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Preview of the match between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians in Jaipur

The Preview by Rachna Shetty16-Apr-2013Match factsApril 17, 2013
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Big pictureExcept for their opening match, which they lost narrowly, Mumbai Indians have been living up to their reputation of a big-ticket team. Their opening combination still hasn’t fired but then, these are men who have more than 60,000 international runs between them. If the match against Pune Warriors is any indication, Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting are finding their groove in the IPL.To add to Rajasthan Royals’ worries, Mumbai have perhaps the most formidable middle-order. Between them, Dinesh Karthik, Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard have scored 479 runs in the team’s four matches and the Royals will have to dismiss them early to dominate the match. In the bowling department, with the hard pitch at Sawai Man Singh Stadium, Mumbai might ponder picking Munaf Patel or Jasprit Bumrah ahead of Pragyan Ojha, adding more power to the pace attack of Lasith Malinga and Mitchell Johnson.Royals have always punched above their weight and their record against Mumbai is not as one-sided as many would presume. Of the nine matches the teams have played, Royals have won four times. Their bowling won them the match against Kings XI Punjab and the onus on restricting Mumbai’s powerhouse batting would again fall on Sreesanth, Siddharth Trivedi, James Faulkner and Kevon Cooper. Their batting in the last two matches – with a habit of losing wickets in clusters – is an area of concern. They made heavy weather of what should have been a straightforward chase against Kings XI and, although they huffed to a six-wicket win, against Mumbai’s better bowling, that kind of batting would mean handing the match to Mumbai on a platter.There’s another undercurrent to this match – Sreesanth and Harbhajan will play against each other for the first time since the former revived the ‘slapgate’ episode on Twitter last week.Players to watchJames Faulkner was the third-highest wicket-taker in the Sheffield Shield and did well with the bat, too. Watching him bowl to Ponting will be interesting given that the two play for Tasmania. He’s batted at No.6 before and can be a good lower-order batsman for Royals.On a wicket that’s been friendly to pace bowlers, Lasith Malinga will be a handful for the Royals’ batsmen. He’s already on top of the bowling charts in the IPL with 85 wickets, but he doesn’t have a great record against Royals, with seven wickets from seven matches at an average of 25.71. This match is a chance to change that statistic.Stats and Trivia Rohit Sharma has scored the most runs for Mumbai against Royals. In 10 matches, he has scored 302 runs at an average of 33.55. Royals’ wicketkeepers Sanju Samson and Dishant Yagnik are ranked second behind MS Dhoni in the list of wicketkeepers with the most dismissals in an innings in this season of the tournament. Royals have won 21 of their 31 home matches, a victory percentage of 67%. In the history of the IPL, that’s second only to Chennai Super Kings’ home record of 25 wins from 38 matches. Quotes”We have been banking on our medium pacers… We hope they give us early break throughs and we are able to capitalise on it.”

BCCI president N Srinivasan looks to have succeeded in staving off attempts to dethrone him, with a late-night informal meeting of board officials not pressing for his resignation

Amol Karhadkar25-May-2013N Srinivasan seems to have staved off the stiff opposition from within the board and will continue as the BCCI president, at least for now and possibly till the AGM in September. A day after the arrest of Gurunath Meiyappan – his son-in-law and a senior official of the Chennai Super Kings franchise – on charges of betting on IPL games, the momentum that seemed to have built up overnight to force a change at the top of the BCCI has apparently fizzled out.More than half the board members attended a dinner hosted by former BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya in Kolkata on Saturday night – notable absentees included vice-president Arun Jaitley, Srinivasan’s presumptive successor, joint secretary Anurag Thakur and treasurer Ajay Shirke – but the mood seemed to be one of preserving the status quo.Indeed, the mood was set before the dinner began, when a senior board official indicated to ESPNcricinfo that the members ‘will not demand’ Srinivasan’s resignation. Srinivasan and IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla had a private discussion in Kolkata before heading for the dinner, the source said, adding that the likelihood of Srinivasan stepping down before the AGM was ‘very slim’.It was in keeping with Srinivasan’s defiant stand through the day. Soon after he landed in Mumbai on Saturday afternoon, he reiterated that he had no intention of resigning. “I cannot be bulldozed or railroaded into resigning by the pressure being applied,” he said. “The BCCI will follow strictly all its rules. The law will take its course. Somebody wants to replace me, let him get elected.”Where N Srinivasan can go from here

