Ireland A produced a miraculous fightback to beat Gloucestershire 2nd XI at Bath. They chased 411 to win on the final day in 92 overs.

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2012Andrew Balbirnie has played four ODIs for Ireland•International Cricket Council

Ireland A produced a miraculous fightback to beat Gloucestershire 2nd XI at Bath. They chased 411 to win in 92 overs on the final day.With the wicket taking an increasing amount of spin and Ireland A 98 for 3, any chance of victory looked remote. But Andrew Balbirnie played a match-winning innings, striking 19 fours in a 201-ball knock. He added 178 for the fourth wicket with Stuart Thompson, who hit 14 boundaries of his own for a 122-ball 93 but he was dismissed with135 still required to win.John Anderson – who made a first-innings 72 – arrived at the crease and he and Balbirnie added a further 79 but it was left to Balbirnie to take his side to the target.”We knew it was a flat pitch and if you got in, then you could score quickly,” Balbirnie said. “I had a bit of luck early on but as the innings progressed I got more confident and started to hit the ball cleanly. We knew we had to build partnerships and that was the key to the win. Stuart Thompson played superbly, and that was a great knock from John Anderson when things could have gone wrong.”Balbirnie had already scored a century against Gloucestershire 2nd XI, having made 100 not out at Bristol last season playing for Middlesex second XI. He also played in the World Cricket League in the Netherlands in 2010.

Scott Styris, the former New Zealand allrounder, has described his 37-ball hundred in Sussex’s FLt20 quarter-final victory over Gloucestershire as one of his “better” innings

Alan Gardner25-Jul-2012Scott Styris, the former New Zealand allrounder, has described his 37-ball hundred in Sussex’s FLt20 quarter-final victory over Gloucestershire as one of his “better” innings – which is perhaps underselling the joint third-fastest ton in the history of Twenty20 cricket.Styris hit five fours and nine sixes to finish on 100 not out, his second T20 century, as Sussex totalled 230 for 3, the highest score in this season’s tournament. Sussex have been in formidable form, losing just once in the South Group (and only after securing top spot), and progressed with a 39-run win despite being 3 for 2 early on.Matt Prior – who hit 60 off 38 balls – and Murray Goodwin rapidly rebuilt, before Styris blew Gloucestershire away. He was particularly cruel on James Fuller, who conceded 38 off the 18th over, striking three fours and three sixes in between a couple of no-balls, though Styris said he only noticed the hundred was a possibility at the start of the final over, when he was on 85. Two sixes off Liam Norwell’s first two balls helped him get there with room to spare.Styris, who is playing for his fourth county, will now get the chance to appear in his first Finals Day, on August 25, and he was understandably pleased with the knock that took Sussex through.”I’m sure it’s up there with some of the better ones I’ve played,” Styris said, “it’s always nice in a knockout game to put on a good score and help your team win. I’m looking forward to Finals Day, I haven’t been there before, and hopefully it’s a chance to win a trophy.”Even at 3 for 2, Matt Prior came out and played really well and put us back on track. At one point we were thinking that we should only get 160-180 but thankfully the hitting at the end enabled us to get a score that was well above par.”I didn’t even realise I was close to the hundred until it was the last over, when I saw I was on 85. Only about then I thought I’ll give it a bit of a dip to see if I can get there.”Styris is now out in front in the race for the Walter Lawrence Trophy – for the fastest hundred scored in the English season – but the 37-year-old was keen to credit his Sussex team-mates for their T20 success.”Our front three have been particularly good in this tournament and got us off to flying starts,” he said. “Murray Goodwin has put in performances as well, Chris Liddle with the ball, so we’ve had six, seven or eight guys who have been outstanding pretty much the whole way through and that’s meant we’ve won a lot of games but also dominated a lot of games too.”Styris retired from internationals in 2011 and has not played first-class cricket since 2010 and believes he has become better at T20 since dedicating himself to the shortest form of the game. While other players have to adjust their training between the formats – there was a round of County Championship matches between the FLt20 group stage and the quarter-finals – Styris “can just stand there and practice hitting the ball out of the ground, which is obviously a lot more fun too”.Having experienced T20 cricket around the world, as well as with several counties going back to 2005, Styris suggested that the English competition in its current incarnation could do with “sprucing up”. But he argued that spreading out games, rather than playing in a dedicated block, would deter overseas players from participating, as well as prevent teams from building up useful momentum in the format.”I definitely don’t want to see it spread out across the season, that would probably take away all the overseas players,” Styris said. “I do think it needs a bit of a spruce up. How they do that, it’s up to them, whether it be a city-based franchise system – the Big Bash League worked very well last year, and was very popular even in New Zealand.”What I do think they need to do is make sure the quarter-finals and the Finals Day are straight after the tournament. It’s highly annoying, to be perfectly honest, that you have to sit around for two weeks after your last group game and then another month before Finals Day, you lose all the momentum that you’ve built up and you could even lose the interest of the public, when they have to sit there and wait for six weeks to find out who the winner of the competition is.”We were absolutely flying at the end of the group stages, so the concern yesterday was that we’d lost our rhythm with the batting, because you do focus those skills for a month and you get into a bit of a groove with it.” Luckily for Sussex, that concern was misplaced.

