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A quicker surface is expected in Hambantota as South Africa chase a series win against a team in form

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando11-Jul-2014Match factsSaturday, July 12, 2014
Start time 1000 local (0430 GMT)Dale Steyn, if fit, may enjoy the conditions in Hambantota•AFPBig PictureHambantota: Sri Lanka’s city of the future. Where beautiful four-lane highways and herds of water buffalo co-exist in strength. Where wild elephants rule the roads, and three-foot cobras are among the pedestrians. Where vast flocks of birds have, for thousands of years, thoughtlessly chosen to migrate right where the Sri Lankan authorities would build an international airport.But it is not just the impromptu safari opportunities in Sri Lanka’s untamed south-east that have South Africa feeling a little more at home. The pitch, they feel, has pace and bounce. Not your usual condescending subcontinent kind of pace and bounce, where the keeper might take the ball at waist-height occasionally. This is the proper stuff.Quicks have run through teams at the venue, and though South Africa have never played an ODI at Hambantota, they have won three out of four T20 internationals there. If there is one venue in the country that will make Dale Steyn’s bruised right hand heal up double-quick, this is it. The team management will make a call on whether Steyn will play on Saturday, but he has bowled at Friday’s training, so the signs are good.Sri Lanka are desperate to finish on a winning note, to seal a series they are expected to win. Their victory at Pallekele had all the ingredients of a classic Sri Lanka win; the batting collapse, the fight back, spinners ripping through the opposition and a few Lasith Malinga yorkers for good measure. They have not lost a series so far in 2014, and they will think the first series at home is a poor place to start.Beyond the cricket field, there are reports of a memo floating around SLC headquarters alleging the team is physically unfit and has attitude problems. At first glance, those claims seem discordant with reality. A fast bowler delivered over 104 overs in back-to-back Tests in England, and the batsmen who made big knocks did not seem to flag at any stage in the series. But the memo also claims the national side’s fielding is below par, and given the number of dropped catches over the past six weeks, the players will find it difficult to argue with that observation.Angelo Mathews and his men will hope to make the loss in Colombo a blip on their 2014 record. But if the South Africa pace attack comes out firing on a bouncy deck, the hosts will have bigger worries than just a disapproving report.Form guide (last five matches, most recent first)

Sri Lanka: WLWWL
South Africa:LWWWWIn the spotlightWhen Malinga was going through a hot-and-cold stage about a year ago, Nuwan Kulasekara held the attack together with his steady seam and sometimes extravagant inswing. Now that Malinga is back to near his best, Kulasekara has fallen away somewhat. Perhaps he goes looking for wickets instead of bowling line-and-length, or maybe he is struggling a little for rhythm. Whatever the case, Kulasekara has gone wicketless in each of his last five ODIs. A key component in Sri Lanka’s World Cup plans, Kulasekara will hope to rediscover his form soon. If he has the wind assisting him at Hambantota, his threat could be magnified.Tall, sharp, and accurate, Ryan McLaren has been the best of South Africa’s quicks this series, probing away in the channel with a modicum of movement off the pitch, and the odd ball kicking up off the surface. On a slightly bouncier Pallekele, McLaren had engineered the late collapse that reeled Sri Lanka in, and if conditions are even better for him at Hambantota, he has the style and form to be a handful. He is a capable hitter down the order as well, as was seen in the first ODI, when he struck up a fruitful stand with David Miller.Teams newsOffspinner Dilruwan Perera has been included in Sri Lanka’s squad, as Upul Tharanga has left it to train with the Sri Lanka A side, which he will shortly lead on a tour to England. Sri Lanka are unlikely to make changes to their XI, however, unless the pace in the pitch convinces them Thisara Perera is a better bet than Ashan Priyanjan.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene 5. Lahiru Thirimanne, 6. Angelo Mathews (capt), 7 Ashan Priyanjan/Thisara Perera, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Sachithra Senanayake, 10 Ajantha Mendis, 11 Lasith MalingaOfficially South Africa wait on Steyn’s fitness, but news from the camp is that he is likely to play.South Africa (probable): 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Ryan McLaren, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran TahirPitch and conditionsWeather forecasts for this part of the island are often hilariously inaccurate, but for what it is worth, meteorologists have predicted a warm, clear day. The sweeping winds that sometimes blow in during the afternoon may also factor into team’s tactics.Stats and trivia Sri Lanka have won five out of eight completed ODIs at Hambantota. Eight of the top 10 bowling performances at the venue have been delivered by quick bowlers. Ryan McLaren is the leading wicket-taker in the series, with six scalps at an average of 13.5.Quotes”We have the chance to climb up the rankings if we win this series, so if we play the same way we did at Pallekele, we should be able to do that.”
“From past experiences it’s a lot more like South African conditions in Hambantota, which suits us really well. We’re hoping to see a green deck there for a change.”

