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With the series effectively reduced to two ODIs, a win on Sunday will mean an unassailable lead

The Preview by Hemant Brar10-Aug-20198:30

Ganga: Gayle’s performance will determine his destiny

Big Picture

The paradox of the Indian ODI team is that they have a top three that is the envy of the world. Conversely, the strength of the top order has meant that opportunities for the middle order have been scarce. Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli have been so successful for so long, that the middle order hasn’t really been tried, or tested. Moreover, the frequent chopping and changing has meant that the No. 4 spot, which has been a position yet to be nailed down, has still not gone to a set claimant.KL Rahul had started at No. 4 in the World Cup before moving up to open in the absence of Dhawan, but didn’t find a place in the XI for the rain-hit first ODI. Rishabh Pant has batted at No. 4 in his last five ODIs, but with Shreyas Iyer also in the mix now, it could be a more natural fit to have him at four and Pant at five.Iyer had a good showing with the India A side, and apart from him, Manish Pandey is also in the fray. Iyer played the first ODI of the series but the rain didn’t allow India to bat as only 13 overs of play was possible in Guyana. But as the caravan moves to Trinidad for the second (and then the third) ODI, it will be interesting to see what India’s plans are.West Indies, on the other hand, will be looking to make Chris Gayle’s 300th ODI a memorable one. With the series effectively reduced to two ODIs, whoever wins this game will be assured of not losing the series.With the inclusion of Roston Chase in the side, West Indies are looking for someone to provide stability amid their big hitters, which was lacking during the World Cup. Their real rebuilding, though, will only start once Gayle says goodbye, and one of John Campbell and Shai Hope partners with Evin Lewis at the top of the order.

Form guide

West Indies WLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)India LWWLWChris Gayle practices before the match•IDI via Getty Images

In the spotlight

Who other than Chris Gayle? After a below-par World Cup, the big Jamaican found some form with scores of 122 not out and 94 in the Global T20 Canada, but struggled on a two-paced pitch in the first ODI. His 4 off 31 in the series opener was his slowest ODI innings when he has faced at least 25 balls.Sunday will present another opportunity for Shreyas Iyer to push his case forward as a solution to India’s No. 4 problem. While he batted at No. 3 – Pandey took the No. 4 spot – in the ‘A’ team series last month, Iyer scored 187 runs from four innings at an average of 62.33. After not getting a chance in the T20I series and the washout in the first ODI, he will be looking forward to carrying his good form at the international level as well.

Team news

With hardly any play possible in the series opener, the teams didn’t really get to test their chosen XIs. Barring fitness issues, both sides are likely to be unchanged.West Indies XI: (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Roston Chase, 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Fabian Allen, 9 Carlos Brathwaite, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Sheldon CottrellIndia XI: (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk) 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Kuldeep Yadav

Pitch and conditions

Since the start of 2010, spinners have fared better at Queen’s Park Oval, averaging 27.40 as compared to the fast bowlers’ 31.12.Four out of the last five ODIs here have been affected by rain, and while it poured down on the eve of the match as well, the forecast for Sunday is clear. It’s likely to be partly cloudy with temperatures hovering around 25-degrees centigrade.

Stats and trivia

• Sunday’s match will be Gayle’s 300th ODI. He will overtake Brian Lara as the most-capped West Indies player in the format.
• Gayle (10,397) is also nine runs away from overtaking Lara’s tally of 10,405 ODI runs, the most by a West Indies batsman.
• Kuldeep Yadav has taken 94 wickets in 52 ODIs. He has three more games to break Mohammed Shami’s record of being the fastest Indian to reach the 100-wicket mark.

Quotes

“Personally, I am not thinking about batting only at No. 4. I want to be someone who is very flexible, batting at any number.”

The key question to be resolved will be around the “one-odd” spot that Virat Kohli had indicated was up for grabs

