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Match facts

Friday, January 7
Start time 11.00 (2200 GMT)Misbah-ul-Haq has helped his side punch above its weight since taking over as captain•Getty Images

Big Picture

Just as two exciting Test series conclude on two different continents, New Zealand and Pakistan begin one of their own in Hamilton. But unlike the Ashes or the South Africa-India Tests which had massive build-ups, drew large audiences and captivated fans, this one is destined to be a sideshow. And that’s because the eyes and ears of the cricketing world would be transfixed on an event in Doha, where the three players suspected of being involved in the spot-fixing controversy will know their fate.As the ICC’s three-man tribunal examines the charges against Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, who won Pakistan a Test on their previous tour here, the former team-mates of the tainted trio will do well to retain their focus on the action at the ground. Instability, indiscipline and allegations of corruption have done enough in recent months to deflect attention from the efforts of a Pakistan team trying to rebuild.Under a new captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, and with a set of youngsters who’ve made an encouraging transition to international cricket, Pakistan punched above their weight when they held South Africa to a 0-0 draw, albeit in placid conditions, in the UAE in November. Conditions in New Zealand, traditionally favouring more swing and less palatable for batsmen, present Pakistan with a fresh challenge and an incentive, despite starting underdogs, to motivate themselves and repair some of the reputation sullied by events off the field.New Zealand, too, come in to the series on the back of a better-than-expected performance in their Test series in India, where they were beaten 0-1 in a three-match series. Though their woeful ODI form has prompted changes at the top, with John Wright replacing Mark Greatbatch as coach, their past performance in Tests, with Brendon McCullum’s success at the top of the order, the emergence of Kane Williamson and the reliability of Chris Martin, would give them plenty of hope in home conditions.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
Pakistan: DDLWL
New Zealand: LDDLL

Watch out for…

Brendon McCullum‘s promotion to the opening slot yielded a double-century against India and he warmed up for this series in ideal fashion, smashing Pakistan around in the tour game to make 206. Pakistan don’t have the services of Asif and Amir but Umar Gul, with his pace and ability to swing the ball, can be just as aggressive as McCullum. Who will win the battle?Misbah-ul-Haq took over the reins of the Test side in a time of turmoil but led by example in the series against South Africa in the UAE, scoring three half-centuries in four innings to save both Tests. He led the way again with an unbeaten century in the tour match. Much will depend on him and Younis Khan, the senior members in the side, to preserve the focus on the performance on the field. They did that well in the UAE, they’ll need to do it again.

Pitch and conditions

There is rain forecast for Friday, though the past few days in Hamilton have been quite warm. The possibility of overcast conditions on the opening day does provide the temptation of fielding first, but Hamilton, traditionally, has been among the better tracks for batting in the country.”I’d like to have a little bit in it but also in the back of my mind is that if it gets really humid, the ball can swing a lot, and it has been really humid here,” Karl Johnson, the curator at Seddon Park, was quoted as saying to . “I don’t want the wicket to swing and have a lot of zip and movement off the track, but obviously the bowlers would like that,”

Team news

Saeed Ajmal, the offspinner, had to return home to attend his father’s funeral and is likely to miss the first Test. That leaves Abdur Rehman, the left-arm spinner, as the only slow-bowling option. Sohail Tanvir, the left-arm seamer who was a late addition to the squad and picked up four wickets in the tour game, could share the new ball with Gul.Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Taufeeq Umar, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Adnan Akmal (wk), 8 Abdur Rehman, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Sohail Tanvir, 11 Wahab Riaz.Andy McKay, the left-arm seamer, is out due to a side strain and Daryl Tuffey has been called in to the 13-man squad. Wicketkeeper Reece Young, picked in place of Gareth Hopkins, will make his Test debut. Jesse Ryder, who didn’t feature in the warm-up match, is expected to return.New Zealand (possible): 1 Tim McIntosh, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Jesse Ryder, 6 Kane Williamson, 7 Daniel Vettori (capt), 8 Reece Young (wk), 9 Tim Southee, 10 Brent Arnel/ Daryl Tuffey, 11 Chris Martin.

