Patience may be a key virtue for Australia’s Test batsmen in Sri Lanka, according to Joe Burns, who hit 72 in the ongoing practice match at the P Sara Oval

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Jul-2016Patience may be a key virtue for Australia’s Test batsmen in Sri Lanka, according to Joe Burns, who hit 72 in the ongoing practice match at the P Sara Oval. Burns’ half-century was one of three in Australia’s solid 431 for 9. The visitors scored at 3.53 runs an over against a modest Sri Lankan XI attack, but Burns suggested Australia should become accustomed to a slow run rate, given the nature of the surfaces they are likely to encounter on tour.”We’ve talked as a batting group about needing to be patient for long periods on the subcontinent,” Burns said. “If they bowl good areas, it’s tough work and slow going. You have to be committed to trying to bat all day. I guess that’s one disappointing thing to come out of the day – all our batsmen spent some time at the crease but no one went on to get a big score.”When bowlers are bowling straight, with straight fields, you hit the fielders a lot. You go long periods where you’re not scoring quickly, and then you might get a few boundaries away in a cluster. That’s generally how scoring goes on low, slow wickets with reverse swing and spin bowling. You just have to ride the waves and wait for the sets to come in.”Burns was tested by both seam and spin during his stay. He and Shaun Marsh made a quick start against the new ball in the third session of the first day, but were more measured as the innings wore on – particularly to left-arm seamer Vimukthi Perera and the spin bowlers. Burns was eventually dismissed by Perera, who angled a ball in through his defences early on day two.”You just have to be prepared to buckle in and try and go with the conditions,” Burns said. “There’s nothing too much you can do about it as a batter. As a batting group we’re prepared for those long battles. Hopefully we can bat for extended periods of time going into the Test series.”The Australian batsmen largely scored their runs square of the pitch with a few venturing slog sweeps to push the spinners off their lengths. Burns suggested this could be a trend through the Test series.”I guess here – with the lower, slower wickets – you hit more balls than perhaps you would in Australia, especially because bowlers bowl straighter as well. I guess you want to be hitting straight, but that seems to be where the fielders are. Generally you probably pick up your runs quite square, even though you’re trying to hit straight. There are also periods when it’s reversing quite a lot, and then it will die down.”The Australians are 202 runs ahead with one wicket in hand, at stumps on day two of the three-day encounter.

Eoin Morgan has revealed that first-hand experience of previous security scares is behind his uncertainty about whether to lead England’s one-day side in Bangladesh

Andrew McGlashan08-Sep-2016Eoin Morgan could be close to confirming his withdrawal from England’s tour of Bangladesh tomorrow, after revealing that first-hand experience of previous security scares have left him questioning whether he wants to lead England’s ODI team in the current climate.Morgan pinpointed two occasions – the 2010 bomb blasts during an IPL game in Bangalore and then political unrest during a stint playing domestic cricket in Bangladesh – that had left him determined not to put himself in such a situation again.He was part of Bangalore Royal Challengers’ squad in 2010 when two blasts struck outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium shortly before the match against Mumbai Indians was due to start. The game eventually went ahead, but later matches in the tournament were moved out of Bangalore.Then, in late 2013, Morgan was having a short spell playing for Gazi Tank Cricketers in the Dhaka Premier Division when pre-election violence was engulfing Bangladesh.”I have been to places before when things have become a distraction and once or twice when that has been security, and when it has been I told myself I would not put myself in that situation again,” Morgan said. “Playing international cricket – or any cricket – is not about worrying about different things, it should be the best time of your life, it should be something that you are looking forward to and wanting to do well in and are able to focus on.”Remembering the previous incidents, Morgan said: “We played an IPL game in Bangalore and a bomb went off in the ground, we immediately left and went straight to the airport. That was one instance, another was Bangladesh, playing domestic cricket, during political elections where things were incredibly violent.”Andrew Strauss, the team director, yesterday urged all England’s players to undertake the tour following the security advice of Reg Dickason. He said anyone who gave up their spot could not be guaranteed to come straight back in, and also made reference to the extra responsibility on the captain.However, recalling his experience of 2008 when he had to confront similar concerns about whether to tour India after the Mumbai terror attacks took place, he empathised with those who are struggling to reach a decision.”Having been through this myself, after the Mumbai bombings, intellectually coming to the decision – ‘if Reg says it’s safe to go somewhere, who am I to say otherwise’ – in hindsight, it looks like a very simple and obvious one.”But it still took me some time to get there at that point, and there’s no reason to expect a lot of these young guys who are going through this for the first time to make an on-the-spot decision.”Any players yet to make up their mind have effectively been given a deadline of Saturday to inform Strauss of their decision. All centrally and incrementally contracted players will have a two-day fitness and appraisal camp at Loughborough starting on Friday. The ODI and Tests squads are due to be named next Friday.

