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Hampshire Hawks take 14 players to Edgbaston for Sunday’s opening totesport League Division One clash with the Warwickshire Bears. (1.00pm start)The only injury doubt is John Crawley who batted with a runner in the second innings against Durham in the recent Championship match. He has a calf mustle strain and is undergoing treatment.The Hawks who won promotion to Division One at the end of the 2003 season, take the eleven that won the match against Durham, plus Shaun Udal, James Hamblin and Lawrence Prittipaul.

We conclude our interview with Guy Whittall, who looks back on some of the highs and lows of his career.Most memorable matchThe most memorable match for me was beating South Africa in England at the last World Cup. It was quite an emotional time for me because I didn’t think it was possible. They seemed an invincible side, rather like the Australians now. They were just starting to lose form at that stage, but it was fantastic that we managed to beat them.Other good ones are when we beat Pakistan in the Test match in Harare, when I got my first Test hundred. Andy got 150, Grant got 200 and Streaky got a five-fer, so it was as if everyone had done well and it was a hell of an achievement. I was chuffed that my team-mates had done so well and that we had all got our first Test victory. We lost the next two games after that, which put a bit of a dampener on it, but we managed to draw that one-day series one-all.Another highlight was beating England here, three-nil in the one-dayers, and that fantastic draw with them, scores level, in Bulawayo. Then there was my double-hundred against New Zealand in Bulawayo, and my 180 on their next tour in Harare, with our backs against the wall. Again that was a bit of a dampener because we lost the game; we only had to bat for another ten minutes and we could have pulled off a draw.I’ve had a fantastic time of it just playing the game, and highlights of my career have also been watching other guys perform: watching Andy Flower getting his double-hundred, and his unbelievable year when he was the International Cricketer of the Year. I watched him from being a good cricketer to one of the best in the world. It was an honour and a privilege to watch how he developed and how he committed himself to the task, the goal-setting and the commitment he put into practice. There was never any laziness about him; he was committed to a task and that was it. I think Grant is on his way to doing the same.Worst matchI wasn’t playing in the match when we scored 38 all out; I wasn’t in the game we lost to Kenya, and I wasn’t in the Test match when we were 63 all out against West Indies! I’m not too sure about the worst match I’ve played in; there have been quite a few games where we’ve got almost all the way there and then thrown it away at the end. That’s the difference between the good teams and the weaker teams. That was like Kenya over the last few years, when they’ve got quite close and then thrown it away at the end. England’s great at doing that!Best innings of careerThe best innings I ever played was my pressure knock against New Zealand when I got 188. Our backs were against the wall and I decided I was going to take t to them, that we weren’t going to be able to block this out. I think I showed myself that I could do it under pressure; unfortunately Pommie Mbangwa got run out at the end but we were on our way.The Kiwis were always having a go and they really came hard at us. Parore, Dion Nash, Flem, Nathan Astle – all of them were quite nasty on the field and came hard on us. I was under pressure the whole way and it didn’t stop until I was on about 110 or so. I remember Stephen Fleming really trying to slow the game down, trying to make sure every bowler takes his time and commits himself to one ball at a time, the best ball he can bowl, instead of rushing through it.I put on a good partnership with Streaky that day and I could really feel him feeling the pressure. It’s nice when you can sense them feeling the heat, having been in the field a couple of days, and getting irritated and trying different things, and I managed to stay composed. I really enjoyed seeing them wilt around me. But unfortunately Streaky got out to a pretty soft dismissal, and then Pommie got out to a soft run-out. That was a low spot of my life, but I felt that I didn’t get out and it was one hell of an achievement.Best piece of bowlingEngland, England and England! I got four for 18 in one innings. I get Gary Brent and others who come and chirp me in the changing room, "What are your best figures?", and I can tell them four for 18.Best bowler facedI came name a few! I found McGrath very, very difficult; I found Andy Caddick quite a difficult