Petersen, Duminy make hosts toil after rain delay

New Zealand's on-field misery matched Wellington's weather, as South Africa continued their domination via an unbeaten 140-run partnership that took them to 246 for 2. Alviro Petersen went to stumps four short of a third Test hundred, while JP Duminy was on 76. Not even a furious tailwind from the Vance End, nor heavy cloud cover, could conjure a breakthrough for New Zealand, after rain accounted for almost four hours of play first up. Seven overs into the second session, evening gloom set in to end a frustrating day for the hosts, who are quickly running out of time to affect a series-levelling win. 

Alviro Petersen had been obdurate on the first day, as he fought to make his first substantial contribution of the tour, but adopted a brighter approach early on the second with a fifty beckoning. Chris Martin's fourth ball was slapped through midwicket, before an edge from an attempted cover drive brought up the milestone. Positivity paying off, he continued in the assured vein, missing few chances to pierce the field when New Zealand erred. 

Duminy eased to his half-century too, crisp cover-drives characterising his first Test innings in two years as South Africa's third-wicket stand swelled beyond 100. Adept at finding gaps in the field, Duminy matched his lively partner for pace and outlook. An inside edge over the stumps and a top-edged hook that took him past 50 were the only bumps in an otherwise uncomplicated innings. 

Ross Taylor might have rued not placing a third slip when second-slip Martin Guptill dived over, then palmed two edges off Petersen, but in between the chances, the New Zealand bowlers rarely looked like taking wickets in the wind. Martin swung the ball modestly early on, but could not maintain the movement for long, while Mark Gillespie's gun-barrel straight deliveries were navigated without complaint. Daniel Vettori battled the northerly for much of the day, darting balls in to keep his end secure rather than attacking with flight. But even he could not help being unsettled by the gusts, as he regularly offered long hops the batsmen happily dispatched square.

World Cup finalists meet in very different circumstances

Just over 10 months have passed since that Wankhede night, last April. Within that period, the fates of the two teams that brought the best out of each other in that memorable World Cup final have nose-dived in bizarre style. India have been mercilessly stripped of their No. 1 Test ranking, the sunset on their golden generation of batsmen hastened by eight successive away drubbings. But their one-day outfit still holds promise, with the energy of fresh legs and the power of broad bats, for the moment at least, masking the worry of poor techniques on quick pitches.

Sri Lanka have had it worse. Finishing second-best in two successive World Cup finals is a tragedy in itself, but even that pales in comparison to what has transpired since. They have endured series after wretched series, home and away, against Australia, Pakistan and South Africa, with no silverware to show for their efforts except in the Twenty20 format. Their players haven't been paid by a board that is now bankrupt. Battered on the field and off it, Sri Lanka are already under their third captain since the World Cup. Mahela Jayawardene led them in the 2008 edition of the CB series, and his reluctant return to the musical chair gives rise to the uneasy feeling that Sri Lanka haven't progressed in four seasons.

Both teams are desperate for the familiarity of better times, and their first encounter since Wankhede will provide them just that. No two sides have played each other more often in ODI history, especially in recent years - 34 of their 129 clashes came between 2008 and 2010. This series kicks off another glut of games between these thick foes, with the Asia Cup and a bilateral series in Sri Lanka to follow in quick succession. Establishing early supremacy in Australia could prove integral in determining which side heals better in the coming months.

Form guide

India LWWLW (Most recent first)
Sri Lanka WWLLL

In the spotlight

MS Dhoni and Virender Sehwag haven't played together in an ODI since the World Cup final, though they have individually featured in 11 and four games, respectively. When Sehwag's been fit, Dhoni has been rested. When Sehwag was expected to play, he was 'rested' in the first game of this series. Murmurs of dressing-room disagreements between India's captain and vice-captain mean their internal dynamics will be scrutinised when they take the field in Perth. Signs are that Sehwag will play - you normally don't 'rest' a batsman who smashed the highest score in ODI history in his last outing.

