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Match Facts

March 14, Pallekele
Start time 2.30pm (0900 GMT)Waqar Younis and Shahid Afridi had plenty to muse over after the 110-run loss to New Zealand•AFP

The Big Picture

In their opening three matches, Pakistan quietly assembled three confident victories – including an 11-run win over the much-fancied Sri Lanka team – and displayed the kind of unlikely unity and focus that made them seem like serious World Cup contenders. Add a charismatic leader in inspirational form and the echoes of 1992 had their fans dreaming. But then, on their last outing in Pallekele, Pakistan’s enchanting instinct for implosion returned spectacularly as they tumbled to a 110-run defeat to New Zealand.Kamran Akmal’s incompetence enraged all but his blindest supporters and allowed Ross Taylor to flog 114 off a shambolic final six overs of the innings. Just as it looked as though his time had surely past, Pakistan’s team management stood firmly behind Kamran, and his younger brother Umar – the only alternative behind the stumps – picked up a finger injury. There are doubts over whether Umar will play, even just as a batsman, which would deprive Pakistan of their second-highest run-scorer in the tournament and means they are likely to persist with the eight-batsman strategy. Up against a Zimbabwe side that has failed to match the scrapping resilience of some of their past World Cup outfits, Pakistan can expect an immediate revival in their fortunes. A win would take them to eight points, level with New Zealand in the Group A table.Meanwhile, the wave optimism surrounding Zimbabwe in the lead-up to the tournament has been dashed by a series of heavy defeats. Until Sri Lanka gifted a clutch of late-over wickets, Zimbabwe had gone 78.1 overs and given away 448 runs without taking a wicket across their two defeats to New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Their decision to play two specialist seamers against Sri Lanka was at odds with the spin-heavy strategy that had underpinned their progress over recent months, but perhaps betrayed the lack of confidence in captain Elton Chigumbura. Since taking over as leader 18 matches ago he taken only two wickets, at 158 each, and his batting too has fallen: averaging 17.57 in that period. A naturally free-spirited player, the burdens of leadership haven’t sat comfortably and his team might be better off allowing him back to the ranks soon.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)

Pakistan LWWWL
Zimbabwe LLWLL

Watch out for…

Among the carnage that was Pakistan’s fielding effort against New Zealand, Umar Gul stood out. Finding swing first up and reverse swing later he carries the seam attack. Lasith Malinga and Kemar Roach have shown that the lesser teams are vulnerable to a tirade of yorkers and, when on song, nobody is as skilled at delivering them as Gul.Brendan Taylor has provided the iconic shot of a lacklustre Group A with his take on the upper cut. In the first World Cup since the Twenty20 revolution really took hold, it displays the huge challenges facing modern bowlers. Outside of that, his classic, upright driving a tight defence make him Zimbabwe’s best player, and for a while against Sri Lanka he looked as good as any top-order batsman in the tournament. Pakistan’s bowlers have folded under the pressure of a Taylor before and if Brendan can get going Zimbabwe may yet spring a surprise.

Team news

If Umar Akmal misses out, there is a likely recall for Asad Shafiq while Ahmed Shehzad can expect to hold his place despite making 36 runs from his four outings. Shoaib Akhtar’s woeful effort against New Zealand will prompt calls for Wahab Riaz’s inclusion.Pakistan (probable) 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Kamran Akmal (wk), 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Asad Shafiq/ Umar Akmal, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Abdul Razzaq, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Umar Gul.Regis Chakabva’s entry to the top of the order provided a perfect foil for Taylor against Sri Lanka as the pair added 116 within the first 20 overs, so with his position fixed the main change could come with dropping Tinashe Panyangara, who conceded 51 from six wicketless overs and recalling Charles Coventry to slot into the middle order where he has had success in the past.Zimbabwe (probable) 1 Brendan Taylor, 2 Regis Chakabva, 3 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 4 Craig Ervine, 5 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 6 Charles Coventry, 7 Greg Lamb, 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Graeme Cremer, 10 Ray Price, 11 Chris Mpofu.

Pallekelle has not quite matched Bangalore for gratuitous run-fests but has certainly aided the batsmen in its few games so far. Ross Taylor found the boundaries small enough to clear seven times in his unbeaten 131 against Pakistan and Sri Lanka coasted to 327 against Zimbabwe last Thursday. It’s harder for the team batting second under lights, so the toss is important.

