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South Africa v India, 3rd ODI, Cape Town

Will South Africa free up or freeze up?

Match Facts

January 18, Cape Town
Start time 14:30 (12.30 GMT, 18.00 IST)

The Great Wanderers Choke only highlighted the concerns that were present from the first game. What if South Africa's middle-order collapsed? Can David Miller and the men below him shoulder the burden? AB de Villiers and JP Duminy ensured that situation never arose in the first game with their serene approach but Duminy was the one who started the collapse in the second game, by holing out to long-on. Smith fell immediately after taking the batting Powerplay and the rest crumbled. The situation will, of course, change significantly once Jacques Kallis returns for the World Cup: The lower order wouldn't remain so brittle and therefore this trial by fire is perhaps a great learning curve. If Miller, and Faf du Plessis, who is likely to play the next game, can get in a good knock under pressure in the remaining matches, it will help South Africa in the World Cup.

This injury to Kallis can be a blessing in disguise provided the hosts unearth at least one lower-order player who manages to perform under pressure in this series. It would also perhaps help the likes of Duminy to fast-track those youngsters' path to maturity.

India, for their part, can now test their World Cup squad. Sachin Tendulkar's absence does raise another hurdle but the likes of Yusuf Pathan and Suresh Raina will find that the pitches in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth don't offer disconcerting bounce, providing them a better chance to succeed. It will be crucial for Raina to perform, for Virat Kohli, who despite his great form might still struggle to hold a place in the playing XI once Virender Sehwag, Tendulkar, and Gautam Gambhir return, is breathing down his neck. If Raina can put in couple of good performances with bat and ball, he can secure his No. 6 slot.

The World Cup selection has eased Ashish Nehra's headaches but Munaf Patel is turning on the heat by stringing together some good performances. Until the fourth ODI against New Zealand, there was no contest; Nehra was the clear leader but suddenly he has failed four games in a row. His past performances under pressure in the Powerplays and with the new ball should still hold him in good stead but a couple of good shows in this series won't hurt.

Form guide

South Africa: LWWLW

India: WLWWW

Players to watch out for…

JP Duminy: He turned in a matured performance in the first ODI but threw his wicket away in the second. The two games also showed that he is trying hard to correct his weakness - the habit of pressing that front leg too far across and having to play around it to the offspinners - and he has three more games to get used to soaking up the pressure and leading the lower order.

Yusuf Pathan: For long, he was the Kieron Pollard of India: Great for his clubs in competitions like IPL but a non-performer for his country. He changed that with a brutal hundred against New Zealand. His problems against the short ball are well documented and he perhaps wouldn't be in the squad if the World Cup was held outside the subcontinent. The pitches in the latter part of this series shouldn't have too much venom and gives him the best opportunity to succeed. Will he?

Team news

Yusuf is likely to come in. Tendulkar's replacement Parthiv Patel is yet to arrive in South Africa, so Kohli could open the batting with M Vijay. India, if they choose to go in with five bowlers, could give Piyush Chawla a go.

India (possible): 1 M Vijay, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Yusuf Pathan, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Harbhajan Singh, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Munaf Patel, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra

South Africa are likely to bring in the allrounder Faf du Plessis to strengthen the lower order, possibly at the expense of Miller.

South Africa (possible): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Colin Ingram, 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Faf du Plessis, 7 Johan Botha, 8 Dale Steyn, 9 Wayne Parnell, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe

Stats and trivia

• India have won two games against South Africa with a one-run margin, making them the third team to win two or more games by one-run margin against the same opposition. New Zealand have won three such games against Australia, who themselves have beaten India twice on a one-run margin
• Tendulkar was dismissed bowled in the second game. It was his 66th - the most for a batsman in ODIs - such dismissal, and he shares that dubious record with Steve Waugh (bowled 66 times)
• Graeme Smith crossed the 6000-run tally in the last game. He is the fourth South African - Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten are the others - and the 41st batsmen in the history of the game to aggregate over 6000. He is the 12th opening batsman to achieve this feat.

Quotes

"I have doubts about the ability of some of the batsmen to play on these tracks. Suresh Raina seems to be forever expecting the short ball; he was so back inside the crease and got out to a full delivery. Rohit Sharma ... well the selectors must look at few other players who have scored well in domestic cricket."

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly makes a frank assessment.

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New Zealand v Pakistan, 2nd Test, Wellington, 3rd day

Misbah, Younis give Pakistan slender lead

New Zealand 356 (Vettori 110, Taylor 78, Gul 4-87) and 9 for 0 trail Pakistan 376 (Misbah 99, Younis 73, Martin 4-91, Vettori 4-100) by 11 runs 

Misbah-ul-Haq quelled a threatening spell of reverse swing early on the third morning, before dictating terms against New Zealand's seamers, to drive Pakistan to a 20-run lead as the wind subsided for the first time at the Basin Reserve. Pakistan's progress was based on Misbah's 142-run stand with Younis Khan, during which New Zealand's attack seemed to have run out of ideas. Younis' exit for 73 - the seventh umpiring error in the match, without counting missed no-balls - sparked a resurgence from the home side. After tea, they attacked with Daniel Vettori's turn and Chris Martin's bounce to skittle out Pakistan's lower half for the addition of just 52, including Misbah on 99. New Zealand's openers played out the last five overs of the day without damage to leave the game even at stumps.

