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Rob Newton scored the first century of Northamptonshire’s season as they had marginally the better of the first day with Warwickshire at Wantage Road.

Press Association15-Jun-2014
ScorecardRob Newton’s century was Northants’ first of the season•PA PhotosRob Newton scored the first century of Northamptonshire’s season as they had marginally the better of the first day with Warwickshire at Wantage Road. When bad light brought proceedings to a premature close, the home side had made 297 for 8, with Newton unbeaten on 108.This represented something of a strong recovery given the fact they were 141 for 6 after less than 40 overs of play and it was mainly down to Newton and Andrew Hall’s seventh wicket stand of 129 which dragged them out of the mire.For the visitors, Jeetan Patel was the pick of the attack and at one stage he had only conceded two runs from 11 overs but despite his efforts he only managed to pick up the wicket of Ben Duckett. The other seven to fall were shared around with Chris Woakes taking 3 for 74 and Chris Wright and Rikki Clarke sharing four between them.Having won the toss and elected to bat, Northants lost three wickets before the lunch interval as the visitors made early inroads. Stephen Peters was trapped on the crease by Woakes and James Middlebrook and Rob Keogh fell in the space of four balls to Clarke, the former caught behind and the latter comprehensively bowled.Richard Levi, making his Championship debut for the club after being drafted in to a faltering order, and Matt Spriegel saw it through to lunch at 97 for 3 but both departed within a couple of minutes of each other early in the afternoon session. Levi recieved a decent delivery from Woakes to be caught behind and Spriegel hit across the line to Wright to be trapped in front.Ben Duckett did not last too long as he edged Patel to Clarke at slip and the hosts were in real bother. But that brought Newton and Hall together and the pair, cautiously at first but more fluently later on, rebuilt the innings in determined fashion.The latter survived a strong appeal for lbw from Patel early in his innings and he reached his highest score of the season when he passed 28.Newton’s half century, also his best score of the year, arrived from 96 balls and tea was reached with the score at 202 for 6.It took the new ball to break them up as Woakes breached Hall’s defences but Newton reached three figures shortly after from 164 deliveries, an innings which included 17 boundaries. Steven Crook then drove loosely to become Wright’s second victim, however, Newton and Olly Stone survived until the close.

Amol Muzumdar has called time on a 21-year domestic career

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-20145:21

Who you play for doesn’t matter, giving your best does – Muzumdar

Former Mumbai batsman Amol Muzumdar has called time on a 21-year domestic career, during which he became one of the highest run-getters in the Ranji Trophy. Following 15 years with Mumbai, Muzumdar moved to Assam in 2009 and later to Andhra. He amassed 11167 runs from 171 first-class matches, with 30 centuries.Sanjay Patel, the BCCI secretary, called Muzumdar “one of the finest batsmen produced by the country.”Muzumdar, 39, was handed the captaincy of the Mumbai Ranji team in 2006-07 and overturned a poor start to lead the side to the title. He was unable to break into the national side despite stellar credentials in domestic cricket. He has, however, had a stint with Netherlands as their batting coach.Muzumdar began his first-class career with an unbeaten 260 against Haryana in the 1993-94 Ranji pre-quarterfinal, and kept putting up the runs for Mumbai season after season. He claimed the record for the top-run scorer in Ranji Trophy in 2009, but that record has since passed to Wasim Jaffer in 2012. His List A numbers are also steady with 3286 from 113 matches, including three centuries and 26 half-centuries.He went on to win eight Ranji titles with Mumbai. However, Muzumdar was competing for a middle-order slot in an India team that was quite full with Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman.

In light of Saturday's FA Cup final, GOAL pick an African Dream Team to have won football's oldest club competition

GettyBruce Grobbelaar

Africa has not produced many goalkeepers who have had as much success around the world as Grobbelaar.

The Zimbabwe keeper was very successful during his time at Liverpool, and in a career that spanned over 600 games, he won six league titles, three FA Cup winner’s medals and a European Cup.

He will cherish his 1989 FA Cup medal in particular, as a tribute to the 96 Liverpool fans who were killed in the Hillsborough disaster earlier that season. 

