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Daniel Vettori has ruled himself out of the forthcoming series against West Indies, stating that it was too early to guarantee his fitness given the months he had missed due to injury

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2013Daniel Vettori has ruled himself out of the forthcoming series against West Indies, stating that it was too early to guarantee his fitness given the months he had missed due to injury. Vettori, however, will be available for Brisbane Heat for all matches in the Big Bash League.”International cricket, and in particular, Test cricket, places enormous demands on the body and I simply haven’t played enough recently to be confident of meeting those demands,” Vettori said, in a press release. “The short-term plan is to concentrate on my existing duties with Northern Districts and Brisbane, and re-evaluate my fitness in the New Year.”What I can’t afford to do is throw myself back into the international arena prematurely and re-injure myself,” he said. “It wouldn’t be any good for me; it wouldn’t be any good for the team.”Brisbane Heat’s head coach Stuart Law said they were mindful of Vettori’s status and will “work closely with him to ensure he gets the sort of preparation he needs to get his 2014 plans off to a great start.”The left-arm spinner has been dogged by a chronic Achilles tendon condition and underwent surgery in London in June to prolong his career. He also declined a contract with New Zealand Cricket due to concerns over his fitness. Vettori made a return to competitive cricket with first-class matches in the Plunket Shield in November, bowling 49 overs for Northern Districts and finishing with a match haul of six wickets, including a five-for in the first innings. Since then, he has been playing for Northern Districts in the HRV Cup, New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 tournament.Vettori last played a Test for New Zealand against West Indies in July 2012. He was ruled out of New Zealand’s tour to South Africa, due to injuries, and also missed the home series against England. He was declared unfit on the eve of the second Test against England in Headingley in May, but went on to play three Champions Trophy matches in June, the only international games he played in 2013.West Indies are scheduled to play three Tests, five ODIs and two T20s on their tour to New Zealand. The first Test begins on December 3 in Dunedin.

Australia moved to within five wickets of regaining the Ashes on a day of free scoring and the occasional moment of terror caused by a WACA pitch that is cracking up almost as comprehensively as England have done this series

The Report by Daniel Brettig16-Dec-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details0:00

Jarrod Kimber’s Ashes Report: Is Stokes the new Garry Sobers?

It seems only a matter of time now. Australia slipped to within five wickets of regaining the Ashes on a day of free scoring and the occasional moment of terror caused by a WACA Ground pitch that is cracking up almost as comprehensively as England have done to find themselves in this position.There was some faint consolation to be found for the tourists in the unaffected strokeplay of Ben Stokes but any day on which the spearhead of your bowling attack is taken for 28 runs from an over and your captain clean bowled first ball is not one for England to remember fondly. They plumbed considerable depths in the morning session, as Shane Watson then George Bailey battered the bowling senseless to allow Clarke to declare well before lunch.Following Harris’ first ball, Australia’s bowling was not their best of the series, as the pacemen sought wickets with an impatience they have largely eschewed in favour of unrelenting pressure. Nonetheless, they did enough to bring the match to a juncture at which only something truly miraculous will prevent anything other than an Australian victory sometime on Tuesday. They may only require four more wickets – Stuart Broad’s brief foray to the nets with a badly bruised foot did not appear promising.Watson benefited from a situation in which he was free to play on instinct, depositing Swann into the stands with relish, crashing 37 runs from 13 balls he faced from England’s No. 1 spinner. He enjoyed a moment of fortune when one straight hit was caught by Tim Bresnan, only for the fielder to tumble over the long off boundary. Watson’s departure was a comic masterpiece, skying a pull shot that Ian Bell dropped, but then run out as the annoyed bowler Bresnan threw down the stumps with Watson wandering out of his ground oblivious to the danger.Stokes has ‘fantastic future’ – Bell

Ben Stokes was hailed as a future star by his England team-mate Ian Bell as he provided some solace for England in Perth. “Stokes was outstanding today,” Bell said. “He played some great shots and his potential for the future looks massive. He’s got a fantastic future ahead of him. I never see him moan about anything. He just gets on with it. He runs in all day. He bowls good pace. He showed today what he can do with the bat. He looks a quality player.”
For the second time in the game, an England team-mate was obliged to defend Kevin Pietersen after the batsmen played a loose stroke that cost him his wicket. Bell this time provided the support. “Kevin will be as frustrated as anyone,” he said. “But I’d rather have him in my team than play against him. Ok, he might do that every so often, but he might also win you a game from nowhere as well. He does things that a lot of other players can’t.”

