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One of the Sydney sides had to break their losing streak tonight, but both teams did their best to keep it alive in a bizarrely entertaining match at ANZ Stadium

Alex Malcolm30-Dec-2012
ScorecardDaniel Hughes kept his cool in what was a sloppy game of cricket•Getty Images

One of the Sydney sides had to break their losing streak tonight, but both teams did their best to keep it alive in a bizarrely entertaining match at ANZ Stadium.In a game that was morose at times, and resembled a black comedy at others, the Sixers eventually claimed their second win of the tournament, and consigned the Thunder to their eleventh consecutive loss as a T20 franchise.Chasing 133 to win the Sixers never really looked in complete control with the exception of Daniel Hughes who made his first T20 fifty, a match winning 51 not out from 36 balls. But even Hughes rode his luck courtesy of a dropped catch and several misfields.Hughes, the 23-year-old New South Welshman, was promoted to No. 3 in just his second game. He watched early as Michael Lumb struck two powerful blows straight before lofting one straight down the throat of deep square-leg.Hughes then watched a procession of team-mates come and go to some very soft dismissals. Brad Haddin looked in good touch before he lost his focus on the chase and lost a personal argument with Chris Gayle. Haddin felt Gayle was not living up to his paycheque so far, yet he holed out unnecessarily to his darts for 18.Steve Smith then nicked Dirk Nannes, having clubbed him over the long-on the previous delivery, before Moises Henriques played around a straight-break from Gayle to leave the Sixers needing 44 from 34 balls with just five wickets in hand.Hughes took that as a cue to swing hard for the rope. He struck two boundaries and two sixes, all over the leg side, in the next two overs to take the requirement under a run-a-ball.Nannes returned to skittle Steve O’Keefe’s stumps via his pad to make things interesting. But a misfield from Gayle, and a simple dropped catch from Scott Coyte at mid-on, gifted Hughes four runs in two deliveries to reach his half-century and all but bury the Thunder.Brett Lee’s winning strike, a top edge over the wicketkeeper, seemed an appropriate ending to a bizarre match.Earlier, the game appeared as if it would not last the distance in front of a crowd of nearly 21,000. It was a staggering attendance given the poor recent crowds at ANZ and even poorer recent records of the two teams on display.Gayle again failed to fire, bowled by a cracking yorker from Josh Lalor, having seen his captain Chris Rogers depart the previous over. Matt Prior fell five balls later, in the identical fashion to his previous dismissal, failing to clear mid-off with a lofted drive. When Sean Abbott hit a full toss straight to point the 4 for 27 flashing on the scoreboard had an all too familiar feel to it.Thankfully Usman Khawaja found some much needed touch to put some respectability to the Thunder’s total. At one stage they were 5 for 75 with five overs to go but Khawaja, with help of Simon Keen and Coyte, managed to score 57 from the last 30 balls to help set a target 132.Khawaja’s unbeaten 66 from 47 balls featured 11 crisply struck boundaries, which in itself speaks volumes about the left-hander’s class given the slow outfield and two-paced nature of the drop-in wicket.However, Khawaja’s innings was to no avail. The Thunder have not won a match since Gayle scored a match-winning century against the Adelaide Strikers on December 23, 2011.

Under bright sunshine the Palam Air Force ground had no play for the first two sessions on day four of the Ranji Trophy semi-final with much doubt and deliberation whether play could begin at all on Saturday

