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Cricinfo previews the fourth game of the ICL World Series between the Pakistan and World XIs

Cricinfo staff25-Nov-2008Match factsNovember 26, 2008
Start time 7.30pm (1400 GMT)The Big Picture
Will the World XI be able to keep Imran Nazir in check? © ICL
Bangladesh’s win over India has turned this game into a potential cracker.A short tournament means the Pakistan XI face a must-win game against the World XI on Wednesday. Each of the other sides have a win under their belts. If Pakistan – who boast the same championship-winning Lahore Badshahs side – lose, they are out of the ICL 20s World Series.Pakistan scored 165 for 9 against India on Monday, largely down to the inability of their batsmen to build on their start. Pinch-hitter Rana Naved-ul-Hasan top scored with 44, and Inzamam-ul-Haq was the only other batsmen to score more than 20. Rana, though, leaked 44 runs in four overs as India XI chased down the target with five balls to spare. That said, this is a fantastic Twenty20 side thats knows a thing or two about playing under pressure.The World XI have some momentum going after a win over the Bangladesh XI. Bangladesh put up a spirited performance against the World XI in the inaugural game, but they were thwarted by Lance Klusener’s all-round brilliance. His 63 not out took the World XI from a perilous 39 for 3 to a competitive 167, and he then picked 3 for 18 to stem Bangladesh’s chase – they fell 12 runs short. That win was a bit of a one-man affair, and the World XI will need to be tougher against a side with their backs to the wall.”On their day, if they click and get everything right, Pakistan are very difficult to beat,” said Chris Harris, the World XI captain. Don’t miss this game.Players to watchOpener Murray Goodwin will need to deliver for his side against a potent Pakistan attack. They may have escaped against Bangladesh, but it will not be easy to stage a recovery against a potent Pakistan bowling attack. Goodwin had made a brisk 27 against Bangladesh; more might be needed against Pakistan.The World XI’s new-ball bowlers – Jason Gillespie, Andre Adams and Nantie Hayward – were expensive against Bangladesh, and it was only thanks to Klusener and Harris that they managed to prevent defeat. Pakistan boast a power-packed opening line-up in Imran Nazir and Imran Farhat. Nazir’s scintillating century sealed the ICL 20-20 Indian Championships in Lahore Badshahs’ favour, and a Harris, the World XI captain, would pray a repeat does not happen in Wednesday’s game.Quotes”We have to make sure we get Imran Nazir out early. That would give us a fantastic start.”
“There are three of four of those Pakistan players who could be playing for their country. There is no team in the world that wouldn’t snap up a few of them.”

Australia’s players are concerned about excessive workloads shortening their careers and want more time with their families

Cricinfo staff08-Dec-2008
“I’ll never complain about our job because we’re blessed … but in the next 15 months the guys will spend 10-11 months without seeing their wives and kids” © Getty Images
Australia’s players are concerned about excessive workloads shortening their careers and want more time with their families, according to the vice-captain Michael Clarke. The team, which is preparing for pay negotiations with Cricket Australia, is at the start of a packed 19-month international schedule that could keep them away from home for 11 months.However, the complaints follow the rush to join the Indian Premier League earlier this year, which cut into the squad’s official holiday time. Clarke was not one of the players who took the money in India and currently Australia’s programme rules them out of the 2009 and 2010 Twenty20 tournaments.”The major issue with the players at the moment is because of the amount of cricket going on, and that includes all forms of the game, guys’ careers are not going to last as long as they used to,” Clarke told Sydney radio . “That’s the worrying factor.”The side is expected to play 26 Tests, 54 ODIs and 27 Twenty20 games between the recent Indian tour and April 2010. Paul Marsh, the Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive, said players like Clarke, who are involved in the three formats, would be away from home for 51 weeks.”The point is because they are playing so much they don’t have as much time to do the off-field obligations as they otherwise would have,” he said. “It’s not about working less in total because they are going to be working a hell of a lot more on the field than they have in the past.”Clarke will follow the developments over the next couple of years closely and will watch how the tournaments operate while allowing players to represent their countries. “It’s going to be interesting to see how contracts work in two years, if you can still get a [Cricket Australia] contract or you’re paid per game,” he said.He is also concerned about the time players will have to spend away from their families. “I’ll never complain about our job because we’re blessed, we’re the lucky ones and we have got a fantastic lifestyle, but in the next 15 months the guys will spend 10-11 months without seeing their wives and kids,” he said. “If you have a six-month-old baby you don’t feel comfortable taking around the world, that’s a long time spending away from your wife and son or daughter.”

