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Despite beating Australia for the first time, and qualifying for their maiden World Cup final, West Indies captain Merissa Aguilleira said her team hadn’t produced its best

Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai13-Feb-2013Despite beating five-time world champions Australia for the first time in an ODI, and qualifying for their maiden World Cup final, West Indies captain Merissa Aguilleira said her team hadn’t produced its best performance yet. And West Indies had just defended 164 to win their last Super Six match in Mumbai, knocking out England and New Zealand.”Since we have come to this World Cup, we haven’t brought forth our A game,” Aguilleira said. “The final is definitely the place to bring our A game. Yes, we had a few misfields and there is lot of room for improvement, not just on the field, but batting wise as well.”After choosing to bat, West Indies were dismissed in 47 overs by a disciplined Australian attack. They were 59 for 5 at one stage and could have been out for a lower score had Deandra Dottin not scored 60 at No. 7. Aguilleira said the difference between Dottin and the others was her natural ability to hit the ball hard. “That’s a god-given talent and I think she is using it well. She is not using it enough, but she is using it.”Australia lost wickets regularly too, but they also had steady partnerships that kept swinging the match in their favour. However, when three important middle-order batsmen fell in quick succession, Aguilleira said she could sense panic in Australia’s players.”I felt some panic happening in their camp and that’s the time we started to attack even more. We realised that as long as we bowl in the right areas, we can get wickets and that’s exactly what happened. You really need bowlers to bowl as tight as possible. The bowlers made it easier for me by doing exactly what they are supposed to do.”West Indies had to win this match to qualify for the final, because the gap between their net run rate and that of the other contenders was marginal. “The atmosphere in the dressing room was high because we knew how important this match was, not just for us but for the people of the Carribbean and our fans as well,” Aguilleira said. “We have a lot of people supporting us. We knew that we could make it to the final and that’s exactly what we did.”Amid all the questions after the match, she admitted with a beaming smile that she was overjoyed. “I’m overwhelmed right now. Words can’t express the way I’m feeling right now. We got to thank god for it, we had been through a lot as a team and hope his blessings continue to shine on us.”Aguilleira said West Indies now had a better idea of Australia’s game, which would help them prepare for the final. “We understand them much better having seen them and I think they understand us as well. We made mistakes in some areas and those are the things we need to work on. Since we have a few days, we will work on areas such as not giving their batsmen much width because they are strong whenever they get a chance to free their arms.”Australia’s captain Jodie Fields gave the credit to the West Indies players. “Their bowling was very disciplined and they put the ball in good areas,” she said. “Their spinners took it to our batsmen and that helped them win the game today. They bowled with disciplined, tight lines and fielded very well today. The pitch was a bit slow and also turning a lot, so it was hard to score.”West Indies complemented their bowling with sharp fielding, which resulted in three catches and three run-outs. The run-outs occurred not just because of good fielding, but also because of poor running. “We had to score runs and sometimes you have to take those risks and to West Indies’ credit they got a few run-outs. They are great fielders, Deandra Dottin was really good at point today and Daley and others backed each other up.”Australia had been undefeated in the World Cup until now and that’s how they wanted the record to be. After losing to West Indies, who they will meet again in the finals, Fields said they have time to prepare and work on their shortcomings.”I don’t think it’s ever good to have a loss. We definitely came out today to win the match and wanted to go through the tournament undefeated. We have to go and focus on our training. Since we are going to play them in the final, at least we got a chance to look at their game and hopefully we can bring it back on Sunday.”

A round-up of matches from the Caribbean T20 on January 17

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2012Windward Islands surged to their third win in as many games and cemented their spot at the head of Group A with a 22-run win against Leeward Islands at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. Batting first, Windward were on their way quickly, through an electric 42-run opening stand in three overs between Johnson Charles and Miles Bascombe. Gavin Tonge then helped Leeward recover ground with three quick strikes. Justin Athanaze shackled Windward in the middle overs with a spell of 3 for 12 in four overs, while Devon Smith anchored proceedings with 31 off 29 balls. Darren Sammy and Shane Shillingford provided the closing fireworks, slugging four sixes and three fours in all, off the 25 balls they faced between the two of them. Windward were bowled out for 157 with a ball to spare.Leeward’s chase was propelled in ideal fashion by their openers Kieran Powell and Austin Richards, their 45-run stand coming off 6.1 overs. Chesney Hughes maintained the momentum with 25 off 13 balls, but the innings slumped once Shillingford’s offspin came into the picture. He had Hughes stumped and proceeded to slice through the middle order to finish with 4 for 22. Three run-outs did not help Leeward’s cause, and they were bowled out in the 20th over. They have now lost three of their four games.The only solace for Leeward came from Canada who remained winless after three games, thanks to an eight-wicket loss against Guyana at the Kensington Oval. Canada gave a creditable account of themselves with the bat, with Ruvindu Gunasekara (38 off 28) and Jimmy Hansra (40 off 36) providing the platform for a score of 143 for 7. But the total proved insufficient for their bowlers to defend, and Guyana sped to the target in 17 overs. Narsingh Deonarine was the top scorer, with 52 off 32 balls including four fours and two sixes.