The Report by Sharda Ugra in Delhi19-Jan-2013Under bright sunshine and bracing breeze from the east, the Palam Air Force ground had no play on day four of the Ranji Trophy semi-final; there was also an element of uncertainity as to whether it would be possible to begin play on time on Sunday.The fourth day was called off without a ball being bowled, at around 3:50pm, after umpires Subroto Das and Adrian Holdstock scheduled numerous inspections of the pitch that had been completely soaked by Friday’s hailstorms and rainfall over Delhi.So far only 143 overs have been held over the first four days of the semi-final, with a lot of play lost to bad light and rain. Mumbai, who won the toss and batted, scored 380 for 6 and with a day’s play left, they would need the Services first innings to be completed for less than that on Sunday for the match to come to an end tomorrow. Should the Services first innings not be completed tomorrow either way, the match can go into an extra sixth day on Monday.Mumbai coach Sulakshan Kulkarni said his team’s approach on Sunday would depend on the time the match eventually got underway and the weather conditions at the start of play. There were he said for Mumbai, “potentially 196 overs” still left in the game, based on an ideal 90 overs each being bowled on Sunday and Monday, plus an extra 16 overs, eight from each of the two weather-affected days.In this match though, the ideal has stayed away at an arms length, particularly on Saturday when the sun was blindingly bright enough well into the late afternoon. Given the quality of the light over the Palam Air Force ground today, play could have continued until 5pm, but the dampness of the pitch meant that an entire day went by without a ball being bowled. At the ground, the outfield has a sand base and the pitch is made of clay and has black soil in it that absorbs much greater moisture than the outfield does.The match pitch is at the extreme right side of the cordoned-off playing square, and had three layers of cover along with six iron pipes laid across it. During the hailstorm and heavy winds all through Friday night and Saturday morning, the wind ripped out the clamps of the cover and sent the pipes rolling along. With the pitch covers blown off, the rain soaked into the match pitch. It has led to a situation with no cricket, despite no signs of fog or rain.Services Sports Control Board secretary, Air Commodore Wing Commander M Baladitya said, “We had impressed upon the BCCI that they had the expertise and besides, we did not want to get into the money aspect of refurbishing the ground. We said if this ground developed it will be an asset for cricket.”The BCCI agreed to get involved in a project as it would have full control of it, starting with visits by the BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale, CAO Ratnakar Shetty and the issuing of tenders to chosen vendors along with the involvement of its pitch committee members like Sundaram and Daljit Singh. In June this year, the entire ground was excavated, fresh soil brought in to replace Palam’s nutrient-deprived earth, and a machine using laser to develop a proper gradient between the playing square and boundary. The entire center square was relaid and a plant set up for water purification along with a mechanised irrigation system.Baladitya said the paradox of bright sunshine and no play had taken place due to unprecedented rain. “We usually don’t have a drainage problem here because water drains very quickly,” he said. When a match wicket gets soaked though, what transpires is a peculiar state of events.

Mithali Raj’s fourth ODI century, which came one match too late, helped India maintain their unbeaten record against Pakistan and end their World Cup campaign with a consolation victory

The Report by Amol Karhadkar in Cuttack07-Feb-2013
ScorecardMithali Raj’s fourth ODI century, which came one match too late, helped India maintain their unbeaten record against Pakistan and end their World Cup campaign with a consolation victory. The six-wicket win helped India end the tournament at seventh place.No team had chased more than 105 at the Barabati Stadium during the tournament. However, once the Pakistan batting eventually clicked, the sizeable crowd – expectedly the biggest turnout so far – knew that India had to bat very well in order to chase down a respectable target of 193.India lost Poonam Raut cheaply for the second time in as many games, falling over while attempting an on drive, trapped in front of the wicket. Mithali walked in at No.3 and looked in sound touch and though she had started off on a similar note against Sri Lanka, she made sure she stayed till the end.When Raj and the left-handed opener Thirush Kamini were looking set for a big partnership, the opener perished, holing out to Sana Mir at mid-off off Bismah Maroof with the score on 51. Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur were untroubled by the Pakistan bowlers. Raj did the bulk of the scoring, charging down the wicket and lofting the offspinner Mir straight and following it up with a square cut through point off the next ball.Four balls after the halfway mark, Kaur perished, thanks to a run out. Shortly after, the offspinner Nida Dar sneaked through Sulakshana Naik’s defence to leave India at 108 for 4. Raj found an able partner in Reema Malhotra. While Malhotra focused on rotating the strike, Raj went after the Pakistan bowlers at will.Once India crossed the 150 mark, Raj cut loose and eventually reached her century to robust cheers from the crowd after pulling Dar for a one-bounce boundary through midwicket. India thus overhauled the target with four overs to spare.Pakistan’s decision to bat first appeared surprising, considering they came into this game on the back of totals of 84, 104 and 81. However, fifties by Nain Abidi and Nida Dar, and the duo’s 80-run stand for the fifth wicket helped Pakistan post a better total.The pair not only resurrected Pakistan’s innings but also helped them register their highest ever total in World Cup matches, also their fifth-highest total overall. Despite losing Abidi while attempting to push the scoring, Dar remained unbeaten, raising the third-highest individual score for a Pakistani in international women’s cricket.

