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Persistent rain in Port-of-Spain meant play was called off for the day after only 19 overs were bowled during Sri Lanka’s innings

The Report by Devashish Fuloria07-Jul-2013Rain stops play; to be completed on Monday

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsWest Indies’ bowlers troubled the Sri Lankan batsmen on a pitch that afforded them consistent movement•AFPPersistent rain in Port-of-Spain meant play was called off for the day after only 19 overs were bowled during Sri Lanka’s innings. The match will continue from the current state on Monday.West Indies, motivated by the appearance of the pitch, chose to field second time in a row, but unlike the previous match where they failed to make an early strike, this time, the bowlers found the right length on the pitch to topple Sri Lanka’s top order while keeping their run-scoring in a leash. Kemar Roach was the wrecker-in-chief, bowling a menacing spell upfront and was it not for a long and patient vigil by Lahiru Thirimanne and Kumar Sangakkara, the situation could have been far worse for Sri Lanka.While Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic were slugging it out like it was a hard court on the grass at Wimbledon, the pitch at Queen’s Park Oval was offering bounce and expected sideways movement to excite the fast bowlers. Roach’s first ball was certainly an indication of what he thought of the pitch as he ambled in and got a shortish delivery to rear towards Upul Tharanga’s throat. It was harshly called a wide, but it was the tonic West Indies needed after beefing up their attack with three fast bowlers in addition to Darren Sammy.The tall Jason Holder, playing his third ODI, was handed the other new ball and he started by extracting disconcerting bounce off a length, with some deliveries ending up head-high for the wicketkeeper. But he did the smart thing by repeatedly testing batsmen with fuller-length outswingers.It was another full-length delivery that brought him his first wicket as Tharanga, who had been dropped by the wicketkeeper in the previous over, drove him uppishly to cover where Darren Bravo took a good sharp catch leaping to his right. Sri Lanka’s troubles were compounded when they lost Mahela Jayawardene off the very next ball, a brute by Roach. It is seldom that Jayawardene looks ungainly even while getting out, but he was too late on a sharp bouncer and top-edged his pull to the front lid of his helmet and saw the ball popping in the air for the point fielder to take a simple catch.Roach’s best delivery was however the one that got Dinesh Chandimal, who hasn’t been in any form, but even if he was, it is hard to see how he would have tackled it. The ball pitched on a length and cut in sharply to hit the top of off stump. Chandimal, who had gone forward to play a drive, was holding his pose, but the result left him shocked and embarrassed.Sri Lanka limped to 50 for 3 after first 15 overs, with the 17 extras being the top-scorer in the scorecard. The rains came at the end of the 19th over to break West Indies’ rhythm, while in a sunny London, Murray finally ended Britain’s achingly long wait for a Wimbledon winner with a straight-set victory against the World No. 1.

ESPNcricinfo previews the second ODI between West Indies and Zimbabwe in Grenada

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria23-Feb-2013Match factsFebruary 24, 2013
Start time 0930 local (1330 GMT)Could Darren Bravo’s hundred in the first ODI be his breakthrough innings?• WICB Media/Randy Brooks PhotoBig pictureIn a short three-ODI series that doesn’t last a week, a heavy defeat in the first game can quickly become a nightmare. It wouldn’t be outlandish to say that 3-0 to West Indies is an expected result, but for Zimbabwe, who hardly play international cricket these days, this series offers a vital chance to show improvement. Their first outing was forgettable, but they need to avoid a repeat performance.Their bowlers were battered by the West Indies batsmen, who could have got more than the 337 they eventually did, and when it was their turn to bat, their batsmen slipped at the first sight of Sunil Narine. In the end, it became a question of how badly would they lose. That they lasted 50 overs was largely due to a 67-ball 18 by No. 8 Prosper Utseya. In both innings, there were only a couple of performers of note and in international cricket, other teams feast upon such weaknesses. Zimbabwe need to regroup quickly, as a team, and must show the will and confidence to stay competitive.West Indies, on the other hand, need to find the ruthlessness that went missing after their World Twenty20 title win. They are expected to steamroll the opposition in this series and the only competition is with themselves. Can they get more if they bat first? Can they bowl out Zimbabwe within 40 overs? These are the challenges that Dwayne Bravo would want his team to take head on after the recent reverses in ODIs in Australia.Form guideWest Indies WLLLL
Zimbabwe LLLLWIn the spotlightDarren Bravo has been around for close to four years now. He has shown numerous glimpses of his talent in the past – especially in Tests – but the hundred on Friday was his first in 51 ODI outings. He followed up his maiden Test hundred with two more soon after. With the quality of bowling Zimbabwe offer, he would certainly be hoping for another one in this series.If Zimbabwe need to show improvement, it has to start from two of their experienced batsmen, Brendan Taylor and Hamilton Masakadza. The two were out in consecutive overs without getting into double-digit scores. With 249 matches between them, Zimbabwe would hope the pillars of their batting line-up show some resistance.Team newsKieron Pollard, who missed the previous match due to travel difficulties in getting to Grenada, will be available for selection for the second ODI.West Indies: (probable) 1 Johnson Charles, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Dwayne Bravo (capt), 7 Andre Russell, 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Tino Best, 11 Sunil NarineZimbabwe (from) Brendan Taylor (capt), Hamilton Masakadza, Vusi Sibanda, Tino Mawoyo, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Prosper Utseya, Regis Chakabva, Malcolm Waller, Keegan Meth, Craig Ervine, Chamu Chibhabha, Tino Mutombodzi, Natsai M’shangweStats and trivia Zimbabwe’s first ODI win against West Indies came in their ninth encounter – in July 2000. Their last win against West Indies was three years ago, in Providence.Quotes”A first century in a winning cause is a great feeling. The hard work is paying off and the aim is to continue and get more big scores.”
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Ranchi is preparing to host India, with local boy MS Dhoni as captain, for the first time and the city is buzzing with anticipation