South Africa did not apply themselves as well as they wanted to in the opener, New Zealand did not get the chance to apply themselves at all. Whoever does it better in Centurion, will take the series

The Preview by Firdose Moonda in Centurion26-Aug-2016

Match facts

August 27-31, 2016
Start time 1000 local (0800 GMT)1:20

Moonda: Series set for crunch clash in Centurion

Big Picture

This is South African cricket’s week to find out what the country’s other two big sports experience all the time. Rugby and football are used to one-off encounters with other countries.Although the cricket teams have spoken about the winner-takes-all fixture in slightly different tones, with New Zealand calling it “exciting” and South Africa admitting it “definitely” adds to the pressure of the occasion, they both agreed that more matches would be better. Faf du Plessis explained how a three or four match rubber would allow for a better ebb and flow, and Trent Boult said he wanted to test himself against the best for longer periods of time.They will both have to wait until March next year to meet again. This series will be decided on the next five days. At least, they could not have asked for a better place for the crunch clash.SuperSport Park has laid out a green carpet, with a re-laid outfield that will not pose the same problems as Durban’s because it underwent the process much earlier. The pitch underwent almost three weeks of preparation and the groundsman predicts an even, if slower than usual, contest between bat and ball. The Highveld winter, meanwhile, has reached its balmiest stage, the one that would be called summer in many parts of the world.Du Plessis expected the contest to be between “two high quality,” bowling attacks, who he said left Durban happy, which puts both line-ups under pressure. South Africa did not apply themselves as well as they wanted to in the opener, New Zealand did not get the chance to apply themselves at all. Whoever does it better this time, will take the series.Victory for South Africa will see them climb a place on the Test rankings to No.6 while a win for New Zealand, who will remain at No.5 regardless of the result, will give them a first-ever series triumph over South Africa.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa: DWLDL
New Zealand: DWWLL
Neil Wagner’s short ball could be one of New Zealand’s key weapons•AFP

In the spotlight

South Africa’s new opener Stephen Cook scored a century on debut at SuperSport Park in January and will want another big performance to cement his place at the top of the order for the rest of the Test summer. Cook played out the first hour of the Durban Test with Dean Elgar before falling to a delivery he was forced to play at from Boult. Cook has a solid technique but will want to get more on the front foot to assert himself on New Zealand’s attack.Before moving to New Zealand Neil Wagner played his domestic cricket in Pretoria but, like everyone else, he would not have played it in winter. Conditions will be as alien to him as to both camps but his team-mates are still hoping to tap into his knowledge of the ground as they go in search of South African wickets. Wagner’s short ball could be one of their key weapons, even on a surface that may not have as much bounce and carry as usual. He showed in Bulawayo that he could still use the strategy with success and will want to show it at his former home ground.

Teams news

South Africa are considering some changes based on conditions, which du Plessis summed up as a soft and moist. They are toying with the idea of playing an extra seamer or an allrounder, which could bring Wayne Parnell into the team, ahead of either Dane Piedt or JP Duminy. Should Duminy miss out, it would leave South Africa a batsman short; there may not be enough room for Stiaan van Zyl – the only reserve batsman in the squad.South Africa (possible): 1 Dean Elgar, 2 Stephen Cook, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Faf du Plessis (capt), 5 Temba Bavuma, 6 JP Duminy/Wayne Parnell, 7 Quinton de Kock (wk), 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Dane PiedtNew Zealand, on the other hand, are likely to go in with the same team from the Durban Test.New Zealand(possible): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Doug Bracewell, 9 Neil Wagner, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