AdvertisementGetty ImagesLauren

Lauren was an outstanding defender and a crucial member of Arsenal’s Invincibles team that went the entire 2003/04 season unbeaten.

The Cameroonian was often referred to as the Gunners’ unsung hero during his time at the club, and walked away with a Premier League double, three FA Cup medals, and two Community Shield trophies.

He also enoyed a superb international career with the Indomitable Lions. 

Getty ImagesKolo Toure

Toure was a defensive stalwart in England for more than a decade, winning trophies with Arsenal and Manchester City.

He won the FA Cup three times, two with the Gunners and one at City, and enjoyed great success in North London as a member of the 2004 Invincibles squad. 

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(C)Getty ImagesJoel Matip

The Cameroon centre-back steps into our African Dream XI of African winners after clinching the cup with Liverpool on Saturday.

He was introduced as a substitute during the contest, and helped the Reds keep the European champions at bay before they won it on penalties.

Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab are No.1 and No. 2 in the points table, level on points separated by net run rate

The Preview by Alagappan Muthu06-May-2014Match factsWednesday, May 7, 2014
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)3:54

Hattangadi: CSK predictable in unpredictable format

Mitchell Johnson has not bowled as many short balls as he is known for, but normal service may resume against a strong Chennai Super Kings line-up•BCCIBig pictureChennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab are No.1 and No. 2 in the points table, separated by a slender two-point margin. Kings XI, however, have a game in hand. While most IPL teams have holes in their batting line-up, such concerns barely merit second thought for these two sides. Much of their success in the tournament so far has revolved around the top-order’s reliability. Glenn Maxwell is a bank for Kings XI Punjab at No.3, and Dwayne Smith is coming off his fourth half-century in seven matches for Chennai Super Kings.Both teams had initially found bowling resources scarce, but the depth of their squads offered appropriate remedy. Both MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming have lauded the balance of their side. Ishwar Pandey and Mohit Sharma have ensured their side can field a daunting set of overseas batsmen and have changed perception that spin is Super Kings’ strong suit.Their opposition has been infused with early venom in the form of Sandeep Sharma’s accurate and appreciable swing. Against a line-up that has been buoyed by their opening stand – Smith and Brendon McCullum have scored 616 of Super Kings’ 1139 runs so far – Sandeep and Mitchell Johnson might well be carrying the match on their shoulders during their first spell. A lack of early inroads contributed to Super Kings amassing 205 in Abu Dhabi, but Maxwell and Miller overhauled the target with an over the spare.Kings XI are carrying a few straggling batsmen in their ranks. Virender Sehwag played some sparkling cameos but has not blossomed further. George Bailey has looked decidedly nervous, especially when introduced against spin, and is also keeping out a reputed performer in Shaun Marsh. With the season in full swing, it is time Kings XI found assistance for Maxwell and Miller.Watch out for…The last time these two teams met Ben Hilfenhaus was relegated to the bench. Since gaining his opportunity, the Australian seamer has given Super Kings excellent balance. Although Cuttack is not the most inviting prospect for an outswing bowler, it is a testament to his performance with the new ball and at the death that the No.1-ranked T20 bowler Samuel Badree is yet to get a game.Akshar Patel enjoyed a run of four successive matches, conceding well under six an over until he was flayed by Mumbai Indians. Without much variation, aside from the odd one that doesn’t spin, his control of flight has surprised batsmen – especially those who go at him too hard, like the audaciously in-form Super Kings’ openers.

Stats and trivia

This will be the first time Chennai Super Kings will play in Cuttack A Super Kings-Kings XI match on average produces 325 runs

Quotes

“I would credit Robin [Singh] for working with me, especially helping me get control of my game.”