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2013With the local boy arriving in Ranchi as India captain for the third ODI against England, the city has been taken over by Dhoni mania. In neighbouring West Bengal, Sourav Ganguly still sends the locals berserk whenever he makes a public appearance. Ranchi has had to wait eight years after Dhoni’s India debut to host its maiden international game. No wonder then that thousands lined the roads from the Birsa Munda airport to the team hotel, a sight that left MS Dhoni feeling “humbled”. Getting in and out of the team hotel has been difficult, with people crowding the entrance and even prompting the police into a mild lathi charge.To celebrate the occasion, a liquor shop put up posters of Dhoni and Alastair Cook and even lined its counters with bats and stumps. The authorities went a step further. The state aviation department has been roped in, and there are plans to have a glider fly over the stadium and scatter (pink-coloured powder) on the outfield during the inauguration ceremony, before the start of the match and during the innings break.Students are demanding a holiday on Saturday, the match day, something schools, already hit by shutdowns because of a severe cold wave, can ill-afford. J Mohanty, principal of DPS [Delhi Public School] Ranchi, is benevolent, though. “This is a proud moment for Jharkhand,” Mohanty told the . “The cricket match will be on the students’ minds and they will also have to wait outside the hotels for a glimpse of their cricketing heroes. So we will not hold any additional classes this weekend.”There is a reason Dhoni matters so much to Ranchi and Jharkhand, which had little to cheer when it was part of Bihar state and has had little to cheer since it was carved out in 2000. Political instability is common; central-government rule has just been imposed for the third time in the state’s short existence. “Small-town boys from places like this just don’t get to be captain of India,” Ushinor Majumdar, Jharkhand correspondent for the Hindustan Times, told the . “And it is mostly because of Dhoni that there is so much attention. In many ways it is an under-developed, backward place. But it is known in cricket thanks to Dhoni.”International cricket in Jharkhand was restricted to the steel city of Jamshedpur, where Dhoni has played a couple of ODIs, including one against England in 2006, at Tata Steel’s Keenan Stadium. It was the state association’s desire to have its own stadium that enabled Ranchi to watch Dhoni play for India in the city.Dhoni was clearly thrilled with the stadium at his hometown. “Personally, it’s a special moment for me. The journey begins tomorrow. It’s the beginning of a new innings,” he said at a function inaugurating cricket’s latest international venue*.He said the 39,000-seater stadium will give Ranchi plenty of recognition. “When I first joined the team, people were asking me the place I belonged to,” Dhoni said. “I used to say I am from India and the next thing I would say I am from a place called Ranchi in Jharkhand. I used to explain Ranchi, giving various routes like it is a place close to Kolkata, near Jamshedpur. We are the richest state in natural resources.”But, after the stadium was built it has now become an international venue. At least, we need not have to explain further about Ranchi in the cricket playing nations. It is a proud beginning; proud moment for people of Jharkhand.”The mood in the city has already shown how proud Ranchi is of the double honour of making its international debut with a homegrown captain.* January 18, 17.00GMT This story has been updated after the stadium’s inauguration ceremony

