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Test squad members Dickwella and de Silva added to T20I squad for remaining games

Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Feb-2022Spinner Maheesh Theekshana and Kusal Mendis have been ruled out of the ongoing T20I series against India with hamstring issues, Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed on Friday.Seam bowler Shiran Fernando, who is in the squad and is yet to make his international debut, has been ruled out of the T20Is too, with a glute injury.To bolster the squad, Niroshan Dickwella and Dhananjaya de Silva – members of the Test squad – have been added to the T20 set up for the remaining matches.Related

• Dharamsala weather in focus as India hunt for 11th straight T20I win against injury-hit Sri Lanka

• Kishan, Shreyas fifties muscle India to huge win

• The Ishan Kishan metric to measure the chasm between young India and Sri Lanka players

There is one piece of better news for Sri Lanka, however. Seamer Binura Fernando, who had tested positive for Covid-19 in Australia, has been medically cleared to begin regular training, and should be available for selection for the two T20Is to be played in Dharamsala.It had appeared unlikely Mendis would’ve been risked in the T20Is with a Test series beginning on March 4 in Mohali. Mendis has not played Tests since January last year, when he was dismissed for four consecutive ducks, but has been in better form since returning to competitive cricket from a six-month ban for breaking Covid protocols. In fact, he was the player of the match in the most recent international he played – the fifth T20I in Australia.Theekshana’s absence is a substantial blow to the T20I side, however, with Wanindu Hasaranga also ruled out having tested positive for Covid. Theekshana had been one of Sri Lanka’s go-to powerplay bowlers over the past six months.Sri Lanka lost the opening encounter while the second and third T20Is are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday with both games to be played in Dharamsala.

While not mathematically out of the race yet, Dhoni’s team faces a tough road to make the playoffs

Debayan Sen22-Oct-20208:40

Should Chennai make wholesale changes? Do Mumbai need Pattinson back?

Big picture

Captain MS Dhoni and head coach Stephen Fleming may have sounded unusually downbeat after Chennai Super Kings put in a below-par performance in their previous match against Rajasthan Royals, but mathematically the Super Kings are still in the race to maintain their record of qualifying for the playoffs every season. This despite losing the services of allrounder Dwayne Bravo to injury, and with Dhoni’s selection choices coming under fire from various quarters. The fact that even three wins from their four remaining games could just sneak them into the top four – provided other results go their way – should give them the necessary spark with the death of the round robin games approaching.ALSO READ: Fantasy-team suggestions for Super Kings vs MumbaiTheir immediate opponents Mumbai Indians have suffered a couple of hiccups along the way, but look on course to making the playoffs yet again. They have had an extra day’s rest compared to the Super Kings, and considering the drama of their epic encounter with the Kings XI Punjab, they would be thankful for it. Captain Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan appeared to suffer injuries during Sunday’s match, and their non-availability might not be such a bad thing. With just 13 players used from their roster yet, Mumbai wouldn’t mind valuable match practice for those having warmed the bench thus far, especially looking at the business end of the tournament.

In the news

• The 2020 season remains the only time when Dhoni is yet to register a score of 50 or more while his average of 27.30 is his lowest for the Super Kings in any season. Dhoni’s strike rate of 125 is also the second lowest for the franchise – he had struck 372 runs at 122 in 2015 – and with the middle order a weak link for the Super Kings, Dhoni hitting form is not just crucial but also imperative for their playoffs hopes to stay alive.
• If Mumbai choose to rest Rohit, Kieron Pollard can step into the role of captain, as he has in the past for them. This can also allow Chris Lynn and Dhawal Kulkarni – both unused so far – to play at the expense of a foreign seamer. Pollard’s form with the bat has been key for Mumbai’s continued form this season. After falling to Lungi Ngidi for 18 in the first match of the season, he has rattled up 190 more runs at a strike rate of 211 in six innings without being dismissed. Owing to Pollard, Mumbai average 10.60 in the last 10 overs while batting, and have smashed 20 or more runs in an over at the death for as many as seven times.