A former member of the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) board has labelled the organisation “amateur” and called upon the ICC to take “strong action” to revive cricket in the USA

George Dobell11-Jun-2014A former member of the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) board has labelled the organisation “amateur” and called upon the ICC to take “strong action” to revive cricket in the USA.Brian Walters, who headed USACA’s Governance Review Committee, resigned from the board in March in frustration at the lack of change and in support of the former CEO, Darren Beazley, who quit amid similar frustration. By then it had become apparent that the USACA board would not embrace the recommendations of the review committee which advocated term limits for board members, independent board members and skill-based appointments.The timing of Walters’ intervention is intriguing. The ICC are expected to discuss suspending the USACA at the end of June and the critical words of a man respected as a moderate will demand the attention of those charged with deciding what can be done to exploit the vast untouched cricket market that exists within the USA. While Walters stops just short of recommending a suspension, it is hard to see how else his words can be interpreted.”The ICC has long espoused a ‘carrot’ approach instead of a ‘stick’ approach,” Walters told ESPNcricinfo. “And I would imagine that they might be contemplating that strategy right now.”If USACA continues to be the recognised governing body, there needs to be implementation of the Governance Review Committee recommendations immediately. And there needs to be elections that include as many leagues as possible within the next six months, which will allow the members to decide who they want as a leader.”USACA can only be taken seriously as a viable entity if real, tangible change takes place at the board level and at the constitutional level. It’s an amateur operation and they appear to want to keep it that way. They appear to not want professionalism, as evidenced by the fact that Darren Beazley was not granted the autonomy that is needed in that role; there needs to be a properly functioning CEO in place who is allowed to do his/her job. Darren was exactly the type of seasoned, competent professional who should have been empowered to run day-to-day operations.”But the board was actively hostile towards him and needs to go back to being an advisory board, and stay out of the functional areas of managing the sport. It needs to be a functionally operational board with emphasis on skill-based representation and term limits for all members.”While the American Cricket Federation (ACF), a rival organisation to USACA, has gained the support of around a third of the leagues around the country, Walters is reluctant to offer his support to the organisation fearing that their sometimes “confrontational” style will prove counterproductive.”Anyone who puts cricket kits in the hands of school kids in this country is doing a good thing,” Walters said. “But I don’t think that the ICC will recognise them. I am not interested at this time with being involved with the ACF.”The ACF itself has not really done much work with youth cricket, but Jamie Harrison did the work of distributing youth cricket sets in his capacity as president of the US Youth Cricket Association (USYCA) prior to taking on the role as chief executive with the ACF. He is currently serving a dual role with the ACF and the USYCA, leading to some confusion as to what he is accomplishing in an ACF capacity versus a USYCA capacity.While the deflection of that sizeable chunk of the country’s senior hard-ball leagues to the ACF could cause the USACA problems at the ICC level – under ICC rules, Associate membership is dependent upon a board proving that it is “the sole recognised governing body for cricket in the country” – Walters said he expected those leagues to return to the USACA fold should it clean up its act.”I also think it to be the case that if USACA were to get its house in order, the leagues that went to the ACF would come back to USACA,” Walters said. “But in order to gain trust in the community, the leadership of USACA needs to be different. It is not the fault of any specific board member; it is that the organisation itself is tainted. There needs to be a concerted effort to repair and rebuild confidence and goodwill with sponsors, member leagues, partners in sport and municipalities. There is serious remedial work to be done.”There is palpable frustration all over the country at the ineptness of USACA and it would take a gargantuan effort to fix that. It might be too late.”But what has to take place, in order to salvage anything, is that there simply has to be a change in leadership.”

Vijay Mallya, the owner of Royal Challengers Bangalore, lodged an official protest with the IPL governing council, against the Knight Riders over the Yuvraj Singh bid

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Feb-2014Vijay Mallya, the owner of Royal Challengers Bangalore, lodged an official protest with the IPL governing council, against the Knight Riders over the Yuvraj Singh bid. Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals made the opening bids for Yuvraj before Mallya raised the paddle to bid at Rs 3.5 crores (approx $583,000). The bid escalated fast and reached the 10-crore mark. However, there was some confusion as the auctioneer apparently failed to notice the paddle raised by Knight Riders.Knight Riders withdrew their bid at Rs 13.5 crores ($2.25 million) before Mallya raised another Rs 50 lakhs to close the debate.”For me the hammer went down at 10 crores for Yuvraj Singh,” Mallya told . “We have officially written to the IPL governing council for the decision to be overturned.”Ranjib Biswal, the IPL chairman, confirmed the RCB complaint but said the final decision was that of the auctioneer. “They filed a complaint asking Yuvraj should be given to them at 10 crores and not 14, but we can’t do anything now,” Biswal said.Mallya later said that Virat Kohli, the Royal Challengers’ captain, was “keen” on getting Yuvraj. Along with Kohli, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers, Royal Challengers now have one of the most star-studded and powerful batting orders in the IPL.”Virat Kohli, our captain, was very keen on him. That extra Rs 4 crores was somewhat unfortunate, but the auctioneer has the sole discretion,” Mallya said. “Everybody saw him look around the room before the hammer fell but he then chose to continue the bidding. So life must go on.”