• In four World Cup meetings between the sides Pakistan have won three with the Bulawayo tie in 2003 being rained off
• The 349 Pakistan made against Zimbabwe in Kingston in 2007 is their highest World Cup score
• In 40 matches between the sides Pakistan have only lost twice, the last time being 13 years ago

Quotes

“I feel I have done my preparation and it’s just a matter of executing my skills”

With opinion divided world over on the Associates’ participation in future World Cups, with opinions ranging from that of Ricky Ponting’s to Graeme Swann’s, the one voice that should matter the most, that of Ireland, is typical of how the team plays its cricket. Four years ago, they not only won two big matches and tied one, they also won the hearts of the cricket followers all over the world. Despite continuing the good work, they are still waiting for the elusive Test status perhaps after the Bangladesh misadventure, the ICC is cautious inviting teams into the Test family. The top Associate nation, though, doesn’t want to contribute verbally to the current debate; they want to give the ICC reasons to include them through their performances on the field.Niall O’Brien, Ireland’s wicketkeeper-batsman, knows the uninspiring show by Canada and Kenya on Sunday provides the ICC, and more importantly its commercial partners, reasons to keep the number of non-Test-playing nations in the tournament down. “It’s obviously two disappointing results from Canada and Kenya,” he said. “I am disappointed with how they played, but from my point of view, we pride ourselves in being the top of the so-called Associates and the so-called minnows. So from my point of view, we have got a good enough team to go a long way in this tournament. Yes it is disappointing the way they played, but they have five games to rectify that. Hopefully they put in strong performances in the next three or four weeks.”O’Brien didn’t harp too much on the decision to prune the next World Cup down to 10 teams. “Yes, it is a shame, because the game has got to grow,” he said. “[However], it’s up to the ICC to decide who is going to be a part of the next World Cup. Hopefully we will be a part of that. In the next six weeks, if we can put in strong performances, and win matches, against teams we so-called ‘shouldn’t beat’, as we have done in the past, we only strengthen our case. From our point of view, we are not thinking too much about it. It’s for ICC to think, it’s out of our hands.”Bangladesh, being a Test nation, are one team they so-called ‘shouldn’t beat’, but they have done so at the world events of both the formats they are qualified to play in – and at 74 runs and six wickets, the margins are quite comprehensive too. This game, crucial as it is for both teams’ ambitions to progress to the next round, will be a different kettle. The conditions here will be the most foreign to Ireland, despite all their training against spin in their one-month camp in Pune last year. When they toured here last, Ireland failed to win a game in the three-ODI series.”That was a long time ago, and that schedule, that tour, was a bit hard on us,” O’Brien said. “We only turned up on a Monday, and played 36 hours later in some pretty difficult conditions. That’s a long time ago, that’s past, and we have beaten Bangladesh three of the last four times we have played them. Confidence is high, and we know we have got a good enough team to win here Friday night.”Bangladesh spinners, the likes of [Abdur] Razzak and skipper [Shakib Al Hasan], we have to play them with the respect they deserve, but at the same time we have to be proactive and quite aggressive.”Ireland know a good performance in subcontinent conditions will be a natural progression from four years ago. As long as they can do that, O’Brien feels, the rest will fall in place. “We have got the next four to five weeks to concentrate on our cricket, and 2015 in a long way away. We have got a World Cup here, we have got the T20 world cup in Sri Lanka in not too distant future. We have got plenty of cricket to look forward to. We played Australia in August in Dublin, and should have beaten them. We have got England in August this year, so hopefully we go out there and put in good performances, and let the rest look after themselves.”So 2011 it is, and O’Brien and his side are looking forward to playing in front of full houses, as opposed to in front of four people and their dog back home. On the way if they spoil a few parties, that may or may not include Bangladesh’s, then so be it.

