New Zealand's fringe names aim to impress

Match facts

May 14, 2017
Start time 10.45am local (0945 GMT)Neil Wagner has excelled in whites and now could get his chance in coloured clothes•AFP

Big picture

New Zealand have faced Ireland just twice in their 721 ODIs. The last time was nine years ago, in 2008, in Aberdeen. Back then, Brendon McCullum strutted with blonde hair, James Marshall was his opening partner and Daniel Vettori was in charge of New Zealand. McCullum and Marshall’s massive tons led New Zealand to 402 for 2, their only 400-plus score to date. The only surviving member of that team in this squad is Ross Taylor.New Zealand will be without key personnel at least for the start of this series with Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill, Corey Anderson, Mitchell McClenaghan, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Adam Milne and Colin de Grandhomme on duty at the IPL although some may filter over to Ireland as their IPL campaigns conclude. That means New Zealand have the opportunity to test the depth of their reserves in all departments.Bowling allrounders Seth Rance and Scott Kuggeleijn haven’t played an ODI. George Worker has played just two games. Stand-in captain Tom Latham, Neil Broom, James Neesham, Colin Munro and Henry Nicholls have all struggled for fluency in the format. What better way to show your mettle than perform in tough batting conditions.Ireland began the tri-series with discipline and accuracy, before rain scuppered their chances of springing an upset on Bangladesh. As has often been the case, Ireland didn’t find the penetration they needed to sustain pressure over a considerable period, letting Bangladesh recover from 70 for 4. Still, they’ll find that the experience of having played games like those against international teams will hold them in good stead.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)Ireland LLLWW
New Zealand LWLWL

In the spotlight

Paul Stirling is in the midst of a productive run in ODIs: his last eight innings have been 48, 20, 51, 28, 99, 95, 68 and 41. With an impressive strike rate in excess of 90, Stirling, more often than not, gets Ireland off to strong starts with the field restrictions. Against a relatively inexperienced bowling attack, Stirling’s attacking approach could put Ireland ahead of the game early.Ross Taylor found form in New Zealand’s home summer against Australia and South Africa. He struck two hundreds and a fifty in taxing batting conditions. Dublin’s overhead and underfoot conditions won’t suit batting much either. After recovering from the calf strain which kept him out of the last two Tests against South Africa, will he tune-up for the Champions Trophy by continuing to score tough runs?

Team news

The signs from Ireland’s bowlers were promising in the 31.1 overs possible in the first ODI. Their seamers were accurate and had Bangladesh stuttering at 70 for 4 at one point. That means Ireland are unlikely to tinker with their bowling combination. If Ed Joyce recovers from the back problem that kept him out of the series opener, he’ll slot back in for Stuart Thompson.Ireland (probable) 1 Ed Joyce/Stuart Thompson, 2 Paul Stirling, 3 William Porterfield (capt), 4 Andy Balbirnie, 5 Niall O’Brien (wk), 6 Gary Wilson, 7 Kevin O’Brien, 8 George Dockrell, 9 Barry McCarthy, 10 Tim Murtagh, 11 Peter ChaseThe New Zealand selectors have shown faith not just in Tom Latham’s sound technique, but also his leadership. He will be able to turn to Taylor for experience but elsewhere there will be a new-look to the side. Neil Wagner could make his ODI debut after 32 Test appearances and Hamish Bennett is in line for his first appearance since 2014. The pitch was very green for the Bangladesh game which could mean legspinner Ish Sodhi misses out. Luke Ronchi is set for another chance as openerNew Zealand (probable) 1 Tom Latham (capt), 2 Luke Ronchi (wk), 3 George Worker, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Neil Broom, 6 James Neesham, 7 Colin Munro, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Neil Wagner, 10 Seth Rance, 11 Hamish Bennett

Pitch and conditions

The series opener was played on a seamer-friendly, green pitch, under cloudy skies with a high chance of rain. Those conditions are unlikely to change. Rain is forecast at 2pm, around the turn of the innings.

