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A commanding performance by South Africa’s spin bowlers, bounce from Morne Morkel and a clinical showing with the bat gave them a convincing victory over Zimbabwe in their first warm-up match in Chennai

Firdose Moonda in Chennai12-Feb-2011
ScorecardA commanding performance by South Africa’s spin bowlers, bounce from Morne Morkel and a clinical showing with the bat gave them a convincing victory over Zimbabwe in their first warm-up match in Chennai.South Africa had what Zimbabwean coach Alan Butcher called an “inadequate total” to chase and went about it in authoritative fashion. They reached the target of 153 inside 24 overs and only lost two wickets in the process. Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith laid the platform with a first wicket partnership of 69.Amla reverted back to the wild side of himself that he displayed in the first few ODIs against India in January, even though he previously indicated that he would steer away from such extravagant play. His first boundary came off the first ball, a flashy shot that Brendan Taylor should have caught at first slip but let through. That served only to spur Amla on and he played some flashy shots to complement a few beautiful boundaries in his 45. He became South African’s first wicket, falling to Ray Price.Smith was far more controlled and made particularly good use of the cut shot in his 41. South Africa’s standout batsman was Jacques Kallis, who looked in dangerous form in his first innings since returning from injury. Kallis has been out of action for six weeks but returned looking as good as ever. “It was a nice knock for him and will be good for his confidence,” Smith said. “Now we will look to build him up to the next stage, which will be bowling.” Kallis played no part with the ball, although he did field.Zimbabwe’s bowlers were taken apart but Butcher was satisfied that they “did an okay job.” They used three spinners, including Prosper Utseya, who they opened with, and Butcher said that the strategy of opening with a spinner is one they will in all likelihood continue with. “Our spinners have been out best bowlers over the last year or so and in these conditions it will suit us to open with a spinner, as we have been doing. I’ll be surprised if other sides don’t do the same at some stage in the World Cup.”Zimbabwe’s woes were more about their batting than their bowling and they were bundled out for 152 by a rampant South African outfit. Their opening partnership puzzle looks to be solved with Taylor and Charles Coventry putting on a solid 49 for the first wicket. Captain Elton Chigumbura was disappointed that the team could not build on that “good start.”Morne Morkel removed Coventry and Tatenda Taibu with successive balls to start the Zimbabwean collapse. Morkel was the only South African seamer to take wickets and Smith was particularly impressed with his performance. “Even on a slow, dead wicket, he was still hitting us pretty hard in the slips. He has some good performances back home and it’s nice to see him being consistent.”Dale Steyn was unconvincing in his first spell, bowling slower than usual while not receiving any assistance from the track. Lonwabo Tsotsobe was injured after bowling just two overs. He suffered a mild sprain to his right knee while fielding at fine leg. Team manager, Dr Mohammed Moosajee said they “didn’t want to risk using him” in the rest of that match and he will be reassessed on Sunday morning.South Africa’s spinners did the rest of the damage, with Imran Tahir and Robin Peterson introduced in successive overs. Tahir’s appearance on the international stage was widely anticipated and when he came on in the 14th over, he was met by a loud cheer from the local crowd. He went wicketless for four overs, while Robin Peterson was the man succeeding at the other end.Petersen removed Greg Lamb and Elton Chigumbura with the second and fifth balls of his second over while Brendan Taylor weathered the storm with confidence. He became the first of Tahir’s three victims. Butcher said believes Tahir will “have an impact” in the tournament and Chigumbura praised his “good lines and good areas.”With Zimbabwe at 95 for 6, South Africa should have wrapped up the tail quickly but Sean Williams and Regis Chakabva resisted for a while. Morne Morkel broke their partnership while Tahir mopped up the bottom order. “He was a little bit excitable upfront, but then he calmed down and got some wickets,” Smith said.Both captains were surprised by the pitch, with Chigumbura saying his batsmen “expected it to turn more and played the wrong lines.” Smith said “it was not a great wicket and a bit underprepared” but he expects it to be ready for the main tournament.Chennai’s first match of the tournament is in eight days time but it will play host to a warm-up game between India and New Zealand on Wednesday. South Africa’s play their second warm-up game in Bangalore on Tuesday and Zimbabwe take on Ireland in Nagpur on the same day.

