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Two teams with modest recent records will contest the limited-overs series in the Caribbean

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran13-Jul-2013Match factsSunday, July 14
Start time 0900 (1300 GMT)Guess who’s back? Shahid Afridi returns to the Pakistan side yet again•AFPBig PictureIn the last five years, among the eight major Test teams, Pakistan and West Indies have played the least number of Tests. Yet, they haven’t been able to work out dates for a Test series between the two sides, which leaves them playing out a bunch of ODIs and Twenty20s. What’s more, this and the recent tri-series in the Caribbean, which featured India and Sri Lanka, means the only Tests in West Indies’ home season were the ones against a rebuilding Zimbabwe.Pakistan are also in a rebuilding phase after some indifferent recent results. The experience of Younis Khan was dispensed with even before the Champions Trophy, and after the winless campaign in England, they have jettisoned the seasoned trio of Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik and Imran Farhat. That doesn’t mean they are light on experience though, as the exciting but wildly inconsistent Shahid Afridi makes yet another comeback.Exciting but wildly inconsistent is a phrase that could be applied to plenty of batsmen in the West Indies squad as well. The batting wasn’t up to the mark in the recent tri-series and they will be tested again by Pakistan’s high-quality bowling attack. While they have several batsmen who can play blinders and take the game away from the opposition, they are short of the sort of batsman who can grind it out in difficult conditions. There were collapses aplenty in the tri-series,something they have to look to arrest this time around.Another blot West Indies will want to erase is their dodgy record at home against Pakistan, having comprehensively lost the previous two series. For that, they will first need the weather to clear up – scattered thunderstorms are predicted on Sunday, and at least light rain is expected through the week.The series also marks the return of international cricket to Guyana after a two-year absence, during which there has been plenty of conflict between the government and the country’s cricket board.Form guide(most recent first, last five completed matches)
West Indies LLWWT
Pakistan LLLWTIn the spotlightUmar Akmal was one of the surprise omissions from Pakistan’s squad for the Champions Trophy. The 23-year-old’s talent is widely acknowledged but Pakistan want him to deliver more often. There will be a bit less pressure on him to score big though as he is now the team’s first-choice wicketkeeper, taking over from his brother Kamran. In the challenging conditions of the Caribbean, he will be tested both in front and behind the wicket.Marlon Samuels, the batsman West Indies look to in case of a top-order failure, had a miserable tri-series, with scores of 15*, 1, 6 and 0. He needs to do a lot better if West Indies are to cope with the plethora of flashy, mercurial batsmen in the line-up.Team newsDespite the changes in the squad, Pakistan’s bowling won’t be shuffled too much. They are likely to go in with the three left-arm quicks and Saeed Ajmal, with allrounders Mohammad Hafeez and Afridi also providing options. The batting should see more changes with Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal set to return.Pakistan: (probable) 1 Nasir Jamshed, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Umar Amin, 6 Umar Akmal (wk), 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Junaid Khan, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Mohammad IrfanWest Indies will be boosted by the return from suspension of their captain Dwayne Bravo, who will probably take the place of the struggling Devon Smith.West Indies: (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Johnson Charles (wk), 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Lendl Simmons, 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Dwayne Bravo (capt), 7 Kieron Pollard, 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Sunil Narine, 11 Tino BestStats and triviaKieron Pollard has five ducks this year in ODIs, which is as many as Michael Bevan had in his entire careerThe last time West Indies won a home ODI series against Pakistan was in 1988, when Viv Richards was captainQuotes”To get to 250 ODIs is always good, take a lot of years, so my service for West Indies has actually been good.”
“We’re disappointed with the Champions Trophy result, we want to turn things around.”