Scenario 1: If Srinivasan steps down voluntarily
The BCCI has to find an interim president till the annual general meeting (AGM) is convened in the last week of September. When a president steps down before his term is over, it is usually the vice-president from the same zone as the president who takes over as the interim president. In that case, it would be Shivlal Yadav. If the vice-president refuses, then it has to be one of the eligible representatives from the same zone who takes over.
Scenario 2: If board members want Srinivasan ousted immediately
One-third of the voting members – 10 – must write in to the BCCI secretary urging him to pass a motion against the president for tarnishing the board’s reputation. The secretary then has to convene a special general body meeting (SGM) at the earliest. At the SGM, if two-third of the members – 21, to be precise – vote against the president, he has to step down.
Scenario 3: If the board acts at the AGM
Srinivasan will remain as president till the AGM in September, when he will have completed two years of his term. According to the amended BCCI constitution, an office bearer’s term is extendable by another year at the end of two years. If Srinivasan wants to remain in power for another year, he will have to contest an election. The winner of the election – held by secret ballot – is decided based on simple majority.
Scenario 4: Compromise
If the BCCI members agree that Srinivasan is the best person to be the BCCI’s face, he will remain in charge till September 2014.

The board members know that if Srinivasan does not resign from the job, their options are both limited and complicated (see sidebar). According to the BCCI constitution, a special general body meeting can move a resolution against its president with a three-fourth majority only if the president is directly involved in a corruption case – which is not the case so far.Should the BCCI call an emergency general body meeting, it may come down to electoral numbers. Besides the 27 affiliated units who compete in the Ranji Trophy, the Cricket Club of India, the National Cricket Club, Kolkata and All India Universities have a vote each. If the incumbent president is presiding over the AGM, he is also entitled to a separate vote, thus extending the tally to 31. The last time the BCCI had a contested election for the post of president was in 2005, when Sharad Pawar defeated Ranbir Singh Mahendra to break Jagmohan Dalmiya’s monopoly over Indian cricket’s administration.There remains much internal grumbling about where this controversy around the Chennai Super Kings’ official and Srinivasan has left the BCCI. A former board official said that Gurunath’s arrest has “tremendously harmed the credibility of Indian cricket. And the process to restore credibility cannot even begin till he [Srinivasan] remains at the helm.”The twist in the entire saga is the Gurunath angle. Srinivasan has already constituted a one-man commission of inquiry, headed by Ravi Sawani, to investigate the spot-fixing allegations against the three Rajasthan Royals players.If Sawani’s report implicates anyone – a player or a member of support staff or management team – from Chennai Super Kings, the report will be forwarded to the disciplinary committee. With Srinivasan, in his capacity as the president, being a member of the three-member committee, there would be clear conflict of interest.In such a case, his only option would be to recuse himself from the disciplinary committee by stepping down as the president.Saturday night’s events were an about-turn from what transpired on Friday, well before Gurunath’s arrest, with several significant statements being made across the spectrum of politics and business that controls Indian cricket. Sahara chairman Subroto Roy, who had earlier this week announced his team’s pullout from the IPL and his company’s decision to not renew its sponsorship of Indian cricket, indicated he would be willing to reconsider the decision if there was a change of guard. He went so far as to say Sharad Pawar, a former BCCI president, was an “apt” person to head the board once again.Around the same time a senior member of Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party issued an unambiguous statement saying Srinivasan should go, though the party issued a clarification saying it was issued in a personal capacity and didn’t reflect the party’s views. On Saturday, Pawar told ESPNcricinfo that the party had no view on the matter. “I have resigned [from the BCCI] five year ago to go to the ICC and don’t want to come back.”