Not that Ross Taylor batted especially well on the second day in Wellington, where he edged to slip for 21, but he didn’t have much of a base to build on

Brydon Coverdale at the Basin Reserve20-Mar-2010It must be demoralising being one of the better players in a New Zealand outfit whose depth is questionable. Not that Ross Taylor batted especially well on the second day in Wellington, where he edged to slip for 21, but he didn’t have much of a base to build on. He arrived at the crease at 14 for 2 and watched his partner depart to leave the score at 31 for 3.The feeling has become frustratingly familiar for Taylor over the past few years as the makeup of New Zealand’s top order has been as unpredictable as the state of Daniel Vettori’s facial hair. Openers have been whisked in and out with barely time for their form to be considered a slump. Remember Matthew Bell and Craig Cumming? Jamie How and Aaron Redmond?The current top three of Tim McIntosh, BJ Watling and Peter Ingram looked shaky leading in to the Test and so it proved. Watling couldn’t get his bat in front of a ball that pitched and straightened in the first over, McIntosh edged to slip when the ball nibbled away and Ingram was unlucky to be run out, but has suspect footwork and hadn’t looked like scoring many runs until that moment.”In the ideal world that would be great,” Taylor said of the desire to come in with a healthy total already on the board. “But we lost a couple of early wickets and you’ve got to get out there. I’m disappointed that I got out, I would have loved to have still been out there. But hopefully in the next innings we can get a better opening stand than a wicket in the first over.”Once again it was left to Vettori, now New Zealand’s No. 6, to put things right and his unbeaten 65-run partnership with Martin Guptill stopped the chaos. However, it wasn’t just the top order that failed to deliver for New Zealand – the bowlers struggled for impact as well.Chris Martin and Daryl Tuffey have horrible records against Australia and their figures didn’t improve, Tim Southee rarely looked threatening and the debutant Brent Arnel was consistent but couldn’t add to his two wickets from the first day. Too often the workload is dumped on Vettori, and without much assistance in the pitch for a spinner, Australia were able to cruise to 459 for 5 before declaring.”We looked pretty tired towards the end there last night and this morning,” Taylor said. “We just couldn’t put any pressure on them, [if we had] any two- or three-dot strings then we’d bowl one down legside, or with Clarke and North being right- and left-handed, we weren’t able to put any pressure on them and it showed with the way they both batted.”You’ve got to give credit to Australia, the way Harris and Bollinger bowled at the start, not only did they pick up a few wickets but they bowled economically as well. They bowled very well on what’s quite a flat deck but if you can extract a little bit of bounce and a little bit of sideways movement on any cricket wicket [you can succeed].”By stumps on the second day, the immediate challenge for New Zealand was first to push past the follow-on target, for which they needed a further 152 runs. But the hosts were hanging their hats on the late fight from Guptill and Vettori, who must stay together for much longer to rescue the match.”We are behind the game now,” Taylor said. “The way Dan and Guptill started showing some fight towards the end there was giving us a bit of hope. Tomorrow’s going to be an important first session. If we can get out there and not lose a wicket or one at the most, we’re back in the game.”

They replace Shabnim Ismail, Lauren Winfield-Hill and Madeline Penna in a last-minute change

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2025South Africa allrounder Dane van Niekerk has been picked by Guyana Amazon Warriors for the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) 2025. The franchise announced van Niekerk, New Zealand medium-pacer Molly Penfold and Ireland wicketkeeper-batter Amy Hunter as replacements for Shabnim Ismail, Lauren Winfield-Hill and Madeline Penna.This will be van Niekerk’s first stint in a franchise league since August 2023, when she played in the women’s Hundred. She was also part of the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League in 2023, where she was signed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru but did not play a single game, and she was released ahead of the 2024 season. It will be her first stint in the WCPL.Van Niekerk recently made a U-turn on her international retirement after returning to domestic cricket and was part of a training camp with the South Africa national team, but will not be a part of the upcoming ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka that begins on September 30. She had initially announced her international retirement after being left out of South Africa’s squad for the home T20 World Cup in 2023 after failing to meet fitness requirements.Related

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However, South Africa head coach Mandla Mashimbyi has said she’s being looked at for future series.Van Niekerk played the 2024-25 domestic season for Western Province, and finished fourth on the list of highest run-scorers in the CSA Women Pro20 Series, with one century and a fifty.Amazon Warriors will kick off WCPL 2025 against Trinbago Knight Riders in Providence on Saturday.

