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The England captain will have a scan on Wednesday morning after missing the final day’s play in Hamilton

Vithushan Ehantharajah17-Dec-20242:05

Stokes: We came here to beat New Zealand and we did it

“I ain’t holding back,” England captain Ben Stokes said when asked if scaling back his workloads as an allrounder was necessary after suffering a recurrence of a left hamstring injury during the third Test against New Zealand at Seddon Park.Stokes pulled up on day three as New Zealand racked up 453 in their second innings, setting England a target of 658. The 33-year-old will have a scan on Wednesday morning in Hamilton and had his left thigh heavily strapped as he sat out the final day’s play, in which England were dismissed for 234, handing the hosts victory by 423 runs.It was a consolation win, as England claimed the Crowe-Thorpe trophy 2-1. Stokes was able to take part in the post-series formalities, walking with a limp but relatively pain free between his various media duties. He confirmed it feels less serious than the torn hamstring sustained in August while batting in the men’s Hundred, which forced him to miss four Tests (a three-match series against Sri Lanka and the first of a tour of Pakistan). He had to be helped off the field then, but this time walked off without assistance.Related

• 'Bionic Man' Ben Stokes embarks on rehabilitation after hamstring surgery

• Ben Stokes ruled out for three months with recurrence of hamstring tear

• Santner four-for sends England tumbling to 423-run defeat

• Stokes leaves field with recurrence of hamstring injury

• Stats – New Zealand pay England back in kind

Having built himself back up over the last month in New Zealand, Stokes bowled 23 overs on day one of the third Test – the most in a single day across his career – with the 36.2 overs he eventually managed the most in a Test in over two years.This latest setback means yet more rehabilitation for Stokes, who underwent knee surgery in November 2023 in a bid to return to the bowler he once was. Putting his body on the line is nothing new for him, but as captain he acknowledged the importance of offering more as an allrounder to give the team another dynamic.His returns on paper this series – averaging 52.66 with the bat and seven dismissals at 36.85 with the ball – suggested he was trending in the right direction. It is why he was crestfallen as he left the field on Monday two balls into his third over of the day.Stokes, though, is in no mood to tailor his approach going forward. Having got over the initial disappointment, he is confident a full return should come quicker second time around.”I worked really hard to get myself into position to play the role that I did this game,” he said. “And it’s just one of those unfortunate things. But nah, I ain’t holding back.”Every time you walk out to field as an athlete, you’re putting yourself at risk of getting injury. Whether you feel great or you don’t feel great. I worked my arse off to get to where I was in this game in particularly with my body. It’s just sod’s law – the first time in a while I feel like I’m young again, something happens.”Obviously, [I was] incredibly disappointed walking off yesterday, very emotional about the whole thing.Ben Stokes was all smiles with the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy•Getty Images

“You’re always asking yourself, ‘Could I have done more? Should have done this, should have done that?’ But you know, when you sleep in it, and you take the emotion out of it, you realise that when you’re walking out there, you’re always putting yourself at risk of an injury.”Tuesday also marked the end of England’s joint-busiest calendar year of 17 Tests, finishing with nine victories and eight defeats. Though the team ended with a loss, Stokes was satisfied with their third series win of 2024, especially given it was England’s first in New Zealand since 2008.”We came here to beat New Zealand,” he said, “a team who wherever they go in the world are very competitive and knew they were going to be full of confidence after their historic win in India.”To play the cricket that we did in the first two games was very, very pleasing. We came here this week with the same attitude, same mindset, that we always do in the first two games out here. We just didn’t play anywhere near our capabilities.”It’s obviously disappointing to end the tour and the year with a loss. But what we came here to acheive, we managed to achieve. It’s no mean feat coming to New Zealand and beating them becease they’re a very very strong team in their home conditions.”

