Pakistan registered their first series win in Sri Lanka in nine years through yet another ruthless performance

The Report by Sidharth Monga22-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
1:18

Series win in SL after nine years

For the third time in the series Pakistan denied those expecting drama and nerves and inexplicable events normally associated with Pakistan cricket. They first refused to let Sri Lanka get away despite a seemingly effortless 100-run second-wicket stand and dragged them down to 256, and then Ahmed Shehzad followed it with a ruthless chase of a target that could have been tricky on a dry turning surface. This was their first bilateral series win in Sri Lanka in nine years, and took them closer to Champions Trophy qualification.In fact even in the second match – the one that they lost – Pakistan were predictable and excellent. They just came up against individual brilliance of the Pakistani kind, and even after that record fastest fifty by Kusal Perera Pakistan fought to make sure it was not a cakewalk for Sri Lanka. There was no such out-of-the-world brilliance from Sri Lanka this time, but Pakistan retained that tenacity even though Lahiru Thirimanne and Tillakaratne Dilshan seemed in control scoring half-centuries after Perera fell for a duck. The fielders cut out the singles, the spinners choked supply of easy runs, the quicks struck to cash in on the pressure, and Sri Lanka went from 170 for 3 to score only 86 in the last 14 overs.As a comparison, in the next 14 overs there was enough evidence Pakistan were going to cruise through the chase. Sri Lanka finally went to using Lasith Malinga as an attacking option, but Azhar Ali and Shehzad took his first three overs for 20. When it seemed like pace on ball was flying, Sri Lanka went to spin only to see Shehzad jump out of the crease and belt Sachith Pathirana back over his head first ball for a six. Nuwan Pradeep injured himself, Suranga Lakmal looked ineffective, and already Malinga was back for a second spell. Malinga provided a breakthrough, but then had Shehzad edge through vacant slip and then through the hands of slip for successive fours. All in the first 14 overs.With his side 92 for 1 in the first 14, Mohammad Hafeez could now afford to take his time settling in. He also blunted out Malinga as he exhausted his nine overs in the first 20, looking desperately for a breakthrough. In Malinga’s ninth, Shehzad suggested it wouldn’t have made a difference had Malinga many more left in his bag. He whipped him for successive fours to reach 71, and Pakistan were now 116 for 1 in 20 overs.Let down by spinners, missing in-form attacking bowlers, Sri Lanka threw other options at Pakistan, but there were no batsmen willing to oblige those looking for what has in the last 10 or so years become inevitable drama with Pakistan matches. Shehzad and Hafeez batted with authority. While Hafeez accelerated from 7 off 24 to the eventual 70 off 88, Shehzad never really slowed down. The only regret for Pakistan will be that a rare moment of fielding brilliance – diving-forward catch by Perera at third man – from Sri Lanka resulted in Shehzad’s falling five short of a hundred.Fielding brilliance was plentiful when Pakistan were in the field. From the time left-arm spinner Imad Wasim, playing only his second match, combined an arm ball with low bounce to remove Dilshan at 109 for 2 in the 23rd over, the fielders and the spinners circled around Sri Lanka. Often six men stayed inside the circle, and the spinners ran through their overs, building pressure dot by dot. Between them the three spinners – Yasir Shah, Wasim and Shoaib Malik – conceded just 108 in 24 overs.The first victim of the pressure was Mathews. Shah had been negotiated well by Dilshan and Thirimanne, but Mathews found it tough to face Wasim and Malik. With no easy singles on offer, Pakistan kept daring Mathews to take the risk. Nineteen runs came in Mathews’ first 5.3 overs at the wicket, and when he looked to break the shackles he hit Rahat Ali – in his first over back – straight to mid-off.Dinesh Chandimal, seemingly thanks to instructions from the dressing room, sought to avoid a similar fate – Mathews scored 12 off 23 – and went on a hitting spree. He tried one ambitious shot too many, getting out to Mohammad Irfan for 20 off 21. Amid all this Thirimanne went on smoothly, driving and late-cutting his way towards a hundred. Now, though, with an inexperienced lower middle order with him Thirimanne had to make a decision: stay the anchorman and bat till the 50th over or hit a few shots to take some pressure off the youngsters.Thirimanne went for the latter. When he first tried the big sweep off Shah, he was dropped by Ahmed Shehzad at deep square leg, a catch he somehow went on to claim. An over later Thirmanne provided both Shah and Shehzad the redemption, trying another big sweep, mis-hitting it, and watching Shehzad fly to his left. An innings that had looked solid for a long time had slowly but surely disintegrated, setting Pakistan a target that would be hunted down with 9.1 overs to spare.