bowler; Javagal Srinath; Wasim; Waqar – all of those guys are extremely difficult to face.Shane Warne – jeez, he’s got so much body into his action he gets it through a bit quicker than you think and there’s a lot of fizz on the ball. And Muttiah Muralitharan – just don’t even put him in front of me because I won’t last long! If I have to try and score off him I won’t last, but if I can just try and play him with a dead bat I think that’s the only chance I’ve got.Most difficult batsman bowled toThe Aussies at the moment! I find it very difficult bowling to all of them. They play so straight, they can whip you, they can do anything they want. When you’re bowling against them, your margin of error is very small.Best captainAndy Flower was a terrible captain in his first stint! His knowledge of the game has always been very good, but his man-management was terrible. Alistair Campbell was a good captain and he motivated us quite nicely, but he was a lazy guy, he always has been!But Andy Flower in his second stint as captain identified what his role was and his man-management was good, his performance was good because he identified that he had to captain the side, lead the team and also had to concentrate on his own game, deal with selectors and with the Union. He was the one captain I found who managed all three or four departments very well. He managed to do the best for the players and was a very smart guy. I had the utmost respect for him in his second time as captain because he managed all those departments very well.Best opposing captainSteve Waugh had an aura about him and he was a very good captain, I think. Nasser Hussain was probably one of the most irritating guys, but with some of the resources he had I think he was actually quite a good captain. Ranatunga I think was also a very good captain. They really got up the opposition’s noses and I think that’s good for a captain.Stephen Fleming was probably also one of the best. I think he learned a lot off Steve Waugh, and also Steve Rixon, who was the coach at the time. Steve Rixon was very good for Flem.Favourite groundHarare Sports Club. No doubt about that; I love playing there!Favourite country to tourEngland – a great place to tour. And Sharjah, which is also a great place!Most sporting opponentsThe Australians. They are always in winning positions, and they always dominated us, so we were always invited to the changing room to have a drink with them. I think if we had beaten them it might have been a different story. But there’s a lot of respect there.Best friends in other teamsCaddick from England is quite a nice guy. Glenn McGrath, because he has an interest in hunting. Steve Fleming is a good guy; Chris Cairns. The Indians – basically I get on well with all of them.When I’m much older, like now, I find it much easier to talk to most of the opposing players. When you are younger you find it very difficult, but now most of the teams have been playing so much against each other over the years, and Kenya as well, so I’m quite friendly with most of the sides.Most promising youngstersTravis Friend, Sean Ervine and Andy Blignaut.Funniest momentsWe were playing against South Africa here, and Hansie Cronje hit a ball over the top. Craig Evans was sprinting towards Castle Corner from mid-on, and he was absolutely flicking! The crowd were loving this guy sprinting in front of them, and suddenly it looked like he’d been shot by a 4-16 from behind. He just dropped to the ground and everyone ran up to see what was going on. He had actually pulled a hamstring, but it looked like he had been shot from behind, because at full sprint he just dived, arms out and hit the deck! I think that was one of the funniest and stupidest moments I’ve seen!Another funny one that I could hardly believe was Steve Peall, after getting his first Test wicket, Aamer Sohail bowled. He just walked down the wicket with one finger pointing towards the sky and the other hand just scratching his crotch! That was another stupid moment that was quite funny!Most desirable change in the gameI think the one-day game should improve between 15 and 40 overs – but I think players are going to start doing it, the Australians are setting a different approach, instead of just putting the ball on the ground and running. I think maybe they should bring another guy into the circle, a small thing that needs to be changed.And more important, the players’ body should have a bigger input into the ICC. They are the young generation that are going to set the standard for future years, so a bit more communication between the players and the ICC would be far better. I also think commentators, especially in countries like South Africa, should try to sell the game a lot better, as opposed to being very critical.