Before their inspired burst in the final session, New Zealand were surprisingly subdued through the day, barring a lively opening burst from Martin. He began with a swerving bouncer that started well outside off before darting in viciously towards Azhar Ali who had to weave away and drop his wrists. Martin followed that up with a series of reverse-swingers before outwitting Azhar with another sharp lifter that was fended into the slips. Younis and Misbah also began edgily against the movement before easing into business with a series of sparkling drives as the sun came out and Martin began to lose his sting.

The ball, deemed to be out of shape, was replaced at the stroke of the first hour and reverse swing immediately became conspicuous by its absence. With the pitch not taking much turn, Misbah handled Vettori's drift by lunging forward instead of across and defending from inside the line. New Zealand's main variations had been nullified, and thereafter they were asking to be dominated.

Younis cashed in against a flagging attack, punching a short delivery from Tim Southee square and driving one that was too straight through wide long-on for boundaries. Misbah attacked his opposite number in the lead-up to lunch, pulling out a slog sweep and a lofted on-drive as Pakistan moved past 200.

Soon after the break, Brent Arnel opened with the second new ball, running in for a friendly over that underlined New Zealand's lack of intent: it began with a wayward loosener outside off, and included a misdirected bouncer down the leg side. In his second over, Misbah guided Arnel twice through the cordon for boundaries. Martin replaced Arnel and got his inswingers going, but the horse had bolted by then. Younis punched Martin twice down the ground, the first bringing up his half-century and the second, the 100-run stand.

Southee put in a solid effort from the other end, and got the odd legcutter to nip away from the right-handers. Despite being beaten on a couple of occasions, Misbah had the presence of mind to play with soft hands, and his obduracy frustrated Southee who got into a verbal duel with him. Misbah responded with two calmly stroked boundaries through the covers to bring up his fifth successive half-century, and his fifth in six innings since taking over as captain.

Vettori was running out of ideas, and brought James Franklin on, seemingly with the intention of creating a rough to work with. Franklin promptly got a warning for running on the pitch, but Vettori began to pose some riddles from the other end. He eventually got past Younis, thanks to drift and a poor call from umpire Rod Tucker, caught close-in on the leg side straight off the pad.

Younis' exit prompted Vettori to finally go on the attack, and he looped them into the rough with extra fielders crouching close in. Asad Shafiq edged his fifth ball as it ripped away from middle and leg, taking the outside edge on its way into the slips. Vettori also had Adnan Akmal in strife with well-disguised arm-balls before getting him to top-edge a sweep.

Martin stepped up to support his captain, and bullied Abdur Rehman into submission with bounce, with Pakistan still 22 behind. While Umar Gul biffed Pakistan into the lead with a series of middled pulls and slog-sweeps, Misbah chugged along towards a hundred that seemed almost inevitable.

He negated Martin's bounce by staying in the crease, and capitalised when there was width to pick up boundaries through the off side. With Misbah a run away from his third Test ton, Martin landed a couple of balls well outside off before cleverly slanting one back in, to rap him on the move as he shuffled across with an eye on the leg side. The innings ended soon after, Vettori finishing a wicket shy of becoming only the second New Zealander to make a century and pick a five-for in the same match. Both captains had had a say in setting up the game for a virtual second-innings shoot-out with two days left.

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Australia v England, 1st ODI, Melbourne

Watson's epic guides Australia to victory

Australia 4 for 297 (Watson 161*) beat England 294 (Pietersen 78, Strauss 63) by six wickets

Shane Watson produced one of Australia's finest one-day hundreds to carry them to a record-breaking six-wicket win at the MCG with the highest successful chase on the ground. His unbeaten, career-best 161, Australia's fifth highest individual effort, allowed them to hunt down 295 with five balls to spare and take an early lead in the seven-match series.

After a summer that has become synonymous with Watson's fifties this was a huge moment for the allrounder and both his hundred, and later the 150, were celebrated with arms aloft in front of an appreciative 34,000 fans. He kept his cool when the asking rate began to climb and fittingly was the man to finish it with a six over long-off.

On a surface where scoring became hard work against spin and a soft ball this was a mammoth pursuit and for most of the time Australia had it under control. However, there was just a moment when England were giving themselves a chance, partly helped by a painful innings from Michael Clarke who eventually drove to mid-off.

Steve Smith was then strangely promoted to No.4, clearly to take advantage of the Powerplay, above the likes of Cameron White and the Hussey brothers. He swung wildly before being caught at short third-man and although Australia had plenty of wickets left it gave England a timely boost. However, Mike Hussey provided the late spark with 21 off 15 balls and Cameron White, in front of his home supporters, had the muscle to ease the pressure.