One swallow doesn’t make a summer, but one Finch made Australia’s day at the MCG, where the hosts ended England’s eight-match winning streak in Twenty20 games

Andrew McGlashan at the MCG14-Jan-2011Melbourne loves a hometown hero. When Dean Jones and Bill Lawry were paraded around the ground during the fourth Test they were cheered to the rafters and all Shane Warne has to do is step foot on the turf to be hailed by the locals. Aaron Finch has a long way to go to match any of them, and may never play Test cricket, but for one night he gave the suffering Australia supporters something to cheer in front of his fellow Victorians.Finch’s 53 off 33 balls, which guided Australia to a competitive 7 for 147 after they’d stalled against England’s spinners, will be his last international innings of the summer. He isn’t part of the one-day plans, or even in the World Cup 30 which will be trimmed next week, so he’ll have to content himself with a return to state cricket where he can slot straight back into the Big Bash. “One thing Melbourne is great at is supporting cricket and they came out after the ordinary weather,” he said. “It was a real buzz in front of the home crowd.”In a sense it’s not surprising Finch isn’t around the 50-over set up yet with a career one-day average of 33.95 and no hundreds in 27 matches. His domestic Twenty20 record is superior with a strike-rate in excess of 130. He is a modern cricketer in many ways. His Twenty20 skills had been recognised by others before his country. He was part of the Rajasthan Royals squad at the 2010 IPL and this year has been bought for US$300,000 by Delhi Daredevils.Like many young sportsmen he’s also on Twitter, but an hour after the match finished he hadn’t got round to reflecting on his effort. His most recent message read: “New shoes must be complimented with new socks! Haha.” But there is a serious, mature, side to his cricket and he showed it by the way he rebuilt Australia’s innings. When Graeme Swann and Michael Yardy reduced them 5 for 80 a sixth consecutive Twenty20 defeat was on the cards.Then Finch and Steve Smith, another of Australia’s hopes for a better future, produced a sensible stand of 61 in seven overs. Finch dominated with his partner contributing just 13 from his 18 deliveries. “We just tried to take the innings as deep as we could and leave our run late,” he said. “We were losing wickets consistently up the top so we couldn’t afford to be seven or eight down with four or five overs to go. We thought we’d knock it around and aimed for 155, we came up a bit short but it was enough.”A key factor in the final outcome was Australia’s sixes tally which stood at five compared to England’s one and that came in the final over when Chris Woakes, another fearless youngster, launched Brett Lee into the Great Southern Stand. Finch used his local knowledge and didn’t try to clear the large square boundaries, instead aiming straight or towards midwicket.”This ground is suited to orthodox cricket shots, you’ve got short straight boundaries and wider square so it encourages you to play with good technique and hit through the line with good cricket shots,” he said. “You get value for shots here when you play that way.”Paul Collingwood said he still backed his team to chase down the total after their eight-match unbeaten run, but admitted Finch’s innings had given Australia a vital lift. “He struck it very well tonight. He hits a long ball and he hits it in good areas, he’s a dangerous player. It was a good innings. It kind of shifted the momentum a little bit.””We were quite happy at half-time with chasing down a score like that but we were 10 percent or 20 per cent off our batting,” he added. “There were quite a lot of dot balls from over six to 16 and then obviously we couldn’t get the boundaries and started holing out after that.”Given the way Australia – both the team and the country – has clung to every morsel of success this season, such as Usman Khawaja’s ‘double’ of 37 and 21 on Test debut, it was slightly surprising this wasn’t hailed a glorious rebirth, but Cameron White knew it was just a small, albeit welcome, step in the right direction ahead of the one-day series.”It’s important, it beats losing for sure,” he said. “It’s a different format to the Tests and it’s different to the one-dayers. You might be able to take something forward, but it’s a new competition starting Sunday.”Collingwood, though, was confident the result wouldn’t mean much come the opening ODI at the same ground on Monday when he hands back the captaincy to Andrew Strauss. “I don’t think it’s hurt our momentum too much,” he said. “It’s obviously disappointing to lose a game but we still did some good stuff tonight.”