Who has moved where on the domestic scene ahead of next summer

ESPNcricinfo staff13-May-2022 • Updated on 20-May-2022CA – Cricket Australia contract, R – Rookie contract

ACT

Women Angela Reakes, Katie Mack, Kayla Burton, Gabrielle Sutcliffe, Chloe Rafferty, Carly Leeson, Matilda Lugg, Olivia Porter, Rebecca Carter, Amy Yates, Zoe Cooke, Holly Ferling, Alisha Bates, Angelina Genford, Annie WikmanIn Holly Ferling (Queensland), Alisha Bates, Annie Wikman, Angelina Genford | Out Erin Osborne (retired), Madeline Penna (South Australia), Nicola Hancock, Erica Kershaw

New South Wales

Men Sean Abbott, Trent Copeland, Pat Cummins (CA), Oliver Davies, Liam Doddrell (R), Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Mickey Edwards, Matthew Gilkes, Ryan Hackney, Ryan Hadley, Liam Hatcher, Josh Hazlewood (CA), Lachlan Hearne, Moises Henriques, Baxter Holt, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Nathan Lyon (CA), Blake Nikitaras (R), Jack Nisbet (R), Kurtis Patterson, Will Salzmann (R), Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, Lachlan Shaw (R), Steven Smith (CA), Mitchell Starc (CA), Chris Tremain, Hunar Verma (R), David Warner (CA), Adam Zampa (CA)In Liam Doddrell, Ryan Hadley, Hayden Kerr, Blake Nikitaras, Lachlan Shaw, Will Salzmann | Out Josh Baraba, Harry Conway (SA), Peter Nevill (retired)Women Jade Allen, Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Stella Campbell, Lauren Cheatle, Hannah Darlington, Ashleigh Gardner (CA), Rachael Haynes (CA), Alyssa Healy (CA), Saskia Horley, Emma Hughes, Sammy Jo-Johnson, Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Claire Moore, Lauren Smith, Tahlia WilsonIn Saskia Horley | Out Rachel Trenaman (Tasmania)

Queensland

Men Usman Khawaja (CA), Marnus Labuschagne (CA), Mitchell Swepson (CA),Joe Burns, Michael Neser, Sam Heazlett, Jack Wildermuth, Matthew Renshaw, Mark Steketee, Jimmy Peirson, Xavier Bartlett, Bryce Street, James Bazley, Gurinder Sandhu, Matthew Kuhnemann, Jack Clayton, Kane Richardson, Max Bryant, Liam Guthrie, Sam Truloff, Connor Sully, Blake Edwards, Hugo Burdon (R), William Prestwidge (R), Jackson Sinfield (R), Matthew Willans (R)In Kane Richardson (SA), Liam Guthrie (WA), Hugo Burdon, Jackson Sinfield | Out Billy Stanlake (Tas), Jack Wood, Lachlan PfefferWomen Jess Jonassen (CA), Lucy Hamilton, Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, Laura Harris, Mikayla Hinkley, Ellie Johnston, Ruth Johnston, Charli Knott, Caitlin Mair, Grace Parsons, Georgia Prestwidge, Georgia Redmayne, Courtney Sippel, Georgia Voll

South Australia

Men Wes Agar, Jordan Buckingham, Kyle Brazell (R), Aiden Cahill (R), Alex Carey (CA), Bailey Capel (R), Jake Carder, Harry Conway, Brendan Doggett, Daniel Drew, David Grant, Travis Head (CA), Isaac Higgins (R), Henry Hunt, Spencer Johnson, Thomas Kelly, Ryan King (R), Jake Lehmann, Nathan McAndrew, Nathan McSweeney, Ben Manenti, Harry Mathias (R), Harry Nielsen, Lloyd Pope, Liam Scott, Henry Thornton, Jake Weatherald, Nick WinterIn Harry Conway (NSW), Spencer Johnson, Thomas Kelly, Ben Manenti, Henry Thornton | Out Ryan Gibson, Corey Kelly, Sam Kerber, Joe Mennie, Kane Richardson (Queensland), Daniel Worrall (Surrey).Women Jemma Barsby, Sam Betts, Darcie Brown (CA), Emma de Broughe, Josie Dooley, Ellie Falconer, Paris Hall, Brooke Harris, Tahlia McGrath (CA), Annie O’Neil, Bridget Patterson, Madeline Penna, Kate Peterson, Megan Schutt (CA), Courtney Webb, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Ella WilsonIn Madeline Penna, Ella Wilson, Paris Hall | Out Tegan McPharlin (retired), Alex Price, Eliza Doddridge