India wouldn't have forgotten Thisara Perera who thumped them to all corners of Mumbai in the end overs of the World Cup final. It wasn't the first time Perera showcased his big-hitting skills through the leg side, and it wasn't the last. More recently, he cracked five sixes in an unbeaten 69 off 44 balls to help Sri Lanka chase 300 against South Africa. His late-swinging yorkers could make him effective at the back-end of Sri Lanka's bowling innings too.

Team news

India won the last edition of the CB series by playing to the conditions, as opposed to their traditional strengths. Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, Irfan Pathan and Sreesanth, all played big roles with the new ball, while spin was relegated to a support role. MS Dhoni went the other way on Sunday, and the move backfired when India's three inexperienced spinners came unstuck in a rain-reduced game. The Perth track will be more amenable to pace, and Dhoni will consider bringing in Pathan for Ravindra Jadeja, whose 2.4 overs leaked 41 runs against Australia. Sehwag is expected to play, with Gautam Gambhir making way at the top of the order. Zaheer Khan or Umesh Yadav could be in line for a call-up too, since India could do with an extra yard of pace.

India: (possible) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Irfan Pathan/Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Vinay Kumar, 10 & 11 Praveen Kumar/Umesh Yadav/Zaheer Khan

Injury kept Jayawardene out of the latter stages of the ODI-leg of the South Africa tour. He will resurface in the middle order on Wednesday. On form, Angelo Mathews should make way, but the axe is likely to fall on Lahiru Thirimanne who hit a match-winning 69 in the final ODI in South Africa.

Sri Lanka: (possible) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Lasith Malinga, 10 Rangana Herath, 11 Chanaka Welegedara/Dhammika Prasad

Pitch and conditions

The WACA strip was zippy in the Test match, and is expected to behave similarly, but it would require bowlers with real pace to make that count. The conditions in Perth are dry and hot, meaning the pitch has cracks to go with its green tinge. The teams will have an interesting time zeroing in on their bowling units.

Stats and trivia

• India hold the advantage against Sri Lanka in ODIs, with a 68-50 head-to-head record. They also have a 2-1 advantage in games in Australia.
• Only one batsman has scored over 3000 runs against one particular team - Sachin Tendulkar against Australia (3060). If he gets 18 runs on Wednesday, he would have repeated the feat against Sri Lanka.

Quotes

"I think they haven't played really well in the Test series. That's a plus point for us. [But] They are a different team when it comes to the one-dayers. We are up for it and we are ready to go."
Angelo Mathews isn't taking India lightly

Pakistan secure series whitewash

Pakistan duly completed their first clean sweep against England in a Test series, an extraordinary achievement for a side with no home to call its own, a side that lives out of a suitcase and does it rather well. Along with the socks and the toothpaste they certainly unpacked quite a shock for the No. 1 ranked side.

Twice in a few months, the leading Test side in the world has been found wanting. India were whitewashed in England last summer and now England have suffered a similar humiliation. Test cricket in Asia, described by England's captain, Andrew Strauss, as "the final frontier," has proved as unconquerable as ever.

The sunny disposition of Saeed Ajmal, the Man of the Series, and the stiff-limbed tenacity of Abdur Rehman tormented England to the end. They shared 43 wickets between them in a three-Test series and England barely played a shot in anger. Even after dismissing Pakistan for 99 in their first innings, they could not summon either the method or confidence to prevail. Only when the game was as good as lost did Matt Prior, who has looked likelier than most throughout the series, play with gusto in making an unbeaten 49.

There was plentiful spin for Pakistan's spinners, not quick turn but leaping turn at times when the ball struck the rough. Fittingly, the match finished on an lbw referral as Monty Panesar swept at Rehman, only to find that his retro scoop bat had no magical qualities. DRS upheld the umpire's decision and the all-time record of 43 lbw decisions in a series was equalled.

