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India captain MS Dhoni blamed the absence of big partnerships for his team’s six-run defeat to New Zealand

Arun Venugopal20-Oct-20161:34

‘If anyone batted 15 minutes more, we would have won’

India captain MS Dhoni blamed the absence of big partnerships for his team’s six-run defeat to New Zealand on a Feroz Shah Kotla pitch that was slow and had variable bounce.After New Zealand had made 242, India stitched together sizeable partnerships in their chase but lost clumps of wickets on two occasions. First, Ajinkya Rahane and Manish Pandey departed in the space of four balls in the 19th over, and then Dhoni, Axar Patel and Amit Mishra fell in a nine-ball span during overs 40 and 41, with Martin Guptill accounting for the last two of those dismissals in his only over of the match.”If you see there were quite a few partnerships, but we kept losing wickets after every partnership,” Dhoni said. “When you are chasing a score like this it is important that you need to keep a few wickets because the runs were coming. Even if you need six or seven runs an over in the end it can easily be achieved but our problem was that we kept losing the wickets. In fact in the 41st over we lost two wickets.”It’s not about one batsman, I felt we lost wickets throughout. Any batsman could have said that had I contributed 10 percent more we would have won the game. So it was the responsibility of the whole batting unit. I felt the bowlers did well.”Dhoni said the pitch continued to slow down despite the dew, which generally ensured the ball came on to the bat better. “I felt it was best to bat in the day time as the game kept progressing the wicket got slightly slower and slower with a bit of variable bounce,” he said. “Also, if you lose one or two wickets that slows you down to an extent. Then, if you have that partnership and still lose a wicket again, again you have to start from scratch.”He defended the decision to bowl first and said 242 was a par score on the pitch. “If any of our batsman had batted 15 minutes more we would have won the game,” he said. “The bowlers did well to come back into the game. Initially it was difficult to contain their batsmen and they played some proper shots, not to forget we dropped two catches off [Kane] Williamson. That also has a bit of a bearing. Overall I was happy with 240-245, because that was very much something we could have achieved.”Dhoni also lauded Jasprit Bumrah’s ability to bowl inch-perfect yorkers, and said his consistency made him his go-to man, particularly at the death. After a tight spell up front, Bumrah returned to clean up New Zealand’s lower order with yorkers and slower deliveries and finished with figures of 3 for 35.”Right from the time he began his international career he has always been someone who can bowl yorkers at will, and that’s why he has been someone I can always bank upon,” Dhoni said. “A lot of times I had to see how every bowler is bowling and then decide who will bowl the last few but with Bumrah be it any condition or situation he has always been someone who gives me those last few overs. He practices that way, he has an awkward action. Still credit to him for consistently bowling those yorkers.”

Zimbabwe will be searching for their first ODI series win at home for more than two years, but they will have to get past an Irish side who have built a reputation for never-say-die cricket

The Preview by Liam Brickhill in Harare10-Oct-2015

Match facts

Sunday, October 11
Start time 0930 local (0730 GMT)With conditions likely to suit spinners, young Wellington Masakadza will play a key role for Zimbabwe•ICC/Getty

Big picture

Zimbabwe and Ireland were neck and neck for 98.5 overs before the hosts’ No. 10, Tinashe Panyangara sealed the result of the first ODI with a gutsy hit down the ground. The second match will likely produce much the same sort of cricket as these teams match each other strength for strength. Zimbabwe will be searching for their first ODI series win at home for more than two years, but they will have to get past an Irish side who have built a reputation for never-say-die cricket. This could really go either way.The pivotal battle will be between the batsmen and spinners on either side. Despite the home side’s desire for faster tracks, the sheer amount of cricket played at Harare Sports Club over the last few months has sapped the freshness out of the square. Extraordinarily high temperatures in the lead-up to the second match will bake the pitches even further, and spin will be the method of control for both sides. Indeed, there were only 40 overs of seam bowled in the first match, and this number is likely to get even smaller.The batsmen who found success in the first ODI – Ed Joyce and Gary Wilson from Ireland, Craig Ervine and Sikandar Raza from Zimbabwe – all played in a generally similar manner, keeping the ball along the ground, aiming for the gaps and biding their time before going on the attack. Raza, who is usually more attacking in nature, was the only man playing out of character. This sort of attritional cricket, and the ability to manoeuvre the ball 360 degrees will be vital to the setting of a defendable total.Conditions are only likely to get more challenging for the batsmen as a heatwave hits the country over the weekend. With a larger crowd hopeful for a series win expected for this game Ireland will feel a long way from home when the temperatures soar on Sunday. Yet one wouldn’t put it past them to secure a series-leveling win.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Zimbabwe WLWLL
Ireland LLLLW

