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Match facts

Sunil Narine has been a tricky customer for Australia to handle in the first two games•Associated Press

March 20, Arnos Vale
Start time 0930 (1330 GMT)

Big Picture

If there were any doubts about how much Sunday’s win meant to West Indies, who had not beaten Australia in an ODI since 2006, consider the reaction of the prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines. Ralph Gonsalves, who has been in the crowd during the first two games, declared Tuesday a public holiday and as a result, the third match had already sold out by Monday. If West Indies can parlay that support into another victory, they will have a 2-1 series lead ahead of the final two games in St Lucia, and will have a terrific chance to beat Australia in a one-day series for the first time since 1995.To avoid that scenario, Australia need more from their batsmen, especially given they have weakened their batting depth by leaving Peter Forrest out to accommodate the offspinner Nathan Lyon. In the first two matches they had nine scores above 20 but no batsman has managed a half-century. That is not easy on a slow pitch, but they must find a way, especially if they have their full allotment of overs to bat. They scored at less than four an over in the second match and only marginally above that in the first game, and finding a way to handle the spin of Sunil Narine will be one of their major challenges.West Indies have also been bereft of half-century makers in this series but Kieron Pollard was well on the way to one when the winning runs arrived on Sunday. Their batsmen played poorly in the first match and the task is to make sure Sunday’s efforts are repeated in this game, not the batting from the opening encounter.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
West Indies WLLLW
Australia LWWLW

In the spotlight

Sunil Narine‘s 4 for 27 on Sunday was the second-best analysis ever recorded by a West Indies spinner in an ODI against Australia. Only Chris Gayle has bettered those figures, when he took 5 for 46 in Antigua in 2003. Narine’s changes of pace and flight, and the variety of spin in his armoury make him a difficult proposition in one-day cricket. Further success in this series will also boost his chances of a call-up for the Test matches that follow.Clint McKay doesn’t draw the headlines like some of his team-mates but he has made himself an important part of Australia’s one-day side, filling a Nathan Bracken-style role. His changes of pace are challenging in the 50-over format and his variety and accuracy makes him well suited to the slower Arnos Vale pitch. Almost inconspicuously, McKay has put himself in a position to reach 50 ODI wickets quicker than most Australians. He has 47, and is about to play his 26th ODI. Dennis Lillee reached the mark in 24 matches and Shane Warne in 25, and should McKay get there this game he will be equal third-fastest with Len Pascoe, who took 26 games.

Team news

West Indies will be reluctant to alter a winning side, with changes more likely ahead of the fourth and fifth matches when the teams move on to a new venue.West Indies (possible) 1 Kieran Powell, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Carlton Baugh (wk), 9 Darren Sammy (capt), 10 Sunil Narine, 11 Kemar Roach.Australia have announced their side and there will be one change, the inclusion of the offspinner Lyon at the expense of the batsman Forrest. Lyon should enjoy working on the slow Arnos Vale pitch, where Sunil Narine was so difficult for the Australians to handle in the second match.Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Shane Watson (capt), 3 Matthew Wade (wk), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 David Hussey, 6 George Bailey, 7 Daniel Christian, 8 Brett Lee, 9 Clint McKay, 10 Xavier Doherty, 11 Nathan Lyon.

Pitch and conditions

The slow Arnos Value surface has proved difficult for batsmen over the past two matches and the same is expected in this third game. Thunderstorms have been forecast, so the sides might face another abridged contest.

Stats and trivia

• Sunday’s victory was the first time West Indies had beaten Australia in an ODI in 14 matches, stretching back to the 2006 Champions Trophy
• Excluding matches where they have been bowled out, Australia’s run-rate of 3.85 on Sunday was their lowest in an ODI in four years

Quotes

“We have shown that we can win and now the aim is to repeat the performance.”
“The conditions make it a little bit more difficult [for batsmen]. You’re definitely never in.”

A chronology of events

December 17, 2011
BCB president AHM Mustafa Kamal announces tour to Pakistan in April 2012; says a security team will ascertain in January whether it is safe to visit
March 3-5, 2012
After a two-month delay, the security team headed by Kamal is “satisfied” with arrangements
March 7, 2012
ICC introduces special dispensation to be made only in exceptional circumstances allowing “non-neutral match officials”, a departure from the ICC’s Standard Playing Conditions
March 12, 2012
Kamal says Bangladesh will not tour if the ICC doesn’t send match officials
March 19, 2012
PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf says bilateral ties could suffer if Bangladesh backs out of tour
April 15, 2012
ICC announces BCB and PCB have agreed on the tour to Pakistan, outlining two matches for April 29 and 30 in Lahore
April 19, 2012
BCB informs PCB that the series is postponed after the Dhaka High Court rules in favour of a four-week* embargo

