Cricket: October 2010

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South Africa prevail in desert heat

South Africa 207 for 2 (Kallis 66 retd hurt, de Villiers 51) beat Pakistan 203 (Hafeez 68, Younis 54, Tsotsobe 4-27) by eight wickets

Lonwabo Tsotsobe bowled impressively in hot conditions in Abu Dhabi

According to Ramiz Raja during commentary, Shahid Afridi asked Graeme Smith at the toss on Friday who Lonwabo Tsotsobe was. Having already suffered two top-order collapses at Tsotsobe's hands in the Twenty20 internationals, Afridi should have known him. He didn't, but Tsotsobe's four-wicket haul that set up an eight-wicket South African triumph in the first ODI should leave Afridi in no more doubt.

This time Tsotsobe shuffled things up, causing Pakistan's middle and lower order to implode quicker than a poorly-made soufflé. The key script was written in the middle overs, the dead air of ODIs. Having chosen to bat, Pakistan were cruising at 140 for 1, propped up by fifties from Mohammad Hafeez and Younis Khan. But they lost the meat of their batting between the 31st and 40th overs and, though credit should not be taken from Tsotsobe, the bowling was standard ODI fare - straight, honest and well mixed.

First, Hafeez did little to dispel the impression that he is more than just an ice sculpture in the desert: good to look at but not long-lasting. Having worked his way to a pretty 68, he cut a nothing ball from Johan Botha straight to point. Younis, who provided 54 further reasons why the PCB chairman should have resigned long ago, was leg-before and suddenly Botha's career haul against Pakistan was doubled.

The real implosion came with Tsotsobe's return. He complemented an opening spell in which his triumph was to not flag in the heat. Misbah-ul-Haq returned to ODIs after 13 months, only to remind many why he was dropped in the first place. A scratchy 25-ball 14 ended with him slogging Tsotsobe off his pads to deep square leg; Afridi went three balls later as Afridi does. When Abdul Razzaq and Fawad Alam fell, Pakistan had lost six wickets for 37 and the advantage, and Tsotsobe had taken three. In all they lost eight for 46, limping to 203.

Until then the sides had gone at each other with all the intent of a jar of valium. The intense heat and two burn-outs in the Twenty20s didn't help, so Pakistan returned to the ODI policy that served them well since the Miandad six of 1986: keep wickets in hand, explode late.

Younis and Hafeez's 114-run stand was substantial but mostly unremarkable. There were nice strokes, a punch through covers from Younis, a whippy cut from Hafeez, and enough single-pinching to keep the threat of a late burst alive. Neither pace nor spin tested them and they were polite enough to not take full advantage.

Tsotsobe was unlucky not to pick up Hafeez when he was on 5 and, 15 overs later, he reached 50 off 63 balls. It was surprisingly swift, given that he got off the mark in the seventh over. Soon Younis was celebrating an untroubled 38th ODI fifty with excessive demonstration - understandable after a frustrating nine-month absence.

All of it came to nought, however, and the chase was a doddle. South Africa got just the start from Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith. His bat looking ever more like a toothpick in his hands, Smith was even beginning to locate some of the authority that deserted him in a fifty-less year. But after crunching Shoaib Akhtar through cover, he was hit on the hand by a swift, short one and retired hurt subsequently. Amla looked unusually hurried, but littered the innings with enough quality shots to instill in it a good dollop of authority. Two stood out; a pull as conclusive as a slap in the face off Shoaib and then a cut so late off Afridi, he looked to have been beaten.

Tight spin from Afridi and Saeed Ajmal briefly kept sense of a contest, but there was never enough to defend. Amla was trapped in front but once AB de Villiers had pulled and driven Umar Gul after the drinks break, a comfortable groove had been found.

At that stage, Pakistan's best hope lay in the remaining batsmen falling over from heat exhaustion, as Kallis threatened to in the run-in to the first drinks interval. An extended break, however, restored him. Thereafter, he relocated his impenetrability and emulated de Villiers with an accomplished 66, but he succumbed to the conditions eventually. It was the first time two batsmen had retired hurt in the same innings to not return since 1990, a rarity that would not have amused either side.

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Smith, Kallis doubtful but heat on Pakistan batsmen

Match Facts

October 31, Abu Dhabi
Start time 15:00 (11:00 GMT)

Hashim Amla lofts for six, Pakistan v South Africa, 1st ODI, Abu Dhabi, October 29, 2010

Hashim Amla will be keen to do better than the 35 he managed in the opening ODI, given his good form © AFP

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Clinical South Africa sweep series with easy win

South Africa 125 for 4 (Smith 38, Ingram 32, Duminy 20*) beat Pakistan 120 for 9 (Theron 4-27) by six wickets

Shahid Afridi could not last long enough to make an impact

Another day, another batting collapse from Pakistan. They were shot out for 120 and it was too little to defend even for their talented bowling attack. Their spinners posed a brief threat but South Africa shut them out to seal a 2-0 series win. Graeme Smith's 38 wasn't a fluent effort but he fought on to push South Africa close before Colin Ingram and JP Duminy applied the final touches.

When a struggling Smith was stumped off Saeed Ajmal, South Africa needed 53 from 40 balls, raising the possibility of an improbable twist in the tale. Ajmal had 3.4 overs left in his spell and there were two new batsmen in the middle but Ingram killed the contest with admirable coolness. He pulled Umar Gul for four before collecting three boundaries off Shoaib Akthar in the 17th over - a smashed six over long-on and two fours dragged to square-leg - to push South Africa ahead in the chase. He fell, holing out to long-on, but Duminy stayed put till the end.

Nothing went right from the start for Pakistan. Shahzaib Hasan continued to be a walking wicket and his exit, to an ugly slog across the line, opened the floodgates. Imran Farhat, who was bowled going for an over-ambitious heave, left one wondering whether the selectors were being too harsh on Imran Nazir. Like yesterday, it was Lonwabo Tsotsobe who removed the openers.

Again there was no middle-order revival. Mohammad Hafeez averages just 20.01 from 53 ODIs and 16.53 from 17 Twenty20s. Today was yet another day where he played a couple of pretty shots before combusting. He was caught at the crease, pondering whether to cut or steer, and lost his stumps before he could make up his mind. Umar Akmal ran himself out following a mix-up with Misbah-ul-Haq, and Shahid Afridi scooped Rusty Theron to deep point. Abdul Razzaq improved on his performance from yesterday - he swung a couple of sixes - but tapped a full toss from Theron straight to mid-off.