Preview of the third ODI between New Zealand and England at Eden Park

The Preview by Alan Gardner22-Feb-2013

Match facts

February 23, 2013
Start time 2pm (0100 GMT)

Big Picture

Whatever lessons the five limited-overs matches between New Zealand and England have taught us so far, the most glaring seems to concern that most nebulous of concepts, momentum. So far, whichever team the Big Mo has lined up behind, their almost instantaneous response has been to stumble to defeat. Four of the matches have resulted in hefty thrashings – though it seems fair to note that England have handed out three of them – and New Zealand will have to maintain the trend for bouncebackability if they are to avoid defeat in two formats in the run-up to what will likely be an exacting Test series.As with the T20s, the one-day series will go down to the final match. A rusty England lost control during the last ten overs of both innings in Hamilton but had hit their stride by the time the teams got to Napier. They still haven’t worked out how best to bowl to Brendon McCullum, though, and the return to form of Ross Taylor is important for New Zealand cricket as a whole. Their main problem in the ODIs has been taking wickets early in the innings: England’s Test-hardened top three blunting the effect of two white balls, and Tim Southee might have to be rushed back to new-ball duty a little quicker than anticipated in Auckland.If they do manage to ruffle England’s top three, it will only hasten Joe Root’s return to the middle – something Taylor has admitted wouldn’t be ideal either. Were Root the hero of a Jane Austen novel, right now he would be struggling to move for society belles petitioning for a turn on the dance floor. Root’s composed Test debut last year brought many admiring glances but his dashing one-day form has really set hearts aflutter. The one person left chewing his lip is Ashley Giles, who has seen his list of Champions Trophy selection issues grow by one; and not only has Root’s form raised the question of what happens when the rested Kevin Pietersen returns to the squad, it has had the knock-on effect of limiting time in the middle for Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes, the two players most in need of chances to impress. Although, if it means England securing a first ODI series win over New Zealand since 1994, Giles probably won’t complain.

Form guide

New Zealand LWLWW (Completed matches, most recent first)
England WLWLL

In the spotlight

BJ Watling was one of the few New Zealand batsmen to come out of the Test series in South Africa with any credit but he has since scored 86 runs in five ODI innings and is struggling for form after being promoted to opener in place of the discarded Rob Nicol. Facing a bowler as good as James Anderson (or Dale Steyn) is among the harder tasks for any opener but Watling is now also the senior man, after the injury to Martin Guptill. The stilted start he and Hamish Rutherford made in Napier undermined New Zealand’s chances, and cosying up to the eight-ball in the hope that McCullum will bail the side out is not a strategy for the long term.Of the England players that came into the ODI side after a decent layoff, only Graeme Swann has failed to slip back into a groove. The experience of bowling in a Test in India is someway removed from one-day cricket in New Zealand but, after James Tredwell’s recent stalwart displays as understudy, most would have expected Swann to return with his usual ebullience and restate his seniority. That has not quite happened and, although his displays have not been poor, he only has the wicket of the No. 8 Nathan McCullum to his name so far. One more will take him to 100 in ODIs and it is rare that Swann stays flat for long.

