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Both sides have relied on their bowlers to do the heavylifting in IPL 2022 so far

Himanshu Agrawal14-Apr-20221:52

Are KKR over-reliant on Umesh the powerplay star?

Big picture

Have Sunrisers Hyderabad arrested their slide just at the right time? After going winless in their first two matches, they hit back with successive eight-wicket wins: against Chennai Super Kings and then against Gujarat Titans, who were consigned to their first defeat following three consecutive victories to begin the season.

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For Sunrisers, there was the encouragement of their top four contributing in both victories: Abhishek Sharma hit 75 and 42, Kane Williamson scored 32 and 57, Rahul Tripathi played a commanding cameo against Super Kings and Nicholas Pooran made a rapid 34 not out against Titans. But amidst those positives emerged concerns, too: Washington Sundar was ruled out of their upcoming two matches through a split webbing, and their misfiring middle order went untested in back-to-back games.Related

• Varun Chakravarthy working on a 'new legspin variation'

• Washington likely to miss at least two games due to hand injury

Their bowling has been quietly effective, with T Natarajan leading the way with eight wickets, and Sundar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar being economical alongside their occasional strikes. But how do Sunrisers find a way to balance their side without Sundar?Although second-placed on the table, their opponents Kolkata Knight Riders will want more from their batters. The most runs that anyone from their line-up has scored in five matches is Andre Russell with 130, 70 of which came in a single innings. Venkatesh Iyer has only one score above 20, Shreyas Iyer has crossed 30 only once, Sam Billings has failed to fire, Ajinkya Rahane has scored only 80 runs at a strike rate of exactly 100 despite opening each time, and Nitish Rana, too, is yet to get going.Although Knight Riders have won three matches – all of them while chasing – they once had to be bailed out by Pat Cummins’ remarkable 56 not out from 15 balls in pursuit of 162 against Mumbai Indians.On the contrary – and much like Sunrisers – they have answered the call with the ball. Umesh Yadav has ten wickets in five matches and has twice delivered Player-of-the-Match performances, while Sunrisers’ line-up will be wary of a miserly bowling combination which boasts economy rates of 4.85 for Sunil Narine, 6.60 for Umesh, 7 for Tim Southee and 7.30 for Varun Chakravarthy, who is banking on a new variation to turn around a lukewarm start to his IPL season.

In the news

Billings, who was down with an illness over the past few days, is available for selection, but it remains to be seen if he makes the XI with Aaron Finch also now present and good to go.Tripathi retired out in the run chase against Titans, with coach Tom Moody confirming that it was only cramps rather than a serious injury. His last two scores read 39 not out from 15 balls and an unbeaten 17 from 11. With Sundar unavailable, Sunrisers will be hoping Tripathi, their No. 3, isn’t forced to miss out just when he seems to be peaking.

Likely XIs

Sunrisers have allrounder Shreyas Gopal, left-arm spinner J Suchith and part-time legspinner Abdul Samad as options in place of Sundar. Gopal’s all-round skills make him the favourite, a potential like-for-like replacement.Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Kane Williamson (capt), 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Shreyas Gopal, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Marco Jansen, 10 Umran Malik, 11 T NatarajanAaron Finch for Rahane is one way Knight Riders can look to resolve their top-order problem, while Sheldon Jackson, who was benched after the first two games, is an option to replace an unconvincing Billings.Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Ajinkya Rahane/Aaron Finch, 2 Venkatesh Iyer, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Sam Billings/Sheldon Jackson (wk), 5 Nitish Rana, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Pat Cummins, 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Rasikh Salam, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Varun Chakravarthy

Strategy punt

• Williamson is yet to be dismissed by Cummins and Narine in all T20 cricket, and has fallen just once to Umesh, against whom he has a strike rate of 197. But then, Williamson has a strike rate of only 81 against Narine, while his opening partner, Abhishek Sharma, has faced only six balls from the mystery spinner. These trends make for a case for Knight Riders to give Narine the new ball despite him having bowled only one over in the powerplay this season.
• Sunrisers’ experienced new-ball bowler Bhuvneshwar has kept a tight lid on Finch and Shreyas, both of whom could feature in Knight Riders’ top three. Having bowled 53 balls in 12 T20s to Finch, Bhuvneshwar has restricted his strike rate to 85; Shreyas also has the same strike rate against him, in 48 deliveries. Venkatesh, too, has managed just three runs off the seven balls he has faced off Bhuvneshwar, although without being dismissed. Considering Knight Riders’ opening stand hasn’t crossed 21 over the last four matches, Bhuvneshwar can exploit that weakness.