Bangladesh has postponed its tour of Pakistan following a court order that set a four-week embargo on the national team’s plans. The decision, communicated on Thursday to the PCB by the BCB’s acting CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury, is the latest twist to a long-running saga that began last December; the tour itself, comprising two limited-overs games, had been finalised last weekend to take place in Lahore at the end of April.The order came on a day when Pakistan said it had sent a 70-page security plan for the tour to the ICC and announced details of match tickets that were to have gone on sale next week. The events that followed will have added to doubts over whether the tour will indeed go ahead at all.The PCB reacted sharply to the news. “It is astonishing to note that a matter lacking any legal issue has been dragged in the court by petitioners who appear to have vested interest and want to jeopardise Pakistan-Bangladesh cricketing relations,” the statement said.”It is extremely disturbing to note for the PCB and Pakistan cricket fans and world cricketing nations that such an adverse order has been passed to block a bilateral cricket series.”The court order, delivered by Justices Farid Ahmed and Sheikh Hasan Arif on Thursday afternoon, was in response to a writ petition filed in the morning by a university teacher and a Supreme Court lawyer who, citing concerns over security, challenged the BCB’s decision to send the team at the end of April for a three-day tour.It also said that in the interim period the sports secretary, the National Sports Council chief and BCB chief Mustafa Kamal justify the decision for the tour.Azim, one of the lawyers for the petitioners, said: “The ICC asked for a security plan from PCB. They have still not given it. Pakistan is not safe for any foreign teams now. Their own media says so. For that reason, no country agrees to play there. Under the same circumstances, we should not go there also.”The petition echoes the prevailing public sentiment surrounding the tour since it was first announced. The mood against the tour – which has been called short-sighted and opportunistic, at the cost of players’ safety – grew following the confirmation of dates on Sunday. The tour, of immense importance to Pakistan, is widely seen as a quid pro quo for Kamal getting the Pakistan-Bangladesh joint nomination for the ICC vice-presidency; with the latter in almost certain cold storage, the tour has become an even more complex issue. Kamal’s own flip-flops on issues relating to the tour have added to the confusion.Adding to the complexity is the security angle. The ICC’s stated stand is that it has no role in clearing tour; its remit extends to checking to see whether its officials can be deployed. It has, however, scripted its own escape clause by introducing a “special dispensation” that would allow non-neutral officials where the situation did not allow for neutrals.The security issue prompted the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) to issue a strongly worded statement against the tour.”This decision of whether Bangladesh should tour Pakistan needed to be a concise and transparent process,” FICA CEO Tim May said. “Unfortunately all we have witnessed is seemingly a complete lack of any process and a series of indecisive and contradictory comments, particularly coming from Mustafa Kamal.”The actions and words of Kamal certainly give the impression of confirming rumors that there has been a deal reached between the PCB and Kamal … What has resulted since has been a series of actions and comments that rather than reassure everyone of the safety of such a tour, only have created heightened apprehensions and doubts amongst players re the safety of the tour and the motives of those involved in the decision.”* The entry initially said four months. It has been corrected to four weeks