It was left to Misbah to push Pakistan over 100. It was another one of his meandering knocks that seemed to go nowhere until the last couple of overs when he showed some intent. Like yesterday, he initially struggled to find his timing but fought on to hold one end up. He went for the big shots in the end - there was a neat six over wide long-on, hit on a bent knee, and a shuffled swat to the backward square-leg boundary - but it was too little and too late.

It was difficult to rate South Africa's bowling in this context. Did Pakistan's shoddy batting display make the bowling look better than it was? It would be unfair, though, to not credit them for their discipline. Tsotsobe punctuated his natural left-armer's angle with the ones that straightened to collect early wickets, Johan Botha, as ever, strangled the run-flow in the middle overs with his variations, and Theron enhanced his reputation as a death-over specialist with three wickets in the last over. Pakistan's bowlers again attempted the improbable but it was a bridge too far to cross.

Sriram Veera is a staff writer at Cricinfo

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'People are right to question technology' - Virtual Eye chief

The Virtual Eye chief has called for feedback from players and umpires to improve the use of UDRS

The man behind the technology at the heart of the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS), soon to be used for the first time in an Ashes series, believes that players and umpires need to spend time understanding and questioning its workings so that the system's tools can be improved and their efficiency increased.

Ian Taylor, CEO of Virtual Eye, which will provide the ball tracker for the UDRS in the upcoming Australian summer, told EPSNcricinfo, "We need to be sharing technology with people whom it will affect. We need to spend time with umpires and players, captains of teams, so that we can open up the entire Pandora's box of the technology. I think people are right to question the technology; that is how we make it better."

Taylor said, "The people whom the technology will impact through the DRS could well be those who will give us feedback that can surprise us. They could tell us to take into account factors we may not even have thought of. This is one way to move forward". He said Virtual Eye hoped to bring in the umpires to have a look at the Ball Tracker. "We would love to see people open to the technology", Taylor said, adding that technology would never replace the role of the umpire. "We want to work with the umpires".

The UDRS system in use for the Ashes will be significant as the ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat will travel to Australia with officials from the BCCI. This visit is meant to formally serve as a test run for the use of UDRS in the 2011 World Cup, but it is hoped the Ashes inspection will finally convince the BCCI to accept the technology for India's home games in the future.

"We are happy for anyone to come and see what we are doing, for players and umpires to understand the technology," Taylor said. "If broadcasters are happy with it, if they believe it enhances the viewers' experience, it will be a part of the coverage regardless. If it doesn't happen officially, it will happen anyway."

Virtual Eye will be used by the Australian broadcasters Channel 9 for the first time, starting with the Twenty20 international between Australia and Sri Lanka on October 31. Taylor said that VE's ball-tracker was only one of several features being offered to Channel 9 this season, but it was in "disproportionate focus" because of the debate over the UDRS.

Under the ICC's current regulations, the mandatory requirements for the UDRS system are the ball-tracking technology, Super Slo-Mo and a 'clear' stump mike. It is the ball tracker that is the most contentious, its 'disproportionate focus' is centred around leg before wicket appeals even though the ball-tracker's other functions, to create wagon wheels, pitch map and the 'bee-hive', (which indicates where the ball has passed the batsman), feature more often during the course of a daily broadcast.

"We want to tell stories of all kinds to the viewer - why are particular fields set, what are fielders doing during a course of a day but the irony is that the emphasis of any tracker discussion is around the lbw appeal," Taylor said. "How often will that be used in a day? Half a dozen times?" This is the first time Channel 9 is using the Dunedin-based Virtual Eye package over Hawkeye.

Brad McNamara, executive producer of cricket for Channel 9, told ESPNcricinfo that the decision to go with Virtual Eye was "both commercial and editorial". McNamara said, "Legally, the commercial reasons must remain confidential, however, editorially, we believed VE could enhance our broadcast with other new technologies apart from ball-tracking that they could make available to us." McNamara would not go into detail about the 'enhancements', but said that both technologies were similar in cost as well as accuracy. "The ICC have tested both Hawk-Eye and Virtual Eye and there was little or no difference in accuracy. We hope and expect that to be the case this summer", McNamara said.

Taylor denied that companies like Virtual Eye or Hawk-Eye supported the use of technology in the umpire's decision-making because of any commercial benefit to the graphics providers. "That is not true. We don't get paid any extra for the URDS technologies, all the extra work that is done is not funded by anyone but us and we are prepared to do this stuff if it does make a difference."

McNamara said the ICC should contribute to the costs of putting the UDRS into place. "If the ICC wants to use technology we have developed over the years and currently pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for each year to satisfy their DRS requirements, then they should contribute to any costs associated with getting that technology to air."

It was, however, important for cricket to arrive at a consensus because Taylor said "the broadcasters know what it is they want from us and what they are prepared to pay for. I have to say not a lot of it has to do with the DRS." The sooner cricketing nations could agree, he said, "one way or the other about the role of the DRS, how it is to be used, where it is to be used and how it is to be funded if used, the sooner we can all focus our attention entirely on what needs to be done to make sure that everyone is happy with what is provided."

Taylor said he would like to see a situation where an umpire could overrule the ball-tracker technology "if he felt uncomfortable with a particular result we gave him. The challenge for us then becomes one where we try to make that an extremely rare occurrence."

Virtual Eye's progress in its earliest venture as sports animation & graphics provider illustrates the impact of technological innovation in sport. From 1992 to 2000, Virtual Eye's America's Cup yacht-racing coverage was produced, Taylor said, from "a computer the size of a small fridge" which cost half a million dollars. In 2003, that same computer had shrunk to the size of a shoe-which box costing $1500 dollars. From 2003-04, Virtual Eye was, "delivering on a cellphone." The example, he believed, contained its own message. "We need to look forward and not back at the changes made all across all sport. Technology is happening."

Sharda Ugra is senior editor at Cricinfo

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Series finale abandoned due to wet outfield

Match abandoned India v Australia
Scorecard

A wet outfield forced the abandonment of the third and final ODI between India and Australia in Margao

India won the three-ODI series 1-0 as the final match was abandoned without a ball being bowled in Margao. Heavy rain on the eve of the game clogged the ground and, though the weather was clear on match day, the outfield was not suitable for play.

The result meant a winless tour for Australia. The last time they experienced something similar in India was on their tour in 2008-09 where they drew the tour game and lost the Tests 0-2.

The first ODI in Kochi was also washed out in similar circumstances. It was an unfortunate result for the locals who had turned up at the stadium. The series was effectively reduced to a solitary game in Visakhapatnam and both teams took a couple of positives.

