Month: July 2018

England v India Test Series Preview

England’s cricketers swap the white ball for the red and the red kit for the white, when they switch back from limited overs to Tests for the visit of India for a whopping five-match series. The first Test gets underway at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Wednesday.

 

England, so strong in ODIs, are a team in transition in the longer format, and are facing one of the most consistently strong teams of recent times, so it’s hard to predict whether home advantage will make them favourites or not.  India certainly won’t think so.

Either way it promises to be a fascinating few weeks. Here is my quickfire stats preview of the series ahead!

Fixtures

  • 1st Test – Wednesday 1st August, Edbaston, Birmingham
  • 2nd Test – Thursday 9th August, Lord’s, London
  • 3rd Test – Saturday 16th August, Trent Bridge, Nottingham
  • 4th Test – Thursday 30th August, Rose Bowl, Southampton
  • 5th Test – Saturday 7th September, The Oval, London

Team & Player Rankings

  • India are ranked number one in the world in Tests, England fifth.
  • India’s skipper Virat Kohli is ranked the world’s second best Test batsman
  • England’s skipper Joe Root is ranked the world’s third best Test batsman
  • India’s Cheteshwar Pujara is ranked the world’s sixth best Test batsman
  • England’s Jimmy Anderson is ranked the world’s best Test bowler
  • India’s Ravindra Jadeja is ranked the world’s second best Test bowler, and second best Test allrounder
  • India’s Ravichandran Ashwin is ranked the world’s fifth best bowler and fourth best Test allrounder
  • England’s Ben Stokes is ranked the world’s sixth best allrounder.

Overall Test Records

  • England play their 1000th Test Match in the first game of the series. They have won 357, lost 291 and drawn 345.
  • At home England have played 510 Tests – W213, L119, D178
  • India have played 522 Tests – W145, L160, D216 – and one tied Test!
  • Away from home, India have played 257 Tests –W46, L108, D103

Head to Head records

  • The sides have played 117 Tests against each other – England 43, India 25, Draw 49
  • In England, there have been 57 Tests – India winning just 6 to England’s 30, with 21 draws.

Personal Milestones/Records in sight

Alastair Cook (England)

Chef will make his 157th Test appearance, moving him into outright seventh place in the all-time world rankings, and relegating Australian Allan Border to eighth.

Cook is currently 6th in the all –time Test run-scorers list with 12,145 to his name. 256 more (a big ask in one Test admittedly, but certainly doable over the series) will see him move past Kumar Sangakkara into fifth.

Stuart Broad (England)

The Nottinghamshire man currently sits in twelfth place worldwide for Test wickets taken – with 417 scalps to his name. A five-for will see him move past the South Africa Pair of Dale Steyn and Shaun Pollock (both on 421) and into the top ten.

With the bat, Broad has seemingly been on the edge of breaking 3,000 Test runs for an eternity, but now just needs 24 runs to bring up the mark.

Joe Root (England)

England’s skipper needs just 40 runs to bring up 6.000 in Tests.

Ben Stokes (England)

Durham all-rounder looking for two wickets to notch up 100 in Tests.

Murali Vijay (India)

India’s opening batsman needs just 93 runs to mark 4,000 in Tests.

Ajinka Rahane (India)

Rahane will be looking for 107 runs to move past the 3,000 Test runs marker.

Ishant Sharma (India)

Big quick Ishant currently has 238 Test wickets in his ledger, enough for eighth place among Indians. Five wickets will see him dislodge Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and move into seventh.

Netherlands v Nepal – ODI series preview

Following on from their highly symbolic, if rain-soaked, T20I at Lord’s on Sunday, more history beckons for Nepal on Wednesday when they make their ODI debut against the Netherlands in the first of a two game series being played out at the VRA Cricket Ground in Amstelveen.

Above: The VRA stadium in Amstelveen, the Netherlands.

Nepal qualified for status by beating Papua New Guinea at the CWC Qulaifier in Zimbabwe in March, dislodging their Oceanic opponents from the ICC’s strictly limited status club in the process.

They will become the 24th side to appear in ODIs, (or 27th if you also include the Asia XI, Africa XI and ICC World XI sides that the powers that be have sought to give official status to over the years).

Nepal are one of the sport’s fastest growing associate nation, and the match will be followed by millions back home who have really taken to the sport since their side’s meteroic rise through the ranks gathered pace in recent years.

By contrast, the Netherlands will be playing their 80th ODI, although the first since 2014, having regained status they lost back then by winning the 2015-2017 World Cricket League. Their overall record is 28 wins to 44 losses.