Stats that matter

• The last time Sunrisers beat Knight Riders in the IPL was in 2019, hunting down 160 with five overs and nine wickets in hand.
• If picked, Knight Riders will be the ninth IPL team Finch will have represented. The most sides that any other player has played for is six.
• Sunrisers have bowled only 18 overs of spin thus far in the season, the lowest for any team. Mumbai Indians have also used spinners sparingly – just 18.3 overs.
• With a strike rate of 99, Rahane and Venkatesh have been the slowest opening pair this IPL (min. three innings opening together).

Ian Botham has hailed Ben Stokes’ “enormous potential” and suggested he may be a better player than he was at the same age

George Dobell08-Jan-2016Ian Botham has hailed Ben Stokes’ “enormous potential” and suggested he may be a better player than he was at the same age.Stokes broke Botham’s record for the quickest Test double-century by an England player in the game at Cape Town – a moment Botham compared to his exploits in the Headingley Ashes Test of 1981 – and, despite being the youngest member of the squad, has quickly emerged as a key figure in a developing side.In statistical terms, the 24-year-old Stokes has some way to go to match Botham. By the time Botham was 25, he had scored six Test centuries (Stokes currently has three), claimed 14 five-wicket hauls (to Stokes’ two) and was captain of the side.But such comparisons are unnecessary. In terms of the aggressive role he plays with the bat and the balance he lends the side by virtue of his all-round skills, there are obvious similarities between the two. Botham recognises that and sees in Stokes a kindred spirit who will be at the centre of every plan England make for much of the next decade.

Botham on…

Nick Compton
“He’s going to have to find a balance. He was left out in the first place as he had no change of tempo. There’s not a lot of point being out there for 70 balls for 15 runs. Tavare, Boycott and Brearley all scored faster than that.”
England’s rise
“This is the most exciting England team since they were world No. 1. England are an emerging side and they will progress quite quickly. They will be competing by the end of this calendar year for No. 1 status. They might not actually be No. 1 because of the way the fixtures work, but they will be up there and ringing the door bell.”
Hashim Amla
“I like his timing. He said captaincy was hurting his batting. But he went out there and showed what character he has by getting 200. If it was hurting his batting before, then God help us now.”

“As a player, he’s probably better than I was at 24,” Botham said. “What I did was yesterday’s news, what he did is today’s news.”He is not a jack of all trades and master of none. He is actually probably master of the three most important assets you need: batting, bowling and fielding.”His bowling can only get better. He has all the attributes: he has pace; he can swing the ball; he can reverse it; he can bowl orthodox. And he is terrific fielder close to the bat, in the covers or midwicket, backward point, on the boundary.”Certainly Botham holds no resentment in losing a record to Stokes. He already feels Stokes is a better player than Andrew Flintoff (who scored five Test centuries and claimed three five-wicket hauls in his career) at a comparable stage – “he’ll take more five-fors” – and suggests that Stokes should be allowed to play his natural game without complication or impediment.”I held that record for 33 years, so it was about time it got broken,” Botham said. “I enjoyed watching Ben Stokes. I have been a massive fan of his since I first saw him on the international scene. I think he has got tremendous, enormous potential to go all the way.”That was one of those moments when you can just say ‘I was there’. When you think back to Headingley ’81, I know there were only about 10,000 people in the ground but I have met three-and-a-half million who say they were. Well, I was there for Ben Stokes.”It was fun. And Ben Stokes will be enjoying it as well. He’ll see it as fun as well. You walk out and you empty the bars rather then fill them and it’s a nice feeling. Then you get out and you see them all going back in for a beer and you think ‘sorry, lads: can’t do it every day.’ And he can’t do it every day, either. That’s what people have to remember. You have to give him the right to fail.”Just let him go. Mike Brearley did absolutely the same with me. There was no leash in any way.”I didn’t think too much. There is too much thinking about the game, too much analysis, looking at computers. I don’t need to look at a computer to know I’ve played a **** shot. It’s not that hard.”But he is crucial to Alastair Cook’s selection policy. If he’s playing, then Cook actually has an option of two other players in his mind. He is the genuine article.”Ben Stokes broke Ian Botham’s record for the fastest double-hundred by an England player•Getty Images