For India, Virat Kohli scored a century to move ahead of Rohit Sharma in the selection pecking order and R Ashwin impressed with the ball. India, though, struggled in the end overs with Australia looting 84 from the final five overs. For Australia, Michael Clarke made a century after a disappointing performance in the Test series, in which he managed just 35 runs in four innings. Mitchell Starc, the 20-year old left-arm seamer, made a promising debut and the other debutant John Hastings too had a decent outing.

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Duminy, de Villiers set up huge SA victory

South Africa 399 for 6 (Duminy 129, de Villiers 109, Utseya 1-58) beat Zimbabwe 127 (Taibu 28, Theron 3-18, Parnell 2-30) by 272 runs

JP Duminy's highest ODI score set up South Africa's 272-run win against Zimbabwe in the final ODI in Benoni

South Africa stamped their authority firmly on their northern neighbours in the final ODI of Zimbabwe's tour in Benoni, sealing a massive 272-run win - a record margin of victory for them. On a day for records, South Africa first racked up a monstrous 399 for 6, Jean-Paul Duminy and AB de Villiers both racing to centuries in the course of a record-breaking 219-run stand for the third wicket as the runs flowed without cease. The cracks in Zimbabwe's brittle attack had been in evidence on the unforgiving tracks in Bloemfontein and Potchefstroom, but the visitors' bowlers finally crumbled completely, and their batting followed suit.

Duminy and de Villiers' partnership lasted 31.4 overs at just under seven-an-over as they shared ten fours and seven sixes, with no bowler spared before a tiring de Villiers finally departed for a 99-ball 109. Duminy added three further boundaries and had raced to 129, his highest ODI score, before he eventually fell with the score well past 300. Together they had surpassed the previous South African record for the third wicket, de Villiers and Zimbabwe also having been involved in the previous effort, and also made the third highest overall partnership for South Africa in one-dayers.

Any hope that humid conditions at the start and patches of green on the wicket might assist the seamers had soon evaporated as Ian Nicolson - in just his second match in national colours - came in for some fearful punishment, his first two overs being spanked for 32. The treatment of his new-ball partner Shingirai Masakadza was not nearly as harsh, but captain Elton Chigumbura was still forced to turn to spin as early as the sixth over.

The change brought immediate results, Prosper Utseya luring Graeme Smith out of his crease with a wonderfully flighted offspinner and Hashim Amla suffering his first failure of the series as a lifter on off stump from Shingirai Masakadza found a thin edge and South Africa were pegged back to 59 for 2 after an electric start.

Zimbabwe were visibly lifted by the breakthroughs, but Duminy and de Villiers soon wrested the initiative back as they took up the offensive with great vim and vigour. Nicolson's return to the attack was greeted with a volley of rifling strikes through the off side, and Graeme Cremer's third over was spanked for 18 as the batsmen matched each other shot for shot in a race to fifty.

Duminy got there first - from his 53rd ball - but de Villiers' half-century took just one delivery longer and as their partnership developed the chance of a gettable total for the Zimbabweans began to evaporate. In a display of imperious, almost bored powerhitting, no bowler was spared.

Hamilton Masakadza, the eighth bowler tried by a desperate Chigumbura, finally brought an end to the torment as de Villiers set himself to thrash a sixth six but a skewed top edge landed safely in the hands of the younger Masakadza, running in from the deep midwicket boundary. Duminy departed soon after, but the left-handed trio of Albie Morkel, David Miller and Colin Ingram prolonged the assault and took the score to the brink of 400.

Zimbabwe's chase was soon in ruins as their batsmen subsided on either side of a plucky 47-run stand between Tatenda Taibu and Craig Ervine. The seamers made the first incision as three wickets fell inside the first seven overs, and Johan Botha then struck twice in an over to tear the heart out of the middle order and Zimbabwe collapsed in a heap to 127 with more than 20 overs left.

If Zimbabwe were to get anywhere near South Africa's mountainous total, a positive start was vital but they were immediately on the back foot as Brendan Taylor upper-cut Lonwabo Tsotsobe into Rusty Theron's waiting hands at third man with the score still in single figures. Hamilton Masakadza was not long in following him to the pavilion, splicing an attempted pull to give Theron his second catch at mid-on. Chamu Chibhabha briefly flattered to deceive, swiping a back-of-a-length delivery from Tsotsobe into the stands at deep cover and sending Morkel diving for cover with a rifling straight drive, but when he fell to a low catch by Amla at mid-off Zimbabwe slipped to a perilous 30 for 3.

Taibu and Ervine were determined not to give up without something of a fight, and when they kick-started their partnership with five boundaries in the space of two overs it seemed Zimbabwe were still up for the challenge. But Botha's introduction sealed both of their fates as his first delivery, a flighted offspinner, deceived Taibu and his sixth rushed between Ervine's bat and pad to clean-bowl both batsmen.

Immediately afterwards Zimbabwe slipped to 80 for 6, Chigumbura bowled by Theron off the inside edge, and an early finish to the evening appeared a foregone conclusion. Wayne Parnell knocked Keith Dabengwa off his feet with a pinpoint yorker, trapping the batsman lbw in the process, and then bullied Graeme Cremer into a top-edged pull to leave Zimbabwe staring at humiliation.

Some determined resistance from Utseya, and a pair of massive sixes off the younger Masakadza's bat, briefly kept that fate at bay but Theron's return soon brought a swift end. More often than not, Zimbabwe have battled gamely with the bat on this tour, but faced with an impossible chase today they were back to their diabolical worst.

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Zimbabwe look for consolation win

Match Facts

Friday, October 22, Benoni
Start time 2:30pm (1230 GMT)

Hashim Amla has been almost impossible to dislodge, breezing to centuries in both matches

The Big Picture

Zimbabwe's wait to beat South Africa in their own backyard in an ODI in a bilateral series continues, with Friday's encounter providing their last chance on this tour. It has nevertheless been an encouraging performance from the visitors, despite their failure to win a game. They have performed decently with the bat, and Brendan Taylor's unbeaten 145 in the first ODI must rank as one of the finest innings in unsuccessful chases. However, despite Zimbabwe proving to be much more than season-opening sparring partners for South Africa, there has been a sense of inevitability about the results.

The Zimbabwe bowling has been a huge letdown - in fact it's been little more than fodder for Hashim Amla and company, who have twice reached 200 for the loss of only one wicket. It's not that Elton Chigumbura, the Zimbabwe captain, hasn't tried. He's shuffled his attack around, using eight bowlers in both matches, and even opened with offspinner Prosper Utseya, but South Africa haven't looked in the remotest of discomfort. A four-day break would have given Chigumbura more time to mull over his options, considering this is Zimbabwe's last ODI before the World Cup. He would also like his batsmen, including himself, to capitalise on the numerous starts they have managed, and support Taylor and Tatenda Taibu.

