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South Africa v England, 2nd ODI, Centurion

Kallis ruled out of one-day series

Match Facts

Sunday, 22 Nov 2009

			South Africa Vs England
Venue :2nd One Day International, SuperSport Park, Centurion Live action starts from: 08:00 GMT (13:30 IST) ODI England Tour of South Africa 2009-10 One Day International Match

Jacques Kallis played purely as a batsman recently and his rib injury is more serious than first thought

Jacques Kallis has been ruled out of the one-day series against England with a fractured rib and is also doubtful for the opening Test at Centurion Park on December 16.

It is thought Kallis suffered the injury during last month's Champions League in India but the seriousness of the problem was only revealed in recent days when he underwent a scan after the pain hadn't disappeared.

"He just wasn't getting better from that injury," Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, said. "We had him re-scanned this morning and found there is a fracture in the cartilage of the rib - which clearly affects his performances for the next four weeks.

His absence will be a significant blow to South Africa and means they will need to adjust the balance of their side to cover for the loss of a batsman and a bowler.

Kallis was set to partner Graeme Smith at the top of the order in a reshaped batting line-up, but now there will have to be another rethink. Hashim Amla is the likely replacement as opener, but the selectors may be tempted to call up Loots Bosman after his exceptional performances during the Twenty20 series including a 45-ball 94 in the second match at Centurion Park.

The opening game of the series at the Wanderers was abandoned without a ball bowled on Friday but the forecast is better for Sunday's meeting at Centurion.

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Cricket: Black Caps eye Twenty20 challenge

Tim Southee wants his side to carry their winning momentum from the ODI series into the Twenty20s against Pakistan.

Thursday, 12 Nov 2009

			Pakistan Vs New Zealand
Venue :1st Twenty20 International, Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium Live action starts from: 16:00 GMT (21:30 IST) T20 Pakistan and New Zealand in UAE 2009-10 Twenty20 International Match

In-form bowler Tim Southee believes New Zealand can carry the momentum of a one-day international series win over Pakistan into the Twenty20 series starting in Dubai on Friday morning (NZT).

Captain Daniel Vettori's men came back from losing the first match of the one-day series in Abu Dhabi by 138 runs to record back-to-back successes - by 64 runs and seven runs.

And even though Pakistan have beaten New Zealand in successive World Twenty20 events in 2007 and 2009, Southee believed the one-day result will provide a confidence boost for the Black Caps.

"Pakistan have proved they're a great Twenty20 outfit - they're the world champions - and they've got the wood over us in the last few outings," he said.

"But hopefully we can carry some momentum from the ODIs into the Twenty20 series and continue the form we've shown in the last couple of matches."

That series win almost didn't happen, of course, thanks to the remarkable 10th-wicket stand of 103 between Mohammad Aamer (73 not out) and Saeed Ajmal (33) yesterday.

Southee admitted that while logic said Pakistan should never win the match, there were doubts creeping in before Ajmal was dismissed in the final over.

"With them being nine down it was a question of saying it would only take one ball so we were pretty confident it would happen at some stage," said the 20 year-old who impressed with two for 26 in his 10 over-spell.

"Then again, when it got to within 20 or 30 runs, everyone was a bit nervous and it gave us a bit of a scare.

"If they had been eight down then it might have been a different story but we were only ever one ball away from that last wicket."

Southee has spent the series occupying the same slot as Ajmal, propping up the bating line-up at number 11 despite scoring 77 not out from only 40 balls on test debut against England in Napier in March 2008.

And he is keen to move up the order and realise his potential with the bat as soon as he can.

"I'd love to get as far as I can with my batting," he said

"You look at someone like Daniel Vettori, his batting over the last few years has been outstanding and it just shows you it can be done as he started at 10 or 11 when he was a youngster.

"It's not going to happen overnight and hopefully slowly it progresses.

"It's something I'm willing to work on as I don't want to be batting at number 11 too much longer."

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Pakistan v New Zealand, 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi

Pakistan chase rare series win

November 5, 2009

Match facts

Friday, 06 Nov 2009

			Pakistan Vs New Zealand
Venue :2nd One Day International, Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi (D/N) Live action starts from: 11:00 GMT (16:30 IST) ODI Pakistan and New Zealand in UAE 2009-10 One Day International Match

Friday, November 6
Start time 15:00 (11:00 GMT)

Younis Khan's 0 was indicative of Pakistan's top order-blues

The ICC World Twenty20 apart, Pakistan have not been good at winning series or tournaments in recent years. They haven't won a Test series in three years and an ODI series for a year. Their win at the Sheikh Zayed stadium on Tuesday has, however, given them an ideal opportunity to change that statistic on Friday.