If you are nervous about the chances of play after what happened in Durban, you can exhale. Although SuperSport Park’s outfield, like Kingsmead’s was relaid, the work in Centurion took place in April, more than two months before it did in Durban. In the days leading up to the match, the outfield appeared lush, with its new winter grass coating promising to help the ball to the boundary. All the focus on the outfield has taken eyes off the pitch, which is likely to be less lively than a traditional Centurion strip, although du Plessis said he spotted some moisture. Beautiful days are forecast for all five days, with temperatures in the high 20s and cloudless skies.

Stats and trivia

• Of the 21 Tests they have played in Centurion, South Africa have only lost two – one against Australia in February 2014 and the other against England in January 2000. They have played New Zealand twice at the venue, in 2006 and 2007, and won both by big margins of 128 runs, and an innings and 59 runs respectively.
• Ross Taylor has not been dismissed on New Zealand’s African safari so far. He has batted in four innings and scored 366 runs in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Quotes

“The great thing for us is that we’ve got a great record here; so we can rely on that and have the confidence of going into a match knowing that we play well on this ground. We trust that.”
“It’s not looked at very closely. It’s about us playing our cricket, improving and learning.”

Jack Leach claimed six second-innings wickets to propel Somerset into the midst of the County Championship title race

David Hopps at Headingley14-Sep-2016
ScorecardJack Leach claimed six second-innings wickets to end Yorkshire’s hopes•Getty Images

There was to be no heroic resistance from Yorkshire to protect their claims to a third successive Championship title: Jack Leach saw to that. Instead, Somerset completed a victory by 10 wickets that left all eyes turned to events at Old Trafford. If Middlesex defeat Lancashire by Thursday evening, the title is as good as theirs. If Lancashire do not succumb, however, then Middlesex, Somerset and Yorkshire will contest what could still be a wonderful climax to the Championship season next week.Somerset, by virtue of a win achieved with a day and 8.3 overs to spare, have cut the margin to second-placed Yorkshire to a single point. Middlesex could lead by 20 points if they beat Lancashire. The advantage, variously, would reduce to nine points if they drew, and four if they lost.

Rogers plays down Leach England chances

Chris Rogers, Somerset’s captain: “Jack is full of confidence and has been one of the chief beneficiaries of playing on more turning surfaces. At the beginning the season he would never have imagined he would have had this sort of season, but now give him the ball and it happens.
“I am still a big believer that you need more than one good season to play for England. With Jack, I think his game’s in order, I think emotionally he still has a bit of a way to go and I don’t think he’s be upset with me saying that.
“He is still a young guy, he has only ever been in Somerset and the challenges in international cricket are a lot more difficult. If they pick him then good luck to him but they’d better look after him.”
Jason Gillespie, Yorkshire coach: “I thought Jake Lehmann was outstanding and played a fine hand but we need to improve our batting next season. When you are regularly 40 for 3 it puts you under the cosh and some solutions need to be found. Whatever happens at Lord’s next week we will prepare well and try to play our best cricket and be aggressive and positive.”