Stats and trivia

  • Only three players who were part of the previous encounter between these two sides are in either squad – Ross Taylor, Paul Stirling and Gary Wilson
  • Kevin O’Brien is still three wickets away from becoming the first Ireland bowler to take 100 ODI scalps.

McClenaghan, Bumrah help Mumbai extend lead at top

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsChris Morris made a fighting, unbeaten 51 but Delhi Daredevils were always struggling after slipping to 24 for 6 in their chase of 143•BCCI

Batting first for the first time in six matches, Mumbai Indians never really got going on a bouncy Wankhede Stadium pitch that also provided grip for spin and cutters, and only managed a total of 142. It turned out, however, to be more than enough to give them their sixth win in seven matches and strengthen their position on top of the IPL table.A couple of early wickets put an inexperienced Daredevils batting line-up under pressure, and the top half fell away in no time. They lost five wickets inside the Powerplay and another in the seventh over to slip to 24 for 6. A seventh-wicket stand of 91 between Kagiso Rabada and Chris Morris ensured Daredevils stayed in contention, but some smart end-overs bowling from Jasprit Bumrah ensured the target remained a fair way out of their reach.With Daredevils needing 46 from 24 balls, Bumrah conceded only four runs from the 17th over, and, after Morris had clattered a big six off the last ball of Mitchell McClenaghan’s 18th to bring it down to 30 off 12, came back to concede only five off the 19th while taking out Rabada with a yorker.It left Hardik Pandya 24 to defend off the last over – he landed his wide yorkers there or thereabouts, and Morris and Pat Cummins could only manage 10.Daredevils chip away after Buttler blitzJos Buttler’s 28 off 18 balls wasn’t the biggest innings and was definitely not the prettiest – his first two boundaries, off Morris, both came off the top edge – but it ensured Mumbai had some momentum through the Powerplay. They lost two wickets in those six overs – Rabada, making his IPL debut, yorked Parthiv Patel, and the fleet-footed Sanju Samson ran out Buttler – but also scored 48.Daredevils had picked perhaps their strongest attack – with Rabada joining Morris, Cummins, Zaheer Khan and Amit Mishra – and the tactic continued to pay off. Mumbai were five down by the end of the 13th over, with Mishra’s googly accounting for Rohit Sharma and Krunal Pandya. There was plenty of turn on offer, and Kieron Pollard, in particular was struggling against him – at the end of the 13th, he was batting on 4 off 13 balls.Mumbai patchy in slog oversPollard clubbed three fours in the next two overs, and Mumbai were 102 for 5 after 15.Before this match, Daredevils boasted the best economy rate in the last five overs (7.71), and Mumbai the best batting run rate (12.26). Mumbai would score 40 in their last five in this game. Cummins, Morris and Rabada varied their pace well, and either bowled short of a good length and into the body, or pitched it right up. Hardik Pandya hit two sixes, off what were probably the only two balls that were really in his hitting zone in his 23-ball innings. In an effort to keep Hardik on strike with only the lower order for company in the last two overs, Mumbai suffered two run-outs too.McClenaghan revels as Daredevils stumbleDaredevils had fit Rabada, Morris, Cummins and Corey Anderson into their side, which meant no place for Sam Billings at the top of the order. Sanju Samson, Aditya Tare, Karun Nair and Shreyas Iyer made up Daredevils’ top four – plenty of talent but not a whole lot of experience at the top level.An attempt at a chancy single led to Tare’s dismissal off the fourth ball of Daredevils’ innings, and when Samson drove McClenaghan uppishly and straight to mid-off in the next over, uncertainty gripped their batting. Iyer, shuffling this way and that, seemed a little off with his timing and McClenaghan dismissed him in his next over off a tickle down the leg side. A bit of skid into Anderson and McClenaghan had three in two overs.Karun Nair, struggling for form all through the season, played out a nervy maiden off the next over, failing to get to grips with Mitchell Johnson’s pace variations. Then Mumbai struck two more times – Rishabh Pant poked uncertainly at Bumrah and edged to slip, and Nair, feet going nowhere, chopped Hardik on.Morris, Rabada save faceRabada had been promoted to No. 7, above Morris, and he showed both technique and an ability to hit cleanly down the ground while dominating the early part of the seventh-wicket partnership. Once they spent a few overs at the crease, the smallness of the target became apparent again. With five overs remaining, Daredevils needed 52. You would usually favour the batting team in those circumstances, but not a batting team that had lost so many early wickets.McClenaghan and Bumrah, moreover, had two more overs to get through each. McClenaghan mixed slower short balls with quick short balls, and Bumrah, generally aiming fuller, varied his pace just as well. Rabada’s limitations as a T20 hitter quickly became apparent, and there wasn’t much Morris could do either. Daredevils only managed 27 off McClenaghan and Bumrah’s 24 end-overs deliveries.