On a slow pitch, Karachi Kings’ batting never got going, ending up on 165 for 5

Associated Press29-Feb-2024Opening batters Colin Munro and Alex Hales shared a century partnership as Islamabad United snapped their three-match losing streak with a seven-wicket win over Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League on Wednesday.Munro made a blistering 82 off 47 balls and Hales scored 47 in anchoring United to 169 for 3 in 18.3 overs for their second victory.Kings’ top order struggled in their first home game of the season on a slow pitch before Kieron Pollard made an unbeaten 48 and spurred the total to 165 for 5. They have four points after two wins and two losses.Hales missed United’s last game because of a family commitment, but his return bolstered the two-time champions’ batting might. Munro scored his second straight half-century and dominated both pace and spin as he shared a match-winning 108-run stand off 69 balls with Hales.Munro, who hit eight fours and four sixes, didn’t allow Tabraiz Shamsi to settle down and hit the wristspinner for three successive sixes in his first over, including an extravagant reverse sweep that just flew off the bat.Mohammad Nawaz (1-23) trapped Munro lbw as the left-hander tried to cut the left-arm spinner but missed the line of the delivery and was caught on the backfoot before Agha Salman (25 not out) finished off the chase in style with two big sixes off Hasan Ali.Earlier, Tim Siefert (8) of New Zealand got stumped in his first game of the season and Leus du Plooy (24) showed some aggression before he was bowled by offspinner Salman as United tied down Kings through spinner Imad Wasim (1-20) and Naseem Shah (1-29).Pollard and Irfan Khan (27 not out) counterattacked against the pace bowlers in the last five overs with Rumman Raees (0-45) conceding 30 off his last two overs and Hunain Shah, brother of Naseem, going for 20 off the final over.United had lost to Multan Sultans, Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi after its season-opening win against Lahore Qalandars. They are in fourth place on the table with four points.

The home side crashed to 4 for 7 in their chase and couldn’t make up the ground

AAP27-Oct-2022Adelaide Strikers fast bowlers Megan Schutt and Darcie Brown have combined to destroy Brisbane’s top order to secure a 31-run win in the WBBL.The duo , both Australian representatives, were on fire at the start of Heat’s run chase and had the home side 4 for 7 in the fourth over with their pace and seam too hot to handle at Brisbane’s Allan Border Field.Heat allrounders Amelia Kerr and Charli Knott promised to cut loose after they had rescued their team with the bat in a thrilling three-run win over Sydney Thunder on Tuesday. The pair impressed again in a 52-run stand before Brown and Schutt came back into the attack to reassert their early dominance.Earlier Strikers’ innings was anchored by opener Katie Mack (35) and South African international Laura Wolvaardt (46) in a 64-run second-wicket stand.The catch of the tournament to date was taken by Knott at cover to dismiss the dangerous Wolvaardt when she made ground swiftly and dived full-stretch to her right to clutch the ball in one hand. Bridget Patterson and Madeline Penna got Strikers to a competitive total.Heat skipper Jess Jonassen was superb with her left-arm spinners to become the season’s leading wicket taker with 10. Fast bowler Nicola Hancock was just as impressive.Strikers moved into the top four on the ladder while Heat remain first despite the loss which brought an end to their four-game winning streak.

The coach admitted reports of unrest over his coaching style in recent months hurt him

Reuters and ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-20213:48

Justin Langer talks up Dan Christian’s return to the Australian side

Australia coach Justin Langer said he was hurt and confused by some of the things he read about his style of working but remains keen to lead the side and get an extension when his current contract runs out next year.Reports of dressing-room unrest and discontent over his coaching style surfaced after Australia were beaten 2-1 in the Test series at home by an injury-ravaged India in January.The players took part in an end-of-season review with leadership consultant Tim Ford, and Australia’s limited-overs captain Aaron Finch said last week that Langer had cleared the air at a gathering on the Gold Coast before flying with the team to West Indies.”I haven’t changed much in twenty-odd years of being involved in Australian cricket,” Langer said on the eve of Australia’s T20 series opener against West Indies in St Lucia. “Some of the things I was reading were a bit confusing actually. If I’m completely honest I was really hurt by some of it. Maybe I’m being a sook but in three years…I hadn’t heard from any of the people I work with and I certainly hadn’t heard from any of the players which had been so widely reported.”The feedback I’ve been given for three years has been overwhelmingly positive of the role that I’ve been able to play as a coach.”Related