Stats and trivia

New Zealand’s batting average over the last two years of 31.47 is much higher than Pakistan’s 26.40, but their bowling average of 44.34 is only marginally better than that of West Indies and Bangladesh.For a comprehensive statistical preview to the Test and the series, click here.

Quotes

“I think with Tim we’ve either done really well or we’ve not done well at all, so we’ve got to try and gain some more consistency between us.”
McCullum on his opening partnership with Tim McIntosh.”We are not thinking about what has happened in the last 12 months, we are just thinking about today and tomorrow and what is coming next. We are ready for that. We just have to forget everything else and focus on what is coming now.”
Misbah-ul-Haq insists his team his focused.

ScorecardTasmania secured a place in the Big Bash finals with a comfortable 40-run victory over Western Australia at Bellerive. It was an even performance by the Tigers who were led well by captain George Bailey. He clubbed a match-winning 51 from 30 balls to lift his side to a total of 7 for 170.After winning the toss and batting first, Tasmania suffered an indifferent start losing both Jonathan Wells and Ed Cowan to Sajid Mahmood, who had his back up and chest out on a pitch that provided good pace and bounce.The innings really kick started in the fifth over when Mark Cosgrove, battling for form, clubbed four consecutive boundaries off Mick Lewis. Cosgrove’s fluency with the blade was offset by his running between the wickets. A problem with his hamstring hamstrung Bailey early on as the skipper was denied several twos.But Bailey found another way. He reverse swept Adam Voges’ first ball from outside leg for four, then clubbed Michael Beer onto the hill. He took two more sixes off Lewis’ second over before succumbing to part-timer Michael Swart.Swart, bowling nothing more than darts that have been quite effective in Perth grade cricket, grabbed the three key scalps in Bailey, Cosgrove (49) and Travis Birt. Tasmania looked like they might fall short of a par score but some late hitting from Jason Krejza in the last over damaged Lewis’ figures beyond repair and gave the Tigers great momentum.With that momentum they seized the match at the start of the Warriors chase. The visitors imploded to slump to 4 for 37. Marcus North curiously walked out at six and could not salvage the wreck. Luke Ronchi was the only shining light with 43 off 29, although he was dropped twice by substitute Brendon Drew.Drew was on for Rana Naved-ul-Hasan. The popular Pakistani tweaked an ankle in the field. He went off initially, then returned only to bowl one ball before collapsing in a screaming heap. His fitness for the Preliminary final will be crucial to Tasmania’s chances. Bailey manoeuvred his depleted bowling line-up well with Krejza, James Faulkner, and part-timer Rhett Lockyear all claiming two miserly wickets each.Tasmania will now watch the next two games with interest to see if they play South Australia or New South Wales for a spot in the final.The Warriors are instead left to ponder another disappointing tournament. Western Australia has failed to win silverware in any format since 2003-04.

Match Facts

January 31, SSC
Start time 10:00 (04:30 GMT)
All eyes on Ramnaresh Sarwan•DigicelCricket.com

Big Picture

West Indies and Sri Lanka can thank the rain that wreaked havoc during their Test series last year, causing the ODIs to be postponed to a date less than a month before the World Cup in the subcontinent. The delay allows both teams, having finalised their 15-man squads for the World Cup, to test their combinations and the players, several of whom have been playing domestic cricket in the recent months, to regain their groove in the 50-over game. Sri Lanka last played an ODI series in November, West Indies even further back in June when they were thrashed 0-5 by South Africa, and a series in the subcontinent provides a welcome platform for preparation.Sri Lanka play most of their league games at home, though not at the SSC, the venue for the ODI series, while West Indies play none in Sri Lanka but in conditions not too dissimilar. The visitors, moreover, have players who’ve been out of action for quite some time and in need for some international exposure prior to the big tournament next month. Opener Adrian Barath hasn’t played an ODI since March last year, wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh hasn’t done the same for more than two years while Ramnaresh Sarwan, recalled for the World Cup, has a point or two to prove to his detractors after having missed out on a central contract and been dropped for the Test series against Sri Lanka.The hosts, with a series win over Australia in their last ODI assignment, their players having done well in the recently-concluded domestic one-day competition and familiarity with conditions start favourites but West Indies stand much to gain if they’re able to present a strong challenge.

