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Richie Benaud, the former Australia captain turned renowned commentator, is recovering in hospital following a car crash in Sydney. He is described as being in a stable conditionThe accident happened when Benaud, 83, was driving home in his vintage 1963 Sunbeam Alpine on Wednesday after playing golf. It is being reported that he has shoulder and chest injuries, as well as suffering a broken sternum.”No one else was injured, and I was more worried about the car than myself,” Benaud told .A statement from Australian broadcaster Channel Nine said Benaud “was driving home alone to Coogee mid-morning yesterday when the accident happened. Police attended and there were no charges. The car had mounted a nature strip and hit a small brick wall.”Nine Entertainment chief executive officer David Gyngell added: “Richie is a national treasure. In the Nine family, he sits at the head of the table.”As always he and [wife] Daphne have our support and Richie will return to call the coming Ashes series against England – his 36th summer in Nine’s Wide World of Sports commentary box – when he is good and ready.”

ScorecardFile photo: Ashoke Dinda was the pick of Bengal’s bowlers•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Bengal are looking for yet another three points after the bowlers toiled manfully on a lifeless track to reduce Services to 261 for 6 at stumps on the third day in Palam.The possibility of Bengal getting the final four wickets looks more realistic than Services getting 171 runs to claim the lead with Soumya Swain (56*) being the only established batsman standing, going into the final day.For Bengal, Ashoke Dinda picked up 3 for 75 in 24 overs, but motivation was hard to come by on a track where some of the bouncers were gathered by wicketkeeper at an ankle height. Off-spinner Saurashish Lahiri capped his first-innings century with two crucial wickets of Yashpal Singh (11) and Vishnu Tiwari (71).The highlight of the Services innings was a 131-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Tiwary and Swain. The duo batted for nearly 40 overs to frustrate the Bengal bowlers, who had reduced the home team to 123 for 5 immediately after lunch. Tiwary lasted 150 balls and hit seven fours while Swain, who batted with a hand injury, faced 175 balls hitting six fours. Tiwari was the more aggressive of the two, using the sweep shot often and to good effect against the spin duo of Lahiri and Iresh Saxena.Having staged an impressive recovery, Tiwari tried to play a slog sweep off a Lahiri delivery that was flat and straight and was as plumb as it could get, which handed the initiative back to Bengal late in the day.The day’s play could be divided into two parts: Till an hour after the lunch session, Bengal were in complete command on a pitch that had nothing for the bowlers. The turn on offer was very slow, the edges were not carrying to the slip cordon but Dinda and Shib Paul plugged away like workhorses.Pratik Desai and Anshul Gupta added 65 for the first wicket before Dinda struck with a short ball outside off. Anshul jabbed at it and the resulting lob was pouched by Anustup Majumdar at gully. Desai was in an aggressive mood, striking eight fours in his half-century, but was lucky to survive when Rohan Banerjee at second slip dropped a dolly off Paul’s bowling. As if to celebrate the reprieve, Desai drove the bowler through covers soon after.But an eventful over from Dinda – the 21st of the innings – brought about Desai’s end. The first ball was pulled by Desai to mid-wicket boundary. Dinda followed it up with a fuller length and Desai’s drive bisected the slip cordon and sped to the boundary to signal his fifty. An angry Dinda then followed it up with another bouncer which Desai tried to hook and the skier was collected by Paul at short fine leg.Nakul Verma didn’t stay long at the wicket as his nervous prod was snapped up by Majumdar at silly point. At 89 for 3, Services’s two best batsmen Rajat Paliwal (25) and Yashpal Singh (11) batted for the next 10 overs before an inspirational piece of stumping from Wriddhiman Saha saw the back of Yashpal.Lahiri invited Yashpal to go for a drive but the batsman had misread the length and in the process lost balance of his back leg. Saha whipped the bails off in a flash as Services went into lunch at 122 for 4. Just after lunch, Dinda swayed away from his usual short-full ploy as he got one to pitched on middle and move a shade to peg back Paliwal’s off-stump.At 123 for 5, Tiwari and Swain joined hands to build a partnership that yielded positive results for the next three and half hours before one poor shot undid all the hard work.

