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Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has backed young batsmen Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne to deliver in the home series against South Africa

Andrew Fidel Fernando17-Jul-2013Though Sri Lanka continue to perform satisfactorily in limited-overs tournaments, recent assignments in the Champions Trophy and the West Indies have helped make plain the challenges the side faces over the next two years. In both tournaments Sri Lanka leaned heavily on their experienced batsmen while the young talent largely failed to produce dividends for the considerable faith that has been afforded them.Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan were the team’s top scorers in the UK, with Lahiru Thirimanne, who made only 73 runs at 24.33, the best among the rest. Sangakkara and Jayawardene were also among Sri Lanka’s top scorers in the Caribbean, while Dilshan’s replacement Upul Tharanga led the list, thanks largely to a score of 174 not out.All three seniors privately hope to continue at the top level until at least the 2015 World Cup, but have maintained in public that their time in the game is largely subject to form and fitness. With all three over 35, the national selectors had embarked on building a team for the future, but with Sri Lanka’s young players unable to produce the kinds of innings their team can compile totals around, the home series against South Africa shapes as health-check for Sri Lankan cricket.”We’ve done well in patches in the last two months, and when we did that it was the seniors that stepped up – guys like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene,” captain Angelo Mathews said. “They’ve carried a lot of the burden and we need that experience in the side but what the youngsters need to do is look at how those guys prepare and how they focus and we all have to get that mindset right. It comes through experience, but the amount of matches the younger guys have played, they have some good experience now as well. We need to fine tune our performances.”We need to have that mindset where you think you can be the next Mahela and think you can be the next Kumar. It comes with experience and a lot of hard work.”Plenty is expected of Dinesh Chandimal and Thirimanne, and it is the former’s recent inability to make good on his initial limited-overs promise that has been most dispiriting for Sri Lanka’s future hopes. Chandimal averages 18.19 in the last 16 months since the tour of Australia, having hit only two fifties in 28 ODIs. He has been given a sustained run in the top order after becoming vice-captain in February, but his place in the side is in question even as he prepares for the prospect of captaining the team in the first two matches against South Africa, in Mathews’ absence due to an over-rate suspension.”We all know how good a cricketer Dinesh Chandimal is and he doesn’t become a bad player just because he has been unsuccessful in two tournaments – which can happen to any cricketer,” Mathews said. “He is the vice-captain and he deserves his place. I am sure he will be among the runs soon, and if the selectors make him captain, he will do it well.”Thirimanne has not yet made his place safe either, but he has produced promising innings in the recent tournaments, despite being the first batsman to be moved around the order as the team’s requirements change. His 57 in the Champions Trophy match against Australia set the foundation for Jayawardene’s sparkling innings, and a 46 in the tri-series final against India helped Sangakkara build what would become a competitive total.”Lahiru is one of our best up-and-coming players because he has never said no to anything. He always just gets on with the job even when it was hard work. We’ve sent him in when we were in trouble in England as well as in the West Indies, and he has responded brilliantly. He’s got great character, and we need that.”He has the potential to bat at number three in the long term. He has the composure, he’s very calm and he makes good decisions. He’s showed a lot of maturity and he’s got a long future. I’m sure he can be the next Sangakkara.”Mathews played himself into some form in the Caribbean and more confidence in both disciplines has had a positive impact on his captaincy, he said. Mathews averaged 49.66 with the bat and 17.57 with the ball in the tri-series.”When you’re contributing to the team in any way, that does a lot of good for your captaincy. As an allrounder, it’s especially good to get both wickets and runs and that helps you earn respect in the team as well.”

Jamaica secured their place at the top of the points table at the end of the round-robin matches, scoring a five-wicket win against Combined Campuses and Colleges in Kingston

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2013
ScorecardJamaica secured their place at the top of the points table at the end of the round-robin matches, scoring a five-wicket win against Combined Campuses and Colleges in Kingston. Left-arm spinner Nikita Miller played a central role in the victory with a match haul of eight, including six in CCC’s second innings. He was well supported by debutant offspinner Jamie Merchant, who finished with five in the match.The pair, with help from the new-ball partnership of Sheldon Cotterrell and B Buchanan (playing only his second first-class game), helped restrict CCC to 150 after they had chosen to bat. The visitors made a fist of it by keeping Jamaica to an 88-run lead, with one of their two debutants, pace bowler Dawayne Sealy, picking up a five-for. However, the Miller-Merchant combine wreaked havoc in CCC’s second take, reducing them from 68 for no loss to 152 all out.That left Jamaica with a target of 65, and while they made heavy weather of it, they eventually got home in the 23rd over with half their wickets intact. They will now host Trinidad and Tobago in the semi-finals from May 2.