They are in good shape to do it as well; most of their bowlers looked sharp and took wickets, the fielding wasn't a mess either, the lower middle order was in the runs and Shahid Afridi is in irrepressible mood. The only real issue was Salman Butt's less than convincing return, though in fairness, Pakistan's lack of opening strength has been an issue for so long, it has become a non-issue. Younis Khan's duck will be a graver concern, as it represents a longer pattern of ODI indifference this year. If they win the series another low score might not hurt so much, but it will be gnawing away at him.

Though they were thumped, New Zealand have little reason to be disheartened. They know they were in the game for quite some time only really giving it away in the last 15 overs of their bowling. Kyle Mills and James Franklin are a handy pair to welcome back from injury; if Shane Bond's schizophrenic outing - his second spell was as poor as the first was magnificent - was just a one-off, then there exists a more than workable pace attack.

Of greater concern looked the batting; at times some of their batsmen looked genuinely out of their depth against Mohammad Aamer and Saeed Ajmal. In fairness that may also have been exacerbated by playing in unfamiliar conditions - Australia earlier this year also took time to adjust, but they eventually did so in the end. At least they have got the one obligatory Pakistan-induced collapse - the last six wickets fell for 30 - out of the way.

Form guide (most recent first)

New Zealand LLWWW
Pakistan WWLLW

Watch put for

The likely return of the world's top-ranked ODI bowler. If the surface is similar to the one on which the first game was played, Kyle Mills will enjoy it a fair bit. He is at his best when there is a little spice in the conditions, with the new ball, as he showed in his last ODI outing during the Champions Trophy final. Against a nervy top-order, it could be fun viewing.

If you can take your eyes off Afridi, there are a host of men: Kamran Akmal, his younger brother, Aamer, Ajmal, Gul. But the more discerning Pakistani will keep an eye on Khalid Latif. His maiden ODI fifty on Tuesday was slow, mostly unremarkable, but vital and it presented an interesting change of type: he is not, by nature, a sluggish player at all as one glance at his domestic feats will reveal. But he has long been talked about as a potential opener for Pakistan and so his progress, more than the others, will be keenly followed.

Teams

Mills and James Franklin are both in with a chance of playing and the former, if fit, is likely to walk straight back in. Jacob Oram didn't look too flash in the first ODI, with bat or ball, so Franklin's left-handed all-roundedness is a real option.

New Zealand (probable): Aaron Redmond, Brendon McCullum (wk), Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Daniel Vettori (capt), Jacob Oram/James Franklin, Neil McCullum, Shane Bond, Kyle Mills, Tim Southee

Why change an XI that can do what it did in the first ODI? People will crib about Butt, but now that he is back, persisting with him for one more game makes sense.

Pakistan (probable): Salman Butt, Khalid Latif, Younis Khan (capt), Mohammad Yousuf, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wk), Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamer, Saeed Ajmal

Pitch and conditions

The pitch for the first ODI was actually an ideal surface for the format. There was plenty of help for bowlers early on, movement for the faster ones and turn for spinners, but if they didn't get it right - as New Zealand's bowlers found in the second half of their innings - there were plenty of runs on offer. If the second match is played on a similar surface, there will be some more cracking cricket.

Stats and trivia

• In 11 ODIs in the UAE against Pakistan, New Zealand have yet to register a single win
• Afridi's Man-of-the-Match award in the first ODI was his third in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, in only 13 games Pakistan have played at the venues
• In his last 31 ODIs Daniel Vettori has conceded over six runs an over only twice and five runs just seven times

Quotes

"It is important that we keep the winning momentum, win the second after which we have a chance of a clean sweep."
Younis Khan is targetting an unassailable lead over New Zealand.

"Afridi has got to another level as a bowler and the partnership he is forming with Ajmal is real key to Pakistan's success. We played Ajmal in the Champions Trophy and know we can handle him."
Daniel Vettori is all praise for Pakistan's spin duo.