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On Tuesday it was the hard-luck teams from past World Cups playing off in a semi-final; on Thursday it is the powerhouses, Australia and India

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale25-Mar-2015Match factsMarch 26, 2015
Start time 2.30pm local (0330GMT)2:19

Holding: Balanced bowling gives India slight edge

Big PictureOn Tuesday it was the hard-luck teams from past World Cups; on Thursday it is the powerhouses. Neither New Zealand nor South Africa had ever made a World Cup decider despite playing in nine semi-finals between them; Australia and India have collectively reached nine World Cup finals. It will soon become 10. The only question is which team will take on New Zealand on the last Sunday in March.Some people collect souvenir spoons when they go travelling, for a while Australia picked up cups in much the same way. They got one in Calcutta, one in London, one in Johannesburg, one in Bridgetown. It is quite a collection. India picked up their first in London, and waited 28 years to add another in Mumbai. They are the defending champions at this tournament; Australia were for the past three campaigns. These are teams that expect success.It is no great surprise to see Australia at the semi-final stage. It is a home tournament. They are the No.1-ranked side in the world. They entered the campaign fresh from victory in a tri-series. In some ways it is not surprising to see India there either, for they have the experience in such big tournaments, and their batting line-up is full of talent. But in that same tri-series they failed to win a match, and their turnaround has been absolute. Unlike Australia, they are as yet undefeated.Shikhar Dhawan has two hundreds in this World Cup, Virat Kohli has one, Rohit Sharma has one, Suresh Raina has one. The question was always going to be whether they had the fast bowlers to succeed in these conditions. Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma have collectively answered that in the affirmative. And on the Sydney surface, their spinners will play key roles.Australia’s batting has been perhaps a little less emphatic, with David Warner, Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch each having scored one century. They have taken until now to settle on a line-up and a batting order, but they look sturdier for Steven Smith’s presence at No. 3. With the ball, though, much depends on how much swing Mitchell Starc can extract.Australia enter this match as favourites, but that is only down to the home conditions. Only once in 13 completed ODIs have Australia lost to India at the SCG. That was seven years ago. It is more than three years since they have lost a one-day international to anyone at the SCG. But as Tuesday’s game in Auckland showed, it’s all about who can stand up in the heat of a World Cup knockout. Who will be this game’s Grant Elliott?Form guideAustralia WWWWL (last five matches, most recent first)
India WWWWWIn the spotlightWho would most people have tipped as Australia’s leading run-scorer in this tournament? Aaron Finch? David Warner? Steven Smith? Well, after the quarter-final stage the holder of that title is Glenn Maxwell with 301 runs. It’s quite an effort for a man who started the summer at No. 8 in the one-day side, and struggling for form and confidence. But Maxwell’s work in the middle order during this tournament has been key to Australia’s success. The Big Show has shown he is capable of the Big Innings – his 102 against Sri Lanka in Sydney, for example. Some of the shots he played against Pakistan in Adelaide could barely be called cricket strokes, but they’re working for him.It took him most of the tournament to get going, but when Rohit Sharma finally did, it was worth the wait. His 137 off 126 balls in the quarter-final against Bangladesh sealed India’s place in the final four. And his recent form against Australia is pretty handy as well. In his only ODI innings against Australia this summer he made 138, and his previous innings against them was 209 in Bangalore in November 2013. Australia know there are plenty of match-winners in India’s batting line-up, and stopping Rohit is their first task.Team newsThe hosts are expected to name an unchanged team from the one that defeated Pakistan in Adelaide. Pat Cummins for Josh Hazlewood is the only possible change, though this would be harsh on the taker of four wickets in the quarter-final.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Shane Watson, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Josh Hazlewood.India have a very settled eleven, and are unlikely to change anything.India (possible) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ajinkya Rahane, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Mohammed Shami.Pitch and weatherAlready used for the quarter-final between South Africa and Sri Lanka and at the end of a long season, the surface for the match will be more to India’s liking than Australia’s. Heavy rolling of a strip that sports very little live grass is geared at making it as hard and bouncy as possible, but it is unlikely to offer the sort of steep bounce and lateral movement Australia’s pacemen are seeking. The possibility of spin is more intriguing, as of all spinners only the legbreaks of Imran Tahir have deviated significantly all tournament. The weather forecast is fine.Stats and trivia Last time these teams met in a World Cup game was the quarter-final in 2011, which India won comfortably in Ahmedabad In that game, Shane Watson and Brad Haddin opened for Australia; here they are likely to come in at Nos. 6 and 8 respectively Their only previous World Cup meeting in Australia came in Brisbane in 1992, when Australia squeaked home by one run in a rain-affected gameQuotes”Expectation is there because we’re the No. 1 ranked one-day team in the world. The reason you have expectation is because you’ve performed. There’s been a lot of talk about pressure and expectation, but that’s what comes with … playing sport at the highest level.
“We’ll be playing some different cricket now, so what happened we never want to carry into the World Cup. We always spoke about this.”