Graeme Smith's concerns are different. Not satisfied with winning the series, he wants his bowlers and fielders to take care of the "little things" ahead of tougher challenges against Pakistan and India. Tomorrow is another opportunity for his back-up bowlers to stake claims for World Cup spots before the regulars come back.

Form guide

South Africa WWWWW
Zimbabwe LLLWW

Watch out for...

Hashim Amla, averaging a staggering 82.55 in ODIs this year with four hundreds in nine matches, has been almost impossible to dislodge. He's hammered length deliveries on the up through the off side, he's been graceful as ever off his pads, and he's even flicked deliveries from two feet outside off stump backward of square. What will the man do next, and more importantly, how can Zimbabwe stop him?

It's been anything but a memorable return to international cricket for Grant Flower. He looked to be regaining his touch in the previous match, before throwing it away against the gentle offspin of JP Duminy. Flower, also Zimbabwe's batting coach, has said before that his position could get awkward if he can't perform as a player. Though it's only his third ODI after six years, he wouldn't want to end his comeback series with a third consecutive failure.

Team news

South Africa swapped Twenty20 captain Johan Botha and Albie Morkel for left-arm spinner Robin Peterson - who had last played an ODI in April 2007 - and Lonwabo Tsotsobe in Potchefstroom. Both Botha and Morkel could return to the XI in Benoni.

South Africa (possible): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Colin Ingram, 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Johan Botha, 9 Wayne Parnell, 10 Rusty Theron 11 Charl Langeveldt

Hamilton Masakadza could play in place of Sean Williams, who has made 10 runs in two games.

Zimbabwe (possible): 1 Brendan Taylor, 2 Hamilton Masakadza, 3 Chamu Chibhabha, 4 Grant Flower, 5 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 6 Craig Ervine, 7 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 8 Keith Dabengwa, 9 Prosper Utseya, 10 Shingirai Masakadza, 11 Graeme Cremer/Chris Mpofu/Ed Rainsford

Stats and trivia

Taylor's unbeaten 145 in Bloemfontein is the fourth-highest individual score in a lost chase, and the highest outside India
Zimbabwe have beaten the hosts only once in South Africa, in a league match of the Standard Bank Triangular Tournament in 2000

Quotes

"Our batting has been consistent especially against such a big team like South Africa. We're going in the right direction, but our bowlers need a lot more practice and need to gain more control."
Elton Chigumbura knows where Zimbabwe's problems lie

"We're under no illusion that we're suddenly world-beaters after winning the series against Zimbabwe."
Hashim Amla puts South Africa's performance in perspective

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Virat Kohli hundred sets up Indian victory

India 292 for 5 (Kohli 118, Raina 71*, Yuvraj 58) beat Australia 289 for 3 (Clarke 111*, White 89*, Hussey 69) by five wickets

The target of 290 appeared to be stiff, especially when India were wobbling at 35 for 2 in the ninth over, but Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh maintained their sang froid to get India close before the adventurous Suresh Raina sealed the win in style. Kohli, in particular, impressed. He not only lost Yuvraj in the 34th over with India still 118 runs adrift of the target but also, by then, was suffering from severe cramps and was forced to bat with a runner. If those hurdles fazed him, he didn't show it and went on to clinch the game in the company of Raina.

The chase mirrored Australia's innings to an extent. Australia too had started slowly before they consolidated, courtesy a fine 144-run partnership between Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey, to 205 for 3 from 45 overs, before exploding in the death overs. Australia looted 84 runs in the final five overs and Cameron White whacked 70 runs in his last 24 deliveries. Australia might have felt they had enough in the bank but Kohli pulled off a cool heist.

Kohli's personal big moment came in the 42nd over when he bro

ught up his ton with a crisp square-drive and screamed in glee. And the game was all but over in the 43rd over when Kohli swung Clint Mckay for two fours and a massive heaved-six over long-on. Post that shot, even his limp towards square leg seemed to acquire a swagger. It was indeed a special night for Kohli who has now moved ahead of Rohit Sharma in the pecking order.

Kohli's nerves, if any, must have eased after Raina collected 17 runs from 38th over of the innings, bowled by James Hopes. He struck three fours -a glanced boundary preceded two mowed hits to wide midwicket boundary - to reduce the target to 81 from 12 overs. And when Raina picked up two more fours in the 40th over, India required 66 runs from the final 10 and they did it without much fuss. Though India soon lost Kohli, who holed out to long-on, and MS Dhoni, Raina guided them home.

The chase stood out for India's calm approach. They initially chose to conserve wickets and reserved their assault for the second half of the chase. At the half-way mark they had reached 117 for the loss of the openers and required another 173 runs.

As you would expect with such a high asking run-rate, the Indian pair of Kohli and Yuvraj did play a few big shots to ease the pressure. Kohli pulled Mitchell Starc for a four before flicking and square-driving John Hastings for successive boundaries. Yuvraj whiplashed Hastings over midwicket, lifted Starc to the straight boundary and swept Nathan Hauritz for another four.

Australia tried to keep it tight, with the seamers hitting the back of length and bowling as straight as possible. However, the errors started to creep in as the pressure increased and with the spinners proving to be ineffective, Kohli and Yuvraj cruised along. The pitch had quickened up as the evening wore on and the ball started to come on nicely to the bat which also helped India's cause.

The change in nature of the wicket had helped Australia too in the end of their innings. It was ruthless violence in the end but the Australian innings had three distinct phases. They crawled to 16 for 2 in eight overs; they then consolidated to 205 for 3 from 45 overs, before finishing off in style.

White swung Praveen Kumar for two sixes to the straight boundary in the 48th over before he bossed Vinay Kumar in some style. There were four massive sixes against the hapless bowler spread over two overs. He cleared the front foot and walloped a full-pitched delivery to the straight boundary for the first six. The second fell into the second tier over long-on and the third was swiped over the midwicket boundary. The fourth, of the final ball of the innings, showcased his skill: It was yet another full toss and he swat-flicked it over the wide midwicket boundary.

It would be tempting to solely focus on the surge in the last five overs but it was all set up by a superb stand between Hussey and Clarke. It was Hussey who increased the run-flow with three crisp boundaries by the 10th over. An inspired Clarke soon produced the shot of the afternoon: a classy on-the-up punchy drive past Praveen that defied the slow pitch.

It was a mature show from Clarke; there might have been a temptation to try taking risks and worrying about the ideal target to set but he seemed very clear in his head about the way ahead. You felt all along the afternoon that Clarke was waiting for the batting powerplay and he cashed in style. He crashed Vinay to the cover boundary before nearly decapitating the umpire Billy Bowden with a powerful straight drive. It was around this time that he handed the baton to White. Their efforts didn't prove enough, though.

