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Cricinfo previews the four-match ODI series between India and West Indies

The Preview by George Binoy25-Jun-2009Match factsFriday, June 26, 2009
Start time 09.30 (14.30 GMT)
The Big PictureA successful IPL proved crucial in Ashish Nehra’s selection for the ODI squad to West Indies•AFPWest Indies and India prepare for the first of four one-day internationals, in Jamaica, after extremely contrasting World Twenty20 campaigns in England. India entered the tournament as one of the favourites but underachieved tremendously, losing all their matches in the Super Eights stage. As a result of their second-round elimination, India reached the Caribbean even before their hosts, who exceeded expectations by qualifying for the semi-finals, where they lost to Sri Lanka.For India, a team shaken by defeat, injury and fatigue, this series is the last before a long break until the Champions Trophy in September. They will do well to focus on the task at hand, rather than think about the lengthy rest their tired bodies deserve. India are weakened for they are without Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina and Zaheer Khan, four key players either injured or resting because of their hectic schedule in recent months. Their unavailability, though, opens up rare opportunities for players on the fringes of the national squad such as Dinesh Karthik, S Badrinath and M Vijay because the Indian one-day side has been a settled unit for a while now. It also gives others, such as Ashish Nehra, a new lease of life for few would have expected him to return after four years on the sidelines.West Indies’ performance in the World Twenty20 was a dramatic improvement from their efforts during a torrid summer in which they lost both the Wisden Trophy and ODI series to England. Their run to the final four was especially heartening since Dwayne Bravo and Lendl Simmons scored runs in vital games, disproving the belief that West Indies’ batting is a three-man act of Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan. Surprisingly, though, the selectors have left out Lendl Simmons from the squad for the first two games. There are other tweaks too, with Darren Sammy omitted, Runako Morton and Narsingh Deonarine recalled, and the uncapped Darren Bravo brought in.ODI form guide (last five matches, most recent first)
India – LWWNW
India’s last ODI series was the five-match contest in New Zealand which they won 3-1 with one washout.West Indies – LLNLL
West Indies’ last five one-dayers were all against England and they didn’t win any, losing two at home and two away with one being abandoned.Watch out for …Ashish Nehra: The left-arm medium-pacer last played an international for India in September 2005 after which a spate of injuries kept him out of contention. However, a strong performance in the IPL, where Nehra was the third-highest wicket-taker with 19 at 18.21 each, coupled with the axing of Munaf Patel and Irfan Pathan, paved the way for his return.Darren Bravo: If he’s anywhere near as skilled as his sibling Dwayne, India have a problem on their hands. Darren Bravo’s an unknown quantity to people outside the Caribbean, having played only 15 first-class games and eight List A matches for Trinidad & Tobago. It will be interesting to see what responsibility he’s given, if he plays, in the first two games against India.Team newsIndia have a few decisions to make regarding the composition of their final XI. Should Rohit Sharma continue opening in Sehwag’s absence? Or should he move down the order to give Vijay or Karthik a chance at the top? What of S Badrinath? Another worry for the team management is the delayed arrival of Karthik, Vijay and Badrinath due to issues with obtaining a transit visa to England. They were scheduled to arrive in Jamaica on Thursday evening.India (likely): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Dinesh Karthik, 3 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Ishant Sharma, 10 RP Singh, 11 Ashish Nehra.Simmons’ omission from the West Indies squad was surprising considering he scored 150 runs during the World Twenty20, including a 50-ball 77 against South Africa, and took a four-wicket haul in the group match against Sri Lanka. They also omitted Darren Sammy who has been an underrated allrounder in the West Indian outfit.West Indies (likely): 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Runako Morton, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Darren Bravo, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Jerome Taylor, 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Suleiman Benn, 11 Lionel BakerStats and triviaWest Indies have won four out of their last five ODIs in Jamaica – against India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Ireland. India have played only two ODIs at Sabina Park of which they lost one and won the other.Only once has a team made more than 300 at Sabina Park: Pakistan made 349 against Zimbabwe during the 2007 World Cup. The highest target successfully chased there is 254 when South Africa made 255 for 2 against West Indies in 2005.Quotes”West Indies are playing good cricket at the moment. They had a very good World Twenty20 tournament, but in 50 overs, you have time to settle down.”
“Both teams are looking to win and they (India) are trying to prove something against us. At the same time we want to get more wins under our belt and continue our development.”