Mike Horn has become the first insider from the South African camp to corroborate the reports of interference in team selection for the 2015 World Cup semi-final

Firdose Moonda16-Apr-20152:16

Moonda: Allegations unfair to Philander

Mike Horn has become the first insider from the South African camp to corroborate the reports of interference in team selection for the 2015 World Cup semi-final. Horn, who was with the squad as a consultant during the tournament, told journalists at the Laureus Sports Awards in Shanghai that politics “had a role to play” in the selection of the team that took the field against New Zealand.Cricket South Africa have not commented, nor have members of the team and coaching staff, but South Africa’s sports minister Fikile Mbalula called Horn “mischievous” in a radio interview.Horn, who has worked with South Africa before and whom many players consider a friend, made the allegations after weeks of speculation in the South African media that Vernon Philander was included in the semi-final XI at the behest of the board and against the wishes of the captain and coach, who both wanted an unchanged side from the one that won the quarter-final. “We’re not going into any politics, but it had a role to play,” Horn said. “I had to give a talk to the guys after the team was selected. A little bit of energy was taken away from the quarter-finals, where the right team played.”The only change South Africa made to their side for the semi-final was including Philander in place of Kyle Abbott. Philander would have played the quarter-final as well but was struggling with a hamstring injury that also affected his participation in the group stage of the tournament.Every time Philander missed a game – against Ireland, West Indies and Pakistan – the team management made it clear he would be brought back into the XI as soon as he was fit and cited his ability to exploit conditions and move the ball off the seam as the reason. However, numerous sources close to the team and selectors suggested to ESPNcricinfo that Philander was also required to fulfill what they have termed an “unofficial quota”, which requires including at least four players of colour in the South African side.This is not strictly adhered to – there were four occasions at the World Cup in which South Africa fielded only three players of colour – but is expected to apply more often than not. The selectors were aware of the requirement. After the selectors, together with the coach and captain, select an XI, the team must be vetted by CSA’s CEO, president and the transformation committee, although it is not always possible for all three to cast their eye over the final list.Vernon Philander’s inclusion was the only change made to the South African side for the semi-final against New Zealand•Getty ImagesTeams are usually selected the evening before a game and an insider told ESPNcricinfo that was the case ahead of the semi-final as well. “The team was selected the night before the game and Philander’s name was on it. The instruction was given before that,” the source said.CSA’s CEO Haroon Lorgat has denied issuing any such instruction, calling claims that he did “utter nonsense.” In a press release, Lorgat said “there was no SMS, WhatsApp or BBM sent by me to the coach.”Mbalula, who has impressed on various sports bodies the need to transform, has also denied issuing orders but did not rule out that someone could have had a say in selection. “What Mike Horn is doing is being mischievous. I don’t know how such people find their ways into leadership. Horn must substantiate that there was indeed political interference and calls were made,” Mbalula said. “In any squad, any game, changes are made by selectors. The question is, was that change politically aggravated? There was no such thing from my side. I don’t select squads. Ask AB de Villiers, ask Russell Domingo if they ever received a call from me.”Both de Villiers and Domingo defended the decision to play Philander in the aftermath of South Africa’s exit from the tournament. But insiders say both were upset by the decision to play him at the time, with some reports suggesting de Villiers threatened to quit the captaincy. Horn hinted that there was unhappiness in the camp before they stepped on to Eden Park and accepted the blame for failing to motivate the players enough to influence the result positively.”My job was to say, ‘Listen guys, now we have got to give just a little bit more than what we gave before. We have got to fill gaps. We have to make a difference with less, but give more’,” Horn said. “It is what it is, I take it as it is. It doesn’t matter how politics or the quota influenced the players. I think I failed a bit in my job as motivator or as high-performance coach in the way that I believed the Proteas could win the World Cup.”

