Pakistan’s performance must rank as the most disappointing in theirWorld Cup history. They have been beaten by Australia, England, andnow India this time around. And all that remains is a game againstZimbabwe, which Pakistan will have to win by an almost impossibly highmargin to sneak into the Super Sixes. In the circumstances, Pakistanneed a miracle.While all the other teams have improved as the tournament hasprogressed, Pakistan is one team that has refused to do so. Time hasrun out on these players, and if they don’t put up an extraordinaryperformance against Zimbabwe, they might be in for a few shocks whenthey return home.I must say that it is every cricketer’s dream to play in the WorldCup, because it is the one big opportunity you get to prove yourselfagainst the very best in the world. It is an opportunity that a playerjust can’t allow to pass by. I was privileged enough to participate insix World Cups in my career, and I know the fire, passion and pridewith which we all competed in each one of them.Let us face it – we lost to a better team at Centurion. It didn’treally matter who the opponent was, all the media-hype about playingIndia in a crucial game should not have had any influence on both theteams. Remember, these guys are professionals.What baffled me most about the Pakistan side for the match and duringthe rest of the World Cup is the fact that too many players seem to bein the side purely on the basis of reputation. The batting, for itspart, looked mediocre for the best part against India. They huffed andpuffed till they reached 200 against an Indian attack that was nowherenear the best in the World.Saleem Elahi should not have been dropped from the side; he averageswell above 50 in his last 10 appearances for Pakistan. Having saidthat, I don’t have words to describe what Inzamam-ul-Haq has beengoing through. By the looks of it, in his current form, Inzi won’teven score against a local club side. His terrible run out was thelast thing Pakistan wanted.I do not intend to pick on individuals, but then, what was ShahidAfridi doing in the side? And that too at the cost of Saqlain Mushtaq!This meant that when Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag weresmashing the bowling to all parts of the park, Waqar just didn’t havea bowler who could slow it down.I must say that Tendulkar made full use of Pakistan’s obviousstrength. The faster Shoaib bowled at him, the more powerful his shotswere. Wouldn’t Pakistan have loved to have someone who could play withhalf the passion that Sachin played with at Centurion?If the players lack the passion for the game and the hunger to go fora win, there is very little anyone can do. It was again clear thatthere seemed to be no game plan, no thinking in the middle; onceTendulkar smashed 18 runs off the second over, I saw a few heads drop.No, this is not the Pakistan team I have known.At that stage, Pakistan sorely missed Rashid Latif, who was injuredwhile batting. In the afternoon, it was Latif’s late charge thathelped Pakistan go past the 250-run mark. When the bowlers weregetting clattered around, he would have been one man who would havebeen capable of lifting the morale of the side with his enthusiasticpresence.Before I end, let me say that even with a professional coach and thenumerous experienced stars in the side, if the team can’t get thebasic things right, then it is time for major changes in the setup.Bulawayo offers this Pakistan team their last chance to redeem lostpride. They will be up against the likes of the Flower brothers, AndyBlignaut and Heath Streak. Andy Flower, in particular, will be keyedup to play one last memorable knock in what might in all possibilitybe his last hurrah as an international cricketer. The rest of the hometeam players too will be right behind the legendary Zimbabweancricketer. It is certainly going to be a battle of passion and prideat Bulawayo, and I have a feeling that Zimbabwe will beat Pakistan,and enter the Super Sixes.