Charith Asalanka starred with bat and ball as Sri Lanka Under-19s comfortably beat Bangladesh Under-19s in the first of the five Youth ODIs played in Colombo

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jan-2015
ScorecardCharith Asalanka starred with bat and ball as Sri Lanka Under-19s comfortably beat Bangladesh Under-19s in the first of the five Youth ODIs played in Colombo. His 4 for 36 was instrumental in restricting Bangladesh to 202 after the visitors had opted to bat, then he followed it up with 63 as Sri Lanka cruised to the target with 5.4 overs to spare.Bangladesh started poorly. When Asalanka dismissed Zakir Hasan in the 18th over, Bangladesh were 51 for 3. An 80-run stand between Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Mehedy Hasan helped Bangladesh recover, but two quick wickets in the 35th and the 37th overs hampered their progress. Nazmul was stumped in the 40th over, bowled by Asalanka, and Bangladesh were later bowled out in the 50th over.Sri Lanka’s brisk start to the chase suffered a minor jolt in the seventh over when opener Kaveen Bandara was run out but Asalanka and Lasith Lakshan added 124 for the second wicket to thwart Bangladesh bowlers. Although Lakshan (71 off 107) and Asalanka were dismissed within the space of 12 balls, Sri Lanka were untroubled.

Lahiru Thirimanne anchored a comfortable chase on a tacky pitch as Sri Lanka levelled the ODI series against Australia in the second match at Adelaide Oval

The Report by Daniel Brettig13-Jan-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Angelo Mathews formed part of a tight Sri Lankan bowling unit at Adelaide Oval•Getty ImagesSri Lanka’s coach Graham Ford expected far better from his men after an abject display in the first ODI, and in Adelaide they duly delivered. A highly disciplined bowling ensemble laid bare Australian frailty against the seaming ball before Lahiru Thirimanne anchored a comfortable chase on a tacky pitch in the second match of the series at Adelaide Oval.The visitors lost Upul Tharanga in the first over of their chase but were largely untroubled thereafter, as the surface eased after earlier offering helpful seam movement for Sri Lanka’s bowlers. Thirimanne reached a deserved century by cutting Xavier Doherty backward of point for the winning runs with eight wickets and 59 balls to spare, having been accompanied for much of the pursuit by an uncharacteristically reserved Tillakaratne Dilshan.Particular praise was also due to Nuwan Kulasekara and Angelo Mathews, who took the new balls and set Australia on the defensive by moving the ball just enough through the air and off the seam, while keeping the runs down. Lasith Malinga and Thisara Perera then followed up with wickets of their own. Named in place of the injured Dinesh Chandimal, the debut gloveman Kushal Perera kept wicket neatly and held four catches.Besides their problems with seam friendly conditions reminiscent of England, Australia were discomforted further by Brad Haddin’s struggles with an apparent hamstring strain, which began to affect him during the latter stages of a rearguard innings of 50 and then forced a regular dialogue with the team physio Alex Kountouris in the early overs of the evening session.Eventually Haddin surrendered to the injury, leaving Phillip Hughes to take up duties as Australia’s makeshift gloveman for the second time this summer. The hosts can expect their team to be significantly reinforced when the national selector John Inverarity names the squad for the next two matches of the series, having started well in Melbourne but fallen away badly in Adelaide.After Tharanga’s early departure to a Clint McKay delivery angled across him, Dilshan and Thirimanne played with good sense and shot selection. Dilshan had one LBW appeal by Doherty referred to the third umpire, but the television evidence proved too marginal for an overturned verdict.Smart stats

Sri Lanka’s win is their 15th against Australia in ODIs played in Australia. Seven of their 15 wins have come in matches played since November 2010.