Match Facts

Tuesday December 3, 2013, Dunedin
Start time 10.30am (2130GMT previous day)

The Big Picture

New Zealand ended their previous home season with the crushing disappointment of being denied a series victory over England by one wicket as Matt Prior and Monty Panesar played out the final few, fraught moments in Auckland. Since then it has been a trying time for them, but they begin their new season with a series they should be confident of winning ahead of the sterner challenge of India’s visit.If West Indies had been at full strength – with the likes of Chris Gayle and Kemar Roach available – the teams would have been almost level-pegging at the start, but home advantage and a stronger seam attack make New Zealand the early favourites. However, their Test cricket is far from consistent enough to make that anything more than a speculative judgement.West Indies barely competed in India and the shoe-horned in tour has meant slap-dash preparation for this series, limited to a mix-and-match warm-up game where New Zealand domestic players appeared in the same side as West Indians and a couple of days’ training in Dunedin. If it was a Test series decided on how many layers were being worn, West Indies would be winning.Tim Southee and Trent Boult will aim to replicate the success they had against England•Getty Images

If they start badly in the first Test – and their warm-up period makes that a distinct possibility – the series could unravel for them, but at least it is three Test matches rather than the token two so often see around the world nowadays.New Zealand showed many positive signs when England visited in March, top of the list being the performances of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner who comprehensively outbowled the visiting seamers. Their spin bowling and top-order batting remain unsteady, though. Daniel Vettori and Jesse Ryder may return later in the season, but this series came too soon.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
New ZealandDDLLD
West Indies LLWWW

Watch out for

Hamish Rutherford burst into the Test scene at this ground in March with 171 against England, but since then has not been able to raise his bat for a milestone. Firstly he struggled against the moving ball in England then against the spinning one in Bangladesh but he does possess the game to take apart a thin West Indies pace attack. However, the recall of Aaron Redmond to the New Zealand squad is also notice to Rutherford that he won’t be able to live on his dazzling debut for much longer.The second coming of Marlon Samuels as a Test cricketer has produced some outstanding innings, lifting his average from 28.73 when he was banned in 2008 to 36.74 as it stands now. He is a vital part of the middle order with the game to counter-attack and rebuild, a position he has often found himself in. For West Indies’ sake it must be hoped that the renewed controversy over his bowling action does not distract from his main task.

Team news

Kane Williamson has not recovered sufficiently from his broken thumb so Aaron Redmond will bat at No.3. Doug Bracewell is the pace bowler to miss out although Brendon McCullum did say that some thought had been given to four quicks. However, Williamson’s absence means that Ish Sodhi’s leg spin becomes their lone slow-bowling option.New Zealand 1 Hamish Rutherford, 2 Peter Fulton, 3 Aaron Redmond, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Brendon McCullum (capt), 6 Corey Anderson, 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Ish Sodhi, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent BoultWest Indies need to decide who supports Tino Best; Shannon Gabriel played in Mumbai so is the man in possession or the other option is left-arm Sheldon Cottrell. Ottis Gibson will assess whether Shane Shillingford is in the right mindset for a Test after having his action reported. Kraigg Brathwaite has still not arrived due to visa issues.West Indies (probable) 1 Kieran Powell, 2 Kirk Edwards, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Narsingh Deonarine, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Shane Shillingford, 10 Tino Best, 11 Shannon Gabriel

Pitch and conditions

Having become unnerved by the brevity of some first-class matches at University Oval, the Test surfaces here have verged on the flat in recent encounters. England managed to bat out two days to save the Test in March. This time there is a suggestion of more life in the pitch with a healthy covering of grass being left on, perhaps because of West Indies’ spin bowling being a strength. West Indies will be pleased that the mercury is due to rise into the mid-20s with a very good forecast for the first four days of the match.