A round-up of the second day’s action from the Ramadan T20 Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2013
ScorecardShabbir Ahmed finished with 5 for 23•Pakistan Cricket BoardShabbir Ahmed’s five-wicket haul powered United Bank Limited (UBL) to beat Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) by four wickets.PIA captain Shoaib Malik, after a Man-of-the-Match performance in the last game, became Shabbir’s first victim off only the second ball of the match. PIA lost another early wicket when Shabbir removed Malik’s opening partner Agha Sabir with the score at 34 in the fifth over. Faisal Iqbal’s run-a-ball 48 steadied one end, but a flurry of wickets in the death – five in the last 19 balls, capped off by Shabbir dismissing Ali Raza and Fahad Iqbal off the last two balls of the innings limited PIA to 129.Opener Asif Ali started UBL’s chase positively, striking three sixes and a four but Salman Saeed struck in successive overs to leave UBL at 37 for 2 in the sixth over. With the asking rate hovering at a modest 6.5 per over, Mohammad Sami and Faisal Athar came together and added 35. Sami and Mohammad Irshad fell off consecutive balls in the 17th over, but Athar, who had five fours to his credit, held firm as UBL won the match with five balls to spare.
ScorecardYounis Khan, who remains outside Pakistan’s limited-overs, hit a brisk half-century to drive Habib Bank Limited to a competitive score before part-time offspinner Asad Baig ran through Water and Power Development Auhtority’s middle order to complete a comfortable victory.Imran Farhat, another experienced player who finds himself sidelined from the national team, failed to give HBL a strong start after they won the toss. His opening partner Baig fared better, making 29 as he shared a 41-run stand with No. 3 Fahad Masood. The run-rate picked up in the second half of the innings as two senior players, Younis and Hasan Raza, put together 55 in 33 deliveries. Raza hit three sixes in his 27, and Younis struck seven fours in his unbeaten 54.In the chase, WAPDA were in a reasonable position in the 13th over, with Sohaib Maqsood’s 40 guiding them to 93 for 3. It unravelled spectacularly after that, though, as their final seven wickets went down for 15 runs. What made it more galling for WAPDA was that the wickets weren’t taken by regular bowlers – Baig, who has only one wicket in his 27 first-class matches, bagged 4 for 12while Raza, who has 27 wickets in 175 domestic one-dayers, took two in his first three deliveries to wrap up the match.

Owais Shah has complained he hasn’t yet received the first installment (25 percent) of his $75,000 BPL paycheck