In the spotlight

Zimbabwe has a strong history of cricketing families. The Flowers, the Strangs, the Rennies, the Whittalls, the Ervines, and the Masakadzas have graced Zimbabwean XIs. Wellington Masakadza, Hamilton and Shingi’s younger brother, debuted on Friday and impressed in all areas, pocketing two sharp catches at point and two wickets with his left-arm spin. He also shared in a vital 38-run partnership with Raza that steered Zimbabwe towards victory.Ireland have a pretty impressive left-arm spinner of their own. George Dockrell is only a year older than Masakadza at 23, but he’s vastly more experienced – Friday marked his 50th ODI for Ireland. He played a leading role in choking Zimbabwe’s middle order with a miserly 2 for 29, and might have had three if he had been able to hold on to a sharp return catch from Masakadza.

Team news

Zimbabwe are usually loathe to change a winning XI, and they will probably go with the same team. Perhaps the only question mark is over the place of Malcolm Waller, who didn’t have a great day in the field or with the bat on Friday and looked out of sorts. Yet dropping Waller after a bad day out would do nothing for his confidence, and would also necessitate tinkering unnecessarily with the batting order.Zimbabwe (possible): 1 Chamu Chibhabha, 2 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 3 Craig Ervine, 4 Sean Williams, 5 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Malcolm Waller, 8 Luke Jongwe, 9 Wellington Masakadza, 10 Tinashe Panyangara, 11 John NyumbuIreland probably won’t want to fiddle with the side that came so close to victory in the first match, but they need a win to keep the series alive and that will take some street-fighting spirit. With that in mind, they may draft Niall O’Brien in for Stuart Thompson, given the former’s grit and experience.Ireland (possible): 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Ed Joyce, 4 Andrew Balbirnie, 5 Niall O’Brien, 6 Gary Wilson (wk), 7 Kevin O’Brien, 8 John Mooney, 9 Andrew McBrine, 10 George Dockrell, 11 Tim Murtagh

Pitch and conditions

The Met Department has issued a statement saying that daytime temperatures all over the country are expected to range between 35˚C and 43˚C, peaking as high as 45˚C in low-lying areas. Harare will likely be at the lower end of that spectrum, but the fiercely hot weather will undoubtedly be a factor. Expect a similar sort of pitch, suited to spin and hardworking batsmen.

Stats and trivia

• Sunday’s game will be Ireland’s 100th ODI. It will also be the 125th ODI to be held at Harare Sports Club – it is one of five grounds to have hosted more than 100 ODIs
• The average first-innings score in ODIs for sides batting first at Harare Sports Club this year is 253
• George Dockrell needs two more to become the leading wicket-taker in ODIs between Ireland and Zimbabwe

Quotes

“We need to be aware that there are players here who can take a game away from you if you drop the ball – literally.”
“This will work in mysterious ways, especially in the change room. We will perform better when we find ourselves in difficult situations.”

Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan’s opening batsman, has fiercely denied being the team’s weak link despite sub-standard performances with the bat

Firdose Moonda in Centurion23-Feb-2013Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan’s opening batsman, has fiercely denied being the team’s weak link despite sub-standard performances with the bat. Hafeez registered his fourth single-digit score of the series to open Pakistan up for the second time in the match and leave them staring at a whitewash.Despite posting his highest score of the series in the first innings – 18, Hafeez has had a disappointing time overall with just 43 runs from six innings. His record outside the subcontinent and Zimbabwe is similarly dismal with his average sitting at 15.59.Still, he believes he is fit to continue as an opener at Test level. “I am really working hard in the nets, it’s just that I got some good balls in the series,” a defensive Hafeez said at the end of day two. “There is nothing wrong with my technique, it’s just that the runs aren’t coming and I am not performing for the team.”After surviving for more than an hour in Pakistan’s first innings, Hafeez looked set to turn his fortunes around. He was driving well and looked more comfortable at the crease than he has thus far. But he succumbed to a familiar problem that ran through the entire line-up today.As he tried to fend off extra bounce from Kyle Abbott, he popped a chance up to Dean Elgar at gully to spark Pakistan’s collapse. In the second innings, it was the other problem Pakistan’s openers have had that affected Hafeez – the struggle against the new ball with its pace and movement. Dale Steyn was keen to finish the job and steamed in, Hafeez was stuck in his crease and played on.Deliveries like that, not his own inability to deal with them or the conditions, are what Hafeez thinks has hampered him this series. “The bowler did the basics right, especially by pitching the ball in the right areas,” he explained. “And credit must go to them, especially to the debutant Abbott, who bowled really well. There is not too much in the pitch, there is some bounce which we expected.”Hafeez has also been under-utilised with the ball, except at the Wanderers where he made a major impact, but feels the captain “knows how to handle the players,” and does not see that as a way in which he could have contributed more. Instead, he remains symbolic of Pakistan’s malaise, although he also insists their troubles are not as serious as they look.”In Cape Town we had some good moments. We couldn’t put pressure on them but we are trying to fight it out. If we have one good partnership here, we can fight it out. We are very capable of scoring runs on any track. We need things to change. The series will go on and the boys will come out with some good performances,” he said.For that, Pakistan will need a Herculean partnership, even better than the one Younis Khan and Asad Shafiq put on at Newlands, which was the highest by visiting batsmen in South Africa in seven years. Younis is at the crease and Shafiq is yet to come. They also have Imran Farhat, who didn’t come out to bat in the second innings. He was struck on the hand and has since had an x-ray taken, but will be fine to bat on the third day. Pakistan’s chances still appear thin.The South African attack, even without Morne Morkel and Jacques Kallis, remains potent and aggressive. Perhaps more importantly, they are uber-confident, something that was evident in Graeme Smith enforcing the follow-on. “We all thought of not having to bat last but it was a very positive move,” AB de Villiers explained. “Graeme showed confidence in the bowlers. Hopefully in the morning session, it will move around a lot like it did today. I found it played quite well after lunch on day one but it does a bit in the morning.”Pakistan have had to contend with many early bursts in the series and those words will not give them any comfort. In this situation, only small goals are worthwhile, such as getting through the first over, then the first hour and then the first session. If they can achieve some of those, Hafeez may be proved right in some ways. “We lost the series but this game was a little bit different and we have to come up with some good performances,” he said.

Papua New Guinea have appointed former Queensland and South Australia wicketkeeper Peter Anderson as their new coach

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-2012Papua New Guinea have appointed former Queensland and South Australia wicketkeeper Peter Anderson as their new coach. Anderson replaces Brad Hogg, who resigned as coach of PNG following his recall to Australia’s Twenty20 side.Anderson’s first-class career spanned eight years from 1986 to 1994. He made 1399 runs from 56 matches, averaging 17.93, and effected 172 dismissals. Cricket PNG general manager Greg Campbell said the team was looking for a long-term coach. The big assignment ahead is the World T20 Qualifier in March.”We’re coming into a very important and exciting time for Cricket PNG right now, and needed someone to spend vast periods of time with the team,” Campbell said. We’ve been blessed in recent times to have the both Brad Hogg and Andy Bichel working with the team, but given their reputations in the cricket world, they would always have opportunities knocking at the door. With Peter, we know we’re going to get 100% and the vision and attributes he brings to the team will be great for the boys.”Anderson has been coaching local clubs in Queensland over the last six years and has also been working with wicketkeepers in the ICC Pacific region.”I think Peter will be a great addition to our coaching staff, with many years playing and coaching behind him, I feel we have picked the right man to take us to the next level,” Cricket PNG chairman Mick Nades said. “As a board, we congratulate him on his appointment, and look forward to moving forward together.”Anderson will join the PNG team in Canberra next month.