Botham also believes that Jonny Bairstow’s maiden century at Cape Town will give him the confidence to settle into the side and improve his wicketkeeping.”I think Jonny Bairstow offers a lot to English cricket,” he said. “I have always been a fan of his. He was a rough diamond three years ago but you knew those skills were there.”He only put one down one chance and it wasn’t easy. He also had the first stumping for three years by an English keeper in Durban. I think there are more pluses than negatives. He works very hard at his game and he will only get better. I genuinely think he is good enough.”

Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford has maintained that he will leave the job when his contract expires in January, despite Sri Lanka Cricket urging him on Friday to do so otherwise

Andrew Fidel Fernando18-Sep-2013Sri Lanka Cricket will begin its search for a new national coach, after Graham Ford maintained that he will walk away from the job when his contract expires in January.Ford had indicated last week to the board he would not be renewing his contract, but SLC asked him to reconsider that decision on Friday, even suggesting changes to his working conditions, that might make the job more agreeable to him. Ford has not changed his mind however, after having consulted with his family, whom he cites as the reason for leaving the job.”The National Coach has indicated to SLC of his unavailability to continue with SLC after his contract expires in January 2014,” SLC said in a statement. “He has taken this decision consequent to the discussions he had with his family on the options given by SLC.”Ford had been linked to the vacant coaching position at Surrey, and had even been approached by Surrey’s CEO, but that approach has not yet firmed into an offer. The lure of the position at Surrey is not understood to have influenced Ford’s decision to leave the Sri Lanka job.Ford took over for two years after Geoff Marsh was sacked in January 2012, and has had mild success in his time with the side. Sri Lanka won their first Test series in almost three years and progressed to the final of the World Twenty20 during his tenure, but also lost a Test series 3-0 in Australia.The timing of Ford’s departure has come at an inconvenient time for Sri Lanka, who are preparing for the departure of their senior batsmen Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan. The transitioning side are now set to have only one year with a new head coach before the 2015 World Cup.

BCCI president N Srinivasan has agreed to call for a working committee meeting next week to discuss the corruption issues plaguing the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2013BCCI president N Srinivasan has agreed to call for a working committee meeting next week to discuss the corruption issues plaguing the IPL, following the arrest of Gurunath Meiyappan, his son-in-law and a top official of the Chennai Super Kings. The date of the meeting is yet to be confirmed. It was initially planned for the next weekend but following the resignations of the BCCI secretary and treasurer on Friday, ESPNcricinfo understands it is now likely to be held mid-week, “either Tuesday or Wednesday.”On Friday, Anurag Thakur, the president of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association and a BJP member of parliament, had joined the chorus of BCCI officials asking for a meeting to deal with the problems facing Indian cricket after the arrests of three Rajasthan Royals players on charges of spot-fixing and Gurunath on charges of betting. Thakur had not yet spoken out on the issue until today.”We are talking to various members of the board and I have spoken to the president to convene a meeting and discuss all these issues in the meeting,” Thakur, who is also a joint-secretary of the BCCI, had said. “I think it’s very important to convene a meeting, I have spoken to the president and the secretary asking them to convene a meeting and I think they will convene a meeting over the next few days.”I have spoken to Mr Ajay Shirke (BCCI treasurer), he is also keen to have a meeting. Let there be a meeting where everyone can come and speak their opinion.” Thakur’s comments came a day after Shirke said he would consider resigning as BCCI treasurer because of the manner in which the board had handled the corruption scandal.Earlier today, Sachin Tendulkar broke his silence via a statement, saying he was shocked and disappointed by the developments in Indian cricket over the last fortnight.ESPNcricinfo understands that senior BCCI officials have been in constant discussion with Srinivasan, asking him to step aside from his office as board president until the three-man commission completes its inquiry into his son-in-law Gurunath, the Super Kings owners India Cements and the owners of Rajasthan Royals. Srinivasan, however, had paid no heed to their advice.The working committee does not have constitutional authority to ask the president to step down. What it can do, however, is pass the resolution calling for a special general body meeting and, with that, set in motion the procedure required for the impeachment of the BCCI president.It would require ten BCCI members to send out written requests before the special general body meeting commences in order to begin impeachment proceedings against the president.The working committee, which is responsible for the board’s functioning, constitutes of 24 members at the moment. Besides the nine office-bearers, it includes a representative from each of the five permanent Test centres, another representative from an association from the five zones by rotation, and those from the affiliated units who have hosted a Test match in the last two years.*14.00GMT May 31: This article has been updated after news of the BCCI calling for a working committee meeting came in

