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A century from Riki Wessels helped Nottinghamshire to a 65-run victory over Derbyshire in their Royal London Cup meeting at Welbeck

ECB Reporters Network24-Jul-2016
ScorecardRiki Wessels continued his good form with a century in Market Warsop•Getty Images

A century from Riki Wessels helped Nottinghamshire to a 65-run victory over Derbyshire in their Royal London Cup meeting at Welbeck.Wessels hit 114 and Chris Read added 59 as Notts scored 340 for seven after being put in. Shiv Thakor was the most successful Falcons bowler but his three wickets cost 78 runs and came off only eight overs.Ben Slater made 51 at the start of Derbyshire’s reply and Matt Critchley plundered three sixes in a late cameo of 43 as Derbyshire reached 245 before being bowled out in 45.1 overs, leaving Notts to celebrate victory in front of a crowd of 4649.Michael Lumb, with 422 runs already gathered in this season’s competition after scoring three centuries from three visits to the crease, fell for only 15 at the start of the day. When Thakor followed up that dismissal with the wicket of Greg Smith, one over later, Notts had slipped to 48 for 2 but that was the last Derbyshire success for 13 overs as Wessels and Brendan Taylor rattled up a third wicket stand of 122.Wessels took 19 off an over from Thakor and then reached his fourth one-day century from 80 balls, having hit 16 fours and three sixes.
He perished when miscuing an attempted reverse sweep off Critchley and Taylor followed in the next over, for 44.Samit Patel’s 31 and 28 from Dan Christian set the hosts up for a big finish and it was applied by Read and Steven Mullaney.Read hit three sixes in his 39-ball innings and Mullaney hit three in a row off Ben Cotton on his way to 39 not out. There was even time at the end for England’s newest cap Jake Ball, playing on his home club ground, to strike the biggest blow of the day as he thumped Thakor back over his head and out of the ground. Notts’ tally of 340 was the most they had ever scored in a one-day match against their local rivals.In pursuit of potentially their most successful run chase, Derbyshire lost Wes Durston, their captain, for only 6. Slater rattled along, scoring 40 of the first 51 runs but edged behind one ball after reaching a 48-ball half-century.Christian, who took 5 for 40 when Notts used the picturesque club ground for the first time last season, removed Wayne Madsen and when Hamish Rutherford edged Luke Fletcher behind the visitors had slid to 103 for 4.Thakor and Neil Broom rallied with a stand of 47 but Mullaney nipped them both out in quick succession; Thakor bowled for 29 and Broom was scooped up by a diving catch from Ball for 25.Critchley, batting at No. 8 in the order, showed some much-needed fight and he was joined by Harvey Hosein in a ninth wicket stand of 63. Gurney, who took 3 for 47, closed out the innings by catching Tony Palladino off his own bowling.

The ECB have confirmed that the England tour of Bangladesh will go ahead as planned.

George Dobell25-Aug-20163:10

Dobell: It’s a bold move for England

The ECB have confirmed that the England tour of Bangladesh will go ahead as planned.Concerns were raised after Dhaka, the nation’s capital, suffered a terrorist attack in July that left many dead. Australia cancelled their tour to the country at the end of last year and had pulled out of the Under-19 World Cup this year due to security concerns.But a security delegation that included the ECB’s security advisor Reg Dickason, the Professional Cricketers’ Association chief executive David Leatherdale and the ECB’s director of cricket operations John Carr, has recently returned from India and Bangladesh after completing a venue inspection ahead of the tours. They concluded that, with the level of security promised by the Bangladesh government, that it will be safe for the tour to go ahead.England players – including Test captain Alastair Cook and one-day captain Eoin Morgan – were briefed tonight by Dickason on the security arrangements and the risk assessment. Leatherdale and Carr were also present at the meeting alongside Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, and Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive.”England’s tour of Bangladesh will continue as planned,” said Strauss after the meeting.”Safety and security of players and management are always paramount. We’ve received a thorough risk assessment, had excellent insight into the current situation and been fully briefed on security commitments. ECB and PCA have the utmost confidence in the advice and support we’ve been given.”Tonight we discussed details with the players and management in an open meeting. They asked lots of questions, have time to ask more and will clearly want to take it all in – we understand that. Selection for the tour will be made after the end of the summer internationals.””We will, as always, continue to monitor the situation right up to and throughout the tour.”It is understood that England’s players will be given a no-consequences option to skip the tour if they, or their families, are uncomfortable with their involvement.The BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury, on Friday morning, expressed relief and caution over the ECB’s approval. He said they would “have to remain vigilant and continue our security standards” over the next few weeks.Arriving on 30 September, England are scheduled to play three warm-up matches, three one-day internationals and two Test matches, before leaving Bangladesh on November 2. They will then travel to India for a five-Test series starting on November 9.Current government advice from the Foreign Office currently states that there is “a heightened threat of further terrorist attacks” in Bangladesh and warns those travelling to minimise their exposure to “crowded areas and places where westerners are known to gather”.