Bailey equalled the record for the most runs scored in a Test over from Anderson, allowing Michael Clarke to declare the at the psychologically numbing moment a third straight six of the over had crashed into the sightscreen beyond the boundary.Left with a handful of overs to face before lunch, the bedraggled tourists reeled from the loss of Alastair Cook to a wondrous first delivery of the innings from Ryan Harris that shaped in then held its line to pluck the off bail. Joe Root and Michael Carberry did well to survive to the interval.Resuming with an enormous task ahead simply to get through to stumps, Carberry and Root aimed mainly to survive. Clarke shuffled his bowlers around, and Watson struck, confounding Carberry from around the wicket just as Harris did in the first innings. The ball was full, shaped in a touch to beat the inside edge and would have crashed into the stumps.Pietersen pushed his first ball from Watson down the ground for four, and looked comfortable enough as he survived an initial burst from his nemesis Peter Siddle. Clarke called on Johnson from the River End, and one ball angling across Root drew a loose flirt and an edge wonderfully taken by Haddin. Root hit the ground at the same time as the ball and immediately reviewed. His sense of injustice was mitigated by replays showing a clear edge, leaving Bell and Pietersen to scrape their way to tea.Shane Watson sprinted to his fourth Test hundred, taking 37 runs off the 17 balls he faced against Graeme Swann•Getty ImagesNeeding seven wickets in the session to claim victory and the Ashes, Australia’s eagerness was manifested in some of their more impatient bowling of the series. Pietersen played breezily, advancing to loft Lyon into the Lillee-Marsh Stand and looking for a moment like he was capable of anything. But Clarke’s choice of ends for Lyon was intelligent, coaxing Pietersen to hit into the breeze, and his next attempt held up. Harris, with an eternity to settle under the chance, held it safely.That wicket might on another day have opened the floodgates, but Bell and Stokes responded to a seemingly hopeless situation with admirable verve. For the first time in this series Harris was hit out of the attack, while runs accrued rapidly enough to give the Barmy Army some reason to sing other than their own fortitude. Stokes was particularly fluent, driving ramrod straight and pulling with certainty.Bell was organised and elegant as ever, prospering with several uppercuts over the slips. But it was with one such effort that he gave up his wicket, Siddle striking as the shadows grew long. The edge was audible, but the umpire Marais Erasmus declined the appeal – the sound apparently lost in the afternoon Perth breeze. Bell reacted like a man on death row, as the indication of Real-Time Snicko was enough to overturn the verdict, despite a lack of Hot Spot evidence.Siddle celebrated this moment in a manner that suggested the finish line was imminent, but Stokes and Prior survived, averting any thoughts of the extra half-hour. For England, it was a stay of execution. For Australia, one more sleep until the Ashes.

MS Dhoni said India were not going to stop pulling because four batsmen fell to the short ball, but needed to be more judicious while using the shot