Nagraj Gollapudi08-Apr-2019India’s World Cup squad will be named in Mumbai on April 15. The meeting is likely to be attended by Virat Kohli, the India captain who is scheduled to lead Royal Challengers Bangalore in their away match against Mumbai Indians the same evening.Although the deadline set by the ICC to announce squads for the World Cup is April 23, it is understood that the India selectors wanted the players to have extra time to prepare themselves for the tournament that India last won in 2011 at home.MSK Prasad, the chairman of India’s selection committee, had pointed out as early as in February that his panel had shortlisted a pool of 20-odd players from which the final 15 would be picked. “Maybe one spot might go to the last minute, otherwise we are very clear about the rest,” Prasad had told ESPNcricinfo in an interview.Prasad had also pointed out that the selection panel would not look at IPL form to firm up the vacant spots, “only because we have already made up our minds”. “We will only be observing the performances of the players we think should be in the squad and the list of stand-byes. We have rounded up on 20 players. We will follow the form of these players,” he had elaborated.
Kohli, too, reiterated the point before the home ODI series against Australia last month, saying the team management and the selectors needed to be “absolutely clear” about the team they wanted for the World Cup. “I don’t see anything changing despite how the IPL goes for any of the players. If one or two players don’t have a good IPL season, it doesn’t mean that they are out of the picture for the World Cup. Those things are not going to matter.”The Australia series was India’s last ODI tournament before the World Cup, and they lost 3-2 despite wins in the first two matches. After the result, Kohli had insisted the Indian team was not “panicking”. “As a side, combination-wise, we are pretty sorted condition-based,” he said. “Maximum one change, you’ll get to see condition-based. But other than that, the XI we want to play, we are pretty clear about it.”The questions are likely to center around the No. 4 slot in the batting order and the position of the second allrounder after Hardik Pandya. Vijay Shankar’s good form since the New Zealand series has raised the possibility of him slotting in there, instead of Ravindra Jadeja, who has performed that role since the Asia Cup.
Then there is the No. 4 batting slot, the bigger puzzle. Since the 2017 Champions Trophy, India have tried out 11 batsmen in that position with Ambati Rayudu getting the most games. During the home series against West Indies in October last year, Kohli had backed Rayudu for the position, as he provided the balance and had the smarts to do well in that key position. However, since then, Rayudu has just one fifty to his credit, which has allowed other aspirants to queue up. And the number of contenders has only gotten longer.Apart from Rayudu, KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant are the frontrunners for the position. Of these, Pant was a late addition to the race. The selection panel believes the left-handed Pant provides a good option in the middle order, especially against bowling attacks that are stacked with wristspinners. Pant has played only five ODIs, but his fearless batting has impressed the selectors, Kohli and the senior team management, as well as India A coach Rahul Dravid.The one other talking point for the selectors is the composition of the fast-bowling attack. As things stand, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar should be certainties. Pandya could play the role of the part-time seamer, but should India then have a fourth specialist seamer? If that is the case, then the possibilities are likely to be Umesh Yadav and Navdeep Saini, who, the selectors believe, could be a dark horse due to his extra pace and ability to bowl aggressive lengths.

The batting coach said India had enough time, options and “fluidity” in their batting order to plug any weakness

Nagraj Gollapudi at Headingley16-Jul-2018India are yet to work out a “settled” middle order in ODIs and they do not have the “depth” in their lower order. With the World Cup a year away that might seem to be a matter of concern, but batting coach Sanjay Bangar said that India had enough time, options and “fluidity” in their batting order to plug any weakness.India’s middle-order woes were exposed at Lord’s on Saturday, as the second half of their innings was subdued and they stuttered to a virtual standstill in the final hour. It was the first instance since the semi-finals of the 2011 World Cup that India failed hit a single six in an ODI. India didn’t score more than 10 runs in an over during in the final 15 overs, and only 42 runs came off the last 10, which is the fewest scored by India in the last decade.The lack of intent did not sit well with the Indian fans at Lord’s. They did not spare MS Dhoni, who was booed at various times during an innings where he ran out of partners and eventually lost rhythm. Although it would be easy to blame Dhoni, you could understand why he did not want to press the accelerator with the other members of India’s middle order – KL Rahul, Suresh Raina and Hardik Pandya – found wanting.Bangar said that India were not sweating because they had enough options to work out a World Cup middle order. Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey and Ajinkya Rahane could all still be viable options if the current occupants did not make an impact. Rayudu failed the yo-yo fitness test and Raina was called up as his replacement. Pandey and Rahane have been tried at different times in the past, but left behind more questions than positive impressions.Although India have not tried it yet, one way the middle order could be strengthened would involve pushing Rahul to No. 3 and having Virat Kohli bat at four. That way India can retain their authority in the top order while having their best batsman at the controls in the second half of the innings. This way Kohli would not only act as a cushion for the top order, as he showed during the T20s in Ireland and England, but also ease the pressure on Dhoni, who can play with more freedom at Nos. 5 or 6.But India are not ready yet to change the default settings. “We did change a bit [the batting order], certainly in the T20 format where KL played at three and Virat batted at four,” Bangar said in Leeds on the eve of the final match of the ODI series and the limited-overs leg of their tour. “But looking at this series and the performances that Virat has got at No. 3, especially in the last series when he scored three hundreds against South Africa in five games [we won’t alter the batting order].”Bangar, though, did not rule out a change of strategy, keeping in mind India have 21 matches before the World Cup, good enough time to figure out a solution. “We are looking at, in terms of the games remaining, where we could look at settling the middle-order slots. We will see as to players available, the fitness of the players. So a lot of spots are open. The good thing about that is the bench strength we have in a Rayudu, or a Manish Pandey or Ajinkya Rahane. There are enough spots for each and every eventuality that we might face leading up to the World Cup.”MS Dhoni buckles on his pads at India training•Getty Images