Previous meeting

It was the very first game of the season in Abu Dhabi. Dhoni used his resources expertly to ensure no Mumbai batsman scored more than 42, as all his bowlers chipped in with wickets and restricted the defending champions to 162. Despite early jitters, Ambati Rayudu and Faf du Plessis spearheaded the Super Kings’ reply to bring them their first win against Mumbai following a 4-0 wipeout last season.

Likely XIs

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Faf du Plessis, 2 Shane Watson, 3 N Jagadeesan/Ruturaj Gaikwad, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 MS Dhoni (capt and wk), 6 Sam Curran, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Karn Sharma/KM Asif, 11 Josh Hazlewood/Imran TahirMumbai Indians: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Rohit Sharma (capt)/Chris Lynn, 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Ishan Kishan/Saurabh Tiwary, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Nathan Coulter-Nile/Dhawal Kulkarni, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Strategy punts

• The Super Kings promoted Sam Curran to open the batting against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, and while they won that match, his strike rate of 108 at the top pales in comparison to the 219 he was going at previously this season. Curran also strikes at 190 against spin, as opposed to 127 against pace.
• Similarly, Ravindra Jadeja currently averages 48.50 and strikes at 164, both being his best returns with the bat in an IPL. Curran and Jadeja can both be employed as floaters – especially keeping the smaller boundaries of Sharjah in mind – to motor along in the middle overs.
• Typically, Mumbai use one over of Jasprit Bumrah in the powerplay and another around the 11th or 12th over mark, before holding back two overs for the death. However, his recent form has been terrific – his average and economy have dipped to 11.50 and 5.80 in the last four matches, as opposed to 25.1 and 8.80 in the first five. Besides, his match-ups with Shane Watson (who averages 23.5 and strikes at 87), Dhoni (average 15.7 and strike rate 92) and Curran (dismissed both times they’ve met while averaging seven) could encourage a break from the norm and more overs in the first half of the innings.

Stats that matter

• Matches in Sharjah have followed no set pattern that the teams can go by. If the first four games produced an average first innings total of 219 with four successive teams batting first and crossing 200, that number has dipped to 182 and zero respectively, in the four matches that have followed. Similarly, the economy rate for spinners went from 10.5 in the first four matches to 7.5 in the four played since.
• This will be the 200th T20 match for the Super Kings, who have 118 wins from 199 games till now. They will join Mumbai, the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Kolkata Knight Riders as teams with 200 T20 matches, with only Mumbai (126) having won more matches.
• Dhoni needs one six to reach 200 sixes as captain in the IPL.
• Bumrah needs three wickets to reach 100 wickets in the IPL and 200 in all T20s.
• Krunal Pandya needs 27 runs to reach 1000 IPL runs.

ESPNcricinfo’s live updates and analysis on India v Sri Lanka

Varun Shetty06-Jul-2019

India A fired a warning to England Lions and West Indies A ahead of the forthcoming tri-Series with an emphatic victory over an ECB XI