Abhishek Purohit in Napier19-Jan-20140:00

‘Our death-bowling was a positive’ – Dhoni

New Zealand used the short ball liberally at McLean Park. India tried to counter by pulling and hooking liberally too, but lost four of their top six batsmen. Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand captain, was pleased his team had executed what they had planned. His counterpart MS Dhoni said India were not going to stop pulling, but needed to be more judicious while using the shot.”One of the options is to not to play the shot but our strength has been to play the shot,” Dhoni said after India lost by 24 runs. “At times we will get caught because it is a difficult shot to play. But most of our batsmen like to play it since this is our strength. Especially overseas, we need to play and master it because you cannot have bowlers bowl short to you always. With two bouncers allowed you cannot leave all; (there are) nearly 80 balls with four fast bowlers out of 50 overs. We can always pick and choose when to play and when not to play.”One of the batsmen who fell to a bouncer, not for the first time, was the No. 5 Suresh Raina, and with the new No. 4 Ajinkya Rahane falling to an outstanding catch, India’s poor returns from crucial middle-order positions continued. “So far we have not got consistent runs from the No. 4 and 5 batsmen and even if you don’t look at big hundreds or fifties, even then those slots are crucial.”If the opposition has batted well, they will score 280-300. And then if you lose early wickets most of the time we are doing catching up, trying to build a partnership but then the run-rate goes up, so lower-middle order comes under pressure. Yes, we are missing consistency but if they counterattack they will come good soon in the future matches.”Shikhar Dhawan was one of four top-order batsmen dismissed by the short ball•Getty ImagesDespite being 129 for 4, Virat Kohli and Dhoni had taken India to a position of strength, when Mitchell McClenaghan dismissed them and also claimed Ravindra Jadeja. Dhoni said that was when the game was lost. “Three wickets – me, Jaddu and Virat – we really got out in quick succession. That was when we needed a partnership. To go a bit further we could have targeted the spinner with one of their bowlers (Adam Milne) getting injured. We had extra two overs. But sadly the batsmen thought the other way around. I think they will learn out of this. It is very important that until the game doesn’t get over we really should not think it is over.”McClenaghan took 4 for 68, again showing his ability to consistently pick up wickets. “He does keep producing the results,” McCullum said. “I think we bounced out four guys today which is great. That’s the plan we wanted to implement and Mitch was a big part of that as well.”He does keep producing at key times for us and I can’t stress the importance of it. He is going to travel at times, but as long as he is trying to perform in the manner that we have picked him for, then we are happy and he has to ride that wave because he has the handy knack of picking up wickets at key times.”The century partnership between Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, which set the base for the hitters in the lower-middle order, also played a major part in New Zealand’s success. They were able to take runs at will off India’s spinners, who went for 1 for 113 in 19 overs. McCullum had spoken of New Zealand’s ambition of targeting the spinners in unhelpful conditions and was glad another plan had worked.”I thought we played the spinners well,” McCullum said. “It doesn’t tend to turn a great deal here in Napier, so it could obviously be a different challenge from here to Hamilton. The two guys that we had at the crease against spinners are two of our best batters against spin bowling and their ability to put together a partnership through rotating the strike and picking up the odd boundary was key in allowing us that platform we wanted.”Dhoni acknowledged the spinners would not be as effective here as they are at home, but India are unlikely to reduce their reliance on them. “Their roles will change when they play outside the subcontinent. The home team will never make pitches that turn and they will have to keep varying their pace and length.”Also, whenever we have played with four fast bowlers, two things happen. One the captain gets banned, two we lose. So they are not good stats and I want to play in this series. So it doesn’t seem like an option, but I think the spinners bowled pretty well. They didn’t get wickets but they were able to build some kind of pressure which I think is also important.”

AB de Villiers, South Africa’s Test wicketkeeper, has admitted he is making slow progress after his hand surgery but remains confident he will be fit for the upcoming series against Australia

Firdose Moonda22-Jan-2014AB de Villiers, South Africa’s Test wicketkeeper, has admitted he is making slow progress after his hand surgery but remains confident he will be fit for the upcoming series against Australia. De Villiers went under the knife on January 10 and was estimated to need up to a month of rehabilitation before taking the field again.”It’s still swollen because it was done not so long ago. I still need time away from the game, unfortunately,” he told South African news channel . “I’m going through rehab at the moment and it’s quite painful.”De Villiers required the operation to remove a plate from his hand, which had been inserted after a fracture sustained during the IPL in 2011. The plate had begun to cause discomfort and had to be surgically removed. The recovery period means de Villiers will play no part in the ongoing domestic twenty-over competition, which had been largely marketed on the availability of international players.But with a high-profile contest against Australia ahead, de Villiers’ absence from the Titans is in the national interest. De Villiers is one of the candidates who could slot into the No. 4 spot left vacant by Jacques Kallis, a role he is expected to fill only if he is unburdened of the wicketkeeping gloves.Whether or not de Villiers moves into Kallis’ place in the batting line-up, there is no doubt he will have to assume more responsibility as a senior player as South Africa attempt to beat Australia at home for the first time since readmission. De Villiers was part of the outfits who defeated Australia on South Africa’s previous two tours there, in 2008-09 and in 2012, and now hopes they can repeat the same in front of their own fans.”I’m looking forward to a massive series against Australia,” he said. “They’re playing really good cricket, but there’s no reason for us to stand back. We beat them the last time we played, but it’s been a while since we beat them in South Africa.”While the Australia players have been vocal about their chances, the South African camp has been largely silent but de Villiers hinted it won’t stay that way. “I’m looking forward to a rough series against Australia. That’s how it’s going to be played.”The three-Test series starts on February 12 in Centurion.