Jack Brooks’ professional career made a late start. He did not emerge from village cricket until he was 20 and his first-class debut took another four years to arrive. Since then, however, he has progressed to the extent that he is among the next pack of fast bowlers vying to push his international credentials.He is making a decent fist of it, too, with figures of 3 for 23 on the opening day for England Lions against the West Indians to follow a productive start to the season for Northamptonshire which has included two five-wicket hauls in the County Championship.”It’s been a bit of a whirlwind couple of years,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed every last minute, and I hope the ride upwards hasn’t finished yet and I can keep on going.”He has a simple explanation as to why it took him until well into his 20s to develop a cricket career. “I just wasn’t very good when I was younger,” he said. “Physically, mentally – certainly mentally – I wasn’t ready for it. I still had the mentality of a club cricketer. I’m still a glorified club cricketer now. But I’ve worked really hard on my game and my fitness with a few gentle pushes along the way from coaches who’ve told me to start believing in my ability.”Brooks made good use of his home ground knowledge and was even happy to bowl into a strong wind at his favoured Lynn Wilson End for all of his 13 overs as he claimed the scalps of Adrian Barath, Kirk Edwards and Kemar Roach. “I’ve always preferred that end even though I was running into a massive gale all day which wasn’t ideal,” he said. “But I’m happy there, and I’ve never had choice of ends here whoever I’m bowling with.”The intensity of England Lions cricket is a world away from the scene he became used to for his village side Tiddington, who play in the Cherwell League in Oxfordshire, but Brooks remains honest to his roots and continues to enjoy the game even though the rewards are now far more serious.”It’s still turn out for your village side on a Saturday then turn up on a Sunday lunchtime, have a few pints and go out and chuck a ball around. It was all good fun, and I still have the same mentality when I play in that I still enjoy my game. It’s just a bit more intense these days.”Intensity is something that the West Indians have lacked in the early stages of this tour, perhaps understandably given the weather they have encountered. It was still hands-in-pockets temperatures for them in the field but it is the form of the batting that is the biggest concern. Darren Bravo was the main exception on the opening day in Northampton with 51 and he insisted that the squad remains confident that it can find their feet ahead of the opening Test at Lord’s next Thursday.”It’s not a concern, it’s just a matter of us continuing to believe in ourselves and learn where we went wrong,” he said. “Hopefully we can put a good score on the board in the second innings. The guys are really happy we were able to get some play.”At least Bravo, who can also draw on his experience with Nottinghamshire last season, will head into the Test series with a score under his belt in testing conditions. “They are a good bowling line up, the ball was moving around and it was quite difficult at the start and in fact all the way through the innings. It was important I backed my ability and express myself in the best possible way.”

Sachin Tendulkar has officially become a Member of Parliament after taking oath at a ceremony in Delhi. He had been nominated to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament, in April and has become the first active India sportsperson to become an MP.Tendulkar was named as one of the 12 presidential nominees for Rajya Sabha membership that is reserved for those persons “having special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as literature, science, art and social service”. A Rajya Sabha MP’s tenure is six years.After the ceremony, Tendulkar said his cricket career would remain top priority. “I’m here because of my cricketing career,” he said. “I can’t take any focus away from my cricket that is where it all started for me… as and when there is time in between, I will look at other things, how I can help and bring in whatever changes not only (for) cricket but all other sports demand.”Tendulkar also said that as MP he would look to improve not just cricket but other sports as well. “I think I’m in a better position, not only to help cricket but also other sports in the country which is really important, it means a lot to me,” he said. “I’d be happy if I’m remembered as someone who has contributed to all sports in India rather than just my cricket statistics, that would be fantastic.”The swearing-in ceremony was held in the chamber of Hamid Ansari, the vice-president of India, who is also the chairman of the Rajya Sabha. reported that while few MPs were around as the parliament was not in session, the parliament staff had lined the corridors in anticipation of Tendulkar’s arrival. Accompanied by wife Anjali to the function, Tendulkar read out his oath in formal Hindi. The ceremony lasted longer than the normal hour, vice-president Ansari telling Tendulkar after the formal signing-in, that he was a cricket enthusiast. Tendulkar in turn enquired about the functioning of parliament.

Match facts

Tuesday, July 10
Start time 1400 (1300 GMT)
The final one-day international will take place against the backdrop of Old Trafford’s redevelopment•Getty Images

Big Picture

To be as driven to succeed as this England side are under the stewardship of Andy Flower is quite an advantage in a NatWest Series which essentially means very little and where desire has to come from within. That is enough for England to start as strong favourites in the final match against Australia at Old Trafford to achieve their tenth ODI win on the trot. Whether their improvement translates into a powerful challenge in the Champions Trophy next summer or the next World Cup in Australia and New Zealand remains to be seen.That an England v Australia series could at times feel so mundane must have been quite a shock to the administrators who foisted it upon us. It has been a series without a proper narrative, an add-on before the real business of the Ashes next summer. There has been an underlying feeling that something is not quite right.Rarely can an England one-day victory against Australia have felt as routine as their eight-wicket victory in Chester-le-Street on Saturday, a result that put them 3-0 with only Tuesday’s dead rubber at Old Trafford remaining, an Old Trafford that is in the throes of rebuilding work. Only the façade of the old pavilion remains and two new two-tier stands were still Hard Hat areas as the weather again forced both sides to practice indoors.There was much to admire in England’s Chester-le-Street performance – the destructive fast bowling of Steve Finn and the batting elegance of Ian Bell are two of the highlights that spring to mind – but Australia, in the words of their coach Mickey Arthur, had allowed themselves to be “bullied.” Australia’s 50-over side, he asserted, had “something missing.” Old Trafford is their last chance to find it.