England vice-captain Anya Shrubsole has been ruled out of the first two ODIs against West Indies due to a side strain

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2016England vice-captain Anya Shrubsole has been ruled out of the first two ODIs against West Indies due to a side strain. But she is working towards being fit for the final three matches of the series, which begin from October 14 in Kingston and count towards the Women’s Championship. England are at third, with nine wins from 15 games.Shrubsole picked up the injury playing a warm-up match against a Jamaican representative XI on Thursday. The 24-year old seamer had been named England’s player of the year for 2015. She is also No. 9 on the ICC bowlers’ rankings in ODIs.”Anya Shrubsole is a world class cricketer and our vice-captain, so of course we want her fit and helping the team to win matches for England,” England women’s coach Mark Robinson said. “But her absence from the first two matches here in Montego Bay creates an opportunity for someone else to put their hand up and show what they can do. The squad is ready and raring to go tomorrow.”The top four teams from the Women’s championship gain direct entry into the 2017 World Cup. Australia have already qualified. West Indies are at second place with 10 wins from 15 games.

Kraigg Brathwaite’s marathon 95* off 206 helped West Indies claw their way back from early trouble and have a shot at a first-innings lead over Pakistan in Sharjah

The Report by Sirish Raghavan31-Oct-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKraigg Brathwaite was a study in concentration during his 12th Test fifty•Getty Images

Pakistan rebounded from being bowled out for 281 to reduce West Indies to 38 for 3, but had to work much harder for their subsequent breakthroughs as Kraigg Brathwaite led his side back into contention with a gritty, unbeaten 95. Supported first by Roston Chase and then by Shane Dowrich, Brathwaite helped West Indies close on 244 for 6 after two hard-fought sessions.Confronted with a probing bowling effort, a slow outfield and horrid start from his top-order team-mates, Brathwaite maintained his composure and patience throughout his 206-ball vigil. Unlike the more free-flowing batsmen at the other end, he seldom tried to force the pace, content to play the ball late whenever he could. Nine of his ten fours came behind the wicket, the sole exception being a loft over mid-on off Zulfiqar Babar.After the three early wickets, Jermaine Blackwood briefly looked promising after lunch. However, his attacking instincts, and his seeming refusal to rein them in, soon led to his downfall. Having driven Mohammad Amir on the up for a boundary through cover, Blackwood tried to repeat the shot a few balls later. Only, this time, the delivery was slightly shorter and not quite there for the drive; Blackwood edged it to gully and departed for a run-a-ball 23.Chase was the next to keep Brathwaite company. In a productive period leading to tea, Chase hit a number of lovely cover drives, moving to 43 off 82 by the interval. He did have a few awkward moments against spin, though, with legspinner Yasir Shah luring him into some injudicious shots against the turn.Chase kept taking the bait and creamed Yasir for a big six over long-on to reach his fifty shortly after tea. Like Blackwood, however, he perished after one indiscretion too many. With left-armer Amir angling the ball across him from over the wicket, Chase went for an extravagant drive and only managed a thick edge to Younis Khan in the slips. That brought to an end an 83-run fifth-wicket partnership, but West Indies were still vulnerable at 151 for 5.Next, it was Dowrich’s turn to complement Brathwaite’s marathon knock. Dowrich hit several attractive boundaries during his 90-ball 47, and was particularly strong square of the wicket on the off side. But he had two major strokes of luck early in his innings.The first, with Dowrich on 15, came via a recurring theme – a Wahab Riaz no-ball. The bowler had enticed the batsman into chasing a full, wide delivery and edging it to Asad Shafiq at gully. But he had overstepped – for the 15th time in the series – and Dowrich lived on. A few overs later, Dowrich attempted to sweep Azhar Ali, and the ball hit the back of bat before looping to Younis at slip, who put down the chance after an elaborate juggle.It was around this time that things seemed to be slipping away from Pakistan. Leg-side deliveries were helped on their way to the fine-leg boundary. Dowrich unfurled some cracking strokes. The odd mis-hit landed safely. Wahab received two warnings for following through in the danger area. As the partnership ticked along past 60, then 70, then 80, West Indies seemed to be regaining the upper hand.But, against the run of play, Dowrich dragged an innocuous ball from Wahab onto his stumps, ending an 83-run stand. West Indies closed out the day 37 short of Pakistan’s first-innings total, with four wickets in hand.That was a markedly better outcome than they might have expected after a tumultuous morning session in which five wickets fell for 64 runs. Alzarri Joseph took the last two Pakistan wickets to bowl them out for 281, just 7.5 overs into the day, before Pakistan struck back through early breakthroughs.Amir troubled Leon Johnson in the first over by swinging the ball away from the left-hander, before Wahab dismissed him for 1 with a straight ball that trapped him in front.Then, towards the end of the first session, Darren Bravo miscued a cross-batted swing off Babar in the air towards cover, where Amir took a screamer of a catch. Soon after, Yasir trapped Marlon Samuels plumb in front and the batsman departed, but not before wasting a review. By lunch, West Indies were sinking deep into a hole.It was Brathwaite’s resolute knock that helped them steadily work their way out of it by the time the day was over.