ECB Reporters Network17-Jun-20182:25

‘Important to play close to the body in England’ – Shaw

ScorecardIndia A fired a warning to England Lions and West Indies A ahead of the forthcoming tri-Series with an emphatic victory over an ECB XI in the first game of their tour at Headingley.India A, coached by Rahul Dravid, had been due to play Yorkshire, but the ECB put together alternative opposition from county cricket because of Yorkshire’s progress in the Royal London One-Day Cup.India A fielded a team including three players with senior international experience and plenty of others who have made an impact in the IPL, and they quickly adapted to English conditions to post a total of 328 for 8 – then dismissed the ECB XI for 203.Prithvi Shaw, who captained India to victory in the ICC Under-19s World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year, set the tone with a sparkling innings of 70 from 61 balls including seven fours and three sixes.Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, the tour captain who has made 12 white-ball international appearances, added half centuries at quicker than a run a ball, although the ECB XI did slow the run rate for periods with the Gloucestershire allrounder Ryan Higgins the pick of the attack, earning 4 for 50 from his 10 overs.Higgins had Shaw caught behind edging a drive to Alex Davies, the Lancashire wicketkeeper who was captaining the Board XI, and later in the same over bowled Hanuma Vihari off an inside edge.Sussex allrounder Delray Rawlins picked up the wicket of Vijay Shankar, chipping to mid-on where Surrey’s Will Jacks took the second of his three catches, having already snapped up Mayank Agarwal at backward point off Tom Barber.Rawlins then took two catches in consecutive balls to give Higgins his third and fourth wickets, following a simple take at long-off to dismiss Kishan with an acrobatic effort at mid-off to send back Iyer.Ollie Robinson and Jamie Overton each picked up a wicket in the closing overs, although the Mumbai Indians all-rounder Krunal Pandya kept up the attack with 34 from 28 balls including two sixes.The Indians were equally impressive with the ball, with their seamers especially relishing the gloomy conditions as the Headingley floodlights were switched on.Deepak Chahar had Davies flicking to mid-wicket, and a promising innings from the Gloucestershire opener George Hankins ended on 27 when he pulled Khaleel Ahmed to mid-on.Jacks hit two sixes before falling lbw to Axar Patel, a left-arm spinner who has played 38 ODIs for India, and the Derbyshire left-hander Ben Slater played some of the day’s best shots in making 37 from 38 balls before he edged Shankar behind.That turned out to be the second top score of the innings, behind Slater’s county team-mate Matt Critchley, who was ninth out for 40.Rawlins swept two boundaries off Patel but was bowled going for a third, Harry Finch was bowled by a beauty from Prasidh Krishna, and Higgins was run out after a mix-up with Critchley.Chahar, a 25-year-old seamer who was an IPL regular for Chennai Super Kings, polished off the last two wickets to end with 3 for 48.

The Australian coach is proud of his young team for forging a new identity and said Steven Smith is at the forefront of this change

Daniel Brettig29-Mar-2017Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has lauded Steven Smith as “Bradman-like,” while confirming that the way the tourists pushed India to the brink of losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has set a marker for how the team intends to play from here on.The 2017 Australians were not the team of snarlers who wrested the Ashes back from England in 2013-14, but nor were they the uncertain group who stumbled in Sri Lanka and in the early weeks of the home season last year. With the help of Lehmann and his support staff, Smith’s men were well prepared and studious, while for the most part offering the sort of example that Cricket Australia’s game growers can be comfortable with.Lehmann said Smith had been the exemplar of this, from his prolific batting feats to the way he has led the team and conducted himself across the tour. A public apology for letting the emotions of a white-knuckle series get the better of him at times, certainly made for a sharp contrast with his opposite number Virat Kohli.

‘Australia is immensely proud’

David Peever, the Cricket Australia chairman, has said “Australia is immensely proud” of the efforts of Steven Smith’s team in India.
“Some gave them little chance of testing the world’s number one team, but instead showed resilience, adaptability and a determination to overcome the difficulties they have experienced in recent years in such conditions.
“There were many fine individual performances, but none better than those of the captain. Steve showed yet again what an outstanding leader he is becoming, and his honesty and gracious comments at the end demonstrated the qualities that Australians expect from their Test captain.
“It was a tough series, as we expected and indeed welcome from our Indian hosts. Cricket at this level is highly competitive, and it is incumbent on all involved, players and administrators, to honour the protocols and standards of behaviour that underpin the spirit of cricket.”