Bangar also defended Dhoni and said that there was nothing else India’s most senior and experienced batsman could have done. “When the team loses four wickets, the lower order – at least with the combination we are playing at the moment – we do not really have the depth at Nos. 8, 9, 10 wherein the batsman at Nos. 6 or 7 could play with that sort of a freedom. It was purely because of that that we kept on losing the wickets and the set batsmen could not really exploit [the situation].”He [Dhoni] was just hoping that somebody would stick with him. There was a chance when he and Suresh were batting together, we were just hoping they could bat through till the 40th over and they could take the bowlers on. But every time he looked to do that he first lost Raina and then he lost Hardik so there wasn’t too much batting to follow for him to play in the usual fashion that he does.”Bangar felt that some of the India batsmen, like Raina, who featured in just one format and have come back to international fold after a while, would need more time to settle down. Bangar said that it was also difficult for the middle-order batsmen, who were often padded up but did not have much to do as all the good work had been already done by the top order, which has played a dominant role in Indian victories in the last few years.”The way our top order is batting, generally our middle order hasn’t got the number of opportunities that you would expect because the top order does the bulk of the scoring. And at times the middle order have to straightaway walk into a game situation. Not all of the players are playing all formats of the game. You also have to give some weightage to do that – coming back straight to international cricket, and doing the kind of things that are expected of you, especially in this format. So the continuity factor also plays a part, but we are trying to balance each and everything that we could possibly do.”

Peter Kippax, who played for the county as a legspinner in the early 1960s, has died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s, aged 76

David Hopps18-Jan-2017Peter Kippax, who played for Yorkshire as a legspinner in the early 1960s and became an instantly recognisable figure in cricket circles in the north of England, has died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s, aged 76.Kippax only played five first-class games but he was notable for the fact that the last two were 25 years apart: after making his final appearance for Yorkshire against the Pakistan tourists in 1962, he reappeared for MCC against his former county at the Scarborough Festival in 1987 – an opportunity he cherished.Legspin was an unfashionable occupation in Yorkshire, and the presence of England spinners such as Raymond Illingworth and Don Wilson further limited his opportunities, but he went on to enjoy a long career in Minor Counties cricket with Durham and Northumberland, as well as in league cricket in Yorkshire and the north-west. He also coached for many years in Yorkshire cricket circles and was respected as an innovative thinker.He founded Kippax Bats in 1976 and was a popular, effervescent figure around the county. The business, now based in Methley, is run by his son Chris and is one of a dwindling band of companies to grow its own English willow.

An ICC delegation led by chief executive David Richardson and chairman Shashank Manohar are set to meet various stakeholders in New York regarding progress for cricket in the USA

Peter Della Penna30-Sep-2016An ICC delegation led by chief executive David Richardson and chairman Shashank Manohar will be in New York City this weekend to meet various stakeholders regarding progress for cricket in the USA.The ICC Americas office has been acting in an administrative caretaker role since the ICC’s suspension of the USA Cricket Association (USACA) in June 2015. Manohar, Richardson, ICC chief legal counsel Iain Higgins, WICB president Dave Cameron and Singapore Cricket Association chairman Imran Khawaja, who is one of the three Associate representatives on the ICC board, are expected to be part of the delegation. The delegation will hold meetings while building a progress report to be delivered at the next ICC board meeting in October.According to several sources, the ICC travelling party will be meeting with members of the four advisory groups that were appointed in May to oversee the implementation of the ICC’s strategy for cricket development in the USA. That strategy includes goals for qualifying for the 2019 World Cup and 2020 World T20. ICC Americas administrators are expected to fly in from their new office in Colorado Springs to be in New York this weekend. Recently hired USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake is also expected to be in attendance.The delegation is also scheduled to meet USACA president Gladstone Dainty. The USACA announced on Thursday that it had secured a $70 million dollar licensing deal with a Pennsylvania-based entity called Global Sports Ventures, LLC. At a press conference in New York on Thursday, Dainty said that he was confident the ICC would lift the USACA’s suspension.”The ICC and the suspension of USACA, everybody knows about it,” Dainty said. “I’m not going to say how USACA feel about it. But at this time we feel good in the sense that the CEO of the ICC said that they’ve investigated long and hard, they found nothing and it is our expectation that we will be reinstated without a problem shortly. If we aren’t, then I’m sure that you guys are going to make sure that justice is done.”

