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Wes Agar took five wickets for South Australia after the visitors had to fly in a back-up wicketkeeper in the morning

AAP20-Feb-2023Junction Oval witnessed the fall of 15 wickets, the red ball return of Glenn Maxwell, and a reinforcement arriving after the start on a chaotic day of Sheffield Shield action as Victoria hosted South Australia in a potentially crucial match.Despite the steady flow of wickets, honours ended fairly even after day one with South Australia 5 for 75 in response to Victoria’s 169.A tricky pitch that was largely green but also worn-looking in patches greeted the teams as Victoria elected to bat.South Australia’s problems began prior to the commencement, with wicketkeeper Harry Nielsen ruled out with illness during the morning.A hastily-arranged flight booking led to uncapped wicketkeeper Harry Matthias being brought over from Adelaide, with the replacement taking to the field after an hour’s play and 12th man Thomas Kelly donning the gloves in the interim.Short-form specialist Maxwell lined up for a first Shield match since 2019, but his return to the crease lasted just nine balls.Matt Short was the only batter to dominate•Getty Images

Maxwell, who scored a half century in grade cricket on the weekend after a three-month absence with a broken leg, was adjudged lbw off the bowling of Jordan Buckingham in what appeared a questionable decision.Matt Short made what was comfortably the day’s top score with his aggressive approach yielding 70 off just 69 balls, including 10 boundaries.Wes Agar knocked over openers Travis Dean (34) and the in-form Marcus Harris (15) before running through the tail for a return of 5-54 – his second best figures in first-class cricket.Remarkably, a 31-run partnership for the second wicket between Dean and Ashley Chandrasinghe proved the highest of the day as Victoria were bowled out inside two sessions.In reply, South Australia faced a similar struggle and Nathan McSweeney (23) top-scored as the Redbacks grafted at less than two runs per over. Victoria seamer Mitch Perry was the chief destroyer with 3 for 28.The two teams share second place in a four-way charge for one available berth in the final with two further rounds remaining.

Desire is still there to remain a multi-format player, Buttler says

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jan-2022Jos Buttler says he remains committed to playing Test cricket, despite a disappointing Ashes campaign and mounting pressure on England players and management.Australia took an unassailable 3-0 series lead with comprehensive victories in Brisbane, Adelaide and – most emphatically – inside two and a half days in Melbourne, but Buttler insisted England had plenty to play for to avoid a 5-0 sweep. Personally, he spoke of his desire to remain a multi-format player despite his Test form struggling to match his stellar limited-overs record and the demands of travelling for extended periods with a young family.”It’s certainly my ambition,” Buttler said from Sydney, where England are preparing for the fourth Test, starting on Wednesday (Tuesday night UK time). “I don’t think I’d have put as much into it as I have done if it wasn’t.Related

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“I have fantastic family support – they’re very supportive of me and my career, and make a lot of sacrifices for that. That’s one thing that gives you a lot of motivation and drive to try to make it all worth it. It’s certainly maintained my drive and ambition to try and play.”Asked if he hoped to be part of England’s squad due to play three Tests in the Caribbean in March, Buttler said: “Yes, I hope so.”During an Ashes campaign in which England’s highest team total has been 297, Buttler is averaging 19.20. In 56 Tests, he averages 32.53 with just two centuries.Buttler faced 207 balls for 26 in a spirited rearguard on the last day of the second Test in Adelaide, having come in on a pair, but he holed out to deep midwicket off Nathan Lyon on the stroke of tea in England’s first innings at the MCG. He took a brilliant catch to dismiss Marcus Harris in Adelaide but made costly drops in the same match.”In hindsight, just before a tea break is obviously a poor time to get out, but I wanted to be attacking and positive in that innings,” Buttler said of his dismissal to Lyon in Melbourne. “Mid-on and mid-off were up. I saw that as an opportunity to score, I didn’t execute that. That’s all it is.”It’s a very lonely place dropping a catch,” he added. “It’s one of the worst feelings in cricket, letting down your mates. It doesn’t just hurt you, it hurts the whole team. You’ve certainly got to be able to be very strong with your character to try to come through that. Especially when you’re wicketkeeping, there’s nowhere to hide.”Buttler’s comments came after South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock’s shock decision to retire from Test cricket at the age of 29.”That’s Quinton’s own personal situation, but as a fan of cricket and a huge fan of his, I’m disappointed that he’s at that stage,” said 31-year-old Buttler. “I love watching him bat, keep wicket and play Test cricket. The world of cricket will miss him in that format. But I guess commend him for making a decision that’s right for him.”Buttler said the entire England team were hurting, given their defeats by nine wickets in Brisbane, 275 runs in Adelaide and an innings and 14 runs in Melbourne. England have now lost 18 of their last 23 Tests in Australia, including 12 of the last 13.”There’s an overriding sense of disappointment and frustration with the situation we’ve found ourselves in,” Buttler said. “We’ve not competed or played the cricket we wanted to at the start of the tour. We’re not gelling as a group and individually playing well enough to compete with Australia. We certainly don’t want to be a team to lose 5-0.”