South Africa A took a 2-0 lead in their limited overs series against Ireland A with a rain-affected six-wicket victory over the hosts in Belfast

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Aug-2012
ScorecardSouth Africa A took a 2-0 lead in their limited overs series against Ireland A with a rain-affected six-wicket victory over the hosts in Belfast.Ireland A’s innings spluttered to 143 for 8 before rain ended it in the 41st over, Duckworth Lewis calculations setting South Africa A the target of 135 in 35 overs.James Shannon went closest to making a substantial score for the Irish, reaching 32 before he became one of three victims for the slow left-arm spin of Aaron Phangiso. No. 6 Andrew Poynter made 28, butr lack of substantial partnerships meant Ireland would always struggle to get a competitive score on the board.The South Africans reached 19 for 1 from 4.3 overs in their pursuit before further rain culled a further 15 overs from the match, revising the target to 96 from 20 overs.The visiting captain Colin Ingram (36) and the wicketkeeper Dane Vilas (30) produced speedy cameos to reel in the target, which was reached despite an economical and incisive spell by Max Sorensen.The next fixture of the seven-match series is in Belfast on Thursday.

Sreesanth, the India fast bowler, is using the recent experiences of the “darkest” days of his career as extra motivation to force his way back into the national team

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jan-2013Sreesanth, the India fast bowler, is using recent experiences of the “darkest” days of his career as extra motivation to force his way back into the national team.Sreesanth, who will face England for India A on Sunday, was out of action for more than year after undergoing two operations on his toes to insert platinum nails which left him in a wheelchair as he recuperated. A quick bowler known for his aggression on the field, which sometimes spilled over the top, Sreesanth admitted to it being an emotional time for him where he even considered it might be the end of his career.”Who says men don’t cry? I used to sob like a baby as I was forced to move around in a wheelchair for two months after twin surgeries on my toes,” he told . “To be honest, I started thinking that probably, I won’t be able to play cricket again. It was such a scary thought. Those 14 months were the darkest phase of my life.”However, that drastic scenario did not emerge and he returned to cricket for Kerela, in the Ranji Trophy, during December. His three matches have brought nine wickets at 24, enough to earn him a place in the India A line-up to face England in their first warm-up match ahead of the one-day series.India are not flush with fast-bowling options at the moment. Zaheer Khan, dropped for the final Test against England, is seemingly coming to the end of his career and two talented young bowlers, Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron, are currently injured. Ishant Sharma has become the senior quick, a role that he does not always convince in, although Bhuvneshwar Kumar has shown early promise.It all means, at 29, that there is still time for Sreesanth to return to the international stage. He played the last of his 27 Tests against England, at The Oval, in 2011 and his previous ODI was the World Cup final in Mumbai.”This is a fresh start for me,” he said. “I want to extract every ounce of enjoyment possible from the matches that I would play from now on. Be it for Kerala, India A or India, I don’t want to relax one bit. I have two platinum nails inserted in my big toes but I have a lot of fire in my belly.””Earlier, I used to think that there are days where I can relax. But now I know that life is fickle. You have to give your hundred per cent as long as it lasts.”Don’t, though, expect to see a mellowed fast bowler on the field. “Earlier, I had a 26-step run-up to the bowling crease but now I have reduced it to 23 steps. But I have not cut down on my pace. Even while playing for Kerala, I have consistently worked up a fair amount of pace. The only thing that I need right now is more consistency.”

Alex Hales hit a blistering half-century as Nottinghamshire continued their three-pronged assault on England’s domestic trophies by cruising past group leaders Hampshire in the Clydesdale Bank 40.