BRISBANE, March 1 AAP – Victoria added another chapter to its book of Gabba nightmares today when Queensland surged into its fifth consecutive home Pura Cup cricket final.The Bulls cruised to a nine-wicket victory after tea on the third day, leaving the scarred Victorians with the task of returning to the Gabba for the March 14 decider.They must first keep NSW from snatching second place in Thursday’s final round, with the Blues hosting Queensland while Victoria plays Western Australia at the MCG.Victoria hasn’t won at the Gabba since December 1983 but there were specks of hope from the last three days to suggest the Bushrangers could land some punches on Queensland.But captain Darren Berry admitted his bowlers could not afford to unravel again after they let the Bulls out of jail and handed them the key during a poor first afternoon which turned the match.Queensland skipped away from 3-17 to post 349 on a green wicket, and Victoria’s replies of 159 and 229 were never enough.Berry (46), Jon Moss (66) and Andrew McDonald (33) showed the value of positive batting today as the Bushrangers avoided an innings loss before Queensland reached 1-40 to claim victory.”In the past, we’ve let ourselves down with the bat up here but this time we cost ourselves with the ball,” Berry said.”That was a 100-all-out wicket the first day and we wasted the opportunity. For them to make 350 was diabolical.”But it’s not all doom and gloom and it’s no use putting our heads down.”Did anyone not try their best? No. So we have to get on with it but we can’t afford to look any futher than this game against Western Australia.”Queensland is already looking forward to an intriguing clash with Steve and Mark Waugh’s Blues.The Bulls have extra motivation because captain Martin Love admitted his team would rather face Victoria than the more experienced Blues in the decider.But Love said one of the keys to Queensland’s recent dominance of interstate cricket, after winning the last three Pura Cup titles, was not thinking too far ahead.”We really do take one game at a time and that’s really helped us over the last few years not to get complacent,” Love said.It’s also helped having the likes of Michael Kasprowicz, Ashley Noffke, Adam Dale and Joe Dawes to torment opposition batsmen.Berry rated Kasprowicz as “clearly the best bowler in the competition” after the right-armer shared the wickets with Noffke, Dale and Dawes.It wasn’t the Bulls’ sharpest bowling exhibition, particularly when McDonald, Moss and Berry began hitting out, but it was a typically clever performance in the Gabba conditions.Noffke (3-43) was the most successful bowler in the second dig while Dale (2-47) collected his 200th first-class wicket for Queensland.

It’s been characteristic of this tour that the two three-day matches have been affected by bad light both in Adelaide and Perth. South Africa A came within five runs of victory today on the third and final day of the second match against Australia A at the WACA Ground in Perth only to be denied by bad light. Martin van Jaarsveld was in sublime form for the South Africans.By declaring their second innings at 307 for 2, Australia A set the South Africans a target of 306 in 75 overs. The declaration came half an hour to lunch after a superb innings by Michael Hussey and his captain, Simon Katich, who scored 145 and an unbeaten 134 respectively. This pair shared a 274-run partnership for the second wicket after resuming on 163 for one this morning. Hussey fell to part-time medium bowler, Adam Bacher. Thereafter, Katich who was then partnered by Andrew Symonds called an end to the proceedings.South Africa A were off to a confident start, with the opening pair of Ahmed Amla and Adam Bacher setting the tone with 42 runs for the first wicket. But Amla was out for 20 and Bacher followed him shortly afterwards with the total on 49. Then Martin van Jaarsveld lost the company of Ashwell Prince for four. When he was joined by Morne van Wyk, they piled up 129 runs for the fourth wicket before Van Wyk was out for 56 which he scored off 59 balls with 6 fours and a six. Justin Kemp made a quickfire 27 before he departed. Nicky Boje made 24, but together with Van Jaarsveld they shared a sixth wicket stand of 73 runs. Boje was out for 24. However, Van Jaarsveld continued unabated to score his second century of the tour in 107 balls, hitting 16 boundaries and two sixes. He later departed for 140.The South Africans reached 301 for 7 – just five runs short of victory before bad light stopped play.Van Jaarsveld was ecstatic for his effort. “I’m over the moon. There was a lot of moisture in the wicket especially with the new ball. But I’m quite happy that I managed to see it through before the wicket became brilliant to bat on later in the day,” he said.Stand in skipper Nicky Boje said the match was played in good spirit after the two sides declared their innings. “To leave us 306 in 75 overs was a good declaration from them since we had declared our first innings and we gave it all in reaching that target.”Coach Vincent Barnes was content with the overall performance although some players were out with niggling injuries. Quinton Friend, Gerald Dros (both hamstring) and Dewald Pretorius (broken right middle finger nail) and Justin Kemp’s bruised left wrist. “We put the ball in Australia’s court to make a game of it, knowing that we would lose ten overs a day due to bad light,” he said.The remaining one day match is scheduled for Wednesday at the WACA, starting form 12:30 (WA time). Australia lead the five-match series 2-1.