Form guide (Complete matches, most recent first)

England WWWWW
Australia LLLWL

Watch out for

Chris Woakes was once described by Warwickshire’s director of cricket and England selector, Ashley Giles, as the player he would most like to clone. The original uncloned version is still awaiting a chance in the series. He has the ability to balance up the side at No. 8 and deserves a home debut.Coaches might value the reliability of players who allow them to sleep at night, but Mitchell Johnson might provide some welcome unpredictability for the spectators. Johnson has been told by Arthur to increase Australia’s aggression, but he only has one game to do it and admitted he has no idea whether he can flick the switch.

Team news

Do not be surprised to see England rest one, or even two, frontline players for this final match ahead of the South Africa Test series.England (possible) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Ian Bell, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ravi Bopara, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 James Tredwell, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steven FinnMatthew Wade will fill the vacancy created by Shane Watson’s injury while Mitchell Starc could get a chance to bring his good form for Yorkshire onto the international stage.Australia (possible) 1 Matthew Wade (wk), 2 Dave Warner, 3 Peter Forrest, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 George Bailey, 6 David Hussey, 7 Steve Smith, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Clint McKay, 10 James Pattinson, 11 Mitchell Starc

Stats and trivia

• England are looking for their 10th successive ODI win, but Graham Gooch, now England’s batting coach, was captain when they won 11 in a row, a run which ended with defeat in the 1992 World Cup final although that included a no-result against Pakistan in the group stage.
• Stuart Broad needs two wickets to reach 150 in ODIs while Alastair Cook needs 20 runs to reach 2000.
• Australia have never lost four matches in a one-day series against England
  

  Quotes

  “Everything for me is focused towards playing Test match cricket. But at the moment it is about taking the responsibility of opening the bowling for the one-day team and trying to thrive on it.”
  “There’s maybe a bit of fire missing in our one-day side. My role in the team is I want to have that fire in the belly, get really aggressive, show them that we’re serious and get on top of them. It could take a few games, it might be the next game where it all switches back on for me.”

Steve Massiah, who missed the World Twenty20 Qualifier in March after a legal battle starting late in 2011 forced him to surrender his passport to US federal authorities, has received a USA recall. Massiah was named captain once again, in the 14-man USA squad selected for the ICC World Cricket League Division Four that will be played in Malaysia from September 3-10.Massiah, 33, was arrested in November along with two other men in connection with an alleged $50 million dollar mortgage fraud scheme run by New York real estate broker Ed Ahmad. Massiah’s arrest warrant was issued for allegedly defrauding banks and mortgage companies by falsifying mortgage loan applications. Such charges could have carried a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and bail for Massiah was set at $150,000. His travel was restricted to New York, although he received special permission to play at a cricket tournament in Florida in December.

USA squad for WCL Division 4

Steve Massiah (capt), Sushil Nadkarni (vice-capt), Timroy Allen, Orlando Baker, Ryan Corns, Akeem Dodson (wk), Muhammad Ghous, Elmore Hutchinson, Rashard Marshall, Aditya Mishra, Abhimanyu Rajp, Usman Shuja, Steven Taylor (wk), Aditya Thyagarajan
In: Steve Massiah, Timroy Allen, Rashard Marshall, Aditya Thyagarajan, Akeem Dodson
Out: Nauman Mustafa, Adil Bhatti, Asif Khan, Andy Mohammed, Japen Patel, Gowkaran Roopnarine

Court documents show that Massiah’s attorney was engaged in plea negotiations for at least three months. Massiah was never indicted and the federal complaint against him and his two co-defendants was eventually dismissed on March 19. Sources claim that attorneys for the three men completed a plea deal to avoid trial and potential jail time.With Massiah’s case resolved, it opened the door for his return to the national team. According to sources, a USA Cricket Association board meeting was held last month to discuss whether or not he should be named captain again. The decision was made to restore him to the position, which had been filled by Sushil Nadkarni in March at the Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE. Nadkarni, 36, will serve as the vice-captain on the tour to Malaysia.Also returning to the squad are three other veterans who have missed recent tournaments either due to work obligations or injury – Timroy Allen, Rashard Marshall and Aditya Thyagarajan. Most notable among them is Thyagarajan, USA’s leading run-scorer in 2010. Thyagarajan, 33, has not played for USA since January 2011 when he suffered a severe right knee dislocation against Denmark at ICC World Cricket League Division Three in Hong Kong. After a lengthy rehabilitation process, he has finally been declared fit to come back to the national team.The return of such key veterans, particularly in the batting department, will be vital for USA in an evenly-matched tournament field that includes Denmark, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore and Tanzania. The competition in Malaysia may actually prove to be more grueling than what lies ahead in Division Three. The top two finishers from Division Four will be promoted to join Bermuda, Italy, Oman and Uganda in Division Three, which is scheduled to take place in Bermuda from April 28-May 5, 2013, according to a USACA press release.Wicketkeeper Akeem Dodson is the other player earning a recall after missing out on selection for the Twenty20 Qualifier when USA opted to hand a new cap to Nauman Mustafa, 37, behind the stumps rather than persist with the still developing Dodson, 24. However, Mustafa was stripped of the keeping duties one match into the tournament after a disastrous debut against Uganda. He was given an opportunity to atone later in the event but he never lived up to his domestic reputation with the bat, was sloppy with the gloves and as a result has been axed. Adil Bhatti, Asif Khan, Andy Mohammed, Japen Patel and Gowkaran Roopnarine are the others who have been dropped.Dodson is one of five players in the squad to have represented USA at an ICC U-19 World Cup and is also one of two America-born players in the squad along with Steven Taylor, 18. Taylor was impressive for USA on the tour to the UAE in March. He scored 40 off 30 balls in USA’s seven-wicket upset win over Scotland and finished second on the runs charts behind Nadkarni at the Twenty20 Qualifier.