The eight-wicket win is level with Sri Lanka’s best performance against Australia in ODI chases. Three of their four eight-wicket wins have come in ODIs in Australia.

The number of balls remaining after the win (59) is the second-highest for Sri Lanka in ODIs against Australia played in Australia. The highest is 101 in Sydney in 2012.

Lahiru Thirimanne’s century is only the fifth by a Sri Lankan batsman in a chase against Australia (second in Adelaide). Aravinda de Silva has scored two centuries in chases.

The 137-run stand between Thirimanne and Tillakaratne Dilshan is the second-highest second-wicket partnership for Sri Lanka against Australia. The highest is 163 between Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara in Sydney in 2006.

They were not to be separated until only a further 34 runs were required. By that point Australia had lost Haddin and also the bowling of the debutant Kane Richardson, who followed up a first ball duck with the bat by suffering the ignominy of being drummed out of the bowling attack for repeatedly running on the pitch in his follow through. It is a problem that will require some technical work to correct.The first indication that Australia were not at their sharpest came in the opening over when Aaron Finch clipped the ball straight to square leg and set off for a single – Phillip Hughes would have been out by yards had the ball found stumps or wicketkeeper. Fortunate there, Finch was to be out for his second low score in as many matches and again fell to a tentative stroke, pushing Mathews to short cover after he had nudged Ajantha Mendis into the wicketkeeper’s gloves at the MCG.Hughes struggled to find the fluency he had managed while making a century on debut, and was pinned in front of the stumps by Kulasekara, wasting Australia’s only review on a ball that pitched in line and would have taken middle and off. David Hussey and George Bailey briefly steadied the innings in a stand of 39, but the stand-in captain’s fortunate stay, punctuated by numerous edges, was ended when he pulled Malinga to midwicket where Thirimanne held a decent catch.Steve Smith, brought in for Usman Khawaja, hinted at fluency during his brief stay but drove loosely at a Perera delivery that seamed back into him and was taken behind. To this point Hussey had looked the most composed of the batsmen, but his run out in another mix-up and a neat Mathews leg cutter to remove Glenn Maxwell, put Australia in deep trouble.Cutting and Haddin resisted for 15 overs and 57 runs, the former showing glimpses of the batting skill he had demonstrated for Queensland over the past two summers. Eventually Malinga’s pace and unique angle drew an edge from Cutting, and next ball his fellow debutant Richardson was flummoxed by a dipping slower ball and pinned LBW.Clint McKay averted the hat-trick but then fell victim to a decision overturned for reasons known only to the third umpire Richard Kettleborough, for replays showed no solid evidence of an edge behind from Perera’s bowling, and HotSpot was no more revealing.The last man Doherty’s arrival moved Haddin to swing a mighty six into the Members Stand. He picked out midwicket when trying to repeat the shot from Mendis, leaving the hosts with a sorry total that would quickly prove to be inadequate.

B Aparajith’s maiden List A ton booked South Zone a semifinal spot against East Zone on March 12

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Mar-2013
ScorecardA maiden List A century from B Aparajith led South Zone to victory over East Zone by 11 runs in the Deodhar Trophy quarterfinal in Guwahati. Through this win they advanced to the semifinal against West Zone, to be played on March 12.National selectors Sandeep Patil and Roger Binny were in attendance, as South Zone chose to bat. They started poorly, with KL Rahul being dismissed for a golden duck, after his attempted flick carried to wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha down the leg side. Opener Robin Uthappa and Aparajith revived the innings with a solid stand, before Uthappa was forced to retire hurt when he began suffering cramps, and could no longer walk. He was helped off the field by the team’s physio. Contributions from Dinesh Karthik (33) and Sachin Baby (33) helped push South Zone’s total to 284 for 5. Aparajith finished with 121 off 129 balls.Abhimanyu Mithun picked up the first East Zone wicket – that of Pallavkumar Das – with the score on 21. Ishank Jaggi came in next and combined with opener Sibsankar Roy to put on 56 for the second wicket. Saha struck a fluent 77, and along with Jaggi, who finished with 55, provided sizeable contributions. Mithun, along with some important run-outs, helped keep East Zone in check, as the required run-rate continued to climb. Gokul Sharma struck an unbeaten 40, and despite some late fireworks from Abu Nechim, East Zone fell short of the target by 11 runs. Mithun was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 40.