Until then, Rehman had counted Strauss as his sole success as he bowled unchanged for two sessions, 30 overs sent down with unerring accuracy. He is the sort of spin bowler who looks slightly weary from the outset, but never noticeably tires after that.

The emphasis has been upon spin, but Umar Gul reminded England that the quicker bowlers carried their own threat. His four wickets set the course of the Test unquestionably towards Pakistan. Ian Bell averaged more than 100 last summer, less than 10 in this series and when he slapped a long hop wide of point it summed up his state of mind. Reverse swing accounted for Eoin Morgan, whose dance down the pitch was nothing compared to the merry jig from the wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal, after he had caught it. If Pakistan had doubts about taking the new ball, Gul allayed them as Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann risked all-out attack and got out almost immediately.

Cook had put up statuesque resistance, 187 balls for 49. Along the way he became the second youngest person, at 27 years and 43 days, to reach 6,000 Test runs. Only Sachin Tendulkar has reached the landmark at a younger age. His most attacking shot of the morning, a loft into the leg side against Rehman, caused the bowler to taunt him with applause. He lived on scraps, combating the turning ball with thoughtful defence and numerous works to the leg side and that proved his undoing as a leading edge was brilliantly held by Younis Khan, diving to his left at first slip.

England, 36 runs banked the previous evening, needed a further 288 at start of play. Strauss fell in the sixth over of the morning, lbw on the back foot once more. He reviewed it, although he would have been better advised to head smartly for the dressing room. When it comes to captain's reviews Strauss cannot match Misbah-ul-Haq. Misbah was lbw on five occasions in this series and took a review every time. It must be a captain's prerogative.

Without lapses in the field, Pakistan might have won sooner. They had dropped Cook the previous evening, a relatively simple chance to Taufeeq Umar at third slip and Gul's drop in the shadows of the stand at deep square gave him another reprieve as Pakistan lost the efficiency that has characterised their cricket throughout this series. Rehman made his frustration clear when he caught Jonathan Trott at deep square and flung the ball into the turf with feeling at the errors that had gone before.

Kevin Pietersen was bent upon playing enterprisingly. The first ball of the afternoon provided a reminder of his vulnerability when a bat-pad against Rehman flew high past short leg, but he had the fleeting satisfaction of striking him straight for six before Ajmal, from around the wicket, spun one through the gate and beamed at further bounty.

Adnan Akmal's fumble behind the stumps to reprieve Strauss, although not costly as the England captain was out in the next over, was the worst miss of all. Adnan has had a good series behind the stumps and has the opportunity to be Pakistan's first-choice keeper for many years to come but his excitable chatter was at times counterproductive. Strauss' edge flew to him at comfortable height but he put it down. For a few minutes he was quiet and you could hear your ears ringing.

Adnan's cacophony of cries often rent the air for inexplicable reasons. As do parrots, Adnan vocalises for many reasons. He may be excitedly greeting the day or summoning his family at sunset. He may be screeching when he is excited or when he is merely trying it on. He may screech when he thinks things have got too quiet or when he thinks it is his duty to scream. He just likes screeching. At one point he burst out coughing as if in sore need of a lozenge and Trott looked at him in deadpan fashion.

Adnan is also incorrigibly optimistic about reviewing umpiring decisions. "Do it, do it, yes, yes, all good," you could sense him saying from first moment to last. Misbah learned not to take his evidence into consideration and looked askance at him. He will not be looking askance tonight - every Pakistan player will share Adnan's excitement.

Kirsten wanted Indian team to reach SA a week in advance

MARGAO: The players might not have told the Cricket Board about skipping the forthcoming ODI series against New Zealand to prepare for the South African tour but coach Gary Kirsten had wanted the team to reach his home country a week in advance.

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on Saturday that no communication was sent from top players to the Cricket Board desiring to skip the ODI series against New Zealand but it turned out that it was Kirsten who mooted the idea of some senior players going to South Africa in advance.