The United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh and South Africa, in addition to India, have been shortlisted as venues to host IPL 2014. The IPL governing council is likely to deliberate on the issue on February 13, after the player auction in Bangalore

Nagraj Gollapudi and Amol Karhadkar08-Feb-2014The United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh and South Africa, in addition to India, have been shortlisted as venues to host IPL 2014. The IPL governing council is likely to deliberate on the issue on February 13, after the player auction in Bangalore.According to a BCCI official, the schedule and venues have not been announced as the IPL governing council is awaiting the dates of the federal elections in India, which are expected to be made public in the last week of February and are likely to be held in April-May. With the World Twenty20 final slotted for April 6, the IPL is likely to start around April 10 and the organisers have been scouting for alternative venues.”It is not a question of who is the favourite to host. We are open to a few venues: Middle East (UAE), South Africa and Bangladesh. South Africa is open to host but we have to consider the logistics and the timings before we make up our mind,” a BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo. “In my personal opinion, South Africa is a good contender. But UAE is also there. There are too many matches. So we will discuss everything at the Governing Council.”South Africa has emerged as the friendliest venue among the three overseas countries. As far as the UAE is concerned, there are certain hurdles. According to an IPL insider, the UAE is “not viable”, considering the staging will require “too many government clearances”. He also said: “The Middle East has not been a spectator-friendly venue of late.”When it comes to Bangladesh, there could be two stumbling blocks. With the country staging three major cricket events – the ongoing series against Sri Lanka, followed by the Asia Cup and the World Twenty20 – the pitches will likely be worn down by the time the IPL begins. Besides, staging IPL matches in and around Dhaka could be logistically difficult, due to a limited availability of five-star or seven-star hotels. It is understood that IMG, the event managers of the IPL, had sent some of its staff to Bangladesh and the UAE to do a recce over the last week.The BCCI hopes to host marquee games, especially the play-offs in India. Depending on the election dates, the tournament is likely to be divided into two halves – at home and overseas. “If the elections are held in April, then the first half will be played abroad. But if the elections are in May, we may play the initial games in India,” another BCCI official said.If the BCCI decides to shift the IPL to another country, it will be the second time that the tournament will be staged overseas. In 2009, the second edition of IPL was shifted to South Africa after the tournament clashed with federal elections and the Indian government declined to provide security to cricketers.

Netherlands’ chase in their World T20 warm-up match against Afghanistan was curtailed by five overs because of a power failure at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium

Mohammad Isam13-Mar-2014Netherlands’ chase in their World T20 warm-up match against Afghanistan was curtailed by five overs because of a power failure at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong. Local authorities got the floodlights working in 15 minutes, but the delay left Netherlands chasing a revised target of 122 in 15 overs. They were dismissed for 86.”The power failure occurred because of a problem in the national grid in Comilla,” Nazrul Islam, a power development board official, told Bengali newspaper . “The centre was immediately informed, and the power restored immediately afterwards.”According to an eyewitness, the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium lost power three times during the game. The first outage was at 4.43pm and lasted 23 minutes. Due to the quality of natural light, the match was unaffected, but the second outage at 5.15 pm delayed the start of the second innings. The Netherlands batsmen had to go off as soon as they had taken the field. Power was restored after four minutes but went off again, and by the time the floodlights were running, 15 minutes had been lost. Netherlands were eventually bowled out in 12.3 overs, after Afghanistan had made 150 for 7 in 20 overs.The only other power failure during a match at the Chittagong venue was when Bangladesh played Pakistan in an ODI in 2011. Play was interrupted for 20 minutes.