Despite the stunning comeback into the Coca-Cola Cup triangular oneday series in Colombo, the big question facing India is whether theycan break their losing streak in the last four final appearances whenthey take on Sri Lanka on Sunday.India booked their place in the final from the brink of elimination.Having won three pressure games, India look to be better placed thanever to put a stop to their habit of faltering at the last hurdle.They have lost the last four finals they have played in – the slidestarting with the defeat against New Zealand in the ICC Knock-outtournament in October last year – but Sourav Ganguly and his men aredetermined to halt the trend.The confidence stems from the way they have played in the last threematches and also from the brilliant individual performances ofVirendra Shewag and Yuvraj Singh, who almost single-handedly won thelast two games for India.Shewag and Yuvraj must be giving headaches to the Sri Lankan camp butIndia would need contributions from all the players in order to winthe cup tomorrow, considering the hosts would be all charged up toavenge two successive losses to India in the league phase.Sri Lanka had started as favourites to win the tournament and they hadproved their top billing by winning their first three matches,including one against India, with relative ease. But they lost theirnext two matches to India comprehensively.The 2-1 advantage in the series does give a psychological edge to theIndians but they must be wary of the Sri Lankans who are capable ofbouncing back especially since they are playing on home soil.After their sterling performances, Shewag and Yuvraj will featureprominently in the Indian scheme of things. Shewag, whose 69-ball 100against New Zealand in the last league encounter was the seventhfastest century in one-day history, will most probably open theinnings again with Ganguly who is slowly coming back to play hisnatural innings.In fact, a lot will depend on the opening partnership. India had lostearly wickets in each of their league matches except the last oneagainst New Zealand where Shewag and Ganguly shared a 143-run stand.The opening pair will once again be required to put up a good scoreeven if it is not in the hurricane manner it was compiled against NewZealand.Rahul Dravid has been the most consistent of Indian batsmen in thisseries and he can be expected to build upon the solid foundation. TheIndian vice-captain has looked as solid as ever and his performancewill be vital for the team’s fortunes.As will be that of Yuvraj Singh who is beaming with confidence afterhis career-best unbeaten knock of 98 against Sri Lanka. The bowlerswill be on the backfoot against him and the Punjab youngster mustcapitalise on the situation. He has shown his tremendous potential onnumerous occasions but has perished while trying to be too flashy. Itis time Yuvraj realises that he needs to play more responsible knockslike the one against Sri Lanka.VVS Laxman is another batsman who can turn the match around. Thestylish right-hander from Hyderabad has had a mixed series with hisunbeaten match-winning 87 against Sri Lanka standing out for its sheerbrilliance. Laxman has been undone on many a occasion due to his habitof playing away from his body and he needs to restrain suchtendencies.Another Punjab youngster Reetinder Singh Sodhi has also shown a lot ofpromise especially under pressure situations. Coming at number six, hedoesn’t get much opportunity but he has been chipping in with quicktwenties and thirties.Hemang Badani has struggled in this tournament though he looked goodin his 35-ball unbeaten 37 in the last match. The team has reposed alot of faith in him and Badani will be looking to start from where heleft off on Thursday.The Indian batting line-up is suddenly having a lot of depth after thethree victories but it will be put to the real test only tomorrow.The Indian bowling has been pretty consistent and with the exceptionof Thursday’s match against New Zealand, the bowlers have done theirjob admirably. Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan have developed into apotent force and a lot will depend on their performance in the final.Harbhajan Singh has also been among the wickets and his role in themiddle overs has been crucial for India’s fortunes. The part-timerslike Ganguly, Sehwag, Yuvraj and Badani have also done a fine job andcan be expected to come up with a similar good performance.Sri Lanka had inflicted one-day cricket’s worst-ever defeat on Indiain Sharjah in the two teams’ previous meeting in a final last October.And the hosts are aiming for a similar result this time in the wake oftheir two successive losses.They have a very balanced side with Sanath Jayasuriya leading anexplosive batting line-up that includes the likes of RomeshKaluwitharana, Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardene and Russel Arnold.All of them have been in fine form in this tournament – withJayawardene too getting runs in the previous two matches – and arecapable of producing match-winning innings. They have come outsuccessful from sticky situations, amply exemplified in their fivewicket win over New Zealand after reeling at 27 for four at one stage.With a partisan home crowd expected to fully occupy the PremadasaStadium on a Sunday, Sri Lanka could make things difficult for theIndians. Muthiah Muralitharan, who claimed a world record 7-30 in thatSharjah final, will once again be at the helm of the Sri Lankanbowling to haunt the Indians. He will have able company in ChamindaVaas, Dilhara Fernando and Kumar Dharmasena who have been troublingthe opposition batsman a lot in this series.Both teams will announce their final eleven tomorrow.The teams (from):India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, VirenderShewag, Hemang Badani, Yuvraj Singh, Amay Khurasia, Reetinder SinghSodhi, Sameer Dighe, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, AjitAgarkar and Rahul Sanghvi.Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Marvan Atapattu, MahelaJayawardene, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Kumar Sangakkara, Russel Arnold,Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Dharmasena, Chaminda Vaas, Dulip Liyanage,Avishka Gunawardene, Suresh Perera, Dilhara Fernando and DinushaFernando.