“He’s been brilliant. He’s been unbelievable. He’s been Bradman-like with the bat but all the stuff behind the scenes has been exceptional,” Lehmann said of Smith. “Really pleased for him and what he’s brought to the team as a leader. The way they’ve gone about it has been impressive.”They’re young, they’ve been up against it, the pitches have been as we would expect. There’s a lot of learning in this group over this tour. They’re all hurting and disappointed for the result but I’m really pleased with the effort and the attitude at trying to change the way we play here. He’s led from the front, the captain. Three hundreds in four Test matches is pretty special.”Looking ahead, Lehmann was adamant that at 27-years-old, Smith was more than capable of surpassing the likes of Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh and Mark Taylor, not only as a batsman but also as a captain. “Yeah I think so. He’s a cricket nuffie; loves the game,” Lehmann said. “He’s passionate about the game, loves the game, loves his players.”He helps support staff out. Behind the scenes, he’s into it every day, making sure everyone is okay. He’s a different leader to Michael [Clarke], to Ricky, to Taylor, to Waugh. And he’s working out his own identity as a captain. Everyone is proud of him. So pleased with where he is going. He’ll just get better and better.”When Australia slumped to a fifth consecutive Test defeat in Hobart last November, the team performance manager Pat Howard indicated that Lehmann had to “reinvent” himself as a coach. It was a suggestion that Lehmann visibly bristled at, but five months on he agreed that he had changed his own methods in concert with Smith, as the pair forged a new identity for a young team that does not feature the old heads Lehmann first inherited.’He helps support staff out. Behind the scenes, he’s into it every day, making sure everyone is okay.’•AFP

“They have been excellent. There have been difficult conditions there is no doubt about it. They haven’t whinged once, they’ve been just getting on with the game,” Lehmann said. “They’ve copped a lot from Indian media and that’s just the way it is over here. I’ve been pleased the way they have handled it.”We have decided we are going a different way about the way we play. Obviously we’re less aggressive than we have been in the past. And I’m pleased with the way they have gone about it. The young group will grow. They will get better.”We weren’t good enough in this series, there is no doubt about that. We missed big opportunities to win the series. But if they keep learning and keep growing and keep getting better, it is a group that can play a long time together. That’s the pleasing thing.”Asked to ponder where this team was in relation to the side led by Clarke into the second bracket of back-to-back Ashes series four years ago, Lehmann said Smith’s men were building as a team, rather than looking to atone for a series of defeats to England. Australia had lost three Ashes series in a row up to that point.”I don’t think the group is at that stage. That group back then was right at that stage. I mean, they copped a lot for a few years so they wanted to give some back. This group is just playing a game of cricket,” Lehmann said. “I have actually changed a bit in my ways as a coach. I’ve really enjoyed watching the way they go about it. So, for them, they have had to work out the way they want to play as a group and I think it has been brilliant.”I think the other style was right for that group at the time but this group wants to play a different way and that’s okay as well. I think you have got to change as a coach, change as a captain, and players.””They know they are going to cop different decisions and different pitches and different conditions wherever they play, and they are just trying to get better. My son loves watching the Australian cricket team and I hope everyone’s son does.”

Lions left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso has been reported for an illegal action following his team’s win against Warriors in the semi-finals of the Momentum One Day Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2016Lions left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso has been reported for an illegal action following his team’s win against Warriors in the semi-finals of the Momentum One Day Cup on February 25.In accordance with the ICC’s regulations and Law 18 clause 2.25, Phangiso’s action will now have to be tested in “as soon as reasonably possible but, in any event, within 21 days of receipt by the Player’s Home Board of the notice.” He will be tested on Friday at the ICC-accredited High Performance Academy at the University of Pretoria. Fourteen days after that test, an ICC appointed specialist will furnish the body with written report which will determine whether Phangiso’s action is legal or not.Phangiso, who has played 16 ODIs and nine T20Is and has taken a combined tally of 29 wickets for South Africa, is part of their squad for the upcoming World T20 in India. The time frame for his testing means that Phangiso’s performance in the World T20 could be affected. Even if he is tested immediately, the 14-day period for the analysis would only conclude on March 10, after the first round of the tournament begins. Changes to squads are allowed until March 8, which may see South Africa’s selectors look for another back-up spinner to Imran Tahir.When contacted on Thursday morning, South Africa’s convener of selectors, Linda Zondi, was in a meeting and unavailable for immediate comment. It is likely him and his panel will consider another option to Phangiso. Eddie Leie, who has played two T20s for South Africa, could come into contention if he recovers from the hamstring injury which kept him out of the one-day cup semi-final in time.This is the third time this year Phangiso has made headlines. In mid-January it emerged that he had been prevented from boarding an international flight following South Africa’s ODI series win in India because he was drunk and disorderly and CSA had subsequently handed him an unknown sanction. This week, Phangiso had to apologise for being caught on camera pretending to sniff an unknown substance off his leg during South Africa’s T20 against England at the Wanderers. Phangiso was in the dug out and his gesture took place when South Africa were batting. He said it was a lighthearted joke but understood that in a country with a drug problem, it was inappropriate.