Tim Bresnan took 4 for 41 on his first outing since elbow surgery but Phil Mustard’s breezy 70 prevented Yorkshire taking full control

David Hopps at Chester-le-Street24-Apr-2013
ScorecardTim Bresnan celebrates the first of his four wickets on his first-class return from injury•Getty Images

The anticipation of an Ashes series can exhaust you before it has even begun. It is ten weeks before the first ball is bowled at Trent Bridge and already it is discussed on a daily basis. For Tim Bresnan, though, the attempt to force himself into Ashes contention really did start here. It has to be said it started rather well.After a second elbow operation in the close season, Bresnan’s opening first-class match of the season carried special significance. He spent much of his last year with England below par and needs to prove in the weeks ahead that injury will not reduce his impact for good; that – in his own words – he can bowl with beans again.Durham, as vulnerable as any batting side in the top division, were an appealing prospect so early in the season. As if to quicken Bresnan’s anticipation further, Australia had just named their Ashes squad. The announcement seems rather premature but presumably these days they have to allow several weeks to plan their way through Border Control.Bresnan sniffed the wind, muscled his way into the crease and, with his first Championship delivery of the season, sent Keaton Jennings’ off stump flying. It was some comeback and, as he leapt high into the air, some celebration. Figures of 4 for 47 as Durham’s first innings came to rest at 237 represented an impressive start. At the end of it all, the only possible conclusion was that he was in the category of ‘has beans’ rather than ‘has-beens’.”I had full beans,” he agreed. “No pain, decent rhythm. It felt good. That’s as close to 100 per cent as I’m probably going to get. I’m ready for England – I’ve just got to get my name on the sheet. It’s always nice conditions to bowl up here. There was a bit in the wicket and we were quite surprised when they batted.”Jennings is a 20-year-old South African, but his mother was born just up the road in Sunderland and in these parts that makes him local. His father is Ray Jennings, a former South Africa coach with a reputation as a bit of a stickler. If Keaton does not break his run of failures soon, Dad could be on the phone and it might not be pretty.Will Smith’s wicket was borne of desperation. Smith had added 86 with Dale Benkenstein and Bresnan felt he had suffered enough playing and missing for one day. He decided to bowl a bouncer and see what happened; Smith obligingly hooked it to Ryan Sidebottom at long leg. The wickets came in a rush, five within 10 overs with Bresnan removing Ben Stokes and Paul Collingwood for ducks.Not that it was an entirely satisfying day for Yorkshire. When the first day closed with Graham Onions’ successful lbw appeal, and the dismissal of Yorkshire’s captain Andrew Gale, Durham had three down for 57. A running mix-up had also cost Yorkshire the wicket of Phil Jaques as Onions, with one stump to aim at, threw down the wicket off his own bowling.When Durham were 112 for 7, Yorkshire had reason to expect something better, but while Bresnan, Ryan Sidebottom and Steve Patterson went for two runs an over, Liam Plunkett and Adil Rashid disappeared for more than six. Durham’s last three wickets added 125, with Phil Mustard hitting about him with a hearty glow before he was last out for 70. He clumped Bresnan over mid-on to bring up 200, he clumped Patterson in similar fashion for his fifty; he likes a clump more than most.Yorkshire will picture their seam attack without Bresnan in midsummer and feel a little queasy. Plunkett can most kindly be regarded as a work in progress. He can bowl a killer ball, as he underlined when he had Scott Borthwick lbw with the first ball of his second spell, but his return to his old Chester-le-Street stamping ground was not a happy one. His ten overs leaked 67 runs and Mustard at one stage took three boundaries from four balls. The triumphant homecoming will have to wait.