Under normal circumstances, the camera crews might have been at Lord’s because Andrew Strauss was about to become the ninth England player to appear in 100 Tests. But these are not normal circumstances

George Dobell15-Aug-2012Under normal circumstances, the camera crews crowding around Andrew Strauss might have been at Lord’s to ask him about becoming only the ninth England player to appear in 100 Tests. In normal circumstances, Strauss might have expected to be asked to reflect on his career, his achievements and, perhaps his future.But these are not normal circumstances. Instead Strauss has spent the run-up to an important game that will settle, for now, the title of the best Test team in the world, embroiled in an increasingly unseemly dispute between the ECB and Kevin Pietersen.Strauss would not claim to be the most talented man to have played for England. He would not claim to be the most inventive of captains, either. But, through a long and successful career, he has, as John Betjeman put it, never cheated, never doubted. He has displayed the timeless virtues of decency, honesty and modesty. If captaincy is about inspiring by individual performance and tactical brilliance, then Strauss is an also-ran. But if it is about leadership and uniting and instilling common values and goals, he has been excellent.He is an old-fashioned cricketer; a cricketer who soon abandoned any pretence at brilliance in T20 and who plays for honour and pride. But now he finds himself in a brave new world of texts and tweets, of PR and positioning, of multi-million dollar IPL deals and score-settling books. A world not short of cliques and arrogance. Strauss is a decent man in an increasingly indecent world.But, in time, it may be reflected that the Lord’s Test was the moment that Strauss reclaimed control of his England team. This was, after all, a team he inherited at a low-ebb for English cricket – the captain and coach had been fired and they were bowled out in a session Jamaica – and guided to the top of the world rankings. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the Kevin Pietersen affair – and there have been faults on both sides and an apology on only one – Strauss’ only fault has been an inability to unite the two warring parties.Strauss has been impressive in the run-up to this game. He has made it clear that he will not tolerate selfishness in his team and explained how he was dragged into the situation by a need to protect the dressing room environment that had contributed to England’s success.But he also admitted that Pietersen was not the only one who might do well to reflect on their actions. It was the performance of a natural leader. When his playing career finishes, a role in cricket administration or even politics is surely on offer should he desire it.”I feel a little bit let down by Kevin,” Strauss said. “It’s not a personal thing. I’ve always got on very well with Kevin. This had been a dispute between Kevin and the board over his availability for the IPL and a number of other points. But once the players became involved, I certainly become very protective of that environment; the values by which we live and treat each other. And I’m willing to remain vigilant about that going forward because I think it’s central to why we’ve become a very good side.”But I think if we are going to resolve these issues everyone’s got to take a bit of a long hard look at how things have developed over the last couple of weeks and say: ‘have we all done everything we can to avoid this happening?’ We’re all going to be required to look at it that way.”It now appears most unlikely that Pietersen will play in World T20. The squad was selected at Edgbaston last week and will be named on Saturday. There is now precious little opportunity for Pietersen to persuade his way back into the fold especially as Strauss has insisted that his focus will be entirely on the Test for the next five days.It has been enlightening to read the comments on this situation from Pietersen’s friends and family. Their loyalty is admirable and their words no doubt well-intentioned. But a little restraint would have been even more welcome and every rant from Bryan Pietersen, his brother, and Piers Morgan drives another nail into the coffin of Kevin Pietersen’s international career. One lesson of this episode is that he needs to surround himself with fewer sycophants and one or two calmer, wiser heads.”Cricketers are a pretty forgiving bunch. But we need to bring stuff out in the open. We can’t just have it swept under the carpet and I’ve no idea at this stage how that’s going to work out.”Amid the Pietersen soap opera, it could be overlooked that England must win this Test to retain their No.1 ranking. It appears highly likely they will recall Graeme Swann, with Graham Onions also vying for selection ahead of Tim Bresnan and Steven Finn.The Lord’s pitch contains, perhaps, just a touch more green than normal and the outfield bears deeper scars than anticipated from the Olympics. But this will, doubtless, prove another decent pitch and England will have to drastically improve their performances in the first two Tests if they are to pull-off a series-levelling victory.