India opener Shikhar Dhawan has been named captain of the A squad to play a three-day match against Bangladesh A in September

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-20153:07

Kalra: Jadeja not forgotten yet

India opener Shikhar Dhawan has been named captain of the A squad to play a three-day match against Bangladesh A in September. Dhawan had been ruled out of the second and third Test in Sri Lanka last month after fracturing his hand during the first Test in Galle.Varun Aaron, who lost his Test spot to Umesh Yadav after a profligate showing in Galle, will get a chance to impress in the three-day game. Ravindra Jadeja, left out of both Test and ODI sides after having been a regular not too long ago, got a big break just before the start of the home season. His selection indicated he was still part of India’s plans, and if he can have a good early season, the third spinner’s slot could be his for the taking after a lukewarm performance from Harbhajan Singh.It has been a good pre-season for the young Karnataka batsman, Karun Nair, whose most notable performance was his second-innings century to save a four-day match against South Africa A. He was named in both the three-day and one-day sqauds, and should also play the other three-day game between Bangladesh A and the Ranji Trophy champions Karnataka.Nair’s captain in the one-day side will be Delhi batsman Unmukt Chand. Suresh Raina was the only India regular in the squad, but Kedar Jadhav, Dhawal Kulkarni, Manish Pandey and Sanju Samson – all named in this squad – were part of the contingent that won all the three ODIs in Zimbabwe. Legspinner Karn Sharma, who missed out on the Zimbabwe tour because of injury, was back too.Two promising young spinners, chinaman Kuldeep Yadav and offspinner Jayant Yadav, were also handed a chance to stake claims for an international spot during a busy home season.The three one-day fixtures will be played on September 16, 18 and 20, and the three-day match from September 27 to 29. All the games will be held in Bangalore. Karnataka will play Bangladesh A from September 22 to 24 in Mysore.Three-day squad Shikhar Dhawan (capt), Abhinav Mukund, Karun Nair, Shreyas Iyer, Baba Aparajith, Naman Ojha, Jayant Yadav, Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, Shreyas Gopal, Abhimanyu Mithun, Varun Aaron, Ishwar Pandey, Sheldon JacksonOne-day squad: Unmukt Chand (capt), Mayank Agarwal, Manish Pandey, Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, Sanju Samson, Karun Nair, Kuldeep Yadav, Jayant Yadav, Karn Sharma, Rishi Dhawan, S Aravind, Dhawal Kulkarni, Rush Kalaria, Gurkeerat Singh Mann

The most pressing issue on the agenda is likely to be a decision on the two suspended teams in the IPL – Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals- and a discussion on the intricacies of the Lodha Committee’s order

Arun Venugopal08-Oct-2015The BCCI’s working committee will meet on October 18 in Mumbai, for the first time since the death of Jagmohan Dalmiya and Shashank Manohar’s subsequent election as president. The most pressing issue on the agenda is likely to be a decision on the suspended owners of two IPL teams – Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals- and a discussion on the intricacies of the Lodha Committee’s order.A BCCI official confirmed the development and said the agenda was likely to be the same as the one that had been originally chalked out for the Kolkata meeting on August 27, but that had been adjourned due to confusion over the legality of N Srinivasan’s presence.