The previous summer transfer window saw Southampton sell striker Danny Ings to fellow Premier League club Aston Villa after the Englishman managed to score 46 goals in 100 appearances for the Saints.

Unsurprisingly, Southampton have been struggling in front of goal so far this season with just five goals scored in their opening seven Premier League games.

Although things aren’t looking too positive at Southampton at the moment, there is one player at the club that Hasenhuttl should consider giving a chance to play in the first team to help fix their attacking output.

16-year-old attacking-midfielder Kamari Doyle has been showing his talents in Southampton’s youth teams in recent weeks.

Back in August, Doyle made three appearances for Southampton’s U18 side in the U18 Premier League where he managed to score five goals and provide one assist with all five strikes incredibly coming in their 7-2 win over Birmingham City.

Since then, the teenager has been involved with Southampton’s U23 team, playing in numerous positions as a second striker, central-midfielder and a right-winger, which shows just how skilled he is at just 16-years-old.

In addition to this, the fact that Doyle was recently named in The Guardian’s Next Generation 2021 list of the 20 best young talents across the Premier League clubs, proves how impressive he has been in Southampton’s youth ranks and how big his future at the club could be.

Taking all of this into account, we feel that it could well be worth Hasenhuttl giving Doyle a chance to show what he can do in the Premier League with the rest of the senior team, even at such a young age.

With current Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse set to begin serving a three-match ban after the current international break following a red card during the club’s previous clash with Chelsea, it could open the door for Doyle to make his senior debut from the bench.

Looking further down the line, we feel that there’s every chance that Doyle could potentially replace Ward-Prowse and be Southampton’s next academy star to come through the ranks and impress. He has the goal-scoring prowess to do so which combines nicely with his tidy ability on the ball. Doyle’s versatility is also a trait that compares well with the club’s skipper.

In our view, whether Hasenhuttl chooses to give Doyle a shot in their upcoming Premier League matches, the Saints could really do with getting their first win of the season as soon as they can to move away from the relegation zone.

In other news: Ralph could solve Southampton’s JWP problem instantly after big injury boost – opinion

Mahela Jayawardene now wants to push himself “to the limit” as a batsman

Ajay S Shankar30-Jun-2009Mahela Jayawardene has said Sri Lanka’s home series against Pakistan from Saturday will be a bigger challenge for him after giving up the team’s captaincy early this year because he now wants to push himself “to the limit” as a batsman. Jayawardene has discussed his new role with Kumar Sangakkara, his successor, and will focus on holding Sri Lanka’s batting together and improve its disappointing home record against Pakistan.The former Sri Lanka captain admitted that leading a subcontinent team, with all the passion involved, was not an easy job and hoped to emulate the manner in which Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid have managed the transition after giving up the captain’s role to contribute better as batsmen for India.”I always knew that everything [captaincy] was going to be over some day,” Jayawardene told Cricinfo. “For me, cricket is all about enjoyment and trying to do my best. I am sure I still have that hunger to do well and be a better cricketer than I am right now. In that perspective, it is a much bigger challenge for me, to push myself to the limit.”Jayawardene’s last Test as captain was also against Pakistan in March but that series was cut short by the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore. This time, he said, he was confident of easing into his new role for the home series, which starts on July 4. “When I captained the side, I made sure I had two different roles, as a captain and as a batsman. Now the captaincy has gone to somebody else but the batting role is going to be the same. My focus, my concentration, everything will be on that. So that’s not going to change because I am not the captain any more.”Jayawardene, who captained Sri Lanka from 2006, said Sangakkara, a close friend, understands and agrees with his views on how he should be contributing to the team. “Sanga just asked me to be the batsman that I am and probably be better than what I am right now. That’s what I want to be as well, and Sanga understands that. I enjoyed working with him when he was my deputy and now it is my duty to try and help him out in any way that I can to make his job easier.”We have already had lots of discussions about combinations, compositions and different things like tactics. I just give him different inputs and then it’s easier for him to play around with those. As for my role in the team, it is important for me to be the middle order batsman who will hold things together, and I just want to continue to do that.”Jayawardene has notched up four centuries, including a double against Pakistan in Karachi in February, in nine Tests over the last 12 months, scoring 773 runs at 70.27. His one-day batting dipped, however, during the same period and he scored just four fifties in 24 matches at 21.72, including three consecutive ducks against Zimbabwe and another against Bangladesh.On reflection, he said, he empathises with Tendulkar and Dravid who had also decided that captaincy was getting in the way of their batting. “It’s not an easy job, especially when you are captaining a sub-continent team. There are a lot of responsibilities, a lot of hope and joy because everyone is cricket-crazy. That’s something you get into when you get to be the captain. So you try and do your best and then leave it and go back and concentrate on your own performance and try and help the team in a different way. I have seen the way Sachin and Rahul have gone about things and it has been amazing. Hopefully, like them, I can do the job.”