Crystal Palace announced on Wednesday afternoon that defender Sam Woods has left the club.

And a number of Eagles supporters have been giving their reaction to the confirmation on social media.

The 22-year-old signed professional terms with the club back in 2017 and made his senior debut against Middlesbrough a year later.

Woods made a total of four senior appearances for Palace and was sent out on loan to Hamilton and Plymouth Argyle during his time at Selhurst Park.

He has become the latest player that Palace have wished well, with a number of senior first-team members also departing the club over the summer such as Scott Dann, Patrick van Aanholt and James McCarthy.

Woods has technically been a free agent since the beginning of July but the club have only just officially confirmed his departure almost two months on.

Palace fans react

Palace posted the news regarding Woods on their official Twitter page. This is what these fans had to say in reply, with one describing it as ‘weird’.

“End Of An Era”Credit: @joelcpfc_”Shame”Credit: @cpfc_sean”Oh?”Credit: @Mitchell__SZN”Weird flex. No mention of where he is going, and we have known he was leaving for so long. Why so long with doing this then? Idk”Credit: @TtimeSTL”Starting to like the narrative more that just because some players have Palace pyjamas, curtains or are a fan of the club – it doesn’t always warrant them anything in terms of first team opportunities. 22 years old – only 16 professional apps across 3 teams: wasn’t meant to be.”Credit: @CPFCMOORE”Best of luck for the future”Credit: @FPTW_

In other news: ‘Things you just love to see’, ‘Get in’ – Many CPFC fans buzz as ‘baller’ signs a new deal. 

Rohit Sharma played his second important innings of the Ranji Trophy final as Mumbai batted Uttar Pradesh out of the match

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga15-Jan-2009Uttar Pradesh 245 and 0 for 0 need 525 runs to beat Mumbai 402 and 367 (Samant 113, Rohit 108, Jaffer 85, Chawla 4-94)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Vinayak Samant kept Mumbai on course for their 38th Ranji Trophy title win© Cricinfo Ltd
Rohit Sharma played his second important innings of the Ranji Trophy final as Mumbai batted Uttar Pradesh out of the match. For a session and a half, the UP bowlers put on a spirited performance, but Vinayak Samant, at first, and Rohit kept them at bay with contrasting centuries. In truly khadoos manner, Mumbai didn’t declare even when the lead had gone beyond any reasonable proportions. But that’s how Mumbai play their cricket: when your opponents are down, grind them into dust.With three sessions to go, UP will need the highest successful chase in the Ranji Trophy (previous record: Assam’s 371 for 4 against Services earlier this season), and the second-highest fourth-innings score in the tournament’s history to win the match. Well that’s an academic thought.UP’s tough task was set by Samant, who scored his maiden first-class century after being promoted to open in the last league match of the season, and Rohit, who became only the sixth batsman to score two centuries in a Ranji Trophy final. The last to do so was Sachin Tendulkar against Punjab in 1994-95.On a personal level Tendulkar wouldn’t have enjoyed this final. In the first innings he scored his first duck in Indian domestic cricket, then spent the whole UP innings off the field because of a viral fever, and managed only 4 from No. 7 in the second innings. He was the last wicket of a middle-order collapse that had given UP a faint glimmer.But UP had bowled their hearts and their bodies out to reduce Mumbai from 130 for 0 to 241 for 6. After bowling 16 successive overs for one wicket in the first session, Praveen Kumar went off the field and was disqualified from bowling when UP were forced to take the second new ball after 100 overs (a rule in Indian domestic cricket).Although part-time medium-pacer Parvinder Singh and Piyush Chawla did a commendable job in the middle session, UP were always short of time and behind by too much. By the time the second new ball was taken Rohit had beaten them into submission with attractive strokeplay. And with RP Singh off the field throughout the day, Bhuvneshwar Kumar had to share the new ball with Praveen Gupta, the left-arm spinner.UP were not so deflated in the morning, though. A spirited effort from the Kumars, Bhuvneshwar and Praveen, who troubled the batsmen consistently by moving a semi-new ball, caused Mumbai to wobble. But Samant didn’t give in. He put behind him the edges and plays-and-misses, and nudged and late-cut his way to a satisfactory hundred. Samant started the day on 53 and got the majority of his runs through late-cuts. He played those shots with soft hands, made sure he kept them along the ground, and found the gap between two slips and two gullies regularly. Even in his 90s, he played two such strokes. Samant and his team-mates were overjoyed at his reaching the century: they knew he had taken them one session closer to the title.After Samant became part of the middle-order collapse, which included a pair for Ramesh Powar and an embarrassing 24-ball stay for Ajinkya Rahane, the second-highest run-getter of the season, Rohit took advantage of aggressive field settings.He was much surer than he was in the first innings and didn’t look hurried even though he had to wait 27 balls for his first run. Those first runs were three consecutive boundaries off Chawla – a flick wide of mid-on, a pull, and a straight loft. Rohit kept picking on Chawla, slog-sweeping every time the bowler tried a googly. He knew that UP had employed aggressive fields, and even mis-hits would fall safe. The elegance that separates Rohit from other domestic batsmen was on liberal display, with gorgeous drives and pulls decorating his century.Even after Parvinder took two wickets in two balls, Sairaj Bahutule and Dhawal Kulkarni frustrated UP for 17.3 overs and 20 runs. UP will have no ground for complaints, because they did the same to Gujarat two matches ago. After securing a 188-run first-innings lead in the quarter-final, they didn’t enforce a follow-on and went on to bat until they were bowled out – giving Gujarat 564 to chase in one-and-a-half session. What goes around comes around.

