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Match facts

May 1, 2009
Start time 12.30pm (10.30GMT, 16.00 IST)Lasith Malinga has been the stand-out player for Mumbai Indians, with a bowling average (5.18) which is less than the economy rates of most bowlers•Getty Images

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Revolutionary captaincy theories, and the more basic disciplines of batting and bowling have all misfired to leave Kolkata Knight Riders at the bottom of the table. Throw in the fact that in-form opener Chris Gayle has just one more game left before heading to England, and the rumours of an unhappy dressing room, things seem bleaker still for Kolkata. And they are up against the Mumbai Indians, a team which thrashed them earlier in the week in Port Elizabeth.Mumbai will be looking for a repeat of that Monday mauling, and getting back to winning ways after their slip-up against Kings XI Punjab. Kolkata’s captain Brendon McCullum has said that their main troubles have been at the start of the innings with both bat and ball, and worryingly for them those are among Mumbai’s strongest points – openers Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya, and new-ball bowlers Lasith Malinga and Zaheer Khan. In short, a win on Friday for Kolkata will be the most surprising result of the tournament so far.

Form guide

Mumbai Malinga has been the stand-out player for them, with a bowling average (5.18) which is less than the economy rates of most bowlers. Add to that the fact that he gives away only 3.97 runs an over, and Kolkata have a fearsome opponent to deal with.Kolkata Ishant Sharma has been pretty handy with the ball, and Gayle has been at his carefree best, but the trouble for Kolkata has been McCullum, who has yet to recapture the form that helped New Zealand ease to two Twenty20 victories over India earlier in the year.

Team news

Mumbai could go in with an unchanged line-up. The one change they may contemplate is getting in Ajinkya Rahane, who was prolific in the domestic season, in place of Shikhar Dhawan, who hasn’t been putting in the solid performances of last year.Mumbai 1 Sachin Tendulkar (capt), 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Shikhar Dhawan/Ajinkya Rahane, 4 JP Duminy, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Abhishek Nayar, 7 Saurabh Tiwary, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Pinal Shah (wk), 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Lasith MalingaAjit Agarkar had another poor outing against Bangalore which means his place could come under scrutiny. They have the expensively acquired Mashrafe Mortaza in the side, but Charl Langeveldt, with his mastery of death bowling, could win a place ahead of him. Morne van Wyk’s unbeaten 43 should help him get another game at least, which means Brad Hodge could be on the sidelines.Kolkata 1 Brendon McCullum (capt), 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Sourav Ganguly, 4 Morne van Wyk (wk), 5 Yashpal Singh, 6 Wriddhiman Saha, 7 Laxmi Shukla, 8 Ashok Dinda, 9 Charl Langeveldt, 10 Murali Katik 11 Ishant Sharma

Head-to-head record

Last season Mumbai won by seven wickets in Kolkata, and by eight at home.

New Zealand coach Andy Moles and national selector Glenn Turner have shrugged off the indifferent performances by most of their players who took part in the IPL.”The nature of the beast which is the Twenty20 game is very hit and miss,” Turner said. He added that even net practice at the IPL was better than “sitting at home in the winter doing nothing”.Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum found form towards the end of the IPL, and Daniel Vettori was his miserly self in his limited chances, but the rest of the New Zealand players – including Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder and Scott Styris – were totally out-of-sorts in South Africa.New Zealand have had a better time of it after reaching England, posting a narrow win over Bangladesh and a more comfortable one over Ireland in the two warm-up matches so far.”A lot of thought has gone into the preparation for this tournament and we hope that it will be rewarded,” Moles said. “We have plenty of match-winners with bat and ball; it’s a matter of them performing as consistently as possible. This is our strongest squad so there are no excuses.”New Zealand had reached the semi-finals of the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007, and are grouped with Scotland and South Africa this time. They still have a couple more warm-up games to fine-tune their preparations – against India on June 1 and against Australia the day after.