Ross Taylor, the New Zealand captain, has said his team’s batsmen must break their habit of failing to turn fifties into centuries after another disappointing series with the bat

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Aug-2012Ross Taylor, the New Zealand captain, has said his team’s batsmen must break their habit of failing to turn fifties into centuries after another disappointing series with the bat. New Zealand lost the series 2-0 after West Indies earned a five-wicket victory in Jamaica and the result means the teams swap positions on the ICC Test rankings table, with West Indies moving to seventh and New Zealand falling to eighth.A major part of the problem for New Zealand was an absence of big scores from their batsmen. The opener Martin Guptill was the leading scorer from either side across the two Tests with 277 runs but no New Zealander managed a century, while Chris Gayle, Kieran Powell and Marlon Samuels all reached triple figures for West Indies.”It’s been around for a while,” Taylor said of the lack of centuries. “If you go through the last 15-odd years, guys have been scoring a lot of fifties but they haven’t been going on to score those hundreds and hundreds are what get you in Test matches and put you on the front foot and hopefully win them. But when you’re only getting fifties, sometimes it might be enough but more often than not it won’t be.”Taylor’s observation was sound, for in the past 15 years New Zealand batsmen have made 84 Test centuries, easily the fewest among the eight countries that played Test cricket throughout that period. The next lowest was West Indies, whose batsmen made 121 tons during the same time.In the past decade the figures are just as stark for New Zealand, whose batsmen have made fewer hundreds than Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid combined. Taylor said New Zealand’s inability to put together big partnerships and fight through important moments in the two Tests proved costly against West Indies, and they would need to improve ahead of their tour of India.”Obviously us batters are not performing as consistently as we would like and the bowlers were bowling well in periods but not the whole time,” he said. “Losing crucial wickets at crucial times in both Test matches have hurt us … We need to address our issues very quickly and we’ve got India coming up in just over a week and a half’s time, so we need to regroup quickly and play a lot better than we have here.”However, Taylor said there were some positives to come from the series, despite the result.”Martin Guptill was the highest run scorer in the Test series, between both teams,” Taylor said. “He didn’t get a hundred but his lowest score was 41. He struggled a bit during the T20s and one-dayers but showed what a quality player he can be and runs at the top of the order has been something we haven’t done as consistently as we would like. He was consistent.”The bowlers, [Trent] Boult with the new ball was very promising and something to work on. [Neil] Wagner, I think has given us something to think about, the energy that he brings to the team.”New Zealand have little time to regroup ahead of the India series, which begins with a Test in Hyderabad on August 23.

Steve Smith is intent on earning his way into the Australian team as a batsman alone