A round-up of the second day of the eleventh round in Division One of the Quaid-E-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jan-2011Ali Azmat’s half-century combined with some strong lower-order batting helped Water and Power Development Authority post a challenging first-innings score of 369 for 9 declared against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. Azmat led all batsmen with 79, laced with 12 boundaries, as the last five wickets added 222. He was ably supported by Sarfraz Ahmed, who made 33, and Umaid Asif, who made 47, whil Kashif Raza chipped in with an unbeaten 31. Left-arm spinner Zohaib Khan was the best of the bowlers, taking 3 for 45.Both teams are still in the hunt for a spot in the finals, but probably need an outright win to get there, so ZTBL opener Yasir Hameed came out swinging the bat with intent. He had reached 18 from 21 balls, with three fours, before seamer Umaid Asif had him caught behind. At stumps, ZTBL were 34 for 1.Rain continued to play spoilsport on the second day of the game between Sialkot and Rawalpindi, with only 29 overs being bowled, but that was enough for the Rawalpindi bowlers to reduce Sialkot to 16 for 4, before the hosts staged a semi-recovery to end the day on 89 for 5 at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot. Rizwan Akbar produced a devastating opening spell to remove three of the top four batsmen, claiming two wickets with two balls, while Sadaf Hussain prised out Sialkot captain Mansoor Ajmad. Majid Jehangir and Shehzad Malik then added 49 to stem the rot somewhat before Jehangir was caught behind off the bowling seamer Nasir Malik for 34. Shehzad and Nabeel Malik then managed to avoid further damage, with the former on 22 and the latter on 14. Rawalpindi are currently tied second in the points table with Water and Power Development Authority, and potentially need a big win to qualify for the finals.A half-century by Mohammad Kashif got Islamabad back into their game against Multan on a curtailed day at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Islamabad were in trouble after they lost two quick wickets on the second morning to leave them at 48 for 4 in response to Multan’s 244. But, Kashif’s 61 and contributions from Imad Wasim and Kamran Hussain helped them recover to 189 for 6 by the end of the 46 overs that were played on the day. Multan seamer Tahir Maqsood dismissed overnight batsman Zeeshan Mushtaq and then got Faizan Riaz for a duck next ball. Kashif and Farrukh Hayat shared a 54-run partnership before Hayat was run out. Kashif got his runs quickly, hitting 10 boundaries in his innings. For Multan, who have lost all of their ten games so far this season, the match is a last hope to gain some pride, while Islamabad can finish no higher than eighth even if they win.Karachi Blues managed to take a 72-run first-innings lead against Faisalabad by the end of the second day at the National Stadium in Karachi. It didn’t look like that would happen after the first few overs of Karachi’s innings. Faisalabad fast bowler Ahmed Hayat ripped out three early wickets to leave them 3 for 3, and facing a top-order collapse. Unfortunately for Faisalabad, Hayat could only bowl five overs in the day, and Rameez Raja (2) counterattacked, racing to 67 off 55 balls. Most of Karachi’s middle-order batsmen got starts but left-arm spinner Hasan Mahmood kept chipping away at the wickets, picking up five in the end, as Karachi were all out for 264. The lead was pushed past the 50-run mark thanks to a 57-run tenth-wicket stand between Babar Rehman and Malik Aftab.Habib Bank Limited continued to be frustrated by the conditions as only nine overs were bowled on the second day of their match against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. HBL reached 19 for 0, but with no play on the first day as well, the win they need to make absolutely certain of their spot in the finals is unlikely. The good news for HBL is that Rawalpindi and Pakistan International Airlines’ matches have also been affected by rain. PIA, Rawalpindi, Water and Power Development Authority and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited are the four teams who have a chance to catch up with HBL. WAPDA and ZTBL are playing each other, which also helps HBL’s cause.There was no play in the game between National Bank and Pakistan International Airlines for the second straight day.

