England v West Indies, 1st ODI, Headingley

England v West Indies, 1st ODI, Headingley

England seek to maintain momentum

May 20, 2009

	Dwayne Bravo's return from the IPL is a major boost for West Indies © Associated Press

Match facts

Thursday May 21
Start time 10.45 (9.45GMT)

Big Picture

England wrapped up the Test series and regained the Wisden Trophy with impressive efficiency in their final five-day action before the Ashes. However, before thoughts can seriously turn to Australia, there is a busy period of limited-overs action, beginning with this three-match series against West Indies.

After the win at Chester-le-Street, Andrew Strauss said that it was important England focussed on their one-day cricket and not think too far ahead. They came back to steal the series in the Caribbean 3-2 with Andrew Flintoff taking a hat-trick in the final match, but yet again Flintoff is injured and on the sidelines. So too is Kevin Pietersen, who has been withdrawn with an Achilles injury, leaving the door open for a possible debut for Eoin Morgan

West Indies are always a dangerous one-day team with a batting line-up packed with explosive hitters, none more so than their captain, Chris Gayle, who found top gear in the second innings at Durham with 54 off 43 balls. He might not have much time for Test cricket, but the one-day variety is much more up his street. Dwayne Bravo's return to the squad adds depth with bat and ball, so although England have been comfortably superior in recent weeks that might change in the coming days.

Form guide

England WWLLW
West Indies LLWWL

Watch out for...

Ravi Bopara has solved England's Test No. 3 position for the foreseeable future and now he needs to cement his position at the top of the one-day order. He was promoted to open in India and retained the role in West Indies with a modicum of success, but England are still searching for the ideal combination. His approach is refreshingly simple - "you just attack more balls in one-day cricket" - and with his confidence riding high this is Bopara's chance to make another position his own.

How West Indies could have done with Dwayne Bravo during the Test series, but he was controversially omitted after medical advice said his ankle hadn't recovered sufficiently. He has spent the last six weeks batting, bowling and diving around at the IPL and his return brings so much to the tourists' side. He can bat anyway, but favours the 'finishers' role, is a brilliant death bowler and is one of best fielders in the world.

Team news

Alastair Cook and Graham Onions are the two players who drop out from the Test side and their places are likely to be taken by Owais Shah and Dimitri Mascarenhas. Shah has a point to prove after losing his Test place and failing to break into the Delhi Daredevils side during the IPL and could be joined in the middle-order by Morgan, who has played 23 ODIs for Ireland, or Ian Bell. Matt Prior and Ravi Bopara have recovered from the knocks that kept them off the field on the final day of the Test match.

England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Ravi Bopara, 3 Owais Shah, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Dimitri Mascarenhas, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Tim Bresnan, 11 James Anderson

West Indies are likely to draft in a number of allrounders with Bravo's return topping the bill. Kieron Pollard, who played against England in the Caribbean, could join him in the middle order while Darren Sammy is a valuable player in one-day cricket with his tight wicket-to-wicket bowling. Lendl Simmons will resume opening alongside Chris Gayle.

West Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Jerome Taylor, 10 Sulieman Benn, 10 Fidel Edwards

Pitch and conditions

The ground still resembles a building site with two cranes in position behind the stands, but the pitch and relayed outfield look in good condition. The forecast is for showers and it hasn't warmed up much yet for the West Indians.

Stats and Trivia

• England and West Indies have met each other four times in one-day internationals at Headingley, with England leading the head-to-head 3-1. West Indies' only victory came in 1988 when Gordon Greenidge made 78 and Malcolm Marshall took 3 for 28.
• The last meeting on this ground was in 2004 when England came out on top by seven wickets with Steve Harmison claiming the Man-of-the-Match award for his 3 for 31.

Quotes

"The one-day series coming up and the Twenty20 are two very important series for us as a developing side. Hopefully we can win there and build up more momentum."
Andrew Strauss tries to stops thoughts drifting too much towards the Ashes.

"We have the guys to do the job. We are representing West Indies so have to give our best."
Chris Gayle comes as close as he ever does to motivational speaking.