Somerset, still without a Championship title in their history, feared relegation in early season. Now Taunton’s pubs and cafes, the streets and the shops are full of chatter about whether this can be their year. This is not an exaggeration: in no county – not even in Yorkshire – is cricket more widely discussed as part of the daily currency of life. And the man they will be chattering about more than anyone will be “Jack”. Taunton-born, he is fast achieving first-name status in the West Country.Leach led Somerset from the field at Headingley, slightly stiff-legged, with figures of 6 for 64 in a season that has been beyond his wildest dreams. He now has 58 Championship wickets at 22.60 and has harvested five wickets in an innings in four successive Championship matches.He took six of the seven Yorkshire wickets to fall on the third day, including Jake Lehmann, whose 116 was chiefly responsible for making Somerset bat again, but even here there was disappointment as Lehmann confirmed he has been summoned back to South Australia and misses the final game.Lehmann’s first Yorkshire century came on the ground where his father, Darren, remains revered. He possesses a gun-toting drive through extra cover and a moustache that would make him a natural as Charles Bronson’s sidekick in an old-time Western. Leach might have claimed Lehmann earlier, on 60, but he was merely winged as Tom Abell could not hold on at short leg.Leach continues to dominate the season in a way not even he can have imagined in April. In civvies, walking through the gates of Taunton, he would not easily be spotted as a professional sportsman. People might wonder if he had come from the council to check on Health & Safety requirements, or had popped over the road from Coopers Associates to discuss the small print of the ground-naming rights with the chief executive.There have been many times at Somerset when both the player himself and his county wondered if he would make the grade. In his schooldays, he was a contemporary of Jos Buttler who rather dominated attention and, on his first-class debut for Cardiff UCCE, Somerset hit him to all parts. He does not fit the mould of the physically-imposing modern cricketer and he is all the more watchable for that: Somerset have a talent for producing character cricketers.Thin of hair, tidy of beard, with few claims to athleticism and one of the few professionals to play in spectacles, he runs in with a little hop of his left foot and a slightly apologetic air. But when a wicket comes – and he took the last six – he celebrates a wicket with the individuality of an offbeat comedian at the Edinburgh fringe.He has found himself under serious discussion for a place on England’s Test tours of Bangladesh and India – and England should certainly find room for one out-and-out specialist in the squad. The advent of turning pitches has shown that England can produce spinners as long as they are not subjugated by the wrong sort of surfaces.At 57 for 3, still 188 behind, and with two days remaining, Yorkshire’s chance of recovery was slim. A misty morning brought hope for Somerset’s bowlers, but early swing or seam did not materialise and, after Adam Lyth left in exasperation to a leg-side strangle against Craig Overton, it was the spin of Leach that became more prominent as the day developed.Leach had been allowed one exploratory over before Lyth’s dismissal, turning one sharply enough down the leg-side for Ryan Davies to concede four byes, and although Somerset returned to an all-pace attack after Lyth’s dismissal, it soon became evident that his self-deprecating spin was the way forward.Leach’s dismissal of Adil Rashid encapsulated his fine season, as he drew Rashid into a hunched advance, and found the turn to beat his outside edge for Davies to complete the stumping. Abell atoned for his earlier error by catching Andy Hodd off bat and pad and Tim Bresnan’s strokeless resistance, which communicated Yorkshire’s determination to put the batting excesses of the first day behind them, ended when he was bowled, playing back.That was to be Somerset’s last success for two hours as Liam Plunkett joined Lehmann in an eighth-wicket stand of 101. The second new ball brought no benefit and Plunkett’s handsome straight drive against Overton put Yorkshire into the lead. Somerset’s frailty chasing small targets gained a passing mention. But Leach responded once more, removing Lehmann lbw, snaffling a return catch from Jack Brooks and, finally, ending what with the last pair at the crease had become Plunkett’s all-or-nothing hitting with the aid of Marcus Trescothick’s slip catch.Abell and Trescothick knocked off the 41 required and, as Yorkshire’s fielders trooped vanquished from the field with disgruntled members rose from their seats, the scoreboard flashed up “Thank you Dizzy”, complete with a smiling picture of their coach, Jason Gillespie. The office staff lay in wait for a few celebratory drinks. It had the makings of an awkward evening, but Gillespie will be forever remembered in Yorkshire, not just for his skills as a coach but for his basic human decency.If Lancashire thwart Middlesex on the final day, the final week is full of delicious tension. Middlesex, afraid of a Somerset victory at home to relegated Nottinghamshire, would be ill-served by a draw pitch against Yorkshire at Lord’s and both counties would have to risk defeat in order to obtain a victory. But Somerset, who have rushed towards the summit in the second half of the season on low-scoring pitches, would need something flatter than usual because they could not easily afford to concede maximum batting points. Much to enjoy. Unless Lancashire blow it.