Form guide

Sri Lanka: LWWWW
West Indies: LLLLL

Players to watch out for …

Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath: Barring an injury to Muttiah Muralitharan, only one among them will feature in the playing XI during the World Cup. Could this series determine who will start out as Murali’s support spinner? Both fared reasonably well in the domestic limited-overs competition – Herath took seven wickets at 20.85, Mendis six at 34 – and have the necessary variations that batsmen have struggled to pick. Mendis has the carrom ball among others, Herath has the one that comes in to the right hander. Will it boil down to who’s more successful?Ramnaresh Sarwan: A major pick for the World Cup, Sarwan’s form in the one-day format in domestic cricket hasn’t been very encouraging. He averaged 21.33 in the WICB one-day tournament and his form in Sri Lanka, where he averages 28.33 in seven games, his worst in a Test-playing nation, is in need of repair. He’s had his share of differences with the West Indies board and selectors but his experience has been the decisive factor in his playing the World Cup. The series in Sri Lanka is an opportunity to justify that selection on the basis of performance as well.

Team news

It could be a toss-up between Herath and Mendis as the additional spinner while Chamara Kapugedera, Chamara Silva and Thilan Samaraweera could be competing for a middle-order slot.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Mahela Jayawardene, 4 Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), 5 Chamara Silva, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Rangana Herath, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Lasith Malinga.West Indies have picked opener Devon Smith in their World Cup squad, though Barath might be the preferred option. They have Nikita Miller and Sulieman Benn as the two specialist spinners, and the latter could get the nod with Chris Gayle in the mix as a part-time option.West Indies (possible): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Adrian Barath, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 5 Darren Bravo, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Kieron Pollard, 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Carlton Baugh (wk), 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Kemar Roach.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies and Sri Lanka haven’t played each other in ODIs in more than two years. Their previous ODI contest was in April 2008 in a series that West Indies won 2-1.
• Chris Gayle is 115 runs away from completing 8000 runs in ODI cricket. He’ll be playing his first ODI in Sri Lanka in more than eight years.
• Murali averages 27.25 against West Indies, his third-highest against a team. He averages above 30 in ODIs with the ball against India and Australia.

Quotes

“We have a very good team vibe going and it is very important that we maintain that and build on that.”