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim has said his team has nothing to lose ahead of the Super 10 and that the aim should be to give other teams a hard time, starting from Tuesday’s game against West Indies

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur24-Mar-20142:21

‘Need to have better shot selection’ – Mushfiqur

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim has said his team has nothing to lose ahead of the Super 10 and that the aim should be to give other teams a hard time, starting from Tuesday’s game against West Indies. After drawing a Test against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh lost two T20s and seven consecutive ODIs, spanning the Asia Cup at home, before bouncing back in the World T20 qualifiers.”Even though we had played badly during the Asia Cup and the Sri Lanka series, I didn’t expect it to be so bad [against Hong Kong],” Mushfiqur said. “It is alarming. The only message to the team is that we have nothing to lose so we better give 200%.”The opponent must feel that we are here to give them a hard time. If we can do that, I am sure we have the ability to win a few of the four matches.”Ziaur Rahman could fit in as a lower-order finisher•AFPBangladesh could add a spinner to their line-up, although Mushfiqur felt a better hitter down the batting order would boost the team too. The allrounder Ziaur Rahman was included following Rubel Hossain’s injury and he is an option as a lower-order finisher.”We have two specialist spinners, plus a few allrounders. We will decide after seeing the wicket, and if there’s some help, then why not take the extra spinner? They (West Indies) are a little weak against spin, like to play big shots and not rotate strike,” Mushfiqur said.”Zia bhai has returned, because we need a big-hitting finisher. Sohag Gazi has a strong chance of playing because of his success against [Chris] Gayle in the past. Both could be playing this game.”Ziaur meanwhile has said that he is accustomed to being included late in a squad. “It doesn’t surprise me anymore. It is in my fate that I will come in and go out like this,” Ziaur said. “I always dreamt of playing in a World T20 so when it didn’t happen, I was focusing on playing well and returning to the side strongly.”But I was happy to learn that I am being included in place of Rubel Hossain, who got injured. I heard it day before yesterday,” said Ziaur.

India will tour Bangladesh for a short three-ODI series during the window between the IPL final on June 1 and their departure for England on June 22

Amol Karhadkar and Mohammad Isam11-May-2014India will tour Bangladesh for a three-ODI series during the window between the IPL final on June 1 and their departure for England on June 22. The three ODIs will be played in Dhaka on June 15, 17 and 19.ESPNcricinfo understands India will have a new captain in all likelihood, with MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli unavailable for the tour. Dhoni has planned a family vacation and the BCCI is inclined towards resting the captain for a rigorous season starting with the England tour and culminating with the 2015 World Cup.Similarly, Kohli, who led India during the Asia Cup in March in the absence of the injured Dhoni, has also indicated to the BCCI hierarchy that he would prefer a break going into the hectic season. The other three players who have led India in the recent past are Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina. None of them were part of the Asia Cup campaign. As a result, the selectors could be forced to choose a new captain, with Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin the main contenders to lead.India’s tour to Bangladesh was in principle agreed upon between the boards at the time of FTP negotiations in February, and the dotted line was signed on the sidelines of last month’s ICC executive board meeting in April.ESPNcricinfo had learned last week that the BCB was waiting to hear from the BCCI and also waiting to confirm the six-year TV broadcaster’s deal, for which they had asked for bids from April 24. The main selling point for the BCB was the two India tours to Bangladesh during this period, including the series in June. The open bid to determine the broadcaster is on May 16.

Graeme Smith could have been forgiven for expecting an easier life when he made Surrey his new permanent cricketing home but finally found some joy with a century against Gloucestershire to help his side to a long overdue win