Wife's passport helps de Lange join Glamorgan

Marchant de Lange, the South Africa fast bowler, has joined Glamorgan on a three-year deal. He has secured the lengthily-delayed move a few days before the start of the county season through his wife holding a British passport.De Lange meets the criteria to be a Kolpak registration on the basis that as a South African he benefits from the free trade agreement with EU – and therefore does not count as overseas. But unlike the clutch of South Africans who have entered county cricket this season by this route, he would not have qualified for a Tier 5 visa based on his limited number of international appearances, so his wife’s British passport was essential in him obtaining clearance.”I’m 100% committed to playing in English cricket,” de Lange told ESPNcricinfo. “I left South Africa behind. It is something in the past now. Moving forward it is really a privilege to be here, and to play as a local here and as overseas South Africa. For the first season I am definitely going back to South Africa, I am contractually bound to play for the Knights as an overseas player, but moving forward this will be my home and this will be where I am based.”De Lange’s international record amounts to two Tests, four ODIs and six T20Is for South Africa. His two Tests came in 2011 – when he took 7 for 81 on debut against Sri Lanka – and 2012, while his last international appearance was against England in an ODI last February.In the recently concluded South Africa domestic season for Knights he claimed 35 wickets at 28.31 in the Sunfoil Series, 11 wickets in 10 Momentum One-Day Cup outings and nine wickets in seven T20 Challenge matches. He will be available for Glamorgan across all formats and is set for his debut in the opening Specsavers Championship match against Northamptonshire. His arrival will help ease the burden on Timm van der Gugten and Michael Hogen who admirably led the Championship bowling last season.”Marchant is a match winner. He has pace, aggression and he’s the right age and at the right stage of his career to make an impact for us,” Robert Croft, the Glamorgan head coach, said. “When you are looking at winning matches in four-day cricket, twenty wickets is the challenge and Marchant is a wicket-taker, but his performances in one-day cricket have also been impressive and he will be a great addition to our squad.”Although not a Kolpak, de Lange joins a lengthy list of South African internationals to have shifted their careers to England during the off-season: Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw (Hampshire), Hardus Viljoen (Derbyshire), Simon Harmer (Essex), Rilee Rossouw (Hampshire), David Wiese and Stiaan van Zyl (Sussex) and Dane Vilas (Lancashire).”Personally I don’t want to go into detail about why guys are turning their backs on South African cricket,” said de Lange. “That is based on personal decisions. Obviously, around the world everyone knows what is going on. It is just a personal choice that I made and I am really happy to be here.””I’ve not had a lot of experience of English conditions, and stuff like that, but I am really eager to test my skills and see how far I can get. I think even if you have got a bit of pace it is beneficial if you can swing the ball both ways.”I would like to stay here and play for as long as possible for Glamorgan. It is really a big honour to play for them and to be part of Glamorgan. If there is further things in the future that I can play at a higher level that is definitely one of goals, playing as a local in England.”