After the euphoria of their epic and record-breaking victory in the fourth Test against Australia in Antigua, West Indies must now show some more of the same energy and enterprise in the one-day international series, starting in Jamaica on Saturday, or the Aussies will bring them back down to earth as fiercely as a Glenn McGrath tongue-lashing.

West Indies go into the seven-match series fielding a largely inexperienced squad, with an average age of just under 25. There are three players from outside the Test side: the World Cup duo of Ricardo Powell and Corey Collymore, and the uncapped Ryan Hurley, an offspinning allrounder from Barbados, but no Shivnarine Chanderpaul, whose brilliant hundred paved the way for Tuesday’s historic victory.Chanderpaul fractured the middle finger on his left hand while taking to catch Adam Gilchrist during Australia’s first innings at St. John’s, and he will now miss the entire one-day series against Australia and, possibly, next month’s series against Sri Lanka as well. “The fracture was complex and required urgent surgery,” said Ricky Skerritt, the West Indies team manager. “The best medical opinion indicates that Shiv will be out of cricket for at least six weeks.”Ridley Jacobs will also miss out. Saturday’s fixture would have been his 119th ODI, but he has been given more time to recover from the groin injury which caused him to miss the second and third Tests in Trinidad and Barbados. His place will be taken by Carlton Baugh, who stood in for him in those matches and is one of five new caps in the West Indian squad, the other four being Hurley, Dave Bernard, Devon Smith and Omari Banks – whose unbeaten 47 on the final day at Antigua was a performance of huge maturity that few other 20-year-olds could have emulated.The mechanical Daren Ganga is not required, despite his twin centuries in the Test series, but Pedro Collins, who was dropped after the second Test in Trinidad, misses out as well – quite a fall from grace for a player who opened West Indies’s bowling in the first match of World Cup just three months ago.For Australia though, it’s the same old faces, as they pull on their gold jerseys for the first time since their crushing World Cup win in Johannesburg. In come Michael Bevan, Andrew Symonds, Ian Harvey and Nathan Hauritz, while Stuart MacGill, Ashley Noffke and Martyn Love nip over to England for a spot of county cricket, and Steve Waugh and Justin Langer fly home.Ricky Ponting will return to action as well, after shaking off that virus which caused him to miss the Antigua defeat. His last one-day innings – 140 not out from 121 balls – earned him the Man of the Match award in the World Cup final, and with centuries in each of his three Tests this series, West Indies need no reminder of his destructive capabilities.To date, Australia have won 10, lost 12 and tied one of their 23 ODIs in the Caribbean, and last time round in 1998-99 the seven-match series ended all square at three-all. But since then, Australia have progressed right to the top of world cricket with two World Cup wins, while apart from a spirited but ultimately doomed World Cup campaign and a 3-2 series win in India last year, West Indies haven’t made the strides they would have wanted.So as long as Brian Lara doesn’t single-handedly take the Aussies apart, and no-one on either side mentions Mrs McGrath, Australia should have no problems adding this series to their routine 3-1 Test win.West Indies Brian Lara (capt), Ramnaresh Sarwan (v-capt), Omari Banks, Carlton Baugh (wk), Corey Collymore, Mervyn Dillon, Vasbert Drakes, Chris Gayle, Ricardo Powell, Marlon Samuels, Devon Smith, David Bernard (12th Man).Australia Ricky Ponting (capt), Adam Gilchrist (wk), Michael Bevan, Andy Bichel, Ian Harvey, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hogg, Brett Lee, Darren Lehmann, Glenn McGrath, Andrew Symonds, Jimmy Maher (12th Man).