The controversial clause in the Decision Review System (DRS) that reprieved Ian Bell during the tense England run-chase against India in Bangalore was introduced into the rules because of players’ doubts over the accuracy of the ball tracker technology. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo in Bangalore, ICC chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, said, “The rules and protocols for DRS were designed by experts with much thought. The Bell example applies the 2.5m rule which, in my view, accommodates the scepticism that some have with predictive technonolgy.”India’s scepticism about the DRS has grown following the incident involving Bell, the first time the team asked for a referral in the World Cup. Television replays, which were displayed on the giant screen of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, appeared to show that the ball had hit a forward-stretching Bell low on the pad with the ball in line with middle stump. Bell had begun to walk off, but umpire Billy Bowden did not declare him out because the distance between the point of impact and the stumps was shown to be 2.5m.MS Dhoni criticised the Bell decision, calling it an ‘adulteration’ of technology with human judgement, but Lorgat said it was not an accurate description of what transpired. “It’s absolutely not (adulteraton) – as it is there to support the umpire, not to overrule the umpire. The whole purpose of DRS is to avoid the error, not to seek a wicket or to reprieve a batsman. That’s not the purpose of the system, the purpose is to avoid an error that would result in gross injustice. The Bell decision was a judgement call for the umpire – if he didn’t have the DRS, we would have been arguing about how far down the pitch the batsman was. What we are trying to avoid through DRS is the bad decision, not to adjudicate on decisions that could go either way.Using the DRS in the World Cup, Lorgat said was, “to simply avoid the shocking error that can happen. And we do not want such errors in the World Cup.” Umpires he said would acknowledge this, he said, adding they were, “happy” with the DRS. “They can go to sleep at night knowing that had they made that one mistake, it can be rectified. That would not have happened without DRS.”The rule about the distance between impact and the stumps had been put in place precisely because experts had said that the accuracy of the ball tracker – in this case Hawk Eye – begins to falter from that point. “In other words if the ball needed to travel more than 2.5m, then it is for the umpire to make the final decision as he sees it.”Dhoni had asked why the mark had not been stipulated at 2.4, or 2.6m, and Lorgat said that while, “You can set that mark wherever you want – Dhoni was saying 2.4 and 2.6 – but the experts have decided on 2.5 m, after which the umpire and not technology decides..”ICC General Manager, Dave Richardson, told Indian news channel, , that Dhoni should be aware of the rules before passing judgement. “There are a set of rules along with the Hawk-Eye to assist in making the decision when UDRS is implemented … Most of the time, a player is not fully aware of all the rules. If MS Dhoni is made aware of the specifications of these rules, then I am sure that he will accept the decision that was made.”Lorgat went on to say that regardless of the technology, the umpire had remained at the front and center of decision making on the field. “The umpire still has the authority to say, despite what I’ve heard and seen, I still don’t think that is enough reason for me to change my decision. It is for them to decide. That [DRS] has aided them, that does not overrule the umpire. That is a support structure we have put in place.”When asked whether the DRS would now be a constant in ODIs following the World Cup, Lorgat said, “No. A comprehensive review and recommendation can only be decided once the ICC Cricket Committee deliberates in May 2011. You can’t deny the progress of technology, either we embrace it or we reject it. I believe we reject it at our own peril.”The DRS was met with a lot of resistance when it was first introduced in 2008, but it has now enjoys what Lorgat calls a, “lot more support” across all Test playing countries other than India. Lorgat said, “Now, people are asking us, “Why is it not mandatory?” It is currently not because of the lack of available technology. We would also want all players and Match Officials to experience and embrace it fully.” He said there were, “commercial and contractual aspects related to its application” which is why the ICC had left the decision, “to the participating Boards.”The system had come into play in the World Cup because it was an ICC event but leaving it to bilateral boards was not unfair on the part of those countries which have embraced it, “This (the World Cup) is an ICC event and the ICC has decided to use it. In the case of bilateral series it is up to the Members to decide. Some claim this is not consistent and therefore not fair. I don’t believe so as the playing conditions would be the same for the two competing teams and it is still the subject of the umpire deciding.”Lorgat said the DRS was, “no more than a tool” to help the decision making the umpire. “By using DRS, the correct decision making percentage has improved by around 5%, from 92% to 97%. With such improvement how can we not support its use?”In the ICC’s DRS rule pertaining to the Process of Consultation, No. 3.3 (i), states that if a ‘not out’ decision is being reviewed on the ‘point of impact’ issue, the third umpire must tell the onfield umpire whether the ball is past 2.5m or not and then pass on the following information: the distance from the wickets of the point of impact with the batsman, the approximate distance from the point of pitching to the point of impact, and whether the ball is predicted to the hit the stumps. According to the explanation given on the ICC’s website, along with the 2.5m rule, should the distance between point of pitching and point of impact with the pad be less than 40cm, “the umpires are not obliged to follow the normal rules for using Hawkeye to determine whether the batsman is out or not and shall have a discretion in determining whether or not to overturn their original not out decision.”The ball tracker, like Hawk-Eye in this case, comes into play from the time the ball pitches and to the point of impact. That passage of information is then passed to the computer through multiple camera frames that help the tracker pick up on trajectory and make its assessment. The greater the distance between the point where the ball pitches and the point where it makes contact with either bat or pad, the more camera frames there are for the tracker to trace the predictive path. The shorter the distance, the less information is available to the technology to make an accurate prediction, which is why the 2.5m rule was brought into play.The Bell-Bowden incident has raised the issue of whether the third umpire should be able to instruct the on-field umpire to change his decision, as opposed to merely passing on information.The argument in favour says that the third umpire is the man who has both access and time to look at the replay and is also detached from the emotions on the field and in the crowd looking at the dismissal on a giant screen. The argument against states that giving the third umpire these powers will reduce the importance of the man in the middle.