The Netherlands won the sides’ latest meeting in 50-over cricket, the seventh place play-off in the aforementioned CWC Qualifies in Zimbabwe – a match which bizarrely was not granted official ODI status despite both sides having already secured their place amongst the chosen few by the time it was played. Such are the byzantine machinations of the ICC!

Given this is Nepal’s first ever ODI series, there are few official ODI stats to feast upon here. Not that either sets of fans will care one iota – they are just happy to be back on the ICC’s weirdly defined next to top table!

For what it is worth, only five of the Netherlands squad have featured in an official ODI before, with a couple potentially in line for personal milestones if they go big in the two-game series:

Wesley Barresi (Netherlands)

With an ODI century already to his name, a couple more could see top order batsman Barresi become the seventh Dutchman to 1,000 runs in the format. He currently has 783.

Pieter Seelaar (Netherlands)

Skipper Seelaar has 42 ODI wickets, so eight in the series will see him notch up 50, and be the third Netherlands player to do so. Five wickets will see him overtake Peter Borren and move into third place for his country in wickets.

West Indies v Bangladesh T20I series – quickfire stats preview

Fresh from securing a first overseas bilateral ODI series triumph since 2009 with a win at the ground at the weekend, Bangladesh return to the Warner Park stadium in Basseterre, St Kitts on Tuesday evening for the first of three T20 Internationals against the West Indies.

The West Indies are reigning world champions in the format, but currently only ranked seventh in the world, although this is still three places higher than their visitors. With the West Indies having comfortably won the Test series, and the Tigers taking revenge in their preferred ODIs, overall bragging rights are at stake over the next week.

The sides have met six times previously in the format, with the West Indies leading 3-2, and one no result. Bangladesh have never won on West Indies home soil.

The series is also intriguing for the fact that the second and third matches will take place at the Central Broward Regional Park stadium in Lauderhill, Florida rather than in the West Indies’ traditional Caribbean homelands. With the limited overs tour having started with ODIs in Guyana in South America, this may well be the first ever international tour to take in two continental landmasses!

Above: The Central Broward Regional Park stadium in Lauderhill, Florida.

Some other quick stats and milestones to watch out for over the week:

Shakib Al Hasan

The Tigers’ skipper currenrly has 77 T20I wickets to his name, enough for fifth place in the world. 8 wickets in the series will see move to 85 and a share of third place alongside Pakistani pair Saaed Ajmal and Umar Gul.

Marlon Samuels

The seemingly ageless Jamaican has 1,573 Twenty20 International runs in his ledger, the second highest by a West Indian. With top placed Chris Gayle rested for his series, Marlon needs just 35 runs to move past the Universe Boss into first place.

Tamim Iqbal

Fresh from two centuries in the Tiger’s ODI series win, opener Tamim will be confident of notching up the 10 runs he needs to be the first Bangladeshi to 1,500 runs in T20Is.

Samuel Badree

Spinner Badree’s 56 wickets in Twenty20 Internationals currently see him in 17th place worldwide. So close are the rankings above him that just seven wickets in the series will see him dislodge New Zealand’s Tim Southee from the top ten.

Nepal vs Netherlands T20I Preview

Nepal make their official full international status return on Sunday, when they face the Netherlands in a T20 International at Lord’s in London.

The game is the final match of a triple-header played that day at the venerable ground in St John’s Wood. Both sides will face an MCC XI led by Mahela Jayawardene earlier in the day in what promises to be a thrilling day for fans of associate cricket, and especially for the two countries concerned.

The game is the latest landmark in Nepal’s rise as a cricketing nation. Enjoying feverish support at home, the national side has risen through the Associate ranks on the field whilst facing turmoil off it, with its governing body having been suspended by the ICC.  They have been in official T20I status wilderness since 2015 when they played the last of their eleven official international in the format.

The game against the Netherlands was granted official T20 International status by the ICC in June after Nepal’s historic qualification as an ODI team was secured at the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. They will make their ODI bow against the Netherlands in Amsterdam next week.

For the Dutch, that ODI series will see their own return to the official 50-over international ranks, having regained their status by virtue of winning the ICC World Cricket League in 2017. They have held T20I status for several years however, and are much more experienced in the format than their opponents here.

Of course, cricket is rather unique in its obsession with status, but the elevations do give this game, and the ODI series that follows it, extra significance.

Both sides have fond memories of Lord’s. The Netherlands famously stunned hosts England in the opening game of the 2009 World T20 at the ground, whilst Nepal famously played the MCC there in 2016.

The match will be the Netherlands’ 50th in the twenty over format, having won 26 and lost 21. For Nepal, this game will be their twelfth official T20I in the record books, although they also had four games abandoned without a ball being bowled (and hence not counting towards official totals) in a ill-fated series against Hong Kong in Sri Lanka in 2015. In their eleven games, they have won three and lost eight.