This, though, was Watson's match. He was quickly out of the blocks with a second-ball clip to fine leg and collected boundaries in each of the first five overs against Tim Bresnan and Chris Tremlett. He and Brad Haddin knew how important it was to make the most of the hard ball before the spinners could start have a say on proceedings.

Tremlett nearly provided the breakthrough when Watson top-edged a pull but Jonathan Trott couldn't back-peddle far enough at mid-on. Andrew Strauss opted to hold back his bowling Powerplay to try and reign in the scoring with his slow bowlers, but after three overs called the restrictions which signalled another charge from the openers.

Bresnan's comeback over went for nine and Shahzad's opening two deliveries were dispatched by Haddin who was starting to catch up with his partner. The breakthrough went to Graeme Swann as Haddin tried to clear the large leg-side boundary. Watson, though, continued towards his hundred with the occasional four to keep the required rate under control. When he reached three figures he had nearly two thirds of Australia's runs.

However, problems were starting to develop at the other end. Clarke, filling Ricky Ponting's shoes at No.3, continued to be horribly out of form and his 57-ball 36 put increasing pressure on Watson. Clarke was even booed by home supporters when he played out dots and cheered when he got off strike. For his sake it was a good job Watson got them over the line.

England will see this as a major missed opportunity because Australia were poor in the field, but they kept giving away wickets after an opening stand of 90 in 12 overs between Strauss and Steve Davies. The next best partnership was 50 for the sixth wicket between Kevin Pietersen, who top-scored with 78, and Michael Yardy, but Pietersen fell early in the batting Powerplay which hampered England's chances of a late charge.

This was Pietersen's first fifty-plus score in one-dayers since he made an unbeaten 111 at Cuttack in November 2008, although due to injury and being dropped he has only had 17 innings in that period. Still, having been brought back at the expense of Paul Collingwood, who paid for his poor Ashes form, he needed to justify that faith and it went to plan until Mitchell Johnson's superb soccer skills found him well short.

Pietersen and Ian Bell were starting to form a useful stand when Smith chipped in with two important wickets. It was a good day for Australia's part-time spinners because David Hussey also bagged a brace. Smith had Bell and Eoin Morgan caught in the covers to leave England 5 for 186 and needing a rebuilding job.

However, Haddin had a shocking day behind the timber and the third of his misses reprieved Pietersen on 37 moments after the loss of Morgan. Instead, Pietersen responded with consecutive straight sixes off Hussey to move to his fifty and later added a third when he drilled Xavier Doherty into the sightscreen.

Davies had been the earlier major beneficiary of Australia's generosity in the field when he was given four lives; a missed run out, being caught off a no-ball against Brett Lee, Haddin's first missed stumping and a sharp catch to cover. There was also some wayward bowling to feast on from Johnson and Doug Bollinger before Davies missed a big sweep at Hussey, who then claimed Trott.

Strauss had also been given a life on 48, another error from Haddin, and looked set to make Australia pay until the lack of pace off the surface led to him spooning Lee to midwicket. In the end the lack of a batsman converting to three figures hurt England. Watson showed what a difference it can make. 

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South Africa v India, 2nd ODI, Johannesburg

Munaf clinches stunning win for India

India 190 (Yuvraj 53, Dhoni 38, Tsotsobe 4-22) beat South Africa 189 (Smith 77, Munaf 4-29) by one run.

South Africa made a mess of what should have been a comfortable chase of a below-par total at Wanderers, stumbling in the batting Powerplay and then sinking to a dispiriting defeat in a thrilling finish. In conditions less favourable for batting than what the venue has offered in the past, Graeme Smith had put South Africa on course with a positive innings but his wicket in the 33rd over triggered a collapse that was a product of panic, ill-luck and some needling Indian bowling. Munaf Patel's spell proved decisive as he dislodged Smith and ended the South African innings with two wickets in the 43rd over, when the hosts were just a shot away from victory.

The game was still South Africa's when Munaf began bowling the 43rd over. Four runs were needed with two wickets in hand but what clinched the game for India were two short-of-a-length deliveries that the tailenders, Morne Morkel and Wayne Parnell, who had batted calmly until then, felt were too good to resist. With three needed for victory, Morkel slashed one straight to the substitute fielder Yusuf Pathan at point and, off the last ball of the over, Parnell, keen to finish off the game, cut Munaf to Yuvraj Singh, sparking wild celebrations in the Indian camp while leaving South Africa shell-shocked at their sudden capitulation.

The result had seemed unlikely with Smith's assured presence at the crease. He had been ruthless in his treatment of the bad balls, which the Indians doled out more often than their opponents had earlier in the day, and had eased the pressure despite periodic breakthroughs at the other end. Munaf was punished for consecutive boundaries through mid-off and point, while Zaheer Khan was pulled through midwicket when he pitched short. Initially a little rusty against Harbhajan Singh, Smith stepped out to the offspinner to combat the turn and take the ball off a length. He kept threading the gaps in the outfield to squeeze boundaries off the seamers and went past 6000 runs in ODIs.