Tasmania

Men Tom Andrews, Gabe Bell, Jackson Bird, Iain Carlisle, Jake Doran, Nathan Ellis, Brad Hope, Caleb Jewell, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Lawrence Neil-Smith, Sam Rainbird, Peter Siddle, Jordan Silk, Billy Stanlake, Matthew Wade, Charlie Wakim, Tim Ward, Beau Webster, Mac Wright, Nick Davis (R), Jarrod Freeman (R), Mitch Owen (R), Nivethan Radhakrishnan (R)In Nick Davis, Billy Stanlake | Out Tim PaineWomen Nicola Carey (CA), Julia Cavanough, Maisy Gibson, Heather Graham, Emma Manix-Geeves, Sasha Moloney, Clare Scott, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Amy Smith, Naomi Stalenberg, Molly Strano, Emma Thompson, Rachel Trenaman, Elyse Villani, Callie WilsonIn Rachel Trenaman (New South Wales), Clare Scott, Callie Wilson, Julia Cavanough | Out Corinne Hall (retired), Chloe Abel, Rachel Priest, Emily Smith, Belinda Vakarewa.

Victoria

Men Peter Handscomb, Scott Boland (CA), Travis Dean, Zak Evans, Aaron Finch (CA), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Jon Holland, Nic Maddinson, Cameron McClure, Glenn Maxwell (CA), Jono Merlo, Todd Murphy, Tom O’Connell, Wil Parker, James Pattinson, Mitchell Perry, Will Pucovski, Matt Short, Will Sutherland, Ashley Chandrasinghe (R), Brody Couch (R), Sam Elliott (R), Campbell Kellaway (R), Fergus O’Neill (R)In Ashley Chandrasinghe, Campbell Kellaway | Out Xavier Crone, Seb Gotch (retired), James Seymour, Tom JacksonWomen Tiana Atkinson, Sam Bates, Makinley Blows, Lucy Cripps, Sophie Day, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Kim Garth, Ella Hayward, Olivia Henry, Meg Lanning (CA), Rhys McKenna, Sophie Molineux, Rhiann O’Donnell, Ellyse Perry (CA), Sophie Reid, Annabel Sutherland (CA), Tayla Vlaeminck (CA), Georgia Wareham (CA)In Olivia Henry, Sophie Reid | Out Anna Lanning, Lara Shannon, Amy Vine

Western Australia

Men Ashton Agar (CA), Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Cooper Connolly (R), Sam Fanning, Cameron Gannon, Jayden Goodwin (R), Cameron Green (CA), Sam Greer (R), Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis (CA), Bryce Jackson, Matthew Kelly, Hamish Mckenzie (R), Mitchell Marsh (CA), Shaun Marsh, David Moody, Lance Morris, Joel Paris, Josh Philippe, Jhye Richardson, Corey Rocchiccioli, D’Arcy Short, Charlie Stobo, Marcus Stoinis (CA), Ashton Turner, Sam Whiteman, Teague Wyllie.In Sam Fanning, Bryce Jackson, Sam Greer, Hamish Mckenzie, Teague Wyllie | Out Liam Guthrie (Queensland)Women Charis Bekker, Zoe Britcliffe, Mathilda Carmichael, Piepa Cleary, Sheldyn Cooper, Maddy Darke, Ashley Day, Amy Edgar, Lisa Griffith, Alana King (CA), Lilly Mills, Beth Mooney (CA), Taneale Peschel, Chloe Piparo, Poppy Stockwell, Georgia WyllieIn Beth Mooney (Queensland), Lilly Mills (Queensland), Piepa Cleary

On a pitch that offered substantial assistance, Sri Lanka’s spin-bowling coach felt his bowlers were somewhat overeager