The man responsible for running the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean has claimed that two of the region’s highest-profile cricket grounds are in desperate need of renovation.Chris Dehring, chief executive officer of Windies World Cup, told the Sunday Sun newspaper that Jamaica’s Sabina Park and Barbados’s Kensington Oval were not fit to be used in the 2007 World Cup, and that investment of several millions of dollars was needed to get them ready in time.”You are talking about two countries which have been so-called traditional venues of international cricket in the Caribbean,” Dehring explained. “Yet, because of their status as traditional venues, very little, or certainly not enough, has been done, to improve the quality of the stadiums in these countries over the last 40 years.”So what you have is a situation where the best or the most modern cricket stadiums are actually now in the Eastern Caribbean: St Lucia, Antigua, St Vincent and Grenada, which have new facilities and purpose-built cricket stadiums.”That’s one area where both Jamaica and Barbados have fallen behind. I think it’s quite sad when you think about the tradition of cricket in Barbados where you have Kensington Oval, which the Barbadians refer to as the Mecca. I ask myself if this is the Mecca, why hasn’t an investment befitting a Mecca taken place in Barbados over the last 30 years.”Dehring did, however, argue that the very lack of readiness presented its own opportunities. “The beauty about it is that there is really no country that is absolutely ready, so, this is a green field. You don’t have these massive infrastructures you would have to move out of the way to put the World Cup infrastructure. It really is an opportunity to put in place exactly what we want and factor in what we need in the Caribbean, whether it is the cricket World Cup or not.”Dehring concluded that although the plans were as much as two years behind schedule, he believed that the Caribbean would be ready in time, and he dismissed reports that the International Cricket Council (ICC) was looking at alternative venues. “All of the television rights have been sold all around the world,” he said. “I don’t think it could be disbanded even if the ICC wanted to, and the ICC and the Caribbean have no intention of walking away from the exciting challenge of the World Cup in the West Indies.”Asked whether last week’s suggestions for a revamp of the whole one-day structure would affect the tournament, Dehring smiled. “It’s just like saying that somebody submitted a proposal for restructuring the Olympic Games and Athens is in danger.”

Sri Lanka 313 for 6 (Chandana 89) beat West Indies 312 for 4 (Lara 116, Gayle 94) by four wickets

Upul Chandana scored a brilliant career-best 89 as Sri Lanka pulled off asensational four-wicket victory against West Indies to clinch thethree-match series. Sri Lanka had looked dead and buried after Brian Lara’s 116 had powered West Indies to a mammoth 312 in their 50 overs, the highest ever score at the Kensington Oval, but Sri Lanka produced the perfect chase, winning a last-over thriller with three balls to spare.Chandana has sat on the Sri Lanka bench in recent times, but he guaranteedhimself an extended run in the side here. He had a nightmare with the ball,conceding 40 runs in just four overs, but then played the innings of alifetime after being promoted up the order, hitting four sixes and six foursin his 71-ball 89.Sri Lanka’s run chase had started well with Sanath Jayasuriya creaming theoff-side boundary hoardings on his way to 41 from 35 balls. RomeshKaluwitharana, his similarly combustible opening partner, chugged along at agood lick too, as 71 runs came from the first 65 balls.However, the entry of Samuels’ part-time offbreaks into the attack in theninth over brought the breakthrough, as Jayasuriya skewed a catch to VasbertDrakes at backward point (71 for 1). Kaluwitharana (34 from 36 balls)followed soon after following a mid-pitch hesitation and a direct hit fromRicardo Powell (78 for 2).Marvan Atapattu and Kumar Sangakkara were forced into a period ofconsolidation. They should both have been dismissed early on, as West Indies’ fielders floored a handful of chances, but they gradually settled to add 75 forthe third wicket and keep Sri Lanka in the hunt.When Atapattu was run out for 47 from 54 balls by a direct hit from bySarwan, Sri Lanka gambled on the promotion of Chandana (153 for 3). Heplayed cautiously at first, but soon had the score ticking over with amixture of quick singles, scampered twos and old-fashioned biffs over theleg-side.Chandana added 39 runs with Sangakkara, before Drakes broke through in hisfirst over, as Sangakkara top-edged a pull having scored 31 from 56 balls(192 for 4). But Chandana pushed on with Mahela Jayawardene, reaching histhird one-day fifty off just 47 balls. With 10 overs remaining Sri Lankaneeded 92 runs for victory. Their chances improved as 17 runs were smashedoff the 42nd over.As clouds gathered over the stadium, West Indies seriously contemplated defeatfor the first time as Sri Lanka moved ahead of the Duckworth/Lewistarget. When rain interrupted play in the 43rd over, Sri Lanka needed 63from 44 balls.