It’s not an easy job, especially when you are captaining a sub-continent team. There are a lot of responsibilities, a lot of hope and joy because everyone is cricket-crazyJayawardene on captaincy

Jayawardene also revealed that he had a “light discussion” with Dravid on the issue when they met during the IPL in South Africa. “Rahul called me ‘skip’ and I said I am no longer that. We had a quiet joke about it during the IPL, [talking] about the captaincy and how much of a difference it makes when you leave it and come back into the team as a batsman. It’s all about prioritising your responsibilities; then the job becomes much easier.”It also helped, he said, that Sangakkara had emerged as a “capable” leader. “I knew I was leaving it to somebody capable of handling that pressure and of becoming a great captain for our country. I had no doubt in my mind about that.”The next step, Jayawardene said, was to work with Sangakkara and rectify their home record against the current visitors. Pakistan possess an overwhelming record in Sri Lanka, having lost just one Test to the hosts in 12 meetings since 1986. In fact, Pakistan have claimed three series wins out of five in Sri Lanka, including a 1-0 win in their previous meeting in 2006. This time, they are scheduled to play three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20 international.”We have always been very competitive, Pakistan and Sri Lanka,” Jayawardene said. “But our record against Pakistan is not that great. That’s something we need to improve on and that is added motivation for us. We need to make sure that we get it right because not many teams have beaten us at home but Pakistan have done that quite a bit. So that’s something we want to rectify.”Muthiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis will play a key role in the series, Jayawardene felt, and they will be helped by Lasith Maliga and a clutch of new fast bowlers. But he admitted that his own role will be under the scanner, too. “For me, from the first day that I played for my country, there has been pressure to do well. That’s always going to be there.”

Ricky Ponting has said the soggy conditions at Edgbaston had given them plenty to think about regarding the position of the spinner Nathan Hauritz