Shahid Afridi is unlikely to play in the final Twenty20 due to his ongoing thumb injury but Saeed Ajmal is expected to be fit after hurting his left shoulder during Pakistan’s win on Friday. The captain Mohammad Hafeez said Pakistan would make some changes after securing the series with a 2-0 lead and he was keen to give some game time to some of the men who were not used in the first two matches.Pakistan took an unbeatable lead over Australia by prevailing in the Super Over in Dubai in the second match and next week the teams head to Sri Lanka ahead of the ICC World Twenty20. With such an important tournament approaching, Hafeez said there seemed little point risking Afridi in Monday’s dead rubber.”I don’t think so, because he’s still not feeling that good,” Hafeez told reporters in Dubai. “I don’t want to take any chance because I want him in the World Cup. He’s a match-winner for Pakistan, there’s no doubt. I don’t think he will be available. We’ll have to see. If he recovers well he’s always the first choice for me as a captain but at the moment I don’t think he will be available for the third game.”However, Hafeez said he anticipated that Ajmal, who on Friday drew level with Afridi as the all-time leading T20 international wicket taker, would be available for the final game. Ajmal collected 2 for 20 from his four overs but injured his shoulder in the process, which meant Pakistan could not use him to bowl the Super Over.”He was not feeling well. That was the reason we decided to go with Umar Gul [for the Super Over],” Hafeez said. “He was having a little bit of pain [in his left shoulder] and that was the reason the physio suggested not to go with him. I feel he will recover in one or two days because it is not a big injury. But he will recover from that for the next game.”With the World T20 so close, Pakistan are keen to give an opportunity to some of the men who have missed the first two games, but who may be required in Sri Lanka. Mohammad Sami, Asad Shafiq and Yasir Arafat are in the squad but have not yet played in the T20 series and Hafeez said while a decision had not been made on who would come in, Pakistan would make some changes.”We might try a couple of things because I believe everybody should get a chance,” he said. “Definitely we will give a chance to some of the players who have been sitting on the bench. I know they are good enough.”Hafeez has now lost only one of his four matches as Pakistan’s T20 captain and the signs are encouraging ahead of the World T20, with runs coming from the top order and wickets being shared among the bowlers. He said he was happy with the way the team was building towards the world tournament.”As a captain I’m very pleased the way the boys are responding under pressure,” Hafeez said. “Especially matches like that when you win you always get the right feeling back in the dressing room and everybody is very confident to do the job for Pakistan. Whenever I ask for someone to do the job everybody is there. As a captain I feel very proud of my team.”

Scorecard
Gary Putland took 12 wickets for the match as South Australia cruised to their first Sheffield Shield win at the MCG since 1998. Victoria began the day at 6 for 86 and they added another 46 runs for the loss of their final four wickets, leaving the Redbacks a chase of 36 that they completed for the loss of only one wicket.Peter Handscomb (50) provided the main resistance for the Bushrangers but they had no real answers to Putland, who picked up 5 for 28 in the second innings to add to his first-innings figures of 7 for 64. Chadd Sayers was also important for the Redbacks and collected 4 for 50 in the second innings, to finish with six victims for the game.The only wicket South Australia lost in the chase was that of opener and first-innings centurion Phillip Hughes, who was caught behind off Jayde Herrick for 8. Sam Raphel (10 not out) and Michael Klinger (18 not out) got the Redbacks to their target with no further damage.