Shankar Basu on how Kohli kept fit during lockdown, and RCB’s training in the UAE heat

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2020Shankar Basu, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s strength and conditioning coach, feels Virat Kohli has come back from the pandemic-enforced break in cricket “in much better shape”. Basu, who has worked with the Indian team as well, outlined in an interview with PTI how Kohli kept fit during lockdown, how RCB’s return to training has been going, and how players’ workload will be managed in the special current circumstances. Here are excerpts of his interview with PTI.On Kohli’s lockdown fitness routine: “He is at his best weight at the moment”
“He [Kohli] has come back in much better shape. He is at his best weight at the moment and his movement patterns are pretty much in sync with his best self in the past.”He has taken this break as an opportunity to work on all the pointers which needed attention from a physical point.”He had the time to be very specific with his meal plans and running intervals at home. He did not have much of a choice during the lockdown and he invested on a treadmill and worked on his endurance which is otherwise not possible during a packed calendar.”He did shuttle running in his apartment, which had a little space. With all these constraints, the attitude stood out more than the workout.”His customised strength work to compliment that was his mantra during the lockout. So a combination of running and strength work and he kept it simple by just following this to the T.”On being in touch with the RCB team during lockdown: “Everybody had a customised programme”
“We were not sure about anything then [during the lockdown]. We just ensured that everybody had a customised programme based on what equipment they had at their respective homes, and, kudos to the boys, they approached it diligently.”On RCB’s return to training, in the UAE’s demanding weather conditions, after the long layoff: “No fool-proof algorithm; a sensible approach is what we are taking”

“Since most of them have arrived in decent shape physically, it’s only a matter of time [before] they are match ready.”With regards to assessing a player’s fitness, most of the workouts are a test in itself. As a coach, we have to be prudent that they tick the right boxes and drills, which can be an assessment.”The coaching director [Mike Hesson] and the head coach [Simon Katich] and the entire support group are aware of a long layoff and ergo the planning with regards to the length of practice times, humidity, temperature and recovery is something we have worked as a team.”There is no fool-proof algorithm for it but a sensible approach is what we are treading on.”On dealing with workloads – especially for the pacers – in the UAE’s demanding conditions: “Hydration and diet important”
“Our bowling coach [Adam Griffith] has come with a specific plan [for the fast bowlers] pertaining to loads in the first two weeks and that will be used as a blueprint [for workload management going forward].”Complementing the skills and choosing the right exercises to get the balance will provide the much-needed impetus for every bowler.”The modern cricketers are very mindful of their meal plans. Hydration, balanced amount of protein, carbs, and good fat will do the trick. And to combat the heat – again, we have our wellness and load-monitoring system, which will be put to good use.”