England v West Indies, 2nd npower Test, Durham

England v West Indies, 2nd npower Test, Durham

Amber lights at the Riverside

May 13, 2009
Chris Gayle has claimed he was misquoted, but has not denied that Test cricket is not his priority .
Although ticket sales for the opening day of the second Test have improved since yesterday's figure of 3000, Chester-le-Street won't be bursting at the seams when the action starts on Thursday. The punters are clearly beginning to pick and choose which matches they attend and, if Chris Gayle's comments are anything to go by, some players will soon be following a similar path.
His interview with a UK national newspaper has set another warning light flashing about the future and primacy of Test cricket. Although he attempted to downgrade his view that he "wouldn't be so sad" if Tests vanished in favour of Twenty20s, by saying his comments were meant from his personal point of view, it is another damaging blow for a sport that is battling to maintain a relevance.
The fact that Gayle has had to leave his IPL deal to play in cold, early-season English conditions, in a Test series shoe-horned into the calender, has clearly not gone down well, despite his latest effort to convince otherwise. "I'm happy to be here right now to try and retain the trophy," a rather weary-looking Gayle said as he responded to his comments.
He claimed the interview in The Guardian had been "misquoted and misinterpreted" which is the usual response from a sportsman who wants to back himself out of a corner. However, he didn't try to alter his comments, rather just clarify that he was talking about himself and not Test cricket as a whole.
"I don't see myself playing Tests for any long period of time, but I think Test cricket will always be there. Twenty20 has come on board and it's made a huge impact on the world, it's brilliant, games have been sold out and it has taken the place by storm. I look at Test cricket differently, I don't see it as long term for me, just for me, I'm just speaking about myself."
What should come as a concern for those running the game and trying to cram in endless international fixtures to justify television deals is Gayle's reasoning. "There's a lot of cricket being played and I've started to develop a lot of injuries," he said. "It takes a toll on your body and your mental strength so at some stage you aren't going to go on forever. You have to choose what you are going to do as a person.
"It's something I've discussed before, maybe not in the media, but I've talked to friends and players about it. It's not like I've just thought about it overnight."
However, as one of nine current Test captains in the world game, Gayle needs to remember that his role goes beyond the personal. It shouldn't just be about the here and now for him, but also the bigger picture. Not everyone is going to make it as a millionaire Twenty20 star and Gayle, as one of the most flamboyant batsman of his generation, should be able to play a role in promoting the five-day game.
Andrew Strauss is one such player who is likely to miss the Twenty20 revolution and made comments before the Lord's Test that he wouldn't allow an England player to arrive 48 hours before a match. Gayle hit back in the newspaper interview, but tried to ease any potential tensions by saying no disrespect was meant.


"There's a lot of cricket being played and I've started to develop a lot of injuries. It takes a toll on your body and your mental strength so at some stage you aren't going to go on forever. You have to choose what you are going to do as a person." Chris Gayle ponders his Test future

"It wasn't his concern," Gayle said. "I respect Strauss, I would never have any conflict with him. I just find it a bit strange that he touched on that sort of point and he should leave it alone. "Maybe he's under a lot of pressure. The Ashes series is huge.
"Maybe he tried to put the pressure on me to try to take a bit of pressure off him. I have respect for Strauss it's not like I'm trying to degrade him, I would never do that. Sometimes you just have to stand up for your rights."
Strauss maintained there were no tensions and suggested that any problems the West Indies captain had were not his problem, but admitted he had concerns about the health of Test cricket. "We haven't been sitting in the bar telling tales of our lives but our relationship has been pretty good. I've had no problems with him up until now. If he is uncomfortable with what's gone on in the last couple of weeks that's an issue for him rather than myself.
"It [Test cricket] is under pressure," he added. "I think it is important we play good Test cricket to make people aware of what a good format it is and how entertaining it can be. It's the only game that really tests out your temperament, your technique, your hunger, your bravery, all those aspects of the game."
That seems an opportune moment to bring this back to the actual game; a Test match, the ultimate format. West Indies' game fell away so rapidly at Lord's that it was difficult to recognise the team that fought so hard in the Caribbean. Now with Gayle's comments ringing in their ears it's hardly the motivational stand they needed from their captain. "The guys know the situation. It won't affect us, we are all big men," he said.
Strauss, however, was hoping the furore will take Gayle's mind off the serious matter in hand. "He is always dangerous. He always plays the same way, hopefully he'll be slightly distracted tomorrow."
Gayle clearly won't be playing Test cricket much longer, although he laughed off the idea that this would be his final game. He said he still had a job to do in rebuilding this West Indies side and now would be a good time to show he really means it. At the moment Gayle's opinions appear the minority view, but the game needs to work out what it wants to be in the future. If players don't want to play, and people don't want to watch, then there really is trouble ahead.