Andrew Fidel Fernando23-Nov-2021Sri Lanka’s young trio of frontline spinners has taken seven wickets between them and seemingly put the team in a strong position in the opening Test against West Indies. But spin-bowling coach Piyal Wijetunge thinks they could have done much better.Offspinner Ramesh Mendis (26 years old), and left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama (23), took three wickets apiece, and Lasith Embuldeniya (25) took one, to help reduce West Indies to 224 for 9 before rain washed out much of day three’s play.But on a pitch that offered substantial assistance, Wijetunge thought his bowlers were somewhat overeager.”I’m not 100% happy – we could have done much better. We have been missing lines and lengths very frequently,” Wijetunge said of the performance. “We’ve got three young spinners, and on this pitch, which turns a lot, I think we were trying too hard to get wickets. We need to have patience, because the pitch does help us.”Instead of bowling the ball in one spot and waiting for the pitch to do the work, we went hunting for wickets. We tried too many things. But of these three spinners, Lasith Embuldeniya has played 12 [11] Tests, Praveen Jayawickrama has played two [one], and Ramesh Mendis three [two]. They need to keep building on their consistency.”However, Wijetunge did believe that Sri Lanka’s spin bowling was generally in a good place, with these three spinners around for the Test format, and others coming through the system. Sri Lanka are fielding two frontline left-arm spinners for the first time since the retirement of Rangana Herath (he had occasionally played alongside Malinda Pushpakumara late in his career). Wijetunge outlined Embuldeniya and Jayawickrama’s contrasting strengths.”Lasith Embuldeniya is a conventional type left-arm spinner, and of the three who are playing this game, he’s the most consistent in terms of his skill.”Praveen took 11 wickets on debut, and on this Galle pitch we would anyway consider him. He’s got natural variation, with the seam angles he uses. The ball straightens and when it hits the seam, it spins more than [it does] for the others. When they have exposure and experience, they are definitely going to be matchwinners.”Where Jayawickrama, in particular, has a decent straighter ball, but Embuldeniya has not yet developed a good version of that variation – something that was obvious during England’s tour of Sri Lanka in January. Where Emuldeniya and Wijetunge might have ordinarily worked on developing a straighter delivery through the course of the year, this has not been possible in 2021.”The one that comes in [to the right-hander] is definitely one that we have to work on with Embuldeniya. But with Covid-19 and the protocols around it, it has been difficult to work in new skills. We get bubbled a maximum of two weeks before the series, and the only thing we can do as coaches then is to get the players game-ready.”Before this, we had off-season training at the high performance centre, where we could have developed variations, or worked on consistency. But we haven’t had that chance, and there are only five or six skill-training sessions per series.”

Australia put in an impressive performance at the SCG and could wrap up their first ODI series victory in two years with a win in Adelaide

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan14-Jan-20195:10

Dasgupta: Difficult for India to accommodate two wristspinners

Big Picture

That was largely unexpected. Australia produced arguably their best ODI performance in two years to convincingly take the honours at the SCG and, as in the T20 series which began the tour, leave India needing to find a response.Australia’s batting was efficient rather than electric and the question remains whether the current line-up, with Glenn Maxwell at No. 7, has the firepower to push 350 when required but in Sydney they scored enough runs and defended them impressively. It was the new-ball attack of Jason Behrendorff and Jhye Richardson that stood out, taking six wickets between them, and providing a reminder that pace bowling is where Australia’s depth is at its greatest.India’s performance reinforced the issues they need to resolve before the World Cup later this year. MS Dhoni’s innings fuelled the debate about whether he can still do the role needed at this level – although he entered at a very difficult time – with Rohit Sharma later saying he’d like Dhoni at No. 4. That discussion is likely to remain throughout this series and the rest of India’s matches before the tournament.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia WLWLL
India LWWLT

In the spotlight

It is shaping as a season he’ll want to forget for captain Aaron Finch who collected another low score in the opening match when Bhuvneshwar Kumar nipped one back between bat and pad. Despite their victory, Australia have enough issues to think about in their side without the form of the captain heading into a World Cup year being one of them. He has plenty of time to turn it around, but starting in Adelaide would be handy.The Sydney ODI was Ambati Rayudu‘s first competitive match for more than two months and it showed. He was caught in the crease, beaten for pace by Richardson, to be trapped lbw and then used up India’s review which could later have been used to save Dhoni. He has the backing of Virat Kohli which counts for a lot and scored heavily against West Indies last year but will need to get himself back up to speed swiftly. The less said about his bowling, which has been reported for a suspect action, the better.Australia’s players get together to celebrate a wicket•Getty Images

Team news

Australia did not confirm their XI but vice-captain Alex Carey said that Mitchell Marsh was available for selection following the stomach illness that put him in hospital for two days. However, given that the middle order all made runs they may not tinker with the team.Australia (probable) 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 Alex Carey, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Shaun Marsh, 5 Peter Handscomb, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Peter Siddle, 9 Jhye Richardson, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jason BehrendorffBalance is the big question for India. Kedar Jadhav will come back into the reckoning to provide some stop-gap overs and could replace Dinesh Karthik. Khaleel Ahmed struggled a little at the SCG but may be given another chance.India (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav/Dinesh Karthik, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Mohammed Shami

Pitch and conditions

The last couple of ODIs in Adelaide have been reasonably low scoring – earlier this season Australia defended 231 against South Africa – with pace bowlers enjoying considerable success. The forecast is for a very hot day.

