match he’d picked up 19 wickets from four games, with one five-wicket haul against Baroda. His USP is the ability to extract unnerving bounce, thanks mainly to his build – Sharma is 6’4″ tall and lanky, and is nicknamed Lambu for obvious reasons.Sharma’s cause has probably been helped by the fact that Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors, was in Delhi a couple of weeks ago watching him bowl in a Ranji trophy match against Tamil Nadu. On a shirtfront of a Kotla wicket, where the ball barely carried through to the keeper, Sharma put in a good effort.Lalchand Rajput, the coach of the Indian U-19 team, was impressed with Sharma’s bowling, and apart from praising the bowler in the media had also conveyed his thoughts to the BCCI.
In sickness and in health Barring an infusion of Kryptonite, Rahul Dravid is unlikely to lead India tomorrow. The gastroenteritis attack that led to his hospitalisation has left him very weak, and India are unlikely to gamble – even if it’s their most reliable batsman – with the series still at stake. At the press conference after nets, Greg Chappell gave every indication that Gautam Gambhir would keep his place in the XI, and he will most likely be reunited with Virender Sehwag at the top of the order. Mohammad Kaif, who had quite a bit of batting time this morning, should ease into the holding role that Dravid has taken upon himself with such aplomb for so long.For Sri Lanka, Marvan Atapattu is on the mend after a bout of flu, but neither Chaminda Vaas nor Dilhara Fernando have shaken off the fever that saw them miss nets this morning. Lasith Malinga and Farveez Maharoof are the pace bowling back-up, and Upul Tharanga is expected to come in for Avishka Gunawardene, who has done nothing so far to suggest that he belongs at this level.Heat and dust The dry heat certainly won’t help players trying to shake off the after-effects of a viral infection, though the batsmen among them will be cheered by the brown, grassless pitch. The curator had some grass rolled in to bind the surface, and there should be decent bounce, but it appeared a surface that was full of runs – not too dissimilar from the one where India and Pakistan rattled up well over 600 runs in an ODI last April. Chappell expected it to aid the slow bowlers as the match wore on, lending credence to the theory that the result will once again hinge on how effective Muttiah Muralitharan and Anil Kumble can be.Mr Commitment On the eve of Kumble’s 100th Test, Chappell reckoned that he was as great a competitor as his old wrecking ball, Dennis Keith Lillee. And like Lillee, who never stopped haring in during each of his 70 Tests, Kumble carries on with the kind of enthusiasm and commitment that would shame someone a decade younger. He loped in to bowl his legspinners and googlies, batted with concentration, and also appeared to discuss with Chappell how he might make use of the extra bounce to snare the batsmen on the cut. Only those that evolve and improve stay ahead, and Kumble is now in a league of his own in India’s spin pantheon.What crisis? If you’re prone to believing the hysteria merchants masquerading as TV reporters and journalists, you might have imagined that the India team was full of insecure, embattled individuals, each wondering who would be next in line for the chop. The bonhomie on view at nets and fielding practice laid bare those canards and lies for what they are – misinformed, malicious rumour-mongering. Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh – supposed targets on “Chappell’s hit-list” – discussed tactics and shared a laugh or two with the coach, Sachin Tendulkar let out a primal scream after foxing Mahendra Singh Dhoni with a wrong `un, and VVS Laxman was all smiles after diving full length to his left to take a low catch.And regardless of whether he plays or not, Wasim Jaffer slotted in seamlessly, doing arm-strengthening exercises with Greg King before Chappell talked to him about the mental preparation and focus needed. Unlike parliament, which apparently has no issues of import to debate, there was not a protest placard in sight.TeamsIndia (likely): Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag (capt), VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh.Sri Lanka (likely): Marvan Atapattu (capt), Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Jehan Mubarak, Chaminda Vaas, Malinga Bandara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dilhara Fernando.