Fog and bad light robbed allowed only 38 overs of play on the first day in Amritsar

Cricinfo staff19-Jan-2010
Scorecard
Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina put on an unbroken 141-run stand•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Fog and bad light allowed only 38 overs of play on the first day in Amritsar. When play did get underway four hours after the scheduled start, Ranadeb Bose and Ashok Dinda struck three quick blows to leave Central Zone reeling at 9 for 3 in the sixth over before Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina rescued them.Both Central openers, Tanmay Srivastava and Jalaj Saxena, were dismissed for ducks, and No. 3 Sanjay Bangar avoided that ignominy, only just, falling for 1. Kaif and Raina then revived Central with an unbroken 141-run stand, both batsmen going on to half-centuries. Kaif was watchful, taking 115 deliveries for his 65, while Raina was more cavalier, slamming 15 fours and a six, in his 96-ball 83. Seventy minutes after the start play was again called off due to bad light and it also caused an early finish.The winners of this match will progress to the semi-finals, where they will take on South Zone in Indore from January 26.

The third-highest all-out score (381) in the domestic competition’s history proved too much for the visitors in Brisbane

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2025Matthew Wade’s powerful best and more Mitchell Owen fireworks have propelled Tasmania past Victoria in a One-Day Cup triumph that threatened the history books.Tasmania were all out for 381 at Brisbane’s Allan Border Field after No. 6 Wade (105) brought up a century off 65 balls and opener Owen made 53 off 21 and Beau Webster 81 off 95.The third-highest all-out score in the domestic competition’s history – only 17 short of South Australia’s benchmark 398 two years ago – proved too much for Victoria despite the late efforts of Sam Harper (88 off 51).Form batter Owen hit four sixes and five fours to post his half century in the fifth over before collecting 4 for 57 with his handy seamers. That included three wickets in one over, with Glenn Maxwell (0) the final scalp as he blazed away unsuccessfully two days after smashing a hundred of his own in a loss to Queensland.Wicketkeeper Harper was the last man out in the 41st over in a chase that never looked likely after Owen’s triple-strike.Earlier, Wade leaned back on anything short of a length to pepper the square boundaries and post a 10th List A hundred. The 37-year-old is retired from international cricket, doesn’t have a state contract and has been working with Australia as a consultant assistant coach over the past 12 months.Wade struck six sixes while Nikhil Chaudhary (67 off 49) provided the late fireworks as Mitch Perry (4-101) avoided conceding the most runs in a one-day cup innings by one run.NSW host South Australia in Sydney on Saturday before the Bulls host Western Australia on Sunday.

Agar, Behrendorff and Tye will likely still play for WA when available but have flexibility to take franchise deals while Stoinis is still exploring his franchise contract options

Alex Malcolm20-Apr-2024The landscape of how Australian cricketers are contracted is significantly shifting with Ashton Agar, Marcus Stoinis, Jason Behrendorff and Andrew Tye all being left off Western Australia’s contract list, giving them flexibility to take freelance franchise opportunities.All four would be walk-up starts in WA’s first-choice Marsh Cup 50-over team and have not retired from international cricket but none are on WA’s contract list for 2024-25. It comes after Agar and Stoinis were left off Cricket Australia’s 2024-25 contract list while Behrendorff is Australia’s reigning T20I player of the year.Agar’s absence is the most significant of the four as the 30-year-old elected not to take a state contract to pursue freelance opportunities globally, in part driven by the lack of cricket he played late last season having fallen by Corey Rocchiccioli as WA’s No. 1 Sheffield Shield spinner.Related

• Stoinis 'absolutely fine' with not getting a CA contract, still keen to play for Australia

• Kuhnemann joins Tasmania to push for a Test return

• 'It gives me flexibility' – Agar opts for freelance life while still committing to Australia