A strong all-round performance from Arjun Nair was not enough to drag the Cricket Australia XI to its first win of the season, as Victoria claimed a double bonus point in their four-wicket win

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2016

ScorecardArjun Nair scored 67 and then picked up 3 for 53 to earn the Man of the Match honour in a losing cause•Getty Images

A strong all-round performance from Arjun Nair was not enough to drag the Cricket Australia XI to its first win of the season, as Victoria claimed a double bonus point in their four-wicket win. Chasing 154, the Bushrangers reached the target inside 25 overs, but lost six wickets along the way, including three to Nair.Nair had opened the batting for the CA XI earlier in the day and made 67, the only batsman in his side to pass 20. Fawad Ahmed picked up 4 for 43 from his 10 overs, including the important wicket of Nair, who holed out to long-on in the 30th over at a time when he could still have lifted the CA XI to a competitive total.Marcus Stoinis picked up 3 for 28 and helped ensure the CA XI innings petered out, dismissed for 153 in the 38th over. Victoria’s win was never in serious doubt, especially after a 69-run opening stand between Cameron White (29) and Marcus Harris, which ended when Harris was bowled by Nair for 36.But in their push for the double bonus point, the Victorians did lose a few more wickets than they might have liked, as Nair and Brendan Doggett (2 for 36) did their best to keep the CA XI in the contest. However, the result meant that after four games the CA XI was still without a win, while Victoria jumped to second place from just three matches.

The USA Cricket Association has announced over the weekend that it has offered central contracts to four players and intends to offer up to 20 more contracts in the next “two to three months”

Peter Della Penna21-Nov-2016The USA Cricket Association has announced over the weekend that it has offered central contracts to four players and intends to offer up to 20 more contracts in the next “two to three months”. The declarations were made by USACA president Gladstone Dainty and former USA coach Robin Singh during a series of speeches and presentations made at the USACA T20 National Championship in Florida this weekend.USA captain Steven Taylor, allrounders Timroy Allen and Timil Patel, and Trinbago Knight Riders batsman William Perkins were the first four players offered central contracts by the USACA. Dainty stated in a speech to the players on November 19 that the contracts were worth $48,000. It is not known if any of the players has accepted the offer yet but according to multiple sources, USA’s players were advised by ICC Americas officials last month to decline any offer made by USACA after rumours of potential contract offers had circulated.

USACA provisional national squad

Rana Adil, Danial Ahmed, Timroy Allen*, Alex Amsterdam, Fahad Babar, Adil Bhatti, Sam Das, Akeem Dodson, Kushal Ganji, Muhammad Ghous, Elmore Hutchinson, Sheldon Irvin, Naseer Jamali, Nosthush Kenjige, Ali Khan, Carlitos Lopez, Jaskaran Malhotra, Prashanth Nair, Saurabh Netravalkar, Japen Patel, Nisarg Patel, Sagar Patel, Timil Patel, William Perkins, Ryan Persaud, Usman Rafiq, Ravi Ravish, Nicholas Standford, Roy Silva, Jessy Singh, Pranay Suri, Steven Taylor, Ravi Timbawala
*