Match facts

Wednesday, July 15
Start time 1500 local (0900 GMT)1:51

Are South Africa missing AB de Villiers?

Big picture

Two one-sided matches, with the teams batting first folding for similar scores and losing by big margins, have given the third ODI at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium the status of a final. After their seven-wicket win in the second game, Bangladesh could not have found a better time to discover a way to beat South Africa.Sunday at the Shere Bangla National Stadium was only the second time Bangladesh defeated South Africa at the international stage. It was a clinical performance from the home bowlers, who teamed up well under Mashrafe Mortaza to bowl out South Africa under 200. The visitors had dished out a similar meal in the first ODI when Kagiso Rabada took a hat-trick in his six-for on ODI debut.With both teams getting bowled out in the 160s in the first two games, the pitch in Mirpur was questioned. Some players said it was two-paced, but it was actually not any different from how it usually is. In Chittagong, however, the wicket is likely to be flatter and better for batting, which would mean a lot of the onus will be on the side batting first.South Africa chased well in the first game but looked slightly directionless in the second, partly due to AB de Villiers’ absence. The visitors had eight partnerships between 16 and 29 on Sunday, but none of them kicked on to define the innings. Three batsmen – Faf du Plessis, David Miller and JP Duminy – got out softly in their attempt to chip the bowler.Bangladesh had their own batting troubles, but Soumya Sarkar and Mahmudullah calmly guiding them to the win that gave Mashrafe and Chandika Hathurusingha momentary relief. The decider could go either way as the visitors have lost some of the momentum and lustre from the first three games on this tour.

Form guide

Bangladesh: WLLWW
South Africa: LWLWW

Players to watch

Soumya Sarkar batted with ease after battling an initial rough period in the second ODI. With constant talk about his irregularity in converting good starts, he will have a big role to play in the decider.Hashim Amla has not had a longer fifty-less streak in ODIs in the last seven years than his current run of six games. Wednesday could be the occasion to break the streak.

Team news

The win on Sunday could keep Bangladesh unchanged, but a more positive mentality could bring the discussion of an extra bowler into the fray.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Litton Das, 4 Mahmudullah, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Nasir Hossain, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Mustafizur RahmanSouth Africa do not have a spare batsman, so their current top seven will have to make amends for Sunday’s failure. They are likely to trust the same bowling attack.South Africa (possible): 1 Hashim Amla (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 Rilee Rossouw, 5 David Miller, 6 JP Duminy 7 Farhaan Behardien, 8 Chris Morris, 9 Kyle Abbott, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Imran Tahir

Pitch and conditions

There is not much a difference between the pitches across Bangladesh, so the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium will be expected to favour batsmen and spinners. The average score batting first is 260-plus. There is a 50% chance of shower on match day.