Tim Wigmore at The Oval14-May-2014
ScorecardGraeme Smith’s hundred was long overdue for Surrey•PA PhotosAs Graeme Smith trudged off after Mitchell Johnson ended his final Test innings prematurely, he could have been forgiven for expecting an easier life when he made Surrey his new permanent cricketing home. But Division Two of the County Championship has not provided the soft landing Smith may have envisaged.Surrey drew two and lost two of their first four games of the season, including being bundled out for 81 by Glamorgan in the opening match. For Smith, things have been little better: after falling for 14 in the first innings against Gloucestershire, his average for the season was only 23. Into his eighth championship game for Surrey, Smith had never surpassed 67.Surrey certainly needed him to today. After stumbling to 132 in the first innings, they had to double that score to reach 267 to win, comfortably the highest total of the match. They would not have done so without Smith channeling the spirit of his four Test match centuries in successful run chases, including an epic unbeaten 154 that accounted for England – and Michael Vaughan – at Edgbaston in 2008.Monday evening had brought a sign of things to come, as Smith tackled an awkward 11-over spell before stumps by scything a run-a-ball 34. After Tuesday’s cricket was restricted to 17 deliveries, Smith approached the final day with equal ambition. Ten runs in the first full over of the day – including a bludgeoned straight drive oozing bottom-handed intent – served as an unwelcome reminder to Gloucestershire over what to expect.Like all Smith innings, it was one marked more by power and tenacity than any great aesthetic value, though there was much to enjoy in his booming drives and contempt for any delivery dropped short. With a steer to third man, Smith reached his century: it was a controlled, rather than exuberant celebration, perhaps indicating a man who felt his contribution was overdue. It had come at a one-day rate – off 107 balls, with 16 boundaries – and, in a game in which the first three innings had brought a top score of 59, had the air of a match-defining innings.Smith relived to lead first Surrey win

Graeme Smith admitted he had been “mentally drained” after retiring from international cricket, describing his first Championship victory for Surrey, at the eighth attempt, as “a relief”. “There’s been a bit of stress around,” he said.
His second innings 103 – off only 112 balls – underpinned the win. Smith said that “having the sun on my back helped” him end a run of 195 runs in 13 first-class innings. “The wicket played fairly tough against the new ball throughout the game so I felt that the best method was to be positive and get my body moving. I got a few balls in my area and managed to create a bit of momentum which I was able to carry on.”
This is Smith’s first full season at Surrey, after a truncated spell of three Championship matches last year. “I’ve been so impressed with the talent,” he said. “The commitment to training is really good and all of us are pretty relieved to have the first victory under our belts. As we all know the challenge is to learn – to grow the consistency around the group. If we can get that, there’s a lot of things this environment can achieve over the next few years.”
Thoughts now turn to the Natwest T20 Blast, with Surrey’s campaign beginning at Hove on Friday night. “It’s an interesting set-up at the moment with the Championship starting on a Sunday and the T20s earlier in the week. It’s probably not ideal in terms of preparation and mind-set but every county’s facing the same challenges this year. We’re looking forward to it.”

Yet Smith could not overhaul Surrey’s target alone. Rory Burns provided the ideal foil. The Fool’s Gold of trying to emulate his skipper’s belligerence did not tempt Burns, who instead eschewed risk. If the result was not exactly stirring – 45 eked out over 171 deliveries – it was no less valuable for that. Indeed, with Gloucestershire a bowler down, thanks to Ian Saxelby’s injury, attrition was a shrewd tactic. Surrey were over halfway to victory by the time Smith fell, bottom-edging an attempted pull.Given the extent of Surrey’s batting struggles – they have yet to pass 300 this season – supporters were entitled to feel jittery. And Gloucestershire recognised their chance, choking off Surrey’s scoring options as Burns and Dominic Sibley added 10 in 9.5 overs. Sibley then fell to a rash drive after taking 30 balls for four runs: he is averaging under 10 in five matches this season, and a spell in the second XI may be a sensible option. When Burns fell to a tumbling catch from Benny Howell after misjudging a bouncer form Graeme McCarter, Surrey still required another 95. The members’ area was awash with panic.But Steven Davies seemed immune from it. Consecutive boundaries off Howell – threading one delivery behind and the next in front of point – showed him at his silky best. His other specialties – the late cut and the flick to leg – were in evidence too in a sparkling 61 that provided vindication of his decision to opt out of keeping wicket in this match.Davies brought renewed vigour to Surrey’s approach, running sharply between the wicket. While Wilson’s calm 16 was terminated by a delivery that kept low, Gloucestershire’s moment seemed to have gone. Yet their spirit remained unwavering – a smart stumping from Cameron Herring accounted for Roy; a sharp catch from Michael Klinger accounted for Davies; and McCarter spilled a caught-and-bowled chance off Tom Curran – even as Surrey edged to within a blow of their target.After one win in their previous 21 championship matches, there was something apt in Surrey’s excruciating stumble to victory here.