Smith's shaky yet productive stand with Colin Ingram, a fluent partnership with JP Duminy and an increasingly threatening association with David Miller had continued the one-way traffic set up by South Africa's bowlers. But at 152 for 4, in the second over of the batting Powerplay, a reversal began.

South Africa's bowlers had exploited the movement off the pitch in restraining India, and Munaf had managed to prise out the wicket of Hashim Amla with a delivery that nipped back in. In the 33rd over, he managed to dart one back in from outside off towards Smith, who played on. In the next over, after he had been flicked to the fine-leg boundary, Zaheer shortened his length and dismissed Miller with an offcutter that the batsman failed to pull and gloved to short fine leg. And when he returned in the 36th over, Zaheer was fortunate to dismiss Johan Botha, who was given out lbw playing back to a good-length delivery, when it seemed the ball had only made contact with the outer half of the bat, not with the pad.

Parnell calmed the nerves of a capacity Wanderers crowd with a square-cut boundary and a promising vigil with Dale Steyn. But Steyn's attempt to risk a single and retain strike for the 39th over resulted in a run-out when Yuvraj barely managed to break the stumps before the ball slipped out of his hands. From 177 for 8, Parnell and Morkel braved a determined spell from Zaheer, managed a streaky boundary off part-time offspinner Suresh Raina and took South Africa to within four runs of a 2-0 lead. Only to throw it all away in the next over from Munaf.

South Africa's bowlers may have unable to finish the job with the bat but they had impressed with disciplined bowling performance under overcast skies on a slowish track. India approached their innings cautiously and, using the movement, South Africa's bowlers capitalised on their circumspection. Lonwabo Tsotsobe was the best. His role in ODIs has largely been a containing one but his accuracy amid India's pressure to accelerate earned him his best match haul of 4 for 22. India, too, faltered in their batting Powerplay, losing four wickets for 14 runs to undermine what Yuvraj and Dhoni had achieved during their fighting recovery stand.

The pair had to build from scratch following the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli in quick succession. Displaying little signs of getting bogged down, neither batsman felt compelled to take undue risks and instead ensured a steady scoring-rate by working the field. Both used the sweep and the paddle, while Yuvraj often drove straight to pinch twos because long-on that was wider than usual. Bad balls were a rarity but Yuvraj was prompt to punish them when on offer: he slashed Morkel over point and glanced Tsotsobe to the fine-leg boundary to raise his half-century. The stand was worth 83 and with 13 more overs to go, a score of 240 was on. India didn't get that far, though given the manic developments towards the end, they didn't need to.

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Australia leave World Cup plans to last minute

A crane sits atop Cricket Australia's head office in Melbourne, and scaffolding surrounds the building. It's somehow fitting that after the Ashes debacle, even the physical structure of the organisation is being reviewed, along with the internal workings. More pressing are the modifications to Australia's one-day team, which is still being assembled four days from the naming of the World Cup squad.

On Sunday at the MCG, several men will have 100 overs to prove they should be part of the World Cup defence. It's hard to fathom that after four years of preparation, the selectors could be so undecided that one match could influence their decisions. But Andrew Hilditch said as much when he named the 14-man squad for this game against England, the first in a seven-match series.

What have the selectors been doing for the past year if not finetuning their one-day side for the World Cup? David Hussey hasn't played ODI cricket in 15 months, but has suddenly been thrust in for one game and told that he could earn a World Cup place. If the selectors didn't want him for the 50-over tour of India in October, why is he considered now, when his domestic one-day form is poor? And what of Callum Ferguson and Shaun Marsh, who appeared to be groomed for this world event?

There are even more questions over the make-up of the attack Australia will take to the subcontinent. Brett Lee is back from injury and fighting for a place, Shaun Tait is in with a shot, and together with Mitchell Johnson they could form a fearsome, but potentially expensive, pace trio at the World Cup. That leaves Australia's defensive bowling options thin, but the stand-in captain Michael Clarke believes the mix can work.

"I definitely think you could get the overs out of your spinners, Watto [Shane Watson] and your part-timers," Clarke said in Melbourne ahead of the first ODI against England. "Dave Hussey adds to our bowling as well, bowling his part-time off-spin. I certainly see those three guys [Tait, Johnson and Lee] as quite attacking wicket-taking bowlers.

"As you saw last night, Mitchell, Brett and Shaun, when they're bowling well they can also dry the runs up, especially once the ball gets a little bit older. If you get any sort of reverse-swing with a bit of protection for the guys, they can also do that role of bowling pretty fast and straight and dry the runs up. Any time the ball is coming over 140kph or 150kph at you, it's hard to start against."

The job of tying up an end has often been filled over the past year by the medium-pacer James Hopes, the seamer Clint McKay or the offspinner Nathan Hauritz. But for some reason, Hopes appears to be out of favour and will battle to win a World Cup spot, despite having played 17 ODIs over the past year. McKay is injured and Hauritz is competing with Xavier Doherty, although there is a slim chance both spinners could make the 15-man squad.

It was also odd that the selectors bothered choosing 14 men for Sunday's game against England, especially when all along they were intending to leave Hauritz out. Hussey, Lee, Tait and Doherty need to play to press their claims, meaning that Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle will have to rest. Rarely have individual performances mattered more in a single game.