Stats and trivia

• Hashim Amla, JP Duminy and bowling coach Charl Langeveldt played South Africa’s only game at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.
• Hometown boy Tamim Iqbal has the most runs (391) at this ground, while Shakib Al Hasan has the most wickets (27).

Quotes

“This (decider) is big no doubt because we haven’t achieved such things before. Whenever you go to achieve something you haven’t then it will obviously seem big. We haven’t beaten South Africa in a series before so this is a big deal.”

The ECB are considering scrapping the toss in Division Two County Championship cricket in a bid to encourage counties to produce better pitches.Instead of a toss, the visiting team will be allowed to decide whether to bat or bowl first. The hope is that it will encourage counties and their groundstaffs to prepare less bowler-friendly wickets in the knowledge that their opposition will have the choice of have to exploit them.The idea, revealed by the , has been recommended by the ECB’s cricket committee and will now be discussed by the executive board. If the move is agreed, as seems likely, it could be introduced for the 2016 season.There has been growing concern that the standard of pitches in county cricket – particularly in the Division Two – is compromising the development of players. Specifically, the role of spinners has become marginalised on surfaces that sometimes provide extravagant help to medium-pace seamers while batsmen, fearful they will receive an unplayable delivery sooner rather than later, have responded by playing more aggressively. As a result, some of the skills required to succeed in Test cricket – patience, discipline and consistency – have been lost.Eoin Morgan, the England limited-overs captain, was enthused by the idea. “If it’s to improve the standard of wickets that we play on, and potentially produce a couple of wickets where spin might be conducive to that particular ground, I think absolutely,” he told .”The benefit in county cricket might not be at the very beginning, but potentially for younger guys coming through – they’ll develop different skills which will in turn give them a greater base, if they do get picked for England, to play around the world and do it successfully.”As Andy Flower, the former England coach and now ECB technical director of elite coaching, put it recently: “The pitches are a real problem. We have a situation now where dibbly-dobbly bowlers like Jesse Ryder – and no disrespect to him, because he’s a fine cricketer – are match-winners in county cricket.”Spin bowlers don’t develop because the medium-pacers bowl their overs and batsmen are not exposed to quality spin. The necessity for fast bowlers is negated because the medium-pacers do the work but, when you get to international cricket, the pitches are completely different and the qualities that proved successful in county cricket will be of little use. Dibbly-dobbly bowlers are not going to win you Test matches. Their abilities are exaggerated by green county pitches.”You can watch a game in Division Two of the County Championship and not see a bouncer bowler. That’s a problem, because the first thing that a batsman will be tested by in international cricket is the short ball.”The pitches are contributing to the divide between county and international cricket and leaving us – the coaches at Loughborough – needing to bridge a significant gap in standard.”The ECB are especially mindful to produce more opportunities for spin bowlers. Peter Such, the ECB’s lead spin bowling coach, recently told ESPNcricinfo: “In overseas Test cricket somewhere between 46-48% of overs are bowled by spinners, but in county cricket that figure is around 20%.” At a couple of division two counties, that figure drops below 10% at home games.”The pitches tend to start damp, which makes them seam-bowler dominated and makes it very hard for spin bowlers to break through,” Such said. “We need to do more to encourage spin bowling.”If the trial is successful, it is possible it could be expanded to include Division One cricket and perhaps, in time, even Test cricket. It is has become relatively rare for sides to win Test series away from home and some feel that such a move could play a part in correcting the imbalance.