Mohammad Isam30-Jan-2013The issue of player payments at the Bangladesh Premier League has cropped up again this year after Owais Shah complained he hasn’t yet received the first instalment (25 percent) of his $75,000 paycheck.Shah, who plays for Dhaka Gladiators, received the remittance slip from the BCB but the amount hasn’t been credited into his account. ESPNcricinfo has also been told that Shah is just one of many players not to have been paid.”I have received the remittance slip via email but nothing has arrived in the last four days,” Shah said. “I don’t know where the money is, and it is a pretty embarrassing situation.”The BCB sent the remittance slip on January 24, but said they didn’t receive signed players’ agreement papers for any of Gladiators’ overseas players in time. “Without the player agreement papers, it is not possible for the BCB to process bank transfer of fees to accounts of local players and international remittance for overseas player payment,” a BCB statement said.This year, the BCB has asked all franchises to send payments to the board,which would then be forwarded to the players. The deadline for the first instalment of 25%, which should have been paid before the start of the tournament, was moved from January 7 to January 16-31. The next 25% needs to be paid before the end of the tournament. The remaining amount is supposed to be transferred within six months after the end of the tournament.Gladiators were the first franchise who paid the BCB 25% of the total players’ fees. According to Salim Chowdhury, the Gladiators owner, the BCB has cashed the pay order of Tk 3 crore ($ 376,900 approx) on January 22 and that the delay is from the board’s end.However, BPL secretary Ismail Haider Mallick has said that it would be Gladiators’ fault if Shah decides to leave the tournament. Bangladesh Bank, the central bank of the country, doesn’t remit money without proper contracts, which Mallick says Gladiators have only sent on Tuesday (January 29).”If Owais Shah doesn’t play, it will be completely their fault. I would ask him [Salim Chowdhury] to show the received copy of the agreement papers, which he claims he has made the players sign five times. We can ascertain who’s right or wrong.”They gave us a cheque which is payable from March 14, but they haven’tgiven us a bank guarantee, so his claims sound absurd,” Mallick added. “We have tried to help them by giving extra leeway on time, but they haven’t paid us the money properly.”

Ian Bell could not quite make the same early statement as Gary Ballance managed in Abu Dhabi but a lower-order fightback lifted the MCC to a first-innings lead against Yorkshire

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Mar-2016
ScorecardKarl Carver celebrates dismissing Ian Bell•Getty ImagesIan Bell could not quite make the same early statement as Gary Ballance managed in Abu Dhabi but a lower-order fightback by Ben Foakes and Rikki Clarke lifted the MCC to a first-innings lead against Yorkshire.Bell was dropped from the England Test side after the series against Pakistan in the UAE – the Sheikh Zayed Stadium is the scene of his most recent international half-century – and like Ballance, who scored a century on the opening day, is eyeing a strong early-season push to state his credentials for a recall to what remains an flimsy England top order.However, having eased to 44 with seven fours and a six he fell to Karl Carver, the 19-year-old left-arm spinner, when he tried to clear the infield and was caught at mid-on having earlier deposited the spinner over the ropes.Bell was one of three middle-order wickets to fall for 11 runs in four overs as the MCC slipped to 114 for 5 following a third-wicket stand of 89 between Bell and Rory Burns. Tim Bresnan, who finished the day with 3 for 51, had Burns caught behind for 51 and after Bell departed he trapped Samit Patel lbw to add to his early scalp of Nick Browne.When Tom Westley edged Steven Patterson, Yorkshire were well-placed for a lead but an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 131 in 37 overs between Foakes, the Surrey wicketkeeper-batsman, and Warwickshire allrounder Clarke turned the day around for the MCC.Clarke bided his time – he was 1 off 34 balls at the tea interval – but during the final session the scoring rate increased and he brought up his fifty from 103 deliveries.Foakes was initially given out on 17 before the umpires, Neil Mallender and David Millns, conferred and the decision was reversed – his dismissal would have left the MCC 152 for 7 – and he brought up his half-century from 132 balls with boundary off Bresnan as both batsmen profited against the second new ball until bad light ended play.

Graham Onions collected the 18th five-wicket haul of his first-class career to provide Durham a useful lead against Middlesex