Remarkably, given Nepal’s nascent status, this will be the fifth official T20I between the two sides – the Netherlands leading 3-1 currently, although Nepal took out their last status meeting in Rotterdam in 2015.

Nepal have named a 15-man squad for the match. Four men have played in all eleven of their team’s official T20Is to date – Basant Regmi, Gyandendra Malla, Sompal Kami and skipper Paras Khadka  – who will all be looking to keep their 100% records alive.

By contrast, there are six potential international debutants in the squad: Aarif Sheikh, Dipendra Singh Airee, Lalit Bhandari, Rohit Kumar, Lalait Rajbanshi and Anil Sah.

If Rohit Kumar is selected, at age 15 years and 331 days he will become the second youngest player to ever play in an official T20 international, after Hong Kong’s Waqas Khan who was 72 days younger when he made his bow – ironically against Nepal – in 2014.

The Netherlands have been buoyed by the late inclusion in the squad of Essex captain Ryan ten Doeschate released from county cricket duty, as well as the return to the squad of Otago all-rounder Michael Rippon, able to play during the New Zealand winter. They too have several players in the squad that could make their international debut.

One very intriguing statistical oddity will likely occur during the game. Nepal’s wunderkind legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane is poised to make his T20I debut for his country – but not his debut in the format overall. He made that bow in the recent Hurricane Relief game for the ICC Rest of The World XI vs the West Indies. Given where that game was played, Sandeep will have the unique honour of making his international debut for two separate sides both at Lord’s ! Not bad for a 17 year old!

Above: Sandeep Lamichhane

A fabulous day awaits on Sunday at the home of cricket

Sri Lanka v South Africa – Second Test Preview

South Africa face Sri Lanka in the second and final Test at Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club (“SSC”) ground later today, and so sound was their thrashing in the first game last week in Galle, that “test” seems like something of an understatement when describing the challenge that awaits them.

The Proteas scored only 199 runs across their two innings (less than Sri Lankan opener Dimuth Karunaratne scored by himself) and were annihilated by 278 runs within just two and a half days. Rarely has a number two ranked nation looked so all at sea, torn asunder by the triple Sri Lanka spin attack that took 17 of 20 wickets in a thoroughly one-sided affair.

Not that it ultimately mattered, but Sri Lanka’s own batting in that game, aside from the imperious Karunaratne of course, left much to be desired, so they cannot afford to rest on their laurels. But the islanders will be strong favourites at the SSC, despite their number six ranking in Tests.

They are likely to field an unchanged XI, with Suranga Lakmal continuing to deputise for suspended captain Dinesh Chandimal. The South Africans will need to decide whether to continue with Vernon Philander, who bowled only eleven overs in Galle, or strengthen the batting by bringing in Theunis De Bruyn.

The game in Colombo will be the 27th Test between the two sides, with South Africa leading fourteen to six in wins. In Sri Lanka however, the islanders’ record is much better, having won five of the thirteen Tests played to South Africa’s three. Their record at the SSC is even stronger – Sri Lanka have only lost once in five games against their African foes. The last time the two sides played at this ground was in 2014, with the game ending in a draw.

Aside from Sri Lanka looking to close out a series win, there are number of very significant personal milestones in reach for players of both sides:

Dale Steyn (South Africa)

The Proteas’ demon quick bowler needs just one wicket to surpass Shaun Pollock as his country’s all time leading Test wicket-taker. The pair are currently tied with 421 scalps each.

That is enough for joint tenth place in the world all time list, so should Steyn move past his countryman, he will also dislodge him from that top ten!

Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka)

The ageless spinner Herath is one spot ahead of Steyn and Pollock in that wicket-takers list with 423 victims to his name. Richard Hadlee’s 431 is next in Rangana’s sights, eight wickets away. With a spin friendly wicket, and Herath’s record of having notched up nine 10-wicket hauls in his career, it’s a distinct possibility. Moving past Kapil Dev’s 434 into seventh place is not entirely beyond plausibility either!

If he does notch up 10 wickets, he will join Shane Warne in second place all time with ten such hauls. Only his countryman Murali has more – and who knows how many more wickets Herath may have ended up if he hadn’t had to play second-fiddle to him for the early part of his career!

Hashim Amla (South Africa)

Sitting on 8,997 runs, South Africa’s veteran batsman needs just three more runs to become just the third Protea after Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith to notch up 9,000.

Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka)

Former skipper Mathews  needs just eight runs to bring up 5.000 in Tests and become just the ninth Sri Lankan to the mark.