Mithali Raj’s fourth ODI century, which came one match too late, helped India maintain their unbeaten record against Pakistan and end their World Cup campaign with a consolation victory

The Report by Amol Karhadkar in Cuttack07-Feb-2013
ScorecardMithali Raj’s fourth ODI century, which came one match too late, helped India maintain their unbeaten record against Pakistan and end their World Cup campaign with a consolation victory. The six-wicket win helped India end the tournament at seventh place.No team had chased more than 105 at the Barabati Stadium during the tournament. However, once the Pakistan batting eventually clicked, the sizeable crowd – expectedly the biggest turnout so far – knew that India had to bat very well in order to chase down a respectable target of 193.India lost Poonam Raut cheaply for the second time in as many games, falling over while attempting an on drive, trapped in front of the wicket. Mithali walked in at No.3 and looked in sound touch and though she had started off on a similar note against Sri Lanka, she made sure she stayed till the end.When Raj and the left-handed opener Thirush Kamini were looking set for a big partnership, the opener perished, holing out to Sana Mir at mid-off off Bismah Maroof with the score on 51. Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur were untroubled by the Pakistan bowlers. Raj did the bulk of the scoring, charging down the wicket and lofting the offspinner Mir straight and following it up with a square cut through point off the next ball.Four balls after the halfway mark, Kaur perished, thanks to a run out. Shortly after, the offspinner Nida Dar sneaked through Sulakshana Naik’s defence to leave India at 108 for 4. Raj found an able partner in Reema Malhotra. While Malhotra focused on rotating the strike, Raj went after the Pakistan bowlers at will.Once India crossed the 150 mark, Raj cut loose and eventually reached her century to robust cheers from the crowd after pulling Dar for a one-bounce boundary through midwicket. India thus overhauled the target with four overs to spare.Pakistan’s decision to bat first appeared surprising, considering they came into this game on the back of totals of 84, 104 and 81. However, fifties by Nain Abidi and Nida Dar, and the duo’s 80-run stand for the fifth wicket helped Pakistan post a better total.The pair not only resurrected Pakistan’s innings but also helped them register their highest ever total in World Cup matches, also their fifth-highest total overall. Despite losing Abidi while attempting to push the scoring, Dar remained unbeaten, raising the third-highest individual score for a Pakistani in international women’s cricket.

Steven Mullaney returned career-best figures of 4 for 29 as Nottinghamshire collected their second Yorkshire Bank 40 victory of the season, defeating Kent by seven wickets in a rain-interrupted match at Trent Bridge

08-May-2013Nottinghamshire 140 for 3 (Taylor 50*) beat Kent 220 for 6 (Key 62, Mullaney 4-29) by seven wickets D/L
ScoreboardSteven Mullaney returned career-best figures of 4 for 29 as Nottinghamshire collected their second Yorkshire Bank 40 victory of the season, defeating Kent by seven wickets in a rain-interrupted match at Trent Bridge.An unbeaten 50 from James Taylor, who will represent England Lions against New Zealand on Thursday, helped the home side to a revised target of 140 in 19 overs with 15 balls unused.Thanks largely to Mullaney, Kent were limited to 220 for 6 after being inserted, Rob Key top-scoring with 62 and Brendan Nash adding 42 before bad weather delayed the reply for around two hours.Notts lost Michael Lumb in the second over of their reply, shortly after he had registered his 5,000th run in one-day cricket. Both Alex Hales and Samit Patel fell to boundary catches, but Taylor and Riki Wessels sped their side over the line with an unbroken stand of 67 in just 6.2 overs.Former Notts seamer Charlie Shreck, playing his first List A match in three years, conceded 18 in the 16th over and Taylor then hit Matt Coles for three consecutive fours to seal a victory that takes his side top of Group A.Kent’s innings was disrupted by the accurate medium-pace of Mullaney – the key figure as the visitors lost their way after a second-wicket stand of 97 between Key and Nash. Both succumbed to Mullaney, as did Darren Stevens and Sam Northeast in a spell that saw four wickets fall for 34 in 10 overs.Operating in tandem with the economical Graeme Swann, Mullaney’s nagging line and length induced some reckless dismissals, although Chris Read’s stumping to remove Stevens was top-class. Patel held two fine catches, after earlier firing in the throw from deep midwicket which ran out Sam Billings in just the second over.Geraint Jones and Ben Harmison provided some late fireworks as the final 10 overs realised 88 runs. Jones lofted Patel over the leg side for the only maximum of the innings, then despatched the left-arm pace of Harry Gurney for three boundaries in a row before being caught at extra cover.Heavy showers arrived during the interval between innings and again early in Notts’ reply, causing several readjustments to the eventual Duckworth/Lewis target.

Charlotte FC boss Dean Smith was hilariously reminded postgame by players that he owes them a bottle of wine for keeping a clean sheet.