The IPL’s organisers have announced a three-phase schedule for this season’s tournament

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Mar-2014The IPL will start on April 16 in the UAE and is likely to be held in three phases across three countries, ending in India on June 1. A detailed schedule of dates and venues is yet to be finalised but an IPL announcement said that the first 16 matches would be held in the UAE from April 16 followed by a set of matches between May 1 and 12 to be held in either Bangladesh or, the Indian Home Ministry permitting, in India.The announcement brought to an end a long period of speculation over the final venue. The problem arose because the tournament dates coincided with the Indian elections, scheduled from April 7 to May 12, and brought security and related issues. At the end of the players’ auction in Bangalore in February, senior IPL officials had stated that the primary objective was always to hold the maximum number of matches in India. But the Indian Home Ministry made it clear that it would not be possible to provide the required security for the tournament during the elections.However, the BCCI presented the Indian government with an alternative plan in which the tournament would return to India in early May, by when seven of the nine polling dates would have passed. The board’s statement said it had approached the federal Ministry of Home Affairs for permission to play IPL matches in India from May 1-12 in cities where the polling has concluded. “If it is not possible to play in India during this period, IPL matches will be held in Bangladesh,” the statement said.If the board’s request is accepted, the tournament will return to India after the UAE leg and remain there till the final. There will be no matches on May 16, the day set aside for counting of all the votes in the election.The idea is to take minimum number of matches abroad. We want to hold at least 40 matches in 30 days. From April 16 to 30 we have to go out. Our primary objective has been to play as many matches as possible in India. Now it is clear that we will have to be out for at least two weeks,” a BCCI official told ESPNCricinfo.Immediately after the auction Ranjib Biswal, the IPL chairman, along with the BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel, had announced that South Africa would be the first choice in case the tournament were to be displaced overseas. However the BCCI official said that South Africa posed a lot of challenges in case the tournament had to be shifted only for a couple of weeks. “It is not feasible to go to South Africa for about 15-odd days because you also need to give a break of minimum three days due to logistics and travel. So a better alternative is hold the tournament in either UAE or Bangladesh,” the officials said.Asked why UAE was picked as the venue for the first set of matches, Biswal said Bangladesh would not be ready in April, having hosted two back-to-back multi-team tournaments. “Bangladesh has just finished hosting the Asia Cup and will now be busy till the first week of April with the World T20. So the pitches would be weary,” Biswal said.Incidentally, at the end of the auction in February, it is understood the BCCI president N Srinivasan sought the opinion from all the franchises on hosting matches in the UAE. Most franchises were happy especially due to the Gulf nation’s proximity to India, but a few did check on the perception of the match-fixing cloud still around the UAE. But Biswal said that the IPL had done a through recce of the venues at UAE and got assurances.”The government of UAE has given us assurances that they would be giving us adequate facilities, including security during the tournament,” Biswal said.The UAE had been a popular venue for Indian cricket in the ’80s and ’90s but the Indian national team has generally avoided playing in the UAE since the match-fixing scandal of 2000. India have featured in only two ODIs there in the past decade.

England batsman Alex Hales has been cleared to play in the Indian Premier League after extending his contract with Nottinghamshire