Pakistan legspinner to meet specialists in England after “tests revealed a virus that will require treatment and rest for, at least, four weeks”

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Apr-2019Legspinner Shadab Khan has been ruled out of the limited-overs series that Paksitan will play in England in the lead-up to the World Cup. Shadab is ill with a virus, though the exact nature of his illness is not known. A PCB release said “tests revealed a virus that will require treatment and rest for, at least, four weeks”. Yasir Shah has been named Shadab’s replacement for the England series.Shadab is also part of Pakistan’s World Cup squad. Should he not be fit for the showpiece event, the PCB can make changes to the squad without seeking ICC permission till May 23.The PCB said further investigations into Shadab’s illness will be done in England. “The Pakistan Cricket Board will now set up Shadab’s appointment with specialists in England to help him fully recover before Pakistan’s World Cup 2019 opener against the Windies on 31 May at Trent Bridge,” the PCB release said.Shadab is the only specialist spinner in Pakistan’s 15 for the World Cup. The PCB is also waiting on the fitness of Mohammad Hafeez, who was included while still recovering from the finger injury he picked up during the Pakistan Super League. Hafeez is Pakistan’s other major spin option, alongside fellow allrounder Imad Wasim.The series against England includes one T20I and five ODIs, between May 5 and 19. In addition to the players picked for the World Cup and Yasir, two more players will travel to England for this series: pacer Mohammad Amir and big-hitter Asif Ali.Squad for the World Cup: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez (subject to fitness), Sarfaraz Ahmed (capt & wk), Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris SohailAdditions for England series: Mohammad Amir, Asif Ali, Yasir Shah (Shadab Khan replacement)

India will play ODI bilateral series outside the ICC Women’s Championship and a few extra T20Is leading into the next two Women’s World T20s scheduled for 2018 and 2020

Vishal Dikshit17-Mar-2018The India women’s team is set to get a fixtures boost, with the BCCI planning to schedule more ODIs and T20Is for them in coming years. As part of the BCCI’s plans, India will play ODI bilateral series outside the ICC Women’s Championship (IWC) and a few extra T20Is leading into the next two Women’s World T20s in November 2018 in the West Indies and in 2020 in Australia.The added fixtures come as a contrast to India’s schedule in recent times. The team finished runners-up in the 2017 Women’s World Cup, but did not play a single international match for over six months after that final on July 23 at Lord’s.In the four-year cycle of the IWC from 2017 to 2020, the top eight teams play each other either home or away for a total of 21 matches each. The Indian team is now going to play a bilateral series of three ODIs against England at home next month, which won’t be counted towards the IWC, to give them “more exposure,” according to the BCCI. Those three matches in Nagpur will be played after a T20 tri-series between India, England and Australia – both 2017 World Cup finalists and a semi-finalist – in Mumbai starting March 22. The tri-series will follow the ongoing ODI series between India and Australia in Vadodara, which is part of the IWC.”We are arranging bilateral series with different countries so our women will get more exposure,” a BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo. “We will be playing England and then travel to Sri Lanka. Then we will be going to New Zealand for another bilateral series in February-March 2019.”While the three ODIs in Sri Lanka in the summer and in New Zealand early next year will be part of the IWC, India will also play five T20Is in Sri Lanka as a build-up to the World T20 later this year. India are also scheduled to participate in the Asia Cup, scheduled for June, which will be played in the T20 format. India had also played five T20Is against South Africa last month, and won 3-1.”We have already played in South Africa. And by the time we play in Sri Lanka we would have played most of the countries other than New Zealand and West Indies,” the BCCI official said.As part of the first cycle of the IWC, which ran from 2014 to 2016, the ODI bilateral series between the top eight teams often comprised four or five matches even though only three of them counted for IWC points. However, in the current IWC cycle (2017-2020), each bilateral ODI series can have only three ODIs, but the teams can play T20I matches, like earlier, on the same tour.Member boards are also free to organise separate bilateral ODI tours outside the compulsory IWC matches. For example, India and England are set to play three ODIs in April but the IWC window for those two teams is scheduled for the fourth round during the October 2018-February 2019 period, when England women will have to tour India again.ESPNcricinfo understands the BCCI is also planning to schedule the Indian team’s departure for the World T20 in November a few weeks in advance to help the team acclimatise to the conditions and prepare better. It will be a welcome step for India as they failed to reach the World T20 semi-finals in its last three editions in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