ESPNcricinfo previews the 3rd ODI at Old Trafford

The Preview by Alex Winter27-May-2014Match factsWednesday, May 28
Start time 1400 local (1300 GMT)Big PictureNuwan Kulasekara beat England at their own game at Chester-le-Street•AFPPeter Moores’ honeymoon period lasted all of one match and after Sunday’s inexplicable annihilation at Chester-le-Street, England are back to square one in their quest to win back hearts and minds of the British public. Being slaughtered on a torrid tour in Australia or in alien conditions in Asia can be explained away but the Durham drubbing was a case of seeing is believing for England supporters.There was no Johnson, no Ajmal, no other mystical beast of terror, England were simply done at their own game and the criticisms of the winter returned, perhaps most concerning that of bowling too short. Nuwan Kulasekara utilised conditions far better than James Anderson – the player brought back to England’s ODI team to swing the new ball and take wickets with all the cards in his favour. Anderson needs a response on his home ground.But of course it was England’s batting, losing all 10 for just 80, that shocked most as no answer was found to the high-class swing bowling of Kulasekara, who removed the top three. England need to prove it was just an aberration. And they should be confident in doing so after a smart showing in the first rubber at The Oval, where Malinga and co. were easily dealt with, save Sachithra Senanayake, in a performance that was supposed to point the way to the future.Sri Lanka will be delighted with their retort to defeat, their first in 11 matches. As a complete one-day unit they are in far better shape than England and at Durham proved that they can play in English conditions. The batting effort should be a fillip for the rest of the tour; they built a solid total without major contributions from Kumar Sangakkara or Mahela Jayawardene. Tillakaratne Dilshan showed the responsibility the twilight of his career must provide and Ashan Priyanjan’s late burst perhaps showed what lies ahead.Form guideEngland: LWWWW (last five matches, most recent first)

Sri Lanka: WLWWW
In the spotlightThe boy wonder, Joe Root, has seen his stock fall since last summer. Dropped for the final Ashes Test, he has managed one century and one fifty in his last 16 ODI innings, while a broken thumb ruled him out of the World T20. A shift at the top of the order could leave Root vulnerable at No. 4 and he needs runs to convince he is worth his place.Vice-captain he may be but Lahiru Thirimanne must be under pressure after two failures against the new ball, with both dismissals to Anderson. You can tack on a single-figure score in Dublin to that run too. Thirimanne needs a score to ensure he keeps Kusal Perera out of the side or doesn’t end up being relegated down the order.Teams newsThere is a good chance Alastair Cook will be fit enough to return, so Michael Carberry is likely to make way. England could bring in Alex Hales to partner Cook and move Ian Bell to No. 3, which could see Gary Ballance moved to No. 4 and Root dropped.England (probable): 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Ian Bell, 3 Gary Ballance, 4 Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Chris Jordan, 9 James Tredwell, 10 James Anderson, 11 Harry GurneySri Lanka’s success with the swinging ball and bowler-friendly conditions likely at Old Trafford should see them retain the same attack. They could change the top order to take Thirimanne out of the firing line and bring in Kusal. Rangana Herath has arrived and is available for selection.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Lahiru Thirimanne, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Angelo Mathews (capt), 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Sachithra Senanayake, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Dhammika PrasadPitch and conditionsOld Trafford has produced a quick wicket for the last two ODIs – last September’s fixture against Australia proved the beginning of Mitchell Johnson’s comeback. The weather forecast is no good with plenty of rain expected.Stats and triviaThe fixture between these sides at Old Trafford in 2011 produced an exciting match which England edged by 16 runs. Of England’s attack that day, only James Anderson and Tim Bresnan are in the current squad.Sri Lanka have only played five ODIs at Old Trafford, including beating India at the 1979 World Cup. They have beaten England twice here, in 2002 and 2006.England had a miserable record in ODIs at Old Trafford at the turn of the century, losing five straight completed matches from 2001 to 2006. They bounced back to win four on the spin until losing to Australia last September.Quotes”Certainly from a bowling unit point of view there’s some new guys there that i’m getting used to playing with and talking to. It’s quite exciting.”
“We played some positive cricket, and I personally believe that is the way to go against the English team.”