Sriram Veera is a staff writer at Cricinfo

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Chance for youngsters to showcase their talent

Match Facts

Wednesday, October 20, Visakhapatnam
Start time 14:30 (09:00 GMT)

The Big Picture

This is the series for lesser-known players to make a name for themselves and grab a permanent spot in the one-day team, that is, if the weather would allow them. The first ODI was washed out and it's very humid in Visakhapatnam, with a forecast for showers on Thursday. If the dark clouds can stay away on the match-day, however, youngsters like R Ashwin, Mitchell Starc and Ravindra Jadeja will breathe easy.

The continuing presence of Jadeja in the playing XI has baffled many an Indian fan. Here are his stats: A bowling average of 41.55 and a batting average of 31.47 at a strike rate of 76.97. He hasn't sparkled with the bat or the ball with any consistency; the best (only?) thing going for him is his economy rate in ODIs: 4.84. MS Dhoni has pointed out what he thinks Jadeja should do: "For a player like him, it is very important to contribute with the bat and ball. He has to do a bit more with the bat."

His bowling has increasingly gotten his captain's backing: He has bowled his full quota of 10 overs nine times and seven of those occasions have come in 2010. His direct competition until recently was Yusuf Pathan: Yusuf's strike rate is over 100 but he averages just 22.11. His bowling average is 40.66, slightly better than Jadeja, but his economy rate of 5.75 is almost a run higher.

Is R Ashwin the man, then, to replace Jadeja? Ashwin is a much better bowler than Jadeja, and has a lower economy rate when you compare their performances in domestic circuit. In more than half of those matches, Ashwin had yet to use his new tools, like the carom ball; he is a more complete bowler now. Jadeja's batting is better than Ashwin's, but he lacks the skills to demolish a good attack. So it will come to what the team management needs from the player who fills that spot: Is it a bowler who can bat a bit or batsman who can bowl? Ashwin fulfills the first requirement while Jadeja hasn't quite managed to fill the second. Both will play in this series and the one against New Zealand, which should help the selectors to decide between them, or perhaps even go back to Yusuf, for the World Cup.

Australia too have a few youngsters in the squad and one of them, Mitchell Starc, might get his chance tomorrow as Doug Bollinger is a doubtful starter. "Obviously I'd love him [Bollinger] to play both these one-dayers but I think we also need to be smart with what we've got coming up," Michael Clarke said today. If Bollinger doesn't play, Starc might make his debut. Those who have followed his career rate him very highly. He has a pre-release load-up like Mitchell Johnson but gets more bounce. He even has a first-class fifty. The experts reckon he is a bit raw now but is likely to put up a stiff fight to his more established team-mates in a year's time.

This series also will reveal the position of Shaun Marsh in the team. Will he play as an opener? If not, he will have to fight with the very talented Callum Ferguson for a spot in the middle-order.

Form guide

(most recent first)
India LWLWL
Australia WWLLL

Watch out for...

David Warner is yet to learn how to construct a long innings. "Due to the volume of twenty20 cricket I have played over the past year, being able to actually play myself in and build an innings is something I am not all that used to," he wrote recently. These two games offer him an opportunity to do it in on the international stage. We know he has the power-packed shots; does he have the skill to build an innings? We shall soon find out.

Ashish Nehra 's confidence is his strength. He was in the wilderness for more than two years but every time you met him, he would say it was just matter of getting fit and he would be back into the Indian team. To him, it was never a question about his skill; it was just his body that was playing truant. Ever since his return he has been Dhoni's go-to man under pressure. It's Nehra who bowls in the batting Powerplay, its Nehra who bowls in the end overs and its Nehra who often has to take the wicket with the new ball too. It would be very interesting to see how he fares against his nemesis - Australia.

Team news

Shikhar Dhawan will make his ODI debut and Dhoni has already said that Saurabh Tiwary is likely to get one game in this series.

India (probable): 1 M Vijay, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Virat Kohli/Rohit Sharma, 6 MS Dhoni (capt and wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Ashish Nehra, 11 Munaf Patel.

Doug Bollinger is yet to fully recover from the abdominal strain that ruled him out of the Bangalore Test. He bowled for the first time in the training today and his fitness will be assessed on the morning of the match before they make a call. Fast bowler Mitchell Starc is likely to make his debut in case Bollinger misses out.

Australia (probable) 1 David Warner, 2 Tim Paine (wk), 3 Michael Clarke (capt), 4 Shaun Marsh/Callum Ferguson, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Cameron White, 7 Steve Smith, 8 James Hopes, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Clint McKay, 11 Doug Bollinger/Mitchell Starc.

Pitch and conditions

It's currently prickly hot with high humidity indicating that rain might be just around the corner.

Stats and trivia

The beautiful stadium, located on the National Highway 5, has hosted just two ODIs. This is where MS Dhoni announced himself with a violent 123-ball 148 against Pakistan. Sri Lanka's Chamara Silva is the only other centurion on this ground.
Nehra averages a very respectable 30.54 in ODIs, but it would be an understatement to say that he has struggled against Australia. In 12 games against them, he has an average of 51.75 and an economy rate of 6.14.
Cameron White's stats get better against India. He averages about 36 with the bat but against India it jumps to 42.16 from seven games. His strike rate against India is 84.61 which is higher than his career strike rate and he has also hit 8 sixes - about 22% of his total sixes - against India.
India have a poor record of chasing against Australia: They have lost 34 games and won only 17 while batting second against them.

Quotes
"We've still managed to enjoy it, to be honest. Plenty of time in the gym together but now we're keen to get back on the cricket field. One benefit of not playing too much cricket is a lot of guys have been able to do their fitness work"
Michael Clarke says his team has tried to utilize the rain break to their benefit
.

"It will be a big learning curve for all youngsters. It's very important to live in the present... Small and basic things that needs to be done correctly to make a mark at the big level. I won't put extra pressure on them."
MS Dhoni understands whats at stake for his newcomers.

Sriram Veera is a staff writer at Cricinfo

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Ponting questions England batting strength

Ricky Ponting: "We are hoping for a very similar series to the last one in Australia

Ricky Ponting has questioned whether England have the batting strength necessary to retain the Ashes by winning in Australia, a feat that hasn't been accomplished since Mike Gatting's team did so in 1986-87.