The rewards are rolling in for Glenn McGrath, following his Test-best 61against New Zealand in the first Test at Brisbane. He has netted theMcGrath Breast Cancer Foundation AUS$10,000 (£4,200) from one sponsor, andthe same amount for himself from Sommers, his bat manufacturers.Prior to the innings, McGrath had been in danger of finishing his careerwith more wickets than runs – his tallies in the run-up to the BrisbaneTest had been 454 and 477 respectively. But he revealed in Sydney’s newspaper that New Loan, one of his sponsors, hadpromised to give $10,000 to the McGrath Breast Cancer Foundation if hereached a Test half-century. McGrath’s English-born wife Jane underwenttreatment for breast cancer in 2003.Mark Waugh had famously bet Shane Warne that McGrath would never make afirst-class fifty, which he achieved in July 2000 when he made 55 forWorcestershire against Nottinghamshire at New Road in July 2000, as he puton 103 for the last wicket with Kabir Ali.But further incentive was needed for him to repeat the feat in Tests.McGrath therefore negotiated a clause in his batting contract that ensuredhe’d win a similar bonus himself for reaching a Test half-century.John Rennie, the managing director of Sydney-based Sommers, was delightedwith the exposure his client won for him, but indicated that he thoughtthat, like many, the chances of McGrath ever making a fifty were slim. Hischeque will be presented before the start of the second Test, starting atAdelaide this Friday.
Alec Stewart has followed in his father’s illustrious footsteps by being awarded an OBE for his services to cricket in the Queen’s Birthday Honours’ List.Stewart passed Geoffrey Boycott and David Gower to move into second place in England’s list of Test run-scorers against Zimbabwe at Durham last week, and was also awarded the MBE in the 1998.On receiving the honour, Stewart said: “The great thing is that I’ve now managed to catch up my Dad because he was awarded the OBE a good few years ago.””It’s a terrific honour and it’s really pleasing to be recognised in this way.I’ve always gone about my cricket in a professional way and to be honoured in this way for it makes me very proud and it’s a moment I’ll treasure.”Stewart, now 40, has continued to defy his critics by making more appearances than any other England player at both Test and one-day level, and his ability with the bat and behind the stumps has stood the test of time since making his international debut 14 years ago.He retired from one-day international cricket after the World Cup, but has no plans to do the same in Tests. He recently said: “All I’ve ever said about the future is that while the enjoyment is there and I feel I’m playing well enough to warrant a place in the side, I see no reason to give it away myself.””I feel exactly the same as I did 20 years ago. I have the same buzz and pre-match nerves I’ve always had and that’s a good thing because that shows you’re still up for the game.”
Former New Zealand Test captain and coach Glenn Turner believes the answer to many problems being experienced by bowlers may lie in under-use rather than over-use.With New Zealand having suffered a remarkable string of bowlers suffering from stress-related back injuries in recent years, Turner has done some research looking at bowler workloads, as far back as the 1920s.”I went back that far to see what some of the workloads were, especially in county cricket in England.”Some of the old boys back then were bowling 2000 overs a year.”Blokes like Fred Trueman and Brian Statham were bowling 1200 overs a year in their prime.”In his busiest year Richard Hadlee bowled something like 1200 overs in the year,” he said.Turner compared that to a bowler like New Zealand left-arm medium-fast bowler Shayne O’Connor who last year, in one of his busiest seasons before injury, bowled only 450 overs.”What’s happened?” Turner asked.He believed that bowlers nowadays have not trained to cope with the workload required of them. Some bowlers also came back too quickly from injuries and other bowlers were just not capable of achieving the workload asked of them in bowling 25 overs in a day.Turner recounted his days at Worcestershire during the 1960s and 1970s when regular bowlers like Len Coldwell and Jack Flavell bowled 25 overs day in and day out, warmed up by bowling six bouncers in the morning and had six or seven pints of an evening after a day’s play.Turner wasn’t against players building their strength and conditioning in gymnasiums, there was a place for that but he felt that many could take on more bowling as part of their preparation.”The balance does have to be right,” he said.Turner also expressed reservations about the intrusion of biomechanics into bowling actions. He appreciated there were instances where change was good.But he also wondered whether much was known about the danger of changing people’s actions and the effects of different muscles being used.Having seen a bowler like South African Mike Procter in action so many times Turner could only wonder what might have happened to him had someone tried to make his wrong-footed action biomechanically correct.”If someone is breaking down often maybe you do have to make changes,” he said.”The other thing about those bowlers of earlier times was the rest they had. Invariably when they weren’t bowling they put their feet up and when they had a game off for bad weather they had total rest, and that is an important facet,” Turner said.Turner has taken up the coaching position of the Otago team this summer after last year’s coach Denis Aberhart was appointed to the New Zealand coaching position.