Gordon Drummond believes he has had a “dream start” to his captaincy tenure after leading Scotland to victory against Canada in the Intercontinental Cup opener at Aberdeen. Scotland secured a hard-fought 29-run victory in a low-scoring contest which ended in three days.”I am delighted to have contributed to my team’s success in the first match of the tournament,” Drummond said. “It’s always important to start on a winning note and I am delighted to help my team have achieved it.”Drummond, a fast bowler playing only his fourth first-class game, made crucial contributions to Scotland’s victory, more so with the bat than with the ball. He came in with his team struggling at 102 for 8 in the first innings and scored 52 invaluable runs, lifting the score to 185. After picking up two wickets in Canada’s first innings, Drummond played another important innings, scoring 34 after Scotland had been reduced to 99 for 7 to take their lead past 200.”It was time for me to take more responsibility with the bat and build partnerships so that we could give something to our bowlers to defend,” Drummond said. “It was all about staying at the crease because we had a long batting line-up and we knew if we managed to hang in there, we would be able to post a respectable score on the board.”Both teams’ batsmen struggled for success on the Mannofield Park pitch and 39 wickets fell in 256.2 overs during less than three days’ play. Three innings folded for less than 200 while Canada’s 213 chasing 243 for victory was the highest total of the match. Drummond, however, said the conditions were not bad for batting.”I think the conditions were good for cricket. And if 39 wickets fell in three days, it was more due to a combination of lack of discipline by the batsmen and quality bowling by the bowlers than terrors on the wicket,” he said. “However, I do believe both the sides were a bit rusty and as all the teams in the tournament are almost of equal strength, it will be down to be how quickly the teams can adapt to the given conditions and deliver winning performances.”Canada ran Scotland close over the three days and their captain, Umar Bhatti, was appreciative of his team’s effort. “I think we played reasonably good cricket. Yes, our batting let us down but overall we showed a good account of ourselves,” Bhatti said. “The batting was a bit rusty as we were playing our first four-day match after a long time and the batsmen found it hard to switch from the one-day mode to the longer version. The batsmen tried to play too many strokes when the need of the hour was to occupy the crease and stay in the middle as long as possible.”Despite our batting failures, I think we can draw a lot of positives out of this match. The fielding was top class as we held everything that came our way except for one catch while the bowling of Khurram Chohan was outstanding.”Chohan, who played first-class cricket in Pakistan and also represented Pakistan Under-19, took 6 for 37 in the first innings and 3 for 50 in the second. “As far as I am concerned, Khurram was the player of the match,” Bhatti said. “He was very unlucky to miss out on a ten-wicket haul. He used the new ball very intelligently and severely tested the batsmen all through the match by bowling in the corridor of uncertainty.”

Sri Lanka’s promising left-arm fast bowler Thilan Thushara hopes to step into Chaminda Vaas’ shoes one day following a successful first day against Pakistan in Colombo. Thushara, who took 3 for 77, has nine wickets in the three-Test series at 27.33 so far and was happy to be playing a full series for the first time in his career.”This is only my sixth Test and although I played in the West Indies and in Pakistan I did not play regularly,” Thushara said. “This is the first time I have been able to play in an entire [three-Test] series and take wickets.”This series has shown a vast improvement in Thushara’s approach as a bowler and he put it down to hard work at the nets. “We do spot bowling concentrating on line and length under the watchful eyes of the coaches. Even at practice we have to put in 100% effort like bowling in a match. That could be the difference why our performance levels have improved.”Thushara and Nuwan Kulasekara have proved to be an excellent pair of new-ball bowlers for Sri Lanka, taking 23 wickets between them in the series. “Not only in this series, but I have bowled in partnership with Nuwan in several one-day internationals and we have been successful,” Thushara said.”The SSC wicket is a bit slow and with the second new ball you can swing it both ways. In the previous two Tests it was with the second new ball that we were able to make the breakthrough. The wicket is slower than we thought and the ball came nicely on the bat for the batsmen. Compared to the Galle and Oval wickets, this wicket is more batsman-friendly.Thushara said the Pakistan lower order was vulnerable against the new ball. “We hope to take the balance wickets early morning the ball is still new. I feel we had a good day today taking seven wickets and we don’t regret inviting Pakistan to bat first.”

Bermuda have been boosted by the inclusion of three players after absentees had left them weakened ahead of the ICC Intercontinental Shield which starts on August 17. Dennico Hollis, batsman Chris Foggo and David Lavell have been called up to the squad but their opponents Uganda will field a severely depleted team.”I am proud that these young men have stepped up and joined the Bermuda squad at a time when their country needed them,” Reggie Pearman, the Bermuda Cricket Board president, said. “I thank the players for their commitment and also their employers for displaying a high level of understanding and cooperation by allowing them leave from work at such short notice.”But Bermuda will be without the services of Justin Pitcher and batsman Chris Douglas. Pitcher has pulled out due to club commitments, while Douglas has been withdrawn from the squad for failing to attend mandatory training sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.”I am disappointed that these two players have removed themselves from the squad at this late stage,” Pearman had said. “We are fortunate to have this opportunity to host international cricket in Bermuda in all formats of the game against another leading Associate nation. I am pleased to note the majority of the young squad are working hard at being the best they can when they step out to represent our country with pride next week.”Uganda are also below strength for a tour which also includes two ODIs and a Twenty20 game, with as many as seven first-choice players absent.Joel Olwenyi and Kenneth Kamyuka have opted to remain with their club sides in Canada as a result of a fairly petty dispute with the Ugandan board over expenses. Three more – Nehal Bibodi, Junior Kwebiha and Nand Kishore – are reported to have been unable to get time off work, while another two – Arthur Kyobe and Danniel Ruyange – have been denied transit visas by the UK authorities.The news of players’ unavailability is a blow to the ICC which had hoped to establish the tournament as a credible second-tier event under the main competition

