Tag: Cricket World Cup

Cricket: Senanayake cleared to return in game five

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With just a handful of games to go until the 2015 Cricket World Cup every game plays an important part in a team’s preparations.  Game five in the England v Sri Lanka series is no different as both sides welcome the opportunity to test combinations and settle on orders before the prestigious tournament.  Both sides welcome back players, with England throwing down the red carpet for their captain, Alastair Cook, and Sri Lanka fortunate to have Sachithra Senanayake available for selection after a recent illegal bowling action ban.

If the rain stays away this could be an intriguing contest, on both an individual and team basis.

The Last Time These Two Met

In Colombo Sri Lanka took a 3-1 series lead when they successfully chased down England’s 265.  However, the Pallekele venue should suit the England side much better and of the grounds England play at before the World Cup is likely to be the venue that resembles the New Zealand conditions most closely.

The Teams

Sri Lanka (likely): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Sachithra Senanayake, 10 Dhammika Prasad, 11 Ajantha Mendis.

England (likely): 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Moeen Ali, 3 James Taylor, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Jos Buttler, 7 Ravi Bopara, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 James Tredwell, 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Steven Finn

The Key Players

Sachithra Senanayake – The controversial spinner has endured a miserable few months as he sought to remedy his law breaking action.  Without a second skill to fall back on, the offie has been limited to just 10 overs in a domestic List A match, no doubt going stir crazy in the process.  He gets an immediate opportunity to showcase his remodelled action and make an impact on the series thanks to Rangana Herath’s hamstring injury.   Sport loves a comeback story so Senanayake taking wickets might be worth a bob or tow.

James Taylor – Some of the games best batsmen have been little.  Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting are all short men who dominated opposition because bowlers found it so difficult to find the right length to bowl at them.  James Taylor is the same; his height allows him to pull deliveries that are usually decent length deliveries to other batsmen and when bowlers try and correct the fuller efforts often become half volleys.  Taylor helped himself to eight boundaries in game four and will be looking to make another statement here.

The Odds*

Sri Lanka – $1.54

England – $2.48

*Odds courtesy of Sportsbet Australia.

The Prediction

Despite Pallekele offering more favourable conditions for the tourists I can’t see them winning this one.  Sri Lanka by 2 wickets or 30 runs.  As an outside roughie, take Alastair Cook to top score at $5.50.

Cricket: Pakistan battle back to beat NZ

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Haris Sohail and Shahid Afridi led an impressive comeback by Pakistan to seal victory over New Zealand in the first one day international in Dubai this morning.  Pakistan were earlier reduced to 86/5 in their pursuit of NZ’s 286 and needed the calm heads of Sohail (85*) and Afridi (61) to see them home with three balls to spare.  The pair shared a 110 run match-winning partnership and nullified the threat of Daniel Vettori’s (2-40) spin and Adam Milne’s (0-42) pace towards the back end of the chase, just when New Zealand were desperate for wickets.

As predicted, Ross Taylor had early taken it upon himself to deliver NZ a total they were capable of defending after they had earlier collapsed to 111-5.  Taylor’s 105* stood out like a sore thumb on a scoreboard featuring multiple starts but nothing else over 27.  Luke Ronchi (23) and Vettori (27) were both in that category, but their’s were scored at good strike-rates and were both important cameos in the context of the total.

The New Zealand’s cricket team’s struggle on a slow wicket was perhaps best illustrated by the fact that none of the Pakistan bowlers went for over 6-runs-per-over.  While Mohammad Irfan And Wahab as took the bulk of the wickets, the economical spell of man of the match Haris Sohail (10-30-0) was the most telling in the tight contest.

Any momentum that the Pakistan team took at the half way mark quickly evaporated when their top order was rocked by accuracy and carelessness.  Top order woes continued to middle order woes and when Sarfraz Ahmed (26) was the sixth wicket to fall at 124 to cricket match seemed unlovable for NZ.

However, as Pakistan employed a more cautious approach to their batting, led surprisingly by the enigmatic Afridi, the New Zealand attack could find no way through and could not take the wickets that were necessary to restrict the Pakistanis.  That meant the asking rate was never out of reach, and when wickets were on the agenda, Jimmy Neesham (2-62) and Kyle Mills (1-54) disappointed in their closing spells.

So, 1-0 to Pakistan when it looked unlikely for much of the game.  Game two to look forward to on Friday.

Pakistan 250 for 7 (Haris 85*, Afridi 61) beat New Zealand 246 for 7 (Taylor 105*, Irfan 3-57) by three wickets

Cricket: One-dayers a chance to separate sides

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Rounding out a long tour for the New Zealand cricket team is a five match ODI series in which both sides will continue to look for World Cup momentum.  Especially for Pakistan, this series is the best opportunity to tinker with line-ups and settle on a game plan that will transfer easily to the pitches and grounds of NZ.  One of the tactics will be the continue used of wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed at the top of the order.  Since the days of Kamran Akmal, Pakistan are used to their keeper taking up a spot in the top three, and if Sarfraz’s T20 form is anything to go by, this could be a permanent spot for the destructive right hander.