ScorecardChris Dent scored Gloucestershire’s first Championship century at Bristol•Getty Images
Chris Dent compiled an assured 102 not out on the second day of the match against Glamorgan as Gloucestershire’s batsmen finally produced the goods in a Championship match at the Bristol County Ground.Glamorgan posted 433 in their first innings, teenager Aneurin Donald top-scoring with a career-best 98. But Gloucestershire fought back and reached the close on 243 for three, courtesy of a third wicket stand of 137 between Dent and Hamish Marshall.They still trail by 190 runs, but are handily-placed to avoid a fifth defeat in six red ball matches at Nevil Road, where first-innings runs have been in short supply this summer.For once, Gloucestershire made a decent fist of batting in the face of scoreboard pressure, Dent finishing the campaign the same way he began it in the opening game at Northants, by scoring a hundred.Marshall weighed in with an enterprising 58 and Benny Howell contributed an unbeaten 40 as the home side made the most of an easy-paced pitch.If the first day belonged to Glamorgan batsman Donald, this was definitely Dent’s day, the left-hander registering his third century of the summer to extricate his team from a potentially hazardous situation. In the process, he became the first Gloucestershire batsman to register three figures in a Championship match at Bristol this year.When Will Tavare and Gareth Roderick fell for single-figure scores to Craig Meschede and Michael Hogan respectively, the home side were 32 for 2 and under pressure on a pitch still offering a modicum of assistance to the seam bowlers.Dent and Marshall summoned admirable resistance in a third-wicket partnership of 137 in 31 overs as Gloucestershire fought back.Marshall required six balls fewer than his partner to reach 50, but the New Zealander was unable to convert his half century into a really imposing total, fending a rising delivery from Hogan to wicketkeeper Chris Cooke.Dent raised his 50 from 89 deliveries before pressing down hard on the accelerator. He faced a further 65 balls to realise three figures, bringing up that landmark by clipping Meschede behind square leg for four before bad light forced a premature conclusion with 17 overs unused.Fuller had earlier underlined his value to Gloucestershire, returning figures of 4-59 to lead a spirited fight-back during the morning session. Resuming on 338 for 4, Glamorgan lost their last six wickets for 95 runs.There was frustration and disappointment for 18-year-old Donald, who fell two runs short of eclipsing Matthew Maynard and becoming Glamorgan’s youngest-ever century-maker in the Championship.The Gorseinon-born batsman had scored a career-best 98 when he chased a wide delivery outside off-stump from Fuller and offered a catch to Dent at second slip. Howell then mopped up the tail, accounting for Meschede, Andrew Salter and Hogan in quick succession to finish with 3 for 28 from 8.3 overs.
Manchester United did not disappoint in putting on a show at Elland Road this afternoon, in a fiery clash against Leeds United that ended in a 4-2 victory for the Lancashire side.
In an attacking performance at both ends of the pitch, Manchester United players shared out the four goals across the pitch with Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Fred and Anthony Elanga all finding the back of the net over the game.
Leeds United didn’t go down without a fight though, dominating possession throughout (54%) and scoring two goals in 24 seconds in the 53rd and 54th minute.
However Manchester United’s quality all over the pitch was inevitably too much for the home team to handle, and Ralf Rangnick’s side go home with all three points, putting them four points clear inside the top four, fourth in the Premier League table.
One player who failed to make an impact in the game, despite the tenacious win from the Red Devils, was Jesse Lingard who was given the golden opportunity of starting in the side this afternoon but could have blown it.
According to SofaScore, the Man United forward dropped a disaster-class against Leeds United, losing the majority of his duels (67.5%), committed two fouls, was dribbled past twice and lost the ball every 3 out of 29 touches.
That eventually resulted in Rangnick benching him in the 67th minute to make way for Elanga, who came on and made a much bigger impact in less time on the pitch, by scoring the fourth goal.
This performance from the £80k-per-week gem will only further Rangnick’s point of leaving the player out of the starting side in recent months, as the Manchester United manager gave Lingard the green light to leave in January, but when the club blocked the move, it left the player to see out the last six months of his contract at his boyhood club. As a result, this could be the last opportunity the manager offers Lingard to squander, after an ineffective display this weekend.