Bahamas were crowned Americas (Central Division) Under-15 Tournament champions, cruising to a nine-wicket victory against Belize at the Haynes Oval in Nassau. It was a perfect end to the tournament for the hosts, who had stayed unbeaten in their run-up to the final.Belize, electing to bat, were pegged back right from the start with the steady fall of wickets. Opener Lamont Russell lent some respectability to the score, stroking 35, which included five boundaries. Belize failed to bat out their allotted 30 overs, being bowled out for 117 runs with nine balls to go. Jermaine Adderley and Turan Brown starred with the ball for Bahamas, taking two wickets apiece.Bahamas proceeded to reach their goal in a hurry, overhauling the target in 16.1 overs. Though opener Akash Gulati, fresh off his maiden fifty, managed only 18 runs, his opening partner T Brown saw Bahamas through. He scored an unbeaten half-century while Ashmeid Allie gave him able support with 21 not out.

ScorecardZander de Bruyn overcame a groin injury to hit an unbeaten 109 as Somerset secured victory against Worcestershire to keep themselves in the title race until the final weekend of the season. If they beat Durham next Sunday and Sussex, the current leaders, slip up against Worcestershire then Somerset can take the crown.They made an uncertain start at New Road as Gareth Andrew made inroads with the new ball, having the dangerous and in-form Craig Kieswetter caught behind, removing James Hildreth with an inside edge and having Marcus Trescothick caught hooking at long leg.However, de Bruyn and Justin Langer – who announced after the game that this would be his finals season with Somerset – added 128 for the fourth wicket. de Bruyn, who needed a runner for much of the innings, reached his hundred from 102 balls and some late impetus was provided by Arul Suppiah who chipped in with 28 off 20 balls.Worcestershire’s hopes in the chase rested largely with their openers, but Steven Davies and Vikram Solanki fell inside the first eight overs. When Stephen Moore was lbw for 40 they were 88 for 6 and the game was long gone.