A wrap of the first day of the fourth round of Ranji Trophy matches in Group A

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2012
Scorecard
Group-leaders Punjab showed the form that has already given them a massive 11-point lead in Group A to roll over second-placed Saurashtra for 90, and take the first-innings lead in Mohali. Saurashtra missed the services of their biggest name, Cheteshwar Pujara, as they dramatically slid from a comfortable 73 for 1 to 90 all out. The last seven wickets lasted only 32 deliveries as India Under-19 fast bowler Sandeep Sharma ripped through the batting, finishing with 7 for 25, the best figures of the season so far. Punjab then consolidated the advantage by reaching 125 for 5 by stumps, guided largely by the in-form opener Jiwanjot Singh’s 61. They could have been in a stronger position but lost three wickets for one run towards the close of play.
Scorecard
Mumbai dominated the opening day against Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, with Hiken Shah continuing his prolific run and Rohit Sharma slamming another Ranji hundred. Hyderabad revamped their line-up, dropping three players including the captain in the previous match DB Ravi Teja, but it was to no avail as their bowlers – three of whom had only two first-class caps between them – had little success after the early dismissal of Kaustubh Pawar. Aditya Tare and Shah first put on 121 for the second wicket before Tare was run-out. After that Shah, who began the season with a 140 against defending champions Rajasthan, and Rohit, who has an astounding Ranji Trophy record, put on an unbroken 203-run stand to demoralise Hyderabad, who are still missing their marquee player VVS Laxman.
Scorecard
Gujarat were bowled out for 117 by Railways in Bhubaneshwar after their top order failed for the second match in succession. Parthiv Patel, who has failed to make a half-century only once in seven first-class innings this domestic season, hit nine fours in a 60-ball 55 as everyone else in the top order failed spectacularly – the rest of the top six made 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4. When Parthiv became the sixth man to be dismissed, with the score at 66, he had made all but 11 runs for the team till then. There was no rescue from the lower order, unlike against Bengal earlier this week, as Sanjay Bangar took five wickets in 8.5 overs. Railways then built up their advantage by reaching 145 for 2 by stumps, with opener Amit Pauniker backing up his career-best 166 against Punjab with an 85.
Scorecard
Naman Ojha was stumped on 99 but he put Madhya Pradesh on course for a tall total against Bengal. Devendra Bundela, playing his 100th Ranji match, chipped in with 61, and Udit Birla hit a brisk half-century to make it MP’s day in Indore. Bengal were missing quick bowler Ashok Dinda, who is with the Indian Test squad, but struck twice early through Shami Ahmed. Ojha and Bundela steadied MP with a 127-run third-wicket stand, and the middle order built on that to blunt the Bengal attack.

Saeed Ajmal, the Pakistan offspinner, will receive an award from the PCB following the World Twenty20, for being the ‘No. 1 bowler in the world’, board chief Zaka Ashraf has said

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-2012Saeed Ajmal, the Pakistan offspinner, will receive an award from the PCB following the World Twenty20, for being the ‘No. 1 bowler in the world’, board chief Zaka Ashraf has said. The announcement comes in the wake of Ajmal not being on ICC’s shortlist for Test Player of the Year.”Saeed Ajmal, we still say you’re the No. 1 bowler in the world and the PCB recognises you, and whether someone gives you the prize, that is immaterial, we don’t care,” Ashraf said. “We congratulate you and when you come back home [after the World T20] we will give you a prize for being the No. 1 bowler in the world. The PCB is with you.”Ajmal was on the longlist for the ICC award, which will be announced at a function in Colombo on September 15, but did not make the shortlist that included South Africa’s Hashim Amla and Vernon Philander, Australia’s Michael Clarke and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara. Subsequently, the PCB had lodged a protest with the ICC regarding his omission, but the ICC had said it could not revise the list as it had been put together by an independent jury. That prompted talk of a possible boycott of the awards function by Pakistan.While the boycott wasn’t a certainty, Ashraf said, he was hoping for a last-minute revision. “There is some error, I think the ICC should try to rectify it. At least his name should have been on the shortlist,” Ashraf said. “I’m still hopeful the ICC will make a positive move by trying to rectify it.”The PCB hasn’t decided as yet to boycott [the awards ceremony], that will be an extreme step. But we are under extreme pressure. There have been demonstrations in Pakistan, people have come out in support of Saeed Ajmal; there was a big demonstration held in front of the PCB office. We’ve conveyed that to the ICC. It has [even] been taken up in the parliament in Pakistan, there’s a big debate going on.”Ajmal had taken 72 Test wickets between August 4, 2011, and August 6, 2012, (the qualifying period for the award). He climbed to No. 3 in the Test bowlers’ rankings and, last week, took the No. 1 spot in the ODI rankings.