Birmingham City’s impressive start to the Championship season received something of a setback on Tuesday evening, as Lee Bowyer saw his side succumb to defeat in their second-round Carabao Cup clash.

While a loss in a competition that is not likely to be high on the 44-year-old’s list of priorities this season, the manner in which the Blues fell to a 2-0 defeat against Fulham could well concern the former Charlton Athletic manager.

Over the course of the 90 minutes, Birmingham failed to muster a single shot on target, had just 39% of possession and completed nearly 200 passes fewer than the visitors.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there were a number of disappointing individual performances in the fixture, none more so than by the Blues winger, Jonathan Leko.

Indeed, despite playing for the entirety of the game, the £1.35m-rated man managed no shots at goal, completed just 10 of his 16 attempted passes and touched the ball a grand total of 33 times – nine times fewer than Birmingham goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.

The 22-year-old also lost possession of the ball on 17 separate occasions, won just three of his 10 duels – a loss percentage of 70% – failed to find his man with either of his one attempted cross or his one attempted long ball and was flagged offside once.

These returns saw the £5.1k-per-week forward earn an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.2, with no player from either team receiving a score lower than Leko on the night.

As such, considering the fact that the winger has started just one of Birmingham’s four Championship fixtures so far this season, it would very much seem as if the 22-year-old did very little against Fulham to convince Bowyer he is deserving of a starting spot in the 44-year-old’s side to face Barnsley this weekend, as the youngster failed his manager’s trust on Tuesday evening.

In other news: Bowyer drops Birmingham transfer claim which will be music to the ears of Blues fans

A round-up of the twelfth-round matches of the Premier League Tournament in Sri Lanka