Worker blitzes 181, Central Districts make 401 in huge win

Allrounder George Worker dazzled with bat and ball at picturesque Pukekura Park, smashing 181 off 143 balls to power Central Districts to 401 for 8 in 50 overs, before taking a career-best 4 for 36 to help skittle Northern Districts for 174. Having opened the batting, Worker treated the sprinkling of people watching from the sun-dappled terraced gardens to 19 fours and seven sixes, and Jesse Ryder and Will Young also made rapid 80s to take Central Districts to their third 400-plus total at the venue since December 2014. It was their fifth score in excess of 400 since March 2013. Central Districts were in with a chance of beating their highest List A score- 417, also against Northern Districts – but they slipped from 322 for 1 in the 43rd over and lost seven wickets for 70 runs.Faced with an asking rate of eight per over from the start, Northern Distracts had a terrible beginning to the chase and slumped to 44 for 5 in the 13th over. There was no coming back from that and Worker claimed the last four wickets with his left-arm spinner to dismiss Northern Districts in 35.3 overs. Scott Kuggeleijn made 65 off 57 balls but Tim Seifert’s 40 was Northern Districts’ next best score. Ajaz Patel, another Central Districts left-arm spinner, took 3 for 61 in the 227-run victory, which earned a bonus point to lift them above bottom-placed Otago in the competition.File photo: Luke Ronchi came back from injury to pick up four dismissals•AFP

Luke Ronchi’s return to competitive cricket after a groin injury was a happy one at Basin Reserve. He took four catches and struck a 39-ball 31 to help Wellington beat Otago with four wickets and 144 balls to spare, and top the Ford Trophy points table.Ronchi had a lot of work put on his plate from 25-year old seamer Ian McPeake, three of his four wickets being batsmen nicking to the wicketkeeper. But it was Otago who were left grumbling as they crashed to 153 all out in 38.2 overs. Only two batsmen made it past the 20s, the opener GW Croudis and Christi Viljoen, the former Namibia fast bowler who was contracted to the side in June 2016. Ronchi’s fourth dismissal helped offspinner Jeetan Patel finish with 3 for 23 in 7.2 overs.Wellington’s chase was a little more harried than they would have liked. They’d gunned down half their target in the 14th over but then lurched from 77 for 1 to 79 for 3 and then 131 for 3 to 147 for 6. But the target was so small it was always within range. Hamish Marshall top scored with 42, 38 of those coming in boundaries. Tom Blundell, who was released from the New Zealand squad playing the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, fell for 28 off 34 balls.Todd Astle picked up 3 for 51 to go with his 48 off 42 balls•BCCI

Todd Astle made 48 off 42 balls in the middle order, and picked up 3 for 51 so Auckland‘s middle order did not enjoy a similarly fruitful day, and led Canterbury to a 25-run victory at Colin Maiden Park.Astle’s innings built on the good work from opener Chad Bowes, whose 57 was his first score over 20 in the season, and Henry Nicholls, who made 65 off 77 balls. Captain Andrew Ellis spent eight minutes at the crease to harvest 29 runs, with three fours and two sixes, to drive the total to 276 for 7.Auckland’s innings revolved around their captain Rob Nicol’s 76, but with wickets falling around him – five in the last 10 overs with his dismissal starting the slide in the 42nd – they could only get to a score of 251 for 9 in their 50 overs. Astle took out Nicol, the No. 4, Robert O’Donnell, the No. 5, and Michael Barry, the No. 7, to ensure his team kept the upper hand throughout the innings. He was well supported by seamer Will Williams, who took 3 for 39 in his fifth List A game.