New Zealand Under-19 beat Papua New Guinea Under-19 by 133 runs in Darwin, thanks to the efforts of Ken McClure and Alec Hodgson

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2013
ScorecardKen McClure and Alec Hodgson starred in New Zealand’s victory over Papua New Guinea in their exhibition match in Darwin. Electing to field, Papua New Guinea made early inroads as New Zealand stuttered to 59 for 5, with Kabua Morea doing most of the damage, picking three of the top six batsmen. McClure and Hodgson consolidated to put on a 139-run partnership to steer New Zealand to a competitive 259 for 9. Morea picked up Hodgson for 71 to finish with 4 for 44.Papua New Guinea got off to a poor start, losing opener Raho Sam for a duck in the first over. A 45-run partnership for the second wicket between Kiplin Doriga and Dogodo Bau offered some stability, but New Zealand made regular strikes through the middle overs. With only two batsmen going past 20, Papua New Guinea were unable to build significant partnerships. Hodgson also picked up 3 for 17 in his six overs and Kurtley Watson and Leo Carter picked up two wickets each as Papua New Guinea were ultimately routed for 126 in the 38th over.

There are different ways to react to setbacks. Some players, like Adil Rashid, resort to bemoaning their lot in public. And some, like Toby Roland-Jones, let their performances do the talking

George Dobell at Trent Bridge10-Apr-2013
ScorecardToby Roland-Jones claimed career-best figures on the first day of the Championship season•Getty Images

There are different ways to react to setbacks. Some players, like Adil Rashid, resort to bemoaning their lot in public. And some, like Toby Roland-Jones, let their performances do the talking.Roland-Jones could have been forgiven for feeling a little sorry for himself of late. After an excellent 2012 campaign for Middlesex in which he claimed 64 first-class wickets (only Graham Onions and Chris Wright took more), he endured a disappointing Lions tour to Australia, was omitted from England’s Performance Squad for this season and then found that he had been relegated to first-change bowler for his county at the start of this match.He produced the most eloquent of reactions. Bowling with pace, skill and consistency, he claimed career-best figures of 6-63 to give his side a slim advantage in a good-quality fixture that may turn out to have quite a bearing on the Championship season. By the end of the day he had been reinstated as a new-ball bowler.There is an innate modesty in Roland-Jones. Reacting to his performance at the close of play, he insisted it was “not about making statements” and accepted that Middlesex’s new signing and the man preferred to him with the new ball, James Harris, had “staggering statistics” in his career to date.But if Harris’ figures (aged 22, he has a more-than-respectable first-class bowling average of 27.78 and a strike-rate of 52.20 ) are staggering, Roland-Jones’ are exceptional. In his 32nd first-class game, the 25-year-old has an average of just 20.33 and a strike-rate of 37.90. It may be too small a sample size to draw too many conclusions, but those are unusually fine figures. The sort of figures generally reserved for bowlers on the brink of international careers. Stuart Broad, watching on from the pavilion for part of the day, might have felt just a little uncomfortable.Here Roland-Jones gained bounce, swing and generated decent pace. While not all of his wickets came from great deliveries – Ed Cowan flicked one off his pads to square leg and Samit Patel edged one down the leg side – they were, perhaps, the indirect reward for sustained spells of pressure. Certainly he looked the most dangerous and the quickest of the Middlesex attack and produced several deliveries that bounced and left the batsmen sharply that might, on another day, have taken wickets.But there will be some frustration within the Nottinghamshire dressing room. Having been put in on a green pitch that offered decent pace and carry, they battled hard to establish a decent platform only to surrender their wickets a little too softly for their own satisfaction. Certainly at 158 for 3 and 204 for 4, they were looking at a total in excess of 300.While Alex Hales, fencing just a little at one he could have left on length, could console himself in the knowledge he had received a fine delivery, several of his colleagues were more culpable. James Taylor, having resisted a fine seam attack stoically for the best part of four hours, squandered his foundations by trying to turn a ball from a support bowler outside off stump through mid-wicket and, consequently unable to cope with the away movement, spooned a catch off the bottom of the bat to gully. Riki Wessels, run out attempting a third, was no more innocent. To compound their errors, they both fell shortly before the second new ball was due thereby exposing new batsmen to the toughest conditions.The most assured batting of the day came from Cowan. The Australian, almost certain to be back on this ground for the first Test of the Ashes series in three months, showed he had the technique and temperament to shine in such conditions with an assured half-century. Cowan hit his first three balls for four – two delightful covers drives and a steer to third man – and raced to his half-century off only 60 balls. Taylor, by contrast, took 146 balls over his.Cowan showed excellent judgement over which balls to leave, was impressively quick to come forward to nullify the swing and utilised the remarkably short boundary on one side of the ground to put away the poor ball without fuss. He has previously represented Oxford MCCU and, last summer, scored a century on first-class debut for Gloucestershire. You might say he has done his homework on how to bat in English conditions.He insisted, however, that preparing for the Ashes was not his “primary motivation” for coming to Nottinghamshire. Instead he said it was more about embracing the experience of playing for a fine side at an excellent ground – “I’d gladly play here every day for the rest of my career” – but admitted it would be “a bonus” if he could go into the Ashes with “some runs on the board”.”Maybe I should have walked off after those first three balls,” he said with a smile afterwards. “I could only go downhill from there. But it’s a fantastic cricket wicket. We had a good day, but we probably left a few runs in the bank. We had a lot of starts.”Spare a thought for Michael Lumb, though. He had no start at all. Had Lumb had his way, he, along with Hales and Patel, might be at the IPL now, earning a fortune and enjoying the heat and glamour. Instead he is licking his wounds after being given out lbw first ball despite replays suggesting there was a fair bit of bat on the ball before it hit the pad. Cricket can be a cruel game.Still, he may have been pleasantly surprised by the attendance at Trent Bridge: 1334 – of which 1067 were members – braved the chilly weather to watch this match. It may not compare favourably with attendances at the IPL, but it was a reminder that reports of county cricket’s demise are, as ever, some way wide of the mark.