Ottis Gibson, the England bowling coach, believes only Steve Harmison can decide whether he is satisfied with an international career that appears to have come to an end after he was omitted from the tour of South Africa. Harmison was the most notable absentee from the 16-man squad and the general consensus is that it draws a line under his England career – seven weeks after he helped regain the Ashes at The Oval.However, Harmison’s three wickets in that match was typical of the bit-part performances he has produced in the last four years. Since 2005 he has provided one truly match-winning display – against Pakistan at Old Trafford in 2006 – with the next-best effort coming against South Africa, again at The Oval, last year. Gibson has faced at first hand the challenges of dealing with Harmison’s inconsistent displays, but knows only the man himself can say whether he has done himself justice.”He’s still a top class bowler on his day,” Gibson told Cricinfo. “He’s still capable of bowling high end 80mph so he’ll have to sit down in the winter and evaluate what his next step is and stuff like that but I’ve no doubt he’s still a quality performer.”Steve will have to sit down and decide whether he has got the best out of himself when he’s played for England. There are times when he has done, obviously, and he’s won Tests for England but there have been times when he’s not been as good as he could have been. All the time I’ve worked with him he’s always listened and taken on board what you say. He’ll have to sit down and decide whether he’s been as good for England as he could have been.”Gibson believes Harmison’s public admittance that he was reluctant to tour Australia next winter will have been factored into the decision not to take him to South Africa. He also issued an ultimatum that he wouldn’t want to tour and then carry the drinks.”Harmy said at some point, and Geoff Miller said it again today, that he wasn’t keen to go to Australia next year so perhaps the selectors have looked at the evidence and decided now is as good a time as any to look to the future.”Harmison’s place has been taken by Durham team-mate, Liam Plunkett, who enjoyed his most productive season with 60 first-class wickets at 23.35. Plunkett is a player Gibson knows well from his days at Chester-le-Street and feels he is now better prepared to face the challenges of international cricket than when first plucked out in 2006 by Duncan Fletcher.”He was picked at a very young age and international cricket is a very hard place to go and learn your game,” he said. “By the time you get there you have to have a good idea of what you are about and know yourself a little bit. He got found out a little bit, but he’s had time to go back to county cricket and develop a little more.”The selectors have looked at his performances this year and have decided he is ready again. My role in all this is to help him to settle back into the international environment very quickly when we get to South Africa and give him every chance of performing to his potential.”As Plunkett returns to the Test squad, another quick who was picked as a raw tearaway – Lancashire’s Sajid Mahmood – has been recalled to the one-day set-up. He last appeared at the 2007 World Cup before being jettisoned back to the domestic game, but Gibson believes it’s important that players are given time to learn at county level.”At 18, 19, 20 or whatever you may have displayed some potential, but for that to turn into performances you have to practice it first,” he said. “The only way to do that, to get better and know what you are capable of, is to practice in county cricket. It’s the next best thing to Test cricket. Hopefully they are now ready to come back and will know a lot more about themselves than they did two or three years ago.”This winter marks a changing of the guard for England’s pace attack – especially in the Test arena – with Harmison being left behind and Andrew Flintoff now retired from the five-day game. Gibson admits Flintoff was a “massive player” and is tough to replace but sees it as an opportunity for others to make a name for themselves.”The likes of Anderson are developing nicely to help fill that hole,” he said. “Anderson is now one of the best bowlers in the world, Broad is improving all the time, Sidebottom is a very, very good bowler. Plunkett has come back into the mix, Graham Onions has come into international cricket and doesn’t look out of place and he’s shown really good signs.”Some people will think that missing Flintoff and Harmison is a big deal but we don’t see it as a big deal, we see it as an opportunity for other people to step up. Hopefully the guys who have been given their chance this winter will help us win Test matches.”Ottis Gibson was promoting the Sky Sports ECB Coach Education Programme, which has trained 13,000 coaches in two years.

Scorecard
Zimbabwe started their tour of Bangladesh on a disappointing note, losing to Bangladesh Cricket Board XI by four wickets in Fatullah. Faisal Hossain starred for the home team, making an unbeaten 81, and adding 85 for the seventh wicket with wicketkeeper Shahgir Hossain to see his team through. BCB XI were struggling at 122 for 6 in their chase of 207 – Justice Chibhabha had rocked them with a three-for – but Faisal and Shahgir stepped up to the challenge, ensuring a win comfortably in the end as their team overhauled the target with more than five overs to spare.Tareq Aziz and Talha Jubair had earlier restricted Zimbabwe to a chaseable score, taking three wickets each. Wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu top scored with 62, but was short of support from the lower order. Zimbabwe collapsed to lose their last seven wickets for 78 runs, and will regret they lasted only 42 overs.

Sri Lanka Masters made amends for their loss in the opening match of the Cricket Legends of Barbados Cup against West Indies Masters, by beating South Africa Masters by four runs in Bridgetown.Chasing a challenging 172 to win, South Africa were lifted by Adrian Kuiper’s unbeaten 62 from 32 balls, which included three fours and four sixes. Three of those sixes came off successive balls in the 18th over bowled by Kumar Dharmasena, which eventually cost 24.However, needing 31 from the last two overs, the unbeaten seventh-wicket partnership of 51 between Kuiper and Pat Symcox failed to secure the win. Ruwan Kalpage was the star bowler for Sri Lanka, picking up 3 for 20 from his four overs.Sri Lanka had ended on 171 for 7 earlier in the day. They lost Athula Samarasekera and Marvan Atapattu early – Samarasekera was caught at deep backward square pulling a short ball from Fanie de Villers, while Atapattu was run out by a direct hit from mid-off.Romesh Kaluwitharana, with a blistering 48- ball 75, and Hemantha Wickramaratne (34) then exploded during a whirlwind third-wicket stand of 84 from 9.2 overs, before Wickramaratne was bowled while swinging across the line to Dave Callaghan. Kaluwitharana smashed four sixes and three fours and was castled by a full-length delivery.Sri Lanka were 81 for 2 at the half-way mark, and the hundred was raised in the 13th over when Kaluwitharana struck his third six over long on. The innings was given a timely push as 45 runs came from the last five overs for the loss of four wickets.