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur has said that the Indian board is willing to extend all kinds of help to Afghanistan, who want to use an Indian venue to play their matches

ESPNcricinfo staff15-May-20150:33

‘Afghanistan want a home ground in India’ – Thakur

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur has said that the Indian board is willing to extend all kinds of help to Afghanistan, who want to use an Indian venue to play their matches.”Afghanistan Cricket Board has requested BCCI that they want to come and play here, use the infrastructure and also to have one venue as the Afghan venue,” Thakur told . “Their board has requested to create one centre in India which can be dedicated to Afghanistan cricket.”BCCI will be more than happy to accommodate the Afghan cricket team for any kind of help for the promotion of the game.”Asked if any kind of financial assistance will be given to the Afghanistan team by the BCCI, Thakur said: “Let’s see, let them write to BCCI. Any knowledge, any kind of help which Afghanistan board requires, we are more than happy to help them.”Afghanistan have used Sharjah as the venue for some of their bilateral series in the past.

The India-based Jindal Group has confirmed that it is in the market for an IPL team, but stopped short of naming the franchise on their radar.

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2015The India-based Jindal Group has confirmed that it is in the market for an IPL team, but stopped short of naming the franchise on their radar. This would put the spotlight on Royal Challengers Bangalore, which has been on the market for a while.”Cricket is the number one sport in our country, so there is an idea to acquire an IPL team,” Sajjan Jindal, chairman of the JSW group, told . “But I cannot comment on which team it would be. I don’t think (money) is the issue; the idea is that we want to take some credible team so that we can promote sports.”Asked if the team he wishes to buy is Royal Challengers, Jindal replied, “That depends on them (RCB).”A report in the on Wednesday claimed negotiations between the group and Royal Challengers’ owners, the Diageo group, were at an “advanced” stage to acquire the franchise for about $100 million (Rs 634 crore). ESPNcricinfo understands that the figure on the table from the Jindal group is “significantly lower”, though no one from the company was available for an official comment.The franchise was bought in 2008 by Indian businessman Vijay Mallya’s UB group for $111.6 million, making it the most expensive in the league after Mumbai Indians. The UB group, and with it the franchise, was subsequently bought over by global liquor giants Diageo. The report quotes an anonymous source as saying that “due diligence work” has been going on for a long time and that the Jindal group had only been waiting for the 2015 season to get over.In case the transaction goes through, it would be the second change of ownership of an IPL team in the league’s eight-season history. Sunrisers Hyderabad replaced the 2009 champions Deccan Chargers three seasons ago after the team was put on the block by the BCCI. The Sun TV group bought the franchise after the previous owner, Deccan Chronicle Holdings, failed to meet a deadline to raise a bank guarantee.Jindal Steel’s attraction to Royal Challengers would be logical: it already owns Bengaluru FC, the city’s football club that won the I-League, the national football competition, in its debut season in 2014 and finished runners up this season to Mohun Bagan – a team ironically owned by Diageo. In continuing its connect with sport in Karnataka, Jindal also said his group was building a village for sports in the state and would also focus on other sports like kabaddi and hockey.Royal Challengers are one of the more high-profile teams in the IPL, though they have never won the IPL title. Twice finalists, the franchise has made it a point to include the flamboyant players of the day and currently has three of the biggest names in Twenty20 – Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle – on its roster. They finished third this season.

A round-up of the Regional 4 Day Tournament 2015-16 matches that finished on February 14 and 15, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2016Rahkeem Cornwall’s career-best match figures of 12 for 205 along with Jahmar Hamilton’s 130* in the second innings took Leeward Islands to a 85-run victory over Jamaica in Antigua.Cornwall picked up 5 for 74 to help bundle Jamaica out for 158 in the first innings, after which he claimed 7 for 131 in Leewards’ final innings defence of 365 to bowl Jamaica out for 280. Hamilton built on Cornwall’s five-wicket haul in the first innings with a steady century that comprised of eight fours and three sixes. He was assisted by opener Montcin Hodge (72) and Orlando Peters (41) to help Leewards set Jamaica a target of 366.In the chase, Kirk Edwards top scored with 93 but it wasn’t enough to drive Jamaica home as none of the other batsmen managed to cross a score of 40.Both teams suffered batting collapses in the first innings. Hodge (41) and Daron Cruickshank (51) did majority of the scoring in Leewards’ 155 after they were inserted, while, in response, Jamaica were bundled out for 158 with No. 11 Sheldon Cottrell top scoring with 37.For Jamaica, Nikita Miller and Damion Jacobs starred with the ball, picking eight wickets each in the match.Barbados smashed Windward Islands by an innings and 56 runs in Bridgetown. The win was built around centuries from Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope, and a match haul of eight from pace Miguel Cummins.Windwards chose to bat and were in trouble straightaway as Cummins cut through their top order to reduce them to 46 for 4 – one of the four to fall was Keddy Lesporis, who was sent on his way after handling the ball. Fifties from Andre Fletcher and Kavem Hodge made sure they did not collapse altogether, and they managed to put 250 on the board before being all out, Miguel ending with five scalps.If they had any hope of that being enough to challenge Barbados, it was crushed by opener Brathwaite and No. 3 Hope, with scores of 117 and 162 respectively. Brisk cameos from the middle order followed, giving Barbados a cushion of 200 runs going into the second innings. Windwards could not force them to bat again, with Cummins again making the initial breakthrough before the spin of Sulieman Benn and Roston Chase took over. Windwards were duly bowled out for 144 in 53.3 overs.Guyana registered a big win in Providence, beating Trinidad & Tobago by 105 runs. Batsmen Vishaul Singh and Leon Johnson, and the spin pairing of Veerasammy Permaul and Devendra Bishoo were the stars of the game for Guyana.Vishaul held Guyana together after they chose to bat, making an unbeaten 104 from No. 5 to get his team to 237. The two spinners then ensured that was enough, Permaul taking a five-for and Bishoo three to bowl T&T out for 179. Captain Johnson made sure that 58-run lead did not go to waste, stringing together 111 in Guyana’s second innings, before declaring to set T&T 303 for the win. They got nowhere close as Guyana’s spin twins delivered once more, Permaul grabbing four this time and Bishoo two.