Cricinfo staff29-Jul-2009Mitchell Johnson’s chances of playing at Edgbaston may have firmed but Australia’s captain Ricky Ponting said the soggy conditions had given them plenty to think about regarding the position of the spinner Nathan Hauritz. As the selectors ponder whether Stuart Clark can squeeze into the line-up, Ponting said Australia’s research into Edgbaston didn’t make for happy reading for the spinners.”We’ve checked the stats for county games this season and spinners are averaging about 60 or 70 per wicket,” Ponting told the . “The numbers aren’t compelling and with all this weather around, the curator claims it will be a typical English seamer.”Hauritz would be unlucky to miss out, having picked up nine wickets in the first two Tests, and he would be a valuable man in Australia’s armoury if they bowl last. Ponting said it was unlikely he would choose to send England in after he did that at Edgbaston in 2005 and England scored 407 on the first day and won the match.”You can get a bit carried away and look into things too deeply,” Ponting said. “There aren’t many pitches you don’t want to bat first on, and if that’s the case you’re bowling last and you want a spinner. We just have to make sure we get our thinking right.”The beauty of our team is that whatever we do we’ve got plenty of options, with Michael Clarke, Simon Katich and Marcus North all able to bowl part-time spin. Marcus North showed he is more than capable of stepping up, with a good, long spell at Lord’s when Nathan Hauritz was injured.”However, North hasn’t picked up a Test wicket this series and it would be a gamble to rely on him as the leading spinner. He has also struggled to turn the ball as sharply as Hauritz, who is aiming to string together three consecutive Test appearances for the first time in his career.

Celtic defender Christopher Jullien isn’t expected to make his return from injury this month, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Postecoglou’s hopes

The 28-year-old hasn’t featured for the Hoops in 2021 after suffering an injury when blocking a shot against Dundee United last December.

Ange Postecoglou revealed towards the end of September that he was hoping Jullien would be back in training at the beginning of October.

However, that hasn’t come to fruition, and it seems as if Celtic supporters will have to wait longer to see the defender in action.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-15/” title=”Celtic updates!!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Source shares update

Football Insider shared a story on Sunday evening where Frank McAvennie was giving his thoughts on the French defender and his return.

Within the report, they shared information from a Celtic source, who claimed that Jullien isn’t expected to return before the end of the month.

The Verdict: Frustration

If Jullien returned to training at the beginning of the month, who knows, he may have featured for the first time under Postecoglou before October came to an end.

Celtic still have five fixtures to play before November comes around, so it is frustrating that the wait to see the centre-back will continue beyond Halloween.

Hopefully the 28-year-old will make his return before the year is out and can establish himself as first choice at the back once again, just like he was before that fateful injury.

In other news: Former Celtic player thinks Ange may land ‘exciting’ ace in cut-price deal who has the same agency as Ronaldo

It was a no-contest at the Maple Leaf North West Ground as Kenya crashed to 113 and lost heavily by nine wickets to the hosts Canada in a match which lasted just 49.3 overs

Cricinfo staff20-Aug-2009
ScorecardRizwan Cheema scored an unbeaten 76 off 38 balls•Eddie NorfolkIt was a no-contest at the Maple Leaf North-West Ground as Kenya were dismissed by the hosts for 113 and lost by nine wickets in a match which lasted just 49.3 overs. Khurram Chohan, the right-arm seamer, took four early wickets to reduce the visitors to 37 for 5, a position from which they never recovered. Rizwan Cheema then hit a blazing 76 off 38 balls to seal the win in 16.2 overs.Chohan got into the act in the sixth over of the Kenya innings when he sent back Alex Obanda and Steve Tikolo in the space of three balls. He then dismissed Seren Waters and Collins Obuya to reduce the visitors to 37 for 5 in the 12th over. Maurice Ouma resisted with an unbeaten 43 but it turned out to be a solo act as he ran out of partners in the 34th over.Canada lost the early wicket of Hiral Patel, before Cheema and Abdool Samad batted in fifth gear. Samad finished with an unbeaten 30 while Cheema, who smashed ten fours, sealed the win with his fourth six.

While Celtic’s academy does not produce quite as many stars as it used to, the Parkhead side’s youth setup has nevertheless continued to churn out a number of highly impressive talents in recent years – with Kieran Tierney, Aaron Hickey, Callum McGregor and Jack Hendry being some of the Bhoys’ more notable recent graduates.

However, aside from the £24.3m sale of Tierney, the Hoops have not always profited from their more talented youngsters as often as many would like, with two of the previously mentioned graduates, Aaron Hickey and Jack Hendry, having both left the club for nominal fees.

Another player who would certainly fall into this category is central midfielder Liam Henderson, who, since his £108k move to SSC Bari back in 2018, has proven that Celtic once again undervalued a very exciting talent.