MS Dhoni has said his successor Virat Kohli would go on to win more games than he did, and that his team would “rewrite history” and become the most successful India side

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-20175:16

I think the team will do something very special in the coming years – Dhoni

Former India captain MS Dhoni has said his successor Virat Kohli would go on to win more games than he did, and that his team would “rewrite history” and become the most successful India side of all time.”That’s the kind of potential they have, that’s the kind of experience they have,” Dhoni said in Pune, in the lead up to the ODI series against England, Kohli’s first assignment as full time limited-overs captain. “If it is [about] the numbers, I think Virat and this team will win more games than me in all the formats.”Since Kohli took over the Test captaincy from Dhoni in January 2015, India won 14 out of 21 games, their lone defeat coming nearly a year and a half ago. During the same period India, under Dhoni, had a patchy ODI record – 15 losses in 33 matches – but did better in T20Is – 15 wins in 23 games. They also made the semi-finals of both the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 World T20.Kohli, R Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammad Shami had played crucial roles in those successes. All of them – apart from Ashwin – are under 30.”Though they are young, they have played a lot of cricket both in India and outside, and in pressure situations,” Dhoni said. “They have played in knockout tournaments – when it comes to the ODI and the T20 formats – and they have played under pressure. We’ve played a lot of Tests in India but they were not easy Test matches – we played on a lot of turning wickets where the lower order’s contribution was very important.”The whole pool of players seems to be one that will play cricket in the right spirit, the way it is supposed to be. I think they will do something very special in the coming years. Of course, the period will be slightly longer because they will be together for a long period. So, hopefully, with no injuries or serious problems to the core members of the group, they will do very well.”Dhoni said he and Kohli had hit it off from the start and praised Kohli for constantly raising the bar for himself.Dhoni on Kohli: “What’s brilliant is that if I go up to him with 100 ideas, he is comfortable saying no to all of them …”•AFP

“In Indian cricket, we’ve seen more often than not that a lot of cricketers, say, when they get five games and if they are out of the side, they’re always worried about the two games they didn’t get,” Dhoni said. “The best part about Virat is he wanted to improve in whatever chances he got. And that is the reason he is so successful right now.”If he scores a 60 or 70, he wanted to score a 100. He wanted to be there at the crease when India are chasing. So, I felt that was the key factor for me, and right from the start we have interacted a lot. He has improvised his cricket and his thinking.”Dhoni said Kohli would find the shorter formats easier as captain. “With more responsibility on him, he’ll keep getting better. My job will be to give him whatever my thoughts are from behind the stumps – reading the batsman, how they’re batting, what their strengths are, how the bowler is bowling.”What’s brilliant is that if I go up to him with 100 ideas, he is comfortable saying no to all of them because that’s what his responsibility is: to pick and choose what he’s really convinced about. I think that kind of relationship is very important because I shouldn’t feel, ‘Okay, if I am saying something, that should happen’, and he shouldn’t feel as if whatever is coming from my side, has to be implemented.”As captain, Dhoni hd moved up and down the batting order to suit the team’s interests. He did not think that would change under Kohli’s leadership.”Because I was the captain, I always felt because it was difficult for newcomers to come and bat at six or seven, I should be the person who takes that added responsibility of playing lower down the order,” he said. “I would’ve preferred batting at four and playing more overs, but felt it was more important to see if somebody else can bat at four and if I can bat at five, and that gives more power to our batting line-up.”At times, I found individuals can be very rigid. It is very difficult to adjust to that new mindset or change the game the way it is supposed to be played according to the team or that slot. I thought I was somebody who could do that and I was willing to do that for the team. It is the same as of now. If I am supposed to bat at Nos. 4,5,6,7, whatever the demand is for the team’s betterment, I am ready to bat there.”