The issues on BCCI’s plate

• Decision on the two suspended IPL franchise owners

• Fixing the date of the board’s annual general meeting

• Looking into the bottle-throwing incident in Cuttack

• Decision on moving National Cricket Academy out of Bangalore

• Formalising contracts to women cricketers

The working committee meeting will also fix a date for the board’s annual general meeting. The decks for conducting the AGM have been cleared after the Supreme Court, while dismissing BCCI’s plea seeking clarification on Srinivasan’s presence at its meetings, asked the BCCI to stick to its stand of not allowing him to attend the meetings due to his alleged conflict of interest.A working group that was set up in July to formulate guidelines for the IPL’s future conduct is also likely to submit its report at this meeting. The group comprises IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry, legal advisor Ushanath Banerjee and former India captain Sourav Ganguly.The working committee meeting, which can’t be held before October 16 with Thakur going to Dubai later this week for the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee meet, may also decide on possible action against Odisha Cricket Association regarding the bottle-throwing incident in Cuttack.There may also be clarifications made on the document seeking no conflict of interest declarations, after four BCCI members sought explanation on its scope.The working committee is also likely to confirm the finance committee’s decision to award central contracts to women cricketers, the first time India’s women players will have annual retainers. Also, there may be a discussion on whether the National Cricket Academy will be moved out of Bangalore. The NCA board had shortlisted Pune, Mohali and Dharamsala as alternative venues, but Pune has already opted out.The conundrum surrounding India’s coaching staff – another issue that was up for discussion in Kolkata – has been sorted, at least in the near future, with Ravi Shastri, Sanjay Bangar, B Arun and R Sridhar receiving extensions till the end of the World T20 in April 2016.However, the major issue that couldn’t be resolved in August was the ratification of the technical committee’s decision to introduce new points system in the Ranji Trophy and changes to the format of domestic one-day and T20 tournaments. With the Indian domestic season having begun already, all new implementations will have to wait at least another year.

Rohit Sharma became the 15th centurion in T20 internationals and India’s second after Suresh Raina but he was overshadowed by JP Duminy, who is South Africa’s leading run-scorer and second overall in the format, as he scripted a stunning series-opening vi

The Report by Firdose Moonda02-Oct-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:51

Agarkar: Tough conditions for bowlers

Rohit Sharma became the 15th centurion in T20 internationals and India’s second after Suresh Raina but he was overshadowed by JP Duminy, who is South Africa’s leading run-scorer and second overall in the format, as he scripted a stunning series-opening victory in Dharamsala. Duminy shared a 105-run fourth-wicket partnership with Farhaan Behardien to see South Africa chase down 200 for only the second time in T20Is after AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla set them up with a 77-run opening stand.India would have thought their total was safe, albeit short of what they seemed headed for at 158 for 1 with five overs to go, after R Ashwin and debutant S Aravind removed de Villiers and Faf du Plessis in successive overs adding to South Africa’s reputation for middle-order meltdowns. But the temperament of Duminy and the tactical nous which resulted in Behardien promoted to No. 5 ahead of David Miller kept South Africa in the game and took them over the line.That line would have seemed distant when Rohit and Virat Kohli were shredding the South African attack’s traditional strength – the short ball. The first one was delivered by Marchant de Lange and Rohit met it with an authoritative pull. Chris Morris and Kagiso Rabada supplied many more and Rohit relished each one of them.Not even South Africa’s banker, Imran Tahir was spared. Kohli crossed 1000th T20I runs off him with a six over deep midwicket, to become the first Indian to reach the mark. Rohit also reached a milestone – a hundred in all formats – and saved it for de Lange, who had dropped him on 24 off his own bowling, when he cleared long-off to bring up the century off 62 balls.The ball was changed after that over and it worked for South Africa’s seamers. Kohli and Rohit both mis-hit pulls and were caught near the boundary in Abbott’s next over to end their stand of 138 and put the brakes on India’s charge. South Africa kept India to just 41 runs in the final five overs to give themselves a chance with the bat.Amla immediately showed their intent to make that chance count when he clipped the first ball of the reply to the fine-leg boundary. De Villiers was not to be outdone and sent the second ball he faced over his Royal Challengers Bangalore team-mate Aravind’s head.India’s seamers did not fare much better than South Africa’s on a surface that was packed with runs and a outfield heavy with dew, and their attempts at varying lengths were unsuccessful. With what seemed like casualness, Amla and de Villiers racked up 67 runs in the Powerplay, finding the boundary off short and full balls alike.Spin was cited as being the difference between the sides and Axar Patel almost showed why. He threatened to end the opening stand, when he induced a thick edge from Amla but MS Dhoni put down a tough chance. The breakthrough came in Ashwin’s over, but not by his doing, when Amla was run-out searching for a second run.Ashwin enjoyed more success in his next over with a superb delivery to remove de Villiers, just after he had brought up a half-century with a four. De Villiers advanced on Ashwin and sent him to the deep midwicket boundary for his fifty off 31 balls but on the 32nd, Ashwin saw him coming. He held back the pace and had de Villiers in no-man’s land when the ball hit his back thigh and deflected onto the stumps.South Africa needed 107 runs off 61 balls when Duminy arrived at the crease and his task was immediately made more difficult. Aravind got his first international wicket when he bowled du Plessis with a slower ball that slanted across the South African captain as he reached for it with rooted feet and India would have thought the game was over.Duminy might have felt the same when Ashwin appealed for a stumping off him, off the fourth ball he faced, but replays showed Duminy was safe. In the next over, Axar had an lbw appeal against Duminy which looked close enough to be out but was not given. Duminy was determined to make the two chances count.He swung hard at the next ball and sent it for six to restart South Africa’s chase and Behardien, prompted by the positivity, joined the party. The pair took 30 runs off three overs and then Duminy seized the advantage with a trio of sixes off Axar’s final over. He brought the required run rate down from 13.20 to 11 per over and with four overs left, gave South Africa reason to believe.Bhuvneshwar bowled a boundary-less third over but conceded nine runs, before Duminy hit back to take six off the first ball of Mohit Sharma’s last over and ten off the first two balls of Bhuvneshar’s final one. Behardien provided the perfect foil and rotated strike confidently to put Duminy in command.Unintentionally, India ended up leaving their newest player with the most to do. Aravind had to defend 10 runs off the last over and backed himself to bowl yorkers. He got the first two in the right area but missed the length on the third. Duminy pulled it over deep midwicket to level scores and with a single off the next ball, gave South Africa the series lead.