England have named an unchanged side for the third Test against the West Indies at Old Trafford starting on Thursday.With Matthew Hoggard still ruled out because of the adductor muscle injury suffered during the Lord’s Test, Ryan Sidebottom, who took eight wickets at Headingley, retains his place in the XI.”Despite ongoing rehabilitation and assessment. Hoggard has unfortunately failed to fully recover,” David Graveney, the chairman of selectors, said. “He has worked hard to overcome the injury but ultimately time was against him. We’re prepared to give him as long as he needs to ensure the injury does not become a longer-term problem. We are hopeful that with further rehabilitation he will come into calculations for the fourth Test in Durham.”Ian Bell has made excellent progress after suffering a back spasm that saw him sit out the last four days of the second Test. Provided he gets through Warwickshire’s Friends Provident Trophy match on Sunday he’s expected to be fully fit for Old Trafford.”James Anderson has not been named in the squad but will be the standby seam bowler, joining the team on Wednesday evening in case of late illness or injury. He will be available to Lancashire for their County Championship match against Durham starting on Wednesday.”Asked about the situation regarding Andrew Flintoff, Graveney said: “Andrew successfully underwent surgery on Friday and following rehabilitation and strengthening work we are hopeful he can play a part for England at some stage later in the summer. Given his latest injury setback we all feel for Andrew and look forward to him making a strong recovery. I’ve no doubt Andrew will draw strength from the way Michael Vaughan made a successful return to Test cricket following a lengthy period out of the game through injury.”England 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Andrew Strauss, 3 Michael Vaughan (capt), 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Ian Bell, 7 Matthew Prior (wk), 8 Liam Plunkett, 9 Steve Harmison, 10 Ryan Sidebottom, 11 Monty Panesar.

Scorecard

Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Zoysa helped themselves to four wickets apiece, but Sri Lanka’s top order then wobbled on the second day against British Universities. Vaas and Zoysa helped knock the students over for 125, but Sri Lanka slipped to 38 for 4 before Thilan Samaraweera steadied the ship.On an overcast day the bowlers found plenty of assistance, but Sri Lanka hit early resistance as David Wainwright and Damien Shirazi took the score from the overnight 13 for 2 to a healthier 59 for 2 when rain forced an early lunch. But Vaas was immediately into the action on the resumption removing both batsmen in quick succession.Vaas claimed his third of the day when he trapped Luke Parker, the captain, lbw after having the batsman prodding and poking at swinging deliveries. Nick Lamb fell to a bat-pad catch leaving Richard Clinton, the Surrey batsman, to carry the innings. Clinton fought hard for his 44 as Zoysa ran through the lower order with late swing.Unsurprisingly Sri Lanka opted not to enforce the follow-on, but if they’d entertained thoughts of some comfortable batting they were given a shock. In a flash they were 6 for 3 and when Tillekeratne Dilshan fell for 7 it was 38 for 4.Samaraweera averted any further embarrassment as he built on his first-innings 36 with an attractive half-century. Together with the promising Chamara Kapugedera they pushed Sri Lanka’s lead forward with an unbeaten stand of 102.However, with the first Test just over two weeks away there is limited time for the Sri Lankans to find their feet in the early-season conditions. A strong England A side has been named to play them in 10 days time, then an inexperienced top order will have to front up at Lord’s. This is early days on tour, but there is plenty of work to do.

The ICC has dismissed a story appearing in an Indian newspaper alleging that it had acted outside its own rules in the case of Sourav Ganguly, India’s captain, as inaccurate and misleading.In a statement, the ICC said that it was unfortunate that the newspaper relied on an unidentified source and did not take the opportunity to check the allegation with the ICC before publishing the article.Malcolm Speed, the ICC’s chief executive, said that its responsibility was to apply the rules that all countries had agreed to and it had done so on this occasion. “There was a full and considered debate involving all countries over the issue of slow over rates and all captains have been repeatedly made aware of the importance of maintaining the over rates. The ICC’s role is to apply the rules without fear or favour and this has been the approach taken in Ganguly’s case.”As he has done previously, Ganguly exercised his right to appeal the suspension and the decision was reviewed by one of the world’s foremost sports lawyers, Michael Beloff QC, a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, who found that the ICC match referee had acted properly in imposing the penalty that he did.”In addition, at the request of Ganguly, Beloff reviewed his original determination with specific reference to Clause C1 of the ICC Code of Conduct which is the issue referred to in today’s article. Beloff carefully considered all the arguments, including the suggestions made today and provided the ICC with a detailed 25 page judgment on the issue and in which he upheld the decision of the match referee. A copy of the determination and the review has been provided to Ganguly.”It is therefore disappointing to see that a newspaper in India is prepared to rely on an unidentified and uncorroborated source and was not willing to contact the ICC to establish the facts of this matter before these unfounded allegations were published.”