Delhi Daredevils have appointed former England allrounder Jeremy Snape as performance coach for the upcoming IPL season

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2013Delhi Daredevils have appointed former England allrounder Jeremy Snape as performance coach for the upcoming IPL season. Snape was formerly South Africa’s sports psychologist and performance coach, and was also Rajasthan Royals’ performance director in 2010.”We are happy to welcome Jeremy as Performance Coach,” GMR Sports’ Head (Cricket) TA Sekar said. “We believe he has the right credentials to help the Delhi Daredevils achieve its goals. We are sure he will bring in fresh ideas and help the coaching staff bring the best out of the players in a high performance environment.”We are sure that Snape will enable the players be on the edge of their comfort zones as they deliver high performance through the coming season.”Snape, 39, said: “We are sure that Snape will enable the players be on the edge of their comfort zones as they deliver high performance through the coming season.”

A round-up of the matches on the first match-day of the Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Mar-2012A star-studded Lahore Lions batting line-up comfortably overcame Karachi Zebras‘ total of 135 in Rawalpindi, to get their team off to a winning start in the Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup. Ahmed Shehzad, who recently topped the run-chart in the Bangladesh Premier League, continued his Twenty20 form, scoring 61 not out off 52 balls to guide the chase. Umar Akmal’s 43 off 26 balls gave the innings impetus after a sluggish start, and though Kamran Akmal, Nasir Jamshed and Abdul Razzaq all failed, Lahore won by six wickets, with 13 balls to spare. Karachi had got off to a brisk start after choosing to bat, but their top-order batsmen did not convert starts and their 135 for 5 was not enough.Ali Waqas held his nerve to give Faisalabad Wolves a win off the penultimate ball of their chase against Peshawar Panthers, in Rawalpindi. Faisalabad needed 128 to win and looked comfortable at 106 for 3 in the 17th over. A collapse of five wickets for 19 that included three run-outs meant they still needed three runs off three balls in the final over. Waqas, who had been at the crease since the fourth over, got the required runs off the next two balls, finishing with 43 not out off 49 balls. Faisalabad’s bowlers had picked up wickets consistently to limit Peshawar to 127 for 8, left-arm spinner Hasan Mahmood taking 3 for 11 in his four overs. They gave away 17 runs in wides however, which could have cost them.

A round-up of the third day’s action in first round of the Regional Four Day Competition 2009-10

Cricinfo staff11-Jan-2010A disciplined bowling effort put defending champions Jamaica in sight of victory against Windward Islands in Spanish Town. Buoyed by a lead of 154, the Jamaica bowlers dismissed the Windwards for 251 in their second innings, with Dave Bernard jnr, Nikita Miller, and Odean Brown picking up two wickets apiece. Rawl Lewis led the way for Windwards though, with a purposeful, unbeaten 63, and found steady support in the lower order from Lyndon James and Kenroy Peters. Jamaica put down three catchces, but succeeded in limiting the Windwards to 110 for 4 at lunch. Jamaica made further inroads after the break to leave the visitors wobbling at 130 for 7. However, Lewis and James then shared the best stand of the innings of 53 for the eighth wicket. Peters joined Lewis and frustrated Jamaica further with a 45-run stand. Lewis enjoyed himself towards the end of the innings with a couple of lofty hits that fetched six fours and three sixes as well as getting to his fifty, before Nelon Pascal was run out to bring the innings to a close. Jamaica, chasing a meagre 98 for victory, reached 20 for 2 in their second innings, when rain and bad light brought a premature end to the day’s play.The Leeward Islands failed to capitalise on a 114-run second-wicket partnership between Montcin Hodge and Runako Morton to hand Barbados a lifeline in Kingston. The Leewards ended the day on 186 for 6, just 193 ahead and with Barbados having capable batsmen like Dale Richards and Ryan Hinds in their lineup, an intriguing finish might be on the cards tomorrow. Resuming on 20 for no loss, Kieran Powell returned early but Hodge and Morton took Leewards to 94 by lunch. Even as Hodge was caught behind off Pedro Collins soon after reaching his fifty, Morton powered on. There was no further assistance in the offing and Morton made the most of two reprieves to smash eight fours en route to an unbeaten 78. On what appears to be a sluggish pitch, Morton holds Leewards’ fortunes and would do well to atleast secure the first-innings points.Persistent rain throughout the day forced the third day’s play between Trinidad & Tobago and Combined Campuses & Colleges in Montego Bay to be abandoned.

For the first time in 4671 completed ODIs, fast bowlers did not bowl a single ball in the game

Sampath Bandarupalli18-Feb-2025USA have broken the record for the lowest total successfully defended in a full men’s ODI. They beat Oman by 57 runs after scoring just 122 in their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 match in Al Amerat.The previous lowest total successfully defended in a full ODI (not reduced) was India’s 125 against Pakistan in the Rothmans Four-Nations Cup in 1985. They won that match by 38 runs in Sharjah.USA’s fixture against Oman was dominated by spin. All nine bowlers used in the game were spinners, making it the first completed men’s ODI ever – after 4671 matches – without a single ball bowled by a fast bowler.The 19 wickets that fell also equalled the record for most wickets taken in an ODI by spinners, level with a Bangladesh-Pakistan ODI in Chattogram in 2011. Nosthush Kenjige took a career-best of 5 for 11 as Oman were dismissed for 65 in 25.3 overs.USA and Oman scored a total of only 187 runs in 61 overs, the second-lowest aggregate in an ODI where both teams were dismissed. The 41-over game between India and Bangladesh in 2014 had an aggregate of 163 runs.The dominance of spinners and low totals have been a trend at Al Amerat in this tournament, especially in games involving the hosts Oman. Teams batting first have been dismissed for fewer than 170 in all eight of Oman’s matches , while the other four games had 240-plus totals.In the previous match at Al Amerat on Sunday, Oman lost eight wickets in their chase of 96 against Namibia. JJ Smit was the only fast bowler in that game who bowled an over. Three of the four men’s ODIs where spinners took 17 or more wickets have been at Al Amerat.

Australia’s captain will be further assessed ahead of the remaining T20Is and the Test

Andrew McGlashan20-Jan-2025Australia captain Alyssa Healy is a significant doubt for the remainder of the Ashes series after she was ruled out of the first T20I with a “stress response” in her foot on the same side as the injury she sustained at last year’s T20 World CupIt meant that Australia were led by Tahlia McGrath in what became a convincing victory to retain the Ashes at the SCG while the top-order vacancy was filled by debutant Georgia Voll and Beth Mooney will keep wicket.”As you can imagine, she’s pretty flat,” Mooney said. “She doesn’t want to miss any games for Australia and unfortunately for her, she’s missed a few in the last few months. We’ll put our arm around her, wait and see what the [medical] staff say and what the prognosis is.”But, certainly, she’s a key member of our playing group both on and off the field and we know what impact she can have to the outcome of the results on field. So, we’ll be keeping a close eye on making sure she’s okay mentally, but also doing all the right things with [the sports science sports medicine staff] well.Australia also had to contend with allrounder Ashleigh Gardner being ruled out with a calf injury. She will be assessed again ahead of the second T20I in Canberra.Related

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The injury to Healy meant that Australia pushed back announcing their squad for the day-night Test at the MCG which had been due to be named during the T20I on Monday.”Alyssa has got a stress response in her foot,” head of high performance Shawn Flegler told Fox Cricket. “We’re going to try and get a little bit more information before we make a call on her. It’s a big call for Alyssa. Test captain as well. So we’ll wait and see on what we come up with over the next 24-48 hours.””We’ve got a selector meeting tomorrow morning. We’ll see what plays out. We’re not going to rush into it. There’s still a week or so before the Test matchAfter returning from the plantar fascia injury sustained at the World Cup, Healy had her WBBL cut short by a knee problem which also meant she played as a batter only in the ODIs against New Zealand in December having missed the earlier home series against India.She returned to keeping duties for the three ODIs against England with the matches taking place in six days. The schedule is also tight for the T20I series with games in Canberra on January 23 then Adelaide on January 25.Even if Healy is able to play a part in either of those, there will be major questions over whether she can sustain the workload of a Test match, especially as a wicketkeeper.Depending on the prognosis for Healy, her participation in the WPL and the T20I tour of New Zealand in late March could also be in doubt.