• Stoinis and Agar lose CA deals while Bartlett earns full contract

• Stoinis to play SA20 after BBL, says ODI omission makes 'complete sense'

Agar has made the decision in consultation with WA’s general manager of high performance Kade Harvey, WA coach Adam Voges, Australia coach Andrew McDonald and Australia’s chairman of selectors George Bailey.Not taking a contract frees Agar up to play franchise cricket during the Australian summer, with the SA20, ILT20, BPL and PSL all played during Australia’s domestic season.Tye signed a one-year deal last season with WA which did prevent him from playing in the ILT20 earlier this year due to the Marsh Cup final. He has opted to go freelance again as he did for the two seasons prior. Behrendorff will go freelance for the first time in his career having earned a CA upgrade last year. He had a year to run on his previous WA deal but opted to terminate it early to give him more flexibility.However, Agar, Behrendorff and Tye will all remain involved in WA’s program when they are not playing franchise cricket overseas even though they aren’t contracted and will be selected for Marsh Cup games when available. Agar is still keen to play Shield cricket whenever an opportunity may arise. All four would only need to play four Marsh Cup matches to qualify for a contract upgrade if they opted to take it.”Ashton, Jason and AJ will continue to be supported by our High Performance program as valued members of the WA Cricket setup,” Harvey said.Marcus Stoinis has not played for WA in any format since March 2023•Getty Images

Stoinis, 34, is in a slightly different situation, having not played for WA at all last season and only played four Shield matches and two Marsh Cup games since March 2020.He had long been planning to go freelance after missing out on a CA deal for 2024-25 but he is still keen to play for Australia beyond the T20 World Cup in June in both T20I and ODI cricket. It is understood that he is exploring the possibility of signing something akin to a year-round deal with his IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants which would see him commit to playing for the franchise’s various teams across a few different tournaments around the world across the calendar year. He has already played for Durban’s Super Giants in the SA20 and LSG in the IPL this year.Stoinis has signed a three-year deal with the Melbourne Stars until the end of the 2026-27 BBL season. He also played for San Francisco Unicorns in Major League Cricket last year and is expected to play in season two after the T20 World Cup despite not being retained by Unicorns. He has previously played in the Hundred but missed last year’s tournament to rest ahead of the ODI World Cup.Stoinis said earlier this year he was still open to playing for WA when available, including Shield cricket. Stoinis has long-standing relationships with many people at WA cricket and it is understood further discussions may be had around his playing schedule later in the year.Meanwhile, WA have added former New South Wales wicketkeeper Baxter Holt and Victoria quick Brody Couch to their squad. Holt is a replacement for Josh Philippe who departed for NSW and looks likely to get plenty of opportunities in Shield cricket while Josh Inglis is away on international duty. Couch is looking for a fresh start having played his only Shield match for Victoria in 2021 and the last of his six Marsh Cup appearances in 2022.”Securing another wicketkeeper was a priority with Josh Philippe leaving for New South Wales,” Harvey said. “We think Baxter has lots of potential with the bat and gloves, so we’re excited to see how he goes when an opportunity presents.”Brody generates good pace and bounce and loves the contest. We really like his raw attributes, which should be well-suited to the conditions in WA.”WA have also elevated Jayden Goodwin to their senior list after his excellent Shield season last year.Western Australia contract list 2024-25: Cameron Bancroft, Mahli Beardman (rookie), Hilton Cartwright, Cooper Connolly, Brody Couch, Keaton Critchell, Sam Fanning, Cameron Gannon, Cameron Green (CA contract), Sam Greer (rookie) Jayden Goodwin, Aaron Hardie (CA), Liam Haskett, Baxter Holt, Josh Inglis (CA), Bryce Jackson, Matthew Kelly, Mitchell Marsh (CA), Lance Morris (CA), Hamish McKenzie, Joel Paris, Corey Rocchiccioli, D’Arcy Short, Charlie Stobo, Ashton Turner, Josh Vernon (rookie), Corey Wasley (rookie), Sam Whiteman, Teague Wyllie

A number of the top order spent useful time in the middle at the start of the Test build-up