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Charlotte FC defeat NYCFC 1-0Dean Smith earns win in MLS coaching debutManager shares hilarious moment with squad postgameWHAT HAPPENED?

After defeating New York City FC 1-0 Saturday evening, courtesy of an eight-minute winner from Adilson Malanda, the locker room was all smiles for Charlotte FC. New boss Dean Smith – who had stints across England with Aston Villa, Norwich City, Brentford and Leicester City – was joking with media postgame, while revealing a cheeky promise he made to his defenders.

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowAdvertisementUSA Today Sports WHAT DEAN SMITH SAID

Speaking about the result postgame, while mentioning how happy he was with his defense on keeping a clean sheet, the Englishman dropped news that he promised his defense a bottle of wine if they kept the opposition scoreless…

Speaking to media, he said "they reminded me" in hilarious fashion.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Charlotte FC scraped into the playoffs last season, but underwhelmed across the board throughout the campaign. After parting ways with manager Christian Lattanzio, and eventually two Designated Players in Karol Swiderski and Kamil Jozwiak in the offseason, they're a re-invented side in 2024.

With Smith at the helm – and two open DP slots – anything now feels possible for the Eastern Conference side. However, first things first, they need to figure out what kind of Wine they'll be celebrating with Saturday evening…

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR DEAN SMITH AND CHARLOTTE FC?

The CLT FC boss and his squad will take on the Vancouver Whitecaps in week two of the MLS season. They'll be looking to make it six points from two matches as they travel to the Canadian side next Saturday.

Virender Sehwag has called for more patience from India’s batsmen, which they can learn from their England counterparts, but he knows it can only help them in the upcoming matches

Sidharth Monga08-Dec-2012Virender Sehwag has called for more patience from India’s batsmen, which they can learn from their England counterparts, but he knows it can only help them in the upcoming matches. About this Test, he merely stated he wasn’t an atheist. “We have to work hard in the next game,” he said. “We are still fighting. Hopefully something happens tomorrow and we can save the match, but I… only god can help us.”In his press conference, Sehwag said at least three times that the batsmen lacked patience. Asked if it was embarrassing that a No. 8, R Ashwin, made batting look easier than the specialist batsmen, Sehwag said: “It’s not embarrassment. He is also part of our team. He is a good player. He knows how to score runs and how to survive. Depends on an individual to individual. My batting style is different, and others are different, and Ashwin’s is different. If you apply yourself on that wicket, it’s not difficult to score runs.”It’s Test cricket, and if you show some patience, you can score some runs on this wicket. Key was patience.”When asked how the England bowlers managed to make the pitch look more threatening, Sehwag chose to focus on the batsmen. “Their batsmen showed patience more than ours,” he said. “Their batsmen batted really well. Full credit to the way Cook batted and everyone else batted. Our bowlers did everything, they tried everything. They bowled slow, they bowled quick, they bowled flighted, they bowled flat, but England batted really well, I can say that.”We tried everything. When we were bowling, the ball started reversing after 10 overs. They played well also. They showed patience. They waited for loose balls, they hit those loose balls. We didn’t show enough patience.”Sehwag said the youngsters in the middle order needed time before being judged. “When [Cheteshwar] Pujara scored runs, double hundred and hundred, you guys only said we have found a replacement for Rahul Dravid,” he said. “You didn’t wait for a couple of matches. Now you are saying that because Rahul Dravid and [VVS] Laxman are not there we are losing. It is a transition period for us, you have to give time to the youngsters.”We will bounce back, we will score runs. In this series we haven’t put runs on the board, especially in the last two games. The moment we put up the runs, 500-plus, it’s a different ball game.”Asked if he would consider moving down the order to lend experience to the middle order, Sehwag said it was not about experience. “Yuvraj Singh has played 40 Tests, Virat Kohli has played 13,” he said. “He has been playing international cricket for two, three years. He got that ICC cricketer of the year and the BCCI award. He is mature enough. It’s not about new and young.”Sehwag might have been struggling outside Asia but he looks every bit a dangerous player on pitches lacking bounce and lateral movement. Once again he got India off to a good start, but his wicket led to a big collapse. Asked if he felt India relied too much in him, Sehwag said, “Our team is very good team. We have six batsmen who are capable of scoring hundreds and double hundreds. It’s not that they are depending on me. It’s a team game.”