Bangladesh batsman Soumya Sarkar has been ruled out of the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe with a strain on his left side

Mohammad Isam05-Nov-2015Bangladesh batsman Soumya Sarkar has been ruled out of the three ODIs and two T20s against Zimbabwe with a strain on his left side. He has been replaced by Imrul Kayes for the first two ODIs after Sarkar’s MRI report on Thursday confirmed that he would be out for around two weeks.During Tuesday’s training session at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Sarkar overstretched his left side during a bowling stint in the nets. He immediately withdrew from training and also didn’t bat on Wednesday despite planning to do so.”Such injuries take around 2 to 3 weeks to heal and therefore he will miss the matches against Zimbabwe,” BCB’s senior physician Dr Debashis Chowdhury said. “He will begin his rehab under the BCB’s medical team as soon as the pain subsides.”Since making his ODI debut in December last year, Soumya has been a regular in the Bangladesh side throughout 2015, during which he became the team’s highest scorer in ODIs with 672 runs.His replacement Kayes last played an ODI during this year’s World Cup but he has been consistent in Tests, becoming the highest scorer in the format for Bangladesh this year with 384 runs at an average of 54.85.”It is a huge opportunity for me,” Imrul said. “I haven’t played ODIs since the World Cup. I have been in decent touch since the NCL started in September. I have worked on a few things and I have made some tactical changes to my batting.”I hope to do something good from this chance. I think my Test form will help me in ODIs. Scoring runs in international cricket, regardless of the format, gives a player confidence.”Imrul and Anamul Haque were the leading candidates to replace Sarkar and their 105-run opening stand against the Zimbabweans in the practice match in Fatullah was a duel. Imrul came out on top because, according to the chief selector, of his fluency this season.”I didn’t take this innings as a path into the ODI team. I just tried to bat better in a one-day setting. I worked in the gaps in my game. I am batting well, and if I can continue in this vein, I can bat better,” Imrul said.