Daniel Brettig12-Sep-2012″What does Steve Smith do, exactly?”This question, having lingered over Australian cricket for several summers, appears finally to have been answered by the man himself.As he prepared to begin the domestic season with New South Wales against Western Australia in Perth on Sunday, Smith stated plainly that he now considers himself a batsman, intent on promotion in the Blues’ order and earning a place in the top six for Australia.Across five Tests, 32 ODIs and 20 Twenty20 matches for his country, Smith’s role has appeared hazy, even the subject of derision from opponents. He has been the lead spinner, an allrounder, a top six batsman then an allrounder again, all the time seeming to flounder without the “role clarity” Australia’s coach Mickey Arthur is so often seeking.On this year’s ODI tour of England, Smith made scores of 8 and 21 while bowling two overs, seeming more spare part than central component. Having also been taken to the UAE for the ODI series against Pakistan, 23-year-old Smith is aware he is close to the Australian team, and now appears to know that it is runs not wickets, that will keep him there.”Runs is my main priority at the moment, I’m working really hard on my batting,” Smith said. “I believe to get back into the team it’s through my batting, with my bowling there as well. But I think my batting it’s just getting the runs on the board and getting those runs is going to be crucial for me.”For me at the moment it’s me focusing on my batting, I think that’s what’s going to get me there in the near future. I’ve always got my spin bowling to add to my bow, and if I keep working on that as well it just gives them another option if they need it.”On the subject of where he would like to bat in the future, Smith said he wanted to move higher up than the No. 6 spot he has occasionally occupied for Australia. His place in the batting order was the cause of some conjecture among the selectors and Australia’s captain Ricky Ponting during the 2010-11 Ashes, when Smith spent two matches at six then went down to No. 7 for the final match in Sydney.”I’d like to bat higher [then No. 6], I’m trying to bat as high as I can in this order,” Smith said. “I think the higher you can bat in your Shield team, if you’re doing well there the better off you’re going to be for batting anywhere in the Test line-up or any of the line-ups. So that’s my main goal at the moment, to go out and score a lot of runs and hopefully contribute for NSW.”I ended last season pretty well with a few runs on some tough wickets, a couple of hundreds would’ve been nice, but runs are always good, and putting NSW in good positions this season is what I’m looking for as well. Hopefully we can do that, get a couple of early wins away and kick off that way.”The Blues begin their campaign with a visit to WA, the scene of a humiliating innings defeat last summer, when they were bowled out for 91 on day one then watched Liam Davis peel off a triple century. Smith took part in the match, and said the chance to return to the scene of the hiding was a welcome one.”It was a pretty average game for us, a lot of boys sat down together after that game,” he said. “Playing in Perth’s obviously a little bit different to playing over here. This time we’ve got to have some clear goals and clear plans for particularly batting and to be able to get through the new ball and on the wicket with a bit more bounce it’s going to be crucial to have good plans in place and stick with them the whole way through.”In their efforts to improve on last summer’s poor showing, NSW will be helped by the presence of Australia’s captain Michael Clarke for their opening three fixtures. “Michael’s an unbelievable player and a good person to have around,” Smith said. “If blokes can do well as well he can see that being a selector and it’s always good to put your hand up in front of the Australian captain.”

Australian cricket’s new-found dedication to performance has uncovered another area to seek a competitive edge, with England’s Dukes ball to be used down under to better prepare players for next year’s Ashes tour

Daniel Brettig24-Oct-2012Australian cricket’s new-found dedication to performance has uncovered another area to seek a competitive edge, with England’s Dukes ball to be used down under to better prepare players for its subtleties on next year’s Ashes tour.Known for offering decidedly different characteristics to the Australian Kookaburra ball, the Dukes will be be trialled in the under-age championships and a handful of second-XI games during the summer.If they stand up to the rigours of firm Australian pitches, they are then likely to be used in some late season Sheffield Shield games.There are also plans afoot for stocks of India’s SG ball to be brought to Australia for similar exploratory use, in order to aid the knowledge of Australian players when they deliver it on the subcontinent.Understanding and taking advantage of the differences inherent in each ball is traditionally something players must develop upon arrival at an overseas destination, but Cricket Australia’s plans may help to build greater familiarity and ultimately skill.”The medium to long-term view is we want our Australian players using different balls in our competitions to help them prepare for international tours where the Kookaburra ball is not used,” CA’s senior cricket operations manager Sean Cary told . “The idea is not going to be just to focus on the Dukes ball in England. Ideally, we’d like to introduce the different makes of balls from countries if they differ from Kookaburra.”‘The first step is to find out whether the ball can handle our conditions, and we can do that in under-age championships, then if they do, work out a strategy to introduce them into senior competitions to help players prepare for upcoming international duty. [When] our Test team travels to India, if we know a number of our Test players are in Shield cricket, why couldn’t we introduce the SG ball to help them prepare in competition?”The use of English and Indian cricket balls may be considered a way of enhancing the preparation of the national team in an era when warm-up tour matches have become an increasingly rare proposition. Australian bowlers have struggled to replicate the kind of movement generated by their English and Indian counterparts on recent Test tours, having not won a series in England since 2001 and India since 2004.Cary admitted there was also a cost-saving measure to the use of overseas balls, which are cheaper than the Australian-made Kookaburra. The local manufacturers are concerned that their long-standing relationship with Australian cricket will be terminally undercut if the use of overseas balls becomes standard practice.”If we are not supported by cricket in Australia then Kookaburra won’t exist basically,” Kookaburra director Rob Elliott said. “If Cricket Australia and if cricket’s not supporting Kookaburra and wants to go down the imported path, then the manufacturing of cricket balls will go to the subcontinent and it will be the end of Kookaburra as we know it.””I thought it would be appropriate for us to be using the only Australian made ball as opposed to a ball that’s made in the sub-continent in Pakistan or India. That’s the thing that concerns me is that all of a sudden this sort of thing erodes Australian manufacturing and Australian jobs.”