AAP17-Nov-20222:48

Brathwaite gung-ho about playing ‘ten, solid days of Test cricket’ in Australia

West Indies openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Shamarh Brooks made half-centuries in a total of 297 for 5 at stumps on day one of their tour match against Combined NSW and ACT.The duo added 133 with captain Brathwaite and Brooks getting on top of a young attack at Canberra’s Manuka Oval which included recent Australian Under-19 representatives Liam Doddrell and Jack Nisbet.Left-arm orthodox spinner Riley Ayre made inroads to have the tourists 207 for 5 before allrounder Jason Holder and Jermaine Blackwood took their side safely to the close of play.Related

• Tagenarine Chanderpaul earns maiden West Indies call-up for Test series in Australia

• Brathwaite expects to 'do good things together' with new opening partner Chanderpaul Jr

West Indies have two tour matches before the Test series begins in Perth on November 30 and will be keen to get their batters in form before taking on Australia’s pace bowling attack.Brathwaite, Holder and Blackwood are mainstays of the West Indies side and their early tour success will be a boost to the visitors’ hopes of challenging Australia.Brathwaite is the most experienced of the West Indies batters and is 13th on the all-time Test list for his country with 4893 runs at an average of 34.45.The 34-year-old Brooks did not make his Test debut until the age of 30 and has been in and out of the team in his short 11-Test career that includes a maiden century against Afghanistan in 2019.Brooks is yet to open in a Test match for West Indies where he has batted at No.3 or in the middle order.

Visitors win by 74 runs as Glamorgan’s bowlers struggle at both ends of the innings

ECB Reporters Network16-Jul-2021Somerset sealed a place in the Vitality Blast quarter-finals as they hammered Glamorgan by 74 runs at Sophia Gardens.New Zealand run machine Devon Conway batted Somerset’s full 20 overs for an unbeaten 70 from 52 balls as Glamorgan’s bowlers struggled at both ends of the innings.In between, Roman Walker impressed with 3 for 15 from his four overs but Glamorgan’s batsman were nowhere near as good as they were bowled out for just 107 with First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford watching on.Somerset – who were without England pair Lewis Gregory and Tom Banton – won the toss and unsurprisingly chose to bat on a stunning evening in the Welsh capital.Conway struck two leg-side boundaries from Andrew Salter’s first over, but Glamorgan’s poor bowling gave their opponents a flying start. Dan Douthwaite’s first over went for 16 and included a ball which went for five wides. Two more wides and a six struck by Steve Davies followed.Timm van der Gugten dismissed Davies, caught behind by Chris Cooke for 22, but it was a rare good delivery as Glamorgan strayed on to leg stump far too frequently.Somerset were 55 for 1 after six overs and 84 for 2 at the halfway stage, but Walker dragged Glamorgan back into it with the wickets of Will Smeed and veteran James Hildreth.Lewis Goldsworthy smashed Marnus Labuschagne for six down the ground, but Walker showed him how it should be done with his third wicket of a superb spell.Conway watched the wickets fall at the other end until Tom Lammonby joined him and smashed Van der Gugten for four, four and six from the first three balls of the 17th over.Conway went past 50 and then joined in the fun by hitting the struggling Douthwaite for six although the Glamorgan seamer did dismiss Lammonby for 34 thanks to a smart Salter catch.Kiran Carlson smashed Jack Leach for six on the second ball of Glamorgan’s response but was caught and bowled by the England spinner on the fourth. Colin Ingram carted a six over midwicket but he too went caught and bowled, this time at the hands of Craig Overton for 19.Glamorgan were 36 for 2 after the first powerplay. David Lloyd hit Goldsworthy’s first ball to Overton at cover and it left Labuschagne and Billy Root needing 122 from the final 10 overs. Glamorgan didn’t get close. Labuschagne pulled Marchant de Lange to the mid-wicket boundary where Roelof van der Merwe took a stunning catch and from there the Welsh side folded. Somerset’s spinners were far too good with Goldsworthy finishing with 3 for 14 and Van der Merwe 3 for 20.