Joshua McClelland took four wickets to help Australia Under-19 beat New Zealand Under-19 by six wickets at the Tony Ireland Stadium

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Apr-2012Joshua McClelland took four wickets to help Australia Under-19 beat New Zealand Under-19 by six wickets at the Tony Ireland Stadium in Townsville.Australia struck early with Pat Cummins, who is hoping to make a comeback to the senior national team after injuring his foot in November 2011, dismissing New Zealand opener Joe Carter for a duck. Michael Davidson and Ben Horne put on a stand of 68 runs for the third wicket, before McClelland trapped Davidson lbw for 37. Thereafter it was a procession of wickets, with McClelland, Cummins and Meyrick Buchanan adding to their tally. New Zealand managed to last 48.4 overs, scoring 146.Australia made a shaky start to their innings with opener Jimmy Peirson failing to score. Cameron Bancroft and William Bosisto put on a 79-run stand for the second wicket. Buchanan and McClelland took Australia over the line with 14.4 overs to spare.The match between England and India’s Under-19 teams turned out to be a cliffhanger, with England winning by four wickets and two balls to spare at Endeavour Park, Townsville.Batting first, India set England 268, with opener Manan Vohra scoring 52. The middle order also put on a good show, with Vijay Zol scoring 60 and Akshdeep Nath remaining not out on 62.The star of the day for England was Ben Foakes, who made 93, with eight fours. Foakes put on 78 for the second wicket with Daniel Bell-Drummond, who made 55 off 56 balls. England’s middle-order batsman Craig Overton and Annesh Kapil held the innings together, scoring 68 and 25 respectively. The match went down to the last over, with tailender Sam Wood hitting a six off the first ball he faced, handing his side the win.Australia will play New Zealand and England will play India in the semifinal on April 13.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL final between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai

The Preview by George Binoy26-May-2012Match factsSunday, May 27, 2012
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)When these sides met in Chennai during the league stage, Knight Riders won by five wickets•AFPBig PictureThey are here, again. Those resilient, stubborn Chennai Super Kings. In another IPL final, their fourth in five seasons and their third in a row, pursuing a hat trick of titles. Love them, hate them or couldn’t care less about them, you have to give it to them – the Super Kings got game. They know when and how to turn it on, too, though this season they dangled off the edge of the precipice, holding on with their pinkies, for longer than was comfortable.Kolkata Knight Riders did not leave their chances hinging on an improbable combination of results over which they had no control. They reached the playoffs with a game to spare and made short work of Delhi Daredevils to enter their maiden IPL final. Their performances have been efficient and consistent and they should logically be favourites tomorrow. But they’re facing a resurgent side on its home turf.Super Kings are blessed with loyal fans and the pricklier among them bristle at insinuations that fortune played a role in their team making it to Chennai on Sunday. They got enough points, didn’t they? And they didn’t design the schedule, so they had to hope three results went their way to make the playoffs. And Kings XI Punjab just weren’t good enough to beat Delhi Daredevils, and Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore weren’t good enough to beat bottom-placed Deccan Chargers. What’s luck got to do with it?That Super Kings had to wait five days to know they would be able to defend their title was because of an out-of-sorts start to the season. At times they, the IPL’s least changed side over five seasons, looked passé compared to some of the other teams, who had strengthened squads with new personnel. Super Kings’ turnaround only began after ten league games, of which they had won four. They won four of their last six matches, so their form, when they entered familiar playoff territory, was satisfactory.And then they were near perfect. After clambering on to level ground, Super Kings’ misfiring batting line-up, the longest in the IPL, found its guns and annihilated Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils with breath-taking confidence.While Super Kings had abundant success in seasons past, Knight Riders had nothing. In the first three years, they were the only team without a top-four finish. So in 2011, Knight Riders abandoned failed strategies, completely overhauled their squad, and climbed to fourth in the league, but lost the eliminator. In 2012, they have gone farther, converting their second-place finish in the league into a berth in the finals by beating Daredevils in the first qualifier.Knight Riders also had an iffy start to the season, losing three of their first five games. Since then they’ve lost only two out of 11, acquiring the rarest quality in Twenty20 cricket – consistency. There were no dramas in their progress to the playoffs. Their success has been built around two people with supporting contributions from the rest. The captain Gautam Gambhir has been a reliable run-scorer, while the spinner Sunil Narine has confounded all and sundry with his unreadable variations.If they perform like they have this season, Knight Riders have little reason to worry. Whether they can perform in their first final, against opponents seasoned to such pressure, is the question.Form guide (most recent first)
Chennai Super Kings: WWLWW
Kolkata Knight Riders: WWWLLWatch out for …Sunil Narine: At present, he has the second most wickets this season, the best economy rate, and the best average for anyone who’s played more than two matches – 24 wickets, 5.20 per over and 11.95 per wicket. Gambhir’s used him in a variety of situations – early on to drag back a quick start, in the middle to exercise control over the game and at the end, when batsmen have only attack on their minds. Narine’s delivered each time. Gambhir’s utilisation of Narine in the final will be crucial. Super Kings bat until No. 9 so Gambhir will have to decide when and against whom Narine can have the greatest impact.The middle orders: With top orders evenly matched and Knight Riders shading the bowling battle, this is where Super Kings score heavily over their opponents. The line-up comprising MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, S Badrinath and Albie Morkel is far more reliable and powerful than the one comprising Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Manoj Tiwary, or variations of it. Knight Riders are more dependent on their top order than Super Kings are, although Yusuf Pathan did make his first proper contribution in the qualifier against Daredevils.Team combinationBarring last-minute fitness problems, Super Kings are certain to play the same XI that won them the two knockout games to reach the final.A couple of Knight Riders players have hamstring concerns. Manoj Tiwary missed the knockout against Delhi because of a strain and was replaced by Laxmi Ratan Shukla, who impressed with 24 off 11 balls. Tiwary is likely to be fit, though, so either Shukla or Debabrata Das, who has also performed well, could make way. The bigger hamstring concern, however, is over L Balaji, who injured himself during the qualifier. Balaji has been the solitary Indian seamer in the Knight Riders attack so his absence could cause significant change to the team composition.Meetings this seasonAt Chepauk, Knight Riders won by five wickets and two balls to spare. Super Kings were restricted to a middling total and the victory was more comfortable than the margin indicates.At Eden Gardens, Super Kings won by five wickets off the final delivery. Chasing 159, they* had reached 97 for 0 in the 11th over when Narine derailed the innings during a spell of 4-0-14-2. With 5 to get off the last ball, Bravo launched Rajat Bhatia over the long-on boundary.Stats and triviaIn the last five overs of the innings, Super Kings have scored at 10.64 per over on average this season, which is the second best after Royal Challengers Bangalore. Knight Riders have scored at 9.32 per over during this period. There is very little separating the sides’ run rates in the first six overs, though Knight Riders are a little faster.Knight Riders have had the best spinners of the tournament. They’ve taken the most wickets at the best average and economy rate – 48, 16.20 and 6.09. Their attack of choice in recent games has been Narine, Iqbal Abdulla and Shakib Al Hasan, with Yusuf chipping in. Super Kings’ spinners are second best, but by a distance.Quotes”When you go on to the field, you do not go there to make friends but you are there to get results in your team’s favour. You have to be aggressive on the field. That is how we have won matches and now we are in the final and not to just compete.”
.”With his action, it is difficult to catch him as to which side he is bowling, whether it is the one that comes in to a right hander or it goes out. The variation he has got and the consistency that he has got in maintaining line and length has been crucial.”
.*The text said Knight Riders earlier

Ricky Ponting, the former Australia captain, has been dropped from the ODI squad for the remainder of the triangular series following the worst batting slump of his limited overs career