Pain from an unusual side and rib injury that has ruled James Pattinson out for the rest of the Test summer was so acute that Ricky Ponting revealed the 22-year-old fast bowler “could hardly breathe” after bowling on the third day in Adelaide

Daniel Brettig at Adelaide Oval25-Nov-2012Pain from an unusual side and rib injury that has ruled James Pattinson out for the rest of the Test summer was so acute that Ricky Ponting revealed the 22-year-old fast bowler “could hardly breathe” after bowling on the third day in Adelaide.As had been widely feared on Saturday, the results of scans have confirmed that Pattinson will miss a large chunk of the home Tests for the second consecutive summer, having suffered a serious foot injury in January during the series against India. Australia’s players worried for Pattinson’s welfare when he left the field after bowling seven deliveries with the second new ball.In customary manner for a fast bowler, Pattinson felt the severe pain during his first over with the new ball but ignored it in the hope that he would be able to keep going, but the first ball of his second over will be the final one he delivers in Tests this summer, meaning he will miss the series decider against South Africa in Perth and the series against Sri Lanka, starting in Hobart on December 14.”He was in a fair bit of pain,” Ponting told Channel Nine. “I spoke to him after the first over he bowled and he could hardly breathe, so he is in a fair bit of trouble.”Precisely how much trouble was quantified by the team physio Alex Kountouris, who noted that the injury extended beyond the common side strain or tear to include rib damage. This may well extend Pattinson’s recovery period, leaving the selectors to ponder how to get him fit in time for Australia’s major Test match assignments of 2013 in India and England.”James Pattinson sustained a left lower rib injury, similar to a ‘side strain’ on day three of the Test which will effectively rule him out of contention for the remaining Tests this summer,” Kountouris said. “Whilst side strains are not uncommon in bowlers, James’ injury involves some damage to the end of the rib and will need further investigation at the completion of this Test to determine the best course of management and the time frame to return to bowling.”Peter Siddle, who enjoyed an uncannily similar lead-in to the Tests that featured four Sheffield Shield appearances for Victoria and no Twenty20 matches, said he was unsure what else could have been done for Pattinson to avoid breaking down with major injury for the third time this year.”All the plan was for red ball cricket and get ready for the Tests,” Siddle said. “I think it’s just part of cricket, there’s a lot of talk about too much work or not enough work but I think his plan was perfect. It was no different to mine, he bowled a few more overs than me in the Shield games, but he was all primed.’He was bowling well, his figures showed that in the Shield games, he was in exceptional forms. It’s just one of those things, Test cricket, he bowled a lot of overs up in Brisbane and he’s worked hard, and it’s just hard work, it is tough to get through and get the body right and challenge yourself to push through. He’s broken down but we all know he’s a strong character and a tough competitor.”There’s been a lot of injuries around but he pushes through and get through. He’s just disappointed he can’t get out there now and help back us up and have a crack. It is a disappointing time for him, but he’s upbeat, he just knows he’s got to keep working towards getting that body right, getting back in the team and performing well. He’ll come back strong.”Siddle himself admitted that he was feeling the effects of numerous long spells in Brisbane and Adelaide, with much still to be done by both he and Hilfenhaus on the final day. “My body’s been better, a big first Test and a short turnaround between innings here,” he said. “It’s hard work, but there’s always that carrot at the end of tomorrow afternoon.”It’s a part of Test cricket, that’s the reason we play it, and we like that challenge. If we didn’t like that challenge we wouldn’t be playing, so that’s the start of it, you just pick the ball and charge in and do what we do best – bowling overs. We’ll keep doing that for the captain and the rest of the boys.”Pattinson was able to bat on day four, making a brave unbeaten 29, but his exit from the series means Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood are likely to come into contention for a bowling berth in the third Test at the WACA ground. The South Australia left-armer Gary Putland has also caught the eye with a 10-wicket haul for the Redbacks against Victoria at the MCG.