Indeed, during his time with Bari, the 25-year-old made 19 Serie B appearances, scoring two goals, registering two assists and helping his side reach the play-offs in the league.

These performances led to Hellas Verona snapping the midfielder up the following summer, where the former Scotland U21 international would make 30 appearances in all competitions in his first season at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi, scoring three goals and providing three assists along the way – as well as helping his side to secure promotion via the Serie B play-offs.

Henderson was once again on the move in the following campaign, as, after featuring just four times in Serie A for Hellas in the first half of the season, the club decided to loan the 25-year-old out to Serie B side Empoli, where he would score one goal and register four assists over 16 league fixtures.

This led to Lecce splashing £450k on the midfielder in the summer of 2020, where the Scot enjoyed what could easily be viewed as his breakthrough season.

Indeed, over his 40 Serie B appearances last term, Henderson scored three goals, provided seven assists and created eight big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.2 shots and making 1.4 key passes per game.

These returns saw the player who Lecce president Saverio Sticchi Damiani dubbed as “exemplary” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.95, ranking him as his side’s joint 10th-best performer in the second tier of Italian football.

However, once again, the 25-year-old was on the move this summer, linking up with a former side once more in the shape of Serie A side Empoli, where, over his eight top-flight appearances so far this season, Henderson has averaged a highly impressive SofaScsore match rating of 6.89.

And, as a reflection of his ever-improving displays, the player Celtic sold for £108k three and a half years ago is now worth £1.98m – leaving the Parkhead side not only roughly £1.9m out of pocket but also without an extremely talented midfielder, and proving that the club’s former CEO Peter Lawwell endured something of a nightmare when selling the youngster.

In other news: 61 game-changing actions prove Ange is finally living up to his biggest Celtic promise

Andrew Hilditch’s future with Cricket Australia could be determined next month, with moves afoot to create a position for a full-time selector on the national panel

Alex Brown26-Aug-2009Andrew Hilditch’s future with Cricket Australia (CA) could be determined next month, with moves afoot to create a position for a full-time selector on the national panel. Hilditch, who runs a law firm in Adelaide in addition to his role as chairman of selectors, is tipped to relinquish his cricketing duties if his role is upgraded to full-time. However, CA is also considering the possibility of employing one of the remaining three selectors in a permanent capacity; a move that would allow Hilditch to continue to chair the panel part-time.The uncertainty surrounding Hilditch’s future comes as part of a planned overhaul of Australia’s selection process recommended by an internal Player Pathway Review Committee, as revealed by Cricinfo in May. The committee has recommended a five-point plan to professionalise the selection process, including the appointment of a “talent manager/selector” in each state to report to the four-man national panel. The recommendations pre-date Australia’s Ashes defeat, however given the current zeitgeist, and with a meeting of the CA board and an annual general meeting scheduled for September, it is anticipated the proposed changes will be in effect before the next Australian summer.Calls for a selection overhaul in the wake of Australia’s defeat at The Oval have been vociferous. But CA sources insist that changes, if they are made, will not be in response to the underwhelming performances of the national team. Rumours are already circulating that Hilditch and one other selector will stand down from their posts in the coming months, although a CA spokesman last night insisted no decision had been made.James Sutherland this week spoke out in defence of Hilditch and his panel, despite the general acknowledgment that their decision to omit Nathan Hauritz for the Ashes decider on a turning pitch was flawed. Hilditch admitted the error in a press conference immediately after Australia’s 2-1 defeat, but gave no indication he would step down from his position with the national panel.Speaking to Cricinfo prior to the first Test, Hilditch hinted that his future with CA would be determined by whether his view is determined to be full-time in the future. Should one of the remaining three selectors be upgraded to full-time status, Hilditch is likely to continue chairing the panel.”There are lots of recommendations, all of which I’m fully in support of,” Hilditch said of the pathways document. “The one that seems to be highlighted is are we going to have a full-time selector or a full-time chairman, but the more important part of the review was what we should be doing at state level, Australia A and future tours. I’ll be interested to see where it goes.”I’ve done most of my time voluntarily and I enjoyed that process. It’s wonderful to be able to do those sort of things. If it continues that’s great, because I’m very fortunate, but I’ll see what happens. Unfortunately there’s some perception at the moment that I should have been at the first (Ashes warm-up) game, but that’s got nothing to do with whether I’m a full-time chairman. If there’s a fulltime selector he’s not going to be at every game.”CA’s directors have already endorsed the recommendations of the Player Pathway Review Committee “subject to the CA Board approving the 2009-10 budget.” The review also recommended a refocussing of “state cricket to produce Australian players” and a restructuring of both men’s and women’s pathway programmes.