Kirsten, in a letter to BCCI secretary N Srinivasan a few months ago, had expressed his desire to prepare for the South Africa tour that immediately follows the home ODI and Test rubber against New Zealand by allowing the team to reach the rainbow nation a week in advance.

According to Kirsten, the seven-eight players who play all forms of the game for the country needed rest and he, therefore, wanted the Test series against the Kiwis to be reduced from three to two which, however, has not happened as the rubber now involves three matches as originally planned.

"I wanted to check with you if there had been any further developments on the proposed schedule sent to you by the team management for the Australian and New Zealand series. We also discussed the issues around the schedule before the IPL in Chennai, especially the importance of getting to South Africa early," Kirsten said in his earlier communication to BCCI.

"I understand the commitments the BCCI has to honour with the FTP and television and I know it is a difficult process for you. I do, however, request your consideration of the proposed schedule for pure 'cricketing reasons' on the basis that it will give us the best chance of success, especially in this very demanding five months of cricket ahead. The extra week that could be created so we can get to South Africa earlier, I believe will be crucial to our chances of success.

"That said I'm also of the opinion that we should play two Tests against NZ and not three. My reason for this is that we are expecting too much from the seven or eight players that play all forms of the game. They play more cricket than any other cricketer in the world (especially if you include IPL as well) and we are regularly picking up 'overuse' injuries," Kirsten explained.

BCCI sources have recently indicated that the Board will send the key Test players early to South Africa to prepare well for the tough series in a country where they had not done so well on previous visits.

"We are planning to send the key Test players to South Africa early to prepare for the series. The conditions in South Africa are quite different and we want to give our players enough time to come to terms with the conditions," a BCCI source said a few days ago.

on Saturday, Dhoni gave a new spin to the issue of top players wanting to skip the ODI series against the Kiwis in order to prepare for the tougher outing in South Africa, saying no communication has been sent from the players' side to the Cricket Board.
"Not done (written to the Board) anything like that as of now. No confirmation has been sent from the players' side to the BCCI yet and nothing has been received from the BCCI either. This is what I have to say," said Dhoni at the mandatory press conference ahead of Sunday's third and the final ODI against Australia which is threatened by rains.

He was replying to a query on reports quoting BCCI sources that some top players, including Dhoni, will not play the five-match ODI series against New Zealand after the three-Test rubber against the same opponents and, instead, jet off to South Africa to get more acclimatisation time for the Test rubber against the Proteas.

India, the current world's number one Test side, have not won a Test rubber in South Africa.

2 new caps in New Zealand squad for India

WELLINGTON: Batsman Kane Williamson and fast bowler Hamish Bennett are the only uncapped players named on Sunday in the New Zealand cricket team to play three Tests in India next month.

Selectors Daniel Vettori, Mark Greatbatch and Glenn Turner resisted making wholesale changes to the New Zealand lineup in the aftermath of its 4-0 loss to Bangladesh in this month's one-day series.

Williamson, who was the only New Zealand batsman to make a century in Bangladesh, now has the chance to transfer his form from the one-day to the Test arena.

Canterbury fast bowler Bennett played for New Zealand for the first time in Bangladesh and has also been given the chance to try himself in the longer format.

Greatbatch said both Bennett and Williamson had earned their Test selection with sound performances in Bangladesh.

"Kane Williamson is an impressive young talent and his game continues to improve with his involvement in the national team, while Bennett did everything asked of him on the recent tour of Bangladesh and offers the side a genuine pace option," Greatbatch said.

Six members of the 15-man squad - Brent Arnel, Martin Guptill, Chris Martin, Tim McIntosh, Gareth Hopkins and Jeetan Patel - have been playing for the New Zealand A team which has just completed a series of three four-day matches in Zimbabwe. New Zealand won the series 2-0.

"The group of players coming from Zimbabwe have had the ideal preparation with three hard-fought matches in difficult conditions," Greatbatch said.

"The rest of the squad have been training hard and are keen to prove that they are better than the recent performances in Bangladesh.

"We are well aware that we are recent performances are not up to scratch and we need to improve if we are to compete with a very strong Indian side. The team are determined to do so."

Batsman Mathew Sinclair is the only member of the team which played in New Zealand's most recent Test, against Australia in March, to miss selection for the Indian tour.

Brendon McCullum has been included in a New Zealand Test squad for the first time as a specialist batsman after deciding to give up the wicketkeeping duties. Gareth Hopkins has been named as the squad's only specialist keeper.

New Zealand and India meet in Test matches starting on Nov 4, Nov 12 and Nov 20. The teams will then play a five-match limited overs series and a revised New Zealand squad for those matches will be named during the tour.

Duminy, de Villiers set up huge SA victory

South Africa 399 for 6 (Duminy 129, de Villiers 109, Utseya 1-58) beat Zimbabwe 127 (Taibu 28, Theron 3-18, Parnell 2-30) by 272 runs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

JP Duminy took charge after South Africa lost their openers, South Africa v Zimbabwe, 3rd ODI, Benoni, October 22, 2010
JP Duminy's highest ODI score set up South Africa's 272-run win against Zimbabwe in the final ODI in Benoni © AFP
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South Africa stamped their authority firmly on their northern neighbours in the final ODI of Zimbabwe's tour in Benoni, sealing a massive 272-run win - a record margin of victory for them. On a day for records, South Africa first racked up a monstrous 399 for 6, Jean-Paul Duminy and AB de Villiers both racing to centuries in the course of a record-breaking 219-run stand for the third wicket as the runs flowed without cease. The cracks in Zimbabwe's brittle attack had been in evidence on the unforgiving tracks in Bloemfontein and Potchefstroom, but the visitors' bowlers finally crumbled completely, and their batting followed suit.

Duminy and de Villiers' partnership lasted 31.4 overs at just under seven-an-over as they shared ten fours and seven sixes, with no bowler spared before a tiring de Villiers finally departed for a 99-ball 109. Duminy added three further boundaries and had raced to 129, his highest ODI score, before he eventually fell with the score well past 300. Together they had surpassed the previous South African record for the third wicket, de Villiers and Zimbabwe also having been involved in the previous effort, and also made the third highest overall partnership for South Africa in one-dayers.

Any hope that humid conditions at the start and patches of green on the wicket might assist the seamers had soon evaporated as Ian Nicolson - in just his second match in national colours - came in for some fearful punishment, his first two overs being spanked for 32. The treatment of his new-ball partner Shingirai Masakadza was not nearly as harsh, but captain Elton Chigumbura was still forced to turn to spin as early as the sixth over.

The change brought immediate results, Prosper Utseya luring Graeme Smith out of his crease with a wonderfully flighted offspinner and Hashim Amla suffering his first failure of the series as a lifter on off stump from Shingirai Masakadza found a thin edge and South Africa were pegged back to 59 for 2 after an electric start.

Zimbabwe were visibly lifted by the breakthroughs, but Duminy and de Villiers soon wrested the initiative back as they took up the offensive with great vim and vigour. Nicolson's return to the attack was greeted with a volley of rifling strikes through the off side, and Graeme Cremer's third over was spanked for 18 as the batsmen matched each other shot for shot in a race to fifty.

Duminy got there first - from his 53rd ball - but de Villiers' half-century took just one delivery longer and as their partnership developed the chance of a gettable total for the Zimbabweans began to evaporate. In a display of imperious, almost bored powerhitting, no bowler was spared.

Hamilton Masakadza, the eighth bowler tried by a desperate Chigumbura, finally brought an end to the torment as de Villiers set himself to thrash a sixth six but a skewed top edge landed safely in the hands of the younger Masakadza, running in from the deep midwicket boundary. Duminy departed soon after, but the left-handed trio of Albie Morkel, David Miller and Colin Ingram prolonged the assault and took the score to the brink of 400.