Jon Culley at Chester-le-Street23-May-2013
ScorecardGraham Onions collected the 18th five-wicket haul of his first-class career•Getty ImagesGraham Onions is fully aware that, at 30 years old and with major back surgery on his medical record, the prime years of his career are probably a matter for reflection now rather than anticipation. Yet there is still within him a desire for recognition that would have encouraged him to believe that the 18th five-wicket haul of his first-class career was worth a little more for there being an England selector to witness it.It was evident in his response when it was suggested to him afterwards that it was better to be taking wickets for Durham this week than wind up as the odd man out at Headingley. “No, I’d rather be in the England squad,” he said. “To be in the England squad is a great achievement. I’ve missed out recently but I want to try to put myself in there with a chance”I realise at this stage that I’m down the pecking order and that’s fine because I can come here and play for Durham and do as well as I can. But I’m only [another bowler’s] loss of form or a couple of injuries away from selection and I have to make sure I’m fit and strong and performing.”And like Nick Compton showed last year, if you keep scoring runs or keep taking wickets eventually England can’t ignore you.” In an Ashes year, he was never likely to be indifferent about his chances.From his vantage point in the media centre, selector James Whitaker would have seen nothing he did not already know about what Onions can do. But the knowledge that he is still doing it, even on the most inhospitable of days, would have made his visit worthwhile, alongside such notes that he made about Ben Stokes and Scott Borthwick on the Durham side, and James Harris, who is beginning to find his feet after a start at Middlesex disrupted by a hamstring injury.Harris has bowled well at times in this match and made useful runs, too – 37 of them as Middlesex battled to deny Durham a lead that would put them out of contention. Neil Dexter and John Simpson did their bit, too, in rescuing their side from a potentially sticky end at 35 for 5.But the day belonged more to Onions, who exploited the conditions better than anyone, swinging the ball away to find the edge as Joe Denly and Gareth Berg gave catches to the slips and getting some unexpected bounce that surprised Simpson enough, even when seemingly well set, for an attempted pull to loop in the air to mid-off instead. Dawid Malan plainly thought he should have survived a ball that was still climbing when it hit him on the pad but umpire Martin Bodenham, after a moment’s consideration, did not agree.”It is not nice conditions to play cricket in, to be honest, even though the showers spiced the wicket up a bit and, at 30, if I had been bowling into the wind I would be struggling,” Onions said.Onions stressed that bowlers need to stay mentally ready between showers but five interruptions certainly did not help Middlesex, whose batsmen naturally struggled to settle into their rhythm. Middlesex began the match as Division One leaders, yet spent much of the day battling to stay in contention.Onions, who had removed the considerable threat posed by an in-form Sam Robson on the first evening, struck twice more before lunch. When Ben Stokes hit nightwatchman Tom Smith on the toe, bringing to an end a doughty performance by the left-arm spinner, Middlesex were struggling and it was only when Stokes began to bowl too short that they enjoyed some respite. Simpson punished him with a run of boundaries and added 68 with Dexter before falling.Dexter completed a half-century before Stokes brought one back to have him caught behind off an inside edge. Harris by then was well set and he and Toby Roland-Jones added 45 for the ninth wicket before Harris hit a full toss from Borthwick straight to mid-on.Their stand restricted Durham’s lead to 63, but it grew by 37 in the 11 overs that remained and Middlesex will be disappointed not to have taken any wickets. They have another chance in the morning but should Durham survive the first hour without too many mishaps they will be strongly placed to chase a fourth win of the season.

Ryan Harris has said he has taken cricket’s current corruption storm personally, and Michael Clarke expressed hope the game’s followers did not now assume that every match now needed to be viewed through cynical eyes