Daniel Brettig20-Feb-2012Ricky Ponting knew the final phone call was imminent. Dropped from the Australia ODI squad for the remainder of the triangular series following the worst batting slump of his limited-overs career, Ponting accepted his fate after reaching an agreement with the national selector John Inverarity that one or the other would have to make the call.Under their terms, either Ponting would contact Inverarity to notify the selectors of his retirement from ODIs, or Inverarity would do likewise to inform Ponting he had lost his place. Scores of 2, 1, 6, 2 and 7 moved Inverarity to dial first, drawing the curtain on Ponting’s time as an ODI batsman. In a 375-game one-day international career, never before had he made five single-figure scores in a row. Twenty-six battling balls in Brisbane sealed the panel’s verdict.”Ricky and I were always clear on this, that at some stage he’d either come to me or I’d have the responsibility of going to him,” Inverarity told ESPNcricinfo. “That’s always the case with all players, isn’t it. It’s either they come to the selectors or the selectors come to the player. Ricky in the ODIs there’s been a form lapse there, yesterday he wasn’t in good form and in the five games he’s made very few runs.”Inverarity said that while Ponting would be missed, not least as a leader who had just stood-in for the injured Michael Clarke, the time had come to move on in the 50-over format.”The team will not seem the same without him, but moving on from the omission of players who have been outstanding over a long period of time is the nature of elite sport,” Inverarity said. “Ricky’s record speaks for itself. He is one of the truly great performers in the history of Australian ODI cricket, with his reputation enhanced further by him captaining Australia to two World Cup victories.”Ricky’s contribution goes far beyond his batting statistics and his brilliant fielding. The example he sets in every respect and his extraordinarily positive influence in the dressing-room is acknowledged by all. He is held in the highest possible regard by his team-mates and there is no higher accolade than this. Ricky being prepared to take over the captaincy in Michael Clarke’s recent absence for the sake of the team is yet another example of his selfless attitude and team-first focus.”Australia ODI squad

Michael Clarke (capt), Shane Watson (vc), Dan Christian, Xavier Doherty, Peter Forrest, Ryan Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Brett Lee, Clint McKay, Matthew Wade, David Warner

Like Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh before him, Ponting was not given the chance to choose when he would end his ODI career. As late as Sunday night in Brisbane following Australia’s win in Brisbane, Ponting said he had no intention of stepping aside, and had left his future in the hands of the selectors. Inverarity countered suggestions that Ponting might have been given a farewell match with the stark realities of professional sport.”Ricky Ponting has been dropped from the ODI side and the national selection panel has spoken about moving towards the 2015 World Cup,” he said. “The door is never closed on anybody, but it’s a strong indication there. We were very keen for Ricky to play in these games because we intended to blend in some younger players, and his influence for them has been remarkable. But we need to at some stage move on.”We’re not ruling him out because one never knows what’s around the corner … but we’ve certainly got 2015 in mind, and we knew at the beginning of the series when we wanted those young players to be blended in, in the presence of Ricky.”In elite sport there’s no place for sentiment. There are always the two schools of thought, going out on your own terms and that, and the members of the national selection panel were unanimous in their view. It was discussed by email last night, a few calls last night and was confirmed this morning. That’s the decision and that’s elite sport.”Ponting has been replaced in the squad by the allrounder and vice-captain Shane Watson, who proved his fitness after a stubborn calf injury by playing for New South Wales in a Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia in Perth. Inverarity announced one other change to the squad, recalling Ryan Harris in place of Mitchell Starc. He also confirmed that Matthew Wade had now usurped Brad Haddin as the No. 1 wicketkeeper in limited-overs matches, and that the panel intended to take both glovemen to the West Indies.”Ryan Harris has been re-included in the squad with Mitchell Starc making way for his return. Mitchell will benefit greatly from the Tests and the ODIs he has played,” Inverarity said. “His development as a player of the future is most encouraging. Shane Watson also comes back into the squad. He is an all-rounder of proven class and the NSP is keen to have him re-join the squad.”The NSP made the decision that Matthew Wade is now the preferred ODI wicket-keeper for the Australian ODI team. The intention at this stage is to have both Matthew and Brad Haddin in the West Indies together for the duration of the tour.”