West Ham United could stumble upon their next Michail Antonio in teenage striker Divin Mubama.

The 17-year-old forward has been in prolific form for the Irons’ academy set-up and was singled out for praise following the U18s’ resounding win over Aston Villa U18s over the weekend.

Mubama bagged a brace in the match and assistant coach Gerard Prenderville talked up the youngster to the Hammers’ official website.

“It’s not only great to have Divin back on the pitch, but also in and around training sessions as well,” he said.

“I’ve coached him from a young age and he obviously loves to score goals, but he works really hard on it as well. To get him in and around the box, back firing and fully fit, is a real plus for any side.”

It took his total for the side to three goals in as many games, whilst he has delivered a total of 12 goals from 27 appearances for the U18s. Such form has even earned him a place in the U23s squad at the age of just 16, which is a telling sign that he could go onto be something quite special.

Prior to the suspension of Academy football due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Mubama had 45 goals for the campaign, and that saw him receive international recognition with England U15s in August, also getting U17 recognition since then.

Indeed, the Irons starlet is thought to be ‘highly-rated’ by those at the London Stadium as they are trying to tie him down to a professional deal in the hope that he could follow the likes of Declan Rice and Ben Johnson into the first team squad.

Also described as “hard-working” both on and off the pitch by Prenderville, Mubama has taken some inspiration from Carlton Cole, who is amongst the academy coaching setup at Chadwell Heath.

The teenage prodigy began life as a defender before being converted into a striker, which bears some similarities to that of the versatile Antonio, having played almost every outfield position for the Hammers.

Alongside his evident goalscoring ability, that makes him an intriguing candidate to take the reins from the 31-year-old in the future, and supporters around the London Stadium should be rather excited by his potential either way.

AND in other news, Forget Cresswell: West Ham gem who won 100% duels was Moyes’ unsung hero against Spurs…

Manchester United have been linked with a move for Nicolo Barella as they look to add further reinforcements to their engine room.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, the recruitment team at Old Trafford are already beginning to plan for the January transfer window and beyond as their troubles on the pitch continue to mount.

They claim that a new central midfielder is high up on the United hierarchy’s wishlist and the Inter Milan midfielder is their priority target after a string of standout displays from the highly-rated 24-year-old for both club and country in recent months.

Fans will be buzzing

With Paul Pogba’s future at Old Trafford far from secure, a large section of the club’s supporters will be excited to learn that the Red Devils are reportedly in the market for Barella.

The Italy international has established himself as one of Serie A’s most influential stars over the last couple of campaigns, playing a pivotal part in Inter’s first league title victory in 11 years last term.

His impressive performances have earned several plaudits in his homeland, including former Juventus star Claudio Marchisio.

Barella then carried his incredible club form onto the international stage during the European Championships, scoring one goal and laying on a further two assists in six outings as the Azzurri claimed the Euro 2020 trophy over England.

Therefore, Red Devils football director John Murtough must consider a swoop for the £58.5m-rated beast over the coming months as he’ll be providing the 20-time English champions with one of the best young central midfielders in Europe right now.

And, in other news…Reliable journo drops big update on Solskjaer’s future, Man Utd fans will be intrigued