Daniel Brettig21-May-2014Ryan Harris bowled himself halfway to crippledom for Australia last summer, culminating in a Cape Town effort where he routinely charged in on a right knee that sported fragments of bone visible through the skin. Two months later, he confesses that surgery has allowed him to walk properly for the first time “in about two years” though it will likely cost him a place in the Test squad to face Pakistan.In that same Newlands Test match, Michael Clarke was battered by Morne Morkel and later revealed to have carried a fractured shoulder through the latter part of his unbeaten 161. Since then he has weathered plentiful criticism about a level of aggression on the field that suggests he wants to win a little too much, rather than too little.Little wonder then that Harris said he has taken cricket’s current corruption storm personally, and that Clarke spoke with pained idealism that he hoped the game’s followers did not now assume that every match now needed to be viewed through cynical eyes. Australia are presently the world’s top Test and ODI team, and neither Harris nor Clarke want to contemplate the possibility that they are at the pinnacle of a rotten game.”I’ve been out there and done my best, my teammates have, it’s just a very unfortunate thing that we’re talking about corruption,” Harris said. “Corruption in any sport I think is wrong and it damages the credibility of the sport. That’s something that as players we take personally, because every time we go out as an Australian cricket team, and I know a lot of other teams do as well, they go out to win.”Clarke expressed no worry whatsoever that any of his Australia team-mates, past or present, had dabbled in the kinds of fixes daubed across the pages of the world’s press this week. “I’m extremely confident about the players that I’ve played with,” Clarke said. “For this Australian team they all know very clearly that there is no room for corruption in our team. A big part of our job is to uphold the integrity of our sport and I think we do that well.”Everybody involved in the game is disappointed that things like this happen but I want to pay credit to the ICC and Cricket Australia for the work they put in to try and stop this, stamp it out of our game. Players have a big role to play as well, making sure that if you are approached or if something does come up, to go and speak to your captain, your team manager, the people at Cricket Australia.”I don’t think we should be tarring all the players with the same brush as well. What we’ve seen of late it’s a minority that we’re dealing with in these type of issues. I’d be disappointed if the supporters and the fans of cricket think that this is happening a lot more than it is. I am very proud of what this current team has done and achieved and I think we are educated well on what is right and wrong.”Australia’s players, both international and domestic, have been the beneficiaries of comprehensive education on corruption issues down the years. Clarke made his debut for Australia in 2003, and has watched the growth of integrity procedures from their initial concentration on Test and ODI players to the wider net now cast to ensure all those entering into the Sheffield Shield, limited overs and Big Bash League competitions were fully aware of what not to do and what to report.”What was I, 21, when I played my first ODI for Australia? And I think it probably started then in regards to international cricket,” Clarke said. “But these days you get educated from a very young age. Once you come into the first-class system, even on a rookie contract, so for some guys it starts at 16 years of age. I think the educational process that Australian cricketers go through is extremely thorough – we know the differences between right and wrong and what is accepted and what isn’t.”More unsettling for payers traversing the world for domestic Twenty20 tournaments, in addition to their international commitments, is the realisation that they cannot always be sure the inexplicable run-out, the surprising dropped catch or the heedless wide may all have far more deliberate and sinister implications. Harris admitted that hindsight was now murkier than it once was.”It’s a tough question … you don’t know,” Harris said. “For me I’ve played to win and it’s not until afterwards you find out that things have gone wrong or things are under suspicion. At the time I don’t think of it, no one thinks of it.”For Harris, Clarke and other honourable competitors, that uncertainty is every bit as uncomfortable as the physical ailments they have so often pushed through in pursuit of victory. Because if the game isn’t pure, is it really worth such pain?