The Last Time These Two Met

The Test and T20 series’ between the two have been drawn so fans will be hoping for something a little more decisive in the one day series.  In both formats NZ have fallen behind after game one only to rest initiative back in subsequent matches.  Bookmaker.com have understandably listed Pakistan as favourites.

The Teams

New Zealand (likely): 1 Anton Devcich, 2 Kane Williamson (capt), 3 Dean Brownlie, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham, 6 Luke Ronchi (wk), 7 James Neesham, 8 Daniel Vettori, 9 Adam Milne/Nathan McCullum, 10 and 11 Matt Henry/Kyle Mills/Mitchell McClenaghan

Martin Guptil is unavailable for the Black Caps.  Corey Anderson will be assessed closer to game time, and I’ve bracketed every bowler in the squad because of the wealth of options available to the NZ selection panel.

Pakistan (likely): 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk) , 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Umar Gul, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Zulfiqar Babar, 11 Mohammad Irfan

Umar Gul could play his first one day international cricket since March after a strong showing in the second T20 contest.

The Key Players

Ross Taylor – Aside from some strong performances for Royal Challengers Bangalore in early IPL editions, Taylor has struggled for T20 cricket runs.  He is much more comfortable in the one day game where he can pace himself and anchor an innings, so will look fondly upon the start of the one day series.  After just one notable innings in the test series and two failures in the T20 series NZ will be looking to their former captain for big runs.  He’s paying $4.50 to top score.

Mohammad Hafeez – How Hafeez deals with a bowling ban makes for an interesting aside to the series opener.  The all-rounder has been handed down a suspension until he remedies his action, and despite not considering himself much of a bowler, he will still need to ensure he’s in the right head space to continue to make runs at the top of the order.  Despite the potentially impairment, Bookmaker.com.au has him at

The Odds*

Pakistan – $1.53

New Zealand– $2.50

*International Cricket odds courtesy of Bookmaker.com.au.

The Prediction

It’s very hard to look past Pakistan.  They are loving a game one win against the Black Caps.  But if I was feeling lucky I would have a cheeky bet on New Zealand winning the series at $3.25.

Cricket: Sri Lanka restore two game lead with well-timed chase

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The result seemed inevitable throughout much of the game, however, the closeness of the finish was slightly unexpected.  After England made a total that, to the majority of critics, was twenty runs below par, the classy Sri Lankan lynchpins guided a chase effortlessly but didn’t quite close it out until two balls to spare.

Kumar Sangakkara (84) led most of the chase for 266 and it seemed likely he would go on to register a 20th international ODI cricket century.  His surprise exit though, sent a few ripples through the local batsmen; needing captain Angelo Matthews (51*) to steer them home, and in the process record a half-century of his own.

The win, Sri Lanka’s third of the cricket series, was finally delivered by Matthews and Lahiru Thirimanne who enjoyed a stand of 53 that reinforced the good work of Sangakkare and Mahela Jayawardene (44).

In all honesty Sri Lanaka should have been chasing more than 266.  England overcame the early loss of Alex Hales (0) to find themselves in a strong position at 164/3 at the beginning of the batting power play.  That proved the downfall for England who then failed to press on and put the game beyond doubt.  18 from the bat of Eoin Morgan was needed off Tillakaratne Dilshan’s final over just to make the target competitive.  The return to form for Eoin Morgan was one of the bright spots for England.  We anticipated / hoped for his return to form earlier in the week.

The other bright spot was undoubtedly the innings of diminutive right hander James Taylor (90).  After a two year one day cricket hiatus and a nervy start, Taylor settled in for an excellent knock where he manipulated the field nicely and challenged the bowlers to find a length that fit his small stature.  Amongst his and Morgan’s efforts Joe Root added a useful 36 but the others failed to find a suitable scoring method off the stifling Sri Lankan spin.  Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes in particular continue to look like fish out of water against spin.

Looking more comfortable against the spin of Moeen Ali and Joe Root is the entire Sri Lankan order.  Even the short of runs Kusal Perrera (31)  was able to find some form.  They’re also not struggling against seam either.  Steven Finn continues to struggle and only Chris Jordan (2-35) was penetrating in these Colombo conditions.

Significant improvement is needed from England when cricket returns for game 5.  While publicly they will claim they are still in the series, they’re not, and the remaining games will mainly be used to test top order combinations when Alastair Cook’s returns.

England are now at $13 to win the series at Bet365.  A 6-1 series score is at $3.50.