Sa'adi Thawfeeq05-Feb-2009
Colts were led from the front by Malinda Warnapura who scored 95 and 100 © AFP
Colombo Colts CC won the 2008-09 Premier League Tournament Tier A title, claiming first-innings points in a drawn match against Badureliya CC at Havelock Park. It was enough for Colts to replace Sinhalese SC as champions.Colts went into this game needing three points to win the crown and they did it in style with a tremendous batting performance on the opening day when they rattled off 426 runs off 88.4 overs. They were led from the front by Sri Lanka Test opener Malinda Warnapura, who missed out on twin tons in the match. He was dismissed for 95 in the first innings but made up by scoring an unbeaten 100 in the second. Jeevantha Kulatunga who led Colts during Warnapura’s absence and Thisara Perera also contributed half-centuries in the first innings.Badureliya resisted stoutly, causing concern in the Colts camp before they were dismissed for 347, conceding a lead of 79. Colts coach Romesh Kaluwitharana put down the championship victory to motivation and team work. “The team’s success was due to sheer commitment and hard work. The amount of talent and potential combined with great team work helped us overcome the challengers during the season.”We never depended on individual brilliance but always rallied around team work with significant contributions coming from the entire side,” said Kaluwitharana, under whose captaincy Colts last won the Premier title in 2004-05.He also paid tribute to seasoned campaigner Chaminda Vaas for his contribution to the Colts’ success. The Sri Lankan fast bowler wasn’t able to play much but offered useful advice at vital stages. It is Colts’ fourth Premier trophy title since 1998-99.Ragama CC ended the season in a flourish, beating Nondescripts CC by 149 runs to secure third place, the highest position they have achieved in the Premier Tier A league. They staged a grand fightback after conceding a three-run first-innings lead at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground. Their first innings was rocked by fast bowler Akalanka Ganegama, who picked up five wickets to send Ragama crashing to 155. However they hit back to bowl NCC out for 158 with Kaushalya Weeraratne picking up four wickets. In the second innings, Ragama put up a better batting performance declaring at 346 for 9 thanks to a century by Indika de Saram. NCC crumbled under pressure in the second innings; they were dismissed for 194 with spinners Ruwan Dilruk and Malinga Bandara taking seven wickets between them.Bloomfield also ended the season on a winning note, defeating Army SC by 130 runs in a low-scoring game at Panagoda. The most impressive performance came from the Army legspinner Seekkuge Prasanna, who picked up 12 wickets – his first ten-for in a match, including career-best figures of 8 for 59 in the second innings.Cricketer of the Week – Seekkuge PrasannaAjantha Mendis’ success as a bowler in the Army, which eventually found him a place in the national team was partly due to his partner at the other end, Seekkuge Prasanna whose legspinners proved an ideal foil.Mendis’s unorthodoxy coupled with Prasanna’s guile and turn won Army the Premier Tier B title last season, earning them promotion to Tier A for 2008-09. With Mendis away on national duty, the responsibility fell on Prasanna. He played a lone hand but by the end of the season, Army again face relegation to Tier B having finished at the bottom of Tier A. But for 23-year-old Prasanna the season has been one of personal triumph. His match figures of 12 for 95 in the final match of the season against Bloomfield took him to the top of the pile as the season’s leading wicket-taker with 65 wickets (avg. 19.76) from 10 matches, nine more than Colts left-arm spinner Sajeewa Weerakoon. The Army’s coach Major General VR Silva thinks Prasanna has the potential to become an opening batsman and a very good legspinner.”Prasanna has all the shots in the book and the right temperament. His bowling is like that of Shane Warne and he is very deceptive,” Silva said. When India toured Sri Lanka last year, Prasanna dismissed Sachin Tendulkar for 69 in the three-day warm-up game; he treasures this scalp the most among his 135 first-class wickets.

Sunderland striker Will Grigg’s potential departure from the Stadium of Light is in doubt.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Alan Nixon, with The Sun journalist revealing on Twitter that Doncaster Rovers have “a couple of things to do” before they can finalise a move for the Black Cats centre-forward, who had been expected to leave the League One leaders prior to Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

When asked whether or not the 30-year-old seemed likely to join Rovers, Nixon said: “A couple of things to do to make that happen.”

Indeed, a subsequent claim made by Rob Staton threw further doubt on the Northern Ireland international’s move, with the BBC Radio Sheffield journalist stating on Twitter: “Doncaster want Will Grigg but at this stage it seems unlikely.”

Fans will be gutted

Grigg has been poor over his two-year spell at the Stadium of Light, and should his move to Doncaster indeed fall through, it could then cast doubt as to whether Lee Johnson will be able to afford a move for Bayern Munich forward Leon Dajaku. Therefore, these latest updates regarding the 30-year-old are sure to have left Sunderland fans gutted.

Indeed, over his 62 appearances for Sunderland, the £1.08m-rated man has found the back of the net on just eight occasions, while the former Wigan Athletic hitman has also been blunt creatively, providing his teammates with just three assists.

When taking into account the man who Jack Ross claimed is “desperate to be a success” cost the Black Cats a League One record transfer fee of £4m back in 2019, as well as earning a substantial £6k-per-week during his time on Wearside, it would not seem unfair to claim that Grigg has been a considerable waste of money for the club.

Furthermore, should the centre-forward’s failure to secure an exit from the club subsequently rule out Johnson’s own move for Dajaku, not only would the Mackems be stuck with a player who is quite clearly not in the manager’s first-team plans, they would also be missing on a youngster who appears to be an incredibly exciting prospect. Such an outcome would undoubtedly leave everyone involved with the club feeling frustrated.