Stats and trivia

• The three runs contributed by India’s Nos. 2-4 at the SCG was the second-lowest for that combination in their history, behind the two runs scored between the three against Sri Lanka in Dhaka in 2009-10
• Dhoni’s 51 off 96 balls finishes as his second slowest 50-plus score in ODIs behind the 54 off 114 balls against West Indies at North Sound in 2017
• Australia lead 4-1 in ODIs played between the teams in Adelaide although the last match, in 2012, India won by four wickets

Quotes

“I think the other night was a really big step forward and we can improve from that, definitely. If you look across the list, there are so many opportunities for guys to put their hand up and really make a spot their own.”
Alex Carey, Australia’s vice-captain“It’s more of a batting wicket. I am not sure about reverse swing, it should hardly reverse swing here. But the boundaries are a bit short, so it’s going to be more of a batting wicket.”

The Zimbabwe captain feels four-day Tests could give lower-ranked teams more of a chance of competing against top sides like South Africa

Firdose Moonda19-Dec-2017One of cricket’s most over-used adages is that shorter formats reduce the quality gap between teams, and though it may not always be true, Zimbabwe are hoping it will be apply to them when they take on South Africa in the four-day Test starting on Boxing Day. Though elite cricketers, including two of South Africa’s own, Faf du Plessis and Dean Elgar, have largely turned their noses up at the idea of shorter Test matches, Graeme Cremer believes it could give his team, ranked No. 10, a greater chance to compete with their opponents, ranked No. 2.”I think it’s a good thing, especially when the two teams aren’t ranked that close together,” Cremer said at Zimbabwe’s arrival press conference in Paarl on Tuesday. “The game will move that much quicker because it’s only four days. It will be good to watch and good for the crowd.”Cremer expects the “bigger” teams to aim to bat once and bat quickly. “What a lot of the so-called bigger teams will do is bat the other team right out of the game and they can bat as long as they want, knowing they’ve got the bowlers to bowl a team out twice,” he said. “The bigger teams will have to probably score a bit quicker and give the lesser team a lot more opportunity to get wickets and the game will move quite quickly.”But Zimbabwe’s coach Heath Streak thinks that approach could also create an opening for the “smaller” team to work its way back into the game. “It’s much harder to bat a team out because in doing so you may make it easier for them to save the Test,” Streak said.Zimbabwe have recent experience of saving a game. They drew the second Test against West Indies, in a series they lost 1-0, and showed their ability to compete. Before that, they came close to upsetting Sri Lanka in an epic Test match in Colombo.Now Streak wants his team to take that one step further and not settle for anything less than winning.”It’s about shaking off the underdog mentality and playing to win, not to compete and to not embarrass ourselves,” Streak said. “Our series in Sri Lanka was a watershed moment for us, more mentally than anything else. We are out to play winning cricket and we’d rather lose trying to play a winning brand than to just compete. We’ll have our challenges, especially in the longer format because we don’t play that much, but this team is going places.”An obvious challenge is the lack of game time for Zimbabwe, who play significantly fewer matches than the other Test teams. Streak admitted they would welcome any matches, in any format, just to get better. “It’s less about the type of cricket and more about playing at international level, whether we are playing ODIs or Tests. It’s the gaps in between the international fixtures that are the biggest challenge for us. Our domestic level of cricket isn’t high so for us to step up, that’s the challenge.”However, Zimbabwe could be set to play even less. Earlier this year, ZC’s new MD Faisal Hasnain admitted the country would seek to host fewer Tests in future, once the new Test league comes into place, because they are financially unviable. Instead, they would concentrate on shorter formats at home and hope to play Tests overseas, as they are doing now in South Africa. And that will mean taking fixtures in whatever format the hosts offer, as is the case now.The Boxing Day Test won’t just be the first four-day Test since 1973, but will also be a day-night game, which Zimbabwe are unused to. With no floodlights at either Harare Sports Club or Queens in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe only play day-night games abroad, and now they have to do it with a pink ball.Many teams, especially batsmen, have had problems with the pink ball at twilight and Cremer’s early assessment is that Zimbabwe will experience the same. “We’ve had two sessions under lights with the pink ball. It was good to see how it reacts,” he said. “At that twilight time, a little bit more seems to happen with the ball off the wicket. We’ll be careful of that. It will probably swing.”Zimbabwe are yet to decide on their team combination but will use the upcoming three-day warm-up match, which starts on Wednesday, to decide on the best combination. “We’re very inexperienced at this,” Cremer said. “The warm-up game will give us a good idea of how to go forward in the Test match.”They will also use it to see how they fare against a returning Dale Steyn, who is expected to make his Test comeback this summer. Steyn has not played for South Africa since last November, when he broke a bone in his shoulder in Perth, but has been named in the Test squad and his final availability will be confirmed on the basis of how he comes through the practice match. Rather than fear what is effectively an audition for Steyn, Cremer said Zimbabwe’s line-up was looking forward to it.”It is very exciting,” Cremer said. “Dale brings a lot to cricket in general. He is a good guy and he is one of the better bowlers going around. It will be good to have him back, not only just for this Test match but going forward in his career. He is great to watch and we are excited to see him in the three-day game and hopefully in the Test.”