Team news

Hamish Rutherford will double his tally of ODI caps after Guptill was sent for surgery on a thumb problem and New Zealand could turn to Colin Munro to strengthen the batting further down the order. Trent Boult would be the most likely to make way, with Munro and Kane Williamson capable of filling in with the ball.New Zealand (probable) 1 BJ Watling, 2 Hamish Rutherford, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Grant Elliott, 6 Brendon McCullum (capt & wk), 7 Colin Munro, 8 James Franklin, 9 Nathan McCullum, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Kyle MillsWith the series on the line, England are unlikely to make any unforced changes. The rise of Root has further limited Jonny Bairstow’s chances and while Giles might be tempted to have a look at James Harris, this is probably not the occasion to bring in a debutant.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Ian Bell, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Chris Woakes, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steven Finn

Pitch and conditions

Eden Park is notable for its short straight boundaries and England got their geometry right during the T20 there earlier in the month, hitting 15 sixes in a record total. The drop-in pitch and a warm, cloudless day could lead to another high-scoring game.

Stats and trivia

• Brendon McCullum has overtaken Martin Crowe and Craig McMillan during this series to sit fourth on New Zealand’s ODI run-scorers’ list with 4796. He needs 86 to go past Chris Cairns, but in 19 one-day innings at Eden Park, he averages 21.18 with one fifty.
• Six years ago in Auckland, New Zealand scored 340 to win batting second against Australia – at the time the second-highest chase in one-dayers. They knocked it down to third two days later in Hamilton.
• England have won four of their last five ODIs at the ground, stretching back to 1992.
• Joe Root has scored at least 30 in each of his first six ODI knocks – the first man ever to do so.

Quotes

“There’s a lot of emotions going through your mind and body. With what’s gone on it was nice to know I can still bat.”
“That’s the idea really. You rest, so that you’re fresh when you come back in and it’s important you perform when you do that.”

Amit Mishra said his ability to bring variety to his bowling has brought him success in the T20 format

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Apr-2013Sunrisers Hyderabad legspinner Amit Mishra, who equaled Lasith Malinga as the leading wicket-taker in the IPL, said that variation was the key to a spinner’s success in Twenty20 cricket.”I keep varying the pace, use the googly more often, bowl topspin, flipper, etc,” Mishra told the IPL site, after his side’s five-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab. “Like that the batsman will not be at ease knowing what’s coming his way. The idea is to keep him guessing.”Mishra also praised young legspinner Karan Sharma, who picked up the important wickets of Kings XI Punjab captain, Adam Gilchrist and batsman Paul Valthaty.”He’s a good bowler and has a lot of potential,” Mishra said. “The good thing is that we’re bowling well in tandem. We talk a lot to each other about our bowling.”Sunrisers’ five-wicket win took them to the top of the points table but Kings XI Punjab, currently on sixth place, need to win more consistently to keep themselves in contention for the playoffs. Kings XI are the only team in the IPL whose batsmen are yet to score a fifty and David Hussey admitted this was a worry for the side.”We’re just not taking responsibility of our wickets,” Hussey said. “When you’re four down with four overs to go, you think you’ll post a big score but we keep getting out in poor ways. We’ve really got to learn and rectify that problem straight away, or it’s going to be a very long tournament for us.”Hussey also said that he believed Adam Gilchrist showed some form against Sunrisers and could lead the batting in future games.

A dominant bowling display from Sui Gas handed them an eight-wicket victory over Habib Bank Limited in the President’s Cup semi-final in Karachi

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Apr-2013
ScorecardA dominant bowling display from Sui Gas handed them an eight-wicket victory over Habib Bank Limited in the President’s Cup semi-final in Karachi. HBL were put into bat and lost wickets from the outset, reduced to 22 for 4 in the 10th over. Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi led a temporary revival, until Afridi was ousted on 26. Bilawal Bhatti took the best figures in the innings with 3 for 31, and was ably supported by the other bowlers, who all took at least one wicket. Only Abdur Rehman matched Afridi’s score as HBL were bundled out for 111 in the 36th over.Sui Gas’s openers started well, putting up 70 for the first wicket. Mohammad Hafeez led the way, scoring a timely 62 off 70 balls to ensure he stuck around and rotated the strike accordingly. Fellow opener Taufeeq fell for 23, before Azhar Ali and Umar Akmal helped them romp home in the 24th over with an eight-victory win. They’ll contest the final on April 19.