"I don't think it will compromise my captaincy or the team's performance as such," Clarke said. "We've got a squad here, we've got one game tomorrow. It's the last opportunity for players to be looked at before the World Cup selection. That will play a part in selection for this game. But our goal is to win every game we play and to definitely win this series."

The squad for the remaining six games will be chosen after the opening match, and it will almost certainly be the World Cup group minus Ricky Ponting, who is recovering from surgery on his finger. Along with Ponting, Tim Paine is likely to make the World Cup squad, meaning at least one man in the 14-strong group for the first ODI will be axed.

By Wednesday, construction of the World Cup side will be finished. But the work at Cricket Australia headquarters is only just beginning.

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New Zealand v Pakistan, 2nd Test, Wellington, 1st day

Gul, Tanvir put Pakistan ahead in windy Wellington

Stumps New Zealand 246 for 6 (Taylor 78, Gul 2-53, Tanvir 2-63) v Pakistan

Pakistan's seamers punctuated spells of ordinariness with sparks of brilliance to dismantle New Zealand's top order and put their side ahead at stumps. Umar Gul and Tanvir Ahmed were lethal in the first hours of the first two sessions, and though Ross Taylor survived their bursts with a heady mix of caution and enterprise, the home batsmen suffered from a general lack of confidence that prevented them from counterattacking when the bowlers were on song, and from dominating when they weren't.

Gul began Pakistan's dominance with a new-ball spell that oozed intent from the outset. Resisting the natural urge to crank up the pace when aided by a breeze, he relied on subtle sleight of hand and a high release to probe away at the top order. In the first over, he got a swerving inducker to strike Brendon McCullum - who was not offering a shot - above the knee roll. Umpire Daryl Harper ruled in Gul's favour, though replays suggested the bounce was taking it over the stumps. Things were evened out in Gul's next over, when Martin Guptill edged a legcutter on its way to Adnan Akmal, unnoticed by Harper.

That delivery set the template for Gul, who relentlessly pinged uncomfortable lengths on and around off stump, serving up the odd legcutter to go with ones that held their line, carrying through at good height. In his seventh over, he nailed Kane Williamson with a carbon copy of the delivery that Guptill had edged.

Gul also threatened to dislodge Taylor early, beating his outside edge and inducing an inside edge within the batsman's first three deliveries. His opening burst was, however, coming to an end, and Taylor faced fewer challenges thereafter and approached the pre-lunch session with refreshing freedom. Every time Wahab Riaz offered width, Taylor attacked through the off side, driving square and through the covers, and cutting for boundaries.

Consigned to the Scoreboard End, Abdur Rehman resorted to a quick arm and flat trajectory while bowling into a wind that stiffened to 70kmh by lunch. Taylor settled down after the initial flourish and, along with a cautious Guptill, promised to push New Zealand ahead in the second session. Tanvir, however, had plans of his own.

Tanvir had an infuriatingly inconsistent day that was bookended by listless spells into the wind, with both new balls. In the middle session, though, he whistled in from the Vance End at the mid-130s, settling into a miserly rhythm that accentuated the threat of the occasional away-seamer. Guptill was gradually choked for runs and, after playing 12 successive dot balls, he flashed at one well outside off. Jesse Ryder came and went, nicking a ball that was dangled across him, bagging his second successive first-ball duck. James Franklin kept out the hat-trick ball, a scorching yorker that was aimed at the toes but, at 100 for 4, the force was with Pakistan.

Taylor spent most of Tanvir's rampant spell at the non-striker's end, facing only five deliveries from the seamer in the hour following lunch. His battles were against Rehman's teasing line of attack, straightening deliveries from leg stump without offering too much flight, while getting extra bounce. taylor attempted to disperse the crouching in-fielders with a lovely loft for six over wide long-on, and forced two men back on the leg side. However, with wickets falling at the other end, Rehman continued to attack with slip and short leg, and Taylor played within himself unless presented with a bad ball. When Rehman was marginally off-line, he glanced and cut for boundaries, and brought up his half-century by slapping Gul through point for three. As was the case with Tanvir, Gul too metamorphosed at the lunch break and posed no problems through the rest of the day.

Franklin sealed an end with compact defence, camping on the back foot, and keeping out a barrage of searching length deliveries that were angled across him. Along with Taylor, he seemed to have taken the sting out of the Pakistan attack, and when he creamed Tanvir for two early boundaries post tea, New Zealand's fightback seemed set to step up a gear.

Adnan Akmal shifted the momentum back in Pakistan's favour, though, with the best of his five catches in the day. He moved quickly to his right and showed admirable hand-eye coordination to grab a thin edge from Franklin. Riaz took the big wicket, after plodding through the day without courting the extremes like his seaming colleagues did. Returning to the attack for a final fling before the new ball became due, Riaz got Taylor to nick a harmless delivery angling across him and Adnan - scarcely reminiscent of his butter-fingered brother Kamran - pouched another one with elan, diving to his right.