Stats and trivia

• Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who needs 37 runs to reach 11,000, has 150 Test caps, the rest of West Indies’ squad has 260 between them.
• Chanderpaul will be one of three survivors from the 2008 Test between these sides at University Oval, along with Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum
• Ish Sodhi, the New Zealand legspinner, has never bowled a ball at University Oval

Quotes

“We are playing good cricket, we just need to start putting some results together. We know we need to start getting those wins and that starts here.”
“Today’s lovely, it’s back like the Caribbean now so hopefully the weather can be like this for the five days.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBen Dunk struck five fours and four sixes during his 33-ball 67•Getty Images

No total is safe in Twenty20 cricket. The Brisbane Heat looked set to win comfortably after posting 3 for 209 on the back of three blistering half-centuries from Craig Kieswetter, Joe Burns and Daniel Christian, but the Hobart Hurricanes miraculously chased down the total with four balls to spare.It took the visitors three remarkable innings from three unlikely sources to secure the win, particularly from Ben Dunk who recorded the fastest ever BBL fifty – from just 20 balls – having previously scored more than 50 just once in 17 T20 appearances.Dunk’s exit for 67 brought Jonathan Wells to the crease with the Hurricanes needing 89 runs from 53 balls, but he played magnificently for his unbeaten 20-ball 36, with a mixture of deft scoops and destructive drives.However, the final nail was hammered by Ben Hilfenhaus. With a previous highest score of 7 in domestic T20 cricket, and having already conceded 47 from his four overs with the ball, Hilfenhaus took strike for his first ball at the start of the final over with his team needing 10 runs to win.He nearly swung himself off his feet attempting to connect with a length ball from Ben Cutting, but somehow managed an outside edge that went fine of third man for four. The next swing was just as hard, but the ball found the middle of the bat and cleared the deep square-leg rope to seal the extraordinary victory.The Heat also had themselves to blame for their demise as much as Dunk, Wells and Hilfenhaus. With the Hurricanes needing 52 off 24 balls, Cameron Gannon bowled two wides and a no-ball in the 17th over, and conceded 15 runs from a total of nine balls bowled.Alister McDermott was asked to rectify proceedings in the 18th and he immediately made an impact, removing Tim Paine with a miscued swipe, leaving the Hurricanes needing 30 from 13 balls. McDermott then delivered a front-foot no ball that Wells scooped for four. Fine leg was then sent back and mid-off brought inside the circle, but nonetheless, Wells clubbed the bonus delivery over mid-off for four to leave the team needing just 21 from the last two overs. As it turned out, they only needed eight more deliveries to post their first win of the tournament.The Heat will kick themselves further considering their powerful batting display as Kieswetter, Burns and Christian climbed onto the Hurricanes bowlers in a devastating display of striking. Kieswetter was brutal, clubbing 50 from 24 balls and taking 25 runs from one of Hilfenhaus’ overs, which included a six that travelled 103 metres.Burns and Christian took a little more time to warm up but once they did, the pair smoked 83 runs from the last 36 balls of the innings. Chris Lynn, the hero from the team’s victory over the Scorchers, was hardly required as Christian finished at 70 not out from 40 balls with four massive sixes.In the end it was all in vain as their new record score at the Gabba stood for precisely an hour and 15 minutes.

ScorecardSaurasish Lahiri picked up 10 wickets in the match•ESPNcricinfo

Offspinner Saurasish Lahiri’s seven-wicket haul set up a thrilling four-run victory for Bengal against Tamil Nadu, helping the team all but qualify for the knockout phase. Unless Baroda manage to miraculously beat Rajasthan in Jaipur, Bengal’s berth is safe. Bengal’s exact position in the Group B standings will be determined after the end of the UP-Railways game in Lucknow.Starting the third morning at 102 for 1, it took just four overs for TN’s chase of 185 to start unraveling as Lahiri trapped S Badrinath in front for 21. Lahiri followed that up soon after with the big wicket of Dinesh Karthik, who was out for 62 off 148 balls. TN were comfortable in spite of Karthik’s wicket with the score at 125 for 3. The match turned on its head, however, in the twelve-over period between the 61st and 73rd overs, as TN lost six wickets for 27 runs to slide from 131 for 3 to 158 for 9.Lahiri took five of those wickets, dismissing Baba Indrajith, L Balaji, Vijay Shankar, Ramaswamy Prasanna and Rahil Shah. Arnab Nandi further set TN back, dismissing Baba Aparajith, who had compiled a patient 33.With a knockout place on offer, TN’s last-wicket pair of Malolan Rangarajan and Aushik Srinivas dug in, with the latter utilising a dropped chance. But with TN five runs away from the target, Writtick Chatterjee had Rangarajan out lbw for 11 to complete an edge-of-the-seat finish.
ScorecardUttar Pradesh’s bowlers went wicketless on the third day as Railways’ batsmen, Arindam Ghosh and Mahesh Rawat struck up hundreds to push their side’s score to a commanding 460 for 4 in Lucknow.While UP’s chances of qualifying for the knockouts received a small boost due to Baroda’s performance against Rajasthan, their bowlers couldn’t manage a single breakthrough, as Ghosh and Rawat stretched their stand to 294 runs. While Rawat finished unbeaten on 163 off 222 balls with 23 fours and two sixes, Ghosh was not out on 167 off 354 balls with 21 fours and a six.Read the full report of Rajasthan v Baroda here: Rajasthan on top despite Gagandeep seven-for