The first-ever Twenty20 at the Queens Sports Club ground in Bulawayo was a thriller with the home team squeezing home by six runs

The Report by Mohammad Isam11-May-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Shakib Al Hasan was superb with bat and ball, but it wasn’t enough for Bangladesh•AFP

The first-ever Twenty20 at the Queens Sports Club ground in Bulawayo was a thriller with the home team squeezing home by six runs. Zimbabwe fought back mightily when it mattered and Bangladesh imploded just when they could smell the win. The visitors collapsed from 120 for 1 in the 15th over to being kept down to 162 for 8. Tinashe Panyangara bowled a terrific final over, giving away just three runs as the Bangladesh lower-order failed to play smartly.Zimbabwe had earlier made 168 for 5 after deciding to bat first. Hamilton Masakadza struck his seventh fifty while captain Brendan Taylor made a quickfire 40 as they put Zimbabwe on course for a big total. Bangladesh were brought back into the game by their spinners after the Taylor-Masakadza partnership ended, with Shakib Al Hasan getting both wickets and bowling economically in between.Shakib was doing the job with the bat too, hammering 65 off 40 balls and helping add 118 for the second wicket with Shamsur Rahman. He struck eight disdainful fours and two sixes while Shamsur ended up with his maiden fifty, after a slow start.The pair had taken Bangladesh to within 49 of the target with 34 balls to go, but the moment Shakib was dismissed, the Bangladesh batsmen started to make a meal of the chase.Shamsur fell two balls later and it was down to the Bangladesh captain, Mushfiqur Rahman, to steer the chase. He began badly though, involved in two mix-ups that ended in run-outs of Nasir Hossain and Mahmudullah in the 16th over. Nasir was inches short of safety as Tinotenda Mutombodzi broke the stumps. Mahmudullah was far from the crease at the other end after he got mixed calls from Mushfiqur; Mutombodzi swooped on the ball to his left and scored a direct-hit.Then the pressure got to Ziaur Rahman, the Twenty20 specialist who had a torrid time connecting bat on ball. He frustrated Mushfiqur, with whom he almost had a collision, before falling to Panyangara’s clever length in the 18th over. This wicket, and the eight runs from the over, perhaps swayed Taylor into picking Panyangara to bowl the last over.Mushfiqur hit two sixes in the melee of wickets, before holing out to deep square-leg off the first ball of the final over when 10 runs were required. Panyangara was more resourceful in his last two overs than his first two, keeping it full to choke the runs. Sohag Gazi has some batting credentials but looked out of his depth towards the end of the chase while Abdur Razzak missed everything even though he was given room to swing.Panyangara took three wickets while Prosper Utseya broke the Shakib-Shamsur partnership, taking both wickets. Brian Vitori was also excellent, giving away just 24 from his four overs and picking up the wicket of Tamim Iqbal in the first over.This, after the Bangladesh spinners brought them back into the game with some control over the big-hitting in the last seven overs. Taylor and Masakadza put on 74 for the second wicket with the Zimbabwe captain severe on anything pitched on legstump. He made 40 off 25 balls with six fours and a paddle-swept six. He fell in the ninth over, after which Masakadza tried to up the run-rate but wasn’t too successful.He was dismissed after making 59 off 48 balls with four boundaries and a six. They failed to get the big hits away in the last five overs, with Shakib taking 2 for 20 and one wicket apiece for Gazi, Shafiul Islam and Mahmudullah.Bangladesh now have a final shot at redeeming the tour on Sunday. Mushfiqur will be under some pressure as he was in charge after the Shakib-Shamsur partnership broke, but couldn’t see the team through.