Albie Morkel’s advice to sit tight in the face of a bright start was taken on board as Derbyshire wrestled back Leicestershire chase to win comfortably

Alex Winter29-Jun-2013
ScorecardWes Durston paced his innings very well•Getty ImagesA little experience goes a long way. Before the second innings at Grace Road, Derbyshire gathered on the outfield and Albie Morkel, their second overseas player, gave a short speech insisting that no matter how hard Leicestershire came out in the Powerplay, the game was not over. His new team-mates certainly heeded those words.Chasing 174 to win, Leicestershire indeed produced a blazing start but, as Morkel had advised, Derbyshire sat tight and their spinners took chunks out of the middle order to leave the Foxes well short. Losing 6 for 36 killed them.David Wainwright, his career revitalised after a move from Yorkshire before last season, did most of the damage. He bowled Matthew Boyce, had Shiv Thakor caught at short midwicket and deceived Michael Thorney by one that held it’s line to take middle stump. Three wickets in six deliveries and Leicestershire were stuffed.Wainwright brought his first victim to the crease after holding a superb diving catch, running back and diving to his right from mid-on, to send Shakib Al Hasan back for just 4.The wicket heaped pressure on Australian Joe Burns, who was steering the chase well with 36 in 25 balls, including a sweetly-timed straight drive for six off Wes Durston. Burns charged at Dan Redfern’s offspin, was deceived by a flighted delivery well wide of off stump, and was stumped. 53 were needed from 39 balls but two wickets in the next over stretched the task and Leicestershire had nothing down the order.It was all a great waste after Josh Cobb – Leicestershire’s one-day captain – had provided the platform Morkel had warned of. Cobb has been in fine touch in the Yorkshire Bank 40 with 467 runs at 77.83 and here showed his intent dispatching the first ball of the innings for four. He took 15 off the fourth over and, even though he swung once too often and was caught well by a retreating cover, got his side to 54 in the sixth over. His team-mates then squandered the bright start.Leicestershire had scored 183 against Nottinghamshire on Friday but stumbled badly against a target set largely by a well-paced innings from Durston.Durston is a player living a second life in county cricket after Derbyshire offered him a way back into the first-class game three years ago. He’s repaid them, and in Derbyshire’s opening Flt20 a day previously had become their highest run-scorer in the format.Here he sat quietly for most of the innings, scoring at a run-a-ball for 14 overs before lifting Nathan Buck – whose four overs cost 48 – for six. He added another maximum off Anthony Ireland before being bowled to the penultimate delivery of the innings. It had been a very controlled, experienced innings – the type of cricket Derbyshire recognised he could produce.For the opening five overs Durston was happily watching from the non-striker’s end as Chesney Hughes drove, flicked and pulled with heart-warming West Indian flare. His longest strike, over midwicket, gave a small boy a nasty direct blow to the head; thankfully there was no damage.Hughes mistimed a pull to mid-on to bring the antithesis of West Indian flare – Shivnarine Chanderpaul – to the crease. But Chanderpaul’s unique method kept the scoreboard ticking healthily. He and Durston added 94 in 67 balls and without too much trouble Derbyshire had a very competitive total.

Essex were booed off the field by some members of the crowd after being crushed by Middlesex at Chelmsford. Essex were bowled out for 74, their lowest-ever Flt20 total, and lost by eight wickets.

12-Jul-2013
ScorecardKyle Mills, seen here for Auckland, produced a brutal spell•AFPEssex were booed off the field by some members of the crowd after being crushed by Middlesex at Chelmsford. Essex were bowled out for 74, their lowest-ever Flt20 total, and lost by eight wickets.Only Owais Shah, with 39 from 43 balls, posed any threat as the rest of hiscolleagues were swept aside with embarrassing ease.Essex’s hopes of posting a challenging total lay in ruins after only four overs.By that time they had lost half their side for 12 runs, with New Zealand pacemanKyle Mills sending them on the slippery slope by removing Greg Smith and GrahamNapier with the first four balls of the match.Mills then dismissed fellow countryman Hamish Rutherford who put up an easycatch to Joe Denly to pave the way for Gurjit Sandhu to inflict further damage. Sandhu had Jaik Mickleburgh caught behind by Adam Rossington before bowlingRyan ten Doeschate with his next delivery.Shah, whose innings included six boundaries, was the seventh man out with thetotal on 59 when he was stumped advancing down the pitch to left-arm spinnerRavi Patel.Mills picked up his three wickets for only four runs in three overs whileSandhu and Neil Dexter ended with 2 for 15 and 2 for 18 respectively as thehome side’s sorry effort came to an end in the 17th over.In the face of such a low total, Middlesex had no difficulty in carving out avictory that enabled them to join Surrey level on points at the top of thetable.Shaun Tait did offer Essex a glimmer of hope when he removed openers PaulStirling and Dawid Malan in his first two overs but Joe Denly and Adam Vogescarried the visitors past the winning post.Denly set the scene with three boundaries in an over off Napier on his way toan unbeaten 34 while Voges finished with 22 not out as Middlesex were able tocelebrate victory with 10.1 overs to spare.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has sought two extra weeks from the ICC to complete the stadium at Cox’s Bazar, one of the venues for the World Twenty20 matches next year