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-20130:00

Hopps: Hales wins IPL battle with Notts

England batsman Alex Hales has been cleared to play in the Indian Premier League after extending his contract with Nottinghamshire until 2016. According to the new deal, Hales will be granted time off to play in the next three seasons of the IPL, which clashes with the first few weeks of the county season, subject to him securing a contract in excess of $400,000 per year.Hales, who has played 21 T20 internationals, is currently the top-ranked batsman in the ICC T20 rankings. Samit Patel has also been granted permission to enter the auctions next year and will be given a similar exemption if he also secures a top-bracket deal.Hales expressed his happiness on reaching the agreement and said he was looking forward to the three T20s against Australia after the Ashes. “I’m pleased to have come to an agreement with Notts because I want to spend my entire career here and I hope that will happen now that I’ve been given the opportunity to enter the auction,” he said.”I’m not aware of specific interest from any given IPL franchise but I’m focused on performing well in the Big Bash because there are a lot of eyes on that tournament. I’m hoping to be involved in the Twenty20 matches between England and Australia which I hope can give me a platform to demonstrate my skills and stir interest from IPL teams.”Alex Hales is the top-ranked batsman in the ICC T20 rankings•PA PhotosHales also said he considered focusing only on T20s after struggling for form in the County Championship this year. “Last season was tough for me because I was sky high in two formats and at rock bottom with the red ball,” he said. “It did cross my mind to go freelance and focus on Twenty20 full time but I’ve had time to think and I’m still driven to do well in four-day cricket and to break into England’s one-day set-up.”Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, Mick Newell, said it was important for them to strike a balance between Hales’ opportunity to earn a substantial amount of money and the team’s needs. “We were very keen to secure an extended commitment from Alex, he was understandably keen to enter the IPL auction and there was a mutual will to find a compromise that we could all live with,” Newell said.”It’s hard for us to deny an individual the opportunity to earn life-changing amounts of money but the team also has to be considered so it made sense to allow him to enter the auction to see if there is sufficient interest in his services to secure a high-value contract.”Hales will depart for Australia early next month for a stint with Adelaide Strikers in the BBL. Nottinghamshire hope to sign an established batsman as cover for Hales for the opening weeks of the domestic season, while discussions with Michael Lumb, Hales’ England opening partner in T20 and another who has expressed ambitions to play in the IPL again, are ongoing.

Sri Lankan’s rookie offspinner and seamer were the major movers and shakers on the second and final day of the drawn warm-up match in Queenstown, as they claimed three wickets apiece to help reduce the New Zealand Chairman’s XI to 125 all out

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando22-Dec-2014
ScorecardFile photo: Niroshan Dickwella scored 63 off 51 on the second day in Wellington•AFPSri Lankan’s rookie offspinner and seamer were the major movers and shakers on the second and final day of the drawn warm-up match in Queenstown, as they claimed three wickets apiece to help reduce the New Zealand Chairman’s XI to 125 all out. Quick Dushmantha Chameera and offspinner Tharindu Kaushal only bowled 7.5 overs between them, but claimed 3 for 13 each. Dimuth Karunaratne and Niroshan Dickwella also hit fifties in the second innings.The Chairman’s XI resumed play on 37 for 3, after Sri Lankans had made 173 for 9 declared, and the regular fall of wickets that had defined the first day, continued on the second morning. Dhammika Prasad was the first to strike, removing Matt Taylor for 19, before Chameera had opposition captain Cole McConchie caught behind to reap the first of his scalps.The Chairman’s XI was at 108 for 5 when Kaushal dismissed innings top-scorer Jono Hickey for 57 which sparked a deluge of lower-order wickets. The last five wickets fell for 17 runs, leaving Sri Lankans with a 48-run lead.
Karunaratne retired out after hitting 52 from 75 balls, but even he was outdone for aggression by Niroshan Dickwella, whose 63 retired out was struck off 51 balls. Dinesh Chandimal remained 36 not out at the end of the match, after Lahiru Thirimanne added a 35 to his first-innings 50. Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews failed to make substantial contributions for the second time in the match, falling for 29 and 19 respectively. Sri Lankans scored 261 for 8 in 62.1 overs despite this.Kaushal’s haul places him well in contention for a Test cap on Boxing Day, with fellow offspinner Dilruwan Perera not having made a breakthrough in his eight overs. Perera has bowled with plenty of control in support of Rangana Herath this year, but is seen as a less attacking option than uncapped Kaushal, who comes highly-rated from the domestic circuit.Chameera, who is among Sri Lanka’s quickest young bowlers, will find it tougher to make it into the XI, despite his performance. Prasad, Suranga Lakmal, Shaminda Eranga and Nuwan Pradeep are also in the squad, and have played key roles in Sri Lanka’s Test successes in the first six months of the year.