Heather Knight made her first Test century as England continued their dogged rearguard action well into the third day at Wormsley

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2013
ScorecardHeather Knight and Laura Marsh put on a record-breaking partnership for the seventh wicket•Getty Images

Heather Knight made her first Test century as England continued their dogged rearguard action well into the third day at Wormsley. Knight’s 157 from 338 balls was the seventh-highest Test score by an England woman and she was joined by the equally obdurate Laura Marsh in a stand of 156 – England’s best for the seventh wicket and one run shy of the Test record – that went a long way to staving off the threat of defeat to Australia.With six points on offer in these multi-format Ashes, the incentive to win was clear and evinced by Jodie Fields’ decision to declare with her team six down on the second day. But with the prospect of defeat coming at such a price – a draw will give each side two points – England have knuckled down in an attempt to make sure they don’t lose. Australia had extended their lead to 81 by reaching 64 for 1 by the close, making a draw the most likely result.Resuming on a perilous 172 for 6, still 149 runs behind, Knight and Marsh forged on in the same manner in which they had gone about their business on the on previous evening. The pair soaked up 73 overs of pressure before Knight was run out after being sent back looking for a single.Knight was dropped on 105, wicketkeeper Fields missing a chance down the leg side, but by then she had long-since surpassed her previous best innings, in her only other Test, of 19. She hit 20 fours in all and was particularly strong off her pads in making the third-highest individual total for England against Australia.Marsh, 13 from 114 balls at the start of the day, had progressed to 35 when she lost her partner and Katherine Brunt, who hit her first ball for four, went soon after. But Danielle Hazell stuck around for another 20 overs as Marsh went to her first Test half-century, eventually facing 304 balls for her 55. By the time Australia claimed the final wicket, Erin Osborne finishing with 4 for 67, the deficit was just 17.”I’m really pleased, I think when I went in we were pretty up against it,” Marsh said. “I was just really pleased to be able to hang in there with Heather and support her.”It was the job the team needed and I tried to stick in there and be disciplined with my decision-making. It was really helpful to have Heather at the other end for the vast amount of the time I was there because she just played brilliantly and we kept each other going.”I tried to be positive in defence and approach it that way and pick up runs when they became available.”With a slim lead and a potentially tricky couple of hours to negotiate amid rain showers, Australia’s openers began at a similarly watchful pace, reaching 40 before Jenny Gunn removed Rachael Haynes. First-innings centurion Sarah Elliott accompanied Meg Lanning safely to the close but it will take something special from the usually attacking Fields to force a result.

Graeme Smith believes his side can push for victory after battling through a difficult spell to post an ’emotional’ hundred in his 100th Test