Dale Steyn is in doubt for South Africa’s first fixture against India with a side strain, Robin Peterson took a blow to the left foot and Quinton de Kock has unofficially joined the group as cover for AB de Villiers

Firdose Moonda04-Jun-2013A hat-trick of concerns descended on South Africa two days before their Champions Trophy opener against India on Thursday. Dale Steyn is in doubt for the match with a side strain, Quinton de Kock has unofficially joined the group as cover for AB de Villiers and first-choice spinner Robin Peterson suffered a blow to the left foot.Steyn’s injury appears to be the most serious. He could only bowl five overs in Monday’s warm-up match against Pakistan at the Oval before he left the field in obvious discomfort. He was taken for an MRI scan which revealed “mild swelling in a left-intercostal muscle,” according to team manager Mohammed Moosajee.South Africa will take a call on Steyn’s availability as late as possible to give the paceman as much time as they can to recover. Should he be ruled out, the side will be without their bowling spearhead whose form at the IPL (19 wickets in 17 games at 20.21) was promising. Rory Kleinveldt is likely to replace him to form a three-pronged seam attack with Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe.While Steyn’s case is straightforward, de Villiers’ is more complicated. CSA did not state exactly why he needs cover in their statement. After clarification was sought by ESPNcricinfo, Moosajee revealed the captain is “absolutely fine” and said it was “always part of the plan” to include de Kock, because it would be logistically easier to have him around should de Villiers suffer a last-minute injury.However, if de Kock needs to play he will still need approval from the ICC’s event technical committee because he is not a part of the 15-man squad. According to Moosajee, de Kock was aware he would be in England even before he went to the IPL, where he played three matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad and scored six runs. His domestic franchise, the Lions, however, were not aware of any national call-up when contacted earlier this morning.Worth remembering here, among the unclear circumstances surrounding de Kock’s call-up, is that de Villiers has a history of chronic back problems which flare up after he has played for a long period of time. He came through a full IPL and took part in South Africa’s two warm-up matches, against the Netherlands and Pakistan. He did not bat in the first match but kept wicket in both.De Villiers did not appear to experience any problems apart from one incident when he addressed the media after the Pakistan game. Although not audible at the event, on recordings of the press conference he can he heard whispering “Eina” (Afrikaans for “Ouch”) as he sat down. There may be nothing to that or it may explain why a nervous looking de Villiers chewed his nails for a significant part of the interaction.Should he become unavailable, the side will be without their captain and most experienced batsman. Faf du Plessis, who is the Twenty20 captain, would most likely to step in with de Kock taking de Villiers’ place behind the stumps and in the batting line-up.Peterson’s niggle is not a cause for worry. He was hit on the left foot while batting during the Pakistan match and could not bowl because of the swelling. He has responded to overnight treatment and should be able to play but South Africa have Aaron Phangiso in reserve, if Peterson is unfit.South Africa’s three group stage matches take place in eight days, so the severity of the injuries could significantly impact their hopes of making the semi-finals.

South Africa captain AB de Villiers has said there is a “good chance” Dale Steyn will be in the playing XI for their semi-final against England on Wednesday

Firdose Moonda at The Oval18-Jun-2013South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn’s participation in the Champions Trophy semi-final against England is in some doubt due to fitness concerns. The team management will take a late call on his inclusion on the morning of the match on Wednesday.The fast bowler missed a day’s training and did a lighter than usual load on subsequent days because of “stiffness in the groin area” according to team manager Mohammed Moosajee. However, South Africa captain, AB de Villiers, was confident of Steyn’s inclusion in the playing XI on Wednesday.”It looks like we’ve got a good chance [of playing him tomorrow],” de Villiers said. “He’s taking another day off just to make sure we rest him really well. I said before that I don’t believe we’re lost without him. We can definitely beat England without him.”De Villiers conceded they are managing his workload as they have been playing a lot of cricket of late.”He’s got a few niggles around, which is very worrying, but we’re going to do all we can to get him on the park tomorrow,” he said. “He’s close to 100%, he’s running around. We didn’t want to run him too much today because we knew he’s one of the best in the world and he’s got the skill to just rock up and do the business. He’s working on his rehab making sure we give him the best chance to play tomorrow.”De Villiers discounted the fact that Steyn’s absence would be a big psychological factor and said the team has enough to do well without him, which they have in the past.”I don’t think it’s got anything to do with mental games, anything like that,” he said. “He’s good against any team in any format. We’re still a very good ODI unit. We’ve won games without him and with him. It’s a big knock-out game, and there will be a lot of pressure around, a lot of hype. Not having him on the side will be big for us, but then again, like I said, we’re playing good cricket.”In case Steyn is declared unfit on Wednesday morning, South Africa will have the option of bringing in an extra batsman and play with a seven-four combination for the first time in this Champions Trophy, or give another chance to left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso. They may also consider playing four seamers with one spinner.If Steyn is unavailable and South Africa still want to field four seamers, Rory Kleinveldt will be recalled to the starting XI. The other option would be to include Aaron Phangiso to give South Africa an additional tweaker or to bring in an extra batsman in Farhaan Behardien.Steyn was said to be struggling a little after their last league game against West Indies on Friday. Moosajee also confirmed that the new concern for Steyn’s fitness is not related to the side strain which kept him out of the first two matches against India and Pakistan.Steyn bowled six overs in a rain-affected match and finished with 2 for 33 from six overs in a tied game which secured South Africa’s place in the semi-final from Group B along with India. He has been under the careful watch of physiotherapist Brandon Jackson as South Africa hope to do all they can to ensure he plays.