Mohammad Amir claimed career-best T20 figures on his BPL debut but he was unable to prevent Rangpur Riders from winning off the last ball, by two wickets, in the tournament opener against Chittagong Vikings

The Report by Mohammad Isam22-Nov-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMishab-ul-Haq led the way for Rangpur with 61 off 39 balls•BCB

Mohammad Amir claimed career-best T20 figures on his BPL debut but he was unable to prevent Rangpur Riders from winning off the last ball, by two wickets, in the tournament opener against Chittagong Vikings. Misbah-ul-Haq’s clever late onslaught coupled with Thisara Perera revived Rangpur after they had looked dead in their chase.With 14 required off the last over, Darren Sammy half-connected with a slower ball from Shafiul Islam for a six over long-off before he was dropped by Asif Ahmed at deep cover. Sammy then scythed the fourth ball for a boundary through point but the fifth ball had him run-out going for a second. With one run needed off the last ball, Saqlain Sajib ran through for the single and threw his bat in delight.Despite the last-over heroics of Sammy, it was Misbah who played the innings that swung the game Rangpur’s way, hammering four big sixes down the ground in his 39-ball 61. He shared an 80-run sixth wicket stand after Rangpur had seemed done for at 87 for 5 in the 13th over, having already added 64 for the fifth wicket with Al-Amin. Misbah remained the strong accumulator and used his experience to release the pressure by hitting late sixes and fours.Comeback kid Amir removed the dangerous Perera and Misbah with consecutive deliveries of the 19th over. Amir had earlier taken the wickets of the openers Lendl Simmons and Soumya Sarkar – who had earlier been dropped by Asif from his first ball – in consecutive deliveries, too, as Rangpur were reduced to 23 for 4 in the fifth over. Soumya’s leg-before decision was iffy, however, as all three stumps were exposed when the ball hit his pad.The thrill of having a tournament start with Shakib Al Hasan bowling the first ball to Tamim Iqbal didn’t disappoint the modest Mirpur crowd but it was Jeevan Mendis who made the difference to give Chittagong their competitive total. He came in to bat in the comfort of 117 for 2 in the 13th over but saw three wickets fall quickly, his team slipping to 134 for 5 in the 16th over. Jeevan made 39 off 18 balls, adding 44 runs for the sixth wicket with Asif. He was at his best in the 18th and 19th overs, hitting Abu Jayed and Arafat Sunny for sixes over square leg, long-on and midwicket.Chittagong must have thought a big total was around the corner after the way Tillakaratne Dilshan and Tamim Iqbal blazed to 50 runs in just four overs. Later Tamim and Anamul Haque added 65 runs for the second wicket, with the Chittagong captain reaching his 50 off 32 balls before getting caught at deep midwicket off Sajib in the 13th over to start the mini-collapse that had them losing 4 for 17 runs in 2.5 overs.Both the collapses in the two innings became inconsequential as Misbah batted like the master of chase that is known for.

Perth Scorchers strangled the life out of Brisbane Heat to register a nine-wicket victory at the WACA Ground in the Boxing Day BBL match

The Report by Daniel Brettig26-Dec-2015
ScorecardMichael Klinger struck four fours and a six in his unbeaten 53 to take Perth Scorchers to their first win of the season•Getty Images

Perth Scorchers strangled the life out of Brisbane Heat to register a nine-wicket victory at the WACA Ground in the Boxing Day BBL match.The visitors never established any momentum after losing Lendl Simmons in the first over of the game, maintaining a grim day for Caribbean cricketers after the travails of the West Indies at the MCG.Perth’s reputation as one of the BBL’s most parsimonious bowling attacks was enhanced by their collective display in front of a crowd of 19,225 sun-kissed spectators.Englishman David Willey led the line for the Scorchers, claiming 1 for 15 from four tight overs, including a maiden that featured the wicket of Jimmy Peirson. Willey won Man of the Match for his efforts.Others also prospered – Jason Behrendorff claimed two victims on his return from injury, Brad Hogg was confusing as ever in claiming figures of 4-0-15-1, and Andrew Tye rounded off the attack with 3 for 23, the best analysis of all. Even Joel Paris, the only man not to take a wicket, produced plenty of quality in four overs that conceded a mere 25.Chris Lynn was left to build the total more or less on his own, finishing with an unbeaten 58-ball 75, an innings that featured three fours and four sixes. Finding the boundary regularly but also working the ball around, Lynn was ultimately responsible for almost two thirds of the Heat’s total, a burden to put others to shame.Defending such a meagre tally, the Heat needed early wickets, but were thwarted by Marcus Harris and Michael Klinger. One Harris six was almost taken by Simmons, but otherwise the hosts careered towards the target.When Lynn popped up again to catch Harris, Ashton Agar played soundly at No. 3, helping the vastly experienced Klinger to take the Scorchers home. Having suffered a chastening loss to the Strikers in game one and also after losing the services of the injured Nathan Coulter-Nile, the defending champions are now on the board.