Pune Warriors recovered from two successive defeats to beat the form team in this IPL thus far, thanks to an impressive all-round effort

The Report by Siddhartha Talya21-Apr-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Jesse Ryder was involved in a 93-run stand with Sourav Ganguly•Associated PressPune Warriors recovered from two successive defeats to beat the form team in this IPL thus far, thanks to an impressive all-round effort. Sourav Ganguly, their captain, played a significant role with bat and ball, and some exciting shot-making from Jesse Ryder and Steven Smith helped post a total that proved beyond the might of Delhi Daredevils’ power-packed batting line-up. At the Ferozshah Kotla, the hosts were well on track when Virender Sehwag and Kevin Pietersen were going strong in a threatening partnership, but the chase ran out of steam when a couple of bowling changes proved decisive by accounting for both.Daredevils were up against the Warriors’ highest total of the season and needed a blistering start, but were hit with the early loss of Mahela Jayawardene. That brought two of their most destructive batsmen together, and the tempo of the innings from there on was a contrast to a sedate first four overs bowled by Alfonso Thomas and Ashish Nehra. Murali Kartik came on in the fifth, and Sehwag charged out to launch him for a straight six followed by a cut through point. Pietersen looked in command, targeting Angelo Mathews in the next over, slapping him disdainfully for a straight six then carving him over extra cover and long-on to make it three in four balls.Sehwag then took over, gradually building the pressure on his Warriors counterpart by making a mockery of each of his bowling changes. Ryder was carted for consecutive sixes over extra cover and Rahul Sharma was blasted into the second tier. The pair had added 71 in five overs, the bowling changes had failed and the Warriors captain tried another option, bringing himself on.Pietersen had made up his mind and swung hard but Ganguly’s first ball kept low, beat the bat and hit the stumps, prompting wild celebrations. An animated Ganguly sprinted across the field, his hair clinging for dear life on to his head, as the importance of that wicket began to sink in. In his next over, he was struck over midwicket for six by Irfan Pathan but had his man when an attempt at a similar shot produced a catch in the deep. Daredevils were still in the game with Sehwag batting, but Ganguly’s decision to bring back Kartik paid off. Kartik tossed it up, bowled it slow, Sehwag struck one straight back at him and the bowler kept his cool to pluck a decisive catch.Ross Taylor struggled to get going in the company of a relatively inexperienced lower-middle order, and his run-out, in a Ganguly over, virtually shut Daredevils out of the game. Nehra and Thomas returned to complete what was, in the end, a comfortable win.The highlights of the Warriors innings were a 93-run stand between Ryder and Ganguly, and late onslaught from Smith. Ryder and Ganguly threw Sehwag’s plans off track by going after the most successful bowler this IPL season, Morne Morkel, and forced some debatable bowling changes that helped the batsmen settle in further. Eager to open up after a quiet start, Ryder targeted Morkel and was lucky, his first two boundaries – a six over third man and then a four past fine leg – coming off edges.The approach unsettled Morkel, who Ryder struck – convincingly this time – for two more fours, before he was taken out of the attack, having conceded 31 in two overs. Sehwag had the option of using Yadav then, or left-arm spinner Pawan Negi, who replaced Ajit Agarkar for this match. Instead, he had a bowl himself and was swept for fours by Ryder and Ganguly, before Pietersen was smashed over extra cover and long-off for a four and a six respectively. Twenty-six came off overs eight and nine, and the pair was well prepared by the time the regulars returned.Both faltered in their running, failing to convert several singles into twos, but the boundaries compensated for that lethargy. Ganguly scooped Nadeem over short fine before hammering him down the ground, and Ryder stepped up when he was joined by Smith once Ganguly went. He cracked Irfan over extra cover and swung Yadav over square leg and midwicket for sixes.As the seamers struggled with their lengths, either bowling too short or on a length, the otherwise miserly Nadeem too came in for some punishment. Smith launched him for sixes over his head and midwicket, and dispatched him for two fours, one off a reverse-sweep, to pick 23 in the 18th over. Sixty-seven came off the last five, giving Warriors an excellent shot at getting their campaign back on track. They did so, with their captain leading the way.