Barbados trounce ICC Americas to stay unbeaten

Barbados won their fifth straight game with a 171-run thrashing of ICC Americas at Windward Park on Friday. Kraigg Brathwaite’s second century of the tournament laid the foundation for victory as he scored 108 out of a total of 282 for 9 after Barbados chose to bat. ICC Americas were bowled out for 111 in reply and remain winless in the Regional Super50.Brathwaite lost his opening partner Anthony Alleyne in the second over for 2, but proceeded to compile three successive 50-plus stands with Shai Hope (27), Jonathan Carter (57) and Roston Chase (40) as Barbados cruised to 240 for 3 in the 45th before a flurry of wickets fell in the final overs. Medium pacer Cecil Pervez, who dismissed Alleyne early on, came back late to remove Chase and Ashley Nurse to finish with 3 for 58 while legspinner Timil Patel had Brathwaite, Hope and Jason Holder all out stumped to claim 3 for 57.ICC Americas responded with their worst start of the tournament as five of the top six batsmen fell for 0, 1 or 2. Alex Amsterdam was the only one of the group to reach double-digits, making 30 before he became Holder’s third victim at the start of the 12th over to make it 39 for 6.Timroy Allen led a brief counterattack, striking two sixes off Carlos Brathwaite in the 13th and then one more off both Holder and Jomel Warrican before he fell for a top score of 36 off 25 balls to Warrican in the 21st over. His team was all out by the 34th.Shivnarine Chanderpaul made his 97th List A fifty•WICB Media/Kerrie Eversley

Guyana broke a three-way tie for second place pulling ahead of Jamaica and Combined Campuses and Colleges, whom they beat by six wickets at Kensington Oval. CCC could manage only 188 after deciding to bat at the toss, and Guyana were able to chase it down with half-centuries from captain Leon Johnson and the evergreen Shivnarine Chanderpaul.Ronsford Beaton’s solid tournament with the ball for Guyana continued as he took 3 for 52 while left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul kept the run-rate tight in the middle overs, finishing with 2 for 29 from his 10 overs. Six out of the top eight for CCC reached double-figures but none made more than Amir Jangoo’s 30, with his innings coming to an end courtesy a run-out by Steven Jacobs. With wickets falling at regular intervals, the 41-run partnership between captain Jamal Smith and Nino Henry for the seventh wicket was CCC’s best stand.Guyana stumbled at the start, reaching 19 for 2, before Assad Fudadin and Johnson steadied the chase with a 54-run stand. That was followed by an 85-run fourth-wicket partnership between Johnson and Chanderpaul. Johnson eventually fell for 71 in the 42nd over with 31 left to win while Chanderpaul stayed through to the end, finishing unbeaten on 58.

'Was getting really bored leaving the ball' – Iyer

Only Shreyas Iyer, who fell 18 short of making hundreds in successive Ranji Trophy finals, could have faced a barrage of questions on the frustration of missing out on the landmark and the shot selection that caused him to miss it and left the people asking those questions in splits. He seldom shows disappointment after getting out, which some may construe as carelessness. But there was nothing careless about the way he batted on day three to lead Mumbai’s resurgence after they had conceded a first-innings lead of 100.Iyer walked in with Mumbai still 46 short of wiping out the deficit. He likes to play shots and move along quickly, but now he was forced to bide his time in the face of some dour Gujarat bowling – they kept bowling wide outside off stump and forced the batsmen to slash or drive to fielders in the deep. The Iyer of the past may have tried to charge the bowlers. Not today.”It was really frustrating,” he said. “At one time, I was getting really bored leaving the ball because I like to play strokes a lot. I could see the ball properly but I still had to play to the team’s demand of staying at the crease. When the spinner came on, I took charge and decided to carry on.”Against spin, Iyer demonstrated quick hands and swept with ferocity, piercing gaps on the square-leg and midwicket boundaries repeatedly. Then he stepped away to make room and loft Hardik Patel, the left-arm spinner, for two sixes. On a turner, it may have been a risk. Here there wasn’t much rough for the bowlers to work with.For most of Mumbai’s innings, it appeared as if the surface had little help in it for either the spinners or the quicks. Asked about this, Iyer’s reply was blunt, expressing a certain derision for Gujarat’s tactics.”Since they were not bowling on the stumps, I can’t tell you,” he said. “They were just bowling outside off. We will know exactly how it is playing when we bowl.”Did Gujarat bowl the same way in Hubli, where they pipped Mumbai for the first-innings lead? “No, no. There they were bowling good lines and lengths, because they had Jasprit Bumah,” Iyer said. “He doesn’t like to bowl outside off. He’s got good pace and would like to bowl on the stumps.”Shreyas Iyer used his feet confidently against spin while scoring 82•Prakash Parsekar