Gayle wants to give up captaincy

West Indies in England 2009

Gayle wants to give up captaincy

May 13, 2009
Chris Gayle doesn't want to lead West Indies in the long term © Getty Images
Chris Gayle has said that he doesn't want to captain West Indies for much longer because of the pressure the job entailed.
Gayle also said that he "wouldn't be so sad" if Test cricket eventually gave way to the Twenty20 version and hit back at Andrew Strauss, who had criticised the West Indies captain for arriving from the IPL just two days before the start of the Lord's Test, asking the England captain to "stay out of [other] people's business".
"To be honest with you there's a possibility I might give it [captaincy] up - I will be giving it up shortly," Gayle told the Guardian. "It's definitely not something I'm looking to hang on to. I need some time for myself, to be honest with you, it's a lot of travelling. There's always something you have to go and do, you know, extra. Lunch or dinner, some other thing, there's always something for the captain. I'm not that type of person. I can't take on too much. So soon I will be handing over this captaincy. I [will] soon finish with it."
Gayle, who took over the captaincy from Ramnaresh Sarwan in 2007, said he was looking for potential successors. "We're still looking at quite a few," he said. "So we just have to wait and see when the selectors decide - or whosoever decides. Then I'm ready. The chairman pointed out to me they want me to actually be the captain for right now. We have to see how it goes. I said, 'Don't be too long, though'."
Gayle took over the captaincy in the absence of Sarwan who was injured for the ODI series against England in 2007. The West Indies board initially rejected the selectors' move to appoint Gayle before reversing its decision. Gayle was then preferred as captain over Sarwan for the 2007-08 tour of South Africa. He resigned at a West Indies directors' meeting last July following the home series against Australia due to disagreements over selection but was persuaded to stay on by WICB president Julian Hunte.
Gayle was the subject of much criticism for extending his IPL stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders and joining his West Indies team-mates only 48 hours before the first Test at Lord's, a match which they lost inside three days. Strauss had said that "we wouldn't want our players to arrive two days before" a Test. He added that it was important for Test cricket to get the attention it deserved and that it shouldn't be devalued in "any way, shape or form".
Gayle, however, responded to Strauss's comments by saying that the matter "doesn't concern him". "Focus on his team, don't worry about West Indies, don't worry about me. Tell him don't sleep with Chris on his mind, tell him get Chris off his mind," Gayle said.
While Gayle said he wouldn't be worried if the primacy of Test cricket were to be reduced, he said Strauss ought to be because the England captain may not be able to adapt to the shorter format. Strauss, who is England's Test and ODI captain, isn't part of the squad for the World Twenty20 in June.
"I wouldn't be so sad [about the demise of Test cricket]," Gayle said. "Some other players would be. Maybe Andrew Strauss would be sad. Maybe he will be sad if Test cricket dies and Twenty20 comes in. Because there is no way he can make the change. So tough luck. I like Twenty20. Who doesn't? Maybe a couple of the Englishmen wouldn't like to play Twenty20."