Sri Lanka 267 for 4 (Sangakkara 86, Mathews 51*) beat England 265 (Taylor 90, Morgan 62, Herath 3-36) by six wickets

Cricket: Cook’s ban a blessing in disguise?

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As far as one match cricket bans go Alastair Cook’s is actually quite convenient.  The captain has been forced to sit the fourth match of the one day series against Sri Lanka out after a slow over rate, but England fans may see a silver lining in the unfortunate ban.  Firstly, Cook’s exit gives Eoin Morgan a chance to lead the side.  He’s in desperate need of some form with the blade and the hope is that the added responsibility will allow him to play with the type of accountability that will also bring runs.  The second hope is that the Alex Hales and Moeen Ali at the top of the order will bring a far greater early impetus and set the the tone for a positive approach and a big total.

The Last Time These Two Met

England recorded a much needed win the last time the two sides met.  Joe Buttler and Joe Root crafted a superbly timed chase to beat the rain and the Sri Lankans.  If the visitors fell 3-0 behind the series would have lost all of its appeal, therefore, the win was vital for keeping the Barmy Army full of voice.  England will look to build on the game three win, and level the series on a dry and dusty pitch Colombo surface.

The Teams

Sri Lanka (likely): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Dhammika Prasad, 10 Rangana Herath, 11 Ajantha Mendis

Jayawardene should return in a straight swap for Kandamby in the only change for Sri Lanka.  Although some thought might be given to dropping Ajantha Mendis after his spin was destroyed at Hambantota.

England (likely): 1 Moeen Ali, 2 Alex Hales, 3 James Taylor, 4 Joe Root, 5 Ravi Bopara, 6 Eoin Morgan (capt), 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 James Tredwell, 11 Steven Finn

James Taylor and Ian Bell (fitness permitting) will battle it out for the number three spot in Cook’s absence.  First class phenomenon Taylor deserves the chance after piling on runs in all forms of cricket over the past few years.  James Tredwell could also return at Ben Stokes’ expense.

The Key Players

Tillakaratne Dilshan – The all-rounder has already won a man of the match award after his performance in game one.  He’s also threatened with both bat and ball to do it again.  Look for the 38 year old to have a big impact on this one too.  BetEasy have him at $4.50 to top score.

Joe Root – David Warner’s punching bag is already a shoe-in for Englands World Cup Cricket squad.  The right hander is a stable of the middle order, and also provides a useful parti time bowling option in these spin friendly conditions.  Scores of 2, 42 and 48* could mean he’s improving in each innings and could go big in this one.  Jump on him at $6.20 with BetEasy.

The Odds*

Sri Lanka – $1.54

England – $2.48

*International Cricket odds courtesy of BetEasy.

The Prediction

The dry conditions will not suit the England side that traditionally struggle against accurate spin bowling.  Nevertheless, the odds offered for this one are too good to overlook.  Expect England to sneak another win in unlikely circumstances.

Cricket: NZ level series with narrow win

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Just like the test series, New Zealand bounced back from a first up defeat, to square the Twenty20 Cricket series against Pakistan.  After falling to a six wicket first up loss, New Zealand strangled the Pakistan batsmen to defend their rather lowly 140/4, eventually bowling out Pakistan for 127.

Anton Devcich was the hero for the Black Caps.  The bit part cricketer showed his prowess with both bat and ball to claim the man of the match award.  He scored 21 with the bat and took 2-16 in a display that significantly heightens his chances of featuring in the upcoming Cricket World Cup.

Earlier, a slow pitch made things challenging for all the batsmen with no one from either side topping 33.  In New Zealand’s dig Kane Williamson (32), Tom Latham (26), and Luke Ronchi (31) were the main contributors; Ronchi particularly proving effective, striking at 163 including 20 from a Shahid Afridi over.  Of the Pakistan bowlers Umar Gul was the most impressive.  Returning to cricket for the first time since April the lanky seamer returned 2-24 from his 4 overs, cementing his position as one of the finest bowlers in T20 cricket.

Attempting the very gettable chase, Pakistan were faced with Devcich’s spin from the opening over and struggled to get the ball away., and they stuttered to 24-3.  However with Ahmed Shehzad at the crease and the likes of Umar Akmal and Afridi to come the target was always within reach.  Even with 39 required off 18 the task looked possible, and when Jimmy Neesham sent down the worst over of the match (conceding 15 from the first 5 balls) it looked almost assured.  But the final ball was telling, Afridi nicked a short ball from Neesham to Ronchi to curtail the chase and deprive the fans of a gripping finale.

Another split series means the one-day cricket series will have to be used to split the sides.  World Cup tinkering will also be on the agenda, as will monitoring the injuries of Corey Anderson and Martin Guptill.

New Zealand 144 for 8 (Williamson 32, Ronchi 31, Gul 2-24) beat Pakistan 127 (Shehzad 33, Afridi 28, Mills 3-26, Neesham 3-25) by 17 runs.