Definitions of what constitutes “unfair bowling” should be clarified by cricket’s lawmakers, the New South Wales coronial inquest into the death of Phillip Hughes has heard

Daniel Brettig14-Oct-2016Definitions of what constitutes “unfair bowling” should be clarified by cricket’s lawmakers, the New South Wales coronial inquest into the death of Phillip Hughes has heard on an emotion-charged final day.Counsel assisting the coroner, Kristina Stern SC, submitted that the inquest should conclude that this was a case of “accidental death”, which was not made more likely by the nature of play on the day of the Sheffield Shield match at the SCG. Hughes was struck in the side of the neck on day one of the match, November 25, 2014, suffering an arterial injury that resulted in his death at St Vincent’s Hospital two days later.However both Stern and Greg Melick SC, for the Hughes family, recommended that the wording of the laws around unfair bowling should be examined in light of the episode, citing earlier testimony from former umpire and ICC umpires training manager Simon Taufel. Law 42.2.1 of Sheffield Shield playing conditions, adapted from the MCC’s laws of cricket, states as follows:

“A bowler shall be limited to two fast short pitched deliveries per over. A fast short pitched delivery is defined as a ball, which after pitching, passes or would have passed above the shoulder height of the striker standing upright at the crease. The umpire at the bowler’s end shall advise the bowler and the batsman on strike when each fast short-pitched delivery has been bowled.”

Following his own independent analysis, Taufel had told the inquest that of 23 short balls bowled on the day, 20 had been directed at Hughes. However he also submitted that many of these deliveries did not meet the definition of a “fast short-pitched delivery” because they would not have passed Hughes above shoulder height.The gulf between Hughes’ family and Cricket Australia was starkly illustrated when his father Greg, mother Virginia and sister Megan all left the courtroom in the midst of CA counsel Bruce Hodgkinson’s final submissions, leaving his brother Jason to audibly register his incredulity at proceedings.Hodgkinson had recommended to the coroner, Michael Barnes QC, that the “unsworn and unsubstantiated” statement submitted by the Mosman cricket captain Matthew Day on Wednesday be disregarded when he deliberates over the events of the day and how the game of cricket might be made safer. Hodgkinson also insisted that the players who took the stand this week were honest witnesses.Melick had earlier questioned the veracity of the evidence submitted by players on the field that day: Brad Haddin, Doug Bollinger, Tom Cooper and David Warner. Melick stated that while “words didn’t kill Phillip Hughes”, their denials of any sledging cast doubt on other evidence about the nature of play. Later, Melick clarified his final submission by stating that he didn’t mean to suggest players had “fabricated” evidence.Though Melick acknowledged that the use of short-pitched bowling was a “legitimate tactic”, he contended that the volume of short balls bowled to Hughes, including an estimate of nine in a row in the lead-up to the ball that struck him, was “going too far”. These words followed on from letters from the Hughes family, which formed part of the inquest and were published on Friday in the . In his letter, Greg Hughes wrote:”Their tactics changed after lunch, which started to slow the run rate down, and this was by bowling short at my son for a good majority of the time. This certainly did restrict the run flow and started to change the game… The umpires did not call them ‘no-balls’ under the Sheffield Shield cricket laws. Those laws are different to the MCC rules. By those balls not getting pulled up, of course this kept the bowlers continuing to target my son in an ungentlemanly way.”Among other recommendations made by the Hughes family were a desire to see neck guards on the back of batting helmets made mandatory, and also the removal of any dismissals for “hit wicket”, should a neck guard detach from the helmet and fall onto the stumps.Stern had recommended wider first aid training, and also work towards greater clarity in signalling between players and officials on the field and medical staff off it. The fact that ambulance services had reached the scene only 20 minutes after the incident illustrated the need for this. However she also concluded that Hughes’ death was inevitable from the moment he was hit and should be ruled accidental.”It is abundantly clear that once the tragic accident had occurred, there was nothing that could have been done to prevent Phillip’s death,” Stern said. She also went on to say that neither the number of short balls bowled to Hughes, nor any alleged instances of sledging, had exacerbated the risk to the batsman, and submitted that no recommendations should be made over the nature of play that day.Outside court, CA’s head of team performance, Pat Howard, spoke about events of the week and defended the conduct of the players who spoke at the inquest. He also stated that the game’s governing body would continue to offer whatever support it could to the Hughes family.”This week provided a confronting reminder of the sad reality that Phillip Hughes is no longer with us,” Howard said. “Our thoughts continue to be with the Hughes family during what is a difficult time for them. Our thoughts are also with Phillip’s cricket friends and his team-mates, all of whom have had to deal with the loss of a great mate as well as the ordeal of being on the field at the time of the incident. I’m very proud of the conduct of the players, the officials and staff throughout.”Formal findings from the coronial inquest are set to be handed down on November 4.