Sanjay Patel, the BCCI secretary, has said that the BCCI’s demands for a larger share of the ICC’s revenue are justified given India’s commercial pull in world cricket.The BCCI, along with Cricket Australia and the ECB, had drafted a “position paper” that stressed on a new revenue distribution model favourable to the Big Three boards. The “position paper” also suggested a new model of governance and changes to the existing Future Tours Programme (FTP) structure.”(One) who is contributing more should get more than what they get,” Patel told reporters on the sidelines of the Ranji Trophy final in Hyderabad. “Earlier we used to get only 4%, though we were responsible for generating more than 60-70% of the total revenue. So in that aspect, it is absolutely fair (to demand more) and by taking the governance model and joined with that, we are expecting the overall gross revenue will more than double within this cycle (2015-2023). The cricket part can be taken care of by utilising the well-generated revenue with good governance.”According to the proposed system, prepared by the three boards under ICC president Alan Isaac’s instructions, the BCCI is expected to get nearly a third of the ICC’s revenues. The Full Members were presented with the position paper at an ICC Board meeting on January 9 and the Big Three had hoped the proposal would be cleared during the meeting on January 28 and 29.The members, however, failed to arrive at a conclusion on January 28, although the ICC announced that the key principles of the draft had “unanimous support” of the Full Members. In spite of the criticism generated after the original draft was leaked, Patel termed the paper and its recommendations as “positive” and said it had nothing to do with power games.”We are quite okay with the position paper. There were a lot of misconceptions about the paper and it was a very good position paper whereby we were considering the Indian position in a real perspective rather than what has come out,” Patel said. “I would like to say one thing – it has been mentioned that it is a power game that we are playing, but it was absolutely nothing regarding power. The role of leadership required at the ICC is to be provided by three big contributors, India, England and Australia. Since ours is a major contribution, in terms of cricket and financial things, it has been agreed by almost all of us [Full Members] regarding the financial concept of what we are claiming.”The proposed governance model resulted in opposition from various quarters, including many former ICC executives. It also meant that the rest of the Full Members entered the meeting on January 28 without clarity on several issues, including the two-tier Test system, the conversion of the FTP into bilateral arrangements and revenue distribution. Cricket South Africa, that was not a part of the proposed Test fund in the original draft, demanded the withdrawal of the suggested restructure. Patel, however, denied that any of the members registered their protest over the proposal.”It was not a protest. Do not call it a protest. It is a deliberation they required, so complete freedom was provided to all members to discuss and learn,” Patel said, adding that all topics were discussed in detail in Dubai. “There were two different meetings ranging between five-six hours and later at least some members preferred to go back to their Board and inform them about the reality. But, principally the entire issue of financial models, leadership and the governance has been accepted by all of them.”

Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi has said that the team will bank on the local knowledge acquired from playing domestic competitions in Bangladesh.Eight Afghanistan players, six of whom are in the current squad, played for various clubs in Dhaka earlier this season, and a few had also participated in the Bangladesh Premier League last year. They performed admirably, particularly Nabi who did well for Mohammedan Sporting Club, one of the oldest clubs in Dhaka, in the Dhaka Premier Division 2013-14. In five matches, he scored 223 runs at 44.6, including a hundred.Mohammad Nabi produced some stellar displays for Mohammedan Sporting Club during Bangladesh’s domestic season•ICC/Helge Schutz

“I have played in the BPL and the Dhaka Premier Division,” Nabi said. “In both tournaments, I performed very well and I know the grounds and pitches in Bangladesh. It is good for me and we will try our best to perform.”Rahmat Shah, Azghar (Stanikzai), Gulbadin Naib, (Mohammad) Shahzad, Shapoor (Zadran), maybe half the team has played in Bangladesh and this is a good experience for them and for Afghanistan.”Ostensibly, the Asian Cricket Council gave Afghanistan a berth in this Asia Cup to prepare well for the World Twenty20s and the 2015 World Cup for which they qualified last year. They are realistic about their goals in the tournament, and given form and ranking, Bangladesh are their closest opponent, particularly as the hosts will be without Shakib Al Hasan.”We will try our best against every team. There is no target,” Nabi said. “We will play good cricket and when the time comes we will win.”I have heard about Shakib Al Hasan being banned for three matches. This is a good chance as he is a key player for Bangladesh. We will take it as a priority and look forward to it.”Afghanistan have only played ODIs against Pakistan and Australia among the Full Members, but they left an impression on Misbah-ul-Haq, who had praised the side’s commitment. For Nabi, the fact that other captains and teams are discussing Afghanistan is a source of “good news”.”It’s a very good feeling to play against big teams. We played against India and Pakistan in big events like the World T20, against Pakistan in ODIs and T20s in Sharjah,” Nabi said. “Maybe they know how Afghanistan plays and we hope to give them a tough time. It is good news that other team captains talk about the Afghanistan team. They know how we play, that’s why they talk about us. We will try our best to play good cricket in this tournament.”There is some experience within the ranks, and Nabi believes that someone like Najibullah Zadran, who made 38 against Pakistan in a T20 last year, will be an important performer for the side.”He (Najibullah) is a good talent. He already performed against Pakistan in T20s and he has been in good touch in the last one month in our camp in Sri Lanka. Hopefully, he will perform here as well.”

Stuart Broad will sit out England’s next two T20s against West Indies in a bid to ensure his fitness for the World T20, with the captain revealing that he has been managing a knee problem with injections over the winter. Broad said after England’s defeat in the first T20 that he was suffering from patellar tendonitis, which flared up during the third ODI in Antigua.Broad downplayed the risk to his participation in the World T20, saying he “should be okay”, but with less than two weeks until England’s first game in Bangladesh, against New Zealand on March 22, it is cause for concern. Broad said he had already had “four or five” cortisone injections to his right knee, due to the workload on England’s disastrous tour of Australia, and admitted that a long-term solution would have to be found.Stuart Broad hurt his knee in the field during the third ODI in Antigua•Getty Images