Wind interruptions, and a shocking lack of urgency, meant that Pakistan were well behind the over-rates, forcing Rehman to operate for longer than they would have desired. Thus ensued a period of attrition, with both sides too encumbered to challenge the status quo. Vettori used the opportunity to play himself in, cutting and pulling Rehman for easy boundaries. Young was solid in defence, blocking his way to 7 off 59 balls, before opening up against the second new ball that leaked 36 runs in eight overs. Tanvir was visibly out of steam by now, and was duly taken for 21 in two overs as New Zealand ended the day with a flourish. The fact that they still finished a distant second, underlined just how far they had allowed an average attack dictate proceedings.

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South Africa v India, 2nd ODI, Johannesburg

Will India's batsmen bounce back?

Match Facts

January 15, Johannesburg
Start time 14:30 (12.30 GMT, 18.00 IST)

Big Picture

The Durban loss wouldn't have shocked too many Indian fans, given India's well-known batting woes on bouncy pitches. Suresh Raina struggles to handle extra bounce, Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh get into trouble when seam movement is thrown into the mix, MS Dhoni is not in danger of losing his wicket but doesn't score as fluently against such deliveries and India don't have Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. Virat Kohli has improved on this front - in 2008, Zaheer Khan troubled him with a lot of bouncers in an Irani Cup game - but India are still heavily dependent on Sachin Tendulkar to set the pace. He failed in Durban, and the rest, barring Kohli, couldn't handle the heat.

The track at the Wanderers, the venue of the second ODI, will have bounce but will it do so much as to trouble India? It will be interesting to see how Tendulkar bats. Will he take on the bowling and counter-attack or will he see out the new ball to ease the burden on the middle order? Will India open with Rohit and bring in Yusuf Pathan, who's himself no stranger to trouble against the short ball, in the lower order? This is a big series for several India contenders for the World Cup and it will be interesting to see how the think-tank accommodates them.

And what about India's bowling? Dhoni has already indicated that these are his best bowlers and he will persist with them. Ashish Nehra has had three bad games in a row - he leaked runs in the end overs in the fourth ODI against New Zealand, and struggled with the new ball in the fifth - but his record suggests he will remain one of the key bowlers. It was Munaf Patel who shouldered the burden of bowling in Powerplays and in the final overs in the last game but Nehra was doing that job effectively till recently.

For South Africa, the first ODI was a near-perfect game. In the absence of Jacques Kallis, the team lacks balance and the tail seems long. But AB de Villiers and JP Duminy paced themselves well to control the middle overs. However, concerns remain. Had one of them fallen, would the lower order have the talent and the mental strength to tackle the situation? The next four games will give us a clue.

South Africa packed in four fast bowlers and all of them delivered in the first game. For a brief while, when Dhoni and Kohli were batting, India showed South Africa some of the problems they are likely to face in the World Cup on what would be entirely different tracks in the subcontinent. It also presents another interesting conundrum: is playing and beating India on bouncy tracks in this series the ideal preparation for the World Cup? New Zealand did something similar when they steamrolled India at home just before the 2003 World Cup but it was India who went on to reach the finals then. Or will we see more benign pitches in the rest of the series?

Form guide

South Africa: WWLWL
India: LWWWW

Players to watch out for…

Morne Morkel: His back-bending, hit-the-deck efforts have been a pleasure to watch. With his height and his whippy release, he extracts generous bounce from short of length and will be at it again in this series. In the first Test in Centurion, he showed great maturity in following the short balls with full deliveries which got him a five-wicket haul. It remains to be seen how he reacts if India put pressure back on him by going after him.

M Vijay: He was seen hanging on the back foot to a full delivery in the first ODI. In the recent past, he has shown vulnerability outside the off stump with his penchant to hang his bat out with his hesitant defensive pokes. However, he has played a few attacking games in South Africa during the IPL and in the Champions League. Can he derive confidence from his past and show us what he is capable of? Or will India replace him with Rohit?

Pitch and conditions

Overcast conditions prevail at Johannesburg and the forecasts predict 72% chance of rain on the match day. The Wanderers pitch has always had some bounce on offer and it will be interesting to see if the overcast conditions persist and assist in seam movement.

Team news

India are likely to go in with three seamers and Harbhajan. It will be interesting to see if they bring in Sreesanth, who featured in the Test series, for this game. They are likely to give Yusuf a run but he might come in from the third ODI on pitches that will have less bounce.

India (possible): 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 M Vijay, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Munaf Patel, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra

Will the overcast conditions tempt South Africa to retain the same playing eleven or will they bring in allrounder Faf du Plessis?

South Africa (possible): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Colin Ingram, 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Johan Botha, 8 Dale Steyn, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 and 11 Any two from Wayne Parnell, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, and Faf du Plessis might get a go.

Stats and trivia

• Raina has just one half-century from the last 17 ODIs. It's not his longest barren patch, though. From April 2006 to June 2008, he went through 19 innings without a fifty.
• de Villiers' 76 was the highest ODI score by a South African wicketkeeper against India. The previous best was Mark Boucher's 68 in 2000.
• de Villiers also became the 10th South African batsman to tally more than 500 ODI runs against India.
• Tendulkar is set to join Sanath Jayasuriya as most capped ODI players (444 games). However, he is set to become the cricketer who has played the most ODI innings. This will be his 433rd innings, and he will go past Jayasuriya who played 432 innings.

