Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Zimbabwe face stern New Zealand test

The last time Zimbabwe met New Zealand in a one-off Test at Bulawayo in 2010, they nearly pulled off an improbable victory chasing 366 in 114 overs, falling short by just 34 runs. This time around they will face a stern test when they meet the Kiwis in a one-off Test at Napier as they are playing away from home for the first time since 2005.

New Zealand will go into the match high on confidence on the back of a thrilling 7-run victory over Australia in their last match at Hobart. They lost the first match of that series but came back strong to level the series 1-1. Zimbabwe on the other hand have lost their last two matches against Pakistan and New Zealand, both at Bulawayo.

Skipper Brendan Taylor, who hit a half-century and a century in the previous match, will be the key in the middle order along with Elton Chigumbura. Tatenda Taibu will be crucial down the order. In the bowling department, the pair of Kyle Jarvis and Brian Vitori will have the responsibility of picking up early wickets with the new ball. Chris Mpofu has been ruled out with a lower back injury. With the pitch likely to favour the fast bowlers, debutant Shingirai Masakadza could find a place in the starting eleven. Leg-spinner Graeme Cremer could replace the injured Ray Price.

Owing to the pitch conditions, New Zealand could play four seamers in Doug Bracewell, Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Chris Martin, all of whom played in the last Test against Australia. Jesse Ryder is out with a groin injury. Wicketkeeper Reece Young, who has been dropped, could be replaced by BJ Watling. Daniel Vettori will play the lone spinner’s role. 

With a green top expected at Napier, it will be a great challenge for the visitors in the swinging conditions. A Bulawayo-type fight will do their confidence a whole lot of good.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Battered England look to square the series

After receiving a hammering at the hands of Pakistan in the first Test at Dubai, the world no.1 English side would look to hit back hard and square the series in the second Test at Abu Dhabi.

After winning the toss and choosing to bat first in the first Test, England threw away the advantage of a beautiful batting track and were bundled out for a paltry 192. Their batsmen were totally clueless against the spin variations of Saeed Ajmal who wrecked havoc with seven wickets in the innings. Nine out of their ten wickets in the first innings fell to the spinners. 

The inability of their pacemen to pick up early wickets weakened their grip on the match and finally the failure of their batsmen in the second innings made sure that the match got over well within three days. Throughout the Test, only Jonathan Trott and Matt Prior looked somewhat comfortable against spin bowling. 

In the bowling department, off-spinner Graeme Swann did strike but it was too late, the only bowler who seemed ominous was Stuard Broad who bowled with great heart. Chris Tremlett looked lacklustre and went wicketless. With the subcontinent pitches assisting spin, the Poms would most likely replace Chris Tremlett with Monty Panesar, who picked up a five-for in the tour match against Pakistan Cricket Board XI, in the starting line-up. The rest of the team may remain unchanged. 

After getting off to a flier, the Pakistan team lost the plot in the first innings of the first Test but did well to assert a decent lead of 146. The middle order got starts but failed to carry on. One of the big positives for Pakistan was the performance of Keeper Adnan Akmal who impressed with his intelligent batting down the order. Their spinners were the key but the pacemen also contributed as Umar Gul sparked the collapse in the second innings and picked up four key wickets. 

There are two changes expected in the Pakistan side as Asad Shafiq, who flopped with the bat in the first Test, may make way for the swashbuckling Umar Akmal, while Aizaz Cheema who struggled with an injury in Dubai could be replaced by Wahab Riaz in the second Test.

We can expect a slower pitch at Abu Dhabi and England’s prospects of winning the match will depend a lot on how well they handle the Pakistan spinners.