Amidst the deadpan put-downs, Iyer also expressed disappointment at missing out on what looked like a hundred for the taking.”The scorecard could have looked different; we would have been 230 for 2 with me getting my century had I not played that shot,” he said. “But it’s part and parcel of the game. Tomorrow is going to be a big day for us as a team, hopefully we can put some good runs on the board and put them onto bat and see what happens.”The 17-year-old Prithvi Shaw began the fightback with a 35-ball 44, and Iyer revealed something of himself in how he assessed the opening batsman’s innings and method.”It’s really nice for the team, suddenly we get a good start which we were not getting in the previous matches,” he said. “Then this boy coming in, young and fearless. It was amazing to watch. The shot he played wasn’t that good, but you can forgive him. He’s that kind of a player.”Iyer finished his first two seasons as Mumbai’s highest run-getter – he was the tournament’s highest run-getter in his second season, 2015-16. If not for those numbers, his returns from 2016-17 – his 82 on Thursday moved him to 725 runs at 42.64 – may have been considered excellent. But given his own standards, he must surely have felt a little frustrated at some points this season?”I’m not that disappointed because I’ve got 700 odd,” he said. “It’s an average performance. I wasn’t able to convert my 40s and 30s. If I did that I would have got 1000 runs. It’s not a problem, I just have to forget about my previous performances, work hard and come back strong.”

HBL hit back after Salman Butt ton

ScorecardFile photo: Salman Butt struck 18 fours in his 234-ball knock•AFP

Salman Butt’s 20th first-class century, his third of the season, helped drive Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) into the lead, but Habib Bank Limited (HBL) hit back with three late strikes including that of Butt for 125. WAPDA ended day two on 244 for 5, ahead by just eight runs, at the National Stadium in Karachi. Kamran Akmal (23 not out) and Khalid Usman (7 not out) were at the crease.Resuming on 23 without loss, Butt and Adnan Raees put together 162 for the first wicket to lay a solid platform, before left-arm seamer Usman Khan struck in the 58th over. Raees pushed at a delivery away from the body and was pouched by Imran Farhat at first slip. His 170-ball vigil fetched him 50.HBL struck almost immediately after when they had Mohammad Saad run-out for 5. He was more than halfway down the pitch when he was sent back as Amad Butt’s throw to the keeper’s end resulted in his downfall. Butt and Aamer Sajjad then held fort for 14.2 overs in which they added 27 before Sajjad’s was out caught behind.Sixteen deliveries later, Butt was involved in a second run-out; this time he was the victim as an attempt to pinch a run to cover resulted in him being caught short of the crease at the non-striker’s end. WAPDA had slipped from 162 without loss to 205 for 4. Then, shortly before stumps, HBL had another when Zahir Mansoor was bowled by Amad Butt.Mohammad Asif was the star on the opening day; his four-wicket haul justifying Butt’s decision to bowl first as HBL were bundled out for 236. Asif was complemented by Mohammad Irfan, who took three wickets.There will be no play on Monday, which has been announced as rest day because or Rabi-ul-Awal. Play will resume on Tuesday.

Another 50 for Renshaw; Burns, Ferguson fail again


ScorecardMatt Renshaw added a second-innings 50 to his 108 from the first innings•Getty Images