ESPNcricinfo previews the second Test between India and Australia, in Hyderabad

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran01-Mar-2013

Match facts

March 2-6, Hyderabad
Start time 9.30am (0400GMT)Will Michael Clarke once again be Australia’s second spinner, or will Nathan Lyon have more back-up?•BCCI

Big Picture

The clinical victory in Chennai marked a job well begun by India, but MS Dhoni’s side won’t be too thrilled yet, having lost the previous series against England despite taking a 1-0 lead. England’s fortunes turned with the inclusion of the extra spinner in Monty Panesar for the second Test in Mumbai, and Australia’s team management have also been pondering whether to switch to a two-spinner policy, which has historically not worked too well for them in India.What could prompt Australia to stick to their pace-heavy line-up will be that left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty’s Test credentials aren’t in the same league as Panesar ‘s, evidenced by an unflattering first-class average of 44.56.India, too, have been wondering about an additional tweaker, though in their case it will expand their spin trio to a quartet. Pragyan Ojha, the left-arm spinner, was perhaps India’s best bowler in the series defeat to England but was surprisingly left out in the first Test. India’s quicks had little to do in Chennai, and Ojha could take one of their places.Though Ojha is the latest in a long line of Hyderabad players to have played Tests for India, the city has not been a traditional venue for Test cricket, having only hosted three matches till 2009. Tests returned to Hyderabad in 2010 at the new Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, and the Australia match will be the third in Hyderabad in three years. It is the only Indian stadium to get two Tests this season, benefitting after the Australians complained about the facilities in the original host city, Kanpur. Briefly there were concerns that the match might be moved out of Hyderabad as well, after powerful bomb blasts hit the city just over a week ago. Security has been tightened before the match, with two units of an elite anti-terror squad deployed, and 60 CCTVs being used to monitor the stadium and surroundings.