The series might be decided but New Zealand will not want to spoil their unbeaten record at home against Bangladesh, while the visitors will be desperate to prevent a clean sweep

The Preview by Mohammad Isam30-Dec-2016

Match facts

December 31, 2016
Start time 1100 local (2200 GMT)

Big Picture

Neither team will be treating the third and final ODI as a dead rubber. Despite clinching the series with a 67-run win in the second game, New Zealand wouldn’t want to spoil their unbeaten record at home against Bangladesh. By bringing offspinner Jeetan Patel into the squad for the third ODI, they showed they are being far from complacent. Bangladesh, meanwhile, will be desperate to win and end the year in a reasonable mood, given how they were outperformed in the first two games.Patel has taken 129 List-A wickets at 25.29, for Warwickshire and Wellington, since his last ODI in 2009. On the sluggish Nelson pitch, he should be a handful for the Bangladesh left-hand batsmen, who have already struggled against the part-time offspin of Kane Williamson.New Zealand will be without Trent Boult, who took two wickets in the second game, but they would bank on Tim Southee and the rest of the bowlers to bring home a series whitewash. But, given the slower conditions, there will be demands placed on their batsmen, who haven’t fully delivered. Hundreds from Tom Latham and Neil Broom made sure that they didn’t lose their way completely in the first two games, but their runs also papered over the cracks in the batting line-up.Bangladesh meanwhile have to synchronise their batting and bowling efforts, which made contributions separately in the first two games. While the batting sparkled in bits in the first game chasing 342, it completely disintegrated in the second chasing 252. Their bowling did a fine job in the second match, with the captain Mashrafe Mortaza leading the way, bouncing back after conceding 341 in the first.If they can deliver in all three departments in the final game, Bangladesh should threaten New Zealand. If one of these fail again, the home side will comfortably win 3-0.

Form guide

New Zealand WWLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh: LLLWL
Jeetan Patel played his last ODI in 2009, but has been a force on the county circuit of late•Getty Images

In the spotlight

Mashrafe Mortaza was Bangladesh’s most successful bowler in the second ODI, helping his side bowl out New Zealand for 251. He has lost a lot of pace over the years, but his wrist work on the ball has been his strength. They’ll want more of the same from him in this final ODI of 2016.New Zealand would want Neil Broom to once again play the anchor role, after his unbeaten, maiden hundred in the second game gave them a fighting total. Perhaps, with one more big score, Broom could stake a claim in the T20 side.

Teams news

Jeetan Patel could replace Trent Boult, who is going to be rested for the third ODI. They will still find it difficult to find space for Colin de Grandhomme in the XI, as the likes of James Neesham, Colin Munro and Lockie Ferguson have performed well.New Zealand (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Neil Broom, 5 James Neesham, 6 Colin Munro, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Jeetan Patel, 9 Mitchell Santner, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Lockie FergusonThere may not be changes to the pace bowling line-up for Bangladesh, but given their performance in the first two ODIs, Mehedi Hasan could replace debutant Tanbir Hayder. It might look like a rash decision to drop someone after just one game, but it is a possibility.Bangladesh (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Mahmudullah, 4 Shakib Al Hasan, 5 Sabbir Rahman, 6 Mosaddek Hossain, 7 Nurul Hasan (wk), 8 Tanbir Hayder, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 10 Subashis Roy, 11 Taskin Ahmed