Queensland opener Matt Renshaw improved his chances of a surprise Test call-up by adding a second-innings 50 to his century from the first innings, but Test incumbents Joe Burns and Callum Ferguson both failed again on the third day at the Gabba. Australia’s squad for the day-night Adelaide Test will be announced on Sunday and with several batting positions under discussion, all three Sheffield Shield games have been under great scrutiny.South Australia resumed on 9 for 222 and after their last pair pushed the total to 258 – wicketkeeper Alex Carey top scored with 76 – Queensland chose not to enforce the follow-on. That gave Burns and Renshaw a final opportunity to impress interim national selector Greg Chappell, who was at the Gabba, but Burns was unable to grab his chance and was lbw to Chadd Sayers for 2.It continued a horror run for Burns, who began the Shield season with a century but has now failed to reach double-figures in any of his past six first-class innings. Meanwhile the 20-year-old Renshaw, in his first Shield game of the summer having suffered a knee injury during the Matador Cup, showed that he can switch gears by striking 50 from 51 balls as the Bulls sought quick runs to set the Redbacks a target.In the first innings, Renshaw had watchfully seen off the swinging new ball before he started to expand his strokeplay, and finished with 108. Renshaw averages 44.39 with three centuries from his 12 first-class appearances, and if selected for Adelaide will be the least experienced specialist batsman to make his Test debut for Australia since Warner, who had played 11 first-class games when he won the baggy green.Usman Khawaja was caught and bowled by Kane Richardson for 17, Marnus Labuschagne was bowled by Sayers for 8, and young batsman Sam Heazlett posted 63 before he was lbw to the part-time offspin of Travis Head. The Bulls declared at 7 for 228, setting South Australia an unlikely 446 for victory, and by stumps the Redbacks were 2 for 71.Ferguson, who made his Test debut in Hobart, was caught behind off Peter George for 4 and is experiencing a similarly lean patch to Burns, having not reached double-figures in any of his past five first-class innings. At the close of play, Jake Weatherald was on 33 and Head was on 13.

Marsh all but seals spot for SA Tests with WACA ton

ScorecardShaun Marsh aggregated 183 in two innings against South Australia at WACA•Getty Images

After scoring 73 in the first innings, Shaun Marsh struck a century on the third day of Western Australia’s day-night Sheffield Shield game against South Australia at the WACA. Marsh, returning from a hamstring injury, has been declared fit and is expected to be named in Australia’s squad for the home Tests against South Africa on Friday.Marsh had suffered a right hamstring tear while batting for Western Australia in a Matador Cup game earlier this month. He played the Shield match to prove his fitness and may have done enough to merit selection, having struck a century in Australia’s previous Test against Sri Lanka in August.However, despite Marsh’s efforts, Western Australia were facing defeat, with South Australia requiring just 37 more to win the game with all 10 wickets intact.South Australia had begun the day on 8 for 474. Kane Richardson and Chadd Sayers, the two overnight batsmen, built the lead before South Australia declared on 9 for 505 to take a 234-run advantage. Western Australia put up 302 in their second innings, courtesy Marsh’s 110 and Hilton Cartwright’s 110-ball 80. That left South Australia with 69 to get. They ended on 32 without loss.Marsh and Cartwright were left to lift Western Australia from 4 for 107, after Chadd Sayers picked up three quick wickets to derail them from 1 for 97. Marsh and Cartwright added 109 for the fifth wicket, before Sayers struck again, having Marsh caught behind for his fourth and final wicket.Cartwright added 42 more for the sixth wicket with Ashton Agar before being dismissed by Travis Head, the South Australia captain. Agar was the ninth man dismissed, for 33, and Western Australia’s innings ended shortly after. Sayers finished with 4 for 57, and Daniel Worrall, Kane Richardson and Head took two each.South Australia struck at four an over in the eight overs they batted, with Kelvin Smith and Jake Weatherald striking six fours between them.