A battle for control of the selection process for USA national teams is not unprecedented. In 2005, a dispute over USA squad selections between USACA and the Council of League Presidents resulted in USA being kicked out of the Intercontinental Cup and replaced by Cayman Islands. USACA was suspended soon after, the first of three administrative suspensions over the course of the next decade.In September, ICC Americas staff, currently administering USA cricket in a caretaker role, hired former Sri Lanka Test cricketer Pubudu Dassanayake as the new USA coach ahead of WCL Division Four in Los Angeles, which USA won to gain promotion to Division Three. Robin last coached a USA side at 2014 ICC WCL Division Three in Malaysia, when USA finished fifth and were relegated to Division Four, but he is still listed on the USACA web site as their men’s national coach.However, under USACA’s current suspension, the ICC has made clear that it has assumed complete control over USA’s operational affairs including national-team selection. Dassanayake is expected to continue leading USA’s preparation for Division Three in Uganda next year. USACA has until December 15 to ratify a new constitution that has been approved by the ICC. Failure to do so may see a resolution put forth by December 31 leading to USACA’s potential expulsion as an Associate Member at the next ICC Annual Conference in June 2017.In a speech delivered on Sunday, Robin said he had put together a list of players from which 20 would receive USACA contracts in early 2017. Robin emphasised that the contracts were made possible by the $70 million investment deal announced last month between USACA and Philadelphia businessman Jay Pandya, who was subsequently announced as the new owner of the CPL franchise St Lucia Zouks.”We’re going to consider all of these people going forward to give contracts,” Robin said after the list of 29 additional names for consideration was unveiled. “Hopefully in the next year or two, we want to actually give out about 20 professional contracts and we want to make it as clear as possible. We want to make sure people are actually committed to the game. I’ll put out a list of commitments and requirements that I expect, and there’s going to be some very tough lines.”The USACA list of 33 players differs in notable ways from the 30-man national squad announced by ICC Americas evaluators in July. Among those that have been included in the USACA list of potential contract recipients are several players with first-class experience overseas including former India U-19 and Mumbai medium pacer Saurabh Netravalkar, Carlitos Lopez and Roy Silva. The only players who were part of USA’s Division Four and Auty Cup squads from October not included in USACA’s proposed contract list are Srini Santhanam, Hammad Shahid and Abdullah Syed.”In the next three months, we’re going to make sure there are a lot of games played,” Robin said. “It’s not only for the people who are on this list. I will call people outside the box and I think it’s necessary. If people are injured, or not available, or not honest enough, we will remove them from the list because it’s not my money. We are playing with other people’s money here and I think [Pandya] has made a serious commitment to take the game forward in this part of the world, and I think, as cricketers, you owe it to yourself to give yourself the best chance.”

South Africa will host Australia in March-April 2018 for the first four-Test series between the two countries since readmission

Firdose Moonda04-Jan-2017

Tour fixtures

22-24 Feb 2018: Tour match: SA Invitation XI v Australia, Benoni
01-05 Mar: 1st Test, Durban
09-13 Mar: 2nd Test, Port Elizabeth
22-26 Mar: 3rd Test, Cape Town
30 Mar-3 Apr: 4th Test, Johannesburg

South Africa will host Australia in March-April 2018 for the first four-Test series between the two countries since readmission. The tour comes at the conclusion of a 2017-18 home season that is set to be South Africa’s busiest, including at least ten Tests.The Tests will take place in Durban, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Johannesburg, venues that have all hosted Australia before. There is a nine day gap between the second and third Tests, and the final Test, at the Wanderers, takes place over Easter weekend.Australia’s last tour to South Africa was in 2013-14 when Australia won the series 2-1 and Graeme Smith retired from international cricket. The teams have since met in ODIs in South Africa in 2015 and Tests in Australia in 2016-17. Although South Africa have won their last three series in Australia, they have never beaten them in a series at home since readmission* and there’s a further incentive for them to do so, as the No.1 ranking could be on the line.”Test match cricket between Australia and South Africa has always produced epic battles and brought out high-class individual performances that have become part of the annals of the game. Australia are currently the No. 2 ranked team on the ICC Test table and we will need to beat them and India to regain our place at the top of the table,” Haroon Lorgat, the CSA CEO, said. “With this series being played straight after the tour by India our Proteas and fans can look forward to what will be one of the most challenging seasons of Test match cricket we have ever witnessed in South Africa.”Before Australia tour, South Africa will host Bangladesh for two Tests, in Bloemfontein and Potchefstroom, and India for four, although the dates and venues have yet to be announced. It is understood that South Africa are hopeful India will agree to tour over the festive period in December-January.GMT 1420 The story earlier said South Africa had never beaten Australia in a home Test series, but they did so twice before readmission, in 1966-67 and 1969-70.