Mohammad Amir’s dismissal of Misbah-ul-Haq was the exclamation point of a game that swung both ways, mainly due to these former Pakistan team-mates

Mohammad Isam22-Nov-2015Cliched T20 speak tells you that one ball can turn a match on its head, but Mohammad Amir’s deadly yorker to remove Misbah-ul-Haq only gave the opening BPL fixture a better finish. That delivery in the 19th over was the exclamation point of a game that swung both ways, mainly due to these former Pakistan team-mates.Misbah ended up with the biggest impact through a 39-ball 61 that was both patient and attacking. The innings reconstructed Rangpur’s chase of 188 after they had fallen to 23 for 4 in the fifth over. Misbah added 64 for the fifth wicket with Al-Amin, then a fast-paced 80 with Thisara Perera but when Amir removed both off consecutive deliveries, even Misbah thought it was over.”I think he won in that moment,” Misbah said. “He bowled a really good yorker, I was set and I missed that. This is what people are here to watch. Amir bowled well with the new ball. He had good pace and variations. In the 19th over he would have won the game for his team. Good to see him bowling like [he did today].”Amir started off with a maiden before taking the first two wickets – Lendl Simmons caught at mid-off and Soumya Sarkar dubiously given out leg-before – off consecutive deliveries in his second over. He was hard to get away, especially when he kept zooming in the full ball.Chittagong Vikings captain Tamim Iqbal, who felt that his team were 10-20 runs short and suffered through Asif Ahmed’s two dropped catches, was delighted to see Amir bowl with such verve.”He bowled brilliantly,” Tamim said. “I was looking forward to seeing him bowl. I am sure he will get better and better each day. He was playing a game like this after a long time. I think he was a bit nervous but it will get better for him. He has been taking wickets back in Pakistan. He was playing T20s after a long time.”Misbah said that he always knew that, with Thisara and Sammy waiting in the wings, Rangpur had a chance despite falling behind halfway through their chase.”We just wanted to play 20 overs, and that’s what I was telling Al-Amin,” Misbah said. “He was playing well at that time. We had Thisara and Sammy in the end, so we knew what capabilities they have when it comes to hitting the ball.”Even if we needed 80 runs in five overs, we were confident. Here 15 runs an over is chaseable when you have set batsmen. Once you have that big over, you have to keep in mind which bowler has how many overs left. If we can plan that, we can win games.”

Kevin Pietersen’s knee injury is not as serious as his earlier prognosis had predicted, as he won’t require knee surgery

Andrew McGlashan27-Mar-2013
Kevin Pietersen will not require surgery for the knee injury that forced him to leave the tour of New Zealand early, plus withdraw from the IPL, and is on course to be available for the start of England’s home international season.Pietersen, who underwent scans in London on Tuesday, was diagnosed with bruising on the bone around his right knee, rather than cartilage damage that may have required an operation and a longer recovery time.He will now wear a brace for two weeks, followed by another fortnight of rest, before undergoing further evaluation. The initial prognosis, when Pietersen flew home, was up to eight weeks before he would return to action.England’s opening Test against New Zealand is on May 16 and Pietersen will require some first-class matches before then to prove his fitness, but Andy Flower, the team director, was confident of him being ready.”He is being put in a brace for two weeks. He will be off exercise, or any impact exercise, after that for another couple of weeks. Then he’ll start his rehab. We anticipate him playing a full part in the summer. He’s been in some pain, but we hope he’ll be ready to go by the start of the summer.”Pietersen was discomforted throughout his time in New Zealand, but made 73 in the second Test in Wellington before the problem worsened to a degree where he was unable to play in the decider at Eden Park.He will be one of three England players whose recovery from injury will be closely monitored in the early weeks of the season. Graeme Swann, who underwent elbow surgery three weeks ago, is also trying to be fit for the New Zealand series, although the selectors may give him more time depending on his progress.Tim Bresnan, another who had an operation to try and solve an elbow problem, is due to return to action for Yorkshire in their second County Championship match of the season against Durham at Chester-le-Street.