Ian Bell’s comeback hundred set up England for a comprehensive victory in the first one-day international against West Indies

The Report by Andrew McGlashan16-Jun-2012England 288 for 6 (Bell 126) beat West Indies 172 (Smith 56, Bresnan 4-34) by 114 runs (D/L method)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIan Bell’s first boundary was a straight six off Andre Russell•Getty ImagesIan Bell won the battle of the replacement openers in the first one-day international as he marked his return to England’s 50-over side with his second ODI hundred – nearly five years after his previous one – to earn the home side an early series advantage with a 114-run victory. Initially West Indies threatened in the chase with Dwayne Smith filling the void left by Chris Gayle’s late injury but England’s quicks burst through either side of a rain delay.In some neat symmetry this was the same ground (albeit with a different name) where Bell made his only other ODI hundred – against India in 2007 – and this time he reached three figures from a lively 95 balls to suggest that the hole left by Kevin Pietersen’s retirement will not be as vast as some had envisaged. A day after suffering a suspected fractured jaw, and needing 10 stitches after being hit in the nets, there was barely a false shot in the innings until he top-edged a slower ball from Dwayne Bravo when level with his career best having played gracefully to show, yet again, that one-day cricket is not all about brute force.The opening partnership did not flourish with Alastair Cook was caught behind third ball against Ravi Rampaul but Bell ensured that the team’s recent run of ODI hundreds continued; this was the fifth match in a row that one of the openers had reached three figures after the back-to-back efforts of Cook and Pietersen against Pakistan in the UAE.England’s final total of 288 for 6 was less than they may have hoped for after 30 overs when they were 163 for 3, but was still the second highest score batting first at this venue – and England’s highest – after Craig Kieswetter produced some late boundaries along with Stuart Broad in a useful 43-run stand off 34 balls.After the early loss of Lendl Simmons, Smith’s innings included three boundaries in four deliveries against Steven Finn, the second of which was a pick-up over deep square-leg, and went past fifty off 38 balls. Longevity, though, has never been Smith’s strength and and aiming another shot through the legs side got an edge off Bresnan. In one sense he had done his job, but it was also a missed opportunity to build a long innings. Bresnan struck again in his next over when he won an lbw against Denesh Ramdin – batting at No. 3 after Darren Bravo picked up a groin injury in the field – after the wicketkeeper had lurched to 22.West Indies continued to play their shots with both Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Bravo collecting early boundaries but as rain started to fall Finn struck in the first over of his second spell by squaring up Bravo with a full delivery. In that one moment West Indies went from being ahead of the D/L par score to being behind it. The margin became even greater when Eoin Morgan plucked out Kieran Pollard’s fierce cut at backward point. When Samuels clipped James Anderson to midwicket shortly after an hour’s delay for rain, West Indies’ last hope had gone. In total they lost 9 for 77 in 18 overs.Smart stats

England’s 114-run win is their largest ever against West Indies in ODIs. Their previous highest is the 89-run win in Adelaide in 1987.

The win is also England’s second-largest in Southampton after the 121-run win over Pakistan in 2010. Since 2005, West Indies have lost by a margin of 100-plus runs ten times.

England’s total of 288 is their fifth-highest against West Indies and their second-highest against West Indies at home. The total is the joint-highest for England in ODIs in Southampton.

Ian Bell equalled his highest score in ODIs (126) with his century. He has now scored 3360 runs at an average of 35.00.

Bell’s 126 is the fourth-highest score by an England player against West Indies and second-highest against West Indies in home ODIs. Marcus Trescothick is on top for his 130 in 2004.

The 108-run stand between Bell and Jonathan Trott is the second century stand for the second wicket for England against West Indies. The highest is 144 between Graeme Hick and Michael Atherton in 1995.

Tim Bresnan’s 4 for 34 is the fourth-best bowling performance for England against West Indies. The best is Andrew Flintoff’s 5 for 19 in 2009. It is also Bresnan’s third haul of four or more wickets.