Firdose Moonda at The Oval21-Jul-2012Graeme Smith is due to leave England before the second Test to attend the birth of his first child but, as he marked his 100th Test with a century, his wife, the Irish singer Morgan Deane, joked on Twitter that her waters had broken already.Smith, who will return in time to lead South Africa again at Headingley on August 2, laughed it off and said he tries not to read all her posts these days. “She’s very impulsive, I’m trying to calm her down a bit,” he said. “She’s been very supportive though, considering she is going to give birth so soon.”If there was doubt about Smith’s abilities as a batsman and leader, they have surely all been squashed. His 25th Test hundred was also his seventh against England, fifth in England and made him the seventh player to have scored a century on a landmark 100th Test.Having also brought up big scores on both South Africa’s previous tours here, combined with the fact that the team have never lost a Test when Smith has crossed the three-figure mark, his reputation is at its peak. The actual magnitude of what he has achieved hasn’t formed a solid memory quite yet but he is starting to grasp what significance it has.”It hasn’t really sunk in yet. It was kind of surreal at the time. A lot of thoughts and emotions went through my head,” Smith said. “It was a dream come true to come out and have the chance to do that. At one stage when Graeme Swann was spinning it past my bat, the hundred looked a long time away but once I fought through those tough times, it became a reality.”Smith said he expected a tough passage of play up front but knew that if he could see it through, there may be an opportunity to wrest control of the match. “It was a battle of attrition out there really,” he said. “There weren’t many scoring opportunities available to me so it was about being strong in my game plan. We expected that tactic from England this morning, that they would try and squeeze us as much as possible and cause us to make a mistake. We felt that if we could hold the game in that period of time we would be able to get a release somewhere.”After a cautious start, in which “the key factor was the way I left the ball this morning”, Smith and Hashim Amla took 72 runs off the 13 overs before lunch, which included Smith’s century. “When I got to 100, there was so many emotions: from the battle with Swann to knowing my wife is giving birth in three days’ time,” he said. “All those things were coming through. I don’t even think I realised how I was celebrating. It is a blank moment in my mind.”There is still work to do before he turns his mind to fatherhood. “The way we bounced back with the ball has been probably the biggest achievement of this Test match so far,” he said. “On day one, we were 50-50, we were solid without having an X-factor in our game. It’s so easy to let the game drift from that position and be playing the rest of the Test match under massive pressure but we were able to keep England under pressure.”Now, Smith wants to go for the kill. He has already considered South Africa’s strategy for closing out this match but was careful not to reveal too much. “I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves. We’ve got two guys, Amla and Jacques Kallis, close to milestones tomorrow and I would love them to get there,” he said. “It’s been a difficult wicket to push on and score greater than three runs an over but if we set up a good base, hopefully we can do that.”Although Smith expects a tighter effort from England, he was bullish in his assessment of whether South Africa has what it takes to win. “We need to respect our opponent, they have the ability to bounce back,” he said. “But we want to have a chance to push for a victory. I believe we have the ability to win, if we set the game up right. If we give ourselves the chance to bowl out England, I believe we’ve got the armoury to do that.”David Saker, England’s bowling coach, called the pitch “subcontinental” and expects it to deteriorate, which could set the stage for the legspinner Imran Tahir to ignite his South Africa career. Smith was hopeful that would be the case. “It is quite dusty and quite dry. There is a turn available and it will be a good opportunity for Imran to get in,” he said. “His form looks pretty solid. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him but, on day five, if we are bowling for the win, he will have to play a prominent role.”

Nottinghamshire spinners Samit Patel and Graeme White shared six wickets on the
second day of their Championship Division One clash with Hampshire at the
Rose Bowl