"Kevin Pietersen, obviously, is a big question mark for them at the moment," Ponting told UAE's Radio 2 (listen to the entire interview on ESPNcricinfo's Timeout). "Alastair Cook is just holding on to his spot by the skin of his teeth, and [Paul] Collingwood has probably not had the best Test summer of his life either. So there is enough happening around there to know that they will be a little nervous when they arrive in Australia."

Pietersen averaged 27.25 in four innings against Pakistan this summer and hasn't scored a century in 19 months. John Buchanan, the former Australia coach who has accepted a consulting role with the ECB, had also suggested that Pietersen could be a 'major problem' for England.

Cook had been under intense pressure following a prolonged lean spell before earning some breathing room with a gutsy 110 against Pakistan at The Oval. Collingwood had a successful tour of South Africa last winter but six of his previous eight Test innings have been scores of five or less.

Ponting said that England could pose a strong challenge, especially with the rise of offspinner Graeme Swann and fast bowler Stuart Broad, whose five wickets at The Oval were vital to England reclaiming the Ashes last year, continuing to deliver in crunch situations.

"They have some good players in their side at the moment, who are playing well," Ponting said. "Graeme Swann is probably the stand out. Stuart Broad, and probably their captain [Andrew Strauss], these have been the guys who have stood up for them over the last couple of years. But they have certainly been the more consistent team than any English team I have played against in the past."

Australia have a formidable home record, having lost only one series since 1992-93. They blanked England 5-0 in 2006-07, and Ponting hoped his side could repeat that performance. "We all know how hard opposition teams find it coming to Australia, and particularly starting at the Gabba, they always find it a difficult place to win. So as an Australian, and an Australian captain, we are hoping for a very similar series to the last one."

Ponting has played in more Test wins than anyone else and already has three World Cup trophies - two as captain - but insisted his hunger for the game hadn't waned.

"There is no doubt about that. I mean, I would have not worked as hard as I have over the last eight weeks if the hunger wasn't there," he said. "I am as excited about the next period of cricket, with the Ashes and then the World Cup at the end of that, so that is about six or seven months of biggest cricket tournaments that you ever play."

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Ijaz Butt was told to reform or be expelled

Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, was under pressure to accept the ICC's measures at the board meeting

The prospect of expelling the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt as an ICC director was raised at the ICC board meeting in Dubai last week, underlining just how thin the ice is that the Pakistan board is currently skating on. Well-placed observers vary on the degree of the threat but some believe Butt was compelled to accept a series of wide-ranging measures to reform Pakistan cricket without protest because the alternative would have been to face expulsion.

The possibility is believed to have been raised by an individual member and not the ICC. It arose from members concerned about a specific potential conflict of interest in the spot-fixing scandal, in which three Pakistani players are allegedly involved. The Pakistan board and Mohammad Asif, one of the three players implicated, are using the same London-based lawyer which, according to the ICC code of ethics for directors, could be interpreted as a conflict of interest.

This particular spur, however, is merely part of a much broader canvas of the cricket world's discontent with Butt. ESPNcricinfo reported last month that the possibility of suspending him had crossed the minds of officials who were unhappy with how Butt had reacted to the spot-fixing crisis and then acted with the ICC and other boards such as the ECB.

The focus of the two-day board meeting was on anti-corruption and, in particular, concerns over the health of the game in Pakistan; specifically three broad areas were up for discussion, including an update on the spot-fixing investigations, how the game tackles corruption globally and how Pakistan is to be helped. At its conclusion, the ICC set an ultimatum to the PCB to implement a series of effective anti-corruption measures in its domestic set-up within 30 days [from October 13].

The remit of the ICC's task force on Pakistan has also been broadened to look at ways of improving the structure of governance in Pakistan, "to carry out any reforms," according to the ICC, "which may be deemed necessary to restore confidence in the administration of the game."

It is understood that the actions of the Pakistan board through the year brought matters to a head. The revoking of punishments handed out after the Australia tour inquiry, in which the PCB found players guilty of deliberately underperforming, worried member boards.

The handling of the spot-fixing crisis - in particular its refusal to suspend players - and a spate of statements made in the aftermath by Butt and others have exacerbated matters. The feeling in the cricket world before this meeting, one source said, was that "Pakistan cricket was in denial." The measures "lay down a path for how that can be dealt with."

The reconstituted task force is expected to sit down this week to begin carving out terms of reference for its operation; at some point ECB chairman Giles Clarke, who is head of the force, is likely to visit Pakistan. There are expected to be "discussions" and "recommendations" in whatever areas Pakistan needs help but the basic governance of the game is likely to feature heavily. "There will be greater scrutiny and monitoring of the way the game is governed in Pakistan now," an official familiar with the brief said.

But first the task force will report on the PCB's efforts in putting into place those anti-corruption measures. They have to be completed within the 30-day deadline - and there is a full series with South Africa in Abu Dhabi and Dubai to organize in that time - failing which, theoretically, a range of sanctions are available. Action can be taken against Butt's position on the ICC board and financial sanctions can also be applied; withholding prize money from ICC tournaments, for example. The worst-case scenario, "the last resort," as one official put it, would be to suspend Pakistan's membership. It is understood that sanctions are likely be against the member and not an individual.

The signs, according to an ICC-watcher, are not good even given the ICC's slow approach to such decisions. "Usually there are various stages to go through when suspension becomes an issue, as was the case with Zimbabwe," he told ESPNcricinfo. "Task forces do their work, there is much discussion, fact-finding trips are made and so on. But in this case, such is the situation and the concern over Pakistan that things could move quickly. You need a 75% majority to suspend a member so where is the support for the PCB? The threat of suspension is very real."

Osman Samiuddin is Pakistan editor of Cricinfo

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Rain washes out first ODI

Match abandoned Australia v India

The ground staff couldn't beat the weather in Kochi

The opening match of the three-game India-Australia series was abandoned without a ball being bowled in Kochi. Heavy rain before the one-dayer saturated the ground and while the weather was clear at the scheduled start time, the clouds returned to send everyone home.

It was an unfortunate result for the thousands of locals who were filling the stadium in their blue shirts. Both teams are fielding inexperienced squads so the expectation was high, but everyone will have to wait for the second match in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. The series concludes in Goa on Sunday

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Ingram and Amla tons set up 64-run win

South Africa 351 for 6 (Amla 110, Ingram 124, Masakadza 4-86) beat Zimbabwe 287 for 6 (Taylor 145*, Theron 3-62, Botha 2-41) by 64 runs

Hashim Amla's 4th ODI hundred laid the platform for South Africa's massive total

Three batsmen passed 100 as the runs flowed in the first one-day international in Bloemfontein, but where Hashim Amla and Colin Ingram's twin tons powered South Africa to a lofty 351 for 6, Brendan Taylor was given scant support in his fighting 145 not out and the hosts duly wrapped up a 64-run win. Similarly, South Africa's bowlers shared the spoils but Zimbabwe's attack was rather more uneven, Shingi Masakadza being the only one to pick up any wickets but giving away 86 runs in the process, while the visitors' spinners were more economical but unable to break through.