After bowing to the inevitable 12 balls into the fifth day’s play, Pakistan will, yet again, retreat to the drawing board to see how they will bounce back for the second Test at Lahore. At the post-match press conference, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Haroon Rashid, the manager, identified what went wrong and how it will be rectified for the next Test:On confidence following the first-Test defeat
The first match was very important. We couldn’t perform well at all and the team is very down at the moment. The Indians are on a high as they have won the one-day series and now the Test match as well. We have to work very hard to come back and iron out the weaknesses that were so apparent in this game.On relying on individual stars
They are stars because they do perform, so we need them to do well from now onwards. Our main strength is our bowling and we didn’t bowl well throughout the match. The pitch was criticised a lot but I have played here for 12-13 years and the pitches haven’t been much different here. We have won games on pitches like these before and if we had bowled like the Indians did, we could have done well.On changes for the next Test
Obviously, after this sort of performance, changes will be made. Those guys who didn’t perform will be looked at.On the team’s lack of commitment
We have not lacked commitment or effort throughout the series. Only two or three matches ago, the same newspapers were saying that the team was looking settled and impressive. Don’t say that we are not making the effort, because all the boys are working very hard, it is just that we are unable to deliver at the moment. The bowling hasn’t clicked and it has caused us problems.On batting responsibly
We didn’t take any responsibility in our batting second time around. I don’t believe that we should have just tried to hang around and defend, we should’ve continued to play positively, just with some common sense. If we had just defended and not scored then the bowlers would have really jumped on us. But in the second innings our batsmen really let us down, on a pitch where batting for a day and a half is really not a problem. We could have scored another 400 runs in the second innings.On the fielding problems and dropped catches
Yes, they played a part obviously, but even given the dropped chances, there is no way we should have let them score nearly 700. We bowled poorly and let them get that many. The fielding has to be worked on, but after the bowling performance in the one-dayers and the Test, I think we need to look at that harder.On a lack of bowling options
We do have some back-up in the shape of Umar Gul, but we don’t lack options. On previous tours and series, it is this very attack that has bowled so well and won us matches and so we need to persevere with them.On Saqlain Mushtaq
We played Saqlain on the basis of his track record and experience. He couldn’t perform well and obviously it means other players can be tried as well.On the teams’ weaknesses and strengths
India’s batting has been traditionally strong, and our bowling has been for years our main strength. Having played for so long here, I have never seen a greentop here, but we should not become obsessed by the wickets. We should look at our own weaknesses and try and eliminate them.On the lack of crowds
The stadium is really far from the town, and the security so tight that it might have put off the crowds. Plus one-dayers are so popular here and Test matches generally less so.On bowling coaches
I don’t believe that they are necessary. If international bowlers need help for no-balls and wide balls then that is strange. We have won with this very coach in the past recently. We just need to look at what we did wrong and take it from there.On problems with past and present selection committees
I didn’t have any problems with the previous selection committee and neither do I have one with the present one. Whatever I have asked for in terms of personnel I have got.