A round-up of the Ford Trophy matches played on January 18, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2017Medium pacer Anurag Verma’s career-best 5 for 44 helped Wellington beat Central Districts by four wickets in Napier and remain unbeaten after two rounds of the Ford Trophy, the domestic 50-over competition.Central Districts elected to bat, and made 212 for 9, thanks largely to Josh Clarkson’s 68. They began with a half-century stand between George Worker and Jesse Ryder, before Verma and Jeetan Patel, the offspinner, sliced through the top order. Clarkson then put together 67 for the fifth wicket with Dane Clever to help stablise the innings, before another collapse resulted in them slipping to 167 or 8. Navin Patel’s unbeaten 37-ball 19 helped haul the total past 200.Michael Papps led Wellington’s chase, giving them a solid start with a 55-ball 50. Worker prised out three top-order wickets to leave them in a hint of trouble at 107 for 4 in the 25th over, and Blair Tickner’s double-strike left them 157 for 6 in the 39th over. But Luke Woodcock took over, making 63 not out and sharing an unbroken 57-run seventh-wicket stand with Verma, who contributed 16, to steer Wellington home with eight balls to spare.Northern Districts ran through Canterbury‘s batting line-up before their openers made quick work of a target of 136 to complete a nine-wicket win at Hamilton’s Seddon Park. Brett Randell’s medium-pace earned him figures of 4 for 34 while a 131-run first-wicket stand between Dean Brownlie – who remained not out on 55 – and Joe Carter (64) all but took Northern Districts home to a stutter-free win.Choosing to bat, Canterbury lost their first two wickets for 45 runs inside 10 overs. A 35-run stand for the third wicket – the side’s biggest partnership – followed between Jack Boyle (41) and Peter Fulton (26), but the fall of Fulton began Canterbury’s spiral out of control. Brett Hampton took three middle-order wickets, while Randell ran through the tail. Canterbury’s innings only lasted 32 overs.Openers Brownlie and Carter struck half-centuries in Northern Districts’ response, their partnership ending when Logan van Beek dismissed Carter five runs shy of the target. Eventually, they got home with 30.3 overs to spare.Sean Solia’s 73-ball 84 laid the platform for Auckland to beat Otago by 19 runs at the Eden Park Outer Oval. Having chosen to bat, Auckland were 24 for 2 and then 68 for 3 before Solia and Robert O’Donnell (42) added 92 for the fourth wicket. Five wickets then fell for the addition of only 27 runs, leaving Auckland 187 for 8 in the 41st over, before Donovan Grobbelaar (45 off 41 balls) and Lockie Ferguson (24 off 23) revived them with a 57-run ninth-wicket stand. It wasn’t enough for Auckland to last their full quota – they were bowled out in 48.4 overs – but it ensured they finished with a competitive 257. Anaru Kitchen and James Neesham took four wickets each.Otago made a strong start to their chase, with Brad Wilson scoring 40 and adding 54 in 9.3 overs for the first wicket with GW Croudis, before a third-wicket stand of 47 between Ryan Duffy and Neesham left them a solid 121 for 2 in the 23rd over. Both fell soon after, though, and when the legspinner Tarun Nethula struck in successive overs to dismiss Michael Bracewell and Sam Wells, Otago were sinking at 196 for 7. Wicketkeeper Derek de Boorder struck 36 off 32 balls, but it wasn’t enough with wickets falling around him, and Otago eventually folded for 238, with 4.3 overs still remaining.

West Indies have trimmed their ODI squad for the upcoming three-match series against England from 15 to 13, leaving out Shane Dowrich and Miguel Cummins from the group that has been training in Antigua with new coach Stuart Law

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Feb-2017West Indies have trimmed their ODI squad for the upcoming three-match series against England from 15 to 13, leaving out Shane Dowrich and Miguel Cummins from the group that has been training in Antigua with new coach Stuart Law.Dowrich, the 25-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, has played eight Tests but is yet to make his ODI debut. His exclusion leaves Shai Hope as the lone specialist wicketkeeper in West Indies’ squad. Fast bowler Cummins has played two ODIs, most recently in a defeat to Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in November, during a tri-series that also involved Sri Lanka.The first two ODIs will be played in Antigua on March 3 and 5, followed by the final match in Barbados on March 9.West Indies ODI squad: Jason Holder (capt), Devendra Bishoo, Carlos Brathwaite, Kraigg Brathwaite, Jonathan Carter, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope (wk), Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Ashley Nurse, Kieran Powell, Rovman Powell.