When they returned, West Indies’ inexperienced fielders buckled under thepressure. A succession of run outs were missed, catches were floored and theground fielding was dreadful. Chandana eventually lofted a catch to deepsquare but by then Sri Lanka were in charge.Sri Lanka needed 18 runs from the last two overs and Drakes started with ano-ball that was clipped to the boundary. Drakes did take the wicket ofJayawardene (32), but Sri Lanka held their nerve in the last over, scoringthe last four runs required in the first three balls.A young West Indies side were left wondering what had gone wrong. They hadlooked the only winners after the last 11 overs of their innings, when Laraand Samuels cut loose, flogging 109 runs from just 55 balls in apyrotechnic fifth-wicket stand. Samuels played an important hand, thrashing56 from 36 balls, but it was Lara who really whipped the crowd into afrenzy.Back in his customary No. 3 position, Lara rode his luck early on, asBilly Bowden missed a clear inside edge off his third ball, but then playeda faultless innings. He played watchfully at the start, ticked along in themiddle and then exploded in the slog overs.Lara added 137 for the second wicket with Chris Gayle (94), who was alsogiven a reprieve by Bowden. The pair concentrated on survival against thenew ball before asserting their authority against Sri Lanka’s spinners.Nevertheless, at the mid-innings point, the game was still well-balancedwith West Indies on 99 for 1.The dismissal of Gayle and Ramaresh Sarwan (3) triggered the final charge,as Lara clicked into overdrive, racing to his 17th one-day century with astream of imperious shots. Samuels was equally audacious at the other end,striking six fours and one six of his own. An astonishing 136 runs wereplundered from the last 11 overs and the match looked buried. But no-one hadreckoned on Chandana’s heroics.

Michael Vaughan expects to be fit for England’s next triangular series match against Zimbabwe on July 1. He missed their game against South Africa due to back trouble – he said it was a "precautionary measure" – and Marcus Trescothick had stood in as captain.Vaughan back injury was suffered before Thursday’s defeat by Zimbabwe at Nottingham, and he played with the help of pain killers. Although he seemed to have recovered, he stiffened up again on Friday night and was taken to hospital on Saturday morning for a precautionary scan to try and assess the extent of the injury. The conclusion was that he is suffering from slight tissue or ligament damage.”On Thursday morning in fielding practice I managed to pull my back in some way but the adrenalin and looseness of being on the park got me through,” Vaughan told Sky Sports. “I travelled down to London on Friday and after four hours in a car I am struggling to bend at the moment. I’ve tried to warm it but I wasn’t quite ready for the South Africa game … I really wanted to play but [England physio] Dean Conway said it was too much of a risk with all the cricket we have to play in the next few weeks.”I had a scan which showed mainly tissue damage. Dean says that with acouple of days rest and treatment I should be all right for Tuesday’s game.”