The odds are stacked against Pakistan qualifying for the Super Six stage as Waqar Younis’ men prepare to meet Zimbabwe in a must-win match at the Queen’s Sports Club, Bulawayo.The latest Points Table for Pool A shows that Australia and India are already through to the next stage, leaving Zimbabwe, England or Pakistan to battle it out for the remaining spot. Let us then discuss the possible scenarios.If Zimbabwe were to beat Pakistan on March 4, the Lions of Harare will roar into the Super Six as the third qualifier. Zimbabwe will again benefit if rain washes away Wednesday’s match, as the two points they earn in that situation will take them to 14 points and ahead of England.Pakistan, meanwhile, can squeeze their way into the Super Six stage only if they recover from the psychological blow of the thrashing they took from India, and beat Zimbabwe. If they manage to do so, they will force a three-way tie on 12 points between the three aspirants for the third spot in Group A.If that happens, each of the teams would have one win in the matches played among themselves: Zimbabwe won against England (forfeit), England beat Pakistan, and Pakistan would have beaten Zimbabwe.The computers will now come into play, as NRR becomes the critical factor in deciding which team will make it to the Super Six.If Zimbabwe loses to Pakistan, the African Lions’ NRR will suffer. England, already ahead in that respect, will qualify. That is if Pakistan don’t beat Zimbabwe by a margin huge enough to boost their current NRR (+0.2267) beyond England’s (+0.8207).It is very clear therefore that for Pakistan to escape elimination, they have to win, and win big. What exactly should the team do? Serious number-crunching generates the following table of requirements:If Zimbabwe Bat First:The targets for Pakistan to get could be in the ranges providedin Columns A and B of Table 1. Waqar’s team must attain victorywithin the number of overs specified in Column C. The run-ratesthey would need to score at are provided in Columns D and E. Forexample, if Pakistan needs to win by scoring 51 runs (Col. A),they must do so within 9.4 overs (Col. C) at an average run-rateof 5.28 (Col. D) per over. If the target is the one at the higherend of the range (Col. B), they must attain it within the same9.4 overs (Col. C) but scoring at a higher run-rate of 5.79(Col.E).<!–.sch {font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,MS Sans Serif;font-size: 10px;color: #000000;}.hah {font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,MS Sans Serif;font-size: 10px;font-weight: bold;color: #999999;}th {font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,MS Sans Serif;font-size: 10px;color: #FFFFFF;}

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Pakistan’s best bet, then, will be to win the toss, put the Zimbabweans inand bowl their opponents out for as lowly a total as possible, within 107 at themost, before reaching their target within 9.4 overs – 11 overs as the case may be.Considering the fielding restrictions in the first 15 overs and the explosive batting of Saeed Anwar, Shahid Afridi and others in the Pakistan top order, this may be possible. What will also work to their advantage is the fact that with such a small target, losing wickets may not really matter.But obviously, Zimbabwe’s men are not going to roll over and play dead. They would also be fiercely competitive and looking to enter the Super Six. Thus, they may try to score as many runs as possible. And that is when Pakistan’s position becomes increasingly hopeless. For instance, if Streak’s unit were to bat anywhere near their potential and score 225, the Green Brigade must win within 13.5 overs, at an average of 16.27 an over – a task that can be considered close to impossible. Table 1 above shows how Pakistan’s task becomes progressively hopeless as the target climbs from 226 to 323.If Pakistan Bat FirstPakistan’s possible range of scores are set out in Columns A and B of Table 2, and their minimum required margin of victory is in Column C. All figures are in runs.

If Pakistan’s batsmen wield the willow with power and panache, scoring 300, their bowlers must dismiss Zimbabwe for 112. A tall order, but within the realms of possibility for an attack regarded as among the best in the world. After all, Wasim and Waqar have over 900 wickets in ODIs, and the fearsome Shoaib is arguably the fastest in the world!But if Waqar’s men are below par and only score say 223, the bowler’s will then face the herculean task of bowling the opposition out for 36, the lowest-ever total in ODIs.To concludeIrrespective of what the weather-man says, or what the wicket looks like, theseTables, then, send out the loud and clear message that the captain winning the tossmust have no hesitation in batting first at Bulawayo. As to whether Pakistan canrise like a Phoenix from the ashes of the heavy defeat inflicted by India atCenturion, we will have to wait till Wednesday to find out.