Mohit Sharma revelled in a “dream” debut after he helped skittle Zimbabwe for just 144 in the fourth ODI in Bulawayo

Liam Brickhill at Queens Sports Club01-Aug-2013Mohit Sharma revelled in a “dream” debut after he helped skittle Zimbabwe for just 144 in the fourth ODI in Bulawayo. Entrusted with the new ball, as he had been through most of the IPL by MS Dhoni, Mohit made the first incision for India with the wicket of Sikandar Raza and then returned to remove Malcolm Waller in the batting Powerplay to snap a stubborn middle-order stand.”Yeah, it all feels like a dream,” Mohit said. “But I have worked on my bowling and it is showing. I am ready to do well in whatever opportunity I am going to get. I was just focusing on keeping things simple and sticking to basics. I did not want to try too many things and it worked for me today.”It was that same formula that first brought Mohit success in the Ranji Trophy with Haryana and it also worked a treat at this year’s IPL, where he emerged as one of the most miserly and effective new-ball bowlers of the tournament. It was also noticeable that, during every Indian nets session on this tour, Mohit consistently impressed with his ability to hit a length on or around off stump with almost every delivery.A correct call at the toss by Virat Kohli supplied Mohit with almost ideal conditions this morning and, apart from a single wide probably brought about by nervous excitement, his first over in international cricket was exemplary. He beat Vusi Sibanda’s bat four times in that first over, and it wasn’t until his third that a run was scored off the bat.It was his stock outswinger that brought his maiden wicket, with Raza feathering one behind, and Mohit’s opening six-over spell yielded just 13 runs. After a brief turn in the middle overs, Kohli brought him back for the Powerplay, with a well-set Waller and Elton Chigumbura having taken 11 runs from the first over under the fielding restrictions. Sharma responded to his captain’s call with Waller’s dismissal, also via the outside edge. A battling 80-run stand was broken, and Zimbabwe quickly subsided.”It is difficult to bowl in Powerplays but we work hard in practice sessions,” Mohit explained. “We create match situations during training and bowl a lot and that has helped in matches. And that is why we don’t feel much pressure in matches. Playing under Mahi [Dhoni] and in pressure conditions has taught me a lot. I am just carrying that experience into the international level.”Everyone already knew that Mohit could do a job with the new ball, and such was the ineptitude of Zimbabwe’s batting that his ability to vary his bowling with slower balls – which, again was on prime display in the IPL – and yorkers has not yet been tested. He’s in no rush to add new strings to his bow, however, and given his successes so far that’s understandable.”After coming into the Indian team I have learnt a lot from bowling coach Joe Dawes. It’s just about sticking to the basics and working on your strengths and improving on that. As far as learning new things in bowling, I can do that later and not in match situations. Now I want to focus on the next game and doing well in that as well.”