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For Langer the pre-tour gathering, which also included Test captain Tim Paine, was the first time he had been with the squad since the end of the India series due to the postponement of the South Africa tour and he emerged feeling energised about the challenge ahead.”We addressed some of those issues. Honestly, I left the camp feeling like Superman,” he said. “It was such a great few days for us. It was good to get everyone back together again. Everyone’s absolutely flying at the moment, there’s a great spirit over here, we’ve just appointed our two new senior assistant coaches, which I’m delighted about and I think everything is moving in the right direction.”Cricket Australia appointed Langer as the head coach on a four-year contract in 2018 after Darren Lehmann stepped down in the wake of the damaging ball-tampering scandal in South Africa and he said he would want to continue in his role.”If the board and the CEO and high performance manager believe I’m the right person to keep leading us forward, absolutely. I absolutely love my job,” Langer said. “I didn’t like losing to India in the amazing series, no one likes losing. I’m absolutely committed, I love my job, I love the Australian cricket team, I love the players and I love Australian cricket.”They’re the things I value most in my life. Hopefully I’ve done a really good job the last three years, that’s been the feedback. Long may that continue.”Langer and his team will be keen to perform well at the T20 World Cup in the UAE – the one major limited-overs trophy they have never won – and the home Ashes series against England starting December.”We’re not a great team yet and that’s what we’re all aspiring to. Like I’m aspiring to be a great coach,” he added. “I’m not a great coach yet, I’m aspiring to be a great coach. I’m working towards it and I hope all the players are doing the same thing.”

South Africa’s captain has only praise for her side after falling narrowly short in rain-affected game

Annesha Ghosh at the SCG05-Mar-2020After going down to Australia in a thrilling, rain-shortened semi-final at the T20 World Cup, South Africa captain South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk made it clear she would “rather lose than get a free pass” into the tournament’s final.Van Niekerk’s views came in the wake of a five-run defeat for her side, having been set a DLS-calculated chase of 98 in 13 overs, with Australia having batted a full 20 overs to put on a competitive 5 for 134. Only hours earlier, the washed-out first semi-final had facilitated Group A-toppers India’s qualification into their first T20 World Cup final, at the expense of England, and heightened concerns the second match in the double-header at the SCG would end similarly.With rain forecast through the evening, the requirement of a minimum of 10 overs a side for the semi-final to yield a result kept defending champions Australia on tenterhooks. The hosts’ innings had only just ended when a heavy spell of rain arrived, forcing a 40-minute delay and eating into the overs available for the South Africa chase. As with India, a washout in their semi-final would have propelled South Africa into Sunday’s final on the basis of group position.ALSO READ: ‘Hope there’s going to be a rule change’ – Knight on reserve days“I am not going to sit and lie and say, ‘You don’t think about it,'” van Niekerk said, when asked if her team had been thinking about the possibility of qualifying for the final via a washout. “I have to give credit to the groundstaff; they did absolutely everything to keep us on the park. And we are here to play cricket. I’d rather lose than get a free pass into the World Cup final.”Before the game, van Niekerk had unequivocally lined herself up on the side of the debate that argued in favour of reserve days for world tournament knockouts. “To lose out because of weather is probably not ideal,” she said on Wednesday. “And I don’t think it should be like that. I believe in the future, semi-finals and finals should definitely have reserve days.”Merit, and not the elements, eventually decided the outcome of closely contested Australia v South Africa face-off. Laura Wolvaardt revived a flagging chase with an enterprising 27-ball 41 not-out after coming in at No. 5, with South Africa teetering at 3 for 24 in the fifth over. By the end of the ninth over, the required run rate had peaked at 10.75 runs an over, but two fours from Wolvaardt in the 10th injected much-needed impetus into the chase. Vitally, an outcome in the game was by now guaranteed.With 32 needed off the last three, Wolvaardt kept South Africa in the hunt with an array of picture-perfect drives and straight-batted brisk hits, even as she lost partners at the other end and another incoming round of drizzle started titling the odds in Australia’s favour. A six off the last ball of the 12th over reduced the equation to 19 off the last over, which eventually proved five runs too many for South Africa to alter their winless record against Australia in international cricket.For van Niekerk, though, the character in Wolvaardt’s fightback – and through the tournament where South Africa won three out of their four completed league games – stood out as a highlight of their campaign.”I don’t have to [do anything to keep her confidence up],” van Niekerk said. “She is a smart kid. First of all, she loves the game of cricket. The fact that she gave up medicine to play cricket, that says a lot. She loves cricket, she just wants to bat all the time, and gets upset if she doesn’t bat.”She gets upset when she sits on the side and it showed in this World Cup. She wanted to be out there. She apologised for not getting the last runs [laughs]. She couldn’t have done anything more. She’s been brilliant; she’s my pick of the tournament as well.”Laura Wolvaardt played a stunning innings•Getty Images