Scorecard
South Africa Under-19 completed a 5-0 spanking of Zimbabwe Under-19 with a 71-run win in the fifth match at Newlands. Home captain Keaton Jennings opted to bat first after winning the toss, and half-centuries from Quinton de Kock and Malcolm Nofal boosted South Africa to 276 for 6. The Zimbabweans were never really in the running, but some gritty batting from Brian Chari and Ryan Burl did at least give them the satisfaction of passing 200 against opponents who have proved stronger in every discipline in the course of the series.Jennings, who was named Man of the Series for his 208 runs and three wickets, had a torrid time negotiating Vuyisile Mapala’s outswing early on but settled in and contributed 26 to a 64-run opening stand. His dismissal barely slowed de Kock down as he soon raced to fifty, and after he ran past one of Liberty Nherera’s offspinners to be bowled for 69 Nofal took up the attack.He had made 78 before he was caught at long-on in the final over, and with support from Shaylin Pillay (40) and a brutal 12-ball 31 from Johan du Preez – who hit the last three balls of the innings for a six and two fours – South Africa reached a total that appeared well out of reach of Zimbabwe.Chari and Matthew Bentley put together a bright 44-run partnership for the second wicket to help their team weather the early loss of Kevin Kasuza, but after Bentley got an edge to an attempted dab down to third man South Africa chipped steadily away at the Zimbabwean line-up. Nofal, who was named Man of the Match, did most of the damage with three quick wickets that ripped the heart out of the middle order.Chari’s defensive knock reached fifty in the 34th over, by which time the asking rate had edged close to nine-an-over. But for a couple of lusty hits from Chari and Burl thereafter, Zimbabwe might not have reached 200 at all and once they were dismissed the innings quickly capitulated.The teams now face up in two Twenty20s, with the first being played at Paarl on Saturday.

Stuart MacGill, the former Australian Test legspinner, has slammed the decision of his country’s selectors to call up Michael Beer, a slow left-armer who has played just five first-class games, for the third Ashes Test at Perth next week.”I am gobsmacked, shocked, I honestly cannot believe it,” MacGill told Sydney’s . “The team will have to change again after the next Test. Good on Michael Beer, good bloke and good player, but look at this as a job interview and show me his qualifications to get this job. He doesn’t have any. He is not qualified for the job they have given him. Sending him out there next week, what are they trying to do?”MacGill, who played 44 Tests before his retirement in 2008, reserved particular criticism for comments made by Andrew Hilditch, the selection panel chairman.”To be honest, from Andrew Hilditch’s comments, he doesn’t even really know who Michael Beer is. He said he’ll bowl well in Perth because it’s his home ground. I’m not sure Andrew thought those comments through before he made them.”Look, Andrew Hilditch is a lovely bloke but someone needs to tell him Michael Beer has not spent his career playing at the WACA. Three games there and nothing better than a three-for. Honestly, there is no big picture here.”MacGill’s criticism comes after left-arm spinner, Xavier Doherty, who was axed after the first two Tests, said the selectors were panicking when it came to picking slow bowlers. MacGill also expressed his dismay at the discarding of Nathan Hauritz, who has taken 63 wickets in 17 Tests, hit a maiden first-class hundred as a nightwatchman against South Australia on Wednesday and picked up a five-wicket haul in his last domestic game in Perth.”Xavier Doherty was [an odd inclusion] too, to be honest. They are clearly telling Nathan Hauritz, ‘you are never playing Test cricket again’. I don’t understand that. Xavier Doherty should never have played the first two Tests. Michael Beer shouldn’t be playing this one.”

Sreesanth, the India fast bowler, has been fined 10% of his match fee for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the fourth day’s play at Newlands. Sreesanth pleaded guilty to committing a Level 1 offence, relating to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings.”Sreesanth kicked the boundary after two appeals in the same over were turned down by the umpire; the on-field umpires Simon Taufel and Ian Gould, the third umpire Brian Jerling and the fourth umpire Shaun George subsequently reported the matter to match referee Andy Pycroft. No hearing was required as Sreesanth accepted the decision and pleaded guilty.It was a frustrating day for Sreesanth who went wicketless in his 24 overs while Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and the tail stepped up to overcome the loss of early wickets and put South Africa in control by stumps.