South Africa had been eager to stamp their authority on this series after their flawed performances in the Twenty20s - both of which they, nonetheless, won - and Amla launched their innings with an array of attacking strokes, easily outscoring Graeme Smith. Ingram joined Amla in the eighth over and their 136-run stand - easily the highest of the innings - lifted the total well out of Zimbabwe's reach.

During the course of their partnership Amla registered the first South African ODI century at this ground at this ground since Andrew Hudson's match-winning 108 against India in 1992-93. But Ingram's knock, while not nearly as graceful, was arguably the more special as he became the first South African to register a century on ODI debut, and was finally dismissed in the 48th over after sending the total in the stratosphere in the midst of a brutal 76-run stand with David Miller, another of South Africa's young guns.

When these two sides met in Bloemfontein a week ago it was the brutality of Smith and Loots Bosman's hitting that demolished Zimbabwe's pace attack, but today it was the serene grace of Amla's bat that undid the seam bowlers. Smith's dismissal did nothing to stem his attacking instincts, and Amla's supple wrists took him to a 32-ball half-century, including ten fours, in the 11th over. Ingram initially let him take the lead in attack, but after a short rain delay he celebrated the resumption with a firm punch straight down the ground and was soon matching Amla shot for shot.

Amla reached the landmark with a paddle to the final leg boundary in the 29th over, but just as murmurings of a potential attempt on Sachin Tendulkar's record-breaking double-hundred began his first lapse in concentration cost him his wicket, a shy from Utseya catching him short of his ground in the 32nd over.

With that Ingram took centre stage, barely missing a beat when AB de Villiers was run out by a direct hit from Cremer at midwicket, bludgeoning a full-toss from Masakadza to deep midwicket for his first six in the very next over. An anonymous innings from Albie Morkel was ended after just four balls, but Ingram was then joined by and the boundaries continued to flow.

After a nervous few balls stranded on 99, Ingram went to his hundred with a single off Mpofu, having accelerated after a slow start to reach the mark from 110 balls. He might have been caught at wide long-on shortly afterwards, but Sean Williams spilled the regulation chance and in the next over a lighthing-quick 50-run stand was brought up with two monstrous sixes off Miller's bat and two canny singles.

Ingram added a second six off Masakadza, but then attempted an adventurous paddle to fine leg only to have his leg stump flattened. Masakadza squeezed a yorker through Miller's defences one ball after the batsman had brought up a 30-ball half-century to pick up his fourth wicket, but those scalps cost 86 runs and with the rest of the attack unable to break through, Zimbabwe were left with an almost impossible task.

They might have got close had Taylor been given more support after Rusty Theron removed Hamilton Masakadza to pick up his first wicket in ODIs and break a spirited opening stand of 70 in just over 12 overs.

Taylor launched the chase with a flowing drive through cover off Parnell, and was harsh on any width offered with the new ball. An uncomplicated batsman, he has gradually cut out any unnecessary movements from his technique, keeping his backlift low and staying perfectly still at the crease until the right ball to hit comes his way.

While most of his runs came through the off side, Masakadza proved more authoritative when hitting to leg, cracking a couple of thunderous pulls before he stepped down the wicket and swatted Theron to Johan Botha, who held a juggled catch inches from the turf at deep cover.

That strike proved decisive, as the South African attack steadily chipped away at a vulnerable middle order. Nos. 3 to 7 were all dismissed for between 10 and 13 - Grant Flower's international comeback proving distinctly low-key - and by the time the big-hitting Elton Chigumbura arrived at the crease the fight had all but gone from Zimbabwe's chase.

Taylor, however, continued unbowed and went to his third international hundred in the calendar year with a steered single past point. With that the Powerplay was taken, and though the result was already a foregone conclusion Taylor opened up in style, lacing five more boundaries and reaching an unbeaten 145. In doing so, he became just the ninth batsman to carry his bat through a completed one-day innings, joining a list with some notable names on it, but Zimbabwe will need a much more solid team effort if they are to challenge South Africa in the remaining two matches.

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South Africa begin World Cup countdown

Match Facts

Friday October 15, Bloemfontein
Start time 2:30pm (1230 GMT)

Chamu Chibhabha showed his form with a pair of attacking half-centuries in the Twenty20s and will be an important part of the middle order in the ODIs

The Big Picture

The competitive nature of the Twenty20s in Bloemfontein and Kimberley mean that the one-day leg of Zimbabwe's tour will stoke more interest than it otherwise might have. The series is crucial for both sides - it includes three of only 13 games remaining for the South Africans before the World Cup, and Zimbabwe's only scheduled ODIs before that tournament. The home side insisted before the tour began that these games would not be treated as simple warm-ups, but while the T20s provided a useful examination of South Africa's bench strength with several senior players missing one or both of the games, the buzz around the matches is arguably more about the integrity of Zimbabwe's recent resurgence.

A particularly eye-catching part of their turnaround - Grant Flower's international comeback after a six-year hiatus - was stalled by problems with his travel documents ahead of the team's departure, and he finally ended up making the trip just in time to carry the drinks in the second Twenty20. While his addition to the batting line-up would have brought a welcome dollop of grit and experience, it was Zimbabwe's bowling that appeared out of its depth. A couple of bellicose innings from the top order helped mask the toothlessness of the Zimbabwean attack, but over the course of a full one-day international, it will be harder to paper over those cracks.

The loss of two frontline bowlers meant South Africa's attack was not quite to its usual standards, and without the ferocious pairing of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, the back-up struggled for incisiveness. The fielding was also disappointingly lacklustre in Bloemfontein, and Rusty Theron's level-headed death bowling proved the difference in nipping out Zimbabwean hopes of a last-gasp victory in Kimberley. Theron could make his ODI debut on Friday and along with Wayne Parnell and Lonwabo Tsotsobe will need to stay at the top of his game to ensure no slip-ups against the increasingly competitive tourists.

History suggests that South Africa will complete a clean-sweep ahead of what are expected to be far more challenging games against Pakistan in the heat of Abu Dhabi. But there is a mood of increasing self-belief in the Zimbabwe camp, and while South Africa surely remain firm favourites, a Zimbabwean win is not as unthinkable as it was the last time these sides met.

Form guide

South Africa WWWWW
Zimbabwe LWWLW

Watch out for...