India A 165 and 27 for 0 drew with Glamorgan 140 (Bhandari 6-38)
ScorecardAmit Bhandari took 6 for 38, but it wasn’t enough to prevent India A’s match with Glamorgan at Swansea ending in a rain-blighted draw.With the loss of much of yesterday, a positive result in the game was always unlikely but Glamorgan’s collapse briefly gave India A a glimmer of hope. Resuming on 104 for 4, Glamorgan lost their last six wickets for 29 in an hour either side of a break caused by of a shower.The dismissal of top-scorer Adrian Shaw for 33 started the slide, and then Bhandari weighed in with four dismissals, including Dean Cosker and Darren Thomas with successive deliveries.India A had reached 27 for 1 in their second innings when the rain returned, the wicket to fall that of Satyajit Parab for a fourth-ball duck.Day 2 Bulletin

Frizzell County Championship Division One
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Lancashire 450 for 6 dec v Sussex 251 and 21 for 2 at Old Trafford
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Sussex will have to endure a nervy final day at Old Trafford, after they were forced to follow-on by a tigerish Lancashire side whose hopes of snatching the title at the death have improved dramatically. Murray Goodwin gritted his teeth and survived a nasty blow from Peter Martin to make 118, but Gary Keedy and John Wood shared nine wickets between them as Sussex folded for 251. Only Mushtaq Ahmed, with a brisk 54, halted the slide. Sussex were then reduced to 21 for 2, and have managed a mere four bonus points in the match. That is enough to end Surrey’s hopes, but should Lancashire wrap up victory tomorrow, everything will hinge on the final round of matches – when Sussex are at home to Leicestershire and Lancashire face Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.Leicestershire 295 and 5 for 0 beat Kent 130 and 169 by ten wickets at Leicester
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After a shambolic season, Leicestershire finally recorded their first championship victory in 15 attempts – and emphatically as well, as a disinterested Kent side crumbled to a ten-wicket defeat at Grace Road. Kent contrived to lose 19 wickets in the day, and it was a measure of their surrender that there were no outstanding performances from the Leicester bowlers. Charlie Dagnall grabbed three wickets in the first innings, and David Masters three in the second, and although the pitch was beginning to show unpredictable bounce, there were several carefree end-of-term shots on display. Leicestershire were denied an innings victory – just – but had no hassles in rattling off the five runs required in their second knock.Nottinghamshire 361 and 48 for 0 v Middlesex 326 at Lord’s
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Owais Shah top-scored with 87 to all but ensure Middlesex top-flight cricket next season, as their match against Nottinghamshire dwindled towards a draw. Chris Cairns gave Notts the perfect start when he removed Andrew Strauss early in the day, and a below-par Stuart MacGill grabbed 4 for 98 in a curate’s egg of a performance. Ten of Middlesex’s batsmen reached double-figures, with David Nash slashing his way to an unbeaten 53. They were aided by an unfortunate injury to Charlie Shreck, who broke a finger in the outfield while diving in vain to cut off one of Shah’s classical off-drives.Essex 256 v Warwickshire 456 for 7 at Chelmsford (Day 2)
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Mark Wagh led the way in a powerful Warwickshire performance, scoring a fine 118 to push Essex towards the brink of relegation. Essex had resumed on 249 for 9, and were soon cleaned up to leave John Stephenson unbeaten on 75, before Warwickshire demonstrated what should have been possible had Essex’s top-order applied themselves. Wagh and Nick Knight added 107 for the second wicket, and only James Middlebrook – with four top-order wickets in 42 disciplined overs – was able to make an impression. Dougie Brown, fresh from his century against Lancashire last week, compounded Essex’s problems with an unbeaten 67.Frizzell County Championship Division Two
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Somerset 409 and 214 v Derbyshire 400 at Taunton
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Dominic Cork completed the superb match figures of 10 for 127, to give bottom-placed Derbyshire every chance of their third victory of the season, against Somerset at Taunton. Derbyshire had conceded a first innings deficit of nine runs after being bowled out for exactly 400, and Somerset built on that by pushing on to 124 for 1. But Mohammad Ali removed both of Somerset’s top scorers, Matthew Wood and Neil Burns, and with Nathan Dumelow wheeling through the middle-order, Cork swung out the tail – including the final two wickets from consecutive deliveries in the last over of the day. Derbyshire will need an eminently gettable 224 tomorrow.Northants 319 and 265 v Glamorgan 203 and 167 for 4 at Cardiff
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Robert Croft denied Mike Hussey a record-equalling sixth consecutive century, but Northants nonetheless remained on course for victory thanks to a solid batting performance on a spinners’ wicket at Cardiff. Hussey made 50 before falling to Robert Croft, who finished with 5 for 54 and ten wickets in the match. But David Sales kept him at bay with a half-century, before Andre Nel topped up the total with a hard-hitting 42 from No. 10. Glamorgan were left needing 368 for victory, and Jason Brown and Graeme Swann continued the spin-domination with three wickets between them. Mark Wallace was run out for 38 as they closed on 167 for 4.Gloucestershire 374 and 288 for 7 dec v Durham 218 and 171 for 4 at Bristol
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Jonty Rhodes produced the perfect send-off for his adoptive home crowd at Bristol, by scoring his second century of the match to put Gloucestershire in sight of a hugely important victory against Durham. Rhodes added 102 to his first-innings 103, to leave Durham needing an unlikely 445 for victory. He was aided and abetted by Ian Harvey, who clubbed five fours and two sixes in his 36-ball 41, and Jack Russell, who was left unbeaten on 34 at the declaration. Shoaib Akhtar was the pick of Durham’s bowling with 4 for 48. In reply, Durham reached 171 for 4, with much resting on Martin Love, who finished unbeaten on 49.Worcestershire 309 for 5 v Yorkshire at New Road (Day 1)
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Ben Smith and Kadeer Ali dominated Yorkshire’s bowling with a third-wicket stand of 182, to put Worcestershire in control of the match – and the second division championship – at New Road. Kadeer, who was this week called into England’s academy squad, fell one short of a celebratory hundred, but Smith made no mistake with 110, his second century of the season. He eventually fell lbw to Steve Kirby, who picked up two wickets but was dispatched for 100 runs in his 23 overs.