In other news: Louis-Dreyfus in advanced talks for £1.7k-p/w ace, he could be a “great signing” for Sunderland

If Kevin Pietersen ever needs another sponsor he could do worse then go to Mastercard. On Friday, he will find out how much he is worth to an IPL franchise, something in the region of US$2 million is expected, but to England he remains priceless

Andrew McGlashan in Jamaica05-Feb-2009
Kevin Pietersen was rooted to the crease against the spinners but always seemed to know what he was doing © Getty Images
If Kevin Pietersen ever needs another sponsor he could do worse than go to Mastercard. On Friday, he will find out how much he is worth to an IPL franchise, something in the region of US$2 million is expected, but to England he remains priceless. Given the way he has regained his focus after losing the captaincy, it is even difficult to be too harsh for the ungainly sweep that brought his downfall.Without him it’s hard to know where England would have gone on the opening day of the series. Even Pietersen himself was rooted to his crease against the West Indies spinners for much of his innings, but unlike his team-mates there was always a sense he knew what he was doing.He was really ticking by the time he took Sulieman Benn for 14 in three balls to move to 97, but trying to reach his century in the grand manner offered a top-edge to Denesh Ramdin. It’s harsh to criticise Pietersen, he brings so much to the England team, and is such a thrilling batsman to watch, that falling when playing your natural game shouldn’t be a crime. But then there is the match situation to consider, and he rekindled memories of his charge down the pitch to another left-arm spinner, South Africa’s Paul Harris, at Edgbaston last summer when he had played supremely to reach 94.”It’s the way I play, I got to 97 playing that way so it just wasn’t meant to be. No drama,” Pietersen said, although he did then admit two-thirds of his innings were not in his usual style. “On that wicket you have to play situations and I think that’s what I’ve done over the last few years instead of going out there and being dominant.”His battles against Benn added another chapter to his recent duels against left-arm spinners. During the India tour he had his memorable contest with Yuvraj Singh, who dismissed Pietersen in the one-day and Test series. His bravado was severely tested when Yuvraj was brought on in the third over in Mohali with England 2 for 2, but he responded in typical style making 144 and then calling Yuvraj a “pie-chucker”. Benn is much better than that, and for much of the day looked it as he had Pietersen repeatedly prodding uncertainly outside off stump.Each time he marched off for a session break Pietersen wore a serious expression of someone intent on erasing any lingering doubts about his mindset. After tea something clicked and he began to move through his range of shots while also engaging in a touch of eye-balling with Fidel Edwards.Three more runs would have given him back-to-back centuries following his hundred in Mohali and given what has happened in between it would have been another remarkable demonstration of his willpower. An innings of 97 still does that, but when Pietersen gets out playing such a shot there is a lingering feeling of what might have been.”I love scoring runs and I love playing for England,” he said. “If someone had said to me a month ago when everything was kicking off in England that I’d get 97 today I would have said thank you very much.”He did far more than some of his colleagues managed in a top-order display that did nothing to quell the doubts over their productivity. Andrew Strauss was clearly nervous, but there’s no need to panic about a scratchy 7. However, if Alastair Cook produces too many more shots like his pull to mid-on then serious questions will be asked. That then brings us to Ian Bell.Having typically batted so nicely to reach 28 he played for turn when there wasn’t any against Chris Gayle and limply offered the edge. The hang-dog expression which follows so many of his dismissals remained as he trudged off, but he seems unable to do anything to ease the pressure on himself at the moment. It can be a vicious circle; he would no doubt love to just play with complete freedom – and the command of Pietersen – but is battling his inner demons so much that he can’t sustain his concentration.Aside from Pietersen, the batsman who benefited most today was Owais Shah and it’s difficult to believe that he would have become as stuck against the spin with his wristy strokeplay. Paul Collingwood struggled to score during his 61-ball innings – a stay that included the first TV referral involving an England batsman – and fell playing an ugly sweep to give Benn nothing more than he deserved.However, at the end of a tough day England emerged with honours about even, although typically Pietersen saw it in a more positive light. “It is very tough, you can’t play as nicely as you would like to on day one of a Test, but the way the wicket’s playing and a slow outfield I’d say we are pushing 280-300,” he said. “I think we are in a pretty good position, losing five wickets today and knowing that we won’t have to bat last.”First, though, England need to add as many as they can to this total. Like Pietersen, every run will be priceless.

When Slavisa Jokanovic took over at Sheffield United earlier this summer, it is highly unlikely that the 53-year-old manager would have thought his Blades side would be languishing down in the Championship relegation zone when the first international break of the season came along.

However, after losing three and drawing two of their opening five fixtures of the 2021/22 campaign, as well as scoring just one goal while conceding seven, that is exactly where the Serbian finds his United team.