Chamu Chibhabha's twin fifties were an important part of Zimbabwe's positive showing in the Twenty20s, and at Bloemfontein he broke the record for the quickest Twenty20 international fifty by a Zimbabwean, reaching the landmark off 29 balls. He clearly found conditions to his liking, and South Africa will look to get past him quickly to open up Zimbabwe's middle order when they meet again at the same venue.

Rusty Theron's nerveless final over at Kimberley proved the vital difference between the two sides and he will have a similar role to play in the fifty-over format. Theron has an enviable domestic List A record, averaging just 20.06, and will look to cement his place in the South African attack in the absence of Steyn and Morkel.

Team news

Morne Morkel's ankle injury means that Theron is a virtual certainty to make his debut. Hashim Amla also comes back into the squad while AB de Villiers returns to take up the wicketkeeping gloves, with Heino Kuhn released to play for his domestic franchise.

South Africa (possible) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Colin Ingram, 4 JP Duminy, 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 David Miller, 7 Johan Botha, 8 Ryan McLaren, 9 Wayne Parnell, 10 Rusty Theron 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe

Grant Flower is likely to make his return to Zimbabwe colours in Bloemfontein, while Charles Coventry returns home and is replaced by Sean Williams.

Zimbabwe (possible) 1 Brendan Taylor, 2 Hamilton Masakadza, 3 Chamu Chibhabha, 4 Sean Williams, 5 Grant Flower, 6 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 7 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 8 Graeme Cremer, 9 Prosper Utseya, 10 Shingirai Masakadza, 11 Ed Rainsford

Stats and trivia

Brendan Taylor, who took 1 for 16 from four overs in the second Twenty20 game, was Zimbabwe's wicketkeeper the last time these two sides met at Bloemfontein.
South Africa have won 26 of their 29 ODIs against Zimbabwe
During the Twenty20 series against South Africa Chamu Chibhabha made 111 runs from 73 balls
Quotes

"I think we were a little bit disappointing with the ball in the two T20 games against Zimbabwe."
Back in charge after watching Johan Botha captain the Twenty20 side, Graeme Smith is calling it how he sees it
I thought I was coming back as a batting coach and hadn't expected to be playing in the side."
Grant Flower was as surprised as everyone else with the news of his international return

Liam Brickhill is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

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All-round Shakib inspires Bangladesh to historic win

Bangladesh 241 (Shakib 106, Bennett 3-44) beat New Zealand 232 (Williamson 108, Shakib 3-54) by nine runs

Shakib Al Hasan's fifth ODI century lifted Bangladesh to 241 in the fourth ODI against New Zealand

A dominant all-round performance from Shakib Al Hasan helped Bangladesh secure a historic series win in Mirpur, their first against a top-flight opposition. Shakib's fifth ODI century rescued the home team from the depths of 44 for 3 and lifted them to a formidable 241, a target that proved nine runs too many for New Zealand, who now trail 0-3 in the series, with one game to go. Shakib then struck with the ball and, despite a valiant maiden hundred from Kane Williamson who battled through injury during the latter part of his innings, slammed the door on the visitors with three wickets to lead Bangladesh to a famous victory.

New Zealand's top order had not fired as a unit so far in the tour, and their performance in today's must-win encounter was no different. BJ Watling was trapped in front for 6 by Abdur Razzak and Brendon McCullum soon followed him to the dressing room, despite having looked good for a characteristically frenetic knock with a couple of early boundaries down the ground. Ross Taylor, who had been the pick of New Zealand's batsmen in the series, then compounded matters for his team by picking out the deep square-leg fielder in a style of dismissal that has become an all too familiar sight for his fans back home.

Shakib was quick to have spinners operating at both ends and the ploy paid dividends once more. Aaron Redmond succumbed to a straighter one from Shakib in the 17th over, before Daniel Vettori perished while attempting to increase the run rate, leaving the visitors reeling at 80 for 5.

Williamson and Grant Elliott, however, were on hand to provide some much needed stability to the New Zealand run-chase, and accumulated intelligently through the middle period to give the visitors some hope of reaching their target. Williamson was especially impressive in his approach, as he confidently negotiated the spinners who had wreaked so much havoc on his teammates throughout the series, picking up the singles and twos with relative ease and even hoisting Shakib over midwicket for consecutive sixes. Elliott, too, played his part in the recovery, feeding the strike to the well-set youngster at the other end, but fell during the batting Powerplay in the 37th over. Attempting to sweep Shakib, he managed only to top-edge it to Razzak who took an excellent catch, running backwards from square leg.

Kyle Mills came and went, trying to hit out, further denting New Zealand's hopes of a successful chase, and a hamstring injury that crippled Williamson soon after didn't help matters either. Nathan McCullum arrived at the crease with 70 to get from 10 overs but despite some lusty blows, was not able to get his side close to the asking rate. Williamson reached his hundred in the 48th over, having batted through immense discomfort for a substantial part of his innings, but when Nathan McCullum and Daryl Tuffey fell off successive deliveries chasing an unlikely 20 runs in the last 11 deliveries, New Zealand's hopes fell squarely on Williamson's shoulders. Unfortunately for the visitors, the task proved too much for the young man.

Bangladesh beat New Zealand by nine runs in Mirpur to seal a historic 3-0 series win, their first against full-strength top opposition

The challenge was before New Zealand when Shakib's expertly crafted 106 off 113 deliveries had set up a competitive total for Bangladesh on a slow, turning pitch. He came to the crease with his team struggling, but combined well with Imrul Kayes to take the hosts out of immediate danger. He then posted half-century stands with Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah as Bangladesh recovered well. Shakib scored at around a run a ball throughout his innings, piercing the off-side field with surgical precision early on, but relying more on deft dabs and sweeps as the innings wore on in the energy-sapping Mirpur heat. The New Zealand slow bowlers were unable to cause him any trouble.

Shakib's departure with the score on 216 sparked a lower-order collapse, however, as the New Zealand seamers came back in the batting Powerplay to restrict the hosts, who at one stage threatened a total in excess of 260. Hamish Bennett, the debutant fast bowler, was especially impressive in the late overs, varying his pace and length to pick up a couple of wickets to go with his top order scalp and finish with figures of 3 for 44. Bangladesh were all out in the 49th over, but thanks to an excellent captain's knock they had scored enough to secure a famous win and spark scenes of euphoric celebration from the Mirpur crowd.

Andrew Fernando writes for The Pigeon and blogs here

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Ingram and Amla tons set up 64-run win

South Africa begin World Cup countdown

All-round Shakib inspires Bangladesh to historic win

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