With the big-hitting Chloe Tryon coming in as low as No. 6, questions over the order of the line-up lingered after South Africa came up short again – for the second time across the three most-recent world tournaments, their semi-final in the 2017 ODI World Cup also having ended in “heartbreak”.But van Niekerk defended the batting order. “No. I feel like Sune [Luus] and Wolfie did really well,” she said. “They changed the momentum in the middle and then at the back end of the innings. I was still quite confident when Chloe went out there even with the last over; it’s three hits away, especially for somebody with her power.”She miscued a full toss; nine out of ten time she would hit that probably on top of the roof. That’s the nature of the game. It’s never easy to come in and just swing away, no matter how strong you are. Chloe came in at the right time. I think the second half of the last over was bowled in brilliantly. That stopped the momentum a bit.”On the eve of the semi-final, van Niekerk had backed her team – “the best” South Africa have had in a while – to make the final, even though she had conceded they were “babies” compared to four-time champions Australia. But the chasm in experience between the No. 1-ranked team and South Africa ultimately cost them another shy at a maiden title.”They are experienced in knockout games,” van Niekerk said. “Let’s be honest, we’ve only been in three [semi-finals]; they’ve played countless. I have to give them credit, their plans were spot on. The way they started their tournament [losing to India], to where they are now – it tells you about the quality of their team.”You can never write off the No. 1 team in the world, and they showed tonight why they are, and why they came back. At one stage, it was our game to win, and theirs to lose. [They] turned the tables again. It comes with experience, and confidence. I believed they are the deserved No. 1 team at the moment.”

Having had their bowling stocks severely depleted over the past two weeks, Sri Lanka’s bowling coach Rumesh Ratnayake hopes the conditions allow batsmen to take some of the pressure off the bowlers

Melinda Farrell in Canberra30-Jan-2019Having had their bowling stocks severely depleted over the past two weeks, Sri Lanka are hoping for a batting-friendly pitch in Canberra. Or at least bowling coach Rumesh Ratnayake is.The visitors had arrived in Australia with their five best fast bowlers in the squad. However, three quicks have now been sent home in quick succession – Nuwan Pradeep and Lahiru Kumara with injured hamstrings, and Dushmantha Chameera with a fracture in his ankle. Replacements have arrived, in the form of left-armer Vishwa Fernando and bowling allrounder Chamika Karunaratne. But as developing bowlers, neither is capable of reaching the speeds of Chameera and Kumara, while, perhaps they are as-yet unable to match the seam movement Pradeep can generate either.With Chameera and Kumara both having picked up their injuries at the Gabba, Ratnayake is left hoping conditions allow the batsmen to take some of the pressure off the bowlers.”As we started we know that our bowling has got weaker because two of our main bowlers have gone out,” Ratnayake said. “Canberra has a reputation of being a good batting wicket. We hope it will be a good batting wicket too. We have told the bowlers that if we bowl in the better areas that would be the better way to move forward.”Disappointing to lose two of our better quicks. But Suranga Lakmal is in good shape. Lahiru bowled quick. But if you really analyse it, it was not the pace that got the wickets. [Mitchell] Starc bowled quick and he didn’t get wickets. Lahiru bowled quick but it was Suranga who took the wickets for us like it was [Pat] Cummins for them and not Starc. Good execution and out-thinking the batsman is what is required.”In light of Sri Lanka’s plight, Ratnayake expressed bemusement when asked about recent criticism of Starc’s form.”If the Aussies don’t want Mitch Starc we’ll have him,” Ratnayake joked. “We don’t mind having him. It’s just that Mitchell has not been not getting wickets but he has been hitting 148 and 149. But he has not been getting wickets. Not been bowling the best I have known him but you don’t know when his day going to be.”Sri Lanka go into the second Test amid growing off-field disruptions. Their coach, Chandika Hathurasingha, was removed from his role as selector-on-tour after the loss in Brisbane. Avishka Gunawaradena, the Sri Lanka A coach, has been named as their stand-in batting coach until the newly-appointed Jon Lewis (who has left the tour because of family issues) returns. This was Lewis’ first Test series with the Sri Lanka team, having replaced Thilan Samaraweera, whose assignment with the national team was cut short after the New Zealand tour.”Two batting coaches have gone now. It is not easy,” said Ratnayake. “When the chips are down, the challenges get stronger and we hope as a group that we will be strong. Before we embarked on this we knew that it was going to be tough three tours for us. Three super Test series. It is tough for any team to go to New Zealand, South Africa and Australia.”It is challenging and we wanted to take up that challenge. We said what if we can win one of the Tests here that was our ambition and motive. The toughness has to be there. These challenges are good for the boys to a certain extent to get the best out of them. There’s a saying that you are at the strongest when you are down.”