Former USA batsman Errol Peart was killed on Sunday in Miami Gardens, Florida

Peter Della Penna03-Dec-2012Former USA batsman Errol Peart was killed on Sunday in Miami Gardens, Florida. He was 59. According to police statements on local television news reports, Peart was shot sometime after 1pm when he tried to come to the aid of a customer during an attempted robbery at the car wash business he owned on the corner of Northwest 191st Street and Florida Route 7/441. “The victim tried to interfere to stop the robbery,” said Miami Gardens police captain Ralph Suarez.Originally from Jamaica, Peart represented the USA in five matches at the 1990 ICC Trophy in the Netherlands and was USA’s leading scorer at the event with 209 runs at an average of 41.80. He scored a century on debut opening the batting against East & Central Africa and followed it up with a half-century in a win over Denmark. USA went undefeated in the first round of the tournament before losing to Kenya and Zimbabwe in the second round of the event.Peart is the second Jamaica-born cricketer killed in the Miami area in three years. Shawn Riley, 25, was gunned down in Miami on March 7, 2010. Riley had represented the Southeast Region at USACA national tournaments and played in the South Florida Cricket Alliance for West Indies Alliance CC. Peart remained an active player in the SFCA competition from the 1980s through the early 2000s, playing most recently for Silver Whip CC.

A preview of the third South Africa-New Zealand T20 in Port Elizabeth

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria25-Dec-2012

Match facts

December 26, 2012
Start time 1430 (1230 GMT)Boxing Day scrap: Martin Guptill will be key with his gloves on•Gallo Images

Big Picture

The traditional Boxing Day Test has been replaced by a Twenty20 and although it may not match up to the drama or the prestige of a serious contest in whites, it is a decider. For the young South African side being led by Faf du Plessis, a win would reiterate the quality of the No. 1 Test side’s bench strength. But New Zealand need this one more after all the pre-series controversy regarding the captaincy and the main course of the tour – the two Tests – just a week away.The importance of the coming challenges was not lost on Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand captain, who said after the win in East London that the game was not a “one-off” and that the team needed to keep similar tempo through the tour. There were other bright signs apart from Martin Guptill’s match-winning hundred. Rob Nicol and McCullum played responsible supporting roles to Guptill, Nathan McCullum was economical, and Doug Bracewell picked up wickets despite being expensive. These are the players the team will rely on through much of the tour and from New Zealand’s perspective, it is critical they take the confidence of a win in the T20 series forward.With no Boxing Day Test, the South African fans would have to contend with a four-day void after the match and would hope for a small Christmas present from their team. South Africa have had more balanced performances in the two matches so far, with du Plessis leading from the front, and still are favourites to wrap up the series.

Form guide (Completed games, most recent first)

South Africa LWLLL

New Zealand WLTLT

In the spotlight

Coming back from sickness, Martin Guptill produced an innings of such significance in the previous match that it lifted spirits like only a last-ball win can. He took his time to get settled and then selectively took the bowlers apart, being especially severe on Aaron Phangiso, the debutant spinner, whom he countered with his brutal sweeps. Can he jingle all the way?David Miller has played 10 T20s for South Africa in the last two years and has largely been kept out by a settled batting line-up. But South Africa have one eye on the future and T20s are a chance for him to impress. He certainly did in the 18 balls that he played in the last match as he effortlessly cleared the infield a few times with his timing.

Team news

South Africa have only 12 players at their disposal and with Richard Levi struggling for form, it could be a toss up between him and Justin Ontong.South Africa: (likely) 1 Richard Levi/ Justin Ontong, 2 Henry Davids, 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 Quinton de Kock (wk), 5 Farhaan Behardien, 6 David Miller, 7 Robin Peterson, 8 Ryan McLaren, 9 Aaron Phangiso, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Rory KleinveldtNew Zealand reaped the benefit of experience with the addition of Guptill in the last match. Trent Boult, the left-arm seamer, who sat out the first two matches due to sickness could make a return.New Zealand: (likely) 1 Rob Nicol, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Brendon McCullum (capt & wk), 4 James Franklin, 5 Colin Munro, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Nathan McCullum, 8 Jimmy Neesham, 9 Doug Bracewell, 10 Ronnie Hira, 11 Mitchell McClenaghan/Trent Boult

Stats and Trivia

• Martin Guptill’s hundred in the last match was only the second in the second innings of a T20 international. The first one was scored by Richard Levi earlier this year.
• Levi scored a sensational 117 in only his second T20 international innings. Since then, he has scored 106 runs in 11 innings with eight single-digit scores.
• The head-to-head record between the teams is 7-3 in favour of South Africa

Quotes

“It’s going to take one person or a couple of people to take the game away from the other team and hopefully that’s going to be us again. It was the same situation last summer back home. It was one-all leading into the third match, so it will make for a great finale.”
“David [Miller] came in and hit the ball sweetly to all parts of the field. It’s great to have him back, he is a young talent and he brings a lot to the team. It was a fantastic innings, to come in at that stage when conditions made it difficult to come in and start scoring was great, I certainly struggled when I came in.”