Mohammad Yousuf has insisted he will stay on as captain despite Pakistan’s 3-0 drubbing in Tests and 5-0 humiliation in ODIs on the tour of Australia

Cricinfo staff04-Feb-2010Mohammad Yousuf has insisted he will stay on as captain despite Pakistan’s staggeringly unsuccessful tour of Australia. The PCB chairman had earlier called for a change in captaincy following the conclusion of the tour, but Yousuf maintained the results in Australia didn’t warrant him stepping down from his post. Pakistan’s chief of selectors, Iqbal Qasim, offered his resignation in the immediate aftermath of Pakistan’s 5-0 loss in the ODIs, but Yousuf wasn’t willing to follow suit.”If the chief selector has resigned it’s his thinking,” Yousuf told reporters on his return from Australia. “I didn’t do badly as captain, not as badly that I should resign or quit. I accepted captaincy when no one was willing to take captaincy for the tours. I took it [captaincy] only because of the country and will continue for the country in future.”Yousuf took over the reins when Younis Khan quit citing dissent within the team and took a temporary break from international cricket. Since then, Pakistan drew a Test series in New Zealand 1-1, before the capitulation against Australia. They had fought hard in Melbourne and especially in Sydney, where they failed to chase 176, but ended up losing all three Tests.”Under the circumstances we went there, I think we did well to draw the series in New Zealand. Our players were inexperienced but I think we did well in the Australia Tests,” Yousuf said.

Ben Stokes took five to restrict India to 358 before India’s bowlers fluffed their lines

Alagappan Muthu24-Jul-20250:49

What makes Crawley and Duckett click as a pair?

0:52

Manjrekar: India batted in different bowling conditions from England

Pant’s willingness to put his body on the line – he is set to miss the fifth Test – ushered India to an above-par total. He finished with 54 off 75 balls and hit the 90th six of his Test career, equalling Virender Sehwag who holds the national record. He also went past 465 runs on this tour, which meant he eclipsed Alec Stewart and now has the highest tally for a wicketkeeper in a Test series in England. Not bad for a man who came to the office wearing a moonboot.Stokes continued his stellar series with the ball, picking up 16 wickets – a new career-best going past his efforts on debut in the 2013-14 Ashes. It is often said when he has the ball in hand that he makes things happen. That’s possibly because he is never afraid of having a punt. Sometimes, he bowls too full and that works because he gets movement both ways – Thakur found that out the hard way. Sometimes, he bowls way too short for way too long and that works because he has the strength to hurry batters up – Washington Sundar found that out the hard way. A peach brought him his fifth wicket – angled in, nipping away, taking Kamboj’s outside edge for a duck.3:28

Thakur: Pant’s pain-bearing capacity is really high

England built on their captain’s hard work with Duckett especially showing how little the margin of error is to him now. He turned a pretty good ball, on the base of off stump, maybe even outside, into a boundary through midwicket that kept two fielders interested all the way through and the crowd absolutely loved it. They went “oooooooohhhhh…yaaaaaaaayyyyyy” as Siraj and Washington were beaten. Given he was able to do that, it was barely a surprise that any time India went too straight, Duckett was able to access the square-leg region to great profit. He went to fifty without a single boundary on the off side and celebrated the landmark with a back-foot punch for four through cover.Crawley, at the other end, had to be a lot more circumspect. He took 14 balls to get off the mark and those runs came with a reminder of the danger the pitch still posed as a Jasprit Bumrah delivery rose up sharply to rap him on the bottom hand. That is why India would feel like they have let themselves down. There was help to the fast bowlers right through the day. Those late wickets they picked up resulted in a mini-session where it was revealed how hard it was to bat out there when the ball was in the right areas. Just that it was difficult to find for a bowling unit that isn’t used to this kind of bounce. Their stock length coupled with the movement on offer kept beating the edge. So they went fuller, only to stray a little too close to the pads or the half-volley mark.Crawley, in particular, played some sumptuous drives through cover and down the ground, and it looked like the opening partnership itself might see England through to stumps. India did raise their game towards the close and they need to raise it again on the third day to keep themselves in the fight. Otherwise the revellers in the party stand – repurposing the Mitchell Johnson song for Siraj – would be proven right. India bowled to the left. They bowled to the right. Their bowling was, well…