Warwickshire missed out on the title on the final day of last season, but they held their nerve for the second week running to claim a five-wicket victory over Lancashire to establish themselves among the early division one pacesetters.

Myles Hodgson at Aigburth22-Apr-2012
ScorecardRikki Clarke’s innings set up Warwickshire winning position•Getty Images

Warwickshire may still be feeling the disappointment of missing out on the title on the final day of last season, but they held their nerve for the second week running to claim a five-wicket victory over Lancashire to establish themselves among the early division one pacesetters.A nervous run-chase against Somerset last week, which was only secured after Jeetan Patel hit 43 off 36 balls to make amends for a batting collapse, was followed by Warwickshire just about reaching their victory target of 70 under great pressure from Simon Kerrigan and Gary Keedy, Lancashire’s pair of left-arm spinners.Yet for all the frayed nerves on the players’ balcony inside Aigburth’s Victorian pavilion, Ashley Giles wore a big grin and rated it as “the best Warwickshire victory” since he returned as director of cricket in 2008. That it was achieved against Lancashire, who won the championship on that dramatic final afternoon last September, was barely noticed.The victory opened up a 40-point lead between Warwickshire and Lancashire, who have now suffered defeats in the opening two games of a season for the first time since 1965.
It is early in the summer still, but supporters are already raising fears they may follow in the footsteps of Yorkshire (2002) and Nottinghamshire (2006) and suffer relegation as defending champions.In a dominant position ever since the 234-run eighth wicket stand between Darren Maddy and Rikki Clarke on Saturday afternoon, there were slight concerns on the final morning when rain delayed the start until shortly before lunch and removed 21 overs from the day’s allocation. It only served to hasten Warwickshire’s determination to secure the victory quickly and they wrapped up Lancashire’s last six wickets in 24 overs.Keith Barker’s increased responsibility in the absence of injured seamers Boyd Rankin and Chris Woakes has allowed him to flourish and he made the early inroads once Gary Keedy, Lancashire’s nightwatchman, had swept Patel’s off-spin to mid-wicket. The extra bounce he extracted from the River End removed Luke Procter for a duck via his glove while Ian Bell ended Gareth Cross’ dangerous cameo of 20 with a superb diving catch at short mid-wicket.Re-signed for Warwickshire primarily as a bowler, Patel came into his own and enjoyed an intense tussle with Ashwell Prince, Lancashire’s South African overseas player. Gaining considerable turn and bounce from the worn Aigburth wicket, he teased out Glen Chapple and Kerrigan to catches close to the wicket to complete his third five-wicket haul in five championship matches for Warwickshire.The key wicket was the dismissal of Prince, who had battled for over two hours for his half-century, but attempted to sweep a fuller ball on leg stump and was bowled around his legs, leaving Warwickshire what looked a modest target.Chapple gave Kerrigan the Pavilion End from the start and he claimed two early wickets, including Bell caught at short extra cover driving on the up. Keedy, brought on from the River End after Chapple had an unsuccessful three-over spell with the new ball, claimed further wickets in successive overs.Tension really started to increase once Darren Maddy, batting with an injured finger, edged Kerrigan to Stephen Moore at second slip to leave Warwickshire still needing 18 runs with five wickets down. Will Porterfield retained his composure to score an unbeaten 22 and the victory was completed with Tim Ambrose cutting Keedy for four.”We can definitely see areas where we can improve,” conceded Chapple, Lancashire’s captain. “Warwickshire are a title-chasing team and although we are under par there is no far for us to go before we are turning sides over.”This year we have started slowly, but a couple of wins and we can get ourselves back in the hunt. It is important to address what isn’t quite right at the moment, but it is not far off.
“We have had a good chat and we know where we need to go. It is a brand new season, being champions is irrelevant, we have said that from the word go. It is up to us to perform.”