A round-up of the Presidents Trophy matches that ended on December 8, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2013A captain’s performance from Taufeeq Umar, and a five-wicket haul by Imran Ali, helped Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) to their fourth win, beating Pakistan Television (PTV) by 188 runs at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Put in to bat, SNGPL were led by half-centuries by Taufeeq, Mohammad Rizwan and Adnan Akmal. Taufeeq top-scored with 63 off 187 balls while Akmal’s 53 came off 110. Yasim Murtaza and Zohaib Ahmed shared nine wickets between them with the former taking a five-for. The PTV innings failed to get going in response to 258 and they were rolled over for only 158, with Samiullah Khan taking 6 for 34.SNGPL strengthened their hold on the game with an opening stand of 199 between Taufeeq and Azeem Ghumman. Ghumman scored 70 while Taufeeq remained unbeaten on 128 before declaring, setting PTV a target of 326. PTV ended the third day at a rocky 48 for 3. There was no resistance from the middle and lower order as the seamer Imran took 5 for 38 to bundle out PTV for 137 in just 40.3 overs.Khan Research Laboratories took first-innings points in a draw against Pakistan International Airlines in Rawalpindi. After being put in to bat, KRL declared at 419 for 9 on the second day, driven by the captain Saeed Anwar jnr’s 197. Anwar nearly carried his bat, falling shortly before the declaration, hitting 20 fours and four sixes in his 362-ball knock. Anwar was involved in two century stands, for the third and fifth wickets with Usman Salahuddin and Ali Khan respectively. Khan was the second-highest scorer in the innings with 71. Anwar registered his highest first-class score and it was his 25th ton.Rahat Ali’s early spell jolted PIA, who were struggling at 29 for 3. Two half-century stands, for the fourth and fifth wickets, brought stability to the innings. Faisal Iqbal top-scored with 94 with 15 fours before he was dismissed by Rahat. Faisal was the fifth man out and PIA were only halfway from equaling KRL’s score. Tahir Khan battled with an unbeaten 55 but PIA could only score 310. Rahat, Umaid Asif and Nayyar Abbas took three wickets each. With only two innings yet to be completed at the start of the fourth day, a draw loomed. KRL had a lead of 109 and they stretched it to 275, after they were bowled out for 166. Salahuddin was the top-scorer with 67 and the offspinner Tahir took his second four-wicket haul of the match. PIA batted out two overs before the match ended in a draw.A ten-wicket haul by the seamer Mohammad Talha helped set up Port Qasim Authority’s (PQA) seven-wicket win over Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) in Sialkot. Talha took 6 for 69 in the first innings and 5 for 106 in the second to leave PQA chasing a modest 144.Talha ran through the top order after his side lost the toss, as ZTBL finished on 230. Luqman Butt was the only batsman to pass fifty and was the top scorer with a quick 65 off 69 balls. The PQA batsmen took firm control of the match by posting 424, taking a commanding lead of 194. The captain Khalid Latif established the platform with 86 while Asim Kamal remained unbeaten on 100. Talha tormented ZTBL with the bat as well, scoring 56 off 67 balls and adding 100 for the eighth wicket with Kamal to help the team inch towards 400. Kamal’s knock came off 164 balls with 12 fours and a six. ZTBL put on a better performance in the second innings by posting 337. Haseeb-ur-Rehman fell four short of his century while Butt continued his good form, scoring 67. Talha dismissed Butt and ran through the lower order to take his second five-wicket haul of the match and fourth ten-for in first-class cricket. Chasing 144, PQA lost their top three for 49 but Mohammad Salman and Daniyal Ahsan (63*) sealed the win in just under 25 overs.Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) bagged three points for taking a first-innings lead but were in danger of squandering it in a tense draw against State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in Islamabad. Set 146, WAPDA were wobbling at 56 for 7 but managed to survive.SBP struggled after being put in to bat and were bowled out for 172. Azhar Attari took 5 for 56 while Mohammad Haseeb took 4 for 41. Half-centuries by Rafatullah Mohmand and captain Aamer Sajjad helped WAPDA to 300, giving them a first-innings lead of 128. Seamers Rizwan Haider and Tabish Khan took seven wickets between them. Rameez Raja led SBP’s charge in the second innings with 68 but they were in a spot of bother at 132 for 5 with only a slender lead of four. Mohammad Saad scored 57 to help stretch the lead to 145 before they were bowled out. Tabish and Haider’s opening spells then reduced a shaky WAPDA to 15 for 4. They lost three more wickets but hung on to save the game, batting out 28 overs. Tabish took 4 for 30 in the second innings.

Zimbabwe dominated the first three days of the first Test before succumbing to Younis Khan and the Pakistan spinners. They will face a bigger challenge on a pitch that will have had less than three days of preparation