As a result, rather predictably, a number of Sheffield United’s players have turned in a number of rather disappointing performances, none more so than Oliver Burke.

Lost 70% of duels

In truth, none of Slavisa Jokanovic’s six options up front have covered themselves in glory so far this season, having scored just one Championship goal between them, however, it is Burke who has perhaps been the most disappointing of a bad bunch.

Indeed, over his three league appearances this term, the £5.4m-rated centre-forward has scored no goals, registered no assists, made no key passes and created no big chances for his teammates, as well as hitting the target with an average of just 0.3 shots per game.

The 24-year-old has also made no tackles, no interceptions, lost 70% of his duels and has given away possession of the ball an average of 6.3 times per appearance.

These returns – or lack thereof – have seen the £19k-per-week forward earn a highly disappointing average SofaScore match rating of 6.53, ranking him as Jokanovic’s fourth-worst performer in the second tier of English football.

As such, should Sheffield United have any hope of mounting a push for a top-six finish this season, it is undeniable that Burke must start pulling his weight in the Blades attack, or else the club could well find themselves in a fight to remain a Championship side come next May – rather than challenging for promotion from the division.

In other news: SUFC figure drops promising claim on “fantastic” £900k-rated ace, fans surely buzzing

Andrew McGlashan presents the plays from the first day in Trinidad

Andrew McGlashan in Trinidad06-Mar-2009
Owais Shah struggled with his fluency before his fingers cramped up to force his retirement © AFP
Cricket stands together
Shortly before play both teams and all the officials lined up in front of the pavilion (which a few moments later was unveiled under Brian Lara’s name) and observed a minutes’ silence following the events in Lahore earlier this week. The cricket family is small and tightly knit and a number of players here know the Sri Lankans very well. Phone calls and texts have been exchanged in recent days as everyone tried to comprehend what happened. The ground stood in respect, hoping that the scenes in Lahore will never be seen again.Shah off mark
Owais Shah always comes across a bundle of nervous energy at the crease. He has a host of mannerisms which he goes through before taking strike and appears tense in the middle. Nerves are not helped went it takes a while to start scoring and Shah was so eager to open his account that after 20 balls he set off for a scampered single into the leg side. He was safe enough, but the man at the other end – his captain, Andrew Strauss – wasn’t. The throw missed Strauss’s stumps to the relief of Shah because running out your captain isn’t the best way to ensure a long stay in the team.Six before lunch
West Indies were very short on frontline bowling options after leaving out Sulieman Benn alongside the injured Jerome Taylor so Chris Gayle had to shuffle what he had left. Brendan Nash, who hardly bowled before settling in the Caribbean, was introduced as the fourth seamer and before lunch Ryan Hinds became the sixth bowler used in 28 overs. But whoever had the ball the end result was clear: it was going to be hard work for everyone.Shah seizes up
It was hot work in the middle, but no one felt it more than Shah. After making his way to 29 off 115 balls his hands started to cramp up. It wasn’t the first time in his short Test career that this had happened, his debut innings off 88 against India in Mumbai was interrupted by an attack that meant he had to leave for treatment. And on this occasion it was also too severe for him to continue despite Kirk Russell, the physio, trying to get his hands back in working order. Shah grips the bat extreme tightly, something that he has always done, and that plays a part in his problem.Poor Brendan
One moment you think you have trapped one of the world’s best batsman lbw only for the wicket to be taken away from you. Nash, a part-time bowler at best, thought he’d made the vital breakthrough when Russell Tiffin’s finger went up for an lbw shout against Pietersen’s third ball. However, it only took one replay to confirm it had pitched outside leg and the appeal was null and void. But hold on. Nothing, it seems, runs that smoothly in this series. The communication equipment between the on-field and TV umpire, Aleem Dar, broke and Dar had to appear on the balcony to signal the decision. There’s nothing like modern technology.The ball before
Hinds has become West Indies’ premier left-arm spinner in this match with the omission of Benn and he produced a piece of bowling to make the breed proud. First of all he beat Pietersen with a ripping delivery that spun past the outside edge as it disturbed the surface. Next delivery, sensing that Pietersen would be playing for the turn, Hinds sent down the perfect arm ball that held its line and drifted between bat and pad to knock back middle stump. Hinds sprinted off in excitement, before sliding on his back and enjoying an unusual celebration that seemed to involve patting his stomach. For Pietersen it continued his problems against part-time left-arm spinners after his battles against Yuvraj Singh in India.