Quotes;

"I would back Rohit Sharma as an opener ahead of Murali Vijay. Yusuf Pathan at No. 6 or 7 wouldn't be such a bad ploy once you have considered the surface."

Former India allrounder Ravi Shastri states his wish

"It was a great honour to hear that a player of (Dhoni's) calibre had good things to say about me, but I don't think the selectors will change their minds now. It was disappointing not to make the team, because it's now reasonably clear that it's the end of my dream of representing South Africa in the World Cup."

Albie Morkel, who plays under Dhoni's captaincy in the IPL, expresses his disappointment at not making to the World-Cup squad.

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Richardson rules out international cricket in Pakistan

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Dave Richardson, the ICC's general manager for cricket, has firmly ruled out the possibility of international cricket returning to Pakistan in the near future. Pakistan has not hosted an international series since the Lahore attacks on Sri Lanka's cricketers in March 2009, and as long there isn't an improvement in the security situation there was no point talking of bringing international cricket back to the country, Richardson said. Instead, he claimed the way forward was to promote the domestic setup in Pakistan.

"It's useless to talk about bringing back international cricket to Pakistan," Richardson told reporters in Karachi. "I think once there is an improvement in the security conditions and arrangements then teams can be convinced to start looking at playing in Pakistan again."

Pakistan was stripped of its rights to co-host the 2011 World Cup with India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the aftermath of the Lahore attacks. Amid the decline in cricket in the country, the domestic competitions deserved more attention, said Richardson. "It might take a lot of time but it doesn't mean that the game cannot progress here. The PCB should concentrate on promoting the domestic structure. According to me, that's the only way to keep the game going."

Richardson is in Karachi to watch the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan's premier first-class tournament, which is being played under lights at the National Stadium. It's an unprecedented event in Pakistan domestic cricket and one of the ways the PCB is trying to promote domestic cricket in these difficult times.

"The ICC is working on several recommendations to make Test cricket more interesting and the day-night option sounds very interesting. I am here to see whether it's feasible to conduct Test matches under lights using orange balls.

"The PCB has taken a good decision to hold the final of the five-day domestic tournament under lights and it will help popularise the sport as well."

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New Zealand v Pakistan, 2nd Test, Wellington

New Zealand seek urgent batting revival

Match facts

January 15-19
Start time 11.00 (2200 GMT)

Big Picture

The wicket in Hamilton for the opening Test didn't warrant a three-day match, but New Zealand made it one with their hapless batting in the second innings. The temporary relief provided by a Twenty20 series win, also marking an encouraging start to John Wright's tenure as coach, was sullied by a spineless capitulation on a flattish pitch at Seddon Park. In what are expected to be tougher batting conditions in Wellington, with more swing and movement on offer for the fast bowlers, and where New Zealand were beaten by Pakistan earlier in the year, an urgent recovery is the need of the hour for the hosts. The focus remains on the top order: TimMcIntosh is struggling and could well be replaced, Martin Guptill was given a torrid time by the left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman and the question remains of whether Brendon McCullum will shed some of his aggression in more testing conditions.

Misbah-ul-Haq has led from the front since he took over as Test captain ©Addmore2

As for Pakistan, this is an opportunity to win their first Test series in 11 attempts since 2006. And it would be a memorable one, for their inexperienced players have played a hand in setting it up. Rehman starred in an all-round performance, Asad Shafiq was part of what was, in the end, a match-winning stand, Adnan Akmal showed ability down the order, while Wahab Riaz and Tanvir Ahmed shone with the ball in each innings. Add to that the performance of their captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, who led from the front with a stoic half-century, and things seem to be falling into place for a team plagued by enough distractions off the field. The seamers, Umar Gul, Riaz and Ahmed, should derive more assistance from the Basin Reserve track. It could boil down to whether New Zealand can combat them more determinedly.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
Pakistan: WDDLW
New Zealand: LLDDL

Watch out for…

Left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz was the quickest bowler in the first Test, regularly hitting speeds of around 145kph and causing problems for the batsmen with the angle from which he bowls. He was unlucky in the first innings in Hamilton, but took three crucial wickets in the second. On a more helpful surface in Wellington, New Zealand's struggling batsmen will face a stern test.

In the first innings in Hamilton - his first Test at home - Kane Williamson batted with an assurance that was lacking in many of his senior colleagues. The shot-selection against a relentlessly accurate Abdur Rehman, and his composure against the quicks bodes well for a fragile batting unit.

Pitch and conditions

The first Test was played on a slow-and-low track, something more likely to be seen in Pakistan than in New Zealand. Wellington is likely to be a more traditional New Zealand wicket, with plenty of sideways movement and also extra bounce to interest the quicks. Rain is forecast during the Test, though Saturday is expected to be a sunny day.