Form guide

India WDLLW (Last five matches, most recent first)
Australia LWWWL

Watch out for…

In Chennai, James Pattinson once again showed why he’s rated so highly by Australia’s team management, bowling with ferocious pace to fluster India’s batsmen and finishing comfortably the best of the Australia’s fast bowlers. Pattinson has a tendency to break down, though, and was used only in two short bursts of three overs each early in the first innings. Can his body handle the intensity of back-to-back Tests?Pattinson dismissed the opener M Vijay cheaply in both innings. The Chennai Test was Vijay’s first chance in more than 18 months, and failure in the second Test could relegate him to the sidelines again. With Gautam Gambhir out of the squad, runs in Hyderabad might open the way to a long run in the side for Vijay. He didn’t have the best of Ranji seasons – making only 138 at 17.25 in five matches – but will be hoping to capture the form that brought him centuries in both Irani Cup (a first-class Indian domestic match, which pits the Ranji champions against a Rest of India side) games this season.

Teams news

After the Chennai victory, MS Dhoni had talked about India having found a ‘settled’ side, indicating that there aren’t likely to be too many changes. The only decision the team management will have to make is whether to bring in Ojha, and if so, at whose expense.India: (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 M Vijay, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Virat Kohli, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 and 11 Bhuvneshwar Kumar/ Ishant Sharma/Pragyan OjhaUnlike Chennai, where Australia confidently announced their XI well before the match, they have yet to name their team for Hyderabad. The batting is unlikely to change, unless keeper Matthew Wade (who was hit on the cheek during Friday’s practice session) is forced to sit out*. If Wade does miss out, Phillip Hughes is likely to take over wicketkeeping duties with batsman Usman Khawaja slotting in. David Warner, who suffered a bout of gastro in Chennai, is fully fit Clarke said on the eve of the Test.Australia: (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Ed Cowan, 3 Phillip Hughes, 4 Shane Watson, 5 Michael Clarke (capt), 6 Matthew Wade (wk)/Usman Khawaja, 7 Moises Henriques, 8 Peter Siddle, 9 Mitchell Starc/Mitchell Johnson/Xavier Doherty, 10 James Pattinson, 11 Nathan Lyon

Pitch and conditions

It will be hotter in Hyderabad than in Chennai, with the temperature predicted to be around 35C in the afternoons. There is no rain forecast over the next week. The pitch is expected to provide help for the spinners, though it should have more in it for the quick bowlers than the turner in Chennai as it is a harder surface.

Stats and trivia

• In his previous innings, Dhoni moved into the top 10 among six-hitters in Test cricket, going past Kevin Pietersen. He has cleared the ropes 75 times in Tests, and needs 26 more to break the all-time record held by Adam Gilchrist
• Peter Siddle’s bowling strike-rate of 41.6 is the best by an Australian against India

Quotes

“When you go onto a ground, you have a good feeling if you have done well before over there … [you have] a good positive mindset.”

14.00GMT, March 1: Australia’s team news was updated following their practice session on Friday.

Keegan Meth has resolved to play through the pain as he battles a right knee injury in a bid to ensure Zimbabwe win the series against Bangladesh

Firdose Moonda in Harare26-Apr-2013Keegan Meth has resolved to play through the pain as he battles a right knee injury in a bid to ensure Zimbabwe win the series against Bangladesh. The swing bowler left the field after delivering six overs on the second morning, which was a significant effort under the circumstances.”I could barely walk last night but I managed to get through it this morning,” Meth said. “It’s a problem with the patella (knee-cap) and I’ve taken a painkiller injection and sorted out most of the inflammation because there was a quite a bit. I’ve had the injury before and this seems to be a recurrence of it. It didn’t last too long the last time I had it so hopefully it will come right.”Meth has bowled long spells throughout the series, including a nine-over one on the first day and thinks that may have exacerbated his condition. “Bowling a lot of overs does put a lot of stress on it and that seems to have triggered it off again,” he said.It may limit his movement somewhat, but the niggle will not alter his resolve. Meth has vowed to bowl as much as he is needed and bat in his regular position because of his desire to do well in the longest format. “There is not a lot of Test cricket to come after this, so it’s just a case of getting through it,” he said.Zimbabwe play Bangladesh in three ODIs and two Twenty20s in this series but do not play another Test until August against Sri Lanka. Meth, who is only in his second Test, has impressed with his ability to move the ball both ways.In this match, he has also had to play a leading role as his seam-bowling partner Kyle Jarvis looked off colour, and it was one he embraced and blossomed in. “I know my role pretty well which is to try and take wickets upfront and hold up an end later on. With Kyle not hitting his areas, it puts a bit more pressure on the other guys,” he said.