South Africa can equal their best winning run in ODIs if they secure a 12th consecutive victory in the opening match against New Zealand in Hamilton

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan18-Feb-2017

Match Facts

February 19, 2017
Start time 2.00pm local (0100GMT)Ross Taylor, the focus of much attention in recent times, returns for the one-day series•Getty Images

Big Picture

New Zealand have seen off the No. 1 ODI side in the world this season. Now they get to try to do it all over again. Overturning Australia in the Chappell-Hadlee series knocked off their crown, with South Africa, who are one win away from equalling their best run in ODIs, taking top billing after their 5-0 whitewash against Sri Lanka. This is certainly a series between two in-form one-day sides.South Africa laid down a marker in the T20 on Friday night at Eden Park. While neither side will dwell too much on a one-off match, there was far less for New Zealand to take from it (just Trent Boult’s bowling) than for South Africa whose top order batted with intent, then the pace bowlers hustled New Zealand’s top order before Imran Tahir added the finishing sparkle.For both sides the countdown continues to the Champions Trophy. Their next one-day cricket will come on English and Irish shores in the weeks leading into the tournament, so this series offers the last realistic chance for any significant tinkering or discussion over positions. The two teams are fairly settled in ODI cricket, with perhaps a couple of pace-bowling slots up for grabs in each.It is a quick turnaround into the opening ODI; South Africa won’t mind that after a dominant performance in Auckland while New Zealand will probably feel it’s not a bad thing either to be able to get straight back on the horse.

Form guide

New Zealand WWWWW (completed matches, most recent first)

South Africa WWWWW

In the spotlight

Ross Taylor remains the topic of much discussion in New Zealand after his absence from the T20 side. Mike Hesson, the coach and a selector, said he did not think Taylor could have made much of a difference in the T20 because there hadn’t been a platform set in the chase, but there is a certainly a groundswell of opinion that it seems odd that one of the country’s finest batsman is on the outer. But he’s back for Hamilton and brings fine form with him after a series-clinching century against Australia. The eyesight is tip-top now, too, after surgery last year which has helped his catching.Kagiso Rabada was rested for the T20 and South Africa managed very well without him. It’s a slightly daunting prospect for New Zealand that he’ll add further strength to the pace attack. He consistently discomforted the Sri Lankans in the previous series and is one away from 50 ODI wickets. In the absence of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel in one-day cricket he has quickly become South Africa’s senior white-ball paceman.

Team news

New Zealand have a very different-looking top-order for ODIs with far more experience. Dean Brownlie covers for Martin Guptill’s absence, as he did with success against Australia, while Taylor, Neil Broom and possibly James Neesham will stock the middle order. There will need to be a decision over whether Matt Henry or Lockie Ferguson is the third frontline quick.New Zealand (probable) 1 Dean Brownlie, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Neil Broom, 6 James Neesham, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent BoultDavid Miller’s finger injury, sustained against Sri Lanka, is not healing as well as had been hoped and he remains doubtful. Rabada can be expected to return to the pace line-up.South Africa (probable) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Farhaan Behardein, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Wayne Parnell, 9 Andile Phehulkwayo, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Imran Tahir

Pitch and conditions

The pitch will be the same one used for the Australia ODI, which was off-centre and probably works against legspinner Ish Sodhi being part of the New Zealand side because of the shorter boundary. There is a forecast for showers, some heavy, during the early part of the afternoon. The same heavy rain which hit Auckland earlier this week went through Hamilton and how Seddon Park has coped with the deluge could be important.

Stats and trivia

• If South Africa win in Hamilton it will equal their best winning streak in ODIs which stands at 12 set in 2005. It is the second-best overall; Australia are well ahead at the top with 21
• Ross Taylor needs 51 runs to reach 6000 in ODIs. He would be the fourth New Zealand batsman to reach the milestone after Brendon McCullum, Nathan Astle and Stephen Fleming
• South Africa’s likely XI – presuming Miller is unfit – has 72 ODI hundreds. New Zealand’s has 28 with 16 of those from Taylor

Quotes

“It hasn’t told us a lot of what we don’t know. They’ve got really aggressive new-ball bowlers, they swing the ball from a length rather than floating it up there. From a batting point of view, from one to seven there are match-winners in there.”
“It’s definitely a build-up towards the Champions Trophy. The conditions are pretty similar – the ball moves around a bit when it’s new and you have to extend your partnerships when you get in, so it’s quite similar to the UK.”