The Committee of Administrators had asked the board to fix a date for the Special General Meeting ahead of the ICC conference on December 8 and 9, but there has been little movement on the matter

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Nov-2017Even as the BCCI office bearers dither over announcing the date for a special general body meeting (SGM) to discuss the new Future Tours Programme, the Committee of Administrators (CoA) has given its nod to the broad plans devised by board chief executive officer Rahul Johri.The ICC has scheduled a workshop on December 7 and 8 in Singapore to discuss the minutiae of the new cricket schedule agreed in-principle by the Full Member nations at an ICC Board meeting in Auckland in October.At the workshop, the countries would chalk out a week-by-week plan for the FTP that will span the period between the 2019 and 2013 World Cups. Apart from the global events, the calendar would comprise the Test and ODI Leagues which start in two years’ time.The CoA, having received a request from the acting board secretary Amitabh Choudhary, had asked the BCCI to call for an emergency meeting to discuss the FTP along with the settlement of a dispute concerning Kochi Tuskers, the former IPL franchise, and revoking the suspension of the Rajasthan Cricket Association.In its e-mail sent to BCCI acting president CK Khanna on November 15, the CoA told him to finalise a date for the SGM and send a notice to all board members (state associations) within two days. However, an alert is yet to go out. Khanna told ESPNcricinfo a final decision would be taken in a meeting between the CoA and office bearers on Tuesday. He also said that he had tried to call an SGM on December 1, but Choudhary was unavailable on that day.On Tuesday, the COA chairman Vinod Rai recommended that the BCCI office bearers comprising Khanna, Choudhary and Anirudh Chaudhry (BCCI treasurer) fix the SGM before the ICC workshop. “I told them there is the ICC meeting in Singapore to finalise the FTP, so please convene your SGM before that. Till today they have not sent the notice.”It is understood that the three office bearers sat with Johri and set December 9 as the date for the SGM – the day after the ICC workshop – but the state associations have received no notice.This current episode of infighting is part of the prevailing power struggle between the COA and the office bearers, the latter a group that is deeply divided.After the COA asked Khanna to call the SGM last week, reported a strongly-worded e-mail sent by Chaudhry to Khanna and Choudhary in which he wondered how the state associations could be expected to take a call when proceedings were being “hustled through”.”It is absolutely shocking that a decision of this magnitude may be hustled through when all the members ought to have been given proper notice and time along with all relevant documents to study and deliberate on the item,” Chaudhry was quoted as saying in the letter.On Tuesday, though, Rai pointed out to the office bearers that Khanna was supposed to call the SGM on November 15, three weeks before the ICC workshop. Under the BCCI rules only the president can call an SGM with 10 days’ notice, and at the SGM, Johri was meant to talk about the FTP and explain to members the BCCI’s plans.A BCCI member claimed the infighting between the office bearers has been creating unnecessary hurdles. “Where is the question of hassling,” they said. “If BCCI cannot hold the SGM, you can’t hold the world to ransom.”

Australia need to win all three remaining matches to take the series; their batsmen need to fire against a focused South African attack to help them do that

The Preview by Firdose Moonda04-Oct-2016

Match facts

October 5, 2016
Start time 1330 local (1130 GMT)

Big Picture

South Africa are a victory away from sealing their first bilateral ODI series win against Australia in seven years. They have already put on two perfect performances to get to this point. South Africa will be particularly pleased with its batting line-up, which had been hit by the absence of AB de Villiers, but has found other superstars. Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis have gone big, Rilee Rossouw has supported them strongly, JP Duminy’s finishing ability is being fine-tuned and the allrounders have not had to do much. But, they will be aware that those showings came against a side missing its frontline, and even some of its second-choice seamers, and on surfaces made for big totals.Daniel Worrall, Chris Tremain and Joe Mennie have endured a tough introduction to international cricket, but can expect things to relatively ease off as they head to the coast; on slower surfaces and in thicker air, the ball may not fly off the bat or to the boundary as quickly. More subtle skills will be required, and Adam Zampa could become even more of a factor, but for Australia to begin challenging in this series, they need their batsmen to come to the party in a big way. Converting starts will be one challenge for them, dealing with a varied South African attack that has found its focus is another.The home team’s greatest luxury is the number of options at their disposal, and that is without even taking into account those sitting on the bench. Kyle Abbott, a Durban home-boy, Dwaine Pretorius and Aaron Phangiso have not made an appearance yet, and while South Africa may not want to tinker with a winning XI, they will also understand the importance of looking at what everyone can offer.Durban may not be the place for that, and you would be forgiven for wondering if it is the place for cricket at all. The good news is that the outfield saga that resulted in no play on three of the five days of the New Zealand Test in August has been resolved, and Kingsmead is set to show off as much as it can to repair any reputational damage. The best way for it to do that is not even in its control. Fans will seek an engaging contest, and the neutrals would want the side that has struggled so far to turn things around. Effectively, every match from here is a final for Australia, which they will have to win to take the series, but as history would remind us, Australia are pretty good at finals.

Form guide

South Africa: WWWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia: LLWWW

In the spotlight

Rilee Rossouw , who has reeled off two fifties in succession, kept Hashim Amla out of the XI in Johannesburg, and could do so again in Durban. Rossouw was made to front up before the media on match eve, a sign that he could play the third fixture. Rossouw’s form, which has been particularly pleasing to the selectors after he had spent the last two months recovering from a shoulder problem, is not in question, but how both he and Amla will fit into the team is. Stand-in captain Faf du Plessis explained that the selectors made the decision to stick with Rossouw after Amla recovered from illness even though team policy is that the incumbent should get his place his back. Rossouw may be under pressure to keep proving himself, especially if Amla has to carry drinks again.Although Australia’s young attack has appeared their weaker suit, former wicketkeeper Brad Haddin said he expects Australia’s batsmen to step up. “I think the batters were a little disappointing, to be honest,” Haddin told the radio. Steven Smith is likely to come under the most scrutiny. The Australian captain has scored just 22 runs in the first two matches, but seemed it good touch before the series. Aaron Finch, who has scraped together 34 runs, will also want to offer more at the top of the order.

Teams news

The Amla-Rossouw debate will be in focus. Faf du Plessis has indicated he wants Amla back, which could see Rossouw pushed down the order at the expense of one of David Miller, JP Duminy or Farhaan Behardien. South Africa may want to give Dwaine Pretorius or Kyle Abbott an opportunity. They could do that by resting Dale Steyn, but may want to wait until the series is decided before experimenting.South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Rilee Rossouw/Hashim Amla, 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 JP Duminy, 5 David Miller, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Dwaine Pretorius/Andile Phehlukwayo, 9 Kyle Abbott/Dale Steyn, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Imran TahirAfter twin false starts, Aaron Finch may make way for Usman Khawaja while Australia will keep rotating their young seam attack. Joe Mennie took a pasting on debut and may be allowed to lick his wounds with Daniel Worrall coming back into the XI.Australia: (possible): 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch/Usman Khawaja, 3 Steve Smith (wk), 4 George Bailey, 5 Travis Head, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Mathew Wade (wk), 8 John Hastings, 9 Adam Zampa, 10 Chris Tremain, 11 Daniel Worrall

Pitch and conditions

More eyes will be on the outfield than the pitch, especially after it received some rain on Monday. It has been dry since, and should stay that way for the match, which will prevent the problem of August from recurring. The surface itself will be slower than what was available upcountry, which could mean lower totals and more opportunity for bowlers, especially the spinners, to have their say.

Stats and trivia

• The last time South Africa won a bilateral ODI series against Australia was in April 2009
• David Miller is 131 runs away from completing 2,000 runs in ODIs

Quotes

“It’s really important that we don’t, for one second, become complacent because we know we are very far away from winning this series.”