Shakib Al Hasan on Bangladesh

After taking three early wickets, Bangladesh were in a position to dominate Zimbabwe and even though they let them get away, they still hold the upper-hand. “We had a very good start with the ball. One more wicket would have been better but we’ll take it. We need to keep up the pressure and bowl well tomorrow,” Shakib said.
They will rely heavily on their pace spearhead Robiul Islam to inflict more damage on Zimbabwe. “He is doing really well. He has improved a lot since the last time we were here. He has been consistent, so that is the main thing,” Shakib said.
“Bowlers have to work hard to get wickets on this track and our fielders need to take catches. We need to be patient enough and create lots of pressure. To win the game we need to do the basics right. The first session is very crucial. If we take early wickets, we will be on top but then we need to continue the good performance.”

Zimbabwe conceded 41 runs more than they were hoping to on the second morning, after struggling to make inroads on the first day. They found themselves further disadvantaged by their batting blunders but two half-century partnerships, one of which is still on-going, put them back on track but they are still chasing the game.”We’re behind the game at the moment and we understand that,” Meth said. “But that’s one of the reasons we’ve picked four allrounders in the side – so that we bat quite deep. It was good to see a bit of counter-attack by our batsmen so I wouldn’t say we are out of it. The first thing we have to do is pass the follow-on.”Thirty-four runs separate them from the follow-on target but even if they get there, Bangladesh will still aim for a big first-innings lead. Meth hopes the batsmen will be able to “take time out of the game,” but emphasised that whatever happens, the bowlers will have a lot of work in the next innings.”We know they will put themselves in a position to win and by doing that, we might have the chance to knock them over. With these guys, we know if they are not scoring, rash shots will come. If we are taking wickets, we could put ourselves in a position to win.”If they can set themselves up like that, Meth advises emulating from Bangladesh’s leading wicket-taker Robiul Islam. “He has found his rhythm and what we can learn from is that he has hit the right areas. He has found a very good length and he hasn’t let the guys settle down,” Meth said.

He is the first member of the overseas contingent to test positive in the 2021 IPL

Nagraj Gollapudi05-May-2021Chennai Super Kings’ batting coach Mike Hussey has become the latest member in the IPL 2021 bubble to test positive for Covid-19. ESPNcricinfo understands that Hussey reported “borderline” symptoms, and will now stay in isolation for ten days at the team hotel in Delhi.Hussey is the first member of the overseas contingent to test positive in the 2021 IPL – his test came out positive on Tuesday, but the franchise conducted another test to confirm the results.With Hussey having to serve his isolation period, he won’t be able to join the rest of the Australians, at least to begin with, when they relocate to either the Maldives or Sri Lanka in the coming days under a plan being put together between Cricket Australia and the BCCI. Australia’s borders are currently closed to anyone who has been in India in the last few weeks.”We’ve spoken to Mike today. He is in good spirits,” Todd Greenberg, the chief executive of the Australian Cricketers’ Association, said. “His symptoms are relatively mild. He is in a stint of isolation in his hotel room…he has good support systems around him.”Related

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Hussey is the third person from the Super Kings contingent to test positive after the Super Kings’ bowling coach L Balaji and a member of the franchise’s service staff. It is understood that Hussey was Balaji’s partner on the team bus. On Monday, the entire Super Kings contingent went into a week-long isolation, in accordance with the IPL’s medical guidelines.On Tuesday, the IPL decided to postpone Wednesday’s scheduled match between the Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals. The 2021 IPL was postponed shortly after.Apart from the Super Kings, there have been positive tests from at least three other franchises. From the Kolkata Knight Riders, mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and seam bowler Sandeep Warrier tested positive, forcing their match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on May 3 to be rescheduled.The Sunrisers Hyderabad wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha and the Delhi Capitals’ legspinner Amit Mishra also tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday.