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Pakistan sealed the ODI series with another clinical win against West Indies, built on the back of a 169-run partnership between Shoaib Malik and Babar Azam

The Report by Nikhil Kalro02-Oct-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:04

By the Numbers: Pakistan’s highest ODI total against WI

Pakistan followed up their 3-0 T20I series win by sealing the ODI series with yet another clinical display against West Indies in Sharjah. Pakistan’s 59-run win was set up by their most and least experienced batsmen – Shoaib Malik and Babar Azam – who combined to display the art of batting through the middle overs on a slow surface to lead them to 337 for 5, the third-highest total in Sharjah.Azam struck a chanceless century, his second successive one, and Malik blitzed 90 as the pair strung together 169, Pakistan’s highest stand for the third wicket against West Indies. In reply, West Indies found the chase too steep and could only manage 278 for 7.Openers Azhar Ali and Sharjeel Khan put West Indies under pressure from the outset after Pakistan opted to bat. Sharjeel used his bottom hand to clear the infield regularly, collecting three fours and a six in his 12-ball 24 before West Indies hit back, removing both batsmen in the space of three balls.Thereafter, Azam and Malik stalled West Indies with sound technique and calculated risks. Azam pierced the field while Malik went over it, both equally effective in collecting frequent boundaries and keeping the score moving. Sulieman Benn’s introduction was delayed, but Malik capitalised on the bowler’s modus operandi of flight and loop from around the wicket.Malik struck five sixes off Benn – three in succession in the 27th over – by shimmying down, getting underneath the ball and going over the arc between long-on and midwicket. The period between overs 21 and 35 yielded 107 in conditions not suited to effortless run-scoring.In between, Azam unfurled classy drives through cover and found gaps in the outfield to accumulate runs. After Malik carved one to point, Azam utilised Pakistan’s strong platform. His 126-ball 123 included nine fours and a six, which indicated his ability to maintain a high strike rate through ones and twos. Neither Malik nor Azam offered even a “half-chance” until their dismissals.Towards the latter stages of the innings, West Indies seemed to stall Pakistan’s ease at finding the boundary through clever variations in pace until Sarfraz Ahmed plundered four fours in five balls in the 47th over. Sarfraz struck an unbeaten 60, but it went largely unnoticed behind Azam and Malik’s pyrotechnics.West Indies needed to pull off the highest successful chase in Sharjah to stay alive in the series, but their innings got the same start as the four previous games on this tour: an early wicket. Johnson Charles, looking to clear the off-side infield, toe-ended a catch to cover off Mohammad Amir to start the slide.Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo were left with the task of stabilising the innings in the face of some accurate bowling. Their 89-run second-wicket stand was built on the back of some sweetly-timed boundaries and plenty of singles, but it also took up 118 balls – not quick enough for a steep chase in tough run-scoring conditions.However, West Indies remained in the fight as Bravo took the onus of accelerating by attacking left-arm spinners Imad Wasim and Mohammad Nawaz. He struck three sixes over long-on off overpitched deliveries, two of which cleared the ground.Hasan Ali, though, removed Bravo with an athletic piece of fielding off his own bowling. Bravo nudged a yorker towards short leg and Hasan sprang towards the ball in his follow-through, picked up while sliding, turned around and fired an accurate throw at the non-striker’s end, all in one swift motion.Marlon Samuels was up against a mounting asking rate and a wily bowling side. He stuck around for 52 balls and struck 57, but the enormity of the task in front of West Indies meant that his effort didn’t suffice.Eventually, the asking rate was too steep an ask even for West Indies’ powerful middle order. That they couldn’t capitalise on six dropped chances by Pakistan told the story.

Azhar Ali, the Pakistan batsman, has been ruled out of the opening Test against England that starts on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi

Umar Farooq11-Oct-2015Azhar Ali, the Pakistan batsman, has been ruled out of the opening Test against England that starts on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi. Azhar suffered a toe injury during the series against Zimbabwe earlier this month and since then he has not trained.”He will not be playing in the first Test,” Intikhab Alam, the Pakistan team manager, confirmed to ESPNcricinfo. “His wound is almost dried up but he is not comfortable wearing his shoe and didn’t take part in training activities since we are here.”The news is a significant setback for Pakistan, who had been optimistic about Azhar’s recovery until today’s assessment which revealed that the pus in his infected wound had not completely healed up. As Pakistan’s ODI captain, he missed the final match of last week’s series win in Zimbabwe, but it is understood that the searing heat in the UAE has set back the recovery process.This is Azhar’s first injury setback since his Test debut against Australia at Lord’s in 2010, and with a current Test average of 44.06 in 44 matches, including nine hundreds, England’s bowlers will be grateful for his absence.He made a matchwinning 92 not out against England at The Oval in 2010 and completed the 3-0 whitewash on their last tour of the UAE with a second-innings 157 at Dubai, after Pakistan had been bowled out for 99 in their first innings.”He played very well last time at No. 3,” said James Anderson, England’s attack leader. “He was the guy to get out for them even with their experienced players after him, I thought he was the key wicket for us so he’ll be a big miss. But they have plenty of other quality players who have made big runs out here.”Azhar’s absence means that one of Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez is likely to fill the void at No.3, with Shan Masood set to retain his opener’s role following his matchwinning century against Sri Lanka at Pallekele in July.

Preview of the first Test between New Zealand and England at the University Oval

The Preview by Alan Gardner05-Mar-2013

Match facts

March 6, 2013
Start time 10.30am (2130 GMT)Alastair Cook knows England mustn’t disregard New Zealand as merely an Ashes warm-up•Getty Images

Big Picture

With crisply starched whites and a spring in their step, Alastair Cook’s Test side will begin their first assignment of 2013 looking to continue on the upward curve that they began to forge in India last year. Their opponents, New Zealand (or Not Australia, as some observers keep pointing out), having already experienced the low of 45 all out in Cape Town, will be ready to pounce on any hint of complacency, however, as Brendon McCullum and Mike Hesson seek a soothing balm for the still-raw wounds of the captaincy debacle.The removal of Ross Taylor as captain in all three formats needs little further raking over but it should be noted that his last Test appearance came in New Zealand’s historic win in Colombo last November, when his individual contribution with the bat amounted to scores of 142 and 74. His return to the middle-order will add class and experience to a line-up that was mercilessly ripped apart by South Africa but, should the team come under pressure again, the apparently fragile harmony of the dressing room could be tested.While McCullum is still working out his brief as Test captain, Cook has eased so comfortably into Andrew Strauss’ old job that he may as well be playing in slippers. Three vast centuries in India extended a remarkable run of scoring whilst in charge and more success will be expected against a team ranked a lowly eighth in the world. Having suffered a chastening tour-match defeat in Queenstown, in which England’s three seamers could only manage seven wickets between them, Cook knows that full focus is required. For now, the Ashes can wait.

Form guide

New Zealand LLWLL (Completed matches, most recent first)
England DWWLL

In the spotlight

He missed out on a return to the side in South Africa with a knee injury but Peter Fulton is set to resume his Test career after a hiatus of more than three years. Since Fulton made his debut at No. 3 in 2006, New Zealand have used 15 different openers and that will become 16 in Dunedin, when Hamish Rutherford will come into the side. Fulton was second in the Plunket Shield run-scorers’ list last season, with 902 at 56.37, and at 34 has the experience to play the senior role. Should he fail, New Zealand fans might seriously start to consider a campaign for Mark Richardson to abandon his TV mic and make a return.Nick Compton may feel particularly unlucky that his solid start to life in Test cricket, at the seasoned age of 29, has coincided with the rapid rise of Joe Root. Between England’s disastrous start in Ahmedabad and Cook getting sawn off twice in Nagpur, Compton and the captain provided opening stands of 123, 66, 58* and 165; but after Root’s eye-catching debut from left-field, talk has turned to fitting the younger model into the side at the top of the order, where he bats for Yorkshire. Compton averages 34.66 but he will want to double his high score of 57 to feel secure of his place.