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit09-Sep-2013Match factsSeptember 10-14, 2013
Start time 1000 local (0800 GMT)Another trial by spin awaits Zimbabwe•Associated PressBig PictureIn March this year, Zimbabwe arrived in the West Indies absolutely undercooked. Their only internationals in the previous 12 months: two Twenty20s in Hambantota. The two Tests in Barbados and Dominica lasted five days in all. They barely avoided losing by an innings in the first, but succumbed to the ignominy in the second.Six months later, in what has been a hectic year compared to the famine of 2012, they took a sizeable first-innings lead against Pakistan, and had them effectively 91 for 5 in the second. Then Younis Khan decided to restore order, and Zimbabwe went through one of their capitulations in the fourth innings. The first Test in Harare will become another addition to the long list of heavy Zimbabwe defeats, completely obfuscating their dominance over the initial three days. The scorecard of the Barbados Test says West Indies won by nine wickets but a closer look reveals Zimbabwe had a chance of taking the lead then too, having reduced the hosts to 151 for 6 in response to 211.With utmost justification, Zimbabwe keep clamouring for more cricket. Amid a crippling monetary crisis, they have managed to squeeze in six Tests, 14 ODIs and six T20s this year. The numbers would have been higher had the shortage of funds not caused the postponement of Sri Lanka’s visit. While there was the embarrassment of a 0-5 defeat against a second-string India side, there was also the ODI win over Pakistan, followed by the unexpectedly competitive performance in the first Test.It is a hopeless situation to be in. Very few tours to high-ranked nations because they do not see much value in playing you. Few incoming trips because your board does not have the money to arrange more. How do you improve? A glance at the FTP provides little hope in the near future. The second Test against Pakistan will be Zimbabwe’s last international match before the World Twenty20 in March. Can they make a final, bigger statement of promise?It will not be easy. Pakistan were playing their first Test in more than six months last week. Misbah-ul-Haq warned after the game that his team could not afford to start slowly repeatedly. Complacency, if there was any among the new arrivals for the Tests, will not be there this time.Form guidePakistan WLLLD (last five matches, most recent first)
Zimbabwe LLWLLWatch out forZimbabwe lost 15 wickets to Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman in the first Test. Their batsmen are not accustomed to facing high-quality spinners, and there is no shame in failing to tackle Ajmal when better sides have struggled to. But before this series, Zimbabwe were confounded by Amit Mishra. In West Indies, they lost 29 of 40 wickets to Shane Shillingford and Marlon Samuels.It is only going to get tougher. The Harare square has taken such a battering this season there are concerns over how the pitch will behave, with Hamilton Masakadza expecting a lot more help for spin. Although it has been kept covered to try and retain whatever moisture there is, less than three days is hardly any time to prepare a Test surface, let alone on a ground which has seen so much cricket in recent months. Junaid Khan and Co can be counted on, but again, the real test for the Zimbabwe batsmen will be the Pakistan spinners.Mohammad Hafeez averages 8.00 with the bat in Tests, all outside Asia, this year. He had two productive years after almost a decade of disappointment but questions are now being asked whether he fits in as opener in a format where he is not needed too much as a bowler. He remains important in limited-overs but he’ll be 33 in October, and even if persisted with for a while, is certainly not a long-term option. Which also means he will have to come good quickly, and often.Team newsThe one change Pakistan could make is to bring in the quicker Wahab Riaz in place of Rahat Ali, who took 1 for 105 in the first Test. Mohammad Hafeez ran gingerly between the wickets last week, after straining his hamstring in the third ODI. However, Misbah has claimed that Pakistan’s T20 captain is fit.Pakistan (probable) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Khurram Manzoor, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Adnan Akmal (wk), 8 Wahab Riaz/Rahat Ali, 9 Saeed Ajmal, 10 Junaid Khan, 11 Abdur RehmanBrendan Taylor will return to lead Zimbabwe after missing the first Test to be with his fiancee and newborn son but has said he will not keep wicket. It is not often that Zimbabwe have to fret over who to leave out. Sikandar Raza was handed a Test debut after Taylor decided to sit out last week, and looks the most likely candidate to be omitted, although that is no justice for a man who made 60 and 24.Zimbabwe will decide in the morning whether to play a second spinner. If they do, it will mean a Test debut for young legspinner Natsai M’shangwe but they will have a hard time deciding which fast bowler to leave out, as all performed manfully in the first Test. In fact, they carried such a heavy workload – 161.1 overs – that Hamilton Masakadza joked they needed “bed rest and maybe a drip”. Brian Vitori could be called upon if one of them fails to recover.Zimbabwe (probable) 1 Vusi Sibanda, 2 Tino Mawoyo, 3 Hamilton Masakadza, 4 Brendan Taylor (capt), 5 Malcolm Waller, 6 Elton Chigumbura, 7 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 8 Prosper Utseya, 9,10 & 11 Three out of Tinashe Panyangara/Shingi Masakadza/Tendai Chatara/Natsai M’shangwe/Brian VitoriStats and trivia Younis Khan is 48 short of becoming the fourth Pakistan batsman to reach 7000 Test runs, after Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf This will be the 12th international game this year at Harare Sports Club, easily the most matches at a groundQuotes”We can learn from their mental awareness and the way they switched on and off at different times in the game. We were on top of them for three-and-half days but their two best performers made it tough for us. If we can just switch on at the right times, we could do better.”