A third-wicket stand between Riki Wessels and Mahmudullah, and four wickets from Shafiul Islam led Khulna Titans to a 22-run win against Barisal Bulls

The Report by Mohammad Isam20-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMahmudullah’s 44 off 26 balls set up a respectable total for Khulna Titans•Raton Gomes/BCB

Khulna Titans climbed to the top of the BPL points table after a 22-run win over Barisal Bulls. As was the case in their four previous wins, it was their bowlers who made their moderate total look very competitive.Shafiul Islam led the five-man bowling attack to defend their 151 runs comfortably. The paceman took four wickets while Junaid Khan and Mosharraf Hossain took two each as Barisal capitulated for 129 in 19.3 overs.Barisal’s chase was always going to be interesting as they had a batting line-up to compete with Khulna’s discipline. Jeevan Mendis, promoted to open the innings, struck four fours on his way to 21 before falling to Shafiul in the fourth over. His opening partner Fazle Mahmud was earlier trapped lbw for a duck in the second over.After Shamsur Rahman was caught at long-on cheaply, Barisal’s main batsmen Shahriar Nafees and Mushfiqur Rahim added 43 runs for the fourth wicket. Nafees batted at a slower pace, hitting two fours in his 28 off 35 balls. Mushfiqur held the chase together till the 16th over before he top-edged a pull after making 35 off 23 balls with four fours. Thisara Perera’s failure with the bat made it harder for Barisal who folded in the last four overs of their chase.After they had decided to bowl, Barisal were given early breakthroughs by Taijul Islam who struck twice in the fifth over to remove the Khulna openers Hasanuzzaman and Andre Fletcher. Both batsmen holed out to Abu Hider at long-on.Mahmudullah ensured that they recovered from an ordinary Powerplay, adding 53 for the third wicket with Riki Wessels. He slammed three sixes through long-on and two fours in his 26-ball 44, before becoming Taijul’s third victim, caught at point. Next ball, Shuvagata Hom was run-out after a mix-up with Wessels with both batsmen ending at the non-striker’s end.Wessels, who had contributed just five runs to the third-wicket stand, found a higher gear as he struck four fours and a six over long-on in his 29-ball 40. Like Mahmudullah, Wessels’ wicket also hurt Khulna, who added 39 runs in the last five overs.

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.”

Matt Renshaw’s dismissal for 71 meant that his parents did not need to make a trip across Brisbane to get to the ground

Brydon Coverdale in Brisbane15-Dec-2016Midway through the second session, Matt Renshaw danced down the pitch and shovelled Yasir Shah over midwicket for three. Already Renshaw had raised the bat to his home crowd upon reaching his maiden Test half-century. Now he was moving into the 70s. A hometown Test hundred was beginning to seem within his reach. And a cross-town dash was starting to look necessary for his parents, Ian and Alison.The Renshaws had been in Adelaide for their son’s Test debut last month, and might have been expected to be in the crowd for his first Test at his home ground. But instead they were several kilometres away, watching Renshaw’s sister Hannah graduate from her Masters of Architecture degree at the University of Queensland.”Matthew’s had his debut in Adelaide, so we’ll be there, very, very proud of what she [Hannah] has done,” Alison Renshaw told earlier this week. Ian Renshaw added that Matt was perhaps relieved not to have to sit through his sister’s three-hour ceremony: “But as we said, ‘we’ve waited three hours for you to bat and then you’ve been out first ball’.”At stumps, having fallen for 71 when he edged behind off Wahab Riaz, Renshaw explained that he understood his parents’ prioritising.”They came to Adelaide and Hannah’s graduation is a really big thing for her, so I think it’s good that they went and saw her,” Renshaw said at stumps. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t still be in when they finished there and they couldn’t head over.”What would it have taken for them to rush across Brisbane and find their way into the Gabba?”They told me I needed to be 80 not out at the dinner break, but I couldn’t do that. I let them down,” he joked.There was, however, one “Renshaw” in the crowd. Some time ago, Renshaw had purchased a ticket for the Gabba Test, not expecting to be part of Australia’s side. He was meant to be sitting with a group of friends from the Toombul Cricket Club, where Renshaw plays in Brisbane, and some of those mates chose to honour his call-up by filling his seat with a mannequin adorned with a print-out of Renshaw’s face.”It was a bit strange seeing my face on a mannequin when I was out there batting,” Renshaw said. “It probably took my mind off the game for a little bit, but it was good fun from the boys.”