Much has been made of the specific plans that New Zealand’s think-tank draw up for each opposition batsman, but in the case of Akash Chopra, Ashley Ross and Stephen Fleming clearly missed a trick. In the tour games, Chopra had been troubled by the well-pitched-up delivery, often playing with an angled bat towards gully. However, in this match, Daryl Tuffey and Jacob Oram continually pitched it short with the new ball, allowing Chopra the luxury of playing off the back foot.

Off the 23 balls that Tuffey bowled to Chopra in the morning session, only three times was he drawn forward; the corresponding figure against Oram was six out of 31. On a pitch which had neither the pace nor the bounce to aid the seamers, banging the ball in short was unlikely to meet with much success. The one chance that Chopra did offer was when he was drawn on the front foot by Tuffey in the third over after lunch. The ball pitched on a good length, just outside off – precisely the region where New Zealand’s bowlers should have attacked with the new ball – and Chopra obliged with an angled-bat defensive stroke. Robbie Hart made a hash of a regulation catch, but a look at the videos from today’s play might just prompt Fleming to chalk out a new plan of attack when New Zealand next bowl to Chopra. The way Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman batted in the last session, though, Tuffey and Oram might have to wait till the second Test at Mohali to get that opportunity.The Wisden Bulletin
The Wisden Verdict: Planning’s not enough
NZ View: Tuffey makes his point
Roving Reporter: Screaming for Sa-chin
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