A round-up of the Ranji Trophy Group A matches on December 29, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Dec-2014
ScorecardA double-hundred from Mandeep Singh, and centuries from Yuvraj Singh and Gurkeerat Singh steered Punjab to a commanding 659 for 7 declared against Saurashtra in Rajkot.Mandeep, who began the day at 154, scored his second first-class double-century, going past his previous best of 211, before he was dismissed for 235. His innings came off 334 deliveries with 24 fours and three sixes. Yuvraj, his batting partner from the first day, scored his third hundred in as many games, and the fourth-wicket partnership between the two yielded 379 runs. After Mandeep and Yuvraj were dismissed, Gurkeerat boosted the score further with an unbeaten 135-ball 101,helping the side declare their innings at 659.
ScorecardA century from Virender Sehwag led Delhi to a position of strength, helping them declare at 425 for 6 on the second day against Gujarat. In reply, Gujarat scored 34 for 1 by close of play.Unmukt Chand and Gautam Gambhir had laid down a solid foundation for Delhi with their 171-run opening partnership. Chand, who resumed on 97, scored his sixth first-class century before falling in the 70th over of the day. Sehwag and Mithun Manhas consolidated Delhi’s position with a swift 106-run, third-wicket partnership. Sehwag was finally dismissed for 105 off 148 balls with 14 fours and Sumit Narwal added quick runs to the score with 37 off 28 balls, before Delhi declared at 425 for 6.Shivam Sharma dismissed Samit Gohel for 15, towards the end of the day.
ScorecardHaryana offspinner Jayant Yadav took his second six-for of the season to leave Odisha at 232 for 9, limiting their first-innings lead on the second day to 105.Resuming on a score of 39 for 0, the Odisha openers Girjia Rout and Natraj Behera, extended their partnership to 57 runs, before Behera fell for 39. Rout was dismissed for the same score by Yadav and thereon, Odisha lost wickets in clusters, as Yadav and Mohit Sharma ensured partnerships did not flourish. Yadav took 6 for 91, while Mohit finished with 3 for 38.
ScorecardLeft-arm pacer Ravikumar Thakur’s maiden first-class five-for and a three-wicket haul from Shrikant Wagh skittled Rajasthan out for 188, giving Vidarbha a 108-run first-innings lead.Vidarbha started the day on 236 for 6 and, guided by Shalabh Shrivastava, the last four wickets extended the score to 296. Pankaj Singh, who ran through the top order on the first day, picked up his fifth wicket.Thakur and Wagh then combined to reduce Rajasthan to 64 for 4 before Vineet Saxena and Arjit Gupta led a brief revival with a 65-run, fifth-wicket partnership. Saxena’s dismissal for 61 started the slide that eventually led to the side folding for 188.

Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai drank a shot of Palinka with Hungary fans to celebrate their Euro 2024 qualification – after a two-goal showing.

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Szoboszlai seen drinking a shot of Palinka with Hungary fansHungary beat Montenegro 3-1 having already qualified for Euro 2024Liverpool star scored twiceWHAT HAPPENED?

Liverpool midfielder and Hungary captain Dominik Szoboszlai was seen enjoying a shot of Palinka, one of the most popular spirits in his country, while celebrating the team's qualification for Euro 2024 next summer. Hungary had already booked their spot at the tournament in Germany after a 2-2 draw with Bulgaria on Thursday, but that didn't stop them putting on a superb display in their dead-rubber against Montenegro.

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Hungary defeated Montenegro 3-1 in their final Euro 2024 qualification game, with the Reds midfielder bagging himself a brace in the second-half. Hungary finished at the top of Group G with five wins and three draws in their ten games to take their points tally to 18 points.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR SZOBOSZLAI?

The 23-year-old will return to action for Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp's men look to stay in a tight title race with the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham. The summer signing has been a superb addition to Liverpool's engine room this season, and will hope for another start when they face champions City on November 25.