England expect pitch for first Test to spin but are not fazed by the challenge ahead

Vithushan Ehantharajah22-Jan-2024It was as recently as November that the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium was renovated with a new roof covering its stands. That explains why Brendon McCullum is gazing up at it like he’s been reacquainted with an old friend who has done something a bit different with their hair.It might have also been the look of a man wondering if he could have put a dent in it in his heyday. Has he cleared the stands here before? “Not for a long time,” he said with a smirk before adding a more honest: “absolutely not”.He gave it a good go back in 2010. A slap-happy Hyderabad special saw him blaze four sixes in a mammoth innings of 225. The striking was crisp, 26 boundaries all in, and the innings itself seemed a breezy affair despite taking the best part of six hours. It remains the highest Test score on this ground.Related

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Over 13 years on, McCullum was back out in the middle as red balls flew around him during England’s first training session in India. The hosts’ lack of numbers for their optional session meant greater freedom for the opposition to roam. Most made a beeline for the pitch.”It looked good,” McCullum said. “It looks like it’s going to spin.”It may not turn right from the word go, but you’d think at some stage it will turn and I’m sure spin will be a huge factor throughout the series.”Crucially, none of this was framed as a problem. Indeed there is a clear sense England have come into this tour with an edict not to let themselves be rattled by a home board curating their own pitches. McCullum even went as far as vouching for the groundsman, calling him “a good fella” who does “a really good job”. Years of embracing cricket in these parts – “a home away from home” – and the uncontrollables that come with it have left him with the view that the uncertainty should be relished. It provides the scope for something memorable.”When we started out on this journey a fair while ago we wanted to provide as much entertainment as we possibly can,” McCullum said. “We felt that gave us the best chance as well. What better stage to do it on – against India, in India?”There’ll be many eyeballs watching around the world and it’s a huge opportunity for us. India is the land of opportunity, and that’s what sits in front of us now. That’s the exciting thing. how long the games go, I’ve no idea but I’m sure both teams will stick to their respective styles. Throughout the Ashes, it was two heavyweights going at it with different styles, and I expect it to be the same in this series.”There was more caution when discussing Ben Stokes, who McCullum likened to a “greyhound”, suggesting the captain’s recovery from an overdue knee clear-up is going as well as can be expected.Brendon McCullum will oversee England’s fortunes in India•PA Photos/Getty Images

He was similarly non-committal on the keeping situation, which took on a new dynamic once Harry Brook pulled out of the tour for family reasons. Ben Foakes’ protracted training session with the gloves on Monday seemed to give the game away, though Jonny Bairstow may also start to cover for Brook’s loss. Meanwhile, Tom Hartley continues to impress and could be in line for a Test debut as one of the spin trio alongside Jack Leach and Joe Root.There are still important decisions to ratify, combinations to sort, gut calls to make. And for all the good work under McCullum, bonhomie and a few rounds of golf do not make you immune to the sorts of errors that have blighted previous England tours.But there is a prevailing sense of calm entering into battle with a team who have won their last 16 home series. A simplicity borne out of the fact there is more to gain than lose for a group of players seemingly blessed by perspective. And it was hard not to wonder if a tour of India, where McCullum’s legacy as a cricketer was cemented, is exactly the kind of series to underline his unique qualities as a coach.”Obviously it’s no secret that we’re trying to enjoy ourselves as a team as well,” McCullum said. “And those things away from cricket are obviously super important to this side. A lot of our mesaging is consistent, not just around the cricket field but around daily life and that includes ennoying yourself.”We’ve got to take 20 wickets with the ball in each Test match and we’ve got to get one more run than them with the bat. It’s not rocket science but it will be the nuances of the game, and when to stick and when to twist, which will be the fascinating part. That’s what I love about this series – we are going to be tested, and our methods are going to be challenged and we’ll see where we are at. But it’s a pretty exciting opportunity.”