Mohammad Isam03-Sep-2013The Bangladesh Cricket Board has sought two extra weeks from the ICC to complete the stadium at Cox’s Bazar, one of the venues for the World Twenty20 matches next year.On Tuesday, the country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the venue which has been named after her brother Sheikh Kamal. BCB president Nazmul Hassan, who accompanied the Prime Minister during the ceremony, later said that the board had written to the ICC for more time.”We are scheduled to hand over the stadium to the ICC on September 30. The way work is progressing, I think it will take another fifteen days from the deadline to finish the work,” Hassan said. “So we have asked for some additional time from the ICC and sent a letter. I hope the work will be completed in time.”The stadium has been named the Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium and Complex, but the board’s ambition to set up a sports complex alongside the stadium is still uncertain. In July, the civil aviation and tourism minister Faruk Khan had said that the stadium would be a temporary structure and the ground which was located near the beach, would be converted into five-star hotel.But Hassan, who is also a member of parliament, said that the board was working to resolve the issue with the tourism ministry. “If we continue to argue about the land right now, the stadium’s work will not be finished in time,” Hassan said. “It is of utmost importance that we complete the stadium first, and then go into discussion about this venue. I think we will have an amicable solution.”Since it was the prime minister who had directed the civil aviation authority back in February this year to hand over the land to the BCB, Hassan expects to stay out of the tug-of-war.”The prime minister will discuss the matter with the tourism authorities,” Hassan said. “We don’t need to be involved in this. We are just trying to complete all preparations for the Women’s World Twenty20s.”

David Coltart, Zimbabwe’s former minister of sport, said that cricket in the country is now in a critical state, following a financial crisis which almost resulted in a boycott from the players

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2013David Coltart, Zimbabwe’s former minister of sport, said that cricket in the country is now in a critical state, following a financial crisis which almost resulted in a boycott from the players.In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, Coltart said that Zimbabwe Cricket was nearly $15-18 million in the red and the financial condition was affecting the board’s ability to look after players. The lack of international tours was further affecting Zimbabwe’s chances of addressing its financial issues.”The association now is very much in the red. We estimate anything between $15-18 million in the red. That situation has been compounded by the fact that there have been very few international tours, very few profitable tours, which undermines the ability of Zimbabwe Cricket to address that massive debt,” Coltart said. “And that, in turn, has meant that players have not been paid on time.”Earlier this month, Zimbabwe’s players boycotted their training ahead of the series against Pakistan and decided to form a union to negotiate for better pay. They reached an agreement with the board, after an assurance that ZC would clear their outstanding salaries and also pay them match fees. Shortly after the issue was resolved, fast bowler Kyle Jarvis announced his retirement from international cricket. The pace bowler opted out of the series against Pakistan to take up a county offer from Lancashire.Coltart recounted an incident last year when he had met with a delegation of players and coaches, some of whom had not been paid for up to three years. Such treatment, Coltart said, was pushing players like Jarvis and Gary Ballance to leave the country for better opportunities and this exodus was dragging the game down further.”Last year, I received a delegation of players, including coaches who, having not received any joy from Zimbabwe Cricket came to me directly because they had not been paid match fees,” Coltart recalled.”Some were owed a vast amount of money, and had not been paid up to three years. I summoned Zimbabwe Cricket and the Sports Recreation Commission and arranged for players to be paid. But, it undermined the confidence of many players in the association and that resulted in people, critically important players like Tatenda Taibu, leaving the game.