New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match T20I series against Sri Lanka after scans showed a bruise on the bone of his left foot

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jan-20161:03

Sri Lanka seek revenge in T20s

New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match T20I series against Sri Lanka after scans showed a bruise on the bone of his left foot.Southee had sustained the injury during the third ODI in Nelson, and was subsequently replaced in the ODI squad by Matt Henry. An NZC release confirmed that Henry would stand in for Southee even in the T20s.”Tim was feeling really fresh after coming back from a break for the first two ODIs, so it’s certainly disappointing for him that this has happened now,” Mike Hesson, New Zealand’s coach, said. “Tim’s obviously a key member of our team and been a strong performer for us in all three formats, so he’s a big loss.”We haven’t set a date for his return at this point, but will continue to monitor him and work to get him back to full fitness as quickly as possible.”Incidentally, that Nelson match was Southee’s first ODI since June, as he had been rested for the limited-overs tour to Africa in August. Southee suffered from an irritated disc in his back during the first Test against Australia in Brisbane, but regained his fitness to play the remaining two matches, in Perth and Adelaide.He was also rested for the first two ODIs of the Sri Lanka series, in Christchurch, and in his absence, Henry, Southee’s replacement, went on to take four-wicket hauls in both games.

Wayne Parnell, who was not played an international match in six months, was named in the South African A side that will play against England in the one-day match in Kimberly on January 30

Firdose Moonda15-Jan-2016Wayne Parnell has not played an international match in six months since South Africa’s tour to Bangladesh, but remains a part of the senior side’s plans. He was named in the South African A side that will play against England in the one-day match in Kimberly on January 30.The fixture is a warm-up for the five-match ODI series that follows the four Test rubber. The A team, which includes two debutans, Titans’ left-hander Qaasim Adams and Dolphins quick Andile Phehlukwayo, will be led by Test opener Dean Elgar. He has emerged as a possible contender for the Test captaincy, which the national selectors will decide this winter. Elgar’s leadership role with the A team may provide clues as to whether he can take the job at a higher level.Adams has been playing between two franchises this season, after he was sent on loan to Lions. He hit two half-centuries in his last two innings while Phehlukwayo impressed in the twenty-over competition semi-final, where he defended four runs off the final over. In the tournament overall, he took 12 wickets at 21.75, although he only has one wicket in the domestic fifty-over tournament.”Qaasim and Andile have both done well in the franchise limited overs competitions and this is their opportunity to show what they can do at the next level,” Linda Zondi, South Africa’s convener of selectors said.Parnell leads the one-day cup list with 10 wickets in four matches at 18.60, but has sat out since early December with a foot injury. He will lead an attack which also includes recent Test debutant Hardus Viljoen, allrounder David Wiese, and left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso, who has been left out for ODI series against England. Dane Vilas will take the wicket-keeping gloves while Reeza Hendricks and Khaya Zondo are are the two other batsmen who have had stints with the national squad.South Africa A team: Dean Elgar (capt), Qaasim Adams, Theunis de Bruyn, Reeza Hendricks, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dane Vilas, Hardus Viljoen, David Wiese, Khaya Zondo

After 649 runs were scored at a rate of 7.77 to the over in the first ODI between South Africa and England in Bloemfontein, few would argue with Faf du Plessis’ assertion that “this series will be a series of the batting line-ups”

Firdose Moonda05-Feb-2016After 649 runs were scored at a rate of 7.77 to the over in the first ODI between South Africa and England in Bloemfontein, few would argue with Faf du Plessis’ assertion that “this series will be a series of the batting line-ups”. But there is more to the towering totals than aggressive approaches on flat pitches. The new faces in both attacks have also played their part in the run-fest.”Both bowling line-ups are not as experienced as they would like to be but the batting line-ups are explosive and you’ve got a lot of match-winners in both teams,” du Plessis said, referring specifically to the depth of England’s line-up. “It’s definitely not nice when you do your pre-match planning because every guy that you look at seems to be a good batter. It’s obviously why they are a stronger team now: they have got a better batting line-up.”