“Untimely shot selections seem to be deeply embedded in the T20 batting culture of our senior team,” the CWI president says

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-20221:41

Simmons: Batters need to take a look at themselves

Ricky Skerritt, the Cricket West Indies president, has promised a “thorough postmortem” in a scathing assessment of the team’s early exit from the 2022 T20 World Cup.In a statement posted on CWI’s website and on Twitter, Skerritt laid the blame firmly at the feet of West Indies’ batters, saying their poor shot selection and failure against spin was key to the two-time champions bowing out in the first round of the tournament in Australia.Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Zimbabwe and Ireland – who defeated West Indies by nine wickets on Friday – advanced to the Super 12s with two wins from three matches apiece in the first round.”I am deeply disappointed with the performance results of our team in Australia and I appreciate the sense of utter frustration that is being experienced by many,” Skerritt’s statement said. “The ongoing inability of our batsmen to prevail over opposing slow bowling continued to be an obvious weakness in Australia, and untimely shot selections seem to be deeply embedded in the T20 batting culture of our senior team.”West Indies have lost six of the eight matches they have played in T20 World Cups since their 2016 final triumph in India.Related

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In their opening match of this edition, they were bowled out for just 118 chasing 161 against Scotland before managing to defend a modest 153 for 7 against Zimbabwe, thanks to Alzarri Joseph’s 4 for 16 and Jason Holder’s 3 for 12. But Ireland easily overhauled their 146 for 5 on Friday to cruise into the next round. West Indies noticeably struggled against spin through the middle overs in all three of their games.Brandon King’s unbeaten 62 off 48 balls was the sole bright spot of West Indies’ innings against Ireland after they inched their way to 41 for 2 in the powerplay, scoring just five fours and one six in that time. In contrast, Ireland struck six fours and four sixes in the first six overs of their chase.Against Zimbabwe, Johnson Charles – replacing King, who was ill at the time – was West Indies’ top-scorer with 45 off 36 balls, and only four West Indies batters reached double figures against Scotland in a display coach Phil Simmons described as “unprofessional”.Skerritt went on to say that he was determined to find a solution to West Indies’ slide.”I want to assure stakeholders that a thorough postmortem will be carried out on all aspects of our World Cup preparation and performance and that solutions will be found in keeping with CWI’s strategy to improve the quality and sustainability of cricket on all fronts, and in all formats.”West Indies cricket is bigger than any one individual or event and continues to need the input and support of all stakeholders.”

There were five run-outs during Pakistan’s chase, before rain gave the home side a win by the DLS method

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2021West Indies Women successfully defended their low total of 125 in a rain-affected second T20I against Pakistan Women to seal the three-match T20I series in North Sound on Friday. The hosts won the match via the DLS method, with Pakistan Women seven runs short of the par score of 110 when rain stopped the game with two overs remaining. Pakistan had five run-outs, with Nida Dar top-scoring with 28.Having elected to bat first, West Indies rode on contributions from middle-order batters Chedean Nation and Kycia Knight, who hit 28 and 30 not out respectively, and injected urgency into the innings after coming together at 69 for 4 in the 14th over.Knight and Nation stitched a 32-run stand from 26 balls for the fifth wicket, both hitting two fours and a six apiece. For Pakistan, Anam Amin and Fatima Sana picked up two wickets each, with the latter conceding just 18 runs from her four overs and also bowling a maiden.Pakistan suffered early blows during their chase, with the top three back in the dugout with just 25 runs on the board. Hayley Mathews bowled Javeria Khan in the first over, while Javeria Rauf and Iram Javed were among the five Pakistan batters who were run-out. Pakistan’s innings also featured rain interruptions and the worrying incidents of two West Indies players – Chinelle Henry and Nation – collapsing on the field and being taken to hospital.Dar and Sidra Nawaz’s partnership of 42 for the fourth wicket helped stabilise the innings, but it wasn’t enough as rain interruptions threatened an early finish. Nawaz’s dismissal for a 25-ball 17 sparked a mini-collapse, with Pakistan losing three wickets for 11 runs. Aliya Riaz (17* off 15) and Sana (8* off 6) showed intent at the end, but the rain came down just after the pair had taken 15 runs off Anisa Mohammed’s 18th over, denying the game a potentially thrilling finish.

India are going for a 5-0 whitewash. Will they play Rishabh Pant?