A preview of the playoff between Jamaica and Guyana of the Caribbean T20 in St Lucia

The Preview by Nagraj Gollapudi19-Jan-2013

Match facts

January 19, 2013
Start time 2000 (0000GMT)Chris Gayle has understood his responsibility is not just to be explosive, but also play the anchor•WICB Media

Big Picture

On paper, on form and based on the personnel Jamaica look favourites against Guyana, who had to scramble to a last-ball finish on Friday night against the Windward Islands. Incidentally, Guyana, who won the tournament in 2010, showed the same desperation in their first match, when they skipped past Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) by two wickets, scoring the winning run off the final delivery.In contrast Jamaica, apart from just one defeat in the beginning against Barbados, notched up three victories and a tie, finishing the preliminary rounds on a dominant note with a resounding victory against CCC. Chris Gayle, playing his first match of the tournament, ruthlessly exploited the inexperienced bowling, while racing to the tournament’s fastest fifty in 26 balls, in addition to hitting a record nine sixes. Gayle thus filled the void in the batting as no batsman had scored a fifty yet for Jamaica.Importantly, Gayle carries that aura of a match-winner regardless of his form and Guyana, in their current state, would obviously would be wary. It is not just Gayle, who is bound to occupy Guyana’s minds tomorrow. The Jamaican left-arm seamer Krishmar Santokie has been aggressive with the new ball while simultaneously playing on the batsman’s mind with his clever change of pace. Though he has just eight wickets, the numbers only betray his dominance over the batsmen.Unfortunately for Guyana, not one player has shown consistent form. Chanderpaul scored a half-century, but he picked an injury on Friday. Ramnaresh Sarwan has been disappointing, scoring just 37 runs in six matches. The allrounder Christopher Barnwell has been the most consistent, whose spirited performances with both bat and ball have played a big hand in pushing Guyana into the playoffs.

Form guide

(most recent first, completed matches only)Jamaica: WWTWL
Guyana WWLLW

In the spotlight

Chris Gayle will walk into the beautiful Beausejour Stadium for the second successive evening, knowing he will have to once again provide the momentum to the Jamaican batting and remain its mainstay. Recent dip in form aside, one big facet of Gayle’s game that has changed in the last couple of years is that he wants to stay long at the crease. So often you will now see him hanging around tapping the ball early on harmlessly before unraveling those massive arms and the sending the ball deep into the stands. Gayle has understood his responsibility is not just to be explosive, but also play the anchor. With the Australia tour round the corner, Gayle will be hungry for runs and dominance.Devendra Bishoo was not so long ago the ICC’s Emerging Player of the Year (2011). He was even the Man-of-the-Series in the 2010 edition of the Caribbean T20 when Guyana won. But last year, he lost his spot in the West Indies team and is now on the fringes. On Saturday he could be in a face-off with Gayle and will need to stand up to the task.

Team news

With a final berth at stake Jamaica might be keen to get back their most economical bowler, the legspinner Odean Brown ahead of the offspinner Yannick Elliott.Jamaica (probable): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 David Bernard, 3 Tamar Lambert (capt), 4 Nkrumah Bonner, 5 Danza Hyatt, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Aldane Thomas (wk), 8 Nikita Miller, 9 Krishmar Santokie, 10 Sheldon Cotterrell, 11 Odean Brown/Yannick ElliottChanderpaul pulled a leg muscle while batting against Windward Islands and doubts will persist about his selection till the toss.Guyana (probable): 1 Derwin Christian (wk), 2 Shivnarine Chanderpaul/Trevon Griffith, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Narsingh Deonarine, 5 Leon Johnson, 6 Christopher Barnwell, 7 Royston Crandon, 8 Steven Jacobs, 9 Devendra Bishoo, 10 Veerasammy Permaul (capt), 11 Ronsford Beaton

Stats and trivia