One eye on the IPL auction

Hashim Amla, Dean Elgar, Rilee Rossouw, Chris Morris, Kyle Abbott, Farhaan Behardien, Jos Buttler, Chris Jordan and Sam Billings may go into the second ODI somewhat distracted. They are all in the IPL auction and by the time the game gets underway, will know their fate.
“I’d be lying if I say everything is on the game. You think about it. Fortunately for me I am already picked up so I will not be anxious to see about that,” Faf du Plessis, who is contracted to the Rising Pune Super Giants, said. “It’s great because this year there are England players as well. As a leadership group you try not to speak about it too much but let’s not lie, the auction is life-changing for some players. For me it will be interesting to see what the England players go for because we are used to playing an IPL without them.”
South Africa have 18 players in the auction including the still-injured Vernon Philander, and nine other players retained by franchises, while England have seven players in the auction. The numbers that matter, however, will be the selling price and du Plessis thinks those could even be the inspiration for some on-field banter. “Hopefully our guys get picked up for a lot of money and the English guys don’t so we gain a bit of confidence from that.”

All of England’s top six scored runs on Wednesday and all, except Joe Root, maintained strike rates of over 100, helped by wayward bowling from South Africa’s new-look pace pack. The opening bowlers, Chris Morris and Marchant de Lange, had only played 11 ODIs between them before the Bloemfontein game and their inexperience showed. They bowled both sides of the wicket in their first spells and could not find the right length, but got tighter as the innings wore on.AB de Villiers did not want to be too hard on them but du Plessis was willing to point out where they want wrong. “It was a good batting wicket but I felt we did make a lot of mistakes. We gave a lot of boundaries away. We were not as disciplined as we would want to be,” he said.As a result, South Africa’s other wicket-taking option, Imran Tahir, was forced into a role that did not make best use of his attacking skills. “For Immi to do really well, he doesn’t have to feel he has to have all the pressure on his shoulders to be a game-changer. In T20 cricket when he can just express himself, come on and do his tricks, that’s when he is best. I suppose any leggie is like that,” du Plessis said. “If he is just bowling defensively, like he had to do in Bloemfontein, it takes away all that armoury that he has got.”To ensure Tahir can concentrate on controlling the middle overs, du Plessis explained that South Africa’s seamers need to start better, especially in Port Elizabeth where the slower surface almost guarantees Tahir will be a factor. “Our bowlers need to be smarter. It’s important to try and do that from the beginning and not wake up 10 or 15 overs into the game. The smarter team on the day will win the game,” du Plessis said.South Africa will be bolstered by the likely return of Kyle Abbott, whose hamstring niggle healed sooner than expected and he should be able to provide some control. “Something we have missed this whole series is experience, Although Kyle is not a guy who has played 100 ODIs, he is someone who has played a little bit more. Kyle brings a bit of consistency. With someone like that you just know when pressure situations present himself, he will be a bit more equipped than someone playing their first few games,” du Plessis said.Abbott’s career is only 20 ODIs old but, as he showed at the 2015 World Cup where he had the lowest economy rate among South Africa’s bowlers, accuracy is his strength.That does not mean South Africa’s batsmen are off the hook. Du Plessis stressed the importance of showing the same care with the bat as with the ball on a surface that will test both line-ups more than Bloemfontein did. “The pitch will be slower. We can’t play the same style of cricket. We have to think faster on our feet,” he said, and that applies to himself as well.Du Plessis found some form in the 50-over game after struggling in Tests and feels a big score is, as clichéd as it sounds, just around the corner. “Things started changing slowly towards the end of the Test series for me. I was unhappy to not have played that last Test match and to have scored runs in the first ODI was very nice. I feel a lot better in the nets. I feel like I am hitting the ball as well as I can,” he said. “I would still like to turn those fifties into bigger scores. I’ve been getting a lot of fifties in the last year or two but not as many hundreds as I would like. For me it’s about turning that good performance into a performance that can make the team win.”