Pitch and conditions

The Saxton Oval pitches are rather un-New Zealand-like in their nature, offering very little lateral movement for the fast bowlers but aiding spinners with their slowness. We could expect more of the same on Saturday.A few, scattered showers are forecast.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand’s 251 was their lowest score batting first against Bangladesh in ODIs at home – they had made more than 330 on the three other occasions
• Neil Broom’s ODI hundred came seven years and 354 days after his debut, but that still isn’t the longest time taken by a New Zealander to score a maiden ODI ton. The record is held by John Wright, who took nine years and 244 days

Quotes

“It is disappointing to lose after such a good start. Maybe the boys will have a tough time bouncing back from such a situation. But I think we should still take it positively, that we did well in these conditions. The players should think about creating a similar opportunity in the third ODI since we have come here after a long time.”
“A series win is nice. We have had different types of victories. That shows the side can win in different conditions and scenarios.”

West Indies have picked uncapped batsman Johnson Charles and recalled fast bowler Tino Best to the squad for the first three home ODIs against Australia in St Vincent in March

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2012

West Indies squad for first three ODIs

Darren Sammy (capt), Denesh Ramdin (vc), Tino Best, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels
In: Johnson Charles, Tino Best, Devendra Bishoo, Dwayne Bravo
Out: Adrian Barath, Danza Hyatt, Anthony Martin, Jason Mohammed, Ravi Rampaul, Lendl Simmons

West Indies have picked uncapped batsman Johnson Charles and recalled fast bowler Tino Best to the squad for the first three ODIs against Australia in St Vincent in March. The 13-man squad does not include fast bowler Ravi Rampaul, who is ill, and batsmen Lendl Simmons and Adrian Barath, who have finger injuries.Dwayne Bravo also returned to the side after being sidelined by an ankle injury, but Fidel Edwards was missing because he is not being considered for ODIs by the WICB. The other exclusions from the side that toured India in December 2011 were batsman Danza Hyatt, legspinner Anthony Martin and offspinner Jason Mohammed.”Johnson has shown marked improvement in his batting and deserves another opportunity at international level [he has played T20Is],” chairman of the WICB selection panel Clyde Butts said. “Tino, over the last two years, has been very consistent with his performance in the shorter format of the game, and Dwayne looks like he has returned to form and has been consistent, plus his on-field experience will be of value to us.”Charles, a Windward Islands batsman, was picked in the Twenty20 squad for the two matches in England in September 2011 and he made 57 runs with a best of 36. Best’s last international appearance was at the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa in September 2009. Edwards hasn’t played an ODI for West Indies since May 2009 either.”Fidel is being considered for two formats of the game at this time – Tests and Twenty20s,” Butts said. “It is all about workload management as we approach a long and demanding schedule of cricket, so we have to handle him with care, considering the injury problems which he has had in the past.”The first ODI against Australia is on March 16.Edited by George Binoy

Australia A took full control over a wilting Zimbabwe XI on the second day at Harare Sports Club, openers David Warner and Aaron Finch piling on a massive, unbroken 282-run stand

The Report by Liam Brickhill22-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Australia A took full control over a wilting Zimbabwe XI on the second day at Harare Sports Club, openers David Warner and Aaron Finch piling on a massive, unbroken 282-run stand. Their partnership took Australia A to within 20 runs of Zimbabwe’s first innings total, which had been restricted to just 300 after Peter Siddle tore through the lower order with four quick wickets in the morning.Zimbabwe welcomed back several senior players for the second of two four-day games against the Australians, and the returning Brendan Taylor had appeared to give them a base to work from as they reached 250 for 5 at stumps on the first day. Siddle laid waste to the lower order, however, using a ball that was still reasonably new to see off nightwatchman Ray Price and allrounder Elton Chigumbura in the space of an over.He removed Regis Chakabva, the last remaining recognised batsman, four overs later and soon got past Brian Vitori for his fourth wicket. Trent Copeland had Chris Mpofu caught by Luke Butterworth in the 107th over to complete the collapse, the Zimbabweans having lost 5 for 27 since Price’s dismissal.Things didn’t get much better for the hosts with the ball. Vitori and Kyle Jarvis took the new pill but neither man could break through and Jarvis leaked runs at an alarming rate. Australia A’s fifty was brought up in just the eighth over, and though Warner and Finch slowed as the ball got older they could not be prised from the wicket.Warner reached a 146-ball century shortly before tea and Finch followed him to the mark an hour or so into the final session, from 150 deliveries. Both men rattled on untroubled to the close, and Australia A will expect to build a hefty lead on day three.