West Indies and Lahore Qalandars allrounder Kevon Cooper has been served a warning after umpires reported his bowling action after Tuesday evening’s match against Quetta Gladiators

Nagraj Gollapudi17-Feb-20160:50

Cooper reported for suspect action

West Indies and Lahore Qalandars allrounder Kevon Cooper has been served a warning after umpires reported his bowling action after Tuesday evening’s match against Quetta Gladiators. It is not clear if one or more deliveries of Cooper were reported, but a PSL media release stated the he could continue to bowl. However, if his bowling action is reported one more time, Cooper will be suspended from bowling in the tournament. It is the first time a bowling action has been reported in the PSL.”Mr. Cooper has now been placed on the warning list and may continue to be selected to play and bowl for his team in a PSL match,” the PSL release said. “Under the PSL Suspected Illegal Bowling Action policy, if a player is reported while on the warning list, the player shall be suspended from bowling for the remainder of the PSL tournament and from bowling in any matches organized by the PCB until such date as he is cleared or upon conclusion of any ineligibility period.”Cooper’s managed figures of 1 for 37 in his four overs against Gladiators, who won a high-scoring thriller off the last ball. Overall, Cooper has taken six wickets in six PSL matches while conceding his runs at an economy rate of 9.23.This is not the first instance of Cooper’s bowling coming under the scanner. His action has been found suspect twice in the past: first in 2011 during the Caribbean Premier League and then during the 2014 IPL.

Australia will consider bringing Aaron Finch back into the side to face Bangladesh despite Usman Khawaja’s solid opening innings in the loss to New Zealand in Dharamsala

Melinda Farrell20-Mar-2016Australia will consider bringing Aaron Finch back into the side to face Bangladesh despite Usman Khawaja’s solid opening innings in the loss to New Zealand in Dharamsala.Khawaja made a free-flowing 38 off 27 balls before being run out pushing for a second with David Warner, but coach Darren Lehman is sticking to the policy of flexible selection, which could see several changes made to the Australian XI in Bangalore for Monday’s game.”[Khawaja] played beautifully, he played beautifully,” Lehmann said. “It’s not unfortunate [he was run out], he can say no. He’s just got to get better at running between the wickets, all the little things we didn’t do well enough.”He played beautifully, but it depends. We’ve got Bangladesh in Bangalore, so work out what the best option is for that game and play it from there.”Lehmann spoke glowingly of Finch, lauding the “brilliant” manner in which he handled the news of his omission for Australia’s opening match.”He has been fantastic,” Lehmann said. “He has been unbelievable. We only made the final decision when we arrived. One final look at the conditions, the wicket and the weather and that’s what we decided but he’s been brilliant. Can’t speak highly enough of him.”Lehmann echoed the sentiments of captain Steven Smith after New Zealand’s eight-run victory, blaming Australia’s batting through the middle overs for the loss but struggled to put his finger on the reason behind their poor shot selection.”Smith, Warner, Maxwell, Marsh, the whole lot of them – they need to be smarter,” he said. “They know that. They don’t mean to play the shots they play. At the end of the day we’ve just got to be better. We had a really good start. We should close that game out. Not comfortably, but we should close it out from 1 for 50.”I don’t know [why they didn’t play smarter], you’d have to ask them. They’re out there batting. Also understand it’s a pressurised game. It’s easy for us sitting back watching in the media box or as a coach, so it’s pressurised out there and the wicket was slow and spun and that’s what we’re going to get.”But we’ve got to be better at finishing those sort of scenarios. As long as they learn and understand the pressures of World Cup cricket and now knock-out cricket. Basically you lose, you’re out for us. Can’t explain why we played how we played after six overs but as long as they get better at it.”Australia’s preparations for their vital match against Bangladesh – although they consider every game to be do-or-die from here on – weren’t helped by the dreadful weather in Dharamsala on Saturday. Massive hailstorms and treacherous icy roads prevented the team leaving their high-altitude hotel as scheduled, with roads blocked and their morning chartered flight unable to land at Dharamsala airport.While they were eventually able to reschedule travel arrangements and arrived in Bangalore in the evening, it was hardly helpful with such a tight turnaround and Australia can ill-afford any further slips in this tournament.”Every game is a must-win when it is such a short tournament and you have to win three out of four,” Lehmann said. “You want to win the first game and get the tournament off on the right note. But at the end of the day we have still got to beat Bangladesh, we have still got to beat Pakistan we’ve still got to beat India, so you’ve got to win enough games and if you do that you qualify.”That is the great nature of the tournament. It is so quick you haven’t got too much time to think about it.”