Australia’s recently axed selector Merv Hughes believes Mitchell Johnson should play the Adelaide Test, and Ben Hilfenhaus was the most disappointing of Australia’s bowlers at the Gabba. Hughes was sacked in October, leaving no specialist bowling input in the four-man selection panel, and he thinks Johnson is being unfairly maligned after the Brisbane draw.The selectors have added Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris to the squad for the Adelaide Test, which begins on Friday, and Johnson is considered the most likely man to be dropped for his 0 for 170. It was the worst match analysis in Johnson’s Test career, but Hilfenhaus’ 1 for 142 was also far from his best, and collectively the Australian attack took only 11 wickets in the match.”Ben Hilfenhaus … he was the guy up there that I expected, especially on the first day, to do a really good job,” Hughes said on the Melbourne radio station SEN. “And probably his performance, for mine, is a little bit more disappointing than Mitchell’s. Everyone is having a crack at Mitchell Johnson. Now if other bowlers have taken wickets, you can point the finger at Mitch and say ‘mate, you have got to lift your game’.”Adelaide is probably going to suit Mitchell Johnson a little bit better than Brisbane because it sort of slides on, his extra pace is going to be useful. I think we are just starting to get too critical. We are starting to expect a lot from a young man that, yes, he has got talent, but really hasn’t matured or developed into the cricketer that he can be. And by cutting him short, and leaving him out of this Test match, it’s going to dent his confidence more than anything else.”The Adelaide pitch is expected to be tough work for the fast men, and the short boundaries mean there won’t be any leeway for bowlers who drop short. Harris is easily the most experienced of the Australian fast bowlers at the venue, having played most of his career at South Australia before switching to Queensland.Neither Hilfenhaus nor Bollinger have a first-class five-for at Adelaide Oval, while Johnson has taken 31 first-class wickets there at 22.93 in six appearances, and Peter Siddle has a best of 5 for 27 despite playing only two matches there. Greg Chappell, Australia’s full-time selector, said the panel was not worried about Johnson’s Test form and realised that rotating their bowlers throughout the Ashes was an option.”Worried is not a word I would use,” Greg Chappell told the . “We obviously recognise he’s not in the peak of form at the moment, so we’re keen to see him back to that as soon as possible. Players go through ups and downs in various stages of their careers … He’s still one of our key bowlers.”We’re conscious of the fact there’s five matches in seven weeks. We were always going to look at playing horses for courses to get the best combinations for each wicket. For that reason primarily, also conscious of the fact we can’t expect to take the same bowlers through five matches in seven weeks.”

He picked up the last four wickets and more than played his part in a superb Indian bowling performance on the second morning. At the end of the day’s play, Harbhajan Singh was in good spirits. He may have been Man of the Match for his hundred in Ahmedabad, but the conditions for bowlers at the Motera for the second Test in succession had driven him to distraction. This surface, on which India took the last six New Zealand wickets for 81 runs, was much more to his liking.”This is a good wicket for Test cricket,” he said. “There is good bounce for fast bowlers, even for spinners. If you bowl slower in the air, there is bounce and so far, it has played pretty well. I hope it will continue to play even better for the bowlers as the days go on. On the third and fourth days, it might spin, it might not. But definitely, there is bounce.”Harbhajan had been the subject of criticism in recent times, with some pointing to a 40-plus average and a strike-rate in excess of 100 for the calendar year. When asked why India were so reluctant to cash in on their traditional strength, spin, his answer bordered on the indignant. “I think you should ask those people who make the wickets because I don’t know,” he said. “In every country the conditions are different. In Australia, there is bounce. In India, I don’t know when I last played on a turner. Yes, I did play one match in Kanpur [2008 against South Africa].”Harbhajan cited the pitch at the Brabourne Stadium as the sort that should be prepared if “Test cricket is to be preserved”. At the Cricket Club of India last December, Sri Lanka won the toss and made nearly 400, but India won by an innings, with wickets for pace and spin alike. “We’re not asking for a spin track,” he said. “Sporting track just means that on the first day, the fast bowler must get carry, the edges must carry. On the fourth and fifth days, if there is turn and bounce, what’s wrong with it? CCI was probably the best wicket I have played.”A cautious thumbs-up for Hyderabad, and something to ponder for curators all over India.

Michael Hussey, an important part of Australia’s middle order, has said that he was forced to play in the Champions League Twenty20 right till the end of the tournament, which affected his preparations for the Mohali Test. The Test turned out to be an all-time great match, but Hussey scored only 17 and 28 in a one-wicket Australian defeat.”Yeah, well I spoke a lot to Cricket Australia about it, but the decision was that their players were going to be available for the Twenty20 campaign so there was nothing I could really do about it,” Hussey told AAP.Hussey and Doug Bollinger, both part of the Chennai Super Kings’ victorious campaign in South Africa, joined the squad two days before the Test started in Mohali. Bollinger had to pull out on the last day of the match with an abdominal strain, when he was on fire and Australia needed two wickets to wrap the match up with runs to spare.Hussey said he would have dropped out of Champions League early if he had the choice. “I just had to grin and bear it really, get here as quick as I possibly could after the final and just prepare as well as I can. I put my case forward, but they’d made their decision and I just had to go along with it really. I’m contracted to Cricket Australia so it’s their call.”I made my mind up that, well, I’ve just got to get on with it otherwise I’m going to ruin my time with Chennai [Super Kings] and not enjoy the rest of my time in the Champions League, and I’m going to ruin my time with Australia once I get here if I let it affect me.”So I basically got over it as quick as I could and tried to concentrate on playing as well as I could for Chennai and then try to prepare and play well for Australia.”Hussey wants to express his concerns to CA. “Scheduling is something, from an ACA [Australian Cricketers’ Association] perspective, we’ve been talking about a lot to Cricket Australia, and it’s getting harder and harder with more and more cricket being played at all the time,” he said. “But certainly when the time is right I will sit down with James Sutherland and Michael Brown and go through how I felt and maybe things we could do better next time.”The clashes with the T20 leagues have been a constant irritant for the Australian team management. Last year, Brett Lee suffered after the Champions League, and in turn Australia suffered in the seven-ODI series in India. Ricky Ponting and Tim Nielsen, like Hussey, have said that there isn’t much they can do about it, and have to make do often.