Jeremy Culley17-Jul-2012
ScorecardAlex Hales hit a blistering half-century as Nottinghamshire continued their three-pronged assault on England’s domestic trophies by cruising past group leaders Hampshire in the Clydesdale Bank 40.Hampshire, for whom James Vince’s magnificent unbeaten century served only to make them competitive, still top their group but now lead Notts, who have two games in hand, by only three points.Hales and James Taylor, who struck 74 to take the hosts to the brink of their six-wicket victory, delivered telling messages to Hampshire’s listless bowling attack ahead of next weeks’ Twenty20 quarter-final between the sides. Hampshire’s total of 230 never looked adequate once Hales cut loose.Notts’ skipper Chris Read opened with the slow left-arm of Samit Patel – as he did at Surrey on Sunday – and swiftly took two catches off his bowling to leave Hampshire in early trouble. Jimmy Adams thinly edged his first delivery while attempting a cut before Simon Katich nicked a temptingly wide delivery from Patel.Sean Ervine’s demise will have particularly frustrated Hampshire as he breezed to 31 before gifting a return catch to Graeme White. Dawson then clipped a half-tracker to Adam Voges to provide a cheap wickert for Darren Pattinson whose otherwise torrid afternoon saw him concede 48 in five overs.Dimi Mascarenhas briefly added energy to Hampshire’s innings, striking a huge six over long-on before being bowled by Andy Carter, but the only consistency was provided by Vince, whose impeccably-timed innings steadily built to a crescendo when he took 17 off one Pattinson over, before registering his hundred in the last over.Vince was overlooked for last week’s Championship match with Yorkshire and has not featured in four-day cricket since May. After carrying his bat with such maturity here, a recall will surely be in the offing.Notts’ response began briskly, Hales hitting successive boundaries off Kabir Ali in the fourth over and Dawson in the sixth. Hales appeared intent on inflicting a few mental scars on Hampshire’s bowlers ahead of next week’s quarter-final and reached his half-century in only the ninth over.Riki Wessels, opening in Michael Lumb’s absence with a back injury, struck three successive fours in a Dawson over that went for 19 but his ambition soon cost him his wicket, as left-arm spinner Danny Briggs trapped him leg before attempting a reverse sweep.Briggs, who played in an ODI against Pakistan in Dubai in the winter, was achieving considerable turn and soon claimed the precious scalp of Hales, when he tamely chipped to Dawson at long-off .Taylor and Patel, however, showed the application necessary to build on Hales’ platform and brought up their 50 partnership in the 28th over. Patel then mounted a charge to the finish, hitting sixes in successive overs of Ali and Dawson, but eventually sliced to Katich at backward point.The patient Taylor only hit two boundaries in reaching 50 but then hit four in eight balls to make victory safe before offering a return catch to Katich.

Martin Stovold, who played as a batsman for Gloucestershire between 1978 and 1982, has died after a lengthy illness

Martin Williamson26-Jun-2012Martin Stovold, who played as a batsman for Gloucestershire between 1978 and 1982, has died after a lengthy illness. He was 56.Stovold followed his better-known older brother Andy from Loughborough College to the county but failed to make the same impression. A left-hand batsman and very occasional offspinner, he made his county debut in 1978 and over the next five season played for the county without ever holding down a regular first-team place in the three-day game, although in 1980 and 1981 he was more in the one-day side than out of it.In 25 first-class matches he managed 518 runs at 16.70 and in 34 List A games he scored 325 runs at 13.00. He made only two fifties with his best 75 against Oxford University.He was released by the county in 1982, continuing to coach in South Africa, but returned to England in 1986 where he took up the role of cricket professional at Cheltenham College, becoming master-in-charge in 1993. He also taught geography and was a housemaster.”Martin was one of the most dedicated teachers in the College’s long history and inspiration to generations of young people as a housemaster, geography teacher and master in charge of cricket,” Dr Alex Peterken, Headmaster of Cheltenham College, told the PCA. “Just last week he emailed staff from his hospital bed to lament the effect the wet weather was having on the College’s cricket schedule. ‘The tide will turn and the sun will shine’ he said. These proved to be his last public words and the sun now shines on his memory.”

Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka captain, has said that his team can do well in South Africa if they can manage to put runs on the board

Firdose Moonda in Benoni07-Dec-2011Sri Lanka’s Test squad have arrived in South Africa with an obvious weakness – their bowling. Tillakaratne Dilshan, their captain, chose to say almost nothing about it.”Any fast bowler who comes to South Africa likes to bowl here,” Dilshan said in Benoni, where Sri Lanka are preparing to play a warm-up match against an Invitation XI starting on Friday. And that was that.He made no reference to their missing quintet of seamers that includes Suranga Lakmal, their carrying of the perennially under-performing Dilhara Fernando, the responsibility that will sit on the shoulders of Chanaka Welegedara or the adjustments Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath will have to make to be effective in South Africa. He made no comments about the need to take 20 wickets to win a Test – something Sri Lanka have never done in South Africa.Instead, Dilshan’s plans for success in a country with some of the most seamer-friendly, pacy and bouncy pitches in the world did not involve the ball at all. “If the batting unit can put some runs on the board, we will do well in South Africa,” he said.Except that even in the batting department, Sri Lanka have not been their usual powerful selves. Only Kumar Sangakkara scored a century in their recent three-Test series against Pakistan, which they lost 1-0. Sri Lanka were bowled out in five of the six innings, three times for less than 260. “We know in the last few series, batting didn’t click,” Dilshan admitted.Yet when asked to identify the area which could prove match winning for Sri Lanka, Dilshan was adamant that it would be batting. If the line-up could use Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara as their kingpins and perform around them, Dilshan predicted they would do well. “The batting unit is experienced; Mahela and Sanga have played a little bit in South Africa. Those are experienced guys. We can build around them. Thilan [Samaraweera] has come back into the side, he is experienced guy in the middle order. Myself and the youngsters, like Chandimal, have to put their hands up.”Jayawardene and Sangakkara are two of the three players (the other being Fernando) to have played a Test in South Africa before, Sri Lanka last toured the country nine ago, in 2002. Dilshan admitted that his team will have to make a speedy adjustment to the conditions that are foreign to them. “We have played on and off one-day series in South Africa and that has helped a little bit,” he said. “But, everyone should get ready for these conditions as soon as possible.”The warm-up match will be Sri Lanka’s only opportunity to acclimatise to conditions and the pitch in Benoni should provide them with a good introduction to South African surfaces.Although not a particularly spicy pitch, it has recently produced a match in which wickets fell heavily. The SuperSport Series contest between the Titans and the Cobras in October saw the Titans dismissed for 112 in their first innings and nine wickets fell on the second day.Dilshan did say that some of his batsmen, including him, are already comfortable with such pitches. “Sanga, Mahela and myself really like bouncy tracks,” he said. “If we get runs on the board as a batting group in this three-day match and everyone can come into form, that will be important for us. We have to play our brand of cricket. If we can play our brand of cricket we can beat South Africa.”At the same time, Dilshan recognised that Sri Lanka had no room for mistakes. “We can’t make any mistakes. We have to be at 100% commitment for this series. Everyone should put their hands up and take responsibility.” Hopefully, that includes the bowlers as well.

Matabeleland Tuskers’ fast bowlers blew away Mashonaland Eagles for 70 in the second innings to give their side an innings-and-30-run win in Bulawayo

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2012Matabeleland Tuskers’ fast bowlers blew away Mashonaland Eagles for 70 in the second innings to give their side an innings-and-30 run win in Bulawayo. There were only two scores of over 50 in the match, and both of them were made by the Tuskers’ openers, Paul Horton and Terry Duffin. Glen Querl and Richard Jones struck thrice each after Tuskers chose to field and dismissed Eagles for 181. The top order managed starts but could not carry on, and the rest of the line-up fell apart. Horton (65) and Duffin (104) responded with an opening stand of 147. Tuskers went past 181 with only one wicket down. At 217 for 1, they were eyeing a huge total, but Innocent Chinyoka and Tinotenda Mutombodzi triggered a collapse and Tuskers were bowled out for 281. Querl and Jones took seven wickets between them to ensure that Eagles were not able to even make Tuskers bat again. Only two Eagles batsmen managed double-digit scores as they were shot out for 70.Daryl Mitchell, Vusi Sibanda and Gary Ballance made centuries in the drawn game between Mountaineers and Mid West Rhinos at the Mutare Sports Club. Tendai Chatara grabbed five wickets to dismiss Rhinos for 253 with only Steve Marillier and Roland Benade making decent contributions. Mitchell (178) and Mark Pettini (68) put on 183 for the third wicket to boost Mountaineers to 243 for 2 but the innings unravelled after that to end on 313. Neville Madziva picked up four wickets while Simon Mugava took three. Rhinos piled on the runs in the second innings with Sibanda (162) and Ballance (116) adding 232 for the second wicket. They declared on 421 for 6 after which the game ended with Mountaineers on 85 for 2.

Australia’s captain Michael Clarke has conceded he may be without Shane Watson, Ryan Harris, Shaun Marsh, and Mitchell Johnson for the first Test against New Zealand in Brisbane

Daniel Brettig23-Nov-2011Australia’s captain Michael Clarke has conceded he may be without Shane Watson, Ryan Harris, Shaun Marsh, and Mitchell Johnson for the first Test against New Zealand in Brisbane.The key quartet are all in various states of doubt for the start of the home summer, Watson and Johnson the most recently injured during Australia’s dramatic second Test victory over South Africa in Johannesburg. Watson’s hamstring appears likely to keep him out of contention, while the extent of Johnson’s uncommon foot injury, sustained while batting, remains unclear.Clarke is due to join in the first formal selection meeting of the new panel on Thursday evening, with the tour match between Australia A and New Zealand in Brisbane providing another pointer towards potential reinforcements.”We’re going to be a few short I think,” Clarke said of the injury toll on his return to Australia. “We’ve got Shaun Marsh and Ryan Harris back home so I’m waiting to hear how they’re going. Shane Watson’s got a hamstring strain, Mitchell Johnson had a scan the other day that was inconclusive so he’s got to get more information when he gets back to Perth, but he’s certainly in doubt for the first Test as well.”I would imagine Shane would have to be some sort of doubt, I don’t know the extent of what has come back on the scan, but we haven’t got much time to get him right, so he’s certainly in doubt. There’s going to be some changes come the first Test because of injuries. I have a selection meeting on Thursday, a phone hook-up with the other selectors, and I’ll imagine the team will be announced shortly after that conversation.”Harris and Marsh are progressing in their recoveries from hip and back problems, but are unlikely to have any cricket to play before the Test team assembles in Brisbane. One option for the selectors is to name a squad of 13 or 14 and assess the duo’s fitness in training. Harris has said he is happy to play through pain and worry about the consequences in retirement.”That’s something I’m happy to put up with,” he told . “Hopefully three years [of Test cricket] would be nice … and then I’ll worry about my body. Then I could have my hip replacement, and have my knee ripped up. I want just want to get through the next couple of years, really enjoy it, it’s only a short life doing what we do.”I’ve told my doctors and physios that: ‘You get me on the park and I’ll worry about what happens after’.”Johnson had a poor Test series in South Africa, taking 3 for 255 in two Tests, and there were questions raised over whether he would keep his place in the team on bowling form. However, Johnson made vital contributions of 38 and 40 with the bat in Johannesburg, helping Australia level the series 1-1 with a two-wicket win.Watson also had an ordinary series with the bat, making 95 in four innings with a top score of 88. He bowled only 18.5 overs in the series and took six wickets, but his contribution to the attack at the Wanderers was only 3.5 overs because of a hamstring problem. Clarke suggested he would prefer to have his deputy in the team as an allrounder rather than a gingerly moving batsman he was at the Wanderers.”If Watto couldn’t bowl he’s still one of our front-line batters so yeah I’d be more than happy to have him in the team just as a batsman, but in a perfect world, as we’ve seen over the past six months his bowling is crucial to our team, so we’ve got to make a smart decision,” Clarke said. “We’ve got to work out where he’s at, when you bat, Watto doesn’t do it very often but you do need to bat at some stage. He hits a lot of fours and sixes so he probably gets away with it a lot more than other people, but I think we’ve got to make the smart decision.”Injuries aside, Clarke could not have mounted a more staunch defence of his team’s performance in South Africa. Despite the abject nature of the team’s defeat in Cape Town, a recovery to square the series made Clarke fervent in his belief that the majority of the team should be retained. He was especially passionate in his argument for the retention of Ricky Ponting and Johnson.”If I thought that Ricky Ponting or Mitchell Johnson couldn’t perform at this level, I wouldn’t be supporting them as I have done,” Clarke said. “I’ve been watching Ricky bat in the nets, I know he’s in good knick. Under pressure the other night he did that, but he needs to continue to perform, better than he has done of late, to stay in the team. He’s made no bones about that, and with Mitch, both guys bring a lot to the team, and that’s the thing that if you’re not in the environment you don’t get to see and realise what’s required to be part of a successful team.”It’s not just about making runs or taking wickets. That is first and foremost, but Mitchell’s 40 the other night wins us the Test match, Punter’s 60 sets the game up for us when we’re two for none under pressure. Ricky’s fielding still at this stage in my opinion is the best in the world, at nearly 37 years of age. You look at some of the young players coming in today, the fielding standard is nowhere near as good as what it used to be.”When you’ve got someone like Ricky, what he does in the field, his experience as a senior player, his knowledge of places around the world that youngsters are going and playing at, he’s giving information to Pat Cummins that plays a big part in him taking six wickets the other day, a lot of people don’t see that. He has helped us have success since I’ve taken over the captaincy, definitely.”For his part, Ponting said he had no intention of retiring.”Of course (I want to keep playing). I really enjoy it and always have,” he said on arrival. “It’s a great team to be a part of at the moment. I want to be around and hopefully be able to have some sort of impact on the way the team plays … If I keep doing my job, then hopefully I keep getting picked.”