The shares of the BCCI and the ECB in the ICC’s revenue pie have reduced, even as cricket’s governing body aims at a sense of equity in revenue distribution

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2017ESPNcricinfo can reveal details of the ICC’s new financial model that was proposed to Full Members at last weekend’s board meeting in Dubai. The models are part of a broader report, produced by an ICC working group committee, which seeks to provide the basis of a new constitution for the game.The draft of a new constitution was passed in principle at the meeting, with seven members voting for it, two opposing and one abstaining. Members will now bring thoughts, suggestions and concerns to the table in April, which may result in changes to the draft.The biggest obstacle will be the financial model and, in particular, the BCCI’s objections to it. ICC revenues for this rights cycle – 2015-2023 – are estimated to be around US $2.5 billion. Some estimates suggest revenues may go as high as $2.7 billion. The projections in this model are for revenues up to $3 billion. These are based on the possibility of additional ICC tournaments being added to the existing cycle. ESPNcricinfo has seen the model, from which a number of things stand out.

No contribution, no cost
The most controversial aspect of the 2014 Big Three financial model was the idea of contribution costs, and the realisation that not all members bring to the game an equal amount of money. What each Full Member earned in total from the ICC revenue was a percentage figure of the total revenues (the contribution cost, based on contributions made, and provided as compensation for playing in ICC events: the BCCI had a 20.3% share, ECB 4.4%, Cricket Australia, 2.7% and so on) plus an equal share of the surplus (which is how revenues had been divided until then). The seven non-Big Three boards also got an additional $10 million over eight years as part of the Test Cricket Fund.In the new model, this breakdown of earnings is redundant as is the contribution-cost element. Instead one lump sum figure is provided for each board. But the principle behind contribution costs remains because in every projection, the BCCI gets a bigger share of the pie than every other board – twice as much, in fact, as the next.The Big Three take a hit
In the new model, the percentage shares of the BCCI and ECB in the total pie have gone down, while that of CA remains roughly the same. But a quick calculation will tell you why the BCCI is unhappy with these models. Not only is there no real formula behind them, but the Indian board takes the biggest hit from the 2014 model.In that model, for gross ICC revenue of $2.5 billion, the BCCI stood to earn between 17.6-18% of the revenue (between $440-445 million*). In the new model, at the same gross revenue, it gets 10-10.2%. That is a reduction in potential earnings of between $180-190 million. The percentage share does increase should the ICC’s revenue increase but it isn’t a large spike: if the ICC gets $3 billion as revenue, the BCCI’s share will be between 11.16-11.33%.Under the 2014 model, the ECB stood to take 5.8-6%, whereas now its share is 4.8-5%, or between $20-30 million less. CA’s share was between 4.4-4.6% in the last model and is more or less the same now. As with the BCCI, their shares will increase should the ICC’s total gross revenue increase. That is the case with all boards.Equity
The ICC said in its press release after the meeting that a sense of equity played a big part in the determining of these figures. That much is clear in the fact that below the BCCI and ECB are seven boards that stand to get essentially the same share for nearly any projected value of total gross revenue.It would seem as if the ICC has tried to preserve both a sense of contribution cost – by recognising the right of the BCCI to the largest share – and, by narrowing the gap between them and the others, ensuring a degree of equality among the boards beneath them. The problem, of course, is that there remains no set formula behind these numbers – they remain, essentially, arbitrary figures.Welcome Ireland and Afghanistan
You will not have missed the last two entries in the first table – Ireland and Afghanistan. The status of both was discussed at the board meeting; Afghanistan’s domestic multi-day tournament was given first-class status, thus fulfilling one key prerequisite to play Test cricket.This model – as well as the Test league structure – is perhaps the clearest sign yet that there is a will to have them playing Tests, or at least be part of the big boys’ club. Over eight years (with ICC gross revenues of $2.5 billion) each could earn $50-55 million.Goodbye Test Cricket Fund
One of the redeeming features of the Big Three model was the introduction of a Test Cricket Fund that sought to subsidise unprofitable bilateral series outside the Big Three. That amounted to $10 million for each of the seven boards over the eight-year cycle. The first payments were made to these boards last year.This move is likely linked to the introduction of a league structure for Test cricket, which, in theory, means that all bilateral contests have greater context, and thus, greater financial value and so do not need subsidising.*