Zimbabwe's chase was soon in ruins as their batsmen subsided on either side of a plucky 47-run stand between Tatenda Taibu and Craig Ervine. The seamers made the first incision as three wickets fell inside the first seven overs, and Johan Botha then struck twice in an over to tear the heart out of the middle order and Zimbabwe collapsed in a heap to 127 with more than 20 overs left.

If Zimbabwe were to get anywhere near South Africa's mountainous total, a positive start was vital but they were immediately on the back foot as Brendan Taylor upper-cut Lonwabo Tsotsobe into Rusty Theron's waiting hands at third man with the score still in single figures. Hamilton Masakadza was not long in following him to the pavilion, splicing an attempted pull to give Theron his second catch at mid-on. Chamu Chibhabha briefly flattered to deceive, swiping a back-of-a-length delivery from Tsotsobe into the stands at deep cover and sending Morkel diving for cover with a rifling straight drive, but when he fell to a low catch by Amla at mid-off Zimbabwe slipped to a perilous 30 for 3.

Taibu and Ervine were determined not to give up without something of a fight, and when they kick-started their partnership with five boundaries in the space of two overs it seemed Zimbabwe were still up for the challenge. But Botha's introduction sealed both of their fates as his first delivery, a flighted offspinner, deceived Taibu and his sixth rushed between Ervine's bat and pad to clean-bowl both batsmen.

Immediately afterwards Zimbabwe slipped to 80 for 6, Chigumbura bowled by Theron off the inside edge, and an early finish to the evening appeared a foregone conclusion. Wayne Parnell knocked Keith Dabengwa off his feet with a pinpoint yorker, trapping the batsman lbw in the process, and then bullied Graeme Cremer into a top-edged pull to leave Zimbabwe staring at humiliation.

Some determined resistance from Utseya, and a pair of massive sixes off the younger Masakadza's bat, briefly kept that fate at bay but Theron's return soon brought a swift end. More often than not, Zimbabwe have battled gamely with the bat on this tour, but faced with an impossible chase today they were back to their diabolical worst.

ICC probing BCCI inaction on Raina’s bookie link

London: The ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit is probing why the Indian Board kept quiet about a report of its player Suresh Raina being seen in the company of a woman linked to an associate of an illegal bookmaker, a media report said here.

Making it clear that Raina was not suspected of any wrongdoing, ‘The Sunday Times’, quoting a senior ICC source, said the incident related to India’s tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year.

With the heightened security concerns following the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Pakistan, the Sri Lankans deputed a former general to look after the Indian team.

CCTV Cameras installed at the Indian team hotel showed that on more than one night Raina was in the company of a woman known to be an associate of a man allegedly linked to a bookmaker.

A report, including the CCTV footage, was submitted by the Sri Lankan Cricket Board to their Indian counterparts.

According to the newspaper report, it is the reaction of the BCCI secretary N Srinivasan that has led to the ICC investigation. Instead of acting on the report, Srinivasan is alleged to have got the Sri Lankans withdraw it.

23-year-old Raina plays for Chennai Super Kings, an IPL franchise owned by Indian Cements of which Srinivasan is a vice-chairman and managing director.

The investigation, led by ACSU head Ravi Sawani is believed to be looking into why the Sri Lankans shared the report with the BCCI first when under ICC anti-corruption rules it should have gone straight to the world governing body, the newspaper said.

According to the newspaper, this comes against a background of much talk in India that it was during IPL matches that spot-fixing re-emerged as a major problem.

In August, three Pakistan cricketers – Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir – were suspended following allegations that no balls were bowled during the Lord’s Test in return for money.

When asked recently about the speculations of match-fixing in the IPL, ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said, “The first two editions were not policed by the ACSU.
But they realised later on that they perhaps needed more support. The last one was the first time when they fully engaged the ACSU. And we will be engaged in the next IPL season as well.”

An ICC spokesman, asked about the alleged investigation into the inaction of the Indian Cricket Board, said, “We don’t comment on any investigation.” Srinivasan was not available for comment, the report said.