Darren Sammy said his side was in a good position during their match against South Africa at the Feroz Shah Kotla, but the allrounders in the lower-middle order did not capitalise

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2011Before West Indies’ opening World Cup match against South Africa, Darren Sammy had said he wanted the cricket community of the Caribbean to wake up on Thursday morning and discover that their team had broken open the World Cup with a performance to remember. After the game at the Kotla on Thursday night, what they would see and read though, was a scorecard that reflected one more game had slipped away from his team’s dangerously careless grasp.A seven-wicket defeat to South Africa could have been expected, for Graeme Smith’s gamblers had sent warning shots across the subcontinent after their performance on Thursday night, but Sammy spoke of how West Indies threw it all away. “We had guys getting starts and none of us carried on. That’s where we lost out,” he said. “At 41 overs, we were 201 and our allrounders were still there. We had [Kieron] Pollard, [Dwayne] Bravo and myself … we could have got to 270.”Sammy admitted that getting to 222 was actually a bonus, “given that myself, Chris [Gayle] and Pollard didn’t do what we were supposed to. If any of us would have done something …” he said and trailed off. The possibility of people like Gayle and Pollard performing to their optimum is probably what Sammy hopes will keep keep the Caribbean fans waking up on cricket mornings with some optimism.The Delhi wicket has always made stern demands on bowlers and West Indies had, Sammy said, already decided to bat first. “Before the match everyone was uncertain as to how the pitch would play but looking at it, we should have scored 270-plus on the wicket.” West Indies, he said, could only have made a match of Thursday’s game had they got into South Africa’s middle order. “From what we had seen in their series against India, we didn’t think their middle order looked too strong, they have quite a few young players.” He said that while opportunities had been created, “AB [de Villiers] batted like a senior and took South Africa home.”There were four referrals in the West Indies innings, and barring one that went in favour of Darren Bravo in the opening over of the match, South Africa were at the winning end of all. Sammy, who managed to retain his humour at the end of what must have been a tough evening, stepped aside from stirring up trouble when asked about the UDRS Lite in operation at the World Cup without both Snicko and Hot Spot, though he did hint that there were some decisions he was not sure of even after the referrals. “I think it’s a good addition to the World Cup. Less mistakes are likely to be made,” he said and went on, with a laugh, “The decisions that were made [in the match] clearly showed us the ball was hitting the stumps”. The laugh however was as good as him, saying the word, “Not” in his head. Sammy ended the debate with, “So there is nothing much I can say about that, it was just Hawk Eye for us.”There would have been much debate about whether West Indies could have played an extra specialist spinner in their left-armer Nikita Miller to give Sulieman Benn some company and the team another slow bowling option, for they are with the current combination far too dependent on the part-time spin of Gayle. Miller could have been included in the team had Darren Bravo been asked to keep wickets instead of Devon Smith, who replaced the injured Carlton Baugh in the squad. Sammy would have none of it, “The guys who are picked in the XI to bowl are capable of doing the job but you have to be consistent to exert the pressure … I don’t think we misread the pitch.” He was asked whether he missed Miller and said that hypothetically, “who knows what he could have,” before adding, “after I lost [Dwayne] Bravo, I surely did miss him.”Dwayne Bravo’s injury and West Indies’ defeat may have distracted attention from the Darren Bravo innings, but Sammy’s assessment of his No. 3’s 73 was measured. At the start he said, “Darren is a very confident young player, most people compare him to Brian [Lara]. He really looks like Brian. He is a good asset for us. From the time he has made his debut he has batted well for us and I hope he continues.” When asked about Darren Bravo’s progress in his brief international career, Sammy said, “He played really well in Sri Lanka; all I would say is that when he gets to fifty, he must try to convert it to a hundred, which I am sure he will do.”West Indies’ next match is against Netherlands in Delhi on February 28.