“What has happened in the absence of the players’ association is that the administration has managed to literally threaten players, especially young black players who had nothing else to turn to”David Coltart

“And now we see Jarvis leaving the game, and there are others who we had hoped would be attracted to play for the country, players like Gary Ballance, started to look elsewhere. That erodes the confidence of the team and creates a very vicious cycle where we are not competitive against international teams. So those teams are reluctant to come, they don’t get the revenues that they would otherwise get from a close contest.”Coltart, who lobbied with Australia, England and India to get more tours to Zimbabwe, said the chances of Zimbabwe hosting more countries depended as much on the political situation in the country as it did on the state of the game. He was also critical of the way ZC had managed funds, saying the board had failed to protect players’ interests. He however expressed hope that future incomes from the game could be used efficiently to revive the game.”I had a meeting with (ICC CEO) Dave Richardson in Dubai in March and he told me that Zimbabwe Cricket, over the next couple of years, can expect revenues of up to $25 million. Zimbabwe cricket does not have the infrastructure that, for example, we see in New Zealand and $25 million, properly administered, should be enough to grow the game and pay players,” he said.One of the major benefits of the newly formed players’ association, according to Coltart, was that it would help many players negotiate for better pay. The association, he said, could get ZC to start treating players better, sparking better results and more series with international teams over the long term. He, however, urged the players to find a manager who could keep the association going, while the players are busy with their cricket commitments.”It has been a demand of players for over a decade. And what has happened in the absence of the players’ association is that the administration has managed to literally threaten players, especially young black players who had nothing else to turn to, and undermine their ability to negotiate reasonable terms and conditions.”I am very pleased that this is now being agreed to and the players must find someone to do that role. And I am very encouraged to see the unity among players in the last couple of weeks. If they are successful in that and if Zimbabwe Cricket starts treating their players better, then the players will play better, and we can attract these teams and ultimately, it’s going to address the financial problems.”

Keaton Jennings and Michael Richardson both scored hundreds as Division One champions Durham fought back on the third day at Hove

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Sep-2013
ScorecardKeaton Jennings batted all day to help Durham’s outstanding fightback•Getty ImagesKeaton Jennings and Michael Richardson both scored hundreds as Division One champions Durham fought back on the third day at Hove to give themselves the chance of ending the campaign with their 11th win.Sussex looked like wrapping up a three-day victory shortly after lunch when Durham were reduced to 120 for six, still 44 short of making Sussex bat again. But opener Jennings and his partner put on 218 in 56 overs to help the visitors to 380 for 7, a lead of 216.Jennings batted all day to register his third first-class hundred of the season and second in the Championship, finishing unbeaten on 113, while Richardson lodged a career-best 129 before falling shortly before stumps.Jennings held Durham’s top order together during the morning session when they lost five wickets, three of them to the impressive Chris Jordan who got a surprising amount bounce and carry out of a pitch which has lost its venom of the first two days.He struck in his second over of the day when Mark Stoneman mistimed a pull and was caught at mid-off. In the next over Steve Magoffin bowled Scott Borthwick with a ball that kept low and Durham were 35 for 3 when Luke Wright came into the attack to end Will Smith’s final innings for the county as he slashed at a ball well outside off stump and was caught in the gully.Ben Stokes counter-attacked impressively with 45 off 40 balls, although he was badly dropped at fine-leg by Magoffin off a top-edge on 24. Twice he deposited James Anyon into adjoining gardens and hit seven fours but when Jordan was summoned back into the attack, his pace proved too much for Stokes, who lost his middle and off stumps.Paul Collingwood fended a rising delivery to gully and Durham were six down just after lunch when Jordan superbly caught Phil Mustard at slip high above his head off Anyon.It was to be Sussex’s last success for more than three hours as Jennings and Richardson rebuilt the innings. Sussex were hampered by the absence of their front-line spinner Ashar Zaidi, who was off the field after breaking a finger batting on the second day, and as the seamers tired Durham were able to start building a decent lead.Sussex took the new ball immediately as it became available and Anyon eventually broke through to claim his 50th Championship wicket of the season when Richardson’s tired pull lobbed up to mid-on.It was revenge of sorts for the bowler who had twice been hit out of the ground by Richardson, who struck a third six off Chris Nash and 16 fours in an innings that spanned 178 balls.But the wayward Anyon was soon suffering again when Usman Arshad struck four boundaries off the penultimate over of the day to push Durham’s lead beyond 200.

Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand captain, and Ross Taylor will miss the limited-overs tour to Sri Lanka, which starts on November 10, in order to prepare for the home series against West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2013Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand captain, and Ross Taylor will miss the limited-overs tour to Sri Lanka, which starts on November 10, in order to prepare for the home series against West Indies. Kane Williamson will lead New Zealand in the three ODIs and two T20Is in Sri Lanka. Luke Ronchi and Ian Butler will replace McCullum and Taylor in the squad.Bruce Edgar, New Zealand Cricket’s general manager – national selection, said the pair will not travel to Sri Lanka so that they can have “red-ball preparation” ahead of the home series against West Indies. New Zealand are scheduled to play three Tests, five ODIs and two T20Is against West Indies, between December 3 and January 15, 2014. This will be followed by a home series against India, comprising five ODIs and two Tests, between January 19 and February 18, 2014.”Ross and Brendon need red-ball preparation to be at their best for the summer,” Edgar said. “Both players are vital to our success and fine-tuning their red-ball skills before the West Indies series starting in early December is paramount.”McCullum and Ross will play in the Plunket Shield, New Zealand’s first-class competition, and are also likely to feature in a few games for New Zealand XI before the first Test against West Indies on December 3.Edgar also said that the board was trying to manage player workloads effectively in the lead-up to bigger competitions, like the World Cup 2015, and stressed that resting senior players allowed the team to develop a larger talent pool in limited-overs cricket.”This summer we have 37 days of international cricket at home and Brendon and Ross are expected to play all of these, so it’s essential that we manage their workloads,” he said. “It’s important we provide game time to a wider playing group in one-dayers and Twenty20s, and establish a bigger bench of playing experience with the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup in Bangladesh next year and World Cup 2015 beyond that.”New Zealand will play the first two ODIs against Sri Lanka on November 10 and 12 in Hambantota, followed by the third ODI in Dambulla on November 16. The two T20Is will be held in Kandy on November 19 and 21.New Zealand squad for Sri Lanka ODIs and T20Is: Kane Williamson (capt), Corey Anderson, Ian Butler, Anton Devcich, Grant Elliott, Tom Latham, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, James Neesham, Luke Ronchi, Hamish Rutherford

Successive ODI series losses in Bangladesh might stretch the optimism of even the most seasoned international captain, but ahead of his first full series at the helm of a youthful side in Sri Lanka, Kyle Mills found cause for positivity in New Zealand’s 0