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Rangnick will be delighted that his side go into their Champions League game full of confidence and with a comfortable lead in the top four race as it stands, and will be hoping that the team can offer another collective performance to secure a win in the first leg against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.
Brett Lee says missing the World Cup with an ankle injury was a blessing as it allowed him to enter a hectic campaign at full fitness. Lee, who had surgery before the Caribbean tournament, has added some extra bulk in the off-season and believes he’s the fittest he’s been as he prepares for the first Test against Sri Lanka on Thursday.”The ankle problems I’ve been playing with for six or seven years are also gone,” Lee said in the Daily Telegraph. “Getting that surgery done, even though it meant missing the World Cup success, has turned out to be an absolute blessing.”Lee will have some competition from his team-mates in the battle of the fastest this summer after Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait were named in the 13-man Test squad. However, setting the radar alight is not his priority.”I’ve reached 160kph a few times now so it’s not at the top of my Christmas wish list,” he said. “But with everything that’s happened there’s no reason why as a fast bowler I can’t bowl with great pace, great speed.”Damien Fleming, who played 20 Tests, believes both Lee and Tait can pass 160kph. “Brett’s been bowling 150kph for a while now but who knows how much those ankle problems he had were holding him back. We might be about to see the very best of Brett Lee.”
It was easy to forget that a Test match was being played out at the National Stadium in Karachi today, a crucial one at that. And it was easier to forget that, as the day dawned, it was still a closely-run affair. Mohammad Yousuf dwarfed most of what happened on the field; a neat second Test century from Mohammad Hafeez was overshadowed and even the fact that the game, and the series, had truly run away from West Indies.Brian Lara is a sharper man than most and despite the celebratory feel of the day – standing ovations were as regular as Yousuf’s centuries this year – he was fully aware of the grave situation his side find themselves in now. “The situation resembles the one we faced against India at St Lucia earlier this year,” he told reporters. “We got out of that though and we have recognized batsmen to follow after me and Ramnaresh Sarwan. We just have to stay out there and fight it out through the whole day.”Had they taken all the chances that have come their way – Yousuf has been dropped six times in this series – they would not find themselves in the position they are now, in the Test or the series. Catches were shelled this afternoon, two more from Yousuf though Lara insisted it did not matter for the now. “That part of our game is over. We have to concentrate on tomorrow. It has hurt us, yes, but our next Test is in May. We have to work on it and the catching will affect us more in the ODI game.”If the Test now rests greatly on Lara’s magic, it will also rely, in part, on a surface that has apparently improved as the Test has progressed, confounding all pre-Test worries of chronic deterioration on the fourth and fifth days. Lara said, “It’s a tough pitch for anyone and it hasn’t lived up to expectations. But we needed to bat better in our first innings and build up a lead to put them under pressure. We bowled really well and I can’t fault our bowlers at all for their effort.”The pitch was also on Yousuf’s mind and despite becoming only the sixth Pakistani to make two hundreds in a Test, he was adamant that it wasn’t up to standard. “It isn’t easy to bat on. And it is definitely not a Test wicket.”But in the blizzard of all of Yousuf’s landmarks, a significant one awaiting Lara has been all but forgotten. Seventy-eight more runs and he will become the first man to make 12,000 Test runs though understandably, as a priority, it finds itself low. “It’s not on my mind at all. I just need to bat out the entire day. That is my number one aim. Sarwan and I need to do it and if needed others do as well.”Three delicious boundaries in Lara’s unbeaten 18 were evidence of form and would be enough to spark some trepidation in most sides. West Indies need 405 runs from 90 overs and improbable as it appears, betting against Lara is rarely the clever option. Yousuf admitted, “We are in a strong position, but Lara’s wicket is the key tomorrow.”Lara himself would not be drawn into predictions. “The total is not on our mind. We just want to bat out the entire day. That is our aim. We will take it hour by hour and hope that our batsmen will play their natural game,” he reasoned.It can be argued that if Lara does bat the entire day, then few targets are safe. If so, then it may make for a truly spectacular farewell Test appearance in Pakistan. And it is possibly the only achievement that could eclipse the feats of Yousuf.