Team news

Pakistan are unlikely to tinker much with their combination after the big win in the first Test. That means Umar Akmal is likely to remain on the sidelines, and left-arm spinner Rehman should retain his place. One change they could consider is replacing Tanvir Ahmed with the quicker Sohail Tanvir.

Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Taufeeq Umar, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Adnan Akmal (wk), 8 Abdur Rehman, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Tanvir Ahmed, 11 Wahab Riaz.

Daniel Vettori has hinted that James Franklin could be included in place of opener Tim McIntosh, who failed in both innings in the first Test. He said that with Ryder cutting down on his bowling, and Kane Williamson also likely to bowl only a few overs on account of a seamers' track in Wellington, Franklin's inclusion will reduce the load on the main bowlers.

New Zealand (probable): 1 Tim McIntosh/James Franklin, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Jesse Ryder, 6 Kane Williamson, 7 Daniel Vettori (capt), 8 Reece Young (wk), 9 Tim Southee, 10 Brent Arnel, 11 Chris Martin.

Stats and trivia

• Chris Martin is seven short of becoming only the fourth New Zealand bowler to reach 200 Test wickets.
• Pakistan have lost only one Test series in 13 visits to New Zealand.
• Since 1990, Pakistan have won all three Tests they have played at Wellington, the best win-loss record for any visiting team at this venue.
• Since 1990, New Zealand have been dismissed for less than 200 on nine occasions against Pakistan, the most against any opposition. Their lowest score in home Tests in that period is 93, which also came against Pakistan.
• Daryl Tuffey's 30 wickets against Pakistan is the highest for a New Zealand bowler against one opposition in home Tests since 2000. He is followed by Chris Martin who has 26 wickets in seven home Tests against Pakistan.

Quotes

"We understand it was a poor performance but if we get too down in the dumps then we're not going to rectify it here."
Daniel Vettori doesn't want to wallow in the past

"I bowl 140kph-plus and Wahab (Riaz) is bowling 145kph-plus, so I think at the moment we are a bit faster."
Umar Gul says Pakistan won't be fazed by a fast-bowlers' track in Wellington

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Amir's lawyer says deferment is a 'silver lining'

Shahid Karim, Mohammad Amir's lawyer at the spot-fixing hearing in Doha, has said that the ICC tribunal's decision to defer their verdict gives his client renewed hope.

"The last day of the (six-day) hearing was very positive," Karim told AP on his return to Lahore. "It could be a silver lining for us. I hope Amir will be exonerated next month when the verdict will be announced."

Karim had earlier requested the three-man tribunal examining the charges to take more time to study the case before announcing its verdict, which was initially due on January 11. Following the six-day hearing, the tribunal deferred the verdict to February 5.

Karim hopes Amir's age and unblemished record will work in his favour. "I am happy with the procedure of the hearing," he had said in Doha. "The ICC code of conduct has a clause which points to looking at the player's age and past disciplinary record and Amir is young, so we hope the tribunal will keep this in mind."

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Kamran, Misbah-ul-Haq in ODI squad to play NZ

	Kamran Akmal returns to Pakistan's ODI team after not being cleared to play the Twenty20s and Tests against New Zealand © Getty Images
Players/Officials: Kamran Akmal | Misbah-ul-Haq Series/Tournaments: Pakistan tour of New Zealand Teams: Pakistan

Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal has finally returned to a Pakistan squad, picked on Wednesday for the ODI series against New Zealand. The squad for Pakistan's last assignment before the 2011 World Cup is effectively a shadow squad for the tournament; Akmal changes places with his younger brother Adnan, who misses out.

Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who played only two ODIs last year, against South Africa in the UAE before he was dropped for the final three, also returns. That means no place for the veteran Mohammad Yousuf, who has been effectively dropped from both Test and ODI cricket over the last month or so. His chances of appearing in the World Cup, at this stage, appear slim. Opener Ahmed Shehzad returns to the side, suggesting he is a serious contender for a World Cup berth.

Kamran has not been part of the national side since the summer tour of England and his absence had been surrounded by confusion, which his return does little to clear up. Speculation linking him to the spot-fixing scandal has been rife, but in October he received written clearance from the ICC stating that he had no ongoing cases against him in the ICC.. Since then, he has been scoring heavily on the domestic circuit. However, he was not "given clearance" to play the Tests and Twenty20s in New Zealand by the PCB's integrity committee, which did not provide details about why that decision was taken.

The 19-year-old Shehzad, who made a promising debut last year against Australia in the Middle East, played all three Twenty20 games against New Zealand, scoring 83 runs at an average of 27.66 and a strike-rate of 150.90, with a top score of 54.

Misbah made 14 and 17 in his two ODIs against South Africa and did not feature in the Twenty20 games against New Zealand. Shahid Afridi has been retained as captain. Pakistan will play six one-dayers against the hosts, with the first game taking place in Wellington on January 22.

Pakistan ODI squad: Shahid Afridi (capt), Muhammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal (wk), Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Umer Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdul Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umer Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanveer, Tanveer Ahmed, Ahmed Shehzad .

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