Gloucestershire have announced a £216,000 loss for 2010.It is a disappointing outcome for the club, which started the year with a surplus of £20,000. The club said poor ticket sales were largely to blame with the football World Cup and disappointing sales for the England ODI against Bangladesh hitting the club hard.It’s the second successive year the club has recorded a loss and Tony Elgood, the Gloucestershire treasurer said: “We clearly cannot continue to run the club at this level of loss. We have set a positive budget for the current year and we will be making every effort to ensure we deliver against this budget.””Looking to the longer term, our ground development plans seek to ensure that we maximise the income from the use of the ground throughout the whole year. If we can significantly increase this source of income, we can not only trade more profitably but will also be in a position to make greater investments in the playing squad. Our aim is that the financial and cricketing success of the club can go forward hand in hand.”

Match facts

Friday, April 22, Mumbai
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)After 20 days: There won’t be any hugging or tears this time at the Wankhede•Getty Images

Big picture

It is Tendulkar versus Dhoni at the Wankhede. It’s only been 20 days since Dhoni catapulted six into those very stands, sending a billion people into raptures, and reducing the battle-hardened Tendulkar to tears of joy. It’s only been 20 days since these men collapsed into each others’ arms, exultant at the end of an exhausting and rewarding campaign. Even the peerless manufacturers of IPL hype won’t begin to suggest that game 25 is going to be a shade on that night. However, Tendulkar knows he has unfinished business.Mumbai have begun the season well, winning three games without breaking a sweat. Brendon McCullum and Co. handed them a shock defeat, but otherwise they have not been tested at all. It was exactly how they went through the last edition as well, before Dhoni’s yellow brigade pipped them in the final. A win tomorrow won’t avenge that reversal, but could throw a huge spanner on Chennai’s works as the season heads into the middle stages.Chennai’s worries, as always, are on the bowling front. Tim Southee and Albie Morkel have been unpredictable, but the spinners have been a bigger letdown. R Ashwin’s lines have been too close to leg-stump, while Shadab Jakati has struggled to land two balls on the same spot. To add to Chennai’s woes, the batting misfired in the middle overs against Kochi, potentially costing them the rain-affected game. Dhoni has sparked several turnarounds before, both for Chennai and for the other team that he leads. He won’t mind the fact that this time his side will go in as underdogs.

Team talk

If Harbhajan Singh is fit, he is likely to come in for either Ali Murtaza or Abu Nechim. Both were impressive against Pune, though Murtaza, being a spinner, will be a like-for-like replacement. Davy Jacobs could return, relegating James Franklin to the bench. There’s been a lot of talk surrounding Lasith Malinga, and it will be interesting to see if he can retain his focus on shattering stumps and toes.Jakati’s figures from the last three games read 8.1-0-94-0. Will Chennai drop him, given the lack of turn on the Wankhede track?Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

Doug Bollinger turned up after a long injury lay-off, and immediately settled into a lovely rhythm against Kochi. His ability to slant the ball away from the right hander and bring it back in without a visible change in action, could set up an interesting tussle with Sachin Tendulkar.Last year, playing in a different shade of blue, Rohit Sharma and Andrew Symonds were the prime movers in the Deccan Chargers middle order. So far they have hardly got a hit this season, and will be itching to flex their muscles against Chennai.

Prime numbers

• Suresh Raina leads the list of run-getters in IPL history, with 1487 runs. Tendulkar is 81 runs behind
• Sachin Tendulkar is 11 runs away from regaining the orange cap. M Vijay is Chennai’s highest scorer this season, but he is only 12th on the overall list

The chatter

“There is a real anomaly in Duckworth/Lewis, it is rubbish for Twenty20. When you don’t get extra runs from D/L method, it is quite a big disadvantage.”