Team news

As if the controversy over the captaincy wasn’t enough for New Zealand to deal with, Doug Bracewell has been ruled out with a foot injury sustained cleaning up glass after a party, ending an unbroken run of 15 Tests since his 2011 debut. It means Neil Wagner is certain to start and the final position is between Ian Butler, who hasn’t played a Test in more than eight years, and uncapped spinner Bruce Martin.New Zealand 1 Peter Fulton, 2 Hamish Rutherford, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Dean Brownlie, 6 Brendon McCullum (capt), 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Tim Southee, 9 Bruce Martin/Ian Butler, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent BoultCompton may not have made many runs in Queenstown but he should continue as opener, with Root retaining his place at No. 6 and being expected to provide a few fill-in overs with the ball. Andy Flower has cautioned against over-inflating the Root bubble, despite his gravity-defying start to life in international cricket, so although he may be a long-term option as Cook’s opening partner, a knee-jerk elevation is unlikely. The only other issue remains the third seamer slot, with Stuart Broad set to feature ahead of Graham Onions and Chris Woakes.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Nick Compton, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Joe Root, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steven Finn

Pitch and conditions

The conditions may aid the seamers early on but it is quite possible to build big scores later in the match on what should be a decent pitch – South Africa made 435 for 5 after conceding a first-innings lead here a year ago and the last two Plunket Shield fixtures in Dunedin featured Otago declarations on 569 for 8 and 651 for 9. The weather seems to have turned autumnal on the south island and the possibility of cloud cover is likely to further influence the captains at the toss, with McCullum hinting he would bowl first.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand are unbeaten in all four Tests they have played at the University Oval, winning against Bangladesh and Pakistan and drawing with West Indies and South Africa.
• Since losing to them 2-1 at home in 1999, England have won eight out of 12 Tests against New Zealand.
• Ross Taylor’s batting average of 49.85 as captain compares with 41.12 when not in charge.
• James Anderson needs 12 wickets to become the fourth England bowler after Fred Trueman, Bob Willis and Ian Botham to take 300 in Tests.

Quotes

“You have to take on the big players and find a way to limit their impact on the series. If we do that it could well create some doubt in their squad. We have plans in place for all their players. How we implement those will determine how successful we are. “
“As players we’ve got to focus on this game and worry about the other stuff after it. But it’s an exciting time to be an England player. In the T20s and ODIs it showed how competitive both sides were. If we play to our potential we will be a hard side to be beat.”

Ben Cutting made a fine return from injury with a five-wicket haul but Western Australia were in control after three days at the Gabba

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2012
ScorecardBen Cutting picked up five wickets•Getty Images

Ben Cutting made a fine return from injury with a five-wicket haul but Western Australia were in control after three days at the Gabba. The Warriors took first-innings points and were chipping away at Queensland’s batsmen in the second innings when rain arrived and set in, and at the close of play the Bulls were 4 for 111, leading by three runs with Joe Burns on 32 and Chris Hartley on 1.Little rain was forecast for Thursday, so Western Australia had a good chance to push for victory if they could get in to Queensland’s tail. Mitchell Marsh picked up two top-order wickets, including the opener Ryan Broad for 40, after the Warriors finished the first innings with a 108-run advantage when they were dismissed on the stroke of lunch.They added 109 to their overnight score for the loss of six wickets, five of which fell to Cutting, who was playing his first match back after suffering a side strain in early December. Cutting had been part of the squad for Australia’s first Test of the summer, against New Zealand in Brisbane, when the injury occurred, and he was sidelined for the remainder of the Test season.He finished with 5 for 99 in Western Australia’s first innings and continued an outstanding Sheffield Shield season in which he has taken 29 wickets at 16.27. However, he might need to perform a miracle with the bat to help Queensland avoid defeat on the final day.