The foundation of England’s total was laid by a second-wicket stand of 108 between Bell and Jonathan Trott, Warwickshire team-mates who used their understanding well to run hard between the wickets against some lacklustre West Indian fielding. The boundaries had been pushed right to edge of the playing area in anticipation of West Indies’ power-packed batting order.After the early loss of Cook, Bell gave England momentum when he took 18 off Andre Russell’s third over which began with a sublime straight six and continued with three further boundaries around the ground. Pietersen, who tweeted support to his former team-mates during the day, could not have done it any better.Bell had a nervous moment on 23 when Rampaul was convinced he had found the outside edge but umpire Richard Kettleborough said not out. Hot Spot did not show anything on replay although Snicko suggested at a thin edge. Two balls later Bell responded with a rasping square cut as Rampaul dropped short and wide.Bell’s timing and placement was effortless, but the going was tougher for Trott who had collected an early boundary through midwicket but had to wait until the 16th over for his second when Bravo drifted into the pads. As in the final Test, Sunil Narine did not overly trouble the top order – at one stage being reverse swept by Trott – but did break the partnership when Trott was caught behind cutting.It was spin (or rather slow bowling) that continued to keep West Indies in touch when Ravi Bopara edged a cut against Samuels to end his first international innings of the season following injury. Samuels also claimed the important wicket of Morgan who chopped into his stumps after a promising start to his innings and a stand of 51 in eight overs with Bell. After a debilitating winter in all formats and an IPL spent warming the bench Morgan looked in decent form and with a far less pronounced squat at the crease than on his previous appearance. After the success of Bell, significant runs for Bopara and Morgan are the next boxes England will be looking to tick.

Kongonis gave the local support something to celebrate with victory over Uganda’s Nile Knights in the final of the inaugural East Africa Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-2012Kongonis 280 for 7 (Patel 92, Allen 65) beat Nile Knights 196 for 9 (Arinaitwe 68*, Rehman 4-32) by 84 runs
ScorecardKongonis players celebrate their victory over Nile Knights in the East Africa Cup final•ESPNcricinfo LtdKongonis gave the local support something to celebrate with victory over Uganda’s Nile Knights in the final of the inaugural East Africa Cup. Originally scheduled for November, heavy rain had twice caused the game’s postponement.The Ugandans sides had dominated the two East Africa competitions, and the Twenty20 final the previous day had been between the two of them. Nile Knights, who defeated Rwenzori Warriors in that game, came back to the Gymkhana ground looking for a weekend double, but Kongonis, who had won the league stage of the event and boasted several internationals in the starting XI, held firm.The Knights won the toss and chose to field, a tactic which worked well a day earlier, but their spinners, who had been stingy then proved far more expensive in the longer format. Duncan Allan, whose form in the past few months has been superb, led the Kongonis charge with an 84-ball 65, adding 100 for the third wicket with Rakep Patel who went on the make 92 off 79 balls. Even though wickets regularly fell once the pair had been separated, the run-rate did not and the Kongonis total of 280 for 7 always looked enough.Kononis opened with an offspinner, Abdul Rehman, and the tactic worked as he took 4 for 32 to leave the Knights almost beaten on 78 for 5. A captain’s innings of 68 not out from Davis Arinaitwe kept the match going the full distance but it came far too late to change the outcome.

The Mumbai side that will face Madhya Pradesh is almost unrecognisable from the team that played Rajasthan last year, due to injuries and unavailability of players