England’s much-maligned domestic T20 competition is set for another year of record attendances

George Dobell03-May-2016England’s much-maligned domestic T20 competition is set for another year of record attendances.The NatWest Blast – which begins on May 20 – attracted a record 827,654 spectators in 2015, but advance ticket figures for 2016 are 37,000 better than at the same stage last year with several counties reporting highly encouraging sales.At Somerset, for example, almost 90% of tickets have been sold for their seven home games. Three of their matches – the games against Essex, Surrey and Hampshire – are complete sell outs, with the game against Gloucestershire expected to sell out within the next few days. Only allocated seating is left for their three remaining fixtures. The ground capacity for the competition is 7,669.At Warwickshire, sales are up 17% compared with 2015, while the figure at Yorkshire is up 12%. The local derby against Lancashire at Headingley to be played on July 1 is on the brink of selling out two months before it is played.Sales at Worcestershire and Essex are also impressive – above 60% of ground capacity across the tournament already – while Surrey have sold well over 30,000 tickets and Middlesex more than 20,000. Essex have also sold almost 18,000 advance tickets. In total advance sales are around 31% better than they were this time last year.However, the picture is not so positive everywhere. Northamptonshire have sold only 795 advance tickets and, of the larger grounds, Hampshire’s early sales are modest.The longer-term situation is encouraging, though. The competition has been moved back a month in 2017, meaning it will be contested mainly in the school holidays – rather than starting in mid-May during the exam period as now – which most counties believe will further boost sales.The average attendance at NatWest Blast matches in 2015 rose by 800 per game, with 11 of the 18 counties reporting a rise in spectator numbers. The number of spectators at the domestic T20 also passed 700,000 for the first time only in 2014.But counties are warning there is no room for complacency. The Blast will clash with the European Football Championships this year and some counties are concerned that the on-going discussion about the competition’s future format is undermining attempts to generate enthusiasm from the general public.

Victory over Chelsea saw Pep Guardiola's side provide three players, while Spurs supplied two

Getty ImagesJack Butland | Stoke CityButland made six saves and kept a clean sheet in Stoke's goalless draw against Southampton.AdvertisementGettySeamus Coleman | EvertonRegistered his first Premier League assist of the season and completed 87% of his passes, the best ratio in the Everton team.Getty ImagesAymeric Laporte | Man CityLaporte gained possession 12 times against Chelsea, the most of any player on either side.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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GettyJan Vertonghen | TottenhamVertonghen made the most clearances (6) of any Spurs player in their 2-0 win over Huddersfield.

With Chelsea and Man City both on form, the two sides contributed several faces to this weekend's ideal XI

Getty Images1Eden Hazard | ChelseaEden Hazard is the fourth player to score more than one Premier League hat-trick for Chelsea (also Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink).AdvertisementGetty Images2Marko Anautovic | West HamSince the start of 2018, only Mohamed Salah (23) has had a hand in more Premier League goals than West Ham forward Marko Arnautovic (16 – nine goals, seven assists).Getty Images3Leroy Sane | Manchester CityLeroy Sane has had a hand in 18 goals in his last 16 Premier League games at the Etihad Stadium (6 goals, 12 assists).ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty Images4Mesut Ozil | ArsenalArsenal’s Mesut Ozil has had a hand in four goals in four Premier League appearances against Newcastle (3 goals, 1 assist).