“I’ve had injections for a while now, throughout the winter, it’s been getting stiffer and stiffer,” he said. “I caught my knee in the ground in Antigua and it swelled up. I struggled to move it a little bit, so I won’t be playing the next couple. I should be okay assuming the injection works, which generally they do. It gradually got worse throughout the winter, with the amount of bowling I’ve been doing – no real break – so it’s something I need to act on now to make sure I’m fit and firing for the World T20.”He conceded that an operation may be required at some point, though was hopeful of being able to take a full part in England’s home season, after which there is only a limited-overs tour to Sri Lanka until the end of the year.”I’ll have to have a rehab period at some stage in the next 12 months, between six to ten weeks. But there’s a decent period at the end of the English season which I can look at probably – or maybe four weeks in April,” he said”I can’t keep waking up every day in agony, and surviving training. The injection should sort that out and if it means missing two Twenty20s in the West Indies when we’ve got a World Cup in Bangladesh, I’m not too frustrated about that.”After bowling only two overs during the West Indies innings, the first of which cost 19, Broad was visibly limping whilst at the crease, with England already on their way to a comprehensive defeat. As well as two more T20s in Barbados, England have two warm-up matches before they begin their World T20 campaign. Eoin Morgan – who has also been carrying an injury – will captain the side in Broad’s absence.The wear and tear of life as a fast bowler has previously affected Broad’s involvement with England. He wears special boots to manage a heel condition, which led to him leaving England’s tour of India in 2012, and was forced out of the 2010-11 Ashes tour and the subsequent World Cup by stomach and rib injuries respectively.In Australia this time around, having lost the Test series 5-0, Broad was given the first two ODIs off in order to rest. Since then he has played in six one-dayers and four T20s, as well as a warm-up match in the Caribbean. His importance to the side is not just as leader; he is also England’s most-capped player and leading wicket-taker in T20 internationals.England’s 15-man World T20 squad currently contains Tim Bresnan, Jade Dernbach and Chris Jordan as the pace-bowling options, as well as the allrounder Ben Stokes. Harry Gurney, the Nottinghamshire left-arm seamer, was selected only for the West Indies tour and could now provide cover for Broad in the event of his condition worsening.While Bresnan was a member of England’s 2010 World T20 win and Dernbach has plenty of international experience, there are few other back-up options for the coach, Ashley Giles. Steven Finn and Boyd Rankin both suffered drastic losses of form in Australia and Chris Woakes has taken just two wickets with an economy of 10.27 in his four T20 internationals. James Anderson, the attack leader in Test cricket, has not played a T20 for England since 2009.England are already likely to be without Joe Root for the World T20, due to a broken thumb sustained in Antigua, and Broad said that Morgan still was not 100% fit following a knee injury of his own. After a fourth T20 defeat in a row, England’s preparations for Bangladesh could also do with some patching up.

Mitchell Johnson, the most fearsome fast bowler in world cricket at the moment, is ready for the IPL. And Johnson, bought by Kings XI Punjab for INR 6.5 crore ($1.4m), has issued a warning: he will continue to deliver the menacing spells that destroyed the confidence and mental composure of some of the best international batsmen in the last six months. With his aggression, extreme speed and accuracy, Johnson not only etched bruises and caused pain but also helped Australia regain the Ashes before overwhelming South Africa, the world’s No. 1 Test team, on their own turf.The fear factor he managed to create, Johnson agreed, is likely to help him gain a psychological edge in the IPL. “Definitely it is a psychological advantage based on the past six months of my performances,” Johnson said in a media call arranged by the franchise on Wednesday. “(I bowled) A lot of short-pitched bowling which was more effective on our bouncier wickets (in Australia and South Africa). But even on the last ODI series in India I definitely tried to bowl short-pitched deliveries.”I have often said I really do enjoy the challenges of Indian wickets. I find that you can still get good bounce and pace out of them and I noticed that during the last IPL last year. It wasn’t all just for the batsmen. I’m really excited playing on those wickets in India again and try and be intimidating as I have been in the last six months or so,” he said.Mitchell Johnson is part of Kings XI Punjab in the upcoming IPL season•BCCI