Abhishek Purohit in Indore01-Jan-2012Multiple champions in an away knockout game against underdogs with nothingto lose and everything to gain. Mumbai have been in this situation before.Eventual winners Rajasthan knocked them out of the Ranji Trophy lastseason in the quarter-final in Jaipur, their new-ball pair of Pankaj Singhand Deepak Chahar utilising the opening session to run through a line-upthat included Wasim Jaffer, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma and AbhishekNayar.The stage has shifted to Indore this season but an in-form new-ball duo,TP Sudhindra and Ishwar Pandey, again awaits Mumbai in anotherquarter-final on a pitch expected to aid the quicks in the first session.This is where the similarities end.The Mumbai side that will face Madhya Pradesh is almost unrecognisable from the team that played Rajasthan.Rahane and Rohit are in Australia on national duty. Nayar has lost hislatest battle with injuries and has been withdrawn from the squad. AjitAgarkar is still miffed after being dropped against Orissa; the man he wasdropped for, Aavishkar Salvi, got injured during Mumbai’s previous gameagainst Punjab. To top it all, wicketkeeper-batsman Sushant Maratheinjured his groin while diving to collect a delivery in the Punjab match.Mumbai have been used to the absence of Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khanbut missing so many first-choice players is almost like playing with asecond XI.Jaffer, the captain, said that all the injuries had playedhavoc with the balance of the team. “It has troubled the composition ofthe team. We could have played Nayar as the third seamer and Marathe asthe opening batsman. The balance has been missing.”But you don’t win the Ranji Trophy 39 times if you don’t have theresilience to fight adversity. After Salvi and Marathe pulled out on thefirst day, a nine-man Mumbai demolished Punjab by nine wickets. Jaffer saidMumbai would have to make the most of what they have got in terms ofresources. “I think we have still got good quality in the team,” Jaffersaid. “Whatever newcomers we have got, they have done well. Onkar Gurav[Marathe’s replacement] has played before. This is not his first game. Soat least temperament-wise he won’t be struggling.”With the batting as well as the pace bowling thin on experience, Mumbaicould even go in with three spinning allrounders in Ramesh Powar, AnkeetChavan and Iqbal Abdulla, leaving one of Balwinder Sandhu or KshemalWaingankar to partner Dhawal Kulkarni with the new ball.The pitch, which had a fair sprinkling of grass today over a slightlydry-looking surface, was a matter of keen interest for the Mumbai campwith several of their players inspecting it along with coach SulakshanKulkarni. Jaffer said that was because Mumbai needed to be sure what theywould do if they won the toss. “The pitch could still end up lookingcompletely different in the morning. It should help the seamers in thefirst session and then it will probably ease out to becomebatsman-friendly.”Jaffer was mindful of the threat posed by Sudhindra and Pandey – who have57 wickets between them this season – but said that the MP attack heldlittle danger otherwise. “Apart from those two, not many have takenwickets for them. If we negate them, we will be in a good position. It’s aknockout game and will probably go on the first innings.”If Mumbai bat first tomorrow, Jaffer will hope that it is not decided by the firstsession again.

Sussex batsman Murray Goodwin has been handed a one-match ban by an England and Wales Cricket Board disciplinary hearing despite already being reprimanded through his county’s internal disciplinary process

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2011Sussex batsman Murray Goodwin has been handed a one-match ban by an England and Wales Cricket Board disciplinary hearing despite already being reprimanded through his county’s internal disciplinary process. Goodwin’s charge was in relation to his conduct in three matches between April and July, where he was alleged to have shown dissent at umpiring decisions.Goodwin, 38, pleaded guilty to a breach of the ECB’s codes on conduct and behaviour and will now miss Sussex’s Friends Life t20 clash against Kent at Canterbury. In addition, he was ordered to pay £500 towards the costs of the hearing.He had initially been warned for his behaviour during the game against Essex at Hove last month and then reprimanded for hitting the ball to the boundary in frustration after being given out lbw in the Championship clash with Warwickshire at Arundel last week. Sussex warned Goodwin about his future conduct and also issued a fine, although this was suspended for two years as recognition of his service to the county and, until this season, his unblemished personal record.”I regret my actions on both occasions and accept that there can be no circumstances where such a reaction is acceptable,” Goodwin said, after being reproached by his club. “I have apologised to the umpires concerned, and the club, and accept the ruling handed down by the club. As players, we recognise our responsibility as role models for players at all levels and of all ages.”The matter was subsequently taken up by an ECB Cricket Discipline Commission Panel comprising Mike Smith, David Smith and Alan Moss, resulting in Goodwin’s ban. Sussex have made clear their unhappiness with this development, but admitted that it sent a strong message about the need to take on-field behaviour seriously.”As a club, we are disappointed by the outcome as we felt – in our own internal disciplinary process – that Murray’s previously good personal record, his apology to all umpires concerned, and his clear feeling of contrition merited a measure of leniency,” Sussex chief executive Dave Brooks said.”However, this ruling sends out a clear message to all the Counties and professional cricketers that such behaviour will be dealt with severely, and in a manner over and above the fixed penalty system. The consistent implementation of this policy should have the desired effect of arresting a slide in on field discipline, which Sussex CCC supports.”Sussex are still in the running for a place in the quarter-finals of the Friends Life t20 competition, and Goodwin’s enforced absence comes at a time when Rana Naved, Luke Wright, Wayne Parnell, Luke Wells and Kirk Wernars are also missing through injury.