Kamran Akmal, the Pakistan wicketkeeper, has said being dropped for the second Test against England at Edgbaston gave him an opportunity to reflect on and assess his game. Kamran was dropped after a poor run with the bat and the gloves but returned for the third Test at The Oval after his replacement, Zulqarnain Haidar, was ruled out of the remainder of the tour due to a fractured finger.Kamran’s form has been under scrutiny for a long while now and he experienced an all-time low in the Sydney Test against Australia in 2009-10 when a series of lapses contributed to defeat in a Test Pakistan were poised to win. “There have been some technical issues with both the bat and the gloves,” Kamran told . “I have been looking at the batting issues with Ijaz Ahmed and more recently with Mohammad Yousuf. Missing the match at Edgbaston gave me the ideal opportunity to assess my game and it was the perfect time for some reflection.”Alec Stewart provided me with some tips on my wicketkeeping and I have been implementing Alec’s ideas and thoughts. In addition to Alec Stewart’s help, Paul Farbrace and Wasim Bari have also provided me with some advice and guidance on a couple of technical issues. I’ve taken on board all of the advice that has been given to me and it definitely paid dividends at the Oval.”Kamran had a rewarding game at The Oval, with eight catches in Pakistan’s four-wicket win. However, he has had a hard time with bat in the recent past; his scores in his last six innings read 15, 13, 0, 0, 10, 0. Kamran sought inspiration from Alastair Cook’s return to form. “All players suffer a bad spell in their career with the bat. Take a look at Alistair Cook who has been struggling with the bat of late, but he has bounced back with a century at The Oval. I will look at the way he has fought back with the bat as an inspiration and hope that I can do the same at Lord’s.”Pakistan are trailing the Test series 1-2, but Kamran backed his team to draw level, adding that the return of Mohammad Yousuf from retirement had made a major difference. “Yousuf’s introduction to the squad has made a huge difference to everyone’s morale and belief. He’s such an experienced campaigner and his calmness really rubs off on the rest of us. Amir’s in great form and Wahab Riaz bowled very well on debut. We’ll give it our best shot at Lord’s and I hope that we can level the series.”England and Pakistan play the final Test on August 26.

Cameron White is disappointed he won’t be able to lead Victoria in the Champions League Twenty20 after being tied to Bangalore, but is confident David Hussey’s men will fire. Hussey has been promoted after White’s IPL contract meant he was forced to represent the Indian franchise at the rich tournament.The Bushrangers have also suffered with the loss of both their overseas players from last year’s Big Bash. Dwayne Bravo will be with Mumbai Indians while Ross Taylor is also with Bangalore. Like Victoria, Taylor’s Central Stags will be paid US$200,000 by the Bangalore franchise for the inconvenience of losing a star player.”Obviously I’m disappointed I won’t be available to play for my home team,” White said. “In my absence David Hussey will captain the team and I know he will do an excellent job. I think he’s proved time and time again he’s more than capable of taking the reins and leading the guys to success.”White has forced one of three changes to the Victoria side that reached the semi-finals of the tournament last year. Dirk Nannes, who was bound to Delhi in 2009, is back along with the young players Glen Maxwell and Ryan Carters.”I think it’s important to note that now someone else in the squad gets a chance,” White said. “This is a considerable positive we can take from the situation.”I have no doubt the Bushrangers will progress far in the competition, they have a talented bunch of guys playing for them who have proved before they can perform at this tournament.” Victoria’s opening match is against South Africa’s Warriors on September 13.Victoria squad David Hussey (capt), Ryan Carters, Aaron Finch, Shane Harwood, John Hastings, Brad Hodge, Andrew McDonald, Bryce McGain, Clint McKay, Glenn Maxwell, Dirk Nannes, James Pattinson, Rob Quiney, Peter Siddle, Matthew Wade.