Unfortunately for Johnson he was forced to miss the ongoing WT20 in Bangladesh due to a toe infection he picked up during the South Africa tour. The infection arose from a cut in his right big toe, a result of his marathon bowling spells during Australia’s 2-1 Test series win in South Africa.Johnson admitted the break came as a blessing after “a long summer which was quite draining” for him. “The toe is feeling much better. I had an infection that came from my toe, went into my foot and up my leg. But I got on top of it very quickly with some antibiotics. I have started training this week. I am feeling very good and I will be ready to go, ball one of the IPL,” Johnson said.During the time away from the cricket he was able do both strength training as well as technical stuff for which otherwise he would not have time for during a season. “I might be as well prepared as I am going to be fit. I am going to be fresher. I am going to very keen because it is a new club and I would like to impress. Whatever are the responsibilities are there I am really excited about them. I know how to perform at my best and I am feeling at the top of my game so I just want to keep getting better as a player and try and bring some of the young guys with me and try and improve their game,” Johnson said.This would be Johnson’s second stint in the IPL after he made a spectacular debut with the Mumbai Indians last year, ending as joint third-best bowler with 24 wickets, and playing an influential hand in the franchise winnings its maiden title.So was he disappointed that he was not retained by Mumbai? Johnson was measured in his response. “(It was) a new auction. Lot of players were in the auction pool this year and that made it very difficult for everyone. It would have been exciting to obviously go back there (Mumbai), but I am very happy with Kings XI Punjab,” Johnson said.Incidentally Johnson is the richest player Kings XI bought at the auction. His first task was to find out more about the way things work at Kings XI and for that he spoke to fellow Australian Adam Gilchrist, a former team-mate, who had been the captain at Kings XI for two years. “My manager talked to Adam Gilchrist, who said he really enjoyed a very special time there and it was a family-oriented atmosphere. I am not upset. I am not angry. I am not disappointed. This is the way it goes. I am now excited to play for the Kings and lead by example,” he said.Johnson followed the auction form South Africa where Australia were in the middle of the Test series. According to Johnson a lot of his team-mates agreed that Kings XI this year had picked a “very well balanced side”. “Glenn Maxwell is in great form. He is a very exciting player. He showed the other night against Pakistan during the WT20 what he can do. Having him in the side is a huge bonus. Then we have Shaun Marsh, with whom I have played at Western Australia, an outstanding T20 player. Dave Miller can hit a long ball and that is what it is all about: hitting boundaries and the balls over the fence and getting crowds excited. Then obviously we have the experience of Sehwag, a batsman a lot of bowlers in the world struggle to bowl against. Rishi Dhawan is a good allrounder who was also with me to Mumbai, so it is a very good side,” Johnson said.Despite his growing appeal with ball in hand, Johnson agreed that he had to work on his batting in the limited-overs versions. His inability to get settled quickly has been a weakness, which Johnson indicated he wanted to improve on. “My batting has probably been lacking in the shorter forms because coming in late in the game it is quite hard to hit from ball one. It is about getting my eye in as quickly as possible. It is an important role batting lower order as the extra bit of runs are definitely handy in this form of the game. I always work on my batting and hopefully I can be fine with my bat as well,” Johnson, whose Twenty20 average is about 10, said.

Nepal got off to a bright start in the Asian Cricket Council Premier League, by beating UAE by four wickets with more than ten overs to spare in Kuala Lumpur. Put in to bat, UAE lost early wickets, but the innings was resurrected with a 72-run fifth-wicket stand. Swapnil Patil anchored UAE with 76, but they were bowled out in the penultimate over of the innings for 191. Sompal Kami and Mahaboob Alam shared six wickets between them. Chasing a modest total, Nepal lost Naresh Budaiyar in the third over, but the second-wicket pair of Subash Khakurel (71) and Gyanendra Malla (47) responded with a 66-run stand. Paras Khadka, the captain, chipped in with a 40-ball 30. Fayyaz Ahmed was UAE’s most successful bowler with 2 for 49.Afghanistan completed a clinical six-wicket win over Hong Kong in their first match of the competition. Hong Kong were asked to bat and the openers got the team off to a solid start with a 60-run partnership. Subsequently, they lost regular wickets which stemmed the flow of runs. Hong Kong’s top-order all got off to starts but none of them went on to make a big score. Babar Hayat struck six fours and two sixes in his half-century, which helped get Hong Kong to a respectable total of 216. Amir Hamza was the pick of the bowlers, with figures of 10-1-30-3.In reply, Afghanistan chased down the total with 41 balls to spare. All the batsmen contributed, with the most significant one coming from Usman Ghani, who made a quick 70. Ghani fell in the 26th over with the score on 128 for 3, but a 64-run stand between Hashmatullah Shaidi and Samiullah Shenwari took them closer.Oman convincingly defeated Malaysia by 74 runs, in a low-key affair. Oman were ahead of the game from the get-go, getting off to a fine start, after choosing to bat. Zeeshan Maqsood top-scored with 77 and along with handy contributions from Arif Hussain (44) and Aamir Kaleem (42), got Oman to a score of 269 for 6. Hassan Ghulam picked up four wickets but conceded 72 runs in his 10 overs.Malaysia’s captain, Ahmed Faiz made a good fist of the chase with 70 but none of the other batsmen did anything of note. At one stage, Malaysia required 164 off 180 balls with seven wickets in hand, but collapsed to 195 as they were eventually bowled out in the 41st over. Kaleem and Zeeshan Siddiqui picked up three wickets each.