Darren Sammy, currently leading the West Indies in their Test series against Sri Lanka, has been appointed captain of the squad for the limited-overs leg of the tour

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2010Darren Sammy, currently leading the West Indies in their Test series against Sri Lanka, has been appointed captain of the squad for the limited-overs leg of the tour. The 15-member contingent sees the return of Adrian Barath, Carlton Baugh and Devon Smith to the one-day side, and also includes uncapped batsman Kirk Edwards. The selectors have not appointed a vice-captain.Ramnaresh Sarwan has been ignored for what is West Indies’ last ODI engagement before the World Cup, after having not been selected for the Tests as well.Edwards, Kieron Pollard, Nikita Miller and Ravi Rampaul will replace Brendan Nash, Devon Thomas, Nelon Pascal and Shane Shillingford, who are currently in Sri Lanka for the Tests. Fast bowler Andre Russell, who made his debut in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle and is yet to play an ODI, has also been included.While Baugh’s return as first-choice wicketkeeper in place of Denesh Ramdin now extends to the one-day sphere, Smith – the top-order batsman who last played an ODI for West Indies in September 2009 – has also made a comeback. The selectors have also included Barath, who made his one-day debut against Zimbabwe in March before being ignored for the South Africa series.Courtney Browne, the West Indies selector on tour said that this was an important series for them ahead of the upcoming World Cup in the sub-continent. “These are the last ODIs before the World Cup, so we expect the players to make the most of the opportunities.”Edwards, the Barbados batsman, was part of the West Indies A side that played Pakistan A on their just-concluded Caribbean tour.West Indies play five ODIs and one Twenty20 in Sri Lanka. The series begins on December 9 with the first one-dayer at Hambantota.West Indies squad: Darren Sammy (capt), Adrian Barath, Carlton Baugh (wk), Sulieman Benn, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kirk Edwards, Chris Gayle, Nikita Miller, Kieron Pollard, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Devon Smith

England Under-19s prevailed over Sri Lanka Under-19s in the rain-affected fifth game in Canterbury as the visitors succumbed for 125 chasing 177 in 41 overs

Cricinfo staff13-Aug-2010
ScorecardEngland Under-19s prevailed over Sri Lanka Under-19s in the rain-affected fifth game in Canterbury as the visitors succumbed for 125, chasing 177 in 41 overs. England had struggled batting first and only managed 184 before being bowled out in 48.2 overs, but it proved sufficient to level the five-match series two-all. The teams share the spoils with the third game having been abandoned due to rain.The hosts elected to bat and got off to a confident start, the openers adding 40 in 7.2 overs before Bhanuka Rajapaksa dismissed Joe Root. Lewis Gregory supported the set opener Jack Manuel, taking the score to 74 in 14.2 overs before wickets began to tumble.Lahiru Jayaratne was the main tormentor, dismissing Gregory and Luke Wells within the space of three balls. Ateeq Javid did not last long and was run out for 9 as the innings began to lose steam. When Manuel fell for a fluent 63 off 74 balls with the score on 117, Sri Lanka sensed a chance to skittle out the opposition under 150. However, captain Paul Best, coming in at eight, put paid to those hopes with a responsible unbeaten 28. The rest of the tail held on to lift England to 184.Sri Lanka’s top order found the pair of Matt Dunn and David Payne too hot to handle. Ramith Rambukwella scored 16 runs as the opening batsmen added 21 in the first five overs. Things changed quickly after that, and 21 for 0 soon became 28 for 4. When Dhanushka Gunathilleke was dismissed for 5, Sri Lanka had lost half their side for 43. Rain intervened at this juncture and having lost five top-order wickets Sri Lanka came back facing a steeper target. Though three lower-order batsmen managed 20s, it was a task too steep for them and they were bowled out in the 35th over, Dunn and Payne sharing seven wickets in all.Best was delighted with the result, saying after the match: “It was great to win the final match and level the one day series. The result was a fair reflection of the strength of the two teams and it was fantastic for England players ending their U19s career to finish on a high.”