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Nov-2013Successive ODI series losses in Bangladesh might stretch the optimism of even the most seasoned international captain, but ahead of his first full series at the helm of a youthful side in Sri Lanka, Kyle Mills found cause for positivity in New Zealand’s 0-3 result.Leading the New Zealand team in the absence of Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson, who have been ruled out by either injury or selectors’ discretion, Mills said that individual performances from the previous series boded well for New Zealand, despite the net result in Bangladesh.Mills had also been part of the New Zealand team that lost their last ODI series in Sri Lanka 0-3  – albeit in a series heavily affected by rain – but familiarity with subcontinent conditions and the enthusiasm among young players seeking international acclaim, will make New Zealand competitive in Sri Lanka, Mills said. Tearaway quick Adam Milne and allrounder James Neesham are among the young prospects who will attempt to establish themselves in the national team, while older players like Colin Munro and Anton Devcich will also be on trial.”I think we have one of the most exciting cricket teams to leave New Zealand’s shores,” Mills said. “There are a number of young talents, and their names might not be familiar now, but in the two weeks, I’m sure some of the young guys will step up for us.”Looking back on the Bangladesh series, even thought we went down, a number of guys stepped up. The guys who did step up were younger members within the group, and it’s exciting to see young emerging members. It was nice to win the last game – the T20. There were almost 400 runs scored in that game and it was a bit of a thriller. To come out on top in that instilled a lot of confidence in the group.”Defusing Sri Lanka’s spin bowlers will be key to New Zealand’s prospects in the series, and in this too, the experience in Bangladesh would prove invaluable. Ajantha Mendis has in the past dominated batsmen who have not played him before, and in Sachithra Senanayake, Sri Lanka have a second spinner who possesses a variety of difficult variations.”Between now and the series starting, there is going to be a bit of scouting going into what’s going to come upon the top order in the next three games,” Mills said. “But we’ve just been to Bangladesh, where there was a spin-oriented type of attack as well, so that helps. It’s important to accumulate your ones and your twos off the spinners, to keep it rotating, and we’ve learned that thanks to a good diet of facing spin bowlers for the last wee while. The most important thing is to adapt as quickly as possible. Hopefully we can upskill on the Sri Lankan bowling between now and the first game.”Beyond recent experience in Bangladesh, several players in New Zealand’s squad have also played in Sri Lanka in the last few months, during the A team’s tour. Milne, Devcich, Munro, Corey Anderson, Tom Latham, Luke Ronchi and Andrew Ellis all played at least one match in Sri Lanka on the tour in September and October.”It’s nice that they came on that Sri Lankan tour and had some good, solid performances against that Sri Lankan A side,” Mills said. “They’ve had a bit of practice time in the kind of conditions we’re going to get over the coming two weeks. Those guys also played well in Bangladesh. We’ve been in the subcontinent for a while now, so the lads are acclimatised.”

Ireland have accepted an invitation to play in the West Indies’ domestic 50-over competition, which will run from the end of January to mid-February

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Dec-2013Ireland have accepted an invitation to play in the West Indies’ domestic 50-over competition, which will run from the end of January to mid-February. The tournament will be held in Trinidad and Tobago, the home country of Ireland’s coach, Phil Simmons, and provides a further challenge for a side that has begun to outgrow its Associate status.Following the tournament, Ireland will also play two T20 internationals and an ODI against West Indies in Jamaica on February 19, 21 and 23.Ireland currently hold ICC titles in all three formats and secured their qualification for the 2015 World Cup by winning the WCL Championship earlier this year. They will join seven teams in two groups in the Regional Super50, playing in Zone A alongside Guyana, Windward Islands and Jamaica.”It’s a fantastic opportunity for Ireland’s cricketers to play in this prestigious competition,” Simmons said. “There’s no doubt that the matches will be of a very high standard and it’s a perfect platform for Irish cricket to show the West Indian public just how far their cricket has progressed in the past few years.”The Caribbean holds a special place in Irish cricket history – for many this was where our unique journey started in 2007, and hopefully will be the catalyst that sees Ireland eventually be granted Test status by 2020.”Ireland pulled off one of the great World Cup shocks by beating Pakistan in Kingston at the 2007 World Cup and making it through to the Super Eights stage. They also pulled off a spectacular win over England at the 2011 competition and have qualified for four out of five editions of the World Twenty20. Last year, Cricket Ireland set out its plans to secure Test status by 2020.”We won’t be coming just to make up the numbers – we’re here to try and win the trophy, and while it will be difficult given the calibre of opponents, there’s no fear factor in Irish cricket any more,” Simmons said. “We have much to be proud of and this past season where we won all three trophies we competed in has given the squad great confidence going into 2014.”Ireland previously played in England’s domestic limited-overs competition but declined to join Scotland and Netherlands in the 40-over format used between 2010 and 2013. Although bilateral arrangements with Full Members have been hard to come by, Ireland hosted ODIs against England and Pakistan in 2013Cricket Ireland’s performance director, Richard Holdsworth, said: “We’re extremely grateful to the West Indies Cricket Board for this opportunity. It will give the squad exposure to a high standard of competition which is vital as we prepare for the 2015 World Cup.”Ireland will play their games at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, with Guyana their first opponents on January 31. They will then take on Windward Islands, the holders, on February 3 and Jamaica on February 8.