A round-up of the Vijay Hazare Trophy Group B matches played on March 1, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Mar-2017Tripura needed only two bowlers – pacers Abhijit Sarkar and Ajoy Sarkar – to sweep Himachal Pradesh away for 68 in 15 overs in their 138-run victory in Cuttack.Abhijit was on a hat-trick twice in Himachal’s innings. He began the innings with two wickets off the first two balls and then, in the 11th over of the innings, took wickets off the second and third deliveries. The 11th over ended as a triple-wicket maiden and, with Ajoy having taken a wicket on either side of that over, resulted in a slump where Himachal lost five wickets without adding a run on the board. Abhijit ended with career-best returns of 6 for 31 in eight overs, while Ajoy took 4 for 37.Earlier, Tripura recovered from a shaky 54 for 4 to post 206 runs after being put in to bat. Nirupam Sen Chowdhary (51 off 72 balls) was the common factor in two partnerships that helped Tripura recover. He added 41 for the fifth wicket with captain Yashpal Singh (47), followed by a sixth-wicket partnership off 55 with Gurinder Singh (33).Four wickets from Shrikant Mundhe led Maharashtra to their fourth straight win, when they beat Tamil Nadu by 22 runs at the DRIEMS Ground in Cuttack. Chasing 271, Tamil Nadu got decent starts from the top three batsmen but Mundhe dismissed two of them by the 21st over. The middle and lower orders were led by B Indrajith’s 49 even though he was running out of partners as Nikit Dhumal and Shamshuzama Kazi struck twice each. Once Indrajith was gone for 49 in the 41st over, leaving them on 193 for 8, M Mohammed scored a quick 33 off 24 but they were bowled out with five balls to spare.Maharashtra were steered by opener Ruturaj Gaikwad’s half-century after they opted to bat even though Vijay Zol, Ankit Bawne and Kedar Jadhav scored only 48 runs among them. Once Gaikwad fell for 82 off 76, Naushad Shaikh’s quick 68 off 66 took them past 250 before they were dismissed in 48.5 overs.Uttar Pradesh registered their first win of the tournament by amassing 387 for 5 with the help of Akshdeep Nath’s 143 off 117 before bowling Kerala out for 142 at the KIIT Stadium in Bhubaneswar. Once UP captain Prashant Gupta was dismissed early, Nath stitched partnerships of 142 with Shivam Chaudhary (63) and 135 with Eklavya Dwivedi (75) as he scored his maiden List A hundred. Once Nath fell after smashing 19 fours and three sixes, Sarfraz struck an unbeaten 45 off 22 and Rinku Singh chipped in with 29 off 12 to lead UP past 350.Five Kerala batsmen scored in double digits, including their top three, but none of them could convert them into big scores as Piyush Chawla dismissed three of the top four batsmen. Shivam Chaudhury removed Sachin Baby and Sanju Samson with his offspin in consecutive overs, leaving them on 141 for 6 and the last four partnerships could only survive 14 more balls to score one run, being bowled out in 32 overs.