Former India batsman Dilip Vengsarkar will be contesting the Mumbai Cricket Association elections, to be held next month, for the post of president. There is likely to be a four-way contest for the post with cabinet member and central minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and possibly Maharashtra’s revenue minister Narayan Rane in the fray to challenge incumbent MCA president Sharad Pawar.”I will be contesting the election this time and I don’t want to comment anything more on this at the moment,” Vengsarkar, who is currently MCA vice-president , told the .Congress leader Deshmukh represents Mazgaon Cricket Club and is also MCA vice-president. Mazgaon CC secretary Alam Shaikh confirmed that Deshmukh would be contesting the elections. “Mr Deshmukh told us that he will be contesting for the president’s post this time,” Shaikh said. “We are confident that he will win again. Let’s see how things go.”National Congress Party (NCP) president Pawar, who is currently ICC president, has been the MCA president for the last eight years [constituting four terms], and was given an extension during the last election after the constitution was amended.Vijay Patil, president of the DY Patil Sports Academy and son of Tripura governor DY Patil, will be contesting for the post of vice-president.The MCA managing committee is scheduled to meet on May 10 to decide the election date.

David Harrison, the Glamorgan seamer, has been forced to retire due to a persistent hip problem. The 29-year-old worked hard over the winter to try and resume his career this season but the injury proved too severe.In 2004 he reached as far as the England A set up after a season where he took 57 Championship wickets and as recently as last summer claimed career-best figures of 7 for 45 against Worcestershire.”It’s disappointing to have to retire through injury,” Harrison told the Glamorgan website. “It’s sad but I’ve had time to reflect on the situation over the last couple of weeks and I look back on a fantastic 13-year career. I feel very lucky to have had the chance to play professional cricket and do what so many people aspire to.”Colin Metson, Glamorgan’s managing Director of cricket, added: “David has been an excellent servant to Glamorgan Cricket over many years and it’s always disappointing when players finish their careers early through injury.”It is even more disappointing after his performances with the ball last year. David is held in high esteem by both players and coaches alike, and I am delighted that he will remain involved with the team in a coaching capacity for the remainder of the season.”

Kent are poised to sign Wahab Riaz, the Pakistan left-arm paceman, after he received clearance from the Pakistan Cricket Board for a spell in county cricket.Kent, who have a small squad due to their financial situation, have been hit by a number of injuries to their pace bowlers this season and have often been forced to field an inexperienced line-up.Riaz made his Test debut at The Oval on the tour of England last year and took 5 for 63 in the first innings to help set up a four-wicket win for Pakistan. Overall he has played seven Tests and taken 17 wickets along with 38 scalps in 22 one-day internationals.The club hope the deal will be sealed next week once Riaz is granted the required visa.

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan and the new selection panel, led by former captain Akram Khan, have had a public disagreement over the squad for the Zimbabwe tour starting later this month. Shakib said he was not consulted before the 15-man squad was picked, while Akram insisted he was.”I learned about the team after it was named,” Shakib said. “I felt that [I should’ve been consulted] but they, who selected, should have felt it too.”Akram, however, expressed his disbelief at Shakib’s comments and insisted that he had spoken to Shakib over the phone in England. “I’m really shocked,” Akram said. “It’s really hard for me to believe that Shakib made such comments.”Akram, who became selection chief in April, said that he discussed the squad with Shakib before finalising it. “I personally talked with him over telephone in front of my colleagues [Minhazul Abedin and Habibul Bashar] to take his view over the selection. I mentioned all the names for his opinions and he said it is okay.” During a two-day practice game at the GP-BCB National Cricket Academy ground last week, Akram had informed reporters present that he held talks with Shakib over the team.When Shakib was further pressed for his opinion on the current 15-member squad, he said, “The people who selected the team can tell better how good the team is. But I will lead out my eleven.” The reason for Shakib’s resentment is unknown as he refrained from expanding.