The Preview by Shashank Kishore01-Feb-2020

Big picture

New Zealand are in Kane Williamson territory in Tauranga, but he could just rest his left shoulder with the series already lost. Two back-to-back losses in the fashion they did have raised questions of their finishing abilities, ‘chokers’ to some if social media is a barometer. They’re currently in that kind of space where they’ll gladly take a win, however it comes.Colin Munro’s return to form makes it one headache less and he walks into a venue where he has two hundreds and a half-century in five innings at an average of 61.40 and strike rate of 193. But New Zealand’s recent dip in form, including the Australia whitewash, remains a larger worry as they constantly fight to remain in public memory.Spirit of Cricket – like their juniors were lauded for at the Under-19 World Cup – is fine, it’s also time to win. This message may not be explicitly written or told to them, but the players will know deep down that in a World Cup year, every opportunity counts and they should make the headlines for wins too. Not just being the nearly men who win hearts.Two weeks ago, India were playing in Bengaluru. Then having traversed several time zones to play in Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington in the space of five days, India are in Mount Maunganui. Camping here for three days should give them as much joy as they’ve derived from winning back-to-back Super Over thrillers.India’s uninhibited approach to a T20 innings is a refreshing change. Batsmen aren’t worried about preserving their wickets, the team is open to being flexible, Virat Kohli has no problems batting out of position and KL Rahul keeping wickets lends better balance. Manish Pandey, who struggled to break into the first XI earlier, is a beneficiary of this change.Injuries to their frontline fast bowlers in the format – Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar – have pushed them to test their reserves, and the replacements have all delivered at some stage. Shardul Thakur, for example, has proven to not just be a swing option but also a death-bowling option. His hitting doesn’t quite make the lower order seem brittle anymore.Navdeep Saini gives them bristling pace, Jasprit Bumrah the consistency. Shivam Dube is also getting into the rhythm of bowling regularly, thereby accruing valuable experience that should help him should he be on the flight to Australia for the T20 World Cup. The result of the bowling rejig has meant one of their wristspinners, mostly Kuldeep Yadav, has had to sit out. The team management may as well give him a go come Sunday.

Form guide

New Zealand LLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India WWWWW

In the spotlight

Sanju Samson is a fine white-ball striker but desperately needs a score to back his ability. With Shikhar Dhawan likely to be slotted back into the squad as soon as he’s fit, Sunday could be Samson’s final opportunity at making amends.Tim Seifert’s half-century that complemented Munro’s in Wellington went unnoticed because of the frenzied finish. He strikes at 137 in 24 T20Is, enough indication of his hitting abilities. New Zealand will want him to finish off games with the bat as the next part of his learning. With the gloves, he’s proven to be as tidy as they come.

Team news

Whatever is written here can only be speculative, because Saturday was a travel day, with no training session or press conferences to provide any markers. Rishabh Pant is yet to get a game, so there is a case for the team management to bring him in and rest Rahul. If Kohli chooses to rest, it could mean Rohit comes back to lead. And if they want to bring in Kuldeep Yadav, it could be at Yuzvendra Chahal’s expense.India (likely): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Sanju Samson, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Rishabh Pant, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Navdeep Saini, 11 Jasprit BumrahMartin Guptill didn’t come out to bat in Friday’s Super Over because of a collision with Scott Kuggleijn on the field. Williamson’s status isn’t yet clear. However, New Zealand may want to rest him with an eye on the ODI series to follow.New Zealand: 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Colin Munro, 3 Tim Seifert (wk), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Bruce, 6 Daryl Mitchell, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Ish Sodhi, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Hamish Bennett, 11 Scott Kuggleijn

Pitch and conditions

The town is built around a hill and the wind patterns aid swing. It could be hard for bowlers running in against the breeze, but the surface is one with true bounce and good carry. It should be full of runs.

Stats and trivia

• The average first innings score in the five games that have produced a result at Bay Oval is 199
• New Zealand’s dot-ball percentage at the death has been 34. India have scored significantly faster, and have a dot-ball percentage of just 25 in the same period
• The team batting first has won each of the five games here

The Pakistan allrounder is expected to sign a two-month deal to take in the T20 Blast

George Dobell28-Dec-2018Northamptonshire are closing in on the signing of Faheem Ashraf for the Vitality Blast.ESPNcricinfo understand Faheem, the Pakistan allrounder, has agreed a contract with the club and expects to be available for the entire duration of the 2019 T20 season in England.The competition starts in mid-July – immediately after the World Cup – with the group stages finishing on August 30 and Finals Day taking place on September 21. Pakistan do not currently have any international commitments during that period.While Faheem first gained attention as a seamer – he has opened the bowling for Pakistan in most of his recent international appearances – his explosive batting offers Northants huge potential. He has, at this stage, just one career T20 half-century to his name – and a best of 21 at international level – but could well prosper if utilised as a pinch-hitter.He memorably exploited a short boundary mercilessly in thrashing 60 from 34 balls in a Champions Trophy warm-up match against Bangladesh at Edgbaston last year.Northants, who have denied Faheem’s signing, have previously announced the signing of South Africa’s Temba Bavuma as an overseas player in the County Championship.