21-Jul-2011
ScorecardNottinghamshire spinners Samit Patel and Graeme White shared six wickets on the
second day of their Championship Division One clash with Hampshire at the
Rose Bowl.Patel recorded figures of 4 for 43 as Nottinghamshire dismissed their hosts
for 213, Neil McKenzie the mainstay of the innings with an unbeaten 97. Three wickets from Chris Wood, who had earlier made 34, then left the visitors 35 for 3 at the close.After rain washed out the first day, Hampshire won the toss and elected to bat
in overcast conditions, but were soon made to regret their decision as a flurry
of early wickets fell.Liam Dawson was the first man to go, getting stuck on his crease to a delivery
from Charlie Shreck which kept slightly low and trapped him lbw for just six. Fellow opener Jimmy Adams, promoted into the captain’s role because of Dominic Cork’s unexpected absence, was the next wicket to fall, bowled off his pads by former England quick Darren Pattinson for seven to leave Hampshire 13 for 2.Michael Carberry went for four, edging Pattinson behind to give Chris Read a
regulation catch as his side slipped into real trouble at 26 for 3. McKenzie and James Vince temporarily steadied the ship, with Vince the fortunate beneficiary of two dropped catches.But as Hampshire nudged past 50, Vince finally fell, looping a catch to
Pattinson off the bowling of Patel. Sean Ervine was next up, but after battling for 44 balls, the former Zimbabwe Test player was dismissed for 14, edging left-arm spinner White to slip to leave the hosts 86 for 5 at the lunch break.The impressive and resilient McKenzie brought up his 50 and Hampshire’s 100
with a nicely-timed drive after lunch, before combining in a 51-run partnership
with wicket-keeper Michael Bates.But medium-pacer Steven Mullaney struck with the last ball of his first over,
dismissing Bates for 24. A brief shower brought about an early tea before some big hitting from Wood saw him and the McKenzie rack up a half-century partnership.But after two big sixes had advanced the youngster to 34 – just one run short
of matching his highest first-class score – Wood fell to a sharp slip catch by
Adam Voges off the bowling of Patel.McKenzie looked to be moving towards his second Championship century of the
season, but was left stranded on 97 after Danny Briggs and Imran Tahir fell to
Patel in quick succession and David Griffiths was dismissed by White.Nottinghamshire were soon in trouble themselves at the start of their reply,
Wood removing opener Neil Edwards (eight) and dangerman Alex Hales (two) in just
his second over.And he secured Hampshire’s first bowling point with his third wicket in a
devastating opening burst, bowling Rikki Wessels for seven to leave
Nottinghamshire struggling.

Having relinquished wicketkeeping duties in Test cricket, Brendon McCullum is looking to reinvent his role in the New Zealand side by moving up the order as an unorthodox opener in the longest format

Cricinfo staff23-Jul-2010Having relinquished wicketkeeping duties in Test cricket in order to ease the strain on his body, Brendon McCullum is looking to reinvent his role in the New Zealand side by moving up the order as an unorthodox opener in the longest format.”I wouldn’t play conventionally. There are a lot of aggressive Test openers around now. It’s probably something we haven’t really looked at,” McCullum told the in Wellington. “I’m not saying it’s going to work, but I’m going to give it everything I’ve got to try and make it work.”McCullum’s ambition is not without precedent – batsmen such as Virender Sehwag, Matthew Hayden, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chris Gayle and Tamim Iqbal have reinvented the role of an opening batsman in Test matches with their attacking intent. McCullum has been a staple at the top of the order for New Zealand in the shorter versions of the game where he is recognized as a dangerous batsman, with averages of 29.01 in ODIs and 33.33 in Twenty20s at enviable strike rates. His Test record is less impressive with 2862 runs at 34.90 in 52 matches, most of the runs coming from the number seven spot.In recent times, the Test opening slots have been a major problem area for New Zealand, having tried 14 different batsmen at the top since 2005 without much success. They are likely to maintain the opening combination of Tim McIntosh and BJ Watling for their next assignment in Bangladesh. McCullum is not fixated on opening the batting and is confident of making an impact from the number three position too.”One, two or three are probably the same. I don’t mind where. It won’t be the stock-standard blunt the ball at the top of the order. I’ve got to stick to my strengths and if we’re totally honest it probably hasn’t worked in the past, the way we’ve been playing. Why not try something different?”New Zealand will be without McCullum’s services during the upcoming tri-series in Sri Lanka, also involving India. He will be missing from the starting line-up after 209 successive international appearances as he recovers from a clean-up surgery on his left knee. The break coincides with the birth of his second child.”The last time I missed a game was for the birth of my boy [Riley, in 2004]. This isn’t the reason I’m missing this tour but to have a girl and have an unbroken stretch in between is pretty cool,” McCullum said.