New Zealand's chance to shrug off Test hangover

Match facts

October 16, 2016
Start time 1330 local (0800 GMT)2:26

Agarkar: Would definitely play Mandeep in the first game

Big Picture

Off the top of your head, it might be difficult to remember when New Zealand last played an ODI. Number nuts would tell you it was eight months ago, but perhaps the fact that it was Brendon McCullum’s final ODI appearance has more instant recall value. Things aren’t too dissimilar in the opposite camp. Amid a heavy diet of T20s and Tests, India have not played too many games in the 50-over format. You’d have to go back to Australia in January for any ODIs India have played against top teams this year; that series aside, the only other ODIs they’ve had this year was when a second-string side visited Zimbabwe in June.For both the teams, this five-match ODI series has both immediate and long-term relevance. While the 2017 Champions Trophy is the common bigger agenda, New Zealand would also dearly want to finish the tour on a high and help the scars of the 3-0 Test defeat heal.The visitors have seemingly not let that Test drubbing get to them, keeping it light with generous humour at practice and a bit of gushing over Dharamsala’s gorgeous mountains. In a season where they play 24 ODIs before the Champions Trophy begins in June next year, their build up, as Luke Ronchi suggested, is expected to be gradual with different players being rested and newer players tried out at different stages.India, on the other hand, don’t have the luxury of time in this format – they play only eight ODIs from now till June. India captain MS Dhoni, who usually frowns upon any reference to experimentation, admitted they have a limited window to audition players and hit upon their best combination. It is possible every member of India’s 15-man squad will get a game at some point in this series.

Form guide

India WWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand WLWWW

In the spotlight

Corey Anderson will be relieved to return to competitive cricket after being out of action for more than six months. Given that his previous international series (the World T20) was in India, where he has also tasted considerable success in IPLs past, Anderson might be quite comfortable with the venue of this comeback series. While he has been bowling in the nets, for now his role in the team will be restricted to batting in the middle order, where his late-order hitting could prove decisive.Hardik Pandya has had a brief but eventful T20I career so far. After decent performances in the Asia Cup and the World T20, Pandya’s loss of form in the IPL led to his omission for the Zimbabwe tour. Despite a mediocre outing with the India A side in Australia, the selectors have shown confidence in his all-round abilities and now he is set for an ODI debut. Should he click here, the team management will breath a lot easier about the seam-bowling allrounder’s position.Ross Taylor would hope a change of format brings an end to his lean run•Associated Press

Team news

India don’t have the services of another comeback man, Suresh Raina – he is recovering from fever. Going by the batting and bowling sequence in India’s practice session, Mandeep Singh and Umesh Yadav are likely to sit out. On the eve of the game, Kedar Jadhav had a lengthy batting stint followed by a brief session of offspin bowling, which suggests he might be called upon to bowl a few overs in the middle stages if required. Despite bowling for nearly three-fourths of India’s nets session, it seems likely that Jayant Yadav will be superfluous to a side that has two other spinners in Amit Mishra and Axar Patel. MS Dhoni indicated he will bat slightly higher up the order, possibly at No. 5.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Manish Pandey, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Dhawal KulkarniThe last time New Zealand came to India they sprung a surprise by playing three spinners in their opening game. There was not much that could be gleaned from their practice sessions on their probable XI, but there will likely be a toss-up between Ish Sodhi and either Matt Henry or Tim Southee for the second seamer’s position. New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Corey Anderson, 6 Luke Ronchi, 7 James Neesham, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Ish Sodhi/Matt Henry

Pitch and conditions

In the lead up to the game, Dharamsala has remained fairly warm during the day before becoming considerably cooler after sunset. The forecast for Sunday is on similar lines. HPCA chief curator Sunil Chauhan said the surface will be seamer-friendly, but aid stroke-play. “I’m hoping for a 270-plus score,” he said. “The idea was to prepare a pitch that remains good for 100 overs. Dew is likely to set in by the end of the first innings and that it might help the chasing side.

Stats and trivia

  • India will play their 900th ODI when they face New Zealand in Dharamsala
  • New Zealand have never won a bilateral ODI series in India
  • Ross Taylor has the highest run aggregate (666 from 18 matches) among active players in matches played between India and New Zealand

Quotes

“India is all about winning. Let’s be frank. When the media talks about stuff, you only want the Indian cricket team to win. [So] it becomes difficult. If you see at the batting order, if you rest Virat or Ajinkya for a couple of games, you’ll be like ‘what’s really happening, why are they given rest’.”
“It is a completely different ball game now and it is a format where we have played good cricket over the last few years. As much as we wanted to do well in those Tests, it is gone now and now we have to focus on the five ODIs.”