England v West Indies, 2nd Test, Chester-le-Street

England v West Indies, 2nd Test, Chester-le-Street

Bell and Sidebottom in second Test squad

May 10, 2009
Ian Bell has returned to the England squad for the second Test against West Indies © Getty Images
England have recalled Ian Bell and Ryan Sidebottom to their squad for the second Test against West Indies at Chester-le-Street. Monty Panesar's omission is the only change from the first Test squad with the ground not favouring spin
Bell started the season with scores of 172 and 108 for Warwickshire, after being told to go back and score big runs following his axe on the tour of the Caribbean, but was overlooked for the No. 3 spot. Ravi Bopara seized his opportunity with his second Test century, but Bell has been called up on the back of 320 runs in seven first-class innings.
After being left out before the first Test, Bell was told by national selector Geoff Miller to show even more passion about earning a recall although since his early-season centuries he has managed scores of 27 for the England Lions and 37, 30 not out in first-class cricket.
Bell's inclusion means there is the option of playing an extra batsman at Chester-le-Street should conditions seem heavily in-favour of the bowlers, but Andy Flower has made it clear that he is keen on a five-man attack. England's middle order wobbled at Lord's with Kevin Pietersen making a first-ball duck and Paul Collingwood falling for 8.
Sidebottom returns after recovering from surgery on a chronic Achilles injury after the West Indies tour. He has played two Championship matches, claiming seven wickets at 31.42 and will give Flower another seam option. If England make a change to the winning eleven from Lord's - either for Sidebottom or an extra batsman - Tim Bresnan would be the player to drop out after being restricted to seven overs on his debut.
"Both Bell and Sidebottom have been in form in the early part of the season and have been a part of the England set-up in recent years," said Miller. "Ryan Sidebottom has recovered from surgery and reports that he is now bowling pain-free.
"The inclusion of Bell and Sidebottom in the squad gives the selectors, the coach and the captain several options going into this game. Monty Panesar is unlucky but it was always highly unlikely that we would play two spinners at Chester-le-Street."
England squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Matt Prior (wk), Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Graham Onions, Ryan Sidebottom

Matches ON Wednesday 06 May 2009

Mumbai Indians Vs Hyderabad Deccan Chargers

Venue :SuperSport Park, Centurion Live action starts from: 14:30 GMT (20:00 IST) T20 IPL 2009 Twenty20 match Match

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England Vs West Indies

Venue :Lord"s, London Live action starts from: 10:00 GMT (15:30 IST) Test West Indies Tour of England 2009 Test Match Match

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West Indies in England 2009

West Indies in England 2009

West Indies hope to catch England cold

John Dyson: 'They got caught being a little bit too complacent in the West Indies. I don't think they will be that complacent again' © Getty Images
Almost unnoticed, West Indies have slipped into England ahead of their Test and one-day tour. The eyes of the cricket world are currently trained on South Africa, so it is little surprise that the first tourists of the summer have barely turned heads as they prepare to face Leicestershire on Monday.
However, England have found out to their cost already this year that they are no longer a side to be underestimated. For the first time since they visited in 2000, West Indies will begin the series as holders of the Wisden Trophy following their 1-0 series win in the Caribbean. Their coach, John Dyson, hopes that England's minds will wander towards the Ashes challenge later in the season but believes they will learn from the mistakes they made on tour.
"I think we caught England on the hop in the West Indies. I think they came out thinking they were just going to have a net and just get ready for the Ashes," he said. "Hopefully they are still in that frame of mind and we might just catch them on the hop again. Who knows?
"They got caught being a little bit too complacent in the West Indies. I don't think they will be that complacent again. I think they will be out for revenge. It is our challenge to make sure that they don't get it in the return series over here."
This tour wasn't meant to be taking place with West Indies filling in for Zimbabwe, who don't have Test status, and Sri Lanka, who were the first replacements but pulled out after their key players demanded the opportunity to take up their IPL contracts. A similar situation nearly derailed West Indies with their IPL-bound players unhappy that this tour was scheduled after they had agreed their lucrative franchise contracts.
West Indies landed in London on Thursday without their captain, Chris Gayle, and leading fast bowler Fidel Edwards who, like a number of England players, will be in South Africa for the next two weeks before joining the tour shortly before the first Test, at Lord's, on May 6. Shortly after Dyson spoke at Grace Road, Edwards was bowling to Gayle as the Kolkata Knight Riders took on the Deccan Chargers in Cape Town.
Also missing is, Dwayne Bravo who wasn't deemed fit enough to withstand the rigours of two Tests following his ankle surgery that kept him out of the game for eight months. Instead, he is having an extended stay in the IPL before arriving for the one-dayers at the end of May.
Two other key players, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Jerome Taylor, have been given extra time at home to recover from injuries they collected during the previous series and will link up with the party in time for the second warm-up match against Essex. The absences will give a few of the new faces in the 17-man squad a chance against Leicestershire and as with England's team there are a couple of spots up for grabs.
Ryan Hinds has been dumped after failing to take his chance and Daren Powell's extended run of poor form has finally cost him his place. Nelon Pascal and Andrew Richardson, two untried quicks, are in the squad as is Dale Richards, the opening batsman, who missed out on a Test debut in Jamaica when he injured his foot on the eve of the game.