India can expect a hostile reception from South Africa’s pace attack and the Wanderers crowd in the first ODI of a shortened tour

The Preview by Firdose Moonda04-Dec-2013Match factsThursday December 5, 2013
Start time 1330 local (1130GMT)India have never won an ODI series in South Africa•AFPBig PictureSince March 2011, South Africa and India have played only two ODIs against each other. The first was at the World Cup that India went on to win. South Africa beat the hosts by three wickets in Nagpur, in a match that seemed to indicate they were capable of breaking their major tournament jinx. They staged the perfect chase, going after a target of 297 with ruthlessness.They next met two years and three months later, again at an ICC event that India eventually triumphed in. Again, India batted first and again they piled it on, scoring 331 in Cardiff. Although South Africa came close – they were all out for 305 – they were never really in the game.Both tournaments were Gary Kirsten’s last as coach of the respective sides and both teams went through tough withdrawals immediately after he left. India have come out on the other side, following the retirements of senior personnel. South Africa are still in the process of doing the same. Their limited-overs squads took a backseat to the Test team in the Kirsten era, and rightly so; they have since had to start over and they are definitely not there yet.That’s the background to how these rivals meet now, without taking into account the tension that has preceded this series. Although the players themselves have had nothing to do with the boardroom squabbles, they and the fans are the ones who will suffer. What should have been seven ODIs is now just three and although the former may have been overkill, the latter could leave us wishing for more.Since this all we are getting, the best we can hope for is that the series has as much of Nagpur and Cardiff as it can have. The totals may not be as high but if the quality of the competition is as good, it will be a fitting way to end this year for the 50-over game.Form guide (last five completed games, most recent first)South Africa WLLWWIndia WLWWWIn the spotlight India’s first tour to South Africa was called the Friendship tour but this one has already gone some way to becoming the unfriendly one. With emotions running high over the shortened tour and a Wanderers crowd known for being boisterous, India can expect a hostile reception at the Bullring. The day before the match, there were only 6500 tickets remaining out of a total of over 30,000 and even with thundershowers forecast, the Johannesburg faithful are unlikely to stay away.Three of the top five ODI run-scorers this year are Indian batsmen and their line-up has the record for the two highest innings scores this year – both in excess of 360. The ability to post towering totals is undoubtedly their strength but they might find it a little harder to do that against a South African attack that has been miserly and has promised a short-ball barrage on a green top in the hope of exposing the stereotypical subcontinental shortcoming.Team news South Africa are likely to go with the six-batsman strategy that will allow them to play two allrounders in Jacques Kallis and Ryan McLaren. Kallis, Dale Steyn and Graeme Smith should all return to the XI after missing the third ODI against Pakistan, with niggles keeping the first two out and Smith allowed compassionate leave following the death of his grandmother. This being the first match of the series, South Africa will likely field their strongest bowling suit, which could mean no place for Vernon Philander, who is a 50-50 call after falling on his shoulder, or Wayne Parnell.South Africa: (likely)1 Hashim Amla, 2 Graeme Smith, 3 Quinton de Kock (wk) 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 AB de Villiers (capt), 6 JP Duminy, 7 Ryan McLaren, 8 Dale Steyn, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Lonwabo Tsotsobe, 11 Imran TahirIndia’s first choice XI are all fit and raring to go. They will not want to tinker too much with a combination that has won them matches recently and will likely go in with three seamers, two spinners and their familiar, formidable top six.India: 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuveshwar Kumar, 10 Mohammad Shami, 11 Mohit SharmaStats and trivia South Africa have lost two of their last three ODI series at home. Both were three-match contests, the first against New Zealand last year and the second the recently-completed rubber against Pakistan. They won a five-match series against Pakistan in between. India have won 22 of the 31 ODIs they have played this year and have the highest win percentage of all teams who have participated in more than five matches – 73.33. Quotes “We are under pressure here in our own country. We just lost a series so confidence is not hugely high but I still think we can beat the No.1 team.”
“The guys are quite familiar with the conditions out here. But South Africa is one place where a lot depends on how the wicket is prepared, whether it’s overcast or not and the circumstances on the day.”